October

YEAH! Fall is finally here! October is always my favorite month. Ian and I just celebrated our 6 year anniversary!! With help from some very loved family members, we were able to finally celebrate an anniversary together this year doing something extra special. We booked ourselves a very cool room up in Park City, with a fireplace and skylight, so at night we could lie in bed and look up at the moon and stars. It was so nice just to be somewhere else....... and just us two! Well, 3 if you really think about it!! We are almost 7 months a long already! Samuel is already showing just how extremely different he is than Eliiott. I really didn't know babies could sit so low and kick in the places he does! Ellioot was always high up and kicking up into my ribs... little Samuel, .. I swear a foot is just gonna pop out from down below one day!! LOL! Ah, he is so sweet.. I know that already. He really loves his daddy.. he is most active when Ian is home... I am talking hours. *** During our stay at the hotel in P.C., I an decided to take some really great prego pics of me .. he is so talented:

Elliott still isn't quite sure if he is ready for a little brother. Somedays he likes to tell everyone about him, ask what he is doing, what he likes to eat, and even sings to him. Then there are days that he tells me he doesn't want to be a big brother.. he just wants to be a kid...lol! Whatever that means. I am a bit worried about how the adjusting will be.... He is so used to being the only buddy around. .... Yesterday it snowed and man was he excited! He keeps telling me its Christmas now. ... Grandma Gloria is helping me make his costume for Halloween.. he is going to be Link from Zelda. He is so excited, though when we went to grandmas to try on the costume, he decided he didn't want it to be Halloween anymore.. I think once he sees other kids dressed up he will have more fun. He gets to wear his costume to school on Halloween, then we are taking him trick-or-treating for the first time in G. Glorias neighborhood. I am a little nervous that he is gonna get scared.. but at least we will try! Oh, he is such a wonderful boy! His favorite thing to do lately is write and read letters.. he will do it for hours! He is getting very good at them, and he is even attempting to read from his books. What a little smarty pants.

Another semester has started at school. Last semester might have been one of the toughest yet, though I still survived with a 3.7 GPA.. lowest so far.. :( But, it's better than I thought I would get.. and most of that is due to absenties anyways.. This semester has already been a rollercoaster ride. I will spare the details, but all i can say is, this school REALLY pisses me off sometimes. I have some good teachers though.. I think. My biology teacher is already tossing around some attititude.. Don't think I am gonna put up wit that much longer.... December 19 is the last day of the term, then its just a few weeks rest (maybe) until Samuel makes his grand appearance. We are starting our hypnobirthing classes this week.., and still planning on a natural birth. I do have a feeling that he might come early.. not by much, I hope, .. and maybe I am wrong. But I knew Elliott was not coming on his due date, and he didn't. We will see. Either way, as long as he is healthy when he gets here, I will be happy.

half way there...

... well, a little over half... we are about 22 weeks now into this pregnancy.

Feeling great besides this awful head cold that came out of nowhere. This baby boy ( another boy!!! :) ) is a lot quieter than his brother was, until daddy is around, or when I lay down at night. Then it is like a circus show in my belly. His favorite thing is using my bladder as a trampoline.

Since we found out we were pregnant, I have been preparing for another boy, though everyone else thought or hoped for a girl. We had a name picked out for a girl, but the boy name .. no idea. After we found out he was a he... my mind was swimming. I had been looking names on line, tkaing suggestions .. nothing sounded right.. nothign 'clicked'. Then as I was blow drying my hair, a name passed through my mind, and I could almost see the face that went with it, and I knew it was this little boys name. Samuel. Samuel Arthur (my dads middle name). Perfect.

Oh my lord, I cant wait to meet this little guy and hold him in my arms!!!!!

This school semester is almost over. Got lots of stuff to do for my finals. We get 8 days off, then return back for Fall semester. That will go until December 13.... gives me jut about a month to really get ready for Samuel, due around the 6th-ish if January. Oh! And I might be starting an internship next semester for a wonderful lady who owns her own interior design firm. I used to house sit for her when I worked at the vet clinics. I really look up to her. Very strong and smart lady. So we will see what pans out.

