The Vaillant Family

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2009-09-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blogging

2009-09-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, once again it has been ages since I have posted. All is well in the Vaillant family. Veda just turned 20 months old today. I cannot believe how fast time has gone. I wish I could just freeze time for a while and just enjoy her more, if that is even possible. She is so precious. She is talking very well and even putting a couple words together. She has mastered most of her body parts and many animal sounds. She can count to 3 and sometimes even 5. She is working on colors and has amazed me the last two days. She seems to know pink, red, yellow, orange, and blue. She stills get them confused once in a while but she sure tries very hard.

I am almost 19 weeks pregnant and feeling great, besides the occasional heartburn. I have started to feel the baby move everyday and its a blessing. I feel a lot more relaxed with this pregnancy and I feel like I can enjoy it more. I have my big ultrasound on Thursday and will update on that later in the week.....or month!

I have begun my second year of nursing school and so far so good. Only a little over a year left and I will be an RN!!! YAY

2009-08-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

19 months ago I gave birth

to this blonde hair, blue eyed beauty! Happy 19 months sweet girl!

Thank you!

2009-08-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you for any prayers that you were able to share for my family. We had an u/s this morning and everything looks just as it should. Baby's heart beat was 149 and there were no signs of placental detachment or subchorionic hematomas......thank the lord!! We still don't have a reason for the bleeding but we will just continue to pray that it stays away!

Scared. Nervous. Sad

2009-08-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am having all of these emotions today. I think my pregnancy is at risk. I went into the bathroom today and there was a gush of blood and instantly this brought back the horrific memories of losing my precious Nathan. I rushed to my doppler and thankfully found the baby's heartbeat, but that isnt reassuring enough because I always found Nathans heartbeat too. It wasn't until many weeks after the bleeding started that I lost him. So here we go again on this roller coaster of uncertainty. Not that any pregnancy brings certainty until you hold your precious baby saftly in your arms, but at least when there is no bleeding you can breathe a little easier. I called my O.B and since the bleeding has ceased she is asking that I come into the office at 9am tomorrow. I will update after the appointment. Please keep us in your prayers if you have room.

Pampered Chef

2009-07-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm having a pampered chef party! Come look at the products and place an order online! Go to www.pamperedchef.biz/julieschwind click on our products, then how to order and fill in my name as the host and then shop away!!! Thanks in advance for any orders!!

A gift that brightens my day always!

2009-07-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's whats for dinner

2009-07-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

A hobo dinner is a dinner that you put together in aluminum foil and grill. It's a simple way for a great meal with very little cleaning up to do. Here we have pork chops, potatoes, carrots, and fresh green beans. Add your favorite seasoning and butter, and your off to the grill in minutes!!

Toddler Bed

2009-07-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

So miss V decided that she wanted to climb out of her crib and fall on her head the other day. We decided to convert her crib to the toddler bed to refrain from injury. What a nightmare the last few days have been. It's quite an adjustment to all of us. As I speak she is peacefully sleeping.....thank goodness because my heart melts when her eyes cry :(

Finger painting turns into face painting!

2009-07-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Not ring worm!

2009-07-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Thank God! Instead this is a severe allergic reaction to the mosquito bites. Its looks awful. The doctor prescribed a steroid cream and an antibiotic cream. The doctor also gave me samples of Allegra which I decided that I will not give her. It's not intended for children under the age of six and I'm weird about giving meds. I'm sure it would be fine since you give only a fraction of the dose but did I mention that I am weird? In all honesty the bite doesn't seem to be bothering her that much, a little itching here and there.

We are scheduling an appointment with the allergist because my husband was severely allergic to bee stings as a child and even though the two are not related (the mosquito's vs bee's not my husband vs Veda) we would rather be safe than sorry and the pediatrician agreed.

After a long morning and afternoon Veda is peacefully sleeping, not only is she dealing with mosquito bites but her bottom molars are poking through........what a trooper!

Veda had her well visit today too and she is 25lbs 4oz and 31.5 in Way to grow Veda!!

ring worm? Could it be?

