So what's new with you???

Where have I been? Two kids keeps you kind of busy. Good busy, fall into bed at night busy, but it's wonderful. Here is a little bit of life in pics from our family!

In addition, and as a way to try and be somewhat consistent with blogging on this here blog, I am going to try and do the Nanoblomo for the month of June. The theme is home. I can't say I will blog every day, but at least when I do, I will have some direction rather than, Hi, the baby pooped, the other one played outside, we ate, we slept, the end.

My Girls

Ummm... Wow

This rocks beyond... words...

Food for Thought

I have multiple posts in the works only partially finished. But as I was reading this morning, this jumped out at me and really made me think.

From the book Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney.

"Just because a man longs for something that can be found in God alone doesn't mean he's looking for God. A man may pine for peace yet have no interest in the Prince of Peace. Many who claim they are questing for God are not thirsting for God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, but only for God as they want Him to be, or for a god who will give them what they want."

Making Dinner the Boo Bear Way

I have been letting Boo Bear help me more as I cook and she really enjoys it. A little too much! Lat night I had put 2 cans of soup in a bowl and I let her pour in some milk and then add some pepper and stir it together. I set the bowl aside and was working on the pasta. I turned around for just a second and when I turned back around, I turned just in time to see Boo Bear pour my orange juice into the bowl. Yum! Cheddar Cheese soup, milk, pepper and OJ! The perfect combination. So we had to go to Plan B for dinner.

I couldn't get mad because it was just too funny!

The Birth Story: Grace Dancer

I know most of my readers that came out of the wood work for the birth of baby Grace have long since dissappeared, but I am going to right this birth story. Probably not in one sitting, as I am pulled in many different directions these days. But here goes...



Wednesday, March 26, 2008

1:00 a.m.

I woke at my normal time, but this time it wasn't to go to the bathroom. I had a painful contraction. From about 1 to 2 I tried to sleep through them and finally got up. I started timing them as I read through blogs and falsely told the internet I might be in labor. By 4:30 am the contractions were consistently 10 minutes apart and pretty painful. My doc had told me to call her when they were 10 minutes apart because we are 30 minutes from the hospital. We got to the hospital about 7:00 am. They put me on the monitor and my contractions were inconsistent, not even the 10 minutes apart that they had been. They had me walk around for awhile. I was starving the whole time. I had been scared to eat anything because I didn't want to throw it up. After about an hour, they put me back on the monitor and my contractions were about 16 minutes apart. I had them more frequently walking around, but I didn't want to walk anymore.



They discharged me from the hospital and we went to eat. Ironically, or not so ironically, we parked in the Expectant Mother's parking spot and took some pics of my standing under the sign. Too funny.



After we ate, we came home and took a nap. My contractions had all but disappearred. Hubby and I ran some errands even. I took a Blue Cohosh to see if that might help things along. This was about 5 pm. By 7:30 my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and we called the doc and she told us to go in again and not to let them send me home. I was sure I was in labor this time as I was not hungry at all! I had a fish taco and a bowl of mac and cheese to eat all day.

I am not sure how fast hubby was driving on the way to the hospital as I was in quite a bit of pain and was laying down, but we seemed to get there fairly fast. He also had his flashers on, which clued me in to the fact that my husband, who normally goes exactly the speed limit at all times, was speeding! I am sure at the time, it felt like an eternity before we got to the hospital.

We arrived and finally made it to the desk. We filled out the check in paper work for the second time that day and the triage nurse came to get me. Her words, "you look like a keeper." Ya think! They had to triage me to check me so we went to a room and she checked my dialation and I was a 5-6. Yippee!!! Sign me up for an epidural! Things are a little vague from there, but I think I got put into a room pretty quick after that. They basically had to draw blood and put an IV in and give me a bag of fluid before I could get my epidural. It all happened as quickly as those things can late at night and when the anesthesiologist came in, boy was I happy to see him!

