Christmas 2006

Christmas 2006

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you are well and have had a great holiday. Christmas has been very exciting and also very busy, as it is for everyone. The big news is that Cooper (and his parents) are back from Edmonton! We are thrilled to have the big man home to meet his new cousins.

Lots has happened over the past few weeks so I will give a quick recap. Cooper, as mentioned, is home and doing pretty good. They didn't have an easy transition home as 2 days after they came home, they had to put down one of their dogs. Then, on Christmas day, Daren's grandmother passed away. Condolences to the Anderson's.

My girls were all sick a few weeks ago but have been doing great since then. Ava and Zoe are putting on some weight and have been doing pretty well at night.

Christmas Eve and Day were busy but very good. Maddy had a blast and got a million gifts (99% of them were Princess related). I made a slide show with a few pictures over the past few weeks. Hope you enjoy. Enjoy the holidays and time off everyone.............The Stouse's

Frog Puppet Show for Cooper & Katie!

This one is a bit embarrassing but fun for the kids.

Maddy wanted to send another video message to Cooper and Katie. She thought it would be best to have her friends Baby and Daddy Frog say they love and miss Cooper and Katie.

We have been hearing lots of good news about Cooper lately so we are getting excited about seeing the big man in the near future. Hopefully in time for Christmas but if not, soon after.

Maddy has been sick but seems to be getting better. She had a bad cough and fever but we hope to be through the worst of it. The twins are also doing well. The doctor said today (Dec. 6) that the girls look very good and are gaining weight (Zoe is 7 pounds 1 once and Ava is 6 pounds 14 ounces).

Charmaine is still doing great but has had some very long nights. It takes a long time to feed, burp, change and put down - 2 babies. Anyway, take care Anderson’s and we are getting very close to Santa time. Cooper, Katie and Maddy are going to have a lot of fun this year………..not to mention the twins………………

2 Babies Seems Normal............after a while

(Ava on the left and Zoe on the right)

Hello all, just wanted to give a quick post to say hello to everyone. The twins are doing well. The doctor tells us that is is 'very likely' they are identical but we would have to get a DNA test for 100% certainty. They look pretty different to me. Ava is smaller and a little darker (plus she likes TV and her bath time). Zoe is bigger and paler (plus she is awake more and likes music). Sleep is hard to come by but Charmaine is doing amazingly well. I need more sleep then she does I guess!

I am back at work and now working downtown (crappy). I was spoiled by working out by the airport and being 5 minutes from home. Oh well, I will get used to it. Maddy is doing well and getting pretty active.

It is strange but we already feel like having 2 babies at the same time starts to seem normal and no big deal. Last Friday, Grandma & Grandpa Gamble took Maddy to the Rodeo and had a sleep over. She loved it and talks about how the cows were always 'poopin'. Charmaine and I thought we would be adventurous and take the twins to a movie. We went to the new Bond movie (Casino Royale) and they were perfect. They didn't cry and Char was even able to feed them. Everyone that sat down near us, did a double take and decided to sit somewhere else. After the movie, a few people even said, "I can't believe how quiet they were" or "I can't believe you took 3 week old twins to a movie". It was pretty cool to go to a movie again.

Anyway, Cooper is doing better and we hope to have him home soon. It will likely be a while, possibly even after Christmas. We will have to see how things progress. We sure miss him (his parents too!). Take care all and more to come soon...........

Shout-out to Cooper

Just wanted to say hello again to Cooper duper from Uncle Brian, Auntie Charmaine, Maddy and Katie! We love you and miss you very much. We can't wait to see you again soon and you can come over and play with your new cousins Zoe and Ava.

Katie really misses you and is very excited to see you soon. She knows how strong and tough you are.

We are love you tons Cooper so get better soon and before you know it, you will home with all of us..............Maddy and Katie

Singing with my sisters...

