Family Update August 2015

Macy M9 comments6701 views

Just want to do a quick update, I have the feeling this may be the last chance I get to do that before our little family of four becomes a little family of five!  In the last month or so we have been trying to get out of the house a little more and enjoy the summer, the renovation took a lot of weekends but since it’s over we’ve been exploring!

I am getting pretty huge again, I am still a lot less concerned about weight this go around compared to the first pregnancy, I had a hard time putting weight on when I was pregnant with Hazel, even though I am working a lot this go around I am a lot less freaked out and stressed which helps me stay on a better path and I am right on target having gained 25 pounds so far!  It is amazing how much you gain for a small little baby but there is a lot that goes into it that isn’t just a baby I guess… 🙂  I am feeling much better in almost every way this time, Hazel was a miserable-miserable pregnancy, this time I totally get why people say they didn’t even know they were pregnant until they were so far along… I definitely LOOK pregnant but most of the time I haven’t felt that way.  As things get closer I am definitely much more tired, I find myself often taking Hazel’s afternoon nap with her, or at least part of it… I really think I am down to the last 3-4 weeks.  This is right about the time I stopped working with Hazel.  This go around I am rushing to get a few things done before Mr. T makes his arrival!  I hope I hope!  🙂  Stay tuned for that, I SHOULD have an announcement shortly if all goes as planned!

Mr. T is a mover, I wondered which was stronger, him or Hazel for a while, it’s definitely him!  He moves all day long.  It’s nice because he’s not lodged in my ribs like she was (yet) but he is SUPER low which has given me quite the waddle for several weeks now… it’s pretty tough to walk ‘normally’ with a small human lodged in your pelvis… he seems to be doing awesome though at every appointment, He’s been a really easy pregnancy and Hazel’s been a really easy baby, I am so scared that all hell is going to break loose once they meet! ha!

I do think that Hazel ‘gets’ it a little… I think getting a little brother is a pretty abstract concept to really ‘get’ but she has been paying a lot of attention to my belly, she got to feel him move several times and makes the cutest surprised shocked faces every time.  Every night she gives him a hug and a kiss (but then she will kiss James’s belly too…).  I am pretty sure we have a name, it hasn’t really changed much for several months at least, we still have to meet him first to know for sure but ‘Miles’ is at the top of the list still.  At first when I asked if she could say Miles she got a BIG huge grin… then I realized she thought I asked her to SMILE (I didn’t know she knew that word)… she’s since learned and when you ask her where Miles is she will grab my belly… she even says Miles when she wants to :).  She’s got a TON of words and will try to parrot anything we ask her to, some she’s good at, some need work.  Body parts are all down pat now, to the elbows and knees!  She knows most fruits and can identify them at the grocery store, she LOVES mangos, I think she would turn inside out for a mango sometimes…  She has discovered the art of tantrums too! Fun! 🙂  I have had to catch her head several times before she slammed it into the ground, we all just ignore them as much as possible so hopefully that phase passes quickly… it’s still kind of hilarious how irrational little humans are…

Denver is on a hunger strike, he seems to stop eating in the super heat of summer and the super cold of winter… I feel so bad because he looks so dang skinny!  I thought we got lucky having one of the few danes it wasn’t hard to keep weight on and then right around a year he turned out to be a skinny mini dane… I have tried putting yogurt in his food to get him to eat it, he just licks the yogurt off…. I’ve tried broth, he drinks it and leaves the rest… I have put hamburger in with the kibble and he picks out the big pieces… I would normally say ‘well he will eat when he’s hungry I guess’ but I can see every dang rib!  I feel guilty when we take him to the park and he plays with the other dogs and looks like Skeletor!  So I am trying to put some pounds back on him… James had some leftover Wendy’s chili the other day and I mixed a little of that in and it did the trick, he scarfed the whole bowl… so that is my method right now until he looks like a healthy dog again!   He’s totally happy and active as usual, just looks skinny, this is the third hunger strike he’s had… it MIGHT have to do with the introduction of Hazel slipping him her leftovers… he’s had a taste of the good stuff and is through with those dang brown pebbles!  Hopefully he gets over it soon!

