From Here To Eternity

Busy Times

2011-11-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

It has been a very busy few weeks at our house. I have been remodeling our kitchen and it has been a lot of work but the results are incredible. We went from fake oak cabinets to beautiful black with silver pulls and a gorgeous mosaic back splash. It looks so good. I still have one more coat to put on the island cupboard doors and we need to grout the back splash but its so close. I will post pictures once it is fully finished. It feels really good to know that I did all the renos and it turned out so great. Very rewarding.

Joel lost his 2 front teeth this past week. He has a great big gap now and it looks so cute :) I can't believe he is so grown up already.

Here is a picture of him after her lost the first one. I still need to take a picture of the 2 missing.

Not too much is new with Colin really. He is loving kindergarten and it is a nice break for me. Having just one kid around the house is easy!

April is OBSESSED with the movie Mamma Mia lately. She loves the music and would sit there and watch it over and over if i let her. We borrowed an ABBA cd from my dad today so I am going to burn it and maybe she will like listening to it for a while rather than watching the movie. She can sing a few of the songs too which is adorable. I still need to record it on video.

Nathan is quickly approaching his 30th birthday! Where did the time go? I swear it was just yesterday we were celebrating my 18th. Crazy how fast the years fly.

Sweet Kitty

2011-05-16T13:47:00.002-06:00

This last week was a very hard week for me. Our precious kitty got very sick from ingesting foam flooring that created an intestinal blockage. We decided that the risk and cost of surgery was not something we felt we could go through with and made the difficult decision to end her suffering. On Saturday we said good-bye. She will be greatly missed. I am blessed that the kids are too young to really understand. That was a very big concern of mine before we put her down, was that the kids would take it really hard. Luckily they don't seem to notice to much. The boys have both asked if we can get another cat. I just pray that when the time comes we will find a new kitty that can fill Eva's paws.

Rest In Peace Sweet Eva!

Hot Lips

2011-01-18T16:03:00.002-07:00

We were driving in the truck today and April was bugging Colin. He was starting to get annoyed and he turned to her and says "Hey! Stop that hot lips!"

The things they do.

2011-01-17T14:21:00.006-07:00

I wanted to start doing more posts.. shorter posts more frequently. I really want to document my kids more often before they are grown and I forget the little things they do that you think you will remember forever. Here are a few of their quirky little habits.

Joel has been doing this for a long time but I am sure with time it will fade away. It drives me a little crazy but it is who he is and I want to remember it. It used to be more frequent, like every time he had anything to say but now its more random. He will say to whoever he is talking to "Can I ask you a question" before every single question he asks. I always tell him that he doesn't need to ask if he can ask that he should just ask the question, but he still does it. LOL! Crazy boy!

Colin loves blankets! He will take as many as he can carry and use them to turn into different things. It started out that he used to turn them into cars but now they will be just about anything from cars, to a space ship to the moon. "Come on April come get in my rocket ship". He has a wild imagination. Below is a picture of one of the first times he decided that all big blankets could potentially be cars. He even pulled Joel and Grandma in on the fun.

April's newest thing is that she loves jewellery and she calls all necklaces "my pretty". She loves to try on all sorts of different pieces and even dress up the cat with them. "Mommy Eva pretty". I am sure this is just a small preview of things to come.

Proud!

2011-01-12T13:21:00.002-07:00

Time to check in! Been to long and too absent since my last update. Things are going pretty well. It has been a busy few months but now that Christmas is over things are slowing down a bit.

I have been so proud of my boys this week! Joel was having some attitude and listening problems but the last few days he has been making giant strides to improving that. Everyday this week he has already been dressed when I've gotten out of bed, this morning he even had his full snow suit on ready to head to the bus.. LOL! So he ate breakfast fully bundled, but it sure was nice not having to bitch and nag! He has even been putting his stuff away without being asked! I have been trying to tell him how proud i am and how much i appreciate it so that he feels appreciated as well. Colin has been making great strides in school this week too. He has started writing his own name and is on his way to knowing all his upper case letters. It may not sound like much but up until now he has had no interest in learning any of that. April got the leapfrog magnetic alphabet for Christmas and he has been playing around with it and learning that way. He can even identify his last name now!

I wanted to come one here and have a positive post for once. Its nice to look back and see a little bit of positivity and remember the good stuff :)

The Post I Never Knew How to Write.

2010-10-21T15:35:00.003-06:00

This entry has been a very long time coming. Years upon years this thought has been going in an out of my mind, like a strong wind that comes and goes. I have always past it up and tried to write it off, trying to come up with any excuse to talk away what I have always felt. I kept thinking that certain things would fix it, like if I just find the perfect man, get married, have a baby, get more money, get a dog, get a cat, a bigger house, nice clothes, maybe if I have another cup of coffee, or maybe i just need some more sleep, something, something has got to take this feeling away. But inevitably nothing has. It blows in an out depending upon the day, and I have never wanted to actually admit it to myself, and most definitely not to anyone else, but I think I am depressed. Today is one of my bad days, where I wake up and I just don't feel like doing anything, I get out of bed because I have to. I have to get the kids fed and dressed, get Joel off to school, but I feel overwhelmingly sad, overwhelmingly irritable, and kind of empty. I make it through the days, which feel unbearably long, and nothing can shake me of this funk. I have often tried to pass it up as boredom, but I don't want to do anything. There isn't a thing that sounds like it will be enjoyable. Then I have my good days, where I feel great, I get lots done, I enjoy playing with the kids and life feels great, and I realize why it is worth living. I keep thinking this feeling will go away but it doesn't, and I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go from here or what to do. I am sick of feeling like this and being at the mercy of my emotions, but I don't want to medicate myself either. I am at the point though where I don't know what else to do. I guess that is why it has taken me so long to admit this because I feel like the world is over medicated. If you are reading this and have dealt with depression before I would really appreciate a response to tell me about your experience. Today I just feel hopeless.

Blue

2010-10-08T18:56:00.003-06:00

I am sitting here right now feeling a little defeated. Today has been a very draining day. April is sick and has been very needy and clingy. She isn't sleeping well and when she is awake all she seems to do is cry. She won't eat. Now it looks like Colin is also getting sick. Joy of all joys. Sometimes being a parent can be very challenging. To top it off, Nathan and I found out about some not so wonderful family drama today. I just find it so hurtful to know there are certain people in my life that feel the need to talk about me behind my back for not weeks, not months, but years, and then put on a happy smiling face when they are around me. I know I am certainly far from perfect but I just feel like if there is something that I am doing that you don't like or that hurts you in some way I wish people would just let me know. I don't know. I am feeling extremely drained today, and I am on the verge of tears. It could be that I am getting sick too, and that I am a little over tired. Hoping I will feel better tomorrow. Really hoping this bug passes me by.

Kids say the Darndest Things

2010-09-27T18:38:00.000-06:00

I was laying in bed with Colin last night before he went to sleep and he says to me.
Colin: Mommy I wish we could get a pet.
Me: What kind of pet would you like?
Colin: a cat
Me: Daddy doesn't like cats so I don't think we will get a cat
Colin: Well maybe if Daddy dies then we can get a cat.

