Playing with my Snow Angel

Between Monday night and Tuesday, in Salina, we accumulated 4 inches of snow... just enough for my little Noodle Bug to go out and play in!  I couldn't wait to get her out in it... I knew she would be so intrigued by it... or so I thought...

I bundled her all up (too bundled I might ask?)... then trudged down our back porch stairs with baby and camera in tow and plopped her in the snow in our backyard.  This was her initial reaction:

WHAT IS ALL OF THIS STUFF?!!!  Annnnd... why can't I move?

Mommy then proceeded to help her make a snow angel...  it's not so impressive on here... but it's the sweetest little bitty snow angel in our big backyard.

I then unbundled her a bit... enough so she could actually move a little... and let her have a hand out... she was very interested in the cold wet stuff!  And once mommy made it into a ball... well... it was delicious! 



Ok... so I know I'm biased... obviously... isn't every mother?  But I think my Sweet Caroline has the most GORGEOUS eyes... Here's my messy girl being fed her dinner by her Daddy.



Our Christmas Tree... yes, the lower branches are decorated by her own toys... truly she's not all that impressed by the tree... at least not this year ;)

Don't tell Callie Faith!!!  Santa delivered her gift a little early... so Daddy could have a head start (and break the tradition) of putting it together at midnight on Christmas Eve!

And Finally... Taking a bath with her pretty Auntie Boo (Alex)... I supposed this photo is a little x-rated of the Noodle-Bug... but who can resist those little rolls!



We have our Christmas shopping done... we completed most of it online this year... which was wonderful... and we're just counting down the days until we head to Derby (Friday).  We're very excited to see all of the family... Little Callie has soooo many new tricks to show off!

I mailed out our Christmas cards yesterday... so everyone should be receiving them soon!

All our love!

Steve and Lou's favorite little bears

And this is the video from our little Teddy Bear photo shoot... it's soooo much fun having the two cousins together... I think God knew what He was doing when he blessed us with these two so close together...



Our Christmas Photo Shoot

I meant to share this FOREVER ago... but am just now finding the time to do so... I think it's pretty great... sorry I'm not the most amazing videographer!

My first Ultimate Fail as a Mother...

(Our Christmas Card...I wish I had had my telephoto lens for this!!!!)

This may be one of the most difficult things for me to admit... so difficult in fact, that I didn't even call my mother immediately after the incident (which is EXTREMELY unusual for me).  But yesterday, I failed as a mother.

Callie fell down the stairs...

I was on the phone with Mandi, had just finished feeding Callie her lunch (unsuccessfully... yet again, she hates eating).  I removed her from her high chair and set her in her little play place in the living room.  I then decided I would run to the restroom quickly... however... in the time I sat down to do my business, little Miss Noodle, quickly crawled over the the staircase, and I watched her move her first arm over the first step. I dropped the phone and ran to the staircase... but it was too late.  My sweet baby tumbled down the stairs (8 stairs to be exact) and landed on her tummy on the landing.  The sound of her little body thumping down the stairs is something I'll never forget.  Callie was crying, and after a quick assessment, with nothing broken or scratched or even bruised, I realized she was mostly scared.  I was shaking and crying with her... how could I let this happen to my baby!!!  I even had the door of the bathroom open... UGH!!!  Callie and I snuggled in the rocking chair... where big brother Sneebie jumped onto my lap as well and went back and forth between licking my arms and Callie's knowing something had gone terribly wrong and just wanted to right it all.

Once I calmed down... I then became so angry... first at myself... then at my dear husband... because we've had a baby gate, sitting in the garage, since before she was even born.  And we have managed to come up with every excuse in the world as to why we haven't had the time to set it up.  Needless to say... I called him... and asked him to come home right away to install it.  He couldn't, of course, this was about 3 pm... but said he would be home at 5 (really, pretty early for him, he's usually not home until 6:30-7-ish). It turns out a baby gate doesn't do much good sitting in the garage... when you have a little crawler in the house.

Mandi called me back and I explained what happened... and being the amazing friend she is, she reassured me that it happens to almost every child... poor Andrew fell down the stairs once too... as did I (in my walker) and Stef, my sister did also.  That only made me feel a smidge better... I watch her like a hawk... I really do... but in the time I went to the restroom... she quickly crawled across the living room and tumbled down the stairs.  I just can't believe it happened to my baby.  I snuggled her all afternoon... still feeling terribly.  I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach for most of the day after that.

I guess I'm just mostly grateful that it was only halfway down our staircase... and not down all 16 stairs... and she never hit her head or anything... so it was a "best-case scenario"... if that exists when your child falls down the stairs.

