Friday, August 29, 2008

Welcome, Lincoln Parker!

He's here and he is beautiful!

Born: August 29, 2008 at 12:51 am
Weighing in at: 8 lbs.
Measuring: 21 inches
More details to follow...
Welcome to our world, Lincoln! We love you so much already.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

BRING IT ON...

It's official. I'm ready. I got my hair done today. That was the last thing on my list of things to do before birthing our son. Bring this baby on.


We also checked another big item off our list last night. Griffin slept in a BIG BOY bed for the very first time.


Only a few tears were shed. Most of them by me. =)

So, now we wait. I've been wondering. When do you all think the big day will be? My brother asked Griffin to point to a calendar tonight to see when he thought the baby would be born, and he pointed to tomorrow. Sounds good to me!

How about you? What do you think? Leave me some comment love with your best guess.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

No, he's not here yet.

Let's be real honest here. I could post all sorts of fun pics from the past few weeks highlighting the events that have taken place in my life from Griffin's Under the Sea birthday party to my family's week of day trips (which we've lovingly entitled the Hill Family Stay-cation) to the firstfruits of my little garden, etc.

But c'mon now....you don't really care about that! You just stopped by to see if I had this baby yet, didn't you? I know how you are.

And I don't blame you. So let's make a deal. For today's post, I will give you the latest on this baby boy who's about to enter our world. And over the next week, if he chooses to continue to withhold his presence from us, I will share those pics and stories of the fun we've had over the past few weeks. Sound fair? I think so. And it will be a nice diversion for me to pass the time. I may need it.

Soooooo....here's the latest:

He's not here yet, for starters. And to be honest, up until this past week I've been feeling so good that I've been wondering if I really was due in a couple weeks. But this week, I've been introduced to the world of pelvic floor pain as this baby's head finally decided to drop. Not exactly comfortable, but there is some comfort in knowing he is making his way in the right direction.

So, as of my doctor's appointment yesterday, I am 2-3 cm dialated. A welcome change from last week's appointment when there was no sign of anything. My doctor is a big fan of induction, so she made an appeal that I consider getting induced this next week. I was prepared for this and already had made my resolve that I would not consider this as an option. My brick wall started to crumble a bit as she made the process sound like a breeze the second time around, especially since I have already started to dialate. I would definitely like to hold out at least until my due date, though, and then we will see.

Oh, and as of last week, this kid's estimated weight was 8 lb. 4 oz. Another reason why induction may be in my future.

Until then, I have been keeping myself very busy. Having been gone so much lately, there were some pretty essential things that still needed to be done. My list of accomplishments over the past week:
Setting up the bassinet. Check.
Cleaning the car seat which had collected much dirt in our garage. Check.
Washing all the baby clothes and realizing many of them had stains and we needed more. Check.
Buying some new baby clothes. (Children's Place on amazon.com had a great sale!) Check.
Cleaning like a mad woman. Check. (Wish this nesting thing continued after the pregnancy!)

I also need to give some props to friends and family who have loved on me lately, like my sister in law who, with true unconditional love, cut my toe nails for me while on vacation:

...my husband who's about to paint my toe nails for me (although he doesn't know it yet...I'm cashing in on an offer he made a week ago...), my friend, Anca, who watched Griffin while I did a bunch of running around yesterday and made us a couple of meals (did I mention she has a two year old and a newborn?), and our friends, the Bruces, who are about to take Griffin to the Discovery Center while Wes and I go on one last date pre-child #2. YAY! Not to mention those who have called just to check up on me. I just feel grateful.

There have been moments of anxiety as well. I had a little breakdown last night as some of the stress of this time started to settle in. But, in all honesty, my emotions have behaved themselves pretty well this time around. I have yet to have a melt down in the middle of Target because the lady in the dressing room wouldn't let me mix and match the size of the pajamas I wanted to buy. Ahem. I guess I still have time though.

Ok. That's all for now. Stay tuned for the latest on "Wes and Kaley plus Two" (hmmm...doesn't quite have the same ring to it.)

Oh--I'm pretty sure our hospital has wi-fi, so hopefully we will bring you some pics very shortly after the birth!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

sentimental

Milestones tend to make me a bit sappy and sentimental. Consider that your warning.

Griffin turns three tomorrow. I find myself stealing glances of him throughout the day, trying to soak in the last few moments of his life as a two year old. My emotions mix between welcoming his future and straining to hold onto his past.

I wish I could make a time capsule of all that makes Griffin uniquely himself as an almost three year old. So I will document my best effort in this post.
***

Griffin,

I was completely unprepared for the changes that you would bring to life when you entered our world almost three years ago. But then is it really possible to prepare for sleepless nights and a complete upheaval of life as we knew it? Guess not.

But, mostly I was unprepared for this great big, huge, immense, giant ball of love that began to grow in my heart for this little life that appeared in our world one afternoon in August, 2005.

And now you are almost three. A big part of me would like to put life on hold and keep you almost three forever. But then there is the even bigger part that can't wait to watch your life unfold and see what you become. Wow. I love that thought.

So, in an effort to hold onto a piece of your life as a two year old, I've attempted to think of the three best words to describe you at this point in time.

Active. Your very first question when I get you out of bed in the morning is, "Is Daddy here?" It is quickly followed up by, "Where are we going?" You love to go, go, go.

So much of who you are is wrapped up in this word. You can't wait to ask new questions, make new friends, spend time with the people you love, help with the gardening, sing at the top of your lungs or wrestle with Daddy. There are definitely days that I don't know if I can keep up with you for another minute.

Observant. Those who know you best often comment, "He doesn't miss a thing, does he?" You often surprise us with what you observe.

You demonstrated this the other day when Papa Nick (our landlord) was over at the house. You pointed out to him that you had a shirt with a pocket just like he did. You then hurried away looking for something. A couple minutes later, you returned with a pencil and a piece of paper stuffed inside your pocket. You've noticed that Papa Nick always carries a notepad and a pencil in his pocket and you wanted to be just like him. I think Papa Nick was about ready to burst as he watched you imitate him.

(I'm quite sure this quality may be something that your wife will appreciate someday.)

Outgoing. A couple of weeks ago, we were in Florida and were about to head down to the hotel swimming pool. As we headed out the door, you said with great enthusiasm, "My friends are down there, Mommy!" You had never met them before, but you were quite confident that anyone you came into contact with would quickly become your friend.

And to be honest, this is usually the case. You are drawn to people and they, in turn, are drawn to you. I think this must have something to do with how well-loved you are by so many people.

That is only the start. There are so many more words to describe you, Griffin: happy, helpful, inquisitive, funny, and strong-willed (very strong-willed) are just a few.

And now, in just a few short weeks, you will be a big brother. I can't wait to watch you fill this role. I know you will love it.

And so, Happy Third Birthday, Griffin Wesley Ehret. Your daddy and I love you more than we can say. You are the best thing we have ever done.

Love,
Mommy