Welcoming Cole Leroy!

 Our last picture as a family of 3!

 This is my birth coach?!?  He at least woke up when it was time to push.

 So happy to have him in my arms instead of my belly!

 8 lbs even and 21.75 inches long.  Much more slender than his big sis! 

 So proud of my 2 kiddos! 

 Cole meeting his boss, I mean, sister. 

Checking out his new pad. 

Silly boy! 

 

I can't believe I haven't blogged about Cole and he is already 9 days old! 

 

My doctor and I had discussed how long she would let Cole back in the belly considering Taryn (a girl and my first) was almost 9 lbs, I didn't want Cole to get much (or any) bigger!  I knew I would likely be  induced at some point during the week of the 15th, but I didn't know when.  On the 15th I went to my normal appointment and my doctor said "You ready for tomorrow?"  What?!?  So, we were asked to report to the hospital at 7:30am the next morning.  That evening was a blur of preparations.  Lee and I kept joking that my water would break because that is what happened with Taryn.  My water broke the evening before we were to be induced.  But, not this time! 

 

After very little sleep, we got up and took Taryn to Lee's parents.  We got to the hospital and got settled in.  Around 9am they started the Pitocin and my mom showed up.  (Thank goodness since Lee was not a lot of company!)  The contractions were coming, but were not very painful.  Around lunchtime the doctor came in and broke my water.  A little bit later the contractions started hurting and they put in the order for the epidural.  When the epidural was put in, Lee started saying that my coloring looked bad.  I felt dizzy and like I might puke or pass out (or both).  I was scared that I was having a bad reaction of some sort.  But, the doc new what to do and just had me roll over to my left side.  Immediately I felt better and my coloring came back.  It was a scary moment though. 

 

Even with the epidural and the pitocin, I was still not dilating quickly at all.  FINALLY, at about 6:30pm my contractions were coming like clockwork and I was feeling some pressure.  The doctor came in and said it was time to push (6:45pm).  She went out in the hall and had the nurse push with me to get things in the right spot.  After pushing through just 3 or 4 contractions, Cole was right where we wanted him.  I had to wait while the doc came in and they got the bed/table ready to roll.  Probably the longest 5 minutes of my life!!  Finally, they were ready.  Two contractions later, I had my little boy at 7:10pm!  Compared to my first labor, this was an absolute cake walk.  Cole was long and lean at birth.  He looked tiny, but weighed in at 8lbs even.  He had light brown hair and blue eyes.  He definitely is the spitting image of Lee's baby pictures, so we think Lee may have actually gotten some DNA in the mix this time! 

 

We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and had lots of visitors...  Especially the Big Sis Taryn.  She wanted to be in every picture and wanted to be holding Cole at all times.  She also thought she could dictate who did and didn't hold him.  (Generally nobody could hold him except her.) 

 

On Monday before Cole's arrival, I had gone to look at a minivan.  (Yes, a minivan.)  The plan was for Lee to go back Tuesday and check it out.  Well, since we ended up having a baby on Tuesday, that didn't happen.  On Thursday before we left the hospital, Lee went and checked out the van and ended up buying it!  So, we left the hospital, and went and picked up our new (used) minivan.  May as well jump right into this whole two kids thing!  (By the way, Taryn loves the van too.  "Thank you buying this van to me!") 

 

Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind.  But now Taryn is back to preschool and Lee is back to work and things are settling down for a bit. 

Shadow

A few weeks ago, we got a surprise guest at our back door.  A SKINNY, young, black kitty.  She was clearly nursing kittens and was total skin & bones.  Though Lee tries to deny it now, he was the first one to go downstairs and get the cat some catfood.  My mom was visiting that day and we walked around looking for where this cat's kittens were.  We never found them, but everywhere we walked, this skinny little cat followed us like our shadow.  And thus, Taryn gave the kitty her name.  Shadow. 

 We like to take walks over to the cul de sac by our house.  The road was made just before the housing bubble burst.  So, on the whole road, there is only one house.  Needless to say, that makes for very little traffic and a very good place for toddler biking. 

 We took Taryn and her tricycle over there and our little Shadow followed us all the way over.  She has really adopted our family! 

