Home | Dada and Bruno (10 days old)

HOT DADA 

MONEY SHOT

CONTEMPLATIVE

NECK AS STRONG AS STEEL? CHECK. 

KISSABLE CHEEKS

Cody's parents started a tradition of taking a picture of Cody's dad with each of his kids on their respective birthdays, starting at birth. We've been doing this with Seb, and thankfully Cody remembered to do this with Bruno, too. Not quite on the day he was born, but 10 days is still pretty good.

Sebastian, Bruno, and I are snug in Ohio right now, while Dada is hard at work in Durham. Wedding week has begun, and while Seb is positively giddy with all the distractions of the farm, mama is trying to nurse away the pounds so she can get into her bridesmaid dress, and Bruno is happily packing on the pounds that said nursing provides. We sure miss Dada, though.

Bruno | The first days

Here are a smattering of pictures from Bruno's first days. He's had quite a few visitors, many of whom I forgot to take pictures of, unfortunately. The most tragic of whom is my sister who flew down here to help us out for a few days and did a magnificent job of somehow keeping Sebastian entertained (to the point where I think he thought she was his second mama), and the apartment spotless, laundry laundered, and tasty food on the table. Did I mention she made brownies from scratch? Twice. The daily 500 calories I'm burning from breastfeeding don't even make a dent in the amount I consumed because of those brownies. But they were so so good.

So what have we learned about Bruno this week? Well, he gained a whopping 3 ounces in his first couple days, which was shocking because most babies lose weight! He has dimples just like his mama, which makes me incredibly happy, and his feet and toes seem to be just like mine, too. He is an expert when it comes to nursing, has a really cute cry that we don't hear very often, snorts when he's hungry, and has already smiled, like a lot, and I'm not talking about sleep smiles, but real, during the day, wide-awake smiles. This kid is advanced.

Sebastian is doing well, and though we had a couple rough days, he seems to be adjusting really well now and showing more interest in and fascination with Bruno. He is growing into such a sweet big brother.

Baby #2 | Introducing...

Bruno Joseph Strecker

10 pounds, 1 ounce

&

Twenty-two inches

of perfection

My contractions woke me up at 3 a.m. yesterday, June 18th, and by 2:00 p.m. we were laboring at the birth center. When we arrived, I was already at 8 c.m. and 100% effaced (an exact answer to prayer!). Things progressed perfectly, and with the amazing support of Cody and my friend, Elisabeth, our sweet baby was born just over two hours later. Praise God for all of his provisions.

Baby #2 | Mr. Chubbers

We had our ultrasound at UNC hospital yesterday afternoon and all was well. No excess amniotic fluid and one healthy, chunky baby boy. Apparently they think he's already 6 lbs. 9 oz., which is only 2 oz. bigger than Seb at birth! They weren't really able to clear up the due date, though. UNC thinks I am 35 weeks, and the birth center says I'm 33 weeks, so it's really anyone's guess as to when this mister is going to show up. But the fact that I'm measuring at 35 weeks makes me think he's coming earlier rather than later. In the meantime, I'm soaking up the fact that I have one child that sleeps 13 hours every night and takes 3 + hour naps. Having a newborn is going to hit me hard, let me tell you. But at the same time, I still can hardly wait. It was so fun to see him stretching and opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out. There's a baby in there, folks, and we can't wait to meet him.

Home | The 4 of us at 33 weeks

I think it's safe to say that we're all dog-tired around here. It's 88 degrees today and nearly impossible to stay cool. I think I might have scared Cody a little by how adamant I was that 77 was the highest possible temperature I could endure in our apartment. It might have been the great detail I went into about how essential it was for my well-being and, and I might have thrown in something about "If you want me to keep having your babies..."

