August 27, 2012 by Jolene

The big nursery reveal

I am pronouncing the nursery FINISHED, although there will still be a few minor additions (like a changing pad and cover) to come. Pictures in a moment, with a list of sources at the end.

First, I want to say a big thank you to my wonderfully talented friend Anca Sommerville, who took almost all of these photos. Second, I also owe many thanks to my husband, who put in long hours painting the closet and installing the new organization system, figuring out how best to hang my tree branch and patiently examining the Jeep to make sure I hadn’t destroyed the undercarriage while trying to pull over to acquire said branch.

And now, we’ll get right to it.

(Purple candle is from our wedding 10 years ago)

Closet:

Sources:

Bedding – custom from Etsy (seller: IslaCorinne)
Changing table – refinished dry sink, craigslist
Crib – repainted jenny lind, craigslist
Rocking chair – craigslist
Mobile – bell strands from World Market, embroidery hoop from Michael’s
Pillows – World Market (purple and yellow) and Joss and Main (flowers)
Book case – storage crates, World Market
Shadow boxes – Etsy (seller: barnwood4u)
Framed art and hangar, metal hanging flowers – Kirkland’s
Closet organization – Rubbermaid from Home Depot
Mirror – Amazon.com
Lanterns – Ikea (years ago!)
Remaining knick-knacks – local antiques mall
Tree branch – side of the road

August 10, 2012 by Jolene

File this under “stranger than fiction”

I think I might win the award for strangest pregnancy symptoms. At the very least, these are not ones any pregnant women I know have thought to mention.

1.) An obsession with brushing my teeth. Any kind of sudsy scrubbing currently brings an abnormally high level of satisfaction, but teeth brushing is one of the highlights of my day. (I should clarify that this was not the case during the first half of my pregnancy, when brushing my teeth was the moment most fraught with risk of puking.) I suppose my dentist would be pleased.

2.) Suddenly enjoying a few normally-offensive odors. I let Jon take over applying the oil-based primer for Baby Girl’s crib as soon as I realized how strong the fumes were, but strangely enough, I found the smell appealing. I’m pretty sure this has never been the case before. Same thing with the latex paint fumes after her room was freshly-painted. Don’t worry: We ventilated thoroughly and I steered clear. But sure enough, the few whiffs I got smelled good to me. WEIRD.

3.) Increasing numbness in my hands. I know circulation issues are common in pregnancy because of increased blood volume. I’ve had issues for months with my hands and arms going numb at night. But it does seem odd that now my thumbs and first fingers on both hands are permanently tingly and partially-numb. I don’t remember this from my last pregnancy.

So there you have it: I am either a pregnancy freak of nature, or these are symptoms people just don’t think to mention. If it’s the latter, feel free to consider this a Public Service Announcement.

July 23, 2012 by Jolene

Tremble

I stood on the front porch late the other night in the most spectacular lightning display I’ve ever seen. That’s saying something for a Florida girl who grew up scant miles from the lightning strike capital of the world. One thought reverberated with the thunder: “God is so big and I am so small.” Ever since, I’ve been humming a line from my favorite Christian artist: “Let me not forget to tremble.” The complete lyrics are worth sharing.

—

Have I come too casually?
Because it seems to me
There’s something I’ve neglected
How does one approach a Deity
with informality
And still protect the Sacred?

‘Cause you came and chose to wear the skin of all of us
And it’s easy to forget You left a throne

And the line gets blurry all the time
Between daily and Divine
And it’s hard to know the difference

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not,
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

What a shame to think that I’d appear
Even slightly cavalier
In the matter of salvation
Do I claim this gift You freely gave
As if it were mine to take
With such little hesitation?

‘Cause you came and stood among the very least of us
And it’s easy to forget you left a throne

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

The cradle of the grave could not contain Your Divinity
Neither can I oversimplify this love

Oh, let me not forget to tremble

Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

–Tremble, Nichole Nordeman

June 15, 2012 by Jolene

Travails of the day

We are currently in the throes of a second attempt at potty training Corin. The first was about five months ago and did not go well. I will just go ahead and say that thus far, potty training is my least favorite parenting experience. Jon is of the opinion that we need to stick with it and he’ll eventually get it. I’m wondering if he’s really just not ready and maybe it would be better to wait until it clicks for him. Of course, I’m not sure it’s really going to be any easier once the new baby arrives. I could really use some potty training wisdom, but more advice just seems to increase my confusion. Where’s a magic genie when you need one?

Also, I’m seeing lots of pictures on Facebook of amazing-looking beach vacations. I have been CRAVING the beach for months. Granted, my increasingly-pregnant self is already of a size to illicit beached whale metaphors, but the sound of crashing waves and sea gulls sounds like heaven. I grew up in Florida and did not properly appreciate the beach when I had it. This must be my penance. (Actually, there may be a 10th anniversary Hilton Head trip in my future. Fingers crossed!)

On the bright side, I’m about to finish the third coat of paint on Baby Girl’s changing table, and it looks pretty good. I am learning as I go. The crib is looking great, too, but it’s S-L-O-W going. I’ve had lots of help from hubby and my brother-in-law’s wife. I think I’m going to be glad we did it, but the process does lead one to question the wisdom of painting an article of furniture with that many spindles.

Sunday is Father’s Day. It snuck up on me a bit this year. (Okay, these holidays nearly always sneak up on me.) I do want to take a moment, amidst the challenges of the day, to say how grateful I am for the two most important fathers in my life. I honestly don’t know how one girl gets lucky enough to have a daddy and a husband who are both outstanding fathers. My dad is a man of character and kindness who has made me feel valued and loved throughout my life. He is a constant source of wisdom and encouragement. I could go on for a long time about memories of bedtime math stories that were somehow both educational and immensely entertaining, about the high expectations that helped keep me from straying too far when things got a little crazy, about the many family vacations and the good advice that stuck… And then I married a man who is just that kind of father to our son, and I know will be soon to our daughter. Corin does not yet know how blessed he is to have a daddy who is such a part of his life, but he will someday. He will have a long list of memories like mine, and I am so grateful.

June 8, 2012 by Jolene

File this under “temporarily stumped”

I started looking at baby books the other day, and it didn’t take long to realize there isn’t anything on the market that fits our situation.

There are several very nice baby books out there for adoption situations, but that language – with sections on birth moms and adoption finalizations – doesn’t work for us. Traditional baby books provide for information about mom and dad and the family tree but obviously don’t include a section on donor families. I am so not up for assembling a book from scratch. I may be tackling an awful lot of DIY for Baby Girl’s nursery, but I know my limits.

Jon and I talked about it and decided to buy a traditional baby book similar to Corin’s – which is post-bound and allows some flexibility to remove or change pages – and customize it ourselves.

I’ve started filling it out, but after copying down the same information I’d put in Corin’s book about mommy and daddy, how we met, and our family tree, I’m a bit stumped. Where exactly do I put information about Baby Girl’s biological family? What does that section even look like? Will it make her feel weird that her story didn’t fit any of the “normal” family templates and had to be cobbled together?

I’m going to be thinking about this for a little while. I’ll let you know how it comes out.

A Dash of the Unexpected

a story unfolding

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