Ashley's new "orsie"

Grandpa got Ashley a new spring horse for her birthday/christmas. At first she was scared of it but within an hour she was up bouncing away. It is still quite big for her so she needs help getting up and down but she really likes it. She has really enjoyed Grandpa visiting and daddy having the long weekend off.

Grandpa's Visiting

Mike's dad is in town visiting so Mike and him have been busy working on Mike's 1956 Ford F-100 that has been taking up my garage all winter. I swear they are crazy. Who in their right mind would subject themselves to these horrible North Dakota temperatures? Not I for sure! Anyway we have enjoyed him visiting and as I uploaded pictures from my camera I realized I haven't taken any since he has been here. Whoaa I am really slacking here. I need to get on that quickly.

what a chunker!

I took Ben for his 1 month appt. yesterday and he has gained 3 pounds. He is now up to 11.2 lbs.

Driving Mrs. Macy...

I dropped Macy our puppy off to her new family today. We were sad to see her go but relieved to have a quieter, calmer house. You wouldn't believe what a difference one dog makes. We found Macy a home on freecycle and the family seems wonderful. They live in Hillsboro on a 10 acre farm and have 4 kids and another dog. They are really excited to have her in their family and we are glad to have found another family for her so quickly!

Mike has weekend duty tonight, Ashley's in bed, Ben is sleeping in the rocking chair, and I get to SCRAPBOOK....WHEEEEEEE. Off I go to scrapbooking heaven.

It's about time

Alright, I know it's been a little while since I have updated. I've gotten used to a routine that doesn't include downloading the pictures I have taken. Yikes I know. So this last Monday I took both kids by myself to a spouses group meeting as a trial run. I still hadn't done it on my own yet. Thankfully little Benjamin slept through the entire thing (except when Ashley decided to step in his car seat to use it as a boost to see on the table). Ashley didn't want to go play in the nursery so she stayed with me. I think that was pure proof that I need to get out more especially times when I am not by her side the whole time. I am awaiting the clearance from the Dr. so that I can head to the gym and join the mommmy class that has childcare. Can't wait!

Oh and Ashley got into a box of jello and decided it was quite the yummy treat! Aren't you jealous you didn't get to clean that one up?

Bye bye bili blanket

So we took Ben off the bili blanket yesterday morning and his level had gone down to 11. We took him in again this morning after being off all day yesterday and over night to make sure it wasn't creeping back up with out the phototherapy lights. Ben's liver is now caught up and is able to process the bilirubin on it's own and today his level was 8.2. So it is going down on it's own!!!! Now since we have been in there every day for the past week they are bumping his 2 week well-baby appt to a 1 month well-baby so that will save me a trip out in the darn freezing ND weather!

This weather is just misrable!

Getting comfortable

Well we are starting to get into a routine now. Grandma is leaving tonight (a little mix up with her tickets because we thought she was leaving last night) so we have a little more time with her. Ben threw a humungo fit last night at bed time but after about a half hour or so he calmed down, ate and fell asleep. I think he slept from around 12:30 to 8am with out a feeding....unless there was one zombie like feeding that I don't remember. Trust me at this point I can't rule it out. hehe.... Hopefully he turns out to be a good sleeper. He doesn't like his bassinet much so far but I think the bili lights really make it hard to get comfy in there. Plus I am sure it is much more comfy to sleep in bed with mommy than in a bassinet....they're smart ya know!Daddy and his little munchkins
Ashley taking care of her baby!
Grandpa visiting with his 4th grandbaby! 2 boys and 2 girls how perfect is that!
Our little glow worm on his bili lights in the bouncy seat.

Jaundice....Yuck!

Well we took Ben to the Dr. last Thursday for his first check up and his bilirubin level was 14. They said it was fine and they weren't too concerned because he was eating and pooping well. But by Sunday he was looking really yellow. So I called and took him back in on Monday morning to have it checked again. Poor guy's bilirubin level had shot up to 19.4. They warned that if it hit 20 they would have to admit him to the hospital to stay under the intensive bili lights. Since his was under 20 we are now using the bili blanket like we had to with Ashley, although now they have one that is 3 times stronger so we hope that he will get over this soon. We have to take him in daily to get his blood checked until he is in the normal range, his poor heels. He has to stay on the biliblanket for 23 hours a day so it makes feeding, diapering, and cuddling quite a challenge but at least he should be getting better.

