New Year update...

OK, so I've been EXTREMELY delinquent in updating! Sorry! I think I've realized I like sending out emails with pictures instead. I get more responses that way and I like that! :) Plus, I've finally succumbed and joined Facebook, so now I'm trying to figure that thing out, too! :) Anyways, all is well here. We had a busy holiday season, as usual, and then I went back to work on January 5, 2009. That took some getting used to! I went to the doctors at the beginning of break because I was SOOO fatigued. They ended up running bloodwork for anemia and hypothyroidism. I was actually pleased. I thought, "Sweet, they'll find something, give me some pill to take, and then I'll feel totally energized!" Yeah, well, everything came back normal. The doctors were like, "Sorry, you're fine. You just happen to have two small children, you're pregnant, AND you work full time!" Ah, well. Such is life! :)

So, I was finally adjusting to being back at school and establishing some sort of routine again when Lauren decided to spice things up a bit this week. On Tuesday, she fell out of her feeding chair and broke her collarbone!! Poor thing! She's a trooper, though. Once we finally got x-rays and realized what exactly happened, I got her an immobilizer, which pretty much straps her left arm and hand to her body. I thought she would hate it, but I think she realizes it feels better that way, and hasn't tried to mess with it at all. She has to wear it for two weeks, then we go back for a checkup. What a daredevil she is! Tasted one moment of freedom, and off she flew! :) Oh well, isn't the first time and I'm SURE it will not be the last, especially if these kids are as accident-prone as their mommy!

Aaron has been busy working. I think he really enjoys working with/for the guy he's with right now. He's the same age as us, with two small children like us, too. (well, not like us for long!) They just got a basement job for one of the Red Wings and Aaron is pretty psyched about that. Maybe some "perks" will come our way, eh? Well, not that I'll be enjoying anything. I'm about as non-sports-oriented as you can get!! I'd rather watch it on T.V. :)

Reagan continues to make us pull our hair out on a daily basis, while cracking us up at the same time. She is such a headstrong kid. And how good she is at using sarcasm! (must get that from her mom, too!) The things that come out of that child's mouth are hysterical! I need to keep a journal of all her "Reaganisms"!

Well, I think that's about it for an update...Oh yeah, the newest member of the family is almost here. "HE" is due 3/28, but I'm thinking (hoping?) more like mid-March. I've gained less weight than with either of the girls, yet a lady in Meijer stops me before the holidays and asks me if I'm having a "Christmas baby". Yeah, lady...try March -- the END of March! Hopefully I'm not continuing the pattern of my previous pregnancies...Reagan was 7 lbs., Lauren was 9 lbs., that would make this one ELEVEN POUNDS!! I am definitely asking for another ultrasound near the end so I have some idea of how big this bouncing (and he IS bouncing - constantly!) baby boy is! :)

Love to all! I'll post pics soon!
Nicole

IT'S A...

Boy!!! How about that? Third times the charm, eh? We are all sooo excited to add a son to our family! It sounds so strange to even say "my son" instead of "my daughter"! Everything looked perfect on the ultrasound and I had the tech put the picture that showed the gender in an envelope so I could open it with Aaron at home. I think he was more freaked out to open it than I was! I slowly pulled the picture out of the envelope, and let's just say the gender was obvious. ha ha ha Hopefully, the second half of this pregnancy will pass as uneventfully as the first half. Thankfully, I have not been sick at all, and once my body adjusted to being back at school, a lot of the fatigue went away, too.

Just a quick note..

Hi, Everyone!
Well, clumsy me decided to go and spill water on my laptop, and now it's toast! I had the Geek Squad try to do a data recovery for me and the hard drive was so damaged they couldn't even do it. Sooooo, all my email addresses are "gone with the wind". If you would all email me just a quick message so I can recreate my address book, I would greatly appreciate it. Since my computer is pretty much like my right arm, I went out and bought a new laptop the next day, but I'm still trying everything and everyone I can to get my data (including pics of the girls!!) off the old one. I'll update in more detail next week, since my 20 week ultrasound is on Monday, and we'll find out if this baby has girl parts or boy parts!! :)

The Sisters' Silliness

Here is another video of Lauren...Reagan was cracking her up by making a "razzing" sound with her mouth. She just adores her big sister, and Reagan is quite the little Mommy. Enjoy! :)

Back to School...

Well, I have just completed my first official week back at school! It is nice to be back and have some sort of routine again, but I miss my girls and I am EXHAUSTED!! My body needs to readjust to this new schedule. Fortunately, I have been blessed with another morning sickness-free pregnancy, so that has made going back to work easier. Reagan is cracking us up every day. One morning, she decided that since I was busy blow-drying my hair, she was going to take it upon herself to change Lauren's diaper. I came down and she was sitting at Lauren's feet - in the crib - with the box of wipes next to her, Lauren's jammies tucked up under her, the dirty diaper and wipe all wrapped up and tabbed closed (just like Mommy does) and the fresh diaper on her!!! She didn't do a bad job, either! I told her she was hired! :) The video I took is below...
Lauren is fiesty, just like her big sister, but has a smile that melts your heart. Those big blue eyes look at you and she just grins from ear to ear at the simplest thing you do. Watch out, though, because those grins can turn into blood-curdling screams in 2 seconds flat. She definitely lets you know when she is not happy about something! She's enjoying her cereal more and more. I can't wait to start baby food. Aaron and I have just started car shopping. We went to a couple of dealerships today, but unfortunately, we have a clear picture of what each of us wants, we just can't find a vehicle that fits all our requirements! We would be getting a Ford Flex for sure, IF it wasn't a brand new model. That just makes us a little nervous. We definitely want 3 rows, but I want something that is more like a car to get into and drive (like the Flex), but Aaron wants storage (like a Tahoe or a Yukon). Any suggestions out there?? Hope this post finds everyone happy and healthy! Love to all! Nicole



The Chocolate Exhibit at Henry Ford Museum

Reagan, Mommy, & Nana at Greenfield Village (Papa took the picture and Lauren is in the stroller)
Ah, my little "gossiper-in-training"! :)

Oh, if only she could REALLY hold her bottle! :)

Here is the video of Reagan changing Lauren's diaper...

Lauren is 4 months old!

Oh, where has the time gone? Lauren had her 4 month checkup today and she is 14 lbs. 8 oz. and 26" long. That puts here right about at the 85th percentile. She is a big girl, but not really that chubby. Her thighs are starting to be a bit "squeezable," but that's it. She had to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine today and she was a trooper! She did much better than last time! She cried when they stuck her, but she stopped right away, pretty much before I even picked her up to soothe her. I took Reagan with me this time, and wasn't sure how she would handle seeing her sister freak out after getting her shots. I prepped her beforehand and she was very good. She sat on her chair in the corner and just soaked everything in. I think all she had on her mind was me telling her she had to be a good girl or she wouldn't be able to pick a toy out of the prize box! :) So, we'll be starting Lauren on rice cereal tomorrow morning and evening. Hopefully that will stop her from waking up somewhere between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. every morning!! Lately, that has been the pattern: Put to bed at 8 p.m., then waking early in the morning. However, I have recently been able to give her back her pacifier and she'll go back to sleep without a bottle until like 9 a.m., which is heavenly! :) (although short-lived because I'll be back to school in a couple of weeks :( ) She's also been rolling over from back to tummy lately. Ah, they grow up so fast! :) Be sure to check the previous two posts -- they're new, too! :)
Love to all! Nicole

Reagan's Day at Turtle Cove continued...

Read previous post first. These are just more pictures from Turtle Cove...

FEARLESS!

What a ham!!

Wwwhhheeeeeee!

Heading for a waterslide for, like, the hundredth time!

Ah, the only thing left to do after a day in the sun and water!