Adventures of the Warehouse Princess

Aimee Turns One!

2009-08-09T15:48:00.009-05:00

Aimee reached a milestone in her life this past Tuesday when she turned the ripe old age of one! I still can't believe it! Her big party was yesterday but I wanted to do something special on her actual birthday (even though as my hubby pointed out several times, she won't remember it) so we went on a little field trip. We first made a stop at the cemetery and put some flowers on Angela's grave. I know this sounds a little morbid but it was a nice day and Aimee really enjoyed pointing out the trees and hearing the birds singing outside. From there we went and visited Ron at his office which was of course, the highlight of the day. We had a great time seeing his co-workers and sitting behing his desk!

"I'm one!"

Yesterday (Saturday) was the big party in honor of her first birthday. We had a great time when family and a few friends from church. Josh, Bethany, Micah and Abbi even drove up from Indiana for the occasion! Micah had a great time playing with all of Aimee's cousins! We had fun watching her discover cake for the first time and it was even funnier once we realized that she actually liked the cake better than the frosting! She eventually tipped the cake upside down and that is when she really started enjoying herself!

The cake!

The "smash" cake!

She wasn't exactly sure what was going on during the singing but she seemed to enjoy it!

All decked out in frosting! Uncle Josh helped by adding some frosting to her face...

She also did enjoy "unwrapping" the presents. She did seem to enjoy pulling at the paper. We also got a kick out the fact that she seemed to enjoying "reading" the cards!

The rest of the pics of her birthday will be posted on Facebook as for some reason it has taken forever to get these pictures uploaded today.

Random thoughts

2009-07-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

Well, once again it has been a long time since I have had the will to blog. Right now I don't really have anything profound to say but I felt like I should at least write something! I must admit that after my parents left I felt a little down for a few days. I have never felt that way before but I think that it was different this time because they were actually staying at our house which they never have before! We had such a nice time and I got used to having people around so when it was just Aimee and me again, things felt really quiet. I have started throwing myself into preparations for Aimee's birthday party which will be in a few weeks. I have such a hard time believing that she is going to be one already! I can't help but feel a little sad that my baby is turning one. Ron thinks that I'm crazy but I know that you other moms will understand. It is such a bittersweet feeling as you look forward to all of the fun things that she is going to learn next but at the same time you realize that she isn't a little baby anymore.

In other news, I've been continuing to work on my weight loss and it is coming off slowly but surely. I have lost 10 pounds so far and I'm hoping that the rest will start falling off. This past week I really haven't felt like eating a whole lot of healthy things so it wasn't one of my best weeks but at least I exercised!

I've been working a lot this summer helping to lead worship at church . Our music pastor has had to be out of town several times and so I have been leading worship for the morning and evening services on the Sundays that he is gone. Someone once said to me that what the music pastor does isn't that hard, just picking out some songs but it is really more than that. When I lead the singing I want it to be a meaningful time that draws people close to the Lord and prepares them to listen to the message that the Lord has laid on the pastor's heart that day. All this to say, please remember to pray for those in your churches who lead worship every Sunday. It really is harder than it probably looks!

Brookfield Zoo Trip

2009-07-13T17:04:00.011-05:00

Since my parents were in town it has become a tradition to visit the Brookfield Zoo. The funny thing is that if we had gone a day earlier, it would have been exactly a year since we had visited the last time! This was Aimee's first trip to the zoo (outside of my uterus!) so we were excited to see if she would enjoy the animals. We think it was a success and we will probably go back a lot more, especially when she gets just a little bit older and can enjoy it even more!

First time riding in the stroller facing forward like a big girl!

She has started to become a bit of a ham when the camera comes out!

I think that she enjoyed the seals...

We didn't actually see any lions because their habitat was being remodeled, but we did see tigers and bears!

It's a rough life being a gorilla!

While the gorillas were napping inside, Aimee was outside with Daddy, also napping!

Loved the giraffes!

We switched modes of transportation after the giraffes. She loved riding this way. She had a huge smile on her face the whole time!

Family

2009-07-13T16:31:00.015-05:00

I got lots of great pictures of Aimee with her cousins and her grandpa so I thought that I would post some. For some reason, I got absolutely no pictures of my mom holding her. I don't know what was up with that!

Aimee and Abbi have matching dresses so we had a photo shoot with the two of them!

It was only slightly difficult to catch them both looking at the same time!

Aimee was really interested in Abbi...

It was a little harder to get Aimee to stay still for the matching rear shots!

My dad with his girls!

The words "I'm not tired" had just left Micah's lips!

America's Most Wanted Grandpa!

I love this picture of Micah in his own little chair...He was very cooperative in posing for Auntie Genie!

And last but not least...

Catching up

2009-07-12T14:30:00.012-05:00

Well, it has been a busy few weeks with my parents in town and going down to Indiana to visit Josh and Bethany over the holiday weekend last week! I finally have had the time to download all of the pictures off of my camera and get them sorted out. As I said, we drove down to Indiana on July 3rd and had a very nice weekend with Josh and Bethany and their kids. The highlight of the weekend was my dad dedicating Abigail in the Sunday morning service at the church where Josh is now the pastor! Most of Josh's family was able to be there too which made it even more special. After church we all went over to Josh and Bethany's house and enjoyed a cookout and the beautiful weather. I took a lot of pictures but here are some of the highlights from that weekend.

Abbi's dedication.

Aimee was so tired after church that she fell asleep while I was getting something to wipe her face!

Enjoying the beautiful weather!

Nothing like sitting in the sun with a nice, hot cup of coffee!

Nap time!

I love the ladybug on Abbi's behind!

Crawling and standing and cruising, oh my!

2009-06-27T21:04:00.006-05:00

Well, Aimee is officially on the move and will probably be walking before we know it! Now, she has been doing these things for quite a while but for some reason, I haven't felt the need to blog about it until now, probably because I haven't had any pictures to show off. She is also clapping but everytime I have tried to get a picture of that, she stops and comes over to see me. I think that she is starting to figure out what it means when I pull out the camera! So, you will just have to take my word for it that when I say "Yay" and clap, she gets a big smile on her face and claps too. Maybe I can get her to perform when my parents get here in a few days (doubtful, but I can dream)...I think it may be time to take the mobile out of the crib...Trying a sneak attack!

Bonding with Daddy.

2009-06-09T16:30:00.006-05:00

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago and just forgot about posting them until yesterday. These are a few pictures from our Memorial Day picnic at church.

Hanging with Daddy...

Didn't get a long enough nap before the picnic...

Here are some of my new favorite pictures. Ron reading to Aimee!

Back on the wagon...Again!

2009-06-04T13:38:00.003-05:00

So, remember way back in November or so when I said that I was back on the wagon as far as my diet and exercise were concerned?!? Well, that didn't exactly happen! This time however, I really mean it. You may wonder what is different this time so I will tell you. I have waited to blog about it until I have actually been following my diet and exercising for a couple of weeks! So, now I am back into my habit and am already feeling better and Ron pointed out to me that my jeans are fitting better too! I've lost 3 and 1/2 pounds so far which isn't bad for two weeks. The nice thing is that I had a revelation as to what to do with Aimee while I am exercising. The ideal time to do it would be while she is napping but since the treadmill is in her room, that can't happen! So, instead, I set up the pack and play (used to be called a playpen but it is much nicer) in her room and gave her a bunch of toys and she has been happy as a clam (how happy is a clam?) while I have walked my rear off! I'm excited to be feeling much better and since the weight is coming off, I definitely feel motivated to keep going.

So, now the word is out and I am accountable to all of you out there. You have permission to ask how I am doing and to try to keep me honest!

Random Pics

2009-05-22T16:07:00.009-05:00

I have really been slacking lately when it comes to blogging and I can honestly say it is because I feel like I have had nothing interesting to write about! So, to make up for my lack of inspiration, here are a few new random pictures of Aimee. She is very much on the go now and so quite unwilling to sit still for pictures sometimes!

Ron thinks that if she breaks his Playstation, I will let him get a Wii...

