three months, three things

I was inspired by my friend Kellie to blog each month in this manner and so here I am...mother of a three month old baby boy. I can't EVEN believe it. The time has gone so fast. New memories are forming every day and the struggles of those first few weeks are slowly fading into the back of my mind. I recall a house filled with stuff. We were sleeping in the living room on a futon that was certainly not big enough for the room. We had the light off in the living room all of the time in order for Will to be able to sleep (which made having visitors difficult to say the least). Will's room was not complete and our room was upstairs. I remember the whole pregnancy thinking, "it will be fine for us to sleep upstairs and for Will to sleep downstairs". So naive, SO naive. There are many others things this mommy has learned, but the most important is how much I want that little boy by my side. I'm currently struggling with moving him out of his bassinet and into his room (which is only a few feet from our room yet very difficult to think about). If only he wasn't so snuggly in his bassinet. And by "snuggly" I mean his head and feet touch the ends of the bassinet when he is fully extended. TO MY DEFENSE, he really likes to sleep with his knees bent to the sides a little so I believe I have several more months of sleeping right next to my little guy. :) Whatever I need to tell myself, right?

For the past nine weeks, Will has been blessed to have "grandma care". My mom, who retired in February 2009,has sacrificed so much and comes to stay with us during the week so that we don't have to put Will in daycare until January. Now, while I call this a sacrifice, grandma calls it a blessing! We also certainly call it a blessing and, while Will has certainly benefited from having grandma here to care for him so much, I have also benefited. I certainly took my mother for granted during my teen years and have more than enjoyed this extended time with her. We love you!!



Ok, now for the big deal: WILL!!

Three months, three things:

1. Will has the most expressive eyes. Happy, sad, intense...I am pretty sure my little boy is a genius and is already very aware of these emotions. Orrrrrrr, I'm just biased. I like to think it's both ;)







2. Will loves the singer Colbie Caillat. I listened to her music throughout the pregnancy and I think he recognizes her voice. If he's crying, playing her music is one of the steps we take to help him calm down. Pretty amazing, I'd say!

3. I hate to admit it, but Will has already discovered the television. He is mesmerized by it, in fact. He could be mid-scream and notice the tv and stop crying, slowly turn his head towards what we call "the big box" and just stare. We will regret this one day I am sure.



That's our little man. It's SO hard for me not to add more. I can't wait until he's 216 months old and I can list 216 things.

Love you, my little superman.

up to big things

It's been a long time, blogspot, a loooonnnngg time. My how things have changed in my world. "Little" Will is not so little anymore. He's getting SOOOO big. New things he's doing: playing with his fingers and toes, following our voices, watching "the big box". Ah, the big box. Known to most adults as the tv---it's his favorite---which is why mommy and daddy have to limit watching to when he's asleep. He could be in the middle of an outright cry and see the tv and just stop and stare, mesmerized. Not a good thing. Will's least favorite things: dirty/wet diapers. This kid cannot stand for a minute to be in a wet diaper. I honestly think it's because they are cloth diapers and he can feel every bit of moisture when he's wet. I'm thinking this will be beneficial when potty-training comes around!! Does make for a lot of laundry but we are still LOVING cloth diapering. Most recently Will has discovered his tongue. He likes to stick it out and watch himself in the mirror. This keeps him entertained for...minutes! :) Cute little boy. Here are some pictures to enjoy:

kearney girls

Have you ever been blessed with a friend that, despite the physical distance and lack of contact, you are able to reconnect immediately upon seeing them again? The kind of friend that understands your heart even when you haven't seen them in a year? The kind of friend that you’re able to truly be your self with? Not only have I been blessed with a friend, I’ve been blessed with six of them: The Kearney Girls. No, we’re not from Nebraska, no we’re not a traveling circus act (although, I think we could be), and NO we don’t pronounce it “Carney”. We are the special kind of friends that I speak of. My heart jiggles, jumps, jives, beats harder, and faster every time I think of these girls. The Kearney Girls namesake is a street that is located in the college heart of Manhattan, Kansas. A little rickety old house---or, rather, a large rickety old house---that was the birth place of the Kearney Girls. No, not all of us officially lived in the house but close enough we think. There are also honorary members of the Kearney Girls who are of the male variety (Mike, Kirk, Patrick, Ryan). They, of course, didn’t live there. Hmph…AS IF! In any case, they were very much a part of our college experience (rabbits, raccoons, flaming poo in pizza boxes). Boys!! Sigh.

Ahem….back to the Kearney Girls.

