Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Tummy Rumbles

Quick little bit of information for you!

I figured out why Eli is so unhappy today! Its definitly his stomache. Good ol' diarrhea. Not good. He is not keeping anything in. He has had 3 baths to clean him up, and those aren't counting all the times that he's made a mess! The laundry is another story!

We switched his formula off of the soy because I was worried about things I've read when it comes to soy and health, but apparently he is having issues digesting the milk based formula. It was an easy digest formula so maybe that was it, I dont know... but we're back on soy, I dont think I can take another 24 hours of this!!

Bed Time Caanot Come Soon Enough

It's been a hard morning. Eli woke up at 7:45a.m and slept great the whole night, as always! He very rarely wakes up once we put him down around 7:00P.M. He is very chatty in the mornings, but if I leave him in his crib too long without going in, he's not happy.

This morning was something else. As soon as I got him up and fed him he starting whining. I played with him for awhile, and then went to go get myself some breakfast. Guess who started whining? Eli. He complained and whined the whole morning. I tried to feed him breakfast. He refuses anything, even the cheerios that I put on his highchair tray he starts complaining about. I made him some toast with a bit of jam on it, surely he cant complain about something sweet tasting. Refused to let it go near his mouth!

When I put him down he crawls up to my legs and pulls on my pants for me to pick him up. If I dont, he whines. So when I pick him up and sit down with him, he whines. He refuses to cuddle, and doesn't want to sit still but he's not happy. He loves the bathtub so I put him in, and he was happy playing in the water for 10 minutes while I sat beside the bathtub reading. 10 minutes of no whining this morning was like heaven! A whole ten minutes! Then it started again. Finally it was 9:30 and I fed him a bottle, let him play until he whined, and up into bed he went.

I hopped into the shower,and got ready and all was quiet for a bit, but I've just heard him making noises. Generally he sleeps for close to 2 hours in the morning, so he still has another hour and a bit left!!

 We're off to explore Kids Quarterz today with a friend, but I have a feeling it may be too busy for us to play. Since Eli is only a crawling machine, and not walking he may get trampled over by big kids who are on spring break. We'll see what happens. If its too busy we could always go over to Millenium place and find something there to do.

I have a feeling that today could be one of those days where Eli's bed time cannot come soon enough . . . and its only 10:30a.m! Am I the only one that has these days!?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Police Man

As Andy and I were getting ready to walk out the door this evening, I realized I didnt have my socks on. Running back into the living room I noticed that there was a cop standing in our walk way up to our house. I opened the door as he walked up and asked him to come in.

He was investigating an arson that happened last week.Arson hey?? Interesting.  He wanted to ask me if I heard or saw anything. I told him what I heard. Banging, the truck burning, but nothing more than that. I told him however that something seems very fishy with the people who live there, and that previously in the month he had gotten into an accident and just lost his cool in the back alley, even though there was no damage to either vehicle. And then the vehicle just sat there. He asked me if I heard a vehicle speed off or if I saw anything. I didn't.

He said the people living the in the duplex are people that are known to them, and that it was arson. They have a person of interest. And that was that. Off to our neighbors he went. I wish I could've been more helpful, but that was all I had to tell him.

I mentioned to Andy the night that it happened that maybe I should go fill out a statement, and Andy said not to bother. Well I got to anyways, but this way was much easier. RCMP came to me, did all the writing, all I had to do was do the talking and sign my name on the bottom line! Easy Stuff!

A walk to the park

Eli and I went for a walk this morning. What else do you do when you have a whiney baby who is bored? So off we went. There are a few schools by our place so we ventured out in hopes to find a baby swing that Eli could go in.


The first one didn't have one, so I decided to make the venture down to the next one. That one didn't have one either, which was alright because the wind started to pick up and I think both Eli and I were getting cold. That being said, Eli looked very comfy in his stroller, with his cute sweat pants, jacket, toque, and a nice warm blanket to block the wind. Lucky guy! He was quite content and didnt make a peep almost the whole way home, and anytime he did I think he was trying to tell me a story.


Eli has started to say Hi. Not all the time, but often times he'll pick up the phone put it to his mouth and say "Hi." He mimicks me or andy. its the cutest thing ever.


I'm thinking now that its nicer out maybe we'll make it part of our schedule to go for a walk every morning. Its good to get some fresh air and exercise. I even tried jogging this morning but the tires on my stroller wouldn't have it, as soon as I got going they started shaking. Maybe I'll keep my eyes open for a used jogging stroller, or a bike trailer that I can attach to my bike. Kijiji is always a good place to look for things like that!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Tired, Teething, Baby

Eli is teething. Its hard work! He has started to cut 2 teeth at a time. Yesterday he was not happy. Saturday he had his mind set on not going down for a nap, and I'm wondering if today is going to be the same.

We put the little guy to bed yesterday at 7:00 P.M since he only got one nap and he slept straight through until 8:20A.M this morning! Well we got up and right away he wasn't too happy. After an hour and a half he was rubbing his eyes, pulling at his ears, and whining. All signs that he is tired. You know the red eyes that babys also get when their tired? Yup, he had that too! He was up for an hour and a half before I decided it was time to put him to bed again! Your thinking, easy morning for me!! Yes and no. Having a tired, whiney baby is easier said than done. It can be very draining!

So I fed him, and put him to bed. As soon as he hit the crib mattress he lost it! Screaming. Once I left the room, he was quiet for a few minutes, and then again he lost it! Maybe he's just overtired, but I hate hearing him scream like that. Generally, what I do when Eli does this is I'll take a shower and take my sweet time 10-15 minutes. Usually when I get out all is quiet.

