Tyler 19 months - Ella 2 months

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! I AM 3 MONTHS OLD TODAY!

THANKS MOM FOR PUTTING MICKEY MOUSE ON!

MOTE.....MOM TURN ON MICKEY FOR ME...I AM THE GODFATHER

TRYING TO STRENGTHEN NECK DURING TUMMY TIME

TYPICAL MEAL FOR TYLER

CUTE~

A RARE, BUT LOVED SLEEPING POSITION

FIRST TIME IN BUMBO...MY HEAD IS FALLING OVER...

GETTING CHUNCKY!

The past 10 weeks

Family Trip to Morrow to Papaw and Mamaw

Papaw and Ty visiting his chickens

Papaw loves his Grandaughter!

We are reverting backwards to eating with hands again and no spoon. I guess messy is more fun

Second play date with Anna and Brooklyn. Reilly are pretending to be babies again

Who needs Sears? Homemade photo shoot :)

Gorgeous princess

Uncle Jason and Ella

Me, Ella and Poppa

Poppa, Grandmommy and Ella

Tyler and Ella with Poppa, Great Grand Poppa, and Grandpa Rob

Lifting her head!

First Haircut. Come to find out poor Tyler had a fever and was sick :(

Eating with hands again.

Funny how babies barely blinkFirst playdate with Anna and Brooklyn. Tummy Time!

My boys are handsome!

Ella on Christmas Eve

Family photo in front of our new Christmas tree.

YES we look alike :)

First bath!

FIRST Tummy Time!

Claire and Maddy LOVE Mr. Tyler!

Claire and Maddy also LOVE holding Miss Ella

So I've been a bad blogger since Ella has been born. There have been higher priorities when both kids are sleeping...and that was ME taking a nap too! All in all it's been a very exhausting, sometimes stressful, patience testing, but BEST time of my life. I'm sad my maternity leave will be over in 2 weeks!

Below is a small recap of the past 2 1/2 months!

Ella is everything we prayed she would be: beautiful, peaceful, easy going, and mostly a good sleeper. Just a few days after being born she was eating 3ozs per feeding! WOW, this little girl is growing! She was discharged at the hospital at 6.8lbs and up to 9.9lbs by her one month appointment and 11.12lbs at her 2 month appointment. As far as length, turned out Riverside didn't measure her that accurately at birth. They said she was 20.5" but at her 4 day Dr Appt she was measured at 19.5". At her 2 month visit she has already grown to 22.5"!! Like Tyler, her head is in the 96 %. Ella and Tyler are proving to be very different already. Although many people think they look alike (including me) Miss Ella sleeps on her back (thank God!), LOVES her swing (will swing for hours), hates playing on her belly, has only lifter her head off the ground a few times, slept up to 7 hours at night (5 on average), LOVES having her diaper changed (She always smiles and coos at me as a big thank you for changing her. ), LOVES car rides, LOVES her car seat, LOVES being swaddled, and LOVES her mobile. Overall, she couldn't be more different than her big brother Tyler when he was her age.

As for Tyler, he has been an angel. He loves saying Baby - Ella or as he pronounces it, Bahbee, A-ya. He continues to thrive and just last week said Mommy for the first time! Now he says it all the time. He is my little buddy and has no doubt learned to love saying more name more now that we have been able to spend more time together at home. Since Nate works from home on many days I tried to find a way to distract Tyler from crying at his office door while I was busy with Ella. The result? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse turned out to be a hit! I was so glad he would watch TV even for 2 minutes while they sang the "Hot Dog Song". Moi Moi MOI! or "More" in our language. Awesome, Tyler loves the singing and dancing on TV!! Success! Sure, Ty, Mommy will rewind the TV for you. YES a distract. A week later, I’ve created a monster! "Dit-doh, Dit-doh" - Translation "HOTDOG". Tyler brings me the "Mote" first thing in the morning, "DitDOHH", after Mickey ends, MOI MOI MOIII!! Okay my son went from not liking TV to becoming obsessed with it! On another note, Tyler has started to call Nate, "Nate" instead of Daddy, so I guess I need to call Nate "Daddy" for awhile. Ha! More Tyler changes, 25lbs and 34" at his 18 month Dr appointment. He loves diving head first off the couch, standing on chairs, burying himself with pillows, playing in the snow, and throwing all his food off his highchair. He always asks about Ella and wants to know where she is. Sometimes he gives her an unexpected kiss and it melts my heart. I love my kids and pray for their continued health and safety.

