Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Here are my Not Me Monday Moments of last week:


I did NOT get G out of bed while she was sleeping and snuggle her on the couch one night because I couldn't sleep. Nope, not me, I would never get my sleeping child out of bed to snuggle because I couldn't sleep...(For the record she did not wake up :)


I did NOT forget to bring myself a bottle of water while we were out walking one day and drink out of G's Minnie Mouse sippy cup...


I NEVER ask G to go find K's paci...and then not knowing where it's been stick it in my mouth to "rinse" it off before giving it to K.

I NEVER leave my Diet Coke can in a place G can get to it (like the roof of our house) so she won't be able to sneak a sip. I NEVER just give up the battle and let her carry my Diet Coke can around behind me, sneaking little sips. Nope, not me, I would never let my 18 month old (who ONLY drinks breast milk & water) add Diet Coke to her list of things she likes to drink.

What do you NOT do?

My obligation is to do the right thing. The rest is in God's hands.

I've been relying on this saying a lot the past few weeks. I've been trying not to judge, not to feel defensive and basically just be a good and kind person. That sounds so easy. It's not.

Situations come up in life where you try to do the right thing. I want to always do the right thing, to show my girls that doing the right thing is rewarding...except sometimes it isn't. Sometimes you do the right thing and still end up wronged or hurt or mad...and then I judge.

How many times should you do the right thing and end up getting kicked? Sometimes I ask myself that, but I've been reminding myself of the above saying...

My obligation is to do the right thing. The rest is in God's hands.

I have to remind myself of this daily...over little things and not so little things. I have to remind myself that it is my obligation to do the right thing over and over and over again. To not keep track of how often I do the right thing but feel wronged or slighted, but to keep doing the right thing. To let go of judgements like, "Well I did the right thing but the other person didn't react in a way that I thought was right," I can only control me. My actions, my inaction's and my reactions. That is so hard. I'm such a work in progress... one day I'll be patting my self on the back for doing awesome and the next day(minute) I'm back to making judgements or wallowing in resentment.

A priest gave an awesome homily on 9/27...a week or so after my post on making judgements. I wanted to post it on here, but he asked that I not put it out on the web. I'm going to put a part of it up and hope that is ok,

Before we criticize the elitist attitude John showed in today’s gospel we had better be careful about what we are doing & saying

We would do well to reflect on our own prejudices
Religious political social economic racial & gender
If we think we don’t have any prejudices
Ask someone who loves you what they perceive as our prejudices
Then be prepared to be surprised

Today’s gospel invites you & me to consider whom do we label as insiders
Whom do we label as outsiders within our family members, relationships at work, parishioners & neighbors?

May each of us be aware the presence of God is in all the people who are around us
Please God, may we always be open to those who can teach us & challenge us to look at things differently
May we always look for God who is inside those we might consider to be outside our circle
Look for God in unexpected relationships & events

His entire homily was awesome and has made me look at myself harder. I'm so glad he emailed it to me so I can look at the words every day and hold myself accountable.

Right to Life Sunday

With all of the hubbub surrounding K's Baptism I forgot to mention that she was Baptised on Right to Life Sunday.Before I had kids I was always Pro Life, but never really thought about abortion or the children it killed very much.

You see I've always been a person who thinks that people should do what works for them: as long as it doesn't hurt another living being. I'm not outspoken about most of my personal beliefs, hate debating and/or proving my own opinion as right, but abortion is one issue I feel very stronly about.

When I saw G's heartbeat for the first time, saw her stubby little arm & leg protrusions moving around and waving, at 6 weeks old, yes 6 weeks pregnant, I became truly PRO LIFE. I view abortion as murder. No one can make me believe that abortion is ok. Please don't try either. Respect my belief.

I first found out I was pregnant with K, around the first of December 08. I called L, Dr. Love's nurse excitedly and made an appointment for that week. Dr. Love did an ultrasound, and didn't see anything but a sac. We made an appointment for an ultrasound the next week...and the next and the next. Dr. Love was not hopeful that a baby would appear. We scheduled 1 more ultrasound for 12/23/08. 2 days before Christmas. My Mother came with us to that appointment. It was a very sad ride to Dr. Love's office. Though we had hope and had prayed and prayed and prayed we weren't expecting anything. By all medical standards K's heartbeat & fetal pole should have been visible in an earlier ultrasound...our dates weren't wrong, and Dr. Love told us if we had been any other patient he would have offered a D/C to us much earlier. Dr. Love was out of the office when we went in for the last ultrasound, but he had arranged for us to have a very sweet nurse & ultrasound tech with us. They were both aware of the situation and were understanding of our tears and heavy hearts. They waited until we were ready for the ultrasound to begin and started it. Almost immediately we were able to see K. Not only her heartbeat (which was perfect and visible), but those little stubby arms and legs. It was an amazing Christmas Gift. Where there had been nothing but an empty sac less than 1 week earlier, there was a baby, our Faith.

Say a prayer when you read this, for all women thinking abortion is their only way out, for all women who have endured an abortion, for all women who use abortion as a form of birth control and for all the unborn who little lives are at stake.

Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered deathby the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some,
but for all,
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen!

Show us Your Life--Baby Gear

I follow the blog Kelly's Korner and she does a weekly "Show us your life". This week's topic was baby gear. I'm by no means an expert, but we do have our favorites and things we can't live with out and I thought I would share my top 5 favorite baby items.

#5 Baby Bjorn & Hotsling

We are wear our babies and love both of these items. I only use the Hotsling sometimes and prefer the Baby Bjorn. It is awesome and comfortable and so easy to use. We bought cheaper versions of it and then finally bought the real thing and it was so worth it. Love, love, love it!

#4 Hooter Hider (Nursing Cover)

When I first had G and wasn't a skilled nurser (ie couldn't nurse without showing the world my boob, the Hooter Hider was a lifesaver. I highly recommend it to any new to nursing mom. It goes around your neck and has boning in it so you can see your nursing child yet no one else can.

#3 Swing

G didn't have colic, but she sure did have fussy times at night for several months. The movement and motion of the swing would calm her right down. I linked to a newer version of the swing that we have.

#2 My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow and my AWESOME Lactation Consultant

I wouldn't be nursing today (18 months + tandem nursing) if it wasn't for the My Breast Friend Nursing pillow. Before G was born people and advertising told me I needed a Boppy Pillow. When I started nursing the Boppy Pillow just didn't cut it (The Boppy is great to lay the girls in on the floor, and for Memaw to hold a new baby in, but NOT for nursing). It didn't get G up where I needed her, didn't give me back support, and basically didn't help me at all. My awesome, wonderful & supportive lactation consultant recommended the My Breast Friend and I still use it to this day. I used it until G was about 6 months old then put it away in a safe spot and now am using it with K.

My AWESOME Lactation Consultant, B, comes free with Dr. Mommy Love. I literally have her on speed dial and now feel like she's a close friend or family member. She was my nursing savior when I thought I couldn't go on with G. I didn't think i would need her with K, after all I'd been nursing for 16 months and knew it all, lol, I was at B's house, on a Sunday afternoon the day she got back from a vacation. I can't say enough good things about her. We are Blessed to have her in our lives.

