New Chapter's In Life

What's New?

2012-01-04T09:06:00.003-05:00

My little Heidi is 9 months old already. Time really has flown by. It is hard to imagine our lives before we had both children. Tyler is now completly potty trained. He went to Heidi's sitter one day and came home not needing diapers! Praise to Jacki! She has been a lifesaver when it comes to John and I and our children. Heidi is finally starting to teethe, she has none right now but is cranky today and running a slight fever. Her gums are finally soft, so here's to hoping some pop through.

We had quite the busy month of December. A lot of things happening, and some Christmas parties thrown in there as well. We got to explain to Tyler the true meaning of Christmas and at the time he seemed to understand. We took some of his earned money and gave it to the church as an offering, and then he bought gifts for his sister, dad and one for me too. Our little guy is such a sweetie.

Here are some updated pictures of our clan from Christmas and Heidi's 9 month picture on the bed in black and white as well.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-02T10:01:00.001-05:00

From our Family to Yours!

Pictures

2011-10-17T08:35:00.004-04:00

We had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago, that turned out beautiful, thanks to Jessica Davis! Heidi is 6 months, going on 7 months. She is rolling all over the place and army crawling. She gets up on her knees but just rocks back and forth still. Still no teeth from her, but I think there is one poking through, which would explain her slight cold.

We went pumpkin bowling on Saturday and found out that Tyler is just like his grandpa, allergic to everything. He got hives on his legs and bottom from the hay, poor guy, no hay rides for him :(

Kids

2011-09-22T14:36:00.004-04:00

Heidi will be 6 months old in 6 more days, it seems like she has always been a part of our lives. It is so fun to watch Tyler with her, he says he wants to hold her all the time, which is cute, until you try to have him do it and that lasts for about 5 seconds :) Heidi is now on medicine for her acid refulx, which is helping so much, we can finally see her clothing, without a bib having to be there to catch her spit up. She is sitting up now, rolling over both ways and just this past few days has been attempting to crawl. Tyler is talking so much now and we are told is a pleasure in class. He has such a fun personality and loves to make others laugh. We are loving this fall weather and went last night and bought out pumpkins so that we can decorate them this weekend. We finally have a weekend with no plans, so we are excited to be at home with each other and not have to rush somewhere. Here are a few of the latest pictures. Tyler at 2 1/2 years old and Heidi at 5 months.

Updates

2011-07-29T08:41:00.005-04:00

It has been a while since I posted. Heidi is now 4 months old, as of yesterday. She is doing so good. We are starting to try some rice cereal once a day with her. She is not so sure about it. Tyler is also doing very well. He has had a missing tooth for about 11 months (all his other teeth came in) however that one straggler is now finally popping through! WooHoo! We took the kids to the fair on Sunday, Tyler loved every mniute of it, the animals, the food and the rides. His favorite part was of course the tractors :) The kids also enjoyed the 4th of July. Tyler loved the parade and both kids stayed awake to watch the fireworks! We have also been enjoying the pool lately, Heidi had her first experience in it a few weeks ago. She loved it, we will have another swimmer on our hands hopefully :) We also poured some concrete at the in-laws and the kids made their stamp in it :)

Latest Happenings

2011-06-13T07:39:00.002-04:00

Heidi is doing wonderful these past few weeks. She is not crying as much as she used to in the evenings and is sleeping almost all night long. She usually wakes up around 5 to eat, however last night she slept all night long :) Tyler is also doing well, he has used the toilet twice now to poop... we are getting there :) He is having some trouble listening to the daycare teachers, he is definetly in his terrible two's :) John and I are excited for the fourth of July weekend, I think we are going to have a day/night out by ourselves. Makes me very happy! This past weekend we had some friends over for a cookout, here is a picture of their daughter Tori holding Heidi and one of Tyler doing who knows what...

What a GREAT night

2011-05-17T07:38:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was an amazing day and then an amazing night. Heidi did wonderful last evening, no real fussing, just a happy baby. And now she is rolling over from tummy to back, which just amazes me for only being 7 weeks old. She is also smiling a lot, which makes me so happy to be her mommy, her cute little dimples showing. She ate at 8 pm last night, fell asleep at 9 and didn't wake up till 2 then not again until it was time to get up and ready for the day. I can't believe she only woke up once! What a blessing.

In other news, Heidi was dedicated at church on Sunday. Our family came to celebrate in the event, it was very special. Then we all went to lunch at Joanna's on SR 15, they have good food, good prices and great service. It has been such a great past two days!

My mom with Tyler and Heidi

Part of the family for Heidi's dedication...too many members to get all in one picture.

BTW - Thanks John D for taking the pic :)

The Story of Heidi

2011-04-05T16:30:00.004-04:00

Friday the 25th was my last day of work for 6 weeks. I was so excited, knowing that come Monday morning we would be a family of 4. I got a call on Friday saying we had to be up on the 3rd floor at 530 am for the prep of my c-section. I was getting nervous, not for the surgery, but for the aftermath. We showed up at 5:30, got my IV and all the questions answered. At 7:10 I went back into surgery and I got the spinal block, which wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. While that took effect, we waited on Dr. Barkow to come so surgery could begin. They started surgery at 7:40 when the doctor finally showed, which I gave him a hard time about. It took to 8:06 for Heidi to finally join the world. She was already being stubborn, they had to push on my stomach for quite a while as well as use two suctions, one which flew off and hit my doctor in the face shield, before she came out. She was absolutely beautiful. 6 lbs and 4 oz, quite small since Tyler was 8 lbs and 12 oz. Everything checked out good, good heart, bones, all 10 toes and fingers and good hearing. Then came the second day whe she became jaundice. She had to sleep on a blanket and under a light for that night. They also sent us home on Wednesday with a blanket to have her sleep on. She is still jaundice, we had another blood test yesterday, but not high enough to warrant any intervention. We try to keep her in the sun as much as possible, and just hope and pray that it goes away soon. The doctor says that after the first few days, being jaundice isn't as much of a threat as it is on day one or two after birth. We are doing well, just tryig to adjust to two kids. Tyler is doing well with her. Nights are rough, he gets up and won't go back to sleep without John or I being with him, which is rough for the other parent dealing with Heidi. Please keep us in your prayers.

