Our 8 lb Christmas Gift

Baby Jack William Fleming arrived on Christmas eve at 6:42 am. He weighs 8lb and is 21.5 inches long. We didn't expect him to arrive quite so quickly since he seemed to be in no hurry earlier in December.

(PG rated Birthing details below)
My water broke at 3:15 am. By the time we realized I was in labour, drove to Brandon, dropped off Brook at Trev's parents place, and got to the hospital it was already 5am. By the time the nurses figured out I was actually going to have a baby ASAP they could hardly get an IV into me. (I guess all my blood was tied up in other parts of my body) Trev was signing release forms with one hand and having his other crushed while I went through my contractions. After all was said and done I had to introduce myself to the Dr that had arrived to deliver our baby boy because we didn't have time to exchange pleasantries earlier. The nurses were fantastic! I was concerned that they would be surley and unpleasant because they had to work the holidays, but they were all very caring and attentive. Jack and I were released from the hospital at 11am on Christmas day. Yup, my stay was a whopping 30 hrs. We went and introduced Jack to Grandma Irving, went to the Flemings and had christmas dinner, and headed home. It was an amazing feeling to have all 4 of us driving home together in the van.

We are all doing well and adjusting to being a family of 4. Brook is still surprised in the morning when Jack is here, but she is a great helper. I am realizing just how grown up she is when I see them together. She is generally gentle with him, but has been a little out of sorts with her stay at grandma and Grandpas, Christmas, and the noise at night. She'll figure it all out yet.

We thank God for his blessing of a healthy, hungry baby boy. I am amazed that we we have been blessed with him.

Day 279 of 280

Here are some random pictures from around our place this week. Enjoy.

3 days

I have been having contractions for the last 3 days, but alas, no baby. I had a Dr appointment today and the Dr did a stress test on the baby and he/she is doing fine, but Mom and Dad are somewhat worn out from all the anticipation. I have received conflicting advice from Doctors and nurses, and I have decided to just listen to my body. I think I'll be able to figure out when the baby is coming. (t was pretty obvious the last time)

Tonight is Trev's last youth event before almost 2 weeks of holidays. He is in need of a break from all the youth and missions trip planning, so I really hope that the next two weeks are somewhat relaxing for him. I wish we could make some plans to do some fun and exciting things, but we just don't know what the next two weeks have in store, which leads me to my next thought.

Many people have asked me if I feel a kinship with the Nativity and story of Jesus being born, and I have to confess I haven't yet. I have had another thought on my mind (which is a miracle considering my sleep deprived self). Thought: If I waited for Jesus to return with the same anticipation that I wait for this baby if it would change the way I live my life. How am I living in anticipation? Am I dedicated to being prepared? Do I make sure my house is in order and my "spiritual bags" are packed every night? Am I in a right relationship with God or am I just hoping things work out on that day? Just some things Ive been considering. How can I prepare daily to meet Jesus?

7 days

Ive been doing some crocheting to try to keep my mind busy the last few days. I still want to make a fleece liner for this toque, but I thought I would share some pictures of Brook with her headgear on. I put it on her and the first thing she said was "I no like it". Trev and I made a big deal about how nice she looked in it and now she tolerates it being put on her head. Funny kid.

All we hear lately is "I do it". She wants to do everything we do and doesn't want any help. For some reason this week she wants to wear a dress all the time, so Ive been putting her summer sun dresses over her clothes. I had one of her play blankets and I asked her if she wanted to wrap her baby. She came over to me and layed the blanket over my stomach and said "wrap baby?". She gets the idea...kinda. I am excited about christmas because I think she is really going to enjoy it this year.

So the Dr told me a week ago that there was no way I would make it to my due date, let alone my next Dr appointment before giving birth. My Dr appointment has come and gone and I wish he wouldn't have told me anything. I have been sitting around waiting to go into labour all week and it is driving me crazy. Poor Trev is glued to his cell phone waiting for me to call. Technically I still have 7 days until my due date, so I am going to live the next week as if I am going to go full term or even over due. There is no point in wasting one more day waiting around for this baby to show up. We'll have plenty of time with the baby when he/she shows up, whenever that may be.

Random Pictures from November & December

19 days till due date. I can count the number of days left on my fingers and toes, not that I can reach my toes. Things are going well. I am getting uncomfortable and impatient, but I just keep reminding myself that this baby gets a little bigger and stronger everyday and that is what is important right now. Trev and I are both looking forward to this little ones arrival. Trev is planning on taking his last week of 2010 holidays once this baby shows up, which I am hoping will be a little bit relaxing for him.

