listing

I wasn't sure where to begin this post until I realized that I had totally skipped Ethan's 16 month "birthday". Whoops! Our little man is babbling, half-running, climbing steps, learning words, using his signs better, (I think he thinks the sign for "please" actually means "dessert". Ha!), singing the tune of the a-b-c-d song without the actual letters.. and stealing our hearts every day. So blessed and challenged in parenting this little man.

Excuse the blur of these photos... they were taken right around the 16 month mark, and he truly is a little blur now!

So. Many. Stickers.We love our backpack from Grammie!

Spaghetti is possibly our favorite meal

*Clears a tear* - Ahem.

This post is big for us. If you know us, you know how much love, sweat and tears we have put into our house. We did the thing the people on HGTV's Fixer Upper (watching as I type!) do every episode - bought the worst house in the best neighborhood {that we could afford!} and fixed it up.

I can't estimate the number of hours that we have labored over this home. I've tried to estimate the dollars. The memories of our firstborn homing home to this house, and laboring over it before he did, are something I'll carry with me forever.

Recently, though, Austin accepted a job in Cypress, Texas. It's not far from here (though construction makes it seem much further). We're excited for the upcoming opportunity for him and the growth it should provide for his career! It was a scary, hard decision - as it always is for the sole earner of a family. It's hard to leave something that is comfortable.

We have been longing for a move to the suburbs lately - both of us, for different reasons (Austin grew up in a suburb... I grew up right here!). We prayed for months over it. We had a Realtor come out. We explored several neighborhoods in several different suburbs. No option made enough sense. Our mantra became, "it would be so great to be able to live and work in the suburbs! What a rare opportunity! Those people are so fortunate!"

Then 'those people' became us.

Before I met him, Austin has always said that he is dedicated to going to church in his neighborhood - something that's really in his community. He has even attended churches in which he stood out like a sore thumb. Our current church is located just down the road from us - a total of about 10 blocks, or a 30 minute walk (we have done it). That's rare, friends. Our church has a second location... right by his new work location.

These, among other things, have confirmed and reaffirmed our plan to list our house, and relocate to Cypress, Texas. It's a big leap of faith, even though it appears to be easy. Listing your house is not easy. Selling your house is not easy. Buying a house is not easy. There isn't a house on the market right now that is 'perfect' for us. We don't really know where we will end up. On top of that: we know what the best neighborhoods are, but is that what The Lord is calling us to? The best, the safest, the most comfortable? I want to say yes. I'm not sure that is what He is saying. The world says yes - buy the big house in the best neighborhood. UPGRADE. You deserve it.

This is what The Lord says:

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
{1 Corinthians 1:18-21 ESV}

We're preparing our house, and it should be on the market next week.

Pondering these things in our hearts, and praying over them with thanksgiving,

xo,

ten months old

It has been quite a morning. Austin got back from a day-trip to Denver for work late last night (around 1 am) so he was sleeping in, and it was day 2 of getting myself and a baby ready - solo. I'm terrible at the timing when I don't have the help I am used to, so I almost always run late when I am alone (you think I would learn). So, of course I forgot my cell phone, Ethan's bottle, and Ethan's Wubbanub at home, and somehow remembered my lunch. I made 2 trips back for the first two items and didn't realize the Wubbanub was at home until after Ethan was already at daycare. I think I've emphasized before how dependant we are on his Wubba (here and here). Fortunately, Austin took it in around 9:30 this morning, so all is right with the world again!

That said, I DID remember that today marks 10 months of this little boy's life. We had a rough photoshoot. He thought he was in crib-prison, mama just thought the crib sheets (from his great Aunt Barbara) were too cute and had to be used. Ethan was winning that battle, until dad woke up and helped him smile!

Pre-dad-intervention. I wish this wasn't so blurry because
I might seriously frame it. I love this pout!

imprisoned

At least he isn't crying....

Jail shot! Daddy entertaining Ethan

It's working! Laying down is for the birds

Happy boy!

The puppet culprit - the gift from Pop Pop that makes Ethan smile!

The ONLY smiling shot with his legs down. It was a rough shoot.

I weighed Ethan recently, and he weighed 22 lbs! He's probably still tracking at about 60-70th percentile to weight. We know he's over 30" tall, but do you blame me for not measuring? I mean, pictures are hard enough. He's more about the candid shots ;)

We leave for Colorado Saturday, bright and early. There's still much to do (finish packing & preparing our home for the contractors). Hopefully the busyness will help us pass the time quickly. And hopefully that dreaded flight goes well, and quickly. Thanks to all our friends for your tips on flying with a baby!

Oh, did I mention that Ethan saw Austin bringing the Wubbanub to daycare and lost it? It's just been that kind of day. Whew!

xo,

PS - here's a cute video of Ethan playing with the puppy-puppet!

week 36

Just four more weeks!

