2010....A new year

So I have been thinking about resolutions and goals since the new year is fastly approaching. And I wanted to have some place where I can write down my goals and be held accountable. I have even been thinking about starting another blog just about my resolutions/goals for 2010, since this blog is supposed to be about my family and our adventures. It is ambitious but maybe if I have to write about my progress, lets say once a week then I will be more likely to stick to my goals.

So lets start here by me writing out my Goals:
1. Be the best mom & wife, I can be.
2. Take better care of myself.
A. Drink more water and much less pop.
B. Eat more veggies.
C. Exercise more.
3. Make more time for my friends.
4. Train to run a 5K. (Couch-to-5K running plan - http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml)
5. Blog more
6. Have more date nights with my husband.

I think this is a enough to tackle in one year. As I write these I really do think I will start another blog to track my progress/set backs for 2010. A blog about me. Please check out my new blog:
Cristy Gets Healthy

MIA - Catch up

Let's see from about the beginning of November until now, 2 days before christmas, time has just slipped away from me. I have been busy at work and when I get home from work I just want to be with Gaven and of course I hve to do some house work. Some nights Gaven takes a nap and then still goings to sleep between 8&9. So that gives me even less time with him in the evening. So I do the house work while he sleeps. To all my friends I am sorry that I have not kept in better touch. I do think about you and want to call but I just want to spend all my free time in the evening with my lil boy.

So to catch everyone up, early November brought me some overtime at work. Then we went to Medina the weekend before Thanksgiving. We celebrated my mom's birthday, Thanksgiving and of course Caleb went hunting with my brother and Dad. December rolled on in and we found our family sick with a cold. So Gaven has officially had his first cold. Gaven is officially a sitter now. Then he had his 6month well baby check up and shots. He is 27inches and weighs 15lbs 4oz. He is growing like a weed. This past Sunday, the Rhodes family went to church for the first time with a baby. Gaven was a hit and we was a very good little boy during the service, he even slept through the sermon. So we will be going back.

We are looking forward to our first christmas as a family of three. It should be alot of fun since Gaven is sitting and he likes to play with paper. I will post some pictures after the holiday.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! God Bless

October

October has been a busy month so far. It started out with an amazing anniversary trip to the Finger Lakes in New York. First we went to my parents house to visit with them and let Grandma, Grandpa & Uncle Jimmy babysit Gaven for his first ever sleepover. Then it was on to Seneca Lake where we wine tasted for a whole day and then stayed at the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, NY. It was beautiful sunny day with the first of the fall color change happening. The wineries we great, I like them all. My favorite winery was Three Brothers because it was 3 wineries and a brewery all together. It was just fun. But the best place we tasted wine was Wagner winery & brewery. The man serving the wine for tasting was wonderful. He helped us find wines we both really loved. But my favorite wine of all I would have to say was Red Cat from Hazlitt. We will definitely be going back in the future!

Gaven had his 4 month well baby visit and shots. He is now 25.5 inches long and weights 13 lbs 4 oz. The doctor said he is right where he should be developmentally and maybe even ahead in a few things. He is now eating rice cereal, green beans, oatmeal (actually I am beginning to realize that he doesn't like oatmeal so I will put it away for awhile) and we just started peas last night. Onto orange and yellow veggies next. The little boy has discovered his legs and wants to stand alot now. We are in the process of deciding whether to get a walker or a stationary entertainer. Gaven has started to sit on his own, only for a few seconds at a time. We are working on this.

I have been doing well with my weight loss. I am down almost 10 lbs. I have been going to cycling on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Zumba Monday or Wednesday nights. I am feeling a little under the weather with a hacking cough and sinus pressure so I didn't make it to cycling yesterday and deciding whether or not to go to Zumba tonight. But I need to keep up the momentum and keep working out. I really should start some weight training but that is probably going to have to wait until Gaven is 6 months so he can go to babysitting at the gym.

This weekend is our 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. The weather is not looking all that great but it is only Wednesday and the forecast could change between now and Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no rain.

Looking ahead....we are planning on getting family Christmas portrait done along with Gaven's 6 month portraits. The Benben's are excited for us to come up for Thanksgiving, Caleb is excited to go hunting with my brother and dad. I have a busy work weekend in there also. PA buck season starts November 30th, Caleb is taking a few days of for that. So I will keep you updated on our adventures.

Halloween Pics

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Losing baby weight

So I had put on some weight before I got pregnant and then of course the pregnancy pounds packed on. About a month ago I started Weight Watchers at work. This is how I lost weight before, so I know that it works. I have lost 6lbs so far. I guess I'm on the right track. Now it is time to fit in some me time and get to the gym. Tomorrow morning I am going to get up at 4:45am to go to a 5:15am cycling class. I need to do this even though I am not looking forward to getting up so early, especially since Gaven still gets up once in a while during the night to eat. I know that eventually it will give me more energy and help me to lose the weight. Here is hoping I get a full nights sleep tonight before class. I'll post my progress as time goes on.