Our little boy has so much energy and is just always on the go that he still takes 2 naps a day (usually about 1.5-2 hours per nap) and he sleeps between 11-12.5 hours a night! That is insane that he still sleeping that much at 10 months! I'm not complaining though!

My doula course is starting to get more exciting! I've finished my first first module, which was all about communication. And now I'm working on my first assignment. Its basically going over my labor and delivery using a specific format provided for me. I've learned alot about my feelings, and looking back on my very long and complicated labor and delivery has been really good! I think I'm going to start diving into my physiology of birth textbook and get going with it! Its easy right now because Andy is studying in the evenings, so it gives me time to focus on my stuff! Depending on how I'm feeling things are going, I'd like to start looking for births to attend. I need 2 for my certification, and I guess if I have them booked I'll be more driven to continue on with my training. I think I'll make a flyer up and put it in the health centre here in the park, boards in libraries, maybe some coffee shops, etc. I could also put an add on Kijiji. People always want free services! Cross my fingers at least! Any suggestions or comments please let me know! I'd love to hear them!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Eli's new friend Finnley

We had a great day today! Andy's cousin and his wife came over to help do a bit of work around the house. Josh & Jasmine brought over their baby Finnley. So while the boys did some work we went for a walk to Starbucks and then came home and sat in the front yard just chatting. Eli & Finnley were content to just hang out with each other and us!

Later once Eli & Finnley were both napping, Jasmine and I went and did a bit of shopping. However I didn't buy a thing it was nice to get out.

Once we got back we hung out for a little while to just watch Finnley and Eli play for a bit while we supervised, then we decided to go get some booster juice and head out to the park for a walk. I think Eli was more infatuated with Finnley than Finnley was with Eli, however it was still very cute!

Eli was so in love with Finnley. He couldn't get enough of him! It was the most adorable thing ever! Eli would giggle with delight anytime he got close to Finnley! So here are some pictures from our day out!

Oh and did I mention that Josh & Jasmines baby Finnley is their 74 pound Irish wolfhound puppy?



Friday, March 26, 2010

Lets Fly Away

My parents, and Katherine as well as a huge group from their church are off to Mexico today to build a church! They did this last year and the stories & pictures they came back with were amazing! It was very neat to see pictures of them all working so hard. They build a home (which really was a glorified shack) and the family was so thankful. They put in a sink and they have running water, and if I remember correctly they bouht them an outhouse for their home too! The family was so grateful and to think of what they had, but that was enough!

Off my family goes this morning to LA and then they make the drive into Mexico! Please pray for their continued safety, aswell that God would have his hand upon their trip and what happens as they work with the Mexican families to build a church!

So as their off to mexico, my mother in law is taking in a difference experience in the Dominican Republic. Her and her girlfriend left Wednesday morning for an all inclusive trip. She has never been on a trip like this, or to a hot destination like the Dominican! She e-mailed me and said she was glad I convinced her to go.

With my parents gone to a warm place (although for work not vacation.) and my mother in law enjoying the sun, food, and the ocean (which is needs big time to relax and not worry about anything!!) I'm thinking that Andy and I need to get away! Once he's done school we'll find somewhere to get away for 3 or 4 days. It wont be mexico or dominican but we'll make it special for us!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Pet Peeves

Just recently, I've realized that as a newer mom I have alot more pet peeves than I did before, or maybe I just realize them now!
These are just a few:

  • When people park in the parent parking and they don't have children - Most of the time I'm tempted to leave a note or say something, I think its so rude and inconsiderate
  • Often times when I'm out in public by myself or with a girlfriend I get the feeling that people automatically assume just because I'm a young mom it means that I got myself pregnant and am a single mom
  • Strangers giving advice when you haven't asked, or they tell you how to do something when it comes to your child
  • When I call or e-mail someone and they dont make an effort to get back to me within a few days. Even if they have lots going on, just call and let me know that!
  • A messy kitchen, and a cluttered house - Since becoming a mom I cant stand having a messy house. I vacumn every 2nd day (if not everyday!) and do a load of dishes everytime there are just a few dishes in the sink. Cleaning for me is an outlet! Shhh dont tell anyone, I secretly love to clean!

Sounds in the night

Well last night we had an interesting sleep. I woke up at 3:30a.m and around 3:50a.m I heard a "Bang, bang, bang, bang!" Scared the heck out of me. It was outside, I didnt really think much of it. Then at 4:00a.m, I heard a loud ringing noise. Andy woke up and we got up trying to figure out where it was coming from. Not upstairs, not downstairs, it was closer to the back of the house. We went to the spare room which looks onto the back alley and there was a truck on fire! I grabbed the phone and called 911. Someone had already called it in,

Interestingly enough a few weeks the same truck that was on fire was involved in an accidnet in the back alley maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago, it was not a bad accident I didn't see any damage to either vehicles, but the young guy who owns the truck was freaking out, and dropping F bombs. Let me also mention there are alot of interesting characters that come in and out of that place, aswell as some interesting smells that come from over there when their outside smoking. If you know what I mean? So something just seems fishy to me. I think its arson. Weather its the guy who owns the truck who did it, or someone else. I'm thinking the banging I heard before was someone breaking the windows, or maybe it was the windows break due to the heat. I dont know.

The truck is gone this morning, which I'm a little disappointed about because I wanted to take a picture of it, but ohwell! It was also neat to watch the firefighters put out this fire. Gives me more and more respect for what my dad does everyday!

All I can say too is I'm very glad that the fire didn't spread because we could feel the heat from out upstairs window, and our place was only one door over!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What a day!

