Summer Joy no. 31

Summer Joy no. 31

the first sleep-smiles

I've had fun doing this series, and I think I'll be taking a week or so off from writing here. I've got some ideas for September, but WBH will be back to teaching in a week and it's hard to devote time to this blog, given all our addition. I've got a few pre-scheduled posts, but I'll be away until school starts again.

when a plan doesn't come together

Had everything gone according to the plan*, at this moment I could probably tell you how many hours we had until Colin's arrival. I would be so much more uncomfortable than I am right now. I am so glad things didn't go according to plan, but it turns out I can be a bit of a control freak, and I didn't really see that initially.

Last Monday night, Stinky and I had gone through the nightly snuggle during the evening news and he'd fallen asleep. I got something to eat and took something to help me sleep. I got back in bed, took one bite, and my water broke. I panicked. With Stinky, that never happened. Also, my family was leaving at o'dark thirty the next day to attend my grandfather's funeral in Arizona and to be honest, I really wanted my mommy at that moment. This changed everything. Telling WBH what had happened, I completely lost it.

On the phone with the birth center, the nurse asked me a lot of questions, and told us to come in. "You should know, "she said, "when you get here, you're going to have your c-section. I just want to give you time to wrap your head around that. Your baby will be born tonight."

That night, WBH shaved 20 minutes off of his good-traffic travel time. He joked that if we were pulled over, the officer would see the suitcases and heard the words that were coming out of my mouth and we'd probably get an escort to the hospital. Contractions, which hadn't bothered me all day, were coming hard and fast since my water had broken, and I said a few things that don't need to be repeated. In between pains, I kept saying to my belly "We had a plan, kid! This is not it!"

We'll skip the details of the surgery- honestly, I had taken something to help me sleep, and once I was numb I wanted to take a nap, so I don't remember a lot before hearing my baby's first cry. Those cries wake us up right from the start, don't they? When Colin was born he let out a scream and kept on going, yelling his displeasure at all within the sound of his voice. He was big and loud, and apparently this wasn't in his plan, either. We had to laugh as the nurse said "Whoa there, Bubba." He was born just a few hours into his Uncle Bubba's birthday.

Recovery went well. I was up and moving much earlier than with Stinky's delivery. My family was able to come and meet Colin before they hit the road. Stinky and WBH's parents visited later that day as well. Stinky came in and asked immediately, "Where's my baby?" The look on his face when he first saw him was heaven. He didn't take his eyes off him, until we gave him his gift from Colin: a robotic dinosaur puppet.


We spent two days at the hospital- my recovery was pretty normal and Colin adjusted well to life on the outside. We were glad to have the time just the three of us, but I wanted to go home, and I missed my Stinkasaurus Rex.

Time at home has been good. Stinky still adores him and wants to help with everything. He's quite the baby expert, in his own mind I have to limit my activity, which is hard, but WBH has lived up to his name in every way, not only taking care of us and our house, but also my parents' home and dog. I wake up to a clean home everyday, and he's not letting me push myself to far. Colin is well on his way back to his birth weight and is a good natured and mostly patient guy about while I figure out this whole mother-of-two thing, which is another post in itself.

I have to send out a big, big THANK YOU to WBH's parents, who watched Stinky, along with NoNuts and Brody while we were at the hospital. Talk about above and beyond- and on extremely short notice. We're grateful to our friends at church who have brought us amazing dinners- such a nice change from hospital food.

It feels like we're settling in to normal life- plus one now. I'm not quite where I can't remember life without him- but I love life with him here.

Oh, and for now, I'll just be calling him Colin here on the blog. All the nicknames I can think of at the moment are vampire-based, and that's not a nice thing to saddle a little guy with.

Summer Joy no. 30

Summer Joy no. 30

the boys, holding hands and being "bruvvers" as Stinky says.

you know what else makes me smile so big my face might crack? saying "the boys."

Summer Joy no. 29

Summer Joy no. 29

practicing holding

Sunday Inspiration

"Nature never repeats herself, and the possibilities of one human soul will never be found in another."


Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Summer Joy no. 28

Summer Joy no. 28

Really enjoying a cupcake (Thanks, James, Elizabeth, and Gwenevere!)

Summer Joy no. 27

Summer Joy no. 27

Early Arrivals.

Colin Glenn Telford

born 3:47am, August 24

20.5 inches, 9 lbs 3 oz

I'll keep the Summer Joy posts going, and be back with the story of the kiddo's early arrival for I Made It Monday. Now, to figure out a blog nickname for this one.

Summer Joy no. 26

Summer Joy no. 26

drinking straight from the hose (wearing his loo-how shirt)

Summer Joy no. 25

Summer Joy no. 25

Backyard Camping Trips

Summer Joy no. 24

Summer Joy no. 24

a good story to tell... later.
(a big happy birthday to Bubba!)

Summer Joy no. 23

Summer Joy no. 23

Coming home to "matching bruvver shirts" in the mail.

As a note, I'm not being reimbursed for this, but this etsy seller, MyPersonalizedTShirt gave me such great customer service, crazy fast shipping, and the shirts are great quality, I just wanted to share. Check her out, she's awesome.

