and from April 2009...
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Fun and Not So Fun
This week at our house we've had some fun and some not so fun moments as most do with any week.
Fun. Sam doesn't choose to walk down the steps when we go downstairs (split level so stairs, turn on the landing, stairs). He is plenty capable but with all things Sam, he has not felt sturdy enough to walk down unless he holds one of our hands. The norm is for Campbell and I to hold hands and walk down in front of Sam. I encourage him to stand and walk down vs sit and even get him started but he almost always plunks down and goes on his buns. This week I think he had a big if-she-can-do-it, I-can-do-it moment. Out of the blue Monday before school he decided to stand up and went down a few on his own on the upper stairs. On the landing I cheered a bit and told him to keep going and Campbell and I kept moving down the lower stairs to see what he'd do. He hesitated for a second with the first step but then walked down the rest of the way. We cheered and danced at the bottom and I headed into the garage to put Campbell in her carseat, assuming he'd follow and climb in. Instead I heard him tromp up the stairs and then come back down again on his own... I wasn't even within his sight! We cheered and celebrated a second time and then I took his hand to load him into the van. He wasn't interested in coming with me but instead pulled me back inside pointing up the stairs and he went up and down a t.h.i.r.d. time!!!!!! This time I cried a little. It's a huge victory for Sam. He decided all on his own he had the confidence and ability to walk down and there's been no turning back. You can just see how proud he is and it's so exciting to watch. As with everything Sam has done, he did it when he was comfortable and ready. He can't be rushed- he knows the right time.
Not so fun. After that exciting victory on the stairs we drove to Walgreens to lovingly pick up Bryan two jugs of Arnold Palmer Zero (iced tea/lemonade drink- his favorite since the man gave up soda over four months ago! and Walgreens is the only place around here that carries the zero calorie in gallon jugs). As it's not exactly easy to hold two children by the hand and carry two gallon jugs at the same time, I reached to put Campbell in the cart. She's pretty hell-bent on walking during outings these days so she immediately goes into full-volume-high-pitch-girly-scream-freakout-mode! I manage to keep her in my arms as Sam helps me push the cart past the many onlookers that had the great luck of witnessing this lovely incident. We get a few aisles over and grab the drinks. Campbell goes into round two of I-want-down-protest and Sam sees his opportunity to zip around the corner to the next aisle. I turn the cart around and turn the corner to grab Sam just as I hear a Walgreens employee say 'oh a little boy probably should have that!' He of course had grabbed a glass bottle of some liquid. I grab his hand and he gigiggled and tried again to escape. This is the moment where I stood for a second holding both of my protesting children and thought should I just leave the darn cart and drinks here and leave empty handed?! : ) I decided that Mom should push on and win so I plunked Sam down in the cart next to the jugs and squeezed Campbell a little tighter and marched toward the checkout counter. Of course there were seven people in line ahead of us! After a bit of struggle and embarrassment, I made it out with two jugs of AP and two children- a success!
Fun. Sam continues to do wonderfully at school. We couldn't be more thankful for his teachers and are so glad we decided to send him! These last few weeks he's seemed like such a big boy when I drop him off--- I put him down, put on his backpack and give him a kiss. He happily smiles and waves to Ms. Jodi, grabs her hand as to escort her in the building, waves once to me and marches towards the door. While he walks he's confidently watching the other kids and buses and holding his own in the midst of all the morning commotion. This part of the day used to overwhelm him but that's not the case anymore. He's such a good kid. It's a great feeling to see and know he's comfortable and happy to be there. Sam's main teacher is retiring and the district is really changing the structure of preschool next year. We're disappointed he won't be able to go back to the same room with the same lovey faces but know he'll do well regardless. It's been a great year and I hope these next couple of months don't go too fast. He will really miss school this summer.
Not so fun. Tuesday morning I woke to find our refrigerator had died over night. Awesome. Threw a bunch of stuff away, put the rest in coolers on ice and we had a new one in place by early afternoon. Not the way I envisioned the day going.