Tyler

2011-03-07T07:48:00.005-05:00

We took Tyler for one last big adventure before his sister arrives. We ended up driving over to Shipshewana and going to Wana Waves Indoor Water Park. A little expensive for how small it was, but Tyler had a blast once he got used to all the kids and noise. They have only one small area for kids, so that was kind of a let down. But after Tyler warmed up a bit, John took him on the bigger slides with John holding him, and he had a blast! I am more than ready to meet our little one, it is getting harder to move around and sleep. I have been stuffy and have had trouble breathing, but what's new. Here are some pictures from this weekend.

1 month

2011-02-28T14:43:00.003-05:00

In exactly one month I will be holding our precious baby girl in my arms. I am excited/nervous. We brought down all of the baby items from the attic so I could clean them and situate them where I will use them most. We have been buying little gifts to give to Tyler so he doesn't feel left out when she arrives. We are planning on taking him to the Shipshewana water park this coming Saturday for one last adventure with just the three of us. Time is coming near!

Updates

2011-02-14T12:25:00.002-05:00

Well the date and time are set... arrangements have been made for Tyler... I am getting excited to meet our little girl. I have to be at the hospital at 6 am On March 28th for my C-Section and tubal ligation. I am so ready for this day. 6 more weeks from today and I will be holding our little bundle. We still ahve no name picked yet, there are a few we like. John is going for Charlene, so he can call her Charlie Brown, there is no way I am agreeing to that one :) I prefer Natalie, so we will see. Tyler's 2nd birthday is on the 20th and we are having his birthday party on Saturday. We still have to decide what food to serve, but the cake is ordered and I have all the ingerdients to make his small egg free cake. Busy little beavers around here. We are busy taking the baby items out of the attic and cleaning them up and doing projects around the house. It was so nice yesterday that we got my car washed and John cleaned off the garage floor. I am so ready for Spring!

8 weeks left

2011-01-31T08:04:00.002-05:00

I only have 8 weeks left, to the day, until we get to meet baby girl Brown. I am excited, but also nervous. Tyler is a handful at times and I wonder how it will be for him having a new one to contend with. The daycare says he is great with babies when they come to visit, so that is encouraging. We are busy making the spare bedroom into a big boy room for him. We moved out the computer desk and my scrapbook desk to the basement. We have a twin bed in there and this past weekend we bought his bedding a side rail and step stool. We got paint and this Saturday will be painting it. John and his dad are working on building him a dresser, we hope to get this all done by his birthday so it gives him some time to adjust before the baby comes. And hopefully he won't feel ousted from his room... I am happy knowing that this will be my last pregnancy ever, I have been so ill that I am more than ready to not have more kids, I am not sure my body can take that. Hope you all have a great week!

Well...

2010-12-22T09:48:00.003-05:00

We had another ultrasound yesterday and the doctor is about 80% sure it is a GIRL! He couldn't see the tell tale signs of a boy and he thought he say the "hamburger" sign so that is what he is going with. I return in 3 weeks for the glucose testing so he will do another ultrasound then. Here are the latest pictures of Tyler...

Tyler loves Bob the Builder

Playing with his tent and tunnel from Grandpa John

Climbing the stairs like a big boy

News

2010-11-18T13:01:00.003-05:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday for Baby Brown #2. Unfortunately, the cord was in the way and we weren't able to determine the sex. The ultrasound took 2 hours and I was so ready to be done at that point. I have attached photos below. I did break down and buy the gender predicting test, so we will see if that works.

Tyler had his allergy testing this morning at the hospital and we should know the results of the glucose testing by tomorrow. The actually allergy tests will take a few days for the results, so now we wait.

Overwhelmed

2010-11-09T13:10:00.004-05:00

I am feeling overwhelmed... with work, Tyler, family and the new baby coming...

We recently took over an agency in SB and took on 28 new clients. That in it self is a lot to think about, but then you have to get down to the nitty gritty. We have 28 new clients whom we have to house, cloth and feed... not to mention care for emotionally, physically and medically. I am doing a lot of driving back and forth to help out and it is wearing me out.

Tyler was having a lot of trouble with off and on again diarrhea. We went to the doctor for cultures, those turned out ok. Now he is on a lactose free diet for at least 2 weeks. If it doesn't get better than we have to go see a specialist, which scares me. At least he is still a happy boy about all of this.

With Tyler being at the daycare he is bringing home germs, which has caused me to get sick very easily, often and quick. I have called off work 4 separate times this pregnancy, which is hard for me to do. I hate being sick and am praying that the rest of this pregnancy goes smoothly. We have our ultrasound scheduled for next week, which is very exciting!

2010-09-22T11:56:00.002-04:00

We have been so busy this summer and with this pregnancy, I am ready for a break. I need to rest and not go do, do, do... I told John the other night that if this was our first child, it would be an only child. I have been so nauseated, tired, and sick it is unreal. We had Tyler's 18 month pictures the other day, they turned out so good. And we got some pictures of just John and I for our 5th year of marriage. We are going to go see one of my favorite singing groups, Straight No Chaser, on the 3rd of October so that is our anniversary present to each other.

Lately

2010-08-16T07:49:00.003-04:00

Our family has been so busy lately, running from one thing to the next. And it's only gonna get more busy. John and I are expecting our second Brown Baby, our due date is April 1st. We are very excited. This pregnancy so far has been a little different, a little nausea, but not like with Tyler and I am somewhat tired, but not every day. Maybe this will be a girl...

We had a lot of fun this past weekend, we were able to go to the lake to visit with my Grandma, Aunt Linda, Uncle Mike and all 3 of my cousins, their wives and children. It was such a good visit and great to see everyone. The next couple weeks are busy as well. We have Tyler's 18 month photo shoot, his 18 month check-up, my family reunion, my 10 week appointment, my class reunion and much more.

