2 months!

It is hard to believe that yesterday we celebrated Abby's 2 month birthday! Seriously, where does the time go!? I think I notice it even more now because I know how quickly it has gone with Nolan. It feels like just yesterday he was just a baby in my arms. Now he is a grown up 2 year old! But anyway, here's what's new:

Abby had her 2 month check-up and is growing like a weed. She is now over 14 and a half pounds. For the record, that is the average weight for a 4-6 month old. :) But she is growing right along the proper curve for where she started so we are happy. The nice thing about being a big baby is that she is sleeping a lot (hence the picture above)! She is sleeping up to 8 hours on a pretty consistent basis. That is pretty awesome for a 2 month old! She is also smiling a lot more now. There is nothing quite like looking at your baby girl and having her smile back up at you. It just melts my heart. Seriously sometimes I think my heart has grown so big it might explode. I am so blessed!

Nolan is doing great too. He has had a few "terrible twos" moments recently - he just doesn't seem to know what he wants. For example, the other night after dinner he just refused to get down from the high chair. There was no apparent reason for this. He just didn't want to get down. We left him there for a while but finally made him get down - at which point he threw an absolute fit and locked himself in his room. Fine with me if he wants to have a self-imposed time-out. He eventually came out a little while later and was in a much better mood - as if nothing ever happened. Silly 2 year old!

On the flip side, Nolan is still his normal happy self most of the time, and is being a great big brother. Sometimes he just walks over to Abby and gives her a kiss, for no apparent reason. I love it! The other day in the car we passed by a train and Nolan got really excited - "Look Abidale! Look! A choo choo train! cooool!" It was really cute. Love those two!

Daily Stroll

One of my favorite things about living on the farm is going for walks. The scenery on our walks here is so much more enjoyable than that of living in town. Nolan has always enjoyed walks, and now Abby seems to like it too. We were blessed with a double jogging stroller from our cousins, The Cliffords (thanks again! :). The jogging stroller allows us to survive the terrain of the farm pretty easily! Here are a few pics of some recent walks:

My 2 kiddos:

Morning walk with Abby:

Evening walk:

*These last 2 pictures also prove that Abby IS in fact awake sometimes. Usually when we visit people or get out and about she falls asleep in the car, so people don't believe that she is ever awake. But I promise she is! :) She just enjoys a good nap - just like her momma!

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we took our annual trip to the Westemoreland Berry Farm. We started going the year Nolan was born. It's been fun to go back each year and see how much he's grown/changed. And this year we had Abby to add to the mix which was fun too - although she slept the entire time! Here are a few pictures from our time there:

Jack and the kiddo's measuring up - Nolan has grown at least half a foot since our trip there last year!

Me and Nolan taking a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch:

Nolan picking out a pumpkin:

Nolan's pig face:

Abby's cow face:

Magic Oven*

This is a picture of Abby sleeping in the kitchen:

Why is Abby sleeping in the kitchen, you ask? I promise there is a logical reason… someone recently mentioned to me that the solution to a fussy baby was turning on the oven fan. Really? I couldn’t believe it could be that easy. But I assure you, it works. I’ve tried it on 3 occasions now. Each time Abby was being fussy, and I couldn’t figure out anything that could be wrong – she was dry, fed, and gas-less. Each time I brought her near the oven, turned the fan on, and I kid you not, she was out like a light instantly. I mean that literally – it was INSTANT. There is seriously something magical about the oven fan. This past time I decided since it made her so happy I would just move her little chair in there and let her sleep away!

In related news, Abby has been sleeping well at night lately. Last night she slept for 9 hours! She doesn't do that every night, but she has been going for longer stretches and I'm hoping that it will become more consistent. I feel like a new person after getting some decent sleep!

*I am crossing my fingers that by publishing this post I am not jinxing anything. Hopefully the oven fan will continue to sooth her and she will continue sleeping well at night. Knock on wood!

Happy Birthday Nolan!

