Another month bites the dust

OK, so it's the last day of April,...seriously, where has the time gone? I realize I get a big fat "F" in the blogging department, but in the interest of forgiveness, I say lets forgive, forget and move on. What do you say? Great! Now get ready for a nice long one,...

Let's see, I have so much to update I don't even know where to start. Oh wait, I do know ~ how about I start with some pictures of our little man, or should I say our little "big" man. I realize this has been a long time coming, but without further ado please meet our Baby Sam:
It's hard to believe that he will be 7 weeks old this Friday. He is almost an exact copy of Isabella at this age. So far he is a great sleeper, already weighs a hefty 14 lbs, gives us the biggest and sweetest smiles and has been rolling over from his tummy to his back since he was three weeks old. Isabella absolutely loves him. She has given him the nickname "SAMO", constantly asks to "pet" his hair and his head and will always say: "Isn't he cute?" Let's hope she continues to feel that way when he becomes more mobile and interested in her things.

And speaking of Isabella, she's doing great. She loves being a big sister and is the best little helper. Needless to say, she thoroughly enjoyed all the company we had at the house and the constant attention she received from all of our family. Even though it could get a bit overwhelming for her at times, she did beautifully playing with all her cousins.

Although I'm sad to say that my parents have returned to Puerto Rico, I'm glad to report that we ended up extending their stay for an additional 2 weeks, which was AWESOME. Now, I know most people don't have the luxury of live-in assistance for 6 whole weeks after having a baby, but when you only get to see your parents once a year, and you have complications with your recovery, 6 weeks just fly by. Needless to say I was a wreck the day they left; mostly because I knew I would miss them terribly, but also because I thought for sure these kids would eat me up alive.
We had the best time with the family. Even Hector, Yaira and the kids were able to come visit before my parents left. It's been two years since we've all been together. One of the days we went on a picnic to Shelby Farms and flew kites, the kids rode the ponies, played soccer and ate some good food. Here's a picture of all of us ("ALL 15 of us", as my poor introverted Scott often mentioned):
I could go on and on, but my time is quite limited these days. However, I can't leave without giving my brother Chris and his lovely wife Maria a HUGE congratulations on the purchase of their first home. WOOHOO! I am so incredibly proud of them. Way to go guys!
OK, now I really have to go. I promise at least two posts in the month of May (gotta keep those expectations low so that I don't disappoint). Until next time,...

We're still here,...

We're just:

• Tired
• Enjoying our new baby boy
• Thrilled to see Isabella interact with her baby brother
• Making the most of our time left with Tata and Papa Abu
• Sleep deprived
• Recovering from some minor complications from the c-section
• Trying to figure things out and get organized
  
• Ready to get out and about
  
• Amazed it's the last day of March
  
• Did I mention tired?

I know I've been horrible about not posting any pictures yet, but I promise the next post will contain some of Isabella and Baby Sam ~ as soon as I have some spare time (yeah,... that's hilarious!).

We're home ~ all 4 of us!

So, I finally found some time to sit and type this update. Let's see, as of Monday we're all home and doing well, for the most part. Isabella is sick with what may be a bad cold or a sinus infection. We went to the doctor yesterday and he made sure she is being heavily medicated. Needless to say we're constantly chasing her with Lysol and Purell. She hasn't been quite herself these last few days, but I'm not sure if it's because of the sickness or because of the arrival of her new baby brother. I tend to think it's because she's not really feeling well, so far she seems pretty enchanted by Baby Sam and has turned into a great little assistant during diaper changes. Daddy has taken some time off so she's been in heaven these last few days. I hate to think what it'll be like when he goes back to work.

Sam is the best little baby. He sleeps, eats and poops A LOT. We went to the doctor yesterday for his first check-up, and he's doing great. He's rapidly gaining back the few ounces he lost those first few days and already a half an inch taller than the day he was born. We had to go back today to assess whether or not he has Jaundice, but the doctor cleared him and laughed at the fact that he's already at 9 lbs. So in 5 days he went from his birth weight of 9.1 lbs to 8.9 lbs, 8.11 lbs, 8.12 lbs yesterday and 9.0 lbs today. We had our first "challenging" night last night, with Sam needing me and Isabella calling for her daddy every couple hours. Oh well, I guess it's just preparing us for what's to come.

