New Years Eve....

And nothing was stirring, especially not the baby in my belly. Just a quick post to let everyone know that I am doing great and baby is moving around joyfully in my belly but I am definitely not going into labour anytime soon. I went to the gym this afternoon, did weights and 35 minutes of cardio. Here are a few pictures from the past few days: Grace and Cecelia Strawson together for a Saturday night visit, me 2 days shy of my due date, and Grace loves Grandpa and loves to read with him.

Christmas 2007 Was Great!!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Clay's parents arrived the 18th December to spend Christmas with us and help us out with the new baby...who has not arrived yet and shows no signs of arriving anytime soon. They have both been a tremendous help with the kids, the cleaning, perogie making and preparation of Christmas Supper. The list goes on and on and we can't thank them enough.

Things we got this Christmas...A toy train set with table, cool rugby shirts from England, a Radio Flyer Pony, tonnes of clothes, doll stroller, playpen and high chair, and a new TV.

Things we missed this Christmas...The prairies, playing with cousins, the farm, our Uncles and Aunties and Grandma and Grandpa S.

Things we enjoyed...all the new toys, going skating with Grandma and Grandpa, the snow, traditional 12 dish Christmas Eve followed by midnight mass and opening presents.

Things we learned...When a little girl hands you a wet diaper throwing it in the garbage is good, but checking where it came from would have been better. It's not good to have an un-potty trained 17 month old girl run around the house in a dress, with no diaper on.

Anyways, we had a wonderful Christmas and hope everyone else who reads this blog did too. I have posted a video of Grace on the new Pony, who the boys have named Queeny, and some photos, so you can have an idea of what our Christmas was like in Ontario.





As for me and the pregnancy, I am doing great and only five days away from the due date. I am not experiencing any signs of labour and even went to the gym for a work out this morning. I will keep up with this right to the end. I had an appointment today. My doctor didn't do an internal so I have no idea if I am dilating or not. The baby is still moving lots and the heartbeat is great. The doctor estimates that the baby is around 8 lbs because as big as I am getting, I am still measuring small. At this point in time, I am sure that the baby will arrive after Jan 1st and am preparing my uniform to go back to work on the 7th.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and that New Year's plans are well on the way. Take care, Evelyn and the gang.

The Kotzer Babies

With the upcoming arrival of our new baby, I put together a tribute to our first three babies, Riley, Brodie and Grace, as a reminder of how much joy they have brought to our lives through the past few years . Evelyn

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Grandma and Grandpa Arrive Safe and Sound

And two days late!!! Yes, they were victims of the massive snowstorm that hit Ontario. But, they finally made it here on Tuesday afternoon. They have already put themselves to work and vacuumed everything and made perogies. Today, they have headed out shopping for Christmas.

As for me, I am just over 38 weeks along. It's getting close but I am having no signs of this baby arriving anytime soon. No cramps, no contractions, no sore back, no nothing. I don't think this baby will be making it on time so the church has a live baby for the Christmas Pageant. I had an appointment yesterday. The baby is doing great, head down, and a heartbeat of 128 bpm. I am doing great too, except for the heartburn. It's amazing how that goes away right after the baby is delivered too. This picture of me was taken this morning.


Anyway, hope everyone is doing great and that Christmas plans and preparations are falling into place. Only 5 days left (4 for the people like us who like to do the traditional Polish or Ukranian Christmas Eve).

Let It Snow!!!

Yesterday we got hit pretty hard with an awesome snow storm. Some people probably didn't think it was so great, especially Sunday travellers into and out of Toronto Pearson Airport. Grandma and Grandpa Kotzer probably don't think that it was so great as they are still stuck in Winnipeg, trying to get out on a flight to come and see us. To make matters worse, Clay headed off to Toronto yesterday morning only to find out when he was almost there that his parent's flight had been cancelled. So, he made the trek home.

The snow was great and massive. There were big chunky flakes blowing in the wind an settling on everything. I loved it and the kids did too. Clay made it home around 5:30 pm after a long tiring drive. After supper, we decided to head out for a walk around the neighbourhood and play in the snow a bit. Here are some pictures from our playtime in the snow.

As for Grandma and Grandpa, hopefully they will make it out of Winnipeg today and make their way to Kingston with little to no problems.

Special for Mom

Here are some photos of me and my belly from Saturday evening. I had a Christmas party that Clay and I attended so I had the chance to get all dolled up. So, Mom, don't worry. I really do have a belly and it's growing.

Anyways, I have a really cute Brodie story to share. Last night, Clay had a hockey game. When he got home, I was reading the kids stories before bed. Clay walked in with a suspicious look on his face. I asked him if he got kicked out of the game. Answer: No. Did you get into a fight? Answer: No. Then Brodie chimes in, "Well Dad, then why do you look so guilty?" I am still laughing today.

Good Night all. I have to hit the gym early tomorrow morning. Evelyn

Christmas Is Coming and So Is...

....My due date!!! I can't believe that there is less than a month until my due date, New Years Day. Clay and I don't have much ready for the baby. We have to move the second crib back to our room, get the carseat ready and maybe put a few meals in the freezer. I am feeling great and really wouldn't know I was pregnant except that I hit my belly with car door every once in a while. I had an appointment a week and a half ago and the baby was head down and in the go position. The heart rate was 154bpm and the baby was kicking and squirming a lot. We are starting to get just a little bit excited. I am still working full time but next week is my last week of work. I am super busy trying to get things done before I just take off for Christmas and don't come back for 5 months. The picture of me in the slide show was taken this past Tuesday at 36 weeks.

Today, we finally decorated the tree that we bought and set up five days ago. We are very excited about finally getting that and a few other Christmas things done. Clay put up the lights outside this morning and the other outdoor Christmas decorations. So, our house is really shaping up for the holidays.

The kids had lots of fun sledding down the slope in our yard while Clay was stringing up lights this morning. The boys treated the toboggan like a snow board and went down it standing up. As for Grace, the only thing she likes about the snow is sledding in it. Otherwise, she pretty much hates being all bundled up and trying to walk through snow. And yes, we actually do have snow before Christmas this year. It is so beautiful. This is the first Christmas since our arrival in Kingston that we will have snow for the holidays.

Otherwise all else is going well. Clay is working really hard on his thesis. His parents will be arriving next Sunday to celebrate Christmas and help us when the new baby arrives. Clay has taken the boys out skating a few times, while Grace and mommy do girly things like paint our toe nails. I really do love having a girl. That's it for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Evelyn and the gang