How Wonderful Life Is....

Henry loves to be sung to sleep. When he is fussy, music is one of the only things that soothes him--just like his mommy when she was little! At about 3 weeks of age, we had a particularly long night where I was sitting in the glider singing every song I could remember most of the words to in order to keep him calm, when I started singing a song that once the words came out of my mouth nearly had me in tears--how incredibly appropriate the lyrics were! So, I thought I would share it with you.

Your Song

Elton John

It's a little bit funny,this feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide

I don't have much money, but boy if I did

I'd buy a big house where we both could live.

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show

I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do

My gift is my song, and this one's for you.

And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple but now that it's done

I hope you don't mind

I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world.

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross

But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song

It's for people like you that keep it turned on.

So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do

You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue

Anyway the thing is, what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.

Our bedtime routine usually consists of singing "Little Bird" and then "Your Song." By the time I get through both songs he is usually snoozing and has his binky half out of his mouth--a sign deep sleep is usually near.

This routine may be more important for me than it is for him right now, as Henry is such a big boy, he is now sleeping in his own room and has graduated from the bassinet to his crib! I think the transition was harder on me than anyone else, but he seems to be liking it and is sleeping about 5-6 hours at a time before waking only with intermittent cries for a lost binky here and there:)

Happy First Father's Day, Ron!

Everyone got together for a cookout at Scott & Jill's on their new deck. It was a special day for all, since it was the first Father's Day for Papa V. as a "Papa" and the first Father's Day for Scott since Rocky's accident. We will get to celebrate with Ron's dad next weekend.

One Month Old--Watch Me Grow!

Right before Henry was born, I ordered some t-shirt stickers from Picky Sticky on Etsy, and I have to tell you, I am so glad I did! The stickers are created to look like screenprinting when put on a white t-shirt or onesie and help you record your child's growth each month.

I took at picture of Henry at approximately 1.5 weeks with his "Zero month" t-shirt and then on his "one month birthday" with his "One Month" t-shirt. I can't believe how much he has changed in such a short amount of time!

What a fun way to record his growth! I'm hoping every month to post his photo with his Picky Sticky shirt and let you see how much he has changed!

Splish, Splash!

Henry loves his bath! His favorite part, believe it or not, is getting his hair washed! When he does, beautiful little curls appear in his hair. I hope his hair is just like his Uncle Scotty's:)

It's been a while...

It's been a while since our last blog post, so I apologize ahead of time for the length, but I promise it's mostly pictures of our cutie:) Life is going by all too quickly with Henry here at home, and I promise I'm going to get better about updating the blog for everyone! I can't believe he is 6 weeks old already!! So, here are some photos to catch you up a bit!

The Sunday after Henry was born was Mother's Day:) I got a beautiful necklace with Henry's birthstone, name, and two tiny baby feet on it! Boy, do Henry and his Daddy have good taste! (Hints and a helpful Nana don't hurt either!)

Three Generations on a First Mother's Day 2010:

Our lil' peanut at home relaxin':

First time out! Headed to his 2 week Dr's appt! The news was excellent! He was 8 lbs 15 oz almost 2 lbs up from his take home weight:) We have a happy eater on our hands!





We had lots of visitors and Henry got to meet his cousins of both the canine and little girl variety:) (All three greatly approve!)





We love all the visitors and have too many photos to show so below is just a sampling, but grandmas and grandpas, great-grandparents, friends, and relatives all stopped by. Everyone was so generous and took excellent care of us with a helping hand, meals, advice and of course, super cute gifts for baby Henry!

Aunt Jill & Uncle Scott:

Great Grandma & Grandpa V.

Nana V:

Levi, Brody, Dani and Lennie:

Thanks again to everyone for helping us survive those first few weeks at home--we could not have done it without you! Thank you also for making Henry feel so welcome! We already know that Henry is so loved by you all and will have an excellent, supportive environment to grow up in!

