in transit

i apologize for the delay in new posts...a pet peeve of mine, i'll admit. i faithfully check to see if anyone has updated, and now i join the guilty party.

tim, isaac and i have been visiting family in virginia since thursday. we've partied hard, celebrating my dad's birthday and throwing my sister a wedding shower. of course, introducing isaac to "my world" has been an ongoing event all weekend. he's on major people overload and really only found comfort with people he knew well and weren't shrieking over how much he looks like his daddy. gosh, if i had a dollar for each time i heard, "oh my gosh, he IS tim." tim spent most of the weekend bouncing around with nick and his brother helping out with the meal packaging for haiti that was going on at northside (my home church) and showing off his look-alike son. i was busy getting last minute shower plans together, giggling with lindsay, chopping fruit for our chocolate fondue, and sneaking katie's homemade marshmallows when no one was looking. we skyped with the grandparents (isaac's great gparents) and then let isaac take a 25 minute bath in the sink which resulted in a very pruny (but happy) boy and water eeeverywhere.

i also had a chance to use mom's sewing machine to finish the previous onesies for isaac that i appliqued. they turned out SO cute and i was proud of my tiny step towards a sewing habit. i'll post those pics soon as well. my only regret- i should've finished more at home so i could have more to finish while i was here.

we're getting ready to head back to the airport in about 45 mins, so i really got on here to check flight status...oops. lindsay stopped by on her way to work this morning, starbucks in hand...God bless her. it was good for the soul to be back in the marshlands and refresh myself with the best church family and friends there ever was. the next time we fly into norfolk, it'll be days away from my baby sister gettin' herself a husband and a fun beach week with the family.

i didn't take a whole lot of pictures this weekend, so i'm going to have to wait for mom to share hers. i'm sure i'll share when we have some. adios.

onesies

first off, i apologize for all of you out there with nice cameras who are shuddering at my photography...i hate having to find my camera cord and upload, blah blah..and since my phone is usually close by, i just use that. tim has a nice camera, so maybe from now on i'll have him take any pics for me.

these are the first few attempts at onesies i'm making for isaac. i love unique designs and that he will be the only little boy with these shirts! i still don't have my own sewing machine yet, so this isn't the final FINAL product. i'm going to get them all ready to finish and take them with me to virginia to use my mom's machine to sew around the edges. then they'll really be cute! i just wanted to share.

new challenges

i'm excited about spring.

i know everyone usually gets excited about spring, but i am especially this year. not only are we getting into a really fun age with isaac, but just having him in general makes each season feel like a "first" even though i've seen twenty some-odd springs myself. we will be going to watch tim play church softball (a big deal up here)and walk in the park with Marley.

most importantly, we'll be simplifying our life in new ways. tim and i are always looking for ways to do this, because we're ones to easily get caught up in over-cluttering and over-scheduling ourselves. we also get used to nice things very quickly, which leads to a standard of living that i don't want to feel like i have to have. especially if i don't go back to work next fall, we'll have to get used to that without a choice. i have always gotten a unique satisfaction out of trying to figure out a life of simple pleasures.

our new rental house, which is downtown by the way, doesn't have central air. these 2 things alone have changed our lifestyle drastically. we went from a nice full acre of yard to....an alley for parking behind the house with about five cubic feet of "grass" if you pick up all the trash first. needless to say, our neighbors are not people we're used to being around and it's not the cutest house i'd pick to live in. when we had 2 weeks to find a house to rent, we didn't really care about the "no ac" thing...this summer, that may change. 2 advantages - the constant whirring of box fans reminds me of being a kid at my grandparents and our electric bills will be lean! :)

the biggest thing i'm excited about (and will probably need your help with) is splitting a share at a local CSA. in short, it's a local farm where you can pay for a season at a time to get a weekly box of whatever produce is currently growing. you can read more about it here. i love this for many reasons. one, we are supporting a local farm. two, we will be eating healthy things and know exactly where they came from. three, i'll get to live out my dream of having a garden to eat from. this works out great for us as we're renting and have zero land (or knowledge)to even begin a garden. finally, i'll have to use all the vegetables and create new things to eat. this will be a challenge for me, but more for my non-vegetable eating husband. so, if you have any recipes that would be helpful..send 'em my way! i think the first vegetables we're getting are spinach, radishes, red leaf and romaine lettuce, bok choi, parsley, arugula, and baby carrots.

