March 31, 2006
Cuties
sweet sleeping baby
Notice all of the stickers on Caleb's shirt...he loves when we get return address labels for free in the mail.
Caleb decides to share his blankie with his crying baby sister who isn't feeling well today.
I just love every inch of him.
Posted by michellew at 02:43 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
December 08, 2005
The low down
Thanks to all of you in blogland who have been praying for us. We can really tell as things have been going so well, much better than expected. There are so many ways that God has answered our prayers over the past week. One of the major ones is going into labor without being induced! So here's the labor story and be warned I'm known to be long winded when telling stories, I just don't like to leave out the details!
I was scheduled to be induced Thursday at 6:15 in the morning. I definitely didn't want to be induced because of fears of pitocin. After talking with my friend who used to be a midwife, I decided to try drinking castor oil to see if it would get labor started for me. Wednesday morning I went to my midwife and she stripped my membranes again. At that point I was about 2 centimeters and 50% effaced. (btw I'm not leaving any gory details out so if you don't want to know, don't read :) ) I went to walmart afterwards to get a few things. Then I came home and went for a long walk. I wasn't feeling any contractions at this point and started gearing myself up for some castor oil.
I called Lynn, who got her labor started using a certain concoction. So at 1pm I drank 1 ounce of vodka, 1 ounce of castor oil, and 1 ounce of crystal light. (hence the pictures in my previous post) It called for orange juice, but I can't drink that with my sugar free diet. I mixed it all together as well as I could and tried to get it down relatively fast. Well after about ten minutes nursing my cocktail I threw it up. Yuck! Since it pretty much all came back up, I drank another dose of it. But this time it stayed down. I was so glad. After the combination of alcohol and a long walk I needed a nap and layed down for an hour or so. Then I took another dose of it (this time without the vodka) and things seemed to start happening. That is sitting on the toilet off and on for the next couple of hours and having some cramping and some minor contractions.
It was kind of hard to tell between contractions and my stomach sickness from the castor oil. But by 6 pm we knew that I was definitely in labor as my contractions were a minute long and 4-5 minutes apart. We called my midwife around 8pm and she said it was up to us when to come in. I was so paranoid about going too early since we went back and forth from the hospital with Caleb's labor 3 times. But Bob reminded me that we weren't going to be coming home if it wasn't "time" because they'd just keep us and induce in the morning if for some reason things would stop or slow down.
We got to the hospital about 8:30 or 9 and Dave came over to be at the house with Caleb (he was asleep already; another answered prayer that things would work well timing wise with Caleb, he went to sleep for the night just when contractions were getting harder) My parents arrived at the hospital about an hour after we did. This was another prayer answered as I really wanted my mom here for the delivery, but they live 8 hours away. They were already on the road because I was to be induced in the morning. So that worked out great!
I was 4 centimeters when I got to the hospital and decided to walk the halls for a while, spending some time in the bed being monitored. My midwfe was great, there for me, but also gave us time to ourselves, which I liked. I tried different things to relax, nice music, the whirlpool tub, walking, birthing ball etc. I went into this birth thinking I'd probably get an epidural but wanted to give it a try without one. When I had Caleb I was dead set against it, but was so exhausted I couldn't do it anymore. But this time my main goal was avoiding a c-section and so I figured that if I made it to 7 or 8 centimeters and got an epidural that risk would drop significantly. So I labored through the night and got to 7.5 centimeters. I physically knew that I still had energy to relax (unlike Caleb's labor) but I just didn't want to anymore. I was also really scared of the pains of transition and pushing. So I got the epidural.
One common misconception about them is that once you say you want it you get it right away. Not true. I had to wait through a bag and a half of IV fluids. For some reason the fluids were going really slowly, this was so frustrating. But I got the epidural about 5 am and as you know Alice was born at 5:48 am. So once I had it I progressed very quickly.
Its weird, with both my labors when I got to about 6-7 centimeters my contractions start to spread out a lot. (like 4-5 minutes apart) So when it came time to push, they were literally standing around waiting for another contraction to come. I pushed through 2 contractions and then my midwife, Laure, had me push when I wasn't having one. It didn't quite register at the time, but afterwards she told me Alice's heart rate was dropping and we didn't have the time to wait for another one.
