Oh, the Snow!

Looks to be about 18" of it out there! Yikes- I am quite content to sit in here and watch it come down, thank you very much!
That said, we decided to head up to Manchester tonight and stay in a hotel near the airport- avoiding the long drive before our flight tomorrow morning! California, here we come!

2 Months old!

Took Justin in for his 2 month checkup- he's doing great! He's up to 11 pounds, 3 ounces, and is 22 3/4" long. Dr. King says he he looks good, and was impressed at well he stands and holds himself up- I think he is going to be an early walker just like his big Sis!

Are these mine?

Yep- he must have sat there for a whole 10 minutes watching his own hands open and close and turn back and forth trying to figure that out!

The white stuff has arrived!

Amy was downstairs dressed and ready to go out in about 10 seconds flat! We woke up to find snow on the groud Sunday morning- not a ton, maybe quarter or half inch, and it snowed off and on all the rest of the day. There was enough that Amy made a small snowman- about a foot tall!

First Place!

Amy has been working hard the last couple months on her invention for her school's Invention Convention. Yesterday was the judging, and she won 1st Place for "Best Use of the Design process"! Her invention is called RadiationX- it is an "over the head cell phone radiation deflector"- and we are proud to report that it really does work! Here is a picture of her demonstrating it to the crowd!

New pictures

One day at a time...

Amazing how fast time slips by, even though the day sometimes seems to drag... I can't believe Justin will be a month old on Saturday! I will try to get some pictures posted. All in all, we are doing pretty well, one day at a time...

Nursing is still going ok- he loves to stretch it out into an hour long nursing session, then lay on my chest and cuddle until he is hungry again (lather, rinse, repeat...) Of course that is his ideal day... he does get put down, and has on a few occasions surprised us by sleeping an entire hour or 2 in one stretch. I usually spend that time running around trying to get at least 1 load of laundry done, and the dishes and some basic straightening up- anything I don't like to do with a baby attached to the front of me! At least I know it does him good- he is up over 9 pounds now- we will find out his exact weight on Monday at his checkup. He has also grown over an inch and a half. We pulled out pictures of Amy at this age, and they are practically identical!

We though Amy was a cuddler when she was tiny, boy, Justin beats her by a long shot! Also, it seems like everything we used with her he doesn't care for- though he will sit in his swing for a short time, but doesn't want it to actually swing, or play music, etc- and Amy loved being carried in the sling- and I could get things done because my arms were free. Justin hates being confined- so no sling, no swaddling, etc- he just screams! Amy hated being even the least bit cold- Justin is the total opposite- even the slightest bit too warm, and he cries. For him too warm can be a long sleeve onsie- and no socks!

OK, well, that is about all the time I have- guess who is calling!

Brrr...It's cold!

Woke up this morning and looked out the back window at the thermometer- WOW! It's 20 degrees outside! The grass is covered with frost, and I sent Amy out the door this morning in her new heavy winter jacket and gloves.

Her class is doing a service project this morning- picking up trash and debris around one of the many local lakes and trails.

Justin and Amy's pediatrician made a housecall yesterday for Justin's 1 week checkup. He has been pronounced a healthy, happy, well-fed baby. His weight went down to 7# 3 ounces on the second day after he was born (that's normal) and at 8 days old, he was already back up to 7# 13 ounces- he gained 10 ounces in 6 days! Dr. Lindeman said they typically see babies regain their birth weight at about 2 weeks, so Justin is doing great!

1 Week Old!

The past week has flown by! We are all doing well- We came home from the hospital on Sunday, and are kind of settling into a routine. Justin loves to eat, and when he is finished, wants to use me as a pacifier! We have not had to supplement with any formula, and I am glad for that. I was able to get some actual sleep last night- he only woke up twice to feed! He loves to hang out with daddy!

Justin has arrived!

