Big Brother

Colby absolutely ADORES his baby sister, and so far, we've seen no signs of jealousy. Whenever he walks into the room where she is, he yells "Hold baby! Hold baby!" The only thing that upsets him is when I'm feeding the baby and won't allow him full access. We are trying to accomodate him as much as possible because we don't want to dampen his enthusiasm. In fact, I may start using it as a bargaining chip. "Colby, if you eat all your broccoli, you'll get to hold your baby sister"

Here's the way his holding sessions usually go:

Colby looks lovingly at his baby "sister"....or "didda" as he calls her.


Colby leans in for the kill.....hold and press...pat on the belly....


Hold and press.....harder....harder.....hold....


Sometimes, enough is enough.

First meeting

Step one: Place your left ear on your left shoulder

Step two: Hit play and enjoy watching the first meeting between Colby and Miller

(can anyone help me rotate this thing?)

She's here!

Miller McKinley arrived Friday July 24th at 1:11 PM, weighing 9 lbs 8 oz and measuring 22 1/2 inches. Labor and delivery were both relatively easy, and I'm thrilled to be back on my feet and feeling great. Miller is a champion eater and is nursing around the clock. Colby is a very proud big brother and is definitely curious about his new "baby Mimmer".

Tomorrow's the day!

Quick update: I'll be going into the hospital at 6:30AM on Thursday for an induction. I had another ultrasound yesterday, and the doctor is estimating that the baby weighs between 9 and 10 lbs....that's definitely much better than I was expecting! Plus, the head measurement is actually on the chart (although in the 95th percentile), rather than in it's own orbit. Whew! So we are planning on a regular induction rather than a c-section.

(Men, TMI below, so you can stop reading here)

I'm already 3cm dilated, so they will start by breaking my water and see if that puts me into labor without pitocin.

I am nervous, excited, and a little on edge. I just hope I can get some sleep tonight.

Please send me easy labor thoughts!

Tragedy

Something very sad and tragic happened last night, and I'm still not sure I'm over it. The evening started out as a pretty typical Friday night....we went to a local restaurant for dinner and then to the town green for a concert. Colby brought his guitar, played it up front, was introduced by the band, etc. etc. It's all very predictable now, but still lots of fun.

We had to leave a little early because Colby was very tired, so we packed up the car and headed out. As we were pulling out of the parking space, I felt a bump under the tire. Lee's eyes got huge as he said "OH NO!!!!!". My mind started to race as I tried to imagine what we just ran over. It felt like a can of Coke....was it a sippy cup? A box of some kind? I just couldn't imagine. Lee's face looked devastated as he said "the guitar". Well, he may as well have said "the dog" because I screamed out in horror. It was a massacre, and I didn't handle it well. Mainly because I know how important it is to Colby....and how hard it is to find one. (and how long it takes to get it) Plus, I'm dealing with a slight hormonal imbalance right now.

Here's what we're dealing with:


I actually tried to glue it together but Lee said it was more of a safety hazard than anything else, so I gave up. After we put Colby down for bed, we both got on separate computers (not realizing the other was doing the same thing) and ordered him a new guitar. Lee picked out a blue one and had it overnighted (from Hawaii!) and I took a different approach and ordered 2 brown ones (one as a back up) So....$60 in shipping charges later, we realized we now have 3 guitars on the way. I just hope we can get through the next few days without too many tears. I know there will be some disappointment, as it's always the first thing he asks for in the morning. ("Tar...Tar!")

Until then, his wall letter will have to do.

The big 2.0

I can't believe Colby is 2!!!

We woke him up this morning singing "happy birthday", his new favorite song. He pulled the letter "L" off the wall where his name letters are and turned it into a guitar, dancing and playing as we were singing. Definitely a very Colby way to start off the year.

We had his 2 year appointment this morning, and not surprisingly, he is in the 95th percentile for everything. Weight was 34 lbs, height is 36.5, and head size is 20.

Here's a little info about Colby going into his second year:

Favorite Food: French Fries.
Also Loves: chicken, hamburger, pasta with sauce, yogurt, cheese, hummus, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, apples, peaches, mandarin oranges, popcicles

Will not eat: Cake, cookies, frosting, chocolate, most sweets!!!!!

