We are home!

Hello! We were discharged this afternoon, and I'm very happy to be back at home. Griffin Peter was born on Tuesday, September 26th, at 9:47 a.m. He weighed exactly 7 pounds - - needless to say, we were surprised at how tiny he was! He looks so much like Camden did when he was born, although his hair is much darker, and he has a much more prominent chin dimple. He is a very sweet baby, and we are all in love!

Just a few minutes after birth...

Griffin and his sweet big brother

With my wonderful doctor

Getting ready to leave the hospital

Off to the hospital...

Steve and I are about to leave for the hospital, and as you can see, I am ready to go! Didn't get much sleep last night, mostly because I was having so many contractions! So, I'm glad that today is the day. I will attempt to have someone send out an email this afternoon, otherwise, I'll post all of Griffin's stats when I get home from the hospital, either Thursday or Friday. Thanks to everyone for all of the great emails I received yesterday and over the weekend, I was really touched.

Five More Sleeps!

This is something my mother has always said (and still says), leading up to a "big event", such as Christmas, or a trip. I think in this case, it probably would have been more accurate to say, "Five More Nights of Fitful Thrashing, Constant Waking, Leg Cramps, and Tingly Arms", but that's another post altogether. Yes, I'm in the final, ugly week of pregnancy. My body is doing things that I simply cannot share with you, I have about 4 pieces of clothing that I can actually wear, and I want this kid outta me. I don't remember feeling this way, at this point, when I was pregnant with Camden. Maybe it is my age (seriously, I only missed the "Advanced Maternal Age" label by 4 months, folks), maybe I am just a big baby. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure I'll survive the next 5 days just fine, as long as I can keep my whining under control.

Yesterday, I'm afraid I was all but useless. I WANTED to be productive, but I just felt awful. I've come to the conclusion that my severely squished digestive system can only handle small portions of very bland food from here on out, so I'll give that a try and see if it helps. I have a new outlook on life today, and I'm hoping I can actually get something accomplished in this house. I think Camden and I will head to the Big City this morning to do a couple of errands, and then we'll pay a visit to the library this afternoon.

I just heard some little feet running across the floor upstairs, so it must be 6:00 a.m.

Here are some random pictures from the past few days:

The boys, changing lures before their fishing trip this past Sunday

The other boys, sharing some quality time in the back yard

Recently, Camden has been wanting his dad to have "sleepovers" in his room. Since Camden has the World's Best Father, Steve willingly obliges, setting up sofa cushions next to Camden's bed mattress, on the floor in Camden's room. They actually had a sleepover last night, but Steve informed me this morning that this won't be happening on weeknights anymore! Apparently, Cam rolls onto the floor all night long, and Steve feels obligated to keep placing him back on his mattress, therefore, the man gets no sleep.

Must get breakfast prepared and get this day started!

More house pictures, etc.

It has taken me a long time to start posting pictures of the house. No real reason other than my head seems to be in 50 different places at the same time right now. Here is a shot, looking into the living room/dining area, from the front door as you enter the house. There is a door at the right of the dining area that leads to the kitchen, and there is a hallway to the left, that leads to our bedrooms, bathroom, laundry room, and the stairs to the basement. We are excited to start using the wood stoves this winter - - you can see that there is one in the living room, and there is also a great one in the family room downstairs. We need to have the chimney inspected first, and need to order some wood. I love wood heat, and I'm excited that we have it in this house.

This is to the left, when you walk in the front door. I'm anxious to paint the living room a warmer color (it is a very bright room), but won't be getting around to that until next spring, most likely.

This is looking at the living room, from the dining area (obviously). Steve mentioned last night during dinner that it is so nice to be living in a house that doesn't really need any work. Some of you faithful readers are quite aware of what our old house was like - - what it is still like - - it has a lot of work left to be done on it (before it can be rented) so whenever a weekend rolls around, Steve feels like he needs to be working on it. Once it is all done, it is going to be wonderful to have "nothing" to do on the weekends. As I've mentioned before, our new house has a bit of a "'70's" feel to it - - it has been a long time since it has been updated. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. I'm amazed what a new coat of paint can do, in terms of changing the entire look of a room. Once I get settled into a new routine with the boys, I hope to get some major painting done. We think eventually that we'll remodel the upstairs bathroom, as well as the kitchen, but for now they are just fine and there is no need at all to do anything drastic.