#1 Angel Monitor

A real lifesaver. See my post on the Angel Monitor and you'll see why I can't live without it. It NEVER went off all during the 6 months G slept on it. NEVER. No false alarms, no problems. I don't think I actually appreciated it until it went off several weeks ago and very likely saved K's life. She only sleeps with this on now.

Things we could live without:

#5 Diaper Genie or the like

Smelly. We use a trash can and take the diapers out each day or as needed (when there is a big stinky it goes right out). The Diaper Genie is a good concept, but so is a regular trash can. Save your money.

#4 Bumpo Seat

We rarely used this with G and have rarely used it with K. Not worth the money.

#3 Boppy Pillow

#2 Baby Food--Home made or store bought

#1 Bottles

I'll go into more detail at a later time...must go try to get some sleep before K's big day.

Judgement Calls

I've been thinking about the judgements that are passed in life.

I pass judgements way too much, I will admit that first and foremost. It's something I've been working on and praying about.

What I've been thinking about is why do people pass judgements. Is it because they feel superior or because they want to feel superior? Is it to be "cool" or fit in? I don't know. Since I've been spending time thinking about this I've been looking at the times I make judgements and I think I make them when I'm feeling defensive. If I feel like I'm (my person, my family, my way of life) being attacked or wrongly persecuted I'm more apt to make a negative judgement about the person/entity making the judgement.

I've also noticed that I make more judgements about my family and people close to me than I do about others. Writing that makes me feel horrible. Do other people do that? Why do I think it is ok to be cruel, which is what it is, to my family, to people that I love and to be accepting of the faults of my friends and perfect strangers? If anything I would think it would be the opposite. Questions I've been asking myself: Do I take my family for granted? Do I think they will always be there no matter what? Is it ok to be hurtful when I've been hurt? How do I let go of the things in my life that make me pass judgements. I'm going to try to make it a week where I let go and stop making judgements.

18 Months Old

G on her Zebra.

(Sells for $40+ in stores, we got it for $10 at a consignment store!!!)

Dear G,

Today you are 18 months old. One and a half years old. I can't believe it. You have grown up so fast, especially the last few weeks. You learn several new things each day and love to show your newly acquired skills off. At each stage of your life I think I can never love it more or have more fun with you, but I do, every day. You are so cute and sweet and caring. Daddy and I love you more each day and are so thankful to have you in our lives. You are amazing.

Weight: 21lbs 4.0z

Height 30 1/2

You are still wearing a size 3 diaper!

• You are wearing 12 month sized clothing.
• You took a sip of a juice box 1 time! (other than that you only drink water or breast milk)
• You love to have your nails cut/trimmed/filed painted.
• You LOVE shoes.
• You LOVe to shop.
• You are climbing on EVERYTHING. We got you a new step stool and you carry it around everywhere. The reason we bought you one is because you were carrying around your booster seat, yellow chair and wooden foot stool everywhere.
• You help me change K's diaper and are very good at it! You can take her diaper off, wipe her and close the tabs on the new diaper.
• You are trying to dress yourself. You can put on shorts and pants all by yourself!!!
• You will not wear anything unless you want to or you choose it. If Daddy or I choose something and you don't want it you take it and put it back (or depending on your mood throw yourself on the floor and cry)
• You love to read books, ride on your new Zebra toy and play in your kitchen. You also love to help Mommy in her kitchen.
• You refuse to sit in a highchair or a booster seat--you want to sit or stand in a regular seat.
• You have not been eating a lot for the past week and this makes Mommy worried--but apparently it is a common toddler trait.
• You are sleeping in your own bed, in your own room with Cody each night. I still miss having you in our bed, but am happy you love your bed.
• Daddy puts you to sleep each night, and lately you've been going to him when it is your bedtime.
• You are becoming more outgoing and less shy. You played with your kindermusic teacher and class Thursday night.
• You stayed in the MOPS nursery again--this time in the big kids (1 year old class) though you cried when I left you, you did great the entire time--playing and having snack with the other kids. I got to watch you for a little while when I went to pick you up and you were walking around and playing happily.
• You stayed with your first non family member and did great. It was with Ms. P & her daughter M, who is the same age as you.
• You throw tantrums!
• You LOVE to play with the B's kids when we babysit them each day! You especially love E, and let her pick you up, feed you and play with her.
• You are talking more each day and repeat words that anyone says!
• You understand everything anyone says.
• You are still nursing and we both still LOVE it!

G & Cody sleeping. Notice their legs :)

Dr. Love

Some pictures of the Dr. Love, the girls & I.

I wanted Dr. Love to hold both the girls at once, but G wasn't having it:

Dr. Love, G and I at my 2 week appt after she was born:

Scary Moments

Last night our Angel Monitor went off around 1:30 am. I put my hand on K and it stopped but as soon as I took it off the alarm sounded again. I turned on the bassinet light to check on K, and she was a little purplish. I immediately got up with her and she was fine, but what a scary moment. We used the Angel Monitor with G for the first 6 months of her life and it never went off (unless we picked her up and forgot to turn it off). Last night was our first experience of it actually going off for a reason. Having the alarm go off last night was well worth the cost of it (though ours was a gift). We don't know what would have happened had the alarm not gone off, but Thank God that it did.

Graco Angelcare Movements Sensor with Sound Monitor

While it may seem that your baby is perfectly still when she is sleeping, she really isn't. Our Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor detects your baby's slightest movements, even while she sleeps. An alarm will sound alerting you to check your baby ONLY if she becomes absolutely still for 20 seconds and no movement whatsoever is detected. The under-the-mattress Sensor Pad detects your baby's slightest movements and sends the signal to the Nursery Unit. The Nursery Unit sounds an alarm ONLY if no movement is detected for 20 seconds. It also transmits all other nursery sounds and has a Movement Indicator Light showing if movement is being detected. The Parents' Unit receives the alarm and all other nursery sounds. The Angelcare Movement Sensor will give you the peace of mind you won't get from just a sound monitor or even a video monitor. And, this monitor is an excellent value. It is 2 monitors in 1 so you don't have to purchase a sound monitor.

I talked to Dr. Mommy Love and a friend who is an ENT today and they both seem to think the reason Mary Faith stopped breathing has to do with her reflux. To be clear we don't actually know if she stopped breathing or was just having difficulty, etc, but whatever happend the sensor didn't detect any movement from her for 20seconds and her coloring was off for the first few seconds I had her.

The girls both have appts with Dr. Mommy Love on Tuesday so barring any other episodes we'll be talking to her more about it then.

I've always felt reassured by the monitor but after last night I think it is something that all new parents should have.

Oh What Busy Days...

I can't believe it's been over a week since I've updated. I always think of things I want to update on and then either forget or don't have the time or energy to update.

Both of the girls are about to hit big age milestones, until next month anyway ;) G will be 18 months on 9/20 and K will be 2 months on 9/22. They are exactly 16 months and 2 days apart.

G is growing by leaps and bounds these days. It seems like each day she is doing something new or different. She is like a sponge, soaking up everything and anything around her. It's amazing to witness.

K is also growing and growing and growing. She love to nurse and I've had to pack away some of her newborn clothes. Soon they'll all be put up. It's bittersweet to watch our girls grow.

