The Mantle

My husband and I have been wanting some kind of art work for our mantle but just haven't got around to doing anything about it. Well, with Christmas coming up and the decorations coming in from the garage we thought what better time to put something up! Plus, we killed 2 birds with one stone! My love language being quality time, we spent time making this and we got our mantle piece!
I'm a sucker for pallets and since we decided not to take our pallet lounge chair with us when we moved (it was really heavy)

I thought hmmm.... we need a replacement of some sort with pallets!!!
We wanted something to represent our home, so we picked this scripture found in Psalm 42:1 and the picture of the deer gave it that rustic feel to go with our home.

 This project was so easy but time consuming (let's just say there were many re-dos): My husband ripped a part a pallet and then got two boards and screwed the pallets to the boards. I did the painting of the deer by stenciling first in pencil and then painted it. The letters I used a stencil but instead of paint I went with permanent marker.

That was our project for the month and we are quite pleased with it! 

Christmas Traditions

Tradition: the handing down of belief, statements, legends, and information from generation to generation

Since Lance and I have been married we haven't really started any of our own Christmas traditions together, I had some growing up as well as him and we have done some of each others but I think it's time we decide what traditions we want to continue in our family and some new ones we want to begin to carry! So I decided to write all of our traditions that our families started and then some possible new ones and go from there!

Christmas last year in Cali!

Old Traditions

Tradition #1: We always got an ornament every year since I was born and the year Lance and I got married my parents boxed up my ornaments and gave them to me to decorate our first tree..(I think I like this one for Bowden.)

My newest ornament that Lance got me from his trip to El Salvador

Tradition #2: We decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving...(I think we will keep that one...you have to decorate the tree sometime might as well be then :)

Tradition #3 Lance always got Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Day everyone would wear them and take pictures...I think that's cute and since we have been married they still do it (I think there was only 1 year we didn't get jammies and it was a big deal!)

Tradition #4 Our family would go to breakfast on Christmas Eve morning and then to the Candlelight service that night.....(Candlelight service is a definite keeper)

Tradition #5 Growing up us kids would get one "big" present that was the ultimate present and our dad would hide it and put the the first clue in our stocking and it would lead to more clues and then eventually to our present. I'm pretty sure we did this til we were in high school, then we got too smart for my dad's clues. (Maybe when Bowden is older we can do this)

New Traditions 

Tradition # 6 Get the kids a new Christmas book each year and read it to them and then read the the real Christmas story on Christmas Eve or Christmas day (We will definitely read the Christmas story)

Tradition #7 3 Gifts- I read this in a blog that a family does 3 gifts only, to represent the 3 wise men and another family I heard does 3 gifts: a "Want, Need, and a Surprise" I like this maybe combining the 2 ideas. Then kids won't get to greedy and it keeps it simple. (I'm not sure we will do this one but it's a good idea.)

Tradition #8 This blog has some creative traditions to do like sprinkle magic reindeer food on the lawn so santa knows where to lead the reindeer (magic food is oats and glitter) that's a cute idea

Tradition #9 This site also has some great traditions like having a baking party and delivering the cookies to local fire station or hospital. 

Tradition #10 Baking a cake to celebrate Jesus' birthday (I love this one)

So many great traditions out there, it's hard to choose! I know that this time of the year gets really busy and sometimes it's easy to loose sight of the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Lance and I went to the ice display a couple weeks ago and it's all decked out in Christmas but our favorite part was the last scene and it was an ice sculpture of the nativity scene and it was beautiful and it made my heart happy to see it! 

Then last night Lance got us tickets to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular for our anniversary and the show was amazing but the best part was the end, they told/sang the Christmas story and at the end people were clapping and saying "Amen". I loved it! All that to say, is we love traditions and will probably do most of these and maybe add more but the one tradition that we will carry on is making sure we celebrate Jesus' birthday and not forgetting that this is what Christmas is all about!

I don't care what people say "Jesus really IS the REASON for the SEASON"

Schedule Training

It's been a month since my last post and for a good reason I have been working on putting Bowden on a schedule and folks it's been a success! At 3 months Bowden is sleeping thru the night at 10 1/2 hours and with 5 feedings during the day! Thanks to Baby Wise and my sister in-law I finally got Bowden on a good schedule that works for our family. So I wanted to blog mostly for future purposes, so that someday when we decide to have another child (yes I said when :) I can look back and see what we did, in case I forget..which these days I forget a lot lol.

