Third baby = last chance to use some cool baby stuff!

I have a ton of baby things. I have a lot of clothes - more girl clothes than boy, I have a bouncy seat, a newborn snuggly seat, three Pack n' Plays, a breast pump, a travel swing, a bassinet, about 4 sleep sacks, crib sheets, receiving blankets, a glider, a beautiful crib, a breathable bumper, several great car seats, and lots of loveys and baby toys!

Like most moms-to-be, I am totally excited about this new baby growing inside my belly. I am starting to feel him kick - mostly in the evenings when I sit down and am still. I enjoy every little surprise nudge from within. It is one of God's most awesome gifts to a pregnant mama!

I have begun "nesting" rather early with this little baby. I have started gathering all of my baby items in one location - his room of course! I don't have the crib in there yet because my older son is still sleeping in it in his room, but the changing table and glider are all set up. I also opened up the Pack n' Play that will be staying at our house (the other 2 will stay at grandparents' houses) and set it up in the corner of his room. The floor of his room is crowded with the infant car seat, the bouncy seat as well as the travel swing and the "snuggle nest" to go in our bed those first few nights. The blankets and sleep sacks are all hanging in his closet :-)

I can't wait to paint his room and get the room decorations/bedding purchased when we have some extra funds (hopefully with some Christmas money if I do indeed receive some, haha). Every time I walk in the room, I can just picture the blue walls with letters of his name hanging

above the white crib. I will probably make the letters with scrapbook paper, chipboard, and some ink just as I did for our last nursery. The ocean theme I am imagining is going to look so cute!

With all that being said, there are a few baby products that I have discovered since having my last son that I am so excited about trying with this next one! The first one that I am anticipating trying is the Miracle Blanket. I am a huge fan of swaddling babies. I believe they all like to be swaddled even if they pop their arms out and fight it...how could they not? They just CAME from a "swaddled" environment for the last 9 months! In the past I have used a regular velcro closure swaddle wrap (which D used for a very long time), but I have always had a hard time getting it snug enough on a tiny baby. The last thing I would want is it to be too big and to slip up over their faces! So, with this baby, I can't wait to try a Miracle Blanket which doesn't have an official closure but just wraps and wraps around that tiny squirmy body :-) It works like a charm in all the testimonials I have read.

The next thing that I hope to be able to get for this sweet blessing is an Ergo baby carrier. This is a rather expensive purchase, but I really think I will get lots of use from it. I am hoping I will find a way to acquire one of these...I've been checking on craigslist and www.diaperswappers.com for a used one. I can only imagine how much I will need a "hands-free" way to hold my baby with 3 kids in the house! I had a Baby Bjorn carrier with D, but by the time he hit 17-18 pounds, it began to hurt my back and become rather useless. He hit this weight very quickly, haha.

Also, I will be needing a new high chair. Oddly enough the only thing that didn't correctly make its way from NC to VA was the tray to our high chair. It got lost. This makes our high chair rather useless. If you have a high chair that you love, I'd love to hear your suggestions on good ones! Our last one, though beautiful, had so many nooks and crannies that I am not all THAT sad that we need a new one. Cleaning it was a huge pain!

Lastly, I will be adding a few size small diaper covers and prefolds to my diaper stash. I have already ordered a handful of goodies for this babe, but newborns sure do go through a ton of diapers - one time I counted 11 diapers in a day with one of my other babies! I will be using prefolds (the old school flat ones that you fold around your baby) and covers because its the cheapest method. And super easy to wash! By the time the baby reaches about 12 pounds or so, he will most likely fit in all of D's old "one size" cloth diapers. With the exception of the few new ones I may get, D's old "stash" will still work great for his little baby brother! Perfect!

If you have used any other great baby products that I probably haven't tried, please let me know! I'd love to hear about things that worked great for you and your baby. I am willing to try anything to make my life easier!

Baby Progress....

Just wanted to share an update on the growth and progress of our newest blessing...

To date, I am 18 weeks and 6 days pregnant and we found out earlier in the week that our third baby is definitely ALL BOY!!

