Welcome to the world, Eleanor June!

For about two weeks before the 5th of September I was having very consistent Braxton hicks contractions. These contractions were so consistent that I thought for sure I was in labor. We went to the hospital twice only to be sent back home. I was not in labor yet. At this point I decided I wouldn't really know I was in labor until she was hanging out (lovely thought huh?).

It was 5am on September 5th when laying in bed I felt rather moist down there (tmi). I got up to go see what was going on. I made it to the bathroom in time when my water broke. It was a gush of amniotic fluid all over the bathroom floor and Jamie's shorts he left on the ground. I suddenly panicked. I was having early labor all night and didn't realize it (damn those Braxton hicks). I walked over to the bedroom and said loud enough to wake Jamie "my water broke." It was at that moment that I realized we were going to meet our baby girl today! We packed up Oliver's stuff as best as we could. We were also in the process of moving. We had everything all over the place. Luckily the day before I went to the condo to get my hospital bag and Ella's stuff. I must of had a feeling.

When we got to the hospital they had me up in triage. They had to determine that my water did in fact break. Surprise! They came back with evidence that my bag of waters was broken. Okay! Now time to get to a midwife unit room. Since my water was broken they did not want to risk infection to the baby so they did not check for dilation. At this point I had no idea how much I was dilated. I was thinking at least a 6. Maybe she'd be here in about 2 hours! Easy peasy! Haha, I was so wrong. My contractions although getting stronger were not consistent. It was 1pm when I decided we probably should give me a whiff of potosin to get the contractions going. As soon as the potosin was in my system the contractions came on so hard and fast with hardly a break in between. I was so curious at this point to know how dilated I was. Around 2pm the midwife checked me. I was thinking I had to be 8 cm. She reached her hand in and told me you're at 3.5 cm. What the what?! I was so defeated. I began to cry! How was I ever going to get to 10 cm? The pain was unbearable and there was no break between contractions. I wanted the epidural. Jamie knew that I could do it without the pain medication. He kept me strong and got me through every single contraction. That man is truly amazing! They started up the birthing tub. At this point I was in so much pain that the thought of walking down the hall to the tub was unbearable. I decided to stay put because I was feeling the need to push. It was around 3:30 that the need to push was very strong. At 3:47 Eleanor June was born. She weighed 6lbs 7oz and was 20 inches long. She got the whole latching thing down right away. She truly completes our little family. Welcome to the world, Eleanor June.

Let the nesting begin...

So, I have not written since April. Almost 4 months have passed. It has gone by in the blink of an eye. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant. I was going to post a blog when we had the ultrasound but time has obviously slipped away from me. Oliver is quite the momma's boy (I'm not complaining). He doesn't let me out of his sight when I am home. This obviously means that other things like blogging get put on the backburner. Since Oliver is so attached to me this makes me nervous for when Ella arrives.

Yes, we are having a baby girl! We have decided to name her Eleanor (Ella) James Clark. I hope that she takes her time and comes on or around her due date (none of this 4 weeks early stuff like her brother). Jamie and I, have decided to use cloth diapers for Ella. This means that we are also using them for Oliver. Today was our first day using them. It was not as succesful as I had hoped. Oliver is a heavy wetter. I watched YouTube videos for advice on folding. I think I will get the hang of it. We also bought a potty for Oliver to get the idea of using. I'd like to have him potty trained in the next few months, but that is asking a lot of a 16 month old. He has quite the vocabulary already. His favorite word to say is "bike." He said "bike" for the first time at the Lutsen 99er. We were pulling up to drop Jamie off for the race. As you can imagine there was a sea of bikes. Suddenly, from the back seat we hear a little voice say "bike." You'll have to visit Jamie's blog to hear more about the race. I'm very proud of him for completing a 99 mile bike race like he did. There will be more in the future.so back to Oliver and his favorite words to say: hi, bike, dog, he also enjoys saying "whoo whoo" to any owl he sees. This child amazes me. I could seriously go on about him, but I will stop for now.

Saying Goodbye to a Fuzzy Friend of 19 years

Boots was just a kitten when he was adopted into our family. I had been asking my parents for a kitten for a while. I wanted an all white cat that I could name "snowball" instead I was given a black and white cat that I named "Boots." Well, it looked like he had a couple pair of boots on. He was my best buddy. I could talk to him when I needed someone to talk to to and he'd just listen. He had been through so much with me. He always curled up on my legs just below my butt. Boots loved to travel the roads and he did a good job. He moved from California to New Mexico and from New Mexico to Minnesota. At 19 years old he had lived a long and beautiful life. I knew it was time to say goodbye when he could no longer keep any food down. He also had a hard time using the litter box. He was suffering. I could no longer watch him suffer. I loved him dearly. We decided that Wednesday April 25th was his day to go. I tucked him into his kennel and drove him to the Golden Valley Animal Humane Society (which is a beautiful facility). Oliver kept trying to poke him through the kennel. I told Oliver to wave goodbye to Boots, and he did just that. I cried a lot. I was able to see him after the procedure. He looked peaceful between these two comfy warm blankets. Boots was a huge part of my life. Even though the house is a little bit quieter it does feel like the suffering is gone. I hope that Boots is in Kitty Heaven or maybe being reincarnated into a beautiful tree. Rest in peace my dear old cat. I love you so much!

P.S. Our friend Gini Stowers is walking for the Animal Humane Society. She is trying to raise $400 and does not have much more to go. Please help her out at the following link: http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/site/TR/Walk/General?px=1531671&pg=personal&fr_id=1180

Oliver saying "Goodbye"

My handsome old cat

Record Store Day

Today Oliver and I started a new tradition. We went out to support our local record stores. Today is Record Store Day. I thought it'd be a super special mom and son thing to do. I want him to grow up with a love and respect for music (like his mom and dad). This town is home to the Current which is an amazing radio station. It is also home to many great bands and artists such as; Poliça, Atmosphere, Dessa, Brother Ali, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapels, and so many more. The current encourages families to get out and experience music with their kids through events like "Rock the Cradle." We were able to take Oliver to "Rock the Cradle" this year. He had so much fun! He was just starting to really walk and it was a blast to experience the musical petting zoo with him. If you have a chance to check out the link there are some pretty adorable pictures on there!

So today we made a quick trip to Uptown. We stopped at Cheapo records. It was nice to see I wasn't the only parent taking my kiddo out to support the local shops. I might've been the only 19 week preggo mom toting around a 13 month old (oh well). I decided to only look at vinyl because to me record store day is about vinyl! We picked up Johnny Cash (live in Austin), Emmylou Harris "Cimarron," and a limited edition Atmosphere record (Jamie was pretty excited about that one). So we didn't leave with armfuls of records (like I often did at Amoeba records in San Francsico). Oliver was amazing and seemed to enjoy every moment (as he often does when we are out). I'm sure one day he'll be too embarrassed to enjoy record store day with his mom...so I'll enjoy it while I can.


P.S. I also love the idea of passing on our record collection to the kids one day.

Baby Heartbeats...

are so wonderful. Yesterday we got to hear new munchkin's heartbeat. It is always a reassuring moment when the midwife slathers on the cold jelly and puts the little fetal doppler on my stomach. The heartbeat is incredibly fast. We have our ultrasound scheduled for May 2nd. People keep asking me if I'm going to find out the sex....of course I am! I like to plan my life a little. I give much credit to those parents that wait until the baby makes it's debut.

The following pictures are from Easter and a little adventure to the park.

Hanging with the Easter Bunny!

Coloring eggs (look at the concentration on his face).

Goat Kids Only! At the Minnesota Zoo with the Farm Babies.

Swinging with his Brobee Vans on! Such a cool Dude.

A Hectic World (my version)

As I listen to Beirut's "scenic world" I can't help but think of my hectic world. This song makes me think of a future wedding. It's the song that I want to walk down the aisle to (of course with Oliver escorting me down the aisle). It brings so many happy thoughts to my mind. I was just thinking of all the beautiful and scenic places I've been in the world: Portugal, Germany, Ireland, the California Coast, New Mexico, Jackson Hole Wyoming and how I couldn't imagine being in any other place but here with my family.

Okay, enough of the mush. So, believe it or not I've never been into a Babies R' Us, until this afternoon. Now, I know why. That place is overwhelming and almost too much. They carried a few brands that I like, such as Earth's Best. However, I would rather just order those diapers online. I prefer seventh generation diapers anyways. So how has a 15 week pregnant mom with a one year old manage to avoid Babies R' Us? Well, I suppose when I think about baby gear Target comes to mind and also places like R.E.I. (because you need hiking gear for your infant). I've also bought a lot of things from our local store Pacifier. We scored our Mountain Buggy there for 50% off. I guess the moral of this story is that I will probably still not shop at Babies R' Us.

I was reading another blog called the Rockstar Diaries and Taza (the blogger) sums up my feelings exactly about the new baby on board. I'm scared as shit! I also wasn't sure if the time was right. A part of me feels like I'm cheating Oliver out of some precious mom and me time. On the other hand, I know that Oliver is going to be a great big brother. It was nice reading about someone that has gone through the same emotions as me. This pregnancy is flying by. I'm entering week 16. Tomorrow I'm taking this crazy monkey and baby bump on a hike. I'm vowing to stay physically fit through this pregnancy. It will make labor that much easier (maybe less painful is the best way to say that). I know that everything will be alright. I have a wonderful man by my side and a sweet little boy. I also have a loving mother and sister (although they are many miles away in California). We have Jamie's family here that loves us all to pieces too!

On a side note: I volunteer once a week at Blooma. Blooma is a yoga studio dedicated to prenatal and postpartum yoga (and families). My volunteer hours allow me to get discounted yoga. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I see more prenatal yoga in my future (especially since I'm now in the second trimester).

Well, onto homework and hanging with my little man! Yes, the life of a mom that works, goes to school and volunteers. It just never ends!

New Baby bump, a One year-old and a Family Trip!

It's been a long time since my last post. A lot has been going on in our world. In February we found out that we are expecting a new addition to the family (yes, it feels like I've been pregnant for 2 years now). We took a family trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Our trip was much needed. We really had a lot of fun. It was nice for Jamie to ride a big mountain (I rode a half day due to pregnancy). Traveling with a 10 month old means that you bring everything but the kitchen sink. Traveling with a 33 year-old avid snowboarder means that you bring two boards (for him) and a board for your lady (me). Oliver had his first experience in daycare (Wrangler's). He did really well. We were told that he is a very well behaved baby (no surprise to us :) We had a great time. I will post some pics on the blog from our trip.

Fast forward to today: I'm 15 weeks pregnant. In about 3 weeks we will be able to find out the sex of the baby. I have a feeling that it's a girl. This pregnancy has been completely different than Oliver's. We celebrated Oliver's first birthday on the 18th. He had a Yo Gabba Gabba party! He had fun despite no other children showing up. His actual birthday is March 21st.  My mother flew out from California for his birthday. It was nice to spend time with her (I had not seen her since October). We went to the Minnesota Zoo the Monday after the party. Oliver said "hi" to every animal he saw. He has such a sweet, kind soul. The picture was taken the day that we dropped my mom off at the airport. We lucked out because her flight was delayed from Thursday to Friday (oh, darn!). You will be hearing and seeing more of us! As I intend to be better about my blog. Also look for a new look and direction. With a new baby on the way the name will have to change.