How the New Year's Eve 5K went

A few minutes after finishing, just before midnight!

I ran the whole thing! My official time was 32:34, and I finished about in the middle of the pack. It was great--definitely the coolest way I've ever spent New Year's Eve! I'm so thankful for First Flight. The hard part now will be staying motivated and continuing to run. The next race is not for a long time, and First Flight isn't meeting for a few weeks. I am also getting tired of running around my hilly little neighborhood, and need to find a better place to go. I want Jordan to run with me, but Robert makes that hard. We might buy another jogging stroller when we get our tax refund. We had one and weren't using it so we sold it. Oops!

Blurry pic of me crossing the finish line

My mom and dad kept the girls for the night, but Jordan came with me and held the baby. He had a bad cold, too. Poor sweet Jordy.

And, I wasn't going to write about this, but... Have you ever been in a race and realized you were the pacesetter for someone else? A lot of the people who ran the Resolution Run didn't run the whole thing. 30+ minutes is a long time to run if you aren't used to it, so some people alternated running and walking. There was this one (really skinny, taller, younger) girl who was ahead of me, and about a mile in she started taking walking breaks. I was running at a pretty constant pace. Whenever I'd get past her, two seconds later she'd start running again and would get ahead of me. This happened at least five times. Finally I think she got ahead of me by a minute or two and I didn't see her again, which was fine. It happened to a lesser extent with a pair of runners who finished a couple of minutes after I did. Anyway, it sort of psyched me out during the race. I'm not sure why. I mean, I was trying to run my own race but they were distracting! Also, I may have done this same thing to someone else a couple of months ago in a longer walk/run and now I feel like a jerk. Is this a common thing? I might need horse blinders or hypnosis for next time.

For Jordan on Father's Day

Thanks once again to Jenn for this photo and the next two

Dear Jordan,

You never, in three pregnancies, missed a prenatal appointment I asked you to go to with me. Which was most of them, especially for the first two. You also never complained about going to any Blessingway, maternity clothes shopping trip, or on a grocery store run for ice cream, lemons or brownie mix. You just went with a smile on your face. Even during missed sporting events.

I saw, and still remember, the look in your eyes as I tried to push Suzi out in the hospital.

You never questioned whether I really needed a homebirth the second time, because of the cost, because it required such a huge leap of faith out of our comfort zone. Never wavered in your support. When other people said things that stressed me out, you defended our choice to them.

You attended childbirth class with me faithfully. Three different pregnancies, three different classes, hours and hours of education. And for the last one you even read me my Hypnobabies scripts without the first giggle, serious as could be.

You helped me make belly casts. Offered to paint my toenails. Told me you like the way I look with a baby in the belly.


You gracefully stayed quiet and out of the way when you sensed that was what I needed during my birthing time. Focused on me and did whatever I asked. Heat packs, rolling pins, counter pressure, just a quiet presence. You respected the process.

I loved watching you hold our babies for the first time. I held them first and you never rushed me for your turn. With Suzi it was nervously perched in a hard hospital chair. The second time was lying in bed cuddling Ivey with your shirt off. And then by the third baby, it was in the water with me and you were an old pro. It is amazing watching you fall in love with your babies, and grow wiser and stronger as a father and as a person. You are such a strong, solid presence in our children's lives.


The day after the last two births you were in the kitchen encapsulating a placenta and telling me not to worry, it wasn't gross.

You mastered the Moby Wrap and Ergo and even wear our lavender wrap without complaining.


Of course, there's also all the getting up early with the baby, and watching the kids so I can have a break, and taking them with you to the store during the first days after the baby was born and far, far beyond.


You put me and our children before yourself. You're always there for us. No wonder everybody loves you. No wonder I want more children. It couldn't be any more amazing, thanks to you.

I love you so much. Thanks for everything.

Jenny

Pretty cool guy

I meant to do a post for Father's Day, but it was a stressful time and I didn't get it done. Actually, I didn't get much of anything done. But here are some pictures of Jordan and Ivey (at the Celtic rock concert at the Highland Games).