Not so fun. Dumb but I stubbed my big toe on the bottom of the kitchen cupboard and cracked the toenail all the way down to the middle. Oh so tender and terrible! By the end of the week I was able to wear tennis shoes but there's no jumping, running or yoga going on for a few days yet. Silly how something tiny like this can cause such drama! Bryan's pretty sick of hearing me complain but it hurts! : )
Fun. My friend Kate and her daughter Olivia came over Thursday morning to play while the boys were at school. It had been a while since we've done this and it felt great to spend some time gabbing. As a fellow stay at home momma, she understands how a morning spent with an adult friend is such a nice break from the normal routine. I'm thankful for her for sure!
Overall it was a good week for the Rempts. A few big things are happening for Bryan at work this week and next so it's been exciting to watch it all start to shake out. We are planning to lay low this weekend which should be perfect because it's supposed to rain. We might even tackle the closet underneath the stairs that houses all of my school stuff! I watched with a two week old babe in my arms as Bryan and my parents shoved four+ years of teaching into boxes in one quick evening before we moved from FL. Things aren't exactly organized and I'm sure I can purge a little plus rearrange and make use of some of my stuff. Kind of weird to imagine being a teacher again and using all those dollars worth of teaching stuff... thankful thankful thankful that's not my job today!!!!
A few pictures from my phone taken this week---
And one from Easter...
Fun. Sam doesn't choose to walk down the steps when we go downstairs (split level so stairs, turn on the landing, stairs). He is plenty capable but with all things Sam, he has not felt sturdy enough to walk down unless he holds one of our hands. The norm is for Campbell and I to hold hands and walk down in front of Sam. I encourage him to stand and walk down vs sit and even get him started but he almost always plunks down and goes on his buns. This week I think he had a big if-she-can-do-it, I-can-do-it moment. Out of the blue Monday before school he decided to stand up and went down a few on his own on the upper stairs. On the landing I cheered a bit and told him to keep going and Campbell and I kept moving down the lower stairs to see what he'd do. He hesitated for a second with the first step but then walked down the rest of the way. We cheered and danced at the bottom and I headed into the garage to put Campbell in her carseat, assuming he'd follow and climb in. Instead I heard him tromp up the stairs and then come back down again on his own... I wasn't even within his sight! We cheered and celebrated a second time and then I took his hand to load him into the van. He wasn't interested in coming with me but instead pulled me back inside pointing up the stairs and he went up and down a t.h.i.r.d. time!!!!!! This time I cried a little. It's a huge victory for Sam. He decided all on his own he had the confidence and ability to walk down and there's been no turning back. You can just see how proud he is and it's so exciting to watch. As with everything Sam has done, he did it when he was comfortable and ready. He can't be rushed- he knows the right time.
Not so fun. After that exciting victory on the stairs we drove to Walgreens to lovingly pick up Bryan two jugs of Arnold Palmer Zero (iced tea/lemonade drink- his favorite since the man gave up soda over four months ago! and Walgreens is the only place around here that carries the zero calorie in gallon jugs). As it's not exactly easy to hold two children by the hand and carry two gallon jugs at the same time, I reached to put Campbell in the cart. She's pretty hell-bent on walking during outings these days so she immediately goes into full-volume-high-pitch-girly-scream-freakout-mode! I manage to keep her in my arms as Sam helps me push the cart past the many onlookers that had the great luck of witnessing this lovely incident. We get a few aisles over and grab the drinks. Campbell goes into round two of I-want-down-protest and Sam sees his opportunity to zip around the corner to the next aisle. I turn the cart around and turn the corner to grab Sam just as I hear a Walgreens employee say 'oh a little boy probably should have that!' He of course had grabbed a glass bottle of some liquid. I grab his hand and he gigiggled and tried again to escape. This is the moment where I stood for a second holding both of my protesting children and thought should I just leave the darn cart and drinks here and leave empty handed?! : ) I decided that Mom should push on and win so I plunked Sam down in the cart next to the jugs and squeezed Campbell a little tighter and marched toward the checkout counter. Of course there were seven people in line ahead of us! After a bit of struggle and embarrassment, I made it out with two jugs of AP and two children- a success!
