baby boy's room

Mankato is five months as of yesterday and finally has some decor in his bedroom (not that he cares ... well, I take that back, he really seems to like it, but I'm sure he didn't wish for it). I wasn't in a huge rush. His furniture is great (Thank you SOHO Interiors), so the room never looked bare. Plus I didn't want to spend money on decor for a baby. I cannot wait for him to say "I want a dinosaur room" or "please, can I have a train room?" ...
ANYWAY. My greatest friend, Brooke, came to visit last month and our mission was to complete Kato's room. We spent hours planning, cutting, gluing, spray painting, shopping for supplies ... only were able to sneak away once for the beach.

Here is what we did ...

Painted the lamp, covered a "M" in fabric

The inspiration-John picked this bank out (he calls Kato a shark)

The cutie

simple navy curtains, framed sharks

painting from my friend, Lindsey!

sharks! in spray painted frames with scrapbook paper

another shark by the door

And my favorite piece (which was also the most time consuming) ... the mobile! I'll take more/better pictures of it. Mankato loves it too. It turned out perfect. Here is where we found it.

Once we have a permanent duty station I plan to paint some walls. More on that later.
In other Kato news ... He is a blast. Easily the coolest little baby I know. He talks A LOT (nonstop at times). Just this week he went running around with me and anyone that gave him eye contact got an ear full from him. It was cracking me up. And cracking everyone else up. A few ladies couldn't believe he was only five months and able to "hold a conversation". Ha! Then at one point an older gentleman started talking back to him and Mankato got the giggles. The. cutest. giggles. It was so fun. Love my little man(Kato). And his new room. And the diaper he just filled for me ...

New home! (again)

Back in December the possibility of moving was at least another 9 months away.... and here we are just three months later and entirely unpacked in a new home! We decided to move closer to base for John (and considering how easily he can come home for a quick minute, I am so glad we did). We moved onto base housing last month. So far, I love it. The house is perfect as far as space goes and we have a walking/running trail, dog park, pool, mini grocery store, red box, and play ground all within a five minute walk! I think I could get use to base housing after all.

The move was quite a move. Ever tried moving with a two month old? Yeah ... I wouldn't exactly recommend it. Lots of breaks during packing and lots of solo work on John's part. But it is done and we are settled. I kept reminding myself "in two weeks I will forget all this work" and I did. I honestly don't mind moving. I enjoy the unpacking and reorganizing and the purging and the cleaning that takes place. It's fun. (Ask me in ten years if I am still feeling the same).

Now for pictures ...

Trying out new decor

nice open living room with lots of light

big kitchen!

back patio/Belleau's room/2nd garage

office/craft room

my sewing station + Bells

master bedroom

Mankato's room (still in progress)

 

And there you have it. New house. 3bdr/2ba. One car garage. Lots of closets and the two extra rooms are a lot bigger than what we had before. I (and Belleau) miss the tile floors, but it is becoming home rather quickly.

In other news... John has started Advanced (Helicopter) school. He is on duty right now (0600-1800)... boo hoo. He has two tests under his belt and one more week of ground school then up in the air he goes! He is a studying fool and he is, once again, amazing me with his memory capacity. There is SO much MORE to learn. He's amazing and works so hard. When you think of him, pray for his brain. For him to retain the information he is studying and excel in this school.

My other man(Kato) is doing great! Typically he wakes up once during the night (I would say always but the last two nights have been a bit hairy). He loves talking to his momma and daddy, taking showers, going on walks, and playing on his play mat. I cannot believe how fast he is growing.

And I am amazed at how busy being a mom/wife is keeping me! I miss my classroom from time to time but I wouldn't trade the one adorable student I have for a thousand others. I have been sewing during nap time and working out during play mat time. I am (finally, after about an eleventh month hiatus) back in the kitchen (I think all of the new counter space has inspired me!). 

... and my baby is waking up.

Is it really February?

I haven't blogged since well before having a baby, and I had a baby seven weeks ago. That's right people, my son is SEVEN weeks old! I can hardly believe it. I will dedicate this blog entirely to him and hold off on other news.