I thought to write this blog because I get to see them (well, all but Drea which I’m very sad about) THIS WEEKEND! Tiff got herself knocked up by one of the male varieties I spoke about earlier and we are going to shower her with gifts and love! I cannot wait. Sooo much changes between our KGR’s (Kearney Girl Retreats) that we never have enough time to catch up. But, when we do see each other, there is a rekindled connection that only happens in these “special friendships” as I call them. The Kearney Girls live in six different cities, have 10 children (and counting), grew up in seven different towns, and all love Jesus. As I greatly anticipate this weekend, I wanted to say a little something about why each of these gals are special to me. Some of these memories are abbreviated but I imagine the recipient of the memory will know what I’m talking about! The memories run deep, as does the love.

Laura: Looney, Looney Bin. The first thing that comes to mind is the weekend we spent at your house while we were in college. I can’t remember why we were there but I remember staying in a bedroom downstairs, your t-shirt quilt, and your parent’s beautiful home. That was a fun trip. We went to a movie and your church, didn’t we? Oh, and how can I forget the endless time I spent in you and Erika’s room during freshman year because of my roommates “extracurricular activities”. Remember that? Oye. Laura, you are SUCH a cool person. You have so many qualities that I love: SO funny (I think your humor is underestimated, by the way), your laugh is one of my favorites, your random thoughts, I think you would truly give any of your friends (and random strangers) the shirt off your back if they asked or even if they didn’t but you felt they needed it (well, as long as the shirt hadn’t already been made into a quilt!). You are one of my favorite miniatures (I always wanted to be shorter so please take that as a compliment). In one word: KIND

Erika: Eeka, Eeks. You were the very first person I met and became friends with in college. We quickly discovered that we both worked at the Union and walked to work together often. You were a kind of person I had never experienced before-an unapologetic Christian. I had been involved with church growing up but to meet someone who so freely talked about their faith was new to me. It was refreshing. It left me wanting more and more and MORE. My faith grew because of you. Memories: oh how I loved going to your hometown with some of the other KG’s—the trampoline, animals, and farm smells. And your little brothers who aren’t so little anymore. The piano and my favorite song that I always requested you to play. Practice up because if Mendy has a piano in her house I’m gonna want to hear it!! “Diaper Water” (enough said there :). Other memories: you and your mom deep-cleaning your room at the Kearney house (scrubbing the walls, windows, trim, etc), you testing the milk before drinking it, chicken nuggets and Italian dressing. In one word: COMPASSIONATE

Mendy: Schmendy. Oh how I love me some Schmendy! I remember when you first started coming to Challenge. I remember the first time I heard you sang (what a voice!) and falling in love with your humor/sarcasm, your family’s Thursday night dinners, your siblings, thinking your hair was pretty cool, being amazed at your ability to eat an entire Pizza Shuttle pizza after dental work! You spent enough time at the Kearney house to certainly qualify as a Kearney Girl. Sometimes more time than the rest of us. I loved when you were there and wished you lived there! There are so many qualities I love about you. You are hysterical, brilliant, humble, a guru about many topics, and a teacher--this is one of my favorite qualities-when you get excited about something you are able to teach others about it in a way that gets them very excited about it, too. I could honestly sit and talk with you for hours about anything you are excited about and leave wanting to do the same whether it’s living a greener life, seeking God with more passion, or even KSU football (okay, that one might be a stretch). In one word: TEACHER

Heidi: Heidi-heidi-heidi-ho. Oh, where to start. Random memories: skinny jeans, breastmilk and cats. Heidi, you are an exceptional woman. You are not afraid of anything and no topic is off limits to you. Want to talk about raising children, breasts, breastmilk, pumping, infant chiropractic services, diet, health, toe jam, that weird stuff in your belly button, labor, hair coloring, pregnancy, ramen noodles, vegetarianism, sex, drugs, rock and roll?---go to Heidi. She’s likely to not only have an answer but will also have research to back up her answers…and she’s likely to be right and you will be amazed and overwhelmed with information at the same time. Heidi is a person that will not let you get by with the “how-are-you-I’m-fine” routine. Nope. You get “how are you really doing” and “what’s really going on with you” kinds of questions and she really truly wants to know the answers. And she gives answers in such a way that is not demeaning. I think you should have been a therapist, by the way. I have many memories of going to your parent’s home, your AMAZING dorm room (if you can even call it that), that snack shop (can’t remember the name!!), life in the Browning House, you’re your teenie-tiny shower, your perfect hair, struggles, triumphs. You are one strong woman, Heidi Casper. In one word: INTENTIONAL

