Stroller Update

So this really isn't exciting news to the blog community but I just wanted to share that I made my stroller decision (here's the post about my dilemma).... bought a used Joovy Sit n Stand on Craigslist. It looks like this one

Hopefully, Sinclair will like riding in the back.

By the way, we are on countdown. 3 weeks until Baby!!

What Your Kids Want Most From You

I just read this blog post from www.orangeparents.org. Wow. I needed to hear this. It talks about what kids need most from us--and it isn't really what I expected. Check it out. It is a SHORT, EASY read.

Nesting

It has finally hit me. This baby is coming soon! I'm 33 weeks pregnant now, but since I'll have a c-section, I'm probably about 6 weeks away from her arrival. This weekend, I started some serious nesting. I pulled stuff out of storage, bought a rug for her room, bought some stuff online, started doing her laundry and bought a stroller off craigslist. I also started a giant "to do" list along with products to buy. You may have read my post about my stroller dilemma. I still would like to have a Phil & Ted's stroller but found a Joovy Sit and Stand on Craigslist so I went with that one.

I think I'm carrying this baby lower than I did with Sinclair. She tried her best to not come out of my womb so she was never really that low. But this one is different. The doctor said my stomach muscles are no longer in the center of my belly which makes her sit lower. I feel like I'm not going to make it full-term, but I'm sure I will (against my hopes). I'm pretty miserable these days. I'm a big complainer :-) Poor Scott!! I keep reminding myself that the longer I go the more work gets done on our house. That helps to keep me going!

Chimney Be Gone!

If you've been reading the ole blog lately, you know that we bought a 100 year old home in TN and began renovating. The house is FULLY gutted now! Today is exciting because they are removing the leaning chimney. I am surprised that the house hasn't been destroyed by that chimney yet! For more pictures of the renovation, visit www.northocoee.com

Laughing at Circumstances

Have you ever read the devotional, "Jesus Calling?" I just got it this year and I LOVE it. There have been countless days that it felt like the entry was written specifically for me. Yesterday was one of those days. Here's what it said (from pg 176)

"Learn to laugh at yourself more freely. Don't take yourself or your circumstances so seriously. Relax and know that I am God with you. When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities--things that are beyond your control. Find freedom by accepting the boundaries of your domain."

That was a good reminder for me because circumstances have been overwhelming lately. As you just read in the previous entry, we moved again (just two months after we moved the first time and only a about 6 months before we move again). To top it off, the air conditioner broke the day we moved in. Don't forget that I'm only 8 weeks away from giving birth and live in the hot, humid south! It's been in the 90's this week. I knew that I needed to start laughing at the circumstances--the things that are out of my control. Well, God allowed me to have a pop quiz during the remainder of the day. I FAILED. Turns out that laughing at your circumstances is much harder to do than it is to read. So, I'll keep trying.

Moving...AGAIN

So... just go ahead and call us crazy. I definitely feel like we are crazy. Here I am 8 1/2 weeks away from Baby Bragg #2 arriving and we move into another rental house. I can't remember if I told you guys how bad our living experience was in our first rental. Tiny space and crazy neighbors sum up that place. After the shooting at our neighborhood several weeks ago, we decided to maybe look around for other options. Plus, we were already going to have to move in with my parents when the baby arrived since the townhome was too small. God's timing is everything. A friend from college decided to rent their house which is plenty big for us, only $50 a month more than what we were paying and only 4 doors down from my brother's family. PERFECT! It just meant that we needed to move again for the second time in 2 months. (Only to move again once the renovation is completed!)

I'm not sure about you, but I don't do well in chaos and when I seem to have zero control. This transition has been exactly that. Thing after thing after thing seem to be turned upside down. This morning, I read Jesus Calling and it talked about how we need to laugh at circumstances. I resolved at 6:30am that I needed to do that. So what happens? I FAILED miserably today. The air conditioning broke again today (like yesterday), my email wasn't working, couldn't get online anywhere to try to fix it, etc, etc, etc. Total pity party on the blog today. But I'm thankful for God's grace. I failed the test (opportunity) to laugh at the circumstances today. Maybe I'll do better next time.

Stroller Dilemma

One thing that I've spent countless energy on is researching and thinking about double strollers. Awhile back, I decided I should purchase the Joovy sit n stand for the transition period (when baby Bragg is still in the carseat). I figured I'd purchase this stroller used on Craigslist for around $80.Now, I'm rethinking. I knew I wanted to eventually get a really good double stroller. I decided on the Phil & Teds model. The price of expensive strollers is enough to make me choke on my drink. However, from what I've been told, these high-end strollers are worth it.

The dilemma: do I still purchase the transitional stroller and then the one that will last us until they are 55lbs or go ahead and get the nicer, long-lasting stroller (I've found one that is on sale)? Do I really need the transitional one? Any thoughts?