Hello, Norma Grace

She was almost as early as her brother was late!  We were pretty surprised...I think we may still be in shock that she's already here!

Norma Grace was born September 11, 2012 at 1:30am.  She weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 19inches long.

My water broke at home around 11:20pm Monday night.  Since prep and planning is a hobby of mine the ship-out was very organized and we didn't forget anything.  We dropped Frazier off with a darling friend who was on-call for just such an occasion.  We also had a number of back-up friends on-call...we are blessed with such awesome friends.  I mean, we'd be blessed to have one friend willing to take our kid in the middle of the night at a moment's notice...but we had a whole slew of them!  We got to the hospital around midnight and within an hour and a half she was in my arms.  My doctor didn't even make it.  You will never hear me complain about this labor experience- two hours, no drugs, no epidural.  (Nevermind that the second half of it I thought I was going to die and at the end I begged for the pain control I'd so adamantly denied earlier...only to be told it was much too late.) Turned out I did live through it afterall.  And then we just sort of sat there stunned that it was over. Nursing has been great, recovery has been great.  I was up and around pretty quick, no prescription pain meds.  I think back on the last time we did this and it's a 180 degree different experience.  This is how it should be. :)

Now we have a daughter and Frazier has a sister.  He's been a super big brother, but I expected no less.  Now, a week before her due date and four days after her birth, I still can't believe she's really here.  But it's wonderful.  I spent weeks watching and feeling her move around inside wanting so badly to be able to hold her.  And now I can!  It may sound strange, but when first we met, before she smelled like baby shampoo and Pampers, I held her to my face and breathed her in and I said to Josh that she already smelled familiar.  She smelled to me like Frazier.  

Like someone that I love.

Welcome to this world, Norma Grace.   Come give it all that you've got.

In The Summertime

Recently, the summer heat finally broke like a fever that had lasted, oh, four and a half months.  And we could breathe again.  Compared to last summer, this one was mild...in that we actually had some precipitation and days here and  there that the temperature wasn't over 100.  Now that fall is beginning to seep in with cooler mornings and evenings and breezes throughout the day, summer is already beginning to seem like a string of distant memories.  The misery of the suffocating heat Texas summers bring is settling to the bottom of the memory jar while all the good stuff bubbles to the top so that even so soon removed from it, what we remember isn't the hot, just the happy.

My Big Fat Random Blogpost

*At the end of July we had Frazier's three year check up.  It was probably the least eventful check-up we've ever had.  Except that he flipped out about having to take off his shoes to be measured.  No shots this time.  To date, he's only ever been to the doctor for well check-ups.  The kid's never sick...knock on wood.  I doubt his doctor even really recognized us, but she's really wonderful so she didn't let on.  She seemed adequately impressed with how brilliant and coordinated he is. :) He was 3ft 1.25 in tall and weighed 35.6 lbs.  Despite his significant head start, he's been slowly averaging out height and weight-wise.

*At long last, Frazier is finally...drum roll please...POTTY TRAINED!  I wish I could say that our potty training experience was a brilliant display of impeccable parenting and a polished process altogether that was brief, painless and effective...but that would be a gross misrepresentation of the truth.  In fact, it was a long, agonizing process and it is only by some miracle we're through it.  I have zero advice for anyone else and I don't look forward to doing it again.  After a year of lackadaisical encouragement interspersed with a few short stretches of hard-core potty-training-bootcamp he just magically embraced the idea...wholeheartedly, in its entirety.  I really am proud of him and he's very proud of himself.  He goes all by himself right down to flushing and washing his hands and sleeps all night in underwear- no accidents in weeks.  Already all our previous potty-training woes seem so far away.  Thankyouverymuch.  

*Josh and I have birthdays on either side of our anniversary- his is 9 days before; mine is 4 days after.  The celebration of both this year was spectacular!  Happy Birthday to us!

*A couple of weeks ago, my cord blood collection kit arrived.  We donated Frazier's umbilical cord blood and plan to do the same this time.  However, there is now the option to donate via the Texas Cord Blood Bank as a non-fixed-site volunteer donor, meaning I don't have to deliver at a major hospital anymore.  They'll take donations from other sites, too.  I found out they were the closest this time through marrow.org.  It's free.  It's not that complicated, considering.  And it could save someone's life.  There are other options for donating using a national cord blood bank which is also free so even if there is no local bank to collect for you, you can still do as we did last time.  As a side note, this collection kit is significantly larger than the last one we had.  I mentioned this to my doctor who reminded me that "everything's bigger in Texas"! :)

*We challenged ourselves to choose a hymn and a scripture verse for each of our children.  With Frazier it was difficult because the possibilities were so vast.  With Lentil it was difficult because there was one less option of each...and they were pretty much our favorite.  Frazier's verse is Romans 15:13 "May...God fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may abound in hope" and his hymn is Be Thou My Vision.  Lentil's verse is from Proverbs 31:25 "She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." and her hymn is He Leadeth Me.