Wiht Boo Bear, they let hubby stay in for the epidural, but apparently this is dependent on the doctor and this one didn't allow it. Bummer, but I had a wonderful nurse who stayed with me. With Boo Bear, I had been in so much pain for so long and it was complete back labor, so I didn't feel a thing when I got my epidural. This time, I could feel it all and it didn't really hurt, but it didn't feel great either. Of course I felt fabulous after it kicked in. I told the nurse that we would be having a baby soon. My doc came in to check me and I was 8-9cm and she checked my ability to push and said once again, let's have a baby! The nurse hardly had time to call a second nurse before I started pushing. She was holding my leg in one hand and trying to call the nurse with the other hand. I knew from my first labor that once I get my epidural, it generally relaxes me enough that I progress very quickly. For this birth, we chose to allow our family in the room to see the birth. I really wanted to give them the gift of seeing a grandchild be born.

I pushed 2 times and I could feel the head stuck. The doc had to cut me this time to free the head. I pushed one more time and out she came. Of course we were all waiting to hear if it was a he or a she! She was beautiful and they placed her immediately on my chest. I was crying, I am sure others were too, but I was enamored with my newest daughter.

She looks just like her sister, but with blond hair and of course she didn't weigh near as much as Boo Bear. She is precious and 3 weeks later we are so blessed with her!

The first couple weeks were a little tough with adjusting to the lack of sleep, but she is a great kid, sleeping well, getting up 2-3 times a night, usually just 2 to eat and going back to sleep. We have already moved her into her room to sleep most of the time, this way we all sleep better. She is a grunter and makes a lot of noise so I couldn't sleep and usually would go pick her up which would disturb her sleep. We also discovered that she sleeps much better on her stomach. Since she can already lift her head and because she is my second child, I have been okay with her sleeping on her stomach, especially because she sleeps great this way and that's makes us all happy! Her digestive track is still getting up to speed and this makes her a little cranky, mostly at th eend of the day, but other than that, she only cries when she is hungry, tired or has a dirty diaper.

It feels like she has been around forever and I can't wait to watch her and see how her personality and her appearance changes as she grows! Having the experience of seeing Boo Bear grow has only made me more excited to see it happen this second time with a different child.

Boo Bear loves her little sister and the adjustment has been easy so far. She wants to hold her and squeeze her and yells her name in her face, but we are still working on quiet and gentle in general so that is to be expected.

Some days are easier than others, but in general, it's not so bad. The hardest part is of course the lack of sleep, but we get by. Some days I can get them to nap at the same time so I can nap.
I go back to work in just 2-3 short weeks and I am dreading that and still not sure how I am going to do that, but I know God will give me the grace and endurance I need to make it through.

It's a Girl!!!!!

Grace Dancer finally made her way into this world March 26, 2008 at 11:27 pm. We made it right under the wire to not be induced and we are so thankful. Full story will follow eventually, but for now, we are all doing well.

Grace Dancer

7 lbs 13 oz and 19" long

The Bellybean is Here!

Hi everyone, Em here blogging for the new mommy!


It appears that in the wee hours of the morning baby Grace made her way into this world.


Right now all I know is that she was 7lbs and 13oz.


When I have more info I'll let you know. And hopefully pictures soon!


Baby girls are so fun! Congrats to Mommy and Daddy and Big Sister!

Live baby blogging...

It seems my kids like to come a week late, to the day... I really don't want to jump the gun here, but it is 3:55 am and I have been having contractions every 7-10 minutes or so that last about a minute since 1 am.

And I'm live blogging it all...

It's 2 am, do you know where your baby is?

Well, we have decided to go ahead and set our induction for Thursday morning. I am still praying that we will go into labor on our own and lo and behold here I sit at 2 in the morning with the occassional painful contraction.

Hold your horses, and mine, it could be a false alarm. But I had at least 3 contractions between 1 and 1:50 or so and they are quite unpleasant so we shall see. If not today, then tomorrow, we will have us a baby.

Please pray for a swift, safe delivery and a healthy baby. Thanks and see you on the flip side of labor!

Baby Update

Still the same today as last week. We are praying about whether or not to induce this week or wait until next week. My doctor has told me she will let me go until next Wednesday if we want to but there is some risk of the size of the baby and the baby passing miconium which can cause breathing problems at birth.

Please pray that we would have wisdom from God and that we would do His will and not our own.

