My Peanut

Well today is Sydney's 8 month Birthday! She is my little peanut!

Here are 8 cute little facts about my cute little sweetie pie!

1. She is a "peanut" she has slowed down on the growth scale and so we are trying to nurse more and feeding her lots of fatty foods. Don't you wish someone would tell you to go eat some "fatty foods". I already know where I would go this minute and eat .:)

2. Sydney is taking 2 naps a day, she lays down quite easy. But, I am still putting her in the stinkin swaddle thing................................ I hate the stupid thing, it drives me crazy. She usually has her left arm out in the morning. No comment.... I know i need to axe it.. But she sleeps well and I am nervous. If i were a dog i would be one of those little tiny ones that shake.. I would be the nervous butt shakin dog...:)

3. She can wave "bye-bye". And it is super cute and princess like.

4. Sydney kind of has a growly noise she makes a lot.

5. She loves her brother Henry and watches his every mood. She is starting to not like when he

steals her toys though..

6. Sydney's best friend is her Mommacita. She likes to do all things with me and has been having quite a hard time being away. It is weird seeing that i have been her real only source of food for 240 days. "wink wink".

7. Sydney burps every time she gets up from a nap. She is quite girly.

8. Sydney has tiny little girl feet, they are slender and cute and pretty much the toes are always painted. That is thanks to her Aunt Melissa.

She is pretty much perfect!! and I am so thankful for her each and every day.

Missions Monday

Well Andy came back from his week long stent in England.

We can all say that we are thankful for daddy's return!!!!

And thankful for sisters!

Andy traveled to Bristol, England. Which is in the South West of England. He then stayed with Pastor in Portishead, England which is 10 minutes from Bristol. The last couple of days he stayed in Cardiff, Wales, which is only a hop, skip and a jump from Bristol.

Andy met with Pastors that we are going to be working with while in England, and just wanted to check things out and do some planning with the missionaries and pastors we will be working with. I wanted to post some pictures so you can see a little glimpse into our future.

Some random things we found out: 1. They do not have Kraft Mac and Cheese.. So, we are going to have to either bring a lot with or start making home made.

2. Andy took the Pastors family some presents like candy and a football (american), stuff like that from the USA that they don't have. One of the young children really liked the Peanut butter M&M's that Andy brought, and he came up to him and said: "Andee, These are Gorgeous!"... I just thought that was super cute, and also made me think that my speech is pretty lame!

3. Andy ate some BANGERS and MASH, for those who don't know what that is, it is Sausages and mashed potatoes. He said it was good. He said that drink lots of tea, and eat lots of beans. Not quite sure how I feel about this yet, I am more of a coffee and Mexican food kind of gal. But, i have yet to try the cuisine.

Well that is all for now, now enjoy the pictures:

This is the pastor's house in Portishead.
This is John Wesley's pulpit from the church that he preached at over 10,000 sermons.
This is the Marina in Portishead. Look at the green grass and it is Winter!

This is a castle called Caerphilly in Wales. How cool is that!!!!

Missions Monday

I am just chalk full of posts lately :)

I have thought of a new thing to do like once a month and I a

m calling it "Missions Monday".

Andy and I have been missionaries now for 6 years a

nd we just have a ton information on how to do missions and friends who do missions. So, being that I am leaving soon and want to keep people up to date with what we are doing with their hard earned money. I thought I would post on

here to show everyone bits of my world.

Not every month is going to be about us, but maybe others that we know who are doing great things for the Lord. So since this is the first one, I will post on us!

We will be leaving in the spring time for Bristol, England. We don't have a planned date yet.

Andy will be pastoring a church once we hit the ground and we will also be working with college students in the Engage Program. Check it out here: http://www.engagemylife.com

We really hope to impact Britain with the love of Jesus Christ by doing many different ministries. I will update you more on this as we get over there and figure things out.

Anyway, i would ask that you pray for my kids. If it were just Andy and I, it would not be that big of deal. But I really worry about my kids, will they be fine. Will they know their grandparents well. I really don't want them to miss out on knowing their family. That is my prayer request. I read a quote that said that 98% of missionary kids responded saying that if they got to choose how to live their lives all over again, that they would choose to be a missionary kid every time. This is comforting to me as a mom, and my prayer that they would know their parents chose to listen and follow God for their lives, even when it is hard. Even when they did not want to move again. We know God has great plans for us!

That is all for now.

