I obviously had quite a break in posting on my baby blog here. I guess I felt like since I didn't have "babies" anymore there wasn't much to post in the "baby journey" blog. I have done a lot more blogging on my nutritional blog instead which I invite you to check out --HERE. I plan to post soon about the importance of nutrition in pregnancy (and how/which supplements can play an important role in that) on that other blog pretty soon.
I also hope to blog more here through this pregnancy and about Ava and Raina and some of their adventures. Here's one I want to document before I forget...
A few weeks ago the girls and I went to the outdoor chapel here on post where there's a big stone cross and some stone benches to pray, worship, hold miniature services, etc. Ava had been learning all about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus surrounding Easter so when we got to the outdoor chapel area she was talking all about how Jesus died on the cross but then he ROSE! from the grave. After we left the chapel we were driving to a park and passed by a graveyard. She asked what it was so I told her that when people die, sometimes their bodies are buried there in the ground, etc. (I tried to give a good 4 year old explanation of that whole process -?-) So then she asked if she was going to be buried when she died and I told her that her body here on earth might be buried but she would have a new body in heaven with Jesus. She thought that was awesome...
"I'm gonna have a new body!?"
Yep.
"I wanna have a brown body!"
So funny!
Racism is taught.
Kids are amazing.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Here We Go Again!
Early in January I started a new fitness routine. I was feeling great and working out at home but wanted to go in a different direction with my body and get back in the gym. I started working out hard and heavier, lifting 4 days a week, and following an eating plan that a trainer helped set me up with. LOTS of protein, vegetables, and strategically placed complex carbs. The main goal was to increase lean muscle mass and decrease body fat. Well one week I found myself dragging in the gym (and in general) despite my normal sleep, eating, and supplementation habits. And I was starving... for carbs and cheese and everything I don't normally eat. I thought I just had some serious PMS going on but then I finally realized it may be time to take a test (or two).
We are expecting Baby Ezell #3!!! Due date: September 21, 2013
So "operation muscle gain" has turned into "operation muscle sustain" for now. :)
I texted this picture to some of our friends and family and said "Raina has something to show you..."
We are so excited to be going down this road again. AND we are especially excited that there are no deployments on the calendar for Richard between now and this due date!!! He is missing a month of my first (sick) trimester again, just like with the other two, but I'll take that over missing the birth and newborn days anytime! Speaking of sick, I have had some decent all-day "morning" sickness but compared to both other pregnancies it has been fairly mild. Eating... carbs... constantly seems to help keep the sickness at bay which I suspect has led to a little more first trimester weight gain than really needed but I know I will get back on track very soon. I have been napping with Ava and Raina almost every day, which is fantastic.
I had my 8 week orientation type appointment with a nurse in the OB clinic last Thursday. We covered my medical and pregnancy history and all the basic educational first trimester stuff. I have an appointment with Kyanna, my midwife from both pregnancies here before, on March 11. I am SO looking forward to seeing her again (she's AWESOME) and to hearing a heartbeat and maybe even an early ultrasound! The first trimester feels like 80 years long when you're just feeling crappy and have no tangible proof that there's a healthy growing baby inside. Hearing that heartbeat for the first time is THE best sound that can ever be heard. (And Richard should be back from California by the 10th so hopefully he will be here to go with me.)
Not much else to report for now; just puking, eating, napping, repeat. :)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Just Waiting...
Well we are 99% organized and settled in our home and with all the things I needed to reestablish on post. I have the girls' information updated with the childcare people so I can start to use some hourly care. I have gotten back into PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), which is a weekly praise, worship, and Bible study time for ladies here. I have also gotten back into the routine of working out with a couple friends Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It's good accountability, good workouts, good friend time. They have kids too so it's a fun time for all.
We're still waiting to hear "for sure" about when Rich will be coming home. All through this deployment he has been prepared for/planning on coming home on the trail party (last guys) because of the jobs he's held for this whole year. Now, someone new may be changing things around, which could mean he'd come home main body (with most of the other soldiers). That would be great for us (heck yeah, come home at a year instead of adding a couple extra weeks!) but not great for him as he is the best one for the job of staying to wrap things up and has been almost looking forward to doing this part of the job he has worked and prepared so long and hard for. The one deciding was supposed to make up his mind by today but still hasn't so we're still waiting to find out.
Ava has been talking a lot about all the things she and Rich are gonna do when he gets home. "When Daddy gets home we're gonna play basketball, and baseball, and football, and soccer, and golf, and go for a run! We're gonna have so much fun!" Raina, of course, has no clue.