Mom Survey

Here you go moms - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED?
yes and no, we were planning to start trying in October so I had went of birth control, but we got pregnant in September.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
no :( but we were at the end of September. I found out 3 days before our wedding that I was pregnant. What a wonderful present from God!

3. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? !!
I took 4 pregnancy tests

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Nope.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
I'm 33 now

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
period was late

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
I think it was Lisa then Caleb then my best girls

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
Absolutely

9. DUE DATE?
June 1, 2009

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
no, I was one of the lucky ones

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
not really any one thing. I went thru phases with stuff.

12.WHAT IRRITATED YOU?
months of insomnia, being stuffed up, and my feet swelling

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
no.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY
Alot, I stopped figuring it out because of all the water weight gain I had.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
yes, 5 of them, I guess I am a lucky girl

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew about all except one.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
not really, I was being monitored closely for preeclampsia. I was retaining water, my blood pressure kept getting higher and some elevated protien levels.

WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Meadville Medical Center, Meadville, PA

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
13 by the time I had the c-section

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Caleb

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Caleb

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
C-section

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
YES, Nuban and Epidural


25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7lbs

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN
May 31, 2009

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Gaven James

31. BIGGEST SURPRISE DURING CHILDBIRTH?
That I couldn't calm myself down and that I had to have a c-section.

32. GREATEST MEMORY ABOUT CHILDBIRTH?
Holding Gaven and seeing Jen & Will when they were wheeling me back to my room and my friends coming to see us.

33. DID YOU BREASTFEED?
I tried but it was just to complicated. And I don't think I was producing milk.

New direction

Now that I am a mom and finally feel as though I have a better grasp on juggling motherhood, being a good wife and work full time; I want to start blogging more about motherhood. It is such an amazing thing and has so many wonderful and challenging times. So let's give it a try.

My son is now 15 weeks old. The first few weeks were pretty overwhelming for me. He did not gain weight at first. Gaven had trouble with reflux therefore, he was projectile vomiting all the time and it also turned out that his little tummy couldn't handle regular formula so we switched to soy. As I talked to old & new friends I found out that all of this was very common. That was comforting. I was very scared and nervous, I cried almost everyday. But as time went on and things got "easier" I felt more comfortable in my new mom skin. I already can't imagine my life with out him.

Caleb is a great dad. He has been very helpful. He would take care of Gaven after dinner and put him to bed so I could get some rest. Those long nights of getting up every couple hours for feedings were exhausting, especially after the months of insomnia while I was pregnant. Caleb is learning to be an amazing dad and bond with Gaven. I am so thankful to God for giving me my family.

3 Month old pics

Go Browns!!!

Our lil boy

Gaven James Rhodes arrived on May 31, 2009 at 12:34PM. He is truly my greatest accomplishment! More details to come soon...

Still waiting....

Gaven has still not arrived yet, but I still have 12 days to go until my due date. I have had swollen feet & ankles. But the swelling is getting worse, my legs, hands, and face are inclueded now. Along with the swelling I am retaining fluid around the tendon that causes carpal tunnel so my fingers are almost completely numb on my right hand and the left it is just my finger tips. The doctor has been worried about my swelling turning into preeclampsia but so far everything has been good. But today I am feeling nervous about the excess swelling. Last week my blood pressure was high for me but still within good pregnancy range. So we will see what it is today.

I want to have this baby. I am ready to meet my son!!!!

The final days...

The time to count down the days has started. I have 30 days to go. My feet and ankles are really swelling everyday now. I am tired more now than I have been during the pregnancy, not to mention I am not always sleeping well at night. My belly is stretched and I am not really sure how much more it can stretch. But I am extremely excited to know that really any day now I could meet my son! I wonder what he will look like. Will he have blonde hair like Caleb and I have. Will he have Caleb's blue eyes, will he have my skin tone, who's nose will he have and how big will he be.

The nursery is ready to go. Caleb still has the trim work to finish around the book shelf and window, but otherwise we are ready for Gaven to arrive. The crib is put together and the bedding is on, the stroller is put together, the pack n play is assebled, and the glider chair has arrived. We are just waiting for the baby now. I'll post pictures of the nursery soon. Have a great weekend.

Single digit weeks to go

So as of today I have 7 & 1/2 weeks to due date. I have started to be extremely uncomfortable, I'm not sure that my belly can stretch anymore, however, no stretch marks yet YEAH!!! I feel I am truly in the final stretch and there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. I have started nesting.....ie washing baby clothes and putting away, cleaning and putting things together. I am getting extremely excited to meet Gaven and see what he looks like. But I want him to cook a little longer before we get to meet him. I am betting he will have a full head of blonde hair. Caleb and I were both blonde as children. I have scheduled professional pregnancy photo shoot for next week. Something exciting to look forward to.

My nephew Konner is coming home from the hospital today. He will have a heart monitor with him for a lil while but at least he will be home. I am so excited to meet him this weekend. He will be 3 weeks old on Sunday.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter weekend.