Past week in review:

Wednesday 9/9:

Had a fun playdate with a little girl only 4 days older than G. We met in kindermusic in August 08 and have become close friends over the past year. Her Mom is having another baby in the next few weeks too. I love watching the girls play together--they are so different but are going through similar stages so it is really nice for her Mom and I to get together to vent/share/laugh.

Thursday 9/10:

G, Kand I had a fun morning with Grammy and then went to see Dr. Love. Daddy P and I were both kind of sad driving up to see Dr. Love because we thought it was going to be our last visit for a while and we've become accustomed to seeing him every other week for almost 2 years! We'll be seeing him again in a few weeks though--we've still got some tweaking to do with my blood pressure meds and since I'm nursing he's going to do that for the time being. The day went downhill quickly because I'd had a headache since the night before and though Dr. Love gave me a shot it didn't go away and we had to head to immediate care that night to get some more shots. No fun at all, but at least the headache went away. I felt like an Indian giver because I'd lent my pump to a friend--I HATE pumping and hadn't used it in weeks--telling her I never used it and had no need for it, and lo and behold less than a week later I had to call her at 8pm and ask for it back. I knew she had bought one, but felt bad none the less. She was so sweet and instead of having us come and pick it up brought it over to our house. At 8pm. May not seem like much to those of you without children, but she also has 2--a 2 y/o and at that time a 1 week old. Wow, thanks again J. This same friend and her husband also came to our house at 9pm the day we brought K home from the hospital to because we were worried about jaundice. Another Wow and thanks again J! We are blessed with sweet, wonderful and caring friends.

In case I don't say it often enough I have an AWESOME, AMAZING husband. While I slept Thursday night he did double duty with both of the girls. And they gave him a hard night. K, who usually sleeps for at least 5 hours in the night was up on and off and when she wasn't up G was. Seriously he would put one down and before he could get back in bed the other one was up. And he had to go to work the next day. I'm a lucky girl :)

Friday/Saturday/Sunday:

The weekend was wonderful. The girls and I LOVE having Daddy home with us all day. He is so much fun and helps me so much with the girls. I'm so lucky to have such a hands on husband. We had a run around day on Saturday. G got new shoes and LOVES them. G is a shoe girl to begin with, but these are big girl shoes and she REALLY LOVES them, like will wear no other shoes but them LOVES them. They are very cute, but are play shoes and don't go with every outfit, though they have this week. We are always sad when the weekend is over and Daddy has to go back to work

Monday:

Stay at home kind of day. It was nice and relaxing. G ate a big lunch and took a long nap. Grammy & Grampy provided dinner. Yum.

Tuesday:

May become an entry all to itself at some point :) I had to have a cardiac echo done, and the appt was scheduled for Tuesday at 8am. David had to teach a class, Grammy had to teach a class & Grampy had to be at school. What was I to do? Taking K was no problem, but taking an active toddler would be impossible. God has blessed us with super friends. I call P, the mother of M, who is only 4 days older than G and also very pregnant, and asked her if she could watch G, and she said yes without pause. So sweet. Not only was she willing to watch her, she was willing to watch her with less than a day's notice, at 7am, knowing G would cry. She was a saving grace to us Tuesday morning. Thank you so much P! She was also the first non family member to watch G (other than the MOPS nursery folks) Obviously I trust her a lot. (Which seems like an understatement because trusting her with G is like trusting her with my life )

Getting ready for Tuesday morning made me have a new appreciation and respect for working mothers. I don't know how they do it each and every day. I was so stressed out about getting out the door in the morning. I had to get up at 6 (after feeding K at 4 and going back to bed at 5) and then Daddy P and I got ourselves ready, and then got the girls ready. I packed up the diaper bags the night before, but it was a lot to do before 7am in the morning. How do you working mothers do it? You must be super organized.

My G girl did great with P & M and was a happy girl when I picked her up. From there we went to a La Leche League meeting. It was the first one I had been to and I loved it. I knew 2 of the girls there from church, but it was so nice to meet other nursing moms with a lot of the same philosophies as Daddy P and I. Instead of feeling like the odd parent out I felt like we were part of the norm.

Wednesday:

A pretty normal and relaxing day for us. Both the girls have been in a great mood this week and we've been having fun times.

Thursday (today):

Another early morning that had me wondering how mother's who work out of the home get out of the house every day. I took K and G to the Dr by myself for the first time. We just went in for a weight check on K. She is a much different nurser than G was at this age and with her reflux I was getting nervous that she wasn't getting enough. She is growing perfectly though. I had wanted to see our Lactation Consultant, B, but B is loved by all nursing mothers and was booked up so settled for a weight check, but got lucky and ran into her while K was being weighed. She reassured me that K was growing perfectly and had time for a little chat with G. Hard to believe we've known B since G was 4 days old! She is so amazing and back when I thought I would never be able to nurse (right after G was born) Daddy P and I thought about asking her to move in ;) She's been a wonderful source of support to us for the past 18 months and is always available to answer my questions when needed. I really don't know where we'd be without her so it was nice to have her assurance that K is thriving and not starving. Thanks B!

After that we headed to MOPS, which I love. The speaker was wonderful. She gave a great presentation which centered on putting your trust and faith in the Lord. I've been hearing that a lot the past week and been trying to do just that instead of just saying I was trusting in him. Putting my faith into action has helped me. It's hard for me to always trust in him and have faith, though it is easy for me to say I'm doing it, and this week I've really made the effort to have the faith and the trust and it's helped me. The speaker today felt like a message that was meant just for me and I'm going to keep having that faith and trust without doubts.

G did wonderfully in the nursery. The MOPS nursery is the only place G stays without me, other than with Daddy P or my parents and that is a testament to the caregivers there. They are super and have worked with G every time she's gone. She cried and clung to me today when I dropped her off, but then was happy the remainder of the time. That's a first for her, usually they say she goes back and forth between crying and being occupied, but today she was happy.

She was also very outgoing at Kindermusic tonight. David and I had so much fun watching her play and interact with her teacher and the books. She is growing up so fast these days.

I'll try to update with some new pictures in the next few days :)

Life Tonight

Daddy working late.

G refused to nap...is teething...has a very runny nose...is super grumpy.

K wants to be nursed nonstop.

G has a BIG problem with K nursing tonight.

Put K down to nurse G.

K screams.

Cody needs to go out to potty.

G refuses to nurse and cries.

Put G down and pick up K to nurse her.

G tries to pry K out of my arms and off of her nursey--by her eye lids.

Try not to lose my temper with G & pray for patience.

Ask her to get a book for us to read while sister nurses.

K falls asleep.

Put her in bed.

Take bath with G.

Daddy comes home (albeit with a major leak in his car that will leave us a 1 car family for a while).

Yay!!!

My Growing Girl!

G 17 1/2 Months:

Is now doing somersaults! I really think she is going to be a gymnast the way she moves and climbs. She climbs on EVERYTHING. If I turn my back for a second she is on the coffee table, dining room table, the top of her car, etc... It's actually pretty scary for me. We're signing her up for gymnastics starting in October. Hopefully (maybe?) that will cut back on some of her household acrobatics.

