11 weeks along

I am officially 11 weeks pregnant with Baby O2!  Already time is flying.  I feel like just yesterday I was taking a pregnancy test and now I'm almost into my second trimester!


Here is a picture of me at 10 1/2 weeks.  Yes, that is a baby bump.

I was barely showing with Seth until I was 5-6 months pregnant and here I am at 10 weeks having a little pooch!  I guess my tummy just knows what to do.  I had a $25 gift certificate for Motherhood Maternity and went out yesterday and bought a new pair of maternity jeans.  It's just not worth it trying to squeeze into regular jeans anymore.

Here is a picture of what our baby probably looks like now at 11 weeks gestation.  Pretty amazing, huh?  S/he is fully formed now and just needs to keep developing and growing.

 I've been feeling okay.  Still not 100%.  Some parts of the day I feel totally back to normal, and then other parts I feel like if I even look at some foods I'm going to lose it.  I threw up twice last week brushing my teeth (my gag reflex is so strong right now).  Because I absolutely hate throwing up, I have not used toothpaste in 6 days now.  I still brush with water and floss twice a day, but the toothpaste just pushes me over the edge.  I apologize in advance for any bad breath I might have!

meeting baby o2 for the first time!

Yesterday we had our first appointment with the midwives, our first ultrasound and first time hearing Baby O2's heartbeat!  I was looking forward to this day for weeks!  And my mom surprised me by driving all the way to our house the night before so she could join us!  A doubly-wonderful day.


The baby is perfectly the right size for my 8-weeks of pregnancy (about the size of a kidney bean).  They gave us the due date of September 21.  That's only four days before Seth's due date ... which means we're going to have kids almost exactly two years apart! 


I love this first ultrasound because you can actually see the heart beating.  It looks like a fluttering butterfly.  So miraculous!  We were even able to hear the heartbeat ... it was so strong!  Ahhhh.  It was just surreal sitting there, listening to the heartbeat of this child, with my other child sitting next to me.  Are we really doing this again?!  Are we seriously going to have two children?  Wow.


I've been feeling pretty queasy, extremely fatigued and I constantly gag when I brush my teeth (why?!?!).  But ... only a few more weeks and I should be feeling much better!  Praise God, the giver of LIFE.

why becoming a mom has made me a better person: part one

Just a few weeks ago my husband and I found out we are expecting our second child!  We couldn't be more thrilled.  


This news has caused me to think back to my first pregnancy all the way through the early days and weeks of my first-born's life and what we have to look forward to (or brace ourselves for) again.  And you know what I realized in all of this reflection?  Becoming a mom has seriously changed me for the better.  I decided that, for the next couple of days, I want to share a few of the ways motherhood has purified, shaped, molded and changed me.

.. .. .. 

Part One: Patience

Before I became a mom, I would never have thought of myself as an impatient person, but why would I?  I could eat when I wanted to eat, shower when I wanted to shower, wake up when I wanted to wake up, work where I wanted to work, socialize when and with whom I wanted ... but that all changes when you become responsible for another life.  The first few months of Seth's life it was honestly easy to abide by the restrictions he placed on my life.  He was so cute and tiny!  I wanted to care for him, no matter what that meant for my life.  Honestly, it was the novelty of a newborn, especially a first-born newborn.  But as the weeks turned into months, that novelty started to wane as my son refused to take naps and was still not sleeping through the night.  When he was around 4 months old I found myself having my first and only post-pardam depression-type thoughts of wanting to kill this precious child because his screaming and refusing to sleep had worn my patience to null.  I needed a break!  And it was obvious that my child was so exhausted, but couldn't fall asleep.  Those thoughts scared me so badly.  When Jack came home from work that night, I came to meet him at the door with tears streaming down my face and a screaming baby in my arms.  I told him my thoughts and how I just couldn't handle it anymore.  Then my husband started crying.  I knew at that point I couldn't do it on my own.  No, I didn't need my mom to come save the day.  I needed Jesus.  And only the patience He can give.  I realized that up to this point, I had failed to ask my Savior for His help in this role called motherhood.  How could I have been so foolish?  I emersed myself in simple prayer asking God to give me the strength and patience - His strength and patience - to raise His child.  And you know what?  That night as Seth woke up screaming in the middle of the night (like he usually did at that time), Jack jumped out of bed so fast to go calm Seth so I didn't have to, but after a minute or two of lying in bed, listening to my child cry and my husband trying his best to console him, I realized: I'm not angry!  I'm not frustrated!  I am filled with patience and compassion for this little child!  And I was so excited at this noticeable change in my heart that I, too, hopped out of bed and went to Seth's room to help.  Jack looked at me, I think almost afraid that I'd be frustrated like usual, but I told him, "I'm not upset!  God has given me more patience!"  From that time on, I can see God's patience still streaming through my heart and mind.  It hasn't left me.  Yes, there are times when Seth is so whiny or throwing a tantrum about something and I feel that nerve rise when I want to just scream ... but the response that comes out of my mouth is often so much calmer, so much more understanding, so much more patient. That is the result of having the patience of Jesus Christ abiding in my heart and life.  And I've noticed the patience flowing into different areas of my life: with my husband, with friends, with strangers who drive horribly, etc.  

