Kai Update

The midwife came by today and... my second baby does NOT have jaundice! He is quite talented when it comes to breastfeeding and has only lost 6 ounces. My milk actually came in yesterday so he didn't really have a chance to lose much weight. It's awesome compared to Jericho's loss of a whole pound. I find myself comparing them all the time. They look a lot a like, but are very different. I can already tell even though M is only 3 days old. Jericho was a very good baby, but when I compare them... Malachi is EASY. He sleeps about 5-6 hours at night and nurses well.... it's soooo great. It will likely change, but for these first few days where I'm still recovering, it's been a huge blessing to have a baby who rarely cries, sleeps well, and gives me no trouble when nursing.

I also learned that I have a pelvis that is usually only found in African women. Huh. It's like finding out you have a rare blood type. Apparently most Caucasian women have a certain pelvis that enables the baby to drop a few days before labour, but the labour process takes awhile as the baby needs to maneuver through. I have a gynacoid pelvis which means the baby does not drop until I'm well into the labour process and once it descends, it moves very quickly. Because I had an epidural last time, it wasn't as evident as it was this time. Apparently it's really rare in white women. We'll see if I ever put it to good use again.

Other than all that we're doing really well. Jericho adores his brother and is always trying to see him, hug him, kiss him - grab him and run away... it's fun. As much as I said I thought I was expecting a girl - I'm overjoyed to have had a boy. They are so cute together! I'm also saving soooo much money by not being tempted to buy all those adorable little girl outfits. Do you know how many items of clothes I have?! Mostly thanks to Michelle ;)

Anyways, I should get off this hard chair and go sit on the couch with my cuddly little man while Nate and Jericho are shopping. Thanks for reading!

Malachi Sage Robinson

My son has arrived!!!

Ok, so do not want to that again. Apparently I did very well, but it sure didn't feel like it. Here is the little miracle story of how my second son came into this wonderful world.

He was due March 2nd and I was getting slightly annoyed he was taking so long. I know babies are often overdue, but it didn't make it any easier seeing as I was huge. But I was fairly adamant I didn't want to be induced again as that process was unpleasant to say the least. So I got lots of advice from my awesome midwives on how to try and hurry things along. I had tried all of them until I went in on Monday afternoon and they gave me a recipe for a Labour Induction Cocktail. Lovely. Ingredients: almond butter, verbena oil, apricot juice, and castor oil. Scary. I took it at 3 pm and by 7:00 I was having contractions. I had them through the night and as uncomfortable as they were, they still weren't horrid....yet. I slept about 3 hours that night in spite of them. By about 6 am they were 5 minutes apart and getting more and more intense. I had a bath and shower to make sure, and they kinda slowed down a little... and I lost my plug at that point as well. I called the midwives and since I had an appointment for that afternoon, they recommended that unless they got really close and intense then I could just come in then for a check.

It was a long morning. Then as we were about to start getting ready for my 2:45 appointment, I sat up from the couch and my water broke. That was 2:00. I had a shower and promptly lost my lunch all over the shower and my dear wonderful husband. In spite of all these things, I still made it to my appointment. There we discovered, to my obvious delight - that I was actually 4 cms dilated already. I cried tears of joy and thanked God. We decided to head to the hospital as I was so tired and just wanted to get hooked up to an epidural. Pathetic, I know. We arrived at 3:30 pm and I laboured intensely and waited quite impatiently for my 'light at the end of the tunnel' epidural...which never came due to both an over-busy drug man and my ability to deliver my child quickly. At 5:30 they told me the epidural wasn't going to come. I was more than a little devastated. With Jericho it just helped so much with those last few hours.... but they did give me an IV this time and said they would hook me up with some drugs. Problem was there was a miscommunication and I went 25 minutes or so with saline. I was quite disappointed in the usefulness of those drugs that's for sure.

