New Laptop!

Joseph came home with 2 new laptops today... and one was for me! I'm super excited about it!

Christmas

So these post will be a little out of order. Oh, well...

Christmas was splendid! We woke up at 6:30. I nursed Colleen while AJ watched Curious George until Joseph got things together (put the bike out). When AJ FINALLY noticed the bike and the presents she got really excited. Santa was very good to her. And me. I got a Shark steam mop, spring form pans (can't wait to make cheesecake!), and the Zumba Wii game will be acquired whenever we can find it. Santa finally brought our family a dual screen DVD player for the car, too. It will definitely make those trips to VA much easier. Breakfast was provided by Waffle House carry out.
We visited Joseph's family Christmas Eve and day. We ate so much great food! The desserts were ridiculous! I must brag, after gaining about 5 pounds last year (to my credit, I was newly pregnant), I haven't gained a single pound this year! It's shocking considering all the coconut cake I've eaten!
Next weekend we head to VA to visit my family. I can't wait! They haven't seen Colleen since she was born. Plus, we get to hold on to Christmas a little while longer...


Christmas pictures to follow.

SNOW

Rock Hill actually saw snow today! A steady falling of the white stuff came down over the night and covered the ground. Four or five inches accumulated making the most picturesque landscape. After a little after-Christmas-shopping, the snow hadn't melted too much so AJ could still get in some good playtime. While I made chili beans and cornbread, Joseph obliged Little Bug with snow angels and a drag around the yard in a big plastic toy tub from the back porch. She had a ball! As previously mentioned, I'm a slacker, so no pictures were taken... maybe, if there is any snow left, I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

I'm a slacker...

Seriously. We put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving and just got it decorated last week. The decoration boxes are still in the living room. Half the outside Christmas lights are up; Joseph finally stopped saying "I'm gonna finish the lights tonight" about two days ago (there's really no point in finishing them now...). The Christmas cards are still hanging out in the diaper bag, waiting for stamps. They'll probably be hand delivered on Christmas Eve, if they're ever delivered. I just hung the stockings up tonight. I haven't really started wrapping presents. I'm waiting until Christmas Eve to get the in-laws' gift. I'm not buying for my family until next week. The really sad thing is, I can't blame it on having a 3 month old baby to take care of. She's such a good baby; she let's me do what I need to do between nursing. AJ goes to Grandmomma's house several times a week, which gives me plenty of time to do things. I guess it's just me. I've grown lackadaisical. I LOVE Christmas, but this year I just can't get into it like I usually do. Hopefully I'll wake up Christmas morning full of the Christmas spirit. Of course, then it will be almost over. Oh well, there's always next year...

Halloween...

... was awesome. We all had a great time at the Fall Festival at FMCOG and trick-or-treating. AJ dressed as a scarecrow. Her costume turned out so good! She was super cute! Colleen had on her "My First Halloween" onesie which was too cute! AJ loved tot'ing and did a great job shouting TRICK-OR-TREAT!!! She was definitely not shy about taking candy! She loved looking at everyone's costumes and trying to figure out what everyone was. It was an over all great night and I can't wait to do it again next year!

A Day of Firsts

10/30/10

Some exciting things happened around here today. Colleen experienced some "firsts". We tried her one a bottle for the first time today. She took right to it and did great. She sucked down 2 oz in no time! Joseph got to feed her for the first time and let AJ help. It was sweet. I also wore Colleen in a carrier for the first time today. She loved it and slept almost the entire time she was in it. I loved having her so close to me while we shopped.
Tomorrow will be Colleen's first Halloween. I'm so excited to take her Trick-or-treating with AJ. AJ loved going last year and had so much fun. She'll also be able to enjoy the festival at church more this year since she's a little older. All holidays are so much more fun when AJ can really participate in them. I can't wait for Christmas! It's going to be awesome this year! She's already started talking about Santa bringing her presents for being a good girl. Joseph and I are planning on starting our shopping this week. I'm really looking forward to it!

Well, I'll be back tomorrow or Monday to post all about Halloween!

Happy Birthday Joseph!

Joseph turned 26 yesterday! Happy Birthday, darlin'! We had a little family get-together today at our house. I spent the whole day cleaning and making his cake but the effort was worth it. We had a great time talking and playing the Wii. And the cake and ice cream wasn't bad either!
Now it's time to crack down and get AJ's Halloween costume ready for Sunday. Busy, busy, busy!

My big Little Lady

Colleen had her one month check up today. It's hard to believe she's a month old! She did great letting the doctor poke around and check her out. She's measuring great and growing like a weed. She now weighs 10 lbs 4 oz and is 22.5 inches long. She's breastfeeding like a champ and packing on the pounds to prove it! She's also showing her tired momma some mercy by sleeping 4-5 hours at a time at night. She's not a bit colic-y and doesn't really cry unless she's hungry. I would say she's just about as perfect as a baby can be! God has blessed us with two great little girls.

Little Lady is three weeks old today!

Happy three week birthday Colleen!

Time sure has flown by these last three weeks! Colleen has gotten noticeably bigger. She's breastfeeding really well. She's lost that newborn blotchy-ness and her skin is now clear and smooth. She's sleeping 4-5 hours at a time at night. AJ is getting used to having another child in the house. We've all adjusted really well and have become a nice little family of 4. We really are blessed!

Three Crazy Years!

Joseph and I have been married 3 years today. So much has happened in the last three years. The most amazing events being the births of our two beautiful daughters. Every day just keeps getting better. I love you, Joseph!

Colleen Marie's Birth Story

On Tuesday, September 21, I went to the doctor at 10 am. Since I had passed my due date I was put on the fetal monitor to check the baby's heart beat. She was moving so much that they couldn't get a good strip and sent me for an ultrasound. In that 5 minutes between the monitor and the ultrasound the baby fell asleep and failed the PPD test because she wouldn't move. So... Dr. Hilton sent me to PMC. She told me the Dr. on call would either break my water or set me up for a c-section for that evening. Because I was overdue and trying for a VBAC, she didn't want me to wait any longer.
As soon as I left the doctor's office, I called Joseph to come home from work, my mom to start traveling from VA, and my mother-in-law to let her know I was going to the hospital. I went home to get my bags and to wait for Joseph to get home.
By 12:30 I was on the monitor at the hospital. We got beautiful strips this time. The baby was just fine! The Dr gave me the option of going home and waiting to go in to labor spontaneously, or he could break my water. At 40w4d I was pretty well over being pregnant. I really wanted this baby to be born! So at 3:30 we decided to go ahead and break my water.
I started out at a tight 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. When the Dr checked me again at 9 pm nothing had changed. I had contractions every 4-8 minutes all through the night, some being pretty strong. But by morning, they had tapered off.
The Dr came back to talk to us again Wednesday morning. He said we could wait a while longer or go for a section. We decided to wait until 3:30, the 24 hour mark. If I hadn't progressed to at least 3 cm, we would go ahead with a section. Unfortunately, after 24 hours, I hadn't changed a bit. Still a tight 2cm. We got the ball rolling on a c-section.
At 4:41 pm on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Colleen Marie Sturgis was born weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. She was 21 inches long and had a beautiful head full of dark hair.

She's two weeks old today. AJ loves her and is learning to be gentle. Colleen is breastfeeding very well and sleeping for longer periods at a time at night. She's a very good baby and only cries when she's hungry.
We are so blessed to be given such amazing children. I adore the little family we have created for ourselves!

4 Weeks to Go!!!

My September 17th due date is quickly approaching! Within the month I'll be holding my beautiful baby girl! Last night Baby was moving a lot and had the hiccups. I could see every tiny little hiccup push my belly out. Throughout my pregnancy, every time I tried to let Joseph feel the baby, she would stop moving as soon as his hand rested on my belly. This time he got to feel her for a good 5 minutes. Even more exciting was that AJ got to feel her little sister!

I think AJ may be coming around to the idea of having a sister. When asked, she can tell me where her baby sister is and usually can tell me her name. She affectionately calls her "Connie" or "Collie". I don't think that her understanding of the situation is any deeper than a game of "Where's your little sister?" I still don't know how she will handle having a new baby around taking up much of the attention she has come enjoy all to herself. I don't think she will be too happy about it though. Last night when Joseph was paying too much attention to my belly AJ started acting silly to draw him back to her. If that is an indication of what's to come, we may have a power struggle for a while.

As much as AJ will not like having her thunder stolen, I think she will quickly come to love having a baby sister. Her nurturing instinct is definitely starting to develop. Up until recently she has had no interest in baby dolls and the like. Now she will rock her animal "buddies" and feed them her snacks and water. She also throws them across the room and drags them by there legs so... we may have to watch out for that!

I'm so excited to have this baby! I just cannot wait until this little darling is born!

Nostalgia

My grandmother was a simple woman. She enjoyed simple pleasures. Scribble, Memory, word searches and Wheel of Fortune were fixtures in her home. As were bologna sandwiches. She was probably the last person to make me a bologna sandwich and I'm almost positive I haven't had one since. That's got to be at least 15 years ago. Searching my fridge today for something to make for my daughter for lunch, I stumbled upon some bologna that my husband has been using for his lunch. I cut some up and handed it off to AJ, who scarfed it down like no body's business. "If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me," I thought and made myself a sandwich. As soon as I bit into that bologna and cheese sandwich I instantly thought of my Maw-Maw. Her pulling that bologna out of her old green fridge, expertly making my sandwich on the Formica counter top, cutting it into triangles and passing it over to me.

