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Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Year of 2009 in review...

January
Take a trip to Dan & Meg's before spring semester starts. Find out on January 28th that I am pregnant.
February
Still no pregnancy symptoms. First Mid-Wife appointment and we get to hear the heartbeat. Hockey game for Valentine's Day. Trying to figure out where to move since Grace Married Housing doesn't allow children.

March
Still no pregnancy symptoms. Another Mid-Wife appointment where we get to hear the heartbeat again. Baby bump very very small but starting to show a bit. Decide to rent the house the church has.
April
Still no pregnancy symptoms. Hear the heartbeat again at appointment and schedule our 20 week appointment and the BIG ultrasound to find out what we are having. Work on the house painting, new shower, etc so we can move in soon.
May
Randy's 30th birthday, my 21st birthday. Move into the new house. On Randy's birthday we had the BIG ultrasound and found out we are having a beautiful baby girl. Oh...and pregnancy symptoms are still a no show...so I stopped waiting for them to show up.
June
Went to Monroe to visit Dan & Meg's. had a great time with them and Tim and Trina. Being with Meghan made me even more excited to be a mom...their boys are so cute. (Still no symptoms) Belly getting bigger.

July
Paint the nursery, getting bigger. Definitely feeling a lot of kicks...especially in my ribs. Her space is slowly dissapearing.

August
New semester starts. I'm taking online classes. We get a new dog from Cori and Blake. A 3 year old Boxer named Goliath. He's such a lover and a cutie.


September
Feeling huge and ready for Aspen to make her presence. Measuring huge at 39 week appointment, talk of a growth ultrasound ensues and they think we are going to have a BIG baby. But Aspen has other plans and I go into labor on September 29 at 5:30pm. Aspen born September 30 at 5:28am. Weighs in at 7lbs 10oz.


October
Come home from hospital on the 2nd. Breastfeeding not working out. Nic & Liz's wedding. Discover that I have mastitis. Aspen isn't gaining weight. So we start formula, I stop breastfeeding...and felt soooo much better. Aspen turns 1 month old. Took Aspen to her first Hockey game the week before Halloween...and Had her newborn pictures taken by SaraBeth.


November
Spending time at home with Aspen. Enjoying being a stay at home mom. Aspen's first Thanksgiving...and Aspen turns 2 months old. At 2 month appointment she gets shots and weighs in at 9lbs 1oz.


December
At appointment she had only gained 1 oz in 2 weeks. Dsicovered thrush was causing her not to eat much. When thrush got better, she started eating more. At weight check she gained 11oz in 6 days. So she is now 9lbs 13oz. Also had Aspen's first Christmas where because of a huge blizzard we got snowed in at Randy's parents house.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Bing had no idea what he was singing about...

"Snow I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow! Snow, I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow!" -from "Snow" by Bing Crosby in White Christmas


So, I think Bing never actually lived in a state that got a lot of snow if he really felt that passionately about it. Don't get me wrong, snow can be beautiful and I love to watch it fall and to play in it with kids, and build snowmen. But I love the snow that gives you enough to have some fun and to make the world look beautiful but does not make things so difficult. We can't use our front door right now because it it completely covered halfway up the door and we just haven't had the time to shovel it out. Our driveway has proven to be a royal pain in the butt, and only part of it is done, enough to park the cars and open the doors and thats about it. Our sidewalks aren't done because who has the time for that with all the other snow removal to be done and a baby to take care of. I can officially the say the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 will not soon be forgotten but I will forever cringe whenever I hear the words "Christmas Blizzard of 2009!" See right there a huge cringe that startled Aspen even. Snow and I officially have a love hate relationship these days. Oh...and while trying to take the pictures I am posting of the snow...the hard iced top of part of our yeard broke through and cut my leg...and dang it it hurts. Another reason to hate snow.
The first picture is the back pathway cleared off and the snow next to it...the back got less snow then the front. The 2nd picture is our poor mailbox covered in snow and really hard to actually get to.


The first picture is our basement door that opens to the drivway...definitely won't be using that door anytime soon. And the 2nd picture is to show part of the driveway we didn't bother plowing because it is so much freakin snow...and yes the mounds are bigger than our dog Goliath.

