2010 year of the Baby!

2010 was the year of new babies….. I believe there have been the following born in the past year that I can name, please feel free to add to the list if I have forgotten anyone! Beginning October 2009 to the present day (November 4, 2010): Amelia Bonthuis, Miles Stephins, Gavin Seidel, Ulla Maley, Lila Vitasovic, Grayson Roberts, Brody Shaw, Stella, James Duke, Emma Burks, Cormick Donnelly, Jolie Santini. Many of these babies I have yet to meet, some I have been blessed to meet.   I feel blessed to share new memories with my friends through Facebook as I see my friends families grow. And more babies are to be born in the near future. Blessings to new mom’s and your newest additions!

Election Revelation

As we were watching the election results come in last night I discovered Wade and I have totally different perceptions on the various issues on the ballot. It was so very interesting as up until this election we usually both sat down with the ballot pamphlet and reviewed each measure and candidate together. This year, time was a major element and we had to vote each on our own and read the pamphlet without the other person’s opinion.


The outcome was interesting. I see myself as a much more conservative voter compared to him now. I have seen this in our personalities, but I didn’t really consider my self that conservative until last night! It was a revelation to me last night as we had kept our votes secret until the results came out! It made for a very interesting discussion. Now I will honestly say I felt I was an independent, but now I see that my view are more to the right than I had thought…

Mom

Does it seem silly now that Garrett is in preschool and I have two kids I feel more like a mom and do more mom-like things? I am fast approaching being a mommy for nearly 4 years, not counting all the months I had him in my belly, but not until the past year or so I really started to think of myself as a “mom”. To me growing up Mom’s were so many things and I really didn’t associate myself as a “mom” for quite a while. It’s been a hard label to accept. Don’t get me wrong, the label is not bad in any kind of way. It’s more glorified than anything; I just never really felt it fit me until lately. Now I am embracing it! MOM J

The call to the sitter...

I have lucked out the past 3 ½ years or so…. I have never really had to hire a babysitter. We have always had family or friends that could watch our kids for us. We have been thinking of hiring someone for the past year to watch our kids on an occasional basis; however the idea of it has completely frightened me. Which is silly since I started babysitting other people’s kids at the age of 12! I had no problem taking care of kids and babies were never really a problem. But the idea of a kid taking care of my kids’ kind of freaks me out.

It took me a while to get used to them…. I feel like I am punishing someone to watch them that don’t know them! They really are good kids, and usually only act out when I am around! What is my deal?!

So the time has come. A very, very close friend of our family has passed away and we must get a sitter as there is no way I will miss the service nor will anyone in my family. I have it all arranged, and I am really excited to be able to go stress free and be with my family, however, the call to the sitter was one of the hardest I have had to make! She seems wonderful and highly recommended. I hope she will like the kids enough to do it again. I cannot believe I am so neurotic to freak about this. Has anyone else gone through the anxiety of this? Or am I completely deranged?!

Grace

Grace….


How many of you say grace at your dinner table? Is it only special occasions? Or is it daily? I have never felt comfortable being the speaker of grace, but always appreciated it growing up. Usually it occurred at holiday meals or special occasion dinners. My family being a larger family of 6 when we had a chance to sit down together my dad was always the one to say grace. We still do at holiday meals at my parent’s house. My sister-in-law usually instigates this at my husband’s family functions. As I ponder when Wade and I eat dinner together, which may or may not include Garrett depending on his mood and appetite, should we begin this tradition? I think so, however, I am probably the one to have to instigate it and I am feeling somewhat uncomfortable as this is out of my normal participation. So please respond if you choose and let me know if you do Grace and how did you get it started around your family table. Thanks!

Feeling the Urge to Bake....

However, short our summer has felt, I have this feeling deep down within me that I am starting to like the idea of fall. I really am going to miss summer and the wonderful heat of the sun, however, falls here in the Northwest can be warm and very enjoyable with cooler evenings. I love the idea that fall sports are starting to practice, but don't like the idea that pro football has already begun! Don't get me wrong I love football, but really it seems a little early yet to actually be playing games! Right now its about 90 degrees out, but the weather is supposed to dramatically cool off and I can get down to some good baking and cooking this weekend. I just forwarded my mom a great recipe for fall that I got from Rachael Ray's Magazine I would love to share with you all.
Happy End of Summer!

Apple Juice Pork with Squash and Golden Raisins
4 Servings Prep 10 min Cook 35 min Ingredients:


Four 1-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (about 1-1/2 pounds total)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup apple juice
1/2 butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

 Directions:Preheat the oven to 250°. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add the pork chops and 1 more tablespoon olive oil between batches. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and tent with foil; place in the oven.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the apple juice, squash, raisins and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the squash mixture to a bowl. Cook the remaining liquid until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Serve the pork with the squash and pan sauce.