2009-07-15T08:03:00.001-07:00

This WAS a mosquito bite a week and a half ago and when we woke up this morning this is what it looked like. We are headed to the pediatrician this morning. Poor girl. The only place I can think of that she could have gotten this is a sandbox.......oh the joys of parenthood! I will update as soon as I know.

Thank you for popsicles God!

2009-07-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

2009-07-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have not updated in a long time. My apologies. I am currently taking two summer classes, one which is almost over! Thank goodness! In our spare time we have been taking trips to the park, the beach, and the zoo. Veda absolutely loves the zoo. The pregnancy is going well, I am 9 weeks and 2 days. I have been very nauseous the whole time. I'm hoping that will subside in a few weeks. Our next appointment is July 17th.

Here are some pictures from our July 4th weekend. As you can see I never get a good family picture that is why we are always separate with Veda. Maybe one of these days!

She really enjoyed the glow sticks!

Downtown Toledo at the festivities!

At the zoo...she was obsessed with the egg.

Daddy and Veda looking at HUGE birds!

Update on Pregnancy

2009-06-13T20:36:00.001-07:00

Thank you for those that said an extra prayer for me and little bean. I went for my appointment on Thursday and I grew! I went from 4w ?d to 5w 6d. Things are looking up. The ultrasound tech was able to detect a yolk sac and said that everything seems to be good. It just seems as though my dates do not match, which is weird because I thought I knew when I ovulated.

I go Thursday for another ultrasound to detect a heartbeat, so if you can keep us in your prayers again that would be much appreciated. I am feeling more confident in the pregnancy now, especially because I am having some symptoms.....nausea....lots of nausea, and breast tenderness. Fun fun. I almost forgot what it was like to be pregnant.

Family Fun

2009-06-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Nephew Logan trying to give kisses

Logan was not interested in this photo shoot!
Veda is game and says "cheese"

Let me out!!

What a clever little boy, he will try and climb
his way out!

Uncle Nick with Logan, Daddy and Veda

What a handsome husband and beautiful daughter

The waiting game

2009-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

So here I sit. Waiting and waiting until Thursday, and its only Saturday. Thursday will be the ultrasound that determines whether or not this pregnancy is moving forward. I just keep praying that baby is growing. I also keep torturing myself by trying to find answers on the internet. You see I don't know the exact date of my LMP but I know there is only two days in which I BD (baby dancing) before I left for Vegas. So if any of my readers are experts, please help! The two dates in which BD took place was the 7th and 8th of May. I got a +hpt on May 23, it was a barely noticable line but it was there!

Not hopeful

2009-06-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Well I had my first doctors appointment and ultrasound today and it doesn't look hopeful. According to my estimated last monthly period ( I can't remember the exact day) I should be 6 weeks and 2 days. The ultrasound showed that I was under 5 weeks. I have another scan scheduled for next Thursday. I'm heartbroken :( I know that the baby was conceived around the 7th or 8th of May so I should still atleast be measuring over 5 weeks :(

What a day.

2009-06-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously, today was hard. Veda is going through something. She is incredibly whinny, throws awful tantrums and cry's continuously if she doesn't get her way. I try and remind myself that she is only 17 months old but it's hard. She has a temper, when she gets upset she will throw whatever is in her hand or she will bite it. I just wonder were I went wrong in these 17 months. Did I make her this way? or was she born with this attitude? In all honesty, she is my daughter. I think I displayed the same kind of attitude until well past my teenage years. I always thought that "monkey see, monkey do" was why kids reacted the way that they do, but Veda does not see any of this kind of behavior, so where is it coming from? We did go on vacation for a week to see a dear friend of mine. Her 3yr old daughter was in quite a bit of trouble that week ( jealousy related) and was doing similar things that Veda is doing but would a week corrupt her? and for this long? I guess I just don't know where to begin with her. We are trying time out and it's showing some signs of being effective. I just might go crazy before that happens!......and did I mention that I am pregnant??????

