My itty bitty is SIX weeks old!

Now that I have lost all the readers I ever had... I've finally found a moment to post an update. I am so sorry, but this blog is competing with my sleep. The only times I'm not holding Maddison are the few moments that she sleeps... in which I want to play with Fischer, attempt housework, cook or... at night - SLEEP! Without fail, whenever I go near the computer, Maddie needs me -both of my hands!

I've been wanting to write down everything about Maddie's first month so that I wouldn't forget... but like I said... I've been holding her instead - I guess that could be important too. ;)

Here is our little Maddison at 3 weeks old. Although I was able to get her pictures taken nice an early for her birth announcements, most of the announcements are still sitting on the kitchen table (along with a pile of written thank you notes) because I haven't had a chance or two free hands to address them! Anyway the pictures turned out pretty cute.

She is six weeks old today!! She loves to eat... but never all at once - she likes to draw out feedings for an hour to an hour and a half! She also loves warm baths (she gets that from me) and she loves loves loves the blinds on the window in front of her changing table. Fischer loved his blinds too at this age. She also loves to be held, but not in a Snugli and not in a sling...my next trick will be to attempt to make a Moby wrap. Maybe she'll like that better. She cries more than Fischer ever did, but I think that is because of her reflux and tummy pain - poor baby! She's tried Zantac and Prevacid, but neither have seemed to make much of a difference. She sleeps pretty well at night usually. She'll sleep for 4-6 hours at first and then wake up every two after that.

I do love to cuddle her, especially when she scrunches up her little body and lays her head on my chest or shoulder. I love to feel her tiny breath on my neck or cheek. It is especially cute when she lifts her little bobble head and head butts me! Seriously... awww so sweet. I need to really savor this time, because it will go by so fast... I can get a bit caught up in wanting her to get older to stop some of the crying... but I know I'm really going to miss this cuddly time.

Maddie is pretty silly with her facial expressions - she has us all laughing... and she just started smiling with eye contact - so we feel extra special to receive a big open-eyed gummy smile! Although, she usually saves them all for her daddy! Andy loves to hold her on his lap and make faces at her until she smiles.

Fischer is still loving his baby sister. He loves to talk to her, kiss her, hug her, touch her, sing to her and play peek-a-boo with her. Hopefully soon, she'll smile for him. He is pretty helpful when it comes to Maddison's needs. He is usually quick to run to her when she cries in her bed, or he is johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to binkies and burp cloths.

All and all our family of four is still adjusting, but we are so very blessed to have one another.

TWO weeks

We've survived the first two weeks of postpartum and new baby! Hooray! It was a little rough there in the beginning, but we are settling in nicely now.

When we first arrived home on day 4 my hormones went crazy and I was a weepy mess for a few days. I cried if anyone came over, I cried if anyone left, I cried if I answered the phone and the person on the other end said, "How are you?"... yikes, I was a bit of a mess. Andy was amazing (of course he was), he took care of me, of Maddie, of Fischer, of our house, of the meals and visitors coming each day... everything. He made sure that I was able to sneak in extra naps during the day and was ready with a pep talk at a moments notice... often. I am so thankful that God has given me such an incredible husband and I am so grateful that he is off work for the summer (he is a teacher) and can be here to help.



With the weepiness, I kept thinking that I was just going to stay that way or spiral out of control into a deep depression. Andy kept reminding me that I just feel this way right now, and it doesn't mean anything about the future. I tried to focus on that, and I wanted everyone I talked to to tell me that this was normal and that it would pass.



It passed and I am feeling sooo much better now. I'm still healing from the c-section, but I am much more mobile and a lot less sore. So things are going in the right direction... OH - and a few days ago, I got my ankles back! WAHOO! I can fit into all of my shoes again!



Maddie is doing really well and really GROWING! We went for her 2 week appointment and she weighed 9 lbs, 2 oz already and measured at 21 inches. They said that she was healthy and perfect! Isn't that what every mother wants to hear? She's been out a bit... slept through a few family and friend outings - like the Dinosaur museum, playgroup and the farmer's market.

