A little bit of everything . . .

I've been busy working around the house the past few days! Lot of laundry, cleaning, oranizing, etc. I love having a clean house, and sometimes just cant stop cleaning and organizing! I've come a long way from the wife I was when we first got married thats for sure! Andy always tells me how much better of a cook I am now than when we first got married.

I remember when we first got married, I made Andy an egg salad sandwich one night (while he was out!) for his lunch the next day! Off I went, working hard at this sandwich that I wanted to be perfect for my new husband. Well he got home, and I proudly told him that I had made his lunch, and what I had made him. Well, obviously I didnt know this before but he doesnt like egg salad sandwiches!!! We always laugh whenever the topic of egg salad sandwiches come up. Ohwell.

So since I've been going on a cleaning rampage lately (since this weekend!!) I just cant stop! My house looks awesome, especially our room! I'm loving it, and last night the 3 of us just hung out in our room playing. Eli loves playing with my pink carebear that Andy got me while we were dating! Boys are so funny... he just attacks the little carebear... rolling over it, biting, it, using his feet to grab it while he's laying on his back! But it was really nice to just hang out in our room while the rain was coming down outside. Thats what I wanted, was our bedroom to be a place where we could go to get away and relax. I still need one bedside table to finish it off, and then I think I'm done! I found one on kijiji, and I'd rather buy it there and save myself $30 some dollars than paying full price at Ikea.

Tonight we have Eli's shots. We put them off for a few weeks until he was better, and now the day is here! Just our luck, but I think Eli is getting sick again. It sounds like his nose is getting stuffy. Cross our fingers he isnt! He's been doing so well!

Theres a bit of an update for you. Tomorrow is Canada Day and Andy has to work but gets Friday off instead. Hopefully the weather is nice and we can get out to enjoy the day!!

Weekend

Okay, we're now private! If your reading you figured out how to get in. Good! Sorry that you have to sign in everytime, but for the safety of my family I decided I had to.

So we had one busy weekend! It was Eli's birthday party on Saturday, and I was busy from 8:30a.m, till 7:00P.M. It was honestly such a nice time! Everyone was there that we wanted there, and we felt so blessed! Eli was so happy and content, we barely saw him all day because he was such a social butterfly!

His latest thing is pointing. He points at everything!!

Doesn't taste too bad!

He barely ate or touched the cupcake. Andy smeared the icing on his face!

The 3 of us!

Eli loves his new picnic table!! What a special gift!

I love him!

Eli's latest thing... his feet! He cant get enough of them, especially in his mouth!

Yesterday I tackled the job of painting our bedroom.  I love painting! Once I get it all finished (decorating!!) Ill show you!!

Personality

The past couple of days have been really fun! Eli's little personality has just started to come out even more! Yesterday, Katherine came over and ran some errands with us. We weren't out long, just long enough to kill time in between Eli's naps. Perfect!

When we got home, Eli was so content just to crawl around and play. Kath and I sat down on the couch and Eli was watching us closely and noticed we were munching on something (spitz!) and he immediately wanted some. He came over to the couch and started reaching for our bowl. He kept trying and trying, standing on his tippy toes, stretching his arms as far as they could possibly go. With no success, he stood there just looking at us, pretending he was chewing on something. Open and closed his mouth would go, chewing like we were... except he had nothing in his mouth! It was the cutest thing!

After that, he discovered the laundry basket of nicely folded clothes. Once he climbed in, he needed to figure out how to get out. This took him a bit but he finally did. Once he was out, back in he went. He did this 6 or 7 times over. And at one point he flopped out of the basket, laid down on the floor with his hands above his head, smiled and let out a big sigh! It was the cutest thing I think he's done! We couldn't stop laughing

Its incredible how this little boy has brought so much joy to our lives!
But for now, I have to go upstairs and tell him to go to sleep. It was quiet up there for about 10 minutes and now he's rattling the bar on the crib. Have a good afternoon!!

Monday we're going Private!

So as of Monday my blog will be private. I've had a few people send me their email address, and I appreciate that! Thanks! You will have an email invitation to read my blog, and I think you'll have to sign in to read my blog. Sorry about that... kind of a pain once you get used to just coming onto the webpage.

If you would like to be invited to read my blog please leave your email address (if you havent already!!)

PRIVATE BLOG

With every blog that someone does they have the choice to make it a public or private blog. Originally I was excited because anyone could read my blog, however lately I've been considering making my blog private.

The biggest reason is because I have anywhere from 65-130 hits a day. I dont know who half of those people are. I've also had a number of people that I dont know reading my blog which is fine, however this morning as I was doing laundry I realized something... I've put our last names, first names, pictures, even our house number up in some pictures, as well as I've mentioned what city we live in. It would be pretty easy if someone wanted to track us down it scares me to think this!! but realistically there are some wierd people in our world! If someone really wanted to find us, it wouldn't be that difficult.

So what that being said... for those of you who want to continue reading my blog and following, I would love that BUT I need you to comment on the bottom or email me your email address so I can add it so that you have access to my blog. This is the only way you will be able to have any access to my blog, is if I allow it. If I dont have your email address and you dont let me know you'd like to continue reading, eventually once its switched over to private you wont have access!

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN A COMMENT BELOW, OR EMAIL ME AT: KARLAANDANDY@HOTMAIL.COM

Stood Up

I'm feeling pretty frustrated tonight. I have 1 client who is due August 18th, and another that has been in contact with me for months. Lets just say Im not sure if she is my client yet, as we havent met. I decided I'm not going to charge any of my clients for my 2 certifying births, but I have asked them to reimburse me for any costs that I have; gas, food, childcare, etc. This is something I'm already regretting. Even if I charged them only a fraction of the price, it still wouldn't be alot out of their pocket compared to what I could be charging. I also think that when people pay for something they cherish it and care more.