Camden and I will be heading to Meridian this morning, for my final OB appointment. When I see my doctor next Tuesday, I'll be strapped to the OR table, ready to have Griffin! Hard for me to believe right now - - I just cannot wait to see this baby. My folks arrive around lunchtime on Saturday, which is great. I'm glad they will be here a few days before he is born.

Steve is as busy as ever at work. This coming weekend is a drill weekend, so he we won't see much of him until Monday. He found out yesterday that he will have to be out of town the week after Griffin is born, but thankfully my parents will still be here.

Riley has decided he prefers to be outside, rather than inside, which is a welcomed change. He stayed out all day yesterday, alternating between lounging under the big tree, and barking at squirrels. He's a little stiff this morning, and I'm thinking I need to give him a little pain medication, as he wasn't too excited to climb up the stairs to go outside. It is hard to see him getting old - - it doesn't seem possible to me that he is almost 10 years old. Sadie is actually a few months older than Riley, but she doesn't act old yet, she just acts crazy. I wish I could give her a pill that would make her act like a normal dog, but alas, no such luck.

Getting Ready for Griffin...

Here we are just a few minutes ago, putting together the stand for the beautiful Moses bed we just received in the mail! I knew it was coming today, so I've been pacing most of the day, waiting for the UPS guy to get here. I felt awfully handy with my Black & Decker power screwdriver - - it got the job done. The bedding is denim, with blue and white stripes - - it is gorgeous. It will be so nice to have Griffin right next to me at night for the first couple of months. The great thing about Moses baskets are that you can take them out of the stand and carry them from room to room with you, and not disturb baby. Thank you so very much, Roland and Susan - - I LOVE IT!

Here is a picture of the finished product, in our bedroom

Camden and I are having a lovely day - - it finally feels like autumn here. Camden broke out his jeans and long sleeves, as it was a bit too cold for short sleeves. It actually feels nice to be a little chilly for a change. We dug out our Halloween shirts today to see if they still fit. We were really happy to find out that Camden can squeeze another Halloween out of his shirt. The sleeves are bordering on being too short, but I think we can get away with it:My shirt, on the other hand, seems to have shrunk a little (warning...not for the faint of heart): We'll see if I can squeeze into it by October 31st! I think Camden and I will head next door to the old house and bring a few things over here. I still have a lot to move out of my closet, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Steve is pretty busy for the next few days, so we won't be seeing much of him until Sunday, unfortunately. We miss you, honey!

I also wanted say hello to my cousin Janet, one of my faithful blog readers in New York...Janet, I got your email and I promise to post more pictures from now on...I'll have pictures of the new house before the weekend is out!

Big Brother Class

Yesterday, Steve and I took Camden to the hospital where Griffin will be born, for "Sibling Preparation Class". It was a hoot. He and a handful of other 3 to 5 year-olds were taught the finer points of being a "big brother" or "big sister". He was feeling pretty bashful at first, but it didn't take him long to warm up and join right in. He learned all about what a new baby is like, how to change a diaper, swaddle a baby, and how to help Mom and Dad.

Here's Camden, learning to change a diaper

Learning to swaddle

Checking out pictures of newborn babies

The kids were also taken on a tour of the hospital, which included a stop at the maternity ward. They got to see a room like where mommy will stay, and also got to go by the nursery and see a new baby. It was a great class, and Camden seemed to like it quite a bit. He mentioned quite a few times yesterday, "I the big brudder!" so I think it made an impression on him.

On the way home, Steve took the scenic route through the hills. The weather was gorgeous - - in the low 80's, so we could ride with all the windows down (instead of having to use the a/c). I stopped and snapped this picture - - the hills were just beautiful. A few little farms scattered here and there. I commented to Steve how peaceful it must be to live there.

