"End of the world" tears

So the phenomenon has come and gone where the Man upstairs decided it was about time for a day of torture.

Up until this last Sunday, I kept thinking cocky thoughts like,

"Hey, two kids is really not so hard...What the heck is everyone out there talking about? Maybe I'm just some professional baby-handler? Maybe my kids are just extraordinarily easy to raise? Maybe I'm the most secretly arrogant mother on the face of the earth?"

Anyway, these horrendous blips of egotistical nonsense led me down the path to Mommy-Crashville.

Let me start from the beginning at the most natural of hours: 11:30 pm SATURDAY night.

{Yeah, we're not even on Sunday yet.}

Like an idiot, I stayed up until 11:30 on Saturday night with my man, even though I was in a record breaking low mood due to muscle aches. Yeah, I could feel a cold coming on, and it was bugging the heck out of me. WHO needs to deal with a cold when they have to wake up in the middle of the night multiple times? Ugh. 

Anyway, I finally fell asleep after shoo-ing Chad to the edge of the bed so that I could achieve maximum spread eagle positioning because, you know, I was on the verge of a cold and that's what one does when they don't feel well....

12:30 am: Kota wakes up. Okay, no big deal, this is what babies do...Even though my head barely touched the pillow....And I can barely keep my eyes open....Can it be? Do I feel achy-er?

2:00 am: Seriously? It's been an hour and a half. Great, my nose is running.

3:30 am: Awesome.

5:00 am: You've got to be kidding me. I want to die and my throat has all but cut off my air supply. I. NEED. SLEEP.

7:30 am: Hmm, that's weird...It's so bright out for 5:45...Maybe today is going to be really hot? Great. My stupid living room will bake me alive. These aches are really bad...Maybe I should wake Chad up to burp her...And change her diaper...And play with her...Is that the right thing to do? It's so early....Oh, wait! It's 7:30! Why did I think it was 5:45?? Get that man UP!

{One massive arm swing later}

"Babe! Wake up! I can't get her to burp and she may or may not need her diaper changed! HERE ARE THE WIPES, AND HERE ARE THE DIAPERS! THANKS!"

And then Carter woke up.

Oh my gosh. I can't. So I just laid there.

Chad brings Carter in and places him in between us.

Carter apparently does not want to be his cuddly self, but instead wants to head butt me.

NO.

Chad senses some tension coming from the left side of the bed, so he takes the kids out, but not before I hear the "I'M HUNGRY" squawk coming from my angel of a daughter.

Well, I might as well get up and go feed her on the couch. No sense in delaying the inevitable: facing the day.

So I go to sit on the couch with my Brest Friend, and get to feeding, still wanting to die.

And then the

END OF THE WORLD TEARS

started pouring down my face.

Have you ever heard of these wild things? They just come out of YOUR VERY OWN EYES without you giving your body the "okay" to do so! It's completely out of your control!

And since I really hate the whole process of crying, {I'm one those criers where one can notice I've shed tears even HOURS afterwards}, I tried to contain myself from crying HYSTERICALLY. Well, let me tell you,

It. Was. Painful! 

Have you ever tried not to hysterically cry?

And on top of my not-wanting-to-just-cut-loose 'tude, those traitorous tears were still carving a canyon through my face. 

"Hey, babe?"

I couldn't even answer Chad because my throat was completely engaged in trying to control a knot of hysteria.

"Do you, uh, want me to take the kids out for a little bit?"

"If you want."

Can you feel the enthusiasm?

"Well, it's up to you...I can take them out for a little bit since you just fed her."

"Sure."

Even though I was positive she was going to wake up in a mere 20 minutes and want MORE.

So gone was the husband along with the kiddos. What to do, what to do?

Call up the sister who can empathize with me.

I tell her I'm going to walk to Starbucks and maybe proceed to walk around the lake.

So off I go, and then I returned to take a LONG shower and STRAIGHTEN MY HAIR!

{Gasp!}

 Okay, things were looking up, but there were still hints of the hysterical knot, and so it was for the entire rest of the day.

And thus was the day of torture. There were ups, there were downs, but bottom line was this:

Sometimes you just have bad days.

That's it.

I think they're sprinkled throughout life to show us how truly great the good days are.

Anyway, enough seriousness.

The end.

