Sweet Little Finley

I have a beautiful daughter! Finley Elizabeth Fitzgerald was welcomed into our family on June 1st 2010 at 2:57pm. She was able to "cook" for another 2 weeks and made it to the 36 week mark exactly. It all started that Tuesday right after I decided to start Kellen's baby book (Yah, yah, I know....He's almost 2 and a half and I still don't have a photo baby book made for him....guess this Blog kinda counts, right?).

I started feeling mild contractions a little before 11am, but didn't think anything of it because this has been the norm since I was put on strict bedrest. I got in the shower, which usually puts the contractions to rest, and laid back down on the bed and decided to chart them. An hour later Colin stopped by to see how I was doing before heading to lunch with some coworkers and then to a meeting in NE Portland. He noticed my contraction chart and started to worry telling me I should call my doctor. I, of course, still thought nothing of this and told him "I'm fine. These contractions will probably go away like they have been, now go to lunch with your friends and I'll call you if I need to." Colin reluctantly drove away and a few seconds later I see him pull up into the driveway. A little voice told him to stay put with me and so he decided to come back. I again told him I'm fine and that he really needs to go. So, again, he drove off only to pull back into the driveway seconds later. He claimed that the restaurant was "closed" and was adamant about not going. Yah right honey, I can read right through you, but I decided his company wasn't such a bad thing and gave in. The contractions wouldn't go away so I did call my doctor and since I had an appointment at 3:20pm that day, they bumped it up to 1:20pm and told me if I thought I was in actual labor to just go to Labor and Delivery. Colin and I jump into the Tahoe around 12:30pm and threw our suitcase of packed goods in the trunk just in case. That 20 minute drive felt like 20 hours. My contractions hit me like a ton of bricks and 5 minutes into the drive I tell Colin "Don't think we're going to make it to my appointment. Head to Labor & Delivery"! Sure enough I was in true labor. I arrived being 5cm dilated and lil' miss Finley was in perfect position to arrive. They transferred me to the labor and delivery room right after I was admitted, epidural GODDESS showing up soon after, and literally an hour and a half later I was pushing. Two pushes (yes, that is not a typo), TWO PUSHES later and my gorgeous daughter was born! I remember saying "It's a girl, right?" Ah yes, not just a girl, the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. She has these dainty features and truly looks like a little angel. Such a pretty lil' thing. I know I'm bias, but seriously, look at her...she's gorgeous! She has that darker skin from my side of the family (YAY!), Colin's lips (Double YAY!), and my toes (so sorry, Fin!). I'm just hoping she ends up having stunning eyelashes just like her big brother. Even though Finley was 4 weeks early, she was 6 lbs. 5 ounces, which is a pretty good size for a preemie. So to calculate it all, my labor was only 2 and a half hours and I owe my husband a HUGE thank you for listening to that little voice and not his wife. :-) I would've given birth at home if it weren't for Colin ignoring my stubbornness.

Sweet lil' Finley. Such a petite, pretty thing. I honestly get lost in her big blue-grey (as of now) eyes. She has such a gentle and sweet soul. An AMAZING baby thus far. She can grunt like no other and the way she follows my voice with her head melts my heart. Her big brother loves her dearly and even though he is still working on the being gentle piece, he can't get enough of her and is constantly wondering what she's doing and where she is. "I wanna see her!" are Kellen's famous words. When I picked up Kellen from daycare one day with Finley in tow, Reyna, our daycare provider says to me "What a sweetheart, can we keep her?" Kellen instantly says in a stern voice "NO! You can't take her! She's mines!" So sweet and such a good bodyguard! I just hope that carries on for a long time!

I never thought it was possible to love someone as much as I love Kellen. This little boy of mine stole my heart 2 and a half years ago and I was worried I didn't have room in my heart for anyone else. Boy was I wrong! The instant I saw Finley's pretty little face, I was smitten. This is what being a mother is all about. Having an overwhelming, unconditional love for two human beings is a feeling only other mothers and fathers could understand. Makes me wonder why some people choose not to have children. My heart is now warmly full and I have two adorable children to thank for it. ;-)

One Determined Daughter!

