Fall has arrived!

It is officially fall. Sophia reminds us regularly that it is fall because the leaves are "falling" (makes sense). We have the month of October pretty well booked. We plan on heading to the Apple and Pumpkin Patch this weekend, Papi and Boo visiting in 2 weeks, up to Michigan in a few weeks, and of course Halloween. Oh woops, I forgot to mention that I have to go back to work in 2 weeks as well. That is kind of a big event to forget. Hope I don't completely space it when that morning comes. Could somebody call and remind me the night before that i need to go back to work? I cannot wait to post pictures of what Sophia and Suri are for Halloween. Way cute!

Until next time.....

Chautauqua, Baby Spoon, and Dentists Oh my!

This past weekend we were on the move. Immediately following Sophia's soccer game on Saturday me, Sophia, and Suri headed down to Madison for a visit. As I was getting on the interstate I had this rush of anxiety and thought to myself "Molly, what is your problem? You have got to calm down." I realized then that that was the first time in 5 months that I had driven on the interstate. Pathetic, I know. Anyhow, we drove to Madison and both girls fell asleep in the car. It was amazing, and quiet. Saturday afternoon Sophia hung out with her uncle Mark, Gracie and Landon while the older girls and the new babies went downtown to Chautauqua. If I had a penny for every person who asked "Are they twins? Are you two twins?" (referring first to Suri and Kami's baby Isabella, and secondly to Kami and I). I guess I hadn't really thought about how crazy it is that Kami and I had our babies so close together.

On Sunday, we celebrated Landon's 3rd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON! Mark and Kami rented a huge inflatable slide. The kids had a ball although Sophia was out of her mind due to exhaustion.

It was so nice to see all of my side of the family and I know Sophia had a ball palying with all of her cousins. She told mama Pam that she wanted to cut our house up and pack in boxes and move it down to Madison. Thats Sophia, her little mind working all of the time.

Today, Sophia had her first dentist appointment. She passed with flying colors. Woot woot!

Until next time.....

Comments

Hello readers! I have recently changed my comment setting to allow for anyone to leave feedback. So, feel free. Keep it clean!

Until next time.....

Swaddling

Okay, so Josh and I have come to the conclusion that we have high maintenance infants. As many of you know Sophia was a poor sleeper, poor car rider, and when we switched to formula, of course had to have soy. Suri seems to be following this same high-maintenance path. Josh fears that he may have lost his baby touch. I have been home with Suri quite a bit so I have had many chances to experiment with different things that soothe her. My latest discovery is the kiddopotamus swaddlers. Now, I do realize that she closely resembles the 1980's toy glowworm or some may see a green caterpillar. Whatever the case, it works for us for now.

Sophia has been going to school everyday, although this coming Monday she will be a truant. We are heading to Madison for the annual Chautauqua festival of art, and of course to introduce Suri to her aunts, uncles, cousins, and great grandmas. Sophia is so excited to see all of her cousins and to destroy aunt Kami's house, again. She is just the sweetest little girl ever. I know I say that often, but I really do feel that she is so sensitive to others feelings and is so open with how she feels. Love, love, love her heart.

Until next time....

BEAUTIFUL

On Saturday I was scheduled for a hair appointment. I was getting ready to head out the door and told Sophia where I has heading and I needed to get a kiss and a hug. Here was our conversation:

Me: "Sophs, give me a kiss and a hug. I'm a going to get my hair done."

Sophia: "I don't need to get my hair done, I'm already beautiful."

And modest, eh?

Suri Jean is doing well. We try and run one errand a day just to get used to riding in the car and just to get out and about. I'm still pretty cautious when we are out so not to get her around large crowds. And, I have probably gone through ten bottles of hand sanitizers. Though I was by myself at Wal-Mart yesterday I actually squirted the handle of the cart with hand sanitizer. I'm getting a little out of control, I know.

Until next time.....

Soccer week 2

Okay, so Sophia would definitely have received the "Most Improved" award today had it been given. Today's statistics were as follows:

-6 goal or "scores" as Sophia calls them (all in warm-ups)

-0 crying episodes (woot woot)

-50 twirls of ponytail (I think this is her nervous habit)

-ran up and down the field the whole game

-10 trips over to sideline to give mommy and daddy high-fives

She really did do awesome today. Josh and I were so proud.