Obtaining Christ's patience is often an uncomfortable path, but the reward is worth the trip down that path.  I praise God for that time with a sleepless, screaming child that brought me to a more patient, understanding life.  

Children are a blessing from the Lord.

my little man

It's been forever since I last blogged.  And I mean forever (yes, I realize I say that every time I blog)!


Well I thought it would be about time to update on Seth.  He is growing up way too fast to not take time to note some of the astounding and hilarious things he is doing at this stage of his life.


1)  His favorite things right now include: Elmo, yogurt, "go"ing anywhere (also his favorite word to say), the park, and Blue's Clues.


2)  He had his first ear infection the end of last week.  Poor kid!  He's had an ongoing cold that just won't go away and sure enough, it turned into an ear infection.  He's been on antibiotics and hasn't quite been himself all week, but he's feeling better, thank the Lord!


3)  His interest and desire to talk has increased drastically over the past few weeks.  He watches our lips when we talk and it trying to say much more difficult words.  His most common words are: Dada, car, cook, hot, dog, car, go, bird, car ... he has some weird love for cars!  Whether it's a toy car or a real car, he has to announce and share about every car he sees.


4)  Speaking of obsessions, Seth loves animals.  Specifically dogs and birds.  He loves them.


5)  Funny story: The other day I was in the kitchen with Seth and asked him to go find his dad, who was in Dada's room.  Where does he go?  Directly to the bathroom.  Guess Seth associates his dad with the bathroom.  Hmmmmm.  :)


6)  Seth loves to cuddle and tackle, especially someone's head.  He just curls up his body all around your head if you're laying down and hums.  It's rather adorable really.


7)  Seth loves to help me cook.  He wants to be up in my arms, stirring whatever is in the pot on the stove.  Super cute.


8)  Oh and Seth also has an obsession with reorganizing our refrigerator.  And boy oh boy is he a hawk on it!  The very second I open the refrigerator door, he's right there, grabbing the parmesan cheese jar and salad dressings and putting them on different shelves.


9)  Seth loves taking showers with us.  


10)  Seth truly enjoys throwing things away for us.  I'm not going to complain!

hiking

We went hiking yesterday.

Seth was quite comfortable in this fantastic hiking backpack that Aunt Julie gave us.  In fact, he was humming, shouting and squealing in it as we walked around the forest at a preserve near our home.  He loves sticks, so I gave him a stick to hold as we marched on and he was busy trying to stick it in Jack's ear much of the time!  LOL.

This place was very cool (we've been there before), but there are so many different trails that you rarely ever have to take the same path twice.  This time a friend told us about a farm at the end of one of the paths.  So to the farm we went.  It was a sweet little farm where we took Seth out and he was able to walk around and go right up (and I mean literally directly up) to chickens, a cow, pigs (who were snoring), bunnies, a goat and sheep.  He was fascinated ... by the leaves on the ground.  Of course.  But it was a great experience nonetheless.  