And here is Goliath next to the front yard standing in out driveway...o so much snow.

So now that the vent of snow is out I will continue on about everything else. Aspen's first Christmas was a fun one. I really enjoyed the holiday, it's all so new again when you have a baby to share the experience with. We did my side of the family's Christmas on Christmas Eve. Snow had started and by time we left the roads were not favorable and we knew that we were going to have issues. We were supposed to go to Randy's parents on Christmas morning but we were worried we would get stuck, so we went home got some clothes and necessities, and our dog and off we went to his parents to spend the night just in case. We got stuck trying to get back out of the driveway but I got out and helped push the car and we were free. It's a good thing we went that night because when we woke up the next morning we were completely snowed into Randy's parents house. We enjoyed our snowed in Christmas at their place. Opened gifts, played games, had an awesome dinner and watched movies. We were at Randy's parents until Sunday because that is when a plow finally decided to go through the neghborhood. So we were there for three nights. It's a good thing we grabbed extra clothes and all.
All in all a great holiday...I definitely could have lived without the blizzard but it definitely makes her first christmas memorable.
Here are some pictures of Aspen enjoying her Holiday!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Life is a highway...

So title of blog is because I love the song and how true and real the statement is. Life is something that I find so hard to figure out and really understand. God throws things at as that we don't expect and things that make us feel as if we can't get through, but yet He teaches us over and over that if rely on Him we will make it. Randy and I have been learning this a lot lately. Well, me especially I can't really speak for Randy.

I also wanted to vent about the concept of money. Money has become such a staple in our world today and it is of the utmost importance. but when I think about it, the reality of it all is that dollar bills is simpy a piece of paper that someone decided to put a value to. Whatever happened to the dayswhere people bought things by using bartering and trading instead. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century/decades. A lot of the old traditions and the way people use to live can be so enticing and seems like it would be a nice way to live at times. Don't get me wrong I know there would be difficulties and they had their own issues, but still. I sometimes wonder who it was that decided to turn the world into greedy yet poor people but giving a piece of paper a dollar worth. Then to go on and think about the pay that certain jobs get. Why is it that the hardest working people out there get paid diddly squat while people that don't work hard and don't even go to work everyday get paid up the wazoo and in reality good easily retire at the age of 30. It's rediculous to think about the differences in how much certain people are paid...and to go along with that who is it that decides that one career is worth more than others. In my personal opinion teachers should be some of the highest paid people in the U.S. after all without teachers would you have your doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc?

Ok money vent over...mainly this holiday season is just a stressful one and tight and makes me hate the whole industry of money making. But I still lean on and rely on God because I know He will get us through, He always does.

On the family update front, Randy is doing good! He's working hard for us and with school break is putting in a lot of extra hours. I tell him daily that I love him and at times wonder if he really knows how much I love him and how much he means to me. Sometimes I look at him and wonder how it is that I managed to catch him. He is such a blessing and I grow more in love with him every day. Seeig him with Aspen just melts my heart. He is a fantastic father and I am so excited for Aspen to get bigger and to see them go on their first daddy-daughter date.

Aspen is so stinking cute and just like with Randy I am loving her more and more each day. I never quite understood the love of a parent for their child until I was pregnant with her and I just can't imagine life without her. She is such a joy to have in our lives and I just hope that I am the mother she deserves. Oh, and I took her in for her weight check yesterday. She gained 11oz in 6 days so Dr. V was very happy with her growth and has confirmed her lack of weight gain was due to her thrush causing her not to eat as much. So Aspen is now 9lbs 13oz and 23 inches long. Dr. V called her a healthy, happy, and thriving baby. So that is a relief.

Then there is me! I am doing well. Nervous about going back to regular classes next semester while having Aspen. It will be a learning curve trying to figure out how to balance giving Aspen the attention she needs while getting homework done. I'm excited for Aspen's first Christmas and to see her in her Christmas dresses. She'll be a doll. beyond playing and taking care of my little bebes I attempt to get stuff done around the house which sometimes can be an interesting task. Bebes has days where she'll happily let me do things like dishes and organizing...and then days where putting her down causes what you would think could be sirens of World War 3 beginning. It's those days that I hold her and take in her precious face...it makes me sit and really think about life and how fast she is already changes. It's only going to be a matter of time before she takes of crawling and walking and won't want mom anymore. The thought of those days excites me because she will get to learn about her world and explore an all the things the world has to offer. Then on the other hand it saddens me to know that someday she won't want me and I won't be able to cuddle with my precious girl.