So lets talk about the first client. We've met, she's great. We were supposed to meet tonight for our second meeting to sign the contract, and go over a few things. This was a meeting she initiated, and requested. So we agreed on a date. Today, Second Cup @ 5:00. She confirmed this was great for her. So I arrived at second cup 15 minutes early to go over a few things. 5:10 rolls around. No sign of her, 5:20 rolls around, no sign of her. Finally, I left at 5:25... came home and emailed her and she had forgotten. So frustrating, because I was late for a family dinner with some special guests because of this meeting. Thats the one client. Part of me wonders if I was charging her a for sure amount would she have not forgotten because she would've cared more?

The next lady I've been in contact with for months. She was living in Fort Mac. We had discussed meeting while they were here house hunting, but she never contacted me. Its been difficult to arrange a time because she's been so busy, and we've never arranged a time. Well, now that she is here and moving in just a few days she would like to meet. Did I mention she's now 35 weeks? Full term pregnancy is 40 weeks, and this is her second pregnancy which generally is usually on time. Generally! I like to do 3 meetings with my clients before their birth. Finally after us emailing back and forth for months now I emailed her this week and said I'm feeling a little stressed with time because we have 3 meetings in 5 weeks, as well as I have to meet with another client next week! I asked her for her thoughts on the situation as I felt we werent going to have enough time. Well needless to say she wasn't happy with me after this email. She told me that her due date hasn't changed and now she needs to find another doula before her due date. I explained to her where I was coming from, and that I wanted to hear her thoughts on the situation. Basically it was chalked up to my fault. I told her we could still figure something out to make things work, and I'm willing to do that for her. Really, what I think it comes down to is yes the time crunch but also the fact that my services may cost her $100 (if that!) compared to $600-$1000 with another doula. She hasn't emailed me back.

I'm just feeling totally frustrated! Maybe if I had told people that they're going to be charged a specific amount instead of just covering expenses this might be working out better. I guess we'll wait and see what happens. I was able to get into reading my text books at second cup while I waited but not its the clients that I feel are not working out as I had hoped. Keep you posted as to what happens!
If you have any thoughts, or opinions I'd love to hear them!

How to leave a comment

So I think some of you know how to leave a comment, but others dont. Here's how.
At the bottom of the post you want to comment on, you click 0 comments. (Generally it says 0 comments, but it may say 1 or 2 comments.) It was bring up a box you can type in. Type your comment in there, and then follow the instructions below. If you dont have a google account thats fine, you can just leave your name. You dont have to have a google account in order to leave a comment, and you dont click "Sign In" on the top right hand corner of the blog. That "Sign In" is actually for me to sign into my own blog.

Hope that helps, and you all start leaving me more comments about your thoughts and opions!!

Kitchen Pictures

Arent these the cutest jammies?!

Last night around midnight I woke up to Eli crying. Not just whimpering, but full out crying, that eventually turned to screaming. Generally, Andy and I leave him if he wakes up at night (which usually never happens!!) But last night, once the crying turned to screaming I went in and got him. He was laying down crying. Part of me wonders if maybe he was crying in his sleep, and wasn't awake. Thats possible right?

So I picked him up, and brought him downstairs, he stopped crying pretty quickly and was very quiet. I didnt turn on any lights or say anything to him. I sat down in the rocking chair and he just quietly sat in my arms cuddling. We sat for probably 10 minutes just rocking. After that he started to squirm a bit, so I grabbed a diaper, changed him and took him back upstairs. I gave him a kiss and he pretty much leaned into the crib. I put him down, he rolled over, and the rest of the night was quiet until I woke him up around 8:15a.m. I'm finding if I let him sleep any later our nap schedule is off for the day.

I was so blessed by this midnight wake up. I know your probably thinking, "WHAT!?" Yes I was. I dont remember the last time he was willing to cuddle with me (except when he was sick and lethargic!!) so this quiet moment in the middle of the night was just so perfect. This morning waking up, I felt tired but almost recharged because of this time we spent together.

Okay, enough of that! Here are some pictures of our kitchen! I'm not too sure how I feel about the green, but we should be ordering our cabinets in a few weeks and until we have them up I think we'll leave it. I just have to say as well... I painted this whole kitchen by myself!! All of it. Andy helped a bit with taping after work, until we ran out of tape and I was on my own. I love to paint, so it wasn't a hard task for me to do!

So what do you think!?

Hello Kitchen

I worked hard today! On top of taking care of Eli, I painted our entire kitchen! Washing the walls, taping off, cutting in, and then finishing off with 2 coats of paint. My feet are sore none the less, but I feel like its a fresh start and our home is starting to become ours instead of the people who lived here before! Did I mention our new color is green?

We just have to order our cabinets and get them up, and our kitchen will be all ours just as we would like it! Im too tired to posted pictures tonight, but you'll see some soon! I promise!

A great Saturday!

Yesterday was a busy day for us!

In the A.M, we went and talked to a guy to figure out our cabinet situation in our Kitchen. It went so well, and I love what he was able to come up with for our little place! Its going to be so beautiful, and wouldnt you know it... the price was great! I guess thats the plus side of having a dad who knows a few people! ;-)

Then we went to our friends wedding yesterday afternoon! It was such a beautiful wedding. AND . . . Eli took his first steps all by himself! He just let go of Andy's hands and walked towards me! We couldnt believe it! Let the fun begin, once he figure it out, he'll be off!

