A lesson from the Brody-man...

Meet Brody.  Our 3 year old Black and Tan Coonhound mix.  He was our first child :o) we rescued him as a 12 week old puppy from Last Chance Rescue approximately 2 weeks after we returned home from our honeymoon.  He's been known as "the Brody-man" almost since day 1... and he's my baby.  Jason gets up first during the week and is in charge of breakfast duty for him and his brother Bauer while I catch a few extra ZZZ's... when they're done - it's cuddle time!  Brody-man always gets "Dad's" now vacant spot in the bed - and we cuddle and schnooze until its time for me to get in the shower (don't worry... Bauer gets lovin' too - nestled in between my legs).  It's one of my favorite times of the day.

To say our little family has been through some major changes in the last 6 months to a year is nothing short of a huge understatement, and an event that took place at midnight on this Sunday night culminated in my true appreciation of this handsome puppy's undying good nature.  

It was - as I said - midnight on Sunday night, and Jason and I were of course just finally getting into bed after a busy weekend of continuing to finish up the final stages of our home renovation.  I was putting a clean pillow case on one of the 20 pillows I've come to sleep with during my pregnancy and Jason was already getting comfy in bed.  Just as he rolls over to close his eyes, our bed makes a crunching sound.  (Insert fat jokes here... lol - sorry babe.)  Not good.  I look under there and find all of the support legs running down the middle of our king size bed, laying on the floor not supporting anything... the middle of all the support beams sagging sadly - but thankfully not broken.  So as Jason goes to find his drills, screws and a support beam to run up the middle of the bed next to the obviously flimsy legs, I grab the dog beds (located on the floor at the foot of the bed) and pull them - zonked out dogs and all - across the room to allow for our bed to become accessible for fixing.  Jason comes back and starts drilling screws into supporting feet and beams etc. and little Bauer stirs and gets up, wondering if there's something he should be doing or some toy he could bring to us that would assist us in our bizarre night-time activities.  But mid-project, Jason and I have to laugh.  Brody is back to being SOUND asleep, his puppy barks and twitching feet the sign of an all too tantalizing dream (chasing squirrels I'm sure) that has yet to be interrupted by our noisy project.  

It was then that I thought - I could learn a thing or two from this dog.  In the last year, we've both experienced many of the same.... "hardships" - shall I say.  Many of which I had no control of - but ALL of which he had absolutely ZERO control of.  In the last year, Jason was gone for 9 months for work, during which time he would show up for just a couple days here and there over the weekends & try to get in as much qt time with us as possible.  The rest of the time Brody and his brother Brock spent many long nice summer days cooped up inside while I worked full-time and ran errands to keep the household running etc, and then became inexplicably exhausted and cranky during the first part of my un-discovered first trimester.  Then in early December... his brother and best-friend in the whole world just wasn't there one day (at least this must have been how it seemed to him).  He looked for Brock for a solid week, constantly checking the last places Brock had laid, trying to track his scent to a place where he would find his missing friend.  In honor of our beloved Brock - we wasted little time in adopting another dog in need of a new forever home... but again, Brody had little "say" in this decision, other than to be the good-natured animal he was and tolerate this new little squirt's almost constant need to play and follow him everywhere.  Then mid-January, we decide to literally rip apart the only home he's ever known - taking several large living areas down to the studs, with all the noise, mess and chaos that entails.  He and Bauer literally had our master bedroom and a back second bedroom to habituate in... and it was winter out, so no sunlight in the evening to allow for play sessions in the yard.  Bauer knew little else with us, and before he came to us had been an apartment puppy - so he seemed to need little to no adjustment period.  Brody.... seemed utterly and truly confused.

And yet with all of this going on around him, he continued and continues to be the wiggly, sweet-natured, well-behaved (most the time) dog he's always been.  We get home after a long 10 hour work day and he doesn't look at us and say "Where the hell have you been - I'm hungry and I've been cooped up all day!?"   Instead he's as happy and excited to see us as he was the first day we met him.  It just all culminated for me the other night when I thought - geez if Jason had moved my bed and disrupted my sleep at midnight on a Sunday night, I would have been a flaming "B" to him!!! And over this last year, there have been times when I've been a whining, complaining, "B" to him and just about everyone else in my life because "I'm just so tired of all the chaos."  And here's our Brody-man... in the midst of it all... still finding a way to chase the squirrels in his dreams and wake up in a good mood the next morning despite it all.

He is my hero... :o)

~ E

35 Weeks - Birth Education - Labor Plans

Ok ok so I know it's been forever since I've posted - it's been a little crazy around here!  LOL & I'll apologize now... it's gonna be a lengthy one.

