Saturday, December 1, 2012

Two Arrows in Our Quiver

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
-Psalm 127:3-5


Audrey June Wattenburger
November 1, 2012 at 11:03 pm
9 pounds, 7 ounces, 21 inches


Our first family picture as a family of four. Sorry about my gross IV being in the picture.


She sure is sweet though. This girl loves to cuddle and be held. 
Plus, she sleeps pretty well at night - most nights.


Now that he's gotten used to her, Micah is loving that he is a big brother. Whenever Audrey is laying down on her blanket, he wants to lay right next to her and talk to her. 


I can't count how many times a day I hear, "Look at her, Mommy. She's cute!" 


Our quiver, and our hearts, are feeling very full of love for these two sweet children.


Welcome to our family, Audrey! We're so excited that you're here!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Before and After

Things change.

Yesterday morning vs. yesterday later morning:



Last October vs. this October:



Family picture last November vs. Family picture this weekend:

*This will change again soon - and hopefully my belly will be significantly smaller!

Micah in his car seat at two weeks old vs. Micah in that car seat this morning:


Can you tell that I've been thinking about how quickly things change? Just thought I'd share.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Must-Haves for A New Baby

We have just over two weeks until our baby girl is supposed to arrive. After a few freak-outs over not being ready for a new baby, I'm finally feeling prepared. We plan to use most of what we had for Micah when he was a little one, so getting prepared wasn't so much about having what we needed, but feeling ready emotionally! There were a few things that I wanted to buy/get ready for this new baby, knowing that they were either favorites when Micah was new, or they were things I wanted to have. So, here are a few recommendations:

1. Swaddling blankets.
With Micah, I just had a bunch of those little receiving blankets that come in a four-pack. They're really helpful for other things, but for swaddling, they just don't cut it - they're not big enough and I couldn't ever get them to stay around him. I ended up having to buy flannel, and my mom hemmed the edges, so I had some thin (but warm) swaddle blankets.

I keep hearing great things about Aden + Anais's swaddlers, so I talked David into letting me buy a package of them. They're more expensive than I would like, since we're on a fairly tight budget ($48 for four) but I had $10 to Amazon, and then I got a 20% off coupon from Amazon Mom, so it saved me about $20!

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2. Head bands and hair clips
If we're going to have a little girl, I want people to know she's a little girl! We have plenty of pink and purple clothes for her to wear, but I really like it when little girls have cute head bands. So, occasionally, when I see a cute little clip or bow, I pick it up to add to our collection.

3. An infant car seat
A few weeks ago, I realized that if we were to have this little one early, I wasn't prepared! I didn't even know where our car seat was - and wherever it was, it probably wasn't clean. So, I got my butt in gear and found the car seat, washed it, and set it aside in the spare room, waiting to bring this little munchkin home.

It's the same car seat that we used with Micah, and the pattern isn't really very feminine, hence the need for head bands for the little lady. I;m planning to make a cover for the car seat, to replace the blue and brown, but until I get the fabric and finish it, this will work just fine!

By the way, where did the last two years go? When was Micah ever this little?
4. Long-sleeved Onesies

Since this baby's going to be born in late Fall, I want to be sure she stays really warm. A lot of the shirts and onesies I have for her are short-sleeved, though, so I like to put long sleeves underneath. The little dress she's going to wear home from the hospital is sleeveless, so it's important to get some sleeves (and pants - or at least tights) on that girl to keep her cozy.

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These aren't the exact ones I bought - I'm not a fan of Gerber - but they look very similar.
So, there are a few things we bought to get ready for 'Baby Audee' as Micah calls her. We're feeling prepared, and hopefully we'll have pictures to share very soon!

Monday, October 1, 2012

A Room For Two - Part One

I have so much to do for Micah and Audrey's room to be finished. I've been really excited to design and style their room for both a boy and girl, but it really is a lot of work!

I have a list of projects to finish for their room to be finished, but here's the list, and then some pictures of what the room looks like right now. I'm sorry for some bad looking pictures - my camera is dead, and I'm just using my iPhone as my camera until I get a new one (Christmas maybe?).

* Paint walls gray
* Stencil one wall? ** This will probably come a long time down the road - the priority is to get the room painted.
* Add shelves to closet
* Unpack/organize boxes in closet (Micah's blankets, toiletries, etc.)
* Big-boy bed painted
* Micah sleeping in big-boy bed
* Sew sheets for crib ** I have one left to sew.
* Sew crib skirt for crib
*Order new crib mattress
* Baskets organized for Baby Audrey - we're not buying a second dresser because we don't have room, so we're going to try using baskets in the closet, on the new shelves.
* Scale/wave artwork for wall
* Yarn treatment on lampshade
* Shelves/accessories for Audrey's side of the room.
* Shelves/accessories for Micah's side of the room
* Paint shelf with Micah's baskets (socks, shoes, washcloths)
* Audrey's bow holder
* Hang curtains
* Hem curtains - they're WAY too long!




