Sunday, 5 April 2009
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
New Life
Well, life is much more busy than it ever has been before. No one could have prepared me for the amount of things that would change in my life as a result of having a baby. LAUNDRY, for example!!! We used to wash a couple loads every week between the two of us and now it is literally every day. Now, to some of you that sounds very uncomplicated...but picture this. We have no dryer...so clothes hang around on 'air dryers' and draped over the radiators to dry. In this cold climate, it typically takes 1 day to dry a load of laundry if I am vigilant and keep swapping the clothes on the radiators with the ones on the air dryers. So with all the washing that is going on now, there is not enough hours in the day to dry everything....so now we have loads of condensation in the house...making it damp and in some cases, there is moldy stuff growing on the walls. And it's not just Kaleb's clothes! Everyday I battle to keep clean clothes on...Kaleb's urp, pooh or wee are constantly scheming against my efforts to be presentable and pleasant smelling. This morning before Tico left for work, he hugged me and stepped away and said, "You smell like vomit"...thank you, Kaleb! ;-)
Another thing that changed significantly is our 'couple time'. Somehow, Kaleb always seems to know when things are heating up and puts an abrupt stop to it by waking up and crying in the most desperate voice! That puts a damper on things straight away. But my sister assures me that we will get the hang of it (and she has 5 kids!).
The other thing I took for granted before having a baby... was reading and finishing a good book! I hardly have time to read a few pages at a time. I got a John Grisham book from the library the other week...and it is always hard to put his books down...unless a baby is screaming in your ear! :-) That would also be why my blog hasn't been updated for so long!
I had heard that you say good-bye to sleep when you have a baby. Well we haven't said good-bye officially, but it definitely only comes in short intervals. A typical night for me would be to grab a nap (if we are home and I am lucky) between 8 - 10pm. Wake up and feed Mr K. Put him in his bed at 12am. Wake up to feed Kaleb at 3am. Put him in his bed at 4:30 or 5am. Wake up at 6:30 or 7am to feed him again and try and put him back to bed by 8am. After that it would generally be a feed every 3-4 hours during the day...with random naps throughout the day. Tico is pretty insistent that I nap when the baby does, which I try to do if there isn't anything more urgent to do!
But let me take this opportunity to brag on my husband...he helps so much with the housework and with Kaleb. He is a great cook so he keeps us well fed, too. He does the shopping (I do miss these outings but it is so complicated to go shopping with a little baby!) and he is just so good to us! Now, I know some ladies are not as blessed to have helpful hubbies...and some research has shown that men leave baby-things to the ladies to do because it isn't 'man-ly' or just because they aren't very confident in their 'baby skills'. But my personal experience is that when I see my hubby rocking Kaleb to sleep in his arms, I just think to myself "What a hottie!!!"...it is very man-ly! We are a team and we are learning together. I think my love for Tico grows with each new skill he acquires regarding baby K...whether it is patiently rocking him to sleep or trying to help him get rid of trapped gas by doing the 'bicycle' with his legs or just talking to him and kissing him. He is a good daddy. I somewhere heard that the best gift you can give your kids is to leave them in no doubt that you love their daddy/mommy! This gives them a sense of security next to none!
And speaking of things that have changed since baby Kaleb arrived....no one prepared me for the amazing and deep love I would feel for him. And this too grows daily. I mean the other day I was on the bus and there was a grumpy dog who was sniffing around. I felt so protective of Kaleb...I would have thrown myself in front of the stroller if that dog had come close to us...I would throw myself in the line of fire to save my son...this is an amazing love I have never felt for anyone. Of course I love Tico but it is a different kind of love. This little person depends on me and is unable to fend for himself...he needs me in a way I have never been needed. And I like to feel needed! :-)
So to wrap it up...(it has taken me like 2 hours to write this with all my little interruptions) life is very different now. There are daily opportunities for growth and stretching. My patience gets daily exercise!! But as the poem on Julie French's blog says...my life could have been different, BUT I CHOSE YOU!!!
Another thing that changed significantly is our 'couple time'. Somehow, Kaleb always seems to know when things are heating up and puts an abrupt stop to it by waking up and crying in the most desperate voice! That puts a damper on things straight away. But my sister assures me that we will get the hang of it (and she has 5 kids!).