Here's to hoping this is an easy week at work, lol!

First Tricycle Ride

First Fair Ride

First Haircut

Sleepy Tyler

First Trip to the Zoo.. his favorite part, the Tractor's

New Car

2010-06-23T07:40:00.002-04:00

Well, we finally did, bought a new car for me and sold my old one to John's mother. I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Mercury Mariner. LOVE IT!

Updates

2010-06-08T09:18:00.006-04:00

What is new and exciting in our lives... well where to start...

These past couple of weeks John and I have been car shopping. His mother's car is not very good, no heat or air conditioning, so she is going to buy my car. What a process going to dealer after dealer, searching for the car that has all the extras that we want. We think we have found one we really like, it's a GMC Yukon, hoping to go to South Bend tonight to test drive it and what not. We are wanting a bigger car before the next child decides to come along, and no we are not pregnant... but my sister is! YEAH another niece/nephew!

In other news, Tyler is doing real well. He has a slight bacterial infection and is on an antibiotic, but it doesn't seem to faze him at all. I really just took him in because I thought he was having an allergic reaction, he had small bumps on his body. He still has the bumps, but the doctor wasn't worried about them, since they didn't bother him. He had his 15 month check up in May, and is doing well, 28 lbs and quite tall.

Summer has started in our family, we have already been in the pool some, parties for a bride, a wedding, took a few days off work around Memorial day to work on the yard, been to the lake and Tyler drove my Uncle Mike's boat, having a cookout with friends at the lake this Saturday, laying out, mowing and spending time outside with Tyler. I am also in a wedding in July, so that will be another weekend for just John and I that I am looking forward to!

Bachlorette Party for Jennifer E.

Wedding of Mike and Jennifer E

Swimming and fun at the lake

Slideshow

2010-04-28T08:43:00.001-04:00

Updates

2010-04-28T08:37:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in a while, time is going by so fast around our house. Every weekend seems to be full of baby showers, wedding shower's, bachlorette parties and weddings. John is in a wedding this weekend, so again, we are full. It has been such a blessing to have his mother and my mother close to help with all the activites that are going on, they are great babysitter's! Tyler now has all 4 of his first molars in and is working on a few others, this brings our total to 9 teeth.

Another Tooth

2010-03-02T15:55:00.002-05:00

Tyler just received his 2nd molar on the upper side and is working on the other one on the other side. These have not been fun for mom and dad, very cranky little man with these two. It's not quite through all the way, so no picture yet. Here are a few more from the Birthday Bash.

Tyler is ONE!

2010-02-22T15:28:00.003-05:00

Oh my Lord, what a great party he had. He was so happy and just talking and walking to each family and friend that came to see him! I uploaded a few pictures to share. We had his one year appointment today. He weighs 26 punds and 2 oz, in the 89 percentile. He is 31.75 inches tall, in the 94 percetile. Got his MMR and chicken pox vacinnes today, not a happy camper about that.

Updates

2010-01-25T08:53:00.004-05:00

Tyler is now walking ALL over the place and getting into trouble :) He had his first haircut a few days ago, just a little trimming around the ears. He had his first "beer" and sucker experience this past weekend as well. His first birthday is less than a month away and mom and dad are in party mode. We went and ordered and purchased his birthday cake on Saturday form the International Bakery. YUMMY! I hope it looks as good as the picture. I am excited! HEre are a few updated pictures.

Holidays

2009-12-29T16:02:00.004-05:00

Well this was our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with Tyler. We had so much fun seeing family and celebrating, and it still isn't over. We have Christmas with my dad and sister on Saturday, then we are done. I took down all of our Christmas decorations yesterday, I can't handle all the clutter it brings, even though they are pretty. This Thanksgiving we spent with my dad and step-mom and her family. It was nice not to have to cook and clean up after everyone is gone.

Christmas morning we did at our house with just the 3 of us and then went to his parent's house that evening. My mom came on Saturday and we had our Christmas with her. Here are a few pictures from that.

And now for the big news... Tyler is WALKING! Not very far, but he is indeed walking. Her is a video of that.

9 months old

2009-11-20T10:20:00.003-05:00

Our "Little" Tyler is now 9 months old. Not so little anymore, he weighs 23 lbs and 6 oz, in the 90 percentile and is 30.25 inches tall, in the 97 percentile. He has graduated to 12 month clothes and is working on mastering his pincher grasp and sippy cup. We are crawling everywhere and walking with everything (he uses us, furniture and walls). It is so fun to see him accomplish something new, he now knows how to clap his hands and is so excited to show you this new skill. Have a great weekend and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Teeth and More

2009-11-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

Tyler now has 4 teeth, 2 on the bottom (which came in first) and 2 on the top. All 4 came in within a week. They didn't cause him too much pain but now he has a cough that we can't seem to shake. Last night was also the first night that he stood up alone, no one to hold onto and no furniture to grab. I am so proud of my big boy, who seems to be growing up way too fast! In no time it will be time for corn on the cob, yummy!

Bottom two teeth

Top 2 teeth

Some Outdoor Fun

Fall Time Fun

2009-11-03T12:05:00.002-05:00

We took Tyler out last weekend to play in the leaves. He wasn't too sure about them blowing into his face. He also got to go "Trick or Treating" for Halloween. We took him around to friends and family. Here are some updated pictures.

Tyler as Tigger

Pop bottles are immense fun!

Anniversary and 8 months Old

2009-10-26T08:45:00.004-04:00

John and I took a few days off of work this past week and were also lucky enough to have the babysitter watch Tyler overnight, so we could celebrate our anniversary. 4 wonderful years of marriage and one child later. We drove up to Michigan and did some sightseeing and shopping. We visited a winery and the casino before heading home. It was very relaxing and great to reconnect with each other. Tyler has been a child on the go now that he can crawl and pull himself up to stand and "walk" along furniture. It has been great to see his little personality shine through.

