Wednesday, October 24, 2012

I will cut you!

I've been batting a thousand lately when it comes to parenting out in public. I took Ben to the Goodwill store (They have amazing wrapping paper, for .25 a roll. I like to stock up for Christmas!) and while we were there he ate a crayon...30 seconds later he threw up said crayon. My super fast mommy like reflexes helped me catch it all in my hands (I know..I know..gross). So there I was, standing in Goodwill, holding throw-up considering wiping it all on my shirt, Ben was HOLLERIN' "Momma!!!" at the top of his lungs. I mean, it really doesn't get any classier than that...Well maybe if I had, had sponge rollers in my hair. The girl at the check-out clerk sauntered over with a roll of paper towels and handed them to me with a glare. I smiled politely at her and cleaned up all the throw up. I finally made my way to the check-out, and while paying, thanked the lady for the paper towels. "So sorry! He's just 110% boy, and he thinks everything either belongs in his mouth or should be covered in mud." I said to her with my best southern drawl I could muster. She glared at me and informed me all FOUR of her children at that age weren't little monsters. So I punched her lights out....... Hahahaha!! Just kidding. I'd have lost that fight. She was (as my momma says) a BIG girl, and although I'm scrappy, I was worried while I was throwin' down with Miss. Judgmental Ben was going to somehow find another crayon to swallow. So I smiled again, took my receipt, and my "little monster" and walked out. And on the way home Ben and I worked on our best impressions of Bon Qui Qui. "I will cut you!!!!"

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Teething Pains

Back when we lived in MS and Ben had just started his rampage of teething, I can remember a Mom at our church who smiled at me and said "Oh, well I NEVER even knew so-and-so was teething. She is such an angel! I just looked in her mouth one day and there was a tooth". I remember sitting there with a screaming 5 month old thinking "I want to slap you...But we are in church..So... never mind" To say that teething has been insane for both our sweet boys, is an understatement. They both have struggled in different ways, but it's all been nuts, and lead to my current three pots of coffee a day addiction. So recently a much kinder Mom at our church here in Florida recommended I try clove oil for Christopher Robin's gums. And that has truly helped with sweet baby! Coincidentally while I was researching online, I also found out it's great for any kind of mouth pain. So give it a try the next time you have a toothache! I'd recommend organic clove essential oil. I got mine from amazon. If you're using it for a baby, I'd dilute it with an edible oil. Coconut oil is what I used. I mixed one drop of clove oil with about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil and rubbed it all over Baby's gums. His face was hilarious! But it works! And seems to last for about 2 hours. So go get you some clove oil if you're little guy or little girl is making you want to slap people in church :)

Friday, October 5, 2012

Home made bath salts

Ever since I became a Momma, my brain has been going ninety miles a minute. Okay, so full disclosure, my brain has ALWAYS gone that fast, but it's harder to turn off when your a mom, and contrary to what non-moms think-there is SO much responsibility involved in raising this little stinkers, and so many to-do list. You spend so many sleep-less nights with your little babies, that your body becomes used to waking up multiple times during the night, even when your kids are finally sleeping through the night! Talk about a real downer. I have been known to hear a phantom cry, run at full speed out of bed (This little Mommy doesn't waste time!) straight into the bedroom door frame...Not even kidding. Which then leaves my husband unsure as to whether he should laugh hysterically, because his wife has brain damage now, even tho there was no baby crying to begin with, or to go get me ice for my noggin and tell me to come back to sleep. It's basically a lose-lose situation guys. So, I've tried many solutions to help me sleep through the night. Sleepy time tea, melatonin, ambien, a bottle of red wine (which was fun!), etc. Nothing seems to help all that much. Except a hot bath in home-made bath salts! I owe this original recipe to my sweet friend Debra Morgan, the original DIY Momma. No kidding. She's truly a super Mom, and someone very dear to my heart! Here is what you will need: a container with a lid 1 cup Epson salt 1 cup Baking Soda 10-15 drops organic lavender essential oil 2 drops peppermint organic essential oil (Just two! Or you'll feel like you slathered your whole body with icy-hot. Which is just plain awkward) 2 drops tea tree oil Mix all together, put in container, and give it a good shake before use. Add 1/2 cup to a hot bath, and tell your husband to come check on you in 5 minutes, because there's a good chance you will fall asleep in the tub. Lavender is soothing, peppermint helps with your circulation, sore muscles, and tea tree will help draw out the toxins from your body. It's truly amazing! Give it a try.

