Rhone and our family of 4!

2 weeks before Rhone was born (38 weeks)

I've been meaning to write something for quite some time now, and now that I'm actually here I'm not sure where to begin!  I started writing a post on Rhone's birth a while ago, but that really seems like the distant past and so much has changed since then!  So I will just say Rhone Mark was born on December 29, 2013 at 8:12 pm after about 14 hrs of pre-labour (contractions 10 min apart or stopping) and 3 hrs of intense labour.  My experience all around was much better than the first, though I won't go into too many little details. I felt so much better physically which I believe contributed to my emotional state being positive as well.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 pm had the baby and were home the next morning by 11.  I ended up being moved from the birthing room to a regular room which was actually much more comfortable for sleeping.  There was no place for Mark to sleep so he had to go home for the first night, but that was ok for us.  Home was only 5 min from the hospital and at least one of us had a good sleep which was much better than both of us being exhausted right off the bat!  We had a lot of company again the first few days including our good friends from Ontario the day after he was born!  I feel a bit sad I didn't even get a picture with them!  My Mom and Dad kept Adalyn for a few nights after Rhone was born which gave us a much more relaxing transition into life with a newborn again. 

The first time Adalyn met Rhone!

Watching Adalyn meet Rhone for the first time was so special!  My Mom and Dad brought her over to see him and he was crying when she came.  She was quite shy at first and hung close to her daddy, but warmed up very quickly.  I had a lump in my throat introducing him to her.  He was crying and Adalyn ran to find one of her dolls and said her baby was crying too.  She put her baby up to her shoulder like I was holding Rhone and patted it, just like she saw me doing.  Then she handed her doll to me and made me put it up on my other shoulder like Rhone was doing. She has grown into her role as big sister so well.  The other day on our way home from church Rhone was crying and she chanted in a soft calming voice to him 'We're almost home Rhone, we're almost home!'  She seems quite sensitive to his needs most of the time (unless she is wanting attention for herself, which happens from time to time.... :) )  and always needs to give him a hug and kiss good-night when she goes to sleep.  She seems to have grown up a lot since he was born though maybe it is just my perspective. 

Adalyn changing her baby

Reading a book to Rhone

Our first family picture as a family of 4!

Blessed is the woman with a full lap.  :)

One thing we are both finding a little difficult at this stage in our lives is alone time together.  Rhone doesn't have a set bedtime yet and usually goes to bed around 10 or 11 which is when I want to be going to bed too.  Adalyn and Rhone don't necessarily nap at the same time in the afternoons either.  It seems as though whenever Rhone wakes up then Adalyn goes down for her nap.  I feel much more like a mother at all times and that I don't get much time just alone.  Some people spend too much time alone though and I think I would rather have the first one. 

 We haven't done too much this winter.  I ventured out a few times with Rhone and Adalyn, but Rhone hasn't seemed to enjoy being outside much.  He has a hard time breathing and has scared me a bit when he can't seem to catch his breath and has spit bubbles foaming out of his mouth.  Not sure if this is normal for a little baby in the cold?!  He also hates wearing his hat.  I'm excited for spring time and not having to bundle everyone up!  We did get to take Adalyn out skating for her first time.  She did pretty well considering she's only 2 1/2.  By the end of our time out on the ice she could make it a short distance without holding on to us.  We also managed to take in our towns little family day and took Adalyn and Rhone on a sleigh ride.  

All bundled up for a 1 minute walk down the driveway to get the mail.

Hanging out with cousins after the sleigh ride

Weather's slowly warming up!

 Another very exciting occasion was Auntie Mary Beth's visit!! We've been having lots of fun with her!  More on that to follow hopefully!

Adalyn's 2 1/2 year update

Adalyn is exactly 2 1/2 in 7 days.  I haven't written anything about how she's doing, what she's up to and in to these days, and I'm sure I will be wondering in a few years when our next child is this age!

