#2

It's true: we're expecting Baby #2!

(Honestly didn't plan to start that way - it just came out...rhyming and all.  So, I'm gonna leave it.)

In case you missed it, we're expecting a baby girl near the beginning of September.  ☺  It's still hard for me to believe...although, since we've told Jacob - the person I talk to most, lately - it's become more real.  This pregnancy has been...different...strange?...a little difficult...emotional...weird...  Please don't misunderstand me - it is a huge blessing, something we'd hoped and prayed for, and I'm excited about it.  That said, it has come with some unexpected feelings, for me.  I still haven't figured out how to put it all into words, but here are a few I came up with:

The first trimester (and a little beyond) was physically debilitating, at times.  In all humility, I'm one who has a fairly high pain tolerance, usually works through sickness, and doesn't draw attention to my own discomfort.  The nausea that accompanied pregnancy this time around, however, truly had me laid up in bed on more than one occasion.  Thankfully, it was less "morning sickness" and more "evening sickness," so my amazing husband could take over with Jacob once he got home most days.  I basically survived on cereal and string cheese, drank anything but water, and came out of it craving fruits and veggies.  (PSA: Smoothie King has a prenatal vitamin blend as an add-in option!)

Though you'd think the constant nausea and food aversions would've reminded me I was growing a human, it still wasn't at the forefront of my mind.  What was more consuming were thoughts about sharing our news with those struggling/unable to have children of their own.  As I've mentioned before, my personality type comes with a lot of empathy, so in all honesty, there were times feelings of grief and sadness for others outweighed my own feelings of joy in my heart.  The anticipation of conversations with close friends and loved ones in that situation was also fairly consuming.

Once the second trimester hit, I was feeling much better and had gotten the hard conversations out of the way.  Again, you'd think this would allow more head space for pregnancy to be a greater focal point in my day-to-day, but it still wasn't, really.  For one thing, not very many people knew (simply because we decided to tell people slowly/as we saw them), so it wasn't something anyone was really asking about on the regular.  Also, toddler-hood is so very consuming.  I was doing well to take care of/entertain/feed our two-and-a-half-yr.-old, as well as myself and my husband (though I think he was doing a better job of taking care of us all than I was), all while still trying to ward off "pregnancy brain" as I continued to organize/manage all the other things in which I'm involved.  Of course, I had lists of lists of things I wanted to accomplish pre-baby (projects, purging, baby-gear-inventory, etc.), but as soon as we'd discussed those, written them down, and started working on them, they were out of my head...and with them went some of the constant reminder of having another child on the way.

And then, COVID-19 hit.  Something I haven't mentioned about this strange time in my previous posts about it is this:
I have been grieving (in small, but real, ways) the end of my time with "just Jacob" since before I was even pregnant, I think.  He's such a great kid, and as I've said before, I truly enjoy spending my days with him...despite the not-so-desirable moments.  We get along really well, due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that we're a lot alike.  We are easily excitable, thrive on routine, appreciate tidiness, have similar senses of humor, and enjoy being with/talking to our friends.  The thought of our "routine" changing and trying to find where another human fits into our family dynamic is a little overwhelming to me, at times.  BUT what far outweighs that is the excitement I have about watching another child develop and getting to witness Jacob become a big brother.  He has taken such a liking to babies (long before he found out we'd be getting one of our very own), and it is precious to hear him talk about and interact with them.  He is also a true helper, and I though I will need to try hard not to take advantage of this trait, I know he will enjoy having some new "jobs."  While I am certain the transition will have its ups and downs and am prepared to have lots of grace for everyone involved, I pray I have the capacity to continue to nurture and give Jacob what he needs, and hope that his sweet, thoughtful, kind demeanor does not change due to less/split/different attention paid to him.

