I have been trying to post for a long time, and actually started a few times but never finished. Well, as most of you know Bleu came home at the end of September. We were all really excited for the day to come and super happy to be together as a family. Ella was comfortable with Bleu as soon as he held her, just like I thought she would be. She LOVES her daddy just like she did when he was home in May.














So here's a funny story about Bleu coming home: I had cut all of my hair off and colored it about a week or two before he came home, but he hadn't seen it. Ella had also grown at least double since he'd last seen her. So when the plane landed, Bleu said that everyone was looking out the windows and pointing out their families and getting excited. Bleu told them "I don't even know what my family looks like!" So he gets off of the plane and starts looking around. He looked a little bit like he wasn't even sure if we were there at all. I finally caught his eye; he smiled and we met in the middle of the crowd where he said "Hey, cutie." :) I handed Ella to him and he couldn't believe how much she had grown. The two of them have been like two peas in a pod. Ella loves to swing and get tossed by Bleu. And of course, every morning that it's possible, they have their morning cuddle time.
At the end of October we went on our first big trip to California to see Bleu's family for a week. Ella went on her first plane ride. I was a little nervous, not knowing how she would handle being on a lap for such a long time, but she loved it.

She squealed, and touched everything in her reach, looked out the window, smiled and giggled at the lady sitting next to us, fell asleep about ten minutes before landing, but didn't wake up when we touched down. On the trip back she slept most of the way. It was a relief that she was so easy going for the trip.



We were able to go and see Bleu's Great Grandma Bea, Ella's Great Great Grandma! She turned 103 in May and she's still going! She really enjoyed having Ella visit and wanted to hold her the whole time.. EXCEPT when Ella pinched her. She said "OUCH! She pinched me--Help!" After she was kissed better, she wanted to hold Ella again. We had a good laugh about it. We were able to get a pretty good 5 generation picture with everyone looking at the camera, although it was a little tricky getting both Ella and Grandma Bea looking at the camera at the same time. :)

Well now we are back home and Bleu is starting to get serious about getting back to work. He is doing AFTP's at the airport and had a few interviews this morning. So hopefully we will be hearing some good news soon. That's all for now! Love you all and I'll try and update a little bit more often.

Ella May!

Well I FINALLY sat down to update. It's been so long, I think I forgot we even had a blog. Well, Bleu was able to be home in time for the birth of our baby girl. Let me tell you, he was an amazing help. I'm so so so glad he was there. I also had my friend, JoAnn come to be my Douala. Between the two of them constantly rubbing my back and coaching me through, we did a completely natural delivery in under five hours. HOLY COW!


Bleu and I went to my 40 week midwife appointment together the day before my due date. I was really tired of being pregnant. Anyway, that night we were laying on the couch watching a movie when I heard a felt a great big *POP* from my tummy. Bleu even heard it, too! My water broke at 9 pm. We talked to the midwife and she said to relax in the tub until the contractions are 5-6 minutes apart. So I got into the tub and started timing them. They were 2-3 minutes apart, but I wanted to stay home a while longer. After an hour, Bleu noticed that it was time to go to the hospital. So we packed up and checked in before 11 pm. I was on a monitor for about 20 minutes, and then back into the tub to take the pressure off. JoAnn showed up around midnight and she and Bleu were my coaches and cheering section. Seriously don't know what I would have done without them. The contractions progressed and I was doing great, and then they just kept going longer and faster. The midwife said that I needed to get out of the tub and into bed. As soon as I was there, it was time to push. Again, Bleu and JoAnn were amazing coaches. We pushed for about half an hour and Ella May was born at 1:46 am on May 19. Her due date.
6 lbs and 13 oz. and 20 inches long.


It was wonderful having Bleu home for so long! I had quite a few complications and set backs in my recovery, so we were able to get a 10 day extension on his leave. He is such a good Daddy and just adores his sweet little girl.
It was much harder on both of us having him leave this time. He misses his girls lots. We still talk on Skype every night, but sometimes don't get to talk very long when Ella needs my attention. She has a fussy time that's almost like clockwork. I'm fine with that, but it just usually lands right when Bleu gets home from work. So I don't get to talk to him very long and he doesn't get to see Ella.

Mom was able to come down and stay for a few weeks to help with Ella. That was another life saver. I was still in quite a lot of pain when Bleu left and it was hard to get up and down, but Mom was able to be here the day he left.
Ella sure loved having Grandma come to visit. The day after Mom left was a little rough on both of us, and Mom said that it was because she missed her Grandma. Haha. I know I sure did.

Here are some things that I've learned about Ella:

• She is very beautiful and smart.
• She doesn't like being on her tummy unless Grandpa Dixon is underneath her.
• She has a temper and shouts in short little bursts when she wants attention.
• She likes to wait until she's naked on the changing table to pee.....and sometimes poop.
• She likes to poop in freshly changed diapers.
• She likes to cuddle, but loves to see what's going on.
• She hogs the bed just like her mommy.

So it's been nearly forever since I updated this blog. But I had been without a camera for a while until my wonderful husband bought one for me a few weeks ago. I've had a few opportunities to play with it and get used to it.

Obviously, Kami is the only subject available to me. Haha. But I've realized that she actually likes having her picture taken. When I turn the camera on, it makes noise, and she turns to look at it, and stares at the lens, sits, lays down, looks at me, changes positions and looks at the camera. What a silly girl. So she's a little cheese ball poser and gave me some cute shots I think.


This is probably what the baby will be looking at here in a few weeks. A big towering monster! I think Kami might have an inkling as to what's going on. Of course not precisely, but I can tell she knows some things are changing and there are more changes coming. I've been stepping up with the training, giving her more boundaries, and setting higher expectations of her behavior. She's learning fast.