It's a BOY!!

Baby G has arrived!!

Henry Kryn G entered the world May 6, 2010 at 4:01 PM weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long. He has lots of blonde hair and big blue eyes (for now).

Labor went well until about hour 11 when he just wouldn't come down. I ended up having a C-section, but the important part is that everyone is happy and healthy and adjusting well to life at home.

I'm still in shock I have a son! I think the surprise of not knowing Henry was a "he" until his birth was awesome, but a lot of couples have 20-some weeks to get used to the idea of son or daughter so it may take a while for this to sink in! I really think I would have been just as shocked either way.

We are so blessed and so in love! Here's to a new life as a family of 3!

39 weeks and Changing Our Tune...

Sometimes a lullaby really isn't a lullaby at all. It's all in who sings it and how it's sang....

My favorite lullaby as a child happens to be one of those songs.
My daddy always used to sing me the song "Little Bird, Little Bird" which he learned in high school choir. It is actually a song from the musical "Man of La Mancha" which is a muscial adapted from the original play "Don Quixote" about the Spanish Inquisition. The most famous song from this musical is acutally "Impossible Dream." Odd choice? Yes, we know, but it was a song my dad knew well. So, while "Little Bird, Little Bird" is really not well known by many, and not a traditional lullaby, I know the entire song by heart and always have!

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I was actually able to find a recording of someone singing it! And so...I have decided to add this song as the tune of our blog since I plan to sing it to Baby G very, very soon!

Here we are at 39 weeks. Baby G, we are so ready for you! Lots of contractions, but everything just fizzled into nothing. On a more positive note, we are so happy you have stuck it out this entire time and look forward to your healthy arrival!

However, I must note that Ron and I had a wonderful weekend going down to the LUAP festival to enjoy some Mexican food for Cinco De Mayo, seeing Dutch Dance and trying to walk Baby G out at mulitple garage sales and the Art in the Park. We also spent lots of down time at home making tacos (note a spicy food theme?) and playing games together like Skip-Bo and TriOminos. Yes, we are that boring on at Saturday or Sunday night, but my Freddie Flinstone feet needed a rest, and it was so nice to spend time together.

We got our photos back from our maternity session and love them! Christina from Closer to the Heart Photography did a great job! Here is a sneak peek on her blog if you are interested....but be forewarned **Bare Bellies Ahead**

http://closertotheheartphotography.blogspot.com/

Here's to hoping for updates with baby photos soon.....

38 weeks and Characters You Don't Want to Look Like...

This week we hit 38 weeks which means 2 weeks to go. As much as I have been scared this entire pregnancy about giving birth, I'm ready to be done. I know it will hurt and be scary and uncomfortable...and frankly, I'm over it. At least we will finally meet Baby G! I think nature really has a way of doing that to you...I mean, otherwise everyone would want to keep them inside forever, right?
Here we are most recently:

Week 38:

Week 37: (I had to take the photo to the left as the other side of my shirt is just plain, and I had to capture the cute side! Thanks Mom V for the short sleeve shirt! I had my capris on here too as it hit about 80 degrees!)

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but Baby G has dropped. Mom V was the first to notice:) I noticed it earlier that weekend, but Ron said he couldn't tell. I hadn't seen Mom in 1 1/2 weeks and she said something the minute I opened the door! Let's hope this means the end is near....

My wardrobe is hoping the end is near too, as all my tops are getting too short:) I have some nice ones I can still wear in public but around the house I have a bad case of what we refer to as "Pooh Belly"...as in Winnie the Pooh and his stylish way of wearing his shirt:




Mom tells me it just means I had perfect planning when it comes to my matenity wardrobe. :)

I'm also a bit reminiscent of another cartoon character these days....seems like my feet have a case of Flinstonitis...as in Fred Flinstone. Yabba Dabba Doo! Not warm enough for flip flops here, so my Mary Jane Crocs are my new stylish footwear of choice---for everything!