Our little Adalyn is a very sweet, kind, happy little girl.  She has a very even tempered personality and doesn't get rattled too easily.  She plays really well with almost any child, though she's not a big initiator.  If a kid doesn't show interest in her, she doesn't make an effort to change that.  She avoids conflict and doesn't really get into fights over toys much, it seems to happen mostly when she's already tired.  She likes to test the boundaries at home and often tends not to listen or obey until we make a threat.  That could be her age at this point...  hopefully?!!  When she's tired she gets destructive and deliberately rebellious.  Thankfully this only really happens when she needs to sleep.  She's also very eager to please.  Hmmm...  wonder where she got that trait?!

She has been playing a lot better on her own in the last month and doesn't follow me around every where I go, though that still happens some days.  She still loves to help me with things, but that is also fading as she plays more on her own.  She is playing a lot of pretend these days.  It is SO cute to watch her take care of her dolls and stuffed animals, just like they are real babies.  Some how she knows exactly what to do with them.  Her favorite thing is to feed them supper.  Another toy she is really using a lot is her Fisher Price Little People house.  They are always doing interesting things too, like going potty, and going for naps.  Go figure!  haha  She loves her duplo as well especially the cars, trucks and train, and is often asking for us to build a house with the blocks.  She sets up all the men to watch a movie in the house after it's done.  She is very animated in her play!  She is listening to stories a lot better now too, without wanting to turn the pages immediately. 

She is talking using sentences now and can say most anything she wants to.  Some times she gets muddled up with the order of words, or you can see her thinking hard about what she's saying which is really cute.  She still says some words wrong even though she knows how to say them properly.  Pillow is usually pippo.  Music is still mekicks.  Adalyn is still Anoun.   When she says open it is usually shortened to op and carry to care.  She tends to talk 'baby talk' when people come over, or will not say anything at all.  This is the case when I try to take videos of her too. 

She eats really well and a lot most of the time.  She is a fruit monster, but doesn't really like her vegetables.  That is the one thing we have to really force her to eat.  It's probably because I don't make vegetables on their own enough.  They're usually mixed in with something else.  She doesn't eat lettuce.   I'd say fruit is probably her favorite food at this point.  She also loves avocados.

She is a really good sleeper, though naps have been weird lately.  A month or two ago she was napping for 1.5 hrs very consistently and then one day she stopped.  I thought it was just the day, but the next day was the same and the next and for a whole week she didn't nap.  I knew she needed the sleep because after quietly talking and playing in her room for her whole 'naptime' I would let her out and she would be grumpy, getting destructive with no attention span, obviously tired.   A few times I went for a walk with her and she fell asleep right away each time.  So that has become our new nap routine.  She plays and talks quietly for about an hour, she wants to get up -- usually to go potty now -- and then I make her go back to her room and she usually ends up sleeping for her 1.5 hrs again.  We have to be pretty stern about her going to sleep though which is sad to me.  She's added an hour to my alone time in the afternoon though which has been AMAZING!  :)  She will usually wake up from her nap around 4:00-5:00 and goes to bed around 8:00.  Then she sleeps till 7:50 at which time I usually wake up from her calling out 'I peed Mommy!  Mommy, I peed!'  That is in the potty...  :)

She's basically potty trained.  Today she had her first nap with panties.  She's been dry for naps for about a week or so now and dry during the rest of the day for quite a while.  She still has trouble with the poop though.  I sometimes think she just doesn't have patience to sit there to wait for it because she definitely knows.  I still don't feel super confident with her going out with panties on and so we have still been using pull-ups for going out.  Night time is still a diaper too and it's usually full in the morning. 
 

