I don't want this to be a sad, depressing post, so here are some pictures from Violet's birthday, too.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Violet's second birthday was so much fun, as we mentioned in our last post. We were able to spend the day with close friends and family, while watching our sweet little girl have a blast. Unfortunately, my grandmother was not able to make it to the party. The day after, we visited and brought her a slice of birthday cake. We sat, talked, laughed, sang. Violet danced around, entertaining her as always. Gram held Lydia for the first time and I took a few pictures to capture the moment. It breaks my heart to say this, but it was the last photo that would be taken of my sweet grandmother. And the last time we would see her. She passed peacefully on October 5th. My mother said that my gram wanted to call Violet on her birthday to sing to her, but it wasn't possible that day. I have been crying off and on since, but I am happy that our last memory was a cheerful one. She was truly an amazing woman and if I could be half the mother, friend, sister, daughter - person - she was, I will be content. I miss her so, so much. I am so glad that she was able to have two years with Violet and meet Lydia and hold her. She lived a long, successful and happy life. I have never seen that woman cry and I never heard her complain or speak ill of anyone.She was always so sweet and funny. One of the last things she told me was that I have a beautiful family and that I am a wonderful mother. Coming from her, it meant everything. <3
I don't want this to be a sad, depressing post, so here are some pictures from Violet's birthday, too.
I don't want this to be a sad, depressing post, so here are some pictures from Violet's birthday, too.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Catching up!
We've been a busy bunch, but a very happy one. I'll try to squeeze in an update in between snuggles, giggles, smiles and diapers. Always diapers! :P
Miss Lydia is doing quite well. She's a sleepy, hungry, sweet girl. Miss Violet is as spry as ever, keeping us on our toes, as usual. She was a tad jealous of the baby at first and would fake injuries and fake cry. And who could blame her? Poor cutie. She has certainly been moving past this. Thankfully, she is affectionate and sweet with her little sis since day one. A helper and an entertainer, she happily assists with changings, feedings, playtime - you name it. She likes to "tee-koo" Lydia and make silly noises and faces at her. She points out and names her body parts and sings to her.
At Lydia's six week appointment, she weighed in at a whopping 12lbs. and 12oz.! She is 22.25in. long. She fared well despite her two vaccinations. (One was given orally, so no pain there at least!) Violet's stats are as follows: 30lbs. and 7oz. and 34.5in. tall. She had three shots and was not a happy camper. Thankfully, she calmed down quickly.
Violet's second birthday party was the following day and we had an awesome time. Some friends and family came to our small gathering to celebrate our sweet girl. Violet had a blast and so did we.
We are going to try to update the blog header to include Lydia soon. We have more pics, videos and updates to come, but are preoccupied. (Read: snuggling up on these cute little girlies!)
Miss Lydia is doing quite well. She's a sleepy, hungry, sweet girl. Miss Violet is as spry as ever, keeping us on our toes, as usual. She was a tad jealous of the baby at first and would fake injuries and fake cry. And who could blame her? Poor cutie. She has certainly been moving past this. Thankfully, she is affectionate and sweet with her little sis since day one. A helper and an entertainer, she happily assists with changings, feedings, playtime - you name it. She likes to "tee-koo" Lydia and make silly noises and faces at her. She points out and names her body parts and sings to her.
At Lydia's six week appointment, she weighed in at a whopping 12lbs. and 12oz.! She is 22.25in. long. She fared well despite her two vaccinations. (One was given orally, so no pain there at least!) Violet's stats are as follows: 30lbs. and 7oz. and 34.5in. tall. She had three shots and was not a happy camper. Thankfully, she calmed down quickly.
Violet's second birthday party was the following day and we had an awesome time. Some friends and family came to our small gathering to celebrate our sweet girl. Violet had a blast and so did we.
We are going to try to update the blog header to include Lydia soon. We have more pics, videos and updates to come, but are preoccupied. (Read: snuggling up on these cute little girlies!)
Monday, August 27, 2012
Lydia's Two Week Checkup
Lydia had her two week checkup today. I can't believe she's already two weeks old. Strangely, I also cannot believe she's only two weeks old.
The checkup went fantastic. We first got her measurements, 9lb 3oz and 21.75" tall. In just 10 days she has gained one whole pound and grown over an inch! This is awesome news and we are so proud and happy. But this was not Lydia's only accomplishment of the day. Shortly after, when the doctor momentarily left the room, her cord fell off! I'm glad it happened at the office because there was a bit of blood.
The doctor said it looks perfectly normal and it we can finally give her her first big girl bath. Milestones!
Violet is such a great big sister. When she first met Lydia, she was distracted bc the hospital was a new place for her, she was super exhausted and she was also distracted by her new toy(s) - a new baby doll and stroller from her new little sis. The next evening when we were all home, she ignored Lydia and mom at first but warmed up soon enough!
She has her moments. She has been faking injuries and asking for ice packs for the affected areas. "Ow! Toe! "Ow! Nose!" but once she dabs them with a cool pack, everything is better!
Sometimes when Lydia cries, Violet puts her hands over her ears and yells. (Think Pee Wee yelling, "I'm TRYING to use the PHONE!") We can't help but laugh bc it's hilarious, which then makes Violet laugh so it's all good.
Mostly, she is affectionate and sweet with Lydia. She likes to rub her cheek on hers and coo. She points out her body parts and calls her Baby and Lee Dee Ahh. She tries to scare her with her 'roaring' and make her laugh with her 'teekle-ing.' It melts our hearts and even though we don't want to wish away these priceless early days and first moments, we also can't wait to watch our girls grow up together.
The checkup went fantastic. We first got her measurements, 9lb 3oz and 21.75" tall. In just 10 days she has gained one whole pound and grown over an inch! This is awesome news and we are so proud and happy. But this was not Lydia's only accomplishment of the day. Shortly after, when the doctor momentarily left the room, her cord fell off! I'm glad it happened at the office because there was a bit of blood.
The doctor said it looks perfectly normal and it we can finally give her her first big girl bath. Milestones!
Violet: What is she doing to my little sister?
...
Ew!
Violet is such a great big sister. When she first met Lydia, she was distracted bc the hospital was a new place for her, she was super exhausted and she was also distracted by her new toy(s) - a new baby doll and stroller from her new little sis. The next evening when we were all home, she ignored Lydia and mom at first but warmed up soon enough!
She has her moments. She has been faking injuries and asking for ice packs for the affected areas. "Ow! Toe! "Ow! Nose!" but once she dabs them with a cool pack, everything is better!
Sometimes when Lydia cries, Violet puts her hands over her ears and yells. (Think Pee Wee yelling, "I'm TRYING to use the PHONE!") We can't help but laugh bc it's hilarious, which then makes Violet laugh so it's all good.
Mostly, she is affectionate and sweet with Lydia. She likes to rub her cheek on hers and coo. She points out her body parts and calls her Baby and Lee Dee Ahh. She tries to scare her with her 'roaring' and make her laugh with her 'teekle-ing.' It melts our hearts and even though we don't want to wish away these priceless early days and first moments, we also can't wait to watch our girls grow up together.
Patiently waiting her "turn"
Cloned!
Little girls can be are superheroes, too!
And here's a little something I put together when Lydia was 5 days old...
<3
Monday, August 13, 2012
Hurst++ (Carry the Zero)
This is the story of my daughter Lydia's arrival. She was overdue, but she made an amazingly beautiful grand entrance once she decided it was time.
August 13, a fine Monday morning
@ 1:40a, wake up // Lea's water breaks
This is the moment we've been waiting for, a perfect day to finally meet Lydia. Past her due date, the last week felt like a year. It was starting to feel like she would never arrive. Then, a gush of water in the middle of the night and we're off to the hospital.
@ 2:18a, Violet leaves for Grandpa's house // Mom and Dad leave for the hospital
After a flurry of gathering and packing we were all ready to leave; Violet to Gigi and Grandpa's house; Mom and Dad to the hospital. Lea is starting to count contractions now. At one point on the drive I think of the moment I first found out Lydia was on her way.
I was driving back to work from lunch when Lea sends a picture to my phone. I glanced at the thumbnail and read "I'm going to be a big sister." My next thoughts were, "that's good news, one of her friends is pregnant... wait... ... was that Violet in the picture?"
@ 2:41a, express train directly to labor and delivery
We arrive at the hospital. Lea has counted 8 contractions on the trip, about 2.5 minutes apart. The staff wastes no time in triage. Lea's nurse Suzie escorts us to suite 516. The sensors to measure contractions and the baby's heart rate are setup.
@ 3:20a, IV started
Lea gets her IV started, providing the hydration needed for the epidural. Lea's cracks some jokes about being deathly afraid of needles despite her tattoos. She's currently between 3 - 4 cm. We sit back as the contractions ebb and flow.
@4:00a, Socks!
A pair of warm socks (the only thing Lea forgot to pack) is the first delivery of the day and they are awesome, warm and yellow.
@ 4:30a, Dr. Green arrives
Dr. Green arrives to crack some jokes and help Lea relax. He does a cervical check and finds that Lea has made it to 5 cm. He explains that Lea's bag of water did break and the fluid is discolored from the baby's meconium. There is an elevated concern to check her lungs after birth, but other than that we'd do nothing else different. Last, Dr. Green removes a piece of the forebag in a quick procedure very similar to breaking her water. He does so without injuring his fingers (a joke he had during Violet's birth).
@ 5:05a, Epidural
Dr. Mike Kline arrives to insert Lea's epidural. He was on-call for Violet's birth, where he went 0-2 on inserting the catheter. Still, we were happy to see him as he is one of the doctors who would let me stay in the room for the procedure. Lea is nervous and anxious, but she stays steady as a rock. Unfortunately the epidural doesn't work. 0-3.
Across the hall we can hear the excitement of a baby just born. It is something for Lea to focus on to endure the discomfort of the epidural, a reminder of the final joyous payoff. The baby's cries remind me of Violet's birth and add even more anticipation to hear Lydia's own.
@ 5:15a, Epidural #2
Equally strong and perhaps steadier than a rock, Lea is ready for the final attempt. This time it works beautifully. Now Lea can relax and enjoy the relative comfort that medicine can provide while the contractions do the work.
@ 5:55a, Dr Green checkup
Dr. Green comes in to do a checkup. Lea is still at 5 cm, so a dose of pitocin is added to her IV. An internal heart monitor is also placed on the baby for a clearer reading.
@ 6:47a, Dr Green checkup
Dr. Green comes back to check on mom... or so I'm told... I was sawing logs / snoring up a storm at the time. Lea didn't want to wake me. She was happily playing "With Friends" games and playing with Instagram on her trusty iPhone.
@ 7:00a, Suzie's shift is over :(
@ 7:25a, Dr Green checkup
I decided to get a coffee from the shop downstairs. I had to wait around for 5 minutes for the place to open. While waiting I get a text from Lea. "9 cm" Nine centimeters! Do I start my Ferris Bueller run back to the fifth floor now?
@ 7:35a, meet new nurse Caroline :D
@ 7:57a, Time to push
The time has come to start pushing. Lea is ready. She has worked hard these last 41 weeks for this exact moment. She begins pushing and she is strong. She means business. Twenty-seven minutes later (such a short time) I can see Lydia's head. Things are progressing so much faster this birth.
@ 8:30a, Lydia is born
Built to Spill's Carry the Zero is playing in the background. The driving guitars blend perfectly with newborn screams. Lydia is beautiful, Lea's face is filled with joy, and some might claim to see a tear in my eye. There are no complications, so I am allowed to cut the cord. I pull my eyes away from Lydia long enough to do so then dive right back into newborn baby bliss.
After the birth, Lea is so excited. Her joy fills the room. Lydia is on her way to meet Mom and I am capturing the moment. Mom's first words to Lydia,
"Hi sweetie" // "You smell so nice" // "Look at those nails".
Soon after, Lydia is nursing for the first time. Lea knows exactly what to do and teaches Lydia to nurse so quickly. They have a long and beautiful bonding moment, a perfect way to start out life.
<4
August 13, a fine Monday morning
@ 1:40a, wake up // Lea's water breaks
This is the moment we've been waiting for, a perfect day to finally meet Lydia. Past her due date, the last week felt like a year. It was starting to feel like she would never arrive. Then, a gush of water in the middle of the night and we're off to the hospital.
@ 2:18a, Violet leaves for Grandpa's house // Mom and Dad leave for the hospital
After a flurry of gathering and packing we were all ready to leave; Violet to Gigi and Grandpa's house; Mom and Dad to the hospital. Lea is starting to count contractions now. At one point on the drive I think of the moment I first found out Lydia was on her way.
I was driving back to work from lunch when Lea sends a picture to my phone. I glanced at the thumbnail and read "I'm going to be a big sister." My next thoughts were, "that's good news, one of her friends is pregnant... wait... ... was that Violet in the picture?"
@ 2:41a, express train directly to labor and delivery
We arrive at the hospital. Lea has counted 8 contractions on the trip, about 2.5 minutes apart. The staff wastes no time in triage. Lea's nurse Suzie escorts us to suite 516. The sensors to measure contractions and the baby's heart rate are setup.
@ 3:20a, IV started
Lea gets her IV started, providing the hydration needed for the epidural. Lea's cracks some jokes about being deathly afraid of needles despite her tattoos. She's currently between 3 - 4 cm. We sit back as the contractions ebb and flow.
@4:00a, Socks!
A pair of warm socks (the only thing Lea forgot to pack) is the first delivery of the day and they are awesome, warm and yellow.
@ 4:30a, Dr. Green arrives
Dr. Green arrives to crack some jokes and help Lea relax. He does a cervical check and finds that Lea has made it to 5 cm. He explains that Lea's bag of water did break and the fluid is discolored from the baby's meconium. There is an elevated concern to check her lungs after birth, but other than that we'd do nothing else different. Last, Dr. Green removes a piece of the forebag in a quick procedure very similar to breaking her water. He does so without injuring his fingers (a joke he had during Violet's birth).
@ 5:05a, Epidural
Dr. Mike Kline arrives to insert Lea's epidural. He was on-call for Violet's birth, where he went 0-2 on inserting the catheter. Still, we were happy to see him as he is one of the doctors who would let me stay in the room for the procedure. Lea is nervous and anxious, but she stays steady as a rock. Unfortunately the epidural doesn't work. 0-3.
Across the hall we can hear the excitement of a baby just born. It is something for Lea to focus on to endure the discomfort of the epidural, a reminder of the final joyous payoff. The baby's cries remind me of Violet's birth and add even more anticipation to hear Lydia's own.
@ 5:15a, Epidural #2
Equally strong and perhaps steadier than a rock, Lea is ready for the final attempt. This time it works beautifully. Now Lea can relax and enjoy the relative comfort that medicine can provide while the contractions do the work.
@ 5:55a, Dr Green checkup
Dr. Green comes in to do a checkup. Lea is still at 5 cm, so a dose of pitocin is added to her IV. An internal heart monitor is also placed on the baby for a clearer reading.
@ 6:47a, Dr Green checkup
Dr. Green comes back to check on mom... or so I'm told... I was sawing logs / snoring up a storm at the time. Lea didn't want to wake me. She was happily playing "With Friends" games and playing with Instagram on her trusty iPhone.
@ 7:00a, Suzie's shift is over :(
@ 7:25a, Dr Green checkup
I decided to get a coffee from the shop downstairs. I had to wait around for 5 minutes for the place to open. While waiting I get a text from Lea. "9 cm" Nine centimeters! Do I start my Ferris Bueller run back to the fifth floor now?
@ 7:35a, meet new nurse Caroline :D
@ 7:57a, Time to push
The time has come to start pushing. Lea is ready. She has worked hard these last 41 weeks for this exact moment. She begins pushing and she is strong. She means business. Twenty-seven minutes later (such a short time) I can see Lydia's head. Things are progressing so much faster this birth.
@ 8:30a, Lydia is born
Built to Spill's Carry the Zero is playing in the background. The driving guitars blend perfectly with newborn screams. Lydia is beautiful, Lea's face is filled with joy, and some might claim to see a tear in my eye. There are no complications, so I am allowed to cut the cord. I pull my eyes away from Lydia long enough to do so then dive right back into newborn baby bliss.
After the birth, Lea is so excited. Her joy fills the room. Lydia is on her way to meet Mom and I am capturing the moment. Mom's first words to Lydia,
"Hi sweetie" // "You smell so nice" // "Look at those nails".
Soon after, Lydia is nursing for the first time. Lea knows exactly what to do and teaches Lydia to nurse so quickly. They have a long and beautiful bonding moment, a perfect way to start out life.
<4
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Rad Videos!
Here are some totally awesome videos from our YouTube channel. We've been posting them over the last three months. Behold, the amazing levels of awesomeness!
She wants to brush her teeth...
Waiting room tap dancing
Daddy's home!
Spotting the owl
The babies, Mellow and Queenie, have some milk
Pre nap tunes!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Well, well, well, Hello!
Well, well, well, Hello. It's been awhile. We have quite a lot of things going on here; the move back to our old house, preparing for the newest littlest one, and chasing Violet on her wild adventures (of course).
We are still getting settled into our old place; tidying up, rearranging, redecorating... many of the improvements we never got to before. It took Violet all of 0 seconds to get settled in here. I believe she remembers the old house and is glad to be back. This time she's got the run of the place. It's hard to believe that when we left, May 2011, Violet wasn't even crawling.
