Wild and Crazy Naptime

With Brennan's new bed comes the new ability to get out of that bed and relocate himself when he should (ideally) be napping or sleeping at night. Sometimes it's in the form of night wanderings, sometimes it's getting up when Mama does in the morning before work, sometimes it's a reluctance to nap. He generally does well when we need to gently escort him back to his bed, but today, despite our best efforts, the bed held little appeal. When it came time to wake him up before my doctor appointment today, our little man was curled up--sound asleep--in his chair. Oh, well. At least he was getting some sleep!

Boy in a Bag!

I was surprised at work today with a potluck lunch/baby shower! It was definitely a blessing to get some needed items for the new baby. One gift came in such an enormous bag that we thought Brennan would fit well in it. The message on the bag suits him as well...

Flips and Wiggles

I'm 35 weeks today. Only 5 more to go before D2 will enter this world! For my past couple of appointments, we were discouraged to hear that he was breech. After lots of praying and some home remedies to try to get him to flip, we were rewarded with the news that D2 is now head down! We're definitely excited to hear this news! I'd been hoping to avoid having a C-section for many reasons, and this news gives me hope that I'll be able to deliver naturally again. We did also learn that I'm already 1 cm dilated! That didn't happen with Brennan until the day before he was born--a week past my due date. While we would like him to come a little early, we are definitely hoping for a late April baby.

On another note, I did find out last week that because I'm only part-time, I don't qualify for FMLA. That means that I would have to go back to work once I'm medically cleared to do so. I've requested that I be allowed to take a full 8 weeks off to get through D2's two-month check-up before having a friend start watching both boys. Please be praying with us that this request would be granted, and that I'd be emotionally ready to go back to work and leave my babes behind whenever the time comes to do so.

Night One Recap

The crib was dismantled. The twin bed was fully set up, complete with bedding that Brennan selected. Boy and bed were introduced. Boy loved his bed...until it came time to get in the bed with the lights off. The crying started before we even left the room. He was up and out of his bed within seconds. After going back in, laying down with him, and soothing him a couple of times, we let him stand on the other side of the door and cry, hoping that he would eventually go back to bed on his own. After a few minutes, the crying stopped. Victory? Not a chance. That was the point where we discovered that Brennan figured out how to turn his doorknob and open the door.

Time for some Daddy-intervention. John went in and spent some time with him. After a few more failed attempts at leaving the room, he figured out that Brennan didn't like being confined under the covers. New strategy...put Brennan to sleep on top of the comforter and cover him with the blankets he had in his crib. We left the door open slightly as well, and the exhausted child was asleep in minutes. After he was sound asleep, we were able to close the door. Thankfully, he stayed in his bed all night long--no noise, no wanderings (that we were aware of). When it came time to get up this morning, he simply got out of his bed, came to the door, and yelled to indicate he was ready to get up. Despite the initial difficulty getting him to stay in his bed, we were certainly proud of how well he did the rest of the night!

Graduation

Today is the day. Brennan is graduating from his crib to a big boy bed! Until recently, he's done quite well in his crib. But lately he's started to indicate that he'd like to climb out of it. Yikes! So...twin bed here we come! He picked out his comforter and sheets, and has already really enjoyed being on his bed (although we are discouraging the whole jumping on the bed thing). Hopefully tonight will go smoothly!

Bounce House Fun

After a fun morning at the Children's Museum, we ventured up to Northern Virginia to attend the joint birthday party for our friends, Corban and Eva Bredbenner. The afternoon was full of fun things to do since the party was held at an indoor bounce house!

Train conductor Brennan!

Slam dunk with Uncle Dan

The birthday party crew

The birthday boy and girl

It took a little bit, but he finally got up the courage to go down the big slide (sorry the video is sideways)

Meet and Greet

Brennan's absolute favorite character these days is Clifford the Big Red Dog. He loves the books and the TV show. So it was definitely exciting for us when we found out that the Children's Museum was celebrating National Reading Month by inviting Clifford to stop by for a meet-and-greet and storytime! The picture doesn't do justice to how much this kid loved getting to meet Clifford. He kept wanting to touch Clifford and hold his paws. We were a little hard pressed to get him away and let some other kids have a turn!

Daddy & Brennan in the wagon, take 1

What a fun video Naomi put up in the last post, eh? Well, that was actually the second take. Here's the first one:

(Naomi had a close encounter of the bug kind).

Spring is in the Air!

With the weather so gorgeous outside, we've loved getting to have the windows open and start spending some good chunks of time playing and working outside. Our big project right now is getting our yard cleaned up. We've barely made a dent in all the leaves and pine needles to be raked and bagged! I'll definitely be glad to have the yard cleaned up eventually!

John hard at work

Brennan playing hard with a pirate ship

A wild wagon ride!

Getting Closer

I'm 32 weeks today...only 8 more to go! D2 has definitely gotten WAY more active in my belly lately. Sometimes his acrobatics cause quite a bit of discomfort, but it is fun to feel him moving around in there.

I was thinking the other that it feels like I've been pregnant forever. But John reminded me of just how much has happened in our lives since getting pregnant--moving, John's job loss, and just having a two-year-old around.