How can I say this so that it's fresh and new?

No baby yet! But that's okay, this one just isn't done cooking yet.

In Boo Bear news, I don't know if I mentioned, but last Sunday we took her to her first movie. Horton Hears a Who and she did great. I expected to spend most of the show in the lobby chasing her around. We only had a couple instances of learning to be quiet in a theater and one point where I had to ply her with Reese's Pieces, but she actually sat through the whole movie.

Last night we dyed eggs and she was black from hand to elbow. She enjoyed it although it was late when we got home from church so she was tired. She enjoyed throwing the egg into the dye and then sticking her whole hand in to retrieve the egg. Her father let her do it of course, which is good because I never want her getting that dirty so don't let her have that fun. Her daddy and I balance each other out great.

Today her Winna took her to an Easter egg hunt at the VFW and she apparently just wanted to follow the Easter Bunny around and have him carry her. Too funny. No interest in the eggs at all until Winna told her to get some for Mommy and Daddy and Mimi and Poppi and Nana, etc. We will go to Church in the morning and then do a small little egg hunt at Winna's and then probably take it easy tomorrow. Who knows, maybe we will have an Easter baby!

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Well, despite what that there ticker says over there, yesterday was my actual due date and once again, I have provided my child with such a comfortable womb, that he/she is content to stay put. Tuesday night I thought for sure I was in labor, but alas, it was not so. And so we wait. I feel good despite the continued lack of sleep and just look forward to holding this baby soon. I went to the doc yesterday and no change since last week when I was at 3 cm, 0 station and 80% effaced. As my doc says, I have a cervix of steel. Apparently.

And so we continue to wait for the day the Lord has chosen.

The Great Baby Watch

Still no baby. Feeling pretty good still despite the lack of sleep. Also, the last two weeks are fairly easy for me, because at least now I know that by the end of March, I will get to hold this baby in my arms. My doc will only let me go over my due date by a week so by Wednesday we will have an induction date, which I pray we will not get to.

And there you have it!

The Outrage

As I sit on the edge of bringing another child into this world, I am outraged, shocked and disturbed by the world we live in. I understand we live in a fallen world and I so look forward to the day where this world falls away and a new world is brought about.

This shocks me beyond words. How can we possibly take away the right of parents to educate their own children. Isn't this our most important job, next to protecting them?

This sickens me. Only 24 years for this violent offense. We are all off our rockers.

This and this sadden me and makes me want to cling even more to my own dear loved ones.

I have a personal opinion as to why we have gone off the deep end, but what do you think? Why is this behavior so prevalent?

The Home Stretch

I'm still pregnant, we'll get that out of the way. As of Thursday, I was 1.5 cm and 80% effaced. It could be any day or it could be after my due date. Anyone care to take a guess. I'm not promising any prizes, just the satisfaction of being right.

I am quite a bit more uncomfortable with this baby than I was with Boo Bear, or at least as I remember it. At a shower a couple weeks ago, I was informed that I complained quite a bit about pregnancy#1. I would like to think that I just complain less now...

In the mean time, we have slowly gotten the baby's rooom closer to being ready for an actual baby. Dear friends from Church gave us a beautiful dresser that we got yesterday and I absolutely love. After the baby is born, I hope to possibly decorate the room around the gorgeous piece. I will get some pics to post later.

In Boo Bear news, the girl is growing so fast and is talking up a storm. She is with her Mimi and Poppi this weekend and Mom is getting a much needed day to chill out. Boo Bear is up to 4-5 word sentences. Not a ton of them, but some, mostly consisting of telling us what she is playing with. Her cutest moments are when she says "I ty again." (I try again) Alas, my daughter got my patience and the Lord is using this opportunity to work on my own patience issues. Not one of my better virtues, patience, so the Lord is working on us both to be more patient.

The other night at dinner, hubby sneezed and Boo Bear said, "Bwess you Dadddddy." We both looked at her like, where did that come from? It was too cute.

