moved again!

well, I suppose it's official, and I suppose it was to be expected. 

I've moved my blogging focus yet again, and am now at:

http://dearpoppy.blogspot.com

come visit!  

there's a lot of great eye candy, like this:

who can resist?

giveaway

Do you guys read Che and Fidel?

I love her style, and I REALLY love her photos.  

She's doing a giveaway of some very pretty things,

and you get an extra entry if you blog about it,

so here I am!

: )

thoughts at thirty weeks

turns out blogging at Dear Poppy is way more fun.  

i think it could be partly, or mostly, because i like the header way better over there.

and "dear poppy" is a blog title with a purpose.

and because i have to restrain myself from talking at exhausting length about Poppy in my actual life.

basically, pregnancy has been a train that i have to ride in order to get to the promised land of Poppy World  

it has been a great pregnancy, fairly easy, altogether fine and dandy.  i don't think i have that inner shining glow that so many women have told me they feel when they are pregnant.  i feel more like, "buzz, your girlfriend.  woof."

but that is okay!  

because she is coming, and she is healthy and she will change everything, and then i will understand.

i also feel so "over" the internet lately.  

i deactivated facebook and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

i unsubscribed from tons of blogs that i wasn't even reading any more, and now when i click over to google reader, i have maybe 5 new posts to read, or if it's been a few days, 10ish, from people whose opinions are edifying and helpful, or whose pictures truly inspire... 

i do still love pinterest - it is like a big file folder box full of magazine clippings for me, and i don't really get sucked into it for any longer than 10 minutes.  pin a few things, save them for later, or pop in to look at my nursery & children board for inspiration on things to make/do for Poppy or to my food board to get ideas for dinner, bing bang boom.   

i read the sentence, "inactivity is an epidemic among women in the church these days" the other day, and it keeps resonating with me.  i would say inactivity is an epidemic among people these days, women, men, kids...  the lure of the internet must play a huge part in that.  in the name of connection, and just keeping up with friends and family, maybe we are really just being inactive.  maybe it's an inactive connection, as opposed to a real-life, actual letters in the mail, actual phone calls, actual visits connection.   i don't want to be inactive in any realm of life, when i could be active instead.  suddenly, i just wanted out, and i know that for me it has been the right decision. 

we've been having so much fun with our new camera.  it takes incredible pictures, and we're slowly learning how to shoot in manual mode to get the results we want.  Nat has gotten really into it, which is so fun.  we both thought of the new camera as kind of my thing for the baby, but then, this is how we are.  when there is a new, exciting hobby on the horizon for one of us, the other really jumps in there too.  yoga, beer making, rock climbing, running, even sewing diapers... Nat manned the snap press, which he bought for me, and it was great.  He googled how to wind a ball of yarn for my knitting so the string pulls out of the middle easily.  i am pretty decent at clamping beer bottle tops now, and i go completely FAN GIRL on him when he is training for a race or studying for a test or selling something on ebay for 200% more than he paid for it.  our best-friendship is the greatest part of our marriage, and i love that.  

well, we have my 30 week appointment today.  i am more or less in love with all of the midwives, so appointments are always fun.  we're going to combine it with a trip to Buy Buy Baby to test out putting different car seats in our car.  Nat will be in charge of that, and i will be in charge of holding, bouncing and generally "practicing" on the weighted and very life-like baby that they have.  oh my goodness, we are going to be somebody's parents!  

dear poppy

so... i made this today:

i make no promises about regularly posting on both blogs, but i'm guessing that the new one might be more fun for awhile.  or forever.  i don't know.  who cares.

: )

3rd trimester!!

i am very ready for her to be here.

http://dearpoppy.blogspot.com/

Yes.