We went to the reception in the evening and had a great time! Andy and I danced the night away, and we really enjoyed ourselves! We stat with a great group of people who are our age and got along awesome... we we spent a fair amount of time on the dancefloor with them. I love making a fool of myself on the dance floor. You have to not be worried about what everyone else is going to think or be afraid of making a fool of yourself. It was an awesome time and Im definitly feeling it this morning!

My mom took care of Eli last night, and I guess they just had an awesome time! That little boy had so much energy he just couldn't stop crawling up and down the hallway! He finally went to bed after tiring himself out around 9:30P.M, and wouldn't you know it he's still sleeping and its 9:45a.m!! Sleeping in felt so nice, and getting up on my own time. But I wonder how sleeping so last is going to affect his nap schedule. Hmmm. Regardless, it was a great day!

Today we're going to spend some time together and then this afternoon we'll go out to my parents place. Looking forward to it!

Preachy, Preachy...

We had such a nice night out! My sister and her boyfriend came over to babysit and it sounds like Eli had an awesome time! They're awesome with him, I had no worries walking out of the house!! So we went out for supper, headed to ikea to price out cabinets and then met up with our friends for drinks and an appetizer! It was such a nice evening, and I cant even tell you how much we needed to get out! It worked perfectly to meet up with our friends!!

Tonight as we were driving home we were listening to Jason Upton. He is a Christian singer, and his music is fairly acoustic. I love it. My sisters boyfriend actually had the opportunity to go out for supper with him but turned down the invitation to take care of his sick girlfriend! What a good guy! So anyways back to us driving home. One song that Jason Upton sings, really speaks to me. The lyrics are like this:

I lived my life for a while

Asking for signs to believe in

God played defense in my trial

Quietly hanging there bleeding

While I cast lots for his robe

While I point my bloody finger

He pays debts that I owe

He says "Father, forgive them"

I used to ask for a sign to believe in

But he never gave me a reason to ever doubt Him

Give me one reason to doubt He is Messiah

Give me one reason to doubt He is alive

Give me one reason to doubt I am the apple of His eye

These lyrics speak so strongly to me, because I feel like this is exactly how I feel! I live my life looking for signs from God, asking for him to prove himself. This song brought on another conversation between Andy and I. I love these talks we have that are so in depth. I asked him how he knows when God is speaking to him, and when its just his own thought pattern. He said, "I know its God talking to me because His thoughts and words are not my own. I know how I'm feeling, what or where my train of thought should be going, and often times when God talks to you its completely different."

For me, the last time God spoke to me was last weekend. Over the past year I've enjoyed being a mom but let me tell you its been freaking hard! I've sometimes felt sorry for myself because our lives and relationship has changed so much. At times wishing that we hadn't gotten pregnant. This was only a thought until one evening as I was journaling I wrote it down and I felt like it was a horrible thing to say but it was how I was feeling at the time. I believe I wrote it out in my journal for the first time last Friday night. I went to church on Sunday morning and during the worship I began to feel overwhelmed with the words and music, and then God said it, "I called Eli by name too." God said this in the bible in Isaiah 43:1- "Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." And in that moment I just started crying. Just as God had planned for my life on this earth, He also did so for Eli and He also knew that there was no one else better to be Eli's parents.

All I can do is take great comfort in this! The only way I can describe hearing the voice of God is exactly how my incredible husband described it. Its not how my thought pattern would be. And for me on Sunday morning at church I knew it was God speaking to me because in that moment where I felt overwhelmed by my surroundings and the worship (aswell as feeling sorry for myself for the past few days!) it just doesnt make sense that me (being oh so human!!) would think something like that! God is so faithful, and He continues to amaze me and want more of Him.

This conversation was the perfect way to end a perfect evening spent with my best friend!!

For the love of cinnimon

So Eli really loves cinnimon. I put it in his applesauce, sometimes in his yogurt, and today I even put it on some of his tofu that he had for lunch. I know what your thinking, "Eeew, tofu!!" Yup, I know, but he was quite content to eat it with the cinnimon, and its protein that he needs. Its easy, and they even have dessert tofu so it comes in different fruit flavors! He loved the mango/peace tofu yesterday!
Back to the cinnimon. I've decided to take Eli's clothes off when he eats because he makes such a mess, and I hate fighting over who gets to feed him. Mom or Eli. Eli wins, I give up! This is what happens though when Eli eats cinnimon, and it comes in contact with his skin.

It doesnt seem to bother him, so I'm not too worried about it! If he was in pain then I'd be concerned, but we just need to make sure we dont give him any cinnimon before we go out somewhere. It kind of looks like burns! All for the love of cinnimon!

Reno Bug, Sleep, and Supper... have I covered everything!?

I caught Eli stuck under his firetruck! Dont ask me how he even got under there!! All I heard was him grunting, and found him like this!

Do you like how his arm is hanging on the side of the window?!

Crabby Boy

Since last weekend and putting our new door and painting, I have the reno's bug in me! We're going on Saturday morning to talk to someone about our cabinets. We've been wanting to do our kitchen for the longest time, so now we're finally going to start to do it!

Today my dad is going to come over and we're going to take a trip to home depot. 1) to find a father's day present for andy, and 2) to look at paint for our kitchen. I want to start getting it ready for when we tear those cabinets down and get ready to paint!

And one thing I have to say as well! I'm loving how much sleep Im getting these days! Eli has been going to bed around 8:30ish these days, and he doesn't wake up until close to 8:00a.m, sometimes later! And no getting up in the middle of the night!! Im so lucky and blessed that he is such a good sleeper and napper!