In other news, we had our 38th week appointment with Dr. H. I really wish I could take his nurse, Marissa, with us. Ron and I both adore her. She is so sweet and after seeing her so many weeks in a row, I wish she could be with us at the hospital. I'm sure that whoever we have at the hospital will be fine, but I'd feel so much better knowing in advance. Dr. H says things are progressing well, right where they should be. He wasn't too concerned about my Flinstonitis:) and told me just to put my feet up as much as possible.

Now....we wait!

35/35...and a Nursery Reveal!

We made it to 35 weeks...which means only 35 days left! The time is flying!

It is beginning to look and feel more like Spring outside too---and I did see the first garage sale sign of the season, so it is official! Spring is here!

We have been busy around here! Ron installed the car seat last week which was pretty entertaining to watch...he really had to pull super hard to make sure everything was tight enough! I was cracking up at his faces, but happy he was there to do it! It looked like hard work!

The nesting saga continues....I have reorganized all the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom drawers, the linen closet and have begun to freeze meals for after baby G's arrival (6 in counting so far!) I figure it is easier to do it now than to try to figure out what to make with a brand new baby around.

I am a little behind so here are my belly photos from weeks 33 and 34 (respectively):

And....what you have all been waiting for...the Nursery!

The crib with our custom wall words from Old Barn Rescue Company:

Close up of the quilt Mom V. and I made! (She gets most of the credit, but I did help cut all the pieces!)

Changing table, medicine cabinet and bookshelf (already filled with books from Baby G's wonderful Cousin Leah!)

Cloth diaper stash....ready to go

Art from Beneath the Tree Craft Show from artist "Picture Pieces":

Finally, our comfy glider where I am sure we will be spending lots of time!

Hope you enjoyed the "tour"! Have a wonderful Easter!!

50 days and Counting Down....

Wow! Only 50 days left of our countdown! Where did all the time go?

We went to the see Dr. H Thursday for our 32 week appointment. All is still well:) Baby G is measuring right where he/she should be and has a strong heartbeat of 144 beats per minute!

Nothing much else exciting to report, except that we are happy Baby G is staying put for now. We will now start seeing Dr. H every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. Not really looking forward to all the appointments, but at least the snow has cleared for a better drive there!

Mom V. surprised me this week with some warm-weather maternity clothes! A cute t-shirt and some capris that will work now and after the baby arrives. Here's to wishful thinking that I can wear them soon!! So happy to have something to spice up my wardrobe...it was getting awfully boring here as we go into month #8!

Still waiting for the first official sign of Spring----a garage sale sign! I'll let you know when I see one....

Baby G, your Uncle Scott felt you move this week! We had dinner with Uncle Scott and Aunt Jill on Sunday. Aunt Jill made some awesome Sausage bread and then we played Scrabble. While we were playing the game you were moving all over the place--we could see my stomach moving from side to side, so Uncle Scott came over and put his hand on my belly to see if he could feel you. You didn't disappoint--a big kick for him! It was pretty funny:) I know they are so excited to meet you. You are going to love them so much and your cousin Rocky too!

And not to disappoint, here is the every-growing Baby G at 32 weeks:

Childbirth Education Classes

Ron and I spent the entire day Saturday at Holland Hospital. Don't worry, not for more contractions:) We had planned this visit! We went for our Childbirth Education class and for a tour of the Boven Birth Center.

We were both nervous and excited. We had hoped to meet lots of other parents-to-be and get a lot out of the class.

Needless to say...there was no participation which was disappointing to us both. There was also very, very little time for question and answer. Basically, we spent the whole day watching a video. ***Blah*** Not at all what we expected. We were less than thrilled with the outcome, but on a more positive note, it did really encourage some great conversation between Ron and I the rest of the day Saturday.

