Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Ours was nice. My mom got out of prison a little over a month, ago and I still haven't seen her yet. I invited her and my brother, but they didn't have the transportation to get here. So, we went and spent it with Eric's family. It was pretty low key. For the first time this year, I went out on Friday morning to go Christmas shopping. I wasn't too hard core though. I just met a friend at 7. There wasn't anything I was really dying to get, so I didn't see the point of getting up too early. We walked into KOHLS, walked to the back, still couldn't find the end of the line to check out, so we left. I've never seen a line that long at a store. You would think it was Disneyland! So, we went to Fred Meyer. I got a couple good deals. Then we went to the Christian bookstore and I got a VeggieTales DVD for $5. That was what I was most excited about. Gabe is constantly singing the VeggieTales song even though we don't even own one movie. He borrowed some for our trip to California and they would play them sometimes in the nursery during my bible study. I can't wait. He is going to freak! 

I have to share how good God is. A week or so ago I found that a bill that I had paid, I paid a little too early so my second payment went on last months as if I just made an extra payment. I didn't think it would be a problem and I called the company to just let them know that I intended for it to be on Novembers statement not October. Well, they said they couldn't change it, and they wouldn't let me not make a payment for November. So, my saving and planning ahead so that I would have Christmas money, ended up costing me an extra $92. I was upset, but I went to work and cooled down and just decided that it was o.k. We had the kids presents already and we still had a little bit of money to get everyone else's. I came home and told Eric that it was o.k. and we just wouldn't get eachother anything this year. We would just do stockings for eachother. Christmas isn't about gifts anyway. He told me to stop and that I was limiting God. There was still plenty of time before Christmas. The next day he started going through his receipts. He tends to buy things for the camp with our money and then just gets reimbursed. Well, he decided to turn in all his mileage while he was at it. Well, guess how much in mileage he had? $90. Here's another one. This time of year is really tough for the camp. They had some bills that they needed to pay which was in the thousands of dollars. Someone had made a donation earlier but it wasn't quite enough to pay everything off. He was totally stressing because the company that the camp gets it's food from was about to cancel on them. On Tuesday or Wednesday, I don't know, a guy just walks into the office and wanted to give a donation. Eric didn't know who he was and we never get people that just walk into the front door. It's usually people who live around the state and have a long history with the camp and send us something in the mail. Isn't God good. Also, our church just had a 4 week fasting and praying time. Our goal was for at least 50 people saved during the 4 weeks. Well, I'm going to be honest. The last few days I wasn't sure if we did it. I didn't know the number but I was just going by the few that I knew about during the services we attended.  I even had the thought about how everyone was going to handle it if we didn't get the fifty. Well, I found out this morning that there were 54 first time salvations. I started to cry. God, help my unbelief. Why do I ever doubt Him? I just wanted to share how good He is. Love ya all!

Britt 

Just catching up

There has been a lot going on, so I haven't gotten a chance to write. Let's see, I'm not sure where to start. I'll just start with the kids. Both were sick and got their first ear infections. Gabe hates the doctor so that was quite the experience. Then at Amelia's check up last week I got the lecture again about the flu shot. It's so hard. The doctor tells you that the flu is the number 1 cause of death in babies, so that makes me scared. But I always figured that if they start to get sick, I'll just take them in and get medicine. Well, he tells me that since it's a virus, antibiotics won't treat it. Then I tell him that I heard there was mercury in it and he says that there isn't mercury in the shots they give to babies Amelia's age. I didn't think to ask that at what age is there mercury? I never got the flu shot with Gabe, but he has a really good immune system. Also, Amelia puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, which scares me. Let's face it, I'm not one of those moms that is constantly sanitizing my kids' hands. If she does get the flu, I'll feel so stupid taking her in now. I'm also around a lot of sickness with all the kids at my work. Last year we all got the flu at the same time and it was awful. I don't think I can handle two babies throwing up all over me. I don't know what to do. I've been praying but still feel torn about it. 

A lot has been going on at Eric's work as well. They have laid off some people. One of which is our good friend Becky. We miss her so much. Gabe LOVED Becky and she always babysat for us. She was the one we called when I went into labor so she could come stay with Gabe. On the other hand, with all the reorganizing Eric was given a sort of promotion. It's not more money but just a title that fits more of what he has actually been doing. He is now the Director of Operations. We are also moving to another house here. This one is larger with a yard. It is also not in the middle of camp for everyone to see us. It will be nice because Eric can actually come home without staring at work. We've been living in a cave with the curtains drawn, so he doesn't have to worry every time he looks outside. I'm excited about that but not looking forward to another move. At least we have a PO Box now so we don't have to change our address again. Well, it's bath time. I'll write some more another day. Everyone have a good Thanksgiving. Love ya,

Britt

Bob and the Bumblebee

I know I am late, but we've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post pics of the kids on Halloween. We went to our church's carnival with my friend Amy from work. Eric had to work unfortunately. We weren't there long because it gets so crowded but it was fun. 