Needless to say... our gate is in place now, after about 30 minutes time of installation...

One of my favorite Christmas presents from Louise!  She made us a new back door shade!  It's beautiful!!!

For my birthday, Phillip got me a telephoto lens for my camera... the photos are even more amazing than before... here's a few pictures of our holiday decorations...

(Callie's stocking was supposed to be in the process of being embroidered... however... it was too fuzzy... so we have to now find a new one ;)

Our ceramic tree that I've had since I was a little girl... (and of course a weenie statue!)

Our snowman family!

Phillip's contribution to our holiday decorations... who knew how much he loved poinsettias?

(I LOVE my telephoto lens!!!  These look amazing!)

I promise I'll be a better mother... sorry to everyone... but mostly my sweet baby girl... I truly do love her more than life itself...  I can't even believe the fall happened... it just seems like a terrible nightmare...

Happy 9 days till Christmas!

VOTE FOR CALLIE!!!

The Wichita Eagle Holiday Photo Contest

(click on this link to vote!)

Greetings Family and Friends...

I know it's been a while since I've been on here... and I really want to do an update soon... but I've just gotten off of work this morning and more than anything I just want a good nap :)

I'm writing to ask all of you to vote for this photo of Sneebie and Callie.  My mother submitted the photo to the Wichita Eagle Holiday Photo Contest, and now we need to "rally the troops" to help our little Calpal win!

This is the photo that was submitted:



You can vote once daily through December 18th, 2011... so please do!  Thank you all so much!

All our love!

My Punkin in the Patch

I can't believe it's already been a month ago, but I'm going to post this video anyways... Phillip and I went to a Pumpkin Patch in Assaria, Kansas, a tiny town just south of Salina... the patch was amazing!  We had so much fun, daddy slingshot gourds into haybales, Callie played in the corn (what daddy does all day at work), and Mommy had fun capturing the memories via cameras.  There were kids everywhere... but we managed to steal a little space in the "corn-box" for Callie to play in... here's the video we caught...

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!  Love to you all!

Here are a couple of photos I've taken recently... of two of my most favorite people of all time...

(forgive me Steve... the focus isn't quite perfect, and I really need to work on shutter speed to catch her quick moving little arms.  Perhaps a lesson over Thanksgiving?)

I LOVE this photo, I can hear her squeal she's saying to her da-da... it's simply pure bliss :)



Playtime for Noodle

I thought I would share one of the 5 million videos we have of Noodle Bug playing... I just can't get enough of her...

Here I was doing some of her laundry and she was playing in her crib... please excuse the mess... my house isn't always as clean as I would like for it to be :)

C:\Users\Phil\AppData\Local\Temp\PMB_Uploader\20111003153130.wmv

Callie Faith Photography

Here are some of my attempts at photographing my sweet baby girl...
(go easy on me Grampa Steve... I'm still new at this :)

This is one of my newest favorites!  I was leaning down to get her a pair of pajamas out, and while she was "airing out" she leaned over to look at me and watch what I was doing... seeing her peering over the edge was simply too cute to not capture (don't worry Mom... I didn't leave her on the changing table unattended... Phillip brought me the camera... I can already hear you scolding me for the thought of walking away from her)...




This one is from a month or two ago... I just LOVED these little sockies and her chubby legs!  She's in her walker/exersaucer toy...

This is a 5 month photo... I had her posing on top of her dresser... in the same tutu she wore as a newborn!  I love this tutu!

This photo was taken at Karyn's bridal shower... The lighting and model's were just perfect...  This is something we'll treasure for a long time...

Noodle couldn't have been more than 2.5 months old in this photo... Grams was just loving on her sleeping baby and I captured it!  Phillip thinks Callie looks weird in this photo... I think she looks like she's in one of those milk coma's (oh how I miss them!)!

Perhaps I will post more another time... my camera and external hard drive are FULL of photos to be edited and posted... We have photo shoots all the time!  I love it!  I have the best model to practice photography on!

PS... a special thanks to my mom for loaning me her tripod... hopefully now I can take more photos of her and I together!

How is it even possible... my baby is 6 months old?!?

