Christmas Pics

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Don't we all have those days?

Apparently she doesn't like having her picture taken while she's sleeping!

ARGH, Mateys!

It was a Labor Day Pirate Picnic at a local park and we thought it would be fun to get Lola a sword and an eye patch. She's the cutest little pirate ever!

Bonding with Daddy

I know, I know. I'm obsessed with my baby girl, but I just have to show this picture. She is just so cute (a totally unbiased opinion, I might add)!!

Mommy math

Just a quick thought. Your heart is the only thing that the more you divide, the bigger it gets. I love being a mommy!

More pictures

She's here!!!

Well, folks. Thank you for all your prayers. Lola Alvina Grace Crousse arrived safely (and quickly) on Sunday, August 5 at 3:50 AM. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. We nicknamed her "Kamakaze" because we got to the hospital at 2:00 AM and she arrived an hour and 50 minutes later! I didn't have time for any drugs!!! It took less than 20 minutes of pushing. I don't think she realized that when I asked her to hurry up and come out, I meant days early, not like a speeding bullet. I will post more pictures later.

One more week!

One week from today is my due date! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. In some ways it doesn't seem like enough time - we still have so much to do to get ready for the baby. In other ways, it seems like too long - as much as I enjoy feeling her move inside, GET HER OUT!!! My sister predicted that I would go into labor yesterday because of the full moon. Here's hoping that I will go in the next few days. My doctor told me that she won't let me go any longer than 10 days past my due date. I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!!!!!!!! I want to meet my little girl. I know this post sounds like mad ramblings, but don't forget that I am 15 months pregnant (or so it feels!), it is the middle of summer (crazy heat!), and I am severely sleep deprived (I know, it's only going to get worse!). Hopefully my next post will be as a new mommy with a picture of our newest family member.

My husband the "Hobnobber"

One of the few perks of Robert's job is getting to meet famous people once in a while. Here he is with another famous hockey persona. Can anyone tell me who he is?

Does this shirt make me look fat?!

Well, here it is. Finally, another belly picture. Aren't the mock crocks hot? They certainly are comfy! Robert took this picture last night before our baby shower where we got lots of great gifts. My sister bought us a Bumbo (YAY!), we got cutie patootie infant sunglasses to protect her little eyeballs, beautiful outfits, a baby monitor, a stroller, playpen, Jolly Jumper musical mat, an on-the-go bottle warmer, and much, much more. Oh, and Robert got Lego (thanks, Todd!). We have one more shower to go which will put us at 6 baby showers! Our last shower will be after the baby's born, however, when Robert's brother Allen is home from Alberta. I can't believe that I'm down to days and not months anymore before we get to meet our little girl. I'm so excited!

Where has time gone?

This is my new "nephew" Gaffer!

I can't believe it's the middle of July already! Sorry I haven't been posting for almost 2 months! June was a busy month with school wrapping up. I'm also a crazy lady because I agreed to plan Daily Vacation Bible School for our church even though I'm 15 months pregnant (or so it feels!). It ran all last week and my weekends and evenings have been busy with showers. My sister and her husband just got a new puppy as well and we had a puppy shower for them on Sunday. They don't plan on having children so this is their baby. He's an Australian Shepherd. Isn't he cute?

Also, we have been busy trying to get the house ready for the baby. We had to replace a couple of windows, do some painting, etc. Plus, between doctor appointments, profiles and all that fun stuff, we've had to make a major decision about the delivery of baby Lola. It's looking like we're going to have a planned C-section in the next couple of weeks. Lola is at 7 lbs 1 oz and is ready to come at any time. I find out on Wednesday when the actual date will be. So, if you all wouldn't mind keeping me and the baby in your prayers over the next few weeks, it would be greatly appreciated! I have never had any surgery before and it's a little scary and overwhelming. Not only am I having surgery, but I'm getting a lifetime commitment with it. Very exciting and scary all at the same time!

Anyway, I'll be sure to get some pictures of Lola up as soon as I can.

I'm Still Here!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged! But, I guess when you don't have much of a life, there's not much to say :) Actually, I wanted to wait until I had a new belly picture, but somehow the card in our digital camera fried, so now we have to take a regular picture, get it developed, scan it and then post it. Hopefully, it will be soon.

