First snow 2011

We got our first snow (8.5") on Oct 26th. Jasmine was still laying in her bed when she saw the snow; she was so excited she stumbled out of bed and immediately wanted to go "feel it". I was able to hold her off until she ate breakfast and got appropriate clothing on. I discovered however, that I had no gloves or boots for the girl. She didn't care and went out with some lightweight fleece gloves and shoes on.

Trevor at 2 & 3 months

Trevor is getting big so fast. At his 2 month appointment he weighed and measured the same that Jasmine did at her 4 month appointment. He's already in 6 month clothes and is quite the chunk! He has found his tongue and loves to lick anything that comes close to his mouth. He also has discovered his hands and fingers and those are constantly in his mouth also. Trevor is such a smiley little guy and we love making him laugh. He's started talking lately and it is so cute. Maybe one of these days I'll get it on camera.

Jasmine 2 yrs old, Trevor 2 months old

"Too heavy, all done" - Jasmine

My happy little guy!

"All done, mommy"

Trevor at 3 months old

Jasmine turns 2!!!

I can't believe that 2 years has already gone by! Jasmine is getting so big and is working on her comedian skills. She is a joy and I love that I get to stay home with her and Trevor. We're celebrating her birthday over the course of the week so that we can Skype with grandparents and not have her too overwhelmed by gifts.Sunday night we opened the gifts from Nana & Pop-pops. They got her a really cool kitchen so that when I'm making dinner, she can cook in her own kitchen. My mom got her a little rocking chair that she loves sitting in. My dad got her some puzzles that have been a good challenge for her.

Golfing with Daddy

Jasmine loves golf - watching it on TV, watching Daddy play, anything with the clubs or balls - so we decided to get her a little set. While Trevor was still in the NICU we took her out in the front yard one day and gave it to her. She had a blasts and is pretty good for an almost two year old.

1st Bath

Just a few pics of Trevor's first bath. He's still not a real big fan but getting used to the idea.

Content with mom

Not a happy camper

Passed out

Mad as can be

Settling down with mom

1 month old

It's hard to believe that Trevor is already a month old! He now weighs 8 lbs. 13 oz. and is 21 1/2" long. We're finally starting to move out of the newborn clothes and into 0-3 month clothes. He's doing great and we love his little smile. Maybe one these days I'll catch it on camera.

Grandma's visit

Grandma (Joanna's mom) came to visit shortly after Trevor came home from the hospital. We had a great time and it was so nice to have an extra pair of hands helping with the kids.



One of the things we did was take Jasmine up to the farm primarily so she could see the chickens. We did this back in early June and she wanted to see the chickens and roosters ever since. I kept telling her that we would go once Grandma came and after Trevor was born. Somehow she got it stuck in her head that I was having a farm or a chicken instead of a baby. We picked some flowers while we were there and Grandma bought her a pretty bouquet. Here are some of the pics we took.


We also took Grandma up to the top of Mt Evans. It was 22 degrees with the wind chill so the kids were cold and tired.

Trevor Justus

I'm not sure of how to start this post; so much has happened the past month. I'll start by saying God is good - always. Towards the end of June, I was over being pregnant and just wanted our son to be born. I prayed often that he would be born early. I though 37 weeks would be good. Many times I thought I was in labor and then when I wasn't I was very disappointed. Well, God answered my prayer on July 15th. Trevor Justus was born 2 weeks early and I had an extremely fast labor and delivery. Three hours from the time contractions started until he was born. He was 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 19" long. The nurses noticed he was breathing pretty fast and said he just had a lot of amniotic fluid still in his lungs and stomach that he would work out. We enjoyed holding our little boy and cuddling him.


At one of the routine baby exams on Saturday afternoon, one of the nurses said that his nose was really clogged and it would help if he was under a mist hood for a couple hours. So they took him to the nursery and Zach & I got some much needed rest. Three hours later a NICU nurse practitioner came in and informed us that they had noticed some other breathing problems and had put him in the NICU for observation. We weren't too worried because they said it was just a precaution and they were just watching him. Later that evening just I went down to the NICU to see him and take him some milk and I saw quite a different sight. There were people all around him and I knew something was wrong. Apparently a doctor had come by to do a routine exam and right after that his heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen levels fell drastically and he turned blue. They did an xray (which in the NICU, they bring the xray machine to the babies. The babies never leave!) and found that he had fluid all in his lungs, pneumothorax caused by taking too fast of a first breath and creating a hole in his lung, and some possible pneumonia. They hooked him up to a CPAP machine that would expand his lungs allowing the hole to heal and his body to absorb the fluid. They also started an IV for antibiotic for the pneumonia. I went back to the room and basically lost it. Early the next morning Zach & I went back down to the NICU to see our little guy. It was so hard to see him hooked up on all the tubes.


