23 September 2008 to 11 June 2009

My wonderful, courageous, charmer of a nephew, Kallan, completed his chemo this last week and returned home! We are just so in awe at his strength and ability and shouted a big, "woohoo!" for him once we knew he was able to go home.

His dad, my brother-in-law, Darren has been there with him every step of the way. He has stayed literally by his side these last 9 months and I bet they are just all so glad to be home all together. My sister has had to play runabout between Sydney and home trying to manage home, work and beautiful Shaylie. Shaylie has been a little bit of a star at the house in Sydney and I am sure the whole family will be missed. Life will be so sweet for them to be together and this whole experience has changed them (and all the extended family). I don't think you can go through something like this and it not change you. We are just so proud of our boy and I bet there are some lovely celebrations happening in the land of Aus right now... can you tell I am a little jealous....

I wrote on my last entry on Kal's blog the following,
"Only when nanny had her accident and you were first diagnosed have I ever felt such a strong pull to be with you all! I SOOOO wish we were there for some lovely 'welcome home, you kicked cancers butt' celebrations and more so to give you the biggest, fatest cuddle and kiss ever!! I so love, love, love you Kal, Shay, Karina and Darren!
Kathryn.xx."

I think this was my biggest fear when leaving Australia, was not being there for major events, whether good or bad but life goes on, no matter what side of the world you are on.

I just wanted to write a little something to the wonderful little family that has gone through so much from September 23rd - June 11th!!

Kallan.... I love you more than I can express, I am so, so proud of you. You have shown me how much one person can make such a difference not just in my life and everyone elses lives but in their own life too. Keep strong and always be that fun, sweet, spunky little man you are!

Shaylie.... you really are a delight. Nanny, Netty and Ronnie and everyone have loved having you around all the more when life was busy for Mummy and Daddy with Kallan. You are a star sweet girl!

Darren.... What a man you are! Karina, Kal and Shay are so blessed to have you. You have been an absolute champ with handling all you have. Breathe a huge sigh of relief and enjoy your own bed Dash!! I love you.

Karina.... I so, so love you. You have been pulled in every direction and what a stress for you. I could not imagine having to be away from Kal through much of this and I know it must have been the most difficult thing to go through. Your husband and children absolutely ADORE you. Hug them, hold them close and love them as they have never been loved before.

Aunty Netty and Uncle Ronnie

My sister Annette and my new brother-in-law Ronnie, came for a visit during their honeymoon and it was such a lovely visit. They were able unwind a little from being on the go and Annette and I were able to have some sister time too. This was the first time I had met Ronnie and he just fits in our family so well, he is really easy to get to know, a lot of fun and loves my sister to bits! It really was a great time. I really appreciated that they took time out from their honeymoon to come stay with us as I am sure there were a ton of things they could have used their time seeing but we were oh so grateful to see them and they were able to get a 'bubba fix' until they have a little one of their own.

They were great with Cade and Ethan and we commented on how easy it is to love your siblings children, instant attachment.

Here are some pics of them lovin' my Ethan.

Growing, Growing

My little Ethan is one growing boy! Today we had his 2 month appointment and he is 13lb 4oz and 24 inches long (80th percentile for both) and has a head circumference of 40.5cm (50th percentile). He is still my chubby bubby and I just love it. He still has a head of dark hair and I hope he keeps this as I love it. His Dr thinks he will be more olive toned too, lucky boy!

Ethan has started to really talk and jabber and smiles all the time. He really is a happy little man and we are so blessed to have such a happy baby join our family. He has shown some signs of favoring me this weekend and I just loved that! Cory would be holding him and if he could see me he would want me... nice once in a while but the novelty will wear off quick if it continues I think!! He has started to suck his fist this week particularly and he follows you with his eyes when you walk past him and really enjoys cuddles. He is such a lovely little boy.

Cade is still wonderful to him and ever so helpful. He really is a good big brother to Ethan and you can tell he loves him. I can't say I have really seen jealousy in him, just a frustration with having to share attention and this is always directed at us not Ethan thankfully. He has dealt with the change really well considering and I am just so glad to have both my boys!

Here are some pics
I love, love this photo!!

Sucking his new found fist

Tried to catch some smiles...

New Stroller...

