Simplify {and Circumstances}

A friend of mine from Grace has started to write more blog posts recently as well, and I'm beginning to realize why there are SO many mommas blogging out there... for so many of us it is most definitely relaxing! :-) As I got myself hyped up about blogging again, I started to think of some ideas for posts, so there will at least be a few more posts this month, and then maybe I'll continue to stick with it further into the year, too, hehe :)

My thoughts today are about simplifying. This word has been rolling around in my brain and heavy on my heart basically since I went back to work when Jordan was 7 weeks old.

Ohhhh, where to begin. And can I make a long story short? We'll see. Probably not!

From Wife to Mom

To become a mom, all you have to do is have a baby, right? Oh, so very, wrong. Though that is definitely a necessary first step, becoming a mom is about so much more than just having a baby join the household.

Transitioning from wife to mom happened deep within, in my heart, as I quickly learned that love takes on new meaning when you bear a child, and that it grows so very much so very often. That silly little things my son does bring up so much more love and joy in those moments than I knew possible!

Easy Bib Storage!

Here's my solution, if you don't feel like reading my ramblings :-) Looped a strip of cloth through the top strap holes.

Our house is not very large and is really lacking storage. I've been storing the bibs in with the burb clothes in Jordan's room... it's not that far to walk to grab a bib, but I knew there had to be a better solution for bib storage.

Enter: google.

DIY Crib Rail Teething Guard

{Leave me a note you stopped by! Or let me know if you use the tutorial & send me a pic!}


Well, my little J-man has started pulling himself up to his knees in his crib... so since I had the material to make teething guards for his crib, I thought I had better get them done sooner rather than later! 

I decided to make my own because the cheap plastic ones don't fit the rails on my convertible crib and buying a cloth one is ridiculously expensive. I am oh, so very, pleased that I made the choice... even though it did take me a little more time than I initially thought it would! :-)

So, there are multiple tutorials for this online, but I didn't find any that included pictures and details for the way I wanted to make mine (specifically, with a layer to make it waterproof), so I took some pictures as I went so I could post a tutorial, too! (Here is the tutorial I kind-of went by when I made mine, FYI!)

My Birthing Story

This is long, so if you don't feel like reading a lot, you can exit now :-)

Pregnancy and giving birth are experiences that go beyond what words can describe. Yes, there is discomfort and pain, but that is DEFINITELY not what I think of when I think of those things! (Don’t ask Josh, though, haha…) When it came time for Josh and I to decide what kind of experience we wanted to try to have for the birth experience, I came to the decision that I really wanted a natural birth. We signed up for the Bradley Birthing class – 12 weeks of 2 hours a week. That ended up to be an… interesting… experience, but we learned quite a lot from it, and felt quite prepared for a natural birth, even though we opted not to go with a midwife to help us through. I wanted no induction, no medication, no interference, just my body doing what God made it to do. That’s not how things turned out. Though at times I think, If we would’ve just done this or that, maybe I could’ve still had a natural birth, I know that we made a wise choice in order to get Jordan into our arms. This is our story.

We have a baby!

Obviously, I'm not just realizing we have a baby. Jordan has been in this world with us for 228 days, aka 7 months, 2 weeks. I can hardly believe it has only been that long, yet I can hardly believe it's already been that long! 


Here's a post I began a couple weeks after Jordan was born:

Life sure has changed. Baby "junk" clutters our house, cloth diapers need washed and hung to dry, a majority of the house doesn't sleep through the night, burp cloths grace the arms of the couch and everyone's happier when pacifiers evade their hiding spaces. Baby cries, grunts & coos fill the house and a tiny little boy steals my heart again with each sound (and each outfit change! ;)).

Our son Jordan made his entrance into this world two and a half weeks ago. In that very short amount of time, a lot of different emotions have been felt and each day brings new adventures that we never could have imagined! The first thing I have to say is that people were right, babies cause lack of good, sound sleep. They also cry, poop, and pee a lot. I have spent some time in tears over lack of sleep and over struggles breastfeeding. Those things, though, are not what actually comes to mind first as I think back through the days since June 18... What comes to mind first is the absolutely astounding amounts of love and joy that Josh and I are experiencing in an entirely new way. Josh and I love each other a lot, but we have both decided that somehow we love each other even more now! Life is a lot different, but it's definitely better!

I certainly still agree that life is better with Jordan. We can hardly remember what we did with our time without him. Or who/what was on our mind.

We've had quite a few difficulties that we, of course, did not anticipate, which have tested us in many ways. Through it all, though, we have learned a lot more about faith and trust in Jesus. I, myself, have had multiple encounters of feeling much closer to my Savior than ever before. How amazing is our God, and how amazing that he could give His Son. I cannot fathom. More on this later, I think!

I've wanted to include some updates for awhile now, but just haven't gotten to it. But now, finally, I am taking some time to do so, especially because I enjoy it! So, get ready to read some posts! :o)

Announcement

Happy Baby Boy Birth Announcement

Birth announcements & graduation announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Nursery Fun!

So I wanted to post a little bit of the progress of the nursery!

We got the furniture May 9 and the dresser came as one piece undamaged, but the crib headboard was damaged. :-(

Giant boxes!

Damaged :-( (had chunks missing like this on both ends)

They sent us a replacement crib, which came May 20, and we switched out the headboard for an undamaged one, yay!! We put the crib together and are just waiting for a mattress (thank you Mom & Dad Klein!) :-) A special "thank you" to a family whose children I've cared for that bought the crib and dresser for us!!

We finished it!

Getting out the replacement headboard!

This weekend I also was able to find just the right bookshelf to use for storage & to put a rod next to for a makeshift closet, since there is not one in the baby room. I got some additional baskets for the storage and a changing pad & cover so our dresser/changing table looks more complete!

We also ordered the rocker on Friday, and it came Monday (thank you Mom & Dad Russell!!). When I woke up from my nap, Josh had put the chair together for me! Yay!

So we've gotten lots done and I'm excited to do more! Josh is even enjoying the preparation for baby, though I'm wearing him out with having lots of projects and doing lots at once :-) But it's making the fact that we're having a baby even more real and making us even more excited for his arrival!!


Some more fun photos :-)

All the trash and recycling from the dresser & crib :)