He was born by cesarean yesterday, October 15th at 12:56 pm- Weight is 7 pounds 14 ounces, and he is 19.5" long. He scored a perfect 10 on his apgar, has a head full of dark brown hair, and is nursing like a pro! I am feeling really well, and we will probably go home Sunday.

Still here...

Just a quick update- we're all a bit under the weather, some kind of bug- Mark brought something home from work- he says everyone there has it, and it finally caught up with him, forcing him to take off a couple days and be layed up all last weekend. I started feeling yucky Sunday evening, was lais out the last couple days, and am starting to feel a tiny bit better this morning, but am still taking it easy. Mark seemed to have the flu, but I don't have the same symptoms- I think I just picked up a cold somewhere along the way. Amy has a sore throat, but it doesn't seem to have progressed past that, and I hope it doesn't!

Justin is doing fine- really cramped, I can tell, as his movements have slowed down a lot- mostly all squiring now, except when he doesn't like what side I am laying on, then he draws back both legs and lets them both kick out really hard up into my lungs. The cool thing is that I can feel and see him practice breathing! It is really east to figure out baby parts- and you can lay your hand over his back and feel the slow, rhythmic in and out of his chest when he does it. Completely different from hiccups.

The weather has turned cold! The last 2 mornings it was onlt 30 degrees when I got up! We have actually had to turn on the furnace and are eagerly awaiting our next gas bill (yeah, right!)

Starting weekly checkups!

Well, Justin seems to be measuring right on track- had my 36 week appt today, and everything looks good! Now I start going every week! I've only gained 32 pounds total!

My new toy!

After a lot of hassle, and a long wait, the stroller has arrived! This is the one item we decided to splurge on, and I was determined to find one that I liked that was not made in China. I went with an Inglesina Zippy, and so far I like it a lot. It is light enough for me to take on the bus if needed, and folds almost as compact as an umbrella stroller, though it performs like a full featured stroller. Right now, Amy is having fun pushing her dolls around in it. She's also been wearing her halloween costume (she's a monarch butterfly) around the house all day- I finished the skirt yesterday- one more thing done!

Fall is here!

I took the picture up top from my front porch this morning- you can see the reds starting to emerge on the right hand side! It was a balmy 41 degrees this morning! We are already starting to pile the blankets back on the beds, and yesterday I had to fish my slippers out from their hibernation under the bed.

Amy's new dentist

Well, Amy had gone to a pediatric dentist last month- went pretty well, except he said she had 3 cavities that needed filled- he said they would bring her in, do the gas, and it would take 2 appointments- because there were 2 on 1 side, 1 on the other. Oh, and parents are not allowed in the back- you hand them off at the door. And she would have to take the whole day off school- once for each appt.

This didn't really set well with me for some reason. Maybe it's the norm to do these days, and I am just overprotective, who knows.

Well I ended up calling my dentist (I hadn't actually gone to see him yet, but had him picked out) His office is a lot easier for me to get too, and yes, they do kids, too. I explained that she was afraid of needles, but took a risk and promised them she would not freak out (I ended up bribing her with toys!)

Her appt was yesterday- turns out the cavities were tiny enough- he told her it was her choice whether to get "sleepy juice" (novacaine) or not.

She chose NOT! He told her if she changed her mind, she could at any point- well, she sat through the first 2 with only a slight whimper- and they only took about 5 minutes start to finish- then he asked her if she wanted to get the other one finished off, and she said yes! another 2 minutes, and all 3 were fixed, no numb mouth, no gas, no missed school, and she came away from the dentist office saying that yes, it did hurt a tiny bit, but really it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be- and no shots!

Justin Gregory!

Thought I would post a new picture this morning- I am 35 weeks along now, and we have decided on a name! He will be Justin Gregory, and I hope he comes a little earlier than 5 weeks from now! He has started to drop, and loves to stretch his legs out into my right side!

Homework...