It is hard to believe, but my sweet little boy Nolan is 2 years old! His birthday was 9-15 (yes I know I am a few weeks behind in updating this). I can't believe he has grown up so fast! And I know it will only continue. Before we know it he is going to be off to college! OK I better stop before I start crying ;) In the meantime here are some pics from his birthday:

The birthday cake I made (ignore the clutter in the background - the other pictures I took somehow got deleted so this is the only one):

Nolan opening a present on his actual birthday:

Playing with his new farm set:

Blowing out candles (in Blacksburg):

Birthday cake (he was acting shy in this picture, but just before we started singing he kept saying "Happy Me! Happy Me!" - which is his version of Happy Birthday to Me):

This was Nolan's main birthday present - a new swingset! (which is actually a hand-me-down from our cousins, the Cliffords - Hunter is in the pic w/ him). He definitely loves it!

Nolan ate about 2 bites of his cake and icecream, and then abandoned it for a hot dog bun:

Since it was warm enough we decided to get the slip 'n slide out (because Nolan LOVES playing in the water). The boys decided it would be more fun to put it at the end of the slide and go down from there. Here is a video of Nolan going down:

I think it is safe to say that Nolan was sufficiently spoiled for his birthday! :)

Birth Announcement

See below for the birth announcement we made for Abigail! I didn't order a lot because I figured Christmas cards would be coming right around the corner and I'd rather spend more then. So don't be offended if you don't get one. You can just enjoy the pic below! :)

Photo Card

Spring Branch Girl Baby Announcements

Find hundreds of cute baby birth announcements at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

What's new?

We have been busy over the past few weeks in the Donohoe household... although when I look back on it I'm not really sure what we have been busy doing. It just feels busy. But then again I guess life is probably going to feel busy all the time for a while until we get used to having an extra member. Let me be clear though, while it's felt busy, it's been awesome. I am really enjoying Abigail being here - of course having the extra time off from work certainly doesn't hurt. Nolan has been going to his normal babysitter most days, so Abby and I get to spend some quality mother-daughter time together. Then when Nolan gets home mid-afternoon we are both well rested and have energy to play. Everyone wins! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks:

The cross stitch I finished for Abby:

Nolan holding Abby - I thought this picture was funny because she is sticking her tongue out at him. This is only the beginning of the brother/sister fun :)

Another one of Nolan and Abby... can you tell he loves to hold her? (Or at least he loves to try to imitate whatever we do with her). It looks like they are both doing the same pose here:

Abby's first bath - she seems really confused...

All cleaned up after bath time... what a cutie :)

The 1st Week

Today is Abby's 1 week birthday. I know that doesn't seem like much but I already can't believe how fast time is going by. As it always is with a new baby, this week has been a huge adjustment. We got home from the hospital on Monday. Since I had to have a c-section this time my personal recovery has been harder than I expected. I had a major migraine for 3 days which was probably the worst part. Thankfully that has since subsided. The thing I don't like is not being able to move around as easily as I once could. I want to be able to take care of myself and be independent. But I find myself depending on the help of others a great deal. Thankfully Nina (mother-in-law) has been staying with us this week and has been a huge help! I know I should just relax and enjoy this time because it doesn't happen very often! The other thing that has been hard for me is not being able to care for Nolan the way I want to. I want to be able to pick him up and play and do all the things we use to do together, but am now physically unable to do. I know I will get back there eventually, but for now it's hard. Don't get me wrong - he is getting PLENTY of attention. He has grandparents and cousins and friends doting on him all the time. The weird thing is that I find myself missing him terribly during the day. He has been going to his normal babysitter so I can get some rest at home. I guess I just got spoiled this summer getting to hang out. If I were at school I wouldn't be hanging out with him anyway, so it's not really that different. I wonder if other moms feel that way when their second child came along?

Anyway, overall we are all doing well. Abby seems to be adjusting well to life at home, and Nolan is being a great big brother. He tries very hard to be "helpful" - whether giving Abby blankets or pillows or pacifiers or hats or other random things. But he is always gentle and very loving. I hope they grow up to have a great relationship like I had with my brothers (yes, I admit it - while we give each other a hard time we really do have a good relationship - or at least I think so).

Here are some pictures of Nolan with his little sister (I am documenting these so that one day when they are trying to kill each other I will have proof that they once got along):

Family pic (and Nolan trying to give Abby an empty bottle):

The sweetest picture you have ever seen - Nolan giving Abby a kiss:

And a hug!