Well the morning started off really well! Eli didn't sleep in as late as I expected him to. 7:30a.m he got up. We were off to Heart to Heart (which is a lady's bible study I attend on Wednesdays) this morning and I really didnt want to go once I saw more snow outside, but since we were supposed to help with childcare and snack I couldn't bail. Off we went!

I love seeing how well Eli plays with other kids and how content he is in a setting where other people are taking care of him. I considered going into one of the older classrooms so that I wouldn't be around Eli all morning in case he decided he might be needy just because I was there. My boy needy!? No way! Never! He had a great time playing and hanging out. All the new and different toys are so much fun!

Generally, after Heart 2 Heart is over Eli is tired and ready for a nap. I sing all the way home to him (a whole 10 minutes, if that!) to keep him awake and when we get home he has a bottle and into bed for a good 2 hours. Its an easy morning and I love it! Well today, not so much. Eli was down for 30 minutes (not even!) and he woke up screaming. He refused to go back down. He refused lunch. He refused to sit on my lap, and he refused to play on the floor! So frustrating!

Finally he is down for what is usually his 2nd nap of the day, but this is only his first one! We'll see how long it lasts! I'm sitting down with a cup of tea ready to relax... is it the end of the day yet!?

Exciting news!! Andy's EI has come through. Again, what a blessing. We were saying Andy should just continue on with as much school as possible, because I think we have more money now (without either of us working!!!) than when we were both working! How does that work!? God is good, thats all I can say!

This past week after a fun drive home with me bouncing around in the front seat dancing to Tick Tock by Kesha (while Andy was driving!) my dear husband encouraged me to find a dance class to get inovolved with. I told him I dont want to get involved in a dance studio that competes, and most of them in Sherwood Park do just that. I also informed him that "I dont know how to dance!"  "Yeah right!" He said, "I dont! I only know how to do Nat hip hop, not the other hip hop!" For those of you who dont know. I used to be involved in a dance/drama group with my church. We did alot of hip hop, and our leaders of our group (Jeff & Nat!) also did the choreography. The style of hip hop that Nat does is incredible, and it just clicks with me. Nat can move like no woman I've ever seen! Her choreography is wicked, and she has won awards even!! Her dance studio is always busy, and she is an incredible teacher . . . However going to other hip hop classes, I find it a bit more chanellenging. So we could say that I find Nat Hop, much easier than hip hop. I hope you find that amusing.

3 or 4 months ago I tried a Salsa Babies class, and at this particular studio they also offer "Fit Hop." A hip hop class for adults. Maybe it was just because its not called hip hop, but fit hop that I decided it was the one for me! I signed up and start in 3 or 4 weeks! I'm pretty excited about it! Its through a dance studio called J'adore in Edmonton! Should be a great time!

Anyways, I suppose I should go and do some reading for my course. Here are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy!


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Good Morning Pictures

Here are a few pictures that I took of Eli first thing this morning once he had woken up.


Our little boy obviously likes his soothers!

Look at those top teeth!!

Sleep on a Tuesday morning

I forgot what it was like to wake up on my own! Its 8:45a.m, and Eli is still asleep. Not bad for a baby who went to bed at 7:15P.M! Could you imagine sleeping that long? Eli is an incredible sleeper. I was talking to other moms who have baby's the same age as Eli and I was asking them about their babys sleep pattern. Most of them are still getting up once or even twice in a night! We put Eli to bed and he sleeps until the morning. I might hear him in the night but I never need to go into his room!! Sleep training is what I attribute it to. Dr.Ferbers sleep training. Incredible!

Anyway, usually I try and stay in bed as long as I possibly can before I have to go in and get the little guy. When he's up and awake he's ready to play for the day! Most mornings I go in to get him and he's standing up in his crib bouncing on his mattress! But this morning I woke up on my own, without a chatty baby. I got up made a bottle for him, made some tea for me, had breakfast. How nice!

I went in 15 minutes ago and he was still sound asleep. Why wake a sleeping baby? Well it might make his schedule be completely off today, but so what! I just heard him now, I love those little chatty noises in the morning... well lets be completely honest most mornings I do!

Tuesdays are a good day for us, Eli & I go to Parent Link here in the Park and hang out with other moms and baby's. They always different activities set up to do. Last week we did hand and foot prints, as well as finger paint... you can imagine how messy of an experience that was, but it sure was cute. Andy and I have an appointment to go to this afternoon, so my mom is going to come over for an hour  to hang out with Eli while we're out. Tuesdays Andy is also off school around 11:00a.m which is nice to have him home a bit earlier!

Hope you all have a great day, I better go up and get the little critter. He's probably hungry after a long sleep like that!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Snow what!?



This is what most of you woke up to this morning! I got up, opened my blinds looking forward to a nice beautiful, sunny day and this is what I saw! What!? A bit shocked I'm not going to lie. I was hoping to walk to the swimming pool to take Eli swimming. Didn't happend! Obviously, some of the snow has melted already in this picture, but I suppose we really shouldn't be surprised when this happens on only the 3rd day of spring!

Eli & I had a busy morning, so he didn't go down for his nap until 11:45a.m, when he usually goes down around 10:00a.m! We'll see how long he naps for! I love it when he knows all he wants to do is sleep. I feed him, place him in the crib and he rolls over and thats that!

So I dont know if I mentioned to any of you before but I have started my Doula Courses! I'm pretty excited, however finding time to do it is hard. I tell myself that in the evening I'll sit down and do some work but then the evening comes and all I want to do is relax and spend some time with Andy! However, that being said my text books finally arrived today! 6 books in total! I'm crossing my fingers that having actual books (and not having to do all my reading on the computer) well help me become more motivated! Let me tell you though, there are some very different things that I've already learned about when it comes to giving birth, aftercare, etc. Very interesting! For those of you who dont know what a doula is, it is a birth coach. I'm taking a birth & postpartum doula course, aswell as a breastfeeding counsellor course.

