Great news!!

Baby Ewan is having a great day today! He will be coming off of the ECMO machine! A major step in the right direction!!! Keep praying for him ladies!!! I'm so happy for him and for his parents! I pray he just keeps getting better and better! Go baby Ewan! We're cheering you on...YOU CAN DO IT! PRAISE GOD for his miracles!!!

You can check updates here:

http://www.team-ewan.com/2010/09/tears-hope.html

Cute blog alert...

I can't remember if I've shared this one with you ladies before, don't think I have. It's so cute! The couple is in the process of adopting a child (something that I just love). If you get a chance, I'd check it out, you won't be sorry you did. It's so great to be able to follow their journey! It's just as exciting as following a pregnancy! :)

Here's the link: http://kazamy.blogspot.com/2010/09/being-honest.html

Enjoy!

32 weeks update....

How far along: 32 weeks and 3 days

How big is baby Jaden: He's roughly 19 in and 4+ lbs now!!! Wow! He's fattening up and getting ready for life outside of the womb! :)
He's more than likely (I believe this is true because I feel little heals digging into my ribs on a regular basis) head down now. He's keeping his eyes open more now during the times that he's awake. He is practicing swallowing and breathing! He's also sucking his thumb...and this little guy gets the hiccups quite often.

Weight gain: 30+lbs. I'll find out Tuesday at my Dr's appt.

Msternity clothes: yes.

Sleep: No change there...

Best moment of the week: Just feeling our little munchkin move around A LOT and hiccuping....it always makes us giggle when he has his little hiccup fits! ;)

Movement: Lots and lots!! :)

Foods I love/hate: pretty much the same....

Morning sickness: Only first thing in the morning, but once I eat some cereal it usually goes away.



***Please remember to keep baby Ewan, Brayden and Bennett in your prayers through out the week :) !!!

The power of prayer....

Photo from "Team Ewan"

Miracles can and do happen...especially when we all stick together and pray HARD! :)

Check out Kirsten's blog for an update and wonderful news.



http://www.team-ewan.com/


Happy one week baby Ewan!!!

Things aren't looking near as good...

***Photo is by Kirsten***

as we'd hoped! Baby Ewan needs lots of prayer to make it through this. He has a tough road ahead of him! If you pray, please remember to pray for him!

He had emergency surgery last night, and while he is stable for now...there is much healing and recovery to be done. His mommy and daddy are (as you can imagine) completely exhausted and drained.

With every little kick from Jaden my heart hurts for Kirsten and James...I cannot imagine how difficult and scary this whole thing is for them. Of course they trust that GOD's plan is perfect and that somehow regardless of the outcome they will find peace, but no parent should ever have to experience this...much less losing a child.

Thank you ladies!

Find out more here....

http://www.team-ewan.com/

Just a little reminder....

Today could be the big day...figuring out Ewan's treatment plan. Please pray for the little guy! His mamma posted an update from yesterday...can be found here:

http://www.team-ewan.com/2010/09/day-before-big-day-we-think.html


Thanks so much!

Happy Thursday!!!

You see this precious little face?

This is Ewan. He needs prayer. He is a sweet little boy who was born with a congenital heart defect. You can find out more about Ewan and his wonderful family here....

http://www.team-ewan.com/

His mommy and daddy have been so strong through this whole journey and now that he's here it's going to be even harder for them as they (and their medical team) make some major decisions about Ewans health care. Please try to keep them in your prayers! Thanks so much! <3

Learning to let go...

and just live life...

Maybe it's the fact that motherhood is just around the corner, maybe it's in response to another birthday passing (getting older and wiser ;0)...), or maybe it's simply just a lesson that I am finally learning. Whatever it may be, I'm liking it. I'm coming to terms with a lot of things about myself and starting to accept certain things that have in the past stressed me out far more than it was worth. I'm not perfect and I can't change the ways of the world (at least not on my own) and I shouldn't make myself feel badly about it. I like what I like and I don't like what I don't like. Neither makes me a better or worse person. I have realized that there are some things that I have tried so hard to like and get used to that just weren't for me. Partially to please others and partially to feel better about myself...

