Neither Here Nor There

Happy Thanksgiving. . .

2008-11-27T09:07:00.003-06:00

Well, we definitely have oodles to be thankful for this year - it has been a crazy year full of bumps and blessings, and it has been wonderful to see God work through it all (especially working out the "bumps" that seemed so overwhelming at times)! Our beautiful girls are the cutest and most fun to be around (I can say that - I am their mommy!); we often find ourselves looking at them and thinking that we are the most blessed people EVER! And now I must close, many responsibilities call - especially one named Nora - so I'll leave you with the most recent picture of us (minus the dog):

Too good to pass up . . .

2008-10-22T09:06:00.002-06:00

Late last night when everyone but my littlest munchkin was in bed, I took advantage of this INCREDIBLE offer: Ground Steak delivered for 36-cents a pound. I was able to order 24 Steak Burgers from Omaha Steaks for $1.98 shipped! It didn't actually "cost" anything from our budget because you can pay via PayPal and I had accumulated enough to cover this expense by doing YouData in one week (I've been doing YouData for 3 weeks and I've made over $12)! That may not sound like much, but it takes almost no time and every little bit certainly helps!

For more about YouData, go check it out. All you need is a valid email address, cell phone number (they will text you an activation link - they won't use it to call you), and internet access (which you obviously have!). Once you sign up, you "sell" your attention to advertisers. You load the ads available in a viewer like the one on my sidebar, and you get paid $.05 to look at the ad banner, then an additional $.15 if you "jump" and check out the site. That's it. They are still new and building up their advertisers, so you may only get a few offers a week, but there's no cost to you and a very little time investment - totally worth checking out! Oh, and pay-out is every Friday (to PayPal only for now) with no minimum! I was skeptical the first week, but I did indeed get paid - three times now! By the way, these are not referral links (to those who like to know before they click!).

In a rare turn of events. . .

2008-09-15T20:16:00.007-06:00

I find myself with two sleeping children and no husband - which would usually mean frantic housecleaning, but not right now. I know that I have been negligent at updating my blog (that's putting it mildly), so I am going to make it a priority tonight (dustbunnies will get to play a little longer).

Let's see. . . Well Aayla is the cutest little cutie-pie ever, but she is a total toddler. She is becoming quite a challenge at times, and in those moments is such a striking picture of me that I am very humbled. Let me elaborate. Most of the bumps in our path are obedience issues - which result in some form of disciplinary action. In these times, I can ask Aayla, "Are you ready to obey Mommy?" To which she will reply "NO OBEY!" This can go on for quite an extended time and then I will finally hear the sweet words: "Yes, Mommy." In the middle of these situations, I always find myself shaking my head and wondering why she just won't give in. Then I realize - how many times am I prompted by the Lord to do something and I stomp my feet and shout "NO OBEY!"? It's funny to me that I see myself as the "mature" adult when I am dealing with Aayla, but my heart is just like my little toddler's, struggling with the simplest matter of obeying.

We quickly go from this:

To this:

Nora is a "little" sweetheart. She is usually smiling and very happy or sleeping. I say "little" only in a figurative sense, because she is HUGE! At her 8 week checkup, she weighed in at a whopping 14.5 pounds and was 23.5 inches long. As we often quip: "We grow 'em big in Iowa!" I can't even tell you how thankful I have been for my MobyWrap. It certainly saves my back (plus it's hands-free baby snuggling!).

She and Aayla are darling together - they love each other so much. Aayla can make Nora smile even when she's feeling grumpy, and Aayla is always looking a Nora and telling me "Aaah, cute" and "Sweet Nora"!

And now, I will leave you with some final sweetness:

Announcing. . .

2008-07-07T13:28:00.007-06:00

Nora Pearl Ertl. Our newest little sweet pea was born Saturday, June 28th at 2:03 am. She weighed in at 8 lbs., 6.7 oz. and was 20.75 inches long.

To those who are interested in all the details, here goes (be forewarned, there is talk of labor and delivery ahead):

I started having back pain around 2:30pm on Friday, June 27th. I figured it was normal pregnancy related aches and pains, so I didn't think too much of it. Less than three hours later, I was in so much pain I could hardly walk, but I wasn't having timeable contractions, so I didn't think that I was in labor. We were supposed to go have supper at Mike's aunt and uncle's house, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat, nor would I be good company - so we called and cancelled our plans with them and I called my midwife at 5:51pm. I had to call through the office answering service, and I'm pretty sure that the guy was laughing at me - I know that I didn't sound as though I was in labor, but I didn't know what else it could possibly be. At the end of the call, before he called the midwife, he said, "And you think you are in labor?!?" I said that I honestly didn't know what was going on, but my instructions from the hospital said to call if you are in constant pain, and I was definitely in constant pain. My midwife advised me to go to the hospital to get checked, so Mike's mom came to get Aayla - who I had to hobble to the car to kiss good-bye because in my foggy state I almost forgot - then we were off to the hospital.

Now, most people are somewhat prepared to head to the hospital as their due date approaches, but I am not most people. I fully expected Nora to be late and that I still had plenty of time to pack my bag and prepare for my hospital stay, but that was not the way it worked out. I was in too much pain to pack or even care if anything was packed, but you really don't need too much at the hospital, so I wasn't too worried.

When we got to the hospital (6:47pm), we checked in at the ER and they got me a wheelchair and took me to the Birth Center to Triage rm 1. They monitored me there for a while - they found that I had a fever over 100' and that Nora's heart rate was over 200bpm. This obviously was not good news - my midwife headed right to the hospital, on her way calling the on-call OB doctor "just in case." I was admitted at 8:00pm. Knowing that the on-call OB was coming in scared me pretty badly. I knew just how this birth was supposed to go, and having him on stand-by (very nice man though he his), was not in my birth plan.