I finally decided on and ordered a new stroller on Friday and it arrived yesterday and can I just say I LOVE IT!!

When my mum was here I took her shopping with me to get a second opinion on what I was steering toward (because Cory has no opinion on it and couldn't care less, just that I don't choose an awful color, which would never happen right!?)

I wanted something that was a double stroller, easy to steer, and folded easy. I really have been spoilt with my Instep as it is nice to steer and pushed easily on all terrain but it was huge and bulky and hard to put in the car. I was leaning toward a Peg Perego but wasn't completely sold with the 60/40 and the reviews I read were not bad at all, just cosmetic stuff like the cup holders and under storage - which is not really an issue for me or what I was wanting my stroller for. I then looked at a few others that were somewhat out of my price range but wasn't sold on any of them either, so to make an even longer story short.... I decided on a 2009 Valco Latitude Twin and it is fantastic! I have only had it for 2 days but it sure fits the bill! It weighs more than I ideally wanted (30lb as opposed to 20lb) but it folds completely in half and it's wheels are no bigger than the stroller itself. It fits perfectly through doorways and when I was out shopping today there were displays of clearance items narrowing the walkway and it made it through that obsticle course no worries! I took the boys for a walk yesterday after it arrived and they loved it. Cade was "woohoo" ing the whole time and Ethan was perfectly quiet and content sleeping away. We are sold!! What is even more pleasing is this was my fav stroller but somewhat out of my price range, but I got a great deal on it, so I can't complain.
Here she is in all her beauty!!

6 Weeks.... and 2 1/2 years old

I seem to want to start every sentence about my growing baby with "Can you believe Ethan is this old?"...Wow time sure flys when you're having fun I tell ya!!

This little chunky monkey was 11lb 3oz at his month weigh in. He has put on a pound a week for the last 2 weeks and his little cheeks and thighs show the signs of a healthy boy. He is still such a placid and happy boy. This week however has seen him cry the most he has in his whole little life. He was really fussy for a couple of hours on Wednesday evening and would scare himself, freak out and choke, it was a little scary but we figured it was because he had pains in his little tummy and had that fearful falling feeling because as long as I had a hand on him he was fine. It was strange and totally out of character as he loves to kick about free of blankets etc. He ended up sleeping right through to his 4am feeding though so I am not complaining!! He seems to be doing better at longer stretches between feeds and I am loving even the extra hour of sleep between feeds. I don't find it hard to get up to him to nurse, just that last feeding at around 4ish kicks my butt.

Ethan really is a delight though and is a total daddy's boy... here I thought I had him a mummy's boy but not so. He will snuggle with Cory in the most awkward looking positions and just loves it, settles for daddy so easily and daddy is the King at getting him to sleep without even trying.

Ethan has found a new friend in the swing. He talks to it, complains when the music stops and just stares lovingly at the fish and whale that hang from it. I have found this swing to be my friend also as it frees me to get some much needed washing or cooking done and also allows for some mummy/Cade one-on-one time. As I type he is sound asleep in it. So cute!!

Cade is doing wonderfully with him. He always asks where he is if he is no longer in the last place he saw him, it is cute.

Cade, who is 2 and a half today!!...has pink eye (conjunctivitis for you Aussies) and has a cold with it too. He looks like he has been beaten in his left eye, poor little man. He is such a trooper though, I would be miserable with it if it was me but he plays happily all day and is in and out on the deck. Between wiping eyes and nose this little guy has been a delight this week. He is a new acquainted friend that I thought was long lost. He is minding and loving toward me again and it is a blessing to have this back. I think he just really needed some time to adjust to life... as we all did. I have done a few things a little differently too and because I am healed and feeling well, I am able to be more physical and fun with him which has helped. On Wednesday we had the funnest time dancing to music. I always did this with my nieces and nephews when I was living at home and it just brought back those memories too - it is by far the best work out in my opinion!!

Here are some photos of my ever growing little men!!

World of The Pacifier

The world of the pacifier (for Cade) has come to an end.

It has been 3 weeks and counting without this little mite!! Cade did great. He was ready. We had tried a few times and he would somehow miraculously find an 'intact' paci and we would tell him when he busted that one, there would be no more.

