Summer 2011

This has been one crazy and wild summer! We spent the entire thing down on the south coast, as John worked for some local ranchers over the summer. Wespent our days playing at Grandma's, flying kites, swimming, berry picking, splashing around in Grandma's hot tub and Grandma Gayle's pool, and many many more fun activities! We made it over to the Rogue for our annual family river trip (maggie may even joined us there) We also did the permit section of the Rogue, which was the first for many of us. I will tell you that Blossom and Mule Creek were not as bad as they were built up to be, but still a little nerve racking non the less! Our summer has not even began to wind down at all as we headinto soccer season here in Corvallis with the Beavs. John had his first game tonight and they won 2-0! Awesome! I am getting ready to head out to New Orleans where I will enjoya good smoldering.. I may actually melt away!

We have had a very blessed summer and I am hoping to be staying more up to date with this blog thing.. My life in insane! :)

KaiLey Jo Ballet Class

KaiLey Jo recently started a ballet class at the Corvallis Dance Studio last friday. She really enjoyed the class and danced away from it with a pep in her step ready for next weeks lesson. SHe loves her ballet clothes and wants to wear them all of the time. The class is for 3/4 year old little girls. She is the youngest in the class and LOVES to see herself in the mirror (it can be sort of distracting) :)

OSU Soccer 2010

OSU played UCLA today at Lorenz field.. here are some shots!

Getting Prepared

Well this time around I have a much better idea of what in the heck to expect and what it will feel like =) I have back labor because of a tilted uterus and lets just say... it sucks (as does all childbirth) But in my case, it hurts to put it lightly haha =). Well I have some ideas for better pain control this time. I opt to do it naturally and with Miss Amelia I think that I will have better success at controlling myself and my pain.

A few ideas I have are:

• ice packs- my back takes all the heat and I think that if I can help numb it with ice packs it will help dramatically.
• music- With KaiLey I had no music or anything like that. It was dead quite and I had nothing to focus my mind on. I made a play list of my favorite calming, relaxing, mellow music. Some piano and then there is a lot of my fav Christian artists. Then there is some country and some slow pop/alternative stuff.. Hopefully I wont have to go through all 132 songs on the playlist hehe =)
• family- with KaiLey I only had John and my step-aunt Shilo in the room, well with this birth I am going to have John, My mom, my mother in law, and my friend Linsey for support. My friend Linsey is going to take pictures for me because I LOVE my pictures from KaiLey's birth (i'm kinda a creep.. but i'm proud)

Another thing is the breastfeeding. I had no clue what to expect and the only reason I stuck with it and actually was successful in KaiLey NEVER having formula, was the support from my family and my shields =) This time around I have such an urge and excitement about the whole process and know better to prepare myself for the experience well in advance. Starting at 37 weeks I am going to whip those puppies into shape (maybe she'll come a little bit early then too =)) I just started enjoying breastfeeding when KaiLey go to be 9 or 10 months old and then she weaned her self at about 13 months, so this time I am planning to enjoy it from the start!

I have pretty much everything ready for Amelia to join our family. The bassinet is up as is the crib. All of her stuff is set up, just sitting out of the way in the crib. I have all the clothes folded and washed and in her drawers. I have the things for the hospital like soaps and hair ties all together and put into a bag to take. I am ready for the unexpected which will hopefully keep her in as long as possible. Her car seat is all ready. The straps are all adjusted, I won't put this into the car until about week 38, 39. (KaiLey Jo's monkey, ooh ooh, usually rides in the back passenger seat, so it will be a change when he no longer can get buckled into the car hehe) I have a diaper show in February, which will be AMAZING and will honestly help SO much!

Amelia will be here right before easter, so I had to get her an easter basket and an easter dress. I am a nut and I love to dress my girls up. Of course they have matching easter dresses already and I made Amelia's basket to match KaiLey Jo's from last year. As you can see in the picture!

