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I don't know if Alaska's winters are wearing on me, but one of my favorite things to do is look at real estate and dream.  Not of luxurious homes or huge mansions, no, I much prefer things simple.  Maybe I imagine us being wiser with our next purchase (I love our home, but affordability is an issue), or maybe I imagine what it would be like to be able to go for a walk with Michael at any time of year, but I'm always on the lookout for our next great adventure...  Part gypsy?  Perhaps...  Missionary at heart?  Most definitely!  Although, we moved so much when I was growing up that all I wanted was to lay down some roots when I got older.  Now here I am, hunting on the interwebs... for what?  Despite the interest in wherever we'll end up next, I know that as long as I am with Sean and Michael, I'll be happy...they are my home, and wherever it is that God will use us most, only He knows...

"I'm like a potted plant...as long as you feed me and water me I'll go wherever you want to..." 

                                                          - Sean  (I love you, husband!)  ;)

Growing Like a Weed...

Son-o, son!  You just keep on growing!  :)  It's been 7 months since you came into our lives and you've been blessing us ever since!  :)
So many new things - all around you - every day...

Keep on looking...

Keep on learning...

Keep on growing...

I love you.

:)

I had an AWFUL night of sleeplessness mixed with terrible dreams when I did doze off.  :(  boo.
But then I woke up at the same time as my beautiful son, and he put his little hands on my face and told me stories.  I love love love being a momma!  :)

Sometimes...

Sometimes at night, when putting you to bed, 

I'll linger for a while in our chair, just to hold you in my arms...a little longer.  

I love you, son...

How it all came down

Some people have been asking me about Michael's birth - how it went, what it was like, you know...they want details.  Be aware that this is going to be a little....descriptive.
Most of you know that getting pregnant in the first place was something of a miracle for us.  I have something called PCOS, and because of the condition of my ovaries, I don't ovulate on my own.  But with much advice and help, we were able to conceive.  :)

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Michael never decided it was time for him to come out.  He wasn't terribly overdue, but a week overdue and doc said it was time to induce.  We went in early in the morning and they administered the pitocin.  The doc came in and broke my water and I started having heavy contractions.  I dilated very fast, and finally decided I wanted that epidural they kept offering me.  The doc administered that, and then they checked me - it was time to push!  Whoa - the moment was here - so fast and it was already upon us - soon we would be holding our little bundle of joy!  We were eager to meet the little baby that had already been tugging on our heartstrings and keeping us entertained... 

But wait. 

And push.  

And wait.

And push.  

Little baby was stuck.  And facing the wrong way.  And going into distress.  And there was maconium.  All this took 6 hours of pushing to unfold.  They tried to turn him but no dice...stubborn little lad...  

The doc came in and told us we had a choice to make - baby had to come out now.  We could do an emergency c-section or we could try with the forceps and see if we could get baby out through the birth canal.  Sean and I stared at each other and prayed.  We came to the decision to try forceps first, then c-section if that didn't work.  

I felt like my insides were being ripped out of me.  Despite the fact that they had started the epidural again and I couldn't feel my legs, I could feel what was going on inside my body.  We heard a crunchcrunchcrunch and realized the doctor was cutting.  Making room.  Had to get baby out.  

FINALLY the head and shoulders came through and it was like this little baby just fell the rest of the way out.  

We have a boy!  

Why wasn't he crying?  The doc quickly passed him to a respiratory specialist who cleared his lungs and got him breathing...  And that little cry was the BEST sound in the world!  

TOTALLY Worth the Wait

No, no, no, not my blog (although I am sorry for the wait...)  THIS little guy has been totally worth the wait, the fight, the prayers, everything. 

*Totally* worth the wait...

Today we added two feet to our family...  :)

Michael Alan Aagaard was born to us on May 11, 2010 at 6:51 pm Alaska time.  He put up a big fight to get out, and finally joined us here on the outside!  :)

"Wait for the Lord;
be strong & take heart

& wait for the Lord."
                            Psalm 27:14

Pepper Mint

  

     

 

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May the fourth be with you...

