Baby sister is coming soon!

Only 3 ½ days left until our new little one arrives. I can hardly believe that it is already here, but yet like most pregnant women… SO READY! Charlotte seems genuinely excited and I cannot wait for her to meet her baby sister! It is fun that she has been so interested and excited. She talks about her baby sister a lot- and just refers to “sisters” in general a lot right now. She was playing with two toy animals last week and I asked if they were friends. Her response was, “Yeah! They are sisters!” She also tells everyone... "Baby sister is coming soon!" Love it! I have a feeling the weekend ahead of us will feel long. I was notified yesterday, after having a planned c-section date for August 3rd for over 5 months now- that they want to move the date of the delivery. Talk about some major anxiety for me. Yes, I realize that most babies come on their own time-table, but when you have been planning for months around a specific day, it is a bit upsetting 4 days out to hear otherwise. Our choice came down to bump the c-section out or be surprised by the doctor who walks into the room. The biggest dilemma was that both Matt and Juju (my mom) have already taken time off work around Tuesday, August 3rd. Really bummed about this situation, but I have to trust that things will work out ok, and it is all for a good reason!

Daddy & the Zoo

Recently I have been having some significant hip area pain due to my growing belly. The physical therapist recommended stretches, a support belt, and basically taking it easy. So Daddy has been taking Charlotte for little trips to the zoo with our zoo pass. Although I feel a little left out sometimes... it is nice to know that they are getting some Daddy-Daughter bonding time!

5 Years

When you get married, you look ahead and think that your 5 year anniversary is so far away, but yet at the time, you can hardly imagine all the things that you will share over those quick 5 years! We have already shared in many ups and downs- funfilled and lovely vacations- wordly travel- purchasing our first home- bringing home our first baby and another on the way...! We thought we would for sure spend our "big" 5 year wedding anniversary back in Puerto Vallarta where we honeymooned- instead we went to dinner on the Ruston waterfront and watched a movie in bed! We didn't have any gifts to exchange (being that we are on a tight budget with baby on the way), but as we sat at dinner, we looked up the 5th wedding anniversary gift- wood. Hmmmm... well, we actually came up with something to buy together to celebrate our 5th year anniversary that is made of wood- and we really will use it! We drove to Lowes to look for it, but realized we could not fit it in our car. We are still waiting for a good day to borrow a truck and go pick it up.

Sister Princess Sleeping Duty!

For a number of reasons, Matt and I just had it in our heads that we were having a boy. None of them really good reasons....my pregnancy symptoms were SO different than with Charlotte, we both grew up in a "1 girl- 1 boy" family, and we already had a girl so naturally next we would have a boy. We decided to take Charlotte with us to the ultrasound, so all day we kept asking her if she thought it was a boy or a girl... a brother or a sister. She stayed firm all day,"SISTER!" Matt and I would kind of snicker at each other every time this happened... like she was wrong and we already knew it. ~ The ultrasound ended up being really long. Our little baby would wiggle, but wouldn't give us a clear view! Finally, 40 minutes or so into the ultrasound the technician was positive- "It's a Girl!". Charlotte by this point was no longer interested and was practically rolling on the floor. I tried to get her excited again by saying, "Charlotte! Are you excited to have a sister?" Her response, "NO". I like to believe that this is simply because she was bored of being in that dark room, and because, well.. she already knew it was gonna be a girl! Later that weekend we began asking Charlotte what she wanted to name the baby, "Ummm... uh.... ummm... how bout Princess Sleeping Duty?" That was one of her lovely ideas. But won't it be fun fr them?! Two little girls! She will have a little princess friend to play with! A girlfriend for life! I am so excited now for my two little girls!

2010 and beyond...

It is weird to think that the last time we entered a new decade I was only 18! Whoa. And you can’t help but do the math… right?... I will be 38 the next time we close a decade… and Charlotte will be beginning her journey as a teenager! AHHHH! Life is funny! I got a feelin’ though that 2010-2020 is gonna be my favorite decade yet! Happy New Year! Cheers to 2010 and beyond!

What to wear in this weather???

WHo knows sometimes what to wear in Western Washington... for those of us living here we all know of the crazy day we just had. No joke (for those of you out of town), it snowed inches this morning covering even the roads, then it warmed up enough for me to roll my windows down in the car as I drove, the sun was beautiful... then only minutes after entering the house, it started hailing sideways... then the sun came out... then it rained... and now at 6:20pm I am not kidding I think it is rain, snow, hail mixed in wind blowing sideways... with blue sky in the distance. Crazy!

Mother Warriors

So Charlotte is coming up on her second birthday (WOW), and I am already gearing up for the fight at the doctor's office. Yeah, thats right... I feel like going into battle everytime we go because I do not like Charlotte getting the vaccines. When Charlotte was born early- I just had a bad feeling about her getting vaccinated. For crying out loud she was only 4 1/2 pounds and they wanted to give her vaccines??? Then at 2 months (or whenever it was) they insist on like 6 vaccines!!! I opted out of a few but not without a fight and a "you're- are- a- bad- mother- guilt- trip". They told me that the newer vaccines are perfectly fine and kids don't get sick from them. They said it was "very rare" to have any reaction. I tried to explain that I have autoimmune issues so I would like to protect my daughter if she has any of my immune difficiancies. I asked if they could at least be broken up- a few weeks a part ... and the answer to that question was that it would be too inconvenient for them and us. HMMMMMMM..... So she got a handful of vacs and guess what happened??? Yep, she got really really sick. Do you know what the doctor and nurse told me??? "She must have been coming down with the flu that day". So ... a few months later she got more shots... and guess what??? YEP, she got really really sick. Do you know what the doctor and nurse told me this time??? "Well it happens- some kids get sick from the vaccines". Wait just one minute.... didn't you tell me before that it was extremely rare??? Ok, so enough with my rant and rave- you all get my point. Charlotte does NOT do well with the vaccines. I have always known it and yet my pediatrician makes me feel like a bad mom by opting out of any vaccines. So, recently I borrowed this book by Jenny McCarthy, and it is fabulous!!! I don't feel so bad about opting out of vaccines for Charlotte. Of course her son was diagnosed with Autism. I am blessed to have a beautifully healthy little girl- and I want to keep it that way! I highly reccomend this read for any and all moms! Power to the moms!

A broken heart for Valentines Day

At about 9 weeks along, Matt and I were finally sharing the news with friends, family, and co-workers whom had not already heard the news… we were expecting a new baby! The due date was September, and it didn’t take long for us to start dreaming up names and visions of Charlotte with her new little brother or sister. But… (and here comes the sad part) it wasn’t in Gods plan for us to have this baby. On Thursday evening, I called Matt terrified to hurry home- he had been out of town, but was on his way back. In my heart I knew I was losing the baby, but I prayed and hoped that it would stop and that the baby would be ok. Matt took me to the hospital and we were there for a horrific 8.5 hours, and then had to return to the doctors for another 2 hours the next day. We did indeed lose the baby and our hearts were crushed. I cried and cried for so long that my eyes burned for days. And every time I fell asleep or was distracted over the weekend… it only took moments for my mind to recount the entire episode all over again and feel that ache in my heart for our lost baby. It is not easy for us to talk about, so if we didn’t call, its not that we didn’t want to… we just couldn’t. This is a very personal event to share online, but this is our family blog… our story… our lives. I know through experience, that tough times are often a way for God to provide something wonderful in our lives. We appreciate all of the prayers and support!

Tough Times

Sometimes blogs can be deceiving... looking back on my recent posts I see how I tend to use it as a way to see the positive things in life! To reflect on what brings joy and laughter! I think this is a good thing, but it certainly does not reflect my everyday life. I have been going through a difficult health period again, and although I try to just work through it without complaining too much, I felt it was necessary to post about it. That way down the road when we look back, we can be proud of getting through tough times as well as enjoying the fun times. About 3-4 months after Charlotte was born I began to develop a problem with my remicaid infusions (for the crohns and anklosing spondylitis). I developed severe sinus infections and frequent low grade fevers. I dealt with this side-effect for over 6 months, until I just couldn't do it anymore. The doc administering the drug finally decided he would not give it to me anymore due to the problems. So, it has now been about 3 months since my last infusion. My health has been crazy... maybe because my body is trying to re-balance out? One day I feel ok, and the next I feel terrible. I think I may be close to killing this sinus infection... I haven't had the frequent fevers anymore. So that is good! But I have begun experiencing many of the autoimmune symptoms that I was able to live without while taking remicaid for over 2 and a half years. My doctors keep telling me to "keep the stress levels down". HA! You try on my shoes and say that again! So We keep praying that somehow, someway I will get to feeling good and stay that way! We hope to find a way for me to stay home with Charlotte which would decrease my stress levels. I currently have a good job right now.. one that I actually enjoy! But I really just want to feel good, be healthy, and be able to fully take care of my family and our home. And although I know that life as a mommy and a wife can sometimes be trying, for some of us we just have that yearning to do it.