I was on constant external fetal monitor and given Tylenol to bring down my temperature. Given two antibiotics and oxygen at 8:45pm as well as having blood drawn to determine the cause of my temperature. No cause was ever found, but after all of these interventions, my temperature did come down, my back pain went away, and Nora's heart rate dropped into the acceptable range (130-150bmp). They kept me on monitors, but I was able to walk around and labor in the tub, so all was acceptable in the world. My contractions were regular, 4 minutes apart - but they weren't doing anything.

Around midnight, my midwife suggested that maybe we should consider breaking my water. She had done this with Aayla, and it was incredibly painful, so I wasn't too sure. She made the point that if we didn't speed things up a little, I would be even more tired and less able to deal with painful transition when it came - so we decided it would be best to do it. It seems the high heart rate wasn't the only sign that Nora was distressed, there was plenty of meconium in the amniotic fluid too. So, the on-call pediatrician was called and notified that she would need to be at the hospital when I delivered.

As with Aayla, breaking my water was the impetus my body needed to REALLY get labor moving. In two hours, I was ready to push - I think it came faster than everyone expected, because my midwife told me to wait if I could, the on-call pediatrician was still on her way. I don't know how anyone is able to not push at that point. In Lamaze they tell you to pant through the contractions, blow in short repeated bursts, etc. - but it's not the contractions. My body was pushing her out whether I was ready or not, and there was no stopping it! Nora was born after 7 short minutes of pushing (which in the moment felt like forever)at 2:03am, then she was wisked away to be worked over.

They worked on her for probably 30-45 minutes before I could have her since she had swallowed alot of meconium and they had to keep suctioning her out. Then I got to hold my precious babe for about 5 minutes and try unsuccessfully to nurse her, and they took her again. I really don't know how long they worked the second time, because I was so dozey (I was put on pitocin and some other medication after her birth to stop the bleeding), and I just could not even think straight any more. When they were done with her, Mike got to give her a bottle (never thought I would be OK with a bottle in the hospital, but it was to be her only one - she hasn't had one since), then she was taken to the nursery so that we could rest.

At 4am I was on my call button asking for my baby back - I had rested enough, and I was ready to see my sweetie. I think that is my favorite part after birth - everyone else is asleep and it's quiet and I get to acquaint myself with this new little person for as long as I want with almost no interruptions.

More pictures to come , but for now I have two kiddos who need mommy.

Very Long Overdue. . .

2008-06-15T18:34:00.002-06:00

Well, it has certainly been a long time since my last post; I'm sure that many people have ceased checking this blog altogether. Many times I sit down to write, and the words just won't come - or most often, Little Miss Aayla's "mommy's on the computer" radar goes off and my attention is required elsewhere. For a few moments at least, her attention is diverted elsewhere, and I have time to write. So, here it is in a nutshell. . .

Shortly after my blogging hiatus began, we found that we are expecting baby #2 around June 30, 2008. While 2 weeks may not be much time between "we're expecting" and "announcing the birth of," it seemed better than nothing! This pregnancy has really been ideal - just the usual morning sickness and common aches and pains - I certainly have been blessed to have two such pregnancies in a row. I am slightly more uncomfortable than I was with Aayla - probably because time erases our memories somewhat, and because chasing an almost 2 year old around takes a toll as well.

I'm sure that something blog-worthy happened between Sept and Jan, but my brain is a little slow now, so we'll skip ahead.

In January 2008, Mike and I went to an open house (house for sale, not graduation), and even though we were not planning on moving for some time, we decided to put an offer on the house and list ours for sale. Our offer was accepted, but eventually fell through because it was contigent on our house selling. We prayed about it and decided that at least for the present, we would leave our house on the market. Nothing happened for several months - we had people look at the house about once a week, and we would occassionally look at houses ourselves - and we were considering the option that what we had was better than anything else that we saw. Then on May 2nd, our realtor called us to tell us that there was an offer on our house, and she would stop by to discuss it with us when Mike got off work. The offer was very good, but there wasn't much time to make our decision (they wanted to move in by the end of the month). We had no prospects and we were leaving the next morning to spend Mike's birthday in Chicago - but we decided to accept the offer, changing closing and possession to mid-June. The following Monday, we called our realtor, Maxine, right away to see a potential house. It turned out to be a "better to tear down than fix up." Maxine quickly lined up a few more homes for us to look at - the next one being in Hudson, IA. Mike and I agreed to look at it, but we both thought "if it's in Hudson and we can afford it, it has to be a pit!" Hudson is a fairly desirable area and the housing market seems pretty competitive. Well, we loved it. Enough said. It was the perfect house for us. Maxine wanted us to see a few more before we made an offer, so we did, but this was our house. To condense the rest of this long story, we made an acceptable offer, moved closing to the end of May, and have been "settled" in our new home for two weeks now.

All of that was crazy, made crazier by the events that unfolded during the week of our move, but we could see God working out all of the details in ways we would never have foreseen.(Mike-My favorite being our realtor getting a fax the morning of closing that our buyers still did not have all of their financing in order. God worked it all out and they had it about and hour or two before we were to close.) And the move could not have been at a more perfect time. Tornadoes and flooding have hit Iowa extremely hard this year - to the point of downtown areas being flooded and evacuated for the first time in who knows how long. Areas less than 1/2 mile from our old house were evacuated, and the roads surrounding our neighborhood were closed. You can read more about the flooding and see pics here. I'm just so thankful that we didn't have that to worry about.

That about takes us up to current status in the Ertl household. Aayla is playing with magnets beside me, but needs to have a snack and head off to bed. Mike is relaxing in the living room, enjoying the beginning of week 2 of his "vacation" from work (we are hoping that week 2 will bring less work, more relaxation!), and I am running out of thoughts.

