The unpredictability of life in BC...

Just goes to show that you can never be too sure of the weather when you live in BC.

We went from this...

... to this, in a matter of one day. Seriously...

I just got home after leaving work early this afternoon.  What usually takes me about 20-25 min. to drive, just took me over 1 hour 15 min.  Its brutal out there!

So much for spring arriving early... *sigh*

This and that...

The weather around here has been gorgeous lately. I've often had to remind myself that it is still February and rain is still likely to make an appearance over the next few weeks. But for now, the sun has been shining gloriously and we've been trying to make the most of it while we can.
We made it out to the driving range last weekend to start our season of golf. Swinging around my baby belly was a little awkward but it certainly won't stop me from golfing, every chance I get. I'm really hoping to get in at least a few games before I get too huge. We'll see... :)

It seems that life just gets busier & busier and compared to how often we used to see our niece and nephews, the time in between our visits lately has felt quite long. We did get some time with them a few weeks ago at Jon's cousin's wedding, and then spent a Friday evening with them at Mom & Dad Esau's, last week.

Konrad trying to give Calvin some brotherly lovin'...

Erich & Naomi were out for a friend's birthday party so the kids got to have the Friday night with Grandma & Grandpa. We joined them for a pancake & fruit topping supper, and spent the rest of the evening playing, wrestling and watching cartoons. Man, we love these kids! :)

Ava & Konrad enthralled in the Bugs Bunny & Tweetie Show...

Calvin saying hello to the camera...

... and busy getting into Grandma & Grandpa's work papers...

As for a pregnancy update, I'm feeling really good these days (...knock on wood!). The "phantom" pain has disappeared, so other than some occasional heartburn (which is vicious when it does appear) and the usual feeling of fatigue at the end of the day, things are going well. The baby is extremely active (and even that is quite an understatement) and has given me a few too many 'close calls' when it comes to pushing on my bladder. He/she is quite low in my uterus and seems to LOVE using my bladder as a trampoline. Add this to an already overactive bladder and it makes for a scary situation at times :) But the main thing is that the baby is moving, which is a good thing. I go for another prenatal appointment on Tuesday so we'll see how things are in the way of weight gain, heart rate and all that good stuff.
I have to go for another ultrasound at 32 weeks because the last u/s showed that my placenta is low-lying. Not exactly great news but my doctor said it wasn't anything to worry about at this point. He said that often as the uterus expands, the placenta will naturally shift up to where it needs to be, on its own, and they'll just monitor it to make sure that happens. The only downside is that, if by the 32 week mark, it hasn't moved, I will have to have a c-section. The ideal would definitely be to avoid that, but I've already wrapped my head around the fact that it may have to happen if that is what's best for me and the baby. Just praying that it all works out in the end.

I'm only a week away from the 6 month mark now, so we're starting to feel the "crunch" a bit, when it comes to preparing the nursery, etc. We'll be transforming our guest room into the nursery, and then eventually, our upstairs office will become the guest room. Jon has been renovating our basement so that it can serve as the office in the near future, but for now, we'll just leave the office upstairs and be "guest room-less" for a while. Our friend Kevin is a ticketed electrician (which is very handy for us) so he is spending this afternoon, re-wiring things downstairs in preparation for the rest of the reno's. Then Jon is hoping to get the drywall up this week and from there, hopefully things will move along fairly quickly.

Here are the boys, hard at work...

Well, it is Sunday afternoon and there is nothing I enjoy more than having a Sunday afternoon nap. So I'm going to go cozy up in my bed and sign off for now :) Until next time...

25 Random, or not so random, things about me...

I realize that not everyone who reads this blog is on Facebook, and seeing as I need to put something new on here anyway, I thought I'd let you in on a few "random" facts about me. The latest "thing to do" on FB is, come up with 25 random things about yourself and then tag 25 people that you'd like to hear about. I won't do the whole "tag" thing on here but thought you might like some easy afternoon reading :)

So, in no particular order, here are some things that you may, or may not, know about me...

1.) The older I get, the more I realize that I am fairly OCD. There are certain things that I HAVE to do the same way, every single time, or things that drive me crazy if they aren't done a certain way. For example, I brush my teeth the same way, every single time.

2.) To go along with #1, I am also extremely picky about tidyness. My poor husband can really attest to this fact. I'm sure he feels like I'm constantly nagging him about the messy things he does, that drive me crazy:) I like the sink rinsed after the dishes have been washed; I HATE a messy kitchen; and the chair in the corner of our bedroom is NOT the closet, though I am convinced he thinks it is :)

3.) I've always been artistic and knew from a very young age, that I wanted to either go into architecture or interior design. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I finally received my Diploma of Interior Design. Though now I'm not convinced that I would want to do that for the rest of my life.

