Halloween Pics

A little late but Ella's costume is too cute not to share! She was Alice in Wonderland and it was perfect for her. Jimmy was a little monkey and mostly hung out in his carseat and slept. Since Halloween was on Sunday we went to the trunk or treat on Saturday and had a good time.





Steve and I also went to a halloween party! The theme was 80's so we chose to be Beetlejuice and Lydia since that movie came out it the 80's. It was tons of fun putting the costume together. For Steve I got a suit at goodwill for $10 and then got white duct tape to make the stripes. My dress turned into a pretty extensive project. I got the dress at goodwill for $8 and it was a white old wedding dress. I tried dying it but it only turned out pink. So I bought like 10 cans of red fabric spray paint and sprayed it red. Turned out pretty well but it was not comfortable. We had such a fun time at the party. I had to threaten Steve's life to get him away from the karaoke machine! He was definitely thee entertainment!

November already??!!

Okay, so when you have a baby I swear everything is a blur and then you wake up one day and they aren't so little anymore and all of the sudden your little newborn is 4 mo. old! What the heck? On one hand I love that he is sleeping a little better and interacting more but on the other I want my little newborn to just snuggle on my chest forever....*Sigh*!
Jimmy is doing really well. He can roll over every once in a while and coos and laughs like crazy. He especially gets happy when you change his diaper. You would think you are telling jokes with how he just starts to giggle and all you are doing is putting his pants on. He is different than Ella was in some ways so it is interesting.

Ella is growing up as well. She started preschool in September and loves it! She goes tues, wed and thurs from 9-12. She has wonderful teachers and loves to tell me about all of her "best friends." It gives her day structure and hopefully gives me a moment to take a nap or go work out depending on my tiredness level.





Although, lately she has been complaining of stomach aches a lot and she is up in the middle of the night crying about it so I took her to the doctor. We have eliminated all dairy and soy from her diet and she is doing a lot better. When she was born she had some major sensitivities to dairy and soy but as she got older seemed to be over them....or so we thought. We are going to have her be off of the dairy and soy for a week and then slowly introduce the soy back in and see if she can handle that. She hasn't complained once of a tummy ache since we started so I think that is a good sign.
Steve is working hard at school this term. This is the first term where he isn't working full time and going to school full time. He is able to take a lot more credits and hopefully will get done with school quicker. We always knew he was smart but he comes home from physics, calculus and chemistry acing everything. He practically sets the curve in all his classes so he is definitely meant to be doing what he is doing. But I am thankful for when he gets little breaks in between terms and is home a little more.
I stay pretty busy with the kiddos and everything a family of 4 involves. I am still trying to lose baby weight so I try and work out a few times a week. So far I have lost 28lbs and have 19 more to go! I am thinking about training for a race here called Pear Blossom. I am trying to figure if I can work it in or not but it would be a good goal for me. I don't know a thing about training for a 10 mile race so I might be calling some of my seasoned racers!

August is a blur!

In August my whole family was in town for a family reunion! Which equals about 50 people. So we took advantage of that and blessed Jimmy while they were all there. Some of Steve's family even came up from Arizona for the event.



I was so cool to look at the circle and see 11 big guys holding this little guy. I wish I could of gotten a picture. Steve gave such a neat blessing.





Steve's mom Brenda came to help for 3 weeks! I was so grateful for the help. Ella loved every minute of it. We were sad to see her go but at least I felt that I could handle it a little better by then.



Jimmy had a bit of a rough go for a couple of weeks. If he was awake he was screaming so we went to the Dr. After everything we went through with Ella we are a little more paranoid. But we found out that he has reflux and a protein sensitivity to diary and soy, just like Ella! So we have him on zantac and nutramigen formula. He is now getting better. But he doesn't have a full button so he is fattening up. Even when I was breastfeeding he would just eat all the time. So he is getting cute and chubby!

James Hyder Jones

Little Jimmy was born on July 15th at 1:46pm. a couple of weeks before he was born my blood pressure started getting elevated. I also started getting really bad headaches and swelling so my doctor was concerned about preeclampsia. They kept monitoring me and nothing worsened but they were still concerned. I was spending like 3 hours a day at the doctors office getting checkups. So I was induced at 38 weeks.

Here we are when we checked in to the hospital. My belly is huge!

On wednesday night my husband, sister Val and myself went to the hospital and got checked in. They started with putting a pill on my cervix that softened it. They gave me a sleeping pill and we all slept and let the medicine do its thing. But apparently the sleeping pill made me really loopy and I was quite entertaining. Steve videotaped it! I have yet to watch it but I think it is pretty embarrassing.
My contractions started at 4am and I just labored through them until 8am when I requested my epidural. Shortly after that they broke my water and we just relaxed until noon when they started a low dosage of pitocin.
My parents had left for Indiana the week before and had tried to change their flights to come back for the birth but there were no available seats. They flew into Medford at noon on Thursday the 15th. They arrived at the hospital at 1pm and as soon as they arrived my doctor came in and said it was Go Time!