Pics. as promised

Yes, I know it's not 1992.

So, Friday night I got a perm. Which is the reason for the title of my blog. I'm just so sick of my hair and how it looks the same no matter what I do. I want something different so I just got a body wave. When she first took the rollers out, I was a little scared because it was so curly. But then, within an hour and a half there were parts that were already going straight. So, it's not what you think when you think perm. It is just a little wavy. I should have known it wouldn't hold. My mom tried once when I was probably in about the 4th grade and that didn't hold at all. That was barely curly when we took it out of the rollers. I figured that was because it was my mom and it was a home perm. But, it still didn't work. My hair is just too heavy. It did give me what I was looking for which is something not too drastic but just a little more body. 

Besides that, all is good here. Eric is adjusting to his new boss. He likes that the new director will just make decisions and not have to hold meetings and take forever to make a decision. I took the kids with my sister and mother in law to a pumpkin farm this weekend. They loved it. Gabe picked out a cute little pumpkin to take home. He likes the little ones so he can carry them around. He tried to pick up the ones that were half his size. He was so cute. Once I download the photos I'll show some. I am really enjoying my Bible study and getting a lot out of it. I don't want it to end. The kids like going to the nursery and a couple of times, I have taken them to McDonalds afterward for lunch. It's a little crazy handling the two of them by myself but Gabe loves playing there and I like not worrying about cooking lunch. Love ya all and I'll post some pics. soon.

A new use for a breastpump

I don't know if any body else knows what I am talking about but when I was in the hospital after having Gabe, the lactation consultant made her rounds. I had been given a good hospital grade pump and the consultant gave me all the parts I needed for it. In the kit, there is a hand pump also. I never used it though because I had the other one. I did keep all the parts together though in the bag with the pump. Well, one day Gabe comes up stairs with the hand pump. Apparently, it is a really cool toy for a two year old. He kept telling us it was used to make popcorn, which we never did get. Anyway, one time or another he heard us say that it was a pump. Then one day last week, Eric went to the shop to pump up the tire on our small green car which I drive to work. He took Gabe with him, which was super exciting for him. He talked all about how they pumped up my tire. I guess while I was at work he took the breastpump to all his toy cars and pumped up the tires. Yesterday was the funniest though because Eric was washing my car and when he pulled it up I told him the tire was looking low. Gabe ran inside, grabbed the breastpump and ran outside to the tire to "pump it up". So cute! 

With all the heaviness lately in the news, I hope this will make some smile. 

What's up with us

Sorry the blogging has been pretty dead lately. I finally got a weekend open to have some extra time. The only reason I have that is because Amelia is sick, so I stayed home from Eric's family baseball game and family gathering. We've had a good week other than Amelia getting a fever  the last couple of days. She's fussy and clingy to mommy but not too sick. She did start crawling today though so that was exciting. For the last couple of weeks she's been doing this seal dive thing along the floor to get where she wants to go. 

I'm really excited because my church started a women's bible study this week. It's a Beth Moore study. I've been hearing about her studies for years but never got the opportunity to do one. So, I was psyched about this one because it is during the mornings and childcare is provided. It's been a long summer. Eric and I have been doing housekeeping for the camp on Sundays most of the summer because he is without a housekeeper right now. Now that things have slowed down and the whole camp doesn't have to be cleaned in 3 hours we'll be able to go to church regularly again. Anyways, I've been so hungry for something so I'm super excited for this bible study. I don't even care that there are daily homework assignments, and I have actually enjoyed them. I've decided to get them done when the kids are napping. Well, I usually only have a small window of time that they are both sleeping, but since I started I've had plenty of time. That's totally a God thing! 

Well, that's about all that is happening with us. Things should start calming down more, and I'll get more of a chance to write. Love you all.

Britt

Pics. from our weekend at the beach

We had a great time with Eric's family. The house was big and had a gorgeous view. We mostly just did kid friendly stuff like go to the park and beaches. WA is pretty short on sandy beaches so we ended up just doing lots of rock hunting. It was just nice for Grandma and Grandpa and all the cousins to spend time together.  By the end of the weekend though I think we were ready for our quiet life with only two kids. The first night the girls came back from the grocery store. Eric and his dad stayed home with the kids. Upon entering the house I was informed that we were only having two kids. Eric was a little overwhelmed with our two year olds running around like crazy and throwing tantrums. Love ya all and miss you.

Britt

I am alive.

I know it has been forever since I last wrote. The truth is that there just isn't much going on. This is Eric's busy season so we just wake up, work, and take care of kids. Potty training is going so-so. He does awesome if he is naked or in just his undies. We are moving along slowly but we are making progress. Mia has been sleeping through the night which is wonderful. I thank God for giving me a baby that sleeps well. She takes naps in her crib beautifully and sleeps in until around 8 in the morning. That is wonderful after having Gabe who is still waking up at 5:30/6 every morning. She is obsessed with shoes! We put her on the floor and if there is a shoe within sight she is going for it! She gets this intense look on her face and will somehow get to it. She is so persistent! And she gets mad when we take the shoe away! Eric commented tonight on what a girl she is. 

