Introducing...

Eli Zechariah Krantz
Born December 19, 2009
6:49am
7lbs. 10oz.
20.5 inches long


Eli - 1 week old

Proud big brother Isaac!

Adoring big sister Hannah!

We had a VERY MERRY CHIRSTMAS!!!

Some December pictures

Hannah decorating the Christmas tree!

Isaac decorating the Christmas tree!

Tiny, happy with a new cave to hide in.

Silly kids after bath.

36 weeks, 4 days pregnant
As Moto Moto would say,
"You're Huge."
17 days or less to go!

Getting so excited!!!

I keep have these surges of immense excitement when I think about this new baby being born within the next three weeks! I am trying to patiently wait to find out if this is a boy or a girl, I can imagine both, but I think it is most likely a boy. I will be so happy with either, just more surprised if it is a girl.

I was going through newborn stuff today... I can't believe how small it all is. It doesn't seem possible that Hannah and Isaac were ever that small. I can't wait to put those tiny clothes on the new little one!

Most of the stuff is out of mini storage now and getting washed up and ready for the new arrival. This is a very good thing. I now know what I need to purchase before the big day. I'll be shopping on Tuesday, I think.

Hannah and Isaac are really excited to meet the baby. As they see all the Christmas stuff going on around them, they know that the time is close. I am super excited to get our first picture as a family of 5! I also can't wait to get a picture of my three children together. Life is good.

Contractions are happening often everyday. I've even timed some of them. They were fairly regular there for awhile, but then stopped. I am quite uncomfortable all of the time, but this will be over soon and the goal is now in sight. I can see the finish line, and that gets me excited.

While I got a tour of the brand new birth suites, I visited with the Labor and Delivery nurse that helped with Hannah's delivery. It was fun to talk with her about the upcoming event and see what new options I have during this delivery. The room is amazing! It will be a very comfortable stay, even for Aaron!

So, these are my thoughts as of late. I'm almost done with my maternity leave prep for preschool. I'm feeling really good about handing over the reigns to Harmony. I know she will do a fabulous job while I am loving on my kids at home! It will be hard to go back I'm sure. But I'm not going to think about that right now.

Are You Ready?

People ask, "Are you ready?' My answer varies depending on what I've been contemplating...

Is the house ready? A BIG FAT NO. I don't even have a place for the baby to sleep yet and the baby clothes are still in the back corner of mini storage. Am I worried? Not really. We are putting the house back on the market next week, so at least the house will get a major deep cleaning and then I'll feel better. Next week we should be able to get a lot accomplished with having Thanksgiving Break.

Am I ready to be done with pregnancy? YES, YES, and YES. I am ready to want to eat again, to be able to bend down to pick something up, to breath freely. On so many levels, this answer is a resounding yes.

Am I ready to mother 3 children at once? I think I can, I think I can... Enough said.

Am I ready to hold this baby... ABSOLUTELY!

Am I ready for labor and delivery again? You bet, if it means I won't be pregnant anymore! I've done it twice, what's a third time?

Just a few more weeks to go, and then I have no choice but to be ready!

Moving Right Along

I had a check up yesterday and got to see the baby via ultrasound. All looks good. I am 34 weeks tomorrow... baby measures 36 weeks. The head was SO low that the Dr. couldn't get a measurement. Yes... this is terribly uncomfortable. Dr. thinks I could go early, but I really wish he hadn't said that. It only gets my hopes up, so I will choose to ignore it. We set a date for induction on the evening of December 18. It's good to have an ending date set! The baby has really chubby cheeks on ultrasound!

As time moves along at it's quick pace, I am finding myself a bit frantic. Today I got almost all of my Christmas shopping done. I only have a few items left on the list and I think I can get it done online. Nice! This weekend I am hoping we can get to mini-storage and dig out the baby stuff that is in the very back corner... although it is suppose to snow. But I am really feeling like I NEED to get stuff together. I'm not even sure what I still have and what I don't. I know I have the bare essentials, but nesting is really kicking in. I have the co-sleeper on the way. Charissa is giving us the one they don't need anymore. I can't wait for such a handy baby bed. They baby is right by me, but in his/her own bed that essentially becomes part of our bed. Night nursing will be so easy! This means more sleep that is greatly needed since I have a very active 3 year old Isaac and soon to be 6 year old Hannah. It is amazing how much life revolves around sleep with young children.

That being said, I am so looking forward to having a newborn at home. I LOVE the newborn stage. Maybe I like it so much because I am not pregnant. But I also love the miracle of every minute of new life. I love how quickly my babies calm down when they put their head to my chest a hear my heart. There is nothing like the feeling of my brand new baby curling up against me and falling asleep knowing that is exactly where he/she wants to be. I love the quiet cries of a newborn... they get so much louder later! I can't wait for Isaac and Hannah to meet their new sibling and fall in love with the newest member of our family. I LOVE seeing Aaron become a whole different person as he holds his brand new baby! I have never seen such adoration on his face as when he held Hannah and Isaac for the very first time. I know the moments of having my last newborn will pass all too quickly, so I will savor every moment I can and share as many miraculous moments with Hannah and Isaac as possible. But, I will keep some to myself too. I will keep some moments stored away in my heart... moments that are only for this Mommy...

