Life Lessons....

Lesson: It's the little things...

This past week at work I received a the results of a custody evaluation for one of my clients. A custody evaluation is just what you think it is: separating parents go see a professional who does a study and makes a recommendation to the Court as to who should have care of the child/ren.

In the report, the six year child continually brings up how his favorite thing to do is go to Taco Johns with his dad to get a Taco. Here are some examples:

- Child spells on board with mom "I made a lon shot." Mom tells him he spelled "long" incorrectly. Child erases board and writes "I LOVE TO GO TO TACO JOHNS WITH DAD AND EAT TACOS."

- Custody Evaluator asks child what toys he has at dad's house. Child replies: "I have a soccer ball but it is a few years old. I don't have toys at my dad's house, but we go to Taco Johns and get tacos. I like that."

- Custody Evaluator asks child if he likes the current schedule. Child replies: "No, I wish I could spend more time with dad.... so we could go get more tacos and Taco Johns!"

It made me think back to my childhood memories and what I remember as being the most pleasant. Here are some of the favorite things I remember:

- As a child we did "2 a days" at church. 8am service and a 5pm service (Note: Ministers used to prepare two sermons a day?! I wonder if they still get paid the same?) On our way home from the evening service we would often stop at Arbys on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines where my sister and I would split a beef n' Cheddar sandwich and a Jamocha Shake. Those memories are the only reason I go to Arby's twice a year now. I think of the memory and try to relive it by going to the Arby's and ordering the food. The food is absolutely disgusting!

- I remember a Christmas morning in particular when we were staying at my Grandma and Grandpa Vos' house. That year a received a Teddy Ruxpin type of toy. It was not Teddy that made the day special. It was finding Teddy on the fireplace on Christmas morning and knowing Santa had been there earlier.

- I remember one year we were celebrating Christmas with my Uncle Don and Aunt Bonnie. My crafty cousins had created a sled by hooking up a bed mattress of a car hood (both of which they found in the ditch) onto the back of the 4 wheeler. We went sledding all through the country side! What fun!

- I also have a project I made in Kindergarten where I had to finish the sentence. My cousins Nikki and Christi had just moved to town (they are approximately 5-7 years older than me). We must have been spending a lot of time with them because every sentence I finished in the project had to do with them.

"My favorite thing to do is.... see my cousins Nikki and Christi."
"I hope to.... get to see my cousins again soon."
"When I grow up I want to... be just like my cousins Nikki and Christi."

Seriously there were like ten sentences and nearly all of them had to do with my cousins.

I really hope to keep this lesson in mind as I become a parent. I hope to have little traditions that we do together as a family and spend time with other family members that she remembers as her favorite memories. But just in case that isn't enough... I have prepared her the most perfect nursery. :-)

Thankful Thursday

To My Dear Friend Thursday:

Welcome to 2012! I thought you came a day early this week. I double checked with my calendar, and it looks like you came right on time!

Thursday, I wanted to send you this little thank you note to let you know how grateful I am for you. I love how you arrive each week and give us all hope for the remainder of the week. I love how you never try to carry the glory that Friday tries to carry, yet you provide an equal amount of satisfaction as Friday each week.

Today, Thursday, you were just as wonderful as the other 51ish Thursdays in the year. When I went into work early to meet with my first client whom I quoted as $1,500 retainer and offered me $100 in return, Thursday, I didn't get mad. I thought it was funny. See Thursday, if it were Monday, I would have been irritated; and if it were Friday, I would have been so tired that I would have just agreed to accept $100 because I'd feel bad for said client which I would have then regretted the following Monday. You provide me with so much sense, Thursday.

Today, Thursday, when I faced obstacles, you reminded me why you are so great. Again, Thursday, if it were Friday, I would have avoided the obstacles until the following week. And if it were Monday through Wednesday, I would have said I still had time later in the week to tackle the tasks. But with the hope you provided, I mastered the tasks which will now lead to a more relaxing Friday.

I can't wait to see you next week, Thursday. I hope you provided my friends and family as much happiness and success this Thursday as you did for me! Thanks, again, for being so wonderful!

With Love, Dawn

Funny Conversations

Tommy: "Google says we need [list of items] to pack for the baby's bag for the hospital."
Me: "I don't think we are going to need bottles though."
Tommy: "But how are we going to feed the baby?"
(Me giving Tommy a confused blank look)
Tommy: "Oh yah. Nevermind."

Me while opening a box to a new piece of furniture: "Wow! It's gorge!"
Tommy: "Honey, it is not gorge, it is white."
Me: "No, I mean it is gorgeous!"
(30 second pause)
Me: "Wait! What color is 'gorge'?

Anthony after going to the bathroom: "Hey, Auntie Dawn!!"
Me: "Yes?!"
Anthony: "I left skid marks."

