Double Duty

Dear spice/baking cupboard,


Thank you for switch hitting as a medicine cabinet this week.  My hair and my son's elbows appreciate your flexibility.


Jenn


This has been a week that Real Simple magazine, or MacGyver would be proud of.


It started with our kiddo's legs and elbows--the weather has been really cold recently and has left our little one's skin very dry.  After trying every moisturizer known to man, I recalled a household remedy that a dermatologist mentioned on Good Morning America a couple of weeks ago.  How much more trustworthy a source can there be?  Her solution--Crisco.  I know, it sounds kind of gross, but I thought we would give it a shot.  Since I only applied it once, I can't say for sure that it made much of a difference, but his skin didn't get worse.  I'm not sure that I'd use it again (I've since found an Aveeno product that is doing the trick).


The next dual-purpose (not 'duel-purpose'--although now I'm curious to know what I have in my cupboard that could fit that description) product truly is magical.  Forget duct tape, baking soda can be used in anything: muffins, upset stomachs, paper mache volcanos, refrigerators, and now as a shampoo complement.  Over the past month my hair has taken a turn for the crazy and unmanageable.  There has been some sort of physiological, post-partum shift that has left this once thick and lusterous hair seriously lacking thickness or luster.  And my shampoo wasn't helping.  So I googled ways to remove shampoo residue and restore shine to hair without buying clarifying shampoo.  Enter baking soda.  I mixed a palm-full in with my shampoo and it TOTALLY worked!  Like leaving-a-salon clean.  I definitely recommend this treatment.  Your hair, unruly or not, will thank you.


And lastly came the hodge-podge dessert that made Jon and I swoon over its tastiness and cost effectiveness.  


Two words: bread pudding.            


Normally, I wouldn't think twice about overlooking something like bread pudding on a menu.  It's not exotic.  It's not really appealing to the palate or the eye (at least this has been my experience in the past).  It's like a dessert of last resort--when I'm desperate and there's not an ounce of cake in the house.  But I recently found myself in that situation--out of interesting dessert ingredients, staring into the pantry wondering what baking compost I could salvage to satisfy my craving for a sweet.  I went back to the internet and found this little gem:

Bread Pudding Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large beaten eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

Sauce Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons white or dark rum

Directions

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the butter. Pour in milk, and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil. Continue cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in rum. Serve warm.

Best.  Bread.  Pudding.  Ever.


Really.  I'd eat it over cake (I mean that both figuratively and literally).


Thanks for the recipe, Paula Deen.  I'm a reformed woman.  


With happier hair.


And a smoother baby:)

Snow Days!

This past week, the heavens opened up and dumped 6"-8" of snow over all of LR (as well as the rest of the state).  What did this mean for Team Pagan, you ask?  Snow days!  During the last snow we had, Jon and I were both sick, so we didn't take David out to play.  


Although, when we did take him to the window to look at our sparkly, white backyard, he just squinted, turned the other way and started sucking on his hands...  Underwhelmed.  


This time, we decided to venture out with our little one so that he could experience the snow on the other side of the window.

First, we had to work from home for a bit.

Conflicted about this talk of snow play.

Street view--our driveway became a ski slope.

All bundled up. 

Taking it all in:)

Still taking it all in... parents behind camera telling him how much fun he's having.

Watching the snow fall. Thinking that things that fall from the sky should make noise upon impact and be less cold.

There's that smile!

Januaryisms

Oh how quickly the blog falls by the way-side when I have no occasion to dress our son like a tiny farmer.

January passed all too quickly.  I'd love to say that it felt that way because of my mastery of the elusive "work-life-balance."  But I can't say that.  Also, I've never understood that term--"work-life-balance."  Isn't work a part of life (for people that have to work)?  Shouldn't the phrase be shortened to "life balance"?  Even that sounds a little too tidy--like a recruiting pitch I'd see on a piece of corporate artwork.

I digress.