I had a prenatal appointment today and found out that I have to go to UNC for an ultrasound tomorrow to check the amniotic fluid level. It would appear that I have too much. Praying for good results, because if I have way too much, I won't be able to have this little man at the birthing center. The hospital is the place to be for a high risk birth. Not so nervous about the hospital part, but the high-risk-birth part? Apparently when you have too much amniotic fluid, it's much more likely that the cord will get between the head and cervix during delivery. And if it turns out that I don't have too much amniotic fluid, someone will have to tell me why I'm measuring at 35 weeks. This baby is coming early, folks. I can feel it. Let's just hope he's not born in our car in the mountains of Virginia...

Home | Textiles make me happy (and so do chubby fists)

While in Virginia, Mrs. B. took Em, L, Seb and me to a couple amazing thrift stores. The second one was new to all of us and was absolutely amazing. I totally splurged and bought these two pacifier clips, which were handmade by a local lady . How could I resist? Em got a sweet little Pinocchio one for L, which is just adorable. Seb is using the car one right now, and loves it, but when he saw that I had a pacifier for the baby—one that I had bought for him and he refused to use—he decided he wanted it, but he just chews on it because it's too small. What a kid. The last picture is of a burp cloth I made for the baby. I might eventually get around to practicing my quilting skills on it, which was the whole purpose of making it this way. Regardless, I just love it, and can't wait to use it!

We are all doing well around here even though Cody is swamped with paper writing.  Although last night when I told Seb it was time for his bath, he ran up to the bedroom where Cody was studying with the door shut, knocked several times and said, "Dada bath! Goba juwe u!" and then kept knocking until Cody came to the door. Cody, the usual bath-giver, explained to Seb that he didn't have time tonight, and then after a few minutes, went back into the bedroom and closed the door. As soon as the door closed, Seb looked at me and said, "nooo nooo nooo, bath!" I'm pretty sure Cody's heart was breaking.

As for me, I've gotten much more tired in these late weeks of pregnancy, which is making it very difficult to make good eating choices and, since sleeping isn't so fun anymore, I end up squandering Seb's nap time away, trying to get motivated to work out and do something productive, like oh, get ready for this baby! I just keep saying, "Okay, tomorrow." Maybe tomorrow will be better.

But we have been keeping busy, and in a good way, despite our weird schedule. Seb and I were able to attend my women's bible study again yesterday morning for the first time in weeks, which was really nice. Today is another story time at the library, and Thursday we're going strawberry picking! Saturday is the farmer's market, where Seb just loves to listen to the street musicians, and well, Friday? I'm sure we'll find something to do...

The best recent news is that Cody's new glasses finally shipped. I am entirely too excited for my own good, and can't wait to show you what ones he picked!

I hope you're having a lovely week.

Baby #2 | Some thoughts near the end

Some mostly giddy thoughts, and one 3rd trimester reality I can’t ever seem to be prepared for, as I enter week 32...

Reality

Wow, sleeping is just a nuisance... I wish I didn’t have to sleep. This thought surprised me when I was pregnant with Seb, and just yesterday surprised me again. Apparently I’m a slow learner. There just comes a point in pregnancy when your stomach is so heavy, it’s almost painful to roll over because of that split second when all the weight of your baby/amniotic fluid/placenta crush all the rest of your internal organs, and then there’s the bathroom trips every 30 minutes to 2 hours in the middle of the night, which inevitably hit in the middle of your sleep cycle. I’m shocked I haven’t fallen over or run into a wall in the middle of the night!

Giddiness

There is another little soul in there! I think this often now, thanks to Bethany who, when she held Sebastian a few days after his birth, exclaimed in wonderment, “He’s an immortal soul!” Thanks, Bethany, It’s one of our favorite memories of Seb’s first week of life outside the womb.

We get to name a human being. Yes, I’ve already done it once, but it just amazes me to think about it. I love names, and to me, this is an extremely important and exciting job. It just hit me recently how near we are to decision time, and makes me giddy to think about bringing a little baby home from the birthing center and having him be a part of our lives, name and all. Also, a few little hints on our names: We love Saints names, I particularly seem to like names that show up in Disney movies, and most of the names on our list sound like old man names. Yea. How excited are you!?

