The Stahnke's New Journey

Alexandra's first days at home!

2012-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that Cain could stay home from work for at least a week after we got home. It has been nice having someone around to deal with Andrew and helping with the housework. So far Alexa has been a great sleeper! She sleeps anywhere from 5-7 hours, and then she wakes up to eat, and goes back down for another 2-4 hours. I'm actually getting more sleep now then when I was pregnant with her. How could I ask for more! Alexandra also seems to have an easy going temperament. She does get a little fussy in the evening, but we work real hard to keep her up a few hours before bed time so she will sleep at night. In the morning when she is awake, she just sits there and looks around! What an amazing little girl I have! I just lover her to death!!!!

Daddy holding his girl!

Megan's friend Caryn was about as excited about the baby as Megan! She couldn't wait to come over and hold her! She didn't even get her coat off before she got her in her arms! I did have to crack up when Caryn looked at me and said "you seem so much happier now". I told her "I was because Alexa is out of me now, and I don't feel sick anymore".

Then another one of Megan's friends got to come over to visit!

Alexa's goes to her first Dr.'s appointment!

NEW YEARS EVE!!!!!

My Christmas Miracle!

2011-12-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

December 25th 4:30 pm - 5:30: So after having strong contractions 3 min. a part we finally arrived at the hospital after a very eventful Christmas Day, and they gave me a room this time instead of going through triage! I was so excited because to me, that meant they really thought I was in labor. So I got to wear the lovely gown that they give you, and they immediately hooked up the monitors to pick up my contractions, and to check the babies heart rate. I suddenly became frustrated because my contractions were not feeling strong like they were at home, and they suddenly became inconsistent! This isn't what you want when you want to have a baby! The nurse right away after looking at the monitors told me that she wasn't sure I was staying. She said "I don't know if you have the golden ticket." They checked me and at this point I was only 3 cm. So they decided to let me walk the halls for a few awhile to see if I could get the contractions going again.

5:30 - 7:00 I walked the halls, and timed every contraction, and definitely they were getting stronger again and more consistent. I wish there was a way for them to have me hooked to the monitors while I was walking around. I was getting very frustrated at this point, thinking I can't spend another day being pregnant feeling these kind of pains!

7:00 They decided to hook me back up to the monitors, and the nurse said again to me, "I don't know if you have the golden ticket to stay". At this point, I said to her, "What is this golden ticket you talk about"? She said we have to see some sort of change in your cervix, or your contractions need to be consistent and close together. So I kept my fingers crossed. They checked me again and I was at 4 cm, and she said my bag of water was bulging. Then the nurse left the room without saying if I was staying or not. So I sat in the bed, and honestly I really started feeling some pain with the contractions. I looked at Cain, and said there is no way they are sending me home. I know this baby is coming soon!!!!

7:30-8:00 Suddenly a couple of nurses came in my room (luckily not the nurse who kept telling me I needed the golden ticket, her shift I guess was over at 7 pm) and my Dr. all came in my room, and finally they told me I was staying!!!!! Woohoo!!!!! This baby was coming, and I didn't care if it was on Christmas. I couldn't wait to get her out and have the pain all go away! So I had a nurse start my IV, to have the IV not take, and then a second nurse tried, and that one didn't take, so a third nurse tried, and that one didn't take. At this point, I was feeling like a pin cushion. So they then got their top nurse for IVs to come in and try, and finally they got it in. Then the Dr. broke my water, and I knew we were well on our way!!!! I did look at the Dr. and I warned her that my other 2 girls came super fast, and I almost didn't have a Dr. in the room for either of them when I had them. I also told her I wanted to go natural, and I was hoping I could do it! I went natural with both of my girls, so I think part of me wanted to prove it to myself that I could do it again. At this point the pain wasn't to bad, so it seemed within reach!

8:00-9:15 My contractions were picking up quite a bit, and by now Alisha finally got there to join Cain and Megan for this experience! I have to admit Alisha was a great coach, and between her and Cain, I always had someone right beside me cheering me on. By this time, the lovely contractions were also rotating to my back, causing not only contractions in my front, but also in my back. I had back labor with both of my other girls, and I was so hoping to avoid this, but the reality is, this is the only way my babies know how to come into the world! At this point I felt relief sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing just slightly. Then either Cain or Alisha would press on my back to get me through the contraction. I did breathing techniques as well, to get me through and my mouth kept getting extremely dry, so I would shove ice chips in my mouth whenever I could. Suddenly I started reaching a wall, where I wasn't sure how long I could continue to do this. My contractions were literally spiking and only coming down halfway before they would spike right back up again. I was getting no break from them whatsoever! My mouth was so dry, I could hardly swallow, and I literally just got over having bronchitis just a few days before this, so this was getting quite tough! I then told Cain and Alisha that I wasn't sure if I could go any longer without pain killers. My nurse, which by the way was a neighbor of mine, told me she wanted to check me, but I was getting so frustrated with the pain I didn't care, I just wanted the epidural. So she went to call for it!

9:15-9:30 Finally the anesthesiologist got to my room, and suddenly I was feeling a little pressure. I then wasn't sure if I wanted anything for pain if the baby was coming soon. Then the Dr. was on the phone and she was insistent that the nurse check me before anything else happened. So quickly my nurse checked me and she told me I was at 8cm. Then I started feeling even more pressure, so I was even more confused. Then the anesthesiologist started getting really pushy with me, and kept asking if she could just get the epidural started. I kept telling her I wasn't sure if I wanted it, so finally my nurse told her to just leave my room and we would call again if we needed it. I was so glad my nurse did that because between the pain, and not being able to breathe between contractions, I just couldn't think of what I wanted to do. Suddenly, within 2 contractions from when I was checked being at 8cm, I felt like I needed to push. So quickly they checked me again and I was ready to go! The problem was, the Dr. wasn't there! One of the nurses called her and she was 15 min. away. I was so frustrated because this happens every time I have a baby and then everyone tells me I can't push when I need to push! This time I even warned the Dr., and yet I still was in the same situation. I literally screamed every contraction saying I need to push!!!!!! And everyone kept saying NO!!!!!!!

9:30-9:41 Finally the Dr. arrived in my room, and instantly I told her I was pushing. Within 3 pushes my beautiful daughter was born at 9:42pm on December 25th, 2011! I still get chills thinking of that moment. It was the most emotional thing I have ever experienced, and I was so happy to be able to experience it with my husband and my two other girls! When they placed Alexandra Faith on my stomach, I was crying so hard I couldn't even open my eyes to look at her. I just held her tight and kept thanking God for her!!!!! She was truly a miracle sent from above, and I couldn't imagine a better day for her to come into this world. I truly have never felt as close to God as I did at this moment. I think I seriously had a flash back of my whole life and every journey I have been on to be at that point! All four of us just kept crying, of course tears of happiness!

Welcome to the world Alexandra Faith Stahnke!

Daddy holding Alexa for the first time!

Alexa weighed in at 7lb 13oz

My beautiful girl looking around!

Poor thing, was in some shock of her new world!

I just couldn't hug her enough!

Megan holds her sister for the first time!

Alisha holds her sister for the first time!

Andrew sees his sister for the first time! We promised him he would be the first one in the room to see his new sister!

Andrew holds his sister for the first time!

Family Picture! I love how Cain can't get his eyes off his new daughter!

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson enjoying their newest granddaughter!

Grandma and Grandpa Stahnke also enjoying their newest granddaughter!

Me trying to take it all in!

Andrew telling Alexa that he is 4 years old!

Alisha's boyfriend holding Alexa!

My beautiful girl! I think she could quite possible be the most beautiful girl in the world or at least newborn!

So after every one left the nurse gave Alexa a bath and she placed her beside me on the bed. It was such a nice quiet moment! I seriously didn't get but an hour of sleep that first night, but I didn't care because my daughter was here!!!!!

December 26th

So Andrew got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's the night before, and he was so excited to come back and see his sister! He got some great quality time with her that morning!