So, time is moving right along and I have many things to look forward to. I will not get stressed out over all the things I think I need to get done. I will do what I can and that will be enough and I will look ahead, keeping my eyes on the beautiful moments that are only a few short weeks away. God had blessed us with one more little one, and I can't wait to see what is in store!

Nesting...

Well, it seems as though I was blessed with nesting energy and motivation today. I can't believe how much I got done considering... Here is my list of things done:

• cleaned the kitchen
• cleaned our bedroom
• 3 packages ready for the mail that include Christmas gifts for nieces and nephews
• lesson planned for the week and part of the following week
• Veteran's day cards ready for the mail
• pictures of Hannah and Isaac ready for the mail
• 2 loads of laundry (one still needs to be folded and Aaron folded the first load)
• thank yous for the baby shower gifts written and ready to go

Really not too bad for me lately! I think now I will take a bubble bath and attempt to shave my legs!

No, I can't see my feet...

32 weeks pregnant

October Pictures

At the Pumpkin Patch

Halloween night with our Jack-o-laterns.

Ready to Trick-or-Treat!

Just silly!

November Already?

Time has flown! October is usually a slow month for me, but it zoomed by. I'm not complaining. This was a good year to have it move on quickly. Here are some highlights for October...

• We enjoyed going to the farm between Endicott and St. John to pick out pumpkins.
• We carved the pumpkins with Mimi Karen and Papa Ken
• Aaron roasted the seeds and made them extra salty... he and I love them!
• Hannah scored in the 99% for math and reading on the MAPS test ( smart girl!)
• We welcomed cousin Violet Esme Kent into the world (Rachel and Christopher's daughter)
• We fought several colds and icky sicknesses
• Our camera died
• We got a new one
• We went trick-or-treating and the kids got a huge load of candy

I'm sure there are more, but that's what I can think of at the moment. Not bad for a spacey pregnant girl.

Isaac, Hannah and I got our H1N1 flu shots yesterday. Hannah was very brave. Isaac cried bloody murder during the whole thing. Then he was fine when it was done. We went to the grocery store so they could pick out a cookie and ran into an old friend. Isaac promptly dropped his pants to show her is shots (he got the seasonal flu shot too). Thank goodness his underwear stayed up. Such a funny kid!

Hannah has had no school for the past two days, so Amanda, our babysitter, watched her in the mornings. Isaac wanted to spend time with Hannah, so he stayed with them too. They were so happy playing with each other yesterday... today, not as much. Last night they even had a sleep over in Isaac's room because they wanted to be with each other! I love the days when they love each other that much! It has been an adjustment for both of them being away form each other during the school day.

We have less than 50 days until Baby Krantz #3 is born! I am getting quite excited for the new arrival, although I haven't done a single thing to get ready for the blessed event. So different from preparing for Hannah and Isaac. This time around I think all I really need is diapers, clothing, a place for the baby to sleep and to be lactating. Then I'm good. I'll have more than that together I'm sure... hopefully a clean house.

Fun Times

As I write, the kids are in the background with a friend playing a game called "Lucky Ducks." It quacks over and over, but the kids really like it. Both Isaac and Hannah are enjoying having Hannah's friend Trae over to play. Hannah is doing a great job of sharing Trae with Isaac!

Aaron is gone to Olympia for the week, so I'm on my own. So far, things have gone quite smoothly with no major problems. Hannah was missing Daddy a lot last night before bed time. Aaron usually does the bedtime routine with them, so it makes sense that is when she would miss him most. She called him on the phone and they chatted a little bit and that seemed to help. She fell asleep promptly after going to bed. She was out before 7pm and I had to wake her at 7am. She's been tired.

Isaac on the other hand has been waking up about 5:30 each morning. This also means that I am up at the same time. He has also been quite tired and not napping to terribly well. He should fall asleep quickly tonight. Here's hoping!

The baby is quite the mover, doing all kinds of crazy things! I have been able to drink water for the past few days. I find this quite refreshing. I'm hoping this new ability continues! I've also been able to take 2 prenatal vitamins in the past 4 days. This is also a huge step! I'm hoping to see my energy levels increase as I try to get more vitamins in my system.

The weather has finally turned cooler and I am really excited to enjoy the fall. I love the fall weather and all the colors and learning opportunities it brings for the kids! I'll post pictures when I have them!

Two teeth lost!

Hannah and her two missing bottom front teeth!
She lost the second one this morning!

Hmmm...

Yesterday was an interesting day. We went to early church, which means we left for Pullman at 7:10am. Ugh. It was nice to get home by noon, but... By the time we got home, I had already had a few contractions. I think they were Braxton Hicks, but I can't be sure. By evening, I had endured about a dozen more. They were irregular and didn't really hurt, but honestly, how comfortable can any contraction be? Needless to say, I tried to take it as easy as possible.

