Unexpected road trip

Mr. C's stepdad and sister were supposed to come and visit and stay with us the night before Christmas eve and stay for a few days for the holidays. That week Mr. C had been talking with his stepdad who told him that his mother was not doing well and he didn't think they would make it down since they did not expect her to live much longer. On Christmas Eve morning we received the phone call that Mr. C's step-grandma had passed away at 11:00pm the night before. The visitation was to be held on the following Monday with the funeral mass on Tuesday. Mr. C and I had talked and we wanted to go to some part of the services if we could and we shared this with his aunts & grandma. Mr. C's stepdad's family lives about 3-4 hours away. Monday came & Mr. C could not join us but I joined Grandma, AK, & AL and went started our road trip to the visitation with lil miss. We arrived at their house before heading to the visitation, here is lil miss with her aunt S for the first time.

Grandma W with lil miss.

Although it was a very long day as we drove there and back and visited for 5 hours, I am glad that lil miss & I went and were there to support J & S. 

Christmas in review part 1

On Thursday December 23 we continued our Christmas celebrations. Mr. C's parent's were having family night at their house, so we joined them for soup, sandwiches, and good company. This is a tradition of Mr. C's step mom's family, as they have gotten together on the night before Christmas Eve to watch a movie, but now we don't really watch a movie as more we just sit around and visit and enjoy adult beverages and watch the kiddos play, and sometimes a good game of pool or suffleboard but no one played any games this year. We also exchanged our gift with Grandma H this night since we would not be joining them on Christmas Eve as Christmas Eve would be spent at my Grandma C's house. Mr. C and I woke up on Christmas Eve to it snowing, they were calling for snow but it was not supposed to start until later, so we were surprised to find it snowing, Mr. C left to take the skid loaders down to where they plow snow, he returned around noontime, I made beer bread and a dip to take to my Grandma's and started getting us ready around 3:00pm. Luckily since Mr. C was hadn't been called out to plow snow yet, I was able to still go to our Christmas. I packed our bags, gathered our presents and Mr. C packed the truck and we were headed out to Grandma's by about 4:45pm. We arrived just in time to join everyone for dinner and not long after we got done eating, Mr. C got the phone call to go plow snow. So we made sure somone cold take me to his parent's house after we were done and he took our stuff over there before leaving to go plow snow.

Here is lil miss C in her Christmas Dress at my Grandma C's house.

4 generations on Christmas Eve: my dad, Grandma C, lil miss C & me.

My parents were going to midnight mass and we were planning on joining them, but since it was snowing and the roads were icy & Mr. C was called out to plow snow, we did not join them for mass, instead my brother took us over to Mr. C's parents house and we settled in and went to sleep. We did not know exactly when and if Mr. C would be joining us and luckily he crawled into bed with me about 1:30am. Since 2004 we have spent Christmas Eve at his parents house and opened presents with his family on Christmas morning. We are the only ones who are still spending the night and will continue to do so until his parents tell us they don't want us to anymore. His brother & girls & sissy & boys joined us around 8:30am and we started opening presents. 

Lil miss C with Mama & Papa on Christmas morning.  

Lil miss beautiful making sure Papa was doing a good job of holding lil miss C.

Taking turns opening presents and playing with the new toys.

Lil miss C spent the morning in Papa's arms as Mr. C & I took turns opening her presents for her.

Mama & Papa opening a special present from Santa, we took the kiddos and did a grandchildren photo for them.

Mr. C received a special present that he opened after we were all done opening all of our other presents. His parents have had this frog that sings jingle bells for many many years and Mr. C absoutly hates it and trys to hide it from anyone playing it when he is around. Well this year he received a frog of his very own for us to have at our house. Here he is opening it, can't u tell he is just thrilled!

Mama & papa got this for all the grandkids that will stay at mama's & papa's house for them to play with. K man will have a gator full of girls when B & lil miss C are old enough to ride along.

So K man and lil miss beautiful did not only want to play with all their new toys but they also had to check out lil miss C & B's birthday cakes they got.

After breakfast we headed down to AK's for Christmas with Grandma W. We visited with them and exchanged our presents and were headed home around 1:30ish. Once we arrived home and let our doggies out, restocked our fire and unpacked the truck, we all took a much needed nap and then celebrated our Christmas together. Mr. C had already given me my present and I had given him 2 of 3 of his presents last weekend as he used them to cut & grind up a deer and I wanted to wear my for pictures and Christmas as he upgraded my diamond stud earrings that he bought me last year. We have decided that after we spend Christmas morning with his parents and visit with his Grandma that we will come home and have our Christmas in the afternoon/evening on Christmas Day. We had a relaxing evening at home and then on Sunday morning Mr. C went hunting for a few short hours and I went after Christmas sale shopping with my mom and 2 of my 3 sisters, just 3 more Christmas celebrations left.   