Welcome to the World Ella Marie Boston!

As much as I wanted labor to happen naturally I still did not want to wait to have our baby girl any longer than December 17th. To have a birthday one week before Christmas is going to be chaotic enough; I certainly didn't want to add to it by maybe having her be born on Christmas.

Friday morning, 6:15am, Nate and I arrive at Riverside Hospital for my scheduled induction. Even though we were 15 minutes late, it didn't seem to matter. We were both more calm this time around because we knew what to expect. By 7am my IV was in and the nurses became to slowly administer the Pitocin. I still found it fun to watch the baby's heart rate and my contractions on the monitor - there is something about seeing the needle go up and down that makes you aniticipate what is really about to happen. After awhile the nurse checked my cervix and I was about 4cms, 80% effaced. Dr Shepard came in our room to break my water around 11am. It was definately uncomfortable, just like a cervix check, however this seemed to last forever. My water was clear and she was very surprised how much water I had. Once my water was broke I immediately felt a bit lighter. Not to my surprise but I guess my body just loves to retain water during my pregnancies. The nurse warned me that after my water broke, the 'cushion' would be gone and my contractions would be a lot more painful. I fully knew what to expect because I remember how bad they felt with Tyler. I still told her I wanted to wait awhile for to put my name in for the epidural because I was not in pain yet. About 15 minutes later, she came back in the room and I was in a whole lot of pain. The contractions were coming every minute or two, were lasting longer, and hurt so bad all I could think about was I felt like throwing up and nothing I could do (includind gripping Nathan's hand) could make me feel better. I gave her the nod to put my name in. By Noon the nurse came in to administer the epidural. It was very uncomfortable being hunched over waiting for the needle in my back while having contractions! UH! Once the epidural was in the nurse told me I wouldn't feel complete relief for 15-30 minutes. For the first 20 I laid on my left side and took a short nap while Nate grabbed some lunch. Around 12:45 the nurse came in to check my cervix. I was 6cms and 80% effaced. She had my lay on my right side and try to take a nap while she went on her lunch break. By this time, Nate was back in the room. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later that a nurse came in to check the monitor and asked me if I felt any pressure. I thought that was a weird question and I told her no and that my nurse was just here and I was only 6cms. She told me the baby's heart rate had dropped and that usually only happens when you are about to give birth. She got out an oxygen mask and asked to me wear it to see if it helped her heart rate. She stood by the monitor watching her heart rate and about 2 minutes later I told her that I thought I felt some pressure. She checked my cervix and in an instant said, Okay you are 10cms and ready to have this baby. She called my nurse and Dr. Shepard and started preparing for me to push. By 1pm Dr. Shepard arrived and I began to push a few minutes after. I think I might have only pushed about 3 or 4 (sets of 3) and she was born at 1:18pm. Baby Girl Boston was TINY and had lots of hair! The nurse laid her on my chest while Nate cut the ambilical cord and smiled for his picture :) I got to cuddle with her for a good 10 minutes - Nate and I both had tears of joy in our eyes. Our baby girl was finally here and she was healthy as could be!

38 weeks Day 3

*Picture from 37 weeks*

Stats from my LAST doctor appointment!! :) Yippie!!

