Pregnancy Hormones or Odd Sentimental Attachment?

I moved into the Hillcrest dorms (boarding school) in the fall of 1997. Upon my arrival, my parents bought me a laundry basket and I wrote my name and room number in red marker on the bottom of the basket. Now fast forward almost 13 years... This weekend, we were at Walmart and decided it was time to upgrade our laundry baskets. While it'll be nice to have the sturdier, newer version that contours to my hip, it seemed so odd throwing the old one away. I'd thought about replacing it many times before (you can't hold it with one hand or all the clothes fall out), but it always seemed to do the job "good enough." Room 304 is faded now, but that laundry basket followed me through high school in Minnesota, college in Alabama, my short time of living on my own, and six years (and three moves) of married life. So, I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones making me mushy or an odd sentimental attachment to an object that was with me through my twenties. Alas, out with the old and in with the new!

Kitchen Renovation Part 2

After completing the cabinet and countertop upgrades, Jesse started on the other side of our kitchen. Our upstairs is where we spend the majority of our time. Our living room (which doubles as Trent's play area), dining room and kitchen are all upstairs. It really is a great set up for a family. The problem was that there's a beautiful open area between the living room and dining room but the kitchen was closed off. This blocked the kitchen from having much natural light and also made it difficult to see Trent and make dinner at the same time. It also kind of blocked the flow of things when we entertained. So we have put in big windows between the kitchen and dining room and kitchen and living room. There will be a countertop on each of these windows. I think it'll be great for serving food and the openness has already been wonderful watching Trent. It allows him to have a huge play area. These are work in progress pictures as we have to remove the studs, do the finish work, repaint, and install new countertops. Jesse is also building a new kitchen island. So when we say work in progress, it truly is a work in progress!

12 Week Baby Bump

So true that you show faster the second time around!

Dozer's New Name

Doh Doh!

Trent is trying to talk more and more each day. Dozer now goes by 'Doh Doh' at our house.

Good Dental Hygiene

At last count, Trent has 11 teeth. He LOVES to brush his teeth. We keep his toothbrush in the drawer in his bathroom. Every time the door to that bathroom is open, he walks in, pulls his toothbrush out and starts brushing his teeth. If I go to take it away from him, he actually runs off in the other direction. When we go to brush his teeth at night, he walks into the room with his mouth wide open and a huge grin on his face. Normally we brush his teeth first and then let him do it after we're done. I never imagined he would enjoy brushing his teeth so much!

Pure Bred American Mut

With the census going on and illegal immigration in the headlines, ethnicity has been a hot topic lately. This got me thinking. I've always struggled when checking this box on any sort of form. I know my dad's side is primarily Norwegian. They came over in the late 1800's/early 1900's. However, my mother's side is an entirely different story. They were in America before America existed. Last night, I started researching my mother's side. I wanted to follow my direct lineage (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.) until I finally got to a relative that was born in another country. I want to know who they were, when they got to the US, why they came, etc. I haven't had time to go through everyone yet (this will be a long process), but I was able to follow my grandmother's father until I got to a relative that was born in another country. The result - I'm part Dutch. The second, he was born in 1654.

This means my family has been American born for over 350 years and that's just the line I could go all the way down. There are still lines that go as far back as far as 333 years where I haven't yet figured out the generations beyond them to know if they were born in the United States so it could date back even further. I've always kind of wanted an "American" box as an option. How long does my lineage after me have to live here before they can check an "American" box? I am sure that the Dutch have many great traditions, but I don't think of myself as being Dutch. I'm American. Period. Yes, several hundred years ago my great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather came to the US from another country. However, part of the beauty of America is that we're a melting pot of different ancestries. My family has been 'blending/procreating/reproducing' on American soil for almost 400 years. So, in all honesty, I feel more like a pure bred American mut. Unfortunately, there's no box for that yet. With dogs, mutts tend to be healthier because they're not overbred. They get the best of all breeds due to their varied genetic makeup. So maybe for now we're just a healthy bunch of 'others.'

