Our newest arrival...Gemma Violet!

**Disclaimer: If you don't care to read some more detailed descriptions of labor, you probably want to skip the 7th paragraph.**
Well, after passing my due date of March 12th & not having had a baby yet, going into the birth center on March 18th only to be sent home with false labor, and making it to 9 days overdue (all the while wondering: "Are we ever going to see this baby?!"), we finally welcomed our new little baby girl to our family on Sunday, March 21st at 1:45pm.
She has already surprised us in many respects, and she showed us some of her tendencies for surprise even before she came out of the womb! For one thing, Hannah was 8 days early, so I (like a silly mama) assumed that this one would be early as well--or at least right on time! When my due date passed and we were still waiting, I started to think "Hmmm...maybe this baby is not going to come when I think it will." I had a lot of help passing the waiting time with Senia being home for spring break, and various friends offering to bring food, take me out to pedicures, and coming over to just hang out! All of it was greatly appreciated, and I will definitely return that favor to someone else at some point. :)
I won't go into the whole false labor experience, as that was fairly frustrating, and I'd rather focus on the joy of the situation right now. :) Let's just say that when Sunday, March 21st rolled around and I started having contractions after midnight, I was REALLY holding off on getting excited or calling my midwife because I just didn't want to deal with that disappointment again.
My contractions started the previous evening around 10pm, but I was able to sleep through them, so I did what my midwife suggested: sleep through them! :) At about 12:15, I woke up because of an intense contraction, and I still waited for about an hour before even waking Keith up or calling Tracy (our midwife.) At that point, Tracy recommended trying to rest a little & call back if the contractions got closer or more intense (they were about 6 minutes apart at that point.) By 1:45, I was feeling anxious because I couldn't talk through the contractions, so we called my parents & Tracy and got stuff ready to go. The advantage of having had the previous false labor experience was that we had our "departure" down to an art--even Mom & Dad were more practiced and got here quicker! :)
I think we were at the birth center by 2:30ish, and I got in the tub almost immediately. The room was all candlelit and the tub was filled with nice, warm water. Keith set up the laptop so we could do our important status updates on Facebook, and then we decided to watch "The Office" Baby Episode. We also played a couple games of Othello, which, if you know anything about, you should be somewhat impressed at my mental ability to play that game even during contractions. :) (Granted, I didn't win either time, but I still had some of my little disks on the board!) At one point during those first few hours, I said to Keith "This is kind of fun!" The birth center is so relaxing & refreshing--Jessica, the midwife's apprentice, came in every half hour or so to check on baby's heart rate & ask if we needed any food or water (yes, that's right--I said FOOD. It IS okay to eat while you are in labor.) Besides that, it was just Keith & I in the quiet, peaceful room. Here is a picture of me in the tub early on:

Love that tub!! (Doesn't it look like a spa?!)

