Only a few more months.

I'm 6 months pregnant... 26 weeks to be exact. Its hard to believe that in two and a half months we'll be adding another member to our family! We still don't have an exact date of when Beck will be born and I'm so anxious to find out when it will be. I think after Christmas we're going to be able to set up the date.

I'm also anxious to get this baby off of my sciatic nerve. For the last few months I've been having the hardest time walking, standing, sitting and just moving because my son has decided to rest on my nerve:) Riley rested on my nerve a bit but never to the point that I wasn't able to move! Honestly, the pain is a lot worse than my labor was and my c-section. Times like these I'm so grateful for the internet! I've been able to research ways to help relieve the pain, and avoid it all together. Praise Jesus!

Despite the morning sickness I had the first 8 weeks & the back pain, this pregnancy has been really good. I wasn't sure how I would handle being pregnant with a toddler but things have gone smoothly. I think a lot of it really has to do with Riley being such a good baby. I can't tell you how helpful it is to have my child never fight me when it comes to her naps, having her play in her play area while I clean, not having her throw tantrums or even cry once though out the day... Its really a blessing when you're tired from not sleeping enough and without very much patience:) Of course come the weekend, when Leif is home, Riley doesn't want to nap and throws plenty of tantrums, haha.

This pregnancy has been a lot different than Riley's, but I'm still enjoying it and being blessed by it constantly. God is good!

Anamalz

With Riley turning one this past week, it seems like the number of toys floating around the house has doubled. We barely had enough room in the car for her presents on our drive home today. Our families tend to spoil her, especially since she's the first grandchild on both sides of the family. Anyways, I wanted to highlight one of the toys she got, since people have already started their Christmas shopping. Margaret and I are big fans of wooden toys, and Riley has several items from Melissa and Doug. Below are pictures of Anamalz, which are made by another company that specializes in wooden toys, Hape. These toys are hand-made using sustainable resources, and they're some of the cutest wooden toys we've found. If you're interested in them, HauteLook has them for 50% off for the next 24 hours. To get to the sale, follow this link...

http://www.hautelook.com/invite/LJacobsen591

It's a members only site, but once you create a username and password, you can navigate to the Hape sale. Also, take a look at these sites to see more of their products.

http://www.anamalz.com/
http://www.hapetoys.com/

I love

when my husband tells me: "I miss your cooking".

So happy to be home from our trip to So Cal and happy to be able cook for my husband again:)

Riley is one!

Riley turned one on Wednesday, the 25th.

We've been celebrating most of the week:)
Thank you Lord for this last year.
It has been a year full of love, adventures and lots of lessons learned.

Last Year::Riley's birth.

This time last year I was sitting in a hospital bed waiting for Riley's arrival. I had been induced at 8 that morning and we were expecting her to come by that night... But she didn't come. I remember thinking that I was going to be there all week just waiting. I wasn't making any progress, even with the pitocin all the way up. I remember getting contractions but thinking I was just having cramps. The doctor would come in every few hours and tell me she's arrive within 3 hours. She still didn't come. The following day, even after having my water broken there was no progress. Finally later that night we decided to do a c-section because apparently my hips were too narrow and she was brow presenting. All I could think about was how I wasted two days of my life in a bed when we could have cut her out hours ago.


Most people would have been upset about having a c-section. That's what they tell me:) It didn't bother me. I was just happy that my baby girl was finally here and safely. I remember meeting her for the first time and thinking she was too pale to be my child but I loved her anyways! (Here is the post we posted after she was born: Riley's birth) I think everyone got to hold her before me. I was okay with that. When I finally got to hold her, I was in amazement that God gave her to Leif and I. I had a hard time believing that the baby growing inside of me the last 9 months was finally here and was even more wonderful than I had imagined.

We got to take Riley home on Thanksgiving. I was so happy about that. I was scared I would be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, especially since I had had a c-section. I had barely stayed two days when my doctor gave me the okay to go home. I was so thankful and excited to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and also introduce Riley to everyone.