After our Christmas festivities came to a close, Jon started back to school and I started back to work part time.  It took a little experimenting to figure out exactly how our schedules would look, but we've been able to work things out so that Jon is home in the morning with David and I'm home with him in the afternoons.  I'm so thankful that my employer has been so flexible with my schedule, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I can focus the bulk of my time/energy on our family.  Residency can't come quickly enough.

In the mean time, we've set up our respective 'command centrals' around the house:

I know what you're thinking: telecommuting really is this glamorous.  Jenn's telecommuting essentials: burp cloths and blankie strewn over the couch, baby monitor, lappy, glass of water sitting on top of Hello Animals book, and baby medicine syringe.  Also, I'm pretty sure I'm wearing mis-matched socks in this picture.  It's part of my new 'business-super-casual' look.    

Jon's temporary command central.  Jon's studying essentials: mighty mouse, giant monitor, med school literature, snack bowl that used to contain Crasins, The Office desk calendar.

Jon has since moved back into his office--no room for his massive white board full of things to memorize in the kitchen.

David also had a fun January.  Over the last few weeks he's really enjoyed exploring the world with all four limbs and his mouth.  Seriously, everything goes in the mouth now.  It's adorable and sometimes horrifying.  With that, he's developing better hand/eye coordination, the ability to sit in his bumbo for longer periods of time, and he's become more chatty.  This kiddo, though small, definitely has a big personality.  Initially I thought that he was more mellow, and he was, but now he is so much more expressive!  I love it!  We certainly never have to wonder how he's feeling:)

So without further ado, here are some pictures/video that are sure to be more enjoyable than anything I could try to capture in words:

Our son, rolling with it.

First bottle.  I think his expression says it all.

Early morning nummies with dad while mom was at work.

The beloved 'Hitchcock sleep face.'

Happy baby:)

Church loves from mom.

Literature.  Thanks for the assist, Sophie.

Always wanted to be the parent of a tiny, fuzzy bear cub.

Hanging out after a walk.

Tummying.

Chillin' in the bumbo.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Twelve Drummers Drumming

(On his way to becoming a pro, like his uncle matt)

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Eleven Pipers Piping

(Kilt, like Connery)

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Ten Lords a Leaping
(That's right--he's riding a dog that's chasing a rabbit...  We had a hard time getting this little lord to leap)

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Nine Ladies Dancing

(Special thanks to guest ballerina, Miss Miranda!)

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me...

Eight Maids Men a Milking

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Seven Swans a Swimming

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Six Geese a Laying

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Five Golden Rings

Scene from a Marriage

Scene: Jon and Jenn walking to their car after leaving the home of friends.  Jon is walking in front of Jenn holding the two icy root beers she asked him to carry so that her hands wouldn't freeze and fall off while Jenn follows, toting the diaper bag and baby in car seat.

Jon: (Car passes) Wow, people are going to think I'm a schmuck.
Jenn: Why's that?  Because it looks like you're making your wife carry all of the heavy things?
Jon: (Drinking one of the root beers): While I drink soda in front of you.
Jenn: Not just that, you're holding TWO sodas.  They'll think, 'who does that guy think he is?!  with his two root beers.'

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Four Calling Birds

(Plus calling baby)

On the Third Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Three French Hens

On the Second Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

Two Turtle Doves

On the First Day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

(moments after this photo was taken, he tried to eat the partridge)

Twelve Days of Christmas

Stay tuned for our Twelve Days of Christmas photo posts!

Thanksgiving Lessons Learned...

Go easy on the amount of potato skins with which you burden your garbage disposal or risk enlisting your dinner guests for help and eating an hour later than expected...

Why is Jenn Rocking that Hair Dryer?

Our mellow baby has been going through a fussy season over the last week or so.  Usually at night, he'll have an extended unhappy period where he will cry... nay, scream, unless he is kept in constant motion where he can see lights or ceiling fan...  Then he falls asleep:)

The other day I was attempting to get ready when one such fit monopolized a good chunk of the morning.  Since I knew our son was tired and fighting a nap, I took action (which felt like cheating) and turned to my hair dryer for help.  It's both comical and amazing how quickly he calms down in the presence of white noise.  So I rocked both him and the hair dryer until he fell asleep a few minutes later.