School Days

2010-09-15T13:11:00.002-06:00

Here we are again at the "start" of another school year! Crazy! Well technically it is 15 days into the school year but pretty darn close. Joel boarded the big school bus on September 1st bound for a new world! He is loving it! I had no doubt he would love it. And surprisingly I am enjoying it too. I cried the first day he went and felt a little lost, but we are getting into a new routine now and it is definitely easier with 1 gone. I miss him though and I hate that I don't really know what is going on. His school isn't over informative and it can make me a bit uneasy. I would rather be bombarded by information then feel like I know nothing of what is happening.

Colin started playschool on Monday as well. It feels like yesterday that Joel started playschool and now Colin is there. Its almost surreal how fast these kids are growing up. One minute they can't get enough playtime with me and the next they won't want anything to do with me. Its hard not to take the moments for granted that they are vying for my attention. I am really trying hard to stop what I am so "busy" doing to get down to their level while they want me to. Joel is already at the point where he would much rather have a friend over than play with old mom but he still does want my attention at times. Colin has quite a few kids in his class that he knows so that is nice. There is also another Colin in his class which I find hard to believe. Its not a very common name. I think there were about 25 Colin's born in 2006 in all of Alberta.

Adventures in the Big Blue House

2010-07-29T12:23:00.002-06:00

Howdy everybody.
Hope everyone is doing swimmingly on this particular Thursday in July. Whats new at our place this week? Well I am glad you asked :) I am currently learning to crochet and am really enjoying it. My Nana gave me all of her old crochet stuff, so I have being going crazy learning all the different techniques. I even finished a hat with ear flaps and a flower this morning. I will take some pictures of April wearing it and try to remember to post them later. I am pretty proud of myself! Nathan has been calling me an old lady though with all my elderly hobbies of baking and crocheting. Once I have mastered this I think I am going to learn to knit too.

In other news I have been teaching Joel to read. Well working with him anyways. His best friend, whom he met in kindergarten, knows how to read so he has been really wanting to learn. He gets pretty frustrated though and doesn't want to sound anything out. He just thinks he should be able to look at the word and try to guess what it is. Then he goes and pouts when he can't figure it out. Thank goodness grade one is only a month away.. I am not a very good teacher.

I have also been working with Colin to try and eliminate is terrible violent habit of hurting people when he doesn't get what he wants or is frustrated with someone. I don't like spanking my kids but it seems to be the only way through to this boy of mine! He is definitely a stubborn kid. He is the sweetest funniest kid when he wants to be but watch out when he is in a bad mood. I guess that can be said about us all. I hope we can get this corrected before he goes to playschool is September though.

April has been walking around all over the place lately. She really doesn't crawl much at all at home anymore. I will post some video later of that too.

In a blink of an eye

2010-07-23T12:06:00.004-06:00

Holy Moses! We are near the end of July already! Wow. It has been a couple very crazy busy months. We sold our house and moved in to a new 2100 square foot 2 storey just up the road on June 15. April celebrated her 1st birthday on the 7th of June and we had her party on June 27 because we wanted to wait until after the move. Joel turned 6 on July 15 and we went to Vancouver Island for a week between July 13 to the 20th. Its been a blast but its hard to find enough time to do much blogging amidst all of that.

April took her first steps on July 11th and has been getting braver every day. Nathan said she walked across the living room while i was at work last night. It really is bitter sweet. I am so proud of her and happy that I won't have to tote her 24 pound body around much longer but it also means she is growing up and becoming more independent and that is so sad to me. I can hardly believe how the time flies, and I just wish for a few moments I could slow it down and just enjoy every sweet second of my kids lives.. and just freeze them the way they are right now if only for a few months longer. I can't believe it has been 6 years since Nathan and I entered into this journey of parenthood. 6 years! That is a substantial amount of time.. and that is the magic number. The school aged number where my big boy goes to school for a whole day, with a lunch in tow and becomes his own person with his own life. Part of me can't wait! It means he will learn to read and make his own friends, but part of me is so so sad that we have gotten here so very fast. A blink of an eye really. I here it only gets faster from here, so if the first 6 years went by this fast how much quicker will the next 12 go? Dear God.. please slow this life down! I only get one!

This Time Last Year....

2010-05-05T09:48:00.006-06:00

I was 35 weeks pregnant! Crazy! It feels like just yesterday but at the same time a world away. Check out the video I made on May 4th last year! Just don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the page.

Christmas in May

2010-05-04T14:34:00.003-06:00

Oh my word.. the weather here is INSANE today. I thought we were going to enjoy an early spring for once, but oh no.. old man winter decided to rear his ugly head once again, in MAY for goodness sake! Its hideously awful out there, but the one up side is that I get to enjoy a lazy day inside with the kiddos and my mama because they canceled her work today. I will have to take some pictures and post them later... it is really something else!

Not much else to report. We still have not sold our house. We had a showing last night, and a couple more expected this coming weekend. Hopefully one of them will result in a sale, but we shall see. I am not too worried. I believe the man upstairs has us covered! I just hope we don't have to pay 2 mortgages for very long.. if at all! I am getting pretty excited about the thought of moving into our forever home! (or LONG time home), plus we won't have to hang our stockings on the wall anymore at Christmas time as we will have an actual fireplace and numerous spots that a Christmas tree can go! Man all this snow apparently makes me think of Christmas!

I also think I should get a pat on the back for how frequently I have blogged lately! I believe (if I have counted correctly) I have posted 5 entries in the span of a month! Yay me!

Letter of the Day

2010-04-28T14:39:00.003-06:00

Dearest Colin,
I love you to bits but today you are trying my patience. This morning I was woken up by your brother who informed me that you had dumped an entire bottle of glue on our love seat. You had also pulled out a roll of double sided tape that you unrolled and left in a pile. Toys were strewn from one corner of the living room to the other. Your ears also seem to be broken today as your listening skills seem to not be working. I know one day that I will appreciate your creative nature and your silly antics, but today I just don't have the patience for it.

sincerely,
your worn out Mommy

New Home

2010-04-26T21:08:00.003-06:00

Well its official! We will be moving to a new house June 15! I am ecstatic! I cannot wait to live somewhere and make memories in a new home! Now we just need to sell this house. We had all intentions of selling this place before removing all our conditions on the new house but unfortunately that wasn't possible because the other house got another offer and we got served with a 24 hour time line or we lost the house. I am so very excited! I just hope this place sells FAST!

In other news the boys started soccer this week. It was freezing cold but Joel seems to really be enjoying it! We just need to work on his sportsmanship because he is a bit of a poor sport but he is doing 200% better from last year. Colin has his first game on Friday night. He is more athletic than Joel and I think he will really enjoy himself. Will post pics soon.

Bummed!

