A trip to the Orchard

I'm now getting around to posting pictures of our trip to the apple orchard in the first week of October. We went to the orchard/ cider mill which Jeff took Meg and I to while we were dating (it's located near his old apartment in Kalamazoo). It was pouring rain when we got there, but then the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon! The kids enjoyed watching their cider being pressed and then getting to drink it right away, eating fresh made donuts, and picking apples.Meg helping push the wagon up the hill to the orchard- the tires slipped a bit in the wet dirt after the rain.


Teddy and Anna couldn't reach many apples themselves, so Meg and Jeff took turns holding them up to reach the trees (or Anna would find lots of apples on the ground :-)

Striking similar picture to 2 years ago's family picture from the orchard- only differences are Meg and Teddy are a year older, Anna has joined the family, and I'm pregnant still pregnant- just no longer with Anna this time :-)

Antoinette enjoying her freshly made cider.

"I want THIS one mommy!"

A change of Date

Just wanted to give a quick update to everyone keeping track of my pregnancy that (as I knew was going to happen one of these days...), my due date has been pushed back. I always measure "right on" until somewhere in my 8th month and then I start falling behind, and this pregnancy unfortunately is no exception. I'm supposed to be at almost 33 weeks, but at my appt today I was measuring just over 30. Since all 3 of the other kids were 2 weeks late, we anticipated this coming. My former due date of Anna's birthday- December 23. Now, it has been changed to January 3 :-(. So, I will not be using my previously scheduled induction date of December 29th since it is now technically "Before" my due date. Soooo, it looks like I'm in for another 42 or 43 week pregnancy! Grrrr... :-Z

Everything Went Well :-)

I just wanted to post a quick update and let everyone know who was praying for Teddy that his surgery went wonderfully! The actual procedure only took about 20 minutes, he was very brave beforehand- especially when I wasn't allowed to accompany him to the operating room (his ENT doctor carried him down the hall to the OR). I was with him in recovery when he woke up, and while most of the kids around us were waking up crying, some screaming, and puking, Teddy pulled his eyes open and said "Hi mom". :-). When the nurse offered him a drink of water, he said "Ummm, no... soda please". So within 20 minutes of waking up, he was sitting in his recovery bed, drinking sprite, and watching Lion King. When it was time to go, the nurse let him pull out his own IV (which he thought was cool, because it was still spraying liquid everywhere). The hospital let him pick a Teddy bear to take with him home. He also insisted on bringing his "Jeffrey" giraffe and his "Guppa blanket" (a blanket me dad knit for him).

This was taken right after they wheeled him out of surgery and into recovery- snuggled up with his "Jeffrey" and his "Guppa Blanket"


This is Teddy right after he woke up (with his Sprite). He was a little groggy at first, but still very much his cheerful self.



We left the hospital about an hour after he woke up, and Teddy immediately requested chocolate milk and fries. So, we met Jeff at work (near the hospital) and went to get Teddy a happy meal. This picture is taken less than 2 hours after the procedure was done, and he is happily enjoying his french fries! He seems to have recovered rather quickly :-)

Teddy's Surgery

Just a note to please be praying for Teddy as he will be having surgery to remove his adnoids this coming Friday, Oct. 6. He knows little about it other than the little comic/ coloring book the ENT gave him, so we're hoping there won't be too much fear/ worry on his part (Jeff on the other hand, is a wreck!). He will be under full sedation and the process should only take about 45 minutes. Once he's out of surgery, we only have to stick around until he's awake and his vitals are good, so it shouldn't be more than 3 hours or so at the hospital, start to finish. Please specifically pray for that morning- he can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight and for anyone who knows Teddy, his morning cup of milk and his breakfast are VERY important to him! We're praying for the earliest possible surgery time so that we don't have to keep food/ liquid (no water either!) from him for longer than absolutely necessary.
I'll post an update over the weekend to let everyone know how he's doing. Thanks for praying!