i've tried growing herbs in a box on our deck one year and i remember getting a lot of cilantro and not much else. another thing tim doesn't like...lots of lonely salsa for me that year. any suggestions on plants that grow great in window boxes or pots?

check out www.localharvest.org to see if you have any CSA's near you!

this week in pictures

now that he's smiling and laughing at us, this exact expression has become our goal. it's past the point of smiling so much that he just opens his mouth and usually squeals afterward. we both agree it's the best thing ever.


as you can see, we're working on sitting up. he still needs a helping hand, if only for moral support. he's concentrating very hard. or maybe he's really considering how he's going to make a difference in the world, like his shirt says:)

ikea's in the clear

Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living says this about IKEA:

"It’s better to shop at Ikea than a lot of other furniture stores. Ikea works closely with the Forest Stewardship Council to ensure that it sources its wood for its furniture from responsibly managed forests. For a huge company, Ikea is a leader in environmentally responsible practices. There’s still room for improvement but I wouldn’t feel bad about shopping there.Also, I think Ikea’s solid wood cribs and other items are good picks for young parents because they don’t contain nasty chemicals like formaldehyde which can unfortunately be found in other baby furniture lines made of composite wood like particle board."

whew. not like that would stop me;)

i love dirt

tonight was the first night our new small group got into the Word and started discussing the book of Acts. there was some great discussion of chapter 1 and a lot of sharing about why we were even wanting to be a part of the group in general. we have quite a mix of personalities in the group, which is exciting. one of the biggest questions asked was, "What is church to you?". we all know the sunday school answer, but when we really stopped to answer it honestly it was kind of a reality check.

on a different note, i stumbled upon a pretty neat little book while i was in one of our favorite used bookstores in knoxville a few weekends ago. it goes along with the book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, a book i completely am on board with. it's premise is about how a lot of the problems with kids these days (physically, emotionally, behaviorally) has a lot to do with the fact that kids don't just play outside anymore. when i was a kid, that's all i wanted to do. by no means was i a tomboy, but i LOVED to play outside. i collected snails, built forts, rode bikes, caught frogs in the creek, ran around barefoot,climbed trees,played on the swings, ran through the sprinkler and all that good kid stuff. i will do everything possible to raise my children with a love of the outdoors. mom never allowed us to have video games as kids, and i thank her up and down for sticking to her guns. i think my imagination and kid-like spirit has something to do with playing outside and just imagining. it also promotes a sense of wonder in kids to just ask questions and want to know about the world around them.

i also strongly believe that the earth (just plain dirt) is spiritual. "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. -Psalm 139:7" We are connected to the earth, live off the earth, and will one day return to the earth when our bodies decay six feet under as mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3:20 (only physically, of course). After all, Adam was created from the dust of the earth ( Genesis 2:7 -the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being). Anyone who has farmed or gardened will probably tell you there's just some sense of satisfaction when you work in the ground. i believe that the greatest testament to God's awesomeness can be found in anyone's backyard. i want my children to learn that peace comes from watching a river roll by or be reminded of God's promises when they see a rainbow. i want them to learn to love and protect the world God gave us and be good stewards of it. (insert hippie green tangent here.)

point is, i could go on and on about why i think it's important for kids to grow up outdoors. also, my teachery side comes out in just wanting to know the answers to silly questions that a kid may just ask you one day:

Q: Why are so many plants green?
A: The green color found in leaves helps plants get energy from the sun. All living things need energy. Plants use energy they get from the sun to make oxygen for us.

think about it...the world started in a garden. point blank, that's where we were created to spend our time - outside, playing in the dirt:)

he kept begging me to read the article about losing belly fat...i tried to explain that it's what keeps his pants up...

yes, please

i went yesterday to JoAnn Fabrics and picked out several yummy yards of material that would make really good projects. i also picked up some basics to get me started on my new simple sewing endeavor like scissors, a seam ripper, pins, measuring tape, etc. all i need now is a sewing machine - haha. i'm in the process of looking around and researching what's out there, possibly scoring a great deal on craigslist or finding a great sale in the store. we're also waiting for our tax refund so i can actually go get it...and our new washer/dryer!! (oh, mama's happy.)

this is a picture of a book that i think would fit me perfectly. most of the fabric i bought was in one yard pieces, since i'm not trying to make anything too big, and most patterns have a patchwork-y type of look. i'm still running into the dilemma of every store having WAY too many cute baby girl prints and not very many cute baby boy prints...i'm just not feelin' the spiderman and sponge bob. blech.

i wrote down several books at B&N while i was there to hunt for on amazon.com, so we'll see what i come up with! plus, if i'm going homemade then it will be fun to have someone else's used books.