The other thing I took for granted before having a baby... was reading and finishing a good book! I hardly have time to read a few pages at a time. I got a John Grisham book from the library the other week...and it is always hard to put his books down...unless a baby is screaming in your ear! :-) That would also be why my blog hasn't been updated for so long!
I had heard that you say good-bye to sleep when you have a baby. Well we haven't said good-bye officially, but it definitely only comes in short intervals. A typical night for me would be to grab a nap (if we are home and I am lucky) between 8 - 10pm. Wake up and feed Mr K. Put him in his bed at 12am. Wake up to feed Kaleb at 3am. Put him in his bed at 4:30 or 5am. Wake up at 6:30 or 7am to feed him again and try and put him back to bed by 8am. After that it would generally be a feed every 3-4 hours during the day...with random naps throughout the day. Tico is pretty insistent that I nap when the baby does, which I try to do if there isn't anything more urgent to do!
But let me take this opportunity to brag on my husband...he helps so much with the housework and with Kaleb. He is a great cook so he keeps us well fed, too. He does the shopping (I do miss these outings but it is so complicated to go shopping with a little baby!) and he is just so good to us! Now, I know some ladies are not as blessed to have helpful hubbies...and some research has shown that men leave baby-things to the ladies to do because it isn't 'man-ly' or just because they aren't very confident in their 'baby skills'. But my personal experience is that when I see my hubby rocking Kaleb to sleep in his arms, I just think to myself "What a hottie!!!"...it is very man-ly! We are a team and we are learning together. I think my love for Tico grows with each new skill he acquires regarding baby K...whether it is patiently rocking him to sleep or trying to help him get rid of trapped gas by doing the 'bicycle' with his legs or just talking to him and kissing him. He is a good daddy. I somewhere heard that the best gift you can give your kids is to leave them in no doubt that you love their daddy/mommy! This gives them a sense of security next to none!
And speaking of things that have changed since baby Kaleb arrived....no one prepared me for the amazing and deep love I would feel for him. And this too grows daily. I mean the other day I was on the bus and there was a grumpy dog who was sniffing around. I felt so protective of Kaleb...I would have thrown myself in front of the stroller if that dog had come close to us...I would throw myself in the line of fire to save my son...this is an amazing love I have never felt for anyone. Of course I love Tico but it is a different kind of love. This little person depends on me and is unable to fend for himself...he needs me in a way I have never been needed. And I like to feel needed! :-)
So to wrap it up...(it has taken me like 2 hours to write this with all my little interruptions) life is very different now. There are daily opportunities for growth and stretching. My patience gets daily exercise!! But as the poem on Julie French's blog says...my life could have been different, BUT I CHOSE YOU!!!
I am attaching some random pictures for you to see...enjoy!
CHEESE!!!!
Kaleb's new toys
Daddy knows how to make me smile...
out and about in Edinburgh...
when Auntie Dea visited us...
when Auntie Dea visited us...
sleeping peacefully
Saturday, 3 January 2009
DETAILS....
So the 2 boys are tucked up in bed until our next feeding time (that's baby and daddy) so I have a little time to reminisce about the events which unfolded over 3 weeks ago which changed our lives (sooner than expected).
