TUBES!

Greetings! Today was the day the kids went in for their very first surgery!
We woke them up at 5:45 am, dressed them, had them pee and drove 35 minutes to the Chilliwack Hospital where we were greeted by their nurses, Janny and Brenda. Still groggy from the early waking and lack of liquids and solids, the kids slowly answered the nurses questions and mommy and daddy dressed them in their pretty hospital gowns.

They got special stickers on their hands covered by Pooh Bear and Princesses to numb the skin for their injection. Then they got special bracelets marked with their allergies and their names and were sent off to play in the BIG plastic castle in the surgical waiting room. Decked out with a TV playing the Magic School Bus and filled with toys, Promise and Toby were in hospital heaven! They perked up and were in very good spirits. Thank you, Jesus!

Then it came time for Toby to head into the anesthesiologist's room with Daddy. He gave me BIG kisses and while they prepped, Promise and I played castle/dragon/princess games.

Then they called for Promise. We had a quick pee and headed down the hall. We got special hats that looked like shower caps and little booties to put on. Then we talked to the anesthesiologist explain to us about the special mask that Promise would wear to fall asleep. I translated for her. :) She seemed to understand that she got to wear the special mask that would give her special air to breathe so she could go to dreamland. :)

Once on the operating table, they tucked her in a heated blanket and held the mask out for her to wear. She stared at me while I talked to her about what was happening, prayed with her, and said "I love you" lots....then her eyes rolled back (which made me get very teary-eyed...it's scary to see your baby's eye roll back into their head in a forced sleep!!) and she went to sleep.

I sat in the waiting room meeting Tim there. He said Toby was NOT a fan of the mask and screamed and squirmed until passing out. :( Promise was a pro with that! We waited a bit longer and I passed Toby's bottle and blankie to Tim when he was called to meet Toby in the recovery room just 20 minutes later!

Shortly thereafter, they called me to meet Promise in recovery, as she was just starting to stir. I walked in to find a VERY dazed Toby in Tim's arms with goo draining from his ears and an even more "out-of-it" Promise gazing at Toby. A little creepy, I must say! But I was so thankful they were both out, happy and okay. Their "stickers" were taken off and they were wheeled into their own room where they were given some Advil/Tylenol and we were given a prescription for antibiotic drops for the ears and a list of dos and don'ts.

Within about 20 minutes or so, they were drinking juice and munching cereal balls talking about how their ears were sore and how much they wanted to go. :)

We changed them and took one last visit to the "castle" in the play waiting room and headed for the car.

Tim and I were thrilled at how well they did....not one issue, difficulty, tantrum or incident! We thanked the Lord over and over again for protecting our precious ones.

Promise's main focus was...."It's time to buy a FISH!" We promised her that after her surgery, she and Toby could pick a fish (partially for her Birthday present, too)....so all she really cared about was getting to the pet store as fast as possible to pick out a fish.

Once there, it took what felt like decades for her to pick a fish only to find out that the one(s) she wanted (while only between $0.41 and $2.29) needed to be put in aquariums designed strictly for tropical fish (a total bill of well over $50 for all that!) so we decided to distract with a Betta fish. Yeah, right. After much explaining about the sicknesses that tropical fish may endure without their $50 tanks and their need for light, plants and rocks, Promise finally decided that "Goldie" (the name of her potential fish) could be a Betta. She picked a lovely ugly duckling of a fish. While the bright red and blue ones sparkled in the water, Promise chose a brown male with slightly golden fins. I had to laugh.

We brought Goldie home and set up his bowl complete with some rocks and a cardboard background for ambiance and he blended into his world well....not to mention the kids were sufficiently distracted while I cooked breakfast and Tim managed fish time.

We had a great day together and I was so grateful Tim was able to take the day off to join us....I don't think I would have been able to do all that AND keep things peaceful without him. God is faithful.

Thank you for your prayers. At bedtime tonight, we put in their drops, gave them their tylenol and placed Goldie in Promise's room....all is quiet now. I am so thankful for God's gracious provision...and health insurance....their meds cost less than her fish!

Be blessed!

Adventure?

 Isn't my 'almost-4-year-old' beautiful? She is just lovely. Just a few more weeks and she will be the BIG 4! And with that comes a host of responsibility....she will now have to put her own dishes in the dishwasher, take her own clothes to the dirty clothes hamper and put them away when washed, and a few other grown-up chores. :) She seems pretty excited about the concept of growing up, though with the new baby coming, she still wants to eat on mommy's lap and occasionally be fed by mommy's hand...that will definitely have to stop once baby comes! I can't spoon feed THREE children at once!