Nope. I didn't. I was trying to keep it on the down low until I was certain that I wouldn't have any problems but I realize through reading many, many blogs that there are absolutely no guarantees. I decided to go ahead and let myself free of this wall that I bare and be happy and excited that there is life growing inside of me. So here I am telling the world that I am almost 6 weeks pregnant! I have my first appointment on Thursday. I get to have an ultrasound! Hopefully we will see a heartbeat!

I feel more at ease with this pregnancy than I did with Veda. I guess I have come to realize that I cannot change what is already planned out for me, so I am just going to try and enjoy it. I'm really nervous about nursing school and being able to juggle everything but this is how we planned it to be.

Once the baby is born, I will have almost a full year of nursing school left. My schedule is perfect. I will be a stay at home mommy by day and a part time student by night. I only have class one night a week and have clinical every other weekend, on Saturday and Sunday. The only frightening thing for me is that I will deliver sometime at the end of January, so I will have to have the baby and maybe miss one class but then have to go right back. We planned it this way because I am pretty sure this will be our last and I wanted to be able to stay home with him/her just like I have with Veda. If I waited until I was finished I would get maternity leave after a year but I would have to go back after 3 months. I can't imagine putting my 3 month old in daycare and being gone for 12 hours 3 days a week.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I will keep you posted on my pregnancy and Veda's tantrums!

Contagious

2009-06-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Her smile is contagious!

Don't you think?

Creativity with our hands AND toes!

2009-06-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Boring? Me? I guess I am!

2009-05-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

So I didn't start this blog to become famous or anything but man I thought I would get a few visitors a day! LOL I must be a complete bore! anywho I just thought I would post and get some opinions on how I might spice up my blog? So bring it on people!

Oh Boo!

2009-05-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Veda makes me laugh on a daily basis. She may grow up to be a comedian! For the past several months when I am getting ready for work or school I start a sentence with "Mommy has to go to work/school, oh boo!" and today when I said "Veda you stay with Daddy while Mommy gets ready for work." her response was clear as a bright blue sky "Oh Boo!" My heart melted and then I laughed as my husband glared at me!! What a sweetheart she is!

"All Done"

2009-05-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is the usual phrase that Veda uses as she throws her arms up in the air after she is finished with a meal. However, this morning I awoke to Veda saying "All done......All done.....All done Da Da.......so stinking cute. She saw her daddy walk by her bedroom this morning and decided she was ready to wake up!

Been on Vacation

2009-05-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Once again I was MIA for a while. Veda and I went to Boulder City, Nevada for a week. We surprised a very close friend of mine who has lived there a year now and is very home sick. I worked out the details with her husband and when she picked me up from the airport expecting it to be one of his friends, she was shocked! We had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures to prove it!

The Valley of fire.......beautiful place to see.

Veda sporting her new SPF bathing suit!

Snuggling their woobies tight!

As you can see we enjoyed dressing the girls alike for pictures.

Mommy and Veda posing in front of Lake Mead.

Veda having a great time at the water park!

Balloons for Kayleigh

2009-05-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

In Memory of Kayleigh Anne Freeman
10 balloons representing the 10 precious months you blessed your parents with.

all of this?

2009-05-06T21:42:00.001-07:00

Just for one little boogie!

A day at the park

2009-05-06T21:40:00.001-07:00

Woah, did anyone see me do that?

2009-05-01T17:35:00.001-07:00

ok. here is my first attempt at using tweet!

A few days of pictures

2009-04-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

A very tired Veda and her kitty after playing outside.

She says "bwee" for brrrr it's cold!

Very thirsty girl after all of this outdoor play!

She loves to blow bubbles.....it was a very windy day!

Laundry is so much more fun when Veda helps!

To Veda

2009-04-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

I love you my sweet daughter.

You bring so much joy to my life.

I love your little button nose, your gigantic smile, those beautiful sparkling blue eyes, and all ten of your little toes.

I love the way you giggle, I love when we read "A Cuddle for Little Duck" and you imitate the ducklings wiggle.

I love your fiery attitude, your dirty looks, and your love for reading many, many, books.

