Jennings Family

Honk If You're Crazy

2011-12-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Jeremy has been noticing lately that I seem to be losing it...mentally. I think it stems mostly from the two small talking children that I'm around all day long. If you're a parent, I think you know what I mean. Let me recount a little bit of our morning in the car, running errands. My piano students were going be having their recital later in the day, so I was trying particularly hard to focus my thoughts.

*Ok, let me think. We should go to Staples first and then Hy-Vee. Oooh, I need to remember..*

Jack: Mom, is it today?
Me: Is what today?
Jack: Is IT today?
Me: I don't know what you're talking about. Is what today?
Jack: IS IT TODAY, MOM?!
Me: Yes. IT is today.

*Whew! Ok, so...Staples first. Then I need to figure out what we're having for lunch...*

Jack (we passed a pond): Mom, is that lake big enough to have sharks in it?
Me: No, sharks live in salt water.

*Wait, do they only live in salt water? Are there any fresh water sharks? I'm going to have to google that later*

Brooklyn: Salt water, Mama! Salt water! Salt water, Mama!
Jack: Is there salt water in creeks?
Me: No, creeks have fresh water. There's salt water in the ocean.
Jack: Is there an ocean in the creek?
Me: What? No. I don't even know how to respond.

*I should have had that third cup of coffee this morning.*

Jack: Mom, let me tell you a joke. How do you make a sign out of junk?
Me: Umm...I don't know. How?
Jack, laughing: I don't know!!! Isn't that funny?
Me: No?
Jack: Is it funny when we say "I don't know"?
Me: Uhh...it depends on when you say it, I guess.
Jack: Why?

*Yeah, I really should have had that third cup.*

Jack: Mom, did you go the wrong way to get to Great Papa's?
Me: What?? When?
Jack: At Thanksgiving.
Me: Umm...no.
Jack: Oh.

*Good grief. Ok, so after Staples...*

Jack: Mom, do we drive a brownie car?
Me: Do we what? A brownie car?? No. No we do not.
Jack: Why not?
Me: Because we live in reality?
Jack: We live in what?
Me: Nevermind.

So there, Mr. Husband. THAT is why I've been a little scatter-brained. And by the way, freshwater sharks exist.

Quinoa Burgers & A Maiden

2011-06-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Jennings have a new favorite recipe...so I had to share! It's quite a few ingredients, more than I usually like to see in a recipe, but totally worth it! And once you have all the ingredients on hand, these burgers are super easy to whip up.

Quinoa Burgers (adapted from The Cancer Project)

1 cup cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup uncooked)

1 cup mashed beans of your choice

1/4 cup wild rice (or brown rice or bulgar)

1/3 cup ground flax seeds

3 teaspoons Ener-g Egg replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons water (enough for 2 "eggs")

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons horseradish

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

3 tablespoons canned green chiles

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt/pepper to taste (I don't use any salt)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Form into patties. Chill 20 minutes before cooking (you don't have to do this, but it helps keep a nice shape). Lightly mist a skillet with cooking spray or oil. Brown each patty for approximately 5 minutes on each side. I haven't tried it, but apparently they freeze quite well!

By the way, each patty (not including bun, toppings, etc) has 10.6 g protein, 8.3 g fiber, 102 mg calcium, and 3.7 mg iron.

Dinner is served!

Now, for a completely unrelated Jack moment.

Jack: Do you want to see my friend?

Me: Sure!

Jack, opening this book:

Jack: Right here! Her name is Jimmy M.

Me: Jimmy M??

Jack: Yep! That's it. Jimmy M. She's my friend. *pause* What is she?

Me: What...is she? She's a maiden. All forlorn.

Jack: Oh.....she has a nice face.

Having a 3 year old is the best.

Oh hey everybody!

2011-06-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

After 8 days without a computer, and far longer without a healthy, smooth-running one, we're back up and ready to go. Let's chat.

1. So our computer? Yeah...it had 200+ viruses on it. I think at some point we got a virus that made our computer crash when we tried to update it so we stopped updating. Fail. Needless to say, we've been disconnected from most everything for a little while. No tv (didn't have that anyway) and no internet or even smartphones. Just our trusty radio. So...what'd I miss?

2. Somebody is going to be visiting an optometrist soon and may be needing glasses. I'll keep ya posted.

3. Lately, I've had the feeling that people are friendlier to me when I'm wearing earrings. Do they make me more approachable?

With earrings

Without

4. In the absence of having internet, we've been catching up on old dvds. I finally watched, for the first time, my college senior piano recital. Jack watched it with me and said, "You should wear clothes when you play songs in the movie." Pearls of wisdom from that boy, I tell you.

5. Sleeping in + coffee + sunshine + more coffee = the feeling that I can do anything. Like sell our house and buy an RV and travel the country playing piano (with clothes on) to pay for gas and food. Or open a cafe. Or have a successful vegetable garden. Or form coherent sentences. Jack must be experiencing something similar because he literally tried to jump into his book the other day...you know, to be a part of the story. Also, he wanted to ride on his kite over to his cousin's house. Follow your dreams, man.

6. On a slightly related note, what's it called if you're manic depressive without ever being depressed? Just manic? Ok, because I think that's what I have.

7. My nephew's still in prison. And by that I mean, he hasn't been born yet. Still waiting to hear the news! Also, I keep thinking about how amazing birth-mothers are. Women that choose to give a baby a chance at life. Allowing their mistakes and heartbreaking circumstances to be turned into something beautiful. I keep thinking about Seth & Sonya's birth-mother, as she spends her last few days carrying the precious life growing inside her. Wow.

8. Finally, some more Jack quotes (from my twitter) to finish out this post:

"I'm just going to take a nap in the pool."

Jack, holding a bobby pin, "I NEED TO BREAK SOMETHING WITH THIS!" then mutters, "that impossible."

Jack hit his head. Me: "How'd that feel?" Jack: "Good and dangerous."

"Wellll....we had a good day this morning."

"Keep it down, my child."

"My friends gave me money to take to the bank....in Whoville. That's where my bank is."

"I just had to burp because I'm gross."

"The airplane will suck you up when you have a bald spot."

Jack, sitting in a lawn chair, "You come and dance, Mom. I'm going to watch you."

Me: "You're a little bit wild right now." Jack: "Am I? Am I?! AM I????!"

You. Are. Welcome.

Update

2011-04-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be working on about fifty important things right now, so naturally this seemed like the perfect time to update the ol' blog.

The big 3:
Jack celebrated his 3rd birthday last month (March 21). Originally he asked for a rainbow for his birthday but later changed his mind to a dump truck. The dump truck was easier to find in stores. I also made him this simple cake:

It's hard to believe how fast he's growing up. Being a mom has changed me in so many ways (mostly good, although there is still that belly button issue..), and I love it. Having a 3 year old is FUN! I love, love, love the things he says. In case you don't follow me on twitter, here are a few recent quotes:

   "Oooh, this is a scary game," as we played soccer.

   "I don't want to learn! Instead I want to eat and watch a movie!"

   "These are chock full of vitamins, Dad," pointing to his stir-fry vegetables.

   "When I came out of you's tummy, I was seeing you play the piano."

   "I came out of you's tummy, then I got bigger & bigger & bigger..then I made PIZZA!"

   "My throat hurts. Can you help me fix it?" handing me his toy drill.

   "When I was shaving my head, I cutted my....window?" looking very confused.

Brotherly/Sisterly Love:

It definitely warms my heart to see Jack and Brooklyn together. Sometimes, I just sit back and look at them, marveling at birth, growth, life, and God's creativity. They are best friends and can drive each other crazier than anyone else. Definitely siblings. Sometimes it's hard for Jack to be responsible around Brooklyn (keeping smaller toys away from her, watching out for her when he's running around, staying calm when she ruins his game, etc). Sometimes, ok..often, it's hard for Brooklyn to give Jack space (when he's on the potty, or in the bath, or eating, or playing a game, or coloring, etc). It's quite a journey, this parenting business!

Bun in the oven (the prison one...):
Things are still moving forward for Seth and Sonya to adopt a baby boy from the birthmother in prison. He's due June 27, and I'm getting pretty stinkin excited. I can't wait to see him and kiss him and tell him how cool is aunt is. Hurry up June!

Kid-freeeeeeedom:
Brooklyn had her first overnight with Jeremy's parents (along with Jack), and we were kid-free for a whopping 30 hours. It was weird. And awesome. After being "together" for 10 years, and married for almost 7, I still love hanging out with Jeremy. He just... gets me.

Brooklyn's BFF:

Morgan reading a book to Brooklyn.

Alright. That should do for tonight. Until next time when I have something important that I'd like to put off.....peace.

Happenings

2011-03-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Hellloooooo! It's been awhile, so here's the latest Jennings news:

1. Fred's here! Fred is our Floridian friend that has come for the week to visit. He and Jeremy went to Kansas for the weekend while Jeremy's band played a show there. You can catch a ridiculous video of them here. He's become like family to us, and we all love having him here.

2. On Saturday, my mom and I took the kids to Bass Pro Shop in Altoona (because we obviously love fishing & hunting). I had heard that they have an aquarium there with a fish feeding & live presentation that I thought Jack might like. He loved it! He sat in front of the tank for a long time talking nonstop about the fish, and then he asked where Jonah was. Gotta love that kid.

3. The kids and I went to Minnesota to help my grandpa celebrate his 90th birthday a couple of weeks ago. It was a short 24 hour trip, but it was great to spend the time with someone very special to us. Jack loves to go to Great Papa's house, and he'll be excited to learn that we get to go again next week during spring break. He is a great traveler, and I'd take him anywhere. Brooklyn is...well, not so great in the car these days, but we make the best of it.

4. We're getting a nephew!! Seth and Sonya are adopting a baby boy, due in June, from a woman that is currently serving time in prison. It's all kind of crazy and unbelievable, considering that it was only 6.5 months ago that they lost their own baby boy, but we're oh-so-excited to meet this sweet gift! I'll definitely keep you posted on this unfolding story!!

5. Brooklyn's had a bit of a rough month, with teething and being sick, but she's been much more cheerful lately, so I'm hoping we're moving forward. She wants to do everything that Jack's doing. If I ask Jack if he needs to go potty, she's in the bathroom ready and waiting before he is. When I tell him it's time to put his shoes on, she quickly brings them to me. Taking baths, reading books, building forts, playing cars, coloring....you name it, she wants to follow in her brother's footsteps. She imitates a lot of words and says a few consistently, like Mama, Dada, Jack, baby, and blankie. She likes music of any kind, but especially likes to dance to "The Wheels on the Bus."