*This is me at 38 weeks.  Here's me at 38 weeks pregnant with Frazier.  At my last appointment I was at 4.5cm dilated and 70% effaced which is far ahead of where I was with Frazier at this point so hopefully we won't have long to wait!!

Loved You First

As I bide my time until I am a Mom divided, I regret two things: 1) that the time Frazier and I had just the two of us is drawing to a close and 2) that Lentil and I will never have that kind of time- 3 long years just the two of us.  Frazier will now have to share me, and Lentil will never have known any different.  It can't be helped and will be great in an entirely different way, I'm certain.  Nevertheless, it's been a splendid three years just us and before Frazier was the great big brother I know he'll be, he was the best little buddy a mom could ask for.  My constant companion, my dear little friend.  Ever my entertainer, always my muse.  The best part of my day is when he gets up...and then all of the time he's awake.


Fraz,
I can't wait to meet your sister...and for you to share her with us! It's hard to imagine having another little person we love and enjoy as much as you.  I suppose it will not be true to say ever that I love you more...but I will have always loved you longer.
As ever,
Mom

Lucky Number 7

"To me the thing about marriage is, I can't believe how often it happens.  I mean, I like the idea of it, but I can't believe that many people are meetin' people that they want to see every single day, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday."

-Jerry Seinfeld

Today, twelve years ago, Josh and I went on our first date.  

And today seven years ago we got married.

Here's to having found that someone I want to see every. single. day.  Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday...

Baby Shower!

I have a list of blogposts I want to do before the baby gets here, but this new blogger interface is killing me!  I'm having trouble getting pictures to upload correctly so the process of creating even the simplest post is laborious and time consuming. :/  Anyway, one of the things I wanted to post about was this adorable baby shower some of my sweet friends hosted a couple of weekends ago!

It was a perfect afternoon and I got so much GREAT girlie stuff.  I couldn't wait to get home and organize it all in her room and now that that's done, I can't wait to use it all!!  Thanks to everyone who was there...love you all!

Lentil's Room

It's finally done!  And by done I mean literally baby-ready.  All her little clothes are clean and organized by size in her closet; there are diapers in the diaper stacker and spares under the changing table!

Though I didn't actually paint on her walls like I did in Frazier's room, I don't feel at all like she's been slighted a bit because I made more for her room for sure!  This painting I'd done years ago (even before Frazier was born) was my inspiration.  I added a few things to it for her.  So the decor revolved around sweet stuff...heavy on the cherries and strawberries. :)

I ordered the felt fruit for this mobile and the felted cookies separately then hung them all together on a dismantled mobile of Frazier's and it matched the painting perfectly!

Made this [fake] candy mobile for over the changing table:

The apple tree painting is another of my old ones and I refinished the little hutch myself.  It began life as this:

And now looks like this:

Also my paintings above the changing table and I painted the lanterns and made the strawberry ones.  I picked out my own fabric and commissioned the diaper stacker and changing pad cover.

The shelves on the wall are old drawers from my old booth at Vintage Soul.  I repapered the backs, screwed them together and painted them all the same color.  (Valspar:  Sweet Mint)  I made the bunting and the valance (out of the same fabric used for the diaper stacker), but the brown curtains were hand-me-downs from Frazier's old decor...as was the bedding.  All the pillows I found individually on etsy, except one I found in Italy.

This chevron print hook is from Hobby Lobby, but I painted the cherries and stuff over it.

I adore the strawberry rug. Found that online.

My grandfather made the little nightstand by adding a shelf to another old drawer I had and some legs from Lowe's.  I'd actually picked it up at the Re-Store for $1awhile back thinking it looked like a little table and had been waiting to be able to use it!  The chalkboard, white frame, lamp and little green shelf were things I already had.  I just added the chalkboard part, made a bulletin board out of fabric and rick-rack and decorated a lampshade I found at Goodwill.  Voila!  The little basket I have sitting on the nightstand shelf is one I got at my friend's garage sale.  I painted it pink and embroidered the little fabric insert with strawberries and cherries.

 I had so much fun working on it, I'm a little sad it's over!  But relieved, too.  I can't wait for her to live in it!