Tico and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on 8 December. It was a quiet one because it is a few weeks away from payday and we had had a busy weekend and I had to work late. We decided to stay in and just have a nice dinner and chill. I was quite tired but nothing extraordinary about that. About 2:30am I woke up with the urge to go to the ladies room...but before I got there something escaped and was dribbling down my leg. I was so embarrassed at my inability to control myself!!! But was glad no one was around to witness it. I went to the loo and when I was leaving the bathroom, I felt another gush of water run down my leg. I started thinking this was not usual. I noticed the water was pinkish and suddenly I was worried. I thought there was blood in my urine or something weird. I went back to bed shaking and woke Tico up. He told me to call the hospital maternity ward. I was embarrassed in case it was nothing...but I was also scared and decided to call. The nurse told me to put a pad on and wait for 1 hour and call her back. During that hour, I decided to quickly pack my hospital bag. I was only 34 weeks pregnant so had not yet prepared for a hospital visit! I called the hospital after the specified hour and told them that my pad was soaked and water was still coming out of me. They said it could just be urine but I better come in. Tico called our friends, David and Erica, who had kindly offered to take us to hospital when the time came to give birth (as we don't have a car)...they didn't realise we were going to take them up on their offer so soon! When we arrived at hospital they did some exams and decided that it was my water that had broken and wanted to admit me due to the fact that I was quite early and would need to be observed. I got a bed around 7am as breakfast was being served. But I was so nervous that I just laid in bed and shook. The Dr. explained to me that we didn't want the baby to come yet cuz his lungs would not be completely developed and he could be born with breathing problems. I was also scared of giving birth without my birthing partner there (my sister Dea). I just fell asleep and slept like I was drugged for hours and hours. It was probably the best thing for me. The Dr said that I was likely to go into labour within 24 - 48 hours after my water broke so it was just a waiting game. They gave me an injection of steroids which were meant to speed up the development of Kaleb's lungs in case he did decide to come early. They also gave me antibiotics as my water had broken and I (and Kaleb)was vulnerable to infection. That night our cell group came to visit me. They prayed with me and I must say after all the sleep I had during the day and the prayers prayed for me...I felt much stronger (emotionally). I still had no sign of contractions, but continued to leak water. I was sent for an ultra sound to see exactly how much water I had lost. The report was that normally the water level around the baby is 15 something (don't know if that is centimeters or milliliters...?) but my level was now 2. So Kaleb wasn't protected at all. The next day I was told by a Dr that since I hadn't gone into labor, it was possible that I may not have this baby soon. They decided to discharge me and have me come back to hospital every other day to be assessed for infection, etc. Then in 2 more weeks, if baby wasn't here, they would induce me. I decided that sounded good...as labor was put off for another couple weeks! Our friend picked us up from hospital and took us home. We went to the supermarket first to get a few necessities. I felt fine apart from a little tired. My midwife had told me when I was discharged that I was not to return to work (I hadn't started my maternity leave yet) and I was to take it easy....'put your feet up and cross your legs' she said (with a knowing look at Tico...hmmm?). So I went straight to bed when I got home and when visitors came, I just had them chat to me by my bedside. I was obeying all the rules! That night, I started getting these really bad back aches. They were so painful that I had to get out of bed and walk around until they stopped. Nothing was going on in my tummy...although it had noticeably shrunk after my water broke. So all night, around every 30 min, I would have these terrible back pains. In the morning, I decided to take a hot bath to alleviate the pain. I thought possibly I was re-adjusting to my own bed after being in the cool 'adjustable' hospital bed for 2 nights. It didn't really click that these were contractions....I expected something much worse. I was again nervous and scared at this strange occurrence and lost my appetite. I decided poor Kaleb needed to eat so made myself some tea and toast....but as I sat down to eat, I was attacked with that back pain again. I was so tired now from a very bad night's sleep and just the stress of it all that I nearly started crying. Tico told me to call the hospital again. I am one of those people who hates to bother anyone...so I keep thinking, 'I will call if it gets really bad', whereas Tico says, 'you have these aids available to you (emergency telephone numbers) so you should use them'. I did call and explain my case. They saw that I had been in hospital just the day before and said it would be good for me to come back in and they could assess me from there. So we called another friend and back to the hospital we trotted (about a 40 min