Eric and I just celebrated our 7 year anniversary! Poor Eric got a route canal. That morning he said to me that he didn't know that the 7 year present was a route canal. But at least he isn't in pain anymore so I am happy. We had someone offer us their beach house this weekend but since I'm still nursing I didn't want to leave Amelia for the night. So, since it's a 3 bedroom house, we invited Eric's parents so that they can watch the kids and since they were coming we also invited his sister and her daughter. We thought it would be fun for the kids to play at the beach together. So, I'm excited for this weekend. Well, I hope you are all doing well. I think about you all and pray you are happy. 

Britt

Can't sleep

Well, it's almost 12 at night and I can't sleep so I figured I might as well get up and write on the blog since it has been forever! Eric told me he posted some pics of our vacation and I was so happy because I've been too busy to do anything with it. We started trying to potty train Gabe this week. He does awesome if he just runs around naked! But since that isn't very practical, we still have our work cut out for us. He'll get it eventually and it is still pretty early for him.  We are just trying to cut down on the amount of $ we spend on diapers. Mia slept through the night for the first time last night. I think she is going through a growth spurt because she just wants to eat and sleep lately. Eric's job is stressing him out lately so please pray about that. He is so busy that with that and going to Cali we haven't been to church on a Sunday morning in ages. Our trip was great but hard at the same time. It made it very real to me that Ruth is gone. It was hard being at their house. W.T. is really sad too and I didn't know how to cheer him up. But, being at my dad's was so relaxing. We just hung out by the pool and out on the patio. Just being together was such a blessing. 

Nothing much else is going on here. My job is same-o and I'm happy. Here's some more pics. for you all.  We stopped by Crater Lake on the way home. It was so beautiful! I didn't realize how pretty and blue it was. 

Britt

Vacation Pics Part 2

Our Vacation Pics

So Mia's eye procedure was today. It was really fast. After they took her I went down to eat a quick bite and right as I got back they rolled her out. Let me tell you, she was screaming! She did not like waking up from that anesthesia. The doc. said everything went well. Her eye was swollen all to heck though. The picture was actually taken a few hours after the procedure and it looks a ton better than it did at first. But, they put 10 shots of steroids in her eye so it was all full of extra fluid. The other picture was taken a few days ago. I was trying to find something to compare it to. To be honest though, whenever we take pics. of her, the eye doesn't look that bad. It looks bigger and more purple in real life. Right now, she is just sleeping like crazy. It should make tonight fun. Love ya all and hope you are doing well.

A new vehicle

Well, after weeks of stressing over what was going to happen with our car situation we finally got a new car. It's an unfortunate situation and no matter what the option was we were going to be out some money. So, it was go into credit card debt and not eat for a month to scrape together the money to fix our car which has a lot of miles and seemed like we were having to put a lot of money into it lately. Or, try and find something new. So, we finally found a dealership that gave us a reasonable amount for a trade in as it was. We used the rest of our savings to help pay off our loan. We ended up only having to carry over a small amount. Again, not the ideal situation but it was the best we could do. We bought a 2008 Ford Escape. It's used but still has low miles. The best part is that the warranties carry over so if anything goes wrong in the next few years, they have to pay for it. It's a little smaller but we are only losing space in the back hatch area really. I actually like it better. Mostly, I just feel good about not having to stress about something going wrong with it. So, although our cruise is gone. Our trip to Calli is back on. Yeahh!
On another note. We moved up Amelia's surgery. We were afraid it would be too big by that time so I called to see if they had anything available before we left for CA. When I talked to the doctor's assistant, he said Dr. Shelley was going to call us anyway because he thought that was too far away also. So, it is scheduled now for June 17th. Everyday, it seems to get bigger. I need to take some pics. and show you guys. People are always asking about it. I don't mind though. I actually prefer that they just ask and not stare. I almost feel a need to tell people that we meet or that don't know. It looks like she has a really bad black eye which can be alarming with a little baby so I'd prefer that they know that I don't beat my child. Well, love ya all and God is good. I feel so relieved about how this whole drama was resolved.
Britt

What a week!

