Oh, the Places You'll Go

better late than never?

2012-01-27T14:29:00.001-08:00

Henry turning one is old news by now, but I realized I didn't do the official 12 month post. I actually managed to do one for all the other months, so I had to complete this project. Phew. Here are the latest Henry stats:

he sports 7 teeth...4 on the top, 3 on the bottom. he has suffered with some of them, poor guy, but still continues to be the happiest little buddy
he has an interest in anything that he can unload. cupboards, dressers, toy boxes, grocery bags...you get the idea.
he has taken just a few steps without holding onto anything but he still definitely prefers crawling
current likes: phones, trips to the grocery store, Rufus, his toy drum, bath time, watching out the window for Daddy, sticking his left pointer finger into small spaces, climbing the stairs, spoons...and things that look like spoons, light switches, balls...and things that look like balls, music, smoothies, going to see Daddy at work, playing peek-a-boo, books
current dislikes: getting his diaper changed, getting his face wiped off, sleeping, sitting in his high chair, most of the food we try to feed him, being told 'no'
he is more of a social butterfly than ever. when we're in public, he can spot anyone under the age of 4 or over the age of 70 from a mile away and makes it his mission to get that person's attention. this could result in trying to engage them in a game of peek-a-boo, pointing at them and repeatedly gasping, or holding a 'so-big' pose until they finally notice him
he says a few words or parts of words. examples: book, ball, spoon, boo (for peek-a-boo), star, dog, what's that, nose, da-da, duck. and he knows signs for more, all done, and milk
he got his fifth haircut on saturday
he has a really good memory! example: one of his lift-the-flap books has a page where you find the baby's belly button. one day i showed him my belly button and now every time we read it, he tries to find the bottom of my shirt to look for it again.
and now for a photo year in review. :) i'm trying to decide which month he changed the most. i think it's between 8 and 9. or maybe 2 and 3?

You Know Your Husband's A Band Director If...

2012-01-24T13:45:00.001-08:00

Your Friday night date to Olive Garden is interrupted by a phone call from a 16-year-old kid asking what color socks he's supposed to wear the next day.
while opening your one-year-old son's new percussion set and sorting through the instruments, he excitedly exclaims, "Castanets?? Are you kidding me?!?" (if you're asking yourself 'what's a castanet?' don't worry...i had no idea either.)
while kicking up his feet to watch some t.v., he often conducts the songs on the commercials with his big toe.
your autumn-time alarm clock is the sound of your husband's voice on a megaphone, as it carries across town
while telling your husband how much our son likes his new mini piano, he interrupts you to explain that it's not actually a piano because the hammer is not actually hitting the strings. The technical term would be clavichord because you can't adjust the volume of the note. (*Okay, so that might be far from his actual quote because I'm pretty sure I started to zone out during that whole exchange.)
your child's favorite weekly event is going to Monday night jazz band rehearsal.
75% of the kids working at the local Fareway know you. That means you should probably remember that you're going to be embarrassed if you go there in your pajamas.
when asked, "What does Daddy do at work?", your son waves his arms around in true conducting fashion.
your son is getting really cool experiences that i often take for granted...going to marching band contests -- how cool is that??

In all seriousness, I love being married to a band director! But it's quite possible that Henry loves it more... :)

it's all fun and games until yogurt hits the fan

2012-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

After my last post about looking for ways to stay entertained during the winter months, I had several good suggestions from friends. One was a reference to this website that has tons and tons of great ways to play with your kids and give them hands-on learning experiences! Seriously, it's a good one. BUT do pay special attention to the photos that accompany each play activity. They're important.

After reading the post about Yogurt Play, I just had to try it. Like, immediately. So I stripped Henry down to his diaper, drug his high chair into the kitchen, brought the space heater along to keep him warm, and plopped a big 'ol dollup of yogurt onto his tray. The idea is that you use yogurt and food coloring to let kids experiment with mixing color and touching/spreading the yogurt is a good sensory activity. Henry was very hesitant at first. He kinda poked the yogurt and then made his 'yuck' face. I tried to help him along by spreading it around his tray a little. And then, just as the 'I'm all boy' lightbulb clicked, he raised his little hand above his head and SMACKED it down right into the pile of yogurt. All at once, yogurt hit the refrigerator, the cabinets, the oven, the floor, and the mom. My brain said 'panic' but I knew I needed to embrace the mess. The blog post said so! SMACK, SMACK, SMACK. The yogurt is flying as I nervously laugh and scoop a little of the excess off his tray. I grabbed the camera, snapped a few shots, and then off to the bathtub he went with Daddy so I could mop the kitchen from ceiling to floor. Afterward, I reread the post to see just how messy her kid got cuz I failed to notice that the first time around. And that's when I saw it. Her kid having yogurt play on a tarp in the backyard. Ohhhhhhhhhhh....now I get it.

finding fun

2012-01-20T06:37:00.001-08:00

Now that January is here and winter seems to be in full swing, we're having to find other ways to have fun besides loading up the stroller and walking to Frostie's. Dang. Here's what we've come up with lately...

Playdates with friends (sorry about the blurry. those little guys don't hold still. like ever.)

Cardboard box forts

Digging through and unloading Momma's purse.

I just noticed that Henry is definitely wearing pajamas in all three pictures. That's another theme around here, regardless of the season :) I will admit that I am feeling a little bit of cabin fever these days. Last winter was similar in that we were home most of the time, but different in the fact that Henry was tiny and usually sleeping. Now I feel like he's joining in the stir crazy with me. So, I'm curious. What do/did you do to keep your 13-month-old busy during the winter months? I'm open to any and all suggestions. And hurry! He's is, at this exact moment, biting my pant leg and panting like a puppy.

photo recap

2012-01-03T08:58:00.001-08:00

I have fallen behind on documenting all the celebrating we've been doing lately, so I thought I'd put it all together in one looooong photo post! Hope you don't mind :)

On December 17, we headed north to Cedar Falls for Dameon's graduation from UNI. He is now official Master's Degree in Principalship holder. (is that the right word? holder? i dunno...i'm not the one with the master's degree.) It was a long and grueling two and a half years for him, writing paper after paper, going to three hours worth of class every Wednesday night (plus way more in the summers), and going through lots of life changes along the way. We are all so proud of him for finishing and finishing ON TIME! It was especially neat to have Henry there, since he was just a dream of ours when the whole thing began back in August of 2009. After the ceremony, we went out to lunch at one of our favorite Cedar Valley restaurants: Bourbon Street. Yum!

The next day was the much-anticipated birthday party. We bustled around all morning decorating the fabulous Madison County Dessert Factory for the occasion. We were so very grateful to the Bonham Family for letting us use their space. And their cake? Outta this world! The party was a great success and we were so appreciative to our friends and family who made the trip to celebrate with us. Of course, Henry didn't like all the attention one bit. ;)

On the actual day of his birthday, I took Henry to jazz band rehearsal (per our usual Monday night routine) so he could celebrate with Daddy and the kids. An extra bonus was that we got rid of all our leftover candy and cupcakes. Dang, those kids can eat!
The week of Christmas was spent preparing goodies that I hadn't had time to do up to that point, wrapping gifts, and catching up on laundry. On Thursday we were supposed to take Henry for his one-year pictures and then we had planned to have dinner with the Lafrenz's. About a block from home, the realization that we may not have escaped the stomach flu set in as Henry got sick in his carseat. We turned the car around and canceled our plans, but still had hope that it was just a one-time thing. Nope. Henry continued to get sick off and on for the next few days. Then, as much as we tried to think positive, Dameon and I both got hit on Christmas Eve night and spent the entire night sick and trying to take care of the little guy. It was bad. On Christmas morning, Henry was seemingly on the mend, so we let him open a few gifts while we layed on the couch. I did manage to snap a few pictures of the poor guy...

THANKFULLY my parents stopped by our house on their way home from my grandparents' and took Henry to their house for the afternoon so Dameon and I could catch up on rest. We felt so bad sending him away on Christmas, but it just had to be done. I'm sure he had more fun anyway. Our families were kind enough to postpone their Christmas gatherings for us, so on the 26th we headed to Zach and Jess's.

Then on to Boone for Christmas with my family on the 27th. Here's Henry on his refurbished trike from Uncle Blake. He loves it! Especially the bell that says "I love my mom."

Some Christmastime bedhead for your viewing pleasure...

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The countertop ice cream maker!
Not too sure what he thinks of Santa just yet...

probably the best text conversation i've ever had

2011-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

If Henry isn't napping, I have to put him in his high chair outside of the open bathroom door while I'm taking a shower. This is not his favorite thing. Yesterday, he was running out of patience with me so I started singing to him. This is a regular occurrence and usually works to pacify him for a few moments. I usually end up with "Old McDonald" or "The Wheels on the Bus" because the options of verses are completely unlimited. But yesterday I chose "This Old Man." You know, 'This old man he played one. He played knick knack on my thumb.' I was cruising along just fine until I got to number nine. 'This old man, he played nine. He played knick knack...' Wait. What in the world did he play nine on? I was completely stumped. When I got out of the shower, I decided to text my friend Ruth Ann. Yes, Ruth Ann would definitely know. Here's how the exchange went...

Me: What in the heck did this old man play nine on???

Ruth Ann: A spine? No idea...I only go to 4 because I can never remember 5. Do you know 5?? The things we ponder as moms, huh?

Me: I think it's a hive. A hive??

Ruth Ann: Ha! Good choice, Old Man. Good choice.

stuck

2011-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

Apparently yesterday's theme was, "Crawl into confined spaces, get stuck, and then holler until someone quits taking pictures and rescues you."

party prep overload

2011-12-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

"Look Whoooo's Turning One" is the theme for the upcoming birthday bash. I've spent the last month overcoming my fear of crafting by creating an owl-filled wonderland of decor. Yes, I've burned off three of my fingerprints and poked a needle through each of my fingers at least twice, but I think the result will be pretty cute. Here's a sneak peek at the centerpieces...

You see those stitches on the wings? Yep. I watched a youtube video of Carol Brady's seamstress twin sister to learn that skill. Dameon came home the other night to find me in my usual position at my "crafting table" and said, "It's kind of like we're getting ready for a wedding." Ha! I guess he thinks I overdid it a bit. Perhaps he's right. BUT, in a stroke of pure genius, I've decided that these decorations are completely reusable! Not only will all our future children get to have the same first birthday theme, but we can also use them for many subsequent celebrations. "Woo-hoooooo! You're graduating!" "Guess whoooo's getting married!" Get it? It totally works.

round 2

2011-12-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

and now for another edition of "I'm Gonna Miss This"....cuz I've been having lots of I-can't-believe-how-much-you've-grown thoughts lately.

Dear Henry,

You're getting so big and so very close to your first birthday! I'm so happy and thankful that you are a healthy, growing boy but there are certainly some things that I will miss as we soon say goodbye to your baby days.

I will miss how your knuckles are still just dimples.
I will miss your four-tooth grin.
I will miss the way your pants fit so snuggly around your big cloth-diapered bum.
I will miss trying so hard to teach you to say "ma-ma" because soon I'm sure you'll say it all the time.
I will miss your fascination with light switches.
I will miss hearing your bare hands slapping along the wood floor as you crawl through the house.
I will miss peeling your grapes and cutting each one into four pieces.
I will miss how excited you get about "The Wheels on the Bus".
I will miss you being the perfect height to rest your chin on your crib ledge and wait for us to come get you from your nap.
I will miss your hands and feet turning constant circles.
I will miss how cute you are in your snowsuit and raccoon hat.
I will miss you thinking I'm the funniest person in the world. (Well, besides Daddy, of course!)
I will miss seeing your little finger reach out and touch the mouse on the page in 'Goodnight Moon', even when you can barely stay awake for the story.
When you no longer make your "excited face" because the phone rang or the door opened, I'll miss that too.

The other day we were at the mall together and an elderly lady came over to talk to you and tell you how cute you are. Then she looked at me and said, "Enjoy him because he will grow up so very fast." I felt like what she was really saying was, "I would trade a lot to be able to go back and spend one more day snuggling my babies." Yep, I'm gonna miss this.

henry quirks

2011-12-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

(Here he is trying to pull the clean laundry out of the basket while acting like he's not. I think he was trying to stash it in his car. Busted!)

Henry's personality seems to be growing bigger by the minute these days. I only wish I could know what was going on in his little head sometimes, cuz those wheels are definitely turning!

When traveling from Point A to Point B, he will almost always choose the route that requires him to crawl over something. Just to prove that he can.
Every day at noon and one we pause for a moment of pure glee as the town whistle sounds. It's a real highlight :)
He loves to have people notice him. Especially new people. The other day he noticed a man on the other end of the grocery store aisle. He raised his arms in "So Big" fashion and stared at the man, waiting for him to take note. Apparently the man didn't know "So Big".
His bedhead continues to be the best I've ever seen.
He has "Give the puppy a nice touch" confused with "Give the puppy a body slam." We're working on it.
One of his favorite times to practice his sounds is when he's got a mouth full of food. You can just imagine how the broccoli puree sprays when he says, "Uh sssssssssat?" (What's that?)
He loves loves LOVES his daddy. We wait for him to get home by watching out the window. When he sees him, he starts bouncing up and down. If we're not by the door, just the sound of the door opening makes him immediately perk up and start saying "Da!" Cutest ever.

eleven months

2011-11-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Henry turned eleven months old many days ago but I'm just now getting around to the monthly update. Seems kinda sad that I won't be taking a monthly picture anymore after next month ... maybe I should just keep it going. I'm sure when he's sixteen years and four months old he'll just love that idea. Here are his latest stats...

He is fitting, but just barely, into 18-month size clothing. The boy is tall!
He is sporting two new teeth on the top, and it appears he will have quite a gap. If you knew me prior to 1998, you know where he got it from. Yes, braces will likely be in his future. But, for now, that gap is just so darn cute!
His favorite pastimes include pushing really small buttons, flipping light switches, pointing at anything and everything in the hope that we will name it for him, unloading any cabinet, drawer or basket he can access, playing peek-a-boo, and making this super cute "surprise" face where his eyebrows raise way up and his mouth makes a tiny little "o" shape.
He can do two signs (all done and more) and has a few word-like things that he says ("What's that", "Da-da", "Wow", "One")
He is showing signs that he's going to be very independent. Yes, I'll call it independent as opposed to strong-willed :) He wants to feed himself, doesn't want to have his diaper changed, doesn't want to be told "no", and doesn't really want to be restrained in his carseat. The other day I told Dameon that I felt like he was really starting to show some toddler-like behaviors with the whole throwing himself on the floor when I shut a door or take something from it that he can't have. I decided to look in our month-by-month book to see what it said about this. The first sentence for this month was something about how your baby will start to exhibit some of these behaviors around this age as they enter the stage of "I am toddler, hear me roar." Hmmmmm. Interesting.
We are busy preparing to celebrate the big first birthday next month. This makes me very excited and proud, while also making me want to curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out. I can't believe it's been a year!!!

the art of sneaking

2011-11-08T09:36:00.001-08:00

Before I became a mother, I had a mental list of things that, as a parent, I would never do. I would never take a small baby to the State Fair. I would never let my child have dried-up boogers in his nose. I would never give my kid a pacifier until breastfeeding was well-established. And (this is the most important one, so take note) I would maintain a normal level of noise around the house while the child was sleeping, so that he/she would never require silence in order to stay asleep. Crazy how I used to know so much more about parenting back then.....ahem.

It all began on a rainy April day, as I recall. Henry had been cranky all morning, which was unusual for him. I had worked and worked to get him to nap and finally by about noon, he was asleep. I now needed to take a shower, get supper started, make my grocery list, and fold laundry before he woke up again. Because when you have a baby who lays happily in one spot on the floor and bats his arms at toys for long periods of time, how can you possibly get anything done while he's awake?!?! (Ah, the days before Henry was crawling, pulling up, emptying cabinets, and putting everything in his mouth. I had no idea. But, that's another post for another day.) Anyway, I was so relieved that he was finally napping, that I tip-toed out of the room just as Dameon was coming home for lunch. I greeted him with a "Shhhhhhhhh" and a look of desperation that said, "If you wake that child, I will cry and you will be punished," and the rest is history. I have successfully managed to create the lightest sleeping child on the face of the earth. Yay for me.

In the beginning it didn't seem like such a big deal. Henry was still sleeping in our bed and taking most of his naps with me or on me (in his sling). But around six months of age, he transitioned into his crib, and I quickly memorized every creaky floor board, squeaky door, etc. in our very noisy 1920's home. I mean, it's just common sense that you don't empty or load the dishwasher, get ice from the freezer door, turn the t.v. up past volume level 7, walk past the nursery door, flush the toilet, run a load of baby clothes through the dryer (those snaps are LOUD), or cough while the baby is sleeping. Duh! So, for those of you out there who live in an older home full of creaky hardwood floors, I've developed some ways to help you move around your home while your child is sleeping. But only if you must. And, if you're more of a visual learner, stop by my house (but not at naptime or after 8:00 p.m.) and I'll give you a little demonstration.

1. The tuck and roll. This move is most helpful when trying to get out of your baby's room without him seeing you. You want to basically melt to the floor like a limp noodle and then slither to the door on all fours, avoiding the places that will creak underneath you. It's also helpful to hold your breath. You can come up for air once the door is closed behind you.

2. The skate. You will minimize the creaking if you can slide your feet across the floor, rather than picking them up and actually taking steps. It's just common sense.

3. The straddle. Floorboards closest to the wall are the quietest, so if you can kinda straddle the hallway, you'll be much better off. Trust me.

Now, there are a couple things that can really throw you off. Once your baby is able to pull himself up, the crib ledge has to be raised. In my case, this has to be done after Henry is laid down because otherwise I'm not tall enough to lower him into bed. There have been many times when the clicking of the latch wakes him. I don't know what to tell you on that one. Secondly, your husband can be a real wild card. Dameon tries very hard to follow the rules of sneaking but he's got these wide feet that don't slide very well and tend to kinda slap the floors instead. He also tends to hover over the creakiest areas of the house. He says if he walks fast, it's quieter. We have differing definitions of "quiet". I mean, what guy wouldn't want to come home from a long day of work to be greeted with a "Shhhhhh" and pointing motion toward the nursery and then have to ask permission to walk to the bathroom or to the kitchen for a snack or glass of water?? Sounds relaxing to me.

*Yes, this post is written sarcastically to poke fun at myself for the dumb things I've done. So thankful I have a husband who puts up with my crazy antics! I've worked to tone it down a bit after Dameon said to me a few months back, "I think your shushing is going to wake the baby." Ha! We can laugh about it now. Live and learn, right? Oh, the things I won't do with our second child!! :)

uppercase around the house

2011-11-02T08:12:00.001-07:00

Back in April, I decided to try something new and become a demonstrator for Uppercase Living. If you don't know, it's a company that makes vinyl expressions for your home, school, business, etc. Since then I've had lots of fun doing parties for people and personalizing our own home. I took some photos for an album I'm putting together, but thought I'd also share them here!

This is in our living room right above the fireplace. The expression is applied to our metal board, so it's easy to rearrange if needed.

