Monday, December 24, 2007

Birthday Pics

Happy Birthday My sweet Princess.

Isabella's Birthday was so much fun. We went to Libby Lu's and they really made it special.

Such a big girl she is now, I can't believe it. She had 7 girls come, and this was the first year she invited actual friends. Previous years it was cousins and more co-ed friendly. We have had parties at Adventure Landing, parties involving Clowns (and not good ones either), we have had parties all over the place. But this was different than any other. It was girls only, and custom planned for the Birthday Girl.


They did hair and make-up. They painted the girls nails and then sprayed it with glitter. They got to choose a dress up outfit. When choosing your hairstyle it also came with a hair accessory. Too cute.

This is Grace Olivia, my sisters daughter, and she is super saucy :) Love her

A girl and her Daddy!

After getting all dolled up, they put on a lip singing concert to none other than Hannah Montana. The girls took turns dancing in the middle and everyone else had to copy them.


Afterwards it was on to to dinner, we had Pizza and soda, and of course cake. Actually it was cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Angel baby!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Six years ago...

At 7:30 pm today my Isabella will be officially 6 years old.

What an exciting time this was for Nick and I. Nerve wrecking also.

I was 1 week over-due. My original due date was 12/12. My doctor and I decided to induce on the 19th. I had an UN-favorable cervix...which basically meant I was close up like Fort Knox. It was scheduled to begin around 7am. Here is Isabella's birth story. The day my life changed forever.

I got up at 5am to call the hospital to make sure they had room for me and then did...Yeah. I already had my bags packed and her bags packed to bring her home (weeks before).
We arrived at the hospital at 7am and they started cervadil so I was bed bound for several hours. Nick was hungry and my Best Friend Heather brought up some breakfast for her and him. I was very hungry also, but they insisted the ice chips would eventually fill me up...as they taunted me with their biscuits.
Nick got out the video camera and annoyed the heck out of us for a bit. He comes up with the craziest questions sometimes. Guests came in and out throughout the first few hours. Everyone eagerly anticipating the first girl grandchild. I was not opposed to having anyone come, all were welcome (I had no idea what was to come, especially not having experienced one single contraction my whole pregnancy).
The nurses came to check me and I was 1cm dilated, they gave me another cervadil...and there I lay for a few more hours. My parents came up, my sisters came up, my friend from GA drove down. I really had a plethora of people come to visit.
Heather braided my hair in piggy tails, we talked laughed, Nick videotaped, it was very relaxing.
At 11am they checked me again and I was a 2, so they decided to start the pitocin. I was on a slow drip to start out and it was no problem. Around 1:30 I started experiencing bad contractions. I had more company in the room, this time it was some I was not comfortable being in that much pain around. My friend Andrew and his brother (who flew in from Seattle and I did not know *that* well). I was trying so hard to still be polite through these contractions. I think they began to see I was uncomfortable and left. I asked for an epidural at this point, but it was still early. After about 2 hours of these contractions I asked to be checked again and I was a 4, so they said I could have an epidural. It is around 5pm when they get everything in and working properly with they epi and I am good to go for a while. They sent everyone home and said at best I would dilate 1cm per hour, so we were looking at about 11pm that night, and said I needed my rest. I had planned for Nick and Heather to be in the room during the pushing/birth. Heather wanted to go home and take a nap (cause she likes her sleep and had got up really early) and I was fine with that seeing how they just said it would be 11pm before I was complete. I tried to sleep, but i was so darn excited I could not close my eyes. Nick however had no problems.
My friend Linda who had drove down from GA was still there and she could not stay for too long. She kept me company. It was about 7pm and and Linda and Nick and I were all talking (Nick was pacing if I remember correctly) and I started to feel major pressure and was adamant that she was coming out at the very second. Nick pressed the call button and went out in the hall, while we were waiting for someone I had Linda (who had 2 children already) look to see if her head was already out. I was crazy! I started to have BAD back labor...I mean worst pain in my life. The contractions were back full force and I was in pain. The nurse came in and checked me and I was a 10 fully effaced and ready to push right then. She then told me that my epidural had fallen out and I could not have it fixed as I was ready to push. To top it off she said I also had to wait to push till the Doc got in there.
Nick took this opportunity to call my parents and his mom and of course Heather who was off in dream land.
The Doc came in and Linda was trying to leave and the Doc said...sorry this room is sterile and she is ready to push...you are stuck in here now. Linda was a good sport and grabbed a leg, and Nick grabbed the other leg. I was in an insurmountable amount of pain, I cannot even begin to describe it.
At 7:30 pm Isabella came FLYING out sunny side up. I had a 4Th degree tear as a result, but she was beautiful, and a healthy 7lbs 1 oz. The nurses spiked her hair with KY jelly cause she already had a curl in it. Nick was in awe of the moment, he adored her from the second she was born. That girl had some lungs on her too.
Our family arrived during my pushing and greeted her when she was taken to the nursery.
I had a long recovery. Nick was wonderful taking care of me. He really nursed me back to health.