Favorite Books:
Maizy's lift the flap book (also known as the "doorbell" book)
Go Dog Go
Jamberry
Everybody Poops (Colby's new saying is "dadda poopoo")

Favorite Toy: Guitar
Favorite music/videos: Wiggles and High 5
Favorite activities: Playing/running at the park, dancing, seeing live music

Favorite friend: Evie (he greets her with a kiss on the lips!)

Favorite stuffed animal: Ducky

Sleep: He is the best sleeper EVER! (knock on wood) He plays in his crib for at least an hour before falling asleep, and he plays his music box to soothe himself. He plays it all during the night when he wakes up and again in the morning for about 30 minutes before he's ready to face the day. I hope and pray that Miller takes after her big brother!

Often wakes up saying "Ircle moobie mamma bed", which means he wants to watch the Baby Einstein shapes video (circle movie) in our bed. (something I let him do one morning and he has not forgotten!)

Loves to pretend anything and everything is a guitar: sticks, shovels, toilet plungers, etc.

Hugs, kisses, and tickles my pregnant stomach and tries to feed the baby milk through my belly button

Colby is such a happy, fun loving, outgoing, and affectionate little boy. We are so lucky to have him in our lives, and we cannot wait to see what a wonderful big brother he will be.

Last day of 1....

I cannot believe our little baby will be 2 tomorrow!!!!!

Unfortunately, he's choosing to ring in the year just like he did it
Last Year

Meaning, with the stomach flu. He came down with it yesterday, but thankfully seems much better today. However, we've learned our lesson that he can still be VERY contagious, so we're walking on eggshells around here.

More about Colby a bit later....just wanted to do a quick update!

Normalcy and room pictures

Things are back to (almost) normal in our house, with the exception of Lee lifting Colby....woohoo! Lee is once again grocery shopping and unloading the dishwasher- my two least favorite household chores. He's also full of energy, so he and Colby have been making up for lost time.

Here they are working with their new Bob the Builder tool set:



On another note, I've finally finished the rooms! I'm very happy with how they've both turned out.

Colby's new room is a train theme (obviously) because of the love he and his daddy share for the book "Freight Train". (You can click on pictures for a better view)






Miller's** room is done, with the exception of a framed print we are waiting for to go above her crib. It will represent her middle name...which I won't share today. One is enough for now.

**These are the answers to the FAQs I hear when I tell people the name.
-Miller is my grandmother's first name.
-Yes, it will be her FIRST name.
-No, we don't plan to call her Millie, but thanks for the suggestion.
-No, her middle name isn't Lite.

Taking a quick breather...

Well, it's been an interesting week. If any pregnant women are reading this, I have some advice. Don't let your husband have any kind of significant surgery in the final weeks of your pregnancy.

Lee had hernia repair surgery on Friday, and he cannot do any kind of lifting at all for at least a week. Not to mention he's still not really walking normally or able to move around for more than a few minutes. He's doing as well as can be expected, so there's really not much more he or I can do about it. It has become painfully obvious how much I depend on him on a day-to-day basis, especially at 36 weeks pregnant. He does so much around the house, and so much for Colby, and it has not been easy covering for him.

And just to keep things interesting, I had an ultrasound today and found out that I'm carrying another giganta-baby...a term of endearment I used during my first pregnancy with Colby. He was so big in-utero that I became "high risk" and was very closely monitored. The doctors talked about a c-section, but I really did not want one. I was induced 10 days early, and Colby was born weighing 8lbs 14 oz. It doesn't sound that big, but his head size was WAY off the charts.

I was hoping that this baby, being a girl, might be a bit more petite, but no such luck. As of today, at 1 day shy of 36 weeks, she is estimated to weigh 8 lbs already. The talk of c-sections has started, and we were given a lecture about the dangers of trying to deliver a big baby. (risks to the mom, risks to the baby, etc) I REALLY do not want a c-section, so this is not the greatest news. Of course, the most important thing is that the baby is healthy, so I'm going to try to keep things in perspective. We are going to see a different doctor next week to get a second opinion on the course of action.

I've just about finished the nursery and Colby's "big boy" room, so I'll be posting pictures in a few days. Until then, wish me luck....maybe all this extra work will send me into early labor....that might be a good thing!