Presidential visit and Marine Corps Birthday Ball

 

As most of you know we got to meet President Obama!  We knew that he was coming for awhile and Brian was very busy at work as the embassy prepared for his visit.  This was the 3rd time he has tried to come to Australia.  As a part of his trip he set aside time to come to the embassy and speak.  We sent in an RSVP about a week ahead of time to let the embassy know that we were planning on attending the meet and greet.  The day of the meet and greet, Caleb, Elias and I arrived very early.  We knew there would be an area where you could stand to maybe get to shake the President's hand.  So for the first hour, we stood in line to get in the embassy.  We had to go through the secret service security, there was a long lis of things you are not allowed to bring.  Because we go there so early we got a spot right at the ropes.  There we stood for 2 hours.  Brian was not pleased with me!  We had a small bag of snacks and toys to entertain the boys.  Elias took a small nap while Brian was holding him.  Caleb played with the book and cars we brought for him.  It is amazing how resourceful you can be in a small area when you need to be.  I even nursed Elias in this small area (yes there were people all around).  I just sat down and covered up.  By the 2 hour mark Caleb was getting tired and anxious.  It was not an overly hot day, but since it was midday the sun was very strong.  Brian was wearing a suit and always holding 1 of the boys, so he was very hot!  By the time Obama came out, Caleb was done and started crying.  Obama was about 1/2 hour late!  The ambassador spoke for a couple of minutes and then Obama spoke.  I can't remember a lot of his speech, I was holding Caleb and trying to calm him down.  But he did thank the families for moving to support the embassy workers and I appreciated that.  Then the moment of truth came!  Obama came to shake hands.  He first went to an area of kids who were chosen to meet him and then he came to our area.  When he got to us he was shaking Elias hand and I just kind of thrust Elias at him! haha!  I don't know if he wanted to hold Elias or not, but I had it in my mind that he was going to!  When I saw him coming I gave the camera to Brian and right when Obama went to turn Elias around, our memory card filled up!  I have not used the small camera for months and head not checked it ahead of time!  After he shook our hands and gave Elias back we went to get water and wait until we could leave.  Both boys took a good nap that afternoon.  Which was good because then we had to find someone who got a picture of Obama with Elias!  I emailed the CLO (the person who arranged the meet and greet) to ask if their photographer had gotten the shot and she said he was blocked.  So I asked Brian to put out a mass email asking if anyone got a picture of a baby in a red hat with the president.  Luckily 5 people wrote back and we got 4 pictures!  But now Elias is known as the baby in the red hat! :)

Last weekend was also the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  Brian promised me that while we were here we would go once.  He did not want to go last year, so he had to fulfill his promise this year.  It was a great time!  I had to buy a formal dress which was no easy feat here.  But I found a store in the city that sold formalwear  and they had great customer service, so it was not too bad.  A lady from my church offered to do my hair.  She did it in a french twist with some curled bits on top.  Another lady from church offered to watch the boys.  It was really cool seeing the Marine Ball traditions, seeing the colors come in, watching them cut the cake with a sword, feeling ancient as the youngest Marine ate it.  The food was good and I got to do some dancing.  Not with Brian of course, he does not like to dance :)  It was a very late night and I still have not recovered in sleep.  But it was really nice to get all dressed up and go out with my hubby!

Although these were both uniquely American experiences, neither would have happened for us if we were not in Australia.  Obama does not do meet and greets in Gaithersburg, MD and Brian is not a part of the armed forces so we would not have a chance to go to the Marine Corps Ball.  So, thanks to our posting here we got to celebrate and appreciate our American culture more than if we were in America!  

happy 6 month birthday Elias!

Tomorrow (11/17) Elias will be 6 months old!  It has gone so fast!  I took him to the pediatrician yesterday and he was 16 lb 2 oz and 24.5 inches.  The pediatrician does not want to see him again until before we move, he will be 13.5 months.  He looks much chunkier than he is.  When the doctor first saw him yesterday he said "wow, what a boofer (Aussie slang for chunky).  But when he weighed and measured him, he said "wait, he is not a boofer at all!"  He is in the 25th percentile for weight and 3rd for height.  He has only grown 2 centimeters since he was 3 months.  I am a bit concerned that he is not growing taller, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I am just praying for a growth spurt!

He can roll over both ways and loooooves to roll.  He will roll from one end of the room to the other and then back again!  He is working on sitting up, but he is not quite there yet.
He is eating solid food.  He started on rice cereal 2 weeks ago and loves it.  He is up to 2 servings a day of 2 ounces each.  This week he had his first veggie, zucchini, which he also loved!  I think he is going to be a very good eater!

He is cooing and talking all the time and loves to be held.  He also is getting quite attached to me.  If he is playing on the floor and I walk past and don't pick him up, he will whine until I do.  I am trying to enjoy that attention now, because I know that in a couple of months he will become a daddy's boy like Caleb.  Caleb is by far his favorite toy!  Whenever Caleb is around he will reach out for him and he loves the attention Caleb gives him.  If Caleb is around he will watch whatever he is doing, it is like t.v. for him!  What crazy things will my big brother do now!  Caleb is still very good with him.  He loves to give Elias toys and he likes to feed him as well.  I am thinking though there might be some trouble when Elias can crawl and get Caleb's toys.  Caleb already gets annoyed when Elias kicks his books while nursing.

