Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween

from Dorothy and her little pumpkin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sophie Eve

Want to see pictures of my new baby niece, Sophie Eve??? Check out Karen's Blog!!! She is just beautiful....and looks just like her daddy :)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Just Annie....and Happy Birthday


Took this beautiful pic of her today....we had a great day, but a horrible night- she was literally up every 45 minutes....

So, happy 33rd birthday to my wonderful husband.....Riley and I made him a peanut butter pie- his favorite- yesterday that we will be munching on this evening....can't wait :)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Birth Story, Part I

I have been thinking about the fact that I never really posted a birth story for Annie, and the fact that I really need to do it now, to make sure I remember all of the details. But it is difficult to put it all down on paper, and I know that a lot of it will be hard for other people to read…but I don’t want to forget it, either…so, here it goes!

I had my 39 week OB appointment on Monday, and by that point, I was pretty determined that this baby was going to be born soon. I was miserable and just needed her out! So, after the doctor said she was still measuring big, I decided to ask about being induced. As it happened, my BP was slightly elevated again and that, with the constant contractions and the threatened “big baby”, she didn’t argue with me this time!

I was scheduled to go in on Thursday night- check in a 5 pm, and they would check me. The plan was, if everything looked good, they would insert something called cervadil into my cervix, which would help dilate me, and then start me on Pitocin in the morning.

So, Thursday morning I dropped Riley off at school. I was a basket case, but didn’t want her to see me like that, so I rushed through dropping her off- told her I loved her- and practically ran out of there. Then I sat in the parking lot and cried. Not completely sure why- hormones, nerves, and the fact that the next time I would see her, her whole life would have changed. I didn’t really know how she would handle everything, and I was sad that the time we had together would now be different….

Anyway, I spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to get everything organized- my bag packed, the house somewhat clean! Todd came home and we got ready and left for the hospital.

They checked us in and I had the same nurse who took care of me earlier with the pre-term labor stuff, which was nice. She checked me and said I was still about 1-2 centimeters dilated, and hooked me all up to the machines. They had a really, really hard time keeping Annie on the monitor- she was moving all around, and it kind of became a joke. I knew she was ok- we could see her moving from the outside, but it was still a little nerve-wracking! I had to lay completely still because every time I moved, she would go off the monitor. I now know that this was a sign of things to come....Then, I started contracting…steadily. Like every 4 minutes! It wasn’t fun.

At one point, they lost her again on the monitor, and our nurse called someone else in to check it, and also to check the dilation again. She did, but also said that she could not feel her head engaged! They started feeling around on my abdomen and started to think that she was no longer head down, but transverse! So, out comes the U/S machine and the first OB. They did an U/S, and determined that yes, she was still head down, just still moving quite a bit. At the same time, they also determined that apparently, those contractions were doing something….because I was now 2-3 centimeters, and that meant no cervadil for me…I was in labor!!!

So, they took me off all of the monitors. The plan was for me to rest overnight, and they would check me periodically, but if I hadn’t progressed in the morning, they would start the Pitocin then.

I took a shower- that was not fun! She had to wrap my hand in a baggie and a glove b/c of the IV, so really couldn't use it, and plus the contractions...I was out of there pretty quickly! Todd and I watched Survivor, and I had a crappy sandwich they brought up- the cafeteria was closed by this point! We attempted to sleep. I didn’t get much…contractions, heartburn, very uncomfortable bed…Todd slept a little, I think.

Up next….the big day!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Pics from Red Robin





Here are a few pictures we took at Red Robin. Annie woke up for a little bit while we were there- I walked around with her and she fell back to sleep and slept the whole way home...she really is such a good baby!


Boo Pics






Monday, October 20, 2008

BABY MELCHAR IS HERE!!!!

Sophie Eve was born on Saturday, October 18th. 7lbs. 6 oz, 19 inches long.
I want to see and hold that baby SOOOOO bad....but I have to wait until Thanksgiving!!!

Also, before I forget, if you haven't already seen them, check out my friend Karen's blog for some great photos she took of Annie one day she was "babysitting" for me at work...

We had a nice weekend. Saturday morning I had to work :( so Grams and Gramps watched the girls so Todd could run some errands around town. He even had the oil changed on my car, and a tire patched- had a nail in it. Saturday afternoon Karen and I went to a reception for our friend Cara who was married last weekend. Annie came with us and was an angel, of course!! Riley and Todd hung out together and had a fun time.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Boo in the Zoo....it was great! It was very crowded, but we walked the whole park and Riley collected a ton of candy and goodies and had a great time. Her Dorothy costume is not yet complete, so we dressed her in a fancy dress from her dress up stuff, and she was a beauty queen....sort of!!

Then we headed to Red Robin for some yummy burgers and then off to bed. Annie even slept ok last night, so I am feeling almost human today!

