Sweet Baby James: Day 2

Have you heard the song Bad Day by Daniel Powter? Well, that was James' theme song today, but I'm happy to say he made it through and had a break through tonight.

The morning started out okay with a successful hearing test, but within an hours time he had his circumcision (ouch!) and heavy duty blood work for all of the required state tests. He was not a happy guy. But he pulled through AND we had 2 successful latching sessions after many, many failed attempts. So I guess it really wasn't that bad - especially since he is now sleeping soundly, allowing me to update the blog tonight!

We are hoping to get more sleep tonight since we are running on maybe 4 hours in 2 days with 30 minute naps here and there. Fingers crossed!

Sweet Baby James: Day 1

Ok, so I know we are actually on day 2, but that just means another post later today. Our precious little guy joined the world March 1, 2012 at 11:09 am weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs, 1 oz so it's safe to say a c-section was the way to go. I'm doing well and dealing with the typical pains of major surgery. James is doing amazing. It's so hard to believe that this little person was inside me. It was truly love at first sight.

Lucy Goes Swimming...Again

As part of Lucy's knee recovery, we introduced some aqua therapy over the last 2 weekends. It's a great way to strengthen her muscles without the pressure of running or walking. Plus it improves her range of motion which is so important for her knee. With the advice from a Facebook friend (thank you Mrs. Busch!), we found out that a local pet resort offered aqua therapy for dogs - The Old Towne Pet Resort to be exact.

Lucy was very excited when we arrived, but as soon as she saw the pool she retreated. Memories of this came flooding back and she was not having it. Well, she had no choice. :)

We were greeted by her swimming companion and she was fitted for her life jacket. It was time to get in the pool!!

She did a few laps and then took a break and kept on doing that for a total of 30 minutes. She did great - she hated it - but she did great.

We did it 2 weekends in a row and will take a bit of a hiatus now that the baby is coming. Lucy is almost 100% back to herself after the surgery which is amazing. I remember bringing her home that first night thinking it would take forever for her to be back to normal. Well, she is back. :)

The Nursery: The Final Reveal

So here it is at last - the final reveal. I know I have kept you all abreast of the nursery progress, so there really aren't any earth shattering changes, but there are a few new pops that I happen to love that just make the nursery what it is. I LOVE sitting in there - it is so sweet and calming and I can't wait for James to test it out. Not much longer...:)

So, without further adieu, the final reveal:

Baby James is scheduled to arrive on Thursday morning so we will keep you all updated. Thanks everyone for your love and support during the pregnancy. We love you all!!

Leap Day Baby?

When we found out I was pregnant it did not occur to us one bit that 2012 was a leap year. It didn't even occur to us when we were told that our baby boy was due on March 7th that we could potentially have him on February 29th. With all the excitement we were feeling, it just didn't come up.

And then it did.

I think my Mom pointed it out first and it became an ongoing joke that he would absolutely be born on leap day because that is our luck. But really, would it be so bad? I bet you didn't know that there is a special honor society for people born on leap day affectionately known as "Leapers".


And that Ja Rule was actually born on February 29th in 1980.


Knowing that fact alone makes me embrace the idea of James being born on Leap Day. :)

But alas, we must disappoint. We will not in fact have a leap year baby, but instead a March 1st baby. That's right...looks like this kid is going to make his appearance next week during a scheduled delivery at Fair Oaks Hospital. Apparently he is rather large and his noggin most likely won't fit through my average-sized body so we are going in for a c-section.

I am relieved and disappointed all at the same time. Relieved that I won't have to put my body through the stresses of labor and can actually plan for the delivery. Disappointed that I won't experience the stresses of labor and have the opportunity to look at Ed and say "It's time".

So we are in "it's time to get our crap together" mode as we prepare to get the house and our psyche ready for the baby. Leap Year - Schmeep Year. We'll take March 1st any day! :)

A Finished Window Seat

Remember that custom window seat that had built a few months back? Well, I'm proud to announce that we finally have a finished window seat in our front window - just in time for baby!! It is currently 100% blocked by baby gear, but I was able to grab some photos to show off our new bench cushion. Voila!

I've never had this kind of custom made textile before. Other than choosing the fabric for our living room chair, never have I had something made totally from scratch. Needless to say, I was nervous. Did I measure correctly? Do I like the fabric I chose? Will the finished product fit in the space?

Well, apparently I did good.

It's hard to tell, but the color is a light/teal blue and is a very durable fabric so that it can withstand Lucy's wear and tear and James' wear and tear once he is mobile. Lucy is a fan of the new seat - if only for the view.

Now if only I can clear this space out so we can enjoy it!

Hap Val

Back on Valentine's Day in 2008, Ed and I had been dating for a little over a year so Valentine's Day was still kind of a big deal. Since I'm a girl and a total sucker for flowers, I was saddened that I would not be receiving any that year because of a "flower incident" we experienced with our cat Joey in the fall of 2007 (he ate a lily, spent the night at the kitty ER, all for the low low price of $1500).

So for Valentine's Day, he surprised me and sent me flowers to my office. Only things didn't go as planned. Instead of delivering the flowers on Valentine's Day, they were delivered on February 13th and instead of the note saying "Happy Valentine's Day - Love, Ed" it said "Hap Valentine's Day - Love, Ed". I didn't care of course - I was a girl ogling at the gorgeous display of flowers, but he of course was annoyed to have spent the money he did for Feb 13th Hap Val flowers.

What he didn't know at the time was that this would be a Valentine's Day we'd never forget. Since then, we no longer refer to February 14th as Valentine's Day, but instead, Hap Val day. This year's Hap Val was very special as it would be the last we would spend together sans kids. I was treated to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a delicious dinner at Clydes.

Ed was treated to 2 new pairs of Converse Chucks (his favorite) along with 2 extra long Tootsie Rolls (also his favorite).

Even Lucy got some treats - a new Hap Val mousy and a Jerry Garcia teddy bear!

All in all it was a great Hap Val. We hope that you had a wonderful Hap Val too!