Here is my sister Val with Jimmy. Val was a great coach and filled in since my mom wasn't there. She spent the whole time at the hospital with us.

James Hyder Jones was born at 1:46 pm was 6lbs. 14oz. and 19 1/2 in. long. Everything went so smoothly and he is so adorable. He is definitely a lot more chill than his big sister ever was which is nice.
Ella has been doing great. At first she was a little confused but she is so soft with him and very protective. She likes to comfort him when he cries.


Jimmy has his days and nights a little mixed up so I am not getting much sleep but that should get to normal soon. He got circumcised yesterday and is doing a lot better today. He is already 7lbs. 5oz and 20 1/2 in. long.
There are definitely some things I have forgotten about having a newborn but as I am healing and he is adjusting things will get a little easier. So far he doesn't have any signs that he has the same allergies as Ella so that is a big difference.

We are so excited he has joined our family and can't wait to watch him grow. Ella keeps asking if he is big yet so she can play with him. She is going to be a great big sister!

Portland and Yard Projects

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Portland for my sister Mary's graduation from Portland State. We had such a nice, although quick, trip. Mary took us to this really cute amusement park in Selwood where she lives. Ella got to ride some rides. One of them took her up really high and she was all by herself but she just laughed through the whole thing! We loved seeing where Mary lives and hanging out in Portland. Her graduation ceremony was 3 hours long and with a 3 year old and me being 8 mo. pregnant we decided to forego the ceremony and just meet up with everyone after. While everyone else was at the ceremony I showed Steve some sights as this was his first trip to Portland.



Our first stop was Multnomah Falls. The weather was sunny and 75 degrees so it was beautiful. You can hike all the way up to the very top of the falls but we only went up as far as the little bridge you can see in the picture. While standing on the bridge the overspray from the falls gets you all wet! Hiking up the mile to the bridge I got some really funny looks. I think everyone was scared of me going into labor from the hike. It really wasn't a big deal though and I was somewhat tempted to go all the way up just so Steve could see the view. Maybe next time!



Our next stop was the Rose Gardens. Ella would go up to every rose and smell it. It was so beautiful and they have so many different kinds. I always try to pick out my favorite but have decided it is impossible to choose. But they do have some cool hybrids there that just turn out so interesting.



There was so much more to do that we just didn't have time for. We can't wait to go again and go to the zoo and the Children's museum!



On our way home we stopped at an event my dad needed to go to at Roloff Farms! Home to the show Little People, Big World. We saw the mom and dad on the show and looked around the farm for a little bit. It was so pretty out there. My mom and I were being silly tourists and made my dad stop the car so we could take a picture!




Steve had last week off of school so we decided it was the perfect time to do a little landscaping project. We have been wanting to do this since we moved in. On each side of our front door was just some dirt and a couple of plants but nothing special. So we (by we, I mean Steve and the Elders that live next to us) cleaned out the area and then layed the stone and planted some really pretty plants. We put in some day lilies, lavendar, dahlia's, daisies and some other stuff. My mom and I were in charge of picking up supplies and designing where everything needed to go! It makes such a difference and is so nice out there now.




Here is the complete finished project! Now we need some chairs on our front porch so we can sit and relax out there! We have decided our house looks like an idealic country cottage. It has such character. We are just grateful for some nice weather. It was such a wet spring and finally we have some sun.



P.S. ONLY 5 MORE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL BABY JIMMY IS BORN!

Counting Down!!!

So I only have 8 more weeks to go! I have a doctor's appt. in just a little bit which is always fun. Little Jimmy and Ella's rooms are all done! My crib that I used for Ella just got recalled so I had to take it all apart and take it back then order a new one online. Definitely liking my new one! I feel so much better having their rooms all done. I feel so much more organized. I promised pictures so here they are:











Here is the little outfit we picked out to bring Jimmy home in. I remember when we had Ella all of the newborn stuff just swam on her. Even though she was pretty good sized we had to go to the store and get a couple of premie things! So I bought one premie outfit for Jimmy. I think it is so cute and can't believe he will be that small.


Here is Ella's room! She loves her big girl bed and does really well in it. She also has a trundle bed underneath but we still need to get the mattress for that. But we figure it will come in handy for guests and sleepovers!



With Jimmy taking Ella's toy room we put her tv in her room. It is so nice to have her in her room during quiet time or early in the morning. She is still upstairs and close to me so I can lay down or be taking care of Jimmy without her being too far away.



Everything is going pretty well. Jimmy dropped last weekend which has helped my heartburn but not my bladder. It feels so weird now everytime he moves! Still having a lot of contractions so we will see what the doctor says today. Can't believe it is June. Next month James will be here! So excited!

