Ellie's a BIG Sister!

Well we arrived at the hospital just before 6 a.m. and was escorted to the last available birthing suite. I received my IV and signed all the necessary paperwork to be admitted by 630. My epidural was administered by 7 and Dr. V cam to check on me at 730. At my first exam I was 3 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. He said he'd be back a little later to check me again. We all waited for the pitocin to do it's thing ... He came in a few hours later and I was 8 and 70%. Shortly after he left I started to feel my contractions (about every minute and a half or so) and after about 45 minutes started feeling the urge to push. The nurse checked me and said I was fully dilated and very close to completely thinned out so at 12:50 p.m. she gave me the go-ahead to start my practice pushes. Dr. Vandersloot was called and came into the room around 1:15 and after feeling all my contractions (thanks to my epi. they were dull and nagging) and the infamous "ring of fire," Claire Marie was born with a TON of BLACK hair at 1:41 p.m. on Monday September 27, 2010! She weighed 7.15 and was 21.5" tall. The cord was wrapped around her neck and had to be cut before her body was delivered, then, come to find out, it was also wrapped around her arm and torso. She had a little fluid in her lungs and needed a little oxygen but nothing serious. She scored 9's on her APGARs and looked absolutely NOTHING like her big sister! We were released on the 28th at 5:45 p.m. Smooth sailing, quick and easy ... great experience!

Claire went from 7.15 to 6.10 in the first few days and it took her until her 1 month check up to get back to her birth weight. It's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me, thinking it's my fault she's not gaining properly. Her pediatrician is WONDERFUL and had me come in every week to have her weight checked to make sure she was gaining (or at LEAST maintaining), which she has been doing. She's always gaining, just not as much as she "should." I'm going to start taking her to the support group on Mondays to have her weighed to make sure she continues. She is a very good baby! She's more fussy than Ellie was but I think we were just REALLY lucky with Ellie. She sleeps (now, at almost 6 weeks) anywhere from 6-8 hours every night! And for a breastfed baby that's GREAT (I hear)! Oh ... and she has BLUE EYES!

Ellie absolutely LOVES being a big sister ... and she's SOOO good at it! She always wants to help change diapers and giver her baths and asks to hold her all the time! She's transitioned from an only child to having a sibling better than I ever could have imagined! I'm very thankful! Now I just have to figure out how to better distribute my time between the two girls. Right now it's hard because Claire's nursing and just needy in general, being a newborn. I'm working on it though and it seems to come easier by the day.

So close ...

Big shocker! I'm a failure at blogging! LOL!
I decided, though, that I should update real fast. As of today I have a crazy, independent, loving, witty, and BEAUTIFUL baby girl and am 2 days away from having our second little girl =) Life is good ... but will be better Monday night. I hate being pregnant even though this time around has really been a breeze. I'm not good at it and all I do is complain ... poor Cory!
Per a friend's suggestion, I'm going to start a quote list for all the wonderful things my toddler says! I have to ... she keeps me in stitches 24/7!

Anyway ... Ellie is doing great! She can't wait to be a big sister! She talks about Baby Claire ALL the time. I hope she likes her as much once she's here as she does now! It'll make my life EASY-PEASY! She's successfully given up her "me-me" and since has had a vocabulary explosion! We attempted potty training and while she was excited about it for a little while, she completely lost interest so we're putting it on hold, probably until she's closer to 3. She's transitioned into a "big girl bed" wonderfully! She loves it! We took the summer off of swim lessons but are going to start them back up next month, she can't wait! She's also asking me lately if she can go to school by herself ... we're going to have to look into that, maybe after the first of the year =)

We got a puppy in July. She was shipped to us at 8 weeks old all the way from Nashville, TN. She's a registered Black Lab with an amazing pedigree and she's absolutely adorable! Her name is Caly (Calypso) and she's currently about 17 weeks old. Cory's been working his butt off training her and let me tell ya, he is doing an AMAZING job with her! She is absolutely incredible! She's the most lovey dog I've ever seen ... I think she's a little confused, I'm sure she thinks she's a Chihuahua or something! Her favorite place in the world is on your lap!

Then there's the newest member ... the one we're waiting on. Daddy named her, Claire Marie. She will be here on Monday! I'm scheduled to go in at 6 a.m. to be induced so she doesn't get as big as Ellie was, hopefully preventing a lot of the problems I had during delivery, including hypertension. At 37 weeks, Dr. V. guessed she was "...every bit of 7lbs., putting her right on track to follow in her big sister's footsteps." *sigh* Oh boy! We're all really excited to meet her and see if she's going to look like Ellie or if she'll throw us for a loop and come out a blondie (or red-head) with blue eyes! The countdown has begun, 36 hours until we're admitted =) I'll update (at some point) after she arrives!!!

Ultrasound, Birthday Party, Swimming Lessons, Oh My!

So this is the first time I've had a spare minute to jump on here and blog about what's going on, although I've been meaning to do this for a week! Lots went on for us in that last week. We had our 20 week check up and big ultrasound on Ellie's birthday (Friday May 21)!

We found out that Miss Ellie is going to have a baby SISTER! Cory was a little bummed, but only at first, every Dad wants a son ... but he's perfectly happy knowing she's healthy and has warmed up just fine to the idea of another girl! He figures Ellie is pretty cool, so this one will add to the fun! Now we begin the naming process! Oh boy! This is proving to be a lot more difficult that I thought it would be ... and a WHOLE LOT more difficult than naming Ellie. So far we have nothing. More posts on this to come, I'm sure!

Ellie's birthday party was a success. We had it the day after her actual birthday in our backyard. Luckily the weather held out for us and while it was a little breezy, it stayed mostly sunny/warm and the rain took a nice pause for us!! Ellie had a blast! Her best friend, Maddy, came as did Ellie's Cousin Lily! The girls had a great time playing together and it was absolutely adorable to watch! The Dora cake was delish and Ellie was spoiled with tons of wonderful gifts from all her friends and family! We are so blessed to have such a great network of people around us!

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, Ellie has been in swim lessons since the first-ish of February! Last night was her last lesson for the summer (we'll start her back up in September) and she's done absolutely amazing in my opinion! Last ight was family Night so Cory and I both got to swim with her! After class teacher Lori handed out little awards and ribbons for the kids doing such great jobs! As we were leaving and Ellie was handed hers, the teacher pulled us aside ... (Before I get too into my story, I want to share what teacher Lori wrote at the bottom of the award in the "comments" section. "Excellent! Way to swim to TURTLE in the summer.") Lori asked when Ellie's birthday was. I told her she JUST turned 2 on Friday. At the time of writing out the award, she wasn't sure if E was going to be 3 in the fall/winter, but if that WAS the case, she wanted to move E up from parent/child classes to the 3y/o classes this summer because "she's a very advanced swimmer" !!! Since E JUST turned 2 she said she KNOWS she can get her approved for TURTLE (3y/o class) this fall/winter at 2 1/2! She had the TURTLE teacher (Tyler) sitting in on family swim and had E show him how she swims from the bottom of the pool to the surface for air and yells for "HELP!" (They teach them this in case they were to fall in the pool ... so we can hear her and save her). She's the only one in her class who does it and most of the other kids have been swimming since 6-12 months old, except for one new boy this session. E's only been swimming for barely 4m! Can you believe it?!!? I was (am) SO proud! I was glowing all night!!!!! I'm terrified of any water other than bath/shower or pools and am NOT a good swimmer ... at all. So to have her be SO into it and doing SO well is absolutely amazing to me! Cory LOVES the water, he grew up on a lake near Seattle so he's part fish and is ALWAYS begging me to swim and scuba dive with him and I do it but with a floaty and panic attack in tow. LMAO! First thing he said last night was, "Well ... I guess I found my new dive buddy!" SOOOO EXCITED! Anyway, we'll go back to Teacher Lori in Sept. for a session or two and then see what she wants to do with Ellie! She said she doesn't want to keep her at "age level" because of how well she's doing after only 3 sessions! =D We've also decided that we're going to start Baby #2 at 6m (when they first start excepting them) ... so in March/April-ish! =)

Sad day for us

Well today is a sad day for our little family. At 430 this afternoon we are taking our dog, Jake, in to be put down. Cory got him when he was 11, making Jake just over 16 years old. He's been, literally, THE BEST dog I've ever had or even known. He's been in my life for over 7 years and I can't imagine there ever being a more loyal, faithful, loving, cuddly, funny dog on this planet. We've been very spoiled to have had such a wonderful dog in our lives. I'm sad Ellie won't remember him, although in her 2 years, especially the last few months, she's had an amazing time playing and loving on him! We are taking him up Klicker Mountain to bury him. He LOVES the snow and the mountain get lots of it (for our area)! It's a hard decision to have to make, but we know it's for the best. He's got a lot of life left in him, I'm sure, but physically he's done. It's not fair for us to keep him with us. It's selfish at this point. It's really hard knowing he won't be here tonight when we feed "them." Last night we all made beds on the floor and couch and had a camp-out with him in the livingroom. I know Cory has ENDLESS amounts of stories and good times he'll remember, but my most favorite was 6 years ago. Cory was mobilized and staying up at Fort Lewis getting ready to go to Iraq. I had moved in with Eilin and every night I made Jake a place on the bed with me and he'd sleep there, with his paw on my arm, ALL night! If he'd get up in the middle of the night for a drink he'd always come back =) That is my favorite memory of Jakers! Losing this part of our family makes me not want pets anymore. Losing them is almost what I would imagine losing a child would be like. Devastating.

On a happier note, I have a Baby #2 update from a couple weeks ago (April 23)! Dr. V. said everything is going perfectly! The HB was 148-152 bpm and we made our appt. for the ultrasound! We get to find out ON ELLIE'S BIRTHDAY if she's having a baby brother or sister! May 21st it is!

"No Mo Monkey Jump OnA Bed!"

We had our 12 week prenatal check up on Friday. Everything was great! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and it was pumping strong at 164! Dr. V said everything was perfect! I go back on April 23 for my 16 week check! That's about all for that =)
Ellie got to go with us, she wasn't too sure about the dr. at first but thought the HB sounds was "Cooooo!" Silly kid! I can't believe how much she's growing right before my eyes! I look at her everyday and think, "Man! WHERE has the time gone?" I swear I just brought her home from the hospital yesterday! She's SO much fun and SO full of personality! She's a real spitfire! She's learning to count to 10, colors (her favorite is green) and she recognizes the letters E, L, I, M, O and A when she sees them out and about! I'm so proud of her!!! She's also learning songs and rhymes and repeats them randomly. It's so cute! At her swimming class, they sing "Rain, rain go away, come again another day, little Ellie wants to play, rain, rain go away!" and she sings it ALLLL the time, especially in the shower when we're washing her hair! She also knows "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "This Little Piggy," and "No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed" (She knows that one in sign language too)! She really just amazes me every single day!
Cory started school (again) today! He's going back to college to get his AA, in addition to his AAAS (Criminal Justice Degree). This quarter he's taking Western Civilization, English 102 and Geology. He's pretty excited about it and I'm proud of him for taking that step! Aside from school he's working second shift at the Penitentiary still (6a.m. - 2p.m.) and really kind of hates it. We're just hoping and praying for a WWPD position to claim him! He's also keeping busy in the yard now that the weather is warming up a little. Now begins the never ending tasks of mowing, seeding, fertilizing, weed whacking, edging. *sigh* I'm just looking forward to the BBQ's!
I'm keeping busy too. In addition to my beautiful bundle of bouncing off the walls baby girl ... I've been watching Maddy, who's 6 weeks younger than Ellie ... and they're BEST friends ... and Logan who is 3 months old. This on top of my daily chore load keeps me on my toes for sure! I'm trying to find more time to get a little hobby time in, but it proves to be a lot more difficult than I expected. I taught myself how to sew cloth diapers and was doing that quite a bit for a while (I got a sewing machine for my birthday from my WONDERFUL husband and my mom-in-law!), I think I've made a total of 6, and now want to get caught up on ... started on really ... Ellie's scrapbook! I'd like to be fully caught up on her 2.5 years by the time Baby #2 arrives. I also taught myself how to make nursing covers! Little Logan's mom had one that caught my eye and I decided to take measurements and make one myself! My best friend, Katie, who just had her first baby, Kennadie, 2 weeks ago is sportin' my creation and says she loves it! I'm trying to get a second one made to send to my Sissy in PA, who actually just delivered my niece this morning! Miss Cordelia Elizabeth Fleur Tice arrived at 3:21 a.m. weighing in at 7lbs. 14oz. and was 20.5" long! CONGRATS SEESTER and DC, and WELCOME TO THE WORLD MISS CIA!! Anyway, I have to get that cover made and in the mail ASAP! =) I'll post pics of my creations as they come!

Signing off for tonight ... thanks for reading!

Couldn't have gone better!

Well we had our first appt. with the new OB yesterday morning and it couldn't have gone better! First and foremost, I think Dr. Vandersloot is a great doctor and I feel very comfortable and confident with him! Next, and most exciting ... we got to see the baby! It was wiggling all over the place and waving it's little arm buds at us! Cory thought that was the coolest thing ever! It's heart beat was 167 and my due dates has been confirmed. October 4, 2010, which is closer to where I thought it would be! I have to get our picture scanned onto our computer somehow, but as soon as I do, I'll post it on here! We are so excited! Now we just have to wait 12 more weeks to find out if it's a boy or a girl! It's gonna be a LOOOOONG 3 months! LOL!

Sick of feeling sick.

Man, if I would've known what was coming ... I wouldn't have been complaining. I kept telling Mom and Cory that I was feeling great! No morning sickness or anything! than all of the sudden it hit me. It's not as bad this time as it was with Ellie (the 24/7 throwing up, can't get off the couch kind of sick) but it's kicking my butt just the same. I'm thankful it's not as bad because I have NO idea how I'd manage a toddler, sometimes two, if it were. I mostly have all day on-and-off nausea, I've only thrown up a few times (sorry for the TMI), and I'm pretty sleepy. When the small windows present themselves, I have to get up and move to get anything done. My poor house is suffering and thank God for Cory because in addition to working his normal schedule ... he's been coming home and picking up the slack. Today my sole mission is get the laundry washed and dried, all of it. Cory said he'd fold and put it away if I can just get it all washed. I'm trying. I'm waiting very impatiently for my first appointment next week. In-take, since I have a new OB, is on Wednesday (just with the nurse) and I meet with the OB and hopefully get to see or hear the baby's heartbeat on Friday!

On a more exciting note, Ellie started swimming lessons at the YMCA last week! She absolutely loves it! She's learning to blow bubbles, kick and has been going underwater! She's not a huge fan of her ears going into the water or floating on her back though. I think she just doesn't feel secure. but when Teacher Lori does it with her she does amazing! I'm so glad =) So far she's been to 3 classes and has about 6 or so left this session, but each time she gets more and more comfortable and better and better! We've decided to sign her up for next session as well so that will be another month 2x/week! She loves it so much, I know if she knew to ask me, she would want to continue with them!

Back to my laundry. And I need to find something to eat that will stay with me. I'm thinking Grammy and Papa's homemade applesauce and toast. It seems to be my fail-safe!

And baby makes 4!

That's right! Cory and I just found out that we will be adding the newest member of the McLaughlin family sometime in late September! We are so excited! A little nervous, but so super stoked! I have my first appt. on February 26! We should be able to see/hear the heartbeat, so let the countdown begin!

On a sadder (if that's a word..) note ... Boone ran away Monday night and has yet to return. =( We're all pretty bummed, Cory especially. We keep praying that someone will find him and call us and NOT that he's been hit or stolen. Every time the phone rings we jump. Even Ellie knows something is up. She's always been a huge fan of him but yesterday woke up from her nap asking for him. Poor baby. Please help us prey that he is returned to us safe and sound!

9 month recap

I can't believe our baby girl is 20 months tomorrow! WHERE does time go? Walking, talking, running, yelling, picking her nose, putting on her own shoes, a toddler bed. What is next =( I feel like tomorrow she'll be off to college. Well, typical me, hasn't updated in 9 months! I'm terrible. But I'll give a month-by-month recap real fast.
May: Ellie's first birthday (cupcake theme) was a blast, despite the 6" of cottonwood "snow" all over Rooks Park. I made 88 cupcakes and came home from the party with 75 of them *sigh* We BBQ'd and it really was a success!
June: We started cloth diapering (again) and this time for good!
July: (Mommy's)Great Grandpa Tom and Great Grandma Jeanne McKeown's memorial service & big cook out at Grandma Darlene and Grandpa Tom McKeown's for the 4th! Most ALL the McKeowns were there!
The Oregon Coast for 5 days camping with Nana and Papa! Ellie LOVED playing in the ocean! Even though it was cold, she loved the water!
August: Camping trip with Uncle Sam and Uncle Evan at Wallowa Lake!!
September: Another camping trip to Wallowa Lake but this time, with Grampa Tracy, Grama Sarah and Aunties Tiffany & Megan!
October: Mommy started watching a little girl, Maddy! She's only 6 weeks younger than Ellie and they are BEST FRIENDS!
Halloween! Ellie was a bumble bee and went trick-or-treating with Uncle Sammy and Uncle Evan!
November: Yummy Thanksgiving at Nonna and Granite's
December: Christmas tree cutting up Tolgate!
WONDERFUL Christmas! spent with all our families =)
And here we are, almost done with January: We had a great NYE get together at our house! Ellie stayed with Nana and Papa, after they were over for dinner and some Wii!
So ... with the New Year comes resolutions!
Here are mine:
Be thrifty (spend less)
Stay away from dairy (...not going so well)
Stay organized.
Go GreenER ~we already cloth diaper, MOMMY uses reusable grocery bags, trying to conserve energy by using less HOT water (wash machine etc..) and heat, switching to all natural cleaning products, and starting learning to sew to cut back on spending (especially with the diapers)!

Cheers to a happy and healthy 2010!