Afton's First Summer (Months 2 through 4)

Month 2

July 4th weekend Afton took her first trip to Wisconsin for a Kodes family reunion at Autumn's parents home in Black River Falls. It was a wonderful time and even as little as she was- she did a wonderful job. She met many relatives and was passed around a lot giving mommy and daddy a fun little break. During July Afton also started sleeping through the night- unfortunately for her daddy, it happened to be when he was gone on a missions trip with 30 students who did not get to sleep through the night. He texted me intending to brag about getting 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I was delighted to inform him that I'd had 8. She now sleeps 10 hours at night folks. PRAISE. THE. LORD. That is the only reason I am sane enough to write anything down.

Other fun things she/we learned this month:
How to hold a toy in her hand (she)
How adorable she looks in a swimming suit (we)
How to release and let her go to the nursery (we)

Month 3

August held many adventures for the Anderson family. It began with a trip to Door County, Wisconsin to see Autumn's side of the family and ended with the annual trip to Hayden Lake in Danbury, MN to John's family cabins. Afton is SUCH a good traveler! Good thing since our legacy kind of has to do with traveling and we just can't seem to stay put (John and Autumn got to know each other while on tour with a worship band in college and LOVE traveling (doesn't matter where!) As long as she was fed and changed she happily entertained herself until nap time. What a trooper...

Our trip was filled with many wonderfully welcomed stops to see friends made on John's internship in Mequan, WI, friends from college in Appleton, WI and friends from our previous church in Kiel, Wisconsin. It was fun to reconnect with our eastern Wisconsinites!

We enjoyed many wonderful dates together while in Door County taking full advantage as parents of the first grand baby. My (Autumn's) parents and grandparents were delighted to spend some time with Afton and have some fun grandparents/grandaughter adventures of their own. We went Kayaking, hiking and mini golfing and were able to explore some of our favorite places from a summer spent there while dating- including the place he proposed! :-)

August ended with a trip over Labor Day weekend to Hayden Lake where Afton completed her first overnight camping trip :-) She loved watching the campfire and slept great that night all bundled up! We are so proud (and thankful) that she did so well. We also took her hiking AND she went swimming for the first time! Annd by swimming I mean we held her in the water- she loves it. Bath time is STILL her favorite activity. If it wasn't an obvious invasion  of her privacy and a complete internet/parent no-no I would be delighted to show you videos of how excited she gets, but I'm betting its not nearly as awesome to everyone else as it is to us. We're first time parents ok? Everything she does is the coolest/funniest/cutest thing :-) 

Unfortunately, pictures only do her so much justice, but we're sure you'll get the idea.

Other fun things she/we learned this month:

How easy cloth diapers are (we)

That Autumn can babysit 2 children this age and keep them alive- and have fun (we)

How to belly laugh (she) 

How to roll (she)

How to "inch worm" (she)

How to do rasberries/smacking noises with her mouth (she)

That she is teething (we)

That she is 14 lbs! (we)

Dear friends Lenay and Stuart! Stuart made Afton belly laugh for the first time!

This girls hair is out of control. 

The Rettlers- Dear friends and John's host parents while living in Mequon. 

3 Months!

Tummy Time!

Hayden Lake

Gramma face!

Month 4 

Happy 4 months to our sweet girl! ( Saturday, September 14th)

The Good Old Days

Today I visited someone with a "newborn" baby. So tiny and sweet...I may have had my first "I miss being pregnant or having a newborn" moment that everyone says you'll have while you swear you won't.

 I think I did. I heard sooo many times "Enjoy every stage because they grow so quickly..."While in my head I would say "You must have forgotten certain parts of this stage" , I did try my hardest to listen to the words of the older and wiser mothers. Now as I sit here, I think about how little she was two and half months ago and how *big (so relative) she is now.

 I keep looking at the most endearing picture of all the pictures I have. The one I snapped on my crappy cell phone moments after she was born as I sat there marveling.

Sweet baby girl, how you've grown.

What a joy and privilege to watch her grow. Today I watched her learn to grasp something in her fist. It only lasted a moment but as she realized she was making that rattle shake, she beamed with delight and so did I.

