quick update

So....my son is daytime potty trained....the 3 day method turned into the 3 month method....lol!! He decided to start telling me consistently about 4 days before his second birthday:) Still have a few pee accidents here and there which can be expected for a while I am sure. He is growing up soooo fast.....He suprises me everyday with the sentences he puts together, using 4-5 word sentences and words like 'maybe, just, and also' in the right context...it is so cute....these little ones are such sponges. The other day he teasingly called me a "little rascal".......I call him that often, so it made me laugh pretty hard that he picked up on it:)

Bella is ADORABLE and she has me pretty much wrapped around her little finger. She started rolling over from back to belly sometime mid May and can now slowly get around the room a bit by rolling and twisting...won't be long before I have two mobile kiddos....please Lord a little bit longer:) Right now, I think she is teething.....she has been having a hard time falling asleep for naps and wants me to hold her more than usual AND she is gnawing on everything....I hope they break through soon!! She is still sleeping well through the night so it doesn't seem to be affecting her sleep in that way, which is good:) Two days ago I decided to introduce cereal for the first time and she LOVED it....she was so excited... everytime I put the spoon toward her face she would kick her legs and grab the spoon and pull it to her mouth....it was a little messy to say the least but oh so, cute:)

My time with the Lord has been soooo blessed lately:) I am feeling so refreshed in His Spirit. As I have been more conscious of allowing the Lord to direct my day by His Spirit....it has brought excitement to my days and a deeper intimacy with Him!! How blessed I am to have a friend in Jesus...oh, how He loves me....and I am so undeserving!!

Have a blessed week.....whoever might read this.....Jesus loves you too, friend:)

potty training and bella update

So the three day method was a great start but since I was taking him when I could tell he had to go he didn't learn to tell me when he had to go pee. I realized later with the 3 day method I wasn't supposed to take him unless he told me he had to go or unless he started having an accident...oops. The theory is that they learn their body cues when they start having the accident and learn how to tell you before they start to go in their undies. I didn't stop with the training since he was doing so well and would go everytime I took him. I just decided to go with the timer method where you take them every so often in hopes that he would eventually start telling me. Well he continued to do well and of course had some accidents....he would often tell me when he had to poop or look at me kinda funny and I knew to take him but would continue to go pee quickly everytime I took him. He still wasn't telling me before he had to pee though and would only ask to go before nap or bedtime.....so last week I decided to stop taking him all the time when I thought he had to go.....and this week he has started to tell me more when he has to go. I am hoping this continues......today he had one of his friends over and he even ran up to me while they were playing together to tell me he had to poop. I was impressed because I wouldn't think he would have wanted to stop what he was doing to go to the bathroom...yay!! Hopefully we will have a fully potty trained toddler by his 2nd birthday on June 6! Miss Bella.....she went for her 2 month appointment and is measuring 23 3/4" and 13 lb 5 oz...just 1 oz and 1/4" bigger than her brother at this age:) She sure is a sweetie! She had to get 5 shots and was NOT happy about it...she was very fussy for the next several days:( She has the biggest smiles though and loves smiling at her momma. I don't ever remember Israel's face lighting up as much as hers does when she sees her mommy...I love it! Israel was much more serious at this age. She loves to be cuddled and rocked to sleep. She has been sleeping through the night for over a month now and usually sleeps 9 to 9.5 hours per night. She also moves around much more in her crib during the night....when I get her in the morning I find her in a totally opposite position and often is against the crib bars with an arm in between the bars....again this is much different than her brother...he always slept in the same spot all night! She has also been trying to suck her thumb and was getting very frustrated that she couldn't quite get it....she wasn't taking the paci I had for her and would often gag when I put it in her mouth...so I went out and bought her a smaller one and she is loving it so far...especially in the evening during her normal fussy time. I love my kids...I do wish we would get out more. It has been a struggle...I want to get out and do things but everytime I do it seems like more of a hassle than it is worth. I think I have just had a bad attitude about it.....instead of looking at it in a positive light...I get frustrated with a toddler running from me when I want to put his shoes on, his jacket on, and to go pee before we leave.....all the while Miss Bella is screaming in her car seat. But I know it is good for us to get out and go to places like the Park/Rec and the library for storytime. Summer is just around the corner so it will be nice when we can just go outside and get some sunshine or plop the kids in the stroller and go to the swimming pool or park that is just a block away:)

