More Pictures!

Daddy posing for the picture! He melted my heart on Saturday morning when I was sitting at the computer and I heard him say to MacKenzie that he does not know how he could live without her!!!!!!!! That is the truth for both of us we love her so much!

Sunday Morning before going to church!

Having some tummy time!

In other news I am still not able to breathe properly and my OBGYN is gone for a month and his replacement is not here for another week. I am not to impressed with that. However tomorrow MacKenzie and I will see my regular doctor and here is hoping she will prescribe and allergy nasal spray that is non-addictive so I can at least get a little but of sleep. I broke down again last night after almost a week and used a nasal spray just to get a few hours of sleep. I will head the the health food store with MacKenzie today to see if I can find some other natural remedies that will help me because the vicks all over my back, chest, neck, feet and nose did not cut it. Funny I hate vicks with a passion and yet to get some sleep I will do anything!

Well there is the update. As of now it still looks like our trip to Vancouver and Abbotsford is on hold!

Pictures and a Bit More of an Update!

MacKenzie watching the Olympics! We are trying to get MacKenzie to spend some time sitting up every day so she gets used to sitting and strengthing those muscles!

I love her little cute face!

Being Held by her older Cousin Rachel!

We ordered a fisher price jumperoo for MacKenzie and her brother. She is still not big enough for it, however give it a few more weeks and I think she will really like playing in it! I just had to try it out with her and see how she did!

Making Faces with mommy when all mommy wanted her to do was to take her bottle. However making faces is apparently way more fun, and I would have to agree!

So here is a bit of the pregnancy update! I was at the Hospital today attending the Diabetes Education Program - even though I am not a gestational diabetic. However due to my feeling so awful for the past week and a half I now have keytones in my urine. This happens when you are not eating enough and your body starts to break down protein to sustain itself. Not good for Jaris - I know I have not been eating enough and thus this has happened. So now since I find it hard to eat full sized meals the plan is that I need to eat a little bit every hour or closer if that is what I need to do. If my keytones have not improved then I will need to on Monday call in and go back to the hospital and we will have to figure something else out. Not what I want to do so here is hoping I will be able to get things under control by Monday. Here is to eating nuts, and more nuts, and oh adding protein powder to my water, and apple juice.

Jaris is definitely growing more and more everyday if I though bending over before was hard it is just getting harder. Oh well 5.5 weeks to go, and here is hoping he is a little early.

As for the cold and not being able to breathe - after being at my wits end I called the OBGYN a second time and told him that the benadryl was not working. In fact it was making my head spin and I was more miserable, so I needed something else and I needed it fast, because I was at the point where I was willing to do anything to induce labor and get Jaris out so I could breathe again and function. Well I guess being at my ropes end was what it took and he said I could take an over the counter drug called Actifed since the benefits out weigh the risks. So between the Actifed and the Neti Pot I am getting better! Still not sleeping all to well yet enough to function and breathe during the day.

SO there you have it! I would appreciate on going prayers as we are coming to the end and I want so much to be the best mommy I can be to both my children. I also really want to get as much rest as I can in the next few weeks.

Thanks

Thanks for praying. I am still not 100% however things are starting to improve. Here is hoping that sleep at night will follow shortly. MacKenzie is doing much better which we are thankful for. It looks like our trip to Abbotsford and Vancouver may have to be postponed unless I improve a lot in the next week.

Well that is all for now. I promise I will post pictures soon!

Please Pray

Please pray for me. I am 34 weeks pregnant and really struggling with sleeping due to not being able to breathe through my nose at night, and my body is doing weird things. If I could be miserable by my self on the couch I would be, however I also have a two month old to take care of. I am blessed that Jeral is home so much, and that tonight he is staying home with me and MacKenzie instead of going to play volleyball. Please pray that my sinus' clear up and that I will be able to sleep. I know that is hard for some to read yet I really do just want to into labor early and have my son, so I can be a mommy to both of my children on the outside world. I'd be okay with tomorrow.

Blessing MacKenzie

Tonight MacKenzie and her mommy were blessed by some of the amazing women who have been a part of my life. It was nice to listen to the words of blessing being spoken over my amazing daughter, by friends who were able to be there and also those who were not able to be there.