I love all your animal sounds, especially the way you say "neigh"

Veda, the truth is......... you make mommy's heart smile, everyday!

My patient

2009-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot today from my patient. He is an above the knee amputee, and has lost several fingers to gangrene due to severe PVD, and to top it off has diabetes. The first day I met him, he was very cranky and wanted nothing to do with a nursing student caring for him. By the end of today we were buds and I was sad to be leaving. I just loved his personality and his love for life, but what was more striking about him was the love for his wife. He had explained to me that he had been previously married for 33 years but his wife passed away. He has currently been married to a new wife for 13 years. He explained to me how wonderful both of these woman were. He didn't want to compare them but said they were both the most generous, caring individuals that he had ever met.

*******TEARS*********

His wife is amazing! She took care of him as if she were the nurse. She did everything for him. Everything. She smiled the whole time. Her heart was with him entirely, it was amazing to see this couple so in love. She was by his side the entire time he was there. He even told me that his current wife buys flowers and together they take them to his past wife's grave. I told you she was amazing!

She is the kind of wife I want to be. The kind of wife I will be.

In the beginning...

2009-04-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

a friendship budded...

and now continues to bloom!

Veda 15months 6 days Miley 14 months 22 days

Feeling better

2009-04-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

Even though it's still raining AND I have school today, I am feeling much better. It may have something to do with one of my bff's coming to visit.......or it could be this precious face that I woke up to this morning.......or a combo of both!

Not in the mood

2009-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes nursing school tends to take a toll on me and I get the nursing school blues. Maybe it's just an extension of the winter blues. It's raining. It's cold. I need some sunlight. I need to study. I need some motivation in order to study. I need sleep. I need to be tired in order to sleep. I just want to go to bed. Blah. I have gotten on the computer a hundred times today for no reason other than to check the status of Stellan. I am happy to see that he is improving and continue to keep he and his family in my prayers.

Sorry fellow bloggers that I am a Debbie downer today.........just feeling a little blue.

Easter

2009-04-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

Although I had to work, I was able to spend a few hours of the morning with my family. It was wonderful. Veda really enjoyed opening her Easter basket. Here are a few pics of the day.

Eskimo Kisses

2009-04-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

Been MIA AGAIN!

2009-04-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, School and mommy hood together are kicking my tush, and that's and understatement! I have had test after test but luckily I am staying above water and doing fairly well. I can't believe I have been in nursing school for almost a year already! Only 5 weeks left of this semester and I get a 2 week (much needed) break.

My health hasn't been the greatest lately, I have had a nasty bug 3 times in the last 6 weeks and I just found out that my colitis is actually Chrohns :( I have been started on Prednisone and Lialda but these drugs together are not working. As soon as I am healthy again I will be starting on Humira, a drug that I will inject myself with. I'm crossing my fingers that this will work. Joe and I have been planning on trying to conceive again in the near future but of course I need to get my health in order first. So if you believe in luck, wish some my way!

Veda is doing fantastic aside from learning to throw a fit here and there and the occational.......okay daily spitting out of her milk. She is using her sign language skills amazingly well and she jibber jabbers all the time. The last few days I can really start to understand a few of the words she is saying. I feel like I can have a short conversation with her and she actually understands me. It's amazing. She is amazing. motherhood is amazing. most of the time. :)

Say Cheese!

2009-04-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

Please Pray for baby Stellan!

2009-03-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

2009-03-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmmm where do I start? It's been a long week!

My basement flooded while on vacation and we are not in a flood zone and do not carry flood insurance........why me?

When I called the city they wanted to put the blame on us homeowners instead of admitting that our drains are not maintained properly........now I'm going to have to get my neighbors together and start a "process" that will be drawn out and dirty........................why me?

My computer with all of Veda's baby pictures was ruined and I don't know if it can be saved.............this isn't fair..........why me?

I have a million loads of old baby clothes that got wet that need washing, and I do not have the time to even wash my normal laundry...................why me?

I have an exam today that I have studied for but still feel unprepared for............why me?

