Vacations

I have been tagged by one of my friends, Missy, to do the following blog. I was supposed to go to my 4th picture folder and choose the 4th picture and describe it for you all. Well, this was the one in that place.

I took the, "View Alcatraz," photo when Andy and I went to California, which happened to be a great vacation for Andy and I. This is a picture in San Francisco right next to Alcatraz. We also went and saw the Redwoods in Northern California and then spent a day in San Francisco. We took this trip with our great friends Bill and Mary Campbell.

So since I LOVE vacations, I thought I would talk a little about the importance of them. Not only will they give you fond memories, but it is a wonderful chance to relax and spend qualitiy time with your family. When I was little my parents must have thought the same thing because we took a vacation every year. I have some of the best memories from those vacations. The nice thing about them were they did not have to be extravagant, just a small trip to get away from the house. We went to a varitey of different places including: Lake Okoboji, South Dakota, Branson, Missouri, Denver, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Minnesota, Chicago, Omaha...and more. Anyway the best part was the memories we made as a family. Andy and I are planning on taking a 'Vaca' every year and I am sure Henry will have the same great memories as I did as a child... ;) HA (let's hope).

To wrap up my vacation expose I thought I would put up some pictures of fun vacations and I will explain a little about each of them. Enjoy!!


This first picture not only shows off our dancing skills and great hair cuts, but it shows my cute parents and how much fun we had when we went to South Carolina.

This is also from South Carolina, and it just proves that we were having 100% fun~! Best face: Joe-G and his braces! And I am pretty sure if I made that face right now there would be a few extra rolls present!

This again is South Carolina, (one of the best vaca's)! Actually this picture may be very familiar to some...and you are probably thinking, "Where have I seen that house?" Well, it was the house from: THE NOTEBOOK. Yes, we took a tour! (Even Joe and Andy, they didn't share the enthusiasm as Mom, Mish, and I). Our friend from SC took us around to all of the different locations where the movie took place, all in beautiful South Carolina! It was kinda cool!

This was from the Redwood Forest, something EVERYONE should go and see. Since it is part of, 'This land was made for you and me!' It is Babe and his Blue Ox!

Now, that you know a little about my vacations...take a moment to do some looking back at vacations you have taken or live vicariously through mine!

The Sweetest Thing

Thought I would update the blog with 2 sweet pictures of my sweet little boy..

Not much new here.

Just wanted to give some kudos:::

First off,

Kudos to all the MOM's out there....

And Kudos to all the MOM's who breast fed there babies...Because AAGGH it might be one of the hardest things, and no one tells you that ahead of time.. Instead of Delivery classes they need to give courses on HOW TO BREAST FEED and not go Crazy...

That is all for now, maybe you can guess what my time is being taken up with......

My 2 boys

Henry is taking a nap, so I thought I would update our blog.

Small update:

Things are going good, breast feeding is getting a lot better. Nights are a little rough, especially when you are expecting to sleep but for the most part things are good. :)

Henry weighs 8 pounds 11 ounces. He loves to eat........

Basically we are getting used to moving our life around a child.

Andy stated to me while we were driving the other dayt that he actually feels like an ADULT now.. Like before he wasn't one.

But now we have a life in our hands and that has changed everything!!!

My friend sent me a card that said becoming a parent is a constant holding on and letting go.. You hold on when they need you and let go when they are becoming more independent.

I thought this was a great quote for me to take each day as a present, a gift from God...

To hold on to those cute little fingers while they still cling to me. And just to soak up this time that Henry is still a Newborn...

He almost does not fit in the newborn diapers anymore and he is only going to be a newborn once..

SO, to all who read.. Slow down and savor the time you have with your loved ones whether that is kids, grandparents, parents,spouse, siblings... Time goes by so quick...

Enjoy your day...

Henry Hanson Reed

Happy Birthday Henry Hanson Reed

Born: June 6th, 2009

Weight: 7 pounds 14 ounces

Height: 20 inches

Time of Birth: 6:37 pm

Well, I am now a mother.. To the cutest baby in the whole world...

