Heath, Pam, Zion, and Eden

Halloween Festivites

2010-11-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here is our Pretty Kitty all ready for trick-or-treating. Eden is now 15 months old (16 on the 16th of November! Time flies!) And, introducing our Terrible Tiger. Doesn't that smile just say it all??!!

We also visited a variety of pumpkin patches this past October. Here Eden is on a pile of punkins at Krueger Farm.

Zion...with dirt on his face and everything. I won't tell you about the ashes he rolled around in after this picture was taken! Oops, I just did! :)

If you can believe it, this is the best family shot that we got. Eden was done with the festivities at this point.

Love, LOVE this picture of the girl. She is strapped to Heath's chest and happy as a clam. So cute!

"Zion did it, Ma!"

Who knows what he is thinking here! He is such a funny little man!

Eden in her first pumpkin patch at Bauman Farms. This was our third year taking our babies there and they just love it. There is so much to do there.

I think this shot is so precious of my dad, "Papa", and Zion. So timeless!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here! Until next time....

What we are up to these days

2010-09-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I've updated our blog, but lots has been going on since July. Zion has attempted potty training, of which I did not include pictures so as to maintain his dignity. :) But we are putting that on hold for now. Ugh! I just opened another Costco box of size five diapers for him this week. He is just not ready. He is, however, climbing on anything and everything. I guess that is what boys are born to do. Lots of swimming has been going on. Mostly naked swimming--the best kind for cute babies.

Let's not forget Eden's nose wrinkling-business. So cute with all her recent sassiness. She is also taking steps here and there and is for sure going to be walking full-time soon, which I am not excited about. What am I going to do with two walking kids that want to go opposite directions?

Zion has learned how to wink and has moved from a high chair to the table. It is actually less messy this way! Nice!

Oh, and Eden loves her birthday teddy bear. So sweet. I couldn't resist taking this picture of her napping the other day.

So, there is our life in a nut shell. Looking forward to fall candles, but not the rain. Oh, well, this is Oregon.

The Girl

2010-07-19T10:53:00.001-07:00

Here she is blowing out her candle at her first birthday party.

I am quite proud of how cute these turned out. They were so fun to make!

Here's the girl and her spread.

Heath with the kids on her actual birthday.

The pretty girl on her birthday.

The baby girl that I gave birth to just over a year ago turned one on the 16th. This time last year I was pumping, not sleeping (much), and healing from a large incision on the lower part of my belly. This year we are celebrating lots of things: having a one and a two year old; having two children who sleep through the night; me almost (still nursing twice a day) having my body back (aka: not being or pregnant or nursing since August 2007); and being so thrilled with our boy and girl.

Where is Summer?

2010-06-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

Zion and his friend, Noah, at his birthday party. Eden playing peek-a-boo.

Zion and Eden wanting the same toy. Eden wants whatever toy Zion has. Oh, the joys of being siblings!

Zion on his second birthday. (It's so hard to get a nice picture of him!)

Eden on the swings at the park. She loves swinging!

Here we are mid-June and still having to turn the heat on sometimes! What is that about? Eden is growing out of her summer clothes before she even has a chance to wear them! Loads of cute sun dresses just waiting for the arrival of the sun.

Well, besided waiting around for some summery weather, we've been pretty busy. Zion turned two May 16th. I tried to have a scaled-down party, but we still ended up with 24 people in our little house. The backyard party was out of the question due to rain. Anyway, he loved the attention and opening the presents. He also got a bed that he is now transitioning into--a little roughly, I might add. Note to self: don't go cold turkey from the crib to bed with Eden. Oops. Sorry about that, little man.

Heath's summer program is underway. So he is busy, busy, but loving the interactions with his interns. He is also having a ball with the lawn maintenance since ditching the push mower and upgrading to a "real" lawn mower--outfitted with a catcher and all! We also celebrated our 5th anniversary on June 11th where we went out on a surprise date that Heath planned. What a guy, I have! :)

Eden is still not crawling full time, but can certainly get where she wants to go. She is pulling up to her knees now, scootching forward on her tummy, and can move backwards on her knees. I'm sure she'll get the hang of the forward motion soon. She also has four teeth now. The two bottom teeth just popped through this week. She continues to be a lover and is just trying to navigate playing around her brothers' flying toys.

I am enjoying the time I have with my kids at home and am happy that I am not my friend, Rachel, who just had twin boys! :) My MOPS group has a summer book club that I am participating in (PS, don't read Rooftops of Tehran). I have also developed a bit of a crush on roller derby since I found out about it on LA Ink when a girl got a tattoo of roller girls. So I am looking into that sport a bit more these days. We'll see what the future holds on that one. . . .

End of April Pics

2010-05-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Little Eden still hasn't broken a tooth yet, but you can just see them trying to break the surface of her gums. Her constantly runny nose and bulging gums hope they will hurry up and make an appearance! She is really starting to get around now. Still not crawling, but she gets those legs under herself just fine.

Here Zion is making history by trying his hand at licking his first beater. I used to love to lick the beater when my mom was baking!

Already trying to fill Dad's shoes! He came stomping down the hall in Heath's shoes the other morning so proud that he could get them on and actually move in them!

Here the kids are playing with each other. They just started playing together this past week. So cute! Eden sure loves to watch Zion!

My How Time Flies!

2010-04-16T21:09:00.001-07:00

Eden turned 9 months today. What a precious little joy she is to us! She is scootching everywhere now and making Zion laugh. I love how the two kids interact with each other. I hope they get along well. Look at those legs! Couldn't you just eat them with a spoon? And I love her toes. So chubby and kissable.

Today marks the 23rd month birthday for my little Zion. He is, let's all say it together, almost TWO! And acting like it! Climbing on everything. Talking up a storm(nothing melts my heart more then to hear him say, "I love you, Mama."). Telling me when he is poopy (could potty training be in our near future?). And, yes, exercising his will.

What sweet kids we have!

Tidbits

2010-04-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here we are with the trees budding, flowers blooming, and spring rains readying the ground for new life to come. What that means for our home is allergies (Heath), a chance to pick flowers from their stems (Zion), and babies learning about the world they live in and doing new tricks (Eden).

It is fun to watch Eden as she explores the world around her. She is now starting to scoot everywhere and reach for toys that she wants. She still hasn't flipped from her back to her stomach, but I am sure that is soon to come.

Zion's vocabulary expands every day. It is fun to hear what comes out of his mouth. All of his teachers (Sunday school and MOPS) tell us that he is just chatting up a storm. I am glad other people understand what he is saying too!

Zoo Boat and Monthly Birthdays

2010-03-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, handsome boy! Zion turned 22 months on the 16th! We are close to having a two-year old on our hands, folks! And this little patootie turned 8 months on the 16th! She is sitting up on her own now and is so, so, so cute! Love those soft arms!

Hi, kiddies!

We visited the Pittock Mansion in NW Portland. It was interesting to see a bit of Portland history.

Just a cute picture of Eden.

Wave to Zion!

Nice smile, baby!

Heath's show, Zoo Boat, set sail this past weekend. It was a hit, I am glad to report! Look at all the cute animals that were aboard his show. We are glad that this big project is behind us, but are happy about the impact it had on the kids in his afterschool program.

We got a new tow-behind from some friends a couple weekends ago and are loving it. The kids like it too. They are so precious all cuddled next to each other.

March Already??

2010-03-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Morning, Zion!

My sleeping beauty. She sometimes falls asleep in her swing after dinner and before bed. What kissable cheeks those are!

Dad and Zion working in the backyard.

Eden's first bath in the bathtub.

Eden swinging in the park.

Hi, friends. Can you believe it is March already?! I love the flowers coming up and the blooming cherry trees! It is so refreshing.