When I tried to set him in his swing, he began fussing again, so I tried another tactic:

(hair dryer turned on full blast on the floor so that I could brush my teeth without juggling it and a baby)

Result:

Success.

After another wakeful night last night, I also discovered this little gem: www.simplynoise.com  I can't sing its praises enough.  I'm blogging with this site activated right now as my baby sleeps soundly next to me, unswaddled (that's a big deal).  

Thank you, white noise.  You have saved nap time.

Six Weeks

When did this happen?...  It's hard to believe, but our little boy is now working through his sixth week of existence.  Crazy talk.


I'll be honest, the first month was incredible and overwhelming--a combination of wonder and adjustments.  


I spent the first week of our son's life convinced that he couldn't sleep safely unless I was hovering over him, monitoring his breathing.  This is what happens when you're a neurotic new mom whose baby spent his first 24 hours choking on remnant amniotic fluid in his lungs.  Fortunately, I have a very patient and helpful husband, and we eventually got used to his little sleep sounds.  Really, during the first week I ebbed and flowed emotionally between thankfulness and vulnerability:

• Would Jon get drafted as one of the students who would have to spend their third year of med school at a campus four hours away?
• Was I feeding our baby enough?
• Would we have to take out more student loans just to offset the energy costs associated with the mountains of laundry this tiny person generates?
• How long would it take for me to feel like I did, physically, before our son was born?  
• How quickly would Jon figure out that I had no idea what I was doing as a mother and that my ultimate failure to swaddle our kiddo properly would eventually lead him to turn to a life of drugs and violence???   

The last several weeks have been much less anxiety riddled than the first.  We've had the chance to get to know our son more and adjust to life with a new little person.  Jon wasn't drafted to go to the NW campus next year.  Our baby is gaining weight like a champ, and our doctor has assured us that he's nice and healthy.  I've recovered faster than anticipated, and Jon and I are now swaddling masters.  Seriously, we can swaddle anything.  And faithful as He is, God has reminded me that David is His baby and that He will continue to take care of him and guide us as parents.  Exhale.  


Reservations aside, being parents has been the best experience for Jon and I since becoming husband and wife.  It's been so fun to watch our boy reach little milestones, to play with him, to comfort him at night, to watch his little personality develop (looking like we're going to have a mellow, contemplative kid on our hands:).  We feel love for him that we never knew existed--sometimes it's almost too much.  That may sound cliche, but it is very much true.  


Also, we're so thankful that we had family (Dave, Debbie and Joy) out to visit and help with the baby, housework, meals, etc.  We're also fortunate enough to have an incredible community of friends who have dropped in over the past several weeks with food and words of encouragement.  Family and friends, please know how much we appreciate you.  Really.  You have made our lives so much easier over the past month.

Post-milk smiles:) 

 Happy alert time in the morning

The cutest bear ever

Playing with dad

Exploring different textures

       

Welcome David Jeremiah:)

As you may have heard, Team Pagan is now three strong!  It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since our little one made his way into the world, and you better believe that I'm wracked with a certain amount of mommy guilt for not posting about his birth sooner.  But our time has been well spent.  We've been enjoying the company of family, gazing adoringly at our new little boy and taking millions of photos of him.  So I don't feel quite so bad.  


Ok, enough stalling, here's the re-cap of David's birth:


On Saturday (Oct. 23rd), Dave and Debbie flew into Little Rock, expecting to have a few days to hang out before the baby was born.


On Sunday I had noticed some fairly consistent contractions, about 5 minutes apart, which quickened to about 3-4 minutes apart after we got to church.  So Jon and I stepped out and called the doctor's exchange to get their opinion.  They suggested that we go to the hospital, so we packed up excitedly and made our way to labor and delivery.  After being hooked up and monitored for a while, the nurses informed us that our doctor suggested that we go home and avoid spicy and greasy foods--consistent contractions, but not intense enough.  


False alarm (kind of), so we did what any reasonable people would do and we had Mexican for lunch, then pizza for dinner with some friends that came over to the house to celebrate Jon's birthday.


