What's Going On *With a Few Pictures* in 2015

I told myself I wasn’t going to write until I knew what was going on, and I guess finally I do. Well to be honest, I have known for at least a month. So I guess the best way to do it would be to break it all down by category since it has been like 4 months since I have written.

1. Baby Girl - If you can believe it, I have just 29 days left until my due date. I know I am friends with some of you on Instagram and Facebook so you have seen pictures and been able to sort of keep up with how things are going. For those of who do not know, we decided on a name after not seeing eye to eye for pretty much my entire pregnancy. Her name is Harlow Eve. Harlow means army, and Eve means life. Harlow was on my heart for awhile and I knew that was going to be her name, but even when Scott finally agreed, I couldn’t stop crying. He was adamant that he be the one to select her middle name. When he decided on Eve, and I told him what it meant, it was a perfect gift. She will be an army of life. It really is something that we need now, especially Scott. It has been a pretty uneventful pregnancy with my biggest excitement being that Harlow does not like to stay in one position. She is my little bird, constantly in flight. I also am struggling to gain weight. I never thought that would be something that I am concerned with. I am within the ranges I need to be in, but in the last month and a half it is a rollercoaster of losing and not gaining. My doctor has expressed her concern and I am trying to make my meals matter, eat even when I am not hungry, but my efforts are leaving me in the same position. I start weekly appointments this week, so I’m hoping not only for a weight gain, but also that Harlow will be head down. My fears about both things are manifesting in my dreams. I have dreamt that she is breech or transverse and have to have a c-section, that she is a really big baby, and also that she is on the small side. My most frequent dream is that I can’t care for her the way I want to, and no one will help me. This is the most unprepared we have ever been when it comes to what we have for her compared with Salem and Ian. By now, we have had everything purchased and set up in case of an early arrival. All we have is a changing table still in the box, a car seat, and a diaper pail. We are seriously lacking in clothes. We are caught up for the most part with newborn clothes, now I have to focus on 0-3 and then that will give us more time to get more clothes later on as she grows. It’s a lot different because we are here in Georgia, my family in California is not just been throwing stuff at me. Wait, we also have a rocking chair that my mom bought used from someone. I know it will all work itself out, it just stresses me out to not have a bed for her to sleep in, or the double stroller we planned so that Ian has a place to ride too when his feet get tired, or the swing I will undoubtedly need to set her in when it’s time to do chores, or help Salem with homework, or entertain Ian. I still haven’t received a gift from two of my aunts, my dad, or FIL so I am hoping at the last minute these things will come together. We are pretty much at the last minute though right?
   

2. House - We found a house we loved. Price was right. Realtor negotiated the perfect closing agreements so we would come out of pocket for nothing. We made an offer, they accepted, and then everything fell apart. Well, that is a little extreme. We couldn’t get the bank to move fast enough. My MIL’s condition was down graded and she was given 1 to 2 years to live, and we all decided collectively that it was not the right time, so we walked away from the house, and the whole buying process. And so our hunt to find a rental property big enough for all of us to live in began. We found a perfect house, saving us a ton of money, and pretty close to the area we wanted to be in. We moved in on August 1st and out of our apartment. It’s an older house with desperate need for updating, but it works so perfectly. We are very happy here, So happy. And Salem loves her school. I know buying a house is what we are “supposed” to do, but right now, I could live here and rent forever. I don’t have any pictures to share, but if you were to watch a few of our vlogs, you would be able to get the idea of it. The master bedroom is gigantic and is on the first floor tucked away from everyone else. Scott and I will be sharing the room with Harlow (something we have always done so it makes no difference) and the size of it makes it the perfect set up. There are two bedrooms upstairs, and Salem and Ian are sharing one of them. My mom, is living in the other one. The basement has three bedrooms, a bathroom, den, rec room, dining area and a full bar. Scott’s parents each have a room, and my brother Corey has the other.

3. My Mom - She moved here in early July. This was something that I was not really sure was going to happen until it actually did. It’s been both helpful and stressful all at once. The kids are really happy that she is here. Currently she is watching Scott’s mom to make some money. She started doing that a few days a week as soon as she got here, and also got a part time job working at Chik Fil A. During her first week of work, being on her feet all day long and not in the right kind of shoes, caused sores on her foot and an infection that got her hospitalized. I can’t stress enough that she should not be working, but she has to do something to make sure her bills are paid. This is where the biggest stress comes from because we are not charging her anything to stay here, and she is constantly freaking out about money. She has applied for Social Security disability, but it may take up to 6 months before she is approved. It needs to be so much faster than that. Like really.

4. Scott’s Mom - Her dementia is rapidly progressing. So much so that we also have hospice nurses here three days a week. They have downgraded their expectations to months at this point. She can no longer carry a conversation, feed herself, use the restroom, or walk. She has no idea who the kids or myself are, but the most heart breaking is that she doesn’t know who Scott is. She doesn’t even remember that she has a son. She doesn’t always know who my FIL is, but at the least still knows she has a husband. Scott is obviously distraught, but he is happy to be in the same house with her. He is sleeping better and is more at peace than he was. We both agree that Harlow will be what helps him through. Hence why “army of life” is perfect. One day when I am not trying to put together a ton of information all in one entry, I will explain in more detail what we feel like God has done through her and this situation.

5. Salem - Somehow a whole year has passed again and she is 9 years old. We celebrated her birthday in the middle of still moving FIL and MIL in and so instead of a party, I took her and two friends out for a girl day complete with nails and fancy meals. She is in 4th grade and we really are so happy with her teacher and the school. She no longer cares about toys, has outgrown Frozen, and is this tiny little teenager. She loves to sing and dance, put makeup on (only at home) and play video games. She’s beautiful and smart and her heart is growing just as fast as she is.
   

6. Ian - He is just amazing to me. He is intelligent and inquisitive. He’s sensitive to others and really loves playing. His world is all about toys, friends, and church. He’s learning how to write his own name and we are doing “school” online with ABC mouse because he missed out on Preschool this year. His birthday is less than two weeks away and he can’t wait to tell everyone that he is going to be 4. He also is so excited to be getting a baby sister. He calls her Harlow Bubble and I sincerely hope he calls her that forever.
   

7. Summer - We tried to make Summer full of adventure and memories as best we could. Unfortunately it was a Summer full of stress and planning, trying to find somewhere to live. We did squeeze in days full of sunshine and rainbows and even managed a short family vacation to Myrtle Beach. It was our first trip to see the Ocean since leaving California and it was just pure magic and fun. I can’t perfectly express the significance it held it for me, but I wouldn’t trade those days for a million dollars. There is also the fact that I am pregnant and pretty uncomfortable to take into consideration when we talk about why Summer was not our typical excursion filled three months.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Lastly, Scott got a promotion at work. I am so proud of him. And happy for him too because he really deserves it. It’s still new so he is settling into it and working through the stresses of now being a superior to his former peers, but we are so thankful for the timing of it all. It is exactly what our family needed.