Summer Joy no. 22

Summer Joy no. 22

not getting out of your jammies until late in the day

Sunday Inspiration: in loving memory

"We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men! It is a wonderful aspiration for a boy to become a man—strong and capable; someone who can build and create things, run things; someone who makes a difference in the world. It is a wonderful aspiration for those of us who are older to make the vision of true manhood a reality in our lives and be models for those who look to us for an example."

D. Todd Christofferson


This week, I'd like to honor my grandfather, who passed this weekend. I'll be grateful for his example, his kindness, and his humor.

Summer Joy no. 21

Summer Joy no. 21

being able to laugh at yourself when you've reached this point. (11 days and counting, friends.)

Summer Joy no. 20

Summer Joy no. 20

One more trip to the fountain, with my brother and sisters this time.

Summer Joy no. 19

Summer Joy no. 19

rosie, the portable ac unit, and the key to my summer sanity. we think she looks a lot like her namesake.

should I sew her an apron and cap, do you think?

Summer Joy no. 18

Summer Joy #18

cooking food fresh from the farmstand. blackberry crisp recipe from The Motherhuddle. if you're shy on backberries, you can use an apple to make up the difference; mine is half and half and you can't tell. eat it a la mode. thank me later.

Summer Joy no. 17

Summer Joy no. 17

Summer success: 1st time in the library reading program, and potty chart number 3.

I Made It Monday: Dyed Onesies

I am descended from a laundry queen. My mother knows how to get out almost any stain, and her laundry smells the way I imagine heaven smells. I've inherited some of this ability, but as I was washing some of the baby laundry, I'm learning that there are some stains that are forever. However, that doesn't mean they can't be covered up.

Using V and Co's ombre style onesie tutorial , I dyed 8 onesies this weekend. I tried the yellow first, on the more stained one, and they needed more covering, so the dying technique wasn't as usable. It used it with the blue dye more, and I love how it turned out. Here's hoping it will help hide new stains as they come, too.

Summer Joy no. 16

Summer Joy no. 16

exploring the city on the trolley

Sunday Inspiration

Those who think of life as a personal ministry tend to be less lonely, less likely to feel that life has spun out of control, more inclined to have a gentle heart, more filled with purpose.

Sheri Dew

Summer Joy no. 15

Summer Joy no. 15

a brilliant idea.

Summer Joy no. 14

Summer Joy no. 14

awesome zoo signs

Buttercup: Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?

Westley: Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist

Summer Joy no. 13

Summer Joy no. 13

getting to the zoo as it opened and feeling like the only ones there.
kind of a cool story: WBH and I went on one of our first dates to see the mama tiger when she was a cub at another zoo. Now she lives at the zoo near us and just had two cubs, who we took Stinky to see.

Summer Joy no. 12

Summer Joy No. 12

picking up cute girls at weddings

Summer Joy no. 11

Summer Joy no. 11

hydrangeas blooming in my yard- something I dreamed of before we owned a home.

Summer Joy no. 10

summer joy no. 10

the crash of real ocean waves

Summer Joy no. 9

Summer Joy no. 9

warming up on Grandma's lap after 'accidentally' falling into the water

Summer Joy no. 8

Summer Joy no. 8.

teaching your cousin new tricks in the pool... and everyone enjoying the results.

Sunday Inspiration

"Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Paul Harvey, the famous news analyst and author, once said: 'Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that someone will ask me, "What's the secret of it?" I shall say simply this: "I get up when I fall down" '

James E. Faust

Summer Joy no. 7

Summer Joy no. 7

running in the Seattle Center fountain

Summer Joy no. 6

Summer Joy no. 6

making a mudhole
making a mess you're proud of

Summer Joy no. 5

Summer Joy no. 5

stinky sharing toys so "he has something to play with in there"

Summer Joy no. 4

summer joy no. 4

discovering a dinosaur-themed mcdonald's...

... and trying to leave Stinky with the t-rex.

Summer Joy no. 3

Summer Joy no. 3

a new form of discipline

I Made it Monday

My niece had a birthday during her visit here, and I was excited, if a little nervous to sew something for a little girl. Fortunately, Disney inspired me with this skirt, and it was perfect for her. I love the shimmy ruffles, and it looks like she liked the ensemble, too!

Summer Joy no. 2

Summer Joy no. 2

playing in a ball pit at a family party, and learning to yell "bazinga!"

Summer Joy no.1

We have 31 days left until our family grows to 4, and I am eager for that day to get here. My final trimester, and final month, are marked with a pretty grumpy attitude and somewhat shortened fuse (thank heaven WBH has the summers off, I'd lose my mind without him). To remind myself of the wonderful things, small and large going on right now, I'll be filling August's posts with Summer Joys. These pictures are from the last few months, and I hope you'll enjoy them. I'll keep up I made it Mondays, and Sunday Inspiration, but I thought this might be a nice detour from the norm.

Summer Joy no. 1

in the butterfly house at the pacific science center.