Murphy's law

Last Sunday was Caleb's family baby shower for Gaven and I. Well 3:30am Sunday, we get a phone call from Caleb's mom telling us his sister Kelly is going to have an emergency c-section. Now it's murphy's law because Kelly was hosting the baby shower at her house along with my MIL. This is not the first time that SIL has delivered a baby on the day an event was to take place. Her oldest child was born on her Aunt Tina's wedding day, just fun tidbits. So I have a new nephew, Konnor Clark, 5lbs 13oz. He is still in the NICU in a different hospital than Kelly, because he is having some breathing trouble. Kelly is supposed to be released from the hospital today and going to see Konnor right away. I truly believe that once Konnor and Kelly are together he will start to get better. I can't imagine being born into this world and then not having any familar voices around. I keep praying for him. I can't wait to meet the little man. I'll keep everyone posted.

As for the baby shower, the show must go on. Since Kelly had a c-section, she won't be able to do much for awhile. So everything was ready and the house was cleaned. My MIL still had the shower. I got lots of nice things. We got a pac-n-play so now Gaven has a place to sleep if he arrives early. We also go a bouncer seat, high chair and more clothes. Lucky little guy. Gaven isn't even born and he is already so lucky to have so many that care about him.

The nursery is still not finished. Caleb has been busy with other projects now that the weather seems to have broke. I decided to start cleaning drawers and cabinets that are built in and washing baby clothes and put away. Trying to condence the amount of gifts just sitting on the floor. Hopefully Caleb will get things finished in the next week or so. I have my family baby shower April 18th. My grandmothers' gift to us is the crib. So I want the room completely finished so we can bring home the crib.

I guess that is all for now. Happy Spring!!!!

Update

We are still under construction at our home. The living room is painted and just needs the crown molding put up to finish. I really like having the room painted all one color and no more paneling. The paneling made the room seem so dark. We ended up using a mid-tone color on our walls. I am pleased. Now I have to look for some new curtains.

As for the nursery, the 1st coat of paint is on. The 2nd coat should be finished today. We are really liking the color. Caleb thinks its a nice calming color, I hope so. Caleb also has to put trim up in the nursery after the painting is finished. Then he has to paint the door frames for closet and the drawers & cupboard doors (the room has built in drawers & cupboard) and clean the hardwood floor. After all that is finished we will be ready to bring in furniture.

My 1st baby shower is Saturday and I can't wait. I'm so excited to finally have things to put in the nursery. I am really ready to start nesting, especially in the nursery.

Nursery under construction....

So Caleb and his buddy, Trevor, started to work on the nursery last weekend. They got the drywall hung and 2 coats of mud on the walls. They even hung drywall in our livingroom, since Caleb decided to do both rooms at once. They still need another coat of mud in a few spots then they can start the "wet" sanding, which they tell me that there will not be the dust from the sanding. I'm not convinced but we will see. I had asked Caleb to have the nursery done by my first baby shower, March 14th. Hopefully it will be finished. We finally agreed on a color for the livingroom. I'm a little nervous about how it is going to look but I'm hoping it turns out great. But before they can paint they need to texture plaster the walls and ceiling. I'll put up pictures when all is done.

2nd trimester coming to a close

We had a second ultrasound at the end of January to get better views of Gaven's heart and the umbilical cord. We also got another picture to show that he indeed is a boy!!!!

My belly has grown and shifted downward. I look like there is a soccer ball under my shirt. So with all this downward movement Gaven has been hanging out on or near my bladder, so bring on the bathroom trips. I have had a few bouts with heartburn and swollen ankles. Other than these few inconvienences, the pregnancy has been fine. Next week is my monthly check up at 26 weeks. Then I believe the visits will be every two weeks. We are nearing the last leg of the race, but can't see the finish line yet.

My dad had his surgery on February 5th. It was a good thing they took out his prostate because it actually had 15% cancer in it as opposed to the 5% they thought. It was also very enlarge. He is now recovering at home. I believe he is starting to get a little stir crazy staying in the house. The first week was ok because he could rest, now he is just getting bored. He goes back in a month for a check up.

I am not looking forward to the next couple of weeks at work, because I will be putting a good amount of overtime in, which of course is nice, but will be tiring. Especially if the multiple nightly bathroom trips keep up. So I am planning to relax as much as I can this weekend to get ready for the upcoming weeks. So I will be home give me a call if you want.

It's a New Year!!!

Happy New Year! Now that 2009 is officially underway, lets get updated. Caleb and I had a great christmas. I love the new golf bag he got me. Our trip to my folks was uneventful, and the stay was nice. Mom had a crotched baby blanket for me and another one started. Christmas in Meadville was nice. Everyone new I needed maternity clothes so I got money and gift cards for Motherhood. So promptly on Saturday, December 27th I headed to the outlets and spent over an hour trying on clothes and was very excited about my purchases. Then on Sunday I went to the local mall to finish up my shopping spree. Now I am more appropriately dressed for work. Wonder what my birthday will bring???

My dad's surgery is scheduled for February 5th. He is doing well now, just wants to get it over with. He is keeping himself busy by working on a dump truck of his.

January 2nd was the most exciting day of all, we had our first ultrasound. I couldn't wait and of course they were running behind and I was the last appointment of the day. We found out that we are having a boy!!!!

This is Gaven James Rhodes!