Above: Cal
Below: Andy
love these boys :)
Monday, May 30, 2011
Brothers
I am attempting to get a good picture for a birth announcement. In doing so, it made me go back and look at Cal's birth announcement. As much as I do not think these boys look anything alike, it's amazing how similar they look in these pictures:
love these boys :)
love these boys :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Williamson: Party of FOUR
Cal visiting the hospital-- he started warming up to me!
We got home around 4:00 and I had a bit of a melt down. I was hurting all over and I think I was just a bit overwhelmed by it all. Eddie left with Cal to get my meds (thank you!!!), and I sat down to get it together. Andy started screaming at 5:00 and could not be calmed...for two hours. Literally for two hours, he screamed and cried. All three of us passed him around trying to calm him down, and he wouldn't stop crying. I tried nursing him, but he didn't want that-- and, let me tell you what a screaming baby does to your milk supply... I thought my chest was going to pop. I tried pumping, but was having issues with the suction cups (I won't go into detail here, but suffice it to say that Eddie had to go out to babies r us on Saturday morning to get bigger suction cups....), and ended up tearing and having some bleeding...
Finally at 7:00, Andy calmed down and passed out. We have NO idea what upset him so much-- he has not cried like that since! I think it might have been my milk coming in and it just upset his tummy a little bit since he was used to the colostrum.
My mom got a little "baby" for Cal and he LOVES him! He will grab a bottle and shove it in the baby's mouth and when I am holding Andy, Cal will go get his baby too-- it is adorable.
Andy likes to be held! He will fall sound asleep in my arms while I am nursing and then I will try to put him down and he will wake up instantly. I ended up holding him for most of the night, and he slept great. The crazy thing is, in the morning, I could feed him and put him in the bassinet and he would crash instantly and sleep for 3 hours! But he won't do it at night!
I found it easier to move to the couch, so I set up shop in the family room, with Andy sleeping pretty much on my chest. That's where we are now, but I think I am going to move us to my bedroom upstairs tomorrow. I am going to focus tonight on getting him in his bassinet. Last night was our nest night yet-- he would wake up, eat on one side, fall back asleep for 3 or 4 hours and then wake up and eat on the other side-- pretty amazing for a newborn!
Cal is handling this whole thing MUCH better than anyone expected. I think he's in heaven having his grandma here-- she has a hard time saying no to him (and he knows it!). It's been hard on me because I am used to crawling around on the floor with him and having him crawl all over me, and we can't do that. It makes me sad, but I know that this is so short-lived and I will be back to rolling on the ground in no time.
Eddie has been super dad when it comes to playing with Cal. They are doing everything together and I am really impressed with how much Eddie has stepped it up-- I knew he would, he's a great dad! But I know of a lot of dad's whose worlds get rocked when the second baby arrives, and I am very thankful that Eddie has been such a great help.
Saturday morning, Eddie and Cal went downtown to have breakfast together and then they decided to wash the cars. I went outside to see this:
Happy BIRTHday, Andy!
We are HOME! I wanted to blog as quickly as I could, so I wouldn't forget anything, but it's taken me a while to find the time... I am sure you can imagine!
I wanted to take a few minutes to jot down the birthing story while it was still fresh in my mind...
It was a MUCH different experience this time than last.
This time, the section was scheduled, so we were to arrive at the hospital at 7:00 am on the 18th. I woke up at 4:15 to go to the bathroom and couldn't fall back asleep since I was so excited, so I started my day a little early! (Last time, my water broke at 2:30 and we got ourselves together to get there, while I was trying to breath and not scream at Eddie the whole way to the hospital.).
My mom got to our house at 6:30 so she could be there with Cal when he woke up and when the babysitter came over. Cal woke up right as we were leaving the house and I went in to kiss him goodbye, and I pretty much started crying and didn't stop until about 5 minutes from the hospital. Eddie's mom called us to wish us luck, and I couldn't get it together enough to talk to her. Eddie, bless his heart, was SO understanding and SO sweet. I think a lot of guys in that situation don't know how to respond to their wives acting like that, but he was really sweet...
Here is me, 39 weeks pregnant, about to leave the house:
We got to the hospital right at 7:00 and walked into the check in area. (last time, we went to the ER) They brought me my chariot, umm, a wheelchair, and we were off to our "labor room." I got dressed in the gown and Eddie and I just hung out waiting for what was next.
My mom arrived shortly after us and then my sweet sweet nurse came in! I have written about her before. She literally got me through the first delivery and we have kept in touch ever since-- I LOVE HER! If you deliver at Durham Regional, you must request Kelli! It's funny, after my birthing experience with Cal, I have told all of my friends about her and she has been requested by all of them since! They all say the same things I do-- she is outstanding.
She came into the room and we caught up a little bit and then she started prepping me for the c-section. (last time I pushed for 3 hours, while Kelli coached me the entire time...she was the one who prepped me for the section with Cal too, but that was an emergency situation so there was no small talk then!) My dad arrived and we were all hanging out in the room while I got my IV and we asked some last minute questions. Kelli came back into the room with two sets of "scrubs" to wear over the clothing. She gave one to Eddie so he could be there for the delivery, and the other set was for my mom (!!!) so she could come in to be with me once Eddie left with Andy after he was born. I thought that was SO sweet of her. (There was NONE of that last time-- although Kelli did try.)
The anesthesiologist came into the room to ask me some questions and the next thing I knew, it was 9:00, and they told me to hop up out of bed. Ummm...wha? I was wheeled down the hall last time with people yelling things at one another last time, and this time I was just going to stroll down the hall in my totally awesome, yet backless gown? Okay! They draped a sheet over my shoulder and off we went!