*if you feel inclined to send this book my way, i wouldn't argue. :)

baby bargains begin

i bought a fun baby bargain book today at B&N with my gift card, and since i love people sharing tips, i will share as well. i just opened the book somewhere towards the middle, and it's perfect - i have been needing an inexpensive solution for my own diaper changing pad that just doesn't look as "fresh" as it once did.

tip #331

Rather than spending money on disposable changing pads, make your own out of a vinyl tablecloth. They can be cut into generous-sized rectangles and folded to fit in your diaper bag.

genius! i suppose you could always back it with a contrasting color or pattern, hem up the sides and you're good to go!

It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. -Mary Daly

i feel like i've always been somewhat of a creative and crafty person. i know i get that from my mother, who has the talent of an excellent seamstress and graphic designer. she can make beautiful quilts, costumes, stockings, alter a high school banquet dress and create amazing designs using programs on a computer i won't even dare to try and use. she's also quite musical, however unsuccessful she was forcing me to take piano lessons and play saxophone in elementary school.

my favorite class was always art, i doodled like you wouldn't believe on school notebooks and posters, and had quite an impressive wall to wall collage of a certain celebrity heart throb, who for the sake of parties involved will remain nameless. my aunt introduced me to beading years ago, and i would whip up earrings pretty quickly. mom taught me to crochet, and i'm not sure if i ever made anything, but i sure remember doing it alot. i'm now the token christmas cookie baker for my dad, whose fondest childhood memories were of the deep freezer stocked with any cookie you could think of. (i intend to fill those shoes one day.)

i debated going to college to study interior design, but God led me to JBC to study education, a job just as equally creative. i was introduced to Tim, who bought me an art easel for my birthday one year and at one point, owned a few pieces i actually got around to painting. i served on a retreat committee for several years at JBC and worked to design the advertising, decorate the stage, and create interesting aspects of worship. i even asked for a nice camera for christmas and spent a year trying to take some cool photos. stained glass has even made the list.

i've dabbled in a few things here and there, but never really found "my thing" that i do, ya know? i felt like everyone had a "thing". i was alright at a few different things, and i definitely enjoyed all of it. i never really took off with any of it, though. i don't know if it had to do with my incredibly NON-overachiever personality, lack of consistency, or just lack of passion. it's always bothered me, though. why did i find interest in a hobby or creative outlet, and then just...stop?

enter isaac.

i've never been someone interested in a career. yes, i have a graduate degree and have been working full time since college, but it's just not my thing. i don't go in early or stay late, and i don't ever really bring anything home unless painstakingly necessary. i'd like to say my priorities are just so in check that i naturally put family and things first, but that's ridiculous. my dad raised us with the idea that "a job is what you do, not who you are." some would highly disagree with that statement, but for my sisters and mom and I, it meant that he would do anything for us, no matter the financial cost or risk of losing a job. he's still being tested on that today.

now that i've had a taste of being a stay-at-home mom, i feel like i finally have time to figure out who i really am, what i like, and what i'm good at. it's definitely been a slow start, just recovering from everything, but my attitude has changed and my mind's been racing with the possibilities of what i can focus on now instead of work. in some weird way, i feel like having children has given me the assignment of finding out how to make things myself and find ways to make life easier, simpler and more healthy for me and my family. this has dangerously sparked my interest on the creative side of my brain. there are endless ways to be creative and domestic, two things i think i could be really good at if i dedicated myself to it. i'm addicted to websites and blogs of moms who have successfully lived that lifestyle of the cleaner, greener, and super artsy. i have ideas that pop in and out of my brain, just dying for me to get up and get going.