Suri Jean our string bean continues to grow and grow. Although, she isn't really beefing up any, just getting longer. Sophia continues to want to squeeze on her head so we have had to be extra cautious when Sophia is giving Suri hugs. I'm not saying that she puts just a little pressure on little Suri's head, I mean she comes over to her with the purpose of squeezing her head. I don't get it.

Until next time.....

God vs Sophia

Sophia, Suri, and I have been walking to and from Sophia's school the past week and everyday we have little conversations about this and that (Suri mostly just listens). Today, I laughed out loud following our conversation so must share with the blogging world. It went as follows:

Sophia: "There is a butterfly, I am going to catch it. Mommy I want to be a butterfly. Can I be a butterfly?"

Me: "Well Sophs, you are as pretty as a butterfly but you don't have any wings."

Sophia: "But I can't grow any wings. Why don't I have wings?"

Me: "It is how God made you."

Sophia: "Who is God?"

Me: "Well, God made all of the people, all of the animals, all of the flowers, and all of the trees."

Sophia: "Well, our tree broke and fell down."

END OF CONVERSATION. APPARENTLY SOPHIA HOLDS A GRUDGE.

Until next time......

That Baby Smell

And NO, I'm not talking about the disgusting fill the diaper smell, I am talking about the sweet smell of a new baby. That sweet smell you smell no where else on earth. Suri, smells like grapes. Now, it could be because I have eaten my weight in fruit snacks over the last few days (and if you remember from previous posts, that would be a hefty amount), or maybe it is just her distinct "baby smell". There is nothing like it. Do you think God gives babies that "baby smell" so that when you are woken up 3 times during the night that you won't be as aggravated, or do you think it is to help mom and dad forget about that blowout you just had to clean up? Oh, the great mysteries of life .

Until next time.....

A Coffee Morning

It has been so long since I have had a cup of coffee. But this morning I am breaking all breastfeeding rules and firing up a pot. Oh, it tastes so good. But wait, I am starting to feel nicer. Coffee makes me nicer. Somebody please report these findings to my husband. He will be so grateful.

Champions of the World

Okay, so maybe not the champions of the world, or the country, or the league. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they lost. But, lets be honest, does it really matter in 3-4 year old soccer? Our statistics for Sophia's first soccer game were as follows:

*1 goal (although it was a deadball, and it was just a random ball that rolled onto the field, but she did kick it into the net and the crowd WENT CRAZY!)

*5 crying spells (due to the other kids taking the ball from her; the whole learning your manners thing doesn't fair well in soccer)

*1 fall (no crying, just dusted her self off)

*1 juice box

We had a very exciting day today. Probably the BEST day as a family since Suri was born. We woke up early and Josh headed to football practice while I got the girls ready. It is much different with 2 girls to get ready. We used every bit of an hour and a half to get dressed and into the car. Oh my, so not my style. I'm more of a low maintenance, take 15 minutes to get ready kind of gal. We headed to Sophs soccer game (Josh met us there), then to eat, then to Independence Park. Whew! I am tired, but hey I got out and about, one more step towards normalcy.

Until next time.....

Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding

So, with this new baby, like Sophia, Josh and I thought it would be best to breastfeed as long as we were able to. With my many hours of sitting with Suri connected to me and nothing else to do I have come up with a list of pros and cons to breastfeeding just for my readers enjoyment:

Pros:
-The nutritional benefits to Suri
-The 25 dollars per week we save on not buying formula
-The increased calorie burning for me (although I haven't seen those benefits yet)
-Being the only one on this earth that can feed my baby
-Getting to bond with Suri
-I can get out of doing any housework for those 30 minutes that I am nursing

All of the pros are pretty much textbook but true. Now for the cons.

Cons:
-I feel like a dairy cow everyday
-The pain, oh the pain (mostly in the first week, not so bad now)
-I really question the need to dress my body from the waist up. I constantly feel like I am just walking around my house tata's out.
-Breast milk does not just go from your breast to the babies mouth. It can splatter, squirt, and leak at anytime. Mostly during those times when OOPS you forgot to put those cotton pads in your bra.
-I am the only one that can feed Suri (a double edge sword)
-Babies digest breast milk faster than they do formula. That means that rather than feeding every 4 hours you are feeding every 2 hours. Some days Suri wants fed every hour. Those are the tata's out days.


Now that I got that off of my chest (pun intended), I would like to apologize to all of he male readers. I bet you didn't think you would get to read a blog about boobs today.

Until next time.....

Discipline

So, we have had a lot of changes in the Sabol household over the last few days so understandably we have had to deal with a few of Sophia's non-compliant behaviors. These include not listening, not listening, and not listening. Did I mention not listening? We have tried the "time-out" thing (doesn't quite get her attention), taking toys away (she just has others to play with), and the god forbidden spanking (honestly though, not a hard one, just light tap). However, we have run into a little bit of a parental issue when it comes to spanking and scolding. Now, don't think that CPS has been called or that Josh or I have been put in jail. Our problem is that because Sophia is so well spoken for a 3 year old, she makes us feel bad for disciplining her. For instance here is last nights conversation following a harsh talking to for not listening to mommy when I told her to get into the bathtub:

Sophia: "Mommy that is not nice"

Me: "It is not nice when you do not listen to mommy"

Sophia: "Friends don't yell at each other"

Me: "But you need to listen to mommy when I ask you to do something. If you listen I will not have to yell"

Sophia: "Well, well, well, that makes me feel sad when you yell"

Me: "I'm sorry I yelled, but you need to listen. Do you understand?"

Sophia: "Yes, I love you mom".

Now, honestly, how do you defend yourself when your child tell you that it makes her sad and that it isn't nice to yell. Very difficult.

Besides the occasional breakdown, Sophia has handled this transition with Suri very well. Sophia loves her with all of her heart and gives her hugs and kisses every chance she can.

Until next time......

Starfish Homework

Sophia recently graduated to the young preschool class called "starfish" where they have some very simple homework assignments to do over the weekends. Tonight Sophia, Suri, and I sat around the kitchen table and worked on her homework together. We made ants on a log except with cheerios instead of raisins.

Suri is doing great. She is nearly back up to her birth weight and we have only had one night that I would consider "difficult". Josh goes back to work tomorrow and Sophia will be at school. I am looking forward to having some alone time with Suri this week. Tomorrow we are going to try and venture out to Target for some supplies. Lets hope I am feeling up to it. Nobody every talks about how uncomfortable you will feel after you have a baby. Matter of fact, I think people say this "Oh, you will forget all about the pain once you have that baby in your arms". They are crazy. As much as I love our new baby, I have not forgotten the pain. Lets hope this healing phase goes by quickly.

Until next time.....

Suri's Birth Story

Now, the title of this post was difficult to come up with because selfishly I wanted to title it "I am Super Woman". I decided against this as it would be selfish and take the attention off of our sweet new arrival. So here goes the adventures of Suri's birth:

I started having some sharp pains in my nether region on Sunday August 30 while watching tv but thought nothing of them since, like many of you are aware, I have been having many pains and contractions since May 1st. No big deal, or so I thought, and I went to sleep (sort of, as asleep as you can get when you are 50 pounds larger than you should be). So, I woke up on Monday August 31 moving a little slower than usual and not feeling well. I was having contractions pretty regularly but didn't think too much of them since, like mentioned before, I have been having them since May. Just to amuse myself and ensure that I wasn't a hypochondriac I got on a website that allows you to time your contractions. I did this most of the day and they were consistently 6-8 minutes apart but not too uncomfortable. matter of fact, I managed to clean the entire house, write out all of the bills, and organize baby gear between the contractions. So, they definitely weren't too uncomfortable. Since I was tolerating them pretty well I didn't even consider calling the doctor. These contractions lasted throughout the day so I told Josh about them when he got home and he of course said "you better call Dr. B". I asked him to go on a walk with me to see if they either increased or slowed down, just like the books recommend. So, we packed a long legged 3 year old in a stroller and went on a slow walk around the neighborhood. We did pass our friend Travis and he ran outside and told us "You guys look like you may be having a baby tonight". Little did we know....So, we got back home and things were pretty much the same so we got Sophs ready for bed and tucked in to watch a few cartoonies. Josh, for some reason, was the paranoid person which is so unlike him since he is so chill. After the contractions continued Josh insisted that I call my poor doctor on her cell phone (she was not on call) and take her away from her evening family time to see what she thought I should do. I was so reluctant to do this because first I didn't want to take time away from her family, and secondly I didn't want to go to the hospital and be sent home because I wasn't truly in labor. I gave in and called my doctor and left a message. In the mean time, Josh insisted I go ahead and call the on call doctor. She said to come on in and be checked. On our way to dropping Sophia off at her surrogate Greenwood grandparent's house (Thanks Don and Tam) Dr. B. called back and said to let her know what they say once we get to the hospital.

Okay, so we walk up to the second floor at St. Francis and do the regular "Can I have your insurance card? Please sign here. Do you want us to notify the paper?" paperwork and then headed to a triage room to get "CHECKED" which is dreadful and always has been for me. So the poor nurse "checks" me and I am 3-4 cm dilated which is really nothing and honestly at this point I am not too uncomfortable and I am questioning myself a bit for even going to the hospital. It is 10:45ish at this time. The nurse phones my OB, Dr. B and she says to have me get up and walk a little to see if this progresses labor. So, Josh and I take a short walk around the labor floor then return to the room so I can go to the bathroom and so that Josh, though he will deny this, could check the score of the Tigers game. After the bathroom break is when things started to go crazy. It is about 11:15 at this time. I told Josh that I was starting to get uncomfortable and didn't think I could walk anymore so he helped me back in bed and we got the monitors back on to see what my crazy body was doing. I started having pretty regular and intense contractions from this point on. By 11:45pm I was asking for some pain relief either in the form of an epidural or IV (Still in triage room). The nurse "checked" me again and this time I was 4-5cm dilated. By 12:00am I was admitted to the hospital and moved to a different room.

When I got to the delivery room my contractions got so intense I could not handle things any longer. I was starting to beg for an epidural or "something" but in order to get an epidural you have to be hooked up to an IV to receive fluids, you have to have blood work taken and read, and you should not be dilated completely. In just a short period of time I became the crazy birthing lady from the movies that is screaming at the top of her lungs. Some of my best lines from the night according to Josh were:

"Anyone who does it like this on purpose is crazy!"
"I'm gonna poop on you" -Yeah...I'm not real proud of that one
"You guys think I am crazy"
"I am begging you to help me"
"I'm not going to make it through this"

I know I am making light of this now but at the time it was the scariest and most intense experience of mine and Josh's life.

During these most painful contractions the poor anesthesiologist comes in to try and put in the epidural. This was unsuccessful as I was fully dilated and writhing in pain unable to even hold still enough for the procedure to be done safely.

At about 12:30 my angel of a doctor walked in to a screaming patient (ME). Josh tells me "Molly, Dr. B is here, it will be okay". I then go on saying "Dr. B you have got to help me!". She was so calm, so collected. She said "We are going to have a baby in just a few minutes" She was right. She broke my bag of water and had me push 3-4 times and Miss Suri Sabol was born at 12:45 weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 21 inches. Dr. B. delivered Sophia three years ago and has been such a wonderful caring doctor throughout this difficult pregnancy. She came in just to deliver our sweet girl even though she wasn't on call. Thank goodness because I don't know how I would have been with any other doctor.

So, admitted at 12:00am and delivered healthy baby at 12:45. No pain medicine, no epidural, no pitocin. I am SUPERWOMAN, however I recommend that every woman get an epidural and that if they suspect they may be in labor, go to the hospital early.

Let our new life begin. Until next time.......

38 week appointment and MORE!

Yesterday I saw my OB for my 38 week appointment. Everything is going fine except for the fact that I am STILL PREGNANT! The baby sounds great and is continuing to grow which is good. I am having contractions and my doctor thinks I may be in the early stages of labor because of the tightness of my belly. Lets hope, but I am not optimistic. We will be scheduled for an induction the week after Labor day weekend if I do not go into labor on my own before then.

On another note. My sister had her baby girl yesterday evening around 5pm. She weighed 5 pounds and was 18 inches long. Her name is Isabella Leigh True Kami and Isabella are both doing great and plan on going home from the hospital on Sunday evening.

The irony in all of this is that I have been having contractions since May 4th and my due date was a week earlier than my sisters. Yet, she still beats me. I really do not believe my body knows what it is doing when it comes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. We do, however, have an end in sight. Woot woot! And I slept well last night which allows me to have a way better mindset today.

Sophia is doing fine. She regularly tells me "Mommy, I am so mad that the baby isn't here yet". I hear you sister! She is heading to a birthday party today and is super excited.

Until next time......

38 week ultrasound

So today was broken up a bit with an ultrasound appointment at 11:00am. Everything with baby Suri looks great. She weighs approximately 6lbs and 7 ounces (Sophs was 6lbs 9 ounces at birth). Her heart rate is strong and she was making it very difficult for the ultrasound tech to get a good picture. She did finally end up snapping a few for me to take home. She has big fluffy lips and chubby cheeks. Unfortunately for me, the tech said that it did not appear that her head was engaged. Now, I just have to be patient. My next appointment is on Friday with my regular doctor. Until next time......

Friday Fun Night

Yesterday Josh and I picked Sophia up from school to surprise her with an evening full of fun. We first headed to the park and had a picnic and Sophia played and played. She was so excited when one of her classmates showed up and they played for a good hour together just chasing each other around. Once it started raining a little bit we headed to the gymnastics center tootie packed along. Sophia played on the trampoline, the zip line, and the monkey bars. Josh was shocked to see that Sophia can do a seat drop now and with just a tiny bit of help make it across the monkey bars. After "snacks snacks" we headed to taco bell (I was hungry again and who wants to argue with a pregnant lady) then headed back home for a slumber party. Such a fun night. My feet are killing me. Until next time......

Meet the Teacher night

Last evening I attended "Meet the Preschool Teacher Night" at Sophia's school. I was excited to be the normal mother and attend this. I spoke with her teachers about what Sophia is interested in at school. Ms. M and Ms. L said Sophia really enjoys the sensory table (table full of rice or water that the kiddos can do experiments in), but that she really sort of divides her time evenly between the "dramatic play", "arts and crafts", and "construction" centers. She has started writing her name, however will only do it on her terms or with a bribery of candy. I was informed last evening that the kids will start having a little homework on Fridays (of course optional though). The only downside of last evening was that I had to sit on a preschoolers chair. Not a pretty sight.

Our most recent "SOPHIA-ISM":

Me: "Eeeew-weee it is hot out here"

Sophia: "Is the baby still cooking in your belly?"

Me: "Yes, she is still cooking."

Sophia: "Like a pizza?"

Me: "Right Sophs, just like a pizza."

Until next time........

37 week appointment

I had my 37 week (actually 37 weeks on the 20th) appointment yesterday and the baby sounds great. My belly is still measuring a little small, but the doctor doesn't seem too concerned. I will have an ultrasound next week at my 38 week appointment (if we make it to then). So, we have officially made it. This baby has made it to full term. WOOT WOOT! Now, we have to get her out. I am sure I will go past 40 weeks. Can you imagine? 14 weeks of bedrest to slow down contractions only to go beyond your due date. That is just my luck. Anyhow, it feels nice to be able to get out and do things. I have taken a few walks and gone out with Josh and Sophs for some family time. I just have a few things left to do around the house to get ready for baby Suri, but mentally we are all ready. Sophia has run through the whole scenario with me. Here is our conversation:

Me: "Okay Sophs, what happens when it is time for mommy to have this baby?"

Sophs: "We go to the hospital, and I won't be in the room when you are having the baby, but I will see the baby right after the baby is born."

Me: "Where will you be when mommy and daddy are in the hospital room?"

Sophs: "In the TV room watching cartoonies."

So, we have it down. So, Pamela, Dale, Boo, and Papi be on your toes because it could be "go time" any day. Lets hope sooner than later.

Until next time........

Family Fun Fair 2009

Sophia had a ball at Greenwood Christian Church Family Fun Fair today. Josh and she went around to nearly every station bouncing in jumpers, playing carnival games, train rides, boat rides, and even face painting. It was a beautiful but hot day. Until next time........