By 5:30 or so, I was feeling like I wanted to lay down & try to sleep a little bit, since my contractions were still intense while I had them, but kind of spread out by a few minutes. We slept for a couple hours (off & on, but still...not bad!) and then when the sun came up I got back in the tub because the contractions were getting more intense. The weird thing was that they were spreading apart, which Ztaphora, our other apprentice, attributed to the fact that the sun was coming up. Apparently our bodies tend to slow down with contractions when daylight hits, and not TOO many babies are born in the daylight hours...At any rate, my midwife checked me a little later (maybe 9:30 or 10:00), and I was only at 3cm. This was discouraging, but mostly because the contractions were spreading apart--I did NOT want to go back home again, and that was one possible outcome if we continued to see the pattern of "non-progression." (If that is even a term...)
Well, Keith and I decided to pray about that progression happening, since we know that God is bigger than the daylight hours! He could make my labor speed up, so we asked Him to do just that. I tell you: within the next few minutes (maybe a half hour at most), my contractions started coming closer together & they were getting more intense than before. For the next few hours, I started to experience a different kind of pain than I'd experienced before. I would describe it, but due to the miracle of birth memories, I really can't. :) At any rate, I used that tub to its fullest! I was moving all over during my contractions, which helped to distract me, as well as keep my joints active so that I didn't "feel" the intensity quite as much. I know I was moaning & groaning a lot more than with Hannah, and from Keith's perspective he thinks it was more intense, so we'll just say it was. Again, because of the labor memory that basically disappears after you are done, I can't really tell you for sure. All I knew was that I was not getting out of that tub (except to use the bathroom, which is a feat in & of itself while you are contracting.)
Those last few hours passed in kind of a blur, and after a while I got up on my knees to lean over the tub. I knew in my mind that I was getting into the transition phase, but at the same time, while I was experiencing it, it was all I could do to not scream at the top of my lungs (because maybe THAT would get the baby out sooner...) Shortly after that I started having that natural "urge" to push, and if you've had a baby, you know what I mean. I asked my midwife "Is this okay?" and thankfully she said to just go with it! :) I wasn't bearing down or anything, but I was definitely pushing. The amazing thing is that that brings this sense of relief to my body--partly because then I KNEW I was close, and partly because it released the pressure off the rest of my back & pelvis. By the time I was actually feeling like pushing hard, I was on my hands & knees, in what I'd say would be "modified child's pose" for anyone who does yoga. :) This worked really well, actually, because I could still move my body back & forth, but I could use my hands & knees for support. Keith & Ztaphora say I pushed for a good hour, but it felt like a couple minutes. :) At this point, I started feeling the "ring of fire", and then I could definitely tell the baby's head was coming out--no question about it! I reached down, and yup--there was the head! After a couple more pushes, & being gently & calmly guided by Tracy's instructions, I finished pushing her out. Tracy told me to watch for her coming towards me so that I could grab her. I think I will always remember those words: "Heather, you can pull your baby out!" That was the most amazing & rewarding part of the experience--actually being the one to pull her out of the water and for my arms to be the first that held her! She just stared at me then with open eyes--so alert! I checked her "area" then to see what we had and I was shocked to say: "It's a girl!" (Both Keith & I and most everyone we know thought she Because she hadn't really screamed yet, Tracy suctioned a little gunk out & then our little girl really wailed! She pinked right up and wanted to nurse, so we did that a little bit. She latched on pretty quickly and then I just got to stare at her. :) None of those pictures are really web-appropriate, so if you want to see them you can ask. :)
After a few more minutes, Keith cut the cord, which by that point was thin & kind of papery because she had re-absorbed that good stuff into her system. I got out of the tub then while Daddy Keith held his second daughter for the first time.

As I got situated in the bed and Gemma was put in my arms, Keith got to settle in next to me because of the wonderful queen-size bed in our room. We both got to enjoy watching & getting to know our little girl together, while Tracy, Jessica & Ztaphora left to give us some time alone. (They let the parents & baby get acquainted before weighing & measuring, so we got to just sit in the quiet stillness and be thankful for our new little "jewel," Gemma Violet.)
It worked out that my parents were headed in our direction right at that time, so they were able to get there with Hannah within an hour or so of my having Gemma! The only down side of that is that they were in our area because they had just dropped Senia off at the airport to head back to school. :( I was so bummed that Senia couldn't meet Gemma before she left, but she at least heard the news just before heading through to security.
When Hannah got there, she came right up to the bed and wanted to meet and kiss Gemma. She started using her name as soon as we told it to her, and since then, she has been the perfect doting big sister to Gemma--just loving on her & being so sweet with her! It is a joy to watch. Now that we know she is a girl, I am really getting excited about all that that entails for Hannah & Gemma both. :)
Throughout the rest of our stay, we were blessed by all the visitors that came, and we thoroughly enjoyed being pampered and cared for by Andaluz! The food was abundant & delicious, the quiet atmosphere was relaxing, and the supportive nature of the staff helped us feel refreshed & ready to face the next step ahead of us--heading home to parent our two little girls! And of course there was the lovely massage I had just before leaving that really made me feel like a million bucks!
Throughout the whole process, I have felt so protected and loved by the Lord--from the first steps into the birth center to my body healing after giving birth. Last night, Jessica came for a home visit, and when she felt my stomach to check on my uterus, she was amazed that she was having trouble finding it because it had already shrunk so much! She said--"Are you sure you had a baby 3 days ago?" I know that is the hand of the Lord working in me because He knows I'm going to need my strength & endurance back very quickly to be a patient, loving & encouraging mom for my daughters.
On that note, I need to go change Gemma and play with Hannah a little bit before we get to enjoy a meal from my friend Angela. :)
Here's our first family picture during Hannah's first visit with Gemma.