Tiffany: Tiff. I remember meeting you but can’t remember which dorm you were living in. I remember thinking you were so beautiful and dressed so fashionable that you’d never be friends with me! You are such a combination of things: beautiful inside, beautiful outside, good at so many things I wish I was (decorating, fashion, organization, making a person feel special). I miss living in the same city as you. I loved our time together and remember being so (SO!) sad when you said you were moving to Lawrence. What does Lawrence have that Wichita doesn’t? Oh, right…Mendy. Whatever :) Tiff, you are quite an incredible woman. I love how you can make a person feel like whatever they are going through is okay and normal-you have a gift of putting people at ease and just having fun. I have memories of coaxing you out of your room on your birthday with Michael Jackson because you feared getting old, Amaretto Sours, boring names like Bob and Sue, dance class, visiting Beloit, vanilla Dr. Peppers (which you invented, of course), sweet baby voices to Mavie. In one word: COMFORT

Andrea: Drea. Oh how I miss you, Drea! I’m not sure if you’ll ever read this! In one word: PASSION. You’re one word came to me immediately. When you love someone or something you are more passionate about it than anyone. You love in a way that is so intense and emotional that it makes me smile. Memories: you going to beauty school, your amazing vocal abilities, going on a date with your boyfriend :), watching you excel without even knowing it. In fact, I have one more word for you: HUMBLE. You are one of the most humble people I know and while I sometimes want to shake you and say “don’t you know how amazing you are”, I just watch and learn about what humility is and revel in God’s creation of you.

General Kearney Memories: singing in stairwells, Italian cheesesticks, Pizza Shuttle, wayyy too much food, Zebra Cakes, my extra blonde hair dying moment, Mike Lin (enough said), the basement that was condemned (although the rest of the house wasn’t—strange), singing and playing guitars on the roof, visits from honorary Kearney’s, bible studies, quiet times, getting a washer and dryer, the raccoon visit that I SLEPT through (poor Tiff!), crushes—sometimes on the same person, yellow roses, breakups, old McDonald’s food, large electricity bills, throwing mattresses from the 2nd story, dressing up and going to eat at Village Inn, reading the Left Behind Series and being SURE the end of times was coming and walking to Kirk and Patrick’s to prepare, moving in, moving out, tears, laughter, watching You’ve Got Mail about a THOUSAND times, watching The Sound of Music about a MILLION times, clothing swaps, marriages, Thursday nights, babies being born

To my Kearney Girls: each of you holds a special place in my heart and thinking of you makes my soul smile. I love you all in so many ways that weren’t even expressed above. Thank you for being part of my life. I am far beyond blessed to know each of you and I look forward to the many KGR’s to come and am excited for what God has planned for each of our lives. Each of you have had a part in shaping me into the woman I am today and for that I am forever grateful.

Love,

introducing baby w

Well, it turns out the name "Baby W" was very fitting. William Grayson Worley was born on August 25th at 11:35 am after a VERY long labor (I'm calling it 40 hours) and a VERY short stint of pushing (only 35 minutes...apparently I'm very good at pushing). Yes, Dannon...I've noticed that I've used two sets of parenthesis!

Will is 4 weeks old and has changed our lives in ways we never could have imagined or prepared for. The love we have for this little boy is indescribable as I'm sure all of you parents can relate to. I only have time to post a few pics but hope to have time again in the next few weeks to post again. Having no internet at home makes that difficult. So...here he is!

wednesday

Well, the time is nearing that Baby W will make his or her grand entrance. The time has gone SO fast, which I'm sure many of you can relate to. I am scheduled to be induced on Wednesday evening and, of course, am a little worried about it. Just like the whole insulin ordeal that I experienced, induction can come with it's own risks. While I don't want this to turn into another insulin-type struggle, I'm also fully aware that I'm willing to do whatever is best for the baby (as I sit here drinking a cup of coffee). I do have an appointment scheduled with my OB for Wednesday morning and am hoping that I've made enough progress that she will say "let's give it a few days and see where you are rather than inducing tonight". Maybe I should give her this script? I am praying that baby will come on his or her own time rather than have to be induced. So far, this is really not a high-risk pregnancy so it wouldn't hurt if I went past my due date by a little bit. I may be singing a different tune if I make it to 42 weeks, however!! May sound less like "let baby come when baby is ready" and more like "GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!!!!". So, please just pray that, well...just pray really. God knows what He's doing and I trust that.

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

Beautiful, huh?

