Mass Bernards

What Justin's up to....

2009-07-30T21:19:00.003-04:00

Walking, of course! He has decided to follow in Sissy's footsteps! He took that first tentative step at 8 months, and that has progressed to 4-5 at a time after pulling himself up. Now he will stand up without pulling up on anything, and take a few steps. Thought I would share a little video I was finally able to catch!

Amy's camp Video

2009-07-24T17:21:00.005-04:00

Amy spent a week at Camp Marshall this year- it is a 4H camp, with a focus on "horsemanship" they learned to ride, and care for the horses. Great program, and Amy loved it!

Here is a video of her end of week demo they had for the parents. Here's a pic of her with "her" horse Ginger.

We're still here...

2009-07-09T11:11:00.004-04:00

Just hanging out! Summer has been really rainy so far, Justin is getting big- took his first solo steps yesterday! He has 4 teeth, and another looking to pop through any time. He waves hello and bye, says Mama, Dada, Ah Du (all done), loves to help unload thedishwasher, take outthe recycling, and empty my purse, and play peeka boo.

Amy is off at summer camp. She is at Camp Marshall, a 4H camp, doing their "Saddle up" program, where she learns all about horses, including riding and taking care of one. They get to do regular summer camp type things like swimming, arts and crafts, ect. We go pick her up tomorrow- she's been gone a week!

Mark and I are doing well, I have lost all the weight I put on while pregnant w/ Justin (Yeah!).

And since I have been asked, yes, we are hoping for another sooner rather than later!

We bought Justin his first car recently- a classic, American-made red coupe!

Amy's handywork

2009-06-08T13:07:00.004-04:00

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted! I promised Amy I would post this video she made of the car she has constructed. Everything is going great here- She has finished 5th grade, and starts middle school in the fall! She is also going away to summer camp this summer- a whole week of horse riding lessons, and learning to take care of them- including mucking out the stalls! 2 weeks of VBS, a possible trip to Niagara Falls in August after Justin's passport gets here (we want to jump up to Canada, too) . I am also trying to throw in some swimming lessons (for Amy) and Justin is enjoying baby lap story time at the library every week. Some trips to the ice cream stand down the road, some bike riding, and a slip and slide pizza party should round out our plans! Justin is growing big- almost 19.5 pounds, and is very mobile, trying to walk!

Follow the Bouncing Ball

2009-05-17T15:22:00.003-04:00

Every time Amy would bounce her superball, Justin would bust out laughing- I decided to get it on video! He was torn between the ball and trying to get the camera!

Mommy's Little "Helper"

2009-05-11T16:23:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day Trip

2009-05-11T15:50:00.005-04:00

Spent Saturday at the beach! Justin's first "dip", and being the California Girl she is, Amy could not be kept out of the water no matter how cold it was!

Mr. Mischief

2009-05-07T13:27:00.003-04:00

Well, now! Not only is he now crawling, he is pulling up on stuff! Following in Sissy's footsteps!

Boston Children's Museum

2009-05-07T13:11:00.002-04:00

Amy climbed the rock wall, the big wavy climbing structure, and encased herself in giant bubbles. Justin tried out the baby slide, got his first Bobcat ride, chased golfballs around the floor while Daddy and Sissy rolled them along various tracks that were set up. Justin also got to explore the special crawlers room!

Just some odd rambling...

2009-04-26T06:44:00.004-04:00

Ready to play! I couldn't resist- I almost bought the mathing baby bat and ball, but I figured he would just eat them! The weather has gotten hot! My clothes line is up, so now I can dry diapers out in the sunshine...but I need to set up another length- I think I will string it to a different tree so it is longer- it's not long enough for a full load of laundry. Justin loves to eat- and prefers to feed himself practically everything- here is spaghetti from the other night. He loves to go out in the grass- I think he thinks the grass is yummy, 'cause he keeps tearing upp handfulls and trying to eat that too. He loves itsy bitsy spider and pat a cake- He's started crawling about a week ago, and has decided it is funner to pull himself up- I set him on the rug in his room this morning, and went to put something away, when I came back, he was standing up next to the laundry basket looking quite pleased with himself!