Henry's Birth story:

I went to the doctor on June 5th, and was checked. I was dilated at 2 cm, at this point. My doctor told me again that due to the full moon he believed that I would deliver in the next hours or days.

So, freaking out we called my mom and told her to buy a ticket.

She bought a ticket that day and was planning on arriving on Saturday June 6th around 4:30pm.

So, I went home, at a good dinner, had a vanilla shake and was quite nervous...

On Saturday at 5am, I wake up feeling like I am leaking.. And yes, my water had broke..

I woke Andy up and went to the bathroom, and then called my mother to tell her what was going on.

Our doctor told us to come to the hospital around 8am. So I took a shower, shaved and laid down for awhile.

And then around 8am, we went off to the hospital.. I was having very light contractions at this point..

We arrive at the hospital, and of course they say there are absolutely no rooms in the labor and delivery area.. So freaking out and on the verge of tears.. And not wanting to hear SPANISH....We were sent to the surgery area, where they had open rooms..

This is where the fun starts. I was transferred to this room and got in Bed #1 of the day.

I knew ahead of time, this was going to be hard due to it being Spanish and my first child. But I was trusting God and knew he would be with me.. But saying this, I was feeling quite overwhelmed. Thank God ANDY was with me....

We had some friends who were living here who I wanted to see.. But being in this room, we could not have visitors. So I asked to be moved where we could get visitors. Also my mom being in route .......... And She was going to be in the room with me!!!!!

So, I was then transfered to another open room in like the ICU. I had no idea, but it was bed #3.

My contractions were now getting stronger due to the start of PITOCIN, and I was checked and still at 2cm.

So, our american friends we work with came and visited and this was so nice for me..

Next, I hear that there is a room now avaliable in Labor and Delivery and so I was transfered again.. Bed #5.. It goes up by 2 each time, because they put me in a transfer bed to go to each room...

It is now around 3pm, and my doctor who has checked my cervix for around the 5th time today, says I am still at 2cm.. So I had by this time been walking up and down the hall for around 2 hours and been feeling the contractions only in my lower back and quite intense. I begged him to let me walk for another hour. He was wanting my cervix to dilate at least to 4, or he would recommend a c-section due to my water breaking quite a long time ago...So off I went to hardcore walk the halls.

Which, was funny, because oldies were playing the whole time..Like Sweet Caroline... Kind of Funny..

I was checked again an hour later, and nothing..He stated I was at like 2.5cm.. So he wanted me to try an epidural, and see if it relaxed me at all.. And of course NO....So I was placed in the #8 bed of the day to have my sweet little boy..

The c-section went great,, I felt nothing.. And then all of the sudden Henry came out. Andy was there the whole time. He was awesome... Then I hear Henry cry and Andy yell,, Oh My Gosh.. He is so BIG and he looks PERFECT....

I got to see him like what seemed 10 minutes later, and he did look so perfect.

Then I was taken to the recovery room, BED #10. Andy was wisked away with HENRY.. At this point my mom had been picked up, by our friends and was at the hospital...Thank the LORD..

This was a miracle, because I had been praying for so long that she would be there and God heard my prayer...

In the recovery room, it was sort of rough, i was shaking horribly from the anesthesia, and vomiting..And i was in a weird mood, I kept checking my own pulse. Thinking that the nurse was doing a crappy job. And I kept telling Andy I thought I was going to die.. Yeah..kind of funny now, but not funny then...

BED#11 back in my room,, shaking continuing and vomiting continuing, I was so thankful to see my mom who works with Anesthesia situations every day.. She was very comforting and made me feel like I was not going to die...

Fast forward like 2 hours and I am feeling lots better.. Andy and I got to see little Henry and then he was taken to the Nursery for the night..

Now fast forward 8 days,, and we are to the present..

I have learned what it means to worry for your children, and how much more it means to love someone so much..

I have learned Henry is about the cutest thing, he loves to eat... He likes his hands by his face, he has the cutest brown hair on his head. He is a good sleeper. He loves when I sing to him..

