Blessings ....

In every challenge is a blessing ..... Tim and I have been given many blessings in disguise as challenges. At the end of each day, when I finally lay my head on my pillow, I thank God for the challenges that make us stronger and the blessings that keep life sweet and filled with joy.

August has retired and we are now in September ... it was just barely two years ago that we patiently waited for Mason's arrival. I am amazed how fast he has grown and I look back at pictures of him as a baby and feel sad that it went by so quickly! Alas, God has given us another opportunity to enjoy a baby. Having two children will definitely be a challenge, but will be the sweetest blessing we could ever receive!

As far as this pregnancy goes, it has been a challenge physically but a blessing in that baby is healthy and I am healthy (minus the hernia issue). I am frustrated by my physical limitations as I have been an active person my entire life and am not finding it easy to stay sedentary in my condition. I often push myself only to regret my actions the following day. I will definitely be happy once Makenna is here and I am able to resume normal activities (walking distances, completing chores, picking up objects, being able to paint my toe nails, etc.). I have a prenatal appointment next Tuesday (for 32 weeks) and suspect that my OB will take me off work early. 

Mason is doing well. He knows is ABC's (not from singing the song) and can count to 10 most days (he sometimes misses 6 and 7). He is a little parrot and repeats phrases we commonly say like "there you gooo,"  "yeah, buddy" and "allllright" ... We have learned that we need to start watching what we say and that sometimes, even harmless words can sound pretty bad (beach = "bitch" and ocean ="ogh-shit"). We have started to acquaint ourselves with tantrum triggers and attempt to avoid at all costs; however, he is 2 and he still has his moments. All in all, he is our little love bug and we couldn't be happier.

This past month was filled with activities for us. We started off by visiting the Folsom zoo on a whim. We forget that we have nice little perks practically in our back yard! We took two camping trips, one trip was to Lake Tahoe. Mason had fun playing on the beach and giggling with his cousin, Ian (both of them have infectious laughs and it was hysterical to see them just giggle back and forth). Mason was smitten with his other cousin, Michelle (or "Ie-shell") ... only she could keep him entertained at certain points. We had to explain to him that we don't live in West Virginia and cousins are strictly off limits! LOL!

Our second camping trip was to Monterrey for the Labor Day Weekend. We enjoyed 4 days of lounging and eating. Tim was able to dive and spear fish while we were there. We also took a trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and were privaleged to see the Great White Shark they had on exhibit. It was amazing to see Mason's reaction to the sea life (that was when he was awake - he fell asleep for about 90 minutes). Tim had Mason propped in the Kelty pack so he could see the action over all the adults. The aquarium was very crowded; however, we were glad we could give Mason that experience given his extreme interest in fish ("ishies") and the other sea life on exhibit.

I have attached a link to pictures and have included some video below:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2TrQ

June / July

The past two months have both flown by, and dragged on. We have been experiencing our trials with Mason's behavior .... he went from our sweet, passive, peaceful little baby .... to a sweet, bi-polar little (almost) 2-year old. Much of my time has been occupied in trying to keep up with his moods and various activities. I have to say, it has been a little more difficult this time around in pregnancy because we now have the "Mason factor." 

He likes to test us when we are out in public; from screaming at restaurants and grocery stores, to refusing to walk when we go out of the house. Picking him up is becoming less desirable for me the larger I  become (and the more aggravated my hernia gets); however, I usually have no choice as he simply buckles his legs and starts screaming .... ogh, the joy of parenthood!

On the up side, Mason is developing my leaps and bounds! He is starting to say the alphabet and his vocabulary has expanded exponentially! He loves his time out on the boat and swimmingin the pool at the club .... he truly is our little water child (which is a good thing because we would have to sell him to the gypsies if he didn't like water)!

We finally took away Mason's pacifier last month. He only asked for it a couple times, which was good; however, the challenge came in trying to get him to sleep without it. The first couple of days he was without his "goo," he didn't nap and was up very late at night. We have now settled into more of a pattern in knowing that it takes a little longer for him to fall asleep - - he usually has to become bored and then eventually nods-off. I can say (with quite a bit of nostalgia) that I miss the days when we would put him in his crib, and he would simply roll over and fall asleep - - no tantrums, no tears. I can't help but wonder as all the terdie-2-year-old behavior coincided with the removal of the pacifier.... o-well, what's done is done!

