Congratulations Marie and Jody!

Last night I dreamt that my cousin Marie had a baby boy. This morning I found out that she did! Congratulations Marie and Jody on the birth of your son!

Welcome Joseph into this world and into our family!

Joseph Mervin Halverson

September 22, 2008

5:15 PM

8 lbs 3.5 oz

20 inches tall

Precious Pictures

Today I went to my first "Precious Pictures" event at Canuck Place. I scrap booked 2 memory pages for the Canuck Place album. It was a bit difficult to photograph my pages but it gives you an idea. I was hoping to work on Noah's book but it took the entire time to do these two pages. Next time I will be able to work on his book if I havn't finnished it yet. The event is held every 3-4 months and I want to finnish Noah's book before Sweet Pea arrives. I've actually got a whole list of projects I would like to complete while my hands are free so I've got to get started.

Seeing Sweet Pea

This morning we had a "nuchal translucency" test by ultrasound to determine if Sweet Pea is likely to have trisomy 13. The nuchal translucency measurements were normal, reflecting that of a healthy baby. Along with the ultrasound they did a blood test on me "integrated prenatal serum screen" and I will have to have a second sample taken on October 8th. We should have those results back October 20th and our 19 week ultrasound is booked for November 3rd.
At this point the only thing causing us any concern is the statistic of our chances to conceive another trisomy 13 baby being 1 in 100. After seeing Sweet Pea swimming around this morning and having the results back that everything looks good we are feeling confident. We will certainly be worrying less then if we hadn't had the test or if the test had given us cause for concern. We know that many of you will be rejoicing with us as you hear this good news. Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and pregnancy.
Another bit of information... Sweet Pea's heart rate is 146 bpm which is the exact same as both David and Noah. While heart rate does not accurately predict gender we couldn't help but feel that we might have another little boy on our hands. Also our Vancouver Sun article was posted on a door at the hospital so it was kind of funny to run into our picture.

Big Boy Transition-Phase 1 Complete

I thought it was time for another David update. He is growing so fast right now I can't possibly keep up but we have had a major milestone and I will share a few smaller things as well. Phase 1 is no more bottle! I thought this was going to be a lot more difficult then it was. We cut him down to half a bottle at night time a few months ago now and would occasionally give him the other half if he woke up too early in the morning. As of our trip to Shuswap he hasn't had any bottles at all. I packed one of the bottles he used to use because I didn't want to bring liners which we were using for his current bottles. I warmed up his milk and tried to give it to him in the "old" bottle and he didn't want it. So that whole weekend he had none. When we got back we decided that since he went all weekend without a bottle that was it... he was weaned. After a few fussy nights we settled into a new night time routine.

Phase 2- Potty Training. We have been working on this on and off since before his 2nd birthday. Since I became pregnant it has been "off" because I have been tired and my nausea has been far worse this time then with David and Noah. David has also become less willing to participate. So when I am ready for a difficult few weeks I will give it another try (hopefully one last try) but I am not sure if that will be before or after Maui.

There are so many funny and special times we have had with David recently. Our first night at Shuswap after we tucked him in he stole both of our pillows and brought them back to his bed to sleep. A few days after we got home I told him it was time for his nap and next thing I knew I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked and looked until I saw a puff of blond hair sticking out from between the couch and the book shelf... he was hiding quite successfully.

He has become a cookie monster for sure. He asks for cookies throughout the day and if mom says no he either persists or finds another tall person who can reach the cookies.

New words every day... new songs and games to play. He is our Joy.

Vancouver Sun

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are on the front page of
The Vancouver Sun today. Click on the photo to enlarge if you want to read the article.

The Sweetest Sound...

Some of you may have noticed the countdown near the bottom of our blog, others have heard from us or from someone else and some of you may be finding out for the first time as I officially blog that Jonathan and I are expecting our third child.
We thought "Sweet Pea" was a little more charming then "it" or "baby#3" so that is what we have named baby for the duration of our pregnancy.
Yesterday we began our 11th week, Sweet Pea is the size of a large lime and growing fast. We had a doctors appointment today and everything looks great. We even got to hear the sweetest sound... Sweet Pea's heart beating. I know there are a lot of people anxious to find out if Sweet Pea is a boy or girl but we have decided to keep that a surprise. So everyone including us is just going to have to wait until Sweet Pea is born.

Weekend at Shuswap Lake

This weekend we made a quick trip up to Shuswap Lake. It was actually both our first and last trips of the year. We had such a crazy summer we didn't think we were going to be able to make it out but we are really glad we did. David had such a nice time being the nature lover that he is. As you can see from the pictures he got to see some ducks up close, help with the fire, make bubbles, cut the grass and walk the dog... among other things. I think he most enjoyed sitting next to the water throwing rocks in. He would sit there forever singing to himself... it was so cute. His most recent song is "Happy Birthday" and he practices throughout the day. This is David's 3rd year at Shuswap... my 4th... probably Jonathan's 20th. Here are a few pictures of David at Shuswap his first two years...