First off I wish that for the first 4 weeks I wouldn't have stressed so much about a schedule because for one, all they do is sleep and there's not much you can do about that. But then again when your not getting much sleep you feel the need to try something! But at that time I put Baby wise into affect: eat, wake time, sleep. Sounds pretty easy except the wake time was a lil challenging. At 6 weeks Bowden started sleeping 6-7 hours at night so I knew then that he could go awhile without a feeding.

Next pick what time I want to start the schedule, I started at 8am, so regardless his last feeding I would wake him up at 8am feed him and get him ready for the day, trying to keep him awake for atleast an hour. So the schedule for that day was 3hr feedings 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, and last one between 10-11. Then he would usually wake up between 5-6am so I would feed put him right back down and then wake him up at 8am all over again the next day. Eventually he started sleeping through the 5-6am feeding so then that feeding was cut out. By 9 weeks he was sleeping 9 hours and 10 weeks 10hrs. So these last couple weeks I started cutting out the last feeding of the day. At 10 weeks I started moving up his 11pm feeding by 15 min and sometimes he was so tired he moved it up himself. This week, 13 weeks we were able to cut out the last feeding, I would feed him at 8pm and then a cluster feeding at 9 but as a few days ago we cut that feeding. So now his last feeding is anywhere between 8-9pm, 8 if he is really fussy. So far its going good, he goes about 10 1/2 hrs, so now he is waking up between 7-7:30am but he is now starting to go longer between feedings so I am usually back on track to feed him at 11am. Next goal is to move him to 4hour feedings, and the way its looking he will probably move himself. They say not to do 4hr feedings until they are sleeping thru the night, they don't act very hungry or you have to wake them up to feed and are at 5 feedings, so I'm not going to rush it. 

But yes this schedule worked for us and I would do it again!  Some things to remember, growth spurts, they last a couple days, but usually he would go right back to his schedule. 

Next, a sound machine, I noticed that during naps it was hard for him to fall asleep unless he was in his swing so we bought him this cute lil giraffe 

it plays 4 different sounds and has a timer, plus it latches onto anything so you can travel with it! It works so good, we love it! 

Lastly, it was a lil tiring at first because I would want to just sleep thru his feeding if he was still sleeping but I couldn't I had to be disciplined and then I would reward myself by taking a nap when he napped....which you definitely have to do otherwise it's hard to function!

Okay that's it, that was my homework assignment that I think deserves an A, thank you Baby wise and Lacey Ainsworth aka "the baby whisperer!"

This month Lance and I celebrate 4 years of being married! 

It's crazy how fast it's gone by! Since Lance was going to El Salvador for a missions trip on our actual anniversary we decided to have a family date the night before and I rather enjoyed it, life is definitely different now but I wouldn't change a thing. 

 We went to the Gaylord's Ice Display! Of course Bowden is too little to remember but it wasn't really for him lol I love Christmas and we tried to go last year but it was too warm on the day we went so they cancelled it.

 It was 5 degrees in there so they give you these jackets to wear, don't worry we had Bowden all bundled up.

Our favorite scene was the nativity scene

For my anniversary gift we are going to see the Rockettes Christmas Show and I'm sooo excited!!! Happy Anniversary Babe I love you more and more each day!!!!

2 Months already!

Where has the time gone...I mean seriously it's already half way thru the month of October and I feel like Christmas will be here soon and then Spring and the next thing you know it, Bowden will be walking...okay maybe not really but these days do seem to fly by quicker than usual. Bowden is 2 months old today and I can't believe how much he has grown.

He had his 2 month checkup yesterday and even though he is still little I feel like he is growing so fast! He is now 10lbs 1oz and 22 1/2 inchs long, He is only in the 8% for his weight, so still little but he doesn't fit into his Newborn clothes anymore :( I'm so proud of him, he did so good when they gave him his shots, of course he cried and afterwards looked at me and lance like we were villains but then as soon as we got in the car he was good!

After his appointment we took him home to nap, he was out for awhile!

Aside from the 2month checkup we started Bowden on a schedule and it is going really good, hard work but it is definitely paying off. Thanks to my sister-in-law sleep is slowly coming back into the picture and a good routine as well. Being a melancholy girl I like things planned and organized so for me having Bowden on a schedule was not an option but a must... at least for my sanity.

 We also gave him some tummy time this week...which he loves!

Bowden's 1st pumpkin patch, daddy decided it would be funny to put Bowden in the tub of Pumpkins but it actually made for a good picture!