4.) I have two different scars that I have very vivid memories of getting. One on the inside of my left foot (from trying to slow myself down on the huge slide at Rosthern Park-- I'm pretty sure I was only 3 or 4 years old when it happened); and scars on my right knee from having a really nasty wipeout on my childhood friend's mini dirt bike--- I was about 6 or 7 yrs. old I think.

5.) I've always REALLY looked up to my older brother Craig and wanted desperately to be like him when I was growing up. Not much has changed.

6.) I'm passionate about singing and have written 2 songs. The first one I got a chance to record while I was at Bethany College, and the 2nd I wrote and sang for Jon on our wedding day. I would love to write more some day.

7.) I adore my husband. I still feel amazed at the fact that I get to spend every day with him.

8.) Though I was quite the "tom-boy" as a child and always preferred sports and playing with the boys at recess, I also enjoyed a lot of girly activities. I even taught myself how to french-braid hair on my Barbies.

9.) I have a deep envy of people who possess perfect skin. That is one thing I would change about myself if I could.

10.) I NEVER thought I would be a mom by the age of 25. The thought of it is becoming far more exciting than terrifying... thankfully :)

11.) My maiden name was Glen. While I was in New Zealand after high school, I discovered that there is actually a town on the North Island named "Bonnie Glen." I never got the chance to visit it and feel the need to go back so I can have my picture taken by the town's sign. Plus, New Zealand is one of the most incredible places on earth and I would love to take Jon there.

12.) I really enjoy blogging, even though I think it makes me seem like a computer geek.

13.) Golf has quickly become one of my favorite sports. I plan to get as much of it in this season, before my baby belly gets too big to work around.

14.) I often wonder what I did to deserve THE best friends on earth. Trust me, I win on this one.

15.) I've always hated jewelry. I'm one of the only girls I know, that doesn't have my ears pierced.

16.) Almost my entire wardrobe consists of American Eagle clothing. But I have been "trying" to broaden my horizons in this area :)

17.) Even though I love summer, spring is great because I love having a fresh bouquet of tulips on my dining room table.

18.) I haven't owned a bicycle since I was in Grade 7-- I sold mine to buy a Super Nintendo... brutal, I know.

19.) Some of my favorite childhood memories consist of family camping trips to Waskesiu (in Saskatchewan), having bonfires in our backyard when we lived on our acreage & my almost weekly sleepovers with my life-long friend Michelle.

20.) Jon and I got to swim with, & touch, manta rays and nurse sharks when we were snorkelling on our honeymoon in Belize.

21.) There are few things I hate more than throwing up. Unfortunately, I have a very strong gag reflex, and since being pregnant, throwing up has become "old hat" for me.

22.) I've still never been to Disneyland and continue to hold it against my husband, who refused to take me when we were in Palm Springs a few years ago. I was THAT close... :)

23.) If I could eat a full fledged turkey dinner every day, I would. It probably wouldn't help keep me slim, but it sure would taste good.

24.) I would love to spend my next vacation in Maui. Anyone feeling generous?? ;)

25.) I LOVE my parents to bits and feel incredibly thankful that they've moved close by. I hope & pray that they live to be 100+ . I will never have enough words to express how much they mean to me.

Update

It struck me today how often I used to post. When I look back to my posts of 2006 & 2007, I can hardly believe that I was able to come up with 14+ posts per month at times. That equals out to writing pretty much every other day! Wow... not sure how I was able to find that much to write about but I do know that I can't even come close to that these days. Oh well. Life is still good :) And I do still enjoy blogging... just don't take as many pictures anymore and feel less inclined to update as frequently, I suppose.

Some of you have been wondering how I've been feeling lately and I am happy to report that things are definitely getting "better." I use that lightly because I'm not exactly "in the clear" just yet. I was up for most of the night last night, with intense pain in my side and back again, and then I had it again at lunch today. But other than that, things have improved significantly. I'm still completely baffled (as is everyone else, I think!) as to what is wrong with me, but I just continue to pray that God will take it away soon.

I hit the 5 month mark on Monday and am pretty excited at the thought of being half way through this pregnancy. Jon and I spent some time on the weekend, browsing the baby section at Sears and had a lot of fun looking over strollers and playpens. Plans are brewing in my head of what the nursery will look like and we'll start to make some "big" purchases soon.

Basketball is winding down for Jon. If I'm not mistaken, they only have another week or two until playoffs start. He thinks they have a fairly good chance of making playoffs but we'll have to see how the next few games go and where they get placed in the rankings. Its been a good season-- the team has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few months. But I will be very happy to get my hubby back when its all over :) He's had bball every evening for the last week and a half, including the weekend, so we're both hoping for more "free time" once the season comes to a close.