I realize also how much heart ache I'm in for as she grows. Having a baby makes you realize how fast life goes. But a breath...(Psalm 144:3-4). If two months goes this fast, I can't imagine how I'll feel when she is a year old. Can't she just be my baby for a while? That makes me think about how fast the last 5 years have gone. Will it really be that sudden that I'll turn around and have a five year old? If so, I understand why these women were so adamant.

I love NBC's show, The Office. John and I were office junkies as long as it was out. Homework breaks  consisted of me driving to his house to watch episodes of The Office. In our low times (the times where we were basically friendless, because we had just moved to a new place) we found ourselves referring to them as if they were friends we regularly spent time with.

Me: Hey John, remember when Jim played that joke on Dwight? That was so funny. 

As you can imagine, I shed a tear at the last episode. Maybe two. I wish I could say I hadn't. I once laughed at a friend who cried over a previous office episode, but there I was sobbing and blaming my hormones.

But seriously. Remember that time when Andy said,

"I wish someone would tell you you're in the good old days, when you're in the good old days"?

It stuck with me. There have been quite a few nights when I'm rocking Afton after she's fallen asleep and I realize I won't be able to hold her like this forever. A day is coming where changing her diaper and feeding her won't solve all of her problems and that breaks my heart. (Clearly a new area for me to learn about trusting God. More later on how much more there is to worry about  trust God with when you become a parent.) But right now, I will hold her and I will do my best to enjoy every moment of her babyhood.

I'm in the good old days and I am so happy to be here.

Two Months Old

Our beloved Afton was two months old this past Sunday. 

She truly gets cuter every day. I can't get over her and I can't believe she'll only continue to grow more beautiful. We pray that she will be like a tree planted by a river bank with her roots deep in truth and that she would constantly bear the fruit of the Spirit. 

Poor Johnny has been missing her this past week as he is on a missions trip. We are so supporting him in prayer as he felt led to plan and lead this trip over a year ago, but we miss him so much and he misses his baby!

Afton and I have been staying with my parents in Wisconsin and are enjoying a lot of the benefits of new, smitten grandparents and uncle who will do literally ANYTHING for baby time. 

I was able to go for a motorcycle ride with my dad,  go boating on the Mississippi AND the Black River and go out for brunch with a dear friend... ALONE! Such a privilege no one ever told me I'd so enjoy. For an introvert, suddenly having a human that never leaves your side is kind of a big deal. I LOVE IT, but, I really appreciate when someone I know, love and trust says "I'll take her!" and they mean it. :-) Once I actually LEAVE (yes, I'm that crazy mom that keeps coming back to tell them where this and that are and makes sure they have my number written in 12 places and on their head) it's so fun to come back to that sweet face. :-) 

Note: Missing her could take place after twenty minutes.... Sometimes at night I miss her...or when I'm driving in the car and she's in the back seat and I can't hold her. I literally can't get enough of this girl!) 

So, that said, poor Johnny.I'm sure her face has changed in a week and my back tells me that this cuddle bug who insists on snuggling most of the time (INSERT PLUG FOR THE BABY BJORN, THE MOBY AND THE SOON TO ARRIVE ERGO-ALL OF WHICH I LOVE FOR DIFFERENT REASONS) has grown in poundage for sure. She also, conveniently, began sleeping through the night when John left so this momma is actually sleeping better than her hubs, who is leading a 7 day missions trip with teenagers. :-)I'm still debating whether or not I should tell him. He keeps bragging about sleeping 6 hours with out interruption and I just can't bring myself to tell him I've slept 8.

But, she's awake now, God bless her, just as I sit down for coffee. 

It's ok. I missed her anyway. More later on how I feel about her growing up. 

Thoughts on the Month of June

June flew by. I cannot believe we are coming up on two months with our sweet baby Afton. It's been a challenging but joyful journey so far. We frequently make comments like "You know you're a new parent when..." followed by obscure conversation about how many bowel movements she's had, how excited we are when she burps, and the best system of how to___ you fill in the baby related blank. We realize that once we think we know something, she's always going to change it up on us. We're still hoping to figure out a schedule, although of course we have one of sorts- we're hoping it will soon be a bit more consistent. I do think it's safe to say that we have a good sleeper! She now sleeps through the night consistently. Praise God!

one month old!