He changes lots of diapers and doesn't complain. He holds Ivey and does the Daddy Dance to get her to sleep at night when she's cranky. He cuddles with her in bed so I can roll over, and when I've had a hard day he puts Ivey in the Ergo so I can take a break. (Jordan is better at babywearing than I am!) He brushes Suzi's teeth and "goes to work to get money." (I didn't tell Suzi he made money because I didn't want her to get the idea that her Daddy printed counterfeit bills for a living.) Last summer he was so supportive during Ivey's homebirth and then he encapsulated my placenta all by himself. He insisted on doing it and said it was no big deal.

Yep, Daddy is a pretty cool guy. We love him.

Our fifth

The only picture from our wedding I have on this computer

Today was our fifth wedding anniversary. Right now five years ago, Jordan and I were leaving our reception. Our friends and family waved goodbye from the front porch of our venue, and then laughed when Jordan dutifully stopped at a stop sign five or so yards from where our car was parked. We drove to the tiny, I mean cozy apartment we would share and Jordan had cleaned it earlier that day so it would be nice when we got back. We drove to Atlanta to spend the night, and we stopped for McDonald's Happy Meals on the way because we got hungry. I still have those happy meal toys somewhere. We took a shower at the hotel in Atlanta and I started crying when I realized I'd left my deodorant at home. I freak out if I take a shower and don't have any deodorant. Jordan went down to the front desk and asked, can I please have some complimentary deodorant? For my wife? If you'll notice how young he looks in the picture, you'll see why we got some strange looks. We still do when people see us with our two kids.

Ah, 20-year-old Jenny. There are so many things I could tell her. To spend less money and more time, to complain less and forgive more, to realize that she is really skinny and enjoy it because it won't last much longer. And then of course, you're going to have a daughter in a couple of years! Try home birth. It's not crazy, you'll like it! Don't get me started on that. We both had a lot to learn and still do. I guess I should just be happy we are figuring it out now, year by year. I wonder what we'll be thinking when we've been married ten years...

Christmas ornament nurse-in

Here are the rest of them...

Babywearing Daddy came along for moral support (and beside him, Mary is nursing baby Jesus, because as Julie pointed out some time ago, Jesus was breastfed). The Daddy ornament is for Jordan, and that's our Storchenwiege he's wearing, which is his favorite carrier at the moment. Recently we went to see New Moon and he wore (sleeping) Ivey in the wrap the entire time. It was so awesome.

I've made a couple of other things too, but I'll save them for another post.

A Copper or Two--my husband's blog!

I told Jordan a couple of years ago that he needed to start a blog, but he wasn't into the idea. I gave up on it, but then a couple of weeks ago I happened upon something interesting. I was logging in to blog, and when I went to the Blogger dashboard I saw someone else's info. Then I realized it was my husband Jordan's, and there was the name of a blog on it: A Copper or Two! I couldn't believe he had started a blog without telling me. When I clicked on it, nothing had been done. No posts, no header, nothing. But what a cute name! I asked him about it later, and he said he'd seen a news story about people who had written about saving the money they'd found on the ground and donating it, and he'd thought about trying it himself. Then he'd found nothing.

I recently convinced him that this was a waste. He's a DIY kind of guy. He made my nursing stool and built a media center computer for us, and likes to find ways to get free stuff. I think he's a smart guy. Today he's writing his very first post and I'm excited for him. He'll blog about things we've found, some ideas we've tried out to save money, and maybe talk about our family too.

Here is his first post at his new blog, A Copper or Two!

And before I get busy helping him with his new header and stuff, here's one thing I have to say about yard sales. You should go to them, and go late. This is what my brother taught me when I went to the sales with him in college. If you shop late, like around 11:00, the sellers want to ensure that they don't get stuck with a bunch of leftovers and will be more likely to give you a good deal. You may even want to start out at 7:00 or so, and if you see something you like that is a little pricey you can go back near the end of the sale to see if the seller is more willing to negotiate. Here are our goodies from just one of our favorite sales yesterday:

The muscadines in the background are from Jordan's dad, not a yard sale

Suzi'll love these

We got all this and a little more for just $5! It was a good, good day that reaffirmed what we already knew: trust God and He will get you what you need. See Jordan's blog for our big find!

