Amy Scott's Thoughts

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!

I’ve wanted for a long time to break out of the weekly routine of reporting what we’ve done day by day. It’s an easy mode of writing for me to fall into, but I wanted to do this family update a little differently. We actually had a fairly quiet week. Followed by a big weekend. There is lots to share. I’m hoping to focus on what we’re into these days and how our lives are changing. Let’s start with the most adorable member of our family – Owen!

Owen is now almost 20 months old. As a one and a half year old, Owen is full of energy and is a real go-getter. His current favorite toys inside would his cars and tractors. He is often found on the chair in our living room wheeling his vehicles around. He has mastered being able to climb up on almost all our furniture. We’ve had to do some rearranging, for example, our tabletop is now clear so it’s less tempting. Also rooms that Owen once ignored, he now goes back to explore, so most of the doors in our house are closed again. Owen loves to close doors. Especially the ones to his room and the bathroom. Both these doors have locks and Owen has locked himself inside his room and bathroom a few times. It’s all fun up until the point where he realizes he is trapped. Then the freak out occurs. Luckily, I am good at picking the locks and have been successful in freeing him each time. Owen’s vocabulary is exploding. He often says words that catch me off guard. He’ll often say something really cool and then he won’t repeat it. It’s almost like what he said never happened, but then he’ll randomly say it again. We’ve hit three syllable words and even a few “short” sentences. I’m excited for him to be able to communicate more clearly, but I know that with each new development comes a down side. I’m sure someday soon I’ll be blogging about how I wish he talked less. Right now his words are very exciting. Owen continues to an unpredictable sleeper and napper. His wake up time varies week to week. He sometimes takes two naps. He sometimes takes one. Depending on when his first nap happens, he’ll go down for a second nap, but he never fall asleep. These flat in crib times are good for him to slow down and rest, even if he doesn’t sleep.  As for size, Owen continues to be a lightweight. We just recently packed up all his 12 month clothes. The funny thing is his 18 month pants are a bit baggy and tend to fall down. I guess he needs a baby belt. He is tall enough to wear 18 month clothes, but not wide enough! Oh my, I’m sure there are a million other things I could tell you about this crazy wonderful and active boy. He is a sweetheart who loves to sit on my lap and still wants to be held. He does great playing in the nursery at church and over at family member’s houses. He jumps into new situations really well. He keeps me busy, but it’s a fun busy and I love my life at home with him. It’s truly a blessing to be by his side, watching these young years unfold. Right now, we are getting ready for summer. We got him some new yard toys that will hopefully make a summer out in the yard a lot of fun.

Jeremy is next on our list of updates. He doesn’t get enough blog exposure, so here is his time to shine! It’s gardening season. Jeremy is out in the yard almost daily with a little helper tagging along behind him. Owen loves to be outside and shadow his daddy. I’m amazed at how patient Jeremy is with Owen and how he includes him in the things he loves to do. You can see the father/son bonding happening and it’s a sweet sight. Jeremy is very busy at work and I appreciate how he provides for our family. When Owen asks for “Dada” during the day, I explain to him that Dad is at work and he works because he loves us. If Jeremy isn’t outside fiddling with something, you can often find him watching Food Network, Sports Center or The Weather Channel. The thunderstorms a week back really gave Jeremy a chance to be a weather geek. Also, lots of talk of hunting season have already started. Jeremy has decided to go back to archery this year after trying his hand at rifle last year. The archery season will work out better with our new arrival coming in October. I would prefer for my husband not to be in the woods when I go into labor, but the decision to switch was one he made on his own without my feedback. I’m grateful that he takes our family into consideration when planning his hunting season. Jeremy got out on the golf course last weekend and I think he has the itch to go golfing once again. Tis the season. Jeremy is definitely a consistent and laid back guy. He does what he loves and he invests in his family. I am grateful for how helpful he is to me. He is Owen’s buddy when he is home and is a great dad and husband.

The Littlest Scott and I are doing good. I often call our baby either the Littlest Scott or Kid#2. No special nicknames. I am now 18 weeks pregnant and starting to really show. My normal tops won’t fit much longer which is why I went shopping for a few new maternity pieces this weekend. The era of all maternity wear is about to start. I’m not feeling as sick as before which I am grateful for, but wow, I am so tired these days. I get worn out easily. I feel like wimp or a 90 year old woman. It seems like no matter how intentional I am with resting, I just can’t get enough. It’s kind of a bummer, but I’m learning to cope and limit myself. I remind myself often that I won’t always feel this way. It’s a season and it’s worthwhile.  Apart of taking care of Owen and growing a human, I don’t have too much interesting about to say about myself. I still enjoy baking and teaching my Wednesday night class at church. I’ll have my class over this Friday to hang out my house and I’m excited about it. Also, my class has requested a big gender reveal party. It’s still a few weeks away, but I am getting more impatient as the days count down. The anticipation is getting to me! Pink or blue! Since our appointment is on a Tuesday, I’ll just have to keep the big secret from the rest of the world until after my class on Wednesday night. It will be fun to share my special news with them in a unique way. More on that later though… Preparations for the Littlest Scott have slowly been underway. We’ve given away some furniture and we are in the process of selling of a few more pieces to clear out our office. We sold an item this weekend that gave us just the right amount to buy Owen a new dresser that was on sale. My hope is to clear the office out in the next month and steam clean the carpets. Then it’s time to pick a nursery theme, paint and put together new furniture. These next few months are my favorite because once we know the gender, we can move ahead with a lot of our plans. For those that are wondering, Jeremy and I are both guessing boy for this baby because Jeremy’s family tree is very male dominated. Genetics have proven that the Scott’s “mostly” make boys. If you go by all the old wives tales then a girl just might be what we are having, but I think genetics trump wives tales. We’ll find out soon!

