The Start of Something [Day 1/31].

After linking up with the other 31 Days bloggers last night, I was feeling excited and confident. I went to bed early (well, 11pm if you consider that early) with the intention of writing my first post before the kids woke up. But when kids are involved, I should know better not to plan for things like that.

Sterling was up at least every two hours throughout the night. And each time I was up with him, my mind raced over possibly 31 Days topics. So when I woke up for the day too early (if you consider 6:30am early), I was beginning to feel like I had signed up for a marathon that I didn't train for.

I took a shower. At least my chances of succeeding in this day were slightly increased if I felt somewhat refreshed. I sat down with the laptop. And then the kids got up. The whole part of being a SAHM is spending intentional time with my children, so I closed the laptop. I made breakfast, even going as far as blending up some smoothies (!). I pretended to be a mama lion (and a mama horse and a mama duck, at Ruby's request). And after I tidied up the kitchen (key word: tidy, not cleaned), I cuddled with my kids on the couch.

Unless I turned on the telly for Ruby and plopped Sterling in his swing, this post was getting further and further away from being posted. So, I did the next best thing. I walked my babes down to the coffee shop.

I knew Sterling would fall asleep in the stroller and Ruby could watch an episode of Caillou while I cleared my head and loaded up on some caffeine. I am still re-acclimating myself to the stuff. I gave it up during my pregnancy, so I still get a bit shaky upon consuming it. Any little boost of energy helps though when there are two little people involved.

I also received acknowledgment of my resignation this morning. If it didn't feel official yet, it does now. We've been working toward this for a long time, but it still wasn't an easy decision to make. I am walking away from a really good job. It'll be tight on one income. I may still need to pick up some part-time work in a couple months.

But I believe that God has given me enough confirmation to go through with this. He's definitely opened some doors that otherwise would not have made this opportunity to possible. And I am so, SO grateful. I believe that he will take care of us in this new season. And I am looking forward to documenting the ways he reveals Himself to me as a beginner SAHM throughout this 31 day blog challenge. xx

Post script - The first draft of this post was written by hand.

31 Days as a Beginner Stay-At-Home-Mom (and finding the time to blog about it!)

I've been meaning to return to regular blogging, so what better way than by committing to a 31 Day legit blog link-up party? No pressure or anything. It's hosted by The Nester. You may have heard of it. I didn't have a whole lot of time to ponder over a writing topic, so I figured, why not start where I'm at?

You see, I just became an official, full-time, Stay-At-Home-Mom as of last week. I went on maternity leave at the end of July and my return to work date would've been on October 14th. This actually might be news to some people reading. We just feel that this is the best decision for our family and I hope to elaborate some more on that during this writing challenge.

I've allowed myself a certain amount of grace to this point since I am still "technically" on maternity leave, but I am ready to get into a routine and fully take ownership of my new role. And find time to blog about it;) Some topics I hope to touch on may include meal planning, budgeting, the SAHM's wardrobe, and other musings. I'm not an expert by any means, so this may be more amusing than resourceful.

Join me as I document about the crazy? xx

[1/31] The Start of Something.

[2/31] Orchard Day.

[3/31] Sleep When The Babies Sleep.

[4/31] The Job Description.

[5/31] Bonfire Night.

[6/31] Lessons Learned & A Small Victory.

[7/31] Establishing a Start Time...Is a Good Idea.

[8/31] A Trip to the Library.

[9/10] This is Real Life.

[10/10] White Flag.

[11/31] Spend Time With Other Grown-Ups.

[12/31] Family Photos. 

[13/31] No Return (To Work).

[14/31] I'm Not Beyonce.

[15/31] New Life.

[16/31] A Day In The Life.

[17/31] Adventures in Potty Training.

[18/31] Stay-At-Home-Mama Must Haves.

[19/31] Just Embrace It.

[20/31] Outtakes.

[21/31] THIRTY-ONE.

[22/31] Sweet Surrender. 

[23/31] Other Mothers. 

[24/31] Good Thursday & Another Target Run. 

[25/31] TGIF. 

[26/31] Nothing Is Easy Anymore.

[27/31] House Divided.

[28/31] GUEST POST: Jessica from For the Love of Justice.

[29/31] Up All Night.

[30/31] GUEST POST: My Sister-in-Law, Nicole!

[31/31] We Made It. 

It's Been Awhile...and IT'S A BOY!!

I sort of dropped things off after a 39 weeks pregnant post, so you can probably figure out what has been keeping me occupied since then. Well, this little guy...

