holdin' down the fort

i guess that about says it... the same old, usual stuff today!! just keeping everything going while daddy's at work...today, we played with a water bottle (why is it that junk/garbage/whatever is always the most entertaining??), helped mommy with laundry, got in mommy's way while she cleaned the bathroom and had a bubble bath in the freshly cleaned tub. the part about helping with laundry? he actually DOES help, as long as it's with putting laundry into the washer. he takes it out of the basket and hands it to me to put into the washer... the dryer is another story. anyway, he gets a big kick out of helping so i'm more than happy to let him do it (within reason, of course, hahaha). he's also STILL enthralled with the stick vac, for some reason. every time i drag it out to get the crumbs or whatnot, he gets really excited, runs in circles around the table and plays chicken with it. then, when the job is done and the vacuum gets put away, he gets REALLY mad and starts screaming. hmmm. i should get video of that so when he's older and doesn't think he should help out, i can remind him of how much he used to LOVE the vacuum...
and then there's miss madison. judging from the way she had herself posed in her bouncer, i'd say daddy's in for it... she's already got the pleading "but daddy..." look down-pat!! watch out, daddy! she went for about 6 hours last night between feedings, which was wonderful! it's most likely just a one-time thing this early, but hey, i was able to drag my heiny outta bed with a little less resistance this morning. one 6-hour night doesn't catch me up, but it's better than what could be. i had to pay for it before hand, though, since she inSISted on eating about 5 times between 8 and 11 pm... that was a bit frustrating. ahhh, well... that's how it goes i guess. we'll see what tonight brings. kelvin's working an 8-hour day tomorrow, so i'm heading over to mom and dad's to take a little break... and then kandace and duey were talking about stopping over in the evening. i'm looking forward to a bit of adult conversation!

madison's appointment

madison's 2 week appointment was this afternoon. i've not yet ventured out with both kids by my lonesome, so i wasn't sure how well it would go, especially given the start we had to the whole endeavor.

this is what happens to your noodle when you don't listen to mommy and try to take the stairs by yourself. yup, owie. cole is always so good about waiting at the top of the stairs in the kitchen if we duck out to start the van or take out the trash, etc... except for today. he decided he didn't want mommy to go bye-bye without him (all i did was run out and start the van!). i came in 5 seconds after i went out, only to find my son sitting just a step below the landing... must've just happened since he was not even crying yet. so- another bump on the noggin. there's plenty more to come, i'm sure. and the rest of him is fine, in case you were wondering!

anyway, about madi- she's 22 1/4 inches and 8 lbs, 8.2 oz.... that calculates to:

97th %ile for height

60th %ile for weight

3rd %ile for weight-for-length.

we have a long and skinny little girl on our hands! she's doing great otherwise- i forgot to mention the spitting up, but since it usually happens within the first 10 minutes after feeding, i guess i shouldn't worry. mom thinks it's just that classic immature stomach, and i might tend to agree. cole sat SO well during the appointment- i put him on a chair, gave him his sippy cup and some goldfish, and he was great! the only time he almost escaped was when we went down the hall to put madison on the scale- he wanted to go exploring. fortunately, i went to cna class with dr h's nurse, so john was nice enough to hang on to either one of the kids, whomever needed hanging on to at the moment! he volunteered that his new grandson is only 2 days older than madison, so he likes kids! it's great when you have a clinic nurse who doesn't mind the hassles of two kids and only one mommy! so yeah- everything's good, everyone's healthy... next up is cole's 18-month visit. yay!!

he's such a little man!

cole did something SUPER sweet yesterday... i could hardly believe it. but first, a daily dose of miss madison...