She has been battling reflux and has to take what appears to be the most disgusting tasting medicine ever - poor baby! She also has a very high pitched gasping sound that she makes quite often. The doctor said it was due to her tiny air passages. It makes it a little unnerving to sleep when you hear her make that sound. We've got her in our room so that we can keep tabs on her.



Fischer is still enjoying her, although he could do without her crying. He went back out to the waiting room at the doctor's office when they were about to prick her heel, so that he wouldn't have to hear her cry.

He takes pride in being able to help her in some way. He knows where all of her things are kept and loves to run grab anything she needs. He has been busy with the commentary on what it is that he thinks she needs at any given time. He also says that his head matches mine and Maddie's matches daddy's. (I'm guessing he means our hair). He also said that Maddie's skin is soft and his and ours is hard. He has a special interest in when her "extension cord" (umbilical cord) is going to fall off. He has also been interested in all of the baby stuff and the fact that it used to all be his... like the swing and the bouncy chair and many of the blankets. He is sharing really well, but seems a bit miffed that he can't sit in the swing or chair anymore.



Andy is tired but has been go-go-going with all that needs to be done around here. He says that new dads get an extra burst of testosterone to keep them going and to take care of their family. He is probably secretly anxious to get back to work!



Thank you for all of the well wishes in the comments and on Facebook, thank you to my friends for all of the delicious dinners and presents, thank you to our families for all of the support and cute girlie gifts, thank you to Ann and Danae for the breast feeding support, thank you to my husband for still being Mr. Wonderful after all of these years, thank you to Fischer for being so flexible, thank you to my hormones for relaxing and letting me be "normal" again and thank you to God for our many blessings.

PS- I'll add some pictures to this post when I find my misplaced camera.

A birth story (not for the faint of heart)

I'm beginning to feel a little anxious about the baby coming. On the one hand, I cannot wait to see her and hold her and to NOT be pregnant anymore.... but on the other hand I'm feeling nervous about the c-section (scheduled for 9 days from today). I know it will all go well, but I can't help feeling a bit of anxiety these days.
The whole labor and delivery HAS to go better than it did with Fischer! I thought I'd recount the events leading to Fischer's birth... I fully realize that Fischer and I may be the only ones interested in this story... and even he won't be till 20 years from now (and even then... probably not).


In fact, do not read on unless you are perfectly OK with TOO MUCH INFORMATION. AND, do not read on if you are pregnant now, especially with your first baby... you don't need these thoughts in your head.

I woke up at 6 am one Sunday morning with "surges" (that's what we called it in the hypnobirthing classes), not contractions. It was still 2 weeks before my due date, so I was sure it was Braxton Hicks or as my mother-in-law called it "practice labor". I went about my day and later went to a home dedication for my mother-in-law who had just moved. All the while feeling surges. As evening came I was busying myself with preparations for school the following day. I was teaching second grade at the time. I spent the evening planning, correcting papers, and thinking about meeting my long-term substitute. She was supposed to be coming in on Monday morning and spending a few days with me and my class so that I could show her the ropes and plan with her for the time that I'd be gone.
Well the surges kept getting more and more painful (although after watching the hypno-birthing videos... you wouldn't think there was ANY pain involved whatsoever - nothing a little sigh or slight grunt couldn't alleviate). So now I'm thinking... um, this could be the real thing. So I start working as quickly as I can to get as much planned and prepped for school the next day. I think I must have packed my bags too. Then I got in the tub to make sure everything was as it should be for the "big show".
Finally, around 1:00 am, I woke Andy and told him it was time to go to the hospital... he had a full on panic attack, so we sat on the couch and held each other until he felt better, and we were off.
At the hospital they checked me and I wasn't even dilated! BUT when they checked me, Fischer's heart rate dropped, so they didn't want me to go back home. They checked us in. So, Andy and I hung out, walked around, and around, and around for hours while I clung to him every few seconds with surges. I tried to go into my hypno exercises, but the pain was really throwing me off! By 9:00 am, they checked me again, and there was NO progression! By this time I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'd been having contractions for 27 hours already... I lay in the tub in the birthing room and made the decision to give up my natural-birth aspirations and get some help. Andy had gone home to shower. When he returned, they gave me the epidural... hallelujah! What in the world was I doing to myself before? This was heaven. My mom and Danae came, and we all sat around chatting, I watched The Three Amigos (movie options were limited), and then secretly cursed my mom and Andy while they snacked in my room! I snuck a bite. Everytime they checked me I hadn't progressed. So finally they gave me Pitocin to get things moving. Around 4:00 we started the pushing... and pushing... and pushing...(Andy was huddled by my head on one side and my mom was on the other, My dad and mother-in-law were waiting outside the room) ... two and a half hours later, the nurses and midwife could see Fischer's blond hair, but he wasn't budging. So my midwife called in a "forceps specialist". Well he assessed the situation and announced that with one big push from me and one big yank from him, the baby would be out (a considerable amount of repair would be needed for me- but by this point - 36 1/2 hours later - I didn't care one bit).