I'm feeling pretty good. My recovery has definitely been a pretty smooth one. Mostly I only feel some discomfort at night, after a day filled with activity, but I can't really complain. I am so incredibly grateful to have my parents here. My mom has especially been a HUGE help and knowing Isabella was so well taken care of, and totally spoiled, while Scott and I were in the hospital made the whole experience quite stress-free. Not to mention how nice it is having mama's home cooking every day ~ YUM!!!

I haven't had a chance to upload any of the pictures we've taken these last few days, but I promise as soon as I have another spare minute I will post some.

OK, it's time to go since apparently it's feeding time, AGAIN!

Hello Single Digits

Alrighty then, it seems we've finally hit the single digits with only 3 days to go before my Mom and Dad arrive and only 9 days to go until we meet Baby Sam. I can't even tell you how excited I am. It's been over a year since we've seen my parents and to have them here with us for an entire month is pure bliss. All Isabella talks about these days is how she's going to hug and kiss her grandparents "all day and night and weekend".

Speaking of Isabella, we got a chance to go see Go Diego Go Live this past weekend and she had an absolute blast. Even Dora made an appearance, which thrilled her beyond belief.
After the show we rode the trolley and had lunch downtown. By the time we got home both Isabella and I crashed after such an exciting day.
Sunday was such a beautiful day we pretty much spent the afternoon working outside on the backyard. The temperature was in the low 70's with an awesome breeze and there was no way we weren't going to take advantage of such awesome weather.
I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow and I can honestly tell you I am finally starting to see the light at the end of what has felt like a very long tunnel. To think that by next Friday the "easy" part is over and the real fun begins ~ YIKES!

Well, I better go get the little lady ready for bed. She needs to get her beauty sleep tonight since she has her school class pictures tomorrow.

Until next time,...

25 Days To Go

OK, first things first: we've been given a date for the big event ~ March 14, 2008. Gotta love the benefits of modern medicine. That means there are only 25 days to go. Only 25 days before Scott and I welcome our new miracle. Only 25 days before Isabella meets her sweet baby brother. Only 24 more days to wrap everything up around here. Only 19 days before the much anticipated arrival of my parents. But seriously, who's counting? Well,... I AM!

I am actually feeling pretty good with our progress. I am proud to report that Isabella is already settled in her big girl room and she absolutely loves it. She loves the fact that she is able to get in and out of bed on her own and she was more than happy to bequeath her crib to baby Sam.
Although her room is still a work in progress, she loves playing in there and drawing on her chalkboard (artwork courtesy of Miss Jessica, Isabella's beloved babysitter).
I still haven't put a lot of the artwork up on the walls, hung the window treatments, and I'm still looking for an over sized chair or a loveseat I can put in her room for reading books and cuddling before bedtime, but I'm in no hurry. I'll make sure to post pictures of the finished product later.

OK, so what else has been going on around here? My wonderful friend and neighbor Christie threw me a baby shower last week. Can I tell you how wonderful it was to just sit around and talk with a bunch of my girlfriends, just the girls? By the time I went home I had a headache from laughing so hard and so much. It was totally fun and energizing. Thanks Christie for such a fun shower!
Isabella had a great Valentine's Day. After a fun pizza party at school and way too much candy, she came home to bake cupcakes for her Daddy ~ which turned out beautiful and delicious.
Finally, Scott and I had a chance to get out this last weekend for dinner and a show with three other couples. After a delicious meal at Spindini, we hopped on over to The Orpheum to enjoy The Wedding Singer. Scott and I are huge fans of the movie and quote from it all the time. So much so that our friends were laughing at Scott when they heard him singing along to one of the songs during the show. If you like the movie, I would strongly recommend the play.

Thank you Scott,...

... for 6 wonderful years.

Happy Anniversary Cakes!
I love you.

TORTURE

Look what the cat (and by cat of course I mean postman, or woman in our case) dragged in today,...

So Isabella just went down for her nap and within the next five minutes you will be able to find me sitting (well, probably laying) on the couch with not one, but these TWO torture devices in front of me. Oh, what a happy day this is,....

Jessica, this one's for you

I love that I get to share my passion for scrapbooking with my cousin Jessica from Puerto Rico. We enjoy admiring each other's creations over e-mail and talking layouts, sketches, embellishments, paper, you name it. Although we've both been pretty "inactive" lately in the scrapbook arena ~ her due to a temperamental 4 month old baby girl, and me due to a temperamental pregnancy and a very active 2 1/2 year old ~ we still talk about it whenever we get a chance.