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Chistmas! May your day be filled with joy, friendship & family! We will be spending our Christmas Eve with my extended C family, spending the night at Mr. C's parents & spending Christmas morning with them, then heading to Mr. C's mom's family for the mid-morning early afternoon and then back to our house for our family Christmas. We are expecting to get snow on Christmas eve and Christmas morning, so hoping everyone has safe travels and a Merry Christmas!  

Out & about

Well lil Miss C and I ventoured out all by ourselves today. We went and visited my co-workers and enjoyed a holiday lunch with them. Last week I had asked my co-worker when they were doing the holiday get together with just our full time office staff and part time staff to let me know as i wanted to come down and visit and not be there for the entire department staff party. Well we talked back and forth and it was decided that it would be today at noon. We'll i think that they just decided to have a holiday lunch amoungst our full time staff so i would bring lil miss C down to visit because none of out part time staff was included or there like we have done in the years past. I do feel bad if that is the only reason why they got together for lunch, but at the same time it was great to see everyone. I was horrible though and didn't snap any pictures of lil miss C with my coworkers. It was great to visit with them and catch up a lil on the office gossip and how "my work" is going. I have done really well with not checking my work email or asking work related questions when talking with my good friend/coworker A, but we will see if i continue to do that in the next 9 weeks or not. I am really lucky to work with such a great group of people, hoping all of them have a merry christmas and a happy new year! After we left my work, we went and finished christmas shopping and i found her a dress i liked and although it was still a little more than i really wanted to pay, i bought it anyways since i haven't seen anything else i have liked for any cheaper and i am running out of time to look. Lil miss C splept the entire time we were out and about and did great for her first outing without dad.

1 down many more to go

Today marked the start of our Christmas celebrations. We had a busy day as we started with family picutres early this morning, also doing a cousin's picture to give to Mr. C's parents at Christmas, then it was back home for a nap & making a dish for Mr. C's C family Christmas. We spent the afternoon visiting with family, enjoying a wonderful meal. Lil miss C did wonderful being held by he aunts & uncles, mama & papa, & great aunts and uncles! Grandma C was able to get out and join us as well, so it was great to see her at Christmas and spend time with family!

Welcome to the 30 club

Mr. C! Today is Mr. C's birthday and he joins his friends in the 30 club. We have gone to a lot of 30's parties this year and i feel bad that i am not doing anything more for his 30th than we are, but he really did not want to do much, and since he decided he wants to go hunting in the morning he didn't want to be out partying late, so we are just keeping in low key this year... Maybe i'll plan a big party for his 40th! I made him a red velvet cake, Grandma C came home from the hospital so he helped get her into her house and otherwise he are just hanging out at home with lil miss C and each other!

Another year on the books

of my life that is. To celebrate i did nothing all day expect take care of lil miss C. It wasjust her and I all day as Mr. C was busy grinding up deer all day and then when he got done with that B needed his help cleaning out his flu as smoke was coming back into their house. When Mr. C came back from his deer grinding party he brought me these.

Here they are sitting in front of the kitchen window. 

The flowers were a nice surprise and unexpected as this is the first he has bought flowers for me. When we were dating he bought a rose or two here or there from the bar lady, but this is the first time i have acutally gotten a vase full of flowers and he did wonderful as lillies are my favorite flower! 

A day of doctor's

Today we had lil miss C's first appointment at the doctor's office and my two week follow up appointment at my doctor's office. Luckily since the weather is really cold, Mr. C had the day off and was able to take and go with us to our appointments. We started the morning with lil Miss C's appointment. We got acquainted with the office, filled out first time patients paperwork and then headed back for her check up. The nurse took her vitals, she weighed in at 7lbs, 14 oz, was 21 inches long and her head circumference was 14. We then feed her while we waited for the doc to come in. When the doc came in, we talked about some things, how we were doing, family/friend connections in the office,  our & our families medical backgrounds and then about her health. He was pleased with her weight and her coloring, she is still a good pink color--no signs of johndice. Her umbicial cord has still not fallen off, so he showed me how to clean it better and applied some medicine to help it fall off. We discussed how the appointments would go and gave us a growth and development diary to bring with us to each appointment that the nurses would keep track of her vital signs, he also showed us the percentile charts and where she fell on them and why they track things. Like they measure head circumference to track the development of the brain. I was very glad that Mr. C was actually able to go to this appointment with us as it was very informatitive. After her appointment we headed to grab some lunch and kill some time at Babies R U before my appointment. We were looking for a Christmas dress but so far I have had no luck finding anything i like in the price range i am willing to pay. My appointment went well, i weighed in at 132 lbs, blood pressure was 118/68, and doc said the incision was looking great and she thinks you will hardly be able to see it. I asked about my activity level and what i could do: she said i can walk as much as i want to, still no heaving lifting, no exercises that will work the core muscles a lot, no vacumming or lifting laundry. But i did get the all clear to drive as long as i am not taking the persicat during the day and i will have the all clear to do anything after my 6 week appointment. Now i just wish i had a treadmill at home.   