{but isn't "END OF THE WORLD" TEARS so descriptive how they feel? My friend Jenna coined the term, and she was right on the money, my friend, right on the money.}

How do you nap a tot without a crib?

Seriously. How do you get a kid to sleep during nap time when he's not caged in??

Today we loosely did the Supernanny technique, but it looks like tomorrow I'm going to have to be super intense about it because the kiddo is running circles around us right now.

Good thing he's cute.

Anyway, here's the nap-time-game-plan for tomorrow, per Jo's advice:

1. Bambino gets out of bed: "Okay, honey bunny, it's bed time," in a soothing voice.

2. Bambino gets out of bed again: "It's bed time."

3. Bambino gets out of bed AGAIN: say nothing and tuck them back in. Again. And again. And again.

4. Bambino gets out of bed for the last time: "GET THE HELL BACK IN BED NOW!"

JUST KIDDING!

Okay, #4 doesn't really exist, but I will be diligently executing steps 1-3 starting at 1:00 tomorrow, because today's nap session is officially a wash.

Off to Target we go with the man for some shopping and returning!

Woohoo!

Okay, I'm going stir crazy.

I really am.

I need to get my booty moving and grooving with other moms who may be going stir crazy, as well. 

There's just one little thing: I haven't been feeling very well.

Yeah, I've been borderline sick for the last few days. 

Boo.

But guess what's awesome??

Kota has been going down at 8:00 ON THE DOT for the last few nights with her brother.

It's amazing what a little "me" time can do for the soul.

But this glorious "me" time which I've been lucky enough to experience needs to be moved from this apartment to some place social. So I can, you know, talk to other adults.

And I need to be wearing heels while executing this strange thing called "socializing."

And my hair needs to be done.

And make-up needs to be present.

And my clutch should be the only thing used for storage, where there is no room for two different sizes of diapers.

Even though leaving my gigantic Coach baby bag will not be an easy thing to do.

And once all that has been successfully accomplished, I will feel energized and ready to get back to apartment 51 where rogue bodily fluids {yes, poop can be considered a fluid} reigns supreme!

But wait! I'm already feeling guilty for this post, so here are those precious faces which I will miss SO MUCH once I actually leave the four walls which comprises my living room:

Awww :)

I was scouring...

I was in one of those lets-look-at-every-single-picture-saved-on-my-computer modes and these are what I found! Ahh, to be pregnant and humongous! 

 {Okay, let's be real: I look absolutely hideous here. No need to be nice people! But doesn't Carter look like a doll?}

 {The first time I have ever told Carter to go stand in front of something so I can take a picture! So cute!}

 {Okay, seriously I. JUST. WANTED. ONE. NORMAL. PICTURE. WITH. MY. BABY!}

 {...And he wasn't into it.}

 {...like, really not into it.}

Oh, Old Town San Diego! How we enjoyed you!

Why, oh, why?

Why can't I take a nap anymore? This is the one time in my life where I actually need to take an afternoon snoozer, and all of a sudden my body won't let me. Back in the day, while living in the ole' sorority house, I was able to fall asleep at 2:30 pm on the dot daily, and that was after sleeping in until 11:30. Boo.

Why do student loans exist? They really don't help anyone out...After the 4 years you spent gallivanting around town like an idiot with all "your" cash, one is tempted to sell their kidney on the black market just to make a dent in those bad boys. What's the point of an awesome job post-college if every single dime is sent to the government? Riot, I say.

Why did Kota poop on the one blanket she will sleep with? She knows how important that thing is to me her, and yet she just let loose last night. Oh, well. At least the incident happened sometime between 10:00 and 5:30, WHEN SHE WAS SLEEPING! Yes! She slept that entire time! Lucky mama over here!

Why do HGTV designers hate televisions and large furniture? If you notice, they literally loathe centering a living room around the television, but without the boob tube, what does one do in their living room during the night time hours? Also, small furniture is no good to lounge upon while watching that TV. Hmm. Why, designers? Why?

Why are cars only meant to last 5 years? It's a pretty large chunk of change people shell out, only to have to shell out a similar amount in 5 years....Blah. Anyway, my man's beloved truck is aging. Lame.

Why do I have the best kids in the whole wide world? 

Why is Chad allowing me to just type away while both of our kids are crying? Maybe because I made a major point last night about how long my day was? Maybe because he is awesome? Either way I should get to those kiddos...Woohoo!

