Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, March 13, 2012,
In :
Baby Ezra
Watching Ezra grow up before my own eyes has been fascinating. But I think that of all aspects of development we have experienced, his learning to talk has been the most exciting and fascinating! Ezra began to use words about like the average baby. "Dada" was his first...then he moved onto words like "mama" and "ball." He picked up words here and there and it was very exciting. But then he hit 16 months and his vocabulary just exploded! (I think having a daddy who loves to talk who came home ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Monday, March 5, 2012,
In :
Baby Ezra
As a young new mom who (of course!) knows everything about the right and wrong way to parent a toddler, I decided that "My child shall have no obsession with any trademarked character! He shall play with books and blocks and all things Melissa and Doug!" BAHAHAHAHA!!!! Enter husband, home on RnR. Don't get me wrong. I believe that my husband would share my bias against obsessions with trademarked toys. However, that didn't stop him from buying Ezra a shake-n-go Thomas the Tank Engine. I am pret... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, December 4, 2011,
In :
Family News
Is it possible to catch you up on the last 3 months of random, everyday fun and Ezra's developmental milestones in 10 pictures or less? It is when you know how to cheat! :) So what's happening these days? Ezra has made a lot of progress in his eating! He's almost completely off of baby food and onto table solids. He also likes to drink water and juice, as well as mommy-milk. His new favorite food is soup - of any kind. Which is great because I can sneak in meat and vegetables when he isn't look... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, December 4, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, October 19, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
It's been a long while since I have written a "baby update" post. Life really has been flying right by, and mostly I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible. A lot of times that means blogging less frequently! It's amazing to me how rapidly Ezra has grown and changed in the last year. Oh yeah, did I mention that he had a birthday? (I still have to write a post about his party!) He's almost 14 months now! Life with a toddler is a blast! Exhausting, but so much fun! Ezra keeps me laughing and... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, August 16, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, August 9, 2011,
In :
Holidays
On July 4th, we woke up and I tried be domestic and made red, white, and blue pancakes.  Topped with blueberries:  Ezra wasn't quite sure what to make of them:  Ezra and I both got dressed in patriotic clothes and I took a bunch of random photos:     Then in the evening we went on-post for their festival. There wasn't much to do for little ones like Ezra but we found a few things! Like the swing ride:   And the fishy ride:   And of course some normal swings!  We ended the day watching fireworks with some friend...
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, June 1, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Between Ezra being sick and teething, I feel like I've been a prisoner in my own home for most of the month of May! It has not been easy, but we are doing okay. And we have managed to do a LOT of fun things this month in spite of everything! We got to see Uncle Kurt graduate from college with his Masters degree:  Ezra had a few playdates:  Ezra is growing so rapidly - doing new things just about every day - sometimes even every hour! I blink and now he's all grown up and doing new things.... New t...
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, May 8, 2011,
In :
Holidays
This is my third Mother's Day. My first (2009), I celebrated a life in the arms of Jesus, and mourned the loss of our first little one. My second (2010), I celebrated the life growing within me. I appreciated the honor bestowed upon me simply due to the fact that I had conceived two children...I was blessed to have carried life. This year is different. I look in the mirror. Where once I saw a slim figure...now I see leftover baby fat, a cesarean scar, and stretch marks. Instead of a made-up fa... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Thursday, April 21, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, April 19, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
One of my favorite songs is Brad Paisley's "Then." If you haven't heard
it, I have posted a link below for you to listen. While it doesn't
perfectly describe the relationship I have with my husband, it does
capture the feelings that we share toward each other. It's been
amazing to look back over the past few years and see how far we have
come as a couple, as a family. And now our family has expanded to
include our little Ezra. While much about his entrance into this world
was difficult,... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, March 23, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
I realized this morning that I've taken to calling Ezra "Little Man" much more than I call him anything else... I'm not really sure how or when that started happening...it just did. He's not really a baby anymore, he's growing up so fast! He can sit up on his own, VERY well...I actually get a lot of compliments/comments on how well he can sit up on his own without falling over. It's my personal opinion that it's partially due to the fact that I carry or "wear" him every where we go, and he's ra... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, March 22, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
"LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR!!!!" That's what most people say when they first see Ezra. A few people have even said, "Wow! He needs a haircut already!" I loved my long-haired hippie baby and I really didn't want to cut it until he was at least a year old. But it kept growing...and growing...and growing!  It was constantly in his eyes... So when my grandfather's wife (a hairdresser for 16 years) offered to cut it when we went there for a visit, I began to really consider that it was time.  I knew that if I ...