I have grown in my faith over the last several years...made so much process in that area of my life and I am so happy about that. I'm looking forward to moving so we can find a home church where Josh and I are both very happy and comfortable and can make some great friends. For now, we'll just keep watching the services online like we have in the past couple of weeks. I'm so thankful that we are able to do this!
I've also come to the realization that we all have different circumstances that require different choices and all we can do is our best to just go with what we've been given and make the best of it. It doesn't mean that one mommy is better than the other just because she works or doesn't work. That was definitely something I was struggling with. I'm even getting excited about returning back to work...mind you, leaving my baby boy, that part I'll never be happy about...but it will be nice to know I'll be contributing financially again. It'll also be nice to eventually be able to breathe a little easier about our finances.

I know this might sound like a lot of random rambling...something I am VERY good at
;0)lol...something else I've come to terms with. I guess maybe I'm just "thinking out loud" well, "typing out loud"...

I'm in no way complaining or pointing fingers at anyone but my silly self. I guess more or less the last two or three years have just been really hard and forced me to do some major soul searching and figure myself out. Anyone else struggle with that too???? Something as simple (and typically fun) as registering for our little man was so stressful for me because I just couldn't decide (on anything). I just didn't know what I wanted to do. I mean REALLY, TRUTHFULLY, 100% legitimately me,... it's confusing I know...but in my heart and in my head it makes sense. I've always been a bit of a people pleaser, try my best to do the right thing for everyone, want to change the world kind of girl...but the truth is...I am just one person and I need to relax. Using this product over that product will not cause an earth shattering disaster. Yet I would subconciously make myself feel so bad about it that in the end I would be so stressed and miserable. Truth be told I'm still to some degree figuring out what exactly I like and don't like. ...and if I change my mind...who cares. There's nothing wrong with that either. I've always been so good at punishing myself...Ah....so silly.
Anyway, I've made most of the decisions I needed to, and I actually feel really good about them. That's a great feeling! :)

We've also made the decision that unless GOD changes our hearts between now and then, we will be moving back to Georgia in January instead of waiting until June! We are sooo excited. It will not be easy at first, we know that...but it's what we feel will be best for our precious little family. There are many other places we would have also enjoyed moving to, but this location made the most sense. Since I will be starting my classes online next week, it didn't really make sense to wait around until June when I can get there in January and start looking for work.

So here's to changes! Good ones...and a new year! I'm actually very much looking forward to it! I'm going to try my best to be thankful to GOD for each new day that I am able to wake up to and spend here on earth and learn about myself!

Sneak peak....

I wanted to share some of our maternity shots with you all. These are some of my favorite. My darling friend Kristie was kind enough to take them for us. If everything works out we'll be taking some more later on. We owe her big time! Thanks so much for playing photographer for us! You've helped us capture the joy we feel in our hearts as we await our precious little boy, and we will always be able to look at these photos and remember how we felt!:)


Maternity Shots
Sunday 9-19-10
31 weeks 3 days!

31 week update....

How far along: 31 weeks...9 weeks to go! Woo hoo! :)

How big is baby Jaden: He's weighing it at close to 4lbs now and about 18 inches long! According to my books he's supposedly developed regular sleeping patterns and such...I'd have to say I disagree, lol. This little boy has been on his own schedule from day one...basically...he doesn't follow a "schedule". :) He has been a jumping bean non-stop...all day and all night. He'll wake me up at night because he's boogying in my belly! So even though I'm sure he sleeps at some point...he has to right?! ;) I haven't noticed a "pattern" (Not sure if I should be very afraid of the first few weeks post delivery, lol).
His brain is continuing to develop at a rapid pace...he's able to process information, track light, and perceive signals from all of his senses.

Weight gain: 31 lbs. So it's definitely slowed down, whew! ;)We had a Dr's appt Tues and my belly measured right on track so I'm not too concerned about the weight gain anymore. I'll worry about that once he's here, safe and sound!

Maternity clothes: Yes, pants and my new dress which I am wearing in the above pics. I LOVE the Navy blue color!

Sleep: Rough week...but making due! :)

Best moment of the week: Finally realizing after all this time that those tiny little "jumps" that I kept feeling were hiccups, lol. Josh and I got to feel those quite a bit this week and everytime it happened we were just giggling. It's too cute!
Also, we had our first Lamaze class last night!!! Seriously! I can't believe we're at that point!
My smart hubby got a prize for answering correctly how you place the baby to sleep...only two of the daddy's had the answer! I was so proud!!!! <3

Last but certainly not least...hearing baby J's heartbeat (151)...even though my Dr's not the best...he barely had the doppler on my belly long enough to even get a reading but whatever...anything's better than nothing. I think he wasn't in the room more than a minute, seriously! When I told him the rash was driving me crazy he said "oh that's ok...it's just hormones"...thanks Doc! Glad you feel my pain! lol!