Chocolate silk pies.

So one thing about my 24th: on the actual day of it, it felt nothing like my birthday.

I literally forgot about the whole event until about 20 minutes after I woke up since we had celebrated the day before. Even when I did realize that it was, in fact, the day I blessed this earth with my presence, I looked at Chad and said in the most monotone of voices, "Hey, it's my birthday today." No frills, no thrills. Anyway, as the day went on and I enjoyed myself while shopping with my mama and the bambinos, one major thing occurred to me:

It was the first birthday of my entire life where I didn't have a cake!

Petty, I know, and yes, I had had a little chocolate thingy when we all went out to brunch on Sunday, which was delish, but on the BIG DAY, there were no candles to blow out!

Even though it was a minor detail in the happiness that was my birthday, it was just weird! Anyway, I categorized the phenomenon in the this-is-what-happens-when-you-have-your-own-kids column of life, and let it be.

Well, THIS GUY {^}, without me even expressing to him my lack-o-cake sentiment, left class early and brought me my FAVORITE beyond FAVORITE pie on the face of the earth:
CHOCOLATE SILK FROM MARIE CALENDARS!

I almost started crying!

He had covered every basis of a birthday, even the part I felt dumb caring about!

{make sense?}

{Look at my man back in the dating days!}

Anyway, he is the bomb.com.

Here are more reasons why he is awesome:

1. See that skin tone? My kids have a 50% chance of inheriting that tanned-to-perfection wonderfulness. It's why I married him...To give my kids a fighting chance in the world of bronzing. I'm no help in that department.

2. He dances for me like a fool before bedtime. Sorry, honey!

3. The pie. It just needed to be stated again.

4. You say things like, "Hey, you're looking good," even when I'm wearing my PJ's and my hair looks like it was swept away by a cyclone.

5. Every night, you ask me what Carter said about you that day once you come home from work, and once I answer you, you say, "Okay, when did he say that?.....When did he say that other thing? etc. etc. etc." 

6. We have reached the point in our marriage where I can just touch your shoulder with one finger in the middle of the night, and you know that means to roll the hell over because you're snoring. BEST.PLATEAU.EVER.

Anyway, love you, babe!

Now sayonara, people...I will be rewatching Gossip Girl for the rest of this nap session, pie in hand.

I'm 24 and all over the place in 6

Cheers to birthdays!

I'm 24 today, folks, and that means I'm officially in my mid-twenties!

It's going to be a fabulous year, I can just feel it in my bones!

And since it's my birthday, I went a little cray cray in the coffee department, so my mind is everywhere...

Enjoy my musings!

1. I have taken my beauty movement to the next level: I purchased those strip things that are supposed to unearth the most stubborn of hermit-like, pore dwellers which can result in...dare I even say it??...those wonderful things known to many as blackheads. yuckyuckyuckyuckyuckyuckyuckyuckyuckyuck. So I tried a strip the other night, and heyo! It worked! But it was a disgusting experience...disgusting, I say...but now I want to do a strip mask all over my face to see what else appears. Yeah...that's sick, but I really want to do it.

2. Carter has been jumping out of his crib like a professional poll vaulter. Thus, my worst parenting fear has been realized, but guess what?? I actually witnessed said jumping and he does it so smoothly! He's a professional escapee! I think there may be a little bit of track and field in that boys future!...Or jail breaking! Yeah!

3. How come when it rains in Southern California, the weather guy always says, "Don't worry, folks! We will be seeing blue skies and 80 degree weather within the next 48 hours!" It's like, Hey man, I'm not worried. In fact, I don't want 80 degree weather because we have it all damn year. How about you just tell us to enjoy the weather because that's exactly what I'm going to do...like a normal Southern Californian. Weirdo.

4. Binkys = lifesavers. Thanks, Grandma Paplia!

5. We literally named our daughter Dakota specifically to call her Kota. It's like a business in the front, party in the back sort of thing. Ya dig? And we are trail blazers. Yes, I think so.

6. Today, my blessed birthday, marks Chinese New Year, and guess what? It's the year of the dragon. Yeah, that's right, a straight up dragon. Proof that 24 is going to be a beast-like year. How depressing would that be if it was the year of the rat?? Or, like, a water buffalo?? Dragon = awesome = my 24th year. Woo!

