All new photo's are by my godsister, Kathy Z and owner of Bellies to Earth Photography.

Mia is crawling officially!  She took her first several shuffles in a row yesterday!  This past weekend she her first two teeth broke through and she's finally getting back to her normal nap schedule!  She is 8 1/2 months now and was seen at the doctors at 8 months.  She was 19 lbs and 14 oz (75%) and 28 1/4 inches long(75-90%) then.

Gabe is a maniac but so sweet.  He will gladly recite baa baa black sheep for you...and that's in English and in Spanish.  Grandma Straub left him some french cartoons to watch and he blurted out "Emmenez-le" which means "Take him away!"  Unfortunately he was referring to his dad so he did get in trouble for that but... it's so funny how easy it is for little ones to learn languages.  He's really loving reading and has memorized a couple of books, just like his big sister used to do.  He's working on potty training, slowly but surely.  He is going to go to preschool a couple of days a week in the fall and hopefully he will not get kicked out. :)

Emma had a really busy summer filled with traveling and we are glad to have her home again!  She's been busy having her friends over and has been reading a lot.  She's looking forward to this school year-- 3rd grade!  She'll find out her teacher in a couple of weeks and there is one notorious teacher that she's hoping not to get...we've been preparing her that she'll probably get the one she's not wanting!

We hope everyone is enjoying the last month of summer!

Finally! We have updated the photos!

Yes, Uncle JP - the lobster pics you have been waiting for since Mothers' Day!

And, be sure to check out "Our Media" for a video of Mia in her jolly jumper!

It's Spring!!! We are so excited for the warmer weather!  Things are a little crazy around here with Jennifer back at work.

Some quick updates:

Emma had her first soccer practice of the season yesterday.  She's excited to be back with the same girls she was with in the fall-- plus her best friend Karleigh joined them this season too! 

Gabe is getting over a long drawn out cough/cold.  He's even lost a bit of weight!  If only we could keep him away from Mia so they won't keep passing germs back and forth from each other!   

Mia is growing and gaining.  She's started to giggle a little bit and is a very happy little person.  She's adjusted really well with Jennifer being back at work and has been sleeping really well (for the most part!) for Anthony.

We are excited to be traveling up to New York for Easter to visit with Anthony's family.  Hopefully there won't be too much snow on the ground by then!  I know Emma's going to try to convince Grandpa Straub to take her out on the boat, ice and all!

Family updates:

Mia's was baptised this past Saturday, January 13.  We wanted to make sure she would be able to fit into the gown my mother was baptised in--56 years ago and thankfully she wasn't too big!   The service went very smoothly and she didn't make one little yelp the whole mass, she actually slept through most of it!   As I was walking with her in my arms down the aisle everyone stood up to turn toward the baptismal font and I couldn't help but think the next time people would stand up as she walks down the aisle would be on her wedding day.

Mia went to her pulmonologist appointment on Wednesday, January 17th (our 3rd anniversary!). She was 11 lbs. 10 oz. and is 22 1/4 inches long.  Getting chubby! She did perfect on the monitor and it showed no weirdness at all with her breathing/holding her breath (yay!).  We will continue her on the monitor at night only until next month.  We don't mind the monitor though because it is actually really nice for my peace of mind! 

She has started responding to our smiles with a gummy smile of her own, much to our delight!  She follows us with her eyes and is cooing too.  She does have a bit of reflux and prefers to be held, but is generally a very calm and even tempered baby.

Gabriel continues to enjoy going to his pre-preschool class.  And hasn't gotten kicked out!!  He actually is pretty quiet in class!  He is in the middle of a verbal explosion.  I can't keep track of all his new phrases because daily he surprises us with a new phrase.  His current favorites are: "Oh Mia, you're so cute";  "What's going on here?",  "Hi, what's your name",  "No, I'm not _______ (hungry, tired, silly, etc) I'm Gabriel!" "I'm so excited" "It's not Good night, it's Good morning!"  (when he doesn't want to go to sleep). "So good to see you!"  He is doing an excellent job adjusting to being a big brother.  He LOVES his new sister Mia and spends much of the day trying to get to her to give her a big kiss.  With Emma he is still very rough as he still has not mastered the art of sharing.   He does however love hair and because Emma has exceptionally beautiful hair, Gabriel enjoys trying to grab at it still. Thankfully Emma is a pretty forgiving big sister. 

 He has just gotten over a stomach bug but has bounced back and is eating well again.  We are pretty sure he's close to 38 lbs now!  Such a big boy!

Emma continues to be our social butterfly.  It seems that every weekend she's going to a party!  We are getting ready for her to turn 8!  Because of our unseasonably warm weather it does not seem like this year will be cold enough for her party to get snowed out as in past years.

She continues to do very well in school and loves reading still! Anthony and her are reading the Narnia books.  Next we will be reading my favorite book that I got her for Christmas, Bridge to Teribithia. 

Last week Emma started with her violin lessons.  She has been very excited to start them and we will see how that goes.  I have no experience with any sort of string instrument so we will have to learn along side her...

She is a big helper around the house and even enjoys changing Mia's diapers! Emma's such a wonderful big sister!