...in her cute outfit from auntie elissa, uncle logan and cousin coy. she wore it about 5 days ago and already, this time she's almost too long for it. yikes! stop growing already!!

this sweet face is the face of a very empathetic toddler. sometimes he has me at the end of my rope, and once in a while, he pulls something fantastic that makes me forget about anything frustrating that he's ever done. like last evening:

with both kids crying simultaneously almost all day, i'd had it, and in a moment of weakness, burst into tears myself. chalk it up to hormones, lack of sleep and being pretty much on my own 6 days a week (kelvin's gone for over 13 hours a day, plus is working saturdays, so when he finally gets home, it's shower, supper and bed... poor guy!!). anyway, as soon as i started crying, cole stopped his whining, looked at me, then burst into tears himself. i felt so bad, since i know how scary it is to see your mommy cry when you're little, so i sat down on the floor to try to cuddle him so he'd feel better. instead, he was the one who cuddled me; he wrapped his arms around my neck, patted my back, gave lots of kisses and tried to wipe off my tears. that made me cry more, and even now, as everyone's quiet and happy, i want to cry all over again! for him to show such concern like that amazes me... the things our kids do to melt our hearts. of course, his daddy was pretty proud when he heard about it- his little man can take care of mommy just fine! luckily, this job that kelvin's on is supposed to last only another month or two- the over-time is great, but the hours are long and keep him away from home more than he'd like. but hey- it's work, something that seems to be harder and harder to come by for the general population nowadays. anyway, that's the story of how my little baby boy became my little baby man. did i mention how proud i am of him?

belly button!!

cole's found his belly button! after much searching and the like, he's found it. actually, what happened was he climbed up on the chair and couldn't get back down by himself. we're trying to teach him that if he can't get back down, don't go up (this includes the stairs and other miscellaneous pieces of furniture). well, he got up but doesn't remember how to get back down, so there he sat for a while, and thoroughly enjoyed his new discovery. he almost took off his diaper in the process- guess it was getting in the way?

"hey mom- guess what i've got?"

love those big blue eyes!

anyway, mom, dad, sarah and ted came over for a late supper and some cake last night- mom's always done the birthday supper thing for all us kids, and despite kelvin's work schedule and the fact that it was a school/work night, she managed to get one together for me. it was SO wonderful to have them over, even if it wasn't for very long... and not having to worry about supper was a plus! thanks so much again- it was great! we all were so glad to have you- madison had some serious bonding time with her grandpa... and cole was happy to have auntie sarah and uncle ted here to play with him. me, i was happy to have someone around to talk to, after crying, cranky kids all day long! oh, and another good thing- the "new" furnace is hooked up and running! we might be needing a new blower fan, but this one works for now, and we have a new thermostat to boot! it runs more frequently than the old furnace, but i guess that's the difference between oil and natural gas. i'm so glad kelvin won't have to run out and get fuel every other day to dump into the old one... that was a cold, expensive job. not that natural gas is super cheap, but it'll be slightly less expensive. it's great to have a more even heat in the house... yay!!

update...

...i realize that i should probably have specified that i really appreciated kelvin's help with the dishes. it's just that i was looking forward to that rice all night, which is why i was a little disappointed that most of it was submerged in rinse water. not mad, just disappointed that my rice was no longer an edible option!! actually, kelvin has been just amazing- i am SO lucky to have him, and while we're on that subject, i have to say that i can't thank bonita and jennifer enough for the "young couples with children" meeting on saturday. it was unbelievably wonderful and we got so much out of it. i think it's strengthened our bond and helped us understand each other better... thank you so much for that! but yeah, i was a bit worried about how we as a couple would deal with two kids, but like i said, my dear husband has been nothing short of amazing. so honey, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do for us- i love you!

