What is a Christmas without batteries?

So, if you're wondering where the heck are our little ones opening presents, well, there are only a few pictures taken from an iphone. SUCK! Wayland bought batteries and I guess their shelf life had expired because they wouldn't even turn on my Nikon. I think he got a little juice out of them for one small video on the Flip. I plan to take pictures of the various items received as soon as I get my hands on a couple of reliable batteries.

The big kids mostly got shoes and clothes. Grant is opening a Shel Silverstein book for all three of them.

Gretchen got the 80's boots she wanted. Her dad said she couldn't have them because they look like hooker boots. Oh that's nice coming from a dead-beat redneck, pot smokin', beer drinking, toothless son of a B****.

(Sorry, I got carried away. I'm a little protective.)

Elaine just couldn't keep up.

Holy Lainie Knee Highs

Oh my gosh...

Gap had a sale and Lainie got new leg warmers tights and knee highs.

Brielle is so proud here because she got the baby to fall asleep.

7 week year olds know how to have fun

I slept in my big girl bed last night because I've outgrown my bassinet...

Mom gave me some tummy time today...

And I got my Christmas present early (it was really for Mom).

Communication through a series of licks and smacks

"I'm hungry, Mommy."

Today is a better day.

"Hi Nana. Don't worry about me. Yesterday was a challenging day but today I'm feeling much better!"

"It's soooo hard to be me!"

Bless those eyebrows.

I totally forgot to bring the camera to church so I didn't take pictures of Elaine before her blessing but my mom took a couple after the service when Elaine was due for a feeding. (Note: My dad showed up at church; WHAT!; without my step-mom; WHAT!!!!) Plus my mom came and I sat with both of my parents for the first time in probably 15 years or more. CRAZY! Bishop Anderson blessed her (the same bishop that married me and Wayland ) and it was the sweetest most heart felt event ever. Lainie has a lot of wonderful people in her life and that is truly the best blessing.

Look NANA A BONUS PICTURE! Mom gave me eyebrows today!

Need your home address...

We are sending out Christmas cards and we need your address. I don't have any home addresses for Waylands family (We have yours Nana but I don't think we have Kendalls new address).

Please email me at monkeyheaded@gmail.com with your address when you get a chance.

Thanks

Creepy baby

Last night I trouble putting Elaine back to sleep after a 3am feeding. She would doze off while I rocked her but as soon as I would lay her down she would grunt and groan. I decided to lay down with her on my chest so I could go back to sleep. Sometime later I woke up to find a very small face staring me down, as quiet as could be, propped up on her elbows and showing off her new shoulder/neck skills. I don't know how long she was like that but it was weird.

Oh Bother.

I'm not necessarily a Winnie the Pooh fan but I couldn't help noticing how cute Elaine looks with Pooh ears. Happy Black Friday everyone!

Baby's first lessons.

Lainie has developed a habit of falling asleep on our chests during the burping process. Of course, when we lay her down she wakes up and wants to nurse. I'll nurse her but only for a minute because she is not hungry and so we do the burping again. It is a cycle that needs breaking.

Some of you may be saying she's too young to learn a lesson, but I call it conditioning. Wayland hates it. I want to be able to pacify her with different methods so I am not the only one who can put her down. Wayland says just feed her! Sorry, but this is important enough to put up with a little extra crying. Next lesson will be:

Lay Elaine down before she falls asleep so she doesn't wake up when we stop rocking her or put her down.

The conditioning is going well, I think.

These are from today, Elaines 4 week birthday!

This was a hard shot at arms length and a bucking baby.

Poor thing! Her skin is so bad this week with acne and scratches.

Please help Elaine decide which shoes to wear for blessing day, Sunday December 6th. The shoe on the Left is a lovely MaryJane Nana picked out and the shoe on the right is Dads old silk slipper. They are both beautiful and both fit nicely.

A Thriving baby

I finally set up my computer since the conversion of the office to the nursery. It's in a closet on a desk, its weird I know.

Anyway, Elaine, Gretchen and Brielle went to see Dr. Miller on Monday. He is so sweet to them. Gretchen had to get her Booster and Doc asked me if I wanted her to get the HPV vaccination. I said yep! Gretchen wasn't happy about the second shot but I told her she would thank me later. Brielle is healthy too and just got a voluntary Hep A shot that she was so brave for and little Lainie received no shots. She is, however, still Jaundice. I thought so but after taking her to the lab to get blood drawn Dr. Miller called me Monday evening to tell me her Bilirubin is 9.2 and is not dangerous. She was prescribed lots of sunlight. Not a problem it's still 80 degrees here.

Dr. Miller also weighed Lainie in at 9 lbs. and 4 oz. I kept telling her she was getting fat but Dr. Miller says she is just thriving.

Day 5 - 10 Bulk Blog

Sorry for not posting pictures daily Nana but I truly haven't had the time.

Here are a few highlights.

Lainie trick-or-treating. She ended up with a Rice Crispie Treat and a mini Hershey bar. Both are delicious with milk.
This crew made out like bandits.

Yep, there's Shelley, Trick-or-Treating too. Notice the bag of candy and the iphone. At this point she says, "I don't think I can get away with getting candy anymore. People are looking at me like I'm crazy when I go up to their doors".

Day 8. I finally caught her eyes open on camera!

Day 9. Stripey jammies are always the cutest.

Even babies have bad hair days.

Sleeping in...

Elaine had an episode last night. I left her with Wayland for 1 hour and 15 min and she freaked out. I pumped 3 oz of milk for him but that was just in case since I fed her a lot before I left. I went with my mom to Wal-mart looking for a new car seat at 10:00 pm because the one Way and I selected, even though it says convertible, is too big to be rear-facing. It doesn't fit in either of our cars safely. So, he calls and Lainie is having a fit. She drank the back up milk and we haven't introduced formula yet. I raced home after making a purchase of Halloween candy in the slowest checkout lane ever and she was quite by then (12 min. tops) . Anyway, she woke up as usual every 2 to 3 hours and slept from 5:39 to 9:30 this morning. Above is her sleeping in.

She will meet Dr. Miller today to get her first vaccination, oh NO!

Day 2 and 3

Daddy put Elaine back to sleep this morning while I took the girls to school.

Last Night at the Trunk-or-Treat party. Elaine wasn't up for it.

Words aren't needed here.

Just Relax

sleepy?

Saying yes to induction...

OK, only 1 week later and I've changed my mind. Dr. Bling-Bling says we are 2 cm dilated now and 70% effaced which is more than last week but still not enough to get excited over. However, this being my 3rd baby means that signs of labor will most likely happen just before serious contractions start. Whatever, I am miserable and feel like I have too much to do to be pregnant anymore. I know what you're thinking... just wait till the baby comes and see how that will get in the way of what you have to do, right? Well, more specifically I mean that my body will not allow me to keep up with an 11 year old and 2 eight year olds. I am holding them back from stuff we would normally be doing. In addition, there are things I want to do before I go back to work like refinish the cigar table my Grandma S. wanted to throw out. I'm tired and depressed because everyday feels like the same old monotonous day. Wash dishes, do some laundry, pick up kids, make dinner, help with homework, get kids ready for bed and spend the rest of the night nursing an aching back. I feel like I've been planning and waiting for something that just won't come. I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm telling you this to tell you this; we are scheduled for induction at 1:00 am on Monday morning. I hope to have a little girl to show the world by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Of course I won't object to going into labor before then. Wayland pointed out that Monday the 26th is Labour Day for New Zealanders. Its an omen.

Spider Solitaire Obsession

This is not a new obsession but it is a recent indulgence. I thought for sure it was impossible to beat with 4 suits but I have persevered and discovered that that is in fact untrue. I have beat Spider Solitaire with four suits not once, not twice, but three times in the last 2 weeks and still going strong.

Gut Update

I haven't posted a belly image in a while and since Kendall asked, sort of, here it is, my belly and all it's glory!

I was so glad to hear about the cold front we were getting but now that it's here I realize I don't have a single thing to wear so I look like a bum and I know it.

This morning, 38.5 weeks.

This was a few weeks ago. Wayland snapped this classy picture of me spray painting the wicker bassinet in the backyard while in my wife-beater. Thank you for savoring the moment honey. What I meant was please take a picture of the bassinet for me.

37.7 week visit

Doc says there isn't much going on. Perhaps it won't be too hard to keep her baking. We might have to induce anyway but not before 40 weeks unless I just can't take it anymore. I've gained another 4 lbs. in the last two weeks and nothing, I mean nothing fits anymore (not even my XL bath robe). We are about 1 to 2 cm. dilated but she is still really high. I don't know how heavy she is but I think she is going to have a roll or two. Yay, for fat babies!

Saying no to induction.

My doctor told me last week that we could induce 1 week from today if I wanted. However, I have made my decision to go all the way with this baby in order to keep her as fresh as possible for Beverly and Kendall. With Beverly here in Florida, it seems like such a shame for her to go home and miss the birth so if I can just keep Elaine in long enough it will seem like she made it just in time when she and Kendall come to stay with us in November. It might work...

Weather...

What did they say? Oh yeah, Nana, I thought I'd pass the Florida weather on to you because I know how much you love the super-sauna-humidity. It's a record high for October 8th with temperatures right now (8:00 AM) of 73 and a high of 94. The heat index is 108 degrees today so I'm stayin' inside. Hope everyone else is having a lovely cooler day. We'll get our turn in February.

here is our extended forecast labeled "Very Hot".

Found them!

Gabe found the missing pictures. Luckily, I sent her copies!!! Thanks mom!

Halloween 2007, the missing batch. Brielle above as a Jellico Cat (spray painting a leotard and stockings is harder than it looks) and Gretchen below as a fairy (awwww).

October 1st, 2009

I love October! Even though we don't have a "fall" it still has a certain air about it (slightly drier). We have had a cold-front for the last 2 days with temperatures at a low of 66 and a high of 86. There is not a cloud in the sky. It really feels wonderful. My girls spent hours outside after school yesterday and I enjoyed the cooler wheather while running errands downtown earlier in the day. Walking the few blocks from parking spaces to destinations would have killed me otherwise.

I took the Halloween decor down today and plan to decorate the yard when the kids get home. We love Halloween but this year I think I'm going to skip making the costumes. Although, Gretchen wants to be the 1959 Barbie in the black gown so I might make an exception for such a cute idea. Brielle was saying this morning, "Happy 30 days until Halloween!"

Here I thought I'd share some past costumes to get everyone in the mood.

Me as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider in 2005.
Halloween 2006. Me as myself, Gretchen a belly dancer, Brielle a Southern Belle.

Geisha Brielle 2005

Brielle a ballerina and Gretchen as Cyndi Lauper 2008.

Me as Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill) 2008.
Sadly, I cannot find Halloween 2007 when Brielle was a Cat from Cats. I think it was only on my laptop that was stolen around Christmas of last year. That was an awesome costume.

Fattie Fattie 2 x 4

With 4 weeks remaining I'm afraid of how much more weight I can pack on. Gosh, I'm soooo bloated and I think I even scared a middle-aged man at the store. He was like, "Ahhhh! You're going to have that baby like right now!" I smiled and said, "No, not yet." Then to make matters worse he was like do you have twins in there? I know I have a double chin and enough saddle bag for a Harley but twins???! I think I'll stay home from now on.