She was really excited when the spare bedroom got cleaned out and the crib and changing table got set up (THANK YOU Gavin and Sara). And was even more excited when I unpacked the clothes, blankets, and all of the baby stuff. The baby has kicked her in the chin a few times while she had her head on my tummy and she's also seen it moving around, so I think she might know that there is definitely something in there. :) She also bumps her nose against my tummy and licks it.

So I bought a baby doll and dressed it in some of the baby's clothes. She LOVES it, and wants to play with it, I think because it's fabric and plastic. But she knows what I'm talking about when I ask her if she wants to see the baby. She is learning that it's not okay to jump up to see it--she has to sit and be good. I put the doll in the crib and she is still jumping up to look at it in there, but it's all a process. She's getting better at laying next to the swing instead of sticking her face right in there and licking the poor thing. But she doesn't mind just watching me rock with the doll--I'm guessing because we are at her eye level and she can see everything. She really just likes to watch. It will probably all be different when it's a real baby, but I think she's getting used to the idea that something else will be occupying my time. She does great with Mikaela when she visits, but she's never been around a newborn. We'll just have to wait and see.

Here's a video of Kami playing. If there is a noise out of her reach, she MUST get it! Silly girl.



So as for the pregnancy, everything is going great! I'm sooooo tired of being pregnant. I want this baby to pop out a week ago, but the longer I go, the better for the baby. Plus I would LOVE for Bleu to be home for the birth and I know he would, too.

So just for the ones who haven't been updated, I am going to be delivering in the hospital with a Midwife and a Douala. I'm really excited. I'm still high risk (of course) because it's a VBAC, but everything appears to be going really well. I feel really good, too.

I'm done working, so I have lots of little projects to keep me busy around the house. I'm trying to get back into the sewing thing and have a few things that I want to make. I take Kami to the park at least three times a week and while she runs around, I walk around the park. I also go to the pool every once in a while for a swim and to put my back against the jets. I want to stay active so that the exercise will be beneficial for the labor. I don't want to be too tired to get through it. I'm determined to have a completely natural birth. I'm studying up on labor and the science of it all, gathering a bunch of relaxing techniques and so forth.

I've been having Braxton Hicks pretty much every day, but nothing too painful. Just enough for me to notice them and not often enough to make any phone calls. I practice breathing and relaxing through them. I've had a few while Bleu and I are on Skype and he asks if I'm okay or if they hurt. He takes such good care of me.

Well, we only have two and a half weeks till the due date! Bleu and I are hoping to be together for the birth and as always, we feel and appreciate all of your prayers on our behalf. Love you!

Butterfly Express!

Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start. :) So during class a while ago our instructor handed out a flyer for an Essential Oils company called Butterfly Express. I have never thought of essential oils before and didn't know much about them. Well after looking over the flyer I thought "well, gee! I could use all of these oils!" So I sent a few of my favorites to mom for my Christmas List and she got me six oils and I LOVED THEM! I teasingly told Bleu that basically everything on the flyer was my list for Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary, etc. :o). So about a month ago he started telling me that I should go through the list and tell him which ones I wanted right now and we could get started. SO I went through with him one night and gave him a list that he could choose from. He wanted to surprise me, so I just told him all of the ones that would be great to have and let him at it. Well, after he placed the order he told me that not only did he get EVERYTHING on my list, he got a few more that he thought would be good. WHAT a stinker. Love him.

The plot thickens-- the next morning I got a call from Butterfly Express and they said "because your order was so big,..." again.... Love him. "...we were wondering if you would be interested in becoming a wholesale rep." They explained some more and after talking with Bleu, I was changing my order to one of EVERY oil blend they have and a few extras. SWEET!

Yay! I am now a Butterfly Express Wholesale Rep. Woohoo! Take a look at all the goods! I was waiting for my package to come and when it did I was THRILLED and started opening them up and using them right away. SO why this is such good news to all of you??

I will pass on the savings! I can give you 20% off of your order. If you just let me know what you want, I will put in an order and tell you how much you owe, I can even have them ship it to you! Neat, huh? I've already ordered some for Katie and my boss, and mom and I are working on an order right now. It's so much fun! There is an oil for just about everything from Arthritis to anxiety to warts and Digestion. If you want to browse, go to butterflyexpress.net and take a look. But you can't get the 20% through the website, just through a wholesale rep--like me! :)

Also, Butterfly Express has monthly specials and discounts so I will be posting them here, too.

So let's get started!!

FEBRUARY SPECIALS!

• 10% off the Chakra Kit

• 15% off the following oils:

Beloved
Exhilaration
Moonlight
Clary Sage
Rosewood
Tangerine

• Buy all 6 of them for 20% off.

• There is a new blend this month called Manuka

And as always, I need to practice my zoning, so give me a call and I will use my oils on your tootsies!!

Pictures and Videos!

Kami got spayed last Friday and played the sick card all day Saturday. I let her because she was barfing Friday night. Haha. She Loves to cuddle on the floor and this is the best picture that we could get. Look How big she is! I'm just going to put a bunch of pictures of the past week or so. Enjoy!

I had my friend Kamie (Kami's namesake haha) help me out by watching Kami for a few hours while I was in class. Her daughter Mikaela (I know.. SO confusing, right?) just loves Kami and visa versa. Kamie caught this on camera and it's just too cute not to share!

Okay I know this is old, but I couldn't resist. Back in the day when she was allowed on the furniture, she fell asleep and was dreaming, twitching, growling, the works. Then when things settled down, she relaxed and this is what happened. Too funny. I still get a kick out of her face when she wakes up.