We are definitely excited to meet this new little one and see what he looks like and what his personality will be like. How much will he be like Brennan, and how much will be uniquely him? What parts of John and I will be in this little one? Will he live up to the meaning of his name? Yes, we have officially decided on D2's name. But you will have to wait a bit longer for that big announcement!

Jehovah Jireh

"Jehovah Jireh" -- The LORD will provide (Gen. 22:14)

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. -- Psalm 34:8


Unemployment is many things, but chief among them for me is this: an opportunity for God to show me his goodness.

When the ax fell I was in the middle of a spiritual renaissance, thanks in large part to a men's group I'd joined, a timely visit from my friend Matt K. and an incredibly worshipful concert with the David Crowder Band. I'm not sure if God was preparing me for the job dissolution in all that or if the job loss was just another part of the renaissance.

In any case, when it came it wasn't the end of the world it might have been. It was, and is, adversity. But in this adversity I've seen the face of God. In the aftermath I heard him ask, "do you trust me?" And I could honestly say yes. Why? Because he's good. He was good when he brought Matt for a night's visit. He was good when he led me to my Thursday morning brothers. He was good when he gave David C and band amazing musical gifts and prompted them to use them to glorify him. He was good when he worked it out for me to go with some complete strangers. Would he not be good in the midst of this trial?

Indeed, isn't this exactly the type of situation where his goodness would be most evident, and when we'd rely on it the most. It is so easy to put our trust in other things: a steady paycheck most of all. It is so easy (especially as a guy) to put our identity in our work too. In losing my job, God was calling me to put my trust in him and remember that my identity has nothing to do with my employment.

So I greeted this uncertain era with a prayer: God you're good. Take care of us and meet our needs.

And he has.

When I sat down and looked at the budget I figured we'd be in big trouble by early February. Here we are at the beginning of March and we're not in big trouble. I could, if asked to, give a thorough accounting of where the money has come from. I can identify "human" sources. But that would be robbing God of the honor he is due, because the money has come from him. He has answered our prayers.

Each and every day that prayer is repeated, and each and every day God responds. He does something that says, "yes, I AM good." and he does something that shows us he will meet out needs.

In the process, I am feeling a great deal of liberty. Freedom from the tyranny of "wants"; freedom from the confines of the central American question "what do you do?"; freedom from un-Biblical cultural expectations; freedom from anxiety.

For many years I've focused a lot on the fear of the Lord and the idea of being lost in his larger story -- not hung up on expecting blessing at every turn and treating God like a divine sugar daddy. It's possible to go too far with that though and underemphasize the personal, individual love of God for his children. The Lord is bringing this into balance for me -- not letting me forget that I am only a part of the larger story, but that I'm an important part and he loves me dearly and wants good things for me.

So praise God ... not for unemployment per se, but for the fact that he redeems it and uses it for his glory.

One Last Photo?

Here's one last photo of D2 before we get to meet him in person! I had another ultrasound this morning so we got to see him all snuggled up and sleeping. In this photo, he's using his hand as a pillow for his nap.

We did find out as well that he is currently head up. Since I really, really do not want to have a C-section, please be praying with us that this little guy would decide that being head down is more fun and will be much easier on Mama! We still have about a month for him to turn on his own without too much difficulty. Anything after that will require some contingency planning between us and my doctor.

It sure is fun getting to see him again! We're definitely ready and excited to meet this new little man (hopefully either on time or even a little bit early this time around!).

On Our Nightstand, Part 7

Here's a quick peek at books we've read recently or are currently reading (John's got some on the list this time too!).

1. "Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup," by Laura Jana
2. "The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want--and What to Do About It," by Joan Blades
3. "The Importance of Being Foolish," by Brennan Manning
4. "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis
5. "What's So Amazing About Grace?," by Philip Yancey
6. "The NIrV Read With Me Bible" (for some variety for Brennan)
7. "The Teammates," by David Halberstam
8. "In-n-Out Burger: A Behind the Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain that Breaks All the Rules," by Stacy Perman.

Progress

We got the good word from our realtor earlier this week that an offer was made on the townhouse! We were definitely excited and encouraged by this news, but somewhat disappointed that the offer was a bit less than the list price. However, our realtor advised that we should go ahead with submitting the paperwork for the bank to review. After all, the worst they can say is no and then provide us with a price they would accept.

All our financial paperwork is in, so I guess the waiting game begins now. We would love your continued prayers for quick processing--and especially that the bank would accept the current offer. We'll keep you posted!

The Motherhood Manifesto

I recently finished reading an absolutely wonderful book called "The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want--and What to Do About It" by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. Now, when I first got it from the library, I was slightly skeptical that it would be over-the-top feminist, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was far from it. It had its moments, but overall, it was very pro-family.

The premise of the book is all about moms, dads, and ultimately the nation coming together to start a revolution of sorts--one that works as a grassroots movement to promote family-friendly social policy change in the United States. It shared many stories of women who are facing challenges with raising families, as well as statistics that demonstrate time and time again that family-friendly policies can only be beneficial to the nation, both socially and economically.

