Bowling Balls. Watermelons. Giant Babies.

Lily Leah (current name) is already showing that she is an impatient little girl. She has fully dropped. I'll spare you the gory details but the baby check this week went very well, with the Doctor exclaiming, "Oh my God!" when he realized exactly where the baby's head was. And, it turns out the baby's head is basically fully out. With how uncomfortable I am, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I looked down and saw her dangling between my legs. No. Really. That's how ridiculously uncomfortable I am. Every time I sneeze, it's like a giant bowling ball crashing at full speed into my pelvic bones.

 

On the plus side, Chris has changed every diaper now for almost a month so he's winning for Best Husband of the Year - and the best Mother's Day Present ever. C'mon, a month without changing diapers? I know every toddler Mother in the world who would love that.

 

 Jamisen has found the hose and every single day, he wants to help wash the car. Hopefully he grows out of that by the time our water gets metered at our house.

  

We went to the Farmer's Market this weekend while Chris did household errands (there are so many errands with a house compared to a condo!). It was extremely ungainly and uncomfortable to chase little bugaboo around the Farmer's Market but he had a great two hours. A bonus was that Auntie Cheriss came to visit as did Grandma Kelly and Grandpa Winston and Auntie Anamarie. It was so fun to see them all.

  

 We took an extremely uncomfortable family walk around the neighborhood today. Jamisen had a great time and even helped push the stroller up a very steep hill. I barely kept up with that little speed demon. Actually, that's a lie ... I didn't even come close to waddling as fast as the joint efforts of Chris-holding-Jamisen-pushing-a-stroller-uphill.  

Waterproof sheets are going onto the new mattress tomorrow, just in case. And in the meantime, I'll remain thankful for the many blessings in this household ... even if one is sticking firmly inside me for the time being.

Baby 'Sprinkle'

 

The day of Baby Girl Renoud's Sprinkle brought the sun and of course, lured Jamisen right outside for a quick ride around the yard. While he and Daddy did have a great Daddy'n'Me outing planned (coffee shop, park, Fairhaven truck watching). I don't know who was more surprised, Amber or I, when she arrived promptly on time for set-up (8 a.m.) and I was still in my jammies, practicing the piano. I had told two happy helpers 8 a.m. and two of them 9 a.m. but in my head, they were all 9 a.m. Whoops. Well, now she knows I sleep in elf flannel pajamas and an "I Love Soap" t-shirt.  

The team at Bramble Berry designed this fun downloadable banner for the living room. It's downloadable so we can pin it to Pinterest (duh)

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 We painted the inside of mason jars to match the color scheme of the Sprinkle ("Sprinkle" because it's not a full baby shower but it's still a baby celebration), which was heavily aqua and pink. Then, we picked up flowers and arranged them all inside the jars. It turned out soooo pretty.  

These are three of my book club girlfriends. We have been in the same book club for 12 years now. It's amazing to look back and realize we have over a decade of shared experience and friendship. The color matching was a coincidence but a fun one!  

It wouldn't be a Bramble Berry Baby Sprinkle without crafty stations - we had a rock decorating station, an advice station and a DIY Mimosa station with lots of fun fixings to really spruce up basic champagne (complete with homemade Lavender syrup). We were not lacking in the food department either. Fresh berries and fruit, cupcakes, homemade scones and 2 types of veggie quiche (pepper cheddar + broccoli, blue cheese, onion + leek) were all out of the eating but the quiches were definitely the most popular thing; almost all 4 of them were eaten by less than 25 petite women.  

We did a very special wrist binding ceremony, based on Navajo tradition, that called upon the wisdom of our mothers and grandmothers to bless the birth and bless the baby. It was very sweet as everyone shared their mothers and grandmother's names, and spoke a blessing for our upcoming day of birth and life with Lily (yes, that's her name currently - and has been for 4 days - though Chris isn't sold).

