a busy week!

We've had quite a busy week! Applying for Keith's passport, getting Amelia's bloodwork taken, groceries, doctors appointment, and attempting to see the midwife (failed). I don't know if I feel like much has been accomplished although Jett says that there was. I'm tired. These night time feeds are hard to keep up lately that is! Keith is doing so well though. He weighed in at 11lbs 4oz on thursday, so a total of 3lbs and 8oz gained since birth. He already has grown a couple of inches longer too and he has such a sweet smile. A very contented baby! He was nearly laughing at me today. It makes me wonder what kind of personality he will have. Will it be like Aaron's - the clown of the family? Or like Amelia's - our perfectionist? Or like Owen's - the sensitive, yet highly energetic? Or, something completely his own? :)

Aaron turned 4 on the 2nd. And Oma bought him "Cranky the crane" (Thomas & Friends)

And of course he liked is so much!
My birthday was on the 7th, which as a mom doesn't mean much! :) But I did have my mom over the weekend here, and on Saturday my dad, my sister, and my niece came up for the day.

Owen is happy to have Daddy back. He is starting to say more words finally!

This was taken the weekend before Jett flew back. We or rather I made a snowman with the kids.

My back doesn't do well with baby-wearing, but I needed to get somethings done and he wanted to be held. This is the only "carrier" that I enjoy using (Sleepy/Moby wrap).

What a cutie he is! My mom bought this seat for him to use here for the time we are in Canada.This was taken yesterday after the failed trip to Owen sound. The roads were getting so bad, cars were starting to slip/slide on the ice and even hitting other vehicles.

I decided to let Owen play with play dough. I helped him make something he could recognize. This kid likes the alphabet. It's hard to keep him from singing it on some days!

I don't know when this was taken...but he is slightly smiling here. We've got him really smiling on video but with this new laptop I haven't got a clue how to upload them to here!

Today, I got these two to wash dishes. Amelia is really quite good at it, but Aaron well, he finds the water such a fun thing to play with. :)

And that is our little update for now. I'm off to make some dough for pizza tonight (I don't make the dough very often, hope it turns out!) and then to check on prices for flights to...home (Auckland)!!

To do list:

- Acquire Keith's birth certificate DONE

- Acquire Long form Birth certificate DONE

- Apply for his passport DONE

- Get passport (Picking up on Feb 20)

- Get Keith's medical examination done (part of visa)

- Apply for Keith's visa (and send in my passport for my visa)

Things are coming along! :)

Progress :)

We are starting to see some progress with immigration stuff. I was checking online, yesterday, to see the status of Keith's birth certificate and they were saying something like 16 wks approximately for the registration process...I couldn't believe it. Another 4 months?? So I decided to call them first thing this morning...and wow, he is already registered! So now we are waiting the birth certificate. Hopefully in a weeks time! The next step after that is to get his passport (2wks wait) and get his medical/physical done and send off the visa (possible 4-6wks). I so hope that we can finally have things arranged by March to finally go home! :) So thats that.

On to Keithy, Kitty, or Quiche (lol I would never have thought of that nickname poor boy) I think I'll try hard to just call him who he is. :)


Peekaboo!Oh there you are!

First attempt at the kids being photographed altogether...Nice foot Owen...and oops they are all in pyjamas!

And this morning...what a difference and all dressed for the day too...er except Keith who is in a sleeper...likely will be for the whole day too.

Another Keith photo.

He has grown so much in 4 weeks! I hope to have him weighed tomorrow, but that depends entirely on the weather, which looks awful right now.

a couple of photos

I'm tired.
My mom is leaving tomorrow.
Keith will be 3 weeks old on Wednesday.
There are 3 more weeks left before Jett comes back here.
Supposedly the flu is going around.
We have colds.
I look awful in this photo.But the baby is so cute.

I gave the boys hair cuts and well, uhm, I BUZZED way too much off of Owen...he looks criminal now.

Yes, you may laugh...he won't know. :D

This baby needs another bath...I have forgotten how much newborns spit up.