That is it in a nutshell.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor has, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the neighbors dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch a cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
A MOM

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Seasons

This is my favorite time of year. The hustle and bustle, the smells, the feelings in my heart of the people around me. I LOVE my family and friends. The season of giving is upon us and that is what I love the most. Finding that perfect gift for that special person is so thrilling to me.
Isabella was also born on December 19th so that may add into my emotions. What a beautiful, vocal baby she was.
Our tree is up and trimmed with all the most wonderful ornaments. Our star was placed this year by Isabella, and she was elated to do the honors.
I took the girls to see Santa this year and Isabella was so ready (and nervous). Abigail was was so excited to see "HoHo" she could hardly contain herself. Calling out "HO HO" the whole time we were waiting in line. So imagine my surprise when it is our turn and she completely freaks out. I am standing there wrestling her around, all the while trying to tell the girl..."just get it with Isabella...this one's not going to do it" amongst the screams Abby was letting out thinking I was going to make her sit there, the girl did not hear me. So Santa scoots over and pats his hand down in the chair...beckoning me over to him. Abigail looked to be open to the idea, after she was done pretending I was wrestling an alligator. So I sit down on the chair and Abby barely looks up from my chest to force out a smile, her head facing away from Santa. Isabella had her apprehensive smile on. I have my frustrated I am ready to go smile. I get the pictures ($20.00 later) and my forehead is shining like the sun. I was such a mess from that 10 min of her freaking out, that I sat down on Santa's chair and could not even wipe the sparkle off my head. Needless to say, those are not going to be framed.
This is the most wonderful time of the year...

Monday, December 3, 2007

Three

You know that saying "bad things always happen in 3's". This is especially true for me yesterday.
Number 1: I am woken up around 6am to Isabella talking to Nick on his side of the bed, now normally I would be ear hustling, but at 6am that was not happening.. I am so not a morning person and I could care less what she woke HIM up for...right? WRONG. He starts to get upset so I, being the caring wife I am...ask him (halfway still sleeping) what's wrong? He says Isabella just told me she peed in our bed hours ago and was too afraid to wake one of us to tell us. WHAT...WHERE...Oh wait nevermind I know EXACTLY where. On my side of the bed. My hair was wet with urine, my top was wet with urine, the back of my panties were wet with urine...you get the point. I apparently sleep like the dead and never even knew she was in our bed previously. I jump up in a fury and strip down. So she proceeds to tell me...she didn't get up to go pee, cause if I felt her move I would tell her to go back to her bed...YA THINK? So after she peed in my bed, and I rolled around in it for a few hours...she decided it was gross and she wanted to go sleep in her own bed. Furious would not even describe how I was feeling (aside from the obvious...stinky, wet, dirty, grossed out). I am now stripping down the bed, scrubbing the mattress, getting ready for a shower. I made Bella take one with me too, and we talked and she knew there would be consequences for her bad decision. Nick takes the sheets and changes the laundry around...which meant he put Bella's clothes from the washer into the dryer, and then the sheets in the washer. He handed Isabella a bottle of gain to throw away cause it was empty. (now starts the do what I say and do it now)

Her punishment was to clean her room, clean the playroom, and sweep.

Number 2: Isabella comes to me crying that all her clothes are black, she looked in the dryer and all her clothes are black(she is freaking out). I go to the dryer and sure enough...all her clothes are covered in some sort of black marker, pen, oil...not sure what? I mean everything, there was not even a sock that was salvageable. I carefully pulled out everything and expected with every ounce of my being to find a sharpie black marker that exploded. Much to my surprise, there was nothing. I could not find the culprit. I re-washed her clothes and still nothing came out. I get on the phone with my dad of course and he says maybe it is the motor blowing out oil or something, and he wants me to put a wet towel in there and see if it picks up anything. OK done.

Number 3: My dad calls about 20 min after he told me to put in the wet towel, and asks me to check on it. I start my walk through the hallway in front of the playroom (on wood floors) to get to another hallway where the washer and dryer are. I am on my last 3 steps on the wood floors and my foot lands in some slime, wet, slick substance and up in the air my body goes, my phone goes (in which my dad is still on the other end), I let out a obvious "I am falling scream", and boom with a loud thud I fall, and the phone falls. I hit my back on the wall and it was hurting badly...but more importantly...WHAT did I just fall on. I see a little peek out of the corner of the hallway and that Afro hair of hers gave it away. I said Isabella...get in here NOW. I said "What in the world is on my floors?" She says "Remember that laundry detergent Daddy gave me earlier?...well Mom it wasn't empty, and I thought I would clean the floors" "Daddy made me his maid today, so I am cleaning everything". I started laughing...cause what else could I do...right? If I didn't laugh I would cry.
BTW. The towel came out fine, my dad came out and took my dryer apart and there was nothing wrong. Fluke? Probably not, the marker more than likely disappeared. That sounds much better.