Real men wear lavender

The other day when Ivey was crying and could no longer console herself by breastfeeding, Jordan picked up our Moby Wrap and asked me to help him "get this thing on." This particular wrap is lavender, but he didn't let that deter him. Now he's more practiced than I am at using the wrap, and he frequently carries Ivey in it to give me a break (she wants to be held a lot). Sometimes he even does housework at the same time.

We went to our local consignment sale recently and realized when we got out of the van that both our girls were asleep--yay! We put Suzi in the umbrella stroller and switched it to the recline position, and then Jordan carried Ivey in the Moby Wrap (we have another one that's black and green, which he prefers). I got to shop until I was tired without so much as a peep out of the girls. We got so many great deals! My Jordy is awesome and I love to see him bonding with our babies.

So, guys, don't write off wraps just because you think it's a girl thing. Wear your baby in that wrap! It may feel embarrassing to you, but it's sexy to your wife.

What we've been doing (nesting, mostly)

I've only got about a month left until my due date. Wow! We're having a baby next month! Maybe this is why I've been so fired up about cleaning and organizing lately. I've been keeping a to-do list up on the computer screen every day I'm off work, and most days I get everything or almost everything done. Yesterday I did things like organize the (once cluttered) dining room, clean out the fridge, go grocery shopping, and did regular stuff like dishes and laundry and vacuuming, plus a few other things. Jordan helps with all this. I am sure he is overjoyed each morning when he comes downstairs and sees my list staring him in the face! (Do daddies nest too? I know they sometimes have morning sickness and gain weight, but neither of those have happened to him this time.) He has been a pretty good sport, and even got up at 6:30 this morning to take some things up to the attic for me. He has the day off Monday and will be doing yard work.

Suzi is contributing in a big way, too. She frequently says "I can help you!" and will pick up her toys and complete simple tasks most of the time. But that's not all she's done. Our little girl is using the potty! I don't know what to say about this, really. I mean, she's 25 months old and in the past month she's gone from not wanting to potty consistently at all (when I say "not want" I mean kicking, screaming, crying, saying "I want diaper!") to using the potty with 97% success. Yesterday I took her to the babywearing meeting at the library and she even went to the potty there. We have a special little seat for her, recommended by Hobo Mama. It works great! I know I'm probably not qualified to give advice, seeing as how we arrived here through sheer dumb luck after we happened to be blessed with a potty prodigy, and most of you who are still potty training probably want to slap me right now. But just in case we did a thing or two right, I'll share what helped Suzi in a future post. We are so happy about not having to deal with diapers anymore that we are hoping to implement elimination communication early on with Ivey.

And the picture... This is Suzi playing with her little cousin Anna, who is about five months old. Isn't she beautiful? Aunt Jeanie brought Anna over to visit at my mom's house the other day. Suzi just loves Anna and I'm hoping she has as much fun playing with Ivey later. We are all so happy because on my dad's side, there has been a sudden baby boom--and all girls! This Christmas at the farm there will be four sweet little ones: Suzi, Olivia, Anna, and Ivey!

Probably too many updates for one post

We are up early to do laundry and house-clean in preparation for our beach trip. There is so much going on right now so here is a quick update, along with some pictures of our two-year-old girl! I meant to post about it sooner, but I've been trying to spend more time with Suzi now before the baby comes in a few weeks. She doesn't care, obviously, whether or not I blog about her birthday. She just wants me to read "What's Wrong, Little Pookie" 50 times in a row. And sing Baby Beluga.

In no particular order...

1) MONEY is coming to our state, despite our governor! I am happy.

2) I am 31 weeks plus several days pregnant. Last night I had a bunch of Braxton-Hicks contractions and was almost worried, but they went away. The baby is moving a lot and making my belly into funny shapes. I have no belly button anymore. Last time I was so READY by now to be done, but this time I'm honestly not. I've still got things to do!

