Picture Update

Its been awhile since Ive posted any pictures.
SO here are a few with some explanations!! Just a bit of an update!

 Mothers Day Cupcake's - Sooo yummy!!

 My Mom, and sisters, plus my cute little nephew

 The 3 sisters & Micah

 Eli liked the cookie monster cupcakes best of all

 Playing in the Sprinkler, Papa had to show Eli how its done

 Hanging out with Nana, eating another cupcake

 I found Eli trying to take the screw off the back of his Lightning McQueen Car one morning with Andy's screw driver

 Lorax art for the nursery

 Ready for a baby

 Mothers Day Lunch ... Thinking about it...

 Apparently it made sense to see what the cold water on his cute little bum felt like. Cold.

32 Weeks Pregnant

And.... Just a few more!!

 Eli testing out bikes

I took this video one night when the baby was feeling quite active... as you can tell!! I was 31 weeks here.

Life is Crazy

Our lives have been a bit insane this week! Long story short, we're in the midst of looking for tenants for our rental property, and my phone/email has been flooded with interest in it. Its crazy, and somewhat overwhelming. I dont think Ive ever received so many phone calls, or messages! But its great, too! Im sure we wont have an issue finding new tenants!

I am now 33.5 weeks pregnant, and had a midwifery appointment yesterday. Everything is looking good, Im measuring right at 33 weeks, baby is still head down, although hasn't dropped yet. Last week I over did it on Wednesday by cleaning the whole house, and then going outside and doing some gardening. My hips were aching and so tight, and then come Thursday morning I was a bit worried because baby was very quiet. I spoke to my midwife about it, and she didnt have any concerns. Its funny how when your pregnant you read into every little thing to make sure somethings not wrong. Otherwise, all is really well. Eli has been asking to give his baby brother more kisses & cuddles. The other morning he had his hand on my tummy and exclaimed, "I think baby brother is crawling?!" I said "Really? You think so??" he said, "Yah he is!!!!"

This morning Eli got up around 7am, and went into the living room to play. I got up about 10 minutes after him and he was standing in the hall looking into the pantry. He saw me walking up to him and put his hand up in the air, then said "Just dont look at the mess in the fridge. I will clean it up. Just dont look, ok Mommy?" I said, "Mess? What mess?" He said, "Just dont look mommy, I will clean it up, ok?" He had tried to help himself to some juice and spilled it in the fridge. I gotta give the kid props though, he did have a tea towel on the floor and was attempting to clean it up. I told him not to worry about it, and accidents happen.

I also had an orthodontist appointment this morning, and I have exciting news! We are getting closer and closer to my braces being ready to come off. There is one small gap on the top of my teeth that needs to be closed, thats it!! He said its the type of gap that is hard to close with a retainer and we'll just need to wait it out. I asked him if he still thought they'd be coming off in October as originally discussed and he said he would hope that maybe we could have them off before the baby is born... which is 7 - 8 weeks. While I doubt that they'll be ready to come off before the baby is born, even if I can get them off this summer, I would be ecstatic!! The gap is very small, so we just have to wait to see how things go! Im crossing my fingers, it wont take too much!!

32 weeks

Where does time go? Honestly, another week has passed and I cant believe it!

The long weekend we had was great! We got a lot done around the house, and even had some time to relax. The baby's room is pretty much all finished and ready for a new baby. We've started stocking up on diapers and such, which makes it feel way more real! You forget how little those newborn diapers are when you haven't used them in 3 years!! Andy did the final work in the babys room and put up my art work that I finally got around to finishing. Im very happy with how the room looks, and the price point that we spent was even better!!

It blows my mind that I am now 32 weeks pregnant, which means really 8 weeks (maybe less or maybe a bit more!) until we have our new bundle of joy. Im a ball of emotions as Im nervous for the change, as well as the lack of sleep Im about to endure. Nothing can ever prepare you for the lack of sleep a newborn brings on, so Im trying to enjoy my sleep as much as possible right now. Again, as I said last week Im feeling pretty good. Lots of braxton hicks contractions, which are just annoying, not so much painful. I dont remember them being so intense with Eli though. This time around they are more intense, and there is way more pressure on my bladder! Thats generally how I know one is coming on, because I feel like I have to pee, and the pressure is crazy! My next midwifery appointment is next week, and I believe I start to see her every 2 weeks at that point as we get closer to my due date. For any of you wondering, my estimated due date is July 17th, however when people ask I usually just say mid to late July, as due dates really mean nothing to me... and I dont believe they're much of an indicator to go by. Thats just me though.