Lets just have a little Frequently Asked Questions section.

How was the labor and delivery? 

Labor is such a beautiful thing (not pretty) and delivery is even more beautiful. I truly loved every part of it. A *quick* recap of my birth story (nothing gory, don't worry): my water ruptured Saturday morning (22nd) and time-able contractions started around 8PM. We headed to the hospital around 11PM and by 2AM I was 5CM and 90% effaced (so....far.....to.....go was my only thought). By 5AM I was 9CM and a little after 6AM I started pushing. He arrived at 7:39AM. There were several complications along the way...they kept losing his heart rate on the external monitor, his heart rate kept dropping and not coming up quick enough, there was meconium, he had the cord wrapped around his neck twice ... but he made it to the world and without any interventions! I am very thankful I was able to have the drug-free L&D that I desired and will do things the exact same way for baby #2. The pain was bearable and so empowering. I appreciate my body and my Creator for thinking of this miraculous, beautiful, fantastic, joyful event of birthing a baby. This is the short version. For a full version ... feel free to ask.

Where did the name Mankato come from? 

As we did not find out the gender of our baby, we arrived at the hospital with two girl names and two boy names and thought we'd "just know" once we met our little one. Let me tell you ... Mankato was not one of the four options. However, Mankato is a name John has loved for some time and was temporarily forgotten about until our little man arrived. We didn't exactly "just know", but we did know that the names we had didn't work which led us back to the drawing board and straight to Mankato. Mankato is a town in Kansas, which is where John heard it first. It means "blue earth" which frankly doesn't mean too much to us. Kato (which is what we are finding ourselves calling him) means "pure" or "all-knowing". I love that it is a strong name. I love that it has easy nicknames (Manny or Kato). I love that it is unique. I love that it is semi-easy to spell. I love that John thought of it. I love that is it my son's name.

How is he sleeping? 

Depends on the day/night. We had a great routine down before our visit home (in mid January) and we are now...slowly...getting that routine back. He prefers cat naps during the day with one long nap (typically in the morning or early afternoon). He likes to stay up till at least eleven (working on that bedtime) and he doesn't quite like his big boy crib (prefers his bassinet for bed time, and his swing, the couch, or us for naps). He will sleep four hours at night before he is absolutely starving and cannot fall back asleep with an empty belly... then eats ... and sleeps another 3-4 hours. Not horrible. I feel rested seven out of ten days. Again, not horrible.


How is Belleau doing with a baby? 

Our sweet little baby girl Belleau is not our baby anymore. She sure loved being an only child and getting entirely too much attention. Thankfully, we still love her the same. She truly is a great dog. Other than seeming attention starved when we have visitors at the house, she loves the baby and is adjusting well. She gets concerned when he cries and is not a big fan of other people holding him (or so it seems). She has matured greatly in the last seven weeks. And John makes a point to play with her for a little bit every day. I keep telling her she'll really love Mankato when he can chase her around.

If I didn't answer your Q in this FAQ, hit me up. Look for another post on a complete Lynch family update.

Babymoon to ATL

When I opened Blogger I saw my last post was in October. I can not even believe that to be true. Where in the world did the time go?

We did have an extremely busy November and one of the highlights was the babymoon John took me on. We went to Atlanta and stayed at a very nice hotel downtown. We had such a great time. we....

Ate delicious food. The best was a Sunday brunch that had entirely too many options and was right next to the runway at a little airport. We saw planes land and take off as we enjoyed plate after plate of amazing food (and you could put on headphones to listen to the towers!). 
Visited museums. We went to the Atlanta aquarium (saw the best dolphin show ever), Coca-Cola museum (tried sodas from all over the world), Fernbank museum (walked through the Khan exhibit), and the Atlanta History Center (where we walked through the Olympic exhibit and took a tour of a beautiful old house--my personal favorite of the museums).
Attended a NFL game. We were able to score some tickets to the Atlanta Falcons game and watch the (then) undefeated team take another win. It was unlike any football experience I had ever had. And the stadium was within walking distance from our hotel (just another added bonus).
We also slept in, shopped a little, saw family, laughed till our stomachs hurt, explored different areas of ATL, and got a massage. Neither of us wanted to come home. It was perfect in every way.