We've had quite the week. Last weekend (Memorial weekend) we found out that our car needs some transmission work which will cost $3,000, Eric's mom was bucked off a horse and in the hospital with 4 broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung, and his sister told us that her and her husband have decided to get divorced. Then on Tue. we took Amelia back to the eye specialist and he suggested that we get the steroid injections. I see her everyday so I hadn't realized how big it had gotten in just 3 weeks but it has doubled in size and he's worried that it is just going to get bigger. We asked about side effects and he said that it won't look very pretty for a couple of days and she'll be pretty fussy just like people who are on steroids anger easily. I thought, "Great, my little girl is going to have roid rage." They have to put her out also. We weren't too crazy about the idea of putting steroids into her body so we said we would think about it. We went home, prayed, slept on it, and talked about it and on Friday we made the appointment for July 15. The side effects only last a couple of days and when I started looking at her eye, I realized that it does cover half her eye and when she smiles, she looks like a pirate. I'm glad now we decided to do it because I went online and read about how it can cause lazy eye because the vision is impaired in that eye and gradually the brain will just stop trying to use that eye. Everything I read suggested that if there is hemangioma on the eye, that treatment should be done as soon as possible. So... that's that.
Now about our car. I'm mostly upset because we have some money that we were going to use on a cruise and now this has happened and we can say bye bye to that. We are debating right now on whether to fix it or try and get something new that will not break down. Our car does have over 100,000 miles on it so it would be nice to have something that I won't have to stress about breaking down. Well, it's bathtime and Mia is starting to fuss so I better go. Love ya all,
Britt

Update

I haven't written in a long time so I thought I better. I really don't have much to update ya'll on. I had a birthday this week. I'm 29 now. One more year to go till the big 3-0. I'm not depressed really; I just feel like I all of a sudden realized how old I am. I guess I still thought of myself as this young adult right out of college. There were a couple of times last week that I realized that I'm not. First, I had a song from the Wiggles in my head all day long. Then, as I was taking a walk with the kids in the stroller, I heard myself say in a very mom voice, "You stop touching your sister right now!" I even snapped my fingers and everything. The last and the biggie was that The New Kids On The Block were on the Today show the other morning. You should have seen me singing all the words to "The Right Stuff." I was sitting there watching all the fans going crazy and laughing because they were all middle aged women. It then hit me that that was me! What happened! How did I become middle aged? I'm not complaining though because I am right where I wanted to be at this age and happier than I even thought.
The kids are doing great. Amelia's eye is about the size of a grape right now. We go back next week to see if we have to get a cat scan. She has discovered that she can make noises and is "talking" like crazy. She loves to talk and smile. I don't remember Gabe doing that much "talking" at this age. Gabe is as cute and awnry as ever. He has really started pretend play the last couple of days. He puts on this little hat that his grandma bought him and says he is going to work. I asked where and he told me on the tractor. (He drove the tractor with Grandpa this weekend) He then walked to the door and yelled, "Bye, I'm going to work." A few minutes later he came out of his room and had the hat off and said he was all done. I caught him talking to his little baby doll this morning too. Usually the doll is just another toy to throw around but lately he has been pretending with it. He puts it to bed and holds it like a baby instead of by the hair.
Eric was gone for a couple of days at a seminar in Salem. It is good to have him home. Gabe kept asking where Daddy's toothbrush was at.
We are looking forward to going to Taft the first week of July. It'll be hot as heck but my dad has a pool and a patio with misters. We are also going to go to the beach one day. I know it will be a tough trip though because it will be weird to not see Ruth. I'm excited to see Kelly and W.T. though and just give them big hugs. Well, I love ya all and I'll keep you posted about anything else.

Mia's eye

Well, I just got back from the pediatric opthalmologist about Mia's eye. Cheri called me after my last post and told me that she thought it was hemangioma. She was right. At least that is what the doc. thinks right now. He said we'll probably have to do a CT scan to make sure and to check and see how close it is to her eye. Hemangioma is a type of birthmark. It grows pretty rapidly for the first year and then will start to get smaller. 70% of them are gone by the time the child is 7 years old. Because it is next to her eye we have to watch it carefully and make sure it doesn't start pushing on the eye. If it does she will have to get cortizone injections. Please pray with us that it doesn't get that big. The pics. I've seen on the internet are not pretty and the doctor did warn me that it can get a bit traumatic depending on how big it gets. After seeing the pics. on WebMD, I don't want to see anymore. I'm sure those are just severe cases and they'll just make me anxious. Please pray with us though. I'm also worried about our insurance. We only have to pay the copay for the first 6 appts. but after that we have to pay for any doctor visits. Well, she has already had three in the last 2 weeks and has another one in two more weeks. I'll keep you posted on anymore.
Love ya,
Britt

Tiny dancer

I just had to show this little video of Gabe dancing. It looks more like a two year old just going crazy but this is his dancing. He is very particular about what he dances to. He said he wanted to dance the other day so I tried putting in a new c.d. that Eric's aunt gave us for little boys and he threw a fit. I got the new Eagles CD for Christmas so that is what I usually listen to when I do play a CD. Well, that is what he insisted on dancing too. And, it had to be disc one not two. He only really dances to this one song also. The CD player in his room has a worship cd and that's o.k. to dance to if he is in his room but if he is in the living room it has to be the Eagles. 2 year olds are weird. So, enjoy my crazy little boy. Don't mind the mess. I know all you parents understand what it's like to have kids and all their "stuff."

