A Little of This & A Little of That

So, Andrew has been dying to go to the Oregon Coast again, ever since we went last year with his brother Sam and Jayme Lee (Sam's Wife and long time pal of mine). It was a blast! We stayed in a gorgeous condo, ate wonderful food and had so much fun.

After lots of thinking we decided to take a family vacation this Spring Break before things get crazy with 2 kids! So last week we started looking at condos online. We love the VRBO.com website, and that is where we found our condo for last year. It has lots of pictures, reviews, clear pricing info, etc. We found a few condos in the Lincoln City area (the best place). And we just booked at ocean side condo! We are taking Beth with us this time so I am now trying to figure out our plans for the 3 days we will be there. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a MUST, and I am considering taking her to the Tillamook factory as well. Any other ideas?

The last week has been adventurous! We bid farewell to my sister Jana (Bo as I call her), her hubby Jake, and their two boys Jack and Jess. They moved to Texas to run a pest control company for the summer. They hope to start their own company next year. Jana and I grew up very close. We spent LOTS of time together, especially the last few years before we got married. We even got married with in 6 weeks of each other.

Bo was an amazing support during my 20 hour labor and delivery with Beth. She hurried to the hospital when we got admitted thinking that it was going to be a quick delivery (that was according to the nurses, thanks for the jinx). And then my labor stalled. She and my mom stayed with me and Andrew all night. And Bo and I just sat and talked the whole time. She was 38 weeks pregnant when I went into labor and even got chastised by our Doctor (yep, we both have the same OBGYN and LOVE him). He told her to sit down and get some rest or he was sending her home! We even got to have our babies together. My 1st Baby, Beth, and Jana's 2nd Baby, Jess, were born only 5 days apart!

It has been so much fun living close, and even being in the same wards for 3 of the 5 years we have been married! Our kids LOVE each other so much and I am so grateful to have had them this close for so long.

We will miss these boys, and we plan to Skype A LOT over the next few months until Jana returns for a summer visit.

Beth has been getting very bored with my forms of inside entertainment, and often times she completely wears me out! So I found that she LOVES to color. The only bad part, she probably eats more crayons than regular food. So, I've resorted to letting her write with a pen, and she does pretty well. Even better, I've discovered Color.Wonder.Finger.Paints. They are awesome.  Basically, the "paint" only paints on color wonder paper, and on NOTHING ELSE. So she can't stain or destroy clothes, carpet, walls etc. Beth is starting to get the hang of it. And I am excited that she has something she can do while I need some quiet time!

The thing that Beth LOVES to do, all the time, is to play with daddy. She asks for "Dadd-y" all day long. And it makes me happy that although he seems to always be busy with work and school, she still knows he has time for her. Andrew works evenings, so Beth rarely gets to see him before she is off to bed. So every night we sneak into her room to say good night. Sometimes she wakes up just because she hears Andrew and she wants to snuggle with him. And sometimes she sneaks into our room after we've settled down for the night and wants to play and jump and laugh. 

Last night she wanted Andrew to hold her, but they were both SO tired. So I told Andrew to take Beth into our bed and cuddle her. You have to know that Beth hasn't wanted to even shut her eyes in our bed in almost a year. Even when I was exhausted and I didn't care where she slept as long as she slept, the second she was in our bed it was play time. She wants to turn on the radio, get into drawers, jump, and hide. But it has been a LONG time since she has fallen asleep in our bed. Which is why, when I got done getting ready for bed, I couldn't resist taking a picture of these two. Beth and Andrew were both sound asleep (and snoring).

It warms my heart to know that our girls will have such a good relationship with their dad. Andrew one day hopes for us to have a boy, but he knows that our girls will give him loves, hugs, and adoration every day.

Well, that's our life in a nut shell for the past 7 days. I hope everyone is happy, healthy and hoping for warm weather, just like me.

Hello All,

Last week we got a teaser with weather, and Beth and I decided to take advantage of it. We decided to go to the Zoo with our friend Kristin and her son Channer. Beth LOVES Channer. She kisses him every time we see him and often times he has to run from her to avoid being smothered. We had a lot of fun at the zoo, we even bought a yearly pass, and we plan to go again, once this weather stops being "winterish."

 I think I could watch the penguins swim all day long, but the kids were soon bored, and wanted to see bigger animals!

Beth's favorite part of the Zoo was feeding the goats. She loved to let them eat out of her hand, and it was nice that they were behind a fence, although I thought they were SO eager to eat they might just wriggle through the fence or jump over.

Due to the previously mentioned "winterish" weather, Andrew has gotten creative with ways to entertain Beth. He cut a wrapping paper roll in half and taught her how to "sword fight"....She LOVED it. Every time we come home from errands, church, or visiting friends/family, she looks for the "swords" and wants to play.

