Winter Update!

This winter has felt never ending at times. I have had craving after craving of some summer sun, laundry lines, tan lines, and feeling the grass between my toes.Yes, it sounds marvelous, but the snow just keeps on coming... so until then, this is my Winter Update since my lazy fingers haven't blogged in forever!

Where to begin...?

I enjoyed a lovely day out with my mom in January. We visited the Princess Diana Exhibit, and i left with a heart filled with admiration for who she was. Diana did so much with her short life, and worked hard to change the stigmas of the sick and needy. It was inspiring to say the least and recommend taking the time to check it out. We followed the event with dinner at Olive Garden... it was delicious! It's not too often that i get to eat out and spend some quality one on one time with my Mom.

 

My beautiful mom, and our "feel good" drinks!

What else?...
My Birthday! The first thing i did after i put Isaiah down for a nap was dig out my car after that huge Blizzard we had! Then i ran off for a much needed coffee date with my Mandy!! She gave me some very sweet presents, but most of all it was just great to see her face! :-D
I spent the rest of the day at my moms with most of my siblings, and Dan met me there after he got out of work. He showed up with 2 very fattening cakes, a beautiful bouquet of flowers and the most recent Nicholas Sparks book "Safe Haven".  He was so thoughtful! He knows how much i like Spark books, and i hadn't even heard about his latest book yet... so it felt good that Dan knew what i wanted before I even knew what i wanted. All in all, it was a good day! (....besides the fact that i'm getting older haha.)

I'm normally not a Rose fan, but i love the way they are mixed with the other flowers! Good job Hubby!

♥ Valentines Day!! ♥
Dan and i had a lovely date on Valentines Day. He arranged for Grandma Julie and Aunt Christy to watch Isaiah, and we headed out to Grand Rapids. He had plans to take me to Little Africa, our favorite restaurant... but when we showed up the lights were off. They looked completely empty, like they were permanently closed! It made us very sad for about 15 minutes, but then we decided to drive in search of a new favorite restaurant. After about an hour and a half of driving ALL around Grand Rapids we ended up in Cascade at the Mediterranean Grill. By that time we were starved and i thought my stomach was slowly caving in! The wind swept us from our car to the front door and we walked inside the little family owned Lebanese restaurant. The sweet owner/cook helped us order what we thought we wanted since i had no idea how to pronounce anything in the menu. haha.
The food was AMAZING! We were raving about it all night long... and still are! We have been dying to go back ever since that night! I don't know if it was just because we were so hungry or if it was really good food... i am thinking it was the latter.
Anyways, it wasn't the food, or the fact that it was V-Day, or the pretty pink dress i was wearing that made the night so wonderful. It was spending some much needed date time with my husband. He is the one person in my life that i am so incredibly goofy around. We were laughing pretty much the whole time we were out and it felt sooo good! He fills my heart in a way that no one else ever has and knows exactly how to handle my delicate-ness and also my goofy-ness. He is my Heart Mate.

My good lookin man!

i was putting on my coat... that's why i look kinda weird. haha

February 23...
...marked one whole year since my gallbladder surgery. I can't believe it has been that long already! It may seem like a silly thing to mention, but it felt like such a big deal to me. I remember being so nervous leading up to that day and going back and forth between choosing to go through with surgery or remaining on a Fat Free diet for the rest of my life. After 7 months of hardly being able to eat anything and feeling so tired and weak i decided that surgery would be the best answer. It was nerve wrecking to have to leave Isaiah for an entire day and not be able to be there for him if he needed me. It helped that i wasn't able to remember those long hours. :-)
God blessed me with a wonderful surgeon and a team of specialists who all made me feel so comfortable... but i'm glad its done and over with!

Nursing Isaiah for the last time that day.... :-(

He kept me smiling until he had to leave.

So that's it for now! I definitely have more to say... but this has been a long post. Check back for more soon! Have a lovely day!

Christmas update.

