| Growing Girl |
Here's a photo of me from today. I talked to my grandparents (mom's folks) today and they asked if I had put any pictures of my belly on my blog recently -- mom usually prints the photos off and brings them over to their place. So this is a photo in their honor. Here I am:
That's all for now.
Aimee
ps. I had a marvelous nap so now have a little energy. It definitely comes in spurts. |
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| A very tired girl |
| It is getting to be a big job growing these twins. The last couple of days I have been overwhelmed with tiredness. I worked this morning for a couple hours and it was all I could do to make it through them. Now I will rest. Ahh. |
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| Awaiting Arrivals |
Today I'm 32 weeks! Wow, we're almost done. There are obviously many things that we have as goals to complete/gather/buy before these little ones come. Finish the basement. Buy diapers. Get a dresser. Finalize names (with backups incase the gender discernment was wrong). Buy my long saved for and anticipated Digital SLR Camera.
Well today one of those things can be checked off the list. Here's photos of the camera and lense I just ordered:
This is the Canon 30D. This type of camera is called an SLR (single lense reflex). With this camera I will have complete control over all sorts of settings as well as having a number of automatic features at my finger tips. I anticipate using this camera to take portraits -- first of me in my very pregnant state, then of our new littles ones... I hope to have the opportunity in the future to do wedding photographs, this camera will be great for that. It will also be very useful for pursing artistic dreams.
Here is the Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8 L USM. This is the lens I ordered and I am almost more excited about it than the camera. A quality lens is very important and the reviews I read about this one couldn't have been better. Features about the lens I like -- super high quality construction, ability to take pictures in low light with a flash, a nice amount of zoom, and that snazzy red stripe.
It took quite awhile to decide what exactly to buy and where to buy it from. I'm breathing a sigh of relief now that they're ordered. I am blessed to be able to be making this purchase. We've been saving for this for quite awhile and I've been given gifts to go towards this purchase. The actual camera ended up being quite a bit less than I thought, this allowed me to pick a higher quality lens. I'm grateful to those who have encouraged and enabled this purchase to happen.
I know I'm behind on sharing news with you guys. News from the last prenatal appointment: from our most recent ultrasound they estimate the babies to be around 4lbs each! This is incredible for this stage in the game. The bigger they are the better, especially if they happen to enter this world a little early. In answer to Shannon's question regarding the babyticker. It is adjusted to have my due date being June 5 which is 38 weeks. Sometimes twins stay in longer than that so we'll see. Also, my doctor let me take a different version of the typical test that screens for Gestational diabetes -- I was grateful that he didn't make me drink the sugar mixture, since I don't eat sugar anyways. Turns out I'm fine as far as that goes -- which I was pretty sure about. My iron levels are quite low so now I'm on an extra iron supplement -- and this may be an overshare, but it is blessing to me, so far no constipation! (iron supplements are notorious for causing constipation)
Grad is on Saturday and all the students will be gone by Sunday night. Wow the school year went quickly. I will probably work until the second week of May, wrapping up and transferring over my internship job.
Packing, yes, that is something I need to get working on more dilligently too.
The grass is becoming green here and I now have tonnes of freckles!
Well, I'm hungry so I better get going. Hope you are well.
Aimee |
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| News and Photo |
Hi folks. I wanted to announce that my cousin Erin had her third boy on April 10th. His name is Maddox Cameron and he is really cute. You can see pictures of him on my mom's blog.
We're on the homestretch here at CLBI. Wrapping up my job directing internships. Wrapping up our time living on campus and being residence life directors. Wrapping up this pregnancy. So many changes ahead.
Lance is quite unsettled with us being partly in our new place and partly out of our old place. There is lots of work to be done in the basement and he's concerned about getting it done before the twins arrive. If the twins stay in like they should then it will work fine. He's been working hard getting our place ready. We've got great and helpful friends and family too.
Here's a photo of our living room before Lance and his folks came on the scene:
And after many wall washings, curtain removal, wall and ceiling paint and our new furniture:
Three of the walls in the living room are "Steel Wool" gray and the fourth wall (the one on the right in this photo) is a darker gray, called, "Gray" -- how creative. We plan to use some medium blue and goldish yellow as accent colours - like in fabrics and accesories. Last night we went to our new house and Lance finished touching up the trim. Then we just sat in our living room and visited. It was really nice.
