Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Blogging coming to an end for me

I just can't do it all... With a toddler to nurture and a new baby on the way, I've decided that I am not able to keep up with this blog. I used to blog during Samuel's nap or at night, but now I am trying to nap during Samuel's nap and spend any free time that I have at night with my husband.

If you are family, I will e-mail you before Vance's due date about my plans for baby pictures and updates.

Blessings to all of you!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Are you sure this isn't Honduras????

A few things in our new house remind me of the good ole days in Honduras:

1. 2 dishwashers (Jeremy and Marianna) - We've been washing dishes by hand since we moved in. The dishwasher should be fixed next week. I lived 2 years without one in Honduras, but now that I've got a child, it's hard to imagine life without one...

2. no water pressure- Apparently we live in an area that is known for it's bad water pressure. This was commonplace in Honduras because of water shortages, but I never imagined it could be a problem in the US. It takes forever to fill the washing machine and to fill up Samuel's bathtub...

3. all wood or tile floors (except for Samuel's room)- It makes you realize just how dirty carpet is.... No joke! It also makes you run out and get a Swiffer WetJet for your own sanity. Oh, and just like in Honduras, I never walk around barefoot. Why? Because I don't have the time to mop each day, and I can't stand dirt on my feet. If I do end up barefoot, I grab a baby wipe to use once I'm about to put my feet in the bed.

4. mice among us- Thank the Lord that I haven't seen any, but they are definitely out there since they chewed a hole through the dishwasher motor. There were also droppings in the cabinets and possibly in the vent covers.

All that being said, we do like this house and hope to live here for 2-3 years. These are just some minor things that I am having to "get over".

Oh, and Samuel went down much easier yesterday and this afternoon. Thank the Lord!!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

the move or this age???

Samuel is still asleep, so I thought I would post... Before the move, Samuel was doing so well at bedtime and naptime. He went down easily (even said "night night" as you were singing to him) and never cried. The first 3 days here were fine. I assumed he was adjusting just fine until he started fighting sleep a week ago. Now it's a huge ordeal to get him to go down for nap and at bedtime. He is stalling by asking to read more books or go "poo poo" and crying when we put him down in his crib. It's been so frustrating. I've held him longer and sang to him longer, hoping to comfort him. Sometimes at naptime I have had to let him cry for 15 minutes, but that doesn't seem to work (and I'm not one to let him cry an hour). I end up going back in there and firmly telling him that it's time for his nap. At bedtime, we let him cry some and then Jeremy goes in to sing him one last song before he asks to go "night night". I sure hope this passes quickly! He normally goes to bed at 8:00; last night it was 9:00 before he went to sleep, and this pregnant mama went to bed too. I told Jeremy that we are going to have to put him to bed sooner if we're going to have any time as a couple. Tonight we're going to church, and I'll probably bathe him before church in order to put him to bed when we walk in the door.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Double digits and our precious son, Vance

Well, it's official. Our countdown to Vance's due date went from triple digits to double digits. He is due in 99 days! I get excited just thinking about meeting him for the first time. (I don't let my mind wander to labor and delivery just yet... Why get anxious 99 days before the big day?)
I wonder what he will look like. Will he have hair? Will he be more awake and ready to nurse than Samuel was? Will he be laid back like Samuel? Will he like to cuddle (unlike Samuel)? Will he sleep through the night sooner? (Anything will be better than 15 months, right?) One thing is for sure- He is already loved so much! Here is a short letter I would give him if I could.

Dear Precious Vance,

We can't wait to meet you and hold you! We prayed for you for 11 months before you were conceived. You are truly a gift from God and an answer to our heartfelt prayers! Even now we pray for the Lord to hold you in the palm of His hand. May you come to a saving knowledge of Him at an early age and follow Him all the days of your life! You are a child of God, and our precious baby boy! We love you, son!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, and Samuel

***Read on to see my other post from today.

Not done and more on Vance and baby stuff

We are still busy around here. I have not finished unpacking, and Jeremy is still painting. It's a work in progress. I am not putting pressure on myself to finish because it is enough work taking care of Samuel and cooking meals. I have been running some errands to finish up the boys' rooms. I just got 2 more curtain panels and a curtain rod for Samuel's room. (He only had one window in his old room, and this room has two.) Thank the Lord they still carry both the panels and the rod. That was a blessing not to have to start over. Oh, and today I got the cutest curtain panels to match Vance's bedding. They are striped- blue, green, and white. I just love them! Now I have to get the curtain rod. I might end up buying one like the ones in Samuel's room- just plain white.