I'm getting excited!

As of last night, I have officially entered the "I can't wait" stage of this pregnancy. Allow me to clarify--I am truly fine with whenever this baby comes into the world, but I am also getting really excited to meet him or her! Who will he/she resemble most? What will be his/her personality? What will Hannah do? How will Hannah respond to the baby's first look at her?
I can't wait to enjoy the water birth center experience, and it brings tears to my eyes to think of the loving, warm nature of my midwives & apprentices who will be attending the birth. Each of them are so devoted to their practice, and I really feel blessed to have that dedication pointed towards our family.
I look forward to seeing Keith in action during my labor. I think this time around will give me an even deeper appreciation for our relationship, and I pray that we are both able to absorb many new things to love about one another through this birth!
I am praying for continued calm, even into the active stages of labor, and I am trusting the Lord for His steady hand to be upon our family & this new little one over the weeks & months to come!

See you soon...

Better late than never...

Well, as usual, I'm posting something on here months after my last entry, and although I'm sure I could have come up with some interesting topics, I just never have the motivation to sit down and do that. :) Checking other people's blogs or looking on Facebook is so much quicker, and then I can be entertained by their clever quips & comments. Anyway, I figured since my last post was regarding the fairly recent news that I was pregnant and now I am at 36 weeks, it was about time to post again.

My thoughts about the pregnancy so far (in one-word descriptions): fast, challenging, emotional, daunting, fun, joyful, sentimental, exhausting, hot, blessing.

Over the last few months, we have successfully day-potty-trained Hannah, and she rarely has accidents anymore! We attempted night-training for a couple nights, but after washing the sheets two days in a row, I figured it was probably more hassle than necessary at this point. Let's face it--I'm going to have plenty of laundry to do in a few more weeks, I don't need to add more right now!
We also moved Hannah into her big girl room, which is complete with a pink polka-dot queen bed & a cozy pink bean bag chair.

She really likes the room, and although it has been quite the struggle to get her to stay in bed during nap & bedtime, we are hopeful that the transition will be complete before baby gets here!
Hannah is also generally becoming quite the little girl to have around. She absolutely adores playing with her dolls (especially "Baby Anne," which is an old cabbage patch doll of mine), and she is also into imaginative play in her kitchen set & around the house. She repeats a lot of funny phrases & sayings, and she loves to sing "Bingo," "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "The ABC's", and "Happy Birthday," as well as various other songs from The Fish radio station (Christian music.) :) She seems to be understanding what will be happening in a few weeks in terms of the baby being born, and we talk a lot about the baby--where he or she will sleep, what he or she will eat, and who will take care of him or her (all of us!) Hannah has come to almost all of my midwife appointments, so she is pretty familiar with feeling my tummy, listening to the heartbeat, and checking my blood pressure. :) This last time I decided to bring along Hannah's doctor kit, so she was checking my vitals right alongside the midwife!

