Birthday Weekend

We had a great weekend!! It was mostly spent outside with family and friends in the beautiful weather.

Ryan and Orin took me out to eat Friday for my birthday, which was on Saturday. Of course, we went to Applebees. I love that place! Their Triple Chocolate Meltdown is to die for…but it’s really not helping me shed the pregnancy pounds! Oh well, it was my birthday, right??

My family came up to help me celebrate my birthday on Saturday. It was so fun to see everyone. I told Ryan I think it was my favorite birthday celebration to date…but I’m not really even sure why. I think it was just a combination of it being my first birthday as a mom, spending a fantastic day with family, grilling out, and enjoying the incredible weather.

Ryan served me breakfast in bed, which consisted of eggs, toast, and fruit. Then we waited for family to get here around 11:00. Mom helped me do a little packing, and then we ate lunch, and spent time outside in the sun. As you can see, Orin enjoyed sunbathing with his Auntie Molls. Actually, he was only out there for 2 minutes so we could get some pictures for the scrapbook.


As for gifts, Orin surprised me with two cricut cartridges that I’m really excited to use!! And Ryan, AKA Mr. Sneaky, got me a new scrapbooking album for Orin (since two months of his life filled the first album!), pages, protectors, and tape. My family and grandparents gave me money to put towards a new SLR camera. I change my mind on a daily basis, but I’m trying to decide between the Canon 40D and Canon 50D. It’s a tough and expensive choice to make. And I feel that I don’t know enough to make an educated decision on which camera and lenses to buy. I’ll let you know when I reach a decision.

Today, we went to church for the last time since we are moving this Saturday. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be saying goodbye to our church home for the last two years. I feel like within the last 6 months, we have really started feeling like that was our church home, and we were really getting close to a lot of people.

Our Bible Study group had a BBQ in our honor tonight night. We had a blast playing sand volleyball and blongo ball, grilling, chatting, and passing around Orin. Ryan and I both agree that our Bible Study couples make it the hardest for us to move away. We will really miss them a lot! Hopefully we can stay in contact as most of them travel back to OC quite often to see family.

We had a crazy and eventful weekend. But it was so much fun!! I love summertime and beautiful weather. Now I’m off to say goodbye to my 4th graders tomorrow and my colleagues on Wednesday…it will be a difficult week!

My Little Model

Here's my little model wearing some new clothes we got him this past weekend in Des Moines. I love how his hand is on his hip and propped on the chair!

If you have never been to Once Upon a Child, you should seriously check it out. It is a consignment store chain located in larger cities, such as Des Moines. They carry quality name brand clothes for great prices…some even come with the tags on them! It's crazy to think that I could buy a brand new shirt for Ryan (that he will wear for many years) for the same price as a new shirt for Orin (that he will grow out of in a few months).

I know, I know...my poor, deprived child, but I rarely buy any brand new clothes for Orin, unless it is for a special occasion. We get the majority of his clothes from this store and from his cousins. Thank you, Thatcher, Jackson, and Micah!!!

Loungin'

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a wonderful holiday weekend, however we have no pictures to show for it! I know that is a shocker considering I’m always taking pictures.

Friday, I left early from school, and we raced down to Des Moines for my cousin’s wedding. We got there with 5 minutes to spare. The ceremony was 15 minutes long…not even enough time for little man to finish his bottle. That was mistake number one on our part. Off to the reception we went. After Orin drank the rest of his bottle, he was passed from person to person at two different tables. Mistake number two. Around seven, he took a cat nap but was quickly woken up by the speaker system and applauding as the wedding party entered the reception. Mistake number three…not really our fault but definitely not good for Orin. Chaos + Loud noises + Lots of People + Lack of Sleep= One Very Upset and Inconsolable Baby. We could not get him settled down even when we took him outside. It was bizarre. We had never seen him like that before, and I was starting to wonder if he had developed the strep throat I had earlier in the week. We decided it would be best to go back to my parent’s house, rather than have a screaming child ruin the excitement of the reception. We hadn’t been driving 1 minute when Orin fell asleep in his carseat. It was quiet and he could sleep. That’s all he needed. That night, he slept all night and woke up chipper as a lark. I decided he wasn’t sick. He was just not enjoying the chaos going on around him. I was so glad he was his normal self again!

So…we actually had the camera with us, but who really wants pictures of a screaming baby??

Saturday night, my friend Stacie and her husband stayed with us. They had to come to a wedding close by, so we invited them over for the night. It was so great to catch up and for them to meet Orin.