Heath is also back out in our yard making it pretty. He does such a good job with it! It will be fun when Zion can just toddle out back and play out there. Still a bit wet and muddy for that, but we're getting there. He does like to "help" Heath in the backyard, though. I guess he kept eating mud and dirt and coming up to Heath saying, "Yucky. No food," with a mouth full of it. Glad I wasn't there to see that. I keep having to remind myself that he is a boy and that is normal.

Eden had her first bath tub bath yesterday while the boys were out in the backyard. She was non-plussed about the situation and just wanted to chew on the toys. I think she is cutting some teeth on the bottom because she is cranky for no reason sometimes. She has a well-baby check tomorrow so we'll see what the doctor has to say about that.

My friend, Rachel, found out last week that she is having TWIN BOYS! They are so excited! Yay for Rach and Jake!

21 and 7 Months Today

2010-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today the kiddies celebrated their monthly birthdays. Zion is now 21 months--almost two years old already! And Eden turned 7 months. They are such good kids. We are truly blessed to be their parents! Lord, thanks for the blessing of being able to parent Zion and Eden! We love them so much.

Firsts

2010-02-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Our little Eden had her first ride in the shopping cart yesterday. Can I just say. . .I LOVE COSTCO! And God bless them for having the ginormous cart that seats TWO little ones! I went over there yesterday to get a couple items and decided to try Eden out in the cart. She loved it! It was so fun seeing her right there beside Zion. He loved it too. He kept putting his arm around her and his head on her shoulder. What a pair they are! She isn't quite sitting up on her own yet, but did just fine all strapped into the Costco cart. I just can't tell you how cute her little legs were in her pink tights kick, kick, kicking from the seat of the cart. What an absolute doll!

She also recently took her first swing ride in the park. I am sorry to say I haven't yet documented that on film yet. But I will remember to take my camera to the park eventually. We even went there today (because how beautiful was today's weather!) for a walk and some play time. Zion hates leaving the park. He is starting to enter the "terrible twos", I'm afraid.

Sorry about the lack of pictures this time!

January 2010

2010-02-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Eden getting her grub on. She loves food! Our boy on the stairs.

The kids playing together.

Nothing like Dad time!

Heath playing with Eden during meal time.

Not much to report for January. The kids are growing like weeds--Eden is almost sitting up and Zion is chatting away! They are getting so big!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here is Zion last Christmas. Only child. Just starting to move around and making only polite messes. What a handsome little guy! (7 months old)Here he is this Christmas! Still handsome, but with more hair and teeth and the ability to make a MASSIVE mess in nine seconds flat! (19 months)But this Christmas, we also added another little bundle to our family! Here is Eden at 5 months old. She is such a cutie! So big in her exersaucer.Zion is so sweet to her. Always giving her hugs and kisses, whether she wants them or not! You can certainly tell they are siblings in this picture, huh!? My wonderful babies!I'm innocent, mom, I swear!

Oops, she caught me on film!
Here we are on Christmas day at the Cloutiers' house.

Eden is now 5 1/2 months old and she has started showing us signs of being hungry. So I started her on some rice cereal a few days ago. She doesn't really care one way or the other about it. Here are her first bites of food. Zion's first experience with snow. He loved playing in it and eating it.

What a Month!

2009-12-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

A close-up of Miss Eden Belle's cute cheeks and pretty eyes! Zion sporting his "hat".

Zion giving Eden some love. He's not going to know what to do when she forms an opinion of his love!

Eden's cute body.

"I love my play mat!"

I'm 4 months old today!

I'm 18 months old today and I have a fantastic grin on my face in this picture!

Heath going in the stage door for his concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. A door only "the chosen" get a chance to use!

Not sure how Zion got part of his sandwich ON his head while eating it. Funny boy!

Eden with her great grandma on Thanksgiving.

Whew! Every month I say to myself, "Self, you are going to blog more this month." Then the month slips by in a blind frenzy of breastfeeding (only one hand for typing--annoying to type with only one hand!), whirlwind weekends (no time for typing), and play dates (again, not typing/blogging friendly situations). So here we are already in December. December!? And I have to admit, I have taken down the fall/Thanksgiving decorations, but haven't gotten out the Christmas ones yet. Not even a Christmas CD yet! Heath even mentioned our lack of holiday cheer around here the other day. I told him I had to wait for the bug to bite me. So I'm just going to wait!

Anyway, the kiddos are doing well. Fighting colds and pink eye, but they are as cute as ever and growing so fast! They are now 18 months (Zion) and 4 months (Eden). Zion is chatting up a storm--real words! It is so fun to watch him learn and absorb the world around him. And he is entering the terrible two phase. Isn't this too early??!! Eden is so cute and interactive. She gives us the sweetest smiles and loves to be cuddled. I love her little chubby legs in tights. What a joy she is to us!

Heath had his first concert with the Portland Symphonic Choir and the Schnitzer. It's always been his dream to perform on stage there--that old, charmingly-ornate-musty smelling concert hall. They performed Brahms' German Requiem and it was pretty entertaining. (I was glad I had forgotten my magazine to occupy myself while at the concert at home!)

Thanksgiving was fun with the Meier side this year. Always good to see my brother and his family. I made a pumpkin cheesecake that was to die for! It looked and tasted like something they would have had at The Cheesecake Factory. Yummy!

Well, better get going. Hopefully the holiday season will catch up to me soon so I can pull out the decorations, deck out a tree, wrap presents, and join the rest of the world!

You Were Wrong!

2009-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Mom and Dad, but you were wrong! Trick or treating is SO MUCH fun!

Tonight we decked Zion out in a tiger costume and face paint (well, okay, my eye liner) and hit the streets. And let me tell you. . .he got the loot! It was nice because he doesn't get candy yet, so he was oblivious as to what people were giving him. We'll see if he is so innocently guiless next year!

We had a great time toting this cute little boy around and just being together. We feel so lucky to have our kids and each other.

We dedicated the kids last week at our new church--Mosaic. We don't get many family pictures, so here we all are! Eden is now 3 1/2 months old and Zion is 17 1/2 months.

Cutie Pies!

2009-10-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Through the Night!

2009-09-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Our little girl has slept through the night the past couple nights! Yay! Last night it was 12-7 am and the night before it was 11-6 am! I wasn't going to get excited about it, but since she has done it two nights I am hoping for a pattern! Keep your fingers crossed!

On another note, we went to the jazz bar, Jimmy Mak's, with friends last night and it was thoroughly enjoyable! It was nice to sit there, with adults, and listen to some fun music.

Labor Day

2009-09-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day, we took a little family trip up the Gorge. First we went to the Portland Women's Forum lookout point (random name for such a place, I know). Then we traveled up the mountain to Larch Mountain where we took a little hike to the summit, which is what you see here.

Heath had to carry both kids up the mountain because he loves to be "THE Dad".

After our little hike, we met up with my parents for dinner at the Edgefield McMenamins in Troutdale. If you have never been there, GO! It is so cool! Here Zion is picking flowers and offering rocks to anyone who would take them.

Here are some pictures of the kids with their cousins on my side:

and on Heath's side. This is little Boston Cole and Eden. He is seven weeks older than her.

She is bigger than this now. We had an appointment for he a couple weeks ago and my guess is that she is 10 1/2 pounds now. She is fun to have around and Zion is adjusting to her too.

Just a couple random thoughts:

-If you have not eaten at The Screen Door Restaurant on 24th and East Burnside, you MUST! It is my new favorite place! It is southern food, and let me tell you, it does speak to the soul!

-We found our new place during the Street of Dreams in August! :) We'll let you know when we're moving into a Pearl District Penthouse!

-I forgot how much I love pedicures!!