6. I cannot wait for spring. Must. get. here. soon. This winter has not been nearly as bad as last winter for us, but I'm still dying to play outside for hours, leave coats hanging up inside, go for bike rides, and plant our garden. Speaking of our garden, I'm going to do better with it this year. But for real this time.

7. And finally, some Jack quotes:

"I just have to put this pillow over your face until Dad gets back." -last night as I laid in bed with him.

"I want to put my head in there," pointing to the toilet.

"I have a big rocketship on my face."

"I can't take a nap right now 'cause my back is really old and grouchy and has owies on it."

Wild Rice Crepes with Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Spinach

2011-02-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

We had this for dinner tonight, and it was devoured by everyone at the table. The recipe I used came from here, but I made a few changes to use what I had on hand.

For the crepes:
1/2 cup wild rice (uncooked)

12 oz rice milk
4 tbsp water
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook the rice first. (I cooked extra so we can have wild rice burgers tomorrow). Combine wild rice and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 45-50 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

For the crepes, combine milk, water, flour, and salt in a blender or mixing bowl. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Then mix rice into crepe mixture. Heat a non stick crepe pan/small skillet and lightly coat with oil. Pour about 1/2 cup of crepe batter at a time. Flip one time. The skillet I used is rather small, and I got 7 crepes out of the batter, although the first was a total flop.

For the filling:
1 large potato
1/2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup spinach (I used frozen spinach, thawed)
Olive oil
Salt, pepper to taste

Peel and cut potato into small chunks. Heat oil on skillet and add potato for several minutes (7-10?), followed by the onions, salt, and pepper. When potatoes are tender enough, add chickpeas and garlic. Add spinach until just wilted.

Place a large spoonful of filling in the middle of a crepe and roll up. Spread heated marinara (or any type of sauce, really) over the top. Enjoy!

In the future, I would like to try to make the crepes ahead of time and freeze them. It took awhile to make all of them, as I could only go one at a time. Also, the original recipe used mushrooms instead of potatoes. I think you could probably use just about any vegetable that suited your fancy. This would be an easy recipe to make gluten-free as well; just use a gluten-free flour (rice, corn, etc).

Today

2011-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm eating Papa John's pizza as I write this. Yep, it's been one of those days.

Brooklyn's been sick for a few days with congestion and a fever of 102. Her temp had dropped late this morning, and I was starting to think she was on the mend. Then this afternoon, she took a turn for the worse. I called the doctor and was waiting for them to call back. While I was waiting, Brooklyn turned very pale, became blue around the lips, and started shaking. Panic city for this mama!! So I called 911 for the first time in my life. I kept second guessing if I should have called 911, but I didn't want to wait around for her to stop breathing or something! Morgan's daddy, Joe, was the first to show up at our house. :) Her color was starting to return, even though she was super lethargic. We decided to just take her to the doctor ourselves, as she didn't seem to be in immediate danger. While we waited to get into our appointment at McFarland, we took Brooklyn to see Dr. Michael, our chiropractor, who is always helpful and supportive. By the time we arrived at McFarland, Brooklyn's temp had spiked to 105. Yikes! They determined that it was not an ear infection, meningitis, strep throat, etc, but a virus. Darn viruses. Oh, and today's earlier "event" was probably a fever seizure. So that's neat. If she gets worse overnight (vomiting, higher fever, etc), then we're supposed to bring her to the ER. Needless to say, we just ate a bunch of pizza from Papa Johns. I guess that's what we do when we get stressed. Some people have a drink, some people work out. We? Eat cheese.

Oh, and in other news, Jack told me this today:

"I'm a movie painter. You know 'bout that job, Mom? Movie painters put movies on...in the SUMMMMER!!"

I think he might have had a seizure today, too.

Family Update

2011-01-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

I've been letting things slide on here, so it's probably time to get caught up on family news, youngest to oldest.

Brooklyn
Eeek! That girl is the sweetest thing, I tell ya. She's cuddly, loves hugs and kisses, and still has a delicious smile. She's been walking solidly for a month now and loves to try to keep up with Jack. Although she never took a bottle, she's a fantastic eater. I didn't think Jack was that picky of a toddler until we had Brooklyn and realized that some children will eat anything. It's awesome! Tonight, she was fussing at the table, so I let her get down. She walked to the counter and pointed at a spoon. Turns out, she just wanted to have her own utensil! I gave her a bowl of applesauce, and she ate it with her spoon like she was a pro. *sigh* Why do I forget that she's not a helpless baby anymore?

Jack
Just when I think that he couldn't possibly become more fun, he does. Some of his favorites lately are monsters, Jesus, Jonah/large fish, wolves, ghosts, elephants, and trains. He's also becoming genuinely helpful too. He folds washcloths, sets the table, pours/stirs ingredients when I'm baking, uses the swiffer wetjet on the kitchen floor, and shovels the deck. Oh! And he's potty-trained! He still has an occasional accident, but I'm slowly starting to take him out in public in undies. Well....clothes too. By the way, how do you handle the super inconvenient potty emergencies? Like when you're in the checkout line at the grocery store with both kids or in the middle of a doctor's appointment?

Anyway. Here are a few recent quotes:
"Friday night is Jesus' birthday."
"Daddy go potty 'cause him go pee in his pants." (which did not happen, in case you're wondering)
"I want the light off and the door open. That might be fun." he told me at nap-time.
"HEY GUY! GET BACK UP ON THAT LADDER!" yelling to the man fixing the neighbors' tv dish.
"I'm too old to pick up [toys] because I'm getting big."
"I need to drink coffee so me feels healthy."
"I'm happy you came home Mommy."

Amanda
Mehh, not too much news to report here. I mean, the whole vegan thing has kept me busy trying new recipes, and I'm almost finished with the book, The China Study, dealing with nutrition and the typical American diet (which hardly belong in the same sentence together, it would seem). I feel great and have more energy, although I'm pretty sure I'll feel even better when spring hits. I don't mind the snow/ice/cold per se, but I'm not a huge fan of putting sixteen layers of clothes on my herd of wild cats every time we want to go outside. What? You have a herd of wild cats? Sorry, I mean, the kids.

Jeremy
Hold on to your hats people. Jeremy has been feeling pretty stinkin good lately. And in case you didn't know, that is big news. Jeremy's had chronic back pain for 6.5 years, catalyzed by the bridge+rope swing+shallow water incident, and injured further when we moved almost 2 years ago. Our chiropractor, Dr. Michael, has helped a ton since the move, and he helped to bring us out of a very difficult time. That being said, Jeremy's had to see him 1-2 times a week for nearly two years. Until this month. He hasn't gone yet. Yes, the same month that we switched to a totally plant-based diet, Jeremy's back pain improved dramatically. One possible explanation for this is that clogged/blocked arteries can cause pain and degeneration. As blood flow improves, pain decreases. Makes tons of sense, really. And it's probably all the incentive that we need to stick with this thing...because there's nothing like good health.

Alright, that should do it for tonight. I'm off to slaughter a vegetable.

What's For Dinner?

2011-01-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

Oh hey. It's January 11. Remember when I was going to post a vegan meal plan of what we'd be eating this month? How about a list of what we've been eating and a link to a menu already planned out?

What we've had;
*Veggie sandwiches (think Subway with tons of veggies, no cheese, and a bit of oil)
*Spaghetti with garden vegetable marinara, steamed veggies on the side
*Rice and bean enchiladas using a bit of Daiya cheese instead of cheddar
*Stir-fry over rice (or noodles). Jeremy tops his with Thai peanut sauce; Jack and I stick to plain soy sauce
*Tacos with black beans, rice, salsa, tomato, onion, and whatever other veggies you like.
*Wild rice burgers with sweet potato chips/fries on the side.
*Pizza using this super easy crust recipe, topped with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms (or any other combination of veggies) and a bit of Daiya cheese
*Butternut squash soup, adapted from a friend's recipe.

Then, a friend sent me this awesome website for those that are trying out a vegan menu. It's super helpful, and has suggestions for dining out and other considerations. Thank Erinn!!

We're only eleven days in, but we can already tell a noticeable difference. We both have more energy and leave each meal feeling full but never overstuffed. If I'm hungry I eat and snack on fruit, veggies, bagels, nuts, etc. One interesting thing is that Jeremy's back pain has been greatly diminished. I find it hard to believe that it's a total coincidence, and I'm interested to see what the rest of the month brings. If changing our eating habits could mean pain relief for him, I would be sold for good.

By the way, this whole no meat/dairy/eggs thing is really pretty easy and delicious! You just have to be willing to try new things!

Butternut Squash Soup

2011-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

1 shallot, finely chopped
4 T olive oil
3 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
11 whole leaves of fresh sage, washed, divided
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup vegan cream cheese (I think you could probably use almond milk too?)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

1. In stockpot, saute the shallot in olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add squash, 3 sage leaves, vegetable stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes, until squash falls apart when stuck with a fork.
3. Puree soup by portions in a firmly covered blender, 2 cups at a time. When you've finished, return pureed mixture to stockpot.
4. Stir in cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over low heat. Taste the soup to determine whether or not to add more cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper.
5. Serve garnished with whole leaves of fresh sage.

Vegan Rice Patties

2011-01-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Mix in a medium bowl:
*2 cups cooked wild rice
*1 cup (or less) Daiya cheese
*3 T flour
*1/2 cup minced onion (I use onion powder)

Whisk together:
*1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
*3 Ener-G "eggs" (the original recipe called for 3 egg whites)

Combine with rice mixture.

Heat oil and spoon approximately 1/3 cup of rice mixture onto the skillet. Press down to make a patty shape. Cook patties, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Top however you like!

Here's the original recipe, using egg and cheese.

No Seriously, What Would Jesus Do?

2010-12-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my all-time favorite answers to a relatively common question/idea among Christians, from The Simple Way.