Thanks to all the faithful who still check this blog, and many apologies for my long absence (now if we can only find the camera and cables, we may be able to post some pictures. . .).

Yikes! A month and a Half gone by

2007-09-27T15:27:00.001-06:00

I'm surprised that anyone even checks this anymore. I have been super - negligent at posting! A lot has happened since I posted last, and life has definitely been busy. For a little over a month now, Mike has been sick with bronchitis combined with a variety of other delights (sinus infection, ear infection, etc.). Now, Aayla is sick as well with an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection. Hoping to get her in to the chiropractor soon so that we can get the juices flowing again and some of the congestion cleared up. I guess that's the bad news. . .

On to more pleasant topics, Mike's sister Jenni is home for a few weeks, and it's been lots of fun spending time with her. Aayla had a significantly shorter "warm-up period" this time around, so she's been enjoying her Aunt Jenni from the start - especially the sharing of ice cream!

We've finally found time to get some landscaping done. I purchased some plants mail - order, and I must say - just not as satisfying as planting mature plants (no visible fruit for my labor!). And Mike has been putting in time on the 360 playing Halo 3. It came out Tuesday, and by Wednesday he beat it without putting too much time in (he's pretty proud of the accomplishment so quickly!).

Well, that's about it. Here's a pic of Aayla in the crocheted top I made her:

In a Nutshell

2007-08-05T21:18:00.001-06:00

To all of you who faithfully check our blog - though I am woefully unfaithful at updating it - thanks! Everything around here has been crazy busy, coupled with chasing a now 1 year old around, I barely get to check my email. No complaints though - I love it all!

So, I decided to take a few moments and give a very swift overview of the last four months since my last post. Hopefully, I will be able to add a few more details soon. Here goes:

My last post was in April, so we'll start with May. Too long ago to really remember. We celebrated Mike's birthday at the beginning of the month. He chose to go to the Hu-Hot Mongolian restaurant for his bday. The food was excellent, and we have been back several times since. The rest of the month is a blur, except that I designed my first webpage. I have much more work to do on it, but it's been on hold for a little while due to the chaos!

For June, belated shout-out to Jen for her birthday (yes, I did wish her a Happy Birthday before now!)!

Mike had two weeks of shut-down from Deeres, so we flew out to PA to visit my family, and show off our beautiful baby girl. It was definitely a whirlwind trip. We were there for 5 days, and we spent each one of them in a different part of the state. We put over a 1000 miles on the rental car just travelling from place to place. Just a note - while we were in Philly, we went to Geno's and Pat's King of Steaks (rival cheesesteaks, both claim to be the original); we decided Geno's was better overall, but Pat's had better bread.

The next week, our car all but died. We were at the point where it would cost more to fix than the car was worth (I know many of you can probably relate to this). So, it was car shopping. We have never had to go to a car lot to buy a car before and every cliche about greasy slick used car salesmen was swimming in my mind (Mike's parents came along to intimidate. . .er bargain with the salespeople). We ended up buying the first car that we looked at (God was definitely leading here). I was so sick I could barely stand up, tornado sirens were blaring, and we bought a car. It's a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. Very nice and quite a step up for us.

I'm sure more happened, but my mind is not what it used to be. . .

July brought Aayla's first birthday!!! I can't believe she's one already, but everybody is right - it does go by so quickly. We had a party for her the week before her birthday with friends and family. It went very well, and of course Aayla discovered that she LOVES cake.

For her birthday, Mike's family went with us to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. We had a great time and Aayla loved all the animals. I was afraid she might not enjoy it much, but she does love animal so much - it ended up being perfect. Jen came up for the family birthday and stayed for two weeks, so she got to help us celebrate too, which made it extra special!

As far as August, it has just begun. Not much to report, and I am too tired to anyway. Since I know that I can't post this without pictures, I'm off to find the camera and upload a photo or two. The good bday pics are on other people's cameras, so I will have to post more later.

Oh, and Aayla update. She is now enjoying solids, she was a late bloomer in that area, so we are working to catch up. At her last checkup, she was just over 23 lbs and 30 in tall. She has been cruising all over the house for forever, took a few steps on the fourth of July (and just about every day since then), but has yet to decide that walking is more than just a novelty act. She says two words: "Daisy" (of course that would be her first word!), and "Hi". Grandma recently taught her "Bob" and she's really close to "momma"!

Aayla enjoying the "rides" the the mall.

Forget a milk moustache, Make mine whipped cream!

A rare photo of all members of the elusive m.ertl family with the seldom seen cement pygmy giraffe family

It's Been Awhile. . .

2007-04-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can't believe that it has been so long since I posted anything. It certainly has been busy around here, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. I'm sure there are those out there who need their Aayla fix (Aunt Jenni!), so here it is. Aayla is extremely mobile now. She spends most of her time finding things to get into (apparently babies are born with radar to detect the one thing in the room that they should not get into!). Right now, she is playing with tissue paper on the floor and having a good old time with it. Her favorite sound today is "Gah." It changes from day to day. And her favorite activity is razzing, including while she is eating - FUN, FUN, FUN. Last night she razzed cauliflower all over the table and even got some in my eye.

In other news, we had a great Easter. Good food, time spent with family, what's not to love?!? We also did our yearly Easter egg hunt, from which Nathan emerged victorious (it's usually neck and neck between him and Mike, but he won this year).

Mike is now on 3rd shift, at least temporarily (we are still trying to decide whether he should stay on 3rd or go back to 2nd. Both have positives and negatives, so it's not the easiest decision. I have been using my "free time" to learn HTML. I think it's going well, but the real test is when I actually design a web page - we'll see how that goes. I have also been planning our vacation to PA.