We walked into the OR and I sat on the edge of the bed while they inserted the spinal tap. Last time I had an epidural, so this was a totally different sensation. They told me I would feel heat running down my legs. I suuuuuuure did! As soon as I felt that, they swept me onto my back before I became total dead weight. It was awesome.
Before I knew it, the doctors told me they were making the first cut! They talked to me through the entire precess, which was pretty neat. If they did that last time, I missed it. Kelli ran out to grab Eddie and he was there immediately talking to me as they delivered my baby! I was crying again, pretty much right away.
As soon as Andy came out, he was screaming. It was the best sound in the world. They took him over to the baby area of the OR to examine him, and Eddie followed with the camera. Here is why I love Kelli: she stepped right over to where Eddie was standing and held my hand and explained what was going on both to me, and to the baby. LOVE HER!
Here is a picture Eddie got of Andy right after he came out! And below it is a picture someone took of me when Eddie was bringing him to me for the first time-- gotta love being tied down when you meet your son for the first time!
Eddie left with the pediatric team while they cleaned up Andy and my mom came in to hold my hand while they cleaned me up. The whole procedure was over in about 35 minutes-- it was great! After they were done stitching me up, they wheeled me into the recovery room. As the doors to the OR opened, I could hear my brother, dad, and sister-in-law cheering! HA! They were all right there waiting for me...it was so sweet.
We were just sitting there waiting to see Andy and then all of a sudden, I saw Eddie walking down the hall with a blanket in his arms. Being the drama queen that I am, I let out a huge gasp. Kelli thought something was wrong, but I was just so excited to see my new little guy! With Cal, they took him to the special needs nursery and I was unable to hold him until the next day. Eddie brought him right in to me and I started bawling. A ton of pictures were taken of this, but I have about a million chins in all of them...see below:
Andy was hungry right away, so I attempted to nurse right away...and he took to it like a champ. We are still in the recovery room here, but he is chomping away!
Here is a picture of me with the greatest nurse in the WORLD! My face always gets really puffy after the drugs-- puffy and SUPER itchy. I wanted to claw my face off it itched so badly! haha But there is Kelli! Isn't she cute??
We were only in the recovery room for about 45 minutes and then we were off to the postpartum room! Eddie was thrilled to be holding Andy-- it all came back to him right away. With Cal, we were unable to hold him until the following day, and I could not attempt to feed him until the day after that.
My brother came back to meet Andy...and he woke up a little for him:
Cal came to the hospital the day we delivered. I was worried about him coming up there too soon, but both Eddie and I were missing him and wanted him to be a part of the day. He didn't want a thing to do with me and even less to do with Andy. It was very hard for me to take, obviously, but I knew that he was just overwhelmed with everything going on. Cal is actually yawning in the below picture-- we were clearly boring him. More to come shortly about Cal and Andy...
Thursday morning I was able to take a shower, and it was much needed! I felt like a new woman! Wednesday night was rough because every hour, someone came in to check my vitals, I was getting drugs every few hours, and then they brought Andy in to me every 2.5 hours to feed, so it was a night full of visitors! Eddie stayed with me Wednesday night, and my mom stayed Thursday night to give Eddie a break. It was also nice for Eddie to be home with Cal.
Thursday morning:
So, that was Andy's birthing story! It was about 100 times easier than his brother's experience.
I will attempt to do a post about life at home now and sleeping, etc...it's difficult with a bambino in one arm!!!
I wanted to take a few minutes to jot down the birthing story while it was still fresh in my mind...
It was a MUCH different experience this time than last.
This time, the section was scheduled, so we were to arrive at the hospital at 7:00 am on the 18th. I woke up at 4:15 to go to the bathroom and couldn't fall back asleep since I was so excited, so I started my day a little early! (Last time, my water broke at 2:30 and we got ourselves together to get there, while I was trying to breath and not scream at Eddie the whole way to the hospital.).
My mom got to our house at 6:30 so she could be there with Cal when he woke up and when the babysitter came over. Cal woke up right as we were leaving the house and I went in to kiss him goodbye, and I pretty much started crying and didn't stop until about 5 minutes from the hospital. Eddie's mom called us to wish us luck, and I couldn't get it together enough to talk to her. Eddie, bless his heart, was SO understanding and SO sweet. I think a lot of guys in that situation don't know how to respond to their wives acting like that, but he was really sweet...
Here is me, 39 weeks pregnant, about to leave the house:
She came into the room and we caught up a little bit and then she started prepping me for the c-section. (last time I pushed for 3 hours, while Kelli coached me the entire time...she was the one who prepped me for the section with Cal too, but that was an emergency situation so there was no small talk then!) My dad arrived and we were all hanging out in the room while I got my IV and we asked some last minute questions. Kelli came back into the room with two sets of "scrubs" to wear over the clothing. She gave one to Eddie so he could be there for the delivery, and the other set was for my mom (!!!) so she could come in to be with me once Eddie left with Andy after he was born. I thought that was SO sweet of her. (There was NONE of that last time-- although Kelli did try.)
The anesthesiologist came into the room to ask me some questions and the next thing I knew, it was 9:00, and they told me to hop up out of bed. Ummm...wha? I was wheeled down the hall last time with people yelling things at one another last time, and this time I was just going to stroll down the hall in my totally awesome, yet backless gown? Okay! They draped a sheet over my shoulder and off we went!
We walked into the OR and I sat on the edge of the bed while they inserted the spinal tap. Last time I had an epidural, so this was a totally different sensation. They told me I would feel heat running down my legs. I suuuuuuure did! As soon as I felt that, they swept me onto my back before I became total dead weight. It was awesome.