2010-04-14T08:48:00.002-06:00

I am sad today. We found out yesterday that we won't be getting our house after all and it makes me really sad! But we just can't do it.. it will be way too much money and Nathan and I aren't willing to put ourselves into that much debt! We would basically be house broke and I don't want that at all. So from here I don't really know what our next step would be. I would kind of like to contact a realtor and have them keep their eye out for the perfect house for us. I just don't know at this point. I am bummed and thats all I know.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-04-08T11:55:00.002-06:00

Okay so it is always my excuse.. I am a busy mama of 3 beautiful crazy children. It takes up most of my time and I generally don't feel like taking the time to blog. But here I am. I am not going to apologize. It just isn't my top priority. :) Things are even more hectic now that I am back to work 2 nights a week and every 2nd Saturday. Which is going amazingly well, thank you for asking! I am enjoying the break, and the extra pay check is an added bonus. We are saving it so that once Nathan's lease is up we can afford to buy another car without payments. And we are also in the midst of hopefully building a new house. We are currently working on all the financing issues. I am very excited about the prospect of a bigger house more suitable to our family, and the house we are looking at building will be a nice big bilevel finished on both levels. It's a house we hope to be able to stay in until our kids are grown up, if not beyond then.

In other news my smallest babe turned 10 months old yesterday! Holy moly! That is insane! Wasn't it only yesterday that I was griping about still being pregnant? Wasn't it just last week that I took that pregnancy test and saw 2 lines instead of 1? Wasn't it only a year ago I brought Colin home from the hospital.. and the year before that that I found out at the young age of 18 that I was going to be a mommy for the 1st time? How did so much time get away from me? I do not understand how the days can sometimes feel so long but the years so short? This life passes too quickly!

Well I suppose I should get back to the grind and get lunch started before Joel walks in the door from school. I hope everyone is doing amazingly.. and hopefully I will be back to post again before next Christmas rolls around :)

Beautiful Weather. Beautiful Life.

2010-01-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

We are in the midst of a January heat wave! It has been so nice for about the last week and we are all loving every minute of it! The kids and I have made an effort to play outside everyday this week and it has been so wonderful! My new years resolution this year is to make as many memories with my kids this year as I can. Or at least try and use the time that I have with them in a fun and memorable way! It won't be long before they are grown and no longer have the desire to spend time with their old Mom! Like the song says "You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this" That song sends me into hysterics every time i hear it! I know I am going to miss this time I have with them now! Why is it I am not making better use of the time I have been given?

I took the boys sledding for the first time in a couple years, yesterday. It was a blast! We are planning to go again this afternoon and my Grandma is going to come stay with April so that I can go and join in on the fun! I also plan on taking the camera with me so that I can get some video and pictures.

Oh Boy!

2009-12-21T14:08:00.002-07:00

Okay so I OFFICIALLY am the worst blogger ever! I haven't updated since Joel started school. Whats up with that?! Christmas is 4 days away and I couldn't be more excited! I don't know who is more excited the kids or me? I cannot wait to see their faces on Christmas morning! Its definitely true that giving is better than receiving! There is nothing like seeing someone who truly loves what you have given them.

So its been busy here at the Gabert household! Having 3 kids 5 and under is busy to say the least. April is on the move now and starting to get into everything. It won't be long before she will be a full force tornado like the other 2. She is such a joy to be around these days though and she is developing such a sweet little personality! She loves Nathan the best and is even starting to say Dada now. Whether she knows what she is saying or not is another matter all on its own. I am pretty well done breast-feeding which makes me sad and happy at the same time. Being that she is my last baby and knowing I will never get to do it again makes me mourn it, but bottle-feeding is so much more convenient.

Colin is FINALLY potty trained! Its been a long road but we are finally there and he is pretty much accident free! I am so proud of him! Its crazy to think he is so big already. I swear I blinked and he grew in the moment! I wish I could just slow time down, just to keep them this size for a little while longer.. so that I can enjoy them without having to worry about the hustle and bustle of life.

Joel is doing great at school! He loves it, and has made a great friend named Conor. Its so cute to hear him talk about his friendships and I am so excited to watch him develop into a young boy! He is enjoying learning and I love hearing about the different things he is learning. He can now count well into his 40's or so and can identify all his numbers up to 20. He knows all his letters upper and lowercase and cal write all of his numbers and letters. He has also learned all of his letter sounds as well though he still has trouble on occasion. Yesterday Nathan and I were coming up with random words to ask him what they started with. Nathan asked him what weiner started with and he said "u". Man did we laugh. What a character.

Well I have lots I need to get done but I thought I should come and make a entry for once since it has been so long. I am really going to try and write more often.

Joel's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-10T15:32:00.003-06:00

3 Month Update

2009-09-10T11:12:00.001-06:00

Yes I know it has been a LONG time since my last actual post. One of these days I am actually going to be able to make a written entry I swear :) Anyways.. I hope this video will hold you over until then. Just don't forget to pause the blog music.

Having a Baby Changes Everything

2009-08-23T11:45:00.002-06:00

I just stumbled across some of my favorite commercials of all time! They are so touching and truly say what we as mothers feel but can't always put into words. Watch and enjoy!

Long Overdue Update

2009-08-10T14:02:00.001-06:00

Finally I got a chance to make a video. Just don't forget to scroll down and pause the blog music.

I Would Die For That

2009-08-05T10:37:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a song that I found on youtube. Its very emotionally touching though so be warned that it could bring tears to your eyes. Just remember before starting to scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music.

Joel's Birthday Slideshow

2009-07-16T17:09:00.003-06:00

Here is a slideshow I made for Joel for his 5th birthday.

Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom and pause the music.

Happy Birthday to You!

2009-07-16T09:22:00.005-06:00

My Baby Boy turned 5 years old yesterday! Where has the time gone? I swear it was just yesterday when I held him for the first time and I became a mommy for the first time! How did he get big enough to walk and talk and not just talk but TALK and TALK and TALK. How is it I now have 3 children? Where did all the time go?

My Joel.. how I love you! What a gift and a blessing it is to be your Mommy! You are such a special and wonderful boy! You have such a sensitive spirit. Things affect you very easily. It was only a couple short weeks ago that you broke into hysterics when Great Grandma and Grandpa had to leave. You had everyone else crying right along with you. It sounded as if your poor little heart was broken. What a wonderful gift to have such a heart, my dear son.

You love people. You are so social and you love to be the center of attention. You love to make people laugh and will try just about anything to get people giggling. Ever since the time you were about 3 months old your laugh would get people laughing. We used to be walking through a store and you would start giggling and the whole store would be giggling right along with you.

You are a very artistic and creative. It always amazes me when you draw something. I can't even draw as well as you, not that that says all that much :), and you are only 5 years old. When you were about 2 years old you drew a man on a bicycle.. and it looked exactly like that, a man on a bicycle. I am not too sure where this talent came from. It definitely wasn't Daddy or I.

I love you so much, Joel! You were one of the best gifts and blessings that God ever bestowed upon me. Some of the very best gifts in this life time are those that surprise us. You were the best surprise I ever received. You made me a mommy!