Speaking of midwives, we are still completely thrilled with Andaluz and their wonderful services there. Our midwives, Tracy & Adele (Tracy is our primary, the one who will most likely be with us during the birth) are both lovely, calm, confident women who really seem to have an invested interest in our family. During each visit, there is plenty of time for questions, and they also take special care to interact with & get to know Hannah and us on a more personal level. It's just a great place! It probably sounds weird to some, but I am actually looking forward to labor because I know I will get to deliver at this awesome place! My friend Lisa delivered there a couple of months ago, and her experience was exactly what Keith and I have been dreaming about: a quiet, intimate, peaceful birth with very little hub-bub or unnecessary stress. We found out yesterday that the baby is now head-down, after a number of weeks of him or her being in breech position. This was a huge blessing, and we are praising the Lord for His hand on our baby! :) Now we are basically set to go--we've got diapers washing in preparation, the basinette is set up, the infant tub is on standby, and the carseat is ready to be installed next to Hannah's. Pretty soon, we'll be a family of four (plus dog & cat.) :)

With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, we have some fun things planned. Tomorrow morning we'll head to Mom & Dad's for their annual Valentine's Day brunch, and then Hannah will stay with them through Sunday morning. After my morning piano lesson & a massage (!), Keith & I will have a quiet dinner at home together, and then we will head out to a movie. It sounds delightful! Although I am really trying to enjoy every last minute with an "only child," I am also looking forward to tomorrow's day off! :)

So many great and wonderful things have happened in our family since having Hannah, and it would take way too long to list them all. I would just like to make a note (to myself, more than anything) that although Hannah has her will of iron that can make the days long & challenging at times, it has mostly been a great joy & blessing to raise her so far, and she has taught me a lot about patience, flexibility & unconditional love. I know that she is going to be a wonderful big sister, and I am so excited to see the bond that will develop between her & this little one.

I have also thoroughly enjoyed watching Keith grow & develop into an amazing father over the last 2 & 1/2 years. He has always been good with children, and so it didn't surprise me that he moved into the "dad" role so easily. His patience and gentle manner encourage and move me to be a better mom, and it is such a delight to watch him interact, play, and laugh with Hannah. I feel so blessed to be able to start raising another little one with him, and I can't wait to see him with his two children on his lap! :)

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts & (somewhat personal) revelations. It felt good to get those typed out, as I'm not sure when I'll have time to sit down again and update....Let's face it: it could be at the baby's first birthday...

Coming soon...baby #2!

Well, by now most of you (if not all) have probably already heard the news that we are expecting our second baby in March. This is all very exciting! It is definitely different the second time around though, and with this pregnancy, I have been a lot more nauseous than with Hannah. Between that and chasing a very crazy-busy 2-year-old around, I get pretty tired by afternoon! Haha.
We are also doing something different this time in terms of the birthing facility--we will be having the baby (God-willing) at a water birth center with midwife assistance. That's right...no doctors, no IVs, and best of all--no interventions even available! :) Since I had a natural childbirth with Hannah and that all went very well, we had no reason to not plan on that for this baby. We will see how this new situation goes, and I'll try to keep my blog updated with the most fun facts! :)
I will say that even the first two appointments have been a huge difference compared to "traditional medicine." Don't get me wrong; I loved my OB-GYN, and had I had a high-risk/traumatic pregnancy/labor, he would have been great! The thing is...he wasn't even there when Hannah was born! She just sort of popped out and the nurse caught her--no kidding! So this time around we thought we'd go with a midwife in a more comfortable, homey setting.
First of all, the appointments are sort of open-ended. I know for a fact that the office doesn't even schedule appts on the half hour, just to allow for hour-long visits! The midwife that I saw yesterday (I'll alternate between 2 over the next 7 months, and then one of them will definitely be at the birth with us.) even had time to visit with my sister and ask her about where she goes to college, what she is doing for the summer, where she is going, etc. Everything is very relaxed and open. We got to hear the baby's little heartbeat (pretty good for 10 weeks!) and then after the appointment is over, each midwife hugs her "patient." I just think this is great for two reasons: 1) Pregnant women tend to be emotional, so it just feels good to get some hugs. 2) I think it establishes a close, personal relationship right off the bat with the person who will be very close & personal with you in just a few short months. :)

Anyway, those are my observations so far. I'm excited for the pregnancy to continue on its course and to start feeling just a tad more like eating foods of varying styles and textures. :)

Stay tuned!