Posted by Aprille on Sunday, March 13, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
Our journey towards "real" food has begun. So far Ezra has eaten bananas (mixed with my milk). It's been a really positive experience! We tried jarred bananas but they were a no-go.
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Oh yes... I am. His name is Canon EOS Rebel XS! He was a gift from my husband...a gift to occupy my thoughts and time while my True Love is away fighting in this war. With My Rebel, I can capture clearly everyday moments and freeze them forever:   I can capture my favorite things:  (My favorite coffee mug and my Macbook Pro)  (My favorite flower)  (some of my favorite people) I can capture details I might have otherwise missed:
 "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.
What you hav...
Posted by Aprille on Monday, February 28, 2011,
In :
Army Life
I ran out of milk sometime last week. Well, actually, I didn't run out...it expired, and I didn't have any left to replace it. Thus begins the madness that is also known as "the last 5 days of my life." I shall begin with Thursday morning's status update:
FRG calls - almost done. Photos ordered
- check. Now to shower, run to walgreens for photos, come back,
finish setting up russell's computer, decorate the box, then run back
out to the post office! oh and I need to go by the MWR office! And
... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Sunday, February 27, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
“Let labor begin on it's
own...” (Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice #1)
On
the evening of September 6, this was the one thing I was trying to
repeat over and over to myself. I was almost 41 weeks pregnant.
In
the months leading up to Ezra's birth, I had done of lot of research
into birth practices. I knew what I wanted: a little-to-no
intervention, natural, unmedicated childbirth with strong labor
support, and a happy healthy baby who would be ready to breastfeed
shortly after birth. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, February 18, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
I have hinted at it in some of my previous blog posts...the "SLEEP ISSUE"! When Ezra hit the 6-week growth spurt, he turned into a night owl. It didn't matter what we did or when we started our bedtime routine, he would not fall asleep for good before midnight. At first, I was determined to get him on an earlier bedtime routine. I tried lullabies, rocking, pacifiers, constant nursing, letting him cry, holding him constantly...nothing worked! The few times I DID get him to bed earlier he would ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, February 11, 2011,
In :
Miscellaneous
"A time to get, and a time to lose..."
(Ecclesiastes 3:6)
For most of my adult life, my weight has fluctuated right around 100 pounds, regardless of how much I ate or how often I exercised. Honestly, it was AWESOME and I loved being so skinny! After Russ came home from Afghanistan in June of 2009, for some reason within about 3 months I had put on about 20-25 pounds (fluctuating between 120-125). Which I was totally fine with. I still looked good, and most people said that I looked healthier. Th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, January 28, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
Okaaaaay this post is almost a month overdue, but here ya go!
Ezra is now 16 pounds. He's talking (he's getting really good at that googoogaga thingy), squealing, and laughing.
He can sit up with help (still falls over if it's just him)...
He loves to stand, and can walk backwards if he's in his walker.  He loves crowds, people, and attention, but isn't so fond of naps, being at home all day just with mommy (too boring), or tummy time. His favorite toys are his giraffe that plays Brahms lullaby,...
Posted by Aprille on Sunday, December 12, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, December 9, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine
eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my
members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them. (Psalm 139:15-16) I am a firm believer that human life begins at the moment of conception. Based on this belief, our Baby Ezra has been alive for a whole year now! I'd like to take this blog post to share... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, December 4, 2010,
In :
Holidays
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, October 23, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Ezra is now 6 (almost 7) weeks old! He weighs over 12 pounds now! Milestones this week were more smiles, him grasping onto things, and him FINALLY losing his umbilical cord stump! Last week we bought him this little playmat and he loves to lay there and look at the toys. He kind of is starting to bat at them but I'm not sure if he's really doing it on purpose so much as it's still just his little arms flailing around. Either way it is fascinating! Things are going so much better for our little... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, October 20, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, October 20, 2010,
In :
Video blogs
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, October 13, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Today Ezra is 4 weeks old! He has grown immensely in the last month and is changing and acting more grownup every day...it's astonishing! It took him about 2 1/2 weeks, but he finally figured out how to nurse! Let me say that was a very rough process! I came very close to giving up on so many occasions, but I'm so glad that I didn't! Now he is breastfeeding exclusively which makes life easier on both of us. As far as my recovery, each day gets better and better. The anemia still leaves me feel... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, September 30, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
It was very important to both Russ and I that our child's name be a name that not only did we both like, but also something that had significance to us, and a significance that we could pass on to our child. A name with meaning.