This is One Tough Gig

2009-07-10T10:59:00.003-06:00

Well here I am at Friday.. what was supposed to be the end of my week without Nathan. I am exhausted, frazzled and feeling very frustrated, so you will have to bare with me on this post. If you are not wanting to listen to someone whine and complain I suggest you tune out for this one. Its 11 am and I just put the kids down for a nap. They don't usually nap this early but I didn't want to see any of them for a couple of hours. I should be napping myself but I just need more than 5 minutes to myself.. without someone. I love my kids but since April has been born I have had very little time without one of them attached to my hip or needing something. I don't even get to sleep in my own bed alone anymore because if I want to sleep for more than half an hour in a row I am better off to just bring April into bed with me. I am exhausted, and feeling very down on myself. This mothering business is HARD.. I have never felt like such a failure in my entire life. I have never wanted to do something perfect more in my life but I feel like I fail more at being these 3 little ones mother more than I have ever failed at anything in my entire life. I guess thats why they say that this is the hardest job on earth.

Praise God.. it is silent in my house right now. It appears they may all sleep for me. What a miracle! Okay time to take a deep breath and gather myself together again. Count to 3 and take a deep breath. Oh there's the baby again. Back to reality again. Dear God please give me the strength to make it through the rest of this week without falling into a big heap and falling apart. I need your strength to make it through this.

Well if you made it through this post with me.. thank you. If not I totally understand.

A Couple Pictures

2009-07-09T15:52:00.005-06:00

1 Month Postpartum Update

2009-07-08T11:36:00.001-06:00

Don't Forget to Pause the Blog Music!

Going Good

2009-07-08T10:28:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to check in and let you all know things are going really well. We took April for her first vacation this past weekend and it went awesome. We stopped every couple hours for her to nurse but other than that she did amazingly. It was a huge help having Joel in the back seat to pop in her soother whenever she needed it. He takes big pride in being a big brother and both boys just adore her. The vacation itself was awesome. We went to my family reunion and it was so nice to see everyone but it went by so fast and I wish we could have stayed longer.

This week is going really well. I will have 5 days straight without Nathan so I am sure by the end of the week I will be completely frazzled but so far so good. Yesterday morning was a little bit hairy when Colin threw up all over the coffee shop we went to. He did that twice and then was fine for the rest of the day, thank goodness. I was a little frightened about having a sick child, a newborn, and also trying to keep Joel entertained. I guess thats what being a mom is all about really.

Well I am going to attempt to make a video update here very soon. I made one the other day but the sound didn't work on it for some reason, and I haven't got a chance to make another one. Keep checking back though because there is one coming very soon.

1st Day Without Help

2009-06-25T20:15:00.005-06:00

Well today was the first day @ our house without any help! Nathan went back to work today and I got to try my hand at doing this mommy of 3 thing by myself. Lets just say that I have had better days.. WAY better days.

Today was a tough day. I really struggled. It didn't help that one thing after another kept going wrong and I had those things to deal with on top of juggling the 3 kids. To top it off the boys have mutually decided that they no longer have to listen to me. I am glad it is almost bed time and Nathan will be home very soon for the evening. I think the boys are finally sleeping and Ms. April is sleeping soundly.. in the moby wrap. If you thought I was going to say in her bed, well you have another thing coming. This little angel will NOT sleep on her own. Okay so thats not entirely true. There has been a few random occasions in her very short life where she has gone for more than 5 minutes without having to be held by one person or another. This afternoon actually in the midst of one of my many crisis' she had a nice 2 hour nap in her bassinet. I think the good Lord knew I needed a break from the kids and let them all rest peacefully while I cleaned up a bit of a disaster. Let me just say... NEVER EVER put dish-soap in your dishwasher. Need I say more? Okay yes I already knew not too.. it was more of an accident really. Anyways.. I made it through my first day alone with the kids.. and I am very glad it is over. Now Nathan is home for another 3 days, and I won't have to worry about handling them on my own until Monday.

April's Newborn Photoshoot

2009-06-23T15:09:00.001-06:00

Here is a slideshow of the newborn photos that my neighbor, Kaley took of April. Check out her website @ www.kaleytaylor.com. Oh and don't forget to pause the blog music before watching.

Video Update

2009-06-23T12:44:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to pause the music @ the bottom of the screen.

Maternity Pictures Part 2

2009-06-23T09:59:00.003-06:00

Okay so finally our computer is fixed and I was able to upload the 2nd set of maternity pictures that my wonderful neighbor, Kaley took for me @ 38 weeks. If you want to check out more of her work her website is www.kaleytaylor.com. I also have newborn shots of April, that Kaley also took, coming very soon.

So here they are. Just don't forget to scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music.

Update Coming Soon

2009-06-21T13:05:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone,
I plan on doing a video update soon, I promise. Our mac is just in the shop right now and I am waiting to get it back before I can make a video. We are all doing well.

April's Birth Story

2009-06-08T13:06:00.001-06:00

39 Week Update

2009-06-03T17:41:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to pause the blog music

Having a Rough Day

2009-06-01T14:49:00.002-06:00

I am feeling so anxious today. I am tired of waiting for this pregnancy to come to an end. I am sick of reading into every ache and pain and thinking that it might be a sign that labor is starting. I am done with all the questions of how I am feeling and if I know when this baby is going to be born. I don't know why people think I have any more insight than they do! I don't want to sound ungrateful. I am so thankful for this baby and this pregnancy. I just really thought that I would be holding him or her in my arms by now, and not still waiting! I am trying to keep myself busy so that I don't go crazy but I am not an overly patient person and this whole thing is not helping that! I feel like a small child waiting for Christmas, the only difference is that I don't know what day Christmas is going to be on. I know I am not the first woman to go through this and I have been very lucky with the boys that I went early. I am just feeling so anxious.. and I just wish I knew when I would be holding this little one in my arms for the first time!

38 Week Update

2009-05-27T16:26:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to pause the blog music @ the bottom of the screen

37 Week Update

2009-05-19T18:00:00.001-06:00

Don't Forget to Pause the Music. Scroll down to the bottom.

36 Week Update

2009-05-13T13:17:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to pause the music.

35 Week Update

2009-05-05T07:51:00.003-06:00

34 Week Pregnancy Update

2009-04-28T14:00:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to pause the blog music.

Pregnancy Pictures

2009-04-26T16:16:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the screen. Enjoy!

Poppin' In

2009-04-24T18:54:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone,
I thought I should pop in and update just in case you were wondering where I was. I plan to make a video update next week, but until then I thought I would do a written entry. It has been a good week. Nathan and I went to our marriage retreat last weekend and had an amazing trip! It was such an uplifting experience and Nathan and I came back with a stronger relationship and a plan for the future! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is married to go and do something like that. The one we went to was really good for those with a relationship with Jesus, but I am sure there are really great ones out there for those of you who may not have christian beliefs. It was such a wonderful weekend and we really fell back in love and talked about things that we don't normally talk about. It was fantastic.

Our Wedding

2009-04-14T08:31:00.007-06:00

I was bored yesterday and decided to compile a slideshow of pictures from our wedding. Remember to pause the blog music at the bottom of the screen. Enjoy!

31/32 Week Pregnancy Update

2009-04-13T13:59:00.002-06:00

Week 29 and 30

2009-04-01T20:10:00.001-06:00

.

2009-03-31T10:25:00.000-06:00

I am hoping to get a video made today but it appears we have another virus going through our house, so we will see what happens..bleh. I am so sick of bodily fluid!