3) During an extreme bout of nesting last Sunday, I (with Jordan's help) completely reorganized Suzi's room. It went from being a storage area to a cute little playroom. Suzi can listen to her music (mostly Baby Beluga on repeat), color, read books, and play with dolls. Later I will be breastfeeding Ivey on the futon or letting her sit in her bouncy seat or have tummy time while big sister Suzi plays. I just love that room! It's the only one in the house that's really orderly right now. Pictures later.

4) Jordan and I finished our childbirth education classes with Caryn, who was recommended by my midwife. We learned a lot and I feel so much more prepared this time for the birth! It's appalling how clueless I actually was last time. So here is my advice if you want a natural hospital birth: DON'T take the classes the hospital offers! I will have to blog more about this later, as it can easily be its own post.

5) This is the big one... One of our friends has known for a while that she needed a kidney transplant, and we recently got the call that Jordan is a match. While we are at the beach, we are going to MUSC so he can undergo two days of rigorous testing. They want to be sure not only that his kidney will work for Vicky, but that he will continue to be healthy with only one kidney left (most donors live totally normal lives after donation). If things go well, we will probably be doing this in the fall--after Ivey's birth. Please pray that everything will work out.

6) We're going to see two of our favorite bands tonight at the ceilidh of the Greenville Highland Games. I was sort of sad we weren't going to Grandfather Mountain like last year, because it's too close to my due date, but this will be even better. There'll be less cigarette smoke. Obviously I will not be wearing my nursing bodice this year; maybe this fall.

7) We are going to the beach with Jordan's parents, and guess what? I have multiple bathing suits that fit. I really thought that at this late date my belly would be popping out of even maternity suits, but I tried them on last night and the whole thing is covered! Victory! I also have a cute cover-up that I can wear to the edge of the water and rip off right before I jump in. This is Suzi's first beach trip so we are excited to share it with her.

8) And of course, Suzi turned two May 30th! I can't believe what a big kid she is now. She pee-peed in the potty yesterday and we are hopeful that Prudence the Potty Doll and her video are going to help us get things going in the right direction. We spent her birthday with both sets of grandparents at the zoo and it was fun. She fed a giraffe and a goat, rode the carousel, and enjoyed a beautiful Winnie the Pooh cake. She blew the candles out like a pro before we'd finished singing. Happy Birthday Suzi!

Pride cometh before you find the book right where you left it

First of all, I borrowed this book from a friend and was really enjoying it. I kept it on the end table in our living room and read it whenever I had time. I had several other books I was reading too, though, so it was taking me a while to finish. Then it got lost. When I tried to remember the last time I had it, I decided it was right before Jordan's parents came to visit. "I left it right here on this table!" I insisted. "It's been there for weeks!" Just before they arrived, Jordan had done a lot of straightening up in the living room, so it only made sense that he must have moved it somewhere. He agreed it was possible, but that he didn't remember putting it anywhere.

I was ticked. How dare he move my book and not even have the courtesy to put it in a normal place! I kept bringing it up, too. Talking about how worried I was about finding the book. Wondering out loud where on earth he might have put it since it wasn't on any of the bookshelves, which it stands to reason is a sensible place to put a book. I even went as far as to ask why he felt it was necessary to move the book, and if he was worried someone would see it. Ridiculous!

So today at work I started thinking maybe I'd just order a new book and admit I'd lost (I mean, that my husband had lost) the one I borrowed. There were several different ones available on several different sites, though, and I was unsure exactly which would be the best to get. So I decided I would just do whatever I had to do this afternoon to find the book. I prayed for God to please help me find it.

When I got home I searched the van (again), the hall closet, and on top of the china cabinet. Then I looked down and saw a yellow laundry hamper with some Whole Foods bags in the side pocket. It was the hamper I took to the consignment sale. And while I waited in line that day, what was I reading but... the book. Which was in the side pocket behind the bags. I was so happy to have found it that I didn't mind calling Jordan to apologize. He just sweetly said "it's okay." Just like I knew he would. It's one of my favorite things about him.