On Sunday afternoons, we find that after early church, we ALL need a nap. So, we give Beth some lunch before her nap, and we usually eat our lunch while she's asleep. After lunch we usually fall asleep watching a movie. This means that one of us is usually still asleep when Beth is ready to wake up.

 This time it was Andrew. He was sleeping in the recliner in the living room, and Beth decided he needed company. So she climbed up onto the chair and sat patiently, waiting for him to wake up, for about 20 minutes.

Beth has had some rough times the last 2 days. She is battling with her 12th tooth that is breaking through. Sunday night we put her down and she woke up almost every 2 hours crying hysterically and covering her mouth. At first I gave her some tylenol thinking it was a tooth. Then as the night progressed I thought "could all of this really be caused by a tooth???"

She finally slept from about 4am to 8am without issue. In the morning we noticed her bottom tooth breaking through, and I was a bit relieved to know she didn't have a virus or the flu. But the next day she was cranky (although she did take a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon), and a similar experience happened the following night. It's been rough for us, but I guess I should get used to the lack of sleeping since we'll have a newborn in a few short months.

Beth was content for an hour sitting on the recliner relaxing while watching one of my favorite movies. The long night with little sleep was rough on her the most.

The last exciting thing that happened was yesterday we got a new slip cover for our love seat. It was a hand me down that we received a few years back, and it's been from family member to another through out the years. We had a cream colored, loose fitting slip cover on it that moves and has to be re-tucked and situated constantly! (You can look back at the sword fighting pictures for an idea). We found a stretch slip cover that is amazing! And it makes our living room look so much better.

Those are the exciting events of the last 7 days. As you can see it's always crazy at our house, but we love it.

Happy Blogging.

So this last week was full of firsts for me.

1. I tried my hand at making homemade fruit leather, peach and pear. (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_fruit_leather/) I didn't follow the directions exactly, surprise anyone?, and I used wax paper. The leather was stuck to the paper, so I could only salvage a little bit. But what I did eat was yummy. Next time I will use plastic wrap.

2. I utilized the library hold system with great results! My friend Kristin opened my eyes to the public library and a book called "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater. (http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/shiver.php) I hadn't used the public library in years (since I got a book here or there in college). I couldn't get it on my usual book place (paperbackswap.com) so I decided to find it at the Boise Library and "hold" it. When I found it, it had quite a few holds for just a few copies, so I figured it would be a while. Luckily, just a week later it was ready for me, and I picked it up before our Thursday Story time. I was finishing another book, so I didn't get to it till Saturday. But once I started reading it I could NOT put it down. I loved the writing, and the unguarded, honest personalities of the characters. I finished it in 4.5 hours. I am planning on reading it again before I return it this week!

3. I bought and plan to read a Breast Feeding book....For those of you that don't know the history, I was unable to breastfeed Beth. It was due to a long labor (20 hours), jaundice (due to ABO incompatibility), and I know now, bad preparation. Breast feeding is NOT easy. But I always assumed that being blessed or "well endowed" (as my mom says) in the chest department meant I could easily breast feed. So I did not plan or research. So when things got difficult and Beth was not doing well, I chose formula. Now, I believe, that in our situation it was the best for her. I never developed a good supply even with large amounts of pumping. And although I sometimes still wonder if I even want to try again with Amielia, I know that I should probably prepare so that we have the best chance of success.

I'm planning to read "Breast Feeding Made Simple." It was recommended to me by a St. Lukes Lactation Nurse, and I'm hoping to get a lot of insight out of the book. I was also informed by the Nurse I spoke with that the more interventions you have during and after labor the harder it can be to breastfeed. For example, the longer you have an IV, the more fluid your body can retain during labor. And often times that fluid is retained in places like your breast tissue. Causing the breasts to swell, making it difficult to have room for your milk to "come in" and to properly latch a baby. So, she advised me to talk to my doctor about how I can shoot for a shorter labor, which is typically the case with the 2nd baby. All of this information is probably old to the breast feeding moms out there. But it's a new world to me. If we don't succeed this time around I have no problem with formula, I would just like to see if with more preparation we can have a better experience.

4. I let Beth attempt to "feed" herself dinner. She never likes to be fed by me, big girl syndrome, so I hoped this would help. It ended up being such a MESS. She had chocolate pudding everywhere, and ravioli and green beans all over the floor. But that's what I have a steam mop for.

5. I wanted to make a pair of maternity pants from some old jeans in my closet. So, I searched out a pattern, (http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Maternity-Jeans-Using-Regular-Jeans-an/) called my mom to request her assistance, and went to work. For the stretchy part I used an old down east basics shirt and cut it off at the arm holes. The pattern was great, I only struggled a bit when it came to pinning the t-shirt to the pants. You have to turn the shirt inside out, put the pants inside the shirt, and stretch to pin accurately. Overall it was a great learning experience. We had fun, and the pants turned out great!

