OUR New Toy!

Our well-loved and abused digital camera, has been dying a long, slow death. It still works but it takes 30-60 seconds to take a picture which may not seem like a long amount of time. But those of you with kids know that 30-60 seconds is enough time for the kid to stop doing whatever cute thing they were doing in the first place. So you can imagine my frustration with my camera. I have lost out on many cute pictures while waiting for my camera to stop thinking. So we invested (and I do mean it is an investment) on a state of the art, high tech, digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. We got a great deal on the camera, two lenses and other accessories.

I have a film SLR which went the way of the dinosaur once digital cameras came into the picture. I used to do photography in high school for our yearbook. I also took pictures at a few weddings to earn some extra money in high school. I have always loved photography, but once we got a digital camera I never took my dinosaur =) out again. So now I am re-learning about aperture, shutter speeds, and all the other bells and whistles that come with the new camera. Here are a few pictures I took while playing....









I will be adding lots more pictures of our adventures in the coming days.

Earlier Than Expected

After much frustration with the military hospital and doctors, today we made some progress. Throughout this pregnancy we have been worried about how big Brenna will be especially after already delivering a nine and a half pound baby boy less than two years ago. Not really an experience I want to repeat. The doctor has been insisting if the baby is that big that it will mean a C-section, which I want to avoid at all costs. Last week the doctor finally agreed to an ultrasound on the 7th of May to see how big Brenna is than we will decide from there when to induce, etc. especially if she is big already.

Well, Brenna Nicole Grace has decided that she is ready to meet her family and come a little earlier than expected (not that Mom is complaining). I have been in a lot of pain over the weekend making it hard to even sit down or get comfortable. I told the doctor that today at my appointment. All the pain over the past four days is worth it though...My body has started to dilate and get ready for labor. Yeah!! The doctor finally decided to schedule me to be induced on May 9th. But he doesn't think I will make it through the weekend let alone into next week and not go into labor. Oh darn!

So either way, Brenna is coming early, either this week or next Friday she will be here. As you can imagine this has put Matt and I into a bit of a scramble as we are forced to settle plans and make sure we have everything we need for the baby. I plan on working right up until labor which will make the time go by quickly I hope. I am trying to get my alternate teachers lined up so that if I do go into labor this week I have all my classes covered. So we appreciate all your prayers as we anticipate Brenna's arrival and that her introduction to her brother and sister will go smoothly too!!

Family Addition

Well as Matt has so nicely put it--"This baby is already a pain and costing me way too much money!" (said with a laugh mind you). We are fortunate to have most of the baby things we need other than clothes, a double stroller, playpen and carseat. Unless it is a girl than we need a little more. Unlike when Aidan was born and we had to buy just about EVERYTHING!! So I guess he can't complain too much about the cost of the baby--until it comes to the cars.

As you all know we have his and her Pathfinders which we both enjoy. They are older but still run good although mine is in need of a little TLC. We love driving SUVs since we are up high and can see what is going on around us. It drives me crazy to go from an SUV to driving Mom's car (not that it isn't a nice car to drive) it is just SO low, especially after being used to sitting up so high. Not to mention how much easier it is to climb into an SUV when you are pregnant. But anyway--Bunny Trail!--Back to the whole car issue. So we love our cars as I said but now we are faced with a dilemma. Our pathfinders can seat five people--two in the front and three in the back-- but they cannot hold three carseats in the back. So begins our search for a new, much bigger car.

While I was off the Island last week I took the opportunity to peruse the car lots outside of our little town. With gas prices being what they are we don't go over that way very often. It was an absolutely miserable day, cloudy, rainy, windy and downright cold. Not the kind of weather anyone wants to be out in, especially a car salesman. So we did drive by car shopping (the best way to do it) where we would cruise the lot until we found what we were looking for. If it was the years we were looking for in either a Yukon XL or a Suburban I would hop out of the car and check it out. If we couldn't find what we wanted we just waited until a salesman ventured out into the cold and asked. If they didn't have it, we drove away. It made car shopping (which can be an awful experience) almost fun.

