Our new home away from home.

Hey all.

So yesterday I had quite a day. I want to blog it. But at this very moment both girls are asleep so I am going to go do something while I can!

I've been doing very well and feeling good! This summer looks rather full already with family and activities and vacation. I'm so excited! Yes Angie I'M STILL EXCITED!! LOL

I'll write more to catch up soon! I promise!

It sure is harder to do self portraits now.....

Family

I'm so excited, a whole bunch of my family is coming out from Alberta for Mom's wedding! I miss them all so much!! It also looks like Rod will be able to get time off in Aug so we can head out there!! I got so excited thinking about it this morning I teared up!! We are also trying to figure out getting Holly out here for awhile this summer! Have I mentioned I'm excited?

This summer is going to be very busy! I can't wait!

I think I need a quote of the day segment

Fri goes to Mandy who almost made me fall over laughing.

Pointing at a stamp of a bird. "I don't like that bird, it makes me ANGRY!!"
When questioned "I just don't like birds, they make me ANGRY."
I love Mandy.

Sat Rod and Pay had a tie

Me: "Hey we still have an M & M gift card."
Rod: "Do you think it would work at the liquor store?"

In the drive through ordering our meal we hear from the back seat:

Pay: "Can I have a double double please??"
Rod: Turns and looks at me inquisitively
Me: "She knows: Daddy drinks coffee and Mommy drinks double doubles"

Today overheard at a Braydens birthday party

"Who is this Diego person?"
"I don't know, I think he's like her boyfriend or something."

They set a date!

My Mom is getting married!! Check out the date 7/7/07 !! How fun is that!

Payton

Yesterday Rod put a new shirt on Payton that still had the sticker on it. As he took off the sticker Payton asked what it was. Rod told her that it said who made her shirt or how it was made(I can't remember). Payton very quickly responds with "No Daddy!! GOD made my shirt!"

I laughed so hard, what a smart girl!

Poor Payton

Payton has a cold, mainly a cough. But it's a nasty cough.

Have you ever coughed so hard you threw up? Yuck.

She's sleeping again, hopefully we all can get some sleep now.

Sue posted this song(Thanks Sue). It's amazing. It speaks to me where I am. Days can be hard and sometimes it just feels like it would be easier to give up. Gotta keep on keeping on.


Anyway- Martina McBride

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anway

You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach
and you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anway

Chorus:

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway, I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy and its hard to believe that tomorrow
will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons
and in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love them anyway

Repeat Chorus

You can pour your soul out singing a song you believe in
that tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway, sing it anyway

I sing, I dream, I love anyway

What's with that?

Those of you who have been around for awhile will remember the struggles I had to get Payton to sleep. I thought Samara was a lot better sleeper, well actually she is at night. During the day however she is exactly like her sister was, a cat napper. 10 min here, 20 there, maybe I'll get lucky and get 30+ minutes at a time. Add it all together and it probably adds to a decent nap length or 2 but really kid, it can't be quality sleep! I'm not quite at my wits end this time because I've survived it once already but it's getting very very fustrating.

Sigh...she's awake....again....

Kinda Fun

I've seen a few people do this quiz about your firstborn and thought it looked like fun. I am going to alter it a little and do it about my second born as well!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes and No, we had decided to start trying in Jan and found out we were pregnant in Nov!
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excitement, disbelief that we were going to be parents
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Started having heartburn and indigestion which I had never had before. Googled it and found it could be an early pregnancy symptom. When I was 2 days late tested.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Rod
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? I was unsure, Rod did, so we did.
9. DUE DATE? Aug 10/04
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? No
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Cream soup, Greek salad, peanut butter
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Probably just working cause I was SO tired!
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 35
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, 3 actually(we were spoiled) Church, work, and friends.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Early bleeding
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ridge Meadows Hospital, Maple Ridge
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 3 from very first pain until delivery
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Rod
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Rod, my mom, the Midwife
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION - natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope, it was to fast, by the time I got to the hospital I was pushing!
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 4 ounces
26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? July 23/04 (17days early)
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Payton Coleen Lynn
28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? Will be 3 in 2 months


