We're Home!

First off, thanks to Jason for picking up the blog torch (with his own personal flare) while I was in the hospital. He did a great job, and in agreement with several of your comments, I agree, he'd be a great full-time blogger...but it will probably take a LOT more convincing.

We made it home from the hospital in time to enjoy a quiet Christmas evening with our newly expanded family of four. Jason, Eli and I arrived home around 3pm and we were joined by Norah (who had been staying with Grammy) a little after 5pm (she was mid-nap when we called, so Grammy waited until N woke up to bring her back).

Things are going great so far. I think we were all pretty interested to see how Norah would react to having her new baby brother in the house, and I'm pleased to report, she's been wonderful (she was a little unsure about him at first-glance yesterday at the hospital, but she's really warmed up to him now!)

She began by checking him out pretty thoroughly. Actual exclamations from her mouth during this period of decided approval:
"Awww, he'ssocute!"
"It'sso widdel!"
"Baby E.Y!" (her version of his name, which by the way, she will now tell you if you ask her)
"Baby E.Y.'s hat, on!" (This was a command which resulted in his donning the red hat she recognized from the last time she'd visited him in the hospital.)
She also LOVES kissing him. I bet she gave him 10-15 in a 5 minute (or less) time span. The kisses were usually staggered between exclamations of "He'sso sweet" or "Ohhhh, it'sso cute!".

Eli, by the way, is a great baby so far. He hardly ever cries, is a great eater, loves to sleep, and he LOVES to cuddle--all of which are traits I literally prayed for and was blessed with (at least so far) with both our children.




One of the sweetest gestures of sisterly love so far was when Norah (completely unprompted) ran and got one of her most treasured, new Christmas gifts--Rocket from Little Einsteins--and stretched it out to Eli, saying, "Share, toy", offering it to him . She seemed a little surprised that he didn't take her up on it, but shrugged it off and went back to kissing him.




As I "swuggled" with her in bed after her story and prayers tonight, she rolled over several times to hug me and say, "I missed you, Mommy"--I didn't even know she knew that phrase, let alone the appropriate context in which to use it. I cried and hugged her, explaining that Mommy and Daddy had missed her too--it was our first overnight separation since her birth. I also told her how proud we were of her for being such a good big sister. Of course, I know she's only 23 months, and we're bound to experience a little sibling rivalry sometime soon, but for now, I'm happy that we have such a special memory of Christmas 2007.

See Jason blog. Blog, Jason blog.

My wife informs me that there are some crazy people out there who check this thing daily, and might send death threats if I did not give you the 411 on our current situation. So here is the rundown.
5:30 (aka. butt crack o dawn) call hospital
6:30 Check in
8:30 Break water
10:30 Slow going. 50% and 3. (I'm told you moms will understand this doctor jargon)
12:15 85% and 6 to 7. Jason goes downstairs to get a quick lunch plate to go.
12:20 Jason gets phone call to get his butt back upstairs cause it is time to push.
12:21 Jason makes world record time back upstairs but stiffs his mom with lunch bill downstairs. Angela now at 100% and 10. Thats right, six minutes!
12:35 Doctor shows up and we begin to push.
12:50 Well, hello there, Eli Henry Robinson.
8lbs 6oz, 21 in long

Mommy, Daddy, Big Sister Norah, and Eli are all doing great and expect to be home for Christmas. Peace out you crazy bloggers, and word to yo mother.

Time to Go!

We're in! Jason called the hospital at 5:30am, and we were given the green light to come in for induction. He cooked me a surprise breakfast while I took a nice, warm shower to wake up, and we'll be off in a few minutes to check in. Updates to follow, dependent on whether or not I can convince my husband he has the makings to be a blogger!

No Room at the Inn...

The doctor's visit went well...baby brother's heart rate is great and he has a "strong kick", according to my doctor (apparently, he tried to fight her off while she was giving me my exam). She also said that all my vitals are looking good to go for delivery. One minor hitch....the hospital is already booked for the 21st (they have to keep x number of beds empty, just in case someone goes into labor on their own), so they've moved my induction date to...drum roll please....December 24th. I found it mildly humorous that in the season we celebrate Jesus' birth, I too, was hit with a "no room at the inn" situation. One thing is for certain--this will be a Christmas Eve/Day we will always have a very special memory of! (Unless of course, baby brother decides to come before then, in which case, one of those vacant beds will be waiting just for me!)