The differences between a mother of ONE and a mother of TWO

Okay, I found this email in my archived emails about napping and sleeping issues that I was having with Henry.

I thought that this needed to be my post of the day. It is quite funny!

I wrote this "sleep consultant" and actually paid her money because i think Andy and i were desperate for help with all of our concerns with Henry's sleep.

It is crazy because I wrote this almost exactly 2 years ago to the day. So Henry and Sydney were at the exact same age.

And it just goes to show you that first time mom's, are yes indeed a little crazy.

I will say Sydney has been a dream sleeper, but then I wonder if the actual problem was ME, because, she does wake up every now and then. But, I am a little slower responding or I am just too tired!

Anyway, I hope you get a kick out of the email, i sure did.

I also feel sorry for "Deb the sleep consultant". In her email responses she should have just written, let him cry it out, you big baby!!!!

:)

Hi Deb,

My name is Chelsea Reed. I am interested in the day's worth of email responses towards my sleep questions regarding my 7.5 month old son Henry.

Let me know when this works for you to email me back the responses.

Information about my son:

Henry is 7.5 months old almost 8 months

His usually wake time is 7 am, today it was a little off, he got up at 6:15 though

I am trying to do 2 naps a day, sometimes we still do 3 if they are not long.

His nap schedule feels to me to be different daily, sometimes they are 2 hours long, and sometimes 45 minutes. Most of the time they are an hour long, with the morning nap at 9 am, being the longest.

I have been keeping his bedtime strict, it is between 6-8pm. He is always asleep around 8 pm.

The nightfeedings and nightwakings are also just dependent on the day. Lately for the last week, he has slept 3 times through the night until he wakes in the morning. But then other nights he will wake up around 1am, and yet still other nights he will wake at 3 am and act starving. So, sometimes I go in and Nurse him and then after nursing we give him a bottle of like 6 ounces to fill him up. This lasts for about 20 minutes if I go and feed, also I feel as though his diaper needs changed by this time in the night as well, so we change it, only if he gets up.

Henry does not snore.

My current problems, are that during the day time we are trying to get him to eat every 4 hours starting with his wake up, and trying to get him to eat the 24-30 recommended ounces of formula during the day. The issue, is that it is like pulling tooth, but since we have been doing it, I do believe that it has been helping. But like I said, we have to hold him down, to get him to drink the formula. This feels odd, like I should not be forcing it. He usually doe eat like 5 to 6 to 7 ounces when we hold him.

Other issues are that everyday seems like throwing dice, each day is different. I am a stay at home mom and so I am able to keep him on the same schedule for the most part. And during the day, naps are pretty much the same time: 9am, and 1pm. It is just the naps themselves that are completely different each time.

At night it seems to be different each day as well. I am not sure if he is actually hungry or if he is just used to getting up. My husband and I try our best to not run into his room immediately when he wakes. Sometimes he will go back to sleep, but others not.

I also get so much different information that it is sort of confusing what are Henry's actually needs at night time sleeping.

Henry is in the 70th percentile for his weight and he has had no medical issues, he is a very healthy boy.

Well, i think that is pretty much all from my end.

Thanks,

Today

This is my little man on two separate occasions and YES he is wearing that ugly CARS shirt that he is completely obsessed with in both photos. I sort of want to hide it, but aggh yes, I am drawn immediately to a pair of pink cowboy boots that I loved and I am sure were pretty ugly..So I will let him choose it.

In other news, Henry's spare moments of the day he likes to arrange his trains into a GIGANTIC train. He is pretty awesome at it!! Makes me happy to see how he is getting so creative.

Tonight we went out for a 1 hour dinner date due to a helpful babysitter aka my Mom and sister. We got a gift card to Outback Steakhouse. One of our resolutions this year: to go on more dates. It is truly amazing what one hour of talking with your husband will do for the good ole marriage! :)

Well, signing out for now...

New Year

Wow, it has definitely been awhile since my last post. I was in a blog funk so to speak.

I feel like it's lame to apologize for not posting since this is not a requirement but more of a choice of my free time. Anyway, one of my goals for the new year is to start posting every week, since I am soon to move to yet another country. I want to keep up on these changes of my life and remember them well. So, I give you a little bit of some eye candy of my family!

My sweet husband turned 29 this week, and we both thought of the journey we have been on and we just feel very blessed. I have this app, on my i -pod for Charisma magazine, which is a Christian magazine about news in the Christian world. An

yway, one of the stories that has been tugging on my heart lately is about an Iranian Man who is imprisoned for his Christian faith, he has been tortured and in

prison for 3 years. And, the things i thin

k are: How come that is not me? Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you were a christian living in a country where your faith is not "recognized" and because of that you were tortured or punished???