Before I knew it, the doctors told me they were making the first cut! They talked to me through the entire precess, which was pretty neat. If they did that last time, I missed it. Kelli ran out to grab Eddie and he was there immediately talking to me as they delivered my baby! I was crying again, pretty much right away.
As soon as Andy came out, he was screaming. It was the best sound in the world. They took him over to the baby area of the OR to examine him, and Eddie followed with the camera. Here is why I love Kelli: she stepped right over to where Eddie was standing and held my hand and explained what was going on both to me, and to the baby. LOVE HER!
Here is a picture Eddie got of Andy right after he came out! And below it is a picture someone took of me when Eddie was bringing him to me for the first time-- gotta love being tied down when you meet your son for the first time!
We were just sitting there waiting to see Andy and then all of a sudden, I saw Eddie walking down the hall with a blanket in his arms. Being the drama queen that I am, I let out a huge gasp. Kelli thought something was wrong, but I was just so excited to see my new little guy! With Cal, they took him to the special needs nursery and I was unable to hold him until the next day. Eddie brought him right in to me and I started bawling. A ton of pictures were taken of this, but I have about a million chins in all of them...see below:
Here is a picture of me with the greatest nurse in the WORLD! My face always gets really puffy after the drugs-- puffy and SUPER itchy. I wanted to claw my face off it itched so badly! haha But there is Kelli! Isn't she cute??
Thursday morning:
So, that was Andy's birthing story! It was about 100 times easier than his brother's experience.
I will attempt to do a post about life at home now and sleeping, etc...it's difficult with a bambino in one arm!!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Steven Andrew Williamson
He's here!
Andy was born at 9:40 this morning, weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 20.5 inches long. He is just as sweet as can be with quite a bit of blonde hair! I was able to nurse him immediately, thank goodness (I wasn't even able to hold Cal for the first time until the day after he was born...).
We are so grateful for such a wonderfully easy delivery...and we are sooooo in love already.
Pictures are coming soon!
Andy was born at 9:40 this morning, weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 20.5 inches long. He is just as sweet as can be with quite a bit of blonde hair! I was able to nurse him immediately, thank goodness (I wasn't even able to hold Cal for the first time until the day after he was born...).
We are so grateful for such a wonderfully easy delivery...and we are sooooo in love already.
Pictures are coming soon!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Cue the emotions...
This morning I woke up before Cal and laid in bed thinking of how many blessings I have in my life right now...and it totally overwhelmed me with emotions.
My mom came over this morning to keep Cal so I could run to the hospital for some pre-op stuff. The babysitter who will be keeping Cal while we are in the hospital also came over so we went over everything for her. Cal immediately went over to her and took her hand and led her around the house. He climbed up on her lap when she sat down, and took an immediate love to her. I was so so grateful.
The work at the hospital was quick and easy and I was on my way home in no time. I called to check in with mom and she and Cal were in the back yard playing. I was so grateful to her for taking the time to love on him and let him run around in the yard. I knew he was over the top happy-- and again, I was so so grateful.
I am also grateful for some of the greatest friends you could ever hope or dream for. I got home from my appointment and three of my friends were at my house (or came shortly after I arrived) with lunch for me AND Cal. All of the kids played together and wore each other out and Cal thought it was just the best thing ever. It was SO unbelievably nice to be able to sit with them one more time before I have an infant in my arms-- I just felt so lucky, and you guessed it: blessed.
As I was driving this morning to my appointment, I was just thinking to myself that I am one lucky girl. I do not take any of it for granted, and if anything, all of the blessings in my life make me want to be a better person. I want to be a better mom to these amazing little boys that God has given me. I want to be a really GOOD friend to these friends that would do anything for me (I hope they know the same is true for me...I would do anything for them too). And I want to be a really good daughter to my mom-- I want her to know how much I value and appreciate her.
So... if you can't tell...the emotions have been flowing a bit today! I am so anxious to meet and love on my new little guy. I have been playing the "this time tomorrow" game all day. I just thought to myself: "this time tomorrow, I will be nursing my baby...." and it made my heart swell a little bit...
Also, I am grateful for anything who takes the time to read this blog. I know it can be boring as all get out, but it helps me to just spew out all of these emotions...as erratic as they may be!
xoxox,
My mom came over this morning to keep Cal so I could run to the hospital for some pre-op stuff. The babysitter who will be keeping Cal while we are in the hospital also came over so we went over everything for her. Cal immediately went over to her and took her hand and led her around the house. He climbed up on her lap when she sat down, and took an immediate love to her. I was so so grateful.
The work at the hospital was quick and easy and I was on my way home in no time. I called to check in with mom and she and Cal were in the back yard playing. I was so grateful to her for taking the time to love on him and let him run around in the yard. I knew he was over the top happy-- and again, I was so so grateful.
I am also grateful for some of the greatest friends you could ever hope or dream for. I got home from my appointment and three of my friends were at my house (or came shortly after I arrived) with lunch for me AND Cal. All of the kids played together and wore each other out and Cal thought it was just the best thing ever. It was SO unbelievably nice to be able to sit with them one more time before I have an infant in my arms-- I just felt so lucky, and you guessed it: blessed.
As I was driving this morning to my appointment, I was just thinking to myself that I am one lucky girl. I do not take any of it for granted, and if anything, all of the blessings in my life make me want to be a better person. I want to be a better mom to these amazing little boys that God has given me. I want to be a really GOOD friend to these friends that would do anything for me (I hope they know the same is true for me...I would do anything for them too). And I want to be a really good daughter to my mom-- I want her to know how much I value and appreciate her.