Babies Change Everything Yet Some Things Stay The Same

I had the chance to have lunch with a good friend today. She and I keep very different schedules so sometimes it's hard for us to meet up. However, when we do get together, it seems as though things always pick up right where we left off. I have been so blessed by how many of our friends that don't have children have embraced Trent with open arms. Children were hardly on my radar before I had my own. But so many of our friends are willing to adjust their schedule to what works for Trent. Today we had a picnic lunch at a park. This provides an opportunity for Trent to be as messy as he wants and nobody cares. I don't have to worry about his volume level or him throwing food on a restaurant floor. He can run circles around us in the field and it gives us an opportunity to have actual "grown up" conversation. Our friends are so good to Trent too. He has multiple "almost - aunts," in addition to his two biological aunts. I'm so thankful for the number of people that take an active interest in him.

So Sleepy

One of the toughest things about the first trimester is the pregnancy fatigue. I'm tired all.the.time. The first time around, I had a desk job and could at least sit still and be tired. With an active one year old, I don't have that option. There are many things that have been put on the back burner lately. The one I miss the most is the sewing. When our kitchen was under construction, my sewing table (also known as our dining room table), was the place where all the contents of my kitchen landed. So I could not sew because the space was completely covered up. Now everything is back in the kitchen cabinets, but by the time Trent is ready for bed, I am too. I'm getting to the end of the first trimester and I'm hoping that with the start of my second trimester, I'll find some of my missing energy. Trent needs some more summer rompers. I try to stay ahead of him but he grows like crazy! He's wearing 2T now (which is the size I made for him at first because at that point, he was in 18 month). So now, I'll be making 3T for him - craziness. I have no doubts that he's going to be taller than his mama, probably by the 5th grade. I also have some odds and ends to finish up with some of the projects I've had going AND I want to start making some diapers for baby number 2. We'll have two in a diapers when the baby arrives and I want to have the extras ready and made before we need them. So here's to hoping my energy returns and I can get back to sewing soon!

The "Dat" game continues

We have been playing the "name that" game at our house constantly. Trent points at everything with his little pointer finger and says, "dat?" Then I name the object and he tries to repeat it. Sometimes I ask him, "which one is the (fill in the blank)?" And he'll try to point at the right one. When he does point to the right one, I usually say, "Yay!" And clap.

Today, before I was putting him down for his nap, we were playing this game in his nursery. It's rainforest themed so it's like a trip to the zoo when we play the game in there. Monkey. Frog. Tiger. Giraffe. Bird. "Where's the Giraffe, Trent?" After he successfully pointed to the giraffe, he squealed and clapped for himself. So proudly. I think he's got it!

Hodgepodge of Updates

Adorable

Always Full Speed

Beginnings of a Baby Bump

View from the Top

One of my favorite, favorite things about staying at home is getting to see all the little things. This week Trent finally figured out how to go down the stairs. (No worries, he never tackles them alone.) He has been doing great going up them for a while now, but going down was different story. We tried the sit on your tush and scoot forward approach. He wasn't interested. He wanted to walk down them just like we do. We tried the going down backwards approach and he constantly wanted to turn around and go down them like an adult. One day it finally clicked! He's been going down the stairs (using the backwards/facing the stairs approach) without a problem for a couple of days now.

Another fun thing that he's been doing is pointing at things and saying, "Dat?" Which means, "what's that?" He then tries to copy what you say. Sometimes he sounds really close, other times, not so much. My favorite yesterday was "sheep." We were reading a book about Noah's ark and when he tried to say sheep it sounded like he was hushing a library. It came out as, "Shhhhhh"

Our garden is doing really well! We've been using a lot of it, especially the herbs. Yesterday, I made homemade pesto sauce from our basil and today I picked our first cauliflower. This is our first year growing cauliflower so it's kind of fun to see one actually come up!

And lastly, we have the beginnings of a baby bump. I'm showing a lot faster this time than last time. However, at this point, I just look like I've been eating a few extra donuts. This picture was taken last week so it's a "ten week" shot.

Exercising While Pregnant

Exercise has been important to me for years. Prior to Trent's arrival, I spent my days training for triathlons and half marathons. While I haven't done any of these events since he came along, I still maintain a regular workout routine.

