What's New

This last weekend we cruised up to Santa Clarita to visit Auntie Hali and our friends the Solomons. We stayed with Krystal, Charlie, Zack and Ben Solomon for a couple nights and had a blast. It is so much different traveling with 2 kids, but the DVD player in the car made the whole thing possible! Also, Simon sat in the center of the back seat so he could be next to Karis and he proved very helpful in giving her a pacifier once it had fallen out! Simon and Zack have been friends since they were just a few months old, and just recently they've been capable of forging a friendship. It is so wonderful to see two 3-year-olds conversing about their likes and dislikes and playing politely (if necessary!) without prompting.

Everybody seemed to take quite nicely to Karis who is 10 weeks old now. She really liked Auntie Hali, giving her big smiles and coos and her version of a laugh: blowing very sweet, girly spit bubbles.

It's official: Simon is an All-Star athlete! We signed him up for Pee Wee basketball through the Y and his first practice was yesterday evening. He is on a "team" of four, with 3 four- and five-year-olds and himself, and he's the youngest by a year. He could barely contain himself enough to focus on learning the sport. Also, there was a high school basketball team practicing on the other half of the court, which proved to be far more enthralling to all the kids than anything their Coach had to say. As expected, Si was the most outgoing of the group, telling his coach all about his snake shoes, his baby sister, and the funny smells he noticed in the gym. The best was when they were instructed to make a triangle (one teammate hadn't arrived yet) and pass to eachother, Si got very excited and said, "Yeah! Then we can make an 'O' or a 'P!'" (Letters and shapes are interchangable in our world.) No doubt this will be one exciting "season." Hopefully, he'll pick up some baskteball skills, too!

As usual it's been a while since our last post. But now we have a valid excuse: our newest arrival has been eating up our time! In case you haven't heard, Karis Ruth arrived December 1st after an intensely quick labor and has wiggled her way into her perfect place in our family. She is so mellow and sweet, quite a contrast to our *last* baby! Jillianne prayed for an easy, snuggly baby and we got one! So far she only wakes up twice a night which was inconceivable for us at first, but easy to get used to. Simon has really stepped up to the plate as a fantastic big brother who can't wait to help out and tell everyone how much he loves his sister. In fact, today he told us, "Mama, Papa... Karis is in my heart." We took that to mean he adores her almost as much as we do. It's so neat how it feels like she's always been a part of our family...
Look at the new photos on our Pics page to see Karis' first smile! (At least the tail end of it.)

All the cooking and work on Thanksgiving produced a wonderful holiday with family, but no baby! Some progress has been made. Last week, Jillianne was at 3cm and 75% effaced and we'll see if any more progress has been made at tomorrow's appointment. Slow and steady wins the race, right? At this rate, the race will be "won" in about four more months! Haha!

We made it full term!
It's hard to believe how quickly this last month has gone. We're so glad to be out of the woods, and we're looking forward to baby's arrival any day now! Last week the doctor found no progress in terms of early labor: still at 2 cm and 50% effaced.

Needless to say, we won't be traveling anywhere for Thanksgiving. We're going to have Chris' dad Nick down for the day and also Jill's sister Hali and her boyfriend Matt will be joining us. We'll have plenty of help with preparing dinner, and maybe a day full of cooking will be enough to send us to the hospital in labor!

Only 4 days to go 'til baby is considered full term! It's just amazing how long this process can take, and in this situation it's worked to our advantage. Jillianne saw the doctor last week and is maintaining at 2 cm and 50% effaced, and also we're told the baby is "riding very low." We're sure that whenever active labor starts, it's going to move quickly!

After years of freaking out about getting a haircut with buzzers, last week Simon decided out of nowhere that he wanted to go to the "big strong man haircut store" (i.e. barber) and get a real haircut. We agreed to take him and talked several times about what kind of behavior is acceptable in the "big strong man haircut store" and walked in to Papa's barber shop on Coronado for the event. He hesitated for a minute to get in the chair, but was quite willing to sit on Mama's lap as long as we both got a cape. He sat still and talked with the barber and even held the "itchy brush" used to sweep hair off his face and neck. If you've ever seen him during (or given him) a buzzer cut you are surely stunned, mouth agape. It was unbelievable. Then he checked himself out in the mirror, picked out a blue sucker and we left. But first, he wanted to sit on the bench outside and start on his lollipop and I just had to snap a pic- check it out on our Pics page. He speaks very fondly of the whole thing and asks everyone if they like his haircut. I'm sure we'll be going back when it's time for the next one!