That moment when I’m doing some mundane, run-of-the-mill task, like brushing my teeth just hours after the baby is born, and thinking, “I’ve done it! The baby is here! He’s right over there and I’m just brushin’ my teeth!” Goodness, that’s just one of the best feelings.

And finally,

Hhmm... this baby is due June 20th. Okay, I have just about 2 months exactly. Cool. Wait a minute... Seb was due June 15th, but he was born on May 29th. So technically, this baby could come in ONE MONTH, not two... Someone please tell me how to prepare for this baby’s birth.

One thing is certain, 

I am positively giddy about this new baby. What will he look like? What will we name him? 

Oh my gosh he’s going to be sooooo tiny!

I can’t wait.

Home | A taste of the boys' room

Cody giddily repeats "the boys..." any time I say it in reference to what our lives are going to be like in about 10 weeks. It's pretty darn cute. So naturally, we talk about "the boys'" room a lot. When my mom was here she worked tirelessly to dream up and make a gorgeous curtain for the nursery, and helped me put up a couple shelves. The curtain is made out of striped fabric she found on the cheap-o at an auction last Fall and an old set of black out curtains from Cody's parents. The shelves are made of simple brackets from Home Depot and a couple old steps from my parents house before they updated the staircase. I wonder how many times I fell down those steps...? She also took some of our towels that didn't absorb very well, along with some fabric that I had, and made 2 perfect changing pads that fit on top of the dresser and can also be rolled up to take for traveling. The woman practically begged me for more projects. It's been so lovely in that room ever since. I've still got a few things in the works, so I plan to give you a better tour once I can manage to finish it and get a few nice pictures. Seb is really into sneaking up towards me when I'm taking pictures and jamming his finger right onto the lens, so if you notice a smudge, you can thank him.

It's amazing what you (or in this case, my mom) can do with little money and a lot of ingenuity! Thanks, Mom!

Home | 27 weeks part II: Mommy's "ball" edition.

It finally happened. Sebastian realized tonight that something was not quite right with my belly, walked towards me, pointed, and said, "ball!"

He can spot a ball even in the most unusual places, and just when I think he can't get any more adorable...

Home | 27 weeks

Relaxing on our patio with a good book, freshly painted toenails and my 3rd trimester tummy. 

Can't wait to meet my little boy.

And a gem for you from my book, because who knew that The Sword in the Stone was much much more than a fun Disney movie...?

"The day after Sir Grummore's visit was hot, sweltering for the men who toiled from milking to milking and then again till sunset in their battle with the sultry element. For the hay was an element to them, like sea or air, in which they bathed and plunged themselves and which they even breathed in. The seeds and small scraps stuck in their hair, their mouths, their nostrils, and worked, tickling, inside their clothes. They did not wear many clothes, and the shadows between their sliding muscles were blue on the nut-brown skins." 

—The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White

Pregnant | Baby likes bananas

We kind of buy an insane amount of bananas around here. Note that 3 have already been eaten since I bought them at 5:30 last night. It used to be all Sebastian, but I've jumped on board as of late and eat probably twice as many as he. In case you're wondering, we'll be fortunate to make these last a week.

My sister is on her way to N.C. as we speak, so I'd better get back to work. Not that I've been doing much (hello, three posts in one day!?)...

Little One | Trousers

This is the sweetest collection of little pants I've ever seen. I'm already thinking about what I'm going to put little boy in for my brother's wedding this summer. I'm thinking flouncy linen or cotton pants, a lightweight button down, and a homemade bowtie. As for Sebastian, it will be his first gig as the ringbearer!

P.S. I love this polo!

Home | A jumble of things

cody and seb at the park this weekend.

