Haven's going to be a big sister!

We took Haven with us to Rush today thanks to the help of Mina :)...

had level 2 ultrasound to rule out cleft lip and/or palate and to be sure the baby was healthy and developing normally.  We got WONDERFUL news....baby does not have a cleft and is healthy!  We also found out we are having a boy which was a shock to Haven. She and Arlie think they are only having sisters so she made a funny face when we told her today! Amanda bought the new baby his first outfit which is super cute. We are thrilled with the good news we heard today and are counting our blessings tonight.

Haven has her Christmas party at school tonight so she helped me make "melting" snowmen cupcakes!

Looking forward to sharing the holidays with our family!

wes man!

We're excited for Wes-he's getting tubes in his ears tomorrow which we know will help him feel better. I know it's scary but we know he will be just fine! :)

Big Girl Bed!

We put it off long enough...we told Haven that if she continued to do well with potty training that she could get a big girl bed. SOOO...we went to Ikea over the weekend and got her new bed. I wanted something that she could grow into and that would be fun for future sleepovers with Arlie and Emma.  Haven was SO excited when we brought it home and as Mike was putting it together but then got scared when it actually came time to sleep in it last night. Her crib was still in the room so she begged us to let her sleep in that one more night. She woke up this morning a new woman and told me she was going to sleep in her big girl bed only if I let her sleep on the top. (big talk during the day time)

It's really a "junior loft" and only about 4 feet off the ground and her mattress sinks down which makes a safety rail all the way around so we let her try it tonight. She read books in her tent with her own special light and eventually fell asleep. So cute!!

This is how we started the first night

This is what she negotiated tonight

adorable!

Happy almost birthday Mina!

Mina will be out of town for her actual birthday on Wednesday so we went last night to have dinner with the fam!

Surgery was 2 years ago!

Aunt Lin gave Haven a cute "smile" pumpkin last night.  I rarely think about that day much anymore--not because it's a difficult memory or that it makes me sad...but it just feels like something that is really in the past now. Haven is a "big" kid and has this amazing personality--her cleft is minor compared to the person she has become so far.  There was a time when her cleft was a bigger deal than it is today--because we were working on feeding and planning for surgery so it was often the topic of conversation.  Now, it is what makes her special and we look forward to telling her all about her journey.


Have a great day and thank you for loving my HAVEN!

a day at the Shedd Aquarium!

I had the day off today and Haven and I spent it in the city....AWESOME day with my girl!

Fun with my friends!

my pretty girl...

Bowling with friends!

funny videos

catching up

We are officially pacie-free around here-going ok so far. Haven is currently supposed to be sleeping but is screaming "PACIE" in the monitor over and over and over again...so other than that, we are great.  :)  She has only had it at night for months so we didnt think too much of it but we just decided it was time to bite the bullet. At least there's wine in the house if we have to listen to the screaming...

On a more positive note, we took a trip to St. Louis this past weekend. We did the zoo--which was really fun. We also did a carriage ride downtown and spent time at the arch. Haven did awesome--she still talks about laying under the arch and the horse- "Dexter".

so big!

I touched the arch

loooong slide at the zoo

carriage ride...almost to the arch