baby Learning Curve

Now that I am a mother of two children I have come to realize there is a 'learning curve' (that point you reach when you feel like you can cope with a change of plans, take the child/children out at least twice in one day and actually get your hair and make up done to leave the house).

With Hailey I didn't get to that point until she was 10 months old!  Man was she a handful.  She cried a WHOLE LOT.  It was partially tummy problems (with a milk intolerance) but I have come to learn it is mostly personality.... she still cries a lot.  That feeling of 'having it all together' didn't last long as I was pregnant again just a few months later and so ill.... then along came Quinn and she is a happy girl, but a newborn is still very high maintenance.  If she had been my first child I am sure I would have had things together much sooner but I felt like a chicken with its head cut off until Quinn was 8 months old.

I think with the third child I should be able to be back on my feet by the 6 mth mark..... in another 2 years when Hailey is in Kindergarten!

How long did it take you to feel like you could go about daily life without an anxiety attack?

Busy Weekend!

This past weekend we were in Edmonton. Partly for our Branch's Youth Temple Trip, partly for shopping and partly for Father's Day.

Saturday morning we spent with the youth in the temple and then at Red Robins (a tradition started last year). It was such a beautiful morning and it was so peaceful to be in the house of the Lord.



We headed out shopping after that where we got our most important baby items - a crib, a car seat and a stroller. I am pretty excited to set them up (and use them) but we couldn't fit it in our car so they remain at my parents house (stroller on order) until the first weekend in July when we can bring them back. I have so many projects to do this summer, the baby room being just one of them, I better get started as soon as school is out!

After our shopping trip my Dad had a work BBQ at our house which involved renting a bouncy house and playing bunnock... what a great game. Thanks Della and Mike for introducing us to it. We may be joining a tournament next year!


My sister Katrina





Sunday was spent celebrating Dad's.... my Father, whom we are already calling Grandpa (though he is adamant that he be called Granddad). I am so grateful for him... he taught me to work hard and always fulfill responsibilities that I have committed to. Also celebrating my dear Ian who is just about to be a Daddy. I think Ian is amazing and will be so great with his little daughter. We are counting down the weeks now with only 8 left to go!



It was wonderful to visit family but nice also to come home where we have been busy finishing school (for me), working and getting ready for our camping trip this weekend. So excited! I think I will survive one night as long as we are close to the bathrooms.



31 Weeks

Getting bigger ------->

Check out the baby in the bubble... it sure feels like it is getting tighter in here. I am so excited that there are less than 3 months left. I'm starting to feel the need to have all the baby things purchased in case it comes early.

May Long Weekend

Well we are still waiting for spring to stick around out here in Lloydminster. It seems that some snow is coming the next couple days but should be 22 degrees by Saturday. We shall see. I would like to plant some things outside without them dying. This past week... well perhaps the last month continues to be crazy. It is so fun having a house with 'projects' to do. Hopefully they don't get old too fast.

On Tuesday we saw Emerson Drive in concert. Right here in Lloydminster too! It was great fun and Bean sure seemed to enjoy the loud music.



On Friday my sister-in-law Cora made the long trek from Calgary to come see us and it was great fun! We wish that more family lived nearby. She helped us out with some yard work and I caught a picture of her in her Farmer Maisie outfit (Ian's borrowed clothes). I must say though that yard work is getting pretty exhausting as I am now 6 months along. I was hurting the last couple days but seem to have recovered.



After the yard work we had a big Housewarming BBQ party with a big gang of friends from the branch. There were about 40 people there (half of which were children). It was great to have so many kids running around. Ian and I have both been feeling that our house is so empty since everyone left. Luckily it was warm enough (though cloudy) to stay outside for the duration. I think next weekend I will be ready for another party! Thanks to all our friends for coming out and making our house more homey!











Ian and I have enjoyed this last holiday break before school is out. I am trying to savour the last 2 weeks I have of sleeping in before I teach full time for the last month. I just know I am going to burn out quick. I just keep telling myself "it is only one month". 25 grade two-ers are hard to keep up with.

The waddle continues to develop as my tummy is growing and the numbers on the scale are actually moving up now at a steady rate (yikes). Hopefully these last 3 months don't involve too much growth. Our little girl seems healthy and strong (still making me feel sick on a regular basis) though she has already grown quite stubborn. She seems to refuse to 'perform' for Daddy or anyone else for that matter. When she kicks I try to get Ian to feel it but as soon as his hand is on there she just won't kick anymore. What a turkey!

Last news of all I recently learned that I am finally going to be an auntie!!!!! And double time. My sister is having twins and we are thrilled. We just wish that they didn't live so far away in Switzerland.

I hope you all had a great long weekend as well..... just can't wait for spring to stay!

2 Years

Today is our 2nd anniversary! Wow, these past two years have seemed so much longer than that. Remember when you were a kid and sitting through an entire school year seemed like ETERNITY? Well the last 2 years have flown past but have still seemed like they have always been this way. I forget what life was like single.... I seem to remember not liking it though!