We were reminded that Trevor was God's and that whatever God had planned for him would be the best for all of us. Even if it meant that we only had him for few days. We praise God that He saw fit to heal Trevor and by Tuesday he was off of the CPAP machine and by Wednesday he was off oxygen. He still had to stay in the NICU to receive his antibiotics via IV but other than that he was a healthy little guy.


Two songs really encouraged me during the week that I spent driving back & forth to the hospital: The Blessings by Laura Story and I Lift My Hand by Chris Tomlin. We often don't think of trials as blessings but knowing that God only gives good things, then those "things" that He brings into our life are for our ultimate good and His glory. It is those trials and circumstances that draws us closer to Him and makes us realize our utter dependence on Him. God's grace, strength, and endurance that He gave us during this time was amazing and overwhelming. God is always good and loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend.

Blessings
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life -
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights -
Are Your mercies in disguise?

I Lift My Hands
Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are fortress for the weak

Let faith arise, Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart these things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary's tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me

Let faith arise, Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart these things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever


We will post more pictures soon.

Summer so far

Time is flying by faster than what I can keep up. It's hard to believe that June is already half over and before I know it, I'm going to have had our little boy. Jasmine is getting big and is definitely not my little baby any more. She loves to play with her baby dolls and is getting quite good at taking care of them. She feeds them, burps them, takes them potty, and rocks them to sleep. Today she wanted another car seat for her dolly. I told her to just hold her baby tightly, which she did for about 5 minutes. She loves helping me in the kitchen and likes to organize the pantry for me. She's at such a fun age right now and learning so much. We still have our moments of frustration when I cannot understand what she is trying to tell me, but thankfully those are getting fewer.

I have started to take piano lessons again and man am I rusty. The metronome is still not my friend but I'm trying to listen to it rather than tuning it out. I would like to be able to teach our kids the basics of piano once they are old enough so I figured I better get brushed up on my technique and music skills.

Back in May we went to Hilton Head Island, SC with Zach's family and had an awesome relaxing time. Jasmine loved the ocean and the beach. Here is a link to pictures that we posted on facebook. Let me know if you can't see them and I'll try to figure out something.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150284124777040.379010.664537039&l=5288b8ff0c

Pregnancy is going well, but I'm ready to be done. Only a few more weeks hopefully. Zach got me an awesome anniversary present - an 80 min prenatal massage and an 80 min pedicure! I am so looking forward to that in two weeks. He's going to take off work and watch Jasmine while I go get pampered.

Well, apparently nap time is over since I hear my name being called. Until next time...

Potty Training - Take 2

I decided to give potty training another try since I have 2 weeks off from watching Ben. I thought it would be a good time and I good focus on Jasmine. We started last Tuesday and it has been a huge success! The first day we had several accidents, which I wasn't surprised about at all. Then we've only had 3 accidents since then, one of which was my fault. I thought Jasmine was doing her "Hot Dog" dance when she was trying to tell me that she needed to pee. Oops. I'm not surprised that she has gotten the hang of going to the bathroom on the big potty, because I wouldn't have tried if I didn't think she couldn't do it. But, I am impressed with how quickly she has taken to it. Can she go all by herself? - No. Can she even pull down her own pants? - No. But she can tell me when she has to go and I can take her. It will be several more months before she'll be able to go on her own. She's still not tall enough to use a step stool and get on the potty herself (and she refuses to use the little potty I got her). I'm okay with all of that though. We're not having to buy diapers and she likes going on the big toilet (for the most part.) I know we'll still have accidents here and there, but I'm proud of my little girl. She has grown up fast. We are starting week 2 of the potty training and so far it's gone great!

She got a sticker for every hour that she stayed dry.

Pray Mama Pray!

Jasmine understands now that we pray before meals. Most of the time before I can even get her bib on she's wanting me to pray. This past week she has started something new. We'll be in her room playing and for whatever random reason, she'll fold her hands and say "mama" and show me her hands. She'll want me to pray. So we have prayed for many things - her many books, Ben's bottles, potty training, dollies, etc. I love that she enjoys praying and I want to always encourage it. It has been a rebuke and a reminder to me that I can pray to God about anything anytime so just pray. I don't need to wait for a specific time of day or a long prayer time. God always wants to hear my requests and to be thankful to Him for what he has provided.

Memories

Lately Jasmine has been so sweet and she's learning new things all the time. The past couple weeks she'll come up to me, especially if I'm washing dishes, and just hug my leg. I love looking down at her and seeing her sweet brown eyes. She'll then take off and go play for a while. The other thing she's doing is stretching out her hands in front of her and opening and closing them - saying "pick me up, mama". I love those little hands and I wonder if I will always see them that way. She likes to read her books to herself and could care less if the are upside down. She also loves to jump on her bed and throw herself around. She's figuring out all the different faces she can make and likes to practice them. I'll try to capture them on camera and get them posted.
I'm half way through the pregnancy now and am looking forward to making memories with our son.

