Merry Christmas from the Gomers!

We're spending Christmas in Thunder Bay as travelling to NB to visit family would have been too difficult this year with a preschooler, toddler, and newborn. Here are some pictures of our morning... for more, check out our web album...

http://picasaweb.google.com/lezgomes/GomesChristmas2007


We'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all today and forever.

We wish you peace and God's richest blessings. Love, Jon, Lezlie, Abby, Jude & Jordan

Make a postcard - it's easy!

More stomach flu..

Jude stopped throwing up Monday afternoon. Abby started at 11:30 Tuesday night, shortly after Jon's mum arrived from Fredericton to visit us for Christmas and meet her new grandson. My symptoms started overnight, in between holding the bucket for Abby and nursing/changing Jordan. Jon was on bucket-dump duty. Abby stopped throwing up Wednesday morning. Although I never threw up, I lived on ginger ale until lunchtime on Thursday.

Jon and I went out with Jordan after Abby and Jude were in bed last night (we picked out some paint colours for the addition... very exciting!!) We came back to find that Grammy had been infected... Jon started feeling nauseous over night, although his symptoms are more similar to mine.

Soooo, half the Gomers are no longer contagious whereas Jon and his mum are still under quarentine. Last night very long, so we're hoping for a better night tonight!

Gastroenteritis (aka stomach flu)

Just when I thought that I was making a dent in laundry mountain, Jude came down with a stomach virus. The poor little guy woke up last night throwing up in his bed. We brought him down to our futon (in the tv/play room) to sleep with us. Between him throwing up and Jordan up for his mid-night snacks and bum changes, Mummy and Daddy started the day sleep-deprived (okay, more sleep-deprived than usual) and less than cheerful and gracious. We're hoping for a better night tonight and that that by tomorrow Jude will be feeling more like himself. We're also praying that only Jude ends up with the virus (my hands are raw from washing them so often today). As for the laundry... after doing 5 loads today, I'm about where I was this time yesterday :)

Lessons learned from putting up our Christmas tree this year...

1. Using a reciprocating saw on a hardwood floor to cut off the bottom of the tree causes the whole room to vibrate.

2. Never buy a Christmas tree with even a slightly crooked trunk.

3. Always hold the Christmas tree perfectly still after it has been determined to be straight and your husband is under the tree tightening the bolts.

4. Tieing your tree to the wall does NOT mean you have failed.

5. Shag area rugs can hold a lot of pine needles.

6. Vacuum cleaners do not like long pine needles.

7. It takes a LONG time to sweep a shag rug.

Christmas Tree Adventure

Our friends asked us if we wanted to go to a tree farm with them to cut down our own Christmas tree. We declined. I love the thought of going out and selecting the perfect family Christmas tree and then cutting it down ourselves. However, the snow would be up to Jude's waist in spots and we have a newborn. Those factors alone would significantly decrease the Christmas spirit. It was also bitter cold today, so off to Home Depot we went. I'm not sure why we thought they would have trees... do they usually? Also no trees to be seen at Canadian Tire (at least where they have been in past years). Not a great start. To Superstore we went. Kids unloaded, we head for the fenced in area outside the store. While Jon and I try to figure out how to tell if a tree wrapped in nylon mesh is a fresh and not a funky shape Abby complains about the cold and Jude throws himself down on the ground for no apparent reason. Jon and I continue to discuss the trees when Abby announces that she needs to go pee. I close my eyes and take a deep breath... this is not the fun family outing I had invisioned. Into the store we go. Jude dodges around shoppers heading to their cars with their carts with Daddy closeby. I have Jordan in one hand and have Abby's hand in the other. After peeing and washing her hands, Abby decides twice that there are still bubbles on her hands and needs to rinse again.

We find Daddy and Jude, pay for a tree and then head to the van. We realize that there is no twine with which to tie the tree to our roof rack (isn't that usually provided?), so we debate going back home to retrieve something to secure the tree. I didn't really want to do that, so Jon hung with the kids and the tree and waited while I ran into the store for some twine. It turned out to be useless so we just stuck the tree between the kids. So, the tree is home. It's not yet up, although Jon did trim the bottom off it for us. I think getting it up and decorated will likely take all weekend. It will be beautiful!!

Week 2 as a family of 5

Here are a few pictures of Jordan taken this past week. The first 3 are at 10 days old and the bottom one was taken last night (13 days old) with Jordan's new friend Myah, born just a day and a half after Jordan.