Why "Ezra"?In discussion of our baby's first name, my husband wanted to have a Biblical name. I, not so much. I didn't mind our child having a Biblical name, but it wasn't that important to me. It seemed that Bible names fell into one of two categories... 1) the common...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, September 17, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Some of you are already aware of some of the content of this blog post, but
others of you are not, so I am going to start at the beginning. Ezra Kurt Donaldson was born September 7th, 10:32 PM. He weighed 9 lbs 13 oz and was 21 1/2 (I think) inches long. When
I ended up delivering Ezra by cesarean (that is a long story in itself
which I will post about later) it was immensely
difficult...but if I had known then what my recovery would be like I
don't think it would have been so traumatizing. The ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, September 1, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Well, it seems that Squirt has decided to surprise everyone and stay in mommy's tummy a bit longer! We really thought we would have our baby by now but I guess Squirt wants to be a September baby. :) Baby is growing steadily and doing just fine...Daddy and Mommy are a bit on the ansy side! I've been getting bigger and more uncomfortable every day and I'm very ready to be done with this pregnancy and be on to being a mother. I've been having weekly checkups and physically there is a lot of indi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, August 12, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
My baby is now "full-term"...which means I'm pretty much living in "any day now" mode. :) I think that the last month of pregnancy is definitely the most difficult, especially in this heat! I try not to think about the time I have left and just try to focus on taking one day at a time. My baby has definitely dropped which is causing me some pretty intense pain in my pelvis...oh and as low as the baby is I still don't have relief from acid reflux or kicks to the ribs! Anyway what's getting me t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, July 31, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Well, baby is almost here!! I'll be 36 weeks this coming week and it appears that Squirt really wants to come out!!! Baby is dropping lower every day and I've been having a lot more cramps and Braxton Hicks. Trying to keep baby IN for a few more weeks but we'll just have to see. If you look to the right hand side of the page you will see a link to our guessing game...totally for fun but I'm interested to see all of the guesses! Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, July 13, 2010,
In :
Army Life
I laid in bed the other night struggling to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. Amongst all of the tossing and turning I was struck with the realization that "I've done this before." At the risk of sounding extremely melodramatic...
Deployment and pregnancy have a lot in common. At first you might be taken back by this statement. Generally we think that deployment = bad and pregnancy = good. But looking back at both the one year deployment we went through, and now this pregnancy, I ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, July 7, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Just got back from my latest appointment and prenatal class at the hospital with my midwife and I am even more excited about this baby!! The baby is growing and according to measurements of my tummy the baby is a week ahead of schedule...that doesn't necessarily mean that the baby will come early but it is an indicator that things are progressing as they should! The baby is also in the head-down position! My baby will probably be big! While I was a teeny baby weighing under 6 pounds, my husband... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, June 9, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
It's been about 6 weeks since our last update so I figured I should share how our baby is doing. Nothing really has changed except that the baby is growing rapidly and developing quite a personality! Since my last appointment (5 weeks ago), I gained 15 pounds and 8 inches in my tummy! When my midwife told me that the baby enters a huge growth spurt at 28 weeks, my initial reaction was UH OH!!!! (How much bigger can it get right?!?!)
The baby is really learning to enjoy mommys tummy! Squirt now...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, June 5, 2010,
In :
Photo blogs
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, April 28, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Baby Squirt continues to grow! We went back to the specialist for our follow-up ultrasound and got some wonderful news! The baby's heart is perfectly healthy and normal as far as they could tell! The baby is also measuring exactly on schedule, weighing 15 ounces.
