WayfaringStrangers

Baby Samuel Behn joined us over the weekend on April 16 th ! He is just too precious and I am loving having a baby again.  And so, here is Samuel’s birth story, while it’s fresh in my mind. The stats: 14 hours of “labor” 90 minutes of active labor and actual pain Birth weight: 7 lbs, 14 oz Samuel’s birth was somewhat different than the other boys’, although in the end the fast pace of it did seem very similar. From early in the pregnancy, my wonderful midwife and I had discussed an induction at 39 weeks because of my very fast labors. Behn and I were a bit traumatized during Patrick’s 45 minute labor and wanted to make sure this baby was born in the hospital, not during a scary moment on the side of the road or at home. My midwife agreed and that was the birth plan. The induction was set for April 16 (39 weeks) and we were going to try and go a natural route of induction by stripping membranes or breaking my water to get things moving. The night before the indu...

Ah, springtime. Windows open, St. Patrick's Day, Easter. Flowers blooming, birds chirping, garden dreaming. My favorite time of year. I do love autumn, too. But spring is just so fresh. It wins. The boys are outside much of the time. We are walking back to the creek, on the lookout for toads and turtles. And they pick me flowers. I love my little, loving boys. We all worked together to dig up some of the garden last weekend. So far we planted spinach and carrots. I bought a bunch of new seeds and am eager to get things going. I told myself not to get too ambitious- I'm about to have a baby! But it's so fun, I can't help myself.  Plus, Behn  is helping and the boys are learning so much. We will see how the garden goes this year. My induction date is in exactly a month. Behn set up the crib, all blankets and tiny clothes are washed. Bag is packed. I'm ready to meet this little guy. The last couple months are the hardest, especially this tim...

The last few weeks, I've been spending more time with my little nephew, Jack. He is 8-9 months old and so cute. I love that age- sitting but not yet crawling, yet very interactive. I was able to babysit him both last week and the week before. Patrick reading to Jack: Being around a baby makes me realize how far we've come. Now, I know my guys are only 5 and 3 (and still a bunch of work), but there is such a big contrast when paired with a baby. I have 2 big boys out of diapers. Talking. Sleeping. In preschool. Riding bikes. Building forts.We just signed Graham up for his 2nd year of t-ball. Graham is also sounding out words and doing math in his head and engineering legos. Patrick counts and sings and plays with puzzles independently. Each stage is so fun and so challenging. When your baby won't nap or sleep at night, that is so hard. When your kid won't potty train, that is so hard. When your 5 year old still won't eat meat (ahem, Graham), that is s...

From my doctor's appointment today: I am now over a week into the third trimester. Baby boy constantly reminds me of himself with his squirms, hiccups, and kicks. I found myself tearing up at my doctor's appointment today, thinking of how blessed we are to be doing this again. I've had more conflicted emotions this time around. The boys are out of diapers and in preschool. I'm a little older. We still have a very tight budget. And yet, I get to do this again: carry life. Any sadness I felt about not having a daughter has dissipated as I look forward to my son. I love, love little boys. We are not ready yet, though. His nursery has been a dumping ground for stuff we were selling at a yard sale at the kids' school. The yard sale is over, so now we need to take down the twin bed and bring in the crib and a dresser. The room was painted last year, so it's pretty much set. We need tiny diapers and to wash the baby clothes I have stored away. The carseat n...

It's a perfect day to sit down for a minute and write. We are grateful to be warm and cozy (and with electricity) during the Blizzard of 2016. The boys are making a blanket fort and I have this Chicken Enchilada Soup simmering in the crock pot while the snow continues to fall outside. Graham is enjoying the snow- sledding, trying to build a snow tunnel, making snow angels- while Patrick has not changed from his pj's and is completely happy inside the house. Behn and I have taken turns outside with Graham and the cold air is refreshing. We have yet to see a snow plow today, so we may be here for a while...I think we are up to 15 inches! We have already had hot chocolate, watched The Snowman,  and played Chutes and Ladders. Happy snow day. [We will see if I'm singing the same tune when we are still snowed in 5 days later]. I'm now 27 weeks (6 months) pregnant, and feeling it. Baby boy kicks and moves all the time and it's hard to believe that h...

Back when I first got pregnant with this one, we talked about "not finding out." You know, if the baby was a boy or a girl. At first, it seemed like it would be easy. People never used to know what they were having, right? I declined the 10 week blood test that would show for abnormalities and also reveal the gender. We moved on. Then we started talking about names. We've always had a girl name, but coming up with another boy name was a challenge. And then I started looking through the baby clothes. Would I need all these baby boy clothes? Or could I purge most of them? Should I be looking at little sundresses? Our 20 week ultrasound was scheduled. Behn and I decided to have them write down if the baby was a boy or a girl, so that we could decide later on if we wanted to know. At this point, I was pretty much itching to find out. As it turns out, the ultrasound tech wasn't allowed to write it down, but she did print a very specific potty shot so that we could deci...

I'm not sure why a warm stretch in autumn is called "Indian Summer," but I sure am grateful for it this week as we dive into the darkness that is nearing the winter solstice.  Our electric bill will also reflect my gratitude as we've only turned the heat on a handful of times. Autumn seemed to peak last weekend, the foliage in full beauty. The tops of the trees are now beginning to thin. Warm days keep us outside as much as possible but the cool nights are welcome, too. I'm feeling better now that I'm in my 2nd trimester and enjoying cooking and baking again (soup! fresh, warm bread! boxed macaroni n cheese because real life!). Overall, this is a busy season and I do feel weary. The boys are a huge handful of energy, the driving everywhere and working part time and just keeping up with it all seems to have me in a chokehold at moments. Things will settle down, though, or at least shift as winter sets in. I'm already looking forward to the 4 day Thanks...

Yup. I'm pregnant. 13 weeks now, to be more exact. Which means that even though I'm feeling much better, I really wish I was taking a nap. But I digress.... We are really happy, of course, and feeling so blessed to be doing this again. We believe life is God's to give. This is a new gift. Graham especially, is over the moon, and constantly touches my belly and sings to "Bumblebee." I'm pretty excited about the age gaps we have between G and P and this new baby. I believe they will really get to experience the whole "new baby" thing. And now, answers to questions: Q. Did you try for a girl? Is it a girl? A. We tried for a baby. It might be a boy. It might be a girl. I have no preference, although others do (Graham and Behn want a girl). We are thinking about not finding out the sex until birth- Team Green! Keep everyone in suspense! Q. When are you due? A. April. So excited for a spring baby! Q. How are you feeling? A. Pretty good! ...