Life is definitely full of unexpected twists and turns. Looks like our lil' bambina wants to make an entrance into the world sooner than later...

Last weekend I was experiencing mild contractions and didn't really think anything of it. Thought it was just Braxton Hicks since I was only 34 weeks along. Well, the contractions didn't ease up and by Tuesday I just felt that something was not quite right so I called my doctor and they told me to go to the hospital to get checked out just in case. With Colin and Kellen in tow, we were not prepared for the news that was about to unfold. I was almost 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Talk about so many raw emotions going through my body all at once. I couldn't help but to break down in tears. I was admitted right after that and given medication to try and subside the contractions/labor. I responded well to the meds, thank GOD, but she was still determined to enter the world. I was still 3-4 cm dilated the next morning, but 100% effaced. Not good. She was very low. Since my contractions subsided and the dilation did not progress, they decided to discharge me Wednesday afternoon. I have been ordered to be on strict bedrest and continue the medication until she arrives. I'm praying with all my heart I can keep this peanut cookin' for at least another two weeks. Guess this means I'm going to have one heck of a strong-headed daughter. As long as she's strong and healthy, I don't mind one bit. ;-)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kellen!

With Kellen's new fire truck obsession it was only fitting to make his 2nd birthday a Fire Truck theme. We invited close friends and immediate family to the event (thanks to our way too small house) and it was a success! The Hillsboro Fire Department came to surprise Kellen a little after the party started in their Fire Truck. I'm not sure who was more excited, the birthday boy or the moms at the party! HA! Needless to say, I had a two year old who was utterly speechless at the ooooing and awwwing of the fire truck and the fire fighters. They even agreed to depart emergency style which caused all the neighbors to rush outside to see what the chaos was. It was a fantastic 2nd birthday and one I know our lil' monkey will never forget! :-)

IT'S A...

GIRL!!!! "Bring on the pigtails and tutus" is the phrase we used to break the news to our family and friends. We are thrilled that Kellen is going to have a baby sister!! The tears of joy and excitement were flowing when we found out. What a blessing to be able to have one of each gender! I will never have to wonder what it would be like to have a son or a daughter. I get both! Yippee!! Now let the name search begin....

Holiday Fun with the Fitzgeralds

This Christmas Holiday was such an exciting one. I can't believe how much Kellen go into it this year! It is incredible how much he has matured and grown in just one year. Last year he could've cared less about the Christmas tree, presents, Santa Claus, etc., but this year, watching him take it all in was like reliving our childhood all over again. His fascination for Santa Claus grew rapidly once he realized that Santa was the one who brought him new toys on Christmas Day. Kellen kept saying "Santa Claus, bring me toys!". Quite adorable, if you ask me. :) When we met Santa, Kellen was in awe. His big brown eyes were just fixated on him and he kept mumbling "Santa Claus, bring me toys." and "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas". When it was time for our Kodak moment with Kellen sitting on Santa's lap, he was not having it. So...mommy had to sit on Santa's lap with Kellen sitting on mommy's lap. We couldn't get Kellen to look at the camera because he just wouldn't stop staring at Santa! Such a classic photo!

Our traditional annual neighborhood Sleigh Ride was cancelled this year due to the chance of freezing rain and snow. Even though the forecast was grim, we decided to have some family and friends over anyway for some good eats and drinks. Kellen loved having all his buddies over. Bella, Hannah, Ethan, Reese, Myle, Mattea...they had a great time playing together and checking out all the Christmas lights Colin and our neighbors put up. The Christmas lights this year were a big success! Colin made an enormous "Lake Fitz" in the middle of the yard and filled it with all kinds of animals. Needless to say, Kellen wanted to be outdoors EVERY night. He really enjoyed helping Colin or I turn on all the Christmas lights on our house and really looked forward to the blow-up penguin "waking up!". It'll be so fun to see Kellen helping out his daddy next year when the light season comes around again.