Climbing on living room coffee table:

G's biggest accomplishment this month was picking out and putting on her own shorts!

Blue or Pink?

Pink with no diaper...

The no diaper part didn't work out so well...lol!

We were so proud of her for putting on shorts all by herself! She was proud too. I can't believe how big she is getting!

It only takes a second

Today in a local store my Mother in Law (MIL) were talking while we walked to the check out line. We were both "helping" G push the cart. One second she was holding on to the cart below us. The next second my MIL says, "Where's G?" Those are the worst words I have ever heard.

I think my heart may have stopped for a second.

The next second MIL says, "There she is!" (by the chips about 2 feet from us) and picked her up.

I let her hold her for about a second then had to take her. My heart was in my stomach or somewhere else, all I know it was a horrible feeling.

How could I lose my G Girl...even for a second or less?

There are certain things I am very serious about and watching my children and having them near me is 1 of them. Daddy P and I both worked (he still does) at a Psychiatric Hospital. We know, better than most, the types of people that are out there. I'm not talking about people with depression, etc..., but the real crazies that walk the streets with the rest of us. I keep both my girls close to me at all times. They don't stay with people other than Daddy P or my parents. I say this in to show what a horrible shock to my system it was to not know where she was for even a second.

G didn't even know she was "missing" for that second. I was almost in a panic and she was as happy as could be.

I don't think I'll ever forget that one second.

These are the days...

Way back before I ever had kids I always said I wanted boys. Only boys. I felt that way up until our 14 week ultrasound when we found out G was G. From the moment the ultrasound tech said "It's a Girl", I wanted a girl.

I love having my 2 girls now. G has turned into a much smaller version of me. Apparently I am the coolest person in the world (to her) right now. I love it and I am going to enjoy it, because I don't think (though I can hope) it will last. Anything I do she wants to do or does. Some examples:

• She holds a phone exactly like I do. I didn't know I held phones in the same way all the time (between my shoulder and my cheek) but apparently I do. This is how G holds any phone (or pretend phone) all of the time.
• If I sigh or make any noise it gets repeated. (MUST WATCH LANGUAGE AT ALL TIMES NOW--not that I swear a lot, but the occasional swear word does pop out from time to time)
• Things I drink she wants to drink. Case in point--I stopped drinking Diet Cokes while I was pregnant. I now drink several a day. I NEED the caffeine. G has picked up on this and wants to drink it to! Remember G ONLY drinks water and breast milk. She refuses anything else. I put a drop of juice in her water cup this week and she refused it. Now she wants to drink Diet Coke.

I can't think of any other examples right now, but I'll update the list as I do. It's getting to the point that I feel like G knows me better than anyone else! It's like we're in tune with each other. I'm not sure if this comes from me being a stay at home mother or if it has something to do with our parenting style (we use attachment parenting for the most part), whatever it comes from I'm enjoying it. I can't wait until G is a teenager and I can remind her of the days where she thought I was the coolest person in the world and she wanted to be exactly like me.

Don't they say that imitation is a form of flattery? In this case it definitely is.

Pictures by April Ingram Photography

The slide show in the previous post contains ALL of the pictures that April took during our photo session. I couldn't just pick a few to display, we love them all so much. April came over to our house on a sticky, rainy, mosquito infested day--not feeling well to boot-- and took some incredible pictures of our life. I love pictures like she takes. As she said, pictures that capture emotions rather than posed pictures. Someday many years from now Daddy P and I will look back and be able to remember that exact Saturday and all the emotions we were feeling. (Though I don't know if Daddy P will want to, LOL, as before April came over I was quite snappy.) Clicking April's name in the post will take you to her site, which has more of her awesome work!

Thanks so much April! Can't wait to do it again!

A good laugh for you...

I haven't been feeling well this week. Not horrible, but not great and I thought I should mention it to Dr. Love. I called and left a message describing how I'd been feeling and get a call back from Dr. Love's nurse.

Dr. Love's responses to how I've been feeling:

Issue 1: Normal
Issue 2: Could be a virus
Issue 3: "Dr. Love thinks you should take a pregnancy test just to be sure"

WHAT??? My jaw just about hit the floor.

Me to L, Dr. Love's nurse:

"Um, L, I know I'm not pregnant." (At this point Daddy P who is standing near by says "WHAT???" and gets very interested in my conversation with L.)

L, "Are you sure?"

Me to L, "Unless it's an immaculate conception, I'm not pregnant."

Then we have lots of laughs and I ask L to remind Dr. Love that K is only 6 weeks old and I'm nursing, and not only am I nursing, but I'm nursing both K and G. More laughs.

What a difference a year makes

I've been feeling reflective the past few days. I look at G--she is such a big girl now and then look at K and think about how last year at this time G was still a pretty small baby. At this time last year G wasn't even 6 months old! She hadn't eaten any solid food. She still slept in a bassinet in our room--the very same bassinet that K is sleeping in now. It's amazing how much children grow in the first year. I have proof right in front of me each day. G and K are only 16 months apart (almost to the day) and when I think about G at this time last year and where she is now the differences are huge. Where will we be this time next year???

It was at this time last year that I met 2 of my good friends in G's kindermusic class. We went to the class not knowing anyone and came out of the class with 4 (counting the kids) very good friends. 2 Mom's and 2 girls. Last year at this time none of the 3 mom's (myself included) were thinking about having new babies(that I'm aware of :) --our girls were all babies or close enough. As I write this I have a 6 week old, one of the girls has a 2 day old and the other one is due in October. What a difference a year makes!!!

Sneak Peek

If you go to April's blog, you can see a sneak peek of the pictures she took this morning. She was soooo awesome and the 2 pictures that are up came out wonderfully. I can't wait to see more.

More later as I'm not feeling well right now. I've got horrible body aches and a fever. I'm really hoping I don't have mastitis :(

Quick Update on Life :)

I'm tired. LOL, when am I not tired the past 5 weeks? This is a different type of tired though. We've had 2 bad nights in a row with G and K being up together and separately. Some examples of how tired I am: (For the record, Daddy P is just as tired, and has been up just as much as me the past few nights, he's an awesome husband and father)

• I brought our home phone out with me on Monday. In the car. While running errands. AND, it's still there, sitting in the van.
• That same morning I had to check to make sure I had both the girls in the car. I had a moment where I panicked and thought I left one.
• Still that same morning and same trip I thought I might have let Cody get out during my many trips in and out of the house so I had to drive back and double check.
• Yesterday morning I got out of bed, while Daddy P was still home, Thank goodness, and left K right on the edge of the bed. She is a mover and a roller so that was not a good thing to do.

YIPES. This Momma needs sleep. (So does Daddy) But we have 1 baby who must eat when she needs to and another baby who is teething and not feeling all that well. Usually I get up with K and Daddy P gets up with G and USUALLY this works for us. Not this week. G has been wanting me in the middle of the night. USUALLY I don't get up with her, but the past 2 nights have been different. Not her usual night time cry--more like a night time screaming session that lasts for __minutes. I held her last night until K woke up to eat. She slept fitfully during that time. :( It makes me so sad when I can't make her feel better. I wish she could tell me exactly what is wrong when she is upset. I hate having to guess if it's her teeth, if she's sick or if she just needs some extra attention. She's been the same during the day. Just irritable, grumpy and tantrumy. I feel bad for her, and I feel bad for me. It's hard to be around someone, even a little someone, who is having an all day tantrum. She's still a baby and going through a lot right now (teething, new sister, sharing nursing time, sharing Mommy time) so we'll just keep trekking through and giving her what she needs until we get through this stage. I always feel guilty when I complain about tantrums. I read so many blogs of people who have lost children and I feel incredibly blessed to have my girls. I love them both, we love them both so much. I just wish I could fix whatever is bothering either of them.