There are six basic manifesto points that were emphasized throughout the book:
1. Maternity/paternity leave: provide paid family leave after the addition of a new child to the family.
2. Open, flexible work: give parents the opportunity to structure their work schedules and careers in such a way as to meet both business and family needs, including flexible work hours and locations and more part-time opportunities.
3. TV we choose and other after-school programs: creating a way for parents to choose what TV shows (and stations) will be shown in their homes, supporting quality educational programming for kids, and increase access to and funding for after-school programs.
4. Healthcare for all kids: provide quality, universal health care coverage for all children.
5. Excellent childcare: make quality, affordable childcare available to all parents who need it and provide childcare providers with livable wages and health care benefits.
6. Realistic and fair wages: parents need to be paid fair wages that will allow them to provide adequately for their families.

It was a fascinating look at how unfamily-friendly the United States is and how much change is required just to catch up to the rest of the world. It inspires me to write to my Congressmen to voice my opinion about changes that need to be made. There are also a number of petitions and form letters that can be signed and submitted via the Moms Rising website, if anyone is interested.

Among the many things that stuck out for me was learning that the CEO of Wal-Mart made nearly $23 million in 2004, while the company pays wages that tend to be so low that many employees need food stamps and other government assistance just to make ends meet. That may actually cause the end of shopping of Wal-Mart for me!

I'd highly recommend reading this book!

Yogurt Tears

Brennan loves his yogurt--so much so that he cried yogurt tears when we switched back to his normal kind after a brief stint with something slightly cheaper. Lesson learned! Yogurt makes for one happy boy!

Snuggle Time

Can peace finally prevail in our household? Or is it a short lived truce in the on-going war between cat and boy?

The End?

We purchased a townhome back in 2005. It turns out we bought at the worst possible time in one of the worst possible housing markets in the nation. The collapse of the housing market has definitely impacted our family.

When we moved to Richmond back in March 2008 (been here almost two years now!), we had tried to sell the place, but had no luck. So we opted to rent it out with the hope that we’d be able to sell it at some point in the future. Unfortunately, the rental market had also essentially collapsed in that area as well. With so many people unable to sell their homes, they turned to renting them out, which in turn drove down rental prices across the board.

We were eventually able to rent the place out, but at a great cost. Just to hang on to the place, we’ve lost several thousand dollars over the past two years (not to mention the severely declining value). With John’s recent unemployment and potential childcare costs for when he does go back to work, we made the decision to do a short sale on the property to ease some of the financial burden.

Even doing a short sale has come with its share of difficulties, mainly in the shape of our tenant and management company. Now that some of those difficulties have been ironed out, we are finally starting to progress slightly. The home was finally shown this past Saturday. We are praying, and would covet your prayers as well, that this process would proceed quickly, that the right buyer would come along, and that we could lay this piece of our past to rest.

For me, it’s a wonderful relief to finally be so close to lying that part of the past to rest. It’s no secret that those 4.5 years we spent living in the land of constant summer were incredibly difficult on many different levels. Moving to Richmond brought a sense of relief and sheer freedom that I hadn’t felt in years. It’s given me the opportunity to start healing and processing things from that former time. But despite finally being in a much better place locationally, we’ve still retained ties to our former place through paying a mortgage on a house there and dealing with all the fun issues that come up with a management company and tenant.

Now that the end is finally in sight, I feel like the day we’ll get to sign the closing papers will bring some much needed closure and give me the ability to finally (fully) move on. Now we just need a buyer and some divine intervention in this short sale process!

Crusade

When I first began researching maternity leave benefits when Brennan was on the way, I was absolutely appalled at what I found. The United States is 1 of only 4 nations in the entire world that do not offer some form of paid maternity/paternity leave. The other nations: Swaziland, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea. What's wrong with this picture?

With Brennan, I was lucky enough to be able to be home with him for seven months before going back to work part-time. With D2, I'll be lucky to be home for seven weeks before heading back to work.

With FMLA, only my job is guaranteed for 12 weeks. It's unpaid leave--only AFTER you have used up all your vacation and sick leave (if you are lucky enough to have accrued any).

It's a distressing thing for sure! Ever since I first began researching maternity leave over two years ago, it's become my new crusade. When will the United States catch up to the rest of the world in regards to supporting families? Just when you need an income increase, it's taken away. While I'm not suggesting that the US go as far as most nations in Europe (who provide up to two years paid leave), I am suggesting that the US make FMLA paid for at least the full 12 weeks.

As the birth of D2 draws closer, I find myself thinking about this more and more. I came across a grassroots organization called Moms Rising which helps facilitate people getting more involved in political issues that revolve around families. Thanks to Moms Rising, I found a great article that articulates matters better than I ever could. The website also has some great facts, statistics, and resources on it that are definitely worth checking out.

But until the US enacts a law providing paid maternity/paternity leave, we'll make the best of a not-so-good situation and enjoy whatever time I'll be able to take off when D2 makes his grand entrance into the world.

There is peace in our time

A brief detente in the ongoing war between Brennan and Esther for supremacy in the household.