-Being a mom of an infant (and breastfeeding said child) IS work, but is so rewarding!

-If possible, have your children more than 14 months apart! I am managing them on my own, but they are not both always happy. ;)

-If anyone knows how I can get my "Other Blogs I Read" section back on my blog since I updated the background, please let me know! I think I just need to change the font color, but I am not sure how to do that. Help!

Pictures!

2009-08-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well. . .

2009-07-25T20:08:00.001-07:00

We did not make it to August for the birth of our little one! In fact, July 16th, we had an emergency c-section. So, our little Eden Belle has joined our family! She is so cute and lumpish. We had forgotten how small they are at first. Plus, since she was three weeks early, she only tipped the scales at 6 pounds 5 ounces when she was born. She was 19 1/2 inches, which was the exact length Zion was at full term.

She is doing great and we just love her to pieces! Here are some pictures:

Today's Appointment. . .

2009-07-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Determined that I am starting to dialate! We're at a 1 so far. I really would like to make it to August, but we'll see. . .

And Heath finished rototilling the backyard tonight. Now he has to level it and plant grass! What fun it is to watch him with his new landscape maintenance skills.

Getting There

2009-07-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we are almost to 37 weeks now. I have another appointment with my doctor this morning so we'll see how things are progressing. Last week's visit reaped nothing interesting except that I am starting contractions now and then.

I had another ultrasound to check Eden's size and she looks perfect! We're still going to try for the VBAC. I am nervous about the birth, but I know she will come out one way or another! I just hope it doesn't take 28 hours this time!

Heath is in his fourth of six weeks of the PSP Program and loving it. He is also working on expanding our backyard so every night this week he's been out until dark 'tilling up the dirt, getting rid of the blackberry roots. It'll be fun having more room back there for the kids to play.

Zion is now a toddler! He doesn't crawl at all anymore. His understanding of speech picks up more everyday too. This morning he made the "moo" sound for a cow when we were reading a book. So cute! He is such a delight--a true crown on our head.

So there is a quick peek into our life. I'll post more about Eden when we have more details!

June News

2009-07-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

The sun has finally arrived again. It has been nice to see the blue sky, but the trade off is steep--I am SO HOT! Ugh!

Here Zion is getting ready to play in a local water feature. We are lucky to have several parks around us with them. He absolutely LOVES playing in water (but still hates the bathtub. We can't figure that one out!). I love this picture of his toddly-penguin walk and how his shorts are really pants.

Just THRILLED about this little stream of water. So innocently cute!

"Here's my tummy!" He likes to pat it when you ask him where it is. Seems like he learns something new everyday. Talking has also started. Some of his words are: dog, tree, please, food, cheese, shoe, this, no-no-no, Dada, Mama, and oops.

He also got his first haircut in June.

Before:

During:After:

June also brought a new baby into our fam. Little Boston Cole! Congratulations, Brock and Natasha! He is just so adorable and perfect! Unfortunately, I never got a great angle of his precious face or one with him and his parents. Isn't he a DOLL!

Here Zion is with his first boy cousin on Heath's side.

Speaking of babies. . .our Eden Belle is due in five weeks! And, yes, I have the BEL-LY to prove it! I begin my weekly doctor visits next week. Yikes! She'll be here before we know it! Yeah!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. This is already Thursday and I am just getting around to posting about this past weekend. . .but at least I'm doing it!

Saturday was my Nana's funeral in Yamhill. Cousins were there that I had not seen in years and other relatives were there that I had never met. The memorial service was nice--light-hearted--which makes for a pleasant funereal environment. Then all of us trucked over to Depoe Bay/Lincoln City. It was a beautiful weekend at the coast, weather-wise!

My mom and her siblings took Nana's ashes out to sea on Monday and then we all headed home.

Kasi, my cousin, had her baby boy on Sunday, so we stopped by the hospital on the way home to meet Travis Michael. I don't remember Zion ever being THAT small! He is going to look gigantic next to Eden when she comes! Which reminds me, good luck, Natasha! She'll hopefully be having their boy any day now!

Here are some pictures of Zion's first trip to the beach. He was SO cute and loved the sand. Since it is hard to keep his fingers out of his mouth, he did end up swallowing a good amount of sand.

Cousins Bailey and Brayden playing with Zion.

Brody and Zion playing with foliage. They are 9 months apart but about the same size.

The "Men" and their hats: Heath, Zion, and my dad.Heath and Zion mowing the lawn.

Zion's 1st Birthday!

2009-05-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 16th marked Zion's first year in this world. It was a great party and he loved playing with all the kids! He is such a lucky little boy to be loved so much by so many people.

We moved the party to the park at the last minute because the weather was just beautiful.

Unfortunately, yesterday (Sunday) he came down with a fever that is still lingering today. I am hoping that doesn't get worse as the day progresses.

Here are some pictures of the party:

Here he is on his birthday morning. He is such a happy little man!

Us with The Boy.
This is his birthday cake. I had Heath help me decorate it and he did a great job.

Blowing out the candle.

Cake time!

Here he is with his girlfriends Mackenzie. . .

and Jordan.With his cousins, Brody (almost 2) and Brayden (almost 5).

Here he is in the grass for the first time. He didn't like the feeling of it and would not crawl or walk in it.

Pretty busy weekend for the him, but so fun! Here is to another great year with our little guy. . .

Out Walking

2009-05-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to put a book we borrowed from some friends to use. The book is about different walks you can take through Portland. It is full of information and is like having a tour guide with you. So we took the walk through the Pearl Disctict and Slabtown. However, we only made it through the first half due to a hungry and sleepy baby. So Slabtown will have to be done in the future. We love getting to know our new city. There is so much to explore and do here.

Pictures of our tour:

It started at Union Station. What a pretty building this was! The inside still has a very 30's feel to it and looks as if you should see a couple waving goodbye to each other as the train whisks one off from the other.

There was this walking path over the tracks that we found. Very pretty view from up there of the bridges in the area.

Our walk continued past the Federal Building. Again, another gorgeous structure.

We walked up further and found the old customs building. It is hard to tell in this picture, but it is in an old Italian style. Very ornate and pretty. We are not sure what it is today.

Zion got to ride on the swings in the park--his favorite thing!

We then walked past the old Armory building. It is now a trendy theatre. We ducked in there to escape the downpour that had caught us.

After the shower passed, we went on to Jamison Park. We will have to visit this park again when the weather warms up!

We continued on to the more industrial section of the Pearl, but we didn't take any pictures there because we were into the meltdown by then. You'll have to wait for our Out Walking Part 2!

What a Month!

2009-05-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

What a great month April was! The changing of the seasons is always my favorite time of year. We got Eden's room set up this month (sorry, no pictures of that) and did tons of other stuff. I'll give you a tour with pictures:

Zion and Heath building a shoe rack. Zion got a bunch of toy tools that he loves to use.

Here is Zion's 11 month picture:

Zion took some first steps while we were at Frank and Nora's house this past week. He'll be running before we know it!

Alex had her 3rd birthday party. She is getting so big!

Zion on the swing at Columbia Park. He loves the swings! When we are still about 1/4 of a mile away from them he starts jumping in the stroller. He is so cute!

Heath's new bike. He loves riding to work and home.

Zion on his new slide. It is just his size.

And the saddest part of the month. . .my Nana died. We were able to go see her in the hospital one last time before she went. She had a good life and was a GREAT Nana to me and her other grand-kids. She went peacefully and now she is with my Papa again. We will miss her so much!

