He's here!

Aidan Alexander has arrived at last! Becky's doctor induced her labor on Friday evening (June 30). At (about) 8:00 pm, we heard from Dwayne that she was slowly progressing, but her contractions had gotten closer together and the doctor thought they could expect the baby to come sometime in the middle of the night. So, we decided to stay at home and wait for news. Our plan was to drive up in the morning if we hadn't heard from them before then.

We were on our way to the hospital at 9:00 the next morning when we got a call saying that she was dilated to 9cm already. When we got to the hospital, she was fully dilated and ready to push. We all left the labor room at 10:30 after wishing her "GOOD LUCK!" and went to the waiting room to await Aidan's arrival. Dwayne came out at one point and said that his head was there, but he was facing up, so they had to take measures to turn him before delivery.

At 12:20 or so, Becky's grandma walked down the hall to listen outside the door. She came running back saying, "I heard a baby cry!!" So, Holly and I went down the hall with her and listened, and sure enough....a CRYING BABY!! A short time later, Dwayne came out to tell us that he was here and they were weighing him. He said if we wanted to come down to the nurse's station and take pictures, we could. So, of course, we did. What a doll! He looks just like Becky and her family. He has dark hair (a lot of it!), her mouth and nose, and Dwayne's dimple in his left cheek. And he's BIG...9lbs. 9oz. and 21 1/2" long. I'm so excited! We're planning to go to their house on July 4th, so we'll get to spend a bit more time with the new family.

Welcome to the world, Aidan!

More Vacation Photos

These are some pictures of Keira on the beach in Destin. We didn't take any of her actually playing in the Gulf for several reasons....not the least of which was that we didn't want to risk ruining our new camera. I think these are pretty adorable, though. Hope you enjoy!

Vacation Photos at last!

Appointment updates

Well, I took Keira to her 15 month check-up this afternoon. She's still a little one. She is 28 1/2" long, and weighs 19lbs. 7oz. The doctor didn't seem particularly concerned with anything since she was still within her "normal" range on the growth curve...right around the 5th percentile in everything except head circumference, in which she was the 50th percentile. The doctor also said that she seemed fine developmentally, and that's a relief, not that I had any doubts.
She got 3 shots today, DTaP, varicella and MMR. This is the last round of shots she'll need until kindergarten. Hooray!

I also got a call from my doctor's office today. At my 18 week checkup last Wednesday (baby's heartrate was 150bpm), I had the quad screen done (it screens for birth defects such as Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida). Anyway, the results are in and they were all negative. Thank God. I hope this means we'll have a normal, healthy baby. We go in for an ultrasound on July 5, and hopefully we'll see if we'll be adding a boy or another girl to our growing family. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and by the way, we're still waiting on our new nephew to make his arrival. Becky's due date is July 4, and we're getting impatient to meet Aidan!!

Again! :(

My mom called me the other day and told me that my Aunt Delores (my dad's sister in Arizona) passed away. She died on Wednesday. They had a viewing in Tempe this week and they're flying her body here and will have her funeral next Saturday (July 1). It seems like a really long time to wait to bury her, you know?

Anyway, I talked to my dad yesterday. I feel so bad for him. He's really hurting because he didn't know she was that sick and didn't get to say goodbye. They were always close and I know he's going to miss her. Now there are only 3 siblings left out of 7. I can't imagine losing a sibling...I hope Dad's ok and that he'll be ok throughout the funeral next week.

This is just so crazy! Since April, we have had 5 deaths in our family (my Grandma, Shawn's Grandpa, my mom's aunt, my mom's uncle and now my aunt). I hope this is the last one for awhile...

Vacation Part 2

We got back from vacation late Saturday night. We had a wonderful time, but it was nice to be back home (once I got everything unpacked and put away, that is).
We ended up leaving for Florida at 1:30 am on Sunday. Keira slept and Shawn drove. We stopped for breakfast and gas and then were on our way again. We arrived in Destin at about 2:30 pm on Mondah and checked into our condo at 4:00. The Gulf was really choppy because of the effects of Tropical Storm Alberto. It was also really windy. So, that evening we just went to dinner and then back to our condo to relax and unwind from the drive.

On Tuesday, we got up early and took a walk along the beach. Keira seemed to really like it. Then after breakfast, we went to Big Kahunas waterpark for the day. It was a lot of fun! We put SPF 50 sunscreen on Keira every 45 minutes or so. Unfortunately we didn't think as much about ourselves. She didn't get a drop of sun, but Shawn and I got kinda toasty.