P.S. I've been really lacking in pictures lately (our camera broke so we got a new one and I'm still not quite used to it), so here are a couple of belly shots. I am getting all kinds of fun comments on my belly. A couple of days ago the courier at work said "it seems like you get bigger every time I see you!" I also had, from a woman who'd just had a baby herself, "and it's just one baby?" The worst was a lady who asked my due date and then said "I feel so sorry for you!" (Um, thanks but I've never been happier?) I have been getting more exercise this time and am eating healthier, so I really didn't think this would happen again! I have to say, though, that several people have asked how far along I am and then said "really, well, you look great!" (I love you. There should be more people like you in the world.) My favorite thing about the big belly stage is that the baby moves a lot. I just love feeling that! Jordan pokes Ivey and Ivey pokes back, just like her big sister did in utero.

4/22. 25 weeks, 2 days. Told Jordan not to take picture.

Today. 26 weeks, 4 days. I really don't think it's that huge of a belly.

Married to a geek

I know I've said we don't have cable, but I haven't said much about what we do have. Jordan made us a home theater PC. He custom built it for around $300 in parts he ordered online. At first I questioned whether we needed to make such a large purchase for entertainment, but we had a little extra money at the time (it was a few months ago) and some of it was his birthday money. For Jordan, half the fun was putting it all together. Some guys enjoy golfing, but Jordan prefers geeking. (Although he does enjoy golf too.)

This thing, which is a little smaller than a regular PC, does a lot for us. Most importantly, it contains a digital tuner so we can watch TV with our antenna. He put Windows Media Center on it, which allows us to view something kind of like the TV Guide channel--something I missed from having cable. I like to see what's coming on so I don't miss something important. But you know what's cool? Just like TiVo, we can set it to record shows. Jordan records Everybody Loves Raymond for me so I can watch it whenever I get bored, and we also record American Idol, which is handy because I often fall asleep near the end of it. Last night Suzi was watching Mary Poppins and we didn't want to cut her off unexpectedly, so we recorded American Idol while she watched Mary Poppins. Then we turned Idol on and fast-forwarded through the commercials!

And my favorite thing is that we can stream Netflix right onto our TV. Anyone can stream it onto their computer, but who wants to watch a movie in front of a computer monitor? We pay $9.95 a month to get one DVD at a time and unlimited streaming, which is still cheaper than renting a movie at Blockbuster and then having to pay full price for it after forgetting to take it back for like a year. Most of Netflix's movies and shows are not streamable, but we are discovering all kinds of fun stuff to watch.

So I'm proud of Jordan. The picture is of him giving Phibby a mani-pedi (well, pedi-pedi) earlier tonight. I don't have a picture of him putting a computer together.

It's like you're a hobo or something

This was a remark made to my husband by one of his coworkers yesterday. Apparently, Jordan was digging through the recycling bin at the office looking for Coke caps. He likes to enter the codes online to get free stuff. When he told me that I laughed and suggested we visit the local recycling center to see what we could get there. It was rather disappointing--we only found seven or eight caps, because people are required to remove them before the bottles can be recycled.

As we drove around talking and looking for recycling bins, we reminisced about some of the finds we've made in the past. During a particularly hot summer in a particularly stuffy apartment, one of our fellow tenants who was moving out left a like-new rotating fan out by the dumpster. We picked it up and it's made the rounds--our apartment, my mother's house, Jordan's work. Generally, the best time to dumpster-shop (in most any college town, I'd imagine) is right after move-out at the start of summer, and again during move-in in the fall. People leave furniture and all kinds of things they decided at the last minute not to take home or use. We've never actually been in a dumpster--but not everyone shrinks from it.

The things that show up in our lives for free (or nearly free) amaze me. We've seen over and over that if we spend our money wisely (and, usually, even if we don't) God will get us what we need one way or another.

As people in this country are realizing that, heaven forbid, they are about to be forced to wear last year's clothes, and are calling this a negative change in our standard of living, I am wondering if it's not a good thing. There are people out there buying their teenagers Hummers to drive. Women are having biweekly mani-pedis. Everything is disposable. We've had it coming.

