Baby update: 24 weeks

Here is my belly. 2 weeks shy of 6 months. I feel like I'm bigger than it looks in this picture. According to blogs, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and baby is the size of an eggplant or bag of Oreos. Only 15 weeks to go!!! We will have a scheduled c-section on February 5 or 6.  I've been feeling good, minus some lupus joint pain. I took some prednisone and that helped but sleep is affecting it as well. Baby is unnamed as of yet and moving around like crazy. Jackson is so excited for his little brother. He talks about it all the time and loves to pat and kiss my belly. We're finally getting potty training under control and he earned a pair of roller skates after 5 poos. He loves it! 

I love this picture. He's so happy! 

We have a pickle! Or Gerbil! Or 2 snowballs! Or an avocado!

There are about five bazillion websites that will tell you anything and everything about having a baby. Even the size of the baby by weeks varies immensely. One website says avocado. 

My app (Ovia pregnancy) said I had an avocado last week. This week it says dill pickle. 

This one throws me the most. Pickles vary in size so much! I see the dill pickles in our fridge and I'm like they are way smaller than an avocado. Then you have the Pickle Barrel deli pickles which are about the size of your arm. Another website measures baby against junk food, rather than fruits and veggies. They said 16 weeks is a package of snowballs. 

Side note: snowballs will always remind me of cake decorating with Alli and Celeste. Bahaha!!! 

Another website said baby is the size of a small gerbil. 

So there you go. And I still don't have any idea about the size. Snowballs seem the biggest so I'll go for that. However, tomorrow I'm 17 weeks and that will be another new crazy example. 

Boy in a Box

Bun in the Oven!

We got a bun in the oven! Baby is due February 11. This is exciting and scary and bittersweet. We lost a baby a year ago. I was 13 weeks pregnant. It was heartbreaking. So this pregnancy is hard. I'm constantly worried. Our 2nd ultrasound was at 13 weeks and I cried when I found out all was well. We heard the heartbeat again last week at my OB appointment. We have an ultrasound in September where we will find out baby's gender. We didn't find out what Jackson was but since he is convinced this baby is a girl we want to have time to get him used to the idea of a brother. So keep praying for us and baby! 

This was from the first ultrasound. <3

Pre-school Day 1

I have never been one of those moms that was gung-ho for homeschooling. I respect the moms who choose to do that, but I believe that we train teachers for that specific purpose so I should let them do their job. Plus, I feel like I am not qualified to teach some upper subjects. And really, what about art and music and PE and school plays and dances? All things that should be encouraged. I had a great art teacher growing up and I know I could not come up with all the great lessons he did. I'd be like "lets do something with fabric!" or "heres a piece of paper and some markers!." And music? Umm, no thanks. Not musical. So, it is quite interesting that I am homeschooling my pre-schooler. I chose to do this for a number of reasons: 1) He refuses to be potty trained. seriously. Zero interest. 2) The cost (are you kidding me?) and the monthly toy cleaning nights. No thank you. and 3) We moved here late so a lot of good programs were already taken. But our biggest drawback is potty training. Im not too worried because Jackson used to go to day care and got some social interaction there and he goes to Sunday School at our church, so he gets the social/school situation still. And, as Luke likes to remind me, he didn't go to preschool and he turned out just fine. More than fine actually! Today was our first day of homeschool! More like me asking Jackson if he wanted to play school. I bought a Pre-K readiness book with reading prep, math, and writing workbooks that we are using. Our first lessons were drawing lines, which he tired of quite quickly. But, how can he learn to write letters if he can't draw lines? His favorite was the "up, down, up, down" motion. We also work on letters as they come up. "What letter makes the mmmmm sound?" He knows that Jackson starts with J and Mommy with M and Daddy with D. He also knows the first letters of all his Ninja Turtles. Very important, right? He can spell his name sometimes, but we are working on it.

Mom! Don't take my picture! "Up, down, up, down..." In other news, the bambino is the size of an avocado and doing well! We find out the sex in a few weeks.

In Canada, Hey!