The baby has been moving tons, and its even starting to feel a tad uncomfortable. The other night I woke up to what I thought was Andy's hand on my stomach and as I rolled over and went to push his hand off me, I realized there was no hand and it was the baby moving. Oops. Im still sleeping not bad for the most part, only getting up to pee once a night and usually I dont get up till 4:30am to go. Might just be because Im lazy and dont want to pull myself out of bed.

Eli's 3rd birthday is coming up soon, and Ive been tossing around dates and what to do for a party. Its only a few weeks ago (June 9th) so I need to get on it soon. So much to do, not enough time!!

31 weeks pregnant

We're heading into a long weekend, and I cannot wait!!

Last weekend I headed out to visit some family. Andy was supposed to work the Saturday but didn't end up having to. Eli & I ventured off on our own, and were planning on staying until Sunday. By Friday afternoon Eli was exhausted. He had gone 3 days without napping because of how our week went and was just wired. We arrived safe and sound at my aunt & uncles house. Eli was somewhat moody but warmed up well. I decided to put him down around his usual time because he hadn't been napping, however he had different plans. He was so out of control I didnt know what to do with him. He wouldn't listen, he was jumping on the bed, he was kick & hitting me. I was so extremely upset. After what felt like forever, but was really an hour or maybe a bit more he finally fell asleep. He fell asleep on the bed I had planned on sleeping, which meant I got the foamie on the floor. He is quite a restless sleeper so I didnt want to sleep with him. When I went to bed at 11:30pm that night he was still quiet, however it was a long night. I woke up every hour to him either tossing and turning or whimpering in his sleep. Then at 6:30am, he was ready to get up. There is nothing worse than being at someone else's house and having your kid wake up bright and early ready to rumble in a quiet house! On Saturday we went and did some wandering around and peeked at a garage sale. It was really nice to spend time with my family, and just visit. However, Eli was moody for most of the day, and every little thing set him off. I decided that I couldn't do another evening like we had before when it came to bedtime, nor could I have the sleep I had also experienced. We decided to head home a night early, and left they're place for the 2 hour drive home around 6:30pm. My plan of Eli sleeping on the way worked for the most part, but I did have to pull over a few times because he was upset and so exhausted. Took us longer than normal to get home, but we made it in one piece. Im disappointed that we had to head home a night early, but honestly physically and even emotionally I just felt like I couldn't fight with Eli anymore, nor could I take the constant whining. I was exhausted too... who would've thought that taking care of a moody toddler and being 31 weeks pregnant would be difficult!? But it was good to get out there. Eli got a lot more comfortable about our family, which is awesome to see. He's getting to the point now where he knows when we talk about them who they are, and who to expect. I love that! He always has a great time with them, and not to mention we are so blessed by how they lather the love on him!!

This week I am 31 weeks pregnant. Im feeling like a duck waddling around, and feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I really cant complain! My bellybutton has officially popped, and you can see it through my shirt. Sleep wise Im not doing too bad, rolling over is getting harder and harder, and Im up once sometimes twice to pee. The baby is moving around lots, but the movement has changed. More stretching, and you can feel little body parts. Not gonna lie, the other night I was sitting in our bed, and the baby was kicking up by my ribs, however it wasnt my stomach that I could see moving it was my right boob!! Kind of a weird thing to experience.

Tonight as Eli, Andy and I were laying in our bed playing Eli asked to give his baby brother a kiss, so he kissed my tummy, and then said that he loves his baby brother. Not sure if he really gets it, but he is starting to talk more and more about his baby brother. We have been so blessed by some great friends & family who've given us some clothes, and little things in preparation for the baby! I also got the stroller I was looking for. Its a snap & go stroller by baby trend. Just the single, not double. Eli doesn't ever go in a stroller, so I decided whats the point. I had the snap & go with Eli and loved it because it is so light, and small!! Best of all, this time around I got it for $35 used, instead of the $100 brand new! I love finding deals! I also found a great website online at anextraeye.com where they sell video monitors at a great price! They have a whole bunch of different options, and best of all they ship out of Sherwood Park, so instead of paying for shipping they'll deliver right to my door!! I found a video monitor that I think will suit our needs for $50!! Cant go wrong. I dont know how I lived for so long without a video monitor with Eli. And this time around, I dont see the baby being in our room for that long. Eli stayed in our room for 6 weeks or so, and this time around I think within the first week the baby will be in his room! Lots of changes, but now that Ive been through it once before I have some idea what to expect!

All in all things are really good right now. The weather has been great, good enough for me to burn, and so we've been spending lots of time at the park and outside. Cant wait for this weekend to relax and spend time with the boys!!