1. WAS YOUR SECOND PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excitement and worry(we had miscarried once in between)
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 27
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Late Period
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Rod
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes but the technician we got wouldn't tell us!
9. DUE DATE? Feb 25/04
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Mint Girl Guide cookies
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Not being able to sleep(having a toddler and all)
13. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? Girl
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No, as much as I'd like to have both I'm excited for Payton to have a sister. I always wanted a sister.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 8
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, 2(spoiled again!) mix of family, church and friends
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? It was initially a twin pregnancy, we lost one early on. Samara was breech.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ridge Meadows Hospital, Maple Ridge
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 0, planned C-Section
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Rod
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Rod, Midwife
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION - C-Section(she was breech)
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 13.4 ounces
26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? Feb 15/04(10days early)
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Samara Ashlyn Michelle
28. HOW OLD IS YOUR SECOND BORN TODAY? 3 months

And we have a talker

Lost without the Net

Yup, internet was down for 2 days. What did I used to do without it? I feel so un-connected!

Rod and I have both had what seems to be a flu since Tues as well. Both of us being sick at the same time sucks! Somebody has to take care of the kids! We both seem to be getting better today thank goodness!

Think now that I'm feeling a little better I need to shower and take Payton to the park. Fresh air will do me good!

Still here

So I've been reminded many times lately that I haven't blogged in forever. It's true. I could say I've been busy or tired or just have nothing to say. And although that may be partial truths, it's not complete. I've been struggling with Postpartum Depression. The last couple of weeks have been better but I was in a pretty bad place for awhile. I've always been pretty honest on my blog but I wasn't ready to share. I didn't want to sound all cheery on my blog when I was shriveling inside, so the solution was to simply not write.

Were doing pretty good, moving forward, trying to figure out how to make everything work. Keeping every one's needs met is a full time job. I really truly do love having 2 kids though, watching them interact is priceless.

I plan on sharing more, just not at this exact moment. The biggest thing on my brain right now is sleep! I need some! So for now, enjoy the pics and video's!.

Last fri it really was like summer!

Recent pics

Samara "talking"

Samara started laughing today.

Please excuse the horrible fake giggling(by me, that's what makes her laugh the most), the messy desk, and the glasses I've had for 10yrs!

But we've got her first laughs on video!! How cool is that!?!

Contests

I found some cool Mother's day contests here. Check it out.

YEAH FOR PAYTON!!

Tues morning I notice Payton doesn't have her diaper on. She often takes them off in the morning now to use the toilet so I didn't think much about it. I spot it on her bed and ask her why there is a diaper in her bed, with smiling eyes she tells me she took it off. I pick it up, it's dry, bone dry. I ask her when she took it off, last night she tells me grinning like a banshee. You were in bed with us last night for a bit did you have it on then? She's giggling madly now, no she manages, and Daddy didn't notice! She thinks this whole conversation is hilarious! Did you use the potty last night I ask, yup she says, with no help I continue, yup she says very proudly. And her bed is dry too. I was amazed, well I figure if she can do it once she can do it again so 2 nights since she's had no diaper and no accidents. What do you know? She night trained herself! I'm sure there will be accidents still but we have a fully potty trained child. NO MORE DIAPERS FOR PAYTON!!! Happy dance, happy dance!

I'm beginning to think EI doesn't know what they are doing. We still haven't received Rod's check for the 2 weeks of parental leave he took. They messed up on the dates to begin with and sent us a check that was wrong. We didn't cash it. They had supposedly cleared up whatever the confusion was and sent a correct check. We haven't received it. Then yesterday we got a letter saying they overpaid him and now we owe them $120. What the heck? We haven't cashed a penny!!! Grrrrrr......I hope someone else hasn't cashed our check or something. What a major pain.