drive). The whole way there, I didn't have one episode of back pain. I was so embarrassed! But Tico said we are not leaving hospital until the examine you...you are not having another night like last night! So in we went to the maternity emergency room. I was seen quite quickly and when asked how frequent my contractions were I had to admit that the last one had been about 1 hour ago!! The Dr decided to do a quick exam to see if I had dilated. When she inserted her instrument, she said, 'OK, you are going to need a bed, I see a head...we are going to have a baby soon'. I was scared, but by now I was kind of glad that something was happening. She rang upstairs to book a bed for me even though I was only dilated to about 2...and there were no beds in neonatal. They decided to call around to some other local hospitals. They finally found a bed...in a hospital 2 hours from Edinburgh (by bus). Like the christmas story...there was no room in the inn and we were forced to go somewhere which wasn't our first choice. But God does all things well. I was transported by ambulance (and again had no contractions the whole way there) and Tico and our friend Deborah followed by car. Once there I was taken straight to the labor ward and was at once put at ease by the kindness and attention of the staff there. They offered to let me use the phone, gave me some tea and toast, showed me around and got me settled in. Around 10pm they decided that my labor was not 'active labor' and I would be sent to sleep in the ward cuz someone else may need the labor room. We (Tico, Debora and I) trotted along to the ward and luckily I was given a room on my own. Now the problem that faced us was this, we were far from home without transport (David had dropped Deb and Tico off and gone back home to Edinburgh) but the hospital doesn't allow visitors to stay overnight. So where were my 'visitors' to go? The hospital was in a small village which didn't have regular buses...and once again, the worry set in! But not for long. Around 10:30, my contractions started and were 2 minutes apart. So at 11pm we went back to the labor ward. I had monitors on my belly to keep track of Kaleb's heart rate and another to monitor my contractions. I don't remember when I was first introduced to 'gas and air' but it became my best friend for the remainder of my labor! (for those who don't know, it is the simplest form of pain control...the effect lasts as long as the contraction) As time wore on and I wasn't dilating, they decided to give me a shot of diamorphine. It knocked me out and I slept soundly for about 4 hours. It pretty much stopped the whole process. So when morning came, Deb had to go home and Tico was left as my only birthing partner. The Dr made the decision to induce me as Kaleb needed to come out. So I got induced and then the contractions started really doing something. In a few hours I started feeling the sensation to push but was told not to push cuz the cervix was not completely dilated and it could cause damage. Eventually the time came to push...the hardest part of the labor! And push I did! Just to encourage us the midwfe showed Tico the head then he got so excited he started saying, 'Go on, my love, push, his head is coming out!' They brought a mirror to show me, but I wasn't that interested as the job at hand was to PUSH! After about 16 hours of labor, I was rewarded with the most amazing sensation...that last push which swooshed the little guy right out into this world at 14:45. The pain stopped at once. One minute I was grunting and crying out with pain and the next minute I was amazed by the little baby which was laying whimpering on my chest. When he opened his little mouth and cried like a little lamb I thought it was the most wonderful sound ever. He didn't need respiratory aids of any kind. His lungs seemed fine. I was completely worn out and felt like I was still under the effect of the morphine from earlier as well as the fact that I hadn't eaten for 2 days. I couldn't walk so was wheeled to my room after my shower. I went to bed about 5pm and didn't go see Kaleb until the next morning. He stayed in the special care baby unit until he was 10 days old due to his being so small. He had to be tube fed until his suck was good enough to drink from a bottle. I wanted to breastfeed but due to the stress my milk supply was very small. (after arriving home we started breastfeeding again and it is working now...along with bottle top-ups) He finally established a good eating pattern and gained back his birth weight (4lbs 11oz) so was allowed to stay with me in the ward. We passed the test of feeding him regularly during the night and we got to go home on Christmas eve...12 days after his birth. We found it really difficult to be so far from home...Tico had to pay quite a bit to get the bus down to the hospital and it was hard not having many visitors cuz it was so unhandy for our friends. But God looked after us and Tico was offered a place to stay nearby more than once by people we didn't even know (friends of friends). We were blessed by the midwives who looked after both me and Kaleb. And basically as Tico says, 'The operation was a success'! Thank God for his help during my pregnancy and Kaleb's early birth and now the hard part begins! Being a mommy!!! (but that's another blog)
Sorry for making this so long...I warned you I like to give all the details! ha!
fotos to follow....