Tim and I are doing well. Tim is enjoying  a few weeks of summer break by playing golf, fishing and playing soccer. I have been extremely busy at work and find myself in a constant state of exhaustion. I am very thankful to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off (even though I end up working from home most times) as it allows me a recuperation day! I am very, very lucky that Tim has taken a majority of the Mason duties while he has been off for the summer. I am secretly (and selfishly) hoping that Mason's temperament will improve by the time Tim goes back to school.

Anyhow, I have posted pictures from June:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tlo

and July:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tng

We hope this finds you all doing well!

Love,

Tim, Jenn and Mason

Having Fun

It's a .........

I had my ultrasound appointment this past Thursday to determine the sex of our baby. I was very excited to have an earlier appointment as our original appointment was scheduled for June 23rd! We arrived at the Radiology department located at Kaiser in Folsom shortly before 2:30pm. I felt pretty calm given the news that would be shared with us very shortly. We were welcomed in by the ultrasound technician; she was warm and friendly. I shimmied myself onto the table and exposed my belly, waiting for the warm goo (lubricant) to be slathered over my exposed bump. Like a ketchup bottle almost out of salty goodness, the goo splattered on either side of my navel. I will never figure out why the doctor's office is always nearly out of goo when I am examined.

The technician started with her schpeal, "this is baby's first physical exam, etc." ... right off the bat, she asked if we wanted to know the sex. Hardly able to contain ourselves, we answered "yes!" in unison! The wand waived sweepingly over my belly and finally rested; we looked up to the screen in anticipation, not quite sure what we were looking for. After what seemed like minutes passing (probably closer to about 10 seconds), she announced that we are having a girl!! I simply couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. I wanted to ask her, "are you sure?!?" ... She took the pointy arrow on the screen and showed us the absence of an apple stem ... Tears welled up in my eyes as I was sure we couldn't POSSIBLY be this lucky!! I am still in denial .... 

When toying with names for Mason, Tim and I decided on our "girl" name (had Mason been a girl). We have decided to name our little girl, Makenna May Brown (spelling of middle name is yet to be determined, pending my grandma Rita checking her birth certificate!). Words can't possibly explain my excitement. Tim's response was, "I will need to know how to wipe her nether regions properly" ... yeah, that's my man.

My mom and I are already a tidder in how we are going to decorate. We have decided to keep the nursery the same for Makenna with the exception of the wall paint and a few accessories. We will paint the wall shades of purple (instead of the current shades of blue) and will probably accessorize the "dreaming" theme with fairies and butterflies and take the little bizarre stuffed monsters out of the room. For Mason's room, we are pretty much settled on a jungle theme. Mom and I envision a giraffe-print rug, and hints of the Serengeti .... who knows what our decorative imaginations will produce!

Besides our exciting news, everything else is prodding along normally. I plan to post at the end of June with pictures of this past month. Mason is doing fine and has no clue that a little sister is going to rock his world in about 5 months!

We hope you are all doing great!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason and baby Makenna!

April / May 2009

A lot has happened since my last post. Our family has encountered miracle and tragedy..... 

Sadly, my Grandpa Jim passed on May 8th. He lived until he was 93 years old and passed one day before he and my grandmother's 67th wedding anniversary. We were blessed to have many good years with him. Mason and I went to see him in the hospital the day before he passed. I will forever remember him waving at Mason with his pinkie finger saying, "hey little guy!" We celebrated his life on May 22nd at the Masonic Center in Chico. He will be dearly missed.

On the miracle side, Tim's grandmother has made a great recovery from her stroke. She is back at home and has somewhat regained her independence. Although she won't be able to drive, she is happy to be in her own home and sleeping in her own bed.

May has been a busy month for us. Emily and the kids came out to California to visit while Jon is in Bahrain ... we enjoyed the company and had a blast watching the kids play together. Mason was slow to "warm-up" in playing with Rudy ... but they were pals by the end of the trip.

Mason is doing well. We have had our trials with him the past weeks as he has been teething (again) ... he cut two new teeth and both came through at the same time. His little obstinate personality has emerged and we have officially been welcomed to the "terrible two's." We have had to discipline him for throwing toys at the dog (and everything else) and hitting ... you know, the typical two-year-old stuff.  Even though we are met with our "challenges,"  we are reminded how BLESSED we are to have a healthy boy when we hear about the struggles of others. I thank God every day for His watching over our little family. 

I am starting to have a little more energy these days (thank goodness). I am now able to keep up with Mason, work, house and husband. I am very fortunate in that Tim has helped me with many of my first-trimester struggles. He has gotten up with Mason, helped me with the chores and has catered to my Cinnamon Toast Crunch cravings in late night trips to WinCo. 

