Boy, what a week!

It was a busy week last week. In addition to nursing our various illnesses we did manage to enjoy a few activities.

Sarah was well enough to participate in her school's Christmas program. She and the other kiddos did great with singing Christmas songs. I got verklempt this year just like last year as they were entering the church and going on stage. It just hit me that she is growing up so darn fast! Kirk just laughed at me. Nothing like a pregnant hormonal mother tearing up as her 2-1/2 year old daughter sang Christmas songs.

On Friday we enjoyed the Polar Express in Durango. I yet again got verklempt as the train pulled up to the station and flashes were going off from everyone's camera. I was so excited for this event and wanted it to be very magical for Sarah. I kept telling myself to pull it together and again Kirk thought I was off my rocker. Thankfully Durango had several inches of snow on the ground to help with the Christmas atmosphere. The train ride to/from "the North Pole" was fun. I think Sarah just sat back and tried to absorb all what was going on. We had hot chocolate, cookies, caroling (led by two very energetic college girls as our car's hostesses) and a visit with Santa. Sarah was able to ask Santa for Woody and Buzz Lightyear as her Christmas wishes this year.

We were slated to attend the COP holiday party on Saturday evening but opted out since neither Kirk nor I were up for the event. Instead we were in bed by 9:30pm. ha!

One big accomplishment that has happened since Thanksgiving is Sarah has graduated from her crib to toddler bed. We took the front face off the crib and replaced it with the toddler rail. We didn't want to make too much of a fuss about the upgrade with fear she would think it was so cool she would show off her escaping talents. But so far so good. She goes to bed like no big deal and calls when she wakes up. One morning she did get out by herself and I heard her rustling so we met at her door. I told Kirk the night she will try to get up would most likely be Christmas Eve. Wouldn't that be something?

Sarah playing and modeling her Santa hat. Too darn cute!

Big girl in her big girl bed getting everything just right.

Polar Express Pictures - Sarah and I with the huge Santa outside the train depot.
Hello Frosty!
Family shot in the train car.
Meeting Santa and being so overwhelmed. He gave her one of his reindeer's bells.
Waiting for the train to pull up at the depot.
Christmas Program

21 week Ultrasound

The baby is a...drum roll please... girl! Or we think it's a girl. The ultrasound nurse/tech was pretty sure and even took a picture of the baby's bottom from below to show there wasn't anything in the middle. But at the same time she gave us her disclaimer of sometimes being wrong. So for now we are having a girl. We are very excited to have another daughter and Sarah will be a wonderful role model. Kirk was always destined to be surrounded by women but he will have his hands full with at least 2 if not 3 red headed women. ha! The ultrasound went well and all other parts/pieces are normal. I do have a low lying placenta once again so I have to go back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound to make sure the placenta is heading north with all the other bits as mother nature designed. We did see the baby in action showing us just how she was creating the thumping feelings I've been having near the cervix. Sure enough, she had her hand down there and appeared to be punching as well. Damn, it's already started...the kid is fighting back.

I'm staying on track with the weight gain which is a good thing. I decided there were a few things I needed to cut back on. With Sarah, I had a clean diet with tons of dairy, no caffeine, no soda, no chocolate and limited sweets in general. This time around I've been good about the caffeine up until 4 weeks ago and am now up to 1/4 cup of coffee per day (still within acceptable limits I might add). I drink the occasional caffeine free soda which I need to stop and chocolate has not been an enemy this time around. I decided I needed to chill on the chocolate as well. That will help limit the Christmas treat consumption, I hope. :-)

The whole family is nursing some sort of illness these past few days. Sarah has an ear infection and what appeared to be the beginning of pink eye but is on the mend with antibiotics. Kirk and I started out with colds mid-week last week and felt horrible all weekend long. My cold has transpired into a doosy of a sinus infection which I'm finally on antibiotics to eliminate. I look and sound like Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer. Kirk seems to be doing better without having to seek drastic measures...so far.

