Happy Halloween!

David sports his pumpkin pj's. No trick-or-treating for you, baby boy!

My little garden gnome.

I liked that there were people at Trunk-or-Treat who were handing out toys instead of candy. All the fun, no cavities!

Sweet little gnome walking with her daddy.

So...we played too hard and took a little tumble. No real harm done. Just a little bump.

We hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!!

Madeline the Fearless

This is not a trait she inherited from me. At 23 months (almost), she has more athletic ability in her right foot than I have in my entire body.

Climbing wall, twisty slide, you name it. Bring it on. Madeline the Fearless will tackle any obstacle with a smile on her face, and then ask to do it again.

A New Normal?

There are still no good pictures of my two babies together. Sorry. Hmmm...I wonder if I'm apologizing to you or me?

We've been trying to settle into a new normal. That is, we're trying to settle into a new "normal for now." This is the normal in which Madeline watches too much Caillou and makes the living room look like a toy store exploded; the normal in which I can't pick her up to love on her or put her in her high chair; the normal in which I can't scrub the bathroom or vacuum the floors (Hey! I used to do that occasionally!).

This is the new normal in which Dan takes over the stuff I used to do - dishes, laundry, Madeline's bath, making arrangements for dinner - until I feel up to it. He's been such a huge help, and never complains.
Everybody sing! What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man! (He's a mighty, mighty good man!) Many thanks to Salt n' Pepa for providing today's soundtrack.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of the new "normal for now." I do not like being limited in what I can do. I don't want to have someone else do the laundry. I don't want to have someone else put my baby girl to bed. Again, I do not like limits! Thankfully, it should only be a couple of weeks. Still. What's funny is that I was so eager to not be pregnant anymore so that I could move around freely and sleep better. Then, I had a c-section. Hmph.

Enough whining. I love my husband. I love my kids. I am more blessed and thankful than I can put into words. God has been so, so much more gracious and kind to me than I deserve.

I can do this, right?

And Now, There Are Four

I've been trying to get a decent picture of Madeline and David together, but the suddenly camera-shy diva has not allowed that to happen.
We thought you might want to know the story of Baby D's arrival.
6 a.m. was our arrival time at the hospital, and things seemed to be moving pretty quickly - that is, until the afternoon approached, I was 8 cm, and the kid hadn't budged an inch. C-section time! No, it wasn't in the plan, but he's here safe and healthy, and that's all we really cared about.
After one extra day in the hospital, we brought out sweet boy home to his room and his big sister. I don't think she quite knew what to think of him at first, but now she's a bit of a mother hen. She finds things for him, brings him his blanket or his paci, kisses his head and tells him she loves him; it's so, so sweet.
So, I'm still pretty sore and can't do a lot. It's killing me that I can't pick up Madeline. Seriously, killing me. But, Dan is the most incredible husband on earth and has done an excellent job taking care of me, Madeline, and the laundry while I feed David and try to heal so I can chase a toddler and take care of a newborn at the same time.
That's all I have for now, I think. Praise God for my healthy, wonderful babies and my awesome husband. I couldn't ask for more.

He's Here!!!

David James Head
October 14, 2011 3:34pm
7lbs 5oz
20.75 inches

Last Day As an Only Child!

She's suddenly camera shy. Hmmm...

Poll Results

If you look to the right, you will see that the poll has officially closed. You will also see that the results are reflected as 62% and 37%. I'll give my fellow English teachers a minute to go get your calculators...

...

I know!! It's not 100%! Did that mess with your brain, too??

Anyway, 62% of you are correct. We've opted for induction this Friday, October 14, if David hasn't arrived yet. We're sort of hoping he holds out until then to give my mom a chance to heal from her gallbladder surgery, and Dan's mom a chance to get here.

We have accomplished a lot, but still have several small loose ends to tie. The nursery is finished. Woohoo!!! The laundry is in the process of getting done, hospital preregistration has been taken care of, the new baby stuff has been purchased, and the big sister has been notified of the changes about to take place. Whew!

Now, I just want to hold this sweet baby and kiss his little face.

5 more days!