Michevious little boy crawled over to his basket of toys... this was right before he dumped the basket onto his head

What a cutie!

I love this hat...

We took Tyler to the Pumpkin Farm

He got to "drive" the police car

Happy 33rd Birthday John!

2009-10-05T13:50:00.002-04:00

My wonderful husband of almost 4 years is 33 today. His wonderful mother is going to come watch Tyler so I can take John to dinner. Our anniversary is the 22nd of October and Tyler's babysitter agreed to watch him overnight so we can go out of town for two days. I am looking forward to that!

Past Weekend

2009-09-29T09:33:00.003-04:00

Once again we were on the move. Saturday we went garage sale-ing, didn't find much. We took John's mom to the Mennonite Relief Sale at the fair grounds, but we were kind of disappointed. I was hoping to buy some baked goods, but there wasn't much there when we finally got there. Then I had a co-workers wedding in Three Rivers, MI that Tyler and I went to. He did such an amazing job and my co-workers adore him. We got home kind of late and went promptly to bed. Sunday we started to close the pool and I got Tyler's first encounter with pumpkins on camera. He was laughing at the pumpkin and I thought boy my child has an odd sense of humor. Then I realized there was an ant crawling around it. I am loving this cold weather, I LOVE FALL!!

These last two pictures are from some time ago, but just thought I would share...

New Baby

2009-09-14T08:20:00.003-04:00

My best friend Jenny had her baby on Saturday at 11:06 pm. Julia Grace entered this world gracefully and proceded to cry bloody murder :) She is absolutely gorgeous, as is her mommy who is doing wonderful. She said labor was pretty easy, 6 pushes and out came the bundle of joy. Here is a picture of Julia and the proud auntie (me) and gorgeous Julia!

Date Night

2009-08-25T09:46:00.003-04:00

John and I finally were able to go out on a spontaneous date. His mom called us Saturday saying she was gonna come up and watch Tyler so we could go out. You have no idea what that meant to us. Normally we have to plan a week in advance to go, so this was a great surprise. We went and did a little shopping at Kohl's and then went to Linway Cinema. We watched The Proposal, which was hilarious, John even enjoyed it. It was so nice to get away with my love and enjoy each other without having to care for Tyler. We have my Spangle Family reunion this weekend, which hopefully it won't rain tons. Tyler will get to meet his second cousin for the first time and see his cousin Kade again. The last time we saw my sister and her family was right after Tyler was born. It stinks that they are so far away. A 4 hour drive is a little bit much for a day trip. Have a great rest of the week!

6 Months

2009-08-18T14:40:00.006-04:00

My "little" man is now 6 months old. We went to the doctor today to have our check-up and shots. He had three separate shots, but did a great job! He is 20 lbs and 6 oz and 28 inches long. He is in the 95 percentile for both height and weight, which is good, he was in the 97 percentile for weight at his 4 month visit. He is teething right now and is sitting up unattended, so he is right on track developmental wise. We also had his 6 month pictures taken, here are a few of my favorites.

New pictures

2009-07-28T10:57:00.003-04:00

Tyler is now 5 months old, time seems to be flying by. My best friend is due in 6 weeks with her baby, so we are very excited. A little playmate for Tyler. Here are some recent pictures and a video.

Loves his playmat

Found his feet

Trying to sit up, hasn't mastered that yetFlying with daddy

Fair

2009-07-21T07:51:00.002-04:00

We took Tyler to his first fair on Sunday. I am not sure if he really new what was going on, but he looked around and about the time we were going to show him all the animals he fell asleep. At least he wasn't fussy while we were there. Here is a family picture caught on camera.

Friends

2009-07-15T07:52:00.004-04:00

I went out last night with some girlfriends from high school/church. We always have such a great time and it's good to get away from home and husbands/children. There were 9 of us for dinner and it dwindled down to 7 for bowling. We ate at Hacienda and then went to try our luck with the lanes. The first round of bowling was normal, the second however was anything but normal, thanks to Marla. I captured a few pictures to show.
The List
Jess, Sara, Lyndi and Colleen
Colleen on the left and Karina on her butt
Marla laughing
Colleen one legging it

Veggies

2009-07-06T08:27:00.003-04:00

We started Tyler on his first vegetable yesterday, green beans. I had bought the first stage of baby food, a few jars for him to try before I made our own so that I knew he would eat it before I made a bunch. He does not like it pureed. I had to cook some green beans and use my magic bullet so that they could be a little chunkier for him. He liked that better. Here is that experience caught on camera.

Apples

2009-07-02T09:12:00.002-04:00

John's mom gave us some rice cereal a while ago that had apples in it. So we thought that since he didn't like the plain stuff, which by the way tastes like cardboard, we would try the kind with apples. He did ok with that, not really loving it. Well I decided that it was time to try other foods too. Since he was ok with the apple rice cereal, we mixed it with applesauce. He LOVED it! He would search out the spoon and open real wide as soon as I put more on the spoon for him. It was sooo cute! Next week he gets to try a green vegetable. Which I just learned you are supposed to start with veggies first, starting with green ones, then orange ones then finally yellow. Who knew, lol!

Vacation

2009-06-26T15:50:00.004-04:00

This week John and I took off of work because Tyler's babysitter was in Vegas. However we got lucky and had a friend offer to watch him so we could do projects around the house. Our bedroom is now painted, as is our bathroom. The cable and Internet wire is buried, fish tanks are clean, lawn is mowed and trimmed, cars washed and waxed. We even had time to go to his parent's pool with Tyler. And we also took a day and drove to Chicago to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. Below are a few pictures from our week.

Tyler with his sunnies and floatie...

John and Tyler in front of a train at the Museum

Our new bedroom color and bedspread. I even put the words Sweet Dreams on the wall behind the bed.