Foods I love/hate: same

Movement: lots and lots and I just LOVE watching my belly bounce! It's the most reassuring thing to watch him go crazy in there....I will say this though, the little stinker has some nice kicks on him. He's hurt me a couple times this week, lol. ;)

Morning sickness: Only a tiny bit. Nothing major.

Birthdays...

I'm not sure what it is about Birthdays that puts me in a not so happy mood (not just me, poor Josh just went through the same thing).It's not about getting older...the age doesn't bother me. I suppose it's the feeling of "I can't believe I still haven't got it together!" mixed with the anxiety of what's ahead. If I look back, I really thought for sure that at 28 I would feel some sort of sense of accomplishment, stability and confidence. I definitely can't say I've gotten there yet. I just hope that it gets here soon. Until then, guess I'll just keep waiting and hoping it does. 28, can't believe how fast it came!

The diaper debate continues....

Disposable Vs. Reusable!

Ugh!I've been trying to decide what to do about the diaper thing for months now. Knowing that I'll be going back to work full time as soon as possible after Jaden is born ...that I'll be going to school full time along with that, we'll GOD willing be moving shortly after Jaden gets here, and that my mom will be watching him after he's born has me reconsidering the reusables. Will I have time to deal with washing them all the time...do I really want to have my mom deal with the reusables,especially when she's doing me a huge favor, will Josh be able to handle the reusables (he's already paranoid about poopy diapers as it is...lol). I've come to terms with the fact that I will need to work and I'm greatful that my mom will be able to watch Jaden, and that Josh will finally be able to pursue a more rewarding career. There are a lot of good things on the horizon...so I can deal with making certain sacrifices...but I HATE making decisions like this. I'm always so worried about making the wrong choice. I just don't want to invest the money into the reusables if I'm not 100% certain that I'll be able to keep using them. I'm indecisive as it is...but these types of decisions only make it worse! Not my best character trait....what to do?! Good thing I have another 9 weeks to decide, lol.

Chocolate cupcakes with Peanut butter frosting...

Ina, you haven't let me down yet! Yum!



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-cupcakes-and-peanut-butter-icing-recipe/index.html



I made these for Josh's Birthday! I have to say, they came out very pretty and tasted delicious! Very rich though...definitely can't eat more than one!

A little hope...and a lot of love...

With all the heartbreaking stories about friends/fellow bloggers and their babies I've been doing a lot of praying! I can only imagine what these ladies are going through. Losing babies, very premature babies, and babies who will be facing some really tough beginnings with surgeries and recovery time. It breaks my heart, because you never imagine such a happy experience becoming such a stressful and complicated experience! These ladies have held up so well and truth be told I don't think a single one of us would blame them for falling apart now and again. I feel like I would! I trust in GOD's perfect plan, I know he has it all under control, but the flesh does get very weak! Anyway, the point in all this is...we're praying for you girls :) Much Love!

"For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them"
Matthew 18:20

Happy Birthday...

To my sweet Angel!

(It's a day early, but since I want to spend the day with you tomorrow I figured I'd post it today!)


I want to wish you a very Happy 29th Birthday! You mean so much to me (and Baby J...and the kitties of course!. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father for my child! I pray that this year brings you more joy than you ever thought possible! I can't wait to see you in your new role as "daddy"...it melts my heart just thinking about it! I'm so excited to see what GOD has in store for us! Happy Birthday Boo! XOXO!!!

All of our love!

Nadine, Jaden and kitties! XOXO!

30 weeks update....

Holy moly! 30 weeks! I can't believe we're at this point! Believe me, I feel THAT pregnant, but it's still hard to believe we're that close to being parents to a human baby! Kitties...no problem...human baby-whole new experience! ;0)




So here goes...


How far along: 30 weeks and 1 day!