"my daddy's the best!!" -madison-

is it monday??

i know, it's tuesday but it REALLY feels like a monday. why? for starters, this is what i found in the sink this morning. HUGE kudos to my sweet husband for cleaning up supper last night and soaking the pan from the chicken and rice, but my dear, there was enough rice in there to make an entire meal. it WOULD have, but now it's water-logged. this is an issue with me because the rice is my absolute favorite part of the whole dish...add to that two kids screaming simultaneously for over a half hour (when can i cry, too??), a cranky little boy that heartily refused anything for breakfast except juice, lots more spit up from a tiny little girl... and a whopping headache to top it off. oh, and the batteries in the baby papasan died, so there's no soothing, vibrating seat to help keep my sanity in check. yikes. that's why it feels like a monday.
on the other hand, when you come across a silly photo like this, things seem to get just a bit brighter. it made me laugh (half-heartedly, but it was an attempt)... the good thing is, it's only 9.30 am, so we have the rest of the day for things to go more smoothly. sorry, people... i needed a quick pity party. anyway, now i'm smiling (forced, but scientists say it induces real happiness if you do it long enough) and counting to ten... and now maybe the rest of the day will be better!!!

smiles, and this one's for auntie sarah!

we caught the ever-elusive glimpse of a grin on camera- finally!! i guess it used to be that the "experts" thought it was gas that made newborns smile, but i read that now they think that smiling is like a reflex in response to feeling good. hmmm. i'd have to go with the new theory, since gas never makes ME want to smile.

all dressed up for sunday! with all these cute little dresses, i just HAVE to post photos every time she wears one...

and for auntie sarah, this is one of our favorite sleepers! thank you so much... it's hard to believe, but miss madison is almost too long for her newborn-size clothes... she's slim enough to get more use out of them, but she's a bit on the long side, so we're going to have to wash-n-wear this one a LOT... it's so fuzzy and comfy! anyway, i figured that since we gave a post to auntie elissa, we needed to give one to auntie sarah too... we love you!!

in other news, cole has been a WONDERFUL big brother today- he's in such a pleasant mood and only got frustrated (meaning a little physical) once so far, so that's awesome!! he learned to "blow kisses" this morning, which is beyond cute... especially since his version is just mashing his palm into his mouth, but we get the idea. he even waited so patiently while mommy cleaned up yet ANOTHER "madison-mess"... this girl spits up like no other! at least it's mostly right after she eats, so it's not all digested yet. still- i have no idea how in the world she can grow so fast when it seems like she spits up more than she takes in. makes for lots of extra laundry, yikes!! maybe she'll outgrow it soon... i'm really crossing my fingers on that one, otherwise we're going to have to invest in quite a few more burp rags!

our fun friday

kelvin ended up being home on friday, and this is what he did with cole... no girls allowed!!

this is the first time cole's ever had a "fort", and he had a blast! actually, i'm not sure who had more fun- him or daddy!

the cheesy grin says it all...

auntie sarah and chase came over in the early afternoon but i didn't get any pictures- sorry, guys!! then auntie kandace and uncle duey came for supper and the evening and brought cole's birthday presents... cole had a blast being the center of attention again for the evening! you can catch more pics and some video on kandace's blog...

auntie kandace with madison...

... and with uncle duey. he had her pretty much the entire evening- guess we're not the only ones completely in love with this little girl! there's something about a grown man snuggling with a baby that just melts your heart...

of course, cole got to spend some quality time with uncle duey too...

thanks so much again, you guys... we had a blast and cole LOVED the extra attention!!

for auntie elissa...

... and uncle logan and cousin coy, of course! as promised, here are the photos of madison in the fuzzy warm outfit you sent!

future yogi??

oooh, it's just so warm in here, i can hardly stand it!

thanks so much for the stuff you guys sent- it's SO cute! your thank-you note is coming yet... this isn't a replacement for one, fyi.

coming soon: photos from uncle duey and aunt kandace's visit... let me just say that we have one TIRED little boy who thoroughly enjoyed all the attention! and we didn't mind having you here either... :)

just a few randoms

there were a few recent photos of cole i've been meaning to post, but well, you know, someone else has come to rule the roost... but not to be outdone, mr cole is still as cute as ever!! he even got a haircut today, but since it was just me at home, i couldn't get any pictures.

helping daddy fill the bathtub! it's so cute- he can just barely reach the water now, but for awhile he's been copying us when we swish the water and shake it off our hands... monkey see, monkey do!!
huh. like father, like daughter!