The Update

2009-04-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

After lots, and I mean lots, of discussion about what to do with our kids' bedroom/bed situations, we have it figured out (for today at least!). Since Zion will only be 15 months old when Eden arrives, we figure he will most likely not be ready for a big bed--especially since he is prone to lots of bed-shifting at night. So I have been looking on Craigslist (LOVELOVELOVE Craigslist!) for a crib. Something cute, newish, and, frankly, a bargain. I found it today! Little Miss Eden Belle's room now has a plan that we'll put together in the next couple months or so. (Due to this fact, if you want to visit us in Portland and have an actual bed to sleep in, come visit NOW because we'll soon only have couches for guests!)

In other news, Zion is trying to get over croupe, poor guy.

He is 20.4 pounds. Now all he has to do is turn 1 and then we can face his carseat forward. He'll love that.

Speaking of turning one. . . . His birthday party (and actual birthday, in fact) is on May 16th so mark it on your calendar! Invitations are going out soon!

Here are a couple pictures:

A pretty cute little guy!! I love the sparkle of mischief in his eyes here.

Zion blowing kisses. It is his latest trick.

Meal time mess. (Those are black beans he is eating. Looks questionable in this picture, though!)

He likes to put his toys in his mouth and "walk" around with them. This is the easiest way of transporting himself AND his toys at the same time.

Heath and Zion doing some tasks. What a good helper!

Appointments

2009-03-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had an appointment for Zion. He has gained THREE pounds in the past two months-yes, he IS an eater. He is finally out of the "scrawny" category at 19.5 pounds and 10 months old. He is also now 28 1/2" tall. Growing boy! He had to get three shots too, and of course it was from the nurse in training. She was SO slow with the shots. They are usually done so fast he hardly has time to cry. Poor thing. He is such a champ, though. He cried just while she was doing them and was fine by the time I picked him up. Looks like Zion is in good shape overall.

Today we had an appointment for our little newbie.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

So we are TOTALLY excited about this. It will be fun to have one of each. I was hoping it was a girl but was going to be so excited if it was a boy too. The rest of the anatomy visit went well too. She looks great--finger, toes, cute profile, and internal stuff in tact. We are thankful that she is on her way and the Lord is knitting her together perfectly. Her name will be:

Eden Belle

Isn't that totally cute?! We have had this name chosen forever. Eden is a place in the Bible (like Zion), unique, but not too unique, two syllables so people won't shorten her name, and beautiful sounding. Belle means "beautiful" and is after my mom. Her middle name is Isabel. Our girl's name will mean "beautiful garden". I just love it!

Well, that sum up our appointments from the past couple days. Good news all around!

Heath's Birthday Weekend

2009-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

This past Friday (the 13th) was Heath's 31st birthday. Yeah for another year! Emily and Justin, our friends we visited in California a couple months ago, were up here so we spent the day with them on Friday. It was fun walking around 23rd with them. Zion was so content watching the world go by from the vantage point of his stroller. He is such a good baby! We had lunch at Laurelwood Pub which was so good! Try it if you are ever on 23rd. We even got to eat outside which is rare in Portland on a March day.

Saturday Heath's parents came up to see him and we had lunch here. Then Saturday night. . .WE SAW WICKED!!! It was so fun! Our friends watched Zion for the evening (the first time someone other than us has put him to bed) and we just had so much fun. We had not been to the theatre in a long time and Heath has been wanting to see Wicked forever. I bought him tickets for Christmas. If you have a chance, you should go see it! It is fabulously eye-poppingly colorful and of course the music is fun too.

Sunday we went to church, had lunch with some friends, and then spent the rest of the day shopping and in the Pearl. Powell's Bookstore is overwhelmingly huge and we ate dinner in Chinatown.

So, that was our busy weekend. We have to do all the touring now before the new babe comes and it will be harder to get out for a while again. Oh, we have our ultrasound this Wednesday where we will find out the sex of the baby. Yeah! And Zion is 10 months old today! He is getting so big!

February Pictures

2009-03-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the nakey-walking baby with Grandpa Frank's help. He loves "walking" around now.

Here he is crawling--he does that on his own.

We got to visit with Sam, Darci, and their kids over Valentine's Day weekend.

Here Zion is with Brody, Sam and Darci's youngest. He is nine months older than Zion.

Cousins--Brody, Bailey, Zion, and Brayden. Aren't they all so cute?!

Life

2009-03-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

So our little lives have just kept on going. In the past few weeks Zion has really taken to crawling. He is everywhere now and pulling up on everything. This makes things more complicated because he is more prone to falling due to his clumsy attempts. He is so cute, though, scooting around chasing his toys and me. He likes to be between my legs when I am trying to cook. Makes for an interesting picture--seeing how far I can stretch from one location.

He continues to be a good eater--up to 18 pounds now! I am hoping he'll be able to face forward in his carseat by his first birthday and we just might make it! Pretty sure he can gain a couple more pounds by May.

He now has two teeth in and is starting to nibble. Lovely. I am determined to keep nursing him until he is one, though. Then that will be that with child #1. Speaking of, we will be 18 weeks this week. Our big ultrasound is scheduled for March 18th so we should have the results of the sex after that. We talked the doctor to dragging in her ultrasound machine at my last visit, but the baby's feet were in the way and it was too wiggly. So, we will wait in suspense a couple more weeks before finding out if it will be a boy or girl. I have started feeling it move around in the past couple weeks. I just love that feeling. I am trying to revel in the fact that I am still comfortable and can get to and from the floor with ease. I know that is short-lived.

Well, I'll post pictures soon. I have to upload the February pics to the computer first.

Random Pictures

2009-02-09T19:12:00.001-08:00

Here Zion is in a storage bucket. Just a cute shot.his is The Blessed Dr. Monica Wehby, the doctor (well, the head one) that performed Zion's surgery. He had a check up a couple weeks ago and she says he "Looks just perfect"!

Couldn't we all use a bit of this right now?! This is the view from the boat ride through the Marriott Hotel's gorgeous landscape in La Quinta. Oh, for some warm sunshine!!

Vacation to California

2009-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, we did it! Our first road trip as a family and it was totally spur-of-the-moment. We drove a total of five days to spend a total of five days in so-sunny Southern California. Worth it, though!!

Our friends, Emily (Aunty Em) and Justin (Uncle Juice), live in La Quinta, which is a suburb to Palm Springs. BEE-YOU-TI-FUL would describe the place: warm weather, sunny skies, citrus fruit growing on the side of the road, and picturesque homes and resorts. La Quinta was actually named after the resort (of the same name) that was a refuge for the wealthy in the 20's and remains so today. Many of the golfers playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic were staying there as the PGA Tour was in town at the same time we were.

Justin and Emily

Heath and Zion lounging by one of the MANY pools at the La Quinta Resort.

Zion eating an orange on the tree. Everyone is encouraged to pick and eat fruit from the trees all over the city.
Me and Zion at the Resort. This is his "lion roar" face. So cute!

Zion had lots of firsts on our trip. . .

First long car ride. He was such a trooper!

I LOVE how he sucks his tongue when he sleeps.
First bike ride. We loved riding around with him. We'll for sure be getting a bike seat for him so we can take family rides.

He had a hard time balancing sometimes becaue he wanted to suck his fingers.

First time down a slide and swimming.

Not so sure of the slide.

Playing with some of the 57 grapefruit that we picked on the side of the road.
So, over all, we had a GREAT trip. We were spoiled by Justin and Em and had a relaxing time. It is hard to be home in this refrigerator we call Oregon!

In Palm Springs!

2009-01-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

We are currently on vacation in Palm Springs, California and are LOVING the sunshine! We are wearing t-shirts and flip-flops everyday. Tomorrow we are planning a lazy day by the pool--ultimate ahhhhh!

Our friends, Emily and Justin, live down here. I am taking lots of fun pictures that I will post after we get back home.

