2 Months!

Grace is 2 months old. Wow! She's growing like a weed and is just about the sweetest baby ever. (I'm biased, I know.)

Grace at 2 months:

~smiles at everything.

~likes to sit up tall and look around while holding her head high.

~has earned the nicknames Grumbly Bear and Snort-a-saurus.

~goes to bed around 2 am, but sleeps very well on her own.

~eats like a champ!

~weight: 13.1 pounds (95th percentile)

~height: 23 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

~is already into 3-6 month clothes!

~has eyes that are looking decidely more and more brown.

Our first Christmas with Grace was wonderful! Such a little joy she is!

One Month Old!

Our sweet little Grace is one month old today!

I can not believe all that has happened and changed in the last month.

Love you, Grace Ellie!

GRACE at one month old...

~Smiles, but only at those who really deserve them.

~Has held her head up since the day she was born.

~Has the worst case of baby acne...sorry little one!

~Prefers to sleep in bed with Mom and Dad.

~Is getting the hang of eating. ;)

~Likes being cuddled to sleep.

~Loves to be up on your shoulder
so she can look around at her brand new world.

~Almost always sneezes during diaper changes.

~Is just starting to grow out of her newborn clothes
and fit into her 0-3 month outfits.



She is such a good baby...I think I'm in love. =0)

Grace Eliana

Announcing the birth of

Grace Eliana Krohmer!

Grace: Graceful

Eliana: My Lord has answered me

Born October 27th at 12:24 pm.

8 pounds, 7 ounces

21 inches long

Welcome to the world, little one.

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Labor Day

I wrote this several weeks after Grace was born. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it at first, but after coming back to it several months later I've decided its worth sharing, even if it only serves as a reminder to me in the years to come. Enjoy!

I've been thinking I should blog about Grace's arrival, now that she's in my arms. But I'm just not sure what to say...and I'm a little worried that what I really want to say might scare those who haven't had a baby before. Then on the other hand, I wish someone had laid it out for me before I got pregnant...or rather I wish I had really listened to those who did tell me! Then maybe I wouldn't have been so surprised...


I now understand why it is called labor. It was the most exhausting thing I have ever done. And honestly I wasn't all that amazed by the miracle of child birth, at least not at first. So here's our story: We were set to be induced the evening before my due date because of my chronic high blood pressure. But the afternoon of our induction day I started bleeding, so we went in early. We spent the afternoon walking, trying to go into active labor. At 5 that night (our original induction time) they got me started on medicine and said "We'll let you sleep tonight and really get you started in the morning." Luckily, those first meds sent me into labor. By the middle of the night I was in some serious pain and opted for some fantastic narcotics since I was at 4 cm. As an added bonus, they helped me sleep and dream of circus animals in a parade. At 6 cm. I got a fantastic epidural and I felt nothing for the rest of the night! At 9 am we started pushing...and pushing... and pushing. Turns out she was face up, so the doc used the vacum to flip her over. She got stuck again towards the end, so out came the vacum again. The doc pulled while I pushed and at 12:24 our little girl was born! I was exhausted. I kissed my baby (she had to be taken to the nursery because she had inhaled meconium (baby poo) when she was born) and then I proceeded to sleep the next 2 hours. Not a bad labor all in all. I pushed for a long time (at 3 hours they usually opt for a c-section) but overall I have very little to complain about.


Fast forward 7 hours: we were in our room with Grace, whom the doctor wanted to keep for observation because several of her levels were "off." The baby blues hit me hard that night (and kept hitting for the next week.) I laid in bed that night and wept while I thought "What in the world have we done? We've changed the entire course of our life. Are we ready for this?" I honestly asked God to put her back, to make me pregnant with her again because pregnancy was familiar and parenthood was not.


I ended up going through a period of mourning for my pregnancy. I LOVED being pregnant. I had an easy pregnancy and I loved feeling her wiggle inside me. Then I went through this horribley painful experience known as labor in order to stop being something I loved. It was cruel! Needless to say those first weeks were tough. Many tears were shed. And I wasn't too sure about what I had gotten myself into. There was even a panic attack or two in there. But you know what? When they say that it gets better around 6 weeks, THEY WEREN'T LYING! I LOVE my daughter. I love having her around and listening to her little squeaks. I love getting to know her funny little faces. I'm even getting used to being sleep deprived. Motherhood really is a BEAUTIFUL problem to have. =0)

