thelimetree

slacker re-up post....

2013-06-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

SO I've been a slacker when it comes to my blogs... here's a booster to try and get us updated:

This year, the Lime family has had a LOT of ups and downs, like a roller coaster! Charlie got promoted, twice, and now runs the Diamond Lounge at Harrah's Casino. Meredith went from Annuities Information Specialist at Pacific Life, to Stay-At-Home-Mom, to substitute teacher, to Vocal Music Teacher at Lifegate Christian School, a dream job. We moved from the house we rented for four years to a very nice townhome, closer to the now-middle of Omaha (aka, we went more westerly).

Here are some photos from the past year:

Our pumpkins from last year, starting to get big and orange and round.

Playing at the playground.

At Vala's Pumpkin Patch playground with grandpa Tony (Lime).

One man band!

Goldfish and butterfly/faerie, Halloween 2012

Evelyn decided we should wear hats after Jocelyn left for school.

Playing in the car with our silly winter hats.

Our new Advent Calendar (thanks mom!).

O Christmas tree!

O, Christmas tree!

This was previous to the rest of the pictures; on Uncle Bob's boat at Lake Hamilton, August 2012. Our first entire family vacation.

Jocelyn's Kindergarten Christmas program.

Megan, Nolen (best friend) and Jocelyn.

Nolen, Megan and Jocelyn at the Christmas program.

Hot cocoa.

Uncle Tony, helping Jocelyn put the star on the top of the tree, 2012

Christmas Day, 2012. I think she had a bit too much chocolate...

Yay, new glasses!

We really love playing in the snow!

And Jocelyn's Kermit hat was a hit, too.

One of our favorite treats; the Chinese buffet at HyVee!

Mom and Dad get to go on a date! The Wine, Beer and Spirits tasting, January 2013

Jocelyn FINALLY got the golden egg!

Easter 2013 at Topeka Country Club.

Very fun Easter basket treat.

Other best friend, Mailey's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, where Jocelyn had her own party later.

Let's go ride a bike... Jocelyn can now ride her bike by herself, without being scared (with training wheels), at our new home.

I just like this picture.

The one year anniversary of my friend Jill's passing. Her husband Ryan had us all post pictures of ourselves drinking her favorite drink, Dr. Pepper, in her honor.

Charlie was a groomsman in Joe and Tiffeny's wedding. We had a great time and were so happy to celebrate! (May 2013)

So, as you can see, a busy year. I didn't even post all the pictures I'd put in an album, but 37 is sufficient. Now we're celebrating our first summer vacation; Jocelyn's first after a school year, my last before I start full time teaching in the fall, Evelyn's first before mama goes back to work, and Charlie's first time working at the Diamond Lounge during the summer concert series.

We're spray ground-ing, swimming (and having lessons at the YMCA), trying to get our house unpacked and organized, lesson planning, and trip-taking. We are looking to the horizon in anticipation of our new ventures that are to come soon, but having a great time in the mean time!

Long Overdue Photo Post

2011-08-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, long time...

2011-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since my last post, when Evvie was 6 weeks old. She is now 6 months old, and HUGE. She's taller than Jocelyn was at 12 months, and heavier. She has this huge round head, with whitish strawberry fuzzy hair that is actually about 3 centimeters long, but it looks much shorter due to the fairness of the color. She has big blue eyes just like her sister and my mom and grandma. She has the biggest, wide-open-mouth smile you've ever seen on a baby, and smiles a LOT. She laughs all day long... unless she sees a bottle that is moving away from her general direction. Boy does she like to eat a lot! She's already on fruits and vegetables (strained/processed), and she's been through the 'cereals.'

Foods Evelyn has tried/eaten:

rice cereal
oatmeal
bananas
apples
mashed potatoes
peas
spinach
sweet potatoes
acorn squash
dinner rolls
paper (she likes to eat any paper she can find. She will suck it and swallow it if you don't catch her... I hope she doesn't have PICA.)

I'm Superbaby!

Love my giraffe outfit and my bumbo!

Eating my spoon. I stole it from mama.


Well, lost my spoon, so I'm going to eat my bib.

More to come with Jocelyn and the rest of the family. Jocelyn is really growing up fast and becoming more and more like a 'kid' every day. I love her SO much. Tuesday, in the car, I overheard he saying "YARR, Scurrvy dog!" like a pirate. How cute!

