Something in the Air - Updated with a Video

As my due date draws closer, I've been trying to slowly get all of our ducks in a row to prepare for the arrival of Baby Brother. This has included everything from nesting and organizing to preparing Axel for the change that is about to happen. Luckily I have a handful of friends who have dealt with the same transition in just the past couple of months. Even down to the same age gap. This has been extremely enlightening for me and I am so grateful that I've been able to pick their brains and receive helpful foresight and advice.

One of the biggest and most important things I keep hearing is that Axel and Jordan will need to become Best Buds when the baby comes. Now don't get me wrong, Jordan is an AMAZING daddy. I mean, world class, top notch, wonderful! But, Axel and I have an extremely deep and close bond that I pretty much consider untouchable. Those of you who are mothers will know exactly what I am referring to. Parents are parents and I know Jordan loves our Ax Man as much as I do, but a mother has this odd almost psychic connection with her child/children that a father can't touch. I've been wondering how Jordan can pick up on these things and take the reins so that if my attention shifts to Baby Brother, Axel won't feel left out. To be honest, I was doubting Jordans (or anyone else's) ability to be Axels best friend. Because I AM his best friend.

But, as is always the case.. I've been (softly) slapped in the face with something truly beautiful, and a reminder how how powerful families are...especially the power of fathers. In the past week or two Jordan and Axel have had this bizarre natural pull towards each other that I really can't describe as well as I'd like, but it's different than anything I've seen with them before. It's really as if nature is sensing the impending change and is guiding them to each other. It is the sweetest thing ever. When Axel wakes up he always gets so excited to see me. He does a little dance and wraps his arms so tightly around my neck when I pick him up from his crib. He still does all of this but now he also puts two hands on my cheeks, and asks "Dada?" or "Daaa-eeee?" (daddy).. Wondering if Jordan is home. Which, sadly he's already at work when Ax wakes up.

There are so many other examples I could record but I think the point is pretty clear. I am so grateful for our Eternal family and for the strong connections we have in this home. I am so grateful for the balance that Jordan and I have when it comes to parenting and our preferences.

I know that having two little ones will be a challenge as our routines change and we all adjust to having a newborn around, but I also know that the blessing of having children, and the sweet spirits they are in our home is the most fulfilling thing in the world. I am so grateful for my amazing family and am so excited to see how the next few months unfold for us!

I had to add this video to the post. You can't really see what's going on (other than the clutter on our living room floor.. ), but you can hear it. Jordan is pretending to run into Axel's feet. When I try to play this game, you can hear crickets. When Jordan plays it with Axel, well.. you can hear the reaction. I love this belly laugh!

Our Trip to L&D

We had a pretty interesting day today. With tomorrow being my birthday, we had big plans for our Saturday; first we were going to take Axel to the Madison Children's Museum, then have lunch with my family, and then do whatever we wanted... But things changed a bit..

Around 7am, while Axel and I were waking up, snuggling and watching sesame street I felt what I thought was a Braxton Hicks. But instead of the usual feeling it was really strong and kind of hurt. I changed positions and a few minutes later another one came. My entire stomach would get tight and hard, and I had a strong, painful pressure in my pelvis. In 30 minutes I had had about 6 of them. I text Jordan and called my mom and both suggested I call the on call doctor. I didn't want to because I didn't want to be "THAT pregnant lady". But as the contractions continued, I finally called and the doctor said I should go in. Jordan was at work so I had to wait for him to get home and then we left.

Jordan and Ax dropped me off because Jordan had an Elders Quorum meeting and I didn't think I could REALLY be in labor. I figured if things got serious they could come back, but whats the point of them just sitting there?

Once I checked in they hooked me up to the monitors and lo and behold, I had real contractions coming! I was pretty much in disbelief. Everyone always assured me that I'll definitely KNOW when I get a REAL contraction, and since I was so unsure I was positive they would send me straight home and tell me to drink more water or something. After about a half hour the contractions were coming every 2 minutes! They checked my cervix and luckily I wasn't dilated. I was 50% effaced but the nurse didn't seem concerned about that. They did some blood work and took a urine sample and both came back great. They also checked to see if my water had broken and it hadnt, so aside from the on-going contractions, things looked good. Eventually they gave me a muscle relaxer to try to stop the contractions and it worked! After a few hours the contractions tapered off completely and I was sent home.

I am so thankful that our little boy decided to stay put for awhile! As anxious as we are to meet him, we'd really prefer to meet him when his lungs and other parts are better developed!

The belly picture was taken early this morning, just before the contractions started (I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow). The second picture is at the hospital with the monitors on.

Back, with a Project!

Lately I haven't really had the ambition to blog. There's been plenty going on, but I've been keeping a low profile in the blogging world I guess.