Today, I've had some more, but not as many. If they get worse, or increase in frequency, I will be calling the Dr. to make sure things are OK. Maybe I'm just pushing it too hard, even though I feel like I'm not doing much.

The baby also likes to kick a spot that must hit some type of nerve because I get quite the zing when it happens. It's not painful, but feels pretty funny.

In other news, Hannah lost her second tooth today! She now has now bottom front teeth and she whistles when she talks! SO cute! She lost it right before school. I was glad it happened at home, I like to be around for such BIG moments!

Aaron goes to Olympia all of next week to do some data work on the MSP, Washington's new name for the WASL. He leaves on Sunday and gets home on Saturday. Should be a tiring week... for both of us. But it is good experience for him and he enjoys the challenge of it. If it was November, I might not be comfortable with him leaving me. I might get stuck on the couch and not be able to get up!

Isaac LOVES preschool. He is doing quite well and is very good at tracing his name. He can sing all of the days of the week and is pretty close to knowing the months of the year. Smart little boy!

At the moment, our house is off the market as we look for a new realtor. I'm wanting to get the house ready again to be put up soon, but I know I can't do it all and Aaron certainly doesn't have time. Perhaps I will hire some college students who are looking to earn money for a mission trip to Guatemala. It's for two good causes... now I need to convince Aaron!

Bloggin Slacker

I have good intentions to blog frequently, but life kind of happens and it doesn't happen. I have a rare moment of quiet at home right now and thought I should take advantage of it. Hannah is at school, Isaac is finishing up his nap in my bed (it started in the car on the way home from preschool) and the baby must be asleep because I am not currently being kicked and punched! This is a moment to cherish! Rather than trying to figure out if something died under the porch, I will sit at the computer and write. I think writing is a much better option!

The back porch does stink and I do think some animal crawled under it and died. The plug in air freshener is helping, but it still is pretty bad. The hot weather hasn't helped the situation either. The problem is that getting under the porch to check it out isn't an easy task. Maybe this weekend Aaron can pry off some boards and look around.

We are finally over the swine flu in our house. Aaron and I have remained healthy while Hannah and Isaac had a good week of feeling pretty yucky. All in all, it wasn't that bad. I would say that ear infections were much harder to deal with than this flu. It certainly wasn't as bad as I was expecting with all the hype. If I catch it, I do have to go on antiviral meds just to make sure there aren't complications. I'm not worried.

Other than that, life has been back to the school year routine. I'm enjoying teaching 5 days a week and Isaac loves preschool. Hannah is having a great time at Kindergarten, though she is having some difficulty getting use to the full days. She is extremely tired at the end of the school day and 6pm melt downs have been common. We have also had to wake her up most mornings even when she has fallen asleep by 6:30 the night before. She was sick last week, so that didn't help, but I can tell the days are long. Hopefully she will adjust to it in the next few weeks.

The kids did enjoy time at the Palouse Empire Fair and really liked the rodeo! I LOVE the rodeo. Aaron hasn't been to many of them, but he watches with me! The kids were also very excited for Sunday School to start up. I was excited to see that they each have several other children in their classes. It's so fun to see them excited to go to Sunday School!

I hope to blog again soon. The leaves will start falling in the next few weeks and I always get great pictures of the ids in the fall leaves, so I'll be posting those! Hopefully I'll blog again before that...

26 weeks Pregnant

Should be large pumpkin size just in time for Halloween!
Only 14 weeks to go...

First Day of Sunday School

Fun at the Fair

Aaron and Isaac

Hannah and Great Aunt LaDonna

Isaac and Hannah on the Roller Coaster

SOOOO much fun!!!

Back to Work

I started back to work today, getting stuff ready for the upcoming preschool year. I have a FABULOUS assistant teacher who is a work horse and incredibly efficient and fast. It certainly helps make up for my slowing abilities at the moment!

Hannah and Isaac were super excited to spend time with their babysitter Amanda. They hadn't seen Amanda since mid May, so it was a happy reunion. They didn't go to far today, I told them to stay close to the bathroom. Here is why...

Last night Hannah convinced me that she was having poopy problems, that she hadn't gone for a few days. This happens on occasion, so I gave her the appropriate medicine to help get things going. She promptly, I mean within a minute, went into the bathroom and went. She, for some odd reason, just wanted the medicine. So, now she had a good dose of stool softener in her system with no real reason for it. Thus, they stayed close to the facilities just in case.

Both Hannah and Isaac are still struggling with a cold and allergies. I'm hoping the cold runs it course quickly and they will be back to normal soon. So far Aaron and I have remained cold free. Neither of us need a cold right now... like we ever really NEED a cold, but it wouldn't be good timing.