So... if you can't tell...the emotions have been flowing a bit today! I am so anxious to meet and love on my new little guy. I have been playing the "this time tomorrow" game all day. I just thought to myself: "this time tomorrow, I will be nursing my baby...." and it made my heart swell a little bit...
Also, I am grateful for anything who takes the time to read this blog. I know it can be boring as all get out, but it helps me to just spew out all of these emotions...as erratic as they may be!
xoxox,
Monday, May 16, 2011
It's the final count down!
We are officially in the HOME STRETCH! And I can not believe it! Everyone has been calling and asking how I am feeling about the precedure, having another baby, etc, and really, it just hasn't sunk in yet. I think I will cry on the way to the hospital, just knowing that I am leaving Cal and our family of three, but the tears will also be about how excited I am to meet the newest member of the family...!!! How in the WORLD am I going to sleep tomorrow night?!?!? Super cute-- I talked to my parents on Sunday morning and my dad said that my mom was just too excited about the baby to sleep! She is seriously the best. THE. BEST.
We had a relaxing weekend and I had some "me" time on Saturday (thank you, Eddie) and I must say, I really enjoyed it. Thursday night we went out to dinner at the club with our usual group. It was fun to get out and see everyone one last time before my sleep deprivation kicks in!
I was supposed to have a hair appointment on Friday afternoon and I was soooooooo looking forward to it. I had put it off so it would be fresh for the next while after the delivery (because who knows when I will be able to get back in that chair again!), so it was in desperate need of some TLC. Well, I walked in and gave the receptionist my name and she gave me a look and shook her head. She said, "oh, well, we need to get your new contact information." I guess they had an old number...? Anyway, my girl had to call in because of a sickness in her family and they needed to cancel my appointment. I do not blame my hair girl for this AT ALL, but I was super upset. They said they could reschedule for Thursday. REALLY? Being the smart ass that I am, I asked if they wanted to come to the hospital to do it there. That was the only appointment I could get for the whole week with ANYONE in the salon. UGH. So, instead, I asked if I could just get a partial highlight (I know this is TMI, but whatever), and a trim. Fine, they could fit me in on Saturday morning.
I already had plans to see a movie on Saturday (Something Borrowed--loved it!), so it was going to be a tight fit, but it all worked out! I got my hair done, ran to the movies to meet my mom and sister in law and then went with my mom to get a pedicure! So now my hair is done and my toes are done too!
Sunday we went to the pool after nap time for a little fun.
Cal got into the "workout closet" where we have a ton of other things, but there are a few pieces of workout equipment. Here, he is finding use for the thighmaster. This is a lot more use than it's seen in a loooooong time.
Playdate at the park
Today, I thought Cal should enjoy one last playdate at the park, since it might be a while until we can join our regular Monday morning group. A little girl was at the park with a shopping cart and a baby. Cal was immediately drawn to the cart and wanted to feed the baby. He took the bottle and tried to give it to the baby-- I thought it was so sweet! When the little girl wanted her cart/baby back, Cal wouldn't let go. Like, seriously, I couldn't get his hands off of the cart-- another mom had to step in and help me, and Cal fell back on the ground in a full on temper tantrum meltdown. It was awesome. I took him to another piece of equipment at the park and thought he was going to calm down, but he got down, and took off in a sprint for the cart again. The girl saw him coming and tried to block him from grabbing at it, but he still grabbed hold. We went through the whole meltdown/temper tantrum again (are we in our terrible twos???), when I decided it was time to leave the park. There was going to be no calming him down! He was screaming like CAH-RAZY in the car. People were staring. It, again, was awesome. We drove away and he calmed down...it was wild though! Can't imagine going through that with an infant too.....! (gulp)
Ridiculous
I know that I am overly ridiculous. Call me a master nester or stupid for not resting more now while I can.... BUT, the nurses at the hospital last time were so amazing, and then once we were home, we had so many sweet people stop by to visit us, I wanted to have something to give them. Sooooo, I baked a WHOLE bunch of cookies and wrapped them up with a little note. Cheesy, sure, but why not?? Wouldn't you like to get a little something as a thank you for being so nice?
(PS- notice the new granite countertops in pic above!)
So, that's about it! Andy's hospital bag is packed, mine is sort of packed-- I have a list made of the other things I need to throw in the morning of, and we are feeling pretty ready....I mean, ready for the hospital...can we ever be ready for another baby?? We will see!!!
Tomorrow morning, the sweet sweet girl who will be keeping Cal is coming over to get the lowdown on everything. Bless her heart-- I wanted to make sure to tell her everything, so I wrote it all down on 5 sheets of paper!!!! She is going to hate me tomorrow! Her mom is really good friends with my mom so her mom will be coming over to help her too. And Eddie and my mom will be rotating going home to be with Cal and bringing him for a little visit now and then. A lot of people assumed that my mom would just be keeping Cal while we were at the hospital, but I couldn't imagine her not there with me...I know it sounds stupid, but she is my calming person and she knows exactly what I need before I even realize I need it. And what I need in the hospital, is her! Eddie will be there too, and of course, I am thrilled to have him there, but when he needs a break, it will be nice to have my mom's help.
After I meet with my babysitter, I have to go to the hospital for my pre-op. How weird is that?? I have to go fill out some paper work and give blood, I think... it's just wild to think that the reason I am going is to get all ready for the baby to come!
I think that's about it on this end.... I do not have a laptop, so I will not be able to upload pictures to the blog until I am back home. I will try to do a post from my iPad though, to let you all know he's here...and I am sure it will be on facebook too.... gotta love social media! ha!
I'll try and do one more post before the newest guy arrives!
