Happy Happy Christmas Everyone!

Its been a good year for the Ewalts.  The highlights? We moved to Colorado, we've been on many adventures in our new state, traveled to TX and OR, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, started school and settled in to our newest house.

Matt moved to a new section of ICF and is doing really well.  He also joined a local Toyota club, we have been on several adventures with the club and he is now helping them to plan their annual Moab cruise for next year.  He also keeps us hiking, camping and now snow shoeing on the weekends.

Orson started kindergarten and loves it!  He is excited to go everyday and doesn't believe me that he isn't suppose to go on his off days, his favorite subject is PE followed by recess.  He is, as usual, growing like a weed, enjoys being read to, building with blocks, legos and whatever else he can get his hands on, art of any kind and being a big brother. He also has moved into his own room and enjoys having his own place to play and chill sometimes.

Ferdinand is now 3.  We are working on potty training and he is finally showing some interest.  He is obsessed with firemen and firetrucks, both his birthday and his Christmas wish list were all about firetrucks.   The doctor convinced him to give up his pacifiers (yeah!!) and he is doing well as the middle brother.  He is also super loving and always wants to go walking.

Theodore is loud and super cuddly.  He loves following his brothers around, screaming for attention, climbing and running around, eating all sorts of different foods and sitting on the couch with either his dad or I and cuddling in.

I started a new job selling Jamberry Nails.  I love interacting with adults during parties, having a little extra income every month and being my own boss!  I have also joined a few moms and women's bible study groups and am slowly settling in and making friends.  One of my favorite parts of moving to Colorado was having my own community garden plot this summer.  The boys and I had fun playing, planting and picking fresh veggies and fruit.  I also got a chance to can and freeze a lot of my own produce which was really rewarding.

Next year promises to bring its own excitement.  We are expecting a new family member at the beginning of February, the boys are super excited to add another sibling to the mayhem and I'm ready to have this baby on the outside.  Orson will start full time school in the fall and hopefully Ferdinand will start preschool at the same time.

We hope all of you had a lovely Christmas and have a blessed New Year. Let us know how you are!

Love
The Ewalts

News

We are happy to announce that we will have a new member joining our family this spring.  The official due date is May 27th but we all know that my kids never show up on time.

  Matt and I are a little overwhelmed at the thought of 2 under two but also overjoyed ; Orson is super excited and talks to the baby in my belly all the time; and Ferdinand is just confused as to why mommy is always so tired :) 

The best part is that I am sharing this pregnancy with at least 2 ladies at my bible study, long distance with 2 of my dearest friends from AmeriCorps and with a few far away friends from high school. Now if only we could all move to the same place and raise the babies together! It will be wonderful to have a group of moms around me for this birth . Of course, that is only if we don't end up having to move unexpectedly in the next 9 months!

Week One

We have added a new member to our family and could not be more happy or feel more blessed.  Ferdinand Oliver was born at home November 2, 2011 after 13 hours of labor.  It was a very intense experience full of pain and ending in awe and joy and is not something I would trade for painkillers or a hospital ever again.  Our midwives were amazing and Matt was even more amazing.  He was my rock through the entire labor (just like with Orson's) and I could not have done it without him.  Labor started around 2:30 am and I waited to wake Matt up (because I didn't think it was real) until around 6.  We called the midwives shortly after and then prepared the bedroom for the day.  Orson woke up a little after 9 and was great through out everything.  He spent most of the day with Grandpa watching movies and coming up every once in a while to check on me and tell me that I was doing a "great job" :)  Sometime in the early afternoon my water broke and everything became much more intense and extremely painful.  I tried getting in the tub but felt trapped in it and as I was bleeding a little more then normal, the midwives preferred that I give birth in the bed.  Ferdinand's head came out with the cord wrapped around twice and his shoulder was a little stuck behind my pelvis but the midwives acted quickly and were able to get him out without injury to him and with only a little tare for me.  Apparently my first response to Matt saying it was a boy was "well I guess we will just have to try again."  My response to seeing Ferdinand was instant love and joy.  He is already an amazing member of our family and all of us adore him.  

Ferdinand came out at 9lbs, 22 inches (although we all think he is longer, he just wouldn't stretch his legs out).  His head was 15 cm around, over 5 inches!  He is olive skinned, has darkish eyes and lots and lots of dark hair (not just on his head).  My favorite is that he has little hairy butt :)  He is a good sleeper and an even better eater (he was back to birth weight within 3 days of coming out).  He is also super alert when he is awake and the midwives said that as soon as his head came out that he was giving them the stink eye.   

We had a list of names ready for the little guy but ended up feeling like none of them fit.  That night Matt sat up in bed and said, "What about Ferdinand?"  I looked up the meaning the following day and thought it was perfect for our family and Oliver (also not on the list) fit right in.  His names mean: Adventure/traveler and Peacemaker.  After a week I cannot picture him as anything else and even nicknames don't seem to fit. 