3 day potty training method by Lora Jensen

So I am so extremely exhausted.......I have been following my son around in his undies and t-shirt every waking minute of his day....for the LAST 3 days...saying, "make sure you tell mommy if you have to go pee or poop, okay" and "Are your undies dry?, they are, GOOD JOB, make sure to keep your undies dry, okay"......100 times per day! AND basically waiting for him to have an accident...and running him to the potty. As I type this I am trying not to laugh out loud, it sounds quite comical:)

The first day- lots of accidents, lots of running to the potty, lots of dirty undies.....then by the end of the day he was looking at me with this panic look right before he was about to release with a look of 'help, what do I do??' And then he ran toward the bathroom a couple of times before he had to go.....which was a small step.

The second day- I was so tired of following him around every minute of the day....tired of all of it really, he still had a lot of accidents but I was able to read his potty face and get him on the potty in the middle of it quick enough to actually get some poop and pee into the toilet. He would start to run to the bathroom when he had the urge or tell me pee, we would go in there and then he would say done without doing anything and before I could sit him on the potty. Finally I decided to start telling him to hold it when he acted like he had to go and then set him on the potty....he would protest a bit...then I would distract him with anything I could think of...pics on my phone, keys, ABC's....and he was able to relax enough to go pee completely in the potty all by himself with no mess on the floor or undies. We ended the day on an encouraging note....

The third day....today- exhausted...but so excited.....he only had one pee accident today and he even pooped in the potty! He told me he had to poop, I didn't have to just read his face, and with the last two pees of the day he learned how to push it out, then stop, then push out some more....he was pushing so hard trying to figure it out that he was farting really loud....I was cracking up...lol!

I am sure there will be more accidents but I really do feel like he is getting it. I would recommend this book to anyone!! However, I recommend praying about how you might adapt it to your specific child's personality. The Lord has shown me a lot through this potty training boot camp of sorts.....how much I value my 'me' time, in a selfish way! It was a struggle to basically not do anything I wanted to do these past three days. He showed me that I lack commitment....in everyday things and even in my walk with Him....I give up easily. Through the Lord's encouragement we made it the three days...praise the Lord! He showed me that I needed to rest in Him....that this whole potty thing AND all things in life are in His hands and that I need to trust Him and believe that!! He also showed me that in whatever goal I am working at.....it doesn't matter if I achieve it....it is not a success unless I go about it in LOVE...in the way I treat others around me and the thoughts from my heart. Who knew you could learn so much from potty training a little guy!!

Welcome Isabella Rose!

It was January 20th, my due date and I went in and out of being discouraged that I was still pregnant to trying to turn my focus back on the Lord and praising Him for His goodness! I was starting to feel like she would never come on her own with all of the false labor I was having. Israel and I went to go check out the fresh coat of paint at our new house after dinner then I had to run to Home Depot. I was getting Israel out of the car seat when I began to suspect that my water broke, I wasn't real obvious so I went ahead and went in the store and when I got back to the car I decided to call the hospital. They said that I should come in so that they could run a test to tell me whether it was broke or not.....the more I thought about it the more I talked myself out of it being my water. Jeremiah was working on cleaning the floors at our new house cleaned so Zahn's could lay the carpet the next morning so he couldn't go with me. My mother and father-in-law came over to stay with Israel and my sister-in-law, Claudia, went with me to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse confirmed that my water had indeed broke....I was thrilled!! The nurse called the mid-wife who said I had until midnight to go into active labor and start to progress before they would have to put me on a pitocin drip in order to prevent any infections from occurring. I walked all around that hospital trying to get things going but it did nothing to start active labor....so around 12:15 I got the pitocin and almost immediately I went into active labor. I had been wanting to go 'all natural' so I was a bit disappointed that I had to have the pitocin...but I was still open to going without the epidural.

The mid-wife let me know that I had to let her know in plenty of time if I wanted the epi because the anesthesiologist would take an hour to get to the hospital with the road conditions that night. I quickly started to go into hard labor and decided I had better ask for the epi...she had just checked me and I was still at 5 cm so we all thought he would make it. After laboring a bit more, it was probably around 2:10 or so and I began to feel a lot of pressure. The mid-wife checked me and said I was ready to push.....I was so scared. It was too late to get the epi! I was terrified and felt out of control, the pushing was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, by far!! The contractions were painful but nothing I couldn't manage with a lot of focus. The midwife and nurses were very good at telling me what to do and trying to keep me focused on getting her out. It only took 3 or 4 pushes and she was out. She was born at 2:28 a.m. My labor was only a little over 2 hours long....wow! I'm thinking that if there is a next time I will want to be induced so I can make sure and get the epidural, especially since my labor went so fast.