Today, Steve is busy next door, scraping paint in preparation of painting the outside of the house. Camden and I are playing and doing chores. We've been putting our Halloween decorations up...a bit early but then again, I'd be pushing my luck if I waited much longer! I made pumpkin spice waffles this morning for breakfast, and the house smells great. I love autumn, and although it is still quite hot out here, I can tell it is not far off.

Peach Cobbler

Our new house came with a big peach tree, so I tried my hand at baking a fresh peach cobbler yesterday. I Googled "peach cobbler", and chose a recipe from The Food Network. Oddly enough, while I was gathering the ingredients, I noticed the recipe's author was Kristina Williamson from Schooner Ellida in Rockland, Maine! I figured that it was meant to be. Anyway, the recipe is great. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and is super easy to make. I'm sure it would taste great using frozen (thawed) peach slices. I do have to say, peeling fresh peaches is kind of a pain.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a 1.5 quart shallow casserole dish.

Filling Ingredients:
4 cups sliced peaches (either fresh/peeled, or frozen/thawed)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until peaches are coated. Pour into casserole and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine:

1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. brown sugar

Then, using a pastry blender, cut in:

4 tbsp. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Continue cutting until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Then, add:

2/3 cup buttermilk

Stir to form a soft dough. Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on top. Sprinkle this with some brown sugar and return to oven. Bake until bubbly and crust topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

I served this with some vanilla ice cream on top, and a dollop of Cool Whip.

Wildfires

Idaho is on fire, folks. According to the NIFC website (www.nifc.gov), there are currently 10 states reporting one or more wildfires. Idaho is in the lead with 16 fires currently burning (180,587 acres), with only 3 fires currently contained. Next behind Idaho is Washington, with 9 fires burning. Sometimes, fires occur naturally, ignited by heat from the sun or a lightning strike. However, the majority of wildfires are the result of human carelessness. You may wonder what this does to the air quality. Yesterday, the Air Quality Alert was set at "red", which prompted the Boise School District to have to cancel all outdoor athletic practices and games for school children. Plain and simple, all you can smell is burning wood. It does a number on people with any kind of respiratory trouble. Kids may be affected more, because their little airways are still developing. A couple of weeks ago, there was a huge wildfire in Ola (about 30 miles from here), and when we got up in the morning, the car, patio table, etc., were covered in ash.

After the Ola Fire was contained, we took a drive there to see the landscape. It was pretty sad to see how much land had been affected.

In the above picture, the darker area in the hills (most of the picture) is land that has burned. This was just a portion of what burned.

Here is a close-up shot of some of the burned trees

Last summer, there was a crazy man who led police on a high-speed chase through a couple of Idaho towns. Law enforcement layed down a spike mat, which popped the tires on the man's car, but he kept right on driving on the rims. As you can imagine, driving on your rims causes lots of sparks. As if he wasn't already in enough trouble, he proceeded to set off something like 14 fires, until he finally stopped his car.

The air still smells a little putrid today, but doesn't smell quite as bad as it did yesterday morning. The temperatures are suppose to go down a bit starting tomorrow, so hopefully that will help.

Boys

I must admit, I am beginning to get a little nervous about being outnumbered by boys. I've never really thought about it much, until recently, with Griffin's arrival coming right up. I mean, I'm already outnumbered, but with Griffin thrown into the mix, I don't stand a chance! Steve has had to remind me that some of Camden's behaviors are "a boy thing", such as throwing rocks, rubbing dirt all over himself, being gross, etc. This morning, Camden was playing outside when he yelled to me, "Mummy! I found a wormy!" He was so proud of himself. I gently told him that his "wormy" looked to be dead, but he insisted that the worm was just "resting". After I took this picture, Camden told me he needed a plastic dish and a pillow and blanket for his worm. As I type, "Wormy" is resting comfortably in a small Tupperware, with a cotton ball pillow and toilet paper blanket. I think he's in the living room.
Moving onto this afternoon - - we got out our art supplies, and Camden announced he needed a Spiderman mask. Thank goodness for the internet, and a quick Google search of Spiderman and voila! A Spiderman mask.

