The Extent of Eme's Vocabulary

more? (sounds like a question when she says it) = obviously, she...wants...more
sweestree? (again, sounds like a question) = Sesame Street (and I want to watch it!)
sues? = shoes
sues? = socks
sues? = feet
ooey = woolly (her blanket she carries EVERYWHERE. the one I made!)
da = thankyou/ta (though it is a rareity)
baby = baby dolls
teddy = teddies :)
ETdee = Jet (our dog) / Jetboy
noooo = no
dontee = don't touch!
argh = argh (she copies me growling at Jet)
kai = kajah (her cousin)
illy = landon (her cousin)
dada = anyone and everyone
mumumumumumumu = I want something mum

I'm sure there are others, and at the moment the list is expanding everyday! I just want to keep a record of her words at 18.5mths along :)

Sibi Update

Yesterday we got to go have an ultrasound to see everything was going well with Sibi.

They say that it is used to check for downs syndrome, but all I want to see is a heart beating.

Bub looks good and very different to Eme!! Heartbeat was 20bpm then Eme (Russell thinks this is because it is a boy) and was barely moving around. Was quite happy to just lay there crossing its legs and floating around! Eme at her 12wk ultrasound was bouncing all over the place!

Hopefully this means this bub will be a little more low-key than Eme...but I don't mind having two psycho's on my hands!

Hullo Everybody!!!

Resting hand over head

Old News

So, you may or may not have heard through the grape vines, but we are having another baby!!

We are due the 24th of August and are just as excited as we were with Emery.

This pregnancy has been quite different to the last. While I was quite sick in the first 16wks with Eme, I haven't been all that sick this time. I just feel rotten most of the day and night. But I haven't been vomiting on trains...just the once on our front lawn :)

Last time all I thought about all day and night was the pregnancy and the baby, but this time I am too busy with Eme all day to give much thought to this pregnancy. At first I felt really bad because I was worried that I wouldn't love this baby as much, but after hearing a sermon by Erwin McManus, I realised that we don't have to 'split' our love between people, but that love grows. I felt a lot more confident and am still just as excited about this bub as I was about Eme.

Emery was known as the bub-o-luv, so this next bub will be referred to as 'Sibi'. Which is short for sibling. It's how we refer to the baby with Eme...trying to teach her to be a big sister to her sibi. She really has no idea, and I don't think she is going to take too well to having to share her parents, but I'm confident that we can still show her just as much love if not more when the new baby comes.

By around week 7 of this pregnancy, my belly button reverted to its 'old ways' and popped out :) I still don't show all that much, but it's funny how easily the body returns to pregnancy. It's an absolutely beautiful and amazing thing, and I am so blessed to be carrying this little one. We women are truly blessed.

Russell has been an absolute rock for me these past weeks. He has been on holidays for the last 6wks, and he has been the biggest help. He has changed sooooo many nappies, and looked after me every day, and never complains. I'm constantly apologising for ruining his holidays, but he is a gentleman and always says that they're not ruined. It's been interesting with him going back to work this week, but so far I've survived. You've just got to get on with it I guess!

I've also changed from full-time study to part-time this semester, and then I will have to take a break till the baby is old enough for me to return to study. Some people wonder why I'm even bothering, but I'd rather start now, otherwise I will never get to it. I'm slowly starting my journey to what I believe God has called me to (midwifery) and I believe that he will guide and lead me on this journey.

So, that's some of our news and I hope that I can keep you all regularly posted on how we're doing!

Watch this space!!!

Name Calling

I (we) have a few names we call Emery.

Eme

Eme-joy

Eme-joy joy joy

Ssspecious girl

Sweet Cheeks

Bubba

Bub-o-luv

(this one is from her Grammy) Myjy (pronouned midgy)

Ssspecious girl came from me one night. I was trying to tell her she was special to me and a precious girl and I accidentally said ssspecious. It's stuck ever since!

And myjy is my mums name for her. It stands for My Joy

I don't know if I ever went through the names we gave to Eme.

Emery was a suggestion from Russell. It was the name of one of our bands we enjoyed and we thought it quite a pretty name for a girl.

Joy is my middle name and I wanted to pass it onto Eme as it holds quite a bit of meaning in our family. My mum had 3 miscarriages before she had me, and when I was born I was such a 'joy' to her and dad. After I had my miscarriage I decided that if we ever had a girl, her middle name would be Joy also. Considering my mum thought she would never have children, let alone grandchildren...I thought it would be a nice reminder of God's grace and faithfulness.

