A $5K Blessing

What would you do if you unexpectedly received $5,000, with which you could do whatever you want, with no strings attached?  This happened to the Nordlund grandchildren in 2007.  I had known for awhile that my Grandpa and Grandma had allocated $5,000 to each grandchild in their will.  My Grandma sadly passed away in May 2007.  After her death, my Grandpa decided he wanted to give this blessing to his grandchildren while he was still alive so he could see the joy on their face (and maybe also see how they use it).  I haven't talked to my brother or my cousins about their decision(s) for their money, but wanted to share mine on here.  

At first I put the money in our online ING account in a subaccount I created and named "Adoption".  Adoption was heavy on our hearts (especially mine) and seeing how expensive it was, the $5K from my grandparents would be a big help.  The $5k sat in that "Adoption" account for over 2 years.  We decided in Fall 2009 that we weren't feeling called to adoption at this point in our lives.  It was then that we decided to begin using the gift we were blessed with.

I wanted to use the gift money on items that would be long cherished, remembered, and widely used.  

Here is a pictorial explanation for how we used our blessing. 

1. Our first purchase was this dining room table. It fits 6 comfortably and expands to fit 4 more.  I hope it will long be a place where family and friends gather and that it is a place of many special memories of our family of (soon to be) 4. 

2. Our second purchase was this ottoman/toy chest.  Already in less than a year, we have really enjoyed having it.

3. The third purchase was the Nikon D90 camera that I used to take these pictures. (I don't have a picture of the camera, because, well, that would be tricky).  Despite taking two classes each, Josh and I still don't really know how to use the functionality on the camera (but we have the "auto" mode nailed!) but even so, it has taken beautiful pictures of our life and family and will long be used to capture our growing children!

4.  The fourth purchase was these 5 trees that are beautifully planted in our backyard.  I hope they grow, grow, and grow!  (our soil is clay so this growth is not a certainty!).  My grandparents loved sitting outside, listening to the birds, enjoying a donut and cup of coffee, and chatting.  I think this was a great use of the money.

5.  The fifth purchase was the materials to build this garden.  This, too, will last for a long time and be a remembrance of my beloved grandparents!

6.  Our sixth purchase was this rug that is in our favorite room in our house (the three season porch).  Not as interesting a purchase as the others, but useful nonetheless!

7. Seventh was another toy chest for Claire.  This one is from Ikea- I love it! 

8.  Eighth was a crib for baby boy Docken.  This, too, will be used for a long time!  It converts into a day bed and then a full size bed.  And our last purchase was the matching dresser.  

Wow, I feel very, very blessed.  In less than a year from when we first touched the money, we purchased many beautiful items that will be around for a long time.  We could not have purchased most of these items without this gift.  I hope that my Grandpa (and my Grandma up above) would be pleased with our decisions for the money they so kindly blessed us with.

Claire at 15 months

Claire is 15 months old today!  How fun!  We have her 15 month doctor appointment on Thursday and I can't wait to see how much she's grown.  If I were a betting women, I might say that she could have reached the 5th percentile!  We'll see.

At 15 months, baby Claire:

