"We Have a Baby... Chick!"

 

House updates, birthday celebrations, and baby news!

House Remodel

The two things that have been tackled in the past few months are finishing the bathroom and filling one million nail holes in the trim on the main floor. 

You might remember a few of these photos from the last post. We were right in the middle of the bathroom remodel at the last update. James worked hard to tile the shower and floor after removing the tub and building the new shower wall.

We replaced the toilet, vanity top, sconce lights, and medicine cabinet. We also refinished the vanity base to save some money since it was still in good shape. We purchased new doors for the vanity and the built-ins behind the door. We reused leftover paint from the rest of the project to keep things simple and concise throughout. Even the knobs were accidental misorders for the kitchen that I wasn't able to return. 

We didn't account for the sconce lights being a different design than the previous lights. He actually hung the new sconce lights upside-down to avoid the lights not hanging too low. I don't hate it, but I'm not too excited about the extra dust collection in the shade. I'm still undecided whether or not we might try to flip them around and see how low the lights feel with them facing down. Every project is bound to have a moment or two like this - things that didn't go quite as planned or weren't thought through all the way. It's certainly not the end of the world. Our motto has become, "Well, it's better than it was." 

Enjoyment > Perfection

The shower turned out really beautiful, even though Trevin informed us it feels like a "public shower." We cut it really close on the tile and had to use some floor tile inside the shower shelf because we were literally short 1 tile. 

This was the final room to be remodeled in the house. It's been a long 12+ years of slowly working on our home one room at a time. It feels good to have touched it all and brought new life to this house. Now it's probably time to start touching up paint in the basement... And so the cycle continues.

School

Our spring semester flew by and we completed year four of homeschooling!

Some days looked like hands-on learning in the schoolroom, math on the couch, or a couple hours at the Edgerton Center. 

Other days looked like a morning hockey game with friends, followed by Dude Perfect smoothies.

We also took some time to experience the eclipse. A built-in science lesson.

Maybe it was a pregnancy instinct, trying to do everything before a new baby comes, but we hit quite a few field trips this semester. One of our favorites was touring the capitol! It was my first time, too, and I was taken aback by the beauty and detail within the building. 

Myla has been very sweet to include Macklin in her "projects" and I often find them "doing preschool" in the afternoons together. Macklin is an eager learner and she's an eager teacher. A combination that we can all benefit from.

Our mini homeschool coop wrapped up the school year a few weeks ago. It was honestly such a dear time for each of us. We benefited greatly from the wisdom and grace of the other families that are a step ahead of us on this homeschooling journey.

Some of the kiddos put on an impromptu play after our last coop day. Since we studied Shakespeare this year, it was fitting that they chose A Midsummer Night's Dream. They planned the script, costumes, props, and lights. It was cute to see all of the hard work they put into it. Myla was part of the fairy crew. Trevin opted not to participate. Shocking, I know.

At our end of the year celebration, the kids both gave a Faces of History presentation about a person of their choosing from our history this year. Trevin chose Sir Francis Drake, and Myla picked Queen Isabella of Castile. They worked hard on their speeches and they both had them mostly memorized by presentation time. (Ask them to give you a little bit of their speech sometime, you might learn a few things, like I did!) I was so proud of them. They've both made so much progress this year and it's been fun to have a front row seat to it.

We're so thankful for our year with this crew!

We slowly wrapped up subjects in March and April. It's hard to fathom Trevin is going to be in 7th grade next year. Where has the time gone?

We're moving up! 

Easter

Carver didn't fully grasp the point of the Easter egg hunt. He just wanted to hold on to the same two eggs in his hands.

This was my favorite Easter, celebrating a risen Savior with our kids and having sweet moments with our families.

Mack's Bday

This goofball turned four! 

He requested a dinosaur party and Ashton made the perfect dino cake for him.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday party meal, he quickly chose lasagna and pasta salad... which was shocking and I would not have ever guessed that. I think he's 4 going on 40...

We snuck his party in over Easter weekend since family was back. It made for a busy few days, but we love celebrating this guy!

Four years of our favorite Mack-Man. There's never a dull moment with him and we love him all the more for it. He's such a charmer and is always telling me he loves me and that I'm the best. He's so bright and loves being with his brothers and sister. He's eager to come alongside and help James and I with whatever we're doing. He's a jokester and he has the best belly laugh. We simply adore him. 