**** STERLING ARTHUR****

Born July 28th, 1:39 pm; 8 lbs 3 oz, 21.5 in

Happy, healthy, and oh so handsome. Thanks be to God. The past couple months have been spent getting adjusted to my new role as a Mama of TWO precious little ones and more recently (which I can FINALLY announce) as a STAY-AT-HOME-MAMA! My two weeks notice of resignation from my work was just submitted this week. I'm still sort of in a daze about it, but feel it is the best decision for our family. 

I've had a lot of time to think about life and things while on my maternity leave. About the kind of Wife/ Mama/ Friend/ Christian I want to be. Do I continue blogging? I want to. I'm not sure though if I want to resume writing here or start fresh somewhere else. 600 posts into "soZealous" and it still kind of feels like a big mess to me. Regardless, it's good to be back...xx

39 Weeks

The end is nigh... And I have good news—baby is head down!! You can come out anytime now, little one:)

I had another ultrasound this week to make sure. This time, the technician let me watch him/her for awhile, which was pretty incredible. I've never had an ultrasound this far along into a pregnancy. And well, you can see what I saw...

No need to strain...the above left pic looks like a baby sleeping on it's side, though somewhat ghostly.

 

Seeing it's sweet, fully-formed face ignited all this love I didn't know I had and a huge sense of anticipation for it's arrival. Not much longer until I get to plant my lips on those darling little cheeks!

I've also got this countdown (above right) going at my work desk. It had been a little crazy the last few weeks, so having this visual motivator has kept me clear-headed. Even if baby doesn't come before his/her due date, I'm hoping to spend a few days checking things of my to-do list and spoiling my dear Ruby. Her last days as an only child...don't even get me started on that.

I may be feeling a little too confident that I won't go before my due date, as I've been scheduling appointments and coffee dates for next week (!). Really, I'm just hoping to jinx myself;) Breaking news will be posted to my Instagram or Twitter feeds.

What do you think it is...BOY or GIRL?? xx

38 Weeks

Sideways. That was how the baby was laying this week. At this point in the pregnancy though, we most definitely want it to be head down. The doctor tried to manipulate it back into birthing position after a last minute ultrasound on Monday. We think it might have worked.

The words "breeched" and "c-section" were mentioned. Which is a little disappointing. It's definitely not the route I want to go, but I'm not going to put myself or the baby at risk for a natural childbirth either.

I've got another 1 or 2 chiropractic appointments before baby's arrival, which I'm hoping will get things back into alignment. I've placed my "induction regimen" on hold for now too. No use trying to jumpstart things if this little one isn't ready to come out. Until then, we watch & wait...

Some 80/35 Highlights...

This is going to be brief. Mainly because I didn't take many photos this year. We didn't even spend much time at the fest, which can be attributed to the fact that I am 9 months pregnant. But still, good times were had. Also, I deserve some kind of "cool mom" award for enduring the heat/ walking around.

For a variety of factors, we decided not to purchase tickets this year. We had every intention of checking out the free stages though. Then, the day before the festival, some friends off-loaded a pair of tickets on us. SCORE.

Ruby stayed with the grandparents on Friday, so Mama & Papa made a date night out of it. We got hot dogs at Hot Shots (2nd time in a week) and enjoyed shows from Yeasayer, Menomena, and David Byrne & St.Vincent.

(Above: Live art by Van Holmgren)

I've been a long time Menomena fan and was surprised to see them playing a free stage. Their "Friend or Foe" album just *might* be in my Top 10 of all time, so I was pumped that they played "Muscle & Flo". 

I was really glad we got to catch the big show on Friday night - David Byrne & St. Vincent. I'm not as familiar with their mutual musical efforts, but I'm a fan of their individual projects. The two of them on stage together felt enigmatic. No need for dazzling visuals here. The minimalist light show with backing brass band set an almost surreal tone and made for one memorable 80/35 performance.

Come Saturday, we only went to ONE SHOW. I know. But it was a good one. Deerhunter on the main stage. Wayde watched up close while I supervised Ruby in the library fountain/ stream. She had so much fun—I wouldn't have had it any other way:)

So, another great festival year & one of my favorite things about living in Des Moines.

P.S. Check out the Here, Pretty Kitty blog—they featured this prego Mama in their 80/35 street style post.

Ruby's 2nd Birthday Party!

The 4th of July has become an extra special day for us since it's the day we celebrate Ruby's birthday with our families. This year, we partied in Union Park which, minus the stress of finding a picnic area on a major holiday, was the PERFECT location.