I had a mirror this time so I could watch Alice come out. That may sound gross to some of you, but it was the most amazing thing! I'll never forget getting to see her be born. Once her head was out we saw why her heart rate was dropping, the cord was tight around her neck. Laure quickly clamped it and still had Bob cut the cord which was cool. But it was so close to her neck, I was a little nervous. Then Bob was able to catch the rest of her coming out. It was great! She was briefly put on my tummy, but since she still wasn't crying and looked a bit stunned and pale they took her over to the warmer to stimulate her into crying. It took about 2-3 minutes but when I heard her cry it was just incredible. I couldn't see her from where I was but hearing her, well I can't describe it.
When the placenta was delivered Laure said it had calcifications (which means it had started to break down) and she had to go in to retrieve membranes that were left behind inside of me. She was literally up to her elbow sweeping my uterus out (too much info for ya?). She said at the time I should be very very glad that I had an epidural as that would have been extremely painful without one. I could tell that, as I was in pain having to breath through it WITH the epidural. A friend of mine said she has had friends who said that process of retrieving membranes was more painful for them than labor was. Its dangerous to not get it all so they have to be really thorough. Laure also said she had never pulled so many membranes out of someone before. Anyway, I was super thankful I didn't have to go through that without pain medicine.
After about 10 minutes they brought Alice over to me and it was just amazing! I remember being so surprised that she didn't look much like Caleb at all. It didn't help that she was so pale at the time from delivery. But she was still so beautiful and precious. She nursed one side within 30 minutes of delivery and stayed on for 20 minutes! What a difference from Caleb. She really nursed well in the hospital and continues to do so well. I'm so thankful for that. You have to see the one week pictures on Bob's blog of Caleb and Alice and look at the huge difference in their cheeks. Caleb was just so much skinnier. Seeing those big cheeks on my baby girl is so comforting to this mama. Thanks to all for praying that nursing goes well. Please continue to pray as I'm having a lot of trouble with my back and fibro seems to be returning like it did after Caleb was born. Though overall things are just so much less stressful than when Caleb was born. I'm really enjoying Alice, time with her is so precious! Though I do miss Caleb, but we'll adjust eventually.
Well I think this is my longest post ever. If you're still reading, I'm impressed! Hopefully more posts to come, count on Bob's blog for lots of cute pictures etc. My parents left yesterday afternoon and Bob's come this evening. Can't wait for them to meet Alice. What a sweetie she is.
Posted by michellew at 11:26 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
December 04, 2005
Thanks Lynn, it worked!
posted on behalf of michellew by bobw
more details to come
Posted by michellew at 09:43 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
November 23, 2005
10 day forecast
I was just checking the 10 day forecast and it hit me, "one of these dates will be my little girl's birthday!" Woo hoo, I'm ready to have this baby. If you read Bob's blog, which you probably do, you've seen that my midwife wanted to induce me soon, as in on Monday. But I talked with her yeseterday and asked to be able to go at least a week over, so I'm scheduled to be induced Thursday morning, December 1st.
What's so funny about this date is that its when Bob always said, half jokingly, that she'd be born. Back when I was getting excited because she dropped early I was thinking maybe she'd be a week and a half early. Well so Bob wouldn't get his hopes up he'd jokingly say "December first" or "She's not coming till December." I would get annoyed because I wanted to be hopeful she'd be early. Well here we are, the day before my due date, and I think it quite possible that Bob was right. We'll have a good Thanksgiving with friends tomorrow, a nice weekend at home (maybe decorating for Christmas!) and then next week she'll come. We'll see. Oh and I'm sure Bob will have it on his blog within at least 24 hours of her being born as his mom wants to see pictures. So keep checking, as I'm sure you all are doing.
Posted by michellew at 03:40 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
November 10, 2005
My baby boy
As I put Caleb down for a nap this afternoon I found myself fighting back tears. It really surprised me, but I was just starting to mourn a little bit the loss of just "our time" together. I have been and am so excited to have this baby and to meet my little girl for the first time face to face. I can't wait to start our new life as a family of four together. But as I hugged my sweet baby boy I was struck with how everything will change so drastically for him and for me.