Maddy has been amazing with her new baby sisters. I am sure that the fights over phones, the car, boys (yeah right!) will come in time. For now, they are pretty happy with each other. Maddy was pretty happy to have her sisters in her room for a bit, while her parents got a few things done. She is very careful with them so far and loves to hug and kiss them (probably because we love it). Anyway, had a moment to work while all my 4 girls are sleeping and I thought I would try out this new video server, instead of my usual "YouTube". Enjoy and keep those comments (for us and for Cooper) coming............

Sleep, eat, poop...............repeat

Ava and Zoe do a lot of sleeping and eating, with not a lot more. I forgot how much newborns don't do. Sleeping for mom and dad is a bit of a challenge but Charmaine is doing great and keeping up. I am back to work soon so mom will be running the show without me for most of the day.

We had some good news about Cooper which is a big relief for everyone. You can read more about it on the Anderson's website listed beside this in the 'links' section.

I have also failed to identify which baby is which, as our friend Chrissy pointed out. SORRY.
In the pictures above, Zoe is on the left and Ava on the right.

Thanks for the great comments from everyone and I hope to add more pics and video soon.

The 'other' twins

Saying hello to Mom and Dad (Anderson) from Katie and Maddy.

Katie and Maddy were born on the same day (33 minutes apart) and are 'twins' in a different way. They play really well together and can spend hours just chasing each other around. In this video, they are busy with Dora.

We are very happy to say that Cooper is off the pacemaker and his strong heart is beating on its own, with a regular 'P-wave'. We are all thrilled to hear such good news and we hope that Cooper will soon beat all of his other challenges and come home soon.

Ava and Zoe can't wait to meet their Aunt and Uncle and their big cousin Cooper!

Take care Leanne and Daren...............The Stouse's

Home with everyone (family of 5)

I am very happy to say that I was able to bring my girls home on Wednesday of this week. That seemed a bit strange as they were not even 48 hours old. We left the hospital with a clean bill on Wednesday around lunch time and brought the girls home. It was a nice feeling to have everyone home safe and sound.

The girls have been settling in to their new home and Maddy thinks they are pretty neat. Not sure how long that will last! Nights have been tough as they have been up every hour to two. We are keeping Maddy at home until next week and trying to have some time as a family. Thank you to everyone for the kind words and prayers over the past week. Our nephew Cooper is still recovering from heart surgery in Edmonton and he is in our thoughts a lot these days. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and thinking about him. Ava and Zoe can't wait to meet their cousins Cooper and Katie. We hope to see them soon.

I have been having a nap each afteroon with one of the girls laying on me. If you haven't had a chance to have this opporunity, their is no feeling like it. It is a beautiful feeling to have a little sleeping 'peanut' on your chest as you sleep.

In case you are wondering, yes I can tell them apart (sorta). We believe they are identical but won't know for a few weeks. They have a slight size and colouring difference between them.

Life has been busy so I don't know how many updates I will get to do. Thanks again to everyone and we are a very lucky family to have such healthy and beautiful children. Thanks and please keep our Armed Forces in your thoughts this Rememberance Day..........God bless Canada........................Brian

New Babies........New Site

Hello again all,

I have decided that my blog needed a bit of an update now that my girls have been born. This site will be dedicated to updates, pictures and video of my whole (new) family. I hope you like the changes and the new look & feel. Nothing too major.

Not sure if I mentioned yet how in love with all my girls I am. That included my amazing wife! There is nothing we can't accomplish together.

Thanks for keeping in touch and please let me a comment with your thoughts and information. Take care..............Brian

(p.s. - I couldn't resist adding a bit of video of my angels too)

The first pictures of the new Stouse's

Meet Zoe and Ava

This will be the short version with the details you probably want.

At 11:36 pm on Nov. 6th, we brought Zoe Maya into the world. She weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces.

At 11:47 pm on Nov. 6th, we brought Ava Molly into the world. She weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces.

