TOES!

Somebody found his toes!

real men wear pink

Kase had TWO blowout diapers at the babysitter today! Mommy only had one extra outfit (because really, how many times will you need more than one?!) so he had to borrow a onesie from one of the girls at the sitter. Real men wear pink onesies, and have a pink elephant and rose on their shirts :)

Starting him early

Daddy is so proud :)

Hawks vs Penn State

This past Saturday we went tailgating with the Sietstra family to the Hawkeyes vs Penn State football game. Kase, Grandma, and myself drove to Iowa City and met the Sietstra boys and Auntie Rachel for some afternoon tailgating. Uncle Jeff bought Kase a super cute Hawkeye stocking hat. The boys have a great tailgating setup and have a lot of fun at home football games. Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

Multitasking

Concentrate...

Maybe if I concentrate hard enough on this cow it'll moo...

3 months

A few weeks late, but here's Kase at 3 months old

This was our first attempt:

Second attempt:

Final attempt and successful: He weighs (unofficially) about 11 pounds and is growing like a weed. His babysitter says he eats like a horse. He's almost outgrown his 0-3 months clothes, and has officially outgrown his size 1 diapers. It's been very fun to watch his personality develop, see him smile more, and hear him start cooing. He loves being sung and talked to, sitting up so he can see what's going on, and has recently discovered that standing on our laps (assisted, of course) is extremely fun.

my new toy

My mommy bought me a new toy

I really like it

I also am a drooler

Life is good!

one of those days...

Here's how our day is going today:

Kase wants nothing to do with anything that's not eating, his pacifier, or being held.

Here's how Molly has spent her morning:

She has decided that she is going to spend the morning howling at every little thing that moves in the backyard. No bird, leaf, person, squirrel, etc goes unnoticed.

To try and make the morning go a little better, and help Kase sleep for awhile, we went for a walk. While walking through town I was going through my list of woes. I have a list a mile long of things that need to be done before we put our house on the market, but I can't get anything done because I have a crabby baby. My dog howls at every moving thing, which makes it difficult to open any windows because I have a fear of disturbing the neighbors, which makes my house extremely hot when there is no air flowing through it. We have a very large medical insurance bill that I have NO IDEA how we're going to pay because I don't get a paycheck until October 25...yes, OCTOBER 25! I never see my husband because he's so busy with school and football. Kase never sees Keith either because by the time Keith gets home it's time for Kase to go for bed. These were my woes during my walk. Here is what I heard:

"My child, what do you always say about being stressed?"

"I know, I'm too blessed to stress...but I've got so much going on and I can't do it all!"

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

"Yes, I'm definitely weak. How do I do it all and still be a good wife and mommy?"

"Your job right now is to love and care for your family. Your to-do list comes second."

"But I still need to get it all finished!"

"Be still, child, and know that I am God."

"But what about that medical bill? How will we pay it?"

"Be still...and KNOW."

"OK...I'm still. I'm listening."

I've never been one who hears God's voice very clearly. But today I did...and it was beautiful.

5:05 AM

It's 5:05AM and Kase has decided he is awake for the morning. But, who could be upset at a face as sweet as this:

I love 5:05 AM when he greets me like this :)

don't quit your day job

Uncle Josh came to visit a few days ago and tried to style my hair...see below for the result. I make it look good, but Uncle Josh, don't quit your day job. Which you now have! YAY! Congratulations on your new job Uncle Josh! We're proud of you & we love you!

I'm 2 months old!

Believe it or not, I'm 2 months old now! Mommy says she's in denial, but it's true, I'm growing up. I had my 2 month appointment today. Here's my stats: 23 inches long and 10 pounds 15 ounces. My doctor tells me I'm a lightweight...I just say I'm long and lean :) I also had 3 shots. I survived, and so did Mommy, but we both cried.

Things I'm learning this month: I'm getting better at holding my

head up. I still hate tummy time, but sometimes Mom forces me

because she said it's good for me. I really like being talked to and sung to. If you're lucky, and if I'm in a good mood I might even sing along with you. Mom & Dad say my smile is very handsome and I try to show it to them as often as I can. I'm also learning how to fall asleep by myself. It's kind of a rough process for me and Mommy, but again, she says it's good for me. I'll have to take her word on it, because I'm not a fan of it right now.

Mom says I'm going to have a new friend soon! She says her friends, Matthew & Nichole are going to have a baby boy soon. I'm very excited to meet him and run and jump and play with him! Come soon Baby Kelderman!

