Life with our Little Ladies

New Orleans

2012-02-12T17:24:00.002-06:00

While grandma and grandpa took care of the girls, Dave and I played (and did a little work) in New Orleans.

Love the random street man with the half ladder

Dave and I in Jackson Square

This was right before we got acosted by Dan, Dan the Shoe Shine Man. Don't ask, but we left there feeling violated. Avoid him if you visit.

Dave loved the beneights. They were SO good!!

Here's a couple of pictures of us at work. Most of the group that went from OU above, and myself with 2 of the residents on a poster we worked on together below.

Updates

2012-02-12T17:18:00.001-06:00

Ok, I've obviously become a horrible blogger. But I'm not sure anyone reads this anymore since facebook exists now, so maybe it doesn't matter?? But I guess facebook can't tell you everything either.

January went by pretty quickly. I discovered pinterest and spent some time on there. More than anything it actually inspired me to start doing some of the fix-up stuff around our house I haven't done in the past year. So, I changed all of our doorknobs out. Some of them I spray painted and some of them I just changed out. Easier than I would have thought. Will see how the spray painted ones hold up, but they look good so far!

We also ordered a tornado shelter, and it'll be put in the garage on Tuesday. Dave's happy. We went with the bigger one so that the entire neighborhood can come join us. Seriously,, ,you can put a queen sized mattress in this thing. Dave thinks it's going to become his mancave. I can just him running an extension cord down in there now.....

Abby started taking dance class in January. It's a combination of ballet, tap, and modern. She LOVES it. We never have to cajole her into going, and she seems to have a great time. Dancing has definitely become one of her favorite things to do. She's always asking us to put on music and "dance with me, Prince!"

Livi has learned to navigate the stairs up and down, and she now has 2 molars. We had our first ER trip last weekend because I was worried about her breathing. She was diagnosed with pneumonia but seems to have recovered quite nicely. New words include bye bye, no, mama, dada, papa, oh no.

Dave and I spent last week in New Orleans at a medical conference. It was fun, the food was good, and I can't even imagine being there at Mardi Gras.

The Nutcracker

2011-12-28T22:25:00.001-06:00

Abby and I went and saw The Nutcracker on Dec. 17th with several of my friends and their daughters. I'm lucky-- there's lots of girls to share girly-friend things with! Abby wore her "lady bug" Christmas dress, we curled her hair, and she even got to wear a little makeup. She felt like such a big girl!!

Abby and the nutcracker

Abby and Clara. Clara who won the nutcracker giveaway at intermission!

This face is going to get her out of trouble in 10 years.

The girls in the box. I have decided the box is the only way to go.

Our future ballerinas. Abby keeps telling me she wants to be on stage!

Abby and Mommy

Hard and work coloring ornaments

A few more pre-Christmas pics

2011-12-28T22:16:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks before Christmas we spent an evening at the Myriad gardens looking at Christmas lights and playing with our friends. Abby liked the big Santa chair.

Abby and Daddy

The walking kids

The DeLeons

The Combs', DeLeons, and 1/3 of the Lindenaus

The Combs', DeLeons, and 2/3 of the Lindenaus

The Letter O

2011-12-19T21:53:00.004-06:00

Olivia obviously enjoys the letter O.

Surgery #2

2011-12-19T21:42:00.004-06:00

Olivia had her second surgery on Dec. 8th. She had a second, larger set of ear tubes placed, and we had planned to have her adenoids out as well. Luckily, once Dr. Digoy looked she had "nubbins" for adenoids so she got to keep them!

She explored her crib and room a lot more this time. I did get to stay with her until she was asleep in the OR, which is different than last time. She started making this horrible noise when the gas put her to sleep, which luckily the anesthesiologist had warned me about. But it was still hard to hear. Hopefully this will be the last surgery we have to go through!!

She was quite funny when her valium took effect though-- I have a video on my iphone I'll try to upload. Reminds me of the youtube video where the kid is stoned after a dental procedure. But, she's recovered nicely. Follow up appointment in January to retest her hearing and see Dr. Digoy again. Will keep you posted.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-19T21:34:00.003-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at the farm this year. For some reason, I didn't take too many pictures.

The playset at the farm, built by Desi and Po, complete with grandkids names.

Livi at a bunch of dirt. And was enthralled with one of the dogs.

The girls got good bonding time with Aunt Desi, who's home safe from Afghanistan.

And Livi bonded with Uncle Richard.

Abby with cousin Pops.

Abby and Rie.

And, somehow, that's all I got!! I do know it was 90 degrees on Thanksgiving. SO didn't feel like Thanksgiving!

Sic Em, Bears!!

2011-11-20T23:44:00.001-06:00

Many of you may know that Baylor beat OU last night. It was a very exciting few hours around our house. I may or may not have taught Abby to say " oh shit" when Baylor fumbled the ball.

But since my Bears did win, we proudly sported our gear at church this morning. Here's Livi showing everyone to do "Touchdown!!!"

I love these girls. The picture might have been better BEFORE letting Abby have ketchup for lunch.

And Livi has been making this face a lot more lately. Not sure what it is, but it's kind of cute!!

Go Bears!

Sorry!

2011-11-15T21:43:00.001-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. I'm not even sure where the last 2 months went. I've been working a lot lately, up until this last week, so that'll be my excuse.

We're all doing well, in general. Abby's growing and getting smarter all the time. She can use my iphone better than me. She's definitely better at Angry Birds. Livi's walking well, starting to talk (favorite works are Mama and Abby. Also working on book and duck). She's also now on her second ear infection in 2 weeks with one blocked ear tube. Heading back into the ENT's office soon. Proof that surgery doesn't cure everything.

I had LASIK done last week-- can't believe I waited so long to do this! It's awesome to wake up and be able to see. I'm not even sure where my glasses are right now and it's awesome!

Dave's doing well too....he's making great progress at the gym and his running times. I'm so proud of him.

I'm getting exciting for Christmas....I refuse to put my decorations up until after Thanksgiving, but I'm so ready! My real next step is to try and find someone to put up Christmas lights for us outside.

Promise to be in touch again sooner than before.....

A Few From Today.....

2011-11-15T21:27:00.001-06:00

I haven't pulled out my camera and taken many pictures lately. Guess it's true what they say about second kids! But, I was testing the light at different times tonight in preparation for Christmas pictures this afternoon and got some good ones of the girls.

((Livi:: do SO BIG!!))

I love the pure joy in this picture (she was chasing the cat, if you have to know!)