My head was filled with such a random bunch of things for the last several days, that I've avoided blogging like it's the plague. As a result, you're going to get a few different things. Okay, maybe I'll be able to keep it to two.

kissing baby peter

Let's start with the really good stuff. Namely, this boy has his first baby doll (just this morning!), and it's possibly the cutest thing. I got it out of the chest in our room, due to this post on babies. He got so excited and instantly tried to make him sit down. This proved a little difficult, as he wasn't quite sure how to move his legs, but once mommy helped, they sat facing each other and chatted for a while. Since then, he has learned to change baby's diaper, and not even by my prompting! Seb took the baby into his room, got out his diaper changing mat, and laid the baby on it. Maybe he thinks that the baby can stand in for him on all future diaper changes... let's face it, that's probably the real reason he was so excited.

I would still like to get a soft-bodied doll before the baby comes, just so that Sebastian, 1) has more of a life-size baby, and 2) can more easily dress and change the baby.

baby's turn...

...sebastian's turn! Indicative of good sharing skills??

Also, I hope this little series isn't indicative of the mischievous way he's planning to interact with his baby brother... yes, that just happened.

Secondly, speaking of baby brother, my head is swimming with all the boy names in the world. As I suspected, naming our little guys is seemingly impossible. Cody and I each have about 2.5 names that we like, and guess what, our lists don't match. Do you have a difficult time coming up with baby names? As I told Cody, there are a lot of names that I love enough to name my favorite pet, or would be ecstatic to hear on my friend's new baby, etc., but none that I want to give this boy strecker child. Fortunately, the name drought might be nearing an end, as I've managed to stumble on a few amazing naming sites.

You Can't Call It "It"
Nameberry
Waltzing More Than Matilda 
Baby Names From Yesteryear (favorite alert!)
and an old favorite Appellation Mountain

Do you find it more difficult to name boys or girls? Any favorites that you can't use due to bad initials, funny sounding, or other weird reasons? Someone use the name, Grahame, please, because we don't want our baby to sound like a tasty cracker treat used for smores.

21 weeks & 2 days

I can't exactly balance my cup on my stomach without assistance, but we're getting there. At times it seems that this pregnancy is flying. And then I have to remind myself that I still have quite a ways to go. Most agree that the second trimester is the easiest time in a pregnancy, and I would have to agree, although I still have bouts of exhaustion that come out of nowhere, and sleeping extra doesn't seem to help. My days have been filled with lots of reading about birth, taking Seb for walks, him trying to convince me that it's way more fun to just run around instead of riding in the stroller for an hour—it's not, Seb, it's just not (I love that kid)—and doing battle with my grocery budget. It's getting warmer here, and that's always a reason to rejoice. I'm looking forward to when the mornings get a little less chilly, and Seb and I can just throw on light jackets and go out right after breakfast. We could do that now, but I've become such a weather wimp.

In other news, I am almost giddy about the women's retreat that I'll be going on this weekend, although I get so sad when I think of leaving Seb for the weekend. Thankfully my in-laws will be coming to help take care of the little guy, and it makes me feel better knowing how much fun he is going to have, and that Cody will be able to get some work done, too. Have you ever been on a women's retreat? I still feel almost funny that I'm going, since for some reason or another I still feel like a college girl. You're not in college anymore, Mary. I'm hoping that it will be a time filled with good fellowship, and honestly, a lot of time on my own to read and write. This girl needs to figure out some life-things, and pray about what it's going to be like to have two wonderful bubs. Do you have more than one child? Any advice or things I should think about? Thanks to the friends who have already given me encouragement and advice. Keep it coming, please! Or even if you just have or will have one child soon, anything that you've been thinking about?

Thanks, Katie, for your post this morning. I'm still in my yoga pants!

Say hello to my little heartbreaker no. 2

That's right. We have another little boy, which means Cody and I were both dead wrong. But hey, at least there's no losing when it comes to the sex of your baby, since this is undoubtedly one of those win-win situations. In fact, Cody and I treated ourselves to circus peanuts and chocolate, respectively, just for being parents times two. In short, we are in love with his cute little self already. And in more good news, my due date was moved from June 20th to June 9th, which means I'm 20 weeks! Hooray for being half-way and not even knowing it.

So it looks like I'm going to have to throw out my ideas of infusing some florals into the nursery. Sebastian is doing a little dance. Not really, but if he understood florals, he would be.