Frazierville has relocated. To Edmonton, Alberta. In Canada. Yep. Crazy, huh? The first question I get asked is "Why Canada?" (ministry job at West Meadows Baptist Church) and the second question is "Are you or your husband from Canada?" (no). Then people give me really confused looks. We got here on May 31 and were able to drop off all the stuff we crammed into our car into our new place. And when I say crammed I mean crammed. I stuffed things in every possible nook and cranny. T shirts stuffed into the gap between the seats, diapers under the front seat, blankets shoved to the roof. I couldn't see out the back window at all. And every time I opened Jackson's door legos and toys fell onto the pavement. But we made it. Our new place is great. Its a 3 bedroom condo/townhouse with 1.5 baths and a laundry room. And the piece de resistance - a yard. A tiny yard. Like the grass is probably 6'x6'. It literally takes the yard guys about 30 seconds to mow. But Jackson loves it! And who needs a sandbox when you have a garden? Theres a school with a spectacular playground only about a block away though. Unfortunately though, our house would be a lot better if we actually had our furniture and the rest of our stuff. But its okay. We have a couple of borrowed chairs and a nice airbed and some kitchen stuff and toys and a TV. What more do you need, hey? In America we always think Canadians say eh, but actually a lot of them say hey. Everyone has been so nice (except for the lady from our complex who was mad when I accidentally parked in her parking spot) and lots have volunteered extra stuff for us while we wait.

Here are some things that are different, besides the eh/hey: Health Insurance - free from the government :) Needing to get referrals for appointments to specialists :( Having to put a coin in for buggy at certain grocery stores :( kilometers instead of miles. litres instead of gallons at the gas pump. Spellings: honour, neighbourhood,etc. Seeing things in french instead of spanish. In the states we are used to seeing a lot of things with spanish translations but here its always french. Parks and "green space" everywhere! :) In Alberta ALL the schools are public. So your money goes with your kid. Jackson could go to a french immersion school, mandarin immersion, hockey school, christian school, art school, music school, etc. Luke says hockey but Im not sure Jackson is going to be a natural athlete (even though Luke and I had great genes to pass on ;) All in all, life is good right now! Next week were off to California for Scott and Mariyas wedding.

New House, New Life!

SO much is going on in Frazierville! Not only do we have a very smart, curious, "busy" two year old, we just bought a house! The house is a 3 bedroom home on the east side of Dillon (the "right" side of the tracks). Its a little bit older, which results in a charming telephone & telephone book alcove shelf thing, and a light pink shower. We are super excited about it. There is actually a backyard for Jackson to play in! He's already spent hours outside playing in the kiddie pool and on the deck. I'll post pics when we're all moved in. Right now were still living out of boxes. We had almost 20 people help us move, which was a huge blessing. Now I just need to get to work unpacking! Jackson has had a great summer so far. He spent a week with Bob, a weekend with Vicki, and is currently with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Bina, terrorizing the Ledger. He just finished swim lessons and had a regular baby-sitter for part of the summer while I worked at the United Way. She leaves for college in two weeks, so he'll be the Assistand Director at the United Way until the new day care opens. The other BIG news around here is that Jackson's going to be a big brother! Baby Frazier #2 is due in February. Ive been sick, but not as sick as I was with Jackson. Luke is busy with work. He launched a new software and taught everyone how to use it. He hasn't been feeling well lately, so prayers are appreciated.

Welcome to Dillon, MT!

Dillon? What the heck? Yes, we moved to Dillon. Luke just got a great job at Great Harvest Franchising Office. Basically the home office for Great Harvest Bread. He is a Technology Specialist and in charge of implementing a new software across the 220 franchisees and home office employees, plus help the franchisees with their websites. One of the perks of his job is free bread. The other perk is that they pay for most of our membership at the YMCA! I think this goes quite well together, because lets face it, carbs are not a bff to the waistline. Also, the cinnamon chip bread is pretty irresistible, in my opinion. I am loving the Y! They have child watch from 9-11:30 am so that I can exercise and Jackson is being cared for. I met with a trainer, and they gave me a "program" and they measure you after you've done it 12 times to see your progress before getting you a new program. We have signed Jackson up for swimming lessons next month, too. Holy sore is all I can say! This weekend Uncle Shock stopped by to visit. He was picking up Grandma and Grandpa's old care to drive back to Los Angelos, making a pit stop in Boise. Lucky for us we got to be on the itinerary. Here are some pics of Jackson and Uncle Shock. Uncle Shock buys fake mustaches in bulk and enjoys the entertainment of it. They tried mustaches, unibrows, even Elmo and Mickey sported mustaches. Jackson loved it! He followed Scott around like a puppy. "Uncle Shock!" "Uncle Shock!" to which Scott replied "Uncle Jackson!" Jackson is growing up so fast! Hard to believe he's already 2! Hes talking up a storm, repeating everything, and just into everything. Keeps me on my toes! We just love him to pieces!

