WOW! It's been a while....

HI everyone! I am so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. After being in and out of the hospital for gallbladder surgery and then some complications, I took some time to be with my family and to focus on getting healthy again. Aas much as I love my doctor, I don't care to see him for a very long time! Every time I go in he sends me to the hospital. I am hoping that this visit on Monday for bloodwork is the final visit. So, lots to catch up on!!!!

Where to begin..... Amanda has rolled over from her back to her tummy! She is very strong and wants so badly to play and run with Abi. She watches everything Abi does very intently. And Abi of course is like a little Mommy! She askes for "baby" every morning and gets so excited when she hears her!! She runs in laughing, sayng "Baby!" and then tries to see if she can pick her up through the pack 'n play. Then when I bring Amanda out, Abi hs already decidd where Amanda should go firsts - the swing, chair or jumper. Then she taks to her, laughs with her and is ready to help feed her. The other day she even pulled out a bowl and her doll spoon and pretended to fix smething for Amanda to eat. Then she "fed" her!!!! Too cute. She is very protective and we have recently discovered that she really loves all babies! One of our neighbors had a baby girl a few weeks ago and Abi loves to talk to her too. It is really precious to watch.

Abi also got on the floor the other day during Amanda's tummy time and was showing her how to roll over. "See Manda - like this!" she would say over and over. Then she would say, "Good girl, Manda. Like this..." Then after Abi rolled a few times she said, "YAY!!!!!!" Then she proceeded to dance and laugh at herself in front of the glass doors of the entertainment center. She does like to admire herself!!! Who wouldn't want to admire that cute face! She is a trip!

Abi also likes to share her toys with Amanda. She even let her drive her new car! One of our neighbors handed this down and it is hard to keep Abi out of it!

Abi is reading Dora's "It Sharing Day!" - her favorite! Thanks Uncle Jim and Aunt Missy!

Amanda sure does LOVE her tummy time!

Well, I am going to call it a night. Thank you again for your patience! I will be back soon!

Breakthrough?

Have we had a breakthrough?  We'll see tonight!  Amanda slept for almost 9 hours last night!!  2 nights ago she slept 8 1/2 and the night in between was only 5 1/2 to 6 hours.  I have decided that since she has not settled into a regular routine as easily as Abi did that I am going to create one for her :)  We are starting it full force today, so I'll let you know!  She seems to take one short nap in the morning, one longer one during mid-day (this is the one that I am adding to her schedule) and one 30 minute nap just after dinner.  Then it's bedtime at about 8!!  It seemed to work for her yesterday, so I am trying it again today.  

Abi is beginning to talk up a storm!  She loves to dance and sing and she is beginning to really learn her alphabet and counting from 1-10!  I was shocked when I was reading a counting book to her and she got every one except for 9.  Amazing!  She really is a sponge right now so I am trying to work with her on a lot of these things.  She has an alphabet puzzle (thanks Nana!) and she is really starting to learn her letters.  So exciting!  She is very animated and dramatic (not sure WHERE she gets that) ;P  which makes things very funny.  She absolutely loves her baby sister and loves to help get her dressed, change her diaper, feed her, give her the pacifier - even if Amanda doesn't want it.  She is quick to let us know if Amanda is crying (even if we are sitting right in front her) because she can't stand to hear her cry - it makes Abi sad too!  It is all very sweet.  Amanda loves to watch her big sister and even give her kisses.  So cute!  we are blessed!

Amanda continues to grow so fast!!!  She is also talking a lot and loves to be in the kitchen with me while I am cooking.  She talks through the whole experience and smiles as I imitate her sounds.  She has the biggest smile!  AND the cutest little dimple in her left cheek.  She is very alert, wants to see everything that is going on and is VERY strong.  She is becoming a little chunk, but that's just extra sugar to love :)  She was even laughing in her sleep the other night!  She is a happy baby and oh so cute!

I continue to adjust to being a mother of 2 and have to admit that I love it more and more each day.  Abi is at a really fun stage as she is learning so much and Amanda is really starting to develop a personality of her own.  The girls are so different, but both very happy and bless us so much.  I had a dream a few weeks ago that I made a sippy cup birthday cake for Abi's birthday, so now I am wondering if I should attempt it!  I am not sure I could pull that one off.  She doesn't even like cake!  Maybe I should make a giant green bean instead :)  I can't believe she is almost 2 already....

Mark continues to work very hard not only at his job but also around the house.  Relaxing is not something he does well, but much of what he does is very therapeutic for him.  He loves to spend time with his girls and we all love it just as much!  He really is the best dad and husband.  I am so blessed!!!!  

Well, as we are continually blessed, we pray all of you are as well.  Have a wonderful weekend and I will check back in soon!

Green Beans for Breakfast?

I have heard of having breakfast for dinner, but green beans for breakfast?  One morning I asked Abi what she would like for breakfast and she said, "Bean" with the sign she made up for green beans.  How funny is that?  I asked her a few more times just to be sure, and then I gave her some.  She gobbled them right up!  Then she wanted some banana.  At least it is healthy, right?