Anyway, please forgive any typos- Justin was trying to help, and now he is yawning and ready for bed. See ya'all later!

Justin Laughing

2009-04-16T16:55:00.002-04:00

Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T09:01:00.003-04:00

Family picture

What do you mean you don't want a hug?!?
What's Easter morning without a little chocolate with breakfast?

New toys!

What do you mean- don't eat what???

New pictures!

2009-04-13T08:57:00.003-04:00

We had visitors!

2009-04-07T18:45:00.003-04:00

A herd of deer decided to pay a visit this evening! Amy managed to snap a picture of one of them- it is in the very center, if you click on it you can blow up the picture. Ok, it really is hard to see so I added the top picture- the little white dots in the middle are it's eyes reflecting the flash.

Not much going on...

2009-03-29T15:17:00.004-04:00

But it's Spring! It has warmed up slightly- 64 degrees yesterday- Amy actually went out in a tank top and shorts, she was so thrilled! The grass is starting to green up, so I took Justin outside and let him play on the ground- of course, being a boy, he quickly discovered that under the grass is DIRT!

5 Months old!

2009-03-20T16:06:00.003-04:00

Time for bed!

Gotta add extra fluff for bedtime!

Look what I can do!

Big boy in the bath!

The Computer Generation...

2009-03-07T09:00:00.003-05:00

Justin is fascinated by my computer- it is a battle to get anything typed with out error, since he tries to "help"! We fianlly gave him an old keyboard to pound on!

Happy Birthday Amy!

2009-03-02T08:48:00.002-05:00

I can't believe 10 years has passed already! She decided to stay up until 1:30 this morning, and actually made it(she says!) I didn't! She was actually born at 12:30- but in Houston, so we adjusted for the time difference.

She also got today off from school, in account for the snowstorm we are in the middle of- Yesterday morning there was almost no snow on the ground, this morning, there is about a foot- Welcome Spring!

Party Time!

2009-02-28T14:13:00.005-05:00

We had 15 girls show up for Amy's party last night- I think 10 spent the night- I didn't actually count. Amy had a blast, and we actually got to sleep- the girls pretty much stayed in the basement and made as much noise as they wanted, and we could barely hear it all the way upstairs!

Checking in...

2009-02-26T17:19:00.002-05:00

I am in a flurry of preparing the house (and myself...) for Amy's 10th (how did that happen!?) birthday party. Last year, we had a sleepover with 14 of her closest friends, and since I swore I would never do that again, I had to stand my ground! This year we only invited 17!

On another note, Justin has become a very wiggly 4 and a half month old- almost 15 pounds, and has found his feet, loves to grab the food off your plate, and tries to push the buttons on the computer while you are trying to type (just trying to help, mom!)

Checking Out the Camera

2009-02-11T12:22:00.003-05:00

Justin has fiured out he can roll over several times in a row in order to get places!

Thank You Aunt Linda!

2009-02-09T15:56:00.001-05:00

We wanted to say a quick thank you and show off the cute outfit my Aunt Linda and Uncle Rod sent for Justin- it fits him perfectly!

I have video!

2009-02-06T16:00:00.003-05:00

OK, I figured out the other night that my camera takes little video clips- I wasn't going to post any, because I thought it would be weird to see the video but not have any sound. Well, today I clicked on one of the clips and it played the sound too! So here is my first video- It is at dinner the other night, Justin has started to grab at things on our plates, so we decided to let him suck on a piece of honeydew melon. He loved it, and cried when he started to drop it! Right now he is doing great on just breastmilk- we don't even need to supplement anymore (yeah!), but like I said, is really interested in what we are eating- I am trying to wait till 6 months to really give him any solids. Giving him a cup and bowl to play with just doesn't do it for him!

More Pictures

2009-02-06T15:46:00.002-05:00

Just a little taste!

Amy's Snowman! We all went outside to look at it!

Justin touching snow for the first time :-)

He loves this toy- he pushes it around and it plays music

Socks don't stay on very long now!