KaiLey is very excited for her sister as are we. I am a little concerned about our Golden retriever, Maggie, thinking she is another one of KaiLey's dolls and trying to play steal her when no one is looking, but I am sure she will be wonderful!

It hard to grasp minds around that I am having another baby, and I think my family is having a hard time realizing how close we are. John and I are dealing with this pregnancy away from our families and last time we were around John's family at every moment. This one still doesn't feel real at times =) But she will be here in just over 6 1/2 short weeks =) ready or not here we come!

We are all ready to welcome this little one to the family and to bring her up in the eyes of Jesus Christ. Thank you for all the prayers, they appreciated more than you know.

Nesting

I am the worlds biggest nester when I am pregnant. With KaiLey Jo, I rearranged everyday. And now with miss Amelia, it is the same thing if not worse. I am better controlling it this time around. I have my furniture the way I want it and have had it like that for a while, but this time I have no problem throwing things away and giving things to good will. Today I organized the bathroom drawers and cabinets along with the kitchen drawers and cabinets. I also organized my dining room so I had a place for the sewing machine instead of just on my kitchen table. All of the baby things are washed and put away. All of my bigger things such as my swing, carseat, and other such things are in her crib which is set up now.

The biggest thing that I did over the last month because of these Oh so wonderful hormones are I switched our bedroom with the girls room. It actually works out for the best and makes the most sense. John and I are never in our room except when we are sleeping, and the girls have more than enough toys and games to take up room. After I got everything set up I loved it and was not sure how I would have gotten everything in KaiLey's old room. Anyways its nice to have everything ready and prepared, even if I have 7 weeks left =) But you never know what could happen.

With KaiLey I was diagnosised with preeclampsia and that is why I was induced, so far my blood pressure has been great minus one or two appointments in the beginning, but you never know. The closer I get the more anxious and excited I get. Which will not really help the blood pressure =) But i am enjoying my last couple weeks with just KaiLey Jo and I am ready to have my new little family all here safe and sound =)

Going from 1 little girl to 2 little girls

So this past friday I spent it at ToysRus, Kohls, and other department stores with all of the other insane black friday shoppers. The only thing that struck me when I had been standing in line for 3 hours at 3:30 in the morning at ToysRus was that I it was the last time I would be shopping for only one child. Next year it is double duty and I was instantly flooded with emotion and it really hit me that we are going to be having not only one carseat in the car, but two. Double the ponytails and double the laundry, double the goodnight kisses, double the amount of cuddles and books being read. Double the tantrums (they really aren't that bad now) =) Another stocking will need to be made for Christmases, and double the picture frames on my walls. Double th elittle girl screams and double the sippy cups around my house =) Its so freaky to me how 6 months ago, 9 months seemed so far away and now, literally in 15 weeks we will be a family of 4. My belly just seems to continually growing at an exponential rate, she gets more active everyday.

Its so crazy because I can already tell differences between these two little girls. When I was pregnant with KaiLey Jo, she kicked and kicked and kicked all day long 7 days a week. No matter what I was doing, she was awake and letting me know that she was around. If Johnny Cash was playing or if Bob Wold was singing at LCC she was dancing around to the music in my belly, still to this day she loves to dance to Johnny Cash, wierd I know =). KaiLey still to this day is not a big cuddler unless we are watching a movie or she is very tired. But little Miss Amelia is quite different. She spends most of her time sleeping, kicking me randomly. She likes to curl up into a little ball at the top of my belly, this is neat cause I can feel the back of her body against the top of my belly. But if she decides that it is time to kick me, then she goes full bore and already you can watch and feel her kicks from the outside. KaiLey Jo is a massive daddy's girl unless she just woke up, but I am so excited to see how thse two girls are alike and different.

I am so ready to have another baby and another daughter. Its so amazing to me how the Lord just knows what is best for you, both times I have thought that my girls were boys, but God had something else in mind for me and again he knows so much better what I need in my life than I do.