Although Elias had a rough start he is very healthy now.  His reflux went away at around 4 1/2 months and his milk protein intolerance went away at about 5 months.

Elias is a very happy baby.  He loves to smile and laugh.  After the doctor shared his concerns about Elias' growth he said he was not overly concerned because he is such a happy guy.  I am very blessed to have such a sweet baby boy!  Happy 6 month Birthday Elias!

Our day by the numbers

After reading some of my friend's blogs I was inspired to chronicle our day.  So this was our day.

11/10/11 - Today's date

5:00am - Elias first feeding of the day 

6:30am - Brian gets up

7:00am - I got up

7:40am - Brian leaves for work

7:45am - Elias woke up

8:05am - Caleb woke up

6:15pm - Brian got home from work

8:00pm - Caleb went to bed

9:20pm - Elias went to bed

10:15pm - Brian and I went to bed

3 - times Brian got up with Caleb or Elias - it rained last night and the storm woke Caleb and Elias needed the pacifier and to be reswaddled twice.

32 months - Caleb's age

5 months - Elias' age

8 - times I fed Elias, (6 times nursed, 2 servings of rice cereal)

4 - times I fed Caleb (breakfast - cheerios with milk, 1/2 banana  snack - granola bar  lunch - chicken, carrots, blueberries  dinner - green beans, roasted potatoes, carrots, he was offered meat, but refused)

8 - diapers I changed

17 - the number of songs Caleb sang but

31 - the amount of times he sang - the song he sang the most, Dr. Knickerbocker number 9 (the Wiggles)

10 - times Caleb said "I be silly!"

2 - times Caleb sent himself to his room -yes I wrote that right, he disciplines himself when he is angry with me!  

9 - hugs Caleb gave Elias

8 - books we read to Caleb and Elias but

12- times the books were read, normally Caleb has us read each book twice 

3 - times Elias rolls over during tummy time (he had tummy time 3 times today so he rolled 9 times today).  He can roll both ways, but always gets very upset when he finds himself on his tummy again!

22 - letters Caleb identified while we were cleaning up his magnet letters (he missed L, V, Y, Z - not bad for a 2 year old!)

10 - numbers he identified - at first he missed 6, he mixes it up with 9.

4 - times Elias spit up on me, this is not the amount he spit up in total, just on me!

3 - naps Elias took for 3 hours in total

1 - nap Caleb took for 2 1/2 hours (this is not normal, it is the first nap he took all week!)

2 - loads of laundry got washed and dried but only

1 - load was folded and put away, the other is in the dryer. 

1 - new skill Elias did today, he started blowing raspberries!  He is so cute!

unmeasurable - the number of times Caleb and Elias smiled or laughed today.  They both smile and laugh all day long, there is no way to keep count!  

out of the mouth of Caleb

I have been posting a lot lately about my troubles potty training Caleb.  So I thought I would post some cute things about him too :)  Here are some of the cute things he has been saying.  First you have to imagine it in his voice and substitute all your "l" sounds for "y" sounds.

As we were leaving Questacon after saying good-bye to a friend he said to me "I had fun playing silly with Lily!"

This morning when he woke up he asked for his koala who did not make it to bed with him last night.  He found him in the playroom and said "I missed you last night koala!"

One afternoon we were reading the Easter story.  On the back of the book is a picture of Jesus talking to a group of people.  He pointed to Jesus and said "Murray, Sam.  .  " to which I said "Caleb, Jesus is not a Wiggle."

Every time Elias spits up he says "Mommy, Yias spillded!"

He also adds "ed" to most words now and says "fellded, saided" and speaks some toddler ebonics.  When he was telling Brian who he played with that day "Ben be there, Peter be there, Elias be there, Mommy be  there, and I be there too."  My favorite is when he expresses when he does not want something he says "no, please!" (instead of no thank you, I love it!)

We have a deal that when he sleeps during naptime he can watch the Wiggles during lunch.  So when I walk in the room after he sleeps he says "I took a whole nap, watch Wiggles now!"

Thanks to Brian he loves to point out when he farts or if he thinks anyone else has.  This happened once while we were at a nice afternoon tea with ladies from the church,  Thank goodness they did not understand him!

Whenever you ask what he wants to eat he will think and then say "ummm.  .  .  french fries, chicken, sauce".

Randomly during the day he will say "Yaaaay Maryland,  Boo Duke!"

He is such a goofy little boy!  

a long overdue update

Wow, it has been a long time since I have blogged.  So this will be more of a hodgepodge blog.

First, today is 9/11.  So you might be wondering what Canberra is doing to remember that day.  There is a ceremony in a park today hosted by the American embassy.  There was also a flag ceremony at the embassy a couple weeks ago, there is a flag for each person that was lost around the perimeter of the embassy.  Brian is going to help set up for the ceremony today and then attend it.  I decided not to go, I am afraid Caleb might get loud or Elias might get hungry or not want to go to sleep.  So I think it is better that the boys stay home as to not ruin the somber mood of the ceremony.

Last week Brian was away.  It was my first week with the boys on my own all day.  I was very nervous.  Elias does not sleep very well during the day and Caleb is very attached to Brian.  But in all it went well.  Most of you who follow the blog are also my friend on facebook, so you saw my updates each day, so I won't go into detail with it.