Here are some prego pics! I am almost 30 weeks. So excited that we only have two more months. Ella's room is all done and I am working on the babies room. As soon as it is done I will post pictures of both!





I really like this picture with Ella trying to kiss my belly. She is very fascinated with Jimmy and I can't wait to see how she reacts to him.



This is the bedding I picked out. This is the picture online not of our room. Steve wanted to make sure that the bedding wasn't sissy! I really like the bright colors.

Ella turns 3!!!

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My little Ella is 3! On her birthday I let her choose whatever she wanted to wear out to the store and she chose the above outfit! Her cinderella costume with her brown jacket and her pink rain boots! She loved it!
The night before her birthday I went to pick up some balloons for her and in the store it really hit me how big she is. I almost just sat down in a corner and cried. I love the new things she learns and the age she is but it is hard to see them grow up. If little Jimmy wasn't coming soon I would have had an even harder time with it.
We had such a fun day. She had cupcakes with her cousins and they turned out so good. I made these coconut ones that were to die for and I don't even like cupcakes and then I made the little crushed oreo ones with worms on top. It was so fun to experiment and decorate them. I think I was more impressed with them then Ella!






I am 23 weeks along in my pregnancy and things are going well. We found out last month that we are having a boy! We weren't really surprised as we thought we were having a boy. Ella is interacting more with my belly now that it is getting bigger and talks to Jimmy and gives him kisses on my belly. I finally stopped throwing up about a month ago but that is right about when my contractions started. They didn't start with Ella until 32 weeks and my water broke a week early so that worked out great but these contractions started at 19 weeks and are definitely progressing. At this point my Dr. says we just have to watch them and maybe do some tests as I get farther along. But sometimes they are quite painful and I just have to take it easy. Hoping it will just make for an easy labor! We are all getting excited and I am getting antsy to get the baby room organized. So much to do!

Steve just started another term today. He did so well last semester and received another 4.0! He keeps pushing through it in a way I never could. I just keep telling myself we get closer all the time.
We are just waiting for spring to officially start here in Oregon. Last week it was 70 and beautiful so we started getting out spring clothes but then today we have had rain, snow, sunshine and now back to rain and clouds, all within a couple of hours. So crazy! Never know what to expect. Hopefully we will have nice weather for Easter!

That is the goings on of the Jones Household! Hopefully I will post again a little quicker but I wouldn't count on it:)

It's a New Year Miracle...I am posting!

Happy New Years! I know I haven't posted in awhile. Really haven't felt like it but it will make this post really interesting with all of the stuff that has been happening!

October! Ella was Cinderella for Halloween and was a very good one at that! When we would call her "Ella" she would say "No, I am Cinderella!" She still asks almost daily if she can go trick or treating again. It definitely went much better then last year.



November!
Unfortunately, Ella and I got rear ended pretty bad in November. We were at a stop light and a big truck just ran into the back of us. Our poor little camry got smooshed but after a month and a half we have it back! Ella was pretty much okay with a few minor strains but I have had to go to the chiropractor 3x a week since then. But I am starting to feel better. Glad we are all okay and realize it could have been so much worse.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving here in Oregon with my family. Lots of yummy food!
Ella and I were also scheduled to come out to Arizona right after Thanksgiving but after 2 days of waiting in the airport they cancelled our flight permanently due to cold weather! We were so bummed and are hoping to be able to redo the trip in January or February.

December! It definitely started getting pretty cold in December. For about a week it was 14 degrees during the day. We were packing our bags but thankfully it warmed back up a little for the rest of the month. Steve finished his first semester up here and did such a good job. He finished with a 4.0 and we are that much closer to getting his undergrad done. I am so proud of him. He isn't home much with work and school which is hard on him but he is doing very well. Steve's parents came up for a week for Christmas and it was such a nice visit. It had been so long since we saw them and Ella was just thrilled to have them here. She didn't want them out of her sight. I also had lots of help with her and enjoyed my naps and taking it easy! We got the best of both worlds for christmas and had members of both families here which was a first for us. It was such a nice holiday. We were so sad to see Dave and Brenda go but are making plans to see them soon!
I also turned 26 after Christmas! I am starting to cross over to the later half of my 20's! Kind of weird. I had such a nice day. My mom and sisters took me to breakfast and shopping and then Steve and I had a date night and went to Indian food and saw The Blindside. Such a perfect birthday!

We are excited for 2010 to see what it will bring. But it is already looking busy. Steve starts another semester on the 4th and we will be having a new addition to our family in the end of July. We are so excited but grateful there are only 2 more weeks in my 1st trimester. Hopefully I can start feeling more normal after that. Ella will be starting pre-school in the fall and she already talks about going to school. There will be lots of changes but lots of opportunity for us to grow! Hope everyone had nice holidays! Hopefully it won't take 4 mo. for me to write again.