Where has the time gone? 6 months ago... Phillip and I were two completely ignorant married people... who were ecstatic to meet this new creation and to enter this new chapter in our lives.  If only I had known that 6 months ago today would be my last night of sleeping 8 full hours.... :)

I wouldn't change anything though.  Not the sleepless nights, the early mornings, the endless "urp" stains on every shirt I own... the hideous nursing bras (while my beautiful Victoria's Secret ones hang up on display in my closet, simply collecting dust on their fabulous fabric) or even my new body shape (that seems to not fit into any of the clothes I owned pre-pregnancy).  Because parenthood has taught me that life now... isn't about me... it's about us... all of us, Phillip, Callie, Sneebie and I.  Doing life together... as a family... and it's wonderful (hard, but absolutely wonderful).

I can't begin to thank our families.  In several different conversations, Phillip and I have both agreed that we are beyond blessed because we have had such amazing families to teach us love and how to love.  Our families have sacrificed everything for us... always putting the family first, and making life work despite ups and downs.  We can only hope that we too can gift this to our little Callie.

Ok ok.... enough mushy stuff... right?  I'm sure you want to know what's going on in our lives.  And for as much as I would love to give you every detail from the last time I blogged until now... it would take me all night to type that up :)

Well here it goes:

Major Milestones as of today:

*Callie can sit alone, unsupported

*Callie has been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking (I'm SOOO not ready for crawling!)

*Callie is still nursing about 5-6 times a day, eats two meals of oatmeal (mixed with breast milk, because she doesn't like formula) and baby food, and we give her a breast milk bottle at bedtime...

*She went through a spurt from 4.5 months to 5.5 months where she wouldn't sleep through the night, was literally up every hour... Phillip and I were at our wits ends... it was awful, but after sending out an SOS on facebook to some of my fellow friends that are both moms and nurses, I received advice that has seemed to work, and for almost 2 weeks now she's been sleeping about 10 pm - 8 am... "peeping" ~2 times through the night for her paci.

FOODS:

#1...Rice Cereal:  This was her first solid food, mixed with breast milk... she HATED it... she would cry, spit it out, flail about... make terrible gagging sounds... we tried mixing it with two different kinds of formula and absolutely nothing worked.  After going to the pediatrician, we tried Oatmeal.

#2...Oatmeal: While she didn't LOVE this... she responded better to it than she did the Rice cereal.  Interesting fact... her daddy also preferred the oatmeal to rice cereal!

#3...Carrots: Fed to her by Gramma Urso and Great Gremom.... she wasn't a huge fan... but the professionals got her to eat it all... which is better than what I had been able to do.

#4...Applesauce:  Literally shook her from head to toe the first time she tried it.  The tartness and sweetness just sent her over the top... it made eating the cereal a little more tolerable... but I was surprised she didn't like it more.

#5...Bananas: Again... just ok for her... at this point in the eating game, I wasn't sure that she was ever going to be interested in eating food.

#6...Sweet Potatoes... Daddy wanted her to have some veggies... so we tried this... SHE LOVES THEM!!!  It's a miracle!  She actually opens her mouth and leans forward to eat these!

#7...Squash... again... just kind of meh...

#8... Pears... these make her have all kinds of toots... and I don't think she sleeps well because of how gassy they make her.  Growing up, my mother always referred to them as "poo-poo pears"... because they helped make her constipated kids "go"...

As a baby shower gift, one of my girlfriends gave me a calendar, with stickers in it.  The stickers are to mark dates such as "first smile, first food, first tooth, etc"... honestly, when I received it, I thought... why would I use this if I have a baby book?  It was one of the BEST gifts EVER!!!  I write something on the calendar EVERYDAY... and it's been fun to go back through and read what she did on certain dates.  I plan on scanning a couple of pages and posting it on here... I think it's fun!

Alright, everyone must really be tired of listening to me... so on to the photos... if you're not on facebook... you should be... that's where I post a lot of photos!  I also send out mass text messages of nearly daily photos of my little Noodle bug... so if you can receive photo or video messages and would like to receive those... let me know... I'll add you on!

Here's another Halloween Photo!  We took this at the pumpkin patch Phillip, Callie and I visited last weekend in Assaria, Kansas (just South of Salina).

Introducing... the newest Van Court "Chick"  Callie Faith!

And her big brother Sneebie... of course :)

Happy Halloween...

Here's a special Happy Halloween wish from Callie...

Rock-a-bye Baby...