Sledding with Mommy!

It was one of those days where we needed to get out of the house, so Jackson and I bundled up to go get the mail.

I put him in his snowsuit and strapped him in before going outside. I dont know if you can see it, but there were definitely a few tears running down his cheek. He was getting tired and didn't like getting into the snowsuit. Plus he's very clingy lately after we left him with Grandma and Grandpa Eggs last week for two nights. Apparently he thought I was just going to strap him in the sled and leave him in the entry way.

Once we found some sidewalk that wasn't cleared, he loved sledding! It was much easier to pull his 20 lbs on snow than on cement.

Once we got to the mailboxes, we decided to take advantage of the park so I put him in one of the baby swings. He LOVED it. I think he was partially laughing at me because I had his pacifier in his mouth.

You can see his teeth! He has two on the bottom and one on top.

Isn't he a cutie?

Fun at the Cabin

Luke had the week off between Christmas and New Year's, so we decided to go to the cabin for some family time.

Jackson's wild hair!

Getting ready to go sledding!!

He loved it!

Checking out the snow and his crazy parents!!

Christms 2011: Part 1

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!!! It was a houseful - my parents, my brothers, Luke's mom & Barry, Luke's dad (of course!), and us. Luke even preached two Christmas Eve services at the church. I don't think Jackson truly knew what was going on, but he had fun playing with everyone and everything. He especially liked doing laps with Scott with his little walking cart.

As you can see he got lots of new toys but enjoyed the non-toys too!

And what Eggensperger Family gathering would be complete without craziness from Mark & Scott?

Every little boy needs a collection of Dinosaurs. This one is a Deinonychus. We saw it on Dinosaur Train a few weeks before Christmas. (I gotta start learning my dinosaur names!!) It is known for its "terrible claw" that is on its foot.

And the token family picture in front of the tree. We took like ten pictures and this was the best one. Jackson is apparently allergic to pineapple....it gave him a rash around his mouth, but he really liked it.

And our special gift to Bob - a Quilt! This pattern is called Bear Paw. I thought it was fitting since Bob is a (gulp!) Griz Fan.

J's 9 month update

Jackson had his 9 month appointment last week. He is 18 lbs, 6 oz. (15%) He is 28 inches long (30%) and his head circumference is in the 85%. Does that mean he'll be super smart? He already is. He is pretty much skipping the crawling. He kind of pulls himself with his arms while his legs are straight. He loves to stand and walk along the furniture. He can go from couch to couch to chair to tv stand, where he gets in trouble. All those blinking lights just call to him. And lately he just wants to hold onto your fingers and walk. Hes getting more explorative. The living room is boring. Now he wants to walk over by the door and around the kitchen and down the stairs etc. etc. etc. He is so fun, too. He is giggling and laughing and smiling. Yesterday I was feeding him and he was making a funny face so I asked him if he was poopin. He thought "poop" was soo funny. (he's such a boy!!) So I kept saying poop and he kept laughing hysterically. I took a video on my phone, and I'll try to upload it at some point. We just love him! Hes growing up so fast!

Starting to look like MOMMY!

Everyone says Jackson looks "Just" like Luke. All the time.

But I think he's starting to look like an Eggensperger.

Thanksgiving 2011

Here's our little turkey for his first thanksgiving! He tried turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, rolls, and maybe some stuffing and liked it all! He is such a good eater, especially if you say positive, encouraging things like yum while hes eating. (OMG I'm actually using my psych degree!!) Bob tried to feed him rice cereal and made a face so Jackson didn't want to eat it. It also helps if you sing and make funny noises too.

Here he is playing with Grandpa B.

And here are me and Vicki. I saw a craft on BHG.com where they painted these cute little houses to make a village. We decided to make birdhouse villages. They didn't quite turn out like the pictures online, but they looked pretty good for two non-artists.