Pink and Blue

First off to those who have wondered and/or asked: thanks for the concern, but baby brother is still safely tucked in the womb for now.

I've been in blog-hibernation mode while finishing up some final touches on Christmas gifts (and I had 4 cakes this week, to boot!). Please forgive the lack of posting.

I snapped this picture of Norah today while she was "helping" me make pink icing for a couple of my cakes. I thought it was a great representation of life in our house at present date--things are very pink (and no, we haven't learned that baby brother is actually a baby sister). I have 4 pink cake boxes on my kitchen table ready to be delivered (2 of which contain pink cakes), Norah was decked out in pink today, from head to toe. It made me laugh to think of myself 2 years ago, hating pink with a passion, and swearing I would never make my daughter wear it...now I have a girly daughter who loves pink, and I have to admit, I think it's pretty sweet on her, too.

In what I would call an exceptionally blue moment yesterday, I had a little emotional breakdown (long story short--our insurance company is making a lot of changes right now, which can be a little stressful when you know you're about to go into the hospital), which led me to call to Jason at work, sobbing. Norah climbed up in my lap and patted me gently on the leg and shoulder, saying, "Isss okay, Mommy. Don't worry." and "Whassda madder mommy? I love you." The genuine concern in her eyes was priceless, and I'm sure 90% of why I got over my pity party in a relatively short amount of time. I was so proud of my daughter for her compassion. I know she will be such a good sister. She has such a precious, loving, tender heart.

Of course with the addition of baby brother (hopefully) next week, the pink and blue tally in our house will once again be tied. I'm excited to see what changes and blessings this little man will bring to our family. Tomorrow I go in for my final pre-natal doctor's visit...hopefully she'll tell me everything looks great and we're still on for induction on the 21st...I'll be sure to update the blog with the news, either way. I'm also hoping for a sonogram since I haven't gotten to see the little guy since my 20-week appointment, and it would be great to know that he's turned the right way, and a healthy weight/size to boot...but we'll see.

Norah Notes

With little brother's arrival (not to mention Christmas) quickly approaching, I thought now would be a good time to make a few 22month, Norah benchmark/memory notes.

Favorite Breakfast Food: dry blueberry pancakes---she especially likes to "help" make them by sitting on the counter top while they cook (and I'm sure she'd like them even better with syrup, but I'm waiting til she's a little neater eater)

Funny Sayings/New Words of Late:
"Mommy--how are you?" (Translation: "Mommy, where are you? Note: I hear this within seconds, just about anytime I leave the room she's in)

"Daddy/Mommy/Mimi--come back here!" (Again, very frequently spoken if anyone has the audacity to leave the room without taking her along or at least telling her where they're going)

"Pop-starts!"--quick breakfast food she sometimes eats (after, she's licked off all the frosting she possibly can)

"Mac-a-whoa-knee"--a current dinner-time favorite.

"Apottymomma?"--spoken as an all-one-word question, and usually repeated with increasing frequency and volume during the quietest possible portion of our Sunday morning worship service until I relent and take her to the bathroom. (I guess I should just be thankful that we are generally accident-free these days, with the occasional exception of nap/nighttime when she's still in a diaper)

"A bear"--surprisingly has nothing to do with a bear at all. It means "Up there", as in "I want up there". Almost always spoken if we're in the kitchen together (she likes to sit on the counter top while I work), or if she's feeling the need to be held. What's funny is, she's completely capable of saying it correctly. She knows it annoys me for her to say it wrong, so if she tries "a bear" and doesn't get results, she'll look me square in the eyes and annunciate, "Up there", and I almost always cave.

"I fast!"--and she really is. She loves to race up and down the hall to prove it.

"Sew-men"--(Translation: Snowman) also, occasionally mistaken for last season's favorite decoration, "Care-crow".

"Ormnament"--very cute to hear her pronounce this one, but it's easily understandable.

"Oh, no! We lost it!"--she says this anytime anything is missing. Yesterday I asked mom if she had her purse before leaving my house, and she replied it was in her car. Before listening for her answer, Norah had already replied, "Oh no! We lost it! Mimi's purse is missin'!" (I think that was one of the longest phrases I've ever heard her come up with on her own)

"Mota-cycull!"--declared anytime she hears a loud engine of any sort (our house backs up to a fairly busy street, so I hear this several times, daily, even if we don't leave home)

"Baby's cuh-why-in'"--noted almost any time we encounter a fussy infant, or even see a picture of one. She is very concerned about upset babies, I hope this is a clue that she'll be a good, sympathetic big sister. She's also into comforting her stuffed animals ("awww...it's ok, bear. shhh, don't cuh-why")

Favorite kid's shows:
Little Einsteins--just recently discovered this one and it is a perfect fit. She loves the classical music (she can hear the piece at the beginning of the show and will immediately announce which episode it is--and it's not due to the fact that she watches it so much--she recognizes the song after she's seen the show one time!) She also loves to "pat...pat...pat" and "blast-off!" and do all of the dances/hand motions with rocket and the gang.

Backyardigans--still a favorite. With her eyes glued to the tv, she attempts to mimic every, single dance number they do. It is hilarious to watch...and her rhythm is surprisingly good, especially considering she is the offspring of two, incredibly uncoordinated C of C parents!

Other memories of note:
She knows baby brother's name. Don't get too excited and think you can coax it out of her. She overheard us talking about it months back, and picked it up...so occasionally, at random, she'll just start saying it over and over...but unless you know she's saying it, you wouldn't know what it was. And for the record, if you ask her "What is baby brother's name?", her reply is "Boy."

We're still using a pacifier at nap and bedtime. Although, this morning she accidentally flushed one of the remaining 2 that we had. She flushed, then I saw her hand reaching into the toilet, and I shouted, "No, Norah!" which startled her enough to obediently draw back, but she looked up at me with sad eyes and said, "My PACI!" Then I realized why she had been ready to plunge into the depths of the toilet. I explained that her paci was gone, to which she replied, "Get it!" And I restated that it was gone. "Paci GONE!" she repeated, again and again about 30-40 times (Jason was my witness). I was hoping this might be our chance to ween her completely, so I said, "Norah, you might have to be a big girl and sleep without a paci". To which she immediately replied, "My green paci!" The one she flushed was pink, but she had not forgotten about her back-up (green) paci, so I guess we're still stuck with the paci, at least until some other tragedy befalls the backup.

Favorite Benchmark of Late: A few weeks ago she began praying for baby brother, completely unprompted, on her own. She's begun helping us with prayers at bedtime and meals, listing things/people she's thankful for, and she never forgets to mention "baby brudder".

Girls' Night Baby Shower

I was blessed with an awesome Girls' Night Baby Shower last Tuesday night. A group of my girl friends got together and hosted a PJ party, with great snacks (including a toy dump truck full of my favorite pizza rolls, precious decorations (like a sweet diaper cake topped with precious John Deere vehicles...sorry Jen, I still don't know the difference between a "combine" and a "tractor"). We played games until WAY past my bedtime, but I didn't feel tired at all! (Which was a big deal for me, as these days, I'm usually ready for bed by 9 or sooner...a true testament of a super-fun party!)

I laughed more than I can remember having laughed in a really long time. (Jason and I recently came to the conclusion that my sense of humor has gone into hiding--even though I've always been known as "serious Angela"-- so this too, was a big deal, and probably my favorite thing about the whole night)

One gift was this adorable, custom bag from Brooke Avery of rags2stitches the lining is baby blue and brown toille--the perfect combination of girly chic (for me) and boyish charm (for baby brother).


My sister-in-law, Paige, also gave me this adorable Dick & Jane quilt. She had heard that my mom had made me a really sweet Dick & Jane diaper bag for me from the same fabrics. I love them both...especially since in a little over 3 weeks, we'll have our own "Dick & Jane" family.

I got SO many other, awesome gifts, but unfortunately, these were the only 2 I had pictures of...just take my word for it, baby brother was spoiled beyond measure!

It was such a special, fun night, and I'm almost brought to tears when I think about what wonderful friends I've been blessed with. We had so much fun together, and no one rushed home (even though almost everyone had good excuses to, ranging from having a nursing infant at home, to having come straight from a 9-hour work day, to the fact that Thanksgiving was only 2 days away). Thank you so much, girls, for giving me a fun "Girls Night Out" (with no dressing up required) and making me feel so honored!

In other news, we have a tentative inducement date of Friday, December 21, pending hospital approval (apparently a lot of people try to schedule inducements around the holidays...and that's not our reason, for the record).

Nursery Photos

During my weekend my of "nesting fever", I rearranged the nursery to change things up a little for baby brother, and I really like it.








Changing Table (hand made by Jason)








Closet Wall










Proof that my daughter is at least a little bit like her mother? When I was configuring the furniture arrangement, I got to thinking about how many hours I'll clock nursing in my glider, so I decided to put Norah's red rocker by its side, so she could be close-by and not feel left out. The instant she entered the newly arranged room, she walked up to two chairs. She pointed at the glider and said, "Mommy's chair", then to the red rocker, "No-wah's chair". My sentiments, exactly, sweet girl.

Patiently Waiting...

Good Times

We've had a fun week so far. Monday, we did our usual early-morning grocery shopping, followed by some sewing time with Gramps. (We made a little pillbox hat, for Norah's Halloween costume, which is almost complete!) Tuesday, Norah and I stayed home most of the morning (we only left for a little while to run Daddy his lunch), then headed to the library to return our books that were due.

Norah was elated to get to carry her new book bag, or as she refers to it, "purse" (an early Christmas present from Gramps, who read my earlier post about wanting to make a library bookbag and decided to head me off at the pass). She recognizes the library. When we reach the block where it's located, she starts saying, "La-berry! La-berry! Upstairs?" (the children's section is upstairs and I think the climb is her favorite part of our visit)

We returned our old items and picked out 4 new books, all of which we read at nap time yesterday, last night after dinner, just before bed and again today before her nap. I like this week's books even better than our first batch, so I don't mind the repetition.

Today, Norah and I headed back to the library for story time. This week was all about trains. Norah wasn't especially impressed with the stories--she was much more excited about seeing her friends, Garrett & Nathan. After story time was over, we perused a few more books before heading to Buck's Pizza for their Wednesday lunch special (a jumbo slice of pizza and a fountain drink for $1.08!!).

Garrett, Nathan, and their mommy joined us for lunch, and all three kids had no trouble eating their share of pizza. Yeah, it was messy...but so fun! (And we couldn't resist taking at least one messy-face picture...note that we moms opted out of the picture so as not to disclose any evidence of our pizza-eating cleanliness, or lack thereof)

In other exciting (at least to me), Norah's gone nearly two weeks accident-free in her big girl panties. (even including naps) She tells me when she needs to go, and if it's an inopportune time, she's able to "wait and be patient" until we get someplace where she can go-- which is SO nice. (I've really had to test her limits a couple of times when we were out and there was NO place close...but so far she's done great) Granted, I'm still too much of a chicken to let her sleep in her panties overnight, but most mornings she's waking up dry, so that day may not be too far off! Now, I'm sure by publicly confessing all of this I'm setting myself up for either A) a huge accident today in a very public place, or B)an extremely hard time potty training baby brother in a couple of years...but for now, I'm going to rejoice in this small victory, and bask in the greatness of a slightly lower (diaper-free) grocery bill...at least for 2 months, and then we'll start again with baby #2!

What'd She Say?

J: "Norah, are you ready to go night-night?"
N: "No, thank you."

N: "Tinkle Tinkle litta stah...uppabbuhthewussohi...sky."

N: "Thank...you...God." (sung about 50% of the times that she says "thank you", and regularly during worship assembly...anyone who's ever been a part of A&M CofC cradle roll knows what this sounds like--they sing it lots!)

N: "Be Keh-fuh" (spoken to self if she feels she's losing her balance or being particularly precarious)

N: "Sit down!" (spoken to self in a stern voice when she knows she isn't supposed to be standing...often resulting in what I like to call a "self bust", in which she draws our attention to her overlooked rule breaking by calling herself out)

N: "Mommy. Daddy. Wa-wa" (while pointing at our family portrait)

N: "Head...toes! Head...toes... Eyes...nose! Yea!"(current rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes")

N: "I Sah-wee" (spoken to self anytime she bumps her head)

N: "Issokay" (spoken to self, or others, if she causes them bodily harm, whether intentional, or not)

N: "Awh Mahneen" (Translation: "Good Morning", spoken to Baby Brother, via Mommy's tummy every morning)

Tickled BLUE

Jason and I headed in for our 18-week sonogram yesterday, in hopes of discovering the gender of our anxiously awaited family addition. Before she began, the sonogram technician asked us if we wanted to find out what we were having, and Jason and I agreed, we did. It was a good thing she asked, because the second she turned on the monitor, it was very clear to all of us--even without being told, that Norah will be welcoming a baby brother this December! (above photo is under-side view of baby's bottom/legs--so you're looking up between his legs...arrow indicates the "gender-identifying body part") The technician also confirmed it verbally--we are expecting a boy. Jason and I are overjoyed and so excited. (We would have been thrilled with another sweet girl, too, but do think it's fun that we're headed for "uncharted waters" with this one)

(Photo at right is a front-view of baby brother's face, which is blocked by both of his arms, in a "boxing pose"...you can see his nose and mouth peeking out between his arms) We took in a video tape to record the ultrasound--the same one we used for Norah's. So, before she could record on it, the tech had to fast forward through the first ultrasound. It was fun watching tiny Norah--2 years ago--6 months before we even knew her. The neatest thing was comparing the two babies' movements. Norah was so calm in the womb. I didn't feel her move until I was about 24 weeks along, and even then, it was a rare occasion the entire 9 months. "Little brother", on the other hand, I've felt since about week 16--and he put on quite the acrobatic show during the sonogram. (He did, however, hold very still for us to confirm his gender...Norah was much more bashful and tried to keep her legs crossed). Both babies crossed their legs at the ankles for a good part of their sonograms. That was fun to note because Norah still loves to sit in that position now, and it looks like little brother may follow in her footsteps. The tech said everything looks as healthy as can be--the best news of all!

(Photo at left is of baby brother's profile, looking up) After taking little brother's measurements, the tech moved my due date up 5 days, to December 27th. (That was music to Jason's ears since December 31 was so close to the end of the year and he's really hoping for a last-minute tax deduction) On the other hand, if little brother comes 2 days early, like big sister did, we might have to leave in the middle of Christmas dinner! Either way, we'll be excited to welcome his arrival.

For those who are curious, we haven't settled on a name yet, but are in negotiations :) However, as was our practice with Norah, the name will remain between Jason and me until the baby arrives. (Since we tell everyone the gender ahead of time, we like to keep one little secret to ourselves...plus, it insures that no one tells us how much they hate our name until after it's too late to change our minds)

New Title, New Shirt

In case you haven't heard the news, Norah is officially a big sister in training! Jason and I found out last month that we are expecting a tiny, new addition to Robinson County. We made Norah a little shirt to tell the family the news.








She wore a jacket over to Uncle Grant and Aunt Paige's house and then we convinced Aunt Paige to help her take off her jacket because "Norah looked hot". Both Grant and Paige figured out the message behind the shirt pretty quickly, and we were quick to snap a picture of their "reaction faces". Norah didn't know what all the commotion was about, she was just hoping that Uncle Grant would keep the ice cream coming (he'd been sharing his mug of ice cream with her when they got the news)




Next, we zipped up the jacket (it was cooler then than it is now, thank goodness!) and walked next door to see Grandmother and Grandma Robinson. Just like we had at Grant and Paige's house, we asked Grandma to take off her jacket. After what seemed like 5 minutes, Grandma noticed, and asked Grandmother if she had seen Norah's new shirt. Grandmother said, "Yes, I saw it." But she didn't seem surprised or excited. Grandma asked her again, "Mom, did you read Norah's shirt?" To which Grandmother gave an annoyed reply, as she craned her neck to read it again, "YES, I read it it...it says..."Big Sister"....Oh! "

We headed over to the Gilmore House next, but unfortunately, Grandpa had already retired for the night (he was feeling under the weather), so Grammy found out all by herself (I took pictures, but she was in night gown and even though I thought she looked cute, I didn't figure she'd appreciate my sharing). Grandpa got the news when we came over for dinner the next night. (He claims he had suspicions, but mom says she didn't say a word).

We are so excited that God is blessing us with another child. Our due date is December 31st, just in time for a last-minute income tax deduction (or so Jason hopes!). Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our new arrival (which is approximately the size of a raspberry this week!).