I get it. I really do Mom!

When you're a girl, you're most likely always going to be close to your Momma. Sure you might have some icky times during high-school/college (Oh come on, we've all got these stories that begin with "But that's when Mom and So-and-so weren't talking remember??".) but for the most part, every little girl loves her Mom dearly. Now once you become a Mom, the bond you feel only gets better. I can't tell how many times I want to pick up the phone and say to my Mom "Thank you SO much for loving me even when I was teething...No really. How did you not kill me? I'm losing my mind over here! Give me some tips!!!!" Maybe I'm just getting more wise in my old age (ahahahaha. I'm only 25 you crazy peple!) but ever since I had Christopher Robin I've felt even more of a connection to Momma Mimsey. I think it's because Christopher Robin is the second born, like me. Second born babies come with a tiny bit more guilt than the first one. If you've been to our house in the past 8 months, you understand what I mean. Poor baby gets the brunt of all of his big brother's, big brother issues. He's been bitten, pinched, had toys thrown at him, and that was just today.... I found myself sitting in the laundry room crying yesterday- thinking two things- First, that I wish I could give Christopher Robin more one on one time, in between chasing Ben down the street, and Second, I was really glad we were renting this house, because the laundry room was very spacious and a really great place to have my Mommy break downs. But aside from crying in the laundry room a lot, I'm starting to understand my mother SO much more. I understand her never ending compassion towards me, her concern for my life choices, and her loyalty. Now I'm not saying that I was my mother's favorite child (That prize goes to my little brother's dog Troy...just kidding :) but what I am saying, is that the more babies I have, the more I understand, and appreciate my mother. To sum it up, I get it Momma. I really do.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Laundry and me

When I was in high school living in DC, in college at the W,and back in DC again to intern when I was 20, I HATED laundry. It made zero sense to me, and it never failed I ended up re-washing all my clothes because I didn't fold them, or left them too long in the washer and they started to get funky. One time I think there was even an incident in DC where I had a pretty good buzz going, and instead of actually doing my laundry I ended up on the roof with it in the pouring rain. ..........Well. It made since at the time! Don't even get me started on when Chris and I got married. Let's just say, it's a good thing my Momma lived 5 minutes away the first 5 months of our marriage! OR Chris would have had nothing to wear....hehehe. Once Ben came along, the laundry got crazier, and I pretty much pulled a Scarlett O'hara. "I'll think about that tomorrow!" It got so bad, I can remember sitting on the couch feeding Ben a bottle, surrounded by laundry and crying. Well, let's face it, you cry over everything after having a baby. But laundry was pretty bad back then. Skip forward two years- Now we have TWO babies! So that makes three boys, one girl, and tons of laundry. I thought it was bad with just me, but you don't know laundry until you have three boys in the house. After much prayer and thought on the matter, I decided I just had to take the bull by the horns, specially since I was jumping on the cloth diaper train. I was already making my own detergent (which I LOVE!!!) but I did some research on fabric softeners (not for cloth diapers!) and found out vinegar does an amazing job and baking soda is a great wash aid (I'm also doing some research on natural stain removers. I'll get back to you on that). I started religiously reading the tags on all the clothing we own, sorting better(I used to wash towels and silk together. Not even kidding) and I somehow convinced my precious husband and sweet father-in-law to build me a clothes line. The clothes line pretty much sealed the deal on reversing my hatred of laundry. Every morning I take my load of clothes out to the line to hang up, and I get 5 whole minutes of being alone (plus I feel kinda like I'm saving the planet by not using my dryer) outside, without the kids pulling on me. It's GLORIOUS. And I am loving how much better my clothes feel and wear. Also, because I do mostly medium loads of clothes (and only two loads a day) I have the time to take the clothes down at lunch time when they're dry, and immediately put them away. This means the clothes sitting in the laundry basket for days doesn't happen anymore. I highly recommend getting your sweet husband, tall friend, or Daddy to help you set up a clothes line. It saves on energy/money, (I cut our electricity cost by $25 a month) keeps your laundry fresh, and gives you a couples minutes alone without your babies. It'd pretty much win-win in my book :)

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Fluffy booties!

