The size of a standard letter

Yesterday I read in my baby book that our baby at week 24 is the size of a standard letter (8.5 inches long). So far the comparison has been fruits and now we are on to objects...well, at least until its a watermelon ;) At work today I wrote some letters and put them in envelopes just grinning away thinking of this letter-sized baby. It is amazing how in pregnancy just about everything you do or talk about makes you think about this baby. It's crazy how much it permeates life when it's still tucked away.

I am thinking today of blessings in life. We had an amazing Easter weekend with Ben's Aunt, Uncle and family on Vancouver Island. Our dear friends and their 3 little girls joined us from Vancouver as well. These are friends we don't see often--maybe twice a year, but we can always pick up where we left off. This friend is one that challenges me - and often just by how she lives her life. I truly look up to her.

I am just so grateful for God placing people in our lives. Here's to irreplaceable friends, family and the amazing blessings God I know has poured out on each one of our lives. And to our letter-baby :)

Johanna

Amazing News

My appointment went really well today! The doctor said the length of the cervix was actual 0.8 centimeters longer than the first ultrasound! She didn't really have an explanation for this. I think it's a miracle---an answer to A LOT of prayers.

She told me I can resume life as normal and go back to work and go on our holiday to CUBA (6 days!). I am feeling SO much better now knowing that she is 100% confident that everything is just fine. And if you prayed for us...thank you. It really means SO much.

I still feel a little paranoid, but I am just continuing to trust God through this time. Being a mom is stressful! ...and the baby isn't even here yet!

"...you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

Johanna

Second Ultrasound

I had my second ultrasound on Monday (yesterday). It was a more enjoyable experience since I didn't drink quite as much water as the first time. THAT was uncomfortable. The technician was also more personable, thorough and spent more time at the end showing us the baby and all of his/her little details. I think our baby is so cute. Which is kind of ridiculous since it basically looks like a creepy skeleton baby on the monitor.

I know technicians cannot speak about what they are seeing, but did tell me I shouldn't worry too much about it. That was all he said. This is giving me a glimmer of hope! Maybe its going to be just fine....and maybe all these prayers have resulted in a miraculous healing!?

Tomorrow I see my doctor at 10:50 am...I am really looking forward to some answers. I will keep you posted.

We are also supposed to be going to Cuba next Wednesday...I am thinking we are going to need to cancel, but the Dr. said to wait until we meet tomorrow. Part of me still really wants to go, but I think a bigger part of me is just to afraid to travel far away from home and into a foreign country when things seem so uncertain.

Take care,
Johanna

The Stress of Pregnancy...

I always imagined being pregnant as being this blissful, magical time where you felt like a glowing woman at peace with all around you. Well, there have been glimpses of these moments...but mostly its been very different.

Everything started off great - until about week 7 when the morning sickness started. There were many days where I told Ben that I better be having multiples or else this is going to be an only child. Then around week 13 the nausea went mostly away and the exhaustion began to diminish. I would say at about week 15 my energy came back. And today at 17 weeks I am feeling great and the baby is doing great.

Unfortunately, my body isn't really cooperating.

9 days ago we actually thought I was having a miscarriage and praise God we weren't. Through some exams and an ultrasound my doctor has discovered I have a shortened cervix which has lead to some complications that we don't really have an answer for yet. Tomorrow (Monday) I have an second ultrasound to monitor the progress. If it is in fact continuing to shorten, I have what is called an incompetent cervix (feel free to google if you want to know more). I won't find out for sure until I meet with my doctor on Wednesday. In the meantime, I am on "rest" and home from work until everything gets sorted out.

The positive side? My doctor says they usually only find out that someone has this problem until too late and a 2nd or 3rd trimester miscarriage occurs - we are so lucky to have caught it! There are also things they can do like sewing the cervix shut during pregnancy....interesting....but I am glad there are things that can be done.

We have been praying and trusting through this tough time. We know God's plan is perfect and we believe this little one will be ok.

So for now we are playing the waiting game and I should have LOTS of time now to blog :)

Johanna

Our cat loves us....

By that I mean mostly Ben. Pickles and Ben are pretty much inseparable as I predicted. Pickles goes outside about once a day for a little bit…he usually doesn’t venture far and is often on the front step waiting to be let back in. Last night Ben went to let him in and on the step beside Pickles was……a magpie!!! Which is crazy…magpies are almost the same size as our 9 month old kitty! Ben was SOOOOO proud. I was SOOOO disgusted. How on earth did he manage to kill it and drag it home...and why!?

From my research I found out two explanations:

1.your cat views you as an incompetent kitten that needs schooling in the ways of hunting.
2.your cat is a natural hunter and sees nothing wrong in proudly presenting it to you as a sign of love

Well... thanks.... I think (??) My theory is that he brought the bird home to show his love for Ben. Pickles loves me if it is just the two of us, but as soon as Ben comes home I am not important. Talk about a fair weather friend!

Anyways, Ben threw the bird in the trees in the deep snow and I made him give Pickles a bath and I went to bed.

I am a little disgusted by our cat right now. I know its his nature and he was so proud of himself. But I can't help but think of the nasty bird guts and germs. Eew.

Babies, babies, babies

I have not posted the news on our blog, but anyone who knows us and is on Facebook likely already knows we are expecting a baby this summer - due on July 26th. We are both so, so excited about starting our family.