Tommy: "I really like the name Natalia. I think we should put Natalia on the name list."
Me: "I dont' like it."
Tommy: "Why not?"
Me: "It sounds like the name of a Russian slut."
Tommy: "Yah. Lets not put it on the list."

Erin (my secretary): "Do you know [insert name of random person]?"
Me: "No, why?"
Erin: "I didn't think so. He called here collect from the jail. I looked him up online and it appears he has two aggravated misdemeanors and a felony, one of which is for violating that pesky 2000 foot law. I figured you wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole."

A Very Pinterest Christmas!

I'm slightly obsessed with Pinterest right now. I could not help but use some ideas I got from the website for Christmas.

I made Tommy (and myself) a maternity photo album from the pictures my friend took the other day. By the way, as awkward as it felt taking them, and for as many "Are you serious?" looks that I received from people prior to taking the pictures, I am so glad that I did. I love the pictures, and it appears many of you do too! Many of the photo ideas I got off of Pinterest.

Tony and I made this handprint calendar for my mom and sister. I think it turned out super cute, and I hope that they enjoy it! I think my nephew will be really excited once I have my own child and do not force these pinterest ideas on to him.

(Note: I realize this is upside down, but I was lucky to figure out how to get it from my text message to my computer- sorry for the inconvenience).


My sister got BGT these owl stickers. I have seen these on pinterest before (but I think she found them by browsing etsy.com, another fantastic website). Its a sticker that you put on a onsie each month and take a photo of your growing child!

BGT also got Sophie the Giraffe.

Lastly, I made my nephew this snack for Christmas. Its blueberry jello with swedish fish in it. If it is not obvious, it is supposed to be an aquarium. I think he really enjoyed it!

BGT Nursery

I teased you all yesterday but bragging about the arrival of my new baby furniture after weeks months of waiting but then never posted any pictures. I really wanted to wait until I had the room 100% done before I posted any pictures of the nursery. I estimate it about 70% done. Here is still what I want to do to the nursery:

1. Find curtains;

2. Find lamp;

3. Find side table by rocking chair;

4. Hang owl decal on wall;

5. Hand butterfly mirror on other wall;

6. Purchase rug. 

Tommy got home from work around 645pm. I got home around 7pm and this is what I found:

Its nearly 10pm and he is still sleeping. Neither one of us slept well last night, but I am too stressed about all the things I want to get done yet to go to bed at 7pm. However, when I saw Tommy I knew that our amazon.com order was not going to be placed. I knew no curtains were going to be purchased today and that  items 1-6 are at least another week away from being done. And sometimes in this house one week away can easily mean one month away. So I decided to post pictures anyway. 

Here is a picture of the room when the house was purchased in August 2010:

Tommy and I referred to this room as the clown room when we first moved in. Not only did it have this awful wallpaper, the entire top part of the wall was filled with holes. Not tiny nail holes. Huge holes that it appear to have support some sort of jungle gym in the house.

In the Winter 2010, my mom and I painted this room yellow. I knew I always wanted the room to be the nursery because its right next to our bedroom. I also thought that I would either not find out the gender of the baby and need a yellow room or that I would decorate around the yellow walls. 

In December of this year, my mom and I painted the nursery Lavender Champagne. I also purchased brand new carpet so she would have clean carpet to barf on. I know some people were surprised about the new carpet purchase when having a newborn, but there is something about somebody else's stains on your carpet that are so disgusting. Somehow if its my daughter's vomit stain it seems like it will be so much more tolerable. 

Here is what the nursery looks like today:

 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the furniture that we picked out. This converts into a toddler bed and then full size bed, so I hope to get 18 years of use out of it.

 The bedding I found at Pottery Barn (on sale of course!). I am aware of the recommendations against user bumpers in a crib. I am also an attorney and have seen people have DHS investigations on them for when there kids have broken arms and legs when their babys' limbs get stuck between the rails. I decided to keep the bumper.

 I still need to purchase the changing pad which will go next to the green basket on the main shelf. I may find a few more things to place on the shelves later on.

 I was surprised about how big the room still looks even with all the furniture in it. I was worried it would be too cramped in the room which is why I did not purchase a rug earlier. Now I think I would like to find a rug to place between the hutch and crib. I'm not sure that will get done before BGT's arrival.

Note a few things about the photo above: my sister and I  made the blanket that is on the back of the chair. My sister is quite handy with her sewing machine. I always pretend that I am handy but do not have the patience for these projects. Luckily my sister bailed me out of this project. I am so excited about the blanket! The other thing I want you to note is the effort that I made not to have everything be pink and purple. I did manage to purchase two things that are not pink or purple. The boppy pillow on the chair. There is also a basket liner that is green.

Also, we have not found the right curtains yet. Those are two different curtains on those windows. I dont think we are going to go with either of those. They just seem too blah for the room.