By 6:15 I was experiencing extreme pressure and had the feeling like I needed to push. My midwife checked and at this point I was fully dilated. The problem was they had many issues with trying to locate the baby's heart rate. I had to keep moving in the middle of contractions which SUCKED. I think at one point I said I wasn't doing it anymore...and at another point I said I wanted to die. But no one really listened.. they kept being really annoyed and saying I was doing great. But it would have been rude to tell them to shut up already. Anyways... this is the point it got scary and also the point I realized a lot of people must have been praying for me and for my baby. When they did find the heart rate it was dipping below 80 - which is NOT GOOD. At this point I saw the first sign of panic in the midwives faces. Also - NOT GOOD. They told me I needed to get the baby out NOW. They called in the OBGYN and said he would need to vacuum him out if I couldn't push him. There's something about that statement that made me push like I have never pushed. It took 4 contractions and he was out and born right at 6:30 exactly. Fifteen minutes. Fast. But the drama wasn't over. My son came out blue and not crying and limp. It was the scariest moment. My mom and Nate told me later they both thought he was dead. But like I said, someone was praying for us and within 3 minutes he was perfectly pink and cuddling with his Mommy.

We thank God for this BEAUTIFUL and WONDERFUL gift.

For those who love all the juicy details:
His full name is Malachi Sage Robinson Searle and his nickname will be Kai.
He weighed in at a hefty 8 lbs and 14 oz.
He was 22" long and his head was 36 cms.

EVICTION NOTICE

This is to notify the sweet little one in my uterus that as of today, I am serving a notice of eviction. You have lived rent-free for a very long 41 weeks and now is the time to join the rest of your family. You have an expectation to live up to - you need to come out. Be born so we can meet and love you.

No Baby Yet...

I'm officially 4 days late. Not too bad. I went to the midwife yesterday and she said everything looks good. The only problem is that the baby is still posterior. Just means labour will be more painful than usual unless I can get the baby to turn around. My blood pressure was 128/72 which is higher than it usually is, but I'm also 9 months pregnant.

I've been having TONNES of pains, almost every night. It usually stops after I have a warm bath, but it gets annoying... you start to think that maybe tonight's the night and then NOTHING. But I think my little babe is warm and cozy and will come out when he/she is good and ready.

I'm scheduled for membrane sweeps (don't ask) and a non-stress test next week. Fingers crossed it won't get to that point, but I won't be surprised. We've been given some fun instructions from the midwife and Rachael, so maybe tomorrow...

Baby Pool

So I did have everyone try and make a guess a few weeks ago on here, but only Michelle's date still stands (February 29th). I figured I would give everyone a second chance. Just put a comment down for when you think the baby will come as well as your guess for the weight and sex.

I'm doing well, had a really great sleep last night for once. Since Monday I've had pains right as I'm going to bed and it's quite difficult to sleep under those kind of circumstances. I even made Nate stay home on Monday because I was so nervous he would get to work and I would have to call him back. But my warm baths worked wonders and I still have no baby. Funny thing, I'm not desperate for the baby to come yet. It can stay warm in there for awhile longer and I would be okay with that. Do you know how busy I'm going to be once it's out?!?! Lots busy. But I can't help but be excited. It won't be long before I meet my little one.

Last time during labour I didn't stay very focused. I was kinda distracted by the pain. This time, I've written out a bunch of things to keep in mind while I'm delivering #2 to try and help focus on the baby and other happy things instead of getting lost in the moment. Here is what I came up with:

You are about to meet your second child!
You are in control!
You can do it again!
Think of a safe place, or a place where you remember being really happy.
Think of how much you love Nate
Think of how much you love Jericho
God never gives us more than we can handle – you can handle a lot!
Remember how much you love being a Mom!
Imagine the baby getting ready to come out.
Be calm.
Relax
Think of everyone who loves you
Remember what it’s like to hold a newborn baby
Imagine every movement of the baby is him or her saying how much they love you.
Place a picture in your mind of all the cute things Jericho does.
Remember the sound of Jericho’s laughter.
Imagine what the baby will look like.
Try and think of a really funny joke.
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength”
Enjoy it, it might be the last time you go through labour.
Think of the view of Golden Ears on a clear, sunny day.
Imagine holding BOTH of your babies.
Try and think what it would be like for Jericho to meet his sibling.

I know some are kind of cheesy, but maybe it will make things a little less chaotic. Can you think of anything I can add? I also asked Nate to put some of my favorite songs on his iPod so I can listen to music too. Any good songs you would recommend for giving birth to? Not long now folks!!!

For Michelle...

Oops, I promised I would do that 'tag' thing...

Michelle has a blog and she did this little blog game where she had to do the following. She asked anyone who reads her blog and has their own blog to do it as well... so here goes...

* Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
* Find Page 123
* Find the first 5 sentences
* Post the next 3 sentences
* Tag 5 people

The book - Shopaholic and Sister. A really great fluff read which I thought wasn't as great as the rest of the series, but it still entertained me nevertheless.

"Like we already know each other and understand each other better than anyone else in the world. I mean, who knows? Maybe it will turn out that we'll have sisterly psychic powers."

Short, but sweet. So... I tag anyone who still reads and has their own blog as well.

Maybe Baby?

Today was a long day. It didn't help that I had more indigestion in the middle of the night. Who knew stew could make me so blue? Hehe. Still have my humour. Lame, but it's still there. One of the first things I realized today was that I hated my new haircut. I got it done two weeks ago and I just could NOT adjust. I kept thinking about those adorable pictures of my new baby and me holding him/her and wanting to cut the pictures up just because my hair looked horrible. So, I called the salon, I talked to the manager and explained that I was pregnant, hormonal, and unhappy. She was very understanding. She made me an appointment for 3 pm to get it fixed at no charge. I didn't want to see the woman who originally did it... I felt bad. She was sooo nice, but I just didn't like what she came up with. I felt like I had been given a bowl cut and the colour was too much of a shock. Anyways, I got there... and this younger woman was assigned my case. She had a mullet. Sketch. But she turned out to be super sweet. The only issue at first was that the woman who did my hair in the first place was TWO CHAIRS OVER. I was trying to be discreet and not too critical, but we were getting no where, so little miss mullet moved me over to a completely different room and went about making me a whole new person. My only complaint = she nicked a mole on my forehead and I proceeded to bleed... a lot. But it was all good. All in the name of fashion.Nate took the camera to work tonight, otherwise I would post pictures - maybe.

That was my 'feel good' part of the day. My 'feel bad' part was when I was getting contractions often. They aren't bad, and I'm still experiencing them... they are about a 2 on the pain scale (1-10). It makes me think the baby might come soon.. but you never know - I could go another 2 weeks, but my chiropractor Angela thinks I won't last too much longer. Don't ask me why she thinks this, just go with it.

Oh - and I also managed to make a Butterscotch Fig Pie. Sounded interesting and I had bought some dried figs not too long ago and I needed to bake SOMETHING. Nate and I skeptically tried it and it wasn't too bad. A little rich, but quite tasty.

So all in all, a random day with random events. Newer haircut, tired body, and a fig pie.

I think it's time for bed.

Last Days

So, there are 13 days left until my due date. I realize due dates are relative, but Jericho was pretty much born right on time.. so I have a feeling this one won't go past March 2nd. Nate is fairly adamant that this Wednesday would be a bad day for the baby to come as he's gone from 5 am til 8 pm. He can easily be interrupted if I suddenly go into labour, but it just so happens he has a lot planned for that day. That's why I think it might come then just because he doesn't want it to.

I'm mostly ready for babe.. there's a few little things I need to add to my hospital bag.. and I need to put some stuff together for Jericho in case we need to drop him off somewhere. I have three people lined up to watch him when I go into labour - if one can't do it, I'll call the next one, etc. And all three can stay here, but in case none of them work out, I might just have to drop him off with my dad or something... hehe.. And Jericho will come home with a diaper full of blueberries and cranberries.

It's been a little more trying taking care of Jericho lately... for several reasons. One, I'm fairly pregnant.. two, he's got two molars coming in, and three, he's just getting over a sore throat. Nate and I realized that we went to either the doctor, midwife, clinic or hospital for 8 days straight. Crazy. I'm officially tired of doctors. Especially when they don't tell you what you have and the lab never calls you back.

Speaking of people who don't call back, we don't know what happened with the chick who stole my money... but I'm going to be calling the officer soon to see what happened with all that. What a complete gong show of a night that was.

In other news, Nate's sister Noelene called yesterday to let us know she's expecting in August!! Another niece or nephew. Holy cow!! She's also engaged and will be getting married sometime after baby arrives. Very exciting... so many babies! And to think it all started with a little boy named Jericho. There were no grandkids on either side and now they'll be 4 on my side and 4 on Nate's side.

Life's Annoying Lessons

After my post last night, I put Jericho to bed happy. He was starting to show signs of getting sick, but it wasn't really a big deal... yet. At 2:30 am he woke up screaming and VERY warm. His temperature was hard to take, but it was around 101 or so. Then he started vomiting. I called the BC Nurse Line and after 25 minutes of questions, she recommended we take him to the hospital. So just after 3 am we left our house with a still screaming child - not realizing what was about to transpire.