Around 2:00am, I was having contractions that had awakened me from sleep, so I got up and timed them in the living room for the next hour or so.  They continued getting more intense regardless of my position, sitting, standing, lying down, so I woke Jon up to inform him that we may be having another false alarm, but that it could be "go time."  


So I was up.  
The baby was definitely up.  
Jon was up, then we got Dave and Debbie up and left for the hospital.  
Again.  
We arrived around 4am.


This time, we were better prepared with iPad, laptop (for the long wait expected with a first delivery), etc.


After getting checked into the hospital for a second time and making yet another call to our doctor (now 5:15am), the nurse said that she would like us to walk the halls for an hour with the hope of progressing things.  


So Jon and I walked from about 5:45-6:45.  And we walked and walked and stopped and breathed and walked and stopped and breathed.  And we accepted knowing smiles from kind women and older couples and hospital staff.  And I wished I had worn better shoes than the devil ballet flats I was in.  And Jon was a champ--always encouraging and patient.  


After an hour of waddling we discovered that I had made a centemeter's progress, so our awesome nurse Christa started my IV and informed us that we would not be leaving the hospital without a baby!


Reality time.


Our doctor had surgeries all that morning, but he stopped in before 7am to check in on us and broke my water to further speed the process along.


Next: epidural.  God-send.


We waited for the next couple of hours.  During our wait, Jon decided to run to the business office and grab a few things from the car since we knew we would be staying at the hospital and that I likely wouldn't have to think about pushing for several more hours.  About a half an hour after he left, I began to feel uncomfortable and asked that the nurse check to make sure that everything was ok.  


Change in plans--9+ centimeters...  I won't repeat exactly what I said to Debbie at that point, but I asked that she call Jon and tell him to get back to our room immediately.


By 10:30am Jon and Christa and I started the pushing process--yes, all three of us were involved.  Jon and Christa were phenomenal coaches.  The doctor on call was paged a little later and by 11:27am, our David was born!  8 lbs, 6 oz, 22 in.  I have no words for the emotions I felt when they handed him to me (which was almost immediately) and I saw and held him for the first time.  It was like an out-of-body experience.  I didn't just cry, I wept.  And I remember feeling incredibly relieved that our baby was healthy, that the pushing was over, and thanking God for such an incredible gift.  


That last hour was very intimate--just Jon, the nurse, the doctor and myself, Jon and I were so thankful.  It was so incredible to watch our son come into the world in such calm surroundings (with the exception of my breathing and a few primal screams toward the end there...).  Unlike our trooper sister-in-law and her miracle birth story, our experience at the hospital was very routine and we were thankful that we didn't experience any complications.  


So now, everyone is home and we are blissing out with this kiddo.  We may never get anything done ever again.

PS22

A video originally posted by my friend Beka--these kids are so talented (adjust your volume, you'll want to hear the harmony)!

Thought Fragment Post

37 weeks and 2 days into the pregnancy--thought fragments:

• On paper, I have 11 days of work left.  ELEVEN days--that's not a lot of time, and I have plenty to keep me occupied until the end of the month, but I am really struggling to stay focused and compartmentalize all of my thoughts about the baby in order to crank out the products I need to produce in the time I've been given.  If only I were paid to take naps and nest...

• Our trip to the doctor's office today managed to ease some of the deep, psychological resistance I've felt in terms of actually thinking about the process of bringing another life into the world.  Don't get me wrong, I still haven't really allowed myself to think about it.  Instead, I just focus on the outcome: we'll have a baby in 22 days or less: 

• Jon is a saint.  Really.  One example of saintly behavior: his sacrifice of decompression time over his fall break in order to study ahead for his classes, pick up last-minute baby items, install baby items, prepare his presentation for the upcoming symposium, etc.  I don't know how single parents do it. 

•  Pregnancy has really stirred my compassion toward people with overactive bladder...

• I've developed a most sincere appreciation for cheese cake.  And by that I mean that sometimes I feel like I would back over someone with our car in order to satisfy a craving for it.

