On 10.12.09 we were Quickly Outnumbered!

Emma & the Kleenex Box

2011-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

Kristin and I are generally opposed to sharing video of our kids on the internet; we try to be careful about what information we post, how much we post, etc. With the internet the way it is, privacy has become rare, so we aim to keep what we can.

That being said, we have lots of friends and family who live far from us, and it makes it difficult to share our lives with them. So... we've decided to share a fun video we took this weekend. I've uploaded it to YouTube, and I'll leave it up for a week or so, and then we'll take it down. Enjoy!

It's labeled as an unlisted video, which means you have to access it directly from the link - it isn't "search-able" on the YouTube site.

Sorry the lighting isn't great - it was unexpected and turned out a little dark...

Emma & the Kleenex Box

New Years Reflections

2011-01-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed. One year ago today, reality sunk in. One year ago today, Kristin and I cried tears of joy and thanksgiving in our driveway. One year ago today, we brought our little miracles home.

It's even harder to believe that Teddy is standing next to me, reaching to press the keys like his Daddy. They're growing up so fast.

One year ago today, we snuggled them into their car seats - barely weighing 5lbs. Today, they crawl all over us, they make faces, walk (holding on to things), explore, laugh at each other, say "mama" and "dada", and have their own very distinct personalities.

I'm overwhelmed when I remember that day - feeling so blessed to have 3 healthy babies to bring home. Feeling so blessed, and so terrified at the responsibility that lay ahead.

We're very much looking forward to the year ahead - we look forward to many more laughs, smiles, words, hugs, stories and games. We look forward to new parenting challenges, adventures and trips. We continue to remember God's goodness to us, and we are forever grateful. We hope you feel the same way, this January 1, 2011. Happy New Year! Here are some recent pictures of our little guys...

Teddy in the tub!

Our Family picture... going to cut down our Christmas tree

Teddy, Emma and Joshua in their pajamas

Teddy in his new Christmas pajamas

Emma in her new pajamas

and Joshua in his.

Emma riding the dinosaur

Joshua smiling for Daddy... what a cute kid!

June 2010

2010-11-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

Back to catching up! June was a busy month; lots of new adventures!

The first time in High Chairs!

Joshua

Emma


Teddy

My first Father's Day...

I was first given a hearty breakfast and a (wonderful) homemade newspaper, complete with puzzles!

Then it was off to a concert in the park! One of my favorite bands was playing; it was the babies' first rock concert!

Then it was off to the beach for hot dogs, ice cream and playing on the blanket! All in all, a fabulous day!

Another "first" was swimming!

Teddy, just lazing about in the pool...

Emma's turn!

Joshua, ready to jump in!


Mommy, with our little swimmers!

All that swimming makes (most of) us tired!

And finally, a baby dedication...

We ended off the month of June with a baby dedication at West Highland, where we committed ourselves to raising our kids to know and love Jesus.

Pet Peeves

2010-11-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

The guy in front of me at the drive-thru bank machine who got out of his car to use the machine.

They call it "drive-thru" for a reason, if you have to exit your vehicle, you might as well go inside.

Halloweeeeen

2010-10-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to take you through a bit of a picture recap of the last several months, but tonight I'll take a quick break to share some of our Fall/Halloween pictures. Enjoy!

Time for some pumpkin carving fun!

Three pumpkins for our three pumpkins!

We were not all happy....

Time for some fun in the leaves!

"It's a little chilly out, but this is interesting!"

"Okay, now I'm done!!"

Time for Trick or Treating with Daddy, Grandpa, and Uncle Kyle!

All Done!

Wings of Paradise

2010-10-18T15:06:00.000-04:00

In May we celebrated Kristin's very first mother's day! As I look back on these pictures, I'm amazed at how much our little babies have grown in 5 months! Friends and family warned us that they would grow fast, but who knew it'd be this fast!?

For Mother's Day, the kids and I crafted a special home-made card with pictures and some finger painting.... it was supposed to be hand prints, but as soon as they got their hands in the paint...

the card was a hit nonetheless!

Then it was off to the Butterfly Conservatory! We drove up to Cambridge to Wings of Paradise to see some beautiful creatures! I was hoping that we'd be able to get some pictures of butterflies landing on the kids, but, as it turns out, butterflies must not like babies. Oh well.

Teddy = not thrilled with butterflies.

Emma looking a little sleepy - missing her afternoon nap!

Josh was very curious!

Teddy = still not thrilled. Turns out, butterflies aren't as exciting as football games. Who knew? But this is Mother's Day, Teddy, we sacrifice....

The kids were pretty beat at the end of the day... and so were we!

Looks like Mama's happy though, I think her day was a success!

After a long day, Daddy gets his boys ready for bed!

Stay Tuned! June was filled with first's too! Swimming, high chairs, Father's Day and the Baby Dedication!

Six Month Hiatus

2010-10-11T21:29:00.001-04:00

Monday Night Football has been delayed due to lightning in the area. Delays, ugh. And yet, here I am, writing a much delayed blog post.

I wish I had an awesome story - some incredible journey or cataclysmic battle (confession: we watched Iron Man 2 last night). But the sad reality is that after a month or so passed, I just gave up on updating the blog.

I wasn't sure that I'd pick this back up - I figured that most people had stopped checking in, and that maybe it'd better just ... be. But, to my surprise, there seems to be a few still looking in - a few hopefuls clicking away looking for cute pictures or fun anecdotes.

You've come to the right place!

So, here I am, back at the keyboard, with a rare glass of Shiraz, (yeah, weird eh?) waiting for MNF to start (wine and football?! so odd...)

Now. Where to start? I haven't posted since Easter, so that leaves a lot to catch up on! I suppose I'll spend the next little while trying to get you caught up! Yesterday, 10.10.10, our kids arrived at 10 months! Hard to believe that it's been 10 months already!

While we were pregnant, (Oh, MNF kickoff! It's about time! The delay was just over an hour, which means I'll be asleep by the end of the game.... nuts). Where was I? Oh yeah.... while we were pregnant, people advised us to drink it up, enjoy every moment because it goes fast. I never would have dreamed that it would fly by like this! So... coming soon, camping, cottaging, playing, giggling, wiggling and .... teething!

Check back in soon, I'll be updating! Until then...

Six Little Feet

(May 2010)

Three Cute Faces

(May 2010)

Quote

2010-04-26T15:45:00.000-04:00

I was looking up some music to put on at work today, and looked up a friend who goes by the name Kae Sun. Kae is an amazing musician, friend and a man of great insight and integrity; he's moved to the big city, and we miss him a lot in Hamilton. Please click over to his site and give him a listen! He put a quote on his twitter that I thought I'd share today - I don't know if it's his quote, or if he got it elsewhere, nevertheless, thanks Kae for the inspiration!

"you say there's weakness in an empty pocket, and I'll tell you there's weakness in an empty heart"

EASTER

2010-04-26T15:39:00.000-04:00

I really thought we put up a picture from Easter, but ... I was wrong. Late, but here it is....

We had a wonderful Easter weekend with the kids and didn't forget the real meaning of Easter, despite our ears and fuzzy friends!

More Pictures!

2010-03-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

These were taken just after bath time on Sunday afternoon...

Emma!

Joshua!

Teddy!

All Done!

Whoops! What happened to February?

2010-03-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

Soooo.... do you think we've been busy? If the time between posts is any indication, we are! If you're still reading this, thank you! you either use an RSS reader or you're quite persistent! Either way, thanks!

Little noises coming from two babies, 4 little arms are flailing around, 20 little toes in the air... one baby being cradled by his mother, cuddled in a blanket... We're sitting in an unusually quiet living room, sipping free coffee from McDonald's.... finally, a chance to blog... we'll see how long this lasts!

The kids are doing wonderfully - Emma weighs 10lbs, Josh weighs 10lbs 5oz, and Teddy's 10lbs 7oz! We've come a long way from 4lbs! We think Teddy's hitting a bit of a growth spurt because he's really thinning out - getting longer! It's amazing to see these little children grow! They all eat well!

They are certainly keeping us busy - eating every 4 hours - and staying awake more and more every day. It's a lot of fun to see them smile and make faces! They've been learning to lift their head's and look around; they can follow you with their eyes as you move back and forth, and they've started to grab on to things (like Mommy's hair, or Daddy's glasses...)!

We've also had a lot of "first's" - last week we went to church for the first time as a family (and again today - AND we were on time this week!!), today we also went to lunch at a restaurant (I think most people there thought we were crazy!) We're starting to get a little more mobile, and that feels good!

What other first's have we had.... one of my wonderful sons pee'd on me for the first time during bath time this weekend - usually I'm pretty good at avoiding such things, but I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later!

We are still enjoying a lot of help - especially during the week when I'm at work (and overnight, for a little while longer!)

Kristin's also enjoyed several baby showers with lots of friends and family - we have been wonderfully blessed with support, and it's been so amazing to see God answer our prayers again and again!

Joshua Bean is getting a little restless on his play mat as I type - must make it short here!

Here's a few more recent pictures before Josh gets everybody all riled up!

More to come!

By the way, this post took me about 2 and a half hours because the babies started kickin' up a fuss - now they're fed, and wanting to be cuddled... More pictures soon.... hopefully...!!

Tummy Time!

2010-01-20T22:59:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick post to show some pictures of our babies' first "Tummy Time". They did pretty well, only one spat up some lunch.... 2/3 ain't bad!

We had a visit with the pediatrician today which went very well - we're pleased to announce their new weight... Joshua - 6lbs 12oz! Emma - 6lbs 14oz! And Teddy, a hefty 7lbs! Everything else is going beautifully!

The Doctor also suggested we start giving them some time on their bellies, so that they can work on their arm/neck strength. Here's the latest pictures!

"So what's it like having 3 babies at home?"

2010-01-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

Busy, but so worth it!

I finally have both hands free, (for the next 15 minutes at least), and I thought it was high time I updated the blog. We all just cheered, Joshua ripped a good burp; that's how we roll now - waiting for good burps!

Despite the rigorous feeding routine that we've inherited from the hospital, everyone is doing very well. We have much appreciated the help that we've received - we wouldn't be able to manage otherwise!

This week passed in a diaper filled blur - some days we struggled to figure out what day it actually was; and as for recalling what we did on Tuesday... well, we'd probably have to check the calendar. We've had a fair number of doctor's appointments this week, and next. We've been to the family doctor, a clinic at the hospital for some shots, an ultrasound clinic; next week we have at least 3 doctors appointments, all on different days. It's very tiring trying to get to appointments with 3 babies in tow, keeping the feeding schedule on track and, of course, trying to stay awake!

But we are careful not to complain - all 3 are healthy and gaining weight wonderfully. This week, at the doctor, Teddy weighed 6lbs 3oz, Emma weighed 6lbs 0oz, and Joshua 5lbs 13oz!

It's been difficult going back to work - after spending nearly every minute with them for so long, it's hard to be away for 9-10 hours a day. I think it's hard for Kristin as well; she always has help of course, but I think she misses me (or perhaps it's just wishful thinking...)

We continue to be kept afloat by your prayers - it's easy to get run down and overwhelmed - but God is good, and He has provided for all our needs, emotionally, physically and practically. Thank you ... more pictures coming soon!

Happy (Belated) New Year!

2010-01-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's the lack of sleep, but this post is very difficult to write! There's so much to say, and I can hardly put it all together in anything that could be called coherent. Sorry!

Here goes nothing, as they say...

Kristin and I rang in 2010 much differently this year -- we camped out at Hotel St. Joe's in the maternity ward. It was quite a party!

When our babies were born, we expected a long road -- we expected lots of tubes, IV's, procedures and monitors, and we were told to hope to have our babies home by their actual due date -- February 1. After they were transferred to St. Joe's, we realized that the date would probably be moved up, but we still expected mid-January at best. Little did we know!

We got about 24 hours notice that we would start our 48-hour 'pajama party' on New Years Eve. Most parents of children in the NICU are asked to "room in" with their baby (or in our case, babies) to make sure that everything goes well with feeding, changing, etc. Blood work is completed and the babies are required to pass a car seat test, where they monitor their oxygen to ensure that they will be safe traveling. If everything goes well, the baby (babies) can come home.

Much to our surprise, we were allowed to bring our babies home about 18 hours into our "test drive" - we had many people scrambling to get things organized - but with a lot of help, we brought our babies home to start 2010 off right - as a family.

It's quite a relief to have them home with us, though hard to put things together here on the blog; I just have so many thoughts floating around, and barely enough time to figure them all out.