This is in our master bedroom:

I shared these nursery photos in my last post, but wanted to explain. This first expression isn't one that is found in the catalog. Uppercase Living offers the option of customizing your own expressions! This was a verse (well, part of a verse) we had picked out, so I just went on the website and created it in "My Design Studio". Soooo happy with how it turned out!

This dandelion is super cute, but also hard to capture in a photo. The petals go up and over the window. They can be placed however you like because they are cut apart and applied individually.

This is in our dining room above the doorway. I like the contrast against our wall color.

Anyway, that's just a little tour around the Place house. Now I'm looking forward to doing a few Christmas-themed things!

ten months

2011-10-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Sooooo behind once again. But you're probably used to that by now. Darn home computer still doesn't let me post. Anyway, Henry is ten months plus about 11 days now. Less than two months til the big birthday! Wowza!

Not sure exactly how much he weighs but it seems like a lot. He's gotta be over 21 pounds by now. I'd guess 22.
He's not overly interested in baby food right now. About a month ago we had a scarring salmon incident and ever since then he's been quite cautious about anything on a spoon. However, we think he's going to be quite the independent child, and we're convinced that if he could feed himself with the spoon, he'd clear his plate. He's still nursing throughout the day and night, so he definitely gets his fill.
His current tricks include: So Big, clapping, pointing, twisting his hands when he hears music, following along in his flap books and Pat the Bunny, saying "Oh, Wow" "sssssat" and "dada", crawling around and pulling up on everything, and sometimes waving bye-bye.
Lately we've been very impressed with his receptive language skills. The other day he was standing at the couch and I said, "Henry, where's your spoon?" He turned around and looked at the spoon. Then I said, "Go get your spoon." He plopped down on his bum, crawled over, and picked up his spoon. Coincidence? It's possible :)
He does a little bit of cruising but has only let go and balanced once. And it was only for a second.
His nursery is finally (FINALLY!!) done. See pics above.
He had a few firsts this past month. First marching band contest, First haircut, First parade, First ride in a shopping cart, and First illness.
Next up: First Halloween. Stay tuned for pictures!

the long and short of it

2011-09-28T07:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took Henry for his first real haircut. For some reason I had it in my head that haircuts shouldn't happen until after the first birthday, but I broke my own "rule" and finally made the appointment after I noticed that his hair was in his eyes and constantly all tangled in the back from rubbing against his high chair or stroller. As you know, Henry has consistently (and by "consistently", I mean "DAILY") been mistaken for a girl since birth. This has never really bothered us, but we figured having his hair trimmed up would help. He was really wiggly to start off with, but then the stylist gave him his own comb and he was happy as a little clam. Well, until the very end when she needed to trim up the back and asked him to "look at his shoes." Yeah...that's not happening. After the haircut, we went to the fireplace store to do a little research and the salesman commented on what a cute little boy Henry was. Dameon and I totally did a mental high-five. Then we went to grab some dinner and as we were waiting to be seated, the hostess said, "Oh, SHE'S sooooo cute! She looks just like you!" You can't win 'em all.

The before:

The during:

The after:

nine months

2011-09-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Henry is now nine months. That means we are only three months away from his first birthday. Unbelievable!
He is sporting two teeth these days. They are the middle ones on the bottom. I've been trying, without much success, to get a picture of them. Every time I try to catch a glimpse, by pulling down his lip, he sticks out his tongue! I'll keep trying :)
He is crawling all over the place, but sometimes bottoms out and scoots on his belly. His favorite activity is exploring the parts of our house where he normally doesn't hang out such as the hallway, the dining room, and any corner where he may find a dust bunny or two.
He loves to eat! He sits in his high chair for two meals a day (usually breakfast and supper) and still nurses throughout the day and night. His newest foods are beef ragout, mini whole grain waffles, whole grain pasta, and the baby version of cheeseburger chowder. Yummy! He's getting to the point where he really wants to be in charge of the spoon, so that makes things interesting.
The tables have turned and Henry is now chasing after Rufus. Rufus, however, has realized that Henry doesn't understand "soft touch". He pulls Rufus's tail and ears...hard. Rufus usually tries to scurry out of the way before this happens, but sometimes he's not fast enough. Remember Elmyra?? I'm worried we're going to have a serious Elmyra situation on our hands.
Henry is a total social butterfly. He will smile and jabber at people as we walk through the store and loves when they smile and jabber back at him. We go to storytime on Tuesday mornings and he loves to watch the other little kids. There's one little two-year-old girl who loves to hug Henry and hold his hand.
At his nine-month check, he proved that he is a healthy growing boy! Weight: 20 pounds, 14 ounces (52%ile); Height: 29 inches (74%ile); Head Circumference: Can't remember the measurement but I do remember it was 96%ile...that means big brains, right??
He got his first haircut today...pictures to follow soon!!!

ABC's, 123's, and scarring kids for life

2011-09-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've been at a bit of a loss for blog material lately. I have lots of thoughts and a few posts started about some deeper-type stuff, but nothing too light-hearted. Lots and lots of months ago (or maybe even years?? Yep, years) I started a little blog series about my favorite student stories, since working with 3-6 years olds is often quite hilarious. Remember this? Or how about this? Yes, I'm a stay-at-home mom now, but I still have five great years of teaching to reflect on. And lots of good stories to tell.

Today's story comes from my most recent class. Last year I taught four-year-old preschool here in Winterset. Each day there was this awkward six or seven minutes between storytime and lunch. And if you have ever spent time with a group of young kids, you know that time spent waiting around quickly turns into bouncing off the walls and chaos. So, I would always try to come up with some sort of fingerplay, song, or game in order to maintain some sort of ...well... order. On this particular day, I decided to introduce the "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" game. You know the one. It goes like this:

"Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"

"(Student name) stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"

"Who me?"

"Yes you"

"Couldn't be"

"Then who?"

And each child gets a turn to be the designated cookie stealer. Seems innocent enough, right? WRONG.

We'll call the kid Joey. Joey was sweet and cute as can be. But he was also a bit oblivious. It was hard for him to understand a joke or an exaggeration. He took everything on a literal basis... Bless his heart. So most of the kids were kinda catching on. Not quite getting the rhythm of the whole thing, but all in all things were going well. Then we get to Joey's turn. "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Joey stole the cookie from the cookie jar." And we all look at Joey and wait for him to chime in with the "who me?" part. It started with him noticing everyone looking at him and his eyes growing very wide. And then he says, "No I didn't, guys. No, I didn't! I didn't steal the cookie!" Now, of course, the other kids understand that it's a rhythm game and they start to say things like "Yes, it's your turn. Yeah, you stole it." This, of course, is even more upsetting to Joey and he starts to unleash a little bit more. "No, I didn't! I don't got it! I don't got a cookie! NO I DIDN'T!!!!" Poor kid. I think he even cried a little. Yes, we got him calmed down and just kinda dismissed the whole thing. The next day as we were playing again, I decided it was better not to set Joey off and just skip his turn. I didn't think he'd notice or care. Wrong again. He insisted on having a turn. Fine. But when it finally came around to him, the whole scenario played out again. Oh, brother. Hope they don't play that game in kindergarten.

a wonderfully fantastic labor day weekend

2011-09-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ya gotta love a good three-day weekend, right?

It started on Friday evening with our good friend Jon and his little girl, Bella, coming over for dinner. They were out for a bike ride while Megan (wife/mom) was running musical rehearsal and stopped by to say hello. I was about to put my gourmet dinner....er...Vandekamp's fish fillets...in the oven, so we invited them to stay. And the Vandekamp's ended up being pretty tasty.

Saturday brought the much-anticipated opening game of the Hawkeye football season! I'm pretty sure Dameon has been waiting his whole life to sit on the couch with his baby boy and cheer on the Hawks :) We had our usual game day smorgasbord including nacho hamburger dip, salami and crackers, and brownies. We also had a few close calls when the power went out 45 minutes before kick-off and then the Big Ten Network basically failed at broadcasting the entire first half of the game. My husband gets a little intense during Hawkeye Football. (Can you imagine that?) So, every time I felt like saying something like, "At least this is happening during a game that isn't very important", I decided against it. Things like that don't usually go over very well. Saturday evening we tried out a new recipe that I got from my cousin, April. Chicken Tacos = delicious!! Here, you should try it: http://family.go.com/food/pkg-family-approved-recipes/recipe-an-814457-slow-cooker-chicken-tacos-t/

Because who doesn't love a good crock-pot recipe?? So pumped to eat the leftovers tonight. Yum.

On Sunday we headed east to Oskaloosa for Grandpa Charlie's 80th birthday party. It was neat to see such a great turn-out of family and friends. And the cake was outrageously good!! After the party, we stopped over to visit our friends, Matt and Molly. It is always great to catch up with them and let our dogs catch up, too. :) Next we went to Pella to spend a little more time with Dameon's dad and step-mom. They had supper ready for us (taco salad!!) and then we got to enjoy the beautiful weather even more with a bonfire and s'mores. Good friends Barb and Bill stopped over to get in on the action. Henry was quite the comedian the whole night, which seems to be his new thing. His current shtick is to fake laugh and get other people to laugh at him. Then his laugh gets louder and more forced until it turns into more of a holler. And, of course by then everyone is laughing so hard at him that he decides to shake his head back and forth as quickly as he can, only taking breaks to make sure people are still looking at him. Hmmmm....I'm pretty sure he's going to be a "watch me, watch me" kind of kid. Not that I was ever like that or anything. (Ahem....dance and tumbling routines in the basement, anyone?)

We got home late and Henry was totally wiped out so he slept really well last night, but was ready to get up at 7 this morning. My amazing husband got up with him, fed him breakfast, and played with him so I could sleep until 8:30. SOOOOOO GREAT! Then Dameon did some drill work while I got ready for Mom, Dad, and Grandma to come over. They arrived around 12:30 and we had burgers on the grill, sweet corn, and toffee brownie trifle for lunch. We ate out on the patio and enjoyed this lovely Iowa weather. Henry is on his third nap of the day, so he's either catching up on sleep or growing or both. When he wakes up, we're definitely all going on a walk. Hooray for fall, football, and family!

blog drama

2011-08-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

this is a test. my blog hasn't been allowing me to post for several days now. so, this is just a test.

brooke

2011-08-26T07:12:00.001-07:00

(this was supposed to be posted last friday)

Being friends with someone for sixteen years means lots of things. It means you know each other's laugh. It means you know each other's favorite things. It means you always have something to talk about.

Brooke and I have been friends since sixth grade homeroom with Mrs. Schroeder. The timing couldn't have been better for the two of us to become a pair. We were both dealing with all the friend drama that fifth grade can bring (ha!) and trying to find our way in a big new school. God knew exactly what He was doing...which is, of course, no surprise. I have been thankful so many many times for our friendship, and the others that would soon come along because having Christian friends in junior high and high school is so crucial. Believe it or not, Brooke and I have never had a fight. Never talked about each other behind our backs. Never gone through any of that catty stuff that most girls do.

We've been through a lot together. A lot. We even went to college together and lived in very confined spaces. And we loved it! And we're closer because of it.

When you're friends with someone for sixteen years it means lots of things. It means you see someone walk through valleys and experience hurt. And, in some cases, really bad hurt. The kind that makes you feel helpless and advice-less. Those kinds of experiences bond you. We've sat together in pure silence after reeling from break-ups. Hung out and read magazines together after surgeries took away spring breaks. Hugged and cried at grandparents' funerals. I treasure those times just as much, if not more, than the good times. Because, Brooke, those were the times we ran to each other. You've been #4 on my speed dial ever since my first cell phone. :)

Tomorrow will be another kind of milestone that we will experience together, side by side. Tomorrow Brooke will marry her prince. And I don't mean that as a cliche. John treats her like gold and I saw it the very first time we met. I know he's going to live out the vows he takes tomorrow each and every day because he's perfect for her. When you watch your friend hurt, this is the day you pray for. So many times I've prayed for this day and for this man. I can't wait for them to experience together a Christ-filled marriage. Tomorrow our friendship will change. Tomorrow Brooke will get a new best friend. And it is good and worthy of so much celebration!

I love you, Brooke. And I'm so beyond thrilled for you and your new husband. Praise God for bringing us through so many things together and for bringing us to this day! I can't wait.

eight months...and I'm (almost) on time!

2011-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Phew! It feels good to actually get this posted "the day of"! Henry is officially eight months old today and even though it's not well-check time, it still feels like a milestone. Here's what he's up to these days...

He's too big to put on the baby scale any more (sad) so I'm going to have to do the thing where I weigh myself and then hold him and weigh us together and then do math. Too bad I don't really care to know what I currently weigh, so I'm putting that off.
He is sitting up completely on his own now. Sometimes he tips over, but we've discovered he's got a pretty hard head. Not sure if he can thank me or his daddy for that...
He is super close to crawling but not quite yet. He's up on all fours, trying to figure out what the next step should be.
He grabs at EVERYTHING. This makes things such as grocery shopping much more difficult. The other day I was reaching for an apple and he knocked a melon onto the floor. Thank goodness it didn't break!
He sits in his high chair twice a day to eat, and has figured out that if he puts something in his hand and hangs his arm over the arm rest, Rufus will be right there to snatch whatever he's offering up. This is a very fun game for Henry and a very maddening game for Mommy.
Speaking of Rufus, Henry loves him more and more each day. He has started doing a sort of fake laugh when he sees Rufus scampering around. He also loves to grab at his ears, his tail, and his tongue. I think Rufus is starting to get a sense of what he's in for...
He rides in a big-boy carseat, which has seemed to make riding in the car more enjoyable for him. Turns out there's a good chance the reason he hated it up until now was because he was downright uncomfortable. I think the Babies R Us lady's exact words were, "The Graco infant seat has the most minimal padding of any seat. Wouldn't you be cranky riding in that?" Hmmm....thanks for telling us that when we registered for it.
His personality is really starting to show more and more. He smiles and laughs when other people around him are doing that. And he seems to even go into silly mode sometimes by shaking his head back and forth and then waiting for our reaction.
We can move anywhere by rolling and scooting, so we are in baby-proofing mode. His favorite treasures are remotes, cell phones, and cords. Help me.

And God is still good

2011-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today I was thinking about how we've officially lived in Winterset for a whole year now. And, wow, what a year it's been! When we decided to move here, it was March. When we actually moved here, it was July 31. We attempted to buy five other houses before getting the one we currently own. (Which is by far the best one, in case you were wondering.) That's right, FIVE. And we couldn't even move into said house until the middle of September. But being teachers, we had to get here before August. So we moved into a one-bedroom apartment on the town square above the Ben Franklin store. We lived there for six weeks. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I blogged about that once. And I think I included the part about having to always take the dog out on his leash on the town square at all hours of the day and night. Neat.

Home ownership is always a mixed bag. We are soooo thankful for our home. But sometimes you just wish you could call a landlord to take care of a problem that arises. Ya know?

Like I said, we moved in the second weekend of September and tried to quickly get settled in the midst of marching band season. I was also nearing the third trimester of pregnancy, so I was pretty worthless in the "unpacking and getting organized" department. Not that that's ever really been my forte. Anyway, Henry was born in December and it wasn't long after that the house craziness began. In a matter of two months (give or take) the following occured...but not necessarily in this order: it all started when the furnace broke. then the oven. and then the blender. then the stucco fell of the side of the house, the roof got damaged in a storm, the roof started leaking, the ceiling fell off, the ceiling got redone, the ceiling was not correct so the ceiling got redone again, then the ceiling fell off again, the stucco contractor left us high and dry and the rain came in our windows, we got a new roof, we fired the stucco guy and got a new one, we hired a painter to paint the entire exterior, he painted in the rain and ruined our paint, he spilled window glazing on our new shingles and then stepped on the glazing so our shingles were ruined and then he painted our windows shut, and then he sprayed paint on some of the shingles that he hadn't already ruined, windows were broken (many windows), we fired the painter and hired a new one. Hmmmm....is that it? Probably not. I can't even remember. To sum it up, our house has been under construction since March and it's finally almost finished. In the middle of all that, it felt like we were sinking. This was not something we had planned on dealing with or paying for. Especially when trying to prepare to transition to being a single-income family this fall. But even at our lowest points, when our house was literally falling down around us, God was still there....and He was still bigger than all of it...and He was (as is) still good. Sooooooo good.

If you've known us for any amount of time, you know that this kind of house trouble is pretty much par for the course for us. Remember back in 2007 when we tore of our roof and then that monsoon popped up our of nowhere?? Yeah. But the truth is, there's no guarantee that we won't continue to have this kind of house "drama" for the rest of our house-owning years. Good thing we don't have to find our joy in things and stuff!!!

The Lord totally carried us through and provided for us....and continues to do so! Thank you, Lord, for being so much BIGGER than our stucco, our money, and our worries. And thank you for a place to call home!

carrot face

2011-08-01T18:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Henry,

Today I fed you carrots and I naturally assumed you were swallowing them. Wrong! You were storing them up in your cute little cheeks so that you could squirt them all back out again when we were all done. I have a feeling you may use this to your advantage in the future. Wonder how many brussel sprouts you can fit in there...

the story of us

2011-07-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

“Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

As I sit down to put this all into writing, I find myself struggling to remember all the details of exactly how “we” came to be. I don’t know if I’ll ever again see God working so clearly to piece together the steps of my path. Don’t get me wrong, He’s always working…it’s just not always so easy to map it out.

I can remember the first time I ever “laid eyes on him”, as they say. He was doing a half-time performance as the drum major of the Hawkeye Marching Band, so I was seeing him from halfway up Kinnick Stadium. But still he caught my eye J He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and a fedora. Pretty cute! In the coming months, I would be introduced to him on two different occasions. If I’m being honest, I really didn’t care for him much! Seems funny to think about now. The second interaction was definitely more positive than the first, though, so when I got my first teaching job and made the decision to move to Williamsburg, I asked a friend for Dameon’s phone number because I was hoping he could give me some leads on apartment potentials.

It was a hot summer day in early August of 2006, when I gave him a call and left a vague message on his voicemail. Something along the lines of, “I don’t know if you remember me, but we’ve met before. I’m moving to Williamsburg and I know you teach there. I’m hoping you can give me some input or information on some apartments. Please call me back.” The next day he did call me back. We spoke briefly and he told me why the apartments I had looked at would not be good choices. One option because it was a bad location and the other option, according to him, would be much too noisy. He then told me that he lived in the top half of a house that had been converted into two apartments, and that he was pretty sure the people who lived on the main floor were going to be evicted. We left it that he would look into it and get back to me. I waited a couple more days before hearing from him again. He gave me the phone number of his landlord and told me my best bet was to give the guy a call. Within a week, I had secured the downstairs apartment, which would be available as soon as the landlord was finished cleaning it out. In the meantime, I started really thinking about this Dameon guy. Partially because I was excited to actually have some sort of a friend in my new town, and partially because I had this very strange, very surprising, very good feeling about him. But this feeling was accompanied by a little bit of concern. What if I really ended up liking this guy and then he had a girlfriend and I would either hang out alone all the time or be the third wheel? That would be a real bummer. I remember mentioning this to my friend, Brooke. Was it weird that I felt like I already liked him? Yeah, a little bit. J

Moving day happened the Friday before school started. Dameon was unable to help because he was struggling with a neck injury, but he stopped down the next day to say “hello”. I remember trying to quickly primp in front of the mirror when I heard him coming down the stairs because I didn’t want to look like I had been unpacking all day! We talked for awhile, and before he left he invited me to go to church with him the next morning. Hmmmmm…major plus! I can’t remember how I found out that he was single…but I did.

