1/52

This year I have committed to doing the 52 week challenge from Paint the Moon.  One photo, every week, from a set theme.

Week 1:  Natural

this was the first day I got to see Owen.  I couldn't touch him.  For some reason, taking photos of his every detail helped me.

I had decided that I wouldn't go back into the files and choose a photo for the week but take something new - not staged but something that just happened.  But, when I saw the theme was natural I thought of this one first.  I love how the little prune lines are still on his toes.

tomorrow is finally Thursday....

I'm not one of those TGIF people - and I don't wake up every day wishing the week was over - but I am thankful that after a week of working, including nights this weekend, that tomorrow is Thursday and I am off with my family!

I have been pretty absent lately.  It has been busy.  I have ideas and things I want to blog about but I can't seem to find a moment.  Case in point - its 11:00, and I am lying in bed typing instead of sleeping.

This was a rough week.  My sister left again.  Dear friends moved away yesterday.  Another sad passing of a sister in Christ.  I need this weekend with the kids to recharge.  I have been waking up every morning and praying over a song or verse that is uplifting.  Today's was, this is the day that the Lord made.  I sang it in my head the whole time I was getting ready for work.  I left the house thinking, this is the day God made.  I have no greater joy than to be glad about that.

that lasted till about 9am.

anyone else need to refuel every few hours??  Maybe that is why we are to pray without ceasing - He knows we need it! (at least I do)

Coming soon....

pictures of my totally awesome Christmas presents to my kids from my totally awesome sister and brother in law
new photography props! wohoo
new, fun things about the kids

night.  I committed to 5 minutes tonight.  now it is time for sleep.

2011 / 2012

2011 

our year wrap up

january

celebrated the new year at 8 weeks pregnant with our third baby.  

feburary 

happy 26th birthday to me! rearranged the house yet again to make room for the baby.  many doctors visits with  Avery this month

march

spontaneous switch of OB doctor - found our we are having a baby boy! happy 4th birthday to Ella! made our annual trip to the zoo.  got a new dog (regretting new dog). enjoyed a visit from my sister 

april

22 weeks pregnant. complications with my blood sugar and pregnancy begin.  

may

first family putt putt trip.  Ella completes pre-k.  Craig finished his last school year working for the school. pregnancy complications continue. 

june 

happy 2nd birthday Avery! pregnancy complications get worse - I now have dislocated discs and go on bed rest. Craig plays photographer for family maternity pictures

july

happy birthday Owen! Owen goes into the nicu immediately after birth for 10 days - it was the longest 10 days in my life

august 

Owen joins his sisters at home.  we are overwhelmed with happiness.  we started out first year of homeschool. Avery got a new doctor 

september

the whole family is home all together again for another month - such a wonderful time

october

I begin work again after 4 months off.  Craig stays home with the children

november 

happy birthday to Craig! Thanksgiving family fun

december

busiest month of my life - I vow to set more boundaries in 2012 

The long awaited ultrasound....

First, a little back story....

When Owen was born he went into the NICU immediately after birth for 9 days.  He started to go into distress from being transverse and his blood sugar had dropped.  Not to mention, my late-premee, as the nurses called him, was a whopping 8 lbs and 5 ounces and 21 inches long.  Take all that turned sideways.  Because he was transverse his lungs didn't develop fully. He came out and couldn't breathe. Throughout his stay in the NICU he had several xrays, ultrasounds, CAT scans and many, many other things that my poor baby boy was not ready for.

The day we were to leave the hospital, his doctor pulled me aside to tell me that on one of his ultrasounds of his head they found a cyst on his brain.  She said this so very nonchalantly, as if I had not been dreaming already of how it was physically possible for me to sleep with my head in his crib all night to make sure he was still breathing.  She says, just watch his development...have a good day. (Im sure she said it a lot nicer than this, but that is how I remember it went)

We brought him home and I was a wreck.  Not sleeping plus constantly trying to measure how fast he is breathing (an impossible task) and now dissecting his every move and function wondering about his little head. I would stay awake at night and hold him and cry in prayer over his little body and his brain. We asked God to ease our (my) fears (craziness) and lead us to a place of peace.  We knew that no matter what the outcome, our son was given to us for a reason and he was in God's hands.  I am thankful to say that God did that for me.  As many of you know, I am the worrier of the family.  I worry, analyse, worry some more, obsess, and lose sleep over meaningless things let alone my son having a potential brain tumor.  God eased my mind and I have been quite sane for the last few months.  The doctor said at 6 months we would do another head ultra sound to reevaluate.