I'm the type of person that cherishes the little moments and likes to reflect back on the good times, I hate good byes, and tend to get sad the day after Christmas. Basically I don't like things to move too fast or leave me. So with Bowden already growing fast before my eyes I wanted to do something that I could look back on, capture the memories now, and eventually be able to share with him one day

Every year I get a new journal, it's a tradition I look forward to and I usually buy one right around the fall, it's like a school supply for me that I can't live without! I write my prayers, thoughts, dreams, and things God is teaching me. This year however I got one not just for me but for Bowden, I don't know when but in God's timing someday I want to give it to Bowden, prayers I have for him, things I'm learning from him, moments we shared and just something tangible he can have and I pray that at the times he needs some encouragement or needs to know how much he is loved it can give him that.

Happy 2 months Bowden!!!

Life Lessons from Bowden

It's been almost 7 weeks since I had Bowden and if you asked me 5 weeks ago how I felt, I would have told you that "I just want to feel like a normal person." I never thought that day would come, these last few weeks have gone by slow in the fact of my body healing but fast in the sense Bowden seems to be growing more and more! My husband laughed at me when I told him I just want to feel like a person because it's crazy how much your body goes through after delivering a baby. Today though I feel Good and am ready to get back into shape!

 I'm realizing how fast babies grow, bowden doesn't fit on my body the same when I hold him, :( so these days I am enjoying every minute I can to let him cuddle with me

Lessons I have learned from Bowden...

1. Be a quick diaper changer and be able to laugh at yourself when it happens...I can't tell you how many times he has peed on us and probably will continue to do so.

2. Don't be in a rush to feel like you have to know everything about babies, they will teach you something new everyday and eventually you catch on.

3. They are only little for a short time so don't be afraid to let them sleep on you!

4. Having a child makes you very protective and sometimes a worry wort that it takes you trusting in God up a notch

5. Lastly, my eyes and heart are more open now to the amazing love God has for us when I think about how He sacrificed His son, Jesus for us, I can't imagine giving up my son and I am so much more grateful for the gift God has given us.

John 3:16
  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

3 hour time frames

Im writing this in my spare crunch time, it's amazing to me how my schedule is not my own anymore but it's Bowden's. My days are now broken up into 3 hr time frames, if that. I have managed to take a nap in one of those times frames, clean the house, admire Bowden, run errands, grocery shop, eat a meal or two, and again look at my baby. You really begin to realize how time goes by fast and slow but mostly it's just priceless and to cherish every minute!  I know eventually things will change but for now I'm just trying to recover, relax, and live in the moment!

 A couple weeks ago my sister in law took some newborn pictures of Bowden and once again she is AMAZING and so good with babies!

Right now I have come to the conclusion that Bowden has my nose and eyes and everything else Lance but he is already changing so much it's incredible.

 

 

Wrapping up this post mostly because I hear someone waking up!

No one told me....

When Lance and I first started dating, he told me that he wanted 10 kids...I laughed and thought that was cute...4yrs later I ask Lance do you still want 10 kids....his response....(hesitant) I don't know lol...

Well it's been quite an experience these last 2 weeks! A roller coaster of emotions, physically draining, but lots of joy!!!

I knew it was going to be different and even challenging but no one told me it was going to be hard the first 2 weeks, and I know why....the joy that lil baby brings you....it can wipe all that away in seconds!!!

I don't want this post to be negative at all but I do want to share some things that I learned that will definitely help me for next time.

1. Increase my fiber intake right when I get home and stool softners are your friend...say no more

2. When everyone tells you to sleep when baby sleeps do it...it can really do some damage on your body from going to some sleep to no sleep!

3. Breastfeeding is hard painful...I wasn't prepared for that and  thanks to a friend I learned that medela lanolin cream works better for me than the lansinoh cream

4. Let people help if they want...Normally I feel bad when people want to help but let me just say having my mother in law here was such a blessing and having friends bring dinners was a huge help and blessing as well!!!

5.  You're gonna be emotional....No one told me that...the tiniest thing would make me cry lol.. like rejecting my cat because she can't sleep in my room anymore...

6. Your heart will completely be taken away... I didn't know it was gonna be like this and that I would feel the way I do but Bowden keeps stealing my heart

 People told me that having a baby would change my life and make me wish I would have had one sooner and that I would just absolutely love it but... those words are all underplayed...no one told me that I would want to look at my baby all the time and see the amazing creation of God at hand, no one said that my selfish ways would begin to decrease and the way I pray would completely change, that I would become so protective it almost makes me scared and I have to direct my mind to God right away to calm my thoughts, that when he looks at me he knows that I'm his mom and he knows I love him!! I have learned that this experience, this journey has had its ups and downs but with just one look at Bowden the downs begin to disappear and it makes me more excited for the future!

I just love this face!