We had an ultrasound yesterday, and the baby is great. I was distraught to hear that the head is measuring 2 weeks ahead of everything else, so I will be blessed with delivering a baby with a big head... great. My due date moved to December 25 and we found out my doctor will be gone Dec.22-25. So, I might get my wish of being induced on the 19th or 20th. That would work out great! I can't imagine going into labor early since I have never gone into labor on my own. So, I'm half way through this pregnancy and I am sure the rest will zoom by. I'm trying to enjoy every kick and movement as I know this will be the last time I am pregnant. No more bio kids for us after this!

Lesson Learned

Both Hannah and Isaac have colds, and probably some seasonal allergies to make things worse. August is the worst for allergies here on the Palouse. Anyway, I gave them each some Dimetapp before heading off the church. No big deal, they've had this medication before. Well, Isaac seemed to develop a new reaction to this particular drug. When the bottle says that it may cause excitability, they weren't kidding. Isaac was non stop movement all through church and beyond, in fact he didn't even take a nap. He ALWAYS naps! He kept trying to climb the pew and hop over the top to the pew in front of us. He was never standing still, either dancing or hopping around. (This got a big smile out of our Pastor). I made sure Aaron had him when we went up for communion... I don't think I could have held onto him! Anyway, I will not be giving Isaac Dimetapp again. Lesson learned.

Long Time No Blog

It has been quite awhile since my last blog. Things got busy... we were gone a lot during July. To make thing short, we had a wonderful month of July. We had lots of time with family and friends, and my PICC line was removed! Hooray!

I am 20 weeks pregnant on Monday. We are having an ultrasound that day and Aaron and the kids are coming along totake a peek. It should be fun. As of this moment, we are not finding out the sex of the baby. I'm starting to see the benfits of finding out ahead of time, but I know they aren't always right. Anyway, it will be fun to see the little baby again.

We have a cold, rainy day today... much needed relief from the horribly hot temps we have been having. The heat has really slowed all of us down. And harvest is in full swing so allergies are raging. Both Hannah and I seem to have the most problems with the harvest dust.

August will be a busy month for us as both Aaron and I are getting ready for the school year. Hannah is super excited for Kindergarten and Isaac for preschool. It will be here before we know it. We will get a little more family time in with Aaron's folks as they will be coming here for a week long visit.

Hannah and Isaac get to go to a birthday party tomorrow afternoon, I'm tagging along. It will be so good for the kids to see preschool friends and I get to see preschool parents! I always love visiting with my parent friends. I haven't seen any of them really since school ended. It should be a good time all around!

I will promise to TRY and blog more often, even if it's short! That' s it from Endicott!

Isaac and an ER visit

Yesterday Isaac's cold took a turn for the worst and he spike a fever of 103. Ibuprofen and Tylenol didn't touch it, and then he started throwing up. So he didn't sleep very well and in the morning the he still was running at high temp. He stopped vomiting and kept fluids down so we tried the meds again. They stayed down, but didn't change the fever. So when Hannah and Aaron got home from church I took him to the ER. He has a pretty good Bronchitis. I'm glad we caught it now before it got any worse. He's on antibiotics for the next 5 days. I'm hoping Hannah doesn't follow in his footsteps! We could ALL use a full night of sleep.

Spiritual Calm

Today was a good morning, even though it started out with a puking episode. It all went better from then on. I slept in until about 9am, which was nice. The more sleep I get, the better things seem to go for that day. I ate a yummy breakfast of Raisin Bran Crunch with milk! I've just started to be able to tolerate dairy again. I'm so happy to be moving away from Captain Crunch and Trix. The better stuff is staying down and I'm really glad!

Aaron went to the school to get some time sheeting done that has to be finished before July 15. Since we will be gone for over 10 days, he is trying to get it done before we leave for the coast. The kids watched a movie and then painted. I put on some new praise music I had ordered and the kids sat in the living room, Hannah drawing on the big easel paper with her markers and Isaac was laying on the floor flipping through his devotion book. What a beautiful moment! And it even lasted for almost 30 minutes. The music was amazing and I just let it poor into my soul, a moment of spiritual calm and renewal. It came at the perfect time, as it always does. I'm not a crier too often unless I am reading Chicken Soup for the Soul with my cousin Amy, but tears streamed as I listened to the words of Scripture embedded in the beauty of the music. Refreshing, revitalizing tears. God is good.

Summer Colds... Ugh

It started with Isaac and moved to Hannah, and now has reached me... the dreaded summer cold. Aaron so far has lucked out and is still snot free. Isaac has a barking cough with his, colds always go that way with him. Hannah is just sniffly and tired. She still could get worse... I'm hoping not. I'm stuffed up and the extra snot makes for extra gagging and extra time trying not to throw up. Ugh. We all hope this is a short lived cold and hopefully Aaron won't get it.

Our kitty Tiny was really funny today. We washed her bed and took her kitty dish to go through the dishwasher and she thought her world was ending. She kept looking at the empty spot where her things used to be and she gave out some very sad meows. She was sure her world was over. You can imagine her relief when the bed showed up, clean and fluffy. Her happiness was even more apparent when the food dish reappeared, complete with yummy food for dinner!