We discussed a lot of what wasn't covered in the class that we wished she would have addressed, and our feelings about the "normal" procedures she covered and how we felt about them. So, overall, we did learn a lot---that what we wanted to know wasn't covered and that we needed to do some research! It also gave us the opportunity to discuss our feelings on different subjects.

Sunday we made out our Birth Plan. I hadn't originally planned on doing this, but after the class it was obvious our wishes were not always "the norm." A birth plan is really a sort of list of things we hope can happen and things we don't want to happen during labor and delivery. We plan to discuss it with the doctor next week. Hopefully this will clear some things up for us and put us at ease about some issues that either weren't covered at all in class or were just skimmed over.

We've all both decided that this class really made the birth of our soon-to-be Baby G all too real!We have even started getting together a list for our hospital bag, since I would hate to be scrounging around at the last minute. The nerves have kicked in, and I'm trying to limit myself to one "nesting" activity a day. Sunday I cleaned out every bathroom cupboard and drawer. Monday Mom V. helped me organize the nursery a bit with the gifts we received at the shower. The next on my list is the linen closet--need to make room for baby towels and washcloths:) and the kitchen--again to make room for Baby G. Funny how he/she isn't even here yet, but is already invading every corner of the house!

In other news....this week Tuesday marked 31 weeks! Baby G is active as ever, but seems (for now) to have resolved the night-time dance situation:) The kicks have gone from little jabs into full on pushes. I feel like apologizing that there isn't more room in there! So sorry, Baby G:) Just a while longer!





According to the Bump.com, Baby G is the size of a squash and now has all five completely functional senses. Also, wake and sleep cycles are beginning to develop--let's hope you keep it straight for a little while longer, I'm enjoying my peaceful nights!

Here is the 31 week photo:

Baby G has also taken a liking to the right side giving me a rather lopsided look :) It's quite humorous--we notice it most often when relaxing at night on the couch or in bed. My stomach has a large bump on the right side, and slopes down on the left. Too funny! Baby G's "parts" are becoming a little more obvious as well. Not that we can feel for sure, but you can often feel a big bump which we assume is a baby G's heiny and pushes from elbows, feet, knees and hands. Sometimes we wish we could see just what you are doing in there! Keep it moving though---we know from our books all this pushing means you are working out your muscles to be nice and strong when you arrive!

Baby Shower

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends! As most of you know, I meet monthly with a regular group of ladies for book club. It's a wonderful social time, and exposes me to lots of interesting books I might not have otherwise chosen on my own. I especially love going since working at home since it is some interaction with real people! Some of the girls in book club offered to throw me a baby shower. I was so surprised and feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Almost everyone from book club could make it, as well as many of my friends from my old workplace, Knape & Vogt and some other friends including Maria, Terri, Jill and Mom V. It was so nice to see everyone again! I am so thankful to have you all in my life.

A special thanks goes out to Sherrie who was a fabulous host! Her home is always so inviting, and she is a wonderful cook!

Baby G---I've told you this before, but you are so loved by so many already! Everyone is so excited to meet you and cannot wait for your arrival---although we are all in agreement that you need to wait a few weeks to make your appearance:)

You gave us a little scare on Friday before my shower by giving us multiple episodes of Braxton-Hicks contractions. Thankfully, nothing was consistent and you settled down before the shower. Thanks for reminding your Mommy she needs to remember to take it easy;)

We had a wonderful time playing games and socializing and got sooooooo many gifts! We recieved a ton of cloth diapers and wipes, butt cream and a wet bag to get us started on our cloth diaper journey from Mom and Dad V as well as a diaper sprayer from Grandma S.

We also received a baby bather, adorable frog Humidifier and monkey baby activity gym. As well as some things baby G can use a bit later, which will be so nice! Like a Bumbo, an umbrella stoller, sand pail, and shopping cart cover. Some really unique boutique items including some little argyle socks with the letter "G" all over them for baby G :) Bowls, spoons, lotions, toys, burp cloths, blankets, bottles, pacifiers, etc.! Too much to list!