New business? Lots of changes in Seidel family...

So I have gone back to work, and not just full time, but over-time! AH! I return and suddenly I am 3 people instead of just one more worker! My friend and co-worker decided to stay at home and quit working just when I got back. I miss her dearly.... Also there has been a lot of work while I have been gone and lots to catch up on..... anyways its been an adjustment for me and I miss my boys so much.

Just before I got back to work, Wade started picking up  Painting and Landscaping jobs around town. Apparently he has started to get a great reputation and now has more and more people calling and setting up work. This is so great! He is such a perfectionist! If you need some work done in the Vancouver or Portland area, let us know!
Meanwhile its an adjustment for the boys with two very, very busy parents. And now you know why I haven't posted in a while!

Potty Training....

Boys potty training....
Finally after almost 3 1`/2 years and a whole year of going potty in the potty and not poop in the potty Garrett Finally pooped in the potty! I felt like I climbed a mountain when he did it! I was so excited I jumped up and down! FINALLY! So now we can ditch the diapers and move on to potty training and hopefully make it VBS this summer and preschool this fall! Yay! I am so thrilled. Now only one baby in diapers! YaHOOO!

Back at it!

I actually have a moment to myself. Its not raining for once either! I am torn between catching up on misc stuff in the house or getting out and working on the yard some.... outside looks to be winning it after I make this post! Being a mom of two is tiring! So many screaming and crying and attention wanting all the time at the same time! How do mom's do it? I am amazed at mothers everywhere..... Actually looking forward to work a little. Although my heart is going to break as my little boys are so in need of me and I of them at times!
I am finally getting over this infection and thank goodness. Life will be more enjoyable now and not so miserable to even exist as it was last week. Well off to take advantage of the dry skies.... Will post more later!

venting...

Seriously getting more and more irritable by the moment! I love babies and can't wait to have my newest here. I hate being pregnant. Its not the most wonderful feeling in the world. It is an amazing experience, however, isn't it supposedly the curse of Eve for disobeying God? Well I feel like its a curse that won't end! I am so lucky this time to have an end date. Thank goodness for this blog as each word I write I feel my body relax........
ahhhhhh.........
but not enough.
I really hate this and cant wait until I am back to my old self. Seriously only 4 1/2 more days you'd think I could handle it?! I am so impatient though. I think I will be a miserable wreck up until 6am when we check in for surgery.

attention...

I have never really been an attention seeker. I sometimes get very excited and could care less who sees me and whatever I am doing, but never really been one to thrive on attention of others. I am actually fairly shy... until you get to know me!
Pregnant women, especially VERY pregnant women get LOTS of attention! I am so excited to have this baby so the stares and questions will soon be directed at my new baby! I am still working in this last week before delivery and I dread getting up from my desk to go anywhere! Because you never know who is lurking around the corner just to POP out and say hello!
I do love getting to know women in my large office that I just would never get to know otherwise, however...... I really hate the amount of attention directed at me and my big belly! I simply dread it.
For example:
We have a common lunch room at our office and I feel like when I walk in a hundred sets of eyes are on me and my belly..... not something I am looking forward to each day! So I anxiously await for my baby to be born, so he can get all the extra love and attention, and I can go back to being me.

14 Days and Counting!

I have eaten all my lunch as of 10:30am this morning. I feel like my stomach is an endless pit...... 14 more days to go until we meet our sweet babe. I am so nervous something will go wrong now. I  think all mothers go through this. You love your unborn baby so much and almost take for granted you expect to have a healthy baby just like the one you have at home. I want to see him and make sure he is real! I can't wait to meet him! So anxious and nervous at the same time. Thank goodness for Wade doing all kinds of things for me around the house and my mom who cooks us dinner almost nightly during the week. I am so grateful for all my support. I had thought yesterday would have been such a wonderful day to have my baby born, but Easter has come and passed. It was a wonderful day though. Great service at church and wonderful brunch at my parents. LONG nap last night and slept in this morning a little. Maybe my body is resting up for the baby. I hope so!

April's Almost Here!

Wow less than 3 weeks to go before baby arrives! I am so excited then realized I have less than 3 weeks to prepare to leave work for 10 weeks! AHHHHHH OMG how did this happen?! Time suddenly picked up and is zoooooooming by!  So many big plans for the next few weeks too. Julie is owner of The Horseradish and having an Grand Opening on Saturday. I am so excited for her! Its going to be amazing! Also Easter is this weekend, packed full with egg hunt on Saturday and church on Sunday followed by brunch. I hope you all are ready for the Easter Bunny! Birthdays Galore this month and a new baby boy. I am so excited!

Positive Note!