Today, Austin leaves for Lubbock... so no matter what happens, I have to hold this baby in this week! He isn't really showing any signs of making an entrance anyway, but I would hate for Ethan to come and Austin be 8 hours away.

This week, we rearranged Ethan's room a little. I'm not a huge fan of the way it looks when you walk in, but we made the decision to move the dresser because 1) I didn't want pee and poo on those pretty white curtains, and 2) I can change Ethan's diaper from a variety of angles this way, rather than just from the side. I personally prefer changing diapers from the baby's feet, not their side. When you're in the room (say, sitting on the bed), the layout makes sense.

You walk in and... bam, there's the dresser!
(And the diaper pail)

The dresser looks really nice next to the crib, though!
Hey, we have a crib skirt! Thanks, Grandma!

It's going to take some getting used to. The rocker will go next to that table
which will soon be re-painted white.

I still prefer the dresser under the window, but I think I'm choosing function over form this time. Ethan won't know the difference!

Blurry...

Much better!

How far along? 36 weeks!

Weight gain: I feel like I doubled it last week.. I feel huge and uncomfortable.
Maternity clothes? Yes, I love these jeans.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: It's getting more rough. I absolutely can't get comfortable, and my back always hurts.
Miss anything? A good night's sleep. I don't think I'm going to see one of those for a LONG time.
Movement: He still has his crazy bouts!
Food cravings: Last Monday I wanted (and got) Fuddruckers. Lately, I've just wanted something healthy - a fruit and veggie tray would really do the trick.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn, if I forget my medicine!
Have you started to show yet: Hahaha...
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nothing major, and hoping to keep it that way at least one more week
Belly Button in or out? In, and we don't think it's going to come out.
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The ultrasound this Thursday!!! I can't wait to see Ethan!

love,

The Nursery

The nursery is.... mostly done! We're still waiting for a few things that are on the registry, as well as the bedding (which I can't wait to see!). I decided to take pictures in a circle so you could get a good idea of what everything looks like when you're in the room. Unfortunately, we aren't fancy enough for a 360-view.

The doors are up in the room... they're painted, trimmed, reinstalled, and ready for their doorsy-duty.

The accessories on the floating shelves have been secured to the shelves, per Ethan's grandpa's request. He was here Wednesday night and he didn't even check to see that they were secured! Then there's the bed, complete with the pillow I made:

And, my favorite part, the whale and the net! I love it. (Yes, we've already played with the monitor on the wall. Thanks Jennifer!)

And now we're back at the door!

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath on seeing the crib set that my mom is making (well, maybe just me) so look for an update to this post!

I think we're about ready for a baby... almost! {5.5 more weeks!}

love,

week 34

It's so hard to believe that I have (approximately..) SIX weeks left. The part of me that is uncomfortable and exhausted thinks that six weeks is entirely too long, and little Ethan needs to come sooner. The part of me that is thankful that I am not yet responsible for Ethan's little life outside the womb thinks that six weeks sounds great!

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to paint those doors. Austin took the doors down and laid them on drop cloths in the garage and I set out to paint them! They also need to be trimmed, but we're really ready to be done with the nursery so I opted to paint them first. We are crossing our fingers that trimming the bottom (an inch or two because of the thickness of our carpet) doesn't damage the paint too much...

I kind of like having the doors off. It's so much easier to shove those boxes of diapers in there when they're not in the way..(click here to see the guideline we're using on to how to stock up on diapers before baby - note that we think E will weigh more than 6 lbs, so we're minimizing the newborns). However, I know the closet won't always look this neat, and getting into the closet will be much easier when the doors have been trimmed.

The closet in his room came with this
awesome storage system!

We had a shower (thrown by the hosts of our church small group) on Saturday with some friends from church. It was so awesome! Our church takes a small group haitus in the summer, so it's always awesome to gather with them, even if it's just to hang out. We're glad they're starting back up September 9th, since Ethan shouldn't be here yet and we should get to be there! We got a lot of really awesome, useful gifts from them, including some really cute clothes. Some, in particular, support our Cougar addiction pride.

As you probably noticed, in the above closet shot, we did receive a lot of clothes from Kristin, Austin's sister, whose son is about a year older than Ethan. Unfortunately, they only had UT gear, since that's where Aunt Kristin went. Not our kid, he's a Coog like his parents!

Don't you love these?!

The cake was delicious - and so cute!

We're looking forward to the next round of showers! I have a shower with my company (more like a sweet luncheon, I think) this Friday, one thrown by my aunt & cousin-bff, and one in two weeks thrown by Aunt Kristin (& Gigi). We're so blessed that so many people want to be involved in Ethan's life & help us get started with this sweet baby!