Ashley is going in today for her 2 year old well baby appointment so we will see how she is doing also. I don't assume there will be any concerns as she seems to be recouperating well from her bout of the nasties that caused her to lose so much weight.

My mom leaves tomorrow to head home so now I have to conquer this mommy of 2 thing on my own. Well at least Mike is off until the end of the month so that will give me some time to adjust to normal life. I am still very nervous about taking both kiddos out on my own. Oh well, I better get used to it because I can't stay locked up in my house forever......well at least for the winter. Hehe

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More pictures

Alright, here are some more pictures of our little guy. He is doing really well and we are enjoying our newest addition to our family. It looks like he has a hernia at his umbillical cord that the dr.s will be keeping an eye on. Otherwise all is good and healthy. Due to a death in the family while I was in the hospital Grandma left late last night, heading back to Minneapolis to attend the funeral but Grandpa will be driving her back on Monday so he will get to meet his newest grand son also.

Introducing Benjamin Thomas Roberts!

Well our little Benjamin is here! He arrived at 8:02 January 15th, 2007. It took 12 hours of labor (only an hour and a half of painful stuff before the epidural) Otherwise it went great. I only pushed for 20 minutes in comparison to the 3 hours with Ashley so that was a huge improvement. He is doing really well now that we are home. Feeding well, sleeping well, I think that is about all a new mom can hope for! My only issue is engorgement, ahhh that part is no fun! We took him to the Dr. today for his check 1st check and he is already gaining weight since leaving the hospital. His bilirubin level was slightly elevated so they had to do a heal prick to double check, it was 14 which for his age they said was normal. They are going to check it again at his 2 week appointment. Ashley is adjusting well to having a new baby brother in the house. She had a rough day yesterday with lack of sleep and a messed up routine but is doing much better today and is enjoying "helping" with Ben. I will update with more pictures as time allows......Thanks for all the well wishes!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

As you can see we had a good day with treats and a fun new toy!

We got to have pizza for dinner (Ashley's favorite), cupcakes, and a cool new ball pit.

We all celebrated by donning our Dora the Explorer birthday hats and noise makers and had a fun time throwing balls around the living room. Now we just have to find a place to put the big ball pit, hmmmm, maybe I should have thought of that before.

Non Stress Test Update

I went in for the non stress test this morning and everything was looking good. I am still 3 cm dilated & 70% effaced. They are still concerned with the heart decelerations that he had while I was in the hospital so they are doing another non stress test on Monday. They are also supposed to be calling me back later today with an induction appt for next week if I have not gone in on my own. So I will keep everyone updated on what is going on.

Oh, and I will post some pictures of Ashley's 2nd birthday tomorrow on the big day. We are just doing a little thing at home with some cake and ice cream. But I will take some pictures to share with everyone.

False Alarm

Well I started having contractions Sunday night and by Monday noonish, when Mike came home for lunch, they were relatively strong and I was feeling more pressure. We called the Dr. and they said to come in. So we dropped Ashley off a S's house and headed for the hospital. When we got there my contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and pretty consistent. They started getting stronger and moving closer together about 2-3 minutes between and I made some cervical change so they said I was a keeper. Mike left around 8 pm to let the dogs out and to try to get some rest. Of course then the contractions started to fizzle. Darn it. They all but disappeared. My cervix hit 3 and quit dilating so they gave me some sleeping medicine and told me I would either wake up in "real labor" or not and they would send me home. Well I am sure you can guess what happened. NOTHING! After all that nothing. I am still having contractions but they aren't strong enough to do much at this point so we are just taking it easy at home. I am going in on Thursday for a non-stress test for the baby to see how he is handling things if labor hasn't happened sooner.