Today marks the beginning of 35 weeks :o) It still seems so crazy to me that in less than 2 months there will be another human being who is complete dependent on me living in my household!  And don't even get me started on Mother's and Father's Day taking on a completely different meaning this year!  It's just craziness ~ but - amazingly cool craziness :o)  In another week we'll get to see the peanut one more time in-utero before the big day arrives - I'm not sure if they'll do another 3D/4D ultrasound or just the 2D to check measurements etc... either way Jason and I are totally geeked.  We've both invited our moms to come along as well - they were both so impressed by how far the technology has come since they last encountered it and we thought it'd be a cool thing to be able to share with them. :o) So that will be one full ultrasound room! LOL

Of course I'll also see one of the Dr.'s that day as well - where I hope to be able to discuss in more detail how I envision my labor going (even though I know often these things have a life of their own... literally).  But before I get to that... Jason and I have been attending Birth Education classes, and wow - so useful!  Our homework after the first week for the second week was to bring 3 tennis balls and a sock - so our partners could learn how to use them for different massage techniques.... AMAZING.  LOL We also learn obviously about the way labor should go and how it CAN go (two totally different things). Although I was pretty ok with just relying on a song and a prayer that my body would get me through the process some way somehow - I really think it's been good for Jason to feel like he's learning things that could be productive in what is typically the type of situation where he'll lack any control over anything (we all know how much men LOVE feeling useless and unproductive).  Our "teacher" - who is an RN, Lamaze instructor, and registered Doula - is a wealth of knowledge, and is neither pro or con medical intervention, but instead, pro informed-choice. 

So back to that "birth plan."  I've screwed up enough in my life to know that things RARELY go according to plans... but I've also "gotten back on the horse" enough times to know that it's always good to have a best-case-scenario to refer back to.   There were a sequence of events that I encountered before I became pregnant that already had me questioning whether or not the MDs in my OB/GYNs office were treating me as a whole, instead of as just a bunch of symptoms - so it was a natural progression for me to just continue my research into the subject once I started pre-natal care with them.  Early on in my pregnancy I knew I'd probably be happier in the care of a midwifery practice, but circumstances such as my husband living out of state and major home renovations prevented me from devoting the needed time to finding such a practice and transferring medical care to one.  I knew as D-Day drew closer, I'd have to prepare myself to become my own advocate.  It's not that my doctors aren't good doctors... in fact they're exactly that... in a practice that sees hundreds of patients, many of whom require much more medical intervention in their pregnancies than my decidedly routine one.  In the office, to the nurses and doctors, I feel simply like a number - and a boring one at that.

Let me put a disclaimer out here at this point that I do not believe they have provided me or my baby with inadequate medical care, just that within the practice, I'm just a file.  I'm lucky if I get to see the same doctor from appointment to appointment, even luckier for them to remember any defining details about my personal life, and many times I have to correct them as they try to glean information from my appointment history sheet.  It's a doctors office, and comes with all the good and bad things that encompasses.

I compiled information in as many ways as I know how regarding how a "typical" labor looks in America in the 21st Century.  I watched documentaries, read books, googled, talked to mom's who have delivered with and without medical intervention along many points of that spectrum with varying backgrounds, I even sought out a childhood friend who will soon be beginning her residency as an Obstetrician.  At this point, I'll put out another disclaimer.  I think every woman has the right (and hopefully the opportunity) to bring their child into this world in exactly the manner they wish.  If pain's not their thing - there are certainly ways to ensure they feel as little as possible.  If they are more comfortable giving birth while their doctor is on-call and their labor hasn't progressed to a point where they think that will happen without intervention, there are things that can be done to ensure their trusted physician is present to deliver their child sooner rather than later.  And if they want to try and do things the way they've been done for milleniums - I believe that decision should be both an option and supported by the practitioners of western medicine.  It should be HER choice.  Period.

You can probably see where I'm going with this, as I've come to have some very definitive wishes about how I'd like my labor to go.  I've come to have them after much research done entirely on my own (my doctors have actually yet to bring up labor or delivery during any appointment), and they are of course all held with hope and prayer that I have a "routine" labor and delivery.  After getting some input from my friend in OB residency, I understand better the parameters they use to make medical interventions in delivery, and will of course take into consideration every recommendation that comes from my doctor's mouth as I go through labor and delivery.