My job, which was the subject of my last post, is still going strong. It's hard, it's tiring... but it's great to have. I love working at a Catholic school and I love the kids and all of the faculty.

That's it for now... I'll be more regular about updating this! Thanks for bearing with me.
-Meredith

Evvie's new track suit

2010-09-18T10:23:00.001-07:00

It's not actually new, but I just put it on her for the first time. So cute!

A new morning! A surprise!

2010-09-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning, almost 10am (which was great because I got 4 1/2 hours of sleep and worked 9 hours yesterday), to Jocelyn calling for me and coming into bed with me & Evvie (whom I just had nursed next to me). Then, my guitar-practicing husband immediately got Jocelyn dressed and took her to a "surprise" place for an errand, leaving me to nurse (AGAIN!) my six week old. He also told me not to make any coffee. How cute. And sweet.

Yesterday, I substitute taught for the music teacher that will be leaving the job I was interviewed for. Apparently, I did well, because the principal came in after class and said "we want you." I was also told that one of the paras that was in class with me (the teachers plan during music, but the paras stay with the classes and continue to help their students, not to mention me) told the principal, "we need her. She was wonderful." That was the Preschool para, too, and I thought I was off my game when I taught them, mostly because I didn't understand (like?) the lesson, but also because it was right after lunch and I was a little unprepared compared to the morning lessons.

Anyway, I was offered the job. Not much money... less than what Charlie makes serving two nights a week, probably, or about the same. But I'm only gone 3 days instead of 5, I'm creating a band program, and I'm teaching 10 grade levels (preK-8th). All good things. I'm also using the degree I spent 4 1/2 years of my life getting (not even including the year and a half I was at a different college for philosophy), and I'm keeping my chops up, so to speak, in the teaching arena. I was worried if I didn't use my knowledge and skills soon, it would be for naught and I'd have to do more training and classes to get back up there; not to mention I would be unmarketable. (The "why haven't you been working?" factor for employers.)

I think I will take it. There are definite benefits... but there are some drawbacks as well. However, Charlie would probably just tell me I'm a little nervous about it, or scared, and that's why I'm not saying "yes" immediately. Which is true! But they are valid points, these drawbacks, so I want to consider them. For instance, what to do with the 7th graders. Ayayay.

I had been worried about how Evvie would deal with not nursing during the day, and she was more than fine. I was worried Jocie would be sad about mama not being home all day. She didn't want me to pick her up from grandma's! It was great that my family was so "supportive" in their own way of my returning to work. I just wish it could wait a couple of weeks. Evvie is still only 6 weeks old!! I wanted to stay home with her a little while longer... *sigh*

-Meredith

job possibilities... a change

2010-09-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I had my second interview for a teaching job yesterday, and I think it went quite well! I'd be gone 3 days a week, teaching general/vocal music two days a week, PreK-8th grade, and one day teaching violin, guitar, and band instruments. It's going to be hard to figure out what to do with the kids. Charlie will pretty much be around whenever Jocelyn is, but Evelyn is a different story. We don't have any childcare set up for her. What we need is Tuesday morning, from 7:00 to noon, and Thursday from about 9 until 11:30 or noon, then Fridays I won't be off duty until 4:00, and he has to be at work by then, so ... it'd be just an hour or so. It would be a pain in the butt to put her into a daycare that isn't the same as Jocelyn's preschool, but in the infant room there, you're supposed to pay for full time or not at all... full time infant care is almost $1,000 a month, defeating the main purpose of the job.

So we're trying to figure out if we can do this. The school actually called and asked me to sub for their music teacher tomorrow... but I don't know if I can! We don't know what to do with the kids for that extra hour or so.

This will be a big change for many reasons. I won't be home to do a lot of the "house" work... Charlie will be doing some of this, making lunches etc. Also, I won't be home to breastfeed Evelyn... and will most likely not have much time for pumping during the day, which means that the days I am home, I will still not be able to breastfeed exclusively any longer. It really is more convenient to just pop down in a chair with her when she's hungry, and she really enjoys the one-on-one cuddle time... it's a good way to get her to calm her fussiness down, even if she's not completely hungry.

Finally, I'll be getting up at 6 or so 3 days a week, which means I'll want to get up before 8 every day, which is fine, but our entire house's schedule starts much later than that, typically. Even Evelyn deep sleeps better in the a.m. than she does before 1 in the morning. She usually has a deep sleep from about 6:30 to about 9:00 or 9:30.

