Happy Birthday Devin Clive Holbrook!!!

The day has finally arrived. Joanne gave birth to Devin Clive Holbrook at 5:38am CST on December 1st, 2008.


The bouncing baby boy weighed in at 8lbs, 1oz and was 20.1 inches long. Both Devin and Joanne are in excellent health. They are both eating, pooping, and resting well (all three are very important for both mommy and baby). The labor was actually very easy and pleasant for all of us. We checked into the hospital at 12:01 am CST after about 3 good hours of regular labor at home. They admitted Jo at 5cm and 75%, let her go through a 2 more hours of contractions, gave her the epidural at 6cm, which then allowed us both to sleep for nearly 1.5 hours, we woke up and she was 10cm dilated and ready to push. Two practice pushes and one real push later.... Devin popped out!!! Yes... that's a grand total of three pushes for kid #2!!! Joanne was very excited about that. By 6:00am CST, Devin was poked and prodded, wrapped up and in Joanne's arms. Too easy!!


That's the story for now. Here are a few pictures to tide everyone over for a day or two. Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and good lucks.... They worked well!!

So much for 4 weeks to go!

We went to the doctor today!!!!! And I got some news I was not ready for…….
1) The baby is already almost 8 pounds (Kailey was 7lbs.6oz at birth)
2) I am 2cm dilated
3) My cervix is softening and heading towards labor

The other night I woke up and thought I was in labor – she said that was the beginning ………
It was at that very moment that I realized that we are so not as ready as we thought we were. I was banking on my mom being here to look after Kai while I was in the hospital.
The next morning I got my ass into gear and made a solid plan B! Our dear friend Kesh would come over when we called (day or night) and take care of Kai! She knows him well, so he was perfect.

Then I told my mom our news today, and tomorrow she is changing her fights (which were due to come in on the 2nd Dec) to next week or this weekend.

It’s all going so fast! I would like to keep this little guy cooking for one more week if possible. The doctor said due to his size they won’t stop labor when it starts.

Deric and I were in such shock – we realized we were going to have an actual baby within the next 2 weeks. I of course came home and balled my eyes out that I would no longer have Kai and my time ever again. I guess it’s the hormones! But still…….

36 weeks of 40 and counting...

Things on this side of my world are getting slower. I forgot this phase of pregnancy and how limited you are to moving around. Thank goodness Deric is around much more lately to help me out. I am at that stage where if it falls on the floor it stays there till Deric comes home, or till I get down and pick it all up at once.
Here is a 36 week belly shot……. Oh and the toothpaste on my belly button … that was Kailey learning how to brush her teeth, my belly always seems to get in the way.

This is a picture of Kailey I just love – not because it looks like she just woke up from her nap, but because this is how I read to her and I caught her in her bed reading to her baby when she thought no one was looking.

Some people have asked me how I will let everyone know about when I go into labor. Well our hospital has wireless and we will blog as soon as we have caught our breath …. and yes with pictures.

So over the next 3 or 4 weeks just keep checking.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Here is Kailey's Halloween costume - not quite what we planned, but all she would wear. She had a rather large melt down before the event - so she is wearing her pumpkin pajamas and her lion outfit, without the head!!!!!
It was a fun night - we had 4 families come over to our house and we built a fire, and waited for the masses..... and boy were there masses.


I was not going to dress up - but since everyone arrived at our house in costume I brought out the old tea pot and wore that! Kai was very excited by this.

As you see - the candy kicking in. We did not go house to house. She did not understand what was going on, but she had freedom to eat all she wanted from our 4 bowls. I figure once a year, what the hell!

Uncle Kesh was also there - always spoiling Kailey!!!

The candy face! She was so sticky by the end of the night!

Our crazy neighbors! It was a great time with them.

The Holbrooks - Deric threw a tourist costume together in about 2 seconds. Most of the night he had a big camera around his neck too, and I'm not sure if you can see his two tone mullet he is wearing..... yip all class all style!

This is 11pm..... the latest Kai has ever stayed up - sugar crash and just wanting water! And so the night ended!

The rest of our weekend was relaxing!!

Here is Deric and Kai washing the car. I sat and watched them on the stairs, on the phone to my dear friend Tanya in NZ who I lived with in London .... great to chat Popaduck!

Then today (Sunday) we had some friends over for a tea. There was a lot of kids and we landed up playing outside. Just making the most of this great weather!

Now on Sunday night we are again relaxing - Deric is not studying tonight (which is a change)... so excuse me while I join him to watch a movie..... don't you just love Sunday nights!

Our little helper

Kailey really likes to help around the house, she feeds the cat everyday, dust's, scrubs anything she can and she helps with the dishwasher - as you will see in the video!!

My dress up girl

Playing with trucks in high heals....


Cooking in a princess dress


Accessorizing

Fairy Princess

Island girl....

Big Girl Bed!

This weekend we decided to get Kai a toddler bed. We are going to need the crib again soonish and I don’t want to rush her into leaving her beloved crib….
She was so excited when she got it, and now sits and reads in it for ages.


(And yes, those are truck pajamas! she only wants to wear truck pj's.... or as she calles them 'doh dohs' she is obsessed with trucks.)

She tried to sleep in it yesterday and managed to fall out twice! Here is the damage, you can’t see the blue on her eye, and it looks pretty nasty!



Tonight I just read to her in her new big girl bed and when the story was over she wanted her crib. I am going to start afternoon naps in the bed tomorrow, so we will see how that works.

She is adorable lately, I just love every phase. She is trying so hard to speak, and is getting new words every day, but jabbers all day long telling the most interesting stories and jokes that only she understands.

One thing I love is her sleep schedule. For her afternoon nap at 11am I don’t even have to say anything and she looks at me and says ‘bye bye’ takes my hand and walks me to her room. Then sleeps for 90 minutes.
Then at 6:30pm she says on her own, ‘bye bye’ grabs her baby, blanket, and dummy (pacifier) and goes to her room. She then wakes at 7am in the morning. Heaven!

The longest blog ever!!!!

Ok, ok I know I have been a terrible blogger (and my mom has let me know very clearly how bad) so I thought I would make it up and put a whole lot of stuff on tonight.
The truth is I am so tired at night that I just flop on the couch and that’s me!! Usually with a jug of water, and as much ice-cream and chocolate that I can devour!
So, we have been busy lately let me begin. Hope you’re sitting comfortably this might take a while, and serve me right for taking so long to update.
We take Kailey to a petting zoo called the ‘Big Red Barn’ when we go we tell her we are going to see Tessy bear’s chickens. This is from her favorite cartoon show called Noddy. (both Kai’s grandparents will know this show VERY well) So we go and see her chickens and she loves this……

She also gets to see the other farm animals and this week got to feed the goats! Very Exciting Suff!

Then Deric came to gymnastics with us and she got to show her Daddy all she does, I could have got more pictures if I had thought to charge the camera before leaving…… I think she just likes going since she gets stamps on her feet when she is done…. Ohhhhh and not to mention the bubble machine at the end!

Here I am at 31 weeks pregnant – I must add that I feel 20X bigger than I look… oh and then just because I posed for a picture, we had to take one of Kailey right after me! I noticed in the picture all the finger prints on the fire place she is not allowed to touch – I’m going to have to set this boundary of no touching very soon.

Then there was the renaissance fair …… I have never ….. ever… seen anything like this before. Deric and I walked around speechless. We could not tell who worked there and who were visitors like us. It was crazy and dare I say it, like a freak fest! Vampires with blood all over them, fairies – acting like fairies (these are adults). We walked around for an hour and decided it was time to count this as an experience we were richer for and go home. I did get some pictures but I was too scared to take any of the real freaky people!!!

And to end off with….. we have a bowl at the front door where we put keys and such inside. Kai is not allowed to touch it, so we put it far enough back so she can’t reach it…. But today she found a way to get in that bowl. She was caught red handed!

Random Stuff

I don't have much to say lately. I'm a little dry. So I am putting a whole lot of pictures on of what we have been doing lately. It's all pretty random stuff..... but our life at the moment.

These are the cows that walk past our house everyday - when Kai sees them we have to go out and say hello... or as Kai does it, just mooo at them!



Deric bought Kai some ballet shoes (cause she wanted them in the store) I have one word - WRAPED.



Then this is Kaileys music teacher, she loves her and will never leave her side during class. Please note the pig tails.





We baked a cake and she descovered why millions of us actually bake cakes...



And to end off with... She learned about jumping on the couch - one of those cute things you know you have to take a photo of and stop really quickly.



We are all sick at the moment - I can handle Kai and myself when we are sick - but Deric alone is like having 10 sick toddlers .... really!!!!

From the Top - With Feeling!!!

Being pregnant while having an active (very active) toddler is something I did not consider much when planning this pregnancy!
I am felling so much more energetic lately, so that’s the big bonus. But I am still expected to carry Kailey around, get on and off the floor all day, have her jump on me all day long, get on my hands and knees to clean up her lunch that ends up on floor. Not to mention getting her in and out of the car, and let’s not speak about bathing her!
I have to think back to the days where I thought I had it so bad when I worked all day and was pregnant. The fact for me now is – it’s harder to be at home with a toddler and pregnant for sure. The one bonus (and it’s a very big bonus) is if I need to I can nap with her in the afternoon. Something when working all day you can just wish for. So there are benefits.
I hear too from others that it must be so much more relaxing having the second compared to the first. Well no!!!!! I am so much more stressed.

Here are my worries:
• Before I did not know what to expect – now I know exactly what to expect.
• I wondered if I would be sleep deprived – now I know I will be sleep deprived
• I worry about leaving Kailey for 3 days while in the hospital – I have never left her over night. Thank God my Mom is coming to be with her while I am there, but I know I am going to worry like mad.
• I feel like I am being a traitor to Kailey, having to share my love and time
• We have such special mommy time now – How would I be able to give her that when the baby is born.
• And finally – DO I HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN????? Didn’t I just do this?????
Don’t get me wrong I am excited to complete my family with this special little man, but wow it certainly does not come without its own set of issues.

I then look at friends with more than one child and they are all fine, happy and would not change a thing… I guess in 2 months and 2 weeks I will be looking back on this blog and thinking how could I ever have felt this way.

Belly Shots

I have been getting a lot of requests lately for belly shots!
Well at last we got it together and took a photo….. As you can see from the comparison, I am ‘progressing’ much faster than I did with Kai. The doctor also said he is a big boy! Not sure if that has anything to do with it or if its cause my internals are so stretched out that they just blew up like a balloon…..

These are taken the same week of pregnancy - both 25 weeks!

2006