Packing, Playing and Photography

What's keeping us busy these days:

Packing. With only 6 weeks to go until our hopeful move date, the packing has gotten under way! I'm not one that can just throw things in a box and call it good.  I feel the need to organize, sort, get rid of, throw out and clean as I pack. Thus, this process may take me longer than the normal human being.

Playing.  Lots of this is happening these days with the spring weather finally here. Charlie loves... I should say "adores" the outside. From playing basketball on his Little Tykes hoop to riding his Red Rider "tractor" to exploring the backyard, he is thoroughly entertained by the outdoors.

Photography. We have been humbly blessed by those who have approached us to take their photos. From seniors to engaged couples to families, we have loved getting the opportunity to capture each in their own season of life! It's been a great little hobby and business that Jimmy and I can do together. You can find us on Facebook at Growing Images Photography.

Pregnancy. We are at the 23 week mark and are so thankful to be past the first trimester! My energy came back plenty in time to start the packing process. God's timing is good.

Preparing. Along with the packing of our physical items, we have also been preparing for the move in many of other ways. Jimmy has been filling out countless forms and paperwork for the home buying process. I have been in search for a new midwife in the area. And together, we have begun the paint selecting process for our new home (definitely one of my favorite as well as one of our most challenging part of this process)!

Praying. Prayer after prayer has been prayed in regard to this moving process.  And God continues to show us in His timing His plan for our family and our ministry.  We are so thankful for His continual provision and faithfulness in our lives despite our times of doubt! We do ask for continual prayer as we transition into a new town, a new church, a new job, a new home and a new baby!

Another Announcement from the Buehlers!

If you have not yet caught wind of the news, we will be moving to Willmar, Minnesota come July! Jimmy has accepted a position as the youth pastor at the Evangelical Free Church of Willmar.

Despite having to say goodbye to our big garden and our dear friends here, we are looking forward to the new adventure.  This adventure will bring many new things for our family. A new job for Jimmy. A new midwife, Lordwilling, for me. A new bedroom for Charlie. A new church and home for our family. And let's not forget the new addition that will join our family come September!

To sum it up, many transitions are soon to be had by the Buehler bunch! More to come on the move as we get closer!

Second trimester here we come!

16 Weeks

I've been eagerly awaiting this week. Why? Because it marks week 16 and in my first pregnancy, this is about when the "morning" sickness subsided. I say "morning" because truly it should be called "all day, everyday, anytime of the day" sickness.

And although I still feel nauseous in the evening as well as when I get too hungry, I'm thankful the "all day, everyday, anytime of the day" sickness is not near as common. It's nice to begin to feel a bit normal again.

Since this my second time around, I've learned some hints that help me get through the first trimester. I understand every women and every pregnancy is different but here are a few things that have helped me:

1.  Getting a nap whenever I can as well as going to bed at a reasonable hour.  However, I must admit there were a few nights where I went to bed as early as 8 PM because I was just that tired. Who knew it took so much energy to create a little human being in your belly!

2.  Making sure I never get too hungry.  Yes, it seems backwards but when I would go too long without eating, I would end up throwing up.  So fruit and nuts are often to be found in my purse whenever I am out and about.

3.  Eating eggs every morning. For three months straight, I have had eggs in some shape or form every morning.  Having that protein right away in the morning makes such a difference!

4.  Lowering my own expectations for the home. Being sick and exhausted aren't ingredients that contribute to a tidy home.   Getting some laundry done and a meal made are big successes for me in the first trimester! And I must say, I am beyond thankful for a husband who willingly helps out with the cooking and cleaning to keep us moving along.

5. Getting adjusted regularly.  With my body now shifting again, getting adjusted by my chiropractor keeps me in alignment and keeps the aches away.

6.  Constantly reminding myself of God's grace and goodness.  It is easy for me to get discouraged and down after months of being sick and tired, however, I am beyond grateful that God has blessed us with another little baby. What a grace and every moment of sickness is so worth it!

An Announcement from the Buehler Home...

We are excited to announce Baby Buehler #2 is on his or her way! 

Estimated expected arrival date is September 12th. 

So Baby #2 is at week 12 of life in the womb!

An update from the first 12 weeks:

Although we are absolutely thrilled to welcome a new baby into our family, the first months of pregnancy are hard for me. Now there are some remarkable women who love every moment of being pregnant and I admire those women....however, that's just not me!

Like my pregnancy with Charlie, exhaustion and nausea are my main hobbies these days. Unlike my first pregnancy where I found myself throwing up multiple times a day, there has been multiple days in this pregnancy where I have made it the full day without running to the toilet! That I am thankful for.