Bowden's Special Arrival

At 39 weeks I knew Bowden was gonna come I just didn't think it would be the way it was, but of course we know that in life things don't always go as planned! My due date was set for August 27th but my dr. said she could induce me on Tuesday August 21st, a week early, and I was all for it. Not sleeping anymore and just getting more and more anxious I caved in to the planned delivery but deep inside I still wanted to be surprised, I wanted my water to break (you know how you see in all the movies) I wanted this part of my life to be like the movies, I know kinda weird but the last 2 weeks I have been fantasying how my water would break and everywhere I would go I would think of my game plan in case my water broke. 

Well.....I got my wish only it wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be...don't get me wrong I'm still glad it broke, I just didn't know what I was really in for.Well on Saturday (the Sat before my induction date) I didn't have any contractions which I thought was strange because up until this point I was having more and more contractions. It was crazy because a couple of my friends made comments to me that Bowden was going to come that day but I was like "I haven't had any contractions so I really can't see that happening." At about 2am that night I woke up, feeling wet, I thought I peed my pants because normally I have been waking up every 1 1/2-3 hrs having to pee and since we had a busy week I thought I must have been so tired I slept thru it (which when your pregnant and you have to pee, you can't sleep thru the pain lol) So I go to the bathroom, and it doesn't smell like pee and more liquid just keeps coming... right then  I thought my water must have broke. So I called my husband over, we started getting our stuff together, I took a quick shower and we were off to the hospital. Thinking my water broke and it was done, I was excited....that all changed until we got out of the car and more water starts coming down my pants I felt so gross, the good thing was there was no one at the hospital at 3 am. Also, I didn't know that there's about 2liters of amniotic fluid(water) that is released, so I was draining water for quite awhile! 

Here's me at the hospital, notice i'm wearing a black hoodie, I grabbed the wrong jacket I didn't notice until I got inside the hospital...I was mad...it's not like we rushed to the hospital 

The delivery didn't go as I thought it would, I ended up having an emergency C-Section. Everything was fine up until around 7 am, my cervix was dilated to a 5, and I had already got my epidural. But then Bowden's heart beat dropped so I was on oxygen for about and hour to get it back up, I was having some heavy bleeding but they said it was fine, and then my blood pressure dropped and as soon as that happened they called the dr and took me straight to the surgery room. I guess my placenta had erupted and detached. From that moment on everything happened so fast, Bowden was here within 10 minutes of all that. It was so fast that they tried to up my epidural that it didn't take affect all the way, so I could feel some of the surgery (it was painful, there were some tears) thankfully I had my amazing husband holding my hand through it all (I guess I was squeezing his hand so tight the nurse couldn't get the scrubs over his hands) 

As we are getting set up in the delivery room, I told Lance that I was happy that Bowden was going to be delivered on Sunday August 19th, because that is the anniversary of my mom's death and instead of it being a day of remembering my mom which can sometimes make me sad, I felt like God wanted to make it a joyful day and use Bowden. So Lance had the idea of adding my mom's name to Bowden's. I'm not for long names but when he said that I thought it was sweet and only right to honor my mom. So we did, we added Jaimie. 

Meet Bowden Jaimie Takeo Ainsworth

born on Sunday August 19th, 2012 at 8:59am weighing 5lbs, 15oz, and 19in long

the sunshine after the storm...was seeing my lil boy, my son, Bowden and yes I would do it all over again even the same way if I had to just for him! I love him and he has my heart more and more each new day! He is so sweet and I know God has such an amazing plan for his life, I know there is definitely favor over his life and he really is a warrior! On the way to the surgury room I was trying not to panic cuz I could tell the nurses were hiding their fear, I just kept praying and God was telling me that Bowden is a warrior and this is the day He wanted Bowden here.

Recap

39 Weeks (before Baby was born)

Weight: 140 I think

Food Cravings: Made sure I went to all my favorite spots this week since I knew it was my last week to go out for awhile.

Symptoms: lots of contractions, lack of sleep, little bit of swelling in my hands and feet, and anxiety

What's New: We now have a new member added to our family, Lil Bowden and my New Mommy gifts. My mother in law got me the Mother's heart necklace from James avery and my husband got me a bracelet that we are going to get engraved with Bowden's name and birthday.

Bowden's Nursery

 

Here we are at 38 weeks and I can finally say Bowden's Nursery is just about complete! A lil on the late side but I feel good about it! When planning the nursery I wanted something that had a part of both of us, Lance's manly, adventurous side and yet my soft but loving side. I'm really happy about his nursery, there's a lot of sentimental things that went into the making of this and I feel so blessed for all the friends and family that are a part of it!