Kade (her 2nd middle name) is a combination of my mum & mum-in-laws names. KAren & DEnise. I thought I had invented a name, then found out it's actually a real name (for boys)

So, there you have it. What's behind a name...

Who has an interesting story about their name or their children's names?

Eme's 1st Christmas...& some news...though it may not be news cos I can't remember if I've posted about it or not!!

Ok, so I know these are a little late, and I also realised that I just put these photos up out of order...but who cares?

These are just a couple of photos from Christmas Day. With new photos of Landon...the the poor boy is stuck in a Santa suit, and poor Eme has 'pant issues'.

Oh, and the big news is that my little Sister is PREGNANT!! She is due June 4th! And we are SOOOOO excited!

Another little playmate for Eme! I think she is having a girl, and I have already started collecting girl things. Maybe I should ask Sarah's "waters" what she thinks Kate is having!!

Anyway...sorry if that is old news, I really can't remember!

Eme with her Mummy

This has to be one of my favourite shots with her so far

Boxing day. It was a HOT day so Eme decided to wear a wet cloth

With Aunty Kate

Landon & Emery

Poor Landon had to suffer through wearing that suit and poor Eme had to suffer through her Mother pulling her shorts up to her armpits...just for a laugh

Uncle Russ with Landon the boofta

Dontchya reckon they look alike?

Emery's Birth Story

This was written 3 wks ago (it's just taken me a long time to finish off!)

I cannot believe that just over a week ago I gave birth to Emery.

In the last couple of weeks leading up to her birth I was anxious and worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle or endure the labor. I didn’t know if I was cut out for it. I was worried that I would panic and the whole experience would be a nightmare.

I prayed and prayed for weeks that God would fill me with a sense of peace, that I wouldn’t panic, and that the right people would be on staff the day of her birth. That he would prepare them in a way I guess.

The night before, we had dinner at my parents place and went to watch my dad’s Touch Footy team play (they lost by one try!!). On the way home dad drove past his normal turnoff and said that he was looking for some speed humps. He proceeded to drive through Thornlie Square (a shopping center) driving over speed humps to try and bring the baby on! He even bottomed out on one of the humps. When we got home he said,

“If that baby comes tomorrow it will be because of me!!”

The morning of the 18th was like any other day. I woke up wondering if today would be the day – though I was convinced the baby was never going to come. Russell had the day off work and decided to have “words” with the baby.

“If you would like to come today baby, today would be a good day!”

We then headed down to Kwinana Hub (another shopping center) – visited the library, got a couple of groceries and rented 2 movies out.

While we were walking around Woolworths I felt a little “tight” and had to walk slowly. It was tiring and I remember feeling a little achy in my back and tummy. I mentioned it to Russell and he just slowed down for me (he kept walking ahead a bit too quickly for me!)

I didn’t think anything of it. We got home, organized some lunch and then sat down to watch ‘21’. While I was making lunch, I still felt tight and achy and messaged 2 of my best friends that I felt a bit of ‘pain’ and that hopefully it meant something, just maybe, was going to happen! (Russell still had no idea at this point). We started watching the movie and the whole time, the pain got worse. It was bearable and I just sat through the movie and lived with it. I thought the baby had possibly moved into an awkward position and so that’s why I was in a little pain. At about 3pm I mentioned to Russ that I had been having pain for the last 3hrs and sat in one of our chairs that has a massage machine attached to it. It helped ease the pain in my back a little.

The pain just kept getting worse. At this stage, I had to start walking around. It brought the pain on quicker though and I was starting to feel a bit excited! We were meant to head up to Russ’ parents place to have dinner that night, and at about 4.30pm Russ called to say that we wouldn’t be able to make it. I didn’t think that I was in labor, but we thought it best to call the labor ward and see if we should come in for a checkup or not.

Of course they said to come in, but I was still in denial. Russ started running around packing things. I had packed my bag the week earlier and just needed a few toiletries. Russ kept asking what else we needed and I kept saying

“Nothing – they will just send us home anyway!!”

So, Russ just ignored me and packed absolutely everything! He knew the baby was coming.