I cannot believe I delivered my baby girl without pain meds....I've had the experience, but definitely not something I would want to do again! Isabella Rose was 8 lb, 12 oz, 21 inches long and has beautiful chubby cheeks!! I love her so:) OH, and my hubby almost passed out twice....he isn't sure why b/c he was fine and he watched everything when Israel was born. He was dead asleep when I told him it was time to push and gets up to me screaming, shaking, and saying I can't do this...I am sure that must have been a bit much to wake up to:)

Did I mention I am IN LOVE with this little girl...oh, and her daddy and big brother are too:)

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39 weeks 4 days, dr. appointment

I had my dr appointment this morning and the midwife told me I am 4 cm dilated, 50% effaced and the baby is way low, with an anterior cervix and a bulgey bag!! I can't believe I am walking around 4 cm and not in labor....this baby just doesn't want to come out:) I am not going to complain though....this is the best way to dilate to 4 because I am in no pain!! Sooooo, anyday, any minute now! She stripped my membranes once again so maybe that will help to bring things on!! An induction is scheduled for January 30 since that is the longest they will let me go over. I asked her if I do have to be induced can I go a different route than pitocin and can we just try breaking my water...she said yes but that if labor didn't start within 6 hours she would want to put me on the pitocin...I am fine with all that as long as they let me try something else!! But she really didn't think that I would make it to the 30th so hopefully she is right!! Maybe the next post will be about our new baby Isabella:)

38 weeks 4 days, dr appointment

Today I had my 39 week appointment. She checked me and said I am 3 cm dilated, 50 % effaced and baby is at -2 station AND she also stripped the membranes. It was a little painful and now I am pretty crampy...so, we will see if things start to pick up in the next couple of days or so?? I guess we are supposed to get some snow so my brother-in-law loaned us his 4x4 so we won't have any trouble getting to the hospital....so nice of him!! Maybe my next post will be to introduce baby Bella to the world!!

Now to get going as my son is fingerpainting with his spaghetti-o's!!

37 weeks 6 days, dr appointment

This morning I had my 38 week appointment....pretty uneventful. They did check to make sure I wasn't leaking fluid because I felt like I was this morning.....water is still intact:) I am still at 2 cm, so no change there. My next appointment is on Monday and he said I could have my membranes stripped at that point if I wanted to....so I think I will have them do that. It probably won't do much but who knows?!

My mom is having a baby shower for Bella on the 15th so we will see how that goes since it is so close to my due date:) I am thinking I will go all the way to my due date though and probably over since that is how things went last time. I think the Lord is trying to teach me patience because I am so lacking in this area.

I am going to purpose in my heart to treasure these last days (however many that may be) and enjoy my son as an only son in the fullest possible way!! 2 weeks is not long at all....we are so looking forward to meeting our new baby girl and introducing her to the world:)

36 weeks 5 days, dr appointment

Today I started my weekly dr appointment's. They did the group B strep test. I was negative last time and I hope that I am again......so I don't have to go to the hospital as early when I go into labor. He said that I am 2 cm dilated but didn't mention anything about effacement...that is more progress made than I did last time on my own. I am hoping that I can go into labor on my own this time and experience the excitement of realizing, "okay, today is the day!" and of knowing that it was the day baby was ready to come into the world. But I had a pretty easy induction last time so if I have to be induced again I don't think I will be as disappointed as I was last time.

He also said he thought baby was probably around 7.5 lbs at this point...and that babies average about 1/2 pound a week in the last month.....looks like another big baby if I go till my due date!!

Even though these last 2-3 weeks have gone pretty slow I still can't believe I will be the mother of 2 beautiful babies in about 3 weeks or so:) It is such a huge responsibility and can be overwhelming at times but it is also such a joy to be blessed with little ones.