I can't express how wonderful it has been to have such a great man in my life. Ian is my favourite person and I love spending everyday with him. He will be such a wonderful father and I am so excited to see him with his little girl.

He brought home some beautiful roses today... and has been so great with helping getting our new house set up. We are so excited to be in our own home.

More exciting pictures to come with this ever growing and moving baby girl, spring/summer bbq's on our new deck, mother's day adventures and general home fun.

What's Happening...

No cute Easter pictures to show as I didn't take my camera to Edmonton but this is what Ian and I have been up to this holiday:

I got a job teaching grade 2 for the rest of the year
Ian's cousin had a baby girl (born to Jen and Brent Garner)
Ian had scout camp with our branch and loved it
I went to Edmonton to see family while he was gone (including my sisters new bf and sister)
Got my hair cut (yes must be spring)
Baby is 21 weeks along and I am feeling it move daily
Ian has left for Prince Albert again for 7 days (will come back on his birthday the 20th)
It is spring break so I am spending the week packing to move and planning for school
14 Days until we get possession of our house
and the weather has been so beautiful!

I can't wait to have a yard to work in and a deck to enjoy the wonderful sun! It was great to hear about all your exciting holidays and to see the pictures of your adorable families. Keep writing cause I stalk you all daily!

Closer to the end than the beginning

Happy 20 Weeks to me today! It is so exciting to know that I am past the half way mark. Grow baby grow! We love you so much and feel so blessed to have you.

Here she is!

Our baby girl is gonna love BLUE! I need to make use of the boy things I already got but also because it is my favourite colour (as well as daddy's) and I don't like pink. So our little girl is gonna wear blue! I don't mind that I will most likely have to tell people that she is a girl... She is already quite feisty as each of the three ultrasounds I have had she was moving around like crazy. She was quite uncooperative this last one and got some good pokes and shakes from the ultrasound tech for it (it was quite uncomfortable for me even). I have yet to decipher the baby's movements but I know it is in there and I know they will start very soon.

It was a great comfort to know that she has got all the parts and pieces she is supposed to have (in the right amounts) and that there are no warning signs for potential problems. She is right on track for the 19 weeks I am at and we already love her to bits!



I am still worried about how big this belly already is but am thankful that nothing else (besides the chest) has enlarged with it! I'll keep you up to date over the remaining 20 weeks until we get to see our precious little girl. Oh we also won't be spilling about the names we are thinking of. There needs to be some surprise for you.... right?

I was SO wrong

Well the baby is a GIRL and I was totally surprised! I don't really know why I was so convinced it was a boy. Perhaps I was just hoping my girls would have a big brother to look out for them cause that is what I always wanted. Either way though we were both so excited. It still makes me laugh though cause I really hadn't even considered having a daughter yet. Who doesn't love little girls though!

We also found out this morning that they accepted our house offer! So we will be official home owners very soon. We will be moving in a month, so I just became very busy.

I have a sub call for this afternoon so I will post again soon about the rest of the details and put up pictures of baby and house.

Thank you to everyone for being so excited for us and waiting all day yesterday to hear the news!

Almost half-way

I'll be 18 weeks on Sunday and it is quite a relief to know that I am almost half-way through this pregnancy. I am hoping the second half is far better than the first cause these last 2 months (Jan/Feb) were just torture. I was just beginning to enjoy being pregnant when new symptoms came along, mainly the disrupted sleep due to frequent eating/peeing, the food that is coming back up a little too easily when I lie down, the headaches (which haven't been too frequent yet but I am keeping an eye on it), the continued digestion issues, the skin which I am beginning to feel get quite tight and the feeling of exploding from the inside. Not to be the complaining one as I am ever so grateful that we have been blessed with this child in the first place. It just goes to show how desperately bored I am with nothing else to occupy my thoughts.

I have developed a sudden need to move into a house right away and am going stir crazy in this apartment (I haven't had any sub calls this week and NEED to get out of the house more). It seems I always have an excuse not to do things.... Hopefully that will change though as I have applied for another teaching position that starts in April till the end of the school year. This should be sufficiently distracting and give me something else to talk about besides feeling yucky.

We find out in 10 days the gender of our baby and though I am confident it is a boy it will still be a surprise! Ah, I'm so excited. I had a dream the other night though that I had a girl and I was really ticked off.... rest assured I would be very excited if it was a girl too. P.S. I can't believe the crazy dreams I have been having! Still haven't felt little Bean move yet but I am 'listening' for when that will happen.

Anywho... nothing else to talk about I guess. I think I will have some ice cream and a nap... though I should really visit the gym before the rest of my body tries to catch up to my stomach!

Family

I am soooo grateful for my wonderful family! I just spent a week in Edmonton and had a great time visiting with friends and spending time with family. They kept me busy while Ian was away.

I have my dear husband back now and am not so willing to let him go again. Hopefully he doesn't get sick of my current clingyness! He was so sweet today when he returned. He called me on the phone and told me to look out our patio door. There he was down below in the -38 wind chill holding flowers up to me. It was like we were dating all over again. I was SO excited to see him. I was also so touched that he thought to bring me flowers. What a darling!