My parents gave us Vance's crib and changing table/dresser combo. as a baby gift, and we picked those two pieces up on Saturday. Jeremy will put those together soon. For now, we will just leave the crib in the living room, which is empty since we left that furniture in Beaufort, because we're using Vance's room as a guest room. My mom and dad are going to come before Vance's due date and stay for 2 weeks after he's born, so they will stay in Vance's room. Vance is going to be in a cradle in our room for the first 2-3 months. Thanks for loaning us the cradle, Michael and Amy. After a month or so, I do plan to use the crib for naps to get him used to the crib. Amy did that with Bryce, and I thought was a good idea.

One last thing- There are 3 baby items that I can't live without- the Angelcare monitor (that monitors baby's sound and movement), a video monitor, and sleep sacks.

1. We will move our Angelcare monitor from Samuel's crib to Vance's crib. If you want more info. on the Angelcare monitor, you can go to http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/ or www.target.com. It is the best investment ($100) because it's all about your piece of mind. I've always had the assurance that Samuel is ok when he's in his crib because the alarm would sound if he quit breathing. I can't recommend it enough! We have had some false alarms when he gets in one corner of the crib, but give me a false alarm any day over the fear of him not waking up... I have recommended this to friends and they are pleased with it too!

2. The video monitor has been a huge blessing. We got that at Big Lots in Nov. for $40. I was amazed to see Samuel "in action" when I thought he was asleep.... I also have paid attention to what he's doing when he wakes up, which has meant that sometimes I don't go to get him right away and he ends up falling back to sleep. I wouldn't be without a video monitor now. I need to find one for Vance's room.

3. Samuel has been in a sleep sack since he was about 6 months old. He wore them a few times before then, but I mainly used blankets until he started getting more active. (He was crawling backwards at 5 months old.) I love those sacks! The fleece ones keep him warm in the winter, and the cotton ones give him a little cover in the spring, summer, and fall. He has outgrown the fleece ones that you see in the stores, so I ordered special handmade ones on eBay a few months ago. He wears those at night. I've got him in the XL cotton one right now while he naps because they have a little give to them, but he has basically outgrown it. Once it warms up a little, he will officially be out of sleep sacks. I don't look forward to that because I know he will never keep blankets on himself. I don't know about you, but I never sleep without covers. We will see how he does.

I will post a few pictures soon. I just haven't had the time to take or post pictures...

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking...

We made it safely to our new home. It was a long 6 hours in the car for this pregnant mommy and her toddler, but we that's not important now. I will say that I'm staying away from car trips between now and when Vance is born. I truly believe that he sits on my bladder, which makes things interesting...

We've been busy ever since we got here, and I will be thrilled when the last box is broken down. Thankfully, we have some wonderful family and friends who have helped us pack, move, unpack, organize, and entertain Samuel. Not to mention the awesome soup that Amy made for us on Sunday night. I feel blessed to have some kind, helpful people in my life! You know who you are, so for the sake of time, I will not list your names.

My aunt and uncle are visiting from Clarkesville, Georgia. My uncle came in with his own painting supplies and quickly got to work. He has always been a worker, and I am thankful for his help. He painted almost all of the family room today. I love the color. It's a taupe. You would have to see it because the name doesn't do it justice. We're using that color for most of the house because it's a warm color. (Jeremy already painted the kids' rooms last week in bright kid colors. I love them!) Since we didn't paint our old house other than Samuel's ceiling, it's a nice change to see some color on the walls.

I'm off to conquer the hall closet. The closets overwhelm me. I look forward to Amy helping me again on Friday because she's great at organizing a room. She made the kitchen seem like and easy task when she came over on Monday. My in-laws helped me get a good start on it, but I was beyond overwhelmed with what was left. I was so worn out that I couldn't think.

More to follow in a few days!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Packing, packing, and more packing

I have been out of touch because it's been busy around here. Mom and I have been packing the house since Monday morning. Mom has been doing most of the packing while I organize and purge. It makes me wish I had purged sooner. The house is covered up in boxes. It's amazing how much stuff we have. As much as I hate for someone to see this mess, I sure pray for a showing. No showings since we listed it a week ago, but that's ok. We keep praying and waiting for a sale.

Saturday morning we pull out of town. Until then, I will be busy. I will post again next week. Please pray for us as we move. This is a huge step of faith for us.

Blessings!

PS- Vance is doing well. I had my 24 week appt. today and almost cried as I said goodbye to my OBGYN and office staff. I'm going to miss them so much!!!