Recent House Projects

I have always loved real estate!  So, it's fun being married into a family that does building and remodeling, except I always have a to do list for Jordan around our house.  We haven't done anything extensive to our house besides painting a few rooms, added beadboard, and stained our deck, but my mind is always brainstorming on different things I would like to do someday.  Recently, some of Jordan's family has bought run down homes and remodeled them, especially since the market has been so low.  It's so fun to see the before and after pictures.  Here is a house Jordan's sister, Charis and her husband Eric bought and renovated.  To me, this house has the most drastic change in the before and after pictures:

Below is a house we recently renovated.  Jordan did an awesome job!  I was able to pick out the paint colors and certain things, such as counter tops & bathroom vanities.  Typically I try to pick out classic colors that don't go out of style quickly.

 Here is the kitchen before we remodeled it:

 This is a different angle, but this is after:  (We removed the kitchen cabinets and installed used cabinets.  Jordan's dad had them and didn't need them so we cleaned them and touched up the white paint.  The reason we used black appliance is because Jordan's sister, Ashah was selling her refrigerator, which was black.  So we bought it from her and added a black stove as well.)

 This was the master bathroom before:

 This was after: (Jordan converted it from a half bathroom to a full bathroom.  Notice the rot & mold caused by the water heater.  The shower walls are ReBath of course :) and the flooring was left over from a ReBath job they did.)

 This is a before picture of one of the bedrooms:  (It was painted a nasty blue color)

 This is after:  (We refinished the hard wood floors and painted the wall kilim beige and installed new windows)

  

It is so fun to see the results.  We hope to do more in the future!

Never Grow Up James!

James had his 1 month check up yesterday, and he is growing like a weed!  I was surprised to see the scale read 10 pounds 8 ounces and that he measured 22.75 inches long, which means he is gaining a pound a week and has grown over 3 inches since birth.  I am a little jealous, I wish I could gain a few more inches.  This past month flew by!  Here are some highlights from the past 4 weeks:

On the morning of February 23rd, we headed home!  We were so thankful for the awesome doctors and nurses that allowed for a smooth labor & delivery but were so excited to be home as a family.

This was our first night home, James and I were snuggling before we put him to bed.

Jordan's mom stayed with us that night and for the next week,  she was awesome!  She cooked us some yummy meals and helped organize the house.  

One of my favorite pics of James...

At a week old, sweet Ashah did a newborn photo shoot of our little family.  This one of Jordan holding James is one of my faves :)

Miss Jackie left on Saturday morning and 3 days later my sister & her daughter Katie came.  My mom came that Thursday.  It was SUCH a blessing to have them here and once again they cooked me meals and helped around the house.  I honestly can't thank our two families enough.

Here are few pictures I took a couple days before James 1 month check up!  

Every time I look at his little hands I am reminded of what a miracle a newborn life is.  Psalm 139:13 says, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb."   

Dear James,

We cannot believe you are here, and a month has already passed by!  We couldn't imagine life without you already.  We love how you started smiling at us and our favorite thing is snuggling with you in our bed in the morning.  You are a morning person like your mom & dad!  And you seem to be an early bird just like me, you start getting fussy around 7 or 8 PM!  We love you more than words can express and we have been praying daily for you.  Our prayer is that you will come to love the Lord someday and strive to honor Him in all you do.  

Love,

Mom & Dad

The Birth Story of James Tyler Wood 2.21.14

Thursday, February 20th started off like any normal day.  I woke up and went to work just as I did every other day.  My back was hurting more than usual and I was somewhat tired so I left work a little early (my boss had been pretty flexible with me since he knew I was due that week) and went home and tried to rest.  That afternoon my friend, Maggie jokingly texted me, "Want to go on a walk?  It's supposed to help start labor :)" So that evening I went walking with two of the gals from my neighborhood, Maggie & Lindsey and their 2 newborns.  That night I noticed I was having braxton hicks and/or contractions. 