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/07/27/in-the-basement

Weekend Overview

We had such a good weekend. One of those filled to the brim weekends where it doesn't seem possible that so much could be done in 3 days. We went to a wedding here in Minnesota on Friday where I met some new relatives of Nat's, who were wonderful. On Saturday we went to breakfast with his parents and their cousins and then drove to Winfield for my grandmas birthday party. It's always good to see my extended family, and I found out that it's extra fun being pregnant because you get birth stories and lots of advice and hand-me-down offers! So good. We spent Sunday with my family and then went to camp on Monday "for the afternoon" which of course turned into an overnight because that place is and those people are irresistible.
Now we are home, and somewhere along the way we both caught colds, so we are moving slowly and planning on spending the evening watching movies. For now, it's back to sleeping.

ranting about ranting & thrifty finds

I've felt some inner tug of war about how to blog now.  I don't really want to become a "mommy blogger."  At the same time, it looks like fun. I've decided that I do want to blog more, because as I said before, these pregnancy things aren't really being recorded anywhere, except in photos, and I want to remember.  So, bear with me when it gets boring and I write about cloth diapers again and tell you about rashes.  I promise to also talk about the things I love about Minneapolis, food, fun stuff, whatever I'm thinking about and ranting about to Nat theologically, politically, and so on.  

{Even though what I think about in either of those arenas can usually boil down to about three vehement sentences:

In our home, EVERYONE IS INVITED TO THE TABLE. 

LIVE AND LET LIVE. 

We need to MAJOR ON THE MAJORS and MINOR ON THE MINORS.

and when I am really heated up about something, these verses usually come to mind:

Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice...' 

- Matthew 9:13 -

 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. 

- Mark 7:7 -

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.  

- James 3:18 -

So actually, nevermind.  I'll never blog the things I rant about, because now you have the heard the conclusion of all of them.  

any

way.

What I was going to talk about was how all of you with smart phones who are frequently or currently on the search for some specific things should download the CraigsPro+ app.  I think it was a dollar, and it is fantastic, mainly because you can search for something and then save that search as a "Search Agent," including the highest price you'll pay for it, so that whenever that thing pops up you get a notification and can snag it.  It has been WELL WORTH THE DOLLAR, and let me tell you all about it...  

Here are some things we have found so far, because of this little wonder-app:

- our huge blue sectional couch: $60

- A chandelier I've wanted for ages: $5

- our (very new, one-owner, glorious) king sized bed, box spring, and a set of sheets: $20

- 2 big ikea bookshelves: $10 each:

and some baby things:

- Poppy's dresser: $20

- an Ergo baby carrier + newborn insert: $50

{this was our first baby "splurge"... this carrier + insert are both brand new, and since they are both organic, total $173.00 at the store, so we felt like we had to jump on this deal!}

- a bouncer I've always admired at the Sweden Shop: FREE on the curb

- and of course, cloth diapers.  Since I won some diapers & accessories in a few giveaways, whatever we have spent on Craigslist has been remade by me selling things we won't need on DiaperSwappers. There are still some things I am looking for, but if we ended up having a baby tomorrow (not Poppy of course - stay in there and keep growing, sweet girl - but if, say, a baby showed up on our doorstep), we have everything we truly need for the newborn stage.

For those of you who know what this means, we are doing prefolds and fitteds with covers.  Prefolds are cheap, don't take up a ton of room, and are easy to wash.  The fitteds that I have found are actually made out of prefolds, so ditto all the above.  The waterproof covers can be wiped and re-used a few times each before washing, so they are also easy to wash.  {Our laundry is coin-operated, so this is a key factor.}  Wool covers apparently can also be used a few times before washing unless they get poop on them because they are so breathable and "naturally antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antimicrobial," says the internet, and I can't wait to try them because I think they are adorable, impossibly soft, and make me feel like SouleMama.  Just kidding.  Actually I'm completely serious.

{the lavender wool covers I made; the off-white one was bought at a garage sale}

It's fun to prepare for her arrival in a way that feels very 'us'.  I think summer must be a great time for people to clear out stuff, because I have never seen so many deals.  I've also never had them automatically delivered to my phone before, so that makes a huge difference.  

Well, back to the day.  May you find exactly what you are looking for, for less than you expected!

We just got back from a bike ride to Nat's school so he could get round 2 of his TB vaccination test.  It was really hilly, and I continue to be surprised when my body can't quite keep up the way it used to.  Nat is so considerate about making us go slow and taking it easy. 

The topic of "rashes" is probably not exactly blog-appropriate, but I'm realizing that since I'm a terrible journaler, if these things aren't typed they won't be recorded anywhere!  

I've come down with a mild case of PUPPP, which is basically a pregnancy rash on my stomach and arms.  It makes me feel like a drug addict at night, because I am just so twitchy and itchy.  It's not dangerous, just annoying, and I got some really campfire-y smelling soap called Grandpa's Pine Tar Wonder Soap that seems to help, and also some dandelion root supplements.  If it gets really unbearable I'll take a benadryl, but I'm trying to really avoid meds as much as possible. 