New Things

Well, potty training didn't go as I expected. She doesn't like a wet or dirty diaper but could care less if it is in her panties or running down her leg. We'll try again in a couple months. On the other hand, she is now in her new room and in her big girl bed. Here are some pics of her new room.





Mid-February I started watching my friend's baby, Ben. He's a cute little guy and Jasmine is doing quite well with him. The first week was pretty rough since she was sick, but now she's doing better and ready for him to play with her. Problem is that he is only 2 months old and doesn't understand baby dolls and legos. She loves giving him the pacifier and we're working on being gentle with real babies. I'm getting practice with having 2 kids which has been a big insight into my future. Who needs a gym when you have two kids?!



Zach and I just found out that we are expecting a boy come July. He is growing well and is healthy. The pregnancy is going good and I'm starting to feel him move more. I'm getting to the gym about 3 times a week and I'm feeling great. We're working on names now which is always the fun & scary part. We'll let you know the name around July 27th - once he's born.

Potty Training Week!!!

We've decided to give potty training a try. I think Jasmine is ready and she's actually been going on the potty for about 3 weeks now. Today was my first official day & no more diapers. I bought her several training underwear and plastic pants and an little potty. We already had a seat that fits on an adult size toilet. I figured we had all the equipment we would need. Last night I showed Jasmine her new little potty seat and she was all excited about it so I had high hopes for today. Well, this morning Jasmine was playing with her new potty seat and talking to me about it. She didn't have any clothes on because I was getting her out of her pj's and diaper. The next thing I know, she's pooped on the floor and stepped in it! I fully expected to have a pee accident first, not poop. We got it all cleaned up and moved on. She spent the rest of the morning running around naked because she didn't like her big girl undies and didn't want pants on. She did go pee in the toilet right before her nap but only because I made her go sit on the potty and bribed her with hot chocolate. We'll see how the rest of the day(s) go. If it doesn't work this time around, I'm fine with that. But, if this is the opportune moment, I certainly want to take advantage of it.

A little behind...

So time has gotten away from me and I realized that it has been quite a while since I last updated the blog.

Thanksgiving - We had a great time with friends here in Colorado and enjoyed watching the game and just relaxing. Jasmine wasn't too thrilled with turkey but she loved the sweet potatoes; so that's what she had for dinner, along with some apple and pumpkin pie.

Christmas - We celebrated Christmas a week early here in Denver since we would be in SC the following week. Jasmine loved opening her presents and enjoyed getting candy out of her stocking (& mom's and dad's stockings too). We went to Greenville and got to spend time with both my side of the family as well as Zach's side. It was great to see family again and we surprised them all with the news that there is going to be another baby coming. Jasmine really had the hang of opening presents down and had a blast tearing open the paper and boxes. She loves shoes & socks and had to put them all on. She's definitely a girly girl.


New Year's - Surprisingly both Zach & I stayed up until midnight. We haven't done this in a few years. We were at a friends house and the Wii kept us all awake until the appropriate time. Then we all went home and crashed. Thankfully Jasmine slept in the next day.

1st big snowfall - Jasmine had to wait a few days after the big snow for the weather to warm up. It was in the teens for a couple days in a row. She loved being outside even though she couldn't do anything. Zach & I had a good laugh. Poor girl cried when we brought her in; but hot chocolate made it all better.


Other news - The pregnancy is going well. I'm finally 12 weeks and already getting too big for my clothes. I wasn't quite prepared for that, but guess that's what happens with the 2nd kid. My due date is July 27th and hopefully around the beginning of March we'll find out if the baby is a girl or a boy.
Zach got the privilege of visiting Vail Hospital and getting to see his insides via a cat scan. Thankfully he didn't require any surgery. He fell goofy while snowboarding and they were concerned that he might have punctured his lung or lacerated his liver. Fortunately he just has bruised ribs and side. Summer also had an accident the same day. I was throwing frisbee with her and she slid funny on the snow and tore a ligament in her leg. So now she gets to have surgery to fix it otherwise she'll just be lame the rest of her life. Poor dog.
Jasmine is doing well and growing up so fast. We're moving her to a big girl bed as soon as we can get her room ready. I had no idea how much crap we have! Time for a garage sale. Anyways, she is also almost daytime potty trained. We're going through fewer diapers and she's getting good about telling me when she needs to go. This was also something I wasn't expecting, but she has wanted to use the potty so I've encouraged it. It will probably be a while before she's nighttime potty trained and I'm good with that. Hopefully by time the new baby comes, she'll be fully potty trained.
That's about it for now and hopefully I'll be better about updating.