We wish you all many blessings for 2007! 

Mia is here!!!

She is perfect! 8:18 AM - 7 lbs. 7.6 oz. - 19 1/2 " long!

More news later!

For my third and most likely final birth I really wanted a calm and beautiful delivery without chaos and without any kind of medication or intervention.   I looked into hypnobirthing even though a lot of it was a review of natural childbirth prep.  I didn't have to be convinced as to what I wanted out of my birth experience and I knew what to expect and how to take care of my body... but it was nice to know that what I had been doing all along was what I should be doing anyway.

The thing with hypnobirthing is that it's not a way to handle the pain it's a way of rethinking or retraining yourself about your thoughts on what childbirth should be like.  In hypnobirthing there is no "pain".  Actually pain is a pretty bad word in the hypnobirth world.   It's discomfort or pressure... but not pain.  I had a hard time with this... Another thing that had been my big issue with my last birth was the anxiety of the birth.  I was fearful of the pain... fearful that I didn't have the tools within myself to handle childbirth.
With this birth I had a class that I was taking and an exam the day after my due date.  I had delivered my first two children around 38 weeks...but was it so much to ask to be overdue... didn't it happen to everyone?!  I had a hunch though that this baby would come at 38 weeks just like Emma and Gabriel.

 After my 37 week and 6 day OB appointment I was starting to feel anxious.  I could feel my body sensing an urgency to get things done.  I made lists. Arrangements for the children.  Rearranged my silverware drawer.  Organized my pantry.  Did I pack my freaking bag for the hospital?  NO!  Wash baby clothes!  NO.  Why? Because I was in huge denial that the baby was coming.  
I go to my class that I'm taking with a bunch of other nurses and am having contractions while sitting there-- that were every 6 minutes give or take.  No big deal right?  Everyone in class was telling me I looked like crap and that I seemed really uncomfortable.  But again I blew them off and told them that the baby wasn't coming for another two weeks and to shut up already.  

My MD did tell me that day that I needed to pay attention to my contractions or I was going to deliver at home in my bathroom if I wasn't careful.  So I called work and let them know that I didn't think it was a good idea that I work that night because of the contractions.  They weren't busy and had coverage with other nurses so I didn't feel bad.  Since L&D wasn't busy and because a bunch of my friends were on I decided to go over and see the contractions on the monitor. (unofficially of course) They put me o

I had my 35 week 6 day appointment today.  Everything is still measuring perfectly and baby is still high. (although I can't imagine how it's going to feel when she drops!) I am currently 1 cm dilated, but apparently I was 1 cm 2 weeks ago, so that doesn't really mean anything. 

I can't believe we are in the final weeks already!  Time flies! We'll keep everyone posted on Mia's progress.

It's official...we are minivan owners!  This is our first big purchase as a family and it was pretty exciting!  Jennifer's first brand spankin' new car!  One feature that we are going to really use in the Navigation system.  If anyone knows us well you know we both have NO sense of direction and get lost on all our trips... so this will be a real tool we'll use all the time.  Yay!  We can officially bring Mia home from the hospital! 

Sidenote: Jennifer was contracting a lot after all the excitement and had to miss class and work.  But she saw the doctors and they think it was due to all the stress and both are doing fine. 

Update on the kids:

Gabriel had his 2 year check up today!  He weighs 34 lbs 6 oz (97 %) and he is 37 inches tall!  The doctor did hear a small murmur but she doesn't think it's anything to be concerned about by the location she heard it.  Gabe is a little man now!  His latest phrases he has been saying are : "Mom,  what are you doin?" "Good idea!", and "Hold on, I'll be right back!".  He's doing really well at preschool and hasn't punched or bitten anyone yet! Cross your fingers!  We are so proud of him.  Gabe likes to kiss my belly and say Hi to Mia. 

Emma is doing well in 2nd grade.  She's met lots of new friends and is very social.  Emma keeps busy with her homework and soccer.  She just started her afterschool activities and will have Chess club for the first time today.  This winter she'll try out basketball for the first time. Emma is already a big help around the house and with her little brother.  She can't wait to have a little sister to help take care of!

And for the little girl that's growing: Her formal name has been decided...Mary Eleanor Straub.  But we'll call her Mia for short. My belly is measuring on target and I have had normal weight gain.  We've been collecting little girl things and are getting ready for her arrival.  Due date is still Dec. 13.  Hopefully she can stay put until after my A&P final exam on the 12th.  (although that's not likely!) We are very excited to meet her!

YAY!  OUR BIG BOY IS 2 NOW!!! We're still working on his responding "two" when you ask him his age, usually he will say "Gabriel," so at least he knows who  he is.  Uncle Stephen is in town! and there are some other special guests coming for the weekend!

Our baby is getting bigger every day... Her kicks are much stronger now!  December is just around the corner!

We just returned from a tour of Schenectady and Syracuse, NY to attend (Great) Grandpa John Doolin's and (Great) Grandpa Anthony Straub's memorial services. They each lived a very long and full life, with plenty of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

It was great to see all of the Doolin and Straub clans, and we will upload more new pictures soon!

And Emma caught a huge pickerel, at least 18"!