Anyway, we feel blessed to say the least. It has challenged

me to live my faith out better.

Speaking of faith. We had Sweet Sydney dedicated recently. It is sort of like a baptism, just a little different. Anyway, it was a wonderful celebration with all of our family and a moment that I want to remember forever and hope she always know how much she is loved~

Update on Sydney: She is 7 months, weighs 16 pounds. She

is sort of a little peanut. Henry was 3 more pounds then she was at this age.

She can roll over, but really is not interested in that, instead she bends and twists to get what she wants. Our little gymnast. She still only breastfeeds, i sort of have quit trying to give her bottles, and instead we are starting on sippies.

Henry update: He is 2.5 years old now. He is sleeping in a toddler bed, quite well and we are trying to get potty trained. He is a super brother to his sister. They both love each other so much, and it makes me think of previously when i worried about his reaction to getting a sibling. It has been only a blessing. He is still loving all things CARS and trains and his daddy.

Well, thats all for now folks. See ya later!

My day in pictures

My day: I woke up at like 5am, hearing Henry, he was making some noise and saying something about something??? He has been having some either night mares or dreams lately that wake him out of sleep and wake me as well. Usually I tell Andy to get up and check on him, because he tends to go right back to sleep when his daddy tells him to, but not for Mommy.

I then got up an hour later to pump and then I fed Sydney around 7Am.

I drank some yummy coffee, with some yummy coffee mate, got breakfasts going. And I tried a new breakfast I read in a magazine which was some sort of egg thing you microwave and add cheese to in a coffee cup, and it tasted like rubber.
I then thought about my brother Joe. (He is pictured above, this was taken at Hickory Park for my Dad's 60th B-day, he is pictured below).

Joe is in school at ISU, and we miss our Uncle and brother around these parts. My sweet brother is 19 now, and I remember being his big sister and toting him around with me. He was the cutest baby and still is pretty cute as an almost adult.
Joe most recently got a tatoo on his arm, it is pretty cool for a tatoo. He showed it to Henry and Henry was amazed, he immediately gasped, i could see him thinking in his little brain...How does that sticker not come off?

Speaking of stickers, Henry is obsessed right now with Stickers, Cars and Animals. He loves these things, and gets so excited for them. Which makes my day, i can see how easy it is for parents to give their children tons of toys, it just makes a parents heart smile to see their babies smile.:) The above picture is of like 40 bandaids that we played with and Henry put on his shirt. You can never have enough stickers!
This is how my day ends, we cuddle, play, do baths, nurse, read books, tell stories, say prayers, burp, rock and off to bed. It takes like 2 hours for the whole shabang with both kids and cleaning up but, i do treasure these days. I keep reminding myself that in a year, it will be different and in 10 years, these are precious, long days. Long days, but short years.

Anywho, those are just some tidbits from my day.

A-Z of Me!

I read my friends blog, and thought I should give some updates. So, I will do an A-Z of me.

A. Age: 27, I constantly forget this number, I keep thinking I am 25.

B. Bedsize: King, and we are loving every minute!

C. Chores I hate: Laundry, or as I like to call, my faithful friend.

D. Dogs: none, but i need to add my favorites were Lucy and Soo Ling. I still miss them.

E. Essential starts to each day. COFFEE, with creamer, cereal, kisses from kids, and right now pumping and nursing.

F. Favorite color: pink and green and white

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'6

I. Instruments you play: I played the piano a total of 1 year, and can't even whistle.

J. Job Title: Mommy, Missionary with the Assemblies of God, RN (I work as a Substitute Nurse for Ankeny and SEP schools when I get a free moment. Not to many of those to be found.:)

K. Kids: I have 2 sweet babes. Henry is a 2 year old, boy who loves all things Cars and Animals right now. Sydney is a 4 month old sweet angel baby, she loves all things Momma right now.

L. Live: I have had a lot of addresses in my life and my address is getting ready to change yet again. I have lived in Iowa, Costa Rica, Mexico, and about to go live in Bristol, England. This is our calling right now, and we follow.

M. Mother's name: Jean Ann Hanson, she is wonderful and one of the name sakes for my sweet girls name Sydney Jean. I must add that she always wanted the name Wendy.