Crazy week

We had a very crazy week last week with Amelia's eye issue. I took her back on Monday and the doc. prescribed another antibiotic to take on top of the eye drops. Well, it made her sick and I had the worst night of my life. She would scream unless I was standing up and bouncing her. This was after she had already thrown up all over me. I would get her to sleep and try and sit down and she would wake up. It was awful. Finally at about four in the morning I was able to sit in the recliner but not recline and she would stay asleep. So for about an hour I slept holding her and sitting upright. Eric took her after that and of course she slept fine in her swing for him. So anyway we got the med stuff taken care of and got a different antibiotic for her. I took her back on Thurs. and it still wasn't better so he decided he would call a Pediatric opthalmologist and let me know. So, Fri. night I got a call and he said to massage her eye really good and as hard as reasonably possible. If it still wasn't better by Mon. to see the specialist. Well, of course it's not better. I called and made an appt. but the earliest I can get in is next week. I just wish I knew what it was. Other people I've talked to with blocked ducts, it caused their eye to be watery and teary. Hers doesn't do that at all and it looks like she has a black eye. She has this purple lump thing under her eye. Melisa, I know you said your kids had blocked ducts. Does this sound the same? The doc. said if it gets worse that we'll have to take her to the hospital to get an i.v. antibiotic and I really don't want to do that. Her eye is getting worse but she isn't getting a fever or any other sign that it is an infection that is spreading. I'm trying to not worry, but all those mom thoughts and fears go through your head. I'm sure it will all work out. Please pray with us though.
Thanks

Yeahh for smiles!!

I had been worrying because Amelia wasn't smiling yet. Gabe started at 4 weeks and has always been very social. Amelia just didn't seem to be responding to people and wasn't smiling at people yet. People kept telling me not to worry but of course I was convinced that something was wrong with her. I was so happy when last week she started smiling. She is so cute. I think it's harder work for her because her cheeks are so stinkin big! Anyway, it was hard to get some pics. but I did get a couple yesterday that I thought I would post. The third pic. I just thought was cute. Like she was boxing.
On another note, she has something wrong with her eye. The dr. thinks it is a blocked tear duct that has gotten infected. I looked it up and it's pretty common in infants. But, the eyedrops he prescribed haven't helped it so he also prescribed an oral antibiotic. He said if it doesn't go away we'll have to see a specialist or have her go to the hospital overnight and get on an i.v. antibiotic. It doesn't look too bad, just a little swollen under her eye and like she has a black eye. Still we pray that it goes away. Love ya all!
Britt

An investment opportunity

Our pastor started a new series this morning on Romans 8. An analogy he used that I liked was that it is like an illegal alien in our country who has broken the law. As you know, they get sent back to where they fled from. Now take that illegal alien and not only does he not get sent back to where he came from but he is given a new identity that makes him totally legal. He gets all the benefits that a natural born citizen gets. That's what Christ has done for us. But what really struck me was a quote I saw that I had written in my Bible next to Romans 8:13. I don't remember where I heard it or when I wrote it but today it really struck me like I was reading it for the first time. It said, "Life is not just a wreck that is saved out of the world, but an investment to the world." That appealed to me because I thank God everyday for saving me from the wreckage that was my life, but am I making my life an investment? Am I taking full advantage of my new rights and benefits that Christ has given me? Just thought I would share what was on my heart today. Nothing really new going on lately. We are both very thankful for our pastor and church home. If you are at all interested in hearing the sermon I think you can get it off the website at www.fwchurch.com. Love ya all, Britt

Sunday School

So Gabe has moved up to a 2 and 3 year olds sunday school class from the nursery. He loves the nursery so we weren't sure how he would handle it. This morning was his second time going and he was still excited to go so that was a good sign. When we went to pick him up after his first sunday we found him in a pile of these plastic bins that he had taken off the shelves. All the other kids had there little coloring sheets and were waiting by the door. His sheet was sitting on the table untouched. Then this morning when Eric went to pick him up I guess he was just sitting in a chair off to the side just looking at the other kids. They had made these little necklaces which I guess he wouldn't wear. Eric asked how he did and they said good but I still wonder. I think it is good for him to be there but I wish I had a camera that I could see how he is. He's so social with people from the camp and at family gatherings that I can't picture him shy. He said he had fun though and was happy as usual. We'll see how it goes. I'm sure he'll adjust.