Pics won't upload...will try again later.....

Thursday, October 16, 2008

2 month check-up


I guess I should have expected this...but I really didn't think she would be that big!!! :)


2 month stats:

12.5 pounds- 80th percentile

25 1/2 inches- off the charts!! The nurse measured her twice because she thought it was wrong!!


Other than that- she is perfect! He said she has great head control- she lifted her head WAY up when put on her belly- the best she has ever done! Show off! She was smiling and responding to his voice....she did great!!


And best yet...she must have worn herself out because she has been sleeping now for 2 hours! I got a nice nap, cleaned the kichen and am now eating my lunch at the computer....better go wake her :)



Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Annie is TWO MONTHS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And what a difference two months makes!!!!

More pics

Ok, in an effort to save time, here are some more pics from the trip, probably in no particular order :)!!!










Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I still have more pictures- will see if I can get to them later.

Here are some Riley and Annie updates :)

RILEY:
*Gymnastics is going fabulously. She has it today, and is very excited each Tuesday so that Ms Tonie can see what she has learned. She really is doing well- she has perfected her "bridge" and shows everyone who wants to see it! Last week she hung on the rings, which she was afraid to do before, so each week she is doing more and more.

*She has said some pretty funny things lately...but for the life of me I can not remember them right now. Sleep deprivation is a horrible thing..more on that in Annie's update :)

*She decided on a Halloween costume- Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. So last weekend we went to Walmart, where they wanted $20 for a cheap looking dress...no shoes, no bows, no socks. So, I decided to make one. Have started it- the verdict is still out on whether this is a good idea or not...will let you know later!

*Had parent/teacher conference last week. As usual, she is perfect :) She is right on track for everything. We need to continue to work with her on letters and sounds and reading. Oh, and using scissors- she holds them weird, so Ms Kelly is trying to fix that.

*Continues to love much her baby sister....so much that it is a little too much sometimes!! She always wants to kiss and hold her- this morning she made me take pictures of the two of them together. When we were traveling I had to stop the stroller several times so that Riley could kiss her...cute, but a tad annoying. Oh, well...better than being jealous!!

ANNIE:
*Is doing well...still is a champion nurser and just lights up when I left my top (ha, ha!!), and smiles and starts kicking away- just too cute....she is full of big smiles and coos lately...more and more each day. I need to get some on video.

*Sleeping is still hit or miss...had a really, really bad night last night. Wouldn't go to sleep- fought me and Todd for hours- finally fell asleep around 11:30 and proceeded to be up every hour ALL NIGHT LONG...she must be going through a growth spurt right now because all she wanted to do was nurse, and was really restless, too. Makes for one very tired Mama today...

*We have her two-month check up on Thursday. Very anxious to see how much she weighs!! Think it might be in the 12 lbs range.

*I go back to work (full-time- have really been working my whole leave, unfortunately) in a few weeks. She will be staying with Ms Amy for a few months, and then moving to Riley's school after the first of the year.

Guess that is it for now....we are on FULL BABY WATCH for my little niece to be born ANY DAY NOW!!!!!! So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The shower

Karen's baby shower went off without a hitch- it was perfect weather, and it was so nice to see family and friends again. She got a TON of great gifts- people were very generous- and the food and cake were excellent...really, it was just great.

Riley was a little shy, and stayed attached to me, but Annie went everywhere. I don't think I had her the whole time, except at the end when she woke up and was ready to eat! So I sat and fed her on the adirondack chairs overlooking the water and Riley and I watched the boats come in...can't ask for better than that!

Here are a few pics from the shower:









Sunday, October 5, 2008

Our trip- the first leg

We had a wonderful trip to RI. I have a ton of pictures and lots to say...hopefully I can get to everything this week.

So, we all loaded into the car and drove to the airport to start the first leg of our journey. As Riley told everyone when we arrived, we went to three airports and went on two airplanes...and both girls were great.

The first plane was small- I sat with Annie and Riley since Grams and Gramps were in the exit row...Annie slept the whole time!

On the second plane, we sat with Grams, which was nice because she held Annie- again, she slept the whole time- and I played with Riley. Here are a few pics:









We arrived in Providence to a very pregnant and emotional Auntie Karen (we later found out that her "baby" Lucy had been missing and was just found, hence the emotional part)...and the first time Annie had met her Aunt. We then headed back to Karen's house...with a little pit stop for a potty break for Riley...

More later....baby is calling :)

Friday, October 3, 2008

To tide you over....

I have a ton of pictures from our trip- some really, really cute ones- but I am still going through them and should be able to post them soon... But, to tide you over, here is a super cute video of Annie talking to her star. Riley had this when she was a baby, and I pulled it out for Annie. Sure enough, she loves it too!!