Overall, it wasn't a bad week. Jon worked Monday - Thursday and actually had to drive to Dryden and back yesterday. I did my best to adapt to mothering three little ones on my own through the day. Wednesday I even took all three kids out on my own to visit Daddy at lunchtime. Yesterday was our playschool Christmas party so the kids and I were all out the door shortly before 9 am (Daddy had to be on the road by 7 am). There were still some sticky faces and fingers, but overall, the kids didn't look half bad! I, on the other hand, could have used more makeup to cover the dark circles under my eyes :)

Jordan usually wakes 2 or 3 times through the night, and will usually go back to sleep after an hour of nursing, burping, changing, nursing, burping ... We continue to sleep in the tv/play room as our bedroom in the addition is not heated yet and it's definitely winter here in Thunder Bay! We pull out the futon every night and Jordan sleeps in his bassinet.

Jude has taken to NOT napping the past couple of days... we're not sure what that's about exactly, but we're hoping its short-lived... I get pretty wiped by the end of the day and I'd be a much better Mummy with an afternoon nap. It's all a phase though, truly. These tiring days and nights will be a distant memory before I know it. Our little ones will grow more and more independent and need Mummy and Daddy less and less. Just the thought brings tears to my eyes... so I will continue to pray for strength to be a godly mother, to be patient instead of frustrated when Abby decides she needs to go pee shortly after we get out the door and to laugh instead of cry when Jude puts cat food in the cat's water AGAIN. I am so very blessed. These are the times to remember... they won't last forever.

One Week Old

Jordan is already 9 days old and has gained 1 lb since leaving the hospital last Saturday (he was 9 lbs, 10 oz at birth and lost 5 oz before we left). He is now 10 lbs, 5 oz. He's gained 5 oz since last weighed on Wednesday.

Jordan is our last little one so I'm trying to savour every cuddle, every cute little squeak, the way he snuggles up on our shoulder,
his newborn smell... I know how much I'll miss all these little things when he's older. Seeing Abby & Jude, I know how quickly they grow *sniff*

Today at Sunday School, Abby made a necklace out of foam beads for me (she told me that she already had one, so wanted to make one for me as an "early Christmas present"). I put it on before we left the church to go out for lunch. When the waitress at Montana's came to our table, she told me how much she liked my necklace... Abby beamed! I'm so proud to be her mum. I'm proud to wear the necklace that she made just for me.


My mum was here until yesterday. Tomorrow will be my first day on my own with the 3 kids. Yikes! Although my body is recovering very well from the labour and delivery, I'm tired and notice how little patience I have at times. But, I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. On my own, I'm weak.
Until very recently Abby would only want to sit on rides and not want them to move. It's been great because she's happy and we've saved lots of loonies! However, now she likes the rides to move. When we were at the airport, she decided that she wanted to go on the mini merry-go-round with her little brother.
Jude loved it!

Jordan at home

We are all adjusting to life with Jordan (thank goodness for Nana being here!!). Jordan and I came home from the hospital on December 1, about 36 hours after he was born. Although we could have stayed another 24 hours, Thunder Bay was getting a record snowfall and I really didn't want to be "stranded" at the hospital and not able to see Abby & Jude for another day.

The top floor of the addition (the master bedroom) is still not heated, so Jon and I transform the tv/playroom (which is actually our dining room) into our bedroom at nighttime. Last night, Jordan was awake from 8 - 11 pm (yeah!!) and then slept in his basinette from 11 pm until 1:30 am. After a snack and bum change, he went back to sleep in his basinette until 4 am and then not up again until 7 am. Overall, not a bad night! Hopefully it will develop into a trend, but he is only 5 days old so I'm not holding my breath!

Jude came downstairs this morning and went right over to his little brother and said "baby". He's been really great with Jordan so far. It will be sooo fun when Jordan's old enough to play with his big brother Jude!
All clean after his little sponge bath this morning.

Here's a link to some more pictures we've taken in the past few days...

http://picasaweb.google.com/lezgomes/JordanSFirstDays

Introducing...

Our little Jordan Nathaniel made his appearance into the world yesterday morning (November 30, 2007) at 5:50 am. He weighed a very healthy 9 lbs, 10 oz at birth and is spending his first night home tonight. On that note, Mummy is going to try to get some rest while Jordan is sleeping :)
Cuddles with a tired Daddy.
"Burrito boy" snuggling with Mummy.
Getting ready to go home...