She is also starting to learn about sippy cups!

She hasn't quite mastered the concept yet...

Mommy is a Cubs (baseball) fan...

Daddy is a White Sox fan...

Worn out from the baseball wars...

And finally...I love getting to dress her in things that have ruffles on the behind (the Sox outfit does too)!

Cassady turns 8!

2009-05-22T15:53:00.007-05:00

Our niece Cassady turned 8 last week and so we went to a birthday party in her honor on Saturday. I can't believe how grown-up she is becoming. It is neat to see what a good big sister she is. I'm sure Bobbi appreciates it!

Auntie Becca gave her chocolate!

and...a Hannah Montana CD!!!!!!

I'm trying to remember if I was this excited about clothes when I was 8...

G'ma did another great job with the cake (Cassady is quite the soccer player)!

I love getting the action shots!

Nine months old!

2009-05-11T11:07:00.004-05:00

Well, I can't believe it, but Aimee is already nine months old! Where does the time go?!? Actually, she turned nine months a week ago but last week just seemed to get away from me somehow. She had her checkup this morning and is doing well. She weighs in at a whopping (ha ha) 16lbs 12ozs and is 27 inches long. The doctors words were "Well, she has always been petite!"

Aimee had her first trip out of state over the weekend to exotic (not really) Indiana! We were helping Josh and Bethany with a move and since Bethany is not allowed to drive yet, Josh drove the moving van, I drove Bethany, Micah and Abigail and Ron followed behind with Aimee. It was quite the endeavor travelling with a two-week old but on the whole both Abbi and Aimee did very well and we arrived in Indiana without incident. Aimee also got to spend her first night in a hotel on Friday which also went well however, she made us pay for that when we got home by waking up and crying profusely for a couple of hours both Saturday and Sunday nights! Oh well, that is what happens when babies have their routine thrown off (at least I hope that was the problem)! Here are a couple of new pictures of my growing baby!

Is she going to be a firefighter when she grows up? Not very girly!

Bonding with Daddy at a truck stop on our roadtrip

Oh to be this flexible!

Hanging with the fam!

2009-05-01T11:24:00.006-05:00

On Monday we went up to visit Josh and Bethany and the kids for a couple hours. We have to take advantage of them being nearby while it lasts. Bethany and Abigail are both doing well and seem to be adjusting to life at home. Aimee and I are going up to visit again today. It is fun to watch the kids play and just hang out!Josh - the human jungle gym!Abbi was thoroughly unimpressed with all the action!Aimee was worn out so she needed to rest with Uncle Josh.

Welcome Baby Abbi!

2009-04-23T17:16:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm an aunt...again! Josh and Bethany welcomed Abigail Joy into their lives yesterday, April 22nd. She is beautiful (of course) and has more hair at birth than any of our kids so far. In fact, I think she may have more hair than Aimee has now! Yesterday would also have been Angela's 27th birthday and I think that she would have been excited to share this birthday with her niece. Joy was Angela's middle name and it is really nice to me that both of her nieces share one of Angela's names and a special heritage.

Here are some pictures of our newest family member!

I even got "Uncle" Ron to hold her!

Long time no blog

2009-04-20T12:26:00.002-05:00

Well, I just haven't felt like blogging lately so I apologize. I do feel like there hasn't been much going on about which I can blog so I'm just writing this to let you know that I'm still out here. There will be more interesting things going on this week for me to blog about so stay tuned. In the mean time, here is a picture of Aimee enjoying Easter.

This is called "tired and hungry" or "yes, she actually does cry..."

Kailyn turns three

2009-04-10T15:37:00.009-05:00

This past Sunday we celebrated our niece Kailyn's third birthday. As usual, it was quite a noisy affair and much fun was had by all. It was quite a busy day but it was nice to spend time with family and celebrate. I can't believe that I have been around since her first birthday. It is amazing to see how she has grown and what a fun person she is turning out to be. She is giving her mother gray hair but the rest of us are really enjoying her! Here are a few pictures from her special day.

Playing with her cousins' toys!

Kailyn's grandma made a princess castle cake. It tasted good too!

Kailyn with her cake!

Three!!!

So excited to get some money!

Tired out from a very long day!

Overheard...

2009-04-07T10:28:00.005-05:00

This was a conversation Sunday night...

Ron: "If April showers bring May flowers then what do April snows bring?"

Me: "Hopefully May flowers!"

This is the scene that awaited us Monday morning...

This is our backyard. I couldn't get the screen door open because it was frozen at the bottom!

Merry Christmas!

Oh right. Happy Easter!!

Grief

2009-04-06T12:09:00.003-05:00

You know, grief is a funny thing. You can be going along with your life and all of a sudden something small will hit you and there the grief is once again like it had just happened. Yesterday, at our Sunday evening service we were focusing on Christ's sacrifice for us and someone sang Chris Tomlin's "My Chains Are Gone" as special music. If you aren't familiar with this song you should become familiar with it because it is a great song. Anyway, it is "Amazing Grace" with a chorus added in that says:

"My chains are gone, I've been set free, My God, My Savior has ransomed me, and like a flood His mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace."

As I was sitting there listening to him sing, it stuck me that not only had Angela been set free from her spiritual chains in this life by accepting Christ as her savior but she was also set free from the physical chains of her body by going to heaven. Even though she was so young, she was in constant pain from back problems and there is joy in knowing that she is not in pain anymore. As I began to think of that, the tears began to surface.

Then, we sang one of my favorite hymns "There is a Fountain" which was a hymn that Angela also loved. As we started to sing the last verse then the tears really started to flow:

"When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save!"

All of a sudden, I could just picture Angela in heaven with her new body singing praises to her Lord with all of her might and I really just wanted to see it in person! Praise the Lord for the hope that I have to know that I will see her again some day but in the meantime, on this earth, sometimes it just feels right to cry a little because I miss her...

At the park

2009-04-06T11:38:00.008-05:00

We had absolutely beautiful weather on Saturday afternoon so we decided to take advantage of it and Bethany and I took Micah and Aimee to the park. Micah had a great time climbing on the playground and sliding down the slides while Aimee mostly observed. She did swing a little on the swings though. It was so fun to just be outside enjoying the sunshine and to walk around the neighborhood pushing our strollers and talking. Ah, sister bonding time! It is so nice and unfortunately getting more rare.

Cousins! (Aimee was a little tired and not quite sure what to make of this)

With Auntie Bethany... Yes, Aimee is going to have another cousin in less than three weeks!

Going down the slide!

I'm not sure what these toys are called (I'll call them bouncy things) but Micah really liked the airplane one! Maybe he is going to be a pilot...

Swinging!

Couldn't resist

2009-04-03T13:12:00.003-05:00

Ron and I are raising a very spiritual child. We realized this when we looked at this picture. She appears to be in fervent prayer for her giraffe!

Just Because

2009-03-30T13:21:00.008-05:00

There is nothing much new going on here but I wanted to post some new pictures of Aimee just because I took them and she is so cute!

This is one of her new tricks. She likes to sit up in her swing instead of laying back like she is supposed to!

The rest of these are just cute!

Apparently her favorite meat right now is giraffe...

New Highchair!

2009-03-23T16:51:00.007-05:00

We went and spent some of our tax refund money (just what the government wants us to do) and got Aimee a highchair on Saturday. I decided that it was time for her to learn to eat in it instead of using her car seat. Plus, I was really sick of cleaning off the car seat every time she ate! It appears to be a hit so we are all excited about that!By the way, I just love the ears on the giraffe!

We also got her a new spring coat and I just couldn't resist taking pictures of her with the hood up!

Saying Goodbye

2009-03-17T13:40:00.003-05:00

This past Friday morning, Ron's Grandpa Lampton went to be with Jesus after living a long life of service. He would have been 93 years old at the end of March. It was a special time of being together as a family and though we grieve, we anticipate the day when we will see him there. We were also enjoying the thought of Grandpa in heaven praising God and waving his hands in the air and singing with all of his might. Although I didn't know him very long, it was clear to me from the first time that I met him that he loved Jesus and he loved his family. One of my most special memories of him was from this past Christmas when he prayed for our family and he literally prayed for each one of us by name. That was his three children and their spouses, his ten grandchildren and his eighteen (that's right, eighteen) great-grandchildren!