Then we walked back a slightly different route and came across this gigantic tree stump:

It was a great day.

autumn update

 I love fall!  Mostly because that means it's almost Christmas, but also because of the changing leaf colors, the cooler weather and fun holidays and activities.  Here's what's been going on in our family:

 

Halloween:  I typically never celebrate Halloween.  We just never got into it when we were kids, so I wasn't really planning anything with Seth this year, but when we were invited to join my niece and nephew for trick-or-treating, I went right out and got Seth this adorable Elmo costume.  We spent the morning at a playdate with Seth's best friend, Goyo (the lion above ... so cute!), and then went trick-or-treating with the kiddos.  Seth was so cute!  Javier, my nephew, would walk up to the doors first to knock while we got Seth and Naya, my niece, out of their wagon.  As fast a Seth could, he would run up the walkway and bang on people's doors.  As soon as it was opened, he'd try to get inside their houses.  He did this on multiple occasions.  Haha.  Once I pulled him out, he'd go try to find their hose outside of their house.  That kid, I tell ya!  Overall, it was a great night and though Seth has no clue what he was doing, it was a ton of fun watching.  

First Fruits: Jack built his own raised planter garden a few months ago and just a few weeks ago was ready to reap his first fruits!  Carrots!  They were ready for pickin!  Believe it or not, the carrots are delicious.  Much sweeter and juicier than store-bought yet still nice and crunchy.  And Seth loves them too!  Each weekend since they've been ready, Jack will pick a couple more and he and Seth will eat them.  He also planted green onions, cabbage and broccoli.  Can't wait!

Raking Leaves: What's fall without raking leaves?  And jumping in them and making a mess and having dad re-rake?

Veteran's Day Parade: Seth and I went over to Elk Grove to visit my parents on Veteran's Day.  Elk Grove is one of the few cities in the Sacramento area that still hosts a Veteran's Day Parade and it was fantastic!  So many veterans, high school marching bands, and old army vehicles.  I don't know why, but I found myself to be very emotional during the whole parade.  I don't think we truly understand what a sacrifice these men and women have made for us since before we were born to guarantee our freedoms we take for granted.  

And here's a few recents of the Sethenator!

pumpkins and gifts

Normally I'm so excited about Christmas that I give very little thought to Halloween, but I saw cute little pumpkins at Trader Joe's and Seth seemed fascinated, so we just had to get one for all of us.

(Of course I tied them with ribbons!)

(And isn't he just the cutest kid you've ever seen?!)

On another completely different note, my husband got me a just because gift:

I saw this arrow bracelet on Pinterest and showed it to my husband in passing.  Little did I know he would actually get it for me!  He's so wonderful to me!  I love it!

seth update

I realize it's been awhile since I last wrote about my beloved child.  It seriously seems like he's doing new things every day!  For example, as we were walking out to the car this morning, Seth saw a lady walking a dog across the street and he pointed to them saying, "Da! Da!" ... I'm interpreting that as "dog".  Here are a few other things he's been up to:


1. He is no longer afraid of our laundry room, and now will go back there, shut the door and run in circles.

 

2. He has learned how to use his step-stool to get up on the couch.  Probably his favorite spot in the house.  He has also figured out how to open up doors.  Bring on the locks!

3.  He loves food.  Strangely enough, he loves food in "stick" shapes ... i.e. bananas, cheese sticks, french fries.  So, to get him to eat things, I now cut them up into long rectangles (yesterday I cut up a turkey and cheese sandwich that way).  And then he will scarf them down.

4.  He got this car/stroller thing for his birthday.  We have succumbed to just leaving it on the front porch because, rain or shine, we take walks in it multiple times per day.  In fact, he threw his first tantrum over it because he wanted to go for a walk even though it was pouring down rain.  Oh - that's another thing - Seth now throws tantrums.  Yay.

5. He has become quite a cuddler ... with his stuffed animals. It's actually really cute to see him playing all rough, throwing stuff around, and then grabbing a soft stuffed animal, he'll curl it under his neck and place his cheek down on it and just pause for a moment of cuddling. Super cute!

newest project

So the most recent project I have going (and almost completed) is and idea I found on Pinterest.  Can I just tell you, once again, how much I love that website?!  Anyway, this project is a creative way to display and store children's books.  Take a look:

(No, his walls are NOT neon yellow.  I don't know why it came out this way ...)

Using $4 IKEA spice racks, I painted them the same wall color as Seth's room, mounted them securely onto the wall and can now lean his books in them ... at a level he can reach.  And he loves it!  Before, we stored his books up on top of the armoire in his room, so unless me or my husband pulled them down, he didn't really get to play with them.  Now they can be stored in a neat and tidy place and yet still be accessible by my kid.  Plus, it's super cheap, and doesn't take up valuable play space on the floor (like a regular book shelf would).  We still have two more shelves to install, but need to get better mounting hardware to keep them up securely.  Great idea!  Thanks, Pinterest!