Sometimes it feels like a dream... then I wake up to my alarm quacking (yes, my alarm quacks) at 2am and I'm reminded of how real this is! We have to feed our little babes every 3 hours, day and night. Our routine runs smoothly, but takes time. We start half an hour before they are supposed to eat - we wake them, change them, feed them, burp them, and then it's back to bed. Working as a team, it still takes over an hour. It makes for rough sleep - 90 minutes here, 90 minutes there, and cat naps when we can get them.

But, even with little sleep, it's totally worth every minute, and we're so happy to have them (almost) settled in.

There are also a lot of adjustments we have to make, having premature babies at home this early. We've been carefully warned to hibernate as much as possible - to limit visitors (especially other children) and be very vigilant about the health of our helpers and visitors. Our kid's are very susceptible to illness, and could land back in the NICU in a very short period of time, so we need to be very cautious for a few months, until they grow, build some immunities and strength. They are still pretty small, after all - barely 5 pounds! On that note, Teddy now weighs about 5lbs 4oz, Emma weighs 5lbs 1oz, and Joshua 4lbs 14ozs.

So, while we are thrilled to share this good news with you all, we ask that you please be patient with us - we're still working on getting some family members in to meet our kids, and we're still getting our routine's in order. Keeping 3 kids on a schedule is a challenge - we also have to sleep, eat, shower and manage our day-to-day stuff. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we get settled. Every day gets a little easier as we get used to new schedules and routines. Next week, I'll have to return to work, which will add another layer of challenge. We are very thankful for your continued prayers for us - and all of the practical support you've shown! We have been very blessed!

On top of it all, after months of carefully avoiding illness, Kristin (of all people) has come down with a bad cold. The kids have picked it up, and we've been advised to limit visitors as much as possible, and to increase our hand washing and hygiene at home. The babies are doing alright - we're battling the sneezing and stuffiness, but we certainly don't want them to get any worse! We'll do our best to make sure that we get everyone in to meet our new additions, but we appreciate your patience!

I'll try to update again with some new pictures - proud papa thinks the babies are getting cuter every day! I'll try to show off some pictures again soon! Stay Tuned!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T23:37:00.000-05:00

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! We want to thank you (again) for following along with us; for all your prayers, phone calls, emails and support. We appreciate each one of you very much!

We hope that you enjoy a safe, peaceful and blessed day, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Let that never be lost among all the gift giving, receiving, turkeys and naps!

We dressed up our kids tonight so that we could share some pictures for Christmas - Teddy, Joshua and Emma received their first Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy tonight! Thanks to BB and JB for the outfits! We do not intend to dress our kids alike, but we'll make an exception now and then!

Oh, and before I post the pictures, Mommy told the kids that Santa doesn't come until all the little boys and girls were asleep. So, like good, obedient children, they promptly went to sleep, and didn't even wake up to have their pictures taken. Oh well. I suppose their bottles didn't help either.

A Few More

2009-12-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

More Pictures!

2009-12-21T22:58:00.002-05:00

I'm hoping the comments are working again - I've been switching this blog around too many times trying to figure out what's wrong - hopefully it's all fixed up again.

Everything continues to go well - not much has changed since yesterday, except they are eating more today (I guess I should get used to the pattern....)

They're working hard to bottle/breast feed - we can tell that it's pretty exhausting for them, but they're working at it. I figure they'll do pretty well with a week of practice!

Anyway, on to some new pictures - thanks Adam for taking some really nice quality photos!

(From left to right: Joshua, Teddy & Emma)

Yeah, it's going to be a little crowded, kids. Get used to it!
(Teddy, Emma, Joshua)

No Creative Titles Tonight...

2009-12-20T19:10:00.003-05:00

This has been an exciting weekend for our family! Our kids no longer need Level 3 care at Mac, so they were transferred to Level 2 at St. Joe's. St. Joe's is a much different hospital and the whole NICU functions differently. I suppose that is to be expected - different hospital, different level of care, etc., but it still threw us off a little.

It does put a little pressure on us to be a little more "hand's on", which is really good for me - I learn best when I'm put in situations where I have to do it on my own. 3 days in, I'm feeling very comfortable - I've got pretty good bundling, bathing, burping and diapering skills. I anticipate it getting a little more challenging as they grow - at least in some respects - but I'm getting a good handle on things, and Kristin has been very encouraging!

Yesterday, both sets of Grandparents got to finally meet and snuggle the new additions! Everyone was very excited, and it was an emotional time for all of us, I think. Pictures to come! Hopefully some of the Great-Grandparents will be able to visit soon!

Teddy, Joshua and Emma continue to do very well - they had the heat turned off in their isolette's today, and are holding their body temperatures well. If they can maintain good body heat for another day or two, they'll be transferred into little cots - another step closer to coming home!

Another big milestone was the introduction of bottle and breast feeding today! For most parents this happens almost immediately, but because our little one's are so little, we weren't sure they would be able to master the suck/swallow/breathe technique. Our nurses told us that premature babies don't usually get that skill until 34/35 weeks (gestational age). Our trips hit 34 weeks today, and the charge nurse was immediately encouraging us to give it a shot - and wouldn't you know it - our babies went right for it! All 3 took pretty well - we'll see how they manage over the next few days - sometimes there is a little regression because it takes a lot of effort for a 4lb baby to drink all that fluid so many times a day - but so far they're doing wonderfully!

There are only a few more hurdles before we'll be able to bring our family home, and we're sooooo excited! They're still so little - each have gained about 4oz or so above their birth weight (babies tend to lose some weight after birth, and then begin to gain again) - but they are steadily climbing. How blessed we are; God is SO GOOD!

I'll try to update again tomorrow with some new pictures! We're busy getting the nursery ready, so it's back to work!

Thanks for checking in (by the way, is the comment function working again?)

Update!

2009-12-18T00:22:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I was just informed that the comment function was not working! SO SORRY!

... I was wondering where all my comments were ...

Anyway, I've changed the background again - can't find a Christmas template that I can be sure the comments will work on, so I'll use this as a default, for now.

As a quick update - our kids are doing sooooo well! So well, in fact, that they have been moved from Level 3 at Mac, to Level 2 at St. Joe's. We much prefer the surrounding of Mac (and the staff!), but it's nice to know that we don't need that intensive care at this point.

At St. Joe's, we'll have a little more freedom, and we're one step closer to our babies coming home! That'll still be a few weeks, to be sure, but it's encouraging!

More cute pictures to come - it's late, so I'll be brief... (story of my life these days...)

Picture Post!

2009-12-14T00:06:00.009-05:00

Here are some pictures for our little babies! As a quick update - Teddy and Emma are doing very well - better than expected. They are increasing how much they eat, are stable without breathing machines and generally pretty peaceful. Joshua still needs a little help breathing - not much - but enough to keep him hooked up... and I don't think he likes it! He barely went over the threshold for jaundice, so he also needed some photo-therapy, which meant he couldn't be bundled up - he had to be exposed to the lights. Overall, he's doing pretty well for 32 weeks, and is making progress.

Kristin is doing well - still very sore - but is moving around. We expect her to come home tomorrow (Monday - wait, it IS Monday, I believe... so ... today).

Here's some pictures - more updates to come!

The first two are Emma...

This is Joshua, "bean". Kristin calls him her Pilot because of his headgear! So, Pilot Bean, I guess... Hopefully he won't need it much longer!

And here's our Teddybear...

...he sleeps like his Daddy...

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

2009-12-13T01:11:00.003-05:00

Thanks everyone for the comments, phone calls, visits, flowers, prayers and well-wishes! We are soooo thrilled! I'm testing out a new background for the blog, and it works well on one computer, and not well at all on another... how does it look?

I'll keep toying with it when I have a second....

It's a little after 1am Sunday morning - more pictures will be posted ASAP. I had to go through them tonight to properly label them (if I don't, I'll forget which baby is in the picture!) They are already becoming a little more distinct, but at delivery, it was hard to tell! Good thing they had different wool hats!

Kristin is doing very well - still very sore - but she has been slowly walking... starting to feel a little better. I'm sure she will feel better every day.

She has been able to hold all of the babies, much to her delight! I have held Teddy and Emma, but Joshua was a little too tired to be passed on after Mommy, so back to the toaster he went... our little Bean, he's needing some photo-therapy at the moment (for jaundice...). Joshua is still on CPAP (breathing machine), so keep praying! Teddy and Emma have done very well and have not needed CPAP or photo-therapy. All of them are increasing their food intake, which is very positive.

Thanks again for your comments and especially your prayers. God is good, and we are so blessed! Our hearts could not be fuller!

We hope that Kristin will be home mid-week, so keep her in your prayers as well, for a speedy recovery.

Pictures tomorrow - I promise!

Happy Birthday, Babies!

2009-12-10T16:54:00.006-05:00

Kristin and I are sooooo thrilled to announce the safe arrival of our children!

We are completely overwhelmed with joy - God has been so good to us!

Without further ado...

Edward (Teddy) John arrived first at 9:37am, weighing 4lbs, 0.5oz.
He was quickly followed by Joshua Paul at 9:38am, weighing 3lbs, 6oz.
Last, but not least, my little princess, Emma Caroline at 9:39am, weighing 3lbs, 12oz.

This post will be brief - I'm home just long enough to put up our announcement with some pictures, and have a quick bite to eat before getting back to Kristin (who is napping at the moment) and our kids in the NICU.

All the babies were able to breathe on their own, and each let out some small cries (of joy!), which absolutely overwhelmed us! We fell in love with these babies the instant we saw them! They have since been put on machines that help their breathing - it takes a lot of energy for these little ones to breathe, and the machines will help ease that strain. They're also hooked up to IV's and other monitors - they're about 8 weeks early, so they need a little extra help, but they are in good shape!

Mommy is doing well - she's very tired and anxious to get to the nursery to visit with her little ones. I hope to get her over there tonight, if she's feeling well enough to make the short trip.

Before I post some pictures, please continue to pray for our little babies, and that the new Mom will recover quickly and without complications.

We praise God for a safe operation and for the blessings that He's given us! God answers prayer, people!

More updates soon, keep checking in!

Welcome Teddy!

Welcome Joshua!

Welcome Emma!

The Time Has Come

2009-12-09T12:04:00.002-05:00

In less than 24 hours, Kristin and I will welcome 3 new humans into the world. How's that for a sobering thought?

My thoughts about tomorrow - how everything will happen - how our lives will change forever - how we will be responsible for 3 new children - come in waves. There have been a few times where a wave of emotion will wash over me - not at controlled, predictable times, but out of the blue - while driving, while listening to music, while working.

Two and a half years. For two and a half years Kristin and I prayed that God would see us fit to parent a child. For two and a half years, we dreamed that we would be able to hold a newborn baby; that we would be able to have the joy of wet kisses, warm snuggles and little laughs. We dreamed of reading bedtime stories, bandaging scrapes and bruises and watching a little tummy go up and down while sleeping snugly in a crib.

Almost 3 years later, God has heard our prayers, and has answered. Tomorrow we will get to meet God's answer to our prayers, and not just one child; He's deemed us fit to parent 3, all at the same time. What an amazing God we serve! What an honor, a joy and a privilege we have been given.

Today my heart is full. I'm sure tomorrow's feelings will exceed today's, but today my heart is full of joy and thanksgiving. We are so blessed.

Over the last few months, you have joined us on our journey to parenthood, tomorrow the journey of parenthood begins. We can't tell you how much we appreciate your prayers and support - it has meant so much to us - and it would have been a very different journey without you. Thanks.

Kristin and I hope you'll continue to journey with us! We will appreciate your prayers tomorrow morning at 8am. Please pray that these new lives arrive safely, that God will grant our team of doctors wisdom and steady hands. Pray that God will soothe our nerves, and watch over Kristin as she endures this operation. Please pray that God will continue to hold Kristin's heart in His hand, and that He will see our family through this operation and recovery safely.

I will post again as soon as I can! Please be patient as we try to update everyone as quickly as we can! If possible, I'll update the blog from my phone at the hospital, pictures will follow as soon as I can get them uploaded to the computer at home. Stay Tuned!

The Rumors are True!

2009-12-05T00:36:00.003-05:00

Our babies are coming on Thursday!!! That's right, THIS Thursday! Yeah... pretty crazy!

This post is going to be pretty short, because it's almost 1am, and I'm tired from getting slaughtered in hockey tonight (I have a sweet bruise on the back of my leg from a slap shot, and a bruised elbow from... well... hockey).

