just an update

Hi Everyone!

I don't have time or energy to add pictures to this post, I just thought I'd do a quick little update since its been a while since I have posted.

We just got back yesterday from a week vacation with Jeremy's entire family.  I am so happy to be home.  It was fun to go and I think Jeremy's mom was happy to have everyone there, but before we left for the trip, Jeremy said, "What do you think the family blow-up will be this time?"  I laughed and just told him to keep his mouth shut around his brothers and probably no arguments would happen.

Well, there was basically some sort of argument/family drama event every single night.  I got so little sleep some of the nights because of this, and we spent a lot of our time waiting around for people because half of his siblings don't really understand what it means to be somewhere at a certain time and are not considerate of people who are ON TIME.  Then they get mad at us because we didn't want to wait with our children for (i am not exaggerating) over an hour in 80-90 degree weather while they finally made it to wherever we were going.

Yeah.

So I'm happy to be home.

We did do some fun things, though.  We walked through the Lava Caves (almost 2 miles in the dark) and climbed Smith Rock (I carried Hailey almost the entire way, 2 and 1/3 mile over and then back again), and went to different parks for the kids to play.  The resort we stayed at had an awesome kiddie splash park and pool area, Hailey LOVED the water and wanted to swim all day.

The week before we went on a trip to the oregon coast with my sister and her husband, and that was awesome.  We spent all of our time outside on the beach, the kids proved to be awesome travelers (did great in the car and slept fine any where we put them) and it was really refreshing.  I have a bunch of pictures up on my blog from that trip if you want to see them. (http://beccaellis.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/oregon-coast-trip/)  Also, as soon as we got back from that trip, we had VBS up at the church and I taught the 4-5 year olds (although I also had a few 2 and 3 year olds, also).  It was fun, but I was exhausted at the end of the week and then had to pack up again for Oregon.

Shea starts up at his new preschool (here in Indianola) in a few weeks and I'm taking online classes again this quarter.  Also, I don't think I have shared anything about this, but I recently bought a new camera and I have connected with a doula in the area who I will be working with to offer free birth photography in exchange for experience at births and to build my portfolio.  I am super excited about this and have potentially 4 births from now through December that I could be at, including my sister's.  I also am doing a young woman we knew from Port Orchard (she was one of the teens we were working with when we lived there) who is pregnant and I am doing her maternity pictures in November.

Anyway, thats it for now.  I was finishing up a post on my blog for a local farm to table cafe I went and pictures for, and now I am ready to go to bed!  Jeremy is up watching the Huskies game with his parents, but Hailey is coming down with a cold and I think I am fighting it off, too.  I am so thankful Jeremy is off until Tuesday and we have nothing planned all weekend.

Busy couple of weeks

I worked 3 days out of an 8 day period, had two friends move from rentals to their first homes, my boy had/has croup, and sleeping through the night turned into waking twice a night while sick. 

The times when I think I would be getting grumpy I just think "this is motherhood, you will miss this, enjoy the moment".  When I don't feel like I can do it alone, and Paul is at work, I text a friend and get together. Chores can wait, sometimes just hanging out and enjoying the moment changes a downer day into one of the best days.  Eli is a social baby and is usually better when hanging out with people.  Oh and I am definitely getting him accustomed to taking naps anywhere and everywhere! 

My boy loves zucchini!  He chews all the meat off and just leaves the skin. Proud mama moment. 

 I have been wanting to go on a motorcycle ride on Paul's new bike since he wouldn't take me when I was pregnant.  It only took us 7 months but we took a half hour ride together while grandma and grandpa watched Eli.  I had worked that day and was tired, but it was so fun to get out and about with Paul!

Eli loves hanging out with our friends who have a little girl, Meli who is 4 months old.  They love each other, she stares at him and smiles, he grabs her foot, repeat, and repeat. It's adorable!

Eli and I went to help his other buddy Isaac and his mama pack up to move (they move today actually) and they have baby jail. I am a huge fan of baby jail!  I wish they had a portable one I could take everywhere with me to all the places I go that aren't babyproofed! 

