Welcome Baby Jack

Jack Wayne Barnett

born July 21st 2007

9:51pm

8 lbs 8 oz

22 inches long

38 weeks picture

so huge...

Attack of the Ants...

I'm over 37 weeks pregnant and we're trying to sell our house. (Perfect timing, I know - but it's the right thing for us to do. ) The doctor says I can have the baby any day, which is great news, so I'm trying to get a bunch finished up around the house before that. I've been painting the stairway, kitchen, livingroom - everything. Today I need to paint the new trim, but I've had a bit of a problem.

I carried out the saw horses, some white trim and the paint so I could get started. I painted two pieces of trim before being attacked by ants. Seriously. They were swarming all over the porch and my feet. I had to abandon my shoes and paint and came in the house with a few bites (hard to tell since my feet are swollen anyway). I tried to retaliate with soapy water and the garden hose. no luck yet, those little suckers are the spawn of Satan - I'm sure of it! hopefully I'll beat them and paint the remainder of the trim...

Counting down

5 Weeks to go and I'm huge. My hands and feet are so swollen I can't wear my wedding rings and getting shoes on is a bit iffy. I have my hospital bag nearly packed, the cradle is set up and ready, Jack's little clothes are all folded and put away. And we wait.

Bruce has been finishing the walls in the kitchen (if you can see around the belly - you'll see that the drywall is mudded). We're packing things that normally sit - unused- in drawers and cupboards and selling the things that we haven't seen or used since we moved in over four years ago. With the housing market such as it is and a new baby due soon, we thought we'd try to sell our home. We found a great house in town with a giant yard, bigger rooms, and more space. That home seems to suit us and our needs a bit better than what we currently own. We'll see what happens...

And the Emmy goes to...

My amazingly talented father, Gary Ewell, works in television and is very good at what he does. My dad was nominated for 3 regional Emmy awards this year - Documentary (program), Writer (long form), and Writer (short form). He competed against some truly talented competition and won the Emmy for Writer (short form). -Whoo-hoo! Congratulations! - This award had previously been called Segment Writing and he has three of these at home. So now he as won 4 times and I think they are running out of space for the statuettes.

It was nice to dress up and go out to a fancy adult-only event (even if I was 33 weeks pregnant for the festivities). After some hours of sitting (in the car, while eatting, sitting at the impossibly small tables) I was having a lot of swelling. This happens a lot when you're pregnant in the summer. Bruce and I decided to walk to a comfy bench so I could rest a bit more comfortably for a while. Over the course of, oh - let's say 5 minutes or so, 5 women asked me if I was in labor. 5 women! And here I was, under the impression that I didn't look half bad for being so large, tired, and uncomfortable. I guess I was wrong.

The past few weeks

From last month: 24 1/2 weeks

From May - 29 1/2 weeks

Bruce and Carlie assembling the new swing set

Bruce and Carlie on stage at church

Carlie with her little friend - the toad

Things to enjoy

It's the month of May and that means we'll be busy, busy. Mother's Day, our anniversary, my brother-in-law's high school graduation, rounding the turn into my third trimester and more frequent doctor appointments, a few family birthdays... whew. That's not even everything!

Despite the hectic nature of the season, I do have a few things that I hope to slow down and enjoy:

1. Lilacs

2. Sandals, flip flops - not wearing any socks

3. Temps near 70 degrees

4. Seeing Carlie 'flying' around the backyard with her dish towel cape being a super hero

5. Our 5th anniversary

6. Our flower gardens (but I hate weeding them)

7. Lemonade

8. Having the windows open

9. Waking up to the sound of birds in the morning instead of an alarm (okay, so I'm a stay at home mom and Carlie is my alarm. But the birds wake up earlier than her...)

10. These two nutty people

Sunshine and sunburn

This past weekend it felt like spring. Or summer. Sunny, warm, 80 degrees. It's been beautiful and encouraging (considering we had snow for Easter). Carlie was able to play outside in the sandbox everyday, pick dandelions, eat popsicles, and have a squirt gun fight. She had a ball. Bruce and I ended up sun burnt (me more than him). Not only do I feel large and awkward - but now I'm pink and splotchy too. Great, that's a huge boost to my self confidence. (the sarcasm came through on that right?) Oh - and why is it that an Italian/Scottish/Irish girl can't tan!!!??