Abi has also just started putting words together to form sentences.  It just seems to come out of nowhere!  Just when you think she is not learning or will never be able to grasp the concept, she comes out with a gazillion new words and starts putting them together!  I really is amazing to watch.  

Abi has also started coming out of her room at about 4:30 am, climbing up onto the couch and sleeping there until people get up.  She doesn't want to miss Papa in the morning and wants to make sure she is a part of everything that happens!  Mark caught her sleeping before he moved her to her room.

She also went pee-pee on the potty the other day!  Well, sort of.  Let's just say she is off to a good start!  It will be off and on for a while as she gets used to the thought of it all, but the first signs have begun!  Another new phase for all of us.

Because there is water everywhere and Abi loves the water, we enrolled her in swimming lessons.  She did fairly well for the few lessons and now asks us to sing the songs for the movements so that she can do them in the tub and pool!  we will continue to work with her in the pool, but she is able to let herself into the pool.  She climbs in the side!  Fortunately there is a bench that catches her and she usually only goes in when Papa is in the pool.  However, we do have to watch her now!  It is exciting to see her get so excited about things though.  Too cute!  Now we have the opportunity to relive all these moments again through the eyes of Amanda!  We are blessed!

Amanda is as cute as ever and is growing like a weed!  At her 2 month appointment she was 21 1/2 inches and 10 pounds 1 ounce!  She is smiling at everyone and everything and loves to be outside.  She is developing quite the personality.  Here are a few shots of both our girls!

Ummm... This Weekend?

Hi!  Okay, did I mention what weekend I would get stories and pictures up?  It is still a weekend :)  I ended up in the hospital for an unexpected gallbladder surgery so I have been a bit out of commission.  Now I am back and almost 100% again!  

Okay, story number one.  As we were driving home from the airport, Cara was trying to give Amanda some milk as she was screaming.  I am not sure if I have mentioned anything about her screaming, but she could really do some voice overs for horror films!  No exaggeration.  She has quite a set of lungs.  So, as Cara was leaning over a seat to give her some milk, all of a sudden she says, "Are you getting anything?  What is wrong with this thing?  It's like there is a stopper or something in it!" 

 

My reply, "There is a stopper in it so hat it wouldn't spill or overflow on the plane!"  Yes, this was the start of our weekend.  Once Amanda finally got some milk we were all in business. Conversations could be heard and Amanda was guzzling like she had not eaten in days!  

Story number two.  We decided to have dinner out on the patio one night and make use of the grill as well.  Cara grilled the chicken while I put some things together in the kitchen.  As we were enjoying dinner, having some "remember when" conversations, all of a sudden we hear something over near the cabinets on the patio.  We both stopped and looked, but didn't see anything.  We continued with our conversation and heard it again!  We were both a little freaked out, so Cara went to see if she what it was.  She was on the outside of the cabinets when we heard it again.  "It was a bird over there - I saw it," she says.

"No, I saw that bird, but the noise was in there."

"Oh."

Cara came back to the table and we were going to just let it go..... until we heard it again!  "There is something in the cabinets!" Cara screams!  Cara decides to be brave and head into the area where the cabinets were - armed with a little broom!  She lunges forward and smacks the first cabinet.  Nothing.  She lunges even further and smacks the second cabinet.  Nothing.  Then she walks very slowly in to the back portion and we hear it again!  All of a sudden at the same time I said, "It's the ice maker!"  while she asked (screamed), "Is there an ice maker out here?!"  Too funny!  To have had all that on video would have been perfect.  Yes, the ice maker sounded like a very large rodent rifling through the cabinets.  Laughter is such a great thing.

Here are some pictures from that weekend.  

Here we have Amanda sleeping peacefully in her stroller at the park - while squirrels were trying to climb up and join her!  I had to chase them away!  And let me tell ya - that was no easy task.  They are strong-willed squirrels!

                                            

                Here are Cara and Abi on the slide:

Is it okay if I climb up this thing?

Abi loves the park and it is a nice little walk there and back.  She also loves the pool!

I was not able to get into the pool yet, but here are a couple of shots at the pool:

Abi LOVES to watch people jump into the pool!  I am not sure if it was Caroline or Cara jumping in, but she got some good laughs out of it.

                                        Cara and Abi

So Many Stories, No Time with Two!

WOW! I can't believe how long it has been since I have been here and how many stories I have to tell! We have relocated (yes, we are crazy to relocate 5 weeks after giving birth to a baby and also having a 1 1/2 year old) and my computer is still in storage! I am squeezing in a couple of minutes on a different computer to pop in and say hello. I regret to inform you all that I have no pictures on this computer. I will have to upload those soon! Here is a quick recap of the past several weeks and I will fill in the details and funny happenings this weekend if I can get to a computer :)

My friend Cara flew to Florida with me and the 2 girls while Mark stayed behind with his friend Scott to finish packing the house. They drove, we flew. I think flying with 2 children under 2 is still much easier than driving 24 hours straight! Cara and I had a fun couple of days before she flew back home and I think I missed her as soon as I dropped her off at the airport! Come back any time! :) 2 little funny snippets during her stay: 1) on the way home from the airport here is a small piece of a conversation we had, "It's like there is a stopper in this!" "That's 'cause there is a stopper in it!" and 2) this story involves a broom, a tip-toeing Cara and a few smacks to the cabinets out at the grill! Yes, I will fill in those funny details this weekend :) Come on back at the end of the weekend!