• learns something new everyday.  Last night Josh, Dad, Claire and I were enjoying dinner at Olive Garden and out of the corner of my eye I saw Claire doing something funny with her eyes.  She did it again and all three of us saw and were laughing so hard!  It's hard to describe what it was- my Dad thought it looked like she was about to sleep; Josh thought she was acting like she was on crazy drugs.  Either way, it was pretty funny and out of nowhere.  She surprises us daily!  She is such a joy too and everyone around can see that (except for when she's crabby or tired...which everyone around can also see).  At dinner, a group of about 12-15 adults were asking her from across the room to join their party.  The manager of the restaurant stopped to say hi to her several times, as did various servers.  And a couple grandmas had to talk with her on their way out. 
• Seems to have more words every day!  I am proud of her that she's not too shy to try out new words.  I probably won't remember them all at this moment, but some of her words are:
• hi
• bye
• mama
• dada
• puh-pah (puppy)
• bro (brody)
• go
• gone
• mo (more)
• yum-yum
• ball
• gives kisses really well
• gives hugs
• understands so much of what we say, it really is amazing!
• just wants to be on the go all.the.time.  It can be hard to bring her places because she just wants to walk (run) around.  She detests the stroller and is a challenge in restaurants (although she was surprisingly good last night).  We need to start putting her in the nursery at church because she only lasts minutes in the sanctuary (even during the rock-band'ish concerts we start with). 
• Naps 2-3 times per day (still!).  She goes to bed about 7PM and had been waking up very consistently around 6:15-6:30AM but last week she made it to 7:30 or 7:45 a couple days and even 9:00AM one day!  I'm convinced a large part of the reason she wakes up is because she's hungry and/or thirsty.  The days she sleeps in often follow an extra large dinner the night before.  I think we'll try giving her a snack right before bed to see if that helps.  She wants her first nap just an hour or two after she wakes up in the morning so I know she's still tired. Her bedtime routine is ridiculously easy.  We say it's night-night time, she walks to the stairs, we do bath, put on her pajamas, cuddle for a couple minutes in her chair, read some books sometimes (but she doesn't need this step, she just likes it), lay her down, and we don't hear another peep.  Love it.
• Lives to be outside
• Eats pretty well.  She can still be picky with new tastes but we continue to introduce new tastes and textures to her so she gets accustomed to them.  I read that it can take 9 times of trying a new food before they'll actually like it.  
• Prefers milk over water
• Wears size 12 months and 12-18 month clothing.
• is just starting to wear size 3 shoes...her size 2 shoes still fit her but they're getting tight.
• has 7 teeth (3 bottom, 4 top)
• imitates people. For example, if Josh pats my leg, Claire will come over and pat it too.  As usual, we think it's pretty cute. :)
• Scowls!  She is very expressive and one of her favorite expressions is a scowl. 

Well today is a pool playdate with Everleigh, Andrew, Brody and their parents!  It's a beautiful day for it.  Better go get ready!

365 days of being a working mama

Tonight I was sitting on the kitchen floor and playing with Claire while the ground beef was simmering. When I got up to flip the meat, Claire started signing "more" and yelling "mama!!". It was so cute! I think she wanted more mama! But that's not the point of this post...

Today was a blah day. I don't have those very often, but I did today. Maybe it was because of Claire's super sad-cry when I left for work with big alligator tears (which is distinctly different than her crabby-cry or fake-cry). Maybe it was the cloudy weather. Or the pregnancy hormones. Or the little misunderstanding Josh and I had before we left for work.

This afternoon while talking to a friend, I realized that I have officially been a working mother for 365 days. Wow. Last year at the end of my maternity leave, I wrote this post. Ever since she was born on April 25th, the date of July 20th, the date I were to return to work, loomed in front of me. It's just amazing how fast maternity leave goes by.

Tomorrow is July 20th, which means I have made it one year. If I had to use one word to describe this year, it would be "adjustment". There have been..

• Adjustments to a new schedule- not getting a lot of sleep when Claire was getting up at night (until she was 9 months old)- figuring out a routine in the morning (whether it be nursing before I left, getting ready while Claire wanted to be held, etc).
• Adjustments (that continue) to our house becoming half-home and half-daycare center.
• Adjustments to having my mother-in-law spend the majority of the day with Claire.
• Adjustments to my nephew, Brody, joining Claire in daycare at our house.
• Adjustments to pumping at work (for 10 1/2 months- go me!).
• Adjustments to figuring out how to keep my marriage as a priority as I juggled being a working mom and a student.
• Adjustments to my various roles- mom, student, wife, employee

While it did get easier, it never got easy. I miss her. I just want to be with her. I have one year under my belt and only God knows how many more to go. As He puts it in His word, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34 (The Message).