Violet's Great Grandmother has not been well. We have been visiting her as much as possible. Gram is head over heels for Violet and Violet cannot get enough of her too! They like to sing together and Violet likes to dance, jump around and show off her many talents. I do not know what she will remember about her Great Gram, but I am so proud of her for all the joy she brings into her Great Gram's life.
Summer is here and we are wasting no time to take advantage of the weather. Violet spends a lot of time outside. She loves her little pool, her sprinkler and her sand and water table. We would like to hit up the splash pad one day soon and maybe one of the bigger pools in the area (one can dream).
When not adventuring in the great outdoors, Violet is keeping up with her music studies. She jams on the harmonica (figured it out, so awesome!), jumps onto her piano, then drum solo on every available surface, then she breaks it down into some light strumming on her Daddy's acoustic guitar. (She even bows afterward and says, "thank you!")
Her vocabulary grows daily. We've pretty much stopped keeping track.
With the baby due to arrive in less than a month and a half, we are trying to make sure we have every little thing prepared. I think that most of it is anticipation and that we should be just fine. That is how it was with Violet. We are so excited and cannot wait for her to be a big sister. We just know that she is perfect for the job! (She points to Mommy's baby bump and says, "Baby" and "Belly") Sometimes she is able to say the baby's name, but not always. She'll get there. :)
We are still getting settled into our old place; tidying up, rearranging, redecorating... many of the improvements we never got to before. It took Violet all of 0 seconds to get settled in here. I believe she remembers the old house and is glad to be back. This time she's got the run of the place. It's hard to believe that when we left, May 2011, Violet wasn't even crawling.
Violet's Great Grandmother has not been well. We have been visiting her as much as possible. Gram is head over heels for Violet and Violet cannot get enough of her too! They like to sing together and Violet likes to dance, jump around and show off her many talents. I do not know what she will remember about her Great Gram, but I am so proud of her for all the joy she brings into her Great Gram's life.
Summer is here and we are wasting no time to take advantage of the weather. Violet spends a lot of time outside. She loves her little pool, her sprinkler and her sand and water table. We would like to hit up the splash pad one day soon and maybe one of the bigger pools in the area (one can dream).
When not adventuring in the great outdoors, Violet is keeping up with her music studies. She jams on the harmonica (figured it out, so awesome!), jumps onto her piano, then drum solo on every available surface, then she breaks it down into some light strumming on her Daddy's acoustic guitar. (She even bows afterward and says, "thank you!")
Her vocabulary grows daily. We've pretty much stopped keeping track.
With the baby due to arrive in less than a month and a half, we are trying to make sure we have every little thing prepared. I think that most of it is anticipation and that we should be just fine. That is how it was with Violet. We are so excited and cannot wait for her to be a big sister. We just know that she is perfect for the job! (She points to Mommy's baby bump and says, "Baby" and "Belly") Sometimes she is able to say the baby's name, but not always. She'll get there. :)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Pure Imagination
Cool song and movie, different Violet.
Over the last two weeks, Violet's imagination seems to have really grown. She likes to pretend play more and more. Fake feeds us with fake foods. Feeding her dolly, her other toys and saying, "mmm!" afterward.
She always offers up whatever she is eating or drinking and loves to share.
We've been spending a lot of time outside. She has three different ride on cars/toys and is obsessed. The one has a long handle that locks into place and when she is buckled in, we push her everywhere in it. (She still keeps her feet out of it bc she is so used to Flintstoning it on her other cars.) She seriously would spend hours and hours outside on these bad boys if we let her.
We're moving in two weeks, so once we're (finally) done with that, her sand and water table will be set up, along with the sprinkler and kiddie pool just in time for the holiday weekend. We cannot wait to relax and grill out with our little girl! We are looking forward to a laid back (but fun!) summer with Violet before our second little girl arrives.
Over the last two weeks, Violet's imagination seems to have really grown. She likes to pretend play more and more. Fake feeds us with fake foods. Feeding her dolly, her other toys and saying, "mmm!" afterward.
She always offers up whatever she is eating or drinking and loves to share.
We've been spending a lot of time outside. She has three different ride on cars/toys and is obsessed. The one has a long handle that locks into place and when she is buckled in, we push her everywhere in it. (She still keeps her feet out of it bc she is so used to Flintstoning it on her other cars.) She seriously would spend hours and hours outside on these bad boys if we let her.
We're moving in two weeks, so once we're (finally) done with that, her sand and water table will be set up, along with the sprinkler and kiddie pool just in time for the holiday weekend. We cannot wait to relax and grill out with our little girl! We are looking forward to a laid back (but fun!) summer with Violet before our second little girl arrives.
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