Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2440198/?claim=6eqada2md54">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Campbell Ryan Johnston

August 16, 2012 at 9:44 a.m., we welcomed our second sweet son into the world.

Campbell Ryan Johnston weighed 7lbs, 10.5oz and was 21 inches long and is absolutely gorgeous.

Big brother Cole is absolutely smitten with his little brother and is such a great helper.

As always, I meant to blog before, but truth be told...time is flying by and any spare minute I have is spent playing battleship or Beyblades with Cole, snuggling Cam and breathing in his sweet baby smell and stealing as many kisses as possible, or spending some quality time with Ryan.

Life is good!

-------------------------------

We were originally scheduled for a section on August 8th, but at my doctor's appointment the week before we were told that she had to bump us to the 16th.  On Thursday, August 16th we headed in to the hospital for 7a.m. only to be told that the other lady scheduled for the same day had been in all night in labour so we had to wait.  During our wait they decided to go ahead and check on the baby (he was still nameless at this point and was until early afternoon) and the monitor showed that I was having contractions and that baby was doing well.

We were taken to our room to get settled and shortly after the anaesthesiologist came in to get us and we were on our way.  The spinal was not as bad as I had anticipated, but a moment after lying down on the table I got really light headed and felt nauseous.  After getting more fluids all was well and Ryan and our surgeon came in and 15 minutes later I heard the most wonderful sound - our son's first cry.  I remember the expression on Ryan's face when he whispered 'he has a head full of hair and his mom's pouty lip' and the look in his eyes when we heard his first cry.  A moment I will never forget and I am so thankful we were able to share together.  The rest of the morning was spent snuggling our new baby boy, nursing and trying to decide on a name for him.

Ryan's parents were taking care of Cole and brought him in to meet his brother right away.  Cole was excited to see us and gave his brother a little look over.

We were sent home on Saturday August 18, 2012 (Ryan's birthday!) after 2 days in the hospital.

---------

7 weeks later...

Campbell is nursing roughly every 2 hours, with a 4 hour stretch daily and sleeping from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m., up to eat and back to sleep until 7 a.m.

As of Tuesday he weighed 9lbs, 10oz and is starting to grow quickly.

We are all so in love with Campbell and couldn't imagine our life without him. When we meet Cole at the bus stop after school, one of his first questions is always 'did you and my brother have a good day?' or first thing in the morning 'Mom, how is my brother?' and it is ALWAYS melts my heart.  Cole is an amazing helper, always holding his soother in for him or putting a dirty diaper in the diaper genie...his love for his baby brother has completely blown me away.

God has blessed us with a healthy, beautiful little boy and we could not be happier.  We most definitely will be counting our blessings this Thanksgiving weekend and spending it with all those who mean most to us.

Amazing...

 

If it isn't obvious, we're expecting (again), I am currently 33 weeks and all is going very well.  As of our last ultrasound (June 4th), baby is measuring right on track with our due date of August 20th, and has a strong heart beat and is very active.  Little boy number 2 (who is still nameless) was measuring at roughly 3lbs, 1oz and the technician just casually threw it out there that he would likely triple that weight in the next two months.  Thank goodness for a planned section!

This time around we are being monitored fairly close.  We have already had 7 ultrasounds (4 of those are level 2 scans) and are scheduled for one final scan on the 20th.  The level 2 scan is an hour long ultrasound where the baby is assessed in full detail to verify that all is well.  This was recommended by a genetic counsellor that we saw early on in the pregnancy.

I was told by my sister over the weekend that she has been checking my blog to see if I have updated it lately and basically that I am a slacker.  Cole had a baby website of his own, loads of updates and pictures and this poor wee guy is getting the short end of the stick like you wouldn't believe.  It may have something to do with us being more cautious this time around and not technically announcing it to anyone other than family and close friends.  It may have to do with the lack of time I have with a busy 4.5 year old at home and all the planning and organizing for the sweet little bit we are soon to meet.  Either way, here it is, in writing and pictures for now.  More to come and I'll hopefully be around more...but we all know I'm not regular...I gave up that hope a while back.

12 weeks

22 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain: 16 pounds
Maternity clothes? A mix of both maternity and non
Stretch marks? The ones from Cole...as for new ones, I'll wait and see after as they seem to show up after the fact.
Sleep: Pretty good for the most part
Best moment this week:  Section date will be booked tomorrow afternoon and the final countdown will be on!

Miss Anything? We were away on the weekend on our annual family get away...gorgeous weather, 12 adults, 7 children...I needed wanted an ice cold beer (or several!).
Movement: Loads!  Little guy is so active it's crazy.  The kids enjoyed seeing and feeling him move on the weekend.  I would like to ask that he quit jamming himself under my ribs...that's all.