The "man's version" (as Kristin calls it), is that everything is alright, but the babies are getting bigger, and Kristin is running out of room. They're growing a little slower than they should, but the doc is happy with how much they weigh, and 2 of them were seen "practice breathing" on Thursday, which is a good sign!

So, at 8am on Thursday, they'll make their entrance into this world, a little earlier than planned, but Mom and Dad are sooooo excited!!!! As are the Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and...

Try to keep this post brief Paul, seriously, everyone's sleeping but you....

Please be in prayer for us, especially on Thursday that everything goes well with the C-Section, Kristin's heart, and that the babies all enter our world healthy and happy (well, I'm sure they'll cry, but it'll be an "awesome! I'm out of the womb and into the real world!" kind of cry... probably followed by a "whoa, it's cold out here" wail... )

I have a lot of things to write about this coming week, and will try to put something together over the next few days, in between hospital visits, work and pets...

AND - By the end of next week, you'll be able to see the VERY FIRST PICTURES of our BABIES! How exciting!!! This has been quite a journey to parenthood - now the real journey begins!

Just A Quick Picture Post

2009-12-03T13:01:00.002-05:00

This picture is courtesy of Sarah! Thanks for snapping a good one!

More updates to come soon - ultrasound is happening this afternoon...

Kristin is growing rapidly! We've been measuring, and her belly grew 1 inch in 3 days! Yikes!

Stay Tuned...

I Tried To Smuggle Her Out...

2009-11-25T15:52:00.004-05:00

... but she was too big to fit in the car...

52 Inches! ...and only getting bigger! Not really enough room in my little Sentra for her... oh well, heh heh.

Inquiring minds wanted to know... and now you know!

We're getting very excited, only 3 more weeks to go!

In other news, we discovered that Kristin has some sort of ... ... ... disease... disease seems like a scary word, but this isn't too worrisome. We discovered that the itchiness Kristin has experienced isn't just the dry air in the hospital, but what is known as Cholestasis. (<--- click the word for wikipedia)

They'll put her on some meds to help ease the crazy itchiness, which can be so intense, that she'll actually wake up in the middle of the night with the urge to itch!

We'll keep you posted as the week rolls along!

(OH! AND - important news coming - the Lions play the Packers tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 - a weird time for NFL, but it's American Turkey Day ... it's a long shot for my Lions, but here's hoping the Packers are sleepy after a big turkey lunch!)

What A Day!

2009-11-22T17:19:00.004-05:00

The LIONS WIN! Oh yes, you heard correctly! The 1-8 Detroit Lions beat the 1-8 Cleveland Browns, making it 2-8!

Matt Stafford, our rookie QB threw 5 touchdowns, the last one with 0:00 time left on the clock, and with an injury! The field goal put them 1 point over the top.

My brother, who graciously cooked me wings, even after I invited myself over, enjoyed the game - I know he pretends to be an Eagles fan (and his act is quite convincing at times), but today I realized that he's probably just a closet Lions fan, scared to show his true colors because of our 5 year record...

Calvin Johnson (WR) dunks the football through the arches after one of our 5 (count 'em, FIVE) touchdown's today!

Okay, on to more important things...

It's pretty shameful that it's been so long since my last post. I suppose it's a testament to how busy my life has been - running back and forth from the hospital - trying to put in a full week at work, and tending to everything else that life throws at me. If any one is still reading this, I applaud you. heh.

We are 30 weeks at this point, and these babies are getting ready to make their entrance to the world, and into the arms of new parents. Only 25 days to go!

We did get some news this week though, both good and ... not so good. The good news is that Kristin's heart is doing well - not growing bigger at this point, so that has been very encouraging. The not-so-good is that Baby C is not growing as quickly as the other two. At this point they've run some tests and it's not tooooo concerning, but they will keep an eye on it. It seems that the blood flow to Baby C is a little hindered, but his growth is still even - just slower. Sometimes when this happens, the baby's head grows bigger, and the body doesn't, because the nutrients go to the brain, and there's not enough left to fatten up the body. This isn't the case with our little one, but they want to keep an eye on things.

Over the next week they'll do a few more tests to monitor the blood flow from the placenta - there's nothing else they can really do to improve the blood flow. They measure growth every two weeks, so unless something more concerning comes up during the tests, they'll re-evaluate the situation next week (the week of the 30th). The only other option is to take the babies out earlier and feed them outside of the womb, but for the most part they want to keep them in as long as possible. So... I hope that's a clear picture of what's going on (It's clear in my head, I'm just not sure if I have described it adequately).

So we ask that you continue to hold us in your prayers, especially little Baby C. God has blessed us in so many ways, and we have had a lot of help, visitors, meals and support, and that has really kept us afloat; physically and emotionally.

I will try to post more often, with more pictures, because I know I haven't posted enough pictures!

For now, I'm off to the hospital... I'll post again shortly! Thanks for continuing to check in and journey with us!

8 Years

2009-11-10T22:03:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 8 years since my father passed away. Time flies. 8 years since that cloudy, cold afternoon that we stood by his graveside, silently, with tears in our eyes, and sadness in our souls.

My brother, sister and I made our annual trip to Park Lawn, in the big city, a trip we try to take every year. It hasn't always worked out, but I'm glad it did this year. It's pretty special to have the 3 of us there to reminisce and spend a quiet moment together.

Last year was different. After 7 years, I didn't feel the tears come easily. I silently berated myself; how could I not feel the same intense emotion I have in other years? I wanted to cry - I felt that I would be betraying my Dad's memory if I didn't - that somehow he would be less significant if I didn't feel the pain so intensely.

In the days that followed, I realized that God has, in many ways, healed my heart. It's not that I don't remember - it's not that I don't feel the pain - it's just that I've realized that ... it is what it is. It happened for a reason, and God designed it to be this way. And I'm okay with that.

It was dark this year; we didn't get there terribly late, but the sun had set, and the cemetery was dark and eerie. My sister took this picture; it seems to reflect how eerie the deserted cemetery was.

Sorry for the quality - we had a flashlight and a cell phone camera! It you can't make it out, it reads:

STIMERS
In loving memory of
a beloved husband
and father
ALLAN EDWARD, TED
Dec 24, 1953 - Nov 10, 2001
You will fill me with joy
in your presence, with eternal
pleasures at your right hand.
Ps. 16:11

This week, Kristin and I were blessed with a visit from my Grandparents, and when they left, my Grandpa gave us a business card, as he often does.

On the back of that card is a prescription; he had written a verse from my Dad's favorite Psalm - 16. His Rx read: "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure."

What an encouragement!

The last verse my Dad ever shared with me was verse 8, and I had the reference tattooed on my left shoulder: "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

The Psalmist continues, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let you Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Tonight the tears come easily. Tonight my eyes are filled with tears - I am incredibly sad that my children won't get to meet their Grandpa Stimers in their life. I feel pain because my Dad won't get to hold his grandkids. He would have been an amazing Grandpa, and would be so proud to hold his grandbabies.

But he hasn't been abandoned. Jesus has not left him alone in death - he has not abandoned my Dad to the grave, and in that, I take much comfort!

And, through my pain and tears, I can rejoice - I can rejoice because I know my Dad is enjoying the eternal pleasures that are promised in the Bible. I pray that I will raise my kids to know Jesus - to know and walk with Jesus in a profound way, that they may enjoy the amazing gift that awaits them. I pray that I can, and will, raise my kids to follow Jesus - even when it's hard - even though it's not popular or easy - I pray that they will follow the legacy that my Grandfather left me, the legacy that my father carried, and the legacy that I intend to leave for my kids.

Milestones are hard. Graduating college was hard. Getting engaged, and marrying the most amazing woman in the world was hard - knowing she won't get to meet my Dad until Heaven. And having my Dad's first Grandkids... is hard.

I miss you Dad.

Thank you all for sharing this with me; thanks for letting me share this with you, because it's important to me. For those of you who knew my Dad, who shared time with him, prayed with and for him, and supported him in ministry, thank you. Thank you for supporting, praying for us kids as we went through a difficult time of mourning, and thank you for those of you who don't let my memories fade.

His hair was going to fall out, so he asked me to shave it off. I took great pleasure in doing so!

Parking Wars... oh, and an Update too...

2009-11-09T22:15:00.003-05:00

I try to be pretty laid back. I'm not sure if I always (or even sometimes) achieve that status, but I do try. When it comes to on-street parking, however, I get all rattled.

Our neighborhood consists of elderly folk who have been here for 40+ years, some families, and an assortment of those middle-years-empty-nesters. There aren't a lot of renters on our block, but there have been a few more recently. Too be honest, I'm not a big fan of renters. I find that they, as people go, are usually quite nice and amiable, but many (in our neighborhood) don't take care of their property, and seem to have little regard for others on the block.

I know I'm stereotyping, but this is my experience with the two houses that are within spitting distance (not that I would spit at them, mind you...)

My big beef isn't un-mowed lawns or recycling bins that are left on the driveway 5 days a week, my beef is parking.

Our street is small, not a boulevard or main thoroughfare, just a quiet residential street. That's why it bugs me when my renting neighbors park illegally, and tonight, he really turned a screw.

The guy that rents the basement across from us has 2 vehicles - a mid-sized sedan, and a pick-up truck, but no parking in the driveway at his home. The other people that live in the home have cars as well - 3 more. They have a garage (which has never housed a car) and room for one car in the driveway. That means that 4 cars end up on the street, two of which end up at my house, rarely leaving a spot for our guests.

Last week, our neighbor parked his pick up on the street - attached to the hitch was a 12 foot trailer filled with chain link fencing. Annoying, because it takes up so much room on the street, but not the problem. The problem wasn't even that he was parked facing the wrong direction - it was that he was parking in the intersection! So... I called the municipal parking enforcement, and 30 minutes later he was ticketed.

I hoped that this would help solve the problem - that he would quickly learn to park legally on our street. It didn't work.

I arrived home tonight, from visiting my wonderful wife, just before 10pm. I feigned surprise when I came across the illegally parked pick up... again. He was loaded up again with his 12 foot trailer, this time with a bobcat on top. This time he decided to park right in front of our fire hydrant! But that's not all - he collected several construction pylons (the 4 foot tall ones) and put them all around the fire hydrant, effectively (or ineffectively) hiding it.

What a guy.

So, I called in, again. I guess I'm not so good at being laid back.

Kristin and I already endured a flooded basement this summer; we really don't need to have our entire house burn down because someone parked in front of the hydrant. Sigh

Ah, here's my parking enforcement buddy now - I love the look of his white SUV!

See you next week, my friend....

----

On to more important matters! Kristin is doing quite well - fighting off the boredom as best she can. The many visitors that she has enjoyed make the days pass quickly, and she very much appreciates them! Only 38 days to go! Kristin is feeling ... enormous... and gets tired of lugging that big bowling ball around, but we're in the home stretch! The end, er... beginning, is near!

We have much appreciated the steady stream of meals and snacks - Kristin especially enjoys some of the goodies that give her a break from the salty hospital food! They have made my life easier as well, cutting down on food preparation time so I can get to the hospital, so THANK YOU!

We'll have more updates this week as we have cardiology appointments and ultrasounds, so check back often, and I'll do my best to keep things updated. We've learned that they believe the babies to weigh well over 2lbs each, and we're very excited about that!! Way to go, babies! The heart beats have been steady and normal; baby "c" has had some irregularity that comes and goes - the don't believe it to be anything serious - most likely just an immature electrical system that will correct itself. More on that later!

Thanks for checking in! Please continue to hold all 5 of us in your prayers - we appreciate it very much and we are constantly aware of God's goodness and provision towards us!

Oh - more pictures coming soon!

47 Days to Go!

2009-10-31T19:14:00.004-04:00

Well, tonight marks the end of October, and that means that there are only 47 days to go! These babies are coming quick!

Today Kristin was moved to a window bed - a huge difference! Now she can enjoy the sunlight, a bit of a view and extra visiting space! It also means that her extension has changed - if you had her previous extension, please try to avoid using it, otherwise you'll disturb her new roomie! Please contact me if you'd like her new number (email, home phone or cell)!

Also, due to the concerns about H1N1, they are cracking down on visitors. This means that as of yesterday (October 30), no children under 16 will be allowed to visit. They are also enforcing the 2 visitor limit, which they used to be a little more lenient with. Please call ahead so that we can plan who is visiting, so that we don't have people waiting or have to ask people to leave early, etc.

We also ask that people assess their health prior to visiting - the hospital staff are being fairly vigilant about people with cold or flu-like symptoms; so if you are feeling flu-ish or have been around people who have been sick (co-workers, family, children, etc) please wait a few days before visiting so we know everyone is healthy! We're told that people can be contagious for a day or two before they're symptomatic, so please be extra cautious - for our sake, and for the sake of the other high-risk women, new mom's and new babies that are on the ward. Thanks!