After seeing Shadow playing in the long grass, Taryn decided she needed to as well.  Is this really the same girl that was SCARED of grass when she was little? 

Why Doesn't She Sleep at Preschool?

So she can fall asleep at the dinner table...  Of course! 

Bonfire With Cora

Awhile back Lee's sister Sonia and her family bought a new house.  It is on an amazing lot in West Lafayette that has a ton of huge trees and backs up to a ravine.  They have been working on the yard and trees a lot which means they have an excess amount of branches and firewood...  That can only mean one thing:  bonfire!  And THAT can mean only one thing:  SMORES! 

On Saturday Taryn and I were able to go join them for pizza and a bonfire.  It was great for me because I didn't have to make dinner and Taryn had built in entertainment!  Plus, did I mention the SMORES? 

I didn't have my camera, but I got this one pic with my phone.  I guess I'll have to wait for Sonia's pics...  I think a couple little blonde girls like marshmallows a little too much!! 

Randoms!

 Apparently this is what happens when you are 45 minutes late with lunch...  I found her in the kitchen standing on a chair eating potato chips and bottled water. 

 This is Taryn's psuedo-cheerleading outfit.  She outgrew her Purdue outfit and we have yet to replace it (Christmas, most likely).  We have her convinced that this tutu and tank top are the next best thing.  Here she is standing like the cheerleaders do during the National Anthem. 

Is there anything Grandma won't do to entertain her favorite granddaughter?  I think not!

SIX Years!

 On Sunday Lee and I celebrated our sixth anniversary.   Lee had to work Saturday & Sunday nights, so we had very little time to do anything special.  My mom watched Taryn and Lee and I got to enjoy lunch alone.  I hardly remember what it is like to not have to talk over a loud 3 year old at meals! 

Since Lee had gotten off work at 3:30am, he was up for breakfast, so we chose a breakfast place.  I sure didn't mind mauling some french toast!  Afterwards, we had a romantic trip to Toys R Us, Target, Rural King and grocery shopping. 

 (Taryn clearly did NOT want her picture taken just with Lee!) 

Though it wasn't the most festive of anniversaries, it was still a good time to reflect on all the adventures we've been through.  And to think about how excited we are to be just a few weeks from completing our family of four!  We definitely feel like a lucky couple! 

Off to School

 On Tuesday my little girl started preschool.  Back when she was 2, I thought as soon as possible I would be putting her in full time preschool and I wouldn't have a single hesitation.  I mean, after all, Taryn has been in daycare since she was 3 months old.  I'm an old pro at this thing. 

But, when it came time to sign her up, I opted for the Tuesday/Thursday route over the full time option.  I didn't want to rush her through childhood.  I didn't want to deal with dropping off/picking up two kids at separate locations every single day...  And let's face it, I just wasn't ready for her to be in school every day! 

As the day grew near, I got more and more sentimental about her starting preschool.  Lee told me it was just like daycare with a different name, but I disagreed.  There are WAY more kids in her preschool class.  It is at a real live high school.  There are teachers and tables and curriculum and standards.  And now that she has started, she will be in school until she is like 22 years old!  A whole section of her life is behind her.  (Dramatic much?) 

 So, I scheduled a doctor's appointment for Tuesday so I had an excuse to take off of work.  We gathered all of the items she was supposed to take to school.  We tried on 3 different pairs of pants before finding some that I knew she wouldn't struggle with at potty time.  We took some quick pictures and headed off to school.  Lee was on duty, so I had to go solo. 

We got there and Taryn seemed excited but shy.  (Shy is not usually her thing, so this tugged at my heart.)  We found her cubby and unpacked everything.  As I stood there with her, she observed all the activities going on around her, deciding where she wanted to make her move.  I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and knew I had to make my move too.  She walked over to one of the teachers who was building blocks with two kids and asked "I play too?"  The teacher welcomed her over and started showing her what to do.  I knew the I had to bail before she saw me cry, so I choked out "Mommy's leaving, I love you."  She kissed me and said bye and I bolted for the door.  The tears were falling before it latched behind me.  I hurried to the hall trying to avoid the confused looks of the high school students wondering who this blubbering, pregnant mess was in their halls. 

