Welcome to the World!!!

We are happy to announce the safe and blessed arrival of our new little son, Dexter Aaron Kannel. He was born on Friday, March 25, 2011 at 10:08am. He weighed 8lbs exactly and was 19.25" long. He looked pretty chunky at first, but after many dirty diapers, lost over 1/2 lb before leaving the hospital. He is now skinny and bony, much like his older sister was at birth.

Olivia is doing well with the addition to the household. She likes to 'pet' his head, show him her toys, and pat his belly when he cries. Chris has been amazing since we've been home. He plays with Olivia when I am busy or sleeping, he helps care for Dexter in the night, he helped my mom do the dishes and put away groceries....he is a great husband and father. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.

Dexter is a little ball of cuteness! Of course, as his mother, I'm completely biased...but I at least wanted to throw my opinion out there! Below are some pictures for you: some from the hospital and some from home. For more pictures, check out my Picasa website. Enjoy!

Staying Busy...

I've been trying to stay busy to keep my mind off of the fact that I have no idea when this baby will arrive! I've been spending time outside with Olivia if the weather is permitting. Last week, we picked up sticks in Grandma and Grandpa's yard and then we went to Great Granny's yard to pick up sticks there too. Olivia likes the task and I didn't mind the exercise. Bending over became tougher after a while though! After we picked up sticks at both of those houses, we moved out to Great Grandma and Grandpa Kannel's house. Chris' Dad said sticks needed picked up in their yard too.....but they weren't really 'sticks.' :) When I started to pull the first one through the yard, Olivia said, "Mommy, that's a whole tree!" And she was absolutely right! We've seen trees smaller than that 'stick.' But, we took our time and got the job done. I didn't feel overworked, it was nice to get outside, and I thought the exercise might help bring Baby Kannel along. Guess not! It was still a lot of fun.

Here are some pics from the past few days:

40 weeks in and getting loved on by my toddler

Studies Show....

Studies show that babies in the womb can hear noises and distinguish different voices before they are ever born. I'm not writing an essay about this, so I don't have any quotes or sources. Just a personal experience....

Today my father-in-law was at our house helping us install the door and door frame into the laundry room (pictures to come later). I was sitting near them watching while they were doing the work. Chris used the nail gun, which has a pretty high powered sound if you aren't prepared for the noise that it will make. Well, he shot the gun and it startled me! I wasn't expecting it to make me react that way because I was watching him, I knew what he was going to do, and I knew the sound the gun would make. I was baffled about how much the sound made me jump and pondering why I reacted that way when he shot the gun three more times. It was only then that I realized it wasn't me reacting - it was the baby in my belly! Each time he shot it, the baby kicked and jumped as if he were startled. I then understood why it felt like I jumped the first time...because my insides literally leaped. While it wasn't me reacting, it was still something within my body. It was definitely weird not have my emotions (calm and knowing) match my body gestures (jumpy). But, it was very cool to know that this little guy has the ability to hear and react. Hopefully I'll meet him soon!

What's in a Name?

*You look miserable!
*You look great!
*I bet you're ready!
*You're carrying so high.
*You've dropped.
*Any day now?
*Two weeks left, right?

These comments have all come to me within the past 3 days. Granted, I'm 39 weeks 3 days pregnant - but why does everyone have to judge how I feel based upon how they think I look instead of asking me how I feel? I'm not offended by any of these comments - but rather baffled about some of the things people openly say!

I truly appreciate the people who have asked how I feel or asked how I feel I am carrying this baby before passing judgement - that shows me they care about me instead of making sure their opinion is heard. For now, I'll keep taking comments with a grain of salt!

When will I get to meet this little guy? Only God knows for sure - but I at least know the answer is SOON!

A Kannel Family Weekend

A few pictures from our weekend:

Walking to the covered bridge at the fairgrounds

The main man in her life

Her favorite pancake ever...see the fish on it? It was totally a coincidence, but Olivia was convinced that it was Nemo!

10 Days and Counting...

So, my due date is in 10 days...but I'm hanging in there!

Although it's hard to roll over in bed at night and it takes me longer than usual to get up off the floor, I'm not completely miserable! I truly enjoy being pregnant. Today while Olivia was taking a bath, I decided to use the step ladder to touch up the paint where the ceiling and the walls meet in the bathroom. Why not kill two birds with one stone, right? Well, I carefully climbed up on the ladder, was enjoying painting, and Olivia said to me, "careful Mommy, don't break the ladder!" My feelings weren't too hurt because I know she wasn't implying that I'm a behemoth! Later when we were reading stories together she pointed to the mommy elephant in the zoo book and said, "this is you, Mommy!" I know deep down that she wasn't insulting me - but it seems like I can't catch a break. Even last night when I put on a regular/non-maternity t-shirt and climbed into bed, Chris said, "careful, don't rip the shirt!" Despite all of these silly and crazy comments from the two people I love most in the world...I still enjoy being pregnant!

This thought has been on my heart and mind a lot lately, and I'm feeling the need to get it out by writing about it. Being pregnant truly is a blessing. I've always wanted to be pregnant and always wanted to be a Mommy. I truly feel blessed that God has allowed me both of those gifts. My heart truly goes out to those women who won't be able to experience the miracle of being pregnant and/or won't get the chance to be a mother...especially if these are things they truly desire.

In fact, I have a good friend whom I used with joke with about being the carrier of her baby for her if it ever turned out that she wouldn't be able to do this herself. See, she has a health condition that may cause her body to fail at carrying a pregnancy to full-term. So, we always said, "don't worry...Michelle will be pregnant for you." Although we half-way said this in a joking manner in the past...I now know that I truly was serious about this. I haven't talked to this friend about this particular topic in quite a while and this thought was weighing so heavily on my heart last week, so I decided to send her a message. I wanted her to know that I truly am serious about this offer and that if she can conceive but not carry her own children, I'm willing to do it for her. Does that sound crazy? Me carrying around my friend's fertilized egg inside my womb? Kind of!

But, maybe that means I'm crazy! (My husband says it means I'm 'sick and twisted.') I want this friend to be able to experience motherhood if she can, even though her body wouldn't be able to handle the pregnancy. If it turns out she is healthy enough to do this, then I guess I'm off the hook! (Either that or I open up the offer to some other friend!)

For me, being pregnant is a blessing - and despite the aches and pains, painful kicks from within and the frequent trips to the bathroom...I would love to do it again! I'm giving all the glory to God in this situation and praising him for allowing me to be pregnant.

Which brings me to a reality that will definitely be happening soon....not being pregnant anymore! I'm 10 days away from my due date, so technically this little guy could come at any time. I'm not anxious or nervous about giving birth or having a second child in the home - I'm just curious to meet him! And, I'm curious about the process. Some second labors go quicker than the first, some take longer. Will my labor start in the middle of the night like it did with Olivia, or will it happen while Chris is at work? What will he look like? Will he be healthy? Is Olivia ready for this? Is Chris ready for this? So many questions are swirling through my mind...and the only word I have to describe myself is curious.

Well...I'm off to go be curious some more now...

A Proud Wife

Perhaps I shouldn't be posting this because it's not my news to post...but I'm going to anyway!

I'm very proud of Chris and won't say much...except link you to a few things of his.

His Blog explaining a recent published Magazine cover/article.

A link to the magazine's website where you can read the article online. (Westchester Cottages & Gardens Magazine)

The image gallery with more pictures of the beautiful architecture and interior renovation.

If you have comments, don't leave them here - please leave them on his blog.