N. Nicknames: Chels, Cheech, Cheecher, Chelly.

O. Overnight hospital stays: I also worked the overnight shift on the Peds floor as a RN for some years, so i have been there a lot. Most recently when i have had my chillin..

P. Pet Peeves: Well, i have a lot. Noises while i am trying to sleep, messes, certain fabrics, certain peoples voices, and my biggest pet peeve ever are COMMERCIALS, i like to mute them all.. This just makes me sound crazy.

Q. Quote from a movie: Well, recently i have been saying some good ole quotes from the movie Cars, seeing that Henry wants to watch this movie pretty much all the time. This quote is Holy Shoot.

R. Right or left handed. Right.....

S. Siblings: One brother Joe, who is now at ISU and I miss him a lot, and One Sister Melissa, who lives with me and who I wished would live with me forever!

T. Tasty food: My favorite food is Mexican, I could eat it every day and night, but then add in some fatty American desserts.

U: Underwear: umm, yes. They are always on me.

V. Veggie I hate: Brocollli

W. What makes you run late: I procrastinate always and think that I have more time than I do. Poor Andy.

X. X-rays I have had: Dental, Chest, Pelvis ( for Henry's birth)

Y. Yummy food that I make: Desserts

Z. Zoo Animals: This is a funny one, because Henry states this phrase 4,000 times a day. But, i would say my favorite is Giraffes, and one little fact about me, I always take a big leaf stick with me and secretly feed the giraffes at the Des Moines Zoo.

Well, that is all enjoy the factoids of me, and get ready, i have some posts on the kiddos coming down the pipe.:)

Happy Fall Y'All.

MIA

Yes, I have been MIA.

My time has been spent with this sweet little girl right here.

Miss Sydney is really fond of her MOMMA. She likes to sleep on me, she only eats from me. She refuses all bottles..SO, my time is busy with my babies. And that is how I like it.:)

So let me recap the months of June and July in a couple of pictures.

Here is Daddy and Syd. Loving it on up.

This is Sydney when she is not happy. Which by the way is rare. She is a little smily gem most days.

Here are some Sydney Stats:

1. She sleeps great...Knock on wood.

2. She smiles a lot..

3. She weighs 13 pounds.

4. She is going to be tough, her brother who loves her so, also has thrown a toy elephant at her head. And has "loved" on her a little to hard a couple of times.

5. She is a little gassy, she gets it from her dad. (wink wink)

Henry loves his little sissy. He refers to her as Sissy, Sydney, and Baby.

Also, i need to post a blog on Henry's 2nd B-day. This happened on the glorious June 6th. My little man is getting quite old. One week after Syd's b-day. Anyway, here is a little piece of his cake made by his Auntie.

Anyway, that is all for now. Chao

Sydney Jean Reed

Well, I finally am getting around to writing my Birth Story for Sydney Jean Reed while it is fresh in my head.

Here are her stats:

Birth Date; May 30th 2011

Birth weight: 8 pounds 8 ounces

Length: 21 inches

Birth Time: 11:05 pm

And pretty Dang Cute

Here is her story: It started on Saturday aka: her due date... We went over to my sister and brother in-laws for a little BBQ. It was really good, but that night I threw up and had some diarrhea around 2 Am. This I am writing because I think it was my body getting ready for Sydney to arrive. No one else got sick, the food was great. It was just Mother Nature getting the ball rolling.

Sunday the 29th, nothing happened except me trying to walk it on up. I walked and walked to get things moving.

Monday the 30th, I got up and went to the bathroom around 4 Am, and I knew that it was going to be the day. My stomach was really tight and I just knew.

Monday around 7 Am, I started really feeling contractions. My water had not broke but things were in Motion.

So, after showering and getting Henry's schedule all planned, Andy and I headed to the hospital around 10 Am. Along the way stopped at Jimmy Johns and I shoved a Club Lulu Sub down my throat, because I knew I would not be able to eat anything once I got there. This is also known as a BIG MISTAKE! DO NOT EAT JIMMY JOHNS BEFORE GOING INTO LABOR!

As I was eating my sub, and driving to the Hospital we got pulled over by a cop. Yes, having a baby on Memorial Day means there are lots of cops on the road. This cop then figured out I was in labor and "escorted" us to the hospital.

After we got there, I walked around, laid around and sat for quite awhile. I was checked and checked again. I started out at 3 cm and got to 10 cm around 10pm. I also had lots of contractions and nausea and vomiting up JIMMY JOHNS... Once again, do not eat a sub sandwich before Labor. Also, we had lots of laughing and hanging with Family.

