Here She Is!

Abigail Joann Whittacre was born at 7:34 a.m. on Sunday, March 28, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and is 18 inches long. The labor and delivery went fine -- Chopper and I arrived at the hospital about 4 a.m. -- and came home yesterday (Tuesday). Yes, there was a Dr.Pepper in the delivery room for Chopper's sustainance and I had ice chips (yippee!). But Chopper was a wonderful support and coach! My mom stayed home with Megan since it was the middle of the night and then I went so quick we didn't have time to call anyone to take over so she could be there. The cord was wrapped around Abby's neck but loosely and her post-birth rub-down got her going quick so she was fine. For those of you who love all the gorey details, you'll have to call me. But we are both doing fine and healing well -- ok I am healing well, Abby is just perfect already! She is beautiful and Megan is taking to her pretty well now that we're home. She visited us in the hospital and was fine too but it didn't sink in I think until we walked in the door and she gasped and pointed at Abby like -- what's she doing here? But she's ok with her now!

Sisters

This video is about 2 minutes long of Abby and Megan getting to know each other a little bit. For those of you who have asked, Megan has not been interested in the baby at all. She knows what babies are but didn't care that we were having one. She prefers animals actually. Just recently she's started to dress her animals and talk to them but still doesn't like the baby doll she has. In fact, I packed it away as as I was getting out baby stuff!

In the hospital she would look at Abby and then play and want to walk in the halls and look in the nursery, but still no real interest in anyone but me -- she was happy to see me again! I came home yesterday about lunchtime and she was excited to see Chopper and I and then when she saw Abby in the car seat, she gave a little gasp and pointed and then looked at us like -- what's she doing here?! But then last night I put Abby in her bouncy seat and perhaps it was because she was on Megan's level and not being held, Megan started to get a little more interested. She touched her and talked about what she was wearing (Megan loves hats and hearts and things) and then wanted to give her her eyeball! Shock of my life! Megan is heavily devoted to her eyeballs (bouncy balls with eyes on them). She takes them to bed with her, carries them around, the whole nine-yards. I think she would win a contest for oddest lovey with those things. Well the only problem was that Abby would not take the eyeball from Megan (hmm, go figure) and I think it confused Megan that she was trying to share and couldn't! She eventually just put it down on Abby and was excited about that. She also tried to share her necklaces and I had to explain that Abby is too little for necklaces right now. Megan has always been an oddly careful child. She absolutely loves playing with my jar of buttons and my pin cushion of straight pins! Completely supervised of course! But still -- oddly careful girl. Abby -- well who knows? But the last thing I need of course is to have my toddler give things to my newborn that she shouldn't have! I'm sure the adventures of multiple children have only begun and I am very excited. But they are doing well as sisters together -- at least after the first day home!

Marine Corps Museum

Today we took my mom to see the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, Virginia. Ok we all were excited for it because Chopper and I hadn't seen it either! It's a fairly small museum but I thought it was really good actually. They had sectional displays on becoming a marine -- complete with booths where you could hear what they yell at you in boot camp -- the history of the marine corps, and all of the major wars that we've (they've) been involved in. I had no idea that the Marine Corps actually started practically with the beginning of this nation. I guess it's because the Air Force didn't start until there was actual aircraft (go figure that one out), I always just think of our nation as having an army and a navy. The Marine Corps seems to be almost all-purpose in a way -- they go anywhere and do anything! I was very impressed.

There ended up being a ton of people there. There was an officer candidate school graduation that started at one p.m. and so there were a ton of people in nice clothes milling around and then a lot of military in their dress uniforms. I love a man in uniform! Chopper is still hot of course but can I just say how GOOD HE LOOKED in uniform!!!! Despite the crowds, we were able to maneuver pretty well. The only thing that was hard was of course chasing Megan around and I didn't get to read all that I wanted to. There were also a few exhibits with gunfire and set up like you were actually in the place. I thought they were really neat but they did scare her so we took turns going in those. Little boys would LOVE it I think and actually, we might have to drag my brother James there when he gets home from his mission because he's always liked the idea of the military.

Anyway, if you're even in the area, it's definitely worth the trip, especially since it was free! I of course forgot the camera so I pulled these pictures from the web. And the website is http://www.usmcmuseum.org/

40 weeks and counting . . . .

No baby yet! I feel more ready for this one to come, although more apprehensive as well. Perhaps that's because I really do know what having a new baby is like! But I'm very excited for the day, whenever that is. I don't see my doctor again until Thursday and we'll see what he suggests. Although, I've decided I don't want to be chemically induced if I can help it. Last night I ate an entire pineapple. I really like pineapple but I was done about halfway through. Your tongue just gets so raw! And still nothing.

My mom is here and she brought great presents for Megan! Not expensive ones -- but great ones: fuzzy, sparkly pom-poms, pipe-cleaners, play-doh and food molds, foam stickers. Megan has been in heaven having her here because it's one more person to play with and of course Grandma plays a lot because it's been since Christmas that we've seen her. It was so cute when we went to pick her up at the airport. Megan actually ran to her and let her pick her up! We've got Skype now and have had a few video conversations so I think that helps with remembering.

Megan has also had two new milestones that I think need to be noted: she had her first Girl Scout Cookie and her first ice cream cone. I'm not really a health nut (probably should be better actually) but we don't give her a ton of sugar. Actually, we've tried ice cream before and she wouldn't eat it because it was cold and sticky and drippy -- her least favorite things. But she took a lick of Chopper's cone today (it was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's) and then confiscated the whole thing! Chopper was a good sport and let her have it. Of course it had to be chocolate and I'm going to have to soak all her clothes tonight before I do wash tomorrow but I think the occasional ice cream cone is definitely worth it!




On another note, we've finally gotten some progress from the Department of Labor. They are now going to move forward with Chopper's "job rehabilitation". That means either working out another position with his current employment or helping him in the quest to find new employment. The surprising part is that even though up to know everything has been like pulling teeth, the information for this next phase says that they want everything to be resolved by the middle of June! Now whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but I do like the idea of finally having an idea of what is going to be going on in our life!!

Megan's Little Comments

Chopper has started using the phrase -- "now that's blog-worthy" -- to remind me when I need to post something that will be for our posterity's benefit.

Last night we sat down to tacos for dinner -- a dish that Megan does normally like. We say the prayer and start eating and Megan takes a big bite of her "taco" (fixings in a bowl) and declares "not bad". Now where in the world did she get that one? Then I remembered, we've been trying a lot of new recipes lately -- you know how you get when you're sick of everything you're eating -- and when we come across one that is good, we typically use the phrase "not bad". It's amazing what they pick up on.

I know I need to post some more pictures -- I've been working to get everything done before my mom and the baby comes and haven't been taking any. Plus we've had GORGEOUS weather! Upper 60's to mid-70's every day. We've been spending a lot time at the play place right outside our door. Every day Megan asks to go down the slide, and rocks, and stairs, and yellow bumpy. That's the speed bump in the parking lot. Apparently when you're only 2 1/2 feet off the ground, speed bumps are a lot of fun to walk over!

How do they know?

I started sub-teaching for the county schools before Christmas and actually was able to do quite a bit to earn some extra money. After Christmas, I couldn't get a job to save my life and then of course we had all that snow and the kids were off of school for at least 2 weeks! By the time all of that was over, I decided that I was too big and uncomfortable to spend my day in the classroom if I didn't have to.

I have gotten a phone call at 5 a.m. with an available job nearly every other morning!

At least I know I'm wanted, or needed, or whatever that means!

In the meantime, at 39 weeks I am 164 pounds (inching up on that 40 lb. weight gain mark) and contracting very randomly -- but that's better than nothing since with Megan I didn't do anything! I feel pretty good generally speaking but am ready to have this baby. My mom comes on Sunday and then all the stops come out: walking, pineapple, bumpy car rides, etc.

Food Negotiations

We have reached a critical point in parenthood -- Megan will now respond to food negotiations. In general, she now has to eat what we're eating for dinner and goes without when she doesn't. But there are times that we know she doesn't like the dinner at all or when it's too spicy for her (although that means really really spicy) and so we give her alternatives.

We've already established that Megan is a picky eater though and there have been many times that she has simply refused something she later likes. So the negotiations begin! Today we had a spicy sausage pasta with peas which she has eaten before. She sucked her thumb for 10 minutes and then asked to get down. So we decided to try. We told Megan that she could have a piece of bread if she took one bite. She thought about it (I'm not kidding), picked up her fork, chose the SMALLEST PEA IN THE BOWL and ate it and then looked at us and said "bread?"

I could not help laughing! I guess she really is ready to eat or go hungry if she can finagle herself out of dinner that way! Is it better or worse when they start thinking through things?

Department of Labor update

Chopper says I was too sarcastic in my last entry about his commentary on updating from our daily life so I will try to be more serious. It's just that daily life is really all about Megan, Primary, and new baby (who still hasn't arrived). So there!

Actually, after nearly 2 weeks of making phone calls, Chopper finally heard back from his Department of Labor caseworker today! Disappointingly, that doesn't mean we have any direction to our lives. She will be exiting him from the holding pattern and we'll get a letter about that in a week to 10 days and then she'll turn him over to rehab and they will inform us about the next step in the process. That could take a week or a month, she wasn't really sure. And of course I interpret that to mean that it could take a month or 3! Rehab though is apparently not rehab since Chopper really is finished with all of that. I think that this is the part where they start into job rehabilitation. I'm not really sure -- sorry I can't be more clear!!

All I know is that we can expect mail.

New Shoes!

My mom bought and sent me this pattern for quilted baby shoes last week. Unfortunately, she's not crafty herself so it's left to me to make them! Actually, I don't mind at all -- I love stuff like this! So I made a practice pair and they're not quite done (I need to get some velcro to fasten the straps closed) but they are darn stinkin' cute! Abby is going to be awash in shoes!



I'm sitting here writing this and Chopper says to me -- "all you blog about is Megan is and quilting. Can't you talk more about us? Really make it a journal so that our posterity can know more about our day to day life." Well I wasn't aware that he didn't like my blog! So in the interest of keeping peace in the house, I will try to blog more about day to day stuff. I guess I just don't think about it -- after all, do you really want to know what we had for dinner tonight? There's a fine line between interesting and ridiculous I suppose. So here's a start.

Chopper's 120 days of "waiting" are up -- we think. We can't remember the exact date that they started so don't know the exact date that they ended but were estimating the end of February or beginning of March. Problem is, Chopper's case-worker won't call us back. I think tomorrow he's planning on calling her on the hour every hour and see if we can get a response. It's very frustrating to be ready to move on but now know or be able to get the information about how to do that. In the meantime, he is kind've looking at other options. We have a couple in our ward who worked for the state department for years and their son currently does so. Chopper talked to him pretty extensively and has become interested in being a political diplomat. Last week he took the state department test and of course we have to wait for the results before he can move on with that! Despite the frustration of now knowing where we are headed, we're trying to look at the blessings we have -- chief of which is that despite the uncertainty, we continue to have an income!

Ok now he wants me to be done blogging so we can eat ice cream and watch the movie 2012. Picky picky!! :)

It's a BOY!!!

I think I'm allowed to announce this -- after all they were calling anyone and everyone they knew from the parking lot so it's probably safe by this point . . .

Danny and Denise (my brother and sister-in-law) found out today that they are having a boy! Not only will it be the first boy for my parents (ok 1 out of 3 grandchildren though is pretty good odds), it will also be the first boy for Denise's parents. I see lots of presents in her future!! I am so excited because Denise is going to be a fabulous mom and Danny, ok he'll be a great dad but it does take a little getting used to when it's your little brother!

And it means I get to go fabric shopping!!!

I am loved!

Having a 2nd girl means that we have everything we could possibly need. And then some actually -- we've had people give me hand me downs from their last little girls and I've realized as I've been doing wash and getting baby things ready that I have a ton of stuff!

Regardless, my dear friends and visiting teachers threw me a wonderful baby shower and it was so much fun! We got a lot of diapers -- always a good thing -- but it's hard to resist all the baby stuff at the stores and so we also received some really cute cute things! All the pictures are of course of me opening presents and that makes me self-conscious so I took some additional pictures when I got home that don't involve my rapidly growing self!

But I feel so loved!!





Kista and Amanda did a really pretty garden theme (thanks to the Young Women's program and Nicole for the raid on decorations!) and we had really good food. Amanda did the "baby" letters as well which, wouldn't you know it, also spell out Abby so I brought them home for decorating purposes. Now I'll just have to see if I can do the same for Megan! I think I can, I think I can . . .
Is that not the most adorable sock monkey ever? I love the colors but it is going to have to be carefully hidden until the baby comes or it may get confiscated by Megan and she already has a gazillion animals! Heidi and Nicole also got a Sandra Boynton music book and CD. I had no idea they even existed! I'm excited to try them out though, especially since I'm getting tired of listening to John Denver #3 every time we get in the car (Megan's request of course).



The blanket and tagee and burp cloths were made by my friend Kista who also has a little bit of a business on the side -- mostly craft shows and such -- but the burp cloths! I love love love cloth diapers for burp cloths because they are so absorbent and I love the embellishment of the ribbon and the monogramming! I think I might have to steal that idea for when my sister-in-law has her baby -- which by the way, they find out what it is tomorrow!!!!! I can't do the monogramming, but they are just so darn cute. And I love red! I thought it was so funny, she had no idea -- Abby's quilt isn't red (although I thought about it) and I've moved away from color schemes for babies generally because they'll probably share a bedroom later anyway and won't care what color the room is -- but red is my personal favorite color so that was just another reason to fall in love with these!
We had a couple of miniature guests as well -- Brianna is a daughter of one of our ladies who came and decided to relocate all the presents through the house so we practically went on a treasure hunt afterwards!!
The only thing I wish we had done that we didn't was get a group picture! Hmmm, I don't think I have the technology to splice the individual pictures together . . .