New Baby

So we had some excitement (for us) this past week. Levi has done his usual antics... being cute. Yesterday I caught him playing random keys on the piano and singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". I wish I could have caught it on video, but I wasn't quick enough. Also yesterday my mom lit some candle at dinner and he sang the happy birthday song and tried to blow out the candles. Moments like that you just smile and tell him he is cute!

Last Wednesday Justin and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary (for those curious, we are celebrating our Temple marriage because neither of us broke our covenants while divorced, so we were always sealed... besides, if we celebrated the civil union Levi would think he was had out of wed-lock, and he certainly wasn't). I sent Justin some flowers at work, and he got me a nice bath pillow (with my nausea I've been taking a lot of baths lately). I wasn't feeling well that day, so we didn't do much. In fact Justin went to his brother's track meet while I went and ran errands with my mom. We did go out to dinner on Friday night though. We took Levi to his cousin's in Salem and we went to Olive Garden. I did okay, but we had to sit at Justin's sisters afterward to settle my stomach before heading home.

Saturday Levi and I went with my parents (Justin had work) to something called AgFest. Think Farm Bureau and FFA stuff. We had a good time, and Levi had a blast. My sister brought her kids, and he always has fun when cousins are around. I spent most of the time sitting because I felt faint, but I think that was because I had not had much too eat that day. No matter, Levi had a blast and passed out when we got home.

On Monday I had my first appointment for the new baby, and they couldn't find the heartbeat so they did and ultrasound. It is the second time I have been able to see the little lima bean, but Justin couldn't be there again. I had them print out a shot for him, but as you can see there isn't much to look at. Being only 10 weeks, the little guy is still small. I did get to see him do a little dance for me. She/he was moving like crazy (they think that is why they couldn't find the heartbeat), arms and legs were moving all over. The midwife was surprised by the amount of movement, but after Levi and his constant (almost non-stop) movement, I was not shocked at all. In fact, I don't think Levi has stopped moving since he started in my belly.

Well that has been our week. Hope you all had a great one too!

Same Old

So nothing much new this week. As for me, I was able to use a stronger medicine for my nausea, and so far it is helping. I am still nauseous, but at least I am keeping food down. I have found a few foods that I can eat, and that actually help the nausea: Mexican, Rice Krispie Treats, and real strawberries (not flavored strawberry). So that's nice. I just need to keep my supply of RKT stocked. I don't like the store-bought ones, just my homemade. But if it works, I'll do it!

We have had some bursts of decent weather, so Levi was able to play in my mom's backyard for a bit. He had a blast with his cousins, and once the backyard is all done I think all the kids will love it! My mom also found this tiger outfit that Levi wore. He loved it, as he went around 'roar'-ing. Friday night Justin and I went on a dinner date while my mom watched Levi. Below is a picture of him eating his TV dinner in front of the TV. My mom said he was very cute.

Levi actually fell asleep in his high chair yesterday, eating his ramen noodles. It was so cute! I don't know that he has ever fallen asleep while eating, usually it is when he is done. Speaking of eating, his appetite has grown so much recently! He will eat two pop-tarts and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast! He is basically munching all day. I have a feeling when he is a teenager he will eat us out of house and home!

Well, as I said nothing too interesting this week. Hope you all are well!

Ups and Downs

Well there have been a lot this past week. Mostly cute moments from Levi, as I was typically found on the couch or hugging the toilet... ah the joys of pregnancy. Early in the week my family was together and Levi put on his superman cape and was running around with his cousins. Out of the blue he announced his name was 'Super-Bean', and continued to run around. My mom calls him Bean sometimes (I don't know where it came from), and it was cute that he made the connection all on his own. Now, whenever he wants to wear his cape, he'll come up to me and chant SuperBean until I put the cape on.

Another thing Levi loves to do is sing. His favorite songs are the Alphabet song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and lately the Happy Birthday song. I caught him in the shower singing a little of all three. I enclosed the video for you all. See if you can pick out all three songs. He's pretty good with his pitch and tone, I think he'll be as good a singer as his mom and dad are.

