Trials of a New Mama

Please Help!

2011-12-11T21:19:00.002-05:00

Donors Choose is a nonprofit organization that helps public high school teachers get supplies for their classrooms. I've gotten books, dictionaries, a bulletin board, a classroom library, bookcases, and supplies like paper and highlighters. With the budget what it is, the only way I can get materials is to buy them myself or rely on the generousity of donors.

Here is the link: donorschoose.org/smarquart

Until the end of the day tomorrow, all donations will be matched if donors use the promo code SPARK at check out.

All donations are tax deductible.

If you choose to donate, my students and I thank you.

Allison Jean

2011-12-08T19:28:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you're all dying to know Allison's birth story. It's like the complete opposite of Owen's 21.5 hours of agonizing pain with little relief. Like Owen, Allison was due on the 5th. And like Owen, Allison didn't arrive until 9 days later. This time the doctor scheduled me for induction, but we didn't need it; she decided to come that day anyway. We checked into the maternity ward around 9am. It took awhile to do the paper work and get hooked up to the machines. I think that was all settled around 10:30. Then we kicked back and relaxed until it was time for the glorious epidural. That was probably the most painful part of the whole day.

The doctor came in for one final check around 3pm. She had tickets to see Harry Potter that evening was checking my progress to see if she was going to make the movie or not. She made the movie. Allison was born at 3:11. That little darling just slid right out. The whole "after delivery" was different too. (I didn't get to see Owen after he was born. The nurses whisked him away.) Allison was plopped right on my chest. I was the first to hold her. The first thing I noticed was her mouth - same as her brother's. The second thing that I noticed was all that thick, dark hair! If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have believed she was mine. Owen hardly had any hair before his first birthday. She weighed 8lbs at birth and weighs more than 15lbs now, almost 5 months later.

She finally rolled over on my birthday. We have been practicing for months, but she just wasn't catching on. Now she can roll over, she reaches for things, and she eats rice cereal. She can sit up in the high chair or on the floor if she is propped up with pillows. She can't run away from Owen yet, but that's coming any day now. This poor girl gets squeezed and kissed whether she likes it or not. Owen is a very "hands-on" big brother. This boy is going to love her to death. I think that will be the next post.

1 + 1 = 2

2011-12-07T19:06:00.002-05:00

Precious, right?

I really don't think they could be any cuter.

Allison's first taste of rice cereal (against doctor's orders)

The kid LOVES it!

You better watch out for Super Owen!

I'll actually write a post one of these days. In the meantime, just enjoy the priceless photos of my two little darlings. They're angels, most of the time.

Trials of a Newly Seasoned Mama

2011-12-06T19:29:00.002-05:00

We have Internet, people! And a phone! It's only taken two years, but it has finally happened. Now that I'm a mama-of-two, finding time to post will be a juggling act. I'm up to the challenge.

August Photos (in no particular order)

2010-08-21T13:35:00.010-04:00

Tank chillin' in the back yard
Phoebe stopping to pose for a photo

Sticky peach juice face

(Don't you wish you had those lashes?)

Bone Crusher on the prowl

Owen picked this peach off the ground and chowed down before anyone could stop him. I'm so glad that we have a peach tree. Owen obviously loves 'em.

Mmm...sticky peach juice

Owen practicing using a spoon to eat yogurt

(He still needs some practice.)

This little criminal got into the cereal cupboard and ran away with the Cookie Crisp.

He hid on the stairs to eat it. Good thing I got photographic evidence for the

Cookie Crisp Cops.

Another juicy peach picture

Owen and Mommy playing outside

Mommy husking corn at camp

(She does all the work.)

Owen being silly

Cool Dude in the swimming pool

Owen in the diningroom

Owen and his tractor

Owen washing his tractor

Owen playing with the hose

Owen helping his daddy wash the rims

2010-08-21T13:05:00.003-04:00

Hmmm...so back in April, I had the very best intentions. I really was going to make weekly stops at the library to update my blog. I mean it. Enough with the apologies...how about an update?

We have had an exciting summer and have added to our family. In addition to the smartest little 15 month old alive and Tank, our playful lab mix, we have two kittens - Phoebe and Bone Crusher. Their purpose is to control the chipmuck and squirrel population on our property. So far, they've spent a lot of time stalking morning doves, climbing the apple trees, and trying to get into the house. I haven't seen any dead chipmunks. I did, however, see a dead bat. In the diningroom. With a bullet in its brain. Very long story short...a bat lived in our house for about 16 hours before Joel hunted it and shot it. Now there is a bullet hole in the diningroom ceiling, and I spent one evening cleaning bat blood off of the hardwood floor. My hero.

We're still working on the house. Except for some paint, the upstairs is done. The kitchen is being worked on as I type this, and the new countertop should arrive from Lowe's at the end of September. There is still the downstairs bathroom to deal with. I stay out of there as much as possible. The other big job is painting the outside of the house. We have all of these great new windows, but we need to paint around the outside of them. Anyone have a 40-foot ladder that Joel can borrow?

And my darling son...I don't even know where to start. It's been so long since I've been able to update about him. Right now, his obsessions are tractors and lights. He adores riding the tractor around the yard with his "Daaa" and climbing on the tractor when his "Daaa" lets him. Owen can even put the key in the ignition all by himself. And lights. Oh, lights. He flips the diningroom light switch 'til the cows come home. I'm pretty impressed that he can say "light." He can't get the "T" sound at the end, but even strangers can tell that he's saying "light." Owen can imitate a whole ark full of animals: cow, horse, sheep, duck, goose, frog, bear, monkey, lion, bee, dog, cat, fish (yes, fish), bird, and turkey. He knows most of his body parts: hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, hands, fingers, shoulders, belly, knees, toes, and feet. We're working on elbow and bottom now. Most of the time he can say "yellow" and "purple" without too much coaching. Last weekend "Daaa" taught Owen to blow a whistle. That lasted about 10 minutes before the whistle "disappeared."

And pictures are coming. I'm uploading them now. It's just taking awhile. I think it will be quicker to put them in another post. :)

2010-04-29T15:49:00.004-04:00

You're never going to believe this...

There's a location that EVERYONE can go to, and this organization lets you use the Internet for FREE. They even let you check out books and rent movies for FREE.

I *heart* libraries.

I will be back...with my USB drive so that I can upload photos of Mr. Handsome.

9 Months

2010-02-21T18:54:00.003-05:00

I STILL can't upload photos! Grr.

I CAN tell you about Owen's 9 month Well Baby Check up. He weighs 22 lbs, 11 oz and is 29 inches tall. He's in the 75th percentile for weight, height, and head size. That means that he's well proportioned and is growing just right.

And this post is going to be short because Owen just spit up on the floor. I guess that means that it's bath time.