How big is baby Jaden: More than likely this boy is right around or just over 3 lbs! He's getting heavy! He's measuring about 15-16 inches in length. His brain is developing very rapidly. He is shedding the Lanugo (hair that covers the body)and he would now be able to control his body temperature if born prematurely. One of the websites says he is now "playing quite vigorously" I'd have to agree with that one, lol! This boy is active now!

Weight Gain: 30 lbs (roughly...I still need to weigh myself this week, but given that with the fierce heartburn I've had this week/nausea I haven't eaten as much, I doubt I've gained more than that).

Maternity Clothes: Yes. I have as a matter of fact apparently outgrown my maternity shorts. They look quite humerous on me at this point! So long pants in the heat it is! I ordered my dress for the photos, shower and wedding! Hoping and praying it fits! It's very pretty and navy blue (As in we're having a little boy ;) woo hoo!Yes I'm that cheesy!)

Sleep: Need I go there! Really?! To add to the previously listed discomforts and culprits for lack of sleep....leg cramps seem to be a new developement over the last couple of weeks.

Best moment of the week: Finding gifts from fellow bloggers/friends in my mailbox/on my doorstep! It made my week! Love you guys!

Of course watching our littl jumping bean boogeying all day and night is on the top of the list too!

My parents also bought us the rest of the car accessories for our shower gift so this little boy is ready for his first road trip!!!

Foods I love/hate: pretty much hasn't changed

Movement: Oh yeah! All hours of the day/night! Lol! :)

Morning Sickness: Yes, but I really think it's just from the heartburn. It's been so bad sometimes that it hurts to eat and of course if I don't eat when I'm hungry I feel very nauseous.

Another good read...

Since I am not feeling well today, I decided to finally finish the book I borrowed from a friend...oh....4 months ago! Yes, I really have had the book that long! I'm embarrassed to admit it but I've been a little distracted the last few months, lol. Anyway, it's a wonderful book and it makes some wonderful points about not only love, but faith, friendship, patriotism, etc. It was a wonderful story and I highly recommend it. Be prepared to sob like a baby though...have tissues ready towards the end (you've been warned!)!!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

zzzzz....

This is all I feel like doing these days, lol....yet between the itchiness and kung fu practice/ dance rehearsals in my belly it's not very often I get to actually do this for more than an hour or so at a time...day or night, lol! ;) Josh caught me with the camera!

Thank you!

Last weekend we were invited to a baby shower for young women veterans hosted by some of Palm Beach's older women veterans. It was so thoughtful and we all appreciated it very much! A big thank you to all of these wonderful ladies. Here are the gifts we left with! :)

He's a little confused...

Apparently he's under the impression that he's the baby and we've bought all this stuff for him ;) We're still working on that. I added a little knit blanket in the crib last night and not 30 minutes later my little Jonah was curled up like a little baby on the blanket in the crib. Poor kitty...he has NO IDEA! :) lol!

The Nursery...

29 week update...

29 weeks and 3 days!



The bump at 29 weeks and 3 days!


This is what I see when looking down these days ;)



This rash is truly making me miserable. It's been getting worse and worse again for the last couple of weeks! I'm so ready for that part to be over with. Of course the constant heat...sweating is just making it worse!


How far along: 29 weeks and 2 days

How big is baby Jaden: He's getting close to 3 lbs now and about 15 or 16 inches in length. It's hard to say for sure...it seems like every book I have and website I look at has different measurements.

Weight Gain: 29lbs...pretty much right on track. I have a little over 10 weeks to go and I should gain between 35-40 total.

Maternity Clothes: Yes. I'm actually looking for a cute maternity dress right now...it has to do tripple duty because I only want to have to buy one...
1) Maternity shots 9/18
2) Baby shower 10/2
3) Friend's wedding 10/30

Sleep: Lol...I'm lucky if I can get 3-5 hours per night. Believe it or not...I've adjusted pretty well...I move a lot slower during the day, and have some slight lapses in brain activity from time to time, but I'm making it through. I'm totally going to be ready for those all night feedings, lol!

Best moment of the week: hmm...well, one of them was sitting on the couch with Josh watching my son go completely crazy! It was so funny to watch. My belly was all over the place. I wish we had a video camera! Josh turned to me and asked me "what is he doing in there?!"...um sorry babe...I couldn't tell you. I can feel him...can't see inside ;)

The other would be...I found out that the VA Hospital will be giving me a breast pump and Nursing bras for free thanks to the WOmen Veterans Association...the same amazing ladies that threw us the shower last week. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! I was so worried I wouldn't be able to buy one because the good ones are so expensive and the cheaper ones had terrible reviews...thank GOD! :)

Foods I love: Still Paninis! Breaded Eggplant! Cereal! Egg and Cheese Bagel with Veggie bacon! Scones! Chocolate!