We had a slight scare this week when Levi fell down my mom's stairs. Levi was heading downstairs (nothing to worry about, he does it all the time just fine), and my sister Alicen was already down there. She said that she saw him coming, and then he fell and did a somersault down the stairs until he landed at the bottom on his forehead. She was in shock, and it seemed Levi was too because he just starred at her. She picked him up and brought him upstairs to me. As soon as he saw me he started crying, but all in all he was okay. He had a big bump that became a big bruise, but otherwise no worse. He is very lucky, it could have been so much worse.

Well, with my nausea and vomiting, Levi has been the best little helper I have. When I am perched around the toilet he'll come in and put one hand on my back and peer into the toilet at what I am doing. Occasionally he'll pat my back, but mostly he'll flush the toilet, which doesn't help me much. Another sweet thing he did was when I was laying on the couch. I jokingly asked him to make me something to eat. He picked up his bag of Cheetos and gave them to me. I was so impressed that he really tried to help me out, even if I can't eat them. I think he really senses that I'm not feeling good because he has been especially snugly lately.

We had wonderful weather this weekend, so we headed up to Salem with some family. We took Levi and his cousins on the carousel, let them play in the park, and then to the discovery center they have there (Children's Museum). Levi loved every minute! He was in heaven all day! The temperatures even reached above 80 that day, so the rest of us sunbathed. In the evening when we were back in Corvallis and Levi and I had taken naps, we went to the park near-by and flew a kite while Levi played. All in all it was a great day!

Unfortunately I think I overdid myself because even with my medicine I have been incredibly nauseated ever since. I tend to that with most things though. I'll feel alright, so I then exert any and every energy I have to do the things I want and/or need to. Then I regret it later. But it has been a fun week, and with Levi not getting out much because I am so sick, he needed a day or two to get out and enjoy the day!

That's all from us, hope you all are well!

Crook #4

So its been awhile, but I have an excuse! Justin and I found out that we are expecting baby #2! I am about 5-6 weeks along, and I will be due at the very beginning of December. I have been enduring the typical pregnancy woes, such as exhaustion and nausea. Some days are worse than others, but nothing terrible. I'm sure my family would disagree as they have to endure my whining, but what are families for? Justin and I are thrilled and know that our constant prayers have finally been answered. When I start to get bigger I will try explaining it to Levi, but right now he just looks at me puzzled when I tell him I am growing a baby inside me.
We have been busy these last couple weeks. Last week Justin started his new schedule, and is still trying to adjust to it. He said all of his classes are quite demanding on his time, and he is getting annoyed by the amount of homework they are assigning. They are 3-credit classes, and he says they are acting like they are 5-credit classes. He does have a lot more time available, and it has been nice to have him home for dinner time. I know he'll make it, and do well in all his classes, he always does!
We had a setback this weekend when Justin and I were gone for a couple hours and someone stole his bike. The bike had a $75+ light on it, but even if the bike had been locked up, they could have stolen that. A lot of would-a should-a's, but we didn't, so here we are. Justin wants to get a bit nicer of a bike, so we are looking on Craigslist for another one. I hope that by having a nicer bike he'll lock it up and take better care of it. We'll see.
This weekend we had a wonderful opportunity to watch General Conference, and I hope most of you were able to as well. It was a wonderful conference, with many great speakers. I can't wait for the Ensign to come out so that I can read all the words again!
Well, short and sweet, but that's all from us! Hope you all are well!

Easter Week

Well my week was full and wonderful! Justin had all his finals Monday - Wednesday. He did as well as he thought he did (although he doesn't give himself enough credit). But next term should be more of a cake-walk. We were able to change his schedule so he could be home more often. He accepted a new shift at work that will be from 5 AM to 1:30 PM. I then was able to get all his classes in the afternoon with the latest one ending at 6 PM. This will allow him to be home for dinner and some quality family time, which we all have been wanting. I am just worried about next fall. He has to take biology, chemistry, and physics, and I am not sure we can get all those classes in the afternoon. But we'll see!