Amy had her first night of homework last night- how fun! The homework itself was not bad, but I was shocked at the weight of her backpack- I should have weighed it, but didn't- though it was probably close to 20 pounds! This morning, I transferred everything over to a rolling backpack. There is no way I could make her carry that amount of weight on her shoulder every day- she could barely pick the thing up!

A Fifth Grader!

Today is Amy's first day of fifth grade! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! In this school, 5th grade is considered middle school, and they change classes and have a homeroom. Amy is excited that her homeroom teacher loves animals and insects just like she does! There are 17 kids in her class, which is a combined 5th/6th grade.

I've decided I love uniforms- our school clothes shopping this year consisted of 1 pleated skirt, 2 shirts and a sweater! That was all we really needed, since most everyhthing from last year still fits. This morning when she was getting ready, I did find out we will need to get a new pair of dress shoes for Chapel, since the ones I just bought in June, she has managed to outgrow!

Amy's Campout!

Amy invited her friend to sleepover last night, and they camped out in the backyard- we expected they would probably end up back inside sometime during the night, but they surprised us and slept out there all night! Here is a picture of them this morning, making their "campfire". They also went "hunting" and said they were out in the wilderness and had to find their own food!

Amy's driving!

Amy and Mark's new toy:

Big house project...

One of the big projects we wanted to get done this summer was to have the bulkhead replaced- it finally happened this past week! We were on a 6 week waiting list with the contractor, and am glad to finally have it done! Here it is condensed into pictures- the last picture shows the bulkhead today, the new grass is sprouting, and those are the blueberry bushes we are going to plant on either side of it.

Amy looking out from the basement

Zoo Trip

Amy, 2 of her friends, another mom and I all went to the zoo a couple weeks ago- Amy loved it- especially feeding the deer in the "Deer Forest" and getting to ride the camel and elephant!

It's a New England thing...

Ok, we are not huge hot dog people, but every once in awhile Amy asks for one, and I grew up eating them. I saw a cute breakfast idea in a magazine recently, which involved a hot dog bun, a banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Not too bad of a breakfast in a hurry, so I decided to give them a try.

Went to the store looking for hot dog buns- easy, right? Not when you're looking for this:

Thinking back, I have not seen these since we left the west coast! Here is what they call hot dog buns out here- to me they just look weird, Amy thinks so too, but to all her friends, these are just normal hot dog buns!

Checking in...

Yesterday was a busy day- Had an appointment with my midwife in the morning and Amy with her orthodontist after that.

Both went well- baby has had a growth spurt, and is now measuring at 34 weeks- a week ahead, and his heart sounds good, my blood pressure is great, and I only gained 2 pounds since my last appt- making it a total of 26!

Amy no longer has to wear her retainer, and the ortho said her adult teeth are coming in really nicely- and that she may not need a second round of braces! This is different than what the ortho in CA had told us.

After our appointments, I took Amy to a local place called Whimzy, it is kind of a combination art/craft workshop, toystore, and they also have a mining sluice setup where you buy a bag of dirt and mine for rocks- that's what Amy picked to do, and had a lot of fun, and brought home about half a bag of rocks to add to her collection.

Then we went to lunch- sliders, seasoned pepper fries and lemonade- YUM!

Popped over to Trader Joes for a few things, then called a cab home!

8 weeks and counting...

It seems like the time is slipping by so fast! Baby is doing great, I see the midwife every 2 weeks now, and he is growing perfectly! He seems to have settled head down, and because I lost so much weight, I can easily make out which end is his head, and which end is a tangle of feet/knees/legs! He likes to keep his feet pressed into my right side.

Amy starts back to school on Sept 3rd- she is excited to be starting 5th grade! She especially loves Latin class, and seems to soak it up like a sponge!

Mark and Amy have been doing some projects and activities together: working on her chemistry set, building a solar car model, playing frisbee in the backyard, and playing with their new Jeep RC car.