In other news, Robert and I found out on Tuesday that we are having a girl! We were quite surprised! Everyone was sure it was a boy because Robert comes from a family of all boys (his sister is adopted). We can't wait to see what a "real" Crousse girl is like. As long as she takes after her mommy's size until after she's born! And that's not too far away - only 10 weeks to go! It's a little overwhelming. Sorry, a LOT overwhelming!!

We have the nursery furniture all in except for a rocking chair. I just have to say "HOKEY CRAP! " Rocking chairs are expensive! Especially since I have back problems. My chiropractor gave me a list of things to look for in my rocking chair. We may need a second mortgage on our house in order to afford one! Good grief! If anyone has any recommendations for where to find rocking chairs for a good price, please let me know!

Oh, by the way. If you get oral thrush while pregnant (or even if you're not and don't want to use drugs), eat lots of yogurt with active cultures or get this homeopathic stuff called 'acidophilus.' My thrush was gone in a matter of days! YAY!!!

DISEASED!!!

I have had a cold since last Friday and I haven't been able to take anything. It's driving me nuts! Also, I just wanted to let everyone know, that thrush is not just something that babies get. Adults can get it, too, and it sucks! If your baby ever gets thrush and your doctor tells you that it doesn't hurt the baby, tell him he's on crack. It hurts immensely. And, if you have oral thrush while you are pregnant, there's not a whole lot you can do! Anyway, this is just me venting my frustrations because I also have to stay away from sugar because thrush is caused by yeast and yeast feeds on sugar. Life is not fair!

If you would like to know more, check out these websites:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000626.htm

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/oralthrush.htm

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00408.html

Sorry if this posting grossed anyone out, but it's good information to know!

Teaching is Never Boring!

I love being a teacher! For those of you who don't know, I teach a grade 4 class every Wednesday at a school here in Moncton. I teach them mental math, science, cursive writing, and I co-teach phys ed. I never thought I would ever say that I teach phys ed! I love my students, but I've gotta wonder about them sometimes. Last week I gave the students a science test. The first part of the test was 10 scrambled vocabulary words. The instructions said to unscramble the words. When I was correcting the tests, I noticed that one boy hadn't unscrambled the words. He had put checkmarks next to each word, but he hadn't written anything on any of the blanks. I called him over and asked him why he didn't follow the directions on the test. (This is an area where my students really have a hard time. They do not follow directions whether written or oral.) He looked at me totally innocently and said, "I did!" I said, "You didn't unscramble any of the words like the directions said." Again, he innocently said, "I did... in my head!" I had to try really hard not to laugh. I told him that I couldn't mark things that were in his head! This same day, the students were presenting the musical instruments they had made, and another one of my boys was standing at the back of the classroom boxing with... nothing! Yet another boy has been coming up to me every week with advice on giving birth and feeding the baby! One day he told me that when it's time to have the baby, don't push until it's time! This week he told me that I need to drink more milk because once I run out of milk, the baby will be drinking my vitamins! I never know what to expect from my students!

God's Mysterious Ways

This past week has been a sad week. A young boy (14) with autism that I used to look after passed away this past Wednesday. It was through his passing that I discovered the impact I had. It is so awesome when God allows you the privilege of knowing here on earth the difference you made in someone's life. Here's what I mean:
I looked after Sam when he was 8 & 9 years old. One of our favorite things to do was sing. He would sing "O Canada," Rod Stewart songs, the alphabet. I decided to teach him to sing "Jesus Loves Me." He would always make me smile when we would sing this song because instead of singing "Yes, Jesus loves me," he would sing, "Yes, Jesus loves SLEEP!" because that's what he was hearing. I didn't have a lot of contact with Sam and his mom after he was 10. I didn't look after him anymore, but I would see them around town at times and we would always speak.
My pastor was the one who did the funeral and he called me Saturday night to see if I would sing the song "Jesus Loves Me" at the funeral. He told me that Sam's mom, Liz, didn't know how Sam knew the song, but that he always sang it. I told my pastor the story of how I taught him and how he would sing it. He shared that story with Liz and she asked me if I would share the story before I sang.
Monday afternoon was the funeral. I got up and shared the story and barely made my way through one verse and the chorus of the song. After the funeral, I spoke with Liz and she thanked me for sharing and said that it had made the funeral complete. Sam's father, Bernie, who I had never met before, hugged me and said that he wouldn't have been able to make it through the funeral if I hadn't shared.
I share this story not to bring glory to myself but to thank God for allowing me to know here on earth the impact I was able to have on three people. Who knew that the simplistic song "Jesus Loves Me" would have such an awesome effect? I thank God for choosing me to be a "balm" to some broken hearts. Please pray for Liz and for Bernie and all the extended family as they go through this hard time.