Owen's Faves

2010-02-16T18:49:00.003-05:00

Owen's Favorite Things to do for FUN:

1. Drink bath water
2. Climb the stairs
3. Use Lennie, our poor blind cat, as a drum
4. Chew on the coffee table
5. Make airplane noises (He doesn't know what a cat or dog says, but he knows what an airplane says)
6. Find rogue Cheerios and freak his mother out by eating them
7. Suck on the knob on his mother's dresser (probably the weirdest thing on this list)
8. Chase the vacuum cleaner
9. Make Indian noises using the back of his hand (I know, "Native American" noises)
10. Wave "bye bye" to every old lady in the grocery store
11. Wear the salad spinner as a hat
12. Unfold ALL of the freshly folded laundry before his mother catches him
13. Throw coasters across the coffee table
14. Clap and cheer (especially when he pulls himself up the standing)
15. Feed himself (we have quite a lil Mr. Independent at meal times)

Uninvited Guest

2010-02-15T12:28:00.006-05:00

It's about 1AM on Wednesday morning, and I awake to a strange noise. It's not coming from the baby monitor (which Joel insists that we don't need anymore, but I respectfully disagree), so I go back to sleep. I hear the same noise again and assume that it's the suction cup thingies in the shower. Okay, so this goes on four or five more times. Joel FINALLY wakes up. I tell him it's just the stupid suction cup thingies falling down in the shower and that he should just go back to sleep.

Joel gets up to investigate. I roll over. (Apparently Joel has never seen a scary movie. If you want to live, you NEVER investigate strange noises in the middle of the night. I'm a survivor, so I stay under the covers.)

Joels comes in the bedroom and gets a gun out of the closet.

Now I'm awake.

Joel has been shooting crows out of the bathroom window and he was NOT going to do it at 1AM. I was going to put a stop to that. I get up and make my way to the hallway where Joel is standing at the top of the stairs. He shushes me, so I go check on Owen who is sound asleep ON HIS STOMACH! I forget about the strange noises that evidently are not the bathroom suction cup thingies and have a freak out and remember all of those warnings I've been told about SIDS. While Joel stands at the top of the stairs and cocks the gun to scare the monster who has invaded our home, I roll Owen back over to his back where he belongs.

Joel asks me to turn on the light in the livingroom. (We have remote controlled lights, so I was able to do that from our bedroom.) After the light comes on, we still hear noises downstairs. I go back to Owen's room to make sure he's still sleeping on his back. When I look out into the hallway, Joel is gone.

I hear a yell and a little crash. Then I hear, "Sweetheart, it's a baby squirrel."

We were able to corner it in the diningroom, which has the fewest places to hide. Joel chased it into a box, but it jumped out. (Duh, it's a squirrel.) I tried to throw a towel over it. My plan was to catch it in a towel and let it go outside. Joel's plan was to bludgeon it with whatever object he could find. Finally, it ran under the pack-n-play. I went into the kitchen to pick up all of the things it had knocked over. Joel turned his back for a moment. When we moved the pack-n-play, little Houdini was gone!

We searched and searched and searched and searched. We even brought Lennie (our blind cat) up out of the basement, assuring ourselves that Lennie is a good hunter. After extreme exhaustion set in, we comforted ourselves by agreeing that Houdini must have let himself out the same way he came in.

So we went to bed.

The next morning...no sign of Houdini. I took Owen to daycare and went about my day as usual. Joel stayed home to look for Houdini, patch up his entrance, and shoot any of Houdini's squirrel friends that may be hanging out in the backyard. Joel eventually found Houdini hiding in a corner in the livingroom. Joel "took care of him" and I haven't seen Houdini since. I did, however, see four of his friends in the backyard this morning.

Stupid Signal

2010-02-11T17:41:00.003-05:00

Well, my dears, I don't know about Verizon's new intelligence. I mean, it does allow me to check my email, blog, and pay bills online. The bad news is that we have such a poor signal out here in the middle o' nowhere, that I can't upload photos. What's the point in having a super cute baby if I can't show him off on my blog?

Mr. Handsome is eating macaroni wheels for the first time...and loving them. I'm glad we've found something he likes almost as much as he likes Cheerios. I can't even count all of the places we've found Cheerios. Last night Owen found a crusty, dirty one under the recliner. I grabbed it out of his hand just before it went into his mouth. My favorite is finding Cheerios in his diaper. I have no idea how they get there, but it sure does make me laugh.

Owen is cruising around the house now. He's a master crawler and has been for about 3 weeks now. One of his favorite activities is crawling to the coffee table, pulling himself to standing, and chewing on the side of the table. Awesome. Owen also enjoys chewing on his crib, his saucer, the end table, and his dresser. He has three teeth on the bottom and one eye tooth on the top. He looks a little odd, but don't tell him that. When he's not eating Cheerios, he chows down on french toast, jelly sandwiches, hash browns, carrots, apple chunks, macaroni & cheese (my favorite thing to dig out of the carpet), ham, chicken, and meatloaf (he can't get enough of it).

Boy, I really wish I could upload a photo or two for you.

Check back soon...I'll be blogging about Wednesday morning's uninvited guest to the Marquart Homestead.

Signing ON!

2010-02-07T14:59:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Verizon's new intelligent mobile hotspot, we have Internet access! It's not the quickest or the cheapest, but I am no longer going through Internet Withdrawal. I'm getting my fix. :) I'll post updates and photos soon.

Signing Off

2009-12-05T07:29:00.003-05:00

Well, folks, it's moving day. We're moving to the country with NO internet access. It may be awhile before I post or check my email again...

Naughty List

2009-12-02T20:43:00.003-05:00

Santa has a Naughty List and so do I! These are the people who will NOT be receiving gifts from me this Christmas:

1. The woman driving the mini van who did NOT wave at me when I let her pull out in front of me by the Red Brick Inn
2. Clix (the daycare photographer) who will be sending me a replacement CD "as soon as possible"
3. NYSEG who won't turn on the electricity in our new home until Friday, December 11
4. The nasty Verizon representative who did not answer my questions about their Internet service
5. Direct TV whose "system was down" when I called
6. Vinny G. from Lowe's who showed me where the closet rods were, but did not remind me to buy something to hook the rods to the wall with

More coming soon...

Thanks.

2009-12-01T19:59:00.003-05:00

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has offered to help us move. If you haven't volunteered and are worried about missing out on all the fun, don't fret! There's still time, and there is always room for one more. See you Saturday!

5 Months

2009-11-30T20:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, so Owen is actually 6.5 months old, but we FINALLY got his 5-month photos from Clix. I do NOT recommend them. First, it took six weeks to get the photos. Second, I didn't even get th pose that I ordered. I've been trying to call the company, but no one answers the phone. I can't even leave a message. So my way of fighting back is telling everyone...Don't give Clix your business.

Enough complaining about the photos, I guess. This video, although sideways, is awfully cute. It was shot today.

House Update

2009-11-30T20:07:00.004-05:00

Master Bedroom Closet

Master Bedroom

Living Room

(one word or two?)

84 Lumber Delivering the Supplies

Fireplace in the Livingroom
(one word?)

Reading Room

Owen's Room

"Daddy! When is this house going to be finished?"

Master Bedroom

Yep, it's PURPLE! Love it!

They call me Mello Yellow

2009-11-09T17:51:00.003-05:00

Owen plays hard while we work hard on the house! He likes to look in the mirror of his Baby Einstein saucer, play the music, make the duck quack, and chew on anything that will reach into his mouth.
This is the master bedroom. The insulation is almost finished, and the contractors come on Friday to put up the drywall.