We had our basement bulkhead replaced this past week- the old one was rusted pretty heavily, and the door was leaking, so decided to just replace the whole thing with a new set of precast concrete stairs and new door. It looks great, and I am looking forward to not running down to check the buckets every time it rains! I will post some pictures soon.

Hula Hoop time!

Mark just sent me this picture from work- someone there forwarded it to him. It was taken at his company picnic last month when Amy competed in a hula hoop contest and managed to beat out every other person there, scoring herself a Dunkin Dohnuts giftcard. She loves to hoop at home and school, but I had no idea she was so good- she has thistrick when the hoop gets too low- a special way of wiggling her hips to make it come back up where she wants it, and can even switch it up to her neck and down around her legs without losing it!

Pictures

Baby Crib!

Amy taking care of her baby doll

Mark's Company Picnic
29 Weeks- only 2 and a half months to go! New England Aquarium
Amy compared to a nurse shark
Amy wearing a dress my Mom made- I wore it in second grade (25 years ago!)

Still Here

Sorry I haven't been updating lately- between the hot muggy weather, and laziness, I just didn't feel like it! I will try to put up some new pictures over the next couple days, otherwise, here is what we've been up to:

Amy and I traveled into Boston and visited the New England Aquarium. Fun for her- not so much for me- 2.5 hours each way between the train and subway, and I was exhausted by the time we finally got home! But she had fun, so it was worth it!

Still waiting for her new bed- the furniture maker decided to discontinue the style she had chosen, so we had to go and select another- I think the new one is actually prettier than the first, though it was more expensive, they are not charging us any more. Now it may be the end of September before it is delivered- they brought us out a bedframe and the mattress we had purchased so at least she is off the air mattress now.

We installed a new wall a/c unit in the family room- it is so much quieter, and doesn't drip water between the walls like the old one- that's a plus!

We finally got the crib put together- somewhere between Houston, where
Amy used it, and here, we lost some of the hardware- so had to order replacement parts, they didn't quite fit right, so Mark gotto try out his new workshop in the basement, and drilled new holes- the new hardware actually seems to work better than the original.

I actually got Mark to go "babyshopping" and he picked out the bedding- looks like we are doing a little cowboy/jungle animals- this is the bedding, but the mobile he got has safari type animals on it! http://www.baby-bedding-co.com/oshkosh-baby-giddy-up-cocalo.html I also have all the diapers and covers ready- Yes, we are doing cloth- just like we did with Amy! One exception- we are going old fashioned and using flats- Amy has even learned to fold them and is practicing on her baby doll!

I have also met several more of our new neighbors, all very nice! one across the street has a friend down at the Perkins School for the Blind, and she took us down there last week for a tour- the man that took us around has the same eye disease I do, only he is pretty much totally blind. Amy liked playing on the playground they had there, too. Irene also took us to a place called Garden in the Woods- I will have to go back, since we only stopped for a few minutes so she could show us around. http://www.newenglandwildflower.org/garden.htm

Went for my 28 week appt. yesterday- baby is growing perfectly, measuring 28.5 weeks (exactly in line with my dates) heartrate is good, and I had my glucose test done- results came back great today- only 111, so I don't have to take the 3 hour test like I had to with Amy! Oh, I also only gained 4 pounds since my last visit, for a total of 21 so far!

26 Weeks!

Wow time is flying! Thought I would post an update belly shot- Only 99 days till my due date! I am doing really well with my weight- eating mostly healthy foods I have only gained 17 pounds- a far cry from the 30+ I had gained by this time with Amy!

Hi Cheryl!

I feel so excited and blessed to have finally made contact with a friend from Lakeside that I have not gotten to talk to in over a year! I can't wait to talk again and get caught up!

Amy's Bed

Turns out the reason I couldn't find a picture of the style she chose is because I had the name wrong! It is actually the Camden collection by Vermont Tubbs- http://www.vermonttubbs.com/camdencollection.html
It will be like the queen bed, only in twin size.