Christmas Day was such a wonderful experience. Santa brought Kellen a work bench and tools (that grandma and grandpa Fitz help coordinate), a Thomas the Engine hut and tunnel, and a toddler vacuum just like mommy's. When Kellen came into the living room to see all his new toys, he didn't know what to play with first. The excitement and happiness that appeared on his face warmed my heart. We are so fortunate to provide Kellen with such fun things.

SNOW!! It snowed again this year and Kellen LOVED it! Thank goodness we had a snowsuit that fit him because the kid was out in the snow for hours!! If he wasn't eating the snow or trying to eat the carrot off of the snowman's nose, he was falling down on purpose and walking around hearing the crunching under his shoes. If only he would've kept those darn mittens on!! The poor kids' hands were bright red when he finally came back inside. Such a boy! Too bad the snow only lasted for a day. Maybe we'll be lucky and get some more before Spring arrives.

The Holidays were a success. We are so thankful to have such a loving and healthy family. We are truly blessed.

Kellen's Going to be a Big Brother!!

We are thrilled to announce that we're expecting our second lil' Fitzy!!! Kellen will soon be a big brother! Baby girl or boy is estimated to arrive June 29th. This pregnancy so far has been completely different than my pregnancy with Kellen. I was truly spoiled with Kellen. Not one day of nausea, flawless skin, and my hair....my hair was so thick and gorgeous! Not so much this time around. If I'm not dry heaving into the toilet every hour or so, I declare it a fantastic day!! It feels so different this time around. Maybe that means this one is a lil' girl?? I've kind of already convinced myself, but who knows! It would be heavenly to have two boys, but I have always wanted to know what it would be like to have a daughter. Either way, I'll be thrilled. I just hope the gagging and nausea goes away soon, but if it means we'll be blessed with another healthy baby, I'll take it!! ;-)

Halloween 2009

Colin and I have season tickets to the Ducks and we easily decided that we wouldn't be making it to the USC game because of Halloween and Kellen being able to actually trick or treat this year. It was a smart decision (even though it was a spectacular game!), but we know that we will never be able to get these early years of trick-or-treating back.

Kellen absolutely LOVED all the Halloween decorations our neighbors had up this year. He especially loved "Frankie" aka Frankenstein. Every day he would ask to go see the "Scary" and we'd make a loop around our corner checking out every neighbors scary display. I was impressed by the lack of fear Kellen had. He truly enjoyed seeing all these ghosts, witches, screaming zombies, etc. and would often say "more, more" every time we'd walk away. Trick-or-Treating was going to be a piece of cake! So I thought....

It all started with Larry our neighbor coming out of his house dressed in a full bodied skeleton costume that even scared me! Kellen literally started shaking! I convinced Larry to take his mask off so Kellen could see it was him and the minute he revealed his face, Kellen said in a relieved voice "Hi Laaaaary!". I think this sight set him off, because every masked costume that was remotely scary, Kellen would grab a hold of me as tightly as he could in his adorable lion costume. We didn't last long trick or treating, but it was exciting to see Kellen light up every time candy was put into his pumpkin bowl. I gave in and let him have a lollipop when we got home. It was his first piece of candy and boy did he enjoy it! :-)