Elias is finally starting to improve.  I think he is coming out of his reflux.  It is funny how similar he and Caleb are!  Caleb started coming out his reflux at 3.5 months and Elias is just about 4 months.  He is not screaming nearly as much as he used to when going to sleep.  He is also putting himself to sleep during his daytime naps now.  He will sleep in his crib anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours at a time during the day.  I normally have to hold him at least once if he has only taken a short nap in his crib.  But it is so much nicer than having to hold him for every daytime nap.  He finished the last of his medicine yesterday morning.  We have another refill but I am hoping he won't need it.  He will also start rice cereal this week, yum!  He is growing so fast!

My silly boys, Caleb 2 1/2     Elias 16 weeks

Although it seems Elias and Caleb are very similar I can already see how their personalities are so different!  Caleb has always been very physical.  He started being independent at 8 weeks, wanting to be on the floor playing.  He rolled over at 11 weeks.  He was also very demanding.  If he wanted/wants something you know about it right away and he will bother you about it until he gets it.  Elias is so much calmer.  During tummy time he does not try to roll over or work on lifting his head.  He will lay there, talk to himself or suck on his fingers until you turn him over.  He is also pretty content to do whatever.  He is happy to be held or in his bouncer or on the floor.  The only time he makes a fuss is when he is hungry or overtired.  Luckily they are similar in that Caleb was a very happy baby and so is Elias, Caleb was also very talkative and Elias seems to be that way as well.

I think this picture shows their personalities well.  Caleb is a complete goofball and Elias is just sweet!

I have some ideas for some new blogs.  I will try to update more often!

the hang of it - maybe

I am 7 1/2 weeks into being a mom of 2 boys and I think I might finally be able to handle it! (although now that I have it in writing something is bound to go awry!) Last Monday we went to the pediatrician for Elias' 6 week check-up and we told him the issues that Elias was having with reflux. He gave us losec and it really seems to be working. Elias is in his crib sleeping now! I was also able to put him down during the day 3 days this week! What a blessing!

I think part of the reason I am doing so well is I have had a lot of help. Jeff (my middle brother) was here this week and Caleb had a blast playing with him. So during the day I really only worried about Elias. Jeff is here for a month, but is off exploring other parts of Australia. We will meet up with him in Sydney in a couple of weeks and then at some point he will come back to Canberra for a bit. I think he is going to see more of Australia in 1 month than we are in 2 years. It has been so great seeing him! I love having family in the house! In 3 weeks Marc and Betty (Brian's parents) will be here, we can't wait!

Elias had his first smile last week, on his 6 week birthday. Everyday he smiles more and more. It is so fun to see his personality come out. He seems to be more calm than Caleb - as he puts up with a lot of Caleb's antics. Caleb loves to play with Elias. He is always taking Elias's hands and making him wave at me, ("Hi Meghan!" - how funny is it that Caleb makes Elias call me Meghan and not mommy!) showing him how to clap, or how to hit the animals on his bouncer. Caleb also loves to give Elias big hugs and do tummy time with him. Elias has yet to whine or cry when Caleb does any of this. He just looks at Caleb and smiles :) I really hope that they can continue to develop a good relationship!

Other than the craziness in the house not too much is going on here. It is the dead of winter, so it is pretty cold. Unfortunately I think I have gotten too used to Canberra weather and I am freezing when it is 50 degrees out! I know I will be in for a shock when we get back to MD winters!

We went to the embassy to celebrate the 4th of July. They had jumping castles and slides for the kids. It was of course an American themed party, so there was batting cages, hot dogs, hamburgers, American movies and music playing. It was nice to go, but very cold since it was all outdoors!

We are coming up on our 1 year anniversary of being in Australia. It has been a great year! But now it is almost time to start making plans to head home. I love it here, but I miss my family and friends in MD a lot!

1st week alone

This was my first week of having the boys on my own during the day. My parents were here for 3 weeks and it was a great visit! We showed them around Canberra but also spend a good amount of time at home. They were so helpful! My dad played with Caleb and Caleb completely wore him out each night! My mom was so helpful with Elias. It really helped me recover from surgery. Plus it had been 10 months since I had seen them, so it was so good seeing them. 3 weeks was not long enough, I miss them so much already!

So Monday morning came and I was pretty nervous. I was starting to get the feeling that Elias had reflux. He was starting to show a lot of the signs that Caleb had when he had reflux as an infant. He will not sleep on his back during the day, when I put him on his back, no matter what the state of sleep he is in, he wakes up almost immediately. So, he wants to be carried all day, unless he is in his car seat. He also needs to be upright after a feed, or he will vomit. Also I notice he spits up a good bit, but will swallow it back down. So I was afraid that Caleb would not be ok with me holding Elias all day. Luckily Caleb has been wonderful! I have tried to keep to the same routine as before Elias was born (Monday - playgroup, Tuesday - Bible study, Wednesday - MOPS or library, Thursday - library if we don't go wednesday, Friday - free). He really enjoyed introducing everyone at playgroup to Elias. He also did really well at MOPS. When I told him we were going that morning, he cried and then cried again when I dropped him off. But luckily the Pastor of our church was in the toddler room and Caleb really enjoyed playing with him. I even heard him squealing from the other room! It was such a relief and an answer to prayer!