After that, we spent most of our free time together. He was very busy with marching band and directing the fall musical, so I would wait up each night until I heard him pull into the garage and walk to my front door to chat for a little bit. It took us about a month to officially start dating, and another month after that to start talking about marriage. It’s hard to believe that nobody told us we were crazy!! I had a 15 minute commute to my school at that time and I can remember spending lots of time thinking about Dameon. It was such a giddy and exciting time. Everything in my life just seemed so incredibly clear. I even remember often looking at my left hand on the steering wheel and imagining a sparkly ring on it. Such a girly thing to do!!

Toward the end of October, I brought Dameon to Boone to introduce him to my family. He fit right in, just like I knew he would! On December 2, I traveled home to go to a friend’s wedding. I was planning to spend the night at Mom and Dad’s and go back to Williamsburg the next day. When I left the wedding reception, I called Dameon to tell him about the wedding and let him know I was on my way to Boone. He interrupted me a few minutes in, and told me his Dad was calling him and he would need to take the call and call me back later. When I got to Boone, I arrived to an empty house. That was strange, since it was about 9:00 p.m. I changed into pajamas…which happened to be about the ugliest ones you could imagine, and waited for Dameon to call me back. I called Mom to find out where everyone was at. She told me she and Dad had gone to Des Moines to do some Christmas shopping and were on their way home. That seemed legit. After about 30 minutes of waiting, I finally called Dameon back. “Did you forget to call me?” I asked. “Oh…yeah….well, I don’t like talking on the phone in front of people,” he said. “You’re with people?” I asked. And then he made up some story about how he was at a friend’s apartment waiting for other friends to arrive. But then I heard the “ding ding ding” that a car makes when you open the door with the keys in the ignition. I was flooded with dread because I knew he was lying to me and I didn’t know why. And then the doorbell rang.

I opened the door to find him standing there with a dozen roses. And I still didn’t know what was happening! I was glad to see him, but very confused at the same time. He proposed to me in the entryway of my parents’ house and I about fell over in shock. In fact, I think I did fall over a little. It was the best moment of my whole life, up to that point! As it turned out, my parents were in on the whole thing and were meeting with Dameon in Johnston while I was at the wedding! They even went with him to pick out the roses J The next hour was spent celebrating with my family, calling other family members and friends, and watching my dad bust out and single-handedly drink most of the cheap champagne!!! (Love ya, Dad)

We were married 8 months later on July 28, 2007…less than a year after I moved into that apartment.

My friend recently told me that she has heard it said that your wedding day is the best day of your life, but the day you give birth to a child is the most romantic. So true!! There was something transformational that happened in my heart as we took our vows four years ago. And being side by side with Dameon as our baby was born formed a bond between us like no other experience ever will.

Thank you, Dameon, for marrying me and accepting all the good and not-so-good that makes me who I am. Thank you for breathing confidence into me and for loving me through the highs and the lows. I love you most.

carry-out boys say the darndest things

2011-07-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

When you live in a town the size of Winterset and you're the band director's wife, it's a basic requirement that you have to maintain a certain level of...shall we say...sophistication at the local grocery store. Lots of high school kids work there, lots of parents shop there, and lots of them know who I am even if I don't know them. I've had a few Fareway moments that have made my head spin. The one that used to take the cake happened when I was about 35 weeks pregnant and feeling, well, 35 weeks pregnant. Dameon was with me and witnessed the whole thing. It started with the checkout girl giving me the once over with a look of total disgust and then asking me if I was feeling okay. "Yes, I feel great!" I replied. She then proceeded to tell me that I looked like I felt awful and then took it a step further by confirming with Dameon that I was indeed "doing okay." She then made some comment about how pale I was, to which I responded with "Nope, that's just my skin." Moving on.

A few weeks ago I was doing my weekly shopping. I had reached the point in the trip where it was time to walk out to the car with the carry-out boy following behind with my groceries. Back when I was a Fareway worker, I always tried hard to lead a conversation with the customer and be extra polite in the process. So I always kinda hate it when we walk to the car in silence and it's up to me as the customer to do the talking. At least that's how I used to feel. I wasn't sure if this particular kid was a band kid or not, but regardless, I attempted to make some small talk. "How are you today?" I say. "Good, how are you?" he replies. "Great." We reached my vehicle and as I was opening the truck I realized I was still hauling around the kennel and the stroller.

Me: "Uh oh. Sorry I forgot to clear out some space in my trunk."

Kid: Looks into the trunk and says, "Have you ever considered...."TIME OUT. At this point I think his sentence is going to go something like, "Have you ever considered cleaning out your trunk before you come to the store?" And I'm prepared to get pretty annoyed. But no. What he actually says is, "Have you ever considered the brain?"

Me: "What?"

Kid: "I was just thinking about how many songs I know. I mean, I know the words to a lot of songs. And then I was thinking about how much other stuff I know. And how much stuff I, like, remember."

And now I'm soooooo glad I'm wearing sunglasses so that the look of pure bewilderment in my eyes is somewhat hidden.

Me: "Yes. It's amazing."

Kid: "I know! And then I was thinking that if my brain can remember that much, then I wonder how much a dog can remember!!"

And now the groceries are completely loaded, my trunk is standing open, and we're both standing there just staring at each other. Him with a look of amazement on his face and me with a sudden realization that he's actually waiting for some profound insight from me or something. And all I can think to say is, "I'll just get this," as I close my own trunk. I then walked in silence to my door and got inside. I'm pretty sure he was still standing there lost in thought as I pulled away.

As I drove home, I started to wonder if I should call the manager and suggest they get the kid some water or something. It was a super hot day. Maybe he was dehydrated?? I haven't seen him there since, but the next time I do I'll be on the look-out and try to mentally prepare for some sort of conversation about things such as...

"Have you ever thought about how you can buy corn in a cob or in a can??" And my response will be AWESOME.

Seven months and counting

2011-07-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

Taking the monthly picture got much more interesting this time around, as you can see :)

Henry now weighs in at about 19 pounds
Grabs everything he can get his little hands on!
Sits in his high chair to eat...banana puree and sweet potato puree are his faves
Scoots backward and sometimes lifts his hips off the floor
Sleeps pretty well during the night but doesn't love to take naps
Sits up for short spurts of time by himself
Says "da da da da" all the time
Loves "The Wheels on the Bus" song...with actions performed by mom and dad, of course.

banana love

2011-07-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Avacado? No way! Sweet potato? Just okay. Peas? Meh. Pears and Squash? Not too interested. But banana rice cereal? This boy could eat it all day. As long as it's served with a side of high chair tray...

And, yes, these pictures were taken after Henry's very first sideburn trim. The first of many, I'm sure.

Lullaby say what?

2011-07-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

The following is a collective summary of a scenario that has played out over the past several weeks and is another one of those things that would have never happened in my pre-parenthood days...

So Henry has this lullaby CD. I started playing it way back when he was brand new, just kindof as background music. Then when we started working really hard on crib-sleeping, I thought it just made sense to incorporate music into the routine. Like, every time you hear this music, it means sleep. The CD is called Jewel's Lullaby, or something like that. It's just a collection of lullabies, mostly old I think, sung by Jewel. It's a pretty good CD. Nice and soothing and mellow. So every night when it's time for bed, I hit "PLAY" and away we go.

Well, a few weeks ago it dawned on me that maybe Henry should be hearing me sing instead. I mean, I want him to be soothed by the sound of my voice. The problem is I don't really know that many lullabies. But I knew the tunes of Jewel's first five or six songs real well. So, I decided to kinda hum along. You know, give him a little combo pack duet thing. It didn't take me long to realize that Jewel and I don't exactly have the same range, so things got a little iffy here and there. Oh well. The next night, I decided I should probably try to pick up some of the lyrics. It was then that things got strange.

At first I thought I must be mistaken, so I listened harder, trying to decipher. Did she just say...no, that doesn't even make sense. So, I googled it. Song #2 is called "All the Animals" and it goes "All the animals agree you and me should be a team. And they walk on parade say that we were made to be a team. And my wings weaken beneath your will. And before you I am trembling and still." HUH??? I just cannot sing that. I don't even get it.

Anyway, not only does Henry fall asleep to this CD, Dameon and I also fall asleep to it playing through the baby monitor. It's really no big deal and we're pretty used to it by now, but the other night I had one of the most seemingly real dreams I've ever had. The kind where you have to be awake for quite awhile to convince yourself it wasn't real. I'm sure you can guess who the dream featured. Yep, Jewel. In my dream I was sleeping and Jewel woke me up by knocking on our bedroom door. She said, "Can I come in?" And I said something non-committal like, "Uh, I guess." Then she came in with a bunch of animals walking two by two, total Noah's Ark style. She was determined to fit all these animals around the edges of our bedroom and she just kept packing 'em in. Like elephants and rhinos and stuff.

The next night we tried to switch out the CD to a classical piano type thing, but Henry wouldn't stand for it. He loves it. So, Jewel it is.

Sometimes my life is weird.

photo recap

2011-07-09T20:31:00.001-07:00

Henry has a lot of new favorite things these days. Here are some of them in no particular order:

Riding around (and falling asleep!) in his new carrier. This picture was taken when we went over to check out the action at the Central Drum Major and Color Guard Camp that Daddy was working at.

Sitting in his new high chair

Rolling all around and playing with toys

Razzing and saying, "Da da da da da"

Grabbing things and trying to get them to his mouth

Pushing up and using his arms to do a little bit of scooting

New perspectives of old toys

New uses for old toys

Getting tuckered out from all that play time!!

for the sake of reminiscing

2011-07-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

I came across this video the other day and found myself saying that thing that moms always say. Something like, "I forgot how tiny he was!!" Believe me. I get it now!

six months...what?!?! that's crazy.

2011-06-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Our little Henry is just bursting with personality these days! Other moms have told me that this is a really fun age. They're right!

With his clothes and diaper on, he's 18 pounds
He loves to make big up and down motions with his arms. Looks like he wants to direct the band!
"Da-da-da-da-da-da" is his favorite thing to say. I think it's cuz he gets such a big reaction out of us when he does it.
He loves to watch Rufus run around and gets quite a kick out of him.
He eats rice cereal once a day and seems to think it's okay. No big reaction or anything.
He has lots of new hair growing in and it is much lighter than the color he was born with. Not sure if he'll be light like me or dark like Daddy.
Eyes are still blue. I think they're here to stay. The blue, not the eyes, that is. :)
He rolls over every whichway
He likes to read books and pays attention to the pictures. YAY!
He made it to and from northern Minnesota without fussing until the last hour. (see previous post.)
It seems like he's close to sitting up. He can do a tri-pod with a little help.
He doesn't much care for his binky anymore. Fine by me.
He can reach and grab things with intention.
He likes to watch other babies or little kids. So cute!
He has come very close to sleeping through the night, but not quite. I'm okay with that.
Still gets mistaken for a girl on a daily basis. The other night I dressed him in a blue onesie, blue pants and a blue bib before we went on our walk. As we were leaving, I told him that someone would still think he was a girl. I was right.
He takes all his baths in the big bathtub.
He is starting to catch on to Peek-A-Boo
Has figured out how to loudly smack his lips and does it all the time.
Continues to be the happiest little guy!!

vacation in review

2011-06-17T12:16:00.001-07:00

Before Henry was born, Dameon and I had a conversation about where we would like to go on a family vacation someday. One of my top 5 picks was Lutsen, Minnesota. It's a little getaway town that sits right on Lake Superior about 50 miles south of the Canadian border. My family went there when I was 14 and we had a great time. And I knew it would be right up Dameon's alley because there are so many things to do outdoors while enjoying the gorgeous scenery. So when Dameon's friend, Mike, asked Dameon to be a groomsman in his wedding we were pumped to discover that the wedding would be taking place in...Lutsen!! Well, I should say, "kinda pumped." It was about the time that Henry started regularly screaming his head off in the car (sometime mid-January) that I started to stress about this trip. 18 hours round trip in the car with a screaming baby? No thanks. I even asked the pediatrician at his 2-month check if there was anything I could do to encourage a better experience in the car because we were going to need to drive to northern Minnesota in June. We're not sure the reason but Henry only makes it to Des Moines about 50% of the time without crying. Other than that, he rarely cries. Weird. When we first started planning this vacation, my parents were going to join us. But then as time went on my dad decided he really couldn't be away from work in the middle of June. So it ended up just being my mom who came along. We were determined to have as much free entertainment as possible, so we brought mom and dad's bike rack and two bikes along, too. We left Winterset around 8 on Thursday morning and headed for Boone. Then was the long drive north. Henry fell asleep around Ames and woke up about 30 minutes into Minnesota. Amazing! We stopped at a gas station and pulled out our picnic lunch (Joyce woulda been proud!!) Then back in the car for another few hours before stopping again for a stretch break. Henry slept off and on but he DID NOT FUSS! About an hour before arriving in Lutsen, we came upon a park called Gooseberry Falls. We had visited there when we had come back in 1998, and my mom encouraged us to stop. We pulled out the stroller and starting hiking along the trail. The weather was beautiful and the waterfalls...amazing!

After about an hour, we got back in the Pilot and headed to our destination. We stayed at a resort that was on Lutsen Mountain. There were ski runs right outside our door. We unloaded and then had dinner at a super good restaurant called Moguls. I had white fish that was caught right there in the lake. Delish! The next morning we decided to take Henry to the pool. This was his first time!
He didn't really have much of a reaction, but seemed to be really relaxed in the water! Good thing since his daddy loves water. Thanks for the swim trunks, Auntie Jess!! During naptime that afternoon, Mom offered to stay with Henry so Dameon and I could take a ride down the alpine slide. Good times! Then it was time to shower and get ready for the rehearsal. We met up with the wedding party down on the beach and discovered that the wedding was going to take place right there along the lake! Beautiful! It was pretty windy and chilly that evening, so they moved the dinner indoors and we had a good time enjoying some yummy food and meeting new friends. Then Dameon headed to the beach bonfire while I went back to check on Henry. The next morning we went on a bike ride and just hung out until the wedding. It turned out to be a gorgeous day...perfect weather for an outdoor wedding. And it was sooooo nice to have Mom there so that I could attend all the festivities with Dameon. The bride looked beautiful and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The next day (Sunday) was Mom's birthday, so we planned a few fun things to celebrate. The morning started with Mom and Dameon going on a (free) canoe tour. They really enjoyed being out on the water and listening to the tour guide tell them all about the area. Then we bought gondola tickets and rode up to the top of the mountain to eat lunch at the restaurant up there. Great views on the way up and Dameon did a good job of distracting the rest of us from our immense fear of heights. (Yes, a little "The hills are alive with the sound of music" was certainly sung.)

Here's a view from the top. You can see the lake way off in the distance...

While we were up there, we did a little hiking. I don't know how much of an outdoor girl I really am, but I did alright. One thing I love about Dameon is that he can find fun in every situation. Couple that with the fact that he loves the great outdoors and we had a serious nature boy on our hands! He left Mom and I in the dust on those trails!! After the ride back down to the bottom, I finally had Mom convinced that she needed to ride the Alpine Slide with me. She hates ski lifts, so this was something that was definitely out of her comfort zone. I felt like if I could get her on the lift, then we were one step closer to getting her on a plane. And then my dad can take her on a trip...I hope. Right after we bought our lift tickets I began to reiterate to Mom how the lift was a super smooth ride, and the ground followed right along with it, so you didn't even feel like you were that high off the ground, etc., etc. Just then, the lift halted to a stop. The worker girl got on her walkie-talkie and then told us that it was no big deal. The guys at the top had just failed to pump the break. (Oh yeah, no big deal!!!) After a lot of back and forth with the maintenance guys, the lift was still not moving and they had to decide to shut down for the day. Mom and I couldn't help but comment, "What if we woulda been her five minutes sooner? We woulda been up there!!" I couldn't help but ask the girl what happens if people get stuck on the lift. She told me they would have to throw a rope up over the brace on the chair and the people have to strap themselves into a harness and lower themselves into a basket. Ha! That's the sort of thing my nightmares are made of. Seriously. So, no alpine slide for Mom. We headed back to the hotel to rest a little and Dameon went for a hike. (GREAT trails and waterfalls right at our resort!!) Then we got cleaned up and headed back to Moguls for a birthday dinner. We sat next to this older couple who were also staying at our resort. As we were waiting to order, the man said to us, "I've never seen a baby who looks so much like his dad!" We all kinda laughed and my mom told him that just that morning at the local coffee shop, the barista had commented on how Henry looks exactly like me. The man scoffed and said, "Was she CRAZY??" We got a good laugh out of that. Must mean Henry is a perfect combination of both of us? :) Anyway, we ate some great food and Dameon even said his sandwich was the best he'd ever had. Then it was time for dessert. Chocolate fondue with homemade marshmallows, donut sticks, and strawberries! Plus a Campfire S'mores brownie cake with marshmallow and graham cracker crust. YUM. We capped off the day with a bonfire that Dameon built in the fire pit right outside our hotel room. We had some good conversation and some good laughs. And the weather was absolutely perfect for a fire!

The next morning we hit the road and Henry was a perfect traveler...again! The only time he fussed was the last hour of the trip between Boone and Winterset. SUCH an amazingly good baby. It was a great time full of great memories!

the proof is in the poopie

2011-05-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

I'm taking the plunge and writing about my child's poop. I'm sorry, but I have to.

As a new mom, I had done a fair amount of reading about all things "newborn". Before becoming a parent, I had spent quite a bit of time with other people's babies so that meant I knew about sleeping, burping, diaper changing, etc. But what I really didn't know much about was nursing. In one of the chapters it talked about how breastfed babies really shouldn't struggle with constipation issues because breastmilk is so easily used and digested. Great! Fast-forward to somewhere around Henry's two-month birthday.

Henry had been a little cranky one night, which was unusual for him. He had also vomited twice. Not spit-up...vomit. We decided I should call the pediatrician and make sure there wasn't a problem. In the morning I took him in and they did the usual rundown. Temp, listening to his heart and lungs, and lightly pressing on his abdomen. Then the doc told me she'd like to take an x-ray of his bowels to make sure there wasn't something blocking the way. The sound of that immediately made me nervous because I wasn't sure that would be safe and/or necessary. She assured me that one x-ray would be only minimal amounts of radiation. Looking back, I wish I would have put the pieces together that he was pooping normally so a blockage was likely not that problem. But...hindsight is 20/20 and I didn't think of that at the time. We did the x-ray and she came back to tell me he had a lot of gas built up in his belly. She then suggested that I pump a little bit, mix in some prune juice, and give him a bottle. Now, again, being the nervous first-timer that I am, I went to Fareway and bought the prune juice...still not really putting the pieces together. But then once I really started to think about it, that didn't make much sense. First of all, I really wasn't sure what the prune juice would do. Secondly, he had never had anything like that before and the sugar content alone would probably be enough to cause more stomach problems than we started with.