Life has only gotten exponentially crazier here in Merrifield Land! The babies and I spent TWO (amazing, restful, salt water pool filled) weeks at Mimsey and Da'Dim's house. The trip away was just what I needed. I was able to actually lay out by the pool (alone!) and catch up on reading, praying, and writing. The time of peace, and extra hands, was incredible. But, I missed Chris bunny terribly. So it was nice to get home to see him. But the trip left me refreshed, and I felt like my BRAIN was working again. Yes, yes, the mommy oatmeal brain does go away every now and then I promise...Only to come back at 4am in the morning when Ben's diaper leaked and I got in a fight with his duvet cover. The darn thing won. While on the trip, I felt convicted by the Lord that I was NOT being a good steward of all the blessings he has given us. I came home with a renewed sense of purpose, and a long list of projects for poor Chris Bunny. The first project tho, was for me. I decided to dive headlong into the cloth diaper world. Why was I wasting our money on disposable diapers when I'm a stay at home Momma, with the time and energy to wash them? Yes I have tons of energy. It's a curse. Seriously. I can't sit still (I've made lunch, put my hair in bobby pins, and checked my facebook like 20 times while writing this. It's nuts) I did a TON of research. Hours of reading reviews, talking to other crunchy friends,read up on how best to wash them, dry them, etc. I finally settled upon the BumGenius brand of one size cloth diapers. I went with the 4.0 version because according to reviews they had more room to grow, and around here, we grow em' big! (I guess my boys aren't taking after me in the petite department) Since Ben will be potty trained eventually, and Christopher Robin is 6 months old, I decided to use the one size diapers for BOTH babies. I ordered 12 (with the snaps, not velcro) from thegreennursery.com. I compared prices from ebay, amazon, and many other sites. But this site had a special going on where if you ordered ten you get two free. This was the best deal I found. I decided to start with 12, and then order 12 more if I liked them. They came in the mail a week ago, and it was like I was a kid in a candy shop! But fluffier. Cutest things I've ever seen!! So far, I'm a fan. But let me pro-con it for you. Pros: The colors are bright and cute The snaps stay put and Ben hasn't figured out how to undo them, thank the Lord! They dry on the clothes line pretty quickly, as well as on my indoor one in my laundry room. The inserts are easy to slide in and out, which make cleaning them easy. They seem pretty absorbent (But we haven't done it at night yet, just naps for now) The Cons: The snaps! They drive me nuts. I hate snaps. But they stay put! (so a con/pro mix) I'm having a hard time keeping Christopher Robin from leaking. Since he's smaller I'm struggling with which fit is best for him. I think that will come in time. I need more than 12. I plan to order 12 more next week. I'm having to get used to the bubble booty it gives them. It's hilarious! I'm also super freaked out about washing them. I think I did too much research because I've given myself a complex about the whole thing. I'm so worried I'll ruin them. I can't wait to see how they work at nighttime! I plan to insert the regular and newborn insert in them for both boys for extra abortion once I purchase more. I'm also back to making re-usable wipes. I tailored the recipe to better suit my boys needs, specifically Ben's eczema. And I love them! Here's my recipe for the wipes: Cut up two baby towles, or soft cotton baby blankets into wipe sizes place them in a plastic container with a lid -Mix up one cup water. One tablespoon each of olive oil and coconut oil two tablespoons of Dr. Bronner soap 3-4 drops of tea tree oil. Pour the mixtue over the towels and allow them to soak up the water. Use as you would wipes, and wash in hot water and detergent. Well, that's all folks! Next time I'll try and delve into the wonderfulness of my new clothes line my amazing husband and father-in-law built for me. It's just precious.

