Hi all! Well it has been a week now since the Ollie left and life is getting back to normal. It has been hard but it is getting better. It has been hotter than a mother here and it is getting a bit old. Had to work last weekend so at least was inside. Well E is crying and I just wanted to write a quick note

later

G

Well I have not writen on this blog for a while and figured that I should post something. Also, I have been told to try and put some pics of our new van on the web for all to see. So here it goes. Today was probably one of the most difficult days I have had to endure in a long long time. First off work was hell and by the time I got home I had a headache this big and it had excedrine written all over it. Then a very nice lady and her daughter came over and spent some time with our dog Ollie. They were interested in him because her husband really really wanted a yellow lab and because we had finally made the decision to get him to a good family who would love hime and have the time to properly train and care for him.

You see, between K and I we are gone from the house about 12 and 1/2 hours a day and then when we get home we feed E, cook for ourselves, talk for a little while and then head to bed so that we can be up the next day and do it again. The problem is that poor Ollie would spend about 20+ hours a day in his kennel. NOT fair for a 95lb yellow lab. So the lady came over, she was awesome, the lady-her daughter-and Ollie left, and now I am feeling absolutly horrible. I know it is just a dog and we didn't have a lot of time to give him but it feels like a chunk of my heart has just been ripped out. Ok so enough of that.

So to help cure the pain and tears we have decided to have a couple glasses of wine and man are they great!! Well now comes the time for me to end the post and get some pics up for all to see. Hope all is well with all and we will post again soon!

Wow, it's been over a week since I've written anything! It's been a busy week. My aunt and uncle are here from Ohio. They drive a HUGE camper and park it at a local campground each year. So we've been spending lots of time down there eating, swimming, sun bathing, playing bean bags, etc. It's been fun.

We had E baptised on Sunday at church. G's mom, grandma, aunt and uncle came down for it. But we missed his sister. My parents were there, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles and a few friends. It was a really nice service and E behaved really well. She didn't get real fussy or get real loud during the service (which I was worried about!) She looked so beautiful in her little dress and sweater. We got some way cool gifts for her to, my favorite is a bible, about the size of a dollar bill folded in half, with a cotton lacy cover that comes off and it can be used as her hanky on her wedding day. It is from my aunt and uncle who are here visiting. After the service we had a yummy breakfast in the fellowship hall. It was really nice to be able to get G's family and my family together. It doesn't happen often enough.

Ok, I need some advice now. I am really struggling w/ going back to work after having E. It is week 3 back to work and I am still crying in the a.m. when I leave her w/ the sitter. Is it going to get easier? All I want to do is spend every minute w/ her. I don't want to miss anything. It kills me to think she may roll over, talk or walk for the first time when I'm not there. I want to be the one to hold her when she's upset and fussy. I want to comfort her and let her know her mom is there and will be there whenever she needs me. It's just really, really hard. I am amazed at the enourmous amount of love I feel for this little person!!

Does anyone know of some good at home business ideas that I could possibly do as a stay at home mom? To be comfortable w/ staying home I need to earn about $1400 a month. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Well, tomorrow is our Friday. We get a nice 2 day vacation on Wednesday and Thursday this week. E and I have a chiropractic appointment on Wednesday a.m. and then we may bop around downtown for a couple hours, eat lunch and shop around, if it's not to hot out! This 90+ degree weather w/ the humidity is AWFUL!

Ok, I've got to get some sleep... night

K

Sunday oh lovely Sunday... I had the best day off today. E was great today, no fussiness, we had a nice morning... slept until 10! Then got up and she sat in her swing and watched me make bran muffins, yum! She ate some lunch and then we both fell asleep on the couch this afternoon for another 2 hours... sleepy and lazy girls we were today! I was Betty Crocker today... after the nap I made some chocolate chip bars and made a beef stew in the crock pot for dinner... haven't tried it yet, hope it worked!

So about that minivan... I LOVE IT!! I wouldn't go back to my beloved Focus wagon for anything. Yes, I loved my car, even had tears in my eyes when we pulled out off the Chevy lot, but the amount of room in this van is wonderful! Going to daycare requires 2 bags for E, plus I'm carrying my purse,my lunch bag and my pump bag... It's just so nice to have a ton of room. It was a hard decision to make... buying a van... I felt like I'd aged 10 years the first time I drove it, like I should be a 30 something mom of 4, driving all the kids to practice, etc. I know that will come and its not a bad thing, I'm just not ready for it yet!! There is still a part of me that wants to be dancing with Mr. Turtle at the H Bar w/ my lovely single girlfriends!