Should I give money to homeless folks or beggars?
Jesus said give to everyone who asks. That’s a tough command. Sometimes we wonder what Jesus would do in the Calcutta slums or in these heroine-haunted streets where folks ask for change on every corner. What we can say with confidence is that we are to give something to everyone who asks – dignity, attention, time, a listening ear. Sometimes we may give money, sometimes not. But we can always give love. And there are times when giving money can even be a way to insulate ourselves from friendship or the messiness a real relationship might demand. So you can toss a few coins to a beggar or write a check to charity precisely as a way of insulating ourselves from relationships (and still appease our consciences)… but at the end of the day Christ’s call is to relationship and compassion. When Jesus speaks in Matthew 25 about caring for “the least of these”, the action he speaks of is not about distant acts of charity but personal actions of compassion – visiting the prisoners, caring for the sick, welcoming the strangers, sharing food with the hungry. Better than sharing money is sharing life, a meal, a home. Having said that, most Christians need to get taken advantage of more. And we can usually spare some change. Sometimes folks say this question about giving to beggars and panhandlers with suspicion, speculating that homeless folks will just use their money for drugs or alcohol… which happens sometimes. But we don’t always ask what CEOs are doing with our money when we give it to their companies (and the recent events on Wall Street raise some flags about how responsible they are!). In the end, if we cannot take someone to dinner or give them a ride when they ask for money, we might as well give some money. It’s better to err on the side of grace than on the side of suspicion. And we doubt that Jesus is going to reprimand us for giving too much money to addicts… more likely, we will discover we could have been a bit more generous than we were.

Thanks, Shane and friends, for that reminder!

Randoms

2010-12-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

1. My piano students had their Christmas recital tonight, and they all performed splendidly. Tonight was the first winter recital in four years that was not canceled/rescheduled due to snow or missed so I could deliver a baby. Score! Also, I was given several sweet gifts from students, including a Starbucks gift card. Someone knows me well, and it can be assumed that I will be taking a little outing with the kiddos tomorrow. :)

2. I've eaten a lot of cookie dough this week. And leftover cupcakes from Brooklyn's birthday. And an abundance of junk food in general. And while it's been a delight to my taste buds, I'm starting to feel pretty nasty. If you've had extra sweet treats around your house, then I'm guessing you know what I mean. So.....for the month of January, Jeremy and I are going vegan. Honestly, I just want to see if we can stick with it for a month, and if so, see how we feel at the end of it. Want to join us? My plan is to create weekly menus and post them for anyone that's interested in joining in. (I mean, really, what else is there to do in January?) Mostly, I just need a little accountability to stick with it. We tried it for a week last summer....and made it 2.5 days. I would love meal/recipe ideas!

3. In case you're just waking up from a cryogenic slumber*, Christmas is almost here. Which means that there has been a lot of talk about Baby Jesus around this house:
   "I want Baby Jesus to sleep in my room!"
   "I need to feed Baby Jesus!"
   "Baby Jesus is in the sky outside. I need to listen to him in my ear!"

It is a pretty exciting thing, really. Jesus coming to earth as a baby to save humanity. The greatest act of sacrificial love. Yep, definitely something to celebrate!

4. Our house is a disaster. I have approximately 2,734 projects that I would like to accomplish in the next two weeks. Here's hoping that I can make it through the first two...

5. Jack got a haircut (thanks Aunt Sonya)! And it's sooo much more manageable.

From this:

To this!

6. Brooklyn loves music. She dances uncontrollably the minute I start singing or playing the piano and tries to sing along. It's pretty precious.

In case you can't tell, she's singing "O Holy Night"

Alright, that's all for tonight. Thanks to items #1, 2, and 4, I'm getting pretty sleepy and in danger of rambling even more than usual. Here's one more picture of sweetness to hold you over.

*Is that even an appropriate usage of the term? My sci-fi-knowledgeable husband is currently sleeping...

My Dearest Brooklyn...

2010-12-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

When I found out I was pregnant with you, Daddy didn't believe me. Your Uncle Mark was the one who finally told him, "I think there really is another line there." I couldn't imagine loving another child as much as I already loved your brother, Jack. But your Grandma told me that my love would just multiply. She was so very right.

When we found out that you were a girl, I was the one in disbelief. I had no idea how amazingly sweet it would be to have a daughter. But I know now. You have a smile that lights up the room. You've always liked me to hold you, and I love that about you. I wish I could always hold you.

When you were born on that cold December morning, it was....incredible. I was the one to pull you into my arms, perfect little you. And I will never, ever forget the way that Daddy held you for the first time, as though you were the only two in the room. You are captivating like that.

When you got sick at five weeks old and we had to take you to the ER, I cried. I cried even more when they poked and prodded and gave you an IV in your tiny hand. But I look back on those next few days in the hospital with you fondly; we bonded during those quiet hours.

When you started to sit up and eventually crawl, Jack started to play with you more, and you two have become fast friends. I love how he says, "I need Brooklyn in my room!" and how you giggle at his every move. I hope you are always close friends and look out for each other.

When you were seven months old, Daddy and I took you to Florida. You were the best traveler and a delight to everyone. We got to see a lot of things and spend quality time together. I know you won't remember it when you grow up, but I have some incredibly cherished memories from that trip with you.

When I sing silly songs about being in the kitchen or I sit down to play the piano, you dance and squeal, and it warms my heart. I hope you'll let me teach you how to play the piano, but if you don't want to, that's ok too.

When we celebrated your first birthday today, I found it hard to believe that it's already been a year since that amazing day. You are a delight to Daddy and me (and a lot of other people, too!), and we thank God that we have the privilege of being your parents. We love you so very much, sweet Brooklyn. Happy birthday.

Love,
Mommy

My Vote

2010-11-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

In honor of this heated midterm election week, here's what I'm voting for:

*Wearing the same jeans every single day. Ironically, even though I find myself wearing the same jeans and over-sized sweatshirt (hello, What Not to Wear??), there always seems to be an abundance of my clothes in the dirty laundry pile.

*A break from teething. Good golly miss Molly! Brooklyn's mouth has been an explosion of teeth this week, and Morgan's been working on a couple too. That being said, they've actually handled it pretty well, so I can't really complain. Although...Brooklyn's diapers have been a force to be reckoned with. Yeesh!

*Coffee. If you know me at all, you know that I'm pretty addicted to coffee. I have exactly 2.5 cups every morning to get me going. I don't know how you moms that can't have any survive! We try to buy fair-trade coffee as a small and simple way of recognizing the value of the laborers producing our goods. "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor." Jeremiah 22:13. We still have a long way to go in terms of the clothes we wear and things we use on a regular basis, but I guess you have to start somewhere, right?

*Wild Rice Burgers. Jeremy's parents recently introduced us to this heavenly recipe, and I am smitten. I'm pretty sure that world peace could be achieved if all the world leaders sat down to a meal of this goodness. No joke.

*Music. I don't know what I would do without it. Singing the babies to sleep, helping my piano students develop, leading worship at church, or singing silly songs with Jack about everything from elephants to trains. Music is definitely a sanity-saver.

*Laughter. Being married to Jeremy Jennings and being the mother to two little ones, I laugh a lot. A LOT. You should too! Laughter reduces stress/pain/anxiety, increases immunity, and just feels good. Don't have much to laugh about? Come have dinner at our house! I'll even make wild rice burgers. :)

Open Mouth, Insert....

2010-10-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

Boob.

First, this blog is about breastfeeding. Consider yourself warned.

Second, this blog is in no way intended to make anyone feel guilty about not being able to breastfeed. I know firsthand how difficult it can be, and not everyone has an amazing lactation consultant for a mother-in-law like I do! If anything, this is just to be an encouragement for those that are considering it or are trying desperately to stick with it.

I guess I'm thinking about all of this right now because my little barracuda baby is less than two months away from her first birthday. Remember this?

Those days are far behind us, and now I'm realizing (with some sadness) that I probably won't be nursing much longer. And it's kind of strange to think about because I've been pregnant or breastfeeding for nearly three and a half years straight. I'm pretty much a factory.

Here's why breastfeeding has been awesome:
1. It's free
2. It builds up baby's immunity (Jack has only had one ear infection requiring antibiotics ever...Brooklyn has had none)
3. It's easier for baby to digest
4. It's always available, even in the middle of a blizzard or flood (assuming I'm alive)
5. It requires no prep in the middle of the night
6. It requires no bottles, brushes, formula, water; all I need is a nursing cover (of course, lots of nursing moms do pump and use bottles, etc)
7. It releases the hormone, prolactin, which helps to relax the mother and lower stress (uhhh, THANK YOU, Lord, for prolactin!)
8. It burns more calories (approx 500 per day) and helps with that pesky baby weight
9. It also has possible long-term benefits, such as helping to prevent cancer, diabetes, and other diseases.

Convinced yet?

I know that I have things pretty ideal.....my mother-in-law is an excellent lactation consultant, and I'm a stay-at-home mom (most of the time). And despite that, it was still a challenge getting each of my babies to nurse well (ok, Brooklyn nursed well but was equivalent to a paper shredder). All that to say-it has been worth it.

So there ya go. For me, it was just nice to know that others had struggled through it and survived. You can too!

Tequila!

2010-10-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Let me start off tonight with a story that is completely unrelated to the rest of this blog.

First, in case you haven't met my mom, she is the very last person on the face of this earth that would drink alcohol. A couple of years ago we were playing the game Taboo as a family, and the person giving hints said something about a Mexican drink. My mom shouted "tequila!" very excitedly. We all stopped and looked at her, at which point she sheepishly said, "that's a drink, right?" Ever since then, tequila jokes have been made with our family on a fairly regular basis.

Ok, now on to the rest of this totally unrelated blog.

Jeremy and I had another Friday night date tonight. We've been making it a habit lately, and man, this is a habit that really needs to stick. I love our dates. For a couple hours, I'm not a jungle gym, housekeeper, or dairy farm. I'm just an adult (I use that term loosely) hanging out with the love of my life. Talking about theology, or our future, or our dreams, or coming up with some crazy idea. There's usually a lot of laughter on our dates.

Interestingly, my mom left a message on my phone tonight, because someone had ding-dong-ditched a bottle of tequila (and bag of chocolates) on their front doorstep. She had her suspicions as to who the culprits might be, but I'd rather not give out any names. She was also concerned as to what exactly she should do with said bottle, which, I assume, is part of the humor in the whole thing. I also assume that the culprits shared a good laugh as they scampered away in the night, like ~~two~~ an unknown number of mischievous kids.