While I was sewing away with my mom Beth and Papa were entertained by Papa's cell phone. Notice that his palm is covered in pen, that teaches him to nap with Beth around!

Since it was Valentine's day, After my project was done Beth made a card for Daddy and I decorated some cookies. They are supposed to resemble lingerie and necklaces. I have to admit the idea was NOT mine, I stole it from Natalie Moon, who had a link on her blog (thanks Nat). After Beth went to bed we enjoyed pizza, ginger ale, and some cookies. It was a relaxing Valentine's Day.

 The last week was fun and I hope to develop more and more talents in the next few weeks. I love to learn about things that can help me be a better person, wife and mother. 

My title explains the 2 things that I could eat ALL DAY LONG. They are delicious! The only downsides, large amounts of fruit doesn't always sit well with me. And Otter Pops probably aren't meant to be eaten while sitting on the heating vent, but that is the only place I will eat them this time of year! I've been wishing for pregnancy cravings just so that I feel like eating SOMETHING. Anything. But I'm still only finding comfort in fruit leather and otter pops. I volunteered to be a "model" for an ultrasound training class for L&D nurses. And I couldn't keep my smile hidden as they "oohed" and "aahed" as Ami did flips, rolls, and danced. They were amazed that such a small baby was SO active. She is quite a character, and we can't wait till she joins our family! I added a few fun things to my blog, including a pregnancy "ticker" for Baby Amielia. I'm about 1/2 way through my 2nd trimester, and I can't wait to see her little face.

Last weekend we visited Given's Hot Springs with Andrew's parents and I fell in LOVE. I hadn't been to the hot springs in years and I forgot the bliss of floating and swimming. Beth wanted to dive head first and swim, I had to keep 2 hands and 2 eyes on her at all times. She loved the warm water and playing, but she was very annoyed that she couldn't play without mom holding her back. She also loves to splash! (Sorry, the pictures are a little fuzzy, it was the warm water fogging up the lens). We will definitely be going back soon!

After swimming we were ALL tired. It had been a long week and Beth was pretty fussy (I think it's a new tooth coming in). So I was happy to see that she wanted to get in her P.J.s and listen to daddy tell her a story. He told her our favorite story, Rindercella. If you haven't heard it, go watch it now! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJv_YXIXBsE

It seems like life is always crazy. If I have time to do things I am sick, or tired, or sore. And when I feel great I have to catch up on all the stuff I put off while I was feeling sick. But I've tried this last week to appreciate the little things. The hugs that Beth gives, or 10 minutes I get to see my husband before I fall asleep on the couch. It's the little simple things that matter. I found the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, and I think it's fitting!

As Valentine's day approaches I'm hoping that Andrew will agree with my "simple" attitude. :-) I'm thinking we might go out to a movie in the next few weeks since he's been working so hard and doing so well in his classes. We've never been big on Valentine's day, but we have many reasons to be grateful and celebrate. I hope everyone finds something fun to do for Valentine's day, even if it's just sitting on your couch eating some fruit leather and otter pops. Happy Blogging.

Well, yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound. We had a fun ultrasound technician that was a riot to talk to which made the ultrasound even more fun. She was relieved when we said we did want to know the gender, she said it is difficult when couples don't want to. They have to be SO careful what they say and show. We started with the normal measurements of arms, legs, head, stomach, etc. There is SO much that they have to check to make sure that the baby is healthy and the right size. Our baby is approximately 12 oz, not even a pound! And there is SO much detail and definition in that little body.

After a few measurements here and there our tech said, "Well, lets look at the gender"...She hadn't even shown the legs for more than a few seconds before Andrew said "It's a GIRL"....and the tech said "Yes, it is!"

We are SO happy for another Baby GIRL in our family. I have felt like having 2 girls is normal. I came from a family with 2 girls, then a boy. And I have always said "The Girls" from the beginning of my pregnancy. At times I knew there was a chance I could have a boy, but I never felt like I would this time. We couldn't agree on any boy names, so this makes it easier. We have talked about girls names and we are thinking Amielia or Amelia. The spelling is still up in the air, but we'd like to call her Ami, or Ame (pronounced Amy) for short.

I am really excited because I get to reuse all of my girl stuff again! We have boxes and boxes of clothes that we will start going through to do inventory. And luckily this little girl will be born just a week or two before when Beth was born 2 years ago. So the clothes will be appropriate to the weather.

I am ALSO very happy to say that you cannot trust your pregnancy to tell you the gender! My pregnancy this time around has been completely different. VERY sick, tired, and moody. Although Andrew will tell you I was like this last time :-). But It was almost night and day for me. And yet, we are still having a GIRL. The midwives tale is wrong. 

Bethani seems to be very excited. She has NO idea what we are talking about. But she wants to carry around the Ultrasound picture and play with it. Her room will soon transform to a shared room, but I am so excited for her to meet her little sister.

We feel so blessed and loved and we are grateful for all that we have.