Let's Compare

I've been meaning to post the girls' hospital photos for a while, and finally remembered to do it. It's just fun to look at them side by side. It's also how funny these photos look nothing like them. And when I say that, I don't mean as compared to now, because that's pretty obvious. I mean they didn't look like that in the photos we took of them at the hospital on the same day! I've always joked that these photos are almost always horrible, but you just have to buy them!


Even more amazing to me is how much Ashleigh has changed! I think she'll be the person that nobody can tell their baby pictures are theirs. Wonder if Abby will change as dramatically...


That's about all for today...Kenneth and I have the crud, AGAIN. Abby has a bit of a runny nose and Ashleigh is over her runny nose and going wide open, as usual.

WEEKEND PHOTOS

Took some photos of the girls Saturday morning and like how they turned out.






Had a birthday party Sunday afternoon. Ashleigh's first skating party and Abby's first party ever. Ashleigh skated from one end of the rink to the other after telling me to "let her do it!" meaning I didn't need to cramp her style by holding her hand; then sat down, took the skates off and told me she was finished. She liked the big pit of balls much better. And Kenneth also got several cute shots of Abby in her little crown. This probably isn't the best photo of them overall, but something about her expression just draws me to this one.



Had a good weekend, but Monday was interesting. In a bad way. Abby started shreiking and wailing right after I got to Diane's house to drop her and Ashleigh off. I stayed awhile and thought I'd gotten her calmed down, but I wasn't 10 miles away before I was called back home. I took her to the doctor and she couldn't find anything wrong with her. And I'm really not a freak-out-over-nothing type person, not even when it comes to my babies. This was some serious screaming going on. Worse than when she had thrush and that was horrible. She's cried more today, but not as bad. Wish us luck!

Little Things...

Sometimes the smallest things make me feel good. Things like:

: Waxing my eyebrows
: Buying new lipstick
: Buying new eyeshadow
: Having my nails freshly trimmed and painted-all nice and neat!
: No dirty dishes in the sink
: Hearing Ashleigh laugh
: Seeing Abby smile
: Joking around with Kenneth
: Having my Mom come visit
: Getting a call from Kenneth during the day just to see how I'm feeling
: Wearing a comfy t-shirt and PJ pants
: Getting a few uninterrupted moments to read or watch tv
: New songs on my MP3 player
: Painting
: Prozac (gotta be honest!!!)


What are some little things that make you happy?
Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!!

Cutie Pies

Here are a few pics of the girls from this past week:




I love my babies!! I just can't get enough of them. (OK, maybe I can when we're all tired and cranky, but you've got to take the good with the bad, right?)

Here's a little bit of truth I've found the past few weeks. Isn't it Murphy's Law that anything that can go wrong will? Well, when you are a parent of small children, it's a little different. When you are pressed for time, anything that can go wrong will. The more time-crunched you are, the more things go wrong. HOWEVER, if you allow yourself an extra 2 hours, EVERYTHING will go smoothly.

I have a great husband

{Note: Last night was much better than the one before. Crying and whining was minimal-and none from me! That's always a good thing.}

Kenneth is home with the girls today, that lucky duck! Even if they can be a handful, I'd rather be home with my babies. But there is a benefit for me to him being home: the laundry should be done! It's mostly clean and dry and just needs to be put away.

The first day he kept the girls he told me (and my coworkers) that he didn't know how I did it, meaning keeping them all the time and not losing my sanity. And then cleaning, cooking, etc. too! But he doesn't hesitate to take time off to keep them when needed. This is a really good thing considering I don't have any paid time off left & he has PLENTY.

He helps with the girls baths (well, Ashleigh's-I haven't asked him to handle a slippery wiggling baby yet! He vaccuums, straightens up and even made dinner one day last week.

When we've talked about things before, he's admitted he should do more and I'm not going to pretend I don't agree. But, I also know that he does more than many husbands/daddys do. For example, he picks the girls up every day and has them by himself for an hour or more every day.

He's a good Daddy and that means everything to me. I couldn't stay married to him if he weren't. And being a good Daddy is part of what makes him a good husband.