Two Birthdays

2009-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Let's start with Zion's:

Today he is eight months old! He now scoots around on the floor so well. It works really well in his jammies since he is so slip-slip-slippery on our wood floors. He also licks it as he moves along. So I guess I have to clean the floors more often now!

Here he is trying to crawl. He looks like a dying buy with his bum up in the air. He'll probably be crawling really soon and then my life will get more hectic with a roving baby.

He is now fitting into his nine month clothing. This little jacket is so cute! We just had his check up this week and he is fifteen pounds (10th percentile) and 27" long (75th percentile). Who know Heath and I could have a tall, skinny baby!

Here he is helping me with the laundry. Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks and pinch that belly?!

We went for a walk this morning because the sun was so beautiful! Here he is all bundled up. Those baby blues are just going to kill the girls someday!

*********
And now Quarter Pint:

Yesterday I had a check up for baby #2. It is growing like a little weed! Today I am 11 weeks along (hence, a quarter finished. . .). She wasn't exactly sure of the age of it the first time I went in so yesterday she brought the ultrasound machine back in for another peek. Seems like we are on track now at exactly 11 weeks today. She moved the due date up a bit too, but we'll just stick with the August 10th due date. Here is the little rascal:

Here is a shot of the whole body. The ultrasound says "hi dad" in it because I didn't think we would be getting another peek at the baby so Heath did not come to the appointment. So when she wheeled in the machine I told her that Heath was going to be upset he didn't get to see the baby again. So she wrote a little note on it for him.

Profile shot. Don't you think it looks like a girl??? I guess we'll know in a couple more months!

*********

In other news:

Rachel's baby, Mackenzie, is now two months old!

Here she is just a few days old with her dad, Jake. Isn't she a doll!

Here she is at about six weeks old. Zion was so curious about her.

We continue to feel so blessed to be entrusted with Zion. He is such a little treasure from the Lord. We just love being his parents and are excited about #2!

Christmas

2009-01-02T16:31:00.001-08:00

Christmas was not what we expected this year due to the blast of wintery weather. In an effort to join Sam and his family in Bend, we tried to drive to my folks' house to ride with them over the pass. Well, eight hours later, we were back home. Yep, we had made it as far as Wilsonville in seven hours and finally gave up and drove home. Thankfully, that only took one hour!

So I have yet to see my niece and nephews on Christmas day in three years. Sad, I know.

Here are some pics:

We celebrated Christmas early with just the three of us.

Heath gave Zion three books for Christmas. They were so cute. It was sweet the way that Heath read these little board books to Zion; what a pair they make!

Who doesn't love a good nakey baby picture! :) I just love his little body--it's so kissable!

I gave him some shoes. He'll be needing those soon!

Christmas morning and Zion in his Santa suit.

My parents drove up Christmas Eve and stayed the night. It was fun having a small Christmas, but we would have loved a larger one! Oh, well, next year!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Time

2008-12-20T11:13:00.001-08:00

Lots has happened since I last posted. Like. . .

1. Zion's surgery is over and a month behind us now.

This is one day post-op. Giving Zion up to the group of surgeons the morning of November 19th was the most heart-breaking thing we have ever gone through. We are so thankful everything worked out just fine and that is behind us now. Here is a picture of him today with his perfectly rounded forehead (he turned seven months on the 16th of this month):

He is so happy and such a good baby. We were afraid the surgery would hamper his spirit but he is just fine! All his scabs are gone now too! His scar looks just great (you can't even see it in this picture!). We are so thrilled about our baby boy!

2. We moved into our new house! We closed at the beginning of November and feel really settled now.

Here is our kitchen. It is my favorite part of the house!

This is the rest of our first floor--dining room and living rooom all in one. Then you go up the stairs to the bedrooms.

Our bedroom. Our nook is fun. And here is the view out the window of our nook:

3. I got a new haircut:

I really like it and have not had short hair forever! Plus, it is nice because Zion was constantly pulling and chewing on my hair. Problem sovled!

4. Our last bit of news has to do with our family. . .and the expansion of it. That's right! We're adding another little one to our clan in August. You may think we are crazy but we are excited about it. Here we go again! :)

Merry Christmas!

What a Whirlwind!

2008-11-23T19:41:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a while. Just thought I would update everyone on our life. We have been SO busy the past few weeks and here is why:

*We bought a house! We closed two Fridays ago. From the moment we closed a 5 o'clock, we started the whirlwind to get moved in and semi-settled before Zion's surgery. We LOVE our house! It is perfect and a true gift from the Lord. We are thankful for it.

*Both of us have successfully lost some weight. So we are also thankful for that. Heath is at his goal but I still have a ways to go. I'll get there, though!

*Zion's surgery was last Wednesday. We really felt all the prayers and although the time leading up to the event was SOOOOO sad, we were at peace while they were actually performing the surgery. Totally an answer to prayer! He was in the ICU for a day and night and then we moved to the regular infant/toddler unit. We got to come home yesterday (Saturday). He is looking so much better each day and today he really started acting like Zion again. Again, another thing to give thanks for next Thursday.

*My birthday was on the 21st. We did get to go out to dinner while Grandpa Frank and Grandma Nora stayed with Zion in the hospital. It was the first date we had had without Zion! He was in good hands, though! :)

*Rachel, my good friend, had a baby girl on the 15th! She highly recommends the epidural. :) Mackenzie Isabell is so perfect and has a full head of brown hair with Rach's cute chin.

*Tonight I actually got out a couple Thanksgiving decorations. I have not really felt like doing any extra decorating stuff in the midst of all the moving and Zion stuff. I am anxious to get back to normal--whatever that means!

Well, happy Thanksgiving and thanks to all of you who have been praying for us these past few weeks! I'll post pictures of a new Zion soon.

Scary Things. . .

2008-10-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

. . .and I am not talking about it being Halloween.

First, though, let's have the good news:

*WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Isn't that music to the ol' ears! We close on it next Friday (Nov. 7th). Truly, I did not think there was one out there for us. I used to think house shopping looked easy--and then I actually tried it! We really feel like the Lord blessed us in finding this one. Perfect location (three miles from Heath's work, right next to a huge park, and on a great street lined with newly renovated old houses); perfect price (our realtor told us that we shot for the moon and got it); and perfect cosmetic touches that we wanted (it is a brand new house with a gem of a kitchen). All in all, we are so happy to have it! It will be so nice to land after these past two plus years of living out of our suitcases.

*Today we bought a new dining room fixture from School House Electric Co. It is SO cute! We got to design the whole thing so it has lots of character. The one currently in the house is lacking any sort of soul so it had to go. We looked all over the place for one that we liked and I finally remembered seeing this store on MLK years ago. I actually saw it when doing the Race for the Cure for my friend Karen Sisler and thought to myself that if I ever had a house I wanted a light from there. Guess what. . .I am getting both! What a fun time this is! I love nesting!

Now, the scary news:

*Also today, we had to go have Zion's CAT scan and blood drawn. His surgery is in about three weeks so we are preparing for it. The scan was pain free but it was SOOOO scary putting him on the bed and watching them wrap him so he was immobilized from head to toe. Heath stayed in there with him while he was being scanned but I had to wait outside. I was a mess and opted to not watch it. He did great and they only had to take one reading which is a blessing. They say the dosage of radiation is low, but still, it IS radiation. The doctors just needed a picture of his skull bones so they could see what they would be working with in the actual surgery. Then we had to all be blood typed so we could find out which one of us could give him our blood. He will have to have a transfusion in the surgery. Again, more crying on all our parts. The look that he gave me while his blood was being drawn was one of confusion and "why aren't you stopping this pain?". It was horrible! I guess we were just being toughened up for the actual surgery. But really, though, we will be a mess come November 19th.

