the best of both worlds

rustled my sling up the other day and after a little how-to on its mechanics i'm pretty sure river and i are sold. he is able to snuggle up against me nice and warm and fall asleep to my heartbeat. while i have two free hands and can kiss his sweet head anytime i want. you can't lose there.

what i've learned in three weeks

bring three extra sets of baby clothes on any outing

dried prunes are tasty

diaper changes become second nature

don't follow the guidelines on baby clothes, your two week old son can wear clothing marked three months

you may not make your bed again for a loooong time

you can never have too many baby blankets

you will learn to appreciate hip hop/R&B music

breastfeeding does get easier

battery operated bouncy seats and baby swings are your friend

it will take two days to finish one little blog post

getting up every two hours at night may be hard but seeing that sweet, contented face at your breast post-feeding makes it hard to put your baby back in his own bed
 
baby dimples and cowlicks are the sweetest

each day gets a little easier

he's here!

our beautiful boy - river james

february 10, 2012

4:42am

8lbs 8oz

21 inches long

chapters

a very big chapter is coming up in my life story. 

 

when one looks back we can all see those life-altering moments that changed the direction we thought we were headed. soon, josh and i will be parents and life will once again begin anew. as i was reflecting on that sentiment this morning i recalled a short story tucked away on a shelf in an old photo box. 

 

our story. 

 

josh has always been a writer, he can weave together words and garner a reader's attention in a way that i'll never attain. it can only be described as a natural talent for him. when we were dating and just becoming acquainted with each other i would ask him to tell me stories of his childhood, other times i would ask him to read aloud to me - just to hear the sound of his voice. 

 

as a result of these instances it was very fitting, the manner in which he asked me to be his wife. while we were dating long-distance in the second year of our relationship he carried a jump-drive with him everywhere (school, home) and worked on a little masterpiece. it was our story from day one -the ups/downs, twists/turns and joys/hurts that we endured together throughout our courtship. it was not always a happy story - we had our share of difficult times in the dating process - but it is beautiful. i reread that story today as i sat on the couch and sobbed. the same story i cried to when he asked me to marry him, as he read it to me on a staircase high above the mississippi river at a private dining table covered in the graffiti of couples who had been there before us. the same story we are continuing as we take another turn in our life together. i am excited for this new chapter and i could not ask for a better person to share it with.

twiddling my thumbs

trying to find ways to keep myself occupied now that there is a full-term baby inside of me who has decided he is quite comfortable, thank you very much.

i've been working on little things around the house - like making big batches of homemade taco seasoning and attempting to finish baby's paper crane mobile - i need some serious motivation to get out to the backyard and clip a branch to hang it from, lacing up my boots is sounding a bit laborious. josh has been great - helping me with the grocery shopping on our days off, finding me snacks/water when i don't want to get off the couch. we've also been trying to keep busy with friends and make plans so as to not drive ourselves crazy with waiting. today we have one last big project to knock off the list - clean out/rearrange the office and collecting objects for goodwill donations, i think mumford and sons will be keeping us company. wish us luck!

winding down

 

 i think my nesting instinct is kicking in of late which is great by me. saturday i rearranged the furniture in the bedroom to include the above wicker chair i thrifted - does it not remind you of this one i pinned a few months back? sunday i woke up and decided on a whim i wanted to deep-clean the fridge. guess i don't mind that i am benefiting from this peculiar pregnancy trait. i am full-term now so tonight you will find me helping josh shovel the few inches of snow that blanketed us this morning - anything to get this little guy moving. 

little man's cousin mirinda arrived last week. as i was snuggling her the other day he was nudging her through my stomach, can't wait until they can be side by side. soon, very soon.

t-minus 1 month and 1 day

it is certainly boggling when you can externally palpate the length of a leg stretched across the inside of your upper abdomen. thinking this kid might be long and gangly like his mama.

weekly appointments start next week, hope you are ready little man!

funk

this had been the strangest winter in my 26 years. a few meager snowfalls and here we are on january 8th, 39*F and nary a snowman in site. which leads to our current doings. i've spent all day on the couch and i've liked it very much, thank you.