We had a relaxing weekend and I had some "me" time on Saturday (thank you, Eddie) and I must say, I really enjoyed it. Thursday night we went out to dinner at the club with our usual group. It was fun to get out and see everyone one last time before my sleep deprivation kicks in!
I was supposed to have a hair appointment on Friday afternoon and I was soooooooo looking forward to it. I had put it off so it would be fresh for the next while after the delivery (because who knows when I will be able to get back in that chair again!), so it was in desperate need of some TLC. Well, I walked in and gave the receptionist my name and she gave me a look and shook her head. She said, "oh, well, we need to get your new contact information." I guess they had an old number...? Anyway, my girl had to call in because of a sickness in her family and they needed to cancel my appointment. I do not blame my hair girl for this AT ALL, but I was super upset. They said they could reschedule for Thursday. REALLY? Being the smart ass that I am, I asked if they wanted to come to the hospital to do it there. That was the only appointment I could get for the whole week with ANYONE in the salon. UGH. So, instead, I asked if I could just get a partial highlight (I know this is TMI, but whatever), and a trim. Fine, they could fit me in on Saturday morning.
I already had plans to see a movie on Saturday (Something Borrowed--loved it!), so it was going to be a tight fit, but it all worked out! I got my hair done, ran to the movies to meet my mom and sister in law and then went with my mom to get a pedicure! So now my hair is done and my toes are done too!
Sunday we went to the pool after nap time for a little fun.
Today, I thought Cal should enjoy one last playdate at the park, since it might be a while until we can join our regular Monday morning group. A little girl was at the park with a shopping cart and a baby. Cal was immediately drawn to the cart and wanted to feed the baby. He took the bottle and tried to give it to the baby-- I thought it was so sweet! When the little girl wanted her cart/baby back, Cal wouldn't let go. Like, seriously, I couldn't get his hands off of the cart-- another mom had to step in and help me, and Cal fell back on the ground in a full on temper tantrum meltdown. It was awesome. I took him to another piece of equipment at the park and thought he was going to calm down, but he got down, and took off in a sprint for the cart again. The girl saw him coming and tried to block him from grabbing at it, but he still grabbed hold. We went through the whole meltdown/temper tantrum again (are we in our terrible twos???), when I decided it was time to leave the park. There was going to be no calming him down! He was screaming like CAH-RAZY in the car. People were staring. It, again, was awesome. We drove away and he calmed down...it was wild though! Can't imagine going through that with an infant too.....! (gulp)
I know that I am overly ridiculous. Call me a master nester or stupid for not resting more now while I can.... BUT, the nurses at the hospital last time were so amazing, and then once we were home, we had so many sweet people stop by to visit us, I wanted to have something to give them. Sooooo, I baked a WHOLE bunch of cookies and wrapped them up with a little note. Cheesy, sure, but why not?? Wouldn't you like to get a little something as a thank you for being so nice?
So, that's about it! Andy's hospital bag is packed, mine is sort of packed-- I have a list made of the other things I need to throw in the morning of, and we are feeling pretty ready....I mean, ready for the hospital...can we ever be ready for another baby?? We will see!!!
Tomorrow morning, the sweet sweet girl who will be keeping Cal is coming over to get the lowdown on everything. Bless her heart-- I wanted to make sure to tell her everything, so I wrote it all down on 5 sheets of paper!!!! She is going to hate me tomorrow! Her mom is really good friends with my mom so her mom will be coming over to help her too. And Eddie and my mom will be rotating going home to be with Cal and bringing him for a little visit now and then. A lot of people assumed that my mom would just be keeping Cal while we were at the hospital, but I couldn't imagine her not there with me...I know it sounds stupid, but she is my calming person and she knows exactly what I need before I even realize I need it. And what I need in the hospital, is her! Eddie will be there too, and of course, I am thrilled to have him there, but when he needs a break, it will be nice to have my mom's help.
After I meet with my babysitter, I have to go to the hospital for my pre-op. How weird is that?? I have to go fill out some paper work and give blood, I think... it's just wild to think that the reason I am going is to get all ready for the baby to come!
I think that's about it on this end.... I do not have a laptop, so I will not be able to upload pictures to the blog until I am back home. I will try to do a post from my iPad though, to let you all know he's here...and I am sure it will be on facebook too.... gotta love social media! ha!
I'll try and do one more post before the newest guy arrives!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
D.O.N.E.
That's it!
I am DONE with everything in the house! WOOHOOOOOO!
Painting: DONE
Carpeting: DONE
Countertops: DONE! (will post pic later!)
Sink installed: DONE
Boxes unpacked: DONE
Pictures hung: almost DONE!
We have been working like dogs around here and we can finally say we are settled in. The very last box had a few pictures in it to be hung and I am taking care of those this afternoon during nap time, hopefully.
There are still a few minor things that need to be done, but for the most part, we are very settled and very moved in. No more big projects for a while-- phew!
Oh, did I mention the water damage I did? Our very first night in the house, I was bathing Cal and I sat on the bathtub. I leaned over to wash him and there was a loose bolt on the toilet. Water started leaking out, unbeknownst to me. Eddie came in a while later and saw some water on the floor. He tightened the loose bolt and we cleaned up the water and thought everything was done....wrong. I was in the kitchen the next morning and we had about 6 HUGE water stains on our ceiling from where it had leaked down through the beams. UGH! My freshly painted house was tarnished! (cue the drama queen). It ended up not being as big of a deal, but we do have to get the ceilings painted... just waiting on the painter to return my call... it seems it is taking him a while to get back to me.....grrrr.... I am more mad at myself for screwing it up!
Other than that and a few other small things, we are very settled. And it feels great. Really really really great. I packed Andy's hospital bag yesterday, just so it's ready, just in case (although he isn't going to come early!!!), and I made a list of things to throw into my bag.
