Super-Warp Speed Pregnancy

What’s it like being at the end of pregnancy during Christmas? It’s like living in super-warp speed. The end of pregnancy can go quickly enough, as does the holiday season. Combine the two and a month feels like the blink of an eye. While I am looking forward to meeting our little one, I’m still perfectly okay with slowing down this last month-and-a-half and taking some time to breathe before we are caught up in the whirlwind of the newborn stage. I’ve never been one who has been overly impatient for the end of pregnancy, and this time around is no exception. Perhaps some of that has to do with having good, complaint-free pregnancies. But a greater part is because I remember the sleepless nights, endless nursing sessions and labor pains. So, I’ll do my best to relax and enjoy my sleep for as long as possible…aside from the nighttime bathroom trips.

At my most recent appointment, I received an early Christmas gift. It was the news that the baby is in fact head down. This little acrobat has flipped around so many times that a week ago it felt as if the baby was sideways at one point and diagonal at another. I have stepped up the exercises to encourage baby head down and thankfully as of today, the kiddo has cooperated. My midwife assured me that most likely if the baby is head down now, it will stay that way because it would take a lot of effort to flip breech at this point. Let’s hope that’s true!

While that was a great gift, I would like one more thing for Christmas: a baby name my husband and I can agree upon. We have come up with a boy name with little difficulty, but that girl name is still giving us problems. Hopefully we’ll have some divine inspiration this Christmas and our search will finally be over.

DIY: Keepsake Ornaments

I’m not a crafty person. Well, I suppose I could be, but it’s just not a priority at this point in my life. But, I am somewhat of a sentimental person, especially when it comes to Christmas. I’ve seen themed Christmas trees, all unified in color or subject matter, but to me, that’s not a Christmas tree. I prefer to fill my tree with ornaments collected throughout my life, including my very own “baby’s first Christmas” ornament. So, when I saw the idea for making keepsake ornaments on Pinterest thanks to In My Own Style, I had to try it.

Matt and I have a tendency to hang on to things like special mementos and old keys. So, I gathered Brinkley’s old dog tag; a memento from one of our first dates; and keys from our first cars, our first house and more. All it took was a little ribbon, some ornament hooks and cardstock to label each one. Now, we have our very own small tree filled with personal keepsakes. The cost was negligible, but the sentimental value is priceless.

Choosing Gratefulness Over Stress

Two important reasons to be grateful and not stressed.

I could stress out right now. After all, I have 8 major work projects, plus other deadlines I must meet over the next few weeks. Not to mention preparations for holiday gatherings we are hosting. We still need to pick up a few more gifts. And of course I haven’t even begun wrapping any that we do already have. Oh, and did I mention we have about 7 weeks until the baby will be joining us and we haven’t even begun to wash the clothes, diapers, blankets, burp cloths, etc., let alone set up the co-sleeper or changing table? So, I could take this moment to freak out a bit and wonder how everything will get done, while still chasing around my 3- and 5-year-olds. But instead, I’m taking a few moments to reflect and be grateful.

Why am I not taking the more typical road of being stressed out and a bit jumpy? Because I’ve read a few too many status updates lately. I’ve read about one woman breaking her foot on the day of her anniversary. Instead of a romantic evening out, she spent it in the ER. I read about another woman’s struggle with a chronic disease that has not been taking it easy on her lately. One friend had a cousin lose her 2-week old baby. Then there is the woman I interviewed the other day who over the last 22 years has battled seven types of cancer. She told her amazing story of strength and faith through some dark times. Yet, she has emerged a fighter and has no fear of what is to come. But, finally, today is the birthday of a little girl who should be celebrating her first year. Instead, we are honoring the memory of this precious little one who fought hard and touched the lives of many in her short time here on earth.