 Around 8 PM, my back started killing me!  I laid down in bed and tried to relax, and I noticed the contractions were getting progressively worse, so I started timing them.  I was CONVINCED I was going to be late my whole pregnancy and so even up to this point, I just thought this was my body telling me I am going into labor in the next week or so.  I tried falling asleep, but the contractions would not go away!!  Jordan had been helping me time the contractions while we were in bed and by 11 PM or midnight, he had conked out.  The funny thing was Jordan had been anxious & excited all week, he wanted James to come ASAP.  I would mention to him that I was not feeling well, and he would say, "do we need to go to the hospital???"  My response every time was, "TRUST ME, I will let you know when the time comes, and we need to head to the hospital."  Well the time had finally come around 2 AM and Jordan was snoring his life away.  I woke him up and we headed to the hospital.  The nurses checked me and I was only dilated to a 2 and effaced 80%.  I KNEW that was going to happen--I would go to the hospital with the most unbearable contractions and hardly be dilated.  

The nurses called Dr. Palmer and she was a little hesitant since I wasn't dilated much, but I was thinking, "PLEASE don't let me go home, I am in the WORST pain".  Dr. Palmer showed up around 5 am and they decided to give me some stadol since she was about to break my water (she wanted to speed up the process a little), which could be very painful without pain medication.  The stadol made me a little loopy but totally relaxed me.  Then they gave me an epidural.  Dr. Palmer told me to relax and even take a nap if possible because nothing would happen until around noon.  I was like "What? Take a nap during labor?"  It just felt weird trying to rest during actual labor, but I did what I was told and went in and out of sleep for a few hours since I hadn't slept all night.  After I while, I noticed my epidural wasn't working and I could feel the contractions!  So I pinched myself on my arm and then on my hip (where the epidural was supposed to numb me) and could feel it perfectly.  Fear set in and I kept having the same thought over and over.  'What if my hips are too small and I can't deliver the baby and need an emergency c section.  If they cut me, I will feel the whole thing.'  Several times during my pregnancy, people had told me there's no way I could deliver a baby because I was too small.  Even though I tried to let it go in one ear and out the other, when the time came, I started believing it. So I began sobbing and asking Jordan to have them fix it.  I was more scared than in pain.  So they decided to redo it, however, they gave me more stadol in the meantime.  This time it made me even MORE LOOPY.  I remember talking non stop and even saying to the nurses and doctors, "I know I am talking a lot but I can't help it."  I also remember the nurses laughing a lot and I know it was because I was saying crazy things, but I couldn't remember what I said after I said it. 

 I was in and out of sleep for the next couple hours and I remember hearing I was dilated at a 5... then a 7...the stadol was wearing off, so I was gaining more consciousness.  I remember thinking I LOVE this stuff, is there any way they can give me more?  I liked it way better than the epidural because although I could still feel pain, I was extremely relaxed and calm.  I asked the nurses if I could have more and told them I could care less about the epidural.  They gave me this whole speech on how they couldn't because I am getting closer to delivering and it can pass onto James.  Then I would turn to Jordan and ask him if I could have more stadol.  Once again, he would give me the same speech.  As the nurses left, I turned to Jordan and whispered, "PLEASE can I just have a little more?"  I was bummed to hear him say the same answer.  I think I may have asked him several more times, can't really remember though.  Then the nurse told me to push on my next contraction, so I did as I was told.  I was now a 10 and it was time for me to push.  WHAT?  I thought, "that was fast".  

Dr. Palmer and 2 nurses gathered around me as I began pushing.  The stadol still wasn't completely worn off, so I was still talking a ton and saying crazy stuff.  I remember after 10 minutes of pushing saying "OK, now I got this, I know how to push now!"  then asking Dr. Palmer how I was doing and telling her I had strong abs.  WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I SAYING!! At one point I heard a squeak and I turned to Jordan and asked "Was that the baby's voice?"  He started busting out laughing.  First of all, a baby doesn't have a voice, secondly, I think it would be more of a screaming cry than a squeak if it was the baby.  Finally after 30 minutes of pushing, he was here at 3:30 PM weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches long!  To say I was overwhelmed with love & joy is an understatement.  I can't even describe how much love I felt for him immediately.  It was one of the greatest days of my life and I am SO thankful to the Lord for such a great delivery & healthy baby.  We love you baby James!