We arrived at the ER and there were three other patients there. I immediately got the feeling that at least one of the women waiting was in my own words, "Sketchy". We didn't wait too long, and I was happy to hear the nurse calling Jericho's name. So happy, that I stupidly left my purse in the waiting room. I realized my mistake too late. By the time I got back into the wait room 10 minutes or so later my purse was on the chair instead of on the floor, and there were wet footprints leading up to the chair.

This now leads into my second mistake... in working for my brother, I have been able to put aside money for an RRSP - $300. Stupidly.. it was in my purse. This woman took my $300. When I realized this and told Nate, he tried his hardest to get it back for me, like any normal hero would. The problem was that by this time she was getting into her taxi... and the wonderful driver, instead of stopping when Nate tried to get his attention, simply gunned it out of the hospital and knocked my husband over in the process. Not only did Nate gain a number of ugly scrapes and scratches, but he broke his brand new cell and also (we found out later)lost his wallet in the process.

We called the police from the hospital and a really nice office came by. Luckily, one of the other patients had heard the woman call someone on her phone saying she had found $300. We're guessing what the money was about to be used for was drugs. She didn't even get in to the ER for treatment, but she had filled in all the paperwork... so the police were able to use that information to try and track her down. We're still waiting to see and hear what's going to happen. But I have a feeling I won't get my money back.

When we got home at 5, we were hoping to sleep in. Jericho woke up in dire straights again at 7... the poor little guy has joined Mommy in the ranks of FLU sufferers. Nate and I are exhausted and frustrated... but I've learned a few lessons today I should have learned a long time ago.

The Flu

It's true, I have the flu. Poor Jericho is starting to also exhibit signs of sickness. Tonight Nate is at a birthday party for a friend and I am home with the baby and I'm happy to report my evening is going quickly. I hope that this cold leaves before this baby comes... and I'm loading my body with Vitamin C, honey lemon water, and all sorts of fluids to ensure I give my body the best chance.

I got my hair done the other day, but I'm going through a love-hate relationship with it. Part of the problem was that I splurged. I don't go out and get my hair cut very often and if I colour it, I do it myself. But, when I went to the SALON the other day, the woman (who was very nice) gave me bangs and at my request - coloured my hair a dark blonde/light brown. It's too shocking for me. And the bangs, I can't wait to grow them out. Nate says he likes it, but he's nice and I'm not sure he would say if he didn't like it. But it is the redeeming aspect of the entire experience. I just don't think it's smart to do your hair when you're 37 weeks pregnant and experiencing flu symptoms.

sigh.

Jericho in Winter

Baby Stats

For those that really care, here are some comparisons between my two pregnancies.. so far.


Weight gain
Jericho: 52 lbs
Baby 2: 22lbs (so far)

Belly measurements:
Jericho: 39 cms at 35 weeks
Baby 2: 35 cms at 35 weeks

Morning sickness:
Jericho: up until 5 months
Baby 2: up until 4 months, then sporadic

Cravings:
Jericho: anything bad for me
Baby 2: at first, nothing rich or fatty... lately it's candy and ice cream.

Comments received:
Jericho: Wow, you are huge! Are you sure it's not twins?
Baby 2: You got big fast!, What, you're pregnant? Are you sure it's not twins?

Perceived Sex by others:
Jericho: About 90% of people told me it was a boy.
Baby 2: Most say it's a girl, but still quite a few think it will be a boy.

Perceived sex by Nate:
Jericho: Boy, but he would be happy with either.
Baby 2: Boy, because it would be cheaper.

Perceived sex by me:
Jericho: Boy.
Baby 2: Girl. But agree with Nate on cost effectiveness of boy.


Am now accepting guesses for when this baby will arrive. I am currently 35 weeks and officially due on March 2nd. That date was set after the ultrasound determined the baby was smallish. Original date was Valentines. Another reason the date was changed was so that the midwives could put off induction in case the baby wasn't quite ready. They usually induce if you are 10-14 days late. You can post a comment with your guess of the babies birthday, plus what you think it is and what it's weight will be. Good luck!

Jericho LIKES!

This is the toy we gave him for Christmas and Jericho enjoying it thoroughly.