I always loved my Maw-Maw but it wasn't until my teen years that I learned WHY I loved her. She was a tough woman. She lived through much tragedy during her life. War, the Great Depression, being widowed, burying children. Yet she still rejoiced in the Lord, still witness of God's love and mercy. She was the most caring individual anyone could every hope to meet.

Maw-Maw passed away this past fall. My daughter got to spend time with her, but will likely not remember her. My soon-to-be-born daughter, who will share my Maw-Maw's middle name, will never know her first hand. I do know that they will know the legacy of their great-grandmother. I can't wait to share with them the memories I cherish.

Who knew a bologna sandwich could stir up such emotion. Perhaps it's the overflow of pregnancy hormones racing through my body; maybe I'm a little home sick. I know for sure that I miss my Maw-Maw. And I will always think of her when I have a bologna sandwich.

11 weeks to go!

So my last post was almost 10 weeks ago... sorry...
We are having a another little girl in about 11 weeks. We've already picked out a name, Colleen Marie. I'm already crazy about her and can not wait until she's born. September 17th is the big day. I'm very curious about what she will be like. AJ is so rambunctious and sassy. Having another little wild child would be exhausting and overwhelming, I'm sure. But I don't know what I would do with a calm, collected child. I'm used to going full force with AJ and couldn't imagine raising a child any other way. I'll have my work cut out for me either way!

AJ turned 2 on the 1st. We took her to see Toy Story 3. This was her first time at the movies. For a 2 yr old, she did really well. She wanted to talk the whole time, but that's expected from her. She is so completely obsessed with Woody, Buzz, and Jessie! She watches Toy Story at least twice a day. It's great for those times when I need to get things done, but it does start to get old after a while. I guess there are more annoying things she could be obsessed with though...

We had AJ's birthday party on 6/26. It was a small family get-together and turned out really nice. I scheduled it for the evening hoping that it wouldn't be so terribly hot. That idea didn't work too well. It didn't start getting tolerable outside until about 7:30. Once we got outside it was nice though. When the sun went do we got the fire pit going and had s'mores! It was so much fun! The kids got to hold sparklers, which they thoroughly enjoyed! The night was a success and a great time with the entire family.

Update!

We will find out the sex of the baby Tuesday! Honestly, I'm hoping for a boy, but I know either way we will be elated! AJ's going to be a great big sister. I can't wait until she has someone to play with.

AJ has been up to a lot lately:

AJ's going to be a BIG SISTER!!!

I am currently just over 7 weeks pregnant! I'm due about the middle of September. We're all SO excited about the new little bundle about to join our family!

Holidays 2009

A lot has happened since my last update. MawMaw died in November. At 96, she lived a very full and rewarding life. She touched so many peoples lives. I know I'm not the only one who will miss her deeply.
Our Thanksgiving was spent at Joseph's Aunt Rita and Uncle Mike's house. It was great seeing all the relatives again. Aunt Bobbie Jean got a lesson on pistol shootin'. I'd hate to be on the wrong end of her gun; she doesn't mess around! It was a day full of good family, good food, and lots of laughs!
Black Friday was delightfully unhaustle, but painfully crowded. The one thing we were absolutely set on getting for AJ was out of stock. But besides that set back we got about 99% of our Christmas shopping done!
The annual baking week started the Friday before Christmas. Cheese rings, sausage balls, chocolate chip and m&m cookies, gingerbread cooking, sugar cookies, trash mix, peanut butter and chocolate fudge, chocolate and pecan pies, carrot cake, and coconut cake; OH MY!!! Of course, everything was made completely from scratch, which made it all the more yummy!
On Christmas eve we all gathered at Bobby Jean's house to devour all the sweet goodies, as well as some tasty homemade hash. We exchanged our secret Santa gifts and enjoyed each other's company immensely.
Christmas day was full of wonder. AJ was very into it this year! She was a little slow opening her gifts, but she seemed to love each of them. She looked so cute in her new pj's. Her big gift was a kitchen, which she adores. After breakfast at Becca's courtesy of Phillip, we headed to PawPaw Whitey's house for more family eating-together. Saturday, we headed north to VA to visit me family. It was nice to spend time with my brother and his daughters. There was still some snow on the ground and AJ had a great time in it.
New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful. we stayed home and watched movies; missed the ball drop by 3 minutes. we went into AJ's room to tell her Happy New Year's and then went to bed. We're old people now, it seems.
Our holiday's were great and I can't wait 'til next year!