What I really came here to say on the COVID-19 subject is that this has given Jacob and I such a sweet opportunity for lots of quality time together.  Of course, we had that in the "before times," but we kept fairly busy with outings, playdates, etc.  This time, however, has allowed me to hone some "mom traits" I hadn't felt as able to focus on pre-pandemic.  I strive to sit down and actually play with him on a more regular basis.  I allow him even more room to help in his own ways (rather than guiding him toward the most efficient way).  We've started doing more intentional/distinct "school" activities.  I've dug into my previously-untouched Pinterest boards for interesting new projects and activities.  I'm not saying all this to brag or be nominated for any mom awards.  Rather, I'm sharing to say that this time has allowed me to make some strides in becoming the mom I aspire to be.

Another big blessing of this situation: the quantity of time we have to work on that pre-baby list.  I have no doubt we would've gotten most, if not all, of it crossed off in time, even had everything else in life not been cancelled.  We have made some great headway, though, and it's really nice to be able to do so at a reasonable pace while still taking advantage of quality time together.

Not sure whether all that makes sense and/or is relatable for any of you with multiple children and/or more on the way.  Again - please know I see this pregnancy for the miracle that it is and do have a lot of joy about it.  I believe we can feel joy simultaneously with other emotions, though, and that's what's been happening here for the last several months.  Don't worry about me - I'm really ok, and I know it will all be ok.  This is just a glimpse into this mama's heart of hearts as she takes a (blessed) moment to actually explore and unpack what's been going on in there.  ☺

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Pregnantly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

surprise porch drop-off packages and fun mail (this has been one of my favorite parts of all this pandemic stuff)
technology (I know people have survived pandemics without it, but I don't know that I could...)

A family picnic (Shake Shack - yum!) followed by a walk on a beautiful evening.  This was the first time in over a month we had all gone somewhere and gotten out of the car, and it felt like such a treat.

KC Life

Howdy ho, neighbors!

Hope this finds you well and staying warm/cool/safe/wet/dry, as applicable, in this unpredictable spring weather.  ☺

As promised, I'd like to tell you about some of the things I've found to do here in the big KC, so far:

First and foremost, I'm learning what it means to be a wife.  I love that I have the time/energy/resources to be able to put my husband first and make the most of our time together.  We realize this time in our lives is precious - we can pretty much do whatever we want whenever we want without worrying about anyone but ourselves (and the 4-legged children, of course), and we're doing our best to not take it for granted.  There's so much I could share about this aspect of life, right now, but I won't bore you with the seemingly mundane details of our day-to-day.  Just know that I'm loving making use of my previously untapped Pinterest boards and helping make our house a home.

I'm also nannying for a precious family with two-year-old twin boys.  They've stolen my heart, and I've loved spending time with them and watching the boys grow.  We found each other via Care.com (sort-of like online dating for families looking for childcare), and I'm so thankful to have met and started to become part of their family.  They've welcomed both Bryant and I with open arms, and we're so grateful.

You're probably wondering about music students, yes?  I miss teaching at the studio very much (and miss my students and coworkers even more!).  I have found one student here, though, so I have a small outlet for this part of my life through her.  I travel to their house once a week to teach her lesson on their baby grand...I know - it's rough.  ;-)  Anyway, I'm constantly meeting new people and making new connections, so I'm sure I'll find more students, eventually.  I'm just not being super aggressive about it, at this point.  If you know anyone looking for a music teachers in the KC area, though, feel free to send them my way!

In addition to the aforementioned tasks and activities, I'm helping/planning/getting ready to be in two weddings this summer - my former coopmate's and my brother's.  Both include showers, helping with invitations, dress shopping, etc., etc...and I'm loving every minute of it!  After having just done it all ourselves, it's nice to be able to help others in more, new ways...and to reminisce about our own festivities. ☺

I'll leave it at that, for now.  Bring on the questions, and as usual, thanks for reading!

Loving life,
K

P.S. You'll be happy to know I found Tinsel Tom's long lost cousins!

Favorites of the day:

garden-fresh asparagus (thanks, Mom!)

time and opportunity to lend a helping hand

couples' activities

(forgot to give this a title)

Welp...another awesome weekend here!  

