what a difference a day makes

Yesterday I shared our disappointing news with you.

I can't tell you what a difference a day makes.

Today I woke up with an incredible sense of peace.

I didn't feel discouraged.
I didn't feel stressed.

I didn't feel sad.

I felt strong.

I felt good.

I felt positive.

I felt peaceful.

Tony and I have been going on walks together and it has become a time when we talk about things with little interruption.  Yes, the kids are with us, but Noah is usually really quiet (or napping) and Zoe is distracted looking at everything along the way.

And today we talked about how felt after getting yesterdays news.

We both agreed, we felt good.

Tony said he just feels he's doing what he's supposed to be doing and for now, this is where we're supposed to be.

I agreed.

The big pro for me with the job in Portland was the financial aspect of it.  It would have been a nice pay increase.  It would have made things a lot easier.  

But money isn't the answer for everything.

So right now, I'm job hunting.  Just for something part time.  

However, I have a plan and goal to bring in a little extra money but I need to save up the money to get what I need to start my small business.  I need money to make money.  :)  In case you're wondering, I'm saving up for a sewing machine.  I've been wanting one for a LONG time.  And now I need it in order to try and stay home with the kids while bringing in a little extra money.  Daycare for 2 kids is CRAZY expensive.  Especially for Noah since he's so little still.

Starting my own daycare has also crossed my mind, but our place is so small it wouldn't work.

 

We still have a lot of needs that need to be met.

But we have faith things will work out. 

We know there is a plan.

well ...

... Tony did not get the job in Portland.

Yes, we're upset.

Yes, we're disappointed.

Yes, we're confused.

Yes, we're stressed.

Yes, we're back to the drawing board.

But ...

We will continue to follow.

And ...

We have adorable, precious, and sweet babies.

Sleeping through the farmers market.

She told me, "Baby needs a drink."

Ahhh!  Love that smile!

She just passed out in the middle of the living room.

Handsome (big) boy.

He looks a little scared, but she was gentle giving him hugs.

No matter what, we know we are blessed.

we will follow

When Tony and I met, he was not a Christian and I was really not loving the whole church 'thing'.  I had grown up Catholic and I disagreed with a lot of what they believed.  Church was basically not a part of our lives...At all.  When we moved to Eugene we were invited to Church and out of respect we went.  The rest is history.

From the first time we went, it was abundantly clear God was speaking to us.  And if it was apparent to Tony (someone who had NEVER been to Church) then it had to be pretty darn obvious.

One of the people we met on our first Sunday there asked Tony what kind of work he was looking for.  Tony said he worked in news and really wanted to get back into that.  The man chuckled and with a grin he said "Well, I happen to work at a TV station..." Tony's jaw dropped.  I mean DROPPED.  He had sent resumes and demo reels multiple times to ALL the stations in Eugene and Portland.  The guy said "Give me a call, you come up to the station, and I'll introduce you to some people".  Literally within weeks there was an opening and Tony got a job there.  It wasn't doing exactly what he wanted, but it was something.  And eventually he did get the job doing what he really wanted to do.  He's been there ever since.

Tony tried doing it all on his own with no results...he let God take over and do a little work, and look what happened.

So recently Tony's been looking for a new job in a bigger city.  He applied for a couple of jobs in Portland and got a response and did a couple of interviews.  We're waiting to see what happens.  But one night while having a conversation with Tony about what to do (and I complained about how much I hated waiting) I said something like "You better get this job because I want to be in Portland!"  And Tony said "But you know, it's not up to us where we go.  If it's what God wants and where He wants us to be, then it'll happen.  If not, it's not meant to be." 

Way to bring me back to reality, Tony.

I immediately thought of this song by Chris Tomlin:  'I Will Follow You'.

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
and I will follow 

I started to bold all the key sentences and ultimately as you can see, I made all the words bold!  They are all so true and Tony and I have lifted up our hands and said "Where you want us, is where we'll go.  We don't know how we'll get there, but with YOU there IS a WAY."

I haven't talked about religion on this blog before...It is after all supposed to be about the kids.  But, it's sort of turned into a blog about OUR family.  And Zoe and Noah's parents are Christians with the utmost faith in God and the plan He has for OUR lives.  We raise our kids to trust in Him and to look to Him for all things.  Being a Christian is a huge part of who we are and how we raise our family.  I know not all of you agree and that's fine.  You can skip my religious posts, but I hope you'll read them whether or not you believe.  

did I tell you?

Tony got to meet M.C. Hammer!