I'm Still Alive

2009-03-27T14:58:00.002-06:00

Okay so I have been MIA.. I know.. its been a busy week this week so I haven't had much time nor ambition to do my weekly video entry. My sister, Tara, had a beautiful baby boy on Monday night at 11:30pm and I was up at the hospital to be on support team and see him as soon as he was born. His name is Judah William and he weighed in at a whopping 8lbs 4oz, which is over 1lb more than any of the other kids have weighed thus far, but he is a fantastic eater and he is doing amazing!

I had a doctors appt. on Tuesday and all is well. I have moved up to going every 2 weeks now. I only gained 2 lbs this month so that was a welcome relief considering the 9lbs I gained last month. My diabetes test came back good, and everything else is looking good as well.

Joel left this morning for his 4 day trip with my mom. They left bright and early at 5 this morning, but he was pretty excited to go, and I must say it is kind of nice just having one little rugrat running around, especially considering I am quite sick with a nasty nasty cold, so it just makes my life that much easier.

Well I guess thats about it. I will try to do my weekly video's again starting next week.. unless something unexpected comes up.

Brownies... Mmmmm

2009-03-21T15:18:00.004-06:00

With this pregnancy I have been craving sweets like crazy since my morning sickness subsided back at about 12 weeks. So today I really wanted brownies, so I went online and found a kick butt recipe that I wanted to share. They are wonderful!

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup, 170 g ,butter, melted
1 1/2 cups, 300 g , white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons, 8 ml vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup, 100g , all-purpose flour
1/2 cup, 60 g , unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon, 3 g , salt
1/2 cup, 60 g , chocolate chips
1/2 cup, 60 g , pecans ( i did not add these)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Grease an 8 inch square pan or 9 x 13 pan.
In a large bowl, blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Combine the flour, cocoa and salt. Add the chocolate chips and the pecans.Gradually blend into the egg mixture.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Let brownies cool, then cut into squares.
They have the perfect chewy edges and super soft center. Very chocolatey rich and stay moist for days!

The Nursery

2009-03-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

Here is a video of the nursery. Don't forget to pause the music.

Not So Wordless Wednesday- 28 Weeks

2009-03-18T11:47:00.004-06:00

Okay so here is a picture of my 6.5 month belly with both Colin and Baby #3. What do you think?

This is my belly this time around.

This is my belly with Colin

28 Week Update

2009-03-17T15:58:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder to scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music.

Wordless Wednesday- 27 Weeks

2009-03-11T12:26:00.002-06:00

27 Week Update

2009-03-10T21:44:00.001-06:00

Sorry it is so choppy! Hopefully next week I will have that worked out. Oh and don't forget to pause the blog music.

25 and 26 Week Update

2009-03-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

Bad Blogger

2009-03-03T11:55:00.004-07:00

Okay I know I have been a bad blogger lately! I promise I will be making a video really soon! Until then though I will leave you with a few pictures from the last couple weeks.

Colin's Mascara Mustache

24 Week Update

2009-02-17T12:32:00.002-07:00

Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom and pause the music :)

23 Week Update

2009-02-12T08:11:00.001-07:00

My Favorite Video of ALL Time

2009-02-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

I took this video when Joel was about 6 months old. The camera is super shaky because I was laughing so hard, but this has to be my favorite video EVER! Oh and don't forget to pause the blog music.. its worth it.

22 Week Belly Pics

2009-02-06T15:48:00.006-07:00

Thankful Thursdays

2009-02-05T15:14:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Thankful Thursdays. If you happen to read this, please leave a comment with at-least one thing you are thankful for this week. It is such a cleansing thing to name at-least one thing that blesses you and remember that we have it a lot better than we think we do.

This week I am so very very very thankful for a healthy baby, especially after so many woman that are due around the same time as me have found out that their babies have problems. There are so very many things that can go wrong during a pregnancy and I just feel so blessed that I have been given 3 children with a clean bill of health.

I am also thankful that Nathan and I will be having a date night on Saturday night! His parents are going to be taking the boys for the evening and we are going out to supper and possibly a movie! I am so very lucky to have lots of family around that I trust to watch the boys, so Nathan and I can continue to have special time together, especially before our next little bean joins us in June. Oh and did I mention that Nathan and I also will be taking off for a weekend mid April, child care provided by my mom, to go to a marriage retreat. I am very excited! It will be our last big getaway before baby #3 joins us in June.

I am so very very thankful that I have gotten about 5 consecutive nights where I have not had to lay with Colin in the middle of the night. And on top of that the boys are now sleeping in the same room, and sleeping better than they did separately I might add. I am very thankful for that. That means I get a couple extra months to get the baby's nursery perfect before his or her arrival! I was really dreading moving them into the same room and it has been so smooth. Did I also mention that Colin was the instigator and it wasn't even my idea in the first place.

So feel free to join me in Thankful Thursdays and cleanse yourself for the week by remembering how truly blessed you really are.

22 Week Update

2009-02-03T14:06:00.002-07:00

Remember to scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music.

My First Baby

2009-01-31T14:45:00.006-07:00

I got this sent to me by a friend on facebook and thought it would be fun to fill out.

1. Were you married at the time?
No

2. What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant?
Terrified, disappointed, overwhelmed, sad... a whole lot of feelings being that I was 18 at the time and he was most definitely not planned.

3. How old were you?
18

4.How did you find out you were pregnant?
A pregnancy test @ 9 weeks. I thought I just had a bad case of the flu that didn't want to go away, and yes I was a bit naive ;)

5. Who did you tell first?
Nathan.. though he had to ask me straight out what the test said.

6. Did you want to find out the sex?
No... I really like the surprise

7. Due date?
His due date was July 29, 2004

8. Did you deliver early or late?
14 days early

9. Did you have morning sickness?
a bit

10. What did you crave?
I don't really remember having much for cravings with him

11. What irritated you the most?
I am a very irritable pregnant woman.. so a lot of things

12. What was your first child's sex?
Boy

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?
somewhere between 35 and 40

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
Yes.. we got a false positive on the triple screen test and had to have an amnio to rule out the possibility of down syndrome

15. Where did you give birth?
Misrecordia in Edmonton Alberta

16. How many hours were you in labor?
22

17.Who drove you to the hospital?
Nathan

18 . Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
I had a shot of morphine at first and then about 18 hours in I got an epidural.. oh how i love the epidural

19 . How much did your child weigh?
7 lbs 2oz

20 . What did you name him/her?
Joel Ryan

21. How old is your first born today?
4 years and 6 months

22. Who does your child look like?
His daddy

23. Did you get mad at your husband during labor?
Nope

24. What was your reaction when you held your first baby for the first time?
Joy... and exhaustion

25. Who was with you in the delivery room?
Nathan and my Mom

26. Who were your first visitors?
everyone... there were a lot of people at the hospital waiting for him to be born

27. How long did you spend in the hospital?
1 day

28. Would you change anything in the delivery?
I wish I would have gotten the epidural sooner.

Please Pray

2009-01-30T19:04:00.002-07:00

As some of you may know I am a part of an online forum where I chat with other moms who are also due in June. Well today 2 of the mom's on that board had their ultrasounds and found out their babies have very serious health issues, bad enough that their babies may not make it to be born into this world. I truly believe in the power of prayer and I ask if you pray please pray for these woman and their babies. As well, please pray that at our ultrasound on Tuesday everything goes well and that our baby is healthy.