Work has really slowed down for me lately. The looming recession (I say looming because I'm still not convinced that we've hit the worst of it yet) has really affected our industry and unfortunately, there just isn't enough work for both Tara and I right now. So as of next week, I'm cutting back to 3 days a week. Financially, this is a scary thought right now but at the same time, I can't say I didn't see it coming. I'm just thankful that they didn't have to lay me off completely. I have a possible lead on some other temporary work for the other 2 days a week, so we'll see if that works out. It would be great if it did, but if not, I guess I'll just try to enjoy the slower schedule before baby comes, and trust that God has things under control. I'm sure He does :) If things pick up again, I will be able to go back to full time before I take my mat leave, but for now, we'll just have to see what happens.

We've had some gorgeous weather lately and I've been extra thankful for it, considering how low my spirits have been through all of my recent physical fiascos. Its also nice to have daylight later in the day and arrive home from work before its pitch black outside. Makes it feel like there is actually life outside of working :)

4 days in hospital with no real diagnosis...

Last Wednesday was supposed to be an exciting and joy-filled day. Jon and I had anticipated it for weeks and couldn't wait to see our little babe, via ultrasound. But everything went terribly wrong shortly after leaving work at noon, and had started my drive back to Chilliwack.

I was nearing my exit off the highway and had just called Jon to let him know that I would be by his work site in the next 20 min. to pick him up, when suddenly, I started getting severely sharp pains in my abdomen. They kept getting stronger and stronger and started to creep into my lower back, and immediately, I thought of a friend that had just experienced kidney stones, the week before. She is a lot further along in her pregnancy and had wondered if she was going into pre-term labour. They soon discovered that it was indeed kidney stones. Had it not been for her story, I probably would've freaked out even more than I did, and also assumed that something was terribly wrong in the way of my own pregnancy.

I managed to make it home, but not without several moments of debating whether to pull over along the way. By the time I parked the car in the garage and made it upstairs, the pain had almost incapacitated me. I tried lying down on the couch but that seemed to feel even worse than sitting up. It didn't help matters that I had a full bladder in preparation for the ultrasound, but I knew that I needed to keep it the way it was, for fear that they wouldn't be able to do the scan otherwise.

My original plan had been to stop at home, change into some more comfortable clothes, eat a quick lunch, pick up Jon from work, and then head to the hospital. But when the pain seemed to get worse and worse, I knew I needed to skip all off that and get right back in the car, before I was physically incapable of even driving. As it was, I have NO idea how I managed to make it across town to Jon's job site, without passing out. I parked the car, limped out of the driver's side and told Jon to hurry as I got in the passenger's side.

By the time we got to the hospital, I was moaning and crying in pain and could hardly walk. But I insisted that Jon not waste time helping me inside, and just go park the car and hurry back. I stumbled into the Medical Imaging area and slumped over the counter. The lady looked a bit alarmed (not that I can blame her) and I quickly stated that I needed to get my ultrasound done quickly because I thought I might have kidney stones and was in extreme pain. She immediately started typing in my information but standing there became too much and I told her I had to sit down. She told me not to sit but just to head straight to the back, where someone would meet me as soon as possible.

I again, stumbled down the corridor and made it to one of the chairs. This was when the pain got to be TOO much to handle and I seriously thought that I was either dying, or in labour. Everything in me wanted to sprawl out on the floor but I knew that a cold, filthy hospital floor was not the place to do it. I finally started to cry for help but the pain had almost muted my voice and I was certain that no one could hear me. I kept calling anyway and finally, a tech must have heard me and came rushing from one of the ultrasound rooms. She helped me up and lead me to a bed in one of the rooms and advised me to try to relieve the pain by letting out some of my full bladder. I tried that, but to no avail.

As I lay down on the bed, the tech explained that, though I was quite early for my appt. and they weren't quite ready for me, someone would be with me shortly, and then she left the room. By this point, I was practically hallucinating from the pain and contorting my body, all over the place, trying desperately to find a position that wasn't as excruciating.

Eventually, another u/s technician came in and began the ultrasound. I tried to explain what was going on, between my yelps and gasps for air. He said he would do his best to get through the scan as quickly as possible. Shortly after starting, I begged for Jon to come in because he had not yet seen our little munchkin, and though I was in no shape to "enjoy" the scan, I wanted him to be able to. Plus, I really needed a hand to crush! So the tech ran and got Jon and we continued on with the u/s. Closer to the end of the u/s, the pain got so unmanageable that I started throwing up, which, let me tell you, was not only disgusting but also completely embarassing.

