more pics of kate...

even more pics of kate...

New Arrival!! Katelynn Beverly Ussery

We are so thrilled to finally announce the arrival of our Baby Kate!

(She is named after my maternal Grandma, whose name is Beverly Jean. We have missed her for 10 years this September. She was such an important person in my life, we thought it appropriate to give her special name to our first daughter. Grandma would have loved to hold her and spoil her with kisses and cute little outfits. Luckily for Kate, my mom is just as wonderful at spoiling as my grandma was, so she won't be missing out.)

Kate was born on: Saturday, August 16th at 9:41pm.
She weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 3/4 inches long! (Yeah, painful. And her long feet and toes look like she is related to Michael Phelps.)

So far everything is going so well! We can hardly believe Kate is here and our family is now 4! Jackson seems to be feeling okay about having a baby sister. I don't think he really understands that she is here to stay, but he has been smothering her with kisses and tries to hold her hand. We think she looks almost exactly like my baby pictures but it's hard to tell this early. (Let us know what YOU think when I finally get some pictures up!) We thought Jackson looked like Parker when he was born because he was so long and lean (I was/am not long nor lean), but Jackson is now clearly a spitting image of me. Parker is doing such a great job balancing everything and taking care of us, especially having to move us last minute yesterday and today. I am feeling sore and a little tired, but overall, doing really well. Parker and my Mom were able to be there for the delivery, which was a huge comfort for me. We are trying to "relax" now and get into a routine with two kids under the age of 2. I will try to keep up on posting more pictures as I can.

(For those of you who know my weird, quirky name fetish, I noticed that all four of us have the letter 'K' in our first names. It's kind of a prominent letter and although I/we did not plan that, I think it's kind of interesting. Another name possibility was to name her something that began with the letter 'S' in keeping with PBJ... Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. It was difficult enough coming up with a girl name and none of them began with 'S', so that wasn't an option.)

Hours before Baby Kate...

one last picture with my first baby

Bath time! (after the haircut)

He's so cute!

A "short" hair cut...

It was defintely time for another hair cut, but I was reluctant to cut it with scissors like I have in the past. However, I also didn't want to cut it really short because it's so thin. Well, I used clippers and it's actually pretty cute.

Welcome Baby Chloe!

A new niece!! Well, she beat Kate... we're still waiting around not feeling much more than extreme discomfort. However, we are SO excited that Baby Chloe made her debut. Since Tiff posted on her blog, I now have permission to do so on mine. I got to hear one of her first cries... so cute! She is so tiny!
Maddie has been so good with her new little sister. Tiffany said her only semi-complaint is that Maddie can't understand why Baby Chloe sleeps so much. Maddie wants to share everything with her, like crackers and juice.
Kisses for a new baby sister. Congratulations guys! She is super cute!! We're so happy to hear that everything went so well and that you are healthy and recovering well!

41 week doctor appointment...

WARNING: This will be another boring post without pictures. If you haven't noticed I removed Baby Kate's countdown because apparently it doesn't count negative days, it just starts counting days since the due date and it was starting to depress me (not really, but you understand). SO, it's been removed.

As for my almost completed 41 weeks doctor appointment... I am dilated 4 cm and looking very favorable; Kate's head is down (NOT breech), but still hasn't dropped (stinker!); more membranes stripped (this time "aggressively"--doctor's words, not mine); Kate is about 8 lbs right now, so I'm not worried about size. No real contractions that I can tell, but I didn't feel them with Jackson either until just before he was born, so who knows? Lots and lots of pressure, but I've been feeling that for a few weeks now, so it doesn't get my hopes up.

My doctor told me to call in/go in for any reason because it will get me in the door of the hospital where they will have to hook me up to the monitor and on the off-chance that I am contracting and just not feeling it, they will have to keep me. (She knows I'm anxious.) So... I have ANOTHER scheduled induction Saturday morning, bright and early. According to my doctor, they can't explain it, but the hospital is like a mad house right now. I think she was trying to tell me (in a nice way) don't be shocked if they aren't able to get you in!!! Ugh!!

Well, by next week I will officially be post date and they won't have a choice. (They already have a "backup" induction scheduled for Tuesday morning just in case.) Looking back I know this will all seem so trivial, but I feel like I'm living each day with the hope that she may come and try to prepare as much as I can. I worry about Jackson and don't want to leave him. I'm sure he'll be fine, but he is all I have to worry about right now, so it's all-consuming.

No Room at the Inn...

Nope, no baby. Labor and Delivery (according to those who 'know') is full. They anticipate being sufficiently 'full' until this weekend, at which time my doctor will NOT be on call. And she doesn't work Mondays. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Thursday, so maybe I'll have some more info then, but at this point I'm starting to grow accustomed to the waiting game. My next option is to schedule an induction for Saturday with another doctor. At first, I thought, no, I might as well wait a few more days because I'd rather have my own doctor deliver the baby. However, I began to think about my situation...

Kate still has NOT dropped, which is probably why my water hasn't broken. (She seems to be perfectly content in her little bubble in my tummy.) Jackson was born about 1 1/2 weeks BEFORE his due date and weighed 7lb. 10oz. If he would have gone full term, he would have weighed around 8.5lbs. Now imagine one week PAST the due date. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't even want to think about pushing out a 9lb. 8oz. baby!!! So, that gives me some serious incentive to get in ASAP. What can I do to get this moving that I haven't already thought of??? Seriously, if anyone has suggestions, I'm open at this point!

Of course, I will continue to update, but may not have anything to write about until my appointment on Thursday unless Tiffany has her baby... she isn't due until Aug. 20... currently 4cm and 80% effaced and Baby Chloe has definitely dropped low, low, low. Plus, she's been contracting. So, there you have it. ANOTHER boring post without pictures!

p.s. Thanks to my Mom and Heather for making the drive down here yesterday and spending the day with Jackson and I!! Sorry our little girl is being so stubborn!

Happy Birthday to my Mom, but not to Baby Kate!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Well, today is Sunday, August 10th. Another GREAT date for baby Kate to make her entrance since it is my Mom's birthday, but I don't think it's going to happen today. She has been putting a lot of pressure in all of the right places, but not consistently enough (how's that for info, but not too detailed?), I guess. Tomorrow is my official due date, but if she doesn't come, I have the option to be induced Tuesday morning. I'm still not sure if I want to do that. We'll see. Part of me wants to be able to sleep on my stomach again (that's my most preferred sleeping position) and part of me would rather hang in there a few more days and let her come when my body is ready. Ahh... so many factors to be considered! Well, I have an appointment at the hospital on Tuesday at 7:30am, so if I stick with my tentative decision to be induced and the hospital isn't unusually crowded, I imagine her birthday will be Tuesday, August 12th. I will try to update ASAP when she FINALLY arrives!!

No baby, no pain, no pictures...

Well, I suppose I should sit and count my many blessings right now rather than throwing a pity party for myself, but I can hardly help it! I am becoming a little anxious and have been pretty uncomfortable this past week trying to sleep (or do anything for that matter). In case anyone cares to know, unlike with Jackson's pregnancy (17 lbs), I have officially gained the "recommended" amount of weight 25 pounds. That will be a joy to lose, I'm sure. When I came home from the hospital with Jackson, I had about 4-5 lbs to lose. We'll see how this recovery goes in comparison. So, we continue to play the waiting game. My next doctor's appointment (if I make it that far and I sure hope that I don't) is Thursday afternoon. I feel like I have been running out of energy and that makes me a little nervous. Poor Jackson is fighting an awful cold right now... coughing and sneezing. Luckily the little guy is still sleeping wonderfully through the night. That is our saving grace at this point. Well, this is already a boring post because I don't have a single picture to go with it, so I'm stopping here. Besides, I need to take a shower while Jackson is asleep.

No Baby Kate yet...

Well, my appointment yesterday went well... I guess... baby is still inside. Needless to say both the nurses and my doctor were surprised to see me yesterday. They all thought I would have had her by now. I am still dilated 3 cm... uh! My doctor stripped my membranes (sorry if that's too personal for some... just factual information)... hopefully any little pressure will encourage my water to break now... we'll see what happens. Honestly, I am a little paranoid that my water will break while I am out in public. Maybe that's silly. Anyway, today is Friday and my doctor is on call up at the hospital, so it would be a GREAT day to go into labor! Wish me luck.

You know how I feel about posts without pictures so here are some random ones that I took yesterday of Jackson making a mess with chocolate pudding. (He loves it!) It was worse, but right before I went to take the pictures, he sneezed and I had to wipe his nose as a result... so a good majority of the pudding got wiped off. Anyway, I still think he's the cutest little boy in the world, so I'm adding more pictures of him!

Thinking of Grandma...

Today is my Grandma's birthday... she would have been 79 years old. It has been 10 years (in September) since she passed away unexpectedly. I would love to have the baby today since she will be named after her. So far, no pain, but we'll see. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I am anxious to find out my progress.

BIG BOY BED UPDATE...

I didn't take any more pictures, but just want to note that Jackson slept for 10 1/2 hours straight in his bed last night!! He is taking his morning nap there again right now... I believe we have officially transitioned and it only took 3 days! Not bad!! Whoo-hoo!!!!

2nd NAP!!!

Okay, maybe this seems weird to some, but I am SO beyond excited that Jackson is successfully taking his second nap in his big boy bed!!! Maybe I have the magic touch? Not sure. Whatever the case, he is asleep and I really am going to attempt to take a shower now... it's almost 3pm and thinking about the fact that I could potentially go into labor at any time gives me even more motivation to sign off and get in the shower!
My sweet little boy!!! I love him to pieces!

First nap in toddler bed! Yea!!!

Yea! I thought it would be a more difficult transition, but he laid down in his bed for his morning nap today... after I sang the Happy Family song about 4 or 5 times and held him for a few minutes. I took these from the doorway because I was worried I would wake him up and I still need to jump in the shower. However, he has been asleep for over an hour and he's IN HIS BED!!!
Hopefully, he won't be upset when he sees his little sister sleep in the port-a-crib!

Big Boy Bed...

I ordered this bed back in April, but we kept it in the box until now because it was one less piece of furniture that we (okay, Parker) had to move during our 3 moves so far this summer (5 weeks). Luckily, we will be here (our current location) for the next 5-6 weeks... ideally enough time for me to recover and help Parker a little for the final move of the summer before we pack up to go back home.
That being said, this seemed like a good time to set up Jackson's toddler bed... especially because we are going to need the port-a-crib that he is currently sleeping in for Kate when she arrives.
I don't think there are words to describe how excited Jackson was about his new bed... and he did "help" me put it together, which was quite an accomplishment for an 18-month old! However, nighttime came and he was a little less sure.
I think being in a strange/new place and having the bedroom door close and there you are in a new bed was a little scary. So, we put him back in the port-a-crib and he slept soundly for his usual 9 hours. We will try again each night. I think eventually he will get used to it, but I don't want to force it on him.
He is young still and will soon have to cope with the idea of having a baby around 24/7 taking attention away from him. He is so young, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a clue that she's coming. However, he has definitely sensed that things are changing as we go shopping and bring new things into the house and sew blankets and burp cloths, etc. Parker and I try to talk about Baby Kate as much as we can and I point out babies as we run into them or see them on TV. We will see what happens when she gets here!

Jackson's Cows

Here are some pictures from Jackson's visit to the cows that are being raised at his Grandpa's work... they will be our hamburgers and taco meat come October, but Jackson is enjoying them for now. He had a blast running around and petting the cows!
He has gotten so big lately! It seems like he has grown physically and emotionally a ton since we left La Grande 5 1/2 weeks ago. He becomes more and more like a toddler everyday and less like a baby, which I suppose is good since we'll be bringing home a new baby soon. But it's a little sad for me to watch him grow up. His vocabulary has expanded and that is VERY exciting for Parker and I because we can actually communicate with him rather than spend our days trying to guess what he really wants or needs.
Jackson loves mimicking the animals' sounds... his favorites are: ruff ruff, moooo, quack quack quack quack, and snorting like a piggy. He loves jumping on the trampoline, water in general (sprinkler, pool, hose, water bottle, sink, bath tub, etc.), birds and planes in the sky, puppies--any type, anywhere, and lately babies have been catching his eye (I hope this is a good thing). He says: milk, more, no (and all versions of the word, such as "no no no no no" as he shakes his pointer finger), mama, daddy, papa, puppy, fish (that's one of his favorite words right now), shoes, plane, juice, car, cheese (for the camera), uh-oh, oh-no, yuck, and nums (that's food). I can't think of anything else right now, but I know there are others. He continues to sign "please" and loves to give kisses and hugs. It is so cute to hear him say "mmmm-maw" as he gives kisses. Oh, and he loves to blow kisses.

No longer breech & 3 cm dilated + Jackson's Cows

Well, baby Kate threw me for a little bit of an emotional roller coaster last week at our doctor's appointment as she comfortably rested in a breech position. I was not looking forward to the idea of a C-section... especially for the recovery process that goes with that surgery. Today, my doctor reassured me (through encouraging words and an ultrasound) that Kate is not breech--her head is definitely down, although still "floating" a little, she is most certainly a girl (a good confirmation after all of the dreams I have had that the baby is born and is a boy), and finally that I am dilated 3 cm. Dr. Hendrickson said that she doesn't expect her to come in the next day or so, but also that consequent pregnancies usually go more quickly than first babies, so be prepared; she may come sooner than you expected. Hmm... well, I guess it's a good thing that we have moved (again) and have everything settled (food in the house, things put away, Jackson's room organized and mostly "baby-proofed", etc.) so that we are prepared regardless of whether she comes this weekend or August 11th (her due date).

I don't really have a picture to go with this post, which I am bummed about because I think that posts without pictures are VERY boring! What's the point of the blog if there aren't any pictures? I do have some of Jackson with his Daddy and Grandpa feeding some cows. I will try to load those ASAP, even though they're completely un-related.

Soft Blankies... slight obsession...

Jackson keeps finding Kate's blankets and thinks that they are a great find! He pulled this one out from under a bunch of other baby misc. and was trying to get it down the stairs. I just had to take a picture.
Later, he decided that he didn't want to part with the soft blankie and insisted that he have it with him during his nap.
Parker tried to take it away when he went to get him up from his nap, but I let him keep it... that's what moms are for, right? It's not hurting anyone, it makes Jackson happy, and Kate isn't here to use it yet anyway.
I have been trying to wash Kate's clothes, blankets, etc. in preparation for her arrival, (which could be as early as next week if I go into labor during my "external version" where they try to turn my high maintainance breech baby around so that I can have a normal delivery). Jackson had been helping me load and unload the washer and dryer.
Jackson was elated when we took two fresh "soft blankies" out of the dryer! He carried them around with him for the rest of the afternoon.

Sister Preparation 101

Jackson has been so funny lately... talking more (actual English words that we can understand), giving kisses on the mouth (he holds my cheeks with his hands and puckers up... pretty dang cute!), learning to unlock baby-proof gates (and collect all of the outlet plugs that are supposed to protect him).
We are house-sitting a home for a family with two young girls and a 1-year old boy. Needless to say, the playroom is filled with girl toys, so that's what Jackson plays with. He has no concept of gender-related colors yet (which makes his slightly-older cousin Maddie frustrated because he takes things that are pink and she knows if they are pink, they do NOT belong to Jackson because he is a BOY!).
Parker gets a little worried from time to time watching him push the baby doll around in the stroller. I just tell him that it's good preparation for being a dad someday and for learning to be gentle with his little sister.
I finally got a picture of him giving the baby a kiss... and pushing the stroller. (He's been doing it for days, but I couldn't ever catch him in the act with the camera.)