My mom made this embroidered hanging for Micah - it's hanging above his bed, but it could really use a shelf or something below it.

So, I feel like I'm making some progress, but that's a long, intimidating list! I know I won't get it all finished before she's born, but I'd like to get as much done as I can.

Yesterday (Sunday), I made some good progress on projects. First I worked on the lamp:

I used an old white lamp that had been in Micah's room before. I really love the shape of the base and shade, but the shade had seen better days. It was kind of dented and had some marks on it that made it look kind of old. So, inspired by this lamp done by Lindsay at The Pleated Poppy, I went to work at transforming it into a much better looking piece.


My next project was a Pinterest inspiration. I found this painted canvas when I was just imagining moving into our house, and have been planning to make it for quite a while.


I planned to buy a new canvas to make it on, but remembered that we had an old ocean painting hiding in the corner of our bedroom. It hung in our old bathroom but wasn't something that we liked all that well. So, I read the steps that the blogger laid out in her post about how she made this, and followed them - I thought.

I started by mapping out the circles.



Then I got to work painting - bye bye, ocean scene!


Here it is after I finished:


So, if you look back at the original, I guess I put my circles closer together than the original project had. But, I like it anyway. I'm thinking about changing the color of the third gray, because it seems to blend in a lot with the color below it.

Here are both of my projects, together in Micah's room:


I'd still like to paint that little shelf white, and then I feel like this one little part of the room is finished... one very little part!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Summer 2012 Recap, Part Three - August

Travels finally started to slow down in August, and we were able to spend some time at home! It was really needed after a busy two months in June and July. Even though we didn't do much traveling, I have a good amount of pictures to share! 

Anna came to stay with us for a day! She's such a sweet little girl, and Micah loves having her over. He's getting lots of big-brother practice with Anna, and he does a great job!


The Umatilla County Fair (and Farm City Pro Rodeo) happen the second week of August every year, and now that we've moved, we only live two blocks away. We walked over on Wednesday morning with Micah, and took him to see all the sights. Of course, he loved seeing the animals!


Daddy has most of the carrying duties these days, since Micah weighs at least 30 pounds and I'm very pregnant! He loves being with Daddy!


There is usually a wild-animal exhibit at the fair, and we weren't disappointed this year! Technically I don't think the animals are wild, but they're being rehabilitated. They had lots of snakes - eww, but they're Micah's favorite animal right now - so Micah had a great time at this exhibit. I really enjoyed the TIGER (who was sleeping the entire time) and this little bobcat. Isn't it adorable?


We always like to go to the fair in the morning and then eat lunch there too.


We also went to the rodeo but I, of course, forgot to take any pictures.

I found out some wonderful news in August - Tri-Cities is getting a Great Harvest Bread Company! I am so excited to go there and buy bread. Their cinnamon chip bread is the best for french toast.


Another big development in August was Micah's transition out of his crib and into his big-boy bed. I feel like I have a lot to say about this, so get ready! 

We're planning on having our kids share a room once Audrey moves out of her bassinet. So, to prepare, we wanted to make sure Micah had plenty of time to transition out of his crib and not feel like his little sister was stealing his bed when she moves into the crib. 

I agonized over finding the perfect bed and considered spending a lot of money on a brand new one. Then, at a garage sale, my friend Heather found these two twin sized beds - and they're perfect! I bought both of them for $100 - which was less than I was going to spend on a new bed - and they're in perfect condition, and almost exactly what I was looking for. The only problem was that they're cream, so I painted Micah's bed white, and eventually I'll paint the other one too. It's sitting in the garage right now, because we're not going to need it for a long time.


I was telling my mom one day that we had Micah's bed all set up, and he was still sleeping in his crib. I told her that I thought he probably could climb out of the crib but didn't realize it yet. Wouldn't you know, that afternoon, rather than take a nap, Micah climbed out of his crib. So, that night was his first time sleeping in his big-boy bed! 

The transition at night went really well. He would cry just a little bit, and then go to sleep in his bed. The entire first week, he didn't fall out of his bed! Nap time was a lot more difficult, but after a week or so, he got used to taking naps in his bed too. 


The little guy has transitioned really well into his new bed, and we're really enjoying the fact that we can lay on it with him to read stories and cuddle. Every night he asks one of us to stay with him for a while - who can resist that little face asking, "Mama, stay Micah?" 


Every morning, we wake up to this face (although he usually has a big smile):
'Moing Mama!'