This is where the BEST range in the WORLD will be going. Lowe's messed up the delivery. (It's a long, long story. The managers and people in appliances know me by name now.) Our delivery is now scheduled for Wednesday. See that pipe above the garbage can? See that BIG HOLE in the pipe above the garbage can? That sends the heat from the basement to the upstairs bathroom. Good thing my mother-in-law put a hole in the wall so this situation could be brought to our attention. If she hadn't, we'd be heating the wall and not the bathroom.

Here's Joel putting the second coat on the dining room. The green spot on the wall is where I tested the color for the living room - GUACAMOLE!

I don't know what Joel is pointing at, but isn't Owen just the cutest?!

Two Teeth!

2009-11-08T18:38:00.004-05:00

Happy boy before church! Showing off his two bottom teeth!
Here's a close up of those pearly whites.

He just kept giggling and giggling. He loves his Mama.

This one reminds me of Boots from Shrek2. How can anyone say "no" to those big blue eyes?

"What are you lookin' at? Can't a guy get a little privacy around here?"

What's New?

2009-11-07T17:10:00.004-05:00

Here's an update in a New York minute...

1. Owen has TWO teeth. Mom found the first one, so she's buying him a new pair of shoes. Apparently, that's how it works. The person to find a baby's first tooth buys the baby shoes. Weird, right?
2. Owen HATES peaches and bananas. I gave him peaches four nights in a row, and he just isn't in to them. I tried banana one night, and he kept spitting it out.
3. Owen is not a fan of Kraft Mac & Cheese. We tried that for the first time last night.
4. Owen's favorites are the greens...peas and green beans.
5. The O-Man can pretty much sit up by himself now...except on the changing table, of course.
6. I ordered a Maggie Moo diaper bag Thursday night. It should be here in about 6 weeks.
7. I went to a Tastefully Simple party and now I'm hooked!
8. I still have not written one thing in Owen's baby book. Shame, shame, shame...
9. I went to bed at 8:15 last night.
10. I spent about 7 hours painting the dining room today. It's still not done. Painting is hard work.
11. I entered a Biggest Loser contest at work and have lost 10 pounds in less than one month. I have 15 more to go...
12. Yesterday I wore my normal jeans for the first time since getting preggers last year. Hooray for climbing on and off the ladder. It's a great workout for the buns.
13. Joel has been shooting way too many geese. I'll eat goose nuggets, but I'm not really a fan.
14. Owen outgrew the infant car seat. Last weekend we put him in the big boy convertible car seat. It's such a pain. Our little 5 1/2 month old is wearing size 9 months. He ways a little over 19 pounds.
15. The BEST range in the WORLD will be delivered to our house on Monday. "Why is it the BEST range in the WORLD?" you ask. Well, that's because I bought it on CLEARANCE at Lowe's. It has two 6 in burners, one burner that can be 6 or 9 inches, one burner that can be 9 or 12 inches (YEAH!), and a warming zone. The oven is convection. For those of you who may not be aware, that means that Joel can bake three trays of cookies at the same time and have them all come out perfectly. It's beautiful. But until the kitchen is updated, the range will be living in the corner of the freshly painted dining room.
16. I just read an article that says a woman's hair and nails grow faster when she's happy. :)

Demo 2

2009-10-26T19:18:00.006-04:00

More remodeling photos...

The play room...I think it's going to be a silvery purple color

Another shot of the play room

View of the master bedroom from the reading room

Upstairs bathroom

There's a bathtub under all that mess.
We're doing a neutral nautical theme...blues, white, and khaki

The ceiling of the reading room

Owen's little closet

Owen's BIG closet...We're making it the same size as the closet

in the master bedroom

Owen's room (and the reading room and part of the master bedroom)

I may be over ambitious, but I'd like his room to be tan with white, blue, and green stripes. Ever painted stripes before?

Guest bedroom...not much going on in here

It's going to be the same silvery purple color as the play room.

Orange kitchen
The walls will be "tea room yellow" and the trim will be "cowboy boot."

The countertop that we like is called "desert passage." Nice, huh?

Demo 1

2009-10-22T19:13:00.002-04:00

Check these out...

Upstairs Bathroom

Play Room

Owen's Room

Master Bedroom

After Church Photo Session

2009-10-18T17:28:00.003-04:00

Ladies' Man

2009-10-18T17:09:00.006-04:00

Owen got the proofs back from his school pictures. This one is probably my favorite. The gals at daycare said Owen was the best smiling baby in his class. How cute is he with that pumpkin!

I neglected to post Owen's new food of the week - green beans! And let me tell you, this kid is a green bean monster! Last night, every time I gave him a bite of rice cereal, he put his tongue in the way and screamed at me. When I gave him a bite of green beans, he was my BFF and opened his cute lil mouth nice and wide. Since he gobbled up all the green beans, he's going to have squash tonight.

So when I picked Owen up from daycare on Friday, of course he didn't have socks on. (If you've read my previous posts, you know that he's the weird sock sucker.) I asked his teacher if his socks were in his cubby and she told me that she had to take Owen's socks off because one of the little girls in his class was after them. Apparently, Aubrey (which was going to be O's name if he had been a girl) has a little crush on Owen and needed to find a way to get his attention. What better way than showing that she has just as weird a sock fetish as he does? She took his socks off and sucked on them. What goofy babies!

A Virtual Kiss

2009-10-15T20:02:00.004-04:00

Welcome Home

2009-10-14T19:54:00.005-04:00

We FINALLY closed on the house! Here's a view of the backyard and one pic of the front of the house. There are three apple trees behind the "garage," a creek, a few black walnut trees, and a GIANT oak tree. We also have a circle driveway, and the house has over 30 windows. My favorite room in the house is the enclosed sun porch on the second floor, which I have decided to make my "reading room." Joel thinks the sun porch is going to be his huntin' room, but he's wrong.

ma ma ma ma ma

2009-10-08T15:57:00.003-04:00

Owen Rolls Over

2009-10-07T21:04:00.003-04:00

He's the Weird Kid.

2009-10-07T16:38:00.006-04:00

Look at the head control!

After Owen's teacher told me that he didn't have a bowel movement yet today and that I should expect a big one at home tonight (for Joel, of course), she told me that my kid is the weird one in his daycare class. Now, she didn't use those words, but I know what she was thinking. Owen is going to be the kid everyone whispers about behind is back, and I'm going to be the mom they stare at when I go to the grocery store. I mentioned Owen's sock fetish in my previous post. Well, it gets worse. Not only does he take his own socks off to suck on, he has started stealing other kids' socks so that he can put them in his mouth. Yep, that's my kid. He's a sock sucker. We're getting counseling for him immediately.

But I thought it was just drool...

2009-10-06T21:10:00.005-04:00

As you can tell from the pictures below, CARROTS are not as exciting as PEARS. What we don't have a picture of is the orange spit up that followed.