Baby is due today!  ;D  I have no idea if that means that baby is coming today, but this is our due date...  :)
How incredible, since Sean is by far the biggest Star Wars fan/geek I have ever known.  ;)  I love my husband!  And if our little one decides to wait a little longer, we still have a really cool due date...and a geeky start for baby!  :)  heehee....
Enjoy your day everyone, and May the fourth be with you!  ;D

A man after God's own heart...

Clinton Coker left this life on April 21, 2010...

He taught me so many things, so many things I can't even think of them all. He taught me to put God first. He taught me to hold my tongue (still working on that one...). He taught me the right way to say Louis Armstrong's name when I was just a kid, and I will never forget hearing about his appreciation for Louis' music, and I have yet to hear a Louis Armstrong tune since that conversation where Papa does not dominate my thoughts. He taught me that it's better to live right than to live rich. He taught me that no matter how much distance can separate people, you can still be close at heart.

I wish I had taken more time to let him know how much he meant to me. I know where he is, because of his unbending faith, and I know I'll see him again - and that is a comforting thought.

All my life I have never known a stronger, kinder, sweeter, truer soul than he...I will truly miss you Papa....

"...The journey doesn't end here...

Death is just another path, one that we all must take.

The grey rain curtain of this world pulls back,

and all turns to silver glass...and then you see it. White shores...and beyond -

a far green country into a swift sunrise."

What a day...

What a beautiful Easter we had here in Kenai! ;D

The day started early for Sunrise Service at the lovely home of an amazing couple. Their home overlooks the river, and we were greeted on this chilly morning with steaming cups of pink hot chocolate (love you Leslie!) and then by several belugas swimming back down the Kenai river hunting salmon. ahhh.... We also saw a few eagles gracing the sky, sang some great songs and heard an encouraging Word. :) A great day!

The Lord is amazing...

:)

9 weeks to go! ;D

We are down to the single digits here! ;D No - not temperature (thank goodness!) - but our due date - it's 9 weeks away! :D

We're very excited!

Also, I'm fat. Another little girl at school asked me on Friday if I was having a baby. I said, "yes, how did you know?" She looked at me point-blank and said, "because you're fat!" :) Warm fuzzies... I just smiled. She then proceeded to give me a gift she had "made just for me." (I've never met this little girl...) I took the pink paper cut outs and told her how beautiful they were, one being a puppy and one being a dragonfly. Or a skinny butterfly. Or a dragon. Still pretty! :) Later on I went back into the same classroom for something and she asked me when I was going to give her a note. Perplexed, I asked, "a note for what?" She promptly replied, "so I can come to your house and see the baby!" I smiled and told her I'd bring the baby to school so she could see. She asked if she could be baby's auntie. :) heehee....

And today the daughter of a teacher friend of mine told me that she likes my baby. :) heehee....

I love my job....(and my baby...)

:)

A few MORE of my favorites...

I have a few more gems for you from the last couple weeks at work... Not many, but a few:

• Millie: My cousin's almost pregnant. Me: How can your cousin be *almost* pregnant? Millie: Well, she graduated high school, and so now she's almost pregnant! (I'm so relieved that our children are learning to think this way...sarcasm, sarcasm... Much debate went on over whether or not someone could actually be almost pregnant.)
• So, I don't wanna be rude but........................(eyes rolling around in his head looking for best wording possible).............................whenisitdue? (Holding breath hoping I won't be offended at him asking me slyly whether or not there is, in fact, a baby in there.) Ahhh....the mind of a 10 year old....
• Why didn't you have your baby yet? OOH - YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR BABY TODAY!!!
• You should have a girl. I want you to. You should have a girl. You could name her Jessica. I think you should have a girl. Girls are cuter. *grin*

I have also really been enjoying the tapping on my belly to get my attention instead of tapping on my shoulder or raising their hands... ;) I love my job! ;D Can't wait to hear all the goofy things our little kiddo will say... ;D

hmmmm....