Here are some pictures of my family at Christmas in Hawaii.







So these last couple weeks I have been going a bit crazy with baby/maternity shopping. Here are some pictures of my favourite items. I must say that I am a bit obsessed with onesies. You can never have too many.... right?

Pregnancy Journal

This is my greatest pregnancy find so far!



I wanted to keep a journal of the experience of being pregnant (to remember for the future) and looked online to see what I could find. Amazon led me to the perfect book, "The Belly Book" by Amy K. It had great reviews and looked like it was fun so I ordered it and waited for it to come in the mail.





It was waiting for me when we returned from Hawaii and it is everything I had hoped. This journal is mainly directed to your baby and will be a fabulous keepsake for them when they are older. It has space to write about how you felt when you learned you were pregnant, pre-natal visits, morning sickness, cravings/aversions, ultrasounds, weekly journal writing with space for pictures, first time you heard the heart beat, clothes that no longer fit, boy or girl, feeling baby kick and even more including delivery and baby.

It is split into the 3 trimesters, is a fun shape and has a very cute polka-dot layout. There is nothing I don't like about this book. So I highly recommend "The Belly Book" for your future pregnancies and think you will really enjoy it cause I sure am!!!!



Another peek at the 14 week belly... I didn't think I would be showing this much already.

A Frightful Scare

I had my second Dr.'s appointment today and, just like last time, ended up having to go to the hospital right away. The Dr. couldn't find the babies heart beat, which of course caused me some great anxiety, and sent me off to get an ultrasound right away. Thankfully our baby is just fine and was probably moving around too much to be able to catch the heart beat. Hmmm, an active baby already... I'm sure I will start feeling it soon. I am so grateful that our baby is alive and well. You don't realize how much you love and want something until you think it may be gone. I still didn't get to hear the heartbeat as the hospital ultrasound didn't have sound but I watched the heart- beat and was so relieved to see Bean wiggling around. He waved at us again!

Here is a picture of our baby, which now has legs (wooo hooo), but you can't see them cause the picture is kinda lame. It only shows the baby in the bottom corner with his left arm up waving at us. (no we don't know what sex the baby is but it is easier just to call it something and since we think it is a boy then that is what I am going to call it, until I find out otherwise)

Oh and the due date is now August 23rd (i knew it was later)

Valentines, House Hunting and Baby

Valentine's Day was wonderful! Ian succeeded (under immense pressure) to have a real valentine's day since it was the first one without him in school writing midterms. We had a lovely dinner together on Friday, breakfast made for me Saturday with tulips, mini eggs and a body pillow (by request). I made Ian a stack of Valentine's sugar cookies and am getting Emerson Drive tickets that go on sale this week. It has been a nice weekend.



I also used the rest of my energy yesterday making pink, heart shaped biscuits for our ward potluck. It was fun but I didn't feel so well.



The baby belly is coming along. Showing some signs of emerging though no one really can tell that I am pregnant yet. We are at 13 weeks and starting to feel a bit better. I even got out to work on Friday, though I still feel like I am recuperating. I am still hoping that the sickness leaves and that I can have at least a month or two of feeling 'normal'. Perhaps I am being too optimistic.



Ian decided today to go to church with a creepy mustache. I couldn't help laughing at him every time I saw his face. We are super excited though as yesterday we found our perfect house. It has everything we want with very little work needed (just a paint job). Big decision for us to make but I will let you know what happens and post pics if we buy it.

What did you value most during pregnancy?

As my tummy begins to expand I have been thinking about what is to come. I have heard from many about the back pain, sore feet, inability to sleep, clothes that don't fit and etcetera. Since so many of you, my wonderful friends, have already experienced the delights of pregnancy I am looking for some tips. Was there some item you couldn't have lived without while you were pregnant? Is there any cream you would swear its effectiveness by? What clothes were the most comfortable? What moments meant the most to you? How did you help your husband feel a part of the pregnancy (besides waiting on you hand and foot for all illnesses and cravings)?

I would love to hear your advice, especially about items that may be a lifesaver for me in the next couple months. I am already having trouble sleeping as I am up at least twice every night to eat or go to the bathroom. I think the sleep loss that is common with new babies has already begun for me. Anywho, I would love to hear your stories and recommendations if you have a moment to drop a line!

6 Months from now....

There will be a baby Isackson!



Okay, the word is out, the secret is no more and I can stop pretending that I have had a nasty flu bug for the last month. I have been sick as a dog, dropped 15 lbs, confined to bed for now a full 3 weeks, in then out of the hospital to be rehydrated, and the constant diclectin I am taking is still not fully resolving the nausea issue. I must say I did not expect pregnancy to be this debilitating and hear that most don't experience the joys of hyperemesis gravidarum (aka- extreme 'all day' sickness). However, after an ultrasound and blood tests all is looking well for the baby (aka-parasite or Lima Bean).

We are super thrilled (though my enthusiasim is slightly diluted with "the sickness") as we watch my belly begin to grow, anxiously anticipating August 15th when Bean will be joining us.

Thank you to all those well wishers and encouragers as we waited a little longer than some for our family to grow.