He has been such a delight to our hearts these past several weeks. Bob and I have found ourselves wondering if everyone has this much fun and enjoys their kids this much? He's really a crack up sometimes. His sense of humor is really coming out, the way he plays with Katie and gives me a look that tells me he's joking around with me. I love to watch him concentrate as he determines to build with his blocks and put together his board puzzles. I feel like every day I get to know him in a new way as he grows. He loves saying, Apple, Daddy, Bu (for book), and other sounds for cheese, wooch, and sometimes something close to mama. We're so thankful for the times we're having with him and I just pray he does well as we all adjust to life with his little sister, my baby girl.
I know he'll do well after a little while and having two will be even much more of a delight, but for now I'm hanging on a bit to my precious time with Caleb. I never dreamed that I could love him this much. What a gift, what a blessing, God is good.
Posted by michellew at 02:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 18, 2005
She'll come sometime that's for sure
Not much to post on, just to report that the baby dropped. When that happened with Caleb, 5 weeks before I had him, the doctor told me there was no way I'd make it to my due date. So we believed him and were excited that the baby would be 1-3 weeks early. Well Caleb was 4 days late. So you'd think I'd learn right?
Well, this baby has dropped 6.5 weeks before her due date, so of course I'm calculating that she'll be born 1.5 weeks early (5 weeks of dropped baby, like Caleb's birth). But Bob insists this baby will be a week late and born December 1st. I know he just doesn't want to get his hopes up that we can meet our little girl earlier than expected. He doesn't want those fragile hopes dashed once again. But I'm willing to risk my hopes being dashed. I just can't help it. A good friend of mine told me to pack my bags and then forget about it. Well its nearly impossible for me to forget about it, I want to meet my little girl! (and I did sort of start packing my bag yesterday) Plus, with dropping and all I'm a lot more sore and getting more braxton hicks. It just doesn't seem like this will last 6.5 weeks, but you know, I could be and probably am wrong.
But either way, if she comes early, late or on time, at least I'm getting excited about her coming! Thinking about her coming early really helps me feel like this is going to happen and get more attached to the baby and the fact that I will have to go through labor again. I know, you'd think a huge belly would confirm to me that this is indeed happening, but its not the same as picturing her here. So go ahead all you experienced 2nd timers out there, tell me she'll come when she's ready and I shouldn't get worked up about it. I know, I know, I just can't help it.
Posted by michellew at 04:21 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
October 10, 2005
Getting there
As you can tell if you've read Bob's blog today, we had a good weekend. The highlight of which is Caleb is finally able and/or willing to try standing on his own. He doesn't stand up from a sitting position by himself, but when we put him on his feet he can stay standing! This is such a huge confidence booster for him and I'm hoping it will encourage him to take a few steps in the coming week or two. We'll see. Here's a few pictures of him standing. You can see he's celebrating his little achievement in the one picture. (notice the dog in the background who couldn't care less, little does she know once he can pull himself up onto the couch, life as she knows it will change!)
Posted by michellew at 09:18 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
Window watcher
If you've been to our house you know we have a built in alarm for when people are at the door, that is our dog. She goes crazy when people first come and she knows the sounds of our cars so is even crazier when she knows we are home.
Caleb has quickly learned that when Katie is barking, someone is here. And when she's going really crazy, that daddy is home. The cruel part of this cute little game is when Katie goes crazy and Caleb thinks daddy is home, but he's not. He stands so expectantly at the window looking out. Being the one coming home and seeing that little face peek out of the window is one of the cutest things ever. Melts my heart and Bob's too.