Wednesday we decided to spend some time inside, so we went to the Gulfarium in Okaloosa Island. It was great! We saw a dolphin show, which was really neat. I'd never seen dolphins that close before. After that, we drove out to the shopping center. We were stopped by a woman who offered us a free 3 day vacation and 2 free tickets on a sunset dolphin cruise if we'd take a tour of their resort (and listen to a talk about timeshares). We decided we had nothing to lose, so we did that for an hour and a half. We knew going in that we weren't going to buy anything, but we did get our free stuff. So, that evening, we went on a dolphin cruise with Olin Marler Dolphin Cruises. We actually saw several dolphins in the Gulf. And, it was pretty relaxing.

Thursday was our last day in Destin. We just relaxed on the beach and at the pools on Thursday. We left Friday for Alabama to see Kenji. He took us to see the sights in Birmingham. Then on Saturday afternoon, we began our long car trip back home.

Overall, we had a great family vacation! Next year we'll have another baby to take with us. We'd better start planning now!

Vacation!!

We're leaving late tomorrow night/early Monday morning for vacation! I can hardly wait. I've spent the week doing laundry, cleaning and packing. It looks like we're almost completely ready to go. Tomorrow we're taking Max to Mom and Dad's house. They're going to watch him for us while we're gone.

We're planning to put Keira to bed around 8:00 tomorrow night and then try to get a couple of hours of sleep ourselves. Then we're heading out at 2:00 am. Shawn wants to try to make it through Memphis before rush hour. Hopefully Keira will sleep during the first 4 or 5 hours of the trip. I guess we'll see...

Anyway, we're staying in Florida 4 nights, then we're planning to drive up and visit Kenji. We should be home late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I'll update more after the trip.

Just an Update

I've been at home with Keira for almost two full weeks now. I have to say that I am absolutely LOVING it! I'm trying to really focus on the now, and not think about August.

Keira updates: She's like a crazy little monkey...climbing on everything!! The other day she climbed up onto the rocking chair and then crawled across the arm of the chair to the arm of the couch. Her favorite place to climb is onto the coffee table. She'll climb up, look at me, and say "GET DOWN!" I usually pull her down and she throws a fit (what a temper this one has already!). Aside from the climbing, she's also learned a lot of new words (potty, ball, shoe just to name a few). And the other day, I taught her how to make a "fish face". That's probably my favorite part of being at home with her everyday. I can teach her stuff and actually watch her get it, you know? What a sweet girl I have...I'm a lucky mommy.

Pregnancy updates: I'm a little over 15 weeks pregnant now. We went to the doctor last Wednesday for my appointment. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler...it was 152 bpm. It was a great sound! I've lost 3 lbs. since my first appointment. The NP wasn't too worried. I wasn't either, because I lost weight with Keira throughout my first and even second trimesters. Anyway, she said that all looked well. We go back on June 24 (I think)...it's the Wednesday after we get home from our vacation. I'll be 18 weeks pregnant then, and I'll have only 2 more weeks until our big ultrasound! After 20 weeks I'll probably go in every month for an ultrasound and a non-stress test in addition to my regular OB appointment.
I am starting to feel a bit better...most of the nausea has subsided, which is really nice. And, I'm not quite as tired as I was. I don't know how much of that is because I'm not working everyday right now, though. Either way, I'll take it! I don't have any "feelings" about the gender of the baby, yet. There are a few girl names and a boy name that I really like, so we'll be prepared either way.

Other stuff: We're leaving on vacation a week from Sunday. Next week I plan to spend a little bit of time every day doing laundry and packing so we won't have as much to do at the last minute. I'm looking forward to spending a few days on the beach just relaxing...and I know Shawn is too. He's not liking the fact that I get to stay at home every day while he has to get up and go to work. Although, I do get up at the same time he does, and I chase Keira around all day while doing laundry and dishes and general cleaning stuff. Ah...the life of a stay at home mom...

Well, I guess that's about all that's going on here. I'll sign off now and get back to my book...I just finished reading Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" for the second time. Right now I'm reading "Dispatches From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival" by Anderson Cooper. It's a great book and a really easy read. The only downside is that sometimes I cry while reading it and have to stop to regain my composure. It's a really emotional, though-provoking book. Couple that with my overload of pregnancy hormones and I'm a mess!

Mother's Day

My second Mother's Day was nice. Shawn got us tickets to the Cardinals game. The weather was chilly, and we had Keira all bundled up. She was really well-behaved, and only got fussy toward the end of the game. Mom had offered to let her stay with them for the day, but I wasn't about to spend Mother's Day without my baby girl. OH! And this morning, I got the best gift of all....she said "I love you"!! (It sounded more like "I lah lou", but I had just said it to her, and she was repeating it back to me, so I knew what she said. Last year, she smiled her first real smile at me on Mother's Day. I love her so much it makes my heart hurt!