The Great Outdoors

Well, after months (and years, actually) of talking about going camping, we finally did it last weekend! Keith and I got a tent for our wedding (2004), and since then have used it a handful of times in various backyards...and that's it. ;) One of the moms in my mom's group decided to host a family camping trip at Battle Ground Lake State Park, so Keith & I thought that would be the opportune time to try it out. We've been planning & preparing for the last few weeks, and we were both really excited. We've been telling Hannah "we're going camping & we're going to sleep in a tent--isn't that fun?" She was thrilled. ;) Getting to the camp site was fun, and because it was a walk-on site, we had to take a short trek up the trail to get to our area. That made it feel more wilderness-y and woodsy. :) We were sharing our site with my mom friend, Jessica, her husband, Andrash, and their baby, Linus--it must be mentioned that Jessica & Andrash are avid backpackers/campers, so they were a great resource & help to us! They had so many great ideas & suggestions, and we got to use some of their nifty tools of the trade (i.e. a hanging water "bag" where we could wash our hands.) As a huge "organizer"-type person, I loved the fact that Jessica has all of their camp stuff in bins--labeled, separated, and even inventoried! That is the way to go!
Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked here. So after arriving, Keith brought multiple loads up while I showed Hannah around the site. I can tell already that Hannah is going to be adventurous--she was blazing her own trails through the brush, running up & down to other campsites, and gettin' dirty (she even decided to experience eating some rustic pine needles from the trail.) After a while, I thought I could help Keith with a couple loads of stuff--of course we had packed our car to the brim...for one night (barely 12 hours of camping.) I took a couple loads up, and on my last load, some ladies at the next site over (who were neatly set up already) mentioned that there were wheelbarrows to borrow. Well. Good to know...for next time. Keith set up the tent (muttering, sighing and envisioning the finished product) while I made "helpful comments." Note to self: it is probably best if I keep my mouth shut while he is setting up the tent; although he did break one of the little posts after I tried to mention that I thought it was the wrong one for that hole...I hate to say "I told you so..."
Once we got everything set up (I, of course, insisted on getting our bed all arranged & ready.) We relaxed and sat by the fire, which Andrash had put together in no time at all. That is really one of my favorite parts about camping or being outdoors--having an open fire! I love just sitting there watching it blaze--it's quite mesmerizing. Not for Hannah, though. She would not sit still! She really just wanted to run back & forth from our campsite to the family's across the way (also in our group.) Those girls entertained Hannah at their site some, and we walked up & down the trail a number of times. We had a delicious dinner of Trader Joe's brats cooked on the open flame, and some orzo salad I had brought along for a side. :)Hannah thoroughly enjoyed her standing-up-dinner, and joyfully walked around the campsite munching her meal. (Something she is not allowed to do at home.) (Later that evening, Jessica & Andrash whipped out their little water-boiler contraption and made themselves pasta with all the trimmings! Amazing!)
After dinner, Keith, Hannah & I walked down to the lake, which was really pretty; albeit a little dirty. :)