I also have learned that SINGLE Parents have much more strength than I can imagine.

I am so thankful that my mom has been here..And Breast feeding is hard.... Especially since my milk came in around day 6.....

But mostly,, I am so thankful to the Lord for his blessing of Henry in our lives.. He is amazing and I feel so honored to be his Momma.

Reserved for Expecting Mothers

This might be my last post for awhile. Things are getting close...

I am officially 39 weeks and counting down the days until Henry is here.

I should probably be doing 100 other things on the list, but instead I decided to update the blog....

I went to the doctor last week and he said that I was 1 centimeter dilated and that his head is completely down and engaged. My doctor believes that I will deliver on June 7th due to it being a FULL MOON on that day. That is next Sunday....

It is a little weird to go buy what the moon is doing, but seriously when I worked at the hospital, the crazies came out on the days there was a full moon.. Andy stated that it is the Earth's gravational pull on my body..HAHA

He has also stated that my stomach is now turning Opaque.. As in see through..YUCK.. You can clearly see my tan colored pants, which are not even that tan, are quite tanner than my belly.

I feeling good, feeling a little apprehensive, because I am going to be having a baby in MEXICO, and we are still not sure when my mom should buy a ticket. The doctor can say I will have the baby in a week, but he might be wrong, it still might be 2 weeks or something like that.. So, I am trusting.

Today in church the pastor talked about the difference between TRUST and BELIEF.. He stated that many people BELIEVE in GOD.. But NOT many people TRUST him with things in their life..

So, once again I am TRUSTING that God is going to take care of the whole thing.

That the cord that is wrapped around his neck is going to not be an issue... I am TRUSTING that all goes well.. And that soon enough a Healthy, little boy is going to be in my arms.

So for all who read, Trust God with me, that all will be well and there will be no issues.

I can't wait to post a picture of our new baby boy. Just remember it might not be for awhile.

Leg Cramps

I thought I would put a little photo of Henry's room. Due to the fact he is gettting so close.

I am 37 weeks now. Feeling good, but also feeling large. I also pretty much hate all my pregnant clothes and having been wearing Andy's clothes a lot lately. I think I am just sick of them completely.

It is getting harder to move around easy. I also am having stupid leg cramps every night.................. Which I hate.

But all is well. Less than 21 days till Henry comes to see us.

It is fun for Andy and I to talk about what he is going to look like and what his personality is going to be.. YEAH, we can't wait..

Talk to you later

Chelsea

my sweet husband

It has been 4 years now that Andy and I have officially been married. And I have known him for 10 years now. How blessed I am.

Time has flown by... Really it has.

So I thought I would share the 4 things I have learned being married to wonderful Andy.

1. He is the better part of our marriage, I feel as though he married a some what crazy person, but he continually is the kindest and most loving man I know. He is always careful of my feelings and he has his priorities set straight. His parents taught him well.

2. He loves me when it is difficult, and he prays for our marriage. He is all the best things I can think of.

3. He loves his Chicago Cubs and his Iowa Hawkeyes, he is pretty awesome at any sport he tries.

Which I like, it makes him manly. I can still beat him at bowling..HA

4.He is smart, he likes to sleep in, he enjoys taking showers, very much a germ-a-phob. He would like to open a chocolate shop one day. And i think it should be called EYE CANDY ANDY'S CHOCOLATES....

What can I say, I am blessed and can't wait to see what the next 4 years holds....

Song of Soloman 3:4 I have found the one my heart loves.......

Be Prepared

This is a picture of my stomach...

Please understand I do live in Mexico but I have not been tanning my stomach. OBVIOUSLY..
I understand if you yourself have a weak stomach and can't bear to look any further.
But those who are not weak,read on.
If I had to give it a name like I am naming a color on a crayon or something..I would say.. Dead of Winter White...HA

Anyway, my point of this random Pregnancy blog is to show you my belly button.
Little known fact..I had a umbilical hernia when I was a baby it is visible on some of my baby pictures, during that time my mom taped it down with a quarter and it slowly went away...