I will continue to do housing posts, but they are going to be interspersed with posts about BABIES!!!
Before I end this post, I have to list my 10 MOST favorite things about this house:
1. all of the SPACE we have!
2. the garage (again, space!)
3. the neighbors-- so so so sweet! the ones directly next door have brought over brownies, roses from their garden, and fresh strawberries they picked that morning....seriously.
4. having a laundry room upstairs-- I do NOT miss hauling laundry up and down stairs
5. the attic- I could do an entire post on how large the attic is. It is really quite amazing
6. my closet. it has become my happy place.
7. the yard! Cal and Hank LOVE to run and run and run!
8. having a vacuum cleaner upstairs and one down. I was given another vacuum cleaner for mother's day (thanks, momma!) and it makes the world of a difference having one on each floor! I actually vacuum everyday! I do the upstairs one day and the down the next so I am able to stay on top of the vacuuming-- it's amazing the difference it makes with the dog hair! (yes, I realize this last one makes me sound so so old and so so like a lazy woman, but think of how much more you would run the vacuum if you didn't have to lug it UP and DOWN the stairs every time! It's just so easy now!)
9. the screened in porch. Cal plays out there the majority of the time we are home. All of his big push toys are out there and he is so content to play and just be outside
10. really, I love it all. I never thought I would be THIS happy in a new house. But I really really really am. With the new paint and carpet, it feels like a new house-- like a brand new, never been lived in before house. And I really could not be happier. Yes, moving is a total biotch, and moving when 9 months pregnant is anything but convenient, and having a toddler there "helping" is certainly challenging, but let me tell you: ALL of that, was so so so so so worth it for this house.....
I am DONE with everything in the house! WOOHOOOOOO!
Painting: DONE
Carpeting: DONE
Countertops: DONE! (will post pic later!)
Sink installed: DONE
Boxes unpacked: DONE
Pictures hung: almost DONE!
We have been working like dogs around here and we can finally say we are settled in. The very last box had a few pictures in it to be hung and I am taking care of those this afternoon during nap time, hopefully.
There are still a few minor things that need to be done, but for the most part, we are very settled and very moved in. No more big projects for a while-- phew!
Oh, did I mention the water damage I did? Our very first night in the house, I was bathing Cal and I sat on the bathtub. I leaned over to wash him and there was a loose bolt on the toilet. Water started leaking out, unbeknownst to me. Eddie came in a while later and saw some water on the floor. He tightened the loose bolt and we cleaned up the water and thought everything was done....wrong. I was in the kitchen the next morning and we had about 6 HUGE water stains on our ceiling from where it had leaked down through the beams. UGH! My freshly painted house was tarnished! (cue the drama queen). It ended up not being as big of a deal, but we do have to get the ceilings painted... just waiting on the painter to return my call... it seems it is taking him a while to get back to me.....grrrr.... I am more mad at myself for screwing it up!
Other than that and a few other small things, we are very settled. And it feels great. Really really really great. I packed Andy's hospital bag yesterday, just so it's ready, just in case (although he isn't going to come early!!!), and I made a list of things to throw into my bag.
I will continue to do housing posts, but they are going to be interspersed with posts about BABIES!!!
Before I end this post, I have to list my 10 MOST favorite things about this house:
1. all of the SPACE we have!
2. the garage (again, space!)
3. the neighbors-- so so so sweet! the ones directly next door have brought over brownies, roses from their garden, and fresh strawberries they picked that morning....seriously.
4. having a laundry room upstairs-- I do NOT miss hauling laundry up and down stairs
5. the attic- I could do an entire post on how large the attic is. It is really quite amazing
6. my closet. it has become my happy place.
7. the yard! Cal and Hank LOVE to run and run and run!
8. having a vacuum cleaner upstairs and one down. I was given another vacuum cleaner for mother's day (thanks, momma!) and it makes the world of a difference having one on each floor! I actually vacuum everyday! I do the upstairs one day and the down the next so I am able to stay on top of the vacuuming-- it's amazing the difference it makes with the dog hair! (yes, I realize this last one makes me sound so so old and so so like a lazy woman, but think of how much more you would run the vacuum if you didn't have to lug it UP and DOWN the stairs every time! It's just so easy now!)
9. the screened in porch. Cal plays out there the majority of the time we are home. All of his big push toys are out there and he is so content to play and just be outside
10. really, I love it all. I never thought I would be THIS happy in a new house. But I really really really am. With the new paint and carpet, it feels like a new house-- like a brand new, never been lived in before house. And I really could not be happier. Yes, moving is a total biotch, and moving when 9 months pregnant is anything but convenient, and having a toddler there "helping" is certainly challenging, but let me tell you: ALL of that, was so so so so so worth it for this house.....
The Bonus Room
The new house has an amazing "bonus room" and it really is a BONUS room. When we first looked at the house, before even coming inside, we thought we would make this a play room for Cal and then we would finish the attic for a man room for Eddie. I just wanted a place for Eddie to have where he could sprawl out and watch TV....and it wouldn't be right on my pretty new furniture downstairs!! hehe! He also wanted a spot like that, and this works perfectly! We hung some of his sporting "stuff" on the wall (a framed picture from the Master's, a collage of sporting event press passes that he's been to, etc etc...). They are important things that we want to display, but it's tricky finding the right place to display them. This works perfectly!
This room is HUGE-- it is seriously a TON of space. Cal LOVES this room and loves running back and forth from the master (opposite end of the hallway) into here.