Last night, my MIL (mother in law) and I went to Simply Suppers. A business that you go in make up your meals bring them home, pop them in the freezer and their ready for you when you want to cook them up! Incredible! This is the 2nd time I went, and the first time for my MIL, and they are a life saver! Honestly, I wish I had done them when Eli was a newborn! Would've made my life so much easier on the days when I didnt have time to shower let alone make supper! :-) For those of you reading that are in Edmonton or Sherwood Park check out the website!simplysupper.ca   Its on the southside of the city, and there is one in sherwood park but its waaay more expensive! We got 12 meals that are 2-3 servings for $170. I think its a great price, and so easy just to pull out of the freeze and make up!! Love, love, love it!! Check it out!

Jehovah's Witness - Part 2

So I had alot of feedback on my last post! 3 comments! Thats the most comments I've received on one post since I've started doing this! And all 3 comments were from people I dont know! Very exciting! The feedback I got was great, and I really appreciate it! Thank you to those who commented!

I had a conversation with a friend who grew up Jehovah's Witness, and is now a Christian. I asked her a few questions, and she cautioned me. I feel this is what I needed. For those of you who know me, I'am the type of person who is waaaaay to trusting and am a pushover! I've become a lot more cautious since having my own family, however when it comes to beliefs and "witnessing" sometimes I can get swept away! I often have to remind myself how Jesus didnt let people walk all over him (like I sometimes do!) When people were selling things in the temple, Jesus was the guy that overturned the tables, and told the people that the House of the Lord is not somewhere to sell things!

So anyways, back to the conversation I had. My friend said that she believes that Jehovah's Witness is a cult. She encouraged me to ask them to look at the resources I have regarding what I believe. They will never look at any other resources she said. They're not allowed to. She said to ask them about certain things in the bible, like speaking in tounges. They believe that speaking in tongues comes from Satan. I also asked her if I should invite them in or have this discussion at my door. She said spiritually to protect myself, and it may be best not to ask them in. I've decided that next time they come to my door I'm going to pray before (as I have been doing!) but more for spiritual protection and guidance, aswell as after they leave.

This morning as I was tidying up I tossed out the magazines. I felt very convicted that I even accepted them and considered looking through them. I have no need to. I took them outside and put them into the recycling bin as it gets picked up this morning. I dont want it in my house, and yesterday I felt God telling me not to accept it, but I didnt know how to tell them and still be "nice."

So now I wait and pray until they return to my door. I loved the feedback and comments from those of you who did comment!

ALSO!!! Anyone who is following who has a blog, I'd love to know about it! I love reading blogs, and hearing other peoples opinions! Please leave me your information!! Thanks again!!

Jehovah's Witness

Well, the Jehovah's Witnesses came by again today. Each time she asks me a question about what I think regarding certain things. Today she asked me if I think sin is important in our lives. I said absolutely, its what seperates us from God so it definitly is important and plays a role in our lives! She agreed. She then opened her bible and was going to read Romans 5:12,13 - Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— 13sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.

Back in April over the Easter weekend, they stopped by and I really felt like God was prompting me to grab my bible and read the verse in my bible while she was reading her bible. As far as I know, our bibles are different in some areas. So today I grabbed my bible, and opened up to Romans. She got me to read the verse, and Im not sure if their bibles said the same thing or what. Anyways, regardless she gave me their magazine and said I'd find it interesting. She was also going to give me in invitation to a Jehovah's Witness Conference happening at Rexall in July. I told her I didnt want to take it because I am a member of a church, and do have a relationship with Christ. She seemed taken back, but I did tell her she could stop by and visit sometime if she wanted to talk to me. Meanwhile in my head I'm thinking "Dont you see the no solicitor sign!?" Whatever. Regardless I felt good about how things went once they left. Maybe I should sit down and look through their magazine so I can find the differences in our beliefs and I can talk to them about what I believe and where their religon is different. Usually we just chuck them out without looking through them. Any thoughts as to what I should do!?

Terrible . . . 1's?!

So since Eli has turned 1, I've noticed he has developed quite the attitude. This morning for example, I sat down with my bowl of cereal and his favorite thing to do when I'm eating is to come and mooch my food off me. So I shared my corn flakes with him. One scoop for mommy, and one scoop for Eli. Well we finished the bowl of cereal and when I got up to put it in the sink he lost it. Just lost it. I showed him the bowl and said, "Eli its all gone. There's none left." He folded himself in half on the floor and started screaming even louder! I asked him if he wanted his own bowl of cereal (why do I bother to reason with a 1 year old!?) and put him in his highchair for a small bowl of cheerios. I scooped some into his mouth and for the second scoop he wanted to do it. I told him I needed to feed him the cereal, and again he lost it. Started pouting and pushed out the biggest tears!

He's been doing this often. If he doesn't want what he gets he has a fit! I usually just tell him that when he's finished he can come and get me, and I'll leave him to have his fit while I continue tidying up or doing the dishes, etc. He'll stop within a minute or two but man its frustrating!

And the latest thing he's been doing is crying once he's in the crib. Sunday night he he cried and cried and cired. We finally brought him downstairs. Last night he did it again. We tried to calm him and nope, but as soon as we brought him out of his room he was a happy camper! Manipulation, and we gave in!! For his nap this morning he did the same thing. However, there is a huge consistency in each time this is happening . . . he's extremely tired, maybe over tired?

All I can say is I'm not looking forward to the terrible two's, cause the 1's are not getting any easier!! :-)

Are you ready for this!?