i'm ready to have something in my life that i'm willing to dedicate my all to. i believe with all my heart that the Lord we love and serve has planted every single creative seed in me for a reason. after all, who better to imitate in life than the Master Creator? tim always tells his students "Be Jesus." i'm ready to give life to the ideas and passions in my head and truly, TRULY enjoy what i'm doing with my time. my Jesus and my marriage have set the stage for a very creative version of me that i'm excited to get to know. i want to be Jesus, and that means finding the paint brushes, making a trip to JoAnn fabrics after i make a batch of organic muffins and researching which vegetables grow best in pots.

here's to staying focused and exploring who God made me to be in this world.

a smiling baby, new nightstands and a blue jeep

alright, i need to get back into the habit of blogging. not just for my few faithful that read, but for myself. i'm bad at scrapbooking and journaling and all that jazz, so this is my way of keeping my memories. of course, from now on i will probably blabber on and on about my little man, but that's expected, right? :)

the above picture is at ikea, one of the wednesday dates with sarah. since i'm at home and she has wednesdays off, we try to make it a point to spend time together. this was our adventure last week, and it was quite productive! isaac did great traveling and being forced to endure yet another shopping trip with his mom and aunt:) as long as we don't force him into his car seat for too long, he usually does pretty good.

**ikea purchases to date: bed, nightstands, lamps for nightstands, new baby bathtub (a bigger one!), bowls, stockpot(i finally got one, lindsay!), pot lids organizer, glass message board, salad bowl, double boiler, lamp for tim's office, and a lint roller. ya know, last minute "oh yeah, i need one of those" items.


isaac update - our little one (10 weeks yesterday) is doing so well and getting more and more enjoyable every day. he's been continuously sleeping through the night for about 5 days now and is smiling at us when we get him out of his crib in the morning. it's the best thing in the entire world for tim and i to make him smile and laugh. he's more and more active each day and really takes to anything musical. my cell phone ringtones have become a lifesaver in a sticky situation.


he's starting to love bathtime. he is hilarious sometimes when he just lays back with his arms on the side of the tub and enjoys the warm water. he's grown out of the small baby tub we had, so i bought a bigger one that sits in our jacuzzi tub to suffice until he can sit up and use the regular one.

as much as i hate talking about it, i have to share a story about dirty diapers. isaac is at the point where not every single diaper is a bit dirty...he just decides to save it all for a major event - so nice of him. he hadn't had dirty diaper in about a day and a half, so when tim and i headed out for some errands, i knew better than to not leave the house w/ a full set of clothes on hand. sure enough, the blowout happened and isaac was NOT a happy camper. we were in the car at the time, so we had no choice but to pull into a parking lot and change him there. tim's jeep hardly has any room to change a VERY messy diaper (and clothes) so we got creative and leaned over the back seat to change him in the cargo part of the jeep. i'm sure we looked like seasoned parents as we both have our behinds up in the air and scraping poop off a completely naked baby in the back of a jeep. i just started dying laughing in the middle of it all as tim was almost gagging from the smell. isaac continued screaming, i continued laughing, and tim just drove us both home. oh, and isaac wasn't wearing any pants.

car update - for those of you that heard about the highly professional policeman who did a u-turn in the middle of traffic and totaled tim's new (to us)land rover. poor guy had only had it 2 weeks and was livin' the dream before "sargeant can't drive" comes along. now, he's living out his "plan B" dream with a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.

me upate - for the most part, i am feeling back to my normal before pregnancy self. there was a point, however, when i didn't know if i'd ever love the way i looked or felt again. i'm about 8 or 10 pounds away from what i was before, which i think is pretty good with not working out. i have EVERY intention of shedding those last few pounds and more before June 27, when my beautiful sister will walk down the aisle and i have to be in front of God and everyone in a bridesmaids dress. i'm dying for warmer weather so i can start walking! i know i can do it! being a mother is every bit worth it, though...even if i'm still in denial of having to go through it all again.

alright, that's probably enough for now. i have to save stories and such for later entries. hopefully by my next entry, i will have successfully figured out homemade dryer sheets and play silks!

my little model

here's an updated picture of isaac (being quite posh if i do say so myself)at 7 weeks. he's changing right before our eyes and developing a little personality - see above photo. :)

i promise to do a real update soon...with words and everything! hang tight. :)

