A really great day....

All kinds of excitement today... all baby related, of course! The quick update goes a little something like this.

Sofie has decided that using a fork to feed herself is quite possibly the AWESOMEST thing EVER!
She spent most of dinner tonight giggling at her new found skill and showing off for daddy!

Carter had his very first bath today- and much to my surprise- actually seemed okay with the whole thing. I was convinced (based on his complete disdane for diaper changes and clothes changes and changes of any kind) that he would, hmmmm... what's the expression.... FREAK OUT! But, No. Quite the opposite. He was a very happy relaxed little guy. and adorable, did I mention adorable?

And here's the big one: BOTH of my babies were simultaneously, and at the same time, in the mood to snuggle- without protest! And because you certainly wouldn't believe me otherwise, here's the proof.

OH, happy day!

kinda makes me wanna do a little jig....

... I'm pretty sure that I'm on some kind of post-partum. hormone-induced, emotional-lovey-lovey- baby-high.  That said, I'm willing to divulge the following confidential information:  toilet paper commercials featuring either puppies or bare baby bottoms (& heaven forbid, BOTH) in addition to any small act of kindness or expression of love, is, at this time, enough to turn me into a mushy puddle of tear-filled mess.  

And, as if xerox advertisements and tiny little baby socks aren't enough to sabotage my good intentions to get up and actually rinse the dishes- there's this

It would be ridiculous to assume that anyone who is more than 2 weeks post-baby would tear up quite like I did- But I do hope you appreciate the "we're all one people" message.  And also- can you please pass the tissues... *sniff :)

Our Christmas Story

What a wonderful day. What a busy, busy, wonderful day.

I may have mentioned that I'm on a super post-baby high- but in case I didn't: I'm on a super, post-baby high! Add to that a huge helping of family and a dash of the good-old-fashioned Christmas spirit and what do you have?... One seriously happy, greatful, and slightly weepy mommy full of love and warm fuzzies.

We had such a perfect Christmas- we had the opportunity to spend a little time participating in holiday traditions from both sides and (most importantly) to spend time together as a family of four!

The day actually started (for me) the night before... We dressed our babies in their new Christmas Jammies and Pat read the 'Night Before Christmas' before putting our big girl down for the night. Carter was very cooperative as well, and sans the normal "IT'S TWO AM, WAKE-UP AND FEED ME" moment, it was a peaceful and almost silent night :)

We woke in morning to find that Santa had stopped by to fill stockings and took the opportunity to peek inside. Sofie found a few little treats that she actually enjoyed more than the stocking itself and spent a fair amount of time pursuing the new books and playing with a new puppet. Before their first naps, the kids (OMG- the "KIDS") opened a few presents and what a sight that was. I knew not to expect much in the way of excitement or any actual tearing into of gifts- but boy was it cute to see Sof's get all caught up in ribbon and little bits of paper, all the while completely ignoring the totally awesome music set I was giddy to see her play with. *UPDATE: she's gotten over the ribbon and has engaged with the music set- thank you very much.

After nap #1, We bundled up and headed over the river and through the woods to Grams' house, where Santa apparently made an extra long stop! We had a wonderful time with Grams, Gramps and Uncle Lucas and, boy, did we score some serious loot! We also spent some time with the Greatgrands having the traditional McConnell family Christmas breakfast. yum.

After nap #2, we re-bundled up and headed over to Aunt Denise's for the Demers Family Christmas. It was a lovely evening. Denise, Diane, Karen and her kids as well as Angela, Abby, Mark and his kids were all present.

Dinner w as delicious and it was wonderful to spend the evening with the family.

The most poignant part of the day for me was in the details and in the emergence of our f amily's little traditions. Again, as a lady all hopped up on baby-lovey-dovey hormones, it was easily the most beautiful of all holidays to date. Joy to the world, and all that jazz.

Week One... Check.

