Gone Fishin'

This morning, Jeremy, Grace and Anna left bright (well, not really, it was 4:30AM) and early to head to Douglas.  The girls are gonna stay with Grandma and their cousin while Jeremy, his dad and his brother-in-law head to North Dakota to do some serious ice fishing.  The plan was for Grace to go fishing too, but she'd rather stay with Grandma.  I think Jeremy was a little disappointed, he really enjoys her being along.  So it's just me and Leah for the next few days.  I think we might go to Douglas for part of the weekend, but that depends on if I catch up on the things that pile up.  I'm sure I'll be eager for some adult conversation tho!

The wind is rip roaring out there right now.  I thought the roof of the house was gonna blow off and when you go outside you get pummeled by sand.  I'm pretty sure it's actually small gravel.  You get a work out just walking outside and not being blown away.  And it's warm, like 45° out there.  Give me the 20° weather with no wind anyday!

This isn't today's sunrise, but the post needed a picture.

Yet another....

Ok, I'm sure you guys are sick of looking at baby cardigans, but I have finished another one.

The picture doesn't show it so well, but the buttons are made of shell and remind me of abalone...I think they fit this purple-y sweater to a T!

Christmas

Santa came to our house a day early since Jeremy had to work Christmas day.  We went to look at Christmas lights, then we all hopped into our beds so Santa could come.  Here is a before shot.

 And here is the after shot with paper and boxes littering the floor, amongst all the gifts.  The girls ripped through it so fast, I'm not sure who gave them what!  But I know they are loving it all.

Messin' Around

I was just fooling with Leah on the floor taking pictures.  Lately the child seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, she recently got a new wardrobe because the 0-3 months clothes were quickly getting too small.  Her hands are always in her mouth anymore too.  We have given her some rice cereal and it about 4 or so bites seem to go mostly down, and then we're done.  Last night she even opened her mouth for the spoon.  Soon on to something more adventuresome than rice cereal!

Anna wanted in the picture too.  It was either cut off some of her and Leah or she was laying on Leah, I opted for the former.

New Skirts

Lately is seems as if the big girls pants have all erupted with holes on the knees.  Instead of trying to fix them, I decided I'd turn them into skirts.  They both wanted the same cupcake print and since I've finished them there has been a few fights on who's is who's.

The next set of skirts will be totally different prints!  They seem to love them and they turned out good enough I think there will be a pair of tights in their stockings so they can wear them to school.

On The Lake

Anna and Jeremy went ice fishing the other day on a lake nearby.  The ice was about 6 inches thick.  This is the first time Anna's caught anything through the ice.  Her first ice fishing escapade without me tagging along too.  They caught 3 trout.  Here's Anna proudly displaying her catch. 

Notice that big smile!  I'm so glad Jeremy loves taking the girls ice fishing.

Another Christmas Program

Last night was Anna's Christmas program.  I think trying to get 3, 4, and 5 year olds to sing on stage is like herding cats, it really doesn't happen.  I don't think Anna sang any songs, she was busy twirling her dress or looking around.  We got some pictures, pre-program.  Anna was just bopping around and a good one was hard to get.

She looks a little intense in the last picture.

Another Cardigan

I finished another baby sweater.  I think it turned out pretty well.  This is for one of my future nieces or nephews due to come along next year.

This is the Puerperium Cardigan made to be able to easily get on a newborn.  I have since started another one in a girl color.

Today Anna and Jeremy are planning to go ice fishing.  Jeremy was at a reservoir outside of town and there was sufficient ice and he's been itching at the bit since early this fall.  Hopefully they catch a few!

Elf Naughtiness

We woke up this morning to find Manny, our Elf on the Shelf, had brought some special snow back from the North Pole and made a snow angel on our table!