What is sad and neat at the same time about funerals is that you learn things about the person that you never knew before. For instance, I had no idea that Grandpa had served in the Air Force or that he had directed the music at this church for many years. Not that it would have made any difference in our relationship, but it would have been nice to know this about him before! One of the most special moments for me was when Ron got up during the funeral and shared what his Grandpa had taught him. It was so neat. Ron isn't usually one that we see getting up in front of people and talking and he did such a nice job. He was articulate and shared very beautifully about how much his Grandpa meant to him. My greatest sadness in this time is that Aimee will never get to know her Great-Grandpa who loved her so very much. He was so very proud of her and wanted to see her everytime he got the opportunity.

So, we say farewell to the patriarch of our family, thankful for his love and for the heritage that he left us. We hope to continue that heritage that our children will learn to know and love Jesus and follow him faithfully just like Grandpa.

Happy Birthday Bethany!

2009-03-13T12:06:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, Aimee and I took Bethany out to celebrate her birthday. The last few days have been a little crazy so I wasn't able to post this until now. Aimee had a delightful time with her Auntie Bethany and was so excited to get to celebrate with her! So, Happy Birthday Bethany! We hope that you have many, many more and a great year!

Aimee Update

2009-03-09T22:18:00.004-05:00

Well, I took Aimee back to the doctor today and the doctor confirmed what I was already feeling, that Aimee is much better. I now only have to give her breathing treatments twice a day and hopefully she will be completely better soon. Here are a few pictures of her getting her breathing treatments.

Ron says that she looks like a fighter pilot with the mask on!

By the way, I got my hair cut. You can't really get the full effect because I had it pulled off my face though...I haven't had it this short in years, in fact, Ron has never seen my hair this short!

Poor baby, she was so tired that she actually fell asleep during her breathing treatment!

House of Sickness

2009-03-06T12:47:00.002-06:00

Well, Aimee has been sick since Sunday and I have been sick since Monday so this has been a fun house this week! There have been tissues strewn all over the house and between the two of us I had to actually go out and buy more this morning because we pretty much went through an entire box. I finally gave in and called the doctor yesterday about Aimee. I didn't want to be a paranoid mother who calls every time she has a cold but I was a little concerned because she was sounding a little wheezy. When I mentioned the word "wheezy" they told me to bring her right in because wheezy is a concern when she is so young. It turns out that I wasn't being paranoid because the doctor listened to her and said that she was wheezy. So, now I get to give her breathing treatments with a nebulizer. I am hoping that she gets better quickly because she looks so sad with that mask on her face. The next time Ron is home I'll get him to take a few pictures so that we have them for posterity. Here's hoping we both get back to our regular selves soon.

Jumping Aimee

2009-02-27T11:11:00.003-06:00

Aimee has just figured out in the last week or so that she can really jump and bounce in her jumperoo so now she is having a grand ole time!

New Pics

2009-02-22T14:59:00.009-06:00

I came to the realization yesterday that I have been shockingly remiss in taking pictures of Aimee in the last few weeks so I have remedied that problem! Yesterday we went over to Ron's parents' house for the afternoon and Aimee spent some time practicing sitting up while we were there. She is making pretty good progress. She is still a little wobbly but manages to stay up on her own for a while if she doesn't get distracted!

Here she is after having enjoyed some squash!

She really loves the Ladybug book that Auntie Melissa gave her!

Memories

2009-02-17T11:50:00.004-06:00

I have recently been inspired by Sophie's project to write down 100 memories and so I have decided to be thoroughly unoriginal and do the same thing! I don't know if I will be able to do 100 but I'm going to give it the old college try.

Memory #1: Mom

One of my most vivid memories of my mom is walking into the living room during the early morning hours, sometimes when it was still dark outside, and finding her sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee and her bible open on her lap. Somehow, even as a young child, I knew that this was a special time and I should not disturb her so I would usually try to quietly turn around and sneak back to my room. Later, when I got into college, I would often get letters (you know, those things we used to get in the mail before email!) from my mom telling me how she had been praying for me during a particular struggle I was in and how the Lord had revealed a special scripture during her devotion time that had encouraged her. She just had to share it with me because she knew that it would encourage me too! When I was in the sixth grade we had an arguement about something and I remember that later that day she came to me to say that she had been wrong and to ask for my forgiveness. To this day I still am so impressed at the humility she showed to go and apologize to her child.

My mom used music in parenting quite often. She would use the words of Eph. 4:32 set to music to remind me to be kind to my sisters (most often Bethany) and when I am tempted to be unkind I still will often hear her voice singing the words "Be ye kind, one to another..." in my head. She also used to sing "Have Patience" to me (usually with Angela) and remind me that "Practice Makes Perfect" when I wanted to give up on a certain piece when I was practicing piano.

Mom was known throughout our small community for her skills in cooking and baking. I remember coming home from school at 4:00 and she would immediately go out to the kitchen and put on her apron and begin cooking dinner. Since everything had to be made from scratch, it would often take a few hours to make dinner. She would spend a lot of time in December making Christmas cookies which she would then freeze so they wouldn't go bad and then pull out a batch at a time for us to enjoy with our lunch or to take to the staff Christmas party. When the high school students would have progressive dinners, there was always much rejoicing when the students found out they were coming to our house for dessert which was almost always Mississippi Mud Cake. This cake was a decadent treat that consisted of a thick, brownie like cake on the bottom, followed by homemade marshmellow in the middle and topped off with a thick chocolate frosting. It was so rich that a very small piece was more then enough for most people and was usually best with a nice glass of milk or a great cup of coffee. Sometimes during the winter when Mom wanted to give us a special treat she would make pizza which required making the dough and sauce from scratch so it was usually an all day affair. She would also occasionally treat us to tacos which also required most of the day to prepare because she would have to make the tortillas from scratch.

Mom also is so creative and gifted in many areas. I was always so proud of her singing ability and I used to love listening to my parents practice when they were going to sing. Mom also would spend many evening doing cross stich and her many projects would decorate the walls of our home. She even made a cross stich for every member of my class when we graduated from high school. She started that project in January and worked on it until June. Mom used to knit too and in the eighties when legwarmers were so in fashion she knit me several pair because we couldn't get them from the States and I wanted to be cool like my friends, in fact, I remember Maria having some nice legwarmers that she had brought back with her from Australia! She also knit me fingerless gloves which kept my hands warm in many a chilly classroom at school.

Every once in a while I discover a quirk about myself and I shudder and think that I got that from my mom or I am doing something just like my mom used to do it. Upon reflection however, I think that there are much worse things that could happen to me than to find out that I am turning into my mother!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T12:23:00.007-06:00

Ok, so I know that it is a little late but it is the thought that counts right?!? I just didn't have time to blog on Valentine's Day. My wonderful husband surprised me on Thursday with a lovely arrangement from a place called Edible Arrangements. You probably get the idea from the title but they do arrangements of fruit etc. like flower arrangements. So I have been happily munching on pineapple, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe and chocolate dipped strawberries for the last few days. I did give him a slight hint a few months ago that I might enjoy something like this but it is a testament to him that he was thinking outside the box because this would not be something that he would enjoy at all. Fruit is not a treat to him! So here is a picture of the arrangement that he sent.He also got me some extra chocolate dipped strawberries. Yummy!!