Well I have now come full circle. My belly button is now slowly turning out again like a small hernia again. At least that is what my doctor said.. But my personal opinion is that is sort of looks like the eye from the LEMONY SNICKET series of books, just use your imagination. And maybe add in the color Dead of Winter White.. That might help..Ha

Lastly, I drew a little picture to help you see that it really does look like an eye .. Here you go.. Enjoy

The Vow

I will be honest church is sometimes hard for us here in Mexico. I don't want to be complainy, but it is hard when you want your cup filled back up and instead you spend the whole time trying your best to understand what is being spoken to you.. That is our lives right now, in the same hand, we do really enjoy our church, it is a newer church with lots of people our age. I work in the nursery every couple of weeks. I have made friends....

But in trying our best to understand we loose out sometimes on just being filled, or just enjoying the sermon that you can 100% understand.

So Andy and I have started to watch a sermon or listen to a sermon online, once a week. We know of some good pastors we like. So all in all being a missionary today with the whole world of communication and technology at your fingerprints is NICE..... In more than one way.

What I have been wanting to say, is that we have been listening to the sermon series from http://www.lifechurch.tv/ right now called THE VOW.

It is about marriage and how to have a godly marriage. We really like it and recommend other couples and singles to check it out.

Last night it was about making the vow to keep on pursuing your spouse.

It challenged me personally to do and say those nice little things that come into my head that I never say or do.

Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there.

Who is ready for an Update

The students at Engage threw me a surprise Baby shower for little Henry. We had lots of fun and it made me more and more excited to see him. I also put up some 34 week pics, and i really think the model pose at the end is great. Don't you? Ha..

Henry Update: He has flipped and his head is down right where it is supposed to be. I think it is due to all my crawling around the house. HA! He also is moving like he is riding a wave, it is quite visible if you watch my stomach.

We also tried for another 3-D ultrasound this past week but all you could see was his male genitals. Which was sort of a bummer. I think I am just getting impatient and want to see him now. Only have to wait around 6 more weeks.

Chelsea Update: I have been feeling a little on the whale side. Having a little difficulty sleeping due to my 2 sides I can now sleep on. I have had no cravings my whole pregnancy besides my one time moment at the beginning for McDonalds. But NOW i crave Bacon just about every day. I could and have eaten like 6-8 strips in a sitting. And I am so HOT... Like sweating hot, all the time. 24/7. I have told Andy the next baby needs to be born in the winter. So I am not so hot. I also have finished 1 bottle of prenatal vitamins which contained 200 pills, so feeling like I am getting quite close. I also put up some window visors in our car the other day and it was the first time I felt like I was really going to be a mother. I know that is odd, you would think the large belly and nursery would do it or a million other things. But no, the window visor things did it for me. Other than that all is good, no stretch marks still.. Knock on wood..

Andy Update: He is doing well, he is getting so excited to have a little man hanging around the house. He always talks about what he wants to do with Henry, and it makes my heart smile. I am not quite sure he is quite ready for the whole birthing experience, but he will be. He is still singing Henry his little songs. And I am just excited to see him be a Daddy. I think he is going to be the best.

Prayer Requests: That all would go well with the delivery and birth and that my mom would be able to get here to see Henry be born.

Also for health and protection to surround us here in Guadalajara.

Lastly a Swine Flu update for all who care: Schools here in Mexico have been cancelled untill May 6th. We have cancelled our ministries this week with the students. We are kind of laying low for now and watching daily to see what is going on. Andy and I have had time to catch up on a lot of stuff we have needed to do here at home. Also it has been good because I am getting a lot ready for Henry. Also as of Tuesday there have been no cases of Swine flu here in the state I live in, which is Jalisco.

Well that is all for now.

Talk to u later.

Happy Easter

Well, I just wanted to show you pictures of our annual Easter Egg contest. See if you can figure out the ones Andy did... I will give you a hint. ( Iowa Hawkeye, Cubs, American Flag and the R which stands for Reed.. )He is a pretty simple guy.. If yoy look close you can see my self portrait the pregnant lady on the egg. Andy called it the Cavewoman who is pregnant due to my drawing skills....HA!