Yesterday also marked Grace's 6th Birthday.  It sounds like her teacher brought in brownies and Grace got a special "Birthday girl" star to wear on her shirt.  She decided she wanted to go to Applebees for dinner.  They sang her Happy Birthday and she got all embarrassed and tried to hide in my armpit.  To prove that she's older, she promptly threw a fit this morning because she didn't like any of her clothes....ohhhh boy!

One Christmas Program Down...One to Go

The other night was Grace's Christmas program at her school.  It was the kindergarten, first and second graders.  Each class sang a song, then they sang a couple together.  It was too stinkin' cute!  She was so excited to wear tights and "high heels."

Then afterwards, we went and picked up the gingerbread house they made at school that day and went to see her classroom.

I think she used every available piece of candy for her house; it was chocked full!

A Visit with Santa

Over the weekend, we went to the mall to see Santa so the girls could tell him what they wanted for Christmas.  Of course, you can't take your own pictures, you have to buy their overly priced pictures.  However; a picture was taken covertly of Grace and Santa.

Anna decided she didn't want to sit on his lap, but she did tell him what she wanted for Christmas.

We also had an Elf on the Shelf arrive at our house over the weekend.  The girls named him Manny.  Each morning it's a game to find where he sat himself down after reporting to Santa while they slept.  So far he has been pretty good and hid in the curtains, on the tree, and from the ceiling fan pull cord.  But one night he got a little mischievous and squirted some toothpaste on the bathroom counter and put some of the stuff on the counter in the sink.

There it....went

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated anything on here.  Lately it seems like life is cruising along at 60mph and I’m over in the slow lane doing 45.  This is especially true on nights when I get home and immediately have to make dinner.  By the time it’s cleaned up and I’ve got lunches packed for the next day, it’s only half an hour until bedtime.  Hopefully this week slows down a bit.  For your enjoyment pleasure I have a picture of my oldest and youngest.  Anna didn’t wanna pose in her shirt.  I made them all a Christmas shirt.  I’ll post a picture of it when it’s not all wrinkled up on a kiddo tummy.

Tummy Time

We are having a bunch of firsts around here.  This actually happened before Grace's lost tooth, but I didn't have a good picture of Leah to attach....but now I do.  The other day she rolled from her tummy to her back.  At first I thought it might have been luck.  But then she did it again later that day.  Of course, she hasn't done it since.  And the child is all smiles, all you have to do is talk to her and she smiles away.  The kind of smile that uses the whole face, so happy!

Gap Tooth

I went to pick Grace up at school last night and she ran up to me with all excited.  She had lost a tooth today.  Apparently she was eating an apple and it came right out.  We hadn't noticed it being loose, so this was quite the surprise.  The tooth fairy's pockets are a little deeper than I remember them being when I was a kid.  Inflation, I guess!  :)

A Little Picture

Grace is always drawing pictures, but lately they've become pretty darn good for a 5 year old. 

I think you can tell what they are even if she didn't label them.  Not that I'm a proud mama or anything.  :)

And there's news on the Leah front...she rolled from her tummy to her back today.  Not sure if it was a fluke; she got the arm and leg in the right place at the right time....or we're on to bigger and better things.

Another Sweater

I finished another sweater.  It's the Tulip cardigan made famous by the Yarn Harlot.  It turned out so well and I really love the color scheme.  I can see why the Yarn Harlot is hooked on them.  I'd be tempted to make one for myself, but I love the satisfaction of a quick knit.  A sweater for me would definitely not be a quick knit!

Now I'm on to some mittens I've had on the needles for about a year...maybe I ought to finish those babies up. And with all the snow as of late, they seemed like the perfect knit.

Halloween

The girls were all costumed up and we were about ready to head out the door, when Leah decided she was hungry…again.  So Jeremy took the big girls to town and went trick or treating and Leah and I stayed home.  With all the hustle and bustle, I didn’t get any good photos of the girls as ladybugs.  But here’s some bad photos…HA!