Isn't it picturesque? Note how angelic Hannah looks up there with the sun framing her face? Well, keep that picture in mind when I tell you about the bedtime ritual. ;)
After playing around the site more and visiting some with Jessica & her family, we decided to attempt to put Hannah to bed. Keith spent the next little while (I really have no idea how long, as there are no clocks in the wilds, but I am guessing it was a good 30-45 minutes) in there laying down with her while I could hear her jabbering on about daddy, mommy, Linus, outside, etc. Every few minutes, I'd see her foot, hand, or face being pressed up to the side of the tent. Keith would tell her to lie down, but to no avail. She'd ask for milk, she'd ask for water, she'd say "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" over & over (doubtless those were the times Keith was pretending to "sleep.") After some time, I heard the tent open and out pops Hannah with a gleeful "HI!" She came bounding over as if re-energized, and then she proceeded to visit happily with the girls who were over visiting our site.
Since Hannah was awake & not in the least bit sleepy, we decided it might be time for something nice & calming...like S'mores. She & Keith had some gooey goodness while we sat by the fire. As in began to get a little darker, we decided that I should try to lie down with Hannah again. I went in the tent with her and pretended to go to sleep. This time she cried & yelled for Daddy, who fortunately came in to the tent shortly after. For the next hour (or more), we proceeded to lay down while Hannah bounced, rolled, and jumped all over the tent. She laid down for no more than 5 seconds at a time, and if Keith or I had our eyes closed, she woke poke our eyeballs and get a millimeter away from our face, saying "Daddy" or "Mommy." At one point, I really thought she would never fall asleep, and that our entire night would be spent keeping her busy in the tent. After countless attempts to keep her lying down & telling her "shhh, it's bedtime," or "stop talking now" or "lie down," and singing any number of songs, lullabies, tunes, and jingles, she finally started settling down. I found that to be my golden opportunity, as I really really wanted to sit by the fire for a while. Keith has no problem laying down & taking little naps here & there, but I was not sleepy at all, & I really did not relish going to bed without a s'more. So, I abandoned ship & left Keith & Hannah to get to sleep. :) (Terrible, isn't it?)
This is what I found when I went back in to the tent a while later:



Now, you might see this and think we got plenty of sleep that night; well, this is not the case when you are sleeping right next to a very shifty, active 2-year-old. (She doesn't slow down even when she is sleeping, let me tell you!!) For the rest of the night, Hannah proceeded to kick, slap & hit me with her arms & legs. When I wasn't dealing with that, I was trying to pull her away from the sides of the tent (which was where she wanted to squeeze into, probably to give her the sense of security that she has in her crib) because I thought she would get too cold. All in all, when morning finally came, both Keith & I were pretty sore and still tired. :) We had decided to go ahead on to church that morning, so we packed up in a hurry and tried to pull ourselves together to look somewhat presentable. :) Hannah was in a great mood, having slept through the night!

After all this, you might imagine we would never go camping again, but I am even having a hard time believing myself when I say that I would love to go again! Maybe it is somewhat like labor, where, even though you know it is painful at the time, you look back on the overall experience and think: "I want to do it again!" Keith and I are talking about trying to go once on our own later in the summer, but I think it would still be fun to go with Hannah. I think part of it is just getting her used to the tent so that she knows the drill. Another part is getting a little more outfitted with the proper camping gear--the most important being the handy french-press coffee maker that Jessica & Andrash broke out in the morning. I think with that in hand, all else would be just peachy. :)

The Happy Campers

She's Two!

Well, Hannah's birthday was a success today; it really is hard to believe that we now have a 2-year-old. (Now she is REALLY a toddler!) I really feel like she changed, grew, and developed more language skills overnight. Seriously. Her night ended at 6pm last night when she fell asleep at the dinner table (no kidding--here is the picture to prove it...)