And here are the pictures:

Right after the birth:

 Daddy cutting the cord a couple of hours after birth

 Hairy little man

 Orson (above) and Daddy below cuddling baby

 Long arms, looking cute and first smile:

 Mommy being spoiled with amazing bedside service from Daddy (who knew he could actually cook!) I got amazing meals every night this week, great lunches and the best scrambled eggs for breakfast.

 Lounging after a meal

 Orson glowing with big brother pride

 My boys!

 And Orson getting lots of bonding time with Dad.

Welcome baby Ferdinand.  We are so glad you are here and that you didn't wait as long as Orson did to come out.

Orson Memories and some Baby too

New favorite words/phrases:
I can't like it
Never
I bove (love) you
I want Daddy (when he is in trouble with mommy)
Lucy come back soon (he doesn't seem to realize we are the ones that left)
No naps and No buggies (the second refers to shopping carts at grocery stores)

Actions:
Orson will climb in my lap and kiss every part of my face while saying which body part he is kissing and then wants me to do it to him....one of my favorite parts of any day :)
He asks me to copy things he sees on TV now, today he gave me a branch and asked me to walk around and say "Tut, Tut looks like rain"
He is throwing more and more tantrums and I am having a really hard time dealing with them....something to work on I guess
He is totally into picking his nose!!!


Baby is getting big in my belly.  Hiccups are getting to be a regular occurrence, especially at about 4 in the morning.  Baby seems to really like certain foods and drinks, it starts dancing in my belly two sips into a Strawberry milkshake, a half glass of wine and anything lemon flavored :) 

Blessings

As an update and a prayer of thanks. We got a note back from the midwives that we loved and they offered (without us asking) to work with our upfront costs so that I could still give birth at home. Suddenly my prayer that all will work itself out for the VA side of the move is answered.

One last prayer, get this house here sold :) Nothing like asking a lot, huh?

One last hike and some news

 We took the dogs on their last hike here in sunny California over the weekend.  Next Sunday Orson and I start the long drive home to Texas where the dogs will take up residency with my brother.  I am excited that Nate has offered to take them, we just can't give them the attention they really need with Orson in the house.  Anyway, the hike was along the Yuba river and the views and wildflowers were beautiful.  It was a lovely day and we all had a great time.

In other Ewalt news, Orson has a cool new shirt he wanted to show off.....

That's right a new Ewalt should be joining the fun here sometime in October.  We are all really excited.  Orson has taken to rubbing my belly, making noises at the baby, and  trying to "see it" by looking through my belly button...pretty dare cute.  Unlike with Orson I have felt pretty sick all day everyday with this one, maybe that means it will be a girl :)  We are going to go for a home-birth with some great midwives that Matt and I already like a lot.  After our experiences at the hospital last time, we just know that we will do better and have a more positive experience birthing at home.  

Still waiting, D-day + 1

For all those out there wondering....no baby yet, we are still waiting. My mom had her first baby 3 weeks late, so I will be happy if it is only a week late :) Patience is not one of my virtues, so life is getting harder for those around me everyday, thank goodness they love me. I will let you know as soon as the baby comes and I have time to post a few pictures.

Thoughts, the week of Christmas

Its funny, Matt and I are going to spend our first and last Christmas this year as just the two of us. No family, no kids, just us. I'm excited and sad. Its weird knowing that all of my family has gathered in Houston and to not be with them but at the same time, I'm excited to share the day only with Matt. I hope it all goes well and that the few gifts I got him arrive before Christmas (I was very late ordering so it will be my own fault if they don't). With the baby coming and the new house, we don't plan on having gifts under the tree or anything spectacular and for the first time, since before I started working at 16, I don't have amazing gifts for my family and friends. We sent out cards and I'm in the middle of making a few things but overall I'm just not prepared for the gift giving part of Christmas. I hope everyone isn't disappointed in me because of it.

That being said, I'm excited for Christmas for the first time since Mom died. I am listening to the music and rejoicing in the season. I think a lot of that has to do with the small one I am growing in my belly. At mass on Sundays the message goes straight into my heart and soul and I feel such a bond with Mary. In fact it seems weird that our baby isn't coming on Christmas day but a few weeks later instead. I just feel ready and expectant, I hope the baby isn't too late :)

I'm scared of the birthing part and the pain but I know that Matt and I are blessed and I can't wait to see Matt as a dad...he will be great at it.

Peace and joy this week of Christmas

Parties, Bellies, Snow Hunting, Christmas decorations and more!