Jesus brings joy

We had Mark's extended family Christmas gathering this last weekend.  There is still the tradition of sitting around singing Christmas carols, reading the story of Christmas and then opening gifts.  They also have a time of sharing.  I don't know if it was my pregnancy hormones combined with being very tired, but I was feeling very weepy during the singing this year.  Adalyn and her cousin Isabelle were twirling and dancing in the middle of the group the whole time we were singing.  They had such big, beautiful smiles on their faces, laughing and 'singing' too, not caring at all what anyone else would think, just happy and so very innocent and free in their joy.  The singing is always very enthusiastic and loud at this gathering and I thought maybe the little girls were being a bit distracting, but as I looked around the room and saw the smiles and laughter on others faces, I knew this is what worship is about and though I wasn't necessarily thinking about the words of the songs, I was drawn to think about Jesus and the message of Christmas.  Two words we often hear at Christmas are joy and peace.  Jesus came to bring joy and peace on earth, and I really felt His presence there in that moment, in the joy and love on the faces of all 45 some people in that room.   It is such a beautiful thing in this world to see how when a family follows Jesus and teaches their children about Jesus how true that message becomes.  Especially in this day when you look around at the world and see all the heartache, pain, and trouble that has come as a result of sin.  I am so very thankful for the family God has blessed me with.   Both in Mark's family that I married into and my own family.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Praise Him for sending Jesus to save us from our sins, so we can be free to experience and know real peace, joy and love and all things good! 

Things I look forward to about not being pregnant

There are some people who I talk to who say they love being pregnant.  I'm not one of those people.  I would rather carry a new baby in my arms then in my body any day.  (Now ask me in a month and a half and see if my answer is still the same. haha  :) )  I know what a beautiful thing it is to be able to carry a child like this.  It's a gift from God and I don't take it for granted, but I FEEL so unlovely during pregnancy.  This is definately a time when feelings are not reality and I have to remind myself of this over and over again.  I was thinking the other day that I feel like a big whale, but reality is that I am so privileged to be carrying a child who is being developed and formed just right by an Almighty God.  What is going on in my body right now is truly a miracle.  On that note however, here are some things I am looking forward to in about a month's time...
1.  No more heartburn
2.  Being able to bend over properly
3.  Sleeping on my stomach
4.  Hugging Mark without my big belly in the way
5.  Going for a walk without huffing and puffing or aching or wondering if I'm doing too much.
6.  Getting into shape again and running!
7.  Baby's hiccups outside the womb will be a lot less annoying!
8.  Being able to have hot drinks in the morning again without it affecting my bowels
9.  Gas issues will be solved?!  
10.  Holding Adalyn on my lap comfortably.  (Then of course there will still be a baby to hold too.  :)
11.  Zipping up my jacket without it stretching
12.  Wearing sweaters fashionably.  My maternity sweater collection is very limited if not non-existant.
13.  Shopping for real clothes and being able to buy things on sale
14.  Going in the hot tub!

Just a few of the things I can think of now.  I would say sleeping through the night, but I know that's not going to happen for a while yet again...  In fact that part's only going to get worse I imagine.  Oh dear.

Winter has arrived

Well, winter is officially upon us I believe.  Mark and I were a bit shocked the other morning to wake up to a world of white.  It reminded me of when I was a kid and it snowed.  So exciting!  I think what made it more exciting for me this time was that I completely wasn't expecting it.  I hadn't looked at the forecast and it was definitely not snowing when we went to bed.  There was a pretty thick layer on the ground in the morning, like a couple of cm, which just made it seem that much more amazing.  I knew it wasn't going to melt right away.  

I'm not sure how I feel about it being winter.  It has most certainly brought on the Christmas decorating itch for me, and Christmas music has come on in our house too.  I don't really enjoy how much more work it is to go outside though and the driving is not so fun either.  I played outside with Adalyn in the snow today for the first time this winter and she LOVED it.  I'm so glad, because last winter she didn't really want to have anything to do with it.  Today she told me she liked walking in the snow.  :)  Last year she didn't want to go near any snow.  I showed her how she could eat the snow and the look on her face was priceless!!  I wish I could have captured that moment on a picture.  It was one of pure delight!  