To answer a few questions from the last post's comments:

1. Of course there will be more belly shots! See below!
2. Visitors - as noted above! Also, Kristin can have meals/snacks brought to her, and they can be stored in a fridge and microwaved. Please speak with us before bringing food to make sure we have somewhere to store it!
3. Gus is okay for now - I'm giving him as much attention as I can.... I'll get in touch if I need a play date or some help! Thanks!

Finally, since it's halloween we decided to take some pictures - I had intended to paint Kristin's belly into a giant jack-o-lantern, but the city of hamilton doesn't have enough paint, heh.

The Dreaded "A" Word...

2009-10-28T22:59:00.002-04:00

"...we're going to have to admit you today..." Sigh. We didn't want to hear that a-word...

That was the bottom line at today's appointments; Kristin's cervix continues to shorten, and they would like to monitor her more closely at the hospital. I think Kristin and I would agree that we expected it at some point, but we always hope for the best, trying hard to be optimistic...

Nevertheless, in the hospital she goes, on strict bed rest - she can walk to the washroom and shower, that's it. Poor woman is going to go stir crazy with all that boredom!

We would also agree that it's comforting to have such a thorough medical system so close to home - we're fortunate that one of the leading children's hospitals is so close to home. They take good care of us, and we're confident in their judgment and recommendations.

We also got some news about gestational diabetes; Kristin's sugars are high, which happens to most mothers of multiples (or so we were told). They'll modify her diet and consider using insulin if necessary.

So the house is quiet as I type... I can hear the cat pawing at his food and the dog is snoring on the couch beside me. The house won't be quiet for long...

I've chatted with a few people today who asked for things they can pray for, so I'll leave you with a few of our prayers that you can add to your list if you'd like.

First, pray for Kristin and the babies' health - hospitals are good places to be, but it's also where sick people go, and H1N1 is the talk of the town these days. Pray for good health, and pray that those babies keep 'baking' for another 6-7 weeks!

You can also pray for me, if I may humbly ask... I work with lots of kids and families, and the flu is going around in many schools in the area. I've been feeling well until this evening - just within the last hour I've been fighting the urge to cough. I've been taking every precaution I can (and am getting quite paranoid as I do so); I take my temperature at obsessive-compulsive frequency, a bottle of hand sanitizer is never more than 10 feet away, I'm poppin' Vitamin C like nobody's business and even using a Neti Pot (it's a weird idea, but I'm told it's effective... google it if you're so inclined...). I also gargle Listerine several times a day... all these measures to try to keep the germs at bay. I started hockey last week (which is a story unto itself), so I'm hoping my urge to cough has more to do with all the exercise at the rink (breathing in all that cold air) than the swine flu.. time will tell, but so far no fever or other symptoms... pray please!

Pray that Kristin's doesn't lose her marbles in the hospital; while it's a good place to be medically, it's also a boring place to be. Her new roommate has been very amiable today and is helping by sharing magazines and letting Kristin know what the routines are, where to get juice, and so on. It can also be a noisy place because, after all, it is a maternity ward; we're told it can be hard to get good sleep because of crying babies...

One more (I'm alternating here, if you've noticed the pattern...), pray for stamina - I need to balance time between hospital, work and home - I need to be with Kristin, but have to earn my paycheck and save my vacation and sick time for when the babies' are born; we also have pets that need attending, and keeping poor Gus caged up all day and all evening is hard... pray that I can find a good balance and that I can get good sleep and eat well (which is increasingly hard to do when there are so many places to be...)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support, prayers, phone calls, and encouragements. You have all been so helpful and supportive, and this experience would be soooo much more difficult if it weren't for friends and family.... we can't express how truly blessed we are.

We enjoy the comments, so please keep 'em coming! Goodnight....

25.5 Weeks!

2009-10-21T17:25:00.007-04:00

I apologize for the lack of updates recently - I know - you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for another post....

...but you know what they say, no news is good news right?

Things are rolling along quite well over here at the Stimers' residence! We were at the hospital this morning, and aside from Kristin's cervix opening, everything is moving along quite well! Good thing they put that stitch in....

We were advised to pack a bag though, if anything "dramatic" happens, they'll admit her. I don't think this includes the interpretive dancing that our babies seem to be doing during ultrasounds and heart monitoring. Their kicks are getting stronger though, and it's pretty exciting!

And now, since I have no further exciting news or stories to share, I'll put up a few recent pictures so you can track the baby belly as it expands. I must say, though, it's harder to notice in pictures (I think), but in person, it's pretty surreal. Kristin's a beautiful pregnant woman though, if I do say so myself, and has a wonderful glow about her.

See? What did I tell you about that glow, eh? Kristin's made a comment that I don't know what it's like to walk around with a huge, rapidly expanding belly, so I did my best to recreate it. She's right, that stuff ain't easy!

Alright, so the pumpkin didn't quite compare, but it gave Kristin a good laugh, so it did the trick. I'm just trying to be a good husband and empathize...

Getting bigger every week!

Until next time....

Not One But TWO Pink Lines

2009-10-15T13:14:00.005-04:00

Ever wonder to yourself "What is it like being pregnant with triplets?"(men...don't feel like you have to answer that question). I never once had that thought cross my mind. Seriously. When Paul and I decided that we would start trying to have children in 2007, my mind and heart was only thinking about having ONE baby...at a time. My outlook on having multiples (twins) was that the Lord was robbing me of the experience of being pregnant more than once. Throughout our journey, my once stone cold heart towards multiples slowly turned to mush and was more accepting of the idea of multiples (twins). But why...

I thought I would write a few entries about our exciting journey from the women's perspective (That being me - Kristin).

Looking back I thought I had my whole life planned out (well only up until I had children). I would pray daily that I would get married at the age of 22 and have my first baby at the age of 25 (I wanted to be a young mom and have all my children by the time I was 30). I thought my plan was going well when I married the man of my dreams and prayers in 2005. On a side note, I have to say the Lord definitely knows how to choose them when you let Him. I couldn't have choosen a greater husband and best friend!

My plan was moving right along schedule. Paul came home from work one day, after one of his co-workers came in with her new baby boy, he said "I think I'm ready to be a daddy". Perfect, if we started trying now I was certain we would have our first child by the time I was 25. We had planned a lovely vacation in Cuba at an all inclusive resort as kind of our last horrah with just the two of us before we started have children.

At the start of our journey, I never thought that it would be difficult to get pregnant. Always, in the back of my mind, I thought it would be fairly easy. I come from a big family with lots of kids, cousins, grandkids etc and I've always had a longing deep within to have children and to be a Mom. I never heard anyone talk about the difficulties of getting pregnant just how easy it was for them. Part of my daily prayer would be "Lord, I only want children in your timing as your timing is perfect." and "I will praise you regardless of the pregnancy test results".

The first few months resulted in negative pregnancy tests. I was a little discouraged however I continued to praise the Lord and thought, of course it could take a few months...My body needs to adjust. Around this time most of our friends told us that they were trying to get pregnant as well. Wonderful, we would have children around the same time.

As the months passed, one by one ALL of our friends (and I mean ALL of our friends) started telling us that they were pregnant. Everytime one of our friends invited us to come over for dinner or dessert, I knew exactly what they were going to say "We're having a baby". I was devastated and heart broken everytime I heard those words. I would smile and truly be excited for them, but when I got home and was alone behind closed doors (even though Paul could hear me), the tears would come and I remember asking "When is it going to be my turn?".

As the months continued to pass, our friends were having their babies and my at home pregnancy tests continued to show me only ONE solid line (indicating "Not Pregnant"), through tearful praises to the Lord, I slowly realized that it isn't about MY plan for MY life, but the LORD's plan that HE has laid out for ME. That is the plan I want in my life. HIS timing and plans are PERFECT, even if that meant that we would never have children. Don't get me wrong, this was a hard truth that took me a long time to not only accept but to understand which didn't come overnight. I gradually became content in knowing that the Lord blesses some couples with children as well as without children. Both are of equal blessing from above.

Paul and I were enjoying our days together in our quite home with our little dog Gus, times when we could just pick up and leave for the weekend and the times we spent with our friends and their children. Alright who's kidding who...we also enjoyed coming home from those times spent with our friends and their children to a home with no children, just relaxation. Throughout these times (now one year of being infertile) we decided to go through some testing to see why we couldn't get pregnant. Curiosity always gets the better or you! After all the preliminary testing and obgyn visits, the main conclusion was I don't ovulate on a regular basis, therefore making the chance of getting pregnant slim to none. They discussed our options being 1) Lose weight and see where that takes us as sometimes weight gain could impact ovulation or 2) Clomid - for those of you who don't know what Clomid is all about, it is a commonly used fertility drug that helps with ovulation by giving your ovaries a little kick start. I thought to myself "I'm in no rush and content with where we are at, so lets try and lose some weight."

6 months after making that decision (now two years of being infertile) we had another obgyn visit. I had lost 10 pounds...Yipee but I wasn't pregnant which was fine. The next step was Clomid. The obgyn had informed me that by taking clomid it could increase the possibility of having multiples (more so twins than anything else) however because of my situation, the possibilty of multiples was slim. Still I felt it necessary to discuss with Paul the pro's/con's of taking clomid. Those that we spoke to who had taken clomid or knew of people who had taken clomid to help them conceive only had one baby. We felt it was pretty safe and decided to go that route.

The obgyn started me with the smallest dose and after the second month of being on this pill I saw for the first time not one, but TWO pink lines on a pregnancy test. Paul and I were going to have a baby...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-11T13:05:00.004-04:00

It is absolutely shameful that it's been a week and a half since my last post! How embarrassing.

At any rate, this weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving, and I couldn't be happier! Kristin and I have so much to be thankful for, and this is just another opportunity to reflect on all the incredible blessings, most of all, our 3 little babies, who are just kicking with excitement this afternoon! (In anticipation of turkey, I would think...)

Our appointments went very well this week - all the heart rates and growth rates are good, Kristin is gaining weight and her heart is doing just fine. After several concerning appointments, it's nice to have shorter visits with good news!! This week well be at the hospital quite a bit - they're going to give Kristin some steroid shots to help the babies' lung development - just in case they come earlier than planned. We'll have to be at the hospital for those shots 4 times in 2 days (every 12 hours on Tuesday/Wednesday) and then back on Friday for ultrasounds and clinics. I have to get my ear checked on Friday as well, so Kristin's not the only one with appointments! They might have to put a new tube in my eardrum on Friday... ugh.

Anyway, back to Thanksgiving! October is my favorite month - not just because my birthday and Kristin's birthday are in this month (as well as Dave & Bryna, Brett, and several other family and friends), but the landscape just turns so beautiful. One of my favorite October activities is a chilly fall camp, which I opted out of this year to be home with Kristin - there was mixed feelings about that decision, I'll honestly admit... but Kristin needs me at home, and Grundy Lake will wait for me until next time...

These pictures are from last year - oh, how I miss my fall camp...

This time of year always reminds me of change - the leaves and temperature changes help me reflect on life's changes and God's goodness to us. This morning at church, we had an opportunity to write something we're thankful for on large pieces on paper around the church. It was quite an experience to see people jump at the opportunity to write on these pieces of paper; I decided to write the first thing that came to mind, I'm thankful that "God Answers Prayer". We had been trying to have children for two and a half years, and God heard our daily prayers, and has answered in such an amazing way! We couldn't be more thankful!

I don't know if it's just the realization that I'm going to be a Daddy in 10 weeks (or less), or I'm just a sappy guy, but I'm overcome by emotion this Thanksgiving. God has been so good to us, and has worked through many of you to bless us in so many ways, and we are so thankful to God, and to you.

We are thankful for the encouraging phone calls, letters, emails and prayers, for the help around the house - vacuuming, doing our dishes, putting up shutters, painting and putting up a border in the kitchen, mowing our lawn, and helping me move larger items around the house (I can always count on you, K - thanks for that...), bringing us frozen and fresh dinners (and pies! Yum!), movies, shows and books to keep Kristin from going crazy, and even walking Gus. There are many more ways that we have been blessed; we are so thankful!

Kristin and I pray that each of you are able to spend time with family and friends this weekend, taking time to reflect and be thankful.

We truly value and appreciate each one of you - and even though we might not be the best at letting you know - you mean the world to us, and this journey to parenthood would be much more difficult... so thank you.

