Introducing Amelia Brooke

After a longer than anticipated labor, Amelia Brooke was born last night at 5:03. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. She looks a lot like Claire did as a newborn (a fact that makes Big Sister Claire very proud).

Speaking of Big Sisters...They thought she was pretty cool.


I happen to agree. Welcome to the world, sweet girl!

Ten Plus One

Yesterday, Jason and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. How is it possible that we're old enough to have that many years behind us? Oh, right. I was a child bride.
This year, with the impending arrival of the child-who-won't-leave-my-womb, was a little more low key than last year's celebration.

Still, dinner and a movie and a quiet house without the girls was more than enough this year (thanks, grandparents!).

Happy anniversary to my best friend! Every year is better than the last. I love you!

Perfect Timing

I am sitting at my kitchen table, trying to enjoy a healthy snack of an almond chocolate bar, goldfish crackers and a dr. pepper (no, I have no idea why my belly is measuring two and half weeks ahead, why do you ask?), listening to my two year old screaming in her room and kicking the headboard on her bed. It's been going on for an hour.
If she hadn't been doing this every afternoon for the last week, I'd brush this off as a random event. However, I fear she might be trying to make a habit of this. Given that baby #3 is set to arrive a week from today, I find this worrisome. I need naptime, people. Any suggestions?

Christmas 2008

Just like birthdays, we like to drag our Christmas celebrations out as long as possible. We started on Christmas Eve and decked the halls until Saturday afternoon. The girls had a really great time this year and we loved watching them experience the magic and joy of Christmas.

Our first stop was at Nana and Grandad Jack's house on Christmas Eve.



Claire was super-excited to receive this gift, which she wanted last year but was recalled before Christmas.


Arden can't get enough of the princess experience, and really, who can blame her?


After the festivities at Nana's, we went home and got ready for Santa. The girls were extra excited because cousin Connor got to spend the night with us this year. The kids wrote a note to Santa and got busy setting out carrots for the reindeer and a plate of (store-bought, kind of stale) cookies for Santa.



Claire was extremely worried that Arden would get out of bed and Santa wouldn't come. I guess I over-emphasized the whole "Santa only comes after all the children are asleep" thing. Luckily, everyone went to sleep and the grown-ups were able to assemble all the fun things Santa had selected for the kids, including a four foot wooden dollhouse that came with two pages of instructions. Two pages of steps 12-20 of the instructions. No 1-11 to be found anywhere in the box. Santa seriously needs some quality control up there at the North Pole.








Later that day we were off to "The Farm" for more Christmas fun, including a hay ride (I did not participate this year), skeet shooting (didn't participate), four-wheeler riding (also did not particpate) and lots of trampoline jumping (again with the non-participation). Now that I think of it, maybe I should've joined in on some of those activites. Maybe I'd be holding the new baby by now...



We continued our Christmas experience all the way until Saturday, spending time with Aunt Ashley and Uncle Thad and Aunt Darla, Uncle Butch, Alsion and Nana Vel.

We had a truly wonderful Christmas this year. The girls were gracious with their gifts and only asked for additional presents a few times. I consider this a big accomplishment for a two and four year old. And, in case you were wondering, Santa came through for Arden with the makeup...

What a Difference a Year Makes

Last year's visit with Santa did not go so well. This year, Arden has been really excited to sit on Santa's lap and tell him that she wants him to bring her make-up for Christmas. Claire, of course, has always loved Santa and has never had the kind of freak-out that Arden had last year when she came face-to-face with the man in red. Since both girls were so eager to visit Santa, we bundled them up last night and braved the freezing temperatures to go see Santa.



We picked a perfect night. There was no line at all and the girls walked right up and got to spend several minutes with Santa without having to hurry through. Arden took full advantage of this, telling Santa over and over that she wanted him to bring her some make-up. Claire was very polite and asked for a two wheel scooter and a baby doll (not the dollhouse that she told me she was going to ask for).

All in all, it was a successful visit. Now "Santa" just has to come up with some non-toxic, stain-free make-up and figure out what to do with the dollhouse he has in his trunk.

Flip Flopper

Is it possible that all those crazy contractions last weekend were Baby Amelia trying to turn herself over? If you said "yes," you would be right!

I went to my regular doctor appointment on Thursday who confirmed that Amelia is not only head down, but is also low enough that she shouldn't be able to flip back over. Actually, what he said was she is "locked and loaded," a phrase that conjured up some not-so-pleasant imagery but ultimately translates into "your internal organs will not be laid bare on an operating table any time in the near future."

Now that the fear of a c-section is gone, I feel ready to have this baby. Well, actually I need to get my hair cut and colored one more time and then I'll be ready.

Even My Uterus is Irritable

After a weekend filled with contractions and back pain, I found myself in Labor and Delivery yesterday, hooked up to monitors and blood pressure cuffs and answering weird questions like "Do you have stairs in your home?"

I was monitored for several hours before it was determined that I have an "irritable uterus". Although I suspect this might be a made-up diagnosis that they tell over-reactive paranoid moms, it makes perfect sense to me: everything else about me is irritatble these days, why not my uterus too?