Well, the more that I thought about it, the thought of going out for dinner on Valentine's Day sounded less and less appealing to me. Most places that we would go for dinner do not take reservations and the thought of having to wait for a table on a busy evening with a six month old in tow just didn't sound fun. Besides, I really hadn't done anything really special for my husband in a while so I decided to have a little fun and surprise him. Ron was gone all day on Saturday for a quiz meet so I secretly went grocery shopping on Friday and then prepared his two most favorite foods on the planet. Lasagna and pecan pie! Since lasagna can be a little high maintenance to prepare when you have an infant, I found a recipe for making it in my crock pot (slow cooker) so I was able to prepare it while Aimee was taking her nap and then it just cooked all afternoon on its own. The results? It was a hit! In fact, when Ron got home and discovered the surprise, his exact words to Aimee were "Wow! Mommy must really love me!" I even got out our wedding china and special stemware that we hadn't used yet so that even our table setting was special. Aimee even decided that she needed to take a nap a little before dinner time so Ron and I were able to just sit down and enjoy each others company for a little while. So, it was a very rewarding Valentine's Day.

I felt reinforced and convicted yesterday in church when Pastor Day pointed out in his sermon that marriage is about service to your spouse not about your own selfish needs. I am to be the best wife and mother that I can be by serving my husband and serving my children. It definitely puts much more meaning into doing the dishes and the laundry so I have been going about my chores yesterday afternoon and today with a better outlook on why I am doing them in the first place. We'll see how long it takes before I start to get a little bit grumpy with the things that Ron does that tend to annoy me and God has to thunk me on the head to correct my attitude, but for now, what a blessing to be able to care for my husband and daughter and show them the love of Christ!

6 Months Old

2009-02-06T16:03:00.004-06:00

My how the time flies! Aimee turned 6 months old on Wednesday! I can't believe it. She went in for her check up today and the doctor said that she is doing great. She is up to 14lbs 8ozs and is 25 inches long. She is in the 25th percentile on the growth charts. While that might not sound like much compared to our friend Ben, it sounds great to us! We are going to start adding fruits and veggies to her diet to compliment her cereal. Next thing we know she is going to be headed off to school. Yikes!

We have been practicing sitting up and she is getting better!

One of her new favorite activities is petting the kitty!

Souper Bowl Party

2009-02-03T22:56:00.005-06:00

On Sunday afternoon/evening we had a "Souper" Bowl party at church. I do know that is not the correct spelling but that is how we spell it because the party centered around eating soup! Several different soups were on hand for us to eat and then the rest of us brought sandwiches, snacks and desserts of all different varieties. There was some football watching going on but most of the women stayed in the Fellowship Hall where people played games and enjoyed chatting with each other. Ordinarily, I would have been one of the few women actually watching the game but the volume was so loud that I thought it would hurt Aimee's ears so she and I enjoyed visiting in the Fellowship Hall. I realize that the Bears were not playing or even in the playoffs this year but this was one of the few occasions that I had to put Aimee in her little cheerleading outfit so we took advantage of it. Of course, I took a few pictures to document the event!

Papa was so excited and proud that he and Aimee were in matching Bears attire!

Enjoying herself in the exersaucer!

I know you really can't tell, but I was also wearing Bears attire to match Aimee. It is our first Mother/Daughter matching outfit! Aimee was a little tired by this point which is why she was not smiling...

Bonding with Daddy

2009-02-03T13:25:00.004-06:00

Naturally Aimee and Daddy wanted to spend as much time together as they could this past weekend since Ron had been gone all week and was leaving on Monday morning again to go to New Hampshire, so they bonded.

My daughter is exceptionally smart. She has skipped from "Find the Puppy" to reading "The Horse and His Boy" from the Chronicles of Narnia with Daddy!

What better way to spend time together on a Sunday afternoon then napping?!?

Ahhhhh....

2009-02-03T12:47:00.002-06:00

There is something so nice about being able to sit down with a nice, hot cup of tea every once in a while and just relax. Aimee is taking a nap and I was finally able to shower and have my devotions so now I am blogging. Yes, there are plenty of other things around the house that need to get done but sometimes one just needs to take a break. So, I'm trying to not feel guilty about just taking a few moments for myself (especially after the sermon on Sunday about not being focused on self but I know this isn't what he was talking about)! Now the time for relaxing is over because Aimee has just woken up. We'll see if I actually get to drink my tea now! Oh well, it was nice for a little while!

Wednesday

2009-01-28T12:47:00.002-06:00

Since I have been working at home, Wednesdays have not been as exciting for me as they used to be. I was always so happy to have made it halfway through the week and to know that Friday was coming. Now, Wednesday is really just another day except that we do go to church for bible study on Wednesday evenings. However, when Ron is travelling Wednesdays again take on the excitement of old. I have made it halfway through the week and there are only two more days until my husband comes home. Yippee! Plus, I get to go to church this evening and engage in some adult conversation! I am learning to appreciate the simple things in life...

2009-01-24T16:22:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a particularly good one in the Cereal Eating Chronicles. Please note the cereal in her eyes...

Bathing Beauty

2009-01-20T18:32:00.005-06:00

I was sitting watching my screen saver today and this picture popped up and I realized that I had forgotten to post it on my blog. So, here is Aimee chillin' out after her bath!
Aimee and I were watching the inauguration coverage today and although I don't agree with his policies and views, I couldn't help but be drawn in. I told Aimee that although we don't agree with our new president, this is still an historic day for America and we are still commanded in scripture to pray for him. Some of the things that went on today were pretty neat and I did find myself stopping and joining in with the prayers that were said that God would give our new president wisdom and the humility to lead our nation well. Please join me in praying for our new president and this country that God has richly blessed but has wandered so far from Him.

2009-01-17T11:29:00.003-06:00

Ok, I'm putting this out there for all of my friends who are blessed with the gift of sewing and creativity because as I recently commented on Sophie's blog, when God handed out the talent for sewing, He missed me! Someone needs to invent a full body bib, in other words, a bib that covers the baby's entire body so that a person doesn't have to strip them down to their diaper every time that you feed them! I don't strip Aimee down because it is too cool to do that so my only alternative is to try to cover her as much as possible and hope for the best. If someone could invent something that would cover not only her whole body but also her feet so when she reaches down to grab them she doesn't get cereal on her socks, that would be great! I'm just putting this out there, feel free to give me your ideas or start sewing!

2009-01-15T15:53:00.003-06:00

What do we do when it is too cold to go out? We practice rolling over, of course! This is really for my mom and dad because I couldn't figure out how to get the file small enough to email it.

Brrr...

2009-01-15T12:07:00.002-06:00

Well, we have been staying huddled indoors all week due to the weather. We went and met my dear friend Annie for breakfast on Monday morning and also did our grocery shopping but since then we have pretty much not left the house. We got snow on Monday afternoon, more snow yesterday and yesterday is when we got about 7 inches down by our house. Now, the bottom has dropped out of the temperature and today our high is supposed to be -1 (F). Sorry to all of my loyal readers who are Centigrade people but I am too lazy to figure out the conversion so you will have to do it yourselves! Suffice it to say, it is cold!! I apologize to my readers from this area who already know this and are now colder because I have reminded them. Try to think warm thoughts. It is hard not to go stir crazy staying indoors for several days in a row but when the alternative is freezing, you make do. I think I'll go find something warm to eat for lunch. Maybe a bowl of soup followed by a cup of tea or coffee (too bad Starbucks doesn't deliver although it would be pretty mean to make someone else go out in this weather)...

Happy Birthday Papa!

2009-01-10T12:25:00.006-06:00

Thursday was Ron's Dad's birthday so Friday evening we all headed over to Mom and Dad's house for a family birthday party. It was a nice evening with spaghetti pie, hanging out with family and of course, cake and ice cream! Aimee had a great time spending time with her cousins and of course telling her Papa happy birthday! Three of her cousins live in Michigan but the other four were there and they all had a good time. I decided that Dad needed to have a picture taken with his grandchildren so here he is with his girls!

From left to right we have Kaelyn (2 yrs), Christa (7 weeks), Aimee, Cassady (7 yrs) and Kiera (16 mos). Dad is the one holding Christa and Aimee, in case you couldn't figure that out!

Kaelyn just loves her cousin Aimee and got down on the floor with her immediately when I put her down on her tummy!

Kiera wanted to "hold" Aimee too!

And I couldn't resist taking one more picture of Aimee in this outfit that she got from Bama and Papa for Christmas. The shirt has a kitty on it and says "I'm Purrfect" and of course, I love the headband!

