Marianne 6 weeks

 Big sister is a big help and she enjoys these moments. I enjoy seeing them!

We are still trying hard to get her weight gain to go up. At 7 weeks she has gained almost 1 lb after she reached her birth weight at one month. That is too little, but at least we are going up and not down! We have had her seen by a pediatrician but nothing is wrong with her that is obvious to us at this point.

We are just thankful that she is all right and that we don't need to worry anymore. We might never have an answer as to why she can't nurse enough on her own to gain, but there are other ways to feed her so that's what we do. And we do know that she is getting stronger so there is hope that all will be well soon!

Welcoming into the world--

Our sweet and new little babe,

Marianne Joy

Born on Friday the 14th of March

 This little girlie got named after my Mom and myself, Maria and Annie. We think it will be special to her as she grows up.

 Introducing the two babies at the hospital.

 What a Joy to behold! A new life never fails to be a miracle.

We had made these special shoes for baby before she was born, and timothy asked to be the first to put them on. I promised he would, and he enjoyed it. He really loves his little sister, and feels proud to watch over her as I leave the room. 

Sleep peacefully, our little bundle of Joy. we love you, and are happier than we can say that you joined our family...

My Three daughters & Me

Here is a photo of myself with my 3 daughters. Or do you see only two? Look harder!  I  sometimes can hardly believe it myself, but the Lord is blessing us with our fifth child. It looks like it is going to be another daughter, a perfect playmate for my little baby girl. I feel so blessed at times when I hold her in my arms and feel the little one kicking away inside of me. How could I deserve it? Two babies! Although I must say Victoria is no longer such a small baby anymore, especially when I see her in this photo. Still, I call her my baby. We will be welcoming the little dear in March.

This is taken at the maya ruins we visited with my sisters' family as they were visiting from Canada.I will do another post with more photos soon...

Baby 4 months

Baby photo update. It is unbelievable that baby is almost 4 months. Internet service is very sporadic lately, hence the reason for so few blog updates. Hopefully it will improve soon

 Now that I have two girls, I could not wait for them to have similar dresses. I had these made for both girls...cute in purple!

Rock-a-by Baby

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep

For I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

I love sitting in this comfortable rocking chair, holding and adoring that little child of mine. I realize once again how fleeting these days are, so I am trying to enjoy them to the fullest. How soon they will be gone again!

(I was looking for one and found this rocker a few months before baby arrived. At just $70, it was a great buy, it being only a few years old yet. I made the soft covers for the seat and back, and now I can rock my baby here, just like my mother and grandmothers did.)

The first two weeks

 The first two weeks have gone by. Time does not stand still. I am trying to adjust amidst all the poopy diapers, night feedings, and sore nipples. That sounds terrible, but it really isn't. I am enjoying every aspect of mothering all over again! (Except for the sore nipples, that is) Here are some shots of what has transpired during those first two weeks of blissful mothering...

 For the first time, I was out of the hospital in just over 24 hours after major surgery. Once home I thought it was a bad idea because of the additional pain, but as soon as I crept into my own bed that first night at home I knew it was the best idea ever. No three days at the hospital like I was used to. I went up to our bedroom, and that is where I stayed put for 4 days. It felt wonderful to be served by some very willing servants, who really enjoyed doing errands for me. Here Jessica serves me breakfast, and below Timothy shares special snack time with mommy.

That food tasted awful good those first few days, like it always does after a new baby. We have been so blessed to have been showered with meals and baked goods for these first two weeks; one realizes what a wonderful community we live in, and how wonderful it is to have family around...

How I enjoyed a romantic meal for two, when Daniel joined me in our bedroom! He was so ready to make me the sweet tea I so enjoyed. I tried to eat with him or with one of the kids most mealtimes, just to make everyone feel included. My baby sister was here to look after the children when Daniel was unavailable. She was also a huge help in keeping the house clean. Thank you Nancy!

Friendly room service, always appreciated.

 Guess who ended up lying in bed with me for a bit! My big helper cut her thumb and needed a few stitches so she was exempt from doing dishes for a week. thankfully she is all healed up by now...

 No words necessary here! I love this new daughter of mine, a whole lot!

 

 I have lots of fun dressing her in clothes Jessica used 9 years ago! I never could part with them, and they sure come in handy now.