I'm 22 weeks tomorrow, and a few days ago we noticed that we can actually SEE Poppy moving and kicking inside me.  It's so cool...

first thoughts

My hiding out from the internet has continued, I guess, unless it is to google whatever funny pregnancy twitch I am feeling or to register for the occasional mondo giveaway for cloth diapers and baby things that I see on blogs.  : )  I have pretty much given over my twitter account to this purpose, because if you tweet about the giveaway, you get more entries...  I  entered some giveaways around mother's day and won 2 of them, so hey!

Oh Poppy...  for all of the dreaming I've been doing about him/her, I keep having these moments where it suddenly feels real, and I realize it hadn't felt quite so real up to now.  When we first told some of our friends and family, I would get that feeling.  Or when we had our ultrasound appointment and we both stared at that screen with such grave, respectful joy.   I felt some crampy pains a week or two ago that we, of course, googled, and were immediately reassured were normal, ligament-stretching pain.  The next day I was wearing a fitted shirt and Nat looked at me in amazement and said, "I see Poppy!"  I ran to the mirror and yes, hellooo, Poppy!  My pants had been tight for ages but there was no bump, only a very thick-around-the-middle look, and then suddenly - I looked just a little pregnant!  So I stuck my stomach out all the time and pretended I was an obvious member of the pregnant club when we were out in public.  We made an appointment with a midwife here after setting up all of our insurance ... that made it feel real.

It's probably laughable how little I know and read about pregnancy compared to how much reading I do about parenting.  I got at a thrift store and then quickly got rid of the What to Expect book because it freaked me out and made me obsess over every little thing.  I like the Dr. Sears books.  I'd like to get Ina May's Guide to Childbirth because I looked through it in the library and it seemed very (very) natural, nice, and overall, positive.  Why do we tell horror stories about birth?  Why don't we tell the good stories?  So... I'm guarding myself a little.  I have an app on my phone that tells and shows me how big Poppy is each week, and also gives daily and weekly tips, what not to eat, etc... and that has been more than enough information for now.

I'm taking a very simple mental approach to all of this, and that has really been a comfort.  For the times when I feel unsure because people seem critical or quizzical about how busy, ("crazy!") it might be with Nat in med school, and how cramped it might feel since we have a one-bedroom apartment ("babies come with truckloads of gear!"),  I do a little clicking around on the internet or some reading and always come to the conclusion that we in this country/time are spoiled and materialistic to the extent that it has addled our brains and completely replaced the word 'want' with 'need'.  In my heart I know that this is not the way that we want to live, and I think maybe we can get a good start by keeping simplicity in mind, even before this one child arrives.  It's a gift to be simple and free, and we can give it to ourselves, or not.   Gah.... not preaching.  Just reminding myself.  Simple, simple, simple, you can't take any of this stuff with you, babies only need love, food, and warmth, etc.  

So, I guess these are my first scattered blog-thoughts about our little Poppykins, who is already adored.  We think it's a girl, so we always say 'she' but we'll find out in a few weeks or so for sure.   I'll write more coherent posts later on, but for now we are going out to eat in this new city of ours.  Happy weekend!

brief

two months without blogging - i am not sure how that happened.  

• i've won 14 games of parchesi in a row against nat.  we are about to take a stab at #15. 
• both of our parents have now visited.  my parents and Gary just left yesterday and it feels far too quiet around here.
•  we made what could very well be the last fire in our wood stove today. 
•  the water in the lake is feeling warmer and warmer - i bet we'll be swimming again soon.
• the farm is open again!  this means fresh spinach, arugula, beets, herbs, asparagus, and the joy of going there to wander as often as we can.

we're moving in 3 weeks and i am getting very possessive of our remaining time here.  

sitting on the porch as much as possible, taking in the view, breathing the mountain air, taking lots of walks.  this house, these mountains, this lake - all have been magical, and i think i'm a little too sad about leaving this sabbatical year of ours to blog much about it.  we're moving forward in the med school plan, and we're so excited for minneapolis, and we found a fantastic apartment there...  but.  

everything is changing very soon, and i want to be secretive and private and "right here right now" for a little while longer.  

i love you all!