Great News!

Insurance approved coverage at least through July 14 for Home Health! What a huge relief. I'm so glad I'm not going to have to get in a big battle over it. I slept easier last night!

We had a great time with Matt, Lisa, Naomi and Joel Brand, friends from MN. They spent the night at our house last night and we all had lots of fun. Hannah and Naomi were instantly great friends and certainly enjoyed their time together! It would be so fun to have friends like that close by!

We are counting down the days until our trip to the coast. We will leave next Wednesday evening and take our time getting there. Not knowing how well I will travel, we decided to split the time up into very easy distances. It looks like the IV stand and lots of fluids will be coming along for the journey, but we will manage!

13 Weeks Along

I had my appointment today and the baby is right on track. I like getting to see the little peanut every two weeks! The heartbeat was strongat 150 BPM, and the baby was quite quiet. I think he'she was sleeping this time, but the hand was right up by the mouth. Hmmm.. a thumb sucker?

I am happy to report I have gained 5 pounds! I am still under prepregnancy weight, but this is the first weight gain all pregnancy long. I couldn't be happier! The nurse and Dr. were quite pleased with my progress. They did a blood test because I may be anemic. I'm not sure how we will fix that if I am. More roast beef from Arbys? I could handle that.

On a more unsettling note, I got a call before my appointment from our insurance company asking me all these crazy personal questions about my treatment and pregnancy. I think they are going to try and deny coverage for Home Health. I talked to the Dr. about all of it and he gave me some good advice. Maybe they are just filling out paperwork, but maybe we need to get ready to fight a battle with our insurance company. I hope it's just the paperwork. They were asking questions about my previous pregnancies too, which has nothing to do with the care I need for THIS pregnancy. GRRRRR. The Dr. is on my side, he wouldn't have had me go on Home Health if I didn't need it. I'm trying not to get worked up about it, but it really makes me mad. Maybe they would prefer covering mutliple hospital visits and trips to the ER. Or maybe they would like to cover the costs of a baby in instensive care because they decided I didn't need fluids and medications because it was just morning sickness. I guess it would be better for them if my kidney's started to fail. I bet they would like to cover that cost! OK... I'm done.

Return to the Toilet

While I type, the baby is dancing all around my tummy! I love it!
As Hannah and Isaac would say, "Well...." today was not the best of days. I am totally exhausted. I haven't done much, but can't seem to get moving either. I know I am still struggling with Hyperemesis, but boy am I tired. And I returned to the toilet today... not a pleasant moment. Dinner is settling fine though...
And it was COLD today. I had to turn the heater on. It was only 62 in the house! The wind is blowing, and it is just cold. Yuck. Wednesday it is suppose to be 90! Just a little bit of a change!
Hannah had a dentist appointment today. Aaron took her in and she was super brave again. She really is a trooper. Isaac enjoyed his morning alone with Mommy. Both of the kids have been enjoying more Mommy time. Isaac actually stayed in HIS bed until 7:30 this morning. It was nice to wake up in my bed with a little extra room! Aaron appreciated it too. No little feet in his back!
I've done a little bit of reading on stress with children Hannah's age. The stress most often manifests itself in behavior issues. This has been a problem for about the last 6 weeks, as long as I have been pregant and sick. I know Mommy being sick is stressful on the kids, and on the whole family. I am sad that it seems to be affecting Hannah is such a strong way. She is usually a very sweet little girl who is very kind and aware of how her words make people feel. This hasn't been the case lately. She gets very short, sassy and snotty in just a few minutes time. Maybe she is trying to figure out a new step of independence, but I have a strong sense it is mostly from the stress in our home. She is one who easily worries, (it runs in the family) and I know she is worried about me and the baby. Her questions and spoken concerns leave me no doubt. I pray that the end result will be a positive experience for her, for us all... one that helps us learn and grow and trust more and more in God to guide us.

Fun Times with Mimi Marci

Checking out a BIG June Bug.

Hannah and our kitty Tiny. Tiny puts up with a lot!

Dressing up is SOOO much fun!

Cooling off in the pool in our yard.

Baby Steps

A few baby steps this morning...
1. A morning alone with the kids. Aaron was taking Marci to the airport, she's flying home to MN. The kids have been great. We took it easy and they are resting now... I'm hoping Isaac falls asleep.
2. I made lunch for the kids. I made biscuts with scrambled eggs and turkey bacon... I ate a lot of the bacon myself.
3. I've had about 16 ounces of Peach Tea today... diet so not many calories :(, but still a good fluid. I have to make it with bottled water because the tap water tastes so gross and makes me gag.
4. I THINK I may have gained a pound or two! This is the only time I would be excited to report such news, but when I stepped on the scale it moved in the direction I've been hoping for! I'll have a better idea of how well I've done at my appointment on Tuesday.