I'm not THAT hungry...

On two separate occasions today I had people ask me if I was pregnant. Uh, yes. What did you think? That I swallowed a watermelon or something???? Seriously.

Today

I am tired. I pretty much am tired all the time so really I shouldn't have to say it anymore. People probably just know. I've tried to nap when Jericho naps, but the house is so gloriously silent I can't help but take time to work on whatever needs working on. But, many have told me and many more will continue to tell me that I will not sleep for the next 6 months, so I better get my sleep in now. And even 6 months is being stingy.

I guess I should look into some magic device that hooks up to your face and automatically makes you fall into some sort of deep and luxurious sleep. The second you hear your kid, or something - it jolts you with a small electric shock. I could deal with that. At night I sleep alright, but if Jericho wakes up at any point, it takes me a long time to fall back to sleep. The nights he doesn't wake up I do very well and wake up feeling super rested.

Speaking of the child, he's currently in the bath with dad making quite the fuss. He hasn't been himself lately, so I'm hoping he snaps out of it soon.

Remind me not to post on my blog when I'm tired as it comes off sounding whiny and annoying. When really, I'm excited about the baby and love Jericho to bits. Really. Ok, eyelids are starting to droop - MUST find toothpicks.

Box Boy

I bought an office chair. We took the box and made it into a little house for Jericho to play in. He just gets a little upset when he can't escape through the window. Hmmmmm.

Dreaming

Ok everyone, get out your dream interpretation books cause this one is a doozy. Last night I dreamt that Nate and I went sailing on a Tuesday. Apparently it was the only day of the week that you were allowed to sail, so there were millions of sailboats in the water. Then as the day came to an end, and we were docking all the sailboats.. people started having babies. I ended up having twins - a boy and a girl. Nate also had a twin boy and girl. Luckily for both of us, the babies were so tiny they had to be put in petri dishes. Um, okay.

As I think about it, this is what I think the dream means:

I'll give birth on a Tuesday and it will as if I'm sailing. (I wish)
I'll have one baby, but it will be so much work it will feel like 4 babies.
Nate will be so helpful, it will be as if he gave birth to the baby himself.
My baby will be small.

I know I don't have prophetic dreams, but I just thought it was so odd and yet hilarious. What do you think my strange dream meant?

Going Green

Lately Nate and I have been coming up with ways to be more environmentally friendly. I'll admit, I wasn't completely on board at first... but it's been easier with every change. At first, we started recycling everything we could. It was annoying having this monstrous pile in the corner of my kitchen, but we adapted and bought shelving... I even help sort once in awhile. Then we bought those lightbulbs and switched out all the ones that were costing us 1000x more in hydro every month. They aren't as pretty, and the light isn't quite the same, but I am getting used to it so much so that to switch back would be like putting those huge makeup lights all over my house. Then in December we bought the Maytag Duet laundry pair. It was the most expensive price tag for going green so far, but the money we're going to save will make it worthwhile. Now since we have the machinery for it, the time has come for the change I dreaded the most. Cloth diapers.

When I was 11, my mom had her last child. I was practically the built in babysitter. It didn't help that my mom developed some joint problems soon after he was born so she couldn't do as much - but I was happy to help. Until it came to changing his cloth diapers. I can still remember the horrors of cleaning those awful things in the toilet. Sooo ew. Too ew as my friend Nadine would say. And now the time has come to put Jericho in these horrid things. It hasn't been as bad as I remember so far. But I think there's a difference both in being 11 and being 28, and also in changing your brothers diapers over your son's. Mind you, it's only been 2 days. I haven't had to wash too many as I have a wonderful husband who says that since it was his idea, and since I have such torturous memories of the whole affair - he has cleaned the first load as well as most of the horrid ones.

Did I mention how much I love him?

So here's to the green journey and to me continuing to think it's not really that bad.

Unbelievable.

I just wanted to write a small, simple post expressing my SHOCK at the fact that my son is STILL sleeping. He woke up around 7:30 and seeing as Nate and I were super tired from being up until 1:30, we tried giving him a bottle to see if he would go back to sleep. It worked. He's been out cold ever since. He also has a bit of a cold, so he a little out of sorts, but I can't believe it. He never sleeps past 9 am usually, and here it is 10:42 am and he is snoring away. So, might I add, is Nate..hehe..