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah came for a visit!

Megan seriously held Alexa every moment she had. Megan also never left the hospital once while I was there. She is already extremely attached to this girl! In fact, I think she was attached before Alexa was even here!

Cain can't get enough of his girl!!!

I can't get enough of this girl either!

Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Jeremy come for a visit along with their girls!

Jeremy holding his new niece for the first time!

Megan entertaining the girls!

Alisha comes to visit!

Aunt Hollie with her Alexa!

We suddenly had a party going on in my room. Everyone called within 15 min. of each other asking if they could stop by. Since Christmas landed on a Sunday this year, most business were closed on Dec. 26th, so everyone had work off! At one point we had 12 visitors in our room! It was a blast!!!!

Aunt Cathy holding Alexa!

Uncle Dan holding Alexa!

Tyson holding his big baby!

Got to love my brothers faces!

Everyone checking out Alexadra's little feet!

Cathy holding both her girls so Tyson could have a moment with Alexa!

Tyson holding Alexa!

My great friend Mary also came by for a visit with her girls!

December 27th

Alisha comes for another visit!

Look at Alexa grinning at her sister. Not sure if it was gas?

Our first picture of our family of 6! I can't believe I have 4 kids now. I never dreamed I would have more then 3 kids, but I'm loving it!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson came for another visit!

Andrew gets some sister time with Alisha!

Grandma and Grandpa Stahnke come for another visit!

Look at how comfortable Alexa is in her sister's arms!

Finally we were able to go home. I had what is called Group B Strep, and when you have that you have to have 2 rounds of antibiotics through your IV right before the baby is born. Unfortunately since they didn't get the IV going until 7:30, there was only time for 1 round of antibiotics. Because of that, we had to wait 48 hours from when she was born to leave the hospital. Luckily they let us leave a few hours earlier, and we left around 7pm. I was so happy to get home, and start our new life with our daughter!

So my neighbor who was my labor and delivery nurse with Alexa came back in for a shift when we were leaving the hospital. She wanted to make sure she was the nurse to walk us to our car. So she took this picture of us right before we left! What an amazing experience I have had bringing Alexandra Faith into the world! I can't wait to see what is to come!

My Most Unforgettable Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

So this christmas started off like all others. We had a yummy breakfast!

Then we had some family pictures in front of the tree, even though Andrew wasn't cooperating!

Of course we got a crazy picture! We wouldn't be ourselves unless we did this.

Then we read about the true meaning of Christmas!

Then it was gift time! Megan loves her boots!

I got some new sweat pants. One of the only things I could fit in!

We started a new thing last year. We all give up some of our Christmas money and we choose where to donate our money from this catalog! Andrew choose a sheep for a family! He was so excited about this!!!

Andrew gets a pirate outfit!

Alisha gets a record player that can transfer songs to her computer!

Megan gets a curling iron that she has been wanting for a long time!

She couldn't wait to try it out!

Andrew gets a giant pirate ship!

Finally a new sled! It has been long over due!

So after gift opening, my parents came over to eat lunch with us. I made a ham, baked potatoes, and a green bean casserole. My mom brought a salad, and we had a pie for dessert! So all day I wasn't feeling a 100% but honestly when was the last time I did, so I grinned and bared it! My water was still trickling some through the day, but they sent me home the night before from the hospital, saying I wasn't in labor, so I didn't think much of this. I also was having braxton hicks that were getting strong, but once again, I was having these for weeks, so I didn't think much of them. However, when we sat down for lunch, I told my mom I just wasn't feeling good. I decided to start keeping track of my pains, and I literally went from 10 min to 3 min. between my braxton hicks contractions in about an hour. My mom suddenly looked at me and said "how long was it between those contractions". I told her 3 min. Then my mom said you better call the Dr. right now! I then yelled for Cain in the next room, and he said I would have to wait because my dad was telling a story. I said no, I think your going to have to wait, I think I'm in labor and I'm calling the Dr! So I called the Dr., and she said to go in, we then did the quickest pick up in my house ever! We had food out, and toys out from Christmas that had to be put away, and then we got the car packed, and we were on our way! My parents followed us to the hospital with Andrew, and Megan went with us!

Christmas with my family!

2011-12-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

So every year we get a family picture, and my mom puts it in an ornament frame for the christmas tree. This year we went to my Grandma's nursing home, and my mom reserved a room for us to have a meal with my grandma! So we searched out the building, and found this pretty tree in the chapel to take our picture. I did my best to hide my belly in this picture. I am only 7 days from my due date at this point, and I'm feeling quite huge!

Me and my Grandma! Doesn't she look beautiful!

Andrew is always the first one to run up to my Grandma to give her a hug and a kiss! He has such a sweet spirit to him!

Grandma watching all the great grand kids playing.

Then we headed back to my parents for some gifts and dessert! Here is a picture of all the grandkids! next year there will be one more!!!!

This was my favorite gift of the year! My mom worked so hard on this quilt for the baby! We went to the store together to pick out everything, but I didn't get to see it finished till now! I couldn't wait to put it in her room!

I made a book for my parents using all the pictures from their anniversary photo shoot that I did! My mom truly was surprised!

Megan and her bling, bling!

I left my parents that night, Dec. 23rd with some pretty strong braxton hick contractions, but of course when I got home and went to bed they went away. My mom was certain I was going to go into labor that night but I didn't. Then the next day which was Christmas Eve my water started to trickle some! I called the Dr. and they had me go to the hospital. We missed the Christmas Eve service at church that night to go to the hospital for them to send me back home in an hour. At least we fit in going out to eat before we went to the hospital! Not a fun way to spend the day! At this point I was very frustrated because I just wanted this baby out! I was tired of having braxton hicks all the time!

Christmas with Cain's Family!

2011-12-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

So Megan was sick the day we were suppose to get together with the Stahnke's for Christmas, and unfortunately she also gave it to me. We found out a few days later that it was strep, so good thing Megan and I didn't hold the babies, and we stayed clear of everyone and just sat together on this couch! Not a fun way to spend a Christmas family get together, but we made the best of it. With me approaching my due date there was not time to reschedule this!

This is the closest Megan and I were to the babies!

Breakfast With Santa!

2011-12-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I have been miserable being pregnant, and I haven't been up for much of the Holiday events! I did decide that it would be fun to have breakfast with santa that was put on by the local fireman! Andrew was excited because Santa came in on the firetruck!

Andrew's School Christmas Party!

2011-12-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

So Cain and I both got to attend Andrew's party at school! It was fun watching Andrew have some much fun!

Notice Andrew's new glasses. I finally had to get him some new glasses that would fit his face correctly. They were a lot of money, but so worth it. He has had no problems with them since he got them. I'm hoping to not have to go to the eye Dr. weekly for adjustments any more! I couldn't of done this sooner with his sister on her way!

So the teacher gave the kids some open play time, and I told Cain to go over and snap some pictures. Then Cain came back to where I was sitting and he told me that Andrew was pretending to be Santa, and he was having the girls sit on his lap and he would ask them what they wanted for Christmas! WOW!!!! This kid is to young to start thinking of such things! To funny! I just had to laugh!!!!

Megan's 14th Birthday!

2011-11-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

So this was Megan's actual birthday! I decided to let her open our gifts from us, and I grabbed a pumpkin roll at the store for her. She kept telling me how she wanted a pumpkin roll, so she was so happy! In the picture above I got her a bling, bling cell phone cover! Megan was so excited!

Then mid November, my work slowed down enough where I could have the family over for a party for Megan. I thought I would try something new, and make some gourmet cupcakes. I thought it would be easier then decorating a cake, but it ends up that I spent more time on the cupcakes then if I would of just decorated a cake. I said this may be the last time I make these cupcakes, but WOW were they good!

Grandpa giving Megan some advice!

You can't tell but I found these glow in the dark balloons and other fun things for the kids to play with in the dark. We sent the kids to the basement and turned out the light, but the flash on my camera lit up the room. There was a lot of screaming, and only one injury, but the kids had a blast and it was a great way for them to get rid of energy in the house!

