3 month old boy

My dearest Nathan,

Today marks your official 3 month birthday. In some ways it feels like you just came home and in other ways it is hard to remember what life was like without you. You are such a joy to have in our family. Everyone told me that my second baby could never be as calm as the first, but you have proven them all wrong. You are even more easy going than your sister was as a baby.
You are such a wonderfully content little boy. I am so lucky! You love to lay in your swing and watch your sister play. You get so excited when she comes into your view. You love being snuggled, but I am learning that you also need time to yourself just to lay and play.

Your sister is so in love with having you around. She always wants to hold you and help me take care of you. She likes to call you "Nathe", which I think is cute. Hopefully it will stick. It is my hope that the two of you will be close siblings and always look out for each other.

You love your bath time! As soon as we put you in the water you are smiling from ear to ear. You get so excited that you splash water all over the bathroom, and who ever is bathing you is nearly as wet as you are by the time the bath is over :) I love the way the top of your head smells after you come out of the bath and how you always need to eat as soon as you are dressed, even if you have just eaten before you went in.

Sleeping is going well. Most nights you fall asleep by 10 pm and are up around 3 am for a quick feeding and then you go right back to sleep and often sleep till 7 or 8! All I can say is "thank-you"!
You and Daddy have a special relationship. Your biggest smiles are always reserved for him. You love to lay beside him and tell him all about your day when he gets home from work. Your daddy is so proud of you and loves dream about the things you will do together one day.

Nathan, you are an amazing son. Even in your few months of life you have blessed me and your daddy so much. I love you. I am lucky to be your mommy, and I am eagerly anticipating all that we will share together as you grow up to be a wonderful young man.

Love Mommy

Summer Days...

I had every intention of blogging more often than I have in the last month. We have had such a wonderful summer, filled with so much fun and HOT weather :) We have so many picture that it would take far to long to post then each individually so I opted for collages instead.
(Click on any collage to expand it and have a closer look if you like.)

Our adventures included...

A week long vacation at a cabin on Cultus Lake with Ron's family.

The August long weekend camping with my family in Hope.

The rest of these summer days have been spent enjoying time together with our family.

6 years

It's amazing to see how far we have come.....
From this.......
And all this...

To yesterday....
And for everyday to come....
I love you with all my heart and I am so proud to be your wife. These last 6 years have been a joy to share with you.
"When things are changing all around us
and the world seems too fast,
don't forget I'll be right beside you, loving you.
What I feel for you is deep, total, and enduring-
a love you can count on without ever having to wonder.
So when you look ahead to the future
or look back at how things used to be,
don't forget to look beside you,
because that's where you'll find me,
loving you with all my heart." (unkown)

The Story of Nathan

In honor of Nathan's one week birthday I thought I had better update the blog with his birth story. If you missed the events leading up to last friday you can read about them by scrolling down.
Last Thursday was a nice day spent with just me and Naomi. We went to storytime at the local library, had McDonalds for lunch, and shared lots of hugs and snuggles. During her nap I got a call from the maternity ward at ARH (click on the link to see pictures of the new hospital) and they told me that my section was scheduled for 9:15 on Friday morning and that we should be at the hospital at 8:00. That evening Ron's parents brought us dinner and we spent the evening together, just the three of us. Around 8:00 we dropped Naomi off at my parents house again and gave her lots of hugs and kisses. It was hard to believe that my baby girl would be a big sister the next day.
Ron and I had a great night sleep, although both of us were feeling nervous and excited.
On Friday morning we woke up and headed to the hospital. When we got there the nurses were saying that every room in the maternity ward was full. It had been a very busy night:). They got me all ready for surgery and took us down the hall to the OR. While we were waiting we met with our surgon (Dr. Goswami) and she assured us that everything would be fine and had us sign some concent forms.
At 9:15, as scheduled, I was wheeled into the OR for my spinal. Unfortunalty, it did not work and I had to be put under general anisthetic, just like when Naomi was born.
Then finally after the months of waiting, Nathan Henry Klassen made his entrance into the word at 9:56am on Friday, May 22, 2009. Ron was able to see him right away and watch the nurse weigh and measure him. Everyone was suprised to hear how heavy he was. 11 lbs 5 oz and 23 inches long! A beautiful baby boy!

I woke up in recovery and soon was transfered to our room. Ron was waiting for me and told me that Nathan was in the NICU. Nathan was having trouble maintaining his blood sugar levels because he was such a big baby. As soon as I could I asked Ron to bring me to the NICU to see our son.


When I first saw him my inital reaction was that he looked a lot like Naomi did when she was first born. It was so nice to finally see him and hold him in my arms. The nurses had tried to give him an IV 4 times, but they couldn't get it in because he is so chubby. Instead they inserted a feeding tube in his nose so that they could constantly feed him formula to keep his blood sugars regulated.
I got up every 4 hours for the next day and night to go visit him and nurse him. He nursed really well right away, but was not getting enough since my milk had not come in yet. The nurses tested him by taking blood from his heel every few hours. His sugars thankfully stayed at proper levels.
After 24hrs in the NICU our little buddy was finally able to join us in our room. It was so nice to have him so close by. Just before he came to our room Nathan got so frusterated with having the tape on his face he pulled out his feeding tube and it left a huge red mark on his cheek. Although he was nursing well he still needed a topup of formula after each feed, and he eagarly gobbled this down every few hours.

We enjoyed many visitors during the next day, but the most special momment was when Naomi got to meet her little brother. It was so wonderful to see how gentle and loving she was towards him. She just held his hand and kept saying "Hi, Hi" in a quiet voice. We asked her if she wanted to sing a song for Nathan and she said yes. Then she sang "Jesus loves me" without any prompting from us.