Posted by michellew at 04:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
Shoes and Bargains
Talking with my sister this morning made me realize that maybe I should be trying out some shoes on Caleb's feet. Her boys are walking, but refuse to keep their shoes on. They just aren't used to them. Which makes sense. Caleb isn't walking yet, but I got these shoes at the Jack and Jill Sale, so I'd thought we'd try them out. He was kind of excited about them and we walked around for a while (me holding both of his hands) with them on. Though he walked a lot more slowly because of the shoes. This was right before nap time, so he got tired of it and tried to take them off, but couldn't get them. So maybe that's a good thing? Anyway, here's some cute pictures of my big boy with his "new" shoes. You can see he got a little tired of it. But that won't keep me from trying again!
Oh yeah and I have to report more bargains found at the Jack and Jill Sale. Its a consignment sale held every spring and fall for kids clothes, toys, baby garb, anything you can think of for raising kids. Anyway, we got a baby swing for 10 bucks! We borrowed one before, but those friends moved away and I thought for 10 bucks it was worth it to have our own. I also scored some fun winter baby girl clothes for not much money at all. And I got Caleb some clothes for this fall and winter on Tuesday. Saturday is half price day there, so I think next spring I'll just go on Saturday, there was still plenty of clothing to pick from. The prices are a bit more than thrift store prices, but you can't beat the selection, organization, and being able to clothe your kid for an entire season in just one (or two) outings. I love the 50 cent deals at thrift stores but you have to go back again and again to get all that you might need, and they aren't always very organized. So we're ready for winter clothes wise after I pick up a few long sleeve onesies for the baby girl at old navy.
Posted by michellew at 12:43 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
Big Brother
Its the real deal folks, this baby is coming and my baby Caleb is going to be a big brother! Wow, helps it all sink in a little more. Thanks to Ramona for the cute big brother shirt, as you can tell, Caleb loves it.
Posted by michellew at 08:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 08, 2005
29 and counting
I'm 29 weeks pregnant today. Went to my midwife yesterday and I'm supposed to be back in 2 weeks. It seems crazy that I'm already to that point in my pregnancy where I have to go that often. I still can't believe how fast this has gone. Its been a completely different experience this time around.
With Caleb's pregnancy we had SO much preparing to do: registering for gifts (and making decisions about what we need/don't need/want), baby showers, organizing clothes given to us, getting his room ready (sewing up a storm for it), went to Bradley classes once a week, visited hospitals where we might want to deliver, went to cpr and breastfeeding classes, and read lots and lots of books. I was also pregnant at the same time as my sister, so we talked at least a couple of times a week to see how each other was feeling. So all of that really kept me focused and I guess somewhat prepared emotionally for Caleb to come. His room was all ready, so I could in some ways picture him there. Though I was still clueless about what it was really going to be like to be a mom.
But this time is completely different!
I think it took 2 entire trimesters for Bob and I to even remember on a daily basis that I was pregnant. All our energies are focused on Caleb, plus we have all the baby stuff we need, so we don't have to go through all of those decisions and organizing stuff. We've borrowed a crib for her, that fits in our room and I made a slip cover for a potential nursing chair, but that's about it!
So I guess its due to not always talking and reading and preparing for this baby to come, that it really doesn't feel like she's coming. Don't get me wrong, my stomach shows me there's no doubt that she'll be here in a couple of months, but it doesn't feel quite real. I don't think it will until she actually arrives.
There are some things that I need to do before she comes:
-clear out dresser drawers to make room for her clothes
-go through Caleb's clothes to see what she'll be able to wear
-then figure out where I'm lacking in clothes and let people know
-maybe read through our bradley workbook to help remind myself what labor is like and how to cope through it
-make some meals to freeze (thanks for all the great meal advice everyone!)
Well I guess that's it. Doesn't seem like a whole lot really. Which I guess is a good thing. Maybe I'm missing something? Well if I am I'm sure it'll be alright. So ready or not, this baby will be here in about 77 days!
Posted by michellew at 11:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 29, 2005
A good weekend
I have an awesome husband! Really I do. I'm so thankful for him, how he sacrifices every day for us, in work, at home, at church, and in the small and big things. We got to go out for our anniversary on Saturday night and had a blast. We haven't been out in a while and our friends the Okies babysat for us, which we were so thankful for. We stopped in at Barnes and Noble to find a baby book for our little girl and got a really cute one. It doesn't have much to fill in, which is good, because I don't think I could keep up with a lot to fill out.