We are going to have a great Easter tommorow and I will be making a Ham for the first time. We will see how that goes.

Lastly these are some prego pictures at 31 weeks..

That is all for now,

Enjoy your Easter. Jesus has risen and it represents Hope for all.

Talk to you later

Pregnancy

It is now time for me to update my blog.

My parents, sister and brother came down for a vacation to Puerto Vallarta a couple of weeks ago and we had a blast, right when they left, I turned around and flew to Iowa for 10 days and two baby showers. I will someday put up those fun pictures.

So, life has been a little busy to say the least, but a good busy.

I am now 31 weeks pregnant, feeling great. Except I have been having random leg cramps or charlie horses that wake me up in the night.. They are pretty much horrible. But that is a pretty easy thing to deal with.

I went to the doctor yesterday and we just found out that Henry is in the transverse position. I put a picture up above of what that looks like.

Which is a fancy way of saying he is sideways. Which might be why I don't feel like I am carrying high or low, I am carrying MIDDLE.. His little head is on my right side and his bottom curves around to the left.. He is little trickster!

Which is not well for delivery,,,,,, so my doctor has given me some exercises to preform to try to make Henry move?>>?>? They are like crawling around the house and rocking back and forth on my knees...

If he does not move then I was told I would have to have a C-Section.

You would think all this info would bother me, but actually I feel Peace. God is taking care of Henry and has a purpose and plan. I Know that it will all be OKAY....

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Lastly I thought I would write the website of the hospital where we are going to have Baby Henry....

Many people asked me if I was going to deliver here in Mexico or what I was going to be doing..

So let me explain, Henry's due date is June 12th.

We are planning to have Henry here in Guadalajara. I would NEVER do this if I did not feel confident and at peace with the doctor or the hospital. YES, it is still going to be different than Iowa. But people have babies here Everyday. And through this all I have learned to trust God more. And I do...

So if you feel the need, check out this website:

1. http://www.hrsj.com.mx/

2. go to ( entrar) which means enter

3. go to (para visitantes) which means for visitors

4. go to (recorrido virtual) which means virtual tour

5. go to ( cunero) which means nursery

6. go to (quirfanos) which means surgery area

7. go to (sala presidencial) which means presidential room. This is one we can stay in when having the baby.

Feel free to browse around. It is a very nice hospital and many babies are born there..

Also please pray that all goes well with the baby, that if he is to turn, he turns. And if not that all would go well.

Thanks so much.

Small Update

It has been a while.. But I just have not been in the mood to blog.

Thought I would just update:

We have been super busy down here in Guadalajara, and it has been good. 

The youth center is going great we have about 20 youth who come and hang out every Tuesday and Friday.. Many have horrible family backgrounds. But God is moving in their lives.

Andy and I visited Puerto Vallarta a couple of weeks ago to help with a medical missions trip. It was an awesome experience. We translated for doctors, nurses, eye doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. OR at least we tried. Many people came to the clinic who had no other health care choice... It was very eye opening, and it stretched our spanish in many ways.

I will post pictures soon.

Well, my family is coming in tomorrow for a small vacation and we can't wait.. Fun times with family are the best.

Talk to you soon, and i promise it will be a more colorful post.

Chao for now

Chelsea

Valentines, Birthday, Plus.....

Starting with the pictures on the bottom....

We had a great Valentine's Day. I found a can of pillsbury cinnamon rolls at a store. Something they do not sell here. So I bought a can for a special surprise on Valentine's Morning. All for Andy,, who was clearly not awake. But he procedeed to eat his cinnamon roll in his sleep, I took this picture which is so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next came my b-day. Some of the other missionaries here surprised me with a massage at the spa. So that is us and me in my rockin robe.. Getting ready for a prenatal massage.... Yeah.

That is a picture of the beautiful ice cream cake that Andy surprised me with. He also surprised me with a surprise party.. It was a wonderful birthday.

The first pictures are of baby Henry at 24 weeks he is kicking lots and doing well...