Christmas was good, busy but good.
We started off on Christmas Eve going to Dan's Aunt Gina's house, later headed out to Muskegon to my Grandparents house. That night we went to the Midnight Service at our Church. The next morning we had Christmas breakfast at Dan's Moms house and opened a lot of gifts. Afterwards we stopped by my sister Heathers new house to finally get a tour. Then we headed to my Mom's house to celebrate the remainder of Christmas with my family. Sadly, Sunday we turned down driving out to Lansing to visit my dad's side of the family... we were pretty much exhausted! Although it seemed busy, i wouldn't trade it for the world. I love that i have a large family, and married into one!

The other thing, besides Isaiah, that has kept me busy this holiday season was all the baking i have done. I was able to spend some quality time making some unique yummies with my Mom. Its always more fun to bake with a friend.
I also spent an evening making gingerbread cookies with my niece Leah, and another evening decorating them all with all of my nieces and nephews. I love making memories with them!

I received some very generous gifts this year that i appreciate so much! I do have to brag a little about what Dan got me though................ A new Camera! What a thoughtful guy! He knew that i had been frustrated with our old cameras. Mine has broken twice on me, and his is just going bizzurks. I have been taking a lot of pictures with my camera phone and internally complaining about it.
Being able to take good photos of our family and Isaiah is HUGE to me! He is growing so fast and i want to have nice pictures of him. So big brownie points go to my husband this year! :-) 

In return i bought him a Brewing Kit for Beer. He has also been wanting one for a long time. He is going to have some fun with that! I'll be posting some pictures of is future creations with my new camera! :-)

Isaiah had fun as well this year. He got quite a few gifts from all his aunts and uncles and grandparents, and he loves playing with all of them! It was so fun to watch him unwrap his presents this year, he seemed to know just what to do. He is getting so big, and i couldn't help get a bit emotional thinking of how he was only 5 months old last Christmas. My little baby is growing up so fast! I know that is such a common thing to say, and i swore i never would say it... but it's true.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year, and that your love didn't get lost in the busyness of the season.

Leah and Kayla

Joey

Up to something....

 
 

Our little Christmas

Dan got him little TOMS, they are so cute!

Happy New Year!

Mom's Surprise

Isaiah's sleeping through the night lasted a total of 3 days... oh well. Not that i have ever tried keeping to a schedule of some sort, but this past month has been quite crazy. He began going to bed super late, and has been just all over the place as far as that goes. It hasn't helped that it has been the holiday season, which i am sure has encouraged him.

He may have continued sleeping through the night, but that same weekend i ended up spending a few nights at my mom's so that she was able to get away for a couple days. My mom's birthday landed on Thanksgiving this year and was pretty much forgotten in the busyness of the holiday. About a month before, my siblings and i all decided we wanted to do something special for her this year, just because.
She has wanted her bedroom painted for way too long and so we decided we would start with that and see what other rooms we could accomplish with our remaining time.

My grandparents, (who were in on the scheme) picked her up and whisked her away to Detroit to visit my uncle and family (her brother). That Thursday evening, after she had left, we set to work.
We chose some colors for her bedroom, her bathroom, and the guest bathroom. It was a long couple of nights full of steaming the ugly borders, scraping, sanding, tapping, and prepping. It was a good time for all of us, and we had some much needed bonding time. Coming from a large family, who has had our share of difficulties along the way it is hard to stay connected and make memories with each other. To say the least, i appreciated the time with my older sisters and brother. Sadly, my other brothers were far away. 