Love you sweetie! (If you ever read this)

And no, I don't want anything!

Not so great...

but doing better.

Quick recap of last night:
Started out pretty well, but went quickly downhill within an hour. After dinner, Kenneth left the house to work on a project and I started trying to get a few things done around the house. HA!!! Abby was fussy. OK, not so bad-that happens. Ashleigh was very high maintenance last night, probably partly because of a nap that lasted only 20 minutes yesterday. I finally gave up on trying to accomplish anything, so I tried to just console Abby and watch a little tv. Hard to do with a 2 year old trying to climb you like you're a mountain. All the while singing/talking VERY loudly. By 9pm, I was just about at the end of my rope. Did I mention my sinuses are all messed up, I'm still VERY tired and I had a headache?

I turned out the lights, put Abby in bed, Ashleigh in bed with me-with instruction to be still and quiet, I didn't care if she slept or not! About the time Abby decided she would NOT be ignored, Kenneth got home and I told him to "get her" and very shortly after that, I was blissfully asleep.

Tonight's plans are for things to go much differently that last night! Hope Kenneth feels like helping with everything, because we're going to be busy bees. I just cannot stand for my house to be in disarray. And man, is it ever in disarray right now.

Wish us luck!

Easter Weekend

Well, it was really cold this weekend, not exactly "Easter weather." Especially since last week we've had highs in the upper 80's! Hard to get used to highs in the 40's just a couple of days later. Had a really nice visit with my family though. Got to see almost everyone, which was a nice change. I ate way too much, but that's OK. I'm "back on the wagon" this week and hopefully with the help of several new workout DVD's (courtesy of my sister, Cory) I'll start dropping this excess padding. I sure hope so because I'm not feeling too happy with myself these days-appearance wise.

Here are a few pictures of the important people from this weekend:

My sweet girls in their matching dresses that "Mommy Dale" bought them. Ashleigh's hair was just a mess Easter morning! But that just adds a little humor to the memory, right?


There sure were alot of eggs for just Ashleigh and Jayden to hunt! We'll be stepping on plastic eggs for months, I'm sure...


I decided this would do for Abby's "2 month" photo. Yes, I'll be doing photos of Abby each month on the 8th, just like I did with Ashleigh. Maybe for her 3rd month I'll get a really good one with her eyes open.

Over a month?

Has it really been over a month since I posted? I just can't believe it's been that long, but apparently it has been.

This is the end of my second week back at work. : / It's nice to get out of the house more and have more adult interaction. Not long before I came back, Kenneth said he'd be glad when I came back to work because we'd have stuff to talk about! As far as being back at work, I pretty much fell back in like I never was gone. Everyone seemed happy that I was back and it's always nice to feel needed!

Of course, now the housework is starting to pile up. I do a little each night, but it's almost 6pm when I get home. There's dinner and baths for the girls and you know I have to fit in some time with all the family! I try to sneak in a few tv shows a week (Thank God again for DVR!) and I try to be in bed by 9pm. Needless to say, my evenings fly by.

The girls are both doing well. Abby will be 2 months old Sunday! And Easter is also my Mom's birthday. We're going up for the weekend, so wish me luck. I'm always nervous about spending the night away from home with little ones. It puts us both out of our comfort zone. And Lord knows, it's going to look like we're moving with all the stuff I'll pack. And there's the little matter of the Easter Bunny coming to see them at "Papaw & Mommy Dale's" house. But I think I have that figured out too. It will be fun.

Ashleigh is just as cute as ever. The things she says and does are an endless source of amusement for us. And an endless since of frustration. Pretty much everything is a battle with our strong-willed little 2 year old. BUT I'm currently reading "Happiest Toddler on the Block" by Harvey Karp. If it helps me as much as the "baby" version, our lives will get much easier pretty soon. I should have finished it by now, but it's hard to find the time! (I can't imagine why)

Photos!