We went to Dr. Mommy Love (Our Ped) yesterday. I LOVE her. She is wonderful clinically and wonderful with Mommy's. During K's first week she called me from home, after hours, several times. She (and her wonderful nursing staff) also deals with all of my questions & calls without making me feel silly. K now weighs 9.04lbs and is 21 1/2 inches long! She is a growing girl (and she should be as much as she loves to eat). Dr. Mommy Love also checked on G since she had a very runny nose. She wasn't worried about it though.

Weekend Fun

G giving Cody a bath. She loved it...Cody not so much. Trying to put in K'shair bow. (Even though G won't wear a hair bow for more than 5 seconds)
Pretty Pink hair bow


Pretty in Pink


Gorgeous G!


Just some pictures from this past weekend!

17 Months Old!

Dear G~
Today you are 17 Months old! You are growing up so fast. It literally feels like you were just born yet I can't imagine or remember my life without you. You are amazing and fill our lives with laughter and love. You can be so silly at times, so sweet at others and are wonderful all the time. I never take you for granted. I've been reading a blog written by a Mother of another G, who was born on the exact same day/year as you, only she wasn't healthy and died a few days before her 1 year birthday. Reading that blog makes me appreciate you even more. Instead of being irritated when you have a tantrum or want me to hold you while I'm doing something, I'm thankful that you are here to have the tantrum or throw things on the floor. I picked you up while you were napping today. I didn't want to wake you up, but I wanted to hold and snuggle you. It was so nice. We lay on the couch together, just the 2 of us and napped for a bit. I didn't think about it at the time, but now I realize I was actually holding you on the exact moment of your 17 Month Birthday :)

17 Month Info:

• You weigh 20 pounds. You are tiny for your age and sometimes I worry about this :)
• You have not been eating a lot for Daddy and I. You eat plenty at Grammy & Grampy's house though.
• You wear a size 3 diaper.
• You wear 12 month clothing, with the occasional 18 month thrown in.
• You LOVE bracelets and they are everywhere--all over our car, all over our house, Daddy's office and Grammy & Grampy's house.
• You had your first hair cut 2 weeks ago.
• You LOVE getting your toe nails and finger nails painted. I think you are going to be a "Spa Girl" like Grammy is.
• You LOVE clothes & shoes You want to pick out your own outfit each day. Sometimes I let you and sometimes I give you a choice of 2.
• You pick out Mary Faith's outfit everyday. Sometimes I let you pick on your own and sometimes I give you a choice of 2.
• You LOVE cell phones. You play with Mommy's all the time. Old cell phones that don't work don't interest you. You want the real thing. (You also call people --usually Daddy, Grampy, Mamie & Puppa without my knowing)
• You can point to head, knee, toes, feet, hands, shoulder, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, teeth, tongue, belly and say some of these parts.
• You are saying a lot of words now. Your favorite word is "Sissy" or "Sister" You learned that word the day K came home.
• You are the BEST Big Sister I know :) You love to take care of sister and run to her when she cries. You love to climb into her bassinet and sit with her. You try to pick her up and hold her all by yourself (Daddy and I have to remind you that you need help)
• You have a "baby" doll that you love. Baby gets her diaper changed by you, her outfit changed, with help from you and has turns in the swing, bouncy seat, stroller and tummy time mat. You also bring Baby to me when she is hungry so she can nurse.
• You love Cody and he loves you. You pull his tail a lot and we have to remind you that tails are not for pulling and then you will give Cody love.
• You are still nursing and love it more than ever. So do I.

I love you more each day baby girl!

K is 1 month old today!

I know I'm repetitive, but it really is amazing how fast time passes when you have children. Time has NEVER gone by this fast for me and I just want to drink in every moment with both the girls. I LOVE being a Stay at Home Mom and know these days won't last forever (eventually we'll have money...and a house...etc...) Being at home with the girls is worth everything to me. I hear "I wish I could stay home, but there's no way we could afford it" a lot. To most people I want to say, "You can!" It means making choices, not sacrifices, but choices about the way you live your life. It means being stressed out about money sometimes and close to broke all the time, but it is worth everything. The daily moments I have with the girls are priceless to me. I didn't have easy pregnancy's with either of them and I am greatful every second of every day to have them here with me.

1 Month info for K:

• She has hit the 8lb mark (on our scale at home)
• Still wearing newborn sized diapers (although she wears a 1 at night so I don't have to change her as often :)
• Her newborn clothing is fitting perfect.
• She smiled at her sister today!

Not much has changed in the past week so I thought I would write about the beginning of my pregnancy.

We found out I was pregnant with K pretty much right away. I had some weird cravings one night in late November and said to David, "Wouldn't it be funny if I was pregnant?" The next morning I took a home pregnancy test (well 3 HPT's...I like to be sure) and they all came back positive. I called Daddy P at work and told him and we were both thrilled. We pretty much told everyone right away. I know there are different schools of thought about when to tell people, and we go with what works for us, which is telling everyone right away....we just can't contain our excitement! I called Dr. Love right away and was able to go in the next week! At my first appt Dr. Love did an ultrasound, but didn't see anything...he said it was probably too early and told me to come back in a week for another ultrasound. We went back 1 week later and had another ultrasound. Dr. Love still wasn't seeing what he should be seeing. By this time I was going nuts. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on with my body. I was feeling nausiated and throwing up, and had several positive pregnancy tests, my beta numbers were going up, etc...my body thought it was pregnant. Dr. Love thought it might be a blighted ovum and had us come back for 1 more ultrasound--2 days before Christmas. We prayed and prayed and prayed. My mother came with us for the ultrasound--we all thought it was going to be an upsetting one and wanted someone to stay with G in the waiting room. I was crying before it even started, but we were in for a very good Christmas surprise--K's heartbeat came right up. We could see her little body (very little body as I was probably only about 6-8 weeks along at this point). Hence part of her name, Faith. I truly believe our Faith gave us our little girl. So many people were praying for us and for her. She was meant to be. Many people asked me if I regretted telling people before the 12 week mark after we went through the period of not knowing what the outcome of the pregnancy was going to be. We didn't. In fact I was comforted by so many more people than I ever would have been if I hadn't told anyone. So many people told me their stories and lifted our family up in prayer, it was amazing.

K's name is very meaningful to us. Before we knew if she was going to be a boy or a girl we decided the baby would be named after my father and grandfather or after my grandmother. When we found out she was a girl we decided on _______ _____ _____. It's a long name, but meaningful because it combines my Grandparent's names.