Today I had to post my exciting new project that I just did this morning! It probably won't be exciting to anyone except for me but I'm going to share anyway. So when Jordan and I were engaged and registering for wedding gifts, we found a gorgeous comforter/bedding set at Target called "the kissing pleat comforter". I think it was about $80 for a queen. We didn't end up getting it as a wedding gift so we bought it ourselves shortly after we were married. Sadly, it was made kind of crappy and started to fall apart right away. So, we took it back and found something else. Since then, we've seen a few other versions of the kissing pleat set at places like Nordstroms and Anthropologie for over $300! Every time we see it, we swoon and sigh knowing that $300 ain't happening for something as simple as bedding.

Recently I've been looking for new projects and googled the kissing pleats. It turns out a few others have made their own versions, so I decided I could too! I found some fabric at walmart for only $3/yard. Jordan loves anything paisley (me, eh...I'm fine with or without it) and I thought he'd really like the print. I used an old white sheet we had at home for the underside and created our own, customized kissing pleats duvet cover! The total cost? $18! I'm going to have to get a little more fabric if I want pillow cases to match... So let's say $25.. But still! Such a steal! Jordan hasn't seen it yet and I'm excited for his reaction!

***just and update. I also thought I'd throw in the new bedding I made Axel. The original bedding I received from my shower registry was expensive and sadly didn't even last very long (I'm noticing a pattern here..), so I made him a new crib sheet and skirt, and also a pillow case with a matching blanket..

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! Well, in our house anyway. Outside looks more like Spring time. We had one day of snow which I thought was the start of another blizzardy Wisconsin winter, but it didn't stick, and it hasn't snowed again. I'm not complaining.

So much has happened since my last post. First of all, we had Thanksgiving! It was such a lovely day. Jordan had Thursday and Friday off of work which means we had him all to ourselves for FOUR DAYS! It was bliss. On Thursday we relaxed (well, Jordan and Axel relaxed while I bustled about in the kitchen. We didn't put a lot of thought into our meals and I didn't prepare ahead of time so my morning started with pie crust, pie filling (pumpkin of course) and I don't think I sat down until it was time to eat! But we really had a great day. We had a small turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (the canned stuff is not as good as I remember it being when I was little), and other small side dishes. We were quickly stuffed and spent the rest of the day enjoying each others company. Axel LOVES having his daddy home. Thursday night I did round 1 of our black friday shopping. I had never gone before and I was so giddy and nervous! I was ready to go about an hour before I needed to leave and it felt like the first day of school, haha. My first stop was walmart. It was CRAZY, but not terrible. I got what I needed and left as fast as I could. Then it was on to Boston Store where I was hoping to get a jacket I had been lusting after. I knew I wouldn't get much wear out of it this year (things are a little..erm.. snug these days) but it was so gorgeous I wanted it for next year.. and the year after and so on. The store was set to open at midnight. I arrived at 10:30pm and started playing games on my phone from the warmth of my vehicle. Then I noticed a lady outside the doors. My first thought was "she must work there". Then I saw her get out a book, zip up her coat and put on a hat. Great. I rolled down my window and asked if she was waiting in line already. She told me pretty soon the line would be really long so I'd better get a good spot. This was not my plan. I didn't bring a jacket. But, I did it for the beautiful coat waiting for me inside. I waited outside for an hour and a half! As soon as the doors opened I ran inside and found my lovely coat. Fast forward to the next day...

We left early Friday morning to do some more Christmas shopping (Jordan got up at 4am to go to a few others stores. Nice teamwork eh? So anyways, as we headed to Madison I noticed (yes, I was wearing the jacket.. I still could have worn it for another week or so).. that the sleeves were really big, especially in the shoulders. CRAP! If the jacket is loose on me at 6 months pregnant, how is it going to look next winter when I'm 8 months post-pregnancy?! So, the jacket went back to the store (and no they didn't have a smaller size). It was a sad feat. However the rest of our day was wonderful! We were able to cross several items off of our Christmas shopping lists and snagged some great deals! Then we had lunch with my mom and siblings, Aunt Lynn and her boys, and my Aunt Lori, her husband Rolfe, and their daughters Leysa and Lara. They were visiting from Minneapolis! We went to Ella's Deli, which is a favorite of mine from childhood. I've been wanting to take Axel there for quite some time now. Once lunch was over we were very ready to get home and take some naps! But my family seemed sad that they weren't going to get to see us much more, so the next thing I know I was inviting everyone over for Pizza's the next day.

So.. Saturday we had everyone over for Jordan's amazing homemade pizza. We all hung out and enjoyed the company. Then on Sunday Jordan invited HIS family over for dinner (which was leftover Pizza.. still delicious). I lasted about 30 minutes and had to retire to my room to take a nap. All the hustle and bustle of the previous four days had me tired and very achy.

It was such a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend though, and I am so grateful for everything and everyone that I have in my life!

