3rd Anniversary

Wow three years ago today I was getting ready to marry Jeral! Looking back the last three year we have both grown a lot, and we have grown together and we are looking forward to continuing to grow in the years a head of us.

Last year on our anniversary we went to Kelowna and stayed at Okanagan Lake Resort. This year will be a little different, and since the roads are not so good today we probably will not venture out of Armstrong. Last year at this time we were also hurting a lot because I still was not pregnant. My how times have changed. Last year on our anniversary we spent the entire evening discussing (okay arguing) what the next steps would be in growing our family. I wanted to pursue the fertility route, and the adoption route all at once. Jeral needed time to think, and in the end he choose the adoption route. So that is the journey we set out on. The fertility route seemed a little more risky and less likely to give us children, and the reality is that we had money set aside for one and not for both, so we had to choose. Adoption it was, and once we were well into the process Jeral decided that he would like us to try some of the less expensive fertility procedures. I honestly did not think they would work - however I was wrong.

Now a year later we have our daughter who we have been blessed to adopt, and I am pregnant with our son. We feel doubly blessed. A year ago I would never have believed this is how our life would turn out. Like I have said before I would have laughed the same way Sarah laughed when she over heard God tell Abraham that she in her old age would become pregnant. This journey has put a new perspective on that story for me as well as other Biblical stories.

So today my husband and I celebrate 3 years together, and we also celebrate new beginnings!

Merry Christmas and Week 25

WELL I AM SITTING AT MY COMPUTER WITH MY AMAZING MIRACLE DAUGHTER AL SNUGGLY WRAPPED IN THE SLING I MADE AND IT IS CHRISTMAS!!!!!! WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT??? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! WE HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAS HAD A FANTASTIC CHRISTMAS.

BELOW ARE SOME PICTURES OF MACKENZIE JOY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

SNUGGLING WITH MOMMY!

CAN YOU FIND MACKENZIE IN ALL OF HER CHRISTMAS LOOT?

DADDY BLOWING KISSES ON MACKENZIE'S TUMMY JUST AFTER A POOPY DIAPER CHANGE. OUR DAUGHTER IS A GREAT POOPER!

MOMMY FEEDING MACKENZIE JOY!

SERIOUSLY OUR DAUGHTER IS THE GREATEST JOY WE COULD EVER BE GIVEN. YES WE ARE TIRED AND YES THIS MOMMY AT NIGHT WORRIES ABOUT HER LITTLE GIRL BREATHING AND ALL THAT TYPICAL FIRST TIME MOMMY STUFF.

AS FOR JARIS HE IS DOING WELL. KICKING UP A STORM AND THIS MOMMY LOVES THAT. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE BIRTH OF OUR SON IN ABOUT 14.5 WEEKS. IN THE MEAN TIME I WILL NEED TO REMEMBER TO EAT REGULARLY AND DRINKS LOTS OF WATER TO TAKE CARE OUR OUR LITTLE ONE GROWING INSIDE OF ME.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!! LOVE ALL OF US

MacKenzie Joy

Here are some pictures of our daughter MacKenzie Joy! She is the greatest gift we could ever be given and we are so thankful she is our daughter! I will post more pictures of her in days to come. She was born on December 21st at 6:50 pm weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces and she was 19.5 inches long. We are all doing well and enjoying being at home!

The Joy Club

One of my closest friends was over tonight and boy was it ever good to see her. I am so used to seeing her every other week for the past three plus years. Tonight was also the first time she and her husband have been to our house since Jeral and I got married! Our time was brief and yet it was so good!

So tonight we decided that the group to belong to is the "Joy Club". There are five of us in the group. There are many more member to this group however 5 of us know each other. Three of who are still active, or sort of active members. I am no longer one of those active members - after three and a bit years my membership came to an end. However if I were asked or given a choice between being and active member of the "JOY CLUB" or getting to be a mommy to two amazing little miracles - I would choose without even blinking being a mommy to two amazing little miracles. Despite the fact that we are still waiting for the arrival of the first one. Soon though!

How can you tell that I am just wasting time as we wait for our important phone call!!!!!!

Little did I know that when I became a "member" of the "Joy Club" that 4 of my good friends would eventually also become members of the club. It is funny how life works. If only the ring leader of the club could be a bug on the wall and hear us talk about her!

Over Doing it and Other things

Okay so I am about to admit that I have over done it the last few days, and now I am exhausted! Thus I went to bed last night around 10 pm and stayed in bed until 10:30 am this morning. No church for me today - just rest and relaxing as we wait for a very important phone call. I am even not getting all fancy and making a homemade ice cream cake for the Krahn/Cowie Christmas tonight. Instead Jeral is picking up an ice cream cake from DQ on the way home from church this afternoon.

Last night my sister in law and I were talking and she told me that when she asked us a month and a bit ago if we would be willing to go a head with something if one of the couples who had our profile still picked us - she knew that the birth mom in Kamloops had pretty much picked us and something was about to happen. I am so proud of her for not telling us what she knew at that point, and for just letting things play out.