Also, four is certainly the age when they are so so cute but have forgotten how to smile for a picture.

Trev's Bday

A few days later we celebrated a new 12-year-old! He loves quality time and he's incredibly responsible. He works hard and thinks deep. He's been by my side for my entire adult life and I couldn't be more thankful for him - his jokes, his companionship, his love. He's a great son.

He requested Eileen's frosted cookies and snickerdoodles. Again, not what I would have guessed. He opted to do something with friends this summer to celebrate his birthday, so that is TBD.

He was pumped about his crossnet set from Grandma. He's taken it with to several events and sets it up to play any chance he gets. 

James and I got him a new basketball hoop. We had taken our previous one down from the garage when we updated the exterior, and he had been begging for us to hang it back up, but we didn't want to put it back on the garage. We're planning to redo the concrete floor in our garage and pour a larger pad this fall, but we opted to put the basketball hoop in temporarily this summer. It's a good thing we did, because it's been used for hours and hours already in the past month. Trev is always challenging me to a game of Pig, because Knock-Out isn't happening at 8-9 months pregnant.. I hate to admit he's beaten me a few times. Thankfully, my years and years of basketball haven't been all for loss - I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Myla's Bday

Can you tell it's birthday season around here? We love those spring babies.

We celebrated this sweet girl a couple weeks early with her very first friend birthday party.

Myla was kind to let Macklin join in on all of the party activities. He was thrilled and didn't even seem to notice that he was the only boy.

She's been planning this craft party for over a year. You should see her pinterest board... We had to scale a few things down, but the girls (+ Mack) had fun painting canvases. Believe it or not, it wasn't near as messy as I had imagined it would be.

I realized girl parties are way different than boy parties. Girls are content to sit around crafting for an hour while chatting. Boys just want to run around yelling while shooting each other with any weapon they can find.

The girls wanted to do some dancing, so we brought the speaker on the deck and cranked the music. It was cute watching them try to learn the steps, switching partners, and giggling through it all. 

We also let them decorate their own cupcakes... kind of. They were already frosted, so the kids just got to add the sprinkles and gummies of their choosing.

She's been waiting so long to get to do this VR exhibit at the Edgerton Center. The day she turned 8, she got her chance! 

I think I feel it with her more than with the boys - time is a thief. I know we've been through a lot in the past 5 years, but her growing up has happened amidst my oblivion. I want to bottle her up at every stage and keep her forever. She's got a joy that is unmatched, is a helper at heart, and loves to create. My darling, girl. I'll love you forever.

Lake

James got the itch. The itch to fish. 

The weather turned warm and then it rained and suddenly the boat was getting worked on and stocked for the year. I told him this was the last time (at 37 weeks) I'd feel comfortable going to the lake until after baby comes, so he saw his window of opportunity and he took it. Unfortunately, James took his wife and kids and spent most of his day reworming hooks, driving us to a better location on the lake, and watching everyone else's lines. He still got his pole in the water plenty, but Macklin was the only one that pulled anything in.

I don't know if James was more annoyed or proud that his 4-year-old out-fished him... Either way, it was a keeper and it brought Carver lots of entertainment watching it swim in the live well. It was a really fun day on the water. It's always good to get the boat out again. I think the kids are eager to get back out there when the water warms up, so they can swim and tube. And James is eager to reel his first fish in for the year.

Mother's Day

I could get very sappy here, but I'm due with a baby any day. So, I'm not about to open the floodgates and strike that sentimental chord more than I already have. All I will say is that my love for these souls is so incredibly deep.  

I love being their mom. I love discipling them. I love teaching them. I love being with them. I love them. 

I hope they grow up knowing and feeling that to their core.

I know my face looks like I am miserable in the picture below. It's because I was. I'll fill you in with the baby update at the end of the post, but several nights of not sleeping combined with a constant itch and pain in my hands meant just trying to mentally make it through the next day.

Other Highlights

Find yourself the "fun mom" friends that host Valentine's cookie decorating parties.

But the best part might have been the costume parade.

We snuck in one last escape room before it closed. I would say our chances of beating any time records went down with each child we had in the room. Sooo... it took us a bit.