Love

The sermon was good on Sunday. Greg talked about love, how God IS love. If we want to be like God we need to love. Not necessarily love everyone but show love to everyone, to everyone!

I've been struggling, last week was really hard. During the sermon I realized something, as much as I love those around me, I don't love myself. I spend a lot of time ridiculing myself, demeaning myself. God wants me to love myself. Sunday as I sat there I really thought it could be a turning point, I thought if I couldn't all of a sudden love myself I could act like I did, treat myself well and eventually I actually would. It seemed so easy, I was excited. I was going to write this big uplifting blog and challenge everyone to love themselves, or do something nice for themselves. What a difference a day makes.

Love is a big deal, to know people love you, to know God loves you is indescribable. But what if Love isn't enough?

Happy Birthday!

Happy first birthday to a very special little man and also to a very dear friend.

Happy Birthday Cooper and Angie!

Hope it's a good one!

Very funny

Payton's favorite video at the moment.

Happy Easter!!

Did the Easter Bunny come to your house?

Payton trying to figure out her new skipping rope.

Reading our new book with Dad.

Eggs!!

Chocolate!!

Samara wasn't so impressed with Mom about the ears.

Smiles!

Check out my basket!!

Did you notice the broccoli in Payton's basket? When I asked her yesterday what the Easter Bunny brings she insisted it was broccoli. And what do you know? He did!! Now off to get ready for Church. Have a great Easter everyone!!

Pata Pata

Does the music take all you Hatzic grads back? Did the other schools do square dancing? Do they still?? HAHAHA!!

It so makes me want to dance but I can't quite remember all the steps!

Thanks to Tammy for the flashback.

Listen

Stop, be still, and really listen. What do you hear? You might be surprised.

Nothing exciting.

We had our last Midwife appointment yesterday. It's gone so fast. Samara and I each were checked and declared healthy. She weighs 11 lbs 8 ounces now(at 6.5weeks). I looked up Paytons records and at 7.5 weeks she weighed 12lbs. So their growth pattern so far is very similar.

Anyhow, both girls are currently sleeping so I'm going to find something constructive to do while I can.

If your bored check out this game. It's addicting. Thanks Annette!

Are you kidding me?

Time for a change

It's a work in progress.

Love Love Love it!!

Samara

Where did the sunshine go??

Me: "Payton, where did the sun go?"
Payton: Very matter of factly "It's behind the clouds Mom."
Me: Laughing "Is it hiding?"
Payton: "Yup"
Me: "I wish it would come out and play."
Payton: "Don't worry Mom, I'll blow the clouds away"
And has since been asking all morning to go out and blow the clouds away!

During night time prayer,

Me: "Is there anything you would like to thank Jesus for tonight Payton?"
Payton: Thinking a moment "Fries and chocolate milk!"

And we did.

I'm starting to think....

That Spring really is here!

Sunshine, flowers peeking their heads out, and Hummingbirds!

Excitement!

Just wanted to say hi!

I'm still here and I'm still mostly sane!! haha! Adjusting to having 2 is quite difficult. I haven't figured out how I'm going to make everything run smoothly around here but I'm working on it. Samara pretty much runs the show at the moment, she went from sleeping well during the day to not wanting to sleep, well in your arms she might but not in the bassinet. That makes it rather difficult to get anything else done and my house is suffering. I was frustrated last night because Rod really pitched in and helped me on Sat for a couple hours and we got a lot done, but the clutter was still around and by last night everything looked like we hadn't done anything...Sigh....

Our company postponed their trip as they are concerned about driving through the mountains because the weather is still unpredictable. It's probably good, although I was disappointed because we had such a rough week last week we would have all been tired and that doesn't make a good visit. Hopefully in a month things will be running a little smoother!

So I won't be blogging nearly as much because my spare time is limited, HAHA who am I fooling? What spare time??

And a Big Happy Birthday!!

To my friend Kay!!

Love you girl!