I don't really have much to write or anything profound to say, but I felt like I should be posting something tonight. Maybe it's because Sean's at work and I don't really want to just sit around doing nothing. Although, once in a while, that's not a bad thing... ;)

We've really been torn between living here in Alaska or going somewhere that cost of living is not so much. His mom and step-dad live in TN, and it's beautiful there. I have family in MT, and we really and truly have the whole country to choose from, we just want to be somewhere where we know somebody. Have family close by. It's tough. We really do love it here in beautiful Alaska. Beautiful Alaska. Other states get names like "Sunny California" (which I also miss our family and friends there immensely) but Alaska truly is beautiful in every sense of the word, in every direction you look. So many different terrains, so many different sights, so much beauty - for lack of a better word.

I've really been enjoying the days getting a little longer, and have been taking (or trying to take) sunset pictures as often as I have the chance. This month, the sun setting, reflecting off the water of the inlet, the volcanoes backlit by warm pinks and oranges, have been breathtaking.

I'm trying to learn the settings on the manual function of our camera, and wishing I had the know-how to make them work the way I see things. So many of my shots come out grainy, but God sure knows how to paint a beautiful sunset nonetheless. :)

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I hope you're all enjoying your surroundings as much as I have been! I'm looking forward to the summer when we can get out and hike this beautiful state, take many more photos, and make many more memories! ;D

In mid-week 26... ;D

Here we are, in the midst of week 26...

...

...AND my own shock (and dismay) I just came to the realization that you can all see our unmade bed in the mirror. That's nice. SO, please know that....next time I'll cut that out of the shot. JUST KIDDING!!! heehee.... I *can* still make the bed, but I was sick, so it just didn't happen.

Baby has been kicking a lot the last couple days, and we've gotten to see movement from the outside world, which amazes us, and which Sean finds very entertaining... ;)

Pretty soon this little person will be here... :)

A few of my favorites...

SO many kiddos at school have been wondering about/staring at my belly for the past 3 weeks, and I've gotten a lot of comments from some of them - no negative comments, just....funny. Put the way only kids could put things. For example:

• Are you...wait. You're... ARE YOU?? pregnant?
• Are you REALLY pregnant?
• So, you're pregnant, right? (hair toss over her shoulder)
• J: "Is your baby gonna come out yet?" Me: "Nope, not till it's ready to come out." J: "Cuz you're not married yet?" Me: "Nope - I'm married...." J: "Oh." (walks away) (J is an adorable kindergartner.)
• So, there's a baby in there?

I get SO many stares, and it must be hypnotic 'cause they seem to zone out on my growing belly.

The looks have gone from the obvious "don't-stare-too-long-or-she'll-see-me-looking" to the complete-and-total-loss-of-self-consciousness-open-mouthed-gawk.

I can't wait to hear more as the weeks go on and the belly gets bigger.

Belly Pictures for Week 24

Lack of creativity for a title for this post notwithstanding, here is a pic of my belly for this week, taken yesterday. :)

Oh, how I love that "I've-just-been-sweeping-up-all-the-dog-hair-ALL-OVER-THE-PLACE" 'do I've got goin' on... ;P heehee.... I love my pups. I can't believe they're still shedding in the middle of winter, but I love my pups, and can't wait to see how they'll react to Baby. A couple years ago, a friend brought over her son when he was about 2 weeks old, and Honey (we didn't have Zoe yet) just couldn't figure out WHAT the car seat was or why it was crying. When my friend took the cover off the baby, all Honey wanted to do was fix whatever was wrong and make him stop crying. ;) Adorable.

24

"24 voices, with 24 hearts,

All of my symphonies, in 24 parts..."

No - there are NOT 24 babies in here - no matter what it might look like to some... These are my favorite lines from a song by Switchfoot. It's a great song - and you should check it out sometime if you've never heard it - very moving...

Today, my friends, I am 24 weeks along...

We've been having more movement every day, and baby rolled yesterday for the first time (that I could feel - VERY weird, but very amazing feeling)... ;D

God has blessed us so much with this baby - and I just hope that we can raise up our child in the way he or she should go, teach our child well, and be able to stand back when it's time for him or her to make decisions. Holy cow - what a trip!

We had a great check-up today - a growing baby with a strong heartbeat - such a wonderful sound! ;D

Soon this little person will be here - I have no words...

I took belly pics today, and will post them tomorrow... :)