How far along? 34 weeks

Weight gain: 19 lbs?
Maternity clothes? None, aside from my belly band! (I get excited when I get to wear normal clothes)
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: It has been great, aside from waking up with those sharp mini-contractions.
Miss anything? Being comfortable!
Movement: Lots! Little guy is still head down :)
Food cravings: None. I'm lucky if I even get hungry.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing, as long as I take my heartburn meds!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Not official ones
Belly Button in or out? IN! Barely, but it is in!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired. Always tired. I need that caffeine!
Looking forward to: More baby showers, Labor Day/a three-day weekend, and a fantastic date night before little E comes!

I have to say, I am finally at peace with the birthing process. It's just scary when all you hear about is the pain and the grossness of it (and a short mention about how beautiful and miraculous it is). An epidural is in the plans, however, only God knows how things will go. We've agreed to do whatever it takes to get little Ethan into this world safely... and we've been working on that for almost 8 months now! (I really can't wait to meet our son!)

love,

PS - here's a little snippet of what our evening "walks" look like with Bear. We're so fortunate to have this little bayou so close to our home!

32 weeks

For the first 6 months of pregnancy, I really didn't mind being pregnant. There were very few bad side effects (aside from losing 1/2 my wardrobe and needing prescription heartburn meds that I am bound to daily). Being 5'10" helps a little with spacial issues/crowding... that is, unless you're married to a 6'7" (maybe 6'6", we debate) man, who gives you a lanky baby. I'm convinced this kid is enormous - in length, if nothing else.

Ethan, I do believe we'd both be more comfortable if you were more into the fetal position than the "L" position - or whatever it is you're doing with your butt on my right and your foot on my far left. Yes, I am officially uncomfortable. I wake up with backaches, sit crooked at work so I can stretch out, and recline at every opportunity. Son, we have about 8 weeks left. Let's figure something out.

Bear made his appearance this morning (his ratted up toy, too).

 This week, theBump.com says baby is the size of a squash (a round one). Let's just refer back to the pineapple from last week: he feels bigger than that, and about as comfortable.

There's a baby in there!!

In other news, progress was made on the nursery, thanks to Austin!

Apparently, the only picture I took was of the one upside-down outlet.
I'm very excited that they're tamper-resistant! Yay!

Yes, the other thing(s) are those closet doors. Hate, hate, hate. I'm sure when they're done, I'll be the happiest mama on the block.

They still look like that, but the extra trim and compressor/nail gun is gone.

How far along? 32 weeks (starting month #8!)
Maternity clothes? belly-banding it today
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Lots this weekend, none last night.
Miss anything? my wardrobe
Movement: All. The. Time. He just elbowed my hip for the 14th time today, and has already had hiccups once.
Food cravings: More like, "nothing sounds good and I'm not hungry, are you sure I have to eat?" every day.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I forget my heartburn meds, or don't take them with food (they're serious about taking them with food).
Have you started to show yet: Undeniably
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None yet, thankfully
Belly Button in or out? Hanging in there!
Wedding rings on or off? On, no sign of that changing yet.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Argumentative? Not sure that's new though.

Looking forward to: Baby showers!

This weekend is our last "free" weekend until Ethan comes, with the exception of Labor Day. The others are full of showers, and/or not making plans in case a little man wants to cancel them. We have one or two more house projects that we'd like to wrap up before Ethan gets here.. but I also have a couple to post about later that we did in the last week!

I didn't get a video of it, but Austin and I both watched Ethan drag his foot across the left side of my stomach on Saturday night. Seeing that makes things a little more "real" for Austin, but I also think it scared him a little. Yes, there's a real live human in there!

Excited to meet our little man... :)

love,

nursery phase II: finishing the bottom

I am unable to procrastinate on things, and knowing that I have things to get done makes me crazy. So on Wednesday night, I wrapped up as much of Ethan's nursery as I could do alone. Needless to say, I was in bed by 9, and slept very well that night.

I have to say that the white looks awesome against the blue... and that his nursery wouldn't look half as good without it. It brightens up the blue in a way I really didn't expect. Was it worth all that time (and money)? Maybe...

The original color of the entire room house.

I'll also say that I am sick of painting, so I think I'm taking those closet doors down and leaving them off. I don't care right now whether they ever go back on. They need to be trimmed anyway, because the carpet is too thick. Yes, curtains sound more appealing by the day. Or new closet doors, but I am not interested in installing more doors.

Austin has been gone a lot, so fortunately I had a lot of help from other people on this nursery. One of my best friends, Lindsey, helped me paint his nursery blue. When that dried, Leslie, Meredith, and Danielle from our small group came and helped me with the wallpaper (which is the highlight of the room, is it not?). I painted the chair rail, Austin cut it, and I nail-gunned it up while Austin held it. I really love that nail gun! It freaks me out when I use it and Bear is in the room. I don't think I'd nail him accidentally - I don't think that's possible - but it still scares me!