36 weeks

So I am 36 weeks pregnant and this week has been the slowest week in the history of my life...seriously! I am sore, achey, exhausted, lazy, and obviously, whiney....I need to snap out of it but all I have been able to think about is having this baby and getting in our new house!! And guess what, I have no control over either!! It kind of stinks too that it is so cold and snowy out b/c we haven't been able to get out of the house much. The thought of getting my son out to do something simply exhausts me. Yesterday I decided to venture out and go to storytime at the library but I ended up missing it b/c I talked on the phone too long in the parking lot....so we decided to go visit my sister-in-law at the downtown retail shop where she works. I was carrying Israel into the store when I slipped on some ice and we both fell to the ground....it was a little embarassing to say the least. Luckily all three of us are okay but it sure did scare me. I have some scraped knees and a sore back but that is it. After that I didn't really want to go home so we drove around town....haha....for a bit to kill some time! So I know that the longer baby stays in my belly the better but if she is ready, I am ready for her once 37 weeks hits:) I doubt that she will make an appearance much before her due date though since my son was 3 days overdue and would have been more had I not been induced. So, here is to hoping that this week goes much faster with all the holiday hustle and bustle!!!! Sorry, a bit of a downer post I know....I promise I'll be more cheery next time:) Merry Christmas to all!!!!

35 weeks preggo

Oh what a difference 5 weeks makes....as you can see when you compare my 30 week pics below!! My belly is huge and I still have 5 more weeks to go...wowza!!

So today I am 35 weeks and I am filled with anticipation in meeting this precious little girl! My braxton hicks contractions have been much stronger lately and much stronger than I remember having last time....so I am hoping that I will start dilating a bit early this time...we'll see, I have my next appointment on the 28th. AND I wouldn't be disappointed if she decided to arrive early as I haven't been too comfortable lately (well, not until two more weeks when I will be full term)....all in God's timing right!!

I feel like she is going to be a big baby....Israel was 8lb 14oz, 21 in long...but I feel like she will be bigger...I don't know, we'll see! I have been VERY hungry today, so I know she is still growing, not to mention the increased strength of her movements....OUCH!!

In other news, our house is coming along....not as quickly as I had hoped but oh well, we will be in there someday. It seems things always take longer than you think they will!!

So, only 9 days until Christmas...how exciting...especially when you have an 18 month old to share it with:)

So excited!

Today we bought on Pre-Black Friday sales....a new smooth top range, new trio door refrigerator with a bottom freezer (LOVE IT), and a stackable washer and dryer (which will be great for our laundry closet because now I can use the other half for MUCH NEEDED storage space). I know, we spent a lot of money this weekend but they were great deals...seriously! I have never been so excited about a refrigerator than I am about my new one! On Friday I found some porcelian tile for the kitchen, bath, and entryway at .77 a square foot, so we got that too! Can't wait to see it all put together!! That's all for now:)

30 weeks, 1 day pregnant!

I can't believe I only have 69 days left, give or take...it seems this pregnancy has gone so fast. I guess with a very active toddler you don't have much time to count every single day of your pregnancy....even though I just did...lol!

I just found another name that I love but I haven't had a chance to talk to my husband about it....let's hope he likes it as much as I do!! Pregnancy is going good, I just discovered the other day that I have some varicose veins....blah, oh well, to me it is all worth it to be blessed with a new beautiful life....what a gift! I can't wait to meet her:)

Here are a couple of pics of my growing baby!!

tomorrow.....

The drywall is all hung and tomorrow the guy is coming to blow in insulation. After that we can get the dry wall finished with mud and everything then put the windows in.....after that things will hopefully move a lot faster....so happy for this milestone to be coming tomorrow....never thought I would be so excited about insulation..lol!

Today, I had my 28 week appointment and my glucose screening test...hopefully I passed...I will find out in a few days! Also, I found out that they have my due date set for January 20 instead of January 22 like they told me at the ultrasound....I guess that is good...2 less days but if they want to induce me b/c I go over again, I will be fighting for these 2 extra days...lol! I also asked the midwife if she would be able to deliver my baby even if she is not on call....and she said that she would as long as she didn't have some important family thing that day...yay! I just feel a bit more comfortable with a woman than a man:)

We are down to 3 names now....Chloe, Camilla, or Taylor. Which one will she be?????

Names??

Okay, so if anyone out their has time....can u tell me what names you prefer?? I am having such a hard time.... we thought we were going to name her Isabella or Isabelle but I'm just not so sure yet? Here are some names that we both like......what do ya'll think??? There are soooo many girl names...and I want the perfect one for me lil girl...ugh!

Isabella
Isabelle/Isabel
Chloe
Samantha
Mia
Taylor
Camilla
Camille
Shea

Update on life!