Christmas is OVER??

That was fast. It seems like November was yesterday. The good news about that is I'm all of a sudden REALLY pregnant. When people ask me when I'm due, they are quite surprised I still have two months left. That's when I explain I'm fairly certain I won't last that long. I'm thinking this kid will be a February baby. Maybe not Valentines, likely closer to leap year. Anyone else have any guesses?

We had an awesome Christmas. It's the first year where it's been really difficult trying to organize my family so we can all be together at the same time. Matt and Christa left for Hawaii on Christmas day, Megan & Joe had other parties on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night. Nina worked on the 23rd, etc. It worked out well though... Most of us went to the service on the 23rd, then I went again with Nina on the 24th. Christmas Eve was casual and we just hung out and ate appy's. Christmas morning, when it finally got started..hehe... was opening more and more presents. When you have so many people, and when you have the tradition of one person going at a time - it tends to draw out. My personal favorite was a painting Nina did specifically for Nate and I.. I posted a picture of it below. Overall, it was good - so was brunch. I indulged in Fruit Loops, cinnamon rolls, Christmas Morning Wife-Saver, waffles with berries and whipped cream, etc. Mom does a good job with brunch. And I do a good job eating it.

My own little family had our Christmas before we left for brunch. Jericho wasn't really into opening presents, but once they were in front of him he did play with them - instead of their boxes. Nate and I exchanged gifts and are still unsure who loves their gift more. He bought my a new Canucks jersey, which I love sooo much... And I got him an iPod - which he finds hard to put down.

The evening of Christmas was spent watching movies, playing games, and eating more of my Mom's yummy food. My nana even brought carrot pudding which I had been craving for a few weeks. I find it weird how many foods from my childhood I crave.

These past few days have been quiet, but great. We've gone grocery shopping, used some of the gift certificates from my parents for boxing day clothes, gone to the movies (CRAZY BUSY!!!), etc. I love the time between Christmas and New Years. It's such a relaxing time that reminds me of days gone by where worries never clouded my mind.

Oh, I had the weirdest dream last night. I was going on another missions trip and I was taking my new baby. Neither Jericho or Nate was going and I had to pack everything myself - and I waited until the day I was leaving. I packed SO much and I was SO late that Pastor Steve got mad. But he partly understood - it's hard to pack for a baby! And Melody - you were there! I asked you how married life was and you smiled and said it was great. I then told you it didn't compare to parenthood. Funny, huh? I don't remember much about what the trip was like, just that I was practically nursing the baby the whole time. Awkward.

Anyhow, I think we're going to take our tree down - it's been fun trying to prevent Jericho from tearing it down from day to day, but I think we're done. I'm glad he liked it so much.

Happy New Year everybody!

Oh The Bliss!!!

Arriving Saturday, December 22nd - just in time for Christmas!




You should all be proud to know that Jericho even said "thank-you" to the sales lady!!

Recent pics...

Enjoy!

Busy December

I don't think I've known a December not to be busy, especially when my dad still had that tree farm. Those years were insane, but this year is a different kind of busy. It's been interesting... We went to Hawaii and came home to a snow week. Outside there are still remnants of the white stuff. But the reason it's busier than normal is Nate has been working more to finish up his school. He does a lot of strange hours and it's been hard at times.

I've been notoriously bad at complaining, but some days are ardous in taking care of Jericho and working for Matt, plus trying to make sure I don't overdue it. I had a scare last week where I was having shooting pains down my back similar to labour pains, as well as a tightening in my belly. When I called the midwife she recommended I make my way to my chiropractor pronto. Luckily I had an appointment for the next day and as soon as I was adjusted I realized my back pain had been the issue all along. This pregnancy has been plagued with a twisted pelvis. Sounds strange, I know.. but somehow when I sit for too long or sleep with my legs bent I've managed to put my lower back in a funny, albeit painful, position. But thanks to my chiro, I am doing much better.

I still have more Christmas gifts to buy than I've bought so far. Very behind this year. With Nate's weird hours, I've found it hard get out there since we only have the one car. The good news with that is we've managed to save up the money for Christmas instead of using the credit cards at all. Years past we have just put Christmas on the plastic and paid for it until we received our income tax refund. This year, we've done well and it's a great feeling to be in control of our spending instead of figuring out the bills come January.

