celebrating our “baby” turning two! His birthday was such a crazy day and nothing seemed to be going to plan: a stomach bug went through two of the big boys, he refused to eat his special dinner and the cupcakes were store-bought from Wegmans with the only candles left in the house (pink!). It was a good lesson for me in what matters most. We were all together and his siblings were so excited to give him his Batmobile. They played with him all afternoon! It wasn’t Pinterest worthy or exciting, but it was good.
cleaning the entire house in an attempt to rid it of all these nasty germs. After the big boys got sick, it quickly passed to Mark, TJ and me. And we seem to take triple the time to get better! I’ve been washing all of our sheets and wiping down every surface.
loving our new couch, even though it was the cause of so much indecision! What to get, where to get, fabric choice to get and on and on… We finally decided to just expand our exisiting Ikea sofa and purchase new slipcovers. In the end, it was way cheaper and with TJ constantly making messes (and another brother coming right behind him!), we thought it’s probably best to wait until the kids are a little older to invest in a “nice” couch.
welcoming the third trimester and feeling like this baby is going to literally break me, hah. It must be the fact that this is baby #6, or maybe I’m just old, but this pregnancy seems to be the hardest yet. My pregnancy pros and cons list:
Con: painful sciatica and lower back pain, making me waddle something fierce // Pro: blood pressure back to normal!
Con: baby is moving and pushing all over the place (also considered a pro) but the midwife at my appointment said it could be until close to 38 weeks before he engages head down “because there is just SO much room in there” (insert grimace emoji here) // Pro: I’ve only gained 15 pounds so far (way less than typical) and she also mentioned that the baby “didn’t feel very big at all”, so that’s encouraging!
I also took my glucose test this week. I’ve been dreading it, but on Monday morning, I felt drawn to offer my fears and anxiety for sweet baby Regina. So far, no phone call, so hopefully no news is good news?
looking into Trim Healthy Mama. As much as the name makes me roll my eyes, I think it’s worth exploring. As I get older, I can feel the effects of sugar in a whole new way: I love the initial “high” but then typically feel awful after! I know the carefree sugarholic days of my youth are gone and it’s probably time to start taking better care of myself. THM is a little overwhelming, but I’m taking notes (I bought both the book and the cookbook) and hoping to start small before ramping it up after the baby is born.
watching Madam Secretary.
reflecting on a passage from my devotional: “Beg God to grant you true love of others and you will be rewarded with more than you know how to desire.”
watching the boys thrive at school. The transition has been so natural and I know God’s hand is definitely on every piece. There really is no “perfect” schooling option, but for right now, this is working and I’m so thankful.
+ J is having an ABC Bootcamp in Kindergarten and every child was assigned a day and letter. He lucked out with the letter “J” and brought in a Jack-o-Lantern, jam and a jump rope.
+ D is doing wonderfully and his teacher says that he is right on target with the rest of the class. (No extra help needed for dyslexia/dysgraphia!) It’s been so nice to watch him want to read books, something I’d have to force on him when he was at home. He is also suddenly very interested in writing and illustrating his own stories – so exciting!
+ M’s first big school project was to create a salt dough version of the state of Virginia, along with major rivers and landmarks. I’m thankful that he is being able to expand his knowledge in that way – he’s such a creative learner.
(not) working on Big White Farmhouse much. The yuck spreading through our house took most of my attention. Just a couple notes for this week:
+ I’m watching the ebb and flow of business and trying not to freak out during the slower moments. It’s so hard to be in the valley and not panic, wondering why the heck I’m doing this in the first place. But then there’s a wonderfully strong week and I remember again why I love this job. Small business is not for the weak!
+ We’re celebrating the offical start of fall with a Free Ship Weekend! Coupon code is FALLFREESHIP and good until Sunday night.
having a hard time coming up with ideas to write in this space. I’ve been blogging for over five years now, so the idea of “ending” sounds so final, but maybe? Struggling to find my voice here.