I took Elias to a GP on Tuesday to get medicine for the reflux and he gave me a prescription. So far I don't know how well it is working. I can put him down while he is awake in the bouncer or propped up on the boppy. But he still will not sleep on his back during the day. We go to the pediatrician on Monday for his 6 week check-up and if things still have not improved I might ask for a stronger medicine. I love my cuddle time with Elias, but holding him all day is really taxing.

Here is a picture of the 6 of us at the hotel in Sydney before my parents left. Also a picture of Caleb and Elias. Caleb really loves Elias! he is really sweet with him and includes him in almost all parts of his day, making sure he goes everywhere we go and doing all we do! In the picture he is making Elias wave at the camera :) The last is Elias (5 weeks) - almost smiling it was after a sneeze. I think a real smile is not too far away.

Welcome Elias

Elias William Charmatz is here! My c-section took place last Tuesday, May 17. Elias was born at 2:36pm, he weighed 6 lbs 13 oz, and was 17 3/4 inches. We had to arrive at the hospital at 9am and I had some blood taken. Then we were given a room and we just sat and waited until we were taken back for the surgery. The anesthesiologist and my OB did a fantastic job!

The funniest thing about the Cesar (what they call a c-section here) was when they lowered the curtain to show us Elias for the first time he peed on me! I could not believe he came out of the womb peeing! Then when the pediatrician took him examine him, he peed on the pediatrician too!

I was worried that I would be given too much medicine like Caleb's birth. But I was given the perfect amount. The day after the surgery I was out of the bed and walking around on my own. with Caleb I was not able to get out of bed for at least 2 days and I was not mobile on my own until the day before I left the hospital. This time once I was out of bed I was moving fine. It is amazing to me how well my body could recover when I only had the surgery and not the labor. My blood pressure has been high, which is odd for me, it is never something that I have struggled with. I also somehow hurt my shoulder. I am seeing a midwife tomorrow about the blood pressure, hopefully it has gone down!

Elias is wonderful. He is nursing really well which is such a blessing. Caleb did not nurse well until he was over 2 months old. For the most part Elias is sleeping well too, although he has a good amount of gas. So nights have been a bit of a struggle. Last night he was up from 3:30am-6:30am. Then of course he had a wonderful day. Hopefully tonight will be better!

Caleb and Brian visited us in the hospital twice a day. Elias gave Caleb a present each day he came. Caleb has taken to Elias very well! He loves to give him hugs and kisses. He gets upset when Elias cries, especially when I change his diaper. He says "no hurting". He also asks where Elias is when he does not see him. It is so sweet! I am hoping all the good feelings toward his brother will last!

My parents come in on Saturday, 5 days! I can't wait to see them!

Here is the last pic of me pregnant. The anesthesiologist told me I had quite a bump and the baby was bursting to get out! I agreed! Then one of our sweet Elias.

The night before

Tomorrow is the big day! After months of waiting and lots of conversations tomorrow we will meet our new baby boy, Elias! As I have written before I really struggled with wether to try for a v-bac or do a planned c-section. Last Tuesday Brian and I had a long talk with my OB about how the baby was looking and if the v-bac was a viable option. She wanted me to wait until 37 weeks to make a decision. She checked where the baby was and he was not in my pelvis anymore like he was the week before. It also looked like he is going to be at least as big as Caleb. So she said that realistically my chances of having a successful v-bac are slim. She said we could wait until I go into labor and see how it goes and then decide wether to do the c-section then. But my recovery from the c-section will be better if I just do the surgery without any labor. So Brian and I decided that the planned c-section was the best option for me. I go in at 9am and the baby will be out by 2:30! My OB has 2 c-sections for tomorrow and I don't know if I am first or second.

I have so many feelings about tomorrow. I am nervous about the surgery, I know the recovery will be tough. I am also nervous about Caleb's reaction to Elias. Will he be jealous of the time I will have to spend with Elias? Will he act out to get my attention? Or will he adapt to the new situation? Will I be a good mother to 2 kids? Will I manage time with my boys fairly? Do I remember how to care for a newborn? Will Elias have as many problems as Caleb did? And if he does, how can I deal with that and a 2 year old? But I am also so excited to meet Elias! I can't wait to see what his personality is going to be like. I wonder if he will be similar to Caleb or completely opposite. I am really looking forward to going through all the baby stages with a new baby! When will he roll over, stand, crawl walk, talk? I can't wait to find out!

I also can't wait to see my parents! They are coming in the 28th. It has been 10 months since I have seen them. We skype every week, but it is not the same as seeing them. I miss them terribly! I am so excited to spend 3 weeks with them!

Brian will be off work starting tomorrow for 2 weeks. I have stocked our fridge with leftovers from the last 2 nights of meals and the freezer with meals as well. I will be in hospital 5 days. So I think Brian and Caleb will be ok while I am there (at least as far as food is concerned). Our church is taking care of meals for us when I get out of hospital until my parents arrive. I am so grateful we have found such a caring church!