5 months old

2009-01-09T06:25:00.004-06:00

Wow! Aimee turned 5 months old on Sunday. That means that her little friend Avery turned 5 months last Thursday, and her little friend Rowan (we haven't actually met him yet) turned 5 months yesterday, and our little friend Ben (not nearly as little as Aimee), turned 6 months yesterday. Some of us were pretty busy last summer! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by! By the way, I did not buy this shirt for her but she did insist on wearing it the other day!

She has started eating cereal too and I was attempting to get a picture of how messy her face was but she managed to grab her bib and wipe her face off a little bit. I'm sure that she knew exactly what she was doing (she is just so smart) and just didn't want to look messy for the camera!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T12:14:00.002-06:00

We had a nice New Year's Day although our celebration was bittersweet. We had a nice day of just hanging out with my parents and Josh and Bethany and Micah watching football and eating lots of yummy snacks. At the same time, I was feeling a little bit sad because I knew at the end of the day I would have to say goodbye to my parents. They left to return to Thailand this morning. I think that it was harder this time because I watched them with Aimee and I just ached to know that we wouldn't be seeing them again for six months. However, we are so thankful that they were able to come and we had such a good time. God is good. Sorry, I have no pictures from yesterday. I took my camera and didn't take one picture! Yikes! We took a few on my parent's camera so I'll have to get copies of those and maybe post a few.

Dedication

2008-12-30T17:02:00.005-06:00

On Sunday we dedicated Aimee. We had the honor of having my dad perform the dedication and it was so special. She is such a gift from the Lord and we were honored to give her back to the Lord and vow to raise her to follow Him. Many of our family were able to be there to pledge their support which was also very special. I'm sure that if all my loyal readers were there you would have pledged to support us and pray for us as parents also. So, since you weren't there, this is me asking you to pray for us as we attempt to raise Aimee that she would see Jesus in us and would learn to know and love him at an early age.My dad, Bethany and I sang a trio for special music.Being dedicated is exhausting!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T17:52:00.007-06:00

Well, I can't believe that Christmas is already over. Time sure flies when you are having fun! We had a nice quiet Christmas with my family followed by a nice, much more rowdy Christmas with Ron's family! Something about 8 grandchildren running around as opposed to 2 grandchildren made the difference.

On Christmas Eve we went to my former church in Wheaton and really enjoyed the service. My parents and I sang a trio in the service and it was so nice to go "home" for that special time. Aimee was of course, greatly admired by all! Ron had a hard time getting through people while carrying her!

We spent Christmas Day with my family opening gifts and having a good time. Aimee seemed to thoroughly enjoy her first Christmas although it completely wore her out! We had our second Christmas with Ron's family on Saturday.

Here are some pictures to document our day!

Auntie Bethany helped Aimee open her stocking!

Here she is hanging out with Micah and Grandpa and Auntie Bethany...

She and Daddy are worn out from all the stocking fun!

Playing with her new dolly from Santa...

Aimee loves her new jumperoo from Grandma and Grandpa!
Hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

Bonding with Grandma and Grandpa

2008-12-23T14:32:00.006-06:00

Well, my parents have finally arrived and we have already had some wonderful bonding time. Last Friday we went to Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Christmas Around the World display. They put up a whole bunch of Christmas trees and decorate them to represent countries from around the world. We had a great time of course!

Here are Grandma and Grandpa with Aimee posing in front of the tree from Thailand.

Here we have my mom, the high school principal, and my dad, the music teacher in one of their more mature moments...I just can't seem to get a picture of my dad with his eyes open!

This is the tree representing Kenya. We really liked the ornaments and especially the giraffe!

Tagged

2008-12-16T13:55:00.006-06:00

Well, I have been tagged and the funny thing is, this should make Bethany happy! My fifth folder happens to be all pictures of Micah's first birthday!
I have also been tagged by Sophie to list my five most digusting moments. However, this shall require more thought so stay tuned...

Well, it is cold and the snow is falling outside so I think that I will go make some hot chocolate and start wrapping Christmas presents. This weather definitely puts me in the Christmas mood, especially since I don't have to go out and drive in it!

2008-12-16T13:39:00.003-06:00

Since Bethany has now complained twice (once in person and once in her comments on the post below), here is my most recent picture of Micah. Of course, Aimee is in the picture too! Maybe someone should get her own blog, and then she can post as many pictures of Micah as she wants. She could call it Micah's Musings or something like that!

100th Post

2008-12-15T12:02:00.006-06:00

Hey! This is my 100th post on my blog and it also happens to be my birthday! Wow, what are the odds?!? The celebration started yesterday with a family gathering at my in-laws' house for a birthday dinner after church. Aimee and I were going to celebrate today by going grocery shopping but since it is a frigid 10 degrees outside with wind chill factors of 10 to 20 below zero, I decided that we would stay in an just admire the outdoors from the windows!

Here are a couple pictures of Aimee enjoying the celebration yesterday!

Hanging out with her cousin, Cassady!

And enjoying the bouncy seat...

By the way, lest you think that I am a terrible mother, I did have socks on her yesterday but they kept falling off and it was plenty warm in the house so I decided not to fight that battle any more! I'm sure the celebrations will continue when my parents arrive on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

Sleeping Beauty...

2008-12-11T14:03:00.003-06:00

Ok, I went upstairs this morning to get Aimee up to eat and I had to come back down and get my camera and take a few pictures. She was sleeping so sweetly I just couldn't resist!

2008-12-10T13:49:00.004-06:00

Aimee was in her very first Christmas program on Sunday morning. That's right, even the nursery gets to participate in the children's Christmas program at our church! They all went up on the platform and did a little welcome before the main program began. All that Aimee had to do was be carried up on stage and look cute which of course she did with flying colors! I found myself looking forward to the day when she will be old enough to be in the Christmas play although, I don't want her to grow up too fast...

Here she is in her big debut (She is the one on the end being held by Mr. Darren)!

Exhausted from her performance...
In other news, only one week until she gets to meet Grandma and Grandpa Fisher for the first time!

Ornaments

2008-12-03T14:27:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things about decorating the Christmas tree every year is getting out the ornaments and remembering the significant events that they represent from years past. What a nice way to remember past Christmases and God's faithfulness. What ornaments do you have on your tree to mark important events and memories? Here are just a few that are on ours...

Obviously, this is the most recent!

Here is one from last year...

I don't remember when I got this one but it is one of my favorites, given to me by my aunt.

And...Christmas 1991 "Super Deb"! Remember this one Soph?!? Deb was our housemother in high school and would be mortified to learn that I still hang this on my tree every year!

It's beginning to look...

2008-12-01T20:19:00.006-06:00

...a lot like Christmas! This is the scene that developed yesterday afternoon and continued to this morning. I have been putting up the tree in stages since Saturday and now that it is done, I will be moving on to bring Christmas to the rest of the house. Yippee!!! I love this time of year!

Here is the tree with our best gift this year already underneath...

Here she is posing with Christmas bear...

And now trying to eat Christmas bear!

1st Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T14:47:00.005-06:00

Aimee celebrated her first Thanksgiving and it was a good one. We spent the day with Ron's parents and Grandpa Lampton and Grandma Marklund. It was nice and quiet too. As usual, Ron's mom made food for an army but what a blessing to be able to enjoy such plenty. So, in continuation from my last post, I am especially thankful for my husband and our beautiful daughter. I'm also so thankful for our families and our church. God has blessed us richly. Here are some pictures from the day (I forgot to get pictures of the food though).

Thankful to be the center of attention!

Great Grandpa and Great Grandma are so proud!

Pre-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

2008-11-26T15:51:00.002-06:00

Well, the pecan pie is cooling (Ron's favorite) and the pumpkin pie is in the oven (Ron's dad's favorite) so I thought that I would sit down and reflect on a few things for which I am thankful today. Since as followers of Christ, we are to be thankful at all times and more than just this week I thought this would be a good exercise.

So, today I am thankful for the beautiful blue sky and sunshine. November can be notoriously gloomy around here so it is nice to see the sun. I'm also thankful for food on my table and quite frankly too much food! I'm so very thankful for a nice house to live in and a furnace that works. Those are just a few of the things for which I am so thankful today. Don't worry, I will write another installment tomorrow with more and maybe a few pictures of the turkey and pies!

Back on the wagon

2008-11-24T13:19:00.002-06:00

Since I have been breast feeding Aimee, I have been less then consistent about my diet and exercise routine. I haven't been worrying so much since breast feeding burns so many calories. I have been exercising but not nearly as consistently or as often as I did before Aimee was born. Now, I don't want to undo all the hard work that I did losing weight and I want Aimee to learn by example from me about being healthy and eating right. So, I have resolved that this week I am getting back on the wagon and beginning to exercise consistently and eat better. I know that the week of Thanksgiving dinner is a strange one to make this resolution but know that I intend to fully enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with the knowledge that because I'm exercising I can enjoy splurging every once in a while without feeling guilty. However, that being said, I am resolved to only splurge on Thanksgiving, my birthday (which is during this holiday season too) and Christmas. The rest of the time it will be things in moderation with lots of fruits and vegetables! My will power has been somewhat lacking lately so please pray that I will be able to resist temptation. So, here's to getting back on the wagon!!

Tummy Time

2008-11-21T11:40:00.004-06:00

I'm so excited because it seems like we have finally turned a corner with tummy time. Aimee has gone from fussing and crying as soon as we put her down on her tummy to "Oh, this isn't so bad, I think I'll look around some!" Yippee! Now it doesn't sound like I'm torturing my daughter anymore when I put her on her tummy! In fact, she actually smiled at me yesterday! What a milestone! By the way, those aren't teeth in the front of her mouth, it is the flash reflecting off of her tongue!

I'm an aunt...again!!

2008-11-20T15:02:00.004-06:00

My sister-in-law Bobbi, and her husband Chris, welcomed daughter number four into the world yesterday evening. Christa Rose weighed 6lbs 7oz and is 19 inches long. Aimee is very excited to have a cousin who will be so close to her in age and only lives 10 minutes away from us. We think that they will be great friends. Welcome to the family Christa! We love our girls!!

Memories

2008-11-17T22:37:00.002-06:00

Two years ago today, Ron took me for a wonderful dinner in downtown Chicago and a carriage ride on the Magnificent Mile where we stopped at a charming gazebo lit with holiday lights and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride. I don't think we ever imagined how much would happen in the next two years but I'm so glad that I have had him by my side to go through it. Happy Anniversary Hon! Thanks for asking! Here is a picture from that evening...

Set to go out!

2008-11-17T14:34:00.004-06:00

Well, the weather has gotten really cold (for November) so I decided to get out the cold weather gear for Aimee! Thanks Miss Pam! She looked so cute and I'm sure that she was warm enough while we went grocery shopping. It gets cold by the refridgerator section!

Let it snow...

2008-11-16T20:52:00.003-06:00

Well, here we are, almost a full two weeks before Thanksgiving, and what did we walk out to when we left church this evening? You guessed it...snow!!! Fortunately the ground isn't cold enough for any to accumulate but it is still hard to take when less then two weeks ago on election day, it was warm enough for short sleeves. Oh well, these are the joys of living in Chicago! Maybe we'll have a white Christmas this year... I think I'll start singing the song now!

Sleep wars

2008-11-15T22:38:00.002-06:00

So, we have gotten to the point where we have decided that we need to let Aimee cry for a little while when we put her down instead of going immediately and picking her up. I don't want to get to the point where I have to rock her every night to get her to sleep. It worked this morning for her nap but Ron had to help me be strong and not go upstairs! It breaks your heart especially when her little cries are so pathetic but I know it is better for both of us. I do love rocking her and cuddling with her though. Hopefully we won't go backwards when Ron is out of town for the next four days and I have to be strong without him...

3 Months Old

2008-11-04T13:52:00.004-06:00

Aimee is 3 months old today and I can hardly believe it! So, to celebrate we went and exercised our right to vote (Aimee just observed)! Our local polling place is a school in our subdivision so we walked and enjoyed the fabulous weather and after I voted we took a little walk over to the park and around the neighborhood. I have been extremely burdened the last few days to pray for this country and the outcome of these elections. The results will have far reaching consequences for the generations to follow. The next president could possibly nominate up to three Supreme Court Justices. Thankfully, I know that God is in control no matter what the outcome. Anyway, I took some pictures to document the event and was so excited to be able to capture a smile on camera for the first time!

Our Little Pumpkin

2008-11-03T14:06:00.007-06:00

On Friday Aimee celebrated her first Halloween. We went over to her Auntie Bobbi's house and went trick-or-treating with her cousins. Aimee was dressed as a pumpkin and of course was just so cute. People would admire her as we were walking through the neighborhood and her cousin Cassady (who is 7) would proudly say "That's my cousin!" Kaelyn loves her cousin "Baby Aimee"!!I couldn't resist taking a picture of Kaelyn from the back in her giraffe costume! Love the tail!

Graduation

2008-10-22T11:39:00.006-05:00

So, a week or so ago, I graduated Aimee from her bassinet to her crib. It was a harder adjustment for me then it was for her but now she sleeps happily in her own room. At the same time, she has actually finally graduated to 0-3 month size clothes. I also have her in size 1 diapers which are quite big on her but the newborn diapers are finally too small so I just have to basically double wrap the diaper around her waist! Anyway, here is are a few pictures of her in her crib with a new outfit on!I also took some new pictures of Aimee in her bouncy seat last week because you can really tell how much she has grown by looking at them. Auntie Melissa, I'm starting to like my bouncy seat more! Thanks!!

Afternoon At The Park

2008-10-21T11:50:00.004-05:00

Well, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather on Saturday afternoon and take a little walk to the park. I decided that Aimee needed to experience the swings and the slide for the first time. Don't worry, we didn't actually go down the slide, we just sat at the bottom and posed for the picture. Please forgive my horrible appearance. If I had known that I looked that messed up, I would have thought twice about having Ron take my picture!So, my husband was feeling artistic and wanted to take a picture of a cloud so in his honor, I'm posting his "art" too!

2008-10-11T10:52:00.003-05:00

Well, I am now officially a "stay-at-home" mom. This week I informed my company that I would not be returning. I have mixed feelings about it really. I am excited to have the opportunity to be staying home and raising Aimee but on the other hand, I worked there for four years so this is really the end of an era for me. I met a lot of special people there and made some good friends (which I am planning to keep!). So in honor of this momentous occasion this week, I vacuumed and mopped all the floors downstairs! Woo hoo!! I do love looking at the floor in the living room and seeing how much better it looks. I do find it a little sad however, that I am this excited about it. Ok Niki, you know you are a "stay-at-home" mom when you get excited by the shine of your living room floor!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-10-06T23:17:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday was Ron's birthday and we celebrated with his family on Saturday. We had a really good although loud time and I had to get some pictures of Aimee with her Daddy. I can't resist the head wraps either. She had a cuter one on for church on Sunday but I didn't get a chance to take a picture.

Can't resist a hat!

2008-10-06T23:05:00.003-05:00

Well, the weather has gotten cooler and I don't want Aimee to be cold so I have broken out the hat! This was the only hat we were given at her showers and as soon as I put it on her she was so cute I almost couldn't stand it! So, of course I took some pictures.

8 Weeks Old

2008-09-30T13:43:00.005-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how time flies! Aimee was eight weeks old yesterday. Here is a picture of us dressed up for church this past Sunday. Here she is bonding with Daddy on Sunday evening!

Ode to the swing

2008-09-27T14:11:00.002-05:00

"How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways. Thou art more temperate, more fair..."

Ok, so this may be slight overkill but I love the swing!! More importantly, Aimee loves it most of the time. I am able to put her in it and do such unimportant things as eat breakfast, go to the bathroom. She sits in it quite happily while we eat dinner also. We were up at Josh and Bethany's yesterday evening and they pulled out their swing and we were able to put her in it while we ate dinner there too and she was quite content. Not as much a fan of the bouncy seat yet but I will keep trying.