I took the big kids rollerblading with friends one afternoon. I was tempted to get on a pair of blades myself, but my basketball belly convinced me otherwise. Maybe next time.

It's fun to go and do exciting things, but our favorite times are spent all together at home. 

I decided to jump on the Easter stitch-along after enjoying the Christmas one so much. Things were much less busy in March than they were in December, so it came together pretty easily. I couldn't turn down the cute design and getting to learn how to stitch flowers. It's a new hobby that I'd love to do more of when time allows, but that might be a little bit with baby #5 coming.. 

Mother-Daughter Banquet

We've been enjoying the beautiful weather lately! I love watching my kids play with each other all year long. It's such a joy to see their relationships grow every year.

Farm

Spring has sprung on the farm! 

We had a swarm of baby bunnies bouncing all over the yard, and several kept falling in our window well. Within a couple days we had baby chicks hatch! We had wanted to incubate some of our eggs and see if we could get any to hatch. We grabbed a dozen eggs one day, put them in the incubator, and watched them carefully for 21 days. We candled them about half way in and could see several that were developing. By day 18-20 we started seeing little movements and could even here a peep every now and then. And wouldn't you know it, on day 21 we woke up to a new baby chick.

James was the first one up that morning and had gone down to check them in the school room. He came back upstairs to wake me, but apparently I was in a very deep sleep because when he said, "Megan, we have a baby chick!" I woke up and heard, "Megan, we have a baby!" For a split second, I thought I had delivered our baby and slept through it somehow. Then my brain started to process and I realized he said "baby chick." I'm not saying I was disappointed, but thinking I had a baby and finding out we had a baby chick aren't exactly on the same level of excitement.

When the kids got up they spent quite a bit of time watching the eggs to see if there was going to be any more chicks soon. We could see and hear one chick starting to work its way out of the egg. It was fun to see the little beak pecking out of the hole. Unfortunately, we had a full morning at church and afternoons at graduations, so we missed the grand finale. 

But when we returned home, chick #2 had hatched. There was a third egg that we saw movement on and even heard a chirp or two from, but unfortunately it never made it out of its shell. 

We set up a little spot for them in our garage, so we can easily step out and watch them any time we'd like.

I know you can't tell, but Carver loves the chicks.

The chicks are growing so fast already, and I know that they're quickly outgrowing this adorable stage. We might have to hatch a couple baby chicks each year just to get our chick-fix.

The rest of the farm is flowing as it should be. James wrapped up the few flamers and cultivators he sold this winter and then started prepping for field work. He's had some long days/nights in the tractor, but that's been broken up by rainy days. James said he will not complain about the rain, and neither will I. (We both are old enough to remember when we had to lay out pipe last May to pre-irrigate before planting. Rainy days are way better than that. So very thankful!) Yes, we're on a time crunch before baby, but the Lord is good, and the timing is His on all of it. The fields will be planted. The baby will come. A lot of the variables are out of our control. The older we get, the more we accept that instead of fight it. Thank goodness for sanctification. 

I remember years in our early marriage where it felt like the farm and I were at odds. We were never on the same page, always had very different expectations, and both demanded time and energy from the same man. It was a battle. But each year, more and more, we've learned to live in rhythm. Taking each season in stride, finding joy in the changing days, and making it a part of our family culture. Embracing this life has brought an entirely new sense of joy to our home - one that, along with many other things, started us on our homeschooling journey. We're busier than ever, but somehow have quieter souls. Peacefully busy.

Trevin

Having a 12-year-old is something else. We are certainly feeling the tween years.. Suddenly he's sleeping in for the first time in his life and gaining energy every hour after supper. His early-to-bed parents are trying their best to make the adjustment. 

He's become very interested in vintage Lego sets after rebuilding all of James' old sets. He's always eager to check Ebay for the latest bids and has started collecting some classic pieces/sets. He is not a fan of losing auctions, though. 

He had to get a palette expander from the orthodontist this spring. He's been a trooper. He should start the next phase later this summer. Between his orthodontic appointments and my prenatal appointments, we've been keeping the appointment calendar busy!

He's very into Risk Europe right now after getting it for his birthday. I have taken the time to play it with him twice, and I have beaten him twice. I just needed the record to show that.

He just finished his 4th year of guitar lessons and had his recital in April! 