I must admit at one point I became very overwhelmed - most likely due to both MacKenzie and I feeling under the weather, and when people talk in loud pitched voices MacKenzie is unsettled so as her mama I was feeling a little lost. At first I began to feel sheepish about the fact that I was crying for no apparent reason (later I realized there was a reason) - yet as I thought about it one of the blessings I can pass onto my daughter is being okay with tears and crying. I do not want my daughter to be ashamed of crying. I want her to know tears are a wonderful thing.

I love how loved my daughter is, and I love how celebrated her life is!

My Growing Little Girl!

She looks so tiny all wrapped up and staring up at the flower sun thingy tied to the blanket!

She is growing more and more all the time. Basically I carry two babies around all day, one in my arms and the other in my tummy! MacKenzie has a cold so she is pretty grumpy these days, except for little bits here and there. IN this picture she was pretty content. Right now she is out with daddy who is getting a few thing from the store - like lemon juice for mommy who also has a cold too. This too shall pass!

So there you have it some pictures of my precious little girl. Instead of the rantings and ravings of a hormonal, sick, pregnant mama!

Thinking Before We Speak!

Last night Jeral, MacKenzie, and I went to a pancake supper at a local church here in Armstrong. It was nice to not have to cook. Well I ran into a lady who was at the silent retreat held in my home a year and a half ago, and while she expressed her joy for our growing family she also said something that a few other people have said to us over the past few months - the comment was "I think we prayed too hard for you guys, maybe we should have prayed less." We have heard that comment a few other times and I normally just laugh it off, however with each time I find that comment more and more offensive.

Really do you honestly think that you prayed too much for our family to grow? Can we ever really talk to God too much? Sometimes I wish people would think a little bit more before they say something just for the sake of saying something. However then I also have to include myself in that group of people because I know I have said things just for the sake of talking. I am also probably venting because I have a cold and feel miserable, and my little girl is not feeling so good either!

Getting Sick!

Well it seems that MacKenzie is coming down with something. My little girl is cranky and only settles when she is swaddled and being held. Luckily, mommy knows what to do, and once she is asleep it is up to her playpen in our room that I have made dark so she sleeps better during her nap times. In the next few weeks we will get a second crib and put it in our room and transition her to the crib so that when Jaris arrives she is in a crib.

Well MacKenzie is napping and so I need to go nap too! How is this for a short update!

Thoughts

I was staring at my beautiful daughter this morning as she was swaddled and falling asleep in my arms, and in that peaceful moment I almost forgot that she is adopted. Not is a bad way like we do not plan on telling her or something like that. We tell her every day how much we love her and how thankful we are that we were chosen by her birth mom to adopt her, and we will continue to do so! It is just so easy to love her and feel that she is a part of us in a way that we cannot explain. I guess unless you have adopted this feeling would be hard to understand.

As I sit her while she naps I am struck by the fact that while our hearts and arms are full, we cannot imagine the void her birth mom feels. Eight days ago MacKenzie's Birth Mom signed consents for us to go ahead and adopt MacKenzie. It just seems so unfair that that while our hearts and arms are full, the very woman who blessed us is experiencing deep pain and sorrow. Anyways those are my thoughts. I have more however they are not for the blog.

We hope that you all have a great Valentines Day tomorrow, and that you have fun with the one's you love!

Love Jeral, Leanne, and MacKenzie Joy

32 Weeks and Pictures of MacKenzie

32 weeks wow! Jaris has been growing for 32 weeks inside my glorious tummy. How sweet is that, and while yes there are some days that I wish I was full term already, however I am still amazed that I have a little life growing inside of me - a little child with a soul. Wow God has entrusted Jeral and I with two little ones - MacKenzie and Jaris. Talk about a privilege - not a right, a privilege and a gift instead.

This morning before I came down stairs I took some time to just sit and listen to Jaris' heart beating. I still love having the doppler, however I have not used it in a few weeks because he moves around so much. Yet this morning for about 10 mintues I just sat an listened to my son's heart beating, and then I got to come down stairs to hear the cooing of my little girl. Talk about a great start to the morning, and bonus Jeral took MacKenzie until 11 am so mommy could sleep and take a nice relaxing bath and eat. Oh the glory of having a wonderful husband whose job lets him stay home more!