Unexpected wave of emotions

On Friday Mr. C's Grandma C was taken to the hospital due to bein dehydrated. Today we went to visit her for a little while since she still hadn't come home yet. I knew that i would be emotional already since i hate hospitals and the last time i was at the hospital was visiting Gramps and although it was just for dehradration Grandma C is the same age as Gramps was and her health is not the best. So when we arrived on the 2nd floor of the hospital (side note--this is the hospital my mom works out so i know it well) and were headed to her room, i realized that she was in the same room that Gramps was in. It was the same room where i gave him his last kiss, held his hand for the last time, and the room that he took his last breath in. We walked in and Mr. C had lil miss C and some of his aunts were there and came to give me a hug, i just set my stuff down and left the room. I made it to the lounge area and completely lost it. Needless to say after i calmed myself down, wiped my tears away, i went back in and visited, but it was an emotional afternoon, just thinking about Grandma C and my Gramps & Granny. A brightside to the afternoon, my two closest friends from college came out to visit and meet lil miss C. It was great visiting with both of them, just wished we lived closer so we could hang out more often, miss them both tons.  

The Annual S Holiday Party

Yesterday was Sissy & D's annual holiday party. Yes even though lil miss C is just a day shy of 2 weeks we asked my parents to babysit for us for a couple of hours so we could head over to the party for a few hours. My mom had her work party to attend to and then her and my dad would be over to watch her for us. They arrived around 8:00pm and me and Mr. C headed out. When we arrived everyone asked me how i was doing and how lil miss C was doing. It was a great time visiting with friends and enjoying an adult beverage. We actually ended up staying out later than what we both thought we would, and when we left it was snowing and th roads were pretty bad so we convinced my parents to stay the night. Thanks mom and dad for watching her for us!

Tis the season

for making wreaths! 2 years ago me and MB made a wreath for her front door, since then we have made fall wreaths for her house and mine and also a Christmas wreath for her sister. But we haven't made Christmas ones for my house yet. This week we took a shopping trip to Michael's and picked out things to make two wreaths for my home! Last night she came over and we made them.

Wreath #1 in progress:

Filler

Wreath #2 before we began

Wreath #1 all finished.

Wreath #2 all finished.

Wreath #1 is now hanging on my front door and wreath #2 is hanging on our garage door entrance. 

Lil miss C's photo journey into the world

Mr. C enjoying my bed and the remote when we first arrived at the hospital as i did not want to sit in the bed until i had to and in his words, the remote was not dad friendly as it did not reach his couch/bed very easily and he is in charge of the remote.

Not sure when during the day that Mr. C snapped this pic but it was sometime throughout labor. 

Just before heading into the operating room for the c-section.

Mr. C all ready to head into the operating room.

And the weigh in's begin!

Lil miss C in my arms for the first time.

Grandma C

Grandpa C

Mama C with her mom, and her grandkids except B.

Papa C

Lil miss C all ready to go home!

D and lil miss C, they came and visited us Thursday evening at home and D also brought me some yellow gerber daisies. Just precious, when he came and saw me on Monday with my mom when they left he thought I was sick since the last few times he has been to the hospital it was to see Gramps. But they told him i wasn't sick but was having a baby and he understood that lil miss C was mine and Mr. C's baby.