There were even some handmade items!! Including the tiniest knitted booties you have ever seen from my friend Jennifer as well as a handmade hooded towel and a "magic" hanky that is a bonnet but turns into a wedding hanky for the baby (if it's a girl) or his bride (if it's a boy) from my friend Stephanie.

Mama G even got her own special gift from Terri--a gift certificate for a pedicure! Ahh...this will be fantastic time of relaxation and a much-needed outing after baby G arrives!! I plan on making it an event to remember:)

I'm sure I forgot some things, so please forgive me:)
So, without further ado...here are some photos from the event:

Here is my 30 week belly pic before the shower---new haircut this week too:)

Here are some general snapshots from the evening:

Oh, and here is a photo that would have been so cute (pretend my eyes are open! LOL.)

Thanks again everyone!!

Lots of love,

Jen, Ron and baby G

Double Digits and a Baby Night Owl

That's right! For those of you watching the little ticker at the bottom of this blog...we are officially in double digits! Eeek!! No one is more excited or more nervous than I:) I remember thinking "How many days?!" when I first loaded the ticker, because let's face it, when you are not feeling well you really don't want to be reminded that there are "only" 240-some-odd days left. Yet, here we are in double digits, essentially this means that time is running out! Suddenly I feel I have so much to do and feel as though there will never enough time to get it done.

The "nesting" instinct has taken over. (Hence why it has been a while since I have posted!) I had Ron put shelving in both the nursery and office closets and have been organizing like a mad woman. Ron really doesn't understand the need to have every closet in the house organized for arrival of the baby, but he is understanding that if it is what I need to do to feel more "prepared" (as if one could ever truly be prepared)--he humors me:) I cleaned the office last week and dumped two huge bags of paper off at the Paper Gator, (if you have never used this before, they are awesome) as well as made...er...helped Ron clean out his closet and have a whole bag of things to donate to Goodwill.

The office is already a mess again, but only because I have a work in progress:) Mom V. has been over this week working on the nursery. We got the crib skirt and curtains made as well as a liner of the clothes hamper. We also got my vinyl wall phrase in the mail from Old Barn Rescue Company on Etsy. Their stuff is so beautiful and we had a custom quote made just for our nursery! It looks like Adonna (the artist) came to my house and handpainted it just for baby G!

Yes...I know...you want to see! Well, pictures will be posted, but I want to wait until everything is finished to give you the full effect...but, we are getting close, I promise! I am so blessed to have a creative Mother who can sew anything! The nursery is going to be fantastic! Love you, Mom!!

As for the baby night owl we have on our hands....

Baby G has decided his/her favorite time of day is at about 11:30 p.m. That's when things really start moving. Usually it is just a short jig, probably just attempting to get comfortable for the night, but about 3 a.m. is when the real dance party begins!! We aren't talking little kicks and jabs, but a full-on gold-medal-worth gymnastics routine that makes me feel as if Baby G is trying to escape right through the side of my stomach. While I am so blessed to have a healthy, kicking baby and have high hopes that this means our child will have more rhythm than his/her father (hehe), it's exhausting! The past two weeks I've been wide awake for multiple hours a night, and the other day gave up on sleep altogether. Thank goodness I have a job that allows me to start work at 4 a.m.--at least I could do something productive!

We are hoping that Baby G gets this all out of his/her system since Mommy cannot go another 13 weeks on only a few hours of sleep a night. Trust me, Baby G, it is in your best interest to let me sleep now so I'm joyful and refreshed when you arrive:) Plus, don't you need your beauty sleep? I feel you all day and all night, and if you are anything like your Mommy, lack of sleep does not suit you darling, as you will be a crabby monster!
Let's hope this message hits home soon...

Last but not least...here are the latest belly photos

Looking rather tired at 25 weeks...

A little better at 26 weeks...