An added BONUS to the bonus room is the study that is right off of the side! We really did not want to use up bedroom space for our desk/computer/stuff, and we originally thought we were going to use the downstairs living room as a study/play space for Cal...then we came into the BONUS room! There is a nice sized room off of the bonus that works perfectly for this! Technically, it isn't a "room" because there are no closets in here, and I think it would be kinda small for bedroom furniture, but it works perfectly for use as an office! That way, I can be in here working away while Eddie is watching TV in the connecting room, or vice versa, but we are still spending time together...sorta! :)
Anyway, we are loving all of this SPACE that we have to spread out. Cal has some toys upstairs and some down (a TON are on the back deck!) and he just loves to play in both areas-- happy as can be to be upstairs or down! As I wrote below, we would like to someday get a train table or something for the back corner for the boys... someday!
Here are the pics!
These are two pictures that I took before carpeting and paint, the day we closed:
Here is a video that was taken "before" the paint, but after the carpeting:
And here are the AFTER shots:
I hung some more pictures in here last night and didn't want to get out my camera (i.e. my PHONE) to update these... just suffice it to say that there are pics on the walls now!
Soooo....there's the BONUS room!
This room is HUGE-- it is seriously a TON of space. Cal LOVES this room and loves running back and forth from the master (opposite end of the hallway) into here.
An added BONUS to the bonus room is the study that is right off of the side! We really did not want to use up bedroom space for our desk/computer/stuff, and we originally thought we were going to use the downstairs living room as a study/play space for Cal...then we came into the BONUS room! There is a nice sized room off of the bonus that works perfectly for this! Technically, it isn't a "room" because there are no closets in here, and I think it would be kinda small for bedroom furniture, but it works perfectly for use as an office! That way, I can be in here working away while Eddie is watching TV in the connecting room, or vice versa, but we are still spending time together...sorta! :)
Anyway, we are loving all of this SPACE that we have to spread out. Cal has some toys upstairs and some down (a TON are on the back deck!) and he just loves to play in both areas-- happy as can be to be upstairs or down! As I wrote below, we would like to someday get a train table or something for the back corner for the boys... someday!
Here are the pics!
These are two pictures that I took before carpeting and paint, the day we closed:
The one above is standing in the doorway to the study, looking out into the playroom (window treatments came down immediately).
The one below is looking into the study.
Here is a video that was taken "before" the paint, but after the carpeting:
And here are the AFTER shots:
Looking into the study (this is only half of the room, behind me there is a little side table and lamp...see it in the reflection of the picture?)
Looking into the playroom:
The other corner-- we are hoping to one day put a train table there for the boys! The study door is the opening you see:
Soooo....there's the BONUS room!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Cal Boy Lately
With all of the excitement of the new house and new baby, I can't forget to write about my sweet little guy... he is just cracking me up lately.
We brought out a bunch of baby paraphernalia (swings, seats, etc...) to expose Cal to them a bit before there is a baby sleeping away in one and he wants to discover it. The first day, I was in the kitchen and I could hear Cal kind of crying/laughing in the dining room (where the swing was) and there was a loud banging noise. Well, he climbed on up in the swing and could not get out. Every time he leaned forward, the swing would gain momentum and swing him back even faster. He was rocking like crazy! Being the awesome mom that I am...I filmed it. I am not going to put it on here for fear of child services taking my child away, but just trust me that it was hilarious. He couldn't stop laughing/crying and as soon as I got him out, he was bent over at the waist with his hands covering his mouth laughing-- priceless!
There is one seat that I have put in our bedroom for Andy that is smaller (and stationary!) and Cal has discovered how much fun that is:
And later that same morning, I got another funny picture of Cal. He has always been obsessed with Hank, and Hank normally just takes it and sighs. Lately, Cal has been getting rougher-- not meaner, he is still loving on Hank, but he is kissing him while wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing as hard as he can! And Hank seems to be getting sick of it. Hank tries to escape, but Cal always seems to find him! Hank tried to hide in the bathroom, and Cal found him...and the plunger...
Cal continued to chase Hank around the house while dragging the plunger behind him for the next hour. It was HILARIOUS.
Cal also realllly likes to grab Hank's collar and pull him to wherever he wants him to be. Poor poor dog... really....poor dog.
And, next up in the new Cal stuff-- he has discovered a love of ketchup! I never knew he liked it, but I put some on his plate to eat with his chicken and next thing I knew, he was doing this:
Licked his plate. Clean. There is a video of this one too-- it is borderline gross though because you can hear him lapping at his plate. Yumm, right?!?!
And I will end this post with a video. Cal has been super vocal lately and we've been working on the Williamson family names. Eddie's family doesn't get to see Cal often and they feel it is very important that I work with him on knowing their names/faces. I filmed my efforts last night (side note: Eddie's little sister, Tricia, is Shosh, Eddie's middle sister, Carrie, is CB, and Eddie's mom is Grammy, but Cal will only call her Mimi, for some reason. He said Poppy about a million times, but I didn't have the camera rolling for that...ugh).
That's about it for now.
I had a check up yesterday-- my LAST one -- very hard to believe. Everything is looking good- same as last time with no more dilation or effacement, so that's a good thing (I am all about waiting until I get MY doctor and MY nurse!).
We don't know yet if we will go for a 3rd baby (we need to survive 2 first!!!), but I am starting to get very emotional thinking that this might be the last time I feel a baby inside of me... it's a weird feeling... I like being pregnant (this time-- last time, not so much!), and I love feeling him kick around in there. Hmmmm......
this time, one week from now, I will be holding my new baby!