Life Update & 30 Weeks Pregnant

For the most part we've been keeping pretty busy, although a lot of our yearly activities are coming to a close. We have to keep busy in order for both of us to stay sane during the day. Or maybe its just me.

The weather is finally starting to look up, and although its only 20 degree's outside, we'll take it! Yesterday, we ventured off to a big park in Edmonton which is a short drive from our place. They have a great spray park open during the summer, and the park they have is huge. One thing I love about it, is that there is no sand! Its wood chips, and although kids wearing sandal's might complain, as a mom I love this. It means I dont have to worry about Eli throwing sand or having it dumped on his head, or in his socks, or down his pants. We had a picnic yesterday with a friend, her husband and their 2 sons. One is a newborn, and the other is just a bit younger than Eli. The boys played and played for hours, and by 2:30pm it was getting hot out, and it was time to go. However, it was a great way to spend the afternoon! We were able to sit and chat for awhile, have some lunch, and let the boys run free! After, the park we stopped by my sisters place who lives just minutes from the park and visited. Both of my sisters were hanging out, so it was all 3 of us chatting together. So nice to visit. Eli missed his nap yesterday, and spent the majority of the day outside as well. If the weather is warm, why not I figure! I noticed though yesterday that after awhile of playing in the park Eli was coming down with these little red dots on his face. I didn't think anything of it, just assumed it was maybe some little bug bites, and they weren't bothering him.

Come bedtime last night, Eli was exhausted. Lots of fresh air, sun, and no nap does that I suppose. We put him to bed and he was asleep within minutes. We didn't hear a peep from him... until 1:30am, when he came into our room and said he wanted to sleep with us. I'd prefer not to get into that habit so I took him back to his room and told him I'd stay with him until he fell asleep. Well, an hour later he was still awake, and Im convinced not because he wanted to be but because he was so restless. Maybe he was so overtired he just couldn't settle down, but I was honestly up from 1:30am till almost 3am with him. Finally, around 2:15am I decided to change his diaper because he was wet. After that, he settled down and although he was still somewhat restless he fell asleep. He also woke up the night before crying for andy and I. It only took me minutes to settle him and he fell back asleep no problem. Hopefully, this isn't telling of things to come though. Maybe he realizes there is change coming.

Today, we went back out to a different park with another friend and her 2 boys. The 3 boys play great together (for the most part!)  and it is easy to visit while they play. This park however had sand, and by the time we got home Eli was a mess, and had to take a bath before his nap. I made sure today was a nap day. I also noticed something else. That red rash was back, except worse. On the back of his neck, on his face, around his eye, down the side of his face. Im wondering if it was heat rash. I have issues with the sun on my face, and am allergic to a lot of sunscreens. They burn my face when they come in contact with it, however the rest of my body isn't generally an issue. This causes big issues when we take trips to hot places, or when wearing sunscreen on my face is a must!! Maybe it is something like that. Or maybe its something in the grass, or along those lines. I gave him a bath, an antihistamine, and he is now napping! Its been very quiet, which tells me he is exhausted!

And today marks 30 weeks being pregnant. 10 weeks to go, well actually 8 technically. Im starting to feel quite pregnant, and somewhat uncomfortable. Baby is moving around a ton. Andy and I get a kick out of watching my tummy move from side to side, or pushing on my tummy and having the little person inside push back, or re act! Definitely is a fun way to start to bond. Im still trying to enjoy this stage, as I think this will probably be the last time Im pregnant, and I dont want to wish it away too fast. I know what its like to just want your baby out, and then the sleep deprivation kicks in once your newborn is here. So we're trying to enjoy just being a family of 3 for the time being. For the most part though we're ready whenever, other than my head space doesn't quite feel ready! Here are a few pictures. I've totally been more relaxed about taking pictures this time around. With Eli, I would get Andy to snap some pictures every week, but this time around its all me in front of a mirror every few weeks. Ohwell, I suppose!!

Enjoy, because Im starting to feel like a whale! Oh and theres a couple pictures of Eli's rash after his bath too!!

 

Discipline

My dear son Eli who is almost 3, is really trying to push the limits. I feel like Im at my wits end. By 9:30am this morning, I felt defeated already. He has a very strong will, and I love him for it. It is exhausting though. The hardest part about disciplining him is that he turns around exactly what I say and says it back to me. If I ask him to do something and he shouts "NO!" at me, Ill reply, "Eli, please dont speak to me like that, its very rude." Well, the next time I go to say something to him, weather it be ask him not to do something, ask him to pick up his toys, etc... he replies something along the lines of "No, we dont say that, its rude."