This is where things got a little fuzzy until months later when my mother filled me in. Next think I knew I was being wheeled off to surgery to have a c-section. Apparently, when the doc went to give his "one big yank" he braced himself by putting his foot up on the bed - which horrified my mother and she whispered to him "this looks like a law-suit waiting to happen"... and there I went in for surgery, just like that - no yanks, no repair work needed.

In the surgery room, they asked Andy if he wanted them to put up a mirror so that he could see, he responded with a definite "Hell No", and the drape went up in front of us both. I don't know how long it all took, one minute Andy was whispering soothing things in my ear and the next, he was showing me out beautiful baby boy.
After that, everything goes pretty fuzzy.

So you see, although the outcome was nothing short of a beautiful healthy bouncing miracle... the labor was WAY TOO LONG.
So this one has got to be better, right?

Happy 8th Anniversary Andy!

12 years ago, we met and fell in love, I was 19 you were 21.
10 years ago we bought our pups, Sophie and Kaia... and you asked me to marry you.
9 years ago you graduated with your BS.
9 years ago I graduated with both of mine.
8 1/2 years ago I started teaching.
8 1/2 years ago I totalled my car on the freeway.
8 years ago you graduated with your MS.
8 years ago we moved out of our college town and closer to family.
8 years ago we were married and celebrated with friends and family.
8 years ago we both started new teaching jobs.
8 years ago you bid farewell to your Saturn and bought your beloved truck.
7 1/2 years ago we bought our first home.
4 years ago we found out we were pregnant.
4 years ago you moved from teaching high school to teaching junior high school.
3 years and 4 months ago we became Mommy and Daddy to our beautiful son.
3 years ago I quit my job to stay home and take care of Fischer while you worked to take care of all of us.
8 1/2 months ago we became pregnant with our sweet little girl.
2 1/2 weeks from now we will get to hold her in our arms... a family of four (actually 6 with Sophie and Kaia).

I look forward to our next eight years of marriage and the eight after that and the eight after that and the eight after that and the...

Happy Anniversary Andy, I love you!

All about my dad...

Fischer's thoughts on his Dad:

1. I like when he makes me chocolate milk



2. I like when he makes me water.



3. I like when he plays with me like blocks and Lego's.



4. I like to go to the grocery store with Dad.



5. I like to weed and dig with him.



6. I help him with his hockey laces.



7. Dad's good at putting on my new sandals.



8. Dad's favorite treat is doughnuts.



9. Dad's favorite snack is beer and chips.



10. Dad knows how to make green beans and stuff like that.



11. Dad likes to eat with us.



12. Dad teaches his students at work.



13. Dad likes to make hockey time and work out.



14. Dad saves us from anything.



15. Dad smiles when we are home.



16. Dad smiles when he has doughnut holes and strudel bites.



17. I love my Dad.



18. Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday to Andy!!!!!.... three weeks ago

Thank you Mario Lemieux for standing in, yet again, for Andy's picture!