Fun. Sam continues to do wonderfully at school. We couldn't be more thankful for his teachers and are so glad we decided to send him! These last few weeks he's seemed like such a big boy when I drop him off--- I put him down, put on his backpack and give him a kiss. He happily smiles and waves to Ms. Jodi, grabs her hand as to escort her in the building, waves once to me and marches towards the door. While he walks he's confidently watching the other kids and buses and holding his own in the midst of all the morning commotion. This part of the day used to overwhelm him but that's not the case anymore. He's such a good kid. It's a great feeling to see and know he's comfortable and happy to be there. Sam's main teacher is retiring and the district is really changing the structure of preschool next year. We're disappointed he won't be able to go back to the same room with the same lovey faces but know he'll do well regardless. It's been a great year and I hope these next couple of months don't go too fast. He will really miss school this summer.
Not so fun. Tuesday morning I woke to find our refrigerator had died over night. Awesome. Threw a bunch of stuff away, put the rest in coolers on ice and we had a new one in place by early afternoon. Not the way I envisioned the day going.
Not so fun. Dumb but I stubbed my big toe on the bottom of the kitchen cupboard and cracked the toenail all the way down to the middle. Oh so tender and terrible! By the end of the week I was able to wear tennis shoes but there's no jumping, running or yoga going on for a few days yet. Silly how something tiny like this can cause such drama! Bryan's pretty sick of hearing me complain but it hurts! : )
Fun. My friend Kate and her daughter Olivia came over Thursday morning to play while the boys were at school. It had been a while since we've done this and it felt great to spend some time gabbing. As a fellow stay at home momma, she understands how a morning spent with an adult friend is such a nice break from the normal routine. I'm thankful for her for sure!
Overall it was a good week for the Rempts. A few big things are happening for Bryan at work this week and next so it's been exciting to watch it all start to shake out. We are planning to lay low this weekend which should be perfect because it's supposed to rain. We might even tackle the closet underneath the stairs that houses all of my school stuff! I watched with a two week old babe in my arms as Bryan and my parents shoved four+ years of teaching into boxes in one quick evening before we moved from FL. Things aren't exactly organized and I'm sure I can purge a little plus rearrange and make use of some of my stuff. Kind of weird to imagine being a teacher again and using all those dollars worth of teaching stuff... thankful thankful thankful that's not my job today!!!!
A few pictures from my phone taken this week---
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| quick snooze in the warm sun while we wait for Sam |
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| what a smile this boy has <3 |
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| so thankful Bryan loves that I can sit and love on Sam on days like this |
Thursday, April 5, 2012
---Phone picture post---
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| nudie after a bath... this is how I found them playing! they'll hate me! |
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| they like to hold hands and run! |
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| I think it's grown Dad! |
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| rocking the boots |
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| cartoons in their lawn chairs before school |
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| both wanted their boots this day |
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| snack before bed |
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| she can already do many things with a baby in her arms <3 |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I've been MIA from this blog for the last few months and a few have gently reminded me how lovely a place this is to keep up with us and most importantly, for Bryan and I to look back and remember as our kids are growing and changing so quickly. Our computer ended up with a virus and has kicked the bucket, things are the normal busy, the weather has been nice, blah blah blah. I am going to be a better blogger. I'll regret it later if not.
So I'll start with a sweet Campbell story. She's such a fun little thing right now. She is full of life and joy and fiesty energy! Last night she was pretty revved up at their normal bedtime. She ended up on the couch with me so I could encourage her to settle down and get ready to sleep. I decided to rub/tickle/draw on her forhead softly with my fingers- a trick Sam loved loved but it's never really done much for her. She dramatically closed her eyes and relaxed back in my arms. After three or four minutes I was sure she was alseep so I stopped. As soon as I did, she opened her eyes, sat halfway up, signed more and said 'more momma'. She then laid back down and closed her eyes- ready for me to resume! Bryan and I both laughed out loud. Thought she was asleep and instead she sat up and cutely told me she'd like some more of that love. She was in bed sound asleep five minutes later. She's a funny kid.