Monday was spent relaxing at home. Ryan let me sleep in, although considering I scrapbooked really late Sunday night, I really didn’t get extra sleep. We didn’t do anything super exciting, but it was so nice to have an extra day as a family. I caught up in Orin’s scrapbook, and Ryan worked on coffee shop stuff and his book. We also took a walk minus the stroller. We left it at my parent’s house. So I used the wrap. Needless to say, we didn’t walk very far. I wish all weeks were 4 day work weeks!

3 Months

My baby is THREE months old today!!

• You are in a great routine taking 3-4 naps a day and sleeping through the night!
• We have heard you laugh a few times. But you mostly prefer to coo and smile.
• You like to do squats while you are standing on our laps.
• You love it when we read to you or sing to you. You smile and smile.
• You have started to grab at your toys on the play mat as well as smile and coo at them.
• You are so happy every morning. When we go in to get you, you smile and coo.
• You are a little cuddle bug. You love to cuddle with mommy.
• You wear size 1-2 diapers during the day and size 2 diapers at night.
• You weigh around 14 pounds. You are wearing 3-6 month size clothing.
• You eat 4-5 ounces every 3 hours.
• You love your baths. You lay there and kick, kick, kick.
• You like riding in the car. You always fall asleep.
• You like your pacifier, but you aren’t totally attached to it for all naps and bedtime.
• You love your daddy. You are mesmerized by him.
• You are a very content and happy baby. We rarely hear you cry unless you are hungry or tired.
• Your Daddy and I love you very much. You are growing way too fast!!

Daddy's Boy

My baby boy loves his daddy, that’s for sure!! They spend many long hours together during the day while I’m at work. Ryan is pretty exhausted by the time I get home, but I know he wouldn’t trade this time with his little guy for anything. Ryan sticks strong to the schedule and sees to it that Orin is read to, sung to, talked to, bathed, cuddled, and loved all day long. I couldn’t have asked for a better dad for my child. He is such a wonderful husband and dad. We love him so much!!

First Date Little Friends

He thought he was cool stuff…

He wanted to take Hazel to the movies…

But he remembered he couldn’t walk yet…

Dad wouldn’t loan him the car keys…

And Mom said it was close to bedtime…

So he settled for cuddling in the chair with his new friend, Hazel.

Tulip Fest 09

Tulip Festival 09 has come and gone. We had a great time even though it was cool and windy. We pulled into town in time for the Friday night parade, but since it had been raining off and on, we wanted to get the truck bed unloaded. So we skipped that parade, got the load of furniture into the house, visited with family, put Orin to bed, and made a trip to the coffee shop.

Saturday was a crazy day. Ryan’s parents were in town so we showed them and Ryan’s brother and sister-in-law our rental house. Then we bundled up like it was winter and spent most of the day uptown. It eventually warmed up during the afternoon parade so that we could take off the bundles of coats and sweatshirts. Orin slept through most of the parade until it was time to eat. Ryan and I got our fudge puppies after the parade, which are my favorite. Saturday night, we realized we didn’t take a single picture uptown by the tulips, so of course we had to make the 2 block trek once more. And since we were already up there, we thought we should probably get a funnel cake to share.

Later, we hung out with friends. The boys played yard games and the girls oohed and aawed over the babies. We even got to see two friends of ours from college who came over to see us and to meet Orin. It was so good to visit with them. We came back home Sunday morning just in time for another crazy week at school.

I’ll leave you with the pictures, since I know that’s what you really want to see.

Tulip Fest, Moving, & Too Much Stuff

Well, it is Tulip Festival in OC right now, so we are going to make the trek as soon as Katie is done with school today. We are also taking the opportunity to take a round of stuff to our new house. Both the car and the truck will be packed to the breaking point, and there might even be room to bring Orin along. I suppose we better take him. When I told him we were going he got very excited about it, or at least that is how I understood the smiles and cooing.

In the bed of the truck we packed a love seat, kitchen table, and two book shelves. The fact that those four things filled the back of the truck (and trust me getting the table in there took some ingenuity) really makes me nervous for move day. We do have a 17' U-haul reserved, but I am wondering if I should upgrade to the 26'. It is really kinda ridiculous how much stuff we have just two years into marriage. When I hear the stories about the families in India who are living in a one room shack smaller than our laundry room, it makes me cringe a little bit. How much of the stuff that I own is really essential? Don't get me wrong; I am thankful that God has blessed us in such amazing ways. I just wonder how much time I spend seeking out the things of this world rather than seeking his face and his will.

Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts. Hopefully we will make it all the way with out the kitchen table flying out of the back end of the truck. I am sure we will have a bunch of pictures with Orin by the tulips to post when we get home. Until then, we are packed up, fueled up, and ready to head out.

I love...