Thankful Thursdays

2009-01-29T13:47:00.004-07:00

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Thankful Thursdays! Thats right, I am actually going to stick to it and make a weekly segment out of this thing. Bet you didn't actually think it was possible. If you all want to join in either leave your list in the comments or leave a link back to your blog in the comments so I can go and check them out, and if enough people decide to join in I will make some sort of linky do for it, but I think I am getting ahead of myself.

This week I am thankful for getting to keep my original due date! It makes my pregnancy 3 days shorter in any event, and that makes me a happy lady. I just cannot wait to meet this little one that is growing within me.

This week I am thankful for the weather warming up. I don't care how much it snows, as long as the temperatures stay above zero I am celebrating! It just makes spring feel that much closer!

This week I am thankful for my family. They are such a wonderful support system and I am glad that they all live close enough that I can see them at any given time (even you Amber.. I really want to do another sleep over week at your place). I am also thankful for my inlaws. They are wonderful people and I really couldn't ask for a better extended family. I am truly blessed to be loved and respected by everyone in my life.

Wordless Wednesday- 20 Weeks

2009-01-28T15:07:00.009-07:00

21 week Pregnancy Update

2009-01-28T15:07:00.008-07:00

Mayhem Monday..

2009-01-26T17:14:00.003-07:00

Or atleast today.. It was a very very busy day. I had my appointment with my thyroid specialist this morning at 10:30, so Nathan and the boys and I went into the city bright and early. My levels have all returned to normal and I shouldn't need to see her again unless my monthly blood work shows my levels have changed, but I don't foresee it happening. Then we came home, had lunch and I took Joel to school. From there I went to my 1st prenatal visit with my OBGYN. It was nice to see her again, and get checked. I got to hear baby's heartbeat and it was reading in at 165. They also told me that they are going to keep my due date as what my LMP (last menstrual period) says so I am actually due June 8, making me 21 weeks today. 3 days doesn't seem like a lot but it just means that my weeks switch that much quicker and if, God forbid, I need to be induced they will be able to do that 3 days sooner as well. Next Tuesday is my ultrasound and I cannot wait!

So in other news, we are not keeping, Buddy. We just decided he was too much work at this point, with a new baby coming, so we sadly are giving him back and hoping they can find the poor guy a home. He is a very sweet guy, and he has had a bit of a rough start. His owner passed away on Saturday morning from cancer, and Buddy has been living in a kennel for over a month. Now he just needs to find his furever home and I hope he finds it soon.

Our New House Guest

2009-01-25T20:43:00.006-07:00

This is our new house guest, Buddy. Temporary or not? Only time will tell.

20 Week Update

2009-01-25T18:30:00.001-07:00

Thankful Thursdays

2009-01-22T12:47:00.003-07:00

Well I decided to start my own weekly entry about the things in my life that have especially blessed me this week. I think it is good for the soul to remember how much we actually have in our lives, and that we really don't have it as bad as we think we do.

This week I am thankful for making it to the half way point in my pregnancy! I am thankful that I can feel my little one moving, and that I am able to have another baby. There are so many woman that have trouble getting pregnant and it comes so easily for me.

This week I am thankful for healthy children. Even when my boys frustrate me, atleast they are healthy enough to drive me crazy. I am so thankful to be their mommy.

This week I am thankful for a husband who loves me, regardless of how many times I chew him out for things that really don't matter. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I am thankful that he treats me like a princess, and he truly loves me and treats me with the respect every woman deserves. I am thankful that he puts up with all my pregnancy hormones, especially the ones that make me ridiculously hard to deal with.

Wordless Wednesday- 19 Weeks

2009-01-21T18:47:00.003-07:00

19 Weeks Pregnant

2009-01-15T18:05:00.002-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Gender Prediction #2

2009-01-13T16:21:00.001-07:00

Joel and Colin weigh in on what they think we are having.

Oh the Hormones

2009-01-12T09:45:00.004-07:00

Well I am super disappointed right now. They called me about 15 minutes ago and told me that they couldn't do my ultrasound because one of the techs called in sick. They rescheduled me for February 19th... a whole month and 7 days away. I am so sad. Like that is ridiculous. I guess it is easier to push my appointment back than reschedule everyone else, but are you fricken kidding me?!?! I hung up the phone and I just started bawling. I was really looking forward to it, like I think every pregnant woman is. I guess there isn't much I can do, so what else can I say.

Well I made a few phone calls and was able to get myself booked for February 3rd instead of the 19th. Still not perfect but better than waiting over a month.

Keeping Up with The Jones

2009-01-10T20:02:00.003-07:00

I thought I would write a post that isn't entirely about the baby. I feel like that sometimes consumes my mind and I want to visit some place else for a few minutes. Visit another place that has been weighing heavy on my heart lately.

The title kind of states where I am at. I am sure everyone has heard the term " Trying to Keep up with the Jones". Well I can definitely say that I am guilty of living my life there from time to time. Who doesn't want to have the nice things, and the nice house, and all the newest technologies. I know that I do. It makes me feel like I'm somebody. That I am better than those that don't have those fancy things. I can also tell you that I HATE this place. I hate the constant feeling of competition. The constant struggle to try and get to that place, and I hate the feeling that the material things in your life somehow dictate who I am as a person.

In the last couple months, Nathan and I have been struggling a bit with finances. Its not easy making it on one salary. It is something we both feel is important to us. That is, to have me stay at home with our kids and raise them and instill in them the things we believe are most important. We were driving this afternoon to go visit his mom, who is in the hospital with some gull bladder issues. Anyways, as we were driving I was trying to figure out our finances in my head. We want to work at being debt free, but at the same time I was like well how will I buy this and afford that and do this if we are putting all of our efforts towards paying down our debt. At that moment it dawned on me that I don't want to be dictated by things anymore. Our new baby doesn't need the fanciest clothes, or the newest piece of equipment to get by. They don't care. They don't know. I don't want our boys to grow up materialistic. I can already see it in Joel. He's a normal 4 year old that doesn't have any sense of what things cost and he wants to have the new toys and the coolest piece of techno crap. I don't want that for him. What do these things really matter anyways. When I die I am not going to wish I had this or that, I will be thinking about the time I spent with those I love and the difference I made in this world.

Wow this is a rambly post. I am no writer but I just wanted to get that off my chest. All in all I want to say that I am going to try this year to work at being a better me and not define it by the materialism that has become our world. I am blessed to have the things I do, and I want to appreciate those and not worry about whether my house is decorated beautifully or not. Who really cares anyways when all is said and done.

Gender Prediction

2009-01-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

18 Weeks Pregnant

2009-01-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

A Few Pictures

2009-01-05T09:46:00.006-07:00

As promised here are a few pictures. The belly pictures is @ 17 weeks. The rest are from around Christmas.

