On being a big brother...

 

I grabbed a few moments to document Owen in his new role as big brother.
I love hearing his little voice talk about his brother "Je-jee." He is the first thing he asks about in the morning and the last person he wants to kiss before bed.

Today Owen taught Jesse the proper way to engage in tummy time.

There were lessons on proper technique for lifting one's head and the importance of this in strengthening one's neck and back muscles.

He also taught him that taking a rest is okay but to always try again.

He then moved on to the wonders of other types of floor exercises. "Je-jee, like dis"

And then there was the ever important lesson about various facial features.  Oh how I love these little boys.

Jesse Thomas King

       On April 15, 2012 at 2:26 a.m. this precious little boy was born and our hearts expanded in love once again. As I sit here and write this reflection he sleeps contentedly next to me, his warm little body snuggled up close, his baby scent so delicious, and already it is hard to imagine life with out him.
I am intrigued to see what his little personality will be as the weeks turn in to months and he grows out of his sleepy newborn stupor and into who God has created him to be.
       Already he displays strength, in the way he holds his head up, the clarity of demand heard in his cry, and even demonstrated to me in his birth story. We are learning not to compare him to how Owen was but rather to embrace him for who he is. I would be lying if there haven't been moments of fear on my part that he'll be a "hard" baby, but as I get to know him I am relaxing and learning how to love him for who he is - my sweet gift.
      However, there's more to this story of new life than just my two week reflections on life with Jesse, there's a story of birth that I want to remember before the clarity of memory fades. In general, a child's birth story begins with contractions and usually ends many hours later with a happy but tired mom delighting in the arrival of her newborn child. Jesse's story is a bit longer and one I would qualify as a journey marked by a period of emotional highs and lows as I waded through multiple days of false labor the two weeks prior to my due date.
       My first false labor episode lasted for 6 hours with contractions 5 minutes a part ending in heartbreak at midnight as the contractions faded to nothing, little did I know this would be repeated a few times more. I remember waking up the next morning with a heavy heart, exhausted and disappointed that I wasn't lying in a hospital bed holding my sweet boy. However, once the emotions faded I realized I had a choice about how the final two weeks of my pregnancy could go - I could be frustrated and fight the false labor finding myself in the same depressed state each time or I could embrace each contraction knowing my body was gearing up in a different way than it had with Owen. By the grace of God and a lot of support from some fabulous women around me, I was able to embrace the journey God was taking me on as I waited for Jesse's true arrival.
On April 14th, I felt a change - I can only describe it as my contractions feeling deeper sporadic as they were. I convinced Josh to embrace the sunshine and take Owen and I to the French bakery and for a long walk in Kirkland in hopes that the walk would encourage labor to begin. As the day progressed so did the consistency of my contractions and finally at 6:30 it was safe to say labor had begun. At 10:30p.m. we called the hospital, something in hindsight I wish we had done sooner because I was having a hard time believing that this was it, that I would be holding my little boy in a few hours. Two hours after calling the hospital I knew it was time to head in as labor had kicked in to high gear. Last time on the way to the hospital Josh ran a red light this time I stopped breathing (first time I've ever hyperventilated I think) and my Mom thought she was going to be delivering a baby...I wonder what will happen next time. Two hours after arriving at the hospital, a-not-so little Jesse was born. I remember saying "Oh I'm just so glad you're finally here" over and over, the relief and joy of holding my sweet boy in my arms overshadowing the frustrations of the prior weeks. 
I am so grateful for the journey the Lord took me on through this pregnancy and labor. He has truly given us a gift in Jesse (which is the meaning of his name) and I delight in what awaits us as we raise two boys.

 

Princesa Ana Lucia

Meet Ana Lucia - my unborn son's due date buddy who decided to grace her family two weeks early. A 6lb 4 oz tiny little beauty- una Princesa. I wish I had more tools to capture these precious bundles as Lord knows I could take pictures of their tiny little features all day. Perhaps it's time I took a class and learn a thing or two for real instead of letting my untrained eye lead me hither and thither. But for now, I will take every chance I can get to capture this very brief phase of life where life slows down for a minute and all you want to do is kiss, hug and cuddle these little blessings of love.

 

 

 

God is a River

After another long day and night of false labor hope that this picture above would be recreated in the hospital in the next few days came to an end. Tonight my Dad leaves for an inopportunely timed but short (thankfully) trip to Central America. I am sad that he won't be there in the first few hours after birth to hold his grandson with his strong hands and say a prayer of blessing over him. His wisdom, quiet strength and presence will be missed but the introduction to his newest grandson will be all the sweeter upon his return. Today he came and prayed over me and played this beautiful and appropriate song. I identified with the way these past few weeks of false labor and waiting have felt like being bounced around on a river, yet all the while the Lord has whispered to me to rest in him.

