Introducing.......

Jaxon Curtis Lloyd McLaughlin

born: August 19, 2008 @ 10:35a.m.

weight: 9lbs.

Last Ultrasound

Well, yesterday was probably my last ultrasound before this little bundle of joy that I am incubating in my tummy finally decides to show it's face to the world.

I had my ultrasound, and the a Dr. appointment with my Dr. from Stratford right after it.

We got some good shots of Bean this time around, which was a pleasant surprise because they say as they baby gets bigger the harder it is to get a good shot of them.

The ultrasound tech was doing her thing, and taking all of the measurements that she needed to, and when she was taking the abdominal circumference she asked me how many weeks I was. I told her that I was to be 37 on Wednesday, and she oh, that is interesting. Apparently the measurements that she took did not even register on the growth chart, that means it is was measuring after 40 weeks. After she got everything that she needed she took some fun shots for me. The left on is of the baby face on. You can see it's little nose and lips. You can not make out the eyes, but you can see that it looks pretty squished in there. his one hand is over it right eye, and the other is rested on it chin. It's little face looks so chubby. I just can not wait to see what it is going to look like. This is the first picture that we have ever got out of all 8 of my ultrasounds that you can actually see it's features. It totally makes me wish that we would have got a 3D ultrasound so that we would have been able to see it that way, but I could not bring myself to pay the $150+ for one.

The left picture is just of the heart rate. It usually measures any where between 140-160. Yesterday it was right in the middle @ 151. If you go by the old wise tales about the lower heart rate for a boy, and higher for a girl I do not know where we would fit because it is always right in the middle.

The other last one is just of a profile. We usually always get one of these, but this one is really good this time around.

Well, the count down it on, and I just can not wait to meet this little person.

I was joking around with my Dr. after they told me the weight after my ultrasound and told him that I was rethinking this whole natural child birthing experience, especially if the baby decided to stay in there for a couple of more weeks, and it could be more then 10lbs. He thought I was serious, but I had to tell him that I was just joking around, and we would give it a shot, but if it had to work out with a c-section, that would be fine too!!!!

Only 22 more days left, until my due date.....hopefully not that long though!!!!!!!!!!!

The debate of the railing!!!!

Oh, probably about a month ago my dad was over one night and he mentioned to me that he would really like for me to get a railing going up and down our stair case because he thought that if I was ever carrying the baby down the stairs and I lost my footing I would have nothing to grab a hold of.

I thought that it was a good idea, but my only quome with the idea was that we do not have a very wide staircase, and it is hard enough to carry stuff up and down it know, I thought it would just be more of a pain with it there, then it would be helpful.

Anyways, my dad has won out, as he just went ahead and did it. He did not want to have to worry about me and the baby falling down the stairs some day, and Curt coming home and finding us all laid up on the floor at the bottom. It actually looks good, and it does not take up too much space from the width, so again, he was right, and I guess I was wrong.

Thanks dad...you are the best!!!!

The Baby's Room

Here are some before shots of what the room some what looked like before we started with the changes:

And here are the changes, and the almost final product of the Baby's room:

This is the crib. We are still waiting for the change table, as it has been on back order for more then 2 months. The theme of the room is teddy bears, and the bedding is called B is for Bear. It is sooooo cute. I did not think that I wanted a theme in the room, but as soon as I seen it I fell in love with it, and as soon as I felt it (it is sooooo soft) I know that was it!!!!

This is the corner that has the laundry hamper in it, and was have also put all the bathing supplies there. I really like the cute little froggy bathtub that we got. It is soooo cute. This corner is also sporting the bouncy chair that I got the baby for the time being. I am sure it will be down stairs most of the time though.

Here is the glider rocker that we got. I was not going to get one, mostly because I could not find one in the espresso finish that the rest of the room was done in, but Sears just come out with one in the finish so we scooped it up. The quilt on the back of the chair is one that my grandma Robinson made for the baby. She made it and had no idea that the room was being done in teddy bears!

The closet doors both used to have cork on them, but I decided to change it up a little. The cork was all coming off the doors as well, so for the one I re-glued it and kept it and then the other I painted with chalk board paint and bought some chalk so it will be fun for when the baby is a older.

Here are the shelves that are going to be hanging above the change table/dresser (if it ever arrives). We still have one of them that has room on it for stuff like pictures and all that fun stuff.