On other notes: the house is less in disarray,although I left dirty dishes in the sink last night. Lots of them. Which probably means baby will come today :) Baby stuff is in baby's room rather than stuffed in the corner of the dining room. Curtains are hung in our bedroom...curtains that my mother and I made last weekend together. That weekend will be a very precious memory to me---I can't wait to teach my own daughter (or son) to sew, cook, bake, etc. Hopefully my child will be more willing to learn at a young age, unlike myself who avoided instruction in household tasks at all cost as a young girl! I have been thinking a LOT about traditions lately. I was listening to K-Love yesterday morning and they were talking about back-to-school traditions that families have. I can't wait to begin traditions with my children! What traditions do you have in your family? Please share! One that sticks out to me is our birthday candle tradition. From as young as I can remember, no matter who's birthday it was, everyone got to blow out the candles on the birthday cake. We'd start with the birthday person and then pass the cake around the table, lighting the candles and then blowing them out one by one. I don't particularly remember if we made a wish for ourself or the birthday person. I'd like to think it was for the birthday person, but that is unlikely :) My co-workers have traditions about birthdays that I can't wait to do. Maybe Dannon will comment on this post and share about the birthday outfits?

I sat in my rocking chair last night reading a baby book to the baby "I Already Know I Love You" by Billy Crystal. "I'm waiting to show you everything. hear your giggles and your sighs. see butterflies and monkeys. and clowns who cross their eyes."

Can't hardly wait, baby W, can't hardly wait.

Love, Mommy

new kitchen!!

Alright, the big reveal! We decided to go much bolder with the main color than I had posted about previously. From teepee brown to ORANGE! It is much different than the pictures I posted before, but I really do love it. Jason and his mom worked SO hard all weekend while I stayed at a friend's house and away from the fumes. I called on Sunday to say I was coming home and Jason informed me that the house was not "extreme home makeover ready" and that I had to find something to occupy my time until they were ready for me. He called a few hours later and said I could come home but that he wanted to do the whole "move that bus" routine. So, I came home, was blindfolded, and guided into the kitchen. The transformation is amazing. The color combination to me is a cross between modern and a throw-back to the '80s, although Jason and his mom disagree and think the combo is very modern. Either way, I really love it. What do you think? OH, and the part that I loved the best that I thought would have to wait until much later: chalkboard paint on the doors. Jason went to Home Depot and found that they have chalkboard paint that you can tint in 12 different colors and he found a dark brown that goes with the brown that's on the backs of the cabinets. He went further than that and even painted the back door with the blackboard paint for "Baby W", as he stated. So sweet. I couldn't truly comprehend how much work went into the kitchen until I saw the pictures Jason took of the "in progress" work. Let's just say the house was a disaster and I was exhausted just looking at the pictures. I am truly blessed. So, here it is...the big reveal!

A reminder of the kitchen before:




And now...

it's a...

Just kidding! Gotta keep you all on your toes, though, since Baby W could come ANY TIME now. Mean, I know, but I'm so very pregnant and feeling slightly onery today! And, for those that want to know, I am at a 1 (I'll leave it at that).

Let's see...what's going on. Other than nesting (my poor desk at work didn't even see it coming). I'm spending the weekend with a good friend while Jason and his mom work on the house (yet again). Kitchen is being painted as planned this weekend. Jason spent all last night priming the walls and ceiling. I'm so blessed by all their hard work! We are mostly sticking with the theme I posted about last but the colors have changed a bit: burnt orange walls, antique white cabinet/door fronts and trim, and a chocolate brown on the backs of the cabinets (just a touch, not a lot will be chocolate brown). Then I'll still do the blackboard doors and other touches I talked about. Hope it turns out well! That's a LOT of color.

My mom is coming for tonight and we'll spend all day tomorrow sewing curtains for our bedroom. I'm excited as this is my first official sewing (pause for Braxton Hicks..............................................breathing.........................
.....................................................................................
.......breathing..................................................) project. I have 11 yards of twill white fabric and pretty wide slate blue ribbon for accents. Sew much going on....badum ching. Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I'll be here all night (unless my water breaks then I'm outta here!)

Then girl's night tomorrow night with two good friends which I'm very overly excited about! I know what you're thinking...Michelle overly excited about something? Hard to believe, I know!

But what I'm REALLY excited about, you ask? Jason chose Red Lobster for his birthday dinner. Crab legs, cheddar biscuits, no mess in the kitchen...THAT SOUND FABULOUS!!