Jericho has been an amazing little boy. He makes me laugh all the time. Those moments in the bathtub where he gets that look in his eyes and just splashes like nuts are hilarious... and when he attempts to eat his applesauce with his spoon and when I'm not looking dives in with his fingers, or when I stand at the top of the stairs to say goodbye and before I've even given him a kiss he practically runs to the front window to wave. He's grown a lot too.. now weighs 23 lbs and is 32" tall. Puts him in the 50% percentile for his weight for once. I'm not surprised as I've been paying attention to him inhale his breakfast. The child is a vacuum.

Anyways, I know I haven't been posting as much... but I can't even post pictures today as Nate takes the laptop a lot more often now. But I'll get to it, even if it takes me until next year (That one's for Rachael!)


Thanks for still reading....

Jericho's Growing Vocabulary

This dude is picking up words like crazy. Here is a 'dictionary' to what on earth he may be saying.

Momma/Mom = Me!
Dada = Nate
Daddee/Danket = Blanket
Puppy = Puppy (he says this often in reference to any animal that moves)
Iah = Cousin Ashiah
Baba = Grandma
Papa = Grandpa (has only said this a few times)
Dottle = Bottle or sippy cup
Mmmmmm = That is yummy, I want some more right now (This is often accompanied with a vigorous nodding of his head)
Ta = Please (He always holds his palm outstretched when he says this)
Tattoo = Thank-you (this is new and very cute)
Popo = I'm not sure about this one, but it's what my mom calls him
Bubba = Jericho (He will place his hand on his chest when he says this as I call him Bubba)
Baby = Baby (points to my belly or any young baby in the room)

His first two word sentence was "Dottle Ta".

PS - Tahnee, he still won't say Jack Spade.

We are back!

Hawaii 2007. We came, we saw, we got burnt... oh, the joys. All in all, it was a great time of amazing food, fun with family, and the most beautiful vistas. Kauai really is a gorgeous island and I would highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates natural beauty. We arrived in Honolulu late on the 15th after a LONG plane ride. Jericho did fairly well on the flight, only slept 3 of the 6 hours.. but I think it was a longer flight for me. I have had a really sore lower back so sitting for a long time was not helpful. But we were lucky in that we had an empty seat between us.

Once we arrived in Honolulu, we took a taxi to a hotel I would not recommend. It was only one night, but ew. The next morning was bad. We went for breakfast at McDonalds at while we were 'enjoying' all that Mickie D's had to offer, my lovely little boy VOMITED everywhere! Huge chunks of grossness. Our shuttle was to be picking us up in less than 20 minutes, so little ole me volunteered to run the stinky child back to the hotel to change and clean him. The ew hotel had this glass elevator that required you to stick your hotel key card into a slot before it even moved to your floor. Well, that stupid elevator would not move. I had a vomitous child, stuck in a HOT glass elevator that would not co-operate. After 5 minutes I pressed the help button and talked to some woman who kept asking if I was stuck. Yeah. Hello! Luckily, my family pushed the button in the lobby and saved us. By this time I was feeling faint and frustrated. But we got through it.

We then flew to Kauai - a 20 minute flight - and got our rental cars to head to our rental house. Last time the Searle's rented a house it was not a good scene, so I was a little apprehensive. It was perfect. Our bedroom had sliding doors opening with gorgeous views to the expansive ocean. Do you know how amazing it is to fall asleep to the waves? I loved it.

I do need to mention that over the next 3 days my son had horrible diarrhea and continued to vomit over those same three days. We figured that maybe on the first day he had swallowed ocean water. We weren't really sure. But we invested in some pedialyte and slowly he got better. It was a day of rejoicing when he got his appetite back.

Over the trip, we had a great deal of fun with Nate's family... but there were some incidences of traveling issues... losing each other for hours, almost getting into car accidents... etc. Let's just say that aspect was memorable.

I guess I'm sounding kinda negative about the whole trip, but really I had an awesome relaxing time. There were so many other things that happened - like Jericho teething the last few days (cutting three teeth at once), spending time at numerous gorgeous beaches, Nate swimming with turtles, Our little trip to Pearl Harbour, two medical emergencies on our flight home - resulting in the pilot going faster than usual making me sicker than a dog.... etc.

I've posted pics on facebook... and will get around to posting them here.. but I've been sitting too long and need to stretch my sore lower back...