So far, we are doing well being at home. Granted, I am still waking up at the crack of dawn, but I guess there isn't much I can do about that for now. I decided that for this week, we aren't going to have any solid plans or structure to our day - - I feel like I need a few days just to unwind and figure out how to manage a household full-time, raise my child (soon to be children), and take care of myself. I am mostly just relaxing and enjoying being with Camden. He is such a good boy, and smart as a whip. I'm already seeing how much I've missed, all those hours that I spent at work.

I'm feeling pretty tired at this point, but only 20 more days to go! I can't believe Griffin will be here in less than 3 weeks. So much to do before then!

Mystery Solved

I can't help myself...this is worth a second post today. Our new house has a great pantry in the basement. You may remember this as the sight of the "plumbing incident" that occurred early last month. It is actually where the hot water heater and sump pump are located, but Lew had built some great shelves along the wall, and the room is just perfect for excess groceries and an assortment of kitchen appliances. As much as I love the room, about a week or two after we moved in, I became painfully aware of a funky odor that seemed to lurk there. I kept saying, "It smells like a dead animal down here!" I told myself that the smell was the result of the gallons of water that had blasted through the room when the pipes broke. I told myself the smell would go away. I bought an air freshener. Then I bought another air freshener. Soon the room smelled like dead animal, with a twist of citrus. I told Steve the smell was getting worse, yet neither of us could come up with a solution.
Fast forward to this morning. I'd been wanting to rearrange a few items in the pantry, namely, our large Coleman cooler, and the big plastic bin that holds the dog food. I never had really found a proper place for either, and figured, I'm unemployed, I think I'll do it today! I grabbed the handle to the cooler and pulled it over next to the freezer - - a perfect spot for it. As I did, there was an audible "slosh". Hmmm. My first thought was that during the "flood", water had gotten into the cooler. Aha! Stagnant water, possibly mold, lurking inside...stench solved! I quickly flipped the top of the cooler open, not even remotely prepared for what I would find. There, sitting in a pool of red water, was a lone package of, you guessed it - - ground elk meat. Rotten to the high heavens. I dry-heaved a couple of times, then closed the lid as fast as I could. Have you ever smelled raw meat, that has been sitting at room temperature for nearly four weeks? I didn't think so. Now, how did a package of elk meat find its way into my cooler, you ask? I'm not one to point fingers, but lets go ahead and backtrack a little. I'm rather pregnant, so I'm quite sure that I didn't move the very large deep freezer over here from our old house, nor did I transport the 100+ pounds of frozen elk meat. That task was tackled by my husband, and my father. Now that I think about it, I do recall my dear father boasting about how nicely he had arranged all of the elk meat, by cut, in the freezer. Apparently, "someone" (remember, I'm not pointing fingers) overlooked a package.
Needless to say, our poor cooler is now out in the alley, next to the garbage cans (with the rotten meat still inside). No matter what you say, you can't make me believe that I would ever be able to get that smell out. Even if I did, it would give me nightmares, for sure. Steve claims he might remove the offending item from the cooler, so as not to surprise some unsuspecting garbage men . I told him I didn't recommend opening that lid, but I'll leave that up to him. Now I must go, and spray some more Lysol up my nose.

Welcome to my new life...

Yesterday was my last day of work. I am now officially a stay-at-home mom! You may be wondering what the heck I am doing up at 5:20 a.m. - - I'm kind of wondering the same thing, too. The short answer is, I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant, and I don't really sleep anymore, I take cat naps. The other answer is that I am so use to getting up early, coupled with the fact that Steve's alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. (I'm a light sleeper and once I hear that alarm, I'm pretty much awake for the day, unfortunately).

I had started a post early in the week that I ended up deleting. It seems that I've been struggling with the fact that I wouldn't have a paying job anymore. I don't know that it was necessarily the paycheck I was going to miss, but more the sense of self. I've never not worked for a paycheck, so I don't really know what to expect, going into this new phase of my life. Anyway, a couple of days ago, I started to get really excited about what was about to happen. I'd been spending so much time worrying and wondering that I hadn't really stopped to think about how lucky I am. So today I am sitting here with a big smile on my face, happy to have this opportunity to be with my boys.