Sanders. 3 months.

Blogland Beckoned, I Reckon

For some really cool reasons I have made my way back to this, my wedge, my itsy bitsy corner of the web, to share with anyone still willing to read, or rather view, why life is beautiful these days.

1.) I'm pregnant! Again(!)

2.) I survived the first trimester! It surprised me by being more challenging this go round than it was with mr. Sanders so I feel it necessary to celebrate my return to functional humanity.

3.) My "baby," although far less babyish these days, has turned one.

4.) Before I realize I've blinked, I'll be keeping up with two littles and if I can't keep up documenting one, then, well...

5.) I'm anticipating what God has in store for us with much excitement but embracing today for the gift that it is.

Which is why it is my goal to go back through my little family's photos and begin to recap life (in abbreviated form) since I fell behind. Doing so is going to allow me the thrill of reliving and "re-loving" it all, from little moments when my camera happened to be handy, to many of Sanders' milestones.

Follow along, if you'd like. :)



* It's an understatement to say I'm an inconsistent blogger so if you're interested in catching updates as I'm able to post, be sure to subscribe! (See upper left column.)

Twas a Beautiful Night...

for an outdoor bath

...

in a Rubbermaid. :)

A Short but Sweet Visit from Sanders' Gram.

Stranger anxiety has become a factor in Sanders' little world as of late, meaning he isn't quick to accept just anyone. It made it all the more fun when it didn't take long for him to smirk at Brian's mom upon landing in her arms beside the luggage belt at SeaTac airport last Wednesday. She was only here for a matter of days, but it was long enough for Sanders to decide she is a pret-ty fun lady!

Sanders got to spend a good chunk of one-on-one time with his Gram while Brian and I manned the Squaw Creek Cattle Co. beef booth at the Farmer's Market on Thursday. It was a treat to be hands-free and to get to fully embrace the market without having to sell beef while also caring for mr. SandMan. Only once did I turn around and have a near heart attack wondering, "Where is the stroller? WHERE IS MY BABY?!"before quickly remembering that Sanders was at home, in great hands. :)

The weather was warm and beautiful throughout Brian's Mom's stay. It was so warm, in fact, that Sanders developed heat rash. The effects of which still linger lightly on his big cheeks. :) We enjoyed a large chunk of our time outside and ate many of our meals on the patio. 

There's something really invigorating about starting the day with breakfast outside... 

One morning Brian treated his mom and I to bacon and cinnamon roll pancakes, complete with icing.

For dinner it was Squaw Creek burgers on brioche buns.

My Grandpa Lawrence was admitted to the hospital on Thursday. On Friday, Brian's mom was kind enough not to mind us making a trip north to visit him and Grandma B. Sanders was taken for a walk outside and ended up getting to snooze in his Gram's arms. I think he and his Gram enjoyed it equally. :)

Grandpa landing in the hospital is a huge reminder of what an incredible blessing our grandparents are to us. 

Four generations

From L to R: My mom, Grandma B, my sister, Tess, and my niece, ms. Letty.

Before leaving for the airport on Saturday we celebrated Brian's Mom's visit with a lunch of Proscuitto and Pea Penne in a Lemon Cream Sauce with a side of Roasted Parmesan Asparagus, and Raspberry Italian Sodas. On her way to WA she had been on a flight with someone with a peanut allergy, meaning the usual peanut snack wasn't an option. We made it our goal to get her on the flight home with a tummy so satisfied that there would be no need for peanuts. ;)

As always, goodbyes really stink.

Until next time, thanks for coming, Gram! You are loved!

Musings from Mommyland.

This past week my MIL came for a few days to have herself a little "Sanders fix." :) While she was here it was brought to my attention that blog updates from Meganville have been missed by several, if not more. ..."Really?!", I thought to myself. "People actually miss whatever it was I used to post?" (After wracking my brain to remember my last posts, I couldn't. I had to look them up! I guess that's how long it's been. :S ) I'm flattered that there are those who care to know and see what's going on in our little world enough to express that they miss the glimpses of life documented here. 

But I'm overwhelmed. 

See, I didn't make a conscious decision to quit blogging. Rather, I simply stopped making time for it and by the time I noticed how far behind I had fallen, the thought of catching up was too overwhelming. Now here I sit, nearly 6 1/2 months into motherhood wondering where to begin again.

Nothing has taught me more about life and myself, as becoming a mother. It's a rich, full life; one in which the teaching, but more importantly the being taught, never ends. 