Jeral and I are both in agreement - the birth mom of our soon to be daughter or son is an amazing woman and special woman. It is not necessary for us to agree on this however it is nice to hear him put into words what my heart already feels. This journey has been full of twists and turns and we know in the days and years a head there will be more twists and turns as we embark on the adventure of parenthood!

Still Waiting!

As of Saturday night at 11 pm we still are waiting! Babies come when they want to come.

I find myself wondering what he or she will look like. Truth be told though no matter what we are already in love with this little one and he or she will be the most adorable and beautiful to us.

Please keep praying for the birth mom! All of this is taking a emotional toll on her.

Week 24

Well Jaris has been kicking up a storm this week - it's like he knows something amazing is about to happen and he is excited about it!!!!!! Since he has been moving so much we have not used the doppler to listen to his heart beat. I must say I am looking forward to when Jaris is big enough that I can roll over in the middle of the night and let him kick Jeral in the back when Jeral is snoring!!!!!!!

I am realizing more and more that when I was not pregnant I was capable of doing way more in a day than I am now. Oh well I soon will not even care about anything other than holding my babies in my arms - so if you visit us in the future the house will most likely not be up to my standard for company, however holding and playing with my children is way more important than cleaning the house or getting the dishes done!!!!!! Those are all things that can be done later!

This weekend is going to be busy. Jeral's sister and her family are coming for the weekend, we have a large Pauls' Family Christmas in Sorrento, the Krahn Christmas is on Sunday, then on Monday one of my closest and best friends is coming over, and somewhere in there I have a baby shower to attend also.. However in all honesty we would be over the moon to miss out on all of this just to get the phone call saying the Birth Mom is in labor and we need to get to Kamloops.

I think it is time for this tired mama to go to bed - blessings and have a great night!

So I just talked with the Social Worker who called to make sure that we still knew that everything was still going a head in regards to the adoption plan, it is just that the Birth Mom is no where near going into labor. The baby has not yet turned. It seems he or she just wants to stay in there a little while longer. The plan is that if she has not gone into labor before then, they will induce on Christmas Eve. I double checked to see if the Birth Mom still wants us at the hospital with her and she wants us there, so we will be there with her whenever that day comes.

In the mean time please pray for the Birth Mom, I know that there is no way we can imagine the emotions she is feeling right now. We are feeling a ton of emotions and those pale in comparison to what she is feeling. Also pray for the little one inside of her. Pray that he or she will turn in the next day and that labor will happen naturally. We know that the Birth Mom had really wanted to go back home for Christmas and spend it with her husband - however Jeral and I will gladly be her family over Christmas if she is unable to get home for it!

Patiently and Peacefully Waiting!

Nothing So Far

Well today has come and gone and so far no call to tell us to get our butts to Kamloops for the birth of Krahn Baby #1. Oh well this is the reality of being pregnant. Just because you have a due date does not mean that the baby is going to come on that day.

Today I made a sling. However, note to self - next time do not use flannel fabric as it is too think - so I wasted a bunch of fabric and money. Oh well - after the baby is born I will get some other fabric and get my niece to sew the sling instead. As I am sure that I will be to busy and occupied with cuddle time and sleeping when the baby sleeps. In the mean time to make sure that we have a sling I made some adjustments so what I made will function. Our hope is that with carrying the baby around in the sling it will make it harder for people to accost us at church or family gatherings to hold the baby. For now only mommy and daddy will hold our child to aid bonding and attachment, seeing that bonding and attachment is very different when you adopt a child. The reality is our first baby will not know us as mommy and daddy right away - we will be strangers when he or she is placed in our arms, and that is why we are choosing to be very protective of our bonding and attachment time. However we will have to wait for that a little while longer!

Patiently waiting!

Patiently Waiting

So tomorrow is the official due date of the Birth mom who has picked us to adopt her precious little one. We are waiting patiently at home, and hoping the the snow stops falling, so we will not have to drive at snails pace to get to Kamloops. However if driving at a snails pace to Kamloops is what it takes to get us there safely then, we will drive slowly. I may drive to Kamloops tomorrow just in case - we will see!

As we wait I have sewn about 20 receiving blankets, and not to keep my self busy I am going around them with a blanket stitch - however tomorrow I may paint instead to keep myself busy.

Jeral has gotten to feel Jaris kicking for the last three days. Feeling our son kick so much truly is amazing. We could and sometimes do sit for extended periods of time just enjoying all the kicks.

I bought a sling the other day for Baby Krahn #1 and when I got it home I realized it was not the right size I could barely get it on me let alone put a baby in it also. Oh well - through the mishap I found that I have a friend who custom makes slings, so we are going to have her make two slings so that when we have both babies I can put one on each hip and walk around doing house stuff that is if I have any energy to do that. This mamma may just snuggle and cuddle all day with her babies!

Oh well - still patiently waiting and jumping to get the phone whenever it rings!

Week 23

Nothing much new this week. Some days Jaris kicks up a storm and then other days he is not as active. On the not so active day I am happy that we bought the doppler to listen to our amazing little one's heart beat. Seriously it is the best sound in the world to us right now.

I did break down and get the H1N1 flu shot, much to the dismay of a few friends however, so far so good. No reactions on my part and our little boy is still kicking his mama!

