Nov 25, 2008

It's almost Thanksgiving!





Only two more days until Turkey Day! We leave tomorrow afternoon sometime for Bair Lake to be with my fun crazy family and I am so excited to see everyone! We will be coming back Sunday evening sometime so it will be a nice little getaway.

Hmm...what is new with us. I am officially done nursing Ethan as of about a week or two ago. He was ready to be done...he didn't take to it anymore so that was my sign. So, I got 9 months of nursing in....pretty good! The doctor said he got all the vitamins he really needed so that's good.

As you can see I have Ethan's adorable 9 month pictures posted....he's sooo cute and I am really happy with them...the photographer got some cute poses!

I'm 13 weeks along with the 2nd baby and the baby is already 3 inches long:) So amazing! I am just itching to find out if it's a boy or girl but we won't know for probably another 6 weeks. Daddy is confident it's a girl...I hope so too :)

Ethan is starting to get into trouble! He has figured out how to get in my desk drawers and pull stuff out...he loves cords and pretty much everything he isn't supposed to have. Toys are too boring....that's usually how it goes! He learned how to scoot on his belly this past week. He really only does it if there's something he really wants that is out of reach. Nonetheless he is changing and learning new things all the time!

Well, I have a lot to do today before we leave tomorrow so I better get to it! Have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends and I will be sure and post about our little trip when we get back.

Love to all,
Keri

Nov 22, 2008

My Dream

It's 7am on Saturday morning...I had just ended this cool dream when I heard Ethan crying. It blessed me even though I know it's a "dream" and dreams are normally strange.

There were probably a hundred of us girls being held hostage in this house by one man. We were all tied together by the arms and he said if any of you try and run I will kill you. We were all scared and just being still, not talking. Suddenly this man comes in the front door of the house and says, "God told me to come here and I didn't know why." We all quietly starting getting out of the house and running in this open field....I'm not quite sure where everyone went but everyone was safe in cars, planes, etc. I was the only one still running, looking for a place to get away. I suddenly hear the man coming after me, mad as all get out that we all got away and he didn't know. I thought, "Oh God, save me! Where am I going to go? Help!" I see this run down pick up truck/suv....kinda like one of those old Bronco suv's....well I see it but the bottom of the suv is completely gone and the two side doors on the back of the suv are missing. Not the best place to hide and he could see me anyways. It was the only place I could go so I ran in and jumped in on the left side. He was right behind me and started to climb in from underneath the suv...since it was all open. Right as he was trying to get up a man is in the driver's seat (even though it was completely empty the minute before) and drove the suv up onto a tow truck. So now the bottom of the suv is blocked off and the man couldn't get to me. Keep in mind the man in the front seat doesn't know I'm back there...I was too afraid of talking because I was just waiting for the bad guy to jump in one of the side back doors. Suddenly we start moving but now we aren't on the tow truck and the driver is saying, "I have 2 more seats available...calling out to see if anyone needs a ride but no one was around...not sure where the bad guy was but he couldn't get to it in time....then we take off down the road and suddenly I notice a left door was on the suv where I was sitting....but not on the right and I knew this was God! He put a door on for me so I wouldn't be cold. I then began to cry and started to praise Jesus and the driver then saw me, smiled and started singing.

Then I woke up. I don't have dreams like this often and I'm not saying it meant anything other than I woke up thinking, "My God is big enough to do anything." He can grow a door on a car! Hey, if he can part the red sea I don't think a door suddenly appearing is that strange.

Not sure why I shared this other than it was a really cool/spiritual dream for me. Maybe it's just a way for me to encourage someone that God is big enough....He's big enough to save you in any situation you are going through...and He is our song in the night....our strength in the fire.

Our God is mighty to save!
Keri

Nov 18, 2008

A snowy day

I opened the windows this morning to see snow covered all over the ground. It looks so pretty from inside my warm house:)

We had Ethan's 9 month pictures done on Sunday. I brought some Christmasy items to do some Christmas pictures and I am hoping she got a couple good ones. She took a lot. He was so serious for most of it and we had a hard time getting him to smile like he does when he's with just us. I think we got a couple good ones though! We decided to go to the photographer's house and she has a studio in her basement. Well, there is no carpeting down there so it's just cement. She put some padding under the backdrop for him to sit on and I sat behind him most of the time because I was worried about Ethan falling over and hitting his head on the cement. He did great the whole time until the very end when he suddenly fell forward out of my reach and banged his chin really hard on the cement. We thought it was going to be really bad and blood everywhere but no blood praise Jesus! He cried real hard for a good 5 minutes and then we got him calmed down. His chin was red but no blood and his teeth were fine so we were thankful. We gave him some tylenol in case he was in pain but he is fine and no bruise or anything. I'm sure it's his first of many falls but it was heartbreaking as his mommy to see him get hurt :(