Ron and I both missed her so much while we were in the hospital. She seemed so indepedant when she came to visit us and didn't seem upset about spending the weekend with Opa and Oma. In fact it was quite the opposite. She just kept saying that she wanted to have a sleepover at Omas house. We know she was well taken care of and obviously had a wonderful time.
The next evening we got the ok to go home. We packed up all our things and our precious "little" son and began our new life as a family of four.


Things have been going well since we got home. He has been up for a few hours every night except for last night, but sleeps well durring the day. Even when Naomi is playing her recorder right by his bassinet:) He is now completely on breastmilk and does not need any formula. This is such an answer to prayer, because I was worried that he would not nurse well after getting used to having a full tummy of formula. So far he is nursing like a champ and no longer needs to have the formula to feel full.
Naomi is adjusting well and really seems to love her little brother. She is loving having her daddy home to play with all day and all the extra attention.
We have been so blessed by our families. They have come to visit every day and taken turns bringing us dinner every night since we have been home. Thankyou, we love you all!

I love my little family so much and I am enjoying each day with them. I think this post is definalty long enough. If you have read all the way to the end "thank-you", and if you just stoped by for the pictures "thanks" also :) I just had to get this all down to preserve my memories since the days have a way of running into each other and I don't want to forget all the little details of my little mans big day.

Anxious Anticipation

These are the last few days of being the mom of one. I'm nervous about the adjustment. My mind is filled with so many questions: Will I be able to handle being the mom of two? Will Naomi get enough attention once baby comes? Will she act out? What will I do if they both need me at the same time? How will I ever get anything done around the house with two beautiful children to care for? Is is possible to love another child as much as I love Naomi? How will this labour/delivery/recovery be? I guess the best way to describe how I am feeling is anxious. Anxious for the birthing process, anxious to meet this new little one, anxious about the adjustment time. Just plain anxious.
With Naomi, I was already in the hospital at this point in the pregnancy getting my labour induced, and I am NOT eager to repeat that process. I feel like I am in "uncharted territory". I have more of the "typical" end of pregnancy symptoms than I did with Naomi, including LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions. I hope that these are a good sign that I will go into labour on my own and avoid induction. According to the doctors a spontaneous start to labour gives me the best chance to have a VBAC and avoid another C-section. Pray with me that this will be the case, please.
Ron has been the sweetest husband throughout this pregnancy and I know that he is nervous about the transition to a family of four. I think its because we have the memories of Naomi's birth as our only reference point and that experience was anything but typical. I keep trying to remind myself that it likely won't be worse than it was with Naomi and we were able to survive that, so therefore we'll make it through, right? I know everything will work out fine, but I can't help but wonder, how?

Two

Our Dearest Naomi,

We can still remember the day of your birth so clearly. Although it is hard to believe that you were ever this small.

You have had me and your Daddy wrapped around your finger from the first moment. Each day that you have been with us has been wonderful and a treasure. Your first year of life flew by as we adjusted to being parents for the first time. You have been training us well :) and we are so privileged to be your parents. We could not ask for a better daughter.
Your second year has been an adventure. You have grown up SO much in this last year. You amaze us everyday with your newest words and talents. We are so proud of you Naomi! Our hearts are filled to overflowing as we watch you learn and explore the world around you.

You are a loving and kind girl, with the perfect amount of independence and spunk. We know that you are going to turn out to be a fantastic adult one day. Yet, for now, please stay a little girl for a while longer, you are growing up to fast. We are enjoying this life with you every day.

Happy 2nd Birthday darling.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

My Funny Valentine

Words can't express how much I love this little girl. She makes me laugh every day! You are the best daughter we could ever ask for, and we love you more than you will ever know! You are growing up so fast! It seems like only a short while ago you were an infant and now those days seem so long gone. My heart is filled with thankfulness to God every day when I see your beautiful face. We are blessed beyond measure and will always remember that you are the most precious gift from God. Happy Second Valentines Day Naomi!

A Backward Glace at 2008

I suppose New Years day would not be complete without a look back at the year that has past. Here is a brief recap of the last year.

January 08 - We said "goodbye for now" to my Opa. It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year that he has been gone. We still miss him, and I am sure we always will. The family just does not seem complete without him around.


February 08 - Our little girl got to celebrate her first Valentines Day. The love we have for her is hard to put into words.


March 08 - Naomi turns ONE! She was so sick on the day of her party, but she was a trooper. We had a great day celebrating with lots of family and friends.


April 08 - I was working full time in Langley for BDO and Naomi was being cared for by our dear friend Victoria.


May 08 - I am back at home full time with Naomi and loving every momment.


June 08 - Naomi fell and got her first stiches. Right in the middle of her forehead! Thankfully the scar is almost completely gone.


July 08 - We went on our annual Klassen family trip to Penticton at the begining of the month and our annual Penner family trip to Hope at the end of the month. We had a great time enjoying our time together.



August 08 - We celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a wonderful weekend getaway.


September 08 - Naomi is 18 months old, and we find out that our family of three will soon be a family of four. Baby #2 is on the way!


October 08 - Our days are filled with reading books together and playing with toys. Naomi loves to dance and listen to music. For halloween Naomi dressed up as the cutest little ladybug around.


November 08 - I participated in NaBloPoMo this month and I have still not recovered :). My niece Kayla turned one and now the girls are playing together more.


December 08 - Two words : Chirstmas and Snow!

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We wish you a wonderful time filled with family, food, and fun. More posts to come soon, but for now I am off to sit in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea and my favorite people.