Ahh yes, a dinosaur

2010-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Jeremy got home early from work today, before Jack woke up from his afternoon nap. When he did wake up, he came running out to find Jeremy at home.

Jack: Daddy! There was a dinosaur in my room!!

Jeremy: A dinosaur? What was it doing?

Jack: Ummmm....it went bye-bye!

Jeremy: Where did it go?

Jack: In my BED!!!

Weekend Update

2010-10-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

1. We went to a BBQ/bonfire tonight at David and Mattea Whetstone's house. It's so great to enjoy awesome food with good friends. Also, Jack is afraid of small, harmless dogs but is NOT afraid of fire. Go figure.

2. Jack took a break from movies/videos this week (and by this "week," I actually just mean "three days"). We don't have tv, but I've been letting him watch YouTube videos, like Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse, way too much lately. Isn't it ridiculous that going three days without watching anything is some sort of an accomplishment here? With winter coming, I definitely need to come up with more/better indoor activities for him. Suggestions??

3. Here's a recipe for lemon bread that I've been digging lately. I usually double the amount of glaze on top, though, because I have something of a sweet tooth.

4. Jack, Brooklyn, and Morgan have settled into a really nice routine during the weekdays. Morgan and Brooklyn have been taking two naps during the day at roughly the same time, which leaves me with one-on-one time with Jack. This week we've been playing in our yard/garden/sandbox and getting as dirty as possible. I took all three to the park, and the babies loved the swings.

Brooklyn

Morgan

5. And just in case anyone is worried that Jeremy isn't getting enough air-time in this blog, here's a little morsel:

Just another night at home...playing a wood flute in the hall.

That's all I have for tonight. Our life isn't exactly glamorous, but it sure is good.

Tidbits

2010-09-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

*We went to the park today with Sonya and Grace and had a picnic. Later, Jack's and Grace's friend, Abby, showed up. Jack lifted up his shirt and showed her his belly soon after she arrived. Later, at dinner, I asked him about it:

Me: Did you show Abby your belly today at the park?
Jack: No, the baby in my tummy.
Me: You have a baby in your tummy?
Jack: Mmm hmmm.
.
So, I guess the big news this week is that Jack is pregnant. I'd like to see any of you top that.

*And on a related note, he must already be in nesting mode because yesterday he donned an apron and boots to help me clean out the fridge.

Nevermind that the boots are on the wrong feet...

*I got some new cloth training pants for Mr. Preggers this week from here. He's still rather inconsistent with using the potty, but we definitely need something that he can easily use on his own (and be re-usable). It's weird to be at a place in life where I'm excited about underwear...but whatever. That's where I am, apparently.

*By the way, have you noticed how awesome the weather is right now in Iowa? I plan to spend a lot of time outside in the coming days.

*And just for your viewing pleasure:

Have a good one!

5000 Words

2010-09-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes, so here's the past few days in pictures.

1. I watched Grace for awhile today. While I was busy changing a diaper, I didn't quite catch what she and Jack were up to:

2. In case you didn't know, my son is a Hero in a Halfshell.

3. I love, love, LOVE that Brooklyn is old enough now to be able to play with Jack. Often I just sit in complete awe that these are my children.

4. I equally love Jack's imagination:

In case you can't tell, he's making play dough food for his beloved Ellaroo

5. Brooklyn likes to make a lot of noise in the car. I'm pretty sure she knows that it annoys Jack. His solution:

He's super coordinated too

Well, that's all for tonight....because what I didn't show was the pile of dishes that need to be done, bills that need to be paid, and laundry that needs to be folded. And I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

And....I'm Back!

2010-09-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

I feel like I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth over the last few weeks. And if by "off the face of the earth" we actually mean "into a deep, dark nightmare," then it would be slightly more accurate. But we, and especially Seth and Sonya, have been shown some amazing support, and things are starting to look up. So tonight I'm back to my good ol' list of happenings around here:

1. Brooklyn is nine months old and finally crawling! She's been mobile for awhile now but just perfected the hands and knees thing recently. And* she has the sweetest temperament! She's laid-back, social, happy, and has the most squeeze-ably delightful rolls. And.......(drum roll).......she's been sleeping through the night the past three nights, around 11 hours each night! You have no idea how happy I am. Unless you've also been up in the night with a baby for the past several months. Then you do know how happy I am.

2. We're dog-sitting my in-laws' basset hound this week. She's a good-natured dog and easy to take care of, although I think she might be in a bit of distress over her temporary home. Two crawling babies and a toddler boy are not exactly the peaceful environment she's used to.

3. On a similar note...it's been going really well having Morgan here every day. It was a bit of an adjustment figuring out how to coordinate everyone's routines, but I think we're managing pretty well. She sleeps in a pack n play in our room for naps and goes down really easily. She and Brooklyn are quite a pair, as they're virtually the same age. And it's funny how easy everything feels now when I just have two kids to take care. Ahhh...perspective.

4. 2.5 year-olds are awesome creatures. I love the things that come out of that kid's mouth. And his imagination. There always seems to be a monster following him or eating the food he's giving it under the table. He knows that Nana and Papa Rob work at a hospital, Papa Tom works with Uncle Seth and they "build shelves", and Grandma works at a school. He has a list of people that he'd like to marry (I'm on that list, in case you're wondering), and he thinks that Jesus is our president. He also likes to sleep with the light on because "Ellaroo was sad 'cause it was dark in my room."

Ellaroo is a hand-me-down stuffed animal from when Jeremy was younger

5. We went apple picking at the Berry Patch this weekend with a legitimate candidate from Jack's marriage list, Nora, and her parents, Mark and Anna. I got so excited about all the apples that we ended up bringing home 14 lbs. Looks like we'll be having a lot of apple crisp!

6. Jeremy and I are going through the study, "Economy of Love," by Shane Claiborne and Isaac Anderson. We fell in love with Shane's writing last year when we read his book, Irresistible Revolution. We are continually convicted that if we believe that Jesus meant what He said (and we do), then our lives should be a reflection of that. Economy of Love (what I've gathered so far anyway) is basically just a creative suggestion as to how we can take care of those around us and be the "hands and feet of Jesus." I'm looking forward to the rest of it!

*By the way, I've noticed lately that I love starting sentences with conjunctions, like "and, but, so..." If it bothers you, please discontinue reading my blog. I don't think I'll be breaking that habit any time soon.

Goodbye Zion

2010-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

I don't really feel like I have the emotional capacity to write about this week, but here goes.

As you know by now, Seth and Sonya lost their baby boy, Zion, last weekend. They were able to come home from the hospital on Tuesday, once Sonya's blood pressure stabilized. Coming home to:
*an empty crib
*an empty rocking chair
*baby boy clothes
*brand new maternity clothes
*laying in bed with a quiet stillness where there was so much movement just days ago

But also:
*a steady stream of friends and family
*a house cleaned by friends
*meal after meal after meal
*offers of help for anything and everything
*an abundance of hugs

This morning we had a funeral service for Zion at Riverside Bible Camp, where Seth and Sonya were married. They put together a powerful service including songs like "Before the Morning". There are no words to describe how painful it is to see an 18" casket holding a tiny body and a lifetime of hopes and dreams. Or to hear your best friend ~~weep~~ wail as she tries to say goodbye to her baby boy. Or to watch grown men cry. And hear little Grace say that she wants to take him home, but eventually kiss her brother's casket and say, "Bye Zion."

It hurts. Bad.

But there have been glimmers of hope too. Like the printer who, after printing the bulletins for the funeral, asked Sonya, "Is this your son?" When she said yes, he replied (with tears in his eyes), "I can't charge you for these. Just take them and go...I'm so sorry." Or the family members that drove from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota to show their support. And then, of course, there's Grace. She is a continuous reminder of how God turned something ugly and painful into something beautiful.

I don't know what the future holds for Seth, Sonya, and Grace. Doctors have told Sonya her body is "inhospitable" for carrying a baby and it would seem another pregnancy is out of the question. Please continue to pray for divine comfort and healing for their wounded souls. And please pray for guidance as they explore the possibilities for future children. Adoption? Or maybe even surrogacy??! :)

So for tonight, I will just say...Goodbye, sweet Zion. I love you always.
-Aunt Sissy

Zion Thomas Lorntson

2010-08-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

This was going to be a blog about how much better everyone has been sleeping in our house. And I was going to write about how well we've been adjusting to three kids in our house during the weekdays. Or about baking a cake to celebrate (barely) surviving our latest financial crisis.

But none of that matters to me anymore. If you're looking for a lighthearted read tonight, this isn't the blog post for that. I sit here tonight with a very heavy heart.

As many of you know, my brother (Seth) and his wife (Sonya) were nearly 27 weeks along in their pregnancy with a baby boy. It was a high-risk pregnancy, as they lost their first son (Elijah) at 22 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. (They adopted Grace six months after losing Elijah) We knew the stakes were high, but Sonya had been closely monitored all throughout this pregnancy and everything had been going perfectly. Her last appointment was just on Thursday and there was nothing of concern. She's had regular ultrasounds to check growth, clotting, etc. All normal. By this point, we all thought that if something happened, they would just immediately deliver the baby and he'd have a great chance of survival.

When Sonya called me yesterday at 6:56 pm with the words, "I have bad news," I started crying immediately because I knew she would never use those words unless it was serious. Really serious. She told me that they had come to the hospital in Waterloo (they had been visiting her parents for the weekend) because she was in pain. When they arrived they discovered her baby had no heartbeat and was gone. Gone? That's it? How could he be gone? Can't they do an emergency c-section? He was just kicking and moving hours before! There must be some mistake. This can NOT be happening again.
I was now sobbing (while driving). She told me that they were inducing labor and now they would just wait to deliver their baby boy. Dear God, please don't let this happen again! We've been here before and it's just too painful!

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness..." 2 Corinthians 12:9a

Zion Thomas Lorntson was born this morning at 6:21 am, weighing 2.21 pounds, measuring 13.5 inches long. He now rests in the arms of Jesus, and for that, we rejoice. I so desperately wanted to see him and hold him and kiss him, but I will have to wait for that reunion later. Apparently, the placenta became clotted and abrupted from the side of the uterus, causing his stillbirth. Sonya's blood pressure also became elevated, showing signs of pre-eclampsia. They will stay in the hospital in Waterloo until her blood pressure stabilizes, Monday night at the earliest.

Right now, I'm thinking about this little girl who lost her baby brother.