Here is a belated Easter picture (actually taken a month before Easter):

Poor Daisy!!!

Good Friends

Our Little Bookworm!

It Came!!! WOOT!

2007-03-20T20:26:00.000-06:00

My Moby wrap came yesterday! I am so excited. It's beautiful and Aayla really seems to enjoy it. I was a little worried about how she would react since she hasn't been in a sling of any sort for months. She fusses a little while I am putting her in it (probably due to my inexperience), but once she's in, she's fine. I LOVE having my hands free to do stuff while I hold her (especially while she's asleep). She fell asleep in her sling three times today (all her naps), and I was able to get some stuff done! Here's Aayla's first nap in the wrap

In other news, there is no stopping the tide of mobility. Aayla is no longer content to crawl - she must be getting into stuff
and pulling herself up. She can sit on her knees for a long time at the TV stand poking at the VCR - very entertaining stuff!

My, How Time Flies. . .

2007-03-16T15:37:00.001-06:00

when there's a cute little munchkin to play with all the time!!! I cannot believe that it has been over a month since my last post. I also find it hard to believe that Aayla is approaching the 8 month mark! So many changes. . . Aayla is now sporting two new teeth. They are both "through" the gums, but seem content to stay nubs - she can still do some damage with them though. She handled teething fairly well, it's just been such a drawn out and tiring process for her (and consequently, us). It took a little over a week for the first one to break through completely, and the second joined to the fun about the fifth day in. Poor little lady! She is also crawling. Not that cruising around the floor, running to keep up with her crawling, but crawling nonetheless. She seems to crawl in place since she takes as many steps back as she does forward. Our little girl is developing quite a sense of humor as well. I will often enter the room to find her swatting some toy with her pacifier and laughing at some secret joke - she is so much fun!!!
Aayla has outgrown her infant car seat. I was hoping for the convenience a little while longer (at least until it turned a little warmer than it is now), but she is such a chunk - I'm glad she stayed in it as long as she could. No more moving her from the car to the store, or home and keeping her asleep! I finally got around to ordering my baby "sling" because we switched car seats. I would rather carry her in a sling than my arms (they would fall off, I am sure), and I have been wanting to get a sling for a long time. I ordered the Moby D Wrap - it was supposed to be delivered today, but FedEx says "delivery exception, delivery not attempted, will attempt next business day" whatever that means. I'm a little disappointed, I was really looking forward to using it.
Well, little girl is getting fussy, so I'll close with a few pics.

WARNING: TOO MUCH CUTE!

2007-02-14T22:45:00.000-06:00

Here is a quick post to share a picture of my most adorable little one:
Aayla loves sitting in the sink - and she looks so cute with her few little hairs sticking up!

We've entered the wonderful world of solids, and so far we've had moderate success. On the yucky list(and I have videos of shudders to prove it)are: apples and carrots. On the "if I was starving I could force myself" list is bananas. And on the "please Mom, I want some more": avocados and rice cereal.

Aayla is striving hard for greater mobility, but has only mastered rolling to her destination (not sure "mastered" is the best word for it), and now "crawling" backwards! It's very cute, but a mite frustrating for her.

Well that's about it. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Happy 6 Month Birthday - a few days late!

2007-01-25T15:58:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that Aayla turned 6 months old on Sunday! She is getting so big and growing so fast - time is just flying by! I didn't get to post this sooner, because Aayla was sick this past weekend with a bad cold. She would wake herself up coughing and choking - very sad!!! Monday, we took her to the doctor and he sent us to the hospital for an RSV test (Praise the Lord, the test came back negative!), what a horrible little test! She has been getting better, but is still very congested.

We were planning to introduce solids this past weekend, but figured we should wait since she was sick. Maybe this weekend. . .

Here are a few recent pictures of my little munchkin.
Just chilling with Daisy

One of Aayla's very favorite things - her sippy cup. She would never take a bottle, but give her a sippy cup any day! (She always looks so much smaller when Daddy is holding her!)

Playing with Grandma. She is getting so big - sits up so well by herself!

My poor sweet sick baby on her "birthday". This is Aayla's favorite nap spot - Mommy!

New Layout

2007-01-19T17:23:00.000-06:00

Well, about a week ago, I completed my final layout using the trial version of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo. You can download a free full access trial for thirty days, to test it out before you buy it. I have a few more to try out before I decide, but I did enjoy PSP while I had it. So, here it is:

Credits:
Paper - Seasonal Sampler by Shabby Princess
Ribbon and Bow - Swirlicious by Samara Gugler at Digital Scrapbook Place
Tag - Diva by Digital Scrapbook Place

Everything here is going well. The doctor determined that Mike's foot was not broken, just bruised. He just returned to full duty at work Wed. It still bothers him when he is on it for a long period of time, but seems to be healing well.
Little Miss Aayla has a cold (nothing major, but she seems pretty congested at times), and since her and I love to share, I have a cold too! I am starting to feel a little better, and judging by her cheeriness, so is she.

That's about all I have to report for now. Hope everyone reading this is having a blessed day!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-04T21:48:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems as though the new year is coming in with a bang! I started the year off with some type of head cold and now Mike has injured his foot - the kicker (no pun intended) is that the dr. cannot determine whether or not his foot is actually broken! He injured it at work when he dropped a 90lb gear on it - I am quite thankful for the invention of metatarsal boots! He is doing OK though and hopefully it won't take too long to heal.

On a brighter note, Little Miss is growing and thriving and busy being the most wonderful baby ever. She certainly is developing quite a personality, and we have had many indications that she will be a stubborn, independent little one (considering her parents, we are not surprised!)! She discovered her toes the week before Christmas, and within a week she could sit up for short periods by herself. She "slept through the night" one night for me - and I was ready to start rejoicing in the extra sleep, but we soon realized it was the cold medicine that was making her sleep. Oh well, I am enjoying even the night wakings, for I know they will come to an end all too soon. In fact, that is one of my favorite times with Aayla - everything is peaceful and quiet and it's just the two of us.