Years ago, doctors told pregnant women to basically take it easy for 9 months. This is no longer the advice given. Now, doctors agree that maintaining an exercise program while pregnant is good for both Mom and baby. I'm not saying to go out and tackle the Ironman right now. It's about maintaining the level of fitness you had pre-pregnancy and listening to your body. When I was pregnant with Trent, I did body pump right up until a few weeks before he was born. The only reason I stopped early was all the funny looks I received like he was about to drop on the floor at any moment! I ran until it became uncomfortable, which was right around 5 months. Then I switched to walking. The big thing for cardio is not to get out of breath or overheated so in my case, I have to run slower than I do when I'm not pregnant. Run at a pace where you could have a conversation with someone. I also do a lot of treadmill running indoors since I live in the deep south and it gets HOT in the summer. I'm hoping that I'll be able to continue the same habits with my current pregnancy. So far so good.

Some of the perks given for maintaining an exercise program while pregnant:

1. Feel Better: it relieves some of the aches and pains of pregnancy and helps you sleep better

2. Prepare your body for childbirth: endurance and stronger muscles could lead to an easier delivery

3. Get your body back sooner post delivery: Sure, your belly will grow and grow but you can still maintain toned arms and legs throughout the pregnancy and having an established routine will help jump-start the weight loss post pregnancy.

Craving Confession

So the last time I was pregnant, I was all about milk and salty things. I couldn't get enough of popcorn and Ruffles potato chips (and only Ruffles). This time, it is all sweets! I must confess that I actually ate FOUR (gulp!) popsicles in one sitting. And we're not talking about the skinny little popsicles. We're talking about Edy's double width popsicles. They are the real deal.

The pomegranate flavor is AMAZING. The strawberry ones are a close second.

And the other item I have overindulged on...

Yes, of all things - candy! This baby has a MAJOR sweet tooth. I know I need to find healthier alternatives but after surviving on saltines and ginger ale for the last couple of weeks, I'm ecstatic to be craving food. Period. (Even if it is unnatural and sugar loaded!)

As Promised - Before and After Shots

The hard work has paid off. I'm very pleased with how our kitchen turned out! If you look hard enough, you'll notice that we still have to put a few of the knobs on the cabinet doors. The lion's share of the work is done so I figured we were close enough to post pictures. :)

Before Shots:

Sink Side of Kitchen

Stove Side of Kitchen


After Shots:

Sink Side of Kitchen

Stove Side of Kitchen

Another Stove Side Shot

Roses, Roses, Roses

Jesse, Trent and I went to the Botanical Gardens on Mother's Day. It is always a gorgeous time to go because all of the roses are in bloom. We had such a good time taking in the natural beauty of the place, the yummy scents of all the flowers, and enjoying a leisurely afternoon together.

"I like this one!"

My favorite rose

Jesse's favorite rose

Glimpse of the rose garden

Such the thumbsucker - This is while running downhill!

The boy who made me Mama

Pregnancy Protein Mush

As I've mentioned before, I've struggled more with nausea this pregnancy than I did with Trent's pregnancy. I've learned that allowing myself to get hungry is definitely not a good thing. If I'm hungry, I feel awful. This has forced to eat frequently. As soon as I wake up, I start eating crackers. If I stay up too long after dinner, I have to find a snack. I'm also hungrier than normal. A usual bowl of cereal at breakfast just doesn't cut it. One day this week, I had cereal followed by leftover country fried steak. The next day, I had a cereal followed by an avocado. My usual standby is made up of stuff we always have on hand and seems to do the trick on filling me up enough to keep the nausea at bay. I start with a banana and mush it up. Then I add a few big scoops of peanut butter on top of it and mix it in. Next I add a couple big scoops of raisins. Sometimes, I even add a little honey. Once it's all mixed together, it doesn't look all that appealing, but it's the perfect blend of sweet and salty and is hearty enough to keep the hunger away for a bit. I thought of this idea, because there's a little beach hut restaurant near my grandparents house in Florida that used to serve a banana, peanut butter and honey sandwich. I'm not a huge cold cut fan, so this was always a yummy treat for me.

Happy Mother's Day!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

Being a mother is such a special role. I love being a mom and I'm thankful for my mother and mother in law. Without them, Jesse and I would not be the people that we are today.