We just got done Skyping with Rich for the first time since we left GA. It has been over a month since we "saw" his face and even though we lost connection about 10 times I am very thankful for the technology we have and the freedom we have to use it. And thank you, again, to Emily as we are at her house using her computer and internet right now. Rich has our laptop in Iraq with him because he was working on finishing up his masters over this deployment, so we don't currently have a computer at our house. Emily is actually out getting a massage right now so I am here at her house with her 5 month old daughter Clara, and Ava and Raina. (And Sookie. Can't forget their sweet pup.) Fun! Speaking of these precious girls I need to get off the computer as Rae needs a little nap and Clara needs a diaper change.
Until next time...
We're still waiting to hear "for sure" about when Rich will be coming home. All through this deployment he has been prepared for/planning on coming home on the trail party (last guys) because of the jobs he's held for this whole year. Now, someone new may be changing things around, which could mean he'd come home main body (with most of the other soldiers). That would be great for us (heck yeah, come home at a year instead of adding a couple extra weeks!) but not great for him as he is the best one for the job of staying to wrap things up and has been almost looking forward to doing this part of the job he has worked and prepared so long and hard for. The one deciding was supposed to make up his mind by today but still hasn't so we're still waiting to find out.
Ava has been talking a lot about all the things she and Rich are gonna do when he gets home. "When Daddy gets home we're gonna play basketball, and baseball, and football, and soccer, and golf, and go for a run! We're gonna have so much fun!" Raina, of course, has no clue.
We just got done Skyping with Rich for the first time since we left GA. It has been over a month since we "saw" his face and even though we lost connection about 10 times I am very thankful for the technology we have and the freedom we have to use it. And thank you, again, to Emily as we are at her house using her computer and internet right now. Rich has our laptop in Iraq with him because he was working on finishing up his masters over this deployment, so we don't currently have a computer at our house. Emily is actually out getting a massage right now so I am here at her house with her 5 month old daughter Clara, and Ava and Raina. (And Sookie. Can't forget their sweet pup.) Fun! Speaking of these precious girls I need to get off the computer as Rae needs a little nap and Clara needs a diaper change.
Until next time...
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Home Sweet Kansas
The trip out here was actually a great success. We did the whole drive on Sunday, September 11, but were able to pack the truck and trailer to where I could put the pups in the bed of the truck in their cage, so the ride inside for us was not too chaotic. Thank you so much to Emily and Caleb for letting us stay with them when we arrived in town! We got a decent night of sleep before a lloonngggg day of moving on Monday. I was totally cleared out of storage by Wednesday the 14th and had pretty much everything at least in the right rooms. I love our place! It's a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath duplex with a layout very much like where we lived on post before. (It's actually very close to where we lived before.)
In a lot of ways it feels like we never left here. I can't believe a whole 10 1/2 months has gone by since we left! I'm excited to get all of our things put away and organized. I have an appointment with the fence company we used before to come take measurements and everything next week so we can get a fence put up here for the pups. It's not too fun taking them out on leashes every time they need to do their business, and a chihuahua and a yorkie live next door and bark at us every time we go outside so far.
Anyway, I guess that's about it for now. I have A LOT to do in the next few weeks! :)
In a lot of ways it feels like we never left here. I can't believe a whole 10 1/2 months has gone by since we left! I'm excited to get all of our things put away and organized. I have an appointment with the fence company we used before to come take measurements and everything next week so we can get a fence put up here for the pups. It's not too fun taking them out on leashes every time they need to do their business, and a chihuahua and a yorkie live next door and bark at us every time we go outside so far.
Anyway, I guess that's about it for now. I have A LOT to do in the next few weeks! :)
Friday, September 9, 2011
6 Month Appointment for Rae
Went to the doctor for Raina's 6 month check-up and shots this morning. They measured her at 26inches and 15lbs 7oz. That's about 50th percentile for both and her head circumference is still 75th percentile (don't remember the measurement). She is doing GREAT! She is rolling and inch-worming all over the place and is sitting up a little bit. I'm going to start introducing some other foods now in addition to the rice cereal and oatmeal she has been eating for the last 2 months.
Ava is doing great too. She is starting to interact with Rae more and makes sure to tell everyone "Raina's my little sister!" She likes to help me do things like feed the pups, sweep and vacuum, throw Raina's diapers away, set the table, make meals, etc. (pretty much everything, actually).