Since we moved her to the big bed, she gets up quite a bit earlier and every morning, I wait to hear the pitter patter of her little feet and then she throws her baby doll and any other toys she brings from her bed up onto the bed. Some mornings she will be content to lay there for a little while we continue to sleep. When she is done laying quietly, she will demand the "mote" and we will turn on the Disn*y Channel and let her watch, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Pickey and Gooshey!!!! are much demanded in the morning), Little Einsteins and then Han Manny or officially Handy Manny. Then Sesame Street. Some of you may recall the first year of her life, she watched zero television. Then we introduced Sesame Street when she got a little older as I needed more entertainment options for her while I worked. And slowly, we have used the TV just as most Parents use the TV, as a pacifier to get things done. So alas, all those of you who asked how I ever did it without TV, I don't do it without TV anymore. I do turn it off after Sesame Street and we don't watch any more after that, except for maybe an Elm0 DVD in the afternoon if work is busy.

I haven't yet figured out how I am going to manage two kids and working from home, but I know the Lord willl provide all I need to manage. I am ready as best as I think you can prepare for a second child.

Will keep you posted!

The Joys of Everyday Life

I sit here on the couch reading blogs, resting my feet. My feet, which my darling two year old keeps smelling and saying, "eeeeew," which her father taught her to do. Then she laughs. And then she shoves my toe up her nose.

I sure do love that child.

The Home Stretch

As that nice little ticker so blaringly states, 31 days and counting until the due date of this baby. We are nearing the home stretch and boy am I ready. I am ready to know if this is a boy or a girl. I am ready to sleep, even if it is for 2 hours at a time, at least I won't be getting up every 15-30 minutes to go to the bathroom. I am ready to see my feet and feel my fingers and so on and so forth.

At my doctor's appointment on Thursday, I measured 1cm and 60% effaced. With Boo Bear, I was 1 cm for about a 5 weeks or so before she was born. I don't remember being as effaced though until closer to my delivery date. I know that God's timing is perfect and so we are waiting on that time. However, we would love for this baby to come early as it then won't interfere with Spring Break and hubby's very busy schedule. I know interfere seems like such a harsh word, but really if the baby comes on the due date (March 19th) hubby will have to work and will only be around for the birth of the baby, if that, God willing. So we are praying for early around here, but patiently waiting on the Lord to tell us when.

We did finally pick out a girl's name, so if it does turn out to be a girl, she won't be coming home nameless. Our boy name was picked out from when we were pregnant with Boo Bear. Brody Fuller. We just stumbled across Brody and liked it and Fuller is my husband's, father's middle name. If it's a girl, she will be named Grace Dancer. Grace was on a list from the beginning, but as a middle name. Dancer is my grandmother's maiden name and my Mom and Sister's middle name. We hadn't really planned on choosing family names specifically, but it ended up that way.

I hope your week to come is blessed. Will keep you informed as best I can.

The Bellybean

This poor, sweet unborn child o'mine has been so neglected on this here blog. With Boo Bear, I chronicled so much more, talked about her so much more, etc. I guess it's really just the time issue, but I still feel bad that I have not created any sort of running commentary on this pregnancy. No baby book, no memory of how it went or how I felt, etc. So I will attempt to remember chronicle here in one big rambling post.

This pregnancy has been very different than my first. Not drastically, but different enough. I am trying not to read too into that and think that this one might be a boy because of that. I was much sicker with this baby. First trimester was the typical, nauseous blur. With Boo Bear, I didn't start getting sick until the second trimester despite feeling like it all the time. With this one, I got sick from day one. It's usually just once and usually first thing in the morning and occassional, here in the third trimester, it still happens. If I don't eat quick enough or get some OJ in me pretty quick, then I get sick. The amount of snot that I have had this time doesn't help. I will leave it at that.

With Boo Bear, I drank milk like never before in my life. 1st trimester I ate mostly fruit and ice cream and not much else. I had ice cream almost every night of my pregnancy with Boo Bear. I drank chocolate milk, ate chocolate cake, things I had never done before. With the Bellybean, I have been more into salty foods. I have drank hardly any milk at all. But a ton of OJ. I have at least one glass of OJ a day. I have actually added salk to my food which I never do. I ate bacon for the first time since my teens, and liked it!