We're back home! Shortly after evacuating, they placed a mandatory evacuation order for the neighborhoods surrounding ours. We stayed the night and next day at the Delaos and came back home the next night when the winds had changed and all evacuation orders were lifted, both mandatory and voluntary. In the meantime Jillianne's dad, Art, had driven down from Nevada to help us out at home but left just before the fires got bad. He had to make many route changes and a 10-hour drive turned into a 17-hour drive taking him through El Centro and down to the border! He got in safely while we were staying at the Delaos. Their Christian neighbors Paul and Sharon were desperately searching for a way to help anyone affected by the fires, and they offered up their guest room to Art. They got to share their stories and really enjoyed eachother's company. God's provision for us is simply amazing!

In the meantime, Jillianne visited the hospital another couple times. It seems her kidneys are under a good deal of stress right now. Infection has been ruled out, but nothing can be done until after the baby is born when they will do a full kidney workup if the symptoms persist. At that time, we found that Jillianne was dilated to 2 cm and 50% effaced! That was a week ago, so we know that labor is quickly approaching! Also, we got the full-scan ultrasound to check baby's development and we are so pleased to report that she's developing well and weighing in at 5 1/2 lbs, which is quite nice for her gestational age! Jillianne is still experiencing contractions and is on partial bedrest and gladly off the medications. If she goes into labor, they will not stop it at this point. We can expect baby to spend a few days in the NICU, but most likely no permanent health problems!

We were so blessed when our friend Michelle from Camarillo EV Free drove all the way down to San Diego on Saturday with a bunch of frozen meals cooked by our friends in the Bereans. It's so unexpected and helpful for them to reach out to us in this way. So we have enough to get us through at least 1 week, and Michelle's coming down with more next weekend! We'll have to get eating...

PRAYER REQUESTS: Jill's dad is heading up to Oregon today as his mother's health is failing. He'll be flying up there 'til Wednesday, leaving his car and dog here with us. Pray for direction and peace as he surely feels pulled in many directions right now.

Also, Chris has had a trip to San Antonio scheduled for Nov 1 - 11 for some time, and is trying to get out of it today. We're not sure what the reaction of his command will be, seeing as he is the only one who holds his position and has planned all the logistics for the trip. Although we know God won't leave us high & dry in this time of need, it would be nice if Chris could stay in the area incase the baby comes.

Our neighborhood is under a voluntary evacuation due to the fires nearby. We've packed up and are headed to our friends the Delaos. Jillianne's still hanging in there, we'll keep you updated.

At Jillianne's regular 32-week prenatal check up yesterday, she was examined and determined to be at 1 - 1 1/2 cm dilated and the cervix had shortened to a very low 1 1/2 cm. She was immediately sent to Labor & Delivery for preterm labor which will be stopped or delayed before 34 weeks gestation, per hospital policy. After monitoring her contractions and the baby, the exams showed no further dilation. Jillianne was given the first of two corticosteroid shots to quickly mature the baby's lungs and other organs in the case of premature birth and sent home to rest and keep track of any contractions 'til the next appointment 24-hours later for the 2nd steroid shot.

But at 3:30am, she was awakened by regular contractions and after timing them at 8 minutes apart for several hours, we dropped Simon off with our good friends the Delaos and headed to the hospital. More monitoring, more exams, and though the contractions were still coming Jillianne hadn't dilated any further, praise God. They administered a shot of terbutaline to calm the uterus and hopefully stop the contractions and told us to return in a few hours for the second steroid shot and more exams. After lunch and a short nap at home, we returned to L&D with Jillianne still having no slowing of the contractions. But, great news, exams showed no dilation past 1 cm still! She was given the 2nd steroid shot and the doctor prescribed another uterine relaxer to take home and full bedrest (with bathroom privileges!) 'til 34 weeks gestation which will only be 1 week. After that it will be partial bedrest and they won't stop labor. Also, the corticosteroids will take full effect on the baby 24 hours after the last dose (so that will be 2 pm Friday) which gives some relief.

We are fully aware that things could be so much worse. We're so blessed by the sacrificial help being offered to us by our friends and family- and we'll probably take you up on it! We're taking comfort in the fact that the Lord has already chosen our baby's birthday and it's the best one for her and our family! Your prayers are greatly needed and appreciated.