New Videos

2009-06-16T20:37:00.004-04:00

4 months

2009-06-16T08:19:00.001-04:00

We had Tyler's 4 month check up today. He did a great job and was laughing with me for quite a while before the doctor came in. He was laughing so loud that the doctor said he could hear him down the hall. He weighs 18 lbs and 9 oz. He is 26.5 inches long. He is the 95 percentile for his age for height and 97 percentile for weight. We certainly have a big boy He is the size of a 6 month old. He is now rolling over from tummy to back, laughing a lot, cooing more, trying to crawl, sleeping all night long and eating rice cereal. Which isn't the best tasting thing Hope you all are having a good start to the summer!

Weekend

2009-06-08T08:00:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend, and it was so beautiful out! Saturday we woke up and went garage sale-ing, not finding a lot but we had fun. We got a few outfits for Tyler and his Halloween costume (John's mom bought it). I was looking for a pull behind carrier for our bikes so we could take Tyler with us, no such luck. It was so sunny outside that and Tyler was squinting so John put his sunglasses on Tyler, below is that picture. We then came back home to drain the water bed so our new bed could be delivered and set up. I slept like a baby, love it! Sunday we went to church, relaxed, got groceries, cleaned the fish tank and did laundry. My mom is coming this weekend and that should be a blast! She hasn't witnessed Tyler rolling over yet, so that will be neat. I took Tyler to the babysitters this morning, and I absolutely love her! She went and bought a new toy for him to enjoy, she is such a sweetheart!

Sitting Up

2009-06-01T09:41:00.002-04:00

Tyler is now trying to sit up when he is in a reclining position. After he finished his bottle the other day he sat up as much as he could and I was so shocked. He is growing up too fast! He tries to get out of his car seat too, even when he is strapped in, he gets frustrated by those restraints. It is too cute!

Rolling Over

2009-05-26T09:06:00.003-04:00

Tyler is now able to roll over from his tummy to his back, and he has done it more than once! I was trying to capture it on video, but he is so fast that all you ever see is the tail end of him rolling. He is finally slowing down in his eating as well, he will eat about 6 oz, and about 3 to 4 bottles a day. Which is much less than before. In the afternoon we put rice cereal in his bottle and he really likes that. Here are two pictures of him on his tummy. He does real well with holding his head up and has even attempted to crawl! We also think he is teething. He seems to "chew" on his bottle and his fist and anything else he can put in his mouth.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T08:06:00.004-04:00

We had such a good Mother's Day. Tyler evidently woke up at 6 am but John let me sleep right through it. I love my husband! When I woke up I saw a Kay Jewelry bag. I was so excited. I posted a picture of what they bought me. It is a necklace, so pretty! We then got ready and took John's mom to eat at Ruby Tuesdays and after that we did some grocery shopping. We finally have our fridge back and working. Long story short we were without a fridge for a week, not fun! After that we went to Osceola and John and his friend Craig went to watch the new Star Trek movie, which they loved. Jenny and I hung out and watched Bride Wars. It was a great day!

Tyler also now has figured out how to suck on his lips, too cute!

Thumb

2009-05-08T08:44:00.004-04:00

When I was a baby and for way longer than that, I was a thumb sucker. So when John and I had Tyler I was determined not to have him suck his thumb. My habit caused me to have a horrible overbite and end up having head gear. Not fun. However, Tyler takes after his mommy. We have tried a pacifier and it won't stay in his mouth, he keeps spitting it out. He is so happy sucking his thumb, so I just gave in. Hopefully as he grows older he will take the pacifier, I guess we will just have to keep trying. But here are some pictures to leave you with.

Teeth

2009-04-29T08:33:00.001-04:00

I went to check on Tyler this morning because he was sniffling, come to find out he had a runny nose. While I was taking care of that he smiled at me and low and behold he is cutting teeth. His two front lower teeth are starting to bud and try to pop through his gums. My little man is growing up too quickly!

Dedication

2009-04-27T08:24:00.004-04:00

We had Tyler dedicated at church on Sunday. He did such a good job, didn't cry at all and was cooing at Pastor Sam when he prayed for him. I am such a proud mommy of my little man. Here are a few pictures that were captured by John and Jess Davis... thanks guys!

Attached is a video of Tyler sucking on my friend Jenny's arm, it is too adorable!

Love the outfit

2009-04-22T10:52:00.001-04:00

I had to take some pictures of Tyler this morning because I love his outfit and I know that he probably won't get to wear it again at the rate he is growing. Enjoy!

Pics from the Babysitter's

2009-04-15T08:31:00.004-04:00

The last picture is my favorite!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-14T08:43:00.006-04:00

I was able to get two good pictures from Easter and a video... enjoy!

Traumatic

2009-04-13T13:27:00.003-04:00

Today was a traumatic day for me. Tyler went to the doctor to get his two month shots, which I think hurt me more than him. He did really well with them though. He would get the shot, cry for a few seconds and be done. But that short cry was enough to rip my heart out. His little lip puckered out and his face got all red. I wish I would have captured it on camera, even though he was in pain, his little puckered lip was so cute. We had a pretty good Easter. I think he is going through a growth spurt though. All he did yesterday was sleep and eat. And when he wasn't doing one of those he was crying. We finally gave him some Tylenol and that seemed to help.

First Week

2009-04-10T13:13:00.002-04:00

Well my first full week back at work is almost finished. It was harder than I thought it would be, especially when it is slow. I stare at his pictures wishing I could hold him. I wish we had the money for me to stay at home. I think I would go nutty though during the winter, not being able to go outside. I can't sit and watch tv that much, 6 weeks was the perfect time for maternity leave. I am excited for Easter to dress up our little guy for church. His outfit is adorable! He will grow up knowing that Jesus is our Savior and that makes me happy! He is going to get dedicated at church on the 26th of April. From our family to yours, Happy Easter! JESUS LIVES!

6 weeks

2009-04-01T13:23:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that Tyler will be 6 weeks old on Friday. Which means that I have to return to work tomorrow. I am ready to go back to work, I miss the adult conversation. I wish I could take him with me, that would be great! We went to the doctor's on Monday so I could get released to return to work. He is 12 lbs and 14 oz and 24 inches long. He is in the 95th percentile for his age. We are going to have a big, tall boy. He sure doesn't get his height from John or I. Here is his latest picture to leave you all with.