The house is coming along....although it doesn't look like we will be in anytime in November. We are ready to insulate and then drywall the ceilings....once that gets done I think things will go much quicker! I have been blown away at how the Lord has provided and blessed us throughout this process. My brother-in-law was able to save us $5 a can on paint through his company and it just so happened that the week we went in the store to get the paint that we were able to save an additional $5 a can through in-store rebates. My mom's husband has his own heating and air company and was able to get us a new furnace at cost and is going to help Jeremiah install it free of charge. Pretty awesome! I am excited to get settled in our house hopefully before Christmas:)

My belly is continuing to grow and baby girl is thriving beautifully....she is moving more and getting stronger but she is still must less active than her brother was in-utero! Only 3.5 months until we meet this little one and I can't wait:) I am savoring these last few months with Israel as an only child....have I mentioned how amazing he is?! I am LOVING this age....he is learning so much...it is amazing! I have noticed lately that it seems he is more affectionate and he is loving us more and more as he develops his own feelings and emotions...he is so sweet...and I am so blessed to call him son!

I am in a bible study that meets every Thursday with other women and we are going through Beth Moore's Breaking Free study. They have childcare and I am really enjoying the study and the fellowship! I have decided to offer this study to the girl's in our youth group every Sunday from 2-4p.m. along with some other women that wanted to join in. I am excited about this and praying these ladies will be blessed by this study as much as I have been. The Lord has really been blessing my heart in my morning quiet time and showing me my heart and some things that have been hindering a deeper walk with Him. Praying I can "break free" from these obstacles!

Not a very exciting post but this is my life right now:)

a place to call home....eventually

On Friday we closed on a home that we bought for $25,000.....yes, that is right.....$25,000! What a blessing! It is small and needs a lot of work but even with everything we are putting into it we will definitely get our money back and more when we go and sell it. It is probably not a house that we will be able to live in for a long time since it is so small but we are going to make due for as long as possible.

My grandpa is overseeing the project and doing various things that no one else knows how to do AND he is doing it all free of charge.....seriously, WHAT A BLESSING! My uncle and dad will be helping too along with Jeremiah and his brother Caleb. It doesn't look like we will have to pay much for labor, mostly just the materials to get it done. The Lord truly is blessing us and it is humbling because we are so undeserving!

There is a lot of work to do so it has been a struggle ALREADY (it has only been 3 days that we have owned it) not to get overwhelmed.....The Lord is reminding me though that this is a blessing from Him and that He is going take care of all the details AND that I just need to take it one day at a time!

Eventually, I will post before and after pics but not until I have the after pics:) We plan to be in the house by Christmas BUT HOPING to be in by November 1:) As exciting as all of this is, I have to remember to keep my focus on the Lord or else I am going to get sooo distracted. Lord, help me!!

belly popped....whoa!

I can't believe how much my belly has popped out since last week's picture below.....Last Thursday I woke up and it was like my belly grew overnight. When I was pregnant last time, it was a much more gradual process. I think my belly looks pretty big in this pic for 17 weeks....I hope I don't get huge this time:)

got some deals...woohoo!!

This morning I went to a couple of garage sales and boy did I get some cute, like new maternity clothes!! YAY! I don't need them yet so they were all fall/winter clothes and a few short sleeved shirts.....that I could probably wear in another month. I bought 10 shirts, 2 pair of jeans, and 1 pair of Gap courdoroy's for.....drumroll please.....$17.50!!! I am so excited b/c that is maybe enough to buy ONE NEW shirt....big time savings! They were all name brand and in my size....thank you Lord!! The lady I bought them from said, "I wish I would have only paid that much for my maternity clothes." When you are pregnant it is nice to have a few cute things to wear....but I just never want to pay the full price for them.

ONE healthy baby:)

Due date: January 22, 2011, so I am 16w 3d and the tech said it was still too early to determine the sex of the baby...so we will wait some more and hopefully the baby will fully cooperate when the sex organs are fully developed.

Here is a pic of my belly...still not very big but there is a lil pooch there! It seems like with this pregnancy I pooched out really early but since then it hasn't really grown a whole lot. I feel bad b/c when I was pregnant with Israel I took a pic of my belly every week starting at 8 weeks along...this is only my second pic, I am going to try and be better from here on out....at least one every 4 weeks :)

update

The appointment went well....I heard the heartbeat and tomorrow we go for an ultrasound at 1 p.m. Dr. Abate said we may even get to find out the sex depending on how far along I am and of course if baby cooperates!