This is a board that I had got from Creative Memories back at Christmas and I was going to give it as a give. You can change the stuff that you put on it. It is just on there with magnets, and it has a string on it that you can pin stuff to as well. It will fit a 12x12 piece of paper, if you wanted to do a scrap booking page and just place it on there as well. Right know I just have little stuff like verses and some ultrasound pictures on it, along with the name 'Bean' because that is what I have called this baby ever since I found out that I was pregnant. Hopefully when the baby arrives I will be able to keep up to changing the stuff on the board!!!!!

So as I mentioned, the only thing that we need to get is our change table/dresses that has been on back order for over 2 months. Other then that, we are all set for Bean to arrive, and we are just patiently waiting know!!!!!!!

Another long weekend bits the dust.....

Well, this past weekend was the second last one for the summer, and where did it go. Friday night Curt and I laid low and just rented the movie 21. It was one the Curt wanted to go to the show to see, and we did not manage to get there to see it, so ever since it has come out on video 2 weeks ago we have been trying to get it and we finally managed to do so on Friday night. It was a good movie, if anyone is looking for one to rent.

Saturday Curt had a tee off time at the golf course @ 8:30a.m., and my mom and dad had a wedding to go to so my mom come over and we did her hair. While she was there I got her to give me a pedicure....which was great because I was not feeling that well all day, so it kind of lifted my spirits. After Curt and the guys were done with their game of golf they came back to our place and sat in the pool (Curt got a new Montreal Canadien's pool this year, to replace our old one) and played a game of boccie ball around the neighborhood. Most of the guys wives came over as well, and we had a BBQ for dinner. It was a pretty early night because most of the guys had had enough beer in their belly since they teed off at 8:30a.m. and had consumed a few on the course.

Sunday I was feeling a little better, so we headed up to the cottage because Curt' s family was having a family reunion up there for the weekend. The big thing was on the Sunday, so that is what we headed up for. It was not at Curt's families cottage, but up the road at another cottage that someone had rented, so we got all packed up and went down there for the day. It was really great to get up there because Curt's cousin Drew & his daughter Madison were home from Calgary and also Destiny was home, and it was her last weekend, as she flies back this week. We spend the day up there, and headed home around 8:30. There were too many people staying at the cottage, and there was not really that much room for us to spend the night, and with me not feeling the greatest, I thought it would be best if we just went home for the night which I was glad we did because then I got to wake up in my own bed in the morning.

Monday was a work day for me, but it took me until 11 to get my butt out of bed, and then it took me about 5 hours to get what would usually only take me about 2 hours to get done. I would do some work for 30min. and then I would have to take a break and rest. I am soooooo ready for this baby to come so that I can somewhat get my body back to normal, and possible get my energy levels back on track.

We rearranged the dinning room and the living room so that we could accommodate the swing and the cradle a bit better. We know have some more room for when we start to get all those toys that they baby will need. It make me feel a little bit better that is one thing off of our list to do.

We went over to my mom and dads for dinner on Monday night then, and then home to bed.

Another great weekend, but still no baby. Hopefully it will not be too much longer and I will be able to post about the new arrival to our family!!!!!

Strachan Family Pool Party

Each year my Aunt Shirley in Toronto has a family get together. They have a beautiful pool in their back yard, and we all get together for a weekend of relaxation by it. The year it was on the weekend following our holidays and the day turned out the be great. When we were heading to Toronto in the morning we drove through very heavy rain and big black clouds, but they seemed to pass and they day was great.
We usually all spend the night there and make it a weekend thing, but Curt and I decided that since we had not been home all week, because we were on holidays, and we were having friends over for the afternoon the following day, we headed home on the Saturday night. Also because my due date is fastly approaching, we are not going to take our chance to get stuck some where, and me go into labour, although it would be a good place, as I had a nurse praticiner, and an O.N. nurse right there!

Congratulations Tim & Ashley

On July 19th our friends Tim & Ashley got married. It was a lovely ceremony in her parents back yard, and then the receptions was over in Atwood.
The ceremony was small, considering that her parents do not have a very back yard, with 80 people there. I was very surprised that they even got that many back there, but they managed.
Curt was the best man in the wedding, and was honoured to be a part of their special day. I was flying solo due to him being in the wedding party, so I never got to see him much that day, but we did manage to get one photo snapped.
(I think this is the only photo that I have of myself pregnant.....thank god)

The hall was decorated very simple and elegant, Ashley style.

Tim and Ashely took off to Cancun on their honeymoon!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations

Birthday/Retirment/Moving Party

It has only been 3 weeks ago, but I am finally going to get this updated to some happening for the summer. The fist weekend of the June my mom, sister, grandma and I headed to Tottenham to my cousin's place for a Birthday/Retirement/Moving party for my aunt Shirley. She turned 65 and has moved to Burlington to be closer to her family.