Both babies and their mother are doing excellent. We may even come home on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. We were finally induced and the doctor broke Charmaine's water to get things going. An hour and a half later we were delivering twins. Char was amazing as always. No c-section and no time spent in the NICU. We are very lucky and blessed people. I am deeply in love with all my girls...................

We Have Babies!!!!!

Didn't get a chance to do an update till now. We have 2 healthy and beautiful girls. Charmaine and the girls are great. They arrive before midnight on Nov.6 and names and weights will follow when I have some time. Thank god we are done.

Inducing.................Finally!

After a bad night of waiting, they finally bring us back to Labour & Birth. After a check by the Doctor they say they will induce. At 12:30 they begin the drugs for inducing. This could be hours or even tomorrow.

At last, we are getting to progress and we can't get bumped out again.

Stay tuned and hopefully I will get a chance to update more.....B

Still Waiting

We are in the hospital waiting to be induced. They may not even be able to get us in. Busy here. I am doing this update from my cell. Just have to wait now. Could be many hours even if they do induce......B

Still no babies....

Hello all, as of Sunday Nov. 5th (9am) the hospital has no capacity for inducing anyone else. At this rate, we may have to wait for regular labour to begin. Char was 38 weeks yesterday and that is basically full term for twins. Not sure if I should go back to work now or what. I would rather use the time after the babies, instead of waiting for them. We will try to update more when we can but this could be hours or days at this point. Please keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming for our nephew Cooper........................B & C (Maddy too)

Halloween, Snow and No babies

Maddy had some fun when the first snow fall came. She thought it was pretty cool to catch snow on your tongue. Char was pretty creative with her "Dora" pumpkin. I like the old school kind, which is what we did with a second pumpkin. Maddy and Daddy went out to about 6 or 7 houses on Halloween and she really enjoyed it, minue the cold. She would knock on the door, then yell (or whisper) 'trick or treat!' and then add a growl as she was a tiger.

As of today (Nov.1st - noon) we don't have any new Stouse's. According to our doctor, everything looks great and he wants to enduce on Friday, if possible. So, we may have the twins on Nov. 3rd! Stay tuned as I will try to do updates when I can.

We are all thinking about Cooper in Edmonton and it sounds like he is through the worst of it. Our thoughts are with everyone as they go through this surgery. Take care everyone and stay tuned..........................

Scarrrrry Maddy - Oooooh!

Maddy tries making what she calls 'silly faces' but look more like she is preparing for Halloween. She really only has 2 versions but they are pretty funny for us. Char is offically done work, effective Oct. 16th. This happens to be the day that SaskTel is launching Max with HD for anyone who cares! She is feeling well but sore and tired a lot.

The Rolling Stones were excellent on the long weekend. Lots of drunks in the crowd and drug use in the stands but nothing too major. Pretty good for senior citizens. Likely the biggest show to come to Regina or ever will come. Did you know Ronnie Wood was bald in real life? Anyway, take care and stay warm. Not sure how many more posts before the twins come...........stay tuned.............

Will is back from the 'Sandbox'

My good friend from Regina (Will MacDonald) is recently home from 7 months in Afghanistan. We are all glad Will is back safe from his latest tour. Some may have seen Will on the cover of MACLEAN'S magazine (front right) where he served as a pall bearer for a friend and fellow soldier that was killed.

On Will's return to Canada, he was promoted (Warrant Officer) and given a new post as an instructor at Battle School at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.

Although Will was very busy after returning home, he stopped in Regina and we had a chance to catch up. Willl also got to see Maddy for the first time. She was pretty interested in "...daddy's friend with paint on his arms..." (meaning tatoos)

In other news, Char is doing well and getting closer to the end of her pregnancy. She is half time and seeing the doctor every week. My folks are in Europe for 3 weeks which should be a blast. We just heard that Cooper is re-scheduled for October 26th, for his last surgery which we all know will go well. Take care all and Bravo-Zulu to Will and all the Canadian Forces overseas..........Brian

Maddy prepares for sisters

Maddy has a new doll that she calls "Baby Cooper" for some reason. She loves it and enjoys when it makes sounds. She is getting pretty good at 'shushing' her baby and giving it a bottle when it cries. Pretty cute!