I know, these are all simple things that will possibly be changing... but it makes a big difference to the family, and will be a big adjustment. Also, for Jocelyn, who is now used to having "mama" around all the time when she's not at preschool... it will most likely be a hard transition. Not to mention the baby, who is very rarely away from me period up to this point.

So, that's the hubub in this fam!! Here are some pictures, lol:

My sister put a sticker on me!

Charlie... & his mustache!

Look! I have male pattern baldness!

2010-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

What's your baby like?

2010-08-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

I love the Louis C.K. skit where he talks about people asking him what his baby is like. He makes the comment that she doesn't really do anything, so how would he know? "Have you ever seen a baby? That's EXACTLY what my baby is like." Funny skit, and somewhat true.

But when you have a baby, and a second, you do know them well and get to know certain things about their personality.

Evelyn, for instance, is very vocal. She's always grunting, sighing, cooing, "talking"... Even during feedings, she will make a little sigh/grunt with every breath. When I'm sleeping with her, sometimes I wake up because I do NOT hear her making grunting sounds. And often, she'll be asleep in my arms, and I'll put her down, and she'll grunt herself either awake or asleep.

She also has been a bit of a piggy since the moment she was born. She could latch on without much help from the first time, as well, and will eat for 45 minutes at a time, with an hour to an hour and half in between, leaving little room to do anything else!

She likes being held, even more than Jocelyn is already "spoiled" for mommy's attention, always wanting to be held and never liking to be put down, even to go to sleep or be put in the baby swing, which she always likes once she's in it (especially the vibrate function).

She still sleeps a lot, grunting and sighing all the while. I'm happy that in the mornings, she seems to be pretty sleepy, like it's a continuation of nighttime sleeping, because then I can get up and take care of myself and Jocelyn, or I can feed her and go back to sleep. Nice fringe benefit, especially as both of the kids seem to want to wake up at 2am every night, meaning both Charlie and I have to get up. Last night, for instance, there was a storm, and when I went into Jocelyn's room because she was scared, Evelyn woke up wanting (surprise!) to be fed, which also of course means she needs to be changed or at least checked.

Charlie's starting the first class of a new semester today (the semester began yesterday, but his first class was today), at 7:30am! Talk about an early start! It's his next to last semester (really!), and he's planning to do another recital to finish his performance degree in the spring. I feel for him, having so much going on at home right now and starting a new semester. But it's better to have had the baby at a time when he wasn't in class than to have to be in the hospital and juggling classes and studying during the semester.

Here are just a few more pictures we've taken recently of the new foursome:


At the hospital, less than an hour after the birth of Evelyn, with Gram and Papa.

Daddy love at the hospital in the recovery room on the day we went home.

In my swing, contentedly sleeping.

Baby Evelyn Grace is here!

2010-08-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Finally, the baby came.

Saturday morning, 5:18am. I woke up because I had a contraction. I tried to go back to sleep, only to be woken up less than an hour later. Finally, at 6:45, I woke up Charlie. I was excited.

At 9:30, we were in the hospital. The nurses got us all set up, and we waited for the doctor. Our doctor happened to be out of town that morning, so another doctor from her practice was called. She decided at 10 am that we would probably have the baby within an hour, but when they broke my water, labor got slower. Walking around helped marginally, but eventually, we had to do a little bit of pitocin to speed it back up.

I was doing fine, progressing, until around 4:20. Then I transitioned. It took only 14 minutes of active labor (pushing), and ...

4:44pm, Evelyn made her appearance on the world.

Just some recent pictures to liven up the page

2010-08-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Pregnant belly on Mother's Day in May, 2010.

Sorry, this is sideways. My first ultrasound of the new baby, around 9 weeks.

I'm not sure these need explanation. Just very recent pics of us on the PhotoBooth app on the Mac.

Impatience

2010-07-24T10:04:00.001-07:00

I
can't
wait
to
give
birth!!

I'm very ready to be done being pregnant and to hold the baby now. Thanks.

Sibling Preview class at Bergan Mercy Hospital

2010-07-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, this is earlier than "labor" or after we have the baby, but...