So all in all life is bittersweet and such an adventure...I am currently living the everchanging adventure and waiting for what gets thrown at us next. To wrap things up her are some precious pics of Aspen in her first Christmas present from Uncle Tim and Auntie Trina they got her 2 adorable outfits complete with hat and booties...Her is one of them...




God Bless everyone and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Craziness...

This last weekend we went and saw Dan & Meg and their 3 boys. Their youngest (Luke) is only 2 days older than Aspen but almost 4 pounds heavier. It's nuts. But we had a great time and all three of the boys are just so darn cute. Seeing those boys makes me less scared about having a boy someday. Then while we were at Dan & Meg's I had been worrying about sleeping arrangements since Aspen has been refusing to ever sleep on her own (she always insists on sleeping on me) since she was born. Well they had the pack and play for us there and lo and behold she slept in it and not for just a few hours, she slept through the night in it. I thought it was some sort of fluke that would end once we got home, but nope, she loves sleeping in her pack and play here to. It's crazy! She still insists on sleeping on her stomach and I honestly don't mind that at all. Babies have slept on their stomachs for years and there are no studies that can actually link stomach sleeping to SIDS since no one knows the real cause for SIDS. But I still try and encourage her to sleep on her back...but she doesn't want to, she has great head control though and I know she moves her head when she can't breath.

On the other hand we had some not so good news this week. Aspen has had some slight congestion so I took her into the pediatrician on Wednesday to make sure that it wasn't developing into anything more like a cold. Good news is the congestion is nothing but slight congestion and has gotten better. More good news is that the thrush she has had is almost all gone just a little bit left so we are some new medicine to make sure the rest of it goes away. The not so good news is that they weighed her and she is only 9lbs 2oz. So in the last 2 weeks since her 2 month appointment she has only gained 1oz. Pediatrician thinks its probably from the thrush and congestion messing with her appetite because she wasn't wanting to eat more than 4oz. So we were told to up her amount of food and we have to go in for a weight check next Wednesday. If she hasn't gained what Dr. V thinks is "enough" then they are going to wan to test her thyroid and make sure it is working right. Her thyroid test at birth came back normal and they said that there is a very very small chance for it to come back abnormal after coming back normal at birth. so that's good to know but still worrisome. So we have been trying to pump her with mroe food. Every bottle since that appointment she has had at least 5 1/2 ounces if not more. So grow Aspen grow! Makes me wonder why kids can eat and eat and never put on much weight, but adults can simply look at food and gain a pound...hmmm! I wish I had the metabolism of a kid. Anyways that's really it for current news. We have a fun weekend coming up and I will definitely post about it. So if I don't get another post in before the weekend! Have a great weekend!




Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Walking in a winter wonderland...

It's been snowing a lot since Sunday night...while it's beautiful it's also a pain in the butt! We pretty much got snowed in but Randy spent about 4 hours trying to dig us out and clear our riveway this morning. I felt so bad because he got so cold but he wanted to get it done and after he finished he went into work! God bless him he works so hard for us! Beyond the snow we have been keeping inside the lst couple days just snuggling, watching movies, drinking coffee, doing some housework, and today I am working on little ornament things that Aspen will give to certain family members for Christmas. We are also getting ready to go out of town to visit Dan and Meg and their three boys(the youngest was born only lke 2 days before Aspen). I am so excited to go see them. Oh and we are taking Goliath as well. So please pray for us and that the traveling and the weekend goes well.
Oh and yesterday we tried out her bumbo for the first time and she loves it and sits so pretty in it. We only had her in it for about 5 minutes but we got some great pics. And som pics of her and Goliath, he loves to check her out. So enjoy our pics and when I have something more exciting to write about I will. The first pic is just a funny one with her tongue out!







Thursday, December 3, 2009

I'm going to miss this...