A little weekend guessing game. **Updated: With Answers**

We had a little better night. I tried to let Rod sleep as much as I could and Payton slept in so Rod's feeling pretty rested. Samara and I were up before everyone and they were getting up as she was ready for a nap. So I went back to bed as well. slept from 9ish until 12!! It's amazing how a few hours sleep can feel so good!! Now if we can get Pay down for her nap(Samara is sleeping again) we can attack the house for a bit.

For your(and my) amusement I've pulled out some early Payton pics to compare with Samara pics. Can you tell who's who? I'll post answers later. Some are easy, there are clues if you know what to look for. Have fun.


1. Samara

2. Samara

3. Payton

4. Samara

5. Payton (it does look like me when I was newborn though)

6. Payton

7. Samara

8. Payton

9. Payton

10. Samara

11. Payton

Don't even ask.

It was horrible.

Hmmmm......

Payton has a cold. She's being a stinker and not trying to sleep. Then when she did give in and go to sleep(for all of 10min), her cold woke her up!! ARGH!! She is finally(after 10) sleeping again but from the sounds of her breathing will be up again.

Samara decided she didn't want to go to sleep in her bassinet tonight, then when she finally did. She pooped...and she pooped big. After I got her changed ect, she was completely awake again and doesn't want to sleep in the bassinet again. She is now over tired...sigh.....and soon I will be. Rod is trying to convince her the bassinet is good at the moment. She is so little I can't let her cry it out, so we go back comfort and put her back. There has been A LOT of trips to the bedroom tonight, and none of them involve sleep for us! I was seriously hoping for a 9 o'clock bedtime tonight. HAHA dream on girl!

When did bedtime get to be so hard?

****Update****
It's 11:30, she's been out for 15min, Payton is asleep, and I will be as soon as I hit publish and crawl under the covers. Any of you still awake out there please pray for no more pooping! LOL!!

Oh what a night.....

And not in a good way!

Samara didn't have her afternoon nap yesterday and man did she make us pay for it! I'm having a hard time with making sure she gets the sleep she needs(she doesn't sleep well, if at all, when we are out), and making sure Payton gets the activity she needs. Right when Sam is sleeping(mid morning and mid afternoon usually) is right when I would have been making sure Pay was getting outside or out somewhere to play. She needs the activity, she needs the interaction. Sigh.....

New bedtime routines starting tonight to hopefully help save my sanity. Rod's new job started this week, and he will now be getting home an hour earlier!! YEAH!!! We can actually have dinners as a family!! I'm very excited. So bedtimes will be stricter and include both girls. We'll see how it goes and adjust accordingly. I think Samara will be a routine baby like Pay was, like most babies are. Just have to get started on it. I was going to wait until after our company left but there's no time like the present! Needless to say, I won't be going out much in the evenings for awhile!! Call me a homebody!

Only 4 brave guessers on the guessing game? That's sad....

Very tired today. Think I'm going to fold some laundry and go to bed(baby permittng). Shoot! There she is, oh well.

Good night everyone.

Excitement!!

We are getting company!!

My mom told me last week that my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Jim were coming out from Alberta for a visit around Easter! Yeah!!

My Aunt Donna just called and said that her, her girls, and my Grandma are coming out for a visit too, they should be here THIS WEEKEND!!! Its going to be a short visit but I'll take what I can get!

I'm SO SO SO excited!!! I miss them SO much!!!

Payton Funnies

Driving in the car, waiting to turn left:

Payton, "Go Mama Go!!"

Me, "I'll go as soon as I can hon, I have to wait for the cars to be out of the way. You don't want to me to hit anyone do you?"

Payton, "Don't worry Mom, they'll move"


Me Using the washroom,

Payton, "Are you going pee Mom?"
Me, "Yes Payton."
Payton, "Are you going to poop Mom?"
Me, "Maybe Payton."
Payton, "In the potty Mom?"
Me, "Yes Payton."
Payton, "Good job Mom!! I'm so excited! You get potty treats!"

Getting ready to go out,

Me, "Come on Payton find some shoes so we can go."
Payton, "ok Mom" fiddles about
Me, "Payton, get your shoes, don't you want to go see Ethan?"
Payton, "Soon enough Mom, soon enough."

A couple of pics

Guess I should have edited these a bit but as both the girls are asleep I'm going directly to bed after hitting publish. I can always edit later.

Me and my beautiful Payton.

Samara ready to go for her walk. It's the smallest snowsuit ever! So cute!!

How much can one girl poop?

Payton would poop every 7-10 days. I was fine with that. Samara on the other hand is easily 7-10 times a day. The actual changing of the diaper doesn't bother me, it's the fact that even when she would have slept 3-4 hours between feedings at night she will be woken up after an hour or maybe 2 because she needs to be changed.

My night.

10:30- she was(finally) down for the night
11:00- I decided she was finally staying down and went to bed.
11:30- Still awake because I couldn't sleep(what's with that)
11:45ish-fell asleep
12:45- Samara needs a change, then of course wanted a top up, then took about 30min to settle back to sleep.
1:30ish-back to sleep
2:30ish-Samara needs a change, I had her laying on the bed in front of me to give her a minute to finish, I am drinking a glass of water when suddenly I just drop the glass(how I managed to simply drop it is beyond me), cold water all over my lap, and the bed. I somehow miss the baby thank goodness. Clean up that, change the baby, feed her.
3:30ish-back to sleep
6:15-Samara needs a change again, then as I'm trying to feed her back to sleep Payton is up.

Anyone else out there had a baby who would poop almost every couple hours? How long will this keep up? I am easily more tired now than a couple weeks ago, it's starting to catch up with me I guess.

On another topic altogether, today is Rod's last day at his current job! Scary but very very exciting. I pray this is the right move for him, that this is where he is supposed to be for now.

Going to go get changed so I can take Payton for a play date, maybe I'll get a good nap out of her today(unlike yesterday).

Have a good day everyone.

Funny

Click here.

Is it time for bed yet?

I could sleep all day. Only I can't..whine whine....complain complain....

Samara didn't get a good nap yesterday and consequently was way overtired last night. It was a late late night. Today I am hoping for a nap. The mess can wait.

Samara is a month old today!! She weighed in at 9lbs 12 ounces yesterday so she's growing very well!

EI messed up on processing Rod's parental leave. They got the start day wrong even though he told them the 15th, and for some reason Rod's new job is complicating things as well. I don't see why because when he applied he hadn't taken the job yet, and it doesn't start for a month after his claim. Grrrrr.......we need that money for things like rent......very frustrating!

Yup, I'm really not interesting today, just tired. Maybe it's time for some pictures.

Wow, I'm on a run.

This has been how many days in a row? Excellent!

Nothing to exciting today. I'm tired, very very tired. You know the tired when all you can think about is how your going out today and are not going to get even the opportunity to try to nap so are forced to count down the hours until bedtime.

As we were putting Payton to bed last night Rod noticed the floor was wet. Oh dear. The water was coming in through the floor? Wall? I don't remember but from somewhere it shouldn't to torment me. It happened once last year and I thought they had fixed the problem, I'm guessing they thought they had as well. Oh well, so we tried to dry out the carpet some and had to move the bed as it's press board and the wet would ruin it. To move the bed somewhere dry we had to move the bookshelf which involved taking everything off it and so on and so on. There is an even bigger mess around here than there was now.......Sigh........Anyways to make a long story short we all got to bed very very late, then Payton was up early. Today's going to be fun, oh well we'll have to make the best of it.

On a good note, the carpet seems to be drying quickly! We have a midwife appointment this morning and we are all fed, brushed, dressed and ready to go! Accomplishment I tell you big big accomplishment......

And just for laughs Damomma has a great new post here.

It's just easier to be wet.....

Feeling rather dry in my faith lately, been feeling a gentle prodding or rather a swift kick back in the right direction. I feel different these days and have to re-evaluate myself, and my relationship with God. I feel excited though, like I'm discovering how much I really missed and loved an old friend and am so glad they are still around. Something is in the air lately, a shift, a change, I'm not sure what this year holds but something is definitely in the works. I pray that I can grasp hold of what I need to and hang on for the duration.

Found this today, made me think. For the whole post go here.

Galatians 4: 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces ? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

I turn back because it’s easier….I turn back because I forget that THAT is my wetness, like a fish in a goldfish bowl I forget that I am even wet, that I am that prone to sin, I don't even see it as sin...??…..and in the forgetting I get further and further away from God…He doesn’t leave me, He knew I was wet in the first place... but in my forgetting I get further away from Him……I turn back because it’s just easier to live in my wetness than to see how WET I am…..a faith walk is HARD WORK but the benefits far outweigh the work of it…..it’s just easier to BE WET……

Just wanted to say

I've been concentrating on just getting by, on being the best mom I can be and figure out how everything is going to work now. Between not being able to do anything for awhile, being sick, migraines, and plain old fatigue my house is a disaster. Yet it's not the end of the world, it won't be like this forever(maybe until we have more space though). I've got a lot on my mind, emotions are very present, here comes the amazing part. I feel peace.

I haven't been good with bible reading, or praying even, but I have been trying to feel God. Feel him in my life and let him touch me, let him guide me, and show through me. He's there. I still don't know how everything is going to work out, where what we need is going to come from but right now at this very moment I know it will. And that's enough.

I was blog surfing earlier as I was grabbing some lunch and came upon this quote "Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the realization that there is something more important than fear." here. Very powerful, thought I would pass it along.

Unbelievable

Another migraine this AM. It sucks. At least I caught it early when Samara woke to eat and was able to take drugs and go back to sleep. But still, it's crazy annoying.

Samara does WAY better sleeping in her bassinet, it blows me away. After Payton who thought you were killing her if you put her in the bassinet and probably only slept all of 10min in it at a time. Everyone has been a lot happier around here the last couple of nights now that we are figuring out what Samara wants and needs for her own specific personality. It re-enforces that everyone is born with such different personality. I remember thinking so many times when Payton was little that I was doing something wrong, that it was my fault she was fussy. It took a long time to believe I was doing a good job!

I started Payton in panties(AGAIN) this morning. She more than capable of peeing on the potty, she just hasn't wanted to. Now she has no choice! I bought chocolate eggs yesterday for a special incentive(the stickers just weren't doing it) and she's currently eating #3, and has tried more times than that. She really wants those eggs! I think she's going to be on a sugar high today.

I have more I want to write but the brightness of the monitor is hurting my head so it will have to wait.

Happy Monday everyone.

Last night

Well, good news and bad news. I was up almost all night again last night. The good news was it wasn't Samara keeping me up. I was sick, I had a very upset stomach. It was annoying to be up when Samara was sleeping, I was so thankful to have Rod there to help me.

Samara was so overdone last night. She couldn't figure out how to get to sleep. I knew I couldn't let her cry and decided to see if I could help her get to sleep another way. I made sure she was fed, changed, and ready for sleep. I wrapped her up, cuddled her for a few minutes and put her in her bed. Every few minutes she would complain, I would go immediately to her pick her up, comfort her until she stopped complaining(usually a minute or less), offer her the soother, re-wrap her if she needed and put her back in her bed. And surprise surprise, it only took about 30-40min and she went to sleep. It was fun when Payton woke up and I was going back and forth between the bedrooms. I can't imagine having multiples! After she went to sleep she woke about every 3 hours to eat and immediately went back to sleep, I re-wrapped her and put her in her bassinet. I actually thinks she sleeps better in it! One time when she needed changing she just kinda dozed through it and was fine when we put her back to bed. I was amazed. Today for her nap I followed the same procedure and it was a pleasant experience. I know it won't always go smoothly but at least I have a game plan now!

Of course it wasn't long after going to bed that I woke in pain but you can't win them all! At least I seem to be over whatever it was now. Here's to hoping for good sleep tonight!

I have a 3 wek old

Who is overtired. We had a hard night. A very very hard night. 4 people, very little sleep, it did not make for a happy morning.

I had a fabulous afternoon though(thank you thank you thank you)!!

We are gearing up for another hard night. I have a headache already. Samara has hardly slept at all today, she was wide eyed and observant. Now thinks she needs daddy to be carrying her a certain way, moving a certain way to even close her eyes. Then says SURPRISE every time we think she's dozing. She's overdone, and very soon, so will we be. I think from spending the last couple weeks observing Samara that she's very observant and aware of her surroundings, light, movement, noises, all seem to keep her from sleeping. With Payton she always wanted to be moving, with Samara she's more aware of movement around her. I think maybe even my movement when she's in bed with me has been disturbing her. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense of this so I will stop rambling and move on.

We will be figuring out a schedule, a gentle one because she is so young, to encourage her to sleep. I feel mean even considering letting her cry, even for a minute or 2 because she is so little. I don't think I could do it. I think something more like a bedtime routine so she knows what to expect and going to her when she fusses but being consistent with putting her back to bed afterwards. The frustrating part is that she usually takes good naps in her bassinet, just not at night.

The good thing is that having already gone through this with Payton, I know it's only temporary and I know I CAN do this. So often with Payton there did not seem an end in sight, but there was. Really this newborn sleeplessness that seems never ending is only a very short piece of parenting, and thank goodness for that! I'm very tired but so much more relaxed than last time.

Sigh.....we'll figure it out eventually.

This was kinda fun

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Guess what guess what guess what??

I got Samara smiles today! I'm so excited!! 4 or 5 full on grins at Mom, one accompanied with a happy noise! I love it!

It's.....

FRIDAY!!!!!! Yeah!!

"It's friday...field trip day...."

Oh crap

Samara is sleeping.

I just put Payton down for her nap.

Was going to clean, need to clean, want to clean.

Vision is going, a migraine is coming....AGAIN. Second time this week. First one took 3 days to be gone completely. This morning was the first time this week I though to myself I feel good.(Then my kid was a stinker all morning but that's another story)

Off to find the T3's and hope my girls sleep for a bit.

Sigh.

Still around!

We've been doing pretty well. Trying to adjust and figure out how everything is going to work. Had a migraine yesterday, a really intense one. I still have a headache left from it today. Payton has been really whiny and pushing her boundaries, and has started this fake crying thing which drives me bananas. I'm trying really hard to be patient but at the same time not let her get away with anything. It's really difficult.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to keep this place neat for the next little while. I find I don't have much childless time and the few minutes I steal just don't stretch far enough. When Samara is sleeping I try to get some stuff accomplished but Payton needs some Mommy time as well. If Samara will sit in the swing for 10min it is usually used for dressing/cleaning Payton, or feeding her or myself. Naps very rarely overlap. Which at the moment they are both sleeping, I will very quickly be getting off here and trying to find my floors.

I haven't been on the computer much and when I have been there hasn't been time to leave comments but I have still been reading. Actually I tried leaving a couple comments over the last couple of days but the visual verification on those particular blogs hasn't been letting me(it won't display the letters). So I gave up since I don't have time to fiddle with it and figure out why.

K gotta run before my girls wake up, maybe I'll have more time tonight for more specific updates. But no promises!

Day 1

Today is the first day at home without Rod. It's actually going pretty well(I should bite my tongue!).

Payton just went down for her nap(I think she is finally asleep). Hmm....I think that is the baby I hear, it figures! Oh well, at least I can feed uninterrupted!!

Finally, a few pics

Payton likes to help bath the baby, and her doll, and her toys, and my floor......

Payton cuddling with Samara

Samara sleeping...in her bassinett...imagine that....

Aunty Mandy getting some cuddles

Such little hands

Resting with Daddy

Pics

Since I haven't posted any more pics, I thought I would link to the beautiful scrapbook layout Kay did with Samara photos. It's here.

Wow!! My baby is a week old already!!

Time is flying by!! Happy one week Samara!!

I noticed on Tues a strange rash in Samara's armpit, the midwife happened to be here and she wasn't sure what it was so she took a swab and told me to call if it got any worse. Last night I noticed it was also in her other armpit and spent a great deal of time worrying about it and searching on the net. I called the midwife this morning and told her it was spreading(I also found a spot on her back), she got us in to see a pediatrician right away to be on the safe side. I wasn't to worried only because she seemed fine in all other ways but the thought that something was wrong with my newborn eats at my insides. So off we went, he was really good, awesome with Payton too. It turned out he was the pediatrician in the room when Samara was delivered! That was funny. Anyways, she has a staph infection, it's a topical bacterial infection. Nothing to serious but needs to be treated quickly before it gets worse. So we have cream and antibiotics, if it continues to get worse they will have to give her antibiotics through an I.V. I get to try to feed my newborn medicine 4 times a day! FUN!! So Payton didn't have antibiotics until she was 2.5 and Samara made it all of a week!

Other than the rash, she is doing really really well. She's breastfeeding like a pro and gaining weight accordingly. Payton is doing pretty well adjusting. There has been some obvious acting out and attention seeking, but I expected that. I worry about being a good mom to 2, but really I can only do the best I can.

I'm sorry this isn't pictures. Maybe tomorrow!

Days and Nights

Well, we have our days and nights messed up around here. Never really experienced this before, Payton didn't really mix them up so much as just never slept. Where as Samara has been having good sleep during the day and not so much at night. I'm so glad Rod is here as he lets Samara and I sleep in when Payton gets up.

I'm going to try to get some pictures posted today as my girls are just so cute and want to show them off!! Just means a little sitting and editing, I'll try to make it priority.

Quickie post

I just realized neither Rod or I posted any info regarding birth weight ect! Oops! I also want to post about my birth experience but think that will have to wait because I need a shower!

Samara was born weighing 8lbs 13.5 ounces, 20.5" at 8:37am. It would have been earlier but they had a hard time getting the spinal in me, they tried 4 times before it took. Yeah, that was fun! I was praying it would work because I didn't want to be put under!

Congratulations to Nicole for being the closest all around guess, saying girl and 8lbs 8ounces. Shari was the closest in weight guessing 8lbs 13 ounces. There weren't many girl guesses period, she surprised a lot of people!!

We are still doing well, the midwife was here today and Samara is already gaining weight like a trooper! When we left the hospital on Sat she weighed 7lbs 14.5ounces and today she was 8lbs 6 ounces! She'll be back up to birth weight in no time!

Hope everyone out there is doing well, I haven't been on the computer much so haven't been checking on the blogs to check up.

Oh and any suggestions for middle names starting with M? Rod has a family tradition of double middle names(which is twice as hard), we have one we think but need one more. Any suggestions??

Samara

I am so in love.

I wondered when I was pregnant if it was possible to love someone as much as I love Payton. I was worried I would take favorites. I never thought the emotions would be so big, so overwhelming again.

I have fallen in love all over again. And yes, the term "fallen" in love is perfect. I have loved her since conception but over the last few days have fallen in love with her all over again. And with Rod, and Payton. I am enamored with our family.

Nothing, absolutely nothing could describe my joy. I'm tired, a little sore, and overwhelmed often, but it is with great joy, love, and peace that I move one foot ahead of the other and tackle the next day.

Oh and Yes, her name is Samara. We still haven't settled on the middle names, but it's nice to have a name to call her. And she suits it.

We're home

Hey everyone, just a quick note to say we're home. I've been doing really well, much better than I anticipated. We are busy and tired, but very very happy with our new daughter. I hope to post more soon.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and congratulations.

Oh yeah, and we almost have a name, will share soon!