Jocelyn and I went to the Sibling Preview class at the hospital yesterday. She was so excited, she was running, skipping, and dancing along. She listened very well to the "nice teacher", and even made a friend: a little girl named Emily that must've been about 8, and had one little sister and then I believe a brother on the way. In the class, she watched a video with other kids being interviewed about their siblings and their growing families, as well as what "not" to do and what to-do with new babies. (It was a short video.) Then they sat in a circle and each received a baby doll, a blanket, and an empty bottle. The teacher went through different things that the baby might be crying for, pretending her baby was crying and asking the kids what she should try next. They learned how to swaddle the baby (Jocelyn just held hers, watched, and rocked it), how to properly pick up and hold the baby, what to feed a baby, how to give the baby a bottle, and ways to comfort the baby if the baby just wants love and attention.

Before we went anywhere as a group (a smart order, I think), the kids all got t-shirts that said something about the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club! Which was exciting to Jocelyn. Then we went on a tour of the maternity ward, showing the kids the rooms where the mommies will be having the new brother/sister in the family, and went upstairs to the recovery floor ("postnatal" I believe), where they will get to visit the babies and mommies for the first time. They got to see two new babies that were being checked and watched in the nursery by a nurse, too. Then each kid got to color a fabric bib with fabric markers. Jocelyn made a dinosaur that had stretch marks and was eating a banana. So lovely and flattering. She got a certificate to say she is "ready to be a big sister!" And then we came home.

She had a fun time, and I don't think she really wanted to leave. It was a great experience, and I know that, the way Jocelyn is, I will see the brain benefits from her more in the next few days than I have yet so far. However, she DID sleep with her American Girl Bitty Baby last night instead of Raggedy Ann ("Raggelly"), and brought the baby into my bed this morning when she came to wake me up, and was NOT carrying her by her toes as per usual; rather, she carried her by the neck, shoulder, but still an improvement. I'm excited to see how she is as a big sister when the time actually comes.

That's pretty much all for now. I will be having an ultrasound on Tuesday, which is also the day I'm officially "full term" at 37 weeks, just to check and make certain the same issues I had with Jocelyn aren't showing up again with this baby. The OB said I am measuring fine, but with a second baby that she didn't deliver, there is no reason not to double-check and be certain, which I like. This way, too, we'll get a second chance to glimpse the sex organs! And we might be able to be more sure of the sex! :)

Getting Ready: Baby Makes Four

2010-07-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

So, we are anxiously awaiting Baby's arrival in the family. Jocelyn seems to be acting a little distressed by the entire thing; she is cranky and easy to lose her cool. However, it could also be from two other reasons: (1) she had strep and then today had some diarrhea, so she could just be feeling icky but not telling us when we ask, and (2) Mama has been acting a little bit on the "hot headed" side lately, and it could be rubbing off. I really don't mean to! But I can't really help the hormones. I think I do a pretty good job of keeping them at bay, at least most of the time, but I know that I am a lot more testy and have a much higher fuse. Who knows? We'll find out how the family dynamics will work when the baby comes, and there's nothing we can do but wait. However, I did enroll Jocelyn into a "class" at Bergan (where I will most likely deliver) for Siblings, and it gives them a tour of the Maternity Ward and tells them about their roll as big brother/sister, as well as helps them to create a present for the baby. It's only 90 minutes long, and it was free, so... awesome! Thanks Bergan Mercy!

We looked into a house up the street that is also for rent, and it advertised 3 bedrooms instead of our 2. Like ours, it has a back yard with a chain-link fence, and a finished basement, which is great in these tiny houses over here. Unlike ours, it cost almost twice what we pay. BUZZ... WRONG! Not even close to a price we would pay, even for the convenience of an extra bedroom. But it was worth a shot.

I'm still not swelling much, nowhere near what I was with Jocelyn at the end, and I've still only gained a net of 9 pounds, which is great. I have to watch my intake of junky foods to keep it down and keep off the "water" weight, but I think we'll do alright this time as far as the toxemia/blood pressure is concerned.

We just have to get the house set up for baby... it's not ready. I'm working as hard as I can, which never seems to be hard enough before I get tired, have errands to run, have a daughter to take care of (and play with!), have daily house stuff to do (like feeding people! or laundry!), or just plain can't do it anymore. What we can do, we will, and what we can't... will just have to be good enough!

That's all from the growing Limes for right now... probably the next post will be when it looks like there's some movement on the "labor" front, or when we've actually had the baby.