We stopped at one other dealership on our way back to the Island. My family has bought other cars from this dealer and it has been a great experience. There were two cars there that might work so I figured I would tell Matt about them. I talked to the salesman who said he thought he had another Suburban we might like better. He said he would move it to the lot so we could take a look at it. Much to our surprise he called Sunday morning, he had the car. We test drove it that afternoon and had James and Lisa drive it as well. We immediately fell in love with the car but not the price. Well after attempting to get the car for a steal (which didn't happen) we kept looking.

James found an older Suburban at a dealer in town that was at the price we wanted to spend. So Friday night we checked it out. It turned out to be a lemon that has sat on the lot for almost two years (no one would buy it which is why they lowered the price). It had all sorts of things wrong with it (things that were supposedly fixed). Not to mention how rude the sales personnel was (it was so bad it was insulting). So with so many issues with that car, even though it was a great deal we decided to walk away. So we planned to go car shopping on Saturday. So for those of you who know where we live--DO NOT BUY A CAR HERE!!!!

On our way off the Island yesterday to continue our car quest (Nana had the kids for the day) Matt decided to go back to the first dealership we dealt with and look at the really nice, low-mileage Suburban again. So we went in and made a deal. A little over an hour later we drove away in our brand-new 2000 Chevy Suburban. It is in excellent shape with only 76,000+ miles on it. It seats eight and has the full third row seat (not one of those uncomfortable jump seats) and a large cargo area which is perfect for the stroller, etc. Plus it is so big that Aidan can't reach Chloe in the backseat anymore to pull her hair. He was a bit bummed with that but otherwise loved the car. Chloe loves having a car as big as her "Aunt Lisa's". :) So now we have to finish getting my old pathfinder ready to sell. Joy!

We are all very happy with the new car. Especially Matt who despises car shopping and was not looking forward to wasting all that gas driving off the Island to all the dealerships looking for a car. So enjoy the pictures of our new "baby".

Only One Baby

Today we had our first sonogram of the baby. We are only having one baby (much to everyone's relief). The due date they originally gave us was wrong. So the new due date is May 16th. I am 3 months pregnant. I am hoping that the nausea will finally start to abate. So here is the first photo of our baby so I guess the question now is....

BOY or GIRL?

Test Results

I spent the morning being used as a pin cushion by our local hospital during my 3-hour blood glucose test. The test was to see if I have gestational diabetes or not. Having to fast for 15+ hours is not fun especially when I get extreme nausea when I don't eat when I need to. Anyway, I just heard from the nurse and I do not have gestational diabetes. Hallelujah! I do have to stick to a diet of sorts--no simple carbs (which I try to avoid anyway), lots of fiber and fruits and veggies. Matt is convinced eating like this will help him lose weight. So we will eat healthier and see what happens. I have to go through the glucose testing again at 28 weeks.

Thank you all for all your continued prayers and support. We appreciate it so much!

Big News!

I am reminded again of how powerful the connection is between our kids and God. I might just rethink the next time I tell Chloe to pray about something. This has been a week full of shock, excitement, shuffling around and big changes! Next week I will be eight weeks pregnant. Big surprise for us (not that we weren't expecting a positive result from the hospital). This was not what we had planned (God had another plan for our family) but we are beside ourselves with excitement. Two Kids IN DIAPERS!! Not ideal when Matt is getting ready to retire, but at least the Navy will pay for the birth of this one. :) We don't have a confirmed due date yet, I should have that in a few weeks after my first appointment with the nurse. I will keep you updated. We are also hoping and praying that Matt will actually be here for the birth (he may have to leave not long after that).

Chloe of course is beside herself and is insisting that she is getting a little sister this time. Aidan will have a huge adjustment coming up in the next few months, I pray that it goes well and he isn't lost in all the chaos a new baby brings. Chloe has been begging for a little sister since we had Aidan, not that she doesn't love him, but he's not a girl. So Matt and I told her to ask God (not really sure how to answer her pleadings any other way). Apparently God listened. She has also insisted that we are having a girl (for her) and a boy (for Aidan). So the polls and bets are on (check the sidebar on the right for the latest poll). I don't know if I'd put anything past her at this point. I will let you know all as we learn more!