IU

2009-03-27T19:15:00.002-04:00

Here is my little IU baby. We had to dress him in this while visiting my aunt and uncle in Ohio. He hopefully will go to IU, GO HOOSIERS!

Smile

2009-03-20T16:15:00.004-04:00

I was able to catch Tyler's smile on camera today. I know I am partial, but he is so gorgeous!

Babysitter

2009-03-19T17:35:00.003-04:00

I took Tyler to the babysitters today so they could get accustomed to each other. It was harder than I thought it would be. I left and drove around the corner and cried my eyes out. I trust the babysitter completely, but it was still very emotional. I was able to get my hair cut and permed though and I took a 3 hour nap, which was much needed. I picked him up at 5, he was so happy to see me and I to see him. It makes the time we have together before I return to work that much more special. I will also be away from him on Saturday for my sister-in-laws baby shower and then a church couple function. That won't be as long however and he will be with family.

Olan Mills

2009-03-16T09:37:00.005-04:00

On Saturday we went to Meijer in Goshen and got our pictures taken with Tyler. It was a little rough near the end, he was hungry, even though he ate right before we left to get them taken. Here are the best pictures. My favorite is the first one :)

New pictures

2009-03-09T16:13:00.006-04:00

I took 2 new pictures of Tyler today that I wanted to share. We had to change his outfit today so I snuck in a picture of him in his diaper. I also got one of him sleeping. He is so cute, at least to mommy :)

Cousins

2009-03-01T16:26:00.003-05:00

My sister and her family came up on Saturday. It was so good to see her and see how much my nephew Kade has grown. Kade was not to sure about his cousin Tyler but it was cute to see him around our new little one. We were able to capture a good picture of us for all to see...

Photo Shoot

2009-02-26T11:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Tyler enjoyed his first photo shoot with mom. I wanted to take pictures so that I could get a good shot for his birth announcement. There was no crying out of him, he tolerated all the flashing. We have such a good boy. He sleeps well at night, only getting up to eat. He hasn't cried because of hiccups or because of being wet. We are being spoiled :) Here is the picture we choose for his birth announcement.

Tyler James

2009-02-20T21:13:00.003-05:00

Was born at 4:37 am this morning by c-section. He was facing the wrong way and we had to have a c-section after laboring for 24 hours. He weighs 8 lbs 12 oz and is 21 inches long. Both Tyler and I are doing well, except for being sore.

Excited!

2009-02-17T15:01:00.001-05:00

I went to the doctor yesterday and we set up the following. Tonight I have to go in to the hospital at 6 pm to receive Cytotec. This is a pill that is supposed to be less invasive than Pitocin and should hopefully induce labor. I have to stay at the hospital for 4 hours; if everything is fine and labor hasn’t started I can go home and return to work on Wednesday. Then my actual inducement date and time will be Thursday morning at 8 am. So my last day of work will be Wednesday. Almost there!

Awww

2009-02-13T14:25:00.003-05:00

I have the best husband ever. I have been feeling so blah lately, waiting on the baby to come. I came back to work after a lunch meeting and found this waiting for me.

Grrr

2009-02-11T14:56:00.002-05:00

I have a feeling that little Tyler is going to stay in my tummy forever, or at least until they induce me. I have my next appointment on the 16th at that time they will set the date to induce, which will be sometime before the 20th of February. I am pretty miserable and keep hoping for some timeable contractions or at least some sign of labor to begin. I am having trouble with my swelling and being able to wear shoes has become difficult. On another more pleasant note, I had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I treated myself to a pedicure after work, which felt amazing. John and I stayed in for dinner and had mac and cheese, one of my favorites. We went out on Monday night for the actual birthday celebration with his family since his dad and I share the same birthday and his mom's is two days later. I am hoping my next post will bring pictures of the little one, I guess all we can do is wait and see...

Massage

2009-02-03T15:02:00.002-05:00

Well even after having my membranes stripped, twice now, little Tyler is being obstinate. I went today and had the best massage ever, whether or not hitting the pressure points help, it sure did feel good. John and I are ready as is the nursery and all of our family. Today is the technical due date, so we will see I guess. My doctor said he would let me go until the 17th of February before he would induce. My appointment yesterday was rough, I had high blood pressure and swelling so I had to go to the hospital to have blood drawn. I haven't heard anything back yet from them. I have to go again on Thursday because the doctor was slightly worried. I guess we will see what happens.

Not yet...

2009-01-28T19:56:00.002-05:00

So I had the membranes stripped on Tuesday, which didn't hurt at all. I was a little nervous about that. I am having some contractions, or at least what I think contractions are. It is hard to tell since this is my first. The contractions are nothing that can be timed however. I figure Tyler is going to be obstinate, just like his mommy. I am praying that I go into labor tonight, but I guess only God knows what is going to happen. I am having some more back pain today, was kind of hoping it was back labor, but who knows.

One Week

2009-01-20T11:10:00.000-05:00

I went to my doctor appointment yesterday and she told me that since John and I were both bigger babies that she would strip my membranes on the 27th. That means I could probably have a January baby. That is so very exciting to me! YIPEE!!

15 days

2009-01-19T08:40:00.002-05:00

Yes it is true, I have 15 days left. I am getting anxious, I want him out so we can meet him and love on him! I go to the doctor again today, hopefully we will be further along. Last week I was 60% effaced already with minimal dilation. I am ready to go back to sleeping on my stomach, I miss that!

4 weeks left

2009-01-06T10:28:00.002-05:00

It is hard to imagine that I only have 4 weeks left of being pregnant, then we get to meet our little bundle of joy. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I am now going to the doctor every week... Here is a picture with 8 months down...