We're off to Eli's 1 year appointment today. I actually completely forgot about it until I was vacuming this morning and thinking how we had nothing to do.. when it popped into my mind! Good thing I remembered! Its not like me to forget appointments!

When Eli went to bed last night he was not happy, and had no intentions of going to sleep. He screamed, and cried, so we brought him down and he was okay. But once he starts complaining the rule is he goes right back up to bed. He was not happy when he went back to bed the second time around, but he fell asleep eventually. He went to bed at 8:30, and this morning I didnt hear him unil 8:15! I was so happy!

Did I mention that on Sunday morning he slept in until after 9a.m!? He went to bed on Saturday night late, like after 10, but man sleeping in was sure nice!!

I went off to church yesterday morning while I left my boys to sleep. The sermon series that they're talking about right now is why the bible is the truth. The first sermon that was preached just pulled me in! It was so good. The pastor took certain things in the bible that God has said and showed the proof of the story and how it actually has played out in history. It was incredible! So yesterday he preached on how God will lead us to the right place, the right people, etc. Jesus didnt hang out with the perfect people, he hung out with the sinners. The tax collectors, prostitues, etc. Which is something I've been thinking about. The people who we hang out with, and spend our time with. I dont think its right as a Christian that I spend all my time with only other Christians and only Christians. Jesus didn't. But what if there is someone in my life that I dont agree with how their living their lives, or decisions their making for their family. Then what do I do? Continue to love them, but tell them how I feel and what I think?

Often times I feel frustrated because Christians get written off as crazy people, who are brain washed and the list can go on. One controversial subject thats been on my mind recently is being Gay & Christian.

A well known Christian singer Jennifer Knapp recently "came out of the closet" with her sexuality, and has also let it be known that she is in a same sex relationship. Larry King actually devoted a whole hour of his show to having her on, as well as 2 pastors. Personally, I think this interview just made Christians look even worse! The interview is in 4 parts and is on youtube if you'd like to watch it. I posted the first part on my facebook, and there was an array of replies with different opinions. Some people who weighed in were Christians and some were not. One person who did weigh in was Andy's aunt who is a Christian. I really appreciated her input and felt that she really had the place to weigh in because she is a lesbian, however she mentioned she is choosing not to be in a relationship. I really felt that if anyone was going to talk about the struggle of being gay she was the one to do it!

I suppose the biggest thing for me about this interview with Jennifer Knapp was that she made it seem like she doesn't see anything wrong with being gay. At the same time I think its important as Christians that we dont "throw the stone" at certain people in our society... weather thats gay people, murderers, etc. God is pretty clear that sin is sin. No sin is worse than another. Lust, lieing, stealing is equal to taking someones life, coveting, or being homosexual. And God calls us to love the sinner.  This all takes me back to the woman at the well, when Jesus met the woman there. The video is also on youtube, and its called Woman at the well.

So this post went from me talking to Eli's sleeping to Christians and decisions and the list goes on... but it is something that has been heavy on my heart. I want people to know in no way am I being judgemental of anyone this is just something thats been taking up alot of headspace lately!

Some pictures, here and there!

Eli's new firetruck from his friend Gemma! He just cant get enough of it!

Grandpa is giving Eli some chocolate pudding on his first birthday! Dont they both look happy?

"Mmmmm, so good!!"

Playing at the park. Not too sure what to think of this sand stuff.

X and O's!

"See you, later!"

Auntie Katherine shows him how it really works!

A Busy Productive Day!!

So we had one busy day today!! We were up at 7:00a.m, and got started on our work day by 8:15ish! It was a good day! We did alot, and still have alot to do!

Our task today was to put new doors in. Front and back. We decided that the trim around the windows could wait for paint! But I still got to paint.

My mother in law came over this morning as well as Andy's cousin, Josh. So helpful to have them both here! My MIL loves to help in any was possible, and we appreciate it more than words can express! Once Eli went down for his nap we went off to Home Hardware and picked out paint, and we actually came home with a complete different color than we had originally planned for. Which can sometimes be risky (especially since my husband said, "Pick whatever you want, but nothing too dark.") Well I did exactly what he said not to do. Something dark! And it looks great! Our front door looks awesome and its not even done! We're going to do the trim around the windows over the next few weeks (hopefully!) but thats a huge task itself!

So once the front door was pretty much done, and painted and put in, the boys got to work on the back door. Thats where the issues arose. They pulled the door and frame off, and the floor is rotting. Like to the point where you can see into the basement if you'd really like to! So they had to put the door back on, and we'll (actually not we'll, Andy!) will have to replace the floor. Have I mentioned I love having a handy husband around!? We havent stopped since first thing this morning and its 10:15P.M.

Eli was awesome today! So easy and happy, and he napped great! Almost too great. He just went down to bed a little while ago because he was so happy and just not tired!

Here are some pictures of our day! Oh and did I mention I burnt to a crisp!? Someone tell me why I didnt apply sunscreen to myself, when I put it on Eli!?

Naturopath

So today was our appointment for the naturopath. To be honest I wasnt looking forward to it because it was quite a drive for us. Eli did pretty good in the car, half an hour both ways. We got there 25 minutes early because I wasnt too sure how long it would take us to get there! At any rate it went well. Well for the most part!