It took a very long time for me (Johanna) to finally agree that we should start trying. Ben has been patiently waiting for many months for me to come around. It was not that I didn't want to start a family, I just wanted to make sure that all this would be happening on God's timing and not our own. In addition to that, I really like my job and found that it would be really hard to give up the path that I was on. Finally after we had been praying for many months, I just felt this amazing peace about taking the step in the direction of parenthood. And presto....a baby is on it's way! I think we both feel so blessed that God would entrust one of his children to us. All at one time, it is a scary, overwhelming, wonderful, exciting blessing.

2010 is officially the year of the baby. At least that's what I think and this has been validated by several medical clinic staff. It is amazing the number of women I know who are expecting. There are 5 in my workplace, 6 in the family, and several other friends. At my first prenatal appointment the nurse told me she does not recall seeing so many pregnant women in one year in the 30 years she has worked. How fun - I just better be able to get a bed at the hospital come July!

Anyways, more of this crazy adventure another day....there is so much I am learning...and so much more I need to learn!

Best wishes,
Johanna

Ben's Morning Routine Part 2

Finally I got my pictures uploaded off my iphone to post. Here is Ben in his daily cocoon (see previous post).
What a special guy ;)

Ben's Morning Routine

Ben is NOT a morning person. Many people aren't - including myself. But he is extreme. This is how every single morning goes. 5:45am - first alarm goes off. 6:30am - second alarm goes off. 7:00am - third alarm goes off. I get up - Ben hits 'snooze'. 10 minutes later, alarm goes off and Ben hits snooze again - he repeats this 4 more times until about 7:50 - he technically starts work at 8:00am but we are about a 3 minute drive from his office(and he usually gets to work at 8:15am - he's adjusted his hours to work until 5:15pm). Then he finally gets out of bed....goes to the bathroom and sits and sits on the toilet. Then he goes back to our bed, takes ALL of the duvet and wraps himself in it cocoon style. (I will see if I can get a picture of him tomorrow morning as proof - and it's kind of funny). Then he sits there. A few minutes later he begins a crazy high-speed mad dash to get out of the door on time. And in a whirl - he's gone. He also always showers a night so it won't cut into his sleep time.

He's a funny guy - one day it is my dream to get up at the same time and get ready long before we are due at work. Then have breakfast and coffee enjoying the sunrise on our deck (this is clearly during the 4 months of warm weather we have up here).

But I don't see my dream coming true any time soon...

Maybe it's time for a new post....

Well, my attempt at blogging again begins...again! The only excuse I really have for the absence is a lack of time... and the fact that we are no longer on a Swiss adventure! That just seems a little more exciting ;) Life has been just crazy. It goes in waves - if I stay on top of everything and get enough sleep, I always find a way to plow through. But every now and then, I fall behind, have some short nights and then it feels like I'm drowning. That's when I have a small mental break-down! Me on little sleep is quite a grumpy version of myself.
But we're all busy in one way or another, maybe it's just that I need to find a balance and a way of dealing with my day to day.

Last week Ben and I went on a trip to Saskatchewan. It was a bit of a blur. We flew to Medicine hat then drove to Rocanville for a video shoot Ben was doing. It was fun tagging along, being his shadow and going on a crazy helicopter ride. It reminded me of our year in Europe. Not so much the helicopter part as just following Ben doing his work. I love seeing him in action. He is so confident and professional dealing with clients. It's such a contrast from the crazy after work Ben that I see the most often.

After that we spent a couple days in Frontier/Consul. My sister didn't know we were coming so it was so much fun to surprise her and see the boys. I still cannot believe my baby sister has 3 babies! They are all so much fun.

It was nice to get away to breathe again and catch up on some much needed sanity and alone time together.

Coming back to work after a week away can be brutal, but this week was great as I trained a lady to fill-in for me and 'float' things a bit. That sure made a difference - I am hoping to have her again for my Christmas holidays.

Well, I hope everyone is well! Look for another post soon.... ;)

Pickles

So its official - we are pet owners....or just owners of a pet. This pet is a kitten named Pickles and he is just about 5 months old. And I am SO shocked that I actually LIKE him! I always look forward to coming home from work and playing with him. So our cat vs. dog debate has been laid to rest after 4 years.... and I lost ;( Ben was more stubborn than I thought!
But thankfully its worked out really well so far!!
Random facts about Pickles:
-favorite food: peaches
-favorite toy: a skipping rope and the toilet paper
-wakes up: 5:30am (like clock-work)
-loves: running water
-steals: pens

And the other day when I was getting lunch ready, I set a cucumber on the table and somehow he jumped onto the table ans when I looked back he was holding the WHOLE cucumber in his mouth.

So he is rather entertaining!



In other news, my sister Morgan had here third baby boy on September 12th - Everett Cole Danskin. I have only seen pictures but he is so cute! That is our 16th niece/nephew. Its crazy how fast the family is growing - but they are all so much fun.

I hope all is well and everyone had a fabulous summer!

This is what I did...

NOTHING!! Can you believe it!? I think I was just too stunned to say anything. She actually walked right into the bank and everyone just stared as she walked by. Nobody told her or anything! Isn't that terrible? I am terrible.....