Lil Miss Serious

Lil Miss Funnypants

They got quite the haul of candy.  They’ve been sorting and re-sorting and taking stock this morning.  There’s the usual good stuff (Reese’s), the yucky stuff (Tootsie rolls and taffy), and the unusual.  Somebody was handing out Snack Pack pudding.  They also got mini bags of unpopped popcorn.  People thought they were very cute ladybugs.

I enjoyed my hour or so of Leah and mommy time.  I think I needed that.

I think the blur is one of the big girls arms.  The lizard is not real, but it looked so cute on her noggin.

Pre-Halloween

For your Halloween pleasure…  I was afraid this onesie would be too big, but it fits pretty good.  The pants, on the other hand, are too big.  Leah says thanks Aunt Jenny.  The shirt says "Auntie gives the best candy"  

Jeremy and the girls gutted all the pumpkins and carved 2 of them.  I got to carve the other one.  Then we picked the seeds out of the guts and are gonna roast them, when I find the time (which could be tricky!)

Can you tell who's is who's?

The big girls each have Halloween…er, excuse me, Fall Parties, today.  To make it easy on me, they are both bringing Rice Krispie treats!  Yesterday I was told that Grace didn’t like her costume.  When asked why, I got a “because.”  I think she thinks it doesn’t look much like a ladybug.  We tried it on this morning and changed it up just a bit and I think she’s happier with it.  Come back tomorrow to get a look at dual ladybugs ready to go trick or treating.

Immunizations

Yesterday Leah got her first set of immunizations.  She is a healthy 8 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches long now.  She was all happy and cooing and smiling...until they stuck those needles in her little thighs.  She turned beet red and screamed bloody murder.  After something to eat, she was back to herself.  And she slept really good last night...yeah for that!

No new pictures...I've gotta get on that...

One Shot Deal?

Last weekend my parents came for a visit.  My dad isn't much of a baby person, I think he prefers them once they start walking and talking.  Anyway, I got a picture I just had to share.

It's a little dark, but there's Dad and Leah.

We also went to Family Day at Jeremy's work.  They have little safety seminars, feed ya lunch and you get a bus tour of the plant and a goodie bag.  It was windy and chilly, same as it was last time we went.  Grace went in the ambulance and she got to listen to her heartbeat.  They got to climb in the firetrucks and a brand new semi.

And, wouldn't you know, you can't find a decent pocketwatch in this town without paying an arm and a leg at a jeweler.

Grace's Turn

We got some orange and black striped tights for Grace, intending that she wear them during spirit week.  They are school colors and last week was Homecoming.  Well, that didn't work out, so she wore them the next week.  Of course, she had to be a ham in her picture.  FYI, her legs are crossed, she doesn't have the shoes on the wrong feet.

She loves to hold Leah, so here is one the many I've snapped.  Don't mind the possessed red baby eyes.  I've also caught Grace several times carrying Leah which freaks me out because Leah's still so floppy, if you know what I mean.

Anna should get a post too, but I can't seem to get many pictures of her lately, especially without her blanket in her face and her thumb in her mouth.

We girls have a date night tonight.  Jeremy's working nights, so we'll go home to say goodbye to him, have dinner and go back to the mall.  There are puppies to see, a play area to enjoy and a new Joann's for me to peruse.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Over the weekend, Jeremy, Grace and Anna went to a corn maze in Lingle.  They met up with the in-laws and did the corn maze (of which they came out the way they went in) and picked pumpkins in the pumpkin patch and tried to stay dry.  Leah and I stayed home because the weather was less than ideal.  They got some big pumpkins for carving closer to Halloween.

The biggest one weighs 40 pounds.  There's some warty gourds in there as well. I don't have a picture, but Leah and I have to share a mini-pumpkin; we felt a little slighted.

We also got some grocery store pumpkins (the day before the corn maze) and Jeremy helped the big girls carve them up.  They sat outside a few days before the picture, so the have started to shrivel up.

Grace's is the cat on the left (serious shrivel-ege) and Anna's is the funny face. 