Daisy was treated to a bath this evening, and is now staying as far away from me as possible lest I invent some even worse form of torture! She absolutely despises her bath, but Aayla got a huge laugh out of watching Daisy shake and roll around on our bed to get all the clean off of her. I find it so funny that such big laughs come out of such little people!!!

Well, I finished another digital layout - I wasn't going to post it because I have seen the work that some of you do (and I cannot compete at this time!) - but Lyndsey persuaded me that I should post it, so here it is:

The kit I used to create this layout is actually a freebie! It's "Vintage Florals" available at Shabby Princess.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2006-12-23T18:26:00.000-06:00

Credits: paper and tree available at Shabby Princess

I'm Hooked. . .

2006-12-23T18:14:00.000-06:00

on digital scrapbooking. Seems so resourceful - nothing needs to be cut and everything is reusable!!! Here is my first attempt (not too bad, I thought!):

This kit is available at
Strawberry Pet Products.

5 MONTHS!!!

2006-12-21T16:54:00.000-06:00

Happy 5 months to my little baby girl! Time certainly does fly. You are growing and changing so much every day (what a difference the last 5 months has made in our lives). We love you, Little Goob!

Some Photos. . .

2006-12-19T19:28:00.000-06:00

Here are some quick photos for all of you clamoring for more Aayla:
Aayla in her pretty pink dress!

My beautiful blue-eyed girl!

Being goofy

A Short Update...

2006-12-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been awhile. We had an excellent Thanksgiving. Good food, good family, good times! We certainly have much to be thankful for!
Thanksgiving weekend we put up our tree - first real tree in a long, long time.

Last week, Aayla had her 4 mo. checkup (more like 4.5 mos.), and all is well. She now weighs a whopping 16 lbs. 9 oz. and is 26.5 inches long. She certainly seems to be in a hurry to grow!
We finished almost all of our Christmas shopping last weekend (the rest will be online shopping I hope) - braving the holiday crowds is certainly not my idea of a good time. I'm so happy to have that mostly done.
Two quick pics:
"What up?"
"Really?!? Then what happened?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T14:33:00.000-06:00

Boy am I glad it's Thanksgiving! Four days off of work! Time to sit back and relax, enjoy time with the family, and eat good food. This year we are going over to my Aunt's house and Kris made a Mandarin Mixed Green Salad, and a Tiramisu Layer Cake. The frosting for the cake is REALLY GOOD! I took some of the chocolate she curled on top and dipped it in the frosting. Yum! I also am enjoying spending time with Aayla while she is happy! She is a happy baby most of the time, but in the afternoon after her nap, while I am at work, she is happy and playful for a larger period of time. Weekends our schedule is so messed up that she gets kind of cranky sometimes. So I have had a great time playing and holding her most of the morning and afternoon! During her nap I also got a bit of Xbox 360 time in. Since Aalya came along my gaming time has dropped considerably. Also Kris and I have had little time to watch movies. Not that I am complaining, we really don't miss it. Your priorities do change when you have children (well at least they should). Kris made these hats for Aayla while I was writing this post. Isn't she a cutie!

Not Much to Say. . .

2006-11-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

But then, I don't think that really matters - most of you are probably just as happy if I write nothing - as long as I post pics! We are all doing well, same old, same old. Last week, Mike had twelve hour days all week plus Saturday, so we are still recovering a little from having our routine so messed up. Aayla is enjoying tummy time alot more, but has no desire to roll over (which is just fine, she'll do it when she's ready!). I'm starting to get a little more sleep - the first rounds of immunizations messed up Aayla's sleep schedule quite a bit, and we are just now getting back to a 6 hour block of sleep at once. Yeah!!!
Weather went from unseasonably warm last week to absolutely freezing today (we awoke to a thunderstorm of sleet!). Well, that's about all from here, so without further ado:
OK Mom, put that camera down and come play.
Fleece tastes great!
Daddy sure is comfy!

How Time Flies

2006-10-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

It seems like only yesterday that we brought Little Miss Aayla home from the hospital, and now she's three months old! Where did all the time go? Unfortunately, these pictures are a little old (I got a video camera for my birthday, so the digital camera doesn't see much use!). For those of you who know when my birthday is, yes, I got my present early! Anyway, without further ado, here are the pictures of my sweethearts:
Hanging with Daddy
Smiles for Grandma!

We're Still Here. . .

2006-10-01T21:09:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we are alive and well. Aayla got to meet Aunt Jenni who flew all the way from Guam to see her! Jen was home for two weeks, so we spent alot of time hanging out with the family - boy does Jen like to shop!?! I get tired just thinking about it! I guess I would be eager to shop at some real stores too if all I usually got to go to was a Kmart and Macy's! We had a lot of fun while Jen was home and we were all sad to see her leave. Heather also came to visit for a few days - it was nice to see her as well!
After everyone went their separate ways, I (Kris)had my wisdom teeth removed. I opted for local anesthesia (novacaine) only, and the procedure was done in less than 10 minutes! Everything seems to be healing well, so I am very thankful for that. All I had heard from others were the horror stories of things gone wrong - wasn't too thrilled with the prospect, but it had to be done.
Other than that, same old, same old. Aayla has been uber fussy for the last two days - hopefully this isn't a permanent change! Oh well, roll with the punches! - Sorry to all reading this if it doesn't make sense - everything's a bit foggy right now (lack of sleep, I believe). To close, I will post a few pics. . .

Meeting Aunt Jenni for the first time.