After it was all painted and dry we did our best at agreeing on how the rooms should all be arranged. I had some pictures printed from my brothers trip to Porto Rico and bought some new frames for the guest bathroom. We diligently worked until the moment my mom arrived home. Everyone ran into her bedroom with all my nieces and nephews, and Isaiah and shut the door on me! I grabbed my bottle of water and began slowly walking by the hallway as she opened the front door. I innocently and calmly said, "oh...hey." As if surprised to see her home. 
She made her way to her room with my grandparents and i closely following behind her. I could tell that she had NO idea what had gone on while she was away.
She opened the door to her room and all the kids jumped up yelling, "Surprise!" She was totally taken back. She couldn't believe it! After she had checked out her bathroom i told her that we had one more surprise. She got a little scared and i took her hand and brought her to the guest bathroom. She loved it, she loved it all! It was so much fun to give her such a big gift! We all felt pretty proud... and pretty tired! She gives so much to others, and (i feel) gets so little in return. She has worked so hard to provide for her family as a single Mom for the last 8 years and has done such an amazing job at it! We are all so indebted to her.
I love you Mom, you have been one of the greatest gifts on earth to me. You have been the best friend any one could ever ask for. You have loved me despite my ugly heart, and given me encouragement whenever i have needed it. You have been such an inspiration and role model to me, and i have always aspired to be like you. I am glad you love your rooms, and have felt a bit of relief from the accomplishments. I love you Mom!

Sadly, i don't have any pics of the finished project.. but i can post some later. Here are some of us working though :-)

Heather

Seth

Her bathroom

Sarah

Looking pretty tired..

My attempt at an artistic photo  :-)

Sweet Sleep

Lord knows i need it... He really does, because i tell Him all the time.

The last 2 nights have been heavenly for me! Monday night i went to Zumba like usual and on my way home i picked up a few groceries. I didn't get home until 9:45 and wasn't able to put Isaiah to bed until 10:30. He didn't wake up once! When Dan got up to leave around 5:15 i was pretty shocked that Isaiah wasn't laying next to me. It was so hard for me to fall back asleep... i don't think i did. At 6:00 Isaiah woke up and i went and brought him to our bed where we slept until almost 9! This does not happen ...ever! The same thing happened last night, except we got up at 8 this morning. With Isaiah not being by my side made me feel like i was missing a lung, or half of my body.... dramatic, i know.... but that's how i felt. It was a sad feeling.

These past 16 months have been quite the struggle for Isaiah when it comes to sleeping.

There have been countless nights where i have rocked and nursed over and over just to get him to fall asleep. Being up in his room for about 2 hours is exhausting, especially when i know that it is past 10 o'clock and i really just want to go spend some quality time with my patient husband. Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love nursing and rocking Isaiah, but i do not like fighting with him to go to sleep.

Once he is asleep the fight isn't over either. He has been waking up AT LEAST 2 times every night for the last 16 months, and i mean at least, because there have been months where he would wake up 4, 5, 6 or 7 times during the night. I feel so bad, because its not just me that it is effecting. HE needs his sleep as well. He is growing and developing so much that it worries me that he hasn't gotten the sleep that he needs.

His naps aren't all that great either. Around 10 months he began only taking 1 nap a day that lasts only about 2 hours in the afternoon. I am still so very thankful for his nap time, because it gives me a chance to take a shower, relax, or take a nap myself (which i don't do very often).

On another note, he is still breastfeeding, YAY!, and going strong at that! I understand him waking during the night to nurse, which is perfectly fine to me, but to wake up an hour after he's nursed just doesn't seem right to me. Sleeping with me or not.

If your wondering, we co-sleep part time. Isaiah sleeps in his crib when its time for bed, and when he wakes up during the night i go get him and bring him back to our bed for the rest of the night. That way it gives Dan and i time to hang out or go to bed together. I couldn't be happier about our arrangement, and having a supportive husband is wonderful as well.

Anyways, i hope i don't sounds as if i am complaining, because i really am not. I knew motherhood would always be very tiring, especially the more kids you add to the mix. It just amazes me when i hear that other babies start sleeping through the night (On Their Own, and Naturally) when they are not even 6 months or so. It also scares me when i hear of other children not sleeping through the night until they are almost 4 or 5. I imagine my body would be pretty worn after that long of no sleep. Add a few more children (or maybe a lot ;-D) with the same sleep struggles as Isaiah... and i will be one tired Mama!