We got to the hospital about 5.15pm and waited a while to be seen. In the end they had to grab a midwife who was out in the ward as they didn’t have enough staff on in the labor ward. Her name was Cindy and she sat me down on the bed and checked everything. She did an internal check and said that I was 3 centimeters dilated and that the baby was well and truly on its way. While I was in the room with her the pains were still getting worse and quicker. They were coming between 2 and 3 minutes and were lasting roughly 30 secs. That sounds so easy writing it like that, but it felt like an eternity.

Cindy said that because I was only 3cms I could go home for a few hours, labor at home and then come back in, or I could just hang around in the room. Because we live half an hr away from the hospital, I would probably get home, then have to turn around and come back, so we stayed. Cindy noticed however that the contractions were getting worse and happening quicker and thought it wise we stay at the hospital.

At week 36 of the pregnancy they check you for a bacteria called ‘Group B Strep’. It’s a bacteria that you can carry around in your gut, and when pregnant, can transfer…..down….wards….and pass to the baby during birth. Because of this, I had to have antibiotics via a drip. I was also seriously dehydrated and needed some topping up. I had to have the antibiotics inserted every 4 hours, but ended up only having them once because she came so quickly!

The doctor came in to set up the drip and I was happy to see that it was the doctor I had been hoping would be around on the day. In the public system you get whoever is on call that week and I had been in prayer for 4/5mths that God would have the right people on staff when our baby would come along. I felt so relaxed when he came to insert the drip! I told him that I didn’t like needles and didn’t want to have the drip put in, so he gave me a local and then inserted the drip. I’m a big wuss with needles and I think the doctor was probably thinking “you’re in labor you silly woman…the drip is the least of your worries!” But he complied anyway :)

So, once the antibiotics were in, the midwife noticed that my contractions were starting to happen quicker and were getting quite strong so she started asking what I had planned to happen during labor. Whether I was wanting to have an epidural or go completely natural. I said I wasn’t too sure, but that I didn’t really want to have an epidural, but with every contraction I was starting to reconsider that thought! She suggested that we start off small, so she started to fill a bath for me. She said, if that didn’t feel like it did much then we could go for some gas, and so on and so on.
She said being only 3cms at 6pm, it probably wouldn’t be until after 12am that I would be ready to start pushing. I kept looking at the time and trying to count down the hours. I just wanted to keep thinking about how I wouldn’t remember anything and that I would be holding our precious baby the next day.

I was a little disappointed because I had been hoping the baby would be born on the 18th as it was my Great-Grandfathers 100th birthday. It would’ve been nice to share that day with the birth of our child.

Around 7pm I got into the bath. At this stage I still had my dress on and I just pulled it up to just under my arms. After the midwife left the room I stripped and Russ just sat close by continually saying that I was “doing a good job”. I wasn’t really in a talkative mood and just wanted to sit in the bath and keep my eyes closed. At first I didn’t want to get too wet (no idea why) and I just sat there, but as the contractions continually got stronger I started flapping around that bath like “Free Willy”. I had my head under the water and just floated around until a contraction started and I would splash around like a whale. I didn’t realize I was doing it until the next day when Russell mentioned it! I told the midwife, when she came to see how I was going, that I “need something more! The water isn’t enough!” so she went and grabbed the gas for me. It’s a tube with a little area at the end of the tube where you can just breathe like normal and breathe in the gas. The gas takes a few seconds to start having any effect. I was sucking on the thing like it was going out of fashion. When a contraction would start I would fling my hand out and Russ would put it in my hand and I would ‘suck’ through a contraction. When I was done I would hold it up for Russ to take back, he did a very good job :)

I remember at one stage holding out my hand to hold Russ’ hand while sucking on the gas with my other hand. I squeezed so hard that I heard EVERY knuckle in his hand crack! I swear I have never squeezed that hard in my life. It’s like you get an extra bit of strength during labor.

I’m just going to quickly insert here what the contractions felt like. No-one ever tries to explain what it feels like, and I can understand why, there are not really any words to describe it, but I’ll try! For me, it was like a huge amount of pressure in my lower abdomen. As though there were a tonne of bricks sitting on my pelvis and the pressure would start of small and then get worse and then calm down again. Like a wave of pain. However I think I got so high on the gas that it is hard to remember exactly what the pain was like. All I can remember is thinking “I’m never doing this again. This is it. Our only child!” But then the next day I forgot all about it, fell in love with Emery and said “It wasn’t that bad, I can do it again!”