Tico and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on 8 December. It was a quiet one because it is a few weeks away from payday and we had had a busy weekend and I had to work late. We decided to stay in and just have a nice dinner and chill. I was quite tired but nothing extraordinary about that. About 2:30am I woke up with the urge to go to the ladies room...but before I got there something escaped and was dribbling down my leg. I was so embarrassed at my inability to control myself!!! But was glad no one was around to witness it. I went to the loo and when I was leaving the bathroom, I felt another gush of water run down my leg. I started thinking this was not usual. I noticed the water was pinkish and suddenly I was worried. I thought there was blood in my urine or something weird. I went back to bed shaking and woke Tico up. He told me to call the hospital maternity ward. I was embarrassed in case it was nothing...but I was also scared and decided to call. The nurse told me to put a pad on and wait for 1 hour and call her back. During that hour, I decided to quickly pack my hospital bag. I was only 34 weeks pregnant so had not yet prepared for a hospital visit! I called the hospital after the specified hour and told them that my pad was soaked and water was still coming out of me. They said it could just be urine but I better come in. Tico called our friends, David and Erica, who had kindly offered to take us to hospital when the time came to give birth (as we don't have a car)...they didn't realise we were going to take them up on their offer so soon! When we arrived at hospital they did some exams and decided that it was my water that had broken and wanted to admit me due to the fact that I was quite early and would need to be observed. I got a bed around 7am as breakfast was being served. But I was so nervous that I just laid in bed and shook. The Dr. explained to me that we didn't want the baby to come yet cuz his lungs would not be completely developed and he could be born with breathing problems. I was also scared of giving birth without my birthing partner there (my sister Dea). I just fell asleep and slept like I was drugged for hours and hours. It was probably the best thing for me. The Dr said that I was likely to go into labour within 24 - 48 hours after my water broke so it was just a waiting game. They gave me an injection of steroids which were meant to speed up the development of Kaleb's lungs in case he did decide to come early. They also gave me antibiotics as my water had broken and I (and Kaleb)was vulnerable to infection. That night our cell group came to visit me. They prayed with me and I must say after all the sleep I had during the day and the prayers prayed for me...I felt much stronger (emotionally). I still had no sign of contractions, but continued to leak water. I was sent for an ultra sound to see exactly how much water I had lost. The report was that normally the water level around the baby is 15 something (don't know if that is centimeters or milliliters...?) but my level was now 2. So Kaleb wasn't protected at all. The next day I was told by a Dr that since I hadn't gone into labor, it was possible that I may not have this baby soon. They decided to discharge me and have me come back to hospital every other day to be assessed for infection, etc. Then in 2 more weeks, if baby wasn't here, they would induce me. I decided that sounded good...as labor was put off for another couple weeks! Our friend picked us up from hospital and took us home. We went to the supermarket first to get a few necessities. I felt fine apart from a little tired. My midwife had told me when I was discharged that I was not to return to work (I hadn't started my maternity leave yet) and I was to take it easy....'put your feet up and cross your legs' she said (with a knowing look at Tico...hmmm?). So I went straight to bed when I got home and when visitors came, I just had them chat to me by my bedside. I was obeying all the rules! That night, I started getting these really bad back aches. They were so painful that I had to get out of bed and walk around until they stopped. Nothing was going on in my tummy...although it had noticeably shrunk after my water broke. So all night, around every 30 min, I would have these terrible back pains. In the morning, I decided to take a hot bath to alleviate the pain. I thought possibly I was re-adjusting to my own bed after being in the cool 'adjustable' hospital bed for 2 nights. It didn't really click that these were contractions....I expected something much worse. I was again nervous and scared at this strange occurrence and lost my appetite. I decided poor Kaleb needed to eat so made myself some tea and toast....but as I sat down to eat, I was attacked with that back pain again. I was so tired now from a very bad night's sleep and just the stress of it all that I nearly started crying. Tico told me to call the hospital again. I am one of those people who hates to bother anyone...so I keep thinking, 'I will call if it gets really bad', whereas Tico says, 'you have these aids available to you (emergency telephone numbers) so you should use them'. I did call and explain my case. They saw that I had been in hospital just the day before and said it would be good for me to come back in and they could assess me from there. So we called another friend and back to the hospital we trotted (about a 40 min drive). The whole way there, I didn't have one episode of back pain. I was so embarrassed! But Tico said we are not leaving hospital until the examine you...you are not having another night like last night! So in we went to the maternity emergency room. I was seen quite quickly and when asked how frequent my contractions were I had to admit that the last one had been about 1 hour ago!! The Dr decided to do a quick exam to see if I had dilated. When she inserted her instrument, she said, 'OK, you