  

Everyone is supposed to wear their wrist bindings until the baby is born but since it's a little over 2 weeks away, I can see that some of them may just happen to fall off =)  

It was a lovely day, filled with a lot of laughter and great advice. It was so nice that the Washington weather cooperated (not at all a sure bet in May) and the new house did a fantastic job entertaining. The inside-outside space flowed seamlessly and we were so happy that the home's debut went off smoothly (thanks to many helping hands).

Photos from a Move

 

 We have spent the last week moving into our new family home. It's been considerably harder and more difficult than either of us anticipated.

 

Jamisen is, of course, taking it all in stride now.

 

However, the first night was rough. I think it was because Jamisen had to sleep in his Pack'n'Play, which is essentially a plastic covered crib. He was not happy about it. His room was in disarray and his little precious soft face was smashed down against a plastic covered board. It took about 90 minutes to fall asleep, with Chris or I laying on the floor next to him. Of course, I had a Mastermind Business Meeting in the other room so I felt very torn between two places (Jamisen's bedroom floor and the dining room table with my brain trust).

Hosting a business meeting the same day we moved in may have been ill advised but thanks to my husband's patient and ever-understanding help, we got 'er done. In a truly ironic and awesome happenstance, our Mastermind group read the latest Sheryl Sandberg book, 'Lean In,' where she says that in order for any woman to take a leadership position outside the home, she must have an equal inside the home. That truth was never more apparent than the night we moved, when we were trying to juggle professional and family commitments at once.

The house is coming along but man, has it been tough. I think we both underestimated how much work I have done in previous moves and having me extremely pregnant and essentially unable to do a single thing definitely handicapped packing, moving and unpacking.

I am planning on tackling the master bathroom and bedroom tomorrow though. And once that's done, the house will be much closer to complete and ready to be visited - which, is a good thing considering we're hosting a housewarming/baby sprinkle next weekend.

The final piece of the puzzle will be Baby Girl Renoud's clothing situation. She'll be sleeping in our master bedroom for the first 5 months of her life (which is good because her room will be the guest room until the unfinished downstairs basement is remodeled).  

Thank goodness that my girlfriends Jody and Lisa came by tonight, ostensibly to just grab a quick glass of wine and say 'Hi' but they saw my clear need for help and jumped in, hanging paintings, rearranging furniture and ended up staying 3 hours to help me put the house in order. Chris came in on the tail end, long after many of the holes had been nailed into the wall. I think it looks great! And, I'm so thankful for 'front row' girlfriends that take charge and show up, even when they're not called (but desperately needed).

Happy Birthday, Jamisen

It's hard to believe that two years have passed since Jamisen came home and added to our happiness quotient. We had a wonderful time with Jamisen's birthday party. It was low-key, with family only. I'm guessing this is the last time we'll get away without any of Jamisen's little friends at his party.  

Jamisen was still a little confused about what all the fuss was for but he gamely played along, eating a mini cupcake (not the one in his hands; that one never got eaten), clapping after 'Happy Birthday' was over and enjoying the house full of family.

  

He did understand how to blow out the candle but was a little directionally challenged and didn't quite have the breath to get the candle flame out so we helped.  

Jamisen was confused about the presents. He couldn't understand why we made him rip open the paper, see the toy, say 'thank you' and then *not* let him play with the toy right then and there. He learned a lot about delayed gratification.  

We had said 'no presents' but it's hard to go to a party with a little tyke and not want to buy something fun. And, we weren't exactly upset that everyone brought such thoughtful and kind presents. I'd say his two favorite presents were the drum set (thank you Grandma Kelly and Grandpa Winston) that seems to be a favorite, closely followed by an indoor golf set from Auntie Sharon.

  

As a birthday gift for Chris and I, Grandma and Grandpa Faiola took Jamisen to the park. Jamisen loves his rock throwing (more than anything!) and is proving to be a typical boy with his fascination of water, rocks, dirt and mud.

  

Jamisen also had the best time getting to know his Auntie Sharon better. They laughed and played ball and worked the slides pretty hard.
 
Grandma and Grandpa Faiola were extremely amazed, surprised and yes, proud to see how much Jamisen has grown in his slide and playground skills in the last three weeks. Apparently, he has made impressive strides and is now fearless. Grandpa was very proud that Jamisen was going up the rope ladder, all by himself, when boys that were older than him were afraid and requiring help. Not that anyone in this family is competitive or anything.
 
