Adventure Awaits

I'll never forget the Thursday in November 2015 when we got the call. We had just arrived in Louisville, KY for a youth conference and were settling in for a lunch at the hotel when our doctor's office's phone number popped up on my phone. Finally! The test was really just a formality for the information I already knew - 

It's a girl boy!

Hold up, what?!

I couldn't even get the words out before the tears started coming - "I get to be a boy mom." (I wish I could put half an exclamation point there because I tried to be enthusiastic when I told Cody,  but failed miserably.)  Everything about our second pregnancy was so different, so we knew without question: it was a girl. While it definitely hit me harder than Cody, we both spent the next few days (and weeks and maybe months if I'm honest) mourning the life that we had pictured. My mom is my best friend and her mom is her best friend. It really shook me up to think that I might not ever have the chance to carry my best friend.  All of a sudden I was starting fresh to "know" this baby I thought I already knew.

It did take Cody and I a while to come up with a name that we both liked. Grayson, to be called Gray, was actually on the top of our list, but it was rising on the charts and just too popular for our tastes. Camp was one that kept coming up, but we weren't quite ready to make a commitment. At this point people were asking and offering suggestions and it was funny to hear what other people liked. The more we talked about it though, Campbell was the clear winner.  While I never would be disciplined enough to wait until delivery day to have the ultimate surprise, it began to be a game to tell others - "No, we haven't decided yet." while knowing we had a secret just between us. There were actually a handful of people that I told the name too, but I knew that Camp would get a few "hummms" and I didn't want anyone to change how we felt about out. I have no doubt that Camp was and will forever be the adventure we weren't expecting. 

I'll never forget on the delivery day hearing my doctor say - "oh he's a big size!" (6 lbs 11 oz is a great size for almost 3 weeks early!) Hearing his first cries, seeing the underbite we worried about from sonograms, taking in every bit of our healthy boy and breathing a deep sigh of relief. I had a lot of fears and anxieties leading up to the delivery and I am grateful we were both healthy. 

My heart was not prepared to be completely wrecked by a second boy. It’s true. Don’t take this as a “he’s my favorite” kinda thing (though the smells of a cuddly newborn sure do beat the smells of his brother’s summer feet!) It’s more about the fact that the picture of my life always held a family of four - Dad, Mom, Son, Daughter. And then this sweet, happy, chubby, brown hair, blue eyed, dimple cheeked boy shows up and changed every plan or picture I ever had for my life. The adventure he has had us on from the beginning of the thought of a second child has been one we will never forget and has changed our future for the better. 

Cody and I love the church. It’s not perfect, but we love working there and serving families. There are things about us and how we live our life that we be different than some of our friends because we have said yes to God’s calling to ministry. (I know Griff, sometimes I want to sleep in on Sundays too!)  I worry and I fret that someday, our boys might resent that which we love because of how it makes our lives different than others. Standing in front of our church committing Camp to the Lord comes with no guarantees or promises that he will believe in Jesus and live a safe life. It is our statement though, that we will parent him with open hands and bowed knees, dependent on the One who gave him to us.  I know the dreams I have for him cannot even compare to what God has planned for his life. I can't wait to see it unfold.  

It will wreck your heart in ways you never expect, but may you always be open to His adventure Camp! 

Currently:

Currently, I'm...

Listening... to The Popcast. Yep... Cody has been trying to get me on the podcast bandwagon for years and I finally jumped on board. I also like The Big Boo Blog, Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey and God Centered Mom.  Occasionally I'll listen to one of Cody's too, but I can't act like I enjoy those too much or it will go to his head. 

Eating... Nothing right now. I'm trying to exercise some discipline in my life and make smarter food choices. It's working... it's just also feels un-fun sometimes. Let's just say I've been on a free for all since we moved to Snyder (3 years ago cough cough) and am now paying for it. 

Drinking... Diet Dr. Pepper. Which may not be the healthiest of choices, but better than the root beer's I got addicted too after Camp was born! 

Wearing... My "All I need to today is coffee and a whole lot of Jesus" t-shirt. It was after 1 before I fell asleep and Camp had me up at 2, 4:45 and was ready to start the day at 7, so it seemed appropriate. 

Feeling... Like I *need* to take advantage of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, yet not finding anything worth pulling the trigger for. How do people not get so overwhelmed while trying to shop the sale online? 

Wanting...  Cooler weather. This Texas summer has felt extra brutal this year and I'm looking forward to fall weather. (Come quickly November!) 