And I'm thinking about Jack, who lost his would-be buddy.

And I'm thinking about my parents, who have now watched their son lose two sons.

And I'm thinking about my brother that was so excited to have a son to play with. And teach. And build things with.

And I'm thinking about Sonya, who knows Zion better than anyone on this earth. And has been caring for him for months. And has had to go through labor and delivery twice, but never experienced the incredible joy that comes at the end of it.

I don't understand any of it. We're all pretty numb, and Seth and Sonya are still in a state of shock. Less than 48 hours ago they were gathered around, watching him kick and move. And now he's gone. It's pretty shocking. The next few days and weeks are going to be incredibly difficult for them, and I know the pain will never fully cease in this lifetime. Please keep them in your prayers. Please take a minute to write them an encouraging note. Grace is staying with us for the time being, and I'm trying to coordinate meals to bring to them when they come home. Please let me know if you are interested in helping minister to them in this way.

"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

More Random Thoughts

2010-08-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

It'll probably be at least 20 years (if ever) before I have cohesive thoughts, so I won't even bother with that. Here's what's new:

1. Jeremy installed our diaper sprayer! Now that we've added solids to Brooklyn's diet, her diapers have....changed, making cloth diapers slightly less convenient. But the Bum Genius diaper sprayer makes it oh-so-easy to wash the mess right into the toilet.

2. This past weekend, I convinced my family to help with a "2-hour" project of building shelving in the garage. It definitely took more than two hours, but in the end we were able to clean up our garage and organize our bedrooms. We moved Brooklyn out of Jack's room and into her own. At first, I was sad to be splitting them up, but now I have to say I'm pretty relieved that they each have their own space. I'm kicking myself for not taking "before" pictures of the garage because it was a major disaster that is now a usable space.

Best of all, the whole thing only cost $100!

3. I learned something new today. Are you ready??? If your car is ever parked in a flood, DON'T TURN IT ON. Apparently, turning it on is what ruins it. Even if it's completely flooded, have it towed to a car shop, and they can dry it out and salvage it. (Your interior, on the other hand, might be toast. Also, if you drive into flooded waters, you're probably out of luck) This helpful tip comes from my friend, Kaitlyn, who is an auto mechanic's wife.

4. Brooklyn has a tooth!

5. Jack is talking all the time now. When a friend's baby that I was watching left our house, he said, "We no have two babies any more? We just have one baby now." Good counting, Jack! Papa Tom would be proud. Some of his favorites right now are: trains, vacuums (although he's scared of most of them), diggers, and playing with play-dough.

6. The sleep issue around here is still........well, a bit of an issue. Item #4 may be partly to blame. The past few nights, Brooklyn has gotten up three times a night, which is an improvement. Now that we're back from vacation, and she has her own room, I'm going to really focus on a consistent routine and see if that helps.

7. Today is my brother's 29th birthday (tomorrow is also my sister-in-law's 29th birthday). Which reminds me that my mother is an incredible woman. She delivered a breech baby without any drugs. Uhhhh, hello wonder woman!!

8. Jeremy likes to commentate what he thinks is going through Jack's head, which, by the way, must stop! There are a million reasons why it needs to end, but here's the most recent: the other day, we were taking a walk when a 13-ish year old girl jogged by. Jack was watching her, and Jeremy, pretending to be Jack, said "hey girrrl." Out loud. Then realized after she was gone that all she witnessed was a creepy dad that said "hey girrrl" to her as she ran by.

At least he doesn't still have this mustache.

Recap

2010-08-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on lately. So, in no particular order, here goes:

*My parents' 38th wedding anniversary is today! Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! I'm so very thankful for their example of love and commitment.

*Brooklyn is 8 months old today! And still not crawling! I'm certainly not complaining, though; it's a lot easier to know that she'll stay roughly in the same place that I set her down. She can roll and scoot to get around, but she hasn't figured out how to get her belly off the floor.

Everything about this is awesome. The baby rolls, the pose, the smile...

*Central Iowa has been pounded by rain lately, causing some serious flooding. Roads and businesses have been closed, and due to several water main breaks, now Ames residents don't have safe drinking water. Our crawl space (which we refer to as the Jennings' Chamber of Secrets), although damp, has not flooded, thanks to our hard working sump pump. Our church (and its parsonage) did flood and several people have been working hard to clean it up. A lot of people are experiencing incredible frustration and loss right now. With two little ones to take care of at home, I feel a bit helpless. If anyone needs a shower or a flushable toilet or a meal....come on over!!

*We got back from our vacation (to northern Minnesota) on Tuesday night, just before the flooding really hit. We stayed in a cabin with my mom and dad, my brother and his 2-year old daughter, Grace. Jeremy and I have differing takes on how vacation went. He would probably mostly mention the whining children. But this isn't his blog, so never-mind all that! :) For the most part, it was a pretty good trip. Jack traveled in the car great. Brookyln had a harder time on Tuesday, when our trip home took 9 hours. Neither one of them slept well. Jack had a hard time going to sleep every single time. Jeremy had to hold him, crying, until he fell asleep. The weather, on the other hand, was amazing. The kind of weather where you could wear a hoodie and jeans or a t-shirt and shorts and be comfortable either way. Ahhh. One afternoon the kids both slept for over two hours, and Jeremy and I got to spend the time outside our cabin in the cool air, eating junk food. It was a pretty fun time. I captured this delightful picture of my sweet husband:

Doesn't he look a little....dead?

*Last week's music camp at our church was a success! I had no idea what to expect beforehand, but I ended up with a small group (6) of very fun and talented kids. They wrote a song, recorded it (both instruments and vocals) and made a music video to go with it. All in four mornings!

*My garden is overflowing with tomatoes. I made oven-roasted tomato sandwiches for lunch today and they were oh-so-delicious! If anyone would like some tomatoes, let me know!

*Thanks to a new phone with better texting, I am now on twitter. Being the rockstar that I am, I have not one, but two followers. Move over Ashton.

Thoughts on my frazzled mind

2010-08-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

1. Jeremy is sick. Again. Boo.

2. Everyone needs more sleep in this house. Brooklyn's been getting up in the night and usually ends up sleeping in our room before the night is over. And Jack has been staying up too late and having an increasingly difficult time going to bed. The past few nights he's been turning on the light in his room after I leave and then monkeying around. There's really no point in working too hard to change it right now, though, because we're going on the vacation at the end of the week. But let me tell you, once we get back...it's ON!

3. On that note, I'm not sure the kids can continue to share a room much longer. Tonight, I turned up the volume on our monitor only to realize I was listening to the neighbors' monitor because Jack had pulled ours down, turning it off. By the way, I wanted to eavesdrop, but I forced myself to turn it off. When I went into their room, the light was on, and Jack was standing at his very wide-awake sister's crib, talking to her. Grrr.

4. I'm directing a music camp this week at our church. We're planning to write some music and make a music video by the time the week is over. I should be working on it right now, but I guess I must enjoy the thrill of wondering if something will end in disaster or not.

5. Can you tell I have a bad attitude tonight? Sorry.

6. Ok. Now that I've had my moment, here's what I'm super pumped about. Ryan Seiler has asked me to write piano parts to several of his songs on his upcoming solo album. In case you don't know, he's extremely talented, and I'm honored to be a part of his project!

7. And even more exciting still...is all the babies that are arriving in 2010! I have three good friends due to deliver in the next few weeks. And several more, including my bro & sister-in-law, later this fall/winter. And our awesome friends, Dave & Mattea Whetstone, are planning to adopt a baby!! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for them. And me. Because our kids will definitely be friends.

I think that's all for now. Here are a couple of sweet pics of my little rascals. :)

Peace & Quiet

2010-07-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just before bedtime tonight Jack was wanting to rough-house with Jeremy. Here's what I watched happen:

Jeremy: "You know what I need, Jack? Peace and quiet."

Jack: (gets off couch, looks around floor, and picks up a block) "Here Daddy!"

Jeremy: "What's this?"

Jack: "Peesees quiet!"

Turns out our building blocks are very versatile.

Babies make the best accessory.

2010-07-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Orlando, Florida yesterday afternoon. (16.5 hours later than originally scheduled due to some crazy flight delays) The trip was awesome! Here's a recap:

*I packed everything for myself and Brooklyn for six days (which turned into seven) into a carry-on and a diaper bag. And made sure to let everyone know how impressive that really is.

*Brooklyn traveled like a champ. Seriously. She cried for maybe an hour total the entire week. I think 7 months is the perfect traveling age. She could sleep anywhere (a 1:30 AM rock concert, for example), nurse anywhere (airplanes, bathrooms, restaurants, park benches, floors, hotel lobby, etc), and would smile at anyone that would so much as look in her general direction. My girl rocks.

*The convention itself was a bit crazy. I ended up spending quite a bit of time shuttling people around in my rental car. Which was no big deal since I got a free upgrade for "having the most beautiful baby in the world." Yep, that actually happened. Jeremy and friends stayed at the Portofino Hotel and the convention was at the Royal Pacific Hotel, and we traveled between the two via water taxi or shuttle bus.

Portofino Hotel, Orlando

*The night before we left to come back home, Jeremy's band played at another event called Nerdapalooza. It was basically just a convention of comics/video games/fantasy-type things that brought in different bands to play. The guys played and did a great job. But you know who the biggest celebrity there was that night?? That's right. This little lady with her noise-canceling headphones. So many people wanted to take her picture!!

*We traveled with two of our good friends, Julie Larson and Ryan Seiler. Those two make the best travel companions! Ryan did all the work (booking our tickets, making sure we were in the right place, etc) and Julie helped me out a ton (carrying my bag, playing with Brooklyn, etc). They also have a great sense of humor which made our overnight flight delay a lot of fun. Jeremy is always fun to travel with too. He's laidback and goes with the flow, a great quality to have on these sorts of trips!

*I'm back to reality now and facing a giant to-do list, but this past week was worth it 100%. Having a 2-year old around, I don't get a lot of one-on-one time with Brooklyn, and I will forever cherish the time I got to spend with her. I come home so incredibly thankful for my husband, my kids, and my life.

Here. We. Go.

2010-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

This week has been, and will continue to be, a whirlwind. Here's what's going on:

1. In a few hours, I'm getting a "new" car. We're buying my uncle's 2004 Honda Accord to replace this beauty:

Power windows and locks, fully functioning air conditioner/heater, non-broken cruise control, and working radio antenna are just a few of the upgrades we're looking at.