Well, here we go again! I hope Elias is ready!

a new perspective and Easter

I am 35 weeks now and I feel like the baby is coming so soon now! I feel enormous and the baby has dropped and it feels like he is sitting on my bladder. I also am starting to have some lower back pain when I walk or stand too much. I know it sounds like a lot of complaints but I am very happy and content that Elias is where he is! Over the past couple of weeks a few things have happened to us and friends that has given me a new perspective. One of my friends lost her baby, another gave birth to a preemie at 32 weeks, and we also found out officially that we will only be here in Australia for 2 years. These things have made me realize that my baby is exactly where he should be and he is growing the way he should (or he would not be giving me the pains he does). I have also tried harder to slow down and enjoy the experiences that I have here. I have made some wonderful, supportive friends here and I live in a beautiful country and now that it is fall going outside is stunning with all the fall colors!

Brian has a much deserved 5 day weekend now. The Australian government celebrates Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Anzac day (their version of veteran's day) this weekend. The last 2 months have been very busy for Brian at work. He has had a lot of extra work and had to work longer hours. So hopefully he can relax a good bit this weekend. That being said, we decided to use a lot of the time to get ready for Elias's arrival. We finished the nursery today, and did a couple loads of baby laundry. Tomorrow we are dropping off my car for some routine maintenance, so we don't have to worry about that later. We are also going to install the infant car seat and move more toys/organize the toys in the playroom. We are also going to try to go on a hospital tour tomorrow, they only run them when they have adequate nurse staff to spare. The last 2 weeks we have tried to go they said it was too busy and they could not do it. Hopefully it will be on tomorrow! It sounds like a lot of work but we have a bit of fun planned too, we are going to go bowling while the car is being worked on and Brian is going to watch Caleb while I get a pedicure one day this weekend too :)

This weekend more importantly is also Easter. We are having a family over from the embassy, "the girls" as Caleb calls them for Easter dinner. I am going to cook the traditional Easter ham with au gratin potatoes and whatever green vegetable looks good in the store this afternoon when I pick up the other stuff. I am happy to have a full house for Easter, it is such a joyful holiday! It does not seem to be a big celebration here. I asked the ladies in my Bible study how it is celebrated here and they did not really have an answer. They did say that they eat chocolate eggs and have Easter baskets. Also the stores have been selling hot cross buns for a couple of months now, which by the way are delicious! They have a lot of different flavors, raisin, chocolate, chocolate coffee, yum! It is not a big church holiday, they don't dye eggs or dress up. But they do get a 5 day weekend and school holidays are on now (they last 2 weeks) so a lot of people go away.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend, remember to celebrate the true meaning, the resurrection of our Savior!

Here are some pictures of the nursery. Elias will be in the pack and play for a month or so while Caleb still occupies the crib, but as you can see it has a bassinet, so it will work out fine. The decorations are all decals since we can't paint. Brian picked the theme this time :p

mothering confusion

These last few weeks have been tough in the Charmatz household. Brian has had a busy month at work, I have been on restrictions, and Caleb has picked up on the differences in the house.

Brian has been wonderful helping around the house when he can. He has done all the laundry and cleaning. He even took over Caleb's swim lessons for a couple of weeks. Caleb loves swimming with daddy! I have felt really bad for him, he has had a lot going on at work and then he has to come home and do extra work at home. But he has not complained once, he is amazing!

The restrictions have worked. I have not had any contractions since I was in the hospital, so it has been about 5 weeks now! I tried to hire a mother's helper to come in on Friday mornings, but I don't think it is going to work out, we can't seem to sync up our schedules. I have been able to keep up most of our activities since I can sit most places we go. So we still do playgroup on Mondays, Bible study on Tuesdays, and MOPS or library on Wednesday. I have another appointment tomorrow. At my last appointment the OB was very happy with how things were going and said that I should be off restrictions at 32 weeks. I will be 32 weeks Wednesday :)

Caleb unfortunately has felt the changes the most. Ever since I was in the hospital he has been very clingy. He does not want me out of his sight and when he is approached by new people he cries. The worst is at MOPS. He does not want me to leave him in the toddler room and will cry continually after I leave. The last 2 times he has come out and sat on my lap for the majority of the time. Last week has has started getting restless in the house and his new favorite activity is throwing his toys. He has also started screaming at me/Brian when he is angry. I know these are all phases, but it is tough to deal with. We are also having more potty confusion. But I won't go into that now. Hopefully as time goes on and things continue to calm down so will Caleb. Being a mother can be quite confusing!

On the positive side we finally have a name for the baby! We are going to name him Elias William. Elias is a variation on the name Elijah, meaning The Lord is my God. William is my Grandfather, Dad, and brother's middle name. Now that we have a name I have started ordering decorations for the baby's room. I am not ready for him to come yet, but I am getting closer! 8 more weeks!

Here are some recent pictures of the family. The first 2 are Brian and Caleb enjoying March madness (Brian has his hand up so he cannot see the score of the game, the video was on delay). Some people have asked for a bump picture, so here I am at 31 1/2 weeks. I am frightened that I will still get a lot bigger! eek!