We have baby shower invitations ready to mail and I'll be going out later this week to register for some much needed items. Since this is our second time around the 'much needed items' are diapers, wipes, blue receiving blankets (instead of all the pink ones we have), and new bottles (the ones we used with Carlie were horrible). That's about it. For awhile I wondered if we should even have a baby shower for Jack. Aren't there rules for this sort of thing? Are you allowed to have more than one? Is it okay since we're having a boy and not another girl? Bruce and I talked it over and felt it wouldn't be fair to Jack if we didn't have a celebration. Why should he be left out (and why should the family be deprived) just because he wasn't born first? Tough. We're having everyone over in June to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our son, have a cookout, and play games. Hopefully the weather cooperates and is beautiful just like this past weekend. I'm sure I'll be larger, more awkward, and end up pink and splotchy. We'll celebrate and enjoy the festivities just the same.

Latest Kitchen Picture

The kitchen is painted and looking great. It's hard to tell the color in the picture, but it's a buttery yellow called 'Summer Rye'. (whatever that tells you...)

Looking at the before and after photos you can see all the hard work Bruce has put in over the past few months.

NOW...


THEN...

So true...

Baby Jack and Springtime

Last Thursday Bruce, Carlie, and myself made our way to my ultrasound appointment. The baby is healthy and looks good. The technician asked if we would like to know the sex of the baby. Well, of course!

She said, ' It's very definetly a boy.'
Hooray!

Carlie was right all along. Good thing too. She had her heart set on a brother, I think she would have been disappointed otherwise. Now she's ready to shop for clothes, toys, and paint for the walls...

I've been battling migraines about 5 days out of the week. I've been to doctors and they are trying to find what medication will work. The first medication reduced the severity and frequency of the migraines - but the doctors still aren't happy with 3- 4 days a week of mild headaches. I start a stronger dose of the same medication today with hopes that the migraines will nearly disappear. It's just a matter of finding out what works for me. If there's no further improvement then I'll have an MRI. (nothing to worry about - just to take a look at what's going on)

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Spring is upon us, but how can you tell?

1.The family has been fighting off a bad cold too. I had it first and then shared with Carlie, and now Bruce. It's a great way to start out the spring season. Sore throat. Drippy nose. Mild fever. Just spectacular...

2.Already the daffodils have popped up through the ground.

3.I've been hearing frogs and red-winged black birds sing.

4.Oh, and Bruce and I saw a skunk in the road. Not roadkill - the black and white mammal was walking in the middle of the road and was startled by the car in front of us. He sprayed and the stench lingered in the car for a few miles.

Ahhh, the sounds and smells of spring.

Carlie's Birthday!

Yesterday our little girl turned three. Carlie had a party with friends and family this weekend to celebrate. She wanted Dora the Explorer plates, cake, pinata, etc. Carlie and friends played in the livingroom in the Dora Pirate Ship (the ship dwarfs the rest of the room but it's totally worth it), ate Dora cake, and opened presents (Dora toys- of course). My parents got Carlie a bike which she's very excited about. On Sunday she asked if she could ride it to church. We live 20 miles from church - so I said no, it was too far of a ride. Carlie tried to comvince me she could ride fast enough. I laughed and so she asked Bruce instead. He tried to tell her it wasn't warm enough outside- but Carlie insisted she would wear her jacket. Ugh. You can't reason with a 3 year old.

Pictures of our Birthday Girl

Carlie opening a gift before guests arrive.



Dora the Explorer everthing...


Carlie with her cake.

Month by Month

Well, my pregnancy with Baby Jack is going well so far. Weight gain is minimal, symptoms tolerable (although the migraines and back pain are less than ideal). Baby Jack is due to arrive August 3rd. Early March we will go the ultrasound appointment and, if the baby cooperates, we will find out if Jack is a boy or a girl. It'll break Carlie's heart if Jack is a girl - she already has blue paint picked out for the bedroom!

(5 1/2 weeks - right after finding out I we are expecting baby #2)

( at 8 1/2 weeks- already growing!)

(12 weeks - getting bigger!)

It's been awhile...

Okay, I apologize. I've been remiss in my blogging duties. I could make excuses such as - 'the holidays were busy' or 'I've been tired and feeling a bit sick being pregnant' or 'My secret life as a superhero has been taking up a lot of time'. But really, the honest thing is that I haven't really thought much about writing. We have a lot of family birthdays this month to plan and buy for. My first and second prenatal doctor appointments. An upcoming youth retreat for our kids at church at the end of the month. A concert I'm planning/promoting for church on February 9th.

I'm 11 1/2 weeks pregnant and due August 3rd. Carlie is positive we're having a boy whom she calls Baby Jack. We won't find out anything for sure until the ultrasound in March. We're praying for an easier pregnancy and delivery this time around. No preterm labor like I had with Carlie. Thus far everything is fine. I've had some nausea, trouble sleeping, and of course constantly have the need to pee. (Between being pregnant and potty training Carlie I spend a good portion of my day in the bathroom)

I'll try a little harder to keep up-to-date with baby things and maybe I'll post some pictures of my ever-expanding belly. (I'm in maternity clothes already - out of necessity and comfort)

Happy New Year

Happy 2007! From our Family to Yours.