Pics. from Gabe's Bday and Easter

Our Easter Present

We had an eventful week. Gabe was sick with a 102 fever on Tuesday and threw up all over me and himself. Luckily, the throwing up only lasted that day. His fever is gone but he is coughing a lot since then. Come to find out a ton of others that were at our Easter family gathering have also been sick. Eric's mom's voice is pretty much gone. I'm so paranoid that Amelia will get sick that I take her temp. about five times a day. So far so good but we'll see. So, with a sick and whiny toddler who just wants mama it's been pretty crazy. We are surviving though. We've also had snow all week. Isn't that crazy! It's almost April for crying out loud! It's not like we are in North Dakota. I'm ready for sunshine and spring and pretty flowers.
I have absolutely no desire to do any gardening this year though. In fact, I've been wondering if there is a way to make our tiny little yard less maintenance. I just can't water it all this year. I don't have the time or energy. I also feel a lot of pressure to make it look nice since we live in the middle of camp. We've already had our landscaper ask us if he could clean up the beds some. I told him go right ahead and that I do not have the time. He said he knew I was busy and that's why he wanted to help. I'm still embarrassed though. Eric said he would help me this week on his day off. It just can't be Monday though because that's the opening day of baseball and he has plans to sit in his sweats and eat doritos and watch every game possible. Yay, I now have Dorito breath to look forward to.

Happy Birthday Little Boy

It's strange how I can go weeks with nothing to write about and now after one busy weekend I feel like I have a lot to write about. For the sake of time though I'm just going to write about Gabe's birthday on Saturday. We planned before Amelia was born that Eric's Mom would get the privilege of doing his bday because we figured we would be overwhelmed with a new baby. That was when we thought she was going to be born early March but kept it that way even when she came early. So, we got up Sat. morning and just Gabe and I went to church for their Easter Eggstravaganza. He loved the Easter Egg hunt and was very cute. Then we loaded up the whole family and drove to Eatonville. Two of Gabe's cousins came over for egg dying and the small party. Grandma and Grandpa got him the largest rocking horse I've ever seen. Eric says it's like the ones we had when we were kids but on steroids. It's huge! Gabe needs a chair to get up on it and we had to take the legs off to get it into the back of our rig. He loves it though. He gets going on it and starts yelling, "Faster horsey, faster!" This morning he woke up and kept saying to Eric, "Ridin the horsey?Ridin the horsey?"
He is so cute! He loves all tractors and things with wheels. I love how he says most things like they are questions. He also does this funny thing where whenever he gives us something he says thank you. It started because when he helps me unload the dishwasher I say thank you when he hands me a dish. Then he started saying it when he would hand me a dish and now he just says it when he hands us stuff. One day I told him we were going to WalMart and I needed to remember to get juice and milk. So now when I tell him we are going to WalMart he says, "juice?" nods his head and then says, "milk" very matter of factually. I cannot believe how much you can love one person. I wondered if I could love Amelia as much and remarkably, I do. It's unbelievable. Well, speaking of Mia, it's time to get her to bed now. Oh ya, Gabe's nickname for Amelia has rubbed off on me. It's funny how we decided that we would call her A.J. for short before she was born but we never call her that now. Maybe it will start sticking later on but for now I've been calling her Mia. Love ya all, and we'll post some pics of our eventful weekend soon.

Attempt at Pictures

Well, we took the kids to Sears yesterday to try and get some pics. for Gabe's 2 yr. I'm also going to make announcements for Amelia. We got a couple of good ones of them by themselves, but it was impossible to get a good one of them together. To get them to stay still and look in the right direction or to get Gabe to smile and not wiggle around was so hard. I've heard other parents make this comment but until now I hadn't experienced it. I think the most frustrating thing is that you know you went through so much to get everyone dressed and cleaned up and to the place on time. I'm not going to leave there without buying some pictures so I better get some good ones. I feel like the ones I ended up getting were boring but at least the kids are either smiling or looking in the right direction. Oh well, 20 years from now, all I will care about is that I have the pics. not if they were creative or not.

Life with 2 kids

Well, the fact that I haven't written since Amelia was born tells you how busy I am. The main reason though is that I use Eric's work laptop and he has that during the day so the only time I have is after he gets home from work. But, when he gets home is when I finally feel like I can get some things done around the house. It also takes a lot longer to get two kids ready for bed so my evenings are pretty full.
Really though, I love my little family. It seems so complete now and I love being home with them all day. I actually took them both to WalMart earlier this week and survived! We were only there 20 minutes but there were no tears involved. I was so proud of myself. I'm torn though because sometimes I miss work too. Well, I miss my friends at work. I know it will still be hard to go back in a couple of weeks. I'm mostly loving having the evenings to spend with Eric eating dinner together and watching American Idol.
Gabe is adjusting o.k. He really loves Amelia and isn't showing any anger or anything like that. He can't stop kissing and touching her and sometimes I get tired of telling him to leave her alone. We have noticed though that he has become more whiny and throwing more tantrums. I think he's just frustrated because mommy isn't there for everything like before and life as he knows it has changed drastically.
So far she is such a good little baby. We haven't seen any signs of colic yet but we aren't getting too excited because Gabe was 2 weeks old before he started it. She just sleeps, eats, and poops right now. She looks a lot like Gabe did when he was a newborn. She already has a dimple in her right cheek. Hopefully she'll use her dimple powers for good and not evil like her daddy did when he was young. Love you all,
Britt

Amelia Pics

New Arrival

Amelia Joy Sivertson was born @ 8:34 last night. She weighed in at 8lbs and 2 oz and was 19 inches long. We will post pictures and write more later. Love you all.