Myla

It feels like spring always brings special events for Myla - princess party, baking demonstration with Mimi, and a tea party pictured below.

She's a carefree, optimistic, kindhearted night-owl.

Myla helped her grandma with a baking demonstration at church this spring. She's had plenty of practice helping Mimi make rolls for various occasions, so it only made sense to have her help teach other ladies how to do it.

She is such a creative at heart. If she's not crafting, sewing, or painting, she can be found going through cookbooks trying to decide what to make. In the past week, she has made cookies and banana muffins by herself. She even lets Mack help her, which is a noble task on its own! I'm soaking in this new stage of turning her loose in the kitchen. It's been so adorable and helpful! Now I need to turn her love for baking into a love for cooking, and maybe Mom will get a night off every once in awhile! 

She loves the dancing that we get to do at the tea party, but I'm pretty sure all the sashaying about put me into labor.

Macklin

Since January, he has made huge strides. His breath-holding spells have almost completely stopped. He's shifted into the next stage of childhood in so many ways. He seems less toddler every day and is often lumped in with the "big kids" now. But even "big kids" need naps sometimes.

One day James asked him, "Mack, do you want to come with me to move the excavator?" He responded with a sigh, "Ok... but are we even going to get to dig?!" He loves tagging along with James any chance he gets, but he especially loves the big equipment.

He's determined, eager, goofy, and loves driving his tractor around the yard all day long. Most the funny stories James and I share with each other every night involve this guy.

Carver

It's been a hard couple of months for this little guy. We've had multiple bouts of sickness go around and he's managed to get the worst of it every time. He's been my clingiest sick baby, which was probably good for both of us, because it forced me to sit and snuggle. This pregnant body needed that down time just as much as he needed the cuddles. As if the illness and teething weren't enough, we found an abscess on his gums above his tooth that got knocked this winter. This likely means the tooth is dying. He's on antibiotics for the infection as a short-term fix, but we're hoping to not have to pull the tooth in the near future if at all possible.

After colds, fevers, stomach flu, and teething, he bounced right back to his happy self - smothering me with kisses and melting my heart with his sweet little face.

He loves spending time with Hayes! He asks about him daily and they both light up when they see each other. 

He's becoming a really great independent player. He loves anything with a trailer. He points to the cab of his tractors, trucks, and machinery and says, "Dad!" all day long. Dad is always driving his equipment. He loves riding his bike, trike, and is always down for a wagon ride. He begs to put his shoes on and go outside, especially if he sees anyone else leave. He's a great tractor rider. It's not uncommon for him to ride for an hour or two with James and never have a single issue. He loves sitting in the buddy seat and pointing at everything he sees. Every piece of equipment is referred to as a "broom" right now, which is the noise he makes when he's driving his tractors and trucks around the house. 

I found out that he's still sucking his thumb. He never does it throughout the day; I only catch him doing it when he is in his bed about asleep. Once he's asleep, the thumb comes out and doesn't go back in until the next nap/night.

The biggest shift for Carver this spring was moving to a big boy bed in a new room. I was dreading the transition, because everyone was in a good routine where they were, but I knew it needed to be done and a new routine established before baby came. We moved Mack to the top of the loft bed that had come from Myla's room and put another twin mattress on the floor for Carver. He was super confused the first night we tried sleeping him in there, but he quietly stayed in bed and eventually went to sleep. The next day went the same. One night he woke up scared, probably unaware of where he was, but other than that, it's been really smooth. Even Mack has adjusted super well. They're consistently sleeping about 12 hours every night. I was telling James one day that I was lucky because of how easy the transition was. He was quick to tell me that I had put in lots and lots of hard work into routines and parenting for years ahead of this transition, which helped everyone adjust to a new normal quickly. I took the encouragement and thanked past Megan for setting present Megan up for success. Now if only I could figure out how to do that in every area of parenting and life in general...