Last month at his 4 month check up, the doctor brought all those fears back.  Its time to schedule his ultrasound to see what is inside there.  We went ahead and did it a month early - which I later found out why. Here comes the tears and worrying again - I knew it was time to hit my knees to the ground again in prayer.

All week I had been wondering how on earth did they do a head ultrasound?? I have had quite a few - but on my babies.  Do they take that nasty gel and rub it all over his head?  Yep.  Sure do.  So Monday morning we headed back to the hospital, and since we had just been discharged about a week prior, it was a quick check in.  The nurse was fantastic and she rubbed that goo all over his head and started scanning.  They get all the scans from the soft spots.  It was one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.  This was the reason for the push up from 6 months to 5 months - my son's soft spots are almost closed and without them there is no ultrasound.  I told my husband later, I don't know what I was looking at on that screen - but it was cool! He did awesome.  Owen sat there for 20 minutes, never fussed, and let the technition do her thing. Happy momma.

Today, Owen had his follow up from the RSV and hospital trip.  The doctor informs us that he got the results of his ultrasound.  I was not prepared for this...but I have been working on keeping my tears in check....He said the valley that had the cyst was completely empty.  It was gone.  GONE.  He said, we are not sure how it happens, but sometimes it just does. He told me I didn't have to worry anymore.

I was beaming.  I know how it happens.  We serve a wonderful God.

Tonight I will sleep easier.  Tonight, once again, I will explain to my girls that our God is an awesome God and we have much to be thankful for.

Girls night!

1st girls night since Owen was born! YAY! Who is ready for some guilt free Tokyo?  This momma!

Figured I would document....my hair is only gonna look like this for another 4 minutes.

PS.  Started a new thing on my SPT blog called, Photoshop Friday.  Check it out if you like before and afters.  See the love that goes into my sessions :) http://simonetrahanphotography.blogspot.com/2011/12/photoshop-friday.html

Christmas crafts and Owen update!

I make these wonderful cookies every year for family and friends at work.  I only make them at Christmas because I would weigh 500 pounds if I made them throughout the year.  They are seriously fantastic - and that's no compliment to me - its just the cookies!!

This year I wanted to make cute little Christmas cookie cans to pass out my goodies! Here is my up-cycle use for my son's formula containers.

Supplies needed: wrapping paper, formula can, tape, paint, ribbon, and of course your goodies!

Paint the cap - chalk board paint would be really cute!! This is the first coat - I did two and it covered fine. 

Fold and tap the paper to fit your can. 

I taped it at the seems and it held around just fine.  The formula cans have a lip around the edge that helped hold the paper in place. 

Tadaa! Now add cookies! 

Owens is home now and starting to seem better every moment! We still have some coughing fits, and I have been thrown up on a few times, but he is actually smiling now.  I have to go back to work tomorrow and I am  hoping he feels better - my poor husband....I did enjoy the extra mommy and Owen time these last few days.

Advent Calendar...almost.

I hate to say - but this will be the first year that we have done an Advent calendar.  EKK! But since I have been bitten by both the DIY and Pinterest bug this year...I decided to make one....Simone style! I found this really cute one on a blog (that was not written in English, btw) and decided to go with this theme. Unfortunately - sickness has taken down my house and we never got to finish making it.  Maybe next year I will start in July???  Well...here was my list - and till Christmas comes I am just going to let the girls pick something to do every night.

Our activities

Each package has a special not inside of what to do as a family

25: Read Christmas stories for bedtime. 

24: Make salt dough ornaments. 

23: Make and send Christmas cards. 

22: Make paper snow flakes and decorate the kitchen. 

21: Make paper garland. 

20: Pick out children from an Angel tree and buy them gifts.

19: Make Christmas presents to mail to Grandpa. 

18:Learn a new Christmas song. 

17: Make snowmen from toilet paper rolls. 

16: Make paper stockings. 

15: Make reindeer pops. 

14: Paint a Christmas tree with hand prints.  

13: Make Christmas cookies with fun shapes. 

12: Make a tissue paper wreathe. 

11: Make Christmas tree ornaments with scrabble tiles. 

10: Make a ginger bread house. 

9: Wrap presents we made for the family. 

8: Make a nativity scene. 

7: Hot chocolate and smores outside by the fire pit. 

6: Drive and look at Christmas lights. 

5: Watch a Christmas movie for family movie night. 

4: Make Christmas rice crispe treats (shaped like trees and ornaments made from candies)

3: Make treats for a house-bound member of our church and deliver them. 

2: Make a "Thankful For" board of things the kids are thankful for. 

1: Read the Christmas story from Luke.


This is about how far we got before all 3 kids got RSV....

That's it.  Pretty inspiring, huh? It would have been cute.