Welcome to This Week’s Miscellany, the occasional round up of Carrots family updates, photo dumps, books I’m reading, links I loved, and big news.
Remember my last TWM? Yeah, me neither. Because I posted it in NOVEMBER. I had to look it up. “Ah yes, 20 lbs ago when I wasn’t too sick and exhausted to write. I remember those days.” I posted it at the beginning of this HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) pregnancy and then I didn’t write much of anything for ages. But, friends, I am back. At least like…..60% back. I’m almost 24 weeks and I’m surviving without Zofran now. I’m still queasy 24/7. You know that feeling like you’re just realizing you caught a stomach bug? That is my life. But it’s so much better than the months I spent in bed. I can drive, shower, get dressed, fold laundry, and all sorts of lovely things. But the idea that there’s 16 weeks left of this is daunting, honestly, so I try not to think about it and just take it one day at a time. I’m also so impatient to meet our new daughter. I’d take newborn days over pregnancy ANY DAY.
So let’s just jump in, shall we? I’ll hit some high points because it’s been AWHILE.
Daniel has been working so hard on or little backyard urban farm. And he’s letting the kids help with everything which requires a LOT of patience. But they all have spent hours choosing seeds and growing them in the greenhouse (he built a greenhouse!), planting seedlings, weeding, watering, and learning. And yesterday they came home from running errands with more chickens so now we have 22. Anybody interested in a backyard tour of the little farm? I was thinking of putting one together.
And can you tell that one of Gwen’s big toes is bandaged up? How is she so accident-prone?!!! At least it didn’t require an ER visit or this time but….it’s pretty gruesome. I won’t go into the details because it’s gross, but suffice it to say she has no toenail right now. Will she have any digits that she hasn’t mangled by adulthood? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
We had a GREAT Holy Week and Easter. My body wasn’t up for ALL the Holy Week stuff but we did our best. We went to Tenebrae (Gwen slept through almost all of it), rested on Holy Thursday, went to Stations on Good Friday afternoon and then rested up for the Easter Vigil on Saturday night.
I cannot overemphasize how very INTO THIS HAT Justin Timberlake, Jr. Benjamin is. Gwen has bangs again because she decided to give herself a trim.
Her: “You guys all were in the backyard and that REALLY made me want to cut my hair.”
We got to meet some Twitter friends who were in town for our friend Jordan’s reception into the Church and Daniel was his sponsor which was such an honor. The big kids did great during the 3+ hour long service that began at 9pm. Gwen changed positions approximately 2,394,948 times before falling asleep during the readings. Then we celebrated at the reception afterwards and got home around 1am to open Easter baskets!
Sunday morning we went to an Easter Egg Hunt with some friends (because Holy Saturday egg hunts get a big NO from me) then made the very traditional Easter “Bunny Cake” decorated by jelly beans and Twizzlers (you know the one). Benjamin orchestrated all the decorating and did not yell at any of his little sisters in the process which was an Easter miracle in itself. Then we followed it up with a party with some “farmies” and the girls snuggled baby bunnies for hours. So all around success, I’d say. Nobody started sobbing from lack of sleep or sugar meltdowns until Easter Monday.
Gwen has kicked up the baby sibling prep in a big way. Lots of breastfeeding her baby dolls. Lots of talking through how to be gentle with babies. All the kids love to feel their sister kick in utero and they talk about her all day long. I can’t wait for her to meet them and know how much she is loved.
(Flowers because it’s Easter and because at least two rooms of my house are CLEAN and don’t feel like a health code violation anymore. Celebrate!)
Podcasts:
I can’t wait for you to hear this week’s Fountains of Carrots episode with Tyler Blanski! It’s such a great conversation about the spiritual landscape millennials face and you will not want it to end (I didn’t!).
In the most recent episode of The Simple Show, Tsh and I are beginning a deep dive in to the idea of social self-care: things we do that make us healthier in order that we can serve others around more effectively. And we started with talking about the importance of friendships.
I should probably check on the baby chicks who may be receiving a LEETLE too much love from my 4yo. Wishing you a beautiful (hopefully sunny!) weekend.
With lots of love,
Haley
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Haley! Your dress! Where did you get it?
Sounds a lot like our Easter Vigil with the kids moving around. Every year (OK, the last three years) I look at my husband about halfway through the readings and hiss through gritted teeth “we are never doing this again!” And every year, we end up back. I am a sucker for Vigils.
Blessed Easter to you! Christ is Risen! (all that nausea counts for something)
It’s from Pink Blush!
I’m a sucker for Vigils, too. Love ’em. <3
Happy Easter! I am so here for a backyard garden/farm tour – I’m so inspired!!
Awesome! I’ll see if Daniel and I can collaborate on it 🙂
Waving at you from the OTHER other side of HG, 7 weeks with baby number 6! It’s so hard to explain to everyone that Tums and ginger ale don’t help, and that the easiest part of pregnancy for me is the unmedicated, natural labor. Not feeling hopeless yet, so that’s something to focus on. Congratulations on being on the other side and enjoy the bit of freedom it brings! Prayers for you and baby girl!
“the easiest part of pregnancy for me is the unmedicated, natural labor.”
I SO FEEL THAT. I am always up for labor. If I could just skip the pregnancy and waltz into the delivery room for a 48 hour labor I’d have approx 87 kids by now. But the months of misery are so tough! Prayers for you!
haha… 😀 And ah… 🙁 This really shows how terrible HG is for you. I think most of us who do not get HG still do not consider pregnancy a walk in the park, but certainly the labor and delivery is usually harder, especially unmedicated. But it’s great to see a post from you and see your littles looking sweet in their Easter best! Best wishes for the rest of the pregnancy. <3 Oh, and I echo the requests for a farm tour!
Yes! I’ll give birth over and over again, just no more pregnancy, Lord, please?! If only it worked that way!
And thank you so much for the prayers! I’ll take all that I can get!
Right there with you, Sarah! I’m also on week 7 and starting the crazy HG awfulness. This is #3 for me. Just this morning my husband said that it’s harder for him to watch me go through morning sickness than labor. I’m totally with him on that. Labor is a breeze compared to this. Prayers for your little baby and for you!
Someone with my name and the same due date time frame! I’ll focus on offering my suffering up for you and your little one Sara! I keep telling myself that it’s just a few months, and anyone can do anything for a few months. ??
Another yes vote for the farm tour!! So glad to hear you’re feeling a bit more human these days. Continued prayers for you and your family as you prepare to welcome your new little one!
I’m so happy to hear that you are feeling on the upswing! I can’t imagine HG. :'(
But to answer your question, YES, we would LOVE to see a backyard garden walkthrough!!
I want to see your backyard farm! I recently moved into a new home with a large yard and I’m looking for ideas on how to get started on an urban homestead.
You all look great! Christ is risen, alleluia!!
Waving hand and Yes Pleasing, to backyard tour! We’ll have to exchange field notes between our two yards!
You are doing so well with growing this baby! A fellow HG mom, I know how draining the nausea is, even if it is marginally better than the throwing up and no nutrition stage.
Yes, newborn days will be like your own little Easter! Small fry. Just had my fourth and tell myself every day- it was worth it 🙂
Yes please to the tour! Any maybe a tutorial on growing your own food and/or having chickens from Daniel?? Happy Easter! He is risen!!
Ummm….I’m just over here having a hard time getting over Benjamin in that HAT! Haha! Love it and love his style! 🙂
lol!