Super Bowl Sunday was Andy's birthday, which is great because it is built-in entertainment for his party! The only thing better would be if his birthday and the Stanley Cup Finals lined up for him each year!

Of course I'd like to take a minute to gush about my one and only love... best husband EVER! Seriously, thank you Andy for being the man that you are, for taking care of and providing for our family and for being the best friend and life-long companion I could dream of. I love you. AND, he's totally hot too!

Anyway, he is not a big fan of being talked about (or pictured) on the blog... so I thought I'd let his own words give you a peek into him. Andy coaches basketball... freshman girls basketball... it is not always easy, seeing as how every year he is basically teaching the girls how to play the game... BUT he makes it so much more. It seems that his goals are: teach them how to play the game, help them to have fun while playing, give them life-long friendships with one another and new found confidence in themselves (this is me talking... this is just what it looks like to me). So after a FUN season of losing... but having fun... he'll be giving them a little gift next week. He had personalized bracelets made for each of them (by his very talented sister) and he typed up a little letter to go with them. I thought you might like to read some of it:

It is said that when asked about sculpting David, Michelangelo stated he was merely liberating the form within by removing the excess rock. By cutting away,he was adding definition to the shape that already existed. If we think about life in a similar way, we find events, opportunities, and hardships can act as a chisel to “chip away” our excess rock to help us learn who we really are. Basketball was one of these opportunities (and sometimes a hardship depending on the day), and I was fortunate enough to watch this process with you. So what did I learn?

I learned you are strong, courageous, and spirited. I saw you rise up to take on formidable challenges, smile after tough defeats, and reach out to embrace your
teammates. Of course I already knew you were smart, funny, and beautiful, but I also saw these qualities grow, each and every day. I learned what an extraordinary person you truly are.

On your bracelet, you will see several pieces of your birthstone. Think of these stones as some of the chips that have been removed throughout the season. Each one represents a step you took toward strengthening one of your qualities. For those who are willing, life is full of opportunities to add definition to your form within.

You will also find a bead with the first letter of your name. I would have put your whole name, but seriously, some of you have long names and it would have ended up a necklace! This bead is to remind you to be proud of who you are. You are an incredible person, and although you might not always feel as such, that is who you are. When you doubt this, just surround yourself with people who already know the truth (or come back to ___ for a visit and some candy) and you should be back to normal in no time!

I have had an incredible time with you this season and thank you for all the time you committed to the team. I am also thankful for you allowing me to get to know you and teach you a little basketball. Nine months ‘till next season!

Happy Birthday Bampa!

Today is my dad's birthday, Fischer's grandpa (or "Bampa" as he says it). Happy Birthday Dad! Thanks for being the best Dad, Father-in-law and BAMPA that we could ask for!!!

We all love you SOOOOO Much!

Love, Lisa, Andy and Fischer

Did you know my dad has an identical twin brother? Happy Birthday Uncle Dick!

I've Been Tagged

Mario is going to have to stand-in for Andy again. because even though NOBODY would be able to tell that last pic was of him... he could.

My Darling HUSBAND

1. What is his name? Andy
2. Who eats more? Me (he has tummy troubles)
3. Who said I love you first? I can’t remember (is that terrible?)
4. Who is taller? Andy
5. Who is smarter? Depends on the subject. He is more “Cliff Claven” smart, while I’m smart about things that really matter ;)
6. Who is more sensitive? Me – to myself, Him- to others
7. Who does the laundry? Me
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me
9. Who pays the bills? he does
10. Who cooks more? Me, now that I’m home, but he used to do ALL the cooking and Grocery shopping
11. What meals do you cook together? Breakfast for dinner
12. Who is more stubborn? Me
13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? Me
14. Who has more siblings? Andy – 7, Me-1
15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Andy
16. What do you like to do together? Now – we like to play with Fischer and watch reality TV shows. Before he was sick- we liked to kayak, hike, mountain bike, and ski/snowboard.
17. Who eats more sweets? It’s got to be about equal, we both have a sweet tooth – my sweets just love me enough to take up residence on my body!
18. Guilty pleasures? TV- My Name is Earl, The Office, Survivor (we’ve NEVER missed an episode), The Amazing race, Lost…
19. How did you meet? College – in Special Ed 101
20. Who asked who out first? He invited me to a party at his house.
21. Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
22. Who proposed? He did.
23. His best features? Twinkly eyes and a nice bod!!
24. What is his greatest quality? He can always see the other side of the coin, he knows me better than I know me, he is very loyal, honest, and ethical, and he takes pride in what he does. He takes great care of our family.
25. Tag? Jenny, Jana, Jessica, and you. Leave me a comment if you do it.