Then we went to see March of the Penguins. It was great. Its a documentary on the emperor penguin and how they mate. The baby penguins literally looked like stuffed animals, they were so cute. The extremes these animals go to to bear children make pregnancy look SO easy. The fathers don't eat for 4 months, as they care for the egg and newborn baby. Then the mothers come back and the fathers make the long trek back to where there is food. If you get the chance to see it, do! There's so many great lessons of love and sacrifice in their story.
After the movie we went back to Barnes and Noble to look around and get a little snack. We ended up looking at the cards and got to laughing our heads off at some of them. We haven't laughed like that together in so long, it was great. I couldn't help noticing my pregnant belly jiggling away as I laughed, which at times made me laugh harder. Its really sticking out there these days!
So here's to 6 wonderful, and at times difficult, years of marriage and one year of parenthood with the man I love. Here's Bob doing one of his many Caleb jobs, drying him off after bath time. The shots a little blurry, but still cute!
Posted by michellew at 10:28 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
He said "mama"
Caleb has been saying different sounds for a long time. For a while he went through a phase where he'd cry and cry "ma ma ma ma ma ma." Some wanted to tell me he was crying for me, but I didn't buy it.
So Bob has been asking him "where's mama?" or "point to mama Caleb" and he's kind of getting into it. Last night it was time for bed and Caleb was sitting in the middle of the floor. Bob was turning off the cd player and said something like "go get mama, Caleb" or "where's mama?". Anyway, he looks at me across the room, points his cute little chubby finger and says "mama!" with a huge smile on his face. Yippee, it made my little heart go pitter patter, my baby knows me! He said it, he really said it!
Posted by michellew at 12:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 15, 2005
"Growing like a weed"
We had a great weekend with family and friends celebrating Caleb's birthday (check out Bob's blog for lots of fun pictures). Wow, my little boy is a year old already! Time has really gone by quickly.
We went to the doctor this morning and he weighs 23 pounds 4.5 ounces (50-75%) and is 33 inches tall (over 100%)! He's literally way off of the charts on height. The nurse measured him twice because he grew 3.25 inches in 3 months. I knew he was tall, but man that's a lot of growing going on. His doctor is great and had all kinds of good advice for switching him to milk and exclaimed "my he's growing like a weed". Gotta love it.
He did alright with his shots, well he screamed, but that's to be expected. They want him back in 3 months and it hit me, wow I could be coming back with 2 kids instead of just one! I'm a little more than 3 months from my due date. So either I'll be enormous when I take him for his 15 month check-up or I'll have my little girl with me.
Here's a picture of Caleb enjoying his birthday present from us. Some parents want to keep their kids from walking as along as possible, but not us. I want him to be walking really well by the time this little girl comes! He better not take after me, as I didn't walk till I was 20 months. So hopefully this walker will help him on his way. He already does really well with it.
Posted by michellew at 12:19 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 05, 2005
Into everything, literally
Here's the proof that Caleb is really into it all. Of course after I took these pictures he got reprimanded for sitting in the drawer. Poor kid. But he does love to play with these two drawers, emptying and filling, its so cute. He also loves playing baby hand soccer with the empty water jugs. Its great finding things that he likes to do in the kitchen so I can get things done in there too.
Posted by michellew at 09:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 23, 2005
Getting Excited
I've been thinking about going on vacation for the last week. We get to go to the beach and the lake (in Vermont) for 2 weeks this summer and I can't wait. Every morning I wake up thinking about it. I think about seeing my nephews and niece again mostly. I can' t wait to see Caleb interacting even more with them this time. We'll be at my aunt's beach house for a week with my side of the family (acutally only 5 days). Then its off to the lake in Vermont to spend time with Bob's family.
We're adding some stops along the way to see our grandparents. If Bob's grandma doesn't make it to the lake, we'll stop and see her in New Jersey. And on the way home from Vermont we'll stop to see my Grandmother, Nana. We just heard that her cancer is far far advanced and they've given her less than six months to live. Its so hard dealing with this news. The first thing I thought is that she probably won't get to meet the baby I'm carrying. Gosh that's just hard to swallow. It really makes me face the reality of her being gone before she's even gone. Its been over 3 years since I've seen her and she's never met Caleb. So we must stop to see her, if we do anything at all!