What a cutie!
With my beautiful blanket that Lyndsey made me!

A Quick Family Portrait

2006-09-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

Digital cameras are great! Today Kris and I decided to take an impromptu "Family Portrait." Naturally it didn't turn out well. But that does not really matter when you have a digital camera. So we took nearly 15 more. Somewhere in there is a good one. (or at least nearly good) So here it is...

We also took a few other "good" ones...

Our Little Sweet Pea(s). . .

2006-08-22T16:01:00.000-06:00

Just chillin' one evening. (Daisy is still a little unsure about this "intruder" who takes up Mommy's time, but she seems to be willing to give Aayla a chance - she certainly doesn't mind snuggling with her!)

Open mouth, insert . . . shoulder? elbow? hand? Not sure what we're going for here!

Smile for the camera!

Sunday morning in a dress Aunt Jenni sent (sleepy from keeping Mommy up all night!)

Birth Story

2006-08-14T16:28:00.000-06:00

Well, I know that this is a bit overdue, but I finally have a little time to post a little bit about Aayla's birth:
On Friday morning July 21 at 7:30am we arrived on the Labor/Delivery unit of the hospital ready to be induced - I had no contractions that I could feel up to this point, but I was 3-4 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Sometime between 8am and 8:30am, my midwife administered prostin gel, and I started having regular contractions almost immediately. After staying in bed for the required hour, I was up walking the halls to try to get things going. I was exhausted however (how are you supposed to sleep the night before something like THIS?!?), so I didn't feel up to walking around a whole lot. I did however spend a lot of time in the whirlpool and rocking in the rocking chair. After about 4 hours, Sandy (my midwife) suggested that if she were to break my water, my labor would get very intense, but things would proceed very quickly. So, we decided to go ahead with that - SHE WAS NOT JOKING! Talk about intense! My whole perception of pain has changed dramatically!
Once she broke my water, I immediately went from 4cm to 7cm and from manageable contractions to very painful, intense contractions. They were doing their job though, because in about a half hour, I was fully dilated and ready to push - and less than half an hour later, at 1:15pm, Aayla was born! Praise the Lord!
I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and amazing midwife who both were key in Mike and I achieving our goal of a (relatively) natural childbirth. I really couldn't have done it without Mike's support!!!
I was going to post more, but Little Miss is awake and starting to demand attention, so I gotta go!
A quick picture of Aayla and Daddy.

More Pics for Aunt Jenni!

2006-08-05T12:33:00.000-06:00

This is our two babies enjoying a little nap.

Aayla's natural sleep position. Kris says she tried to sleep like this all the time in the womb.

Isn't she a cutie!

This last one is for Aunt Jenni. We took her out to Texas Roadhouse, but she couldn't decide what she wanted.

One Week and Growing Fast

2006-07-30T14:09:00.000-06:00

Aayla went in for her one week weight check on Friday morning, and she has already gained quite a bit! She was 8lbs. 10oz. at birth, dropped below 8lbs. in the hospital, and is already up to 9lbs. 4oz.! Hooray!
Here are some pictures at 10 days old (today) taken after church:

I know that I certainly am prejudiced, but isn't she adorable?!?

New Pictures

2006-07-25T18:35:00.000-06:00

Mom before . . .
And after . . . very tired, but indescribably happy!
And baby makes three!

The Cutie!

2006-07-24T20:20:00.000-06:00

Even at this young age she is a great thinker!

The Much Heralded Arrival!

2006-07-23T17:34:00.000-06:00

On Friday the 21st, at 1:15pm Aayla Olivia was born! She was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 20.5 inches long at birth. Both her and her mother are doing fine. (By the way, her name is pronounced like Kayla without the K.) We just arrived home today, and we will post pictures later.

Please Pray. . .

2006-07-20T21:05:00.000-06:00

Well, the baby has decided that he/she is not just yet ready to join the outside world! So, we will be going in to the hospital tomorrow morning to be induced. I know that this is a perfectly "normal" procedure, but I am still nervous about it. Also, if you are reading this tonight, please pray that I am able to sleep tonight. Sleep has been a precious commodity lately, and I am having a hard time "shutting down" my active mind to get to sleep at night - I am afraid tonight will be no different because I actually have something to ponder all night long!
Thanks to you all for your prayers and support, we hope to be able to post our long awaited news soon!

An End in Sight. . .

2006-07-18T21:17:00.000-06:00

Well, they say no news is good news, but I think that would depend upon whom you ask. I wanted to post this to let you all know that Baby Ertl has not made an appearance yet - long absences from the blogosphere do cause people to wonder! There is (as the title of this post suggests) an end in sight for us though. At my appointment on Monday, my midwife scheduled me to be induced on Friday A.M. if I don't go into labor before then. The reason for the induction (or inducement - not sure which is actually correct), is the SUA. If not for that, she would not consider inducing until I was closer to 42 weeks.
The baby seems to be doing well. According to the NST - "good fetal movement" - let me tell you that they don't have to hook me up to a monitor for me to know that this baby has good fetal movement! My poor ribs can attest to the strength and frequency of the baby's jabs!
In other news, there really is no other news. I feel as though everything is "on hold" in a way. I don't really want to make plans for anything, lest the plans are ruined. Maybe reverse psychology would work here though - maybe if I make some grandious, outrageous plans, the baby will decide to make an appearance to thwart them. Or maybe I am desperately grasping at straws here! I know that God's timing is perfect and there is an end to this (although I have almost convinced myself, as I'm sure most pregnant women do, that I will be the first woman EVER to have a never-ending pregnancy!). So, I am attempting to patiently wait for that end!

Just the Two of Us. . .