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak but He is strong!

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so!

Baby Names

OK. New question. We don't know the sex of the baby, but we need to think of names. We have a girl's name, but we just cannot agree on a boy's name. I know we still have 4 and a half months left to go, but really, that's not a very long time! Any boy name suggestions?

Finally, a belly picture.

Well, folks, here it is... my belly picture. I didn't realize that I look this big, but I know I'm only going to get bigger :)

Introducing for the first time ... Baby Crousse!

Well, today we had our first ultrasound. Isn't technology great?! The first picture is a regular picture of the baby. The second one is a 3-D picture of the baby snuggling into mommy's belly. The baby was very uncooperative today - by the end of the ultrasound, he/she had turned totally face-down so we could only see the back of his/her head. The little stinker! I must say, though, there's nothing more "bonding" between a mommy and her unborn baby than seeing what's growing inside! Robert, being a tech guy, was enthralled with the cool technology, while emotional, hormone-raging mommy just laid there and cried like a, well, an emotional, hormone-raging mommy!

Hockey Night in Canada

OK. This post is for my hubby. His job involves operating audio-visual equipment at different meetings and so he has seen/heard/met some pretty interesting people such as Bill Clinton, Paul Gross (remember Due South T.V. show?), and just yesterday he met Ron McLean (Hockey Night in Canada with Don Cherry) for the second time. Here's a picture of Robert, Ron, and some other tech guys he works with. Robert is the one on the far left in the light blue dress shirt and for those of you who don't know (or can't figure it out!), Ron is the one in the suit in the middle.

My Second Posting

Don't worry. Eventually I will come up with more interesting titles!

One of the most common type of questions I've been getting is about my husband. Well, don't worry, Jon, I married a good Baptist boy. His name is Robert Crousse and he is from Fredericton, NB. Some of you may remember me telling a story about a guy who wouldn't help me and Jenny move into our apartment because it was his "looking for a wife day!" I have learned to never say never because God has a great sense of humor. This "doofus" that I wanted nothing to do with is now my husband of almost 3 years whom I love with all my heart. I never imagined that I would end up with a man who is a foot taller (well, that part's not hard to accomplish!) and almost 3 times my weight (well, before the baby took over my body!). But, he loves the Lord, loves children, and loves me... what else could I ask for?

Some thoughts on pregnancy:

1. No matter how long you stare at the positive sign on the stick, IT WON'T GO AWAY!

2. As exciting as expecting a baby is, there's nothing more depressing than the first day you put on a pair of pants that used to be too big and the button won't even reach the button hole. On the flip side: SHOPPING SPREE!

3. As most of you know, I'm not a very touchy-feely person with people I don't really know. However, once the belly starts to pop, it is apparently an open invitation for everyone - including perfect strangers - to come and rub it.

4. It's a great way to turn an already wonderful husband into an even more wonderful servant!! Just kidding! Robert has been amazing ever since we first found out we were expecting.

Survey: Should Robert and I find out the sex of the baby or not?

Can't wait to get your replies!

My First Posting

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Well, I've finally made it into the land of the blogs. There's not much news to share, but the news I do have is pretty exciting... Robert and I are expecting our first baby this August! Yay! I'm going to be a mommy! At first I was really surprised and worried because it was not planned - by us anyway:) But God is good and He knows what He's doing. Robert keeps reminding me of our life verse -
Proverbs 3:5 & 6. Now that the initial shock has worn off, we are pretty excited and can't wait to meet the newest Crousse. Look out world!