When we arrived I had to fill out 3 sheets of information of the past information and such. There was a small toy box, and Eli got right into it, but since his latest thing is not playing with the toys but pushing the box (or whatever he can!!) around thats what he set out to do. Up and down the hallway. He was down right mad when I told him he couldn't go down the hallway any further, and he started loosing it! Temper tantrum. It was so embarassing! I fed him, gave him some crackers, all he wanted to do was push this stinkin' box around. So finally, I held him and we looked out the window and at one point he started loosing his cool again, and then it happened... he started hitting me! I Couldn't believe it! I was so embarrassed at this point that I was ready to walk out and burst into tears! So when he started hitting me (on my chest!) I gently calmed his hand and held it to my chest and said, "Please dont hit, Eli. That hurts mommy." At one point it was obvious that I either startled him or hurt his feelings and his face totally changed and he started crying agian! What a gong show!

Okay onto how things went with the Dr. He was awesome! Passionate about what he does for sure, and great with kids! His wife is expecting a little girl (their third!) in just a few weeks! So he asked alot of questions, and he looked in his ears. The left one was a little red but he said it could be due to teething. He asked me if I noticed the small crease underneath his eyes, a small fold of skin. Yup, I see it. A sign of an allergy apparently, and since really the only thing he is seriously eating right now is formula. So he suggested to switch to goats milk or good start formula. He also said that the rash (which does look like eczema) could be a result of an allergy as well! Because his body may not be digesting everything the way it should be (due to all the antibiotics for the ear infections) his intenstines arent up to par and so therefore the food isnt being broken down properly and results in the skin issues! Who would've thought!? He said most babys like goats milk because it tastes like breast milk, personally Im not going to try it but lets hope Eli likes it because its $3.89 for a litre, compared to $28.99 for a tin of formula! Ill opt for the goats milk first!

So we'll cross our fingers. He also suggested getting some vitamin C into his system and more probiotics! Cross our fingers. My little bean is sleeping right now! Its been a long day, and Im glad its coming to an end soon!

Into the weekend we go!

The Stair Master

Eli has mastered the stairs! Thats all he wants to do, up the stairs. Down is another thing, and I've tried to teach him how to go down backwards bringing one leg down at a time but he thinks its a game where I pull him down one stair and he's supposed to try and get back up. We have a gate but I think we may have to get a fixed gate for the bottom of the stairs.

This weekend Andy and I are doing alot of work. Or going to attempt. Andy is going tonight to order doors for the front and back of the house. And also pick up paint for the outside of the house around the windows and trim! So on top of the things we have to do already, we also have to scrape all the old paint off as well! Big job, but I think we can do it. The hardest part will be watching Eli, and still helping but we'll get it done!

Andy and I have also decided to buy a new car. We're planning on getting a Toyota Matrix (yes the same car as my parents) but they're a good vehicle for a good price with a fair amount of room in them. We test drove the Mazda 3 hatchback and prefer the toyota. So we have to also get on looking for a vehicle soon because the registration for the tercel is up at the end of the month! Its going to be a busy 2 or 3 weeks, on top of Eli's birthday party at the end of the month! I'm excited though!

Happy 1st Birthday Eli!

This time last year our baby Eli was brought into the world! Can you believe it!? After 31 long hours of labor, and a few scary moments during delivery Eli was born on June 9th 2009 @ 10:23P.M weight 8 lbs 10 oz. It does go by so fast, I cant believe it!

Our whole lives were changed from that moment on, and boy I had no idea what we got ourselves into! And I wouldn't change a thing!

This is just a few days before I was induced. 41 weeks along.

Notice how clean our house is!?

I remember when we brought Eli home there was a part of me that wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. The first 6 weeks was the hardest, and I would say the first night home was the hardest night of my life. Eli wouldn't eat, and he was so upset (probably because he was hungry.) It was so frustrating. Both Andy and I were at our wits end! But as time went on, this little boy warmed our hearts and brought such joy to our lives. I cant believe he is already 1! A full year. We made it!

We're having a birthday party at the end of the month with some close family and friends! We'd just love to celebrate our little boy, as well as thank everyone for the support they've offered us over the past year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!

Sleeping Baby

When you have a baby it seems like everything goes back to sleep! Gone are the days of sleeping in until 9:30a.m, or even 8:30a.m!

Last night we got together with Andy's cousin and his wife... Andys other cousin from Comox was also there. They have a 2 year old who is such a little boy! It amazes me that in one year we'll have a little boy running around like Micah already is!

We kept Eli up quite a bit later because we wanted to visit, and they live in Leduc so its a 30 minute drive home. By the time he got into bed it was close to 8:30P.M. We were both tired and went to bed shortly after that. Here Iam thinking that Eli is going to sleep in until 8:00a.m. But just my luck I heard little noises coming from his room at 5:45a.m! He hasnt gotten up at 5:45a.m in quite awhile so I was not very happy. I didnt go in to get him until 6:20ish, and he was back to down to bed by 830a.m. Well, since we got up so early I decided to go back to bed about an hour after he went down. Which could either be a good or bad thing, because depending on the day he may or may not sleep longer than an hour. Well it was a good thing, and a lucky day for me because he slept in total 3 hours! So I got to nap for 2 hours! He slept from 8:30a.m-11:30a.m! And now he is back down for another nap! I love having a sleeping baby!

A rant or two.

Okay, so somethings been bothering me that I have to get off my chest and I'd love to have your opinions on this!

Recently Andy was out with a friend. It was getting late and Andy mentioned that Eli has been getting up at 5:45a.m and thats why he needed to get home. His friend replied something along the lines of, "Why is that your problem? Thats Karla's job, she doesn't have a job that she has to et up early for. That is her job!"