Posting frenzy

I think by posting so much lately, I'm trying to make up for the time I'll be away and likely not able to get online to give updates. I thought tonight with the silence - Nate at a work meeting and Jericho sleeping soundly - it would be a good time to sit and let you all know stuff going on with me.

First, I'm working for my brother. Mat leave payments have officially ended *sigh* and I don't have the luxury of working enough hours before this next little one comes along. But Nate may be able to take parental leave which will be awesome. I had so much help with Jericho from my family and some friends, and it was so appreciated... But for him to be able to take a chunk of time off it would be a blessing.

More about the job - I'm basically do whatever my brother wants. Matthew is only 25, yet he owns a very successful plumbing contracting business. He started his business 3 years ago and with all the construction going on around here, he is overwhelmed with work. He has a Delta hotel he's working on in Sun Peaks which is getting close to completion. Also, another hotel in the Garibaldi area of Squamish. That job is also getting close to the end. But recently he won a bid for a new seniors village in Maple Ridge! It's just starting and he was so excited to get it. He does SO well. It's funny because my dad also has his own plumbing contracting business, but instead of riding my dad's coat tails, he went it on his own. People notice the same last name sometimes, but he doesn't go around using the name for his gain. I'm VERY proud of him. He was the type who didn't do well in school. He hated it actually. But now he works hard and is proving the naysayers wrong. He gets a bad rap sometimes and it sucks when people talk rudely about your family, but he's one of the coolest people I know.

That didn't really explain the job much... I do payroll, filing, GST payments, countless phone calls etc. etc. It's a big job with a one year old, but it rocks being able to do it at home... when Jericho takes a nap, is playing with his toys, whatever.. it gives me time to talk to adults and engage my inactive brain. I am amazed how quickly my memory has faded.

But Matt is a good boss and it's been good learning more about plumbing. My family is full of plumbers you know...

Jericho and his OTHER cousin

Does anyone else think that Jericho and his cousin Ashiah kinda resemble each other?

Lions Gate Pictures

Here are my three favorite pictures from today. I've already picked one I think should go in the third frame... which is your fav?

#1


#2


#3

Four Years

Four years ago, Nate took me to the top of the Lions Gate Bridge and proposed. He read me a childrens story called, "I Promise I'll Find You". It was cute and perfect. I, of course, said yes. Today we celebrated by going back over the bridge and taking Jericho and Aunt Megan to Prospect Point. Aunt Megan took pictures of the three of us with the bridge in the background. I'm going to upload them now to see if any are suitable for our third picture frame which has hung empty for almost a year. Then we went to the Great Wall BBQ - Nate's favorite restaurant.. and headed next door afterwards for a gourmet cupcake. All in all, a great day.

Now all I need is a bath and a nap - in that order.

Jericho Video

6 more days until we all leave for Hawaii!!!!

He's 1!!!!

I now am the mother of a one year old. I've been a Mommy for one year. It's been a fun year, and I can't get over how everyday my baby looks more and more like a little boy and less like that little red monster that was born all those days ago. Even though I say that, the time has flown by.

We had an amazing day. It was stressful at first trying to get everything organized - the food cooked, the cake decorated, the balloons and streamers bought... but what really made the day special was the friends and family that shared it with us. Thanks to all who came and watched my son try and blow out his first candle.

Some funny highlights were 1) As my Nana was leaving I apologized to her for the loud noise that accompanies having 30-35 people in your house. Her response was that "It's not loud when you're deaf!" 2) As a little game, we put pictures of Jericho's first year up all over and had questions as captions, like "When did I first start to walk" and "Where was this picture taken?" etc. My sister's boyfriend decided to pretend to be Jericho answering and it was hilarious. For example, for "Where was this picture taken?" His answer was, "In my face." And for "Whose tub am I sitting in?" He put, "Someone who has obviously never heard of Ajax." Funny guy.

Jericho was pretty good despite only having a short morning nap and having lots of people over when he doesn't generally do well with lots of noise. The cutest part was when everyone sang "Happy Birthday". I had been singing it to him all week and when everyone joined in he just looked around with an almost-smile on his face. We gave him his token piece of first birthday and at first he wouldn't touch it. But once he licked his fingers it was all over. It was a dreadful mess, but he was happy and on a sugar-high.

Hope you all enjoy the pics! I'll post a video later on of him eating cake.