The best two pieces of advice I've received are:

 1) do NOT make to do lists in the first two months after baby comes. If you do you'll feel like a failure but if you must, write down things like fed her, changed her diaper, took a nap to ensure that you can actually check things off! ( Note: I started this blog entry at the beginning of June and am finishing it at the end of July. Case in point.)

2) Go on a date as soon as you possibly can after having your baby. If you can't bear to leave her, have your mom (or someone you trust) watch her while you go in another room and have coffee and talk UNINTERUPTED. This is very important. You will probably feel guilty, but you just have to realize that she'll love you for loving each other. That's how she got here in the first place ;-)

Heading out on our first date since baby (happened to be our anniversary too!)

June brought many welcome visitors our way! We are so glad for the guest bedroom/open loft area and only wish it had a door so that people would stay longer ;-) We had a dear family friend, Ruth, on her way out to Switzerland visit us and offer to watch Afton for us while we went out for coffee. What a blessing little dates are. So much needed. You don't realize how precious those little things are (even things like riding in the car together without interruption because she's in the carseat) until they are more few and far between.

dear ruth with afton

anna meeting afton for the first time

afton meeting great grandma b.

afton meeting papa great and nana great

meeting aunt angie and cousin sam

afton with pawpaw

afton with grandpa anderson

Both our moms and many other friends and family came to bless us and meals were provided through our church friends. Such welcome interruptions to long monotonous first few weeks. We LOVED visitors. 

grandma anderson

My sweet little brother, who is finishing up college at Moody Bible in Spokane, WA flew in at the end of June for my cousin's grad party and stayed with us for a few days prior. What a grown up Godly, wonderful young man he has turned into. I was SO richly blessed by his presence as he did dishes for me, cleaned, washed laundry, FOLDED laundry and even MADE MY BED, not to mention volunteering to watch Afton so I could shower and read alone and changing the dirtiest of all diapers during that time. He's clearly smitten with his niece. What a wonderful blessing he was to us all.

uncle garrett

My mom also came almost every weekend throughout the rest of May and June and did countless projects around the house for me. She refinished an old coffee table I had bought that I absolutely love, steam cleaned my carpets and let John and I go out on dates. My mom definitely has the gift of helps and I'm so thankful God has allowed me to benefit from it. Not a trait I picked up on myself, but one I love to receive! ;-) In return, I think she and Afton have a special bond. Nani is one person that can make Afton laugh the most!

nani making afton laugh

Other June milestones included Afton's first smile (and many since), her first trip across the border to Wisconsin, she began tracking things with her eyes and she started gaining weight! (YAY!!!) =-) June also revealed Afton's love for baths. We know we're in for a boat load of smiles when it's bath time, no matter what kind of day she's had. :-)

afton started smiling...a lot!

she LOVES bath time

Afton Rose

Meaning of Afton: Near the River

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of draught. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

Afton (L) and Me (R) 

First day (L) and one Month (R)

May 14th, 2013

Hello!

Since having our sweet Afton Rose, we have been pretty much just learning to be parents. Many times I've thought, goodness, I would just love a few minutes to catch up on blogging, but time has not permitted! Today it has, and to clear my head and reminisce on the last few months, I am planning to do at least a double header here =-) First, I want to tell you the story of Afton's birth!

May 8th, her due date came and went. Although I told myself early on in my pregnancy not to hold tightly to my due "date" but think only about the fact that her due month was may, I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed when she didn't come on her Nani's birthday. I hoped mother's day might bring my welcome bundle, and I cried when it did not. We spent the afternoon on mother's day with John's family at his youngest sisters house playing games and talking- it was a good distraction. Later that evening my parents came to our house in hopes that they would be there for her big debut. I tried to talk them out of it saying that I felt it may be a waste of time, but I was so glad they came for the distraction. I was so uncomfortable.

What a strange feeling waiting for your baby to arrive is, after the due date. It was hard for John too as we both felt each day come and go thinking that could have been it. We went for a hike on Sunday (that's right- huge preggo went hiking- i really wanted this baby OUT!) and on Monday morning I went to the pre-natal appointment I had scheduled hoping I'd get to cancel it because she would come. The mid-wife I spoke with on the phone most often said there was nothing going on at the hospital (imagine that) and came to my appointment even though she was not the one I had scheduled with. She said she was just curious to see what was going on ;-) At this time I was having contractions inconsistently and far apart. I had been up for two nights timing them anyway because for some reason I was afraid I would miss it. That seems hilarious now! Mary told me that things were progressing and that she wouldn't be surprised if I had the baby soon, but we scheduled an induction for the coming friday just in case. We went home after stopping at the grocery store for watermelon (I couldn't get enough!) and had lunch. I took a short nap while John and my dad went to the gym to work out and my mom cleaned for me.