{See another post below!}

My sweet little Abby. Photo taken by Angela Jett:


LOVE this one of the girls. Also taken by AJ:


Ashleigh and her cousin, Jayden:


Took this one of Abby a few days ago:


One of my all time favorites of Ashleigh, also by AJ:

The wait will soon be over...

for my contacts, that is. I was happy to find out yesterday at the eye doctor that I'm no more blind than I was about 2 years ago at my last visit! So I won't have to buy any more glasses, which is great since my contacts (toric, for astigmatism) will cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully my trial pair will be in at least by the first part of next week and then I'll be glasses-free. Not that there is anything wrong with glasses, I actually like mine as far as glasses go. There just such a pain. My eyelashes hit them when I blink if I have them pushed up where they feel comfortable, so they are forever sliding down my nose; they get dirty; they get in the way; and they are like a magnet for Ashleigh-she wants to touch them all the time.

On the home front, things are going pretty well. Still dislike our ancient computer but I'm thankful I have one at all. Have a bit of laundry to do today (imagine that!) but I'm very glad we have a washer & dryer and don't have to go to a laundry mat. Ugh! Which reminds me of something. When I was growing up, we had a dryer, but didn't use it. OH NO.....we had to hang our clothes out on the clothesline. After I was old enough to help with this chore, I hated it. But of course Mama told me I'd understand when I was an adult paying the bills that using the dryer ran the electric bill up and I'd be voluntarily hanging my own clothes out to dry. Yeah, right! Let me just say that Kenneth and I will be married 13 years this June and I have NEVER, EVER even had a clothesline in my yard. My dryer is my friend.

This of course, brings up something else Kenneth and I have discussed before: we're starting to sound like our parents! YIKES!!! What I mean is, we've already made comments about how our kids have things we never dreamed of when we were children, etc. We joke about how when they get a little older, we'll be telling them stories of the tall TV antenna outside the house that someone would have to go outside and turn to pick up different stations while someone inside would shout when the station was "good." AND you were lucky if you could pick up three channels. And at my house, there was only one TV the entire time I lived at home and if you didnt' want to watch what Daddy was watching, you just did something else. (NOW they have more than one TV; just like they got a satellite dish after I left for college. Hmmm......)

Sorry for this rambling post...I've pretty much been up since about 4am; Abby just did NOT want to lie down after that. She's sleeping now though, the little sinker!!!

Big Girl Day

Ashleigh and I had our first outing yesterday; left Abby with her Grandma for a few hours. My co-workers weren't too happy about this when we stopped by, but I promised I'd bring Abby next time, and hopefully really soon.

I bought some ink cartridges for the printer and was all set to print some photos last night. Hmph! I should have bought a new printer that I found. I really should have. Because something is wrong with this printer. And of course it took spending over $30 on ink to figure this out. I printed out a photo and it looks horrible! Spotty, dotty and the color is all wrong. I'm hoping maybe something just needs to be cleaned. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I didnt' buy the new printer because, well, for one, I am off work for another month, and two, I would really rather get my photos from WinkFlash or somewhere like that.

Anyway, after that fiasco, I decided I'd just get a few prints online at Wal-Mart. I would just like for Kenneth and I to have a photo to show off when we see people out and about. Well, guess what?!? I couldn't do THAT either. Apparently, our computer is so old it just wouldn't let me upload. Just like I couldn't manage to pay our DirecTv bill online this morning. Grrrr......

At least I've got my eye doctor appointment this afternoon, so I'll soon have my beloved contacts again!

AND, Abby is just wonderful. She had a fussy spell last night and I finally got that to end by swaddling her. Kept her wrapped up all night long and she stayed in her bassinet-only woke up to eat about 3 times. She is now asleep on my chest. I better lay her down and take Ashleigh's crayons away (her front teeth are pink! don't know why she likes eating them so much) and try to get ready for my next trip out of the house!

Hanging in There!

Well, we're all doing pretty well, I'm happy to report. While there are new challenges this time-dealing with a toddler and a newborn, I've got to say that overall it is much easier this time. We aren't as stressed out every second of every day about that baby's well-being. Only every third second-LOL! But Abby is doing really well and Ashleigh is adjusting quite well to being a big sister. She still can be a little overly-clingy to me from time to time, but I know it could be quite worse. And sometimes I don't know if Ashleigh is acting up because she's two or because there's a baby in the house. I little of both, I suspect.