Cat went under the fence. Love her painted little toes.

And Livi, with her goopy puff eyes and snotty nose and scratched cheek. But she's beautiful!

Pretending to be a tiger. Cause they're all over the place here in Norman this time of year.

And, her new favorite pasttime: walking our friends' dog, Ginger. She feels so grown up walking her, like one of the big kids. Now I'm just waiting for her to start asking for her own dog.

My little bugs

2011-11-15T21:20:00.001-06:00

Sadly, I didn't get an individual picture of either of my Halloween bugs, or even of just the two of them together, but I did manage to get these two. A couple of days before Halloween we went to a church even with our friends. The top one is all the girls outside in the church's pumpkin patch. I have no idea why Abby looks like this. She wasn't scared, mad or crying. Who knows.

And here's the cutest little ladybug in the state!!

The Orange Queen

2011-11-15T21:16:00.001-06:00

Don't you wish your Halloween outfit was this awesome? From the striped leggings and pumpkin socks to the sparkly silver shoes, this girl rocked her awesomeness on Halloween!!t

Really, I just wish every girl had THIS girl's confidence!!

Mom, STOP!

2011-11-15T21:05:00.002-06:00

I know I'm really cute with my owl shirt and pumpkin, but please stop taking my picture!!

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

2011-09-22T17:25:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year. And this little 8 pound thing is now almost 25 pounds. She's tall too, and she has a big head (but you wouldn't know it to look at her!) She's walking pretty well.

She says mama, dada, meme, papa, abby, baby, and bye bye.

(forgot the 3 month...it was christmas time and we were moving!)

She's starting to feed herself, drinks out of a sippee cup, and is onto milk.

She's started in daycare, sleeps about 10 hours at night, and goes to sleep easily by herself (although she sometimes gets rocked too).

She has the BEST laugh. She loves her big sister best. She is always a happy baby, but is happiest in the mornig when she first wakes up.

Still has clear blue eyes with a little brown in the center.

She has 6 beautiful little teeth, which she'll gladly bite you with if you get too close.

(forgot the 11 month too...oh well!)

And I can't remember life in our family without her. Happy birthday, beautiful girl!!

A Few Party Pics

2011-09-22T17:11:00.006-05:00

We had Livi's birthday party on Saturday. In addition to a lot of fun, we managed to spread a nasty GI bug to everyone. Oh well!!

We had a bouncehouse for the big kids. It was a hit!

A very cute 1st birthday cake!

And a very cute birthday girl!

She wasn't terribly sure what to do with the cake. I'm not sure how much she actually ate, but I do know she was still sneezing it out 2 days later.

A few of our party guests.

A good time was had by all. Until the nausea kicked in.....

Happy birthday, Livi!!

2011-09-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

Cleveland County Fair

2011-09-11T19:15:00.006-05:00

Saturday the family went to the fair!! We met this sweet calf, who munched on our new stroller. Abby rode the pony rides for the first time ever. She loved it after a little initial uncertainty, although she wouldn't let me get very far from her.

Love this girl!

We met this sweet calf too, who munched on Dave.

She then rode a pony of a different sort. She thought she was brave enough to ride by herself but decided she wanted momma at the last minute too.

By far her favorite thing were these 2 obstacle courses she got to go through. $20 in tickets sure doesn't last long!

And finally, what fair is complete without a little John Deer action?

Livi was there too...she just took in the sites and sounds but didn't get to leave the stroller. Next year!

Soccer

2011-09-11T18:55:00.004-05:00

Abby played her first soccer game on Saturday against the blue shirts (almost sounds as good as the red coats!). She was a little nervous to begin with, but got into it pretty quickly. I love this pic...little sassy thing with her hands on her hips! That's Coach Tom.

Oh...I'm supposed to run and kick the ball!

She kept wanting to come hang out on the sidelines, but after Meme and Papa threatened to leave, she stopped doing that. All in all, she did about as well as I could have hoped for. There was definitely some cloud watching and shadow playing, but no dandelions were harmed.

And before she knew it, it was time to say "good game" and get your juicebox and fruitsnacks!

Staples

2011-09-07T21:52:00.002-05:00

Well, we made it through 3.5 years without a major injury. I'm not even sure today's counts as a major injury, but there was major blood. Abby cornered the cat, and the cat fought back. She hopefully learned a valuable lesson about not cornering cats and listening to your mother.
And she now has one beautiful little staple to show off for the next week.

She was very brave with the stapler and so she got gummy worms. And showed her staple off to four people inside CVS. And was NOT so brave when it was time to wash her hair tonight.

Walking I Repost

2011-09-01T15:42:00.001-05:00

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MyjsNIAEto

Let's see if this one works!

Sometimes You Gotta Celebrate

2011-08-31T22:34:00.002-05:00

This Makes Me Smile

2011-08-31T22:16:00.002-05:00

Walking II

2011-08-31T22:10:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_xbXT9vihs

Walking!

2011-08-31T20:35:00.003-05:00

Dave and I thought we'd check her walking progress tonight when he got home from work....guess she showed us!! And please ignore the mess on the floor...Abby's working on alphabet and number cards, and she likes to throw them everywhere when she's done. It's fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUIGFc2Q-4k

Yeah!

2011-08-14T19:38:00.002-05:00

Post problems resolved. Excellent. More pics coming soon. :)

10 months!

2011-08-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Just in time to do the 11 month post!

GRRR!!

2011-08-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

I'm having problems posting new things. So frustrated!!

Tongues and Eyes

2011-08-07T17:27:00.002-05:00

Gymnastics Class

2011-08-07T15:54:00.008-05:00

When we started Abby in gymnastics at the beginning of the summer, she loved it. Then she hated it for two weeks and we almost quit. Then she decided she loved it again and we enjoyed the rest of the summer.

Throughout all of it, she was afraid of the balance beam. Until the last two weeks, when she suddenly decided "it's not scary!" Our summer gymnatics experience is over, and we're gearing up for fall soccer. But really, who were we trying to kid-- with Dave and I as parents (and everyone knows I'm SO well known for my grace!), she's never going to be a gymnast. But maybe should could be the next Mia Hamm......

First haircut!

2011-07-24T23:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a big day for Olivia! She had her first big girl haircut. She did pretty well for a 10 month old.

She watched her big sister first, and then jumped right up in the chair. Love that little face....and those big blue eyes!

The Park

2011-07-24T23:06:00.003-05:00

Who visits the neighborhood park on a 108 degree day? The DeLeons do!