Mental Recalibration

I was sitting here today at lunch going through email. I received my weekly update from the Baby Center which is a great site. When I opened the note it said "Congrats! You are at 20 weeks and are half way there". I had to take a deep breath when I read that...wow! Really? I'm half way there? It's amazing with this pregnancy how fast the time is flying. We are so preoccupied with Sarah and the daily grind that we don't have the time to dwell on the everyday changes that we did when I was pregnant with Sarah.

Then I pulled out my thumb drive to download files for a co-worker and came across a bunch of pictures of Sarah when she was an infant. I took the thumb drive down to Kirk (we work in the same building) and showed him the pictures as well. We had our 5 minutes of walking down memory lane for a mental recalibration. All of the experiences of dealing with an infant were flashing through our minds and we looked at each other thinking "here we go again?". The drool, sleepless nights, breastfeeding, burping, spit up, dark circles under my eyes with bad hair days, teething, etc., etc. We wouldn't change anything for this experience but had to step back to recalibrate.

All is well and I can't wait for next week's ultrasound. I think the little one's legs/feet are hanging down because I've been feeling quite a bit of thumping in the lower areas including the bladder. But all is great and life is good.

Copy Cats

After discussing with Kirk, we plan to copy our friends in an effort to control who views the blog. We will be going 'private' on the blog at the first of the year. That means I need your email address so that I can make sure you still have viewing privileges...just in case I have the wrong address. Please send me a note to reginamjohnson@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your information. Thanks!

(and thanks to the Yancey's for the idea and allowing us to beg, borrow and steal)

Happy Turkey Lurkey Day

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Kirk’s parent’s house in Delta, CO. It was great to see family (aunts, uncle and cousin) and just enjoy a departure from the daily grind. It was also wonderful that the Broncos won on Thanksgiving night!

We tried a couple of firsts with Thanksgiving dinner including a cranberry/apple sauce and rye bread dressing, recipes courtesy of the Food and Wine magazine. I found a picture of cute turkey chocolate cupcakes and made an attempt to replicate. They were a hit especially with Sarah. She isn’t much of a cake fan but LOVES frosting and candy corn. This pregnant lady was in heaven as well though I had to monitor the intake. We also celebrated Kirk’s dad’s 70th birthday on Thanksgiving though the true day is later this week. He was a good sport with some of the gag gifts but did enjoy the real gifts which included a new fishing net from Kirk. Kirk and his dad were able to get out on the stream for a bit of father/son fishing which was nice. We also hit the stores on Black Friday, which I've never done, but had a plan to get in and out before the lunch hour. We were successful and are now proud owners of the $19 Black and Decker griddle from Target. I guess it’s the little things that make you happy. Ha!

We came back Sunday night and I proceeded to pull out the Christmas decorations so that I can slowly set things out. The first thing that went up is our new Pottery Barn Kids advent calendar which I’m excited to use. I told Sarah that everyday in the month of December Santa’s elves will leave something in the slot on the calendar for her. I’m trying to figure out what goes in day 1’s slot...maybe Jelly Beans. I’ve been collecting treats and gifts so it’s hard to pick the right one to start the tradition.

We are set to have a busy 3 ½ weeks coming up including Sarah’s Christmas pageant and a trip on the Polar Express (Durango train) with Santa himself next week. We also plan to attend the COP holiday party that we missed last year. We have cookie parties and other work parties as well throughout the month. Before you know it, Christmas will be here! Yikes.

We hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving Day Smiles!

Yummy Chocolate Turkey Lurkey Cupcakes

Life is good with a little chocolate...love the tongue lick of the lips!Playing with PapaSarah and Daddy playing the piano. This was her favorite thing to do all weekend. She and Gaga (aka Grandma) would play and sing Christmas carols.

All is well

All is well in the Johnson household. Wow, I'm 19 weeks already? The kid is going to be here before I know it! I had my 16 week check-up along with the second round of prenatal testing and all came back normal. Great news! We have our next appointment on the 14th of December which will be the big one...we can't wait to find out what's cookin inside and make sure all the parts and pieces are developing well.