2009-02-03T11:18:00.003-05:00

What can I say- baby smiles are great- of course, I am a bit biased with this one! 3 and a half months now- 13#13oz, 24 3/4" tall- and has become very talkative!

He's rolling along!

2009-01-29T19:08:00.002-05:00

Justin is officially a roller! He was already rolling fron front to back, but today he was laying on his back on the floor- I was in the other room working, and came in to check on him- he had rolled over to his tummy. I flipped him back to his back, and he promptly rolled to his tummy again!

Still here having fun!

2009-01-28T08:19:00.002-05:00

Amy's home from school today, we're supposed to get 4-6" before it changes over to sleet and ices everything over. We are going to get her room organized today- we had her closet redonne with the Elfa shelving on Friday.

On Sunday, Mark, Amy, Justin and I all went out to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse to celebrate Mark's and my anniversary- I can't believe we have been married 12 years- the time sure does fly!

Yesterday I got to have fun at the dentist- I have one molar that has bothered me for a few years, and had it worked on several times, and finally went to an endodontist and did a root canal.

Still having fun testing diapers- one in particular has emerged as my favorite- the Drybees AIO Hybrid, though the velcro tends to detach from the laundry tabs in the wash. I also like the LoveyBums. I am trying 2 different ones- a cotton sherpa and an organic cotton fitted, and one of their wool jersey covers. www.loveybums.com

The great thing abot the trial program is I get to return the ones I don't like- for any reason, even though they are used. I only have to buy the ones I want.

Fun in Fluff Land!

2009-01-24T14:31:00.003-05:00

Today Mark drove me over to a store in Somerville (near Boston) called Diaper Lab. Oh, What fun for a mom like me- all the cloth diapers I have only read about online, but have never gotten to touch- all in one place! I got to bring home 8 different ones to experiment with for 2 weeks- I can hardly wait for that next dirty diaper!

Justin is working on rolling over- he already figured out the front to back- now he's working on going the other way. He's about 14 pounds now, and is the king of catnaps!

The end of an Era...

2009-01-16T13:31:00.005-05:00

that predates even me...1989 Mark bought himself a new car- many of you have seen it- it's been around the block quite a few times by now- that good ol' white Probe- He picked me up for our first date in it, numerous road trips- we've even camped in it- reclining the seeats as far as they would go and camping at a park after a long day of driving. It has traversed the west coast up and down, been with us in Texas (where we brought Amy home from the hospital in it- I tell you it is not easy to get a carseat in and out of a 2 door car!) and back to California- his rugged little commuter "sports" car- and then across the country here to Massachusetts. It never gave us any major problems, and ran pretty darn good as long as you fed it enough oil.

Last night as we drove it onto the car lot, the odometer flipped over to 157,777 miles- it was built Ford tough, alright!

Last night we said goodbye, and brought home a new commuter car- a new 2009 Mercury Milan- "Vivid Red" with all the bells and whistles Mark wished he had opted for with the Probe almost 20 years ago. It also fills all my requirements- which were pretty simple really- 4 doors instead of 2! It was cute watching him smile as he drove off to work this morning.

Freezing...

2009-01-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's a bit cold outside this morning! I just looked it up on weather.com- it is -6 outside! Looking out the window from in here where it is nice and warm, though, the snow is beautiful-the sky is clear and the sun is shining, making it appear as if God went to work with a huge shaker full of that white irridescent sparkly glitter!

More pictures of Justin

2009-01-15T13:45:00.005-05:00

This is for Gramma and Grampa and Papa!

A few pictures- he is 3 months old today- I can't believe it! I got him a Bumbo yesterday- he seems to realy like it- he is not the kind of baby that likes to take life lying down at all (except for that last picture- sleeping!

I'm Back!

2009-01-15T10:30:00.007-05:00

OK, actually we've been back for 10 days, but Amy got hit with a stomach bug, and as soon as she finished withit, decided to pass it on to me- I finally felt mostly normal yesterday, and luckily it seems Mark and Justin didn't get it.