Dilated: 3cms
Cervix: High Posterior

Heart Rate: 140

Belly Measurement: 36 cms

Weight Gain: 1lb

Total Weight Gain for this pregnancy: 39lbs! (167 lbs)

Total Weight Gain with Tyler: 50lbs (178 lbs)

Okay I know 39lbs isn't anything to cheer about considering the recommended weight gain is 25lbs, but it's 11 less than last time so I'm happy about that.

I've also made a mistake of dying my hair dark to keep it low maintenance over my maternity leave. It looks black and way darker than my natural hair color :( Hope it fades fast.

*Picture does not reflect new hair color*

Getting induced this Friday, December 17th at 6am!!! Last minute name ideas:

Kinsley Elaine or Ella Marie....Hailey is out b/c I want cute nicknames for my baby girl! I also haven't decided if I'm breastfeeding b/c I just want to focus on enjoying time with her and not worry about pumping and being the ONLY one who can feed her. It just seems like less stress to not do it. Plus I still want to have time to focus on Tyler and give him what he needs. Having two kids is already stressing me out and baby girl isn't even born yet.

Also, I've caught Tyler's cold - Thanks Daycare!! Luckily yesterday my OB gave me meds: Zpack to knock it out in case it's bacterial. I'm praying I feel close to 100% for Friday.

Dr Appointment - Week 37 Day 3

Since my last post, I've changed my mind again and now think we'll name this little girl Kinsley. I suppose at this point only the birth certificate will hold the truth!

Blood Pressure:110/66
Strep B - Negative
Dilated: 2cms
Effaced: a bit over 50%
Baby's position: head is very low
Cervix - high posterior
Belly: 35cms (measuring small - she thinks it's b/c her head is so low)

Week 37 Day 4 *might* have lost mucus plug. Strong menstrual cramps and some Braxton Hicks.

Scheduled induction date for Friday December 17th if she is not here yet. Luckily my Dr moved my due date ahead by two days (now Dec 24th) so I can be induced on a Friday instead of the Sunday before Christmas.

What will life be like with 2 kids? How will I have energy to play with Tyler and be up all night feeding?On the flip side, I can't wait to meet my little baby girl!!

36 week Dr appointment (12/2/10), Ty's 16th Month,Thanksgiving, and COSI

Tyler in his new fire hat courtesy of Chase and Clay...He loves wearing it even though he can't see where he is going! :)

Greg, Clay and Tyler just hanging out

Our FIRST Thanksgiving Turkey!

Tyler sporting camo for Veteran's Day

Family photos

Pregnancy - Update

Today, December 2nd 2010, I had my first cervix exam to check progress. I'm 36 weeks and 5 days. Since my last appointment two 1/2 weeks ago, here are my stats.

Weight Gain: 2lbs (totally impressive for me)
Weight Gain to date: 34lbs
Blood Pressure: 100/60
Baby's Heart Rate: good
Effaced: 50%
Cervix: very soft
Dilated: 1 1/2 cm
Baby's Position: Head down

A few days ago Nate and I decided to finally give her a name. After 16 weeks of debating between Kinsley, Emma, Brielle, Avery, Hailey....we decided on Hailey. At least that has been the constant for the last 5 days :) The middle name will be Elaine, after my mom's first name and my middle name. Tyler and Hailey seem to 'flow' well together...

This little girl is active and I pray she is born healthy and is a good eater and sleeper! We are excited to see what she looks like. Will she have red hair and green eyes or blonde hair and blue eyes like Tyler? Soon we'll find out!

Last week I was up from 10am-2pm with severe lower back aches, stomach cramps and Braxton hicks that we only 2 minutes apart. I knew this wasn't labor but nothing would make it go away. I went to the Dr the next day and they did a 30 minute non stress test to monitor my contractions and the baby. She was doing just fine, moving a lot and I had several contractions during the test. The nurse checked my cervix and said it was high posterior, called my Dr and I was released. Since then I've had a few contractions here and there but nothing like that night.

At this point, I'm ready for the real thing and done being pregnant!

