Planting our tree

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Rafael finally got to do something that he has been itching to do since we moved in…plant a tree. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to plant a tree so badly. “Our backyard is a forest preserve!” I thought. But there was something about planting a tree on our property that made it feel uniquely his. So, in celebration of moving in one year ago, we set out on an arbor adventure.

We (by we, I mean Rafael did the labor while I watched) tore out an old sandbox, which ended up being the perfect spot for some new life. We went to our local garden center and picked out a variegated Norwegian maple. We learned as much as we could remember from the expert at the store (did you know trees should be planted in a square hole – never round?!) we went home to put it in the ground.

It was really important to Rafael that the tree be planted the same year as our daughter is born. It’s “her” tree now. The fact that it’s a Norwegian is a nod to Grandma C. I love that this tree will be the marker of memories in our backyard for many years to come.

On the river

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77 and sunny = the perfect day to play hookey from work and go tubing with the family!

 

Chapstick, ID, phone.

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There is a direct correlation between how pregnant I get and my purse size. The amount of stuff I’m willing to carry decreases as my belly size increases. My wonderful husband is always willing to carry my laptop, my lunch or my files…but never my purse. (I’ve got him on record saying he will help carry the baby’s diaper bag, but that’s a different story.)

I’ve stripped down to the bare essentials for my daily trips: chapstick, license, debit card, Target debit card, work badge, cell phone, gum and Tums.

That’s it. When Rafael has something in his teeth, I can’t offer him dental floss. When a coworker spills on her shirt, I can’t whip out a Tide ToGo pen. When I want to show someone a old photo, I can’t pull out my external hard drive and call it up on the nearest laptop.

I figure that the weight of the baby is enough extra weight for my poor body to handle. I feel like a man, with only the items in my pocket and ingenuity. I also have considerably less neck and shoulder pain. My  my chiropractor also has a little less business than usual.

Hot, hot, hot

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I knew I would be hot this summer. (After all, that metaphor about having a bun in the oven had to come from some nugget of truth.) But I didn’t expect to be this hot! I have spent the better part of these 90 degree days convincing myself that it was mostly in my head…that this weather wasn’t that bad…

I felt validated when I saw this headline in the Star Tribune today:

Sweatin’ out the summer: Impressively oppressive: The fifth-warmest July came with record misery measurements

“July was the fifth-hottest July on record in the Twin Cities. Thanks to copious rain and humidity, the midsummer discomfort approached epic proportions, even without record-setting temperatures. August usually brings some relief, but Monday’s downpours and dew points didn’t seem to reverse any trends. And for better or worse, summer’s a long way from over.”

Yet another reason to say, “Hurry up, October!”

Goodnight, Grandma Lila

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I am finally back in the land of Minnesota after spending a bit more time in Iowa than expected. I got there on Wednesday night to begin the festivities for Jennifer and Mike’s wedding. Unfortunately, as we were celebrating the union of two lives, we also had to say goodbye as another life came to an end.

Grandma has been pretty sick for the past seven months. As my mom said, she had just about everything except for diabetes and cancer. Her heart, lungs, bladder, bones, stomach, kidneys and even brain (three strokes) had been afflicting her, but she kept coming back. Each time a little slower than the last, but she came back.

In the past month, we could see the recovery was taking longer. The family began making sure we cherished our time together. Even though we all got together for Easter, we got together again to celebrate the Fourth of July and Grandma’s 86th birthday with a big picnic. She was looking forward to celebrating Jennifer’s big wedding. We all were praying that she would continue having good days and that she would be able to make an appearance.

In a last burst of strength, she tried on her wedding outfit the Tuesday before the wedding. She looked at herself in the mirror – “Is that me?” she asked jokingly while she admired the pretty floral print. Her health quickly changed and suddenly on Wednesday it seemed that she was nearing the end. I gathered up my sisters and brother and we went to Fredericksburg to see her one more time.

In her last lucid moments last Wednesday, grandma told everyone that she didn’t want them to be sad, but to celebrate the wedding – so we did. The wedding was beautiful and Jennifer had a perfect day. It was such a joy to witness two lives coming together to honor the Lord. The family, especially Grandpa, enjoyed celebrating the start of their life together. We all did the chicken dance together at the reception. Grandma passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, after Grandpa returned to her bedside.

As sad as our whole family is, I am thankful that her entrance to heaven was so peaceful and that God’s timing was just so perfect. As I was praying for God’s timing, I didn’t know what I was asking God for. More time? Less? I don’t know. In my head, there wasn’t a perfect time. But God knew and He brought her home right at the right time.

We celebrated her life on Monday and Tuesday. We wore purple instead of black and my aunt gave us pretty handkerchiefs to stick up our sleeve just like Grandma always did. I was able to look through photos and create a video that showed off a few highlights of Grandma’s life and family. My sis kept busy making sure everyone was fed, just like she knows Grandma would have insisted on. Beth and I sang “Goodnight Ladies” for her. I told the pastor about verses in Proverbs 31 that made me think of Grandma and the pastor based her sermon around them:

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

And now, back in Minnesota, I realize that the hard part wasn’t saying goodbye. It will be in the moments I realize Grandma won’t be there. We won’t take a photo of her holding my baby, her 27th great-grandchild. Rafael won’t ever have the experience of celebrating Christmas in her basement. I’ll have to learn the second verse of “Playmates” from someone else. I won’t get to learn all her recipes from her, but I did find a couple that she wrote down for me as I looked through my recipe box tonight.