So maybe this is the beginning of Isaiah sleeping through the night, which would be lovely, or maybe it's not. If not, i will still put on my happy face and continue on as we've been because I'm so proud of my Isaiah baby. I am so blessed to have such a healthy, happy boy who simply may just want to be rocked in his mothers arms.

My little Sprout!

When Isaiah was 3 months old i remember very clearly the signs of teething. His gums were swollen, he was very irritable, and he was drooling everywhere! Before his first birthday he had sprouted eight tiny teeth in the front. Since then he has had no action going on. Like every new mom, i began to slowly wonder if there was any underlying concerns... but silly thoughts they were!
About 2 or 3 months ago i bought Isaiah and i matching Baltic Amber necklaces. (If you care to read more about them click HERE.)
Anyways, i was hesitant and not much of a believer. Although, whenever someone would ask what he was wearing, or make a comment like "your son is wearing a necklace?" I would boldly just explain my reasoning and purpose behind it.
I can now say that i have proof that they Work! At least it has for Isaiah! This past weekend i discovered 2 molars popping through the back of his mouth. I couldn't believe it, he hadn't acted any differently! Then on top of that this morning while changing his diaper i was tickling his toes and he while he was laughing i noticed MORE teeth coming through! Aaahh! I gave out a little shriek of joy. Soon after i felt my heart skip a beat.... a lump form in my throat and tears well up in my eyes. Its these little things that really get to me. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. I swear he has shot up an inch or two in the last month as well.
His new teeth are making me feel more comfortable about what he is eating though. I know he can handle more difficult food, which makes preparation a little easier on me.

If i could give any advice to a new mom expecting her first baby it would be to slow down! You'll feel such a need to get back in shape and get your baby all settled into their new home. You'll feel pressure to teach your new little miracle how to roll over, begin to crawl and stand on their own. Those big changes are SO exciting, but they also bring on all new challenges: gates, rails, outlet covers. I imagine it will be more difficult to just sit and soak up the beauty of your newborn when you have other children needing your attention and assistance. So get off the phone, get off the Internet, stay home from that unnecessary outing and just lay with your little one. Kiss those toes, and fingers... because they are only that small once.

♥

Isaiah's Home Birth Story part 2

I always knew I was going to have a home birth. I never even thought of a hospital birth until my husband asked me to explain what it was going to be like at home. My mom had all 6 of her children at home, and I remember my little brother being born. I stood at the end of the bed as a 3 year old and watched it all happen. At the end I cut the cord.
One of the midwives she used, Yolanda, helped birth my two older brothers. I made an appointment with her, and loved her from the start.

