Sun

I am LOVING the incredibly beautiful weather we have been having lately! It is so great to play in our backyard or take Ali to the park!

Today we were able to head out to the Greater Vancouver Zoo with my wonderful girlfriends Kristin, Kimberly and Amy for Kristin's birthday. The kids had a great time playing together and looking at all the animals and it was really nice to reconnect with the girls! I didn't get too many pics but Kristin did. I stole this one from her blog.

Thank you Lord for such wonderful friends and for such beautiful weather!

27 Weeks

It hit me last night how quickly my due date is approaching! I have now entered the 3rd trimester and only have 13 weeks left until my due date...WOW! I feel like this pregnancy has just flown by! And in realizing this, I also got a bit stressed over all the things that need to be done before we have this baby! And so, this morning I made a list of all that I want done. It feels much better to have it all written down so I can physically see what needs to be done.

Physically I am feeling pretty good. Though I am carrying completely different than I did with Natalie and feeling much smaller! Here is a comparison shot...the first is me at 27 weeks now and the second is me at 27 weeks with Natalie.

As a family we are doing great. This past weekend we went to the Family Connections event at our church, which was a day at the Farm! It was great! Natalie had a great time. They had face painting, balloon animals, tractor rides with a treasure hunt, volleyball games, tug-a-wars, kids playgrounds, ducklings and bunnies to pet, goats, pony and horse rides and tons of food! I couldn't believe how much Natalie loved petting the ducklings and bunnies! She couldn't get enough of them...she got so giddy excited when even coming near to them! And she was so gentle. I wish I had my camera along and gotten some pictures, but what can you do? This is a huge step for Alis since a few months ago she was scared of animals....including dogs and cats! And now she absolutely loves playing with them!

And I'll leave you with a cute picture of our little Ali - though they are getting harder to get. She has become a bit camera shy...and very interested in whatever pictures you do manage to take, so she doesn't stay in one place too long.

So That Explains It...

We visited the doctor the other day and discovered some very interesting information: Natalie has joined the ranks of seasonal allergy sufferers! For a few months now, I have seen her often rubbing her nose, eyes or sneezing. I took her to the eye doctor because I have read that rubbing of the eyes can indicate eye problems (which run in Nate's family), but her eyes were perfect. And so we moved to the next idea: allergies. Ali has seemingly almost constantly had a cold since November - some of which was legitimetly a cold and some just plain old allergies. The doctor also commented that kids with allergies tend to be very irritble, picking fights with siblings for no reason, or breaking down in tears over nothing! And for the last few weeks that has been Ali! She is usually such a happy kid, so Nate and I were perplexed over why the sudden whininess and tears over seemingly nothing! I mean, it could be partially attributed to the 4 teeth she has gotten in the last 3 weeks and the 2 more molars that are pushing their way through....but still seemed out of character.

So what next? There is not a whole lot you can do for kids Ali's age with allergies. Basically all we can try is giving her Benedryl, which will make her pretty lathargic (we can't use the non-drowsy stuff till she is a bit older). I think we will try it for a week or so and see how much it helps and then weigh the pros and cons. So, we could use your prayers over this. Thanks!

Enjoying Life

We have been having some beautiful weather lately and its been so nice to be able to get outside! Natalie has loved going to the park, though its getting hard to go for walks as she gets a bit antsy with being in her stroller too long. She would much rather walk or push it herself!

A few weeks ago we headed out on a beautiful Friday and went to the zoo. This is the first time that Natalie has been really interactive with the animals and it was really fun to watch her. The giraffe's head was maybe a foot away from Natalie, right on the other side of the plastic fence. She thought it great! She also discovered puddles on that trip and how fun they are to jump in!