Some excitement started on Thursday for our family as my brother's wife went into labor. This would normally just be wonderful, but she was one month early. After her 42-hour labor (you heard me right) she had little baby Benjamin Alma Carleski. He was born at almost 10 AM on Saturday March 22nd. He was plenty big enough (6 1/2 lbs.) but his lungs weren't fully developed so he had to be connected to some tubes and such to help him out. However, I spoke to Katie today and he is off all the tubes and she is able to feed him. Such a wonderful blessing! Thanks to all for your prayers! It was a special event also because my brother's birthday was on Saturday as well. So we now have two Benjamins with the same birthday... and their father and son!

Also on Thursday Levi and Justin had eye appointments. Justin picked up a prescription for glasses (which we are picking up tomorrow), and Levi went nuts! He did not like all the tests they did. However, we found out his vision is better than normal for his age. Considering neither Justin nor my eyesight went bad until we were in our early 20's, it is not surprising. Justin wasn't thrilled about getting glasses, but he doesn't have to wear them all the time, so he is fine with it.

Saturday morning I took Levi to an Easter egg hunt. He loved picking up all the eggs, and just ran around screaming 'Egg-ies!' Later on we went to my parents and dyed eggs. She had one kit that allowed you to dye the egg and then put foil on them. These were my favorites! That evening we all went out to a Japanese Steakhouse (think Bene Hana's) for my brother's birthday and celebrating his son's birth. We left all the kids with babysitters, so it was nice to get out just adults.

Sunday went well. Levi found his Easter basket pretty quick, but Justin took at least ten minutes to find his. He only found it when I did the 'hot, cold, warmer' thing with him. We hide Easter baskets instead of eggs, as tradition. Church was nice, with wonderful talks. Justin got a surprise from my dad who asked him to sing with the choir a song he hadn't rehearsed. He was a good sport and agreed. He did just fine, and it kept Levi quiet for a time. After church I offered to "trim" Justin's hair. He said I could do whatever I wanted. So I had wanted to shave his head for a while, so I did. So he is bald once again. I think we'll do this once a year, but next time not so early in the year. I am trying to convince him to grow a goatee, but we'll see. Dinner that evening was delicious! The company was wonderful, and it was nice to have my grandma down there.

We hope you all are well!

Busy Full Week

Well our week, mostly weekend, was full and fun! Justin's sister Nia and her family were in town so we spent a lot of time with them. On Wednesday I took them and his other sister Jessica and her kids to the OSU lambing barns. The three kids who were old enough, loved it! Lincoln is still just five months or so, so he couldn't really appreciate it. The kids ran around yelling "Baa!" at the sheep and waiting for them to reply. Levi and his cousin Bentley really love each other and ran around holding hands and getting into trouble together. Nia's daughter, Madeline, joined the fun too, and Levi held her hand at times as well.

Thursday I spent the day with my mom since we haven't had much "fun" time since she got back from Chicago. She or I have been sick most of the time. But it was nice to have a day to spend with her. We also made some pants for Levi. He wears size 3T, but the waist never fits him. We've tried the adjustable ones, but with how tight we pull them, it bunches up too much to wear comfortably. He's not skinny either. He is actually on the pudgy side for his age, but he is also on the tall side for his age. So he needs the length, which is why I made him some pants on my own. My mom also made him some shorts from the scraps of material left over. He should have plenty of bottoms now! This was also a big day because we got a dog! Yep, you heard me right, a dog. We've been looking for a small dog to get for Levi to play with for quite some time. We had finally decided not to get one since they were all so expensive, then this one seemed to fall into our lap. It took some convincing to get Justin back on board, but I think he is really warming up to her. She is a 9-year-old fox terrier/chihuahua mix. She is black and tan in coloring, and looks like a mini doberman. She is very sweet, and great with kids... even a lot of them together. Her name is Lala. I don't like the name, but she is so old that we can't change it, so Lala it is. When I got her home, she sniffed everything and then curled up next to me on the couch and slept. Ever since then she follows me everywhere. She likes Justin, but I am definitely her favorite.