a new hangout... madison seems to really like the sling, but since cole still demands a lot of attention, it's not always practical to use it. when we DO use it, she just curls up and falls asleep (again).
this was the night we brought madison home... cole learned a new game with auntie sarah while he stayed with her, and thinks it's pretty cool!

other than the usual, not too much is new here- we've settled into somewhat of a routine, which is great. however, note to self: no matter how tired you are after the 5 am feeding, get your heiny in the shower because it's not happening after cole gets up!! that's my lesson for the day. we'll see what we have to learn tomorrow...! oh, and one more thing- i finally printed off photos for birth announcements, and i'm about half done getting them all completed. the hard work was done weeks ago, when i though time was running short, so all i have left is photos and statistics. monotonously fun- really, i do enjoy it; it's a sane, adult activity. who couldn't use a little of that every now and again!

first bath at home!

sleeping SO peacefully...

need we say more? we'll leave the audio portion of this post to your imagination- it shouldn't be hard to get!!

yummm, she loves fist! i had her clean diaper on for all of about 30 seconds before she filled it... good timing, mom!

madison's hair gets super fluffy and sticks straight out right after her bath. within a few hours, though, it's back to curling a little on the ends. until then, she and her daddy have matching hair-do's! we split bath duty last night- kelvin did cole's bath (he said he's not comfortable doing madison's until she's a little older, which i totally understand).

anyway, today we had a first- madison was actually had a diaper that was just wet, no poo! this girl's a champion in that department. she's so delicate and lady-like about everything, even spitting up... until it comes to filling her britches. she can out-do the best of them, i think. wow. looks can be deceiving, huh?

we're adjusting better each day... today was a little on the tough side, since cole's got more teeth coming in. i had a monster headache all day to boot. still do, actually... but it's less intense, so that's good. i think it's just from the adjustment. i'm getting some sleep at night, so that's going better than i expected- last night, madison ate around 9, then slept till 2 am and then was up again at 5, so that was pretty amazing. i know babies can change their minds on a dime, so i'm not expecting every night to be like that!

adjusting...

i thought going from a couple to a family of three was an adjustment... that was a breeze compared to adding a fourth member!! since cole's not that old yet, it's a challenge- anyone with two kids under the age of two knows what i mean! yesterday was my first day alone with the two of them, and we all survived rather well. i'm hoping it's not just beginner's luck, hahaha!cole likes to "help" swing madison... he's surprisingly gentle about it, too!

madison didn't want her paci (read: cole tried to jam it in her eye), so he brought it to me instead.

tummy-time with daddy...

... and with mommy...

and now for a face-plant. how comfy.

cole went with kelvin to fleet farm last night... he was so good, he got to pick out a new toy! yes, daddy's a push-over. anyway, i guess he picked it out all by himself, and it's a pretty neat little bulldozer- three different sounds plus flashing lights; cole's in his glory! and i think it's great he got a little something, what with his whole world being turned upside-down. i do have to say, he's been incredibly good about the changes. he knows to be gentle with his baby sister, although sometimes he gets a little frustrated or impatient... which results in physical intervention from one of us. usually, though, he listens when we tell him to be gentle. he HAS tried to pick her up but is learning that mommy and daddy do NOT like it when he does that. he's going to be a doting big brother, i can tell it already. he loves to kiss and rub madison's head and gets pretty worried when he hears her crying. there have been some moments that have made me want to burst into tears because he's just SO sweet, but part of that is hormones, i'm sure. this whole 2-child household is nothing like i thought it would be; it's better than i'd ever imagined. i'm sure there will be days when i'll want to just hand them over to anyone who will take them and be done with it, but you have those days with just one, sometimes. all in all, these are the best days of my life!

madison's story

(so tired... that's a yawn, not a scream!)

anyone who gets a little squeamish about the whole labor and delivery idea should probably skip this post... because we're going to tell madison's story!