I personally haven't had the urge to cry for no reason (or any silly reason) in several days now and I'm sure Kenneth is very happy about that. One night, he came out of our bathroom after helping Ashleigh with her bath to find me in the nursery with Abby crying my eyes out. I finally managed to explain to him I was crying because everything was just so wonderful. Abby is so sweet and listening to them playing and laughing across the hall just did me in; we are so blessed to have a happy marriage and two wonderful healthy daughters. I was tellling the truth, but I still don't know if I ever convinced him that I wasn't crying because he'd done something wrong! But the rest of the night he teased me by telling Ashleigh that they couldn't be too sweet or have too much fun, Mommy might start crying again!

Last post I think I promised a funny story. This isn't a story really, but it is funny. A couple of times Ashleigh has managed to get my breast pump off the counter and pretend that she's pumping milk for Baby Abby. I think it's sweet and hilarious, Kenneth doesn't find it as amusing as I do.


I took some photos of the girls this weekend and as I told Kelley, they aren't the great professional quality photos I envisioned, they are better than a polaroid!


RRRAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't post my pictures. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! When I click browse to upload a pic, the window changes and it won't let me browse to find the photos. Damn PC...... Oh well, I e-mailed the photos to some people; sorry if you aren't one of them. I might have to get someone to post them for me. BLAH!!!!

Two Weeks Already?

I can not believe our youngest daughter is two weeks old already! Time really does fly when you're having fun.

And dividing your attention between two lovely daughters and a great husband.

And pumping endlessly, it seems. (I'll explain that in a moment!)

And there is the sleep deprivation, but it hasn't been that bad. Yet. Knock on wood!

We are all doing really well. Today Abby had here two week check-up and she weighed 10 lbs. 6.5 oz., up from 10 lbs. at last weeks check-up. Her pediatrician, Dr. Clements (love her!) said she was happy with that because she lost quite a bit of weight after birth, mostly just fluid, she thought.

Oh!! Before I forget: THANK YOU SO MUCH KELLEY FOR POSTING FOR ME!!! I will find time to call you, I promise!

The Big Day
Kenneth and I arrived about 5:50am at the hospital and the nurses starting getting me ready for my surgery. My parents arrived about 6:30 am and then we were waiting on the doctors, etc. to arrive. A nice man came and told me he'd be doing my spinal block and how all that would go. Before I knew it, I was being wheeled off to the OR where it was approximately 10 degrees below zero!!! After they put the THIRD heated blanket on me and I was still shivering uncontrollably, they decided to kill the AC. Then the "nice man" proceded to try to do my spinal and bent quite a few needles on my spine. Oh yeah, it hurt! And I know he bent them because he'd say so and ask for a new one. Dr. Murphree did the spinal on the first try. I really like him. I was so glad when it took effect because I wasn't cold anymore. Then Kenneth came in and we were underway. As Dr. Otey was getting started, he asked how big we thought Abby would be. I guessed about 8 lbs., Kenneth about 9. As soon as they saw her head, they knew she was over 9. But nobody guessed 10 lbs. 12 oz.!!

About 9:30, my parents had to leave and come to our house to keep Ashleigh. She was sick, as was my mother-in-law. Diane (MIL) had to have lots of tests run and has a few more to do tomorrow. She has some intestinal problems that will require surgery, so please keep her in your thoughts.

Kenneth had to come home Thursday night and keep Ashleigh. That's right, all by myself the first night. But I was just fine. Things rocked right along, had a few visitors--but not many, too many people sick! But thank GOD the doctor let me come home Saturday morning. I missed Ashleigh so much I thought I'd die.

We got home and Ash was so excited to meet her sister, she is such a little mama.

I'll try to post a few cute stories and maybe even more photos soon.

Abby Photos!

Here she is!!! What a cutie!!!

Abigail Raven Has Arrived!

Join me in congratulating Jackie and Kenneth on the safe arrival of Ms. Abigail Raven Taylor!!

I just got off the phone with the proud mama AND daddy, and here are the details:

Weight: 10 lbs 11.8 oz
Length: 21 in
Born at: 7:58 a.m.