Two months and counting 'til Baby! We are busy preparing and trying to wait patiently for the arrival of the newest Freischlag. Everything is progressing wonderfully with the pregnancy. Simon has taken an interest in "helping" Jillianne's OBGYN montior Mama and Baby's health (see our new photos on the Pics page.) He also has a slight crush on Jillianne's doctor, a sweet young Lieutenant at the Naval Hospital who is thrilled when Simon comes along to the regular checkups!

Chris is traveling about 1 week out of the month for work and is expecting to go on his last trip for a while at the beginning of November. Seeing that Simon was 10 days early and a due date is never set in stone anyway, we're glad Chris is able to stick around for the rest of the month.

Jillianne had her scheduled 20 week ultrasound a couple days ago and while we were there we just couldn't help it and had to find out the sex of the baby. We are very happy to say we're having a GIRL! We still think it would have been such a great surprise to wait till the baby was born, but our curiosity got the best of us! It worked out nicely, because Baby Girl will need a little more preparation (and a lot more girly clothes!) than if she were another boy. Also, she is growing and developing perfectly, and apparently she is already a cutie pie. Simon was in the room for the ultrasound and said, "Awww! What a cute baby!" It didn't matter that we were looking at Baby's abdomen (but it was pretty cute for a belly.)

We arrived in San Diego safe and sound, and Chris checked in to his new command shortly after moving into our new home in Eastlake. So far, everything seems to be what we expected, which is great news. Chris comes home at 4:00 or 5:00 every day and doesn't work weekends! It's quite a big change for us, but one we're glad to get used to. (We'll be mailing out our new address cards shortly!) Chris' brother Nate lives just a couple miles from us and we get to have dinner and hang out with him. It really is a treat to have family near by, and Nate is sort of a celebrity with Simon. Another plus: we've already hit him up for babysitting a couple times since we've been here!

Jillianne's pregnancy is progressing wonderfully. She'll be assigned an OBGYN at the Naval Medical Center San Diego at Balboa Park and the baby will be born there, too. We've heard the newly-opened Labor & Delivery wing at the hospital is very nice and are looking forward to checking it out.

We had a small beach party for Simon's 3rd birthday July 6. We were joined by our friends the Delaos, Auntie Hali & Matt, and Uncle Nate. It was a pretty simple affair, but the kids had a wonderful time. Like always, Si just can't get enough of playing in the water. We're hoping to enroll him in swim lessons this summer and get him on track to become a Navy Rescue Swimmer!

Right now we're planning our 2nd annual trip to Sunriver, Oregon in August. We're looking forward to the outdoor activities and seeing all Jillianne's family. Simon remembers last year with the biking, the wildlife, and all his favorite family members there as his captive audience!

We're still here in Camarillo getting ready to move. The movers are scheduled to come June 18 and our stuff should be on the road to San Diego by June 20! We hope our property arrives soon after we do. We'll have a few days to get used to our new place and get set up before Chris has to check in to his new command. Hopefully we'll be able to make good use of the first family time we've had in a while.

Check out Jillianne's, Simon's and the Baby's pages (accessible through the Family link below). They're up and running... kind of. More to come soon!

Happy Mother's Day! It has been quite a while since our last post and we've got news. We have orders in-hand for Coronado and we just can't wait. Chris will detach from his current command June 15 and report to his new command on or before July 6, and we'll pack out and move some time in between! We have found a place in Eastlake and are really looking forward to this next chapter of our ever-changing life. We have more information about the job and I'm confident that it's a perfect fit for Chris. The change of pace we're expecting will be well received!

We're expecting! We are thrilled to say we have a baby on the way, due sometime around December 7 (yeah, I know... Pearl Harbor Day.) Even more exciting, we've decided not to find out the baby's sex. Everyone has their opinion about that, but we think it can only add to the anticipation of our new arrival and the joy on that special day. I'll try to keep the website current, but we'll see.

Happy New Year! We start 2007 with yet another change of plans: we've gotten word that we will be getting orders to Coronado (San Diego) for Chris to start up a new position for the Navy as a Special Operations recruiter! This is really an answer to prayer. As I wrote before, we weren't thrilled at the idea of moving to Florida again and leaving our friends and family on the West Coast, but this job was created and Chris has been selected as one of only a few Navy Chiefs to do this special duty. We don't have too many details yet such as what exactly this job entails, who he'll report to, or when we'll be sent, but we are pretty excited. We've heard he will be traveling a lot but also have some down-time at home. (Keep in mind, as with everything in military life, you can't be sure 'til it's already happened.) But, we'll post more on this Update page when we find out!