Owen and I were chillin' in the recliner, and he thought it would be a good idea to lean forward to suck on my knee. (He's definitely a little strange when it comes to putting things in his mouth. He likes to take his socks off and then suck on them like some kind of weirdo.) I pulled him back up and we cuddled for awhile. Then he leaned forward to suck on my knee again (which reminds me of Lt. Jimmy Cross and Martha in The Things They Carried). I pulled him back up to me because he was drooling on my knee. Boy, was I wrong! It was practically all of the carrots that I fed him (half a package) on my knee, leg, foot, floor, chair, and pillow. It was warm and slimy and DISGUSTING. I just love being a mom.

You can't tell from the picture, but this is a sick kid. He has had a stuffy nose since Friday. We propped up his mattress with a pillow, but that's about all I can do. I am not going to use that blue booger-sucking ball that everyone tells me to use. I can't do it. I tried, but I jabbed him in every place except his stuffy nostril. That invention is impossible to use without some special blue booger-sucking ball degree from Baby Expert School. I'm just going to teach Owen to blow his nose and hope that he never gets sick again.

He's definitely a "Chick Magnet," right? And you'll notice that he's not wearing socks in any of these pictures because they don't stay on long enough for me to take a picture.

Cereal and Pears

2009-09-30T18:27:00.003-04:00

Owen tried pears for the first time last night. He definitely didn't like them, so I gave up and gave him a bottle. I think he was a little tired. Just look at his eyes.

We tried pears again tonight, and this kid couldn't get enough! He had seconds of rice cereal and FOURTHS of the pears. He ate the entire container, so now I have to make an emergency trip to Wegman's tomorrow to get more.

Stay tuned to find out which new food Owen tries next Tuesday...

Owen's First Bites

2009-09-21T19:42:00.007-04:00

Owen saw Dr. Berg today and she gave us the green light for rice cereal. You'll see pictures of Owen's first bites below.

Dr. Berg said that she's really pleased with the way Owen is growing. He weighs 17 pounds, 15.5 ounces and his height is 25.75 inches. I forget his head size, but he is in the 75th percentile for all three measurements. Owen hardly cried at all when he got his shots. He's such a big, strong boy. He even got silver band-aids to wear home.

I only had a list of 12 questions for the doc this time, and she answered all of them very thoroughly and politely, just like always. She told us to buy whatever baby food we have coupons for, so we started with Beach Nut rice cereal. From the photos, you can see that Owen likes it. It was hard to keep his fingers out of his mouth, which is why the cereal was smeared everywhere. In the second photo you can see some of the cereal in the lashes of his left eye. The good news is that Joel and I were smart enough to feed Owen right before bath time.

I know this photo looks out of place, but I can't figure out how to delete it from this post. It doesn't really matter, though. Look how cute he is! And check out the head control!

Owen LOVES the Yankees!

2009-09-12T19:28:00.004-04:00

Owen LOVES watching the Yankees. I cannot get this kid to look away from the TV when they're playing.

2009-09-12T07:14:00.002-04:00

At what age does a kid understand that it's SATURDAY?!

Joel's Salmon Photos

2009-09-11T19:51:00.003-04:00

Joel caught THREE salmon!

Salmon #1

Salmon #2

Salmon #3

Gillian played CSI and examined the fish. Joel showed her the teeth on the salmon's tongue. Did you know that a salmon has teeth on its tongue?!

2 days down...

2009-09-08T16:49:00.005-04:00

...178 to go...

Now that school has started, I have, like, ZERO time for fun things like blogging. I did take a few minutes to upload some of my favorite photos from this weekend. Joel's salmon photos are coming soon. I promise.

Family Portrait

Aw.

Mmmm...Owen likes Pepsi.

Look at that kid's cheeks!

Warm and Cuddly :)

Tino and Otto played too hard and decided to take a nap.

Everyone took a break from Ladder Golf to enjoy the outdoor fish fry.

Gillian and Otto are best friends!

So Sorry

2009-09-07T20:41:00.003-04:00

Dearest Great Aunt Avor,

I'm so sorry that I spit up on you almost every time you hold me. I get extra excited because I love you so much, and I just can't control myself. Please forgive me. You know you can't stay mad at me forever. Remember the fun snuggle time we had after my bath? You thought I was asleep, but I know you were kissing every inch of my adorable little face.

Love,

Owen Edward

Splish Splash!

2009-09-03T17:05:00.003-04:00

Owen loves his bath time!

The FUNNIEST Thing I've ever seen

2009-09-01T21:23:00.009-04:00

Big Boy!

2009-08-31T20:47:00.000-04:00

Oh, to be this flexible again...

Today was my last day with Owen before school starts. We started our morning with 8 ounces of formula! (He's a little piggy.) Then we watched part of the Today Show and snuggled on the couch until we both fell asleep. (That's my favorite.) Around 11:30 we finally decided to get dressed and go to Wegman's. We finished off the can of formula, so our trip to Wegman's was a minor emergency. Apparently a can of Wegman's Brand formula only lasts one week. We definitely have to make note of that. Owen loves grocery shopping and even holds the coupons for me. He always gets a lot of attention, especially when he's doing is baby Pterodactyl impression. (And yes I did spell "Pterodactyl" without using spellcheck.)

Owen made today extra memorable by rolling over from his stomach to his back for the first time! We celebrated by calling Daddy at work and then eating a yummy bowl of cake batter ice cream, of course.

2009-08-30T19:08:00.002-04:00

I have a wrinkle. It's right between my eyes. I'm only 29.

What a week!

2009-08-25T19:20:00.004-04:00

Our Mr. Handsome has had an exciting week. On Wednesday, Owen and I spent about an hour at Geneva Lakefront Childcare Center, where Owen will be spending his Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the school year. We met his teachers and the other children and played in the baby room for awhile. The ratio is 4:1 and Owen will get to keep the same schedule we have at home. (Okay, so he really doen't have a nap schedule, but he sure does have an eating schedule. Nobody messes with Owen when it's feeding time.)

Friday morning Owen made an emergency trip to the pediatrician's office. Dr. Berg, Owen's primary pediatrician, was unavailable so we saw Dr. Eddington. Owen had a strange, painful blistery-looking abrasion on his boy parts. Dr. Eddington checked it out and said that it's not unusual for a boy's body to try to protect itself after a circumcision. That's what was happening - the skin was trying to grow over the circumcision. Dr. Eddington showed me how to clean it and apply vaseline to it until it has time to heal.

Saturday was another exciting day for our Little Man. He rolled over all by himself! He's been doing a good job of getting up on his side, but he never got all the way over from his back to his tummy before Saturday. Once he was over he really didn't know what to do. He was probably a little freaked out because I was cheering and yelling for Joel. We're so proud of Owen.

Owen has discovered his feet and reaches for them all the time. He can't quite get his toes in his mouth yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon. The boy puts everything in his mouth. He tried to eat my elbow this morning while I was dressing him. This afternoon I saw him put his had on his forehead and try to lick his arm. When we're having tummy time, he's more interested in licking the blanket that he's on than he is in playing. What's wrong with him?

I Love these Parts!

2009-08-20T16:32:00.002-04:00

Our Little Rip Van Winkle

2009-08-15T19:23:00.006-04:00

This is one of Owen's new summer outfits. We had to go on a little shopping outing to the outlet mall last week to buy this lil guy clothes that actually fit him. Anything from Carter's has to be size 6 months or it's too short for him, and his 3-6 month pajamas are getting too snug in the legs and feet. He's like a baby Sasquatch. His feet (and cheeks) are huge.