Also, I dont think I've updated on Eli's health lately. We switched his formula to Soy and we've seen such a difference! Maybe it was just a fluke with the timing but he is doing great! He still has a dry cough but I think its the season! I'm so thankful that he is feeling better! A sick baby is not fun!

Finally, Andy and I are considering taking a trip to Vegas for 3 or 4 days at the end of April beginning of June. We've never been, and have always wanted to go. Andy's mom has offered to take Eli so why not take the opportunity and get a last minute deal? But Andy pointed something out, what do we do in Vegas? Shop, see shows, but those cost money which we wont have alot of! If any of you have been and have any suggestions of inexpensive, fun things to do in Vegas I'd love to hear them! Let me know!! Thanks!!
Have a great afternoon!!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Just Walk Across the Room


We're reading a book at Heart 2 Heart called "Just Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybells. I read the first chapter a few nights ago, and was moved. Its basically about being obedient to God when he puts that whisper in your ear or a feeling in your heart. The first chapter talked about a man Bill met and how this mans life was changed by someone who walked across the room at a work meeting/party and introduced himself, and built a relationship with him. The 2 strangers became friends quickly, and both lives were changed. A muslim man became a Christian all because one man decided to walk across the room and introduce himself. How would their lives have been different if this man decided to not walk across the room.

A few years back when I was at a youth church service one friday night I looked around the room and saw 2 young men (maybe a few years older than me) and I felt the push of God to go over and speak to them. I ignored it, as this was a time in life that I told myself that chances are it was just me in my head thinking that I wanted to meet them. I continued to feel the push that I was supposed to go over and meet them, but also continued to ignore it. That night I didn't go and introduce myself to them.

 A few months later I ended up becoming friends with one of them. Jimi was his name. He had a friend named Andy whom he always talked about. About a year or maybe more after Jimi and I had become friends I met his friend Andy, and we clicked. It just turns out that Jimi and Andy were the 2 young men that I felt I was supposed to go and talk to. I was supposed to "walk across the room" and meet them. I wasn't obedient though.

Oddly enough, 8 years later I ended up marrying Andy, the man I was supposed to walk across the room and meet. Some days I wonder if it was still me thinking about how I wanted to meet these 2 guys. I also wonder though what heartache I could have saved myself or how would my choices and experiences have been different if I had listened. Would I have entered other relationships, and made decision in my life that I might regret? I find it interesting. How often do we have those "feelings" that I should go talk to that girl, or introduce myself to that couple and we ignore it? Whats the worst that could happen if we just "walk across the room" and take a chance.

 Also we watched a video on Wednesday morning that just completely moved me. Its a modern day story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. For any of you who dont know the story, Jesus met a woman at the well outside of town and she was a prostitute. Watch the video, as this is a modern interpretation. It brought tears to my eyes.
Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q49BbfgJbto

Fun filled Saturday!

Well, now that Eli is pulling himself up on anything and everything we thought we should get him a new toy to encourage him to walk! I know, what are we thinking!? I dont know!

So this morning I want off to Sherwood Park Pentecostal Church where they were having a used toy/baby stuff sale. I love these sales! You can get some great deals on new toys, clothes, etc. However today I didnt find what I was looking for! I went with $40 in my pocket and ready to spend some money. I made 4 or 5 laps through the room and tried to find something to at least buy and I couldn't find anything! Nuts!

Off to Superstore I went and found what I was looking for. Only $20! Not bad. So I got it, and a package of diapers and homeward bound I went. Eli was excited to see the box, and when Andy pulled it out and started putting it together Eli wanted to be hands on too! Here are a few pictures to capture the moments!

Finally his new toy is ready! Now how does this thing work!?
Couldn't be more proud. I had to put this one in. He was tired, and obviously not happy because he couldn't have what he wanted... Andy's beer bottle. Ya, I dont think so Eli.

What a proud mom I am! Yes because of these pictures, but because of something Eli learned to do tonight! I bought him a new sippy cup. One with a straw and for the life of him he couldn't figure out that he had to suck on it in order for water to come out. Larissa encouraged me to be persistant and keep trying, as Ivy had figured out in just a few tries. Larissa also reminded me that I had googled how to teach a baby to suck on a straw, and to keep trying. So tonight I did. I put a bit of water in the straw and put the end in his mouth and took my finger off the end so the water would come out. Sure enough he slurped it up. So I put the right end in his mouth, and nothing. He wouldn't suck, nothing. After 3 or 4 tries he figured it out!! I couldn't believe it! Funny how the smallest things in our kids lives are the biggest deals. Like learning how to suck on a straw. Oh the joys of parenting!!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Sympathy

I learned something today. It was an interesting afternoon.

I went out with my girlfriend Larissa, and her daughter Ivy who is a month older than Eli. We always say Eli is Ivy's boyfriend. They get along great! We put Eli's carseat into Larissa's SUV and off we went. Ivy and Eli's carseats are right side by side, and we noticed that after a few minutes of driving Eli was reaching over to touch Ivy. Then Eli passed his favorite toy (which is a little cell phone that rings and plays songs) over to Ivy, and she reached over and gently took it from his hand! He was sharing! It was the most beautiful thing ever!