3 1/2 weeks old

my baby story

so i'm finally posting. sometimes it gets to the point where it's been so long that just the thought of updating is overwhelming that i'd rather not. either way, i want to be a faithful blogger so i'm going to keep it up!

as you saw in the previous post, our little one has been here for a little over 3 weeks now...crazy. it has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but i probably would only change a few things (mainly being getting more sleep).

on thursday, dec. 17th, tim and i were to report to the hospital at 5:30am to get hooked up to IV's and whatnot to get ready for being induced. when i arrived at the hospital, i had already been dilated to 4cm for a few days. when the nurse hooked me up to the monitors, it appeared i'd been having contractions for quite awhile as well. not having been through this before, i hadn't really noticed and just thought i'd been experiencing braxton hicks contractions because they were never painful or worth timing. i started the IV of pitocin to help my labor progress and the contractions continued to get stronger and more noticeable for several hours. around noon, we started noticing that with every contraction, isaac's heartbeat would dangerously slow down. the nurses kept moving me from side to side thinking that he had the umbilical cord tucked underneath an arm or something and hopefully he could be gently moved if i moved. at this point, even though my contractions were getting stronger, i had not progressed in dilation at all. isaac's head was still positioned very high and wasn't positioning to get ready for labor, either. we had battled with the dropping heart rate for a little while and would only get temporary results before it would drop again. the dr. wanted it to stay at 110 or above, and when it dropped to 40...he'd seen enough. with several internal monitors and lots of discussion, the dr. decided that a c-section was the best thing to do.

as soon as i hit the surgery room, about 15 people were there to greet me with quick hands and lots of commotion. at this point, i couldn't feel very much from my shoulders down so i was left to stare at the ceiling and keep breathing. tim was quickly handed scrubs and a mask and was let into the room as soon as i was prepped. he sat at my side and talked me through the whole thing. it was nice to see a familiar face amongst all the commotion. everyone was calm and absolutely wonderful, making me calm and under control through the whole surgery. i felt a lot of pressure and tugging, but kept my mind occupied by trying to think about how lucky i was to get to see my little boy in a matter of minutes! from the moment we decided to do surgery until i heard him cry was only about 40 minutes! it ended up the cord was wrapped around his neck, thus explaining the complications before. we were all relieved the doc had made the decision to deliver w/ a c-section.

once i heard that little cry, i started with the tears as well. it was a mix of emotions that i had been holding in until then, when i knew all was well. while the baby was cleaned and checked, tim followed him upstairs while they stitched me up and finished up surgery. i met everyone upstairs and got to hold my little one with one major challenge....my arms were still completely numb!

i don't remember much the rest of that day except being in quite a bit of pain and being extremely happy as my mom arrived just a half hour after he was born and i was able to spend time thanking God for our incredible blessing that still seemed to unreal to me.

i ended up at the ER the tuesday following his delivery with severe vomiting and a UTI, probably from the catheter at the hospital. throwing up every 5 mins with abdominal stitches from a major surgery was almost hell. i was flushed with IVs and medication to stop the nausea and sent home that night. since then, i've been slowly recovering and trying to figure out breastfeeding - probably two of the hardest things i've done. never being admitted to the hospital for anything, never having stitches or even a sprained ankle, it was very odd to have my mother help me do everything including shower, get out of a chair, and put my socks on.

i've recently been struggling with the disappointment of not experiencing a "true" delivery and being able to have that in common with other mothers that i know, but then i'm reminded that sometimes what's best for my child will not be anywhere close to what i plan for them. God had everything under control and the result was just as beautiful as if everything had been completely natural. with so many people "looking down" on women even having epidurals, it's hard to think that i wasn't able to truly experience childbirth like i should have...or that i was incapable of delivering naturally. either way, i am rejoicing in the life of my healthy baby boy...and what's more dignified than putting your own pride aside to give life to someone else?