We would be thankful if you signed up as a 'follower', if you haven't already! We know there are many of you who check here often, but haven't signed on - it would be a big encouragement to see a few more people sign on! Feel free to leave a comment with something you're thankful for!

Also, check back this week, as my wonderful wife makes her first attempt at blogging! "A Day in the Life of Kristin" is coming soon!

Good News and Mixed Messages

2009-09-30T17:09:00.003-04:00

Our visit to the cardiologist went very well today, thanks for asking!

Kristin's aorta has grown just a little, but that's to be expected. The doctor expects that it will continue to get a little bigger throughout the pregnancy, but he didn't seem overly concerned.

What?!

Just 7 weeks ago he was instilling horrendous fear into us and talking about "selective reduction" and heart surgery. Now? He seems pretty happy with how things are rolling along.

Not to say that it's not serious - it is serious - and there are many concerns, which he reminded us of (including going through a what-to-do-in-case-of-emergency mini lecture). He also reminded Kristin that she should be relaxing with her feet up, staying in the house as much as possible and having hubby do all the lifting (like I haven't been doing that for 4.5 years...)

So we feel like we've been getting some mixed messages, but we're incredibly thankful that God has answered our prayers - her heart is doing okay and there are no surprises this time!

When the conversation turned to surgery he wouldn't rule out the possibility, but was a little more optimistic this time around. He told us that Kristin would be monitored after the babies are born, and if her aorta doesn't shrink down, they'll prepare her for surgery. If it goes back down, they'll just keep monitoring, he says.

"Unless you're planning to have more kids..."
We laugh. "Hah, I think we're all done..." I say, "three will be plenty!"
He smiles, "Well, you never know... but if you were planning on having more, I'd recommend the surgery, then you'll be okay to have another pregnancy."

Uh-huh. See you in 6 weeks, Doc...

----

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers, as always we appreciate them! Our next appointments are on Friday for our now routine ultrasound and clinic morning.

Oh, more good news today - La-Z-Boy just called... our replacement recliner is ready to be picked up! Yahoo! Now Kristin will be able to recline her days away... and the freezer comes tomorrow afternoon!

More updates in a few days! We're almost done renovating the kitchen and the nursery is almost ready to be photographed and displayed! Stay Tuned!

All Stitched Up!

2009-09-25T17:31:00.002-04:00

After many delays and mediocre hospital food, I'm happy to announce that we're home! Finally, real food again. Oh, and comfortable places to relax.

Not that hotel McMaster was all that bad, but... let's just say it's not home. The staff there are top notch though, they were so wonderful to us during our brief stay!

We arrived at the hospital right on time yesterday, 9am, for Kristin's 11am procedure. After going through the pre-op warm-up (read: hospital gown, IV, meds), we waited in our white walled cell until they called our number.

Not that it was the first time Kristin has spent several hours in a white room, except that other one had padding....

Anyway, our 'number' was not called... the procedure was delayed... 4 grueling hours. Good thing I brought lots of books and my laptop to watch movies on! She finally went in around 3pm.

The docs were really pleased with how everything went, and Kristin has had no side effects at all! Amazing! I'll spare you the gory details of the surgery (not that I was there... they didn't have an extra pair of scrubs.. oh well), but once the freezing wore off, Kristin was pain free and ready to eat! She wasn't allowed to eat the night before, or the morning of, so the babies were hungry!

It was an uncomfortable sleep at the hospital for Kristin, so she's even more happy to be home!

Babies' heart beats are all strong and there are no signs of infection or pre-term labor, so we were all set to come home!

Thank you all for your prayers, phone calls, visits and emails - we continue to appreciate them!

----

On another note, we have been going back and forth with our insurance adjuster since our basement sewer back up in July. We've been waiting a long time; there have been almost 7,000 claims in our area of Hamilton, so everyone is really busy. We were given a little bit of money to get a washer/dryer, new furnace and some plastic storage bins, but were told we'd have to wait to replace anything else.

We've been without a lot of our 'stuff', but we're trying to be patient, recognizing that our insurance company is extremely busy trying to place value on everyone's contents and restoration costs.

He told me a few weeks ago that he wouldn't be issuing us any other advances - he would have a look at our content list, assess value and then we'd discuss replacement options. We've been patient, but this week I contacted him about a few items - our La-Z-Boy recliner and our deep freezer. To my amazement, he said I could get some quotes and we'd work it out! Hooray!

The "work it out" part is a whole other story, but as of last night he's approved the items and is mailing a cheque! Finally, we'll have a recliner that will be much more comfortable for Kristin, and a deep freezer to ... well... put food in. Obviously we're really looking forward to that though - our little freezer above our fridge fills up fast! We should have both of them on Thursday!!

So we're very thankful this week - we've seen God answer several prayers - and feel blessed to be back at home. Our next appointment is not far though - cardiology on Wednesday to check on Kristin's heart, and Ultrasounds and Clinics on Friday. Continue to pray with us!

Elevators and "I Felt it!"

2009-09-23T10:22:00.009-04:00

A small crowd had gathered around the elevators in the yellow section. There's a distinct odor about the hospital; having spent a lot of time at Mac, I'd recognize it in an instant. I'm hungry, it's about 10:30am and we've been up for several hours.

Just a quick trip to the car in the parking garage, then I'll meet Kristin at the cafe for a bite.

I evaluate my potential elevator companions. Who looks like they're waiting for the 'down' elevator....

Hospitals have a weird effect on me. If I'm just walking around, I'm always wondering about the people around me. It's not hard to discern who works at the hospital, who's visiting and who's a patient; at least, it's not hard for me.

I look over my left shoulder. Two beefy looking guards from the local jail sandwich a smaller guy in an orange jumpsuit. His hands are in front of his chest; a padlock between his wrists. Weird.

It's not weird to see someone from jail at the hospital; I've seen that several times. Weird because he's keeping his hands up by his chest, instead of letting them fall in front of his waist. I wonder if he's been instructed to keep 'em up, or if he's just ... weird.

I try not to stare - people in orange jumpsuits tend to not like that very much.

I look back at the elevators. The white arrow finally lights up and the doors open. Turns out, more people are waiting to go up, so I enter with two other people. Just before the doors close, the guards and my orangejumpsuit friend walk on.

I'm not the least bit scared or intimidated. Orangejumpsuit isn't a big guy - significantly smaller than I am. He does look significantly crazier though. Seriously. Unkempt shoulder length black hair, thin face... he looks wily. Probably been in more than a few scraps behind bars.

I wonder what he's in for. Why he's locked up, why he's in the hospital...

It's a quiet ride downstairs. No one says a word. No one looks at each other.

Orangejumpsuit and his entourage step off at the first floor. The rest of us are going to the garage. As the doors close, I sense the female rider let out a deep breath. She looks relieved. She turns to me, "I thought that only happened in the movies...", she lets out a nervous laugh. I'm not sure how to respond, I laugh and make a comment about how it happens all the time. The doors open before I can say anything else, and we make our way into the garage.

Hospitals are weird places - you never know who you're going to see...

----

Anyway, Kristin is scheduled to have a stitch put in tomorrow. Her cervix is 'dynamic', which means it opens and closes. They don't want to risk it opening further (which would bring on early labor), so they're going to put a stitch in. It's a common procedure, but with any procedure there are risks. So, we ask again for prayer, that everything will go as planned and that her visit will be short. They will keep her in at least 24 hours, hopefully not much longer than that.

----

Last night I felt the babies for the first time! WooHoo! Kristin has been feeling them move with some regularity now, but last night was the first time I was able to feel them! What an exciting experience that is... it makes everything even more real....

Here are the picture from Friday's ultrasound. Thanks to DS for letting me scan them during Monday Night Football and for feeding me snacks!

Okay, so I have no idea why 2 of the ultrasounds turned sideways. When I pull them up on my computer they are fine, and I've tried re-sizing and re-saving no to avail. I guess you'll just have to tilt your head. Or your monitor... whichever...

I'll update when I can - I expect to be at the hospital for the next few days, but I'll try to leave a short late-night update tomorrow about the procedure.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

Never A Dull Moment

2009-09-18T18:25:00.004-04:00

If I thought our life's adventure was becoming stale and ho-hum, I can thank God for keeping things interesting!

We had two surprises today at Mac... we're having TRIPLETS! Whoa!

...okay, we already knew that, but it still seems surprising. Ultrasounds have a way of doing that to a guy.

Seriously though, there are two things that we discovered... the first is that 'Baby C' had a bright spot in his small baby bowel. It could be nothing, and is often discovered to be just that, nothing. It could also be a few other things, an infection or a sign of more serious things (Ie. cystic fibrosis, or other things...) The docs decided that we should do some blood work to try to rule some things out - just to be sure. The chances of the 'brightness' being something serious is small, but there's always a chance....

The other thing we discovered is that Kristin's cervix has started opening at the top, which isn't a great thing at (almost) 21 weeks. We're back to the hospital on Tuesday for another check - if it's opening, they'll admit her for a short procedure to stitch the cervix shut, so that it remains long. The risk of it opening - if you must know - is that it would bring on labor much much too early. There's nothing Kristin could have done to prevent it, it just happens.

So there you have it. There we have it. Neither of these things has us too nervous, it's just part of the process. It does give us a few more things to add to our list of prayers though! If Kristin needs to have the procedure done next week, she'll be in for a day or two, but then should be back home.

She has been given her ticket out of work though - a little earlier than we expected, but ... to be honest ... I'm a little relieved. I like the idea of her being able to take it easy and be home, instead of driving to Oakville and working 2 or 3 days a week.

That being said - if you have any tv series' on DVD that you'd like to lend her, a few girly movies that she might not already have, or a good book - you might want to email or call! I'm sure she'll be looking for ways to fill her couch time!

We're in good spirits and feel buoyed by your prayers, emails and phone calls! Kristin is looking beautiful at (almost) 21 weeks, and here's proof!That's all for now... we did get more ultrasound pictures to share, but they'll have to wait until I can get to my brother's to scan them onto the computer. I'll see what I can do!

Dave, maybe a little Sunday Afternoon Football/Picture Scanning? The Lions play at 1:00....

Just a Little Flutter....

2009-09-17T13:16:00.005-04:00

Exciting news!

Yesterday (September 16) Kristin felt the babies for the first time! WooHoo! How exciting to finally feel them move! I'm sure she'll be telling them to stop kicking her in the ribs pretty soon, but for now, it's pretty cool that she felt one move!

Having been absent minded this morning, I forgot to upload the picture I took of her baby belly, so I'll have to post that another time. For now, we again ask for your prayers as we head to Mac again tomorrow morning for ultrasounds and meetings. Kristin's getting a little more uncomfortable these days, especially when trying to sleep; you can pray that she finds some comfortable solutions/positions, so that she can get good rest at night!

This is short today, but we'll have more updates and pictures this weekend! Thanks for your prayers, comments and support!

Defensive Strategies When Outnumbered

2009-09-14T09:52:00.004-04:00

This past week marked the beginning of an exciting new season.

No, not your favorite fall tv programming.

No, not the cool air and orange leaves of fall.

I'm talking about Thursday's 2009/2010 NFL Kick-Off!

Sooooo exciting! For me, that is, not so much for Kristin. I've contemplated making her watch copious amounts of the sport - you know, so my babies can get a feel for the game in utero, but so far she's managed to avoid week 1 (as did my Detroit Lions, I think the defensive line forgot to show up... more on that later).

I had the privilege of joining my brother and friend AJ to watch the first game of the season on Thursday night, surrounded by spicy barbecued chicken wings, salty chips and dip, and sugary sweets for dessert. Seriously, you guys missed out!

As we watched the game, we discussed strategy. We commented on plays, missed opportunities, turnovers, penalties and formations. It occurred to me that my playbook as a parent will have to be much different than most.

There are a number of defensive strategies that a team can employ during a game. I'll try to make it easy here, for those of you who aren't football - or sports - fanatics. (I'm referring to you, Mom - but take comfort, I'm sure you're not alone!).

For most parents, you'd start off with double coverage. A team would use double coverage when they feel a little threatened by a player - like Calvin Johnson who failed to score this weekend.

Ahem, anyway....

The parent team has good odds of handling most situations with (relative) ease due to the 2-1 ratio. At times, for parents of one child, double coverage is unnecessary, and the team can safely implement man-to-man defense. Just as it sounds, Mom, this is 1 on 1. The parent, being bigger, and usually wiser, can do just fine managing situations - unless you're a first time Dad trying to change a diaper.

It occurred to me during that game, that Kristin and I will have to employ another type of defense, right out of the gate. Zone.

