New Pictures

A few updates.....

We're now only 3.5 weeks from our induction! So far, our little one looks very healthy so fingers crossed, we'll have her home with us safe and sound.

Maddie is still doing well in school and dance. She had her first dance recital on Jan. 23rd (pictures below) and it was hilarious in a "oh my god, she's so cute" way. I can tell you she is not shy and loved the audience. She's also back in swimming but is taking a small break because of a little ear infection. But she is a real character these days!!!

House is coming along nicely. We have sheetrock up and the exterior has siding and the roof complete. We can't wait!

Here are some new pictures.

Here is a 3D picture from Baby Girl #3's ultrasound at 32 weeks. Nana thinks she already looks like Maddie.

I can't believe this picture! It's amazing how much she looks like a real baby at 32 weeks!

Maddie's first dance recital at school. I can not even begin to tell you how cute she was!!!

Maddie's recital.

My baby belly at almost 34 weeks.

Happy Birthday Audrey......

Our sweet angel would have celebrated her first birthday today.

Mommy, Daddy and your big sister Maddie love you so much.....we wish you were here.

Emotional Day

As most of you know, our family is approaching the 1 year "anniversary" of Audrey's birth and passing. Next Sunday, January 11th, at 12:27 pm, it will be exactly one year since she came into and left our physical lives. It seems like such a huge milestone....one that neither Alex or I could have ever imagined reaching last January. And truly, losing her still seems so fresh, as if it were only yesterday.

In some ways, it feels as though the anticipation of January 11th will be worse then the actual day, but that doesn't change our emotions presently. Lots of tears (me,) hand holding (Alex) and talking about Audrey up in heaven (Maddie.) We (Alex and I) have given a lot of thought to how we wanted to mark the day, especially since the 11th is also my dad's birthday.

I'll be honest and say that at first I thought it was simply awful that my dad would have to share his birthday with such a sad event. But as time has passed, the more I think it is a blessing in disguise. Not only will having the same birthday ensure that fewer people will forget her (and we know the people that really matter will always remember, regardless) but it also gives Dad and Audrey a special bond that will go beyond life, death and everything in between.

Anyway, my parents own a home in Cannon Beach, OR only a few blocks from the coast and it has really become a special place for us as an extended family as well as a place they hope grandchildren will go to for years. To make sure Audrey has her "mark" there, today we purchased a solid wood rocking chair that will be personalized with her name and date. It's beautiful and each time one of us rocks a grandbaby to sleep, we can think of her.

And even though his birthday isn't until next Sunday, we gave it to Dad this afternoon with Mom present, and we were all emotional. It takes a lot to bring Dad to tears, but we were all crying...thinking of our precious angel who remains with us in spirit if not in the flesh.

We love you Audrey and you are in our hearts every moment of every day.

New post

Holy cow, so I know it's been a while.......holidays have made us all busy, so hopefully you'll understand the delay but here's an update on what we've been up to.

We all survived the "Arctic Blast 2008" snow storm that kept us housebound for almost 2 weeks. Needless to say, we're all really, really tired of snow. We had nearly 18 inches on the ground on some of the worst days. And while most cities would think that's nothing, let me just say that Portland has a storm of this magnitude once every 40 years or so. We are completely unprepared for it. Luckily, Maddie had fun playing in snow so I guess someone enjoyed it!

House is still coming along well despite the snow delay. As of this afternoon, we have part of a roof which really makes it look like something! Very exciting to drive by it everyday and see progress. We're still on track for a mid-April move in!

Baby #3 continues to grow and thrive. We're officially 30 weeks into the pregnancy and I can start to see the end. Every day I grow a bit more optimistic that we will bring this little one home. In a few weeks we start our twice weekly monitoring - non-stress tests on Mondays and bio-physical profile ultrasounds on Thursdays. It will keep us busy but will also hopefully keep us sane. Anyway, I think we may finally have a name picked out but because the gender is not a surprise this time, we are keeping her name to ourselves. We also have an official date for inducing.....Alex and I will be checking into the hospital the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 24 with the birth most likely being on the 25th. 8 more weeks!

Maddie is also growing and amazes us daily. Her vocabulary skills have really stepped up recently and I marvel at the conversations we can have. She's definitely a little girl now and no longer a baby.

Below are a few pictures from the past month!

Back of the house during framing.

Front of the house during framing.

This is Miss Lily Gabriella Baioni, born to our dear friends Sean and Dana. Lily was born on Christmas Day (this picture was when she was about 24 hours old) and was 5 lbs 2 oz (she was three weeks early.) She's the best Christmas present Dana and Sean could have hoped for. She's the littlest baby I've ever held but she's absolutely perfect!

A view of downtown Portland during the snow storm, on one of the "better" days. Because of the road conditions, we had to take the tram up to the hospital.

Not sure what this is about but it's a pretty funny little pose.

Getting ready to cut down our Christmas tree.

Christmas morning.

With Tovah after decorating her tree.

Kisses!

New Pictures

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks....

Maddie at swimming with her teacher, Bonnie. She's taking her lessons at the same aquatic center I did when I was little. She LOVES it! She starts ballet on Tuesday.

They finally broke ground on our house! Here's the hole where the foundation will go.

Another view.

Me in front of the forms that have been poured for the foundation. (FYI, about 25 weeks preggo in this pic.)

Foundation actually being poured. So exciting. Should start framing this week.....we've already got some rough plumbing in as of this past Saturday. Expected completion is 4.21.09!

Quick Picture

Here's a rendering of what the new house will look like when it's done. Sooooo excited!!!

Belated Update

I realize it's been a while since I last posted but a lot of things have happened.

1. Maddie had her first experience with stitches. I got a call from her school on election day that she had fallen and hit her head on one of the little play tables. Split her eyebrow right open. Luckily, her pediatrician could do the stitches at his office rather then sending us to the ER. She ended up with six and got them out last Monday. She was very brave and I have to admit that I was pretty proud of myself that I handled it as well as I did. Amazing how the maternal instinct takes over when your child needs you. =)

2. We FINALLY have the building permit for our new house, so we (well, the construction guys) are supposed to break ground this coming Wednesday. Yay!!!!!

3. Pregnancy is still going well, though I have to admit that emotionally I am having a really hard time lately. I've been a bundle of nerves and a lot of tears have been flowing. I'm sure the upcoming holidays are bringing some of it on, as Audrey is supposed to be here with us this Christmas. I've started seeing a new therapist and it does help to talk some of these things through.

Yesterday, I freaked out a little, imagining that Baby #3 hadn't moved as much as normal. Luckily, my midwife's office is extremely kind and told me to just come in to check it out. I had a non-stress test where they hooked my up to a monitor for about 20 minutes to check the baby's heart rate. The good news is that I got to listen to that beautiful sound long enough to ease my nerves. Bad news is that it made me feel a little foolish, since she was obviously beating away, nice and strong, in there. But considering I'm 24 weeks and have really only had two "freak outs" so far, I think that's not that bad considering everything that's happened this year.

4. Shout out to Mom and Dad.....they will be celebrating the 40TH ANNIVERSARY of their first date in a few days. It boggles my mind.....I thought that being with Alex for almost 8 years was impressive. Not so much when I think about them. =) But it's something really grand to shoot for though - can't wait til we can brag about that milestone too!

That's it in a nutshell for now. When we have pictures of our house starting, we'll post them.