it all started wednesday the 14th. mom called in the afternoon to ask if she and sarah could come spend the night, since dad was going to be in madison (what a coincidence...) for a farm show. her concern was that with the bitter cold and wind, if we should happen to go into labor and the driveway was drifted over, there would be no way of them getting out. they came over and with the bitter cold, we all stayed home from meeting. we'd planned on having our own little study at home, but by the time cole went to bed, other things had started happening. having contractions at 3-5 minutes apart for an hour, i was still hesitant to even ask if we should come in. after about an hour and a half, i called the on-call nurse and she said we should probably head in to see what was happening. we got to the hospital a little after 10 pm, where they told me i was about 2 cm and hooked me up to the monitors. dr houlihan was on call that night, which was lucky! he advised that we stay throught the night and see how things progressed. kelvin crashed on the couch and i just paced, trying to get things moving. at 4 am, i dozed a little, and that slowed things down. after that, from the way the nurse was talking, i thought for sure we'd be sent home, so then i got a little anxious. dr houlihan showed up a bit after 8 am, and said that he'd like to see the baby show up sooner than later and suggested a pitocin drip. that was something i was trying to avoid, and despite knowing i could refuse it if i wanted, i agreed. if my body and the baby weren't ready, the pitocin wouldn't work and we'd get sent home... so i figured it was worth a try. not long after being hooked up, the contractions got a little more intense, as they do on a pit drip, and when dr houlihan came back around 1 pm, he said we were 4 cm dilated and effaced to 50 %: enough to have an amniotomy. he broke my water and things REALLY picked up from there! within about a half hour, i could feel a big difference. i was able to get off the monitors and into the nice big tub (complete with jets) for about an hour and a half and even with the pitocin, the contractions were SO tolerable! i'd read "ina may's guide to natural childbirth" (thank you, elissa and audrey!) so i tried to use as much as i could from that. at the shift change, one nurse came in to review and catch up and was flabbergasted that i hadn't had an epidural yet... apparently, it's relatively rare that anyone tries to go without one on pitocin. anyway, the time in the tub got me to between 6 and 7 cm, and once i was out of the water, it was harder to relax through the contractions. by this time, mom was there- we'd have loved to share the experience with everyone, but decided it was best to keep the crowd to a minimum this time, and since mom had missed cole's birth (and being that she's my MOM), we decided that she'd be the one to be there should we want a little extra support. let me tell you, she was great- i don't think i could have made it as far as i did without her! once i hit 7 cm, i got the shakes and just couldn't relax enough to progress any further. i remember starting to panic every time another contraction started and even though i tried as hard as i could, it was too overwhelming. but, i can proudly say i made it to 7 cm before getting an epidural! once the line was in, it wasn't long before those contractions felt VERY different. i wasn't 100% numb this time (i never felt a thing with cole- i couldn't feel myself push), but i knew the urge to push as soon as i felt it. things happened pretty fast- i pushed through about 6 contractions and there she was!! a few minutes after 8 pm, our little madison was born. almost the instant her head was out, her eyes were wide open and she was alert... dr houlihan delivered her head and shoulders and then, like with cole, he told me to reach down and take my baby. it's the neatest thing, to be able to be so involved with your baby's arrival- there's nothing like reaching down and pulling that tiny body the rest of the way out of your own. she scored 9 and 10 on her apgars, and she pinked up immediately. not surprising, since she was unbelievably active all through the labor... up until i started pushing, she was moving around so much that one of the nurses had to manually shift the monitor almost constantly. they say every pregnancy, labor and delivery is unique, and now i know just how true that is. even though we ended up with pitocin and an epidural again, i'm happy with how things went. i know that i tried my best and our little girl is healthy, and that's all that matters. even though i'd wanted to go completely drug-free, i can honestly say that i'm satisfied with how things went.

so, that's madison's birth story... something we'll never forget!! her first cries will always echo in my heart... so different than her big brother's. cole was lusty and loud, she was more on the delicate side of lusty. plenty of enthusiasm, just not as "boyish"! oh, and for the record, i didn't puke this time!! i thought i was going to at one point, but managed to avoid it... yay!