26 week curse

So as many of you already know I was put into the hospital this week with contractions. On Thursday morning, while I was feeding Caleb breakfast I started to feel some cramping. I decided to pay closer attention and time the cramps and realized that they were coming every 5 minutes (so not cramps, contractions!). They also started to get stronger and I realized I had to start breathing through them. At that point I decided to call Brian and my OB. The OB said to come in and she would see me first thing. She checked the baby and everything was fine, but she did say that my cervix was soft. Since I have been seeing her all along she knows that our family is not in the area. So she called the hospital and had me admitted. She knew sending me home and telling me to go on bed rest was not going to happen. So Brian picked me and Caleb up and we went to the hospital. They gave me meds to stop the contractions and steroids for the baby's lungs just in case the baby was adamant about coming out. We called a friend and she came and picked up Caleb for a few hours while Bri and I got things sorted out at the hospital. After things started to settle down some Brian picked up Caleb and went home. The night did not go well, after the contractions stopped I started getting horrible constant abdominal pains. The nurses tried to give me meds to help but they did nothing. I only got about 3 hours of sleep. But the next morning I started to feel better. Gradually the abdominal pains went away. The nurses monitored the baby the whole time and he did not seem to realize anything was going on. They just kept commenting about how active he is. Friday early evening my OB came to the hospital to check on me and since my contractions and pains had gone she let me go home. She knew Brian would be home the next 2 days.

I am calling this the 26 week curse because the same thing happened with Caleb at the same time. After a very long work day I started contractions at 26 weeks with Caleb. My OB did not put me in the hospital, but I was put on the same meds to stop them. I was on them for 5 weeks and they made me sick. I was also on restricted activity, I had to teach from a chair, and I was not allowed to do any housework at home.

This time it is a bit harder. The system is a bit different here, they will only give you the meds in the hospital so they can monitor it. I have been put on restricted activity again, which makes sense. I am not allowed to carry Caleb any distance, but I can lift him into the crib, car, etc. I am allowed to cook, but that is about all the housework I can do. I am allowed to go to playgroup, MOPS, and Bible study. But no swim lessons for awhile.

Luckily Caleb decided to stay for a lot longer and ended up coming 4 days early. Hopefully this baby will do the same. I have come to the conclusion that since it has happened twice now at the exact same time I don't think it is the baby. I think for some reason my body decides that at 26 weeks it is done being pregnant and I need to remind it that we still have awhile longer.

Since I left the hospital I have continued to feel better. I have not had anymore contractions and am in no pain. If however they do come back, my OB said I will be back in the hospital.

Brian has been wonderful through all of this! He has fully taken over the housework. He took 2 days off work to be at home with Caleb while I was in the hospital. He has been playing with him so I can have time off my feet. He is such a great father and husband. I am so lucky to have him!

Thanks for all your prayers and support! 13 weeks to go!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

I love a busy week, so last week was wonderful for me! We kept up our normal routine and saw a lot of friends as well!

Wednesday evening my parent's next door neighbor, her daughter, and daughter's boyfriend came down to visit us and Canberra. They were here until Friday afternoon. It was a wonderful visit! Caleb loved all the extra attention he got, especially from another male who was willing to rough-house with him! We took them to Tidbinbilla on Thursday morning and Parliament house in the afternoon. I had not been there yet, it is really nice. We had to go after Caleb's nap, so we got there just before it closed. But they have tours all day long, so we will have to go back sometime. On Friday we went up the Telstra Tower. It was so nice to catch up with old friends!

On the weekend we started birthday celebrations for Caleb. He will be 2 on Thursday! This weekend coming up is President's Day, so we knew people would probably be going out of town. We are not sure if we are yet. On Saturday I baked and decorated my first birthday cake for Caleb. Last year, a really good friend of mine made the cake. She is extremely talented and did an amazing job. My cake did not compare to hers, but I was still proud of myself. I was surprised at how much I remembered from working at Cake's Plus in college!

On Sunday we had a small party for Caleb. We went to church in the morning and then had 2 families over for a bbq in the early evening. Brian grilled chicken and hamburgers. Our grill is very small, so he grilled for about 2 hours! He did a great job, the food was great! It was a really nice day, so we spent almost the whole party outside. The kids loved playing with the rugby ball and other outdoor toys and the parents sat around and talked. It was lovely! Then it was time for cake and presents. I think Caleb enjoyed his party!

Today our playgroup had a little party for Caleb as well! We made brownies, Caleb helped! He put in the ingredients (expect for the eggs, I did that part :) and stirred it all together. This was the first time we cooked together. He did a great job! The other mums brought muffins, fruit, cookies, and bread. One of the the mum's brought balloons, party hats, and noisemakers too! We played ring around the rosy and then the kids played with the balloons and other toys in the playhouse. It was so sweet that the mum's did this for him! My little boy is very loved!

I don't think we will do too much on his birthday. We have swim lessons in the morning and then we will have lunch with daddy at work. I also think we will skype with both sets of Grandparents that day too, so they can wish him a happy birthday.

MOPS starts this week. I am excited to go for the first time! I also have a 26 week appointment with my OB this week. After this week I start going every 2 weeks. It is crazy how fast this pregnancy is going. No news on the name front. It is driving me crazy! 3 months to go!

Finally February

We made it through the last week of nothing and we are looking forward to all that February has in store for us! We went to playgroup on Monday, had friends over on Tuesday, went to the library on Wednesday, swim lessons on Thursday, and Questacon on Friday.

This week I am starting prenatal yoga. I have never taken yoga before but I am excited to try. I am hoping it will help me become more flexible and get me ready for a v-bac. So I will have to get dinner ready early, but then I get 2 hours to be with other adults! Granted we will be talking about babies, but still, I will be with other women and I won't have to constantly looking over my shoulder for Caleb and I won't have to worry about him since he will be with his daddy.