Random Tuesday

Thought I would do a picture post today.

Happy Leah on her "bear skin rug"

hanging out in Mom & Dad's bed

She finally starting to outgrow the "newborn" size of clothes and diapers.  And her sleeping at night is getting more regular, I finally get about 4 hours of solid sleep.  If she would just get to sleep before 10:00 each night, mama would be happier.

It's About Time

I figured we'd be getting eggs from our new chickens long around August or September.  Those months came and went with not a single egg.  The other day Jeremy came in and had found 7 of the things!  'Bout time those girls start earning their keep. 

They are smaller than store bought eggs.  That big white one is store bought and the rest are from our chickens.  And the yolks are the lovely dark orange color, not that watery yellow stuff like store bought eggs.  Yeah for real eggs!

Some pictures of the girls.

After I curled Grace's bangs and the bottom under

You can see Anna in the background with her usual look, the blankie up to the face and her thumb in her mouth.

Do you know how hard it is to get a picture where all 3 girls are behaving...at this point in time, nearly impossible!  This was better than a similar one where Anna was digging for "crumbs" in her nose.

Back to the Grind

Yesterday was my first day back at work. Those 6 weeks with Leah sure did fly by. One of my coworkers summed it up the best, "Nothing changes" The papers are exactly how I left them on my desk the day I ran out to have a baby.

I think Leah probably did better than I did. She had a big nap, dirtied some diapers, drank some milk and was all around a good baby. I managed not to shed a tear. When I got to work there was a gift from my department on my desk.  A diaper cake and some cute snowbooties.

Anna was pretty glad that her "baby sister" got to stay at daycare with her. They are in different areas, but it still made Anna happy.

I've gotten a request to put more pictures of the girls up…so I'll try to snap more of the monkeys. You'll have to get on me if I start to slack!

Back to Work

Today is my last day of maternity leave; I go back to work tomorrow.  I am really not looking forward to joining the land of the working.  I SO enjoyed staying home with Leah and doing laundry whenever I wanted to, and grocery shopping whenever I wanted to.  And I really would rather sit on the couch with Leah to breastfeed than pump in a cubicle in the bathroom at work. 

And I know my time breastfeeding her is gonna be shortlived.  I can already feel the RA pain coming back in my feet and hands.  I can't nurse while I'm taking my medication.  One day last week I knit a bit too much and I'm still dealing with the pain and swelling.  I have an appointment with my rheumatologist the end of October and I have doubts I'll make it that long.

I best go make sure my lunchbox is ready to go and my pump is ready to go and hope and pray Leah lets me sleep good tonight.

Elmer

After the disappearance of Clyde, Jeremy wanted to get another male dog to even up the ratio of girls to boys around here.  After scouring craigslist high and low and going to the shelter and basically obsessing about it (don't tell him that tho!) he found one.  The puppies were advertised on a the board in the Sportman's Warehouse in Loveland and he picked up the number.

His name is Elmer.  He's half lab (his mama was yellow lab, no less), half red heeler and looks all black lab.  He's got a bit of white on his chin, his chest, his toes and the very tip of his tail.  And he's very much a puppy; playful and pees everywhere!  Now Nicky, our rat terrier, is a little more social (she pretty much was a grump after Clyde disappeared).  About 5 years ago we had a black lab (who ran away, is there a trend here?) who's name was Simon.  There have been several slips with the name.

We are modifying the front yard, putting back fence that we had taken down (go figure), so then we can just kick his butt out the front door in the morning instead of having to take him to the yard, 'cause we're lazy like that, lol!