Run run as fast as you can...

Last weekend Fisch ran his second 1k. The first was last year (when he was one) and was nothing short of hilarious, as he and his buddies did everything BUT run and probably finished the race a good half hour after the rest of the pack!

This year went much better.

He did his pre-run stretches (I know, I know, pre-run stretches are controversial).
He ran with his friends, but mostly with Daddy and MamaBetsy while I took pics of everybody. He did some running, some walking, some hanging between their hands, some riding on daddy's hip, but he kept moving......well of course, he did have to stop to check out an interesting storm drain (but who wouldn't?).

Twelve minutes and seventeen seconds later... he finished!!!

He received his finisher's medal which was in the form of a stuffed rhinoceros. Fisch and his running partners posed for the fans. (Ummm, totally impossible to get a pic with all 5 of them looking and smiling in the same direction!)

Afterward, he worked on his post-run refueling, very important.

Mommy is so proud!

"Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills." (Napoleon Dynamite)

Fisch is testing the waters on some new skills. He and BFF are taking a soccer class together. Here are some pics of him showing off his new skills with MamaBarb. BTW, MamaBarb is brushing up on her own soccer skills so she can rival him!! They were using the patio furniture ottoman for a goal, but it made a much better place to climb on and take a rest while sitting on the ball.

Fisch and Daddy and i went with MamaBetsy and Fisch's cousin to test him out on hockey skates. So funny! He could barely stand let alone stay above them, but he loved it! I don't think Andy was too excited when Fisch kept pointing at the figure skaters and their jumping apparatus and begging to do jumps and spins like them!!!

I think he liked sitting on the bench just as much as he liked skating.

Happy Anniversary Andy!

This is not a picture of Andy, this is his favorite hockey player, Mario Lemieux. Andy doesn't want his pic on the internet, so Mario said he'd stand in. I must say, that Andy is better looking.

I thought I'd commemorate this 7th anniversary with the story of how we met and fell in love. Not because it is wild and crazy, nor necessarily intriguing... but because it is our story and Fischer may want to hear it someday... and I have the memory of a pea.

Andy and I actually went to the same high school. He was a year ahead of me, but I had seen him around. He had a peculiar sense of "style", that made him get noticed. He almost always wore fingerless wool gloves, two pairs of socks (2 different colors), 2 pairs of shorts (I found that out later) and at least two shirts. He never ever wore pants, no matter the weather or the occasion. I found out later, he didn't even own a pair of pants! His outfit was interesting, he worked the school store, he was always surrounded by friends, and he put his own picture in the yearbook about a hundred times one year. So, needless to say, I had noticed him way back then.

He says that I must have been a nerd, and that is why he hadn't noticed me back then. Whatever. Just because I went to an early morning bible study at the Belgium Waffle, ate lunch with the same crew everyday, and skipped classes to hang out in the theater rooms... doesn't make me a nerd! Sheila and I spent many weekend night painting things at my house, discussing this very fact. If only people (boys) had known how incredibly amazing we were!... Anyhoo... that is a whole other story...

Fast forward to my second year of college. I was taking an Intro to Special Education class (that all education majors have to take). The first day, I walked in late (as usual) and plopped down in the chair closest to the door. The chairs were set up in a circle and guess who was sitting across from me? That weirdly-cute guy that used to wear fingerless gloves every day in high school! He was still wearing his trademark Girbaud shorts. I noticed him, again.