It's been a few weeks since he actually met him, but I forgot to tell you!  He got to be the photog when a reporter went out to interview him.  He was in town emceeing a fashion show.  

Tony's gotten to meet a few famous people being in the news industry...But I think this tops his list of most famous and the favorite person he's met thus far.  His teenage self was very jealous.  :)  Tony said he was very nice and quite fit looking!  I hear he's a vegetarian...Way to go MC!  I like you just a little bit more now.  :)

 

random bits of this and that!

Here are some pictures!

I think Zoe's under there somewhere!

Just watching the news...

I have no idea what's going on with her hair...I promise I do brush it daily!

Just hanging out together.

Right now, our place is super tiny.  It'd be perfect for a single person or a married couple with NO kids.  But it's been a little hard with Zoe and now with Noah too it feels so cramped and it's just not very child friendly because there's no space to separate their stuff from our stuff. 

That means Noah does not have his own room...Which has been fine for right now because he's only a couple months old.  For now, we're co-sleeping...I know!  Touchy subject and it's not normally recommended.  However, it has been working for us and so for now that's what we're doing.  I don't want to co-sleep forever, but he nurses every 1.5-2 hours (sometimes I get lucky and he'll go 3 hours but that is SO rare!) so having him in our room and bed has made things a lot smoother for all of us.  (He's not a very heavy sleeper).

There is this lovely mom in Portland who writes a blog that I adore (check it out here) and she recently wrote about her daughter Fern's (I LOVE her name!) Montessori inspired nursery (check it here).  Ever since I saw it, I fell in love!  I've been doing some research and I believe this is what we'll be doing for Noah's room (whenever he gets one..)

I really want the kids' bedrooms to be a sanctuary.  A peaceful environment for sleeping and quiet play time.  I want it to be uncluttered (right now Zoe's room is the opposite of what I want!) and a space just for them, to fit their needs for the age and stage they're at in their lives.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea...(Visit here and here for more pictures...)

In a Montessori inspired room, they don't use cribs. They use floor beds...

 

Everything is at their level (for the age they are!)

I also loved her post here about creating a Montessori home.  I want my home to be child-friendly.  If they aren't supposed to touch it or play with it, I want it in a separate room.  I love that Zoe is so curious and wants to explore everything...But I also don't want her breaking our computer!  And I really don't want to yell "NO!" all the time when she goes near it.  I'd rather it just be out of her sight and therefore out of her mind.  As she gets older, she'll learn to not to touch everything.  But for now, she's TWO!

Anyway, I'm really excited and I can't wait to get the kids' rooms setup better whenever we move to a new place...(Which I'm hoping will be soon!)

I've implemented a new "no fast food for a year" goal.  There are some great local markets with much healthier and yummier options (that also have A LOT of vegan/vegetarian options for me) compared to a drive thru.  (And honestly the same price as fast food!)

Zoe's adjusting a lot better to Noah and sharing mommy.  I've created a new space for her in our living room in a corner by a window...I put her favorite toys and books on a shelf in her new space-it's close to where I sit and nurse Noah so she can be near us playing or reading.  I also bought flashcards to practice with her while I nurse if she wants more one on one time.  I also love reading while I nurse if I can get away with it...Right now I'm reading parenting books! HA!

Speaking of reading we had a very successful trip to the library last weekend.  It was our only outing for the day and it went very smoothly!  Our church is doing a carnival at a local park and it's my goal to take the kids to that this evening...We'll see how the day goes! 

Tony's big 30th birthday is Sunday!  He has to work so we'll wait to celebrate on his days off (Monday and Tuesday!) Guess maybe I should bake a cake or something...

summer fun!

Wow!  The last two days have been so much fun!

My sister and her family were in town Thursday evening, so we got to spend some time with them at our favorite park.  They were so sweet and treated us to a wonderful picnic dinner (I now have some new favorites from a local market I'll have to get more often!) and Zoe LOVED playing with her cousins.  She was pretty quiet at the park, but as soon as we were in the car heading home she had a bit of a meltdown.  Zoe apparently wasn't ready to have to leave and say good-bye to everyone.  Hopefully we can see them again soon! 

This afternoon we were busy making cupcakes for a friend's baby shower that was this evening.  They are expecting their 2nd baby (a boy) and already have a 3 year old son.  Zoe loves playing with the 3 year old and Noah will get to grow up with their newest addition.  So Zoe has had a lot of fun playing with friends (outdoors! yay!) the last 2 days.