Watching... The Bachelorette. A friend went to college with James Taylor so I watched this season to cheer him on. I think Jordan has been the front runner from the beginning so I'm not even sure I need to finish out the season. 

Enjoying... Angry Birds POP! (hangs head in shame) The only games I really have on my phone are for Griffin, but they talked about this one on The Popcast the other day so I downloaded it. Cody saw me playing it and he got it too, so now I feel pressured to play good and stay ahead of him. 

Reading...  Nothing currently, but I'm saving books up for a vacation in a few weeks. I plan on hitting up the library and checking out actual books. Have any good suggestions? 

What's are you currently doing? 

Welcome Camp!

Considering that our newest addition is now one month old, it's probably about time that I wrote something about his birth. I realize I haven't been a faithful blogger in years now, but I do love looking back at what I wrote for Griffin's day... mainly because I wouldn't remember otherwise!

Several months after I had Griffin I had a surgery to remove the very large fibroid in my uterus. We knew then that because of this surgery, any future children we had would be through a c-section. Here's more info than you care to know, but with a c-section, they cut into a fleshy part of your uterus, which is part of the reason you can try for a VBAC if you want. With my surgery, they actually cut into the muscle. The muscle is weakened then and they do not want you to get to the point where you might have contractions, otherwise it could cause your uterus to rupture. Yeah... I would like to avoid that too! All of that said, we knew going into this pregnancy that I would have a c-section. The "no-contraction" rule meant that I needed to deliver between 37-38 weeks and because of our work schedule, we asked sometime in January or February to nail down a date and were able to select a date that fit in that range... so April 28th it was!

I'm going to be honest, choosing a date is so awesome.  Not only does it take out a lot of worries (though crazy pregnant lady hormones still worry about crazy water breaking scenarios) but it was so nice to "only" have to be pregnant until 37 weeks and miss those last three weeks. This pregnancy was much harder on me than Griffin's in so many ways and I'm not sure who would have been harmed in those last few days, but it would have been someone. (Let's be honest, probably Cody!) I was just done. DONE. Thursday, April 28th could not come soon enough.

We went to Lubbock the day before to have a "Big Brother Day!" for Griffin, which included jumping at Altitude, a trampoline park, lunch and ice cream at CFA and finally, our first trip to Chuck-E-Cheese! It really was a fun day for us to spend a last few moments as our little family of three.







Cody and I actually stayed the night in the hospital. They have a hotel floor for $25 a night... can't beat that price! I asked Cody to take one last bump picture but to make sure it was flattering. He of course went super silly with a few different shots and ended on this one- where the bed he was standing on almost rolled out from underneath him. It was hilarious and some tension relief we needed!




We were up bright and early then next morning to head to L&D at 5:30 to get prepped for surgery at 7:30.  Apparently I was supposed to have orders for my c-section but I didn't, so it slowed things down a little bit. I was supposed to be back in the OR at 7, but it was actually closer to 8 before  they wheeled me down. Honestly I wasn't afraid of having a c-section until this point, mostly because the nursing staff began to prep me for having a 37 week baby, which included a lot of emphasis on the "wimpy white boy syndrome" and problems breathing. I know it is good to be prepared, but it was a little bit of a downer right before going into the OR.



I know an emergency situation would be very different, but a planned c-section was so calm and relaxed. The nurses were joking with us and just chatting it up with the anesthesiologist and my OB. They took me back first to get the spinal in place, which was just a trip. It is so crazy to almost instantly not be able to feel your legs, only to feel tingling. Once that was set and I had been cleaned and sterilized, they brought Cody in. While chatting with the nurse, she asked if we had a name picked out yet. It was so strange to actually be able to say it out loud after keeping it a secret for 4+ months. Turns out that my OB has a daughter with the same name we picked, which was a funny coincidence! Things went pretty quick from here. Cody was brave and watched once it was time (though I teased with him to make sure he wasn't going to pass out, as they told us if the dad passes out, he had to be taken to the ER, which was located at a hospital branch across town!) At 8:30 a.m. on the dot, Campbell "Camp" Rinn came into the world at 6 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long! He seemed so tiny to us, but everyone was pleased with his size for a 37 week baby. Luckily there was no wimpy white boy to be found. He was quite the stud from the beginning. (nurse's words!)  I was able to do skin to skin in the OR and then taken to recovery. We expected to be there two hours, but the spinal wore off quicker than that and we were all doing so well they went ahead and wheeled us back to our room.



More to come!

Half Way

Considering that we're now half way through this pregnancy, I guess it's about time I actually blog about it, huh? 