Anyways I better get going.
Hope you are well.
Aimee |
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| Recipe and House |
Hi guys, here's the recipe:
Angelic Devil's Food Cake
from "What to eat when you're expecting"
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ (I used wheat bran, worked fine)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (be generous here)
1/4 veg oil
1 3/4 cups apple juice concentrate (exactly 1 can - the frozen kind)
1/2 cup strong brewed decaf coffee (probably decaf cause this is a pregnancy book and there's already caffeine from the cocoa)
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
(I just used two whole eggs instead of doing the dividing, I'm not worried about cholesterol)
1 tsp vanilla extract
(I added 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts for protein)
Preheat oven to 325 F. With mixer combine all dry ingredients plus oil, juice concentrate, and coffee. Beat until smooth. Then add eggs and vanilla. Beat untill thouroughly mixed. (I mixed the dry ingredients together and then added the wet all at once and it turned out fine). Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake until top springs back - or toothpick/knife comes out clean. About 30-35 min. Yum yum yum. Enjoy!!!
Ice with whipped cream and top with a fruit sauce and this would be spectacular.
Lance never ended up tasting this cake so I can't give you a "normal" tastebud opinion.
Here are some recent photos (as in, since thursday). We officially have our house now. We got possesion on Thursday. We had a potluck supper with friends and family on our new deck.
Here you'll see the Jensen's, Friedrichs, Lance's folks (Bernell and Linda), Jane (Lance's sister), Tim (our Resident Coordinator at CLBI) and Lance.
On Friday morning we went to Edmonton and checked out a number of furniture stores looking for a couch. We have never owned a couch and after much discussion decided to go out and buy a new one. Ikea was the winning store, for style and price. We selected a couch and headed to the warehouse section to pick it up. Lance suggested we pop buy the "as-is" section first saying, "Maybe there's a red couch sitting there that we think is beautiful but other people think is ugly". Well wouldn't you know it. We round the corner and see the exact couch we had selected in the showroom - same colour, same style - sitting in the as-is section. It was the display model! It was in totally great condition, but $130 less than the regular price. Wow. I felt this was a pretty specific blessing from Jesus to me. It may sound funny to say this about a couch, but I have been trying to notice lately how Jesus knows me well and blesses me in ways that are specific to me. That red couch was exactly that.
Here's me, super happy, sitting on the couch waiting for Lance to bring the car/van around to load it up. The couch is red corduroy.
We had a figure in mind that a new couch would cost and we were able to leave Ikea with a new couch and two new chairs (POANG chairs, like my folks have in their living room) for only $13 more than the price we intened to spend on a couch! Hurray for savings!
Well the couch and chairs barely fit in our vehicle. Take a close look at Lance pictured here as he drove the hour home from Edmonton. Believe you me, the wigglers and I weren't overly comfortable either.
While we were in Edmonton Lance's wonderful parents were cleaning our house and tearing apart the basement -- where there will be a bathroom added and some other changes that I will keep you posted about. Just after we arrived home we had some visitors. Lloyd and Lilas are friends of CLBI -- Lloyd volunteers often with maintenance stuff. We invited them in and didn't mean to put them to work, but work they did. Both of them are very knowledgable and handy. They helped tear apart some of the basement. Pictured are Lilas, Lloyd and Bernell.
Today we picked paint colours. Which I will leave you in suspense about. Bernell, Linda and Lance are painting as I type this. I've been packing back at CLBI. But of course a bloggin break is welcome.
Read the gospels of Matthew and John regarding Jesus betrayal and death. It stuck out to me that he was planning this all along. He could've avoided being arrested. He could gone to a place Judas wouldn't have known, but instead went to a garden where he and his disciples had gone often. Even Jesus himself said that if his kingdom were of this world he could've had his followers fight and prevent his arrest. It was the plan. It was for us. It was for rescue. For reunion. To bring us to God. I want this to soak in.