I ended up being in the bath for 2hrs. Before I got in Cindy had checked my fluids and said that I was dehydrated and that I needed to keep drinking water. It was really hard though to hold the cup of water because I was sucking the gas so much it made my hands feel like little stumps. They were all pins and needle-y and I couldn’t hold onto the cup or the gas pump properly, so Russ ended up having to stick a straw in my mouth and hold the cup for me while I drifted away on another planet.

Apparently while I was in the bath Cindy came in to check on me and started talking about having to put a drip in to re-hydrate me. I have absolutely no recollection of this. I was so high and ‘in the zone’ that I didn’t notice her talking to me or putting the drip in.

I remember starting to say to Russ that I couldn’t do this, that I didn’t want to do it anymore, and that I needed something more than this gas thing! He said the next day that I kept saying this when he was just in the room, but whenever the midwife came in I was completely calm and just soaking in the bath! At 9pm Cindy came in and decided to check how far along I was and she was shocked to see that I was fully dilated. I remember her getting my attention and saying

“Rebekah, you are fully dilated (she had a big smile on her face), this baby is ready to come. Now, Rebekah, you cannot have this baby in the bath, you need to get out.”

I remember thinking to myself

“As soon as she turns around, I’m just going to push really hard and she can’t stop me from having this baby in the bath!!”

I kept saying “Just one more minute, just one more”

Russ decided he needed to take control of the situation and he grabbed both my arms and just yanked me out of the water! I sat on the edge of the bath as I started to have another contraction. I felt all woozy and couldn’t hold myself up properly. One of the student midwives who I agreed could watch the birth gave me a towel to dry myself. All I did was swing it onto my shoulders like a cape and proceeded to walk around the ward like some sort of super-hero. I walked into someone else’s room and I remember Russ having to direct me. I couldn’t walk straight and had to have help to get myself into my own room.

After getting into the room, this is when the ‘yucky’ pain started. I didn’t mind the contractions too much, it was the pushing pain that I hated. It’s just this unbearable feeling of having to push…you can’t control it! I hated it!

After a while Cindy decided to break my waters as they hadn’t broken on their own. Then, after that she said that the baby was stuck and that I needed to try different positions to try and move her along. She got me to sit on a stool/chair thing and she tried to get me to stand up or lean over some pillows. I look back at it and find it really undignified, but at the time, I couldn’t care less and just wanted the baby out.

Cindy kept saying,

“The baby’s nearly here, it’s nearly here…push push push”

And I kept saying

“How many minutes away exactly. How many more minutes?”

I needed a time frame.

The ended up having to sit me on the toilet to try and see if that helped move the baby down a bit, and it worked! So off I went and they sat me up in the bed. I didn’t want to lie down so I got to be sitting up which felt a little more comfortable.

Cindy kept saying

“There’s the head! Can you see the head?”

I couldn’t see what the heck she was talking about. I didn’t believe her. She got Russ to stand on one side and help support my leg and she stood on the other side. They BOTH kept saying they could see the head, and I remember Cindy saying that the baby had it’s Daddy’s hair (None of us knew the sex of bub either and the midwife was looking forward to finding out).

One of the midwives went and got a free standing mirror so that I could see this head they kept talking about. After every push you would see the head, and then it would go back up! It was so depressing! But it eventually started to stay and slowly after a few more contractions and pushes her head popped out. And so did her arm! It was amazing. There was this head and her little hand was clinging onto Cindy’s finger. Then after the next contraction the rest of her slithered out and Cindy held her up and said

“What is it!?!”

And I said

“A girl!!!!!”

Russ was shocked as he was convinced the whole time that it was a boy. But you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

She was laid down on my tummy and she had a pathetic little cry. I will never forget just looking at her and being amazed. I couldn’t believe that it was all over! It was the biggest feeling of relief that I had ever felt. And it took away every single memory of pain that I had felt in the last 10.5 hrs. It was amazing. I think that was one good thing about birth. It is so amazing and terrific that you just completely forget about the torture you’ve just been through the instant you meet your little one.

Of course it doesn’t end there. You still need to deliver the placenta – which is the most feral thing ever – and the check to see if stitches are needed. A midwife stuck a needle in my thigh (helps bring the placenta out quicker) and I remember turning around sharply, giving her ‘the look’ and saying

“OW….that hurt!”

I don’t think she really cared too much….would’ve been nice for a little fore warning though!