I called up my chiropractor cousin and she recommended bringing him in for an adjustment. Henry was adjusted right after birth and several other times prior to this phone call, so I didn't hesitate to take him in. (And someday I'll post about how chiropractic literally saved me during pregnancy and allowed me to continue being mobile and working when the pain would have otherwise left me bed-ridden and miserable.) After being adjusted that day, there was no more vomiting and even his spitting-up nearly ceased.

In more recent weeks, he has been experiencing long spurts where he doesn't poop at all. Like he'll go 7 or 8 days! Twice now I've taken him for an adjustment during one of those periods and he has pooped within 48 hours following the adjustment! Amazing! And it makes me feel so good to achieve these results without x-rays or prune juice.

Now, I am in no way trying to imply that pediatricians are bad or wrong or that they don't have the best interest of my child in mind. Not at all! I actually really like our pediatrician and would recommend her to anyone who is searching. I just think that there are a variety of options out there that parents aren't always aware of or don't always consider when looking at their child's overall health. I'm not an expert and I'm not a doctor. Just a mom who has seen great results come from getting regular chiropractor care for my family.

henry laughs

2011-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Been meaning to post this for awhile now.

five months

2011-05-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

**This post is way overdue!**

Here's the newest info about our growing boy...

He is well over 16 pounds by now and loves to be held. Yes, I'm going to have awesome biceps one of these days.
We have started being able to carry him on our hip. That makes him seem like such a big boy.
We have discovered that he is very ticklish under his arms, around his knees, and on his feet!
He had his first taste of rice cereal, which he did not enjoy. He spit it all out and looked at us like we were crazy.
His hair seems to be filling in a little bit more now and it looks like he might just be a blondie.
He likes to have one or two fingers hooked in his mouth at all times.
He rolls over from his back to his tummy all the time now. But he doesn't like to be on his tummy, so he grunts and hollers until someone flips him onto his back again. And then he immediately rolls to his belly again. It's quite the fun little game. :)
He is wearing size 6 - 12 month clothes
He gets mistaken for a girl more than ever now...but I'm still not gonna cut his hair.

the things today makes me think about

2011-05-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on "a year ago right now" thoughts and remembering the early days of pregnancy. Today was one of those days.

**Here's my disclaimer: the following post could probably fall under the category of TMI for some people. Read at your own risk :)

On May 17, 2010, I woke up around 3:00 a.m. with a strangely sharp cramp in my belly. In a rather groggy state, I made my way to the bathroom, assuming that I just needed to go really bad. Even in the dark bathroom, the blood was unmistakable. So was the terrible fear and dread that swelled in my heart. I had read that a little bleeding is normal, but this just didn't seem right. I didn't even want to wake Dameon because I had to get my head around it first. I went back to the bedroom and laid very still for the next hour. I knew I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but it was impossible not to fear the worst. And to fear what the following days might bring. Finally I couldn't be alone with it any longer. I woke Dameon and told him I was bleeding. He went to the toilet to look because I knew I couldn't. He agreed that it seemed bad. I didn't expect him to say that, and it was then that I cried. We laid in bed trying to figure out what to do. It was too early to call a doctor, and I didn't even have an OB yet. I was only seven weeks pregnant. We talked about how bad we felt for telling our families. We talked about how the next time it wouldn't be as exciting because everyone would be worried about this.

Finally around 7:00, I called the local clinic. The nurse on call answered and listened as I told her my symptoms. She told me that it could be totally normal, but that I should call back in an hour when the clinic was open to make an appointment. Then I called my parents. At 8, I called and was scheduled to come in at 11:00 for an early ultrasound. Dameon stayed home from work with me and we both sat very quietly in the waiting room for a long time. Having never had an ultrasound of any sort before, I didn't know what I should expect to see. And I didn't know if I would be able to tell right away if things were bad or not.

I thought about this baby. The baby I had barely even known I had yet. The baby I had hardly had morning sickness over. The baby my belly hadn't even grown with yet. The baby I hadn't yet felt kick or hiccup. But even thought I couldn't feel this baby...I already felt this loss.

We went into the ultrasound room and I changed into a gown. I positioned myself on the table and Dameon positioned himself right beside me on a small couch. He held my hand and we stared at a blank screen, waiting for the nurse to get started.

She flipped on the screen and immediately, immediately, we knew exactly what we were looking at. There he was. A tiny little peanut-shaped baby with a head, a tail, and a heartbeat. We could actually see his heart...beating. I heard Dameon gulp back a sob and I sighed a kind of relief I've never felt before. There was life.

The doctor met with us and explained that this kind of thing is completely normal and that we shouldn't continue to worry about it unless we noticed major changes. I was so worried that I would live in fear for the rest of the nine months, but the Lord just completely took that away from us. After the appointment, we went to get some lunch at Panera. I remember sitting down with our salads and just staring at each other, knowing we were the only ones in that restaurant who knew what we had just experienced. And we both started to cry.

Later that day, my mom told me that she had been in an Omaha hospital that day with my grandpa because he was getting some tests done. I was keeping her posted via text message throughout the morning. Immediately after the appointment, I called her to tell her the good news. When she got off the phone, she shared the news with my grandpa. He then exclaimed to his doctor, "There's a heartbeat!"

Thank you, Lord, for our healthy (rolling over, now!) Baby Henry. Thank you for allowing me to carry him. I am not entitled to a baby. I am not deserving of a baby. It is not my right as a woman. It is a gift. And our praise to You will never cease.

pure

2011-05-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

If you ask me, this kid is just pure cuteness.

breaking the news

2011-05-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is always a weekend that I look forward to. First, because it's a great time to show appreciation to our moms and grandmas. Second, because it's always fun to help my students make something special to give their mommies. Last year, Mother's Day weekend was especially memorable because we chose to tell our families about our little bun in the oven! We wanted to be able to tell each of them in person and we didn't want anyone to find out way before or way after anyone else. So....that made for some interesting travel plans! Here's a general idea of our itinerary:

Friday....

Right after school was out, we headed to Cedar Falls. We had decided to tell my parents by giving them a cookie bouquet, which we ordered from a very talented friend who lived in Cedar Falls. After picking up the bouquet, we headed for Boone. We were giddy with excitement and spent the drive talking about all things "baby". We also had to plan out exactly how we would deliver the bouquet. We decided that after we had gone inside and greeted everyone, I would tell Mom that her Mother's Day gift was in the car. Then Dameon would go outside, bring in the bouquet, and set it on the table. Then we would reveal it to her. The cookies were so cutely decorated with things like "Baby Place" "Boy or Girl?" "Baby Makes Three..." etc. Both of my brothers and my dad were also there, so they would all get in on the fun. Well, actually, Brad and his girlfriend already knew because they had come to our place for dinner earlier in the week and we couldn't hold it in :) We gave them an invitation to a birthday party and inside it said Where: Iowa Methodist Hospital; When: Early January; What: The Birth Day of your niece or nephew.

Anyway, back to the story. So, Dameon went out to the car and got the bouquet. When Mom came into the dining room to look at it she "ooohed" and "ahhhed" but didn't really react much more than that. Then I said, "Do you see what it says?" Then she bent down to look closer and after a long pause she yelled, "WHAT?!?!" Then she looked at me and said, "Is it TRUE??" Yes! I said. Then she just let out a wail and we all started crying and hugging! After having supper together, we had to head right back to Waterloo because Dameon had large group contest the next day and our second reveal was going to happen in the morning.

Saturday...

Claudia, Dameon's mom, was set to arrive mid-morning. She has a talent for restoring old furniture, so we decided to tell her by giving her an old rocking chair to fix up. Dameon had given me a video camera at the start of the weekend for my first Mother's Day gift and by this point we had had a chance to charge it up. We secretly video-taped the whole reveal to Claudia! When she got to our house, we had the rocking chair in the living room with a gift bag setting in it. The gift bag had a couple children's books inside. I think she thought it was just a cool Mother's Day gift. We had her open the bag and she said something like, "Oh, this will be so fun to have when you have a baby someday." We both just kinda sat there not knowing what to say. Then Dameon said something about that day coming soon. After what seemed like a loooong wait, she finally caught on! :) It was fun to then get to spend the day with her and talk about baby stuff. I remember thinking that I already had a baby belly and showed it off to her!! (Little did I know what a baby belly really meant!)

Sunday...

We had already scheduled our home inspection for the house we thought we were going to move into in Winterset (that's a whole other post...for another time...or maybe never...ugh!) so we had to head south for the day. We stopped in Clive on our way there to break the news to Zach and Jess. We decided to use the birthday invitation idea again. Much to our surprise...they weren't surprised! Jess just had a sixth sense that we were expecting!! She had even written a letter to us that she ran upstairs to get. I must say, that was pretty cool :) After the inspection, we called up Rick and Joyce (Dameon's dad and step-mom) and asked if we could come to Pella to have dinner with them. I figured that would be a dead giveaway, since that was not on our way home by any means. I guess I never have asked them if they were suspicious. We met them at Dairy Queen and Dameon started giving a detailed description of the inspection report. Then he said something about how the inspector told us the second bedroom would be a great nursery. He paused.....but they didn't take the bait. Then he said, "Because we're going to be needing that. SOON." I'm not sure who caught on first, but I remember Joyce smacking the table really hard and saying, "Are you pregnant????" Then there was a swarm of hugs. And, by the way, I had my first real bout of pregnancy nausea on the way home and will never be able to eat a Dairy Queen chicken strip basket for as long as I live. But that's neither here nor there.

And on this Mother's Day....my first Mother's Day with Henry...my husband went above and beyond to plan a special time for us. When we woke up, he presented me with an oh-so-special gift. He purchased a beautiful painting of a heart and printed Henry's hands and feet on it. All by himself!! (I wish I coulda been a fly on the wall for that part!) Then we headed to church. Afterward, we went and grabbed some coffee at Starbucks and then went to Johnny's Italian Steakhouse where he had made us a reservation for the Mother's Day buffet. It was definitely some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten and I think it should definitely become a Mother's Day tradition. Yum! Then last night my mom came over and we all walked to Frosty's for burgers and ice cream. No cooking for me yesterday!

Thank you, Dameon, for wonderful Mother's Day memories. And thank you for Henry, too!

grandpa chris

2011-05-04T06:46:00.001-07:00

Being a preschool and kindergarten teacher means that I work with a lot of kids. And I've worked with a lot of kids over the last five years who don't have a daddy in their life, don't even know who their daddy is, or only see their daddy when he decides to stop by and pick them up for a couple hours on a random weekend every few months. And you can tell a difference in those kids. They just plain need their dad. And I don't just mean they need to know who their dad is. I mean they need their daddy. Somebody who is going to invest in them, engage with them, and get down on the floor to play with them. As for me...I have the best dad. And I have taken that for granted for a long time. See, becoming a parent gives you a whole different vantage point. And if you're a parent, then you already know what I mean. I am so thankful that Henry will always have his daddy. A daddy that is so in love with and enamored with him. A daddy who has big plans for all the things they are going to do together.

Some of the best memories I have of times with my dad are times when he would play with me and my brothers. He always had time for that. When I was in elementary school, he was kinda the neighborhood dad. The dad who organized play for all the other kids who's dads were too busy, tired, or just plain uninterested. Several times my dad spray painted our entire backyard like a football field so everybody could come over and play. I think he was all-time quarterback. Or he would walk us up the block to the baseball diamond in the summertime and we'd play til dark. I remember sledding in the little green plastic sled, me in the front and dad in the back, down the little alley behind our house. That hill seemed so steep and so fast back then :) I remember Dad packing up our bikes in the van and driving to Ames for Daddy Lindsay days. We would ride around the Iowa State campus (me with my training wheels in second grade, of course) and stop at the hub for a juice box and laffy taffys. Then we'd go bowling or mini-golfing. I remember riding around on the golf cart while Dad played a round. He would let me steer the cart and eat Cheetos to my heart's content. I remember my Dad was really good at making up games, too. Like where he'd hold up his hand and we'd have to choose one finger and that finger triggered a certain response. Pointer finger was zurr-burrs and pinky was tickles. I remember me, Dad, and Brad playing wrestling match and pillow fights on my parents' bed. That's where I learned "CYMBALS!" (That's when you get hit with two pillows on both sides of your head.) And my mom would always demand we stop because "Somebody's gonna get hurt." And Brad always cried about losing the match :)

And of course there are things that my dad did for me in my more "grown up" years, too. Like when he came up to visit me on a Friday night during the fall of my freshman year of college and ended up brining me home with him for the weekend because I was painfully homesick. Or when he came up to UNI during my third year when I was going through a pretty rough time. He took me to a motel for a night just so I could get away and then helped me prepare all the food for a bridal shower I was hosting the next day. Or when he bailed me out of debt more than once because I thought a credit card with 18% interest meant only one thing: FREE SHOPPING SPREE!! Or when he sat at Panera for hours talking with Dameon and then gave his blessing for the proposal. Or when he walked me down the aisle and picked out a special song for us to dance to. Or when he gave up a perfectly good golfing day to come to Waterloo and meticulously scrape and paint the muttons of our windows so that our house could pass inspection.

Now that my dad is Henry's grandpa, I can't wait to have a new vantage point. Watching him play with my son.

The day before we went to the hospital to be induced, my dad gave me the following letter and a children's book by Billy Crystal called, "I Already Know I Love You." He had typed it in the weeks leading up to our due date when we thought our baby would be coming sometime around January 8. I asked him if I could re-type it here and he agreed. I wanted to share it because it is so very special.

Dear Baby Place (#1),

This is a very special time for me as I await your arrival in several weeks!! You see, YOU will be my FIRST GRANDCHILD!!! There are so many people looking forward to meeting you, but none more than your mom and dad, I'm sure! You will be arriving in this world shortly after Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior...Jesus!! People like to give gifts at Christmas as a way to show they love one another, but there is no greater gift than God's love for us!! YOU are a special gift, too, as YOU were created by God! As you grow, your mommy and daddy will help you learn more about God and how important it is to follow his ways.

You're not going to believe this, but I've already seen a picture of you even though you aren't born yet! The doctor has a way of taking pictures of you while you are in your mommy's tummy and believe me....You are PERFECT!! (I don't look very good in pictures, but you sure do!) It's so much fun watching your mommy and daddy as they get ready for you!! They don't know if you are a boy or a girl, so they've been busy thinking of a special name for you and keeping that list a SECRET. No matter what name they give you, it will be special.

You are so blessed to be coming into the loving home that your mommy and daddy will provide. I know this because your mommy is a very special little girl in so many ways. You see...she was my first child. I can still remember holding her right after she was born and thinking about what a miracle she was!!! Only God could create something so perfect! She sucked her fingers backwards. (I wonder if you'll do that, too??) Your dad is pretty awesome, too! He loves your mommy A LOT and has TONS of LOVE to give you, too! I tease him about being a Hawkeye and he teases my about being a Cyclone. (I'll explain more as you get older.)

There are a couple of other special people waiting for you to arrive, too. Your Uncle Brad is a very talented musician who plays guitar and other musical instruments. He loves to write songs, too, so maybe he will one day write a song for you?? Uncle Blake is Brad's brother and can do lots of cool things, too. He is very creative and will probably be a famous inventor someday. One day he will probably teach you how to ride a unicycle or how to operate a Kool-Aid stand. :o)

I so look forward to watching you learn and grown in the world that awaits you! God has created so many beautiful things for us to enjoy together and I can't wait to watch your eyes marvel at His creations!!! One of God's special creations is your Grandma Paulette. (I'll bet you'll call her Grandma P.) She is one of the greatest treasures God has blessed me with, and I can't wait for you to meet her! I know she can't wait to hold you and cuddle with you, just as she did with your mommy when she was little. Probably no one has looked forward to the day of your birth more than Grandma P!!! She has been busy stitching you a quilt to keep you warm when she rocks you, but I know the warmth of her love for you will easily keep you warm!! :)

May God bless the times we will treasure together with you!

Grandpa Chris

Yep, I have the best dad. Well, besides Henry's dad, of course.

You can take the boy out of the netherlands but you can't take the netherlands out of the boy...or something like that.

2011-05-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to Pella so Dameon could take part in a retirement celebration for a good friend of his. We won't be able to make it to Tulip Time next weekend, so we dolled Henry up in his Dutch costume (thanks, Aunt Jodi!) and had a photo shoot. We started out trying to prop him up with neck pillows. That didn't work at all (as you can see) and he ended up looking like a pile of Dutch costume that somebody left behind.

Then we got smart and set him on my lap while I leaned out of the way. These are a few of the favorites:

one year ago today...

2011-05-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

I stumbled into the bathroom, took a pregnancy test, and...our lives would be forever changed!

How grateful we are for our sweet baby Henry. It is fun to think back on those early days of pregnancy and reflect on how far we've come :)

Four Months

2011-04-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

Here are the most recent Henry happenings...

At his four-month well check yesterday he was 15 lbs. 7 oz. (70th percentile) and 25 and 1/4 inches long (75th percentile). Our suspicions were confirmed. He is a big boy! This morning I was holding him and stated that I think he is almost half my height. Dameon agreed. Yikes!
He is so very talkative and curious. Whenever someone new enters the room, he has to look around and check it out.
One of his most favorite hobbies is to lay on his back and hold his right arm straight up toward the ceiling so he can stare at his hand.
Speaking of his hands, they are in his mouth a lot. He especially likes if I cover him with a light blanket that he can suck on :)
He is still exclusively breastfeeding and doing great. The pediatrician told us that when he can hold his head up a little better, we can introduce a little cereal if we want to. But she said we don't need to be in a hurry because, "Whatever you're doing is working!"
He has started rolling over from tummy to back! I missed it the first time cuz I was at the vet with the dog. (bummer.) But I was glad Daddy got to witness it!
His hair is now too long to spike. It falls over in line with his perfect part. He is also getting a few little bald spots and more blonde hair like his Momma.
He gets lots of love from his grandmas and auntie while I'm at work in the mornings. He's spoiled rotten, for sure!
He loves his stroller and gets lots of rides when the weather is nice.
He still gets mistaken for a girl regularly. I think it's the hair. (I'm dying to put a bow in it. And I actually had a dream last night that I gave him pigtails. Weird.)
I think he is starting to like books a little, which makes us very happy.
He has started to laugh a little, especially when he sees himself in the mirror.
He has discovered a little game where he puts his hand on our mouths and we pretend we're eating it. He loves it.

And now for a fun little story to cap this off. The other day at work I suddenly heard shrieking coming from the opposite side of the classroom. "Mrs. Place, there's a spider!!!!!" Like moths to a flame, the entire class was swarming to the corner where the little (and by little I mean big) spider sat terrified. Now, in my non-preschool teacher life I would definitely yell for Dameon to come kill the darn thing. But, you see, I can't teach a whole unit on creepy crawlies and how good they are for our earth and then smash them right in front of everyone. So, I put on my brave face, grabbed the bug collecting jar, and went to try to fetch the nasty thing without looking too "jumpy". Meanwhile, as a bunch of the boys were trying to smash it with their shoes, one lone little guy was using his body as a human shield in protection of the spider and shouting, "Don't hurt him! He's one of Jesus's animals!!!" When I later relayed this story to Dameon, I told him that I think that will be Henry someday. His response: "I hope not."