Today consisted of lots of productivity, including taking down the snowmen and putting up the Valentine's day decorations.  I found this cool bowl thing (does anyone know what it really should be called?) at an amazing Goodwill in Omaha yesterday.  I'll put other, classier things in it later, but for now, we have plastic candy hearts and curly ribbon.  We'll see how long it lasts with a certain someone in the house...

Speaking of Charlie, I didn't want to be the crazy cat lady who shares everything about her cat, but this might be useful information for someone else:

I've been tired of sweeping/vacuuming up kitty litter every other day for awhile now, but didn't ever make an effort to change anything.  I recently picked up some recycled paper kitty litter, though (not as messy as it sounds), and changed out the litter box today.  Charlie didn't seem to be a fan for awhile (he actually tried to eat a piece), but I finally heard him digging around in it and was pleasantly surprised to see he'd used it!  We had a mini-celebration...and will hope this works out.  So far, it seems to be much cleaner and not as chemically potent.  (I've heard pregnant women are not supposed to change kitty litter, because the dust is harmful...?  I don't fall into this category presently, but hope to someday, so we'll hope the new litter works out.)

We started a new study in Sunday school/Bible study today - it's called "not a fan."  Check it out!

Also, I just joined Pinterest...and had to switch to Facebook Timeline to do so.  Ugh - the sacrifices we make.  Just kidding.  It's sad to think that is even considered a sacrifice to some...and that it could actually upset someone, and probably has.

Fighting addiction (to Pinterest, of course),

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

Larry Crowne

the Cheesecake Factory

practicing trumpet (who would've thought this would ever make the list...but it felt good today!)

Marshmallow World...and other news

At the risk of being cliché with the weather-reporting, you should be aware of this: 

Earlier today I wore only a fleece jacket while running errands after church, washed my car, and opened the sunroof while driving.  Now, the ground is white.  Not just a dusting - it's real snow.  We got a little bit earlier this week, and I took the kids I nanny for out to play in it.  They went nuts!  Needless to say, even though I'd warned them we couldn't stay out long because of the cold, they would've rather gotten frostbite than go inside when I informed them it was time to do so.  Don't worry - we made it safely inside with only cold noses and cheeks.

I used to say I liked winter more than summer, because I like to play in the snow, then be cozy and warm inside when it's cold outside.  I'm really ready for some sunshine and flip-flop weather, though.  That vacation to Florida last summer created an insatiable desire to lie on the beach for hours on end...seriously.  So, if any of you happen to be heading to a coast in the near future and need some company, I'm your girl.

Anyway, hope you all had a great weekend - I sure did!  It included quality time with various friends (games, movies, eating out...and lots of laughing), as well as a rehearsal for the recital I'm performing on this week.  My former trumpet professor/current boss, one of his students (a good friend), and I will be giving a lunchtime recital this Friday (the 27th) at First United Methodist Church.  (Facebook event - click here.)  The recital is titled "Bach's Lunch" and there will be a free box lunches (get it?)!  If you're free or able to take a lunch hour break, we'd love to have you there!  Let me know if you have any questions.

One more thing - my roomie is on Pinterest and shares lots of her findings with me.  This one really spoke to me tonight, for some reason: http://itsrusticliving.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-or-white-towels-that-is.html.  It's a wine rack used as a hanging towel rack!  This "pin" almost put me over the "whether or not to join Pinterest" fence.  I resisted the temptation, though, and decided to avoid addiction a little while longer.  Do any of you have thoughts on whether or not to join?  OR do you have awesome things you've found on there you'd like to share?  : )  By the way, seeing some of these ideas also makes me want to have a house of my own...

Alrighty - that's all for now.  Have a lovely week!

Warmly (ha),

Kensy

P.S. I'm in the market for a new computer (preferably a 17-in. Toshiba).  Let me know if you know of any good deals!

Favorites of the day:

selling jewelry from high school ex boyfriends

phone dates (with friends and relatives, thank you)

corn casserole