Around 4 am on July 19, a Sunday morning, I awoke to a dull cramping in my abdomen. I knew right away that they were contractions. I got up and decided to time them for my own comfort and they were about 10 minutes apart. I went back to bed and decided to wait to call my Midwife, Yolanda, in the morning. Around 9am I called her and she said to just go about my day as usual, relax, eat some wholesome meals, and not to worry about timing my contractions. It was Sunday and I was spending the day at my mom’s house with my family. While they were all at church I went on a walk out in her large back yard. It was so peaceful to sit alone for the last time with my baby inside my womb. I was wrapped up in a blanket, sitting on a bench listening to the sounds of the early birds, and watching the sun rise over the trees.
My older brother, Seth, came out to join me for a while and distracted me from the nerves that were just beginning to creep up.
My family came home from church and we prepared lunch. We relaxed around the house and I decided that I was going to head home around dinner time, along with my mom who was going to be present at the birth as well. By the time we were ready to leave the contractions were becoming more distracting. We took a few pictures and left. We stopped at Meijer to pick up a few last minute groceries that I was craving. As I was paying at the checkout I overheard a man in line mention to my mom that I looked like I was due any time. She laughed and replied that I was having contractions and today was the day. He looked pretty surprised.
We arrived to my house around 7 and Dan showed up shortly after. I could tell he was nervous and kept himself distracted by taking pictures. My mom on the other hand, like I said, has been through this with 6 of her kids and has helped out with many other home births. She is pretty much a pro. She stayed calm through it all, and I am so thankful that she was able to be there for me.
We all pulled out the couch bed, which is where I wanted to have our baby. I took a hot shower to help relax a little before attempting to sleep for the night. Afterwards, around 10pm, I called Yolanda to update her that I was about 5 minutes apart. She said to get a good nights rest and call her early in the morning. Dan layed down on the couch, my mom on our long lazy chair and I on the Pull Out.
I went off into a deep sleep…. Yea right! LOL
Dan was out in a minute, like usual. I tried so hard to fall asleep, but I was woken up every 5 minutes. I am a very light sleeper. Between Dan’s snoring, the contractions, and the awkwardness of my big belly on the couch bed…. It just wasn’t working for me. As the night went on and the contractions became stronger i found walking around the house more comfortable. In between I would sit down on the end of the lazy chair and shut my eyes for a little rest. Squatting was what worked best for me, and it gave me a pretty good leg workout for the night. We were all up once the sun came up that beautiful July Monday. Dan made coffee for them and I just sat quietly and kept breathing every 3 to 4 minutes.
Then my water broke. I have to say that is one of the strangest feelings. It surprised me so much, and I quickly announced what had happened. Shortly after that experience my contractions became more intense. So intense that they were overlapping, and I was having 3 or 4 at a time without any breaks. I just kept squatting, and breathing, and walking, and breathing. My mom called Yolanda and told her that my water had broken and that my contractions weren’t letting up. Yolanda said that it was my adrenaline kicking in and that I needed to really work on letting the contractions go at the end. I’m glad she said that, because it really helped, and I was able to really focus and relax. She said she was on her way and that I should try to go the bathroom to leave as much room as possible for the baby. That, I remember clearly, was painful. To me, it seemed more painful then the actual birth.
I was still sitting on the “loo” and Dan and I were hugging. I had a sudden urge to push the baby, and for the first time I got a little panicky. I remember thinking “This is not how I envisioned it. Yes, it is peaceful, but I don’t want to have my baby in the bathroom, and without my midwife!” Thankfully I still had more than an hour to continue pushing.

My mom was still on the phone with Yolanda in the other room. She said I should lay down on the bed on my left side and just go with everything. As I was laying there she finally arrived and sat down next to me and started stroking my leg and asking me how I was doing and feeling. I remember I immediately felt sooo calm and ready to handle birthing my baby.  Yolanda definitely has a way about her.
With Dan on my right and my mom on my left I continued to push. In between my contractions I would shut my eyes, breath and pray. It was definitely hard work, but I knew I could do it. I have never had so much confidence as I did that day. I never once doubted myself. It was so empowering.

After I had pushed his head out I felt and saw him kick inside of me for the last time, it made me laugh, it was such a bittersweet feeling.
Next came the great big push and Dan helped “catch” our baby. He was placed right into my arms and I was the first to hold our child. Those first few moments are so precious and unforgettable to me. I couldn’t believe I was holding my very own gift from God. I held a baby that had been inside me for only 9 months, yet I loved him so much. He was beautiful, perfect in every way. I remember hearing Yolanda say “you have a very healthy baby”, and instantly I felt myself relax and I began to cry. I didn’t realize how much of a burden it had been to me. I prayed constantly for a healthy baby, and a smooth birth and that is what I had! I am so blessed, God has been too good to me!

Finally Yolanda asked “So is it a boy or girl?” We had totally forgotten to check! We uncovered the blanket, and there it was! We named him Isaiah Paul. (Paul is after my Uncle who gave me away at our wedding, he’s a pretty cool guy ;-p) It was exciting not knowing the sex of our baby. Gender neutral baby items aren’t always the most fun, but they will last us through future children as well.