Anyway this is all from our week full of love.........

I will end it with a beautiful quote:

Duty can pack an adequate sack lunch, but love may decide to enclose a little love note inside.....

Obligation sends the children to bed on time, but love tucks the covers in around their necks and passes out kisses and hugs (even to teenagers!)........ Duty gets offended quickly if it isn't appreciated, but love learns to laugh a lot and to work for the sheer joy of doing it. Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often, love adds a little chocolate.

Baby update

Just wanted to say that Henry is doing well.
He is 24 weeks now..
Kicking lots in the morning.

I feel like I have been worried about him, that all is well inside and nothing is wrong.
The doctor says all is well, I still have been feeling anxious though..

Today I found this verse in the Bible, and it has given me lots of comfort..

Isaiah 46:3

I created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.........

Just thought I would share.

LOVE

I read about this little girl on a friend's blog, a couple of weeks ago and it has just touched my heart so much. Her name was Tuesday and she died on January 30th of a neuroblastoma... Which breaks my heart.

Anyway, I have been reading her blogs and they are so inspiring. Nothing but LOVE ooozes from their family, at such a horrible time.......

And I feel really that it has made me love my baby who only is inside of me right now,,so much more. Love you lots little HENRY.

I just wanted you all to meet Tuesday and maybe she will remind all of you how precious life is and how we should all try to be more about LOVE and less about other things... Also lift up a prayer for Tuesday's family, becuase I can only imagine what they are going through right now.

Raspberry Shortcake

Just wanted to post a few pictures.

Last week we had the super bowl over here at our house with all the Engage Students. I made some mean chilli and cornbread and we watched the Cardinals die..........

The week before we headed for a group meeting in a city about 45 minutes from here. It is called Chapala. They have a huge colony of Americans and Canadians who are all retired and live there. Sort of weird??? But anyway, they also have a huge amount of raspberries they grow. So we bought about 20 lbs of raspberries for 30 U.S. dollars.. Pretty darn cheap..........

We are about to open the Youth Center this week. Tuesday is the grand opening. I will post pictures of it soon..

Everything else has been good. The weather is great, and they opened a Krispy Kreme about 20 minutes from our house...

Have a great day..

Irrational Fears

I decided to sit down and write one of my irrational fears..... No, it is not YOGURT.

I need to explain a little bit first....

I live in a gated community or as the refer to here...Coto...

It is very safe, few people other than residents are allowed to come into this neighborhood. This is just where we are renting this house for now.. I really like it, it has a little park for children and outside of the Coto is a huge public park..REALLY nice..

So, saying all that, I need to explain that many residents here buy YOGURT from this really nice lady who sells YOGURT from the back of here really nice SUV.

She came up to my house like 3 months ago asking if I would like some of her homemade YOGURT. I happen to love YOGURT so I thought I would give it a try..Foolishly thinking that it would be similar to my all time favorite YOGURT Anderson and Erickson........

Well, it is not similar.. It is not even good at all..I know big surprise since she sells it out of her trunk...........It is well packaged and put in coolers with tons of Ice packs, and it is cheap.. I must add..

Anyway,,now here is the part of my irrational fear.

She told me she comes once a month, well that was a lie..I find myself buying this sick YOGURT every 2 weeks..I not only buy one pint of this stuff,,,I add in another just because I can't say NO..................................................

So,,I now have a paranoia that she is coming to the house on certain days and I keep the curtains closed. One time, she came and I did not even answer the door..I am such a wussy.
The last time she came, Andy was here Thank God, and told her we did not want any YOGURT..

But Believe ME,, SHE WILL BE BACK...

I have had dreams of this lady, my dream is that Andy tells her we HATE the YOGURT and that she cries and goes away...

It is Psycho.......

I do know that really I should be honest and just tell her that I don't want any YOGURT, but I don't know..I really don't like hurting people's feelings and I for whatever reason think that I would..

Anyway, just thought I would give you all a glimpse in my crazy mind..

P.S. She owns this really nice white SUV, and I have looked for it about 10 times today..AGGGGGGGGGGGGGH