I love...


sucking on my pacifier,


going on walks,


talking with mommy,


and swinging outside,


while smiling and kicking my feet.

Mother's Day

Orin,
Thank you for a wonderful first mother’s day!



On Saturday, you and Daddy surprised me with beautiful flowers and supper at Applebees. Then I woke up to a big surprise on Sunday morning! In the living room, Mama found the card you made and the two gifts from you and Daddy. You know I will get a lot of use out of the Cricut cartridge and Hobby Lobby gift card.



I am so blessed to be your Mama. You bring so much happiness into my life. I love you so very much. It is my joy to be your Mama!

Back to School

This was the much-dreaded first week back to school for me. I really was looking forward to seeing my students again, but I wasn’t too excited to leave Orin. It was hard to think about me going to spend the majority of my day with other people’s children while my child was at home (with daddy, of course) waiting for his mommy. As I was driving to work on Monday, I realized that I would only see him awake for 2-3 hours each day. That about put me over the edge, but I held it together. Once I got to school, I was way too busy to even think about missing him. I can’t wait for summer when I can be home with him again!

Ryan spent the last two days (Thursday and Friday) in OC cleaning the rental house. It is now officially ready for us to move in. I’m so thankful for my husband’s willingness to take on that enormous project! He definitely deserves the best husband award for that one!

My mom came to stay with Orin during those two days. I think she really enjoyed spending time with her grandson! She took him on a walk on Thursday, and they swung outside on Friday. They cuddled, read books, sang songs, played with toys, and talked. It’s so much easier going to work knowing that Orin is being cared for by people (Ryan and my mom) who love him very much.

Speaking of Orin…

He is now cooing and talking!! He will coo at anything! He loves to “talk” to us as we carry on a conversation back and forth. But he also coos at his toys, mobile, play mat, or whatever else he is looking at. He loves to see what his mouth and voice can do together. It is so much fun to watch him talk and smile. I love this age. He could stay this little forever!

On Thursday night, I decided to transition him out of the miracle swaddle blanket and into the sleep sacks at nighttime. He can be very squirmy, and he is strong enough to get his arms out of the swaddle. That made me think that in the process of getting his arms out, he could get the blankets pushed up over his head. For that reason, he now sleeps in sleep sacks. He actually did really well. He woke up around 4:00am, and it took three trips in there to give him his pacifier before I realized that wasn’t the problem. His poor little hands were freezing! So Grandma covered his hands with socks, and away he slept until 8:00. Grandma put him in the sleep sacks for his naps on Friday, and he did great falling right to sleep! I think the key is to make sure he is warm enough at night so he stays asleep. Hopefully it only continues to get better from here!

2 Month Doctor's Appointment

Mr. O had his 2 month doctor’s appointment yesterday…which means the dreaded shots! Luckily, Ryan was there to hold him down as he screamed like I’ve never heard him scream before. It’s very hard to watch a stranger inflict pain on your child. But it’s over with until 4 months.

His stats from the doctor: He weighs 12 lb 7 oz, and he is 24 inches long.
He was fussy off and on the rest of the day, so I gave him two doses of Tylenol throughout the day. That seemed to do the trick. He seems to be back to his normal, content self today.

I need to update where we are at with his routine lately. He has been taking 4 ounces for his 3 daytime feedings and 5 ounces for his two 8:30 feedings. This allows him to eat a little more right before bed and to eat more once he has slept all night. Which he is doing now!!! Well he has done it three nights in a row, so I’m hoping that it will continue. The last 3 nights he has slept from 9:00p-7:30a. We still leave him in the crib until 8:30. He loves to suck on his pacifier and look at his mobile. Those two things keep him pretty occupied until it is time to eat. Our hope is that he will eventually sleep from 9:00p-8:30a. He’s doing so well in the sleep department! Now mom needs to take some sleeping lessons.

After the weekend scrapbooking extravaganza, I have been so motivated to get Orin’s scrapbook caught up. I have been staying up really late (like the wee hours of the morning) in order to make a dent in my huge stack of pictures waiting to be scrapbooked. I am just finishing up the Easter pictures, so I’m only about 3 weeks behind!!! However, I have grown out of his scrapbook after only documenting two months of his life. I don’t scrapbook every picture as evidenced by the 3 inch pile of unused pictures. But nevertheless, I need to slow down in the picture taking department, because at this rate, he will have 6 baby albums and that isn’t going to happen!

I go back to work Monday, so I am really trying to soak up these last few days I have home with Orin. Ryan will be home with him the whole month of May, so I’m not worried at all about leaving him. I am, however, worried about how the students will behave, and I’m nervous about stepping back into the routine after 9 weeks of being away. Please pray for an easy adjustment for all of us!