Baby is definitely making sure that we know that there is a Squirt in there! Kicks are becoming my constant companion both day and night. Russ even got to feel one a few days ago! Even the ultrasound tech commented to us on what an "...
 Such has been the story of our lives for the past 3 weeks....And I have to admit that I haven't felt quite so cheery as that little girl!
I guess it all began the morning that I spilled coffee on my macbook computer, (which really was all shalom's fault because he was misbehaving and when I went to smack at him, my elbow hit my coffee cup.) After trying for several hours and then overnight to air it out, the computer was still malfunctioning. I was happy to find out that we had a full-service ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, April 2, 2010,
In :
Family News
I have to just tell the world how thankful I am for my mom and how much she has done for me. - Countless emails, phonecalls, and IM conversations discussing everything from diapers to playyards to epidurals. She's been just a WEALTH of information!
- Going with me to the stores to register, helping me know what was essential and what was fluff, giving me things to think about, and asking me the questions to help me think through what I needed.
- Doing most of the putting-together of our crib, dresser,...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, April 2, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
While I have not gotten any criticism, I have received a few comments that have expressed a bit of surprise at how much "baby stuff" I've done this early in my pregnancy. In some ways, I've been a little surprised because to me it just seems so normal. I've waited to be a mommy for a long time, so it just makes sense that as soon as I got to a point where I felt like this baby was going to make it to term that I would get started! I've always been a plan-ahead kind of person. I had my husband ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, April 2, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
This week has been super busy as far as baby Squirt is concerned. On Monday we went to a special doctor for a special ultrasound to check baby's heart. It wasn't 3d like we were hoping but it was still a wonderfully LONG ultrasound and we got to see closeups on all of the baby's pieces parts. Baby's feet are about an inch long now! The baby is measuring on schedule and weighing 8 ounces! As far as the baby, everything looks very healthy as far as the doctor could tell, but as I'm still a bit e... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, April 2, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
A few weeks ago we decided to paint the baby room. We chose a very soft yellow/cream color...had a ton of fun! Then this past week my mom came down and we picked up our crib and bedroom set and got everything set up!  I splurged and bought this shelf that matches the nursery:  And then I was super-ecstatic to find this coordinating diaper bag on ebay:  For pictures of us painting the room as well as more closeups of
everything (plus some other baby things we have purchased...), you can
check out m...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, March 12, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
**I meant to post and publish this a few days ago but our internet went down before I could get it published.** How far along? 15 weeks, 2 days Due Date: September 1, 2010 Heart-rate: 140s-150s Next appointment and 3D Ultrasound: March 29th How
I'm
feeling:
Still really depends on the day. Have a lot of aches, pains, gas, back
pain, and indigestion that have been making life a bit uncomfortable
right now. Hormones have seemed to be settling down a bit and I'm a
little bit more emotionally stable... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, March 2, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
This is our 14 week update...a little bit early! At 14 weeks our baby is the size of a lemon. When I told that to my husband he responded with glee that we can call baby "Our Little Squirt"! So I guess now we have a nickname for baby! Finally!!! How far along? 13 weeks, 6 days (14 weeks tomorrow!) Next appointment: March 9th Next ultrasound: March 29th Gender: Will find out March 29th (Gender will remain "our secret" until the birth.) Names: We finally decided on a boys name! Woohoo!! So both of th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, February 27, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Being a mommy can be hard work sometimes. I thought that figuring out what my baby would need once it's born would be an easy task, but store trips, internet searches, and registry information has really put my head in a spin from time to time! There really are so many choices out there when it comes to baby items that it is really difficult to decide what is the best, the simplest, the safest, the most cost effective, and the most in line with my tastes.
I am no where close to having all the ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, February 10, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Wow. I can't believe I have made it to 11 weeks. Honestly I have been so fearful that something awful would happen before I made it out of the first trimester, but I am just in awe and so thankful to God that my baby is still here with us.