God is a River - Peter Mayer

In the ever-shifting water of the river of this life
I was swimming, seeking comfort; I was wrestling waves to find
A boulder I could cling to, a stone to hold me fast
Where I might let the fretful water of this river ‘round me pass

And so I found an anchor, a blessed resting place
A trusty rock I called my savior, for there I would be safe
From the river and its dangers, and I proclaimed my rock divine
And I prayed to it “protect me” and the rock replied

CHORUS:
God is a river, not just a stone
God is a wild, raging rapids
And a slow, meandering flow
God is a deep and narrow passage
And a peaceful, sandy shoal
God is the river, swimmer
So let go

Still I clung to my rock tightly with conviction in my arms
Never looking at the stream to keep my mind from thoughts of harm
But the river kept on coming, kept on tugging at my legs
Till at last my fingers faltered, and I was swept away

So I’m going with the flow now, these relentless twists and bends
Acclimating to the motion, and a sense of being led
And this river’s like my body now, it carries me along
Through the ever-changing scenes and by the rocks that sing this song

CHORUS:

God is the river, swimmer
So let go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha_G4M22TeY

Tiny little peanut

For Christmas Josh purchased me a wonderful photo editing program which I have been remiss to figure out how to use till now. Spurred on by a plethora of delightfully tiny babies being born to dear friends and my need for distraction and a project at the end of this pregnancy I am pleased to say I've figured a thing out or two.

This week I took pictures for my dear friend Laura who gave birth to a teeny-tiny baby girl I fondly call "tiny little peanut" on March 26th. I'm not joking when I say she's tiny, she weighed in at a mere 5 lbs 11 oz. Being so close to birthing my own baby, I marveled at the fact that my son will not come out this tiny, in fact they may weigh the same although she will be a few weeks older. Whether big or small, skinny or plump, these babes are precious and perfect and capturing a few pictures of her was such a delight.

"Ewww...Pearls" (this picture just cracks me up)

1st trip to the Aquarium

Owen and his new best friend - Mr. Scuba Man


We are two weeks out from my due date and Operation Stay Distracted is in full swing. Thanks to groupon and some planning ahead, we saved Owen's 1st trip to the aquarium for this week to have something to look forward to. Accompanied by my lovely mother and fabulous Aunt Susan the four of us piled into the car and headed off to explore the deep blue sea.

It took Owen about 15 minutes to get warmed up to the idea of the aquarium. The first exhibit to meet you when you walk in is a 20 ft glass wall looking in on fish found in the Puget Sound. If I was only 2 1/2 feet tall I would be intimidated too by this monstrous wall of water and movement. As our luck might have it, there was also a scuba diver in the tank! Owen was quite the skeptic at first, hesistant to go anywhere near the glass or wave back at the diver. However, when we returned a 2nd time to the same tank Owen could not get enough of the fish or the diver. I think we sat there for a full 20 minutes simply watching the water world move in front of us.

One thing in particular I was excited for was showing Owen the tide pools where you can touch things like star fish and sea anemones. I lifted Owen up, showed him he could put his hands in the water to touch the animals and asked if he wanted to do it. He looked back at me and responded "Mama, rock?" repeating this several times. I explained that there weren't any rocks to throw but he could put his hands in the water instead. He looked at the tide pools and then looked at me like I was crazy and then asked to get down. What's the point of water if you can't throw rocks in it?

Once we had thoroughly explored the tide pools we were mesmerized by the tanks of tropical and exotic fish. Little did Aunt Susan know she was going to get a work out in by holding Owen up to the window for 15 minutes as we soaked up the brilliant colors before us. After we had our fill of the tropical dance, we moved on to the sea otters and seals which quickly became another favorite for Owen. Playing peek-a-boo with the seal was apparently hilarious to him as every time those large eyes and shiny wet skin resurfaced Owen chuckled with delight.

Later that day after the excursion had ended and Owen had napped I discussed the mornings events with him. He proceeded to respond: "And yellow...and big big fish...and arh-arh (meaning seal) and fish...and man." He probably repeated this 15 times obviously thrilled with his 1st time at the aquarium.

22 months

 

Likes: Rocks, rocks, rocks and more rocks. The only redeeming quality to the lake that forms in our parking area with all the rain is the fact that Owen gets to throw rocks.
*Other favorite activities are coloring, playing with the letter magnets and sidewalk chalk.
*Swimming is another new favorite activity - strap on his water wing belt and give him a noodle and he'll paddle around the pool by himself. Although not fully coordinated enough there is great effort made to jump in the pool from the wall with all the swimming gear filling his arms. It is fun to watch how brave he is.
*Jude continues to be his all time favorite person in life. One of the sweetest things is to watch them walk around holding hands - Owen in awe that he gets to be with his amazing cousin and Jude obviously proud of his favored status.

Dislikes: He is very sensitive to noises he can't locate or that are unfamiliar to him, much reassurance is needed and he has to say at least 5 times his version of "scary."
*Juice - He recently had a fever and I thought it might be a good idea to get him some other kind of liquid to help encourage drinking a ton of fluids. He took one sip, looked at me like I was crazy, and said "Yuck!" then promptly refused to drink anymore. I personally am not bothered in the least that he prefers water or milk to all other beverages I just find it humorous.