This morning, we made banana muffins together. Ive come to enjoy baking with him, because its something we can do together. I dont remember what the issue was, but I asked him not to do something, he looked at me pointed his finger at my face and said, "No, we don say that. You are a stinky toot." Like really?? I know, go ahead and laugh because my almost 3 year old just called me a stinky toot. I sent him to his room for some quiet time, but he's also figured out that if he comes out and says sorry, generally things are okay. So he came out and said, "Sorry for making a mess." I explained to him, it wasn't the mess I was upset about, it was the way he spoke to me, and that it hurts my feelings when he calls me names. He replied, "No it doesnt hurt your feelings." So back to his room he went.

Later on, my sister was visiting and we were talking while doing a puzzle with Eli on the floor. Eli didn't like us talking and proceeded to tell us, "No guys, dont talk. That hurts my feelings when you talk." Seriously!? Really?? Its been a long morning of this back and forth attitude where he turns what I say right back on me. Then I explain to him I am the adult and he is the child, and he needs to listen to what I say because I love him and want him to be safe. Doesn't really work all that well.

He is currently down for a nap, however not asleep yet. Before his nap, he turned all the lights on in the bedrooms, and then ran into his room and slammed the door on his face. When I shut the lights off, he yelled at me "No, dont turn the lights off. You turn then back on!!!" And then tried to hold his door shut so I couldn't come in. When I did finally get in, he said to me, "You get out mommy. Get out!!" There was no story before nap time, nor was he allowed to take a car to bed as he usually does. When I caught him out of bed with the light on in his room, I then took all of the books out of his room. He yelled at me as I left, but he is now staying in bed. Its honestly exhausting! I think I need the nap/quiet time more than he does.

With that being said, I need to figure out some better discipline tools because clearly what Im doing is not working. Anyone know if any books that might be beneficial? Its hard not to laugh when he yells at me with such intent attitude, but it gets old and frustrating after awhile.

Help??

Weekend To Remember - Banff Springs

We are home from our weekend away. It was a great weekend, very busy, and lots of information! We left town Friday afternoon, and arrived in Banff around 6ish, since we took the scenic route. It was a beautiful drive, but a little longer, and since being quite pregnant I found it difficult not having to stop all the time. But we got there and only stopped once (which was for and for me to pee).

 The Banff Springs hotel was very nice. Huge, and like a castle, which is exactly how they describe it, as a castle. To be completely honest however, I dont think we'd stay there again. The rooms were not bad, and we had a basic room. They weren't anything special though. We got a discounted price for our hotel room since we went to the conference. The discounted price was $160. We didnt have much time throughout the weekend to go exploring and see the whole place, it was basically just to sleep that we spent time in our room. Maybe it'd be different if we had upgraded to a higher up room on the scale, and spent more time in it. We were shocked when we went to go get breakfast one more in their little cafe, and found that a small (I mean small!! Maybe only a cup and a half size) of cereal cost $4!!! Bagels were around $2, but we opted to head to McDonalds and quickly grab something there. I heard great reviews about the breakfast buffet they have which is $35 per person, but apparently its worth it because of the incredible food. We decided to go for a more expensive dinner than breakfast.

For Dinner anytime we're in Banff we usually head to the Maple Grill. This time we switched it up and tried something new. We headed off to the Grizzly House, which is a fondue restaurant. For a 4 course meal which includes an appetizer of soup or salad, cheese fondue or vegetable fondue, your meat & oil (which we had chicken & beef) and then your dessert which was chocolate fondue, your looking at about $45 per person. We had a few people tell us this was a great place to go for dinner, so we decided to try it. It was an interesting experience, as it is an old speed dating club so there are phones at each table. Andy called our table every time he went to the bathroom, kinda funny sitting waiting for your date to return and have this phone next to you ring. Fun though for sure. The food was good, however Im not sure it was worth $45. It was more about the experience, and we were there for close to 2 hours. Half the work when you fondue is the prep and clean up, so this was all done for us, and the table we had was in a back corner, so we felt like it was a great table specifically for us! It was worth the experience for sure, and we had a lot of fun with it. That being said, upon leaving we both noticed that our clothes reeked of oil and fondue. Not a nice smell at all, but it kind of goes with the territory of where we ate!! Andy also informed me this afternoon when he got home after work that he found out through a radio station he was listening to on the drive home, that The Grizzly House is rumored as a swingers club. Since it was a speed dating place back in the day, this wouldn't surprise me. Once he told me that a few things made sense. Where our table was, was an entry way with a cord blocking off the way through. There was a sign that said "Private" on it. I didnt think anything of it, but I did think it was odd when I noticed someone (who wasn't an employee) go in, and a while later a couple walked out that obviously weren't employees either, but I hadn't seen them go in either. Its somewhat of a rumor, however I think this would make sense with what Ive heard and what I saw. Makes me feel a bit sick to think about it. Our dinner was good, and experience was great, but I doubt we'll rush to go back though.