Funny as our little ones get older we do our best to teach them not to kick and punch others, or even us. However when the little one is inside growing we want him to kick punch move do whatever just we know that he is there! My thinking is he better get in all the kicking and punching now while he can.

I have sewn 10 receiving blankets and think today I will go get some more fabric and sew a few more. I find myself needing to do things to pass the time as we wait for our first little one to get here! Only 4 more days - unless the birth mom goes into labor early or later. Here is hoping early is what happens.

My sister in law called the other day and told me that if I wanted a bunch of bottles, a formula mixer, a cleaning brush, and a bottle warmer that the family who adopted the baby of a birth mother that Jeral and I know had dropped them off at the agency and I could have them. Sweet, YES!!!!!!! So we are set with a lot of bottles! Yeah for mixing the bottles once a day and then just grabbing them out of the fridge to warm it up.

Just a thought to end with - sometimes life changes at lightening fast speed, and other times changes happen at a snails pace, and actually most of the time different aspects of life change fast while at the same time other aspects are change slowly. I guess I am realizing how fast our life has changed in the past few weeks - it took what felt like forever to get to the place of getting to be parents to our own children and now we will have two very shortly. I am also realizing that while this change has happened quickly - other things I desire to change are going slowly. I guess the task at hand for me is to embrace the growth no matter how fast or slow it happens!

Week 22

Well this morning as I was using our doppler to attempt to listen to Jaris' heart beat, he kicked it. Seriously our little boy kicked that part of my tummy and caused the doppler to jumped. It was quite the sight and I was a little startled. Soon and very soon Jeral will get to experience the joys of feeling Jaris kick.

Today Jeral and I took a date day. We went to Kelowna and shopped for clothing for Jeral, got him a few CD's that he wanted, and then we were able to find the perfect locket for the Birth Mom. We also got some bottles, a few receiving blankets, and two soothers. It is weird going from preparing for one baby to preparing for two babies, and yet we love it. I f the birth mom has not gone into Labour by Monday I will go get some fabric and sew some more receiving blankets.

I am still working on saying no and being okay with it. I am not one to enjoy feeling as though I have failed at being "Super Woman," so we were still going to host the large 40 plus people family Christmas on December 19th. I know crazy, and totally insane! Yet trust me the more people said we needed to back out the more determined I was to host the Christmas - be Super Mom, and Super Host. However the wisdom of Jesus prevailed and we have decided not to host the family Christmas this year. Reality is that we have no idea if the Birth Mom will give birth by her due date, and it is not fair to our new little one, or to the little one growing in my tummy to add all the extra stress of pulling off and hosting a huge Family Christmas. I am not able to do it all. Yes I know astounding, Leanne actually admitted that she is not able to do it all. Well it is true and I am slowly becoming okay with that reality!!!! :)

Relaxing Day!

Okay so since we found out about being selected to adopt this amazing little miracle I have been in the mind set that I have to be productive and get everything done - namely so I will not have to ask for as much help until baby #2 comes along. Oiy! So the old Leanne thinking and not the one I have grown into and become. So far I have 20 jars of borscht frozen and ready to go for lunches, and five frozen meals - the ideas was to get at least two weeks of frozen meals ready to go and who knows maybe I will get that done eventually. However today I am having a nice relaxing unproductive day by human standards (by my standards). I am going to sit and read, maybe crochet a little, sleep if I feel like it watch a movie or two, or three (okay maybe that is pushing it), and spending some time hanging out with two little girls. This maybe the last day I get to veg out since the B.M. is due in 11 days. So crazy how fast this has all come about and yet, seriously these past few days have gone by so slowly. Oh well, patience is what I will have to practice.

The Nursery and Christmas Stuff

The nursery! We painted it this brown color because Jeral had painted it a green color and oiy, nope not a fan of the color he picked! So far this is all we have in the nursery. When my in laws get back from the USA they are bringing a wardrobe with them that my father in law is building for our babies! In the next week or so we are getting a shelving unit, so soon it will get filled up, and once the babies are in there I am sure there will be toys and clothes all over the place!

The matching crib and change table. We still have yet to buy the mattress pad, however that is on the agenda for this weekend. I hand stitched the blanket on the back of the crib and also the cover for the mattress pad, and we have one more hand stitched blanket.

The crib and chair. The crib bedding was a gift from my mother, and the chair well that I just put in the room for now because I wanted to fill the room up a little bit more!

Close up of the crib! It will convert into a toddler bed and then a double bed later on! So there you have the nursery. It is crazy to think that soon we will have one little one in our arms most likely. I can hardly wait for the phone call telling us that we need to get to the hospital to be there for the birth of Krahn Baby #1. However I will have to wait patiently and find things to keep this waiting mama occupied.

The Christmas tree in the window upstairs in my painting room.

Something for the entrance way.

Decorations on the new entertainment unit and TV, also the new chair and new ottoman/coffee table are in the picture!

Decorations on the fire place mantle and if you are paying attention you can see the pile of laundry in the corner of the love seat that I needed to fold that day.

Living room Christmas tree!