Megan's 14th Birthday Party - Hollywood Movie Premier Night

2011-11-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

So coming up with a cool idea for a birthday party for a 14 year old is not an easy task! So after lots of thinking I threw out the idea of a Hollywood Movie Premier Night to Megan and she loved it. It gave her friends an excuse to dress up and do their hair and makeup! Then when each one of them came in, they got to walk down are red carpet, and they got their picture taken with Megan, and then by them self. Then when all the girls were there we had some fun and did some group shots. Of course we kept the movie theme going by popping pop corn, having nachos, pop, and of course candy. I also fed the girls some pizza before we started the movie "Monte Carlo", which they all loved! I also had these little key chains that were in the cupcakes, that had a place for a picture in it, so I printed off some small pictures off of my printer, and each girl had a keepsake of the fun event! All in all Megan had a great time, and created some great memories with her friends. I was happy I was able to pull this off for Megan, since I was around 7 1/2 months pregnant at the time of doing it. I certainly didn't look glamorous like these girls, so sorry no pictures of me that day!!!!

7 months down (32 weeks), and 8 weeks to go!

2011-11-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

So I just ended my 7th month, and I'm starting my 8th month of being pregnant. I have to admit each day this pregnancy thing keeps getting harder. I just can't imagine how I'm going to handle the next 8 weeks, but I don't think I have a choice. I finally finished working, and that is helping with not being on my feet for hours at a time, but when I am on my feet for awhile, I am swelling like crazy! My feet are getting larger every day, and I even had to purchase some new shoes because none of my others are fitting right now. I'm also running out of clothes to fit. Don't ask me while maternity clothes are even maternity clothes if they stop fitting you before you have the baby! I'm down to a few shirts, and a few pants, and I don't even have a coat that fits but I only have 8 more weeks so I will make the best of it.

When I was 30 weeks pregnant I had quite the scare with my heart. I was shopping for my girl's birthday one day at the mall and when I got back into the car, my heart started racing. I looked down and it looked like my heart was pounding out of my chest. I have had heart palpations before with my low blood sugar, but I haven't experience such a thing for about 10 years. I wasn't sure what was happening, and suddenly I found it hard to even breathe. I felt like the smartest thing to do was to just sit in my car, and I called Cain to let him know what was happening. Meanwhile, 10 min. or so went by and my heart wasn't slowing down, so Cain and I decided I should call my midwife. So I called my midwife to have her call me back, then I called Alisha because I knew she was in the area, but she didn't answer so I left her a message to call me. Meanwhile my midwife called me back, and she told me to not worry, that the heart palpations should go away soon, and to just stay calm. Then she told me to head to the hospital if it didn't stop within 45 min. Then I looked up and Alisha was knocking on my door. She called me when I was on the phone with my midwife, so Alisha called Cain, and he told her where I was. It was the craziest thing, because Alisha was literally at the mall the same time I was! So Alisha sat in the car with me, and we waited it out. My heart still was not slowing down, so I called Cain back, and told him to leave work to come get me to take me to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital my heart was racing for 1 hr and 45 min. When I got to the ER, there was a since of urgency since I was 30 weeks pregnant. I suddenly felt overwhelmed after there was about 7 or 8 people working on me at the same time. It felt like I was in an episode of ER! Suddenly the tears started rolling down my face, and I was scared to death for my daughter! They finally got an IV in me, so they could start some drugs to make my heart get back into rhythm. At this point my heart rate was spiking to 180! Then before they could give me the medication, the Dr. looked at me and said do you feel that? I said feel what? He said your heart got it's own rhythm back on it's own. He seemed puzzled and confused on how this happened since at this point my heart was racing for 2 hrs. I know it was God, and that is all I need to know! So at this point everyone was scared to release me without knowing what caused this episode. So after 2 days of testing, and visits from Dr.'s they finally released me from the hospital with the finding that my potassium was low, and that with being pregnant through my heart rate out of whack! So since then, I have been tested here and there, and have been on potassium supplements to keep things level. I'm so thankful that my daughter is okay! God is great!

So this is a picture that I have wanted from day one when I found out I was pregnant. I had it printed and it is in the baby's room! I love it!!!! I have learned to embrace being pregnant this time around. Some how, even though I feel large, I have found the beauty in being pregnant! This is a way for me to have a keepsake for my daughter for always!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

So this year for Halloween, Andrew went trick or treating with Cain, and Megan stayed home and handed out candy with me. I was dressed as a pregnant women, so not much needed to go into that costume! We always get so many kids, so we just sit on our porch and hand out candy! Next year our little girl will get to go with Andrew! I'm not sure who will sit home next year handing out the candy!

My Birthday - Part II

2011-11-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I decided that for my birthday after our pictures I wanted to make it a fun day. So we headed over to Mapleside Farms where they had all kinds of new things for the kids to do. We let Andrew and Megan jump on the giant jumping thing, and then Andrew played on the other fun things they had. Then we got some pumpkins and I picked out a pie to be my birthday cake. I figured no one would bake me one, and I definitely wasn't going to bake my own cake, so why not a pie? Anyways, we then headed to go out to eat, and then we headed back home to carve the pumpkins. I had the most perfect birthday, and I'm so glad I got to spend it will all of my kids, and husband!

My Birthday Apple Pie!

So the girls ended this great day with a wrestling match. It's funny because Megan is getting as tall and big as Alisha, and it seems to be more and more of a challenge when they do this now! I think Alisha still needs to prove that she is stronger this her sister! For now she is, but at some point that could change!

The finished product! I think we all did a great job!!!!

My Birthday Present To Myself!

2011-11-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

So I told my family that the only thing I wanted for my birthday this year was to have some family pictures done, along with capturing my pregnancy! I also wanted to update some pictures of my kids on my wall. I promised myself that I would get at least one professional good picture of my kids each year, no matter how busy I got with my photography! So these are the request that I had on my actual birthday, and everyone cooperated, and Alisha even requested off work to make it happen. Alisha's boyfriend was a big part in making this happen. I would set up the camera and then he would snap away for me. Alisha gets credit for the pictures of me by myself, and then I took all the others that I was not in. I was so excited because these pictures turned out perfect, and the colors on Oct. 30th were still amazing and we had a beautiful sunny day! It was a little cold, but the kids did a great job of not showing it in the pictures.

These pictures will also be used for our Christmas card this year!

Alisha and her boyfriend!

Andrew's Halloween Party!

2011-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Andrew got to dress up for halloween for his school party! I have to admit, he makes one cute Dr. It was fun being able to hand out with all the kids and parents. I have always been confused when the teachers tell me that Andrew is perfect at school, and it was great having a chance to observe Andrew at school. I have to say that Andrew listens to everything the teacher says and he is very calm. If I could just find out how to make him do this at home, I would be in business! I guess I'm happy that we don't have any problems at school, and I'll take what I can.

Six Months Pregnant

2011-10-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally 6 months pregnant and I'm feeling worse then ever. I seriously think that I have had every bad side effect of pregnancy! So now, my nausea has gotten worse. My medication is only helping so much, and I feel nauseas from the moment I open my eyes in the morning, until the minute I go to bed at night. UGH!!!!!!!, is all I can say!!!!!!! I'm also having insomnia, my fibromyalgia is acting up still, and now I'm getting restless leg syndrome. Of course my legs don't get restless until I want to to go bed at night. I find myself walking laps in the house, and going up and down the stairs to get rid of the feeling, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have to do the same thing again. I'm also getting the traditional heartburn and indigestion, but those problems seam like nothing compared to the other problems. The other weird thing that has been happening is, I have a strained ligament in my leg from the pressure of the baby. My midwife said there is nothing I can do at this point to allow it to heal, because I'm only going to get bigger, so I'm just trying to deal with the pain when I have it, and hopefully after the baby comes, it will heal quickly.