That being said, these are my general wishes:  I want to do it as naturally as possible.  I'd like to labor at home for as long as possible... probably longer than doctors usually recommend based on the fact that I've had about the most boring and routine pregnancy up until now and I live literally 5 minutes door-to-door from the hospital.  I don't wish to have any induction or augmentation procedures performed unless I'm significantly past my due date and the health of my baby is in question.  At the top of this list is pitocin... I'd like to avoid it's use literally at almost all costs.  Once in the hospital, I don't want the nurses offering me any medical pain management options.  I'm fully aware of the options available and I can guarantee if Jason and I come to the decision that I can no longer cope in a healthy way with labor... I will ask.  I'd prefer to not have continuous internal fetal monitoring unless of course the external monitoring warrants more information be gathered.  I'd prefer not to have an IV for as long as possible so I can be as mobile as possible.  I'd prefer to be allowed to choose the position I give birth in, based on what feels the most natural to me, what will provide me the largest chance of not tearing or needing an episiotomy, and of course what's in the best interest of my baby.  I wish to be consulted before any medical interventions are performed, and hopefully the opportunity to discuss alternative options with a doctor if the need arises.  I want my baby placed on my stomach/chest directly after being delivered as long as it's health isn't in question.  I'd like the routine tests to wait an hour or so, so my baby has a chance to breastfeed for the first time while it's the most alert (generally an hour or little more after birth).

So that's it.  Call me a granola-head... I want to experience my baby's birth, the good, the bad, and (hopefully not too much of this) the ugly.  Pain doesn't necessarily scare me.  I've run sprints until I've thrown up and my leg muscles literally give out on me.  I've performed things for the first time in competition, that I was previously unable to perform in practice, I assume simply due to escalated adrenaline and focus that goes hand-in-hand with those intense situations.  I've continued to compete after becoming injured.  I know none of these things - even all done in the same day - come close to what labor and delivery will be like.  But I believe my body has performed in ways that were unexpected and extraordinary before... and I'm counting on its ability to be able to do that again.

And if Jason passes out... this may all be out the window... LOL

Wish me luck!!! :o)

~ erin

P.S. & in the event that I go to the hospital and I have an epidural or any of the other medical interventions that are available these days - I will NOT beat myself up.  I trust that both me and my husband will make the best decisions possible for our baby at the point in time we're asked to make those  choices.  That is all we can ask of ourselves.

Bump Update & an Easy-Peasy Nesting Project!

Hi everyone!  I decided to do a "bump" picture update today :o)  My shape has really changed just within the last week or so - no hiding I'm prego these days! I'm 26 weeks today - I can't believe how the time has flown!  The realization just came upon me that we only have a maximum of about 3 1/2 months left - which isn't much time at all! Yikes!

I've been gathering ideas for our nursery over the last 5 months and am super excited to get started on it's creation this week.   I plan on doing just a whisper of blue on the walls, with an antique mantle on the wall above the crib, from which some antique unmatched frames will highlight a decor element (which I haven't yet decided on).  All of my linens and fabric elements will be Ecru, Cream, & Brown - with color finally finding its way into the scheme in a hand made mobile made from perched quilted birds - like the ones pictured below.

Spool Sewing

Another easy-peasy project I think will be perfect for the nesting mood I'm in is a hand-made playmat I found over in Molly's Sketchbook on The Purl Bee.  I found some super cute "gender neutral" fabric at their shop Purl Soho and ordered it straight away - I can't wait for it to come!  I think I may order some Oil Cloth fabric from them to make an easy-to-clean mat as well!  Did I mention I was nesting a bit?  LOL - Anyways, here's a shot of the inspiration playmat, along with the some swatches of the fabrics I ordered to make my own.    

Molly's Sketchbook: Cheerful Quilted Playmat

Kokka Fabrics - Linen Blend - Neutral Fuwa Fuwari

Rowan - Shot Cotton - Butter

Happy Creating!

~ erin

Big Day Today!!!!

One word.  Drywall.  *smiles*  The beginning of the end... of this renovation that is!!

I've been dreaming about how I want the finished product to look ever since we bought this house in the fall of 2007.  I have more magazines than I could possibly ever reference.  I've googled key words of the "look" I'm going for more times than I care to admit.  But it has all been in preparation for this.  I used to think I had a very traditional, even country design perspective.  Surprise, surprise... All this research has made me realize - I have a much more contemporary side than I'd ever imagined, along with a rustic/farm twist (weird combo I know!).

The first place I started my research for inspiration was with one of the largest design elements in the space: my cabinets.   Jason and I purchased a full kitchen of KraftMaid cabinets & their corresponding granite counter tops off of CraigsList in the summer of 2009.  We were actually looking for cabinets for an investment house we were renovating at the time - and came across this set as - I believe - an act of kismet.  This kitchen we'd found had the one layout change I knew I wanted to make - which faced the range open out into the rest of the space instead of in its original place faced towards a wall away from the rest of the room.  The one stutter-step?  These cabinets were a color we'd never seen.  Pewter glazed.  Really?  But the CraigsList "deal" was too good to pass up.