2. In a few more hours, I'll be headed off to Orlando, Florida with Jeremy and Brooklyn. We're going to play some music at a Harry Potter convention. Get off my back, all you nerd-haters. It's going to be totally rad. Jack is staying behind with family as it wouldn't be too much fun for him to get toted around with us everywhere. Plus we'll be going on family vacation in a few weeks so he's not missing out on much.

3. Along those lines, packing for four people to go in different directions is a bit of a challenge. Jeremy and I aren't even staying at the same place (I'm staying at a friend's mom's house so Brooklyn can get some decent sleep). And I'm trying to fit everything for myself and a baby in one carry-on and a diaper bag. I'm too cheap these days to cough up the extra cash for checking a bag if I don't have to. Creativity is about to kick into full gear over here real soon. I just have to make sure there's room for these:

Gotta protect those sweet baby ears!

4. I'm fully healed, thanks to my Neti-Pot and raw garlic. And after over a week of not going, Brooklyn finally pooped. So with nasal passages and digestive systems in complete working order, we're set to go! See you in a week!

All in one afternoon?

2010-07-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the conversation I just had with Jack when he woke up from his afternoon nap:

Me: Did you have a good nap?

Jack: No.

Me: Did you have a bad nap?

Jack: No.

Me: Did you take a nap?

Jack: No.

Me: Oh. Did you fly to the moon?

Jack: Yeah (giggles)

Me: Wow! We didn't even hear you leave! Did you...bake a birthday cake?

Jack: Yeah (giggles)

Me: Mmm! What color?

Jack: Green!

Me: Yum! Did you...ride a unicorn?

Jack: Yeah (giggles more)

Me: Oh! What was his name?

Jack: Ummmm. Mo.

I guess I'm not a vampire

2010-07-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

An upper-respiratory illness has made its way through our family over the last two weeks. It started with Brooklyn, then me, then Jack, then Jeremy. Each of us was down and out for a few days before making a recovery. Except me. Mine eventually turned into a delightful sinus infection that felt like my face was being crushed. I usually try to avoid taking antibiotics if at all possible, but I would have gladly taken a prescription for this beast....had it not hit me over the 4th of July weekend. To get through the weekend, I turned to natural remedies.

I started with a Neti-Pot, which, after just a few times of using, cleared out my nasal passages and allowed me to breathe again.

Then to really knock this bad boy out, I've been eating raw garlic purchased fresh from our local farmers market. By the way, have you ever chewed a clove of raw garlic before? I dare you. Or you can just watch this:

After using these home remedies, I haven't even had to go the doctor because I feel great! I can breathe, I don't have pain, and I smell like an Italian entrée. I'm living the dream!

Stain Removal

2010-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here it is. The much anticipated post about solar stain removal. Prepare to be amazed.

My kids know how to make a mess when it comes to poop and clothing. Maybe it's a breastmilk thing, but my babies have some major blowouts. Using cloth diapers has helped a ton with Brooklyn, but let me tell you, if she's in a disposable when you hear/smell that thing coming.....look out. As a result, I've had some very stained clothing on my hands. Sometimes I've let the stains set in because I was not at home when the bomb went off, or I was just too busy to deal with it at the time. For a long time, I had a pile of clothes that I had washed several times with no success of removing the stains. I was about to throw them out when I discovered this super simple technique of removing stains. Set the clothes out in the sunlight. Yep, that's it. That's all there is to it. Some people say you can put lemon juice on the clothes first, but I haven't even tried that yet. All I do is put the clothes out on the deck and watch the stains disappear!! Small stains could take an hour or less. Bigger stains take several hours and maybe a couple of days.

Want proof? Here you go!

Stains are completely gone after three hours in the sun!

And look at the improvement of this horrible stain! It should be gone in another day or two.

I'm not sure what all kinds of stains this will work on. But I think it'd be worth a shot to try on just about anything. It's easy, safe for colored clothing, safe for baby clothes, and best of all...it's free!

Ten things on my mind tonight

2010-06-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

1. Jeremy thinks he has an ear infection. See my "You Might Be a Hippie if.." post about how I've been treating ear infections around here. Tee hee hee hee.

2. We're trying to go swaddle-free tonight with Brooklyn. Our pediatrician thinks it would be safer to end the swaddling since she rolls over so easily and could potentially roll onto her tummy without the use of her hands. This could get interesting.

3. Speaking of Brooklyn, at her 6-month appointment this week, she weighed 18 lbs, 12 oz. She's sitting up on her own better each day and started to eat rice cereal. We'll start veggies this weekend.

4. Our friend, Jason Munday, posted a Katy Perry parody video this week that went viral and got some neat attention (including a tweet from Katy Perry herself!). I like to see people succeed. Cheers!

5. Father's Day is this weekend, and I'm reminded that I have an amazing dad and so do my kids.

6. Jack has started hitting lately. I don't know where it's coming from, but he preps us by saying, "I hit Mommy" and then goes in for the hit. I appreciate his communication but would prefer a more socially acceptable action.

7. I've wasted a lot of time on the computer today. Perusing Facebook, shopping for clothes that I'm not going to buy, watching music videos (see item #4), and reading random news articles. I feel pretty guilty about the wastage, given the amount of real work I have to do, but the guilt isn't quite strong enough to get me on my feet just yet.

8. I've been using grass clippings as mulch in my vegetable garden to help with weed control. Lately, I catch myself scoping out the neighbors' yards for extra clippings. I've thought about going out after dark armed with a rake and Jack's wagon to pillage for more. Item #7 is the main reason I probably won't.

9. Today I laughed so hard I peed a little. In JC Penneys. Whatev.

10. I serve a loving and gracious God that is in the business of restoration. I'm thankful that He hasn't thrown in the towel on me, despite my many shortcomings.

Now it's time for me to ~~do some laundry~~ check Facebook once more before I go to bed. I'm such a bum.

Precious Moments

2010-06-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

There are so many moments these days that I wish I could capture forever. Very simple things that remind me of how blessed I am. Here are a few from this week:

*Brooklyn sitting up at the dinner table with us for the first time, trying out rice cereal, and giggling at her brother across the table.

*Jack running out of his bedroom and straight to the front door first thing in the morning, saying "I play Roman?" (referring to hanging out with his little-man buddy, Roman Barton).

*Jack spotting and announcing every single windmill between Gilbert, Iowa and Northfield, Minnesota.

*Brooklyn's face when she saw Jeremy for the first time after three days of being away.

*Jack pushing his bike down the sidewalk, wearing boots that are too big and a helmet that's too small.

*Jack mooing at the cows at my Grandpa's farm.

*Brooklyn laughing hysterically at Jack, while he's trying to pick on her.

*Jeremy doing push-ups over a giggling baby.

*Jack bringing me a bouquet of dandelions with great excitement.

*Jack saying "Jesus loves you" in his sweet toddler voice.

It's in these moments that I am reminded of God's love, creativity, and sense of humor. (Perhaps I'll put down the moments that remind me of His justice and judgment in another blog...) And I am so thankful that I have the privilege of being a wife and a mother. Oh, how I love my family!

Week in review

2010-06-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

1. This week was *supposed* to be Vegan Week in the Jennings house. We wanted to try eating vegan for one week to see what it would be like for our little family. We made it until Wednesday when I said, "You know what sounds good? Pizza." And that was the end of Vegan Week.

2. Parenting a toddler is quite the adventure. Jack's been testing the waters lately to find out how serious we are. It's more important than ever that we are consistent and both on the same page. Jack does really well when given options ("What should we do first-brush your teeth or put on your pajamas?") and takes pride in having a little bit of responsibility (i.e. being in charge of our shopping bags until we check out). I momentarily forgot these things on Wednesday and ended up walking a screaming toddler out of Target.

3. I don't plan to go back to Pizza Hut anytime soon. There are several reasons why going there this week (see items #1 and #2) was a horrible idea. After waiting over 45 minutes for our pizza (I could make one from scratch in less time), our family was pretty much in shambles. I hadn't brought any activities for Jack (mistake #27) and he decided that the phrase, "Please use your inside voice" actually meant shriek louder.

4. On a much more positive note, my niece, Grace, turned two yesterday. Two years ago, our lives were forever changed when the adoption agency called my sister-in-law to say they had a brand new baby girl. Seth & Sonya were holding Grace by the time she was 11 hours old. You don't forget a day like that.

5. We got to hang out with some sweet friends tonight, the Bartons and the Rippkes. We are blessed to know some really great people.

6. I made an amazing discovery in the way of stain removal this week. For now, I will just say solar power. More on that later.

7. Tomorrow marks six years of marriage for us. Man, that's crazy. I was just a kid back then (I turned 20 a few weeks before our wedding) and have changed so much since then. But I am so thankful that I've had Jeremy beside me through all the changes. Jeremy challenges me but shows me grace when I blow it. He makes me laugh daily, and he's a really good listener. We've been through some pretty big ups and downs together, and he knows me better than anyone. I'm excited to see what the next six years will hold in store!

Maybe by then we'll be ready to go back to Pizza Hut.

Read this only if you are super bored...

2010-05-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm finished with piano lessons (I'll still teach a few over the summer, but they're pretty low-key), I have more time to experiment with food. I'm trying to move in the direction of "from scratch" cooking as much as possible, but I still have a toddler and a baby, so time is pretty limited. Being the uber-nerd that I am, I came up with a detailed meal-plan for this week (oh yes, snacks are included!). Next week is Vegan Week, but for the time being, I'm still incorporating dairy/egg products.

Here's what it looks like:

And here's part of my geeky shopping list, broken into categories:

Now, you may be wondering why on earth I would write such an incredibly boring blog. When we switched to vegetarian eating, I felt a little lost because I'd grown up planning meals around meat. There are a lot of websites on the ol' internets that provide great recipes for vegetarian eating, however, I have a young family keeping me very busy. It's hard to find the time to look up healthy recipes, experiment with new recipes, and find something that everyone enjoys eating. I kept saying I wish I had a vegetarian "mentor." So I guess I'm just going to record our successes and failures, and if someone gets some helpful ideas from it, great. If not, sorry for putting you to sleep.

You were warned.