So those are my baby steps for today. Things are moving in the right direction and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm re-learning to live with the constant nausea, trying to think of it as an inconvenience. I know once this baby is born I will remember what a normal stomach feels like. I honestly can't remember! Ugh.

12 weeks, 4 days pregnant

Feeling baby

I felt this baby move yesterday. I think feeling the baby move is my favorite part of pregnancy. I'm so glad it came early this time. The feathery tickle of tiny baby movements is reassuring and miraculous! I get to see the baby again next Tuesday. It will be so fun to see how much growth has happened in the last two weeks.

I have been Zofran free since Sunday. I've been taking oral Meclizine and Zyrtec and that seems to help enough to get me functioning during the day, not my normal self, but better than a few weeks ago. I am not vomitting as much, but the nausea is still ever present. I am eating more foods, but still have Captain Crunch on hand all the time. I swear I will never eat the stuff again after this is done! I'm still needing fluids each night through the IV, I'm just not able to drink much yet. Fluids are the worst to try and keep down. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be doing better in the fluid department!

Hannah attended Daycamp all week in the mornings at our church. She loved every minute of it and Isaac very much enjoyed having Mimi Marci all to himself! He didn't mind Hannah leaving at all. Hannah brought home some really neat crafts and is singing camp songs for us. Isaac is catching on to the songs as singing them himself. Such musical children!

Marci leaves for Minnesota tomorrow. I am a tad bit nervous about being on my own again. At least Aaron is done with school and should be able to help out quite a bit. It has been such a blessing to have 5 weeks of help from the Moms. I can't stress enough how blessed we are to have such wonderful family! Both Marci and my Mom were a God send to me and to the kids. Life would have been pretty hard without them! I thank God for such wonderful women in the lives of my children. What great role models!

Aaron picked our garden snow peas today and we had them for dinner... so yummy! The wind did a number on them, but we are still getting some produce.

Sunday will be our last Sunday at our church here in Endicott. We will be joining Concordia, the church in Pullman where I work. The timing seemed right and we are excited to be part of such a vibrant church! The drive will get a bit old, but hopefully the house will sell and we will be closer soon!

And that's all from Endicott... for now!

A Mover and A Shaker!

Yesterday I had an ultrasound. I'll be getting them every two weeks while I have my PICC line in place. I get to see my Dr. that often and a Home Health Nurse weekly. I am well cared for! Anyway, the ultrasound was amazing... just what I needed to lift my spirits high. God knows what I need, and He always comes through! This little baby was moving all over the place. The hands and feet were moving like crazy! My Dr. was laughing and I was in awe. For such a tiny little thing, that baby can move! I saw the legs and the arms and the head, such an amazing miracle. I was amazed at how much the baby had grown in two weeks. It will be fun to see the growth in two more weeks! Seeing the baby gave me a better sense of well being, knowing this is all so very worth it!
Hannah and Isaac got a T-ball set today. They enjoyed hitting the ball off the tee. Mimi Marci took some good pictures of them. Isaac would swing so hard he would fall down! Hannah was so excited to give it a try! They really had a good time. They also have been putting in hours at the park, which they love. Tomorrow we will go to a puppet show in Colfax and hopefully next Tuesday we will get to go to the circus that is coming to the fairgrounds! I know they would really enjoy that. We went last year too. It's fun to take advantage of events like that when they are actually fairly close by!
Aaron's last day of school, with kids, is tomorrow. I know he is really excited for summer break. He has some school stuff during the summer, but I don't think he has to be gone fore days at a time this year. I certainly am glad about that!
I'm doing fairly well. I do get tired quite easily, but am able to eat a little more. I'm drinking lemonade and that is staying down. I'm really hopeful that by next week I can go to IV fluids every other night rather than every night. I'm still religiously taking my Zofran. I don't think I'll back off on that for awhile yet. The 8mg doses seem to work fairly well, and I'm not anxious to go back to 4mg. It would be nice to be able to do oral Zofran by the time I leave on my trip to CA, the end of July. Hopefully I will be PICC line free by then, but I'm not going to push it. I'll keep my lifeline as long as I need it!

Things Looking Up???

Today was a good day. It is 7pm and I have yet to puke! This is a first! I can't begin to express how good it fells to keep some food down. I have actually had some energy today and not felt so utterly weak. And I think I have found a liquid that I can tolerate and keep down... Crystal Light Natural Lemonade. This has worked for 2 days, so here is to hoping! I would love to be able to get my fluids the normal way rather than being tethered to the IV bag. Don't get me wrong, I am extrememly thankful for the IV fluids. I know that I would be in really bad shape without them and without my infusion medications. The managment of this pregnancy is so much better than my last. I really can't complain.
Hannah and Isaac are having lots of fun with Mimi Marci. I sometimes feel a little depressed over my inability to play with them and care for them. It is good to know they are being well taken care of when I am not able to be my normal self. I have wonderful kids, and wonderful family on both sides. God has certainly blessed us!