My mother in law is coming over to watch Veda so I can study, so I need to clean the house...........why me?

It's been a while!

2009-03-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my "not me" post, I have been MIA and for many reasons. I was on spring break last week. My family minus my little sis went to my home town for the week. We stayed with one of my BFF's Maria and it was a wonderful time. I wish I was still there. We enjoyed coffee together every morning and got to watch our girls play. It was wonderful. I miss having my friends close by. It's hard. My BFF Brandi lives an hour away which isn't too bad but it still hard when your having a bad day and just want to see a friend.

While on vacation, our basement flooded. Of course right? how could EVERYTHING be perfect. GRRRRRRR It's so frusterating. We lost our hard drive to our computer that has all of Veda's baby pictures on it. I am so sad. I am just hoping there is a way to download all of my myspace pictures to have them printed.

I have an exam tomorrow that I'm so not prepared for. I probably should be spending this time studying, but really? I need a break too! School is incredibly hard and some days I just don't have the energy for it. I want to be a nurse so badly, so I guess I have to suck it up and just do it and stop complaining.

I will try and post some pics later of vacation, lots of cute ones of the girls playing!

Not Me Monday!

2009-03-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have not been MIA on my blog for more than a week......nope NOT me because I'm a good blogger and update every single day!

I did not let my BFF Maria feed Veda way too many marshmallows last week.......nope NOT me because like I said before, Veda only eats nutritious food!

I did not secretly thank God for not being home when my basement flooded......nope Not me because I really wanted to be there with my inlaws and sissy cleaning the mess!

I did not wait until the last minute to finish my care plan and turn it in......nope not me, because I am a perfect student who never procrastinates ;)

Favorite Photo Friday!

2009-03-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-03-05T09:41:00.001-08:00

I decided I wanted to share some things that I am thankful for and it just seemed to fit with Thursday, so here we go with Thankful Thursday........join me in your own blog and let everyone know what you are thankful for.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband.........even though there are days that he makes me CRAZY!

I am thankful for my beautiful daughter Veda and my Angel Nathan, they together have changed my life forever.

I am thankful for my little sis Kasara, she is an amazing Auntie for little miss V.

I am thankful for the great friendships I have found in this journey called life.

I am thankful to be in school to become the best nurse that I can be.

I am thankful that my hubby has a good job.

I am thankful for naptime..........all mommies should be thankful for this!

Lastly, I am thankful for Kleenex!..................my nose has been running nonstop for 4 days!

2009-03-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

Another newbie for me................I will give it a shot!

I woke up with an awful cold again.............why me?

My nose is raw from blowing it but when I put lotion on it, it burns.........why me?

Our car that is paid off is STILL broken and we WILL NOT be buying a new car........why me?

It's still an hour away from nap time and I so desperately need a nap today.........why me?

I have a 3 hour class that I HAVE to go to because it's the last class before our next exam........why me?

My house was spotless yesterday.....thank you Kasara......but now looks like a train wreck........why me?

Sick, Sick, Sick

2009-03-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely miserable, and so is Veda. We have this awful upper respiratory cold. I can't breathe. Not a bit. We are sneezing, we having running/stuffy noses, and we are both coughing. Last night she woke up from coughing so I went in to check on her and take her some warm apple juice (suppose to help suppress a cough). When I put her back into her crib she turned to me, put her hand out as if she wanted me to hold it and whimpered "momma". I just couldn't leave her in her crib by herself and she doesn't do well in our bed. She tosses and turns and puts her feet in our face, so instead of waking daddy we made a make shift bed on her floor and slept there for the night.

I woke up with a pounding headache, took some Ibuprofen and started the day. I had to take a midterm in Pathophysiology this morning and then this evening I had to checkoff on IV Therapy. It was a long hard 9 hours of school today. Luckily, My sis took care of miss Veda and she seemed to feel ok today and just started regressing tonight. Please send out some prayers that we demolish this awful cold from our system quickly.

2009-03-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Ok.......so I am going to give this Not me Monday a try!

I did not clean the entire house today instead of studying for my very important midterm. Nope not me......why would I risk not getting a good grade for a clean house?