So, I could look over my to-do list for today and the weeks to come, and I could wonder how I will get it all done without pulling out my hair. But instead, I’m going to breathe deeply. I am going to choose to be thankful for the opportunities I have—for the ability to give those gifts that must be wrapped; for the chance to do the work I love, while still being with my kids; for the little hands who will help me bake those cookies and prepare for our holiday gatherings. And, ultimately, I will hug my little ones a bit more tightly and realize just how blessed I am. Because after all, it is a choice as to how I approach today and the days to come. And I choose gratefulness.

DIY Kids Christmas Tree

As a kid I always enjoyed decorating for Christmas. In similar fashion, my kids like to put their designer touches on things. So, I decided to give them something they can have decorative ownership of. It required a bit of craftiness on my part, and inspiration thanks to Pinterest and the Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio. It only took a bit of felt, some glitter glue and a touch of patience to create. And, now they have their very own Christmas tree to decorate to their hearts’ content.

Using a large piece of green felt, I cut out a tree shape. I then cut out various ornament shapes from different colors of felt. Then the kids had their chance to get involved and show their craftiness (hence the need for patience). With glitter glue in hand, they decorated the ornaments, firmly believing that more is more. After a few days of drying, the ornaments were ready. Since felt sticks to felt, the ornaments magically stick to the tree with no need for Velcro or the like. Using Command strips, we placed it on the wall and voila! The tree is complete. Even Bailey enjoys it. Well, she prefers undecorating it and running around with the ornaments in her mouth. Maybe next year she’ll get the concept a bit more.

Our Newborn Bailey

A few weeks ago, we welcomed the newest member to our family: a 6-month-old golden retriever named Bailey. When our nearly 14-year-old golden, Brinkley, passed away a few months before that, we wondered when or even if we’d get another dog. I am an animal lover, but I do admit that not having to tell the kids to watch their step as they played in the backyard was kind of nice. Yet, in typical fashion, it took just a short time before I began craving the companionship of yet another four-legged animal.

As we began our search, family, friends and even pet adoption agencies asked if we really wanted to get a dog when we have two little kids and another on the way. Both my husband and I grew up with animals, him more so since his dad has spent years training animals of different varieties. We explained that, yes, we felt we knew what we were doing. If we got a pup now, we could have her somewhat trained before the baby’s arrival. Plus, what’s a little more chaos in a family with 2.5 kids already?

And so, we located a family in Goshen who was seeking a home for their golden pup. We met Bailey (or Bubbles, as she was previously known). Her disposition impressed us and soon we were bringing her home. What’s interesting is how much she has been preparing us for life with a baby. It has been three years since we’ve had a newborn and our selective memory has attempted to block out certain details. Thanks to Bailey, I am once again reminded of the work and care that will be required of us in a few months. Here are just a few ways she is helping to prepare us:

Late-night wakings. The second night she barked nearly the entire night. Thankfully she didn’t require any diaper changes, but I was glad that she quickly caught on to the sleep routine after that one night. Hopefully she can teach the baby to do likewise.

Clean-ups. Being only kennel trained and not house broken, we’ve gone through our fair share of carpet cleaner in the last few weeks. Our version of diaper duty is paper towels and Resolve cleaner.

Dog proofing. This dog likes to put everything in her mouth—toys, paper, socks, mulch. The good news is that you can typically retrieve it before she eats it, except for when it comes to the mulch (makes you wonder what her food tastes like).

Safety gates. Our ability to walk freely between rooms is once again restricted as we use baby gates to sanction the dog into a designated area until the clean ups become a thing of the past.

Constant companionship. One of the biggest surprises to me when Jonas was born was how much he wanted to be held and cuddled. I had heard that babies slept a lot and had this misconception that he’d rest peacefully in his crib or bassinet as I went on with my day. Instead, I wore him in slings and wraps a lot (even at the computer), and toted him along wherever I went. No, I don’t have a Doggie Bjorn for Bailey, but she is my shadow, regardless of whether I’m running downstairs to grab dinner out of the freezer or sitting at my desk typing away. And, yes, she even likes to accompany me on bathroom breaks, reminding me that moments of solitude are about to be few and far between.