The party was at her daughter's house, and they have a pool in the back yard of their place, but unfortunately when they filled it this year there was a whole in their liner, so the kids had to improvise on the swimming, and put the slip & slide in the bottom of the pool, and used that to cool down on the hot day.

Here are a few other pictures from the day:Mom, Cara and IMy mom, grandam and Aunt Shirleymy Aunt Shirley with her children/children-in-law & grand children

Let the Summer Begin

Well, or busy summer has begun. The summer always seems to slip by so fast because it is always a busy time of the year, and then before we know it our little one will be here.
Curt and I officially got our new vehicle last Thursday night, the only thing that needs to be changed on it is that the dashboard is still reading things in miles, instead of km, and it is being changed next week. We have also go running boards ordered for it, and they need to be put on it when they come in.
Curt is the best man in his friend's wedding this year, and he is busy with that. They had the stag last week, and the buck and doe is in a couple of weeks, and then the wedding is at the end of July.
Curt has been out on the golf course quite a bit lately, trying to get his membership used before his life takes a drastic change come the end of the summer, and he maybe does not have the free time to spend on the 'links'.
As for me, I can not seem to get enough rest lately. All I do is sleep and work it seems. I work all day, and then I come home and have dinner, and then a nap, and then get up and go to bed. My house is a disaster, and need a good cleaning, but it only seems to get done in little spurts when I get the ambition.
We have been working away at the baby's room. It is painted and the trim is up and all done, the carpet has been cleaned, and know we are just waiting for our furniture to arrive. I am picking up the crib and mattress on Saturday, and the change table/dresser should be arriving any day know, and then I will be able to get the room together. I will be glad when that is done, and then there will not be stuff lying around upstairs all over. Everything will be able to be put in it's place and then it might seem that my house is not such a disaster area.
Well, I am off to my monthly ultrasound this afternoon. The first week of every month I get to go and see my Dr. from Stratford on afternoon, and then my Dr. in Listowel an other afternoon, and then the next week I get to go for an ultrasound. Needless to say I have been having a lot of time off work for these Dr. appointments, but is will only get worse come July when I have to start to go and see the Dr.'s every other week. Oh well, what can they do.....fire me!!!!! As for the monthly ultrasounds it is so nice to be able to go and see the progress that the baby is making. Although it is getting harder and harder to see good pictures of it the bigger that it gets, it is still nice to be able to experience it. The last time I went for one I was 24 weeks, and the baby was measuring 26 weeks, and all my Dr. had to say to me was....oh, that is going to be a big baby.....GREAT. We will see what it is measuring like this afternoon, and I will try to post some pictures of it when/if I get some.

It is on it's way.......

Well, with my ever expanding belly, we thought that we better be getting a bigger vehicle to accommodate the addition to our little family.

It was perfect timing as to get a new vehicle as Curt's lease is up on his car at the end of the month, and we knew that we would be needing a bigger car, a family vehicle.

So the a couple of months ago we started to do our investigating on what type of vehicle we might want to get, and Curt narrowed my choices of about 7-10 down to 2. This is what we narrowed our options down to, a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer and it is to be arriving at the dealership today, and we get to go and pick it up tomorrow night and have it for a couple of days to make sure that we really like it and if all goes well, it will ours this time next week.....woohoo!!!!!

Our next big decision will be who's personalized licence plates go on it, but I think that Curt's will win out on it as it will be easier to just take his off his old car when he gives it back to the dealership, and put them on the new SUV, rather then put them on my car, change the paperwork, and then take mine and put them on the SUV.

So look for me now driving the Meeco mobile, well a bigger model of the Meeco mobile, as this will be my new wheels, and Curt gets to take over mine, fair eh???? hehehe I think I defiantly got the fair end of this bargain.

Baby Bean's Second Picture

Today I had to go for another ultrasound because they could not get a clear picture of the heart and all of it departments. It was not a good experience today though. As soon as the technician (I might add that it was a student tech) started to take all the measurements that she needed to I started to feel ill and had to get up and go and get sick. NOT a nice experience. There is one thing about getting sick in your own home, and then there is another about being somewhere else. I would have to say that I am having a harder time with my morning sickness in the second trimester then I ever did in the my first.

Anyways, I felt fine after about 15min. in the washroom and was able to continue with the ultrasound.

Here is the products of this weeks ultrasound!!!! Looks like a chubby one...hehehe.