Okay, that was a long update, but now you have a little better look into our family. Not just what we’re doing but what we enjoy and what makes us tick. As we head into warmer days, we have lots of family adventures planned. As always, our life will be busy and crazy, but it will filled with fun and love. And hopefully lots of good naps! Amen!

Let’s start things a bit backwards. Let’s talk about today. Owen and I didn’t go anywhere. Owen took two naps. These two things rarely happen! It seems that with our busy schedule, we are often skipping a nap throughout the day, but today we were home the whole day and had what would be a “normal” day if we had “normal” days. It was AMAZING! I was able to rest and hang out with Owen with no pressure of being presentable or getting us ready for some commitment. Days like this are a breath of fresh air to my soul. Especially now that I am pregnant, I don’t have my giddy up and go. After a couple of days full of activity, I’m toast. Today was just what I needed. Praise Jesus! Also, when my hubby came home, he grilled us hamburgers (YUM). We a little time outside to chat while Owen finished his nap. Once we came inside to eat, it started to rain hard and a thunderstorm settled in over top of us. This was a major highlight for Jeremy and even Owen. Not so much for our little dog, Toby, who stayed hidden behind a chair the whole night. Poor guy.

Okay, now let’s flashback a week for our recap. Tuesday was a MOPS Steering Team meeting. Our MOPS year is wrapping up soon. We put some finishing touches on our thoughts for the last two meetings. We talked about our summer plans and the team for next year. We also had a “great” conversation about placentas. Oh yes, we talk about a lot of diverse topics in those meetings… For next year, I will be doing the newsletter again as well as being a table leader. I added the title of Table Leader Coordinator as well. I just keep going deeper. The great thing about my new role is I get to make the food rotation schedule which I need for the newsletter and then I remind the table leaders to contact their ladies and what food they are supposed to bring. It’s not too much added to my plate, so I’m not too worried about it. My biggest fear for next year is actually being a table leader with a newborn at the table. Owen rarely lasted through a whole MOPS meeting his first year, so I’m hoping his sibling will be the opposite of him in that regard. I can dream, right?

Wednesday was my regular chore day and church. I made some awesome Thin Mint Brownies for my class snack. Yum! Thursday, I had lunch with a good friend and mentor. I went shopping at Michaels and Walmart by myself after that! Can I tell you, I am fast shopper when I am alone. It’s amazing. It was nice to walk at a brisk pace and not worry about a toddler melting down. When I got home, Jeremy suggested that we go to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. It was very tasty and I really enjoy watching Owen eat rice. His love of rice makes me smile. It was nice to do something special with Jeremy because he was up before the sun the next day taking off for a conference.

Jeremy was up before Owen and I on Friday, so he could take off for the Tri-Cities and participate in a golf tournament with his family. This is a part of the annual men’s conference he attends. Owen’s wake up time has been totally unpredictable lately, so I got up 6:30am thinking I could get ready before Owen woke up. Well, Owen decided to sleep until 9:00am. I sat in my room getting really ahead in my Bible reading and trying not to think about how I could have gotten more sleep. Note, last week Owen slept till 8:45am or later three different days. Now he back to a 7:30-7:45am wake up time. Like I said, unpredictable. He keeps me guessing all the time. Owen and I’s Friday plans included lunch with an out of town friend. My dear friend, Christa, and her boyfriend were visiting for the weekend. I got to spend an hour with them and the conversation was all over the place. I wish I could have had more time with her, but Owen was missing his morning nap and I knew that I had a toddler time bomb on my hands. Even though my time with Christa was brief, it was great. I love that lady so much! And it was nice to meet the special fella in her life! We came home from lunch and took a nap. Then we took the dog on a walk to tire him out and went up to my parent’s house for dinner.

Saturday morning, Owen and I were up early. My originial plans for Saturday had changed so I decided that a whole day at home would probably be a bit too boring for Owen. Just me all day with no Dad coming home at dinner time isn’t Owen’s idea of fun. I wanted to do something that would break up the day a bit. We ended up driving up to Olympia to do some shopping. My list was short. First we hit Costco right when it opened and that shopping experience was awesome. We were in and out in no time flat. Then we went to Target… Where Owen melted down. He wasn’t “wailing” but people were giving me looks like I was ruining their morning. Sorry peeps. The kid has a mind of his own. We left Target as quickly as a possible and went home for nap time. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We were just waiting for Jeremy to get home that evening. I introduce Owen to The Lion King. He only really tuned in during the music. He had some good reactions at key moments in the movie. It was a fun treat and pretty short when I fast forwarded certain parts. Jeremy got home before bedtime and Owen and I were glad to have him back.

By the time Sunday rolled around, I was wiped out and I knew it was going to be a long day with church in the morning and Growth Group that evening. Once we got home from church, Owen and I both went down for much needed naps. At some point in the afternoon, our septic alarm started to act up so Jeremy set off to Home Depot to look for a replacement part. In the end, we stayed home from Growth Group to work on the septic. I was grateful to just be home and rest up. It was a good weekend, but these full weekends leave me worn out by the end of Sunday. Thus, why today at home meant so much to me!

Well, that’s all for now! See you in a week or so!