Really the experience was AMAZING.

I really can't say enough about the experience, Henry's was good, but it was away.

1. All of my family was there!

2. I was able to speak English.

3. It was round #2, which some how made me more relaxed with all things baby.

4. I gave birth by VBAC. Which stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean.

5. I was able to fill out all legal documents for Sydney at the hospital..

6. She was perfect.

Anyway, back to the story. I got an epidural, and was placed on pitocin but this went slow because I was trying for a VBAC.

I labored and labored for hours without feeling pain after the Epidural and had no real changes. Then was given the ultimatum that if I did not change I would have to have a C-section. Well, we prayed and I started changing. And things went fast. I became complete at around 10:30pm. Then with Andy, my Mom and Sister by my side, I pushed for 15 minutes and Voila Sydney arrived. Her cheeks were rosy, and her dad stated that she pushed out her hand first.:)

The pushing was hard, and all I remember thinking was: This is what Football practice must be like. ????? Why I thought this??? Who knows?????

Anyway, she is perfect. Perfectly kissable, and perfectly sweet. Sydney has a sweet spirit. She is a little over 2 weeks now, and really does not cry much. She likes eating every 3-4 hours. She is good sleeper, and gets a little cranky around 9 pm. She also loves sleeping on her Daddy.

Here are some pictures, I will post more of the thousand we have ready for some more posts.

Thats all for now, Chelsea

Ready or Not

Well, just wanting to inform the blog world that I have 1 week, 1 day till my due date. Yes, I am getting really close.

So, I thought I would share some things I am really ready for... Here we go.....

1. Ready to see toothless smiles and fun little button noses. Preferably ones that turn a little orange due to the veggies that they have been eating.

2. I am Not so ready for the schedule that a new baby one goes by. I took a photo of the typical schedule of a Less than 1 year old, when Henry was keeping us up all night. I was trying to get a routine in to help with the keeping me up at night routine.

But, hey really I have not slept the same since the day Henry was born. And I think most parents would agree that sleeping never goes back to those pre-child days of just sleeping your life away... Even when your kids do sleep well, you will have the occasional "sick" nights, "night terrors" and whatever else.... So, maybe I am ready...:)

3. I am READY to hold another little peanut around with me.. I love the smell of babies so close. They are so cuddly and cute, and light for just a small time.. I hope to cherish every second, this time and maybe not freak out so much.. MAybe.???

I am just ready to hold Sydney. According to "what to expect when your expecting" she is now the size of a watermelon. That seems big, but if you take a look at my sad, tiger clawed looking belly you might agree.

4. I am ready for pre-pregnant Chelsea..YES, that's right.. The girl who has clothing that she likes..The girl who can wipe her own bottom without having to stand up..( I know maybe that is TMI, but we all know its true).. The girl whose belly button does not touch every kitchen counter and door and thing in front of her.. The girl who can sleep on her stomach. The girl who will soon enough have 2 little kids that she calls her own. I feel so blessed to be a Mother, it is the true joy of my life. I know many women who cannot be pregnant, and I know I will miss feeling Sydney's little thumps at 5 Am.. But, I think I am MORE READY to see what this little girl looks like..

Hopefully next post will be the pictures and delivery of my sweet baby girl...

Until then, Chelsea

6 Things

1. I have a built in shelf.. Her name is Sydney Jean. ( That is a horrid looking photo). It looks like I am modeling Ovaltine or some weird drink.

2. Don't ask a pregnant woman if she is going to be "popping her seal" anytime soon. YES, I have recently been asked that....

3. At the age of 16, I entered a contest in the Des Moines Register in the Comics section. It is in the comics weekly, who can think of the most creative way to draw an egg into a cartoon situation. Well, being 16 I thought I needed an alias name of Jean Ann Johnson. So, as not to be uncool around all my super cool friends who obviously read the comic section of the Des Moines register each weekend like me. Anyway, I won... But received no EGGERS award, like it said you would. ANd what was the winning entry you may ask, well.... get ready....... Eggshaust..... Like Exhaust from from a car. I simply drew a car with eggs coming out of the tale pipe.. Pure Genius.. I know.... I wish I could show you those artistic skills, but I can no longer. And a P.S. the alias name is my mothers maiden name.