Our trip was great- it was so much fun to reconnect with family and friends- we crammed so much into the 2 weeks we were gone. I want to thank all those who put us up, or put up with us!

I have tons of pictures, and will try to post some of them. On the 20th, we drove up to Manchester, NH and stayed in a hotel overnight- then got on the airplane... (to make a long story short, we *only* had about 12 hours of flight delays) and arrived in Las Vegas shortly after midnight on the 22nd. A short stay at the Excaliber, and we met Mark's friend from high school (Hi, Lisa! It was great meeting you- can't wait till you, Prior and the boys fly out here to visit!) for breakfast at Rainforest Cafe, then drove to Ridgecrest to Mark's Parent's house. Spent Justin's first Christmas with them, and then headed down to San Diego, Where we caught up with friends and attended church at good ol' Mapleview. More visiting with friends, then a trip to La Jolla- up to Mt Soledad to pay our respects at the cross and take in the view. Of course, Mark had to fit in a trip to his favorite electronics store- Fry's. A quick jaunt up the coast to Dana Point where we met Mark's brother Francis for lunch and a visit to San Juan Capistrano Mission. Heading further north(maybe not north- I'm terrible with maps!) To visit Uncle Walter and Aunt Margaret, and the cousins in Yorba Linda. Next day, headed back to Ridgecrest, for some unwinding, more visiting, and then drove back to Las Vegas, met Lisa and family for Brunch, and saw the Shark reef aquarium then off to the airport for the trip home!

Oh, the Snow!

2008-12-20T14:13:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-12-15T13:28:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-12-09T11:01:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-12-09T10:53:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-26T12:40:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-16T10:13:00.001-05:00

One day at a time...

2008-11-11T13:36:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-10-24T09:09:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-10-22T16:11:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-10-16T09:40:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-10-08T08:01:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-09-22T19:58:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-09-20T14:16:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-09-20T08:22:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-19T09:23:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-09-13T12:12:00.005-04:00

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...

2008-09-09T07:57:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-09-03T08:55:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-08-29T09:22:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-08-29T09:19:00.001-04:00

Amy and Mark's new toy:

Big house project...

2008-08-29T09:04:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-29T08:52:00.005-04:00

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...

2008-08-29T08:10:00.006-04:00

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...

2008-08-28T15:07:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-08-24T12:50:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-08-14T15:36:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-04T15:08:00.005-04:00

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

2008-07-29T17:01:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-07-10T17:52:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-07-10T17:36:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-10T17:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-08T17:15:00.004-04:00

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...

2008-07-07T16:11:00.011-04:00

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!

2008-07-07T10:09:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-23T07:59:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-06-19T08:02:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-13T11:00:00.009-04:00

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.

Still here...

2008-06-12T17:27:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are still here, but have been busy. Mark's parents are here visiting until Sunday, and we all flew down to Washington, DC June 2-9 for a family funeral.

We have been doing a bunch of siteseeing, and are now gearing up for the move, which is scheduled to happen on the 24th- only 12 days from now. The moving company is coming the day before to pack everything for me, but I have still started doing some packing on my own, since every box we pack ourselves saves us money!

Baby is doing good, and is very active at times- he is now kicking hard enough that we can sit and watch my belly move. I have also been busy crocheting.

It's a BOY!!!

2008-05-22T10:50:00.003-04:00

Went in for the big ultrasound today, and found out we have a big, stubborn boy! Though he was plenty cooperative so we could see what's "down there" he did not want to roll over so the tech could get all the measurements she wanted- so I get to go back again next week and see him again! His heart rate was 150, and he weighs in at about 9 ounces! We are thrilled, though Amy is a bit disappointed, as she was rooting for a baby sister!

Cast is off!

2008-05-15T10:09:00.002-04:00

Amy is excited she got her cast off yesterday- dr says the xrays look great, and she shouldn't have any problems with it. She has a little pain in her wrist, but he said it is normal for not being used for 3 weeks.