It was nice to get some date time with Chris to go over our yearly goals as a family for a check-in and (eeeek) plan our house move. That's right, we're moving this week because every woman that is 8.5 months pregnant desperately wants to pack an entire house and then unpack the same house. (shrugs shoulders). Meh. You can't time when the ideal family home will come onto the market and desperately call out your name with a plaintive, "I will be perfect for your growing family." It's going to be a wonderful time for us to bond as a family during this move and then make new family memories bringing the new baby home in the new house.
 
And, the house is everything we've been looking for over a year - it has an acre of property for Jamisen and sister to run on, 3 bedrooms (but we'll add one more downstairs as a guest room) and 2 offices (one upstairs and one downstairs). It also has a garden (yay! No more $4 organic kale and $3 organic cucumbers!)
 

Thankfully, we had Grandma and Grandpa Faiola to help with some of the heavy packing for a day and get us a good head start on the moving process. We are not hiring professional movers so it's going to be a long week - but I am looking forward to cleaning and organizing. It's like spring cleaning, just a little early! Plus, I do know where to get boxes. =)

Must Learn to Share

 I'm getting to the point in this pregnancy that I'm tired of being tired and ready to meet this little girl. Then, I remind myself that I felt this way with Jamisen and the second he was out, I was like, "Wow, my body had been doing a lot of work, feeding and changing this baby. I should have left him in there for longer!"

Baby's First Snow!

  I'm not sleeping great. We have the mountain of pillows again. And pregnancy induced acid reflux is back and here to stay. Yay! The c-section has been scheduled and now it's just a countdown to the day.

 But first, we have to move! We move next weekend and yes, that is indeed what every 8 month pregnant woman wishes to do in her last trimester - move and then throw a housewarming party/"sprinkle" (a "sprinkle" is what you do when it's not a baby shower because the word on the street is that baby showers for a second child are gauche). For those of you keeping track, it's May 4 and if you have this blog URL, you're invited. =)

 
 Jamisen had a play date yesterday with little Ruby. There are no photos from the play date because I don't wish to commemorate it in any way, shape or form. The child (OUR child!) was a terror. He was awful for a full 90 minutes. He refused to share one single toy and kept grabbing all the toys. I swear I saw him pinch her at one point when she was playing with his hammer at his work bench. Chris and I were SO mortified. And, when they mercifully left for an "appointment", we were both exhausted (and embarrassed) beyond belief.

 
 I know what skill we'll be working on in our house ... sharing!

Daddy Comes Home

We were all so relieved and delighted when Chris came home after an almost two week trip to Saudi Arabia. He came home right in time for Jamisen to wake up from his nap. Jamisen, being 2 years old, doesn't know how to express anger very well so he threw his binky at his Daddy to say "Here's my most precious possession. I love you so much. But I'm also angry. So I'm throwing it. So, take that!" Within an hour, Jamisen was back to preferring Daddy over Mommy and he and Jamisen spent the afternoon bonding and reconnecting.

  

 Before Daddy came home, we kept Jamisen busy, busy, busy! From throwing rocks in ponds, to many parks (seriously, almost every park in Bellingham) to riding his faux-bike in the ferry terminal. This weekend, Jamisen learned how to swing with Grandpa Faiola's help:

  

We fed our beautiful (pooping) seagulls moldy bread. I had to convince Jamisen not to eat the moldy bread.

  

He went down the slide a gajillion times and was soooo proud of himself;

  

But the real highlight of the weekend was meeting Eva. Eva is an older woman at 3 years old. And boy, did he put the moves on her!

  

Despite going up on the stairs and going down the slide a gajillion times on his own, when Eva showed up, he said "Hold my hand," and the proceeded to hold her hand every single time they went up the stairs and down the slide. It was his first 3 word sentence (and really, the only other sentence he's ever said is "Help me" so I feel like we could easily say "Hold my hand" was his first sentence. Since it makes for a better story at his wedding, we'll make it so. Viola A bit of Jamisen Renoud lore born ... right before your eyes. You saw it here first, folks!).