The tech finished with the baby part of the u/s and thankfully, everything was exactly as it was meant to be. Baby was moving lots, heart rate was at 151 bpm, amniotic fluid was normal, and baby was now 10 oz.--- exactly what he/she was supposed to be. So... this excruciating pain had nothing to do with the baby. Hallelujah! He then checked my kidneys, liver and all other needed organs and then shipped me out the door to emergency.

Baby w/ hand beside its face

Baby yawning :)

I hope the baby's nose stays this cute once it arrives

We ended up being in emerg from 2:00pm til 9:15pm that night. They hooked me up to an IV because I was showing signs of dehydration and then treated my pain with morphine and Gravol. By 9pm, they told me that there was really no sure way of knowing what was wrong with me because they couldn't do the necessary CT scanning for kidney stones, that they would do on a normal person. Because of the baby, the radiation would be too much and unfortunately, we would just have to wait it out and hope that if it was indeed kidney stones, hopefully they would pass on their own. The ultrasound did pick up that my kidney's were swollen, but nothing that seemed abnormal outside of pregnancy. They then gave us the option of being admitted or going home with some morphine and gravol, and trying to get some rest in my own bed. I readily chose the latter option, so... we headed home.

Almost as soon as we arrived back at home, we realized that we had made the wrong decision. I had another "attack" and by this point, it was the worst one so far. We strongly debated getting right back in the car and driving back to the hospital but after a long, agonizing attack, it seemed to subside. So we tried to eat something and went to bed.

Once again, bad idea. The attacks started up again at around midnight and continued on every hour after that until we finally made our way back to emerg by 9am on Thursday morning. I spent the entire day in a chair in emerg (yes, a CHAIR! It was a reclining chair but still...) and by 7pm, they finally let me eat. Keep in mind that I really hadn't eaten since 11am on Wed. because I wasn't allowed to eat the night before, due to no diagnosis or plan of action on treating me. Then once we were home, I ended up throwing up the minuscule amount I had eaten, due to extreme pain. Anyway... they then moved me to a "bed" in emerg and admitted me for the night. By bed, I mean a stretcher and yes, I then spent the night, on a stretcher, next to a deaf, senile old woman that groaned and snored all night long. On top of that, the attacks continued to come fiercely and frequently all night. Putting the morphine and gravol through my IV drip stopped working so they moved on to giving me shots in the bum instead and anti-inflammatory suppositories. Nice, I know. All dignity was gone by this time but I'm told that it is good practice for labour, because that's when literally, nothing is sacred anymore :)

I was finally moved to a real bed on Friday afternoon, when they took me up to the maternity ward. I spent the rest of the day and night there and was eventually discharged (again, at my own choice & discretion) on Saturday afternoon. The specialist came to see me before discharging me and gave me the same "schpeel" about not fully knowing what was wrong with me and needing to just, manage the pain and see what happens. He said that if I did have stones, they would be very small as ultrasounds can at least pick up large stones. The fact that mine didn't pick anything up, was good news in the way of size if it was in fact stones. So they sent me home with more drugs, strainers for my urine, and told me to let them know if I did pass anything.

Well... its now a week later and still no sign of any stones. I was FINALLY starting to feel better yesterday and thought that I would be able to return to work on Thursday but things have almost completely reverted again. I was up most of last night with pain attacks (not quite as bad as the beginning but getting very close) and have been suffering all day again. I saw my doctor yesterday and he still isn't convinced that it was kidney stones. Unfortunately, he said we'll never really know for sure, and that I should just continue to get lots of rest and fluids, and wean myself off any medication as soon as possible.

So I guess we will see. I was starting to feel very optimistic yesterday as my body seemed to be bouncing back, but after today, my spirit feels a bit crushed again. I want so desperately to feel normal, to be able to go back to work, and most of all, to be able to just enjoy the rest of this pregnancy. I'll be 20 weeks (or 5 months if you prefer to keep track that way) on Monday--- the halfway mark, and so far... there haven't been a lot of weeks of feeling good or happy. I definitely don't want to sound like I'm complaining because I am SO thankful for this little one and the journey this has been. I just wish the pain and sickness would pass for good now until he/she arrives, so I can really get into the joy of all of this.

But on a brighter note, I have started feeling the baby kick, which has been a definite highlight through all of this pain. It started while I was in the hospital but I wasn't convinced that it was the baby. I figured it was just all the drugs or maybe gas :) But last night as I lay in bed, it became very obvious that it was indeed, the baby. What a uniquely distinct and incredible feeling! They told me that we had a very active baby, judging from my ultrasounds, but now that I can actually feel it, I'm realizing how true that is. Quite the wiggler :)

I know that a LOT of you have been thinking & praying for me through all of this and have waited very patiently to hear what has been going on. I want to say a huge thank-you to all of you who sent facebook messages, emails, flowers, and phonecalls. It has truly meant the world to both Jon and I and we so appreciate your care & support. Your prayers have been felt and accepted with grateful hearts! So, thank-you. And thank-you to our families for all of your support and for coming and spending time with us at the hospital. We love you so much!!

