Raspberries!

So yes, just in time for Annaliese to eat baby food...a week later she learns how to blow raspberries on her own!  I guess we've somehow "created a monster", but she's the cutest little monster I've ever met.  You may think this video is boring, but I thought it was worth showing the world :)

Learning Sounds

Annaliese has been "ooo"ing and "aahhh"ing a lot lately and it's just so darn cute!  Here's a little footage of our adorable "Bug". :)

Dedicated to All of You Proud Parents

I found this poem awhile ago and I love it, so I thought I'd share.





If you’ve ever:


…gotten a lump in your throat while you heard the heartbeat of your baby;


…unwrapped your newly swaddled baby, completely out of curiosity;


…held the feet of an infant to your lips;


…gotten tears on your baby’s head in the middle of the night while feeding him or her;


…been so tired you handed your spouse a sippy cup instead of a beer;


…researched the cure for croup, at 3 a.m.;


…picked a tiny nose with your pinky finger;


…stumbled over your words, as you explained something so very big to someone so very small;


…wished with all your might for moments forever lost in time;


…surprisingly realized there were tears on your cheeks;


…paced the halls of your home, mentally willing a fever to break;


…wondered how it was possible for a little person to eat so much;


…wondered how it was possible for a little person to eat so little;


…discussed growth spurts, cradle cap, and the colour, consistency and smell of poop;


…were surprised at how long his little legs were getting as you re-tucked him in, before retiring for the night;


…felt warm vomit down your back as you try to calm your frightened child;


…laid awake and wondered if you could have done something better;


…heard 18 excuses why he doesn’t want to go to bed;


…bought those new shoes despite the fact you’ve had yours for 3 years running;


…baked 32 cupcakes at 10:30 at night;(after doing a milk run in your pajamas);


…filled out a field trip form, only to worry about all the things that could go wrong;


…volunteered for that field trip to put your own mind at ease;


…stayed by the window after allowing her to bike to the variety store;


…talked candidly about sex and drugs, all the while nursing knots in your tummy;


…felt your heart soar along with his when he saved the game;


…been mad at someone else’s kid for hurting your kid’s feelings;


…taught them how to cook a meal/do a load of laundry/long division/anything, and somehow not ripped your hair out;


…been more excited than ever for Christmas morning, just to see their faces;


…spoiled them rotten when you got a few extra bucks;


…made her favorite meal, just because;


… tussled his hair, and pulled him back for a kiss and a hug when he squirmed away;


…laid awake at night and willed time to slow down;


…thought you’d never, ever feel love like this – so raw and powerful – leaving you so very vulnerable…


…then you’re doing it right.

First Encounter With Baby Food!

At 4 months and 9 days old we decided to let Annaliese try her first "big girl food" from a jar.  First up, sweet potatoes!  Justin and I were both surprised at how well she did!  We recorded a video for your viewing pleasure :)  Enjoy and watch our big girl blossom right before your very eyes :')

Remembering the Positives

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You all know what it's like to reminisce about the good times and the bad times, right?  It's usually easier to recognize the bad times that stand out in your head rather than the good.  Sometimes people can have a healthy balance of both.  One year ago today is a day that I can specifically remember as a 'positive' day...literally.

You've read in my previous posts this week about how Justin and I met and how we got engaged.  Justin and I have always been very open and honest with each other about everything and I love that we have that connection.  We both love to talk and can carry on a conversation for hours and hours.  It's certainly one of my favorite pastimes.  With that being said, after we met we of course wanted to know everything about each other and one of the topics that was particularly important to the both of us was family goals and values.  We have always wanted children and wanted to wait until we met that special person who we could see spending forever with.  Well after we met and dated for almost a year, we both couldn't imagine our lives without each other and knew that this was forever.  Someday when he was able to, Justin would buy a ring and propose to make it official.  Well because those feelings of certainty were shining in our love struck eyes, we decided to fully let God be the judge of whether we were ready to be parents or not.  Justin and I had pretty much decided that we were not going to prevent pregnancy and after we got married we would TRY to conceive.  We bought the book What To Expect Before You're Expecting and 5 months after we were married our lives came to a sudden change.

It was an early Wednesday morning and my "friend" was 2 days late.  We had some pregnancy tests on hand and we decided that because I was 2 days late, I might as well take a pregnancy test.  Justin was getting ready for work.  I took the test and within seconds the "+" started to appear.  My heart started racing, my mind started racing and I couldn't get to Justin who was in the room next to me quick enough!  I sat the test on the counter and met Justin in the hallway and said "Uuuuumm....honey?  You might want to see this."  He met me in the bathroom and looked at the counter with me and got a huge smile on his face!  I said, " Well it looks like we're pregnant, but it might be a false test.  I'll take another one tomorrow to see if we get the same results." However, part of us knew that we were in fact pregnant.  That whole morning while Justin was continuing to get ready for work, we met again in the kitchen and just smiled at each other.  Thousands of questions rushed through my head.  What if this test is right?  What if today is the day that we became aware that we are actually expecting a baby?  Should I start eating better and stay away from junk food all together?  Should I start religiously taking my prenatal vitamins?  Would that glass of wine that I had for Valentine's Day dinner affect the baby in any way?  There was no way that Justin was going to be able to concentrate at work.  And there was no way that I wasn't going to be Googling my head off at home.  

So he went to work and didn't concentrate while I was home Googling.  The next day, I took another test and another "+" came up.  I was still in disbelief, so I took 2 more tests and 2 more "+"s appeared.  I guess it was true! 

After obvious disbelief...

And one more just to quadruple check...

 Yep!  We were PREGNANT!

We were very blessed and fortunate to be able to conceive at all and so quickly.  I was going to be a mommy!  My husband was going to be a daddy!  The biggest and most important role you will ever have in your life...a parent. 

Wow.  For days we waited to tell the family because we wanted to get confirmation from the doctor first.  And as soon as we did, we made up plaques for each of our brothers and our parents and gave them as gifts.  First was Justin's parents, brother and his wife.  Then was my mom and brother.  For my dad and step mom who live in New Jersey, we emailed theirs to them and called them to hear their reaction just as they read it.

We later told our close friends and then after we were out of the first trimester, we told the rest of the world!  Waiting to tell everyone was SO HARD because we were so excited, but we didn't want to tell everyone so early just in case we had difficulties.  I'll never forget those wonderful positive moments filled with so much love and joy from our family and friends.  Thank you to all of you who were there for Justin and I to share in our love and excitement.  It means more to us than you'll ever know.