The only way a lot of people will save money is if they no longer have it to spend. For some, this means the credit cards are maxed out. For us, it was realizing we may need to use a credit card one day soon if we didn't watch it. We reevaluated our priorities and I am proud of our progress.

As Christians, we try to stay out of debt as much as possible. It is clear to me that excessive spending, especially when it leads to debt, is not what God wants for us. Debt makes us slaves to someone or something other than God. It dictates where our money goes, and that means we are less and less able to use it to help others. This is the reason behind the way of life of the Burts, whose blog I linked near the top of this post. They make plenty of money to live a wasteful lifestyle, but have made the decision not to.

I have no doubt that our current financial situation will change for the better eventually, but for us personally, it isn't bad now. This is just an opportunity to get creative! We've made a game of it, seeing what expenditures we can avoid and how much we can save on groceries each week. My favorite book at the moment is The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. (Find a cheap used copy on Amazon or half.com.) The woman is a genius. If you are concerned about our country's financial climate, I highly suggest you order this book. It will save you money, but think of the larger goal: A simpler life. Less waste. A healthier environment. It's all connected.

Jingle Bell Rocks

Today Jordan and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary! My parents kept Suzi for the day so we could do whatever we wanted. After going through a long list of activities we didn't want to do because they were more fun with Suzi (like the aquarium) we settled on gem mining. I'd never done it and Jordan had been as a child and loved it. We went to a little place up in North Carolina and found a bunch of pretty rocks...



I don't think we found anything that will make us millionaires, but we had fun!

I am so behind on blogging. I really didn't mean to leave it for so long! Since it's only a week until Christmas and I have a big pile of gifts to wrap, a house to clean, and a Suzi to chase, it may not get better right away. I'm going to go now and continue spending time with Jordy!

Baby Daddy

It happened again. On his way home from work, Jordan stopped to buy groceries and a lady mistook him for a Bi-Lo employee. Jordan told her he wasn’t, but helped her get the big box she needed anyway. He’d hate for the fact he doesn’t work somewhere to stop him from delivering excellent customer service.

This is the fourth or fifth time it's happened since I’ve known Jordan. In the past year he was asked in one store where the fruit cups were kept, and in Target, whether or not they carried Lee jeans. I think his sweet babyface is to blame. (Suzi is going to have the same problem when she grows up.) Let’s face it, he looks young! At first glance, people figure he's about 16 and what are 16-year-olds doing in grocery stores? Picking up dinner for their families? No, they’re working there.

He’s even been asked a couple of times if Suzi was his baby sister. Uh, no!

Then there was the time in the UK section of Epcot, when my dad wanted ale and Jordan and I went to pick up the food. When Jordan requested ale the server gave us a troubled look and, in her lovely accent, asked "Who's the ale for?" Well, it was for my dad but it didn't matter. We were both 21! Boy was she surprised when he pulled out his ID!

So just in case you see this man, who is turning 24 this month, by the way, and he’s carrying Suzi around, please don’t ask him if he’s watching baby sister for Mommy!

My first home-haircut since 1987!

I was reading Daniel and Amanda Burts' blog about a week ago and he was describing how entertaining it was when his wife cut his hair. (This is the same couple who were on Oprah about a month ago talking about Freeganism.) I couldn't imagine myself cutting Jordan's hair, but I agreed it would be funny if nothing else. So I brought it up in the car one day. "Jordan," I said, "I was reading a blog that suggested cutting your hair myself would be a good way to save money. So I'll do it for ya later, okay?" I didn't expect him to say yes. He said "No really, you can cut it, and even if it turns out wrong I can just buzz it!"

The haircut was our entertainment this evening. It took me a solid hour, but I think I did okay for a first try!
My last haircut was in my bedroom floor when I was three years old. It was my own hair and it looked pretty ugly. I had just watched The Parent Trap, which ought to be rated PG-13. My mom came in and cried, "Jenny, what have you done?!?" and I said, "But Mama, I just wanted to look like Sharon."

I'm not planning to turn Jordan loose on my hair yet.