One mantra I repeat to myself often is "Help future Megan." Dirty dishes in the sink at night - do them now so future Megan doesn't have to. Making supper - double it and feed the freezer so future Megan can benefit. Discipline at the inconvenient time - habits are forming today, good or bad, put in the effort now, don't wait for the long-term consequences of lazy parenting later. But it's not only about helping myself. If I generally live my life in this manner, it can actually create some margin for me the next day, week, month, etc... It allows me to say yes when someone needs a last minute place for a kid because I'm not drowning in housework, it can provide a quick meal to someone in need right out of my own freezer, it can mean saying yes to serving others because I haven't procrastinated my work serving my family. Procrastination has been a crutch for me at times, but that's something the Lord has been working on in my heart. It's not just about making my own life easier in the future, but about working heartily for the Lord, for His glory. Work is good, we were created to work, and so I can be an example to my kids about the good work the Lord has set before me. Every load of laundry, every errand run, every meal served, every math lesson taught is an opportunity to glorify God, serve those I love, and put the gospel on display for our children. For our God, our Savior, came to serve, and so we are called to serve.

Ok, I guess I got off on a tangent... Back to this little buddy.

He's been really chatty lately. I'm always trying to translate what he's telling me, but that's no easy task. Right now he calls all liquid "milk." So since we went fishing, all he's talked about it "Boat in milk. Fish in milk." He is almost always yelling for "Matt" or "Ma" (Mack and My) He hasn't said Trevin's name consistently, which is funny because he spends an equal amount of time with all of them. Everything is "wevy" (heavy) whether he is trying to pick something up or just trying to climb onto a chair.

His funny little personality is really starting to shine. He's happy and goofy and really starting to find mischief. Like trying to wash egg cartons in the utility sink, and just learning how to unlatch the deck gate. (Just in time for me to bring a newborn home...) He also went through a phase of boot snacks.. Every time he had a snack, I'd find him dumping them from his bowl into a loose boot and eating them out of it. I don't know why kids do the things they do, but boot snacks were a battle for several weeks. 

It's so hard to believe that my baby is going to be a big brother any day. I just adore him.

Baby

This pregnancy has flown by! It feels like just last week Macklin announcing the news to family and friends, "We're going to have two babies!" Only for me to have to correct him quickly and clarify that he was counting Carver as one of those babies.

32 weeks

This was our first back-to-back full-term pregnancies since Trevin and Myla. So the emotional load has been different than it was for Macklin and Carver's pregnancies. I was still very much in grief in those seasons, even as we welcomed healthy baby boys. This pregnancy had a deep sense of gratitude surrounding it, and I didn't feel the weight that I had previously. But something shifted in the second trimester. James had a pretty vivid dream that left us both in tears about our lost babies. As much as this pregnancy had been surrounded with joy, it triggered the pain once more. It was a few weeks of another wave of processing and feeling grief over those little lives. Our hearts are bound to each of the seven children we've conceived no matter their length of time. They are all a gift.

My doctor wanted to do an ultrasound at 32 weeks, which I've never had done before. I asked her why and her response surprised me. She told me she was worried about the size of my babies and my history of shoulder dysplasia in my last two deliveries. She went through her concerns and the risks and started throwing out the possibility of scheduling a C-section to avoid having a third, more severe case if baby is as large as my last. I quickly shot that down, and she told me that, at the very least, she really would like to induce me by 39 weeks. I felt pretty thrown off by all of this, but I asked questions and shared my thoughts. 

I honestly have not been worried about this, because I don't think Mack would have gotten stuck if he hadn't been rotated just so. Carver also got stuck coming out, but all it took was me shifting positions and the doctor was able to maneuver him out fairly easily. I hadn't given it much thought at all since. It certainly wasn't something I was worried about. So I've felt pretty comfortable not wanting to intervene and letting baby come on its own time.

My doctor did the ultrasound and we got to see this sweet round face that had filled out so much in the 12 weeks prior. (Trevin ended up being with me at my ultrasound that day, because his orthodontist appointment was scheduled the same morning. It was a sweet thing for him to get to be a part of.)

I couldn't help but think baby resembled Myla. And thankfully, baby measured smaller than average, which put my doctor and I both at ease that this was probably not going to be another 9lb 8oz Carver. I haven't had "feelings" one way or another whether I think we're having a girl, but this ultrasound made me think maybe, just maybe, Myla could be getting a sister. But Carver was also Myla's (large) twin... so who knows. There is a massive boy wave happening right now with everyone in our circle that is having babies. Will we be part of that wave or are we going to be the ones to break the trend??