New House Update

2008-05-13T06:48:00.003-04:00

The inspections on Friday went fairly well, there were some findings, but nothing structural. Some we are asking the seller to do and some we will tackle on our own. We gave the seller our list of things we want them to do, and will see what they agree to. The picture at the top of the page is the front of the house- here are a couple more- the backyard and the family room.

A New House!

2008-05-08T09:06:00.002-04:00

It looks like we have a house! We have been casually looking for several weeks on our own, just hitting the open houses, but went out last Saturday with our agent and came back with 3 we liked- we ended up putting an offer on the first one on Monday night, and after a couple back and forth counters, the sellers agreed to our price and signed off on Tuesday!

We will do inspections tomorrow, and as long as everything checks out ok, things should go forward for a closing on June 18!

It is 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, about 2500 sf, on about half acre, colonial, built in 1970, but very well maintained, we won't need to do any work on it. Big yard with a small section of hill in the back perfect for sledding in the winter! It also has a huge finished basement, ready to become our new rec room, and has a laundry room on the first floor- I am so tired of hauling laundry all the way to the basement in this rental! Another plus is that it is only a couple blocks to the bus line, so I can be more mobile! It is also in a great family neighborhood, with lots of kids, and light enough traffic, I feel comfortable letting Amy ride around on her bike further than just back and forth in front of the house!

16 week checkup & baby belly!

2008-05-02T12:51:00.005-04:00

Finally got to hear the baby's heartbeat with the doppler- nice and clear, in the 140's! We go on the 22nd for our "big" ultrasound, and hope to find out if it is a boy or girl.

The midwife this morning commented on the size of my uterus by asking if I had had an ultrasound yet to see if it was twins (we've already seen that there is only 1!) , and when she went to find the heartbeat, she couldn't find it on one side, and I told her when I look down from the top, I can see that the baby is curled up on the other side!

Here is a picture Amy took today- I am finally starting to look more pregnant than fat! I am happy to say I have only gained 7 pounds so far. When I was pg with Amy, I had gained almost twice that much by this point!

Update- trip to orthopedic dr

2008-04-23T17:20:00.003-04:00

Well, we got to go see the the pediatric orthopedic doctor over at Mass General Hospital this morning, and they took a closer look at Amy's x-ray, and her arm is a bit more broken than the ER thought yesterday, and is much closer to the growth plate than they like to see, so she is now the proud owner of a nifty blue waterproof cast (Just on her forearm- she got to pick the color) it has some special fiber on the inside that is ok to get wet, we just have to dry it as best we can and if it gets soapy, run water down the inside of the cast to rinse it! No messing with plastic bags trying to keep it dry in the shower!

We also got to negotiate the public transportation system for the first time, which was a bit daunting for me, though it turned out fine, a trip from the hospital on the red line "T" (Subway?) and a transfer to the Framingham commuter train for a 45 minute ride back to natick, then a 10 minute taxi ride home. There is no public transportation system here in Wellesley, so anywhere I need to go has to be by taxi or asking for rides (which I hate doing!)

Quick ER Trip

2008-04-23T07:42:00.002-04:00

Well, we decided to get Amy's bike out of the basement yesterday since the weather has warmed up! She was having a great time riding up and down our cul de sac, until that last turn, and she lost her balance, falling over onto her arm! She was wearing her helmet, but there are no scratches on it, so I don't think she hit her head, though she did manage a lovely bruise on her left knee, and skinned up a couple other places.

She was able to move her arm, but she said it hurt real bad, and was shooting up into her shoulder, and was kind of numb. She is the type of kid that usually brushes off pain and keeps going, so after half an hour with an ice pack on it, and she said it hurt as bad as ever, I called her dr, who said to take her to the ER- turned out to be a good call- she does have a small buckle fracture of her left radius, near her wrist. The dr there said it is good that she is young, and her bones still kinda flexible, her arm kind of just bent like a young sapling tree instead of breaking all the way through. They put her in a splint and we are to follow up with the orthopedic dr later this week. She can move her wrist and arm fine, just has to be careful of it, they said normally with a break like this, they don't bother to cast it, but they do want to protect it, because if she were to fall on it again, it could easily break the rest of the way.