Mommy's "Time Out"

Sometimes mommy's need a time out. This weekend I got mine. Friday evening I left for Victoria by myself (this is key). I went to visit my friend Theresa and her two kitty's as well as the puppy she was babysitting. I think this helped the fact that David wasn't around because there is never a dull moment with 3 small animals running around! We rented a couple of movies, ate out and went shopping. What more can a mom ask for when she needs a break. I was originally only going to spend one night but I phoned on Saturday and David didn't miss me yet so I thought I had better stay another night. This was great because I was also able to go out for lunch with my friend Del who I don't get to see often enough (thanks Del). I had a great weekend. On the way home last night I bought David this captains hat and since I don't have any pictures of my weekend away I thought these pictures would go along excellent with my post.

10 Weeks, August 31

Ten weeks what?.. might be what some of you are asking. Many have already guessed while others have only speculated that Jonathan and me are expecting baby #3. Now early on, before we even knew we were pregnant we decided that baby #3 doesn't sound all that endearing so we have named baby "Sweet Pea" for the time being. When he or she arrives we will give them a proper name but for now Sweet Pea works. We also decided early on that we will not be finding out baby's sex via ultrasound so everyone is just going to have to wait. Sweet Pea is due to arrive March 29th, 2009 (on my Grandma Evelyn's Birthday). We will continue to keep you updated as our pregnancy progresses and have inculded a time line on our blog so that everyone can count down Sweet Pea's arrival with us.

Choo Choo!

Here is David playing with his new train set. Most of David's play time consists of cars, trains and planes.

The River of Grief

(It is now July 2013 and I realized that there were some posts on this blog that remained "Drafts" unintentionally. I never really finished this one which is why it remained a draft I guess but I thought I would post it anyway, unfinished)...

I have not writen much about our objective this summer. Late May we had a counceling session and it was good for us to talk about how things had been going since Noah died. The more we talked and listened to each other the more we realized that something needed to change. Since late October when we were told our baby boy was unlikely to survive we have been swimming (sometimes drowning) in a River of Grief. I sometimes count the months from March 6th but the truth is our hearts have been bleeding for much longer then that. I use the analogy of a river because I can not think of an image that better describes the emotional experience of the past 10 months. Water is both life giving and life encompacing. When we went for our ultrasound we were confident and calm... at that point we were walking along side the river enjoying its beauty. Before we could take a deep breath we had been thrown into the friged water and the next three days felt like drowning. Keeping our heads above water was all we could manage as we tried desperately to grab hold of something, anything. Jonathan was tosed one way and I another... we were completely separated by the crashing waves and turning currents. Then the water got a bit shallower and we were reunited. Noah's diagnosis was confirmed and numbly we moved into survival mode, preparing for the unknown waters up ahead.

Since we have taken some time away we have been able to grieve to the point where we can smile and laugh as we talk about and remember Noah. We can look at his pictures and watch video's of him and feel happy inside instead of only heartach.

Jonathan went back to work earlier this month and when I counted the days we had "off" it was exactly 50 days.

Belated Updates Part 2

On our second trip to the Island we celebrated my Uncle Ches' 50th Birthday. We were also able to visit my youth leaders Marnie and Glenn and their boys. Unfortunately Jonathan and I got the Norwalk virus starting early that Thursday morning and were very sick. I missed my drivers test on Friday because of it. Saturday we were feeling mostly better but on our way to my step Brother Ryan's wedding (& Nadia) David got sick in the van and we knew he had Norwalk as well. David was sick much longer then Jonathan and myself. We are glad for the things we got to do but it was unfortunate that we had to miss the wedding and a lot of visiting.

Belated Updates Part 1

Hello strangers. I have a lot of updating to do. Lately it feels like we have had our hands more full than usual. We got back from our second July trip to the Island over a week ago now and I am still updating from the first trip. Here is David at Grandpa's taking out the Janga tower we built. He also had lots of fun "driving" grandpa's jeep. No birthday party pictures however... the day we had a party for him at my Dad's was also the day we took him to Emergency because he had a fever. I only got 3 pictures and none of them turned out.

Here we are at Sprout Lake. It has been forever since I've swam there. I actually think the last time I swam in Sprout Lake was before I lived in Switzerland. Anyway, it has been too long. David had lots of fun in the water and on the shore throwing rocks. He didn't mind that it was cold, or that his lips were blue.

We also spent an afternoon visitting Jenn and Bronson where they were camping at Rath Trevor Beach. Sabrina came with us so we had a nice "reunion." Now that Sabrina lives in Dawson Creek and Jenn's in Pasedena we actually seem to see more of each other. We had a nice visit and Bronson and David are only a few month apart so they had a nice time together too.

Here's Jonathan and David at the Harbour Quay where we had a fun afternoon. We all had ice cream and David said "cheese" for the first time when posing for the camera.