What's left, then? Austin's job! Changing all the beige, old, gross outlets and light switches to new, white, tamper-resistant plugs and switches. Hopefully, that won't take too long. I bought them in bulk because half our house had white plugs when we moved in, and we need to replace the beige ones anyway. Might as well make them tamper-resistant, while we're at it.

Austin also needs to add one 2-3 foot section of chair rail that he didn't get to do last Sunday because he was already late in leaving for Laredo. I may use a nail gun, but I am not putting my hands on a saw! After that (and DAP-ing the holes and caulking it...) I think the room itself will be done... I think.

Without further ado, the very handsome, partly-decorated nursery:

I'm obsessed with that whale and that net. Best part
of the room so far!

I decided I hate the white curtains, so they've already come down.
They look pretty bad in person.
Isn't that lantern the best?

The pieces on the bed are going up on the wall to the
right (there are shelves for them to sit on but they
are hard to see in this picture).

This is the section of the wall (on the left) that needs to
be finished, along with that tiny piece on the right.
Directly to the left of this picture is the closet; the door
faces Ethan's crib.

I just did the math on the nursery, and it  blew me away. The cost is huge compared to what I anticipated. We're talking a few hundred dollars! Considering that real beadboard would have cost this much on it's own, I want to feel like this is a good deal.

Was it way more expensive and time-consuming than I imagined? Yes. Am I ever going to repaint this room again, ever in my life? NO. If you'd told me it'd cost this much time and money to make this room..... I probably would have skipped it all. When I told Austin what the cost was, he said, "that's nothing for my little man." Awwwwwww. I can't wait for Austin to come home and see how awesome this looks in person. Overall, the way the room looks today has totally exceeded my expectations, and I know we aren't done yet.

The dresser/changing table was a gift from Grammie Cindy, the crib was a gift from my parents, and my mom is working on Ethan's quilt, bumpers, and crib skirt (though right now, Grandma is in San Francisco enjoying time with Grandpa. Am I jealous that they're in California Wine Country without me? No.....). Grammie C also gave us that twin bed. The headboard was $25 on clearance at Target. We still need to actually put the bed together.

My friend Sarah Blome (who makes fabulous paper flowers) has volunteered to make the mobile for Ethan, which is super sweet, and I am really excited about - her work is always awesome! It'll hang through the net above Ethan's crib.

That's all for now... more to come when it is FINISHED!

love,

25 weeks, 6 days

This post is a day early, because I wisened up and realized that no one will be here tomorrow to take my week 26 picture! Honestly, I'm having a hard time even remembering which week it is. I'm fortunate to remember that they start on Mondays!

Next week starts my third trimester and my bi-weekly doctor appointments. My doctor will be measuring my belly externally to make sure that Ethan is as big as he needs to be. If you're wondering, yes, I feel huge. Austin made the comment today that he thought I wouldn't get much bigger, but he doesn't understand how pregnancy works. I get bigger because Ethan gets bigger - not because it's just a fun thing to do! :) He is in for a surprise.

{courtesy of theBump.com}

I don't get these size comparisons sometimes. Last week he was the size of a head of cauliflower, which I tend to think of as larger than a head of lettuce... I guess I'm wrong?

I also felt Ethan hiccup this week. I don't think it was the first time, because I've felt this kind of rhythmic movement before, but it occurred to me that it probably wasn't him kicking - it was hiccups (thanks to a little research on Google!). Austin was very disappointed he couldn't feel that!

This weekend, my mom and I went shopping for fabric for Ethan's bedding. The above swatches will go into his quilt, which will have a soft white backing (my mom is nervous about the white!) and white trim. The material for the bumpers and skirt had to be ordered, so that will come later... but it going to look awesome.

Nursery update! 85% of the trim is up, but the rest of it needs to be painted white... and I need wood filler. Almost there!

I painted the window sill today!

For bump pictures, I opted to wear a tighter shirt (I really should come up with a standard shirt...) because I think the shirt from last week was a tiny bit big/misleading. Whoops!

I have to say, it's hard to manage a smile when you know your husband is leaving in a few hours!

How far along? almost 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I'm not sure
Maternity clothes? 90%
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep: Good! I can't make it through the night without a bathroom trip anymore.
Miss anything? My husband!
Movement: So much!
Food cravings: Nothing unusual this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! I finally bought some heartburn meds that my doctor approved and seem to work!
Have you started to show yet: Look at those pictures!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Zero
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, mostly! Sad that Austin is leaving :(
Looking forward to: My husband coming home! And decorating the nursery in the meantime :)

Love,