We are going to be moving back to Kansas in the next couple days. We will make the drive on Sunday, stay with our old neighbors from where we lived before, and sign for our new place and move as much out of storage as possible on Monday. Should be a fun 1000 mile trip with the 2 girls, 2 pups, and a uhaul trailer this time!
Ava is doing great too. She is starting to interact with Rae more and makes sure to tell everyone "Raina's my little sister!" She likes to help me do things like feed the pups, sweep and vacuum, throw Raina's diapers away, set the table, make meals, etc. (pretty much everything, actually).
We are going to be moving back to Kansas in the next couple days. We will make the drive on Sunday, stay with our old neighbors from where we lived before, and sign for our new place and move as much out of storage as possible on Monday. Should be a fun 1000 mile trip with the 2 girls, 2 pups, and a uhaul trailer this time!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Catching Up on Raina
So I have obviously not updated this in a while...
On May 7 (2 months), Raina rolled over from tummy to back.
She started smiling, laughing occasionally, reaching for toys, etc.
On May 11 Raina went for her 2 month doctor's appointment. She was 22 inches (50th percentile) and 11 lbs 6 oz (75th percentile). She got her first round of shots and screamed like crazy (of course) but I nursed her immediately after and she calmed right down.
On June 7 (3 months), she rolled over from back to tummy. Once she figured out she could do that she did it constantly. Like as soon as I would lay her down on her back she would immediately roll over to her tummy.
Now she is really on the move, rolling all over the place and pulling her little knees up under herself in preparation for crawling. She is still nursing and I just started her on rice cereal, which is liking.
Today (July 12) I took Raina for her 4 month appointment and shots. She is now 23.5 inches and 12 lbs 7 oz. A little slow on the weight gain these last two months but the doctor said she just needs more calories now (as it's time to be introducing the rice cereal and oatmeal now and then other "Stage 1" foods at 5 months.
Ava is being a great big sister. She gets a little jealous of the attention I give Raina, sometimes, (as Raina requires a lot more interactive type attention now) but overall she has been very good about sharing time, toys, attention, etc. She is very helpful too, getting diapers, toys, burp cloths, whatever for Raina and me. I need another whole post to really update on Ava, actually, so I will save that for another time. :)
On May 7 (2 months), Raina rolled over from tummy to back.
She started smiling, laughing occasionally, reaching for toys, etc.
On May 11 Raina went for her 2 month doctor's appointment. She was 22 inches (50th percentile) and 11 lbs 6 oz (75th percentile). She got her first round of shots and screamed like crazy (of course) but I nursed her immediately after and she calmed right down.
On June 7 (3 months), she rolled over from back to tummy. Once she figured out she could do that she did it constantly. Like as soon as I would lay her down on her back she would immediately roll over to her tummy.
Now she is really on the move, rolling all over the place and pulling her little knees up under herself in preparation for crawling. She is still nursing and I just started her on rice cereal, which is liking.
Today (July 12) I took Raina for her 4 month appointment and shots. She is now 23.5 inches and 12 lbs 7 oz. A little slow on the weight gain these last two months but the doctor said she just needs more calories now (as it's time to be introducing the rice cereal and oatmeal now and then other "Stage 1" foods at 5 months.
Ava is being a great big sister. She gets a little jealous of the attention I give Raina, sometimes, (as Raina requires a lot more interactive type attention now) but overall she has been very good about sharing time, toys, attention, etc. She is very helpful too, getting diapers, toys, burp cloths, whatever for Raina and me. I need another whole post to really update on Ava, actually, so I will save that for another time. :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Routine, Rest, & Halfway
Ava and Raina are asleep. Both of them. At the same time. That's still the goal in the new ROUTINE I am trying to establish and it is being achieved more often now. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to enjoy some alone time, thoughtful time, adult time, peace, etc. I usually end up doing this at night after they've gone to bed but that means I don't get enough REST... so the new (always flexible) plan is to take chill time/get stuff done time/whatever I want time during their afternoon nap so I can go to bed when they do at night. Being a full-time Mom and Dad is pretty exhausting, and while I have help from Mom and Shane *when they're home,* they're still not the parents so it's a different role. I am SO looking forward to living as a family of 4 under one roof when Richard gets back! That being said, he has been gone exactly 6 months today, so we are about HALFWAY through this deployment. Hallelujah!!!