Then hopefully we'll get to see Grampy and Alice, my grandfather and stepgrandmother. They are our sweetheart newlywed grandparents. Ok they've been married for 10 years, but they don't act like it! I love them so much. Alice is so dear to me and Grampy can make me laugh like no other. He's 90 this year and quicker with the wit than about anyone I know. We got to see them at my brother's wedding, which was wonderful, but I definitely want to see them again. I've always had a special bond with Grampy. When Granny died (my grandmother) I held his hand throughout the graveside service. He and my dad have always told me that I am so much like my Granny. I wouldn't know because I never knew her as she was. I always remember her with Alzheimers. Telling stories like it really happend yesterday of when her kids were little and singing hymns she knew all from heart. But she was, well its hard for me to describe what they've told me. But I know its my headstrongness, the way I joke with Grampy, some of my health issues, and I guess the way Grampy and I interact overall that reminds my dad of his mom. So I hope to spend time with Grampy and Alice, especially since I'm going to miss his 90th birthday party the second week of June.
Posted by michellew at 05:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
Baby proofing
As Caleb gets more mobile and closer each day to crawling, we've been thinking about baby proofing the house. I'm wanting to get started on that this weekend. Since I've never done this before, I'm not sure how to go about it. I'm sure there are sites out there if I googled "baby proofing house" but I'd like your advice, if you have any to give. We have some of those outlet covers which we need to put into place. A question we have about those is that we have outlets on the FLOOR! The outlets are dark brown in color and the floor is brown so they kind of blend in. If we put a bright white outlet cover on it, won't it just attract Caleb to it? Maybe I should color the cover with a marker.
Also I've thought of getting those drawer closers, is that what they are called? You know the things you put on kitchen and bathroom drawers so the baby can't open them? Are those necessary? Also we have a lot of floor lamps, but we need the lighting they give. Is that too dangerous to leave them? I don't want to be too hyper about this stuff, but also wanting to keep Caleb safe. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by michellew at 09:57 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Caleb update
Caleb will be 6 months old tomorrow! We went to his appointment this morning and he weighs 17 lbs 7 oz, and he's 28 inches tall. For weight he's in the 50th percentile, and for height he's in the 90-95th percentile. I thought he had to be close to 18 pounds because man is he getting heavy to carry around. He didn't get a nap before we went so he was super tired. He hardly ever will fall asleep in my arms when we are out but he did at the doctors. He wasn't asleep more than 5 minutes when the nurse came in to give him his shots. Poor baby, man did he scream! I'm so thankful for another good health update from the doctor, we are so thankful for our healthy little boy.
We switched to the next size car seat this past weekend because I just couldn't keep up with carrying him in the infant seat. In some ways its easier running into places because I can just carry him and not worry about that huge seat. Caleb is now rolling over both directions and almost able to sit on his own. I think he's figuring out that he can roll to get places, which is so fun. He loves his jumper and has a great time just playing with his toys. He's also gotten up on his knees a couple of times, so crawling could be just around the corner. He has his two bottom teeth, and they look so cute. I think Katie has figured out that being near Caleb equals pain! He always grabs a fist full of her hair and pulls hard, she squeaks and looks at me like, help!! So they are still friends but Katie keeps her distance more these days. We're having fun with him and can't believe he's half a year old already! Wow. This picture is of a sweater and hat my Aunt Betty Jean knit for Caleb, isn't it cute? There is a bit of a glare but if you look closely you can see his two little teeth. Check out Bob's blog for some other cute pictures of him.
Posted by michellew at 12:43 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 26, 2005
busy talker
Caleb is changing so much. He's mister busy into everything these days. He used to be content to stand in my lap and look around, but no longer. Whatever he sees he wants to put in his mouth or grab. So he's never still. Its fun to see his little personality emerging. It seems more and more that he may favor me instead of Bob in that regard. Two days ago he started talking. Of course not saying words, but all those baby syllables. And he did it all day long! Its like he's discovered a new toy, and needs to keep playing with it over and over. What fun! I'm sure there will be days when I'm ready for him to stop talking, but for now, its fun.
