merry christmas to all!

vaughn is getting ready to cut down mom's christmas tree

a room of vaughn's own

i meant to post pictures of the nursery right after it was finished, but clearly i didn't. now instead of having to share a bed with his parents, he has his own crib. which is better for everyone. he can use his favorite blanket and i'm not squished against the wall from him scooting over to be right next to me. he's getting a tooth, and so he hasn't been sleeping very well. but we keep giving him frozen bananas, ibuprofen, and chilled teething rings. he had a 6 month check-up last week and is growing well, and got four shots in his legs.

halloween in ann arbor

this past weekend josh, vaughn and i drove up to ann arbor to surprise rachel for her halloween party. it turned out not to be much of a surprise since eli and trey both gave it away. the house was spookily decorated (with ghosts, mice, bats, spiders, and snakes)when i got there, so all that was really left to do was help a little with food preparation. even though i was originally assigned the cheese mummy, catherine stole it from me while i was feeding vaughn. so the only thing that i really helped with was the carmel fountain, the boo bugs, and the lanterns (which mom told me were not meant to have candles in them, just twinkle lights). so i guess we were lucky not to have them melt on rachel's driveway. we played halloween pictionary and decorated sugar skulls. you can see more pictures of the party on rachel's web album.

if you give a vaughn a cookie

he will put it in his mouth

off to ohio

last weekend, vaughn and i went to visit catherine. i left friday afternoon, and for the most part, vaughn was really well behaved. then after i decided to stop for dinner, he decided he was going to scream for 45 minutes straight. nothing would calm him down, not singing, music or being rocked in the car seat. when he finally did stop crying i thought he was dead. but we finally got to catherine's and i put him to sleep.
saturday we went to lehman's. i was really excited to go there, and had to contain myself from buying one of everything. i got a few toys for christmas presents and a cake pan, but there was several other things that i really wanted. after that we went to the amish table for lunch and tried some peanut butter whip (marshmallow topping and peanut butter) which tastes like scotch-a-roos. we watched some poirot mysteries and i got some stitching done, and took some cute pictures of vaughn with his aunt catherine.

sad face

this picture was taken this past weekend when vaughn and i went to visit catherine. i'm not sure why he was upset.

a solid start

so it's been over a month since i've posted, and i should be better since i can just post pictures and that counts according to catherine. last week i decided that vaughn was old enough to start solids, so we gave him some rice in formula. he did really well, and since then he's had oatmeal, peaches, bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. he seems to like peaches a lot. but doesn't have any dislikes yet. i thought that he'd sleep longer during the night, but we are still getting up in the wee hours to feed him.

sir smiles-a-lot

vaughn has been smiling a lot lately, and even been letting me capture it on camera:

2 month update

last week vaughn turned two months old. we took him to the doctor and he got some immunizations (which he hated), but at least he's protected from whooping cough. he's up to 12 lbs, 4 oz and is 22 inches long. he rolls over from tummy to back when he's propped up on his arms, and is smiling a lot more.

i went back to work last week, and i'm getting back into the hang of it. i hate leaving vaughn everyday, i feel like i'm abandoning him. i know that josh takes good care of him while i'm gone, but it still makes me sad.

fun with pants

pope silas and sister mary ellis

racing snails

silas turned three yesterday, and bridget gave him, emmet, and vaughn little wooden snails to race. since the babies couldn't really use them, josh and silas made sure that they all worked properly:

silas put in a full day yesterday. he helped bridget weed around the house and pruned some trees with me. he even helped mom and dad rake and bale hay.

smiling baby

last week mom got vaughn to smile (a real smile) for the first time! although this morning he was smiling the same way without any encouragement, so i'm not sure if it wasn't just a coincidence.

inna cack

when catherine went to michigan a few weekends ago she introduced eli to a new phrase. he threw his diaper in the space between the bed and wall, and catherine said, 'oh no, you threw it in the crack.' he thought this was hilarious and now tries to get in any small space he can and then yells, 'inna cack'. i saw this first hand at the reunion:

even more family

last weekend mom, vaughn, and i packed up the blazer and drove to pennsylvania for our first family reunion at my great aunt carol's farm. it was overcast, but the rain didn't start until we picked up catherine in ohio. i stupidly offered to drive the last leg of the trip. it instantly turned dark and the skies opened and pelted us with rain. catherine shared a bed with me and vaughn and she even made his 3 am bottle.

eli came into our room to play with catherine and vaughn the next morning. orrin and trey set up a tent so the little boys could go 'camping'.

