Amy Scott's Thoughts

Jeremy was away at Kid’s Camp this last week. Owen, Toby and I were responsible for holding down the fort while Jeremy was gone. This meant keeping the kid alive, fed, clothed and in fresh diapers. I had plants to water, the trash to put out and bring back in and Toby’s mental health to attend to. Each day included walks down our road so Toby would clear out his system and get good and tired. Our days were full of activity. I wanted the week to fly by fast and I wanted to keep Owen entertained. Just me can get a bit boring. We mixed things up each day and had a lot of fun. In the process of trying to tire Toby and Owen out, I did a good job of tiring myself out too. We still have a big weekend ahead and Jeremy has a big week next week with a local summer camp, but I will be grateful to have my husband home in the evenings and sharing the weight of parenting and household management once again! Below is a look at our day by day activities and how we survived on our own. I’d say it was a successful week!

It’s officially summer! I feel like the official start to summer sort of snuck under the radar with it being the same day as Father Day. Plus, it feels like summer moved in a while ago since we’ve been having fantastic weather this June. It’s crazy how sunny and warm it’s been. While, I love the sun and the long days, I can’t say I am huge fan of the heat. I am grateful for box fans and our portable air conditioner. They will be very well used and loved as we head into a heat wave.

June has been a unique month for us. By the time the month is over, we will have been to the doctor’s office three times. Two of these visits are just our regular appointments and one was the 20 week ultrasound. All is good, but these many appointments definitely have Baby #2 in the forefront of my mind. Well, that and the fact that I’m really looking and feeling pregnant these days. The bump is there and my center of balance is already off. I’m a bit tippy and getting out of bed already takes some effort. Our little one is also very active. Every kick (which there are many) is a reminder that I am not alone.

For various reasons, July, August and September are going to be full months. This led us to making June our big “baby” prep month. We waited to find out the gender and have it confirmed. Once we had confirmation, we dove in. The room has been painted and the theme is really coming to life. In a few weeks we will on work getting the wall art up. I am excited to see the progress we’ve made. We are in really good shape. I like being ahead of the game. Now we can slow down and wait somewhat patiently for the arrival of our next little man.

Many people have asked what Owen thinks of the new baby. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t think of the new baby at all. For all I know, he assumes this new penguin room is for his pleasure. I’m not too stressed about getting the baby concept across to him right now. In a lot of ways, I want to just enjoy the time where he is my only little one. We spend our days playing with cars and discovering new foods. Owen has been in a growth spurt phase. He is changing daily and becoming more and more like a little boy. I love being home with Owen to play and snuggle and laugh. These are good days, even with their crazy moments. I want to enjoy them for what they are worth. This season with only one kiddo will pass and I want to make the most of it.

The family member that has had the hardest time with all the change is probably our Toby dog. Moving his crate from the nursery into our room really rocked Toby’s world. The first week was rough whenever we left him locked in the crate. We are learning a lot of about Toby in this process. Being in our room, he can’t see the door like he used to and that is apparently a big deal. We would come home to messes in the crate. Even if there was no mess, Toby would still bang around in his crate to a point where he could see out our door. I think we’ve come up with a solution to move his crate over a few feet while we are gone. We tried it for church tonight and sure enough, his crate was right where we left it. I am glad that we are learning these Toby quirks now and not when we are sleep deprived with a newborn and a toddler demanding our attention. My original logic was doing things early will give Owen time to adapt to all the change coming… I have since learned that Toby is the one who needed the special attention. I always say that Toby is psychologically special. He continues to prove that statement true.

June has been such a full month in a lot of ways other than baby preparations. Jeremy has had two flat tires. Our car had to go into the shop for a tune-up. In fact, we might have to take it in again to get another light cleared. The light that lets you know you have a headlight out is on, but the kicker is none of our headlights are actually out. So weird…

Our neighborhood has been struggling with rust colored water randomly coming through our pipes. The water company has been out numerous times and the problem seems to be getting better but isn’t completely solved. It makes doing every load of laundry a possible risk. Will I have normal water or will I ruin a whole load of clothes with rust water? It’s a gamble that makes me very nervous. I’m the type of person who does at least one load of laundry a day, so this roulette game with the water is quite frustrating.

Father’s Day weekend was a fun one for our family. Jeremy went to see Jurassic World with his dad. My dad made yummy brisket for the family. Owen and I got Jeremy a panini press as his gift and sandwiches are now a daily staple in our house. Like I said, these are good days. I want to soak them up like the summer sun. Jeremy is a busy man who has lots of demands on his time. I am grateful for the way he provides for our family and all that he does to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. He is a wonderful support and I am blessed to raise our son(s) with him. He is a fantastic dad and husband. I am lucky. I cherish our family time together. I also cherish the alone time he gives me when he takes Owen under wing. Owen and Daddy have many yard adventures so Mommy can have time in the house to get things done. I have it good. Really good.

This last week has certainly had plenty of highlights for me! The biggest and best highlight would be meeting my new nephew, Bennett, last Tuesday. I love being an auntie. It seems with each new niece or nephew my happiness grows. It’s such a fun job to love these little ones. Each one is unique and watching them grow up is such an honor. It was so great to meet Bennett and enjoy some family time.

Friday was my mom’s birthday. We had birthday breakfast with her at a favorite local spot and then we had birthday dinner with her. We enjoyed take-out Chinese with the whole family. It was a really good food day! I love my mom and I was happy to celebrate with her and be a part of her special day.

On our way home Friday, the check engine light came on in our car. After doing a little research we decided that car needed to go into the shop since it could be a minor or major problem. We’ve been a one vehicle family which hasn’t been too bad. Jeremy took Owen and I to church on Sunday and none of my daytime plans have been mission critical. Canceling them hasn’t been a big deal. Jeremy got a tummy bug on Sunday that took him out of a big Sunday. He missed half of church that morning, our annual business and growth group that night. It seems like when we have a big Sunday ahead of us something happens… Last time we had growth group at the beginning of the month, Owen had a tummy bug. We have one more meeting at the end of the month. I’m really hoping the tummy bug theme ends since it looks like it would be my turn to go down if we followed the pattern. Our weekend got a little slower thanks car problems and the tummy bug. While these are not positives, I can accept some things are out of my control and enjoy the forced slow-down time.

Moving back to the good things and highlights though, yesterday was our big ultrasound. The ultrasound tech did a thorough scan of our little one. The baby was cooperative and gave her all the shots she needed. All looks well and our baby is growing as it should be. After our “it’s most likely a boy” ultrasound, I had a friend tell me that they thought they were having a boy after an initial ultrasound and when they went back a week later it turned out that the baby was a girl. I had this story in mind as the tech searched for the “parts”. I was really hoping for a boy so I was happy when the tech reported that she saw boy parts. I had purchase our nursery bedding and started to work on the theme after our last ultrasound, but I didn’t want to open anything in case I needed to return it. But nope, it’s blue walls and penguins for the next little Scott. Jeremy picked the woodland, forest theme for Owen, so penguins are my way of getting to express my favorite animal in a nursery theme. We already have a few penguins who have appeared in our house (thanks to my mother) and more penguins will be arriving in the next few months as we work on the decor for the room. I am really excited. I love having a project to work on and I now have complete ease of mind to move forward! In the next few weeks, I plan on pulling out Owen’s wardrobe from the garage. I want to sort it all out and get the little clothes washed and put away. These are fun things that I look forward to doing soon. Let the nesting begin! Who I am kidding? It began a while ago… So, let the nesting continue!