Goals

2010-05-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a very goal-oriented person. I love making lists and checking things off. Sometimes I write things down on my list after I've already accomplished it, just so I can check it off. I notice that I have the most ambitious goals in the morning, after I've had two cups of coffee but before the kids wake up. And that's where I find myself right now. So I thought I'd put down some personal summer goals and see how they shake out in the next few months:

1. Lose five more pounds. I just finished up my 8th week of Jeff Barton's bootcamp (http://www.jeffbartontraining.com/), losing ten pounds total (yup, gained a pound this week). This month, I'm going to try working out on my own. I don't really need to lose more weight but having a weight-loss goal helps me stay on track with nutrition and exercise. The plan: run or ride my bike at least three days a week and try to eat well (curse you, afternoon sugar craving!)

2. Minimize waste from my vegetable garden. I let a lot of vegetables (mostly tomatoes) go to waste last summer because I didn't have a plan for using them. This summer, I'd like to try my hand at canning and freezing so we can enjoy them year-round. I'm thinking it might be fun to have a canning "party" with other hippie folks like us. Interested?

3. Sew something that I actually wear. I have all these ideas and nothing to show for it. I just need to start somewhere and not expect perfection. I have this pattern:

but I still need to buy fabric and get to work!

4. Write a song (or finish one that I've already started) every week. Maybe I'll start a YouTube channel so I too can become a teenage pop-star. Mostly, I just need to keep my creative juices flowing. Writing songs about brushing teeth, peeing in the potty, and being kind to your sister is wonderful and all, but I'd like to expand my horizons just a bit.

5. Organize my house. Just seeing this listed here makes me tired. I need to go through our kitchen cupboards and come up with a more organized system. And I'm continually sorting through kids clothes because they just keep on growing out of sizes! Speaking of clothes, I have a total smorgasbord of sizes in my closet that need to be packed up. I've been finding it hard to get into big organizing projects because I know I'm going to need a few hours. And hours are pretty hard to come by these days.

Ok, I better stop there. The kids will be up soon, and all my good intentions will, no doubt, be forgotten until tomorrow morning's coffee. :)

You might be a hippie if...

2010-05-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I have been going through a lot of changes over the past year, and I think we are slowly becoming Gilbert's hippies (minus the drugs, of course!). Here's what I mean:

*we use cloth diapers and wipes for Brooklyn

*we became vegetarian this winter and would like to move towards veganism

*we asked for a Wheatsfield giftcard for our birthdays and were overly excited about using it

*We have a vegetable garden in our backyard

*We prefer to use natural remedies as often as possible (putting breastmilk in Brooklyn's ear for an ear infection, etc)

*We use soaps made from goat's milk and/or almond milk

*Jeremy wants to HAVE a goat (this will never happen, mind you, and it definitely crosses the line from hippie to trashy)

The fact that I just blogged about being a hippie, however, means we're pretty much just posers.

It's catch-up time!

2010-05-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Good grief! How is it that I've let so much time pass between blogs? Here's another recap of the last THREE months:

Spring Break 2010:

My mom and I took both kids to visit my Grandpa in Minnesota over spring break. It was a short trip (three days total), but it was nice to get away for a bit. I was nervous about taking a two year old and 3 month old to a non-toddler-proof house, but the kids did great! It was actually very relaxing because my mom helped out the entire time.

Easter:

The best day of the year (you know, the whole Jesus-conquering-death thing IS pretty sweet) came and went without much of a hitch. We went to church, Jack threw a fit when I tried to take a picture of him in his Easter outfit, and we had dinner at my parent's house. Jack and Grace looked for Easter eggs, and Brooklyn had a massive blowout in her Easter dress (and all over MY dress). Good day!

Barton Bootcamp:

I started an early morning (6 AM) fitness bootcamp that one of my friends, Jeff Barton, runs. Each bootcamp is four weeks long, and I'm almost finished with my second one. I've lost 11 pounds so far and feel great!

Fred:

For four months, Fred Mergenthaler (one of Jeremy's good friends) and I had been planning a surprise for Jeremy. Fred flew up from Orlando to stay with us for a week, all without Jeremy knowing. It was SUPER hard to keep it a secret. I'm not good with surprises or secrets, especially not from Jeremy! I picked Fred up from the airport (while Jeremy thought I was teaching piano lessons), and we hid Fred in the bedroom just before Jeremy got home. Jeremy was so surprised! You can see a video of the week here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-PBO1ztFfY Prepare to laugh.

Birthdays:

Jack turned TWO on March 21, and we had a small party with family and a few friends. He got some sweet toys, including a trike, which we have a hard time taking him away from. I made a cake that had a picture of Elmo on it. For my first cake decorating experience, I was just happy that Jack recognized it as Elmo. Jeremy turned 28 at the end of April, and I turned 26 the first of May. We celebrated with family and went out to eat a few times. Our own birthdays seem less important now that we're parents, but I am thankful for another year!

J-man:

Jack is definitely a two-year old! His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds, and he's putting 4-5 words together to make a sentence. He loves his sister "Bootin" and loves playing outside even more. I AM SO THANKFUL for all the nice weather after a wretched winter. We've been able to spend a lot of time playing in our backyard. How awesome my life is that I get to sit outside enjoying my children. What a blessing!

B-baby:

My good friend, Heather Randall, coined this nickname for Brooklyn, and it has stuck. (Heather came to visit for a few days at the end of April and it was GREAT catching up with her) Jack tries to say "B Baby," but it usually just comes out "baby baby baby beeeeee." Brooklyn is doing well and is quite the chunk. We moved her to a crib in Jack's room around 4 months, and it was super smooth transition. We're still swaddling her and may do so until she goes to kindergarten. We've tried to go without, but she doesn't sleep well at all. With a swaddle she sleeps all night through or wakes up once. She has the sweetest personality and adores her big brother.

In a nutshell, my life rocks. I'm married to my best friend and get to stay home with my healthy, growing children. Jack's name means "God is gracious," and that pretty much sums it all up!

2 month recap

2010-02-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Somehow in between chasing a toddler, feeding an infant, changing massive amounts of diapers, cooking and cleaning, I've let 2 months lapse on here. So while both kids are sleeping for the moment, here's an update on how things are going:

First trip to the ER:

In the middle of January, we took Brooklyn to the ER because she threw up every time I tried to feed her for nearly 12 hours. After lots of tests, we found out she had a urinary tract infection/kidney infection. Ugh! She was admitted to the hospital for 3 days so she could be closely monitored and given a few rounds of IV antibiotics. It was so hard to have our 5-week old baby in the hospital hooked up to and IV, but we were so thankful that she was well taken care of. The infection cleared up, and she is now a perfectly healthy 10-week old.

Cloth diapering:

When we had Jack, we lived in an apartment which shared a coin-operated laundry room with everyone in our building. Needless to say, using cloth diapers was totally out of the question. We decided to give cloth diapers a try when we had Brooklyn, now that we have our own house. We use Gro-baby diapers and love them! We still use disposables at night as they absorb more and she is able to sleep better. We only have enough for 1-2 days of diapering, so I usually wash a load of diapers at night. They're not really that much more difficult to use, and I love saving the money!

I ♥ sleep:

Brooklyn's day/night confusion ended when she was around 6 weeks old, and I could NOT be more thankful!! Lately she's been sleeping 6-8 hours at a stretch, getting up for 15 minutes to eat, then going back to sleep for a few more hours. There is very little that I appreciate more than a decent night's sleep. I am a MUCH nicer person, and my outlook on life is so much more positive. I didn't really realize just how exhausted I was until I started slowly catching up on sleep. Those first 6 weeks are a blur!

My little girl is growing up!:

Brooklyn started smiling around 1 month and doles them out pretty easily these days. She is just the sweetest little thing, and her smiles make every sleepless night worth it! She loves watching her big brother run around, and I know that I'll blink and she'll be running around with him. She rolls over easily from front to back and is getting so big! She's in the 95th percentile for height and weight (no surprise there...we grow 'em big!)

Post-pregnancy bod:

If you're into wrinkly, saggy, muffin-top abs, then I am SO attractive! My belly button has moved at LEAST an inch to the right, and my abs have a large separation between them which could cause a hernia at any time. HOT. When I asked my midwife about the belly button shiftage, she said, "Hmm...I've never seen this before!" I really am a freak. I still have about 15-20 pounds to go before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight, but given that I gained 65 pounds with Brooklyn, I'm choosing to see this glass as half-full. And you know what? If my belly button disappeared altogether and I never lost the baby weight, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. My kids are so precious, and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Although I am curious as to how many pregnancies it would take before my belly button ended up on my back....

Three weeks of awesome

2010-01-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby girl is three weeks old today! These last three weeks have been an amazing time of bonding for our family of four. Here's a wrap-up of some of the challenges and successes:

Challenge #1: Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural things a mother can do. Our bodies were designed pretty well to sustain life, but it has NOT come naturally for me. I nursed Jack for 12 months so I thought it would be easier the second time around, but that was wishful thinking. Brooklyn has an incredibly strong suck and did quite a number on my "bottles." There are certain areas of the body that you hope you never see bleed... Not to mention that I developed a mild case of thrush, which basically felt something like this:

Success #1: Breastfeeding

After two weeks of tears, grimacing, and a bit of profanity (sorry Brooklyn!), we made it through! Brooklyn is eating and growing well, and I love knowing that she is getting the best possible nutrition at such a young age. I no longer dread feeding her and look forward to EVERY moment I get to spend with her. Breastfeeding now feels very natural...I was even able to play wii tonight while nursing her!

Challenge #2: Toddler in the house

Whew! Having a 21-month old toddler certainly livens things up a bit! Jack is an energetic boy that loves to explore and destroy. The most challenging part about having two kids is how to keep Jack occupied while trying to take care of Brooklyn. Left to his own devices for too long, he will come up with something very creative to do....which is usually dangerous or destructive. And it doesn't help that we're smack dab in the middle of winter and a wind chill of -38 is just too cold to play outside. By the way, why do we live in Iowa? My mom suggested having a toy that I only let him play with while I'm nursing, so that he has something special to do during that time. He's handled this huge adjustment like a champ, much better than I expected, but I know it's still hard for the little guy.

Success #2: Big boy bed

We moved Jack to a big boy bed last week, and he took to it really well! Some friends from church were getting rid of a twin bed, so we took them up on the offer and moved Jack sooner than we originally planned. I was worried that he would have a hard time going to sleep and then wake up throughout the night (one child getting up every few hours in the night is enough, thank you!). But it has not been a problem at all! He was really excited about the switch, and now we're starting to talk about the baby someday sleeping in his old bed.

