Everett Flin

We welcomed Everett Flin* Rittenhouse to our family on the morning of October 30th. Born 10:30am, weighing 7lb 6oz and 20 inches long.

We had Liam and now Everett at a birth center. It's been a wonderful experience, far greater and more relaxed than I ever thought childbirth could be. So on thursday morning I went for my 40 week + 2 day checkup. They asked all the standard questions, tried to see how big they thought he would be ( they guessed 7 1/2) and asked if I'd like to try to get things going. I kindly replied "My husband is finishing my floor tonight, laughs, so I'm going to hold off." I was already having some irregular contractions and I had driven down by myself so thought better of it. Plus I still had over a week to go, so I thought I'd see what happens.

So I drove home, had coffee with my sister, had this strong urge to use up my apples to make some apple hand pies, didn't really have to much concern with dinner, helped Liam collect some leaves for an art project and Jason worked on the floor. My contractions got closer together as the evening progressed. Liam and I did some errands, Jason nearly finished the floor and I called my Mom to tell her this might be the real deal. By 12pm they were time-able contractions. I got a few hours of sleep and by 4am I knew this was happening. We called my Mom, had some oatmeal as a family, scrambled to get our stuff together and get on the turnpike before rush hour started.

 We got to the birth center around 8am. I was around 5 cm when we got there, they checked the heartbeat, which they were a little concerned with at first. Early decelerations, I believe they called it. They kept monitoring it during contractions and after a few more, the issue was resolved enough that they felt confident I could stay, labor and give birth there. Things moved quickly in the next hour and a half I went from 5-10cm. My water broke, they quickly asked Jason to get the nurse in the other room, his head popped out by the time Jason was returning and he was fully birthed in around 10-15 minutes. His pink, crying, squishy body was a breath of relief, joy and exhaustion. He was beautiful. Lots of hair and so small. Not really that small, but Liam was 8lb 4 oz so it seemed that way. I held him for over two hours before they did his apgar. It was pure joy. We got time to just marvel at him.
He slept a lot. We got to all rest together for a bit, Everett ate a little bit and we on our way by 5pm that evening. We had dinner at home and then Liam came back from my parents house to meet his little brother. It was all a very quick, happy, amazing, whirlwind of a day. I, amazingly, didn't feel wiped out this time around and it's truly been a blessing with having two now. Everett will be two weeks old tomorrow and he couldn't be more loved and cherished by his Mama, Daddy and big brother. He loves to sleep ( way more that Liam did ) eats pretty well, has the best faces and is starting to have more alert time. He cycles with Liam's nap, giving me some moments to rest and relax and write down these memories.

* Liam helped us out with Everett's middle name. Jason and I were having a hard time coming up with one, so we just went with what Liam had been calling him all along "baby flynn". Only he was referencing his favorite fire truck on thomas. In time it grew on us and we decided to just go with it. I just decided to change up the spelling for fun.

39 weeks

 So this will be my last pregnant post I'm sure. I'm due on Tuesday, so we'll just have to wait and see when this bean wants to grace us with his presence. As I write this, I'm secretly hoping it's not before Tuesday since we are staining our hallway and stairs this weekend ( we, as in I moved out again and Jason got stuck with the fun job of staining). It's all been a little bit of racing the clock with this pregnancy vs. home renovations. Our stairs got installed last week and we are hoping to have the floors stained and finished, so we can wrap up this renovation for now. Sure, we still have trim and touch ups, but the end is finally in sight. It's been an emotional last two weeks as we weren't sure if everything could get done. Making last minute house decisions and getting ready for the cooler weather. Even when we thought things couldn't get crazier, they did. This weekend our shower broke, Jason's car window broke, and Liam and I came down with colds, on top of packing my "just in case I go into labor bags" and having them accessible, along with my we're staying with my parents for another long weekend bags.

There have been some lovely moments along with the hard and crazy ones. Like the morning we got to go apple picking with my dear friend, Kerah. She snapped some pictures of Liam, bean and I! Liam and I also got to have a fun little shake shack date last weekend. We made applesauce with my Mom, I worked my last shift at work and did my last cake order. We've also been able to get to the park and walk on the trail to enjoy autumn's beauty.