and then she slept until 7:30 this morning (when I had to wake her up for church!) I said "Happy Birthday," and then asked her how old she was. With a smile, she sleepily said: "Two!" (We've been prepping her for the day, but I still think that is pretty good that she realized she had "changed over." I decided not to get into the logistics of the fact that she actually wouldn't turn two until 2:44pm...maybe at 3...)
Since we will be having a couple different family parties in the next 2 weeks, we decided today would be laid back and geared towards Hannah (well, and to be fair, we did also celebrate Father's Day, and Hannah did a great job sharing the day. :) After having breakfast (Hannah got sprinkles on her pancake & Daddy got a See's Truffle), we headed to church and told lots of people about Hannah's special day. (That's okay, right?!) After that, we came home, Hannah had lunch, and then she proceeded to take a 3-hour Birthday Nap. (Everything today could be classified as a "Birthday whatever.") After checking in to be sure she still knew she was two, we gave her a present, which was a huge box of sidewalk chalk. Fortunately, the weather was just turning sunny at that point, so we were able to go outside to do some artsy designs on the porch. Truth be told, I think Keith was more enthralled with the chalk than Hannah, but she still had lots of fun! :) Later we went for a walk and then Hannah got to swing to her heart's content at the park. (Shhh, don't tell her, but Keith is building a swing for her that will be unveiled at her birthday party in a couple weeks...) Then we headed to Mom & Dad's for a BBQ to celebrate Dads & Hannah. Hannah's Great-Grandparents got to be there, as well as a special visit from Cousin Nancy. I think it's safe to say that Hannah felt loved, special, and very excited about turning two--especially since that got her a little slice of chocolate cake and even a spoonful of ice cream!! During the visit, she also got to talk with Aunt Senia, and at one point during that riveting conversation, Hannah left the room as if to say "I need some privacy to talk to Auntie right now." On the way home, Hannah got a call from her Grandma Theresa, who she will be seeing in just a few short days. Hannah talked with both Grandma & Grandpa--at the same time!--(after which Keith said "Oh yeah, I forgot about that feature of landlines.")
Overall, I think Hannah's birthday was wonderful, and it was the first time she really seemed to understand the significance. We've talked a lot about birthdays in the last few weeks, especially since Hannah has a few different friends who have turned 2 already! There were many points during the day where I felt little twinges of tears, mostly out of joy for the happiness & blessing I feel when I realize that I get to have Hannah as my daughter. She does so many things that just crack me up and even when she is throwing a temper tantrum (because you know, she has now entered the "Terrific Twos," as we call them in our house), I can't help but smile at her dramatic flair.
She really is such a dear daughter, and I really want to try and cherish each day & moment with her. I hear that the time goes faster and faster as they grow, and if the last 3 years are any indication (meaning from the time I was pregnant with her), I definitely agree!
I've also attached a picture of the happy girl with her cake, just so you can see (the obvious) difference from yesterday to today. ;) (Sorry the picture is kind of grainy; I don't know why that happened...)

I know, I know...it's been forever!

Well, I'm finally back on my blog after what seems like ages. I'm sorry to those of you who have bee anxiously checking my blog day after day waiting for a new post (you know who you are, Senia.) Anyway, I don't know what to tell you except that things get busy, and even more than that, I often don't feel like I have anything noteworthy to write on here. I mean, let's be honest--I love talking about Hannah and all the funny things she does & says, but how many stories can you tell about bodily functions, toddler language and the trials of being a SAHM? (Okay, so I could just tell as many as I want because this is basically for me and a few people who want to keep up on our life tales...so I have no excuses.)

Anywhoo...life is going on with Hannah. She keeps me busy & entertained most of the time, and she is only starting to throw temper tantrums every once in awhile. The last few days have been particularly riddled with that moody behavior because she developed a stomach flu on Sunday and then shortly after (Wednesday) decided to wake up with a runny nose, sneezes, and a cough. Lovely. Let's just say that I am really looking forward to hanging out with a couple girlfriends tonight! Between vomit, diarrhea, snot, and a lot of wet diapers (thankfully!), it has been a messy week. (I told you--a lot of my stories are about bodily fluids! If you have any doubts, check out my "poop posts.") Keith is as helpful as he can be, getting up in shifts at night with Hannah, and giving me spontaneous back rubs. The fact of the matter is, mom is usually the one who gets the joy of this kind of caretaking. I'm not saying it is all bad--I admit to feeling a sense of enjoyment in being able to hold & rock Hannah all day, since that is basically all she wants, and there is a slight feeling of glee when she says "No, I want Mommy!" when someone else tries to hold her. :) However, I miss the busy, high-energy, excitable Hannah who says cute things all day and can't wait to have "more swing" or "go ow-side." Instead, she has been saying "more moofie" (movie) and "rock a minute." Still cute, but kind of heart-breaking.

Anyway, that is a peek into my life right now. Stay tuned next week, when I will hopefully post again with a much more uplifted summary of our days. :)