Sunshine & distraction...

The sun is shining today. In fact, its been shining for the last 5 days and is supposed to carry on into tomorrow. Despite the fact that I would much rather be outside enjoying the sunshine than stuck at work, it has put me in a surprisingly good mood. I went out to grab lunch and the balmy temperature of +11 celcius made me smile. OK, so balmy probably isn't quite the right word but it sure feels that way, compared to the winter we've had this year. So regardless of how ridiculous I might sound, I'm going to bask in this reprieve from the rain.

The week ahead will prove to be another busy one but I'm actually quite looking forward to it. I'm most excited about the fact that my friend Melissa and I are going to be starting some prenatal yoga classes together on Wednesday night. I've always wanted to try yoga but have never had the guts to go by myself. Now that I have a buddy to go with, the thought of some organized exercise is exciting. Having been a jock all of my life, this lax lifestyle that I've taken on since leaving college has been somewhat discouraging. So, hopefully this new outlet of activity will help get me back to some form of what I used to be. Or at least help with labour if nothing else :)

I've been feeling so distracted lately. Especially during church yesterday. I had promised myself that I wouldn't let this pregnancy consume me--- that I would be excited, but not consumed. But lately that's been getting more and more difficult. There are a lot of young babies in our church right now and I found myself staring longingly at them during the service, daydreaming about our little one. I keep wondering what he/she will be like. Who they'll look like. What sort of temperment they'll have. Whether it will be a girl or a boy (though I'll admit I really think its a boy--- not sure why exactly, I just do). I've already purchased a few baby items and clothes, so yesterday afternoon, I lay them all out in the spare room (which will soon be changed over to the nursery) and gazed at them for a while. The excitement is really taking over now. I look forward to having the summer off and taking long walks at the river with my Mom. I anticipate spending hot afternoons at the pool with Naomi and the kids. Spending time just holding our little bundle and snuggling them 'til they can hardly stand it anymore :) I never thought I could be so thrilled for this potentially scary stage of life. Fear is still in the background, but thankfully, joy is replacing it.

So for now, I'm trying desperately to keep focusing on the present and get through these next few months of work. Continuing to anticipate the future, but also realize that there is still life to live right now. I'm thankful for today. And on sunny days like today, that task seems so much easier...

Christmas update in January...

Sorry for the very tardy update on our Christmas. Blogging just hasn't made its way to the top of my priority list lately. Nonetheless, here is a glimpse at what our Christmas holidays held this year.

We got a whole LOT of snow this year. Several blizzards that left people stranded, and everything covered in a blanket of white. Things looked beautiful for a while, but now that its all melting and the flooding has begun, I think everyone is regretting their request for a white Christmas :) Or maybe not.

We attended the Christmas Eve service at Broadway MB this year so we could see Konrad and Ava's singing performance. It was just as cute as we had hoped and the rest of the candlelight service was beautiful.

Konrad is the handsome young man in the front row--the far right hand side...Ava wasn't actually supposed to be singing with the others but when she saw her big brother heading for the stage, she insisted that she join in on the action. She stood off to the side, looking very cute in her Christmas dress, and doing a good job of mimicking the words to the song :) I only got a blurry shot as we were pretty far from the front, but I thought I'd add it anyway.
Christmas came early for our Glen family this year. We celebrated on Dec. 20th because both Viv & Rich had to work on Christmas Eve (which is when we traditionally get together). Mom made a most delectable turkey dinner, as she always does, and we had a good evening of gift opening, chatting to Craig & Jen on the phone, and laughing hysterically over a game of Catch Phrase.

Here's our attempt at a family shot. If you look closely, you'll see that Jon is making a silly face-- nothing out of the ordinary :)

Opening presents...

Next was our Esau family Christmas. We all met at Erich & Naomi's on Christmas morning, for our usual brunch and day of relaxing together. This Christmas was EXTRA special! When Jon's oldest sister Susanne & her boyfriend Juergen arrived, they had some fantastic news to share and a large stone to go along with the story. They're ENGAGED!!!! Juergen popped the question the night before (Christmas Eve) when they had shared their Christmas together. And let me tell you... Susie's ring is breathtakingly beautiful! Definitely the biggest "rock" I've seen in a LONG time :)

Mom & Dad Esau showing off their new "eyeglass holders" from the kids...

Stealing some snuggles with Calvin...