I did not give Veda mini marshmallows to keep her content while I cleaned the bathroom. Nope, not me because I only feed her healthy snacks! :)

I am not on the computer right now being foolish and not studying again! Nope, not me. I only get on the computer when I have nothing more important to do.

I did not eat M&M's AND Ice cream today and not feel guilty about it......nope, not me. He he!

A little more energetic

2009-02-26T21:51:00.001-08:00

I snapped some photos of Veda today when we finally found some energy! She is such a ham! Don't mind the red eye!

Tired

2009-02-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Is how Veda and I are feeling this morning!

Feeling sad

2009-02-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm having a case of the winter blues I guess. I'm also missing my angel today. He is in my thoughts often today. It's making my heart hurt. Poor Veda, mommy keeps hugging and snuggling her. Do you ever feel so much love for your child that it hurts? I guess a part of my sadness stems from reading other blogs and realizing just how many woman lose there precious babies. I need to chin up and be thankful for my blessings............................thanks for listening.

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

2009-02-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

I can't decide whether to smile or cry when Veda does something new or becomes more independent. I'm having a really hard time with this. I'm kicking myself for not documenting ALL of the things she has done. I feel like I am forgetting what it was like when she was just born. I take lots of pictures and videos but I still feel like it isn't enough. Here is a picture of her with her favorite stuffed kitty. It was a gift from Miley when we took the girls to buid a bear.

Dancing Queen

2009-02-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

My, am I going to have my hands full!

Where have I been?

2009-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

I will give you one good guess! Yep, that's right. Nursing School! Look at all of those books! It's very scary but it's going very well so far this semester. I started my first clinical weekend of the semester. We start passing drugs and starting IV's..........................wish me luck!

The Story of My Life................

2009-02-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

I decided I should tell my story since I started this blog with very little information about myself for my readers. I grew up in the very small town of Boyne City. It's in northern Michigan, and yes winters are very cold! My family life was very unpleasant. I had an alcoholic stepdad, an abusive mother........in every way, physical, mental, and verbal, and two beautifully annoying younger sisters that I eventually grew to love. It didn't take long for me to hit the road when I turned 18. I said adious to that lifestyle. I lived in a few surrounding cities and eventually ended up in East Lansing, Michigan where I met the man of my dreams, who I now call my husband. This is were I put the past behind me and started the life I now love to live. Joe and I dated for several years and even bought a house before commiting to marriage. We have been happily.........well most of the time......married for almost 3 years now! Our first year of marriage was a very trying time for us. My sister Kasara came to live with us, which has been a wonderful blessing and we decided right after our wedding that we wanted to try for children and were succesfully pregnant by the end of May, only two months of trying! The pregnancy was rocky right from the start. I had horrible bleeding from about 6 weeks until the end, making several trips to the emergency room, and with each trip the doctors said I had a survivor. I had developed a subchorionic hematoma behind the placenta and it continued to grow instead of being reabsorbed. On Sunday September 10th, I couldn't find little Nathan's heartbeat, I was terrified and knew in my heart that he was gone but I went to the ER yet again and they claimed to hear his heart beating. The next day, I went to see my doctor, where they confirmed the loss of my son. My heart died with my son and I didn't know how I was ever going to come back from that. We were sent to the hospital where I was induced and delivered Nathan, he was so tiny, yet so perfect. We held him for a long time, memorizing every detail of his frail body, while trying to find peace in what had just happened. There has never been a day that I don't think about my little angel. I wanted children so badly that we starting trying again shortly after the loss, I also believed this would help with the healing process. I was wrong. It was like putting salt into an open wound. I had 2 miscarriages. My body was not ready to handle another pregnancy so soon.