Afternoon walk

2008-09-17T14:42:00.005-05:00

I have decided to start taking Aimee for walks in the afternoon while the nice weather lasts. We couldn't really go out Friday and over the weekend because we had such terrible weather. Hurricane Ike affected us too. We got over 10 inches of rain in a couple of days! A lot of people are under water around here. Anyway, I hadn't really explored our local park since moving here so I took Aimee down there yesterday afternoon for our first walk. She slept the whole way down so I was starting to think that it was a lost cause but she woke up when we got to the park. Maybe we'll go back this weekend when Daddy can go with us and take some pictures of Aimee and I on the swings. Anyway, here are some pictures of Aimee from yesterday.What a face! Anyone want to make guesses on her thoughts in this one? There were some good ones on Maria's blog!!

Cute, Sweet, Innocent...

2008-09-17T14:39:00.003-05:00

The words on her shirt are never as true as when she is sound asleep!

2008-09-08T21:36:00.003-05:00

Well, in answer to Sophie's comment/question on my last entry, I thought that I would write another post. Aimee's one month check up went really well. She is up to 7lbs 9oz which means that she gained a pound and a half in roughly three weeks. The doctor said that is great weight gain and also said that she looks great! However, she is going through a phase right now where she is fussy in the evenings from about 5 to 9 or 10. The doctor said this is a phase and usually lasts until about 6 weeks old. The only time she doesn't cry is when I am feeding her. The moral of this story is that this evening after she had been crying for an hour straight, I stuck her in the swing as a last resort and after crying for another few minutes, she calmed down and went right to sleep. However, now she is crying again but the swing at least worked for little while! Now it is time to eat...

1 Month Old

2008-09-05T13:22:00.006-05:00

Well, I can't believe it but Aimee is a month old already. In honor of the special occasion I got out her bouncy seat and her floor gym to start seeing how she liked them. At first, she didn't really like the bouncy seat but I put her back in it later and she seemed to like it just fine. I turned on the vibration and looked over a few minutes later and she was asleep! My friend Melissa calls a bouncy seat with vibration "baby drugs" and I think that I agree! Of course I took some pictures to document the event. She has her one month appointment at the doctor tomorrow so we will get to see how big she is getting. She is definitely getting heavier, I can tell when I feed and burp her!

2008-08-30T14:59:00.003-05:00

So, I've been slacking on the blog lately but everytime I decide to sit down and post something, someone either needs to be fed or wakes up and wants to be held. Oh well, I know that you all understand.

On Tuesday we went and visited mine and Ron's offices so that Aimee could meet everyone. She was a hit of course! She was extremely good and basically slept the entire time. She wore the onesie in the picture since her daddy is an accountant and we were going to visit his office. Ron's mom gave it to him for Father's Day. So, I need to post a picture since she does look very cute in it!

There isn't a whole lot to report for the rest of the week. I'm starting to get more comfortable taking her out which is good because then I won't feel trapped in the house. We had a rough night a few nights ago where everytime I tried to put her down in her bassinet her eyes would pop open and she would not stay asleep so I ended up holding her almost all night. However, last night she went back to only waking up twice to eat so I think that she was just having an off night. We'll see!

First Church Outing

2008-08-20T15:20:00.005-05:00

We had our first outing to church on Sunday. I had to have this momentous occasion documented! The dress was the only one that I could find that sort of fit Aimee. The other "newborn" size dresses were still way too big. She was absolutely swimming in them! We had to go to two churches on Sunday as Ron's grandfather was receiving a special honor at his church so we went to Grandpa's church in the morning and then to our church in the evening. She was a hit at both places (which really is no surprise)!

Aimee also got to meet her cousin Cassady and great-grandma Marklund for the first time. Cassady is 7 and was so excited to get to hold Aimee.

Yay...Sleep!!

2008-08-15T09:59:00.002-05:00

Every mom knows the feeling of being sleep deprived and believe me, I was prepared to get very little sleep! However, I wasn't prepared for all the extra emotions of having just given birth along with being sleep deprived! There have been many tears from fatigue as well as the usual crying for absolutely no reason. My husband is doing pretty well at taking this all in stride and being very supportive. Anyway, we had a little victory last night. After feeding Aimee, I put her down and got in bed fully prepared to be up with her again in an hour or so. Imagine my surprise and glee when she started to fuss and I realized that she had slept and therefore let me sleep for more than three full hours! Once I fed her again she went back down for another three hours. Whoever would have thought that one could get so excited about three hours of sleep?!?

Anyway, here is a picture of her sleeping since she is so cute! I like to call her my little burrito!

New Daddy

2008-08-09T21:28:00.003-05:00

My husband is taking to the new role of fatherhood really well and I am so proud! So, I just had to post a couple of these pictures. Aren't they sweet?!?

She has arrived!

2008-08-08T14:17:00.006-05:00

Well, I never made it to 39 weeks. I woke up at 4:30 Monday morning with contractions and after 15 and 3/4 hours of labor our daughter made her appearance. She was born at 7:39 p.m. on 8/4/08. She weighed in at 6lbs 2ozs and was 19.5" long. Her name (which has been long awaited) is Aimee Angela. Aimee (pronounced Amy) means "Beloved" and Angela (which means "God's Messenger") is the name of my sister who went to be with Jesus last year. She is absolutely beautiful (of course, I'm slightly biased) and we are enjoying her. We have been home since Wednesday evening as so far things are going as expected. She had her first visit to the doctor today and has been given a clean bill of health. We just need to go back on Monday so that he can make sure that she is gaining back some of her weight. Here are some pictures of my beautiful new daughter shortly after her birth.

The room is done!

2008-07-31T09:34:00.009-05:00

Well, I didn't go into labor last night so I thought I would post some pictures of the baby's room! The crib and changing table are put together and everything is ladybug themed! I have diapers and wipes set up in the dispenser so I think we're ready to go!

Changing table...

The crib, complete with lady bug mobile!

And of course we can't forget the lady bug hamper and night light!!

38 Weeks

2008-07-30T22:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I have made it to 38 weeks. When my doctor checked me today she pretty much said that I could have the baby anytime now. I am dialated 2 to 3 and 50% effaced. In fact she told me that if I go into labor tonight, I don't need to even call, I can just come over to the hospital because she will be there all night! I am all set to go, my bag is packed, the baby's room is ready so all we need right now is the baby!

The tough life of a cat...

2008-07-20T16:52:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we were putting up the wallpaper boarder in the baby's room and I had put down towels in case we dripped water on the floor. The next time I turned around there was Rani, happily settled on the pile of towels! What a rough life!Later on yesterday I set up the bassinet. I left the room for about a minute and when I came back in, guess who had set herself up there?!? She looked at me like she was saying "thank you so much for setting up this new bed for me!" Don't worry, after taking a quick picture, I quickly got her out of there and covered it so she couldn't get in it again.

36 Weeks

2008-07-17T21:05:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm officially at 36 weeks as of yesterday! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I am already dialated to 2 and the baby's head is down. So, the doctor said that she didn't think it would be this week but hopefully it will be soon so that I don't get too uncomfortable. That shook me up a little as I wasn't expecting to be dialated already but don't worry, I know that it could still be a while. On the other hand, it could be any day so this is where is starts to get fun! I have to have another ultrasound next week as I was measuring a little strange yesterday so the doctor would just like to get some idea of the size of the baby. Everything looks good though and things seem to be moving right along!

Work Shower

2008-07-16T09:39:00.003-05:00

Yesterday my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower! I had started to get a slight inkling that they were going to do something for me but I had no idea the extent to which they went. There were 35 people there from my current team/department and former departments and then other friends from around the office. They had gotten a wonderful, catered lunch with salads, sandwiches and pasta and then of course, a delicious cake! They really showered me with gifts including some cute outfits, several of the lady bug items that go with the pattern I picked out for the baby's room and our pack 'n' play! I can't believe how generous they were. They had even decorated the cafeteria with banners and little things on the tables. I feel really honored that they did all of that for me. So, here are a couple of pictures from yesterday!Diapers & Pins Now The Fun Begins...My co-workers Quanteasa and Kelly who put the whole shower together.
More of the work gang!