An update

O.k. sorry for being gone so long. It's been a stressful week. I last left off with our whole hospital and contractions ordeal. The tuesday after I was continuing to take it easy and trying to not have anymore contractions when I got a phone call from my sister Kelly. She had some pretty sad news for me. Ruth died last Tuesday morning in her sleep. They are pretty sure it was a stroke. Obviously the news didn't help the contractions and I was up most of the next morning with them. Once Eric got up though I took a shower and got another hour of sleep and that helped them a lot. We then went to my doctor's appt. and she told me to stop taking the medication and that if I go into labor, it's o.k. now. So, on that topic I am still having contractions, although not bad ones, and still dilated to 3 but nothing much is happening.
Now about Ruth. I still can't believe it. I just so badly want to be with Kelly and W.T. right now and it is killing me that I can't. If I knew the baby might not come any day, I would. I'm also mad at myself because I was going to call her the day before and let them know what was going on and ask her how to make her delicious rice crispy treats and I didn't. I didn't get to say goodbye. I hadn't talked to her since Christmas. Eric was great though and he helped a lot to calm me down and make me feel better. It helps so much to know that she is definitely in heaven and not in anymore pain. She's suffered from migraines for decades, has had high blood pressure, and a year and a half ago she had a minor stroke that left her memory not the best. She's been on so many medications for so long that I just know she has to be feeling so good now. I just feel so bad for W.T. I couldn't talk to him for a couple of days because I knew I would break down. Finally, I couldn't put it off anymore and we talked on Fri. He's devastated and said that half of him is missing. They were married for 38 years and she was his world. We all thought that if one of them had to go first it would hopefully be him. I know that sounds bad but his life revolved around her and I know that he is probably so lost now. I'm so happy we were able to go down the Thanksgiving before last and see them. They got to meet Gabe and we got some pictures. Eric is so sweet. He came home yesterday with a surprise for me. He had ordered the pics. at WalMart and bought me some frames to put them in so now I actually have some printed out and not just in the comp. I was doing pretty well until Sunday during church. All through worship I bawled like a baby. We had a special band up from Portland which had a violinist in it. Well, at one point, he starts to play Amazing Grace with just the violin. I was like, "Are you kidding me! I can't take this!" They were happy tears though too because I know she loved the Lord and believed every word of that song. Usually as I sing the songs, I am thinking how they apply to me but that morning I just kept looking at them through her eyes and how she must be singing them now in heaven. So, that's what's going on here. If you happen to remember please pray for W.T. and Kelly. They are having a pretty rough time.
Love ya all
Britt

Close but no cigar

Well, I thought we were going to have a baby this weekend. I'm going to try and make a long story short, which is very difficult for me. This past week Gabe got the flu and so I had a puking kid to deal with. Plus, I had been having contractions but they were just Braxton Hicks and I didn't think much about them. Wed. night I noticed I was having a lot at work so I started timing and they were between 5 and 15 minutes apart. So, I went home and relaxed and didn't think much about them. I got them the next day but they were like 2 every hour so again, I didn't worry. Then Thursday night they got closer again. Plus, when I got home from work Eric said he wasn't feeling well and went to bed early. When I went to bed finally he was laying there shaking with chills and trying to get warm. So, he decided to go take a warm shower and try to warm up. Shortly after I hear the shower start, I hear him throwing up - in the shower. I felt so bad for him. He got out and tried to clean it up as much as possible but apparently the drain was clogged. By this time it was about midnight and I told him to leave it till the morning. So, I was up late with that and he didn't sleep well, which meant I didn't sleep well. Then Gabe decided to wake up at 4:45. I usually let him lay there when it is that early but my hope was that I could get him real quick and we could both fall asleep in the living room in the recliner. I was wrong. Plus, now I wasn't feeling well. Eric got up shortly after and tried cleaning out the shower. He finally succeeded but had to drag out the shop vac. Meanwhile my contractions are getting stronger and pretty close together. I decided when my doctors office opens I would call them and probably go in to just get checked and see if I am dilating at all. Well, then at about 6:45 I start throwing up. Now I get scared that this isn't good for the baby so Eric calls the on call nurse helpline. I talk to her and she said that since I was pre-term and I was having more than 6 an hour I had to go to the hospital. Now, the contractions are stronger and about 3 minutes apart. I'm convinced that I'm going to have her. I pack a bag real fast for Gabe, Eric finishes cleaning out the shower which has been soaking in bleach water and takes a shower. Then he takes Gabe to a friends house and we make those arrangements. We finally get to the hospital a little after 8. Oh ya, I threw up again on the way there. They check me and I'm dilated to 2 so I think they are just going to let me have this baby. No, the next 13 hours they continue to give me shots and pills to try and make the contractions stop. They would stop for a little bit but come back. They weren't very strong though so they weren't making me dilate so it was creating this vicious cycle of nothing happening. I couldn't go home till they were completely gone and they couldn't let me have the baby unless I was dilating in spite of all the meds. Eric is the one I feel sorry for though. He got one hour of sleep the night before, was also sick, and had nothing but this uncomfortable chair to sit in this tiny little room. There were some points that he was lying on the cold floor with my purse as his pillow. At least they gave me anti-nausea meds and stuff to make me sleep. Plus, a bunch of bags of IV and antibiotics. They definitely hydrated me! So, finally they stop and we get to go home. Thank God that Gabe was staying at Eric's parents because we have never been so tired in our lives.
So, now I am on these meds to stop the contractions but I am still having them. I'm supposed to go in again if they get to be 6 in an hour again. I am not doing that! The only thing that really works is lying down so I'm doing a lot of that. I'm almost 36 weeks and I think they'll just let me go at that point. I want to make it to my baby shower next weekend though. My fear is that we will do all this stuff to make me wait and then I'll end up going past my due date. I will be so mad if that happens! So, please pray that I make it at least a week.