Tyler Update - Month 16

As an update, Tyler's 16th month has been great! He recently moved up to the next classroom in daycare and now sleeps on a cot and walks to the cafeteria. He is rambling gibberish more and more and really understands what we are saying. "Tyler, do you want a banana?" He shakes his head no. "Tyler do you want grapes" huh huha....he laughs and smiles. He doesn't nod his head yes or say yes - but the question game is an easy way to find out what he wants. Once you get it right, he just smiles and laughs. Another fun game he likes to play is in the bathtub is filling his tupperware bowl up with water and then putting it up to his mouth and pretending to drink it. Then he seals his lips shut and smiles. "Tyler, YUCK, spit that out, what is in your mouth?" he LAUGHS and thinks this is so funny. Until recently I actually thought he was putting a good amount of bathwater in his mouth. Last night I watched him even closer and saw that he was pretending to sip the water and making his mouth look full, even though there was nothing in it. Thank goodness!

Also, Tyler has become more attached to his stuffed animal duck in his crib. He cuddles it until he falls asleep and he plays with it when he wakes up and wants to hold him until he gets his sippy cup of water. He is still a good sleeper and will put himself to sleep at night and put himself back to sleep with a binkie if he wakes up in the middle of the night with a bad dream.

An update on his eating habits. Jackie and Ashley gave me some good recommendations. I told them that he loves turkey dogs but I don't want him to eat them all the time. So I went and bought things that look the same. Morning Star Turkey sausage, Tofurkey Dogs, etc. To my surprise he loved them! I still tell him they are hot dogs....

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year for us was very different. We didn't go out of town, instead we decided to have family over for a Holiday Lunch on Black Friday. So on Thanksgiving we went to Mimi's Cafe for a Turkey lunch then put Ty to bed. While he slept we decorated the tree. This is my favorite time of the year because Christmas trees are so magical for little kids. We immediately set boundaries when Tyler saw the tree - it's a no touching zone. However, every morning when he wakes up he runs over the tree and whines until he turn on the lights. Once the lights are on he stares at the tree, carefully looks at the bulbs and hanging decorations and then runs around the living room happy! I need to video this because it's so darn cute!

On Black Friday we had a great Holiday lunch. Greg, Anita and the boys came down from Canton, my Mom, Rob and Grandpa came down from Akron, James, Kim and the kids came up from Trenton and Bridget, Micah and the kids came over from Micah's family's house in Worthington. Overall we had about 19 people at our house! Everyone brought a dish while Nate and I were responsible for the mashed potatoes and turkey. Our first Turkey ever! What a debacle. Measure 1 TBS of flour and prep the turkey bag....shoot! I don't have a TBS measurer. Stick the meat thermometer in the turkey's inner thigh, not touching a bone...how hard could that be? Nate and I couldn't determine the exact spot of the inner thigh. Cut six slits in the oven bag. We could do that. Put turkey in the bag, we did that....but wait, the turkey is upside down. Nate proceeds to cut more slots on the other side of the bag. The instructions said 6, not 12...we need a new bag and have to start over. We followed the instructions and let the turkey cook for about 3.5 hours - the thermometer never worked, but the turkey turned out great! Success!
On the other hand, we peeled 3 bags of potatoes, would this be enough? Apparently. We had SOO many left over potatoes we have been eating them for a week and they are still not gone!
The boys enjoyed playing corn hole and football outside - even though it was only 30 degrees! The kids opened their Christmas gifts and everyone had a great time.

COSI

The weekend before Thanksgiving we thought it would be fun to take Tyler to the Little Kids Space at COSI. Nate had never been and I had not been since 4th grade. To have the #1 Science center in the US, only 20 minutes from our house is pretty cool. We stayed about 2 hours and Ty had a BLAST running around exploring everything. It was great for Nate and I because everything is kid safe, so we didn't have to worry about anything! We definitely want to get a family pass once Hailey is old enough to run around. For 1 year of unlimited admission and free parking, it's only $99. Just like the Columbus Zoo - what a great deal!