Baptism

Today was a special day for our family. We baptized Kase at church and were able to celebrate with four generations from both families present. The verse given to Kase was Habakkuk 2:1, "I will stand my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what God will say to me." We were also told that Kase means "vigilant." Our prayer as Kase's parents is that he will be vigilant and alert to the Lord's voice in his life. We feel so blessed to be given Kase and for the Lord to have entrusted him to us. We know that Kase is first a child of the Lord, and has been given to us to raise up in the way of the Lord.

As I was rocking Kase to sleep tonight I was filled with joy for this gift the Lord has given us. Tears overflowed from my eyes as my heart overflowed with love for this little boy who has been entrusted to Keith and I. For a very long time I was afraid that this day would not come. But today we committed our son to the Lord, and I rocked my son to sleep. What a joyful day!

Kase's First Vacation & 1 Month Photos

WOW!!! What a crazy but INCREDIBLE month this has been! Kase continues to bless us each day with his wonderful smiles and his growing personality. We think he's quite advanced, but he's holding his head up more and more each day, and responds to various things/people in such a fun way. It's been exciting to watch him recognize people and the way he moves his arms & legs when he really likes something.

It's been a busy month, filled with visitors and vacations. Mom/Grandma Sietstra came first for a few days and helped us get adjusted to life with a newborn. Her and Keith washed windows, painted basement walls, and gave Keith and I some alone time so we could go on walks. Mom/Nana Boone came next and gave us some more love. After Grandma visits we had about a week before we left for vacations. On July 23 we left for Boone vacation at Silver Lake. We had a great week of family bonding and relaxation at the lake. Then on July 30 we left for Minneapolis for the Sietstra vacation. These are a few pictures from Kase's first Twins baseball game. To say Kase was spoiled would be an understatement...he was held for the majority of both vacations...and Mommy & Daddy paid for it when we got home. He now thinks naps need to be taken in our arms rather than his crib, and that when he's awake he no longer wants to have floor time! But, he had some great bonding time with his family, which far outweighs a few bad days at home.

While on vacation at the lake, my cousin, Heather, took some fabulous pictures of Kase for his belated-one-month-photo-shoot. Here's a taste of our sweet baby boy:

This week was also our first week with Daddy being gone. Keith started football practice on Tuesday, and we miss him all day. It was beyond wonderful having him home for the past month, and we cherish our time we had as a family. He was a wonderful partner to have during this adjustment time, and I'm so extremely thankful for his presence and support. It is such a joy to see him adjusting to life as a father, and I can't wait to see him with Kase in the years to come. Kase is such a lucky boy to have such a loving Daddy. To have a family with a man like Keith is so amazing! Molly is adjusting well, is very curious of her baby brother, and likes to be near us while Kase is eating. This picture is Kase and Molly's first meeting...we think it's quite precious :)

I will try to be more diligent with my blog posting, but that all depends on Kase's napping schedule :) Maybe once we get into more of a routine I can try and find some blogging time...only time will tell!

Kase Michael Sietstra

On Thursday, June 24 at 7:44 P.M. - we welcomed our son into the world - Kase Michael Sietstra. He weighed in at 8 lbs 11 ozs and 21" long with a beautiful head of black hair! This has been the most challenging and awesome journey that we have ever been on and it was pure joy to finally see this child that has been growing for 9 months and to finally meet the fruit of God's faithfulness!

Kase (pronounced like just in "case") gets his name from Keith's grandfather whose name was Cornelius Schelling, but went by the name Case. Cornelius also has biblical roots in Acts Chapter 10. We pray that our Kase will follow in his great-grandfather's footsteps and grow into a man of God who is full of the spirit and love! His middle name - Michael - he shares with his daddy.

We really are just in awe of the goodness of God. When our infertility problems arose nearly 3 years ago, we just didn't know what plan or path God had for us and our desire for a future family. He has proven himself good and faithful over and over again during this time and we just want to acknowledge that it is only by His love and goodness we are able to celebrate this joyous time in our lives. We feel like we have a very special story to share with others about our journey and also an incredible story to share with our son someday!

Enjoy some of the many pictures that Kase has already adorned our home in:

All Ready!

Below are pictures of our baby nursery, soon to be occupied by a little bambino!

Everything is set and ready to go...now we just need baby to come and bless us with his presence!

JOY

You remember the Johnny Appleseed song we sang when we were young? "Oh the Lord's been good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is GOOD TO ME." Well, it's been on repeat in my head today because I can't believe this day is here. No, the baby is not coming yet, but it is my last day of work before he's born! I have been dreaming about this day for the last 3 1/2 years and now it's finally here! AAHHH!!! If I could run and jump and do a cartwheel right now I totally would...but since I can't, I'll just sit here and bask in my pure joy.