Blessings on you tonight.
Aimee |
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| Best Ever Chocolate Cake |
I must qualify the above statement. The following recipe is for the best no sugar added, no fake sweetener, chocolate cake I have ever tasted. It's from the book "What to eat when your expecting" (which pretty much encourages whole grains, unprocessed foods, fruits and veggies, and no sugar). The book was loaned to me by a former student who knows I can't have refined sugar -- which none of the recipes called for. This cake is the most "cakelike" I've made. For those of you who haven't experienced much sugar free baking here's a summary: If you choose to use no artificial sweeteners then fruit is your best sweetening option. Most recipes call for apples or raisins as well as cinnamon. Applesauce and concentrated applejuice are common as well. The cookies/cakes/muffins I make are often more dense than usual and sometimes I just don't want to eat another cinnamonny raisin infested treat (and I like raisins). Anyways I came across this chocolate cake recipe and decided to give it a whirl. It was light - as in, not dense -- it actually rose like a normal cake would. Chocolatey -- my experience with other sugar free chocolate treats is a wimpy amount of cocoa, leading to a wimpy chocoalate taste. Moist - not dry like some other treats I've tried. It makes a 9 x 13 pan, so I froze some and have been enjoying a bit pretty much daily!
Here's the recipe:
Whoops, afterall that lead up I realized I left the book at Jenna's house. You'll just have to wait in suspense, while I continue to enjoy my cake!
Spring has arrived in Camrose and today I went for a lovely walk with a student. I think I got some freckles, hooray! (I really do love getting freckles)
We get our house on Thursday. Been packing some stuff -- won't really move till after the students leave (April 30). Think we'll move in stages. I'm so excited about our yard and deck and garden. Also thinking of colours to paint the living room.
Had our van/car inspected by a mechanic today -- excellent report. He said he'd buy it from us in a heartbeat. What more could you want to hear! He also said it was way better than a minivan. :)
Thanks for all your comments on our littles ones photos and on our new vehicle. There are new readers popping up all over the place. Some quick introductions - Erin Baker, friend from Central Heights youth group days, she is currently expecting a baby this summer, you can visit her blog here . Steve Hubbard, CBC connection, currently has a neat photo blog idea, check it out here . Welcome to Meredith, my sister's cousin-in-law (is that a real thing) and to Danna - another youth group connection. Also welcome to Darla, yet another Central Heights connection from days gone by. I'm sure I've missed people. Oh yes, I have. Sarah, welcome here, thanks for stopping by. Sarah and I went to church together for years and she married Luke who I went to highschool with. All right, if I missed you I apologize. I tend not to be very organized so my missing you has nothing to do with what I think of you. Just so you don't take it wrong. :)
Well, maybe I'll do a sink load of dishes before supper. I think we'll head to the cafeteria tonight. Ah, so simple.
Hope you're well.
Aimee |
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| Best Ever Chocolate Cake |
I must qualify the above statement. The following recipe is for the best no sugar added, no fake sweetener, chocolate cake I have ever tasted. It's from the book "What to eat when your expecting" (which pretty much encourages whole grains, unprocessed foods, fruits and veggies, and no sugar). The book was loaned to me by a former student who knows I can't have refined sugar -- which none of the recipes called for. This cake is the most "cakelike" I've made. For those of you who haven't experienced much sugar free baking here's a summary: If you choose to use no artificial sweeteners then fruit is your best sweetening option. Most recipes call for apples or raisins as well as cinnamon. Applesauce and concentrated applejuice are common as well. The cookies/cakes/muffins I make are often more dense than usual and sometimes I just don't want to eat another cinnamonny raisin infested treat (and I like raisins). Anyways I came across this chocolate cake recipe and decided to give it a whirl. It was light - as in, not dense -- it actually rose like a normal cake would. Chocolatey -- my experience with other sugar free chocolate treats is a wimpy amount of cocoa, leading to a wimpy chocoalate taste. Moist - not dry like some other treats I've tried. It makes a 9 x 13 pan, so I froze some and have been enjoying a bit pretty much daily!