We finally anounced that we were pregnant again in May '07. The whole pregnancy was a nightmare because I was so afraid that I was going to wake up and the baby would be gone. I set goals through out the pregnancy and allowed myself to be a little happier once I hit certain weeks. I think I began to relax a little when I could feel her move. Before I knew it, I was only weeks from giving birth. I was so nervous that something bad was going to happen that I convinced my doctor to give me an induction.....which is a whole other post! So on January 7th I went to the hospital for an induction and Miss Veda Elizabeth was born into the world on January 8th weighing 6lbs 13oz!!!!! I never knew my heart could feel so much love again. She is a true miracle and blessing from God. I know she is here because my little Nathan was watching over her. He had a job to do and he did it well. I knew that God had a plan for him, I just didn't know it was going to be watching over his little sissy! Although I am still saddend by my loss, I have comfort in knowing he is in a better place. God Speed little man...........

Oh What A Day!

2009-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, today was hard. Veda cried ALL day long. She was inconsolable and it was awful. She was sick earlier in the week but was recovering well and now I believe her teeth are getting the best of her. She is peacefully sleeping right now. We can only hope that tomorrow is filled with more laughter and less tears. Today Joe took a half day of work so that I could have some tests run for some stomach problems I am experiencing and I was able to capture the few smiles that Veda gave us.

Pictures by Momma Sheids

2009-02-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Veda and I went to celebrate Miley's first Birthday and momma Sheids was kind enough to share her photography talents with us. We had a lot of fun trying to get Veda to stay still long enough for some shots! Thanks again Brandi!

My Crazy Life

2009-02-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sketchers on the left and Stride Rite on the right.

Target

Old Navy

Children's Place

As you can see it has been a while since I have last posted. I have been a busy Mommy, Wife, and Nursing student, all very important jobs in my present life. My poor Veda was stricken down with an awful virus for a few days, running a temp up and around 103 degrees. Fevers are very scary to me and make me question all of the "What if's" of sickness. She is finally recovering after 3 long days. However, she is also cutting 3 teeth so she remains quite cranky! School is really stressful right now, I have 3 nursing skills checkoffs in 4 weeks, a case study and quiz every Tuesday and an exam this Wednesday! YIKES! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will ease through all of it! I work well under pressure!

Today I took a break from the books and Veda and I went shopping. Christmas and her birthday brought a lot of toys but not too many clothes, so we went and bought some things for spring and fall. I found some great deals at Old Navy, Children's Place, and Target.

The Party Is Over

2009-01-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

The party is over, but I will continue to celebrate. On Thursday we had Nana and Papa over ( Joe's parents) for cupcakes and ice cream. It was a very nice, laid back evening at home. When it came time for Veda to join the cake smash club, she was not interested. I guess she doesn't like cake! Is that even possible? What kind of girl doesn't like cake? To the bath tub and on to presents after that. She was much more interested in wrapping paper than the actual gift. Go figure.

Today we celebrated with the rest of the family. Veda dressed in her birthday attire.
She was the princess for the day. We had a lot of cancellations due to the 8+ inches of snow that we received last night so we had lots of cake to eat! All in all it was a great day!

One More Day

2009-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Until my precious miracle turns one. Excuse me while I wipe the tears away. I know I'm making a huge deal out of her first birthday, but, If you were me, you would too. This little girl fills my heart with so much love and joy that it's even hard to explain in words how I feel about her. I never thought, after all of our fertility issues that I would become a mommy to an earth child. The day I found out I was pregnant with her I was so excited, but guarded as well. My whole pregnancy was filled with anxiety that any moment she was going to be ripped away from me. I am so blessed to be able to hug, kiss, hold, and tell her I love her everyday. So many families only get to dream of such desires. Take this moment to enjoy your children, give them a big hug and tell them what miracles they truly are................................have a blessed day!

This morning

The beginning of toddlerhood

2009-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

As we are approaching Veda's first birthday, I have begun to realize that I no longer have a baby, because my baby is becoming a toddler. She is independent, strong willed, and very curious. She no longer wants mommy or daddy to feed her, and she displays this request by smacking the spoon or fork away and then proudly eating every morsel of food off her highchair with her hands. When she has finished eating, she decides that the doggies are hungry and persists to throw what is left(if any) to the floor.