4. I am 1cm dialated as of my last appointment, and I am pumped because I am half way to the 2 cm's that I got to with Henry.. SO be praying that I can make that 9 cm's more and "Pop my Seal"??

5. I have been getting last minute things done in our house, that I have wanted done for quite awhile. Like, painting.. curtain stuff, organizational jazz, Henry's birthday stuff and other odds and ends...Maybe its nesting or maybe it is knowing I only have 4 more weeks to go... And then I will have NO time...

6. Henry's Jones Soda came in for Birthday Number 2.. It is cool to put this 2 year old bottle with his 1 year old bottle and see how time flies and how much he has changed.. He is becoming quite the little man.. I am happy to be blessed with seeing him grow so big and loving this last year...

Thats all for now,, Peace Out.

Sweet Melissa

Just have to do a quick post on my sister because her 25th Birthday is tomorrow.. May Day.. Or as she likes to state " A National Holiday"....

Let me tell you about her.

1. She is an amazing 5th grade teacher at Meeker Elementary in Ames, Iowa.

2. She is baking 2 cakes this year for 2 weddings, because she is that good at cakes.

3. She loves her family lots and lots.

4. She can play the piano really well.

5. She loves Coffee, her favorite is Cafe Britt from Costa Rica.

6. She has always had a crush on "The Rock". And dark and handsome men.:)

7. She eats Microwave Chicken Soup everyday for lunch.

8. She has great Music taste and introduced me to NEEDTOBREATHE, and they are one great band.

9. She is a little OCD on things.. Weird ones, for example, where the plates and dishes go after taking them out of the dishwasher. She likes them in a certain order always. Another weird fact, is that her closet is color coordinated and all the hangers point in one direction. She is really good at laundry and folding it. She is good at hair and make-up.

9. She is the most loving sister to me, she tells me when I am being mean, she tells me when I am out of line and tells me she loves me, she tells me when my outfit makes me look like Dolly Parton, and that I can't sing that great.... She is the reason that I want to be pregnant again some day in the future.. All for the hope of Sydney having a sister. Because I can't imagine a life without my sister.

She is the best and I wish that All my friends were blessed with a person in their lives who was is as amazing as Melissa Ann Hanson. Or better known to her family : Mishy

Week of the Baby (Day 5)

Yes, I took a one day Vacation from blogs of the week, I was feeling very very tired last night.

So, here is my last blog on the BABES... I should have mentioned that I was only doing a Business Week worth of blogs. :)

I have been spending the last days getting Sydney's room ready, I get these emails telling me how many more days I have left and what to expect in whatever week I am in. Anyway, it said I have 42 days, and girl that is not much... Actually, I was born at this stage in the game when I was in my momma's belly. So, that really makes a girl think twice on being prepared.

I had to put this picture up and say look at his cute little smile. What pearly choppers he has.

Here is another sneak peek of Miss Sydney's room.. I am not quite done, but these are some of my favorite things that are up. This is from my Mom, a little gift to Sydney Jean.

This I found on a whole bunch of blogs. I made it and it was so easy, made me feel a little like Martha Stewart... Minus the jail time:)

Anyway, the butterflies are where the glass would be and they were all punched out. Pretty easy and cheap.

Anyway, I think that is all for this week on the baby. I do want to conclude with a little thought. I have been feeling so blessed to be a Mother, I have been thanking God each night that I am Henry's Mom and Sydney's Mom. I went to a Bible-Study these last couple of weeks about what we can learn about the disciples and how it relates to our lives during this Easter season. One of the weeks was on Mary the mother of Jesus. Don't show this one to a pregnant woman, but it really made me think. Just imagine seeing your sweet baby go through all the pain. It is hard to imagine, it just makes you reflect on the true meaning of Love and how much love God has for us. It makes me think when we screw up, how much God still wants us. It is so opposite that he would be disgusted but more like his heart would swell with pain because he only wants the best. I feel happy to maybe understand a little about the all consuming love that Jesus has for us.

Happy thoughts and talk to you soon...

Chelsea

Week of the Baby (Day 4)

Hey Friends,

I'll be honest this is blog overload for me... I am not use to doing this much about my life and its happenings but I am glad I am...

Okay, tonights blog is on the Randoms.

1. I love this picture... Henry is so stinkin cute.. And I love his preppy shirt. And his smile, and my "try" at his hair cut.....And I love him.. Also, I have noticed that he is now getting freckles on his arms.