Back to the game, though...It was our first trip to the new stadium. I was impressed, overall. I had heard some things, both positive and negative, but I liked it. I thought the layout was nice, and I really enjoyed the view from our seats. I also liked the fact that we could see into the stadium from the upper level of the parking garage. I did not, however, like the stairs to get to our level, but we discovered on the way out that we could take the ramp instead, if we wanted to.

The Cards lost (7-6), and Albert didn't hit homerun #20, but it was a good time anyway. Plus, I got a really cute PINK Cardinals tote bag! I'll post some of our photos later.

Goodbye Grandpa

Well, we officially said goodbye to (Shawn's) Grandpa on Friday morning. The funeral service was really moving. I knew how much we (his family) all loved him, but I had no idea how many other lives he had impacted. Several people talked of how he was always right there, first in line, to offer help and to do whatever he could do for the church and for others. I feel very lucky to have been able to know him and to call him "Grandpa". He was such a kind and gentle soul. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He lived life with such love in his heart for God and for his family. He and Grandma were married for 59 years. They loved each other so much, so I know it's going to be hard for her to be here without him. One thing that the minister said that really stood out in my mind during the service was about the difference in time on Earth and in Heaven. He said that 11 years on Earth was like 7 minutes in Heaven. That means, whenever Grandma gets to Heaven, Grandpa just got there. What a neat thought.
We'll certainly miss Grandpa until we're reunited with him in Heaven.

What else...?

We just heard today that Shawn's grandpa passed away this morning. I'm not sure what happened, what the circumstances were and everything... The visitation will be tomorrow afternoon/evening. Then the funeral will be Friday morning. We have my granmda's memorial service Saturday afternoon. Ok, I think our family is ready for a break!

Want to take a little peek...

...inside Shawn's brain? If so, feel free to check out his very own blog at
http://hafespace.wordpress.com

Keira is WALKING!

Well, my baby girl is officially a TODDLER now! She started walking everywhere last week, and she's just so darn cute when she does it, too! I'd been waiting for her to start walking since she turned a year old...you know, comparing her to other 12 month olds, then 13 month olds, and FINALLY at 13 1/2 months old, she DID IT!! Mom said that I was a "later" walker, too. So, I guess that's another thing she gets from me (besides her chubby feet and attitude). I knew she wouldn't stay a baby forever, but it sort of makes me sad that she's growing SOO quickly!

Just Venting!! ARGH!

So, we heard today that we were selected to recieve a technology grant from HP (we = 4th grade team @ our school)... We knew from the beginning that it would be a lot of work, and a couple of us were kind of excited about the possibility of getting all of this great technology to use in our classrooms and a $500 stipend each. We didn't want to get excited until we heard either way...and today we heard that we'd gotten it!

Well, the two of us who were sort of positive about the grant just knew that it would be a big talking (griping) point during lunch today. The team that we work with is GREAT, no doubts about it, but can be negative when it comes to change...especially things that require extra work. Sorry to say it, but it's true. I guess I can be, too, but I know that if it's something I have to do, getting upset over it isn't going to solve anything. It's only going to make it that much harder. That's basically what I said during lunch today. I'm not SUPER-DUPER excited about all of the extra work and time that's going to go into this project, but I'm trying to find a silver lining.

One of the other teachers said that she wanted "out" of the project because she didn't want to do anything that would take ANY extra time away from her son. She didn't understand why I wasn't upset about the extra time requirements...with Keira at home and another one on the way. I sort of resented that she would imply that my time with Keira wasn't as important to me as her time with her son was to her... But, I kept my mouth closed to avoid anymore unnecessary drama. I think that I'm pretty lucky to have a job with such great hours (8:00-3:15 Monday through Friday, from August to May). I am only away from Keira until 4:00 at the latest and am home with her every weekend and holidays and summer months. I could have a job from 9-6 or I could have to work on weekends, holiday and summers, but I don't. So, I think that if I have to spend an extra hour or so a week doing work, then so be it. It could be much worse, you know?

Anyway, I know that next year will bring a lot of changes (personally and professionally), but I'm willing to be optimistic about them. Hopefully my colleagues will be as optimistic (or at least not as vocal about their pessimism) and that our school year goes as smoothly as possible. Time will tell...

Motherhood

My mom sent this to me and it made me cry! I thought I'd post it here for all of you MOMS to enjoy (and for all of us who have MOMS to realize just how much they love us!).

"For all my favorite mothers.

This is for the mothers...who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here."

...who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

...who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

...who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes, and all the mothers who DON'T.
...who gave birth to babies they'll never see, and the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

...whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

...who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

...who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner, and for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.