On our way home after a few errands we thought the babies would just fall asleep. Boy were we wrong. Little Ivy was so tired, and Eli was tired but content. Anytime Eli would start to babble or make a happy noise Ivy would loose it. She would scream! Then she would calm down and be almost asleep. Eli makes a noise or even would reach over and touch her blanket and she would loose it again, and start crying. It was so cute and funny... at first. Its like Eli was doing it just to get a rise out of her! This went on ohhh 4 or 5 times, and then it happened. This is where I learned that its true baby's really are sympathetic to one another. Ivy was screaming, and then out of no where Eli lost it! He was screaming along with her. Both of them at the top of their lungs. They'd calm down (meanwhile Larissa and I are singing the ABC's to try and calm them down) and then one would start crying and the other would join in! We were almost home, when something else happened. Eli was crying so hard he started the whole coughing fit, and then Larissa says to me, "Uh, he just puked." Eli was crying so much he threw up!

We pulled over, I got him out of his carseat and he was a happy camper. Once he was back in the carseat they started crying again. Once I finally got Eli home he was as happy as he could be! I dont know what the deal was, and I cant actually tell you what was wrong. But all I can tell you is that the look Eli was giving Ivy when he was crying was that he looked really sad!

Here's a picture of them playing. This was a month or so ago! Its incredible how fast babys change!



Also I should mention something else Eli has started doing. Anytime we say no to Eli he will look at us and then look away and shake his head in a no motion. He did it yesterday when I told him not to touch Andy's PS3. Eli looked at me, looked away, shook his head, and then continued touching the PS3. He does the same thing in the bathtub. He tries to stand up, we tell him no and to sit down, he shakes his head no. Its incredible how fast they pick up on something. Totally cute, but I think it could become something more. Possibly him and his strong willed personality coming out. Oh boy . . . and so it begins!

Incredible

Okay, so I'm a little overhwelmed! If you've been following you'll know that Andy is in school, and still has 5 weeks left! A girlfriend told me about some governemtn funding for apprentices which is different than the grants they can receive. I picked up the application and filled it out. Let me tell you though this application isn't one little page. It was 8 pages that I had to fill out aswell as provide documentation of our bills, spending, etc. Generally they say it takes 6-8 weeks to process. My girlfriend told me that they just received they're cheque and her husband had just finished school. So 8 weeks it took for their application to be processed. The day I picked up our application was Andy's first day of school. It took me a week to get all of our stuff together and get it mailed off. They should've recieved it a week and a half ago. In the application it says they will send a letter out saying wether you qualify or not and then if you do a cheque will be sent out!

Heres the INCREDIBLE part! We received our cheque in the mail today! An application that was supposed to take 8 weeks to process once it gets there, took less than 3 weeks for me to fill it out, send it off, and a cheque get returned! Can I say God is good!? And let me say this cheque will make our lives so much each easier over the next few weeks as we're still waiting for Andy's EI to come together. It should be any day now!

God is so faithful and good! I cannot believe it!! I guess it really is true when God says that he will provide for the birds so how could he not provide for us? I'm overwhelmed with out blessed we are! We can pay our bills!

PMC

PMC = Permanent Make up.

Which is what I did yesterday. Okay, dont think I'm crazy or totally vain just yet. I have a girlfriend who knows someone who was taking her training. She is finished her training but wanted to sit down with her instructor to go over a few things and they needed a model. So they used me! If you dont know what PMC consists of its basically a tattoo on your face. I had eyeliner and lip liner done. They cool the area down to numb it and then they apply a topical anesthetic to the area and off they go. Umm yeah ouch. But I said I'd do it so I toughed it out. We did my eyes first and when I was done I sat up to look in the mirror and my eyes were swollen like no ones business.Its like after you've cried for a whole week and your eyes are swollen and sore, thats what it felt like after. Next we did my lips. Just a soft line around the edges of my lips and that was that. I was prepared for my lips to hurt more (because theres more nerve endings!) but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Certain areas hurt more than others. The healing process for PMC is the same as any tattoo, it will scab and then the scab will fall away, and so the top layer of color will aswell. Right now my lip liner looks really bright, pretty much like a clown (if I'm not wearing lipstick/gloss) but once it heals it will be very subtle which is what I want.

People generally pay close to $500 for each service! Can you believe that!! I cant! At any rate, I'll post a picture once its healed, for the time being you'll have to wait in suspense while I wait for my swollen eyes to go down. Yes, I know... its my own fault, I can just hear my mom saying that! ;-)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

God is Good!

God is good!
Thats all I can! My heart feels overwhelmed with how blessed we are! Most of you know that Andy is going to school right now which means that both of us are on EI. If anyone if you have been on EI before you know that you only get a portion of what you were making previously. We've been stressed about money (what else is new, right?) and we had been saving up so we'd have enough money to pay our mortgage. Here's a bit of a story for you. Last year this time was pretty stressfull. We had just bought a home, expecting a baby, and taxes! We did our taxes through H&R block and hated every moment of it. We felt ripped off walking out paying $180 for both of our simple little taxes, and finding out that we owed $700.00 because Andy's company didn't tax him enough throughout the previous year. Well we got through it, paid it off and were done with that. Tax season rolled around this year and we didn't know who to go to as we had no intentions of going back to H&R block, worst experience ever! My best friends sister offered to do them as she is an accountant and gave us a great deal! So she did them for us, is was easy and simple! It felt so good, and this year instead of owing money we were getting close to $500 back! Yes! Well thats when our notice of assesment came in the mail from the previous year and we owed another $300! WHAT!? Well get this, the lady at H&R block had missed one of the T4's and we now owed more money. We called and told her, and were refunded our $90 as well as the interested that had added up throughout last year. Yes we were frustrated that we still owe $300 but we got over $100 back! Interesting!

SO taxes this year. We found out we were getting $500 back, but then yesterday I saw the add about the first time home buyers grant, I e-mailed Tiez right away and she got back to me saying that yes we do qualify and our new amount we get back is over $1000!! What a blessing! How cool is that, right? I cant believe it!