So aside of all the negative of feeling horrible everyday, I am getting very excited about this little addition to our family. I'm still working on her room, but I'm about done. The other day I ordered a wall decal that has her name on it, and then a verse that says "Every good and perfect gift comes from above". I can't wait till I get it and can put the last detail in her room. If you notice in the picture above, I found a little chandelier to hang in her room. The funny thing is, it isn't a regular light, but it is a night light. I fell in love with this, when I saw it and couldn't resist getting it for her. As you can see, I'm not doing the traditional nursery but instead I'm going for a more elegant feeling for her room, that she will grow in to. After 3 kids you start to realize that a baby nursery decorated for a baby will have to be redone after a few years, and I'm intending on leaving her room the way it is for quite some time.

Five and a Half Months Pregnant

2011-09-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

So I'm really trying hard to document as much as I can of this pregnancy. I still look at this pregnancy as a miracle, and an opportunity that I thought I would never have again, so I want to remember as much as I can about it. So I'm almost 25 weeks so I kind of missed that 5 month picture, but better late then never. I have to say my baby bump has grown into a baby hump! I can't believe how big I am now! I've been struggling with gaining weight and growing so big, since it has been 13 years since I've experienced this. I guess I need to suck it up, and embrace it for all I can. I will have the rest of my life after this baby to loose the weight, but for now I need to focus on giving the baby what it needs.

So here are some more details about my 20 week ultrasound. Everything did check out perfect for the baby. The baby literally measured exactly to my due date in size, and there were no abnormalities. We also were beyond excited to find out we were having a girl. I was so excited, because it has been awhile since I have had a baby girl in the house. I have to say shopping for girl clothes is way more fun then shopping for boys clothes. I've also had a blast working on the baby's room. I've decided to leave the colors in the bedroom the way that they are. We have a teal blue color and brown, and I found the perfect crib set to match. It's on the crib in the picture above. I also have lots of pretty little girl things to put all over the room, but I just haven't gotten to finishing anything quite yet.

So I'm still having the nausea every day. I don't throw up, but I still take my medication so I can stomach the thought of eating. I'm also struggling with the heartburn and indigestion, so I feel like I'm constantly downing a pill for that as well. I have also had my fibromyalgia acting up big time in my legs at night. I was waking up in so much pain that I couldn't even fall back to sleep. I tried a few different things, and then suddenly I just asked Cain if he could rub my legs one night before bed to relax them. Needless to say that did the trick and the pain has pretty much gone away, except if he slacks off and doesn't rub a certain part of my leg enough. I feel bad, but I think Cain will have to do this every night till I have the baby. Wait a minute, I shouldn't feel bad. I am carrying this baby everywhere right? The least he can do is rub my legs!

I am ready to have this baby out of me, but I do have about 15 more weeks left, so I better suck it up a bit. I have to say though, having a baby in your thirties is nothing like having a baby in your twenties. I'm so glad that this will be the last pregnancy. I don't know how women would ever do this in their forties?

We are getting pretty excited, and we just can't wait to meet our little girl! She is also moving and kicking all the time now, which makes it just so much more real that were having a baby. We are also now in the process of choosing a name, but Cain and I just can't make a decision in that matter. When we do decide we are not going to tell anyone but our girls, and when the baby comes it will leave a little surprise for everyone.

Labor Day!

2011-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

So we always try to head to our favorite park at least once a year, so I don't think we made it there until Labor Day. Better late then never! So we picked up some KFC and ate at our favorite picnic table by the lake!

My little tree huggers!

My 3 kids! or at least for now!!!!

So this is Megan carrying Alisha! I can't believe how Megan has caught up to her sister!

So Cain heard about these carvings in the woods that a path would take us to. So we found the path and we started walking looking for these carvings in the rock. I have to say that we should of researched this a little more before doing this, because we walked about a mile down hill, and the path suddenly ended. Then Cain looked at the map, and we realized that we had to turn around and walk back up the 1 mile hill to get back to our car. Meanwhile, we never found the carvings. Me being 5/1/2 months pregnant, I wasn't to happy. I was so tired, and then it started raining on us. Cain meanwhile wanted to trot through the woods to keep looking for the carvings. I told him I had enough and headed to the car by myself. Good thing I didn't go into labor with walking up the hill!!!! Cain never did find the carvings, and since then he keeps talking about going back there. I told him not until the baby comes!

What's wrong with us?

First Day of School!

2011-08-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little baby girl is going into 8th grade! Where has the time gone? I will have to say that Megan has grown into an amazing young lady, and I feel she is ready for the challenges that middle school will bring her this year. I can't wait to see what is to come this school year!

Then there is my little man who is staring his 2nd year of preschool! This little smarty pants is ready for kindergarten, but he isn't old enough yet. I'm hoping he will not be board in school this year, because that is when kids like Andrew start getting into trouble! His teacher told me that he would be challenging him along the way, so we will see how it goes.

We also decided to let Andrew ride the bus this year to preschool. Since he started preschool with the public school system, due to his speech delay (which by the way he no longer has), it's an option to send him to school on the bus. I would of never even considered this with my girls when they were Andrew's age, but Andrew is of a different sort. He is so independent and ready to tackle everything in life. Just the thought of the bus, got him soooooo excited before school even started. He has been telling everyone, "My mommy is having a baby and I get to ride the bus to school this year". I guess both events were of equal importance to him. I did have a little anxiety when the day came to put him on the bus, but as you see in the pictures, there was no fear in his eyes, but yet pure excitement! I felt like I let my baby grow up today, and just in time for the arrival of his sister in a few months!

Summer Vacation!

2011-08-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

So this vacation this year wasn't easy for me! I was 21 weeks pregnant, and unfortunately the nausea for me never ended. However, for my family I did the best I could to suck it up and enjoy the time we had together. We went to Ocean City, Maryland, and I have to say the temperatures every day were perfect. It was warm enough to enjoy the beach but there wasn't high humidities where we were all miserable. This is the first time we went to Ocean City, and it reminded me quite a bit of Myrtle Beach, but not as crazy with people everywhere! We found plenty to do, and we created some great memories that we needed because it may be awhile after the baby comes before we go on a long road trip.

The waves at Ocean City were quite crazy. I never seen waves so powerful at any of the beaches we've been to, like they were there. I never felt comfortable going into the water, but at one point I sat down on the sand letting the waves hit my feet, and before I knew it, I had tons of sand down my bathing suit, so I decided to go into the water to rinse off, and I didn't get into the water very far, and then this huge wave was coming towards me. I decided to jump over the wave, but the wave had other ideas. It literally picked me up and threw me on my back, taking my bathing suit bottom off with it. I grabbed my bottoms as fast as I could and stayed in the water till I could get them back on. Then I was just scared out of my mind that I hurt the baby! I felt some pains in my stomach, so I just laid down for an hour or more, and I finally felt her move! I was so relieved, and never again was I going in that water! Later that day we had someone tell us that there were a few people in the last week that broke their necks in the water. After we got home from vacation about a week later a hurricane came across the coast we were at. I think that explained the power behind the waves!!!!! I'm just so thankful none of us got really hurt during our vacation!

Walking the board walk is part of the experience of Ocean City, but definitely there were to many people everywhere!!!

These 2 pieces of art was made out of sand along the board walk for everyone to see! I thought it was so cool!!!!

We finally found some palm trees!

So we checked out this crazy restaurant called Dead Freddies! We got there and there was a 2 hour wait and that was at 5pm. Then they said we could eat outside at no wait at all, so we took it. They placed us right by the play area that had a pirate ship. Andrew loved playing so much we couldn't even get him to eat!

Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum!

Pool Time!

So Andrew made a new friend at the beach. It was some older guy, and he showed Andrew how to dig and find some sand crabs. It became Andrew's new favorite thing to do! Personally, they creeped me out!

So we decided to take Andrew on a pirate boat ride. We did this one year at Virginia Beach, and Megan loved it. I do have to say though that this pirate ride wasn't any where as good as the one in Virginia Beach. I personally wouldn't pay money again for it, but Andrew didn't know any different and he had a blast!

So off to ride go karts and rides!!!! Unfortunately being pregnant I couldn't enjoy any of this, but I did have fun watching the kids have fun!

View from our condo!

I love my boy!!!

My sand castle, that I let everyone help me make!

So on the way home we decided to stop by Georgetown Cupcakes which is known as DC Cupcakes. Megan and I love watching this show and we couldn't wait to visit!!!! It was a great way to end our trip on the way home! So we got the cupcakes and then walked over to Chipotle to eat lunch! I have to admit these were the most amazing cupcakes ever!!!! It could be because I'm pregnant, but they were awesome!!!!

Pictures on the beach! Of course the photographer in me, will not let a vacation go by without getting a few nice pictures. Everyone has learned to just suck it up and let me do my thing. It was great because suddenly a man came out of no where and asked if he could take a picture of all of us together. The picture turned out perfect, and the guy just walked away. We still don't know where he came from! It was so nice!

All in all we had a great time! I needed this time to relax and just enjoy life. Cain and I have been working so hard this year getting ready for the baby, and we haven't even taken the time we needed for each other. Sometimes my favorite part of a trip is all the talking we get to do in the car! We definitely caught up with each other, and we were refreshed and ready to tackle life again.

20 Week Ultrasound!

2011-08-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

So we wanted to have a little fun when we found out what we were having. So we told our parents that they had to come over for dessert, and my plan was to make a cake and to make the inside either blue or pink! My mom got so into it, that she decided to dress in the color that she was rooting for. She did wear pink, so good thing IT'S A GIRL!!!!! It was fun surprising everyone, and it was an amazing experience having all the kids with us when we found out what we were having.

Four Months Pregnant!

2011-08-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

So my belly is growing faster then I can believe. I was 18 weeks when this was taken, and I feel like I'm huge. I guess I got to get use to this stomach in my way!!!! I have only gained at this point 3.8 lbs. so I guess that is pretty good. I do have to admit though that I am still so sick every day. The nausea will just not let up, and I'm thinking this might be with me for all 9 months. It's crazy because I'm still always hungry and I can eat, but I just feel like I'm going to throw up all the time. I should also be past my tired phase, but because I'm so sick, I think it is also making me feel tired. I have also not been able to take my prenatals like I want, but my midwife told me that my iron level from my blood work was threw the roof, so I guess I'm not lacking the nutrition that I need. I do crave foods that have protein in them the most. I want eggs for breakfast, and meat for lunch and dinner. I don't want carbs much, and junk food. I also crave peaches all the time, and I could eat 3-4 of these a day. So weird!!!!

I'm excited because we have my 20 week ultrasound next week, and we get to find out what we are having. I am praying also that everything checks out okay, and the baby is healthy. I worry soooo much that since we couldn't get pregnant for all these years that there could be something wrong with my baby. I then have to remind myself that God wouldn't bring me this far, and fail me now!!! I once again have to learn to trust, and give my worries to Him! Why can't I learn this lesson?

I want to continue to take pictures in the babies room each month, and as I do, you will notice the small changes in the babies room as we go. Right now were not sure what colors we will be painting it because we don't know what were having, but we do have a new crib that I'm excited about. This crib turns into a toddler bed later, and then into a full size bed. WOW, they never had such cribs a long time ago. I thought this crib was perfect since this will definitely!!!!! be our last child!!!! and then this baby will have it till it moves out one day! I love to walk by the babies room and look at the crib every day! It's hard to imagine a little baby in there, but it does make me smile!!!!

Safety Rescue Event!

2011-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

So Cain heard about this safety event that was near our house that was going to have all of Andrew's favorites. Andrew was so excited that he could hardly handle it. Cain had every intention on taking Andrew to this event, and meanwhile Andrew was counting down the days to get to go to it. Well Cain ended up working, so of course I couldn't let my little guy down, so just the two of us went. Luckily I wasn't to nauseas this particular day and I was able to take him. I have never seen so many smiles on my boys face. He was in his aw and glory!!!! All Andrew ever plays is police cars, ambulance, and firetrucks!

Kyrgyzstan Heritage Weekend in Washington DC!

2011-08-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

So early this spring I saw another mother who adopted from Kyrgyzstan mention something about a Kyrgyzstan Heritage Weekend in DC. I immediately asked more questions, and then I got all the information about it. I was so excited that an organization would take on such a thing to give these adopted children from Kyrgyzstan the chance to help understand their culture. This has always been so important to me, that Andrew learn about the country he was born in. My intent when we adopted our son was never to Americanize him to the point that he didn't know anything about where he was from. Andrew has many items all over his room that is from Kyrgyzstan, and I make an effort every year when we celebrate his adoption day to carry on some Kyrgyz traditions and cook traditional Kyrgyz food. I also try to talk about Kyrgyzstan often so that it is never a weird topic for us to discuss.

So this event was amazing for the fact that I learned things that I can tell Andrew about when he gets older. Andrew seemed to understand a little about what was going on, but understanding another countries cultures for a 4 year old isn't something that is going to happen in one day. I'm hoping that we will get another opportunity in the future to share such an amazing experience. Below is some of the events from the 2 day weekend.

Andrew watching how they make rugs in Kyrgyzstan! He was so interested!

Megan learns how to make a traditional craft using potatoes as weights! Very cool!!!! She loved this and made us by one for her to hang in her room. Money well spent I say!!!

The kids learn how to play a traditional Kyrgyz game using rocks!

They had a little shop set up for the parents to purchase items from Kyrgyzstan. This was amazing to all of us because these our items that our very hard to get a hold of. Also the items you see above were items that children made themselves from one of the children's homes, and the money was going to go back to them!!!! Also very cool!!!! We were sure to make a few purchases, and I wish we would of brought more money!

Andrew making a craft!

Megan getting braids in her hair. I didn't know this but the way that females where their hair symbolizes whether they are married or single. Also the young girls shave their hair till they get older and then they will braid their hair.

Megan showing the other kids what she learned!

All the adopted children from Kyrgyzstan!

All the kids that were from Andrew's orphanage. These kids are close in age, so there is a good chance that Andrew shared a crib with some of them.

I volunteered to take pictures of all the kids, and to do pictures of the families, so my friend was kind enough to capture a picture for us of our family!

It was amazing to watch Kyrgyz women cook traditional food! We were allowed to go in the kitchen and help them cook it if we wanted, but that didn't keep Andrew's interest to long! I wish I could of learned more, but the food was yummy!

They even brought in some of individuals to share traditional Kyrgyz music, instruments, and clothing! It was amazing!!!!

Then they had a little Kyrgyz fashion show!

Then they taught any of the kids that wanted how to do some traditional Kyrgyz dances! Andrew and Megan had so much fun with that!

I loved how these Kyrgyz women took a moment to talk to Andrew and to us. The women touching Andrew's flag told us that she looked just like her brother. This confused us quite a bit because we have never been able to figure our little guy out. If you look above all the kids have the dark hair, unless their is Russian in them, and then they have the lighter hair. It's very apparent that Andrew has asian features in his face, but we could never explain his hair. So I asked this women, "how did Andrew look like her brother", and I said "does your brother have light hair". She then said "yes"! Then I asked her "does your brother have Russian in him, and she said "no". So now I was more confused then ever. Finally she explained it to me like this "a long time ago the mongolian's were the majority in Kyrgyzstan, and then the Asian look started mixing in, to the point that the asian look is dominant most of the time now". She then said "every now and then you will see a child with the mongolian features, but it only pops up here and there now". I was amazed!!!! Finally I had some answers for my son one day, when he ask me about his hair! We have no history of Andrew's parents so we have to go on information like this to piece it together for him. I have always been confused on what box to check for my son on forms when they ask "what nationality"?