Calvin started crawling this Christmas, but before he figured out the forward motion, he quickly mastered reverse. There were a few times over the course of the day that I found him underneath the couch after scooting his bum under it. Too cute!!

Jon & I were able to escape for a few days and enjoyed some "us" time in Vancouver from Dec. 26-28. We stayed at the Downtown Delta, with a view of the Harbour Centre from our window. After a treacherous drive in (we hit a major blizzard on our way into the city), we upgraded to a King suite and relaxed in our room before heading out to do some shopping & eating. The neat thing about having the Harbour Centre just outside our room was that, that was where Jon took me for a romantic dinner, just after proposing on Dec. 29,2004. The Harbour Centre donns the ritzy "Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant" and it holds a lot of special memories for us.

The weekend held everything I had hoped it would. Sleeping in, watching movies, shopping, good food and tons of relaxing. Just what we needed after a busy month of festivities.

As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't get any pictures while we were at The Hills Ranch in 108 Mile house. But the trip was fabulous & I really hope we're able to do it again next year!

So, to finish of this post, here's another preggo picture. It was taken at 16 weeks (4 months), which was last week but seeing as I haven't really changed that much over the course of one week, it will have to do for a "current" picture :)

Its hard to believe that we're less than 3 weeks away from the halfway mark already. The first trimester did feel long, considering how gross I felt, but now that I look back, it seems crazy to think how much time has flown by. We go for our 18 week ultrasound next Wednesday and are really looking forward to seeing our little munchkin again.

Some of you may be curious about that statement because most people only have their first ultrasound at the 18 week point. But we had our first one at 10.5 weeks. When I went in for my first prenatal appt., the doctor couldn't tell from the internal exam, whether the baby was growing in the uterus or in my left fallopian tube. He said he was 90% sure that everything was OK but wanted to be 100% sure, and therefore sent me for an emergency ultrasound. Having an ectopic pregnancy has actually been my biggest fear from the start, and though he tried to convince me not to worry... I worried. It was hard to sleep that night, because when you've been carrying this little one, that negative 10% chance seems far greater than the other 90% good. But thankfully, upon seeing the u/s the next day, it was clear that baby was right where he/she was supposed to be.

I was amazed at how "baby-like" our little one looked at such a young stage and will remember that day forever. It was VERY active during the u/s and had all its fingers, toes and a rapidly beating heart. Jon wasn't able to be there for it, so my mom came with me. Both of us teared up as soon as we saw that little life and that was the day, the reality of this pregnancy hit me. I really, truly have a little person growing inside of me, and the indescribable joy that brings, is unbelievable.

Next Wednesday's u/s can't come quickly enough and I'm really looking forward to watching Jon experience that joy for the first time. We just pray that God continues to keep the baby safe and that when we meet this little life in June, that he/she would be healthy. The anticipation is building daily... :)

Back at it...

Well, the busyness of Christmas has come and gone and I'm just getting back into things at work. I can't believe how quickly the holidays passed and am already yearning to have them back :) Despite our busy Christmas schedule, we did find moments of relaxation and really enjoyed time spent with friends and family. We got back from our Esau family trip to 108 Mile House yesterday afternoon and had a really wonderful time away. It was so nice to have some "down time" and enjoy the chance to play in the snow :) I didn't bring out my camera once while were in 108 Mile but I will post some pictures from Christmas as soon as I have a minute, and hopefully I'll be able to steal a few trip pictures from Naomi & Susanne. Just wanted to let you all know that I am still here and will post something of significance soon! Hope you all had a blessed Christmas and New Year's! Talk to you soon...

One more thing worth mentioning...

There is actually just one more thing that I should really blog about before taking a break for the Christmas holidays. Many of you have been wondering about this for quite some time now and I'm here to tell you that if you had a "hunch" about us, your hunch was correct........

Jon and I are expecting our first child!!

I'm exactly 14 weeks pregnant today and we're SO thrilled to finally be sharing the news with everyone! We decided to keep it a "secret" (only family and very close friends have known until now) just until we were out of the first trimester--- to be on the safe side :) It was VERY hard to keep it to ourselves and its starting to feel much more real, now that we're able to share about it.


Unfortunately, like almost every other woman I know, the first trimester was fairly brutal. Right around the 6 week mark, the nausea/throwing up and extreme exhaustion hit. I not only had "morning sickness," but ALL DAY sickness from week 6 'til about week 11 or 12. It also didn't help getting the flu right around that time too. I'm still experiencing some morning sickness but it has tapered off a lot compared to how bad it was prior to the 3 month point. I'm really hoping that this second trimester will prove to be better than the first, as I'm promised it will be :)


Our due date is June 22 which means that unless the baby is very late, we'll have another June birthday in the Esau family. Jon, his Dad, his brother-in-law Erich, and his nephew Konrad, are all in June. So we'll either be adding another boy birthday just to take the count up to 5, or, we'll have a girl to even out the score a bit :) We've decided to wait until the delivery day to find out the gender of the baby and will be overjoyed, no matter which way things go. As long as he/she is healthy and doesn't weigh too much, we'll be thrilled ;) Though I think the weight issue matters more to me than Jon :)

So to finish off the post, I'll leave you with a picture of the "baby bump" at 14 weeks...