He still didn't notice me, he was busy noticing the tan soccer chic to his right. This went on for a few weeks (same seats every week), then our class moved rooms. In the new room, we were set up at tables in rows. I sat directly in front of him every day. My roommate had to help me curl the back of my hair so that my head would look enticing. I don't know why I was trying to entice him when I actually had my eye on 7 different guys at the time (The 7 wonders of the world) - No, I was NOT a nerd!

Anyway, one day as I came in late, sporting Umbros, a t-shirt and ponytail, the only seat available was next to him! I sat there, strangely nervous and quiet. An outgoing friend on the other side of me made conversation with Andy, and the tan soccer chic, continued to pull his gaze to the right. I was ... invisible. He was sending my hormones out of control! We stayed in these seats for a week or two and then... drum roll please... I spoke! "Goodbye rest of the world, that super hot blond girl is soooo funny!!!" is what he was probably thinking. Sometimes it is really rough being immediately charming the moment your lips utter a sound, but hey... we all have our problems! After a couple of days of talking and walking out of class together, he invited me to a BBQ at his house. I said I'd try to make it, but I was super busy. So, two of my friends and I sat around all night waiting for the perfect timing to show up. Then we decided it would be really impressive if we rollerbladed over there. Andy roller-bladed everywhere, so this would surely be a good thing to do. Except that we didn't know how to rollerblade, we all owned a pair, but had no idea of how to get from point A to point B without a constant parking strip of grass to slow us down or break our falls. It took FOREVER to get there. We stumbled, scooted, crawled, careened out of control, and dragged our breaks the 10 blocks downhill to Andy's house. By now it was around 11:30 and.. the BBQ was over. Well, what can I say, sorry to be late, but I have a very busy social life.

My tactic totally worked! My friends were bleeding when we arrived, which made them look clumsy and me look like a rock star! We played basketball on rollerblades and then he rollerbladed home with us (uphill was much easier). He was so skilled on his blades and with the basketball it made him even hotter!

The next day I was packing for a backpacking trip with my real crush "Drew", when Andy showed up at my house for some reason with his roommate... a girl! Um, bad move. Who was she? Why was she at my house? Whatever, they chatted for a bit and after they left I didn't think of him too much for the rest of the weekend.

I can't remember how things progressed after that. It was May and school was almost out and by the time we moved out of our apartment, Andy was my boyfriend. He must of relentlessly pursued me until I finally gave in. I remember a lot of loooong walks with hours and hours of talking. Again, me charming the pants off him, I just couldn't help it. He talked about odd topics, and his point-of-view was so different from mine. his opinions were opposite, and yet he made sense! I actually remember thinking... well, I'm going to just have to get used to this (as if I knew he was the one).

I went to work at a summer camp a few hours away and he wrote me letters upon letters, and poems upon poems. He was so romantic and smart, and cute and doting! I was 19, he was 21.

We dated three years before he proposed. We'd known we were going to marry each other for years, but wanted to wait till we were done with school. He proposed at a natural spring in the mountains, the place he said we were when he first realized he loved me. We sat by the water and I talked endlessly about wanting to put this in my backyard and hang a hammock over it. I was going into the details of how I would get in and out of it... when he stopped me. He hadn't spoken much the whole time we sat there, I hadn't even noticed. There I was just being so charming again! Anyway, he said that our lives were just so perfect and he listed all of the ways. There was just one thing missing, and he pulled out the ring. I didn't now what he was doing, I was totally caught off guard, I sat there staring at the ring thinking, why does he have that? Then I stumbled back into reality and stuttered a OMG, yes!

He finished up his Masters, and I finished my dual major, and we moved 2 hours South (closer to our families). We were married on June 30, 2001. And everything has been completely perfect ever since!!! ;)

Andy is the kind of man that I hope my son grows up to be. I am very lucky.

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