November also brought a trip home for John (and I stayed home and crafted, and surprisingly time went by quite fast while he was gone). John hunted while home and had a great time seeing family.
And a new job for John. He is working as an Air Traffic Control Flight Planning Dispatcher. What does that mean? No idea. It's to keep him busy until he starts his next school.
And a beautiful wedding on the beach.
And a trip from the Vandaments (minus Tyler and Lia) for Thanksgiving. And what a great Thanksgiving it was! The turkey was amazing (as well as all of the other food), we ate entirely too much, we went black Friday shopping (duh), set up Christmas decor, spoiled Belleau, and everyone but me learned how to drive (or ride?) a Segway on base. I love my family and love that they come visit us for Thanksgiving. We always have such a blast, and it always goes by way too fast.

That was our November ... and now it is December. I will try to sum up these three days of December in just a few sentences: my teaching career has been put on hold (as I become a mommy), we are loving our small group at church, and waiting for baby Lynch to make his or her arrival! Please be praying for a healthy labor and delivery, and baby! 

Phew. That was quite the blog.

hello mister helo pilot

John deserves to be mentioned first. He finished Primary (the school he has been in for what seems like forever) and selected last Thursday (selected = found out what type of aircraft he will fly for his career). He will be a helicopter pilot which is exactly what he wanted! God is good and has His hand in all that we do. Helo school will start in mid to late February and is here in Florida, so we will be Pensacola residents for at least ten more months. Finishing Primary is a pretty big deal. John is amazing.

In the meantime (before the next school in Feb), he has finally has some free time and has found some new hobbies. He has decided to take up bow hunting, and he is hoping to take a trip home before our baby arrives. Maybe he'll even find time to figure out how helicopters work, and then he will hopefully be home with me and baby for several months. How spoiled am I?

Very. And very pregnant. Thirty-one weeks today and can hardly wait to meet baby Lynch! I am so thankful that this pregnancy has been so good to me. Pregnancy brain is a new experience that has made teaching tenth graders quite entertaining. Forming sentences takes work. And I have started leaving myself numerous notes in order to remember what I told certain classes.

In other baby news ... I had a baby shower last weekend that my mom came down for AND MY SISTER! Tori surprised me and flew in for the weekend. Such an awesome surprise and I am not an easy person to surprise! Only thing that could have made it better is if she would have decided to stay for at least a month :). The shower was perfect and I have such wonderful friends down here that made it that way.

We still have a few essential items to buy from our Amazon registry, but it will all come together in due time.

Some of the latest belly shots:

28 weeks

31 weeks (today!)

And a little something I love more than my growing belly ... baby Lynch moving! This baby rarely stops moving (we have started praying for parental patience). Baby moving (click for video).

week twenty five and feeling alive

Three weeks into school and twenty five (and a half) weeks into pregnancy ... and I really feel great. School has been keeping me busy, as expected, and still no swollen feet to report. The fact that we are three weeks into school is a bit of a lie though. School did start on August 20th, but I have only taught nine days out of thirteen days thanks to good ol' Isaac and Labor Day. Isaac did not bring much action to Pensacola, but school was closed for THREE days in a row (better than snow days, if you ask me) and John was off FOUR days in a row. We had lots of unexpected free time in which we filled with selling the Volvo (miss you, Theo) and researching and researching and researching, then purchasing a new X1.

It's such a pretty vehicle. And smart, which I am still getting use to. The engine shuts off when the car comes to a stop (such as, at a red light), the wipers are automatic based on the amount of rainfall, and the driver seat moves based on who opens the door (moves up and forward for me and back and down for John). Thinking of naming him Bernhard, but haven't received the all-clear from John yet.