21 Months of Utter Cuteness!

Kellen turned 21 months old on Friday the 13th and Colin and I sit back and are amazed at how fast the time has gone by. It is so hard to imagine Kellen was once this 7 1/2 pound newborn that was 100% dependent on us. Now he is Mr. Independent! Although these last few months have been trying with Kellen really wanting to be independent and do things when HE wants to, they have truly been fantastic months. Seeing how much he is learning and soaking in daily is truly unbelievable! This lil' boy is so bright (and I'm not just saying that because I'm a very proud momma..HA!)! He counts by himself from 1 to 10 (sometimes he'll count to 5 and then skip to "fourteem, fifteem"), he can sing his ABC's (with a wee bit of help), he can identify letters "O", "M", "A", "B", "C", and "D", he is starting to learn his colors and definitely has the color red down (maybe it'll be his favorite color??), and boy does this kid love to sing! I've taught him the song my mom and grandma used to sing to me when I was little called "Tu Tu Tu Tu Wah Wah" in Spanish. Kellen always asks me to sing him this song when he goes to bed. I honestly get teary eyed every time he starts to sing along with me. It is the most precious sound in the world! These moments will always be cherished in my heart. There is no doubt about it that Kellen is growing up fast. Every day he says or does something new. The latest is the word "yah". We'll ask him a question and he'll respond "yah"...very confidently I might add. It is hilarious! Kellen's dancing has also become quite the scene. I have never seen a toddler get so into dancing like Kellen does! It's a bit wild, but truly comical to watch. I'll have to post a video of him in action soon. We are just over the moon with this lil' man. He has been such a joy to watch grow up. I can't believe his 2nd birthday is a mere 3 months away!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We headed over to LakeView Farms Pumpkin Patch again this year. It is definitely one of our favorites. Grandma & grandpa Fitz and Nana came along for the excitement. Kellen loved the train and the boat ride this year. It was so neat to see him soaking it all in and actually being able to really understand what was going on this year. He was a trooper for being up WAY past his nap time. Kellen even managed to find some perfect pumpkins! The weather cooperated nicely as well. Thank goodness!!!

The Morgys

Last time we visited the Morgenthalers was last November for their house warming/Kelly's birthday party. Kellen was only 9 months old, not quite walking yet, and Brennan was 16 months. We had a weekend free (finally!) in September so we decided to venture on up and make a visit. The road trip was as smooth as can be with a 19 month old. Thank heavens for The Wiggles and our DVD player in our Tahoe!!! :-) It was a much needed visit for Colin......to be able to enjoy a weekend with one of his best friend's from college. It's been hard not having them live down the block from us now. Especially now that we both have little boys that are less than a year apart. Brennan and Kellen play so well together. Kellen is surrounded by little girls back at home and it was nice for him to finally have a dude to play with! HA HA! The Werders also came over one night for dinner. They too have a sweet little boy named Pace who got along wonderfully with Kellen and Brennan as well. We're hoping one day the Morgenthalers decide to move back down to Oregon (we can wish, right?) and reunite with us. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality, Morgys!!!

Meet the Merrills

My grandma and grandpa Merrill live up in Issaquah, Washington. I have so many fond memories of them and their house growing up. I remember bragging to all my friends when I was in grade school that my grandparents had the BEST house ever and that it was a "mansion" surrounded by wilderness. Some of the fondest memories there are riding around with my grandpa on the riding lawn mower, chasing the squirrels that lived in the backyard, going on wilderness walks through the forest and discovering ball parks and all kinds of incredible hiding places, loading up in grandma and grandpa's motor home for another fun-filled road trip, sleeping in the TV room with my sister and going through a binder full of hundreds of movie titles of the movies my grandparents had, sneaking many peaks at the movies only adults were allowed to watch, Christmas' that a child could only dream of, endless snack bowls filled with candy/chips/etc., a closet full of delicious food in the basement, sliding down the stairs at full-speed on blankets....the list can go on forever. Their house and the memories made there are held and cherished deep in my heart. For the past 19 months I've been wanting to make a trip up to Issaquah to see my grandparents and for them to meet Kellen. Colin and I had the perfect opportunity when we decided to visit the Morgy's up in Anacortes, WA. We'd stop by on the way up to break up the long road trip. It was such a wonderful visit. Even though we were there for only a couple of hours, it was so nice for Kellen to finally meet his great grandparents and it felt like home when I hugged my grandma and grandpa. I did not want to leave and found myself wishing that I lived closer to them. I miss them so very much. We will definitely have to start making this trip up to their house an annual thing. I love you grandma and grandpa and can't wait to see you again!!! XOXO!!!!

Trailblazer Mania!

