I just had to share some cute pictures of Hannah!

I’ve been trying to help Hannah start to figure out how to crawl. She still gets stuck on her tummy with her arms in the air and legs kicking. Today she let me put her in the crawling position and she actually held it long enough for me to take some pictures!

We spent Saturday down at Tim’s brother Dan’s house while Glory and Michael were in town helping Dan and Maggie install new floors. Hannah had a great time hanging out with her oldest cousin Ruby. It is so cute to watch these two play!

When Hannah and I were down in Texas for vacation and Tim was in Haiti, her G’ma and G’pa Wayman took her shopping in the church book store. Hannah got 2 tutus with 2 matching headbands. Tim wasn’t too thrilled to find out when he got home, but she sure is cute!

In previous years Tim and I always saw couples bringing their babies to conferences and we kind of day dreamed about getting to do that one day and how fun it would be. However, it didn’t end up being as ideal as we thought it would be. Hannah is a great baby and we had lots of help from our team of youth workers that came to the conference with us, but I still got stressed.

Before we had Hannah I would go to everything. With Hannah at the conference I took my time in the mornings, missing the general sessions so I wouldn’t have added stress of trying to hurry around in the morning. Of the 6 general sessions I made it to 3. Of the 5 seminar slots I had 2 by myself, which was my favorite part of the weekend. I met 2 wonderful yp wives in the girl’s ministry seminar and had a great time visiting with them. I made the mistake of not getting their contact info to keep in touch with though. Oops! Luckily Alisha found me on facebook, and Jackie, if you read this, please get in touch with me!

Getting around the conference with the stroller wasn’t a problem. The first day we stumbled across an elevator that went all the way to the international level, which I think was mainly a service/handicap elevator, but it was great, and we didn’t get in the big lines for the main elevator!  We also saved money on never taking a taxi anywhere around town because we didn’t bring Hannah’s carseat. Instead we got our exercise and walked to a couple different restaurants. The furthest one was a hair over a mile, which wasn’t bad coming from Minnesota, it was nice to get outside for a walk and enjoy the warmer weather. I didn’t enjoy having to sit in the back of seminars though, in case Hannah started really fussing and I needed to take her out. It was also harder for me to hear the speaker from the back, and Hannah loves to talk so it was hard to keep her quiet, especially since I don’t want to have to contain her all day long, she needs time to talk. I couldn’t explain to her that, yes there is someone else talking, so it would seem like it’s okay for you to talk, but you can’t.

I would love to hear how other people have handled bringing kids to youth conferences. Did it work for you? Did it not work for you? How did it go, and why? Next year we’ve already decided we’re going to try to find a baby sitter for our 2 babies. Anyone want to volunteer to baby sit an 18 month and a 5 month old on March 4-7 2011?

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged the big news yet. Tim beat me to it twice! Last week he came to me saying that he hadn’t posted anything on Life in Student Ministry yet, and I was like, “yeah, you should do that” and then someone commented on his post saying that I hadn’t blogged about Schmoyer Baby #2 yet!

The estimated due date is September 29th. My nausea has gotten better. I never had it too bad, just like with Hannah. Just a constant lingering throughout the day, but nothing I couldn’t handle, just annoying. Pray for my back though. When Tim went to Haiti, Hannah and I went to Texas and spent the week with my side of the family. I hurt my back when lifting luggage. I went to the chiropractor last week and need to go back this week.

So Hannah and her brother or sister will be about 14 months apart. I’m pretty nervous about having 2 little ones to take care of. Hopefully Hannah will be walking around by then, so I don’t have to carry 2 all over the place. We are going to try to find out the gender of our baby on the way. It was fun keeping Hannah a surprise, but I don’t really feel up to getting boy and girl stuff ready for this one. I’d rather know and prep what we need. To make the math easy for you, I am 9 weeks and 6 days along today, so baby should be about 1.5 inches right now.

We’re heading to Chicago in the morning! All 3 (4) of us Schmoyers are taking 6 amazing youth workers with us for a fun filled deep learning, re-energizing weekend with hundreds of other youth workers from around the states. The conference doesn’t officially start until Friday night, but we’re getting there tomorrow so we can join in on the pre-conference seminars all day Friday. I’m glad we’re heading down early too with Hannah coming along. That way we can get into our hotel room and settle down and get all of her stuff organized for taking care of her throughout the weekend. I love going to youth ministry conferences and bringing leaders who haven’t been to one before and see how excited and pumped up they get with everything they learn and head back to our local ministry to implement new ideas.

Pray for us. Pray that our hearts will be open to what God wants to teach us. Pray that God will use this time to draw us and the leaders closer to each other. Pray that we will bring back what we learn and not leave it in Chicago. Pray for Tim and I as we figure out how to juggle Hannah between each other for the weekend. Tim will be leading a few seminars, so I assume I will have Hannah for the most part, and I think Tim has volunteered to skip out on the general sessions to stay with Hannah since she doesn’t handle loud noises very well. Pray for Tim and I to have open communication with what we each need with Hannah. And pray for Hannah to do well traveling and in a hotel for a weekend.