This week has been very quick! School is coming to a close so there is A LOT to do! It was hard getting back into the swing of things after all that family time, but things are coming along nicely.

The other day Jordan bought some Acai anti-oxidant juice (single serving) and hated it, so he offered it to me. I wasn't a fan either. Later that evening, after Axel was in bed, Jordan mentioned that he had given some to Axel and he just LOVED it, so it didn't go to waste. Okay, neat. Later that night.. .Ax woke up about 5 times in the middle of the night. Things got pretty crazy. After getting up with him several times and putting him back to bed only to hear him awake again an hour later I decided to just let him go back to sleep on his own. At one point I could have sworn I heard a loud noise coming from Axel's room, but tried to convince myself that it was just the building and that I was being paranoid. Plus, it was hard to hear much over him yelling/crying. We let about 20 minutes go by thinking he was almost sleep. Finally I went into his room. What did I see?! Axel's crib turned into a sinking ship and he was hanging on for dear life! He had jumped so hard that he somehow knocked the mattress frame loose, so half of it was on the floor and the other half was up in the air (totally Titanic style) and he was gripping the bed rail crying. Um, can you say major bad parenting guilt?! Why is it that all the other times I felt that I just HAD to check on him in the middle of the night, for fear that the boogy-man snuck in and kidnapped him, or that there were ghosts hovering over his bed, only to find him sound asleep? This time, something really did happen and it took me 20 minutes to go in and check on him!?! Well, we laugh about it now, but it was pretty sad at the time. Needless to say he spent the rest of the night in our bed.

The next morning Axel wasted no time getting the day started. Even though he had been up from about 3-5am, he woke up with tons of energy at 7:30am ready to play. I lay in bed trying to wake myself up while Axel played on the floor in my room. A couple minutes later I heard a crackling sound. OH NO. He got into the wrapping paper and bows. Then he came running up to the bed with a little green bow stuck to his head! I don't think he even knew it was there, but it was so stinkin' cute! Then we got up and made breakfast. What kind of breakfast does a crazy child get after he kept his pregnant mother up all night? Yep. Waffles with Nutella. I know. Bad mommy once again. After a little bit, it was off to the bath we go!





Later that day, when he was taking a much needed nap, and I was cleaning the kitchen I noitced the Acai bottle in the garbage. Curious to see the name of it so I could get it again for him (who doesn't need anti-oxidants, right?) I pulled it out of the trash and read the label. I think my eyes popped out of my head and I gasped so loud the neighbors probably thought.. well, nevermind what they might have thought. It was an ENERGY drink! AN ENERGY DRINK! Not a carbonated one like monster or rockstar, but a natural ingredient energy drink. OH. MY. GOSH. By this time I was ready to call CPS and turn myself in. No WONDER he was up all night. Jordan gave him natural caffeine! Well, the moral of this story? Always read the labels! Sheesh.

In case you are wondering, Axel had his 15-month check up yesterday and is doing wonderful! He has grown 2 inches since SEPTEMBER! He's 31 inches long and weighs 31lbs. He tops the charts for weight and is up in the 75th percentile for height. Also, according to the charts he has a big head, haha. Everything looked great, and our growing, crazy boy is in great health. After Axel's appointment I had one too! Jordan took Axel for a drive (because if you weren't sure.. 15-month olds do not do well in tiny rooms with lots of drawers and cabinets). Baby brother B is doing great as well and is so far, measuring right on track. I absolutely LOVE my clinic. There are two OB's and a midwife, and as of yesterday I have seen them all. I don't know who to pick for D-day because I love each of them so much! I guess I'm lucky to have all the options.

Today I am trying to cram my last bit of homework in before the weekend is over. That's why I decided to do a random craft and write this super long blog post. Yep, I am a procrastinator with a capital P. Here is what I made..




Cell phone charging holders! I don't know what else to call them, but I was sick of having cords everywhere so lo and behold Pinterest to the rescue. I found this great tutorial and made one for me, and one for Jordan.

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/12/holder-for-charging-cell-phone-made-from-lotion-bottle.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MakeItAndLoveIt+%28Make+It+and+Love+It%29

I used an empty shampoo bottle for mine and an empty baby shampoo bottle for Jordans. His phone is a bit wide and I think taller than mine. My only concern now is that they wont fit. I didn't realize how much space the actual PLUGS would take up so there isn't much room for the top of the phones to peek out. I couldn't get a picture of the phone in the holder on the wall because I used my phone to take the pictures, and Jordan isn't home yet. But here ya go.. I love them!!




Okay I really need to do my homework now. My sister Lucy is coming for the weekend, yay!!