Below are some pictures of MacKenzie! Eventually once life gets into more of a routine I will make a book of all these pictures for MacKenzie, and one for her brother after he is born also, however for now the blog will have to do!

MacKenzie smiling! I love my little girl's smile!!!!!!

MacKenzie with her favorite stuffy! She is like her mommy when it comes to liking stuffies. Often in the afternoon when I lay her on her back to play a bit and I give her, her stuffy I will use her contentment with it to run to the washroom quickly, and when I come back I find she is happily chomping away on the stuffy's ear.

Being Selfish

Tummy time for our little girl. She is one very strong little girl and I love watching her grow everyday.

She is smiling more and more every day, and she definitely knows when she is being held by mommy and daddy, and when she is not being held by them. When MacKenzie smiles and coo's her mommy's heart melts. I love sitting and rocking in the chair and telling her stories. When her cousin Josiah was alive I would sit in a chair at the hospital and tell him made up stories about Prince Josiah and Princess MacKenzie, so mommy is continuing these stories.

So the title of the post is being selfish - I have been selfish a little the last few days. I have just wanted my son to be born so I can get my body back to me and not hurt so much. The reality is that the best thing for both of my children is for Jaris to stay in my tummy for as long as possible. Jaris needs to grow and develop and MacKenzie needs as much time with mommy and daddy as possible. Yet I have been selfish and just wanted to be pain free. The reality is that I am more than capable of handling being uncomfortable for about 8 more weeks if it is the best thing for both of my children.

More Pictures

A close up of how peaceful she is when she is sound asleep in her Dada's arms! I love watching Jeral with her. I love hearing him say to her I am your Daddy and I love you! He really is an amazing Dad!

McKenzie with her Dada! How can you tell mommy takes most of the pictures? Because I am rarely in any of them, and that is okay for now!

I know it looks like she is crying, however she is not she is making noises for mama!

I just really love posting pictures of my daughter! Especially when she makes silly faces like this! I know she will thank me for all these embarassing pictures later on in life.

A Few More Pictures

Resting in her Daddy's arms! Look at how relaxed and totally trusting she is in her DADA! I love this picture and what it represents! When MacKenzie's Auntie Joy was here she pointed out while Mackenzie was resting totally relaxed and totally open, that this is what it looks like and means to rest in the arms of God. Trust Joy to use any moment as a teaching moment - which this mama does not mind I sort of miss those moments every other week. All in all I think it is a great picture, and it does not hurt that my husband is a rather good looking hunk!!!!!

This is what MacKenzie and I were doing before Auntie Joy came last week. I thought she looked pretty dang cute so I took a picture. Seriously this frog bath has been great, so she does not slip and slide around. However MacKenzie's favorite bath time is with mama in the big bath tub upstairs!

Last night MacKenzie slept from 11:15 pm to 5:50 am! Way to go MacKenzie!!!!! Hopefully mommy will be able to sleep that long too in the next few weeks, however Jaris tends to have something to say about that.

UGH!!!!!!

So up until now most of my pregnancy had been perfect. Nothing really to complain about too much. However imagine my shock when I realized I had a huge amount of bruising and veins bulging in a rather tender area. The reality is that for the past few days this was probably happening, however I just thought the pain was from walking too much with my daughter - not from Vulva Varicose Veins developing. However the reality is that a combination of walking tons with my daughter in my arms and the way my son in my womb is putting pressure on things has aggravated the condition. And due to where they are positioned, I am not even able to wear the supportive stalkings to keep them from getting worse. As much as I am not a fan of wearing something grannyish I would this time just to keep the problem from getting worse. The solution is to rest lots with the lower half of my body elevated - yeah not likely to happen with a little one in my arms!!!!!!!! I am just venting.

The reality is Jeral will have to be on call to come in from teh barns and shop whenever MacKenzie does not want to settle unless she is being walked around, and I will have to make the healthy and wise choice to ask for help from friends so the "issue" does not get worse. I am stuck with this until Jaris is born, so now I would be rather happy if he came 2-3 weeks early, just so the pain goes away! Well enough venting for now! At least my daughter is well bonded and attached to us, so if I need friends to come over and hold her that will work, so thank you Jesus for that blessing!