[untitled because I couldn't think of something creative]

Well, I'm done my transcription work for the evening and Tim is up taking a shower, so I thought I'd take this time to put in a quick post. It could probably be considered a small miracle that I'm actually posting within three months of the last time I posted.

I actually got around to writing in my paper journal today for the first time in months. It's a little easier to write in there than it is to update an online journal because Reuben doesn't mind me doing that as much as being on the computer. I may find that I'm able to keep track of the kids growing up in there more than on here. Sorry for your loss.

Life continues to move along. Kaylee has been smiling at us more and more and makes the most adorable cooing sounds along with it. She particularly enjoys it when we talk to her. I have her on a great routine, eat, awake, sleep, then repeat. For anyone out there planning to have kids, I recommend the book "The Baby Whisperer". Yes, it sounds somewhat flaky, but the EASY routine really works quite well. I used it with Reuben, and I started Kaylee on it quite early on, and she has settled into it nicely. The last two nights she's been sleeping from about 8ish to 3 or 4, and I'm hoping that we can make this a habit. I know it's wierd to appreciate the 4am feeding, but when that's the only one, life is much better than when she's up every 3 to 4 hours.

Reuben is also growing quickly. He's saying more and more words every day. Last week he learned "no". It's cute for now, but I have a feeling I will get tired of hearing him say it. I haven't started toilet training yet, but that will come. First I have to get him back to only using the soother for nap times. I admit I got a little lazy and let him have it way too much while I was still pregnant with Kaylee, and I didn't want to try and wean him off of it while he was still adjusting to her being around. I think it's time to work on that one because I'm getting tired of watching him walk around with it in his mouth. It is especially annoying when he tries to talk with it in his mouth. So not cool.

Tim's work situation continues to be up in the air. We've been somewhat unhappy with how things are going at Artech lately as far as the amount of hours Tim is putting in without being paid overtime and other various frustrations around the type of work Tim is doing and issues he's having to deal with that he'd rather not. He's been doing some occasional work for Northland trucking lately, and there is a possibility that he may do that part-time as well as working more on a freelance basis for Artech. We will see. Sometimes I wish God would put up a huge billboard somewhere telling us exactly what we should do.

I am back to doing transcription work in the evenings. Kaylee has a good bedtime now, so that makes it easy to do. I very much enjoy doing it, and often wish that I had more time during the day to work on it, but of course with two kids to take care of that isn't possible. Is it wierd that part of me is looking forward to when they go to school so that I can start doing this on a more full-time basis? It gives me a chance to use my brain, and I like that.

Well, Tim's done his shower, so I'll go now. Maybe I'll start a habit of this, or maybe it might end up being a long time till I update again. We'll see...

Long overdue

Okay, I know. I've taken too long to post again. Luckily for you, I was catching up on reading some other blogs today, and I got the inspiration to write something again. So much has happened since last time, most importantly Kaylee Elizabeth was born on May 28, 2009 at 7:14 am. She weighed 10lb 1oz and was 55 cm long. Yes, I had a 10lb baby. All natural. The entire labour was about 3 hours long. I've been told I was born to deliver babies. I don't know about that...

She is very cute. Here are some pictures. Some of them were taken by me or Tim, some by my sister, some by my parents. Enjoy...











I have also determined that I think it's time for me to turn this blog private, meaning only the people I give permission to may see it. There's no particular reason for the switch at this time, but I'm starting to feel a little more cautious about what I put on the Internet, especially about the kids. So, I'll add whatever email addresses I can think of that I know will be reading this. If you get missed, just email me, and I'll add you...(as long as I know you)...

I know there hasn't really been a whole lot to this. I was actually feeling more inspired earlier, but then I got busy putting the kids to bed, and now I'm just tired. I do feel somewhat guilty for not writing more regularly. I wish that I was better at keeping a record of Kaylee and Reuben's lives and all the things they do, but they keep me so busy that I just don't seem to get around to it. It's one of those things that I keep putting off and saying that I'll get to it, but then never do. I should change that...

I should be napping

I know that many of you have been anxiously waiting for a new blog post, so instead of napping like I should, I'll give you a quick post. And yes, I do mean quick. Suck it up.