So I'll start with a sweet Campbell story. She's such a fun little thing right now. She is full of life and joy and fiesty energy! Last night she was pretty revved up at their normal bedtime. She ended up on the couch with me so I could encourage her to settle down and get ready to sleep. I decided to rub/tickle/draw on her forhead softly with my fingers- a trick Sam loved loved but it's never really done much for her. She dramatically closed her eyes and relaxed back in my arms. After three or four minutes I was sure she was alseep so I stopped. As soon as I did, she opened her eyes, sat halfway up, signed more and said 'more momma'. She then laid back down and closed her eyes- ready for me to resume! Bryan and I both laughed out loud. Thought she was asleep and instead she sat up and cutely told me she'd like some more of that love. She was in bed sound asleep five minutes later. She's a funny kid.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Christmas Continued
We celebrated Christmas with Bryan's family a little late this year. His dad and Peg came to our house for the day and we went to Karen and Dan's the next day. It worked out nice to spread the holiday out a bit and spend some more time with Sarah, Jordyn and Steve after the official holiday. The girls don't really play together yet but they enjoyed playing near one another. I'm sure they will be both great friends and trouble together soon--- for now Jordyn picks on Campbell a bit. : ) No doubt Campbell will be bigger than Jordyn always and she'll decide to pick back one of these days! We are so very thankful for our wonderful family.
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| fun in the kitchen |
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| teething babe didn't spend much time without her paci over the holidays |
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| Randy and Peg and the kiddos |
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| Jordyn's first self-fed pasta meal |
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| Campbell jabbering as always... minus pants... go figure! |
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| a very happy, easy going, sweet girl |
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| a great momma who loves |
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| Dan and Karen and the kids |
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| looks like I just drowned Campbell--- notice the different amounts of hair : ) |
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| siblings |
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| Dan and Karen again... wanted one with Campbell wearing pants : ) |
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| Sarah's little family |
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
'tis the Season!
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| Merry Christmas!! with love- Bryan, Jenny, Sam and Campbell |
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| sweet smile... better than stone cold in the family picture above! |
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| for you mom |
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| Christmas red |
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| so happy with my dad in Ames |
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| ready to get to work |
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| no pants, new boots, diaper and his shirt is on backwards to top this look off! |
Friday, December 16, 2011
Flashback Friday
December 16th of 2010...
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| two weeks old |
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| happy big time trouble |
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| chubby baby face |
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| look how Campbell is looking at him |
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| cute leggings and socks |
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| she's awake! |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Happy 1st birthday Campbell Jean!!
What a difference a year makes!
xoxoxo We couldn't love you more! xoxoxo
Campbell's Arrival
It's fun to think back to the day of her delivery and talk about the details and timeline. I could listen to friends tell the birth stories of their children all day long! I love being a mom. I love being pregnant. I love those exciting last few days of pregnancy/first few days as a new family. I love hearing similarities and differences in the way these miracles come into the world. Here's Campbell's story as I remember it today....
I was scheduled to be induced Wednesday, December 1st. I had been measuring a good two weeks ahead the second half of my pregnancy and my doctor thought she may be 9ish pounds so I was all for being induced. Our instructions were to call Mercy that morning at 6:00 and make sure they had a bed open for me. They did not... I had been preparing myself for such news... I sometimes have that kind of luck. The nurse said call back in an hour to check again. Karen had already arrived to be with Sam so the four of us sat and watched tv (well, the clock really) and played with Sam while we waited. I called again at 7:00 and this time the nurse told me they were really hoping to get me in before lunch but she wasn't certain things would go that way. Ahhh! Not the best news to hear when you are packed and ready to walk out the door! I held it together for a while and thankfully she called back just after 8:00 and said come on in... then the dam broke, you know