When I got up I sat in my baby's room in the rocking  chair imagining what life would be like when she was in my arms. My mom joined me and sat on the floor. We both sat in silence. Finally she prayed that the baby would come soon and quickly so that she and my dad could be there. They both had to work the next day and really wanted to be there with us. Moments later I had my first REAL contraction. A tear rolled down my face and my mom just looked at me for a minute and then laughing said, "I told you you wouldn't "miss" it ;-)" Things progressed very quickly the rest of the night until it was time to go the hospital. I labored at home from 6pm until midnight to ensure I wouldn't be sent home. When we got to the hospital I was dilated at a 6 and I was having terrible back labor so it felt like I was having a contestant contraction. I labored in the tub for quite a while, then asked for an epidural. I was so glad I did. I felt I had not energy left and things were not progressing. They told me to sleep but I was wide awake shaking for hours and still feeling a lot of pain in my back.

The next morning they had me try a few different positions to get the baby turned around since she was faced sunny side up- hence the back labor. By 10am they came back in to check on me and the mid-wife could see our baby's head! She said it was time to push (finally!) All I could think about as she got ready was the fact that I was going to meet my baby...TODAY. I remember not being able to get ahold of my body because I was shaking so much- probably a combination of the pain, excitement and complete exhaustion. They took my temp and I had a slight fever so they said I should try to get the baby out in under a half hour so they could wait to administer more antibiotics. She was out in 19 minutes! They placed that sweet little girl on my belly directly and her eyes and mine locked. She was screaming and it was music to my ears. She was wide awake, alert, so strong holding her head up looking right at me! She was kicking her legs trying to crawl up toward me and I remember thinking it was so strange that now I felt her on the outside and thinking- that's what that motion looks like that I've been feeling for nine months :-)

 John followed the nurses as they took her measurements and wrapped her up. He didn't leave her side and they had to ask him to let go of her hand while they weighed her which he reluctantly did. We tried to nurse right away and she was
a champ! Soon after her PawPaw (my dad) came in to meet her which was a beautiful picture. He prayed for our new little family and then he and my mom left.

That day, May 14th around 10am, my life changed forever when that little seven pound fifteen ounce bundle was placed in my arms.

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:3-5

Postpartum Meal Planning

Wednesday, May 1st, marked my last day of work at New Life Family Services. It was a difficult decision to make but in the end, I know I followed the Lord's leading in it. Thursday, May 2nd, marked my first day as a stay at home mom. I enjoyed many texts from dear momma friends congratulating me on my "new job." :-) While I can't say that I'm entirely overjoyed as being a stay at home mom has not been one of my life long dreams, I do have a peace about following the Lord's leading not to continue in my full time role and I'm trusting in his provision going forward. 

The days ahead I both look forward to and dread as I am a very driven person and I struggle with not seeing my accomplishments play out. I've already made quite the to do list for preparing for baby- who is due in 5 days, mind you. I look forward to her being here with such anticipation! There is no point in sitting at home without her to take care of so I'm starting the process now. Meal planning has begun and I've followed the advice of many blogger friends and begun making and freezing meals that will be easy to take out, thaw and reheat! While it's a little more work up front, and a lot more groceries than we've ever had in our house at any given time, I think it will be a huge benefit in the long run and hopefully result in a lot less "take-out" dinners. That's one of the goals! 

Below is one of my favorite meal ideas:

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Chop the following ingredients and divide them between 2 freezer bags. 

3 sweet potatoes

3 zucchini

2 onions

2 green bell peppers

1 red bell pepper

4-5 chicken breasts

In each bag also place sauce. You can either use your favorite BBQ sauce or make your own. This is what we did:

8 oz tomato paste

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 T mustard powder

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 t salt

All items go into freezer bag raw so this was very easy to do last night while watching a movie with the hubby who was working on making and freezing a few meat loafs!