This is what happens when the world's most adorable breast-fed 3 month old sleeps through the night for the first time...

His new mama puts him to bed around 7:30 because he hates to stay up any later. Mr. Handsome likes his beauty rest. The new mama gets Mr. Handsome up for a 9pm dream feeding. (Dream feeding is feeding a baby while he's still asleep. Owen doesn't open his eyes, even when I burp him and change his diaper after a dream feeding.) The new mama puts the baby back in his crib and turns on the baby monitor and the fan, which helps to prevent SIDS.

The new mama eventually goes to bed herself but wakes up at 1:30 and doesn't hear anything through the baby monitor except the "whir" of the fan. "Not too unusual," thinks the new mama. "Sometimes my baby doesn't wake up until his 3am feeding," and the Sand Man takes her back to dream land. At 3:00 the new mama again awakes to nothing but the "whir" of the fan. "Hmm," she thinks, "should I go check on my little man?" Before she could answer herself, she hears a little grunt or two. "Oh, he's hungry," she thinks. The baby monitor grows silent, except for the fan, of course. The baby falls back to sleep and so does the new mama.

At 3:30 the new mama wakes again and asks her manly husband what to do. "Should I wake him up and feed him?" she asks. She doesn't get a very friendly response from her sleepy husband, so she stays glued to the monitor, listening for movement.

The next thing the new mama knows, it is 4:30. "Did you feed him?" asks the sleepy, manly husband.

"No, do you think I should wake him up and feed him? I don't know what to do. Do you think he's hungry? If he's hungry, he'll wake up, right? I just don't want him to starve or to wake up screaming because he's so hungry. Do you think he's hungry? Maybe I'll just do an experiment and see what happens."

You can imagine the husbands response at 4:30.

Then comes 5:00 and still, Little Rip Van Winkle sleeps. Ah, but at 5:30, things change. There is movement and the new mama hears grunting and wiggling through the baby monitor. "At last, my baby wakes and I can empty my aching breasts!" She dashes from the bedroom and gracefully bounds into Rip's room. She expertly places the pacifier in his mouth and goes to the bathroom to wash her hands. The baby books say that a mother should always wash her hands before feeding her baby, and this mother ALWAYS does what the books say to do.

WHAT? By the time the new mama finishes disinfecting her hands, Rip has fallen back to sleep! "Now what?" asks the new mama. She decides the crawl back into her bed and let the experiment play out.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Rip finally wakes up at 6:30, like he does on most mornings, and he smiles and dances for his daddy while he gets his diaper changed. Then life goes on as it normally does in the Rip Van Winkle household.

The End.

Happy Three Months!

2009-08-14T14:00:00.003-04:00

Owen smiles ALL the time, but I cannot get this boy to smile for the camera!

Oh my!

2009-08-12T17:52:00.001-04:00

How does a baby get poo in his belly button and between his toes? Somebody explain this to me, would ya?

Trash or Treasure?

2009-08-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

We got some MAJOR garage sale deals on Saturday! Owen's favorite prize is a $3 Bumbo Chair! That's right, folks...$3! It was marked $5, but Owen's thrifty grandpa got it for less. All it needed was a little Lysol and Owen was ready to practice sitting up. We also got a chair that glides and swivels for only $15. I talked the lady down in price. She was asking $20. I also talked a man into selling me two cast iron skillets for only $1 each! Can you believe it? Owen got some clothes, and Joel got three wooden ducks and a picture for our new bathroom. It was a super fun adventure.

Fun Time Videos

2009-07-30T16:01:00.009-04:00

Owen had an absolutely fabulous time playing with Crazy Granny (aka Grandma Kim, aka Gramsie) and dancing on the changing table. This boy can really move. :)

Houghton College

2009-07-29T18:13:00.002-04:00

http://www.houghton.edu/news/articles/20090728.asp

How does drinking Evian make you feel?

2009-07-29T14:13:00.003-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PHnRIn74Ag&feature=channel

Stop.

2009-07-23T18:40:00.006-04:00

Things to STOP saying...

1. He's SO big! (Owen is supposed to be getting bigger every day. He's growing. Yes, maybe he is in the 90th percentile for his weight and 75th percentile for his length and head size, but that's okay. He's still healthy and within the range of "normal." His size is just going to make marching with a tuba even easier.)

2. Do you like being a mom? (Okay, this one ticks me off. I ADORE being Owen's mom, but if I didn't, do you think I'd tell you?)

3. Is he a good baby? (Does anyone really say, "I have a 'bad' baby"? And my baby is absolutely perfect, by the way. My God doesn't make mistakes.)

4. When are you going to have another one? (Oh, you think you're funny, don't you? FYI - Babies are EXPENSIVE.)

5. Are you breastfeeding? (Is it any of your business what I do with my breasts?)

6. Does he sleep through the night? (This question doesn't bother me, but I just don't get it. Does it matter to you if he sleeps through the night? It doesn't bother me too much. I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him...even at 4am.)

7. Do you miss him when you go to work? (Duh!)

8. Who does he look like? (He looks like OWEN! C'mon, people!)

9. IE (As in...diapie, burpie, toesies, poopie)

Happy 10 Weeks

2009-07-23T13:13:00.005-04:00

Owen is 10 weeks old today! He's such a big boy! He's getting SO much better at putting his hands together. He even gets his fists up to his mouth sometimes so he can suck on his little fingers.

Owen has taught me a few lessons in these past 10 weeks...

1. Burping a baby harder will not make him burp sooner.

2. Rocking a baby faster will not make him fall asleep sooner.

3. Singing to a baby louder will not make him stop crying sooner.

4. Feeding a baby more at one time will not make him stay fuller longer. (It will actually make him throw up.)

I've also learned that if you have a normal conversation with your 10-week old at the grocery store, people will give you funny looks. I, however, don't care what other people think. I didn't know if we had cucumbers at home, and Owen was the only one there who might be able to tell me, so I asked him. Owen also decided that we needed Klondikes and that corn on the cob would be the perfect side for the chicken we are going to have for dinner tonight. Others may not be able to understand his baby babble, but his mama can. So to all you people at the grocery store yesterday who were looking at me like I was crazy...mind your own business. I'm sure you're just jealous anyway.

Big Boy

2009-07-22T16:22:00.003-04:00

Owen is too big for his bassinet! His Crazy Granny picked this crib up for him, and he LOVES all the extra room he has to kick and dance.

Zoo Photos

2009-07-22T16:17:00.002-04:00

Better late than never...here are a few of our photos from the trip to the zoo...

So Many Adventures...

2009-07-08T21:36:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Independence Day at camp. Owen had the cutest USA tank top to wear, but the weather didn't cooperate. He had to wear long sleeves (and his Nike hats) all weekend to stay warm.

