HAPPY BELATED VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day ended in our house with this picture of true sibling love...just before Draven tackled Elora to the ground - in the nicest way possible, of course. ;) Overall, Valentine's Day was a rough one this year as a Mommy. At 7 a.m. I awoke Draven to get him ready for preschool when his high fever and congested cough began to seriously worry me (he had been coughing since the weekend). At that moment, I decided he needed to see a doctor because this cold was different than most he had in the past. After 4 1/2 hours at the Valdez Medical Clinic between nurses, the doctor, having blood drawn (for the first time), painful coughing, 102 degrees fever, and lastly, throwing up, we finally found out why Draven was so ill - it was a viral infection that turned into pneumonia. Therefore, this posting is a couple days late. During this time though, Elora has been Draven's little nurse between attempts at helping him get dressed (although it only frustrates Draven), bringing him medicine, as well as, eating some of his dinner in hopes that he could leave the table (not a requirement but she must have thought it would help or she just enjoyed getting away with eating food off his plate).

Anyway, the Olson home has been entertaining with Draven and Elora learning new things daily (some good and some not-so-good). Right now, Elora's favorite thing is to hum or sing songs all day; whether it is while playing, driving, eating, or getting ready for bed. Whereas lately, Draven counts almost everything he sees and practices counting backwards from ten. Other than that though, these children of ours seem to surprise us regularly - it's priceless and we will share it with you as often as we can.

Where has the time gone? It feels as if it were just the other day when Patrick and I were leaving the Coos Bay Hospital, where our friends just had a baby, with me crying the entire drive home wishing I were pregnant and so confused on why I was so emotional about it. That evening, while Patrick was preparing our dinner, I come out of our restroom jittery with excitement and nervousness at the same time (seeing that I just watched our friend give birth) while saying, "Baby, I love you...I'm pregnant." With blade in mid-stroke through the pizza, Patrick freezes momentarily before slowly turning around with awe and excitement on his face - he was speechless. We then decide to move back to where I have called home since I was nine years old - Valdez, Alaska. At my first doctor appointment, I find out I am already 9 weeks pregnant - yippee, the first trimester is almost over! At 19 weeks, the doctor said he was 80% sure our baby was a boy. At around 20 weeks, Patrick and I are watching the movie "The Crow" when I see the name 'Eric Draven' on the screen. "Draven, hmmm...I like that name," I said. Patrick highly agreed and on the evening of October 16, 2001 (11 days late, 35 additional pounds to my body, 26 hours of labor, and an epidural for the pain), Draven Patrick arrives into this world weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz.

Next thing we know, Draven is 15 months old and after 3 pregnancy tests, I come out of our restroom with shock, nervousness, and happiness on my face while saying, "Hey sweetie...I'm pregnant again" as Patrick's face lights up like a little boy at Christmas, he hugs Draven and I with passion and excitement for the new addition, on its way. At my first doctor appointment, I find out I am only 5 weeks along which made this pregnancy feel much longer! Although, my stomach started protruding by 4 months in comparison to the first pregnancy which did not show until almost 6 months! That was the first obvious difference. The second was realized when I started craving fruit and became nauseous from the smell of raw ground beef; whereas, I craved sweets galore (chocolate, cookies, ice cream, and more chocolate) during Draven's pregnancy. The third though was recognized at 18 weeks pregnant and the doctor told us he was 60% sure our baby was a girl. By this time, Patrick informed me of the name he wanted for a girl, Elora Danan, from the movie "Willow" in which a name he had decided on many years ago. After watching the movie again with the name in mind, I too agreed it was a beautiful name, but the Danan part took some time getting used to (My first thought was, "Dannon, like the yogurt?"). However, on the evening of October 15, 2003 (2 days late, 40 additional pounds to my body, 6 hours of labor, and no drugs for the pain), Elora Danan became the perfect name for our new baby girl weighing in at 9 lbs. 3 oz.

From there, Patrick and I have experienced the terrible and terrific twos (which in our house, it equals a full two years from 18 months to 3 1/2 years), potty training, attempting to comprehend toddler communication (thank goodness for basic sign language!), sibling rivalry and love, colds and fevers from a child's perspective (heart-breaking), innocence at its finest, as well as watching them learn through frustration and excitement (new discoveries and creativity). Overall, being a parent is a blessed opportunity from God and I would not trade it in for the world. Although, parenting IS the hardest job in the world, I thank God every day for these wonderful little blessings He has given us in which we named Draven Patrick and Elora Danan.