Frustrations

So here we go into another week of work hell for Kevin. So far his company has laid off around 15 people. Yesterday things got pretty ugly for Kevin and he almost walked out. The president of the company came in and chewed him out over something that the production manager should've taken care of. These people are supposed to be Christians, but now that sales are down, their true colors are starting to come out. I'm very thankful that I'm not the one working there because I would've told someone off by now. I hate seeing my wonderful husband who works so hard for this company get treated so badly. I think I will feel much better once Kevin gets his resume finished and sent out. The one thing that is certain is that if he does get let go, we will pack everything up and head back to Minnesota, which is where we want to get back to anyway. Without me working, there is just no way for us to make it out here and our main goal right now is to get a house and settle down. The Lord is really making things uncomfortable for us right now, but I know that He is in control and I am very thankful for that.

The State of the Household

I just wanted to update you all on what is going on in our household, so that you could be in prayer for us. Yesterday, Kevin's work started layoffs. They laid off four people with more layoffs to come. Kevin is very concerned that if he doesn't perform up to par that they will let him go as well. He is under a lot of stress. We have been weighing our options, which aren't a whole lot at this point. Kevin has been working on his resume and he is hoping to have it finished this weekend. Please pray that the Lord would bless this time and reveal to us where He wants us to be.

On a lighter note, here is the latest picture of my growing belly.

Update

A few of you have been asking how Lauren has been doing with the bleeding. Well, for the last week and a half she hasn't had any, so I'm hoping that this is the end of it. We still have her on soy milk and two cups of apple juice a day. I did take her off of the mineral oil because it was giving her bad diarrhea. I will give her the mineral oil only if she absolutely needs it. Thank you all for praying for her... In other news, I had my doctor's appointment yesterday to go over the ultrasound results. Everything looks good. The heartbeat sounded really good. The baby is measuring right where it needs to be, so we are still looking at a May 26th due date. I gained 8 pounds since my last visit, so I told them I was making up for lost time, since I had been losing weight. I still weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Lauren, so I'm not too worried about the weight. The cool thing is that no one but God knows what sex this baby is. The tech didn't look, so the doctor doesn't even know. It's kinda funny, but I'm very excited that we don't know. I really can't wait to meet this little one and hear Kevin call out what the sex is. Anyway, I hope you all have a good week.

17 Months

I can't believe that my little girl is 17 months old. She is almost a year and a half! It still amazes me at how fast time has flown with each child. The time seems to go by faster each year. Lauren is now starting to say a lot of words. She can now say: birdie, tree, train, all done, may--may(for banana), woof-woof(for dog), frogie, duck, and please. She can also point to her toes, belly, nose, ears, and mouth when asked. She loves to dance and now she puts both hands above her head and does ballerina spins (I think we are going to have to put her in a dance class pretty soon). She loves making funny faces and she screams whenever someone takes something from her. She will use just about anything as a purse i.e. my sandals, Curtis' underwear, pull-ups, hats, and t-shirts. She loves clothes, shoes, and dollies, such a girly-girl. Thank you Lord, for blessing us with this beautiful little girl.

Bowling and Moving Up

Kevin's parents flew in this weekend to spend some time with us and what a whirlwind weekend it was. On Saturday, we all went out bowling. No, I did not bowl, but Curtis bowled for the first time. It was a fun time and the kids had a blast. Curtis now wants to get a pair of bowling shoes and go bowling again! Here are some pictures:

Mr. Bowler

Waiting patiently for his turn.

Curtis got a spare! Way to go!

Lauren had to get in on the action as well.

In other news, Lauren is now in the toddler class at church. Yesterday was her second week in the new class and she loves it. When we walked into church, she ran straight for the class. My baby is growing up too fast. Have a great week.

It's All Downhill From Here

So here I am in my 20th week of pregnancy and it's halfway over. Now the numbers get lower and lower and we get closer to the due date. I'm still nauseous, and if this pregnancy keeps going like Curtis' then I still have another five weeks of the nausea. For the last week, I've also gotten reflux and it's getting uncomfortable to sleep. Kevin laughs at me because I'm starting to waddle. At least I don't feel like a beached whale, just yet! I am now officially in maternity clothes, yeah, no more trying to squeeze into my regular clothes because my maternity clothes are to big. Before I forget, here are some pictures from Christmas. Enjoy!!

Lauren and cousin Natty. What secret's are they sharing?

I also have some baby predictions. Of course, I think that we are having a boy; I think Tim and Arinda are having a boy; Terry and Kathleen are having a boy; and Jon and Ali are having a boy and a girl. We'll just have to wait and see how many I get right.

Ultrasound Pictures

Well we had our ultrasound this morning. Zach looks good. The kids didn't seem too interested in what was going on, though. Once the tech gave us pictures to take home, Curtis went out into the waiting room to show everyone saying, "Look, this is Zach. I'm the big brother." It was really cute. I go back on the 19th to meet with my doctor and go over the results. So without further ado, here are "Zach's" pictures.

Here is the full body shot.

The foot

The face and arm. This baby doesn't have the chubby cheeks that Curtis and Lauren had at this stage. It will be interesting to see what the baby looks like.

Happy New Year!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and new year. The kids had fun, but got a little overwhelmed with all of the presents. Kevin and I ended up opening their gifts! It was also nice to think that next Christmas there will be three children to celebrate with. Speaking of children, this baby is moving around alot! I can't believe that I'm in my 19th week already. It seems like every pregnancy goes by quicker and quicker. Curtis has also named the baby. Yesterday, he told me that I was having a boy and that his name is Zach. I'm not sure where he got the name, but I think it's cute. Lauren has been on soy milk for almost two weeks and she was doing real good, but for the last couple of days, she has had a little bit of blood in her diaper. So if her pediatrician is at church on Sunday, I will talk to him about it. Please keep praying for Lauren, and that we would find out what is wrong.