We brought out a bunch of baby paraphernalia (swings, seats, etc...) to expose Cal to them a bit before there is a baby sleeping away in one and he wants to discover it. The first day, I was in the kitchen and I could hear Cal kind of crying/laughing in the dining room (where the swing was) and there was a loud banging noise. Well, he climbed on up in the swing and could not get out. Every time he leaned forward, the swing would gain momentum and swing him back even faster. He was rocking like crazy! Being the awesome mom that I am...I filmed it. I am not going to put it on here for fear of child services taking my child away, but just trust me that it was hilarious. He couldn't stop laughing/crying and as soon as I got him out, he was bent over at the waist with his hands covering his mouth laughing-- priceless!
There is one seat that I have put in our bedroom for Andy that is smaller (and stationary!) and Cal has discovered how much fun that is:
And later that same morning, I got another funny picture of Cal. He has always been obsessed with Hank, and Hank normally just takes it and sighs. Lately, Cal has been getting rougher-- not meaner, he is still loving on Hank, but he is kissing him while wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing as hard as he can! And Hank seems to be getting sick of it. Hank tries to escape, but Cal always seems to find him! Hank tried to hide in the bathroom, and Cal found him...and the plunger...
Cal also realllly likes to grab Hank's collar and pull him to wherever he wants him to be. Poor poor dog... really....poor dog.
And, next up in the new Cal stuff-- he has discovered a love of ketchup! I never knew he liked it, but I put some on his plate to eat with his chicken and next thing I knew, he was doing this:
And I will end this post with a video. Cal has been super vocal lately and we've been working on the Williamson family names. Eddie's family doesn't get to see Cal often and they feel it is very important that I work with him on knowing their names/faces. I filmed my efforts last night (side note: Eddie's little sister, Tricia, is Shosh, Eddie's middle sister, Carrie, is CB, and Eddie's mom is Grammy, but Cal will only call her Mimi, for some reason. He said Poppy about a million times, but I didn't have the camera rolling for that...ugh).
That's about it for now.
I had a check up yesterday-- my LAST one -- very hard to believe. Everything is looking good- same as last time with no more dilation or effacement, so that's a good thing (I am all about waiting until I get MY doctor and MY nurse!).
We don't know yet if we will go for a 3rd baby (we need to survive 2 first!!!), but I am starting to get very emotional thinking that this might be the last time I feel a baby inside of me... it's a weird feeling... I like being pregnant (this time-- last time, not so much!), and I love feeling him kick around in there. Hmmmm......
this time, one week from now, I will be holding my new baby!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
9 days
Continuing on with the countdown... 9 days left until Andy makes his arrival!
Here is a pic of me today-- not sure if you can see my belly button. It has offically POPPED! Which is funny, because Cal was a HUGE kid and it never popped with him! Maybe this guy is bigger than we thought!!!
We have SUCH a busy week this week to get ready for the upcoming chaos:
Our new countertops are being installed on Wednesday, the plumber to hook up the sink is coming on Thursday, I have a check up on Tuesday, we have a celebratory dinner on Wednesday to honor my brother, who got into the MBA program at UNC, we have a club dinner on Thursday night, and I have a hair appointment on Friday (gotta get my 'herrr' done so it be lookin' good in the pics). Somewhere in there, I am going to squeeze in a pedicure (gotta have my toes lookin' good sticking out from under the blanket in the hospital! ha).
It will be a busy and productive week...and I just can not believe that this little guy will be gracing us with his presence in no time!
I haven't been ready (I mean, I am anxious to meet him, but I haven't been how I was last time where I was just sooooooooooo ready by this point), but last night sleeping was really tough. If I sleep on one side for too long, it's like he shifts all of his body to that side and nuzzle in, so when I get up to pee or roll over, my stomach is all oddly shaped to one side-- it's really a bizarre-- and it is painful to get him to re-shift back over to the center.
Hopefully, we can get another ultrasound at the appointment this week to see his positioning. For those of you who go to my practice (Steph!), I am seeing the reallllllllly slow doctor there, so who knows how long I'll be waiting. My regular doctor was booked solid all week :( ugh. Oh well... this will be my LAST appointment for this pregnancy! How IN SANE is that?!?!?!
Here is a pic of me today-- not sure if you can see my belly button. It has offically POPPED! Which is funny, because Cal was a HUGE kid and it never popped with him! Maybe this guy is bigger than we thought!!!
 |
| again, pardon the confused looking face. Apparently, I can't take a picture of myself without being confused... |
Our new countertops are being installed on Wednesday, the plumber to hook up the sink is coming on Thursday, I have a check up on Tuesday, we have a celebratory dinner on Wednesday to honor my brother, who got into the MBA program at UNC, we have a club dinner on Thursday night, and I have a hair appointment on Friday (gotta get my 'herrr' done so it be lookin' good in the pics). Somewhere in there, I am going to squeeze in a pedicure (gotta have my toes lookin' good sticking out from under the blanket in the hospital! ha).
It will be a busy and productive week...and I just can not believe that this little guy will be gracing us with his presence in no time!
I haven't been ready (I mean, I am anxious to meet him, but I haven't been how I was last time where I was just sooooooooooo ready by this point), but last night sleeping was really tough. If I sleep on one side for too long, it's like he shifts all of his body to that side and nuzzle in, so when I get up to pee or roll over, my stomach is all oddly shaped to one side-- it's really a bizarre-- and it is painful to get him to re-shift back over to the center.
Hopefully, we can get another ultrasound at the appointment this week to see his positioning. For those of you who go to my practice (Steph!), I am seeing the reallllllllly slow doctor there, so who knows how long I'll be waiting. My regular doctor was booked solid all week :( ugh. Oh well... this will be my LAST appointment for this pregnancy! How IN SANE is that?!?!?!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
I love you
If this doesn't melt your heart, not sure what will (unless it's your own kid saying it to you):