At the beginning of January/08 I made it a point of trying to get "caught up" with some of the pictures sitting on my desk for quite a while, and I am proud to say I got a few layouts done. Here's a small sampling:

Also, check out Eclectica's website tomorrow, where you'll be able to see another layout in their Same Product-Three Looks section.

Alrighty then, I guess I'll be going now since Isabella is adamant I get inside her tent with her and she's determined not to take no for an answer. I'm thinking I better take our phone in there with me just in case I need to call 911. Wish me luck,...

Jess, I'll talk to you soon. Love you guys!

First timer

As many of you may already know Scott and I love going to the movies. Before Isabella was born we went every single weekend, sometimes more than once, depending on what was playing. After Isabella, well we've been forced to dust off our Blockbuster membership cards and wait 6-8 months to catch that "new release" that looked so good and pump up our movie channels. Don't get me wrong, we still get to go sporadically, but with the babysitting costs we only go when it's a movie that we both really want to see. Other times we take advantage of the time alone to go to dinner, a show or just sit at a cafe and have conversations containing full, uninterrupted sentences ~ but that's besides the point, so let me get back on track here,...

OK, so until last night I had never been to the movies by myself, ever. Just the thought of it made me feel very uncomfortable ~ as if the people sitting around me would look at me like I'm some kind of anti-social, friendless weirdo or something, as if they really cared. I know it's all psychological, but you would not believe how many movies I've missed on the big screen because of this little hang up of mine. Scott on the other hand has absolutely no problem going by himself, so he doesn't quite understand why it's such a big deal for me.

Anyway, for the last few weeks I've been telling Scott and various girlfriends that I really, really, really want to see Juno. But I was never really met with much enthusiasm. So finally last night I bit the bullet and gave in, Scott kept Isabella and I got to go see this wonderful movie. I'm not exactly sure what role my pregnancy hormones played in this, but I pretty much laughed or cried throughout the entire movie. It most certainly exceeded my expectations~ the dialogue, the story line, the characters, all of it. I totally get what all the buzz is about and I highly recommend it.

So there you have it. I went to the movies all by myself and it turned out OK (and just between you and me I actually enjoyed the "solitude" quite a bit). I guess there really is a first time for everything. Who knows, maybe a couple hours at Starbucks with a good book is next,... or maybe I shouldn't push it quite yet. Have a great week!

Where does the time go?

Holy Cow! I know it's been a while since my last post, but logging in today it really shocked me to see my baby countdown saying there's only 62 days to go. Truth be told, it's really more like 55 days since it'll be a scheduled procedure this time around (although we don't quite know the exact date yet). So I guess I really have to get going on some of the things I'd like to accomplish before baby Sam's arrival. Things like finishing up Isabella's new "big girl" room and getting her settled in, updating the nursery with more "boyish" accents, and completing some additional random things around the house before the arrival of my parents. Oh, how exciting!

Speaking of baby Sam, Isabella says she is so excited about being a big sister and having a baby brother. She constantly talks about how she's going to help me feed him and bathe him and how she's going to share her toys with him. So the other day we were talking and I explained that when baby Sam comes out of my belly then that'll be the time when I really need her "big girl" help. Suddenly she looked at me with this panicked expression and said: "No, baby Sam doesn't come out. Baby Sam stays in there." And here lately she's insistent on baby Sam living across the street with our friends Christie and Madison. I guess it's really easy to be a great big sister to an invisible/absentee brother. We're just hoping she might change her mind when he's finally here.

Let's see, being that I never really blogged about our Christmas and that January is almost over, I'll make it short and sweet. Christmas at the Butler house was pretty quiet. Isabella had a lot of fun opening her presents, but she wasn't feeling quite like herself and a belly ache prevented her (and us) from really enjoying most of the day. One of her favorite presents was a new kitchen her Nana and Papa sent her and she still plays with it daily. Oh, the delicacies we've all enjoyed since its arrival.
Although we really enjoyed ourselves during Isabella's Christmas break, I have to say I'm quite happy school is back in session and we have some sense of "normalcy", whatever that may be, around the house. And trust me, mama surely cherishes her free time.

Otherwise, it seems like we've been so busy lately but I can't honestly tell you what it is we've been doing. Oh well, hopefully the next few posts will contain pictures of Isabella and Sam's finished rooms. Until then,...