The most exciting part of finding out that he is a boy is that for the first time in my life, I feel like I truly know what our "complete family" looks like! I've always wondered how many boys or girls I would have - and today I can proudly say that I will have one daughter and two sons. I couldn't be happier with this God-given-family. Truly, its just perfect!

I am very much a planner, so knowing that he is a boy just thrills me to no end. I just HAD to know what our family would look like! Even though we just found out a few days ago that our little addition is a boy, we already have his name chosen and I am currently planning how his room will be decorated. I feel pretty sentimental about this baby most likely being our last, so I want his nursery to be perfect and special :-) I am thinking a soothing ocean theme will work best for me and him. I know from experience how much time is spent in the baby's nursery, nursing, rocking, soothing, diaper changing, playing, etc...so I want this one to be just perfect -and different from D's nursery which was beautifully done up in yellow, red, brown, and dark blue. This is what I have in mind...What do you think?

And here is a picture of D's nursery. I want to do something very different from this, not because I didn't love it, but because I am ready for a change.

And because no blog post would be complete without a picture of my other two rascals, here is a picture of them on a little indoor train. I am pretty sure it was the best $4 we've spent in a long time to let them ride this thing!

Christmas time!

In my mind it is now officially my FAVORITE time of year! I was eagerly waiting for Halloween to pass so that I could pop in a Christmas CD and not feel too weird.

Some of you may think that it is still too early. "What about Thanksgiving?" you may ask...

I say that Thanksgiving is all a part of the Christmas season! Its all the same too me. Its about celebrating with family and friends. Its about decorating and enjoying the magic of it all. Its about extended holiday shopping hours. Christmas trees and garland up at every store. Words like "Wish, Wonder, and Magic" dangling from the ceiling at Target :-)

I love it all!

Please don't think that I forget the true meaning of Christmas in it all though. I remember my precious Savior! Its the Christmas songs that I have already started listening too that bring me back to Him so frequently. The one I heard today (and then played over and over...and over again) is Faith Hill's "A Baby Changes Everything" which talks about how Mary's life was changed when she discovered she was pregnant and then how when she delivered her sweet perfect baby, the whole world changed. I cry every time I hear the powerful "Hallelujahs" after she sings about the "choirs of angels" singing at Jesus's birth. Oh the chills it gives me! Praise Him!!

Every Christmas is special and magical, but this year is even more so because for the first time in 3 years, MY HUSBAND WILL BE HOME!

Three years ago B was in AIT (Army school) in Maryland and missed Thanksgiving but was able to fly home just a couple days before Christmas. We were so lucky that he was able to be with us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but he missed the entire "season" of celebrating with me and our 20 month-old daughter.

Two years ago, he deployed early in November when our newborn baby was just 15 days old. I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in Atlanta with our families.

Last year, he deployed again in November and missed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The kids were a little bigger so we decorated a small tree at our home in North Carolina but once again spent Thanksgiving and Christmas at home in Atlanta with our families.

But, THIS year B will be home with us for Thanksgiving (here at our house) and then for Christmas (in Atlanta). We have lots of plans for the season. My parents are coming up this way for Thanksgiving. We will be heading to Johnson City, TN to visit our good friends in early December and then we'll be spending two weeks in Atlanta for Christmas. I can't wait for B to go to Stone Mountain Park with us and see the wonder and amazment in the faces of our children as they see the seemingly millions of lights and decorations. I have taken C with me and my sisters for the past couple years, but this will be the first year B will be able to join us. I can't wait!

I can't help but be overjoyed that our whole family will be together this Christmas season, but I also can't help but to think of those families who have a deployed Mommy or Daddy. Some of my facebook friends' husbands are deployed and I know that they'll be facing Christmas alone with their kids. It makes me feel sad for the thousands of men and women serving around the world and their families back here and abroad that are without them. Thus is the life of a military family! Please keep them in your prayers as you celebrate with those that you love!

I'm off to stop my daughter from going through our ENTIRE roll of masking tape as she makes "crafts" all around the house. I just stopped her from stringing up tape across a doorway...

Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Bloggity Blog

Hello Friends.

I do apologize for not blogging frequently anymore. I am not making any promises to start blogging more often. The truth is that I just have other things on my mind right now.

I have SO many wonderful things that I'd love to share with you. I have pictures of the kids at pumpkin patches, stories of going to the zoo and touring Washington DC. Of course, my kids continue to do and say funny things daily. I could probably keep a blog of just the funny things they say and do!

I have been so stressed lately - that is the honest to goodness problem. Even though I am usually comfortable talking candidly about my life and its ups and downs, I have had to draw a line at airing my "dirty laundry" here on the blog. I have been struggling lately with even the simplest of tasks because of my stress level. My poor mom has heard me break down on the phone almost daily because I can't seem to keep up with the laundry or because my son is throwing yet another fit. Its as if I just can't "get it together" right now.

Maybe it has something do to with this pregnancy.

Maybe it has something to do with my health.

I know it has everything to do with my stress level.

So, I am making no promises to blog more often. I'd love to write in the evening and post pictures of the kids, but right now, I pretty much collapse in the tub and then onto the couch every evening just trying to renew as much energy as possible to face another day.

I am trying to turn more and more things over to the Lord. I know He can bear my troubles better than I ever can handle them on my own. I am even doing a bible study entitled, "The Frazzled Female" with hopes that I will find some guidance and answers. I am making friends at my different women's groups, and that does seem to be helping. Being around my sisters in Christ seems to lift my spirit and leave me feeling more capable of tackling the world - or just the dishes and the dirty bathroom.

Bear with me as I go through this valley. I know my road will turn up soon. I can see my friends up there on the hill telling me that things get better. I can see them waving at me! For now, I will just put one foot in front of the other and try and to enjoy my children each day. And kiss my hubby each day when he walks in the door.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than the birds!

Luke 12:22-24

The Missing Piece

Do you like to do puzzles? My mother-in-law does. My husband does. Personally, I hate them. Sure I think the end result is always very cool, but the patience and diligence it requires to build them piece by piece is so agonizingly slow and boring.

With that being said, I feel like my adult life has been a puzzle. When I was younger, I always wondered what my own family would be like.

Who would I marry?

How many kids would I have?

Would they be boys or girls?

Where would we live?

What will we do?

I think that since the day I got married, I have been slowly (sometimes agonizingly slowly) putting together the puzzle of my life. The Lord has revealed to me who I would marry. Then 2 and a half years later, he showed me my first child, a girl. The sweetest most beautiful baby girl in the world.

I continued to put together the puzzle as we moved houses and cities and then eventually made room in our family for another child. This time it was a boy. He was the spitting image of my handsome husband. His dimples still melt my heart.

Knowing that our "puzzle" still wasn't complete, I often wondered who and what would come next. Each day that I spent with my family, I longed to know what it would look like when it was a "complete picture." I dream of the day that we take a family picture, blow it up big and hang it on the wall. But who is in that? What does "complete" look like? Who is in that picture?

Well, friends...we've found the missing piece (or rather, the Lord showed it to us last week) -

I realize that this entry may seem odd coming after the last blog entry describing our lack-of-success with Dave Ramsey. But you know what?

I trust the Lord.

I trust His timing.

I trust His perfect plan.

Plus, I have just about every baby product known to man. Sure there are a few "new" things I'd love to add, but nothing is essential. I know I will breast-feed and I will probably continue cloth diapering. I trust that the Lord will provide for us. I trust that He has a plan for our sweet little baby :-)

I can't WAIT to meet him or her at the end of April! Praise the Lord for our little "puzzle piece."

Its finally Fall!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

(Truthfully, this picture is being posted because my sister requested it...hope you enjoy it too!)

The Dave Journey

I thought I'd give you an update on our Dave Ramsey success in these last couple weeks. We joyfully set out to stop using our credit card, save $1000, and then begin aggressively paying off our debt. We decided to have a yard sale to finish up our savings and then use the rest to go towards debt. The excitement, however, dwindled there.