Veda has inherited a bit of my personality, which I was afraid of! Her daddy is a very laid back, easy going guy and me, on the other hand, ugh, I have the attitude. I can go from happy to angry in 2.2 seconds and this is Veda. I am in big trouble. She has begun to throw fits and pinch, so I assume biting is next on her list. When I tell her No and try and have a stern tone, she laughs at me!........good Lord........what am I in for???? I have already requested a copy of the book "How to Raise the Strong Willed Child"

I will keep you updated on my adventures into toddlerhood.............................

Back to Reality

2009-01-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Unfortunetly the day has come, vacation is over and Joe returned to work. We miss him a great deal today. Luckily Veda and I kept rather busy with our Sheidler friends. We drove to Fremont last night and had a slumber party. Brandi and I stayed up until the wee hours painting her living room, and yes Brandi.................I think the color looks great! I always have a blast when I am here, her family always welcomes me with open arms. Thank you Brandi.

Veda and I will be heading home in a few hours to welcome daddy home from work. I'm sure she missed him as much as I did today. I'm hoping that the evening is full of smiles from Veda, as I just got a new video camera and would like to capture some pleasant moments to share with all of you.

The Holidays

2008-12-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

Lately the days have become weeks, and the weeks have become months before I even realize the amount of time that has gone by. The holidays have been wonderful to our family. We had relatives from Texas and New Jersey here to celebrate with us. Much of our time was spent with our nephew Logan. He is a few months older than Veda. They had a wonderful time playing together. One of the best moments while he was here was when I took his pacifier away, and he started to cry. Veda put her head on his back and patted him as if she were saying "it's ok" So sweet.

Veda is approaching her first birthday, which brings me happiness along with a bit of sadness. She is no longer my baby, becoming more of a toddler every day :( Veda has quite the personality! She can giggle so hard that I swear you could hear her for miles, and her smile melts my heart! She is such a blessing.
She has begun the journey of learning to walk and tries a few steps everyday. She started out taking one step and falling into our arms and she has now mastered at least 5 steps at a time. Soon she will be running through the house. Veda enjoys learning the different sounds that animals make, and so far she is able to tell me what a kitty, doggy, and cow do. I will try and get this on video later.

As for the rest of the family, we are doing great. I am enjoying my time off school until January 12th. It has been wonderful just relaxing and spending time with my family. The upcoming semester will be my most challenging, so I am already looking forward to the end!

Joe has been off work since December 23rd but has to return the 5th. We have been able to reconnect a bit, our schedules are so different that sometimes it seems like we just say hi in passing. We have been hanging out watching movies, playing with Veda, and actually having dinner together! I will be sad when Monday is here!

I swear I am going to try and post here more often................................until then...........

2008-11-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have been a bad blogger, it's been a while. I am almost finished with my first semester of nursing school. Thank God, because I am in desperate need for a break. Veda is growing like a weed. She is 10 1/2 months old now and getting into all kinds of mischief. She started crawling somewhere in the 9th month and she is desperately trying to walk, she just has not mastered the idea of balance quite yet. I suspect that she will be walking by Christmas, but we shall see. Sometimes I wish I could stop time and enjoy her innocence a little longer. These last 10 1/2 months have gone by so fast that I just want the next several to slow down. Unfortunetly, I know that's impossible but I am very thankful that I get to stay home with her and enjoy as much as I can! Thank you dh for working so hard!

The Vaillants

2008-09-12T20:26:00.001-07:00

Our family consists of me Tabitha aka mommy, Joe aka daddy, Veda, Kasara aka my lil sis and Veda's auntie, 2 dogs Luna and Zoe, 2 cats Mr. Kibbles and Miss Daisy. I know, I know we have a zoo on our hands! We are always on the go. I just started nursing school, Joe just started softball and Veda just started trying to crawl. Busy Busy! This week has been very exciting because the extreme makeover; Home edition is in my hometown and we have been able to see the house a couple times, and I got to see some of the cast! Woot Woot!! I'm hoping we can make it for the "MOVE THAT BUS" part of the show but we shall see. I will post some pics of Veda and try and keep up on blogging.