My birthday was on Dec 4th, so yesterday Trev took me to Brandon for a birthday date. It was so nice! He made all the arrangements, got the baby sitter, made reservations for supper, and took me to a movie. All I had to do was decide what to order at the restaurant. We had a great time. It kept haunting me all night that it would likely be a while before we have another date like this, but I fully enjoyed it.

The picture below is of my birthday/christmas present from Trev. He made me this beautiful headboard for our bed. I had shown him a few pictures of what I liked and this is what he came up with. I love it! We are still trying to decide if it should be stained to match the other bedroom furniture, but for now I am just admiring it the way it is. What a talented husband hu?!! (He wants to make a bed frame yet to bring the bed up a few more inches, but that will be a project for another time.)
A few weeks ago we got together as a family to celebrate Dad's 60th Birthday. We had such a good time. The next few pictures are from that weekend. We visited and made cards and shot guns and decorated cupcakes and generally ate far too much. What a full house! we are now 17 people (soon to be 18) when we all get together at mom and dads. 8 of which are children. We all stayed the night on Saturday and filled that house almost to capacity. (There is always room for more it seems)





Nope, Milo is not dead, but he has taken up his winter post at the heat vent just like last year. He spends his days sleeping by the heater, sleeping in the sun, sleeping in the basement in dark corners and skulking around the kitchen while I prepare meals waiting for me to drop food. (I don't bend over very quickly and he knows it)

Week 35

In the last two weeks I have fulfilled my need to over prepare for this baby's arrival. The sleepers and blankets are washed, the diapers bought, and the sewing finished. The house is clean and organized, and the freezer full of "emergency" casseroles. I have 3 more Christmas presents to buy and we need more toilet paper, but otherwise we are ready. I understand that no matter how much I prepare now, my house will still spiral out of control eventually, but at least this gives me a fighting chance to keep my sanity. 5 more weeks to due date! I am so excited. Oh, and I think we have decided on some baby names.

Trev has been busy with youth and fundraising for the missions trip on spring break. Things are starting to come together and he has been encouraged by the involvement of a lot of parents and youth. He is also looking forward to Christmas and taking a little time off when the baby arrives. He has been extra helpful around the house lately and I am so thankful for a husband that see's my needs and does something about it. (Hopefully he can deal with my emotional instability over the next few weeks:)

The baby is health and happy (as far as we can tell) At my last apointment Dr Nell figured he or she was not going to be a big baby, but everything seemed to be normal. I am getting lots of kicks and wiggles that keep me company during the day and awake at night. It's all good. I remember after Brook was born feeling alone at times, no longer having the company of a baby kicking me. I would rather hold my baby in my arms than be pregnant forever.

Brook is growing up so much.
A story to illustrate my point: Trev is making me a headboard for our bed for christmas. We were standing at the foot of our bed looking at a piece of wood proped up against the wall and Trev said "I think I need to cut it". Without a word Brook took off and returned a moment later with her plastic toy sissors. She walked over to the board with her sissors and said "cut", went to the other end and did the same. Smart girl. Her understanding and communication are blossoming right now and I find it amazing how much she absorbs in a day.

These are some random pictures from the last few weeks. Brook has been doing puzzles lately. She is getting the idea, but she still has a bit to learn yet:)

Trev and Brook playing in the tent. Sunday afternoons are so much fun around here.

I was quite proud of my playdough creations so I thought I would share them with you all. Shadow (the horse) Sam (the dog) and Milo (the cat). The all died a terrible death when Brook squished them all together, then said "where's the cat?"

Every time I pull out the camera Brook tries to smile for me, and she always ends up with this funny face. It is cute, but her real smile is so much better. I almost have to sneek up on her to get a decent picture. Argh.

Week 33 of 40

Ya, we got a bit of snow this week.

November 1st. I have been waiting for November 1st for a long time. Back in September when I was feeling the "nesting" urge to fill my freezer with casseroles and baking I decided to wait until today. I didn't think there was any point in eating freezer-burnt food in February because I couldn't control myself, so I made November 1st my "start organizing and planning for baby to come" start date.

I have to admit that I have been cheating the last few weeks. OK, I have been cheating since September. I have done more sewing, cleaning and list making than ever before. When I was expecting Brook there were so many other things to fill my time. There was summer camp, Trevor was candidating here in Boisssevain, we were house shopping, and getting our first mortgage. Sure, I was preparing for Brooklyn, but I knew there was another big change coming several weeks after her arrival, so preparing for her did not become all consuming like it has this time. Some days I feel like I am gonna lose my mind. I spend a lot of time praying for God to keep my mind directed, otherwise it feels like it is going off in 10 different thoughts at once.

So now it is time to cook, bake, clean and shop. Oh, and pick a baby name. Why are we having so much trouble this time?


Brook has learned to ride her stick horse "Charlie". It's the first toy she looks for in the morning.