Just around the corner...

Its hard to believe that Christmas is only 7 days away! I never did get around to my Christmas baking this year, nor did I get any Christmas cards written or mailed. Oh well... I've finally come to the realization that with the craziness of life, I can't "do it all." So if you were expecting a Christmas card this year or a tasty treat, I'm very sorry--- maybe next year! :)

I'd love to post some new pictures but unfortunately, that is another thing I don't seem to think of these days. I haven't pulled my camera out in ages. So in order to add a little "color" to this post, I stole this adorable picture of my niece & nephews from Naomi's blog. I just can't get enough of these three and their constant cuteness!

As I mentioned in my last "Christmas post," this has been our busiest December, BY FAR. I think we've had something up every single evening for the last two weeks and the madness won't end until we've hit 2009. Then again, does the madness ever really end :) I was in our church's Christmas production this year and it proved to be quite a big commitment. Between singing practices, a 4 hour dress rehearsal and then 7 performances (yes... you read that right. We had 3 nights of 6:30pm & 8:30pm showings and 1 night of just one performance). I'd say the production was a huge success and everyone involved did a fantastic job. But I'm kind of hoping they keep it down to just a few performances next year if I'm involved again. It made for some very busy evenings.

We had our first snowfall yesterday and as I posted earlier, it got to "blizzard" conditions. They closed most of the highway between Chilliwack & Abbotsford early in the afternoon and then apparently closed the rest of it after 6pm. I'm really glad I have a sister in law in Abby that was willing to let me stay with her for the night. Though I'm also thankful to hear that the roads have improved today and I shouldn't have any trouble getting home tonight. Driving in the snow doesn't really intimidate me after growing up in Saskatchewan, but our little Yaris is extremely light compared to our old Volvo and doesn't handle quite as well in this weather.

Here are the upcoming "highlights" of our busy Christmas season:

Dec. 20/08
-- Saturday morning Christmas brunch with our small group from church.
-- A quick afternoon trip to the States for the last few gifts.
-- Glen family Christmas in the evening at Mom & Dad's, as well as a birthday celebration for my sister Viv.
Dec. 21/08
-- Extended Esau family Christmas gathering at Grandma & Grandpa Esau's.
Dec. 24/08
-- Christmas Eve service at Erich & Naomi's church (Konrad & Ava are in the kids production this year and we can't wait to see them up there singing!)
Dec. 25/08
-- Esau family Christmas at Erich & Naomi's.
Dec. 26-28/08
-- Surprise weekend getaway to Vancouver with Jon (I decided to surprise him this year. He knows we're going to Vancouver, but doesn't know where we're staying or what we'll be doing. We haven't done anything like this in a long time so I'm VERY excited about getting away, just the two of us!)
Dec. 31/08-Jan. 4/09
-- Getaway to "The Hills" ranch in 108 mile house with Jon's family. Rather than gifts this year, we told Mom & Dad Esau that we'd like to do a family trip. We're really excited about spending a few days skating, snowboarding, playing games, going for a sleigh ride... Hopefully it won't be TOO cold :)

So... if I don't get a chance to do anymore blogging before Christmas, Happy Holidays to you and your families and have an awesome time celebrating the Christmas season! Blessings to you.

Here's why I won't be going home to Chilliwack tonight...

BLIZZARD WARNING: Fraser ValleyIssued at 3:37 PM PST WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2008
HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE PRODUCED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN THE FRASER VALLEY. VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO WITH COLD WIND CHILL VALUES EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS IS A WARNING THAT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH NEAR-ZERO VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DRIFTING SOUTHWARDS ALONG VANCOUVER ISLAND IS BRINGING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE SOUTH COAST. IN THE FRASER VALLEY THE SNOW IS COMBINING WITH STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS TO CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. FURTHER SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP 15 CM ARE FORECAST FOR VICTORIA AND EAST VANCOUVER ISLAND WHERE WIND OFF THE WATER WILL GENERATE HIGHER AMOUNTS. LESSER ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS NEAR 5 CM FORECAST FOR METRO VANCOUVER..THE FRASER VALLEY..GREATER VICTORIA..THE GULF ISLANDS AND SUNSHINE COAST. WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW MINUS 20 OVER THE NORTH AND CENTRAL COASTS WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD TO FRASER VALLEY..WHISTLER AND HOWE SOUND AS COLD AIR OVER THE INTERIOR RUSHES INTO THE COASTAL VALLEYS AND INLETS. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS AT SELECT COASTAL SITES UP UNTIL 3 PM WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2008. CAMPBELL RIVER AIRPORT 17 CM COMOX AIRPORT 23 CM POWELL RIVER AIRPORT 12 CM VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 6 CM NORTH VANCOUVER 10 TO 15 CM SURREY 10 TO 15 CM ABBOTSFORD AIRPORT 10 CM.