Mark and Scott arrived safely and the girls seem to be adjusting well. Abi loves that she can be outside all the time (even with all the mosquitoes) and Amanda is also an outdoor baby. She cries a bit more than Abi ever did, but we are slowly adjusting. Amanda is also growing so fast! I can't believe how big she is already. She is smiling away and cooing up a storm, so we look forward to watching her continue to develop and grow.

Abi is talking more and more. She is starting to put more words together to make short sentences. Her most recent is "Catch bubbles!" She love to have mommy blow bubbles out by the pool so that she can try to catch them. Yes, she is by the pool every day, but she does love the water and we have started her in swimming lessons. I will upload some pictures of her enjoying the pool this weekend. I will warn you, there is a lot of sugar to see! She doesn't like to wear her swim suit (or any clothes for that matter). She would prefer to be naked! For those wondering what I mean by "sugar," that is what we call all that sweet, exposed skin and baby fat. We are also beginning the potty training phase, so stay tuned for more of those stories. I am sure there will be some good ones :)

Well, I was going to jump in the pool for a little exercise while the girls are sleeping (I haven't been able to be in yet due to the c-section and then the infection I had post surgery), but there is a storm coming! I can hear the thunder and everything has gotten very dark. So, I guess that will have to wait. Bummer! I have been dying to get in the pool since I got here! My day will come - maybe tomorrow.

Well, that is a nutshell update. I promise I will do all I can to get the stories and pictures up by the end of the weekend. Hang with me! I will soon be able to keep up with this again!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please, please pray (right now!) for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. Details are still in process, but it appears that one of his sons was pulling into their driveway last evening and did not see his sister (5 year old Maria..adopted from China) in front of him. She was struck by the car and killed. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

I cannot imagine what they are going through right now.

Please pray specifically for peace tonight in the midst of the storm. Feel free to leave those prayers here in the comments section, as well as any scriptures you feel you have been led to pray for them. There is power in the living word of God...power that a dear family needs right now.

Thank you!

3 Weeks Already?

Where has all the time gone! I can't believe it has been 3 weeks with Amanda Joy and I still haven't written about all the events! I am so very sorry. Let me try to get a quick recap out :)



The c-section went very well and Amanda Joy was born at 2:38 pm on April 22. She was 5 pounds 7 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long - a little petite peanut! She had a head full of almost black hair and didn't waste any time sharing with everyone how strong her lungs were.


Daddy got to spend some time with her in the nursery while they were weighing her, cleaning her and dressing her while I went to recovery. I was able to be awake for Amanda's birth, something that was not possible with Abi's, so that was a new and wonderful experience. I got to see Amanda before we heard a sound! They lowered the sheet enough for me to see how tiny she was. :) Once again, we had the most wonderful care at the hospital. The nursing staff and doctors are so great at NCH and we are so thankful to have been able to have both girls there.

Abi has really taken well to having Amanda in the family. She came to the hospital the evening Amanda was born and as soon as she saw her she got a smile on her face and said, "Baby!" She wanted to hold her, kiss her, hug her.... it was a really comforting site to see. You never really know how a child will react to having another little one around. Of course, she was at the hospital and maybe something else would happen when we brought her home.




Not the case! Abi is still excited to have the baby around! Even at home! For a while "baby" was the last person she wanted to see before going night night and the first person she wanted to see when she got up in the morning. Abi's whole face lights up when she sees Amanda. She doesn't want to call her by name though - just "baby." That's okay with us since she seems to love her so much. In time the name will come :)



My recovery is going well. I got a UTI the day I was hoping to leave the hospital, so that kept me a day longer than I had hoped. Then it took a while to get rid of the infection, but it did finally pass. The rest of the recovery has really been fairly easy. Mommy and Daddy are both a bit sleep deprived, but that is to be expected. Amanda is still learning her days and nights, so that should all begin to regulate in the next few weeks. I (Mommy) am not handling the fatigue nearly as well as Daddy, but I am hoping to refocus my thoughts and get back in the game :) I know that Abi must have cried a lot, even screamed, but I don't remember it being this much. However, I guess those are the things you overlook as time goes by :) Just like forgetting the pain of labor, you forget all the crying, screaming and longing for more sleep. This too shall pass :) I just need to focus on the needs of my babies and not the lack of sleep :)

I think one thing we discovered this afternoon is that she isn't getting enough to eat from the breast. She can't stay awake long enough when she is nursing, so I am going to pump more and we will do both nursing and bottle until the milk supply picks back up. That should help with some of her sad cries. She is gaining weight though! She was already up to 5 pounds 15 ounces at her appointment last week! She is just a growing girl who wants more!! So we will aim to give her just that :)

Okay, I must go and get dinner ready for the family. I just wanted everyone to know that we are all well and adjusting to life as a family of four. I will be back with pictures and more stories soon! Thank you so much for your patience. I sure do appreciate it!