In these stressfull times of not knowing if we're going to have enough money (meanwhile Andy's EI still hasn't come through yet!!) we have money coming from places that we never expected, and really it shouldn't have worked out so well! God is good! I'm so overwhelmed with how blessed we truly are!

God has been so faithful throughout the year, and in times where we didnt know where we're going to get our next paycheck from the money has showed up! Awesome!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Family Pictures!




This morning we went back to Victory Church. I really like it there. Its hard though because they're not as established as other chuches. I really enjoy the worship, reminds me of what I'm used to. Its comfortable. They are definitly a growing and thriving church, and it is very clear they are willing to do what God is calling them to do. They are in the middle of renovations, and once their dones its going to be a beautiful church. Andy and I said that we wouldnt make a church our home church without a nursery. They do have a nursery but when you need it they'll staff it. Which is fine, but I feel like I'm inconveniencing someone. So generally either Andy or I has to take Eli out of the service half way through, so each week one of us misses the sermon. We're going to go back though and continue checking it out I think for the next while. Our good family friends the Marten's Family attend there too so its nice to have some familiar faces! Tod has been taking family pictures for the church directory and he suggested to me this past week that if we come he can take a few family pictures for us. They dont have to go in the directory since we're not commited to going, but he said he could e-mail them to me! The pictures above were the best ones that turned out. Eli doesn't look too impressed but I think he is too cute, smile or no smile!

Thanks so much Tod for taking these pictures! They are awesome! We love them!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Outcome

Well my brother in laws trial ended this week. The outcome of the trial is this: Acquitted of manslaughter, and negligence causing death. Both John and Lisa will be charged with negligence causing death. There will be jail time for them, however Johns laywer thinks that there may be a possibility it might only be for 6 months or so.

I need to watch what I say when it comes to this topic. I do have very strong feelings. And although Andy doesn't want to be involved much when it comes to the trial and doesn't want to know whats going on he said to me last night, "I'm one neice short because of their negligence." I feel the same way. I agree that acquitting the manslaughter charge is fair and I respect the Judge's decision, however criminal negligence causing death I feel is something that they should be charged with. John & Lisa's direct actions (or lack of actions) caused a little girl to not have a chance at having a life. Its sad, and what has happened has happened.

Now we wait until next Friday to find out their jail time. Either way, it is a sad outcome in my opinion.

Friday, March 12, 2010

A good day!

Its been a good week. Andy figured out the mystery of Eli's swollen foot and leg. Do you remember me mentioning how Eli had pulled the oil candle off and spilled it everywhere? Well we're thinking some must have gotten onto him and I didnt realize it. I feel totally bad, but what can you do, right? Its going down and isn't as swollen which is good. He's not bothered by it so I'm assuming he's fine!

Today I went out for breakfast with my aunt. We did a bit of shopping after (however I didn't spend any money... we're living off of EI here!!) but it was nice to get out and see her!! I love seeing my family members interact and plat with Eli!

Then this afternoon (after Eli decided he was not going to nap.) Mom and I went to the Mom, Pop & Tots fair. Got lots of free stuff, including a whole ton of formula, some which is soy. I'm hoping that by slowly switching him over we might fix the congestion issue he's having. I'll try anything at this point!

It was nice to be out and about, and it just so happened that as we were about to get tickets 1) we ran into a friend of my moms who is the organizer of the show, as well as the womans show, ski & snowboard show, etc. and she was going to get us in for free and 2) then we had a lady walk up to us and ask if we had tickets, we didn't and she handed us 2!! I guess it was really meant to be that we weren't supposed to pay to get in! Even little things like those are huge blessings!! Not having to pay the $8 to get in.

Oh and guess what I've caught Eli doing! While we're driving I've noticed that any vehicle who pulls up beside us he makes eyes at! And if the person gives him any attention he loves it! He smiles, and giggles, makes silly faces! He did that a few times yesterday and today!! How funny is that!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Whats next?

We've decided to put Eli down later, instead of his regular 6:30 bedtime. Last night we put him down around 7:30, and he went down super easy. Andy and I went to bed at 9:45P.M, and thats when Eli woke up. Very unhappy I might add. We let him cry and finally I went in and tried to calm him. He wasn't planning on calming down. So we got up until 10:30. He'd be fine for a moment and then just start screaming! It would seem to us he was in pain. Quiet one moment, and then screeching. We gave him some advil and when it finally kicked it, we put him back to bed. He fell asleep with no issues.

We assumed it was his teeth. He was knawing on his soother like crazy, especially on the sides if his gums. He has 4 teeth. 2 top and 2 bottom both in the centre. I dont think anymore are due for a bit but stranger things have happened.

He slept great till 7:30a.m, and he was ready to get up. I got him out of his crib, pulled off his sleep sack, changed his diaper and got him dressed. I noticed though that he kept pulling his right leg away from my hand, and would scream anytime I touched it. By the way, I hadn't turned the light on in his room yet so it was kind of dark. Well I brought him downstairs, and this is what I noticed:


It looks and feels like a burn to me, but the other foot doesnt have it! Its really warm too, and goes up his ankle and is also raised up a bit like a rash. Then I noticed he has a rash on the back of his neck. I know a nurse at my bible study and we were headed there this morning. I showed her, and we check the rest of his body out. Low and behold another rash, this one bigger and ons his tummy. She wasn't too sure what to make of it. It doesn't seem to be bothering him today, but I'm wondering if thats what his issue was last night? We're going to wait it out until this evening and if it hasn't gone down at all, I'll take him in.