I've been having a lot of good health days, which I'm so thankful for. It seems like ever since I started praying more regularly for healing God has been reminding me of how sick I used to be, and how much he has already healed me. The other day I actually cleaned! Now this may not be a big deal to some, but to me, it's huge. For so long I haven't had the energy to clean around here. If I did do it, I'd have to sleep the rest of the day away. But its not like that anymore. I do need to take it easy the next day (yesterday I was kind of wiped out), feeling sore and more tired, but at least I was able to do it. Its the small victories that I need to take joy in.
When Caleb was born I was given a Christmas cactus with cool rocks in the pot and everything. I really like it. I'm notoriously horrible to plants and so I was thankful to be given such a hardy plant. Well the other day I found a bloom on it! I've never had any of my plants bloom before (most likely due to neglect in watering). I was so excited that I took this picture to the left. Yesterday it was in full bloom looking really cool. I was also feeling thankful that it wasn't pink, my mom had a pink one, but mine is red. I'm a much bigger fan of red. 
Anyway, so last night I went to get something off of the shelf it sits on and it crash to the floor. I had noticed earlier that day it was leaning a little but didn't do anything about it. I think I'm just not meant to be a house plant person. Here's my crush plant, it was everywhere, but looks kind of cute in that broken pot.
Posted by michellew at 10:38 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 11, 2005
Happy 5 Months Caleb
Today Caleb is 5 months old. Everyone told me that time would fly by with a new little baby and they were right. Its amazing all he does differently now that he didn't even do last month. He's constantly rolling over to his back at nap times, then getting frustrated because he can't figure out how to get back on his tummy. He started solids, though I still haven't introduced other foods besides cereal. I'm wanting to make my own baby food and got a list of tips from a friend and also got a book at McKays on making your own baby food. It has great ideas!
Caleb is also playing so much more with his toys and always grabbing at our faces. He loves grabbing my lip and refusing to let go, ouch! He's also gotten into his jumper that hangs in the doorway. He screeches with delight when I put him in it. Some of his current favorite toys are his teething bead ring, baby mirror, jumper, play gym and of course still loves his bouncer.
He seems to have been teething for the past month or so with no teeth showing until today! He has a little white bump on his lower gums and it looks like its about to come through. It is so strange to think about him actually having teeth. I've gotten so used to just gums, it may take some getting used to.
I'm sure there are other new things he's doing, but those are the ones that come to mind. We just love him so much and are so thankful for God's gift to us in Caleb. I've definitely had trying moments (like last week) but the good moments outshine those frustrating ones. Though I know, like my love for Bob, my love for Caleb needs to keep growing as I learn to sacrifice myself for him.
Posted by michellew at 11:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 06, 2005
Good Buddies
We weren't sure when Caleb arrived how Katie would take it. And if you read Bob's blog you already know they get along great. Well lately they've been having a lot of fun together. Its so fun to watch Caleb's face just light up when Katie is around. All she has to do is sit there and he looks at her and chuckles or squeals with delight. The feeling is mutual on Katie's part especially after meal time because inevitably there's some cereal left on his hands. So we're having fun watching them. I love that Caleb will get to grow up with her. 
Posted by michellew at 09:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 17, 2004
Have baby and dog, will travel
As I mentioned before, we are going to Bob's parents for Christmas. I'm really excited, as we haven't been anywhere for longer than a weekend since January! Its been a long vacationless year, not that I'm complaining. Its been an awesome year.
Of course we are taking Caleb, and we are also bringing Katie. We've traveled with Katie before and she does great. But this is a first with Caleb. So any of you road warriors with kids have any great travel advice? (besides drive thru the night we are NOT doing that, at least this time) Its amazing all the baby stuff we have to think about when being on the road. I really need to start making a list, and uh checking it twice. ;)
I also have a winter baby question that I might call the pediatrician about if I can't find the answer online. Caleb sucks his thumb all of the time, which is so darn cute. Well now that its colder his poor little thumb and fingers are red and becoming cracked.