First off, I mentioned this earlier but Lance built the crib with our friend J. He always said he wanted to build it and honestly I didn't know if it was going to happen because he didn't get to start on it til about a month ago, but it really only took him a weekend to do it! (There's a funny story to go with it that Ill have to share another time!)

 My grandma knitted that white blanket, it's so soft!

Next, is the bedding, my creative and talented Aunt wanted to make Bowden's bedding as a gift to him. She's pretty amazing, she can make anything from blankets to wedding dresses! I wanted something simple but with a touch of color and she did just that. This lumberjack print is part of the inspiration with the deer on it!

Oh and the bear we got when we found out we were having a boy! Bowden's first teddy!

We went with a wall plank wallpaper, that our friend Shawn helped Lance put up, they did such a good job!

The deer stag was a gift we got from Amazon, I painted it white and left the antlers the original color, I had seen a picture from pinterest that did something similar and really liked it!

 This rustic tin is a gift from my best friend Kara, that has prayers for Bowden in it that friends and family wrote to him

For my shower, all my hosts got me these paintings, that I thought would look perfect over the crib!

Bowden's first children's book was the sign in book at my shower, such a cute idea and I love it cuz it's about a bear!

There are so many lil things in this room that were gifts from people that I can't wait to share with Bowden!

We made this book on shutterfly (it was actually free, when you sign up with them they send you free deals) for Bowden, it has pictures of all of our family so we can show Bowden who loves him, since our families don't live by us.

There's just a couple more things that I want to get to complete his room: a lamp, a picture of a world map that I think Lance is gonna make, and I ordered this old children's book "Paul Bunyan" I remember watching it as a cartoon and since lumberjack is our theme, why not!

 Well there you have it, Bowden's rustic escape! We had a lot of fun with his nursery and now we are ready for him to take over it!

RECAP

38 Weeks

WEIGHT: 138 (I have gained my 30lbs since my starting weight 108, so hopefully these next 2 weeks I don't gain more lol) no pics this week....

FOOD CRAVINGS: Haven't been that hungry, I think Bowden is taking up too much space!

SYMPTOMS: Just really uncomfortable, more braxton hicks contractions and starting to get really tired again (naps are back in the schedule)

WHAT'S NEW:  Still dialated to a 2, I'm hoping he comes within the next week but I have doubts! The nesting has begun, I make sure my hair is washed every day and the house is clean. Also anytime Lance and I are out somewhere we talk about what we would do if my water breaks! (You just never know)

I did it! I'm a College Graduate!!!

Wohoo!!!!! I'm so uncontrollably excited you have no idea..so let me tell you! 8 years ago I made a decision to not focus on school and focus on ministry, which has been amazing and is what I needed to do! Well 2 years ago I made a 5 year goals list and I put school back on this list, to finish and get my bachelors, not sure how or where I was going to accomplish this I just knew it was something I wanted to do. Well last year I was blessed with an amazing opportunity... I was given a free scholarship to finish school and get my degree! So who wouldn't jump on that train. I decided to add that to my New Years Goals List and finish school by the end of the year. So I began to work.... at a rather slow pace and then I found out I was pregnant....hmmm....so I decided to pick it up a lil faster. Then one weekend in January I went to a women's conference and a truly, amazing young girl, inspired me and challenged me with her testimony. I walked away that weekend with a new, New Years Goal.... to finish school before I have Bowden (who is due any day...August 27th is my due date) wow I must have been crazy but I wasn't...I was motivated and ready! I just told Bowden he can come early but only after I finish school!

Well friends, I'm here to tell you that I did it!!! I accomplished that goal, I am going to graduate with my bachelors degree in business administration!!!! So Bowden, you may grace us with your presence any day now!!!

I'm so thankful to my husband who has encouraged me along the way...especially the days I wanted to give up and the day I found out I still needed one more class! Also my sweet friend who shall remain nameless, you are truly an inspiration and I'm so grateful for your life's testimony that motivated me and challenged me!!(ok enough with the academy award speech)

Anything is Possible, and most days you have to be your own encourager, just don't give up and if you have a goal write it down. It's so neat because the 5 year goals list I made 2 years ago, half of those goals are coming to pass!!!

Oh ya I forgot to mention that my husband gave me a lil incentive, he said that if I finished school before Bowden comes he would buy me a watch!

Let's just say I have been celebrating all week!!!

Recap

Week 37

WEIGHT: 137

FOOD CRAVINGS: McDonalds cheeseburger and fries...a lot of sweets

SYMPTOMS: started having more braxton hicks contractions, some cramping, a random hiccup every morning I wake up...it's pretty funny

WHAT'S NEW: I am dilated to a 2 so my Dr. says Bowden should come a lil early...that would be nice!