On Wednesday, my childhood next door neighbor is coming to visit. I can't remember this family not living next door to me, I grew up with their kids playing in their house and yard. Their second daughter lives about 5 hours north of us, so I have not been able to see her since we have moved here. But her mom is here visiting and they thought they would come down and visit us! I am so excited! It will be so nice to see a piece of home!

I will be 25 weeks this week, getting toward the end of my second trimester! But as I get closer to the end I start to worry. With Caleb at 26 weeks I went into pre-term labor. I know every pregnancy is different, but I still worry about going into pre-term labor again. I keep telling myself I have a lot less stress during this pregnancy since I am not working and the labor started with Caleb after a 12 hour work day. But I know that there is no use in worrying and that God is in control of this pregnancy and loves this baby more that I could ever love him.

Caleb is a very big cheerleader right now and cheers for me, Brian, or whatever we say. So I will end with a Caleb cheer. Yaaaaay February!!!

January blahs

Oh January, you are so boring! Caleb and I struggled this week to find things to do. We had 2 things planned with friends, but the other 3 days were tough. We tried to fill our time by going to the library and running errands. But it also rained all week, which is hard for a 23 month old (Can you believe he is 23 months! In a month he will be 2 - wow!). Caleb loves to be outside and run around. On Wednesday we had morning tea with some ladies and their kids from church. It was the first time that I saw them outside of church. It was really nice to get to know them a little better. The ladies are very nice and friendly. I also found out last week that I got into the MOPS group at church as well! MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is a Christian group that meets every other Wednesday morning. I am really looking forward to it because there is childcare, so it will be an hour or so where I can just socialize and worship with other moms and not have to worry about Caleb. I also think it will be good for Caleb to be without me for a bit, he is getting very attached and throws fits when I leave him now. MOPS like everything else here starts up in February. By Friday Caleb was running around the house and tearing it apart. I don't mean this figuratively, while I tried to fold clothes he was taking everything he could out of the closet, off the shelves, and if he could break/tear anything he would. I tried to distract him by drawing, which he instead chose the tear the paper off the crayons and then break them. Luckily we had already planned to meet a friend at the pool, so Caleb was able to get his energy out there. Swim lessons start up again this Thursday - Thank goodness! At least we have 1 normal part of our schedule returning!

Today so far has been wonderful! It is MLK day, so Brian is off work. There is a channel here that plays gridiron (American) football on delay. So Brian is able to see all the playoff games. So he got up early to watch football/be with Caleb, which meant I got to sleep in :) And really sleep in since we had no morning plans since the football games would be on until noon. Then I got to get out of the house on my own to get a pedicure. I was supposed to take in Brian's car for an oil change, but they were booked up (oh darn!). It was so nice drinking an iced coffee, reading trash magazines, and having a pedicure. I even treated myself to lunch!

I don't think the rest of this week will be as relaxing as today has been so far. But like I said, swimming starts on Thursday. It also looks like a beautiful week for weather, sunny and high 70s - low 80s. So I think we will try to go to the zoo and a few parks.

On Wednesday I have my 20 week OB appointment (I will be 22 weeks). This will be the first time I will see my OB since I was 12 weeks. For my last appointment she was on holiday and I saw a substitute Dr. It will be nice to see and hear the baby. We also have a lot of questions for her. We will be able to talk a little about the birth since I am further along. This Dr. is in favor of me having a v-back (Caleb was a c-section - my fault, not his). This was news to me because my OB from the States told me this was not possible. But my Aussie OB has looked at my file and said that she would like to give it a try if I am up for it and it is possible. Of course we will not know anything for sure for awhile, but at 20 weeks we can begin talking about it. I have a scheduled c-section for May 17 just in case. I would like a v-back too, who wants to go through major surgery again?! I think the recovery would be a lot harder this time. With Caleb, all I had to worry about was 1, 7 lb baby. This time I will have a baby and a 25+ lb toddler who will not understand why he cannot jump on me and why I cannot pick him up. But maybe my US OB was right and it is not possible for me. Hopefully we will have more answers after Wednesday, but I doubt it.

We still don't have a name for baby boy #2. We have 2-3 we are considering. But none that we love. When Brian chose the name Caleb we both loved it and knew that was the name. That is not happening this time. We have looked at list after list. We even looked at a list of 700 boy names and came up with nothing. Finally we made our own list and decided no more searching. We have to decide between the 3 we had. But again it is hard, we like the names, but we don't love them. I am hoping that as time goes on and as we choose a name we will begin to love it. I hate being in limbo, I know we have 4 months before this baby comes, but not having a name bothers me. Unfortunately it only bothers me, Brian is perfectly ok with it. I am hoping in the next month this will be resolved!

1/2 way there

I will start with the exciting news first! On Thursday we found out we are having another boy. We were both shocked, Brian and I both thought we were having a girl. This pregnancy has been very different from Caleb's, so we assumed it was a girl. So when the ultrasound technician told us it was a boy we both just stared at her and she said "These things are not 100% but I am really sure this is a boy." We had/have not come up with a boy name. We had the girl name we were both happy with, but no boy names at all. At this point we have 2 that we are thinking about, but it has been difficult for us.