So anyways... they've been sitting in storage in my basement since that time - just waiting for their moment to shine!  That moment gets closer and closer by the day.  I've found it's extremely hard to find images of "grey" kitchens... but the images I'll leave you with all have elements I'm in love with that I hope I can work into our space in one way or another.  One thing I forgot to mention is that our kitchen shares the room with a fireplace/sitting area, separated by newly installed French Doors.  I'm so excited to see the finished product!  Inspired by:

Conceptually I love everything about the fireplace/sitting area pictured below.  The top of our fireplace will be finished with drywall so it can accommodate a flat screen tv.  I'm not crazy about the color palette for my home, but love the use of the chandelier over the seating area for an added feeling of coziness and tradition.  I love the gathered window treatments over the non-functioning side of the French Doors.
All things I'd like to recreate in our home :o)

eclectic living room design by minneapolis interior designer Riehl Designs, Inc.

Adore the clean lines, yet rustic & neutral qualities of this kitchen space.

image courtesy of  http://laurenloef.blogspot.com

Love the pop of bold color in the island, how the rich floor really anchors the room, and how obviously functional the space is.

Brightly Decorated Kitchen from Nancy Boszhardt 

via House Beautiful

Enchanted by the rustic feel of the space & the surprise of whimsy.

Houzz.com Kitchen Photo

Stay tuned to see how our space turns out!

*smiles* - erin

~ Hump Day :: Bump Day ~ Laurel Photography ~

*whew*! I made it... it's still hump day... my intention was to get up a picture of the growing belly "bump" .... BUT obviously that didn't happen!  Oh well.  Dad D. was in town to help a little with the renovation project and Jason had prepared the perch he caught over the weekend for a fish fry... so I took care of my boys instead. :o)  I do have one exciting thing to share though...

2 1/2 years ago I was doing some research for my boss on local businesses for some reason or another (I can't remember now) and came across a photographer's website and blog whose work I absolutely loved.  For whatever reason, I bookmarked her page that day, and I've been following her work ever since!  I actually follow several photographers' blogs, both local and national, and became good friends with the photographer who shot my bridal session, wedding, and the professional shots of our first "child" Brody-man.  I'm actually hoping she'll shoot some maternity shots for me :o) There's something about the way they see the world, or perhaps how they help us to see it better, differently, or from a new perspective - I love it.  It's kind of like people watching... only you can take your time.

I find her work with newborns, kids, and families fresh and fun, and most importantly I think, real... she definitely has "the eye."  You know the one I'm talking about.  She catches a kid smiling when they think no one is looking, or while they're giving their sibling the most disgusted look thinking the adults in the room are not paying attention.  Her newborn pics are literally, a captured moment in time.  I knew then I had to hire her when Jason and I decided to have a newborn of our own.  So of course, that's exactly what I did!  Baby K. is on her schedule tentatively for the 30th of May (or whenever the little peanut decides to let us meet him or her).  I'm so excited.  I'll leave you with a couple of examples of her work... and if you'd like to see more - simply visit her blog here:

Laurel Photography: The Scoop

What types of blogs do you frequent?  What are YOUR guilty pleasures...?

*smiles* ~ erin

Finally got it up and running!

Want to say hi to everyone :o) I've been wanting to get a blog up and running for... well forever really! Here, I hope to share a little bit of our lives with friends and family... Here's the lowdown on what you may have missed so far:

Jason and I got engaged and bought a house in 2007, gutted the basement & got it ready for the storage center of our lives... painted and installed carpet in the 2 smaller bedrooms, gutted and completely renovated the master bedroom and bath early in 2008, got married & moved into our home that summer, rescued our first puppy Brody about two weeks later... tackled the entry, laundry, 1/2 bath gut & reno end of 2008... went in on an investment property with the rest of the Kopczyk clan & rescued our second dog Brock early 2009... built and planted our 20' x 24' garden that spring, spent the entire summer and fall gutting and renovating the investment property... took a breather... hubby left to work with for his company in Chattanooga, TN early 2010, finished the deck, installed brick pavers and landscaping in the backyard summer of 2010.

Here's where it gets interesting...

Found out I was preggers early October 2010

**One of the best days of our lives....**

Jason moved home from TN late October 2010

**Sigh of relief...**

Lost our beloved Brock November 2nd 2010

**One of the worst days of our lives...**

Rescued our sweet little man Bauer late November 2010

**Healing...**

Started the complete gut and renovation of our kitchen, sitting area with fireplace, and guest/main bathroom January of 2011

**Chaos...**

That about sums it up to where we're at today. 2010 was a year where Jason and I felt the depth of both pain and happiness. The important part is that we experienced them together... we've found out what truly riding the lows and the highs are like with each other... and have come out the other side stronger than ever. There is so much to look forward to... So stay tuned. :o)

The Wedding

~ Diane Johnson Photography ~

Brody & Brock... Brothers.

Bauer and Brody... Learning to be brothers :o)

Baby Kopczyk ~ 20 weeks