Jesse gave me a wonderful mother's day (and his father's day) present. We got a new camera! We are constantly taking pictures of Trent and I found I was using my phone all the time, which doesn't take the greatest quality pictures. I've been playing with it a bunch, trying to figure out all the buttons and functionality. I hardly have it all figured out, but I am loving it already. Here are some pictures from the morning photo shoot.

Belly Shot

My oldest "baby"

Funny face

Naptime yet?

Savoring Quiet Time

Since Trent was born and I stayed home, I have made it a habit of having a little quiet time every morning while Trent takes his morning nap. Prior to being pregnant again, this usually consisted of a nice cup of Joe, curled up under a blanket, my Bible and a journal. As winter ended, a baby started developing inside me and now the mere thought of the smell of coffee makes me want to gag, my routine has changed to sitting outside with my morning protein concoction. I love these times and cherish each remaining morning as I realize that the days are numbered. Trent won't always take a morning nap and getting two babies to nap simultaneously (if even possible) is going to be a challenge. During my reading this morning, I came across the verse, "From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God." How comforting to know that God is with us, even at our most infant stage. I always worry that I am making the right decisions with my child(ren). I desire for them to grow up to be people of strong character. Every decision I make regarding discipline, values, health, etc. has an impact on them. As Chuck Swindoll said, "Each day of our lives we make deposits into the memory banks of our children." I'm so thankful that there's a God much greater than me, with a massive capacity of love and wisdom, who is also looking out for my kids!

Hat Wars

The hat wars have begun! Anyone who has lived in the deep south knows that summer is not just hot, it's ridiculously hot. The sun is brighter and more direct so sunscreen is a must from Spring to Fall. Hats and sunglasses are a necessity. Visit us in August and you will wholeheartedly agree. Plus, a large portion of our time is spent between a local lake, Grandma and Grandpa Keller's pool and Grandma and Grandpa Reiersen's lake. The majority of our summer is spent in the direct sun. My beautiful child is a fair skinned little boy. Last summer, he did great keeping a hat and sunglasses on his head. He went swimming for the first time at three months and didn't get a hint of a sunburn until October. Now that he's much more mobile and independent, he's not interested in the hat. He constantly takes it off. A friend of mine enforces the rule that if you want to play outside, you have to wear a hat (her father in law died of melanoma). I love that rule. But reasoning with 13 month old is not always easy. So right now we're trying the persistence method. He takes it off, I put it on, over and over and over again. It seems to be paying off. We were at a park playdate today and he actually kept in on for periods of time before pulling it off!

Saving for Later

Community Supported Agriculture

The Box
(So excited, it felt like Christmas morning)

The beautiful produce
I already tasted the strawberries - they're delicious!

I am so excited about my first box of vegetables and fruit!! This month we signed up for a share of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). What does this mean? Each week, I get a box of fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits straight from the farmer. The box usually consists of 6-7 different types of vegetables and fruits and has 3-4 servings of each item. This week we received zucchini, squash, new potatoes, bulb onions, snap beans, lettuce and strawberries. What we'll receive in the box is totally dependent on what is in season. This is different from the supermarket mentality where everything is always in season, but is actually a very healthy way to eat.

Most people realize that I am not a fan of how food in the US gets from the farmer to the table. It's mass produced, they've (the powers that control the majority of the food in the grocery store) seriously limit the varieties of vegetables and fruits available, most food has traveled 1500 miles to get to you, and they use all sorts of bio-engineered/unnatural seed, pesticides, gases, etc. to ripen and grow the vegetable. I don't want to eat a science experiment. I want a naturally grown vegetable and fruit.

Plus, it'll give me opportunity to try different varieties of vegetables. There are so many varieties of vegetables that you never see in the grocery store. I can think of so many different types of squash that I have seen at the farmers market each summer. I'm so looking forward to cooking with different types of foods. It's going to be fun!

We made grilled veggies for dinner and had strawberries for dessert - mmm, good! :)

Ultrasound pics

Here are the ultrasound pics of our new little peanut. These were taken a few weeks ago when we first went to the doctor to confirm that I am pregnant. We are so excited to have another baby!

Round 2

Big Brother, Trent

We are so excited to announce that we will be adding baby number two in December! I am 9 weeks pregnant with our second child.

