Twenty-Five

It's just me and the girl today. Grandma had to go home to get some stuff done so she took the brothers with her. Daddy is gone to work. We've got a few projects to do...

1. Today is the 25th. It's picture day. I think I'll document the girl mostly.
2. I'm still working on getting "Eliza" finished. Today I will be painting.
3. I picked up The Holy Secret by James Farrell (The Peacegiver)... maybe I'll do a little reading.
4. I'll be doing a little online shopping... trying to find a blessing dress I can accept.
5. I will take naps. So will the girl.

I actually did the 25 thing last month. Here's what I did with it...

Enjoy the Journey!

Happy Tuesday!

We are home. We came home yesterday. We had really great nurses at the hospital this time, but it's still the hospital and it's good to be home. My mom is here helping and I actually got some sleep last night. It was wonderful! I really needed it. I was feeling swollen and bloated and just not good. I feel like a whole new person this morning.

Emma is a little piggy. I think I "fed" her for two days straight so when my milk came in Sunday night it came in full force. I am still trying to get rid of the engorgement and get the whole system regulated. Funny thing, now when she eats she falls asleep. I think she's exhausted from not sleeping those two days. She is just like the boys in that way... eating trumps everything else.

The boys love her. They just want to look at her. *A* is having a hard time staying away from my belly. He gets his feelings hurt every once in a while because he doesn't mean to hurt me.

So, as promised, here are some pictures. I am making a conscious effort to take a picture of her every day... possibly my new 365 project... but not making any promises on that front. Here are the first three days of her life:

What I know:

She has quite a bit of hair in the back. It looks strawberry blonde or light auburn. She came out crying big crocodile tears. In the hospital the only place she would sleep was on her daddy's chest. I love the little shirts they put on them at the hospital. I wanted to bring it home. Her middle name is Louise... after my Grandma Mick. She has huge long hands (fingers) and feet. Piano? Basketall? Volleyball? ... All of the above? I think she will be a thumb sucker and I'm okay with that. I think she's pretty special... for a girl!

Enjoy the Journey

Welcome Little...

Sister! Yes, apparently just because I am convinced it's a boy doesn't make it so. Go figure. Born at 7:21 a.m. she weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 19 1/2" long. She doesn't have a ton of hair, but there is hair and it looks like it's strawberry blonde or something similar. One of the nurses said she looks exactly like *A*... maybe we have another little imp.

[I have a picture but it won't upload right now... I'll try to get it up here asap]

Enjoy the Journey!

We're Having A Baby...

Tomorrow. Yes, that's right, tomorrow. I've decided to spare myself the possibly 2+ weeks of "what if's" and go ahead with the c-section even though the baby has turned. If my cervix was doing anything promising I would probably go the other direction. However, sparing all the details, circumstances and history being what they are... Why torture myself? I love that we'll have a baby by 7:30 a.m tomorrow!

Here are a couple of things I found today that I'm thinking about:

This is a shot from an album Ali did. I was wondering if I could make a collage type page like the one on the left and print it 5x7 or 4x6 or even just have it be in "the book". I like the interactive hand journaling. I also like the full page photo with just a lable on the right. I'm still working on trying to figure out what to do to document the boy's lives (and ours too of course!)

Leave it to elsie to come up with a really great to-do list. I love time wasters that are fulfilling too! Sometimes I think, "just stop thinking about it and do it." But then I remember that thinking about it is 90% of the fun!

I'll get you an update on the baby either when we get home or, if possible, in the hospital. Maybe we can pick up a wireless signal there. We'll have to see.

Enjoy the Journey!

Two Things...

I have been getting the biggest kick out of Little Man #2 lately. He does the funniest things. I need to get them down so I don't forget and they get lost in the wash. First off, we have finished with t-ball (which is an incredible waste of time and was really only enjoyable to *I* because of the treats and the trophy... he said the games were boring and he was so very right). After the last game we went out to celebrate at Ernesto's. As we were enjoying our chips and the best salsa in the world *A* reaches across the table and picks up the pepper. He very carefully placed a chip on his napkin and proceeded to shake a single speck of pepper onto the chip. Then he tasted it, shrugged his shoulders, and picked up another chip. This chip received quite a bit more pepper. He ate it. Next chip... buried in pepper. Before he could eat it *I* informed him that pepper is hot. He picked up the chip, patted the back side to spill off some of the pepper and then ate it. I enjoyed observing this totally random behavior and I wished I had my camera. The second happened yesterday. *I* was playing a soccer-type catch game with a little boy at the rec center. *A* was keeping score. It went something like this: "Four-finity! Eight-finity! Zero-finity! Microwave-finity! Garbage-finity! etc. " Nice counting big man! Enjoy the Journey! Oh yes, one more thing. FYI: we are currently facing at the possibility of another c-section. Is there something anatomically wrong with my body that my children feel the need to keep their heads in my ribs? Are they like their daddy and get sick so they have to be head up? Or are they just so stinking huge that it's more comfortable to lay across this way than be squashed up the other? I can't imagine that having their head bonking into my ribs is any more comfortable for them than it is for me...

New Quote and Randomness

Yes, and it's about time. I was reading Ali's newest newsletter and I loved this quote she used. "I will not die an unlived life." Similar to my no regrets attitude I had in college when I went on a three day hike with people I didn't know at all. Or when I climbed the climbing wall set up in the middle of campus just to prove I could because it scared me to death by humiliation. Or when I told this guy I liked him just so he would know because I'm not good at sharing myself... plenty of other examples. None of them earth shattering. Mostly just small, everyday stuff that isn't a big deal at all but seemed huge at the time. What happened to that? Until last week I had this sticky-note stuck to the window of my cupboards that said "nurture happiness". It was no regrets evolved. Regrets now involve my guys. I want them to grow up happy. To try new things. To explore life and everything it has to offer. I try to do this, really I do, but I'm not great at it. Right now I'm stuck in the "if only's". If only he would clean up all of the paper scraps he leaves lying around when he cuts out the entire ocean of sea creatures. If only he would ask instead of sneaking into my stuff like a little thief. It makes me want to scream. Sometimes I do. Then I feel bad and think I'm the worst mom in the world. I threw that sticky-note away because it kept falling on the floor. It had been there for a year at least. I think I need to make another one and keep trying. Get rid of the "if only's" and nurture happiness. Mine and theirs. Enjoy the Journey!

Baby Pictures

Erin took me out tonight and took some pictures of the baby. I've been playing with photoshop a little. Do you think I messed with them too much? I'm also wondering... should I re-do them with darker pants. If that's an option, of course.

I saw photos similar to these that Elsie had done on her blog a while back so I tagged them with the intent to duplicate them when the time came. Really, I love the fence.

Enjoy the Journey!