Zone defense is a little more complicated - man-to-man isn't an option - so we'll have a totally different formation. It's going to take a lot of focus and determination. Zone defense can be hazardous - one man can be left open for the long pass if the defense is caught unaware.

On the bright side, Kristin and I won't be used to playing man-to-man, so it might not feel as reckless.

This weekend, in the season opener, the Detroit Lions defense forgot to play and were embarrassed by the Saints QB Drew Brees (much to my brother's delight). The lions are 0-1 early in the season (but there's still hope!)

Kristin and I better get to work on our playbook...
Go Lions! ...er, Stimers!

19 Week Ultrasounds!

2009-09-10T09:02:00.006-04:00

At last! They are scanned and ready to be shared! We apologize for the delay....

Mom and babies continue to do well - moving a little slower, but doing well! Babies are growing normally and all the 'structures' (ie. bones, organs, etc) look good, so we're very happy!

The first picture is of all three babies - it's a little hard to make out (they're getting to big to fit on one scan!), but you can see them! Baby B's head didn't make the photo though (sorry baby b!)

A little late....

2009-09-06T21:12:00.004-04:00

...but better than never hunh?

I apologize for not updating sooner, but it's been quite a weekend!

Kristin and I want to thank all of you for your notes, phone calls and prayers; our appointments on Friday went very well! All 3 babies are growing at the same rate and all the anatomy looks fine!! There were a few things they would have liked to check more thoroughly, but one of the babies was content just doing somersaults and back flips. They'll check the few items they didn't get to next time.

Our meeting with the doctors was (thankfully) brief. They're happy with how things are progressing, so they didn't keep us long. We spent about 4 hours or so at the hospital - not bad! Since I wasn't allowed in the ultrasound room until the end, I spent the morning sipping coffee and watching a movie on my laptop; Kristin tried to have a little rest, but found it a little hard with all the poking and pressing. What a trooper.

Anyway, I'll have more to post soon: ultrasound pictures and pictures of the bigbabybelly coming soon (have to get the ultrasounds scanned on Tuesday), so stay tuned.

We hope everyone is enjoying their long weekends! Thank you again for your comments on the blog, your prayers and well-wishes, they mean so much to us!

More to come soon!

Ooooh, it's been almost a week!

2009-09-01T10:59:00.002-04:00

Oh, how time flies!

You're probably thinking, "Gee, Paul hasn't been writing about bees or other adventures this week - they must be laying low and taking it easy!"

Not so.

Well, it's partially true; Kristin is taking it easy. I, on the other hand, have been working hard with my father-in-law on a kitchen renovation. It's complete chaos around the Stimers Sty, but it's only temporary.

Or so I tell myself.

When we moved into our home in Hamilton about 4+ years ago, the kitchen was green and the tile black and white. The stove, light fixtures, dishwasher (which has never worked properly) and fans all black and white. It was very... ... well... 80's.

Not that there was anything wrong with the '80's... there were a number of excellent cop shows and cheesy sitcoms to make up for the trends in home decor...

Anyway, this weekend we successfully installed a new counter top, cut a hole in it - inserted the sink, and began working on the walls - preparing them for new tile. We hope to have some pictures to post at a later date!

This weekend we hope to finish up with the walls, trim a window and prepare for our painter to come (thanks Mom!)

You'll be happy to hear that Kristin is well - taking it easy and eating peaches (and delicious peach pie!) from the Winona Peach Festival - YUM!

On Friday we will be having a marathon ultrasound - the tech's will be slowly checking each baby's anatomy. We appreciate your continued prayers, as you join us in praying for our babies' health and growth! We hope to have more ultrasound pictures to share with you next week - babies are growing so fast, and we're so excited!

We ask that you pray for Kristin, as she endures over 3 hours of poking and prodding with the ultrasound machine, and for the tech's that have the challenging task of analyzing ultrasound pictures. They tend to get nauseous, or so I'm told.

I'll be patiently waiting in the boring white-walled room outside, as I'm not allowed in for most of the time (it's a small room - no room for a chair for me!) I get to join them for the last few minutes to check on our babies and watch them wave at me!

If you're in the area, feel free to bring me a coffee - just look for the sleepy, bored guy. I take cream ;)

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 6

2009-08-26T13:08:00.004-04:00

The Finale...

I return home the following day. The furnace will be repaired today - finally we'll be able to turn on the air conditioning and get a little reprieve from the heat. Our house was over 30 degrees, making it very uncomfortable for pregnant women... and hunters.

As I pull into the driveway, I wonder about our wasp situation. I'll have to to decide whether or not to hire someone to fix this mess soon, before things get really out of hand.

I quickly get out of the car - it has no air conditioning either, and it's 10:30am and hot. The street is busy and I take a minute to look up the street. Work crews have been fixing water mains all summer. Or so they say. I can't say that I've ever seen a water main being installed; just a lot of trucks, heavy machinery churning up pavement and sweaty tanned men in reflective clothing. And no, ladies, not the kind of sweaty, tanned men you'd like to find on the beach.

Anyway, I watch these guys pretend to earn a paycheck for a minute before turning my attention to the vinyl window. No activity. No wasps circling. My heart starts to beat faster. Could they be gone?

I unlock the door and immediately head downstairs. There are a few wasps, but not many. I had cleaned up most of the bees before I left the day before, but there are 30 more on the window sill. The poison must have kept working after I left, killing whatever wasps went towards the window. Excellent... I think to myself.

I listen carefully to the wall. The buzzing has gone. No wasps! I practically jump for joy.

I call Kristin at work, eager to share my victory. No need for professionals, I say, I am the only professional wasp killer you need! She's proud, her hubby has won the war.

I caulk every hole I can see outside, attempting to prevent any more nests. I smile to myself, excited to have this adventure drawn to it's end.

I decide to take a few minutes to educate myself about wasps and bees, information I should have acquired long ago, but I reason that it's never too late for information... most of the time...

Wasp nests tend to disintegrate after inactivity, I read, so I became less concerned about the clean up and removal of the nests. I'm still intrigued about the size of it though...

I estimate, conservatively, that Kristin and I killed several hundred wasps. I estimate that many more died inside the walls when I sprayed the nest. It must have been big. But how big?

Maybe it's just a "guy thing", but I have to know.

I head back downstairs, weaponlight in hand. I need to find something to pull out the nest. I decide to try some pliers.

With my light carefully trained on the nest, I gently attempt to pull out the nest. It's extremely fragile and it tears into pieces easily. This isn't going to work. I decide to use a piece of a cedar shim, for lack of a better tool.

I begin to bring out pieces of the nest. The hole isn't big, and the nest is, so it's hard to bring out big pieces intact. The nest is squishy, like trying to pull out a foam sponge.

I carefully watch for any more wasps that might have been hiding deep in the nest, unaffected by the spray. Pieces of the hive fall out as I toy with it using the wood. After 10 minutes, I've pulled out enough nest to form a softball. And there's more.

I decide to stop for the time being; I see a lone wasp crawling around inside the wall, so I spray again, hoping to get the rest of the nest. I can still see honeycomb inside, but they're in tough spots to reach.

I sweep up the nest and take it outside. I'm intrigued by the white plasma that fill the honeycomb. Kristin tells me that it's "baby bees", worker-bees waiting to be born. Yikes, there's a lot!

Glad to have poisoned the nest before they "hatch", I go back downstairs, too curious to leave the remaining nest alone. I manage to pull out a little more honeycomb before giving up. The block wall is somewhat hollow - I can't get any further without taking apart my wall. I decide that it's as far as I'll get.

All said and done, I pulled out enough honeycomb to make a nest about the size of a cantaloupe, but I'm sure there's more in there.

----

And so we reach the conclusion of the adventure. What do we learn from such an experience? I thought of a few things:

1. Escaping two wasp nests without a single sting is a challenge, but possible!
2. I can hunt bees with the best of 'em, just give me a plastic zapper, some duct tape and a weaponlight.
3. Raid is expensive, but much cheaper than a "professional".
4. Homeowners should check the outside of their homes for holes each spring, unless you'd like your own adventure.
5. Wasps were especially bad this year, according to the Hamilton Spectator, and multiply quickly!
6. My wife is every bit a wasp hunter that I am, I just wouldn't let her in on the action.

----

Thanks for joining me (us) on this adventure. I hope you've enjoyed reading along! I know I rant, and these get long, but you've persevered, and I'm grateful. This has been a roller coaster ride - with laughter, adventure, frustration, aggression and romance. Well, I didn't write much about romance...

Two causalities of war, killed by my brave wife!

Fetal Echo Cardiograms....

2009-08-25T17:48:00.003-04:00

...take a really long time, but we're grateful for the doctor (cardiologist) who patiently surveyed our babies' hearts.

Everything looks good! Kristin and I praise God for the answer to prayer! We want to say thank-you, again, for all your prayers and support - keep praying/supporting!

The fetal echo took a few hours to complete; they use an ultrasound machine to focus in on the little hearts, and they examine all the "structures" and monitor blood flow patterns. So far, the doctor says everything looks fine, and we have nothing to be concerned about. So that was a relief!

It was also really cool to see each of our babies again today. They had their little pictures taken about 150 times in total (about 50 each). They were very active in there - gave the cardiologist a a hard time as he fiddled with the machine to get accurate readings/pictures. Way to go babies!

They were just excited to be on camera, that's all. *wink

Thanks again for your prayers! Our next appointment is in a week and a half, and they'll do another really long ultrasound - they will be looking at each bone/organ in each baby, checking their anatomy. Talk about a marathon ultrasound. They usually take about an hour for a singleton pregnancy.

I guess I'm going to need a bigger cup of coffee.

Please pray for the technician that will be doing the ultrasound - some tech's get nauseous watching the ultrasound that long - it will test their endurance! Also pray for Kristin's energy level, patience and endurance, after all, she has to put up with the poking and pressure of the ultrasound-picture-taker (I have no idea what that hand-held device is called - I'll ask next time...). Of course, keep praying for our three babies, too!

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 5

2009-08-24T20:42:00.005-04:00

The story nears it's conclusion... if you're new here, read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4...

----

The hot summer sun shines down, like a heat lamp on an aquarium, and I sweat. Oh, I sweat.

I'm standing on the driveway, deflated, defeated. Staring at the bees crawling through the small holes in the window.

Another nest, I sigh. I slowly walk back inside, downstairs to the den like a dog with his tail between his legs, shoulders sagging. I near the window and put my ear to the wall. I can hear them. I can hear them in there! Oh man...

I consider ripping the trim and window ledge out to find them. As I stand and stare at the window, I take a minute to remember putting this room together. It was just a few short months ago that we finished this room. My father-in-law and I carefully crafted it, from the bare walls out. We put in a new sub-floor, picked out carpet, re-routed a drain pipe, installed custom home theater wire hidden in the walls, hung ceiling tiles and painted it all up.

It's so empty now. No carpet or sub-floor, missing pieces of drywall, and now, I might have to pull apart the window. It's time for a break; this is just too frustrating, all these bees.

We drive to Burlington to take a swim. My mother-in-law suggests using her wasp catcher - a jar with a special lid. The idea is to put some pop in it, let the bees fly in, and ... they're trapped. End of story. My mother-in-law drops by the next day while I'm at work and leaves the trap. Now we wait.

I return home 8 hours later, eager to check on the trap. I'm disappointed; no wasps in the jar. 30 on the window.

Mother-in-Law = 0
Bees = Too Smart

Now I'm just plain ticked off. The bee hunter will not be defeated! I take up my bug zapper and swat at the bees as they circle my head. In a moment of pure adrenaline and wasp-killing aggression, the bug zapper caresses the wall. By caress, I mean... smashes. The plastic bug zapper breaks. Nooooo!

Kristin wonders what's going on, and comes to the top of the basement stairs. I caution her to stay up there - there are still 60 or so wasps actively flying around. I swat at the wasps, trying desperately to avoid being stung. I show Kristin the zapper, expecting much disappointment - after all, she looooves zapping bugs. I'm surprised, she's hopeful; "Does it still work?" I hold it up to my ear and press the small square button. I hear the faint noise. "Yep!" I exclaim, suddenly possessed with optimism. My wife... she inspires me.

With a bounce in my step, I hurry to the workshop, carefully holding my broken racket. My eyes dart to one of the hooks on the wall. I know exactly what I'm looking for, and I know just where it is. Every guy knows where his duct tape is. It's a guy thing.

(As an aside, for most of her life, Kristin thought it was called Duck Tape. Sooooo cute. So cute.)