I found a nice dining suite on trademe (NZ's ebay basically) but I cannot do anything about it until Jett does (they know I'm not there).
Jett bought a bed!
Jett is also in Australia.
Amelia reads my emails (AHH!)
So she asked if Daddy was going to see kangaroos...
Mommy doesn't know.
because...
Mommy still feels like she has pregnancy brain. :D
Owen is oversleeping....!
And Mommy just realized.

little Keith

Ah, the days seem to just fly by right now. It will be soon that Jett leaves again...I know, only for 4 weeks, but I'm not quite ready to give him up, mind you I did just have a baby which has a lot to do with it. Not only though, is he taking a wedding all being well, he is supposed to do a paper for the Australia/New Zealand Youth Conference, and there is the Auckland communion which I'm glad he will be back for that. I guess I'm just going to miss him. :)

Anyways, today my dear sister who did everything for the past 5 days had to leave tonight, but we are sooo happy she was able to be with us for that long! I feel so much better, today being one of the best. Now, to make sure I do not overdo it! Tomorrow more help comes, I should be so thankful. And I have to say thank you (not just on this blog) to so many people from the congregation here who brought baked goods, and cooked meals for us.

Speaking of cooked meals. My dear Oma who is 90 years old, made a pot of her delicious homemade soup for us. She also climbed the stairs (which is difficult to do for her, and for me!) to see me and the baby. It was a very sweet moment for me.

My dear husband and I with our lovely little Keith.

I'd just like to note that the labour went very well and was one of the easiest labours I've had - it was hard for me to realize we should be calling the midwife. Many know how short my last one was (Owen) and how difficult it was. Unfortunately everything went well until after he was born when I suffered a postpartum hemorrhage. We nearly had to transfer. Anyways, I'm doing fine my hemoglobin levels were shockingly high in the end of my pregnancy and still even more shocking that they were high after losing a litre of blood! The Lord was merciful to us in this.

Keith is very cute, and so far is a contented baby. :)

more pics of our cute baby!

We got the birth tub the night before and figured we should blow it up since we knew labour would start any day now...the kids thought it was great!My two youngest boys! And a smile that looks very fake...as if I was trying to say it all went just fine (most of it did...until we nearly had to transfer...not allowed another homebirth which makes me sad.)

Amelia was so hesitant at first but now just loves her baby brother, oh and so does Aaron.

He really is a sweet baby thus far.

And too beautiful!!

He is here!!! :)

Announcing the birth of our 3rd son!

Keith Hugh Cartwright Smith

Born at home this morning Dec 21,2011 at 8:27am

7lbs 6 oz.

Homecoming & Due!

Has it really been a week already since Jett came back? How did the time go so fast? Here I am sitting at 40 wks pregnant (due in other words) and nothing...not a niggle...not a twinge. But, since the last two were exactly 8 days after my due date, maybe I shouldn't be expecting anything till the 22nd? Silly due dates are usually wrong anyway. And we are full of the cold, so maybe it is better for next week. BUT, I hope it will be next week and not later! I'm kind of worried about Jett leaving and me still massively pregnant...but I doubt that will happen, they usually induce if your after 42wks, and in Owensound it is usually earlier. :( Lets hope that this baby comes soon!! The last thing I want to do is have an induction and end up with a c-section (however I have mentioned that maybe it would be easier to just "have it over" but according to people that have had sections...they are not nice, enough said.)

Anyways, I wasn't going to post *all* about me and baby here!

Jett came back last week wednesday and it was sooo nice! I mean 12 weeks without a husband home is far too long, certainly not the normal way of things! So the whole morning I was anxious, nervous....feeling like we were "dating" or courting again. And then the truck pulled up. I couldn't contain my excitement and ran out the door (keeping in mind that if I fell whilst pregnant that would not be good, so I did take some care going down the stairs). Lets just say if anyone was watching they would be wondering what happened! Anyways, so inside he came, and got to see his kiddos, who were well...Amelia was excited but was so busily drawing a picture for Daddy that it was hard to put that down, Aaron had the attitude of "no big deal" but Owen. You should have seen his face. It was so cute. His grin at his Daddy and his look was so sweet! He did not forget. And soon enough he was giving his daddy hugs and kisses...aww. Amelia became herself again and started talking up a storm (I think Daddy is her favourite too lol) and later on Aaron remembered "Lets get on Daddies back!!" Poor Jett...after two nights on a plane, (major jet lag!!) and a cold coming on he really wasn't in the best form for play time, but he managed somehow. :)

Happy happy times.

My favourite quote from Jett was when he saw me running out of the house to greet him that the "12 wk separation was *almost* worth it". :) I love my man! And the kids love their Daddy! :) Now for this little one to come! :)

And now for a few photos...here is me today, 40wks pregnant! :)

The third day after Daddy got home, we got some snow.