Okay, I do agree to some extent. Eli is my job, thats why I'm a stay at home mom to take care of my son. However, on the weekends thats when I feel like I should get some sort of a break which Andy is really awesome about giving me! During the week I will get up at 5:45a.m when Eli wakes up and in no way do I expect that Andy help me with anything before he walks out the door for work, because he has other things to think about. But I wonder what life is like for Andy's friends wife, does he help out at home or let his wife sleep in ever, or does he expect that her jow is a 24 hour/7 days a week job? No offence to any men or husbands out there, but I dont know any men that work 24/7! Do you? Often times, a moms job is 24/7, and thats why Im thankful for such an involved husband. He is always willing to step in and give me a break!

I feel really bothered that someone would say that to Andy and just expect that "Its my job!" As far as I'm concerend raising a child is a 2 person job, I believe its meant to be done by a mom and a dad. Now thats not saying that women who are doing it on their own arent doing something right! All the more power to them, it takes a strong woman to do it! But once and awhile its nice to get a break and not wake up at 5:45a.m, and thats why I really appreciated that Andy got up with Eli on Sunday morning and let me sleep in for an extra hour until 8:00a.m! Any thoughts on this? Maybe I've got it all wrong, if I do, please tell me!

Okay and one more thing! One more rant! I went into Wal Mart today to return something. One of the ladies behind the counter commented on my little cutie in the stroller. First thing she said is, "Where are your shoes little boy?? Where are they!?" I said very politely, "Well tell her that since you dont walk, we dont need to wear shoes yet." By the way, does anyone else have trouble findind good shoes for their little person!? Anyways, so replied (talking to Eli!) "You tell your mom that you need to wear shoes. You cant go out without shoes, your never going to get used to wearing shoes if your mom doesn't put them on you now, and then your going to hate wearing shoes. You tell her you need some shoes!" At that point I just ignored her. Eli has shoes, I just figure if Im running to wal mart and the library, he's going to be in the stroller the whole time, whats the point of putting shoes on? He has no problem wearing shoes, but its more work for me. Especially since most of the shoes he has are expensive and I dont want to loose one and then that pair is gone! I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a good pair of shoes, or some little sandals... I'm too cheap to boy Robeez but Im thinking I'll have to give in soon. He has a cute little pair of soccer Robeez that he got from my cousin, and I love them. But those are the best pair of shoes he has right now. At any rate, is it really her place to go on and on about "Why your mom needs to put shoes on your feet!" Maybe its my hormones right now, I dont know! At any rate thats my rant!

And now a few pictures of my cutie (with no shoes on!!) :-)

     Playing in the garden.                                                        

Brushing his teeth!

 

                                                          Am I cute mom? Notice his shoes?

Grade 12 Grad & My Little Sister

Yesterday was Katherine's grad! It was a busy day, and I feel like I didnt stop all day! I got up at 7a.m, with Eli and let andy sleep in a bit more since he was going to be hanging out with the little guy most of the day. Kath got here by 8:20, and we headed out to ger her hair done. Then once her hair was done, we raced back to Kristin's place for make up... I then drove home quickly to shower and get ready, turn around and go back to Kristins to meet everyone to head out to the ceremony.

I sent Andy and Eli off to go pick Katherine's corsage up, but on my way to Kristin's place we realized that Kath would probably want it for pictures, so I turned around raced back into sherwood park, got to the mall just as Andy and Eli were pulling out (this is also 5 minutes before I'm supposed to be meeting everyone!!) so I ran into the store to see if it was infact them and not someone with the same car. Yup it was! I raced out and finally caught up to them, got the corsage and sped back to Kristin & Jasons place, with a few minutes to spare.

The ceremony (like all ceremonies!!) was long. 3 hours. But it wasnt too bad, it was broken up quite well. The grads walked across the stage in 4 sections because it is such a large group! Then once that was done we shot a few pictures, I came home so Andy could shower and get ready, his mom came over and out the door we went for the reception. Dinner was good, and it was nice to just sit since the morning had been so crazy!

It was a beautiful day, and Katherine looked amazing! She had her dress made by a family friend who is a seamstress... Ruby Ellen Designs is her business. She's located out of Calgary, but we were lucky enough to have her make a dress for Kath. So she definitly didnt have the same dress as anyone else there, not even close! Ruby made my grad dress, as well as Kristins grad dress and her work is amazing! http://rubyellendesigns.com/ Here is her website!

So this morning we were going to go to church, but I asked Andy if I could stay in bed an extra hour while he got up with Eli at 6:45a.m. Then I got up made some french toast, Eli went down for a nap, and we've decided to just spend the morning nice and quiet at home. Andy really needs that down and quiet time. So he's gone back to bed. The house is quiet, and I have my cup of tea and I'm enjoying just being at home.

Congrats Katherine on your 12 years of school! You looked amazing yesterday, and what a beautiful young woman you have blossomed into! Its absolutely incredible!

Doula work & Braces

I've been having a really difficult time getting motivated for my studies! Excuses, excuses right? Here they are.

Eli hasnt been napping as long as usual so by the time I tidy the house up, shower, and get ready for the day he is awake. At the end of the day after we put Eli down, I'm pooped. I just want to zone out and spend time with Andy! Yeah I know, lame excuses right?

I have one birth booked for August, which really isnt that far away and while it motivated me at first I'm feeling like I'm stuck at this point! I owe it to my back up doula to know what Im talking about and be prepared in case she needs me! Which takes me to my next thing. A doula bag. As a doula there are certain things I should have prepared and with me. Not just for my client, but for me. A birthing ball, ice packs, a snack and a water bottle for myself, maybe some unscented massage oil, etc... there is a website online that will send you your doula bag all ready to go but it cost some $200. I suppose at this point I've jumped in and now I need to just do it. I feel like I also owe it to Andy, since we paid for it... I need to get on it! Laziness maybe.