Eli gets so excited when he sees me eating. He crawls over all excited like and super fast and stares and climbs on me till I give him a bite.  Baby led weaning at its finest. 

Since Eli had croup I hadn't been going swimming because I had decided to take him to the gym daycare, but didn't want to start him there while he was all mucousy and coughy. I finally get my booty there and the pool is closed!  So I swung into costco for some bread and ended up with this sweet outfit for Eli. Jeggins, camo vest, and a long sleeved grey onesie that isn't pictured. 

I made my own almond butter for the first time!  I am going to make peanut butter next.  Why oh why haven't I done this before? It is so easy.  Roast almonds, let cool a bit, put in food processor for about 7 minutes, add a pinch of salt and incorporate and voila, almond butter. 

This boy is going to keep me on my toys, he is already a dare devil at 7 months old. I can't wait till he can wheel himself around on this thing! :) 

Getting into the groove

I don't know why it took me so long to have Eli put himself down for naps. I just had to let him cry and go in every 10-15 minutes and now he puts himself down for nearly every nap. I used to nurse him down but lately he is awake through most of if not all of nursing. Or if he falls asleep he wakes right up. Anyway, he was skipping every single nap when meant there was a crazy mommy and crazy baby in the house. So I started leaving him in the crib for what should constitute a nap and he started falling asleep on his own. Win win. We are both way happier, and this has been going on for weeks now. I am also finally finding time to get things done around the house!  I found this grout paint that makes your grout look a million times better, like new really. I spent 3 solid days of nap times redoing all of our grout. I have gorgeous tile and very bruised knees to show for it. I also secured the rest of the tippable furniture to the wall today.  I have also started vacuuming every other day downstairs because I know a little boy who likes to crawl everywhere, and some cats who like to track litter everywhere. I am loving my house more and more now that I have been making these small changes. I also cleaned our shower doors with something called bio-clean. I can't remember if I mentioned this before but it is magical. Add a little (kinda a lot) of elbow grease and my shower doors look brand new, no more hard water stains that are 10 years old! 

I have no smooth transition. Straight to baby talk.  Eli has been semi approving of books more these days. He often wants to just chew on them and is not interested in me reading anything, but crawling and clinmbing, those are his favorites and he does it all day every day! 

My mom got me this awesome "my mom snaps" book as part of my birthday gift. It's all about the daily activities a kid is doing and how the mama snaps pictures all day long. I LOVE it! 

Eli got to meet my friends 4 week old niece. She was so sweet. It's crazy how fast you can forget how cuddly and sweet little ones are. I absolutely loved that stage but this stage is way more fun, that stage was sweet :) .

Paul and I went on our first childless date day and it was amazing. We still bought Eli some stuff but mainly we  went bike shopping to 3 different stores and did research. Then we went to lunch, got my free starbucks bday coffee and then walked 3 miles around greenlake in some amazing weather. It was a much needed 5.5 hour date while grandma watched Eli. And we got to see the blue angels because it was Seafair! 

Eli loved his first taste of vine fresh blackberries! There are lots of places close to home that have blackberries free for the picking. I made my first freezer jam with them!  

I had to go get a filling and a cleaning at the dentist and it turned into a 1.75 hour visit because of insurance logistics and stuff. This kind of thing would have annoyed me pre baby but I just enjoyed the time alone watching the news and fiddling on my phone while waiting for things!  I also didn't need to get numbed at all because the fillings were so small, which was awesome! I would way rather have them fixed now than in a few years when they are awful! 

My mother in law made me an awesome fruit tart for my bday, and the Celebrate is my favorite event additive I got from lisa leonard designs when she was having a sale :) 

My boy loves the bath, we take one every night almost even though he showers with me in the morning. 

My birthday bike with my main man! 

Amber teething necklace please work! 

Eli unfortunately caught his first cold (or has really bad teething congestion) and he is hating the nose frieda.  I have a humidifier running in his room and he has been napping more than ususal. Still just teeth buds and no teeth, which is fine by me. Love this little dude and hope he feels better soon. 

Not much news

Hello!  Not that much to report -

We went to Spain.  My Expert Sinner blog has all the details and a link to the photos if you haven't already seen them.