Well, G just got home from work so I'm going to make him try my beef stew... I'm hoping it tastes good! I am NOT a good cook at all!! Or I guess I should say I am not a cook at all!

K

Hey everybody this is G writing tonight. Well it was a day off for both of us today and we decided to go and look around for a new car. After our recent vacation and all the space issues we had with our Ford Focus we decided it was time to upgrade to something bigger. SOOO.....we looked today at a few different options and ultimately decided on something we both never thought we would do. YES it is true we have made our minds up and are buying a mini-van. OH HOLY HELL we now will have a mini-van parked in our garage!!! It is a car that we swore we would never ever own. Now here we are with a baby and we think that the van will suit our needs more than the little station wagon.

SO now with this van I feel like I have made the full turn into adulthood. Once you buy the mini-van there is no turning back and no mistaking the fact that I am getting older. I never knew you could feel so grown up by 30. Well that has been our day and we are pooped. It is amazing how draining car shopping can be. well I think that is for now. We will take some pictures of the new cool parent ride and post them for all to see. K will be back with more tomorrow I am sure.

Evening... well I'd have to say that was the hardest day of my life so far. Yes, I think it was even harder than the labor I went through to get E here! I dropped her off at my day care this a.m. around 9:15. I cried the whole way there, the whole time I was there and until about 1:30 at work. I just can't believe how much and how quickly I've fallen in love with this little girl! She is the best thing that's happened to me... along w/ G. To say the least I am absolutely drained tonight. Thank god I have wonderful employers who just let me go about my day and let it all out!

I actually miss my job... being there today reminded me how much I like it. I love working w/ our customers, ordering merchandise, the relaxed atmosphere... its just a nice place to be. I sorta felt proud today, like I joined the ranks of the working moms of the world. Dorky I know but it made me feel kinda cool!

It's a little after 10 and E is FINALLY getting the tired eyes... if I was smart I'd put this thing away and sleep while she does. But do any new moms ever do what they say, "sleep when the baby sleeps," yeah right. It's like you finally get a few minutes of peace and quiet to yourself, why would you waste it sleeping??? There's to many other things to do... wash bottles, dishes, laundry, play on the computer, read, pick up the house, eat dinner, pack her bag for tomorrow, pump, etc...
actually I need to pump, so night ya'll...

K

Good morning everyone... well the day has finally come, I have to go back to work tomorrow! I am kinda sad about it, I wish I could stay home everyday with E. I know I'll get used to it but it will be a bit of a challenge and there will definitely be a few tears.

E had her 2 month check up on Friday. She got 3 shots in her thigh (2 on one side one on the other) all immunizations. They definitely made her SUPER cranky on Friday evening. She had a bit of a temp but that's gone away now. She weighs 12 lbs 1 oz and is healthy.

G and I along with our dr decided to start E on some formula. I am not pumping enough milk to keep up w/ E's needs. So we are now mixing equal parts formula and breast milk. She took it right away and doesn't seem to be having any problems with it. I was a bit concerned that the iron in the formula would give her a tummy ache or make her constipated, but it's done neither. Boy is that formula EXPENSIVE!!! Almost $12 bucks for a small container of powder! We are thanking god that I am able to pump some milk and that she isn't fully on formula... I can't imagine the monthly expense! I'm heading to Sam's Club this morning to see if formula is any cheaper there. Lets keep our fingers crossed!

I thought we were on the way to consistent full nights of sleep... on Wednesday and Thursday night she slept from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. without waking up! Then Friday night and last night she was up constantly! 1 a.m., 2:30 a.m., 4, 6:15 and we finally got out of bed at 7:20. I'm hoping it just has to do w/ not feeling 100% due to the shots and maybe getting used to the switch with formula. I can't imagine how tired I'll be now that I'm starting work, if she does this every night! I have been breast feeding at night still, but if she continues to do this, we'll have to switch to the bottle at night so G is able to get up w/ her and I can get some sleep.

Ok, well that's it for now. If any of you are interested in reading another fun blog, G and I love sugarandice.blogspot.com. It is written by a 20 something girl who also just had a baby in April. She has a great writing style and it always keeps us laughing. Enjoy!

K

Hi All!!

I forgot to add a picture of our Little E. MAN IS SHE CUTE!!!