Poor little guy . . . uh and if anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let me know!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Dr results

So we went to the doctor this afternoon. It was a waste of time. He said he is still wheezing, but since the swab they took came back normal for just a regular viral infection he said to keep waiting it out. Even though its been 5 weeks? He said yes. Wait 3 more weeks, if he is still wheezing then we'll give him a puffer for a few weeks, not neccisarily to treat asthma just to calm down the wheezing and chest congestion. So frustrating! Like I said it was a waste of my time, and we still have a sick baby who can't breath properly. I dont mean to sound negative, its just extremely frustrating. Its hard for us, and I know Eli is frustrated too!

I guess we'll just have to wait 3 weeks, and see what happens. Until then . . .

Days like today . . .

Days like today make me realize why I'm not even close to thinking about having another baby. Here is how our day started.

4:50a.m - Eli wakes up screaming, go in, change his diaper, he eats 2 oz and refuses anymore
5:00a.m- Put him back in crib, screaming
5:15a.m- Stil screaming, we go in and try to console him, try feeding him more, he refuses
back in crib, still screaming
5:30a.m- Go in again, try to console him, continues to scream. He wants to get up.
5:35a.m - Andy has to get ready for school, I go take a shower so I can't hear Eli screaming
5:50a.m- Get out of the shower, and I can hear Eli trying to catch his breath from crying
6:00a.m- I go back to bed

7:30a.m- Eli is awake, and ready to get up. I dont get out of bed until 8:00a.m . I feed him and he starts playing, I check my e-mail.

Well I hear him playing and look over, he's pulled our oil candle off the side table and has dumped the oil all over the floor. Nice. I take it away, he gets mad, and wants to continue playing with it. I feed him breakfast, and tidy up. He plays, and I catch him in the bathroom. Apparently, Andy left the lid open on the toilet seat and Eli is playing in the toilet.

Its 10:00 a.m, Eli's regular nap time and he refused the bottle, and he's upstairs crying in the crib. This is very unlike Eli. He rarely cries himself to sleep however the past few days its become the norm. Days like today make me realize why we may only have one child.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Back to the Dr


Eli's bronchialitis swab results came back. Nothing out of the ordinary. So we're back to the dr. tomorrow, to try and figure this out.


I called my aunt tonight to ask her about her experience with my cousin. He had asthma at a young age, and it was a long road to get to the bottom of it. She suggested that if the dr. hears wheezing in his chest tomorrow but just wants to put him on antibiotics, to request an X ray of his chest, aswell as a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist and an asthma specialist. There is a possibility that it could just be allergies but I really dont think so. The whole thing with Eli constantly breathing out of his mouth, I think theres a bigger issue. I'm thankful though that I called the dr office today and they're getting us in tomorrow afternoon.


Eli's been waking up quite a bit lately. I dont know if its a 9 month growth spirt but he wakes up around 4-5 a.m and wants to eat. Generally I just have to feed him and he goes back to sleep. Hopefully we wont have to go through the sleep training again. I think there is a 9 month growth spirt so we'll wait it out for another week or so and see what happens!


Andy and I are already talking about our little guys 1st birthday! Only 3 months away!! So exciting! I cant wait to take that picture of our little baby in his diaper, sitting in his highchair just eating his heart out of birthday cake!! This year has been very busy full of milestones! Andy's thinking that Eli will be walking by his first birthday! We'll see!! All I know is we have a little monkey on our hands!


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my neighbor, Amanda! Thank you so much for keeping us up for a large chunk of the night!

Yes, yesterday was our neighbors birthday. We dont usually have any issues with them. They're in their mid to late 20's, and seem like nice people. Last night though my blood was boiling! It was Amanda's birthday and they had people over. No big deal right? No, except for the fact that they stood outside their front door for most of the night partying, and their door just happens to line up perfectly with our bedroom. We ended up going to bed at 11:00 in the spare room which wasn't much quieter. We fell asleep until 1:30a.m. I woke up and Andy was no where to be found. He came downstairs to ask them to maybe quiet down a bit since our bedroom is right by their door. Well I dont know if it was our neighbor that ran her mouth off at us, or if it was her girlfriend but something was mentioned about a birthday once and year, and then she called Andy a few names. Nice.

I thought about calling the police but I thought for sure they'd know it was us, and we have to deal with them for the next however many years. More than anything I wanted to call the police because they were all so drunk that none of them should've been driving. Around 2:00a.m, after Andy asked them to quiet down, and after they decided to sing happy birthday at the top of their lungs multiple times finally the noise stopped. I peeked out the window, and sure enough half the vehicles were gone. And come this morning all of the vehicles that I didnt recognize were gone. I'm mad at myself for not calling the police to let them know that these people potentially could be a danger on the road.

There is only one way to describe how infuriated I was last night though laying in bed hearing them yell and laugh and sing happy birthday! My blood was boiling. Here we are trying to fall asleep, and we have a baby who is waking up earlier and earlier these days! I dont think I've mentioned that before. Eli has decided that every morning he is going to wake up earlier by oh 10-15 minutes or so. Yesterday it was 6:30a.m, well this morning it was 5:00a.m! That doesn't fly with me, so I fed him, Andy changed his diaper and Eli decided he was okay with going back to sleep. I placed him in his crib, he rolled onto his tummy and was quiet.

So that was our great Saturday night! Luckily, Eli is a good sleeper, and napped for 2 hours this afternoon. We napped for an hour and a half, and then Andy let me continue sleep while he got up with the little critter. So nice!

Sunday are such a nice relaxing day around here. We had a late lunch of toasted tomato and bacon sandwiches, I have a chicken cooking in the oven for supper, and now Eli is down for another nap and we're just being quiet. So good!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Affects of the media

While I dont want to feed into the media or give them any power over my family's life, its hard to ignore whats happening.