Friday, May 18, 2012

A time to bounce-and a time to rest

Well friends. It's been a rough week. Lots of tough news regarding sweet friends, tons of allergies, Baby C.Robin is cutting a tooth, I'm stressing about the move to a larger rental home, etc. (Basically I'm not sleeping!) BUT-In the midst of the craziness, I've been stopping and learning so much about my babies. Stopping to look them in the eyes, hold them, and tell them I love them. Because they won't be babies forever. (Right?! Somebody tell me they eventually grow up!) I'm learning Baby Ben is very much like me, Chris, Big Ben, and Robin! What a package! He has my energy, Chris's tendency to seek perfection, Big Ben's intensity, and Robin's ability to never allow anything to get him down. Lately the noise level of his zest for life has been nuts. It never fails, around 11am Ben turns into a little nymph! He starts running circles around me, waking up the baby from nap time, and leaving me wondering if his feet are even touching the floor. Ben gets to the point, where I don't even think BEN knows what he's doing. Hyper is an understatement. I can almost SEE the wheels in his little head turning. And eventually it ends with a total and complete melt down, I'm left with two screaming babies, and it's not even noon. But I've realized Ben is me! He needs quiet. He needs to sit for 10 minutes, build something with his hands, listen to music, and calm down before he melts down. Now I know what you're thinking, he's 2! and that I'm way over analyzing this little dude. But trust me, it works! Each time I pick Ben up, grab his baby (stuffed frog) and blanket, sit him on the couch with blocks, he looks up at me almost as if to say "Thanks Momma!". Ben is like me, sometimes he doesn't have an OFF switch. If it wasn't for my precious husband, sometimes I would never stop. I'd whirl around the house from project to project until I'd finally melt down. (But I get a lot done I tell you!!) It's important to me that I show Baby Ben, that his zest for life, his big personality, and boundless energy, are WONDERFUL blessings that can be used to glorify the Lord. But I also hope I can show him that there is a time to bounce, and a time to rest.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Cooking- My love language.

If you asked Chris what my love language is, I gurantee you at least one of them would be FOOD. Not so much eating it, but making it for others. My first instinct when someone I know is having a bad day, is to make them something yummy.
I think I even get a little depressed if I'm forced to not cook for awhile.
This is one of the reasons that weeks before my c-section, I cooked and froze meals like a crazy lady! I knew I wasn't going to be able to cook for at least two weeks, but I still wanted to be able to provide for my men while I was resting.
This idea turned out to be one of the best ideas I've ever had. It was so nice knowing that diner, lunch, and breakfast were taken care of! All I had to do was tell Chris what to take out of the freezer. Genius idea. And I normally am not known for my genius ideas. Seriously.

I've noticed a trend around me, that one of the most stresful things for stay at home Moms, is preparing dinner with kids running around.

So I wanted to share what I do, and how stress-free it can truly be.
Every two weeks I go to the store and KNOW I'm going to be buying these staples:
Organic milk
Organic non-salted butter
5-6 in bone chicken breast with the skin on
Wild Rice
Ground beef 2-5 lbs
Organic beans in the can: Pinto, black, and kidney beans
Organic canned pumpkin
Organic cage free eggs
Raw milk (this is a new items I've added to my shopping and I am LOVING it!!)
Fresh corn, cooking potatoes, zucchini, apples, spinach, and any other organic produce that catches my eye
Tortillias (These rock! We use them for everything)
pizza dough from the publix bakery
gallon freezer bags
Aluminim foil
Square alumnim baking pans that can be thrown away after use (no dirty dishes!)


Then, two days while Ben is at day school and Baby is sleeping I make these recipes:

Pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins:

4 eggs
2 cups raw sugar
1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 cups oil
3 cups flour (I use half unbleached and half whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I also add all spice, nutmeg, and cloves)
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips (I only use 1/2 cup)
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Makes 24-30 muffins.
I divide these in 2 gallon freezer bags, label them, and defrost for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

1/3 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
3 cups oats (regular or quick oats)
(I throw in about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips)
Beat eggs, sugar and butter together. Mix in baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

Stir in milk and oats. Pour into a greased 9×13 foil pan or baking dish and cover well. (Can use a Ziploc freezer bag, if freezing). Freeze.

To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until set in the middle. Serve warm with milk. (We like to sprinkle sugar on top before pouring the milk on.)

If you want to serve it without freezing it first, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then bake it at 350 degrees for 35-45minutes in the morning.

I divide the oat batter into three square aluminum pans to freeze.

Serves 6-8.

Then, I take the chicken breast, drizzle olive oil on them and season with salt and pepper. Stick them in the oven to roast for about an hour. Then I shred the meat, divide into 3 or 4 freezer bags and freeze.

This is what I do with the chicken:

Sprinkle on pizza crust, cover in BBQ sauce, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it, add purple onion, and bake in a 450 oven for BBQ chicken pizza.

Add taco seasoning and saute with zucchini cut in strips and a can of black beans not drained and serve on tortillas.

Add to a salad of spinach, chopped carrots and boiled egg.

Or use some chicken to make Poppy Seed chicken:


5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup sour cream
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 T poppy seeds

Additional Ingredients to make it fancy:
1 tsp Worchestire sauce
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place shredded chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish.

Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings stir in the worchestire, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to the soup and sour cream mixture. Pour over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.


Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice. We like to eat it with steamed broccoli and we mix it all together. OR, put together entire dish in two aluminum disposable pans, cover with foil, label, and freeze.
I always keep at least two pans of this in my deep freeze.

Then- I brown 2-5 lbs of organic lean ground beef. I season with taco seasoning, and divide into one lb measurements and put in gallon freezer bags.

Here are ideas on how to use the taco meat:

Add fresh corn, pinto and kidney beans and eat as tacos or nachos

Or make rattle snake bites! Which is one of Ben's favorite dinners.
Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies ( I use black or pinto beans instead)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
3 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and chilies over medium heat until heated through. Add the cream cheese, cumin and chili powder. Cool slightly.
Separate crescent dough into 24 triangles. Place 1 tablespoon of beef mixture along the short end of each triangle; carefully roll up.
Place point side down 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 2 dozen.

Or use it to make twice baked potatoes! (This can be prepared beforehand and frozen as well)
4 medium russet potatoes
8 oz grounf beed
1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, sliced

Wash well, Bake potatoes in a 400' degree oven until tender, about an hour.

Steam or boil the broccoli until tender

Carefully cut off the top third of the cooked potatoes; reserve the tops for another use. Scoop out the insides into a medium bowl. Place the potato shells in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup Cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potato insides and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add scallions and the potato mixture to the broccoli and meat; stir to combine.
Evenly divide the potato mixture among the potato shells and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes.


There are SO many more easy and incredibly recipes I make and then freeze,but these are my tried and true ones. As I try new recipes I will have to update the blog.

But for now, try these ideas! And let your freezer be your new bff.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Chocolate covered raisins and crib hoppin'

Time has truly flown by, here in Merrifield-land.
Suddenly Christopher Robin will be TWO months old in three days. I can't believe it. I feel like we just had him.
Of course it doesn't help, that he truly is a dream baby. Yes he still wakes up for feedings at 12 and 4am, but compared to Ben at that age, he's amazing! He is on a great schedule, and truly has a precious little personality. He's smiling and holding his head up so well. Mommy is so proud!

Speaking of Ben...That stinker gets cuter every day. It's unbelievable. He also gets in more trouble every day :) That little boy throws a temper tantrum when the wind blows. I find myself having a hard time navigating this new "Ben". I realize, as with most things with toddlers, that this is a phase, but dang it, it's a tough one! But it is such a reminder to me that we are all a bunch of sinners. I often times want to make his actions all about ME. "What am I doing wrong?", but I'm learning through prayer and lots of time spent in the word lately, that I have to take myself out of the equation. Ben having tantrums isn't about me. It's about a two year old, trying to communicate, and getting mad when he doesn't get chocolate covered raisins for breakfast. It's hard to believe in the midst of it, but it's truly that simple. He's a tiny little sinner, who wants me to know he's mad for not being able to eat the chocolate covered raisins.
Aside from tantrums, Ben has also been keeping us quite busy by crawling out of his crib. That kid can scale his crib and hop down to the floor in 10 seconds flat. It's impressive. But also dangerous. It looks like it's time to transition him to a big boy bed. Chris and I can officially kiss our alone time good bye ;)

The only positive that has come from Benny's crib hoppin' is that my parents must have heard the desperation in my voice in our recent phone calls, because they immediately setting about plans to come see us at the end of April. Thank you Jesus!!! We need some Mimsey and Daddy Jim. Ben will be so excited to see them!
And who knows, maybe Chris and I can go on a date, that doesn't involve a splash pad or the Shamu show....
That's all for now folks. I hear my boss (Christopher Robin) waking up.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Fly to Jesus

Today is Big Ben's birthday. Saturday will be the 7th anniversary of his death. This has been a pretty tough week for me. I think I'm struggling with so many emotions, but most of all I'm grieving that Ben will never meet either of my precious babies on this earth. I am so blessed that Chris and Ben were such good friends, and that we share a common grief during this week, in losing someone who was so precious to us. Normally I've got a lot to say, but this week has found me quiet and sad. This week I've felt like I'm sitting in church with all my dearest friends, surrounded by love and encouragement as everyone sings songs of worship. But I find myself unable to even form the words, much less sing, because my heart is so broken. So I'll just listen, and praise the Lord that Ben's suffering came to an end 7 years ago.

Untitled Hymn-Chris Rice

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Plans!