I quickly mend my broken zapper, and I'm back in the saddle, full of grit and determination. I go on the attack and quickly hunt and kill every wasp in sight.

I take up a new can of Raid wasp spray and spray the first nest again, just to be sure. I watch as the wasps die in the wall, several making it out of the hole, but no further. By the time I return to the den, the window is full of wasps. I'm not kidding, there were hundreds of wasps in the basement.

In frustration, I spray the wasps on the window in the den. They die instantly, dotting the cold, concrete floor. Take that, I say. I go back outside, the can almost empty. I use what's left to spray at the holes. The holes are too small to get a good spray inside, so I have to settle.

The light dims. I survey the wreckage in the basement; there are dead wasps everywhere. I'm proud of my killing-spree.

I'm certain that I've taken care of nest #1, but I'm less sure of #2. There's no activity at the holes, but that's not surprising, it's coated in Raid. Time will tell.

As I lay in bed, I consider hiring an exterminator. I dread the bill - I dread having to call for help. I was doing so well, I think to myself, but a man needs to know his limits. Have I reached mine?

Wednesday - the end of the road - the adventure reaches it's end.

17 Weeks Today! Please read: prayer requests inside!

2009-08-23T19:57:00.004-04:00

Mmmm, Muskoka maple.

I'd like to take a moment to thank my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, R&A, for making this blog possible. It's a quiet Sunday night, and I'm sipping a beautifully aromatic cup of coffee. If you're ever in Huntsville, Ontario - go to the Muskoka Roastery Coffee Co. and get some Muskoka Maple. Deeeeelicious.

I almost feel bad that I didn't pay for it. Almost.

But seriously, thanks guys - this is one tasty brew.

I'll take a break from our battle with the bees tonight, because there's more pressing news! Kristin is 17 weeks today! We praise God every day for these little bundles that push Kristin's belly out.

This is the most beautiful pregnant woman I've seen - that's for sure! If you haven't already - this would the time to take a few minutes to sign up to be a "follower" of this blog, and post your first comment, letting Kristin know how beautiful she is!

If you've already signed up - thanks! You can leave comments too - it'll be fun!

Ooooh, she's getting a little bigger! If you'd like to compare with the 12 week picture - click here! I know I notice a difference! (I get considerably less bed-space these days).

Don't bother writing comments telling me I'm only going to get less space... I'm well aware.

Just one more thought tonight. Kristin and I pray for our babies each day, and we thank those of you who join us in doing so. We pray for their health and growth, among other things, but we also pray for the salvation of our little ones. Nothing is more important to us; we pray that our children will know Jesus from an early age and will see His involvement in their lives at each turn.

Kristin and I have also learned that it's important to pray for each appointment we have with our doctors. Our appointment with the cardiologist was a shock, and we learned to expect the unexpected. On Tuesday morning we'll see the good doctors at Mac for a fetal echo cardiogram. This means they will be checking our babies' heart's for any defects or abnormalities. In past ultrasounds they have seen all three hearts working just fine, and have assessed normal beats per minute, so we're feeling good about this appointment, but ask for prayer nonetheless.

I will post an update at some point on Tuesday to let you all know the outcome; until then, we appreciate your prayers!

Don't forget to leave a comment for my beautiful-baby-carrying-wife!

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 4

2009-08-22T17:06:00.007-04:00

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

----

Ahem, where was I...

Picture one of those '80's cop shows, the perp is in the dark, hiding behind some boxes, just waiting to pounce on the mustached cop as he turns the corner. Except, in this case the perp is a nest of wasps, and I'm the mustached cop. Oh yeah, I look wicked scary with a mustache. Kristin loooves it.

Okay, but for real, the situation is full of tension and anticipation. This insulation is coming down! I'm determined, but nervous. I spend a few minutes killing more wasps with my battery powered bug zapper - it takes no time to kill 30 wasps. I'm increasingly worried - more wasps just keep coming. How long can this last - and how big is this nest?! I wonder.

I look for some supplies. The area is dark, so I take up my flashlight. This isn't an ordinary flashlight - this is the type of flashlight you want if someone breaks into your house - it's part flashlight, part weapon. I'm not kidding; this thing weighs like 10lbs.

Weaponlight in hand, I pick up a roofing hammer. Don't ask.

I creep towards the insulation where the nest is concealed. Flashlight carefully trained on the yellow mass, I use the hooked end of the hammer to pull on the insulation. My eyes flit about the room, as wasps circle my head. They aren't going to like this, I think to myself.

The insulation is down in a second, small peices of concrete land on old paint cans and startle me - I'm frantic, looking all around, expecting wasps to attack at any moment. Four or five wasps quickly fly towards me, and I duck into another room. I figure they're going to be pretty ticked, so I'd better give them some room to calm down.

While I'm letting Team Yellow Jacket strategize, I pick up a new can of wasp spray. Oh yeah. I take it back downstairs, with my weaponlight. A small, focused beam of light pierces the dark room. I'm down on one knee, trying to get a good look at the nest. There it is, there's the command centre, I say outloud to no one.

I'm still nervous. The air conditioning isn't working and it's hot in the house. Beads of sweat land on my brow, but I'm eager to spray this nest and finish my mission without a single wasp sting. I press the trigger... nothing. Nuts.

I hurry outside, not wanting to be stung by wasps while fiddling with the spray that will finish this battle.

Outside I inspect the can; turns out I haven't opened the sprayer properly. This time I test it outside to ensure it works. A solid flow of pesticide, or other such chemical, lands on my lawn. Good, now I'm ready.

I take up the 80's cop scenario again; crouching down, I put my weaponlight on the nest - there are wasps crawling all around it. Yikes - there's still a whole lot left! Not for long...

I let loose a long shower of chemical, drenching every part of the nest I can see, which isn't much.

I wonder to myself how far the nest goes - there was a lot of bees - so the nest must be considerable. I watch the nest carefully - waiting for signs of life. I give the nest a few concentrated bursts of Raid, for good measure.

Time will tell. After 10 minutes, I see no wasps. A smile crosses my face, and I make my way up the stairs to proudly tell my bride of my courageous feat. She's impressed, proud. Oh yeah, hubby can keep his family safe from wasps. "No reason to fear", I tell my babies, "Daddy's got it under control."

I'm not sure if they can hear me yet, but they'll be impressed soon enough.

I take a break outside - Team Simons has prevailed! I walk around the back of the house, hastily pushing past the rose of sharon. I decide I should check the hole before calling it a day - just to make sure they didn't eat their way through the foam insulation. I grin - ha! - still plugged up!

I make my way back to the driveway and look down the street. I watch my neighbors for a moment, pulling in and out of the driveway. A woman walking her dog. I swat at something. A wasp. Huh, I guess you're homeless now, I think to myself.

My eyes follow him down toward the window to my den. He crawls through a hole. Ooooh No!

I look closer. Four small hole in the vinyl casing that holds the window in place. Each hole precisely the size needed to let wasps climb in and out - no bigger than the head of a Q-Tip.

A second nest. This time on the other side of our house.

Tomorrow - Part 5 - Nest #2...

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 3

2009-08-21T15:00:00.006-04:00

Make sure you read Part 1 & Part 2!

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Tender, saucy pork just falling off the bone. Corn on the cob, smothered in warm butter, with a side of cold potato salad. A perfect summer lunch. The four of us sit inside; there's not much shade in the yard today, the bright sun beating down on the picnic table out back.

We talk, laugh and re-tell old stories as we make a mess - rib sauce coating our finger tips. After lunch, Kat and her boyfriend head out, and Kristin and I start the clean up.

I start washing the dishes, starting with the plates which are messy with sauce, butter and bones.

"Hey - there's a bee in here," she says.

"Hunh, that's odd. Wonder how he got in here," I wonder aloud. I dry my hands and make my way to the dining room where she stares at the bee. He's bouncing around the screen, trying to find a way out. There won't be a way out today, I muse as I grab him - er, crush him - with a paper towel.

I walk back to the sink. It's mid-afternoon now, about 3pm and the sun is still shining. I look onto the street as I wipe dishes and place them in the drying rack. Kids are playing in the park across the street and the sound of their game carries through the open window. I hear an older boy curse as they run through the playground. I cringe. Soon enough our own kids will be playing in that park, having to listen to that garbage. Mine will be different, I hope.

My thoughts are interrupted. "Hey, there's two more!" she says, eying the 2 small yellow jackets flitting about the room. I quickly crush them as well. I'm a hunter like that.

Back to the dishes. I'm almost through the lunch clean-up when I'm interrupted again.

Where are all these bees coming from?! I demand an answer.

We don't often have bees - yellow jackets, to be more specific - in the house, and in the past 20 minutes I've killed 5! My heart slows, concern washing over my mind.

Kristin suggests we get out the bug zapper. It's small, red, and shaped like a tennis racket. Two AA batteries fit in the handle to provide the juice for zapping. I'm reluctant; it's packed away in a Rubbermaid bin and I don't feel like searching for it.

Two more bees arrive, seemingly out of thin air. Time for the zapper.

Kristin loves the bug zapper. I mean, she really loves it. For some reason she's very entertained - she quickly goes to work zapping bees and saying "Ha! Gotcha!". I finish the dishes as she zaps bugs. I love this bee-killing-bride-o-mine. I watch her with pride.

I've never seen more than 2 bees in our house during the 4+ years we've been here, but I quickly realize that in my zeal to seal up the hole from the outside, I must have blocked their only way out. Hmpf.

I figure I'd better check the basement. It's empty since the sewer back-up in late July. The restoration company had removed all of our possessions, cut the drywall 2 feet from the floor, moved doors and furniture. It's never felt so empty. I scan the rooms. No bees flying around ...

I look into my study, or what used to be my study. My eyes are drawn towards the afternoon sunlight pouring through the window. That's when I see it. The bees.

"Oh No!" I exclaim. Kristin stirs upstairs, I hear her at the top of the stairs, stepping down the first few steps. "What?? What's going on?" She says, curious and concerned.

"Don't come down!" I holler back, "Bees are everywhere!"

Kristin is too curious. She comes down a few more steps. I'm sure she just wanted to see her knight in shining armor in action. Action is my middle name. I make sure she stays upstairs, not wanting her to be stung.

My panic is carefully concealed in bravery, and I take up the tool of the trade. My red, plastic tennis racket. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's all I've got. I go to work - quickly killing 20 angry yellow jackets. I duck and dodge them as they circle me, watching their comrades perish, and possibly waiting to attack me.

They send for reinforcements; more yellow jackets arrive quickly, and I take a break. Remnants of a yellow jacket army litter the concrete floor.

I check in with Kristin - I can see the pride on her face as I tell her what's going on - about my certain victory. Maybe it was concern... no, no, it was definitely pride. Her hubby is winning.

I descend back into the basement, back into the battle. This time I enter the back room. We usually refer to this room as the "freezer room". It's not hard to figure out why; basically the only thing that was in that room was a freezer and some building supplies from past projects.

It's empty now, and I search for the bees. I turn on the light; bees are instantly drawn to it, and I zap 4 or 5. More congregate, and I ignore them. I need to find their entrance point.

It doesn't take long to locate. The room isn't finished, so there's no drywall or ceiling. I edge closer, gaining courage. After all, I have a pregnant wife upstairs, nervously waiting for the outcome. Praying, I'm sure, that her husband doesn't run madly from the house chased by a swarm of bees.

Now is not the time to wimp out, I tell myself. Not that I'm scared of bees, I'm just scared of being stung. These yellow jackets can get aggressive - just ask any picnic-er who got to close to the nest. They can also sting repeatedly.

I 'man-up' and get closer. I can't see exactly where they're coming from, but it's not hard to find them - there's a lot of them! They've amassed a small, er, good sized army somewhere in my walls. There's some insulation that sits atop the concrete wall in the basement, a piece between each floor joist. From under one of those sections of yellow insulation, pours a steady stream of yellow jackets. Yikes...

She tells me it's time to go. She's right. We have plans today - things to do - and these bees aren't going anywhere. I consider staying home to continue the battle, but I decide that more tools will be needed. I continue to assault the bees with my battery powered friend, until I'm convinced that this will not end quickly.

That piece of insulation is going to have to be removed for me to win this battle, and I'm going to need some more supplies (and more courage) for that task. It'll have to wait.

I survey the damage. Yellow Jackets dot the floor and window ledge in 2 rooms. Kristin killed a few more in the kitchen with a sandal (what a brave woman!).

