O, Tannenbaum

On Saturday we made our annual trip to Lolo Pass on Mt. Hood to get our $5.00 Noble Fir. We thought it would be really cold, as it was freezing in Portland, so we bundled the kids, loaded blankets, coats, hats and food and headed up. It was a beautiful clear day and when we got out of the car we had to begin shedding clothing because it was so warm. There was not a single snowflake on the ground or in the air. Quite a contrast from our adventure last year.


We looked around for a while and finally decided on a tall, skinny Noble. Zane enjoyed being Dad's shadow and Nora spent most of the day like this.

We put the lights on and decorated it last night while Zane was in bed. His eyes sure opened wide when he came down for breakfast this morning. He loves to look at the tree and to turn the lights on and off.

Nora is such a good baby. Sometimes I worry that she should be a little more fussy, but then I remind myself to count my blessings. It is not unusual for her to sleep through the night. She does not nurse regularly, so I never really know if she's going to go for two hours or for four and a half. I use to worry that maybe she didn't eat frequently enough, but at her two week appointment she weighed 9 pounds 7 and 1/2 ounces, so I figure she's probably getting enough to eat. That and her healthy little double chin! She only cries if she is having her diaper changed or if she's hungry or gassy. She is even getting better at the diaper changes and bathing. Today she had her whole bath without crying. She even seemed to enjoy it!

I can't believe how much she is changing. She is beginning to look bigger to me. I even got a little smile out of her today. I feel like she is beginning to recognize me an know me.
Zane is getting along much better these days. He is finally getting use to this new life of ours. I'm getting used to it too. I even told Kevin the other day that I can't wait to have more kids! I know--crazy thought, huh? I think we'll wait a little while. . . Again, I'm so thankful for all the help I've received from moms, Adrienne and the ward Relief Society. What would I do without family and a ward family?

Today I took the kids to get pictures taken. They looked so cute! I made the appointment for 11:00 and took my friend Kim. They say to schedule your appoinment for the time that will work best with your children's schedule. So, that's what I did. Why? I'm not sure because we waited for over an hour to get in. Zane was a total delight and perfectly behaved the whole time and Nora slept, well, like a baby. Finally they call our name, after I tell them we've been waiting so long. Now it's lunch time, nap time and the meltdown begins. Zane's also always a little unsure about new things, so I finally just told her I had to leave, that it wasn't worth it. We rescheduled for Thursday morning. She assured me I could get right in and they would waive the sitting fee and I would get a free 10 x 13. Is it worth it?

Zane's new life

This is a post I started a week ago. I'm just now able to finish and post. I'll post some more pictures and an update of Nora soon!

I can't believe I actually have some time to blog. We'll see how long the quiet lasts, but things are actually going better than I anticipated. Yesterday was my first day alone with two kids. I was very nervous because Zane has really had a hard time getting use to sharing mom. He loves Nora, but just doesn't understand why mom can't pick him up but she picks that baby up. Why is everyone else spending all this time with him and mom has hardly seen him. We've had to deal with a lot of whining, and I admit that I have been lifting him (come on, it's impossible not to when he can't get in his chair to eat or in his crib by himself) but each day seems to get a little better.

Here are some good pictures of what the last two weeks have been like for Zane

Visited mom in the hospital after spending the night with Grandpa and Grandma Pickup.

Got his Christmas gift for no reason at all because everything new and exciting around the house if for "the baby" and he is to "not touch". (Now we have to find him a new Christmas present).
Got a new hat from Grandpa and Grandma Tolman (don't you love it) and took on the role of consoling Nora as she cries in her car seat.

Enjoyed a delicious chocolate sucker from See's candy that Grandpa gave him. Mom gave Grandpa strong warnings not to let him touch anything in Nordstrom. Spent A LOT of quality and bonding time with dad at the stores on Black Friday, on Saturday and spent a lot of time working on projects in the garage.Finally got to spend some time with mom at the park. With a break in the rain I thought a bit of fresh air and sunshine would do us both some good.

Zane loves to help out with his baby sister. He loves to read and be read to. His favorite books are "The B Book", "The Bike Lesson" (both Bernstein Bears books), "Go, Dog! Go!" and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". He is learning new words all the time. Here are the words I think he knows as of today (just for my personal record): shoes, mama, dada, Nora, truck, bus, car, tractor, Adge (his favorite teenage girl), please, up, banana, socks, Jesus, amen, the end, hi, bye, no-no, night-night, plane, hot, hat, light, baby, sshhh.

Welcome Home, Nora

We have enjoyed having Nora home and having our whole family together. She is certainly a blessing. I was a little worried because she cried and was cranky most of the time we were in the hospital. As soon as she got home she turned into the most content baby. She must have a bit of her momma in her because I told the doctor I wanted out of the hospital as soon as possible. I've had to wake her to feed her at night and she only cries if we're changing her diaper or she's having trouble getting the eating down.

Zane was not quite sure what to think about her in the beginning, but he has really warmed up to her and enjoys stroking her hair, giving her hugs and kisses, and tries to take her out of mommy's arms to carry her around the house.

I'm so thankful for family. Kevin's mom and dad took Zane Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday. He had such a great time and was so well taken care of. He hardly missed his mom and dad. My mom and dad are here and Kevin and I have hardly lifted a finger. All I have to do is say "Hmmm, _____ sounds good" and next thing I know mom's in the kitchen whippin' up something delicious. I think she and Paula Deen are long-lost sisters.

We really are so blessed. We have wonderful parents and wonderful children.

Nora Pickup

Born November 20th at 5:32pm.
8lbs 4oz and 19.5 inches and lots of hair.
Mom and baby are doing great.

I wonder

What do you do at 1:30 in the morning on the day you're going to have your new baby and you can't sleep? Well, you toss and turn for a while. You listen to your husband sleeping (snoring) and it actually makes you happy because you know you wouldn't be sleeping even if he wasn't snoring, and at least someone's getting some good sleep. Then you get up and eat a bowl of cereal because you realize you're hungry. Then you check everyone's blog, lds.org, and drudge. Then you decide to post some thoughts of your own.

Today (well I guess technically it was yesterday) was spent preparing for tomorrow (today). I've rocked Zane a lot this week and did some more today. I cooked so we would have some food in the freezer, even though I know my mom is going to take good care of us there. I visited with friends. I wrapped Christmas presents.I cleaned and made Kevin clean. I got my hair cut, which is a bad thing to do the day before you have a baby, unless you really know and love the person cutting your hair. Let's just say--way too short. Was she not looking at the same picture I was??? I tried to go to sleep. Then I started to wonder.

I wonder if Nora will have hair. I wonder if she will have all her fingers and toes. I wonder how much she will weigh. I wonder if I will handle the surgery okay. I wonder if Zane will like her. I wonder why I woke up feeling sad. I wonder if Kevin will come home from work in time to get to the hospital in time. I wonder how cub scouts will go while I take a little break. (I LOVE those boys!) I wonder if Nora will like to be swaddled. I wonder if she will like us. I wonder if she will eat well. I wonder if I will heal as well as I did with Zane. I wonder how I'm going to care for a 16 month old and a newborn when I'm not allowed to lift things for several weeks. I wonder why Zane is making all that banging noise in his crib right now.

Tomorrow I have a few more little errands to run and then I want to just play with Zane. I think we will go out to breakfast for a special treat. It will be my only meal of the day. Then if the weather is nice we'll go to the park. If not, we'll go play at the mall. Then we'll come home and I'll rock Zane (if he'll let me) and we'll have a nap (or at least try). In less than 20 hours we'll have a new baby. Wish us luck!

Mimic

Several times today I caught Zane walking around the house in a "funny" fashion. I finally figured out what he was doing. He needed some prompting so we could get it on video, but this totally cracks me up. He's probably the only one who could get away with this right now and still keep his head!

Respite from the Rain

We caught a little break from the rain today so Zane and I decided to go to the park for what might be the last time in a while. Zane had a great time chasing other kids around, going down the slide and swinging on the tire swing for the first time (that is, until he fell off).

Jen & Jess Soccer Game

Jennifer and Jessica had a State soccer game last night. We braved the pouring, dumping rain and drove up to Washington to watch them. At least we were under cover. Zane had a pretty good time, even though it was well past bed time. It was an exciting game, but unfortunately they lost in the second period of sudden-death over time.

My handsome dudes!

Best buds!

Sharing treats with Grandpa!

Grandpa's buddy

Big boy steps

Zane has been doing stairs since he was seven months old. He's only fallen down once and that was while we were on vacation. Fortunately, cousin Tanner was there to save him. Here he is practicing going down like a big boy with some encouragement from Daddy.

Baby Update

Well, we have some news on when we're having our baby. I was really excited at my appointment last week because I had started to dilate and efface which I never did with Zane. The doctor seemed to think that it was possible I could go into labor spontaneously. However, at my appointment today there had been no changes, Nora is still very high and other things aren't looking good. As we discussed options I felt really strongly that I needed to just listen to him--partly because of a blessing Kevin had given me and partly because of some thing that was said in my patriarchal blessing. I'm sure if I pushed the issue that I could carry this baby for another few weeks and go into labor, but I do fear that some of his concerns are very valid.

So, I'm trusting my doctor and we are scheduling a C-section for November 20. I have to say that I'm disappointed for various reasons. Neverthelesss, I do feel like it's the right decision. I called my mom (who sometimes has irritated me for encouraging a C-section and not understanding my desire for V-BAC) and I have to thank her for giving me a figurative slap up-side the head. She reminded me of all my blessings pertaining to this baby, pregnancy and childbirth and pointed out how fortunate we are to have had healthy pregnancies and to even be having babies at all. So, thanks Mom, and I'm glad you can stop having nightmares about my delivery now.

Disappointments about C-Section set aside, I am very excited about meeting Nora. It's kind of nice to know when it's coming. I am so looking forward to getting rid of this heartburn, up-all night peeing, hefting the weight around and listening to rude comments from people about how enormous I am. Also, (Tara, this will make you happy) I think I'm starting to see some stretch marks so I guess an extra week or two of not stretching will be good for that. I know, all selfish things, but it helps to see some of the positives of going this route.

So, nine more days! I feel a little lost like I have so much to do and now I have a deadline and where do I start. I'm glad to have Kevin's family close to help out with Zane and Nora. They are leaving on the following Tuesday and my parents will be here for the rest of the week. We'll keep you posted.

Dive-bomb

Kevin and Zane thought this was a pretty fun Sunday morning activity. Mom's thinkin' not so fun --especially since Zane is beginning to think he can dive-bomb off other things as well.

Baller

Zane has really loved playing with balls lately. He "counts" before he throws or bounces the ball ("do, do, go" then throw). I thought these were pretty cute.

Halloween '08

We didn't do much for Halloween this year, but we did go up to visit Grandpa Pickup at his work celebration. There was a lot of candy to be had and it didn't take Zane long to figure out that those bowls sitting on people's desks had candy in them and he could take one and put it in his bag. He also got his fill of candy for the week and Kevin noted when he got home from work that Zane was "wired." Wonder why. Zane enjoyed going "trick-or-treating" with Grandpa and Grandma "M&M".

Happy Birthday, Aimee!

October begins our run of birthdays in our family and today is my sister, Aimee's, birthday. We always tease Aimee that she was born on Halloween because she's always been a little withcy, but really we love her. Aimee has a great enthusiasm for life. She's ambitious, athletic, and she always succeeds at whatever she puts her mind to. I also appreciate the efforts she's made to keep in touch and connect better with my younger sister and I. Happy birthday, Aimee! Love you! (Sorry no picture. My computer won't upload it right now, but I'll e-mail it to you and your kids. You'll love it!)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Just a quick entry to honor one of my heroes on his birthday. There are so many things I could say about my dad. He's got a great sense of humor and always makes everything fun. He's always been a good example of doing your duty and giving service. Even though I hated hearing the shrill sound of the wheat grinder early Saturday mornings, his example of baking bread and taking it to various neighbors every week is one of my favorite memories. He and mom always taught us to work hard and do our best. He is super, super smart. He's always encouraged and supported me and my siblings. Now, he continues that support in whatever we do. He has always let us know he loves and supports us. He's also a super fun Grandpa and I'm so glad he's in our lives. Happy birthday, Dad!

Thieves

Why do people steal? Really! Last night someone stole all of our pumpkins and gourds right off our front porch. I can't say I'm surprised as this is about the fourth time we've had things stolen off our front porch. (I kind of had to laugh when one time it was just a sack of garbage that I had sorted through that wasn't even good enough to send to D.I. Hope they enjoyed that when the opened it.) The nerve!

I also have a little thief right in my own family. We were driving to dinner to a friends house. I was to bring two batches of rolls. I turned around and what did I see. . . ?

A New Favorite Toy

Auntie Brenda sent a few clothes to us with Grandma Pickup. (Thanks, Brenda!) Grandma brought them over in a small box. For the last week and a half Zane has spendt about half of his play time just sitting in the box or pushing it around, with or without other items inside it. Who needs toys?