Our New Girl :)

Our daughter, Madyn Jay Strauss was born today at 4:12 pm. She weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz & I *think* 18 inches long. She is a tiny peanut with long fingers & toes & lots of dark hair. We are already so in love with her.

I'll be posting the whole birth story soon, but it was CRAZY! In a nutshell, I was in the hospital starting at 6:30am with not much progress at all until about 3:45. And then in under half an hour Madyn made her debut. It was the most intense experience ever, I didn't have time to get an epidural, I thought I might be dying, & my attending nurses had to hurry to catch her as she raced out into the world. It was like nothing I've ever been through but we're both doing well & recovering.

Thanks so much for all the support, it has been wonderful feeling the positive energy & good vibes from all over wishing us well on this delivery. We are so lucky to have such amazing family & friends. Thank you.

***

a matter of hours now.......

well, i'm down to my last hours of freedom before the big event. the kids are both at school, i have sufficiently "nested" (& let me tell you, nesting is incredibly hard the bigger i have become, washing this dishes, doing laundry, and barely being able to reach the sink or washing machine over my giant stomach). i've packed overnight bags, diaper bags, camera bags, laptop bags. i've stocked diapers, bath supplies, sleepers & onsies. i've sterilized bottles & pacifiers. i have even ironed my hospital gown. yep, you heard that right, i am playing the diva role when i go in tomorrow to be induced & i will be wearing my own hospital gown. how cool is that? & i got the matching robe & swaddling blanket for the baby in light green with white polka dots, hee hee hee. i know, it's silly but i love cute things! & didn't i mention i've been doing a lot of online shopping lately?

speaking of, i'm eagerly awaiting this fun toy:

it's a baby timer! you have four different buttons that keep track of various things, like naps, feedings, changings, etc. & you just press the button that corresponds with the activity & it'll keep track of when the last feeding was, or how long the baby has napped. isn't that cool?? it wasn't available in target stores so i ordered it online, along with four other boring but necessary baby items. each one arrived separately last week & this was the last one to get here on friday. i open the box excitedly only to find.........a beaded necklace? what? man, i was so excited to have this thing in my hospital when the baby arrived because, let me tell you--you think you'll remember the last time you fed your baby or the last time it peed but it does these things ALL the time & it becomes a giant jumble in your head. & i write it down but did i mention i am the most absentminded person in the world & often couldn't even remember to do that at the right time. i'm hoping that i can at least hit a button when i need to. ....but instead i have a beaded necklace. luckily, target is getting me a new one & it's on its way. & they e-mailed that i can keep the necklace :)

***

so anyway, today is a day to tie up lose ends, enjoy our family of four for the last time, & freak out about how i'm not ready for a baby. i would have thought that by now i would be ready, especially since i've done this twice before, but in some ways i feel the least prepared. probably because kieran & andie are getting older & more self-sufficient & i haven't been in baby mode for a bit. & since i have done this twice before i know exactly how life changing & lifestyle changing adding a new baby to the family is....... & even though it sounds crazy-especially to me-i'm going to really miss being pregnant. sure i'm huge, sure i've been wearing the same old maternity stuff for months, sure i have the typical ailments like heartburn & difficulty sleeping, sure i can hardly heave myself out of bed in the morning. where was i going with this? oh, right, i'll miss this. well, i will really. for the most part i've had a great pregnancy, and because i didn't start really showing until i was halfway through it, it feels like it's gone fairly fast. & it's fascinating really, feeling the baby stretch & move inside, & knowing that i won't feel that again makes me try to pay close attention to it & remember the sensation. as i type this the baby has hicups & it might be the last time i feel this & have the baby all to myself, i think it's really pretty cool.

***

i'll be updating tomorrow when we go into the hospital, via my cell phone. i'll be using Twitter, so you can check out the updates in the right hand column. i will most likely be going in early tomorrow morning, 6 or 6:30. so check in wednesday to find out all the fun details!

***

the final countdown!!!

you still have time to vote in the baby pool ------------->

submit your best guess & if you end up the winner i'll give you a FREE photo session!!!!

i may be throwing out the guess for the date of the birth, as some people knew i was going to be induced this Wednesday, October 29 (three days, yikes!) & some weren't aware of that. though it's *possible* it could happen just before that, it won't be any later than that. well, maybe a day later, but please keep your fingers crossed that i'm not in labor for more than 24 hours!

can't wait to see who gets the most points!

***

yay, mail!

i've been ordering a bunch of stuff online lately & i'm currently awaiting some of these cute bottles. i'm planning to nurse but will also most likely do some bottles here & there. aren't they cute? that's right, i don't care how well they work as long as they're cute.



***

i likey

love this song:



***

VOTE! *for our baby*

check out the link to the right and vote in our baby pool, can't wait to find out who wins :)

***

big & blonde

i've been really bad about taking pictures this time around, but after going PLATINUM BLONDE today i thought it would be the perfect opportunity. so i took these in the bathroom mirror. & it just doesn't feel right to smile all cheesy while you're doing it, so instead i thought i should make faces. it still looks cheesy though :)

***

for crying out loud

why do i still watch you Law & Order reruns???

i'm watching an SUV episode and recognize one of the actors in the episode as Carlos Leon, the father of Madonna's daughter Lourdes (i will never ever be able to tell you the current location of my keys but i can name nearly every random celebrity and there significant other, famous or not. go figure. it's a curse really.) only days ago i was watching a different L&O and he was in it. in checking his bio, the ex-Madonna boy toy has been 5 different characters in 5 DIFFERENT LAW & ORDER EPISODES! one Law & Order, 2 Criminal Intents, and 1 SUV. geez, you can't tell me there's that big a shortage on latino actors these days.

why do i continue to watch these??? and why do i continue to track these random characters?

and speaking of Madonna, does anyone else miss her? the old Madonna? i miss Borderline, Who's That Girl, Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach. bleach blonde Madonna, red lips, the mole, the crazy outfits. she's just not the same anymore. and she freaks aaron out with her muscley body. what happened to her? i guess we've all outgrown the 80's but i sure wouldn't mind a little old school Madonna these days. i don't know why i've been thinking about this lately--well, maybe it has something to do with seeing her ex all over TV lately, but Who's That Girl will always be one of my favorite 80's movies. sorry for this major tangent....

oh, and Carlos's character was just arrested--i'm telling you, when you see the same guy recycled episode after episode it's a dead giveaway that "he dunnit". c'mon L&O!

***

"Careful. We don't want to learn from this." ~Calvin & Hobbes

random thoughts lately....


*i love my new hairdryer. it's nothing special really, it blasts the air and dries my hair which is just what you want out of a dryer, but the awesome thing is the retractable cord. you simply pull out the cord you need and then with the push of a button the cord is whisked back into the thing. why doesn't every appliance have that??? i only remember seeing it on my parents' vacuum and even then it seemed pretty cool, but now i don't have to wrap & unwrap the cord around the dryer itself and worry about tangling, it's great. and it could totally cut down on extra cord-age for things, you know, your toaster could have it and not have two feet of extra cord tucked behind it on the counter. or lamps or clock radios or DVD players. the possibilities are endless. i think it would be a major selling feature. am i wrong?

*andie & i were chatting a bit about the baby, she loves giving my belly hugs and resting her head on it, i hope she enjoys her actual sibling as much as my stomach. we talked a little about names that the baby could have and she had an idea for a girl: Juden. i don't know that we'll use it but i have to admit, it's not the worst name i've ever heard. just earlier in the day she was talking with her dolls whom she was calling "Lulu, Gogo, and Trinsky" so Juden didn't strike me as *completely* horrendous.

*i know that cell phones are distracting when driving, but i have to tell you what's REALLY distracting when you're trying to manuever a car--children. and i don't see anyone outlawing kids in the car anytime soon, but man, the times where i feel the most distracted at the wheel are when i'm reaching to give a snack to a whiney kid, trying to turn for a second to look at something someone is desperate to point out to me from the backseat or to mediate a disagreement between two screaming manics i can't see. i know, this making you nervous to think about driving with someone like me on the road, but i had to say it. and every parent i'm sure is this way. it's no wonder we've learned to multitask to well, this is a prime example. and i'm an incredibly cautious driver, i can only imagine if i were more erratic how dangerous it would be out there! i'm starting to think the arguement for DVDs in the car might not be a bad idea!

*i can barely put on socks and shoes these days, it's hard to bend over. i'm feeling relatively good (and i promise to post a picture of my giant self so you can have a good laugh and get those whale jokes off your chest!) & most days i really enjoy being pregnant. unlike expecting my first baby, i know what a challenge having a newborn is and how consuming it will be, i know this is the absolute easiest it will ever be to care for this child so i'm happy to keep baby safe and sound inside of me for now. and i know that in the many years to come i will miss this time in my life, feeling the baby move inside and feeling like a share a secret just with baby. i'm trying to soak it all up and remember the details. i'm not saying i don't have times where i think "for the love of pete, my belly rubs against the steering wheel!" but i'm lucky that i feel pretty good when pregnant, i'm slowing down which is hard because there's a lot i want to accomplish in a day and at times i just can't but all in all, life is good around here. i've also been doing a lot of photo sessions and my deadline to quit working continues to be extended as people call to make appointments. at this point i'm probably going to have my camera going right up until delivery! i also have this fantasy of having all my gear at the hospital for baby's first photo shoot, we'll see.

and for the record, i think i should explain that while yes, my belly is often right up against the steering wheel it's a combination of being pregnant and having short legs. i'm not THAT huge really, i just have to sit pretty close to the wheel, damn cars should have all adjustable pedals. listen to me, between that and the cord stuff i am full of useful suggestions for manufacturers!

***

seriously??

do you ever check out craigslist? it's great, i've bought and sold things on it and i think it's a beautiful thing but everyone once in a while you'll be perusing the ads and find some total piece of junk whose owner is convinced is worth waaaaaaay more than it actually is. i know a lot of us are guilty of this, it's hard not to attach "sentimental value" to your junk but it's important to put yourself in your prospective buyer's position and understand that they are not going to think your 20-year-old rust colored Lazyboy recliner's stains give it "character".

this may not be the best example but i was just checking things out when i saw this post about an iron bed. $150??? just because you use the word ANTIQUE doesn't make it so! and i guess what also rubbed my the wrong way about this post is that this is at least the third time the owner has posted it. hello??? and geez, in looking at an older post for it, it started at $300! glad they at least cut the price in half but it doesn't look promising, does it?

when people post stuff like this, or some vague post like "bedroom set for sale, wood, some scratches--$800 with NO pictures you want to post to them just saying, "seriously?" do they think that's going to move the items?

i apologize if i sound a bit bitter, i'm sick today and hugely pregnant. 'nuff said.

i would love for someone else to post an example of a lame craigstlist post, come on, play along and find a fun link we can laugh at!

years ago...

look what i found. me and chowderhead. i had so much fun taking my cutie sister trick-or-treating way back when. our mom made this pumpkin costume for me and by now it's been worn by each kid in the family, many family friends, even sent to Hawaii once, and i can't wait for next year for our baby to take a turn.

***