Weekend Activities

2008-07-16T09:18:00.009-05:00

Well, we had quite a busy weekend. On Friday evening we went to a Kane County Cougars game (which is minor league baseball) and had quite a fun time. Ron's firm has season tickets so the whole family was able to go for free which made it even more fun! Here are some pictures from the game...

Micah is such a ham! He loves to pose for pictures. This is actually a big smile on his face!

Saturday was painting day. The baby's room is now one step closer to being ready! My dear friend Melissa came down from Milwaukee and helped Ron paint. It was his first time painting and he did a great job! The room is a lovely green color and is now ready for the wallpaper border to go on this coming Saturday and then the crib can go in. Yeah!!

Taping...

Trimming...
Rolling!! Doesn't it look great?!? Soon I'll post a picture of the room finished!

Family day at the zoo

2008-07-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

First of all, Mom's birthday was a huge success! Bethany and I took her out for a "girls' afternoon out". We first went to a lunch at Sweet Tomatoes which is a great salad bar restaurant with soups and pastas and lots of other great things. We then took her to her absolute favorite store in the mall where she spent probably a good two hours shopping. She loved it! She was so excited when we told her where we were going. After shopping 'til at least I almost dropped, we headed over to a nail salon and got manicures and petticures. The petticure was a special treat for me since I really can't reach my toes anymore! I'm hoping that my husband will quickly see the need for me to have another one in a couple of weeks!

On Tuesday our whole family went to the zoo together. Unfortunately, the battery died in my camera after I got only a few pictures but you can still see some of the fam enjoying the stingray exhibit. Micah was a little hesitant and didn't want to go near the water at first but he warmed up to it after a little while. The weather was in the mid to upper 80's and pretty muggy so by the end of the day I was exhausted but we were so glad that we went and had a fun day as a family. Here are the pictures of Micah and others enjoying the stingrays!

A Different Anniversary

2008-07-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

Today was the first anniversary of Angela's death. We actually had a very nice day even though it was hard. We went back and visited First Baptist Church and were able to sing in the service as a family. We sang "My Jesus I Love Thee" which was one of Angela's favorite hymns. After we sang Pastor Mike had us come over to the pulpit and he had the deacons and deaconesses come up and lay hands on us and pray for our family. It was very nice. After a nice brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, we went to the cemetery and laid flowers on Angela's grave and took some pictures as the marker was actually set in place just this week. Bethany and I designed the stone with some input from our parents and we think that it turned out very nicely. We then went back to Josh and Bethany's and took naps on various beds, floors, sofas and chairs (except for Ron who had a baseball game he really wanted to watch!). We finished off the day with a "God and Country" picnic at our church in celebration of Independence Day. So, we had a really nice day together as a family and felt God's presence with us.

Tomorrow we switch gears and celebrate my mom's birthday. Bethany and I have big plans but I'm not going to say what they are in case my mom checks my blog for some random reason!

Baby shower

2008-07-02T20:15:00.004-05:00

I had my first baby shower on Saturday so I thought that I should post some pictures. It was really fun and we were so blessed with all of the things that we got. Of course, the most fun were all the very sweet and adorable little clothes! We have gotten a good start on the things that we will need but we still need to do some shopping. I, of course, am so upset to have an excuse to go shopping for baby things! My sister-in-law Bobbi, got me a gift from herself as well as one from each of her three daughters (she went a little overboard). The last pictures are of my 2 year old niece Kaelyn, showing off what she gave me. She was so excited when I was opening "her" present!

And growing...

2008-07-02T20:08:00.002-05:00

Well, today I am officially 34 weeks so it was high time to take another picture. I think that I finally look pregnant! I had a doctor appointment today and baby and I have been declared healthy. 6 more weeks (or so) to go...

1st Anniversary

2008-06-17T20:47:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday was our first wedding anniversary. I can't believe that it has been a year already! We celebrated by going up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for the weekend for a little vacation. It was a great weekend and we really enjoyed ourselves. The weather on Saturday was absolutely perfect and we were able to take a two hour boat ride around Geneva Lake and see all the estates and hear about the history of the area. We also got to do a lot of walking around the town of Lake Geneva exploring the shops. It was a very nice get away. I didn't want to come back on Sunday afternoon. Now it is only a few days until my parents arrive from Thailand for their vacation and now the countdown to "Baby Day" begins in earnest. Here are a couple of pics from the weekend. Sorry there are no pictures of my husband, he is a little camera shy.
This is a view of the shoreline from our boat.

31 weeks

2008-06-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

Wow, I have really been slacking on my blog lately. I hadn't realized that it was so long since I've posted anything. I will try to improve, I promise! Here I am at 31 weeks today. Only 9 weeks to go. Yikes!

29 weeks

2008-05-30T20:06:00.002-05:00

Well, here is a new picture of me taken this morning. I was at 29 weeks on Wednesday. I have certainly grown in the last two weeks. I knew I was growing but I had no idea how much until I had a picture of myself two weeks ago next to a picture taken this morning! Well, dinner is almost ready so more to come later...

Ultrasound

2008-05-26T14:36:00.002-05:00

Well, this week we splurged and I went and got a 3D/4D ultrasound. It was really cool! The only problem was that our daughter (I'm still convinced) would not uncross her ankles for the entire half hour session so the tech could not confirm 100% that we are having a girl. However, she said that at this stage she would have been able to see "boy parts" even with the legs crossed so I am still sure we are having a girl. My husband is not convinced because as an auditor he needs 100% confirmation which is not going to happen! The tech was absolutely convinced by the end because she said no boy would be keeping his legs crossed that long! Anyway, here is a picture of our daughter!

I'm growing

2008-05-15T21:14:00.002-05:00

Here's another belly pic. This was taken this morning. I was officially 27 weeks yesterday. Yikes!

Spring has sprung!

2008-05-12T20:01:00.002-05:00

Wow, I have really been a slacker in blogging the last few weeks. Spring has finally come to Chicago and the tree out in front of our house blossomed with gorgeous pink blooms so I just had to post a picture. Of course, with the terrible wind and rain that we had yesterday, there are a few less blossoms now but oh well, at least I got a picture before that happened!

In other news, I had a triumph today. I had a doctor's appointment today and the doctor has been getting after me about my weight gain and was starting to do so again today until I made her really look and then she discovered that I had only gained a pound in a month! Go me! We'll see if I can sustain this but I know that I can do it!

2008-05-12T19:58:00.002-05:00

Wow, its tough being a cat!

2008-04-30T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here comes another belly pic! This is me at 25 weeks. I'll write more later but right now I'm going to bed 'cause I'm tired!

2008-04-21T19:53:00.003-05:00

So after only ten months, we went out and spent some of our wedding money a few weeks ago and bought a new dining room table set. It was delivered on Friday so I felt that I had to post a picture of it. Adorning my beautiful new table are two of the glasses that we received from Sophie as a wedding gift. Don't they look nice?!? Thanks Soph!

To Michigan and Back

2008-04-21T19:37:00.003-05:00

Well, this weekend we went up to visit Ron's brother and his family in Michigan. Fortunately, it isn't that far to drive up/over one day and back the next. Russell and Amanda just had their third child, Daniel, in January and we went up with Ron's parents to see Daniel dedicated. It was a very special family event and so here are a couple of pictures from the weekend.

Our nephew Andrew sang a very cute solo about people grumbling too much.

Russell and baby Daniel.

Here is Uncle Ron getting some practice for future things to come! In case you hadn't figured it out, he and his brother are twins.

I'm growing!

2008-04-16T21:19:00.002-05:00

Ok, here I am today at 23 weeks along. I'm definitely bigger then I was too weeks ago! Coming soon, maybe a blog that isn't pregnancy related... Could be difficult!