• On an emotional level, if I were being completely honest, I would admit that the idea of being charged with shaping and influencing another little life is overwhelming.  The idea of making mistakes as a parent, combined with the pregnancy hormones, has made for some pretty interesting emotional situations whereby I dissolve into tears and Jon reassures me that a) God is taking care of our family, b) children are physically resilient and don't require four different types of helmets.  

• On a physical level, if I were being completely honest, I would admit that I love the fact that I get to carry our son around 24/7.  I love the gentle reactions people have toward him/my giant belly--it's like it can diffuse even the most tense situations.  It's great.  Then, I would admit that sleeping is becoming more of a challenge, and that he is starting to feel very heavy, and that I am starting to feel very heavy, and that I cannot wait to hold him in my arms (or in the sweet Moby wrap--thanks Jer and Kel!), as opposed to my belly. 

• I'm pretty sure that aqua moms (aqua aerobics class for pregnant ladies--fitting name, right?) has saved my back from much achiness throughout the pregnancy.  It's been so nice to feel weightless a few times a week and hang out with other expectant moms--very encouraging.

19 days left until you're scheduled to make your entrance, little man!  In spite of this stream of consciousness post, please know that we're so excited to meet you! 

Babe-E-Shower

Hey everybody!  I'm sorry that it's taken several days to post, but here is the video we took for the "Babe-E-Shower":

I appreciate your patience with my ridiculous hand gymnastics, disorganized paper disposal tactics and abuse of the word "items."

I don't think we can convey how thankful we are for all of you.  Really, you don't understand how much you have blessed our family through your generosity.  This kiddo is SET to enter the world!  As you can see from the belly size, that could be any time now:)

Again, thank you for all of your gifts and words of wisdom--more updates to come in the near future! 

*Update!  A few more gifts/thank-you's that didn't make it onto the video--either because they came super early or came after October 8th, when we took the video:

• Pack-n-Play!  From my mom
• Tiny library of children's books--Adrienne and Danial
• Awesome dinosaur/boyish receiving blankets--Ben and Jen

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On: Our son, David...

As a husband it is a very unique experience having your wife be pregnant.  I could write many blog posts about the experience ranging from my 10 pound weight gain to the experience of literally having less room, well, everywhere.  However, this post is about the connection that Mother and son experience in utero.  I've watched as Jenn has grown to epic proportions (of cuteness) and am constantly amazed at what I now truly see as the miracle of life.  I can't help sometimes feel a little jealous.  I get to feel him kick a few times a day, but she gets to feel everything: his turns, jabs, hiccups, rolls and slides.  Don't get me wrong, I am keenly aware that my wife is the far better choice for this role, but you get my point.

This brings us to today.  We were blessed this last week with the opportunity to get whats called a 4-D ultrasound.  For those of you wondering what that means, it means that we would be able to see our child in the x,y, z and t :)  Put more simply, in three dimensions and in live motion.  I'd seen samples online and was prepared, or so I thought, to have Jenn show me the pictures of our son.  Truly, I was not prepared.  I imagine second to standing in the delivery room and welcoming him to the world in 50 days plus or minus, seeing these pictures was life changing.

So without further ado, here is our son, David.

Isn't he amazing!!  As Jenn so humbly puts it, "The cutest baby in the world!!"  :)

I wasn't sure how I would feel as a father having the chance to see these pictures, but it did something I didn't expect.  It allowed me to connect with him in an extremely visceral way.  So yes, I don't feel all the movements, but now I can picture him.  I can see that he got his mom's cheeks, a combination of our noses, and my lips.  I can spend these final weeks of the pregnancy, picturing him as I pray for him, and as I feel him have the hiccups almost every night.

He is amazing, and I can't wait to meet him.  I thought I would close with our personal favorite.  Here is a picture of our son smiling.  If you look at the left of the screen you can see a wall that represents Jenn.  I can't help but think that he is smiling because he is cuddling with his Mom.  Well David, she has smiled every day for the last 8 months thinking of you.  David, we love you and we'll meet you soon!