Owen also started taking a bottle. Daddy fed him the first one. It was a little strange at first, but as soon as our Hungry Hungry Hippo realized that there was yummy milk in that bottle, he was all over it. Now he gets one bottle a day while his Mama is away at work. We've been away from each other for two mornings now. Both days have gone smoothly, but it's SO sad. :(

Our bright son has a few more "firsts" to share. Now he can put his hands together like he's praying. We're so excited that he finally has some control over his hands. He even holds his pacifier in now. That means we have to get up less often to shove that thing back in his mouth when he fusses for it. When it does fall out, he turns his head and sometimes rolls to his side to try to get it for himself. What a smart baby!

Coming Soon...photos of Mr. Handsome's first trip to the zoo!

2009-07-02T09:18:00.003-04:00

How many chins does this baby need?

Owen is down to only five feedings each day. Do you think that's normal? It's working for me. We've cut out his 9:30PM feeding because now he goes to bed around 8PM. It's great because then Joel and I have a little bit of time to be "Joel and Sarah" and not "Daddy and Mommy."

We tried to stretch Mr. Handsome out on the changing table to measure him, but he wasn't beimg cooperative. We think he's about 23.5 inches now; he was 22 inches at birth. His foot is the same length as the palm of my hand. He's growing so fast!

Oh, Baby!

2009-06-30T13:32:00.003-04:00

I think this Little All Star outfit is just adorable! Mr. Handsome thinks so too. It's hard to tell from these pictures how much he has grown. I'll have to take some photos of him in the bassinet. He looks like a giant baby when he is in there. It's a good thing his Crazy Granny has a crib for him to use.

Owen went with me to see the doctor today. The bad news is that Owen's giant head caused some trauma when he was on his way into our bright, shiny new world and my body hasn't finished healing yet. I have to see the doc again in a few weeks to determine whether or not the doc needs to intervene. The good news is that I've lost 27 pounds! I only have to lose 10 more to be at my Pre-Owen weight. Then I'll only have to lose about 15 more pounds to match my wedding weight. The doctor recommends Weight Watchers. I calculated my daily points and discovered that I get 10 extra points each day because I'm nursing. For those of you who aren't familiar with WW, 10 points is equal to 3 Krispy Kreme Donuts or 5 bananas or 2 PopTarts. With any luck, I will soon be blogging about my rapid weight loss and showing off a hot bikini bod (Not that I would actually wear a bikini ever again).

We Need Your Help TODAY

2009-06-29T16:08:00.005-04:00

Donors Choose is an organization that helps public school teachers get the supplies and materials they need for their classrooms. So far, I've received 50 free copies of A Raisin in the Sun, a bulletin board, and 130 copies of Spark Charts to give to the seniors. I've been seeking funding for some nonfiction books for my classroom, but time is running out. I only have a week left to get the money I need. Check out the link below to read my proposal...
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=252181&sharebar=true&utm_campaign=exp-soon-teach

Chunk-A-Saurus! (Owen, not Me)

2009-06-28T15:06:00.004-04:00

I weighed Owen this afternoon. Are you ready for the grand total? Owen weighs 13.2 pounds! He's only 6.5 weeks old! He has already outgrown almost all of his newborn clothes, and he's on his way to being too big for the 0-3 months clothes he has. Goodness!

Joel dressed Owen this morning. The photos don't do him justice. He's wearing a green turtle one-piece and his camo shoes. Too cute! This is the first Sunday that my Mr. Handsome has been awake for church. He loved staring at the bright lights on the ceiling and listening to the singing. As soon as Pastor started preaching; however, Owen fell fast asleep like a good lil baby.

Saturday Afternoon Play Time!

2009-06-27T17:24:00.001-04:00

6 Weeks Old!

2009-06-25T15:45:00.008-04:00

Owen and I celebrated his first six weeks of life with a Spit Up-Free dance party. Check out Owen doing the Macarena...

Our dance party was so much fun that we had to pause to take a Smile Break!

I should definitely mention that my super smart baby ROLLED OVER TWICE YESTERDAY. We were hanging out on the couch, having some quality mother-son time, when Mr. Smarty Pants decided that he was too cool to stay on his back all the time. (He's embarrassed by the flat area on the back of his head and can't wait for it to go away. He wants a nice, round melon. I keep telling him that he's beautiful the way he is, but you know how babies can be.) He rolled from his back to his stomach! To make sure it wasn't some freak accident, I rolled him back to his back and told him to do it again. Owen isn't one to disappoint his Mama, so he rolled to his stomach a second time. We have yet to see an encore performance, but we are mighty happy by yesterday's show.

Owen's dance party video...

Why Me?

2009-06-24T09:06:00.007-04:00

Owen was hanging out in his bassinet this morning when I made the mistake of picking him up. He let rip the loudest burp I have ever heard come from any living creature. Then he spit up on me. It was so chunky and so smelly that I couldn't help but gag and rip my shirt off. Then I cleaned up Owen's face and neck and took him to the changing table to get a clean diaper and onesie. That's when the real trouble began...

How to Change Owen's Diaper:
1. Remove dirty diaper and place a clean one underneath his squishy tushy.
2. Wipe his cute lil tush.
3. Take cover while he poops on you and the clean diaper and the changing table.
4. Wipe his cute lil tush.
5. Take cover while he pees on you and himself.
6. Wipe his cute lil tush.
7. Get out a clean diaper and place it underneath his squishy tushy.
8. Take cover while he poops on you and the clean diaper and the changing table.
9. Wipe his cute lil tush.
10. Rub baby cream on his cute lil tush and quickly fasten diaper.
11. Wipe the second round of spit up from his cheek, chin, and neck.
12. Remove the dirty pajamas.
13. Carry Owen to the couch to dress him because the changing table is covered in disgusting fecal matter.
14. Wipe the third round of spit up from his cheek, chin, and neck. Don't forget to rub it into the couch cushion.
15. Dress Owen.
16. Pray that he takes his morning nap soon.
17. Forget the whole event as he smiles at you.

2009-06-23T15:19:00.003-04:00

We were definitely in our pajamas until well into the afternoon. We were just too cozy. Can you blame us? Who wouldn't want to snuggle with both of us?

Owen has outgrown the newborn insert in his car seat already! I weighed him about a week ago and he weighed 12.5 pounds then. I read the car seat directions last night and discovered that the insert should be removed when the baby reaches 11 pounds. Oops! No wonder he was so sweaty and scrunched up looking in there the past few weeks.

Projectile Poop and Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:13:00.007-04:00

Owen and I have had a busy, busy week. We've been to the outlet mall and Wegman's and the post office and the credit union. We even stopped in to visit our English teacher pals as they were grading the Regents Exams.

Owen's favorite part of the week was pooping on me...twice. After our 3am feeding, we made our way to the changing table. It was unusual to find only a wet diaper at this time in the early morn (Owen will probably way embarrassed for all this delicate information being shared on the Internet). I went about my diapering duty as usual, when my darling son shot projectile poop across the changing table and on the Diaper Genie. "Crazy Baby," I thought. I grabbed a handful of wipes and starting sopping up the yellow goo. As I was wiping up my crazy baby, he pooped AGAIN. This time the warm goo landed on me and I screamed, waking my snoring husband who fortunately came running. I left him to deal with The Poop Monster while I cleaned myself up.

We had a relaxing Father's Day weekend and took lots of photos.