Here's the recipe:
Whoops, afterall that lead up I realized I left the book at Jenna's house. You'll just have to wait in suspense, while I continue to enjoy my cake!
Spring has arrived in Camrose and today I went for a lovely walk with a student. I think I got some freckles, hooray! (I really do love getting freckles)
We get our house on Thursday. Been packing some stuff -- won't really move till after the students leave (April 30). Think we'll move in stages. I'm so excited about our yard and deck and garden. Also thinking of colours to paint the living room.
Had our van/car inspected by a mechanic today -- excellent report. He said he'd buy it from us in a heartbeat. What more could you want to hear! He also said it was way better than a minivan. :)
Thanks for all your comments on our littles ones photos and on our new vehicle. There are new readers popping up all over the place. Some quick introductions - Erin Baker, friend from Central Heights youth group days, she is currently expecting a baby this summer, you can visit her blog here . Steve Hubbard, CBC connection, currently has a neat photo blog idea, check it out here . Welcome to Meredith, my sister's cousin-in-law (is that a real thing) and to Danna - another youth group connection. Also welcome to Darla, yet another Central Heights connection from days gone by. I'm sure I've missed people. Oh yes, I have. Sarah, welcome here, thanks for stopping by. Sarah and I went to church together for years and she married Luke who I went to highschool with. All right, if I missed you I apologize. I tend not to be very organized so my missing you has nothing to do with what I think of you. Just so you don't take it wrong. :)
Well, maybe I'll do a sink load of dishes before supper. I think we'll head to the cafeteria tonight. Ah, so simple.
Hope you're well.
Aimee |
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| New Arrival and Growing Belly |
Hi folks. We have a new arrival. No, no babies have been born here -- which reminds me, I have forgotten to congratulate Kristal and Shaun on the birth of Natalie Ryan. Check out Kristal's blog for photos of their lovely new little girl.
And back to our arrival. While I was on holidays Lance discovered that two infant carseats would not fit in the back of our tiny car. The front seats were so far forward to make the car seat fit that they (the front seats) couldn't even lock into place. So we have been on the lookout for a vehicle for our growing family.
Of the following take a guess as to which is our new vehicle. From left to right: Toyota Matrix, Honda Civic, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Voyager, Hyundai Accent.
Scroll Down for the answer.
That's right folks, we are now the proud owners of a 1995 Honda Odyssey. The jump to a minivan was especially hard for Lance - he was hoping to hold out till he's 35 before making this type of purchase. Crazily enough on the insurance a Honda Odyssey is called station wagon. So there you have it, it's not a minivan afterall.
And finally, here's a photo of me and my belly today, 29 wks, 5 days. I measured 38 wks at my appointment on Wednesday, so when Lance says I look like I'm done, or ready, it makes sense. But we still have a lot of ground to cover. A lot of room to grow. I've gained 32lbs so far, and expanded my waist size by 16 inches. No wonder I am feeling really big.
Hope you are well.
Aimee
ps. regarding Shannon's question about if we know the gender or genders of our twins... yes we know, but you'll all have to wait till these little ones arrive to find out. :) |
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| Here they are! |
We had an ultrasound on Monday. Here are two head shots of our little ones.
At my prenatal appointment on Wednesday there were good reports all around. The results from the ultrasound are that the twins are growing well, and are in fact a little on the large size for singleton babies of the same age. Hooray. This is great news.
I've been much more tired lately. Nights are pretty lame - waking up almost every hour. Perhaps I'm being prepared for what is to come.
Today I got blood taken to test iron levels and glucose tolerance (a lovely blessing was that my doctor was flexible regarding the glucose test. I was permitted to do a fasting test instead of a drink the sugar test).
This weekend we have no plans! Hooray.
Well I mostly just wanted to post the photos. I've got more to write but it will have to wait.
Oh, but I must tell you, spring has arrived in Camrose. The snow is gone and the tulips are poking up their heads. The school's courtyard is once again filled with students hanging out and playing whatever sport seems right for the moment. I love looking out my kitchen window and seeing this.
Hope you are well.
Aimee |
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posted by Aimee at 