Yesterday, I went in for a consultation at the orthodontist. For those of you who know me, you might be thinking that my teeth arent that bad. No their not. Both of my sisters had braces, and their teeth were bad! They had almost the same mouths, and same teeth and so on the braces went. For me though, I sucked my finger (yup I did!!) so I have an overbite. All I can remember is sitting on the small bus in kindergarten and a girl by the name of Chelsie telling me "Your going to have buck teeth if you keep sucking your finger!!!" Yeah, well I dont have buck teeth but I do have an overbite. And I didnt know this either but my teeth really dont line up. Basically my top teeth are one whole tooth ahead of where they should line up with the bottom teeth. Which means . . . I'd have to get 2 teeth pulled on the top, and then braces put on. Wear those for 2 years, and then a retainer after that. And for a hefty price of . . . lets just say you dont want to know. Alot!! Like ballpark range of over $7500! And even better that Andys benefits dont cover orthodontic work unless you 19 and under, only 3 years off. So frustrating. But lucky for me,  I have a very supportive husband who is behind me 100%. He said if I want to get them I can, but he's not going to try and talk to me into it. So this is where I decide if I want to get them or not. It'd be alot of work, but if I'd be more confident in myself, maybe its worth it. At the same time my teeth are not all that bad, but if I'm self concious of them now, is that going to change 5 years down the road?

Being an adult is expensive.

Walking

So I follow 4 or 5 blogs, and I love knowing whats going on in peoples lives and what they're up to! I check my fellow bloggers blogs daily in hope that they've posted something new! Maybe thats why I blog so often, just in case there is someone else out there like me that checks certain blogs daily (or sometimes more!!)

One of the blogs I follow is someone I've never met. Kind of wierd right, but at the same time I love hearing about her adventures with her daughter and her husband. Their daughter is just 10 months old, and she's walking! I'm jealous! Here I am sitting back listening to my mom friends say that they're little people are taking their first steps, and then there's Eli!

This little boy loves his walking toy! He cant get enough of it! From the kitchen to the living room he goes. He also get a toy CAT truck for Christmas from my aunt and uncle and he loves pushing that around too while he's walking. But he wont hang onto your hands or fingers (like most other baby's who are eager to go!!) and if he does hang onto them he lifts his legs up, so he's in a sitting position hanging in the air, or he makes his legs go limp! I know all babys are different and he'll walk when he's ready. I think he's actually too nervous, every once in awhile he'll push his toy with only one hand intead of two, but thats about it! He's getting better, but I tell him when we're out and about (and he's hating being confined to his stroller!) that if he could walk I could let him out. He's so miserable in his stroller because he was to be on the move that I've considered bringing his walking toy out with us because he might be happy. I had barely enough time to buy a pair of shoes at Payless yesterday because he was so miserable in the stroller! poor guy!! We'll get there one day, and for now I should just tell myself theres no rush!

Flowers make everything feel better

I forgot to mention aswell. Yesterday, we had flowers delivered to us! Our friends Zack & Michelle sent them to us. Andy went to highschool with them, and we dont get to see them as often as we'd like to. Seems like our busy lives always get in the way, and theres always something going on. But regardless, they sent us these beautiful flowers just letting us know their thinking of us, and hoping that everything starts getting better soon! Flowers always make everything feel better, and let me tell you walking into my kitchen and seeing this beautiful bouqet just makes my day feel so much better!

Thanks Zack & Michelle, it really means alot to us!

12 hours & Update on the Hope Family

We're up eary this morning after Eli didnt want to go to bed until 8:00p.m last night. But to be honest I'm not complaining too much because its been 12 hours since he's had any bowel issues! Once he was down last night, we didnt hear him until 5:45a.m this morning, and it was his little coo's that woke me. I love that sound. He's happy to play this morning, as well as eat breakfast. Currently, he's dragged a pot out of the cupboard and has dragged it into the living room.

Also, I'm not sure if those you have been following the news at all, but my brother in law Jonathan is back in the media lime light. Yesterday he was sentenced. He has received 2 1/2 years in prison. I really dont have much to say about the whole thing, only that I'm relieved that the whole thing has been dealt with and things should hopefully quiet down for the Hope family. Anyways, thats that!

Blood Tests & Stool Samples

So Dr.Radisics nurse called this morning and said that if we want to do a blood test we can. She also said that the stollery did a test on the stool that didnt give us all the answers we need, so we need to get 2 more stool samples. The frustrating part is that I have to line Eli's diaper with plastic wrap or news paper, and then put it into a cup. The stool cant touch the diaper or else theres diaper pieces in the stool. This is not an easy task, especially when he goes and the plastic wrap is just stuck to his butt, and so is the stool!! Urgh. Getting blood drawn was easier than getting a stool sample! Ohwell! At least we're getting to the bottom of it now, and if it takes a day or 2 to get the stool samples what can you do? We're getting somewhere!!

Eli is feeling better today but not 100%. We were up every 1.5 hours last night with the exception of a 3 hour stretch near the end of the night because he kept pooping. Poor little guys bum is so raw yet again and he just shakes whenever we wipe his bum. We're using a wash cloth instead of wipes but it still hurts so bad, and at this point Im sure the plastic wrap isnt helping at all!! So needless to say we're tired today. He's down for his nap, and I was going to make some cookies but I think I'll go lay down as well! Hopefully he'll sleep for a couple of hours, and wake up feeling good!

If anyone has been through trying to get a stool sample from an almost 1 year old please any tips would be appreciated!!