I've been working on a few DIY Christmas decorations this year.  I'm pretty excited about them.  I've never really decorated much for Christmas because I haven't really wanted to spend money on decorations that you only have up for one month of the year.  We are hosting Mark's extended family for part of the Christmas gathering this year though so I thought maybe I should do a little bit more than normal.  I'll try to put up a picture when I'm done!  

I am trying to get better at letting Adalyn be involved in crafty, hands on sorts of things.  I am always hesitant to do 'fun' dirty things with her because it makes more work for me and I don't always feel like I need more work. haha  There are already so many messes to clean up.  I don't like messes very much!  Today Mark really encouraged me to have her join in my paper mache project.  It was messy, but she loved it!  One other thing I have done recently is let her play with flour while I am baking.  It keeps her occupied for a long time and it's some thing different to do.

 She has really been developing an imagination lately which has been so fun to watch.  Her dolls and stuffed animals are her little friends and she takes care of them so well.  She can spend a lot of time giving them tea parties, feeding them supper, reading them books, changing their diapers, or teaching them to use the potty, putting them to bed, comforting them when they cry, taking them shopping, ect....  It's not uncommon for her to be in her room by herself these days playing with her dolls.  What a wonderful development!!  Up till now she has always needed to play close to where I am.  She didn't necessarily need me, but she followed me every where.  

Taking a picture with her pretend camera.  She came up with this all on her own!

Birthday party!

 
I wish I had more pictures or better ones, but I haven't had my camera out much the last month or two.

I finally asked Mark to take another pregnancy picture for me.  This is only the third or fourth one so far this pregnancy and I'm already 34 weeks!  

 

We got to see the baby again this week!  Apparently I am measuring 3 weeks behind so they just wanted to make sure that the baby was growing properly and that all was well.  We had to go into the city for a fetal assessment.  It was so much better than the ultrasound at our local hospital.  Mark was able to come in for the entire appointment and I could actually see the baby comfortably without craning my neck around awkwardly.  The technician was very friendly and we were done very quickly too.  All was well and she figured it must just be the way I'm carrying, my tall torso leaves lots of space for baby to hide.  I suspected as much.  :)  Baby was estimated to be about 5 lbs already!  She figured this baby would be around the same size as Adalyn was when she was born.  8lbs6oz.  Anticipation for this new baby and labour and delivery is building!  Only one month till term, though I have a feeling it will be late again.  Adalyn was 1 week late and I'm expecting the same with this one.  I think this time I would rather have it be 1 week late then 1 week early.  My due date is December 30, so one week early would make it right before Christmas. 

29 week comparison

This picture is a couple weeks old now --I am 31 weeks this week-- but here's the belly this pregnancy and 2 years ago with Adalyn.  Pretty similar I'd say, maybe carrying slightly higher this time?  I am feeling bigger this time around, but maybe that's because I'm still slightly in denial as to how far along I am!  It's going by too fast! 

29 weeks 2013

29 weeks 2011

Strength

This last week has been difficult as I battle a nasty cold and low iron levels.  I've had such low energy and have struggled with staying positive and fighting those grumpy battles in my head.  I have been trying to read a Psalm a day lately and came to Psalm 18 this week.  The very first verse says... "I love you, Lord, my strength."  As I was reading the Psalm I got this incredible picture of God holding my arms and fighting with them for me.  You know when you hold a child's hands and make them do things with them, like help them use a bat, or teach some other kind of skill.  Does that make any sense?  Anyway, I just felt so encouraged after reading that Psalm.  Like His strength was carrying me and God was fighting for me in the midst of my tiredness. 
  
He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great. 
Psalm 18:34,35 

It kind of goes along with the verse I memorized last week.
"I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."   Galatians 2:20

I'm not very good at explaining my thoughts, but hopefully it makes some sense. God is my strength and when I'm weak He is stronger!