Catching Up

How can it be that Madelyn is 6 1/2 weeks old already?!?!? And how can it be that I haven't posted for that long??? We've got some catching up to do.

Let's start with Christmas. Phew! Seems like a lifetime ago. I left the hospital on Sunday, December 20th. There was a tremendous amount of snow (we got about 2 feet), but Mitch was able to get to the hospital to pick us up. My mom was here (thank goodness!!!!), and she and I and Maddy spent a lot of quality time together. And Mom mastered taking the boys to school in the morning! Very helpful since in the beginning I couldn't drive, or physically pick the boys up.

On Christmas Eve, we headed out to Mitch's parent's house. Since no visitors were allowed in the hospital, it was the first time Fammy and Granddad were meeting their newest granddaughter.

And Aunt Ashley too!!

Granddad's lap is always a favorite spot for all the grandkids!

There was a wonderful dinner (though I missed most of it - I wasn't feeling well and went upstairs to lie down), and of course, PRESENTS!!

And some quality hang time for Tyler and cousin Charlotte....

Then we headed home and waited for Santa.

He didn't disappont!

Here is Maddy on her first Christmas morning!

A better look at her outfit:

Let the frenzy begin!

Here are the boys giving presents to Maddy:

Her stuffed bunny is (was) bigger than she is!!

We spent the day at home, and had a nice, low-key, family celebration. It was a wonderful Christmas, with much to be celebrated.

So far, the boys don't seem to mind having Madelyn around. They want to give her all kinds of attention, so of course they must be watched closely. I've got them trained that they can only kiss her feet (which are always covered), since they can't touch her head and I prefer they don't touch her hands with their germy little hands :)!!

I think Evan is mostly happy that the chair is back....

When Maddy was 11 days old, her cord fell off. Luckily it was when Mitch was changing her diaper because for some reason that seriously freaks me out!

It was time for her to have her first bath, but we didn't have her little tub yet, so Mom and I improvised in the bathroom sink:

Then wrapped her up in a warm pink towel!! She smelled good enough to eat when she was done! :)

A couple of weeks after Christmas, Uncle Doug, Jeannine, Jake and Max came for a visit. Here are the boys holding their new cousin:

And here's Uncle Doug - loving having a sleeping baby on his chest! Especially since he gets to give it back!! :)

Evan was quite taken with Uncle Doug on this visit too!

Mimi was happy to have lots of snuggling and bonding time with all the kids in the weeks that she was here.

And Mitch and I were so happy - AND GRATEFUL - for all the help she gave us. We appreciated it more than I can possibly express, and we all miss her!! We hope she'll be back soon (and not just because she has mastered loading the dishwasher - LOL)!!

We're in a bit of a routine now. The boys have switched to part-time preschool, so they are going on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, and staying home with me and Maddy on Monday's and Friday's. This is the first week, and I'm still trying to figure out how best to structure our time. I'm hoping for warmer days to arrive soon so we can spend time outside! In the meantime, my mommy skills are being seriously tested. Time will tell how I fare...

In closing, here are some cute pics of Maddy. I have a zillion more of them, but they are all on my Blackberry which has recently taken over as my primary mode of picture taking because it is always with me. I'll have to work on getting those pictures onto my computer.

Here she is in her super cute velour track suit. Mitch calls it her "Jersey housewife" outfit! :)

I promise to be back SOON!!!

A Princess is Born

Wednesday, December 16, 2009, approximately 6:45 a.m. The final belly shot.

10:40 a.m.

Welcome Madelyn Katherine Bath!!

I think Daddy is a just a little bit proud...

Here are some pictures of her first couple of days:

Here she is, bright eyed and bushy tailed - I believe this was sometime around 1:00 a.m. on one of the nights...

Today is our last full day in the hospital. We're supposed to be going home tomorrow (actually, we have to because insurance won't cover us to stay any longer), but it has been snowing since yesterday evening. We're supposed to get nearly 2 feet!!! I'm just hoping it slows down overnight and Mitch will be able to dig out enough to come and get us!

This was the view out my window SEVERAL hours ago:

There is so much more snow now, but it is too dark to take a picture.

So Maddy and I are just chillin' together.

Needless to say, I'm totally in love.

Ok, well here I am actually doing another post. But I still hope you weren't holding your breath in case I didn't come through!

Just a quick recap of the weekend...

First of all, I FINALLY got the tree decorated. It had been set up in the living room for about two weeks, but I didn't have the energy to decorate it. But Saturday evening, after the kids went to sleep, I forced myself to get motivated. I think it came out pretty nice (although the pictures seem a bit blurry)!


And I think that's a fine spot in our new house for a Christmas tree.

As we've already established, I'll be in the hospital this coming Friday - December 18th, for Evan's 2nd birthday. So we had a little celebration on Sunday afternoon.

Presents!!

Some of the guests included Aunt Ashley, Uncle Richard, Nathan, and Charlotte:

Here's Tyler about to present his gift to Evan (and yes, that IS my ginormous belly behind him, and no, I'm not sure that is how you spell "ginormous".)

Yay!!! A Thomas cuddle pillow!!! Evan loves Thomas!

More Thomas - from Mimi!!!!

There were some great presents. A Thomas boat for the bathtub, an alphabet puzzle, an adorable sweater - all from Fammy and Grandad; a very cool tunnel thingy (I'll have to post pics later so you know what I'm talking about) from Aunt Ashley and crew....

And a bike!!!!!

From Aunties Mae-Beth and Leah!

Then it was time for cake...

Thank you, Super Target Bakery, for the yummy Thomas cake! (are you sensing a theme here???)

YUM!!

I think Evan enjoyed it...

Later, after everyone went home, Daddy helped Evan and Tyler play with the Thomas set from Mimi.

It was a great little party, and we were very glad everyone made the trek over on what was a pretty lousy day, weather-wise. Happy (early) Birthday my precious little boy!!!!

So, tomorrow is the big day. We have to be at the hospital by 8:00 a.m. I'm a little nervous, but I think it's more about being a mother of three than about the surgery itself.... That being said, I'm excited to meet my little girl and see what she looks like! I'm still in shock that it's a girl, and won't quite believe it until the doctor proclaims it when she is born!!

I'll post pictures as soon as I am able! Wish me luck.....

It's the Holiday Season!

At some point in the near future, I hope to start a post without having to apologize or make excuses for why I've been away so long. Though my exhaustion is sure to increase in the weeks/months to come, so we'll see!!

In any case, here we go!!

This morning we left the house bright and early to catch the "Dancer Express"! Every December, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) - the commuter train we (well, not me anymore!!) take to work, runs "Santa Trains". The tickets sell out fast, and the train was definitely full! It's just a 50 minute ride, but Santa comes through, as do some carolers, and other VRE employees handing out candy canes and coloring/activity books and crayons. The activity books are geared toward rail safety lessons for the kids. Also, the trains are a drop off point for Toys 4 Tots donations. So the purpose of the ride is for fun, safety awareness, and charity - not a bad way to spend a morning.

Tyler had a great time watching out the window.

Evan spent the majority of the time playing with a cup holder...

but eventually he joined his brother at the window.

I have a couple of really cute videos from the train ride, but our sucky internet service makes it impossible to upload them. Fios can't come to Morris Farm fast enough!!!!!

Hey! Here comes Santa!!!!!

Of course, by the time Santa got to us, neither Tyler or Evan wanted to get near him.

Must have been the obviously fake beard!!!

They were far more interested in the candy canes!

After the ride, I tried to get a picture of Mitch walking with the boys alongside the train. For some reason, at that moment, the camera decided to start acting wonky and would not focus. But here's the shot anyway... perhaps we'll just say it's "artsy".....

When we got home, there was a bunch of playing, and cleaning (we're preparing to have Evan's birthday celebration tomorrow), and eventually, nap time for us all. I was upstairs in bed, Evan was downstairs in a chair, and these two passed out in the family room while watching Noggin.

And now a bit of a flashback, to Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago.

Unable to travel to VT because of my, ahem, condition, we went to Fammy and Grandad's for dinner.

Here's Mitch spending some time with Charlotte:

I'd like to say "little" Charlotte, but my goodness! She is nearly as big as Evan!!

Busy in the kitchen!!

A beautiful table... and yummy food!



After dinner, the triptophan started to work it's magic.

Here's Tyler chillin' in a chair with Steffie, which is quite shocking. Ususally the cat doesn't let any of the kids get that close!

Even Nathan slowed down for a bit....

And Uncle Richard was down for the count!!

In other news, I am done working. This past Wednesday was my last day. It was bittersweet, as I was sad to leave a great job with great people, but I was definitely ready to stop working! I have officially reached the state of misery with this pregnancy.

My mom arrives tomorrow. We'll have a small family celebration for Evan's birthday, albeit early, but I will be in the hospital on his actual birthday. I'm thankful he is too young to know the difference. Hope to get in a mani/pedi, and some more Christmas preparations before Wednesday morning, December 16th, when we have to be at the hospital by 8:00 a.m. for a scheduled C-section at 10:00 a.m.

I'll try to post some birthday party pics before Wednesday, but I caution you against holding your breath. I will have my laptop with me a the hosital, and will get pictures of Baby Girl Bath up as soon as possible after I recover from my surgery fog!!

Until then!!