This weekend was a "civic holiday" weekend, but Tim had to work on Saturday, so we spent Sunday and Monday sinking in as much "vacation" time together as possible. :) We're trying to pay off debt and save money so our outings have been more creative than your usual summer vacations. There have been A LOT of trips to the Library, McDonald's Play Place visits only buying a small fry, trips to the "free" local dairy barn to see the cows, goats, turkeys, pigs, and horses, trips to the "train park" (also known as Mill Lake Park, and this weekend....? A trip up our "mountain" for a hike.

Tim had a great idea to drive to the top of our mountain (Eagle Mountain) where all the MASSIVE houses are and travel the trails where housing development has only just begun. Though I know we're not supposed to play in construction sites, this area has been abandoned until the massive houses below are sold. So we adventured!

 So we found a dirt/gravel trail up the mountain and began to "climb". We found LOTS of concrete blocks, piping, and empty drains.....

 And a lovely view of the United States and our city!

 We climbed all over the concrete....saw pretty wild flowers, chased grasshoppers and butterflies, and threw rocks.

 Toby found a tube!

 And another vantage point!

 Then the kids got tired and Daddy gave them a ride.....

We took a break in some piping avoiding the sun....

And had a really great time just 3 minutes from our house! Who knew such adventures awaited us so very close!?

This week will be another adventure...though one of a different sort. On Thursday, the kids go in for their very first surgery. They are getting tubes put in their ears to help with their frequent sinus/ear infections. I am hoping it will also help with Toby's lack of balance (he falls all the time) and difficulty hearing certain letters. For Promise, I am praying it will keep her from all those pesky ear aches and irritable outbursts from not being able to hear! If you think of them, please pray for them on Thursday morning. Two kids under general anesthesia waking with ear aches may not be fun for anyone.....but thankfully since Tim worked Saturday, he can come with me on Thursday to the hospital! Thank you, Jesus!
Be blessed.

A summer in pictures.....sorry for the delay!

 On Toby's birthday (July 11th), we had a Father-Daughter serenade when Daddy came home from work! Then Grandma-stina and Papa Steeb came downstairs for some Gluten-free/dairy-free cookies...blown out by Toby!

 And there were a couple presents! He loved the free building blocks I got from Pampers Gifts to Grow! Ha ha ha ha....buying all those diapers paid off. :)

 Then, we had a REAL partay the following Sunday with friends from near and far that we hadn't seen in a LONG time! We were so grateful for their visit! It was supposed to rain all day, but the Lord had mercy on us and the rains came just after the last guest left. :)

 Then the kiddos needed a BATH!

 My Precious TWO-YEAR-OLD! Happy Birthday, handsome Tobes!

 This passed Saturday, we went BERRY PICKING! Our city is the best berry picking place on earth....first we picked RASPBERRIES! (We had to remind Toby several times NOT to eat them and BY NO MEANS pick the green ones).

 Promise was pretty sad she couldn't stick that one in her mouth, it was a beauty!

 Then we went BLUEBERRY picking! That was a bit easier for Promise and Toby because there were SOOOOO MANY BIG JUICY blueberries and very few spiders.

Mission accomplished. Between Daddy, Mommy, Promise, and Toby, we picked about $30 worth of berries and that was about 4 ice cream buckets. :) We ate too many when we got home...the belly aches and diarrhea were worth it. Now Toby wakes every morning saying, "Baywees, peeze!" Poor kid....they make his poo watery and stink.

We've had a summer of sickness, though the kids have been great despite. Baby Stewart #3 is still doing great and though we had a few concerns about my growing varicosities and anemia, this pregnancy has been filled with joy. We have a movie of the kids and my belly, but it's not uploading very well. Perhaps another post.

Be blessed.

Seeing baby

Greetings!
Yesterday we had quite the eventful day!
We had our scheduled 21-week ultrasound and Promise, Toby, and Tim were all able to make it for the gender-revealing partay!

They "technically" are not allowed to reveal the gender in office, but rather, we are to call or visit our midwife 24-48 hours after the ultrasound for the reveal. How DUMB! SO! Being the annoying trained midwife I am, I proceeded to persuade the tech to "show" me the gender bits already assuming this baby was a girl. I referred to the baby as "she" and kept leaning over to see the screen....