DIY Anthropologie Nail & String Letters

I was feeling like it was time for another craft, so I did a search on Pinterest for "DIY Anthropologie". A ton of ideas came up and the two that I loved the most were the DIY Nail and String Letters, and the DIY Anthropologie bedding. I started with the letters because you basically use things you have around the house and it was only going to take me an hour or so to do. Here is the wonderful tutorial I used..http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I really wanted to take up some major wall space in our apartment because the walls are so high and wide.. but I couldn't think of anything to write in our living room or dining room so I chose to go with our bedroom. The walls by our bed are totally bare and I wanted to write something lovey dovey. I chose to go with "XOXO". I used "insert--word art" instead of enlarging the letters in word so that I wouldn't have to use as much ink. Instead I just had the outline of the letters (if that makes sense). It was hard to tell if they were spaced out correctly and evenly on the wall but I went with what I thought looked alright and started nailing. Now that I am finished I kind of wish I would have written something longer, such as "I LOVE YOU".. but the nailing took awhile and I felt bad for my neighbors so I can go with something longer next time we move. For now.. the xoxo is up and I love it!!






The next project I want to do is this one..

http://ifyougiveagirlaneedle.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-anthropologie-beddingfrom-t-shirts.html

Welcome Home Daddy!

Oh Pinterest, how I love thee! I wish I could claim this brilliant idea as my own, but alas I cannot. A friend of mine posted this on facebook (via pinterest) and I had to copy it. The idea totally suits our family humor and I was so excited to get it going!

Last night we made a family outing to Fleet Farm (yes, we are becoming hicks.. you betcha!) I told Jordan I was going to look for his Christmas present so he needed to go to the back of the store for a few minutes. Really, I made a quick run to the toy section and grabbed two nerf guns, ran to the check out, and hid them in the car, before running back into the store calm and collected to find my boys. Success! We walked around the store a bit and then made our way to the car. Jordan had no idea. After Jordan went to bed I snuck outside and brought the bags in and hid them in our second bathroom tub with the curtain closed. This morning I noticed he had gone into that bathroom before he left for work! But thankfully, he didn't have any desire to look in the tub. (That would have been weird, right?)

I waited all day to get started on our plan. I wanted to get to work on it at soon as I woke up because I was so excited, but I had to wait until about 1:30pm to do anything or Axel would have gotten into it. First, we made the sign and hung it up in the entry way where Jordan was sure to see it..




Then, I took the guns out of their boxes, which took me almost 20 minutes to do! Remember when barbies had those weird wire things that twisted in the back of the box to keep their bodies in place? Well, the elves in toyland must have a lot of time on their hands these days because the wires were twisted so tight and so weird that I had to cut them off! (Which annoyed me because I had just painted my nails and smudged them in the process of trying to unwind the stupid wire before I gave up and used scissors). Once I had the guns ready I had to pick one for us (me and Ax) and one for Jordan. We chose the one that was easiest to use (and had the most foam "bullets") and left the more difficult one for Jordan, mwah hah hah.. guys are supposed to be good at that sort of thing anyway! Then, Axel and I got into costume..



Axel wouldn't keep his awesome belt on because he was more interested in playing with my make-up brush on his face.. (my pretty boy..).. but it worked out in the end..

I chose my arab scarf..




But Axel got jealous so I put it on him..


Jihad! Jihad!
I laughed my bum off at him in the scarf.. I couldn't decide if he looked more like a little Pakistanian baby or Toad from Mario Brothers..


Right before Jordan got home, we set up the entry way..



Just when I was starting to get impatient, we opened the door to go watch for Jordan's car from the hallway window.. as soon as we stepped into the hall he came walking around the corner so we quickly ran inside and locked the door and hid around the corner. We heard him come in and stop... he giggled (can I say he giggled? Is that too much of a girly word? Okay, he snickered..) and Axel and I came running around the corner! Since Axel is too little I took the reins with the nerf gun and fired away! Jordan was cornered and couldn't figure out how to work his gun so we got him really good! He was laughing so hard and so were we! He loved our outfits and the surprise!

I can't wait to surprise Axel and baby B when they are older and come home from school to find me and Jordan waiting with crazy costumes on and plenty of ammo. Haha.. oh the joys of having children!

"Time to Pray"

Lately Axel has been a total vocabulary sponge and surprising us when he'll randomly repeat something we say, or out of no where we'll hear him say something while he is playing. He isn't speaking in sentences or anything yet, but he is definitely learning words and communicating.

His definite words so far are:

Dada
Mama (although he only says it when he reaaally wants me or when he's annoyed and then he'll say "oh, maaaa" like "come on Mom, really?" It's funny)
Dog
Dawn (our apartment manager who Axel is in love with)
Night Night ("nigh-nigh")
Apple
Sock ("sssssah")
Whats this? ("whassiss")
Bye-bye
I love you (Iiiii-rah-ooo)
Axel (Aaaa-cks-ah)

And his newest word? Pray. Oh my goodness, it is so cute to hear him say this. Maybe more so because we're quite religious, but just hearing his little voice say it is too cute!