2. I thought of many other things that I sort of don't want to remember about being prego.. Here is one, peeing my pants. This might be a little TOO MUCH INFO for some, but I am just being honest. I am now at 34 weeks and have 6 or less to go, and that makes my bladder squished. SO, i randomly pee if I laugh too much. The medical term for this is "Stress Incontinence". I for sure will not miss this.

4. May is a busy month, my brother graduates from High School. I am hoping that I make the Graduation ceremony it is on May 22nd and my due date is May 28th. My sister's birthday is May 1st, I don't feel too worried about that one, my Father-in-law's birthday is May 7th. Joe's open-house is May 15th and our 6th Anniversary is on May 14th so, I am feeling a little nervous that Sydney might come on an already important day. But that is okay. She will come when she is ready:)

5. Speaking of my brother Joseph, I now weigh MORE than him.. YES, and I know it is going to keep on rising.. Oh well... I do feel like it is painful for my body to just plain carry all this weight. But, I guess I will just keep eating.

4. We have been wondering what little Miss Sydney is going to look like. My mom thinks that the ultrasound pictures look like Me.. Who knows, Henry looks nothing like his Momma.. Just like his Dad in my eyes.. So we will see.

4. I have been doing lots of Substitute Nursing to get some extra moola before this little girl gets here, and I always look through the class lists to find the most common names and the unique names: Here are a couple unique ones: Kalifornia, Sawyer--For a girl, LaDishana.. Some very common ones: Avery, Alyssa, Emma, Sophia, Isabella.

5. And I am outta factoids.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Week of the Baby (Day 3)

Well it is Day 3 of my Week of the Baby.

And I have decided to blog about my First sweet Baby...

Mr. Henry, who is sadly sick this week. :(

Say a little prayer for him, that his cough and congestion would go away.. He for sure has been getting us ready for a new baby by keeping us up at night.

I just thought I would tell you all some facts that are going on with Henry right now as he quickly approaches his 2nd Birthday.

Henry is lovin cars, trucks and trains right now. He usually picks one or two and holds on to them through out the day, and no matter what he is doing he will have the cars in his hand. Whether it is nap time, going to run an errand or whatever.

We took a trip to Boone, Iowa this last weekend to ride the Easter Bunny train ride. Henry had a blast, he loved the train and the Easter Bunny. Andy and I felt like it was a tidge on the long side at 1.5 hours....... At a whopping 10 miles hour. So after an hour, we were like, lets get this train back to the Depot. But, it was great memories.. Not to many were captured due to our camera dying about one second after we got on the train.:( Another fact about Henry is that he poops around twice a day and it is usually when he plays with his train table. It is seconds within him playing with the train table that he will poop. So, if you are ever watching him, and he has not pooped then just go on downstairs and voila!

Lastly, I have been thinking a lot about the new baby coming and about my "baby" that is here. I think about the changes that are coming, and what to expect. It is been just Andy, Henry and I for a long time and I am so excited for Sydney.. It just makes me feel like my baby is going to have to grow up right then and there. I am so thankful, don't get me wrong, but time truly flies... And as a momma I just want to hold onto my sweet little boy as a little boy. Someday I know he is not going to want to hang out with his momma.

And right now he does...No, he is always going to want to hang with his Momma...;)

Well, until tomorrow dear friends...

Week of the Baby (Day 2)

This post is about things I want to remember and things things I want to forget.

Things to remember:

1. Sydney's room.. I will put some more pictures up but for now this is just one of her bed. It is actually called the "Charleston Crib". I spent many hours looking online at many different sites and found this one to be my favorite. I found the bedding which is super cute and vintage rosy off of Craigslist for $30.00. I am smiling as I write that, because I love it and it goes good in her intensely pink/ pink room. Or as my brother calls it the "Victoria's Secrets Room".

2. I am so happy that I am having a girl, because girl stuff is so dang cute. Don't get me wrong, boy stuff is cute too. But just not as cute as girl stuff. And boy does this girl got a lot of stuff already. Between her grandma's and aunts... Miss Sydney has a lot of apparel going on.

3. Things to forget: I sort of want to remember and forget it at the same time. I have around 27 broken blood vessels on my body from this little gal. Also known as Hemangioma's. They are on my face, arms, neck, back, legs, everywhere.. And I sort of hope they go away as soon as Sydney makes her appearance. I think it is because I have so much blood circulating through me. They are not annoying, i just sort of want them gone.