Yesterday I struggled when I got in to our worship service at church. We just came up stairs form Sunday School where Tim told the junior highers about his trip to Haiti, and we watched a video and saw how sincerely the Haitians worship God. They dance in the streets and are so passionate.

When we walked in to the service the praise band was full of energy singing and the congregation was sitting. I turned to Tim and asked why everyone would be sitting. Why wouldn’t anyone stand and worship God? I didn’t want to sit. I really wanted to stand, but for fear of looking weird I sat. I’m not sure if the congregation was told to sit back and enjoy the music, ’cause to my knowledge it was a new song, or what the reason was for everyone sitting. We’ve come so accustomed to sitting and standing when we’re told. Thankfully one of the singers told everyone to stand and join in, I just wish I did from the beginning. Why was I timid of worshipping how I felt I needed to? Would it have been a hindrance to people if I stood?

This bothered me like crazy and I felt like I let God down for not following my heart and worshipping God like I needed to. Instead of focusing on God I focused on what others would think of me. We’re not a conservative church as far as worship style goes. People clap, people raise hands. After all the singing was over I continued to think of what I didn’t do. No one tells us when to raise our hands or not. Why is standing any different? Because I haven’t seen anyone in our congregation stand to praise God in song when no one else does. I’ve gone to churches like that, and I enjoyed them. I like feeling like I have the freedom to sit or stand when I want. Is this just a personal struggle, or does it have to be accepted by a church before it’s okay? Do churches become okay with that when people just start worshipping how they want? Or does someone have to announce “You are welcome to worship how you want.”?

And Tim is in Haiti. I’m glad that Hannah and I get to spend this week with my side of the family while Tim is gone. It doesn’t make this week easy, but it makes it better. It’s nice to have lots of help with Hannah. Especially since she started teething and is not doing well with that. The day we arrived in Texas I hurt my back trying to lift our big bag into the back of my friend’s vehicle. I was thinking the bag was pretty heavy, but didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until the middle of the next day that I was in a lot of pain. My back hurt with every small breath I took and every slight move I made. I called my OB and she wasn’t in the office, so I called our family doctor’s cell and left a message for him asking what I could do. He called me back soon after and talked to me about the options. Luckily there is a great doctor in my dad’s church that he was able to call and get a prescription for a little stronger Tylenol than we had and that was still okay for me to take with being pregnant.

My back is still hurting a little. Hannah didn’t have a fever today (as far as I know), at least she wasn’t acting as miserable as she was the other day. Tim has been able to contact me in one way or another at least once a day. It really helps me to follow him and the rest of the team on twitter. I’m missing him more and more each day. I thought I’d be distracted most of the time while here at my parent’s, but I can’t even count how many times I check my computer for twitter updates and look at people’s pictures hoping to see a glimpse of my husband for the day.

I can’t wait for Tim and us to fly back to Minneapolis on Wednesday and I get to hear his stories of this week. I’m thinking it might be a quiet car ride home though at Tim will still be processing everything he is seeing and learning while in Haiti. It’ll be wonderful to get to wrap my arms around him again and hold each other. I miss Tim like crazy and I know Hannah does too. It’ll be fun to see them reunite also.

I love you Tim and am proud of you for following God’s will for you this week. Be open to all that God has to teach you and open to all the ways he wants to use you to help those in need.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since Tim and I made the decision that he can’t pass up this opportunity that God has ordained for him to go to Haiti. All the details are public now as to who all is on the team going with him. Luckily one of Tim’s jobs while there is to communicate by blogging, tweeting and youtube. So every day I should be able to know what he is up to by following him and the other people on his team.

When thinking about how God has lined everything up there is no mistake that God had everything planned way far in advance. Tim and I bought tickets back in October for us and Hannah to go to Texas February 9-17th. And the dates for Tim going to Haiti are February 11-17th. If I didn’t have my ticket for Texas ahead of time, then Hannah and I would stay in Minnesota by ourselves while Tim goes to Haiti. I think by the time Tim would get home after us spending a week alone I would be a total wreck glued to the computer constantly worrying about what is going on. But with the opportunity of spending the week with my parents and siblings to help out with Hannah, and me keeping busy so I don’t constantly worry about Tim, I will be much better off. Now I’m just a little nervous about what it’ll be like traveling with Hannah alone, but I know it wont be bad.

Tim has been blogging about Haiti for a little bit. His newest post was today. Go check it out.