CLN

My Grandma passed away last Saturday, rather suddenly. She had been getting older and dealing with all that comes with age, but there was no reason to suspect her time was near. I sadly wasn't able to go to the funeral, being only 2 weeks from my due date. I wish I could be with those that knew her best; to hear the stories and hold them close to my heart. But I'm not and that's ok--I have plenty of wonderful memories of my own.
It's kind of an odd thing, to be in mourning for someone you know you will see again. She was a dear lady--a strong Christian woman with an incredible relationship with the Lord. While those of us that are left miss her dearly, its incredible to think about her life in Heaven. I can't even imagine the crowds of people that were waiting to welcome her home, not to mention the utter joy she felt at being in the presence of God. I imagine she had a HUGE crown waiting for her at the pearly gates as she was a woman that truly understood the concept of storing up treasures in Heaven. At her funeral the pastor said something along the lines of "I would hate to get to Heaven and face Corky without having preached the Gospel message at her funeral." To which the only thing it say is AMEN! Grandma was unashamed of the gift God had given her and shared it with those Jesus brought into her life. (Lord give me the strength to do the same!)
Perhaps the most incredible part of this entire experience has been the overwhelming display of how faithful God is to his children. Over and over this past week I have had to marvel at God's perfect plan. Simple things like Grandma getting to see her younger brother the week before she passed--they were very close and while I'm sure she would have liked to see her other brother as well, it was a special blessing that Uncle Len was there. Simple things like my mother being there when Grandma passed away--she had gone just for a visit and ended up being there to usher her into the arms of Jesus. Otherwise there would have been no family there. Simple things like my sister and baby Patrick coming for the funeral and then to Idaho for a week--we didn't think there was any chance for them to make it to Idaho this year and now I get to look forward to meeting my nephew! Now we're placing the birth of baby girl in God's hands too--if she comes a week early, then her aunt will get to meet her before she leaves.
Thank you Jesus for the life of CLN. She was a huge influence in my life and her death will not change that. I rejoice that I will see her again, even though I miss her now. What an incredible, beautiful problem to have...

The Krohmer House for Battered Birds

This is a cat. A very naughty cat. We call him Maybe.

Maybe is the reason we are now in caring for a mourning dove named Bird-izzle.

Not cool, cat. Not cool.

In an attempt to take care of his pathetic humans who don't know how to hunt, Maybe caught a bird and brought it to us...while it was still alive. And we weren't home. He then proceeded to chase Bird-izzle all around our kitchen and dining room, leaving a trail of feathers. A trail that we followed several hours later when we returned home. It led to a very scared Bird-izzle, trapped between the fridge and the wall, with a very proud Maybe cat standing guard. (It was his very first bird, you see.) Needless to say, we were not very proud...especially since this is southern Idaho, where mourning doves are abundant and there aren't any prolific bird rescue stations that I know of. So we were stuck with a damaged bird that appeared to have the possibility of recovering; a fact that I, in my currently overly-nurturing state, couldn't ignore.

What did we do? We rescued that poor, pathetic bird, named him Bird-izzle and have been housing him in our cat carrier (ironic, isn't it?) in the garage. And due to the fact that he isn't leafy and green, he seems to be improving! He has been freed from the carrier to walk around, which he seems to enjoy, but has not yet attempted to fly. But soon Bird-izzle will show an ability to behave like a normal bird, we shall return him to his native habit, and I can stop feeling like an idiot every time I stick my head into the garage and mutter some statement about a "bird-izzle." sigh. What a beautiful problem to have.

Perhaps next time I will tell you about this creature:

Our Mo cat...who seems to think she IS a bird.

Addendum: In the 12 hours since this post was written, Birdizzle took a turn for the worse and is now lying feet up.... I'm sorry little birdie. I really did try. Please don't think this reflects at all on my ability to parent. We'll assume baby girl will be fine since she isn't made of leaves OR feathers....

Hilarious

My students have started catching on that I'm pregnant; mainly because they've heard me talking to other teachers, not because I'm showing yet. The other day one of my first graders asked me at the start of class if I was having a baby. Needless to say, the conversation that followed was hilarious!

Student: Mrs. K, are you having a baby?
Me: Yes, I am.
S: Who's the father?
M: (Slightly shocked) My Husband!!!
S: What's his name?
M: Mr. Krohmer
Other Student: I know him; he's in the navy!

I got them settled down and ready for the day's activity when I overheard "She doesn't look pregnant. She's still skinny!"

Bless their hearts! Now that's something I will hold onto during the days I don't feel so "Skinny."

Oh the joys...

The other night I was sitting on the couch when I heard the sound that makes my heart jump: the I've-got-a-present-for-you meow. Yes ladies and gentlemen, our sweet little girl cat has turned into a fierce huntress. Being the weird cat she is, though, she doesn't hunt birds or mice. Oh no. She hunts worms. Fearsome prey, no? So far she has brought us 5 worms--three she left outside and two she brought inside.

In my current pregnant state, I have not been dealing well with the sight of wriggling worms and their guts strewn all over my carpet. Usually I don't have a problem with worms. I've never been afraid or grossed out by them. But right now, for the next few months and well...forever, I sure do wish I could convince her to leave the little things outside!

The State of Things

I haven't updated the blog in a long.....LONG......time. A lot of very wonderful stuff has happened to us since the last time I wrote: We bought a house, Kurt got a raise, my bro-in-law came home from Afghanistan, my sister got pregnant, Kurt's bro got engaged. Lots of wonderful, wonderful things! But there in lies the problem.

Kurt and I have been trying to have a baby since September. Not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but I was starting to feel discouraged. Especially since it felt like in every blog and Facebook page I read someone was announcing they were pregnant. And I desperately wanted to be able to announce that too, that I just stopped writing altogether. But no longer....

I am thrilled beyond belief to announce that our very own little bundle of joy will be joining us in October! Wahoo! We're 13 weeks along and I feel great! Aside from some back pain and one day of naseua, its been a smooth ride. I am so incredibly excited to be starting this new adventure. God has blessed us abundantly this year and I'm so thankful!