I recently had a prenatal appointment where I inquired with the doctor about already feeling some of the same ailments from my last pregnancy (i.e. inguinal hernia and periodic sciatic nerve pain). Unfortunately, the Doctor informed me the hernia will probably return sooner and be worse than it was before ....joy! On the up-side, she (and my friend Kelly who is a physical therapist) have been able to suggest back strengthening exercises which should help with the periodic sciatica. We will be very excited to find out the sex of the baby on June 18th! 

Anyhow, I have included pictures for the past two months. I hope this finds you all doing well!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tjw

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

It is early in the morning and it is a rainy cold day outside. I am nestled in the warm covers of my bed hoping that Mason decides to sleep in late this morning. As I lay here, typing away, I am grateful for the blessings of my life. Life has been a bit of a bumpy road in recent history; bumpy with beautiful scenery, however. It is truly amazing how one can be at the top of the highest mountain peak and then fall suddenly to a valley, only to return to the top of the rolling foothills! Ok, enough with the metaphors! .....

The highest mountain peak .....

As many of you have already heard, Tim and I are expecting our second child! We are excited about our pending new addition and are happy that Mason and baby will be so close in age. I am due November 11th. We will be able to find out the sex of the baby in about seven weeks (my big ultrasound appointment is June 23rd). I have been feeling relatively OK; I was queasy and consistently tired the first weeks. Thankfully, the queasiness has subsided but unfortunately, the exhaustion still remains. I am hopeful that in the coming week or two, I will hit my stride and ditch the "first trimester tiredness." When announcing the pregnancy to our immediate family, it was revealed that Tim's sister, Kara, is also pregnant!!! I nearly tackled her in excitement when we found out the great news. Kara is a week and a half in front of me (her due date being October 28th). We couldn't be more excited to have another cousin that will be so close in age to our coming addition (Mason is two weeks older than his cousin, Rudy - my brother's second child). So as you can probably understand, we were standing on Mt. Kilimanjaro there for a while ....

The valley ....

In the past two weeks, my Grandpa Jim has been in and out of the hospital with complications arising from congestive heart failure. My Grandpa is 93 years old (almost 94) and has lived beyond the years his myriad of doctors ever predicted. My family is very blessed to have had him in our lives all these wonderful years. He is the origin of the spark, orneriness, wit, stubbornness, humor and cunning nature that flows through my veins. It is hard to see 

him so altered and I am forced to remind myself after talking to him (or about him with Grandma) that no one is immortal and we need to be grateful for each and every day that God gives us!

 

Well, when it rains, it pours, and I am not talking about the  downpour that is occurring as I type. This past Thursday, Tim's (and my) beloved Grandma Susie (more commonly known as "GG" for "Great Grandma") suffered from an acute hemorragic stroke.  She is currently in the ICU receiving treatment; although she has been responding well to the treatment, she is heavily sedated which clouds any potential progress she may be achieving. It is hard to say how GG will recover from this episode as it is too soon to tell what lasting effects will remain after her release from the hospital. Tim and I are praying for the members in our family that are suffering from ailing health. 

Back to the foothills ......

So amidst all the emotional turmoil, we were excited to celebrate Connor's (our nephew) first birthday last night (although he does not officially turn one until Monday the 4th)! He had a Finding Nemo / beach theme party complete with bubbles (in the rain), chocolate fountains, trampoline jumping (during a break in the clouds), and face painting. All the kids were running around late into the night while still high on the mass quantities of sugar pumping through their veins. Mason had a great time, but hit his wall around 9pm.

We are also very excited to meet our newest 2nd cousin, Ainsley, this coming weekend. (Tim and I will be traveling down to Paso Robles to visit family and see GG.) Although Ainsley isn't scheduled to join our world until Wednesday the 6th (via C-section), we are eagerly anticipating her arrival and can't wait to meet her.

We are also very excited to see Emily, Ella and Rudy as they are heading to California this coming Wednesday for a visit. Mason and Rudy will have such a great time wrestling around and playing with each other. Mason always learns new things from Rudy as he tends to be a little ahead of Mason in learned skills (he is lucky enough to have a sister to emulate). We are very excited to spend some much-needed time with them.   

Even though we all have our struggles in life, it is important to recognize the blessings we have each and every day. Often times, it is tragedy and sadness that forces us to recognize how fortunate we really are! I challenge you to take a moment every day to be thankful for the family, friends and loved ones that care about you. Tell those people that you love and/or care about them, too; as you never know what curve-ball(s) life will launch your direction.

Another post will follow with the Mason update from April.

I hope this finds each of you blessed and grateful!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, and Baby "B"