Miss Olivia

Olivia is getting so big, It seems that time is just flying by. She is almost 4 weeks old and we can't believe how big she is getting. It probably helps that she loves to eat. She is a great baby, very content and easy to please. I did realize the other day that she does have her days and nights still confused. Although she sleeps all night she is much fussier, eats more often and takes longer to settle back to sleep. We have been trying to keep her stimulated during the day but it is quite difficult to wake up a newborn who wants to sleep.

Merry Christmas

All in all our Christmas was very enjoyable. We split the day, my family came in the morning and Ryan's family in the afternoon with a shared Christmas dinner. It was really nice to be able to share the day with our entire family. Unfortunately Chase came down with a high fever on Christmas Eve, so although he was able to open presents and even play a bit, he went up and down with a fever all day and was up all night. Chase got some great new toys that I hope will keep him busy over these next crazy months. And yes that is a giant stuffed giraffe, we got it to go in Chase's room.

Big Brother

We have had such fun watching Chase fall into his new role as big brother. He has been so loving and sweet.

The Real Deal

Every year we receive dozens of Christmas cards from friends and family, many that include beautiful photos. Photos where everyone is sitting so sweetly with perfect smiles- unfortunately this is not our reality. This year Chase found it difficult to pose for any pictures. We finally resorted to giving him fruit candy just to get him to sit down for 20 seconds at a time and then it was a matter of catching him without his finger in his mouth or chewing with his mouth open. We did manage to get a nice family photo but I wanted to share the reality of what we went through in order to take that photo.

Our Beauty

Here are some recent photos. Olivia will be a week old tomorrow. We went for her first doctor's visit and she is doing great. She is almost back to her original birth weight and although she looks a little jaundice her bilirubin count was within acceptable limits. We have to go back next week to double check her jaundice.

I am feeling great! I can't believe how much easier this recovery has been compared to my last surgery. Don't get me wrong I still need pain meds to get around but a little less everyday. Chase is still doing well. I feel so bad that I can't pick him up- when he asks I know he is confused about why I can't and it hurts my heart. Ryan is going back to work tomorrow, hopefully he will be able to get a full nights sleep- otherwise I pity his coworkers :)

Olivia's Birth

Well, we did it. Wednesday was an exciting but hard day. I am sure no one looks forward to major surgery, at least I have a beautiful baby girl when everything is said and done. Ryan and I headed into the hospital early Wednesday morning, we got settled into our room and headed off to the OR about 8 o'clock. I ended up getting a spinal instead of an epidural, unfortunately it affected my circulation and I had trouble throughout the surgery keeping my blood pressure up. I would look over at the machine and it would read 40/20 and it was making me really sick- kind of scary. When Olivia was born she was screaming bloody murder. She looked and sounded so amazing- God is good!

It seemed like the surgery took forever, I just wanted to get my hands on my little girl. Ryan and I were both surprised by the fact she was 7 pounds and 5 ounces- she would have been a whopper if I had gone 2 more weeks. When we made it back to the room, it was overflowing with our families, how nice to share this experience with the people we love.

I struggled the rest of the day with managing my pain. The pain medication took a bit too long to make it to my room and by the time it arrived I was in agony. They had to give me extra doses to get control of it, which made my mind pretty cloudy. By day 2 I had the medication/pain under control. The rest of the week went smoothly. I have been feeling great!

Chase did great with my Mom. The second day he was starting to get nervous and needed some extra loving so I am glad we were able to head home on Friday. He has been great with Olivia, he has asked to hold her several times and is quite interested in her presence. He was so excited to find her in bed with us the first morning we were home, he kept sitting up and pointing to her as if he were saying, "Look, she's here." He is still a little nervous, especially at bed time, since that is usually special time with Mommy. We have had some much need snuggle time with Mommy to help reassure him.

My mother and sister will be here at least through December to help us heal and get adjusted so we have lots of extra hands- thankfully.

...and three became four

We are so blessed!

Erica gave birth to our beautiful baby girl - Olivia Lee

We're all overjoyed and looking forward to heading home tomorrow.

More pictures and details to follow.

Happy Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving. My in-laws were nice enough to supply the whole dinner (and deliver it!) We had planned on going to their house but my back has been hurting too much to handle the ride so they packed it up and brought the whole sha-bang to our house. It was so sweet of them, they took care of every last detail so it would be a relaxing day for us!

We needed a relaxing day since the past few weeks have been filled with stress and worry. A few weeks ago I began itching pretty intensely, concerned that it was related to my pregnancy we went to have additional blood work and found out my liver isn't working properly. This condition is called cholestasis, which can have some serious consequences on the baby. We are going in for bi-weekly monitoring/ ultrasound and they have moved my c-section date up 2 weeks (Dec. 5th). Please be praying for us. My mom flies in on Sunday, I am sure she will really help distract me while I count the days down.

Chase is doing great and has really started trying to talk. The cutest thing he says right now is please.