Yes, it was hot and stupid. But really, the choice between listening to Abby whine about going to the park all day and going? There was no choice.

This was Livi's first time riding the push car. She seemed to really like it. She's already figured out the horn, which she lovingly pushed the whole way to the park.

Abby can finally reach the peddles on her tricycle and is coordinated enough to pedal. It's a large victory.

It didn't take her long to get hot and miserable and not be in the mood to have her picture taken.

Livi, as always, was just along for the ride. Abby's learning to raise her arms when she's done with a stunt from her gymnastics class. She's so dang talented!

And Livi takes after her big sister...she loves the swing too.

Thank goodness Abby decided 20 minutes were enough. We were hot, sweaty, tired, and grumpy. Which led to an excellent naptime for all the DeLeon women!

9 months

2011-07-24T22:53:00.002-05:00

Yes, she's 10 months already. But I'm behind, badly. Before I post the 10 month in the next day or two, I thought I should put these up!

Livi, you are getting too big! You can crawl like a madwoman, but you usually throw your right leg out on the side to give yourself an extra push instead of being up on both knees. You have two bottom teeth. You've mastered stage 3 baby foods and are starting to eat some table food.

You weigh 21 pounds and are just over 28 inches tall. You are a chunk-- Abby calls you our Chunky Dunky (she's trying to say Chunky Monkey).

You usually take a short morning nap and a longer afternoon nap, and you sleep about 10-11 hours straight at night. You are the happiest baby, especially in the mornings when you wake up.
You've just learned to pull yourself up, and you are pulling up on EVERYTHING. You usually are sporting some sort of bruise on your forehead from a fall. You have brought such joy into our lives, even if I can't get a good 9 month picture!!

And, just cause she's the most awesome big sister, here's one of Abby. She's got the cutest, most perfect little heart shaped face I've ever seen!

My little guppy

2011-06-29T15:51:00.000-05:00

In which I write....

2011-06-29T15:41:00.002-05:00

No pictures in this one, just some words. I can't believe it's almost July already. My first academic year as an attending behind me, and another one ahead with new residents. There's an excitement about July, the nervous energy of new docs wanting to do their best. And there's a nervousness on my part about being the bottom line on a list of new docs!

I have a new position: Inpatient Medical Director. Really, it's the Inpatient Medical Director of Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? I'm still learning what it means. So far, it means a lot of meetings.

A family friend died 2 days ago after a motorcycle accident. He leaves behind a stay at home wife and 3 kids under 4. My heart is broken for his family, and I feel helpless to do anything of any significance for them. He was able to done his liver and kidneys, so 3 people will hopefully have new life because of him. Please keep them in your prayers, and think about being an organ donor if you aren't already!

We finally sold our old house...yeah! We close on it next Friday. I spent today turning off utilities and canceling HO insurance, etc. I'm excited to not be making 2 house payments anymore, although there's a bittersweetness to selling our first house where we brought home 2 babies.

We have a cute little brown bunny that likes to live on our backyard. I like him even though I can't get close to him.

Peds Research Day

2011-06-29T15:38:00.002-05:00

My "scholarship" requirement fo the year....check!

One of the best things about being an attending: the residents do most of the work! I just get to edit and approve.

End of the Year Banquet

2011-06-29T15:23:00.003-05:00

Our pediatrics end of the year banquet was earlier this month-- it was nice this year to just get to go as an attending and NOT have to be a presenter or plan the event like last year!

Best part-- I found a cute dress for $23! Here I am with one of our residents, Angela. We've worked together several times, and we both have little Abby's (although hers is an Abi). I'm excited to meet baby #2 this fall!

And my friend Adrienne, who graduated. Luckily for me, she's staying put in OKC!

And, shock of the night for me, I won the Attending of the Year award, as voted on by the residents!! I think I've peaked my first year out. :) And even better, I found out yesterday it comes with a monetary bonus too. A nice perk, even if it'll likely go towards paying taxes!

This little munchkin was supposed to be in bed when I got home, but obviously she was still awake and waiting for me. It was fun to go to the banquet, but more fun to get home.

8 months

2011-06-11T17:07:00.000-05:00

Better late than never. And it was almost never!

Olivia's Surgery

2011-06-11T16:54:00.003-05:00

Many of you know we've had trouble with Livi's ears for the past couple of months. After 5 rounds of different antibiotics, including daily shots for a while, we all made the decision it was time for tubes. I struggled with the decision, but after testing of her hearing revealed moderate hearing loss, I knew it was best for her. So on Tuesday, we loaded her up for an early morning surgery at Children's. The pics are backwards again-- I know what I did wrong but don't have the energy to fix it!

Here she is post-op...bottle's empty and she's ready to go home!

Daddy with his girl...he was pretty nervous too!

Pre-op, waiting to go back. She was actually a very happy baby, especially considering she hadn't eaten in 10 hours. However, when she did fuss, it was "mamamamamamama". Guess she knows where her bread is buttered!

In the waiting room after we arrived. Such a happy girl!

And at the house just prior to leaving.

So surgery went very well. She had really thick, glue-like pus behind both ears, and we've been giving antibiotic drops the last few days. She's happy, smiling, and talking more than before surgery. We go back for follow up in early July, and they'll retest her hearing then. The hope is that she couldn't hear well because of the pus, and now it'll be all fixed. I'll keep you updated!

Sleep

2011-06-11T16:52:00.001-05:00

I wondered why it got so quiet. I guess I didn't get her to the crib fast enough!

Defect

2011-06-11T16:49:00.002-05:00

In the words of my husband, the Olivia 2010 model forgot to come with reverse gear.

Her Many Faces

2011-06-11T16:46:00.001-05:00

Happy.

Ecstatic.

Serious.

Beautiful.

Myrtle

2011-06-11T16:36:00.002-05:00

This is Myrtle. She's a turtle. A baby turtle, to be exact. She showed up on our driveway one morning a couple of weeks ago, and Abby was concerned I was going to squish her. I was not, but agreed to let her hang out with us for a day.

All hands were thoroughly washed after this pet experience. I did let Myrtle come inside for a bit during the afternoon because it was pretty hot outside. The cat was not pleased and definitely tried to make her an appetizer.

She is kind of a cute little thing. For a turtle, anyway, who aren't very cute by nature.

So we kept her for a day, and then sent her on her way back to the neighborhood pond.

As Abby says, she needed to go back to her mommy and poppy. Not sure how she knows the word Poppy, but that's for another day.

The next morning I saw a BIG turtle on the sidewalk when I was leaving the neighborhood. I did not, however, point that one out to her. It might have eaten our cat.

Tornado Tuesday

2011-05-24T22:56:00.002-05:00

As I'm sure you've seen on the news, there was a huge outbreak of tornados in Oklahoma today. Dave and I both left work early and we were all home in time to closely monitor the weather. Here are a couple of cloud pictures AFTER we came out of the closet!

We tried to make hanging out in the closet "fun" and not scary for Abby, so Dave told her we were going camping. She seemed to buy it, dutifully put on her bicycle helmet, and grabbed a couple of toys. Dave had the news station streaming online (and checked facebook while we were waiting).

We were in the closet for about 20 minutes or so before we felt safe enough to come out. No major damage around our neighborhood, although it did rain insulation for a while. I don't even want to think about where the insulation came from.

My prayers tonight are for a missing 3yo little boy who was ripped from his mother's arms while they were in a bathtub about 45 minutes from here, and for the other Oklahomans who lost so much today.

Commando Crawl!

2011-05-24T21:34:00.003-05:00

Simply Love

2011-05-16T20:22:00.000-05:00

Generational Nap

2011-05-16T20:19:00.001-05:00

The zoo wore everyone out.

Two Peas

2011-05-16T20:10:00.003-05:00

They're back together again!! Abby's grandparents came for a visit, and cousin Rie was able to join them! They've played princess in the backyard....

And grandma dressed them like twins for the zoo. I think she'd dress them like twins everyday if she could.

And they played in the puddles at the park.

They've slept together everynight. Lots of "hey cousin Abby" and "hey cousin Rie" flying around our house.

Gives me a glimpse of what livi and abby may be like when they're older!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T09:40:00.003-05:00

We started off Sunday with baby dedication at church! It's crazy to me to think that Abby was dedicated on the very same stage 3 years ago...where has the time gone!

Livi was so excited she slept right through the whole thing!! But she looked terribly cute in her hot pink flower dress and bloomers! Abby decided at the last minute she wanted to come up on stage with us...she was waving at her Meme in this picture.

After the service with Pastor Allen.

I got to spend all day with my girls! After church we and and had lunch with Mom and Dad-- Abby wanted rice and beans, so we got On the Border!

We painted, we played "maydo", we watched a little Dora. And Daddy took a few pictures of me and the girls before we sent them off to bed!
Unfortunately, Daddy doesn't qute know how to work Mommy's camera, so Livi's in focus but Abby and I aren't. I guess we'll call it artistic!

And a few randoms....

2011-05-02T15:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my other favorite shots from the other night....I sure love this kid!

Laughter

2011-05-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

Their daddy sure knows how to make them laugh!

Seven Months

2011-05-02T15:28:00.002-05:00

Running behind, as usual. These loaded backwards again-- you'd think I'd have learned to do this by now. She still likes to crinkle up the paper-- at least she's happy about making a mess!

Olivia, I can't believe you're 7 months old!! You have 2 cute little lower front teeth, and you like to bite with them if anything gets too close! Your eyes are still a beautiful blue, and you get compliments on them all the time!

You're sitting alone very well right now, and you are reaching for EVERYTHING. We have to be very careful about leaving anything near you. It either gets knocked over or goes straight into your mouth!
You are also THISCLOSE to crawling...you get up on your knees and rock back and forth. I figure you'll be on the move in less than a week, although you can already get across the room by scooting in under a minute.

You're sleeping through the night now-- you usually start fussing for bed around 9pm and wake up around 7-8am with a happy smile. And just this week, you started saying "mamamamamama" and "dadadadadada".

Happy 7 month birthday, Livi Ann!

A little tooth....

2011-05-02T15:23:00.002-05:00

This picture cracks me up!! She's thinking "whatcha got in there, Mom?"

And here's a few more, showing off one perfect little tooth! These are from last week, and she's actually got TWO perfect little teeth right now!

I LOVE this picture....if only the highchair corner wasn't in the background.

And one more, for good measure...

High Chair

2011-05-02T15:17:00.002-05:00

Olivia's started eating in the high chair lately. I think she likes it...a whole new view from up there. And she sure likes sweet potatos!

And this cracks me up....this is her favorite position to get into if I don't strap her down tightly. If I let her go long enough, she'll get both feet up on top and start lounging!!

She's pretty much conquered step 1 baby foods, but we've got a few to finish off before I start buying step 2 foods. She definitely likes green beans, and she likes fruit too. And, just like her sister, she spits peas back at me pretty much every time. Abby was 2 years before she likes peas, so I guess we'll just keep trying!!

ABCD.....and a few other things

2011-04-21T20:27:00.002-05:00

Where do you live??

2011-04-21T20:23:00.002-05:00

Every morning on the way to school, I try to teach Abby something new. Some days are more successful than others. This only took her about 10 seconds to learn. And while the video isn't great because she's more interested in watching herself than being filmed, she's so stinking cute in what she says!!

College Fund

2011-04-14T22:36:00.001-05:00

Guess we better start one!

Colored Bubbles

2011-04-14T22:25:00.003-05:00

We had a playdate with the Haws' yesterday. These 2 had a good time staring at each other. I'm pulling this one out if they ever get married.

And then we broke out the colored bubbles that Katherine gave Abby for her birthday. I will say they are colorful. The girls had a blast with them.

I will also say they are incredibly messy. We took their shirts off when we figured out how messy they were going to be. It really didn't help.

But, like I said, they had a blast.

And in addition to being messy, they're also very washable. When they figured out how messy the bubbles were, they just started to blow them AT each other.

And although it may look bad, I promise no smurfs were harmed during this event.

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-04-09T22:02:00.003-05:00

These 2 were absolutely inseparable during our week at the farm. I can't tell you how many times I heard "Hey Cousin Rie" during that week. And I really can't wait to see them at the beach together! (this one's my favorite...how cute are their dirty feed but painted toenails and princess skirts??)

It's Not Everyday.....

2011-04-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

That a chicken comes to your birthday party.

The Farm

2011-04-09T21:28:00.007-05:00

A few more shots from the farm.

Puppy Ruby thought Livi's toes looked tasty.

Livi nap, farm style

Two more of the best buds

Uncle Richard and the girls

Dave and the Four Cousins (they could be a band!)

Abby nap, farm style

Look what we found in the grass!

Abby on the morning of her birthday party...she was so excited!

She even took a nap with one of her birthday balloons.

They don't look related, do they?

The purple princesses

Gathering eggs with grandma

6 months

2011-03-27T23:57:00.002-05:00

Because Aunt Ruth oh so subtly hinted I hadn't posted 6 month pictures, here they are! We don't go in for her check up until after we get back from the farm, so I don't know her latest stats, but I bet she close to 18 pounds. Still blue eyed, and a little whiter than her sister! Sometimes it's hard to be 6 months.

And then we find our foot, so everything is ok. It's her new favorite toy.

Vanna White she is not. But at least she's cuter!

So we're off to the farm tomorrow for a few days, so don't expect to hear from me until we get back!

The Circus is in Town!

2011-03-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

The pictures loaded backwards. Oh well!

The Shiner Circus was in town this weekend, so Laura and I took the girls Friday night. We had to leave at intermission bc it was so long and the kids were done, but it was a fun 2 hours!

Abby's biggest concern was that she get cotton candy. She did.

Here's a shot of the arena pre-circus time.

And the elephants-- we had a great view of them. The little baby one was so cute-- it danced around the arena. And Abby was a little upset she didn't get to ride an elephant, but I just didn't think it was worth the price!

Here's the girls waiting for the circus to start...of course I didn't get one of both of them looking at the camera!

And, thanks to mom's neighbors, we didn't even have to pay anything to get in to the show!

All played out!

2011-03-27T23:49:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, a girl's just gotta sleep. Even if she's in the middle of playing.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2011-03-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

(This is the first matching thing I've bought them!)

5 months

2011-03-06T21:40:00.002-06:00

I forgot.... How much

Of a Challenge

the Pictures Become

So I just waited

Until she fell asleep. Which she did last night her very own crib for the first time!

Updates

2011-03-05T20:52:00.003-06:00

Just a little update on the rest of things, not necessarily kid related. Although I'll start with these 2. Abby's getting more and more to where she wants to do things with Olivia, including reading her bedtime story. So this is usually our nighttime ritual.

We had a sprinkler system put in last week-- yeah!! I'm probably most excited about this.

And my wonderful husband got me these for Valentine's Day last month. 2 dozen-- not too shabby!

I was on inpatient last month. It's definitely cold season-- I think over half my team every day had RSV. And although it makes for an easy team, it gets a little old. I had another cancer diagnosis-- I hate those. Keeping William in my prayers, and so thankful he developed a pneumonia and I listened to my gut about needing to do more workup. Tomorrow Dave and I are going kitchen table shopping--- yeah! That's really the last major piece of furniture we need to buy for the new house. Hopefully I'll have good news tomorrow! That's about it for now. I need to post Livi's 5 month pictures before she turns 6 months...maybe tomorrow too??

Feet

2011-03-05T20:50:00.003-06:00

If she could talk, she'd tell you these are her new favorite toys. And this is her new favorite position. Won't be long until she can get her toes into her mouth!

Thumbsucking

2011-03-01T22:58:00.001-06:00

All the cool kids are doing it.

Best buds

2011-03-01T22:56:00.001-06:00

Not sure what we're going to do when Riley moves away in a couple of months. I want to cry just thinking about it.

Blowing in the Wind

2011-03-01T22:52:00.002-06:00

During a photoshoot with the Haws children last week, I threw Olivia up on a hay bale and started snapping away. It was a windy day. I think she liked it though!

I love her little crinkled nose!

I'll check with Laura to see if I can post pics of her kids on here....I got some super cute ones!

In Which She Eats Cereal

2011-02-09T20:54:00.006-06:00

Yeah, that's right. I'm a big girl. The big 4 months. I get to ditch the boob and try cereal tonight. I got this. Bring it.

Well, it's kind of squishy. Doesn't have much taste. My tongue isn't really sure what to do with it. Let me keep trying.

It just gets squishier. And I really can't make my tongue work right. What's the deal anyway? I just found my tongue, and now I'm supposed to USE it?? This really sucks. Speaking of sucking, where's my mom?

Oh, god, it just keeps coming!! I don't want this. I don't wanna be a big girl. Make it stop. I give up.

What do you mean we'll try again tomorrow?!?!?!?!

Cowboy

2011-02-09T20:47:00.003-06:00

Abby, what do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a cowboy, mama!

I guess she's well on her way!

Snow Ice cream!

2011-02-03T15:18:00.002-06:00

Since we have all this snow (see below), I decided to introduce my family to snow ice cream. I can't remember the last time I had this...it's had to have been closed to 20 years, and Dave has never had it.

My assistant was eager to help.

Take 1 gallon of snow, 2 cups of milk......

1 cup of sugar......

A dash of vanilla.......

And mix. Taste to ensure it's stirred well.

And enjoy!

Which we did!!

Snow Days!

2011-02-03T15:04:00.002-06:00

Oklahoma has recently been renamed "snowklahoma" if you've watched the news lately. Starting Monday night we received 8 inches of snow here in Norman, so everything has pretty much been shut down. Today Dave and I both had to venture back to work, but things are still pretty snowy.

Dave on Tuesday morning, as he ventured out to help a neighbor who got stuck in a drift by our house. He did take the hat off before he went outside.

A few snow pictures...outside our front door.

Abby wanted NOTHING to do with the snow. In fact, she keeps asking when it's going to go away (and when we can go back to the zoo, because we were there in 70 degree weather 2 days before the storm).

Unfortunately for Olivia, she can't resist my desires for snow pictures. Yes, it was cold, but she had her coat on and we were outside for less than 2 minutes. She doesn't seem to mind the cold.

Most of the last 2 days we've holed up inside, watching movies and playing with Abby's dollhouse. Dave has also managed to walk the slinky down our stairs several times too. We've made 15 bean soup and chili and snow ice cream. And Abby has played in her tent.

She's like a hoarder....she's put about 100 different toys (plus remotes, shoes, princess apparrel, paper and DVD cases) in there, and she BEGGED for Livi to come in and play with her. So this is how most of yesterday was spent.

More snow forecast for Sunday night....we'll see how it goes!

4 months!

2011-02-01T22:29:00.004-06:00

Happy 4 months (+10 days since I'm a little late, as usual) my little Livi!

There's a bunch of "4 month" pictures on this because I just couldn't decide on my favorites. This one made me laugh..it's like she's reading the sign and is shocked at what it says.

We had her 4 month check up last week. She's weighing in at 15 pounds, 13 ounces, which is in the 70th percentile. She's 24 inches long (45th percentile....funnily enough, the same length as Baby Kate who's 2 months younger but exceptionally tall). And I can't remember her head circumference, but it's just above the 95th percentile, which basically means she has a big head. After a little investigating, she comes by it naturally....Dave's head is 5 centimeters BIGGER than what's considered "big".

She's still cute though!

In general, she's wearing 6 month clothes, although she has several 3-6 month size outfits she can still wear.

She rolls to her back pretty frequently, and is THISCLOSE to rolling the other way but hasn't done it yet. She is extremely smiley, loves to laugh and squeal. She kicks like crazy when she's on her back and desperately tries to stick her toes in her mouth. She's reaching for any toy nearby and is starting to hold her bottle (which is funny for me, because Abby never did that!)

She's becoming a better sleeper...we've had several nights where she's slept all night. She likes to go to sleep around 10:30, and if it's a good night, she won't wake up to eat until 6:30 or 7. On a bad night, she wakes up to eat around 4...which really isn't that bad.

We did try cereal this week....pictures to come soon as I still need to download them. Let's just say she was not a fan.

She took her shots like a pro. After the first one, she wrinkled her brow like "oh....what was that?". After the second, there were all out tears, which were quickly calmed with a little mommy love. At least she didn't turn purple, which she DID do last week when she got mad about something and held her breath mid-cry for about 15 seconds.

We got all kinds of snow here today....I'll post some pics tomorrow. And I introduced my family to snow ice cream!

Some random pictures

2011-01-19T18:22:00.005-06:00

A few random ones from around the house in the last few days...

She's getting pretty good about holding her head up. Here she is playing with her snail. It was good until Abby hit her in the head with it.

We've also been putting her in the bumbo the last few days. She's pretty good with it. You can literally see her thinking "this is a new view". Abby likes it too...they sit and talk to each other.

She still sucks her thumb.

They're still (usually) good friends.

Is this not the cutest picture? I LOVE how smiley she is now.

And, yes, she still tastes good.

Livi's expression is priceless!

Livi LOVES Abby...she just stares at her whenever she is near.

Hard to believe she's 4 months tomorrow. A 4month post coming soon!

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-01-19T18:17:00.002-06:00

Ooops...the pictures loaded backwards. And it's too much work to reverse them. So I'll go backwards!

This is Wyatt, Riley's brother. Can you believe that he and Livi are one year apart in age? They are seriously almost the same size, except he's got the "older man" appearance.

And here's our two peas. Abby tells me at least once a day that "riley's my best friend". The other day I heard no less than 16 times how much she needed to see Riley. Our new thing to do with the girls is take them to the local Chick fil A-- Laura and I get to sit and eat and talk and the girls can play in the play area after they eat. It's a win/win.

I don't know what we're going to do when they move in June.

And yes....those Christmas presents are getting used!

Dilemna

2011-01-16T22:25:00.002-06:00

I guess I have to change the name of our blog now, since we don't live on Katie Ridge anymore. Oh the pressure......

I'll take suggestions.

Christmas II

2011-01-16T09:59:00.007-06:00

After a little delay, here's Christmas round II pictures. We did Christmas with my family on the 27th. Although everyone was there, the pics are mostly of Abby. Cause let's face it, that's why you're here.

The awesome wardrobe that my dad built for her dress up clothes. With the awesome doors my sisters spent over 8 hours painting in Pottery Barn fashion.

Abby checking out the wardrobe as soon as we walked in the door.

The Christmas tree before we got started. I'm glad we don't all buy each other presents-- imagine what that would look like.

Livi arriving for the party, excited to see what it's all about.

Didn't take her very long before she didn't care though.

Abby opening her presents.

Livi getting involved again.

Abby playing with her new dollhouse. Not sure what happened to her pants.

The princesses, all dressed up with no where to go. (Tammy-- you seriously look more and more like mom. Not necessarily in person, but in pictures).

Taking care of her baby, feeding it water and peas.

And a couple of days later, playing with the dollhouse with Riley back home.

All in all, a wonderful Christmas. And no blizzard this year!

Big Day!

2011-01-08T19:11:00.002-06:00

I know I still owe Christmas II pictures, but today is a BIG day around here!!! As Dave said on facebook, if you're lucky, you'll be there to see it. If you're really lucky, the camera will be rolling!

My present

2011-01-01T13:18:00.001-06:00

I guess I'll keep him.

Merry Christmas (part I)!

2011-01-01T12:55:00.003-06:00

Santa found us at our new house this year! I was way busier on wards than I had thought, and I didn't get our Christmas tree up in time, even though Dave brought it over from the old house. So instead, I threw some lights and a few ornaments up on our fake ficus. Don't worry-- Santa still knew where to put things!

And, as you can see, Santa brought her a 'tar. A pink Barbie one, because that's all the elves could find. But it works. And she was one happy girl on Christmas morning!

At first she studied it like an engineer's granddaughter.....

And then she jumped in head first to play! She still tends to play with her eyes closed and her head thrown back-- she's run into more than one wall in the last few days day.

She really got into the present opening this year, even though she still wanted to play with everything once it was opened. It took her most of the day to open all her presents.

Dave and I bought her a digital camera because she loves mine so much. It takes real pictures that we can download to the computer, and she loves it. She tends to turn the camera around backwards and take pictures of herself, which is pretty cute. Or she'll yell "hold still, smile, I said don't move!" Wonder where she's heard that??

And I can't forget this little one! She was a good sport and watched Abby open all her presents. She got a couple of toys herself, including this seahorse that sings.

Don't you love the crazy hair? That's what it's like most of the time.

And they both crashed for naptime a little later.

Hopefully I'll get Christmas II pictures up later today, but for now there's a baby to be fed!

Playing the "Tar"

2010-12-07T22:10:00.001-06:00

If you've got a free 3 minutes, watch Abby playing the "tar" and me badly singing the wrong words to "What's your Name". 3 minutes well spent, I think!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7t7CBqST8E

Friends

2010-12-06T20:08:00.004-06:00

It's been crazy busy around here lately. Mom and I have been packing the last two days, and my garage is full of boxes. The movers are scheduled. And the utilities have mostly been put into our name. At the same time I decide to repaint and crackle our spare bedroom furniture so that Abby can have new white stuff and Livi can have the nursery furniture. And I'm creating new decorative name letters for their new walls. There's so much paint flying around here it's....well, I was going to say crazy, but I've already said that.

Even so, we're taking time for friends. Riley and Wyatt came over for dinner and a playdate last week, and Laura and I had wine. It was a good night. We let them watch one episode of Spongebob. It was a hit.

And tonight Adrienne came over to help me finish off the decorative letters. We got our project completed, the little girls had dinner, and then I snapped a few full tummy pictures. I love that Livi and Kate are only 6 weeks apart (but man--what 6 weeks will do for your growth!) and I hope they'll be great friends as they grow up!

This overall went much better than their first meeting. Or maybe they were just upset that OU beat Baylor!

Conversations

2010-12-01T22:23:00.003-06:00

Happy 2 months, Livi!

2010-11-22T18:11:00.002-06:00

Wow-- I can't believe she's 2 months old! I really do feel like I was just pregnant. But I'm so glad she's here!

We haven't gone in for her 2 month checkup yet-- probably will do it the week after Thanksgiving. But we started her on zantac for reflux about 3 weeks ago and she was 11.5 pounds then. And she's a much happier baby since starting medication.

She's wearing size 0-3 month clothes, and sometimes 3 months fit too. She's wearing size 1 diapers. She's got her feeding patterns down-- she eats every 3-4 hours and usually still wakes up around 3:30 am to eat but goes right back to sleep.

She's really starting to develop a personality, and she's a very smiley baby. As this shows.....

She loves Abby-- even when Abby's in her face and poking at her, she's smiling at her. Well, until there's an eye involved, and then there's tears!

Happy 2 month birthday, Livi!!

Bathtime!

2010-11-22T18:01:00.003-06:00

I've learned it's easier to bathe them together on Livi's bath days. Abby thinks it's pretty cool because she can help.

Livi's pretty photogenic at baseline, but she was looking exceptionally beautiful a couple of nights ago. Look at those blue eyes!! Any bets on when they'll turn brown?? :)

I'm back at work. I'm ok with it. There actually weren't any tears this time. It's amazing what 2 extra weeks at home will do for you. I was, however, an hour and 20 minutes late for work last Tuesday. It's gotten better since then though!!

And now we're gearing up for Thanksgiving....and moving!!

Photos in the Leaves

2010-11-14T22:02:00.005-06:00

It's been a lazy weekend here in Moore. Which is a great thing, since it's my last one before heading back to work on Tuesday. Hard to believe 8 weeks have gone by already. To be totally honest, part of me is ready to head back to work. And the other part is going to cry my eyes out tomorrow night.

Since I still have Amy's camera lens, we took a few pictures in the fall leaves in Mom and Dad's backyard today. My real goal was to get a good family picture, but that didn't happen. I'll try with a profession in the spring. But I still got a few good ones!!

My first picture with Livi since she was born:

The one ok family one we did get, and it's looks better in B&W:

Livi in the Leaves::

Abby and Daddy::

I've learned it's MUCH easier to get action shots of Abby, so I've pretty much given up getting her to pose at this point. Maybe when she's 5.....

I'm giving Amy back her lens tomorrow, so I'll just have to put it on my wish list. Anybody have an extra $700 lying around they want to donate to a creative cause?!?!?!?

Photos in the Field

2010-11-12T23:14:00.007-06:00

I've been wanting to do some outdoor professional photos of the girls (really, the whole family, but that involves convincing Dave too!). But, since we're buying a house, now isn't the time to spend 300+ dollars on photography. But then I realized I could probably take my own pictures in a field near our house! I borrowed a wide angle lens from a woman I work with (thanks, Amy!) and had my very pregnant friend Adrienne come with me for support.

I think the pictures turned out awesome. I got a ton of duds too, and Abby wasn't the most cooperative child ever, but there's definitely a few worthy of being blown up.

My favorite one of the ENTIRE day:::

Others who deserve credit: my friend Gina, who made the beautiful pink blanket. My dad, who built the rocking chair for his first granddaughter. And Dave and I, for having such awesome DNA. :)

Which one is YOUR favorite???

Little More O Livi

2010-11-12T22:56:00.003-06:00

Here's a few more, just to show how much she's growing. I can't believe she's already almost 8 weeks old. And that I have to go back to work in 3 days. :(

This is usually what her hair looks like...sticking out on the side!

Look at those beautiful eyes! She's so photogenic....

In Abby news, I went to her parent/teacher conference at daycare today. She's doing well in all areas, actually pretty advanced in the language area. But she bites. Sigh. I was a biter too....guess this is payback. Hope she doesn't mind wrinkles in her socks too.....

Creativity

2010-11-10T10:53:00.004-06:00

We've been pretty creative around here lately.

First up, pumpkin painting. I hate carving pumpkins because it's so messy and they never come out looking like I think they should (stupid pumpkins), so we decided to let Abby have at them this year.

She was up for the challenge.

But, of course, not all the paint stayed on the pumpkin.

And she had a blast doing it. So much so that she still asks to paint the pumpkins. Luckily, they're still on our porch, so we can!!

Last week, in a burst of creativity myself, I created a bow holder for the girls. I really liked how it turned out. Unfortunately, I didn't estimate the number of bows we have very well. Guess I'll just have to make another one soon!

I almost bought a silk screen thing from an infomercial at 4am today. Because I definitely need one. For what I don't know, but as Abby says, I NEEEEEED it!

And we bought a house! A post on that coming soon.....

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-02T13:43:00.004-05:00

Happy (belated) Halloween! We've been busy here. Dave and I have been looking at houses lately, gearing up to hopefully move to a bigger place sometime in the near future. I knew we needed a bigger house, but have 2 kids worth of stuff has made it even more glaringly obvious.

We celebrated 2 Halloweens here. We spent the 31st at Mimi and Papa's house. Abby walked their street and got a few pieces of candy. They weren't a very festive group.

Then everyone put on their Halloween PJs and watched a little Spongebob. And had a blue sucker, which ended up all over everything-- including Livi.

Livi's first Halloween. I wish her eyes would stay blue....

On the 30th we went to Edmond and trick or treated with a bunch of our friends. Livi went with us, wrapped in a sling, and slept for the entire walk. Abby made out much better on the candy front in Edmond!

Here's a picture of the group we were with. We're missing a couple, but in general, 5 families worth of kids, ages 1-5 years.

Livi and I had a little impromtu photo shoot in Mom and Dad's front yard while Abby was getting candy.

And, finally, here's a few of the bestest little fairy princess there is!!

Some action shots.....

She really "got" it this year. She was able to say "trick or treat" and hold out her bug for candy. It did take her a few houses to realize she didn't have to eat the candy as soon as she got it though!

Hope you're Halloween was great too!

(I now realize my "group" photos that I created don't transfer over to the blog with good quality. I don't know why bc they're saved in hi res-- it just makes them much smaller when I pull them over. Any thoughts?)

Happy Anniversary!

2010-10-29T20:35:00.002-05:00

Five years ago today, I married my best friend during a fair tale wedding in the Hill Country of Boerne, Texas.

And though it hasn't always been easy, I wouldn't choose any other path.

Happy Anniversary, Dave!!!

(and thanks, Mom, for keeping Abby!)

All about Livi

2010-10-23T21:57:00.004-05:00

Olivia, you are one month old! You have been such a wonderful addition to our family-- I can't remember what life was like before you joined us. But maybe that's the sleep deprivation.

Last time we weighed you, you were 10 pounds 13 oz. I bet you're easily almost 12 pounds now. You wear size 1 diapers and are rapidly outgrowing your newborn clothes and usually wear 0-3 months.

If I'm lucky, you sleep 4 hours at a time, although usually you eat every 3 hours like clockwork. You love to be held, and I think you would let someone hold you 24 hours a day if we would! I love that you're having longer and longer periods of being awake now.

You hate having your diaper changed but you're learning to like your baths.

Love you, beautiful baby girl. So glad you're here with us!

Ever had this kind of Day??

2010-10-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

Yeah, us neither.

Wedding Weekend

2010-10-14T13:45:00.004-05:00

Last weekend our family made the trip to Gainesville, TX to celebrate and take part in the wedding of my college roommate Tori. Their wedding was on a beautiful ranch, and the weather was perfect.

Abby thought the ranch was pretty cool. We spent time looking at the cows (who 'have long tails') and the horses, but the thing she loved the most was ACORNS. She collected them and stuffed them in her pockets all weekend. She was a somewhat reluctant flower girl, and the "official" pictures may not be all that great. But I was able to snap these out in front of the church before the ceremony.

Her cheesy grin

Checking out the bride as she walked to the chapel

Deep in thought

My favorite one.....

Another favorite.....

We tried to get a new family picture with all 4 of us, since the only one we have is from the day after Livi was born in the hospital. However, it proved a little challenging with a 3 week old and an unhappy 2.5 year old. We have several that look like this.....
But finally settled on this, the best of the bunch.

Livi was all dressed up for the wedding too.

And finally, the bride and groom, and the most beauitful flower girl!

Potty Reading

2010-10-13T08:34:00.002-05:00

A little light reading for the potty. Any guesses as to what she's reading??

"The Womanly Art of Breast Feeding"

Sisterly Love

2010-10-13T08:12:00.002-05:00

Abby has done amazing with Livi. She comes up to her at least 2-3 times per day and tells her how beautiful she is. She makes sure to bless her when she coughs or sneezes. She wants to be nearby when she gets her diaper changed or takes a bath.

And yes, sometimes she licks her. In case you were wondering, "she tastes good."

Making sure she sounds okay, Abby style

Welcoming her home

Sister "nap" on the couch with matching binkies

Checking out her mouth- Abby's inspected all her parts

Overall, it's been a great 3 weeks. I struggled the first week or so with balancing the needs of both my girls. Actually, I still struggle with it, and probably always will, but it was a rough beginning, compounded by hormones. However, instead of now feeling like I ruined Abby's life because I brought Livi home, I realize (I hope) that I've given her a best friend for life. Someone to tell her late night secrets to, share about her first crush and first kiss, a maid of honor for her wedding. A pair who can take care of each other when Dave and I are gone. And I know they're going to fight and get into each other's stuff and NOT like each other sometimes, but when all that falls away, what I'm hoping is for a lifetime of deep friendship and love. And so far, they're off to a great start.

First Days

2010-10-02T23:12:00.004-05:00

Shhh...they're both sleeping. So here's a few more from our first couple of days at home.

Here Livi is, all dressed up and in her car seat, ready for the ride home!

Mimi and Papa came to visit. She's not loved or anything!!

Even Abby wanted to check her out. I like this one...it kind of looks like she's blessing her!

She got a bath the next day, her first one at home. Abby wanted to help, so we sat her on the counter in the kitchen with us so she could do her part. She stayed interested until the crying started (which was almost immediately) and then she ran away!

Pretty much the entire bath went like this.....

Sister pictures coming next!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

2010-10-02T12:38:00.011-05:00

I've been trying to put up this post for 10 days now. I guess I've been a little busier than I had planned! Here's the story of Olivia's birthday!

Dave and I showed up at the hospital at 7am for my induction. In keeping with Abby's birth, I had another meltdown and cried in the parking lot before we walked in. When the nurse led us to our birthing room, imagine our surprise when it was the same room Abby was born in! We've renamed it the DeLeon Birthing Suite. Here's me around 7:30 am as we're starting the day.......

After 3 IV attempts, we got pitocin and antibiotics started around 8:30. My water broke around 12:30, and contractions were pretty regular, but it took forever to start dilating. At 8pm I was only 4cm. Which made Dave and Dr. Brown happy, because then they didn't have to miss Monday Night Football (priorities, people!). At 10pm, I told Dave to get the nurse because my epidural wasn't working any more and I was really hurting with every contraction. The nurse decided to check me before calling the anesthesiologist, and I was a 10-- the pain was Olivia ready to be born!! They called Dr. Brown in, and he and Dave watched the final minutes of the game while the nurses were setting up. I was seriously concerned the game was going to go into overtime and I was never going to be able to have this baby, but luckily the Saints kicked a last minute field goal and I got to start pushing. Three contractions and 9 pushes later, she was here!!

Olivia Ann was born at 11:03pm on 9/20. She shares her birthday with my nephew, Michael. By the way...this was my nurse when she was finally born. The 4th one I'd had that day. Way to take your time, child!!

8 pounds, 6 ounces, and 21 inches long. A full 2 pounds bigger and 2 inches longer than Abby!! It's amazing what 2 extra weeks of growing will get you!!

Abby had been a trooper all day, but finally Dad took her home around 9, so this new family picture isn't quite complete.

Although, to be entirely fair, Dad let Abby stay up until 1am...she was still up when Mom got home after Olivia was born. Such a pushover, that Papa.

The doting grandmothers, who stuck it out all day......

And finally, later that night, after her first bath. The nurses fancied her hair up into a beautiful little mohawk!

It has been an incredibly crazy, busy, and overwhelming 12 days. But I love our family of four. More pictures coming soon...or whenever I can get both kids to nap at the same time.