Patriot's Day Celebrations

2008-04-22T08:13:00.009-04:00

Here in Massachusetts Patriots Day is a big deal. We decided to join in, and Mark took the day off work- we got up at 3:30 am and got to Lexington by 5:00 am- it was packed! We will have to get there earlier next year! They have a big reenactment of the battle that started the Revolutionary War, on Lexington Green. What a sight it was (for those who could see!) Amy spent the time on Mark's shoulders, but there were som nay people, Mark and I could not really see much of the battle- We did let Amy use the video camera and film it, but we haven't watched it yet. We ended up staying out there the whole day, going to various activities, chatting with the soldiers, watching memorial ceremonies. It is so full of history, and the reenactment took place on the exact spot the actual battle took place 233 years ago! They also had a parade that we watched, and ended up not getting home till almose 5pm. Here are just a few pictures we took- Amy insisted on one with the Texas flag- she was born there, and seems to really take pride in that fact, even though she was only 18 months old when we left!

She got a new wooden musket at the gift shop, and spent a lot of time "shooting" the redcoats!

Amy Especially liked seeing Paul Revere when he arrived to Warn us that the Redcoats were coming! Of course that probably had a lot to do with the fact that she loves horses!

12 Week Checkup

2008-04-10T18:24:00.005-04:00

Went for our 12 week check up with the midwife on Tuesday- she tried to hear the heartbeat with the doppler, but couldn't get the baby to cooperate, though we could hear him or her kick the doppler! She decided to take a quick peek with the ultrasound, just for reassurance, so I got to see the little one again! It is amazing how the baby has changed in just a week and a half. At this appt, I was 12w4d by my dates (only 12 w by theirs) but the baby measured 13 weeks even! S/he is 2.75" long, and heartrate was 153. Wasn't as active as last time, but we got a profile view of him or her lounging with one arm tucked behind the head, the other up, with thumb ready to stick into his or her mouth! The other picture the baby is looking straight at you, head is on the right, arm is up by the head- you can see the mouth, nose and eyes!

This is for Papa!

2008-04-10T18:21:00.002-04:00

A picture of Amy and her "Bonsai Potato"

A Blanket for Daddy!

2008-04-10T18:13:00.003-04:00

OK, this was supposed to be Mark's 10th Anniversary present from me- I started an afghan for him in Dec of 06, thinking I could have it done by our anniversary in Jan 07 (What was I thinking?!?)

As a kid, Mark loved playing war games like Squad Leader and stuff, so this afghan consists of over 1,000 tiny hexagons, put together to resemble a game board from one of those games. Of course, we passed out 11th anniversary in January, and it is still not done- now I have promised him I will not make anything for the baby until his blanket is done! Talk about motivation- it is now 2/3 put together, and all of the hex's are finished! Amy is helping too, now that she is a compitant crocheter.

New Picture of the Baby!

2008-03-27T17:08:00.003-04:00

Went today for an ultrasound just to make sure everything is going ok- I had a little bleeding yesterday, so we wanted to take a quick peek!

Turns out everything is fine- the baby is measuring 4.3 cm now, and the heart rate was a strong 171! Boy was he/she moving around a lot- dancing all over the place, had all the arms and legs stretched out and was bending back and forth at the waist! It was hard to imagine that much movement, and I can't feel a thing yet!

Easter Pictures

2008-03-27T17:01:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple from Easter- we drove up to New Hampshire and visited with Mark's friend Eric- He still has tons of snow, and Amy and Mark had a blast sledding on Eric's huge hill- unfortunately I neglected to take any pictures of that!

Birthday Pictures!

2008-03-27T16:53:00.008-04:00

Sorry they took me so long to get up! You can't see them all in the pictures, but there were 14 girls there, 10 that stayed over!

It was great that Amy's Gramma sent her cake decorating stuff for her birthday- I can't seem to locate any of my supplies! I love moving!

Update

2008-03-20T12:57:00.003-04:00

OK, I promised pictures, but I haven't been feeling that great, and honestly just didn't feel like messing with it!