Cindy asked if Russ wanted to cut the cord – I said he did J - so he did. He took some photos and they tried to get Emery to have a feed (which hurt like hell the first time). After that they took her off me and went to check everything and make sure she was ok. I remember looking over and thinking she looked enormous! That she couldn’t have possibly fit inside me! The midwives were all trying to guess her weight…she was 3.880kg (8lb 8.5oz)

I was shocked. I always thought I would have little petite babies. Not jolly big boofheads!

Russ called all the family to let them know she had arrived and I had to get stitched up. I remember thinking after she was born

“Woo hoo…I don’t need stitches!”

But, I was wrong. I had 2nd degree tearing and they called the doctor to come in and stitch me up. He was supposed to be there for the birth, but Emery came so quickly that he didn’t get a chance to be there.

As he was stitching me up (I got to suck on the gas again!) he was saying that when he received the call at 10.30pm to say it had happened, he thought they were calling to say that I was ready for the epidural. He was shocked that she had come that night.

After being stitched up and checked out I got to go have a shower, which was really nice. It was hard to stand up but the warm water helped to relax me.

Around 1am I got taken to my room in the ward and I got to take Eme with me. They set me up in my room and Russ stayed for a little while. Around 1.30am he headed off to stay at a friends place down the road from the hospital and I was left to my own devices with Eme.

I was a little panicked as I wasn’t sure what to do. How would I know if she needed a nappy change or a feed? But a midwife came to check on us every couple of hours which was nice to know.

I remember I didn’t sleep one bit that night. I just stared at Eme the entire time and she stared back at me. She didn’t make a noise but she was awake!

I couldn’t believe that it was all over. That I had survived labor and that I now had a daughter. It still doesn’t feel real now. I cannot believe that I have been blessed with this privilege. It is one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I never want to forget it. I will never forget the first moments with her, and that first night with her. It was instant love.

When I look back, I’m very proud of myself. I did it. I survived! It didn’t kill me! And funnily enough, I’m sure I’ll go back and do it again and again and again!

The reward is well worth it. The best thing is that it has increased my love for Russell and developed an even deeper relationship with the two of us. We are now a little family and I am so grateful to God for all he has done for us.

He kept me calm and at peace, the right staff were on, and we were blessed with a healthy happy little boofhead.

My recommendation to all is to go for it! You won’t regret having your kids!

She's a working class Muuuuuum!!!!

I thought I would let you know what I had decided to do about work and where my convictions lay with mums v staying at home.

I was brought up with my mum at home all day every day. It wasn’t until we were all in school (2 in high school) that mum started to do a little part-time work. Even then, it was mainly Thurs nights and Saturdays that she worked.

We would come home from school to fruit plates or biscuits and sometimes every now and then caramel popcorn! That was a HUGE treat though…so didn’t happen very often.

That wasn’t the only thing that was good about mum being at home though. I was raised by a mum who included me in what she was doing every day. Before I went to school I desperately wanted to be Cinderella. I wanted to wear the apron and little slip on shoes and scrub and clean. Have I mentioned before that I might be a little deranged?

Anyway, my mum made me a little apron and I used to beg for a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush so that I could scrub the tiles in our house. I would do the dishes and every now and then ask dad to put on some Michael Bolton (whom I still love today) to sing to as I cleaned. Dad’s response was always “Cinderella’s don’t get music to work to!” – but he always put it on for me anyway.

Mum also involved me in cooking. She taught me from a very young age some of the basics in the kitchen. I was allowed to help make dinner or snacks and she never took over because I wasn’t doing it right. The one thing she forgot to teach me was how to make instant coffee. Her and dad just about bounced off the walls after one sip one morning I decided to make them a coffee!!

She taught me how to sew and spent time with me whenever I had questions about anything.

This was never forced on me though. This was where my interests lay and I wanted to be like her, so she took the time to teach me the things she knew.

I grew up learning the basics in the kitchen and some basics in other domestic duties. I’m still learning a lot of stuff today, but mum is always just a phone call away.

Being in a family of a pastor is tough, being the wife of one is even tougher. I grew up witnessing mum being a support for dad and a loving wife.

Pastors get paid crap all. Yet my mum stayed home and raised all 4 of us – with the help of dad of course! God always looked after us and I know that while we may have ‘missed out’ on some of the material things this world has to offer, what I have learnt from my family doesn’t even compare. We are close and are a tight family unit – without being oppressive (if that makes sense). We are close and have tight family values.

Now, it’s not just because my mum was a stay at home mum that I believe our family is this way, but I do believe that staying at home and being able to raise your kids has huge benefits.