Sarah is doing great and is in full Christmas spirit. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Frosty are viewed on a regular basis which I hope won't make for a long 4 weeks. She is enjoying a big bag of Disney Princess dress up clothing our co-worker's daughter handed down. She is Tinker Bell in the picture above enjoying a nice chat with her peeps.

So far so good

We received the results today from our early screening and NT scan of the baby. All is normal from round one. I go in for my 16 week appointment next week for round two of the screening. So far, so good.

The pooch has grown to the point of being in full maternity garb. I also get the occasional shot of the double chin in the mirror and see a hint of J-Lo in the back surfacing. I did make it to the gym prior to our trip to Phoenix which felt great. It was nice to be in the pool and back on the treadmill. Now I have 3 weeks to get back in the routine before the Thanksgiving feeding frenzy.

Happy Halloween 2009

We enjoyed a great weekend in Phoenix with my oldest brother and his family for Halloween . Sarah had a great time playing with her cousins and Daisy the wonder dog. Halloween night was a bunch of fun for everyone. Sarah did not like anyone in a mask and was a little freaked out so we carried her from house to house. But she got the hang of walking up and saying “trick or treat”. Once we got back to the house, we went through the bags of candy to make sure all was safe. Then we told the kids that they needed to dump their candy into a big pile and take two handfuls. The two handfuls were for the kids to keep. The remainder of the candy would be put in a bag and left at the front door for The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin would take the candy and use it for other kids who did not get to trick or treat or save it for next year. And in return, he would leave a present. The present for all four kids was the turkey from Build-A-Bear. Sarah’s turkey was named “Turkey Lurkey”. Too cute. We look forward to the next possible opportunity to see my brother and his family…maybe after the Christmas holiday for skiing in Durango.

Pumpkin carving frenzy. Sarah modeling the bat headband.
Trick or Treat!

Dads with beer in keg cups. Happy Halloween!

Fairy Sarah, Peacock Princess Hayden, Robot Jack and Puppy Kyle

Thank you Great Pumpkin!

Let it Snow!

We had mixed feelings about the snow storm that came through last week. Right off the bat, we were happy we didn’t get hit like Denver with the 10 inch+ snow. We were excited for the change in weather and to play in the fluffy white stuff after work/school. But the storm forced us to change the mode of transportation to Phoenix for our big Halloween weekend. Instead of getting the Cessna up the air for a much needed journey, we loaded up the truck and moved on to Phoenix. The drive was long but well worth the effort and time.

Our angels

Here are a few recent pictures of our two angels. Enjoy!

Sarah’s 2 year School Picture

Baby Johnson Number 2 at 13 weeks

A Beautiful Fall Day

We enjoyed a beautiful fall day this morning and took a walk along the Animas River to feed the ducks. The colors were amazing.

Halloween Preparation

Sarah loves to say "hi" to the pumpkins on a daily basis....carving courtesy of Kirk. We went ahead and carved pumpkins early since we plan/hope and have everything crossed that we make it to Phoenix for the holiday weekend.

The Final Installment

We are in the midst of a project called "The Johnson Clan Family Expansion - The Final Installment". And yes, as asked by a friend in AK, this is our final answer. So far everything is on schedule, on budget.

We are expecting bambino number 2 at the end of April 2010. As with Sarah, this one will be delivered by c-section since I’m not made to deliver babies the ol'fashion way. So we will have a firmer date as the time approaches. We are very excited along with being naturally apprehensive about the new addition. A wild toddler and infant mix should make for a good time.

All has progressed well to date (I’m at 12 weeks) with the exception of the entire month of September and lingering bits into the month of October. The couch or bed along with constant snacking and Ginger Ale are my new best friends. This is why I didn’t make the trip to Anchorage after the Labor Day holiday much to my dismay. But I do hope to make it up before the baby is born or else it could be a while. I’m surprised how quickly the pooch popped out with this one but I guess that is common with subsequent pregnancies. I’m still in my regular clothing (shirts) but I had to break out my ‘fat pants’ for the time being and am now eyeing my maternity pants more and more.