2006-07-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

Realized that we didn't have any pics of us together on here - so here you have it folks! This was taken a little while ago (notice the smaller baby belly, what a difference four more months makes!) - back in March when we had our second ultrasound.

Some Pictures While We Wait. . .

2006-07-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to putting our most recent pics on the computer, so I thought I would post a few.
Mike digging out the T-Post in our backyard - it had enough cement to anchor a ship!
Latest belly pic - taken today.
Look at those darling puppy eyes!

One Week and Counting. . .

2006-07-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

Well, the countdown continues. My visit with my midwife yesterday went well. The baby is doing well (an overachiever I am told, based on the activity on the NST). Really nothing new to report on that front. I asked the midwife when they would start considering induction - I'm not wanting to be induced, but I have been told that due to the SUA, they do not want me going too far beyond my due date. She said that if I do not go into labor by next Monday, they will consult with the doctor on how he feels we should proceed - so, we're praying hard for at least a contraction or two very soon (and hopefully a successful delivery this week)! I have two requests already for Friday of this week, and one for Monday of next week - are there others?!? I'll do my best!!!

I am absolutely convinced that this past week is the hottest one of my life! I was warned that this would occur, and I am thankful that I didn't feel too uncomfortable up until recently - but I am ready to move to Alaska! Mike thinks its funny (not in a cruel way, but rather ironic), because I am usually cold even in the middle of summer. This is only because he is such a warm-blooded critter that he finds it necessary for our house to feel like a walk-in freezer (Oh, how I would love to go to sleep in a walk-in freezer right about now)!

Can't really think of much else going on. Just playing the waiting game for now. I am also frantically trying to finish the baby afghan that I started months ago, but am now motivated enough to finish. At the rate I am going, I just may get it done in time, but we shall see.

General Update. . .

2006-07-06T21:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I have been negligent at posting for long enough. Not much going on around here lately. We had a good July 4th weekend (yeah for the 4th being on Tuesday, since Mike got 2 vacation days out of it!). We spent alot of time "catching up" on sleep - funny, before I was pregnant, I could barely take naps; I sleep all the time now! We hung out with friends and just chilled in general.

Monday, I saw my midwife for my 38 weeks minus one day appt. Everything went really well. The appts. are a bit long since I have a NST (NonStress Test) at every visit, but it is definitely worth it to know that the baby is doing well. Contrary to what I had been told at previous visits, my midwife no longer believes me to be carrying the next Andre the Giant (several weeks back, I was warned that "this baby is a little on the large side. . ."). For awhile, I thought we may need to purchase a size 6 mos. take home outfit - but I suppose newborn will do after all!

Funny Story - my midwife told me that I friend of hers did a short-term missions trip to Africa. She was surprised to discover that babies don't wear diapers of any kind where she went. Apparently family members just learn to recognize the signs of impending danger and hold the baby away from themselves at the appropriate time. I'm sure there would be many "misses" early on, but you'd probably catch on to the baby's signals pretty quickly! Can't you just imagine how unusual it would be to see that in the states?!?

My poor Daisy-baby has had a rough time of it this whole weekend. Loud noises frighten her beyond measure, so obviously, the 4th is not a popular holiday with her. I was up with her until 5am Monday morning just trying to get her to calm down and settled enough to go outside for her business (I wouldn't normally have stayed up just because she was scared, but she hadn't been outside for at least 12 hours and eventually something has to give!). Between fireworks and thunderstorms, she is a nervous wreck still. To top it all off, I took her to the vet Wednesday for a booster shot. She actually snubbed the vet when he offered her a treat after giving her a shot - she would have none of it. So, once we were in the car, I offered her a treat (I wanted to know if it was the vet she didn't like, or if she was just upset). Sure enough, she took the treat with no problem! I've never seen her snub a person (besides me when she is being moody), and it is really funny since she is the most people-loving dog I have ever seen.

Approximately 12 days until Baby Ertl (if "Due Dates" can be trusted, and they can't), and we cannot decide on cloth versus disposable diapers. Thought that we had decided to use disposables, but now I'm not sure. Maybe we'll use the "African Method" above until we can decide! LOL!

Early morning! (for me)

2006-07-01T12:07:00.000-06:00

I keep telling Kris that I feel like I have been out of the world for weeks. In reality it has only been three days. At work the first shift operator had a death in the family, so third shift and I (on second) had to work 12 hours to cover for him. Thursday night he didn't want to work 12 hours so I came in at 6:30am after getting off at 11:00 at night. I only got about 3 or 4 hours of sleep and then had to work another 12 till 7:00pm. FINALLY it is over! My 4 day weekend has commenced! Well, it started off with an early morning. Early when you stay up till 2am. Nathan, a good friend from highschool, and his wife were in town with their new baby! So we went out with them for brunch. It was really good to see them! It makes you feel really old when you sit around and talk about birth and kids!

Water Pumps and Miscellany. . .

2006-06-23T08:04:00.000-06:00

Just remembered something else that I wanted to comment on. A few days ago, our car ("The Old Gray Mare" - an '89 Oldsmobile) started making gurgling noises. Now, I'm no mechanic, but I didn't think that was normal. We took the car in to our trusty mechanic and sure enough, the water pump was broken! I must admit, my feelings toward the car at this point were not of a friendly nature - we've had it at the garage 3 times in the last 6 - 7 months (twice it had to be towed), but then I realized that God has provided the funds every single time and has protected us from accidents and being stranded in strange places every time. In this particular instance, two weeks ago, I decided to set aside "for no reason" every extra dollar I could into a savings that we try not to use regularly. Well, the amount I was able to set aside more than covered the amount of our car repairs! Also, God has given us a mechanic that we trust, and has never tried to cheat us because we are a young couple who "don't know any better." When we went to pick the car up, the mechanic told Mike that we were very "fortunate" not to have lost any of the fluids (he was very surprised that we hadn't, he said it just started pouring out once he started working on it!), if we had, driving it could have overheated the engine. Fortunate indeed - Blessed is more like it!
I must admit that I don't always take the time to "count my blessings," but God is so very good to us. Reviewing this incident to write for this blog has made me realize how amazing God's care of His children is. Often I am tempted to look at situations as "it's a good thing I was able to do such and such to work that out," but it truly is none of me and all of HIM!
And since, I'm on the topic, another blessing this week was being able to get together with my friend Lyndsey and have a "girl's evening out." We had a great time of fellowship and she was an incredible help in whittling down my list of baby necessities - I tend to get overwhelmed by my "to do's" and "things we need before the baby arrives" - it definitely helps to have someone who's been there recently for advice!