Catching Up

I haven't had a lot of extra energy lately to post, but I feeling good enough today, so I'll try to put it all in a nutshell. We are happily expecting Baby #3! I am just over 9 weeks pregnant and the baby is doing great. Me... not so great. I now have a PICC line and Home Health to get me through at least the first half of this pregnancy. Hyperemesis is no fun at all. The good news is that for the last 3 days (including today) I am feeling pretty good. My goal is to end the weight loss by the end of this week and hopefully, maybe, gain a pound or two... or more by the end of the first trimester. My Dr. would be quite happy with that since all I have been doing is dropping pounds. Anyway, my med. cocktail seems to be working well and I am surviving. My Mom has been here for over a week and my Mom-in-law comes this Sunday to help out. I have such great Moms!
Hannah and Isaac have been enjoying Mimi time very much, which makes it easier for me. I don't feel so bad that I am unable to take care of them right now. They are very excited to have a new baby in the house. Isaac keeps thinking it will be tomorrow, but that tomorrow is a long ways away! Hannah said in the van yesterday, "I think one addition to the family is enough." I said, "What if the baby is a boy?" (She really is hoping for a girl). She replied after a long pause, "Well, I'll love it anyway." Too cute! Of course Isaac is hoping for a boy, but I'm sure he has no real understanding of what a new baby will mean! He has been enjoying snuggle time with Mommy every morning and other times of the day. He needs his snuggle quota filled, and it can only be Mommy!
I wasn't able to work last week, but I went in yesterday and made it through just fine. I wasn't my normal bundle of energy, but the preschoolers were great! Friday is the last day and I have 3 moving onto Kindergarten, including Hannah. Time certainly flies! we have a closing program and graduation on Friday evening. I'm looking forward to that... always a good time!

Ready for Summer

This cold weather is getting to be too much for us. Today is rainy and very, very windy. I would take the kids out anyway, but they have been sick and so have I. I would really like some nice weather... maybe that would kill all the germs. The kids are going crazy inside and there really is no place to go here in Endicott. Summer weather can't come soon enough!

Feeling Yucky

The kids both caught colds and I seem to have been blessed with it too. Ugh. I was really hoping the season af sickness was over. Isaac ends up getting really croupy at night when he has a cold, which means little sleep for him and for me. He did alright last night. We had the humidifier go all night in his room and it helped a lot. Hannah is just tired and not very active. This cold seems to be going around preschool and is very short lived, so I am hopeful!
I am enjoying these last days of preschool, but am also looking forward to this summer. We have lots of fun stuff planned, including a get away for me and my girlfriends from college. We will be gone 6 days and 5 nights to Big Bear, CA! I am super excited to spend such a nice amount of time with such great friends... and kid free! This will be the longest I have been away from Hannah and Isaac, but I'm sure they will be just fine in able hands.

The Recital

Needless to say, the kids had a great time dancing the night away! Isaac was the 4th group to dance and they were all full of enormous energy. They danced to "Mr. Roboto." They had the entire audience doubling over with laughter. This is a class full of little hams. Half way through the routine, Issac saw something on the floor, stopped dead in his tracks to investigate. It was a cover plate for something. He pulled it up to take a look inside and was happy. He then continued on with his dance. I really don't have the words to describe the dance, but it was wonderful and everyone was smiling and laughing.
Hannah was in heaven! She was in group #17. She had a huge smile on her face the entire time and she loved being a dancing partner with Sophie. They did so well! They were very proud of themselves and didn't miss a single step. Hannah said her favorite part was "all of it." So I know she had a spectacular time. She was also quite the commentator on all of the other dances. Too funny!
We got home about 9pm and we were all very tired, but it was a great evening!

Hannah and Sophie

This is a great picture of Hannah and one of her
best friends Sophie. They tapped together to
"What I Like About You."

Rockin' to the 80's

The pictures of them on stage aren't very good, it was dark and we couldn't get very close. They both had a lot of fun and were very happy on stage!

Isaac and his class.

Hannah and Sophie

Getting Ready for the Recital

Hannah and Isaac have their dance recital tomorrow night. Tonight we have a dress rehearsal in Pullman. Papa Ken will be here tonight, so he is coming early enough to see the dress rehearsal. The kids a very excited. Isaac so far has run all over the stage, grinning from ear to ear, not really doing what he is suppose to, but completley in his element... wide open spaces with people watching and laughing. He couldn't be happier! Hannah gets to dance with one of her very best friends, Sophie. It is just the two of them and they also have huge grins on their face. Their's is a tap routine. The entire recital is to 80's music... I love it and Aaron will too!
I'll be sure to post pictures after the big event. It's sure to be great fun.