Big Sister

Just so no one worries- baby is NOT here yet- hopefully not till October! I just think that Amy is already and will always be a big sister no matter what!

Amy has been really sweet- she has taken to reading to "her baby brother" and I thought I was getting tons of hugs lately, then she told me she was actually hugging her baby brother!

I saw these "only child/big sister" shirts online and she has been bugging me for months to get her one- I realized I actually had a stack of iron on paper, so made this up on the computer today and surprised her with it- she was thrilled!

More of getting settled...

Some photos I took today- I didn't bother with photoshop so please forgive the mess!

This is the first time we have had a garage that fit both cars and extras at the same time!

Family Room

Kitchen

Formal living room- pretty much a staging area for now empty boxes waiting to be flattened and given away on freecycle.

Small dining room/breakfast room- about the only room without boxes! This is looking from the front door through to the back yard.

Amy working on her room.

of course, she has too much stuff and nowhere to put it- she loves "stuff" nick nacky type stuff- and would love to display every bit of it!

Baby's room to be- once it's cleaned out!

Getting Settled!

Well, we've been in the new house about 2 weeks now! The move went fairly smoothly, and we haven't really found anything that was broken. Things are slowly getting unpacked, and though there are still boxes around, we are fairly functional at this point!

We ordered Amy a new bed, but since it is being custom made, it will be about 6 weeks before it gets here. This is the closest one I could find to show what she chose- the one she picked is called "Kendra" but I think the style has since been discontinued. Hers will have solid end panels, and the knobs will be the same color she chose for the rest of the bed- antique white. It is being made by this same company: http://www.vermonttubbs.com/clapboardtwinbed.html

One thing that the previous owners left for us was a ping pong table- we went this weekend and picked up paddles and balls, and soon discovered Amy is a natural!

One of my next tasks is to get the baby's room cleared out- seems to have become a catchall for those things we are not quite sure what to do with yet! I finally located all the hardware for the crib, so once the room is cleaned out we can get it set up! We'll see if the baby uses it- Amy didn't until she was older, and then only for naps! The crib is pretty much all we have left, though Mark's mom bought us a few outfits while she was here.

Packing day

Well, the movers should show up any minute to pack everything- of course I have been slowly packing all week, Amy's room is completely done, and pretty much so is our bedroom. I also sealed up lots of boxes that we had never unpacked from the last move (but had opened to find various things). I'm worn out, and decided not to do any more, they can do the rest! Tonight will be our last night in this house.

We have a house!

Yesterday it was official! We went to the attorney's office at 9 am yesterday and signed all the papers, and the house is officially ours (OK, technically it is the banks, but YKWIM!)

Our moving day is set for this coming Tuesday, with the movers coming to pack everything on Monday.

Today I am going to work on making lists- what not to get packed, companies to change address with, etc. Oh, and laundry.

Had to have the final fill of the oil tank yesterday- ouch! I am so glad we were able to lock in our price last winter of $3.19 a gallon- The "discounted" rate with our landlord's oil company is up to $4.49! It cost us $570 even at our locked in price- would have been $800 at the higher price!

Our internet service will be down from Tuesday until at least Saturday when Comcast comes to the new house to set it up, I may be able to access the internet from the library near the new house, but haven't checked into it yet.

Some new photos

22 Weeks- I feel bigger, but I think baby is shrinking some of my "reserves"! My pants are fitting looser in the rear, hips and thighs, but my belly seems to be narrower and more pointy now- with Amy, I carried very large and very round, and had no waist left at all! Don't worry- I am eating plenty- just mostly eating healthy food, and the midwife says everything looks great, baby measures right on target- I have only gained about 10 pounds so far!

Here is Mark and I in front of a statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C.

Amy and I in front of the White House.

Amy and Mark at the Vietnam Memorial

Amy, Bev, Mark and I in front of Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate in Alexandria, VA.

Amy showing off her new roller skates!

Amy and I on board the USS Constitution in Boston.