well, hello there!

So sorry for my absence...I feel that there's more of that to come. I have barely enough time to shower, let alone get on the computer.

I just wanted to give an update. We're all doing well. Emerson's adjustment to life as an older sibling has been A-MAZ-ING. I truly had no expectations for her, but she's blown me away. She loves Pete, and starts every day by saying something like "Hiya, Pete. It's good to see ya." or something to that effect. Some of my personal favorites have been "Hey Mom...what happened to his eyebrows?" or "My goodness, your hands are small, Pete." Sigh.

Pete, for his part has been a model baby. He really just eats and sleeps, with an occasional burst of gas here and there. Of course, the nighttime feedings are taking their toll on us, but he's been such a pleasant kid that we don't even mind the mind-numbing tiredness.

We have had daily help from my mom, who ROCKS, by the way. She's been here just about every day, doing laundry, washing dishes, playing with Emerson, dusting, and just generally keeping me sane. I am SO BLESSED to be close to my parents, both physically and emotionally.

And, of course, Jeff has been amazing. He gets up with me for every night feeding to help me get Pete settled in, and is the one to calm Pete if he's having a hard time falling back to sleep. He's a baby whisperer, don't you know. He has been there for nearly every doctor visit, lactation consultation, and even ER visit for me (I wound up with pneumonia last week. Really.) He has been amazing, and in addition to falling in love with our new kiddo, I'm falling in love with my husband all over again. Sigh again.

Thank you for all the kind thoughts, words, cards, and emails. We have our first orthopedic appointment tomorrow, and I'm anxiously waiting to hear what they have to say. I'd say that I'll keep you posted, but realistically, I'm going to be hit or miss here for the next couple of weeks. I PROMISE to try not to neglect you, but you fall in line behind the 2 kids, husband, self, work, and cat. :)


Hope you're having a great week!

pics from the weekend

Hi all! We're home from the hospital and I have a bit of energy, so you get to be the beneficiaries!

These are from the delivery room minutes after Pete came into this world.




Big sister Emerson was telling everyone within earshot that she has a new baby brother named Pete. Their first meeting could not have gone better, in my opinion. It was a huge relief for me.






Some pics with Grammy & Grandpa, Emerson, and our new family of 4.






I'm off to bed...for an hour or two, anyway. 'Nite, all.

meet pete

We are so excited to introduce Peter Vincent. He was born after a very quick labor and only 4 pushes. We are both doing great, and Emerson is SO excited to be a big sister to "baby Pete."

tomorrow is the day

Well, after 39 weeks and 3 days, Deuce will be arriving on Friday. I'm full of excitement, nerves, trepidation, and emotions as I prepare to be a new mama again.

I'll keep you posted...

ready?

Just going over some last minute things around here...

Bags packed? Check.

Grammy and Grandpa on standby for a sleepover with Emerson? Check.

Baby clothes washed? Check.

Diapers put away? Check.

Emerson getting excited? Check.

Baby ready to make the grand entrance?

I said, Baby ready to make the grand entrance?




Um, hello? Is this thing on? Testing, testing.


Drat.

m is for marshmallow AND guess what we did today?

I have been extra-truly, deeply, madly in love with my daughter lately, and am relishing these last days of being a Mama to one kiddo. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to.

Yesterday, our friend G. came over to play, and we made the letter "m" out of marshmallows. We might have nibbled a few along the way as well.






And today, we had quite the adventure. We went BOWLING! When we walked in, Emerson was in awe of all the action and she kept saying "This is like a special Wii game." Hmmm...maybe we need to lay off the video games a bit. From the looks of things, she was obviously quite excited to bowl. It was a big hit! Great idea, Papa ;)

t minus 11 days...

...and I'm starting to get salty. Come ON, already, kid.

Sheesh.

i have a problem

Bear with me...this one is kinda random, even for me.

We have several stray cats in the neighborhood, one of whom has chosen to make his home in and around our yard. I'm a cat person, so this doesn't bother me at all. We don't leave food around, but he does drink from our sump pump hose during the winter. Resourceful little creature, he is. Anyhoo, my office is now in the basement, and during the afternoon, I hear him meowing and clawing at the window well covers. I don't know if he's looking for our cat or what, but it's somewhat odd. And two times in the last month, I've walked into the basement to be socked with the smell of cat urine spray. I'm convinced that this stray is peeing in/on our window well covers to mark his turf. And it STINKS!

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, "Alison, YOU have a cat. It's YOUR cat who is spraying." But I really don't think it is, and here's why. 1. She's 8 years old and has never sprayed before. 2. She's a female, and it's much more rare for them to spray to mark their territory than a male. 3. The smell dissipates after a few hours...if it were inside and in the carpet, it wouldn't go away on its own. 4. It's right by the window (which is, unfortunately, the window next to my desk. Eww.)

Anyone have experience with an outdoor cat spraying at your house? I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks~

yep. i'm still pregnant

And I'm starting to get belligerant about it. With Emerson, she was out and home by now. But Deuce is adhearing to a more conventional timetable. I guess I shouldn't complain...the longer he/she "cooks," the better it will be. But this whole labor and delivery thing is somewhat all consuming in my thoughts.

I had a dr. appt this morning, and I'm still 60% effaced and 1-2 cm dialated. Not much change from last week. I'm not gonna lie...I came home in a snit about it. My whole mood and attitude was awful this morning. Couple that with a 2 1/2 year-old who has a cold and is feeling rather defiant, and well, it was a long, LONG morning. Mercifully, she took a nap, and I used the time to clear my head and get some rest. While I was mulling over the day, I had a revelation. What if I DO go into labor today? What if this morning was my very last bit of time alone with just me and Em? That stopped me dead in my tracks.

No way. Nuh-uh. I'm not going out like that.

That one thought was enough to make me realign my priorities, my mood, and my attitude. And from the time Emerson woke up, it was a tale of 2 days. The rest did her a world of good, and I'd like to think that she fed off of my improved 'tude and improved her own. And do you know what? We had a great time together this afternoon. Not a lot of fussing, arguing, or counting to 3. Just some good, old fashioned girl time with my favorite Tootsie.

That's what it's all about.

Make it a great end of the week!