cole trying to "help"- he gets a bit worried when his baby sister starts crying!

awwwwww!

madison danielle!!

she's finally here, and we couldn't be happier!

madison danielle brotzman

15th january, 2009 @ 8:04 pm

8 pounds, 2.7 ounces

21.5 inches

seconds old...

she's already a daddy's girl... she zonked out with him for awhile- neither of them moved a muscle for over an hour! we got lucky and were moved to the one room in the hospital that's not a labor and delivery room... meaning, big queen sized bed!

madison and mommy

see? SO a daddy's girl!

she sleeps SO well... the first night, she slept for 3 or 4 hours solid, not a twitch or squeak. we're hoping that trend will continue, but as experience tells it, that may not necessarily be the case. either way, who cares? she's here and she's OURS!!! she's perfect, we think... she's got this purple birthmark on her scalp by her cowlick and a very oddly placed dimple under her right eye that shows only when she cries (we'll see if it shows when she smiles...) and she's just a long skinny thing. she's got incredibly slim, long fingers and toes and her legs, well, there's no thunder-thighs for this little peanut!

cole met madison at the hospital on friday... he did very well for being only 17 months. he was very gentle most of the time (he tends to strike out a little when he's frustrated so she did get a little swat on the side of the head, but it didn't phase her) and seemed a bit cheesed at mommy. he did excellent tonight, our first night back together as a family! he's a little confused as to where he stands now, but i think he'll adjust really well to his new role as a big brother. he's already shown plenty of affection; he rubbed madison's head, kissed her, snuggled his face next to her, tried to give her a paci... of course, when she didn't take it, he decided he'd suck on it instead, which inspired a round of pass-the-paci. anyway, we're all healthy and back together (oh, did i miss cole like i've never missed anyone in my life!!) and we couldn't be happier! i think this littl girl's a keeper!!

ahhh.

no, that's not the sigh of "oh, FINALLY labor's started"... i wish. that's the sigh of "FINALLY, it's finished". what's finished? well, slowly but surely i've been working on this whole sling thing, and in addition to offering regular fitted pouch slings as well as adjustables (which so far, have worked when i've ventured to put cole in it... ash and amber, yours are coming eventually, if you're still interested!), i put the final stitch in my crocheted sling this morning. at first, i thought it would be too small for me to even attempt to try, but they have enough stretch to them that it fit fine. and i have to say, i love the way it looks... just not right now, with the permanent pj's and humongous belly. anyway, feel free to mosey on over (i have a link posted) and check stuff out. as always, with friends and family there is this thing called a discount, so if anyone is interested, please let me know-there's a contact page there. and if anyone feels like passing it along to whoever they may think would be interested, feel free to do so :) this is my new business venture and i hope to post in craigslist, both locally and eventually in the bigger cities in other states. i'm hoping it'll take off, since i've had a lot of fun working on these and it's something i can do without having to worry about daycare costs.

anyway, as for baby #2, still nothing (obviously...), but we'll keep y'all posted!!

(not the best photo, but it'll do for now...)

while we wait...

... my son has taught me that there's more than one meaning of "crash cart". his version doesn't include someone hollering "code blue", thankfully; it does, however, keep him plenty occupied! for whatever reason, he loves this particular little wire utility cart... lucky for him, i don't have any dire need for it, so he's free to push it around to his heart's content, or park it somewhere that guarantees i'll trip over it. or crash it, if the mood suits.

hmmm, wheels!

for the record, cole eventually put it back upright on his own!

the other big thing here is cole has two molars poking through!! i noticed one about a week ago, just barely exposing itself and today i caught sight of one on the other side... they're both on the top, one on each side. no wonder he's been such a crankpot... i would be too! there are more coming so the ride ain't over, but it's two less that we have to worry about.