Owen likes the snow. :D

Aaron thinks it cold.

Amelia is getting cheeky.

This is the day he arrived...Owen is already warming up.

"I'm reading Mommy..."

"John chapter 3."

During the communion season...

...we had 10 people living in the manse, one was out and working quite a bit unfortunately, 7 of them were 13 to 2 yrs of age, one was(rather is!) massively pregnant, and the other lady well, she seemed to have everything organized! Although you might think it was chaos, it was actually very nice to have a houseful of people and little ones! Amelia took to Abby, Owen had a lot of people to hold him, and Aaron well, he still remained mostly to himself. The communion went well, although by the end of it we were all quite tired, and poor Mrs. Smith (um, the Wisconsin one I mean) had to drive 12hrs back to her home...hopefully she hasn't caught a bug or something along the way.

So, I tried to be a good girl and get a few pictures to remember this special time. Here is Josiah and Owen.Mrs. Smith's children and one of Mrs. Smith's children (lol)

More Smiths.

Amelia and Abby! :) (Julia might like this picture!)

Owen and Abby (she is such a loving, little mother!)

And Dena has a good picture of Mrs. Smith and herself, and also another of me and Dena, but I'll have to get that from her later. :)

My silly children :)

Like my little boys mustache? I think it enhances his smile. :D

:)

A little excited are we?

Amelia is demonstrating a female elk or deer...see, they don't have antlers so she has to improvise with little stumps or something...looks more like a moose but nevermind. :)

The clown of the family...

We will be busy for the rest of this week - communion season here in Chesley. We hope to have 6 extra people here, so yes I doubt I'll be around in the world wide web that is. Have a lovely week :)

we woke up to...

this.And then it was impossible to get Aaron to eat his breakfast, snow was much more interesting.

Owen was making faces at me...the little mouse (I want to say rat but that sounds too mean). He woke up at 5:30...and I thought he stayed in his room but I guess I was so sleepy I never heard him go downstairs, get into the fridge and help himself to a square...and then he popped back into his room and thats when I thought he just go out of bed...bad little boy. I found a couple of squares on the floor this morning, plus he was in the office...thankfully the computer was in my room...or else well, I don't want to think of what he might have done. How do you keep this child from going downstairs?!?! He is climbing out of his playpen/cot, and then even out of the stairgate I put in the boys doorway...*sigh* it is a lost cause to be sure.

Amelia gave a sweet smile this morning, she too was extremely excited that it was snowing, and kept telling me that it was now winter. :)

What did the forecaster say? oh about 2 cms of snow? Does this look like 2 cm?

Owen had too long of a nap yesterday on the couch...do you think he will cry when he tries to get out?

my sister

Is wonderful.

A wonderwoman or superwoman...poor thing she is probably exhausted by being at my place. But we sooo enjoyed her visit here! Oh, I'm tired too, visiting takes a lot out of a person, but it is a good tired, and we get an extra hour tonight...well, not that it means much with little kids, because inevitably it throws them off schedule.

So, why is my sister so wonderful you might ask? I mean, she is of course wonderful because she is my sister, that makes her special enough! But, on this occasion she knocked my socks off, so to speak! Ok, she brought lets think, one main meal, two lunches, breakfast fixings, and loads of snacks. She also brought a lot of things for the kids to do (crafts, books etc etc!). She also took all 5 KIDS (her two, and my three) to the park and to the library while I went to go get groceries. AND she brought me these....


Tompoezen!!!
What a neat word too eh? There is always something wonderful having a sister who lives near a Dutch bakery... :D

But, my dear sister bought me these as well...

Aren't they pretty? They are so lovely, but not as lovely as the one who gave them!
So, Jackie, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!

Now...how can I repay at least in some measure her kindness? Leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. :)

fall pictures

Mom came up for a night/day and we went outside for a bit...Aaron here did not want to look at the camera, nor smile (he wasn't being the best of boys today)

We tried getting one with all three kids (complete failure) so we tried with two and that er, nearly worked.

My favourite leaf comes from my favourite tree, the Maple tree (of course!)

At least one child knows how to smile nicely in the picture...aw, she looks cute.

Even Owen didn't do as badly as Aaron. This is my mom (oh, excuse me Amelia just corrected me, it's Oma not mom.)

Playing in the yard with a ball.