Halloween 2011

We have been soo blessed with hand-me-downs for Jackson. Amazingly enough, there was a halloween costume that fit him perfectly! He is a dinosaur. Or dragon. I'm not really sure, although I'm kind of leaning towards dragon. He was sooo cute! Our church had a harvest party and I dressed like Jem (the 80s cartoon...Jem and the Rockers...), and Luke was a hill billy. Our life group had a "Redneck Horseshoes" booth where you threw toilet seats at giant plungers. Almost everyone dressed like hillbillies. Luke looked quite exceptional. I wish I had a picture!! :( Of course, I made both of our costumes. Nothin like throwing it together at the last minute.

Pics 10.15.11

Our little man was in the hospital! He was breathing funny one night after crying really hard and throwing up everything he had eaten, so we took him to the ER. The respiratory therapist made sure we checked into the hospital and they kept us there from Sunday night til Thursday midday. Our best diagnosis was viral. He just had a respiratory thing going on and we had to wait until his oxygen was up on his own before we could go home. They tested for RSV, Flu, etc. etc. but nothing was positive. It was a long week for baby, Mommy, & Daddy, but we survived and he is doing much better. Still a little tired and fighting off whatever, but doing great.

We have a little blow up tub for Jackson. It is perfect. Its just the right size so that he can sit up and Im not worried about him falling over. Plus, the back of the duck is slanted so that he can lean back while I wash his hair. And if you squeeze the beak the duck quacks

Speaking of ducks, how cute is this kid in his little duck jacket?

Adventures in Apple Cider

A few weeks ago Luke made the mistake of saying we should make some apple cider. In his mind he meant "let's go get some apple cider and put some of the cider spice in it to enjoy on this lovely fall day" (paraphrase). In my mind I heard "Lets go get some apples and make apple cider from scratch!" Guess whose idea won out. We bought a bunch of local apples from the store and proceeded to core them, cut them, and process them in the food processor until they were like liquid applesauce. Then came the fun part. The recipe said to use cheesecloth to strain the apple cider from the apple mush. Cheese cloth didn't work. So what did I come up with?

Thats right, Pantyhose. I found an old kneehigh nylon, washed it for peace of mind, and then Luke scooped the sauce into it and I squeezed the juice out. We ended up getting almost a gallon of cider plus a bunch of apple mush without the juice. So I made apple cake with the mush. The cider was delicious! It was a tad bit tart but with a little bit of cider spice it was perfect.

So would we do it again? Maybe. If we got the apples for free. And I figured out an easier way to drain the juice. But it was fun, and even though it was probably the most expensive apple cider we'll ever drink, it was even better based on the work we put in.

Jackson's Photo Shoot

A friend of mine that I grew up with started a photography business in Thompson Falls. I really liked her work and wanted some nice pics of the kiddo so when Jackson and I were in TFalls last week working at the Ledger he had a photo shoot and I wrote a story for the paper on Sunlit Photography. The photos turned out really nice. She did a great job, especially considering he was only 6 months old, not very good at sitting, and had zero attention span, not to mention it was during our regular nap time. (Good planning, kels!) We are just thrilled with Jenny's work! I thought I would share with you all. I think I got the friend discount, but it was so affordable (business expense, anyone?), and she just gave me a cd with all the pictures on it. Then I don't have to spend a gazillion dollars just to get prints. yay!! So, if you want a copy of a pic, just let me know. I'll try to upload more in the coming days. The files are big so I couldn't upload more than like 2 at a time. There are a few on facebook, too.

Jackson Update

Here are some recent pics of Jackson. Hes 7 months old now and so much fun! Hes playing a lot and giggling and smiling. He can sit up for the most part, only falling sideways occasionally. He weighed 17 lbs at his 6 month check up so hes probably close to 18 now. Hes eating cereal and baby food, which is really fun. I love giving him new things to see if he likes it. So far weve only had a problem with the green beans that I made. I dont think he liked the texture. And sweet potatoes that I made are kind of up in the air. I usually mix them with applesauce or something so he'll eat them. He must like them with brown sugar and butter like the rest of us. Hes a really good eater though. Right now he has a cold, which means lots of snot and lots of cuddling. I dont mind the cuddling part. Sucking snot out of his nose with a bulb syringe is not the most fun. Especially when he screams. :) We love this kid!!!