Food cravings: Fresh fruit, ice cold water, freezies, ice cream...anything cold really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not normally, but when cooking some bacon yesterday I almost lost my supper...I don't know what it was, but I couldnt' do it!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: the large protruding belly
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Excited
Looking forward to:  Finding out our section date and finalizing everything (putting the car seat in the car, finishing up at work and spending some time with Cole before his brother joins us.

Overall this pregnancy has been amazing.  I did not suffer from morning (all day) sickness like I did with Cole, only bouts of queasiness.  We had given up on pregnancy tests after trying for 7+ months and didn't realize that I was pregnant until December 28th - Cole's 4th birthday.  At that point I was 5 weeks pregnant and exhausted, but I just assumed that the holidays had tuckered me out.  Since then we have been counting our blessings and thankfully all is going smoothly.

More updates/pictures to come soon enough. In the meantime, we need boy names...any and all.  Know that Rye likes common, short names and I like unique, strong names.  I let him choose Cole's name and this time it's my turn to choose...although I'd like something we both agree on, that doesn't seem to be happening.  HELP!

Cole's 4th Birthday!

The Christmas rush is over and the toys have been organized crammed into the overflowing toy bins and today being December 28th marks Cole's 4th birthday.  The entire day has bittersweet and I just can't believe that my little boy is 4 years old!  As we all know, time flies by WAY too quickly and to think that 4 years has passed since Cole was born is absolutely mind boggling.  I remember 4 years ago quite well and the one thing that stands out in my mind the most is the overwhelming feeling of love.  A feeling I never knew was possible.

Cole's birth story is long, a bit dramatic and something I haven't yet posted, but hopefully will someday.  After the 36 hour experience, I was holding my huge newborn (who ended up being 3 weeks over due, I kid you not!) and I couldn't take my eyes of him.  My heart felt as though it was going to burst and I don't think you could have wiped that exhausted grin off my face if you had of tried.  I thanked God that day and everyday after for blessing our family with a healthy, beautiful baby boy.

Cole, you are so full of life and energy that some days it's exhausting, but in a good way.  On those days I know we've played enough, sang enough, laughed and loved enough and for that I am truly grateful.  We have our arms to hug each other with, our eyes to see each other's smiles, our ears to hear the laughter and our hearts to feel the love.  We are all healthy and happy and couldn't ask for anything more.

You bring such joy in to my life and every single day you teach me something.  Sometimes it's a reminder to not sweat the small stuff and to enjoy life, other times it's the simplest things, something that only an adult would over analyze.

You make me laugh and for this I am so thankful.  You are full of silliness and are such fun, you make everyone laugh with your silly dance moves and funny sayings...a silly boy for sure.

You are a smart boy and amaze me with how well you are doing in school in both French and English.  You are writing letters, recognizing numbers, drawing and best of all, you are expressing yourself in everything that you do.

You have become quite the little guy and I am so proud of you.

Happy birthday baby boy!  I hope that all of your dreams come true.

I love you more than anything in the world.

Love Mommy xo

Christmas 2011

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year.  I love everything about it...from the decorations to the baking, the music, giving gifts, to our mailbox having all sorts of goodies stuffed in it.

Last year we used Shutterfly for our Christmas cards and I was absolutely thrilled with how they turned out.  C looked adorable in his thermal jammies, long shaggy hair and the cutest, most innocent pose I've ever seen.

This year we had family pictures taken and I couldn't have been happier with the results and the options that were available for our 2011 Christmas card.  While I was pleased with Shutterfly last year, when trying to decide what to use for our wedding thank you cards, I came across Dolcetto Designs and instantly fell in love with all of Shari's work.  Not only are her cards gorgeous, she is SOOOOOOOOOO quick!  I sent her our picture, what we wanted the card to say and she had it back to me within 24 hours.  Not even kidding.  I highly recommend that you stop by Shari's site and see what she is all about, she is great.

Without further adieu...Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

I was in no way compensated for the thoughts expressed in this post, these are my own views.

Christmas Blog Swap

Leigh and Lindsey organized the Favorite Things Christmas Swap for Canadian bloggers and I was so excited to be able to participate.  Giveaways and blog swaps often exclude Canada (not all, I've been lucky to participate in others!), so I jumped at the chance to send some Christmas cheer to a fellow Canadian.

Rachel sent me a box full of goodies including:

(excuse the terrible phone picture)

Santa p.j. pants, 3 packages of window stickers (which Cole LOVED putting up), 2 Christmas cookie cutters, a Starbucks ornament for our tree and a delicious sounding cookie recipe which I can't wait to try.

