Play date

I just thought I'd post some pictures from a playdate WW and I had with SH and her two kids. We went to the playground above the Kinsmen pool, which is set up for younger kids, and so easier for our babies to get around and have a good time. AL and WW are the best of friends, WW always looks forward to the time he gets to spend with his little girlfriend.

Sweet JA has become a super little walker, and showed us the whole time he was there. He kept running for the door!

On another note, WW has been really into crafts for as long as he was capable, but we bought him some new scissors and glue for Christmas, so we've been cutting and glueing alot. Mostly little valentines, but today he helped me with a special project. This is our countdown to baby chain. Each of the multicolor loops is weeks remaining, and then the solid yellow at the top are days remaining. We had fun glueing it all together, but WW didn't feel bad reminding me how long the chain was. Looks like we still have quite a ways to go.

Babies

Baby Fixsen 15 weeks

Baby Fixsen 19 weeks.

Well it's true, the B&L Fixsen family are expecting again. We really are thrilled, but have been hesitant to announce or post anything due to previous heartbreak and loss. I wasn't actually planning to post at all, but inevitably people have started to find out and so for my own record I've decided to write a little bit about how we are doing and how things have gone up to this point.

Others may relate to how I'm feeling, having been pregnant also... but this pregnancy really has been very stressful. I long for the days when I was pregnant for the very first time and didn't even think that something as terrible as miscarriage could happen to all, let alone to me. Especially in the first 12 weeks and really up until I started to feel it move everyday I have been worried that something might happen, and have been cautious about how attached I feel etc. Anyone who knows me, understands how crazy I get when we decide to try and get pregnant, but it really must have been the worst this time around. For example I banned Brett from the Hot Tub till I was pregnant. :) I wasn't willing to take any chances.

My doctor has been great and super supportive. We had an ultrasound at 7 weeks just to ease my mind that baby was there, and growing well and heart was beating. Then we had another at 15 weeks (which was when I lost the first baby) because we don't know what caused that one ( babies heart was beating strong the day we miscarried) so I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't a incompetent cervix (Too much information sorry). So far everything really has gone so smoothly this time around, and although we weren't able to tell the sex at our 18ish week ultrasound I am very excited to try the true surprise one time around and then I'll know which way I prefer.

It can actually be a blessing to not know the sex. I feel confident that I would have had a much harder time with my miscarriages if I had known what each baby had been. It almost becomes a real individual when it becomes a boy or a girl, so not knowing allowed me to grieve a loss, but not become all caught up in what could have been with my little boy/girl.

Our due date is the day after WW 3rd birthday and so I'm going to do my best to deliver either before or after the 25th. Just so the two will have individual birthdays. :) I had always planned to have babies 2 years apart, but that just wasn't in the cards for us this time... I am looking on the positive side though that WW will be such an amazing helper, and instead of two babies, I'll have a preschooler and an infant. It may make the transition from one to two a little smoother.

Future updates to follow I'm sure.

Signs of a Dinosaur OBSESSION

My little man loves Dinosaurs, this is how I know...

* Watches the same movie - Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaur over and over... multiple times a day if I'd let him. He asks so nice too... " Can I watch my friend Rudy on the Dinosaur movie"

* Knows the names of all the dinosaurs

* Growls like a dinosaur, and fights with his dad. He always asks permission to growl though, so that is nice.

* Prefers not to wear socks so you can see his "claws"- toenails. Then the other day refused to let me cut his fingernails because he prefers his claws sharp.

* He'll eat better if you tell him that T-Rex's love chicken, or that a certain meat is "Carrion" (spelling) -raw meat.

* Favorite T.V show- Dinosaur train, knows the species of dinosaur as well as their show name. Example- Buddy the T-Rex.

* Loves Drumheller and the Royal Tyrell Museum.

*Can find ANY dinosaur book available in the public library.

*Dinosaur Jammies, and sleeps with his dino figurines.

*Love anything that looks like it has a mouth- chip bag clips, tongs, bobby pins etc.

*Has dino puzzles that he can do all by himself. BJ bought him a 300 piece puzzle that he wants to try all the time. We've only made it once, and it took mom all afternoon.

* Dino magnets all over the fridge, a dinosaur lunchbox, dinosaur socks, dino underwear and a bunch of figurines.

* Was a dinosaur for halloween, and had a dinosaur themed birthday party. Next year he wants a Red T-Rex birthday party.

*Draws scary dinosaurs all the time with big sharp teeth.