Anyway, yay for BIRTHDAY MONDAY'S and Kota loving her binky and Carter not injuring himself on the long jump down from his crib!

WOO!

This mama's day of beauty

Let's be honest here: having kids doesn't exactly do much for a broad in the beauty department.

It's just one of those facts of life, man.

But TODAY, this mama over here has been pampering herself because it's someone's

24th birthday tomorrow!

Woohooo!

So if you need me, I'll be admiring my much needed, pinky pinky pink

mani/pedi,

OR I will be getting my eyebrows

threaded

{because it's been over 8 months...I know, kill me.},

OR I will be at Target purchasing some sort of magical ointment which will rid me of these things that may or may not rhyme with

tretch tarks

{you're jealous.},

OR I will be watching Chadly chase after Babe #1, because birthday girls don't 

discipline their toddlers on the day they celebrate their existence!

But let's get real: it's really my mom who should be celebrated since I was her first bambino and probably gave her hell in the delivery room....It's the mom who should be celebrated, RIGHT?! I fully plan on celebrating MYSELF on my own children's birthdays....They should just bow down to ME during the entire month of December....Do you think that will fly?

Okay, that will never happen, because they are awesome, and we all know that they will be doing nothing BUT celebrating me once I'm old and frail, because if not, I will just shake my cane at them and holler crazy things like,

"Listen, all you overgrown brats! I celebrated your birth once a year for the last bajillion years, so you owe me something! I'll take a seaside condo in Malibu...Pleaseandthankyou!"

Yeah, it will go just like that.

Anyway, cheers to birthdays, and cheers to a day of beauty!

Oh, the pain.

Sometimes I wish I could just purchase a 30 second commercial gap during the Superbowl and advertise what I think needs to be considered common knowledge amongst women having babies.

Ya dig?

There are just some things that us ladies need to know BEFORE heading into the delivery room!

{OR before heading home from the hospital! OR before baby's first bath! OR before...etc.etc. etc.!}

Anyway, I felt that way BIG TIME right before heading to the hospital with Carter, and once again, I felt that way in the hospital after delivering Kota Bear!

Here is what surely should be common knowledge in the pregnancy world, but alas, IS NOT:

With each additional child you add to your little brood, the AFTERBIRTH PAIN INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY!

Hey, that would have been nice to know!

Instead I just waltzed into birth, as if I actually KNEW what I was doing this time around, and was blind sided by what is known to many as the common cramp.

Seriously it was the most painful thing I think I have ever endured, and my nurse kindly let me know that if I choose to have a third child, JUST BE READY.

Oh, that's just great, thanks for the reassurance.

Anyway, here is what happened:

About an hour after we became a foursome, and my epidural had been disconnected, I told the nurse that I was having really horrible cramps.

"Oh yes, your uterus is just cramping back down to size."

"Oh, but I didn't feel this with my first...Is everything okay?"

"With each additional baby, it gets worse."

Okay, that sounded logical to me. Oh well....Yes, they were bad but not that bad. No need to freak out or anything.

Another hour goes by and we're still in the delivery room.

"Shouldn't we already be in the recovery room?" I was absolutely exhausted at this point.

"Yes, but you're not stable yet, so I need to massage your stomach some more, and if your uterus doesn't shrink back down to size, I will give you an injection to force it down."

What?

Okay.....

Another hour goes by.

ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch.ouch

"Okay, the cramping is way worse than before...Everything is okay, right?"

"Yes, but I'm going to give you that injection."

One stab-in-my-arm later...

OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH.OUCH

{!!!!!!!!!!!!}

"This is ridiculous! When are we going to go to the recovery room? This is more painful than anything!"

{Spoken only to Chad and not our nurse, thank goodness.}

Nurse comes in.

"I'm going to get pain killers for this, RIGHT?"

"Oh, sure."

You bet your bottom dollar "SURE!"

So anyway, I was eventually rolled up to my room and given those blessed pain killers, but guess what?

It didn't end there!

Every time I nursed for the next four days brought with it a RIDICULOUS amount of pain in the ole' uterine area, ebbed only by the minute effect of over-the-counter pain meds. 

Oy.

My point is, had I of known about these outrageous cramps, I might have been able to manage the pain a little bit more gracefully, instead of wanting to chuck our nurse out the window!

And that is my rant.

Dakota Lee: the birth story

Our precious Little Lady blessed us with her presence not a moment too soon on December 31st, 2011.

Here is how she came into this world.

Insurance prologue.

Don't you love insurance? Ugh. 

Okay, so listen to this nightmare: in an effort to achieve optimum efficiency in the healthcare world, Chad's company switched up EVERYTHING for the upcoming year {2012}. Everything. So no longer would our convenient, beautiful, easy-to-understand United Healthcare be available to us, but rather a ridiculous, account based insurance, one which would be awesome under normal circumstances, but not awesome when it comes to hospital stays. Basically, had we of gone with the account based insurance, we would have had to pay for our entire hospital stay OUT OF POCKET. Um, no. 

Carter's hospital bill had come out to over $15,000 pre-insurance paying for almost every dime, and even though I was induced, it was as text book as text book can get...aka, there were no complications, no extenuating circumstances, nothing over-the-top. So when we were considering the possible complications that could occur during child birth {c-sections, etc. etc. etc.}, it just seemed like too big of a risk to take. SO WE WENT WITH KAISER, and my due date was January 7th.

NIGHT.MARE.

So here was the deal: if I went into labor ON or BEFORE December 31st, I would be able to deliver at St. Jude's, where I would be with my doctor and where I had a wonderful experience when Carter joined us. BUT {!!} if I delivered ON or POST January 1st, it was Kaiser bound for us! Now, I really have nothing against Kaiser, and I have actually heard many a-good thing about the new facilities etc. etc. etc., but to deliver with some group I had NEVER MET, and to be COMPLETELY unfamiliar with various hospital policies and so forth.....not ideal. Not at all, in fact.

However, the fear factor of delivering at some unknown location had not hit me until a few days before Christmas. When we chose Kaiser, I genuinely was not worried. I thought, "Listen, you've had one great delivery, what makes you think #2 will be any different?" Well, turns out that when you're post-37 weeks pregnant, uncomfortable and emotional as all hell, you start to change your mind about such things. Turns out, pregnant women actually like to deliver with their doctors. Hmm.

And here is where our story really begins.

It was Wednesday, December 28th, and Chad, Carter and I were sitting in my doctor's office waiting to be seen. There I was, emotional as all heck, hoping against hope to be dilated A LITTLE BIT, so maybe he wouldn't mind stripping my membranes and sending me into labor right then and there. I felt humongous and did not think it was humanly possible to feel any more uncomfortable than I was at that moment. Poor Chad cautiously said, "Are you ready for any outcome?," meaning, "Are you ready for him to tell you that you're not dilated whatsoever, therefore you will certainly NOT be delivering at St. Jude's, like you want, because you were not dilated AT ALL with Carter, even at 41 weeks?" 

After I answered YES in the most shakily of ways, the good doc. showed up. "Hmm, no you're still not dilated, but do you mind if I strip your membranes?" UH, GO RIGHT AHEAD THERE, DR. B! But holy moly, ouch. I'm fairly certain Carter is scarred for life after witnessing my horrendous facial expressions while enduring said stripping. "Okay, Nicole, I'm going to have you come in one more time on the 30th to see if that did anything for you, and if you dilate, perhaps we can induce on the 31st." Okay, some hope!

So back in the car we piled, home bound. Me, close to tears, or maybe I was crying, I can't remember; Chad, feeling low. Sheesh, it was the worst. I was so stressed out and just wanted to have my baby where I felt comfortable! What was wrong with that, insurance people? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THAT, YOU EVIL CLOWNS?! 

Anyway, between said doctor's appointments, I tried to put a happy spin on the situation by cherishing the last {hopefully, last} few days with my only Big Boy, but I was just so uncomfortable. Every once in awhile it would occur to me that we still didn't know what the sex of Babe #2 was, and that would get me excited, but then I would revert back to PLEASE-JUST-LET-ME-DILATE land. Oy.

Finally, December 30th came around AND DR. B TOLD ME I WAS AT 1.5 AND TO PROCEED TO THE HOSPITAL THE NEXT MORNING AT 7:30 AM!

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA! Chad and I practically skipped out to our car and sang show tunes all the way home. YES! We were scheduled to have our perfect little Babe #2, IN 2011, WITH our doctor, AT St. Jude! The heavens had opened up and all was back on track.

So that night we cleaned, we organized, we drank Martinelli's in celebration, we were exuberant. Positively sprightly. In less than 24 hours we would know the sex of our baby, Carter would be a Big Brother, and the nightmare known as "rolling over in the middle of the night" would end. Any lingering thoughts of "Oh, but that would be nice to go into natural labor," had left me. Cheers all around!

The AM came and Chad set off for the kitchen to make a feast fit for champions {one last "I Love You" to our Big Man}, and Uncle Todd was sitting on the couch ready to babysit. We calmly made the drive to St. Jude's, where I quickly suited up, met our nurse for the day {who informed us that we should have a baby by 4:00 pm}, and started the Pitocin. Life was good. Now I just needed to sit here, watch funky movies with Chadly and dilate away. This should take no more than a few hours.....

WRONG. I looked at the clock around 11:30 and told Chad, "You know what's weird? I haven't felt one contraction, but according to the monitors, I'm contracting. I don't even have an epidural yet." Hmm. He agreed that the situation was quite odd and we continued to watch Pretty Woman. 1:00 rolls around. "Babe, seriously, I wonder when they're going to check me to see if I've made any progress. I still haven't felt one regular contraction. Also, I wonder if they're ever just going to break my water. Isn't it weird that they haven't done that yet??"

4:00. Okay....where's my baby? Where's my gosh darn doctor? Why haven't they checked me? Why haven't I felt any regular contractions? Hello??! My water STILL has not been broken! What the hell? FINALLY my nurse meanders on in and decides that it would be a good time to check on the ole' dilation front. 

"Hmm, okay you're at 1.5, but that's okay, I'll break your water." THAT'S "OKAY?!!" 1.5??!!! What the heck had we been doing all day?? I literally could have watched paint dry faster! 1.5?? Seriously??!! Okay, gone was my relaxed 'tude. This was my second baby! Shouldn't I have delivered at like, 11:30 am? Apparently, the baby still had not dropped yet {with #2, the baby doesn't drop until actual labor}. THAT'S what we were waiting for. They told me that since we were starting from nothing, this is what happens. She just had not dropped down enough to dilate me further. Ay yi yi. Where had my quick birth story gone?  

Not even 5 minutes after that horrible news, my brother and sister came to visit. Those poor Paplia's....I was not in a chipper mood. So they went to get food and just went home, because CLEARLY there was no hope of a baby ANY time soon. Peace out, siblings, I envied your nonchalant attitudes.

7:00. My mom comes on in to visit me and Chad went out to the waiting room to hang with his parents. All of a sudden my speech stopped working. Literally. I could not speak. I would think something in my head, but I could not say the words. I wanted "ice chips," but could only point. My mom got worried and so did I, but it was so awkward I couldn't help but laugh over my muteness. Maybe I had hit the wall? So the nurse came in to check me out, and miraculously, I was healed. Who knows what that was all about, but I seriously think it could be likened to this, because then........

.....the migraine set in. Great. I'm hypoglycemic, so if I don't eat after several hours I have to resign myself over to excruciating pain. Okay, enough of this. Even though I still hadn't felt ANY regular contractions, despite breaking my water, I decided to get the epidural. My reasoning was that if I EVER was going to actually feel the pain of labor, I simply could not handle it if I had to also contend with a migraine. 

So in came the anesthesiologist, and with him, heaven. Seriously, I don't think I could EVER have a baby naturally. E.V.E.R. Judge me, I don't care! Who could do that??!! Anyway, that got rid of my would-be migraine, and coziness set in. At this point it was 9:00, and my new nurse advised me to get some rest so so hopefully I would dilate.

Ridiculously annoyed, and slightly defeated, I gave in. Sayonara, my 2011 baby. Sayonara my almost-exactly-two-years-apart children. Isn't it funny how hung up on certain things pregnant women can get? I wanted my baby to be a 2011 munchkin SO BADLY because in my head it sounded more awesome that I had one bambino in 2009, and another in 2011. 2009 and 2012, apparently, was just too far apart according to my pregnant, hormonal mind. But  anyway, at this point, I had just given up on my two-year gap dreams.

I "woke up" from my semi-sleep around 11:00ish, and realized that it was almost 2012 and Chad's mom was still in the waiting room all by herself!! After Chadly brought her in the room with us to hang out and watch the ball drop, my blessed nurse made an appearance and said that she saw some head compressions on her monitor, so she was GOING TO CHECK ME! Woo!

11:05. "Okay, you're at a 3, so we should have a baby by 7:00 in the morning!" Ahh, progress! Yes, she predicted many more hours of bed-lying, but hey! At least I dilated and the little munchkin was well on her way.

11:25. "I'm going to check you one more time...." said the angel that was my nurse! "Oh my gosh, you're at 5!" Say what?!! I had dilated two more centimeters in 20 minutes! Heck yeah! So Chad, my mother-in-law and I continued our conversation, but slightly more excited.

11:45. "Let's see....I'm just going to get the room all set up here.....Oh, and this is your baby nurse.....Let me check you again...." Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! We were getting things ready?? The baby nurse?? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

"YOU'RE READY TO GO! I'm going to go get the doctor, I'll be right back!" WHAT????!!!! Ready to go?? I had dilated 5 more centimeters in 20 minutes!!!! Unbelievable! After a big hug from my mother-in-law, she left the room and just as quickly the doctor came in.

11:50.
Dr. Sue {the one on call}: Have you guys done any practice pushes, yet?
Nurse: No, but her baby is right there.
Me: Oh my gosh, I can't stop shaking!
Nurse: Okay, Nicole, now give a really hard push as soon as Dr. Sue tells you!
Me: Babe, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!
Dr. Sue: Okay, here we go! {VERY few pushes later.....} WHAT IS IT, DADDY?!
Chad: {hesitating because he thought she was a boy..} Oh my gosh! She's a girl!
The entire delivery room: SHE'S A GIRL! SHE'S A GIRL!
Me: Oh my gosh, a girl! Look at her dark hair!
Dr. Sue: Birth time: 11:56!
Me: Babe! We had her in 2011! Oh my gosh!
Baby nurse: She's 6 lbs. 13 ozs! Tiny little lady!

What?? I had just had a 6 lb., 13 oz little GIRL with DARK HAIR??!! I had had Carter after an hour and 10 minutes of pushing, he was 8 lbs., 7 ozs, and had been as white as a snow man! They were COMPLETE OPPOSITES! How had that all had happened in a matter of a few minutes?!

I was in some major shock. My brain literally could not process the information! Here is what I knew for sure: a) she was BEAUTIFUL, b) Chad now had a little girl, c) I was ABSOLUTELY starving and d) I needed some juice. So while Chad held her little hand as they cleaned and checked her, I ate two slices of pizza and guzzled down a HUGE pitcher of apple juice.

Feeling ridiculously fabulous {Someone had just pushed a baby out? Who? Where?!}, everyone left the three of us alone. Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven. I sent Chad out to tell his mom that she FINALLY had a GIRL GRANDBABY, heard her SCREAM with joy, and then the three of us resumed our "us" time. Pure delight.

After our blessed hour to ourselves, the cramping set in. How come no one tells you that with each additional baby, the afterbirth pain meter rises exponentially?? OUCH, holy moly, OUCH. Anyway, that is a post for another day.

And that is how our precious Little Princess came to join us!

And since we can't forget about this guy....

I was dying of laughter when looking at these!

My little munchkin didn't want to be left out!

Day trippin'

We have become professional day trippers around here.

Long drives with little need to leave the actual car have become our family date option of choice since we want to keep the youngest C around only us. 

Where did we go a few days ago?

TOMMY'S!

You just can't beat the goodness! Look at that burger!

Anyway, I think I'm creeping towards the end of the blessed new-baby-adrenaline rush.

With Carter, there was no such thing as exhaustion until he was about 3 weeks old, but once I hit the wall, man, I really hit the wall. There may or may not have been a few attempts to force the binky in there. Thank goodness for grandparents who take pity on their daughter-in-laws! Anyway, sheesh. Going forward I need to make naps a priority, that's for darn sure. Let's just say that last night saw many a-violent head jolt and a few hideous glimpses of myself in the mirror, both of which could have been avoided by an hour long lie-down in the mid afternoon.

Eeeeeek......So cheers to naps and getting some rest around here, especially right before Chad goes back to work!

...and because this is precious {especially Carter's outfit}...