Oh ... and I just had to post this.  When Jack was putting up the shelves, Seth just had to be with his dad in the middle of the action!

new nieces

Five days ago my sister-in-law gave birth to identical twin girls!  Isabella Frances and Siena Marie.  How exciting!  I remember when I was little it was my dream to have twin girls.  I think that's what every little girl dreams of!  Their wedding, and having twin baby girls.  Why?  I'm not sure, but it was definitely my dream.  So when our sister told us she was pregnant with twin girls, we were ecstatic for her and her husband.

To honor their coming into the world, I got an idea for making a piece of all art for each of them to hang up in their nursery.  I love how they turned out!

Isabella Frances Crandall

Siena Marie Crandall

Super easy to make too!  What I used was:

-$9.99 mated frame from IKEA

-craft paper

-textured hemp fabric (any type of textural fabric would work ... I found this in the reminent basket at JoAnn's)

-alphabet stamps and ink

-craft label holders

And here's how:

1) Design and print out the initials you want to use (I did mine in Microsoft Word, using the Art tool and chose the outlined letters option) onto your craft paper.  You could also use old piano sheet music or old book pages to print your letters out on.

2) Cut out your letters ... carefully!  I ended up wanting an outline to the letters, so I glued them onto a piece of regular printer paper and then cut along the outside of the letters, leaving an even space.

3) Glue your letters onto your background paper (making sure to leave space for placement of the label holders).

4) Cut the background paper down to the desired size.  I ended up cutting mine 1/2" smaller than the opening (leaving 1/4" inch all around).

5) Glue the background paper onto your textured fabric, which should cover the entire opening, leaving extra for overlap onto the back of the mat.

6) Stamp out the child's name onto regular printer paper (or a velum or other desired paper).  I actually wanted to stamp out the meaning of each of their names, but #1 I didn't have enough room within the size of the label holders I got, and #2 The name Isabella has a beautiful meaning, but the name Siena, though a beautiful name, didn't have as much of a beautiful meaning.  I also thought about stamping their birth dates, but I don't have number stamps, so I ended up just stamping their names spelled out.

7) Attach the stamped paper to the label holder and attach the label holder to the background paper and fabric.

8) Place in frame opening and tape in place (to avoid sliding down).

Wallah!  A beautiful, personalized piece of wall art!

OH.MY.GOSH.

Target has the beginnings of their Christmas items in stock!  What a glorious day!  I absolutely love Target at Christmastime!

seth's first birthday

What a fun day it was!  When Seth went to sleep the night before his birthday, Jack and I went to work putting up one too many paper chains, moving around furniture and getting things ready for the big day.  That way, when Seth woke up the next morning, he would have a surprise of a fun house followed by many more surprises throughout the day.


So when we heard him talking to himself the morning of his birthday, Jack and I went into his room, and sang him "Happy Birthday," while he stood in his crib, laughing at us.  Haha!  Then we brought him out to the living area and he couldn't stop looking all around at his birthday decorations.  Later that day, we had Jack's delicious homemade burgers with our families and then had birthday cake and opened presents with our close friends later in the afternoon.  A delightful day!  


My baby is no longer a baby, but a little boy.  A toddler.  Oh dear ...

Cups

Seth's dog cake (from a cookbook that was originally my Grandma's, then my mom made me and my brothers cakes out of the same book, and now I am!)

Seth garland!

Paper chain galore (and there was still more outside!)

Eating lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, Lito and Lita

Almost ready to eat!

Seth was so excited to see his cousin, Naya!

Haha ... apparently he adores her!

Reading with Grandma

This is one of those sound books where you push buttons to make noises while you read ... Seth was grabbing my mom's finger and making her push the buttons.  Haha ... creative way to do it!

LOL

Singing to Seth ... he didn't know what to make of it

... and still didn't even after we were done

Blowing out the candle

He also didn't know what to make of the slice of cake in front of him ...

... but soon figured it out

Opening presents!  He got so many awesome gifts!  What a blessed kid!

Still opening gifts ... (with helpers!)

Opening more ...

"Tickle Monster" gloves

Uncle Joel got him his first bat

Uncle Max pitching to Seth

Seth currently has an obsession with hoses ...

With Uncle Joel and the hose

I can't quite remember why everyone was laughing in this picture ...

Playing already!

Putting together a new toy!

The new toy!