me! I was pretty ready to meet our babe. By 9:00 I was hooked up to the monitors and comfy in bed. When Dr. Wenzel broke my water at 9:35 I was 3cm and 50% effaced. I started pitocin just after 10:00, got a dose of nubain at 12:45 (my doctor had just headed into another c section and my nurses didn't want me to be in freak out mode wanting an epidural since I was so close to that point if that surgery took a little longer than anticipated--- good idea ladies!) and at 1:40 I was happily, perfectly epiduraled! : ) Side note- this time they had me lay down on my side while they did it and with Sam they had me sit up hunched over- interesting to me at the time. I'm thankful for great doctors and two amazing epidurals! Anyways, the mid part of our day was a little tougher on me than I anticipated. I got stuck at 4cm and then again at 5cm for a long time. With Sam I was so out of it during this part of labor due to the medicine I was on for my blood pressure that I really didn't have the chance to worry or think ahead. I just assumed since it was my second time around that things would move at least a little quicker and I'd have a babe by supper. The nurses started to say things about not progressing much and if things kept up at this rate and blah blah blah. I had a hard time for a bit not getting nervous that we were going to stall out and have to have a c section. Dr. Wenzel assured me this wasn't going to be the case and Bryan pulled me through yet again and helped me get my head straight so I could do what I needed to do. It was a weird part of the experience that I didn't expect... just different physically and emotionally than I anticipated so I was a bit thrown. Anyways... they checked me again at 6:35 and said I was ready to have a baby! Three pushes and out she came! 6:49pm 7lbs 12oz and 20in long! She was perfect! Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck so tightly that Dr. Wenzel had to cut it (vs. unwrap as they so regularly do during deliverly) before she was all the way out. This was a large part of the reason we were stuck for that bit mid-dialation. They cleaned her up and gave her back to Bryan and I. For kind of a long day, the last few minutes sure went quickly! Campbell was here and all was well. We couldn't have been more in love with our second miracle.
I was scheduled to be induced Wednesday, December 1st. I had been measuring a good two weeks ahead the second half of my pregnancy and my doctor thought she may be 9ish pounds so I was all for being induced. Our instructions were to call Mercy that morning at 6:00 and make sure they had a bed open for me. They did not... I had been preparing myself for such news... I sometimes have that kind of luck. The nurse said call back in an hour to check again. Karen had already arrived to be with Sam so the four of us sat and watched tv (well, the clock really) and played with Sam while we waited. I called again at 7:00 and this time the nurse told me they were really hoping to get me in before lunch but she wasn't certain things would go that way. Ahhh! Not the best news to hear when you are packed and ready to walk out the door! I held it together for a while and thankfully she called back just after 8:00 and said come on in... then the dam broke, you know me! I was pretty ready to meet our babe. By 9:00 I was hooked up to the monitors and comfy in bed. When Dr. Wenzel broke my water at 9:35 I was 3cm and 50% effaced. I started pitocin just after 10:00, got a dose of nubain at 12:45 (my doctor had just headed into another c section and my nurses didn't want me to be in freak out mode wanting an epidural since I was so close to that point if that surgery took a little longer than anticipated--- good idea ladies!) and at 1:40 I was happily, perfectly epiduraled! : ) Side note- this time they had me lay down on my side while they did it and with Sam they had me sit up hunched over- interesting to me at the time. I'm thankful for great doctors and two amazing epidurals! Anyways, the mid part of our day was a little tougher on me than I anticipated. I got stuck at 4cm and then again at 5cm for a long time. With Sam I was so out of it during this part of labor due to the medicine I was on for my blood pressure that I really didn't have the chance to worry or think ahead. I just assumed since it was my second time around that things would move at least a little quicker and I'd have a babe by supper. The nurses started to say things about not progressing much and if things kept up at this rate and blah blah blah. I had a hard time for a bit not getting nervous that we were going to stall out and have to have a c section. Dr. Wenzel assured me this wasn't going to be the case and Bryan pulled me through yet again and helped me get my head straight so I could do what I needed to do. It was a weird part of the experience that I didn't expect... just different physically and emotionally than I anticipated so I was a bit thrown. Anyways... they checked me again at 6:35 and said I was ready to have a baby! Three pushes and out she came! 6:49pm 7lbs 12oz and 20in long! She was perfect! Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck so tightly that Dr. Wenzel had to cut it (vs. unwrap as they so regularly do during deliverly) before she was all the way out. This was a large part of the reason we were stuck for that bit mid-dialation. They cleaned her up and gave her back to Bryan and I. For kind of a long day, the last few minutes sure went quickly! Campbell was here and all was well. We couldn't have been more in love with our second miracle.
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