*His surgery will be at 7:30 am that morning. We have to be to the hospital (Legacy Emanual) by 6:00 am and he is not to have eaten for four hours pre-op. He will not be a happy camper by the time we arrive. So sad!

*We would love visitors but please give us the first day to be with Zion and support him through the surgery.

That's all for now. I'll post pictures of the house after I get some!

Pictures

2008-10-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

We went to Sauvie Island a couple weeks ago with our friends from Japan. Here Zion is enjoying a new view.

Zion's five month picutres--one in jammies and one after getting dressed.
He is really starting to roll all over the place now. He also giggles like crazy and gets mad when he can't reach a toy. They grow so fast, don't they?!

Surgery Date

2008-10-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned that we were going for a second opinion about Zion's skull. Well, we have decided to switch doctors because of it. We will be having the surgery at Legacy Emanual Hospital with doctors Wehby (plastic surgeon) and Wheatley (neuro surgeon). Believe me, you never want to have to use the word, "surgeon" when talking about your child. However, we feel confident about the outcome of the surgery and in the ability of these doctors.

His surgery date is November 19th.

It will be hard but we know that the Lord gifted him to us and that the Lord will see Zion through this. So. . .if it ever crosses your mind, please be praying for drs. Wehby and Wheatley, Zion's quick recovery and pain management, and Heath and me while we wait for the whole situation to be over.

On a happier note:

*My friend, Rachel, is having her baby in a month! What a fun shower she had this weekend.
*My niece, Bailey is now 6!! She is growing into such a super girl.
*We are still house hunting (is this "happy"?).
*Still love my Jack Johnson CD!

Ahhhhh

2008-10-09T08:26:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have one of those moments where everything just aligns and you realize you are so content? I had one of those "Ahhhh" moments last night.

We had come home from church and Heath was putting Zion down upstairs. (Which leads me to another topic--Heath as a great father--but that is another post.) So I came downstairs, put on the new Jack Johnson CD I bought the other day on impulse, and just had a great time. I put away the dishes, made a cake (lemon lover's white chocolate--yum!) for Rachel's upcoming baby shower, and just putzed around for a few more minutes. I was so relaxed! Funny how just doing everyday things to good music could be such a salve.

What else. . .don't you love the fall? I love doing fallish things: the pumpkin patch, burning a fall candle, and watching the leaves turn.

We had the Namerikawa family visiting us from Japan this past weekend. Satomi is my friend from Kanazawa that helped out so much with my pregnancy. It was fun to see her and her kids on this side of the ocean. They were here Friday through Monday and we had a ball. Fun to be around Japanese people and the language again. What little of the language I did pick up is already getting rusty!

Zion's second opinion appointment is this morning. We will be heading off to Emmanual Legacy Hospital in a couple hours. Shouldn't be as rough as the last visit at OHSU just because we already know what the outcome is. We just thought it would be wise to have a second opinion. Not really expecting a different diagnosis.

My niece Bailey turns 6 this week! Where does the time go?

The offer on the house we liked in New Columbia was rejected. Okay with me, really. So now we are back to square one. We have looked at a ton of houses but nothing is fitting perfectly. We know the one is out there!

Better scoot for now!

Zion

2008-10-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Our family!
What a cutie!
Zion sleeping in his swing.
So big!
Zion and his Nanny Noo Noo (his great-grandma).

I need to update everyone on Zion's progress. He is just growing up so quickly!

Well, he is rolling all over the place now. Usually he just rolls once--from the front to the back or the back to the front--but today he was on his tummy, rolled to his back, then back to his tummy! What a mover and a shaker! He favors rolling to the left, but I have noticed the past couple days that he is starting to get the hang of rolling to the right too. So I have to be careful where I put him now. Our little patch of carpet on the hardwood seems to be shrinking everyday!

His little personality is starting to show through too. He giggles and talks to us all the time and is not afraid to let us know when he is unhappy in his carseat. But he remains a cuddler and it absolutely thrills us when his legs and arms go crazy when he sees us.

He has also found his fingers the past few weeks. He loves sucking on his index and middle fingers of his left hand. It is helping him self-soothe which is great because he has to put himself to sleep now. His little tongue likes to lick everything now too. It is such a joy watching him develop. We truly think he is a gift to us.

I do have some bad news, though. We found out a couple weeks ago that Zion has metopic cranio synistosis. I'll explain. . . . The skull is made up of many bones. The bones in a baby's head are not fused so they can go through the birth canal and the brain can grow. Well, the split between the two bones in the front of Zion's skull fused in the womb. This is just a fluke. They don't know why it occurs. Sometimes children (with other bones than the ones Zion has fused) also have cognitive or other deformities. But Zion is just fine. What all this means is that he has to have surgery in February. It is a serious surgery and we have cried many tears over thinking about him undergoing a procedure at 9 months that most never go through at all. He will have to have a blood transfusion so when the time gets closer, we will ask people to donate for him. The good news, though, is that this is a one-time fix. After the surgery, he will have yearly check-ups until he is six but that is it.

All in all, we are hesitant to tell people about this because we don't want them to treat him as if he is broken. He is just fine--not in pain, growing just perfectly, and cute, cute, cute! We would covet your prayers as we begin this difficult road.

Where Does Time Go?

2008-09-22T11:41:00.001-07:00

This has been my question lately. Know the answer?? Not me!

It seems like even though Zion and I get to stay home together, the days just fly by and I don't have much to prove for them. Maybe part of it is that we are not yet in our own place yet so I don't have those crafty-home-improvement things to do. I really miss my sewing maching and all my crafting supplies!

And I REALLY miss all my kitchen supplies!!!! I get a fun idea for dinner only to remember that my food processor is in storage. I am hosting a baby shower for Rachel next month and I am having to borrow basic kitchen stuff to make her cakes. Oh, my!

Anyway, I LOVE being home with Zion! I feel guilty about it because I have done nothing but work for the last 10 years (I cannot believe it has been 10 years since I graduated from college!!). It is fun watching him grow and change. He turned four months last week! Like I said, where does the time go? He is really rolling all over the place now and scootching his rump in the air in an effort to crawl. Everything goes in his mouth--including the clothing of anyone holding him. This moring he was licking my shirt instead of falling asleep. He is also talking up a storm. His noises just make me smile!

We are still waiting to hear about th house we offered on. Who knows when that will be!

Heath is getting the vision for his new job and we are liking the people in the church.

I went to my first MOPs meeting last week and that was fun. I think I will like that. I need some new friends up here with babies of their own.

Well, time to feed the babe again. I'll post some pictures soon.

I'm Back!

2008-09-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Zion in his Bumbo seat
Us in Heath's office
Heath at work
Grandpa Frank and Zion in Heath's office

Sorry it has been SO long since I have blogged. In the weeks since we have left Japan, lots has happened. We are currently living in Frank and Nora's condo on the Columbia River. We have a front row view of the river and a beautiful place to live. Thanks, Frank and Nora!

It is lovely being around family again! I am glad Zion will grow up with all his family members close around him. The shower that my mom and Rachel threw for Zion was so fun. It was wonderful seeing all my family and friends there.

We have also bought a car (a VW Passat) and made an offer on a house. We are just waiting on that now. It will be SO GREAT to finally settle into something of our own. We have been living on the bare minimum the last couple years and I cannot wait to unpack our boxes that are in storage and have a fully equipped kitchen again!

Zion is also growing like crazy. He is grabbing things more and having fun with all his new toys from his cousins. He is over 13 pounds now and 3 1/2 months old! He is so fun.

Heath has also started his new job. He is liking it and really enjoying getting to know his coworkers. He has been organizing the office and it looks great now.