I took Ethan for his 9 month check up yesterday. He is doing great. He weighs 21.9 lbs and is 31" long. He moved up from the 95% tile to the 97% for length. Our tall boy! He's in the 50-75% tile for his weight. I asked the doctor what I could try giving him other than baby food and he said mashed potatoes, applesauce (which is pretty much the same as his baby food applesauce), mashed up banana....so I may try a couple things with him but nothing chunky as he still doesn't do well with chunky foods. I don't want to give him fake mashed potatoes though. I have given him a piece of rice and a little crumb of a biscuit but nothing too much just yet. He sure is growing up fast though! I can't believe he's 9 months and that I'm already 3 months pregnant with our 2nd. Time flies!

We are leaving a week from Weds. to be with the most fun family to celebrate Thanksgiving. The Petke's! I feel bad for people that aren't in my Petke family because we have the best time together:) We will go to Bair Lake from Weds to Sun just like last year....it has become the new tradition for Thanksgiving and it's the perfect place for us Petke's as my Grandpa Petke was one of the founders of BLBC.

Well, that's all for now. I need to fold some laundry before Ethan wakes up from his nap.

Love to all!
Keri

Nov 16, 2008

9 months

I cannot believe that Ethan is already 9 months old! I love watching him grow up, develop and just become his own little person. He is really starting to have a mind of his own...won't just lay there nicely for me anymore while I change his diaper....he puts his butt up in the air and scoots back and makes it very difficult to change his little moving body! If you take something away from him he cries and has a mini fit...it's good to know he is a normal kid :)

He isn't crawling yet and I'm not sure if he will. Although the past few days we think it looks like he may get the hang of it soon. Babies crawl typically around 9 months....some skip crawling and go right to walking. He sure loves to stand or be in his walker so I think he will be walking before 12 months, but we'll see!

So Ethan doesn't typically doesn't sleep through the night....he will sleep 6 hours or so and then wake up and has a bottle....or sometimes wakes up more than once, it's always different. We have a full size bed in his room and he absolutely LOVES sleeping in the bed...he digs his head in the pillows and just loves it. When we moved to our new place I thought we would put the spare bed in his room so that when I got up to nurse him in the night I could just take him from his crib and we could lay down in the bed and I could nurse. Well, he would then fall asleep after nursing and then I would move him back in his crib. I think that is why he started to love the bed. If we lay him in his crib at night he normally cries but if we lay him in the bed (surrounded by a million pillows) he doesn't cry and is asleep within 10 minutes. Normally we let him fall asleep in the bed and then I move him to his crib....but he always wakes up. So last night we thought, "let's just leave him in the bed all night and see what he does." He went to bed at 9 and did not wake up until almost 7! He always wakes up....I couldn't believe it when I heard him this morning and the clock said 6:42. So I'm not sure if we will buy bed rails and put them on the bed so he can sleep in the bed or not. It would be nice because then we could use his crib for the new baby. We'll see.

We are getting Ethan's 9 month pictures done today....I can't wait! We had planned on doing outdoor pictures but it's been raining the past 2 days so it's pretty ugly outside. We are just going to go to the photographer's house and she has a little studio. I wanted to do some Christmasy pictures so I am just going to bring some Christmas props and we'll work with those. I hope they turn out cute:)

All is well with us. I'll be 12 weeks along on Tuesday and I'm feeling pretty good, just get tired early and am ready for bed at 9 these days. Although I stayed up until 11:30 watching a movie with Jer last night which is surprising. I always fall asleep these days but it was a good movie...ok and I think all the sugar in the sour skittles helped:)

One of my really good friends Brooke is pregnant too and we are due just 3 weeks apart! So exciting. I am due June 3rd and she's the 21st. We both kinda think we are having girls (for different reasons) so it will be fun to find out. Will laugh if we are both having boys.

Alrighty, thanks for reading and will post more soon!

Nov 11, 2008

"The Walker"

So this is Ethan's newest favorite toy. Some love a boat, a fast car, all Ethan wants is his walker. He cruises around the apartment in this thing, absolutely loves it. Last night he was really laughing. This video doesn't capture it completely but is still cute. Jeremy or I would walk in our room and he would see us and hurry up and follow us and just laugh and laugh. Almost like we were playing games with him but we totally weren't, he just thinks we are.