As If

2011-04-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

As if this boy needs to melt my heart even more...

Last night we were driving home from having dinner in Des Moines with Grandpa Rick and Grandma Joyce. Henry periodically gets really freaked out in his car seat and kinda goes off the deep-end with hysterical crying, which is extra upsetting since he hardly ever cries. This was one of those times. I was in the backseat with him and he had been screaming for about ten minutes. I asked Dameon what he thought I should do and he said, "Why don't you try singing to him?" I figured that wouldn't work since we seemed to be past the point of no return. But it was worth a shot.

I put my cheek right against his and started softly singing, "Baby Beluga." (Dameon used to sing this song to Henry regularly before he was born and he would get really active.) Just like that, he quieted down, grabbed onto my finger, and fell asleep. Love that baby.

body by baby

2011-04-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken 4 days before Henry's birth.

It's okay if you're not sure how to react. It even shocks me a little.

And now, three and a half months postpartum, I find myself trying to shed those last few...er...several pounds. I am embracing the fact that my belly button will likely forever wear a hood, and the sunburst of stretch marks around it (that I didn't realize were there until after delivery) may or may not go away. I always wondered what a post-delivery body looked like. And now I know.
Yes, I've muttered I few complaints here and there. Wondering if I'll ever look good in a swimsuit again. Wondering if my four-year-old students will ever stop asking if I have another "little" baby in there. I'm done with that.
I have a husband who thinks I'm beautiful. A bouncing baby boy who knows me as Mommy. And a Savior who so wonderfully created me. How amazing that when our children are all grown up, my body will be forever worn and marked by the signs of carrying them for nine months, nursing them, and whatever else motherhood has yet to bring.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of my family. And thank you for the stretch marks, too.

the real reason for my lilapsophobia

2011-03-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

We spent a little time in the basement last night (and by "we" i mean me, Henry, and Rufus cuz my husband can't bear to not watch the storm) while the sirens blared. Yep, spring is here. As I was sitting there trying to entertain Baby and fretting about all the things I should have gathered and brought downstairs with us, in case our house actually did get swept away, I started thinking: Why am I so freaked out about tornadoes anyway? I haven't always been this way. Oh yeah, it's because of that one time. By far and away the strangest experience I've ever had...

The year was 2006. I had just returned home from Fire Safety Night at the preschool where I was student teaching. I was living in Iowa City on the top floor of an apartment complex. My roommate was not home, so I changed into comfy clothes and settled in on the couch to watch my favorite show: The O.C. A few minutes later, my show was interrupted for a severe weather report. We were under a tornado warning. Great. I can't remember exactly where the storm was at that point, but I remember them telling people in Iowa City to "find the safest place in your home." Uh...third floor apartment, remember? So, being the perpetual rule-follower that I am, I grabbed my cell phone, turned up the volume, and headed into the bathroom to wait it out. They must have tuned back into regular programming at some point, because I remember trying to track what was happening in Orange County from the safety of my bathtub. I think I also placed a call to my parents to let them know I was okay.

It wasn't long before the weather team was back on the air, letting us know that the tornado was heading toward Iowa City. Okay, feeling a little nervous now. And then these words: "The tornado heading toward Iowa City will be reaching Menards in five minutes." MENARDS?? I live approximately 2 blocks from Menards!! Oh crap. And this is the point in the sequence of events where my panic unleashes. All I could think about was getting to the lowest level possible...whatever that meant. I didn't know anyone else who lived in our building, but I didn't care. I grabbed my car keys and my cell phone and dashed out the door. Now these apartments were the kind where the door goes directly to the outside, so once I stepped out of my living room, I was OUTSIDE. I ran down two flights of stairs to the lowest level and I could actually hear the tornado. It sounded like a combination of a hair dryer and a train. I knocked on the first door I came to. No answer. I knocked again and heard, "Who's there?" I shouted, "Please let me in!!" The door opened and an older man (probably mid-sixties) was standing there staring at me. And he was scary looking. I quickly spit out something like, "I live upstairs and there's a tornado and I need a place to go." He nervously let me in, pushed me into his bathroom, and shut the door. Oh, and I forgot to mention this part: He was on oxygen, so I was sharing the bathroom with about a dozen oxygen tanks. It wasn't until this point that I actually considered I might be in danger, aside from the tornado. This guy was creepy and much bigger than me. I knew I could outrun him, but what if he tried to hurt me or something? Yikes. I figured I should at least try to let someone know where I was. I tried to call my roommate. No answer. I tried to call my friend. No answer. I tried to call my parents. NO CELL PHONE SERVICE. And then there was a knock on the door and the guy says, "Girl, do you want some juice?" "No," I say. "Girl, do you want a cheese sandwich?" "No," I say again. (What the heck, right??) So now I'm crying. Then I hear him on the phone to his mom. He says, "Mom, I've got a little girl here. I don't know what to do and she's freaking out!" I continued to sit there and wait, thinking the storm had got to be over soon. And then Oxygen Tank Man opens the bathroom door and says...

"Come here, I need to show you something."

"No, I'm staying here."

"No! You need to go to a safer place. Another tornado is coming! I'm going to show you the laundry room."

For some reason I felt like it was safer to comply, so I followed him. We walked through his apartment and past the couch, which had a bear head sitting on it. A bear head, people. He pauses by the kitchen and says, "Can I make you a cheese sandwich?" "NO!" sheesh. Then he leads me to the building laundry room, which had cement walls. (I never knew that room existed. Woulda been nice to know about 15 minutes ago.) He told me I should stay in there. This is when I decided I needed to make a run for it. I think I had heard the weatherman say there was a break in the storm, cuz I somehow knew that if I hurried I would be okay. I quickly told the guy I was leaving, to which he replied, "You can't leave! It's dangerous!" I told him I'd be fine. Then he stepped in front of the door and locked it. AHHH! I squeezed around him, unlocked it, and pulled. It wouldn't open. I tugged harder and broke the seal. I decided I needed to get to my cousin's house, so I ran to my car and drove as quickly as I could the mile or so to his place. I got to their basement just in time for the second tornado to whip through.

The next day, we learned that the roof of Menards had been completely ripped off. Thankfully, there was no damage to our apartment building. The tornado had jumped over our block and taken out the Dairy Queen a few streets over. When I told the story of my survival skills (ha!) to my roommate, she was in total disbelief. She had seen Oxygen Tank Man before and knew which car was his, so we were sure to keep our eye on him in the following days...just to be sure he wasn't lurking around the corner or something. But I did have to walk past his door every day to get to our mailbox. And by "walk past his door" I mean "dart by, hurriedly jiggle my key in the box, snatch the mail, often leave the little door hanging open, run up the stairs two at a time, burst into my apartment, and lock the door behind me."

A few weeks passed without any run-ins and I was confident I'd never have to come face-to-face with the guy again. And then I went grocery shopping at Hy-Vee. I was minding my own business, picking out my spaghetti sauce. As I rounded the corner to the next aisle, I literally ran into a motorized cart that was coming around the same corner. Just as I went to say, "Excuse me!" I saw the oxygen tank. And then we made eye contact. My knees literally wobbled. Nothing else on my grocery list mattered at that point. I was outta there.

Throughout the next few months that I lived in that building, I saw Oxygen Tank Man often but only in his car. My roommate would report sightings of him, too, but I never had any more encounters. But tornadoes, oxygen tanks, and cheese sandwiches still set fear in me. And maybe always will.

why cloth diapers

2011-03-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

We discussed cloth diapering our kids even before we got pregnant. When we found out we were expecting a baby, the decision was made. Here's a little bit of the why...

Cloth diapering saves money. It's true! At this point (3 months of age), Henry goes through about 16 diapers a day. At Target, a package of 42 Pampers costs $8.99. Yes, cloth diapers are an upfront investment. But they don't have to be a major expense. There are many ways to cloth diaper without having to buy the top of the line brands. We started out experimenting with a few different options, so we could see which we liked best. To date I think we've spent about $500 on diapers and we won't need to spend any more at least until after his first birthday. (Unless we want to increase our quantity.) However, the real savings comes with baby #2 because we will reuse all the diapers we have purchased for Henry.

Cloth diapering is better for Baby. Cloth diapers are more absorbent, which means pretty much eliminating diaper rash. Cloth diapers don't have any chemicals in them, which means no allergic reactions (which can be misinterpreted as diaper rash). Cloth diapers are more comfortable...just look at them! Disposable diapers have been linked to some health problems, including sterility in boys. The theory is that paper diapers build up so much heat and are changed less frequently, which can have damaging effects. Also, the chemicals of course. I didn't know this until after we started cloth diapering, so it was not influential in our decision...but it makes me glad we're using cloth.

Cloth diapering is easy. This was certainly my biggest concern, and the only thing about cloth diapering that I felt I could really argue with. Now that I am cloth-diapering a baby, I can speak from experience when I say it's true! Henry is exclusively breastfed, which means his poo is water-soluable. His diapers can go right into the washing machine, as is. When we take off a dirty diaper we just throw it into our diaper pail instead of throwing it in the trash. The pail has a liner in it that is waterproof fabric on the inside layer. When it's time to wash the diapers, we just throw them all in WITH THE PAIL LINER. We run a cold rinse first and then a hot wash with an extra cold rinse at the end. Then into the dryer with a regular cycle.

I also want to note that we're not talking the cloth diapers from back in the day with pins and plastic pants. Most of them now are made with velcro or snaps. Easy!

Cloth diapering is better for the environment. Can you imagine how many paper diapers are piled into our landfills each year? Uff-da!

Cloth diapers are cute! Yes, this is just a bonus. But, come on! Who could resist that extra padded and colorful bum!

three months

2011-03-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest Henry news:

His cheeks are growing chubbier every day.
He is TALL like Daddy. He is wearing 3 - 6 month size and stretching some it of to the limit!
He smiles all the time and loves to be talked to.
He has all kinds of coos he can make and is learning that he can be quite loud :)
He can push his head up very consistently and gets a proud smile on his face when he is successful.
He notices more and more things around him, such as the mobile above his swing.
He puts his hands in his mouth a lot and searches for a finger or thumb to suck.
He is still the most content little guy and a great sleeper and eater.
He loves his stroller rides, which have been frequent with all the nice weather this past week.
He is just starting to laugh (as of yesterday)!

in all fairness

2011-03-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

I mean, I did grow up cheering for the Clones. And I have attended many a sporting event at the old Hilton Coliseum. And I'm sure Henry will experience the deliciousness that is the Clone Cone. And it's true he does look good in red.

But there's no doubt he'll have to love the Hawkeyes.

He can probably just cheer for both....like me.

Henry and Grandma Great

2011-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

All of these lines across my face

tell you the story of who I am.

So many stories of where I've been

and how I got to where I am.

But these stories don't mean anything

if you've got no one to tell them to.

It's true...

I was made for you.

Husbands say the darndest things

2011-03-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

I'm quickly realizing that becoming parents introduces a whole new world of conversation topics. If you were a fly on the wall in our kitchen the other night, here's the gist of what you would have heard (can flies hear??)...and I know, I know...you probably won't think it's as funny as I do.

Dameon: (holding Henry and whistling, trying to get him to calm down) Oh, you don't like that song? I guess I won't whistle "Camptown Races" anymore.

Lindsay: (thinking his version of that tune was just much too "all over the place" for Henry to enjoy) Babe, why don't you try "Yankee Doodle"? He likes that one.

Dameon: Okay. (and launches into this crazy trilled-out version of some sort of theme of "Yankee Doodle". Henry = still fussing.)

Lindsay: No, no. The kids' version of "Yankee Doodle".

Dameon: There is no kids' version. That's "Yankee Doodle".

Lindsay: No, just do the basic "Yankee Doodle went to town..." You know.

Dameon: Oh, you mean the trio?

(Yes, I am married to a band director.)

Lindsay: Uh...sure.

Dameon: Okay. (sings) "Yankee Doodle went to London riding on a hmmm-hmmm. Doot do doot do dee dat dat doo" Wait...what are the words?

Lindsay: (sings the correct words and then says) Do you know nursery rhymes and stuff? Because we'll need to teach them to Henry.

Dameon: Yeah, of course I do. Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock. Okay, what's the rest?

Lindsay: The clock struck one...

Dameon: Yeah, I don't know that.

Lindsay: Okay, try this one: Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been...

Dameon: I've never heard that one.

Lindsay: What?! Didn't you learn these as a child?

Dameon: Yeah, I think so. Hey Diddle, diddle the cat...(he trails off) Well, we will have to get him a book of Nursery Rhymes. You know, like those Old Mother Hen ones.

Lindsay: Huh? You mean Mother Goose?

Dameon: Yeah, Old Mother Goose.

Lindsay: There's no "Old". It's just Mother Goose.

... looks like I'll be the one in charge of the nursery rhyme teaching around here :)

life in the back seat

2011-03-03T06:04:00.001-08:00

It had to happen sooner or later. But still. Poor Rufus. Sometimes reality bites. hard.

We still love the pup and all. And he's still very much a part of our family. But times have changed.

He's had to resort to new attention-seeking antics like chewing up pacifiers, stealing rattles, and jumping out of bed in the middle of the night to go outside.

He's even packed up his knapsack and run away from home a few times, just so we'll have to drop everything and search the neighborhood. (When he sees us searching for him, he comes running victoriously back.)

But, all in all, he's a very doting big brother. And we're pretty sure he thinks Henry is his baby and we're just helping out with him. He insists on being wherever Henry is and running to find us if Henry makes any sort of peep. We think they'll be good buddies.

And now a look back at the way things were.....

To post or not to post

2011-03-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

I'm debating. Going back and forth. Considering how much is too much...or if there is such a thing, in this case.

I wrote Henry's birth story and it took me a very long time. We had quite the saga there toward the end. I wanted to record every last detail just the way I remember it...and for a number of reasons. First, because it was the most amazing thing that Dameon and I have ever gone through together and all the praise goes to Jesus. Secondly, so that I don't forget any of the details. And also so that we can look back when we go through it again and compare notes.

I had originally intended to post the story. Since it is so special and meaningful to us, I thought others would want to read it. And also since I use this blog as a sort of journal, it made sense to include the story of how Henry arrived.

But now I'm debating. I wrote the story so that we could remember all the details. That means it's pretty personal. You know, with words like cervix and dilation and stuff. Is it right to put that out there for the world to read? Or is it just plain T.M.I. ?

Hmmmm....to post or not to post....

love at first sight

2011-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

...and more every day since then.

a day in the life

2011-02-25T05:52:00.001-08:00

A summary, in photographs, of Henry's Thursday...

Five

Hour

Nap.

Catching

With

Old

Friends.

Okay, now raise your hand if you agree that he's the cutest kid ever.

in progress...

2011-02-24T12:02:00.001-08:00

I am soooo illiterate when it comes to figuring out how in the world to re-do my blog! Ugh! Bear with me as I change my layout, change my title, and try to give my blog a much-needed makeover.

growing like a weed

2011-02-24T09:25:00.001-08:00

Here's the latest on our two-month-old Baby Henry...

At his well-check on Monday he was 11 pounds, 9 ounces and 23 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height.
He smiles all the time now and makes all sorts of coos. His favorite time to talk is when he's on his changing table.
He still loves his bath time and loves to be naked.
He pushes his head up a little bit but usually ends up getting distracted by trying to suck on his hands.
He can track a rattle with his eyes from side to side and loves the sound it makes.
Once in awhile he finds his thumb, but usually prefers a binky.
He is a great eater and sleeper.
It seems he is growing out of that fussy time in the evenings...though it may come back at some point :)
He hates, hates, hates riding in the car and can scream for a looooong time. He proved it to me when he screamed from the parking lot of Jordan Creek all the way to our driveway.
His feet are stinky!! Even immediately after his bath.
One of his favorite pastimes is hanging out in his sling with Mommy during the day or Daddy during the evening.

You know your marriage has reached a new level of comfort when...

2011-02-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

First, I must clarify by saying that this post is in NO WAY a criticism of my hubby. I love him to pieces and am in awe of his selfless ways and servant heart. Just wanted to put that out there...

Dameon has always been the best at being able to put his feelings into words. He doesn't hesitate to show affection toward me and makes me feel beautiful all the time. In the beginning of our relationship, he would often hug me or hold my hand in public. (He still does but it was new to me back then.) This made me feel SO good! He has also always been good at giving me compliments...whether it's about my appearance or my cooking.

The other day, upon completion of my...ahem...pumping session, a new kind of "compliment" was born.

"Wow! You're really producing a lot today!"

Ha! Man, I just had to laugh.

the day my realization hit me like a ton of bricks

2011-02-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

I had just succeeded in getting Henry to doze off to sleep in his sling after about 20 minutes of swaying, bouncing, and lullabies. He was cranky that day, which is atypical for him. I had already toiled away the first five hours of my day trying to catch up on laundry and catch up on sleep, all while entertaining a newborn in between. Suddenly I was almost taken back by the condition my house was in. I couldn't even find a space on the table to set the bowl of ramen noodles I was going to attempt to eat with the baby attached to my chest. Now, keep in mind that I am in no way a neat freak or great housekeeper. I struggle quite often with laziness when it comes to cleaning and even sometimes basic picking up after myself. So, it takes a pretty high level of clutter to really get under my skin. But this was just beyond. I grabbed my camera and snapped the above photos with the purpose of memorializing what our home should never look like again. The mess was really starting to stress me out. And then Baby Henry shifted a little and grunted in his sleep. I looked at him, snoozing right under my chin and I was so very thankful for him. It felt like, right then and there, I loved him more than I had ever loved him before. And I remembered a post I had read awhile back on a blog that I regularly follow. The mother was talking about treasuring the time when her children were small because it was so very fleeting. She talked about how, when she was old, she would so painfully miss these moments when her babies were small and needed her so much. And I realized how much that now applied to my own life.

My life - the life I'm living right now - the life that leaves me un-showered with frizzy/spit-up caked hair. The life that causes bags under my eyes, a house that looks like a tornado ripped through, and a relentless ache in my upper back on the side where I most often hold Henry. This is the life that I will dream of returning to in 20 years when Henry is in college and I only see him on random weekends and holiday breaks. When he finds time in between classes to shoot me a quick email or maybe a text; when he loads up his trunk and heads back to his "life"; when he wears cologne and meets his future wife...I will long to turn back the clock, even if just for an hour, to this life I'm living right now. To watch his tiny 11-pound self drift off to sleep in my arms. To pace the floors with him (and Daddy, of course) from the hours of 7 - 10 p.m. while we work through his "fussy time". To feel his tiny fingers brushing my skin while I nurse him. To smell his baby hair right after his bath. I'll wish for this time. I'll long for it.