...who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

...who go hungry, so their children can eat.

...who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again, "Just one more time."

...who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school, and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

...who teach their sons to cook and do laundry and their daughters to sink a jump shot and change the oil and/or tires on their car.

...whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home-or even away at college.

...who sent their kids to school with stomachaches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away!

...whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

...for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love...sometimes totally unappreciated!

...who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year old dyes their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.
For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

...who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.


What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?
Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And mature mothers learning to let go, for working mothers and stay-at-home mothers, single mothers and married mothers, mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all, for all of US. Hang in there.
In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them.
And pray."

Thank GOD for MOMS (and for Dads!)

My Grandma...

passed away Monday morning. We knew that it was coming, that it was only a matter of time. She hadn't been doing well for the past few months and had been steadily declining during the past couple of weeks. My uncle and aunt (who were staying with her and taking care of her) and my mom made the decision to call in hospice. On Saturday, she was coherent for part of the day, but by Sunday morning, she had slipped into a coma-like state. She hadn't been eating or drinking much since before Easter.

You know, even when you expect it, it's hard to let go. I didn't see her during the past month or so, so I never saw how bad she had gotten. Keira and I stopped by on Friday afternoon to say hi, because my mom was there visiting. Grandma was in her room in bed, but I didn't even go in to see her. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I guess I feel a bit guilty. I could've been a better granddaughter. I remember lots of good things about her when I was younger. She could be really funny. I keep thinking that I should've called more or stopped by to visit more often. Now that I'm a mom, and my mom is a Grandma, it hits me harder than I think it would have before. I want Keira to be a better granddaughter to my mom and to Roxana than I was to my grandma. Of course, it's easy when you're a kid. You sort of have to do what your parents want you to do. It's when you get older that it becomes a bit tougher, with school, work, family, friends, etc.

Ahhh, life. What a strange thing.

EASTER Pictures

Our Day at the Zoo

We decided to go to the zoo for a couple of hours after our doctor's appointment yesterday. It was SOOO hot, but we had fun. Shawn wanted to take some pictures to try out our new camera. My mom had loaned us a digital to use, but we wanted to get one with a zoom lense for our upcoming vacation. Anyway, here are some of the photos we took. Enjoy!

Our First Prenatal Appointment

We had our first appointment with Dr. McB yesterday. She did an ultrasound and we got to see the baby. I'm 8w4d pregnant today and our EDD is 11/21/06. She said that everything with our little bean looked good. I'm posting a pic of our ultrasound. The baby is at the top of the uterus with its head to the left. You can see the little arm and leg buds at either end of the body (the tiny white spots). We could see the heart beating away. All in all, it was a pretty satisfying experience, and I feel like I can breathe easier now.

Thirteen Months Old (and other random thoughts...)

My friend Amy mentioned to me today that I was slacking on updating my site. So, I thought I'd spend a bit of time this afternoon to do just that. (My students are doing a character map activity and I'm ALL CAUGHT UP on my paper-grading for once!!) I know, I should be more productive at work, but it's almost Spring Break for crying out loud, and I'm exhausted! So, let's see, what's new here?

Well, Keira is exactly 13 months old today. She's mimicing EVERYTHING we say, and yesterday, I swear I taught her to say "GO CARDS!" (We were watching the game on FSN). She's been sleeping a bit better at night, since Shawn and I have been letting her cry it out some more. She's almost cut her 8th tooth, and boy has she been cranky! She still isn't walking independently, but she'll try to stand up on her own a bit more now. She takes a few steps on her own, but sits down once she realizes what she's doing. For some reason, she'll walk to Sara no matter how far away she is. Mom has fun watching the two of them on Fridays.

Shawn and Max are fine. Shawn's been doing some lawn work, and I'm looking forward to getting out and working in the flower beds this week once Spring Break gets here.

Speaking of Spring Break, it's ALMOST HERE!! Can you tell how excited I am? It seems like this semester since coming back from Christmas has crawled by. Tomorrow is our last day of school until next Wednesday. We're out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Shawn took one of his weeks of vacation to spend SB with Keira and me, so that'll be nice. We'd contemplated taking a short trip to Chicago over Easter weekend, but decided instead to spend the time here.

This Friday is my first appointment with my doctor. I'll be nine weeks pregnant, and we should hopefully have an ultrasound to make sure all is well with our little peanut. Sara asked me the other day, "Aunt Diana, do you still have a baby in your belly?" She was so excited when I told her yes, I did. She says that we need a "boy this time". She's so darn cute!

Well, the kiddos are almost finished with their work and I should actually teach them something today. Have a great day!