Parenting perspective and Pregnancy update

MckMama lives here in Minnesota with her 4, soon to be 5 kids, and husband and is a very well-known blogger. She has interesting thoughts on parenting- from delaying vaccinations, to extended breastfeeding, to nutrition, to discipline. While I don't always agree with her parenting perspectives, I am always intrigued and appreciative of them. This recent post was particularly interesting to me. Check it out here.

Now, onto a pregnancy update! I am 22 1/2 weeks (I think?). The pregnancy has been a breeze so far. I feel so lucky!! I have only had one leg cramp (as opposed to many, many by this point in my last pregnancy) and only a couple low blood sugar episodes. I only gained 23 pounds with Claire (which was perfectly healthy for my body) but I learned that I gained 10 pounds within only 8 weeks this pregnancy (between weeks 13-21)! Yikes! But I actually don't care. I dropped below my pre-pregnancy weight while breastfeeding so I needed to put some extra pounds on. My only real 'symptom', beyond a growing belly, is tiredness (I won't call it 'exhaustion' because I'm pretty sure that's what is going to hit me in November!). I am so much more tired this pregnancy! I'm fine during the day but around 9PM or so I'm ready to hit the hay. But if that's the worst it gets, I'll take it!!!! I am feeling a lot more movement than I expected, due to my anterior placenta. But the nice thing is I don't worry at all if I don't feel movement for awhile. I am laid back with this pregnancy and it's a welcome feeling! We bought nursery furniture this past weekend and began working on converting the office into the nursery. It's getting more real and we're so excited to meet our little guy! We don't have a name yet but we have 3 favorites and we have the same #1 favorite, so maybe that's what he'll be called!

The Gift of a Son

Throughout my life I have witnessed a great example of what a mother/son relationship can look like. My mom and my brother, Chris, are more than a mother and a son. They are true friends, companions, confidants, a support system, a sounding board, and a source of strength. They talk on the phone nearly every day and their love for each other is evident to all of those around them.

They have gone through many ups and downs together, through raising a teenage son, Chris living out of state, Chris’s accident that nearly took his life, my mom’s divorce, and through it all, they have maintained a unique bond. I am close with my mom and also consider her a dear friend and confidant. Yet, I have seen how a mother/son relationship differs from a mother/daughter relationship. I cherish, and know I always will, my relationship with Claire. I can’t wait to do girly things with her, enroll her (hopefully) in dance, or at least gymnastics, take her shopping, teach her to be independent, teach her that she is every bit an equal as any man and that she will not be limited by gender roles (I am so thankful for my mom instilling this knowledge in me from a young age).

On the other hand, I am so excited to experience the unique relationship with my son, that was so beautifully role modeled for me by my own mother and brother. I can’t wait to meet him. Although its sometimes hard to imagine loving another person the way I love Claire, I know that my love will multiply, not divide.


I am equally excited for Claire to have a relationship with a brother. My brother and I, too, have gone through ups and downs but we have always had a close bond. We are now wonderful friends and he is one of the very most important people in my life. As the 10 year anniversary of his horrible accident approaches, I am reminded of what could have been and how lucky we are to have Chris in our lives. The Sheppars family was not so fortunate and my heart aches for them. They lost their son and brother, Chris, during that accident. I look forward to watching Claire and our son grow up together and seeing their relationship flourish and change over the years. I read a study once that argued that your relationship with your sibling is the most influential of your entire life (within your immediate family)- even more so than your relationship with your parents. I am thankful that Claire will have a (at least one, right honey?) sibling and I am really excited that it will be a brother! Just because that’s what I’ve had and I know how special it is.


So, just some rambling about how excited I am to have a son and for Claire to have a brother. Part of me can’t wait until November when we get to meet him. But another part of me remembers that I will have an 18 month old and a newborn and that makes me okay with the pregnancy taking it’s sweet time! :)


Happy 4th!