With Boo Bear I had insomnia something fierce. From the beginning I would be up for 2-4 hours a night, wide awake, working, reading, watching TV. This one, I am up 50 times a night (I exaggerate only slightly) and roll over 100 times a night, which doesn't make for great sleep, but at least I am in bed horizontal, not wide awake. Of course, I am much more tired, taking care of a two year old and working and being a housewife, yet I go to bed at midnight every night. With Boo Bear, I went to bed a 10 every night. Go figure!

I am carrying this baby much lower than Boo Bear. My doc says it's because your uterine muscles are not as strong as before since I have already had one child. I have been introduced to the belly belt this time around, a nice little contraption that does little to hold up what feels like a massive belly. And I am much more uncomfortable with this one, but that could just be attributed to carrying around a two year old too.

With Boo Bear of course, I was busy planning and preparing and the like. With this one, well, let's just say, if he/she doesn't mind sleeping in a desk, then his/her room is ready. Right now, the baby's room has a twin mattress in it, a bookshelf full of our books, a desk, a filing cabinet, all my craft stuff that I never have time for, miscellaneous papers, a mish mash of baby stuff, and stuff in general. The room has a border about mid way up all the way around the room that is primary colors and is trains, planes and fire trucks. Okay, if we have a boy, but not exactly what I have in mind, especially since the bedding is surfing. So, we need to move all the non-baby stuff... somewhere and we need to paint and we need to move baby stuff in and I need to pull baby clothes out of the attic and wash them and the list goes on.

What is the same? I sit in bed at night and watch my stomach to watch the Bellybean move around in there. I love feeling this baby inside me and am so thankful through it all that we are so blessed to be having another one. With two months and counting, I cannot wait to meet this one, to see if it's a boy or a girl, to give him/her a name, to see what he/she looks like, to see what he/she is going to be like. Will he/she have Boo Bear's personality? My eyes? My husband's temperment? Will he/she sleep like their sister? And on and on. We can't wait to meet this new blessing in our lives.

Don't get me wrong, there is still the apprehension of how I am going to handle two. How will I sleep with a toddler running around? When will I sleep? How will I function? How will I work? How will I go to the store? How will I go anywhere, ever again? You get the idea. But I know that the Lord will provide, financially, with strength and endurance, with whatever we need to get through. I know that the first couple of months/year will be difficult, but I also know that it is such a joy to grow our family.

************************

On another note, we moved Boo Bear to the Big Girl Bed (twin mattress on the floor) two nights ago and so far so good. The first night she took to it really well. She came into our room about 5:30 am and about gave me a heart attack. She had lost her Binky. Then she came back in about 7:30 with a passel of toys. Naptime yesterday went well also. Last night, Daddy put her down while I was at Bible Study and did have some issues with her coming out of the room. The first time she just came out looking around, like she just wanted to see what was going on. Daddy put her back to bed and about ten minutes later she came out and said, "tissshhhoooo." And so it begins, I can see it now. "I need a drink of water." "I'm hungry," "I have to go to the bathroom." "I need a tissue." But once Daddy put her back down and she stayed there until this morning at 7:30 when she came and snuggled up in bed with us. I looked in on her before I went to bed and I couldn't find her in the bed. I found her curled up under the crib (which we are moving tonight). Too cute. Next milestone is potty training, but I just don't have it in me yet to work on that and want to make sure I don't give her too much at once.

Um... Happy New Year?

So it's been a little while. Okay, a long while. So much has happened since my last post. And rather than try to update you on all that's happened with words, I will update you with pictures. Enjoy.

Boo Bear turns 2!!!!

Here she is pleading for Cake before her guests even show up.

The Birthday Girl!

Attempted pics with Santa. We waited 2 hours and she said no way...

The Diva

Random Cuteness

Christmas. She insisted on wearing her new pajamas over the old pajamas. She was very disappointed when we dumped this box out and the kitchen was not put together. So was Daddy.

Christmas Morning.

Visiting Elmo!!!!

Costa Rica Trip

Witch's Rock

Surfing

The iguana that almost got us!

You can't tell from this picture, but this grasshopper is about 6 inches long!

Sunset at Playa Grande

The End.