One of the things I'm learning that relates to this, my blog, is that sometimes a little has to be enough. There isn't always time to take photos, edit photos, write, edit my writing, possibly rewrite what I had written, compile it into a blog, and post. Life as a lady with shtuff to do, means getting shtuff done by means of prioritizing. I don't regret my several month blogging sabbatical. I've been caught up in the wonderment of life with a baby and I would have it absolutely no other way, but I'm a forgetful soul and I don't want to forget life's sweet, short moments.....so this is me saying, 

"Hello again, Blogland. 

I think it is indeed nice to be back."

I'm returning with a fresh perspective. I'm not making any promises but I look forward to posting proof, however brief a post may be, that my world has blossomed into something well worth sharing. 

Until next time, hopefully soon, thanks for caring to drop by.

Couldn't live without.

Okay, so if we lived in a cave way back when I'm sure we could have made due without the following things, but we don't live in a cave. In fact, we really like modern conveniences. Therefore, these are the things that have made the first few months of life with our little man easier, lovelier, and more functional...

Monitor --Angelcare
We had some complications with our monitor but eventually we realized the false alarms were due to our own operator errors. I now realize, looking back, how silly it was that I lost sleep over false alarms and middle-of-the night research sessions spent wondering if Sanders had sleep apnea. All the while the problem was that I had the monitor too close to the crib. (It requires a specific distance in order to work correctly.) As it turns out, sleep is far more beautiful a thing than perfectly centered monitor placement. ;P
Diapers --Pampers Swaddlers They're the best.
Nursing Bra --Basics by Bravado These babies are handy.
Nursing Pads --Lansinoh These are life savers, especially for over-producing "mama cows" such as myself.
Nursing Cream --Lansinoh Lanolin I keep a tube on my nightstand, a tube in the diaper bag, and tube in my pump bag, and I use them all. I use it every day and it keeps me going.
Breast Pump --Medela Due to breastfeeding complications there was a month (or more) where Sanders continued getting my "liquid gold" :) thanks to this pump. I continue to use it to stockpile for the future and to have on hand for times when breastfeeding is inconvenient. I'm so thankful for my pump!
Nursing Pillow --My Brest Friend Sanders loves this pillow. We use it for every feeding. I love the back support and the fact that he's ultra comfortable so he eats really well. 
Bottles --Dr. Browns 
Swaddles --SwaddleMe, Aden & Anais We found SwaddleMe's really convenient when Sanders was brand new. He quickly outgrew the ones we had and before we bought the next size we noticed him starting to sooth himself with his hands and fingers, which is why we switched to putting him in sleepers and wrapping him more loosely in Aden and Anais swaddles. (Now, at 3+ months he wears sleep sacks to bed.)
Pacifier --Sanders' chosen plug was made by Born Free.
Bouncer Seat & Infant-to-Toddler Rocker --Fisher Price Sanders refused at first to sleep on a flat surface so he spent his nights (and naps) in his bouncer. He quickly weighed it down though, which is when we discovered his cousin Millie's rocker. (Like the bouncer, it vibrates too!) Thanks [sis-in-law]Amy for letting us borrow Mill's rocker. We love it and use it every day.
Take Along Swing --Fisher Price Two swings were donated to our adoption sale last year. At the time we were planning on two babies, so I kept both swings. I tried on and off to use the full sized swing but it always seemed too upright for Sanders. One day I had an itch to get outside and do the first yard work of the year. I remembered the other little swing which we had folded up and tucked away in the garage. It's tiny, collapsible, comfortable for Sanders, and it has a handle, so it's capable of going everywhere I go, even outside. It's my new favorite "tool." I no longer see why big swings are necessary when you could have this tiny, super functional, convenient swing. It costs less and it literally takes up about 1/5th the amount of room as the other swing. 
Burp Cloths
Freezer Meals :)

Pregnancy: Obsessions & Aversions

I came across this list kept throughout my pregnancy. Reading it brought back vivid memories of days filled with fire-roasted hot dog cravings as well as landing myself back in bed (or on the bathroom floor) following every attempt to cook/bake with raw eggs. God was good to me, however, considering that although I spent plenty of time in the bathroom sure I was about to lose the contents of my stomach, I never actually did. I lost 8 lbs between my first and second OB appointments due to a dietary rotation consisting of Saltine's and Graham Crackers. Unfortunately, once over the initial queasy stage, I all too quickly made up for lost time. :)

OBSESSIONS
First Trimester:
Hot Dogs
Doughnuts

All the way throughout:
Boneless Hot Wings
Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls (with extra black beans and extra spicy salsa)
Dairy, any and all but especially cottage cheese. (Oh, and I no longer have time for nonfat milk. I've happily upgraded to 2%.)
Lemonade

AVERSIONS
First Trimester:
Eggs
Raw Banana Bread

All the way throughout:
Red Onions

RANDOM REPETITIVE CRAVINGS:
Melted Marshmallows (in coffee and hot chocolate)
Smoothies