Jackie was just getting ready to hold Abby for the first time, and her first impression was that she "looks like Ashleigh"...

Kenneth's coworkers are supposed to email photos to me, and when that happens, I will post them here! So check back!!!

Kelley

Not Long Now!

I had a pretty good report at the doctor's office Friday, but my OB thought it would be best if I went ahead and took off until I have the baby. My blood pressure was up a bit (not horrible) and I'd started retaining some fluid. Nothing major. I think he new I was just really tired because both times he came in the exam room, I was asleep! I went in Friday afternoon for a few hours and feel like I left a million loose ends, but I know the office won't close down without me! Besides, I've already called once to tell them a few things I'd forgotten to write down.

Got my hair done Saturday. Can't have little Abby meet me with terrible roots showing! Not to mention all the pictures. Other than that, mostly relaxed. Did some laundry and put away some of Abby's new stuff from the baby showers. Sunday we really didn't do much of anything at all. And we didn't watch the Super Bowl! I'll even top that: It's 8:35 pm Monday and I don't even know who WON the Super Bowl. LOL. UnAmerican? Nah, just otherwise occupied.

Today Ashleigh and I both woke up feeling fine, in happy moods, so I decided I was up to going shopping to stock the pantry, etc. for the next couple of weeks. It honestly seemed like a good idea at the time. But man, did it kick my bootie! We took lunch out to Kenneth and visited with him and a few of his co-workers then came home. And we both slept for over 2 1/2 hours! That was nice. And, the beauty of my shopping trip? Only 2 bags had to come in immediately. Poor Kenneth got to haul everything else in when he got home. ; )

Back to the Main Event: We have to be at Labor & Delivery by 6am Thursday. I have a feeling that's one day I'm not going to have trouble getting out of bed! I have a call list made out and am hoping to have a very dear friend (Kelley!) post the information, hopefully along with a few photos on my blog. The photo part will require the help of some of Kenneth's co-workers, but they helped us out last time, I'm sure they will this time too.

So the next couple of days I'll be spending loads of time with Ashleigh, making sure everything is packed,and keeping the house clean. All the while getting lots of rest!

I'm so weird....

At the end of last year, I bought a calendar/planner to keep in my purse. Between the forgetfulness of being pregnant-then having a toddler and a newborn I knew I'd need it. Especially when there's more to keep up with. Babies go to the doctor alot. I just made a hair appointment and realized something. I'm using the planner, but not the way it's intended. I'm writing most everything on post-its, then sticking them on my planner. I'm just going to tell myself it's because getting the planner in and out of this purse is a tight squeeze and when I change purses (probably tonight) this little post-it situation will be gone. We'll see...

Had another doctor's appointment yesterday. I wondered what I'd find out because the night before I'd had a few hours of real contractions. By real meaning that you could see them from the outside and if they'd gotten much worse or closer together, we'd have been headed to the hospital to be checked out. Without going into any details some folks don't want to know, I'd begun to progress just a little, but nothing to worry about. Abby's doing well and my BP was pretty good. I go for my pre-op visit Friday morning. That's exciting to me, even though that means I'm another step closer to major abdominal surgery AND the hormone induced psychosis that goes with having a baby. I'm as ready as I'm going to be, time to get this show on the road!

Kenneth's been helping out in the kitchen with dinner and the past two nights that has involved grating cheese. Well, night before last, Ashleigh was telling us she was "very, very, hungry" and we were trying to hold her off with a healthy little snack that wouldn't ruin dinner. I asked her if she wanted cheese: "NO!" Kenneth picks up a long piece of shredded cheese and asked her if she wants a cheesy worm. Well, little did I know, our little girl LOVES cheesy worms. In her words, they are "Yummy, yummy, deliciouso!" And I'm sure I misspelled the Spanish version of delicious, BUT Dora doesn't teach spelling...

Coming to terms...

I've tried to deny it for awhile now.

I thought that if I didn't acknowledge it, it wouldn't be true.

But today, three people mentioned it to me and I've come to terms with the fact...

I have the pregnant waddle.

I know it's a normal thing, but I NEVER waddled with Ashleigh. Seriously. I'm so much more pregnant this time around.