We thought we were going to use that lamp in the room but it looks really dirty in that room so we need to find a different lamp. Also, you will note that next to the hutch is the baby's hospital bag, packed and ready to go to the hospital!

Every time I walk past the room I am still shocked to see it as a nursery. Neither Tommy nor myself can walk past the room without stopping in the room, turning on the light and looking around for a few moments before we continue on our path. I think we are both a little shocked that we will be a family of three so soon.

BGT Update

I did not post much about my December 23 ultrasound. This is because there was nothing exciting to post about. BGT is still looking to arrive around February 4. On the 23rd she was measuring about 4.5 pounds. I'd say she weighs about 26 pounds now, but the ultrasound tech would probably disagree. Again, BGT had her hands in front of her face so we did not get a good view of her. I was secretly hoping we would get a good view of her so I could feel confident about the name choice prior to birth. It appears that we will be making, what my friend Kimber refers to as, a game time decision for her name. Sofia, Emme and Giuliana are still top names. I have started suggesting middle names. Officially, Tommy does not have a middle name, nor does his mother, father or brothers. This results in him having no interest in middle names. My grandpa did not have a middle name so he used the letter "A" and I have always been slightly uncomfortable with that.

Here I am today at 36ish weeks:

When I look at this picture all I can really think about is how badly I need a haircut. I am going to schedule one first thing in the morning, if I remember.

For the most part, I have still been feeling pretty good. My only valid complaint would be some lower back pain. The entire pregnancy I really have not slept well either, but I manage to function for the most part. I am getting a little sick of wearing the same maternity clothes over and over. I'll be excited to be back into my sweat pants instead of Tommy's. :-) Sometimes BGT's movements are so strong it reminds me of turbulence on an airplane. I will really miss her moving around in my tummy once she is born.

I have commenced my weekly appointments with the doctor's office. I go every Friday until she is born. I am going to discuss with my doctor this Friday what his plan is if she is not here on February 3. I think I would like to schedule her delivery for February 10 if she does not arrive prior to that time; however, I would also like a particular doctor, Dr. Hoegh, to deliver her if possible, so I will have to see what my options are.

A few weeks ago my friend informed me that I would be prepared for my child once I had a carseat and a place for her to sleep. I managed to purchase and have delivered said items in the past week. As I was bragging to her today that I was "ready" she then started asking if I was mentally prepared and ready for the baby. Yikes! Is there an online course I can take in 20 minutes to get prepared? I did decide to schedule a hospital tour since I was recently informed you never go to the emergency room because apparently having a baby is not an emergency.

Phew... lets hope this baby thing gets a little easier... ;-)

Happy New Year!

There were so many things about today that could have made this day average (bought three sets of curtains and none of them look good in nursery; found a large scratch in my recently delivered furniture purchase; lady at hobby lobby would not accept my rain check from the mason city hobby lobby; Christmas tree did not take itself down; alarm unnecessarily went off at 630am; spent a lot of money running errands today). But somehow- it was an absolutely amazing day.

I would LOVE to post some pictures of the nursery which is about 70% complete; however, I want to wait until the curtains are found, accessories are placed, and wall art is hung on the wall. I hope to have this all done by the end of the week. (Note: I felt like it was entirely too early to get the nursery ready or other tasks that I wanted done before baby arrived until now. Now I regret not doing it earlier. I feel so exhausted and my back has been killing me making sitting on the floor or moving up and down very uncomfortable. I wish I would have had this done months ago. Kudos to my fantastic husband for spending his free time running errands with me, hanging curtains, pictures, reorganizing bedrooms and cupboards. It is even more fantastic because he does not complain about it that much.)

On New Years Day my mom posed an interesting question to the family. "What are your predictions for 2012?" It is not that the question in itself is that interesting considering it was New Years Day; but anybody who knows me knows I love predicting things and usually my family does not play along. So this question was like a gift from God. I was the first to respond: "Well, I think my daughter will be born on February 10. I think her name will be Emme Marie. And I think that in life I will have two daughters and then a son." (Note: Tommy has not agreed- not even close- to the name Emme. In fact, at this point, the only reason I think he would name his child Emme is because of my confession of saying that I have always felt that Emme would be her name. So basically this was genius for me to say!)

My sister responded next: "Well, I think I will have a son (already confirmed by ultrasound). He will be born on March 27 (she has already scheduled her c-section) and I will only have two boys in life (She is confident in her birth control choice).

My mom predicted that business would be "tough" this year. Tough in the sense that people in general seem to be broke and it is difficult to get them to pay.

I asked my dad "What are your predictions, dad?"
He responded "Predictions? Huh"
Me: "Yah, mom just asked us what our predictions were for 2012." Note: he had been sitting in the same room with us the entire time.
Dad: "Oh. Well, what were everybody else's predictions."
I then go through the list of predictions made by the rest of the room.
Dad: "Oh, I don't really have any predictions."

Happy New Year!