Lesson Learned

2009-06-15T20:01:00.002-04:00

Do not do "The Twist" with a baby. He WILL spit up on you.

11 Months til Birthday Cake

2009-06-14T14:44:00.004-04:00

Owen is one month old today! He celebrated by peeing on his face and the carpet and my leg. Feeling someone's pee run down my leg as I stood up was definitely an unusual sensation. And I'm sure that peeing on your own face is also an unusual sensation. We did something really wild and crazy this morning by giving Owen an unscheduled bath. He woke up with dried spit up on his cheek and in his ear and in his fuzzy hair. He enjoys bath time because he likes to have his head massaged. But I have to tell you...washing dried spit up out of a one-month old's ear is not an easy task.

We all survived Owen's first weekend at camp. We went for a quick walk outside, but it was windy so we didn't stay out long. We did make it to the village garage sale yesterday. Owen didn't get anything, but I made the ultimate purchase - DC Talk's "Free at Last" CD was only 25 cents! Can you believe it!

Owen is currently chillin' with his daddy on the couch right now. They're watching the Yankees and chatting about what they are going to do for Father's Day next weekend. Too cute!

Snorkeling Alligator

2009-06-12T13:10:00.003-04:00

Why yes that is a snorkeling alligator on my new t-shirt. Thanks for asking. I want to look cool for my first overnight trip to camp this weekend. I'm totally syked about the village garage sale we'll be going to tomorrow. I hope someone buys me a swing.

Evidence of Sleep Deprivation

2009-06-12T09:01:00.004-04:00

My favorite man and I decided to take a little trip to the outlet mall. We were going crazy being trapped in the house all day and wanted to enjoy that beautiful sunshine and fresh air. Opening the apartment windows just isn't the same as actually being immersed in the outdoors. And what better way to enjoy the outdoors than to go to the outlet mall?

As we were cruising by The Gap, Owen suggested that I go in and buy myself something nice. He told me that I deserve it for being the best mom ever. I just had to agree with him, so we fell into The Gap. While I was preparing to put on a fashion show in the dressing room I realized that the capris I had been wearing on our outdoor adventure were inside out! I have no idea if anyone noticed or not.

And while we're on the subject of fashion (of which I know barely anything), we need to talk about a post-partum line of clothing. We ladies have juniors, misses, womens, petites, maternity, and probably other sections of clothing to shop in. Why isn't there a post-partum line of clothes for new mothers? Someone get Mr. Macy on the line! We need to chat.

Guilty as Charged

2009-06-11T16:04:00.004-04:00

This photo was taken right after he spit up on the couch. He's ready to give someone a "fist bump" with his right hand. :)

In honor of Owen's first four week's of life, I've been reflecting on all the parenting things I've done that I said I'd never do...

1. "My baby will NEVER use a pacifier." Well, we lasted 8 days without one. After Owen's circumcision, he was all about the pacifier. Now we use one quite often and I know I was crazy to think that good parents don't give their children pacifiers.

2. "My baby will NEVER sleep in bed with me." We aren't officially co-sleeping, but I have pulled Owen into bed with me for a little cuddle time in the early morning. However, those few minutes of cuddle time have frequently turned into an hour or two of sleeping. Oops!

3. "I will NEVER communicate with my baby through baby talk." I'm the craziest googoo gaga baby talker of them all. Whoda thunk it? I love making up silly songs about the booger in his nose or about how much he loves me and singing them in funny voices.

It's only been a few weeks and I've already broken three of my rules. Who knows how many more things will change in the next year?!?

Do you think this is true?

2009-06-11T15:57:00.002-04:00

On the Ellen Show, Sheryl Crow said drinking bottled water that was left in the hot car caused her breast cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue. Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her that women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. Pass this on to all the women in your life.

A Joke from my Mom

2009-06-11T15:54:00.002-04:00

A young boy had just gotten his driver's permit and inquired of his father if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he'd make a deal with his son. "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and we'll talk about the car." The boy thought about that for a moment decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks his father said, "Son, I've been real proud. You brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm real disappointed you haven't gotten your hair cut." The young man paused a moment then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair."

And his father replied, "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"

My Men

2009-06-10T16:29:00.003-04:00

I love this picture.

First Trip to Ohio

2009-06-10T16:10:00.009-04:00

So much has happened in the past week. Owen is getting a lot stronger and is perfecting the head lift. He can even turn his head when he lifts it. Another of O's new discoveries is his tongue. He sticks it out, licks the roof of his mouth, and even seems to taste the air with it like some wild animal.

We spent a long weekend in Ohio so Owen could meet his great grandparents and spend time with his grandparents, uncle, and other family members. While we were there Owen took his first trip to Walmart and his first trip to a restaurant. Before we left we visited with Dave and Michelle who just got married. They are pretty much perfect for each other and have the world's cutest cat.

Here are some photos from Owen's first trip to Ohio...

2009-06-04T16:38:00.006-04:00

High Maintenance Baby

2009-06-04T13:21:00.004-04:00

Well, we didn't sleep for 5 hours last night because Mr. Hungry Hungry Hippo didn't want to miss his midnight feeding again. My darling son talked in his sleep all night! We kept getting up to check on him because he was being so rowdy in his bassinet, but he was sleeping during his talking spells. He's a weird one, and he has been high maintenance all day. He just wants to be held and cuddled. Of course it's way cute, but I have packing to do. We're headed to the great state of Ohio this evening.

Spit Bubbles

2009-06-03T20:20:00.006-04:00

Check out Mr. Handsome's new trick...

And here's a close up...

Man, I love those lips!

A Good Night's Rest

2009-06-03T20:07:00.005-04:00

Look at those long legs!

We slept for 5 straight hours last night! Hooray! Owen slept through his midnight feeding, so we slept from 10:00 until 3:00. He wasn't interested in going right back to bed after the 3:00 feeding, but I was so excited that he slept for 5 hours that I didn't even care. I also didn't mind being peed on twice and spit up on before the sun was barely up this morning. We had a good day just hanging out and staring at each other. I decided to deviate from my usual "Jesus Loves Me" routine and did a little "You are my Sunshine." He seemed to like that too.

Yesterday we made our first trip to the grocery store. It was about time. You'd think I was Old Mother Hubbard or something. Our cupboards (and refrigerator) were bare. We were successful and made it home with any incidences. Owen is a good shopper.

We got O's birth certificate, SS# and both of our hospital bills in the mail. My bill is more than Owen's by about $500, but our insurance should cover it as soon as he is added.

Owen's Big Sneeze

2009-06-01T17:29:00.004-04:00

When you're this small, everything you do is cute.

Bath Time!

2009-05-31T18:13:00.007-04:00

Owen did NOT enjoy his first bath.

Fortunately, he quickly forgave us for his bath and was happy to cuddle. I, however, was a little frazzled.

Mr. Handsome in the Bouncy Chair

2009-05-30T13:42:00.004-04:00

Someday I will have control of my hands and will stop punching myself in the face...

My Darling Husband

2009-05-30T13:37:00.003-04:00

There are 1001 reasons why I love my Darling Husband, but today I love him because he let me sleep until 10:30 this morning! I had to get up to feed Owen, of course, because I'm the one with the "bottles" attached to her. Other than his normal feeding times, I got to S.L.E.E.P. Ah.