Cheepy Birds

This is Hannah and Isaac's new favorite game. I actaully enjoy them playing cheepy birds. It is failry quiet and low key... not alot of running like crazy children around the house. And these cheepy birds are amazing, capable of spectacular feats. They even killed a bear with their little beaks! And because they are cheepy birds, they only say cheep, a sweet little quiet like cheep. Just about anything they can fit their bottoms into has become a nest. Typically they take turns being the cheepy bird and the other person is the owner who feeds the bird and puts the bird to bed. So far the cheepy birds have never gotten in trouble (so I'm assuming the owner role is not based on Mommy or Daddy!). They become so transformed by the role that sometimes they forget to become human again. Like last night at dinner. Isaac cheeped our table prayer for dinner. Holding back the laughter, we explained to him that he needed to be a little boy at the table. I can't imagine what his plate would look like if he tried to eat like a cheepy bird! So he was Isaac for dinner time. When he was finished eating, he promptly returned to his nest and began cheeping! Very cute!

Victor Spider Traps

Where we live, these wonderful spider traps are a necessity. These are the best spider traps out there, and I have tired many kinds. Today these spider traps proved to be one of the most amazing things around in our age. I put new traps out last week so they were fresh and ready for to be filled with spiders (yuck). I place them by each of the basement windows, very strategic on my part. Aaron came upstairs today and said "You'll never guess what your spider trap caught." I was ready to see a monster spider and giggle inside with sheer glee that it was dead and stuck to the glue. Instead, I saw a big, fat, dead mouse!!!! What???? A mouse in my house? And it was a plump little bugger. It couldn't have been in the house too long, because we haven't seen any evidence of a mouse. And I checked that trap just a few days ago and it only had spiders. Trust me, I would have noticed the mouse. For a moment I felt a little remorse for the mouse dying in such a way, but the second soon passed and the remorse was gone. I'm just grossed out that a mouse was in the house. Now I'm all paranoid that there are more lurking downstairs. Needless to say, Victor Spider Traps have moved up a few notches on my scale of wonderful things in the world. That has to be super strong glue on those traps! Amazing.

Catching Up

All day yesterday I was in Pullman. The preschool had a big rummage sale to raise funds for new stuff for the preschool. We made close to $1000 I think. I have my list of new stuff to enrich the classroom .. I can't wait to shop!
Anyway, the kids spent the day with Aaron and all went well as far as I know. It rained, so they didn't get to be outside too much, but I think they caught some outside time before the rain came.
Aaron and I were leading church this morning since our Pastor was gone at Synod Assembly. This made for some interesting moments in the pew when both Aaron and I were up front. A motorcycle speeding across the pew and into the isle... choice words loudly shared between my children... Isaac running up to ask me when offering was (this happened more than once). But all in all they did a great job. I really can't complain. We have great kids.
Our poor van just keeps having tire issues. A few weeks ago, while in Yakima, we had to have one fixed because some seal was not working. This last week we had to have work done and now our rear right tire is falt. We can see this very large, shiny nail head in the tire, so at least we know why it is flat. Aaron is going to put the spare on and I'll get it fixed tomorrow. He was going to try to get it changed before the rain hits, but he is snoring on the floor at the moment. He may end up a little on the wet side because I need that tire!

What's for dinner?

This was the coversation I had with the kids in the van today....
Hannah, "What's for dinner, Mommy?"
Isaac, "What's for dinner, mama?"
Me, "I don't know. What do you want?"
Hannah, "We want meat."
Isaac, "Meat!"
Hannah and Isaac in unison, "Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat!"
You get the picture.
I don't think they cared what kind of meat as long as it was meat. So much for salad!

Toys

In preschool we just started a new learning unit on the farm. I have been picking up fun little toys that I find that go along with this theme. Today we used wind up chickens that lay eggs as they move along the floor. The kids went crazy over these! It was so fun to see them play with these chickens over and over. I loved hearing their squeals of delight as the chickens repeatedly prodcued gumball eggs!
I also am planning on using some little chicks that I found on Easter clearance. These little birds have two metal circles on the bottom and when you touch both of the circles, the chic chirps. Loads of fun! The greatest thing about these is that we can form a circle and hold hands with the first person touching one of the circles and the last person touching the other. This produces a chirpy noise, but if one person lets go of the circle, no chirping! What a fun way to teach circuits!
Today I was at the pharmacy and found two small wind up cows that walk along the floor. These too will add fun and excitement to our farm! I can't wait to share them with the kids. I know they will just love them! I always am keeping my eyes open for little treasures to catch the attention of the young children in my class. Hannah and Isaac do a great job at pointing out all kinds of things that look like fun!

Oops

So I didn't get these pictures posted in the right order. I am still learning. You still get the sense of how the kids have changed... it just takes some mental organizing on your part!

More Easter History in Pictures

Easter 2008 - Isaac is almost 2 and Hannah is 4. We were in Yakima at my parent's house.

Easter 2009 - Hannah is 5 and Isaac is 3.

Easter History in Pictures

We didn't get a digital camera until just before Isaac was born, so we don't have digital pictures of Hannah when she was very young. But, here is a taste of how they have grown as they dye Easter Eggs! It's amazing how much they have changed!

Easter 2006 - Isaac less than 1 week old, Hannah is 2.

Easter 2007 - Hannah is 3, Isaac is 1