Foods I hate: Garlic...yuck...the smell makes me nauseated!

Movement: Lots! This little boy has certainly become quite active in the last couple of weeks...It's amazing and I just love to watch and feel him practice his moves ;) I'm sure people wonder what in the world I'm grinning and giggling at 24/7 lol.

Belly button: You've seen it ;) It leads the way!

Morning sickness: I had a couple of minor queezy spells but nothing major.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Hello Everyone! I can't believe the first week of class is already over again! Whew! I don't know about you guys but I'm tired! Must be all those crazy hormones and restless nights, lol. I'll be doing my updates sometimes this weekend. Hopefully tomorrow if I can get the hubs to take a pic for me. I'm soooo looking forward to haaving him home with me for an extra day! Woohoo! :) Anyway, I wish you all a very happy Labor Day weekend with your loved ones!
Much Love!
Nadine

Hello Fall!

Ok so I don't really know what the official first day of fall is but Josh and I consider September to be fall so.....Happy Fall everyone! On the one hand I'm so thrilled that it's here, on the other I can't believe it's already here! Funny how that works! ;) The last 8 months have flown by!

I can't believe in about 11 weeks we will be holding our little baby boy! (My little mini Josh! I'm sure he'll be a major ham just like his daddy!)I feel like there is still so much to be done. Life continues to throw us curveballs (naturally...that's just how it goes). Aside from trying to get ready for our little munchkin, school and trying to pray and plan about next year we've been having one vehicle issue after the next. We had finally had savings going and the truck needs work....then we kinda get savings built up to at least half of what it was and....truck needs work again...oh yeah and now the car needs tires, breaks, etc.?! Ah...strap on and enjoy the ride as much as possible, lol...about all I can do. We've been so greatful that we had ANY money set aside for this stuff...because at the start of the year this would have seriously had us in a panic. GOD has taken care of us in a major way! I still can't believe how much of Jaden's things we've gotten used from my generous sister in law and friends as well as the things my parents got us already! I hope you guys know we couldn't have gotten those things with out your help and we don't take that for granted at all! A huge THANK YOU to you guys!

On another note, I was on my way home from class the other day when it hit me that...had I taken the time to really get to know myslef and accept my personality traits for what they are...and chosen a career to truly fit me instead of trying to make myself fit into a career then I could have saved myself so much heartache, stress and debt. This might sound like a negative thought, but it isn't intended to be...it was actually an "ah ha" moment for me because I feel like this major is what I should have pursued a long time ago. It's what suits me, what I'm good at. I hope that someone out there can learn from my mistakes and that's why I've always tried to be open about my challenges and short comings. For years I tried to do careers that could be exciting and challenging (for my personality)which pretty much just left me feeling unfulfilled, tired, stressed, out of place and less than adequate! Let that be a lesson to all the young ones out there...you have to figure yourself out before you can figure out what career will work for you.

I've also had to come to terms with the fact that even though I would LOVE to be a SAHM, this will not be possible (at least not with out a MAJOR miracle)for quite some time. As much as not being with my child will hurt me every single day...I am thankful that my mom has offered to watch him for me so that he'll never have to be in daycare...not that I don't understand that some mom's have no choice but to put their child in daycare...but I am thankful to have the option of letting him stay with family.
I've prayed and prayed about this issue, believe me I was begging GOD to let us make it work somehow...but I guess he has other plans for us. I'm ok with that(now...well, 98% at least...the other 2% is still being a big baby about it ;0) lol). I know what I have to do to get our life/family on track and I'm willing to do whatever it takes :) GOD has a different plan for each of us and I can accept that fact even when I don't completely understand it. He's never let us down before.

Anyway, how's that for a random post...lol. I hope all of you are having a wonderful week! Much love! Please keep praying for all of the sweet little babies that were born early/have some challenges to overcome once born. You can find out more about their mommies and what exactly they are up against via the buttons on my sidebar.
GOD Bless,
Nadine