So the following day we got to spend the day at a park with all the kids! It was great because when we adopted Andrew, I got matching t-shirts for him and his soon to be buddy Matthew. The shirts were way to big for the boys to wear till now, but since Matthew and his family were also at this event, it became a great time to wear their shirts together!

The kids participate in a tradition that they do, where all the kids line up and run to a baby that first learns to walk. The baby has its legs tied together with a string and the first child to arrive to the baby has to cut the string and then the baby begins to walk. Megan was determined to run faster then any of the girls, and so she should since she was the oldest child there. They also did this for the boys, but Andrew came no where close to winning.

Megan's prize for winning the race! This doll is very different from anything that we would have but Megan displays it proudly in her room!

I was trying to get a picture of Andrew with this girl for 2 days, and then her mother finally told her she had to stand by him for a picture. Look how happy Andrew is to be by her, but she doesn't look to happy. She was looking at her mom waiting for the moment to be over with! It cracked me up!

Andrew with his Kyrgyz buddies!

So we were sure to take park of our time in DC to walk around and see the sites. I have to admit, I was around 2 months pregnant on this trip, and I was verrrrrry sick. This pregnancy has not been easy on me, and even now at 19 weeks I'm still feeling sick. However, this particular evening was not easy for me with all the walking, and I can't wait to go back to DC sometime to see more then what we were able to cram in one evening.

We were able to spend a lot of our time this weekend with our friends the Lehrs! We have been so fortunate to have them in our lives. We have our sons from Kyrgyzstan in common, and now my friend Kim, and I our both pregnant at the same time. I'm thrilled that we get to go through something again together. God was amazing when he put our families together as friends, and I so glad that we can share experiences, like this weekend, with them.

The Stahnke's Big Surprise!!!!!!

2011-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

So me and Cain got the surprise of our life a few months ago when we found out I was pregnant. Any one who has followed this blog, knows that we started it on our journey to adopt our son. The detail of the story is, we were told over 5 years ago that my husband and I, after trying for years to get pregnant, could not have any more children. Then the Dr. went further to tell us that we would not even be good candidates for fertility, and any one who knows Dr.'s know that they usually don't pass up an opportunity to do procedures. Anyways, we were very devastated, but we knew immediately that God had a different path for us. Within months we set out to adopt, and God led us to our son Andrew! Since our son came into my life, I have been very content and fulfilled. Andrew was the missing piece to our family, and now that we have him, I felt like we could move our focus to other areas in our lives.

This winter I even decided to de-clutter the house, and I sold every baby item I owned. I always thought if the Dr.'s were wrong and we were going to get pregnant it would of happened after Andrew came home. So when Cain and I figured out that I was pregnant, I really didn't even know how to react. My first reaction was laughing, and then some crying, and then worrying, and then tears of joy. I didn't know how I felt, because this is what we wanted so many years ago, but it was literally the last thing I ever thought of happening now in our lives. Now that I have had time to let the shock settle, I'm getting more and more excited everyday.

I will say, my children are all so excited, and Megan and Andrew can't seem to kiss and hug my belly enough. I think this baby is going to be verrrrrry spoiled.

Since finding out I was pregnant, I have managed to hit up a lot of garage sales, and I can't believe everything I already got. I have also had people giving me baby items, and maternity clothes which has helped out a ton. It's hard to want to buy everything brand new when your on your 4th baby.

I have also seen God's timing in this whole thing. This babies due date is Dec. 30th which first of all is Cain's birthday, but it is also the time of the year that my husband's work is dead, so he should be able to be home a lot to help. The crazy thing is, God knew that, that time of year was good when we got Andrew as well, because we left to get him Dec. 31st. I have also seen God's great timing in the fact that I have just finished dealing with every health problem that Andrew has had since he has come home. If this would of happened a few years ago, I do believe I would of been very overwhelmed. Also my photography business is in a good place, where I can focus on the photo shoots, but the business part is set up with not a whole lot of required time to go with it.

I have trusted God my entire life for every journey He has taken me on, and with no exception to this one. I'm so excited to meet my newest child in December, and I thank God for entrusting me again to raise another child.

3 months pregnant

Wow! My belly is already showing!

Spring Days & Easter

2011-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

So spring has been busy, and it has been raining more then I would like to talk about, but at least I'm getting out with Andrew when I can. Easter was fun with the kids, and below are some of the latest pictures of our family!

So Andrew's most favorite thing to do is play with his little rescue vehicles, and everyday he tells me that I can play with him. So I do play with him, but honestly after about 10 minutes, I'm just bored out of my mind. So on this particular day, I figured I would interact with him by snapping pictures instead of playing along with him. He didn't seemed to mind as long as I was near by! My little guy loves his quality time with mom!

So this was the 3rd year our church had an Easter Egg Launch, and this year we wanted to be sure to get the word out by bringing the church service right to the event. So we had church outside, with the band and everything, and I loved it! We had a very warm day in-spite of all the rain and cold we have had, and we had a wonderful turn out! We have been seeing new faces at church every week since the event!

Of course I got signed up to take pictures at the event, but I didn't mind. It is always my way to give back to God for the talent and abilities He has given me!

I did make Cain grab a few shots of me with the kids! He is getting better every day at following my instructions when I hand him the camera. I'm actually getting to show up in some photos some times!

So my grandmother wasn't feeling to well for her own birthday party so it got cancelled, and instead we came by on our own and I made her a giant chocolate chip cookie! I'm always thankful for the time I get to spend with this amazing women! She is still great at listening, and she has amazing wisdom!

So my little niece is getting so big! She hardly looks the same! I guess I have to see her often as I'm sure she will change some more!

We had a fun time all of us painting eggs at Grandmas! It's amazing how fast you can paint eggs with everyone getting involved. Before she knew it Megan looked up and all the eggs were gone, and she only got to do two of them. I guess she took her time doing the ones she did!

The kids had a blast with the punching balloons from Grandma! That was one loud room!

Here we are with the kids on easter morning! Notice we are one child short! She doesn't live at home anymore, so it makes it real hard to get her in these shots!

And her is our newest addition to the Stahnke Family. My new little niece that was just born last week! There are just babies everywhere! Baby! Baby! Baby!

Andrew just loves his little cousin, but I don't think he knows his own strength! He looks like he is strangling her in this picture!

Spring is here!

2011-04-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Spring is here, and I'm so excited to do anything outside!!!! We went to the park on Sunday, and then me and Andrew went to a different park on Monday and walked around. Here is some of our spring fun!

Oh ya! I forgot to mention me little Andrew had to get glasses. The pediatrician thought that he may of had a lazy eye, and after observing my son doing strange things with his eyes, I decided to take him in to have his eyes checked. Come to find out, my poor little baby has horrible eye sight! I felt so bad! At least we know now, and my little guy will have nothing holding him back now!

Andrew is learning soccer!

2011-04-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

So we signed Andrew up for a little soccer class. He won't play games, but is learning skills. This kids has been dribbling the soccer ball with his feet since last year, when he turned 3. So he is taking this class with one of his friends, that happens to be a girl. There to cute together! It was really muddy on this day, so notice how clean Andrew is at the beginning and how muddy he was by the time we left. I had to strip the poor boys pants off to go home. He was covered in mud!

It was also fun watching Andrew and how he responds to instructions from adults. I have to admit that I have never seen my son so well behaved. I have everyone from Sunday School Teachers at church to his teachers at school tell me how well behaved my son is. I always think everyone is lying to me, because I know what a handful my little guy can be for me at home. Anyways, it was great to see my son at his best, and I guess I'm teaching something right to him if he knows how to behave with other people.

Andrew's Birthday Game Video!

2011-04-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

This is a video that I made to go along with a game that I played at Andrew's party. I stole the idea from my friend's party last year. I thought it was a great way to capture my son at age 4. We had a blast making this together and Andrew turned out to be quite the little actor!

Andrew Turns Four!