as for the baby, nothing new to report. i had some pretty hard contractions all last evening, but just as it looked like they'd be coming pretty regular, they tapered off. of course. grrr. they're still coming and going today, same as the last three weeks... maybe she's not stubborn after all- maybe she's SUPER laid-back! that would be a nice change... :) anyway, be assured that should anything happen, we'll update the blog before we leave. i hope that's soon, because i'm getting a little tired of living in my pj's and out of my suitcase- we're not going anywhere, and i'm living out of my suitcase. how crazy. i supposed i could just unpack everything, but that takes some energy i don't really have/am trying to save and anyway, it'd have to be repacked eventually, so it's probably better off staying put. come to think of it, we're all kind of doing that... cole's stuff is packed (but he has clothes in his room- just his bath stuff, motrin and teething tablets are in and out of the bag) and kelvin has a few things in a duffel... at least they can wear CLOTHES!!

and update again

so- we amazingly made it to our appointment tonight... once again, dr h was a tad bit surprised that we were there. but there was a little progress- i'm dilated to a full 2 cm and the baby's head is FINALLY DOWN!!! he attempted to stretch me a bit again, as well as stripped my membranes, so maybe it won't be long. in the event that we DO make it to the appointment we disappointingly scheduled for next week, dr h said that we'll have to pick a date to induce. but since the results this time were slightly less disappointing than last week's, we're more hopeful that it'll be soon. we did pack our bags and some things for cole and took them along just in case, so poor kelvin had to go out and unload them from the van when we got home. wouldn't it be funny if he had to run them right back out?? it'd be nice... maybe the stripping did something, since we've been having harder contractions every 6 to 10 minutes since we left the clinic. i'm trying to keep my excitement to a minimum, since we've been on this rollercoaster for the past three weeks, but positive thinking can go a long way. as for the baby, she's doing great- steady heartbeat, and she even showed off for dr h and the nurse- her bum was clearly visible as i was laying on the table... they got a good laugh out of it. and the nurse had a jolly good chuckle when he stripped my membranes- she said we had matching grimaces! i highly doubt his was because of discomfort, though... lol.

anyway, that's the news here- hopefully it won't be very long and things will get moving enough that we'll finally be able to say "she's here"... !

yo-j and shoes...

... but still no baby sister. oh well- oblivion is good at this point! for now, cole has discovered the joys of yo-j and wearing auntie sarah's shoes. not at the same time, of course.his first taste of yo-j... wildberry! yummm. i added milk to thin it out a bit... still good, i guess!

SO pleased with the new drink. what a grin!

sarah and chase came over for a little while in the afternoon and evening... any time there are shoes left on the floor, cole will play with them. this time, he decided to try to wear them, just like auntie sarah does. he had the right idea and before long, was slipping them on like a pro.

he was so proud of himself for being able to walk in them, he had to give himself a round of applause (with auntie sarah clapping along). who knew shoes could be SO MUCH FUN!!!

meanwhile, all's quiet on the "baby front". beyond frustrated, i had a bit of a breakdown yesterday... i was determined to take this all in stride, but couldn't stop the tears after yet another day of timing contractions to no avail. tomorrow is our appointment with dr h, and hopefully we can get a little help in moving things along. if everything's right, we could have an amniotomy, or i'm even open to the idea of cervadil... NO PITOCIN, though... that's not happening again. i don't think i'll have to argue my case too hard, as dr h was surprised enough to see us last week, never mind this week. we have a late afternoon appointment, so that means waiting all day, but really, i've got nothing better to do. lol. i think that to be on the safe side, i'm going to pack a bag for cole and throw the last-minute stuff into my bag just in case we end up getting admitted... better to be safe than sorry. what's the worst that could happen- we end up going home instead? at least we'll be prepared, just in case... like i said, i don't think we'll have to twist dr h's arm too much to request a little nudge. oh, and apparently, dr h had a little excitement this weekend... someone broke into his house, armed, with no intent of robbing the place. from what people are saying, he and his son did a number on the guy, sending him to jail with a stop at the er on the way. i can't picture him beating up a guy that bad, but i guess given the circumstances... we're really relieved that he's ok, since we like our dr!!