mom and silas played lawn dice and drew with sidewalk chalk. my aunts emily and anne helped me with vaughn for most of the weekend, (emily and catherine even woke up at four in the morning to see if i needed any help) though with five little boys, if i wasn't holding vaughn there was another baby to play with. catherine, aunt emily, lindy and i drove to carol's neighbor's to watch the fireworks. it wasn't very windy so the fireworks were going off in the smoke. it was strange, but also interesting because it felt like watching a battle with cannons firing.

a whole lotta family

sunday after we moved home, we went to logansport so josh's family could meet vaughn. he met his great-grandparents and great uncle tom and aunt rena.

wednesday he met his uncle billy and soon-to-be aunt melanie

on thursday we left for the reunion in PA, but first we went to aunt deidre's to show off vaughn

the reunion post is coming soon!

back home again in indiana

sorry for the lack of posts lately, we've been preoccupied with the move. josh's parents came out and managed to load almost all of our stuff in dad's trailer (the grill was left behind). we stayed in a hotel thursday night and left early on friday. we made it to omaha in ten hours after several stops to feed and change vaughn. he was very good, falling asleep in his car seat and only crying when he really needed something. on saturday we made even better time and in eleven hours we made it to the farm. vaughn met his other grandfather, and we just unpacked the essentials that night.

sunday we semi-unpacked the trailer with josh's family and dad used the forklift to move our clothes and other boxes upstairs. we have our "deluxe apartment" set up upstairs and have continued our house hunting.

mother (and baby) care package

yesterday when i picked up the mail, there was a package from my thoughtful sister catherine!
she had sent me all my favorite things. frappuccinos (since i couldn't have them when i was pregnant), milkduds for when josh and i went to the movies, mags to read when i had the time, indy jones 1 and 3 (the good ones), a big bag of mars mini candy bars, and jungle onsies for vaughn. he was very excited and may even put on a fashion show later. thanks for all the goodies, trink!
mom left on sunday morning, and although we all miss her, i think we've been managing alright without her. vaughn missing her singing, i miss her company, and josh missing her cooking and cleaning (now he has to do both). today we packed three whole boxes! it's slow going, especially since one of us is usually holding vaughn, but i think we should be done by moving day.

vaughn's first bath

we decided that vaughn needed a bath today, so we got some soft towels and washed him in the kitchen sink. we filmed the event, but he cried the whole time, so we thought it best not to post it. but here's a picture of josh combing his hair afterward. in addition to the bath he had a very busy day. we went to get his birth certificate, and out to his very first restaurant. he even went on his first shopping trip to the mall. we took this picture outside the health department building. there are also pictures of me, josh, and vaughn, but we are getting them developed now, so i'll probably post them tomorrow.

belly button premonition

yesteday morning when josh woke up, he said "i had a dream that vaughn's umbilical cord was bleeding." then when we changed his diaper, it fell off! mom also told us that she had a similar dream. not me, i don't know what i dreamt. but here is the new button:

we went to a lactation class yesterday, although i think i was the only person that actually needed any help. the other women just weighed their babies, nursed them, weighed them again, then left. i thought it would be more like a class and they would teach us different nursing positions and give us tips and other information to make nursing easier. the nurse that was helping me was quite annoying, but at least i did get some free stuff out of it.

after that we went to the spice shop and got some chai mix, tomato powder, and onyx cocoa powder to make 'black-out cake,' along with some other spices that make the apartment smell like the spice islands. mom is only here for two more days, and i will really miss her when she's gone. josh and i have been very spoiled by her. not only is she a nanny and house keeper, she is also a part-time photographer.

for more baby pictures (i know that's why most of you check this blog now), please visit the web album. (link on top right)

new nanny, new pics

mamsis flew in on friday, and we all went to the airport to pick her up. she instantly fell in love with vaughn. since her arrival, she's been cleaning, cooking, and making sure vaughn is taken care of.

mom and vaughn

thinking baby (for catherine)

the grandparents cometh

bill and deb (josh's parents) flew in last night to see vaughn. this freed us up to take naps, do some laundry, and get the dog ready for her trip to indiana. but since now i am allowed to just post pictures, here they are (and even a long awaited mommy and baby pic):

snugling with mom

doing yoga

getting a diaper change from dad

home again, home again

we came home to our messy apartment last night and tried to get everything situated for the baby. we were just changing him on the beds, and it was working pretty well until 1:30 this morning when he shot pee all over the comforter. that lead to the construction of a changing table out of two plastic totes and two blankets. it looks pretty good, and works even better. it's higher than a counter, so it's easier to change him without bending over. the dog isn't quite sure what to make of him. she's been growling when she hears people outside on the stairs, and is quick to check on him when he cries. we went to the pediatrician this morning; he did not like his exam, but is just as he should be. he's sleeping better too, and even has a snuggle buddy.

announcing baby Vaughn Charles!

my water broke last night about midnight. i decided to try to go back to sleep, but woke up about every half an hour with contractions. at 7 we started timing them, then called the doctor at 8.

unfortunately, since we weren't expecting him so soon, we didn't have any bags packed. so that delayed us getting to the hospital a little, but we arrived around 9:15 and in three hours he was born. he weighed 7lb 6 oz, 19 3/4 inches long and has a full head of hair.

what i've been working on the last six months

it's only taken six months to finish it, but here it is, susan's rug sqaure:

in other news, i went to the doctor last friday. weight gain is good, blood pressure perfect, strep negative, and the baby's dropped a little. but i don't think he'll be here soon.

another day of incubation

i went to the doctor last week and things are moving right along. my doctor is out of town for the next two weeks, so i have to hold him in until then (doctor's orders). i seem to be hungry all the time now, and standing all day at work is getting harder too. but josh takes care of the dog and does the dishes and brings me chocolate and other food that i want, so it's not all bad. i go to the doctor again on friday, so i'll try to post updates.

everyone likes sugar and fat

today after my doctor's appointment i decided that i wanted pie. so i made a sugar cream pie. josh had never had it before so i gave him a slice when he got home from work. after finishing the first piece, he imitated silas and eli and said 'mo? but a bigger piece this time?' i guess it was a hit.

One month to go!

today is the eight month mark. only thirty days left if he comes on his due date (7% chance of happening).

april showers (part two)

two weeks ago, my work pals threw a baby shower for me. we played 'guess the nursery rhyme' and baby gift bingo, and which melted candy bar is in the diaper (i scored perfectly on this one). some of the guests would smell the diapers which was really funny to see. we had chocolate cake with whipped cream icing and little rattle shaped candies.

after the party, josh and i packed up the dog and drove to lusk, wyoming on the way to mount rushmore. we had an easy drive up there, and got there early sunday morning. it wasn't crowded, so we did get some pictures with just us and the giant heads. the heads seemed small from the ground, but not when you remember that they are 60 feet tall. the brochure that they gave us told us all about the workers (no deaths during construction), the construction (it took 14 years), and why each of the presidents were chosen. washington represents the birth of the nation, jefferson represents expansion, roosevelt represents development, and lincoln represents preservation.

this baby is getting on my nerve

so i think i've been pretty good about not complaining or being annoying pregnant (some may disagree). but for the past week, the baby has been sitting on my left sciatic nerve and it hurts to walk. sometimes he scoots to the other side, so the right side hurts instead. i think he's laughing at me in there.

april showers (part one)

i went home two weeks ago to see the family, go house hunting, and have a baby shower thrown for me. my mother and sisters and aunt did a fantastic job. everything was beautifully decorated and the food was de-licious! i didn't take any pictures of the party, and my designated photographer didn't get any of the food or decorations. here's one of eli wearing the laundry basket that josh's cousin gave us. i really enjoyed seeing all my friends and relatives. josh and i thought that we would leave most of the stuff at home since we'd just have to move it back at the end of june. it was hard to decide what the baby would need during the first couple of weeks, but i think that we did a pretty good job.

the rest of the visit was pretty uneventful. we looked at a few houses, but i was pretty discouraged. i want something cute and interesting, but everything is boring and boxy. it was fun to spend time with my family. we moved the chickens outside into the crv. and eli practiced his chicken wrangling. here rachel is trying to give the chickens watermelon, and this is right before eli gets his foot stuck in the railing and falls on his head. it was so sad.

but helping mom make french fries cheered him up.

bright copper kettles

my friend courtney came out to see me last week and the one thing she wanted to see was the coors brewery. so we drove to golden and took the tour. it was a little confusing because the tour wasn't in order from start to finish, but they had helpful pictures to remind you which step you were looking at. the brew kettles were my favorite because they were so big and shiny. this is a picture of the malting barley. we learned that keystone is not the spilled beer that's mopped up and squeezed into cans, it just uses less hops, which accounts for its cost coors light and keystone light are the most popular beers and make up 95% of sales. at the end of the tour we got to see the packaging, but laverne and shirley were no where to be found. courtney still sang the song.

then came the sampling! we were each allowed three beers, and although courtney could have had six, she only had two. i'm sure beers drinkers everywhere are disappointed.