Becoming a Daisy

Last night Grace became a Daisy, which is younger than a Brownie, which is younger than a Girl Scout.  It looks like there might be a lot of involvement on my part, which I'm not so keen on, but as long as she enjoys it....what the heck.  They did a craft last night which involved stringing some beads on ribbon to help them remember the Girl Scout law and they got to know each other.  There were times I ::so, like totally:: had flashbacks to my time in the sorority...songs, handshakes, ceremonies. :)  The next meeting involves starting the fundraiser.  I'm gonna be sick of those...Anna's doing one through her preschool, Grace is doing one through her elementary, and then this one too.


getting her certificate and carnation



Babies Everywhere

There's gonna be a rash of babies around here! Jeremy's parents will add 4 new grandbabies in the next year, one from each of their children. Leah was the first, the last one is due this spring. I thought I would make knitted sweaters for the new babies. The first took me 2 weeks, which is nearly a knitting record for me. It's the seamless infant kimono.  My "model" was sleeping when I was taking pictures, but I did try it on Leah and it will fit a newborn well.

The second sweater I've been eyeing for awhile on Yarn Harlot's website, so I've started that one, the Tulip sweater.

This is my last week of maternity leave, I can't believe these 6 weeks have flown by. Leah stays awake more each day. She's doing pretty good at holding her head up, there's still some head bobbing. And last night I got a full 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Awhile back, Clyde, the chihuahua went missing. The neighbor gal found his collar and remains just down the road, right on the side of the road. The mystery has been solved, but it makes me wonder about what happened because he was found right by the driveway of the neighbor who's threatened our dogs before.

Some Leah Pictures

Here as some Leah pictures...enjoy!

after a snack, something was funny to her :)



snug as a bug on a rug

Leah Katelyn

Our last week has been a busy one. Last Sunday, I called 911 while Jeremy was having his second seizure that day. He was taken to the ER, then admitted to the ICU because he had taken quite a bite on his tongue and it was so swollen the doctors were worried about him having problems with breathing and swallowing. He was in the ICU for a day, then transferred to a regular room and stayed there one day and was released on Tuesday. The doctors upped his medication amount. I am now gonna be a nag about making sure he takes his medication when he's supposed to. I think he'd rather me be a nag, than going back to the hospital because of a seizure. He hated being on a liquid diet. And don't tell anyone, but I smuggled him in an Arby's sandwich one afternoon. When he was released, we went to a pizza buffet, I think he may have ate his weight in pizza!

Then on Thursday, we really got quite the surprise. Leah Katelyn made her very unexpected appearance on August 18, 2011 at 4:27pm. A week earlier, I had a version because she was breech. It went quick and they confirmed she was head down. Sometime in the next week, she decided to turn back. So on August 18, I was scheduled to have another version. After they tried to get an IV in me with 3 separate pokes, I said enough, we weren't gonna go any further. So she was not turned. We had a few days until my next scheduled pre-natal appointment to figure out what we'd like to do; turn her again, wait until I go into labor naturally and do a c-section or wait longer, turn her and induce labor.

I go back to work and around noonish something didn't feel right. I felt like I was leaking amniotic fluid. I called the clinic and they suggested I come in to check it out. By the time I get to the clinic, I was convinced that my water had broke. The doctor confirmed what I already knew. They did a quick ultrasound to confirm she was not head down. Leah gave us no choice to decide how she was gonna be born, a c-section it was to be. So I called Jeremy, headed to the hospital, and she was born via c-section that afternoon.  She was 6 lbs, 2 oz and 20 inches long.

Later that afternoon the doctors were concerned about her and drew blood to find out she had a high white cell count. They immediately started antibiotics via IV. They had to stick her several times and ended up getting the IV in her foot. They also had her on oxygen and an oxygen saturation monitor. She was wired up for a few days. We also were having a hard time getting started on breastfeeding. After 48 hours, Leah's blood culture showed nothing of concern, so the IV was taken out, along with the oxygen. She had the sensor on for a few more hours before the doctor was certain she was ok on room air. We got released from the hospital on Sunday. Leah made waves on her way into this world. It was not the way I had wanted, but we have a beautiful baby girl and that's all that matters to us.

We are sick of the hospital and hope not to see it again for a very long time!