  

 This little homecoming present for Chris made me laugh so much. A bird came by and totally drive-by shat, on a vertical window! How is that even possible?! Chris took it well and cleaned up the vertical window poo present with a sense of humor that he should not have had given his long, long flights. What can I say? Best. Husband. Ever.

  

Besides missing Chris dreadfully, I did keep busy while he was gone, hosting dinners and girlfriends. My favorite meal I made was French Onion Soup from scratch. I'm rather proud of it so here's a photo of the finished product (it did taste as good as it looks)  

And, this photo is just here because I like the way I looked in it. But, I'll make up some significance for you: Bramble Berry is doing a soap swap where 100 different soapers send 12 bars of soap each. Then, we mix and match all the soaps so the soapers all get 12 different soaps back. It's sort of like a way cooler chain letter like you used to do in 5th grade. While I technically don't open or sort the boxes, this one did happen to make it into my office so we grabbed a quick shot of it. Since it's one of the few shots you'll see of me without a double chin (past 8 months pregnant people, 8 months!), feast up.

  

Speaking of Baby Girl Renoud, she is doing great. We had our first of many, many fetal stress tests and checks last week (the first of roughly seven more 2 hour appointments) and this week, we start weekly ultrasounds for fluid monitoring and to check Baby Girl's size. She is a mover and a shaker. She loves to toss and turn, especially in the early morning hours and late at night when I'm trying to fall or stay asleep. The traditional pregnancy acid reflux has come upon me and I'm mostly sleeping upright now. For this, and many other reasons, we can't wait to meet our little girl in 6 weeks.

Mission Double Bob, Complete!

When our nanny (the lovely McKenna), texted that she was at the REI Garage sale and there was a double Bob stroller (cue: amazing, glorious, heavenly music) for $150 off, Jamisen and I activated our superpowers quickly. Normally, it takes a good 30 minutes to get out of the house. We pick the shoes Jamisen wants to wear. We pick the hat. We pick the sweatshirt. We get distracted multiple times on the way to the elevator. We cajole. We plead. We finally pick up our little distractable tyke and boom, 29 minutes after we started leaving the house, we finally get to the garage. Which starts another 7 minutes of distraction.

 
When I heard about the awesome Bob stroller plus Patagonia jacket in Jamisen's size, boom! I woke Jamisen up from his nap, took advantage of his confusion and tirednesss, and stuffed him in the car, and was out the door in 9 minutes flat, complete with fully stocked diaper bag. We spaved (spaved = spending to save) over $200. It was glorious! Double stroller!

We then headed to a delightful park where Jamisen wanted to climb the monkey bars and meh, I didn't say 'No' and perhaps may have helped him. This resulted in some blood but not a lot of tears. Today, I helped him learn how to put the food processor together. That also resulted in some blood but no tears. What can I say? The kid is destined to be an adventurous structural engineer. He loves, loves, loves to try new things, sort and put things together; he has all the makings of an amazing architect, bridge builder or moon colonizer.

 
Despite being more pregnant than should be legal, I remain extremely competitive with my NikeFuel buddies, barely staying ahead of them. I do a lot of waddling, and prego-lates (pregnant pilates) to get my points and also still lead the dance parties at Bramble Berry every day.

 
As Baby Girl's arrival draws closer, Jamisen has loved to hear more about his time as a little baby. I "read" his fabric picture book almost daily to him, telling him about when he was a little baby, his behavior, how he didn't have any hair, couldn't hold up his neck, couldn't eat solid food and all the other fun that is baby related. I'm hoping this helps him have some patience and his compassion for Baby Girl Renoud when she arrives in May.

We had a wonderful time with friend Sasha for a great play date. The boys played well together, letting me and Sasha's Mommy, Heather, to make a delicious kale + penne pasta dinner for us all and have some bonding time. It was such a great realization that our boys are old enough to be somewhat self-contained. I predict many more play dates in the future.