Colin won some suite tickets to watch the Trailblazer Fan Fest. We were excited to take Kellen to it, especially because we'd be in a suite where he'd be able to run around and not stay put for so long. Even though Kellen only lasted the first half, we still had a great time and Kellen was wowed by the cheers, lights, and "shahpball" (his way of saying "basketball) being played. I think his favorite player was Rudy Fernandez.....oh wait, that's mommy's favorite player....Whoops! ;-)

Hillsboro Airshow 2009

We've started a tradition at our house every summer to host a small BBQ with close friends and any family at our house and watch the Airshow above us in the sky. This year the Thunderbirds made their appearance. I cannot describe how loud these jets are. They fly right over our house and literally shake our house. It's an interesting week once they start practicing, especially during Kellen's nap time. Ugh! Luckily and amazingly he slept through the first run through and was awake before the next two. Everyone loved watching the speed and bravery in the sky!

Kellen with his earmuffs ready for the jets!

Diggin' for ice
Eva and Bella.....Kellens' friends
Lawn mower racing
Chalk in hand and ready to write!
Chef Larry Legend

Three Amigos!

Bye Bye Curls!

The ringlets on the back of Kellen's head were starting to develop into the makings of a mullet. Needless to say, Colin and decided it was time to say good bye to Kellen's precious curls and head on over to Curtailed and Pigtails to get his first haircut. It was a bitter sweet experience for us. Kellen was on cloud nine sitting in his taxi cab chair, watching Elmo, eating animal crackers as his hairstylist went to town on his hair. As I was watched his curls hit the floor, I kept thinking to myself, he is not going to look the same as he did with these curls and panicked silently inside. Sure enough I was right. When all was said and done, Kellen looked months older than he did with his curls. He was no longer baby-looking, he was a little boy! It took a few days to get used to his new style, but I love the new look now! Such a grown up, handsome little man we've got! Check it out....

Before the haircut

Kellen chose to sit in the taxi cab over the firetruck....SHOCKING!
Mommy trying her hardest to distract Kellen
Side view of the after look
Kellen looking THIRLLED to be done. ;-)

Papa Fitzgerald's Birthday

We headed to Grandma and Grandpa (Kellen has nicknamed him "Papa") Fitzgerald's house for Grandpa's birthday dinner. Colin and I foresee there house to be Kellen's Outdoor Oasis in a year or two. They live on acres of land, have vegetables, fruit trees and blueberries (Kellen's favorite!) growing like crazy, hills to run and roll down, deer and bunnies scurrying around, and a mini waterfall that flows into a pond that Colin made years ago. It is THE place to be when you're a kid that loves to be outside. After a delicious dinner and an even more unbelievably amazing banana cream cake, we headed outside to enjoy the scenery. Happy Birthday, Pat!!!

Kellen playing ball with Blink

The Fitzgeralds
Checking out the pond that daddy help build a while ago
Blink wanting to jump outside to play
Uncle Brendan and Daddy playing on the "WEEEEEE" aka Hill

Bikes and One Cute Babe!

Colin and I decided to buy bicycles for our anniversary gifts and we bought a bike trailer to haul our lil' monkey around whenever we ride.  We were pretty nervous that Kellen wouldn't like this new cruisin' mobile (and rightfully so....it is SPENDY!!), but even more nervous about the enormous helmet he had to wear every time we went on a venture.  Thankfully Kellen fell in love instantly!  Colin and I put on our helmets first and kept saying "Look at our really COOL hats, Kellen!  We are just soooo COOL!  Would you like a COOL helmet to wear too???".  Yup, he took the bait and we were quickly on the street ridin' in style around our neighborhood.  I even decided to pick up Kellen this week from daycare on the bike and trailer and it was surprisingly exciting and a great quicky workout to boot.  We stopped on our way home up an endless hill and said "Hello" to the tractors and trucks we saw (thank GOD for those tractors and trailers because mommy needed a little break from that darn hill!).  Now every time we go into the garage, Kellen grabs our helmets, crawls into his bumblebee trailer and says "Ride?  Ride?".  Too flippin' precious!