We received a bunch of info on that girl we were interested in adopting, and now the ball is in our court to decide if we want to continue pursuing her.  Oddly though, the social worker hasn't even looked at our homestudy, so it seems premature to send us this girl's entire life story and list of problems.  Very personal and private information to send to a couple when you haven't even read their homestudy.  But I guess they trust that we went through the licensing process so we must be all right?  Not sure.  Right now I'm waiting for Joe to decide whether to move forward or not so I can contact the social worker, at which point they will review our homestudy.  If they like us, then they'll bring the girl on board.  If she likes us, then she'll live in our home as a foster-adopt, and when it is determined she's a good fit, we'll adopt.  That is a lot of "ifs!"  The big "if" right now is Joe, who honestly hasn't been responding to my efforts to talk about it.

I think we may have found a home church. Faith Baptist in Kent.  A lot of families who used to go to FEPC go there now.  I am really excited to get involved.  I have missed being plugged in, especially since our Bible study ended.

I'm really frustrated with my inability to drive because I am bored out of my mind.  There are so many opportunities for ministry and social-ness that are out of reach.  Joe has off-and-on been researching cars for me because he wants to get rid of the Mazda...but we have different opinions about what car to get (I want heated seats for my legs and he says absolutely not; he wants to buy a truck in addition to a new car and I say absolutely not...).  And after we get the car we still have to get the hand controls, which also requires me to take some classes and, I believe, to retake the driving test.  It seems so far away!  As of next month it will be a year since I'll have driven.  September 17 last year was when we went to the ER because I woke up and couldn't walk.  It was after that I decided to stop driving.  November 1 I was diagnosed.  December 1 I started the medication.  I just remember all these dates because it was such a big change in my life.

I've plateau'd in physical therapy so my last session is next week.  Too bad my 2x/week sessions were the highlight of my week because, PEOPLE.  But I've really thrown myself into my home PT routine and I'm noticing a difference in my leg strength!  My main problem with doing it at home was, I'd try to do all my exercises at once and then I'd get woozy and headachy and blurry vision and I'd push through it so I could check it off.  But I made a check list where I do a couple sets and then I have to take at least a 5 minute break.  And I've learned to allow myself to stop in the middle of an exercise *as soon as* I start feeling weird.

I started grating my Fels Naptha on the smallest grater for laundry soap because I was getting tired of the little grated pieces mixed in with the powdered washing soda and borax.  It made a great powder, but it took forever and I was breathing it in and stuff.  So I looked up "How to avoid grating soap" and found this.  I have not tried it yet but I plan to.  I also started putting the soap through a sieve to make it pure powder!  I love it even more now!  And I'm pretty sure it'll dissolve in cold water, being so fine.

That's all I can think of.  Toodleoo!

Today was tiring, but productive.

The house is way too warm right now, Eli skipped his nap ( I made him have "quiet time" that wasn't very quiet so I could have some mama time), and dinner needs to be cooked. At least I was able to get all the shopping done this morning.  Little man and I went to Safeway, Fred Meyer (rings needed to be redone), Petco, Becu, Costco, and got gas.  The two tiring house were made possible by the Ergo and the wonderful cart cover from you Becca!  Eli napped on my back the 45 min that we were at costco.  

Speaking of shopping I pretty much never go anymore.  We were out of pretty much everything, including bread, peanut butter, milk, half and half, milk to make yogurt (I make it with whole milk), fruit, and the only veggies we had was lettuce.  It was getting back because I usually get a bountiful basket weekly but we were out of town or I was working the last 2 weeks so I have been missing out! I save so much money getting the baskets.  I get a little of everything fruit and vegetable related and it keeps me out of the grocery store, and therefore I make meals of fruits and veggies instead of other crap.  I have started making our own bread but had to take a break because of this heat.  There is no way I am turning my oven on or spending that long in my kitchen in this heat, I just can 't do it.  Also Eli has gotten insanely more mobile and has been skipping a majority of his naps, so thats fun. ;)  He has two teeth about to pop through through so hopefully things get better soon.  I have to give him credit though, he sleeps 10-11 hours a night with an exception this last week when we were on vacation and the teething got super bad. We are getting back on schedule with the self soothing though.  He has been wanting to nurse all the time with this teething, do you remember that Becca with your kids? Some may be related to the heat but it seems more correlated with teeth. 