Well, we've got some real news this time. Chris has received orders for Pensacola in October '07. We're pretty sad to leave Camarillo and the West Coast, but we are looking forward to his new job and a change of pace. He will be an instructor at the recruiting schoolhouse at NAS Pensacola, working normal hours! It will be great to have him home before Simon is in bed and also have weekends off. We're pretty sure we want to return to Camarillo, God willing, after his tour is up but we'll have to wait and see. But for now, we will enjoy our friends here and value the time we have with our family while we're close by.

Alright, it's been well over 2 months since I've posted an update. That should speak to how fast time has gone by since the move! We really like it here in Camarillo and being close to our friends and church is the best. We have more room in our house, too, and Simon just loves his new playroom and the backyard. Our neighbors have a 2-year-old son also and they get along pretty well. We had a great Thanksgiving with our friends from church the Bowcocks and the Rutledges. We will be heading up to Nevada again this year for Christmas, and we're hoping it will be a white one! Simon is noticing that this time of year is a little different (we have a couple neighbors who have gone all out on decorating their house Clark Griswold style) and he finds this to be pretty exciting. Whenever he sees Christmas lights he yells, "Oooooh! Birthday!" Well, he's right!

We're moving! A week from today we'll be packing up and moving out to Camarillo, about 20 miles east. We'll be closer to our church and our friends, but Chris will have a longer drive to work. We weighed the pros and cons, and decided this move will be a good thing! We're a little stressed, but really looking forward to the change. We'll be mailing out our new information very soon!

He passed! Chris' oral interview board for the CHP was held yesterday afternoon, and he has moved on to the background check! I am so proud of him, and he is relieved that this stage is over. We need to thank Gregg for all his help and guidance. He's been such a good friend and a great asset to have through this process. (A pic of Gregg & Chris is in our "Pics" page, taken when they met up for coffee immediately after Chris' oral board.)

Chris took his written test for the California Highway Patrol at the beginning of this month and passed! We got word by mail and were also notified of the dates and locations of the next tests: physical, psych, and a personal interview board. This morning they conducted the physical ability test, and Chris passed with flying colors! So he has been scheduled to have his psychological testing all day tomorrow and the interview on Tuesday afternoon, which we hear is pretty tough. The way he's been doing, I think he's got nothing to worry about. Well, not with the interview anyway.... :-D

The CHP has this program for active duty military where you can apply, test and be accepted anytime before your 36th birthday, but not go to the academy until after you discharge from the military. They can wait up to 8 years for you to get out. So Chris is doing all his testing now and, if he's "hired", won't officially start until he's out of the Navy in about 3 years.

Fri, Aug 25

Well, we officially started potty training Simon on Tuesday armed with nothing but a potty seat, some over-the-phone advice from a friend, and the desire to be a Big Boy. Apparently that's all you really need! So we're glad to report that today was our first accident-free day! So this "update" is to let everyone know that he is officially not a baby anymore (maybe to let me know that, too!)

I never imagined something so basic would make me want to tear out my hair and cry. Also, a "thank you" goes out to the special people in my life who potty trained me and to those of you who have trained someone else! Keep in mind that someone taught you how to go, and that person deserves a pat on the back! Personally, I think someone needs to call Mike Rowe from the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" show and clue him in on this one!!!

Another shout out to my friend Krystal who so patiently gave me her personal Cliff notes to Azrin & Foxx's "Potty Training In Less Than A Day" since I couldn't find the book in a hurry. Also to Krystal's son Zack who blazed the trail two weeks ago and showed us it could be done, even by a boy!

We just spent 5 days in Sunriver, Oregon and had a great time! Auntie Susie and Uncle John were so gracious in reserving their vacation home for the whole week to accomodate us. Almost the whole gang was there: John and Sue, Lauren, Art and Carley, Pat, Daniel, and even Papa came!!! We had lots of fun outdoors doing things like riding bikes, whitewater rafting, golfing, fly fishing and encountering wildlife. (Simon still calls deer "kangaroos.") It was such an awesome, much-needed vacation. We just might do it again next year!

Simon and I (Jill) went to Disneyland on Wednesday with Auntie Hali and our friends Gregg & Kathleen, Norm & Debra, and baby Canaan. Simon had a blast! His new favorite rides are Jungle Cruise and Autopia. He took driving the Autopia car very seriously and did a great job, too! All of us had so much fun, we only wish Papa could've come with us!