But, I only have to waddle for 2 more weeks. Because by this time on February 8th, we should have our sweet little wonderful Abby in our arms.

And to anyone who wishes to ridicule my waddle: bite me. Be glad I'm walking at all. Especially if you've never been pregnant. I wish you knew what it felt like!

AND
My doctor's appointment was good yesterday. No weight gained since last week. And after the 4 lb. loss the visit before, that puts me at 11 lbs. total gained through this pregnancy. Hard for me to believe, trust me. But there are no signs of labor starting, which is a good thing this time and Abby is growing like she should and has a steady, wonderful heartbeat. The nursery is coming together, although I wish it was DONE. Because if it was, I could truly say I'm ready to meet our second daughter. I'm getting really excited about it. That outweighs my fear of total failure today!

Don't mess with a pregnant woman's food...

Yes, this sign is posted on the refrigerator door of my workplace. I actually wished them death by explosive diarrhea, but decided to tone it down a bit since the fridge is by the timeclock. There were 3 or 4 ice cream cones left in that box!!! I really do wish very bad things upon this person. Really, I do.

Old, boring & blimp-like

That's me. Don't get me wrong.

OLD is a relative term and I know that in the grand scheme of things, I'm not even into middle age yet. (I hope!!!) But compared to many of the 20-somethings I work with I feel old. But in a good "I'm wiser with age and experience" kind of way. There is the little fact of my getting totally sucked in by an infomercial this afternoon. And I really want that product. It's a GTXpress101. I think. Kind of a take-off on George Foreman's idea. Can't wait till that sucker shows up on the "As Seen On TV" isle in the store!!
BORING would accurately describe my life to many people, and that honestly doesn't bother me in the least. I've spend most of the day playing with Ashleigh, doing (a little) housework, finishing up some projects for Abby's room and reading. And don't forget the infomercial! (I only saw about 10 minutes of that. If I'd seen the whole thing, I might have one being shipped to me as I speak!) Presently, Kenneth is watching the Barret-Jackson car auction, Ashleigh is determined to play with the computer mouse and we're waiting on a casserole to finish for dinner. SNORE!!!!!!! But I like it. The only drama I'm interested in comes on TV, in movies or books.
BLIMP-LIKE I really need to take another photo of my round profile. Even though my OB announced at my Thursday appointment that I'd lost 4 lbs. in two weeks, I'm not exactly ready for swimsuits!

VARIOUS OTHER THOUGHTS:
::The nursery is beginning to come together. The walls are painted, pretty much all the decor is ready to put in place. Kenneth and an unknown helper just need to get a few final pieces of furniture moved around and we'll be in business. This week I'll probably start washing up baby clothes for Abby's arrival.

::I am still not convinced that I'll be able to handle being a mother of two. At times I know it will be fine and wonderful, at others I'm convinced it's a wonder that Ashleigh survived-thrived even-and know it will be a matter of time before someone decides that they made a mistake when they decided to bless us with another child. I don't even have nipples for the baby bottles yet!!!!

::I was very pleasantly surprised last week by learning I would have not one, but two baby showers before Abby arrives! I'm hoping for lots of diapers, wipes and bath stuff. And of course some cutesy stuff just for Abby. Our poor hand-me-down girl...

::We're still on schedule for a February 8th delivery. Very curious how she'll look, how big she'll be, what sort of personality she'll have, if she'll have hair...

::Rachel got her dream job as an assitant teacher in in kindergarten class. Well, almost dream. She hopes to be a certified teacher at some point. I'm so thrilled for her. She's one of those people just meant to teach young children. (NOT at all like me!) But I'm also very sad because we had lunch together every day, talked on our cell phones to and from work most of the time. OH! For those of you who didn't know, we not only worked for the same company, but in the same department. So this is quite an adjustment to make. NOT as big as when Kelley left, however. When she left, she moved to TEXAS!!! I cried buckets over that and even seriously looked for another job. At least Rachel's still here, I just have to get used to not seeing her all the time.

Well, the exciting casserole is finished, so I think I'll go have dinner with my family, followed by a nice boring evening. ; )