Well, we've made it a whole week with two (count 'em, T-W-O) children and have maintained at least most of our sanity. Don't quote me, (I have PLENTY of time to change my position on this one...) But, I think this whole family of four thing might just work out :)
Carter is endlessly amazing. For a little thing that mostly just eats, poops and sleeps- it's remarkable how awesome he is. He's adapting quite nicely to life outside the womb and is even finding himself in a comfortable 2 hour routine. Patton and I are both getting a reasonable amount of sleep and spirits are registering high.
Sophia is (as always) the most incredible child in all of world. She's being an angel, maintaining her fabulous schedule and is quickly showing what a fantastic big sister she is and will continue to be! She's completely concerned about her little brother and gets excited each time he makes a little gurgle or squeak. Sofie even doles out kisses before naps and when Carter starts to cry.
If I'm being completely honest, I spent the last few months preparing myself for the worst. I was truly worried that having our babies so close together would be, on some level, just too hard. Again, I reserve the right to rescind the following statement at anytime, but, Not only does the current situation seem manageable, I really kinda dig it!
happy mommy. check.

Carter's Birth Story (AKA- The Longest Post EVER)

We started the day as a family of three...

Tuesday morning we got up at the normal time to begin the day- Sofie decided to sleep in just a bit, so Patton and I finished up some last minute tasks before showering and getting ready to leave for the hospital. Diane and Denise were on hand to watch Sophia, so by 10:00 we were off to start the process.

We arrived at the hospital at 10:30 and checked in. We were directed upstairs to the Labor and Delivery triage, where we had the exact same bed as we did with Sofie! The nurses were great and the process of monitoring and pumping me full of IV fluids was smooth. All the participating parties stopped by for an introduction (the LDR nurses, the anesthesiologist and Dr Rhymers, of course) and by 12:10p I was making my way through the halls down to the operating room. The nurses and doctors quickly prepped me and I was given the spinal that would block all feeling for the operation. Just a few moments later, everyone was poised and ready- They let Patton in from the hallway and as soon as Dr Rhymers arrived the c-section began.

Much like the last time- I could feel nothing but a very surreal pressure as they cut and pushed and began to extract our little guy.

Unlike the last time- the anesthesia seemed very strong and made me both nauseous and feel as though my lungs were swimming in fluid.

In what seemed like a fraction of a second, and also an eternity, all at the same time (really it was 12 minutes)- I heard the first little gurgle of our newborn baby boy. What an incredible moment. It would be impossible to explain how fantastic that first little sound is- but I'm pretty sure it was in that moment that I grew another heart, all for loving this little baby.

Carter came out looking just like his sister did 14 months ago- perfect little head with button nose and the most beautiful lips ever. His cheeks, while noteworthy, could not possibly rival hers, but their expressions seem identical.

He scored high on the APGAR and all weights and measurements were in the very healthy range. Carter and Dad stayed in the OR for a few photos and then left for the recovery area. I had a few more moments of nausea (and either passed out or fell asleep) during the remainder of the surgery and then met up with my boys.

The recovery process was very quick this time around- Feeling returned to my legs and feet much faster than with Sofie and we were soon able to snuggle and stare and make all the necessary comparisons :)

It was while we were in recovery that the nurses noticed that Carter had a bit of a heart murmur and so quite a commotion was created over whether or not he should be admitted to the NICU- thankfully he was not. However- it was at this point that all the additional poking and prodding of our little guy began.

We were taken to our room by 2:30. It happened to be exactly the same room we were in last October with Sofie! It was oddly comforting to have the same room (and may of the same nurses) throughout our stay. My family was waiting to greet us and to meet Carter. [Insert 'oooohh'-ing & 'aaahhh'-ing here *] It was lovely.

Carter began making some pretty unusual noises, of the grunting variety, which was cause for some concern by our nurse. She ordered a battery of tests and had us all on pins and needles for most of the evening. After the results of the blood-test, the echo cardiogram and the chest x-ray were evaluated by the NICU doctor- Carter was give a clean bill of health- with the simple explanation that he had some residual fluid in his lungs left over from the c-section and that the heart murmur previously noted was likely an un-closed PDA (similar to what Sophia had until about 6 months). Healthy baby. Check.