This is a picture of Colin with my niece, Adeline (we call her Addie).

17 Weeks Pregnant

2009-01-02T09:28:00.002-07:00

Hello Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone is doing well and had a great christmas and new years. I know I did. It has been so nice having Nathan off for 16 days (he is off until Monday the 5th), that I haven't really felt like updating lately. He is out for lunch with a friend right now and the boys are sleeping so I thought I would take a few moments and update everyone.

So as you probably already guessed, I am 17 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. Only 23 more to go. Hard to believe I have almost hit the half way point already. I swear it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant, or even that I wasn't pregnant yet, and was trying my best to get pregnant. But here I am 17 weeks in and feeling fantastic. My "morning" sickness is completely gone. I have lots of energy, and I am LOVING my expanding belly. I plan to take pictures today so I will post them in tomorrows entry.. or try anyways. I have been feeling the baby move more and more all the time and actually on New Years Eve while we were playing games with some family, s/he kicked me so hard it actually made me jump. It felt like a large bubble popped under my skin. It was a super awesome feeling!

I have also started a baby pool for everyone to go submit their vote on the gender and birthday of the baby. Feel free to go over and submit what you think. I think most of you have already submitted a vote but for those that haven't I would love for you to go and add one.GO HERE

In other news, Colin is officially off the soother!!! I have been throwing the idea around for a while but have been a little leery just because I don't like loosing sleep. But I didn't really have a choice yesterday when his final sucky broke.. so i cut the tip off and gave it back to him and he said "oh sucky broken.. have to buy some more" We told him nope and that was the end. He didn't ask for it again and has officially gone down for 2 naps and 2 bedtimes without a fuss!!! I am so proud of him and happy all at the same time. That gives me a good 5 months before the new little one comes to get him used to being without it.

Well I suppose that it about it. Don't forget to go vote on the baby pool, and I will hopefully post soon with some belly shots and random shots of the boys!

Here is a video as well.. wow some variety this entry!

15 Weeks Pregnant

2008-12-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

Another Video. Enjoy.

14 Weeks Pregnant

2008-12-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

Another video.. Sorry.. I'm just too lazy to type everything out when I have already said it.. lol

13 Weeks Pregnant

2008-12-05T20:28:00.003-07:00

Okay so yes I know this is yet another video. It just seems to be easier and I can fit a lot more into an entry. Don't forget to pause the music.

12 Week Update

2008-11-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Another video. Just remember to pause the music.

11 Week Update via Video

2008-11-23T17:20:00.003-07:00

I didn't get a chance to take a picture this week and I happened to make a video blog for youtube so I will post that instead. Just remember to scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music.

10 Weeks Pregnant.

2008-11-15T12:30:00.007-07:00

This week has not been good. I have been so nauseous and have had so many headaches. There are very few things that I can eat that don't turn my stomach and even those few things are starting to not sound good because I eat them so often. I spent the majority of Sunday and Monday in bed while Nathan took care of the boys. I am so exhausted. This pregnancy has been kicking my butt. I am not one to go by the way that you are feeling determining the gender of the baby because my pregnancies with Joel and Colin were both different, but this one has been SO different that I am starting to wonder if it is a girl. That is my prediction at his point.

I took Joel to the doctor on Thursday to have him looked at to see if the mono is gone. My doctor said he looks healthy and back to normal, so that is good. However, while I was there he told me that my blood-work came back showing that I have hyperthyroidism. I am going to be going to see a specialist about it and will probably have to have blood work done quite frequently and monthly ultrasounds to make sure the baby is doing well. It has about a 1% risk of causing birth defects so they just want to make sure everything is looking good. Just add this to all the things that don't go as normal in my pregnancies. There always has to be something off.

Saturday Update: 9 weeks

2008-11-08T15:05:00.007-07:00

I swear my belly looks smaller this week. Strange how that happens since I take my photo the same day every week at the same time.

This week I have been feeling a little woozier. It seems to come in the mornings and night especially and I haven't been able to take my prenatals for the past few days because they have been making me really nauseous. I have been exhausted too but I am not sure if that is because the boys are getting up several times every night or if it is because I am pregnant. I am going to attribute it to both.

So I bought the boys Christmas jammies a couple days ago. They were a wicked deal and I didn't even have to go to the store. I think with shipping and everything they ended up costing me $30 dollars for both. This is what they look like.

Last night I went out with a bunch of ladies from my weekly mom's group for dinner and then I got to sleep in because Nathan took the boys to his parents house for the night. It was glorious to be able to sleep all the way until morning and get up when I so chose. I definitely appreciated it.

Guess thats about it for the week. Thought it would be fun to take a poll to see what everyone thinks baby is at this point. Just leave your choice in your post.

8 Week Update

2008-11-01T11:37:00.013-06:00

I was officially 8 weeks on Thursday. Not too much is new. My pants are getting tighter all the time and I may have to go buy a bella band soon so that I can atleast leave my pants undone. Otherwise for the most part I am feeling pretty good. I still have to make sure I eat asap when I wake up in the morning, but thats about as bad as it gets.

My sister Tara had her ultrasound on Thursday and they found out they are expecting their first son! They have 2 girls already so I am excited that they will get to find out what it is like to have a sweet baby boy. It really didn't matter to me what sex they had. I am just happy to hear that he is healthy.

So we are officially done with the birthday parties for Colin. We had one last Saturday at Nathan's parents and then one yesterday. It was fun! We went trick or treating with all the kids and it was a good time. Next year they all need bigger buckets though because it really doesn't take long to fill up those little pumpkin buckets. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Picture of Baby Bean

2008-10-24T21:06:00.005-06:00

Here is a picture of our beautiful baby, well I think so, at 7 weeks 1 day. This was taken this afternoon at my emergency ultrasound, more about that in a minute. Baby bean is measuring 3 days behind what I thought I should be, so my new due date is June 11, 2009, which also happens to be Nathan and my 4th wedding anniversary. The heart-rate is 131 bpm. As far as can be seen at this point, baby is healthy and well and I am ecstatic!

Now about my emergency ultrasound. The story basically starts on Wednesday night at about 8:00pm. We had just come in for the night after working outside on our fence. The boys were in bed and I went to the washroom, a place I frequent a lot these days. When I went to wipe there was about a teaspoon of pinkish blood on the toilet paper and I FREAKED OUT! Okay maybe not right away but it scared me. I have never bled before with pregnancy, so after a stressful evening of talking to the nurse and friends and family, I resigned myself to wait until morning and call my doctor to request said ultrasound. In the morning there was a little brown blood but that was about it so that eased my mind a bit. I got in to see my doctor at 4:15pm on Thursday afternoon and he did an internal exam to check for bleeding and to make sure my cervix was still closed. No bleeding and cervix closed.. Good sign! He said he wanted to book said ultrasound and here we are... Ultrasound.. new due date.. healthy baby.. a lot less stressed out mommy!!!