Russell and I are not ‘well off’. Russell still works part-time (3 days a week) while I earn about 2/3rds of our income. I have been blessed with a job that is flexible and pays well and looks after their employees. My boss is huge on the family unit and is extremely supportive of Russ and I having our own family. My job covers the mortgage and most bills and Russ’s is good for the extra things that happen in life, like cars blowing up and bills.

With me taking maternity leave – our income is going to suffer massively. We are going to be living the most simplistically we ever have.

I don’t see the point in having a child and not being home to raise it and spend time with it. Babies are little for such a short period of time and I don’t want to miss out on any of it!

We can’t afford for me to not work completely though (unless something miraculous happens in the next couple of months). I am taking 6mths maternity leave (I get half of my normal wage for the full 6mths) and then returning to work 2 days a week.

These 2 days won’t bring much income in, but hopefully it will be just enough! I just cannot justify putting our mortgage over raising our children.

The other lady I work with who is due today/tomorrow (do you realise this was when our 1st baby was due?) is taking her 6mths maternity leave and then returning to work full time. I was chatting to her about it because she is a Christian and I felt comfortable confronting her on stuff. She said that her husband doesn’t earn a minimum of $100k a year and so she needs to return full time. I just about died when I heard that as I thought to myself, Russell doesn’t even earn $30k a year!! What the heck are we going to do?

She said they couldn’t afford for her to stay home (as much as she desperately wants to) because their expenses far outweigh income. To me I would be looking at why you are living beyond your means before returning to work and make a few sacrifices. BUT it’s not my life and they are free to live theirs as they please.

I don’t care about our house. While I am thankful that we have it and that we were in a position to buy it, I just can’t place it over our children. If we get to a point where we either sell or I go back to work, we will sell the house and find somewhere to rent.

We have started putting a few things in place such as a massive veggie patch. This is going to take a lot of hard work and energy, but the benefits are going to have a huge impact. It may not seem like much, but with the price of groceries today, every bit helps.

We have already started a refreshed budget for when the baby is here, and we haven’t actually bought anything for the baby yet! We are waiting to see what family have bought us (they have already bought a few things) to see what we will need to get. We don’t want to buy an excess amount of clothes or toys and are hoping to have minimal amounts of this sort of stuff. Plus, I am part of our local Freecycle group (have been for a few months) and have already been given a few things for the baby so far! It really is a great network and I encourage you all to look into your local community for your own Freecycle. It’s also a great way to get to know people who live in your area as you meet the needs that each other have! (reminds me of something I read in Acts 2 this week!)

I know some people won’t agree with me, and that’s fine! I’m not here to judge whether you yourself should be working or staying home with your kids, but this is my conviction. If Russ gets into a position where I don’t need to work my 2 days a week, then I will stop working and stay at home full time. I have no doubt that God is going to look after us. He always has and I have seen him move in miraculous ways before! We are both trusting God in this uncertain time and while I am still worried that we may be homeless by the end of this year, it doesn’t compare to what we will have in our arms. A new little Ingram. Our own family. And a God that never forgets and never abandons, and nothing can take that away.

I don't think this post ended up being what I intended it on being about - so I'm sorry! But the main point is...I'm working 2 days a week after having the baby, and trusting that God will look after both Russ & I - which I have no doubt he will!

This oven aint broke

Well, I was going to wait another few weeks till I posted this but I can't wait....no patience I tell you!!

We're pregnant again!!

I am currently 7 weeks along and very paranoid.

This was a little surprise actually because it happened only 4 weeks after our miscarriage this year! We sure are 'super sonic sperm' and 'excellent egg', but it really is only by God's grace that this has happened.

We are both so excited and are waiting in expectation of our little one arriving Nov 17th this year.

I have been pretty nauseous and have been trying not to fall asleep at work. The nausea lasts all day, and I have had no reprive at all. But, I don't want to complain about it. I am so happy that I will endure whatever sickness comes...as hard as that is! I just keep reminding myself that other women have had it 10x worse than me, and that it will all be worth it.

So, that is why I haven't been posting much recently. I've had this big news and I haven't been able to share it. I was going to wait until the 12 week mark, but I would rather enjoy myself now and share our excitement, no matter what happens down the track.

It is kinda cool thinking about the possibility that our child will have a cousin roughly 1 month older! How amazing!!

Anywho....now that you all know, you need to start praying!! This has been an answer to prayer and we are eternally grateful!!