We were overwhelmed with joy to find out at the beginning of September that our prayers for growing our family were finally answered with a YES!  We also consider ourselves very lucky that our first round of fertility treatments worked. I know that is not always the case and I don't take it for granted.  I hope to eventually get back into the habit of blogging so this second child doesn't feel so second child-ish, but I can't promise how regular it will be! 

Here's a recap of how the pregnancy has gone so far:

6 weeks on the dot: hello evening sickness! up until this point I had been in the "I know I'm pregnant but don't feel like it so is this really real stage?" This was quickly shattered. I went from feeling great/normal to feeling terrible in the days and getting sick at night.  This is basically how I would sum up weeks 6 - 11.  One of our church ladies told my mom she was worried about me because we work so hard and I'm looking so gray. Yeah... that's just me trying to keep it together and not get sick at church! Cooking was no fun and mostly everything I made made me feel sick. Fruit helped, but still made me feel sick. I craved orange juice but always paid for it. Want to know the only things I could eat without feeling sick right after? Peanut M and M's and Allsup's burritos. I know. It's amazing I didn't pile on the pounds during these weeks! (we were also going through a budget crunch and only using cash for eating out, so it did limit the burrito intake!) 

I brushed my teeth constantly. Anything I ate or drank left a funny metal taste in my mouth that made me want to be sick. I could hardly drink a Diet Dr Pepper and really only drank ice cold water. Considering DDP ruins through my veins, this is how Cody knew things were bad! (that and the fact that I frequently told him, "I feel so terrible. We're never having any more kids after this. I can't handle it!")  I was so tired every night yet also struggled with some insomnia. (Unisom is safe to take and a lifesaver for that!) I actually started feeling movement around 12 weeks. I know, crazy, but true.  Basically anything about this pregnancy that could be different from Griffin's, was!  I kept hoping the second trimester would provide some relief from the sickness. While it did ease up some, it was really 16 weeks before I finally started feeling like myself again.  I still have to watch myself to make sure I don't overdo it, it's been nice to finally have some energy back to tackle some things that have basically been abandoned since September. Griffin and Cody are both still alive and thriving, so we'll call it an overall success, right? :) 

Given that everything has been different about this pregnancy, Cody and I would have both put good money on the fact that it was going to be a girl. We did the Progenity blood test around 13 weeks and found out while we were in Louisville for a youth worker's conference that... 

Needless to say, we were shocked! It was a little bit of an adjustment in our (mostly my!) thinking at first, but we are thankful to have a healthy baby and I'm preparing for lots of Star Wars and sports in my future! Cody and I both agree it's hard not to picture a Griffin clone, so we're excited to see what he will look like. Considering all I hear is how G is a copy of Cody, I'm hoping he will be mine! We are seeing a Maternal Fetal specialist every time I also see my OB, so I'm hoping we might get a closer view soon of his face to try and make predications!   I'm sure there's much more I should include, but at least that's a little bit of a catch up for someday when I try to remember this pregnancy!   

Weekend Shenanigans

I realize for most people, Friday is a day of celebration because the weekend is about to begin. When you're a minister, Sundays are a day of work and not for rest, so our weekend starts Thursday night.

It started off with some problem solving for Mom. Griff found his pumpkin shirt last week and wore it Tuesday to school, and then had a fit when he couldn't also wear it Wednesday and Thursday. I'm afraid this could become a weekly battle, so we headed out early this morning to Walmart to look for new pumpkin shirts. Sadly ours didn't have any, but did at least have several plain orange shirts so we can then have a painting party to solve our pumpkin shirt problems. 

I've got to be honest: I was amazed at how good of a painter he was, both left and right handed! I found stencils for faces online, traced them on freezer paper, then cut out the faces and ironed them down. (placing another sheet of freezer paper wax side up inside of the shirt helps to seal it off so the paint won't bleed.) We now have five pumpkin shirts ready to go for October. Let's hope it's enough!

After a picnic lunch out of our lunch box and a long nap, we were at it again to make Halloween cupcakes.  It's amazing that Griff can actually help with things now... there are some perks to him growing up!  

Griff demonstrating proper safety precautions for sprinkle application and a "less is more" approach. 

He was very proud of his finished product and we all enjoyed his hard work! Funny enough, this morning about 11:30 Cody asked, "What did we used to do on weekends before we had a kid?" I answered, "Sleep in till 10:45, dash to Whataburger before 11 to get breakfast, go home to nap,  go out again to eat dinner, wander the mall then catch a movie. Weren't those the days? Now look at what all we've done and it's only 11:30."  Good thing we love this kid! :) 

Hits and Misses (Dinner Style)

I'll be honest, most of our dinners around here become frequent repeats of our favorites (or items that  certainly aren't instagram or blog worthy, like how many lunchables my son can eat in one week) but I did try a new one the other night that was a great meal and one we will make again.