We had a busy but good Easter weekend. Friday we headed to our Good Friday service. My parents, little sister and her boyfriend all came as well. We all then headed back to our place for an afternoon of egg painting - I haven't done that in years and it was a blast! Saturday we were able to hang out with Nate's brother and wife who live on the island and then have a great Easter Brunch with Nate's side of the family. We spent most of the rest of the day playing in his parents yard. Natalie loved the red wagon that Grandpa pulled her around it. I unfortunately forgot my camera, but my sister-in-law got some great pics (though I am still waiting to get a copy). And Easter Sunday, after church, was spent with my family in Abbotsford and Surrey.

Life is going good for me. I am 25 weeks prego and feeling good. Baby is quite active. I am growing everyday, though I can still make myself look not prego...I am carrying much differently than I did with Natalie. And I am going to, most likely, be doing some contract work from home. It will be similar design stuff that I was doing at my old job, but I will be able to do it from the comfort of my own home. I am looking forward to starting that.

Ali just got up from her nap so I should go. Have a great week.

My Little Cleaner

Our computer is fixed and our internet is working again! So I am finally able to post again!


I can't believe its April already! Where has the year gone? I was also surprised to wake up to snow this morning! I thought spring had finally arrived...its been really beautiful this week...but no, sadly it obviously had not!

Natalie is doing great! She will be 15 months this week and is ever growing, changing and experimenting. She keeps us on our toes and is also our delight and joy! She LOVES babies (I can't emphasize that enough!) and every time she sees one she is giddy with excitement! She gets as close as she possibly can get. And she "knows" that there is a baby is my tummy - she will pull up my shirt and point, yelling "baby", so excited! Then she will kiss the baby over and over. Its very cute. So, so far, it seems as though she may adjust very well to having a new baby brother or sister. The other day, I was making dinner. I heard Natalie pushing around our little step stool (which she loves to do and use as a chair). I didn't think tons of it until I turned around and she was peering up over the counter. She has figured out the acutal purpose of the stool. Things just got a little more complicated! :)
Natalie also LOVES to help us clean or do whatever we are doing. Today I was cleaning the floors and I walked upstairs with the mop and floor cleaner. Natalie got so excited! It took me a minute to realize that she wanted to push the mop around the floor! It was so cute. But when I started to use the mop, she was so disappointed. She helped me a few times, then I gave her the swiffer, which she was very happy to push around the kitchen as I cleaned. She would watch what I was doing and then try to immitate my movements. A priceless moment!

We have also sort of started potty training...not of our will but of Natalie's! She is very interested when we go to the bathroom and the last week or so, she started pointing at the toilet, signing please and saying "pee". So, I started putting her on. She liked being there like mommy and daddy, but it was a bit big for her little bum. So last week we purchased a potty just for Natalie..thinking we would have it for when she really started. Well, she wanted to go on it as soon as she saw it. So, whenever she asks, we have been putting her on it. She has yet to acutally go to the bathroom while on it, but she sat for about 5 min today on it before saying she was "all done". So, we are not trying too hard, but we have slowly started.

This week has also had its rough moments....Natalie is teething with 6 teeth, 4 of which are her molars! She had one of her front teeth come through on Monday, but it continues to be a waiting game.


I am 23 1/2 weeks pregnant and feeling really good. The baby is moving like crazy these days, though mostly it feels like its doing somersalts. We had our ultrasound at the beginning of March. It was wonderful to see our baby, though he/she was quite chill. He/she barely moved at all...and when it did, it was to yawn! :) But everything looks good and my dates are right on. The only issue that they found was that my platena is currently sitting too low. So, they are sending me back for a second ultrasound in early June to make sure that it has moved. If it hasn't moved enough by then, they will schedule a c-section for me. My midwife says that in over 90% of these cases, the placenta will move on its own by then. We have entrusted this child and pregnancy to the Lord and whatever happens. I'm not too concerned if I have to get a c-section...only the epidural concerns me! But, it would greatly affect Nate if I did as he is scheduled to be on a missions trip in Vancouver right when they would do it. So, you can keep this whole situation in your prayers.


I don't have the ultrasound picture to post at this time as we do not have a scanner, but the baby definately bares some resemblance to Natalie's ultrasound.


I need to go get started on dinner now. Have a wonderful week.