Friday started early, we headed to Justin's parents around 8:30 AM. Justin had to go to class, and we didn't want to drive out there twice. So I went to his parents while he was at class. Our little dog was scared of Nala (his parent's dog) at first, and it took them a while, but they warmed up to each other somewhat. Our original plan for the day was to go to the beach, but that had to change because Skipper (Nia's husband) had an interview of sorts with Nike and their main contractor Kelly Services. He said it all went well, so we'll keep him in our prayers. So, in the early afternoon we all headed up to Salem to spend time with Jessica and the boys. We first went to the Riverfront Carousel. Levi loved watching it, but once he was on it he didn't like it too much. By the end of the first ride he was okay, but not loving it. So we went again, and I think if he did it on a regular basis, he would love it! Then we let the kids play in the field where they ran and chased geese. It was the cutest thing! We then headed back to Jessica's where we hung out for a while. Jessica and Braydon (her husband) had a dinner for his work to go to, so we let the boys play for a bit before heading home.

Saturday we decided to go to the coast. We went to Mo's first, where Justin was thrilled he got his clam chowder. On the bay front in Newport they have a new place called 'Mini-Donuts'. They are homemade mini-donuts with cinnamon and sugar on them. Very similar to ones you would get at the fair. They were delicious! We may have to make that a tradition when we go to the coast. We then tried to go to the beach, but it was cold and wet. I lasted maybe two minutes before I took Lala back to the car; we both were freezing! The rest of the gang came within five minutes as well. So we headed to OSU's Marine Science Center to let the kids have some fun, and they did! We even got a good shot at the octopus being aggressive! They also had a sea turtle on a table that they were going to do an autopsy on to find cause of death, but we couldn't stay the extra hour to watch it; too bad, it would have been cool! That evening was a family dinner where everyone could say goodbye to Nia before they left. We left earlier than we thought we would, but with Lala and Levi both getting restless, we had to go.

Sunday was a bit more relaxing. After church we headed to my parents to help my mom make dinner. Lala loved having all the space to run around. I made a grasshopper cake that was delicious! It was mint and fudge and yummy! Lala loved the kids and they were very good with her too! We had a scare when my oldest sister left, we couldn't find her oldest daughter Sofia anywhere, inside or out. We all were outside screaming for her, looking everywhere. My heart was racing so fast and my mind was whirling around so many bad ideas of where she was or what happened; I feel I only got a glimpse, though, of what her mom must have been feeling and thinking. We did find her, she had wandered off (which isn't like her at all). All ended well, but I was really scared for a bit there.

Since I started out with a messy story about Levi, I'll end with a cute one. He has really learned his A-B-C's, and loves to point out the letters he sees. His favorite is 'W', for whatever reason. But if you are wearing a shirt with large letters, he will spell what is on your shirt. We got a video of him yesterday spelling 'Wyoming' from Justin's shirt. It was so adorable!

That's all from us, hope you all are well!

And So It Begins (or continues??)

So today was eventful for Levi and I although we didn't leave the house. In the morning I built a fort for Levi with blankets and chairs. The only entrance was through the coffee table. He loved it, and even pulled me in there with him at one point. He loved that he was hidden and could play.

The other event was not so much fun for me. I was on the computer trying to get Justin's Spring school schedule squared away and Levi was going back and forth between the living room and dinning rooms. I had taken off his pants because he kept pulling them off, and since we were staying in I didn't think he needed to keep them on. I had also just barely taken off his shirt because I was about to give him a bath when Justin reminded me that I had to register him for classes. So he had on his socks and a diaper. While, unbeknownst to me when he was in the dinning room playing with trains he took off his diaper. Then, also unbekownst to me, he came and sat on our recliner in the buff. I heard him grunting and groaning, so I knew he was going #2. However, I didn't know he was naked. I cannot see the front of the recliner from the computer since its back is facing me. So I just was waiting for him to be done before checking on him. He then got up (when he was done going potty) and went over to our vacuum and tried to stuff his poop down the tube. I turned around at this point and saw what was happening. Levi, in his cuteness, just looked up at me and said, 'Thank you!' Indicating he didn't want the poop on his hands. When he doesn't want something he will hand it to you and say thank you... this is what he was trying to do with the poop. Thank-goodness he did this because it kept me from flipping my lid. I just told him that it was not okay and took him to the shower. While he was in there I cleaned up the recliner, vacuum, and floor (as I carried him to the bathroom little droplets of poop kept falling). I then met him in the shower and finished cleaning him, explaining again that what he did was not okay. I know I need to get going on potty-training him, but this does not make me feel encouraged at all!