Team Simons plugged the hole, no doubt causing major problems for the opposing team. +1 for Paul. Team Yellow Jacket launched a surprise indoor counterattack on a novice homeowner who knows nothing of bee-culture. +1

So we're tied - both teams very annoyed with one another. I ponder what other supplies I need and consider a little online research.

Tomorrow - the second wave of attacks, plus more pictures! Stay tuned!

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 2

2009-08-20T16:03:00.007-04:00

As an aside, Kristin and I haven't had any appointments this week, so there's not much to update you on ... I'll post a 16/17 week picture of Kristin so you can see how big her belly is getting
(I think that's the only time I'll be able to get away with that sentence.... ever).
So, back to the bees...
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I watch the sun start to dip behind the Hamilton escarpment as I make my way to the local Home Depot. It's still warm and my car has no air conditioning. Kind of like my house, I think to myself. I consider my options as I listen to music pumping through my iPod to the car stereo. There is a fair amount of traffic in the late afternoon, so I have plenty of time to plan my attack.

After making a few short stops at various stores, I arrive at the depot. It's surprisingly not busy during this time of day, and I make my way through the store. It doesn't take long to find what I'm looking for. Expanding foam, of some sort.

My plan is to spray the foam into the hole, effectively blocking the bees highway home. Their nest must be inside the hollow of the brick (more like brick/blocks), so the foam should plug the hole and keep them from coming in.

I grin as I make my way to the next aisle. This type of foam isn't really waterproof, so I decide I should use some type of caulking to seal it.

I happen upon a Home Depot employee wearing a dirty orange apron. Not his first day on the job, looks to be in his 40's, I think to myself, assessing his possible work and life experience. I guess that this guy is knowledgeable enough to point me in the right direction here.

We chat for a few minutes. He doesn't seem overly concerned about my nemesis, and not really entertained either. Oh well.

I ask him what he'd do in my situation. He comes up with the same idea. I feel encouraged; a novice homeowner like myself coming up with such an ingenious plan. He recommends a caulk that should do the trick. I can tell this is his "go-to" recommendation - he really likes this one.

I make my purchase and head back out into the setting sun. By the time I'm home and ready to go, I decide it's too dark to see what I'm doing. I consider my options.

I could quickly get my newly purchased supplies ready to go, and hastily fill the hole. They say evening is a good time to catch wasps because they're in the nest. I could trap them all, I say with a grin. No, too impulsive.

My other option is to wait until daylight. I'm excited - eager to attack my new house guests, but I decide that proceeding at night could be perilous. I reason that the bees will be quite upset - what with me cutting off their only access to the sweet sweet food they gather each day.

Wasps are aggressive, aren't they? I make a silent promise to do a little online research another time. For now, I decide that it'd be far better to be able to see my opponent. I'm not really a fan of being stung numerous times by wasps.

As I stand in the backyard, weighing my options, I envision myself tripping over something, as I run from the angry-ninja-wasps like a maniac. Looks like it'll be a morning mission.

I wake up in the morning, eager to start my mission. It's only 10am, but it already feels like 30 degrees outside. I sip a cup of coffee, pondering the outcome of the mission. I could be stung a million times, my anxiety tells me. No, I reason back, I can run pretty fast if I need to.

I pick up my weapon of choice. I carefully twist the plastic tube onto the can, and it's ready to go. I toy with the trigger - testing to make sure it's going to work when I get to the battleground. The foam rises to the top of the tube immediately. I'm ready to go.

I plan to spray the foam into the hole; in a matter of minutes the foam will expand more than twice it's size, totally filling the entrance the wasps have created in my brick. It'll harden quickly, and their fate will be sealed.

I'm jittery from the coffee; maybe it's the anticipation and adrenaline, or both. I carefully eye my escape route. I need to be prepared for a counter-attack.

I ease my way past the rose of sharon, sweat already pouring down my face. I see them. At least 5 or 6 wasps hovering close to the hole. I see one climb out and fly away. My eye twinkles as I anticipate the execution of my plan. So long bees.

I edge closer to the hole, carefully maneuvering past the floating bees. Time slows. I nervously slide the plastic tube into the hole and quickly press the trigger.

*snap!* I've broken the trigger. Looks like I overdid it. I feel a rush of panic and consider making my exit. No, I tell myself, I need to finish this. I notice a smaller trigger on the other side - I quickly test it. Bees are flying around. There's more now, are they angry? I wonder.

The trigger works. I go back to filling the hole, and in seconds I see the yellow foam expanding and pushing out of the brick. It's done.

I stand back from my work and inspect the foam. It's starting to set - maybe the heat of the day is speeding up the process. The bees frantically scour the brick, looking for their entrance, to no avail.

I smile at my handiwork. Victory is mine! I walk through a small cloud of bees, my sense of accomplishment numbing my fear of multiple darts from wasps.

I start the barbeque. Time to start slow cooking some ribs for lunch. My stomach growls just thinking about it. My sister Kat and her boyfriend are coming.

This is a good start to the day, I muse. Food is on the grill, sun's shining, and I just annihilated a whole lotta bees.

If only I had known...

I Really Didn't Think It'd Bee a Problem - Part 1

2009-08-19T09:19:00.005-04:00

"Honey, the door..." she says, her voice breaking my concentration as I type furiously on my keyboard. It isn't the first time I've missed someone knocking at the door.

"I'm coming! I'm coming" I holler as I race past Gus on my way down the stairs. It's the furnace tech, Ron. We've never met before, but he's come by to take a look at the furnace that will be replaced by our insurance company, after we had some sewer backup a few weeks ago. Ron's a genuine guy, a little shorter than me, rounder, with a smile on his face. He knows what he's talking about. He's been doing this for years.

We chat about the furnace and how hot it's getting in our house, making my pregnant wife a little uncomfortable. He says he'll get us fixed up real quick - just as soon as the insurance company gives him the nod. He's like a baseball player on deck, waiting for his turn at the plate.

"This guy really likes furnaces," I think to myself, "really likes 'em - that's weird."

After several minutes of chatter about furnaces, options to upgrade, and so on, Ron says he'd like to check out the air conditioning unit. "Was it damaged as well?" he asks.

"I have no idea - I was told not to turn anything on - don't want to blow bacteria and spores all over the house."

We walk around the back of the house. It's a sunny day - hot today, probably pushing 30 degrees. It's mid afternoon and the sun beats down on us. We're soon glistening with sweat.

We squeeze past the rose of sharon - it's in full bloom. It's huge, and I find myself wondering if I'm supposed to call this a tree, or a bush, or...? Whatever it is, it's beautiful - big flowers blooming bright pink and purple. Trying to squeeze past this ... thing ... I'm annoyed. Branches hitting me in the face, I look to Ron, trying gauge his reaction as we flail our arms to block flowers and branches.

Finally we're through, relieved, but still sweating from the afternoon heat. I look up to the sun as Ron inspects our aging air conditioning unit. "It's only going to get hotter," I think to myself, "hope this gets fixed up soon..."

As Ron begins to tell me about my air conditioner, my eyes are drawn to a bee. Not one of the bumblers that I'm used to seeing around the rose of sharon, but a little yellow jacket. I turn my attention back to Ron, but I find myself drawn back to the bee. Now there's two, no... three. Hmpf.

Ron and I finish our conversation - he promises to call soon - he'll put the paperwork through first thing Monday morning, and we'll get this moving, he says. Great, the weekend. Nothing's going to happen quickly. We can only hope for a few cooler days.... not likely.

Ron leaves with a friendly handshake and a smile. I give a short wave as his truck rolls down the street, my attention returning to the bees I had seen by the air conditioner.

I make my way back through the tree, (er, bush...?) batting away branches. I crouch down, sweat beading my face. I can feel the hot sun on the back of my neck. Down on one knee, beside the air conditioner I see it. A small hole. I wait only a second before a bee emerges. It flies around, not sure exactly where to go. It quickly disappears into the backyard, my eyes following it as far as possible. When it's out of sight, I look back to the hole and see another bee climbing it's way in.

"This can't be good," I say to no one in particular, "I've gotta do something about this."

I decide that a trip to Home Depot will have the solution. I have to go there anyway, I'll think of a plan on my way there.

Tomorrow - Part 2 - Team Simons vs. Team Yellow Jackets

We all knew she had a big heart!

2009-08-18T13:10:00.003-04:00

One of the many reasons that I married Kristin is that she has such a big heart. Kristin just has such a beautiful warm heart that draws people in. She's always been so caring, helpful and kind - that heart is going to make her a wonderful Mom to 3 little hearts!

Her heart is just too big though, literally. It's actually her aortic tube, which is part of the heart; Kristin has always had a bicuspid valve - which is common (1-2% of the population), and associated with what's known as a heart murmur. When we first met with the specialists at Mac, they suggested Kristin see the cardiologist - just as a precaution - to make sure we have all the information possible. It was in this screening that they discovered an enlarged aortic tube.

What this means is Kristin's tube is much bigger than most people. The danger is dissection/rupture, which could - in a worst-case scenario - be fatal. The doctor's would normally prescribe a surgical procedure to remove the enlarged tube, and replace it, however this isn't possible during the pregnancy.

Kristin is taking some medication to take some stress off the heart, and getting lots of rest. They'll be monitoring her heart closely as the babies get bigger and bigger.

We praise God that this was discovered - we realize that had we only been expecting 1 baby, this condition may not have been discovered, and there could have been serious situations during delivery - including a dissection/aneurysm. We also praise God that Kristin's employer has been so understanding and gracious. Kristin will be working reduced hours until the end of September, at which point she will be off work entirely. This is truly a blessing, and we're grateful that they have made sacrifices so that Kristin can relax and be as stress-free as possible.

We are so grateful for all of you who have been praying for us this week and throughout this pregnancy. We are thankful for so many people who are willing to continually bring our needs before the Living God, and we're confident that He will walk with us through the good times and the hard times. We take great comfort knowing that there is a God, a God with whom we can have a personal relationship with - a God who knows us, and who we can know.

We are praying for healing, safety and health for Kristin and the babies. We also pray that we will use every opportunity to bring glory to God during these times, and that we will be able to share our faith and God's love with the doctor's, nurses and other people we encounter at the hospital.

Thank you again for your notes, emails, phone calls and prayers. We are extremely grateful. If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will do my best to answer them!

16 Week Ultrasounds!

2009-08-17T16:43:00.004-04:00

As promised, here are this past Friday's ultrasounds. We also learned the genders of our babies.

I'm often asked, "Do you want to know the sexes?"

I always reply, "I don't need any more surprises!" So, we discovered the genders of our babies this week, much to our delight. Some people like surprises though, and to keep those people from being oh-so-disappointed, what I'll do is try to write it the same color as the background. If this works... you'll have to use your cursor to highlight the text. Don't want to know? Don't highlight the text below...

2 boys and a girl! WooHoo!

11 Week Ultrasounds!

2009-08-17T11:36:00.011-04:00

A day late due to scanner issues, but nevertheless, here are the 11 week ultrasounds. Later today I'll post the latest ultrasounds (almost 16 weeks). It's getting very exciting, babies are growing soooo much!

All the ultrasounds are labeled with TRIPLET __ so you know which baby you're looking at, some of them you have to look a little closer, due to the size of the pictures ... sorry about that...

Camping

2009-08-15T12:57:00.004-04:00

Each year, Kristin and I join a number of friends for a trip up to Grundy Lake Provincial Park.
We were held up for 5 days this year, cutting our trip in half (due to the basement sewer backup issue....), but we still made it, and enjoyed the trip very much.

Thanks to Tim's "mustache", we had no problems with the local wildlife....

Welcome!

2009-08-15T12:36:00.004-04:00

Thanks for checking out our new family blog! Kristin and I want to be able to keep everyone up to date about the pregnancy, share information and pictures and keep people "in the loop". We decided that a blog would be easiest, seeing that many of our friends and family live long distances away. If you're a first-time blog reader, keep in mind that the most recent posts will be at the top of the page, scroll down to see older posts.

Please feel free to leave comments and sign up as a "follower", if you'd like!

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There have been several things that have held up our blog. We had hoped to get this underway several weeks ago, but we were held up by basement sewer backup (more on that another time), camping and lots of doctors appointments. Nevertheless, here it is!

We hope to have some ultrasound pictures to share soon (3 sets!), but for now, here's a picture of Kristin at 12 weeks. Tomorrow I'll try to post ultrasound pictures, and Kristin's 16 week picture! (Wow, 16 weeks already!)

Kristin at 12 weeks - getting big already!

By now, many of you have heard about the news we received this week regarding Kristin's heart. We thank you for your prayers, notes and phone calls. We'll be sure to post more information about that soon!