Also, as daddy was getting ready this morning we were talking and ethan zoomed in to our bedroom. We walk in a minute later and he had grabbed the leftovers of my mint chocolate chip shake from last night that was on the nightstand. LOL. It was all over his walker...we all know mint chocolate chip is the best ice cream ever, he's gonna be just like his mommy :)

Nov 10, 2008

Snow!

I really do not enjoy this time of year....which I should because it's another season that God has given me life, family, friends and so much to enjoy....but my whole body cringes inside when it gets so cold and snowy outside. It's really the only time of year that I am tempted to move to Florida. I momentarily think a hot sun is more important than family....than I come to my senses :)

Thankfully just like last year I have something to look forward to this winter. Last year it was the birth of our son and this year we will get to find out if we are having another son or a daughter. I think God really loves me because he knows how much I don't like winter so he gives me exciting things to look forward to in the winter time :)

We sold our Christmas tree this past week....was a little sad because it's been our tree for all of our family Christmases together since we've been married but the poor thing was kinda falling apart. Plus birds decided it looked like a great tree to build a nest in so they would fly in my garage and be in the tree all the time. Funny. So, we are going to maybe have to get a real tree this year since we don't have storage space to get another fake one. I think that would kinda be fun....growing up my dad always took our family to the tree farm to pick out a tree and cut it down....it was fun....except for the snow and cold part :)

I love Christmas time and am excited the Christmas music is already starting and seeing Christmas wrapping paper in the stores and such. It's just the best time of year because we get to spend a lot of time with family and I just love that. Anyhow, I'm rambling.

So God is really teaching me new things. Mainly that we are supposed to say no to our flesh and to be kind to everyone and be patient with difficult people. Their are people in my life who I struggle with on a weekly basis. It's so easy to complain and be negative but God is teaching me not to do that and to be patient with them. It is HARD but so good for me spiritually. I feel I am growing when I respond in the right way and that's a good thing.

I've heard two devastating stories this last week of friends or people I know who have friends that have suffered a huge loss, going through so much pain....and yet we bicker and vent about people in our life that are hard to deal with. I then step back and think, "If you just got the news that they were killed in a car crash would you really be thinking about those petty things that bother you?" Of course the answer is no. I think we take life for granted. A lot. I don't want to live like that....and although I don't like picturing bad outcomes in my mind it helps me deal with those that get under my skin ya know? Please be praying for the Vanderkooi/Ackley family and the Jahn family. Both families have suffered tragic losses this past week. A young mother and two children killed and a father and little boy killed and the mother in critical condition in the hospital.

Ethan has been a little under the weather but no big deal. He's just had a bad cold the past few days and has been congested at night and a faint sound of his croup cough....but he is a happy boy during the day, it's just the nights that are a little rough.

All is well with us and we thank God for that. Hope all is well for all my readers also :)

Be kind to everyone!
Keri

Nov 6, 2008

Halloween and New Baby!


Ethan's first halloween was a lot of fun! He was a cute little skunk! We went over to Jeremy's parents so they could see him in his costume and give him his first piece of halloween candy for his little pumpkin basket and then we went over to my parents to trick or treat. We went to about 50 houses while pushing Ethan in his stroller and it was so much fun. The weather was amazing for halloween and it was a little weird being light out but kinda nice when you have little ones.

We had our first doctor appt. today for baby #2! All is well with our little peanut and we heard a very strong heartbeat! :) It's always so reassuring and such a beautiful and miraculous sound! I'm so thankful our little one is healthy....big brother too!

I may get lucky and get to find out the sex of the baby at 18 weeks instead of 20. Looks like the beginning of January...what a great way to bring in the new year! I can't wait to find out what we're having!

Ethan is doing good....healthy and I think may be starting to cut another tooth. He's been fussy the past 2 days and doesn't want to play or do anything other than mommy hold him so typically that means he is teething. I gave him some orajel and ever since I did he's been happy and hasn't been fussy....my confirmation! He came with us to the doctor's today to hear his baby brother or sister's heartbeat and he kept looking at me as I was laying on the table and it was so cute. I saw this look on his face like, "What is going on with you mommy?" and I thought he looked so cute watching me. I can't believe he will be 9 months soon!

All is well with the Harrison's and not much else to report. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with my boys!