Yesterday (Monday), we had our first ultrasound, along with a myriad of other physical tests and labwork tests. Baby is looking healthy and strong, measuring spot on with where I thought I was, to the day. During the ultrasound we realized the first thing ab... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, January 30, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
How
I'm feeling: Fairly well. Still very tired, but I seem to have more bouts of energy from time to time and am napping less. Still having slight nausea and cramping. Other things have set in like overall back pain, indigestion, discomfort, and sometimes the inability to fall asleep. HUNGRY ALL THE TIME! Morning sickness? The morning sickness has really died down. Instead of throwing up every other day, now I'm throwing up every week and a half or so. I still have a lot of nausea but it is re... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Monday, January 25, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Last night... Russ was tickling me in bed and I told him not to. To which he replied:
"I'm not tickling you! I'm tickling the baby! The baby isn't like
you...it's like me and likes to be tickled!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning...
Russ: I hope we don't have a girl
Me: why?
Russ: cuz I only wanna have one pretty lady in my life! I don't want you to have any competition! Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, January 23, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Me: I think I got to go puke (runs to the bathroom) Russ: okay you go in there and I'll go get your hair band. Me: (grabs a hair clip on the sink and leans over the toilet) Russ: here's your hairband! Me: I got this clip instead Russ: but this one matches your sweatshirt! That way you can be pretty while you puke! (At which point I burst out laughing!) Me: Now I don't even feel like I gotta puke anymore! Russ: See! I made you feel better! have I mentioned that I love my husband? Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, January 23, 2010,
In :
Marriage
I know that I already mentioned this on facebook, but I didn't feel like my status update was completely adequate in expressing how utterly thankful I am. I have the best husband in the world...hands down. So today, I had quite a bit of slight nausea, and simply nothing tasted good to me. I had a bagel at about 11:15, and a small can of mandarin oranges about 3:00. Not exactly the kind of diet I need to be having right now! So when Russ came home at about 4:30, I was famished and feeling fain... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, January 20, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
So I'm 8 weeks today! Woohoo! At 8 weeks our baby is the size of a kidney bean...thus the title of this post. I have no intention of keeping up the alliteration but this one worked out. :) So far the pregnancy, to me, seems pretty uneventful. I do have nausea but I'm only throwing up on a rare occasion. Threw up last night but that was the first time in over a week and a half. I think it's a blessing! :) Still very tired. This morning Russ didn't come home after PT and I slept til 11AM! I could... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, January 14, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
At 7 weeks, our baby is the size of a blueberry. How cool is that?!?! 
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, January 12, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Soooooooo, now that I've had my first appointment, and the news has already been slipping out somehow, I feel like I can go ahead and share the it. Russ and I are expecting!!! [Side note: I am going to endeavor to keep most of the pregnancy-related updates here on our blog, as opposed to Facebook, for this reason: yes, I want my friends and family to be aware of what's going on in our lives and how the baby is doing, but I also recognized that there are a number of my friends who are in a situ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Russ on Monday, December 14, 2009,
In :
Holidays
My wife knows that I am writing this blog, but as I am typing she doesn't know what I'm writing. She did tell me there's some kind of contest or something on wives of faith and that she couldn't really figure out what is the best gift she ever gave. To me its obvious. I guess I am "cheating" since I am writing this and not her, and I guess its supposed to be written until the 14th of December, but since I don't really care if she wins I have no problem in cheating. I just want to say this... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, November 21, 2009,
In :
Army Life
Hello Friends. Russ and I have befriended a young couple in our unit.
Matthew and Rachel just PCSed up here to Fort Knox about a month after
we did. They just received the call this week that they could move from their temporary house into their on-post house. Rachel is pregnant with her first...her baby girl Olivia is
due December 5th. They haven't been able to buy very much for their
baby yet so we have set up an online baby shower for them so that
others who care could reach out to them.
... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Monday, July 13, 2009,
In :
Family News
disclaimer...I'M NOT PREGNANT!
(yet hehe!)
But it is a matter of much discussion in the Donaldson household. Last week I was trying to explain to Russ the purpose of prenatal vitamins and the function of folic acid in the development of a baby. His response was this: "So it's like yeast...to help bake the baby!"
Then this morning we were having another discussion and Russ said that we
could have a "superbaby" by "baking it faster." He said that once I'm
pregnant he will put me in a tanning b... Continue reading ...
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