She's on the move

Alex had a great Xmas and received lots of wrapping paper, oops I mean presents! She was quite ungrateful and ignored most of them but I appreciated them so thank you to all. She has discovered crawling and climbing stairs so we have entered a whole new challenge in trying to keep her from flying down stairs head first and crawling to all the power cords in the house. She's also obsessed with the dog food much to Candy's dismay. Whenever Candy eats now she shuffles her bowl into a corner and watches out of one eye for the little crawling person, it's hysterical but not once has Candy been aggressive to her which we're really thankful for - I know I would growl at anybody that tried to steal chocolate out of my feeding bowl! Happy '08 to everyone, I'm hoping for world peace and an end to the pointless war in Iraq next year - am I hoping for too much?....H.x

Alexandra's First Christmas

HOHO hmm food for thought this holiday

We had a wonderful Xmas, apart from the fact that my family was unable to share it with us this year. The holiday season is just not the same for me without them and I always feel a bit melancholy toward the holiday - partly because I'm away from my family but also because I find it difficult to reconcile ALL the gifts (there are so many of them!) with the fact that there are so many without family or gifts every year. I always feel guilty for having so much when others have so little. I try and donate time, money and gifts but it just doesn't measure up, or should I say I don't measure up. I think one of the greatest gifts I can give Alex is to expose her to the importance of doing for others, because we're so indulged with material things, food, riches beyond many peoples' dreams. This is the gift my Mum taught me and I look forward to passing it on to Alex.

Baaaaaaaaaa

I tried to tell Alex that lambs don't climb trees but she wouldn't listen! I think she resembles an Ewok from Star Wars.

Tigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex dressed as Tigger the day before Halloween. She was a big hit in this outfit at Gymboree (this was the week before she ruined the Pizza Party!)

Fun at the Pizza Party

Well Alex certainly knows how to clear a room in a hurry. The week of the big pizza party at Gymboree she had been throwing up but had no other symptoms, so I took a chance and hoped she would feel ok. After jumping around at Gymboree and downing her bottle, she projectile vomited all over the party, down my jeans and into my shoe, and over most of the pizza. It went up her nose so she was crying, while at the same time I was trying to help "Bob the Gym guy" clean up the mess. To his credit he was very gracious, and even called the next day to check on her. It was all quite traumatic and while I consider myself a pretty calm Mom, I found myself worrying about all the things that could be wrong with my little girl - totally unfounded worries really but it was her first time being sick - I had to go to work that week and leave her, and I didn't like it at all. As a Mom will I worry for the rest of my life now??? As it turned out she drank Pedialyte for three days and by the time I came home she was eating her food again as if every bite was her last meal! In other news we now have one side of our house framed in and finished, the other side of the house is still a work in progress. It's exciting to see how it will look when it's finished and we're hoping to move in before Alex starts college! Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone.......h.x

pet peeves

Ok when we were going to member classes for Alex' Christening at church we were asked the question "what is your pet peeve?" (I know, it seemed very unchristian like to even mention it!) - after the class I thought of a few extra "peeves" so I thought I'd share them with the readers!
Why do people say "relator" when it's "realtor?"
It's across, not "acrost."
I hate when people chew gum with their mouths open
I hate even more when people eat with their mouths open
My number 1 pet peeve - When people say "give me", ie. give me a Coke, and then don't say please or thankyou.

Ok that's it for today...thanks for mmm...reading.

Yippeeee......Hoppity hop!!!!

Aghhhhsleeeeppppp.

Alex is officially sleeping from 9pm until about 7am most nights now, it's heaven. She is rolling around like crazy and trying to hold herself into an upright position - she still topples over but she thinks that's hysterically funny. If you read Mike's blog you know that we had a typical crazy weekend, but we don't like the alternative of sitting on our arses all weekend, so we had fun even though that last softball game was freezing - fall is here! We had a great week up to the Christening with Mum and Bryan in town. My cousins Alison and Andy came in town too, their first time in the States so now I'm suffering from homesickness and missing my family. Alex is dressing as a lamb for Halloween so watch the blog for pictures - we're really going trick or treating for me as she's too young for candy - I know, I love chocolate so much, I'll steal candy from my own child!