They aren't bleeding yet, but it looks like they could be very soon. I know I'm not supposed to put baby lotion on his hands because those chemicals will go right into his mouth. So what should I use to help his poor little thumbs? (yes he sucks both of them) I've thought about vaseline, but seems like it would be super messy. Any suggestions you seasoned parents out there?
Posted by michellew at 09:17 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 14, 2004
Christmas memories and PRESENTS!!
I love Christmas. One of my favorite things that we did as a family growing up is open presents on Christmas morning in our pjs and stay in them ALL day long. I just loved that. We'd play games, eat monkey bread, and laugh a whole lot. I'm excited to make new traditions and maybe carry on some old ones with Caleb. Growing up we never got presents in our stockings (they were stuffed with newspaper and hung as decoration). But in Bob's family they did. And I like that. Caleb already has his own stocking thanks to Sarah's mom, and I love it!
In my family we always got both things we needed and wanted for Christmas. So sometimes its hard for me to resist getting Bob socks, underwear, and a toothbrush for Christmas. In his family they didn't get these kinds of things for Christmas, maybe because there were only two kids in his family instead of four like in mine. So I can't get him "boring" stuff or at least its not allowed to count towards our budget for each other. But I think I'm done shopping for him, though it just seems like something is missing....maybe its the boring stuff.
I spent all day Saturday wrapping presents for everyone and had a realization that this is the first time I'll be opening presents that I've wrapped myself. That is since Caleb won't be able to open them himself. Strange, isn't it? I guess its mostly weird because I LOVE the suspense and surprise of what's inside a pretty package. (ok I admit, especially if that package is for me) It'll still be so much fun this year, being our first Christmas with Caleb. Bob and I agree it makes it so much more exciting having a little one of our very own.
So I'm resisting searching for my presents wherever Bob hid them and counting down the days till Christmas. We're heading to Bob's parents in North Carolina and I know we'll have a good time, even if they don't play games. (that's for you Grandma if you're reading this)
Posted by michellew at 05:29 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 27, 2004
The Whooch
Many of you have probably met our little white fluff ball named Katie. She's a ton of fun and really keeps us laughing most of the time. We got her 2 and a half years ago when I was home sick a lot and wanted a companion. Bob never grew up with dogs, so he wasn't too sure, but I really wanted one so he gave in. But he loves her now and understands better how attached we can all get to the little creatures that run around our house.
Well Bob and I are into nicknames. Maybe I am and Bob goes along with me, I don't know. Katie's nickname is "The Whooch", or "Whoocher" we call her this more than we use her real name. I think the whooch fits her better because of all her quirks. She really has us trained to give her treats. At night when its time to go outside before we go to bed, she'll go into the laundry room and then come right back in because she knows she's getting a treat. We give in and then send her out to really go potty.
She's also good at understanding what we say. 
She doesn't do the normal "sit," "rollover" but she knows what we mean when we say "go get the squirrel whooch." We can be sitting in the living room and say this and she'll tear out of the room headed straight for the back door. Out she goes bounding after the squirrel looking more like a bunny rabbit hopping through the yard than a dog. Sometimes I'll tell her to get the squirrel when there isn't one and she'll spend the next ten minutes combing the yard looking for it. Its quite hilarious. Because of her obsession with squirrels she loves to sit on the back porch peeking out of the door waiting for that unsuspecting tree rat to run through our yard. She'll spend hours surveying her domain and we get such a kick out of it.
She's so entertaining and really a part of our family. I thought that once Caleb came along I really wouldn't care about spending much time with her, but I'm still so attached to her. She does great with Caleb and enjoys licking his little feet, but knows she's not allowed to lick his face.
I can't wait to see the two of them running around together when Caleb is older. I'm sure they will keep us laughing all of the time. So I'm thankful for Katie, the whoocher, even though she is just a cute pile of dirt, as Bob says.
Posted by michellew at 01:57 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack