Picture Tag

I was tagged by my friend Leslie, and since she put a comment about it I'll go ahead and participate. It is a picture tag where you post the fourth picture of your fourth folder and the sixth of your sixth. I am sure you can tell, but these are pictures when Paul was a baby.

Happy Halloween

Yeah for candy!
Here is an added picture of Paul in his costume, by request. I didn't originally put one because I didn't have any good pictures of him in his costume. This picture has been cropped so if the resolution isn't too good you know why. Paul was a monkey again this year. The poor kid hasn't grown much so it still fit.

The Good, The Bad, and The Sleepy

Good News! We got a new dishwasher after 8 months of maintenance requests! I am happy to report that it works great and our dishes will no longer have to be washed by hand or in the bathtub!

Bad News: Paul took a dive the other day. He missed a step and his face is what stopped him. I am assuming he didn't have time to put this hands down because he got a bloody nose, a fat lip, and a goose egg on his forehead. His poor lip seemed to get the brunt of it though. The road rash above his lip has since scabbed over and the swelling has gone down, but it still looks very painful. Poor kiddo.

The sleepy refers to everyone in our household at this point, but it is Caleb who actually gets sleep. Here is a picture of him taking over our bed. Mom and Dad's bed is always better.

Good News: I am up and about. The healing is going well, and getting out of the house is a much needed event. There are many people who believe taking your child out before 6 weeks is unwise, so go ahead and judge, but we went to the zoo and it was fun.

Bad News: Paul wants to be the baby too. :)

The cute sleepy Caleb

Few Pics

Here is a rare picture of Caleb. We don't have many pictures of him awake. Unlike Paul as an infant, Caleb is pretty mellow and low maintenance. Ahhh :)

Paul has been very good to Caleb. Paul is definitely going through an adjustment period, but I think it's more an adjustment to life with less mom than life with a baby around. I am still in recovery mode and unable to do a lot of walking and lifting. Grandma has been a ton of help, but for a 2 year old sometimes there's no substitute for mom.

Grandma bought a mud bath kit. The soap looks like mud. Paul has been asking for an unusal amount of baths. So much fun!

Baby Tracker

I guess we can get rid of this!!!

Hopefully we go home on Wed!

I never write on the blog but here it goes! Susan is doing pretty good. She didn't start using pain medicine until her uterus started to really shrink. She is not a fan of the pain. She is up and moving around pretty good. So good it is a complete surprise! Caleb seems to enjoy his new world. He does not cry much or loud. I am worried we won't wake up for his quiet whimpers. He is pretty cute though and still does not want to get out of the fetal position with his feet. The hands and arms are another story. They go everywhere! He holds up his head pretty well and is overall pretty strong. I have been pretty fortunate about being able to spend time with Susan. Work has been pretty understanding. It is unfortunately time to get back in the swing of things though. Susan's Mom came into town and has been a huge help. She will be around for a couple of weeks and I am extremely grateful that my father-in-law (Steve) has allowed us to borrow her. Susan and I have both been blessed with wonderful parents!

Below is a picture of Caleb getting his grove on!

Here is a picture of Paul being a good big brother! He is giving Caleb a good "honk honk" squeeze on the nose.

He's Here!

Our newest family addition, Caleb Oliver, arrived at 8:10 Sunday night (Oct 12). He weighed 6lbs. 5oz. and was 19.5 inches long. I went into labor on my own, but did a c-section anyway. I wasn't progressing fast enough and I was in a lot of pain. Everything has gone smoothly since. Paul and Caleb look very similar as newborns. Paul quickly started to look like he does now after a month or two, so I assume the same thing will happen with Caleb. Caleb definitely has more meat on him, but that's because he cooked 3 weeks longer than Paul. Anyway, my point was that I keep calling him Paul because they looked so similar. I feel bad when other people have to correct me in saying my own son's name. Here are some pictures of him. In the family photo he doesn't really look like himself, but you can see his mohawk hair.

A Tribute to Paul

Since the baby is coming in less than a week (my c-section was moved up to this Friday) I thought I would do a post with some of Paul's baby pictures. I am sure there will be a lot of new baby pictures soon, and I wanted to look back and remember Paul as a baby. He is still very baby-like to me, but I have a feeling when the new one comes Paul will all of a sudden seem huge and more kid-like.

Two More Weeks

So I have two weeks left. I have a scheduled c-section for the 20th. I have mixed feelings about having two kids, and about having a second c-section. I was hoping I would go into labor by now and have a better chance at delivering normally, but the bigger the baby gets the more apprehensive I am about doing it that method. Part of me is very excited for this pregnancy to be over with and for Paul to have a playmate eventually, but another LARGE part of me is very nervous. I am nervous about how Paul will react and adjust. He loves babies, but I have observed in other children that that characteristic can fly out the window after the baby doesn't go away. Paul has been very easily provoked into Paul The Ferocious lately which also has me concerned. I could use all the advice I can get! I feel so overwhelmed by him.