(I don't know why pinterest has to make things so complicated. Remember back in the easy days when you could just embed a pin on your blog? Sigh.)     

         Follow Abby Neinast's board Recipes on Pinterest.    

I tried this Hamburger Soup  (seen above in the top left hand corner) and it was delicious! Here's the recipe from her site:

Ingredients

• 1 Tbls Olive Oil
• 1/2 a med sized onion, chopped
• 2 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can condensed tomato soup, plus 1 can water
• 2-14 oz. cans beef broth
• 1 cup of corn or other canned/frozen veggies
• 1 cup uncooked small pasta

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet.
2. Add onion and garlic and stir until the onions are just soft.
3. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until meat is longer pink. Drain.
4. Meanwhile, in a five quart soup pot, pour in beef broth, tomato soup and water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium and add the ground beef and corn.
5. Add the pasta and veggies and cook pasta to al dente.

The only changes I made were to add 2 cups of pasta (instead of one to make it a little more hearty) and to also add a can of green beans.  Griff loves green beans, so he had no problems with adding them in.  Cody claimed this was like a healthier hamburger helper (and he meant it as a compliment!) It made quite a bit and I was able to break it up into leftovers and 2 containers to freeze. I think this will be a staple for the fall and winter!

Now on to the miss... One big adjustment we made when we first moved to our small town was that it only had United for a grocery store. It took me a while to get used to not having as much available to us and paying more for it all. Eventually our Super Walmart opened up and now I do most of my shopping there, but I do still return to United because you can't beat their meat sales. They frequently do buy one get one free on chicken, ground turkey and pork chops so I like to stock us up on those. (see above: frequent repeats!) I happened to notice that country style ribs were on sale a few weeks ago and decided to pick some up to have for dinners. Of course, they were cheap, so I bought a lot to freeze, not considering that I don't actually know how to cook them. 

Yep. Turns out its a different type of rib that I was picturing. Most of the recipes I found on pinterest were all for bbq ribs, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I ended up seasoning them and cooking them for a few hours in the crockpot and serving bbq on the side for the boys. The house smelled good, but sadly they were just meh. I totally think it had to do more with my cooking that with the actual meat, but Cody and I finished that night saying, "Well, that was a dinner." Because there wasn't much else good to say about it.  I've learned my lesson about buying in bulk items you haven't actually cooked before!

Anyone have any tips on cooking country style ribs for me? I've got a lot to practice on! 

Silly Boy.

This boy keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh every day. Funny enough, I was saying a prayer the other day that three hadn't been as hard to us as everyone had prepared us for. Yep.... and then we hit a new day! Ha! While Griff is mostly sweet (and luckily we're still hearing good things from his teachers and Sunday School workers) he is very independent and expresses his opinions quite frequently! Here's some silly things he's been up to lately:

He likes to accessorize and wants you to too. He even requested on wearing this headband to bed that night! 

Sunday he required me to call him Pluto all morning as he was crawling around the house, barking like a dog. We were trying to rush out the door to get to church and I was telling Kota to go tee tee, when Griff ran outside and said, "Puppies have to tee tee outside!" This was too great of a shot to pass up :)

He is obsessed with minions and received this minion towel for his birthday. We'e been using it as a towel for a while now, but somehow on Monday night he got the idea in his head that it was a blanket. So he cried when he couldn't take it to bed (you know, because it was wet!!!) so we compromised and said he could have it first thing Tuesday morning. He, of course, didn't forget and ran right in to cuddle under his blanket when he woke up! 

We are trying to foster some independence in him and have been making him get himself dressed. This has lead to him now picking out his clothes - shirt, shorts, undies and socks. He has an opinion on it all! So, he wore his pumpkin shirt on Tuesday in preparation for Bami's Pumpkin Party. (Yes, he asked if we were headed to the party when I picked him up from school!)  When he woke up this morning, he wanted to wear the same shirt AND shorts again to school. It took a little while to convince him that we can't wear the same clothes two days in a row. Back to the drawing board for his shirt... and we ended up going to school like this! 

Luckily he was willing to compromise and at least took tennis shoes to wear for when they went outdoors.

And finally, the nursery workers snapped this picture of G Force and Hurricane Henry tonight. (I do think she asked for a mean face.) I have a feeling these two are going to be giving a lot of church workers a run for their money!!