This has been a pretty busy couple of weeks and as usual I am behind in my blog.
First, Matt and I attended the ICF/Jones and Stokes Christmas party. We were very surprised by how wonderful and fancy it was, of course since we have both mostly only worked for the federal government that we haven't ever been to a company party before. We had a great night and met some new people who will hopefully become good friends. The company also paid for each of us to recieve a professional couple picture...so here it is:

(Not the best picture but hey they were free and Matt looks great)

My belly has been growing by leaps and bounds as you can see in the above pictures....here are a few more. One is the Matt's view and one is mine. As you can see from my view, half of my belly button is now poking out, I call it my ski slope :)














In semi gardening news, we finally decided on our Christmas tree this year after many false starts. The first time we went looking, we ended up with brand new bookcases from Ikea instead. The next time, Matt went in to sticker shock over the price of trees and finally realized why so many people not from Oregon (where the trees come from) buy fake trees. In the end, we brought in my Norfolk pine and decorated it. We also got the lights up outside the house and its beginning to look a lot like Christmas:














Today, after spending the week decorating and cleaning the house, we decided to take the girls out to see snow for the first time. We went "snow hunting" on interstate 50 and found an amazing spot. It was beautiful and it even started snowing again while we were there. Surprisingly, the girls seemed to be in heaven:

Although, I think Chaquita might have duplicated herself (due to some very werewolf like behavior during the full moon the last couple of nights, howling, screaming and breaking the wire that closes the door to her house) and is now living in AZ at a very nice house....as seen in this magazine add below:

(You can barely see it but this dog is as gray in the face as Chaquita)

Last but not least, we finished the baby's room (well almost). I am very proud of it, I even made the mobile myself....

























Oh wait I almost forgot....Cathy and Barbara from Matt's side of the family sent me the best baby shower gift ever!!!!! Fresh strawberries covered in chocolate and a note saying I don't have to share with anyone. They made me so happy that I giggled and laughed for almost an hour straight.

Some times blogger just doesn't cooperate....sorry for the strange layout but I am done trying to make it work!

This Month

The month of November has been busy for us. We met some new friends, worked on the nursery and of course celebrated Thanksgiving with Matt's family.

We went birding with the Sacramento Audubon Society earlier in the month and met a young couple that we had a lot in common with. Later in the month they invited us to go with them to Bodega Bay to see an Alaskan bird that had decided to make its home there for the winter. We had tons of fun, saw the bird and I think made friends with an awesome couple at the same time.
We have also come to the realization that the baby will be coming in less then 6 weeks (if it is on time) and that we really need to get its room ready. The two weekend leading up to Thanksgiving we worked hard to get the paint on the walls and some of the stuff put away. I hope to get it completely finished this weekend. In the meantime, here is a picture of Matt working hard on the painting.To finish out the month we went on one last long roadtrip to Portland to celebrate Thanksgiving with Pat and Pat and to see Harrison and Haley's new baby, Rowan. We had a blast and discovered a great park to walk the dogs at. The scenery was amazing on the way up and back: but the temperatures were just a little cold for the dogs:


We did the touristy thing out at the Gorge and took some pictures from Crown Point:

On the way back we stopped at Lake Shasta and took a short walk....I recently discovered that overalls were super comfy for long drives (never thought I would wear those again).
I hope that everyone enjoyed their Turkey Day as much as we did.

Baby Shower

My friends and I entered the new century over the weekend. We had a conference call baby shower! My good friend Kelley (also prego) and I were talking many months back about how sad we were that we could not share our pregnancies with our friends because we are all so spread out across the country, when the concept of everyone just calling at the same time to celebrate came up. She took it a step further and threw me a shower complete with recommended treats, decorations and presents.
On Sunday, my friends and family from: Texas, Florida, Dakota, Louisiana, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa and London all called the same conference line inorder to play games, open presents and celebrate. It made me feel so loved and special to know that so many people were out there that loved me and our baby-to-be.
Here are a few pictures of were I sat for the the shower and the pile of gifts that came to my door.

The amount of boxes that came to my house was overwhelming (I love getting presents everyday). It took all of my self control and many, many reminders from Matt for me not to just tear into them when they arrived!
I set up my space with decorations sent from Kelley, a plate of cheese and crackers and a rootbeer!

After the party was over I took a picture of all the gifts so everyone that attened could see how well supplied baby Ewalt was beginning to be.

Last of all, here I am, super pregnant and growing everyday (thank goodness the midwives reassure me everyother week that I am normal and not turning into a big blob)!

Ultrasound Visit

Well its officially a baby in my stomach...just in case you thought it was just a bunch of fudge cycles :)

We went to the doctor this week and have the pictures to prove it, although it looks more like skeletor then a baby to me. Matt and I had lots of fun watching it swim around and pose for the camera but I must admit I sure had a hard time seeing anything specific. No we are not going to find out the sex before it pops out but Matt did think for a split second it was a boy...then the doc told him that he was looking at the umbilical cord (would have been quite a boy)! Well here are a few of the print outs we got (no Anne I don't expect you to think they are anything but blobs, I've seen you try to decifer them before).

This is a picture of the baby looking straight at the camera you can see its head (face looking straight at you on the left side of the picture) and its belly and even some hands and feet if you look close.

This is a close up of the face it looks like a skeleton head with its forehead on the right and the nose in the middle and the chin on the left. Its little hand is also touching the screen (farthest on the left)

Last this is the baby's legs with its little feet to the far right of the image.

Don't worry if you can't see any of the above....it won't offend me :) I can only see it all after staring at the images for a almost a day. Oh and the offical date is Janurary 7th 2009 but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Late runs in the family.