Lil miss C's journey into the world 11.28.10-12.2.10

Well surprise surprise lil miss C had not graced us with her pressence yet so we went into be induced at 8:00PM on 11.28.10. It was a busy day at home before we left to go to the hospital. I finished putting up my Chrismas decorations, cleaned the house and went grocery shopping. Mr. C split up wood, put up the Christmas lights and unloaded some logs for B with the tractor. We left our house around 5:30 ish and headed to eat dinner out before going to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30p and they showed us to our room. Our nurse started the paperwork with us, asked some questions and told us the plan. They would start me out on a slow drip of piticon, then at 3:00am they would start uping the dosage and then at 6:00am, they would break my water. So after we got the paperwork done & the nurse was all set, i changed into the dreaded hospital gown and our nurse started the iv, she checked to see how dialted i was--still only at a 1. Mr. C prepared his bed and was asleep in no time. They offered me a sleeping pill which i ended up taking around 11:00pm. I got some rest but not much and in no time it was time to break my water, which was done at 6:15am. The contractions were coming but were not that painful and we were slowly progressing. At 11:00am the contractions were strong enough i was ready for the epidural and was dialted to a 4. The remainder of the afternoon i stayed at 4cm, finally progressing to 6cm by 6:00PM. By this time the epidural had worn off and i had pushed the button for more medicine and I had not been able to eat anything for 24 hours so I was starving. My doc came in and checked me and we discussed our options. We could continue at the slow progression or we could do a c-section. We decided to hold off until 8:00p to see if i had dialted any further, I had not so we decided to go ahead with the c-section. Mr. C's parents and sister were at the hospital so he told them what we were doing and then he called my parents and they headed down as well.They came in and gave me some more medicine through my epidural to make me num from the chest down, Mr. C was given scrubs, and we were headed into the operating room by 8:45p. Mr. C was so supportative. He held my hand and was my rock through the c-section. They asked him if he wanted to watch as they pulled her out and he did. Then he went and watched as they cleaned her up and he cut her cord, all the while making sure i was doing okay. He then was given her to hold and brought her over for me to see. She was then taken to the nursey to be cleaned up and I was taken back to my room for recovery for an hour before being moved into another room. While i was in surgery my mom and dad arrived along with J, D & K. I saw them at the end of the hall when i was taken back to my room, as they were all watching lil miss C at the nursey window. Lil miss C was born at 9:16pm on 11.29.10 weighing 7lbs, 14 ounces, and was 20 1/2 inches long, she shares a birthday with my Granny B. My mom and dad came into the room while i was recovering, Mr. C was back and forth between my room and the nursery. I felt so much better once the c-section was completed, i was happy with our decision to go ahead and not try to wait any longer to progress to have a vaginal delivery.  After about an hour they moved me to my other room and brought lil miss C to me to hold. Mr. C's parents, my parents and Sissy were all still there. They visited briefly and then left. I was finally able to eat some food around 12:00am, the nurse brought me a turkey and swiss sandwich and chips. We have decided to formula feed so she had her first feeding in the nursery and i feed her for the first time around 2:00am on 11.30.10. Visitors we had on Monday were Mr. C's parents (8:00am-11:00pm); my mom, D and my brother came and visited at 4:00P, Sissy arrived at 5:30pm and D & K, J, and my mom and dad arrived between 8:00-9:00 pm. All day on Tuesday I was still confined to the bed as i was hooked up to the iv & the cathedier. Mr. C did all of the diaper changing this day, swaddling, and we shared feedings. Our first visitors A.K & A arrived around 4:30pm and this it was time for the iv & cathedor to be taken out. Thank goodness because i was so ready for a shower and to be out of bed. Shortly after my shower our next visitors B, M, & my Grandma C arrived, then MB & AR, then JHKB, Mr. C's parents along with Grandma H, and then Sissy D&K arrived. We had visitors with us all evening until about 10:00pm. On Wednesday Mr. C and I took turns with feedings, diaper changes, and sleeping. The hospital photographers came and did a photo shoot and afterwards Mr. C and I sent lil miss C to the nursery while we went down to the cafteria to eat lunch. When we got done with lunch, AK had brought Grandma W down to visit. We visited with them until my coworker and good friend A arrived. After A left we ordered dinner and watched a movie, as we had no more visitors for the evening. My doc had come by in the afternoon and was pleased with how i was doing and said that she would relase me to go home tomorrow. Our pediatrician had also arrived this afternoon and said he would be by early tomorrow so we could head home as early as possible. Doctor's orders included not lifting anything more than my baby, no vaccuming or bending, and no driving for 2 weeks. I am to make an appointment to follow up with my doc in 2 weeks and lil miss C has an appointment to see her doc in 2 weeks. We were realsed from the hospital and headed home by 11:00am on 12.2.10. On our way home we stopped at Target where I picked up some motrin, some hats and mittens for lil miss C, we then ordered Imos and picked it up before arriving at home with our bundle of joy!