 Fresh flowers were brought to me out of love. It made me feel special indeed.

Big sister has waited so long for a baby sister, and although we could never promise her one, God has answered our prayer for a little sister for her. Thank you God!

So, there you have it. I am thoroughly enjoying motherhood all over again, and am so happy God saw fit to make me a mother one more time!

Meet Victoria Hope

 Meet our new daughter, Victoria Hope, Born on May 14.

7 lbs 13 oz.

She is such a joy to have. We are blessed beyond measure.

All siblings are doting on her, delighted to finally have her here. As are her mommy and daddy!

I know many of you have been waiting to hear news of her birth and how it would turn out. Let me just say a few things but give you the details later! She was born via surgery in the hospital after about 5 hours of laboring at home which was monitored by a certified midwife. The surgery was necessary, and we are so thankful for the medical world that is ready to handle complications like ours. As I said, we are blessed beyond measure, and thankful for a healthy baby and safe birth.

Pregnancy Update at 7 months

 I know some of you have been waiting to see me pregnant again, so here I am! At 7 months. I finally got to getting some photos taken by my daughter. My sister sent me this little peach dress from Taiwan. It is such a cool and comfy dress for the hot days.

 Things have been going well, or as can be expected, I guess. I am trying to keep sugar and white flour down, and exercise up, and it seems to be paying off.

 As for the birth, many of you know of my desire to birth this one natural, as has been the desire for all three so far, but never happened yet. This time I have a wonderful midwife, and we are considering what options we have. We are just happily looking forward to this birth and trusting in the Lord to open the way for us He wants us to take. I don't want any selfish desires on my part, but only what's best for baby and myself, and for the family. We will know in about 2 months how things turn out; you will be sure to hear from me then!

The Good News

That's right. I have good news. I am expecting a wee one again! Things look very different this time than last time. We already had one ultrasound done, and there it was. A baby with a heartbeat. Praise the Lord!

After my last miscarriage it took a while for my body and mind to get prepared for this one. Now that the first trimester is almost over things are brightening for me. The first two months were hard, except I did not need to have nausea like I did with the others, thanks to my using B6. I was very unenergetic for a while though and didn't feel like working, so our house got pretty messy at times. Hubby was very understanding, and the children very helpful, I still felt like eating and cooking, so we came along just fine. Now I have temporary  hired help to get me back on my feet, and it is such a blessing to have clean windows again!

Come Thanksgiving, I hope to have this house cleaned from top to bottom, and then have all my family here over for a feast. So, I have a lot to look forward to. The best thing to look forward to though, is, going to Canada to have this baby. We want our children to have Canadian nationality, but they have made a new law that makes it hard to make children born outside of Canada Canadian, even if their parents are. We consider it a very good thing to have more than one citizenship.

Going to Canada will mean seeing my mom again. It should be a wonderful time. Since living in Winnipeg we feel very much at home there.Besides having the baby it will be a special trip for the little ones to go see Grandma and Grandpa and cousins, uncles and aunts.

Here is the big thing. I am hoping for a VBA3C, so I am praying for wisdom in this area and want to do what's best for baby. We'll see if it works out or not. Whatever way this baby is born, it won't matter much. We are just happy the Lord saw us fit to have another one! I am not quite past 12 weeks yet, but feeling so fine about this pregnancy that I believe this one will make it through.

Amazing story

I found this story and thought I need to post this! It is hard to watch without shedding some tears. It is one of those stories that remind us that God can still do miracles.

A new baby

There's a new baby in the house. Unfortunately, it's not in my house. My sister-in-law has come here to adopt a baby, and we are all enjoying him. Isn't he just adorable? Cute little Jason Ezra.

Feeding an 8 month old

How do you teach a big baby how to eat? I exclusively breastfed him longer than my other babies, and now he seems to have no interest in it! I am sure there is no hurry with trying to feed him, but sometimes I think it would be nice, just so he's not so attached to me, especially if I want to leave him somewhere for a short while.

Are we ready to try again?

Ugh-argh-grah

Chew and swallow it, baby.

It's yummy banana!

O well; I guess we'll try again in a few more days; for now, you can keep on being my little sucker, I actually don't mind it...