are going to need a bed, I see a head...we are going to have a baby soon'. I was scared, but by now I was kind of glad that something was happening. She rang upstairs to book a bed for me even though I was only dilated to about 2...and there were no beds in neonatal. They decided to call around to some other local hospitals. They finally found a bed...in a hospital 2 hours from Edinburgh (by bus). Like the christmas story...there was no room in the inn and we were forced to go somewhere which wasn't our first choice. But God does all things well. I was transported by ambulance (and again had no contractions the whole way there) and Tico and our friend Deborah followed by car. Once there I was taken straight to the labor ward and was at once put at ease by the kindness and attention of the staff there. They offered to let me use the phone, gave me some tea and toast, showed me around and got me settled in. Around 10pm they decided that my labor was not 'active labor' and I would be sent to sleep in the ward cuz someone else may need the labor room. We (Tico, Debora and I) trotted along to the ward and luckily I was given a room on my own. Now the problem that faced us was this, we were far from home without transport (David had dropped Deb and Tico off and gone back home to Edinburgh) but the hospital doesn't allow visitors to stay overnight. So where were my 'visitors' to go? The hospital was in a small village which didn't have regular buses...and once again, the worry set in! But not for long. Around 10:30, my contractions started and were 2 minutes apart. So at 11pm we went back to the labor ward. I had monitors on my belly to keep track of Kaleb's heart rate and another to monitor my contractions. I don't remember when I was first introduced to 'gas and air' but it became my best friend for the remainder of my labor! (for those who don't know, it is the simplest form of pain control...the effect lasts as long as the contraction) As time wore on and I wasn't dilating, they decided to give me a shot of diamorphine. It knocked me out and I slept soundly for about 4 hours. It pretty much stopped the whole process. So when morning came, Deb had to go home and Tico was left as my only birthing partner. The Dr made the decision to induce me as Kaleb needed to come out. So I got induced and then the contractions started really doing something. In a few hours I started feeling the sensation to push but was told not to push cuz the cervix was not completely dilated and it could cause damage. Eventually the time came to push...the hardest part of the labor! And push I did! Just to encourage us the midwfe showed Tico the head then he got so excited he started saying, 'Go on, my love, push, his head is coming out!' They brought a mirror to show me, but I wasn't that interested as the job at hand was to PUSH! After about 16 hours of labor, I was rewarded with the most amazing sensation...that last push which swooshed the little guy right out into this world at 14:45. The pain stopped at once. One minute I was grunting and crying out with pain and the next minute I was amazed by the little baby which was laying whimpering on my chest. When he opened his little mouth and cried like a little lamb I thought it was the most wonderful sound ever. He didn't need respiratory aids of any kind. His lungs seemed fine. I was completely worn out and felt like I was still under the effect of the morphine from earlier as well as the fact that I hadn't eaten for 2 days. I couldn't walk so was wheeled to my room after my shower. I went to bed about 5pm and didn't go see Kaleb until the next morning. He stayed in the special care baby unit until he was 10 days old due to his being so small. He had to be tube fed until his suck was good enough to drink from a bottle. I wanted to breastfeed but due to the stress my milk supply was very small. (after arriving home we started breastfeeding again and it is working now...along with bottle top-ups) He finally established a good eating pattern and gained back his birth weight (4lbs 11oz) so was allowed to stay with me in the ward. We passed the test of feeding him regularly during the night and we got to go home on Christmas eve...12 days after his birth. We found it really difficult to be so far from home...Tico had to pay quite a bit to get the bus down to the hospital and it was hard not having many visitors cuz it was so unhandy for our friends. But God looked after us and Tico was offered a place to stay nearby more than once by people we didn't even know (friends of friends). We were blessed by the midwives who looked after both me and Kaleb. And basically as Tico says, 'The operation was a success'! Thank God for his help during my pregnancy and Kaleb's early birth and now the hard part begins! Being a mommy!!! (but that's another blog)
Sorry for making this so long...I warned you I like to give all the details! ha!
fotos to follow....
Sunday, 28 December 2008
The Christmas surprise!!!
Well, due to popular demand, I am posting a photo of the most precious little present we got for Christmas this year. He was quite anxious to beat the new year...so surprised us by coming 5 weeks early. Thankfully we were given excellent care by a hospital 2 hours away by bus (as our local hospital had no neonatal beds....sounds like the christmas story) and Kaleb was finally discharged after 12 days and we arrived home on Christmas eve. There is much more to the story....and I like giving all the details...but don't have the inspiration to write it just now. But Kaleb is here and is well and is TINYYYYY and is adorable! He is our precious treasure and we are blessed by his safe arrival!
Kaleb with his feeding tube in (4 days old)
Kaleb and his proud daddy!
Kaleb in his little incubator in the special care baby unit
The little guy who rocks our world (minus feeding tube...yeah!)
At home and looking chubbier than before...Thank God!!