I finally got to clean my house today. I dropped Reuben off at Tim's parents this morning and got about two hours of solid cleaning in. Believe it or not, I didn't get everything done. My bathroom is still dirty, and I still need to dust the living room and our bedroom, but at least my kitchen floor is clean, and there aren't anymore dust bunnies made of cat fur under my living room couches anymore. Call it nesting, call it what you will, but I have been panicking slightly the past few days thinking that the baby is going to come without me being able to get my house clean first.

My due date is 18 days away. Honestly, I will be surprised if the baby doesn't come before then. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I really don't see us having to wait too long. I just hope it waits until after the May long weekend when Tim will finally have a break from work. It would suck if he couldn't be there when the baby is born.

Well, all the cleaning has made me exhausted, and I'm afraid that I might hear Reuben waking up from his nap (after only 30 minutes?!) I think I might pretend I don't hear him and hope that he goes back to sleep. It would be bad if he didn't have a good nap today because I know he is tired after spending time with his grandparents this morning.

Anyway, that's your update. Enjoy.

Fasting

Our pastor recently sent out an email with some information on fasting in preparation to ask the church to fast for the month of February. In response to that, and relating somewhat to our current financial situation, I've actually decided to commit to a fast of my own. Since I'm pregnant and fasting from food and water probably isn't a good idea, I've decided to fast from the Internet. Given my Internet addiction, I anticipate this to be a challenge, but I also hope that this time will allow me to draw closer to God. I hope to use this time for prayer and Bible study, particularly as it relates to our finances and trusting God for His providence in our lives.

What this means for you is: I will not be on Facebook, or on any message boards, or updating this blog, or checking my email nearly as frequently. I'm allowing myself to check my email once a day, probably in the mornings, so if you need to get a hold of me by the evening, try calling instead. I plan to return to my regular Internet usage on February 15.

I ask for your prayers, that God will use this time so I can deepen my relationship with Him, and also that He will continue to provide for all of our needs. I know that He is faithful, but by golly it's getting harder and harder to see how we're going to get through the next few months.

Peace my friends.

Sorry so long in coming

Laura very kindly reminded me that I haven't updated here in a while, so I will try to do that now. Clearly much time has passed since I last blogged here, and much has happened. The Christmas season has come and gone; this year's festivities were somewhat more subdued following the death of my Aunt Liz on Christmas Eve after a two and half year battle with cancer. O's parents have also found alternate care for him in preparation for me needing some time off when the new baby is born. So, I am officially not doing home daycare anymore. I can honestly say I'm somewhat relieved. I have been enjoying the time with just me and Reuben again.

So, what am I doing for work now? Well, I've found a job working for Weed Man doing telephone sales in the evenings and on Saturdays. I had two days of training this week and start in the sales room on Monday. I will be doing sales for about a month, and then they will be switching me to a job as an appointment setter, which will be a little less stressful and hopefully more pleasant to not have to be pushing people to buy the product. The pay will probably be slightly less due to no commission, but it should still be enough.

I'm also looking quite seriously at getting into doing transcription work from home. I've discovered it's a lot of work to get into, and definitely not easy to do, but as I have quite a fast typing speed and have pretty good grammar skills, I think this might be something I could really do. I actually had my first real transcription job to do last night! It was just a short, free-lance, help out someone who had extra work that she couldn't finish on time, thing. But she'll pay me $50 for it, and it didn't end up taking me as long as I thought it might. It was an hour of audio, and I think I had it all typed up in about 3 1/2 hours, and then took another hour and half to proof read it this morning. 5:1 ratio is not bad for a newbie, considering the industry standard is 4:1. I'm doing okay. Hopefully I can get some more experience like this under my belt so I can apply to actual companies for steady work.

Reuben is doing well. I think he misses having the other kids around, because I can hardly do anything without him needing me to play with him. I'm hoping we can get him better at playing by himself again. The new baby is growing well. I'm just over 22 weeks, so more than halfway through this. This pregnancy is going so much easier than Reuben's so I'm very thankful for that.

well, I think that's all for now. I'll try not to be gone for so long again...