Wahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Sounds from our table this morning at breakfast.

(Shep, not Brennan)

=)

Pumpkin Patch

Here are a few pics of our trip to the pumpkin patch this year. We went with our friends the Angstroms.

And a few shots from the previous two years, just for old times sake....

Such a Deal

I have been searching for a good deal on a double stroller for awhile now. I have been stalking Craigslist and Ebay weekly looking for the perfect fit at the perfect price. I have a double stroller that I keep in my car, but I also wanted one to keep in the garage for walks to the park and around the neighborhood. (I am an American so that totally justifies the right to have two double strollers to make my life easier). Anywho...so about three weeks ago, I found a Bob Revolution on Craigslist. It wasn't the exact one I wanted, meaning it didn't have the front swivel wheel, but they are great strollers, so I went with it anyways. It was the bargain price of $200 and I got it for $175!! Robbie's parents had also given us $150 towards the purchase of a stroller...so my Bob ended up costing me $25. I was pleased....until I really started walking with it and realized that I needed (wanted) that front swivel wheel after all. So while I loved the idea of having two double strollers all with men's first names (my other double is a Phil & Ted) I decided it was time to sell. So I put it back up on Craigslist and sold it for $200, making myself a $25 profit. Now I had $200 to spend...woohoo! Weeks go by of searching again, making a few bids on Ebay and losing. Really wanting to find a Bob again, but knowing I probably wouldn't for the amount of $ I wanted to spend. Then I remembered something I had forgotten...we had bought tickets to U2 but sold them (made a $50 profit) because we were not going to be able to make it. So I was also able to use that money to put towards my new stroller!!! Now I had $320 to work with.

Well....last night I found a Baby Jogger for sale on Ebay that was perfect...I bid on it and WON!!! For the bargain price of $325! This stroller goes for $600! Gotta love a good deal.

Baby Jogger City Classic Double Stroller - Red/Silver

a love hate relationship

Recently there has been some road construction going on by our house. So far, it has provided lots of entertainment for Shep to watch the workmen repaving the road. It has however, disrupted the most important part of our day...nap time. So while I appreciate the workmen keeping my son entertained, I would simply ask that they refrain from working during the hours of 1-4pm so that we could sleep in peace. Not too much to ask I think.

the view from our front porch

I missed it somehow

Shep, somehow I missed you turning from my little baby boy to the big brother. Last week we ran one of our first errands together without Brennan. Since you have been alive I have always gotten you out of your car seat and then picked you up and either put you in a stroller or carried you into wherever I was headed. But last week, I opened the car door, unbuckled your car seat and held your hand to help you out of the car. Then without missing a beat, you just held your hand up to mine and began walking...no lifting your arms up in the air for me to pick you up and no questions asking to be held. You were content with walking on your own two feet.

Sometime in the last 5 weeks you have made this transition to the 'older' sibling and for that I am grateful, but also a little bit sad that my baby boy is gone. Although as my first baby boy, you will always hold a special place in my heart. Love you little buddy!

Shep at 27 months

One Month

Little B I can't believe it has already been a month since you entered our world and our family. You sure have made this first month easy on me and for that I thank you! You are a dream come true, a champion eater and sleeper with the sweetest disposition!

Happy One Month!

The day we became four

It has been brought to my attention that I have not yet posted about Brennan's actual birth story. Thank you friend (Rachel) for reminding me because it is an important story that I want to document and remember. So here we go...and I will try to be brief for another friend that appreciates short posts (Brad).

So here we go! It was around 2:30a.m. on Sunday September 6th, that I woke up with a weird feeling in my back. It would come and go but was neither painful or uncomfortable, just odd. I thought perhaps I had to go to the bathroom, I got up and tried, but nothing. So I went back to bed and dozed on and off, but never really fell back to sleep completely because of this weird feeling. So I got up again at 3 and wondered if this weird feeling could be contractions. Now the only other time I have been in labor, it was clear that I was in labor because my water broke, well maybe not that clear because I thought I was peeing on myself, but as soon as I clued into the fact that my water had indeed broken, it was clear labor was starting. But I digress...

So are these contractions or aren't they, I wondered. Given the fact that I was two days past my due date I went out on a limb and decided they were indeed contractions. So I woke up Robbie and told him labor was starting. But you see, there was no pain, just a weird feeling in my back.

Again, my only other time in labor, because of the water breaking and all, contractions were painful right from the start. But not this time...such a little blessing I was given.

We called our midwife and told her labor had started, but that I wasn't in any real pain. So she said to call her with an update in 30 min. At this point we also called our in-case-of-labor-in-the-middle-of-the-night-on-call-friends, Dan and Liz. Gave Lizzy the heads up that this is it and that I would call her when she needs to head over to our house. Such good friends they are. Especially given what dan had to do...more on that later.

So contractions are heating up, but to use the word pain at this point would be to diminish that which is truly pain....8-10 centimeters! So we will call them annoying and slightly uncomfortable sensations in the torso area. It is about this time that we call Dan and Liz to come on over and once they arrive, we chat on the couch for a bit and then head off to the birth center. When we arrive at Heart 2 Heart it is about 6 am and my midwife is outside waiting for me and greets me with a big hug. At this point I am so excited to get this done with and meet our newest addition, but also knowing the world of pain I am about to be in.

Michelle, the midwife, checks me for dialation and I was about 7cm. So she suggests I labor in the tub for a while. So I comply and get in the warm and relaxing water....which is suppose to help mask the "pain" of the contractions I am feeling at this point. I am in the tub for all of 10-15 min when I realize that this is just a little too comfortable for labor and that gravity is surely not on my side while I am laying down. So I get up and start moving. Then I begin feeling the real stuff....bring it on! Lets get this show on the road, I don't want to be here all day.

Labor progressed quickly from there and the next time she checked me I was 9 almost 10 cm. It was time to break my water. It is amazing how Michelle just knew that I was almost there...almost ready to to start pushing. I guess when you have delivered thousands of babies, you can almost predict these things without even looking at the women, just listening.

After my water broke I began pushing and it didn't take long for Brennan to appear!! Such joy that he was finally here and such relief that labor was over! No more pain and because of the awesome job of midwives, no special stitching needed =). The time was about 8:30 am and we were now a family of four, except our 4th person was missing...Shep. He was still at home with Dan. So Dan, the brave and wonderful soul that he is drove Shep down to the birth center for us so he could meet his little brother. When he arrived, Robbie insisted that he come back to the room to meet Brennan; when Dan came back I could see the "what the hell" look on his face and after taking a quick look at Brennan he retreated back to the safety of the waiting area. I think people who have been through child birth just assume that everyone else is as comfortable with the idea as they are. That is not really the case, but we will forever love Dan and Liz for being our "on-call" peeps that night and we owe a special shout out to Dan for braving the land of the newborns to bring Shep to us!

This wasn't brief...but oh well!