Jonathan and I aslo managed to get away for a whole half day by ourselves! We went to Little Qualicum Falls in the morning and then to mini golf where we play two rounds oh yeah and we squeazed a lunch in between. Not the best picture of us but we had to take it ourself... Jonathan is sporting his lovely beared. It was a really nice day.

Introducing Asher...

Welcome Asher! Finally got a picture of Asher this morning. He was born July 27th at 7:23pm while we were all at Lauren and Brent's wedding reception. He weighed in at 7lbs 3 ounces and measured 18 1/4 inches tall. Congratulations Andrew and Rachel on the birth of your son. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Lauren & Brent's Wedding

Just a few pictures from Lauren and Brent's wedding. It was definately a full day. The excitement began when bridesmaid and cousin Rachel's water brook at the hair salon. Rachel and Andrew welcomed their first child (baby boy) into the world just after dinner. Please continue to pray for baby boy... he was four weeks early and so his lungs are not fully developed. Andrew was meant to be an Usher so Jonathan filled in... he also walked his mom down the isle (my pictures didn't turn out) and played camera man all day... yeah Jonathan!

Coming soon...

Please keep our cousins Rachel and Andrew in your prayers today. Rachel is due in just under four weeks but her water broke a little while ago so baby is on his or her way!

Victoria Times Colonist

Click Here To View The Article

We were approached last month about doing an interview with a reporter from the Victoria Times Colonist about our experience with "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep." Today's paper features the article and Jonathan has set up the above link for anyone who would like to read it. I am also including the story I wrote which is where the reporter (Tom McMillan) got his information. Reading the article online this morning I discovered the first mistake in the first sentences and he made some assumptions which he Incorporated as our view but isn't that what reporters do best? All in all we were happy to be part of spreading the news about NILMDTS. So again you can click the above link to view the article in the paper and read my story below.

Why you wanted to use the program?

A friend of ours told us about NILMDTS during our pregnancy after we were told that it was unlikely we would carry to term and that our son was not likely to survive delivery or long after.

What it meant to you personally?

NILMDTS offered comfort at a time when there was little comfort to be had. We shared an understanding that a baby is loved long before they are born into this world no matter how long or how short a time they are with us. They have been part of our journey beyond our pregnancy and Noah’s 28 days with us. The pictures we have now continue to play an immense role as we adjust to life without Noah. Jane captured Noah’s first few hours with us more beautifully then we could have imagined. She also made a slide show of the pictures she took set to a beautiful song which never ceases to bring healing tears. There is so little that offers peace when your child is taken away so soon. Memories turn into the peace that is slowly growing inside us, helping us cry less and smile more. NILMDTS photography helps us hold our loved ones forever in our hearts when we can no longer hold them forever in our arms.

Why was it a good thing to have?

We wanted desperately to meet our second son but his prenatal diagnosis left us an abundance of unanswered questions and little hope. Not knowing if we would be able to meet him before he died was heartbreaking to say the least. Jane (our NILMDTS photographer) asked us if we would like her to take some pregnancy pictures, so that we could cherish the time we had with Noah while he was still with us, should he not survive through birth. Those maternity pictures brought us comfort and hope in a time of so much confusion and uncertainty. When the doctors told us there was nothing they could do we felt abandoned. NILMDTS, through their website and through Jane showed us that there are people who care and that there is something that can be done. Memories can be captured.

Why might it be gaining rapidly in popularity?

Word spreads when a good thing is happening. I tell people about NILMDTS whenever I have the opportunity in the hope that anyone who is faced with the tragedy of losing a baby can experience the same comfort, hope and peace that NILMDTS has given us. The isolated tragedy of losing a baby is that our memories are cut short. More and more health care providers now realize the importance of memories to the grieving process. NILMDTS, through the photography services they provide brings parents the memories they need to cherish in order to celebrate the life of their child, in order to grieve, in order to heal.

Thank you NILMDTS and thank you Jane for the gift of your time and talent but mostly thank you for the gift of a caring hand reaching from one heart to another.

Fun with Water!

Here is a clip of David at the water park; as well as, David with the squirt gun he got from Nana. Sorry about the camera shake I was trying to keep the camera dry.

David's Birthday at Nana & Papa's

4 birthday cakes and we still didn't manage to get David to blow out his candles. He blows bubbles, kisses, and he blows on his food when it's hot but he was a little nervous around open flame.


Here is Elizabeth getting bigger... at 5 weeks old she weighs almost the same as David at birth... so he was about this big two years ago.

1st Horse Ride

July 8th we attended an "Our Town" event in Port Alberni. The theme was Farmyard Fun... we were thinking it would be like a petting zoo. David has been saying "horse" for a few weeks now, loves pictures of horses so when the opportunity came for his first horse ride we took it. Being one of the youngest in the line (and cutest) David also got his picture taken by a local photographer for the PA paper and was featured 2 days later. Very exciting for us... and for David too.