Tim & Ashley

Friday night we had an engagement party for our friend's Tim & Ashley. They got engaged a couple of months ago, and they will be getting married this summer. They have done a lot of work in the planning in a short period of time.....considering they will actually only be engaged for about 5 months before the wedding.
Curt is so honoured to the the best man in the wedding. Tim and him grew up together, and have remained close friends since they were little boys. Tim was in our wedding party last September as well.
The engagement party was in Elmira at Ashley's sister's house, and was a great time. Some of the girls that are in the wedding party, I did not know who they were, so it was a great time to get to know everyone.
CONGRATULATIONS TIM & ASH!!!!

First Pictures of Baby Bean

So baby bean is the name that I have choose to call this little human growing inside of me, until it decides to present itself to the world and we can give it either a boy's or a girl's name.
On Friday I went for my 18 week ultrasound, and everything is looking great.
I have been for two other ultrasounds before know, but I have never received pictures, and Curt has never been able to come into the room before either. It was so great to have him be able to come in and experience the baby move. I was able to see it move and it's little heart beat in the previous one's, but this is the first that Curt was able to see.
When the technician first brought him into the room I could tell by the look on his face that he had not idea what he was looking at, but she was really good at explaining what was on the screen and so that Curt knew what to look for.
Well, here is the first picture for the baby book: Baby Bean McLaughlin, April 4, 2008 (18 weeks, 2 days old):

Jack & Tate's 1st Birthday

So, a couple of weeks ago my friend's twin's turned 1 year old. This is the first child's birthday party that we have ever been to, and it was quite interesting.
Curt and I are not normally around children, as most of our friends that we hang around with on a weekly basis do not have any, so when you put 6 children...all under the age of 5 in the same room for 5 hours, it was a great way to see what our future would like like after we have this little one. I was fine with the commotion...Curt on the other hand was ready to go about just a few hours of it.
I could hardly believe that they boys were 1 already. It only seems like yesterday that they were born. They really seemed to enjoy their cake, and I can only hope that I remember this when I am planning our first party....do not use black icing on a child's cake, white all the way!!!!

Addy, their sister, also seemed to enjoy their cake!!!

First Dr.'s Appointment

Well, yesterday I went for my first prenatal visit with my very pregnant doctor. I have managed to have 2 ultrasounds already, but have not been to see the doctor until yesterday.

Everything is perfect she said. My blood pressure was a little high, so that is something that we will keep a close eye on, but everything with the baby is 100% normal.

Since my doctor is leaving on mat leave, she has handed me over to another doctor, but she said that likely because of my lupus I will have to be referred to a obstetrician in Stratford, and will likely have my delivery there, just in case. That fact upset me a little, as I have always been a home town girl, and always thought that I would have my children in Listowel, but she did inform that that if everything went smoothly, we could be transferred back to Listowel after the baby was born. I guess it is just a waiting game know.

My official due date is September 3. 2008, so lets just hope that it is not going to be a long and hot summer, or I might have to find someone with a nice air conditioned house to stay with for the duration of the summer. I told Curt that if is was going to be a hot one, not to be planning too much for the weekends, and we will be heading up to the cottage to sit by the water!!!!

Cara is 25

A couple of weeks ago Cara, my baby sister, turned 25. My mom and dad followed in tradition of the 25th Birthday party, and had all of her friends over on the Saturday night for the celebration.

As a group of people we are very much into games. Pretty much any time that we get together as a group of friends are playing some sort of game weather it be poker, pass the ace, or pretty much anything that we could imagine up.

My parents have a very long rec room, so we set up the tables and went to our games for the evening:

Followed by sandwiches and cake:

Happy belated Birthday Cara!!!!!

Practising

This is from a couple of weeks ago when Rob and Beckie had Hadleigh. Saturday morning Curt and I went up to the hospital to see them, and Curt was starting to get some practice with a baby. Before when he would hold a baby he would be very uncomfortable, and it did not look at all natural for him to have this little thing in his arms. His parental instinct must have kicked in when he found out that he was going to be a father because this was the first time that I seen him hold a baby that it actually looked normal for him!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Welcome Baby Martin

Welcome to Miss Hadleigh ???? Martin born January 31, 2008 (sharing a birthday with her mom)at about 1:30 p.m. weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz.
She is one beautiful baby and her and her mom are doing wonderfully, and dad can not wipe the smile off if his face that runs from ear to ear.

Happy New Year....a month late!!!!

Well, a new month of 2008 has begun, and I am back. I have been slacking on the posts on here for quite some time. The past year just kind of flew by, with something marked on our calendar for almost every single day of 2007. A lot of stuff has changed........and it is time to start to update everyone on the changes that have been happening around the McLaughlin household.
Stay tuned for some VERY EXCITING things to be happening in 2008!!!!!