This year I'm even more excited for the holiday because Riley will be one, eating with us, and playing. Such a difference in one year! I'm so thankful for my little girl and the joy she's brought to our lives!

Oh Happy Weekend.

::Riley walking down the street. She loves being able to walk::

I'm very happy the weekend has arrived. This week was good but I'm looking forward to spending the next two days with my husband. I've missed him a lot during the last few days. All day I would check the clock to see how close 5:30 was... It never came soon enough! I'm also hoping that I'll be able to catch up on things like reading, photo editing, cleaning, and maybe some letter writing? I'm also hoping to fit some baking in there and a trip to World Market.

I miss blogging and wish I would set more time aside for it. Hopefully next week I'll do better at updating:) Enjoy your weekend!

Just wanted to share:

One week until Riley turns one:)
My baby girl has gotten so big so fast!
It still blows my mind when she asks for food or walks around.
And every time I get a hug and kiss I get excited as if its the first time.
Its just hard to believe that the little baby I brought home last year
isn't a little baby anymore.

Thank You Jesus for this year.
Its been wonderful in every way.

Being a parent & time management.

Lately I've been making a list in my head of all the things I've learned since becoming a parent almost a year ago. I'm surprised by all the ways I've changed and the person I've become. I'm also surprised at how I've stayed the same in some aspects. Over the next few days I'll post from this list I've come up with.

• Since becoming a parent I have learned time management (finally). I've never been good at managing my time. It was my biggest struggle in college and even after. I would always forget to set time aside for homework or cooking dinner. Never cleaned when I said I would, then things would pile up and I'd be miserable. I'd always schedule too many things in one day, making it nearly impossible for myself. Somehow having a child has taught me how to organize my time and take advantage of every minute of the day. Doing this has made it so each day I have more than enough time to get things done. Naptimes make for the perfect opportunity to clean and prepare for dinner. Lunchtime is a good time to catch up on reading or returning emails. Showertime is 15 minutes of me time that I cherish. By three everyday all things have been accomplished and the rest of the day is devoted to playing with Riley. Managing my time has helped keep me organized and very stress-free! Why didn't I learn how to do this years ago???
  

Gratitude Thursday

I am thankful for good health! For about a week now we've all been sick and its been miserable around here. Thankfully we're all feeling much better and picking up where we left off last week. There are still some lingering coughs and a runny nose here and there. But overall, things are almost back to normal and we're so grateful:)! I am so happy to be able to clean my house and take care of my husband and baby again. I need to not take good health for granted. Ever.

Return.

We've been battling colds over here since last week. As soon as things return to normal, hopefully blogging will pick up again:)

Gratitude Thursday

I love this picture so much!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
Psalm 28:7

Today I'm grateful for God's strength. Yesterday was a trying day. I didn't have the energy to do anything, except sleep. That's not really an option when an almost toddler needs you and there are chores to be done. By dinnertime I was past done and ready to call it a night early. I was irritable and frustrated. I hate being like that towards Leif and Riley. Before bed I prayed that today would be better and that I would have more strength to get through the day. I also prayed that I would have more joy today than I did yesterday.

I'm grateful that God answers prayers. I only got 5 hours of sleep last night. Leif and I stayed up playing Wii:) We were woken up at 5:30am by the phone and by Riley. Normally I would have been grumpy, and ready to fall back asleep but I felt wide awake. We decided that instead of going back to sleep we'd spend time together. I'm so happy we did! It helped me start my day off on a positive note and made me excited about the rest of the day. Its not even 10 and the whole house has been cleaned, and all the laundry done. Hallelujah! And I don't even feel tired yet.

I'm grateful for a renewed spirit and my family. Yesterday really discouraged me. I questioned if motherhood and being a housewife was really something I was capable of doing. I went to bed feeling so defeated, dreading today. Today I am feeling refreshed and excited for what God has in store for me in regards to being a mom and wife. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband who never ceases to amaze me with his faith and his giving heart. I am also grateful for my daughter who reminds me to have a joyful heart always.