 

josh has been coming down with a nasty cold the past few days and i'm thinking i either have a lesser form of it or my 8 month pregnant body is catching up with me. i had to coax my aching body out of bed this am, it's becoming a bit laborious to only be able to sleep on my sides and by the time morning comes around i am ready for a new position. as a result this morning i drug myself out of bed, grabbed a couple pumpkin chocolate chip muffins i made yesterday and a glass of OJ and made my way to the basement. joining my gaming husband on the couch and promptly falling back asleep. we took a small break late morning to shower and brush our teeth and headed back down to 'the cave.'

petra has been laying patiently on her pillow at our feet and occasionally resting her nose on my lap and pleading with me to let her up and snuggle. were i not large with child i would allow her to leap up and crawl all over me, unfortunately her rambunctious ways don't maker her the safest snuggler and we've been missing each other of late.

our netflix queue is pulled up but sometimes tv doesn't suffice for a lazy day on the couch. i brought down my 'supplies' post shower and i am ready to stay put the rest of the day. my birthing book, latest county living mag and a couple beautiful catalogs for places i don't even shop at. the only downfall to this basement hideaway is the bathroom. the toilet seat down here is a frigid ceramic type due to it being by the back door. always a shocker.

i've got my feet propped up on my hubby's lap and an oversize maternity shirt on. the best thing about staying home is i don't have to wear my maternity jeans which are so uncomfortable at this point. perfectly content sitting here in these ratty 8 year old sweat pants. leftover applebee's for a late lunch and josh has been sucking down the green tea and leftover potato soup. hoping we both recover quickly as we have one last getaway coming up before the little man arrives.

last night we went out to applebee's with friends and we received some adorable baby clothes. when we first found out we were having a boy i was a little bummed about the apparel department, there are so many fun girl clothes out there and let's not even talk about accessories. but with time i've come to enjoy the challenge of finding fun boy clothes. savers and goodwill have been extremely helpful in this way and clearance racks are a great friend. our friends last night gave us a cute pair of patched up jeans for 0-3 months that i can't wait to style.

we've been spending a lot of time socializing with people/friends lately, it seems they think that once the baby comes they will never see us again so they are taking advantage of the time we have now. :) we shall see.

for the rest of the afternoon i will sit here: doze, listen to my husband watch political debates on youtube, eat the rest of the leftover puppy chow and candy from christmas and revel in the fact that i don't have to take care of a little person quite yet.

progress

blogging has taken a backseat of late with all the tasks i've been wanting to accomplish. when i look at my to-do list it's overwhelming, but then i remember they are things i enjoy doing and it takes a bit of the stress off. i just have to remember to prioritize and the blog has not been a priority of late. 

first off was throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law which went great. she then threw one for me and i was blessed with so many beautiful and generous gifts. as a result i have been spending lots of time in the nursery washing/unpacking/organizing. want a peek? 

as far as decor goes i've been re-purposing pieces we already own for the most part. i made that shelf in middle school shop class. the baby pics are us from our first year. i thrifted a few pieces of material and cut up some old sheets for the no-sew bunting i made (which i also hung at my sil's baby shower). we received a lot of repeat items at the shower so we were able to make some returns and pick up a few organizational items for his room. i know there will be plenty of rearranging in the next two months but i am happy with how it's coming together.

baby boy's book collection is growing and we received a few lovely books from friends/family. including this one from my thoughtful cousin - i've thoroughly enjoyed perusing it. thinking about which pictures little boy will attach himself to and remember as those 'big moments' (which really aren't that big at all) we all can recall from our own childhoods. and of course this a-mazing book.  

i have a few projects i'm finishing up - one is a mobile to hang over the crib and the other is a piece of art for over the crib. i'm trying to cajole josh into letting me use a little chalkboard paint there - i've had the paint for months but he is hesitant about chalkboards on walls, for some reason. silly boy. i told him it's much safer than hanging a picture above the bed.:) 

i leave you with a song we've been listening to non-stop. while making dinner/washing dishes, on the way to work/on the way home from work...

the second verse gets me every time. i can't wait to watch my husband become a daddy.

18+ years

christmas 2010

it'll be a long while until we are just the two of us again. 

and even then i can't kid myself, we won't be these two - jaclyn and josh. 

we will be a different version of ourselves, hopefully improved-

a version with a new spin on life, a few gray hairs and some new lines carved into our faces.

the 'now' we have created for ourselves will be a faint memory and while i enjoy it thouroughly -

i can't wait to experience the love that awaits us as we become a family of three.