So I'm going to embrace the piled-up laundry, the caked-with-dried-spaghetti dishes, the throbbing back, and the all-day-pajamas look I'm beginning to perfect. Because this life I'm living right now is my dream.

Oh man...remember when I used to be able to think of funny things to blog about? Now I just ooze with sap!! :)

happy (belated) valentine's day

2011-02-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

I need you now and forever

So stay right here with me

Don't ever leave

Love was kept from me like a secret

And I swore that I was through

Until you

who knew

2011-02-10T10:15:00.001-08:00

Dear Henry,

Who knew that watching you fall asleep on my chest could make my heart physically ache with love for you?

Who knew that seeing your sweet, toothless smile would make the rest of the world (messy house, and all) fade away?

Who knew that holding your hand and kissing your little fingers would make my heart swell with thanksgiving?

Who knew that praying over you every night while you nurse would reveal so much to me about the love that our Savior has for His children?

Who knew that carrying you, giving birth to you, and learning to be your mommy would give my life new purpose?

Who knew that bringing you into our family would make your daddy and I love each other more fiercely than before?

I dreamed of you many times before I knew your face. And you know what? You are more.

You are a miracle, Sweet Boy. A most precious gift.

Just Call Him SUPER DAD!

2011-02-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

Not that I ever had my doubts, but I have been so amazed and so thankful for the way Dameon has taken on this whole new dad thing like such a natural! Prior to Henry's birth, he really hadn't spent much time around a newborn baby and had only partially changed one diaper...

(This past summer we watched our nieces for a couple days while their parents were on vacation. While at the pool, I had to help the older one take a shower which left Dameon to figure out how to diaper and dress the two-year-old. Yep, left him high and ....well, you know. It wasn't until the next diaper change that I realized he had put her diaper on backward. When I asked him about it he said, "Yeah, she was telling me how to do it but how am I supposed to know the front from the back?")

ANYWAY...because I had a c-section and my recovery was a little more involved, Dameon really had to take the reigns in the hospital. We wanted Henry to room in with us as much as possible which meant lots of burping, lots of diaper changes, and lots of hands-on experience for this first-time daddy. I remember him having to ask the nurse to teach him how to change a diaper because I was pretty much useless at first. I think the thing that has impressed me the most is how much he doesn't shy away or get stressed out when Henry is fussy. Seriously! One of Dameon's favorite things to do is tote Henry around in his Kangaroo Korner sling. We each have one and love them!! And, of course, our sweet boy loves that closeness with his dad. Henry is so blessed to have such an amazing and doting daddy and I can't wait for them to bond over Lincoln Logs, Legos, and projects in the garage :) Henry loves his daddy and was very responsive to his voice and touch even when he was in my belly. It's so cool to sit back and watch them together. I think there's something extra special about the love between a daddy and his little boy.

And I think Dameon is surprised to realize how much he loves this "new baby" phase. Pretty sure I've heard the phrase, "by the time our 10th one comes along," escape this Super Dad's lips more than once in the past six weeks. Duggar, who?

milestones

2011-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

Being a mom makes takes the whole "how quickly time flies" thing to a whole new level. Here's Baby Henry with his stuffed giraffe on his one month birthday. Notice in the top picture that he actually fell asleep in the giraffe's arms. Ahhh...so precious...

Losing My Modesty

2011-01-24T09:50:00.001-08:00

Since I obviously have lots of catching up to do, I'm going to take you back to the Friday before Henry's birth. The short version of the back story is that after my diagnosis, the doctors knew they wanted to deliver Henry early. The goal was to wait until 37 weeks, but we needed to be sure his lungs were ready for the outside world. Therefore, they performed an amniocentisis (loads of fun, by the way) and determined his lungs were immature. The solution was to give me shots of steroids to give his lungs the boost they needed. So, I arrive at the hospital on Friday the 17th for my second round of injections. I had done this the day before, so I pretty much knew the drill. Now keep in mind that at this point I had been through about five doctor's appointments in the last week which meant pelvic exams, cervical checks, sonograms, non-stress tests...the works. Being "examined", in all of its many forms, was quickly becoming no big deal.

So the nurse tells me to go ahead and lay on my side on the table because she is going to give me the shot in a pocket right above my butt. While I positioned myself, she left to get the needle. I proceed to go ahead and drop my pants, heave myself onto the table (I'm 36 weeks, 6 days, remember?) and lay on my side so that I'm facing away from the door. I waited a few minutes, chatting with my mom (who drove me to the hospital), and somewhat dreading the painful infection. Next thing I know, I hear the nurse return and say, "Oh, honey, you're a little exposed here. You could have waited until I got back." I turn my head to see that not only was the door to my hospital room wide open, the curtain was definitely wide open as well. Nice.

The View From Here

2011-01-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Baby Henry sleeping in his sling...life is good!

He's Here...and he's WONDERFUL

2011-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that our sweet Henry is one month old today! I am obviously soooo far behind on blogging, but I'll try to catch you up to speed little by little. As most of you know, Henry surprised us with an early arrival. At 36 weeks I was diagnosed with a rare condition called cholestasis of pregnancy. In a nutshell, this meant that my liver wasn't quite keeping up and the baby would need to be delivered at 37 weeks. After several trips to Des Moines with the expectation we would be induced, we ended up finally being admitted to the hospital on December 18. After about 12-13 hours of labor, my body just wasn't getting into gear and labor was not progressing. I was having lots of contractions but nothing was changing. We decided to have a c-section and Henry was born on December 19 at 4:25 in the afternoon. He is such a good baby -- great eater, great sleeper, great personality, and cute as a button.

I'm in the process of writing the whole birth story, which I'll share when I'm finished for those who want to read all the details. We have internet at our home now (yes, welcome to 2011 right?) so I'll be much more able to update regularly. Keep checking for more pictures still to come!

photo shoot

2010-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I know I sound like a broken record, but I once again want to apologize for the long wait between posts. I have to plan accordingly to be able to post when I'm somewhere with internet. We are 34 weeks, 3 days pregnant and we have our eyes on the prize!! The pregnancy is still going very smoothly, even though random strangers often comment on how huge I am or how uncomfortable I must be. So nice...

Truth is I love being big with baby and I'm really not uncomfortable much at all. I get heartburn in the evenings sometimes and my skin itches a lot but that's nothin. We are trying to savor the last few weeks we have as "just us" but are SO anticipating the arrival of this sweet little he or she.

At 31 weeks, a good friend of ours took some maternity photos for us so I thought I'd post a few of the favorites. Her name is Missie Lafrenz, she's awesomely talented, and you can check out her work at http://www.mlphotography.net/. I can't wait for her to take the first pics of the baby!!

way overdue

2010-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm way overdue. Not in pregnancy terms, but in blogging terms. SO much has happened since my last post, but to sum it all up: we moved into our house and we don't have internet. It's one of those things we knew we could survive without and it helps us save money as we strive toward living on a single income. So, I apologize for the lack of updates!!
We are 28 weeks along and counting. Hard to believe that we will have our baby in our arms in just a couple months. Baby is moving all the time now and his/her latest trick is to get those little feet shoved all up in my ribs. OUCH! But I don't want to complain too much because feeling that moving, growing baby inside of me is something I know I will miss.
People continue to gawk a little at my large-ness but I'm okay with that. I get asked often if I'm having twins. I'm okay with that, too. Even though I'm a bit uncomfortable, I like the way I look with a baby belly and it's fun to show it off :)
The nursery is coming together piece by piece now. On Sunday Dameon and Zach assembled the crib and got the dresser situated. So exciting to walk past that door and see a baby room!! Tis the season for baby showers and childbirth classes which makes this all the more REAL for both of us.
I'll try to be more frequent to get online and post quick updates. Gotta run for now!!

the things i don't want to forget

2010-08-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

The absolute amazement of watching my belly get bigger by the day.

Having cars stop on a regular basis to let me cross the street.

Being the only one who feels this baby's tiny kicks and nudges.

Being completely naive about this whole pregnancy and child birth experience, which means every single thing is a first.

Anticipating when Sunday afternoon rolls around and we can read the next week's chapter in our pregnancy book. Dameon always reads aloud while I listen.

Then listening to Dameon pause and comment when he reads something that really knocks his socks off like, "This week your baby has eyebrows and eyelashes."

Enjoying people's reactions when we tell them we aren't finding out the gender. "There's nothing like that kind of surprise!" they say.

Seeing the baby open and close it's mouth to practice swallowing on the ultrasound.

The anticipation of making my parents grandparents for the first time. Can't wait for that! Mom is already stocking up on baby gear that will stay at their house.

The feeling of hearing the doctor say, "Everything on the ultrasound looks perfect and healthy."

Embracing the sticky-up little hairs cropping up all over my belly.

The priceless look on Dameon's face during the ultrasound this week. A perfect combination of love, pride, and awe as he stared at that screen.

Remembering the feeling of hearing Dameon refer to me as "my wife" the first few times after we were married and realizing I'll feel something similar again soon when he says, "my son" or "my daughter."

the one where i use bullet points

2010-08-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Internet connection is moody, so I'm making this quick.
LOVE feeling so good these days. Started seeing a chiropractor (my cousin) and I am pain free almost 100% of the time. Crazy how good God is!
Appetite is increasing quite a bit but I get full really quickly, so I have to eat in shifts. Around here we like to call it first lunch, second lunch, etc.
My belly button is halfway popped, which I've been fretting over for quite a long time. I have belly button fears. I get past it by making Dameon put the lotion on it and averting my eyes when I change my clothes. Weird, I know.
My weight gain is at a good place. I've gained 9 pounds since finding out I was pregnant. That will, of course, increase more quickly now that the baby is getting close to the one pound mark.
Strangers are now asking us when we're due. I can tell they think I'm really big for 20 weeks. And they're right. But that's what happens when you're five feet tall :)
I can feel the baby moving like crazy. It feels like twitching and nudging. Dameon can't feel it yet but he tries really hard. He also sits for long periods of time with his ear smooshed up against my belly. I think he's hoping he'll hear a heartbeat. It's pretty much adorable.
We have our 20 week ultrasound tomorrow. It will take about an hour because they check the baby's organs and all that good stuff. Can't wait to get a glimpse of the tiny babe. I'm really hoping for a profile shot so we can see some features!

Update...Winterset style

2010-08-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

**I must apologize for this blog having no pictures. I can't, for the life of me, find our camera right now. I even remember packing it and making a mental note of exactly where it was placed. Crap.

Well, we have officially been Winterset residents for 6 days now and we're enjoying our new little town. The move went quite smoothly, thanks to the rockstar help of our family and some old (and new) friends! I was a touch "out of commission" during portions of the move, but I'll get to that in a bit. If you didn't know, we are staying in a one-bedroom apartment (above the Ben Franklin, no less) until we can move into our new house in September. Yes, it's a bit of a bummer, but luckily Dameon and I really never get sick of each other so we're making it work. The worst part is always having to walk the dog right in the middle of the town square. Ya know, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Ah, anonymity.

Dameon has basically had to jump right into his new job, while also continuing to work on drill writing in his free moments. I think it's a weight off his shoulders to actually be here in town and have face-to-face contact with his students. He's getting things squared away in his office and preparing for marching band camp next week! Even though it's a crazy nutty time of year, I love marching band season!!

Okay, now for the little bump in the road. Baby Place is thriving, which we are incredibly grateful for, but I'm learning that mental toughness is going to be key. Early Monday morning I woke up with a bad pain on the right side of my middle back. It only lasted about 20 minutes or so, but I mentioned it to my OB the next day at my appointment. She didn't say much about it and I didn't think much about it. By the time I got home from my appointment, the pain was back and it was worse. I ended up calling back to the clinic and talked with a nurse. She said it sounded like deep muscle pain and suggested I try a heating pad. She told me any problem with my kidneys would have shown up in my urine specimen earlier that day. I was finally able to find a comfortable position on the couch, but continued to battle the pain the rest of the day and thru the night. The next morning I got up and drove to my meetings for work, which were held about 45 minutes away from here. By noon the pain was so bad, that I knew something was really wrong. I felt like something inside was going to burst. I called Dameon and told him I needed a doctor. He thought I should call my OB first to see what she thought I should do. After speaking with the clinic, I drove back to Winterset to get Dameon and we headed to Des Moines (where our clinic is). The baby's heartbeat was the same as the day before, so no trouble there. The doctor examined me and determined there was likely something going on with my right kidney. She sent me on to have an ultrasound of both kidneys to find the problem. During the ultrasound, the tech gave us a sneak peek of Baby! That kid just never stops moving!! He/she kept flipping from back to front so we'd see face and then spine. It looked a little alien-like, but we could definitely make out eyes, nose, and mouth! So incredible :)
The doctor called the next day to fill me in on what the ultrasound showed. She said I am experiencing some kidney nephritis. (By the way, don't google that. It'll just freak you out.) Basically it means my uterus is tilting a little to the right. It's pushing on spot where my kidney empties and is causing my kidney to swell. It causes me to feel like someone has punched me really hard right in that spot. The bad news is there's really nothing they can do for me, besides encourage me to lay on my left side as much as possible. This problem is very common in pregnancy, but it isn't likely to get better. Probably just worse until the baby is born. The good news is that this condition doesn't affect the baby at all. SO thankful for that!! So for now I'm just taking things one day at a time. I do find relief laying on my side and not staying on my feet for too long. Yesterday I went to my work meetings all day and only had two bad bouts of pain. We have our big ultrasound on August 23rd and our 20 week appointment after that, so they'll take another look at my kidney to see how things are going. The doc said in rare cases, they put in a stint to drain the kidney, but right now my kidney is draining pretty well, so no need to worry about that.
Still, we'd appreciate your prayers that I will learn how to manage the pain when it does come. And also prayer that no kidney stones develop. Thanks, friends!!

i feel large

2010-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm going to laugh about the title of this post in a few more months but still. It is crazy to watch this belly grow and grow! So much fun to think that in only a few weeks I will be able to feel our sweet baby moving around in there :)

So far second trimester isn't really much different than the first. Since I've really missed out on a lot of the bad pregnancy symptoms, it's not like I was counting down the days to 12 weeks in hopes of some relief or something. Seriously, I am so thankful for how easy pregnancy has been so far. I have a pretty intense gag reflex that gets me going in the evening hours but it's totally manageable...just annoying sometimes. And that heartburn I complained about last week? Not bad at all! I'm still struggling with swallowing pills and keeping them down so the vitamin thing is a little, well, nonexistent at this point but I am able to take a daily folic acid supplement. We bought a new kind of vitamin last week so now I just need to get up the nerve to try it. Always hard to swallow something WITH food, knowing you're likely going to throw up moments later. But we'll get there. I think my most noticeable and consistent symptom is my need to pee all the time. It's nuts! I'm sure this is only going to get more intense as things get more squished in there. Oh well, no big deal.

At our 12 week appointment, we learned that Baby Place is measuring rather large. The ultrasound technician was convinced that I didn't actually know when I had my last period. Which I do. She was sure we were 14.5 weeks along rather than the 11.5 weeks we actually were. We have another appointment one week from today but it's not an ultrasound, so we'll have to wait til 20 weeks to see if he/she continues to be a whopper. I have a feeling that baby is all noggin. I mean have you seen the size of mine or Dameon's heads? Just sayin'. We're looking forward to hearing the heartbeat for the first time next week!

Oh, and all the bloodwork stuff came back great. I am O positive, so I don't have to get the shots I would have to get if I was O negative. Or something.

Dameon is still handling this father-to-be thing like a pro. He never makes me feel badly for taking two hour afternoon naps, going to bed at 9:00, wearing my pajamas all day long, or saying, "Can we just eat out tonight?" Not that I ever do that stuff.

Alright, time for my afternoon nap.

thinking lots about motherhood these days

2010-07-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny...she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." J.R. Miller

the view from here

2010-06-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! Finally I can let the cat out of the bag "officially". We have been so so so excited to shout our baby news from the rooftops and now that we're through the first trimester, we are so happy to share all the details. (Well...almost all the details.)

One of my favorite blogs to follow is MckMama's blog at www.mycharmingkids.net. I like to think that we're actually friends :) Anyway, she has a ton of readers and she recently did a Q & A post called "Ask MckMama Anything." Readers asked questions, she answered. Well...I don't actually have so many readers, but I do know there are some awesome friends and family who want to know all about the pregnancy, so I thought I'd do a Q & A of some questions you might be thinking about.

Q: How did you find out you were pregnant?

A: We have been using the Natural Family Planning Chart for a little over 2 years, now, so we keep a pretty close eye on my cycle. We knew there was a decent chance we would great pregnant this time, but I was a little doubtful because I had gotten sick with laryngitis and had been running a fever. Because of that, I wasn't taking my temperature for a solid week or so. My cycle is usually about 31 days long, so I had already decided that I would take a test on day 32. Normally I drag my feet a little about testing because there I have been many instances where I've tested unnecessarily and have gotten many "negatives". I can honestly say I had a little bit of a good feeling about this time around, and it made sense to test that morning because we were going to go house-hunting later that same day. The alarm went off at 5:30 the morning of May 1, and I stumbled into the bathroom. (First pee of the morning, ya know.) Dameon and I had always said we wanted to find out at the same time. We didn't want it to be one of those things where I take a test when he's not around and then decide on the right time to tell him. My plan was, as usual, to take the test, make sure it was working, and then leave it on the counter for 3 minutes. Well, when I pulled it up in front of my eyes to make sure it was working, the two lines were already there!!! I remember my mouth dropping open and my eyes bugging out. Dameon says that I then fumbled with the bathroom door knob for a solid 60 seconds before stumbling into the pitch black bedroom. "Dameon, there's a line!"

"What?"

"There's a line!"

"A pregnancy line?"

"Yes!"

And then he sat straight up and I practically strangled him and I clung around his neck and cried my eyes out. (I think he was in shock...but a good kind of shock.)

Q: How far along are you?

A: We will be at the end of our first 12 weeks tomorrow.

Q: When are you due?

A: January 8

Q: Where will you deliver?

A: Methodist Hospital in Des Moines

Q: Are you going to find out what you're having?

A: No! We want to be surprised! We have our suspicions, but those have changed a few times :)

Q: Have you chosen any names?

A: We have a few that we like, but we are going to keep them a secret. I will say that when you're a teacher, a lot of names get ruled out!

Q: How have you been feeling?

A: I have actually been feeling quite well. I've only had a few days where I've felt crummy and wanted to lay around all day. Other than that, I feel a little strange in the evenings and my appetite gets a little weird, but nothing that's unbearable. I've found that if I don't let my stomach get empty and if I don't get too tired, I can keep it pretty well under control. Some foods taste differently, and that's kinda weird but I can usually think of something that sounds good. No crazy cravings yet but I'm sure that will come. Well...at least I'm HOPING that will come!! :) Ice cream? yes, please! Cheetos? okay!

Q: How has Dameon been feeling??