6 weeks to go

2008-12-22T12:30:00.002-05:00

It is hardly imaginable that in 6 short weeks our little bundle of joy will be here. I am excited, but at the same time I am nervous as heck. I keep wondering, will I be a good mom, will I know when my baby is sick, will I be able to breastfeed, will I know when to throw out the "expired" milk... random things keep running through my head. It is exciting to see John's face as he feels the baby move and he was able to feel little brown have the hiccups. His face it lit up with pure joy! I know he is going to be a great dad, and that is so exciting for me! His dad has the changing table/ dresser all done and stained, and he is top coating it now. He still is going to build a bassinet as well, so that is exciting. My sister and her family are coming up in two weeks for my baby shower at the church, I am excited to see them and see the nephew. Here is a Christmas picture to leave you with, from our home to yours! Merry Christmas!

Coming Months

2008-12-15T14:03:00.004-05:00

I had my first baby shower on the 7th of December at my friend Jenny's house. It was a blast, she went all out! I got some great gifts as well, my favorite... someone made me a diaper cake... it was cool! I had an appointment on Friday and I have 7 weeks left. The baby is in position, with his head down. My doctor also thinks that he has dropped some, which I can feel, I can breathe better. I am uncomfortable sitting and leaning down for anything, but I know that is to be expected. At least I can still get in and out of the bathtub by myself, which is a good thing, since I have resorted to taking nightly baths for the aching muscles. We have our first family Christmas on Friday with the Brown side, then John and I will have Christmas on the 25th with each other, later on the 25th we will have it with his immediate family. The 27th will be Christmas with the Holderman side. I have my next baby shower on the 3rd of January, then Christmas with my sister, her family, my grandma and my dad and step mom on the 4th. Then my last baby shower on the 7th for work. It will be a busy couple of weeks coming up, that's for sure!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

John and I were talking and feel so blessed this Thanksgiving. We spent last Saturday with his family, Thursday we will be with my dad and step mom and Saturday we are hoping to be with my mother. We don't always get to see this many parts of our family each year, and we are excited. We know next year will be rough with traveling and a little one, so we decided that this year we are going to try and get to almost everyone. We won't be able to visit my sister, but she will be coming up here in January. We feel even more blessed to be carrying a very active bambino. We are so excited to meet him come the end of January, beginning of February. I was reading my mother's notes on my birth, and the day I was born it was -18 degrees, with a windchill of -33 degrees. I am praying it will be a little warmer when our son comes into this world. It's a crazy, exciting and scary thought that in a few months we will be parents. We will have someone who depends solely on us and will change our world, for the better! Here's to hoping that you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday. And if you go shopping Friday like me, be careful!

February 3rd

2008-11-14T13:53:00.005-05:00

Well I had my doctor's visit today and my due date is staying the same, February 3rd, 2009. That is a relief, we have nothing but the crib at this point, so I am glad he is not coming sooner. I also got my RH shot today, which stung like crap! Today was also the day they took blood for my glucose testing to see if I will have gestational diabetes or not. I am excited to have my baby shower's, they should be a blast! We are still debating on a name for him, but have it narrowed down to 3. I have stamp club tonight which should be fun, we are making a calendar. I think tomorrow I may do some Christmas shopping, but we will see. Have a great weekend! Here is a picture to leave you with, me after 6 months down. Technically, I only have 81 days left, lol!

Here it is

2008-11-05T12:59:00.002-05:00

Here is the picture of the crib with the bedding set that we have bought for our little bundle of joy. I love how it looks!

Completed

2008-11-04T09:14:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! We finally have our crib done and in our house. John and his dad brought it home Sunday evening. They had to take one of the sides off to get it to fit through the nursery door. So, now John has to put the side back together, put the springs on that hold the mattress and it will be complete! We bought the mattress and the crib bedding set on Sunday as well, so I can put all that together once he has the side back on. Here is a picture of the crib without the springs and mattress.

Feeling big

2008-10-23T10:52:00.003-04:00

I know that I have 3 more months to go, but I feel huge. I have never weighed this much, and I know I am pregnant and am supposed to gain weight, but it just feels odd. I was on such a work out kick before getting pregnant and had lost a bunch of weight, it is a little odd feeling. I still work out at least 3 times a week, so that makes me happy.

John and I had a great anniversary last night. We ate at Doc Pierce's, which was delicious. Their shrimp appetiser was so good. We both had steak and a baked potato, with Snickers cheesecake for dessert. YUM-O!

After dinner he took me shopping at Burlington Coat Factory, they have a large maternity and baby section. I was able to get a shirt and a Christmas gift for my nephew. Yes, I am Christmas shopping. We have my sister and her family done, YIPPEE! Have a great rest of the week and a good weekend!

Weekend

2008-10-20T09:10:00.003-04:00

I had a great weekend, I was able to drive to Richmond, Indiana and spend the weekend with my sister and her family as well as my mother. My nephew is getting so big, and he is just too adorable, especially when he sleeps :) I am trying to find a romantic restaurant in South Bend area for Wednesday. It is our 3rd anniversary and I want to take him someplace neither of us have been, any suggestions?

Unexpected News

2008-10-14T13:00:00.003-04:00

I had my doctor visit today, which went well. He said that the placenta was not completely covering the uterus, so I won't require a c-section! WOOHOO! That makes me happy. I was getting used to the idea, but am glad I don't have to go that route. He did say that I am measuring 27 weeks, when in theory I should only be 23 weeks. So either I am going to have a large child or I am due sooner. The ultrasound had the baby at normal weight, so I might be due the beginning of January. He will check me out at the next visit to see what I measure and make a decision then. Weird...

New Little One

2008-10-09T12:09:00.002-04:00

John and I are proud to announce that we will have a new little niece or nephew come June. WOOHOO! His brother, Jerry and sister-in-law, Kasey are expecting another little bundle of joy. They already have 3 girls and are praying for a boy, either way this will be their last child. Congrats guys!

Weekend...