12.17.09

sorry for the lack of narration.....obviously our little isaac warren is here and we are healing and learning to adjust, all the while rejoicing in God's incredible blessings on us! more to come when i'm not sleep deprived and doped up on pain meds!

fast forward

so the dr. has decided that our son will be born December 17th...about 2 weeks before due date. this is due to several reasons...high blood pressure, swelling, etc. etc. needless to say...we're excited! we are stoked to have him here before christmas. we will, once again, combine our families for a holiday and just surround ourselves with God's blessings on our family. i really don't think many of us have given much thought to actual wrapped presents this year...which is great! our little bundle of joy will be more than enough for years to come.

we had one final ultrasound today to confirm baby's position, size, etc. as part of the final plans. we were able to see a 3d ultrasound, which was incredible. tim's parents were able to come to the appointment as well, so they were excited. the lab tech spotted a head full of hair already! (i've always known this boy would be just like his dad)

i'll have to update later on our staff christmas party tonight....that turned into a surprise baby shower for us! it was absolutely incredible to feel so loved by a church family. we are truly truly blessed to have found this ministry.

here are some of the latest pictures...enjoy!

i will be out of commission as far as blogging goes for the next few days. we're moving into our new rental this weekend, doing thanksgiving w/ tim's family, etc. etc. don't know when internet will be set up at the new house and all that jazz.

i'll leave you with a couple of other random updates:

i'm excited to have a good 5 day weekend ahead of me
my feet and hands continue to swell by the end of the day
we're in the process of moving (again) but we're both really excited about this new place - more details later.
i continue to get closer and closer to wanting to have this baby - you're all more than welcome to pray that he's here by christmas! :)
my energy level is diminishing
my MRE friends threw me a fantastic shower and were more than generous
they're calling for possible snow on thursday!

love.

34 weeks

no room in the inn

i apologize (again) for not posting sooner. it's been crazy around here, and i don't expect it to slow down soon for awhile. we're still in the process of finding a place. the house we really want to rent is still not put back together so we can see it. the realty company that owns it decided to replace all the carpet, paint, trim...you name it. it looks really nice (yes, i peeked in the windows when no one was there)but we're still waiting on the realtor to give us the official tour. once we've done that, he has a couple of applications to weed through, including some people that could possibly be interested in buying the house instead of renting. i've been using my dad's advice by basically calling or emailing once a day since i found the listing and not letting him forget me. he's going to have to either let me have the house or deal with a very irate pregnant lady. i now understand a bit of what Mary went through trying to find a place just to have her baby! i've done everything from send our rental application in early to chatting with him on the phone about his son to pulling the pregnant and i have no place to live card. So i feel like we're on a first name basis and he can't say no:) hopefully the house will be done by Monday and we can get a move on! Literally. in the meantime, we have an apartment on hold if nothing works out. not our ideal choice, but yet it's a nice place and would force us to downsize and live as simply as possible- which we're totally ok with. i only worry about poor Miss Marley not having her big yard to explore. keep us in your prayers that we can get a place and get moved soon....i will not bring a baby home to unpacked boxes! :)

a few college friends had a surprise shower for tim and i (even though he knew about it and helped plan it) and i was blown away! i had absolutely no clue and it was so amazing to see how friends will drive long distances just to be a part of something like that! i definitely felt overwhelmed at how much i love my friends. tim and i really do think that we have the best friends anyone could ask for. it's just amazing doing life together with people you love with all your heart, even if they now live several states away. thank you guys from the bottom of my heart!isaac is going to grow up with so many amazing aunts and uncles, he's not going to know what to do:)

no pictures this week....i'm in the swollen stage of pregnancy, so i've definitely become a little more camera shy. sleeping through the night has become a challenge, since i can only sleep on my sides and i have trouble with my hands going completely numb to the point of pain. i can't wait to sleep on my stomach again....sigh. i'm still measuring about 6 weeks ahead, which means even though i'm only at 33 weeks, my belly is the size i should be at full term! i hope that means i can't get any bigger...i can't imagine it. tim is being so generous by sharing his sweatpants and sweatshirts with me:)

the more we think about it, the more excited we're getting about having a baby close to the holidays. we both didn't really want a christmas baby at first, but just the season of christmas alone is so fun for us that it just adds to the excitement. plus, i'm VERY thankful that i'm not hugely pregnant in the heat of the summer!

well, i should get off and start packing a box or two...that's the rate i can go these days, without getting too overwhelmed by how much crap we have to get rid of or just by being exhausted.

more updates soon, hopefully! love to all.