He just HAD to take his stuffed bear with him!

Do I really have to wear this gigantic thing???

                           Here we go!

The "W" Word

I truly cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by.  It seems like yesterday I was cleaning up my classroom at a high speed rate so I could pick up Kellen from daycare and begin my full-time mommy life right away.  Even though the summer flew by, we had such an incredible time.  I was able to see Kellen blossom into such an amazing little boy.  He is talking up a storm now (repeats EVERYTHING we do and say) and has really taken on singing and does it well!  He is such a super active lil' boy...He definitely helped the calorie burning this summer!  I'm feeling mixed emotions about school beginning on Tuesday.  I am super excited to get back in the classroom and do what I love to do (not to mention get my social life, outside of babies, back), but there are several things that have become routine for Kellen and I that I am going to miss dearly.  The snuggling on the couch every morning watching cartoons while we try to wake up for the day, trying to chug my morning coffee as quickly a possible while Kellen is yanking on my pant leg saying "Outside!  Outside!", rocking him to sleep during nap time and hearing "Mommy?! All done!" when he wakes up, getting hosed down by Kellen as we water the plants (or mommy!) every morning, playing at the park at any time of the day just because we can, running outside on Wednesday mornings to greet the garbage truck (or as Kellen calls it, the "Poo Poo Truck"), weekly playdates with our incredibly supportive playgroup, laying in the sun getting lost in a good book while Kellen naps (hey, a momma's gotta have some "me" time, right?!), and most of all just being there for Kellen all day every day.  I do have to admit though, a mommy could not ask for a more convenient job.  I feel blessed to have the time off that I do to spend with Kellen.  So here I go again as a working mom, hopefully this year will be better than last....

Yup, that's me in our school mascot costume.  I volunteered to wear it for our all staff Back-to-School Pow-wow.  Go big or go home, right??!!!  HA HA!!

  

The Next Michael Phelps?!

Kellen started swim lessons 5 weeks ago at Schute Park Aquatic Center in Hillsboro.  It is one of the classes where you have to go into the pool with your child and an instructor guides you through various songs and skills to work with your child.  I was apprehensive for these classes to begin for a couple of reasons...one, Kellen had not been in a swimming pool since he was a young baby, and two, I'd have to put on a bathing suit and wear it out in public!!  After many minutes of sucking in my stomach, watching Kellen splashing around, and kicking his feet in the water like he'd been doing it for years, all my fears and worries washed away.  I figured, I really don't look THAT bad in a suit and Kellen is having the time of his life so who really cares!  No one was looking at me anyways....they were all doting on the adorable babies splashing and squealing in the water (hopefully, anyways).  So 5 weeks later our swim lessons come to an end. Kellen has learned to kick his feet towards objects in the water, hold his breath while being dunked under water (most of the time), and "swim" to me after being pushed under water by the instructor.  On our last day of lessons we all went down this enormous water slide.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous because when you reach the bottom, people tend to be dunked under water.  If I were going down alone I wouldn't mind at all, but I had my pride and joy sitting on my lap!  The water slide went A LOT faster than I expected, but I managed to keep Kellen's head above water at the end.  He loved that slide so much saying "Again, Again!", that we did it 3 times in a row!!  He has come so far since that first day clinging for dear life to me as we made our way into the water.  We'll definitely have to continue these lessons if he's going to be a contender in the Olympics in the future!  ;-)  Here are a few pictures and a of the class...

                     Singing songs in the pool

                               

         Climbing to the top of the waterslide
                                       

                    Getting ready to jump in
                                

             Certificate of completion...YAY!!
          

           Thank you, mommy, for not taking me under with you!
                             

                Right before Kellen says "Again!  Again!"
                                             

                                            Cheese!
   

     I don't want to go in the baby pool!  I want more waterslide!!!  

                      Kellen's first venture down the waterslide!