My goal for tomorrow is to get to the library!  We don't go to the library downtown (there's another library branch just down the street from us that we usually go to..) too often because you have to park in a parking garage a little ways away and when it's raining, it's no fun to walk with a toddler!  But the weather is nice and parking is free on the weekends.  My sweet friend Lyndsey (the non-practicing librarian) posted a list of must-read/must-have books on her blog-check it out here.  So we're checking some of them out tomorrow!  One of them on her list is 'Knuffle Bunny' and my sister actually got this for Zoe a while back and Zoe LOVES it.  We read it at least once a day.  Seriously.  Luckily I like it too.  :)

I'm hoping for a nice, calm, trip downtown.  It'd be a great day to get some fresh air, and find some fun, new, books.  The one I'm really worried about not cooperating is not Zoe, but Noah.  I think if I carry him in my Moby wrap he'll be okay.  Wanna know what carrier I'd really really really love to have?  An Ergo!  I hadn't even heard of it until a year or so ago AFTER I bought my Moby wrap.  Now, don't get me wrong..I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Moby.  But I think the Ergo would be a little easier for me and I could use it a lot longer.  Right now, it's just not in my price range.  I'll have to save up for it.  So luckily I have my Moby to use in the mean time.  (Yes, I've looked at Craigslist and they're still a little pricey.  I'd rather just buy a new one for the extra few bucks...)

Well friends and family, I hope you have an awesome summer weekend too.  I'm so thankful the weather here isn't too hot!  We're in the mid 80's and it's PERFECTION! I adore this time of year.

Zoe AND Noah

At 6 weeks old, I can already see some major differences between Noah and Zoe. 

For instance:

Zoe spit up maybe a handful of times.  Noah spits up almost daily.
Zoe loved her swing.  Noah hates it.
Zoe hated her bouncy seat.  Noah loves it.
Zoe hated nursing. Noah loves it.
Zoe loved her pacifier.  Noah hates it.

Zoe's 2 Year Check-Up

Zoe had her 2 year check-up in June, when we took Noah in for his 2 week check-up.  She is so tiny!

She is 26 pounds (25th percentile) and only 32 inches tall...(and that's not even totally accurate...They couldn't get her to stand still so they sort of 'gave' her 32 inches.  That's NOT EVEN 5th percentile for height!!)

Doctor says she's doing great...Right on track..Normal..Healthy.  Phew!  It's so reassuring to hear that from your pediatrician.  I mean, so often I feel like I'm failing and struggling (especially with TWO babies now) as a parent so to hear that I'm actually doing SOMETHING right, feels so reassuring and comforting. 

The latest pictures!

Picnic lunch.

Tony LOVES this picture.

She's ready to Skype!

Yummy Jimmie John's!

She's quick!

She hides as soon as she sees the vacuum!

Oops...

Well, that's embarrassing.  Noah is 6 weeks old and I'm just now posting about his arrival!

So, Noah arrived on Friday May 25th at 4:33 PM.  He weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces, 20 inches long.  He was born via c-section (which you already knew).  And we are all SO glad he was born via c-section.  Doctor said he was still "floating" meaning no where near my pelvis and I would have labored a long time and ultimately had a c-section anyway, so it was better we just scheduled it.

My recovery was the best I could have asked for.  Seriously.  I think it was a little better then when I had Zoe.  Sounds crazy, I know.  But it's true.

Saturday morning I did seriously regret having the c-section.  I didn't get my pain meds on time and I could tell!  Standing for the first time was a little rough as well.  My BP sky rocketed actually.  But by Saturday evening I was feeling a lot better and walking more.  Sunday I was up in the rocking chair and moving around even better and I went home Monday afternoon.  I was off my pain meds within a week.  My incision has healed nicely.  And NO staples!  I had stitches that dissolved on their own.

I'm sure you'd like to see some pictures...

 

 

 

 

Here he is shortly after his arrival...I had just gotten into my room.

Daddy gave him his first bath.

This is the most recent picture that I took of him the other night.  He was waiting for his turn in the bath..

Sissy was telling him all about Sesame Street.

I didn't even realize we had most of these pictures...Tony had them hiding on his phone!  :)

At his 2 week check-up, he weighed 9 lbs 14 oz.  (He had lost some weight in the beginning, which is of course normal.  At his lowest he weighed 8 lbs 12 oz..).  I can't remember what he measured in the length though.  I do know he was like 90th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length.  His next appointment isn't until the end of this month for his 2 month check-up.  It'll be his first round of shots.  :(

I'll do another post about Zoe's check-up next!