OH, I almost forgot! I get to see my sister and her family for the first time in 8 years today. She lives abroad (aka Wisconsin) and I haven't seen her since she and her husband got married. They're only stopping by for a short visit but it will be nice to see them nonetheless.

And, just a special treat for Dannon:
() count: 6
But they were all so important!

That's all for now...maybe some pictures of the kitchen will come on Monday...stay tuned!

Kitchen Idea!

Finally! I have an idea for the kitchen (thanks to HGTV's Rate My Space). Yes, Dannon, I just used more parentheses (just for you). Anyways, I found a kitchen idea that really inspired me. I will include some pictures to give you all a better idea of what I'm talking about/describing.

Walls: Teepee Brown by Behr

Doors, trim, cabinets: white/off white/antique white (not sure yet)

Door to downstairs (as seen below): paint inside with black chalkboard paint so we can leave messages, write menus, to-do lists, grocery lists, etc.

Decorations: black and white pictures of family cooking together, family dinners, family gatherings, etc. We will have to take pictures but I already have one that I really love of my father and great uncle which I will also post below. Very family oriented, which I think is what inspired me the most.

Also, I like the idea of decorating somehow with family recipes like in one of the picture below.

I also like the black sign over the door that has the family name.

Ok, so here's the before picture of the kitchen:



Pictures of the kitchen on Rate My Space that inspired me:







Here's the picture of my great uncle and father that I love so much:



Also, I love this picture of my grandparents farm house that I'd like to incorporate somewhere (I actually have a version of this picture without the cars that I may use instead):



So...there it is. Let me know what you all think and if you have any ideas or inspirations that come from this. One thought I had was either doing all white cabinets or doing white on the upper cabinets and black on the lower cabinets. Just a thought! May be too much. I think we're going to leave two of the cabinets without doors like Mendy mentioned to display our dishes and glasses. Isn't this fun!!

37 weeks

So, I was reading my friend Heather's blog and was looking at some of the blogs she follows and saw that there was one friend that hadn't blogged in 4 weeks...then I realized that friend was, in fact, moi. I had promised pictures from the baby shower back in June and I still haven't put them on my computer so you may just have to imagine in your head...not too hard to do really...friends, family, balloons, yummy cake, punch, lots of baby gift bags...you know, a baby shower!

It's not like I've been busy or anything, people! What, you ask, have I been up to? Growing a baby, staying in hotel rooms, lots and lots of doctor appointments, water aerobics, and getting my nails done...it's hard work, I tell ya! Jason and his mom have been working like crazy to get our bedroom and the kitchen painted before baby gets here. The bedroom is about 90% finished but there is now a lovely new crack in the ceiling from the guys doing a roof inspection on our house. Wonderful. Just want Jason asked for. NOT (great, now I'm acting like an 8th grader from the early 1990's). Sheesh. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the house. Last weekend I stayed in a hotel by myself while Jason and his mom painted. Apparently, I've watched far too many scary movies because it was...well, scary. At one point, I was walking down the hallway, saw a flickering light, and then twins ran by. (Think: The Shining). I nearly pee'd myself (ok, maybe just a little---I'm pregnant, give me a break!!) So, I left with a bedroom that looked like this:



And returned to a bedroom that looks like this:




Don't you just love the change?? I am in love with the color. My sister thought this was the baby's room and wondered if we knew something (gender-wise) that we were trying to hint at. Much to everyone's disappointment, we do not know the gender AND this is not the baby's room. We will be in this room and baby will be in our room. I will post a picture of the baby's room once the furniture arrives (let's hope it's within the next few weeks!!). Talk about down to the wire!!

So, over the next few weeks, Jason's going to be working on the kitchen. Here's a before picture (we have already sanded and refinished the floors so they look more like the bedroom pictures above):



Any ideas are welcome! We cannot for the life of us think of colors for the kitchen. We are painting walls, cabinets, and trim (and will eventually replace the backsplash and countertops, too). Bring 'em on!!

Baby News: baby is growing and moving and shaking! Can't wait to meet him or her. Jason and I washed all of the baby clothes over the weekend. I had NO IDEA how time-consuming it is to fold all of those little clothes. Hopefully, wrinkly baby clothes are in next season. What else??? Oh, the car seat is installed (hey, I have a picture of that!):



I have to give props to my co-worker, Dannon, for helping me install the car seat...basically, I just held the manual while she quickly installed it. :)

On an end note, Dannon showed me this hysterical wedding video. I've never posted a video so if it doesn't work, just go to www.youtube.com and type in JK Wedding Entrance Dance. This is just the greatest video ever! Hope you can find time to watch it. Later!