2011-04-15T03:59:00.000-07:00

So my baby turned 4! Wow where has the time gone! This year we had a party for Andrew on his actual birthday because it landed on a Saturday. When I told Andrew back in January that he was having a birthday in a few months, he immediately started planning his party. The kid is obsessed with any kind of rescue vehicle, and he can't seem to learn enough about any of them. Well, then he told me he wanted me to make him a cake with burning buildings on it, a firetruck, a police car, and an ambulance. My mind was spinning, on how I was going to pull off this cake, because at the end of the day I'm not a baker. Well I decided to look for a few things on line for his birthday party, and I came across this set that I could buy that included the building, fireman, trees, and the firetruck. Luckily, I already had a police car and an ambulance the same size to add to it. So Andrew, got his cake, and I was happy that I fulfilled his request.

Andrew had a lot of his little friends over, and I'm bummed that I never got a picture of him with all of them. There is just never enough of me to go around at parties. At least I got the pictures we did!

I look forward to what is ahead with Andrew. He seems so grown up for 4. I feel like he could start kindergarten this next year, but he has another year of preschool. I hope you had a great birthday Andrew! I love you to the moon (Andrew's says this to me all the time)!!!!!

So I came up with a little craft for the kids. I had them decorate these little metal buckets with whatever they wanted, and then they used the buckets to collect their candy from the pinata. These buckets were so cute because later they could use it to store something in, or they could plant a flower in them.

I was so excited this year, because this is the first year Andrew could blow out his own candles. The poor little guy couldn't blow air out of his mouth until he had his surgery in August on his cleft palate.

Megan spent about 8 hours putting this together the day after his party. He has loved playing with it!

My sweet little niece from one of my sister in laws, with my other sister in law, that is pregnant and due any day now. Yeah, I'm going to be an aunt again real soon!

Winter Wonderland

2011-03-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

So I have personally had enough of the snow in Ohio, but you don't truly know when it is over until about May. So we got to see all of the snow melt, and meanwhile I saw this great spot down the street from me that would make a great picture, but it wasn't nice when the snow melted. So I told myself if we got just one more snowfall, I was going to take the kids and grab some winter pictures.

So one night we got about 8-10 inches dumped on us, and the snow was very wet, and it stuck to every branch of every tree, so I knew I had to take advantage because this snow could be gone in one day. So when Megan got home from school I told her to hop in the car we were going to go for a quick photo shoot! My kids by now have learned to not ask many questions, and the quicker they cooperate, the sooner it will be over. So here are the images we captured in about 10 min. or less. Poor Andrew kept touching the snow with his bare hands, and lets just say that he finally felt the cold, and the crying started! So that was the end to our winter wonderland. By the next day all the snow was gone! I'm glad I grabbed these when I could. In fact, I loved some of these so much, I'm ordering them for one of my walls.

The Stahnke's Fall & Winter Update!

2011-02-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought it would be good to post a few more pictures on here. So below are pictures from Halloween, Christmas, and Andrew's Gotcha Day! I'm finally caught up with things around my house, and I'm gearing up to get busy with my photo shoots again, as soon as spring comes. I have to be honest, I miss working! I love leaving the house for just a few hours, and I haven't had that break in quite some time! I did do a newborn photo shoot this last week, and I had a blast! You can check out a few of those pictures on my photography facebook page, and while you are there you can press like to see all my up to date photo shoots.

On a different note, Andrew has been doing great in school, and we have his IEP meeting next week. I'm not sure if he is going to get to go to the preschool again next year. When these kids get excepted into the preschool on an IEP, they like to see the kids in there till he starts kindergarten, but because his speech is so well, I don't even know how they can keep him there. I do like the preschool that he is going to, because they are really preparing him for kindergarten already. In fact, Andrew is in a class with other kids that are 5, and Andrew will not be 4 till April, so he is very challenged. Andrew keeps up though, he recognizes all his letters, and he knows all the letter's sounds. He can count up to his 30's, and recognizes his numbers. He can spell his first and last name. He can even write his first name, and they are working on writing all the other letters as well. He is also learning how to spell some simple words like mom, dad, cat, and dog.

I can't wait till spring gets here. I look forward to taking Andrew out every day and just play with him!

Visit to the pumpkin patch!

Fun carving pumpkins!

Boo at the Zoo!

Halloween!

Andrew went as his favorite thing a police officer, so we couldn't think of anything better then Megan to go as a prisoner!

Christmas with the kids!

Andrew's 3rd year gotcha day! I can't believe we have had our little guy for 3 years now. I remember the day we got him like it was yesterday! I love talking to Andrew about how we got him, and the older he is getting he is having more questions! It breaks my heart to have to explain to him that I didn't carry him in my belly like I did Megan and Alisha. He is very confused by that. I just don't know how much a 3 year old can really understand, but with God's grace He will give me the right words to say. I do know that his birth mother gave me the best gift any one could every give me, and I thank God everyday for him!

We got this doctor set for Andrew to help him with his anxiety of going to the Dr. He loves to be a Dr.!

A Long Over Due Stahnke Update

2010-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted since this summer! So where do I even begin. Our lives here at the Stahnke house has been beyond busy. I started my photography business last year, and I never dreamed how busy it was going to get this summer and fall. I feel more then blessed for all the work, but I had no idea what I was in for. Most people go on a job interview, and they discuss the hours that they are going to work, and what the job will demand of them. Some how I took on an, almost full time job without even knowing it. Unfortunately, Cain and I have had some adjustments with the schedule. The crazy thing is, now that it's cold outside I'm hardly working at all. I guess that is why I have a moment to post.

So when we got home from vacation, I had exactly a week to get ready for Alisha's graduation party. I haven't even had a moment to look through the pictures, but when I do, I will post some. I had everyone say it was a wonderful party, but I have to admit I was stressed, tired, and I don't even think I enjoyed a moment of it. My best advise to all mom's throwing graduation parties, have someone there to just be you, and do the jobs that you would do. I thought I had a plan where I wouldn't have to do much with the food, but I was dead wrong. It was a full time job, and I wished I could of enjoyed the day. I guess I'll enjoy looking through the pictures when I have a moment.

Then two weeks after we got home from vacation, I got the opportunity to photograph my first wedding. Here is a link to some of my favorite photos from that day.

http://kimstahnkephotographyblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/northeast-ohio-wedding-jamie-and-tim.html

I have to admit I was scared out of my mind that day, and lots of things seemed to be going wrong. The night before this first wedding my daughter dropped my favorite lens. It seemed to be working that night but the next morning just a few hours before leaving I realized that this lens was not working. I was about in tears, but somehow I had to make due with what I had. Then I somehow managed to lay in poison ivy at a photo shoot just earlier that week, and at this point I had it all over my legs, and I was in absolute pain that entire day. All in all I guess the pictures turned out okay, but it was quite the way to just jump in there. Anyways, since that wedding I have shot 6 more, and I have to say I'm getting quite comfortable with them, and I do seem to enjoy them a lot. I already have 4 booked for next year, and my goal is to have 10.

Another thing that has kept me busy, is Andrew had to have his surgery to correct his submucous cleft (partial cleft palate) in August. Our goal was to get this taken care of after vacation, but before school started back up. I do have to admit this surgery was the most horrible thing I have gone through with any of my children. Andrew had a horrible experience after the anesthesia wore off. He kept freaking out, and no one could calm him down. His oxygen levels were not good, and they were excepting it in the 80's but they like to see it at 95. So we were keeping an eye on this number very closely, and me and Cain were taking turns trying to calm him down. Suddenly when Cain had him, we watched his oxygen level drop in the 30's. The nurse yelled for Cain to get him on the table, and it took many of us to hold him down, so they could force the oxygen mask on him. He finally calmed down, and his oxygen level went up, but then a few minutes later, he did the same thing again. They decided it was going to be best to put the breathing tube back in. They explained that there is a small window to get the tube back in, and if it swells to much in there they can't get the tube back in. We were at this very dangerous point with Andrew, so it was best to just do it. My poor little guy even with being sedated with drugs, wanted that breathing tube out. At this point he was in the ICU and out of the recovery room, and after he managed to pull through the drugs enough to pull the breathing tube connection out, even while being tied to the bed, they thought it would be best to give him something to paralyze him through the night. My poor baby looked so helpless, but yet peaceful. I felt like my baby was in good hands because he had a full time nurse just watching his monitors.