A: Okay, so things are a little stressful around here these days. Especially for Dameon. He is taking on a lot of the burden of the move and all that because I know he doesn't want me to stress. Besides all that stuff, he is also writing several big-ticket marching band shows this summer, taking classes for his Master's Degree, transitioning into a new job, AND waiting on me hand and foot. He has seriously been incredible! Fixing me whatever I want to eat, keeping up with the house and the yard, doing the grocery shopping, and completely keeping up with all the "honey-do's" I throw his way. But more than ALL that, he is completely thrilled and elated to be a daddy. It is so much fun to experience all these firsts together and I am so thankful for him!

Okay, I that's about all I can think of right now, but if you readers have any other questions, please send them my way and I'll do a Part 2!

weekend in review

2010-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Whew! We are back home now after a busy and super fun long weekend.
On Friday evening, Dameon had to conduct the band at the West High graduation ceremony. I prepared for an evening-in by renting a chick flick (Dear John) and making a frozen pizza. We had decided earlier in the week that we would spend Saturday in my grandparents' town, which is about 4 hours away from here. When Dameon arrived home much earlier than expected, we decided to cut our Saturday driving down a bit by traveling to my mom and dad's house to stay Friday night. We arrived in Boone about 11:00 and hit the hay.
On Saturday morning we loaded into the Honda and headed to the Dutch Oven Bakery to get some breakfast for the road. We arrived in Elk Horn in time to head down to Main Street for the Tivoli Parade. I haven't been to Tivoli Fest since I was in junior high, so this was Dameon's first experience :) And if you ask my grandma, she'll tell you that Pella's Tulip Time doesn't hold a CANDLE to Elk Horn's Tivoli Fest. Hmmmm....the jury's still out. We took in the parade, pork burgers, Aebleskiver and Medisterpolse (Danish pancakes and sausage) and a stroll through some of Elk Horn's shops and attractions. It was a good time spent with family and a beautiful day to be outside! Dameon and I decided to head back to Boone that evening to stay.
On Sunday morning, Dameon and Blake decided to do some canoeing on the Des Moines River. I spent the time hanging out with my mom. We picked them up at their ending spot around 3:00 and then headed to Mom and Dad's to shower and get ready for the evening. Brad was playing a show in Ames at Border's, so we went to that at 5. It's always fun to see him perform. (shameless plug: you can buy his newly-released CD for $5! Also available on itunes!!) Then Dameon's dad and step-mom arrived to give us a major stash of boxes for the upcoming move. They took us out to a delicious dinner at Hickory Park. Yum! We had intended to drive back home to Waterloo afterward, but ended up deciding we were tired and would rather stay in Boone another night.
This morning I woke up early and took a bike ride with my parents to get some breakfast at McDonald's. Dameon grilled us a yummy lunch and we ate out on the patio together. We topped it off with ice cream cake for my birthday and then loaded up the Honda for the trip home.
Five more days of school.....the countdown is on!!!

On the road again...

2010-04-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a loooong time since my last post! Some pretty big changes have happened since then, but most of you probably already know a little bit about that. It seems weird to write this entry just a year after writing our "moving to Waterloo entry", but load up the Uhaul cuz we have decided to make another move.

For a variety of reasons this Waterloo move just hasn't panned out the way we thought it would. Probably the biggest reason is that living here has confirmed what we already kinda new: we love small town Iowa and feel like that's really our niche. Plus, ever since we got married, we've talked about how our ideal location is somewhere in the Des Moines area. We really like Des Moines and will be closer to friends and family!

It's a little crazy to leave Waterloo after such a short time, but in a strange way it almost feels normal to move on. We've been "in transition" this whole year, so we'll just continue that transition for awhile longer. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that being unsettled for the last several months has certainly grown Dameon and I individually in our relationship with the Lord and in our marriage.

Oh yeah, so I should probably mention where exactly we're going. Sometime this summer, we'll be moving to Winterset.

Claims to fame include (but are not limited to):

1. Many covered bridges

2. Birthplace of Marion Morrison (a.k.a. John Wayne)

3. Future home of a cutting edge, state of the art, INTERACTIVE John Wayne museum

Along with the decision to move, comes the joys and frustrations of selling and buying a home. We love, love, love our house here in Waterloo (funny how we always live in towns that start with "W") and wish we could just pick it up and take it with us. Bummer. But we're hoping there's someone else out there who loves it as much as we do. And soon. :)

That's all for now, but I'll do my best to update as soon as there's more to tell!

yum-o

2010-02-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

I surprised Dameon on Sunday night with carry-out dessert from the Olive Garden. We sat in front of the fire and savored the taste of White Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake, Lemon Creamcake, and Italian Donuts dipped in chocolate. It was divine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends, family, and thousands of blog readers across the nation.

Ahem.

Dameon planned a great little night out for us last night, which included several of my favorite things. He told me to be ready at 5:00, and began by surprising me with the beautiful flowers pictured above and a very thoughtful card. I love to be surprised, so I insisted he not let on about where we were headed. We arrived at the movie theater in Cedar Falls just in time for the 5:30 showing of "Valentine's Day." Dameon had purchased our tickets online, so we already had the print-out of them in hand. Therefore, when we saw the ticket line snaking past the door, we just excused ourselves and passed by everyone. Why stand in a ticket line when you already have tickets? Turns out there's not a designated employee who actually takes tickets, so I guess we kinda snuck in??? The movie had some cute parts and a few unexpected twists, but overall I'd give it a C+. Seems like there are so many parts they could just leave out...ya know? Anyway, the best part was during more "serious" part of the movie. The theater was completely silent when all of the sudden somebody in row 8 ripped one. Dameon and I laughed that kind of laugh where you try to stifle it so hard that little squeaky gasps just come out. It was great.

Right after the movie, we headed for a restaurant in downtown Cedar Falls that's a fancy Italian-type place. We learned that it was a bit too fancy for our taste, but still had fun enjoying each other's company. It's so great when you share the same sense of humor. :) We decided to forget about "the diet" for the night and topped of our meals with a yummy piece of Tiramisu (2 forks). We came back home, snuggled up on the couch, and enjoyed a little TV time. I gave Dameon some chocolate and a Starbucks card, so we dug into those a little bit too. I have a little something planned for tonight, too, but I'll have to reveal it in tomorrow's post. Dameon loves to hate surprises, so I enjoy keeping him in suspense.

Winter Meltdown

2010-01-30T17:41:00.000-08:00

It's true, Dameon and I have finally made a real commitment to losing weight, getting in shape, and getting healthy. We had started talking a couple months ago about researching the possibility of joining a gym. After viewing pictures of ourselves taken over Christmas break, we decided it was no longer just optional. I've never been one who has had to put real effort into working out or eating healthy, but I started to gain some weight after I graduated from college and then really packed on the pounds after we got married. I was fearful about making this total lifestyle change, but I knew Dameon would be extremely encouraging through the process and we could help keep each other accountable. I also knew that Dameon's pounds would melt off a lot more quickly than mine, so I was ready to work on not getting discouraged.
We joined a gym that is super close to our house and is open 24-7 so...NO EXCUSES! We joined at the very end of December and did three sessions with a trainer so we could figure out a routine that would really work for us to reach our goals and also clue me in a little bit on how to actually use weights and machines and stuff.
I quickly realized that there are a lot of "beginner-level" type of excercisers at this place, so I didn't feel too intimidated. And, I've managed to not do anything too dumb/embarrassing. Well, except for that one time. On this particular Thursday, I had dressed myself to endure the negative 30 degree walk in and out of the gym but forgot to consider the actual attire I would typically prefer during the workout. Therefore, I soon found myself running on the treadmill sporting a long-sleeved t-shirt, a fleece sweatshirt, and a regular bra. About 4 minutes in, both of my bra straps had fallen down and I was sweating so much that...well...things just weren't going well. I didn't want to "break my stride" so I figured I could just stealthily maneuver my arms in such a way that my straps would return to their correct position. In the process, I inadvertently hit the Emergency Stop button on the treadmill and about barreled right over the front of thing. Yep, you guessed it. Stride broken.
Anyway, Dameon has already lost 13 pounds and the scale is slowly but surely shifting in my direction! We are learning to choose healthier food options on a daily basis and dramatically decrease our portion sizes. I had originally suggested to Dameon that we get in our swimsuits and take "before" pictures, but he told me he wasn't such a fan of my idea. Oh well. Hopefully by the time swimsuit season rolls around, we'll be ready for some snapshots. :)

my friends call me whiskers

2009-12-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Never underestimate the curiousity of a five-year-old. On Friday as I was holding the classroom door open and greeting my students, I noticed two of my little girls barreling down the hallway and bee-lining straight for me. The one on the left's eyes were popping out of her head and the one on the right had about 5 or 6 kleenex sticking out of her mouth. As they got closer, I could see the kleenex had turned a slight pinkish color. My suspicions were confirmed when girl on the left blurted out, "Mrs. Place, Janey licked the bus!!" Just another day in the life...

preparations

2009-12-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Ever since the first day we laid eyes on this house we have been saying, "This is a great Christmas house!" We have been greatly looking forward to Christmas decorations, music, and baking. We've been debating the past few weeks about what type of Christmas tree upgrade needed to happen this year. The tree we so fondly refer to as the Charlie Brown has served us well for the past three Christmases but this year it just wouldn't do. After much discussion, we decided a live tree would be best. On Sunday afternoon we piled (all three of us) into the Honda to head over to Earl May and make the important decision. It seemed that Dameon went in with a sort of "bigger is better" mentality, but I was a bit worried about this game plan. I think I mentioned several times how much "bigger the tree will look once it's inside the house." Nonetheless, he spotted the most perfect Fraser Fir! I wasn't much help as we loaded and unloaded her because I was distracted by the discovery that Rufus had eaten approx. 8 powdered donuts in the front seat while we had gone inside to pay. Thankfully, Dameon's a he-man and could lift the tree over one shoulder. And Rufus's pancreas is now recovering.

We spent the evening unpacking Christmas decorations, trimming the tree, listening to Christmas music, and taking in the refreshing scent of a real pine. The decorating is by no means finished, but we're well on our way to a winter wonderland!

Christmastime is here again

2009-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

After much anticipation, we broke out the Christmas music on Thursday. We will now listen to it non-stop until the new year. Hooray! We try to add one new album to the collection each year. This year our new addition has quickly become one of our all-time favorites. I highly recommend this one from Sara Groves entitled, "O Holy Night." It's the perfect mix of old classics and her original stuff. Plus she adds her own very tasteful spin on everything. We picked it up at Family Christian Store for the low price of $9.99. Go get your copy asap!

Life Lately

2009-11-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm WAY overdue on posting but I couldn't think of any one topic to highlight. This will, instead, be a compilation of random recent happenings in our life.

1.) I was reminded, once again, that I married a true handyman. Dameon single-handedly installed a dishwasher in our kitchen (including plumbing and electrical work) in one weekend. It is SUCH a luxury since being without one since...well...2006.

2.) Marching band season has come to a close since my last post. It was a very successful competition season and exciting to watch the band progress so much so quickly! These days we are adjusting to a more "normal" pace. Instead of being gone every weeknight, Dameon is only gone on Wednesday nights for grad school at UNI.

3.) Jumping right into drill-writing/marching band season shortly after we moved resulted in us basically unpacking our necessities and shoving everything else in the storage space. Now we are enjoying really making our house a home. Last weekend we spent some time at Lowe's picking out a new area rug for the living room and paint for the master bedroom and living room. I'll post before and after pictures as soon as the painting projects are finished.

4.) On Sunday we made a big purchase. We had tossed around the idea of upgrading from a Queen-sized bed for quite awhile. We stumbled upon a price we couldn't refuse and are now the official owners of a King-sized bed. Life is good!!

5.) My job is getting more managable day by day. I just finished my first round of report cards and I'm now gearing up for Parent/Teacher conferences later this week.

6.) We have been enjoying the nice fall weather (when it's not raining) and have learned that our neighborhood is full of BEAUTIFUL fall-colored trees. We also learned that the trees we are so thankful for in the summer create a major amount of raking when the season changes. Good thing my husband has big muscles...and good thing I'm an expert supervisor.

7.) We've been fortunate to spend some good quality time with our families lately. In mid-October I spend the weekend back at my parents' house. We traveled to Dameon's marching band competition that Saturday and then the four of us went to dinner and to "Wicked" on Sunday. So great! This past Friday night we met up with Dameon's dad and step-mom at Mesquawki Casino for the seafood buffet. We came up with the idea a few weeks prior when it came up in conversation that I had never eaten crab legs. This buffet serves king crab legs, so we thought it would be a good adventure. I learned that I don't like crab legs, but it was still a fun time. Then we made our annual journey to a haunted house. This year's selection was just a bit two scary for us women, so the rough and tough men went without us. I like to think they clung to each other and screamed like little girls the whole way. :)

8.) Have to add a couple of things I've been thankful for today...
First: We heard a great message in church this morning. Great because it made us feel "uncomfortably convicted." The pastor was speaking about a passage in Matthew when Jesus is telling his followers that (in summary) many of them/us will walk with Jesus, do good works, claim Jesus as our Savior, and even proclaim Him to others but FEW will pass through the narrow gate into heaven. Why? Because many leave out the relationship part. The pastor said something that really struck me toward the end of his message. I think it went something like, "There's a difference between knowing ABOUT Jesus and KNOWING Jesus. There's also a difference between having conversations with Him and having a relationship with Him." Hmmm...great truths to reflect on and act on.
Second: Dameon did something so great for me today. Many of you may not know, but when it comes right down to it, Dameon is a much better housekeeper than I am. I know, I know, how could this guy get any better?!?! He is more detail-oriented when it comes to cleaning and he also has this whole turbo-speed thing that I've really never been able to grasp in any area of my life. Anyway, I left around noon today to run a couple errands and go to the mall to do a little shopping for a few new items to add to my fall wardrobe. When I got home I found a clean kitchen, clean bathtub, clean living room, clean dining room, and clean family room. WOW. It means so much to me that he took time to serve me in this way when I am completely undeserving and completely guilty of laying around all day yesterday when I could have (and should have) been cleaning. Love that guy. Love, Love, Love him.

fall festivities

2009-09-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dameon had the great idea to head out in search of an apple orchard. I believe his exact words were, "I think we should go to an apple orchard so we can make apple pie. I'd rather be outside than in a movie theatre." (my idea was to go see "FAME") No argument here! Google informed us that there is not one single apple orchard in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area (weird, right??) so we settled on Allen's Orchard in Marion. It only took us about 40 minutes to get there, which wasn't too bad. We ended up with 9 pounds of apples and a jar of apple butter. Dameon followed through and made a delicious apple pie. I made apple sauce, which turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Yum! I heart fall.

the worst thing i ever did

2009-09-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

You would think a kindergarten teacher, of all people, would be able to tell the difference between a 7 and a 9. This skill is crucial in a variety of situations.
As a teacher of young children, I always try to make a big deal out of birthdays. I was always one of those summer birthday kids who never had to spend my special day at school, and I always thought it would be such a drag to have to do so. For that reason, and because everyone should be celebrated in a big way, I make a great attempt to focus on the birthday kid. Calendar Time is an important part of my daily routine. I always mark the birthdays of the current month with a special birthday cake icon and we count down to the upcoming birthday. This is always very exciting for the children and helps them have a better frame of reference, since most concepts of "time" are very fuzzy in their young minds. Yesterday, tomorrow, next week...all very confusing.
Now, this being a school story, I have to change some of the details for confidentiality's sake. So, we'll call the child Abby. Abby's birthday has been marked on the calendar as September 15 since the beginning of the month. This means we had been counting down to it for 15 days. Now, keep in mind what a big deal it is to turn 6 before most of your other classmates. Turning 6 is sort of like a right of passage because you now get to show your age with TWO hands. Big stuff. So, right away when Abby entered my classroom on Tuesday morning, I greeted her with a hug and a "Good Morning, Birthday Girl!" She grinned from ear to ear and took her seat. About one minute later she came over to me and said, "Teacher, my mom forgot it was my birthday." I instantly felt so sad. Not wanting her to feel the same, I quickly said, "Oh! I bet it snuck up on her! That happens to my mommy sometimes, too." (Yes, sometimes teachers lie.) I reassured her by reminding her that we would be celebrating all day at school. This seemed to appease her.
When Calendar Time rolled around, Abby was called to the front of the class to receive her birthday crown and glitter pencil. As the class sang "Happy Birthday" she BEAMED from ear to ear. I then always converse with the child and ask them questions about their birthday plans, so they can tell the class. I asked her if she would get a present for her birthday. "Yes," she said. I asked her what it would be. "A surprise," she said. I asked her what kind of frosting she wanted on her cake. "Pink and purple," she said. She continued on through the day reminding everyone that it was her birthday. I always try to refer to the child as "Birthday Girl" or "Birthday Boy" throughout the entire day. Every time I would do this she would whisper to her neighbor, "Teacher just called me Birthday Girl!"
At the end of the day, her 5th grade sister came down to pick her up and head home. She instantly noticed the birthday crown and said, "Who gave that to you?" "My teacher because it's my birthday," Abby said. I thought it was odd of her sister to ask that, so I continued to listen as they walked down the hall together. "It's NOT your birthday," the sister said. "Yes it is! My teacher told me!" And then I was struck with horror. What in the world was going on? I ran into the classroom, grabbed my newest class roster, scrolled down the list until I found her name, AND THERE IT WAS. BIRTHDAY: 7-15-04. why??????????? why did I read that as September????????? How do you explain to a little girl that we just celebrated a fake birthday? How do you convince her that she's not actually 6? I feared that I had caused lifelong confusion and devastation. My fears were confirmed when Dameon told me that night about his similar experience in preschool. He appears to still be scarred from it!
I tried explaining to her the next morning. She didn't seem to understand. She just kept quietly repeating these words in a whisper as she stared straight ahead, "Teacher made a mistake. Not your birthday." I felt so horrible that I had to end the conversation by saying, "You can keep the glitter pencil, though." Too late. The damage is done.

the craziness has begun

2009-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, I've been MIA from the blog world for awhile. I check my friends' blogs regularly and I'm always bummed when they haven't updated, so I figured it was my turn.
The fall is always the most nutty time of year for us Places. Marching band season takes Dameon away a lot and the start of the school year is totally exhausting and time-consuming for both of us. This fall is made even more chaotic by the fact that we've both started new jobs AND Dameon begins classes for his master's degree on Wednesday. That means he has Monday night band rehearsal, Tuesday night band rehearsal on competition weeks, Wednesday night class, Thursday night band rehearsal, Friday night football games (some weeks), and Saturday all-day competitions (some weeks). Couple that with the fact that he has to be at work at 6:30 every morning, and that equals one exhausted guy. I'm trying to find a balance between spending enough time on my new job, being a supportive wife (who gets dinner on the table by 5:00), and squeezing in some down time so I can stay sane. How will we ever introduce kids into this mix?, you ask. That's why I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom :) **And I'd be willing to bet that's an even HARDER job!! :)
Anyway, craziness aside, we are trying to take time every day to be thankful for all the ways the Lord sustains us. One of my favorite parts of my day is my ten minute drive to work. I tune into 101.9 and spend a few brief moments praying for the 25 kids who will be entering my classroom. They come with a lot of big-time needs and a lot of big-time baggage. What if I'm the only glimpse (and I mean GLIMPSE) of the love and mercy of Christ they are exposed to? I'd better sieze every moment to love on them...
Dameon and I both agreed that this move would be a big stretch out of our comfort zone, but we felt confident God had a purpose for us here. In those moments of pure exhaustion or pure frustration, we try to remind each other of that. If you feel led, please pray for our 'mission field' in the Waterloo Public Schools.

two years

2009-07-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

(this post is a little belated, but oh well!)