I'm grateful for the trials. Whenever I'm in the midst of a trial I never think I'll be able to get through it. I always want to give up, but that's when I realize just how much I need God and His strength. I'm grateful for the trials I go through because they are reminders of how limited I am without God. God is not limited like I am. He is my strength.

A story.

Riley and I went to the mall yesterday, mostly so I could go to Cinnabon. And when I say we went to the mall, I mean we drove 20 miles to Salinas to go to the mall. We have a mall here in Monterey but its a small outdoor mall. It has your basic stores I suppose but its really a boring place to go. I had a craving and I didn't care that I'd have to drive almost a half hour to fulfill it. Plus it got Riley and I out of the house.

After I got my cinnabon, we walked around the mall. If you can call Riley's walking actual walking. It takes forever to get anywhere when shes walking. But she's so proud of herself and wears the biggest smile, so I let her. While in Victorias Secret a few people made comments to me about Riley. One lady argued with me about the color of Riley's eyes. She told me that Riley had to have blue in her eyes. I assured her that she did not. She asked me if I was sure. I was like "I'm very sure". Then she looked a bit disappointed that Riley had only brown eyes. After this conversation someone else asked if Riley was white and my first thought was "no". But then I remembered, "My child is white". Ha! After I said yes, the lady asked: "So black and white?". Part of me really wanted to ask her if she was serious, obviously I'm black... But I didn't. I just smiled, nodded, and walked away. Not because I'm rude though, because Riley was pushing the stroller into some displays. While catching up to Riley, a sales associate came up to me and asked if Riley was my child because she didn't look like me at all. I almost rolled my eyes but I simply replied that she looks just like her dad.

I'm always surprised by questions strangers will ask you. I guess it keeps things interesting though. It made my visit to Victorias Secret a lot more entertaining than it would have been otherwise. Not only did I leave the store with my correct bra measurements but also an amusing story to share with my husband and I guess those that read my blog:)

11 months.

In three weeks Riley will turn 1. For the first time I actually cried a little today because my tiny baby is no longer tiny. She's huge. She walks and attempts to talk. She can feed herself and laughs at everything. She enjoys pulling things out of baskets and off of shelves so she can reorganize them. She also enjoys screaming at me when she doesn't get her way. :)

The other night Leif and I were going through all her pictures and videos from birth on. It amazed me how much she had changed in just 11 months. I have a hard time remembering what it was like getting up with her every two hours or having to hold her bottle for her. I knew time would fly by, so I tried to enjoy these things, even when it was at 2am in the morning. Sometimes I miss those moments, but overall I'm grateful she sleeps through the night! I do still miss having her sleep in between Leif and I, even though I always ended up on the edge of the bed. If I try to get her to sleep between us now, she just wants to play.

I love the way things are now though. Every morning Riley snuggles with Leif and I and kisses us over and over. She plays in her play area while mommy gets things done around the house. When it's time to put on her shoes, she hands them to me and holds up her feet. When its time to eat, she'll say "yum yum" over and over again. I love that I can actually read to her now and she'll pay attention. She constantly pulls out books and brings them to me. My favorite is when she reaches for me or points at me when she'd like me to play. It usually only happens when Leif's around, but I don't mind. I'm always amazed at what she's learned and how smart she keeps getting. And I think I'll only continue to be amazed as she gets older.

I'm so grateful for my daughter. And grateful for these last 11 months!

Monday Morning.

I love Monday mornings. In college I dreaded them because it was a reminder that a week of classes awaited me. Now, Mondays are reminders that a new week has begun and we get to start over. Its refreshing and to me a gift from God.

Every morning we follow a sort of routine that we fell into somehow. I love it. I actually miss it during the weekends... I think that's partly why I love Mondays. The return of our routine! I never saw myself as a person who needs structure but as Riley gets older I'm learning that I need a schedule, to stay on top of things. Having a routine helps us have some family time in the morning which I think is so important. I try to make it a point for us to eat breakfast together every morning. I cherish those times, and I think that it helps get our day started on the right foot.

How do you feel about Mondays?