Challenge & Success #3: Sleep

When Jack was born, I could sleep whenever he slept, day or night. So while I wasn't getting a full night's sleep, I was able to catch little naps throughout the day. That's not really a possibility this time around. For a little while, Brooklyn's nights and days were turned around, and I was catching about 3 hours of sleep each night. I'm not a very pleasant person when I'm that sleep-deprived! Thankfully, God has been very gracious and I'm able to get more and more sleep each night. And Brooklyn is usually sleeping during Jack's afternoon nap, so I'm often able to catch an hour or two then. This week, she's only been getting up once in the night (around 3 AM) and I've been able to get 6-7 cumulative hours of sleep. It's amazing how much more positive my attitude is with an increase in sleep!

Being is a parent is the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done. Having a second child adds new challenges (many that I have yet to discover!), but the joys have also increased exponentially. I love watching my kids grow and discover the world around them. I love seeing Jeremy interact with them....he is such a GREAT daddy! I love dreaming about their futures and ours as a family. And I love soaking in every moment that I have with them.

Brooklyn Dawn

2009-12-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

What a week it's been! Our precious baby girl arrived 9 days ago on December 12. She was born at 8:00 AM, weighed 8 pounds/9 ounces, and measured 20 inches in length. Here's how it all went down (or out, rather):

Friday, December 11:

6:30 PM- After running errands, Jeremy, Jack and I decided to hit up Culver's for dinner. Ironically, Jack was also born after eating at Culver's...makes me wonder what's in those butterburgers! I'd been having irregular contractions for weeks, but was starting to casually notice the time between them and take note of their intensity.

7:00 PM- Jeremy was still working on his dinner when I told him he needed to hurry up; I was kind of feeling like this baby was coming soon! Contractions were 7-10 minutes apart.

8:30 PM- We decided to take Jack to Nana & Papa's house to spend the night, just in case we headed to the hospital in the middle of the night. And Nana is a NICU nurse and knows a thing or two about labor & delivery so we figured she could help us decide when we should go. Contractions were 5 minutes apart, but I was still able to talk and laugh through them, so it didn't seem all that urgent. Sue (Nana) suggested I walk on the treadmill to see if it changed the contractions at all. (If they went away, probably false labor; if they stayed or intensified, probably real labor). After nearly 30 minutes of walking, contractions were getting stronger, and we were getting very hopeful.

11:00 PM- We called the hospital to see if we should come in. Although I could still talk & laugh through the contractions, they were stronger and also in my back, so we decided to head in. On the way, I reminded Jeremy that I REALLY wanted to go drug-free again.

Saturday, December 12

12:45 AM- After we get situated in our room at the hospital, the midwife tells me I'm 7 cm dilated. Whoa! Glad we didn't wait any longer to come in! The labor nurse guesses that I will definitely be holding our baby by 3 AM.

5:00 AM- I am NOT holding my baby in my arms and have only dilated 1 more cm. The midwife breaks my water, and we hope that things move quickly from here. Contractions hit HARD, and I suddenly remembered all that I had forgotten about labor after Jack was born. And this time I had strong back labor because our baby was posterior, which was also slowing down the process. So the labor nurse & midwife had me trying different labor positions to get our little girl to turn around. I had an awesome support of Jeremy, my mom, and Jeremy's mom in the room with me. They each took turns rubbing my back and putting cold washcloths on my neck & back. My mom kept saying "I think I'm going to rub a hole in her back!" to which I said, "Please don't stop!!" I knew how hard it was for my family to see me in such pain, so I tried to crack jokes to let them know I was going to be ok.

7:45 AM- After trying several positions, throwing up several times, and telling Jeremy, "ok, your turn now!" I had to push. The moment was finally here! We were going to meet our baby girl!

8:00 AM- Brooklyn Dawn Jennings entered the world! Our midwife let me take hold of our daughter and pull her out and into my arms. What an AMAZING experience! In that moment, there's the greatest relief, excitement, and rush of love that I can imagine.

8:10 AM (approx.)- My mom cut the cord, Jeremy helped weigh and measure her, and Sue checked her vital signs. The next few hours are somewhat of a blur, but I'll never forget watching Jeremy bonding with his brand new baby girl. The way he held her, looked at her, and talked to her, as though there was no one else in the room. Brooklyn is blessed to have a Daddy who loves her so much. And I am blessed beyond words to have this family.

Vacation '09

2009-08-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my family (mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece, Jeremy, Jack, myself) took a vacation to northern Minnesota to visit grandparents and other extended family. It was great to spend time with relatives that we don't get to see that often, and it was nice to get away for a few days.

Traveling with toddlers is far from relaxing and takes so much more planning than when we could just throw everything in a duffle bag and call it good. But it's so worth it. Jack had so much fun seeing new places and meeting new people. We went blueberry picking one day and he was in heaven!

I love traveling with Jeremy. He's laidback and doesn't sweat the small stuff, which is quite helpful when little ones are involved! I have yet to go on a trip with Jeremy that I don't come back more in love with him than when I left. Which I think is saying a lot, after five years of marriage plus three years of dating! I'm excited for our next travel adventure together and look forward to adding Jack's little sister into the mix soon.

Dr. Michael Magichands

2009-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

To set up this story, let me take you back five years, to the summer Jeremy and I were first married. We were more adventurous then (and lacking wisdom) and would often go bridge-jumping. On one occasion, Jeremy decided to swing from a rope off the bridge, which broke and threw him (15 ft or more?) to land on his back in just inches of water. That summer marked the beginning of chronic back pain for him. His job as an auto detailer never helped things, but he managed to survive.

Fast forward to this spring, 2009. We bought our first house to accomodate our growing family and moved in mid-March. One evening Jeremy spent countless hours moving boxes from our 3rd story apartment to the new house (I told him to wait until more people could help, but he wanted to get as much done on as his own as possible). And by the way, if you've had chronic back pain for nearly five years, it's ok to let other people help you move. Needless to say, the move was horrible for his back, and his health took a pretty big nosedive. He finally went to a doctor when just getting out of bed was a major struggle. They took x-rays, told him his muscles had seized up and sent him home with painkillers and muscle relaxants. The drugs started making him really sick, to the point that he couldn't eat anything (or keep anything in) for over a week. He couldn't stay at work, if he could go at all. And the pain was unbearable. It was one of the most helpless times I've ever had in my life. The worst night was when I came out of the bathroom to find Jeremy on the floor in the hallway, eyes rolled back, sweating profusely, and mumbling. I really wondered if I was watching him die (and I'm about as optimistic as they come...)

Five weeks ago, Jeremy finally agreed to try a chiropractor as a last resort. He had been VERY anti-chiropractor up until that point, but traditional medicine had been a total bust. So, with a dear friend's referral, we headed to see Dr. Michael Jorgenson, a chiropractor in Ames. Now, I don't mean to be overly dramatic about it, but seriously, he saved our life. He took the time to really get to know Jeremy and hear all about his history. He gave an in-depth exam and took the time to go over all the x-rays with us, which by the way, CLEARLY show a bulging disc and misaligned vertebrae, among other issues (thanks for nothing traditional medicine?). And then gave us HOPE. Hope that he could help. Hope that Jeremy would be feeling significantly better in 6-8 weeks. Hope that Jeremy could be feeling as good as "pre-rope-swing" days by the end of this summer!

After visiting Dr. Michael (who we now call Dr. Michael Magichands...) two times a week for the last five weeks, I have seen such a change in my husband. He's probably the healthiest that I've ever seen him. He bought a season pass to Ames' pools so he can swim laps after work. And then after dinner, he takes Jack on a 30-45 minute bike ride. He's changed his diet a lot and eats things like grilled chicken salads, apples, gluten-free pasta, and he drinks Smart Water instead of soda. Seriously, WHO IS THIS GUY??

This summer is shaping up to be so much different than what I was prepping myself for. I'm so thankful for Dr. Michael. I'm so thankful that we've been given a second chance. I'm so thankful that Jeremy can play with his son (and in less than 6 months, second child!). And I'm so thankful that the despair we felt just five weeks ago has been replaced with hope for our future.

Empty house

2009-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's just after 11:30 on a Saturday evening and for the first time in over a year, I'm alone (excluding, of course, the precious child hanging out in my womb). Jack is having his first overnight without parents (he's staying with Nana & Pops), and it's very strange to not have him sleeping in his room. Jeremy is at a bonfire with a few friends, and I have the house to myself. I've been playing piano and singing loudly just because I can, but this isn't something I ever want to get used to. I am so in love with my family, and I hardly know what to do with myself without them here!

Key word being "hardly." There are dishes to be done, laundry to be put away, and a pillow & bed calling my name. So off I go!

The things I could do!

2009-06-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law watched Jack for an hour and a half this afternoon so that I could get a few things done around the house. It's amazing how much you can get done without a toddler running around undoing half your work! In that time I:

*finished making dinner (pork spareribs)
*cleaned out my car
*cleaned half the house (granted, our house is small and it was a quick cleaning)
*did two loads of laundry
*organized a closet

This makes me wonder what on earth I did with my time before Jack was here. But he is worth every minute of my time, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mama. It's the best job in the world!!

So now that my work is done for the night, I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch tv.....ahhhh.

5 years and counting..

2009-06-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I celebrated our five-year anniversary last night. We ate at Red Lobster and gave speeches to one another...

Amanda to Jeremy: I've really enjoyed being your wife.

Jeremy to Amanda: It's been a laugh. Thanks for making the last five years not a total waste of time.

Cheers to that! But in all honesty, being Jeremy's wife has been amazing! Getting married at the age of 20 was a little scary, but I can say with all my heart that I am SO thankful we did. It's kind of cliche to say, but Jeremy really is my very best friend. I never get sick of being with him, and he puts up with me quite graciously. I laugh most of the time that I'm with him and miss him all of the time that I'm not with him. I fell in love with him the day I saw him weep over someone's soul and knew then that there was something very special about him. I'm continually impressed by his character, honesty, loyalty, and goodness. He's an awesome father, and I hope Jack realizes someday how fortunate he is to have Jeremy as his dad.

I snagged a good one. :)

Jennings Family

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