We recently made the transition to the big boy bed. He is doing well with it, but he likes to get into the crib to play/jump. We rearranged the bedroom to fit the changing table along with everything else that was previously crammed in the room. I am glad we rearranged a month ago instead of right before because with each new arrangement we find a flaw. With the first arrangement Paul could reach the light switch and door knob. With the second arrangement Paul could climb from his bed onto the changing table and into the crib too easily. I could just see Paul stepping on the baby's head in the middle of the night. With this third arrangement we had to put Paul's slide in storage and he looks out the window while he supposed to be napping, but it's as good as it's gonna get.

I bought a cradle off of Craig's List and we'll keep the boys separated until the new little one is sleeping through the night. I need to find a way for the cradle to be stationary (so it won't rock). Paul has already proven himself too good of a helper, and for that same reason we will not be getting a swing.

And to add on top of all my anxiety, there's something wrong with our kitchen plumbing. Our dishwasher smells rancid and we had a flood in our kitchen. It has been over a week and the maintenance still hasn't come to fix it (I've called several times). Can you picture an eight months pregnant woman doing her dishes in the bathtub? It's quite the site I am sure.

I know all of you would love to see a big belly photo but it ain't happin'. I am just going to avoid all comments such as: "Wow, you really look ready!" and "You look pretty good considering how far along you are." and "You are all baby, I swear!" Well, that's that for now and any advice about a Terrible Two son would be appreciated.

Caution: Wet Floor and Kid

So Paul and I took an unexpected trip last week to Boise. Patrick was out of town again, and for some reason this time him being away was too much for me. I am pretty sure it had to do with being pregnant and having unstable hormone levels. My parents flew Paul and I to Boise so we wouldn't be alone. Thanks mom and dad.

While we were there Paul made a discovery. We were in Walmart one day and I was paying attention to something other than Paul. I turned around and saw a kid with a Caution: Wet Floor sign over his head. At first glance I thought, "Where is that kid's mother?" Then I realized it was my kid. So Gross! This incident happened on other occasions while we were in Boise, and I finally gave in and got my camera out.

I Love Snow Cones

One of my favorite treats are snow cones. It can't be just any ol' shaved ice either (Icee and big chunks of ice cones don't make the cut). Growing up in Boise there were snow cone shacks everywhere, and it was heavenly. Once I moved away from Boise I haven't come across a city that compares. Rexburg, ID for example is colder than Siberia, and not many people crave snow cones when they have frost bite. Hence, there was no shack. While living in Provo, UT I did find a snow cone shack in Lindon, (a neighboring city) but I wanted one every other trip to the grocery store a block away. Here in Denver I have yet to see a snow cone shack. They do sell snow cones at The Rockies games and at the Rodeo, but for an arm and leg. I want a snow cone shack for a song and a dance just around the corner. When I was pregnant with Paul snow cones were my #1 craving, and we'd have to go to a Baseball game in order to get one.

So, at the beginning of this summer Paul and I took a trip to Boise and every day we were there we had a snow cone. (I forgot my camera while we were there and that's why there isn't a post before now) My favorite shack in Boise sold flower looking cup holders for kids, and they work great for keeping spills down. Anyway, here is a picture and a video of Paul trying to get the last few drops of his snow cone from his cup to his mouth. On the trip we took to Boise last week the shacks were closed for the winter. :(

Paul's 2 Year Portraits

Nonfat Dry Milk

We have a cupboard in our dining room that we hold food in because we don't have enough cabinets in our kitchen. So Paul will often go shopping in the cupboard, not to say it would be any different if it was located in the kitchen cabinets, but he frequently finds items from the cupboard and will come and find me. His three favorite things to bring me out of the cupboard are Grits, Nonfat Dry Milk, and Chicken Bouillon. For some reason the packaging on these products always seem to catch his eye and he wants whatever is inside. So the other day instead of trying to convince Paul for the hundredth time that he won't like the Nonfat Dry Milk if I open it, I just gave him some to hopefully get him to stop asking for it. The only problem is, is that he liked it! He was asking for more! On the upside, if we ever have to live off of food storage items I know that Paul will at least eat the Dry Milk. I am looking forward to the next time he asks me for the Chicken Bouillon...

Water World

So this is our last trip to Water World this summer. I finally remembered to take our camera. Paul loves the kiddy sections. They have quite a bit for younger kids there. Paul can go on a number of the adult tube rides as well. I have loved this summer not having to go to camp, and having Pat home for most evenings. I am sad that it is almost over. I still have a couple months before the snow to enjoy the fabulous fall weather.

Nothing Much

I haven't taken any pictures in a couple weeks, and nothing new has happened. I feel bad if I let my blog go too long without an update, so here are a few insignificant events to share:

The carpet cleaners came last week to our upstairs neighbors (the smoking ones that I referred to in the previous post). I can only assume they just signed another year lease because they didn't move out. Thanks for all the optomistic vibes though.

I rearranged Paul's bedroom and set-up the baby's changing table. I am hoping that the transition of having a roomate will go smoothly for Paul. I am nervous about it.

The Democratic National Convention is here in town this week. The crazies come out of the woodwork for things like this. I thought it was interesting that Denver gave all the downtown bums free passes to a day spa, the movie theaters, and the museums around town to temporarily get them off the streets. I am glad to see our tax dollars in good use (with a large amount of sarcasm).