Here is what we realized...when we stopped using our credit card and began spending only what we had, we realized that we BARELY have enough to get us through month to month. It's been a huge wake up call to us to learn that we have been living so far beyond our means for so long. (Although I will praise the Lord that we DO make enough to cover our monthly expenses! Even if its just squeaking by.)

Well, let me step back and say that when B was deployed, we made more, so I guess we got used to spending more. But now that he has been home for 3 months, we are settling into "real life" with real E-4 pay - in one of the most expensive areas in the country. Truly I have thought very seriously about going back to work full-time. Its the thought of putting both my kids in full-time daycare that makes me stop every time. I just feel that there has GOT to be a way to make this work!

For us, Dave Ramsey is going to have to be put on hold. Paying off our debt and building our savings is going to have to take a backseat to paying our bills and putting food on the table for the next 4 months. We have a huge blessing come to us each February in the form of our tax rebate. We have already planned that this year, our rebate will go to paying of B's car and paying the next 6 months of our car insurance. Thankfully, that will free up about $300 a month that we can finally begin to put towards some debt.

In the meantime, I am cutting coupons and using them at every store. I no longer buy what I want as I walk up and down the grocery store isle. I buy what is on sale and what is cheaper. My beloved Chocolate Frosted Mini-wheats will have to stay on the shelf. At over $3 a box (and a SMALL box it is), the $1.99 Honey Nut Cheerios seem to be winning out every time. It just makes more sense.

I've come to learn that using coupons is actually pretty fun and that seeing how much I saved at the bottom of my receipt makes it all worth while. I am not one of the "super couponers" that saves more than she spends, but I am very happy with every dollar I can save in the meantime.

I was able to go to a large consignment sale last week and get the kids a few long sleeved shirts for the Fall/Winter. I can't wait to consign some of my own things in the Spring and make some money too!

Oh, and I even got my haircut at Cartoon Cuts with C because they offered a "mommy and me" haircut for $29 - and then gave us a military discount! Is it one of my best haircuts? No. But, she did cut my hair and now it's not driving me nuts :-) I hope to be able to find a grown-up salon that doesn't have outrageous prices for the next one though, haha.

I am finding it difficult to not just run to the store and buy what I want to like I used to be able to do when B was gone. But, as promised, the Lord is providing what I need. My mom graciously mailed me Halloween costumes for each child and just today put another package in the mail full of long sleeved items for them. (She is a super good shopper and saves things as she find them throughout the year....she always has a "stash" of things for Christmas and Birthdays - and I guess now, for clothing emergencies! I have learned that Jesus can use anyone to provide.)

On another note, I have begun feverishly praying for B's promotion in the Army. He has been "promotable" for over a year, but for whatever reason, the Army has chosen to promote no one of his job title in at least 12 months. I keep thinking, "maybe this will be the month!!!" but each month comes and goes and we see that they are promoting nobody. HOWEVER, I know that at some point, they will!! I am praying that day is sooner rather than later :-) They can't keep them all at E-4s forever!

I wanted to write this post to be honest. I feel that I have always been honest with the folks that read my blog, and our finances are no different. If I hide behind a false pretense, I do myself no good. I would still greatly appreciate any money savings tricks and any words of wisdom. I am fully aware that we are not the only American family struggling month to month. I am sure lots of you have advice and success stories to share. :-)

We are already eating as cheaply as possible and trying to sell anything that we can sell for a profit. My biggest concerns are how to deal with times of abnormal spending....like gas for going home at Christmas, the Thanksgiving dinner I am hosting here at my house, getting the dog her shots, and of course, Christmas in general. I try not to be stressed about these things since I am doing the best that I can. I have also done my best to turn these "worries" over to the Lord.

He is great and my finances are no surprise to Him. I know that He will show us the way - this month and each month from here on forward. Praise Him for His love and wisdom!

I will keep you updated as we make progress with our debt pay-off and minimal spending plan! Thanks for reading :-) Hope you don't mind the honesty.