Sisters

I find G in K's bassinet like this several times a day. If K is sleeping and the door to our room is open and I take my eyes off of G for a minute she goes to her sister. She's very gentle and it is rare that K cries. It is so sweet. G loves her sister so much and K loves to watch her sister. I hope they always stay this close. The other day while we were having lunch with Grampy something happened and G took K's hand and held it. I wish I could have snapshots of little moments like that...I don't ever want to forget those little things that make me smile so much :) Some of my favorite moments happen while both the girls are nursing. They just stare at one another, or G rubs K's head. I'd like to have pictures of them together nursing, but it's hard to have discreet pictures taken while nursing 2! We're having family pictures taken in a few weeks and I can't wait. April, from April Ingram Photography, is coming to our house to take them, and I'm so excited to see the results. It will be interesting trying to get good shots of 2 babies, 1 dog and 2 exhausted parents, but April is very experienced having 3 kids herself and I know she'll take incredible pictures.

Due Date and The Girls

Today is K's actual due date. It's been weird thinking about how I could and technically should still be pregnant with her the past few weeks. We never thought I would go past 38 weeks so the last 2 weeks she's been here haven't been as weird. She is doing great and growing fast. I'm trying to decide if we need to buy more newborn diapers or just put her into size 1's. She's not quite 8lbs yet and newborns go to 10lbs, but we've got 2 boxes full of size 1's. We'll see.

We've had a super weekend and I'm sad for it to be ending. I love having Daddy P home with us. We went to the park yesterday and G played and played. She loves to swing, climb the rockwall, slide and just run around. There were several other families there but it wasn't too crowded and most of the kids there were right around G's age. She had a ball watching them and doing some parallel play with them. G got a purse yesterday. She picked it out herself. It's so cute and perfect for the fall: it's a small blue quilted purse with the Auburn logo on the front of it! I don't know if I want to get G to into Auburn though, it's much too far away for her to go to college to! I'm thinking of a local college for her. That way she can live at home :) I'm sure that's what she'll want to do too....

Must go feed K.

3 Weeks Old

K is now 3 weeks old! It feels like I was pregnant and blinked and now she is here. (Actually it feels like I was just pregnant with G, blinked and now she is almost 1 1/2 and I have K here too) I am getting used to daily life as a Mom of 2 girls. It's been going pretty good, though yesterday was rough. Both the girls wanted to nurse ALL day long. Now I love nursing, but nursing 2 for hours at a time is exhausting. They were both irritable yesterday too--I think G's teeth were bothering her and K was very gassey. Five o'clock couldn't come soon enough, and sure enough as soon as Daddy P got home G was as happy as could be and K was sleeping! (Mommy however was NOT in a good mood) Daddy P took over and gave me a much needed break and after a quick "Mommy Time" trip to Kroger I was in a much better mood.

3 Week Stats:

• Not sure how much she weighs, but K is filling out.
• Her left extra finger fell (with help from Daddy) off the day before she turned 3 weeks.
• She is wearing newborn diapers and newborn sized clothing. Newborn clothing is actually fitting her. (((Note to self: If we have any more children I will buy newborn sized clothing and diapers...my children use them...I will not listen when people tell me "You never need newborn clothes/diapers)))
• She is no longer waking up every 2 hours to eat (most nights) She usually gets up at 2 and at 5 to eat.
• She is a very early riser and likes to nurse from 5am to 7ish on and off....G usually wakes up at 7:30 so I try to sneak in some Zzzs while I'm feeding K.
• She had her 2nd bath this week and after getting a sponge (washcloth) bath she jumped in the tub with Mommy & G. She LOVED being in the tub.
• She hates paci's. G does not understand this and tries to give (shove) a paci in her mouth whenever she can.

Life is passing very quickly these days and we're just trying to absorb every moment and be happy in them. Easy to say now, not so much on days like yesterday :) I am thankful for my girls and my husband every day though. After such a trying day yesterday I crept into bed with G and snuggled her for a bit while she slept. One of the best feelings in the world.

Temper Tantrums...

G has been having a lot of temper tantrums (fall out on the floor, kicking & crying types)the past few days. Several a day. Only at our house, or if we're with her at Grammy & Grampy's house. It's making me nervous because tomorrow it will be just me and the girls and Cody. Up until now I've either had Daddy P home with me or my Mom home with me. I think there will probably be a lot of crying...maybe from all 3 of us girls, maybe from Cody too! Thankfully Grampy is a phone call away. Most people tell me the tantrums last anywhere from 6 weeks-3 months. I'm sure we'll have some good days and some not so good days. Little Einstein's on Comcast On Demand is going to be a life saver and that makes me feel guilty. I always said (BEFORE I had kids) that I would NEVER use the TV to entertain. Having 2 children under 2 makes this a necessity though. I've come to the conclusion that if Playhouse Disney will make G happy and give me some time to do something with only 1 girl attached then it can't be that bad.

As much as I'm complaining right now, I feel blessed every day. I look at my family and am in awe at how much I love them and how happy I am. Right now I feel like I have the perfect life. There are actually times when both the girls are sleeping that I wish I could wake them up just to play with them. I have such a wonderful husband who helps me in every way possible, 2 daughters who are healthy, parents who help us whenever we need them too, and friends who will come by at a moment's notice to help us. Wow, just thinking about all we have makes me appreciate it that much more.

Tandem Nursing

We got pregnant with Mary Faith when Gracie was 8 months old and still nursing for nutritional needs. I nursed her exclusively until she was 6 months old (no water, no other food) and she always loved it. Initially I planned to nurse her for the first year and then I would see. As I did more reading and became more skilled at nursing I decided to let Gracie self wean. I had no desire to wean Gracie on my terms and as a stay at home mom had no reason to wean her. As my pregnancy progressed so did Gracie's nursing. Some months she nursed more, some months she nursed less, but she showed no interest in weaning. As the last few weeks of my pregnancy closed in Gracie started nursing more and more. It was more for comfort than for milk--I didn't have much if any milk, she was probably getting small amounts of colostrum--and that was ok with me. I've loved nursing Gracie since she was born, and still love it. It provides a closeness and a comfort that is special to the two of us. Now that Mary Faith is here she needs that special closeness more than ever.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I thought you couldn't get pregnant while nursing...weren't you nursing Gracie when you got pregnant with Mary Faith?
You can get pregnant while nursing :) If you have questions I'll be happy to send you an email with information about pregnancy & nursing.

Do you nurse both the girls at the same time?
Sometimes, it just depends on how we are all feeling. If I am nursing Mary Faith and Gracie is upset or jealous she will nurse at times.

Will you make enough milk?
Yes. Nursing works on a supply/demand setting :) The more demand the more supply!

Do you get tired of nursing, are you nursing all the time?
I love nursing, but there are moments when I would like to have a little space to myself and when I feel like that I take some time to myself. I really do love nursing, which makes it easy for me to tandem nurse. I love looking down and seeing Gracie with her hand on Mary Faith's head while I'm nursing both of them at the same time. Right now even I wasn't tandem nursing it would feel like I'm nursing all the time because I feed Mary Faith every 2 hours around the clock. Sometimes during the day she will go for 3 hours, and then I try to relax and have some computer time.

Are you the only one who tandem nurses?
No :) I know several people who tandem nurse. They are great support sources!