Today is the first day of school and look at me. . .I am at home! I just love being with Zion all the time and feel so lucky to be a stay at home mom. Thanks for working for us, Heath! I imagine I will do some part time work in the future, but for now, I am relishing my time at home.

All in all, we are so happy to be home again. Japan was such a neat experience, but truly, there is no place like home!

Electric Hum

2008-07-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Namerikawa family: Toru, Satomi, Yuki, Ryo, and us at our goodbye dinner My best Japanese friend, Satomi. She was such a gift from the Lord to me!

The stagnatingly hot weather has finally thrown its blanket over the island country of Japan. Imagine living in a sauna and you get the general idea of what we are living in here--but we are required to be fully clothed! Anyway, along with the wet heat come the cicadas. They have such a distinct and interesting sound. The first summer we were here I hated the sound because it was high-pitched and never-ending. But now I find it strangely soothing. It is a reminder that I am in a foreign land and to be thankful for the experiences I get to have here. Maybe I am growing sentimental as our time here comes to a close.

Other news:

*Today (July 18th) was Heath's last day of work.

*Heath has become the local superstar by signing his autograph for his students and getting a daily smattering of gifts from both students and coworkers.

*We are moving out in two days and flying home in four!

*My brother will be 31 tomorrow! Happy birthday, Sam! (I am younger than him ;)!)

*My nephew is now 4! Happy birthday Brayden!

*We love Zion SOOOOO much and are so thankful that the Lord gave him to us!

*We will miss the Namerikawa family. They were such a blessing to us while we were here.

Two Months Old!

2008-07-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

Guess who is two months old today?! I can't believe how time is flying by! Enjoy the pictures from months one and two!

One Week!

2008-07-14T16:21:00.001-07:00

We are flying home exactly one week from today! We are pretty excited about that! Our flight will arrive in Portland at 8:30 am on July 22nd.

This is a pretty busy week concluding everything but by Sunday, we will be on the home-stretch. We'll move out of our apartment and stay the last couple days with Bryce, Colleen, and Elliot.

Get ready to meet Zion Sterling!

Jozu

2008-07-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

He loves bath time!

First piano lesson.

Recognize the outfit, Darc?

Jozu (pronounced jo-zoo) is a Japanese word that means "good job". I want to give out a couple Jozu Awards. . .

1. Heath gets this award for watching Zion last night while I went to my work goodbye dinner. It was the first time I had been away from Zion for more than 30 minutes. Well, Zion decided to unload his bowels in a big way and Heath had to clean it up, which I hear was no small feat. So, good job Heath!

2. Baby Zion gets this award for sleeping 8 hours last night! From 9:30pm-5:30am the little man slept like a champ! What a kid! He also gets this award for cooing and smiling which he has recently started doing more and more.

Five's the Number

2008-07-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from today we fly home! We have to be moved out of our apartment two weeks from last Sunday so we are at the tail end of our time in our own place for a while.

Heath spent Sunday and yesterday packing up the things we wanted to send home. We sent five boxes yesterday. Heath took them to the post office just down the road from us in Zion's baby stroller. Zion hates it (it really is a piece of junk--hard to steer and not comfy for Z) so we thought we should get some use out of it. Can you just imagine seeing a guy walk down the road with a stroller full of boxes, or better yet, empty! Not like we don't already stick out here anyway!

And we can fly home with two checked bags each, plus one for Zion. Our bags cannot weigh more than 50 pounds and Zion's has to be under 22. So we get five suitcases and five boxes to do an international move with! You should see how much stuff we have gotten rid of!

Zion's eyelashes have just taken off in the last week. Now they look like his cousin's, Alex (and Madi, but not that dark). So cute! Plus, his birth hair is falling out and now he has a little smattering of really blond hair like his other cousins, Bailey and Brayden. So Zion is lucky to be so cute like all his cousins. Which, by the way, we are excited to see all our nieces and nephews! I cannot wait to meet Brody either (my brother's youngest son was born last August right after we left the US).

Heath has 8 days of work left at Nishikigaoka Junior High. He is excited to be finished and to move on to his new job, which he will start August 18th. Hopefully we will find a car and house quickly when we get home. We are going to buy a house! Yeah! Finally, we will get to have a house all our own!

An Answered Prayer

2008-07-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

The most perfect husband, father, and new Executive Director!

Heath got a job in Portland!! Yeah! He will soon be the Executive Director of the PUMP Summer Program for inner city youth. This means that he will be in charge of the summer program itself and raising funds for it. It sounds like the perfect job for Heath--a mix of creativity, comminication, and fun.

He first learned about this job in April and just this morning, July 2nd, the job was offered to him. We are so thankful to now have the "where" and "what" questions answered. We have been praying that the Lord would lead us to exactly the perfect location and job so we know that this is the answer to those many prayers we have had these two years. We really are so thankful that He has watched out for us.

Last Moments

2008-06-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Us next to the iconic lantern of Kenrokuen Garden
Zion enjoying his ride in the Baby Bjorn.

First smiles caught on the camera.

We are to the point now that everything is our "last". I just finished the last bottle of honey I will have to buy here for the last loaf of bread I will have to make in Japan. I bought TP for the last time the other day. We saw some friends that moved to Canada from here for a medical internship for the last time the other day. In the same vein, we went to Kenrokuen Garden for the last time Saturday.

When we first arrived in the blistering heat of Japan in August 2006, one of the first things we did was to visit this famed garden. It is one of the three largest and most famous gardens in Japan. As we walked through it this weekend, it was fun thinking about how we have adapted to life here in Japan and how much we have changed in these two years. We also never anticipated taking our first baby there either when we first visited.

Our friend, Colleen, also invited us to this ballet on Sunday. We went and took Zion who was an absolute gem! He did not make a peep for the whole performance! Anyway, one of the numbers was from Westside Story and it was the song "America". It was interesting watching them perform about something they have no clue about. Both of us got emotional thinking about getting to go home so soon! Heath is pretty sure he is "spoiling" for reverse culture shock just because he is so excited about going home. I am sure lots has changed since we left so I hope our transition back will be a smooth one.

Zion is also smiling more now. These are the first pictures we caught on the camera. He is still a little guy (Natasha, I put that Hanna Anderson outfit on him that you sent us and it is so huge! The pants would not even stay on) but full of cute personality.

Packing Up

2008-06-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Zion's one month check with our doctor (Tanaka sensei)
Zion sleeping. He always has his hands somewhere around his head.
After bath time.

Alexis, this is for you! What a little man outfit. (Please forgive my shower-fresh look here.) Us with Hitomi, Mai, Yukiko, Yoko, and the feast.

This past weekend we started packing up our apartment. We figure it is good to get most of the sorting finished before the weather gets so unbearable that we won't want to leave our one air conditioned room. Plus, we fly four weeks from today (July 22nd) and have to be completely moved out by the 20th so they can inspect the apartment.

We also went to a beach BBQ for a friend on Saturday. It was a little sad realizing that it was probably the last time we would ever see the Sea of Japan.

On Sunday we hung out with four of my favorite students. We met them at a video store (because finding a house here is impossible for the first time) and when they saw us about a block away, they started running! They were so excited to see us and Zion. That was so cute. Anyway, they had invited us over for Zion's birthday. One of their grandmas made this amazing feast! It was so delicious. These four girls are so cute. They made resolute promises to visit us in the US when they are in college. We'll see about that!

Zion is doing well. He just gets cuter by the day. We are getting used to each other and he has been sleeping like a champ at night lately too. What a kid! We cannot wait for everyone to meet him. Oh, by the way, his name pronunciation rhymes with "lion" or "Brian".

Burying the Placenta

2008-06-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Heath digging the hole
Placenta in the hole
The marker where it is
Us under the bridge
The hospital labeled my placenta with my name. It was in the freezer the last month.