At home and looking chubbier than before...Thank God!!Saturday, 22 November 2008
visiting family
Our trip to the USA has been a great, great success!!! We had the chance to see and spend time with all our immediate family as well as other relatives and friends. It was so wonderful to see some people I hadn't seen for YEARS!!! (including Beth Kellogg Kinzler a couple days before Syndey arrived!) Kaleb was a good boy and stayed inside for the entire trip (and kept growing steadily!!!). He freaked some of my relatives out when he did his little wiggly thing and made my tummy move....others thought it was cool and wanted to feel him do it again! He kept us entertained...like his daddy! I will put a few pics here now and will update more later.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
life...
(24 weeks...)I haven't written here for ages! Maybe cuz there isn't much news. We are slowly gathering things for baby Kaleb...we joined Freecycle (yahoo) where people advertise things they want to give away. We got a lovely car-seat/baby-carrier. We also got a couple bags of little sleepers (I don't know the official name) for Kaleb. They are all washed, ironed and ready to use. I couldn't help thinking as I sat ironing them that this may just be the only time they ever get ironed! ha! I want to have my son well presented, but I have been told the life of a new mommy is pretty hectic and as the baby gets his clothes changed several times a day to begin with, maybe wrinkle-free clothes aren't going to be a big priority! ha! We are slowly gathering together a circle of friends...it isn't the easiest thing to do here as we live just outside of the city centre and basically everyone is pretty busy with life, so we don't always have opportunities to meet people. Sadly I was unwell the last 2 sundays so missed church...which is something I DO miss! I love church...I know some people hate church...but I am not one of those people. Church isn't only a wonderful social opportunity...it is a wonderful worship opportunity and I love singing and praying to God without distractions of dirty dishes in the kitchen or dirty laundry needing washed. So as I was saying, we are gathering a circle of friends and it is wonderful. We realised that in London our friends were young and just trying to find their way in life...whereas here we have lots of 'professional' friends...they have their careers sorted out and have families of their own. But anyway...that is the fun of this journey called life! Everyone God brings into your pathway...is there for a reason...to be blessed by you and to bless you! God is good. Speaking of God's blessings...the bump is one of our constant reminders of God's blessings. Little Kaleb is a bundle of activity...mostly at night! The other night our neighbors had a party...complete with Karaoke playing a variety of very LOUD music until 5am. Our little flat pulsated with the noise and Tico and I were laying in bed with pillows over our heads trying to sleep in spite of it...while Kaleb was dancing and jiving and kicking and having a great time! But about the time I wondered if there was any stopping all this activity so I could get some REST...I remembered that having an active baby is much better than not having one at all! So instead of complaining I said a thank you to my God...he is so kind! The decisions I need to make for the next phase of my life are big life-changers for me. I have always dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom...and now that that possibility is facing me...I have all the dread and worry of how we are going to make if financially without me working, etc. But it is a journey of faith and I know God will provide for us. I just need to exercise more faith! I remember my mom (until the day she died) regretting having to go straight back to work after her kids were born. I don't want to have that regret...but making decisions like this aren't easy! Then the other worry is whether I am going to be good at my new 'job' of being a mommy! Will Kaleb like me...will he respond to me....will I be wise as a mom...will I balance the love I have for my husband and for my son properly? Will I build a beautiful nest of love for my family to grow in....will I be able to prepare my children for life in the real world? I suppose all these things are normal worries...but the other day I came to the realisation that I am not going to have all the answers before the journey even begins. I WILL make mistakes, I will not do everything perfectly....but I will try to be teachable and keep plugged into the Holy Spirit so that I can be a kind of mom/wife that is continually improving and not so sure of myself that I can't take advice. I will sign off by putting some pictures on here of random happenings in our life... Oh AND...the most exciting news is that we go on holiday to USA in 3 weeks!! Tico is so excited!!! and so am I!!!! Hope we can see some of you while there!!!
Monday, 22 September 2008
new news....
Today was a special day....
Mommy put on her Sunday best...
Daddy put on his Sunday best....
And we went to see....
our new family member, our son....
Kaleb....at age 6 months (well, 1 week shy of 6 months - in existence)...isn't he just the cutest little guy?!
Mommy put on her Sunday best...
Daddy put on his Sunday best....And we went to see....
our new family member, our son....
Kaleb....at age 6 months (well, 1 week shy of 6 months - in existence)...isn't he just the cutest little guy?!The scan photos weren't as good as the first time around...but we still found him absolutely adorable!
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