Now for the conference. It was great. There were about 400 people there, and the room was jam packed. For the weekend there were 3 different couples talking on all different topics. How couples are different, communication, conflict, parenting, why marriages fails, sex, and how to thrive in your marriage. We learned a lot, and we also heard a lot of stuff that we learned in our pre marital/marriage counseling and bible studies. It was good though to look at the couples speaking and hear what they had to say, and how they've struggled. They started off the conference with saying that the couples who attend these conferences are in the top 20% of marriages. Only 20% of married couples will ever attend counseling, marriage retreats, marriage conferences, or do anything pro active to better their relationship/marriage! That blows my mind. If you've read my blog for awhile, you know that Andy and I have always been pro active about going to counseling weather or not we need it at that moment/season in our marriage. They also had a lot of time for projects between couples. Projects that you do on your own, and then come together, or projects that you do together. Those were really eye opening, and I enjoyed them for sure! It didn't ever cross my mind before the weekend but sitting at almost 30 weeks pregnant for long stretched (1.5-2 hours at a time) was really difficult. I found it hard sitting right next to a complete stranger, and feeling so uncomfortable because either my legs hurt, my back, or my hips. So Im glad that I wasnt any farther along in my pregnancy than 28 weeks, because it would've been extremely uncomfortable.

It was a jam packed weekend, and I felt exhausted by the time we got home. But it was really good for our marriage for sure. I wish we had had more one on one time to spend together but to cover all of the course outline in one weekend it needed to be a full schedule. I totally understand that! It was a good experience for sure, one that I think every couple needs to look at doing! Who doesn't need a relaxing weekend away with their spouse??

I was shocked also, when I heard how well Eli did with my parents and Andy's mom. When my mom came to get Eli around 11am on Friday morning, he was more than excited to head out. I put the carseat in her car, and by the time I headed outside after him he was already sitting in his car seat waiting to be strapped in. He had no issues saying bye, and was ready to go! I had packed his back pack with his blankie, teddy, and soother, as well as a change of clothes in case he got wet or dirty outside. Playing outside at Grandma & Papa's is a must. We also packed a few movies in case he needed some quiet time during the day. Off they went and I headed out to pick Andy up from work so we could head out. I found out the next morning that they ended up spending the night at my parents place, which I told my mom was her call, but she may or may not get any sleep there. Whatever was easiest for her. She texted me in the am and said she was afraid to tell me how the night went. Uh oh!! Apparently, he slept great in the spare room on a small twin mattress on the floor, didnt wear a diaper to bed, and didn't have any accidents nor tears all night!! Wow!! How incredible is that! He had a birthday party to go to on Saturday afternoon, but fell asleep on the way there, and missed it because he wouldn't wake up. Must've been tired! All in all he had a great weekend. Andy's mom took him on the LRT and he loved it. The first thing he told us about was that he went on the passenger train with Nana. How special!

It was a great weekend away, and Im glad we went. Im also happy to be home. Funny how only 2 days away makes you miss being at home.

An almost 3 year old's prayer

Each time Andy & I put Eli down for a nap or bedtime, we do the same routine. Book, lights out, prayer, and then since a song. Lately, the song of choice has been The Yellow Submarine. Dont ask me where he figured out this song (maybe my husband??) but we sing we all live in the yellow submarine. We also let Eli choose what colors the submarine is going to be. Its quite funny.

But one thing that Eli has started to do is ask us to pray for certain things. Generally, he asks for us to pray for his toys, his cars, his car shooter, just any of his toys. While I think its a bit silly to pray for his toys, we encourage him to say pray for them. He has started to do this. Let me tell you there is nothing that warms my heart more than hearing Eli pray, even if it is for his car shooter and his color changers. His prayers typically go something like this depending on the day: "Um, Dear God, I pray for my cars, and my car shooter, and the levers, and buttons. And um God, I pray for lightning Mcqueen, and sarge, and um the blue car, and the red car, (basically at this point he's stalling for as long as possible!!) and um God I pray for mommy & daddy.... in God's name, Amen." Sometimes it goes on for longer, and sometimes it shorter. But really, I cannot imagine what joy it brings to God's heart just to hear little Eli who isn't even 3 yet, praying... even if it is for things like his cars. I love to hear him pray, especially when he stops praying for his toys and starts praying for real people.