We had plenty of visitors (the grandparents, aunts and uncles, Great-Grands and most notably one very big sister). I was very excited to see Sofie and to introduce her to her new baby- she however was not so impressed and, shall we say... less than excited. All told- it was a pretty uneventful introduction (*though I should say, she's coming around nicely :)

We stayed in the hospital until Thursday afternoon (a full day less than last go-round) but were home and fully immersed in the REAL WORLD (of having two babies, at home, by ourselves, holy crap!) by dinnertime.

I am happy to report that every bit of this process has been smooth so far... here's hoping we stay this lucky.

Carter Greyson Demers

Our Beautiful Boy

Born Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
12:38pm
7 pounds, 8 ounces
20 inches long

(He looks just like his big sister!)

"...our son will come out, tomorrow.."

This post is me procrastinating the final few items on my "to do before baby2" list. It's a little crazy that, in less than 15 hours, our family of 3 will be a family of 4. And, no matter how hard I try to remember all the little things that I NEEDED to do before going into the hospital- all of it seems trivial and unnecessary now that our little boy is mere hours away. The carpet in the basement remains un-vacuumed, the tiny Sofie hand prints on the glass door are still there, and the dust bunnies who have set up colonies under the wine rack are procreating at an alarming rate. BUT- The nursery is ready, the clothes and diapers are washed and, ready or not, we're having a baby tomorrow. My bet is that we're ready (or as ready as we can be without access to a crystal ball) and, I must admit- VERY EXCITED.
So many questions are swimming through my brain- what will our little guy look like? Will he have those fantastic Sofie-cheeks? His daddy's beautiful blue eyes? Will he have my temperament or Pat's? What do those pokey little knees and elbows look like out from under my belly? The closer we get to meeting him- the more anxious I get to find all of these answers. But- soon enough, right!?!
I hope tonight is a quiet one, it'll be the last one for quite a while. And when I get up in the morning, it will be baby day :)

A Bit of Crazy-Pregnant-Lady Grumbling...

So, I went in to get the "hey-I'm-having-a-baby-no-maintenance-mom-haircut" the other day and what I got was this:

The"Hi!-please-don't-mistake-me-for-your-local-freaky-bartender-because-I-have-dark-ass-PURPLE-HAIR!!!" haircut. In the spare moment's I'm not spending fussing and tugging and washing my hair with ridiculously harsh shampoo, I'm busy-ing myself trying to figure out how asking for a "warm brown color, that resembles my natural color" equals "Dark-freaking-brown in the key of PURPLE!"
So, yes... I did make the mistake of not going with the very nice color I got last time, instead hoping for something a little softer and (here's where I think I went wrong) warmer. Because, apparently, to this particular stylist warmer means GOTH!
I, of course, expressed my concern while at the salon, and then went home to see if perhaps it was just this particular establishments insanely harsh lighting (yeah, right) only to find the color worse upon my arrival. So, I went back, and the lady graciously offered to "fix" it. Fix, in this case, was to do a color rinse which should have muted the red (PURPLE!) highlights. Should have, but didn't.
Another trip to the salon yesterday only yielded the option of applying baby mutating, industrial strength chemicals to strip the pigment from my hair- so, bottom line. I have ugly, dark, purple locks until such time that I am not "with child."
bleh....
I'm sure I have better things to worry about (what with war and famine and OH YEA, A BABY IN 3 Days!)- but, I'm over all of those things so I plan to grumble about this for a while.

'Santa-Baby..."

Look at this cheeky little monkey- all sweet for Santa, as if he's gonna bring her something good this year :)
I mean, com'on, how adorable can one little person be... I swear sometimes I just feel like I'm playing house with a really freekin' precious doll-baby! I'm such a proud mama :)

All things big and round...

So we all remember the frightening display that was my belly on the last go round. I am, to this day, haunted by the hushed murmuring of "...ohhh, twins, RIGHT!?!", or "... how many weeks past due are you?" all before I was even 7 months pregnant. So, Okay, I was freek-ish with the torpedo shaped, poke-your-eye-out belly. But really, it wasn't that bad right? Let's refresh our memories shall we... This was Sofie about 24 hours before birth:

Okay, yikes that was a little...ummmm... scary. But how about now? With out the previa complication I must be significantly smaller, right? Hmmmm.....

What a difference an inch makes. Somehow this time around no one is quite as worried that I will spontaneously explode, or my favorite metaphor: "POP" at any moment. Perhaps I'm just a little more adept at carrying around my girth this time- or maybe that inch really does make a world of difference. Either way, damn that's a lot of baby in there!

Here's the update: Baby two is all set to arrive shortly after noon, next Tuesday. Um, NEXT TUESDAY- which is technically really REALLY soon. To add the scientific terms- wow-wow-wowzer! 7 days, we are no longer talking weeks here, people- just days! Also- based on all kinds of uber-scientific doctor measurements and equations and stuff- Our OB seems to think this baby will be at, or around, the 8 lb mark- just like Sofie. Since the c-section is already scheduled, I am taking this as very good news- the bigger the baby, the better they eat/sleep/stand up to the flailing limbs of an older sister.

So, I think I am beginning to see why second children always seem to get the shaft. This poor child is not even born yet and somehow he already gets the "eh, he'll be fine" brush-off. "Prepare for the new baby?? Us, noooo.... eh, he'll be fine." With Sofie, I was on top of every single pregnancy detail- two or three weekly updates, subscriptions to all the 'what-not-to-do/eat/think/come with in a square mile of'-newsletters, I could rattle off exactly what this little growing baby was up to at each moment of each day ("today she's growing eyelashes, honey). And Now!?! Not so much. Some one asked me, not long ago, how far along I was and my best response was "Um.... I'm due in December" but eh, he'll be fine.

I do, however, know two things: 1. this time around we're having a boy (in a mere 7 days- did I mention that?)- which dramatically changes the game, and 2. once you have a second kid- all the rules change. I already love this little guy more than I ever could have imagined- it just seems to look a little different this time. I know that he may not get quite as many uninterrupted hours wide-eyed adoration from mommy, or months and months of nothing but constant attention- but maybe that's a good thing. I just can't wait to see how this all works out- and yet I know that it will. I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm really starting to get excited.... and it's a good thing coz there's really only 7 days of coherant thought left before all hell breaks loose!

BTW: this blog post by Amalah is by far the most encouraging thing I've come across throughout my entire pregnancy- In a world full of people who seem to want to make sure I am acutely aware of just how hard having 2 babies is... this is a sweet baby-breath of fresh air. http://www.amalah.com/amalah/2008/12/the-angel-in-the-details.html

Thanksgiving

What a fun and crazy holiday we've had. It was such a different experience this year (as I imagine will be the case for at least the next few years, as Patton and I continue to through monkey-wrenches [... I mean, babies] into the mix). For the first time since Pat and I have been together we didn't host the Demers for Thanksgiving- Instead, we made the family rounds. On Thursday, we headed over to my parent's house for a traditional McConnell family T-day feast. It was very nice to spend the evening with my Mom, Dad, Lucas and BOTH sets of grandparents. It was also nice to enjoy all the flavors of Thanksgivings past- the sweet southern dishes that I've missed over the last 4 or 5 years; carrot pudding, jello salad, pineapple soufflé and cornbread stuffing. Sofie seemed to really dig the eats as well- she had both a perma-grin and the roundest little baby belly I've ever seen!

On Friday, we headed out to Denise's for the Demers Family Thanksgiving. The traditional Demers fare was a wonderful way to round out the T-day festivities- I love that sausage stuffing!! We really enjoyed spending Friday with Diane, Denise and Matt (and missed seeing Karen and the kids).

As if TWO thanksgiving dinners in a row was not enough- we decided to fill up the weekend with more visiting- On Saturday night we took a trip out to Herndon to catch up with the Devine's. It was so nice to see Lea, Chris and the kids; who all seem to be doing exceptionally well. They are quite possibly the most adorable family on the planet :)

Whew.... Thanksgiving always seems to come with an exceptional amount of planning, prep and clean-up. We send may thanks to all three familys who hosted us this past weekend. And somehow, while we ourselves didn't actually do any of the hosting this year- we still ended the weekend pooped from all the activity. And for reasons unrelated to pilgrams or turkey there was still plenty of planning, prep and clean-up :)

Of Stepping and Kicking...

I think I may have mentioned last month about this time that our little bug took her first steps. Well, it did not take her long to master the art. She is truly, truly walking now. Back and fourth- to and fro- around in circles.... endlessly. It is so amazing to watch her figure out that she has the Independence to get where ever she wants to go- without our help. She, of course, still has the 'arms-in-the-air-I-need-my-balance-monkey-walk-thing' going, but boy is it adorable. And while I completely understand that every child hits this milestone at some point or another- I can't help but feel overwhelmingly proud of her. She's such a big girl now :)
Here's a sample from a couple weeks ago:

Meanwhile, in the womb... It seems our littlest one has mastered the art of break dancing. Or at least that's what it feels like, what with all the spinning, flipping and random poking-jabbiness. He really feels strong and healthy. I can't wait to meet these little elbows and knees- though with only a few weeks left, I know it won't be long.

The 'Naked-Baby' Shower

I am a lucky, lucky lady... Though it took me a while to warm up to the idea of (ANOTHER) baby shower- I am both endlessly grateful and honored to have had the opportunity to spend the afternoon surrounded by an amazing group of ladies. I am acutely aware that I have managed to scrape together an occasion for which I get a party no less than 6 times in the last 4 years ("...I'm Graduating!", "...I'm Engaged!", "....I'm getting Married!" "....It's my last night as a Bachelorette!", "...I'm having a Baby!!", and "oh yeah, I'm having another baby!") But hey, as long as people keep showing up with gifts- who am I to turn down the fun!?




Much in the way I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love (and very necessary baby essentials) on the first go-round, I was again floored by the support and generosity of the wonderful women in my life. Both of my children (oh my god, I said children... plural!) are so fortunate to have such an amazing network of extended family that already seems to love them both deeply and unconditionally. It really warms my heart to know that such support exists for both Patton and I as well as our babies.... I couldn't be more thankful.

I'm an OLD LADY now!

It has happened... I have officially reached the age at which record keeping stops. That beautiful age that I will be for the rest of my life... I am 29 years old for the first of many years to come.

So, on this, the first of my 29th years, I have to say that I am a lucky, lucky lady. I could not have wished, or even imagined, for myself all that I have around me. I am humbled by the amazing people in my life and endlessly grateful for the husband and child(ren) that make up my world. So much has happened in the last few years that I often feel as though I can't possibly appreciate it enough... but I try. I really, REALLY TRY!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Halloween....BOO!

It should be said that ravenous, polyester-clad little people running about the neighborhood accepting candy for the favor of not covering your house in cheap single-ply toilet paper is not really all I hoped my little baby would grow up to be- but that said, I'm no scrooge (or the Halloween equivalent of) so, Of course, we dressed the baby up. *For real this year, not just the orange and white striped onsie that one gets away with on the first Halloween, but an actual outfit that actually resembles something other than a 13mth old little person. To be fair, I should state up-front that I had no part in the costume buying process- all credit goes to Grams. If left up to me, I'm sure I would have come up with something extra creative... like, a 13mth old little person in an orange and white striped onsie, or ... OR maybe a 13mth old little girl who was on her way to bed dressed in her finest footed pj's (though that one might have required a little more effort and likely wouldn't have happened). So, our little girl was a little can-can dancing lady-bug... that looks a little something like this...



There was no actual trick-or-treating involved this year, as- well, let's face it, -she's got 6 teeth and I've had more than my fair share of the kiddo's candy for one year* (*I buy candy each year for the trick-r-treaters that NEVER show = I buy candy each year for... ME) But we did at least make it out of the house... We went to the last farmer's market of the season and saw all the other little ghouls and goblins (more accurately, all the other little spidermen and princesses) on parade. And later 'over the river and through the woods to great-grandmother's house' we went.



Lots of fun and yet, no cavities to speak of... we'll see how many years we can keep this up.

The Pumpkin Patch

I LOVE AUTUMN! We had the perfect fall day for a visit to the pumpkin patch- so that's just where Grams, Sofie and I headed! Sophia got to experience her very first hay-ride (which was a bit more of a tractor ride, as there was no hay to be found) as well as a number of pumpkins far larger than she. We had a lovely picnic-style lunch and enjoyed the various attractions, but mostly it was just a great day out with Grams!

Finger-Lickin' Apple-Pickin'

Using numerous techniques (including bribery, blackmail and a little bit of pregnant lady whining) I was able to successfully talk Patton into taking the family apple picking this weekend. We drove down RT66 to Markham, VA to an adorable family run establishment called Stribling Orchard. It was not only a beautiful place; nestled in the foothills of the Blueridge and complete with generations-old stone farmhouse, but also a gorgeous day- blue skies, crisp air and autumnal colors everywhere!

Sofie had a blast! Pat wore her in the backpack for the majority of the outing so she could see over his shoulders and watch him use the apple-picker to get only the best apples from the tree. Toward the end of our visit, we found a perfect little spot (overlooking the orchard, valley and some precious little barns and buildings) to take Sophia out and have a mini-apple-picnic. Mostly for the purpose of taking a cute picture, we gave Sof's an apple to hold and she immediately (and with intention- I might add) bit straight into it. We didn't dare wrestle it away from her, and about 20 minutes later- it was almost gone!! She was seriously cracking us up! She LOVED the thing, and was so proud to eat it all by herself!

Needless to say, we all had a great time. I informed Patton on the ride home that we had, in fact, just started an annual family tradition.... and he may even be on board :)

Baby Steps...

It happened today- Sofie took her first 5 real unassisted steps! Complete with a pivot turn and everything. It was unbelievable- and to make the moment more magical than I could have imagined it, Patton and I were both present and actually paying attention. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Sofie just let go of the leg of my pants, turned and walked, no, W-A-L-K-E-D to the ottoman. Amazing.

I think this is one of those mom-moments that you just can't help but have... Overwhelming pride and excitement and sheer joy simultaneously smushed together with the "oh, shit-knock her down quick- we've created a monster" feeling that comes with realizing that she's broken the code and life as we know it is now over.But still- Amazing.

Also amazing; we're gonna have a whole new one of these crazy creatures in about 8 weeks. The time is simply flying by and (this week) I'm both giddy with anticipation and freaking out. But mostly I'm just glad he's got a name [READ: a name that I picked out months ago, and was secretly holding out hope for, all the while trying not to let on that I was COMPLETELY bias in the decision making process]. I love my husband.In other news, It is well past my normal 10 o'clock bedtime and this is, what I imagine to be, the first of many MANY nights this little guy will be keeping me up. Tivo is my hero.

My Big Girl Turns ONE!

It's official- my baby is a big kid! Sophia turned the big O-N-E on Thursday, and had her first birthday party Saturday.


Thursday was a great day- we eased into the day with the normal activities: diapers, breakfast, playtime and the like. Then Grams stopped by to see her grand baby for the first time in a MONTH (she's been in FL helping out Elaine). We opened the presents Grams sent and, of course, Sophia found the ribbons and wrapping far more enjoyable than any of the contents found within :) After her second nap, Aunt Denise stopped by to give Sophia some birthday hugs and gifts, and her very first big balloon- she was hot and cold on that one :)


Daddy came home early from work and took his girls out for a birthday dinner. Sophia got to order her very first entree (ALL FOR HERSELF) and the meal was great. We of course showered our birthday girl with millions of birthday smooches and snuggles, and before we knew it- the day was over. AND, I didn't shed a tear * you have my permission to be impressed :)





On Saturday we held the big B-DAY BASH! The hoards came from near and far to celebrate this most memorable milestone, and yes, there was cake!


Sofie was such a trooper- She woke up from her nap to 20 excited faces in her living room all vying for her attention- and she worked the room! Smooches for the little boys, hugs and snuggles for the great-grandparents and smiles for each and every camera! There was dining, schmoozing and then it was time for the main event- Her first taste of cake and ice cream. Turns out she likes cake and ice cream! It was truly an awesome event- and the turn-out serves to prove just how many people Sophia has in her life that love, love, love her.





*update: We knew Saturday night would be a rough one- between the sheer over-stimulation and the sugar content of fare we expected an all nighter... And we were right- but for all the wrong reasons :) Sofie got the symptoms of her first cold late Saturday night and felt the effects through Tuesday. Poor thing. Though, I wonder if I can somehow use this to my advantage... "Sofie, remember what happened last time you got gifts and ate sweets...."

Sunday, September 14, 2008

First, I have to say I had no idea how to get started in the whole "blogosphere" craze-but thanks to good friends, Adam and Kelly, and their amazing baby update blog, I have been both schooled and inspired. *Thanks Adam and Kelly (and Evan!)

So I guess this is the official 'Sophia Demers update/baby deuce countdown/all the stuff I gotta say/Demers Family blogspot' but for the sake of reducing the risk of carpal-tunnel syndrome, we'll call it 'The Demers Family Blog.' *you're welcome.On the Sofie Update front- OH MY GOD SHE'S TURNING ONE IN A MATTER OF WEEKS!! I absolutely can NOT believe that it's been a year since this little girl popped into our world. Every mother in the universe will warn you that it "goes so fast" but seriously- IT GOES SOO FAST! This once 8lb, bundle of squirming pink-ness is now a 20lb, four toothed, toddling streak of adorable(ness). Perhaps it's beginning to hit me that our little girl is growing up because a)we just moved her into her 'big-girl room' b)I left her standing by the ottoman yesterday and when I turned around she was following me into the kitchen (via the couch, side-table and daddy-made cart)and/or c)SHE'S TURNING ONE IN A MATTER OF WEEKS!! In any case... I've got a birthday party to plan :)

Baby-Deuce Update: I'm 26 weeks (for the layman; 6 1/2 month) pregnant. That equals 12 weeks (3 months) of life as we now know it. Baby 2 is, of late, making his presence known with all kinds of movement including; double round-house side kicks, reverse 3 1/2's, and solid left hooks to the gut (generally at or around 3 am) *Seems mommy watched a bit too much of the Olympics this year. But it is nice to know that he's in there and happy(?) feisty(?) seriously pissed-off(?). And the name debate continues... BOY NAMES ARE HARD! Somehow I assumed this process would go as smoothly as it did with Sophia. I was wrong. Here are a few of the names that have not made the cut: Archiebald, Codwaller, Horace, & Perceval. As a matter of fact, we're getting VERY adept at finding names we DON'T like. It's the good ones (that aren't already taken) that seem so elusive. Suggestions not required- that just seems to make it harder... plus then we'll feel bad when we inevitably don't pick the suggested name.

Demers Family Update: Everyone here is truly happy and healthy. Patton's been working like a crazy person getting Sophia's 'Big-Girl Room' ready and has already moved on to re-painting the nursery. He's such a good sport. Not many men would paint the ceiling of an already minuscule room a dark blue because "honey, I really want to see if it looks good..." Luckily, it looks good :) And did I mention that I'm planning a birthday party (because: OH MY GOD SHE'S TURNING ONE IN A MATTER OF WEEKS!!) So, I've been baking 'practice cakes' coz truly I have nothing better to do with my time -or- it's not much longer that I'll have the luxury of indulging in such ridiculous behavior -or- I secretly wish I was Donna Reed (and Betty Crocker). Other than that, I'm just growing a baby & waiting for the holiday freight train to decend upon us.