Thank you so much Rachel for the great gifts, it's so nice to receive mail and to have it be something fun, rather than bills!  A big thank you to Leigh and Lindsey for hosting the swap.

I sent a gift to Jenny, you can check out what I sent her on her blog.

Family Pictures

Am I the only person out there who cannot maintain a blog on a regular basis?  Pretty much ever second random post, I'll start with saying I've been a terrible blogger.  I have been, but I've realized that's just the way it's going to be...  I contemplate not blogging at all, heck I barely blog, but it's nice to have my own spot to open up when I need to.

All that being said, this fall has been BUSY...we had a great October filled with loads of family time and yummy turkey (Canadian Thanksgiving), my birthday and finally some much needed family pictures by Leslie from Lestanto Photography.  Leslie is so much fun to work with and she did a great job, especially seeing as Cole was QUITE silly.

Let the picture overload commence...

Thanks Leslie, it was a blast and we can't wait to see you again!

Erin Condren Obsessed...

I bet you have all been reading about erin condren and her AMAZING products on Facebook, Twitter and different blogs.  I have entered every single giveaway that I have come across featuring her products and unfortunately I haven't won yet.  With 2012 fast approaching, I have been trying to justify spending $50 on a planner any way I possibly could, but no matter how many times I added one to my cart, I couldn't process the order.  That is, until AP mentioned a discount code of seeyousoon25 which will save you $25!  SOLD!  I can definitely justify spending $39 (shipping included) on a planner, especially if it lives up to the hype that I am constantly reading.

If all goes well, I should have this little beauty in my hands in 2 weeks time!!   Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!  I am soooo excited. :)

I figure it's a great birthday present to me, from me seeing as Thursday marks the big 29 for me.  Now if only Ryan would buy me an iPhone so I could buy one of their iPhone cases to match my planner...hmmmm.

Bullying

There are stories of bullying every time you turn around lately.  I know there has always been bullying, but lately it seems as though it's gotten much worse, or perhaps we are just becoming more aware of it.

 

Just the word makes my stomach twist in knots.

There is talk about bullying in schools, at home, on the streets and even in the blogosphere.  That last one really shocks me.  I've never had an encounter with a bully related to blogging, but I really am surprised that in this amazing online community that anyone would do such a thing.  Everyone I have 'met' while blogging is nothing short of amazing, being that we all support one another and give the encouragement that's needed when something is wrong.  Needless to say, there are bullies EVERYWHERE.

In my younger days I was definitely not the nicest person in school.  I picked on people, some for no reason at all.  I'm not sure why I did it, I know it didn't make me feel any better about myself and it sure as hell didn't make me cool.  Perhaps it distracted me from my chubby, awkward girl with glasses and braces phase that lasted the whole 5 years?  I had plenty of friends and it wasn't as though they were all bullies, so there was no pressure to pick on people. 

Whatever the reason, I was a mean girl.

I'm not going to touch on the things I said or did, I see people that I wasn't very nice to all the time and it's a constant reminder of who I once was.  The guilt and shame is something that I will have to live with forever, and I deserve this on my mind.  However, I know for a fact that I am no longer that person and unfortunately it took something drastic to change my point of view.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I am perfect now, nor will I ever be.  I do catch myself judging people or thinking mean things, but I stop myself and the point is I would never intentionally hurt anyone ever.  I try to stop myself from judging someone on the street, because really, I have no clue what kind of life he/she is living.

 'If you knew me yesterday, please do not think that I am the same person that you are meeting today.  I have experienced more of life, I have encountered new depths in those I love and I have suffered and prayed.  I am different.'

Last Friday a young boy from the Ottawa area took his own life due to several reasons and one of those reasons being that he was bullied.  This young man was an active part in the community with his father, trying to help others, but he was also gay and preferred skating over playing hockey and for this, he was mocked and tormented.  Other kids thought that they should terrorize this boy for something that he enjoyed and for who he was.  And their pleasure really was his pain.  This teenage took his own life, because he couldn't stand the pain, the suffering, the teasing.  He couldn't 'wait 3 years for things to get better', the words hurt that bad.  I can't even imagine a life so terrible that not living would be a better option.  It's devastating that this poor boy who had a loving, supportive family wasn't able to make it through those tough teenage years.  I pray for his family and friends and even more so, for those who tormented him.  We can only hope that this tragedy is an eye opener to each and everyone of them and that it helps them become better people.

When googling images for bullying I came across this one:

This picture absolutely makes my heart ache.

I sit here looking at this picture of this poor, innocent child and my eyes fill with tears and my head fills with worry.