When the baby wouldn't open her legs, the lovely tech asked me to drain my bladder and return to the room with my family so that they could join in the fun. I did so and then took a look at the measurements of the baby....smaller chest size, smaller features in general....yeah, I am pretty certain this one is a girl....

Tim and the kids came in and were fascinated with each part of the baby shown....and then we all leaned in to see between the legs....I smiled....three lines..."the hamburger", as we call it....

The tech said, "Well, three lines...." So I said to Promise, "You're having a baby sister!" And she cheered!

Yup, it's a girl...we 'knew' all along and to have it confirmed it such a blessing.
Tim had to go back to work after the partay, but returned home in the evening with "It's a Baby Girl" balloons for the kids and a pink miniature rose for me. He is such a great man. We cried.

While I am not sure I can handle any more estrogen and drama in the household, God thinks otherwise and I am thankful this precious baby is growing normally without any issues. Our THIRD miracle.

So the count is now 6 grandgirls to 2 grandboys on the Stewart side and 3 grandgirls and 3 grandboys on the McClellan (my family) side. We're starting to take over! Look out, WORLD!

Be blessed.

Croup and a congratulations!

 The congratulations? Well, after a year of being employed with Kal Tire, Tim became a certified assistant manager! This took some serious studying, training and a lot of long meetings....and long working hours! But BEHOLD! My amazing hubby accomplished an incredible feat and they LOVE him at work.....who woudn't...I mean...REALLY! So we got him a cake. (Promise insisted it was his birthday and even yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!" when he got home....and yes, we had to sing the Birthday song, too...and blow out a candle.)

 But the week before certification, Promise came down with a rough bronchial infection, Toby had a serious case of croup (throwing up almost every time he coughed), I had a bladder infection and then we passed the cold to Tim! It was a rough week indoors and we had to summon Daddy from work once because we had several doctors' visits and antibiotics for all to get....but we made it through.

It required a LOT of prayer from friends and family, too....we were really concerned about having to take Toby into emergency because he just couldn't catch his breath and couldn't keep his meds down.
BUT GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!

 He is handsome. And (below) a great diaper dancer!

 The week before that, we had some Mother's Day fun outside! We ordered a pizza for mommy and daddy....(mommy made gluten-free/dairy-free pizza for the kiddos) and played in the warm sun all afternoon. And a special mother's day gift from baby number 3?....I felt KICKING! Yes, at 16 weeks, baby kicked hard enough for me to notice! Now he/she won't stop!

Of course....where did the sun go!? It's been rainy and COLD all week! Summer is not coming this year, so I am told. Gotta keep the kids busy somehow!!! ACK!

Meanwhile, today I am 19 weeks pregnant and doing pretty well. The bladder infection was as a result of my pubic bone out of alignment causing stress on my ureter and bladder. The chiropractor is working on this area now even more. As this baby grows, I am feeling the weight on the pubic bone like never before. OUCH! So thankful for this little one, though. We find out the gender on the 21st of this month.

Feeling grateful for His grace these days....amidst a lot of chaos, He is our glue....our peace.
Be blessed.

BIG boy bed.

This passed weekend, Tim and I bought a foam mattress off of a clearance/liquidation sale in Chillawack to put on Toby's great-GREAT grandfather's homemade bed!
The mattress itself was covered in a "car" theme, so Toby was ecstatic when he saw it. :) However, he was a little disappointed when we had to put a fitted sheet on top of it void of "guts" (trucks and cars).

He and Promise climbed excitedly onto his new bed wrestling and rolling around screaming and giggling. It was great.

Then it was nap time. We put all of Toby's pillows, stuffed animals, blankies and "guts" into his bed, read him a story, sang "Jesus Loves Me", prayed and said, "Love you, sleep well!"

About 3 minutes later, we heard, "Momma? Momma? MOMMMMAAAA?...." So I quietly opened his door and he had thrown all of his belongings back into his Pac n Play and was pointing longingly towards it saying, "Inside go?"

The first weekend with the BIG boy bed was a bust. He loved playing on it, but the Pac n Play won every time.......

Until nap time yesterday. I put the Pac n Play into the closet, made up the BIG boy bed into the cozy, crowded pile Toby likes it and went through our naptime routine.

I heard the rustling of toys throughout his room.....I went in and put him back into his bed saying, "Toby, it's nap time....stay in bed and go to sleep."