The birthday girl has recently developed a penchant for all things ballet so, naturally, she wanted to wear her dance costume for the occasion. 

This might be my favorite picture ever of Ruby & "PeePaw". 

Heritage Carousel in Union Park.

I only made box cupcakes for the party, but they turned out pretty good. Ruby even helped me put the sprinkles on them and that was super special. 

We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was amazing, we had a great spot in the park, and the kids enjoyed all the fun things Union Park has to offer. 

We are SO thankful for all the people in Ruby's life that love & care for her so much. I'll never forget the smile on her face when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Warms this Mama's heart:)

Hope this was the best birthday yet, sweet Ruby Jayne! xx 

35, 36, 37 Weeks...

We're in the home stretch! Emphasis on stretch. This baby is running out of room and I'm pretty sure it's already bigger than it's big sister was this far along.

Baby, I'm looking forward to not referring to you as "it" for much longer. I'm not stressing out that your room is not perfectly put together. The blankets & onesies are washed, and that's good enough for me.

Still no name, but I'm not stressing out (too much) about that either. There's a list and I trust that seeing your sweet face will determine the winner.
Physically, I'm feeling pretty OK. Not really sleeping through the night anymore, but at least the back pain is at bay. I definitely think all that prenatal chiropractic work has paid off.

I've also adopted a (loose) regimen of essential oil usage, date fruit eating, and relaxation techniques that will hopefully prompt this baby to arrive earlier and more easily if possible. A little more on that:

The oils—I've been using a mixture of Young Living's "Gentle Baby" diluted with olive oil for "massage". I've been instructed to add Fennel oil to the mix at 38-39 weeks, which will hopefully jump-start things. Click here for the recipe I am referencing.

The 15ml vessels may seem pricey, but I'll be able to use the "Gentle Baby" on baby for rashes/ discomfort and the Fennel for B-feeding.

Date Fruit Consumption—Have you heard about this? Apparently, women who eat 6 date fruit pieces a day during their last 4 weeks of pregnancy are less likely to be induced. I've stocked up on the dates but have done a poor job of putting them down every day. Re-reading this article has me feeling motivated again.

Relaxation—I've been reading a bit about hypnobirthing, and though I'm a little weirded out by the technique, there were a few takeaways I've been putting into practice now and up to the actual labor/ delivery. Those include visualization, reassociating discomforts with pressure, and some deep breathing exercizes.

I've also been using YL's "Peace & Calming" oil for relaxation at bedtime and have a list of meditation verses to memorize/ focus on for the big day. Lots of prayer too:)

So, those are some of the things I'm doing to prepare for the coming event! And at this point, I'm hoping it comes sooner rather than later...xx

[Editor's Note: There is no editor. Just this lady with some serious pregnancy brain. So please have some grace if you come across any horrendous typos/ grammar in this post or previous ones. Thank you.]

Hey, Everybody! We have a TWO YEAR OLD!!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is two years old. Ruby wears pigtails, sings songs while she's coloring, and sleeps in a big girl bed now.

Watching her grow up is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It's a reminder of how fast time is going by and how little control I have in this life. Oh, but this girl has made our lives so sweet. SO very sweet.

Ruby's day of birth was celebrated by meeting up for lunch with Daddy in the beautiful Better Homes & Gardens Test Gardens at Meredith.

We feasted on gourmet hot dogs from Hot Shots and Creme cupcakes (which would have been pictured if I hadn't dropped the box on the ground).

Ruby had a bit of a fever this day, but the sunshine did her good. She wanted to swim in the fountain so badly.

After lunch, we strolled through the garden and took notes of any flowers we may want to integrate into our own landscaping projects. 

Thank God for you, sweet girl. It is my joy to be your Mama, Ruby. xx

Some Music & Some Art

A couple highlights from the past week...My dear friends, Dena & Maren, had a mini-girls' getaway to Omaha for a She & Him concert!

I saw a couple other pregnant ladies in attendance, but I was definitely the most pregnant of the ones I saw, haha. I think I stood for one song. But still, a good time:)

Future besties, June & Ruby. These girls were such little troopers as we carted them around Des Moines to a rummage sale, thrift store, and a mandatory Tasty Taco stop.

This past weekend was the Des Moines Arts Festival, which is sort of a yearly tradition to visit. Ruby was excited to see all the artist's "colorings".

On a couple occasions, our opinionated little lady would state, "I don't like this picture". Right in front of the artist. So.....sorry about that.

It's been a little quiet here lately due to general life stuff/ pregnancy/ etc, but all is going well. I've got a few more posts coming this week, so watch out for those! xx