To say the least, it was the most AWE-some day of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing about it, not even the pain and hard work. I know some people who think I was nuts to have my baby at home instead of the hospital but to me it only made sense. He was conceived at home, and will be raised at home, so why not be born into the comfort, sounds and smells of our home. It was so intimate, so personal and such a uniting experience for Dan and I.
Isaiah has brought an abundance of joy to our lives. He has taught us about a love that runs so deep in a parent’s heart. It has brought us to another level of knowledge of what Christ has done for us, and what God gave up for us. I hope and pray that Isaiah will learn this truth at an early age.

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.

Before leaving my moms house

With my Mom and Sister, Heather, who was 7 months pregnant as well.

At Home ♥

Talking with Yolanda

♥

Listening to his heart beat

I fell in love all over again...

 

Isaiah's Home Birth Story part 1

This is about 16 months over due, but I’m finally getting too it. I realized that I was hesitant to write about it, because I feel like my words wont do that day justice. Words can’t describe how beautiful his birth day was to me… but I will try.

The day I found out I was pregnant was full of surprise. For a couple weeks I had been pretty exhausted and not feeling too well. One night I mentioned to my mom that I never felt good after I ate. She replied, “Are you pregnant?”. “No, no… I’m not pregnant.”  I responded.
I had recently taken a pregnancy test and it was (a false) negative. I decided that I would just check again, to be sure. At that time Dan was working with a company that traveled out of state. It was a Monday, and he wouldn’t be home until Friday. That morning I braved the 3 minute wait alone, and couldn’t believe my eyes when it was positive! I just starred at it for a couple minutes in disbelief. I have always wanted a family, preferably a large one. To get married and have children have always been some of my greatest goals in life, but we had plans to wait a couple years. God knew better, much better as He always does! In His perfect timing gave us, as I like to refer to, as an “angel baby”.

That evening I went over to my mom’s house to hang out for a while and the moment I walked in the door she gave me one look and just knew. We went into her bedroom and I began to cry. My emotions were all over the place… excitement, nervousness, disbelief, and definitely hormones! She just gave me a big hug, started to laugh, and said “I knew you guys wouldn’t be able to wait that long.”
For the next week I thought about how I wanted to tell Dan the big news, because I wanted to wait until he got home, instead of over the phone. At the time I was working at a coffee shop and saw people I knew constantly. It was so hard to keep it a secret, especially because I just couldn’t stop smiling!
I went to pick Dan up the night he came into town, and before we left I asked him what he wanted to do that night. He said he just wanted to go home and relax. I said that was fine, but that I had a present to give him before we left. He opened it up to this. He hesitantly gave me a sheepish thank you… as it isn’t usually a guy-ish kind of gift. After a second look at it he realized what I meant by it, and he said “Are you?” I smiled and nodded. He was so excited! He gave me a huge hug and kiss and jumped out of the car as his friend was walking over and started jumping up and down and yelling “I’m gonna be a dad!” over and over! After he settled down, we went over to his moms house and shared the big news! They were all so excited. His mom responded a lot like he did, it was so cute! Isaiah is their first grandchild, so they were definitely ready for it happen!
Afterwards we went over to my moms house and shared the news with the rest of my family, and 2 of my friends.

The next 8 months were a little crazy. We never intended to get pregnant while living at our current house, and bought it with the intentions of fixing it up and selling it. Life had gotten in the way, and our spare room was still pretty much a mess. Many other things needed to be done, but that was my main project.

I LOVED being pregnant. Every minute of it, even the 18 weeks of evening sickness. Dan would follow me to the bathroom and hold my hair, what a sweet guy! I was always sick in the evening, which was actually a great thing because I worked the Opening shift at the coffee shop, usually alone as well. From 5am to 1pm… so being sick all morning would not have been good.
Oh being pregnant… I loved my belly, my midwifery appointments, and nesting. I felt beautiful, healthy and happy. Ya know when you put on those favorite pair of jeans you own, and they just seem to fit perfectly and it doesn’t matter if your wearing the ugliest shirt in town you’ve got those jeans on! That’s how I felt… like it just fit.

15 Weeks