Morning Wake-up Call. . .

2006-06-23T07:19:00.000-06:00

Well, what a blessing - this morning, Mike got a call from the night shift supervisor saying that he didn't have to come into work today! Originally Mike had been told that he would have to stay over 4 hours tonight, and possibly work tomorrow; but apparently there wasn't enough work to do. The really neat thing about it is that if he gets laid off for a single day at the company's discretion, he still gets paid almost as much as he would if he went to work!
So, now to come up with my "honey do" list!!! Can't let him off the hook that easy!
Last evening, my darling dog did as dogs do and rolled in something horrendous smelling outside - that can mean only one thing - BATH TIME! Now, Daisy is fine with me brushing her teeth, clipping her nails, and in general making her miserable; but this dog-o-mine just HATES getting bathed (hates being wet in general). She kept trying to jump out of the tub. Usually I can handle a 25 lb. dog, but add a 9 month-pregnant belly to get in the way and slow me down, and it gets a little crazy!
The really fun thing about giving her a bath is her reaction when finished - she runs around the house like a crazy wild animal, rolling on any soft, dry surface she can find. Usually, she just jumps up on our bed and starts burrowing through pillows and between blankets to get the "stink of clean" off of her! It really is a sight to behold.

Quite the artist...

2006-06-20T22:30:00.000-06:00

What Kris failed to mention in the post about the nursery was that she painted all the characters on the walls. My budding artist painted eighteen scenes in all. It took her two and a half hours to do each one over a three week period. The pictures just don't do them justice!

Houston we have a . . .

2006-06-18T20:30:00.000-06:00

CRIB! I am just so excited to be able to say that Baby may come at his/her leisure and our home is ready to accomodate him/her! Mike and his dad worked together to build a crib for the baby and it turned out beeeeaaaauuuutifully! Now, we have taken photos of the nursery that I will attempt to post. There are also pics of my big pregnant belly - by popular request.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy To. . .

2006-06-14T12:08:00.000-06:00

MY DOG! Daisy Mae is 2 years old today! And what did her loving mother do for her? I got her an appt. to see the vet!!! Oh, how she will love me (especially on top of the thunderstorms we have had all morning, which shake her to her very core!)! Oh well, she knows I love her! Plus, I already promised her Puppy Ice Cream later (yes, I do buy my dog her own ice cream, but at least it's better for her than people ice cream!)!

My Life as a Blog. . .

2006-06-14T12:01:00.000-06:00

I think that this is a bad sign - maybe I've become too obsessive about my blog, and I just started it. Last night, I had a dream that my life was a blog - and someone else (actually several someone elses) were the writers! Whoa! Now, if I were to psychoanalyse myself, it would probably go something like this: the fact that other people (none of whom I know by the way)were composing my life means that I care too much about what other people think and live my life by other people's expectations. Sounds pretty good, huh (the analysis, not the meaning)?!? Maybe I have found my calling in life!!! Actually, I think the dream was the result of too much strawberry shortcake before going to bed - that and trying to figure out all the best set-up options for my blog. I must admit, I do tend to obsess about things until I get them just so.
I guess I haven't found my calling after all. My mother-in-law suggested a more probable interpretation (if one believes in that sort of thing) which was that I feel as though I don't have control of a lot of things going on in my life right now - which is certainly the case! I guess I'll have to keep looking for what I want to be when I grow up!!!

State of Being. . .

2006-06-13T22:44:00.000-06:00

Since this blog is partly for the purpose of sharing about the exciting and life altering event of having a child, I will bring anyone who cares to read up to speed. We first learned of our pregnancy in November of 2005. We had been trying to get pregnant for a while (about 6 months), so we were very excited to learn that we were!!! We waited to tell everyone (except close family) until around Christmas, due to the possibility of complications. Everything seemed to be going along fine - especially if lots of morning sickness and dizziness constitutes "fine" - until we went in for our 20-something week ultrasound. There we were informed that the baby appeared to have a two-vessel cord (a condition known as Single Umbilical Artery - for more information, visit March of Dimes website). We were referred to a perinatologist for further tests and consultation. Everything was A-OK at that visit, so it was determined that I would just need close monitoring to ensure that a problem didn't develop. To this end, next week I begin a series of half hour "non stress tests" that will occur weekly until the baby is born. We also learned from our last appt. that I have Group B Strep, which will require me to have IV antibiotics during labor and delivery. I have found myself struggling with these issues at times because I fear that they will "rob" me of the birth I had planned, but we are constantly being reminded throughout this pregnancy that God is in control and He will work all things out according to His plan and for His glory! Sometimes, it is hard to simply TRUST instead of planning everything the way I want it - but I can say with assurance that HIS way is best.

Beginnings. . .

2006-06-13T12:16:00.000-06:00

Well, here's my first foray into the world of blogging. I have enjoyed lurking on other blogs for a while now, but never got around to creating my own. Now that the birth of our first baby is nearly upon us (mid July), it seemed as good a time as any to get started.