Here is a link where you can find information about tandem nursing:
http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/resources/tandem-faq.pdf

Feel free to ask me any questions about Tandem nursing that you would like! This is what works for our family and we support what works for your family :)

2 Weeks Old!!!

Dear K-

Today you are 2 weeks old! This is around the time we thought you would be coming. I was induced at 38 weeks with your sister G and that was what we planned with you, but my body had other plans for you! I look at you often and think that you could still be inside of me, WOW, that is amazing. I miss the movements that only you and I were aware of, but am happy to have you out here to share with Daddy, G, Cody and everyone else.

Here is what you are up to:

• You weighed 7lbs 3oz when you were 12 days old! You are growing fast! (Maybe because you love to eat so much!)
• You still eat every 2 hours at night, but I don't have to wake you up--you wake up every 2 hours on the dot to eat at night.
• You still have your days and nights mixed up--you would sleep all day without eating if I let you!
• You love to watch your sister and she loves to entertain you!
• You won't take a bottle anymore. This doesn't bother me--no more pumping, which I don't especially love.
• You are wearing newborn sized diapers now.
• Your right extra finger fell off today. I called Daddy right away to tell him. We were at Grammy & Grampy's house when I noticed it was missing. (It was in your little mitten)
• You don't like paci's very much, but don't cry very often at all--only when you are hungry.
• You are allergic to wipes--just like your sister was. Thankfully she grew out of it at about 1 year, until then it's only washcloths for you!

Birth Story

I'm tired right now (more like chronically exhausted), but I want to get K'sbirth story up before I start to forget it. I've still got G's birth story (the 1 paragraph I got through) saved on the computer to finish one day.

We'd been seeing the high risk dr and my regular OB (aka Dr. Love) 1x per week for the past several weeks and had gone to 2x per week the week before K was born. On July 21st I was scheduled for my regular high risk appt and my regular apt with Dr. Love. I had been on bedrest since Friday, July 17th and was anxious for my apts because the bedrest was wearing on me emotionally. I'd been feeling really horrible due to my blood pressure and having to be in bed or on the couch all day made me feel even worse.

We got to the high risk dr and had my regular ultrasound and talked with the dr about my bp and how bad I'd been feeling. At that point he decided it was time for K to come, because of my blood pressure and because my amniotic fluid level was going down (had been low the previous visit as well)! We had packed a suitcase that morning before we left, just to be on the safe side, so we were prepared, but still surprised. While at the high risk dr I was hooked up to a monitor for about 30 minutes to review K's heartbeat. After that the high risk Dr told us to get lunch and then go to our apt with Dr. Love. We left his office and headed to the Mall for some lunch and some last alone time with G and then headed to Dr. Love's office. He did a basic exam and then told us to head over to the hospital where they were expecting us! Before going to the hospital I wanted to get a pedicure (silly to be focused on my toes at this point, but it was super importnat to me), so I went to a place that some of the girls at Dr. Love's office recommended and enjoyed a pedi! I think I made the man who did the pedicure nervous because he asked me when the baby was coming and I told him we were heading to the hospital next!

We got to the hosptial (just as G had fallen asleep--so I walked into the hospital very pregnant, pusing a sleeping baby in a stroller) and were immediatly take to a Labor, Delivery, & Recovery room (the very same room I gave birth to G in). I had planned on taking a shower and relaxing a bit when we got there, but they were ready to go! I got into my hospital gown, they started an iv, giving me fluids and antibiotics (since I was only 36 weeks I hadn't had the Group B strep test done yet) and started my induction! It all happened so fast. We got to the hospital around 3 and by 4 I was hooked up to all the monitors, had an iv and had been given the cervadil to get things going. Mom and Dad came to pick up G and Drew, Camila and Brandon came by shortly afterwards. The entire gang, including Daddy P, went to dinner at Cracker Barrell while I rested and then Mom & Dad & G returned home. It was bittersweet when Daddy P got back--we were alone for an entire night for the first time since being in that room the night before G was born. G was very happy to leave the hospital--she wouldn't come to me, even to nurse, and was scared by all the wires. Daddy P and I relaxed and he got his bed, aka hard hosptial chair, ready and by 11pm I was out cold. I actually slept all night courtesy of ambian, but David was cold and awoken many times by the nurse checking K and I.

At 6am the next morning pitocin was started. I didn't start feeling contractions until around 9, and had an injection of pain medicine, which made me very crazy for a while--poor Daddy P, and didn't do anything for the contractions. I asked for my epidural around 10 and the epidural lady started it around 10:30am. Epidural lady felt it necessary to use the least amount of medicine needed, which I did not appreciate until AFTER K was born, and which upset me until I went to sleep around 11:30. I woke up at 1:30pm, the nurse checked me and said it was time! She went and called Dr. Love, who magically appeared and it was time to have a baby. David and I were still both waking up, and I was really thinking it was going to be another loooong labor, but boy was I surprised! I pushed through 4 contractions and suddenly Dr. Love told me to stop, and her head was out! K was born at 1: 56pm at 36 weeks and 3 days gestation and was healthy as a horse! (Though if she hadn't been healthy they were well prepared--as I was pushing more and more people were coming in and as Dr. Love put it, I didn't know we were selling tickets to the birth, LOL) I had no stitches or tears and was up and walking an hour afterwards (thank you mean epidural lady, though I didn't appreciate the small amount of medicine you gave me in the beginning I did afterwards)

We had to spend an extra night in the hospital due to our old friend Bili Ruben, but were happily discharged Saturday July 25 and spent our first night at home as a family of 5 (yes, 5--we include Cody in our family) 1 week ago today!

1 Week Old

Today K is 1 week old!!! Wow! Time has flown by.

1 Week Stats/Info:

• You weigh 6lbs 10 oz
• Today is the first day you are not being stuck to test your bili
  levels! YAY!!!
• You wear a Preemie sized diaper
• You have your days and nights mixed up!
• You have to eat every 2 hours
• Newborn clothes are HUGE on you, and all the summer clothes we have for you haven't been worn yet...you have to wear warm clothing all the time!
• Daddy has given you several bottles and you don't seem to mind taking them, in fact you drank 3oz from one this morning (in one sitting)
• You are sleeping in a bassinette in Mommy & Daddy's room.
• You like to go the bathroom as soon as we take your diaper off!
• You are spending more and more time with your eyes open.
• Your umbillical cord stump fell off today (7-29-09)!!!

Birth Story to come soon...(as soon as I have time, which may be today, or may next week, month or year, LOL)

G

The first few posts on this blog have to do with the arrival of K...now it's time to focus on the new BIG SISTER, G!

G is falling into her role of big sister. I think she misses the days of just Mommy and G (and Cody :), but each day I see some improvements in her attitude and behavior. She really hasn't had a problem with K--just Mommy and Daddy. She's had a few meltdowns, but luckily can escape to Grammy & Grampy's when ever she wants. G had never been away from me for more than 6 hours (and that was only 1x) and had never spent the night away from us until K's arrival so Daddy P and I were worried about how she would do when we were in the hospital. We shouldn't have worried! G had a blast at Grammy & Grampy's and our only worry when we got home is that G wouldn't want to come back. She helped Grammy cook, helped Grampy take care of the flowers and the dogs and spent many hours snuggling with Maggie, or as she says, "Aggie".