... good thing I have a sister in law in Abbotsford that is more than willing to put me up for the night :) If you're driving tonight, take it easy!

Christmas has finally made an appearance...

Other than the lingering cold that Jon is still fighting, the sickness seems to have made its exit from our home now. I usually like to have our house decorated for Christmas by Dec.1 but given how awful we were both feeling, it didn't happen this year. I was finally able to get around to it this weekend and had a lot of fun with the tree this year. Target had an incredible "end of season" sale on Christmas decorations last year, so I bought a complete new set of ornaments for the tree. It was fun to do the tree a little differently and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Instead of white, gold and red, this year's ornaments are dark green, lime green and red.

Here's a close-up of some of the new ornaments...

The Christmas spirit has hit me just as hard as it always does, so I'm glad the house now matches how 'Christmasy' I'm feeling :) Pretty much all of the Christmas shopping is done as well so now its just a matter of tackling some of my baking. I doubt that I'll do as much as I usually do, as this is our busiest December since we've been married, but I hope to get at least a few treats completed in the next week or two. Hope you're all enjoying the beginning of the Christmas season too!

Flu season is here...

Some of you are probably quite convinced by now, that I have officially fallen of the face of "blogger earth."  Not true.  Though I have felt like I've physically fallen off the face of "real earth," (due to the NASTIEST flu bug ever) I'm still alive and here to say that I will try to update as soon as I have something to update you on.  Jon and I have both been home all week with a brutal flu that has kicked both of our butts and are only now, starting to feel somewhat "normal" again.  I missed 4 1/2 of the 5 working days this week, and Jon missed 3 1/2 of the 5.  Not good.  So, as soon as something other than barfing goes on around here, you'll be the first to know.  But for now, this is all I've got.  Sorry... :(    

One thing both Jon and I have really grown to appreciate is the friendship we have with our siblings. We don't get to spend a lot of time with my brother and sister-in-law, Craig & Jen, because they live in Saskatchewan, but we always enjoy our time with them whenever we get the chance to see them. And unfortunately, we rarely see my sister and brother-in-law, Viv & Rich, (even though they live in Chilliwack) because they both work shift work and always seem to be off when we aren't. :) Nevertheless, we're never short on laughs & good times when we do actually get to spend a little time with them.

But we have been lucky to have Jon's siblings around and available for lots of hang out time. We usually all end up at Erich & Naomi's house, simply because they have the biggest place and are the only ones with kids, so it makes it easier on everyone. A couple of weeks ago, we all got together for a "raclette" & games night (I'm not sure if I spelled that right). Neither Jon or I had ever had raclette, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Half the fun is just socializing around the table as you prepare your food on a hot stone grill-- but the food was delicious too. Here's everyone awaiting their yummy dinner...

L-R: Susanne, Juergen, Jon, Erich & Naomi

Mmmmm.... tasty goodness...

We finished off the evening with a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit and some of Naomi's DELICIOUS homemade Mocha Oreo ice-cream. Sooooo good :)

Last Sunday, Jon and I were able to spend the afternoon in Vancouver with my parents. They took us out for lunch to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown and then we spent some time walking around the beautiful streets in the area. Vancouver certainly is gorgeous in autumn...

Next we headed over to Queen Elizabeth Park. Here is the view from the hilltop look-out...

Jon had taken us to Queen Elizabeth Park when I first moved out to BC in 2005, but we hadn't been inside the atrium that they have there. We decided to see what it was like and spent some time perusing the warm, tropical walkways of this little "indoor oasis." The parrots and other birds just fly around freely and are quite comfortable with the many touring humans. Jon and Dad were pretty fascinated with this little yellow bird. I think it was actually a peacock...

This particular parrot was especially comfortable and I was able to catch some of his "confidence" on camera. Such a show off... :)

And right after work today, I'm heading down to Redmond, Washington for my first CMS Worship Conference. All the team leaders from our church are going down for Friday & Saturday's conference and I'm really looking forward to a time of learning & reflecting. It will be a busy and tiring weekend but it should be lots of fun. See you when I get back!