A few weekends ago Eli and I went up to Carnation for "Celebrate life with your midwife".  It was so fun to hang out with Roxanne at her gorgeous lakehouse home on Lake Joy.  So many mamas and so many babies were there too! It was worth the hour drive. :) 

I am finally using the sling I wanted so badly before Eli was born.  This sling works perfect for having him on my hip or slightly on my back and hip (arm in front of him) so he can watch me get everything done. I still love having the sling you gave me in the diaper bag for quick trips as well Becca.  Eli is the squirmiest baby and just holding him is way harder if I don't have the sling, only quickkkkkk trips get done without any carrier, they are so easy to pop on it's not worth going anywhere without one of my four, yes four, and I love them all! 

We bought Eli a blow up pool off amazon and he loves it!  I need to fill it up again so he can splash around in this hot week that is coming up.  I just leave the water in it on the deck and put some warm water in each time he gets in, so that it isnt frigid!

Eli is crawling so fast these days and loves standing and holding onto everything!  He can't be contained which means I need to be more creative with my time in order to get things done.  I still wear  him while I mow or vacuum but he doesn't like to be worn while I cook or clean up unless he is sleepy and clingy because he refused his nap (yet still won't go down for one). Babies are so silly. 

I started french braiding my hair again and I love it! My messy bun or pony tail gets annoying when in the car or laying on the couch because I hate the bump it makes, it's uncomfortable.  I just tuck the tail of my french braid under and wear a headband, it's my new favorite summer hair do! 

Eli has always loved Paul, but now that he is mobile and understands more he gets soooo excited when Paul gets home! Tonight he didn't want to go to bed even though he was tired because he hadn't played with Paul (Paul got home we ate dinner, I bathed Eli, and then tried to nurse him down).  So he ended up going to bed 45 minutes later (still at 8pm) and playing with daddy a bit.  

Eli also loves the cats!  He has this excited wheeze that he does when he crawls to some thing he either isn't supposed to get or he has never seen before. It's adorable.  The cat's let him get pretty close  before darting off. 

We went to Orcas Island with my parents this last week for 4 nights.  It was so awesome to have 4 adults to 1 baby ratio for caretaking, I know I enjoyed it!  We stayed at a place that overlooked the water and was so gorgeous.  We explored Mt. Constitution, pottery shops, downtown, and the water. The only bummer is Eli slept like crap, waking 2-3 times a night due to either teeth or just knowing he was in the same room as me, not sure which one.  I can see two little teeth buds so anyday this kid should have some teethers break through!  Poor guy.  Sometimes you can just tell he wants to be happy but all the nap skipping and teeth pain catches up to him and he fusses, then smiles, and fusses, then collapses in your arms. 

The first night we were there some deer came to visit, and I took a selfie. Best selfie I have ever taken :). 

The picture of Eli in the dark below was the day he woke up at 3:50 am.  Nobody gave him the memo that you are supposed to sleep at that hour.  

Feet in the water (it was cold and he didn't really like it), Ergo with mama- my little happy boy, family picture on our last day, and at the top of Mt. Constitution.  Hiking is a lot more work with a baby on  your back! 

Here is how I like to wear Eli while in the kitchen. I get both hands free and he can see wayyyyy more than if he was on my back in the ergo. Happy baby= happy mama.  

We are having to re sleep train Eli so the sight of a sleeping baby is oh so glorious.  He woke up twice last night but Paul was able to get him back down both times, so he went back to not nursing at night pretty well after vacation. 

We missed our first ferry on the way to orcas and the picture of my mom with Eli is us praying we make the one on the way home, we made it by 3 cars, too close for comfort! We got to the ferry over an hour early both times and went out on a tuesday and saturday. 

