Welcome, Addison Renee!

Addison Renee Bichel was born on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 8:04 a.m. She weighed 8 lb 0 oz, and was 22 inches long.

Here are the pictures! We are so thankful for such a precious blessing from our God...

Of Pregnancy Pillows and Cocoa Puffs

Here we are, 35 weeks pregnant! Okay, so really I'M 35 weeks pregnant, 1 1/2 weeks away from being full-term! I'm very ready to have this baby. Hoping it comes early... I've found out that when you actually gain weight during a pregnancy (unlike my experience with Joshua), you really do feel it! I feel enormous... clumsy....awkward... even sleeping is a struggle. Luckily, a generous friend let me borrow her pregnancy pillow, which has done wonders for my sleep. It doesn't look too impressive - it's shaped like a candy cane and about the size of another person - but WOW does it help me get comfy. Poor Curtis has to share his bed with my belly AND a gigantic pillow. Heh, but he is a sweetheart about it :)

I was craving Cocoa Puffs today. Just got done with two bowls full. I very much wish sugary cereal were better for me than it actually is. It was SO GOOD...

Okay, here is what everyone really wants. Pictures of Joshua. He's 17 months now. Finally getting some hair! Very blonde hair, in fact.

July ... Already?!

Can you believe it's already mid-July?! Well, I can't. Only 2 months left before Baby Bichel the Second arrives... and it's driving me crazy not knowing if we'll have a boy or a girl! Any guesses? You have a 50% chance of being right...

Joshua is a full-fledged toddler now. It's kinda like it happened overnight. Like he woke up one day and decided he wasn't a baby anymore. I know this is supposed to happen - we want our children to grow, learn, mature - but it doesn't make it easy! Already our snuggle times are getting few and far-between. He's good buddies with "Dad-Tee"... it's funny how young boys start to emulate their fathers. I was surprised at how quickly he's picked up to the fact that he is a boy like his Daddy, and needs to learn everything he can about being a boy.

Curtis and I have been enjoying the time we have this summer before the new baby. We have 2 wedding trips in the next month - Curtis is best man in one of the weddings and a groomsman in the other. Joshua will stay with Grandparents while we travel those weekends... so we'll treasure the time together.

Joshua Douglas - 16 mo. - July 2009

Car Drama.

Hey! So I thought it was about time to update... can you believe it is already May? We're already half-way done with this pregnancy! Woot!

Okay, so things have been going pretty well for us - Curtis' shoulder seems to be healing after his few weeks of physical therapy. Joshua got hit with his first illness (looked like the flu), and recovered better than we could ever have anticipated. I had the pleasure of judging at a nearby NCFCA qualifying tournament, which was a blast from the past and a very rewarding experience.

One thing we have had in the past few months is car problems. When I say "car problems", you probably are thinking that we needed to get a car repair. This is true, but it is also the understatement of the year. For two months straight now, every time we finally get the money to fix one of our cars (both are in need of repair), it runs for less than 24 hours and then brakes down on us AGAIN! It's crazy! So please pray for this situation, it has brought unending amounts of stress into our life. We have been incredibly blessed through it (family help, encouragement, etc.), but it would sure be nice to get at least one of our cars running reliably! 

I'll post some new pics of Joshua soon!

Blessings!

-Renee

He's WALKING!

In addition to turning 1 this last month (March), Joshua also learned to walk all by himself!! It's been a long time coming, so it's quite an accomplishment for him! I'll post some pictures of his First Birthday Party, but before doing so, I feel compelled to share some bad news with you. Curtis got injured on the job at the youth home. While he was restraining one of the kids, he broke a finger and hurt his shoulder (which was previously injured in a game of Rugby). The docs are thinking he needs an MRI and maybe even surgery (if it is the AC joint or a rotater cuff). So keep that situation in your prayers, please!!

As for the good stuff....

A Glimpse at Baby Number Two.

There you have it! The infamous Baby Bichel the Second. Everything looks good according to ultrasounds... the baby was super active, which is a good sign. As you've probably noticed, my uterus looks like it is in the shape of a heart, which is just too convenient. It's pretty cute though, wouldn't you say? The concept of our baby being in a heart.... 

 

"AWWWW!"

Okay, so on a more serious note, Curtis is just getting over a pretty bad case of Bronchitis, which I think has thrown a wrench into his never-stopping-working-tons-of-overtime routine. This is a very good thing. He's backing off the overtime and working regular hours for awhile. Hurrah!

Nothing else is new, except that Joshua is wanting to do nothing but walk, and he is working effortlessly toward that goal. We're thinking he'll be walking on his own in the next few weeks. I'll update when he takes his first independent steps!

Blessings to you and yours, dear reader.

Renee <3

February, Valentines, and an Update.

Hi! Okay, so here's the scoop on what's been happening with us...

• Curtis has been working TONS. Pulling double-shifts, working late, and going in early for training classes. It's been a blessing for our financial situation, but it does make it hard on family life and, of course, Curtis's stress level. Prayer appreciated! We are thankful, though!
• Valentines day is coming up... or what I've seen it dubbed, "Singles Awareness Day"! Curtis has to work on the actual day, so the Friday night before we are going on a Valentine's date! We are very excited. It's a fun time for us - it will be the 3rd anniversary of our engagement!
  
• Morning sickness has kicked in. It is unpleasant... I've been vomiting pretty much twice a day for the past few days. Ugh... I guess everything that's worth doing can be difficult, right? :D
• Joshua has been expanding his vocabulary. He can say go, car, more, ball, and other similar words. He has also learned how to stand on his own, for a few seconds. He dances and claps to music.
• I've posted some new pictures of Joshua. WARNING > Naked baby on the loose!
  

Blessings!

Baby Number Two!

This week I found out I was pregnant! We are very excited - we feel very blessed. It's a little daunting; the idea of two babies in diapers and two toddlers running around... I'm sure we will be very thankful for God's grace during the next few years! But really - we are incredibly happy.

We will keep everyone updated about the pregnancy here! We'll be interviewing and picking a midwife here in the next few weeks. According to a normal pregnancy chart, I'd be about 5 or 6 weeks along and be due in late September. Just think: next Christmas Joshua will be almost 2 and baby two would be almost 3 months old! Crazy!

Blessings to all <3

Joshua doesn't always cooperate.

Okay, so this picture is a set-up. I have to confess it, because I know you clever ones out there will wonder how a baby boy (particularly Curt and Renee's baby boy, the very mischievous Joshua) would climb up in his big-boy chair and sit perfectly still in it. No, if it was left up to him, I'd have a picture of him standing on the top of the back of the chair, trying to tear the wall decor off.

As it may be, I sat him down in the chair and snapped a picture as quickly as was humanly possible. And this is the first try:

Then the second try....
So, you can see the effort I had to put in to get my desired photo. But, if you are like Curtis and prefer non-posed, raw pictures, this is the one for you (he was 3 months old then):
Haha, okay. So enough of silly pictures of Joshua.
But I really don't have anything else to say right now...
Blessings for 2009!