4. Things to remember: Sydney is a pretty calm gal, at least thus far. She just sort of swims around like a little wave in my belly. With Henry, it was quite different. He I think found pleasure with kicking me:) I think for sure I am going to miss my sweet girl swimming around, but I am getting really excited to see what she looks like.

5. Things to remember: I was really a fan of pickles with Sydney. I know it sounds cliche, but really I choose to eat way more pickles than usual with her. And I am not a real Pickle girl. Other things I liked during this pregnancy are desserts, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cereal, and Yes coffee. I drank no caffeine with Henry and Round 2, I have been drinking around 1 cup a day.

Well, that is about all...

See you tomorrow..

Week of the Baby

I have procrastinated long enough with all information regarding the sweet baby inside of me, so this is now the week of the Baby. You will receive a new blog each day all about the sweet little girl swimming around and maybe a blog o' two about the other sweet babies in my life.:)

So, today is Day 1.

This is the only picture that I have remotely come close to liking as a Pregnant women, and this one chops my head off.. SO, as you can tell we don't have a lot. The sign says week 32 and Baby Sydney. Yep, that's right this little girl is going to be named Sydney Jean Reed. How did we get that name you may ask? Well, we had a lot of trouble of thinking of a name, lots of family members were sending me names and sending me texts with names... I also got a name book from my Momma.

Andy wanted a name that was not too girly and not manly. I was really liking names like: Iris, and Charlotte. One day my mom mentioned the name Sydney to me on the phone and i sort of liked it. I tossed it up to Andy and he sort of liked it too. And then we just kept liking it more and more and then it went up to the LOVE level.. We love the name Sydney, and we love the middle name of Jean. Jean is my Mom's name and my Mother in laws name as well, hers being Norma Jean Reed.

So, this is the origin of Miss Sydney Jean Reed's name. Now lets hope that Ultrasound tech was right when she said it was a Girl!

Until Tomorrow...

Alone Time

Here we are the cute couple Andy and Chelsea.

This is us hanging out on a week night after the Henster has gone to bed.:) Having some adult, alone, and relaxing time.

Andy is of course watching some enthralling show on the History channel. While I am looking for Baby Cribs.. And taking these pictures.

I thought to myself, we have no good couple pictures..So maybe i can get some good ones from the computer.

Well, turns out I was right. These are some precious gems. Who needs to go to a professional when you have your computer. As you can see, I am looking, well lets just say it HOTT.

And Andy is looking, well, at the TV! The whole time....:) Thats okay, he is sitting close and that is good enough for me.

Here is one more, this is my favorite. I look like the villian/ really tall guy from the Goonies. Andy looks like he is learning the #1 deadliest ocean predator..Which I now know is the BOX JELLYFISH..And that it is located only Australia...Thank the Lord.

And I just don't know if I can say much more..

I promise, baby pics are on their way...

xoxo, Chelsea Jo

Big News

We have waited quite awhile to tell the world this news of Round Number 2 headed our way.

Most of our family knows of the news, but we are now announcing that Baby GIRL Reed is coming down the pipe :) this May..

The Facts:

Due Date: May 29th... This is also my Parents Anniversary.

Sex: Girl Child

Name: No suitable name for this baby, Andy has one he likes.. I pretty much do not like any...

We refer to her as SISSY right now, thats about it..

Place of upcoming Birth: Mercy Hospital, Des Moines, Iowa.. Not Mexico.. Which I am SMILING enormously about..

Weird quirks: I have been craving Pickles.. I really am not a fan of Pickles during normal life, and I really enjoy pickles now.. And I have been loving all things Sweet.

Room color: PINK and more PINK... The room looks like you have walked into Victoria Secrets and I LOVE it....

Lastly, I have been really pondering what Life will look like as a parent of 2 kids.. I know it is going to be crazy.. Life already seems crazy now, I have way more respect for my parents and Andy's parents for raising such great Kids... Yes, I just called my self Great.. But, really all of their kids are good, well rounded, loving Adults... And they are healthy, Smart and Fun...

All I have to say Is THANKS to my MOM and DAD.. Thank you for potty training me, for feeding me meals that I probably spit completely out of my mouth, for listening to me cry when I should have been sleeping, for buying me clothes before you bought clothes for your self. For taking me to the doctor and taking me to fun places, movies, mall, vacations.....Thanks I know get it..

We feel nervous and Super Excited for the upcoming sleepless nights. And we feel even more happy to see what life is like with a little Girl....

P.S. I will post some pictures soon of the babe soon..