2008-10-06T14:30:00.003-04:00

I have been having more back pain lately, I think the last time I cleaned house, Tuesday of last week, I pushed it a little hard. I was on my hands and knees cleaning out the corners or our basement. I can't stand cobwebs, they drive me nuts, and once I start, I can't stop. Tonight I have to complete laundry and do my workout. I have been trying to get on my elliptical 3 times a week, I should have done it this morning, but I was not ready to get out of bed! I have been searching for a maternity jacket lately, anyone have one they wouldn't mind loaning me? Or advice on where to get one?? Saturday John and I met my mom at Michigan City, half way point, to eat lunch. We decided to go to the outlet mall. I was able to get a maternity shirt and some clothing items for our little bambino. He is kicking and moving a lot more during the day. It is so fun to feel that, I can't wait for John to feel it as well! We had John's 32nd birthday yesterday, and I was able to get his friends together for dinner at Logan's. We had a blast and then had cake and ice cream at a friend's house. 5 months down, here is me as of today...

Ugh

2008-10-02T08:11:00.002-04:00

I am disappointed. The child care provider that we visited last night was so nice! But there are two concerns that we have. One she is not CPR certified, which is not a deal breaker for us, because she at least used to be. The second one however is an issue. She has cats, not just one or two, but John counted around 10, not including ones that might have been behind closed doors with her sons. My father-in-law is allergic, plus I just don't have good history with cats. We have another interview with someone else next Wednesday, so I am hoping that it goes well. I wish my mom would retire and move closer so she could watch him, it would be much easier!

Day Care Provider

2008-10-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

We meet with a potential day care provider this evening. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I hope that she is as good in person as she was on the phone, the only thing I worry about it the price, since the economy is not doing well. I am also coming to terms with some news from my doctor. I may have to have a c-section to deliver this baby due to a potential medical risk. However there is still the possibility that the issue will resolve itself and I can deliver naturally, which is what I am hoping for. We will do whatever needs to be done to have a healthy child, but I wasn't expecting the possibility of needing a c-section. Did anyone else have one? Any advice??

Crib

2008-09-29T08:54:00.001-04:00

John and his dad finally started working on building our crib yesterday. It dawned on his dad that I only had 4 months left until the little man came, lol. It is going to be beautiful! Plus it will be a conversion, 3 in 1 bed. They are also building our changing table/dresser. He wanted to do a bassinet as well, but I thought that may be pushing the time limit. Plus I have high hopes that he won't need one :) We will see... I will post pictures once they are all done.

Graduated

2008-09-26T14:29:00.001-04:00

Today is the day that I graduated. From what you might ask? I can no longer fit into the mid-waist elastic pregnancy pants, they are uncomfortable. No, now I get to sport around the full belly panel pants. A little toasty on the tummy in this warmer weather, but will probably be thankful come winter. I can still where the mid-waist for short times, but not for the 8 hour day at work.

Babysitter

2008-09-24T16:08:00.001-04:00

I think I found a babysitter. Which makes me happy to no end! But I have a question, what is the going rate per week? She charges $125, is that high?

Our baby

2008-09-17T20:54:00.004-04:00

It was so fun and exciting to see the different pictures of our baby up on a monitor. She took a total of 53 pictures and put them on a cd for us to bring home. We are proud to announce that we will become the proud parents of a little baby... BOY! Here are some pictures

Ultrasound

2008-09-16T10:28:00.003-04:00

Our first ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow at 3 pm. I hope that the baby cooperates so we can tell the sex. This child moves around a lot, so hopefully I can get him/her to move to show us if he/she is being difficult. My doctor was laughing so hard on Friday because every time he would try to find the heartbeat the baby would move, it took him about 10 minutes to get the baby to settle down so he could count the beat per minute. Guess this child will just be like momma, always on the move!

New Car

2008-09-12T09:11:00.001-04:00

We went to Ligonier last night and finally bought a new car! After months of searching car lots and reading reviews, we bought the same car that John already drives :) I am now the proud owner of a 2005 white Ford Five Hundred. We went with this car because it is All Wheel Drive, which will be nice come winter. Plus it still has a sun roof and heated seats :) Happy Me!

Friday

2008-09-09T15:59:00.002-04:00

I go back to the doctor on Friday and I am so excited for this appointment. It is the appointment where we will set the ultrasound appointment, woohoo! My doctor told me of an odd 'pee' test that you could do that has predicted all of their children's genders. You are supposed to buy Draino crystals and mix with your urine. The crystals start out silver and will change color depending on what you are having. Mine turned blue, so we will see if it is correct. I have read of other tests that are supposed to tell you, one as early as 8 weeks, but I really don't want to pay money for it since they are probably so unreliable. Have a great week!

Month 4

2008-09-03T14:29:00.003-04:00

4 months down. I am feeling a heck of a lot better and not as tired anymore. I can't wait for this hot weather to end though, it's a little uncomfortable. Here is the latest picture.

Nephew

2008-08-22T08:53:00.012-04:00

I have the most absolute cutest nephew ever! My sister sent me pictures of his 6 month photo shoot. He is just adorable! All the pictures are great, but here are a few of my favorites! He looks just like his daddy too.

Dreams

2008-08-08T08:38:00.001-04:00

So I have realized that since I have become pregnant, I have the weirdest dreams. I am assuming it is because of all the hormones, but dang. I never used to be able to wake up and remember them, now they come back in color and are just plaid odd!

Belly

2008-07-31T14:30:00.008-04:00

I am starting to outgrow some of my current clothes, so if anyone has an maternity clothes that are M to L and they want to let me borrow, let me know! :) I am having some growing discomforts every now and then, but other than that no nausea. I get tired around 8:30 and go to bed now, which is weird since it is still light outside.

This first picture is after 4 weeks, nothing showing really.

This is after 8 weeks... just a little pouch

This is current, after 12 weeks, starting to tell there is something there

New Blog, New Chapter

2008-07-29T08:35:00.000-04:00

So I have been thinking, that a new blog is in order, one that everyone, including family can read to get updates on us without having to have an account. So this is for you mom and dad :) We will be posting pictures of the coming months and soon pictures of our new little one. Hope you all enjoy!