Big Shoes to Fill

Monkeying Around

We escaped to Lowry Park Zoo this weekend and had a great time. Chase loves the animals and the park is really nice.
I also threw in a picture of me-for those of you who are wondering how fat I am really. We are in the home stretch (six weeks).

Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween. Ryan came home from work early and we headed out to try trick or treating for the first time. Our neighborhood is amazing, almost everyone was out on their porch to give candy away and the streets were filled with little kids. Some people really went all out with their scary decorations. Chase was so funny- at first he just stood silently and stared at people. Then he started to get the idea and would take candy if it was offered. About 5 houses into it he was reaching with both hands into the candy bowls. One older women actually looked at him and said, "Only two candies" as if he would understand (or even wanted candy). We had a great time meeting new neighbors and watching Chase.

Writers Block

I am blaming my inability to post new photos and info on writer's block. I just sit down and can't think of anything too exciting to write about. It is probably due to my pregnancy too. Some of you women may remember that the later it gets the harder it is to think- the baby sucks every brain cell dry, that and the fact that most of my free time from Chase is spent napping next to him :)

Anyway, we are doing great. We love the new house. We attended a neighborhood party for Halloween this weekend and met some other mothers as well. Chase is dressing as a little professional golfer for Halloween this year, although he refuses to wear the hat and won't carry the clubs around either.

Baby girl is doing great. We are just 7 weeks away from the big day!!! I am big and getting more uncomfortable everyday. The stairs here are killer, especially when you are carrying a 25 pound child in your arms. We are really excited about meeting our daughter!

We managed to get over to the beach this weekend and had a great time. Chase loved playing in the sand. It is nice to have that as an option now.

Our New Home

Well as you can imagine the past few weeks have been a bit of a blur. We spent the second week in September saying good-bye to our friends, which was much harder than I thought it would be. We have some wonderful friends and Chase's first friends we had to leave as well. My sister flew in to help Chase and I get packed. Then the movers came and packed us all up. It was surprising how much work it still was even though I didn't pack boxes or carry them down stairs. When they were finished packing the three of us walked out to the car and collapsed. Everyone was expecting a drama scene, with me being pregnant and leaving our first home. But as it turned out as I was loading the car I stepped in some hidden dog poop which before I realized got tracked into the car so I was so annoyed with how rude and dirty people in Queens can be I didn't get upset about driving away from our NY life.
The following week Chase and I flew down to meet the truck with our stuff. My parents also came down to help us get settled. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without them. They are the most generous, giving people I know. We spent the week unpacking and organizing. We also had a few visits with old friends, which was really fun. Ryan got his new barbecue!! We have never owned one before and I am excited that Ryan can be responsible for some of the meals.
Chase was a bit stressed our first week but seems to be settling in quickly. He was very clingy and frightening being in the new house the first few days but he has fallen in love with outdoor work and the new washer and dryer. This is our first week alone- we are getting kind of bored. We have to find our new routine, playmates and some activities to keep us busy.

SunKissed

We are home again from a quick Florida trip. We made some final decisions about the new house and spent some time with Daddy. Chase attended his first seafood boil hosted by Uncle Randy and Aunt Jennie. He had a great time socializing with all of their friends. On one of our trips back from the new house Chase was having trouble falling asleep so I put my sunglasses on him and a few minutes later he was out like a light. It was so cute.

Next week is our big move!! We are spending the next few days saying good-bye to our friends and getting everything setup. Although we will not be packing and loading the truck (thank goodness) there is still a lot to do.

Chase is getting to be quite a handful. Even Ryan had to admit that running after him all day is exhausting. He is just on the go every second, looking for new things to explore and always trying to use adult items. Yesterday, we got out of bed and went into the kitchen I was pouring his usual glass of milk and he decided he would get into the pantry and get out my can of coffee. How funny that he knows our routine so well. He has memorized all of the body parts, although he will not perform for most people (I got it on video so everyone can see anyway) and he even has mastered the dog bark noise (although his sounds like a dog that has been smoking for 10 years). He just amazes us with how much he knows and understands about the world around him. While we were at Randy's Chase was playing with Ryan's car key, running to the door to wave bye-bye, as if he had the keys and was heading out. Later we needed to leave but couldn't find the key, we tossed the room and still no key. Then I got to thinking- if I were Chase where would I put the key- I checked and sure enough he had put it into the diaper bag. He knows that is were I put our keys when we go out! So smart!

Baby girl is doing well. Getting bigger and stronger every day. She started having hiccups just a few days ago. I am starting to get uncomfortable. Mostly when we our out on walks I get that heavy feeling. My hips have also started really bothering me, throbbing that keeps me up all night. I find it hard now to keep Chase from hitting, kicking or putting too much pressure on my belly. I am sure this will only get worse the bigger I get. But we are already 24 weeks so not too long to go, if she is anything like her brother she will be early.