I should also mention that when Owen and I got home from the bridal shower yesterday, my DH had made the bed, washed dishes, folded laundry, and cleaned the bathroom. Did I find a keeper or what?

Our First Party

2009-05-29T18:34:00.003-04:00

Mr. Handsome and I attended our first party this afternoon. It was a bridal shower for our very good friend Trista. Owen sported his new overalls and was introduced to the faces that belong to the voices he heard in the hallway for nine months.

By Request...Our Birth Story

2009-05-29T13:10:00.004-04:00

As you requested...here's my horrific birthing story...it's pretty long, so feel free to skip to the action-packed end if you like.

I was wide awake at 3AM on Wednesday due to my PUPPS rash and just couldn't go back to sleep. I gave up and watched TV. (There's nothing on at 3AM, btw.) Wednesday we went about our normal business. I had the appointment with the derm and dropped off graded research papers at school. Then, at 10:00 that evening when we were going to bed, pain was shooting down into my area. Walking and crying made me feel better, until I stubbed my toe on edge of my hospital bag. Then I had contractions and a bloody toenail. We started timing them, but they were irregular. I called the doctor's office to let them know and the on-call doc called me right back. He said to wait an hour or two and then call back. I barely waited an hour because the contractions were all about 4 minutes apart at that point. We arrived at the hospital at 1AM. A nurse checked to see if I was in true labor, and since I was, I got to stay.

(I'm beginning to think this is going to be a long post. Good thing both of my men are sleeping right now.)

Joel called and text messaged the people on his list and we sat and waited. Since I have Strep B I had to have an IV of antibiotics. If not, I could have given pnemonia to Owen as he slipped down the birth canal. I was examined and it was determined that I was about 4 centimeters dilated (wide) and about 80% efaced (thinned out). At this point I was pretty tired, as I had been up for about 24 hours. The pain then moved from my abdomen to my thighs. It stayed there the whole time (I never had another contraction pain in my abdomen), so there was no way I could walk. I got about 10 steps before I was crying so hysterically that Joel had to help me back to bed. I got a pain drug called NuBane to help me sleep. I napped off and on for awhile. Then it was time to decide if I wanted an epidural while that window was still open. I was unsure at first, but my doctor convinced me that it really was a good idea at this point. Before they put in the epidural they asked if a student could come in and watch. There was already one student there watching and helping, so I was going to agree. Good thing I asked where the student was from first. She was a student of mine! I said "No." It would be a little too weird for a girl to see her teacher get an epidural.The epidural was WONDERFUL. I couldn't even move my left leg without lifting it up off of the bed first. Things were still moving slowly, but the nurse said the baby liked it when she rubbed his scalp. It was cool and gross at the same time to think that this woman was rubbing my baby's head while he was still way inside of me. I wasn't thinning out properly, so I got another drug to help with the contractions. I have never felt more pain in my entire life. No amout of relaxation breathing was going to help. I screamed and cried until I thought my throat would bleed. EVERYONE heard. My poor mother had to listen from the hallway because I wouldn't let her in the room.

(Phew, this story is taking almost as long as the labor itself!)

At this point I had been up for nearly 40 hours, with the exception of the few drug induced naps. It was time to push, but pushing wasn't working. Instead of sliding DOWN the birth canal like a good little lad, stubborn Owen just spun in circles. At first the nurse commented on how interesting it was because she never saw a baby do that. It got to be a problem because he wasn't progressing and I was too tired to do much more pushing. Joel and one of the students (not from Geneva) got to hold my legs and push my feet to my ears. I later found out that this was the first time the student got to see a human birth; she had previously seen a horse give birth.Then things get a little blurry. The nurse said they lost the baby's heartbeat. She frantically shoved a heart monitor up me and attached it to his head and my leg. (Good thing I went to childbirth class or I would have had no idea what was going on or what this was going to mean for the baby and me.) I remember the nurse calling for the doctor and someone throwing an oxygen mask in my direction and telling me to put it on. Then the nurse told me that the doctor was going to use the vacuum on the baby. I remember a lot of yelling and Joel screaming "PUSH!" over and over and over. There was some burning...okay, A LOT of burning. I just kept staring at the sprinkler on the ceiling above my head. When I felt a big slipping feeling, I knew he was out. I focused my eyes long enough to see him lying on my belly and see the room full of hospital staff. They must have had every nurse in the building in that room. I asked to hold the baby, but theywouldn't let me. They whisked him over to the warmer and did whatever it is they do. Then he FINALLY cried. I kind of "came to" at that point. Joel was shoving ice chips in my mouth and putting a wet wash cloth on my forehead while I was telling him to leave me alone and go see the baby.

The doctor said I could hold him when she was finished sewing me up. She said she cut me but I also tore a little on my own. Awesome. That was the last thing I was worried about. Joel listened and went to coo at the baby. He came over while the doctor was still sewing and said, "I think his name is Owen." He could have said his name was "Sally Sue" at that point. I wouldn't have cared. Then I finally got to hold Owen and feed him while Joel text messaged our parents what his name was and that he was finally out here in the world. The three of us got to bond for an hour or so before the eager grandparents swarmed in on us.

And if you want or need any more details than I've already provided. I'd be happy to share. :)

Owen and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2009-05-29T12:58:00.004-04:00

I didn't have the opportunity to blog yesterday because Mr. Handsome finally showed his Dark Side...Mr. Cranky Pants. This photo was taken during the 10 seconds he was not crying yesterday. All the cutie pie wants to do lately is eat, eat, eat. My bloody, cracked nipples say NO, NO, NO. Boy, if nipples could talk...

We saw the pediatrician today who is VERY happy with Owen's weight gain. The little monster weighs one ounce shy of 10 pounds! (I must have magic milk.) I told her about his cranky spell yesterday, so she checked him up and down. Everything looks good. Both his belly button and circumcision are healed, so Owen can have a "real" bath this weekend. My little boy is growing up so fast. The doc suggested that he could be fussy because his stomach has gotten bigger and he really is hungry. He's been keeping to the same evening and early morning eating schedule...8pm, midnight, 3am, and 7am. There's no schedule between 7am and 8pm. We haven't figured that one out yet.

Mr. Handsome loves his new Jungle Baby Gym. His favorite thing to do is stare at himself in the mirror. With a face like his, who could blame him?

Mr. Handsome's First Trip to Church

2009-05-27T15:06:00.004-04:00

Mr. Handsome went to church for the first time last Sunday. He was a perfect angel and slept the whole time. Of course, when we got home and Mom and Dad wanted to nap, our perfect angel was wide awake and ready for some attention. After a quick change of clothes, He and Grandma played patty cake.

Me? A Blogger?

2009-05-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

Oh, Laura. She made me do it. I can't even keep up with MySpace and now I'm creating my own blog. Inconceivable! Although, I suppose if I can survive over 21 hours of labor, I can do anything. The good news is that I'm going to get pretty good at typing with one hand and holding Mr. Handsome in the other. I've discovered that this "New Mama" thing requires quite the juggling act...good thing I was President of the Clown Club.