Reflecting on Today

Today has been a strange day. I have not felt like myself. I woke up with a spring in my step, and by the time Brook and I had gotten ourselves fed and ready for the day I was exhausted. We curled up on the couch together with a blanket and some cartoons and I fell asleep. I was planning on spending 15 minutes watching TV and woke up an hour later! Yikes. That was not how I wanted to spend the morning. Brook didn't seem to mind.

Trev showed up and noon for lunch. I had forgotten about lunch. While whipping up some french toast I burned my hand on the frying pan. My co-ordination has been lacking lately.

After lunch we cleaned out the Dog house (my annual fall cleaning) by shaking out all the blankets and sweeping out all the gravel. After shoving them all back in with the rake handle I noticed the worlds biggest wasp nest attached to the inside wall of the dog house. After thanking God that it was a vacant wasp nest it became very clear why the dog layed out in the rain this summer when she had a "perfectly good" dog house. I just thought she was being overly dramatic, laying on the step whimpering. Then came a wave of guilt, and a few tears. Goodness my hormones are a mess.

I put Brook down for a nap and went back outside to trim Sam's nails. I got them all done and then on the last nail I clipped it too short. She yelped, started to bleed, and I cried a little bit more. Oh goodness....

I went back inside feeling really tired. Then all of the sudden I felt like cleaning. I cleaned the bathroom, dusted, windexed and vacumed the afternoon away.

Trev came home for supper. I had forgotten about supper. After I whipped up some taco's Trev decided to take Brook to her first Broncos Hockey game this evening. It is a good thing I have some time alone this evening, because I am not really feeling like myself.

Thank you God for Brooklyn Dawn

Happy Birthday Brook! 2 years old. I can't believe Brook is 2 years old already. She is growing up so quickly. I love watching her change and learn. It is so much fun to see her little personality develop. She must learn 10 new words a day right now. What a busy little girl!

Brook has brought Trevor and I so much joy. I can't imagine our lives without her. What a crazy ride parenthood is. There are so many different emotions and experiences that I would never have imagined I would feel. I would never have guessed how protective and worried I would feel when she is sick or hurt, or how excited I would be to see her learn something new. The joy, doubt, excitement, exhaustion, and fulfillment of parenthood. The desire to give her everything she wants, yet learning how to give her what she needs.

The blessing of being Brook's parents is a privilege and an honor. What a wonderful little Girl God has given us. We are so blessed.

a year ago

Week 28

Only 12 more weeks to go! According to what I have read this baby should be about 2.25 lbs and about 15 inches long. By week 34 (in 6 weeks) he or she should double in weight and be about 4.75 lbs and 18 inches long. I guess if there are things I want to get done I better do them now while I can still bend over. So, with that in mind.....

Today I pulled some boxes out of the basement and started sorting through some baby clothes. It was really exciting to start preparing for this baby to arrive. I have been holding myself back from organizing for the last few weeks and it has been killing me!! I made a list as long as my arm of food I want to put in the freezer and random things I want to do. Just looking at all those little clothes reminded me of how wonderful it is to hold a newborn. I am getting so excited.

At my last Dr appointment I measured a little bit small again, so I have another ultrasound scheduled for Oct 12th (Brook's Birthday). The Dr figured it is just the way I carry the baby, but he want's to make sure all is well. With how active this baby is I am sure things are fine.

In the Laundry Basket Again

I don't know why we have toys at all....

On the Trampoline

Some neighbors of our moved a few weeks ago and they needed a place to store their trampoline for a little while. We gladly offered to look after it. Brook loves it, and so do I. What a great energy waster! She must have "jumped" for 1/2 hr this evening. She is getting more co-ordinated all the time.

St Malo Beach

On Sunday a few of us met at the beach at St Malo and enjoyed the afternoon. There was some serious landscaping. It was very windy, so you can't hear anything, but the "canal" was quite spectacular.

Around the house

Painting

I have some old acrylic art paint, so Brook and I started painting (with brushes). Then it went to fingers, then hands. Brook gave the paint a taste. She had a 1/2 hr bath afterward to scrub the stuff off. I spent another 20 minutes scrubbing the table, chairs, tub and floor. It was worth it.

Note to self...buy washable finger paint.

Holidays!!

We have had a fantastic two weeks of holidays. Trev said before they started, "Lets make the most of everyday of holidays we have." We sure did. We spent the first weekend at Mom and Dad Pauls' visiting while Mike and Jeanette were out. On Monday we took a trip to Winkler to go vehicle shopping, and to our surprise we actually found a van! We traded in our car and came home with an 04 dodge caravan. What a way to start our vacation.