As the day went on, I thought about her often, but had composed myself.  I was still anxious to pick her up!  When I walked in, she saw me and yelled MOMMY and ran to have me pick her up and hug her.  But, after that, she didn't want to leave.  The report from the teacher was good.  She was a bit shy but she listened well and played HARD on the playground.  Oh, and she didn't nap, but she did lay on her cot with her eyes shut. 

After eluding me by hiding in the "fort" where I couldn't get her, we finally were able to leave the classroom.  As soon as we hit the car, the NO NAP monster reared its ugly head. 

The whole way home I saw various versions of this dirty look in my rear view mirror and I wondered...  Can I take her back to preschool? 

Then, after we returned home, at 5:30pm I realized that it was Tuesday.  And Tuesday is ballet/tap class at 5:45pm.  We threw on her tights and leotard and headed there.  To say she was beat at the end of the night is an understatement.  She slept for over 11 hours and then took a 2.5 hour nap at daycare today. 

Tomorrow we do it all again!  Only this time Lee is on drop-off duty.  Thank goodness! 

Then there were 3 and a 1/2

Nope, I'm not talking about how many family members we have at the moment.  I am talking about how many houses we now have!  When we moved down to West Lafayette, we purposely bought a house that we could live in and fix up, then rent (or sell) when we were done with it.  That rental has been going SO well, we decided to get another one!!

 So, last week Lee and I closed on another house.  This one is in Fowler, on the opposite side of town from where we live.  At the moment it needs a LOT of work.  But, the price was definitely right!   

And where does the 1/2 come in?  Right here!  The house comes with a detached 2-car garage with a 1-bedroom apartment in it. 

Our plan is to get the apartment ready to roll FIRST.  Once that is pulling in some rent, we'll get going on the house.  We pretty much need paint and flooring throughout both the house & the apartment along with some other assorted repairs.  It has the potential to be a great rental though! 

Welcome to the family, Washington St. house! 

Hodge Podge Post

 So, tomorrow Taryn starts preschool.  She will be going 2 full days a week at the high school, Benton Central.  They have a program where some of the high school students work in the room (in addition to two adults) and earn school credit.  Kind of a vocational type class.  Even though Taryn has been in daycare since she was 12 weeks old, I am still having trouble with this next step.  I'm nervous.  Will she do well with the other kids?  Will she do well with the teachers?  Will she be the class clown like I know she wants to?  In the end I'm sure she will do fine, but moments like this definitely stir up the mommy worry! 

 This weekend we went down to the Indy area to visit the Goldmans.  Last time we were down there was about a year ago!  I wasn't sure how Taryn and Max would get along since he is a boy and Taryn is a princess... I mean girl.  I had warned her that Max would have boy toys, not dolls and castles.  They did GREAT together, though. 

 Max built houses out of Legos to give to Taryn and Taryn managed to find a big ring amongst Max's toys and ran around saying that she & Max got married.  Oh, and what toddler doesn't love a bouncy house in the basement???  WHOA! 

And what is going on with the other little one...  This week will be 34 weeks.  I go to the doctor tomorrow and in 2 weeks I will be going every week.  That's when stuff gets real!  I am definitely worn out at the end of the day and my ankles have no definition.  But, otherwise, I think I feel better than I did with Taryn at this point.  I'm still antsy to be holding my baby and done with this pregnancy thing FOREVER! 

How to Make my Head Explode...

You know those commercials where the people tape off their house and paint and then they pull the tape off and it just looks GORGEOUS and perfect?  They are bold faced lying sacks of crap.  Here is what really happens: 



You spend hours upon hours of your life painting the trim of your house white. 

Then you decide you really need to paint that crack between the two pieces of trim. 

So, you use blue painters tape. 

45 minutes later you pull off the tape and voila!  You realize you have to paint the trim again! 

 

However, after reading the directions and warnings on the tape, it appears I do not have an argument.  The directions pretty much tell you not to use the tape on any surface whatsoever.  Useful product you have there!  Thanks Duck!