The next morning they decided to pull Andrew's breathing tube out, but nothing could of prepared me for what was going to happen. I guess they should of learned from the day before on how strong Andrew was, and how he could pull out of even the strongest of drugs trying to sedate him. Anyways, as soon as they backed off the medicine that was paralyzing him he pulled through immediately (it should of taken at least an hour), and lets just say no one was ready for the breathing tube to be pulled out. The Dr. wasn't in the room, Cain wasn't at the hospital yet, and there was only me, the nurse, the respiratory person, Alisha and her boyfriend in the room. Suddenly Andrew was in his rages, and was trying to pull out his breathing tube again. It took all 5 of us to hold him down, while the nurse was getting approval from the Dr. to go ahead and pull the tube even though he wasn't in the room. So the respiratory lady pulled the breathing tube, and then Andrew went from fighting with every muscle in his body, to suddenly going limp and he turned blue. We suddenly realized that Andrew wasn't breathing at all. They pushed the emergency button in his ICU room, and before we knew it we had about 10 people in the room, working on my son. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen, and what was about 30 seconds, seemed like hours. They got my son back of course, but I don't think I'll ever be the same after that day.

So if the actual hospital visit wasn't bad enough, getting home with Andrew after 3 days, wasn't any easier. The poor little guy was having mood swings, and hallucinations while sleeping, from his pain killers. He was in so much pain, that I couldn't get him to hardly eat or drink anything. He also had a horrible time sleeping. I was waiting on this little guy hand and foot for over a week, and I was going on almost no sleep. Then they had him on a soft diet for 3 weeks. Andrew is still dramatized about that.

Then just 2 weeks ago, Andrew went to his 3 month follow up from his surgery. I have been concerned because since surgery Andrew has had a hard time breathing while he was eating. I decided to wait the full 3 months for his mouth to heal but since this problem wasn't getting any better I knew it needed to be addressed. One look from the Dr. in Andrew's mouth and he saw a problem. He immediately sent me down to an ENT. Luckily this ENT also did Andrew's tubes in his ears, so they had record of him already. Anyways, the Dr. saw that there was scar tissue that grew on Andrew's adenoids, and it was clogging his air passage. So he wanted to do surgery to remove his adenoids. So long story short, Andrew just had another surgery this last Tuesday. Nothing as bad as the last one, but he still didn't do great in recovery. Andrew is still healing from Tuesday's surgery, but I'm hoping Andrew will be good as new by Christmas.

So that is where my time has gone in the last 4 months. I'm hoping to post more often, but I'm not sure if I can keep up like I use to. So here are a few fun pictures. Hopefully more to come.

Family Vacation 2010 - Hilton Head

2010-08-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

So get ready for some picture overload! I haven't posted in awhile, and I fill like I'm missing half of my summer because I haven't had time to post anything. I have been very busy with my photography business. I guess that is a good thing except when it comes to my own pictures, I just don't have time to do anything with them. We have had a busy summer. We have been getting projects done around the house that have been adding up for the last few years, knowing that Alisha's grad party was going to happen. It's funny how people at your house will cause you to get things done around your house. It was the push my husband and I have needed. We first started off with having a friend of ours put in a patio. I have waited 7 years for my patio, and I couldn't be more happy. I'll have to post a picture another day of that. Then my husband decided it was time to patch a hole in the front hallway going up the stairs that was from the baby gate. I told him, if he was going to patch that hole, and repaint, we might as well do all the hallways, and the office. So my poor husband went along with it, and after he got one hallway done and half of my office, I decided I hated the color I picked. Because my husband loves me so much, he sucked it up, re bought the paint, and started over. We all agree that it looks much better now! Then I decided if we were going to repaint, my decor throughout the first floor, needed some sprucing up. So my job was to get some new things to accent the downstairs with red. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'll shop forever to find exactly what I want, and poor Andrew was along for the ride for 5-6 hour shopping adventures a few times. The poor little guy. I ended up buying 3 sets of rugs for my hallway before I got exactly what I wanted. I actually drive myself crazy with how picky I am. Then my brother helped us with replacing part of the wood on our front porch, because it was rotting away. Then Cain had to put a few coats of fresh paint on it. Anyways, we got all this work done just in the nick of time before Alisha's grad party. I have spending most of this week recovering from Alisha's party, and gearing up for Andrew's surgery next week. I feel like it has been one event after another around here, and quite frankly I can't wait to get some normal routine going!

Below is our pictures from vacation we took to Hilton Head just a few weeks ago. Our family was long over due a vacation. We just haven't taken a long road trip of any kind since Andrew came home. He hates the car, so I was even a bit nervous about taking him this year. The road trip was 12 hours, and that was without stops. He did pretty good, but he can get real loud in the car! The poor kid just has way to much energy. Anyways, our family had a great time, and Hilton Head by far has been my most favorite beach we have been to. We got a condo that was right by the beach, and the beach was so calm and didn't have tons of people everywhere, like I'm use to. I would go back to Hilton Head in a heartbeat. We actually went with some friends of ours, and it worked out great because we both rented our own condos, but we were literally just 8 doors down from each other in the same building. We didn't even ask to be near each other, and this was a condo resort that has 4 floors, and 4 different buildings.

Megan and Julianna

The kids enjoying the TV in their room!

Alisha enjoying a book in her room!

The tide that would go in and out on the beach was so cool! When the tide wen't back, it would leave behind all these cool puddles, and sometimes their were little fish in them that the kids liked to catch.

I don't think you need your life jacket to play in the puddle Andrew!

This is how Alisha spent most of her days on the beach!

Andrew played in the puddles more then the actual ocean!

Andrew and Julianna!

Andrew and Carissa! By the way Carissa is Andrew's girlfriend now. He was smitten by her on our trip! I don't think Carissa feels the same way, but I guess Andrew likes the older girls!

Walk to the beach!

The kids had a blast looking for sand dollars under the sand in the ocean! They also found a few starfish that is below, but we put everything back when we were done each day! Some people beside us also found some interesting things. They caught 2 baby sharks. I guess it is normal for the mother to have the babies near the shore and then leave them there. We also found a few people who caught sting rays! I'm shocked I actually went in the water everyday with the kids!

The kids liked to use the boogie boards when the tide was coming in. The waves would get crazy!

Andrew just loved the water! I was afraid he would cry if the water hit his face, but he never did. He couldn't get enough of it!

This was the last we saw of Cain's sunglasses. Andrew accidentally dropped them and we couldn't find them anywhere!

This was our last walk on the beach in the evening before we left! I already miss the beach and want to go back. It was so great to just have my kids to myself, and have no outside distractions!

This was one of the last pictures I got as the sun went down! This is what I want to remember for a very long time.

Our Beautiful Graduate!

2010-06-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

So the time has finally come, and my baby girl graduated from high school. I packed tissues in my purse that morning expecting myself to cry, but for some reason the whole ceremony just wasn't that personal, and it really didn't hit my like I thought it would. I think I have accepted awhile ago that my baby is all grown up, and my tears were already shed for the new chapter and new relationship with my daughter that is to come. I look forward to seeing all the things my daughter does with her life. She is already a wonderful young women who is very caring, loving and always has a smile and hug for everyone. I'm so proud of the young women she has become, and I know there are only good things for her in her future. Now I prepare for my other daughter to start junior high this year, and I start the whole process again. I personally think I'm having a tougher time with Megan and junior high then Alisha with college! Regardless, of all the changes in our home, I am one proud mommy of all my kids. God has blessed with 3 unique, and wonderful children, and I love them all so very much! Here are some pictures of our wonderful day!