The rest of the week was pretty boring. Caleb and I struggled a bit to find things to do since things are closed down in January. On Tuesday we went to a play place which has a pretty large ball pit which Caleb loves! He loves to run and slide on the balls from one side to the other. Wednesday we got together with a friend from the embassy. It is always nice seeing them, the mom is really nice and her girls are really sweet. I love those playdates because Caleb is excited to play with the girls and their toys so the mom and I just get to talk. On Friday we went to Questacon and Caleb saw his first puppet show. He was so good during it! It was 1/2 hour and he sat the whole time, pretty impressive for a 22 month old! Bri and I decided to take it easy this weekend since we just had a busy month. We cleaned, took down Christmas decorations, and played around the house.

I know I talk about Caleb all the time, like what we do, but I thought I would share some of the cute things he does. First he is talking up a storm now and is starting to be a mimic. Like, when I tell him "no" he says it back to me. When he is really mad at me or Brian he will say "bye", wave and walk out of the room. It is hilarious, usually he walks through the dining room and back into the kitchen or living room smiling saying "hello"! He has learned that when he falls or hurts he will get a kiss. So now when he hurts something he will tell me the body part and "kiss" in a very pathetic voice. Then usually he will pick out a few other places that need kisses too. He continues to love music and now he sings along with the songs we sing. His favorite is wheels on the bus and if we ask will always request that one (even if he does not really want to sing it). He does the motions and says "beep, beep, beep" for the horn. He also loves Old MacDonald and when asked what is on the farm he will always say duck. We sing Bingo but change Bingo to Caleb and when we get to that part of the song he loves to spell his name (as well as he can).

Well I think I have bragged about my son enough for now. He is so much fun right now I can't wait until he has a little brother. I can't wait to see how this little boy is going to turn out! By the way when we told him he was going to have a little brother he said "yes" and nodded, like he knew all along.

New Zealand and visitors

I have so much to blog about! December flew by! The New Zealand trip started off rocky, Quantas once again gave me problems about bringing the car seat on the plane(we bought a seat for Caleb). So much so that the plane was delayed. They claimed that the car seat was not Australia standard, it lacked a sticker that they needed. When I questioned them further they said that only Australian car seats are allowed on the plane. But after fighting them about it, they let me bring it on. Since the flight was delayed, we missed our connecting flight in Sydney and had to be put on a different flight. Once Caleb and I arrived in New Zealand it was fine. We stayed in Rotorua, a geothermal town. We went to geothermal sites, saw a geyser go off, visited a Indigenous village, and went to a zoo. Caleb had a hard time sleeping in the pack and play at the hotel, but he was great during the day. It was a nice trip until the flight back to Canberra when once again Quantas refused the car seat. This time they did not allow us to bring it on the plane. I am in the process now of trying to get a refund for Caleb's seat on that flight. I have flown with Quantas 5 times now and every time they have given me issues about the car seat. So I have decided not to fly with them again. Virgin Blue also does the same flight from Canberra to Sydney so I will use them in the future.

2 days after we got home from NZ Marc and Betty came to visit. It was wonderful having them here! We took them to Jervis Bay, a beach about 3 hours north of us. It was a bit chilly when we went, but we had a great time. The beach was beautiful and it was nice exploring a new area with them.

We also celebrated Christmas with them. We had a big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve and opened stockings. On Christmas Caleb was spoiled with lots of gifts. He got a sandbox from Marc and Betty, a tricycle from my parents, books, play food, a train and dump truck from us. That does not include the gifts from friends and family! Needless to say he had a great day! It was so great to spend it with family. We skyped with my parents in the morning so they could see Caleb open their gifts. The rest of the day we all spent relaxing and enjoying each others company.

On the 26th we went up to Sydney. We took the train which we found was not so easy with Caleb. He wanted to get up and walk around the whole time. Since we had 4 people, we all took turns walking and playing with him. In Sydney we went to the opera house, saw the harbour bridge, went to the aquarium and zoo. It was really nice being in the city, Brian and I like the city much more than the country and Canberra is not really a city at all. Caleb was a bit sick of traveling by the time we got to Sydney and acted out some. But again, with Marc and Betty there it was much easier to handle.

When we got back we tried to show Marc and Betty some of Canberra. We took them to Tidbinbilla, the nature reserve behind our house to see kangaroos, Questacon, Caleb's swim lesson, the U.S. Embassy, and to some local parks. It was a really wonderful trip. They were here for 18 days and it went so quickly! I kept telling them I was not ready for them to leave. Caleb loved spending time with them, when he woke up in the morning and from nap the first thing he would say was "Grandma, pa pa?". He loved trying the scare them, sing songs, and read books with them. We were all really sad to drop them off at the airport this morning.

January is a very boring month in Canberra. Everything has stopped for the school holidays. So no swim lessons, library time, nor play group. It is actually very odd to me. Some stores and restaurants will be closed for the entire month. But I guess it is good for them to have a break. Caleb and I will have to search to find things to keep us busy.

Our next family visitors will be in May when the baby comes. On that note, we find out the sex on Thursday! We are very excited! I have already been feeling the baby move around some, mainly after I have eaten or am laying in bed. I have definitely popped and the recent heatwave has not been fun. I am dreading the heat of January and February with my extra insulation. Other than that, the pregnancy is going well, so far no problems or issues! I will blog again after we find out the sex to let you all know!