Sleeping!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we have two whole nights of complete sleep! - hurrah! Alex up until now has been still waking up for a middle of the night feeding - my friend suggested the Ferber method where you let them cry through it until they fall back to sleep - no way. My master plan was to reduce the amount of milk I give her to 4 oz and also to let her sleep until she woke up on her own, even if it was 2am - well I guess she figured the 4 oz wasn't worth waking up for, as she has slept from 8pm until 7am two nights. Of course I lay awake both of those nights waiting for her to wake up - Duh!. She loves her new diet of mushed peas and green beans so it must be helping her sleep. Ah she's awake again, have to sign off....Mum and Stepdad are here so we have a busy week ahead planning the Christening. ttfn,Heather.x

Wriggle worm

Wriggle worm is her new nickname, especially as "Peanut" seems silly now that she has a little chubby belly and is all of about 12lbs now! She is the most active baby, I'm sure more than most even though I have no other babies to compare her to. She refuses to sit still and rolls all the way across the floor in an instant. Needless to say I can't leave her AT ALL anywhere where she might fall or roll off. I've become very creative with the swing and the activity mat where she hangs out when I need to get something done in the house. She gurgles and coos which is adorable, especially in the crib when she's just entertaining herself by babbling. She's been to England for a second time and traveled very well - Mike said that she's the only person to have ever gone to England and come back fat - Grandma and the rest of the Brits thought she was hungry a lot so she ate every four hours around the clock the whole time she was there! I just started packing away her 0-3 mth clothes which made me sad, as she's growing away from the newborn stage and into babyhood. Mmm might have to try and have another baby then..... I'm going to try and pressure Michael to update the videos this weekend, he pulled the first two for technical problems (oh and we noticed on the birth video that we could see something we'd rather not share with the whole world!! Thks for noticing Christi!) Alex is stirring, gotta go....H.x

I wanted to rotate this pic but didn't know how! This is one of my many favorite pics of Alex, there's nothing that melts your heart more than a sleeping baby - haha especially after a few sleepless nights. Someone told me that just when you think you have things on schedule with babies, they change!... sure enough for the last week Alex has been waking up several times a night and crying not from hunger but because she wants her pacifier in her mouth. Short of using duct tape, I have to get out of bed, shove it back in and she drops peacefully back to sleep. Invariably I then lay awake thinking of stupid mundane things like laundry or I get a stupid song in my head that won't leave (last night it was the new Fergie song which is surprisingly very good!) By the time I drift back to sleep it's "binky" time again and I have to wake back up! I'll take any advice by the way. Michael and I did wait last night to see if she "self-soothed" as the books say but she cried sufficiently to break my heart. Anyway even in the middle of the night she is an angel and I love every inch of her! I did notice again today how great Jess is with her little sister, she adores her and is the first family member to actually make Alex laugh - blowing raspberries into a baby's belly button does it every time. I just checked out the updated pics and videos that Mike uploaded, pretty cool, although it's hard to see the videos sometimes unless you have high speed internet, which I think most people have now. Watch this space for more news....H. x

I feel almost human again

Well you think at the time that it will never happen but we are now getting a regular night's sleep and Alex is peacefully sleeping (on her side strangely enough) through the night for up to 6 or 7 hrs, it's heaven. I've started weaning her off breast feeding this week in preparation for me going back to work in Sept (more about breast feeding later!) - the thought of leaving her breaks my heart, I hate being away from her even for a few hours, but I think once I'm at work I'll enjoy traveling to Europe again - I do miss shopping for my wine and food in Rome and Paris, yeah I know I sound like a snobby little brat, but hey, I have to pick up the trash and dirty tissues of hundreds of people on the plane in order to get there! So about the breast feeding - to all my wonderful friends who have done it before - thanks for nothing! Nobody told me, first of all how much it hurts the first few weeks, then how many hours out of the day I have to pump milk, and feed the baby....and how painful it is to try and reduce the amount of milk you produce after three months of frantically trying to increase the amount!! I know it's great for the baby but if she gets a scholarship to Harvard, I WILL say it was because I breast fed her for three months because that's the only way I can justify it. I'm trying to train for a half marathon in Sept and my boobs are so full of milk that I would need a crane to stop them from moving when I run! Yep might have to postpone my running career. Despite those little setbacks, Alex is growing beautifully, and traveled to England like a pro - she is one laid back kid so far. She has like most newborns I suppose, captured our hearts in a way I never could even describe. Getting a baby free day today, and going to see the band Les Nubiens in New York with Peggy - for anyone that likes Jazz with a French/African flavor, they are worth buying-excellent. ta ta for now...Heather. x

6 wks already??

The time is just flying by and Alex is more of a joy every day. She has now been to New York City three times, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania and San Francisco for a week. She (we) had a sleepless night the first night we arrived and the rest of the trip she was an angel, I just throw her (she's easy to throw right now because she doesn't weigh much!) in the car seat and she just seems to go with the flow without much fussing at all. We returned from SF two days ago and she (we) have not had much sleep at night since then, hopefully she'll adjust tonight and we can catch up. She is starting to smile and tonight at dinner I used the "emergency outfit" for the first time from the diaper bag, as she pooped ALL over her pretty dress and the infant seat - it's official, I talk about poop at least six times a day! Next week sh'e going on her first trip to England to meet my side of the family, it will be my first trip traveling alone with her, but so far she has been a really easy baby so I'm excited to see everybody. Just realised Alex is now asleep (god it's a miracle!) so I'm going to try and take a nap - that's all we get at night but it's better than nothing!.....h.x

Week 4

Wow I can't believe that Alex will be 4 weeks old in a few days - it feels like she's been part of our family for longer. In some ways being a new mum has been easier than I thought and in some ways harder. The constant feeding has been challenging even though breast feeding is less painful and the electric breast pump is my new best friend! Alex so far is SO easy - she really only fusses for the basic needs, too hot, cold, hungry or wet! Apart from that she just hangs out and makes noises. I've already taken her to the Statue of Liberty and South Street Seaport in New York. She's been to several diners, Starbucks, Target, all the important shops! I feel bad that she spends so much time in the car seat, but she is just so laid back - much easier than I expected. She's waking at night about every three hours, but the last two nights she slept four hours, after which I sat bolt upright in bed to see if she was still breathing! She has just been a total joy and like all new mothers, I sit like a dork and just watch her for hours, and take pictures whenever she farts or poops! I've had no baby blues and have 12lbs to lose so no complaining here, I've been really lucky. My Mum was here for a month, and I was heartbroken when she left, I think I actually had to pry the baby from her arms at the airport - she was so helpful and loves Alex so much. Now Dad is here with my stepmum, Val. They are busy burping and feeding her too so she's getting her share of family. No surprises for anyone that knows Michael, my husband, but he's awesome with the baby, I love watching him with her. Also Jess is bathing and feeding her like a pro, Alex is one lucky little sister. Ok got to go and pump a few more ounces so I'll update soon..Heather. xx

Mmmm Im dreaming of milk and....milk....ok at my age that's all I dream about!

WHO STOLE MY BINKY???????

Well, welcome to my new life! - it's almost midnight and baby Alex is fast asleep. Now "they" tell you to try and sleep when the baby sleeps but what "they" don't tell you is that when she's awake you get nothing else done....so Mike and I are busy trying to burn pics of the little sleeping angel so we can show her off to the world. Speaking of the angel, otherwise known as "peanut" she is blemish, blotch and wrinkle free - I may be biased in saying this but she was one cute newborn! As you can see on Mike's blog, she is pretty irresistable and I am completely in love. I have replayed the whole labor experience over in my mind a lot over the last sleepless ten days, and as unpleasant as it was (what happened to the promise of drugs, god it was excruciatingly painful!) there is nothing in life that compares to the sight of your newborn entering the world. She is already turning her little head (yep even her head is small and cute) to the sound of my voice and breast feeding like a miniature piranha. I think Mike posted a picture of my first breastfeeding experience so I won't go into any more detail, except to say...OUCH.! I could start typing about the mind blowing thought that Michael and I created this perfect baby but it's late and I still can't grasp that whole concept myself yet let alone try and describe it. The feeding station will be opening soon for Alex so I must sign off because strange things happen to my body whne she cries!......h.x

Perhaps a little too much belly for some of you, but this is me two days after the due date and still smiling...sort of. Being induced now Wed 16th May so hopefully she will Puuush her way out that same day!

OVERDUE!!!!!!

Yep you guessed it - the due date has come and gone and the baby is not ready. She is already taking after Michael and has decided to arrive late.! Only two days late at this point but it seems like an eternity when you try to roll over from one side of the bed to the other and the big 'ol belly doesn't cooperate. So stand by everybody......she'll come eventually! - this is a good lesson in patience for me and also God's way (or the baby's way!) of teaching me that I am no longer in control of my life!....updates soon. h.xx

Get this thing out, please!!!!!!

2 1/2 weeks to go!!!!!

Well, as Mike said, I've had a really easy pregnancy (apart from the first 10 wks when I was terrified I would miscarry again and throwing up every day!) - I've felt great and only gained 27lbs. ........something happened in the last week......I can't move my belly independently without having to heave my whole body with it! This must be what it is like for old people trying to move around, it takes ages to make the simplest move from the couch to the ice cream in the freezer (but well worth it for the chocolate fudge brownie by Ben and Jerry's). Needless to say, I've slowed down considerably, which is very frustrating because we are moving out of our house this week. So...I pack a box, sit down and catch my breath, pack another box, sit down...you get the picture. Poor Michael is heaving all the furniture himself, but HEY wait a minute, I'm heaving this baby around all by myself too so, ok, maybe we're both contributing! We are officially moving to his Mom's house tonight (ooh can't wait, it's so clean there!!), even though we still haven't received the permits to start construction. Our real goal is to break ground on the house the very DAY I give birth - bring it on, I can deal with it!!Agghhh. I am ashamed to say I've had a couple of little pregnancy related meltdowns but for the most part I'm still crying...oops I mean smiling. I can't find any underwear because it's all packed but I did find some unpaid bills under the furniture - it all evens out in the end! "Mum" is arriving next week so sanity will be restored - I can't wait to have her with me every day (and to change diapers heehee). I'm hoping Mike will try and keep up with the rest of the site but we're a little distracted with other things right now so be patient, we'll have lots of sleepless nights soon, where we can get things done! ttfn, h.x

Today's Lesson: How to insert a photo into the blog

"My! What a big belly you have! I see being married to Michael is wearing off on you!" (Have you noticed our dog's face makes it into all our pictures somehow!?)

"What? I wasn't good enough, she had to go make another baby?
Hmmph, I'm going to live with Aunt Peggy!"

Welcome class, today we're learning how to insert a picture into a blog. First, we start a new post. We've done that. Then, type some text to explain what is going on. We're doing that right now.

Next, we'll look above the text entry box (the white space) where there is a little portrait. We'll click on that. A pop-up box opens. In that box we browse for the file we want to upload, and select it. Then click 'Upload' and it will load into the blog. More than one image can be loaded, and they will insert at the top of the blog, as you can see above.

Countdown to construction or baby?!!

Pick one - construction or baby! - as it turns out we are probably going to have most of our house knocked down the week I'm due to give birth to our baby girl. After months of planning a new kitchen and deciding where to add more room, we are now in the last stages of packing, as our whole second floor and roof will be taken off, in addition to a new kitchen, two new bedrooms, and three new bathrooms. I'm finding the timing a little stressful, but I am excited about where our lives will be several months from now, when we have a new baby AND a new house! We only have five more weeks until the due date (for the baby, not the new kitchen!!) so I'm trying hard to "nest" as the books say while packing all our belongings into boxes. We have finished Lamaze and now I'm busy taking a French class while I have the free time! Jess is busy as always - the soccer season just started and she's also gearing up for softball. She's doing great, and is almost as tall as me! I'll try to update regularly, Mike said this new blog page was idiot proof but we'll see about that!!..........h.

This post is to show Heather how the blog site works

Standing under the arch at the church.

The blissfully happy couple!

I happen to think this is pretty cool. She can type whatever she wants, whenever she wants, from wherever she wants, and she won't need my help to do it!!!!!

AND...if she wants to add a picture....say the latest snapshot of Alex, it is easy for her to do. The cool thing is how the blogging software puts the image into the blog automatically and wraps the text around it, so that it looks rather professional. I have to keep typing here to show how the text wraps.

Hmm...I suppose I could add more than one image into the blog? Let's check, shall we? Okay, that didn't work as planned, since it put both of them at the top of the post.

Heather's Test Post

Heather isn't actually posting this one. Michael is. I'm just trying to get all the blogs up and running and see how they look on the site.