I'm not sure if it's because I might be carrying a smaller baby this time or what, but I've never felt this good in my third trimester. It has been miraculous. My pelvis has been a nonissue this trimester. I had a couple triggers in the second trimester and paid for it in soreness for a few days, but since then it has cooperated and stayed in place as it's supposed to. The only time I have pelvic pain is when I turn from my side to my back when laying down. I can feel the weight shift and it can be painful, but aside from that, I'm a free woman. I can walk and climb stairs and lift my babes and live a normal life without being in pain every waking minute. I'm so so so so so very thankful.

My pelvis isn't the only thing different about this pregnancy. I feel like my body has handled it better in general. I've had way fewer intense cravings, way fewer emotional mood swings, no heartburn, and I haven't even had much for a heightened sense of smell. After the first trimester, I really thought pregnancy in my 30s was going to be a totally different ballgame. I'm not 18 anymore... and I was right, except, generally speaking, this pregnancy has been easier on me than the others. Which is totally contrary to what I was anticipating. Sure I have some lower back pain which causes my back to lock up for a few seconds when I stand up, but that is to be expected this late in pregnancy. Otherwise it would seem that my biggest issues lately haven't been pregnancy related. At 37 weeks, my hands broke out in hives and swelled up like balloons. The pain got so bad that I couldn't sleep and spent a couple nights up icing my hands just to keep sane. I've had this happen before, but this was the worst by far. I was miserable. Thankfully, it ran its course and after 5 days, I finally started to get some relief. I actually found it better to keep myself occupied during the day to get my mind off of it, so I nested hard, prepped food, packed bags, cleaned, organized, and worked in the yard. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, but I can only say that now that I'm not typing with sausage fingers that are on fire. I came to realize James shared poison ivy with me again. For the second time in the past 3 months. It's possible that's what triggered the hives, it wouldn't be the first time. (Remember my poison ivy armpits turned full body hives in July of 2019... not the most fun month I've ever had.) I told James I'm going to make him get a desk job. I think I've only ever gotten poison ivy myself once. Otherwise it has always come from him. He just loves to share.

33 weeks

We have struggled with names this go-around. It was the latest we ever decided, which left me a little nervous. We landed on using the girl name option for one of the little boys, which is something we hadn't done before. I was glad to have that settled as we entered the third trimester, but we were struggling with a boy name. There was only one name on our "list" that I kept coming back to. James didn't love it at first, but it grew on him and when we were able to match it with a middle name, we both knew it was the right one. And so we had done it. We had picked the names. I felt confident in that for all of about one week before I started to question our girl name. I didn't realize how attached James had gotten to the girl name, so he pushed back hard any time I suggested changing it. He's never felt this strongly about a name, so I backed off and decided he's probably right. I think I'm confident in our name choices again, but there's probably still time for me to unnecessarily stress about it.

On another note, Macklin has tried to give his opinion about the baby's name. He told me one day, "Mom, I'll pay you $5 if you name the baby Farty." I told him it would take a lot more than $5 to convince me to do that... but we also didn't have names picked out at that point, so Farty went on the list with the perk of a $5 bonus.

34 weeks

And here we are in the final stretch of this pregnancy. My official due date is May 29, but things are moving in the right direction to go sooner than that. I was checked at 37 weeks and was already at 3 cm and 60% effaced. Last week, at 38, I had progressed to 4 cm. She said baby had definitely dropped, but wasn't crazy low. She did a mini-sweep. It didn't start anything for me that day, but the contractions I've had since then have certainly had more pressure than they did before. I've had a few bouts of just feeling a little off which always makes me wonder if my body is close. My braxton hicks contractions seemed to start really early this pregnancy and really reached a climax about a month ago. Since then they had slowed for a couple weeks, but have definitely picked up this past week. They're waking me up every night, usually for a string of them... I've committed to sleeping through whatever I can at this point. No walking laps in the living room through the night yet. James said he would give his blessing for me to go into labor after today. That would get him caught up on fieldwork and some quieter days with rain chances starting tomorrow. No pressure or anything on me to time something that is totally out of my control. Wishful thinking, but I wouldn't complain about meeting our baby next week.

38 weeks

So we wait. The to-do lists have been completed, the plans have been made, our home and hearts are ready for this new family member. Trusting the Lord with His timing and provision for this next season. Baby news coming soon.

Baking and boating and always growing on the farm...