P.S. while my belly button has become rather flat, it is the button of my pants you can see in this photo--I am still an "innie".....for now:)

Cloth Diapers?!

Yes! Cloth diapers! Crazy?! We don't think so!

Let's just say the first time I mentioned cloth diapering Baby G to Ron, he got that "deer in the headlights look" to which I quickly whipped up a website showing him photos of "new" cloth diapers. Don't worry hunny! No more folding, giant pins or dunking of poopy diapers involved!! He was still skeptical, but impressed by the new technology. So, I did a little more investigating, and found a business in Holland called EcoBuns. It is a small, family-run business that seemed to have lots of options and information on cloth diapers. They even offer a free class so you can learn all about cloth diapering and if it is for you! They even offer a trial program so you can try out cloth diapering and various kinds of diapers too!

You can check out their website here: http://www.ecobuns.com/

So, Saturday we took the EcoBuns class. Kellie, owner and cloth diapering mom herself, led the class. Both Mom and Dad V. joined us, along with another couple who is due only about two weeks before us. We had a blast! How can it be fun learning about poopy diapers you ask? The information was great and the statistics Kellie showed us were staggering.

For instance, did you know that a baby will go through about 9,000 diaper changes in their first 2.5 years of life? (Ron turned green at this one!) Each disposable takes 200-500 years to decompose too. Yuck!! All those nasty diapers just sitting a landfill like buried treasure for future generations!

We learned all about how it was good for Baby G too! And, the statistic Ron loved the most, that you can save on average $1,500 by choosing cloth!

Needless to say, we were all excited about cloth diapers by the time we left! Mom & Dad V were shocked at how much better the cloth diapering experience is than it was years ago when I was in cloth diapers---no pins, no rubber pants, no dunking, no soaking! They are very supportive of our choice, and Dad says as "Papa" he will even be willing to change them, especially if they include on of those fancy little liners so he doesn't have to touch anything! Haha!

We have also decided that at birth Baby G will be in disposables. Sad, yes. But, I'm just afraid that we will have enough things to worry about immediately. However, once we both get used to the frequent diaper changes and Baby G is out of the "newborn" size, we will be switching to a cloth diaper that we can use for years to come--better for everyone involved!

So, needless to say our first baby-related class was a huge success! Everyone felt like they learned a lot, and that we are making the right choice for our family, and you too Baby G!!

Also, Friday, we had another doctor's appointment. Baby G has an excellent heartbeat and the doctor says everything on the ultrasound looks normal! We were told pains I have been having in my ribs are probably just inflammation of the cartilage from the pressure of all of my organs pushing up into my rib cage to make room for Baby G. At least we know what it is, and have a few suggestions from the doctor for pain relief in the meantime.

Also, here is a photo of me in my 23rd week (taken on Saturday before our class.):

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Baby G! It's 2010 which means you are coming this year! That makes your pending arrival seem so much sooner!!

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve with our friends Josh and Linda Jo Carron. We spent the evening hanging out with great friends, enjoyed some homemade pizza, and games on the Wii. Overall, the night was so nice, low-key and relaxing! What a great way to ring in the New Year! We know it is going to be a great one!

Here is a photo on New Years day in our 22nd week:

In other news...we are beginning to get things ready for the Baby G... Mom and Dad V have been working hard refinishing an antique bassinet for us. The results are beautiful! I just wish we would have taken "before pictures" as it was a well-worn white wicker bassinet with a super ruffly cover! They refinished it to match our tastes and make sure that it was safe for Baby G!

Here are a few photos of the bassinet with the beautiful finished cover and a couple of the printed sheets Mom V made for it (there are also tons of plain ones she made that are not shown.) She made everything to match the colors we are going to use in the nursery. You can see a bit of the nursery paint color in the background. Unfortunately, you can't see well in these photos the cute little embroidery she did around the edges well..but it is there:)

Baby G, you are so loved by many already! Look at all this custom work just for you!