We couldn't be more excited to finally meet this baby boy. It's been one very exciting pregnancy with lots of activity, projects and busyness. I am looking forward to some slower days with all three of my boys at home with me by my side.

A fine fall day!

 Last weekend we went to visit Graceful Glen alpaca farm for their national farm days. It's been on my radar for a couple of years as something I'd like to do with Liam, so I was happy that we had the weekend free to go see the alpacas. We started off with a hayride and let me just say, that a hayride with a 3 year old, makes it just so much more fun. The sheer delight of sitting on hay and throwing some ( of course) and being pulled by a tractor was magical for this little boy. We then went to feed the alpacas. Outside we fed the males with hay and inside the barn we fed the Mama's and the babies with pellets. Liam wasn't the least bit shy with them. I was a little surprised at just how much he loved feeding them. He played some of their harvest games, learned about washing and carding the alpacas fur and got to try spinning some. We also got a hat for Liam and his baby brother from their great little shop.

On the way home we stopped by our favorite vegetable stand to look at the pumpkins and find a few small pumpkins and gourds to make the inside of our home feel festive for fall. I love to decorate the porch, but that will have to wait till next year as we are still using the porch for a work zone for the house. Liam picked a pumpkin out for his room and we got a few more to be scattered around the kitchen and dinning room. We got to chatting with the lady who lives there and runs the stand. She saw us and said, hey if you want to take any pictures in the flowers or pumpkins go for it. So, of course we couldn't pass up that invitation especially since I actually had my dslr with us from the alpaca farm. It's not quite as often these days, that I take it with us, so I was delighted for the impromptu photo fun we had there. The owner was such a sweet woman, telling us about her two boys and asking about my pregnancy. She even picked 3 gorgeous sunflowers, handed them to Liam and told him to give them to his sweet Mommy. This season already makes my heart so full, but spending the day with my family outdoors at the farm and at the patch just made it one of the finest days I can remember.

35 weeks

Autumn is here now. Making it all the more real to me each day that our little bean will soon greet us! This is truly my favorite season, so I am happy to get to have another little one during this time. Cool mornings, pumpkin picking, apple cider, pumpkin donuts, hayrides, and burning candles are some of the many wonderful things we enjoyed this weekend to celebrate the season. I'm trying to soak up these activities with Liam and focus on him, since soon, it will be a divided focus. Still wondering how that will look, how Liam will react and what day to day life will mean with two little ones.

33 weeks

This babe is growing quickly now. I feel it's strong movements at the most inconvenient of times lately. Say, when I'm piping on icing details for a cake or desperately trying to fall asleep, but it just reminds me I have a strong baby boy growing steadily and nothing makes a Mama's heart feel better and reassured than that!

It has been a busy couple of weeks, moving back into our house, cleaning, washing baby clothes, taking stock of what we have and still need for the baby and the house, celebrating a birthday and a wedding.

 Our floors are hopefully going in this week and we have some meetings with contractors to finish up the details of our house. Liam is desperately looking forward to bringing his toys downstairs again and I am as well. Right now our dining and living room sit empty and we miss having a downstairs ( besides the kitchen and laundry room) that function like livable spaces.

We just got a second, more family friendly car, for Jason, ( bye, bye old truck) to drive to work everyday. A Honda, Element that will be more reliable, with way better gas mileage and have room for trips to Lowes but still fit two car seats. Not exactly something we wanted to take on this summer, but a necessary must for our life right now.

We are enjoying the little tastes of fall. We stopped for some pumpkin donuts recently and I've been knitting baby things ( and hopefully some for Liam too)

I'm still working some banquets and taking cake orders for the foreseeable future. That's life right now at 33 weeks.

29 weeks

 11 more weeks! Give or take, you know. Sometimes I really wish for about 11+ more weeks just to feel settled and get everything done we hope to accomplish. Then I start to ache more, toss and turn at night more and grow bigger, making me thankful for the pretty easy pregnancy thus far and realize I am right where I should be.