One week ago, I hit a low point. I was awful sick and quite down. I was sick of being tired and tired of being sick. And quite frankly, I had a terrible attitude. I definitely needed a come to Jesus moment.

I had sent my husband a text saying, "I'm so done." He then arrived home to a crying son and a defeated wife. Knowing I needed time to myself, he took Charlie out while I threw up, cried, slept and processed with the Lord.

I just wanted so badly for God to take away my nausea and to give me energy... However, God reminded me He wants me to see Him in these moments of trial rather than wishing them away. He wants me to lean and depend on Him when I am weak and frail... And to acknowledge Him in all things despite my circumstances.  He sees this as good for me... and He is withholding no good thing from me. (Psalm 84:11)

So all that to say that through this, I have become more grateful for our good, gracious God, my loving, serving husband, my fun, little boy and our new bundle of joy on his or her way! 

It's Saturday!

Saturday mornings are some of my favorite times... especially when all three of us are home and we have no where to go. And with the recent snowfall, it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere too far too soon!

Most Saturdays we attempt to sleep in... which means we sleep as late as Charlie allows us. Thus, it's really not much of a sleep-in at all. Needless to say, it is nice not to have any alarms set.

We start the morning by singing, "It's Saturday... It's Saturday...It's Saturday!" It's not a specific song, it's just a little family jingle!

We have decided to make it a tradition to make a big morning breakfast on Saturdays...  Or just make something fun for breakfast. This morning it was blueberry oatmeal pancakes... yum!

After cleaning up breakfast, we typically head to the living room for play time. Jimmy and I enjoy just sitting and watching Charlie play as we chat, read or watch cartoons together. Jimmy savors his cup of coffee while I typically just sip my juice!

It's just nice to have a morning as a family where we can all relax and enjoy one another. So I'm thankful for these Saturday mornings we get together!

What Makes this Mama Smile: Month 14

Charlie's 14th month has just been so enjoyable for me! He has just grown and developed so much that each day something new or funny seems to happen.

Although I must say, it is a bit ironic that as I initially sat down and tried to blog, he began to throw a tantrum! Oh, the ups and downs of motherhood! :)

Nevertheless, here are a few of my favorites from month 14:

-The ability to walk! He's got it down folks... those two little feet keep-a-going and get everywhere! Some people had told us, once they start walking they'll be into everything!.. And yes it's true but it's so fun to see what he'll go and explore. When babies start to walk, they look much older... like a little person just doing their own thing! It's cute :)

-His personality.  This past month I've just laughed more and more at my little guy. His personality has developed so much! I love his giggle when he plays little games of hide-and-seek with daddy along his joy in going to greet people at the door when they arrive at our house. Also, his wave good-bye is just priceless!

-Increased vocabulary.  One night Charlie woke up in the middle of the night and just started to recite his entire vocab, "Mama, dada, ball, po-po (puppy), cracker, cook-cook (cookie), go, ba-ba (bottle)..." We just couldn't help but smile! I love watching him recite new words and understand the meaning of them. We already find ourselves spelling out "cracker" to avoid him hearing us and asking for one as his points at the cupboard and says "crack-cer, crack-cer, CRACK-CER!" 

-Somewhat of a solid sleep schedule. Apart from sickness, teething, wet diapers, etc., Charlie has been more consistent with sleeping through the night despite his inconsistent nap schedule. Although, Jimmy and I often joke that the minute we tell anyone how well he has been sleeping, it's inevitable that the next night will be a rough one. I think it's God's way of keeping us humble and dependent on Him rather than on sleep. :)

-His fine motor skills. Watching Charlie smash his peas with his little fingers, turning the TV on and off with the remote or putting the ear back on Mr. Potato Head all bring smiles to my face! I remember seeing all ten of his tiny fingers on our 20 week ultrasound and now it's amazing to watch him learn to use each and every one of them!

I'm grateful for all these little things that make being a mom rewarding and entertaining!

Guest Blog: "5 Surefire Ways to Discourage Young Parents."

This blog post is written by Jimmy, Kelsey's husband. 

As a new parent, I have received a lot of input, advice, counsel, and wisdom over the past 14 months of my new parenting career. Some if it has been good, but to be honest, a lot has been unhelpful. The reason I want to write this post is to encourage all of us to do a little more thinking before we speak. So, I have compiled a list of 5 ways to discourage young parents in order to help us in that thinking.