Char is now on half days (mornings) and that seems to be helping. My folks are now in Europe (Oktoberfest) and we all hope they will be back in time for the twins. Our due date is still on for about Nov. 18th so things should work out.

I bought a new camera (Canon SD700) and I am loving it. Hopefully it will motivate me to take more pictures and video. I may have to sneak it in to the Stones concert next weekend. I still have 2 tickets beside mine that are up for sale........

Princess Bedroom

Well we are all back at work now and the summer is offically over. Char is back at school and trying to keep up with it all. Her doctor has just her put on half days so she will be able to get a little more rest now. Maddy is back at the sitter's and back into her routine. We spent some time getting our office made into Maddy's new room. Although it is very small, it works well for our purposes and she loves it. She also moved into a 'big girl bed' and seems to be doing well with that too. Eventually we will get the actual bed part but for now she is fine with the mattress only. Work is nuts for me and I am just trying to stay afloat. I will try to get some more video on this site as I haven't done that in a while and Maddy is looking much older these days. Take care........

Back to School and The Sitter

Charmaine is back to work and full time at one school. Maddy is back at the sitter. Dallas (the sitter) is so much more then just a sitter. Maddy was happy to go back and see her friends and 'other family'. Char wasn't so excited to be back and work. She is doing well but gets tired pretty quickly. We will see how long she can work but I don't think she will make it to November.

This summer we worked with Char's family on a new guest house at the beach. It was finished a few weeks ago and we have finally been able to spend a bit of time relaxing at the beach. Maddy loves riding in the boat (a sailor like her father). She also decided she wants to fish like dad and grandpa. That is a beautiful thing for a father with no boys! Take care everyone.....

Already August?

A few new pictures of Maddy to offer up in the summer months. Char and Maddy have been having a lot of fun together while Dad slaves away (okay not really). We have made several trips out to the cabin (Alice Beach) and are excited about having a new guest house after this year. Maddy really seems to enjoy the beach and the cabin. The first pic is of her playing by her pool. It certainly helps to have Dora on DVD for the drive home.

I have yet to take any vacation but may still try to take some this summer before Charmaine is back to school. We are also trying to change our "den" back into a bedroom. Maddy will make the move to this room and the twins will get her room.

Maddy is chatting like crazy these days and even breaks into song on occassion. She blew us away the other day when she sang the alphabet song when we didn't even know that she knew it.

Char is feeling well but gets tired pretty quickly. Thankfuly she is off for a few more weeks before heading back to school. The Anderson's took a bit of a vacation and Hope & Dave have also been away for about 3 weeks. A big hello to Léa & Chris as they will be tying the knot very soon. Take care all and enjoy the summer before it ends..........(did I mention I got Rolling Stone's tickets too!)...........

Maddy turns "2"

The birthday girl seemed to have a pretty good time on her big day. She had lots of friends over and her cousins too. Katie shares the same birthday so they both got to attend 2 parties over the course of the weekend and eat their own weight in birthday cake. Both girls are pretty spoiled and received a ton of gifts and toys. Maddy's party was a "bug theme" and she loved her 'budda fye' (butterfly) shaped cake. Lots of Dora stuff which makes Maddy happy as she is a 'Doraholic'.
G & G Stouse took her (and mom) to the spray pad near us and Maddy seems to love the water. Char is off for the summer now and looks forward to some one-on-one time with our girl, before the twins come. She is feeling well but glad to be done work and have air conditioning at home. Have a great summer everyone....................B

It has been a while...