Raina is much more alert when she's awake now and has started smiling some. She's such a content little baby, thank the Lord. Ava is in such a constantly testing/changing/needing attention phase of life - I don't know how I could appropriately deal with her if I had a hard baby too. She pretty much only cries if she's really hungry, really tired, or too cold. The rest of the time she is pretty chill just looking around, waving her little arms. I need to give her more tummy time but that's hard to do sometimes with 3 dogs and Lil A on the loose.
Ava is a piece of work. For real. Wonderful, don't get me wrong, just challenging. She is SO smart, so keeping up with her mentally (explaining things, talking about things) is what is most draining for me. She remembers everything and has such a funny sense of humor. She still (over 3 months after Jaden was born) will say this whole thing: "Baby Jaden's in Stephanie's tummy! (knowing that's silly) No, Jaden's not in Stephanie's tummy anymore! She went to the hospital, the doctor helped her, and now Jaden's not in Stephanie's tummy anymore! We can hold him and see him! You're smart!" (This whole little explanation being what I used to tell her when he was first born. All the way down to the "you're smart" part that she now compliments herself with.) She also says things (or people) are "ridiculous to the max," which of course she got from me, and uses that phrase in context as well. She is still very good with Raina; I just keep an eye on her when Raina gets fussy. Usually she goes to her right away trying to put her paci in or put her blanket on her saying something sweet like "It's okay, Baby Ray!" But sometimes she turns into a mini-mom and says something like "No, Raina. Stop that fussing right now!" So we have the whole talk about how babies have to cry because they can't talk and that's how they tell us that they need something. So then it's "No fussing, Raina... sometimes babies have to fuss... it's okay, Baby Ray." I saw Ava "nursing" one of her baby dolls this morning. She was using the boppy around her waist and everything. Then she bounced the baby on her shoulder, patting her back and saying "shh-shh-shh-shh" JUST like I do with Raina. Monkey see, monkey do. Reminds me of my "Little Mirror" post from a few months ago.
I'm really going to try to get some good video of both the girls in the coming weeks. I know their daddy and our far-away family would like to see them in action. It's nice for me to be able to look back on later too; it's like an online journal of our/their lives. I was looking at some old posts about Ava from when she was about Raina's age so I could remember what I can be expecting in these coming weeks of her development. Pretty cool. Anyway... that's all for now.
Raina is much more alert when she's awake now and has started smiling some. She's such a content little baby, thank the Lord. Ava is in such a constantly testing/changing/needing attention phase of life - I don't know how I could appropriately deal with her if I had a hard baby too. She pretty much only cries if she's really hungry, really tired, or too cold. The rest of the time she is pretty chill just looking around, waving her little arms. I need to give her more tummy time but that's hard to do sometimes with 3 dogs and Lil A on the loose.
Ava is a piece of work. For real. Wonderful, don't get me wrong, just challenging. She is SO smart, so keeping up with her mentally (explaining things, talking about things) is what is most draining for me. She remembers everything and has such a funny sense of humor. She still (over 3 months after Jaden was born) will say this whole thing: "Baby Jaden's in Stephanie's tummy! (knowing that's silly) No, Jaden's not in Stephanie's tummy anymore! She went to the hospital, the doctor helped her, and now Jaden's not in Stephanie's tummy anymore! We can hold him and see him! You're smart!" (This whole little explanation being what I used to tell her when he was first born. All the way down to the "you're smart" part that she now compliments herself with.) She also says things (or people) are "ridiculous to the max," which of course she got from me, and uses that phrase in context as well. She is still very good with Raina; I just keep an eye on her when Raina gets fussy. Usually she goes to her right away trying to put her paci in or put her blanket on her saying something sweet like "It's okay, Baby Ray!" But sometimes she turns into a mini-mom and says something like "No, Raina. Stop that fussing right now!" So we have the whole talk about how babies have to cry because they can't talk and that's how they tell us that they need something. So then it's "No fussing, Raina... sometimes babies have to fuss... it's okay, Baby Ray." I saw Ava "nursing" one of her baby dolls this morning. She was using the boppy around her waist and everything. Then she bounced the baby on her shoulder, patting her back and saying "shh-shh-shh-shh" JUST like I do with Raina. Monkey see, monkey do. Reminds me of my "Little Mirror" post from a few months ago.
I'm really going to try to get some good video of both the girls in the coming weeks. I know their daddy and our far-away family would like to see them in action. It's nice for me to be able to look back on later too; it's like an online journal of our/their lives. I was looking at some old posts about Ava from when she was about Raina's age so I could remember what I can be expecting in these coming weeks of her development. Pretty cool. Anyway... that's all for now.
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