My "Joyful" day.

Before Gabe was born we found a verse that we have designated as "his" verse. We have it framed in his room and I will often pray it over him before he goes to bed. It's Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous, do not be dismayed for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Well, I realized that we hadn't chosen one for Amelia yet so I went about today and decided to find one. I knew I wanted one about joy since that is her middle name. There are so many verses about joy! Thank goodness for the internet so I didn't have to look every one up one by one. I narrowed down my favorites and then read the top to Eric and we chose one together. It is Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee.
That's Revised Standard Version. I don't know if I will use that exact version but I love the meaning. I want her to know that no matter what may come, she can have joy in the Lord and he will take care of her and love her. I know that is where my joy comes from, and I hope that as she grows up she will not only read it and hear us say it but see it played out in our lives.

I love Sundays!

Today has been a really nice relaxing day. After a year, we got a new pastor at our church. We are loving Pastor Brian. He's not this really exciting full of energy pastor. But his messages are so meaningful and he does a great job of making them applicable to everyone. We are all loving going to church and are bummed when we can't go due to work. After that we came home and I did some more organizing and unpacking of baby clothes until I ran out of hangers (again)! We have so many stinkin clothes! I am totally in that nesting/organizing phase. I bought some bins yesterday at Wal-Mart and worked on organizing clothes. My goal for the week is to get all our bags packed for the hospital/grandma and grandpa's and pre-register at the hospital. I just want to feel ready and I am freaking out right now because I'm not. I still have 6 weeks so I shouldn't be stressing. I feel like I am going to pop though. I am so huge! I'm getting stretch marks that I didn't get with Gabe and I am never comfortable! I'm not complaining, I'm just sharing the blessings of pregnancy! After the organizing and lunch I took a sweet Sunday nap. The rest of the day we cleaned up the house and had dinner. Now Gabe is in bed, I'm watching the Amazing Race and looking for something sweet to eat. I know it's not exciting to read but at least it is something. Eric was gone in Oregon this week at some training and I didn't have a computer so I am feeling bad for not writing. I hope you are all doing well. Love ya!

Finally getting ready for baby

Well, we are finally getting ready for little Amelia Joy. We found a dresser that Eric's boss had sitting in his garage. It's the perfect size (and price), I just have to paint it. Eric started putting primer on the walls of her room tonight while I was at work. The family who lived here prior had a little boy in that room and it had an underwater theme with bright fish and deep blue everywhere. Gabe liked the room and I guess he said bye to all the fishies and the diver and the water while Eric was working. He then started taking his hand and rubbing it up and down the walls in the hallway and saying, "painting? painting?" I love how he says things like a question. Anyway, I also got a phone call from one of my friends from work and she and some other girls are throwing me a baby shower even though I told them I don't need one. I had to pick a date so I called my mother in law to see if the date I was thinking would work for her and she would be able to come and I found out that she and my sister in law were planning a surprise shower for me as well! I feel so bad. I don't know what I am going to register for. I've been given a ton of clothes and I still have the big stuff from Gabe like swing, bouncer, stroller, etc. They are always coming out with new things though and I could use some more bottles and such. I can't believe I only have 8 weeks left! By this time with Gabe we were so ready and my bag was already packed for the hospital. So not there with this one! I kind of feel bad for her because I feel like she doesn't get the attention that Gabe does. Oh well, I guess her day will come and Gabe will be the one who I feel guilty about not getting my attention.

Sucks to be you!

You know, there are not many times that I'm glad I don't live in Iowa anymore but this is one of them. I'm sick of hearing about the caucuses and I don't even live there. I remember what it was like to get the ads a year before and that was only one party when we were there. I can't imagine how bad it is right now. I honestly don't think I've seen one campaign commercial living in Washington. This is such a liberal state that I don't think anyone wastes their time and money here. At least not yet anyway. It is kind of neat to watch the news and hear and see familiar places though. Well, to all my Iowa friends, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Love ya!