Micah Russell Doughan

Introducing the newest Doughan Boy: Micah Russell Doughan
Born October 25th, 2008 7:07pm
8lb 13oz
21 1/4 inches long

More pictures and a birth story to come!

39 Weeks and Waiting Patiently

No baby yet! Part of me is glad ... the longer he's in the cooker the stronger he'll be! Yet, one of my old co-workers from Omaha and I have the same due date and she delivered her little girl today. I'm in no rush, but I'm VERY excited to finally see this little boy face to face! My sister comes to Santa Maria this weekend ... who knows ... that may open the flood gates! :) It won't be long now!

Black Book Stories

Our family keeps a little black book of stories or moments in our lives that are funny or worth telling over and over again. This was one of those black book stories.

We always sing songs at bedtime ... usually church songs, but tonight Colin was being silly and asked Jackson if he wanted to sing "Butterfly is in Your Ear" thinking that Jackson would say, "No Dad that's not a song." But to our surprise Jackson played along and started singing his improvised version of "Butterfly is in Your Ear" ... maybe you'll hear it on a famous ablum someday! Here's the video:

Good Deals, Good Deals

Let me just start this blog by saying ... I LOVE a good deal! It's fun! It makes me proud to be (what I think is) a good steward of my money. That being said:

Several weeks ago I started looking for a glider for when baby boy #2 arrives ... the rocking chair we had for Jackson had a few popped springs and wasn't even worth giving away, so we trashed it before we came to Santa Maria. I looked at several thrift stores in the area and even looked at purchasing a new one, but I couldn't bring myself to spend over $100.00 on a glider (especially when you add on the cost of what it's going to cost to move it back to Omaha in the spring).

Anyway, I joined freecycle.org which is a cool internet group that facilitates the giving away of old stuff for free with the idea that "one man's trash is another man's treasure."

Unfortunately,I had no luck with a rocker at freecycle. So, I checked out craigslist.com which is basically a classified ad on the internet and I got lucky. I got a great deal on a glider for only $35.00, plus the gas to go and pick it up in SLO.

The same weekend we picked up the glider my husband got a new 4-drawer filing cabinet (the movers damaged ours and reimbursed us so that we could afford a new one). So, I put the old, functional, slightly broken file cabinet up on freecycle and got four interested takers, but none of them followed through. I also posted it on craigslist asking $20.00 thinking I wouldn't get anyone interested, but within a day or two I got a call and now the file cabinet is someone else's treasure and I have $20.00 to put toward my grocery bills this month.

Then our digital camera's LCD screen died and with a new baby on the way I was dreading having to spend upwards of $200.00 on a camera this month, but I couldn't really wait until Christmas (hoping someone would give a generous gift) since the baby is due at the end of the month. So, I got on craigslist again and (WOO-HOO) hit the jackpot with a great digital camera for only $50.00 and it's valued at $222.00 on Amazon.com! It's not top of the line by any means, but it's A LOT better than the one we have.

Anyway, I think I could totally become a craigslist and freecycle junkie if I'm not careful. It's like thrift store shopping online only better because you have the chance to bless other people, make some money and meet some really nice people in the process.

A Year of Ambitions

As most of you know, my husband and I (along with our 2 year old son) moved from Omaha, Nebraska to Santa Maria, California for the year for Colin's work. If you know us, you'd also know that we are planners by nature and we entered this year with plans and that our plans are usually ambitious. I thought it would be a good reminder and an encouragement for me to write down some of our ambitions for the year. Some of them are accomplished and some of them are in the works:

1. Transition Jackson from a crib to a big boy bed (done).
2. Potty train Jackson before baby #2 is born (done).
3. Write a play.
4. See some sights around California (we've visited San Fran. and Yosemite).
5. Spend quality time with my grandparents.
6. Spend quality time with my sister and her new husband.
7. Give birth to our second child.
8. Help Jackson adjust to becoming a big brother.

We're on our sixth month of living here and I'm excited about what we've accomplished so far. I'm even more excited for the plans God has for this year (ones we could never have even imagined).

Wondering

Lately I've been wondering what this little guy inside of me will be like. Even though I have one boy already I have this feeling that they are going to be total opposites. Already my pregnancies have been different.

While pregnant with Jackson I craved fruits and veggies and was almost turned off of sweets (until the very end of the pregnancy). However, I gained around 35 lbs. This time around my cravings have been carbs and junk food (I couldn't get enough pancakes in the middle of my pregnancy) and I've only gained 25 lbs so far. (I guess there's still four weeks to catch up ... YIKES ... let's pray that doesn't happen.)

I think most of my weight gain with Jackson was due to water retention ... I was very swollen especially towards the end of the pregnancy. I'm just starting to have swelling now ... I guess it helps that I don't have to sit at an office desk all day.

Anyway, Jackson is an even tempered boy and pretty predictable. He was never a climber or active baby even when he was inside of me. He's always been early to bed and early to rise even while I was pregnant. He thrives on routine and is extremely rational even during his worst tantrums. He LOVES reading and is very verbose for his age. He's not super strong willed, but when he makes up his mind to do something he'll do it (like potty training at 20 months). He's not super cuddly, but every once in awhile you might catch him saying, "Mommy I need you. I need to cuddle for a little bit." He can play both by himself, but he prefers to be at least in the same room with others. He's so inquisitive and makes connections that I would have never imagined he'd make (I'll have to post those stories some time.).

All this to say ... I'm wondering what this next little boy will be like. Already this one moves A LOT more than Jackson did and it's mostly late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes when I lay on my right side at night he'll kick or push on me enough to make me roll over. I wonder if that's a bad sign. I wonder how the two boys will balance each other out.

Of course, there's no real way to know what this baby will be like until he's here. Either way I love him. Only a few short weeks and we'll find out if all my wondering was right or if I'm completely surprised.

A Few Pictures

My Life in a Nutshell

The "About Me" sections of profiles always stump me ... What defines me?

Well, Jesus Christ is my LORD and Savior (if you don't know what that means, feel free to ask me).

I am number 4 of 8 children (including my two half sisters). Although, I tend to have the personality of the oldest child since I am the oldest girl.

I grew up in the midwest (Milwaukee to be exact) and lived there my whole life until this year when we moved to Santa Maria, California for a one year program my husband is working on with his job.

I've been involved in the arts in one way or another since I was in four-year-old kindergarten. I started out with a focus in dance, but in middle school switched to theater and vocal performance.

After attending public arts schools from 4K through high school graduation I was anxious to attend a small private Christian liberal arts college in a small midwest town. (I have to admit that I had a little bit of culture shock my first year there, but it grew on me.)

I met my husband at college through the theatre department there (although he actually got his degree in business). I got my degree in theatre and after we got married we moved to Omaha, Nebraska. I never thought that's where I'd end up since we had no friends or relatives at the time that we moved there, but after about 6 years it has become our home.

After we moved to Omaha I got a job at a daycare for about a year and a half and then I worked at a bank for another year and a half or so.

When my son was born in June of 2006, I decided to stay home and take care of him. I have never even had a twitch of desire to go back to work since then.

So, after 2 1/2 years of being a mommy to one son, we are expecting our second son at the end of this month. I'm hoping to use this blog to chronicle some of the adventures of being a mommy to two special little boys, a wife to one wonderful man and a servant the the most amazing and sovereign God.