I have some sad news too, my grandpa who was a very special person in my world passed away last week :/.  He was 90 years old and had such an amazing life (a lot of which I am only finding out about now! I knew he always wore a fireman’s jacket but had no idea he was a volunteer fire fighter and even chief for many years!), he was very influential for me.  I grew up spending every summer on his ranch with the cows and horses.  We used to eat burritos, go to ‘the office’ (the country store) and talk with all the farmers about everything, he’d get a coffee and I’d get a candy… He taught me how to work hard and enjoy life at the same time.  He exposed me to things I would have never got to experience otherwise which have shaped who I am as a person today.  He was an amazing man and I am VERY lucky that I get to share his gene pool!   I always felt like we had a special relationship and I will always cherish that…  On a whim, the week before he passed, I invited myself and Hazel on a road trip with my mom and grandma to see him.  I had a feeling it may be the last time I got the opportunity.  While it was great to see him again and he still had every bit of the spark I know in his eyes, he cracked corny jokes like always and was still ‘grandpa’; his body was giving out, his memories were failing.  It was very humbling to see such a great, independent, strong man in the final days of his life.  He was just a guy that was easy to be around, genuine and fun, oh so serious when needed though!  He was truly loved by everyone he met!  And I got to be his grand daughter!  How lucky for me!

Grandpa Z
My grandpa 🙂
Hazel got to meet him!
He called Hazel ‘twinny’, because they were twins, just separated by 89 years… 🙂

I am sad that Mr. T won’t get to meet him but he will certainly hear countless stories of the great man that is my grandpa Z!

Here are some random pictures in no particular order of all of our adventures and projects!  We will sit and patiently await the arrival of our little boy!  I hope your world is as amazing as ours!

9 Comments

  1. Macy-
    You are part of my Facebook family. Sorry to hear about your grandpa. I love reading about what your family is up to, and look forward to hearing about your new arrival. Also, I’m a dog person and LOVE Denver. Prayers go out to you for a safe and easy birth if possible. Thanks for sharing Macy!
    Best to all your family, Mary Ann Gonsalves

  2. Macy, Sincerest condolances to your and your family on the loss of your grandpa. It sounds like you had an absolutely amazing childhood with him. So glad you have lots of memories to share with your children and the generations to follow.

  3. Hi Macy – I was so sorry to read about your grandfather, but so happy that you shared so much of your life with him. How wonderful that he got to meet Hazel! That had to mean so much to him. My grandfather was a huge part of my growing up, too. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without him. I was nine months pregnant when he died, so he just missed meeting his great grandson. That was 43 years ago and I still miss him. Anyway, I just wanted to wish you lots of luck with Mr. T’s birth! I know it will be an exciting time for you, James, Hazel and Denver. I will be anxious to read your new posts when you are up to writing them again. Even though I don’t know you, I feel like I do and will miss you while you’re adjusting to the next phase of your life. I started reading your blog for the little house info, but quickly became a fan of your family. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. Take care.

    1. Awwww, all of this was so nice! Thank you so much Ginny for the kind words!! Still anxiously tapping my foot waiting for Mr. T! 🙂

  4. Hi Macy

    Sorry to hear about your Grandfather, my grandfather was my world thus I know how you feel. But god bless him, from how you speak about him we know he was a wonderful man!

    You have such a strong spirit, just know that you are blessed…

    Give Denver the foods he wants to eat until his appetite opens up again.

    So how do you think the space will workout with a new edition aka Mr. T?

  5. Love your tiny table and chairs for Hazel-goes well in her room. Pic’s of Hazel and Denver and family are adorable! Can’t wait to hear news of your new arrival. Blessings to you and your growing family!
    Mary Ann G.

  6. Just found your blog as I’m interested in tiny houses and am pondering ‘how’d I..’ etc
    I really like your blog and your approach – especially since you say going tiny doesn’t mean it has it has to be my ‘forever home’ – which I was finding rather daunting 🙂 You make me more relaxed about the whole thing — thanks and keep on blogging!

    1. Thank you so much for that feedback! It is definitely a daunting project but you can always break it down to manageable pieces that work for you!

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