Ok yesterday apparently was rough for me and I wanted to just write and say today is MUCH BETTER! I did decide to have a ritual burning of my hated maternity pants that won't stay up after the baby is born! Ahhhhh it will feel so good! Since this is my last baby... for all my girlfriends who are expecting, I will have lots of maternity clothes that won't be burned and are pretty cute, so let me know if you are interested. Also we will have LOTS of baby boy things, since this little guy will be the end of the road and I am not storing any more boxes of baby stuff in my attic! :) So excited for all the storage space to come in the future! I am sure I will need the space for all that boy stuff! Thanks for everyone's support over the past few months. 3 weeks to go! Wooo Hoo!

Things I Hate Today!

As I was walking to work this morning I started a list of things that I hated about today......

1. Monday
2. Maternity Pants that don't stay up
3. Gigantic Mud Puddles
4. Pants that get wet from the mud puddles
5. Wind-driven rain
6. Having to go to work 36 weeks pregnant


I don't hate all these things all the time, but today really really annoyed me!

Nesting???

Yesterday, I had a "burst" of energy. Surprisingly since we went to Tillamook the day before and didn't get home until after 9:30pm due to dark and rainy roads. We had a wonderful time with Wades' brother and family. Sunday I went to work and when I came home, I did the dishes, laundry, dusted the whole living room (it has needed it for several months!) washed windows...... etc. I am so proud of myself as I really have had no interest in cleaning in months except when having guests and our house is a mess of toys and clothes! I folded 3 or 4 loads of laundry and actually put it all away too! Amazing. I also made a list of things to do so in case we have the unexpected happen early, Wade has a list of items to do! So far nothing is packed to go to the hospital, the car seat has to be washed and installed... There are several things to do.....So this makes me wonder is this the serious "nesting" stage? When I had Garrett, I had no kids to clean up after and stuff was done all the time so nesting wasn't that easy to pinpoint. Hmmmmm I am at almost 36 weeks this week. Wonder if baby really will come a little earlier than expected or not. I guess we will just have to wait and see....

8PM March 21st, my stomach turned.....

At 8pm March 21st, my stomach turned, the Healthcare Reform Bill was passed. Since then my stomach has rolled over and over. I am dreading what this is going to do to my family and our health. Thank goodness I will be having our last baby on April 19th. Even if we were planning more, I think my mind would have changed due to the healthcare changes.
I will continue to pray for my children and hope they don't develope an incurable disease like their father. I will continue to pray that Wade remains a "healthy" Type 1 Diabetic. I am very happy for those who were unable to get insurance, will be able to. Both Wade and I have gone down that road. Currently we have great insurance in which I get from my employer, however, we pay through the nose for it. Now the Healthcare Savings Accounts will be reduced, we already spend much more than $2500 out of pocket for prescriptions and deductibles and other healthcare needs each year. I have some hope that maybe this plan will be amended over the years and our children will continue to have excellent and timely healthcare.
I pray all my friends and family are able to remain in their jobs and continue to be healthy. I pray cancer does not strike my family again.

Settling Down.....

So on Monday I was a complete wreck. Today is Thursday and though I am still incredibly busy every day and cannot relax I have calmed down a bit about having a baby 6 weeks early. Not having as many contractions and actually going on the tour of the hospital helps. Also knowing we will be at a very very good hospital if anything were to go wrong with the baby or if its born early, I know he will be in good hands. I still ache anytime I get up to walk or do really anything, but so it goes.....
Thanks for the encouragement. I have wonderful family and friends. I would like to note for my friends with first babies, maybe doing that pregnancy journal you read about online or in all those pregnancy books. It would be so nice to know how I was doing at this point last time. I have some vague recollections, but recalling back, I remember it was soooooo much easier and less painful. I am sure its also to do with getting a lot less sleep this time and chasing after a toddler that isn't making it any easier. However, I do encourage doing the journal..... I really wished I had now.

Going Overboard and changing the scheme of this blog...

Ok so I haven't written anything in some time. I am now 8 months pregnant with our second boy and for the time being not focusing on my political aspirations. I am now just trying to deal with the idea of being a parent to 2 children!

I have 6 more weeks to go and I am FREAKING OUT!
I am to the point of almost crying. My first baby was a c-section and I never dialated or really had any kind of natural labor. This baby currently must be HUGE! Everyone cannot believe I am due in another 6 weeks! I have a planned c-section for 4/19/2010 and now my body is changing rapidly. I don't remember this feeling! What to do, what to do.......? So I decided to dust off the old blog and put my fears down on paper. I really wish they made some online calculator like you have for your taxes that tells you when your baby will come...... I am so anal at times I have no patience for the real world! I suppose that is why I work in insurance.....


Anyhoo. If anyone is out there and recalls feeling like this and wants to write a comment, please do so! I think my husband thinks I am going crazy!
Many more posts to come in the near future I am predicting!