-Bruce, Jill, Carlie, and Baby 2007

Finished!!!

Bruce finished the kitchen over the weekend. He started tearing out the last cupboards, sink, and drywall Thursday. And had everything in by Sunday. The kitchen looks fantastic.







Our new countertop. Gorgeous!



The finished product. It's a far cry from how the kitchen looked before we started. Thanks Bruce for working so hard!

Keeping Quiet

It's nearly impossible to keep gifts a secret with a 2 1/2 year old in the house. Especially when she goes shopping with you, picks out presents, helps wrap them... We're just asking for trouble. Happy holidays.

The Holidays

Gearing up for another year of holiday cheer, we've begun the traditional Christmas preparations. Saturday we went to get a tree. Typically we go with my parents to a 'cut it yourself' place. So, we bundled up, loaded in the car, and drove to meet my parents. We followed them to the tree farm only to find the place closed. No sign, no trees for sale, nothing. Dang. Not knowing where else to go we headed for the local grocery store who had trees for sale out front. It just isn't the same. Those pines and spruces have been cut for months. The forest scent is long gone and the needles can't seem to fall from the tree fast enough. As luck would have it, a lady walked by and said 'If you want fresh trees, come to our tree farm. ' I recognized her as a teacher at my old high school, her son is a substitute teacher for my brother's school, and they live out by my parents. What a small world. So, after a few false starts we had the opportunity to take Carlie on her first hayride to find a tree. It was a lot of fun but it was freezing. Maybe 25 degrees and windy.

Last night we decorated our beautiful white pine. We dug out the box of decorations and turned on our favorite Christmas music (Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God). Carlie was so excited to help string the lights and hang the bulbs and other ornaments. Our tree is a little bottom heavy when it comes to decorations... Afterward we wrapped presents all the presents, except for Carlie's. Carlie wrapped a few by herself - and she really likes tape. It was a nice evening home together preparing for the holidays, the Holy day, preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.

Cookies and Logic

Life at home with Carlie is vibrant, exciting, and often times - illogical. She's almost three and has a system of logic that only she can understand.

For example: Yesterday she wanted a cookie, not dinner. This was the subsequent conversation.
Carlie: Can I have this cookie?
Bruce: No.
Me: I'm making dinner. You'll be eating noodles in a minute.
Carlie (tearfully): I don't want to eat dinner. I want to eat a cookie.
Bruce (picks her up): You need to eat healthy food to grow up big and strong. You can't eat cookies all day, you would get fat. You want to be healthy.
Carlie (angry): But I want to be fat!

Um. Nope. Probably not. But I bet she did want that cookie pretty bad.


Sometimes I'm good with the preschooler logic stuff. The day before the cookie incident I scored! Dinner can be hard because Carlie is so excited Bruce is home. She dances, sings, doesn't sit down at all to eat. So....

Me (completely exasperated): Jesus gave us this food and He wants you to sit down and eat right now.
(note: I had already told her to sit and eat, but what I wanted didn't matter. But she does want to make Jesus happy. One day she asked if He could peel her apple instead of me)

Carlie (stops dancing): Did He say that Mom? Is He saying that now? Can you hear Him?
Me: Yes Carlie.
And then she sat down and ate her dinner!

I wonder what tonight will be like, but I bet it won't be boring!

P-A-P-A spells Papa!

Carlie is learning to spell. She goes around the house shouting 'm-a-m-a spells Mama!' 'p-a-p-a spells Papa!' and 'C-A-R-L-I-E!' Those are the only words we've tried to get her to spell and, so far, she's caught on really fast. I guess we should teach her other words like dog, cat, etc.

Okay, as I was typing I heard a crash. Never good. I ran to the livingroom and found Carlie pulled down this little pretend fish tank filled with water and fake plastic fish that look like Nemo. She wanted to put her play-doh in with the fish. (I don't know why) The floor was soaked and the play-doh can't be rescued from the confines of the fish tank. I guess we should teach her to spell s-o-r-r-y...

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We've been a bit busy with my birthday, Thanksgiving, church things, and working on the kitchen (of course). But, here are the latest pictures: Bruce has hung the wall cupboards on the stove-side of the kitchen. He's getting ready to hang the cupboards above the sink. We've purchased the new sink and countertop (gorgeous!) and I can't wait for it to be installed. It'll be beautiful! Bruce has put a lot of work into the room already and the progress is amazing.