OB update

I had my first weekly OB appointment today. 1 cm dilated 40% effaced. The DR said she highly doubts I will make it to my due date of late January!!! Whoohoo for that one! I am hoping for anytime now that I will be 37 weeks on Saturday. I was spilling a trace of protein in my pee when they checked which is new but not abnormal for this stage in pregnancy. I have been having some headaches but with my blood pressure continuing to stay low (96/62) they are not very concerned. She said he feels to be of average size and thinks that I could handle a 9 lb baby (so not true!!!!) Otherwise I am doing well. We got the kid's room painted this weekend, big relief, so now I just have to finish getting all the decorations together. I think it will be pretty cute once it's done. But well just have to wait and see.

It's Christmas! or it was....

Well we had a good Christmas here in the Roberts house. Ashley was finally a willing and eager participant in the gifts and really seemed to enjoy herself. I got all sorts of things to pamper myself with. With me being 8 months pregnant, Mike had the right idea. He got me a shiatzu (sp) chair massager, electric manicure/pedicure set, parafin wax dip thingy, and massaging slippers. Oh how fun. I have been able to take advantage of my free time to treat myself to a relaxing, calming moment before the baby comes.

Mike got his lime green Ipod, that he has been talking about so he is pretty happy also.

I had loads of contractions last night and was thinking that it could have been "time" but they fizzled out over night so we are in the clear for a little longer. Needless to say, I spent some time getting a bag packed for Ashley and "Ben" and making a list of what I need for myself. I am hoping to get to it so I am not rushing around at the last moment to get everything packed. Oh well, I guess that is life. At least the house is set up and ready for the addition.

My finals are done!

Whoohooo! I just finished my finals for this quarter! I have a few more homework assignments that are due this week but all the big stuff is done and over with. Thank goodness! I am in dire need of a break! Oh well, I think I did alright but we'll see once grades are posted.
Yippppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

All boxed up and ready to ship to Grandma's house

Well here is my little munchkin who got stuck in the empty diaper box. I just had to grab a shot of it to send to grandma.

Well I just finished writing my paper for my class and just about pee'd my pants when I looked and saw that with my appendixes, title, and reference pages it is 27 pages long. Yikes, now on to proof reading so I can turn it in on Sunday. Finally!!!!

Christmas Time

I love this season. My birthday is in 11 days,my classes are over 2 days later, and then christmas, new years, Ashley's birthday and then I am due wit our little boy. Yippee I can't wait. I love looking outside and seeing the christmas lights and the snow blowing past the window. I just wish it wasn't so darn cold out there. I bought the coolest things today. I saw them on QVC (yes I know I am only 24, I'm too young to watch QVC but I love it!) anyway they are these cool rubber stretchy things with spikes on them that you stretch over your shoes (any shoes, dress, sneakers, boots) so that I don't slip and fall. I think they are pretty neat. Anyway I found them at Home of Economy today and picked myself up a pair. So far they are pretty neat.

Well here it is. Mike finished my entertainment center and I love it! It is 6 ft long and is really pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice. And of course my little girl, I love her hair in pig tails but boy is it a challenge to get it done.

Breech....

Sorry I had to post it. On my last trip home I played a funny joke on my mom and walked by and attached a maxi pad to her back. Worse yet I let her walk around with it there for quite a while so yes I deserved this one. Here ya go mom!

Well we had a dr. apointment about a week ago and our little guy is breech. No worries yet (although most babies are already head down by this point). I am going in again on the 20th for my next appointment so we'll see which position the little squirt is in. My sisiter in-law had her baby early this morning, a little girl 8.5lbs! Congrats Jenny and Chris!

Getting Big!

Alright, well I know it is a little late to put pictures of us carving pumpkins but heck I was busy and didn't get around to it until now.....I've also included a picture of me (although, I really didn't want to) so that mom and other friends could see the belly. It is really starting to pop out there. I am now 28 weeks along and they just moved me to 2 week appointments. My mom just bought a plane ticket to come over in January so hopefully we see some baby action while she is here. I would love to have her there for support. But that would have to make the little guy come a little early seeing as I am not due officially until the 27th but she is leaving on the 26th. Let's hope for the best!!!!

Halloween Fun

We took Ashley trick or treating at the Clinic and she had a blast. She even walked right up to the big guy in a scary costume and took the piece of candy out of his big nasty claw-like hands without flinching. We were so shocked. She wasn't scared of the costumes at all. She did try to "help herself" to some of the candy buckets so mom and dad had to keep an eye out.