Eli has been wanting to nurse a lot and for long periods of time.  The hand holding picture was when I tried to unlatch him to take him to his crib, he grabbed on so sweetly and wouldn't let go. :)

I just cleared over 400 pictures off my phone before doing this blog post. I thought I took a lot of pictures pre baby, but post baby is no joke!  They were all from July too. :) 

Hope all is well, hope I get to see you on Saturday Becca! 

thankful for our life

I am so thankful for our life.  We live in a rich and amazing community, and our life has been so full lately.  Some friends moved back to the area and we have been spending time with them and making more connections with people in our area.  The last two weeks have been up and down emotionally for me.  My Grandpa died on Hailey's 2nd birthday.  He was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer just before that time and sent home with a few days to a couple of weeks to live.  Thankfully, my brother took time off of work and paid for my mom to fly out and see him.  It worked out that she was able to be there when he passed, which was peaceful and he had his family right there around him.

I wasn't close with my grandpa, but that mixed with some other things going on right now has felt like a lot to process, so last week I felt a little drained.  This weekend was really refreshing though (we went to the beach 3 or 4 days in a row), and full of friends and new faces.  I have been feeling overwhelmingly in love with the place we live, and I know I mention crazy off the wall things like buying a hotel and moving, but Jeremy and I talk more and more about how we could live here for a long time and really, the longer we live here, the more we feel connected to it.

Anyway, hopefully pictures will speak to what we have been up to, because I am playing catch up to day. We are all tired out from the weekend.

Hailey in her Cinderella dress (she was not interested in a picture)

hailey was running around outside in her diaper and looked like some wild hippie child

fun at the beach with friends!  She loves this little girl, Sasha.  They are only a few months apart and get along so well (Hailey likes being a bigger "sister", as she calls herself).  We played with them a few times this weekend.

more fun.  The girls were so cute relaxing in their chairs at our house afterward, and Shea was having  so much fun as I splashed warm buckets of water from a tide pool all over him.

left: at the park today, top right: at a local cafe on Sunday for breakfast, bottom right: Shea playing at a beach in Hansville

Left: Hailey at breakfast on Sunday, top Right: Jeremy and I put the kids down at his parents adn went out for a late night swim at the beach - so much fun , I felt like I was 18 again! 

Catching Up

Hi Ladies!

Long time no post.  I can't believe it's been over a month since our trip to Seattle!  Time has flown by since then.  I've been super busy with work.  Soon after I got back I started teaching a new class and using new curriculum in my other class.  I've finally gone through a whole cycle of the new curriculum and can use the lesson plans I've already made.  Usually it's not so bad using the new curriculum, but I had to teach a new grammar point I hadn't taught before (relative clauses) and I had to spend quite a while figure it out for myself and then figuring out the best way for my students to understand it.

I had horrible cold for two weeks in June at the same time.  It was so bad, I would just come home and hide.  I'm glad that's over, I told Justin that I better not have a cold when I go into labour, I can't imagine!

I hope I'm not too complainy in this post, but I will get to positive things.  But first, this week has been the first week where I've felt tired of being pregnant.  I think the baby was going through a growth spurt, and I've been really tired after work. I would come home, sink into the couch and not move.  It's been a week of frozen pizza and burger's and ordering out.  I also cried this week because my maternity dress pants for work were too tight.  Justin was really sweet about it and last night we went out to get another pair.  We went to a nearby outlet, and I found a pair for $5!

We've been busy getting stuff together for the baby room.  In the last month we've gotten a crib, change table, dresser, stroller and last night we got the car seat!  We found a lot of the stuff on kijiji (Canadian version of craigslist).  Every time we get something it feels so good, one step closer to being ready for the baby!

Like I said, this was a long week, and I'm so glad it's the weekend.  Justin made me pancakes for breakfast, and now we're cleaning our house (I'm taking a break to post while Justin vacuums the car...hehe). Then we're heading off to the beach to hang out with Justin's brother and my sister-in-law and niece.  Our plan is to leave in about half an hour, so I should get on making our picnic lunch and packing snacks for the afternoon.

Here's my attempt at a selfie at the computer, 33 weeks on Sunday!!