I know, I know..It's been FOREVER. It's been so long since I blogged, that I don't even have a blog entry about being PREGNANT with sweet Christopher Robin! (Who by the way, will be a month old tomorrow!!) But in my defense, I've been a bit busy. Being pregnant, being a Momma to my little stinker Baby Ben, being a wife to my hilarious hubby, and stalking people on facebook (I'm also currently addicted to pinterest in a totally unhealthy way. These are idols. I know! I'm workin' on letting go) as well as giving birth to Christopher Robin on January 28h.
Which is why I felt like I needed to blog. I really can't let the story of his birthday go untold any longer. It's a pretty cool tale :)

Christopher Robin was SUPPOSED to be here on Valentines day. February 14th 2012 at 10:30am. I was so darn excited to have this set in stone plan. I had it all planned perfectly. NOTHING in my life has ever worked out in an orderly fashion, so to have a scheduled c-section, was a pretty big deal for this little lady. I was tickled pink (Valentines day, pink, get it?! haha).

However, as I know from previous experiences (Ben= born at 32 weeks. Enough said) MY best plans, are never quite in line with what the Lord has planned.
January 28th was a tough morning for me. I was super pregnant, Ben was driving me nuts, and I was trying to get us both dressed and out the door to have lunch with my Aunt Nancy, who was in town with her husband, my Uncle David. We made it out the door and to lunch with all our clothes on, and had a wonderful time. Aunt Nancy is precious. She was so encouraging, full of great advice, and even walked Ben around Park Ave so I could finish my lunch without Ben diving into my lap. On the way home I called my Mom to talk, and I remember telling her how encouraged and special I felt after that lunch.

Fast forward 4 hours later- Ben was down for a nap, I had been watching trashy reality tv on the couch for a good hour, when all the sudden something did not feel right. I'm a big believer that when you're pregnant, you should really listen to your body.
I quickly got up and got my blood pressure cuff to check my blood pressure. It was 157/90 (It would eventually climb up to 170/110). I called my doctors office. The doctor on call informed me to quickly head to the ER. I think I said a couple cuss words. Well, more than a couple. This was not perfect timing. Chris was at work, all the way at the airport. My parents were not scheduled to come down and stay with Ben until February 12th!! And Momma Mimsey wasn't answering her phone. Dang it. Not to mention I hadn't completed my list of recipes I wanted to make and freeze. Don't even get me started on the fact that I hadn't even ordered the pajamas I wanted to wear in the hospital!Geez Louis. Never. Ever. Planning anything again.


After much prayer, I called both my best friends here in Orlando to help. Jessie and Katie. Jessie took care of Ben while I packed and waited on Chris to get home. Then Katie took over and spent the night with Ben. Nothing in this world could describe the complete since of calm I felt, knowing that my precious boy was being taken care of by my sweet friends, who love him dearly. Don't get me wrong, I still cried all the way to the hospital, but that was just me being a crazy preggo lady.

Chris and I got to the hospital at 6pm. We had test done, lab work done, tons of blood drawn, until finally at 11pm, the doctor gave the go ahead for a c-section. I was 36 1/2 weeks, and we just could not risk my health, or the baby's any longer.


There were some funny moments that I have to mention between our drive to the hospital, and the baby being born. My personal two favorites are: Chris almost getting into a fist fight with a drunk guy on Orange Ave, and me not being able to stop giggling because I thought the doctor on call in triage had hair plugs.
Finally, at 3:30am in the morning, sweet Christopher Robin was born. And the coolest thing of all, Chris and I weren't without family at the hospital that night. Aunt Nancy and Uncle David stayed up ALL night, just to be there for us, and meet Christopher Robin. I'll never be able to thank them enough for that. Just knowing they were there, was so comforting.

Aside from Ben's birth, I've never experienced so many different emotions. Total and all consuming fear of the unknown. Joy. Love. Contentment, when they placed Christopher Robin in my arms for the first time. Nothing compares to being able to hold that precious baby for the first time.
Chris and I are blessed that the tough times always seem to draw us closer. Which is great, because in our two years of marriage, times have been pretty wild!
Chris always says I'm his favorite person in times of crisis. And I feel the same way about him :) I've never felt more love for Chris, than when our babies were born. I remember looking up at him while I was holding Christopher Robin and thinking "This is it. This is all consuming, lay down your life for another, love"

We are so blessed.

And I'm throwing out my calendar. Plans just don't work for us :)