The week we had Ethan my mother-in-law was tending Cade (WHAT A BLESSING!!) and he busted his last one and she didn't want him to be without that and mummy so she bought him some new ones and within a week of me being home he busted ALL 4 of them and didn't want anything to do with them, so there they sat, on his bookshelf, looking perfectly new with a teeny tiny hole in the teet. He has had no interest whatsoever so we are paci free. He did awesome in my opinion. We haven't lost sleep over them (any of us, including Cade) and we still have a great nap time each day, I am praying that does not go away until Cade is in school!! Wishful thinking I know!!

To pay the paci some respect as he was more so a friend to me than Cade I am thinking... I will show him off in all his loveliness!!

Ethan's Blessing

On Sunday April 19th we blessed our beautiful Ethan.

We wanted to have the blessing before my mum went home so she could experience for the first time one of her grandbabies blessings. It was lovely. My in-laws came and Alisa and Jesse came too. Jesse just received the Priesthood so what a blessing to have him in the circle to bless Ethan.

Cory, Chad (my father-in-law), Jesse and Nolan (a good friend of ours), along with a member of our Bishopric participated in the blessing. I am so thankful for a wonderful, worthy husband to bless our children and the blessings and promises given were just so special and specific.

Today

...a month ago, Ethan was born (see previous post)... but also today, my mum went home to the land of Aus. I HATE saying goodbyes, not knowing when I will get to see her again here or there.

My mum was so wonderful to be here, she arrived the day I got home from the hospital and it has been such a blessing to have her here. Ethan loved her, he would save his talks especially for Nanny and even dished the most beautiful smiles her way. Cade too has loved it. This last week to 10 days he has been really good, it seems to take him forever to warm up to people but when he does he can be a really sweetie.

I am dreading the reality of her not being here this next week particularly as Cory is SUPER busy but such is life.

THANK YOU MUMMY BEAR for being here. I SO, SO loved it and SO, SO, SO appreciate you! I love you.

Now for some Nanny pics.

One Month

Ethan is one month old today. Time is just flying by and it makes me a little sad that's for sure.

Ethan is the most wonderful baby. He just loves Cade and SOOO loved my mum. The attention given by both of them toward him is definitely appreciated by Mr Ethan.

I am meant to take him for his monthly weigh in tomorrow so I will post back the details of that but I am thinking he is pretty close to 10lbs as he is a chunker. He has chubbed up around the thighs and particularly in the face.

Ethan has been smiling, real smiles too. He seems ticklish on the sides of his belly and loves to freely kick about. He is a noisy little one. That first week he was almost silent and I would have to check on him as he was SO quiet... not anymore! He grunts and wheezes in his sleep and talks and jabbers away when kicking about.

Both of my boys as newborns, look at you with what I call 'wise eyes' like they have known you forever and have something to tell you while they study you and I so love this about them both. Cade was far more expressive in his facial expressions and would scowl or furrow his brow like a bright light was on and even in his sleep, Ethan is far more relaxed it seems. He sleeps really well, still feeding about every 3-4 hours but doesn't fuss about with it so that is nice. He isn't really losing the darkness in his hair or much hair at all for that matter. I love that he is dark, definitely a genetic throwback with that but we gladly take it!! I love the feel of his hair when I brush my cheek against it and the smell... oh how I LOVE that baby smell.

Boys I swear grow so much faster (probably because that is all I have had)! Ethan is so strong in his head and neck and looks about. I love that!

He still very rarely cries except when naked or hungry. I hope this happy little boy always is so lovely and happy, I will for sure be trying my hardest to keep it that way!!

Happys....

Not only is it a Happy Easter Sunday today but it is also our Happy Anniversary!

Cory and I have been married 6 years today. It's kind of funny thinking of my life before Cory. Often I go to say, "remember such and such" expecting that he was in my life back in the day but that was not the case...
I love my life with such a wonderful and caring husband. He is so good to me and for me. He levels me and calms me as no one else can. He is caring and kind and such a fantastic father. What a blessing.

We didn't celebrate our anniversary as such as yet. We had plans to but were too tired to go out last night so we will take up that date night sometime this week I am thinking.

Here's to 6 of the happiest years and many, many more to follow. I love you babe!

Here are a couple pics of the growing us...