I have my 13 week appointment next Tuesday. During that appointment we elected to complete a non-invasive screening of the baby to determine the probability of him/her having Downs, given I’m at the ripe old age of 35. The screening will allow for a better determination as to whether more invasive testing (i.e., amniocentesis) is recommended. No matter the outcome, the information we gain is just information that may help us better prepare but would never change the way we feel about our little blessing.

I’m glad the news is out especially at work. I can stop wearing my fleece jacket and hiding in my office or stand at a sucked in gut salute if someone walked by. I’m also glad to be pregnant this time around in Farmington rather than Anchorage, since spring babies seem to be our thing. The weather will allow for more outdoor activities through the winter months without constant fear of falling on ice, etc. Now I just need to get my prego bootie back in the gym which I’ve neglected for the past two months for reasons already provided.

Fun with the Family

We enjoyed a 4-day weekend visit with my folks who drove in from Denver. We mostly stayed near the house, enjoyed trips to the park and shouted at the TV during the Broncos/Patriots game (Go Broncos!). We took a short trip to Durango on Saturday to shop along Main St., have lunch at one of our favorites (Steamworks Brewery) and took advantage of the great pumpkin displays for photo ops. We did the Great Pumpkin Patch Express last year but decided this year we would try the Polar Express.

We are excited for our next opportunity to visit with my folks….maybe during the holidays?

Sarah hanging with Grandma and Grandpa.
It's the Great Pumpkin!

Taos

We went to Taos over the Labor Day weekend and caught up with Kirk's parents along with co-worker friends and their kids. Six adults and three kids sharing a vacation rental = good fun (with a mild sarcastic undertone). The good fun was in abundance because Sarah was battling a cold as well as I mid way through so patience was running thin, tears easily flowed and those who weren't used to sickly toddlers seemed a tad bit irritated at times during the crying fits. ha! But the house was nice and Taos proved to be as advertised - very artsy fartsy, hippy and extremely liberal. The artsy fartsy bit meant that shopping turned into window shopping for us given the small trinkets and other touristy chotskies in easy reach making it a challenge for a 2.5 year old and their uncontrolled need to touch everything. We even got kicked out of one store after Sarah picked up these little furry critter things which apparently irritated the store clerk a bit too much. All in all the shopping was similar to downtown Anchorage with the same ol'junk in every single store and hopefully made in Alaska (or New Mexico for that matter) but we found several "authentic" items authentically made in China. We did find a kid only place called Twirl which Sarah and the other two girls enjoyed. Kirk, his dad and our co-worker friend made it to the streams to fish for two days in the New Mexico sun. They had a great time both days.

Sarah chasing the local bunny population around the vacation rental.

Very happy with fish in hand.

Sarah enjoying the play yard at Twirl with one slightly chapped upper lip from the nasal drainage.

On the tail end of the trip, it became evident that the cooties that took over my body were not going to allow me to make my much anticipated mommy only trip to Anchorage to visit friends after the Labor Day weekend. sniff, sniff So, I had to postpone the trip with high hopes to make it back to the Last Frontier in November. Fingers and toes are double crossed!

OMG this is scary

I received this video from a friend in Alaska and felt I needed to share. It's frightening to see who has been elected to represent the people of this nation. (side note - I had to chuckle at the lady in the background towards the end of the clip covering her mouth so no one could see her laughing at the woman speaking)

Tis the Season

Tis the season in the San Juan basin to start preparations for the fall and winter months. First off, go to the local farm and purchase a bushel of fire roasted green chilies. Yum!! We went to Sutherland Farm in Aztec outside of Farmington to load up. Sarah was able to visit with the farm critters as well.It's also time to take advantage of pre-season sales including Gymboree where I picked up Sarah's purple fairy costume for this year. The plan is to spend Halloween in Phoenix with family pillaging the neighborhood for sugar treats. When the costume arrived, Sarah had to put in on and it stayed on through the afternoon. Too cute!