We've been enjoying opportunities to play in our yard:


August is an important month because it includes Micah's birthday! This year, he turned two and we had a little party with family and friends to celebrate. A lot of people came to the party, and we had a really good time! This was his face when I asked him to smile.


Last year, we had a very themed party (hedgehogs), but this year I just didn't have the energy to spend much time planning and getting ready. I did make this watermelon shark, though, which I found on Pinterest. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it looked really neat!



One of the funny things about Micah's birthday party was his cake. I knew I wasn't going to have the energy (or time, really) to make a fancy cake like I wanted to, so we opted to buy an ice cream cake instead. Micah came with me to Dairy Queen so he could pick the design out himself. 

I found a Spider-Man design and a soccer design I thought he'd like, but he said no to both. So then we looked through the designs together for one he liked. He turned down horses and dogs too, and I was starting to worry that he'd either not pick a design, or pick something strange. 

Well, strange was the answer, because he picked out the American flag, complete with a bald eagle flying across the front. My grandpa Herm would have been so proud - he loved bald eagles! For a couple of days after his party, Micah was talking about his 'eagle cake'.


Sweet, smiley Anna got to come stay with us a couple more times while her parents were at work. I'm really thankful for having Fridays off, so she's been able to come over a couple of times!


We also spent a day (before David went back to work) starting to organize our garage. There is still a lot to do in there, and it's still pretty messy, but at least we know now where things are. Micah and Maverick kept each other entertained. 


I'm so glad Micah is getting to grow up with a dog - doesn't it look like Maverick's enjoying it too? 

Thanks for looking at all of my pictures! I feel better now that I've spent some time posting them, and getting up to date a little better. My next goal today is to take some pictures of our house, so I can post them soon - it's only been two months that we've lived here, that's not too long, right?

Summer 2012 Recap, Part Two - July

I realized last night that I forgot something very important from the month of June - on June 28th, we moved into our new house! We are loving the space and are finally feeling settled into the house. I have lots of ideas for how I'd like to decorate and improve the house in the future. For now, it's great just how it is!


July was a great month too, but very busy! We had a lot of fun things going on, including two weddings out of town, unpacking lots of boxes, and some camping with my parents. Not to mention David and I were both working during the week.

Somehow I don't have any pictures on my phone of Greg and Britni's wedding in Salem, but it was beautiful and very fun! Greg is one of David's best friends, and David was a best man in the wedding. We were honored to be able to have a part in their special day - and we're excited that they've moved to Hermiston!

Micah is really interested in animals right now, and he has loved going out to our family friends' house to visit their chickens. I think he would sit right here and watch all of the chickens for hours if he could.


He's enjoying our new carpet. 


On two different mornings, Micah and I went to pick blueberries at a local farm. The first morning, Barb also went, and Micah went back and forth between us, picking (and eating) as he went. The second morning was more difficult, since I brought him by myself and he kept running away from me. 


We have a lot of frozen blueberries now, though, and they're delicious! I'm not sure how long they'll last in our freezer, because I've been eating them already.


Micah and I spent multiple Friday and Saturday mornings going to garage sales - mostly looking for tiny clothes for his little sister. He found this kitty at one garage sale, and promptly (the next weekend) forgot it at my parents' house. Oops!


In the middle of July, my little sister (who's not so little anymore) got married in Everson. Micah was the ring-bearer, and I have to say, he was adorable! Here he is trying on his wedding attire the week before the wedding.


Steph getting ready for the wedding! Isn't she pretty!??


I don't have any pictures of the actual wedding to post because I'm only using pictures I've taken off my phone. Hopefully soon I'll get some pictures, though... hint, hint! I was the matron of honor, and had a lot of fun! It was such a blessing to see my sister get married to a great guy like Rodney, and Micah has been asking about them often. He wants to go visit them in Portland soon, I think!

After the wedding, we went camping with my parents in Winthrop, WA. On the way over the pass, we stopped at Nehalem and Micah got to explore an old train with David. 


There was a really neat bell on the train that Micah would have really liked to ring, but a bunch of people were having a picnic right next to the train and kept yelling at people who rang the bell. It made me wonder why they sat next to the train? Oh well, next time we'll be sure he rings the bell!


Winthrop is an old western town with lots of cute little shops to explore. 
This strong man joined us on our shopping adventure.



 Micah even took a bath in a cooler - it's not ideal and I probably wouldn't do it again, but he sure had fun! 



When we returned home, Micah started swimming lessons. Last year he was pretty timid about the water, but he had a lot more fun this year! Unless I dunked his head under the water, which ruined the day for him. Our little guy loves to swim!


At the end of July, Micah got to have his friend Kai over for a play-day.


July was a very hot, but very fun month! One more summer month post to come - August!