Sitting here tonight... in the ever-wonderful gliding rocking chair Phillip bought us just before Callie's birth, and my favorite neighbor and fabulous friend, Mandi, put together while we were in the hospital with her... rocking my sweet baby to sleep... might be the greatest, most powerful feeling in the world.  I know it's not "Babywise" (I already know what you're thinking Mandi!)... and perhaps not even going to make her the most "independent" woman in the world... but I'm cherishing every moment, every night I get to spend, rocking my baby to sleep.  I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even for a couple more hours of sleep (and I'm desperate for sleep... most of the time :)... so thank you Mother, Louise & Gremom for telling me that it's ok to rock my baby to sleep, because as JT's mom put it, "I rocked my babies to sleep every night until they were 5... or they just wouldn't let me anymore... because it's such a short time in our lives that we have to rock our babies..."  So when I'm extra exhausted, or Callie's fighting sleep... I try to remember... that this time, is so brief in the big scheme of things... and that one day... when I'm rocking in my rocking chair at 85, next to my Phillip... I'll be thinking about the days of rocking my baby :)

Sweet dreams everyone!

PS... I have very good intentions of getting back on here... I apologize for having been absent for 3 MONTHS!!!  So much has happened and I can't wait to share it with you!

All our love...

Ouchy's

It's amazing how life has changed, in every single aspect.  As a nurse, giving shots to a baby probably isn't my favorite part of the job, but it's certainly "no big deal".  And when the parents become uneasy regarding the pain I inflict upon their little ones, I soothe them by always saying "they will have a lot of hurts in life, some good, some bad... this is a good hurt".  Well, now that I am in the other role, with another nurse attempting to tell me the same thing... it doesn't matter.  My sweet baby has to go through pain and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

I never thought I would be one of "those" moms... maybe a few of you readers could see it coming from miles away... but I may have cried more than Sweet Caroline did with her shots.  Phillip took off work this morning, meeting us at the doctors office... and when offered to either hold her, or leave her on the exam table for the vaccinations, Phillip jumped at the opportunity to hold her.  As she wailed with each (of the THREE) shots she received, it was all I could do to stay strong with the nurse in the room.  After the nurse placed band aids (MAJOR ICK!!!) on my baby (that I promptly removed as soon as she left the room), she left and allowed Phillip and I to gather our things and redress Callie.  It was then, Phillip turned to me and asked, "are you OK" that the tears started streaming.  He did such a good job consoling our baby and being her "protector", all the while I was gathering all the strength in my body to not break down in front of the health care provider, I still feel so selfish.

This is so much harder than I ever thought it could be! (don't worry, I'll come to grips with it soon, I promise to not be one of "those" mothers).

**Taken on my iPhone**

Ugh... but the good news is, is that she has had her first round of vaccines, and she won't need anymore shots until her 4 month visit, at the end of August.  Also, her diaper rash has reappeared (UGH), so I had the doctor spend a little bit of time examining that as well... her conclusion, Callie has sensitive skin and we're probably going to fight a constantly recurring diaper rash until she's about 6 months old... poor Noodle.  I just couldn't figure out why, with the no-wipe, warm soft paper towel, blow dryer, and slather of A&D ointment routine that her little bum wasn't staying clear.  Now I suppose I will just attempt to control it the best I can and know that I simply may not be able to make it go away.  Also we're now switching from A&D to Triple Cream... so we'll see if that helps at all.

Our little Noodle now weighs in at 10 pounds 5 ounces, placing her in the 50% for weight and she's 22 3/4 (I had previously measured her at 24 inches, so I don't entirely trust this measurement) which places her in the 75% for height (still tall, shocking, right? :)

So, it's been an eventful day... and after the doctor appointment, mommy treated herself (and Callie, indirectly :) to Braums Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream & too much Hershey's chocolate sauce... it always makes everything better.

Callie seems to be doing well so far, a little sleepy, a little fussy, but doing fairly well.  I keep trying to move her legs and massage the site where she received the vaccines, in hopes of her legs not becoming too stiff or sore.

**Big Brother Sneebie taking care of his Baby Sister while she sleeps**

This is a snap shot of what's happening right now as I'm typing :)

Saturday we go to Omaha for the holiday weekend where we get to meet Great Grampa Faith for the first time, as well as other uncle's, second cousins and Miss Hazel McCann.  Hopefully the shots don't put her too out for this visit, and she can be her bright smiley self for everyone to meet.

Well... I'm off to edit a few more photos, hopefully you enjoy the ones I've posted thus far... don't forget to check out the ones I've uploaded to facebook.

All our love to everyone!

**This is what Daddy does when he's on the computer and thinking hard too... we call it "hand and mouth disease"** 

Anyhow... she's checking her emails here :)

The Second Month... and she's mine :)

If I thought the first month ended quickly... then the second month FLEW by!  How do I have a two month old baby?  Why am I still wearing little more than my black and white robe & out of fashion black glasses?  I suppose I know the answer to both of those rhetorical questions, the first, time is moving way too fast, the second, because my other accessory is baby "urp" (thank you Graber's for the fabulous verbage :).

Our little Callie is just growing and learning so much these days.  She has found her sweet little fists and enjoys licking them (we say she learned this from Big Brother Sneebie)... I've even caught her with her thumb in her mouth a couple of times (see following photo), obviously taking after both Mommy and Daddy.  She has become quite the talker, one of her favorite words being "boo", which is coincidentally also the nickname for Auntie Alex.  She is still a bobble head... but gaining more and more control of that big noggin every day.  She has also become an amazing sleeper, (just like her mommy!), generally going to bed at 11pm and waking around 7am... I absolutely couldn't ask for more!  But probably my very favorite thing she has mastered is a big toothless grin when she sees her mommy.  Life is incredibly rewarding now that I know that smile isn't just because of a big toot she has brewing, but because she is just genuinely happy to see her mommy... even if it's in that old robe and glasses, I think she recognizes me better in them :).

Perhaps I'm the first mother to feel this way... or simply the first to admit it... but I finally feel like, she's mine.  This is my baby.  This is my little love thing that needs me... and wants me, not that Sneebie wasn't this.  But I'm finally understanding that bond.  Between mother and child.  The first month... I knew I loved her... but this month... I can't imagine my life without her.  I am absolutely living my dream.  It's an exhausting dream... but it's an amazing one.

I've been a single mother for the past month... not because Phillip or I chose this... unfortunately, no matter the year, Harvest will always steal him away more than any of us like.  And don't get me wrong, he certainly did his best... after an 18 hour day, coming home and giving Miss Callie the most of himself he could... for all of 15 minutes before nearly passing out from exhaustion.  It just became exhausting for me too.  I'm not sure how women do it alone, or why anyone would choose to do it alone.  All I have to say is that I'm incredibly thankful for my super supportive family... my Mother is a fabulous woman, as she came to my rescue a couple of times, just so I could even get a shower in, catch up on laundry, etc.  But the best news of all is that for Salina, Harvest is 90% completed... so there is light at the end of the tunnel... where we can actually do life as a family again, I can't wait to have my partner back.

Callie has had quite an adventurous two months of life.  Traveling first to Wichita, Derby, Rose Hill, Grove, Cheyenne, and next to Omaha... making that 4 states she has visited, 5 including driving through Colorado.  Lucky for us, she is a great car-rider... aside from the initial fussing about actually having to get into her car seat, the lull of the car ride puts her fast asleep.  The same seems to go for her big brother as well.

Well... via the baby monitor I hear some rustling in the crib with a few squeaks... so nap time is nearly over... again, I will attempt to promise a more timely blog update... but time seems to get away so easily, and it's hard to pull myself away from a happy, smiling little girl... or even from watching her sleep... she's such a miracle!

I am including the link from the Wichita Eagle of the story they did on my friend Sarah, most of my family knows of her... and I thought they did a very nice job on this... so grab a box of Kleenex... it's beautiful!

Newspaper Photos of Sarah

Part 1, Sarah's Story

Part 2, Sarah's Story

Part 3, Her Happy Ending

Here are a few photos I've done... I have so many on my camera I just need to edit and post... And Poppa U... I promise I will print some and send them your way soon!  All our love to everyone!

The First Month

I cannot believe that I'm already able to write that as a title... or that it's taken me that long to update again.  Has it really been a whole month?  Have Phillip and I been parents for 4 full weeks?  What on Earth was God thinking when he in trusted US with this little life... He must not have been paying attention to what He was doing.  This all seems so impossible... then again, neither of us have slept for longer than a 4 hour time span... so perhaps this is the real thing :)

Our sweet little baby girl Callie Faith.  It's still weird to me that, this name Phillip and I created... belongs to this tiny person.  This tiny person that thinks Phillip and I are the greatest things ever.  This little girl who has begun cooing and smiling... that makes that 3 am feeding totally worth every hour of sleep I've been missing out on for the past month.  Her sweet little eyes, that once she locks contact with yours makes you think she's gazing into your soul... and makes me crave to be a better person... for her... for us.

Life has changed... forever.

Phillip and I, not that we didn't before, we just have a totally different appreciation for it all... have discovered an utmost respect and gratitude for all of the sacrifices our parents... and grandparents gave for us to be the people we are today.  This is NOT easy... but you all seem to have a totally different level of excitement we can't understand... but perhaps the reward of a tiny sleep smile from Callie is the beginning of why you all are so excited for her little life.

Callie is an amazing baby... she rarely cries... and when she does, it's generally for a true need, whether she be hungry, dirty, or has a big burpy that she needs to share with everyone.  She's a great car-rider and lets Mommy play dress up with her without putting up much of a fuss.  We are incredibly blessed... she hardly even makes a peep as I wipe her angry little bottom, with what has to be the worst diaper rash ever (or maybe nurse mommy is just a little over the top :).  Phillip and I have agreed that at least God knew that Callie would have to break us in easy and teach us how to be parents... she's a wonderful instructor.

She'll be 5 weeks old on Thursday... I'm wanting her to stop growing up so quickly already... all I want to do is snuggle her in my arms and love on her.  Anyone who has been around me knows that I hate to have her anywhere but in the arms of someone that loves her... the swing, bouncer, car seat... simply will not do :)

Big brother Sneebie is adjusting... slowly... and hates the time I spend with her while she is nursing.  He's a good boy... but he was an only child so it's only appropriate that not having ALL of the attention from everyone is difficult for him.  Phillip has done an amazing job with devoting as much time as he possibly can to Sneebert and training him with the new commands we made for him, "Gentle" when he is around Callie, and "Leave it" for her toys and things.

I love her... being away from her for the first time, for a trip to Walmart with Phillip only set that in deeper.  For the entire 2 hours we spent away from her, for our first "date" without any babies, to Taco Bell and Walmart in Grove, Oklahoma, we talked about how much we love our new little family... and how we cut the trip out short, so we could hurry home to snuggle her.  Phillip and I make a great team... I can't imagine having any other partner by my side in this game called Life.  God is good...

I haven't got much time... I'm learning how important it is to utilize nap times to the fullest!  So I will post a couple of photos of Callie, Sneebie and I playing dress up... and her birth announcement (I'm working on getting it printed!).

Thank you again... to all of our friends and family... you're an amazing bunch... we are incredibly blessed...  our Sweet Caroline is a lucky girl :)

**The front side of the birth announcement... special thanks to Auntie Emily for designing the announcement & Grampa Steve for helping me to understand how to capture an image like this :)

**The back side of the birth announcement... it wouldn't be a complete announcement unless it included both of our children!

A Photo I took of Phillip holding our sweet little one...  I promised him, if he purchased me the nice camera I wanted, I wouldn't spend tons of money on having professional photos taken... I think we're both pleased with how this one turned out :)

Our Baby Story

***This is extremely long... and may have too much information for some readers... but the pictures at the end are fun to look at***

So it all began Monday, April 25th after what would be our last pre-natal visit to Dr. Kauffman.  Dr. Kauffman preformed a "stripping of the membranes" procedure, an attempt at naturally inducing labor.  Phillip will tell you, as we drove home to Salina from Wichita, I was disappointed because I wasn't even feeling so much as a tiny cramp from the procedure... I was convinced that I would be pregnant indefinitely.

Shortly after arriving home,around 11 am, I went to the restroom... when I felt something that was definitely not normal.  I had lost my mucous plug!  Unfortunately this simply meant that labor could start anywhere from the next 24 hours to the next 2 weeks.  But I was still excited... something was happening!  I proudly announced this as Phillip was nearly walking out the door for work... and his response was simply "gross".

I was just ecstatic that something was actually happening (though no contractions or even cramps at this point), I called Mandi and we made pedicure appointments that evening (how could I possibly go into labor with un-painted toes?!)

Monday night was my very last full night of sleep... to this day.  I woke up Tuesday morning at 8 am, because a guy from the Sprinkler company came to fix our sprinklers (that had been placed 2 feet outside of our property line, thus being outside of our newly fenced backyard... you can imagine how happy Phillip was upon this discovery).  After meeting with the gentleman (& setting our alarm system to arm the house) I went to lay back down.  As I tried to settle back in to sleep just a little bit more, I noticed some "cramps" that were fairly regular, nearly every 20-30 minutes, just uncomfortable enough to not let me sleep through them.  When Phillip came home for lunch around 1 pm, I mentioned to him that I was feeling these occasional cramps.  He needed more firm data and requested that I start charting when they occur.  Once I did, I noticed that they were anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes apart, irregularly, but never stopped.  I told Mandi about them, and we decided to go for a walk on the Dike (a 4 mile walking path in Salina) to see if we could make them any stronger or weaker.  They remained irregularly consistent.

Phillip got home and was starving, I had been too preoccupied with my day to make dinner, so we went to Chili's... where the contractions started to get closer together, and a little stronger.  At this point, Phillip and my mother were convinced we needed to head to Wichita... I was not so convinced.

On our way to Wichita, we stopped at my friend/nurse Crystal's house... where she checked me and revealed that I was dilated to 2-3 centimeters.  I was still not convinced that the contractions were intense enough to be true labor... so we decided to sleep at my mothers house... just to kind of wait things out.  I charted contractions all night long... they were every 5 minutes from 1 am -5:30 am... but still just not so strong that I was convinced it was the real thing... so I let everyone sleep and tried to rest in between.  Then suddenly... they spaced out, to every 30 minutes again... and they remained that way for most of Wednesday.  Phillip and I went on 3 walks, anywhere from 1 mile to 3 miles (trying to walk out this baby!)  He was so anxious the whole time... he just wanted something to happen!  But our little girl was just taking her sweet time.  Crystal came over to my mother's house around 6 pm where she checked me and said that I was dilated to 4 centimeters.  After she checked me, the contractions became more regular, every 3-5 minutes, and more intense.  It wasn't until around 9:30 pm that they became strong enough that I decided (after much convincing) that we should go to the hospital.  I showered, did my hair & makeup... all in between contractions... I refused to look totally awful after labor!

My dream delivery... everything worked out perfectly... God was watching over us

When we got to the hospital... around 11 pm, it was so busy, there were NO clean rooms!  (Mind you, I was supposed to work this night!) Phillip and I waited in the waiting room for 1 hour while we had 3 housekeepers doing a super thorough deep cleaning on our room... believe me, it was worth the wait :)  When I was officially checked in, Crystal checked me and said I was dilated to 5 centimeters.  She started my IV and asked if I wanted any pain medications... I only asked for nausea and heartburn meds!  The contractions were still not unbearable... and I wanted to wait to get any pain medications until I just couldn't stand the pain anymore.

My amazing support person.  I wouldn't have wanted anyone else coaching me through this.  He's amazing... Callie and I are lucky girls...

In Labor and Delivery, we define the active phase of labor as being when the cervix dilates 1 centimeter an hour (you start at being closed or dilated to 0 and then must dilate to 10)... due to Miss Callie's position (occiput posterior - Sunny side up, still head down, just facing the wrong way)... My labor had stalled out at 5 centimeters, so Dr. Kuhlmann (my second choice of Physician after Dr. Kauffman... because my doctor was out of town for a mere 24 hours that he had told us about on Monday) decided it was time to break my water to get things moving along.  I had heard that once your water is broken, the contractions become "a while different ballgame".  But I still wasn't in horrible pain, and I wanted to feel the intensity of the contractions that make women behave they way they do when I take care of them.  So I continued to hold off on pain medication.  About 20 minutes later... I felt that pain.  Phillip said he looked in my eyes as I was concentrated on breathing through the pain and watched as my pupils dilated.  I finally told him... "GO FIND SOMEONE"... I was ready for the epidural (knowing full well that it would still take about 20 minutes before all the pain was gone).  The epidural was bliss... I felt SOO much better... and Phillip and I were going to attempt to get some rest... it was nearly 4 am at this point.

After another check, I was still stuck at 5 centimeters, Crystal asked Dr. Kuhlmann the terrifying question of "do you think she'll deliver naturally or by c-section?"  Dr. Kuhlmann replied by saying, "lets start some Pitocin"... I think everyone was beginning to get a little worried at this point.  So Crystal started the medicine, and with the next check, I was nearly dilated to 8 centimeters... and Callie had turned around to face the right way.  It seems like then, all of a sudden, it was nearly time to push.  Crystal left the room, and let Phillip and I have a little time together, just the two of us.  We said a little prayer... and then I got a little emotional.  What a pivotal moment to be in... in just a very short time... we would be meeting this new person... this new generation in our family... it was exhilarating... it was terrifying.

Dr. Kuhlmann came in to the room, helped get me into the pushing position, had me push a couple of times and then hurridly put on his delivery garb while Crystal called in Kelly, the nurse that took care of Callie.  A couple more pushes and we could see hair... then with one last push... she was here.  The feeling was overwhelming.  At 9:36 am, April 28th, 2011, Phillip and I became parents to the most amazing thing (in our books :) God ever created.  She was perfect, came out crying... and placed right on my chest.  This innocent little being... given to us.  I'm so grateful I had another nurse, Monica, in the room at the time to capture it all (immediately after delivery) on camera.  I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, but I can't wait to relive the experience.  I can't believe that I have the opportunity to be a part of this experience for so many people... it truly is a miracle.

Immediately after delivery... we both said at one point "I wish Sneebie was here"... we love our little family!

Our Sweet Caroline...

Our AMAZING delivery team...

I think she's beautiful... but don't all mom's say that?

Big Brother Sneebie loves the smell of his new sister... he just can't wait to meet her and play with her :)



Renovation...

While I should be continuing to write my Thank you notes, that I did not complete prior to delivery, I have instead chosen to renovate the blog.  It's still under construction... but please enjoy the new site. 

http://www.thevancourts.blogspot.com/

Also... I am extremely grateful for everything that our amazing family and friends have given us and Miss Callie... so if you haven't received your thank you yet... just wait... it will be on it's way shortly (I'm learning how to make use of nap times :).

My next blog update will include the labor & delivery story as well as what we have been doing for the past two weeks.

All our love!

Feel free to go look at the photos we had taken professionally in the hospital (it's a service they provide, then you can choose to purchase later... we did purchase the copyrights & have them on a disk, so if you would like a specific photo just let us know!)

http://www.babybloomphoto.com/

*click on "view my photos" in the middle

*event password is: vancourt7012

Enjoy the first photos of little Miss Nugget!

LABOR!

Ok, so very briefly (complete story to follow):

We're at the hospital, dialated to 8 with the epidural block in.  It looks like "Sir" Jim Urso is likely to win the baby pool.  Attached is a picture of Kristin in her labor bed (yea, all that pink, we brought it with us). 

The next update will (hopefully) include pictures of new Baby Van Court.

Phillip and Kristin's Baby Pool!

Sooo... as promised... but a little late... Here is our Baby Pool!

 You are invited to participate in Phillip and Kristin's Baby Pool! On this site, you can guess Baby Van Court's birth date, time, weight, length, hair color, eye color, gender, and name. You must make your submission by the time the baby is born.  Our due date is 04/29/2011. We'll announce the winner after the baby arrives, and that person may even receive a prize...! It is free to participate, so go in and place your guesses!

To access "Phillip and Kristin's Baby Pool", go to http://bebepool.com/F30chica

You'll see that my guesses are already in (they made me put something in the name fields, so I used Secret Secret since we're not telling until after the birth). Just so you know, none of the areas I guessed are meant to be a hint or anything to base your guess on. I'm truly just making it up!

**Sneebie helping Daddy out... Phillip was plugging the baby monitor into the outlet under the bed... the photo op was too cute to not capture!**

The Paint Job

Phillip has officially completed the painting of the nursery!  So without further adieu... PHOTOS!

Absolute measurement perfection by PVC (would we expect anything less?)

Paint with the tape still in place...

(Andy... THANK YOU simply isn't enough for the tips on how to make this work!)

Tape removed.... PERFECTION!

Phillip was amazed at the "crispness" of the line... there is an actual ridge between the two colors.

Phillip peeled the tape off Monday night... revealing perfectly straight, unblemished lines.  Please note how I said "Phillip" did all of this... as he wouldn't even allow me to pull up the tape, fearing I might somehow interfere with his perfect paint job.  Watching his reaction to pulling up the tape was pure joy, as he just became more and more proud of himself with every completed stripe.  Unfortunately, he wouldn't allow me to videotape... perhaps I should have just done it anyway :).

So now, in the room, is the crib (bedding not yet set up, as I need to wash it) a lamp, and a fabulous paint job!  It's all becoming so exciting as we watch it actually turn into a nursery!

Also... we have a new camera that we have been playing with a little bit... here are some photos.

"I'm just giving my daddy some kisses"

My handsome little man...

My beautiful wedding set... I FINALLY had the two bands sautered together, so I just got the ring back from the jeweler.  I love the way the jeweler cleans the diamond... it makes it soooo sparkily!  I'm kind of obsessed with it :)

The pacifier Phillip bought for the Nugget... it's very sparkily!

The coloring is all wrong here... I'm still learning!

Here is Mr. Sneebie checking out the baby bed...

Phillip explaining to Sneebie that this stroller isn't for him... this is for his baby sister.

(thanks Gramma and Grampa Van Court!)...

After assembling the stroller, Phillip pushed it around the living room a couple of times, then took a step back and just stared at the object he just built.  I asked him what he was thinking and his reply was "weird... I can't believe we'll have a baby girl in this soon."  Reality may have just started to set in for daddy!

For the next few weekends, it seems we are pretty booked with events. 

March 19 and 26, Phillip and I will be taking birthing classes in Wichita (I'm sooo excited to share this experience with him!).  The first weekend in April will be the Nugget's shower... and then the weekend following we will be taking our professional baby bump photos!

It's hard to believe that she could be here in just 3-6 weeks!

All our love...