Up until the minute K was born one of my biggest fears was would I love K as much as I love G. It just didn't seem possible. I spent many hours of my pregnancy just staring at G wondering how I could love anyone as much as my first born girl. G and I spent every day together, cuddling, running errands, going to Kindermusic, Waterbabies, playdates and more. There was no one else to think about. If we wanted to stay in our jammies all day or go meet Daddy for lunch we could. Things will change, they already have, but to my great relief I loved K just as much as G from the moment she was born. It also amazes me to see how much G loves K. K has been jaundiced and has required multiple heel sticks to test her bili levels. G hates to see her in pain or crying and comes to find her Daddy or I when K is upset. She also loves to help us take care of K--she will bring me a diaper, put the old one in the trash, find a paci for K, and many more things.

Overall we've had some stressful moments, but G seems to be adjusting well. I'm sneeking alone time in with her whenever I can and she especially loves that (I do too--I crawed into bed with her this morning at 6 and we slept snuggled up until 9!)

:)

K has arrived!!!

K

36 Weeks 3 Days

July 22, 2009

1:56pm

6lbs 14oz

20 1/4 Inches Long

She arrived almost exactly on Mommy's birthday (July 22, 1978, 1:32pm)

Photos to come...

For a full album of photos go to...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97092&id=570719715&l=a9ac667867

K's Fun Facts:

Fun Facts

--08/05/2009---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K's extra finger on her right hand fell off today! Dr. Yap had tied it off at her first Dr's appt. Now we're just waiting for the one on the left to fall off. On her 2 week birthday!

--08/02/2009------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K, 's eye color is Blue (for the time being) G's eyes changed to brown around 6 months.

--08/01/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K's first bath was on: 08/01/2009
comments:
She hated her first bath and screamed the entire time! We didn't put her in the tub, Mommy just used a washcloth and soaped her up and rinsed her off.


--07/29/2009------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K's umbilical cord stump fell off today! It came off on Mommy's stomach while I was nursing her! 07/29/2009

--07/05/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K, was named after Mommy P's maternal grandfather, K, and maternal grandmother, M.

--07/03/2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

K kicked G in the face several times while I was nursing her tonight. G looked at my stomach with a very funny face.

-03/20/2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We found out we're having a girl today! Almost exactly on G's birthday! Our ultrasound was from 2-3:10 and G was born at 3:32pm. What a special day!!! 03/20/2009

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K's Growth Chart

08/07/2009
Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz.
Height: in.

--08/03/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weight: 7 lbs. 3 oz.
Height: in.

--07/30/2009-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Height: in.
comments:
Back up to your birth weight, YAY!!!


--07/28/2009-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 10 oz.
Height: in.

--07/27/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Height: in.

--07/22/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Height: 20.25 in.
comments:
Happy Birthday K!!!


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16 Months Old!!!

July 20, 2009

Dear G,

Today you are 16 Months old! Wow, it doesn't seem possible for you to have been in our lives for 16 months already, but on the other hand it feels like you've been in our lives forever and I can't imagine life without you in it. You are amazing and Daddy and I love you more each day. Sometimes I just stare at you and wonder how it is possible to love someone as much as I love you.

You change from day to day, but here are the most recent things going on in your life...

• You can now say "Momma" "Daddy" "Cody", "Maggie", "Yes", "No", "Cheese", "Shoe", "Doggie", "Sister" and many other words! They are coming every day now!
• You understand everything we say...Mommy and Daddy have to be careful of what we say around you!
• You wear a size 3 Diaper
• You drink from a regular cup.
• You eat using a fork or spoon.
• You won't eat at a table without praying first!
• You love Cheetos!
• You can blow kisses.
• You are a BIG sister!
• You spent your first night away from Mommy & Daddy this month! You stayed with Grammy & Grampy for 4 nights in a row while Mommy & Daddy were at the hospital.
• You love to wear bracelets!
• You pick your own clothes out.
• You can take your diaper off by yourself, and have done it 3 times without people knowing! 1x while Mommy was snoozing on the couch--you took it off, pooped on the floor and threw your diaper in the trash can--all without Mommy knowing, and 2x at Grammy & Grampy's house!
• You love to help cook!
• You are still nursing and we both love it more than ever! It's our special time together :)

Dear G

Today you are 15 Months old...WOW! Time has flown since you've been born and I love you more today than yesterday. I spend a lot of days/time just looking at you and wondering how it is possible to love someone this much and wonder if it will be possible to love anyone else as much as I love you. You amaze me each and every day. I truly cannot put into words how much Daddy and I love you and are amazed by everything you do/are.

You are walking, running and climbing on everything.

You have 3 teeth with many more ready to pop through.

You are still nursing and love it more than ever (so do I :)

You can sign more, all done, and where

You can nod yes/no, say Yes, say Mama, Daddy, doggie, Cody, Maggie, woof, choo choo,

You give kisses when asked to Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, Grampy, Cody & Maggie. You've also give one to Pop, Memaw, Uncle Drew and cousin Brandon.

You've started to give kisses without being asked to Mommy, Daddy & Cody. (Cody was the first "person" you gave a kiss to without being prompted.)

You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

You can color with crayons, or pens, but Mommy & Daddy prefer crayons!

You love to help Mommy and Daddy do things. You help load/unload the dishwasher, wash/fold clothes, work outside (water flowers, etc..), clean up, and walk Cody, and many other things!

You have been going to Waterbabies for 3 months in a row and love it! (Especially now that Mommy is teaching it!)

You are now sleeping in your own room, in your own bed. You started doing this during your 14th month. May 12th was the first night you EVER slept in a room away from Mommy & Daddy (including when you were in the hospital)You went from sleeping in a bassinet for 6 months next to Mommy & Daddy's bed, to sleeping in Mommy & Daddy's bed for 5-6 months, to sleeping in a toddler bed next to Mommy & Daddy's bed to sleeping in your own double bed, in your own room! Each transisition was MUCH harder on Mommy & Daddy than on you.

Cody sleeps with you every night.

You have been refusing to drink milk since we first tried it when you turned 1!

You love to eat strawberries and grapes. Up until last week stawberries were your favorite, but now grapes are.

You can point to head, eyes, ears, nose, teeth & mouth.

You wear a size 3 diaper.

You weigh 19lbs 10oz, are 30 inches tall and have a head circumfernce of 45 1/2 cm. You are in the 50th percentile for height and head circumference and the 1st % for weight!

You LOVE to be outside and cry and throw a temper tantrum when it is time to come in.

Your favorite part of week days is when Daddy comes home and you get to run outside and greet him. He always puts you in your swing and you love it!!!

You are going to be a BIG sister in less than 7 weeks!!!

It's a....

In case you couldn't tell from the front page we are happily expecting our 2nd child this August :) We had our monthly Dr's appointment on Wednesday 2/25/09 and were lucky enough to get an ultrasound. Dr. R did the ultrasound himself and though we were thrilled to see the baby we couldn't help but ask if he could tell what sex the baby is. He took a guess, but wasn't 100% sure, so were're going to hold off on making an annoucement. We want to know for sure when we tell people!