Friday, March 14, 2008

February News

Pictures and Videos from February

The most exciting event for us in February was the arrival of Ashley Rose. Starting at 36 ½ weeks (when Sienna and Colby were both born), we were teased with on and off contractions. Finally on Tuesday (26th) at about 4:30 in the morning I started feeling strong contractions. I got up with Bryan at 6:00 and walked around, and they only increased in intensity and frequency. So I knew it was time to go to the hospital. We got the kids up and took them to a friend’s house (20 minutes away in the opposite direction), then drove to the hospital. On the way there I knew things were going pretty quickly (very intense contractions, vomiting in the car, etc). We arrived around 7:30 and tried walking to Labor and Delivery. I had to stop and double over in the middle of one empty hallway with a contraction, then stop again to throw up. So Bryan abandoned me to go find a wheelchair, returning 20 seconds later. We checked into L&D at 7:40. One of the nurses later told me I had “the look” so they called the Doctor right away. He was ready to check me as soon as I had changed, and I was almost completely dilated. A few minutes later my water exploded (splashing Bryan in the face - yuck). Two contractions later, Ashley was born at 8:01. Twenty-one minutes in Labor & Delivery! (Good thing there wasn’t a traffic jam!)

Ashley weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. She has beautiful dark hair that seems a little thicker than Sienna’s and Colby’s. She cries a lot, eats a lot, sleeps a lot, and occasionally has her eyes open without crying. We treasure those moments. Sienna and Colby love giving her kisses, patting her on the head, and fighting over who gets to hold her. My mom, Royce, flew in on Thursday (28th) and has been a big help and a lot of fun to have around. We feel very blessed to have a healthy baby.

In other exciting news…

Colby’s vocabulary has exploded in the past month. He seems to be learning new words every day. Some of our favorites include “almost” (when he shoots at his basketball hoop and misses), “hoop” (when he makes it), “Ashley Rose” (you just have to hear it to understand how cute it is), “nope,” “hide and seek,” “yellow,” “purple,” “black” and many others.

Sienna has learned to press our buttons. She enjoys tormenting Colby. She can also be angelic and sweet at times and has a great imagination. Bryan recently took Sienna on a date to watch the play “Cinderella.” She dressed up in her princess dress, gloves, and crown for the event. She also had her first Dentist appointment and did very well. Of course the TV on the ceiling showing cartoons helped.

Bryan was just released as the Webelos Cub Scout Leader after a dedicated 2+ years. He was called as the Assistant Ward Mission Leader. My Dad visited for a day earlier in the month en route to his job in Algeria. It was nice to have him visit and the kids loved seeing him. And we went on a Saturday outing to a nearby State Park, hiking along a bluff with views of the Harpeth River on both sides. That’s about it!

Peer Pressure

I'm finally joining the blogging world. After following family and friends' blogs (thanks to a helpful tip about Google Reader from my sister-in-law), my old website seemed a bit outdated. Not to mention a little clunky to update every month. So I thought I'd try this out. It might still be just a once a month update. Or it may turn into more. Who knows. For now it's still under construction. So don't have high expectations!