This went on 3 more times and then I wondered if perhaps he would climb back into his bed when he was ready for sleep....so I waited.....one hour.....two hours....no sounds....I peeked in....fast asleep on his beloved bear pillow ON his BIG boy bed....and even four hours later he was still out like a light! By 5 pm, I had to tickle him gently to rouse him! Who knows how long he had been playing in his room and then again in his bed, but hey, he slept in his BIG boy bed!

And  then we did it again at bedtime last night and VOILA! The kid slept ALL night in his BIG boy bed and played quietly on his bed until I got him up around 7 am! My BIG boy really is a BIG boy! He is growing so fast and he's not even 2, yet!

Next up....Potty training.....I gotta do it before baby #3 comes!

 Wrestling and rolling the day we picked up the bed!

 A successful nap time of 4 hours in perfect position!

Surrounded by comfort!
Be blessed

Life in Pics....YEAH!!

For Valentine's Day, Tim planned an evening of bubble bath, chocolate, wine and scrabble....this, along with mini-Valentine hints scattered throughout the house, was sitting in the bathtub when I awoke February 14th. :)

Our handsome Tobias enjoying a see-saw adventure...the rain stayed away just long enough (about 2 days) in our February.

About once a week, Promise asks to watch her favorite film: Mary Poppins! Who knew a 3 year-old could sit through Mary Poppins! AND she can sing all the tunes! Her favorite? "Let's go Fly a Kite!"

Yes, Toby is a HAM.

Then in March, Mommy AND Toby got to ride the see-saw together. :)

Promise has an old Costco strawberry box in which her "Nap-Nap" (Little People) live....and she decided to show off that SHE can live in there, too!

Promise's cousin, Lila, had a princess tea party for her birthday and Promise was ALL over that!

Toby in March. I just love those blue eyes. MELT!

This is one of "those" times when Toby and Promise are actually getting along....it happens seldom, but when it does, we CAPTURE IT! They were playing "SLEEP! - AWAKE!" .....a game they created when you "gently" or not so gently wake up the other person.

Then we went to Oregon to see my parents and brother's family for Easter! Grandma Con was so happy to see the kidlings...and Papa Jim got A LOT of hugs, too!

Toby loved the juice Grandma Con put in his Easter basket...I think he might have had Promise's, too.

Promise hunted for eggs at Andy and RuthAnn's house with the cousins....she found quite a few!

Toby needed assistance, but was fascinated by the pretty colored "balls".

Almost done! Gracie found the most eggs!

The fam together (minus Tim taking the pic and Levi who was busy eating all his candy inside the house)

Then we came home to all our flowers blooming! Promise and I planted well over 100 bulbs last fall and they ALL came up!!! We were thrilled! They are BEAUTIFUL!

Tobias discovered a great way to get rid of old toys or unwanted food....now he is regretting throwing his car down there....poor boy! This evening was our first sunny evening of Spring!

Another one of "those" happy moments when both kids LOVE each other....."Savor it, Bethany." Aren't they beautiful?

Then my dear friend, Heather Lilly came for a brief visit last week. The kids LOVED having her, but not near as much as I did. She is a joy to be around. The kids didn't want her to go...it was precious.

Then last weekend, Grandma-stina and Papa Steeb gave each of their grandkids a present containing the most beautiful clothes Promise and Toby have ever had! They wanted a special picture of all their grandkids (minus the one in my belly). And here's what we got!.........

The clan! Micah/Lila, Justice/Hope/Grace, Promise/Tobias

The girls......

The line of them by age....Toby always needs to "go against the flow".

Our family. :) Toby was a little "pictured-out" at this point. I love my family.

In a brief update. I am now 13 weeks pregnant and while morning sickness is not completely gone, it has subsided quite a bit....I am so grateful for that. Promise and Toby still struggle with big allergies and tend to be doing a bit worse with the Spring plants in bloom, but they are happy and growing....what more can I ask for!?

We are still pretty much dairy and gluten free with them and even the slightest amount of wheat sends Promise into belly-ache/constipated anguish. Toby gets immune compromised and sick. Dairy makes them phlegmy and full of tummy cramps.....and we found out a few weeks ago that in addition to dairy free, we need to get their tonsils/adenoids out and put tubes in their ears in order for their hearing to improve and the head-cold sicknesses to subside. They have been through the ringer!

Blogging has become almost an impossibility these days, so I am thankful for this little break while the kids are resting to update ya'll.

Tim is up for assistant-management certification at work in May, so please be praying for him. He is doing great and I am so proud of him. We are enjoying God's faithfulness in our lives daily. We've come a LONG way.
Be Blessed.