On wednesday We took a trip to Kenosee SK and did 3 days of camping. We had perfect weather and our trailer and Van worked out wonderfully! We spent a day at the waterslides which is a very different experience with a young child. Brook enjoyed it, but wasn't as "into it" as I though she would be. She enjoyed the last 3 seconds of the waterslide, that was about it. Otherwise she just wanted to splash in the pool and watch the other kids. The only hiccup we had at Kenosee was when Sam almost got a hold of a skunk that ran through our campsite one night. SOOOO glad she didn't.

On our way home we stopped in Brandon for a quick visit with the Fleming Family that was getting together. It just so happened that Ryan and Jackie were out for a wedding, so we gathered, ate and the kids played in the sprinkler and kiddy pool. There were no guns involved this weekend, but there was some male nudity. Judah had no swimsuit, but that didn't seem to bother him much.

We got home, washed, repacked and headed out to St Malo Provincial park for another 3 days of camping. I really enjoyed this trip. The campsite was nice and private, the beach was wonderful, and again, we had great weather. We took a quick trip to Winnipeg on wednesday and went to the Zoo. Brook called every animal bigger than a dog a cow.






The rest of the week we spent recouperating from our holidays. What a great time just doing whatever we felt like whenever we felt like it. It was not physically relaxing, but it was mentally. What a great holiday.

The Twins come for a visit. (oh, and they brought their parents)

Mike and Jeanette came out for a visit, which is always a fantastic excuse for a family gathering. We spent the weekend eating, sleeping and shooting things. It was so much fun to get together and bug my Brother about his gun with a bayonet and kiss their babies. Thanks for making the trip Mike and Jeanette!! I didn't take many pictures, but these will give you the idea....

Reflecting

I love days off in the summer!

Today, we slept in and after a leisurely breakfast we decided to go to the beach. I packed a ridiculously huge lunch and we spent the afternoon at Lake William visiting with neighbors and soaking up the sun. We came home to our nicely air-conditioned home and had a nap.

After our pancake supper we went for a walk to the fairgrounds to check out some of the 1st of July children's activities. Brook caught a fish in the fish pond, (little plastic fish with a magnet), had her face painted and had a fantastic time playing with a balloon.

On our way home we stopped for a drink at the coffee house and hung out. Once it was dark we climbed up on our roof to watch the fireworks. What an absolutely great day.

Fleming Family "Yurting"

This last weekend we had our Fleming family camping trip at Sprucewoods Park. Due to the large amounts of rain during last years family camping trip we decided that instead of using tents or RV's we would rent "Yurts". They are a round canvas tent with a wooden platform. To be honest, I was expecting a smelly, dirty tent with lots of moths and a little bit of mold. To my delight they were very nice and clean! They were even equipped with lights, a heater, electricity and new furniture! (I know, were we ever roughing it)

When we arrived Trev's Mom gave each grandkid a "Yurt Shirt", which she had hand stenciled. On the back of Brook's it said "Brook's Yurt Shirt". Very fun. During the group picture they are doing the "yurt chant", which goes. "yurt, yurt, yurt, yurt, YURT". (Ya, real original.)

The weather was very nice on Monday morning so we went swimming. The water level was really high, which left about 5 feet of beach, but we had a great time. For some reason Brook wouldn't walk on the sand. I guess she didn't like the feel of it on her feet. She loved the water, but not the sand. The picture is of all the grandkids hangin' out.

On Monday afternoon we went on a hike to see the sandunes. It was a bit of a longer hike than we had anticipated, but everyone seemed to do relativly well. At one point we got to choose to take the "easier" route, or the trail up to the outlook deck. We decided to take the easier. At the end of this trail was the hill in the picture below. On the way back we went the other way. It had stairs.

Eating Toast and Being Cute

I had gone to Mom and Dad's to attend a bridal shower, and I made a quick video of Brook for Melissa, one of my Friends. (I forgot my camera when I went to the shower and it didn't get used anyway) So Melissa, this one is for you.
Brook and I were having breakfast and she was being exceptionally cute. If you have 2 minutes to spare, (pulse however long it takes to download) it's a fun little video to watch.

Church Picnic

We had our church picnic last week at camp Koinonia. We had a great time. Trev had the opportunity to baptize three kids from youth that afternoon. They were not all from the MB Church, which had it's challenges, but it was really cool to see the community come together and support these three kids. Trev was really proud of all of them. (This was June 6th, and apparently the water was not that cold)

The camp had a few ducks which fascinated Brook, but they also had a gator, which seemed to interest her even more. She attached herself to Jill, one of the youth girls, and hung out there most of the evening. No matter how hard I try, my little Girl prefers motors over animals. She loves tractors, lawn mowers, and bikes. As long as she doesn't ask to trade in on of our pets for a dirt bike we should be able to get along.