On the way to work I forgot a book I needed to make copies of, so I turned around to get it. On the way back to the house I took the turn into our neighborhood a little too fast and mad a 180 on our icy street. I was glad I did that instead of getting stuck in the snow bank on the side of the road. As I was turning around to once again face the direction I wanted, I saw the neighbor’s dog run out super excited. The dog followed me all the way back to our front step as I got my book from Tim. Luckily the dog is friendly ’cause it’s huge, and I am not fond of big dogs.

I was so super stressed because of this dog. To start off, when I got headed in the right direction again towards our house this dog ran in to the side of the car. And I couldn’t go fast enough on our road to stay infront of him because it was pretty much like driving on an ice skating rink, it’s so slick. If I got any speed I knew I’d be sliding around like crazy if I had to put on the breaks. I would slow down to let the dog hopefully stop trying to run infront of the car, but as soon as I stopped the dog stopped running and waited to see where I’d go next.

If trying to get back home didn’t stress me out enough, it took at least 5 minutes to drive like a quarter mile to the end of our street on to the main road. As soon as I started moving this dog would run up ahead and infront of the car. So I’d try to slowly put on the breaks to avoid sliding. Some how I avoided hitting the dog again, or he hitting me, whatever happened. This happened about 10 times all the way down the road. As soon as I’d get traction he was back infront of the car, and then I’d have to stop, hope the dog would move out of the way and then try to get traction again to move a couple more feet before the dog was back in front. I really want to know what the person was thinking who was driving behind me trying to get out of our neighborhood too. Oh, and honking at him did nothing but make him sit there looking around wondering where the noise was coming from.

And this would explain why I never want a dog of my own. (Sorry Mom and Dad for ever asking for one when I was younger!) By the time I was near the end of the road I started thinking, “Maybe it would be better if I just hit the dog and he couldn’t run infront of the car any more and I could be on my way to work.” But slowly I inched my way and made it on to the main road (which the dog followed). When he moved to the side of the road I gunned it in first and drove away before he could follow any further. So it took me 5 minutes to drive down our street, and another 5 to go 3.5 miles to the church. That’s ridiculous!

Ever since we found out we were pregnant with Hannah I started doing some research about cloth diapers. The biggest piece of advice I took was to wait until Hannah got older and I wasn’t changing her diaper as often, because with cloth you have to change more often than disposables. (Thank you Ashley!) When Hannah got over 15lbs I looked back in to cloth diapers because then I wouldn’t have to buy a smaller size and switch to a bigger size soon after.

Luckily Tim’s sister-in-law started trying cloth diapers  a couple months ago ’cause I then could look at a cloth diapering system in person instead of everything I’ve read online. I was wanting to go a cheap and easy route, and I think I’ve got it! I mimicked Adrienne’s system ’cause it was the happy median of the two different Bummis diapers I was looking at. One of the Bummis was all cloth which meant you had to change out the cover almost as much as the prefold inside. The other Bummis option was all plastic and I didn’t want that all over Hannah’s skin. So what I have is the gdiaper, which is kinda the new fad in diapers. I like it though because it’s a cotton cover and then has a plastic liner that the prefold goes in to, so you don’t have to change the cover very often. They’re mainly advertised as the hybrid disposable because you can buy flushable disposable inserts, which you have to rip apart and stuff down the toilet with the swish stick they give you. I’m not sure if you go that route that you’re saving money, but it is to help save our earth. But honestly, I’m only in this to save money, and helping the earth is just a plus to it. Gdiapers can be kind of pricy, but I found a great deal on the ones I have!

diaperswappers.com is a great website if you’re looking for discounted new or used cloth diapers. I went with the used route since I hadn’t even tried cloth diapers yet and wasn’t sure if I’d stick with it. Now that I’m in the 2nd week of cloth diapering I am pretty sure I’ll stick with it, but I think I’m still kind of in the “honeymoon” stage. I don’t mind the extra work and cleaning of the diapers, I just have to get in the mindset that every time I have to change Hannah it is going to take a little more time than before.

If you’re thinking about cloth diapering, here is what I recommend with it working for Adrienne, me and someone else I was reading about on diaperswappers.com…

Use gdiapers and then buy the prefolds from greenmountaindiapers.com. The small yellow edged prefolds fit inside the medium and large gpants. For the small gdiapers buy the infant orange prefolds. From all the research I’ve done and talking to people about cloth diapering Green Mountain has the best prefolds out there. They are super absorbant, and that’s what you want! I found both my gdiapers and prefolds at diaperswappers used and in great condition!

I think I have the absolute best set up/lay out of our house to use cloth diapers. Hannah’s changing table is in her bedroom and the bathroom is connected to her room with the laundry room across the hall. Everything is very close and accessible. To save even more money…at least trying, they say to do a pre-rinse before washing, and then run it through another rinse to get all the soap out. I do the rinsing by hand in our utility sink. It doesn’t take much time.

Hannah was cracking up at Tim tonight. This lasted for a really long time before and after this video. He wasn’t doing anything except what you hear. Too funny. I hope you enjoy!