Hide and Seek

Chase has recently discovered that HE can actually be the one that hides. He has found this great hiding spot in the corner beside the bookshelf where he can even pull the curtains to conceal himself better. Ryan and Chase played this game over and over, it was very cute. Chase would get into a full hysterical laughter when Ryan would spring towards him. Chase is learning so many new words every day. He still only says three but amazes me with how well he can follow directions. He knows what the garbage is and can throw things away, he has learned what "clean up" means and not only can pick up his toys but can even dustbuster up his crumbs, he even know what the potty is and went running to the toilet and lifted the seat when I asked if he wanted to try to go- sometimes before bath we playfully try to use it (although we have no success yet). Today I asked him to help me carry the milk jug into the kitchen and he grabbed the handle and walked all the way to the fridge "helping" me. He amazes me everyday with how much he understands!!

As for the rest of our life, our move is planned for mid September. We are so excited and can't wait to be in the new house. We are very close to having the paperwork complete for the sale of our apartment, which would be a relief. Baby girl is doing well, keeping me up all night already. Apparently she is quite nocturnal. But I am feeling great, aside from some random hip soreness and pain I feel completely normal.

Daddy's Chair

We said a sad good-bye to our Grammy and an excited hello to our Daddy this weekend. Chase had some much needed face time with Ryan. He was quite eager to show off his new tricks of climbing up into Ryan leather chair and his ability to hide. Just this past week Chase has found out he is tall enough to crawl up on the living room furniture. He is so proud of himself. One evening he even grabbed a book and crawled up to read in Daddy's chair, then proceeded to get up and down changing his book. He also snatched my empty coffee mug one morning and crawled up to "drink" in the big boy chair. Pretty funny that he already understands the two main functions of the leather chair- drinking coffee and reading.

Chase was so excited to spend time with Ryan. The first night Ryan was home Chase actually started crying and refused to eat any more dinner when Ryan ran out to Eckerds for 5 minutes. I ended up putting our shoes on and going out to meet Ryan on his way home. Even in the morning he would open his eyes and look over and Ryan and get the biggest smile on his face. Ryan has been really spoiling him though. He will do basically anything Chase wants to do- play in the sink for 15 minutes, grab handfuls of pasta and meatballs to smear all over, carry him when he doesn't want to sit in the stroller, etc. Today- back to life with Mommy :(

Sweet Baby Girl

We just got home from our ultrasound and everything looks great! We have a confirmation that she is definitely a GIRL and everything looks good. We have to wait a few days for the final report but the technician thought everything looked fine. The technician also commented on how beautiful baby girl's profile was, although she wasn't very cooperative with getting the pictures of her spine and heart.

FAO Fun

We have been enjoying a beautiful weekend. We took a trip into the city, for what could be the last time. My mom is spending the week with us and insisted on going back to the restaurant we went to for Chase's birthday party. They have the most delicious barbecue. We also took Chase to FAO Schwartz, were he explored many new toys and made a few new friends.

Hop On Pop

We are again at home. The good thing about traveling is when we get home Chase thinks all of his toys are magical. He spends the first hour running from toy to toy trying to experience them all. It really is nice to be home.

We have been at my parents house for almost 2 weeks. I managed to get in some quiet time out by the pool and even a trip to the hair salon alone! Chase most enjoyed playing with my mothers various cleaning instruments. He pushed her swiffer and broom around every day for at least 30 minutes. That reminds me of a funny story from Florida- we were leaving our hotel room one morning and the hotel cleaning lady had her cleaning cart parked outside of our room, well Chase took one look at that cleaning cart and his eyes got as big as saucers, the cleaning lady thought he wanted a beach ball she had on her cart but the truth is he couldn't see past the broom, mop, vacuum, and spray bottles to even notice the ball. He is so funny about cleaning supplies!

My Dad has spent some time these past few weeks teaching Chase to wrestle with the boys. It doesn't take long. Chase has mastered the slap, hair pull, step on, and climb aboard moves. It is so funny to watch him attempting to beat my dad up. And thankfully he understands that those moves are reserved for kids and men and mostly when they have laid down on the floor in the "ready to rumble" position.

Chase is still just testing out themany sounds in the english language. He toys with saying many words but has only really added bye to his vocabulary. But he does say "Byy" when ever we leave a place or someone else leaves accompained by a wave. He understands so many things now. Most of what we say to him he understand which is so much easier. He can bring things over to me, pick up his toys, take his binky out, etc.

Baby girl is doing great! She is kicking like crazy. Last night she kicked me so hard I impulsively screamed not knowing what had just happened. It is so fun to feel her moving around in there. I can't believe how much stronger she has gotten in just a few short weeks. My belly has moved from the "could just be fat" to definitely pregnant- thank goodness. I am feeling great!! I just hope it continues for at least the next 2 months so I can make it through our move. We have our big ultrasound on Monday- I am looking forward to a confirmation that indeed we are having a girl, especially since we already have about 20 girly outfits for her.