Selfish Me

I've had this post floating around in my head for a few weeks now, but I've been sort of reluctant to write it down. I keep thinking that it makes me selfish, or greedy, or a bunch of other non-complimentary words. This pregnancy has been the hardest one on me…blame it on the fact that I'm older or blame it on the fact the last part occurred in the hottest part of summer or blame in the fact I have perfected complaining…but here it is.

I'm excited to have this baby for several reasons, but one of the highest on my list is the fact I'll get my body back. I'll get back a nose that's not stuffy. I'll get back fingers I can wear my wedding ring on. I'll get back the ability to walk up stairs without getting winded. I'll get back the ability to walk, not waddle. I'll get back the chance to sleep on my back. I won't dissolve into tears at a moments notice. I'll get back the usually cheery disposition (Jeremy can attest to the fact, I'm always grumpy!)

It's not only the things that I'll get back, it's the things I'll lose that I'm looking forward to as well. Besides the obvious belly, I'll lose the burn of round ligament pain. I'll lose complications that most pregnant women get that you don't want me to delve into. I'll lose a body that's always hot and/or sweaty. I'll lose the rapid change in mood swings. I'll lose the eyes staring at my belly…yes, I do see you.  And by no means is this list complete!

There is one big thing that I don't want back, but I know will come back…pain from RA and having to go back on medication.

The #1 reason I'm most excited to have this baby…well, I'll get a beautiful baby girl, of course!

I have 4 weeks left until my due date. I'd much enjoy having this baby sooner rather than later, but I don't have much say in that. Grace's first day of school is August 24 and I'd rather not be in the hospital for that. Grace was born a week late and was given an eviction notice (she was induced). Anna came 2 weeks early all on her own. I keep thinking about things that could go wrong, that I can't do it again, how labor's gonna start. And I keep thinking back to the day each of the girls was born, the miracle that Jeremy and I created. (See, I'm getting teary eyed right now!) Then I think about life with a newborn and 2 big girls…can I handle it?

I have a quote at my desk. "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."

Garden Goodies

Some of the first things to come from our garden.  And some of the peas didn't make it from the garden to the house, a-hem.

Then I hear from some of my Facebook friends how much they are getting from their garden and get disappointed that this is all I'm getting.  But then I remember our growing season is very short and I do live at 6000 feet or so above sea level....so I think I'm not doing so bad.  The beans will be ready in a few days and I noticed we have tassels getting ready to emerge on the corn.

Jeremy has an uncle who's health is failing pretty quickly.  He's off in San Antonio, Texas, with his dad helping get the uncle's affairs in order and visiting with his uncle.  He left on Friday and is supposed to be back Friday or so.  So this is the day I say kudos to all those single parents...How in the world do they do it?  The girls are asking about him all the time and miss him terribly, as I do too.

Frontier Days

The last full week of July always brings an influx of people to Cheyenne Frontier Days.  The traffic gets crazy, don't even try to go out to eat and expect lots of people everywhere!  We usually don't do anything like go to the rodeos, the night shows or the carnival.  This year we thought we'd take an afternoon and go ride some rides and eat outrageously priced carnival food.  We started things out on the merry-go-round.

We also went on the Ferris Wheel, ate cotton candy, foot long corn dogs and some spiral spuds.  Another thing that Frontier Days always brings is the afternoon rain shower.  We participated in that too.  We got totally saturated waiting for the bus to take us back to our car.  But it was a fun afternoon, indeed!

Updated Chickens

I thought I'd show you some of the latest photos of our chickens.  The broilers are completely feathered out and probably 2 times bigger than our layers hatched at the same time.  They have the big, fat legs!  And they'll swarm you when you feed them; they are pigs!  We figure we'll take them to the butcher in a few weeks.

Our layers are growing up to look like real chickens.  Our exotic one with the strange hairdo still makes me laugh.  Jeremy and I were wondering how well she can see through her Tina Turner hair.  Hopefully they'll start laying eggs in a month or so.