July 28, 2007. Best day of my life :)

Last year Dameon planned an AMAZING one-year anniversary celebration. I'm just realizing I never blogged about it (hadn't even started my blog yet) but, trust me, it was AMAZING. At that time we decided it would be fun to trade off every other year being the planner of the celebration. That means this year was my year. (A new acquaintance brought it to my attention for the first time the other night that I should have thought this through since most of the "big" anniversaries fall on even years. yikes!! The pressure is on, I guess!)

I wanted our two-year anniversary to be a surprise little getaway. Dameon is pretty hard to surprise with anything, but it went off without a hitch! We left home about 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday and headed south on 380. Unfortunately we had to drive separate cars because Dameon had to give a leadership seminar in Des Moines on Wednesday. Anyway, our first stop was the Panera in Coralville. We picked up some to-go lunch and headed over to City Park for a picnic. Surprise #2 came next as we drove to hotelVetro in downtown Iowa City to check in to our room. This was really a splurge, but well worth it since the room was really cool (see pictures above). We hung out there for a bit and then decided to go for a walk and get some ice cream. Dameon chose Cold Stone while I opted for Whitey's. We spent the next while just roaming around the ped mall stopping in different little shops and browsing around. Then we headed back to the hotel with the intention of going swimming. We got our suits on and headed in the direction of the pool but soon found out it was closed for remodeling. Oh well. It was nearing dinner time so we went back to the room to iron our clothes and get ready to eat. We had fun walking to Linn Street Cafe and had a delicious meal. Continuing with the "splurge" theme, we decided to order big. We started with an appetizer of crab cakes and then our soup and salad. Dameon chose the Iowa beef tenderloin and I had a tasty pasta dish. We topped if off with a piece of blackberry white chocolate cheesecake. After dinner we strolled back to the hotel, changed into some comfy clothes and walked right across the street to Capanna coffee house where I enjoyed a vanilla latte and Dameon had a white chocolate hazelnut mocha. Delish! The next morning we had to wake up early and head out, but it was still a great way to wrap up the summer and celebrate our marriage. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next year! :)

New Furniture and New Tricks

2009-07-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Moving into a bigger home has really been exciting. We are loving having so much space, except when we lose our cell phones. It has also, however, kinda forced us to bite the bit (is that the right phrase??) and make some hefty furniture purchases. Now, let me assure you, these decisions were not made in haste. My Dameon can definitely whip out his "official furniture inspector" badge whenever he deems appropriate. Now, me, I'm usually not a very good decision-maker when it comes to home decor. I like to kinda get my feet wet and then sleep on it awhile. For some reason in this latest venture Dameon decided to take that mentality to the extreme. Even to the point that I was the one shouting "UNCLE!" Our search for a dining room table literally spanned the length of 4 months. The search for the couch seemed almost as torturous since we went on a whirlwind tour of about 11 furniture stores in three days. And, it never failed, every sofa, loveseat, table, chair, or ottoman that I even batted an eye at had to undergo Dameon's "Is it sturdy?" test. Keep in mind that he has muscles capable of bench pressing ME, so he's able to make anything wobble. Phew! We finally found something we both felt good about! And, while I'm giving him a hard time in this little write-up, how can I honestly complain about a guy who just wants to make sure we're getting the most for our money? We are super happy with the way our home is coming together.

In other news, we continue to own the cutest puppy in the world. While we come to realize Rufus' pint-sized frame really can't manage to balance while learning "shake" (dang it!) we HAVE realized that's it's not too late to help him with his manners. He does really well with the barking/yipping thing, but he is not so good with the jumping up on new people thing. Believe it or not, it's all our fault. We think it's absolutely adorable when we sit on the couch and he leaps up at our face with his tounge going a million miles an hour. Visitors, however, do not. We can no longer reward this behavior by giving him attention, so the idea is to ignore him when he does this and praise him when he sits. In the end, hopefully sitting becomes his default mode. So far, he's really catching on and he find him sitting a lot more. This results in over-the-top praise, which makes him run wild hot laps all throughout the house. So cute! Okay, now I'm going to attempt to post some pics. I have yet to learn how to paste them throughout my text. (Thanks for the attempted help, Annie, but I couldn't crack the code.) You'll still get the gist, though. Dining room table, new basement couch, Rufus showing nice manners. :) *And by the way, Dameon had to sit/lay on the floor for like 5 hours last night assembling the table and chairs. What an awesome hubby!!

one short day in the emerald city!

2009-07-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yessssssssssssssssssssss! I just scored great tickets for Mom, Dad, Dameon and I to see Wicked in Des Moines. Dameon and I saw it last summer in Chicago and it totally knocked our socks off! We couldn't stop talking about it!! I can't wait for my parents to see it and hopefully enjoy it as much as we did. I'm gonna go search for my soundtrack right now so I can get pumped up!

My Man

2009-07-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Happy 27th Birthday to my most amazing and handsome husband! On Tuesday I was driving home from picking up a birthday card for Dameon and thinking wonderful thoughts about him while cruising through Waterloo. I found myself pondering this question: How many women out there can say that they are married to a man who loves them for 100% who they are? I wonder if I take for granted that I am COMPLETELY myself with Dameon and that's the person he loves. WOW! I was blown away by this thought. Not only does he love me for who I am (good days and bad), he breathes acceptance into me every single day. God sure does know what He's doing. I am so thankful for the day Dameon was born! Here are some things I love about "my man":

**He has the same sense of humor as me and always gets my jokes.

**He loves our puppy just as much (if not more) than I do.

**His favorite food is anything that I cook. (except that fish that one time...)

**He loves spending time with my family.

**I never, and I mean NEVER, have to beg him to do anything around the house or the yard. (sometimes I even have to ask him to sit down and relax a little)

**He works extremely hard to make sure he is providing for me and doing everything he can to care for me.

**He can clean a kitchen better than anyone I know.

**He's got just the right amount of goofy in him.

**He is an extremely gifted teacher.

**He always holds my hand in public.

**He desires to be a strong, godly leader for our family.

**Pre-fenced in yard, he would always take Rufus out before bed because he knew I was just a tiny bit afraid of being outside alone at nighttime.

**He lets me change the channel rather than forcing me to bear another episode of Deadliest Catch.

I LOVE YOU, DAMEON!!!!!

citylife

2009-06-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

(If I were a more savvy blogger, I would link JM's song to this post...or something.)
Living in a town like Williamsburg for 3 years certainly has its perks, but one thing I do NOT miss is driving 20 miles to buy paper towels. Unless I want to waaaay over spend.
On Sunday morning, Dameon and I drove around trying to decide if we should get McDonald's breakfast or Burger King's. I got so excited about all the conveniences the "city" has to offer. I kept exclaiming, "Oooh! Bed, Bath, and Beyond!...Oooh! Gordman's!....Ooooh! Sonic!"
So yesterday I made my first solo venture into the city. We decided I should head to Super Target to get the groceries while Dameon went to the school to check in on the drumline rehearsal. I was about to make 3 very major mistakes.
1.) Cart Selection
Don't ask me how, but I managed to select a shopping cart that was literally ELECTRICALLY CHARGED. No joke, this cart honestly shocked me all the way through the store. Like 5 times per aisle, people. It didn't matter where my skin made contact on the dumb thing, it would shock me. And not even at the point of contact! I would just be holding on and suddenly...SHOCK! It hurt so bad that sometimes I couldn't help but audibly say "OW!" My first attempt at a solution was to keep my focus on not allowing my hands to touch any part of the metal. Just keep my little fingers perched on the red plastic-covered part of the handle. No luck. I finally resorted to giving the cart little shoves and then catching up to it as I made my way down the aisles. Good thing I don't know anyone here!! I considered reporting the issue to the cashier, but knew I'd regret it. My fingers were honestly numb by that point.
2.) Placing large items UNDER the cart
Now when you shop at Target, you of course have to load your bagged purchases back into the blasted cart and make your own way out to your car. I had really loaded up on groceries, so I decided it made the most sense to put my gallon of green tea and my bag of potatoes under the cart. As I "shoved and chased" my cart about half way out into the parking lot I heard this horn repeatedly honking somewhere behind me. Again, I think to myself "I don't know anyone here and surely if my husband has somehow tracked me down, he would know better than to get my attention by blaring his horn." I decide it's in my best interest NOT to turn around. I proceed to shove and chase. The next thing I know, a big SUV has pulled up beside me. A woman rolls down the window and says, "Ma'am!" I look at her. She says, "I think you dropped your juice back there." And sure enough, all the way back near the exit is my gallon of Green Tea AND my bag of potatoes ripped wide open setting in the middle of the lot. ARGH! Thank the lady. Shove and chase back to the fallen items. Next comes classic mistake #3.
3.) Parking space choice
When I had initially arrived at Target, I had pulled into a parking space and then realized the space directly in front of me was empty. I decided to pull on through so I could kinda even myself out a little. Yes, I was driving the Sweet Sable which to me feels like a cross between a pontoon and a conversion van. I pulled through but not quite far enough, which meant my front end wasn't sticking out enough for me to be able to spot it. Yep, you guessed it. Can't find the dumb car ANYWHERE! I'm pretty good at pulling off the "I know exactly where I'm headed" face and body language while my sunglass-covered eyes are scanning the parking lot at a feverish rate. Finally I found her, quickly loaded my groceries into the trunk, kicked the cart back to the cart corral, and headed home.
Phew! better luck next time...

Moving Day

2009-06-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Dameon is so technologically savvy that he single-handedly set up our wireless internet in like 20 minutes. Phew! Connected to the world once again...

Moving day went so smoothly and we felt truly blessed by all the great friends and family who turned out to help us get from Point A to Point B. We were talking about it today and saying, "It wasn't just like we had help. We had GOOD help." Everyone pitched in and sweated it out to help us load, unload, unpack (a little), and even have a cookout/birthday party in the backyard. All in one day!!! I'm going to attach a few pics. Most of them I'll have to keep hidden forever because I look pretty horrible. :) I need to work on my camera skills because many of the pics ended up blurry. Oh well. Come visit us! We'd love to see you and give you the tour.

Praise

2009-06-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Yesssss! After 2.5 months on the market, our house sold. We are so relieved that things turned out the way they did and we're really excited to be able to sell it to a couple who we know will enjoy it and take care of it. Now we're busy packing and wrapping things up here in Williamsburg. We move to Waterloo in one week!!

Vacation, anyone?

2009-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

T-minus 11.5 days...and counting. If you're a teacher I know you can relate to that uncontrollable itch that starts to creep in around April or so. (And, no, I'm not talking about the annual outbreak of headlice that comes with t-ball season.) So many times I've heard people say, "Must be nice to get the summers off," and then roll their eyes or something to that effect. But, guess what! If teachers didn't get the summers off, nobody would teach! I'm serious. It is mandatory. I basically think of it as comp time for the 180 days of the year I come in before contract hours, the hundreds of dollars of my own money I spend on my classroom/class, and the many weekends I spend writing lesson plans, designing bulletin boards, and switching my dramatic play center from kitchen, to vet's office, to grocery store, to dental clinic. In all actuality, most teachers don't actually take the summer "off". They spend their time teaching summer lessons and running marching band camps (right, honey?) or taking classes to work toward their master's degree, or starting a new job which means getting a new classroom ready and prepping to teach new curriculum. Okay, I'll step off my soap box now. Anyway, this "itch" has got me thinking about how much I would like a vacation. Our Spring Break was filled with make-up snow days, so we've had a whopping one day of vacation since January. This summer is, of course, crazy and unique for us since we're moving, so I think we'll have to postpone a summer vacay this year. But I found myself thinking back on our Jamaican honeymoon (i.e. Best Vacation EVER) and thought I'd share some of my favorite pics. (P.S. for the LIFE of me I can't figure out how to make pictures be at the bottom of my blog. I don't get it!!!)

More House Pics

2009-04-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

(Sun Porch!!)

(Master Bedroom)

(Living Room with fireplace!)

Star of the Week

2009-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to blog about this for awhile because I find it absolutely hilarious. I am worried, however, that it will be far less funny in written form. I guess you'll have to let me know.
So, every week a different child in my class has his/her turn to be the star. This includes several highly-anticipated events. First, the child gets to bring in family photos which get hung on the bulletin board. Then he gets to dictate 3 sentences that teach us about things he likes to eat, places he likes to go, etc. He also gets to bring in 3 Show and Tell items from home. Finally, at the end of the week, we interview our Star so that we can make a special book for him. At this time, each student has to think of a question to ask the Star. I write the answer on a post-it and they take it back to their desk. After the interview each child gets a page for the book that says '(Star's Name) likes _________' and they have to fill in their answer and draw a picture. Most of the kids ask questions like "What's your favorite sport?" or "What's your favorite movie?" or "What's your favorite color?" or something along those lines. BUT if you have a little boy like "Billy" in the group, things always get a little more interesting. Billy would certainly be considered a creative mind. I've told the kids numerous times that they don't need to keep their hand raised through the ENTIRE round of interview questions. They can raise their hand if they want to be called on, but can put it down if someone else gets chosen. Two weeks ago, however, Billy's question was just so brilliant, so ingenious, that he couldn't even sit still with anticipation. He sat through 15 other kids' questions bobbing his hand up and down and waving it in the air going "Ooh, Ooh!" I could tell that it was making my Star of the Week choose everyone BUT him. Finally, she had no choice and called his name. He was actually breathless as he spit out, "What's your favorite hobo?" Yep, I nearly lost it. And the Star was dumbfounded. I'm the teacher, but how do I even redirect that into something that makes sense? I can't. I say, "Ummmm, Billy that doesn't really make sense. Could you think of something else?" Now, it never fails that when I child is asked to "think of something else" during the interview, they always resort to asking a very narrow question based on something they already know how to draw. Sure enough, he settles for "What's your favorite snake?" (Okay, kid, who knows 'kinds of snakes'??) She thinks for awhile and then says, "...the baby kind." Phew!
The following Friday the same scenario rolls around. Billy's got a question he can barely hold in but the Star of the Week isn't taking the bait. After 15 questions (which seemed like an eternity) it's unavoidably Billy's turn. And, yes, I've been looking forward to it. Breathless Billy says/shouts, "What's your favorite pumpkin?" My Star says, "The orange one." And then Billy follows it up with, "Awww, I was hoping you'd say the heart one." WHAT?!?!
So I send the kids to their seats to start working on their page. But Billy's creativity will not allow him to draw a simple orange pumpkin and leave it at that. The next 15 minutes proceed as follows:
Billy: "Mrs. Place, Can I draw that string on the pumpkin, too?"
Me: "You mean like a Jack-O-Lantern?"
Billy: "Nooooo. That string."
Me: "Um, sure." (yes, sometimes I choose my battles.)
---3 minutes pass by---
Billy: "Mrs. Place, it's that string thing that ties the cow to the pumpkin. That's what I want to draw."
Me: "You mean like a rope?" (i know...i'm answering him as if this makes sense to me?!?)
Billy: "No"
--3 more minutes pass and Billy's really getting frustrated trying to formulate his thoughts---
Billy: "Oh, yeah! Hay!!"
And he proceeds to draw an orange pumpkin sitting on a hay bale.
I'm looking forward to this week's interview session. I'm sure "Billy" is too.

New House = New Kitchen

2009-04-20T09:53:00.001-07:00

a change is gonna come

2009-04-16T13:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true. We are packing our bags and heading north. This is a photo of our new house in Waterloo. (Of course, we still need to sell our current home, so if you know anybody...) For those of you who haven't heard, Dameon is going to be the Director of Bands at Waterloo West. I'll be teaching elementary school up there, but haven't yet been told what grade or what building. It's very scary and difficult and exciting all at the same time. It was one of those things that came up out of the blue, but after much prayer (and tears) we knew it was the best decision for us. We will be moving some time this summer, so we're looking forward to enjoying our last few months here. I know I speak for both of us when I say that Williamsburg will always hold a very special place in our hearts. Stay tuned...

Just one of the reasons I love this guy

2009-03-24T11:03:00.001-07:00

This is the email Dameon sent me the other day at work. It's way too funny to keep to myself.

So…I just completely lost all composure and calm in public…
I let Rufus out the back door, as per our normal schedule. I let him hang out outside for about 5 minutes while I cleaned up my dishes a little. Well, when I went to let him back in, he was gone and his harness was lying empty on the ground facing the street!!!!!!! I flipped out! I ran out the door, yelling and screaming for him. I was sure that he was dead in the road. Well…I don’t know how many times I circled around the house before I realized that he was trotting along right next to me as I was yelling for him…with a turd hanging out of his mouth…
I think I scared him half to death by hugging him so hard! We’ll get a new harness tonight…
YIKES…my chest still hurts from that one!
Love ya!

For Roman

2009-03-03T10:05:00.001-08:00

My friend, Ruth Ann, recently informed me that her cutie-pie little boy loves looking at pictures of my family on this blog. This post is specifically for him. Enjoy!

A Feel-Good Kind of Day

2009-02-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I usually have that intention at the start of most blogs, but I'm REALLY going to do it this time.
The day started out with my class's first Junior Achievement class. To sum it up, Junior Achievement is a five-week "seminar" where a businessperson from the local community comes into the classroom and teaches the kids about making good choices, setting goals, working hard, etc. The slogan is, "Let their success be your inspiration." Anyway, the session went really well and at the end our presentor had the idea to ask each child to share his/her favorite thing about coming to school. Keep in mind that it is a requirement that I not leave the classroom at any time during the class, so I got to take in every last one of their responses. I think about 13 of them said, "Recess", two said "Lunch", one said "Music", and one kid (after a long pause) finally said, "I can't really think of anything I like." Don't mind me, kids! I'm just hear to sing, dance, and twiddle my thumbs. Maybe I was just shocked by their responses because when I was a kid I would have been all over an opportunity to brown-nose about how what I loved most about school was being in Mrs. So-and-So's class. You know me! :)
Moving on. The day ended with me pulling out all the stops to break away from the workbook and play a super fun math game instead. I taught the kids the rules and they were pretty pumped because it was going to be ME versus THEM. They loved the thought of teaming up on me and were really getting into the spirit of the game. (Plus they were practicing addition at the same time.) All was going well until they realized that I was really taking the lead. It started with a girl in the back calling out, "Hey! She's winning!" Then another chimed in with "Yeah, she's evil!" (Evil, right? Where would they even come up with that?!) Before I knew it half of them had totally turned on me and were actually ready to throw in the towel on the whole game. Finally one boy interrupted the chaos by shouting above the rest, "No, guys! Not evil! She's a wizard!" Good or bad, I'd take wizard over evil any day of the week.
The day kind of spiraled out of control from there. I guess it's workbooks tomorrow.