It has been a while since I gave an update but life gets busy. Maddy has been pretty chatty lately and is getting to be more fun to play with. June has been pretty disappointing with all the rain but it is better then snow I guess. Charmaine is getting excited as she only has a bit of work left before the summer break. I am jealous of all the time that she will have off and the time she will have with Maddy. The picture with Maddy holding the letter is her first piece of mail and she was excited to get a birthday card from Great G & G Gamble. Her birthday is June 26th and her party is this weekend after her cousin Katie's party on Saturday. The big 2! More pictures soon. Have a good summer............B

Holy Sh*T

The title of this entry is what my dad said when he found out and also what Char & I have been saying for days.

We are pregnant again!!!!

...........AND............we are having twins!!!!!

Twins do not run in either of our families so this is a shock to us. Well everyone except me. I have been telling Charmaine for years that we are having twins at some point. The idea of a new baby is scary and exciting. Twins is both of those things, times two!

We just want healthy babies. If we get 2 boys or 2 girls or one of each, we will be fine as long as we are all healthy. Maddy won't know what to think of all these damn babies. We also don't know how we will function (do we need a new house, new van, new everything).

We were praying for a healthy baby and with luck we will get 2 healthy babies. It still comes as a big shock. Char and I were always planning on 2 but you don't always get to decide these things. More info to come. We expect the new babies at the end of October or early November...........stay tuned.............

Summer is coming (sorta)

It sure seems like summer is here, on most days. However the nights have been below zero and the rainy days are cold. On the nice days, Maddy loves going to some of the parks near by. On the Easter week break, Charmaine was able to take Maddy to the park down the road. Maddy loves the slide and the swings and the 'tee da ta da'. She also loves her sandbox which she gets a lot of use out of. Tonight Char and Maddy planted some flowers which Maddy thought was very exciting. Looking forward to more nice weather and the upcoming May long weekend...........take care...........

Happy Easter!

Maddy had a great Easter this year, mainly because she 'gets it' this year. We had an Easter egg hunt at home which Maddy thought was pretty cool. She also had mom paint eggs with her which was fun as she loves crafts and painting. I hope that doesn't mean she will be an artist (not enough money in it for her father to retire off of). She also got a chance to play with her 'Oma' and one set of great grandparents. Needless to say, she was pretty spoiled from all the attention. Now that G&G Stouse are back from Arizona, she plans to bug them for attention on a regular basis. Hope everyone had a good Easter...........

Maddy gets down...

Maddy Counts

It is a bit hard to hear but Maddy counts in this video. It blew us away as we didn't even know she knew numbers. She started by saying, "...one....two.....three" and then tonight when I asked her to count, she said, "3....4...5....6....7....8...10" and was very proud of herself. Pretty smart kid!

Maddy and Katie

Maddy and her cousin Katie do love to play together. On this occassion, they wanted to do laps with the stroller and shopping cart. Katie is sure becoming talkative. Maddy loves both Cooper and Katie but will always have a special bond with the cousin she shares her birthday with. Thanks for playing with me, Katie!

Maddy Sings

Not much new...

Maddy loves "Dora" and all things related to her. For some reason she also likes to carry around this plastic food with her and put it in and out of her pockets. She keeps saying "Corn...pockets". Pretty cute stuff. G & G Gamble just got back from Dominican and even brought back a Dora beach shirt which she will put to good use this summer at the cabin....

Gifts in the mail

As soon as we opened the package from G & G Stouse, she gave the bear a huge hug. Then she ran around the house with it and had to stop and make the bear play the piano. Thanks G & G Stouse.........

Valentine's Girls

Happy Valentine's Day
Charmaine!

 

Collage of some of the kid pictures of the past few months.

Listen to Maddy's message for grandma and grandpa!

Calling AZ

Maddy picked up the phone and when I asked her who she wanted to call she said "Popa". So we called grandpa and left a message.

Princess Maddy

Princess Maddy

Its amazing how much fun you can have with dollar store toys.

Brian's New Blog

Hello,

Just started a blog for pics and info and stuff.

Nothing fancy.

Check back later.............Brian