Okay, I hope this post does not gross anyone out too much. . .

When I was having my c-section, Heath asked to keep the placenta saying that it was an "American tradition". Well, if I had been conscious, we would not have had the thing in our freezer the past month, but he was in charge at that point. Since then we have been wondering what to do with the thing. Every time I would open the freezer for ice I was reminded of my organ hybernating in there. Gross! Heath wanted to get it back to the US, but besides curing it in salt or sending it in a liquid, he could not come up with a solution.

So we were forced to come up with a creative way to leave it in Japan. On Saturday we went to Heath's favorite spot in Japan--the Fushimi River right by his school--and left it in a hole there. I am sure all of our neighbors wondered what we foreigners were up to when we trotted off with a shovel in hand.

Now the piece of flesh that attached Zion to me will forever remain in Japan. Not many people can make the claim of having a "pound of flesh" removed from them and buried as a sentimental gesture!

Baby Zion. . .

2008-06-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

*loves to be cuddled

*has fingernails that grow like weeds

*is finding his smiling muscles (and no, it is not just gas)

*has the cutest little facial expressions when he is sleeping

*will be four weeks old this Friday (time flies!!)

*loves walks in his Baby Bjorn

*hates to have his poopy diaper changed

*loves to pee when the diaper is off

*does the cutest little stretches when he is waking up

*is getting a cute chubby chin and filling out a bit

*has eyelashes the color of angel hair (that white Christmas decorative stuff)

*is so cute sleeping next to his dad (they look like twins)

*likes bath time

Passport Trip

2008-06-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we made a mad trip to Osaka (about 250 miles south) with infant in hand. Yes, the American Embassy thinks traveling with a two week old is hassle free! Fortunately, Zion did great and we were able to successfully apply for his passport, social security number, and American birth certificate (it turns out if you don't apply for the birth certificate while in the foreign country your child was born in, you cannot do it from the US which would eventually mean another trip to Japan just for a paper!).

We also were able to see the famous aquarium down there. That was a lot of fun. They have this huge tank filled with all sorts of fish and then the rest of the building spirals around it with other attractions on the sides. Interesting. We also went on a HUGE Ferris wheel. Heath has a thing about going on them and gets all excited when we see one.

July 22nd is the day we fly home! Mark in on the calendar! We are heading home soon! So excited about that. Now we are cleaning out our apartment, which is a large task.

Life with Zion is great. I love staying home with him. We are tired a lot of the time, but he is so worth it! We cannot wait to introduce him to all our people back home!

He is here!

2008-05-25T00:17:00.000-07:00

Zion Sterling arrived via emergency c-section on his due date, Friday, May 16th, at 5:37 am (Japan time). He was 19" long and just 7 lbs! We are so in love with him!

Thank you for praying for us and sending so many encouraging emails! I was in the hospital for one week and look forward to getting back to life here at home.

We will be coming home in nine weeks and are soooo excited to see everyone and introduce Zion to everyone!

Here are some pics of him!

Some Complications

2008-05-11T16:34:00.001-07:00

Well, sorry it has been a while since I have updated our blog, but I ran into some complications a couple weeks ago. Here is the story. . .

I went into the doctor's for a routine check up on Wednesday, April 23rd. He strongly recommended checking into the hospital until I had the baby because my blood pressure was creeping up. So the next day, at 37 weeks, I checked into Kanazawa University Hospital. Now let's keep a couple things in mind here. . .

*I am emotional from being pregnant

*This is my first time in a hospital

*The only family I have in Japan (Heath) is now living in a different place from me

*I don't really speak Japanese (and they don't speak much English)

*I could be in the hospital for a MONTH before the baby arrives

Okay, so I was a MESS the first couple days, but was okay after that. I ended up making friends with some of the other girls (as much as a few mutual words and gestures can provide) there and Heath made my little room cozy (I was sharing with three other girls).

Well, two weeks later, the doctors say that my blood pressure has stabalized and I can go home! How shocked we all were! So I can only give credit to the Lord for this gift because usually a girl's BP does not go down at the end of her pregnancy! So, thanks for everyone praying for us at home!

Prayer really does work! We have seen the Lord's hand on us in so many ways recently! He also kept Heath safe biking and walking to and from the hospital to see me everyday (I am so lucky to have Heath as my husband!!!). A car druver did not see him and hit him and his bike, even dragging him several feet, but he emerged unblemished! Amazing, I know! Heath is okay and now the bike is back and repaired! Just another blessing! I joked that if he had been hurt at least he could have come to stay at the hospital with me.

Anyway, so now we are at 39 weeks and 4 days and just waiting for Zion to make his arrival! Any day, baby! We are ready to meet him, and to be honest, I am ready to put the fear of labor and delivery behind me! It seems like a looming beast, but I am trying to be brave!!

Hopefully the next post will have some pictures of the THREE Cloutiers in Japan!

A Spring Picnic

2008-04-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

So today I took lunch to Heath at work. I could tell it was going to be such a beautiful day from the start. So we had to take advantage of it. The weather here is perfect right now. Soon it will get so hot and muggy that it is not fun to be outside. Anywho, we picniced by the Fushimi River which runs right along Heath's school. This is Heath's most favorite spot in Kanazawa so it was perfect! All the cherry blossoms are brown and dead on the ground now, but in its place is a delicate green! It is so beautiful right now! The moral is: go have a picnic!

The Irony of Recycling in Japan

2008-04-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, my first project of being a stay-at-home mom (well, soon to be), was to get our closets sorted. Since we will be coming home in a few short months, I figured I would get a head start on the whole packing ordeal. So last week I spent sorting through every piece of clothing and accessory I had to see if I could resell some of our things. If you don't already know this, Japan is hailed as the recycling capital of the world. Our garbage system here is so advanced, you have to go to Saturday school for it when you first arrive (just joking, but I am barely exaggerating!). Anyway, so I thought, "I have adjusted. I am now partially Japanese for thinking about recycling things." Heath even managed to sort through his closet and come up with a couple garbage bags full of still-wearable clothes. So, four bags in tow, a friend and I took them out to find a new home yesterday.

But here is the irony of the whole thing. . .

The first store wanted to give me about $2.50 for a bunch of stuff and the second store wanted to give me $3.00!! Are you kidding?? We spent more on gas than that getting here! They were, however, willing to keep everything as well. Oh, so kind. No, thanks.

So now, I still have these four bags of clothes, a deflated sense of environmental awareness, and no Goodwill to take them to!

35 Weeks Pregnant

2008-04-11T02:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some family friendly pictures of my belly. Who knows who will be viewing these, so better to leave the burgeoning bump clothed (you know, just in case the Gap Maternity line wants to pick me up as a model)!

Things are starting to get uncomfortable, but really, this pregnancy has been a breeze! I know that I have to thank the Lord about that while lying prostrate at his feet! So many other women are sick the whole nine months, but I really have no major complaints. Lucky me (and Heath)!

Blogging Bandwagon

2008-04-11T02:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are catching up with the modern world and joining the blogging bandwagon! Actually, it boils down to me having gobs of time off since I am now on maternity leave. And, let me tell you, everyone should take maternity leave! In my instance, I have six weeks off BEFORE our baby arrives and it is like a little bit of personal vacation! So I am trying to sleep as much now because I am sure I will not be sleeping so much once our little guy arrives.

So this weekend we are going to do "ohanami" with some friends. "Ohanami" means "flower viewing" in Japanese, but if you want to know the true translation, it means, "Let's get drunk under the blooming cherry trees (sakura) and sing our hearts out like fools." We will be skipping the drinking, but we will play the singing part by ear (you know what I mean if you know Heath at all!). Gotta enjoy Japan while we are here!