(If only naming a baby were as easy as naming a car ...)

John is in the same place he was during the last post (slowly going through the last block of school). He is still expected to finish in early October! Trying not to think too much about it, but I sure am anxious to know what he will fly for the rest of his career.

Belleau is crazy and adorable and fun and precious and sweet and currently, snoring. She's my doll. She is still adjusting to the no-more-summer schedule and it has not been easy. She's just so sleepy in the morning, it makes me laugh every day.

Baby Lynch is a kicker, or dancer? Either way, this baby moves often and I love it. Sometimes I do think the baby is trying to escape out through my belly button. I'll leave you with pictures of the ever growing belly.

week 22

week 22

week 25 (most current)

Story time--one exciting night

This blog is being typed for two reasons. 1)  I am watching Julie and Julia as John is at work until midnight (what a fun Friday night for us)... and though I am not cooking, watching it has made me remember I am very past due on blogging. 2) I had a very exciting night last night and must share.
 
Story time. This is a non-fiction.
I have been consumed with sewing since last November when we bought my Black-Friday-deal sewing machine. Most recently, I have been working daily on two Christmas presents. I try to give it at least an hour or two each night after work. Last night was my seventh night in a row on the same project and it was the first night John was not home (he, much like tonight, had to be on base well into the evening). I gave myself just one hour to do as much as I could then I would move on to washing sheets, and cleaning the ignored house. Ten minutes into my "one hour" ... I sewed straight through my finger.

Let me tell you, that machine is fast. I would love to be able to tell you how exactly this happened, but even as I sit here and replay it over and over ... I have no idea. It was fast, and surprisingly painless. The needle broke right away and I could feel it break and turned the knob on the machine to lift the top of it out of my finger. Then I had to cut the thread on the top and bottom so I could move out of the machine. At this point, I started to yell (not scream) "Oh my heck, Oh my heck". And the loyal Belleau came sprinting in panting. She was nervous for me. I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I went directly to the kitchen and ran it under water to get the blood out of the way so I could see what I was dealing with. That is when I realized pliers would be best to pull it out.
... why would this happen on the night John isn't home? (I can't tell you how many times I thought that).

I decided to walk to my neighbors and have her pull it out, but in her driveway I realized asking an 80 year old woman to pull a needle out of my bleeding finger may not be the wisest decision. I then decided to try our other neighbor (we don't know them as well, but they are definitely second on the best-neighbor list. Plus they owed us ... we put their trash out while they were out of town one weekend. ha). I walked over and rang the doorbell. Neighbor answered and I said "this is going to be the oddest neighborly request you ever receive, but will you pull this needle out of my finger?"  He looked more nervous than I felt. He brought me in the house, had me sit down and asked if I needed water or anything else. I am sure the sight of a pregnant woman with half a needle in her finger is not a sight you would be calm about. He cleaned the pliers and pulled it right now. Still no pain in the pulling out. 10...9...8...7... ah, there was the pain. It felt like a burn. A bad burn. My, my, my was it exciting. I must say, I am very proud of myself for how calm I remained. I kept thinking that I didn't want to stress out the baby. I showered when I got back home and applied a gracious amount of neosporin. When John got home, I woke up to tell him the story (and showed him the needle the neighbor so kindly put in a baggie for me).
I now have a bruised, tender pointer. And an exciting story to tell.

The end.

Other updates since the last post ...

... I have started school! Second year of teaching is one week underway. My students seem to be a fun bunch. I was graciously rewarded with three honor classes. I really do have the best schedule. And I feel great! Not too many aches and pains. I have started off my mornings with 20 minutes of yoga and that has seemed to cure my back pain!

... I am close to sporting an outie and cannot believe how much this baby movies. I will post new pictures in the next couple of weeks.

... John has been studying like a crazy man. Just last week he finally got back into a plane! Looks like he will finish this phase of schooling in October. Continue to keep him in your prayers!

... Storm Isaac is headed our way. Eek! I am anxious to experience our first hurricane, but I am equally nervous about it.