It never seems to fail though. Nathan and I seem to have atleast one problem during our pregnancies. With Joel it was a false positive on the triple screen with a high risk for down syndrome which resulted in an amniocentesis at 18 weeks. With Colin he had Choroid Plexis Cysts in his 18 week ultrasound which creates a high risk for Trisomy 18. And this time bleeding and an early ultrasound. I know I am very lucky that I have 2 beautiful healthy children and one on the way so I am not complaining. I have been very blessed, I just wish there didn't always have to be stress involved in getting to that point.

In other news, we set up the boys new room. Temporarily it is Joel's new room, while Colin learns to sleep in a bed. Then in about April Colin will move into the bottom bunk and we will set up the nursery for the new baby. Anyways, I am really happy with the way it all turned out. Here are the results.

I still have a bit more work to do. I want to find a bit more art work and some curtains but that is the main bits.

Colin Singing

2008-10-21T14:02:00.004-06:00

Here is a video of Colin singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.. To watch it just scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music first.

The 2 Year Old and 7 week Update

2008-10-21T10:35:00.017-06:00

Here is My 7 week belly. Doesn't look a whole lot bigger but especially with clothes off you can see a difference. It is getting rounder. I love it! I cannot wait until people can tell that I am pregnant. I love everything about it. Well minus the morning sickness. I have been really dizzy in the mornings for the last week and need to eat asap when I first get up or else I become very nauseous. The morning sickness is reassuring to me though. I was always scared with Colin when I didn't have any. I have also been really tired lately. Last night I was in bed by 7:30 and went to sleep about 9.

I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday. It went well, as well as a 1st prenatal appointment can go anyways. The nurse who did the initial part of my appointment was excellent. She has 3 grown boys at home so she understood what my life is like. After I finished filling out all the paperwork with her I went and had my pap and full physical with my doctor. He is an amazing doctor and it was good to chat with him for a while. He said everything looks good and he wants to see me again routinely until I get in my with my OBGYN.

Mr Colin James turned 2 yesterday. It is hard to believe that 2 years has disappeared already. We took him out for supper last night to Red Lobster. The boys both really like it there because of the live lobster tank they have in the entrance. Neither of them eat seafood though. We are having 2 birthday parties for him as well. He has one on Saturday with Nathan's family and one on Halloween with my side of the family and all his cousins.

Here is a photo montage of Colin over the last 2 years. Enjoy!

Newborn

6 months

1 year

18 months

2 years

For those of you who are wondering my sister in law is doing well. She had a DNC last Wednesday and I think she feels relieved in some ways that it is done with. They are both sad, but overall they have handled it well. Thank you for all your prayers!

6 weeks and an Update

2008-10-14T08:32:00.006-06:00

I was officially 6 weeks pregnant yesterday. I have been feeling more tired everyday and most nights am asleep before 10. I still haven't been sick. I am hoping that I will be lucky like I was with Colin and not experience morning sickness. Only time will tell I guess.

We had Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. Saturday we went to Nathan's brother, Brandon's place. All the non pregnant people were re-shingling their house for the better part of the day while Kerri and I (both pregnant), watched all the kids. It was a good day but exhausting. At the end of the night we had Thanksgiving dinner and then went home. Then on Sunday we went to my sister Tara's place for dinner. Another very tasty supper. I baked pumpkin pies for both occasions.

Nathan also had yesterday off which was nice. We really didn't do much. We went to Mcdonalds in the morning with my mom and Tara. Went to Walmart after that to look at cameras since mine is broken. After the boys napped, we got a movie, had supper and then watched the movie with the boys. Then it was bedtime again.. I swear, where does the time go? It flies by so fast. It really won't be long before this baby is born because time just doesn't stop.

5 Week Belly Picture

2008-10-08T19:41:00.010-06:00

This picture was taken on Monday night. I am going to try to take weekly belly pictures. There isn't much there yet, but since this will most likely be my last baby I want to capture as much of this pregnancy as I can.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2008-10-08T09:52:00.006-06:00

Yesterday morning I was upstairs getting ready for the day. Both Colin and Joel were with me and we got to talking about the baby growing in mommy's tummy.

Joel says to me "Mommy I want a sister."

So I told him that he could pray and tell God that he was hoping for a sister. I said that wouldn't necessarily guarantee that I was going to have a baby girl, but he could definitely let God know what he was hoping for.

So he went to his room to get dressed for the day. He comes back a couple minutes later and says to me "Mommy I am not going to get a baby sister because God doesn't hear me. I don't have the MAGIC words."

LOL! I tried to keep back from bursting out laughing and told him that it didn't matter what words he said to God that he could hear him.

Very Blessed

2008-10-04T09:24:00.006-06:00

There it is.. The 2 little lines that mean there is a new life growing inside. I am so excited, but I am also scared. I know it is normal to be scared about miscarriage. I want to be past the first trimester so the most vulnerable part of this pregnancy is over. I pray everyday that this baby stays within me and we get to meet it in 8 months.

Tomorrow I will be painting the boys new room. They are going to be moving into bunk beds and then the baby will have its own room. Colin is going to start out in Joel's current bed just so he gets used to sleeping in a bed for about 6 months and then he will move into the bottom bunk in the other room. I am going to be painting the room grey and possibly a red stripe at the top.. the theme is cars the movie so I am just going off the bedding we bought. I will post some pictures once it is all set up.

Jocelyn came over last night and we watched Made of Honor. It was good, but very predictable. Very average chic flick but we both enjoyed it anyways.

Guess thats about it! Thanks for reading guys!

Well...

2008-09-29T12:34:00.004-06:00

I decided to take a test this afternoon after I dropped Joel off at preschool (which he goes to on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), and I got a POSITIVE! I am pregnant! I am so excited I can barely contain it! I am still in shock a bit.. it was faint but it was definitely there! My due date will be June 8, 2009. Since I am notorious for being early it will most likely be a late May baby.

....

2008-09-28T06:54:00.002-06:00

Another Test. Another Negative. No period yet but I think I feel the beginnings of one. I am trying not to lose hope but its not looking good. If my period hasn't shown up by Wednesday I will test again. I am not overly eager to see another negative result.

I know I haven't talked about much else besides our trying to conceive journey lately, so I will fill you in on how everything else is going for once.

Joel is LOVING preschool. He has so much fun and loves having somewhere that he gets to go that Colin doesn't. He says to Colin all the time "Your not big enough to go to preschool. Right Mommy?" He's pretty proud of himself.

Colin is talking CONSTANTLY. He loves to point out everything by name. He is learning his colors as well, though no very accurately at this point. He usually gets blue and orange right though. He turns 2 in 22 days. Hard to believe..

Nathan has been working on building a fence in our backyard. We got the posts put in the ground on Thursday night and I think he might level them today so we can pour the concrete soon. Then when his parents get back from Tennessee we are going to build the rest.

I guess thats about it. Not too sure what we are going to today, but it will be a good day none the less just because Nathan is home.

I Cheated!

2008-09-26T08:30:00.002-06:00

So I cheated this morning and took a test.. it was a BFN (big fat negative). Its still really early though so I don't know what I was thinking. I have never been able to get an accurate result when I test early. I am going to try again on Sunday and if I get another BFN then I will try on Tuesday if my period has not showed up by then.

Wish me LUCK!