Currently my brother in law Johnathan and his ex wife Lisa are up for trial in the death of their 16 month old daughter, Summer.

I remember the day that it happened. I was in home sense looking for a wedding gift for our friend and my cell phone rang. It was Andy, he was very upset and said "Summer's dead." "What!?" I said. "Summers dead, she's dead?!" I dropped the things in my hand and ran out of the store to my car. I didnt know what to do. I called my dad crying. I had so many questions but there weren't any answers yet. I drove over to Andy's moms house. Andy's mom was leaving right away to go to Calgary to be with John. I barely got a chance to talk to Andy before he left for Calgary as well.

At first it was said to be SIDS. A funeral was planned. Mom and I drove to Calgary the morning of. I've never seen a little person so beautiful as Summer was. That funeral was the hardest funeral I've ever been to. She looked so peaceful. I can only believe that little Summer is in heaven, and that God knew what he was doing in all of it. He always has a bigger plan.

Eventually, toxicology results came back and it was determined that Summer had ingested methadone. John cleaned her mouth out, but apparently not all of it, and she died.

Now 4 years after Summers death both John and Lisa are on trial for manslaughter, negligence causing death, and failure to provide the neccisities of life. While its heartbreaking that Summer is gone and it could've been prevented, I think its equally as sad that the trial is 4 years later!

The trial started on Monday and will last 2 weeks. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and now Thursday there has been one thing or another in the media about it. I'll be honest, I read the paper, watch the news, and sometimes I'am flabergasted at the things people do, and the stories that are in the papers and on t.v. And had this not been my brother in law I would've read this story and been disgusted at the information on the page.

However, now experiencing the affects of the media first handedly on my family it is really hard. It is so frustrating because 50% of the information in the articles are incorrect! I laid in bed last night my mind going over and over the stories I've read, and the things that I know that the public hasn't learned. I laid in bed thinking about my brother in law (whom I dont know well, and have only met 3 times.) who is in solitary confinment in jail. My heart aches for him.

I decided to write the reporter who has been following Johns trial. My heart pounded, and I wasn't sure if I should press send, but I felt that it was right. The reporter replied, and of course in a kind manner defended everything she has written, but I now view the papers and new broadcasts with a different mindset. I ask that you keep in mind that often times only 50% of the facts are true and correct. The article or story is extremely biased. And finally, there is a family as well as close friends who are attached to each and every story. For this story: "Dead Girls Father tells Police he 'loved her like a son.' And for this story:, "Father charged in tot's drug death drunk in court" the family that is affect is mine. My husband, my mother in law, my sister in law, and the list goes on. My family!

For the next week and a half my last name and brother in law will be mentioned in numerous articles. And while I'am not condoning his actions or what happened to little Summer I continue to remind myself that he has to live with his actions and decisions that he's made for the rest of his life. That cant be easy.

I'm at a loss when it comes to requesting prayer because I dont know what to pray for. I can tell you what I pray for each day as we go through this hard time. Spiritual protection, God's will in all of this. More than anything I strongly pray for my mother in law. I cannot imagine how painful it would be to watch your son go through such a painful time, and not being able to help. Those are the things I pray for. Your prayers would also be appreciated.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Eli's Dr. Appointment

Well we finally had Eli's dr's appointment. I thought it would never come. But today was the day! We got to the dr's office a few minutes late and I felt frazzled but the nurse was so nice and said to have a seat. We didnt have to wait more than 5 minutes before Dr.Radisic came in. He asked what was going on and I told him "I have a few concerns and if you could spend some extra time with us today I would really appreciate it." He sat back in his chair and let me explain the issues. Nose, cough, mouth, pulling at ears, etc. He listened to his chest. Wheezing. Same as at his 6 month check up. He said it could be bronchialitis which apparently is different than bronchitis. He said often times if there is noticiable wheezing more than once than it can be put off to asthma. He said his ears look good, no redness.

"Usually a cough like this can last 3 weeks so we'll see what happens." I told him that this is the third week now and it hasn't gotten any better. He suggested we could put him on antibiotics to clear up the congestion. I told him he was on antibiotics already for his ear infections, and could putting him on more create a super bug? "No." I told him that when I was younger I had to get my adenoids out and could that be an issue that runs in the family? "Yes it could be, so what I would like to do is send him for x rays of his nasal passages, and then swab him for bronchialitis." So we did the X rays, and the swab. Both Eli did not like!

Results! Finally a Dr who is willing to look more into the issue! Its about time! He said the x rays show congestion but it was a great x ray. I guess with baby's its hit and miss! His adenoids were slightly raised (so I'm assuming their a bit swollen) but not too bad. We'll wait to see what the swab results bring back. In the mean time he suggested using nasal spray, which we already do. He gave us some nasonex (big people spray!!) and we'll see what happens. If it doesn't get better I should put him on antibiotics and then if things dont improve from there we'll look into other options!

I feel relieved that a Dr has finally attempted to get to the bottom of this! My heart actually jumps for joy! Now we'll wait a few days to see what the swab results bring back!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Look what I came across . . .


Apparently, Eli is really getting the hang of this standing thing! I came into his room this morning and here he was standing waiting for me to get him! He also had pulled a few things off of his dresser into his crib! Doesn't he look proud!?


And I guess we won't be leaving the toilet lid up anymore. As I was cleaning the kitchen this morning Eli wandered into the bathroom that is just off the kitchen and I noticed it got very quiet. Usually he tips the garbage over and starts rummaging through the garbage, however today was a different story! This is what I found!