We love him for his love of dinosaurs, I just wonder if this is a permanent phase, or if he'll move on this year. Maybe I have a future paleontologist in my house. However, yesterday at a doctors visit he wanted to try out some of the things in the doctors room, I told him he'd have to wait till he was a doctor to try them out... he seemed to think that was a good idea.

Teaching.

These last couple months I've had the opportunity to substitute teach a couple days. It has been so much fun being in the classroom again.

It took forever to get hired onto the Edmonton Public School Board, and I lucked out getting onto with the Blackgold School District (all about connections). Seriously from when I applied with EPSB to my first day in school had to be over a year. They didn't seem to be in the same hurry that I was to get me working.

It continues to be a frustrating experience hunting for available jobs... BJ and I spend out evenings on their website as well as on their phone system trying to find an opening... but it has all been a great/learning experience so far!

I definitely have to give a BIG THANKS to SH for being my best teaching buddy, and showing me the ropes, and even getting me my first big break. She has been so supportive, and has ALWAYS had my back no matter what. You are the best!!!

BJ has also been amazing, he's always thrilled for me to get out in the schools, and is just so amazing with WW when they spend the day together. He even gets up early to help search for last minute positions that are listed in the morning. He has always been my biggest fan though, encouraging my finishing school in the first place, helping me get all my applications together, interview prep (SH was a HUGE help with that too), and now helping me find work.

It's nice to now be an official teacher, and no longer have to go through the "what do you do?" questions with which I would reply " I have an education degree, but I work casually as a receptionist." I've always been happy to have finished my degree, and was proud of myself... but it feels great to be using my degree and LOVING it!!!

Christmas Craziness

We has such a wonderful Christmas this year. We are so lucky to have good families to spend time with.

Christmas Eve Eve, we started our day shoveling our mailbox sites. It is a struggle to get ourselves out there, and I'm pretty grumpy before we start, but it's a fun time BJ and I spend together. WW lucks out and gets to stay home with a sitter. This is our third year, and we love to spend the money we make each season a few times, but it's always nice to have some mad money! But it's always a gamble every year to see how much snow falls :)

Later that day we went out to Spruce Grove to watch their presentation of the nativity live. It was amazing to watch, and freezing cold but the spirit was so strong. It was great to do it with family too. BJ's brothers, their wives and the kids braved the cold with us, and then we all went back to H&M's for Thai food. I wish I had taken a picture of the meal. It was incredible!!!
The next day- Christmas Eve, we met up with BJ's siblings for tobogganing on a little hill in Ottewell. It was a chilly day, but we all started with happy faces, but the boy did not like the actual tobogganing part. He was a wreck!

Going down the hill with his auntie. She was having fun, WW not so much. I love these next couple pictures though. When we did finally take him home when he'd had enough, his poor little hands and feet were freezing... so maybe if we had gone on a warmer day he would have enjoyed himself a little more. The cousins and their parents had a great time though.

That night (Christmas Eve) was turkey dinner with the Fixsen's. It was delicious!

Christmas Day breakfast, stockings, presents and turkey dinner with the Mabey's

Boxing day turkey dinner with the Drever's. BJ's mom's family in Camrose.

It was a busy holiday with LOTS of food and late nights, but it was a wonderful Christmas with lots to be thankful for. We are definitely looking forward to the new year and the things it has in store for our little family.

Winter Fun

After that huge dump of snow last month, my boys found themselves outside for hours of snow fun. I was cleaning the house preparing to have some friends over the next day, but it was so sweet to just watch the two of them interact together outside. We can really notice a difference in WW when he has been cooped up for a while.. he says things like "where did your good listener go? " something I have to ask him sometimes. BJ is such an amazing hands on dad that WW and I are so lucky to have him around for days of fun like this was.

Throwing snowballs at momma.
This was our main Christmas tree, I was so excited to go and buy all new decorations this year for a nice grown up tree, but couldn't make up my mind. I decided I'd put on the stuff that I already had that I liked and go from there... I never ended up buying anything new because I thought it turned our pretty cute with the stuff we owned. Maybe I'll try again next year :)
We put this little tree up in WW room. It helped to get him to sleep in his own bed for the month because the lights were like a nightlight for him. He felt pretty special having his own tree.

Push ups

This is our buddy doing push ups with his daddy. He insists on not wearing clothes to do it, and he'll ask BJ to "count for him", and then WW will count for BJ. It is a cute little thing they do together. WW has really become quite specific on what he will wear and what he won't. He wants to wear pajamas all the time, and will specify a particular pair as well. I can get him into normal clothes when we leave the house, but as soon as he gets home the PJ's go right back on. I'm hoping it's a short lived phase.