Isaiah 55:8-9 has been a verse of comfort for me during our infertility. It reads, " 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord, 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' " HOW TRUE IS THIS?!?! Why do we stress, why do we "plan", why do we worry? The Lord's plans are SO MUCH bigger than we could ever imagine!!! As ironic as it sounds, I am thankful for our time of infertility. Without that time of longing and waiting, I don't know that I'd be experiencing this spirit of overflowing JOY! Thank you, Jesus, for being faithful to your children. Thank you for times of JOY!

10 things I've heard these past 9 months

Sometimes I'm amazed at the lack of tact from some people when it comes to what they'll say to a pregnant woman. These past 9 months have given me much to laugh and cry about, which has given me a great blog topic! It's a good thing I have such a great sense of humor or these would really upset me :) Here are 10 things that should never be said to a pregnant woman, but unfortunately have been said to me...my commentary in green italics.

1. Innocent Question: Are you having any food cravings?
Not-So-Innocent-Answer: I think Anita just craves food in general. If you put it in front of her, she'll eat it.

2. Are we having twins? From the lady at Pottery Barn

3. I think you're getting bigger by the minute!

4. Whoa, Nita, you're going to need a bigger bed when you come visit us! Thank you to my youngest brother Payton for this loving comment.

5. You're STILL pregnant?

6. I only gained 20 pounds with my first baby. Can I smack you in the face now, or shall I wait until later?

7. You have HOW MANY months left? WOW!

8. Are you going to have a natural birth? I tried, but it was the worst pain in my life. I had terrible back labor for 30 hours and ended up having a c-section which left me in agonizing pain for 3 weeks straight. REALLY, is this supposed to encourage me?! REALLY?!

9. Oh honey, your ankles are huge! This from some random lady at the grocery store. And yes, thank you for noticing that I have Barney Rubble feet.

10. Unless Mother Nature makes "it" fall off, your baby is definitely a boy!

So again, isn't it a good thing that I have such a great sense of humor about the expansion of my body? :) And while it is easy to complain about the aches, pains, hormonal changes, and many other things regarding pregnancy, I couldn't be more happy to be 9 months pregnant and merely DAYS away from meeting our little boy!

Deck, Part 1

Part 1 of our summer deck project began over Memorial Day. Keith and our dads worked on installing our new patio door, which is FABULOUS! I'm still amazed at how much more light flows through our main floor because of the door. Molly is also a big fan of the door, she can bark at everything she sees now! Great, huh?! :) The next step will be installing the deck, which we hope to accomplish sometime this summer, financial situation willing. Here are some before, during & after pictures of the hard work.

All we need are a few coats of paint on the trim and our door is set! Any thoughts on what kind of window treatments I should hang?

Good thing my husband is sweet...

I can no longer reach my toes. So, Keith graciously helped me paint my toenails this past week. And I must say, I was extremely impressed at his attention to detail. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures to show off my hubby. And yes, my feet really are that chubby :)

Belly Pictures

This past Mother's Day also included a photo shoot with my very talented cousin, Heather Barnes. She takes amazing pictures, so if anyone is looking for a photographer in the Des Moines area, her website is http://photographybyheather.shutterfly.com/ and she is WONDERFUL! Here are some of my faves :)

Pella Baby Shower

I had another wonderful baby shower a few weeks back with some friends from Pella. I feel incredibly blessed to have met so many wonderful friends since moving to Pella...ones who will celebrate this baby with me...ones who will support me and love me during this journey of motherhood. Thank you friends for being my family away from my family.

First Mother's Day

I know technically I'm a "mother-to-be" but we still celebrated my very first Mother's Day this past Sunday :) My love woke me up with breakfast in bed (delicious waffles) and gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure! I also received two very sweet cards, one from baby and one from Daddy. Then for supper we went to the Mexican restaurant in town where they were giving all of the moms a free dessert and a rose! My first Mother's Day was wonderful!

In the midst of my happiness on a day centered around mothers, I could help but think about Mother's Day last year, which brought me to praying for those women whose Mother's Day is not a day of celebration. Last year I LONGED to celebrate Mother's Day, but instead was consumed such a deep sadness in my heart. I know that I'm not the only woman who has struggled with this holiday. There are women who have lost babies, who have lost their moms, and who have struggled with infertility a lot longer than I have. These women have been in my prayers lately. I pray for a deep love to fill the hearts of these women, that they may find joy in the midst of their sadness/grief. "There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more, but we'll see Jesus face to face. But until that day we'll hold on to you always."

Happy Mother's Day!