Once again I lay here basking in the glory of motherhood while my sweet bebes is laying on my chest snuggled donw for the night sleeping. I sometimes think about the hassle of being confined to the couch while she sleeps because at times she refuses to sleep in her bassinet. But then I once again think about her growing up and how fast these baby days go, and I realize that I will truly miss these days. I try and soak in every day and every smile Aspen gives us because I don't want to miss a thing. In thinking about all of this I realized I have not written down Aspen's birth story, and I know that I will want to remember as many details as possible. So here it goes.

Tuesday September 29th-
Woke up feeling the same as always and ready for Aspen to make her appearance. I was tired of being pregnant. Did the normal morning routine and went to the mall to have our warranty renewed on our wedding rings. Then Randy and I met up with Audra and Mike and had some lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Randy's theory was that maybe the spice would kick Aspen into gear. After the lunch I went to my 1:30pm mi-wife appointment that was my 40 week appt(it was actually when I was 39 weeks and 5 days). During the appointment Midwive Katie did an internal and I was about 1cm dialated, and she did not tell me whether I was effaced at all. She warned me that the internal would possibly cause some cramping and spotting.
After the appointment I went home to wait out the afternoon until Randy got home and then the plan was to watch biggest loser and spend some time together. Around 5:30ish I started to get what I thought were some pretty intense cramps that were causing me to stop in my tracks. But not too painful that I could not talk and breath through them. I thought that they were just cramps from the internal, made some tea, snuggled up on the couch and watched some TV while still waiting for Randy to get home from work. Finally around 7pm I started to realize that the cramps were not letting up and they were pretty consistent. I got on to contraction master and started to try and timing the cramps to see if there was a pattern. They were ranging between 4 and 5 minutes apart and roughly a minute long. I called the mid-wives to let them know and they said to come in and get checked whenever I felt like it. Around 7:30 Randy got home and we watched the biggest loser while I continued to time the what I now realized were full blown contractions. I tried everything from walking around, using the exercise ball to bounce and sit on, and laying on the floor. Around 9 when biggest loser ended we decided to just head in and get checked out to ease our minds. We were convinced that I was probably in false labor. We got to the hospital about 9:30 and got checked out. I was 5cm dialated and the contractions were 3 to 4 minutes apart. They told me that I was in fact in real labor and needed to be checked into a regular labor room. Got situated into the labor room by 10:45 and started to walk the halls to try and prolong the time before I got my epidural. My dad, Amber, Randy's parents, and Kirsten and Becky all came to the hospital to see us. Becky brought me ice cream :)

Wednesday September 30, 2009
Around 1am I decided to get into the tub to see if the water would help with some of the pain. I lasted in the bath for about 45minutes when I decided that I was ready for the epidural and wanted to try and get some sleep before I would have to push. Before the epidural they checked me and I was at 7cm dialated. The epidural was administered at 2:45am and had kicked in by 3am. Kirsten, Becky, my dad, and Amber decided to go home and come back later in the day. By 3:10 Randy and I were sleeping in our room while Randy's parents were sleeping in the waiting room. At 5 am they came in to check my progress again and I was 10cm so we woke Randy up and got ready to push. Pushed for about 10 minutes when they put me on oxygen to help with Aspen's heartrate and my oxygen levels as well. Pushed for another 18 minutes and Aspen had entered our world. She was crying and pooping as they put her on my chest and I cried tears of joy and awe as I looked at her face. She was beautiful and perfect. Aspen was 7lbs 10oz and 18 and 3/4 inches long.

I had a relativeley short and easy labor when it comes to first time moms and I thank God everyday for how short and relatively it was. I still can't believe that I created the beautiful little girl that lays on me everyday.

Fabulous Morning...

So this morning was an interesting one to say the least. DD fell asleep at 9pm last night so a bit earlier than normal...and silly me, I thought she would still sleep until her normal 7am wake-up time. But alas, Aspen decides to say hello world at 5am and I never actually got to sleep until 1am. So needless to say a very sleepy mom got Aspen from her bassinet, fed her, changed her, and then was making the attempt to put her back to sleep for a couple more hours. Usually Aspen would have fallen right to sleep, but not this morning, nope she decided she was going to be up for a few hours. So Aspen and I spent the morning curled up on the couch in a big quilt together talking and watching Gilmore Girls on DVD. Things were fine until about 8am when she decided that she was very tired but wouldn't fall asleep. So with a fussy baby I thought hard about what to do and I came up with a plan that worked.