So far we still dont have insurance.... There was some miscommunication (long story.) at Ians work, so we wont be getting it until November, and we still arent sure if I will be covered for this pregnancy. We are looking into some alternatives just in case, and might even consider doing a home birth with a midwife. No matter what, this baby is coming, so we just need to figure out the safest way we can do it. Unfortunetly it really cuts down the amount of doc visits, etc... I 'need'.. but everything seems ok, so I guess its no big deal. The family pulled together and helped us pay for the ultrasound on Wednesday.. something we are massively grateful for, and deeply touched. Thank you again everyone.

Well, I gotta get back to school work. More updates as we go along...

so.... whats new?

Not a whole lot, to be honest. School is keeping me super super busy. I am growing by the day it seems.. incredible how fast this is all going. We are almost half way there!! I feel the baby everyday now.. not often, but at random times through the day. We are truly amazed about all of this still. Elliott is getting more excited it seems, and asks me questions about the baby every day. He will ask if the baby likes cake, or if the baby likes to play ball.. lol! He is so wonderful. He is going to be such a fun big brother.

I went to see a chiropracter; my midwife recommended it. I have come to find tht my pelvis doesnt move the way it should, and that all of the nerves in my lower back are basically 'shut off'. Not going to be very helpful in the birthing process, and they wonder if that could have been a contributor to me having to have a C-section with Elliott, on top of the epidural, etc. So, we are going to try and get some treament going, but it is extremely costly. I really hope we can at least get some minimal help; enough to help me along on this path of a natural birth......

Well, we are down to a 2 cat household now. A few weeks ago we had to put down swett Lolli-Pop. many issues we just couldn't fix. It was an extremely hard decision to make. The peace in our home is noitcable now, and the two originals, Banshee and Mira (aka the Beaner) are such happy girls now.

That is really all, besides that it is still hot, I just turned 30, and I am sadly obsessed with the British TV show HEX, thanx to my dear Aunt Lynne.. :). I will probably be posting again in a couple weeks, when we find out what this baby is (boy or girl). I hope it is sooner than later. xoxo

photography

Hey, so, I thought I would post a couple links to my photography websites so those of you who havent seen much of it, can see what I love doing in my spare time... which is very spare.

http://jpgmag.com/people/Jillian

http://www.myspace.com/camerunningphoto2

thanx for the love and support~

Our first entry. (aka I dont know what I am doing).

Hey! yeah, thanx for checking out our blog page. Figured it would be a good way to keep in touch and fill everyone in on whats up with us.

Lil E is doing great. Had a bout of illness the other day, but he is strong.. pulled right out of it without a complaint. He is so wonderful. We are still working on potty traing, thought the #1 thing is pretty much conquered.. its #2 that is really the problem now. Isn't it always? Ian is working hard as ever. Still waiting for news of a career position to open at the post office..... School is awesome right now. Really loving my architectural drafting class and textiles. Cant wait to be off my online logics class.. also have a building codes class which technically hasn't started because my school is so awesome that they didnt have a teacher to teach the class when it started... this school sometimes.. But, I am already through with 1 year! probably 3 more to go since I will be taking 3 months off when the baby gets here.

Speaking of....... things are well! Just went in for my 4 month checkup! Heart beat is good and strong.. I am actually starting to show a tiny bit. I haven't felt it yet, but man I can't wait. Giving me a hell of a time with Braxton Hicks contractions though. never had these with Elliott. Guess i better get used to them... Still don't know what we are having. Will probably be another month before we do.

We are planning a natural birth (i.e. no drugs). We are really excited, and doing tons of researche on how to make it really work for us. We will still be delivering in a hospital, but with the assistance of a midwife and doula only. I will labor at home as long as I feel I want to.. the less time at the hospital the better.

- this is at 10 weeks -

Well, I am not sure what else to write. That is pretty much what is going on besides hot weather and lots of chocolate cake eating.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo