Best Friends Meet

My sister and MM visited in the afternoon, my sister to see her new goddaughter and MM to meet her new best friend.  Her parents, especially her dad, missed MM a lot.  We wanted the family to be together.

She's only 14months, but I think she had an inkling of what was happening.

"I'm just learning how to use a spoon, let me show you."

  J O Y

Aunt Katie was thrilled to hold her goddaughter.

Play time.

Despite all the practice on the dog, MM still needed help being gentle.

"I can stand up too!"

Getting to Know Her

We made it to our 4th Floor private room about 9am.  Josie's blood sugars were low, but we anticipated this and administered the right mix of colostrum and formula.  We DID NOT want to repeat MM's experience of low blood sugars leading to captivity in the nursery, where the nurses cared for her instead of us.  Thankfully it worked and she was able to stay with us in the room.

Much needed rest . . .

First burping.

I think she looks a lot like my dad.  She doesn't really look like me or Bobbins.

Who needs a pacifier?

Josephine

I accompanied her to the recovery room for the first battery of tests.  I was amazed at the amount and color of her hair.  MM had almost the same amount but darker, like her mom's.  This was brown blonde, a lot like mine.  I was glad she didn't look exactly like me, as MM did.  She has a very round face.







All morning I prayed about the name.  "Josephine" (one of the three finalists) fit, especially after I walked by the large statue of St. Joseph at the hospital entrance (it's St. Joe's Hospital).  There's lots of ways to derive nicknames off Josephine, which suits me, and it's traditional and religious for Bobbins, who really likes "Josie."

Like an old pro, Josie took right to her mom.  Bobbins was a lot more prepared for this moment this go round.

It really is one of the proudest moment of your life.  The rush of joy, happiness, thanksgiving, and spirituality is amazing.











She was born at 7:18am 28 June, weighed 7lb 12oz, and was 19" long.  She has no middle name.

Birth of a Beauty

Bobbins was a trooper, as always.  This time was more painful than last, especially from the pressure, but she weathered it like a champ and a mom.

Dr. Chavira delivered the baby, with his partner Dr. Amaya.  This was the same setup as last year, although the mirror was positioned so that I could not see the action.

At 7:18am our beautiful girl came into the world!

Her Apgar scores were 9 and 9 (she's already an A student!).  She weighed 7lbs 12oz and was 19" long -- the same length as her sister and a few ounces heavier.

Monday Dawn

We awoke at 3:45am to head for the hospital.  Adrenaline, anticipation, love for our new baby, and a Dr. Pepper kept us going at such an early hour after a late night of last-minute preparations.  We checked in right at 4:30am, as requested.  Another pregnant lady showed up at the same time, in labor.

Bobbins rested as much as she could.

Both of us got our wrist-tags.  They are pretty identity conscious.










The other lady ended up going for an emergency C section and bumping us.  Our doc was there on time and ready, but they only had one scrub tech, and he/she had to attend to the emergency before Bobbins.

The delay was only about twenty minutes.  At 10 till 7 they wheeled Bobbins into the OR.  I suited up and waited outside.

PP Pizza; No. 2

As is tradition (the second time does make it a tradition, yes), we went out for Peter Piper Pizza the night before the C section.  Thanfully Bobbins didn't vomit like she did last year.

We're ready for #2 but also nervous.  It's funny, it was only a year ago we did pretty much the same thing (although not so early in the morning), but we still feel the unknown.  We're so caught up in MM, especially now that she's starting to walk, that we've forgotten so much about new babies -- what they're like, how to care for them, etc.  Of course, we'll quickly pick it back up again, but it's just funny to think how much things have changed since MM's birth 14 months ago.

Bobbins is ready to not be pregnant anymore.  I'm ready to see what she looks like.  When MM came out and looked exactly like me, it was pretty freaky, so I hope there's not a repeat of that.  Maybe she'll be as beautiful as her mother.  Wonder what color her hair and eyes will be.

A number of folks called or texted, which we appreciated.  My sister is staying at our house the next couple nights to watch MM.  She is a great help and blessing.  I bought her a large cheese pizza which should last a few days.

We have three names picked out but will wait to see and hold her before naming.  Will call or text with updates and photos.  Say a prayer for us.  Here we go!

New Bookcase

When we cleaned out my office to make room for the queen bed, we had to get rid of Bobbins' old Ikea bookcase, which wouldn't fit in the decor of the living room.  Bobbins wanted something more utilitarian and classy.  She commissioned her father to make something out of steel.  We bought a long slab of granite from her brother.  The near-final product came in last week.

I cut a 4x8 sheet of particle board into two shelves, then painted them black.

It took a couple hours this afternoon, but I got everything on, and even managed to get rid of a bunch (granted most of them were Bobbins').

Garden Update

Harvested a few more items yesterday.  Might've been premature to pull the carrot, but it sure looked ready from the top.  The pepper doesn't look very appetizing but its siblings remaining on the vine do.  That's lettuce at the top of the photo.  All in all I'd say we're doing pretty good.  We've got a few more gigantic cucumbers waiting to be plucked.

US Loses, Is Out of World Cup

Pretty bummed with the result yesterday.  They came out flat and tentative and gave up an early goal, per their unfortunate m.o.  I don't know why Bradley messed with the lineup.  He's a Phoenix native, great, but Robbie Findley didn't deserve to start, and it painfully showed when he did next to nothing with a great opportunity in the first half.  I liked how they came out hard to start the second half and created lots of chances, including the penalty kick.  But of course they lost concentration and gave up the winning goal at the start of extra time.  Sucked to be knocked out by Ghana, like in 2006.

Coach Bradley made the right moves against Algeria but his performance in this match means some serious re-evaluation of his tenure.  The son Bradley had a great tournament; I expect a lot of him in the future.  Landy Cakes Donovan scored three goals and came up big at points.  Clint Dempsey remains one of my favorite players; look forward to seeing him continue to scrap for shots.  Tim Howard was solid but had a couple lapses.  He should be in goal for the US for a long time.  Jozy Altidore was huge at points but was nowhere to be seen against Ghana.  He should mature better (I also think he was hurt yesterday).

Looking forward to '14 in Brazil...

The bearded lady and the midget

I am not even sure Midget is politically correct and definitely the bearded lady should not be PC. How could  you not have a great night with these characters...and MORE.

On a double date, a last a hurrah before gift #2 we all enjoyed the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus.  The show started with the jib jab of the MC and the whole circus crew. All of us had a great time.  The words ridiculous, are you kidding me, and gasps were how the conversations went. The highlights and best parts were the dancers with rings in the sky, the bendable people, the two strong brothers, and according to the guys the motorcycles. Which was pretty cool. The catapulting pirates was awesome too.

Ending the night with a night cap of ice cream and good conversation, the last hurrah might be a hard one to beat for the future last nights.

 

and I wash you of your sins

In perfect timing with our busy lives,our washing machine broke.  When the machine was on the loudest booming sound came from the laundry room. The Green Giant was going to come bursting through the walls and declare war. I was not sure what it was until I decided to shake the drum on the inside. Well, it made the same loose sound as it did when it was running. I called Filex our repair man, Reliable Appliance Repair, (little plug). He is very affordable and honest about what you should do in cases of appliances. He has fixed our fridge and dishwasher. Great guy. Anyway, talking to him he gave a few options but ultimately he said with the cost of the part and the the labour we might as well just buy a new one. Off to craigslist I went.

OLD

There were plenty of what we needed at great prices. Then the fear of warranty set in and I could not purchase a washer. Then a friend recommend B and B Appliance and I found exactly what I needed at a great price. A washer that matched our old drier, a TOP LOADER, and at a great price.
Having been doing laundry since I was tall enough to reach into the machine, top loaders have been my favorite. Our old washer was a front loader, I have used front loaders at other peoples house,etc. Top loaders still remain the best.
The perks of a top loader.

• You  don't have to bend down as far
• You can see in the entire washer, so no hidden socks
• You can ADD A GARMENT 20 minutes after you realize you forgot
• You can rinse out your detergent cup
• You can rinse out your softener cup

The guts behind the glory

NEW going in

 

 

 

 

 

And complete. If you notice the washer is now on the left and the drier on the right. The guy switched the drier door for me and no more bumping into doors while loading and unloading.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Look water is running and I can add clothes. PERK

Rinsing out cups. PERK

So, all in all we have a washer before baby number 2 comes. We have a washer that I actually like, and we have a washer that is actually practical to my laundry style. I love my new machine!

 

 

Monday is the Day

C section scheduled for 6:30am, bright and early.  We're looking forward to seeing what #2 looks like.  Bobbins is looking forward to not being pregnant.  MM is looking forward to staying with her Aunt Katie and getting spoiled for three days while mom and dad are away.

US Wins, Advances!

What a great match, although a nailbiter.  I was afraid the US wouldn't get the goal and would be out of the World Cup.  Crazy to go from near elimination to winning your group.  And to think they might've been eliminated after having a good goal disallowed by a bad offside call.

Props to Coach Bradley for making the right moves.  Jozy Altidore was huge.  I wish he would've converted that gimme in the first half to make life a lot easier.  He'll get one eventually.  Even though it wasn't his best game, nice to see Landy Cakes put the winner in.  I've always liked Dempsey; wasn't sure why he kept dribbling and passing the ball to the middle.  He's a scrapper and a fighter.  This is probably his last WC.  Michael Bradley is fast emerging as a leader and top US player.  He's played great in midfield.

U S A !!!

A-Team

Saw it last weekend with Featha.  I was worried that it would either be too campy, or be too much of a serious/political take on current events with some action thrown in.  Thankfully it was neither.  There's an appropriate amount of campy humor, and for the most part there isn't much politics, with the exception of the villain being employed by a security company called "Black Forest."  The villain has to be from somewhere and the link they made makes sense.  The South African guy who played Murdock was outstanding; he also had the best lines.  His Blue Man/Braveheart riff was hilarious.  Although it was quite relevant to today and was a good knock on Mexico, I wasn't thrilled with the origin story.  Hannibal randomly meeting B.A., then later happening to find Murdock doesn't jive with the "real" origin story from the TV show.  A couple of the scenes are a little over-CGI'd, particularly the end.  But overall it's a good movie -- nice comic relief, tight plot that keeps moving, and good action sequences.

Barack Obama, Dreamer in Chief

Another great column by Charles Krauthammer.  The last two paragraphs:

Obama is dreamer in chief: He wants to take us to this green future “even if we’re unsure exactly what that looks like. Even if we don’t yet precisely know how we’re going to get there.” Here’s the offer: Tax carbon, spend trillions, and put government in control of the energy economy — and he will take you he knows not where, by way of a road he knows not which.
That’s why Tuesday’s speech was received with such consternation. It was so untethered from reality. The Gulf is gushing, and the president is talking mystery roads to unknown destinations. That passes for vision, and vision is Obama’s thing. It sure beats cleaning up beaches.

No. 2 Exercising

Not to be out-done by her sister, No. 2 flexes her muscles in THIS VIDEO.

Pool Time

Saturday afternoon we jumped in the neighbors' pool.  MM practiced her kicks and jumping in and probably got a little tipsy from the chlorine (watch and you'll see).  Click HERE for the youtube video Bobbins put together.

Driving Lesson

MM got a little time at the wheel on the way home from errands Friday night.

Put 'em at 10 and 2!

Now put it in park!