My dad use to sing me a song when I was little to help me fall asleep, so I dug into my memory and pulled that song out. It's called Smile by Nat King Cole. It worked like a charm. I walked around the living room singing to her and fussy baby turned into a smiling baby who fell asleep smiling in my arms. After she fell asleep i was wide awake for the day so Randy and I started cooking breakfast together in the kitchen. I made the omelettes and coffee while he made the bacon. After which I fed Aspen and she fell asleep right after eating again. So a quick trip to the library and now I am hiding from the cold outside. I am curled up on the couch with my little bebes on my chest curled up sleeping, a cup of warm yummy coffee next to me, a computer on my lap, and a book waiting to be opened. It has been a great morning.

I should probably be mroe productive this afternoon though! HMMM...decisions decisions.

And for you pleasure the lyrics that I sang to Aspen:

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky,
you'll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
Youll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
Thats the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
Youll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Thats the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
Youll find that life is still worthwhileIf you just smile

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Still can't believe it...

I can't believe that Aspen is 2 months old already and the thought of her growing up and not being little forever makes me so sad but at the same time I am filled with excitement to see the little woman she will grow to be and what she will do in life. So I wrote a letter to Aspen that I thought I would share with you, I am putting it in her baby book for her to read when she is grown.


Dear Aspen,

I am sitting her writing as you are snuggled to my chest and I am breathing in the sweet baby smell and basking in the glory of motherhood. You are my little girl and I know you will hate me saying this as you get older, but you will ALWAYS be my little girl. The day I found out I was pregnant with you I instantly fell in love with a baby I didn't even know. As you grew we talked to you, sat in awe as we felt for your kicks, and when nobody was around I would hide away in your nursery and read to you and tell you all about how we were preparing for you and about the world you were coming into. I prayed for your growth and development daily and I tried to picture whatt you would look like. You came into our lives on September 30, 2009 screaming and pooping. Yes, you were literally pooping as you came out and we all thought it was funny. When you were put on my chest I looked at your sweet little face and I couldn't help but cry. I had created this beautiful perfect little baby on my chest and the idea that God enrusted us with you was just overwhelming. You have grown and are two months old now and I am such a mix of emotions. I love seeing you learn new things and seeing you grow and develop. My favorite thing to see is your precious little smile. It is absolutely heart warming. But at the same time I think about the day that you won't want to snuggle on my chest anymore and the day you push out of my arms to go run around and play. I know those days are coming and I continue to pray for you daily. Except now I am praying for the baby you are, praying for your health, growth, and development. And praying for the woman you will grow to be. It's hard to imagine those days but at the same time it can be easy. I know you will be a little heartbreaker, mainly because you already are, everyone melts with your little smile and at the sight of your face. My heart bursts with love for you. There is a song I know that says, "Your my little girl, your the one that I created, no on in this world is quite like you!" And that is what I think and feel for you everyday. I love you!

Love,
Your Mom

WOW...

So I recently remembered that I have this blog after starting it in June. So I am going to start really blogging at least once a week if not more. I put it on my schedule!

Anways, the goings on: Aspen was born on September 30, 2009! She was two months as of Monday and we had her 2 month appointment that afternoon. She is measuring 9lbs 1oz and 23 inches long. So she is a petite little thing but she is very healthy. She does have a little of thrush but it was in the beginning stages, so we started her on some oral medication and it is clearing up nicely. This is her 2 month old pics by the tree!


Randy and I are getting excited for the holidays and are watching Christmas movies a lot. We have the tree up and we are waiting for my grandparents to come hme from their cruise so we can get our ornaments from them. We are so excited to have the tree done. This Christmas will be a lot of fun with Aspen. Having a baby makes every holiday more exciting!

Oh, and when Aspen was 3 and a half weeks old we had newborn pictures taken by Sarabeth who is Zimmermann photography. So the follow ones are our favorites and are courtesy of Zimmermann Photogrpahy, she does an AWESOME job! We love them.



Hope everyone is doing well and is having a great Holiday season!