But when I miss her, I will never forget to cling to the hope we shared in Jesus:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. -2 Timothy 4:7-8

See you later, Grandma. I love you.

Never sleeping again

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I used to have one of the greatest blessings in life – the gift of being able to sleep well. Being a heavy sleeper has been been wonderful because I could sleep anywhere. Loud dorm rooms, uncomfortable couches or hotel rooms were no problem for me because as soon as my eyes were closed, I would be hitting my REM cycle within 15 minutes. When I lived alone, I would get concerned if there was a severe weather threat because I’m pretty sure a tornado could have taken the roof of my building without waking me up.

If you haven’t guessed yet, the key words were “used to.” I am slowly coming to the realization that I might not sleep for eight uninterrupted hours ever again. Ever. Or at least for 18 years.

It started innocently at first. One night, my bladder couldn’t make it to the morning alarm and sent me stumbling to the bathroom before the sun rise. But then that happened the next night. And the next. Now, I can roll out of bed, step over the cat, find my way to the commode and back under the covers without fully opening up my eyes.

As my body got used to the once-a-night disruption, God must have decided that was no longer enough. I started having the crazy pregnancy dreams that I read about in baby books. Strangely, these dreams had nothing to do with the baby. I dreamed about boats and oil pipelines, houses and even my sister’s upcoming wedding. Even though there weren’t any babies in these dreams, I started waking up every couple of hours just like it will be when our little girl is out of the womb and into her crib.

Unfortunately, my motherhood sleep training isn’t yet complete. A couple of nights ago, I asked the Lord, “Lord, I would really like to skip the dreams tonight. Can I please have a night with no dreams? Please and thank you.” Well, I should have been a bit more specific in my request…the Lord answered my prayer and gave me a night with no dreams. That night I also had no sleep. I was wide awake every hour or less, staring and the ceiling. I didn’t have a dream because I don’t think I was ever asleep long enough to hit that REM cycle.

As I reluctantly complete my training, I say goodbye to something I once took for granted. Goodbye, full night of sleep. I shall miss you.

Unscheduled Saturday fun

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Unscheduled Saturdays are quite rare around here, so we are enjoying an unexpected one today. We had fun plans to go tubing with friends, but six inches of rain fell overnight and the high water caused the tube rental place to close.

Rafael got inspired by the jalapenos growing in my garden on the deck. He created what he is calling the “Rosebite Chicken Sandwich.” It is chicken, marinated with jalapeno jelly, grilled and brushed with barbecue sauce, then covered with fresh sliced jalapenos and melted provolone cheese. He topped it with caramelized onions. The burger was served on a grilled bun with a side of coleslaw and fresh green lettuce.

 

Even though it is one of the hottest, most humid days of the year, Rafael had to sit outside for awhile to grill, but he says he doesn’t mind…he likes to be reminded of his jungle every now and then. He’s so silly 🙂

On another note, you know you and your husband work in corporate America if it is totally normal dinner conversation to say, “The lettuce has the best ROI of anything you planted in the garden.” (ROI stands for return on investment.)

Now that we’re full and content, we’re doing our favorite thing – just hanging out together, talking, laughing at the funny things our pets are doing, and getting caught up on some chores around the house. Maybe we’ll watch a bad ninja movie or Tommy Boy (can you believe Rafa has never seen it?!). It doesn’t really matter as long as we’re together.

Just can’t wait

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I cant wait to meet our baby girl, but I am also loving the wait and working for her. Last weekend Sarah and I assembled the crib, it just makes the new stage in our lives feel more real. I have loved getting to know Sarah again during our pregnancy. I cant wait to get to know her as a mom. But until then I will keep busy working on our baby’s room.

We started with an ugly dark red room that took 3 coats of primer to hide.

After taping, painting, cleaning, we moved to furniture assembly. We also needed a test subject to make sure the pieces were well put together.

Sarah added blankets and pillows, one of them is in spanish, it says “mi jardín” (my garden). I absolutely love the pillow, fits the colors of the room perfectly.



Happy birthday, Rafael/America

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We celebrated two things this past weekend – Rafael’s birthday and his first Fourth of July as a citizen. We started on Saturday morning with a big birthday breakfast, topped off by a kidney-friendly fruit cream pie I made for all of us to eat.

Rafael took some fancy pictures that I think he’ll post later. These are from the cheap camera 🙂

He got some presents, like this lovely American flag can holder. All class.

After he opened his other stuff, he had to go outside to mow 🙁 Taking care of the house doesn’t stop!

We got in the car and he drove me to Iowa, where we went to a great family potluck at Grandma and Grandpa’s assisted living facility. The next day, we spent all day out on Clear Lake. Perfect weather, perfect weekend.

When we got back, it was time for my 24 week appointment – complete with gestational diabetes testing. The good news is I passed! She’s growing great. In related news…I have lost my feet. Seeing my toes is now a chore.

I’m getting bigger everyday…here’s the proof with a photo snapped today:

It’s getting hot…

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Summer is here and it is getting hot, but don’t worry! Head over to your nearest Target store and pick up this cute little guy –

Is it an adorable squirt gun? Or is it the most awesome Giftcard ever? It’s both!

It’s so fun to walk through the store and see things my talented hubby designed!

Since the temperature is going to feel like 100+ tomorrow, I’m thinking I will need to pick up another one of this cards and fill it up to cool myself down. It wasn’t anywhere close to that hot today and I feel like a puffy oven. Yikes. Maybe I’ll have ankles again in November.