Still not feeling great, but seems to be getting better- I love morning sickness! When I was pregnant with Amy, I had only a light touch of it between weeks 8 and 10, then it went away- this time around it started before week 5, and is still sticking around, all day!

Mark took me shopping for maternity clothes, since I was down to 1 pair of "fat" jeans from like 20-30 pounds ago! I am so much more comfortable- I know it is not really the baby sticking out yet, but it is pushing everything else up and out- being very short waisted (I have less than a finger width between my hip bone and my ribs!) there is nowhere for it to go but out!

Went to my first official visit with the group of midwives, and it was great! I met 2 of them (out of 4) and they spent over an hour chatting, and did an exam. They said there is no reason for me not to plan for a VBAC, and they and the drs that back them up all discourage epidurals, and prefer not to induce. This really makes me happy, since I want to have a natural birth this time around!

Sleepover!

2008-03-08T09:48:00.003-05:00

Amy had her first sleepover last night, what an experience that was! Amy loved it of course, there were 13 girls including her, but 3 had to go home at bedtime, so 10 stayed over. It was pretty wild- they all stayed up late, had a good pillow fight, makeovers, and pretty much did what they want (within reason) I even discovered in the morning they had raided the fridge- but didn't touch the soda, but did drink every bottle of water I had! Go figure! I did come out and told them they had to be in bed by midnight, and they complied, though took awhile to get to sleep- a couple chose to go earlier, though. It was a learning experience for me, in that I learned that I probably don't want to ever have another one- at least not with that many girls!
I will post some pictures in a few days, as we are waiting for them to be picked up, and then we are headed to the airport for a funeral in Virginia.

Amy's Birthday!

2008-03-03T20:04:00.002-05:00

Amy woke up bright and early Sunday morning, and couldn't wait any longer to open all the presents sent by Gramma & Grampa & Uncle David- She loves to cook, and they sent her all kinds of grown up baking implements- even a nice cupcake decorating set, and a new apron, made by Gramma! It is covered with birds- and she loves it! She made cupcakes to take to her class this morning, and decorated them herself! All the kids loved them!

First Baby Picture!

2008-02-29T10:16:00.003-05:00

I went for my first ultrasound today! We got to see the baby, and the heart beating, good and strong! He/she measures by u/s at 6w3d, even though by my calculations I am 7w- they said it is not uncommon to be off a few days, because I might have ovulated a bit later than I thought, and also the u/s may not be in the exact right position, to see the whole length of the baby, and every baby is different. Anyway, here are the pictures, even though it is a bit fuzzy, the baby's bottom is near the point of the teardrop shape, with the head on the opposite end (of course!) The little blod kind of below the baby is the yolk sac. It was so amazing to see, and really made it "real"

Sunset Picture

2008-02-25T08:52:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share the beautiful picture God painted for us the other night! The sunset the other night was spectacular! The photo doesn't truely do it justice, but at least you can get an idea. It's the photo posted at the top of the page.

Amy picture

2008-02-18T18:29:00.002-05:00

This is Amy's favorite school uniform. She loves to pose for photos!

Exciting news!

2008-02-18T18:07:00.004-05:00

We're expecting! Amy is tremendously excited that she will finally get to be a big sister- Mark and I have been trying to have anohter baby for 8 years. I have been through numerous fertility treatments, due to PCOS, and had surgery a few years ago to unblock my tubes. We were on the verge of starting in vitro, my first appointment was next week. Last Monday, I started having symptoms but decided it was all in my head (been there, done that before!) Since they had not gone away, and AF was a week overdue, I picked up some tests at Target on Saturday while I was there, and did one as soon as I got home- Goodness was I shocked to see the positive line show up thick and dark right away! I repeated the test Sunday morning just to be sure, and got the same result- I hope to get a drs confirmation this week- but it is pretty hard to dispute the symptoms I have along with 2 positive tests!

Welcome!

2008-02-18T18:02:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my new blog- I hope to keep it updated and not too mundane.If you know someone who knows me, and wants to know how we are doing, please feel free to pass along the link!