We did move the crib out of Liam's room and into ours this weekend. That felt like something! Liam has a big bed now and that's one thing off the the to-do list. We've had some pretty significant set backs with renovating that have felt discouraging, but we keep looking forward, because we are racing the baby clock and have come to terms that certain things will not be finished in time. But this wall behind me is pretty exciting. It's our dining room wall! It's primed, white and beautiful! We had a new window installed this week that is a little bigger than our old one and having it white, means it's gloriously light in there now. Anyone of you who has been in our dinning room knows how dark and dingy it felt with the exposed ceiling and dark torn wallpaper everywhere. So, that is pretty awesome!

For right now we spend our weeks apart while Jason works on the house and about 24 hours of the  weekend being a family again. Not ideal, but things are getting there. So for now I wait, binge watch netflix shows, eat chocolate and hang out with Liam while it's just the two of us.

27 weeks

Oh hey 27 weeks. Way to sneak up on a girl. People like to ask me if this pregnancy is similar to my first. I usually reply that it is. And for the most part that's true. Slightly sick first trimester, easy second trimester and as I'm nearing my third it will probably follow suit, with some more tired and soar moments as the weeks go by.

There are a few things different this time around. With a three year old occupying a lot of my time and energy, I've had less mental space to dwell on being pregnant. So that being said, time is flying by. I meant to post a 25 week update, but that just never happened. Too much house and birthday stuff going on then. We also were only renovating one room ( for Liam) when I was pregnant the first time and this time it's most of the downstairs and some of the upstairs. I'm not swelling like I did with Liam ( yet) and hopefully won't. Thanks to living in my family's central air home for the last 7 weeks has helped with that I think. I'm not really craving anything this  time except my cup of coffee each morning.

Liam got to see the baby move across my belly recently and now he's convinced he can see the baby moving all the time. It was a special moment and I'm sure he will enjoy many more kicks and movements in the coming weeks as they only get stronger and stronger.

I'm looking forward to getting back home to knit and sew some baby things, to begin to see  a finished dining room, living room, staircase and hallway and to get my space back in order and enjoy my favorite season with our baby bean.

23 weeks

Life at 23 weeks has had it's ups and downs. We are now at week two of living with my family as we continue renovations on our home. While we are excited for the progress, it does make it hard to be split up most days. Jason working on the house, Liam and I living with my family. There have been a few other bumps in the road that we've had to deal with recently. But, God has been faithful and we have seen his hand guiding us in it all.

This part of pregnancy, the glorious second trimester, has left me with much more energy and I'm grateful for it. The bean has been "jumping" and kicking stronger and stronger these days.

Liam is turning 3 soon and we hope to make it to the beach for a day sometime this summer. Our summer is wide open with time and it feels nice to take it as it comes. I have to remind myself to soak up those moments when it's just Liam and I because I know it will be an adjustment when his baby brother arrives. To relish in reading books uninterrupted and taking the time to explain his many questions each day. To listen as he recalls his favorite parts of the day and have him tell me I'm his best friend.

21 weeks + it's a boy!

 We are so pleased to announce we are having a boy, a little brother for Liam! He's pretty much on board with the idea as well. He just struggled with letting go of that pink balloon in the photo below. He really wanted it to come back after it floated up up and away. Part of me wondered, if it was also symbolic of me letting go of the idea that we may not ever have a girl. An idea I have made peace with and have also left room in my heart for the unexpected surprises, life throws your way. Regardless, I am so happy to be carrying a healthy baby boy again!

I have begun arranging our bedroom in my head to accommodate a little one again, and am excited to get out that newborn box of clothing. So many special pieces that hold so many dear memories that we get to snuggle a new babe in again.