Worry for my own child who is now going to school and as we are all aware, kids are mean.  All parents are partial to their own children, obviously, but Cole really is a sweet, innocent, caring and sensitive little guy who just loves to smile and laugh.  He isn't a bad kid by any means, sometimes a little foolish, but never mean or rough, at least not that I see.

BUT, that is wear my concern comes in.  I fear that he is too sweet and that one mean word from another child is going to ruin his innocence and break his heart.  He is an only child and hasn't had to yet 'handle his own' physically, (not that I would encourage him to anyways!) when he is angry he yells 'no thank you' at the top of his lungs to voice his displeasure.

I also fear that perhaps there is a side to Cole that I haven't had the opportunity to see when he is at school/daycare.  Is he mean?  Is he bossy?  I've only received positive feedback about how funny and sweet Cole is, so I pray that I am worrying for no reason.

Finally, I fear for what Cole may or may not do if he sees someone being bullied.  Will he do the right thing and stick up for this child?  Will he tell someone?  Or will he turn his head and pretend that he saw nothing to avoid confrontation?

I am constantly trying to remind Cole that everyone is different to help prepare him for situations that may cause him to snicker at a child for something he might think is funny.  One night at supper he told us that a little boy from school talked funny.  When we asked what he meant, he said that he talked differently.  We tried to explain to him that this is not something he should laugh at or point out to the other child, as it might hurt his feelings and that everyone is different in their own way, but I'm not 100% sure he understood it.  Granted he isn't even 4 years old so it may take some time for him to understand what we mean.

How do you/will you prepare your children for situations that might arise?

New York City

This past weekend I travelled to New York City with my sister-in-law Shannon.  This was our first trip to NYC and we both had an AMAZING time.  We spent quite a bit of time in Times Square and took in everything...shopping, people watching, Central Park, Canal Street, Webster Hall, The Naked Cowboy...

We were able to see the Freedom Tower that is currently under construction and what an overwhelming moment that was.  A moment I won't soon forget and a feeling that was the weight of a thousand bricks on my heart.  I don't know how long I stared up at the Freedom Tower remembering those who lost their lives, praying for their families and thinking of all the firefighters, paramedics, security, priests, etc. who bravely helped others in need that day.  It's a feeling I wasn't quite prepared for.  I couldn't stop the chills from coming and the tears from stinging my eyes, but I am glad to say I was there and that I was able to witness this amazing city and see how they have started to come back from that devastating day.

Here are a few pictures from our trip, I do have more, but didn't want to over do it. :)

Times Square

No explanation needed...

Although I do have to say that there was THE cutest elderly couple there and the lady was posing with the Naked Cowboy while her husband took pictures of them...the two of them giggling the whole time.  It was seriously adorable.  The Naked Cowboy even picked her up for a picture...too funny!

 Times Square, Macy's ad

Shannon and I on the Saturday tour

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - breathtakingly beautiful

 

a close up of the detail on the cathedral, including the twin towers

 Shan and I in the Conservatory Garden at Central Park

The Freedom Tower

This flag hangs on The Freedom Tower, but was ripped up the middle on Saturday due to the high winds

The trip was so amazing and I am so glad that Shannon and I went together, she really is an amazing sister and I'm so lucky to have her.  We ate too much, shopped until we dropped, partied quite hard (one night only) and laughed until we cried, several times.  I'm so thankful that we got to experience NYC together for the first time and I have a feeling that we'll be doing it again together, soon.

I was definitely glad to get back home to my boys, whom I missed so much.  I'll hopefully have a picture of them modelling their new NYC FD shirts soon enough. :)

Fall Favorite Finds Blog Swap

A couple of weeks ago I participated the "Fall's Favorite Finds" Blog Swap hosted by Caroline, Molly & Mateya and I was paired up with Alison from Life and Times of Alison & Jason.  Alison is a Canadian as well and has just recently bought a house with her hubby Jason and their sweet Cruz.  She's so adorable and it was great getting to know her.

I definitely lucked out with THE best swap partner...here are some of the goodies I got from Alison.

Love everything here!  The scarf is absolutely perfect and I have gotten so many compliments on it already.

Seriously how sweet is Alison, she even thought of Cole with these cupcake liners and toppers, perfect for Halloween

gorgeous flower earrings

an adorable headband for our cold Canadian winters, practical and stylish!

This has to be the cutest decoration ever.  I am absolutely in love with this and have already been questioned as to where I got it.  And Alison, how did you know that I LOVE owls???

I am so happy that I joined the blog swap and that I was matched up with Alison as a partner.  I made a new friend, found a new blog and got some great goodies to boot.

Head on over to Alison's blog and read all about their new home, their sweet dog and to send her some love.

Thanks ladies for hosting the swap and to Alison for all the treats.