And for all the questions that usually follow:

The official due date is December 8th. This is exactly one week after my niece's birthday so there's a possibility that two people very dear to me could share a birthday.

No, I am not feeling that great. My "morning sickness" has been a lot worse this time around than last time. I'm hoping it clears up within the next couple of weeks. I have consumed more ginger ale and saltines in the last few weeks, then in the 29 years leading up to it.

There will be 20 months between Trent and baby number 2 and yes, we're happy about baby bunching.

We are planning on finding out the sex again.

Visit from MorMor and Bestefar

While we were in Tennessee, my grandparents came to visit! I call them Mormor and Bestefar (Grandma and Grandpa in Norwegian). They had fun seeing Trent and we all had fun hanging out. We went for a boat ride, enjoyed good food and had a great time visiting. My mom has an app on her phone called the Moron Test and we all took a turn at trying to beat it. It's hysterical.

Bestefar taking his turn at the moron test

Fortunately, with Dana's wedding in June, it won't be too long until we get to see them again!

Date Day

The biggest skillet I've ever seen

Shot of the mountains while in Cades Cove

After all the work on the house, Jesse and I drove up to Tennessee for a few days. One of the days, my mom watched Trent so we could have a "date day." It was a lot of fun. First stop was Bass Pro Shop. Next, we went out for lunch. We went to a place called the Chop House. It was tasty. I had corn cakes topped with avocado, pico, cilantro and drizzled in dressing. Jesse had an alfredo pasta dish. After lunch, we hit the outlets. We both were on the hunt for new flip flops and Jesse wanted a new pair of sunglasses. We ended up leaving with about 5 outfits for Trent and a new pair of sunglasses for Trent and nothing for us. Ahh, oh well... :) After the outlets, we went to Cades Cove. It was a community in the Smokies before the government took over the land to make the national park. If you're ever in the Smokies, you should check it out. It's really interesting and fun to see. They have churches and homes from the mid 1800s. We also saw a lot of animal life while we were there. We saw deer, bear, and turkey. The bears were adorable. We saw two different sets of mama bears with their cubs. One set was only about 40 yards away from us and the cubs were climbing the trees. I really need to start bringing my camera with me more often so I can take pictures of things like the bears!

Settling Back In

Well, we're finally getting back into a routine around here. All three of us are back at home. Trent had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa R's. Some highlights for Trent while he was there:

The boy LOVES country fried steak. My mom made it one night and ground it up so he could eat it. He went crazy for it!

My parents live on a lake and their property has a cove with a very gradual entrance into the lake. They took him down to the cove and fully clothed in jeans and a t-shirt, he walked straight into the water, sat down, and started playing. (The water is probably in the high 60s right now, hardly toasty, but he's a huge fan of water)

Jesse and I joined my parents and Trent for a boat ride, in which Trent drove. Thankfully, it's a big lake because he thoroughly enjoys vigorously turning the wheel back and forth. He has Grandpa wrapped around his finger too! He just walks over to Grandpa and looks up at him and smiles and he gets to sit on Grandpa's lap and steer the boat.

It's fun to see how different parents act when they are grandparents. Trent will empty out any drawer he can get his hands on. One of his favorite things to do this past week was to go and completely empty out my dad's dresser full of sweaters. I walked into their closet and there were sweaters thrown all over the floor. Something tells me if I had done that as a kid, it would not have been received the same way. He also loves to throw all of my mother's tupperware on the floor and then use them as ice skates as he skates around the kitchen floor... He is so loved!

Lots of Exploring

He can sit in this squat position for ages, I don't know how he does it!

WATER!!

Sitting on my lap but the steering wheel and Grandpa are directly behind me

(which is precisely where he's looking!)

Loves the Outdoors

As far as how things are going on the kitchen remodel front... We are loving how it has turned out so far. Currently, we are anxiously waiting on the arrival/install of our countertops. The wait thing wouldn't be a big deal except that this includes our sink. Hopefully, everything will be installed this week. I'm trying to be patient because in the long run, a week without a sink and countertop is really not that big of a deal. But when you're in the midst of it, it can get a little annoying. We went food shopping today and we are going to be eating very vegetarian this week. It's much easier to assemble salads and such than to cook without counters and water.