1. Give Your Advice To A New Parent Freely. 

Within the first few days of having our son home from the hospital we were given a lot of advice about almost everything when it comes to caring for a newborn.
"Co-sleep! It will work much better." 
"Nurse every three hours." 
"Don't nurse every three hours." 
"Sleep when baby sleeps." 
"Wait '2 pees' before you actually change their diaper."
Now, hear me when I say we needed all the advice we could get! But there comes a point when new parents can feel the weight of "suggestion overload." We felt so overwhelmed, but little of those feelings were traced back to our son. The reason we felt overwhelmed was because we had to sift through literally hundreds of pieces of advice. Eventually, we began to feel like bad parents because it seemed like everyone was giving us their two cents.
So, what can we all do instead? Someone in our church asked us one day, "Would you like me to give you some advice?" Simple enough. Someone finally asked us if we wanted their advice! It felt great that we could say "no, thank you," if we wanted to.

2. Compare Their Child's Situation to Your Own Child's Situation. 

No two children are alike, and yet, the online world seems to believe that whatever worked for their child must be a universal truth. Some kids don't like peas, some kids sleep great, other kids hate fruit, while some children seem to never sleep a wink. When a young mom or dad either tells you or posts online about some behavior their child is doing that is causing detriment or stress, it's usually a cry for help and not child-to-child comparison. Phrases like, "my child slept through the night since day one," are extremely unhelpful to say to a mom who has slept 18 hours in seven days. What we can implicitly communicate when we compare our child's good behavior to another's bad behavior is that somewhere along the line the other parent did something wrong.  The fact is that all children behave differently, so there is no formula for child-rearing. Sure, there are truths that go across the board; but when a young parent tells you about their child's bad behavior, seek to listen and offer compassion quicker than you seek to compare.

3. Begin Phrases With "Wait Until..." 

I remember distinctly there was a day when Kelsey and I were literally running off of two hours of sleep. As we shared this with other young parents we often heard this: "Wait until you have more kids." Here is why this is unhelpful and discouraging: When we say this to young parents, what we do is completely disregard their stress and tell them its only going to get worse. Placing fear into young parents is simply not helpful. What we wanted to hear in those moments were things like:
"We've been there, you're not alone." 
"Is there anything we can do to help?" 
"You're doing great. This season will eventually pass." 
Which leads me to my next way to discourage a young parent:

4. Offer Suggestions When You Should Offer Encouragement. 

When our son was still a newborn and we walked through daily life with a fogged look, what we were looking for was not the best "get-your-baby-to-sleep-all-night" technique. What we needed then, and what so many young parents need now, is down to earth encouragement. Though suggestions may flow from good intentions, they can be seen through the lens of exhaustion. Sometimes, as a young dad I need a more experienced parent to simply tell me that everything will be fine. Will it? Who knows? But when I tried everything from rice cereal to lullaby CDs to get our son to sleep through the night (all of which, to no avail), the last thing I needed was one. more. technique.

5. Tell Me What I Am Doing Wrong Without Ever Telling Me What I Am Doing Right. 

One of the most helpful things someone told my wife and me was "you're his parents, you will always know what is best for him." My son knows me, he responds to me, and in his own little way, he loves me. I know him. I know when his cry is serious, and when it's melodramatic. I know when he needs a nap. I know when he is being rebellious. And yes, I even know when he does and does not need his diaper changed. When I am told that I am doing disservice to my son, it hurts me. Why? Because I am his dad. The God of the Universe entrusted him to me and my wife, not you. Yes, I will and do make mistakes; but in the end, I do not need the only thing you've ever said to me about parenting to be critical. And besides, if he needs his diaper changed then be my guest!

Now, before you think I am bitter toward well intentioned people allow me to say that I am not. Like I've said, my wife and I need all the advice in the world! We have received some great suggestions and many of them have worked. But when you see that young mom or dad post about a struggle with their baby online, or they talk to you about it in person, ask yourself these questions:
Does this young parent need/want advice from me? 
What would be the most helpful thing for them? 
Is what I am going to say come across as bragging? Comparing? Hurtful? 

Or maybe, just respond with this: "I am sorry that you're going through a rough time. When is the best time for me to drop by a meal? 
Let us all remember: parenting is hard work. It's trial and error. It's discouraging enough as it is. Therefore, we don't need any more discouragement on top of the sleepless nights we already endure. In most cases, I don't need another parenting technique, but I need to be pointed to my Savior. I need to be reminded that God will give me grace when I am up at 3 a.m. I need to be reminded that my ultimate need has been met at the Cross, therefore I am free to meet my son's needs with joy, not impatience. I don't need another book/article/trend--I need Jesus.