We are also getting ready to demo the first floor in our house (except the kitchen and laundry room which are mostly finished projects) in hopes that we can have a finished downstairs living space in time for the new babe. If there's anything I've learned in becoming a homeowner to a project home and a mother, it's that that both take up massive amounts of our time, resources and energy. There really won't be room for a big renovation while we have a newborn + toddler. So we are striving to make a big, fast push forward so we can be comfortable in our space with our new little one, expected to make an appearance late this October. Meanwhile Liam and I are living with my parents. Away from the dust, debris and construction.

Kicks and movement from the bean have become a regular occurrence these days. These are some of my favorite moments of pregnancy! It's amazing how fast time is going this time around.

19 weeks

We are all pretty over the moon excited for this new life growing inside of me. Liam was our bear cub and this babe is our baby bean. We are planning to find out the gender this time which is exciting and different this time around. Everything else pregnancy related has been pretty much the same as with Liam.

 Liam has went from wanting a sister to a brother weekly. He also likes to share his food with me, he says its for the baby, to help it grow! It's all very sweet and I am excited for Liam to feel the baby move around in my belly in the coming weeks!

 

a little recap of the past weeks.

this is the last bi-weekly post for my pregnancy. one chapter finished another one begins! overall it's been a pretty spectacular journey. i look forward to sharing a bit of it here. probably not as often as during my pregnancy... you know when i had a lot more time on my hands, but i hope to share some special moments with you all.

40 weeks + 3 days

 

life at 10 months: 

• here we are in this place of limbo. all we can do is wait. i can honestly say that besides some insomnia and slight discomforts we are still at a joyful place.  waiting can be fun.
• the past week or so has been a big social time. catching up with many of our close friends. dinners, breakfasts, short walks, ice cream adventures and out of state friends coming to visit.
• in hopes of bringing on the baby i've been fed much spicy food. a smorgasbord really. some mexican, indian and chinese... to no avail. thank goodness i don't get heartburn.
• i've been in the kitchen a lot these days. making bread, calzones, summer salads... just enjoying the extra time i have to spend on our meals. thankfully i have an awesome husband to help clean up. i'm usually pooped half way through dinner.
• i've also been knitting a bunch. just simple wash rags to keep my hands busy. we needed some fresh ones anyway.
• we've also done some pretty intense cleaning and organizing around here. it needed to get done. it's been in the plans for months, so i'm pretty happy we made it happen.
• yesterday the grocery store was my big adventure
• maybe today, giving birth will be... here's to hoping.

crafting some more baby things

 iron on onesies! perhaps my favorite projects, just because it was so quick!

 recycled t-shirt top knot hats.

 of course there are some knit items. i know it's july but it's cotton and who knows, maybe somewhere (definitely not our home) but some where might be really cool?

my love of flag garlands prevails. hand sewn felt flags.

38 weeks

• at my last appointment with the midwife, she was feeling around to make sure of the baby's position and she exclaimed " oh your having a contraction!" my response " oh, is that what that is?" apparently i've been having mild contractions unbeknownst to me. haha.

•  3-5... the average number of times i'm awake or have to get up at night. i think i'm in training for what's to come.
• we enjoyed a leisurely 4th of july. local town parade and a picnic.
• popsicles, fans, pools, cold showers and ice packs are my friends right about now. ( my other ankle finally decided it was hot enough outside to swell)
• was a little over the moon that i found a non maternity dress in my closet the that still fit me!
• went to my first farmer's market of the season! ( there's a whole new world of fun out there when you aren't working every saturday morning)
• chips ( our kitty) was being really cute at our little outdoor photo shoot.
• that's about it ( for now)

baby room: before and after

here we are... many months later, a few coats of paint, lots of love and labor ( thanks to jason) we have a finished baby room. if you know anything about our house... well this is a very special thing for us. we tackle about 5 projects at a time usually and it's hard to see progress in that. so this  room really means a lot to both of us. a project complete. start to finish. once the "work" was done i had a lot of fun putting the finishing touches on it! some of my favorites being our baby pictures hanging on the wall above the changing table, embroidery done by my mom, the bird mobile i made out of recycled fabric from my grandmother and artwork pulled out of old children's encyclopedias. 

hope you enjoyed a piece of our nest.