She's Here!

I was beginning to think the day would never come, but alas, our sweet baby girl is finally here!

Abigail Marie Donohoe was born on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 2:18 pm. She weighed 10 pounds even and was 20 inches long.

Her birth story:

Apparantly I am really bad at recognizing the signs of labor. With Nolan, my water broke but I wasn't feeling any contractions so I convinced myself it was something else and didn't go to the hospital until 2 days later (a big no-no). This time my water didn't break, but I didn't realize I was in labor at first.

On Thursday (8-25) I went to the doctor. I was 2 cm dialated but no other signs of labor. The doctor was worried about the size of the baby (the ultrasound earlier in the week had predicted a 10 lb, 12 oz baby - plus or minus a pound), and I was miserable. So we scheduled an induction (where they give you drugs to start labor) for Tuesday, August 30. I was excited to finally have an end in sight.

The next day was Friday. I got up and went to school like normal, although I wasn't feeling the greatest. It was only the 2nd day of school, so I decided I would try to make it through the day. I had decided on the way to school that I was going to tell them it was my last day no matter what. All I had to do was get through the day (which I thought would be easy). 1st period started, and I wasn't feeling hot. I was just moving really slow and not feeling up to much. It felt like I was just having a really bad period. Luckily I have a co-teacher during my 1st period, and she could tell I wasn't my normal self, so she did most of the work that period. I excused myself several times to go to the restroom because I kept having these sudden urges like I had to go right then or I would mess in my pants. I never did really go, but these "urges" (or cramps) continued. I made it through the period, and had the next block off. So I decided I would take it easy. I met with my long-term sub for a few minutes who just happened to be at school, but still wasn't feeling good. I decided I would go down to the nurse to lie down for the rest of the period to see if that would make me feel better. At some point when I was lying there my "cramps" started hurting a lot more. But dumb Katie didn't realize what was happening. At some point while I was laying there I realized that the pain would get worse and then it would ease off some. It suddenly dawned on me that this was happening regularly, and that these weren't just cramps or urges to go to the bathroom. They were contractions. So the nurse called Jack and he came and picked me up and off to the hospital we went!

It was about 10:30 in the morning when I finally realized I was in labor, and 11:30 when we finally got admitted to the hospital. I labored with a good deal of pain for about 2 hours. I was patiently waiting for an epidural (because I had no desire to do this naturally - I am a pain wimp apparently) but it took forever because I had to get IV fluids in me before they could give me the meds. At about 1:30 the doctor came in, and expressed great concern over the size of the baby. He was worried she was going to get stuck and we would be in serious trouble. There were some other contributing factors that I won't go into detail about, but the end result was that we decided to go ahead and do a c-seciton. So off we went to the OR, and at 2:18 Abigail was born! Overall the whole process took about 4 hours. It was definitely not an easy 4 hours, but I'm glad it didn't last any longer!

Her name:

We chose the name Abigail because we both really like it - we first thought of it when watching a mini series about John Adams (his wife's name was Abigail). If Nolan was a girl his name would have been Abigail, and it just stuck. Plus, the name means "Joy of the Father" which we both thought was awesome. And what a joy she is! Her middle name is Marie which is a family name. Marie was my Gran's middle name and Jack's Omi's middle name - two women that we both adore!

Her features:

As we slowly get to know Abigail we are noticing some special features that she has. Overall I think she looks a lot like Nolan. But she is also very unique.

Nolan got Jack's chin and body type, and my eyes. We both had blond hair so I guess he got that from both of us. Abby seems to have gotten my chin and body type and Jack's eyes. Her hair is brown which surprised us both - not sure yet if it will stay that color or lighten up!

We are looking forward to getting to know her more - both her physical appearance but also her personality. In any event, she is a joy to us all already!

Time to go Little Lady!

I'm not sure if you can ever truly be ready to have a baby, but I think I'm about as close as I'm going to get. I'm full term - 37 and a half weeks - so technically she could come anytime and be perfectly healthy. The doctor says I am 1 cm dialated and 75% effaced, and that her head is down and she is in good position. My doctor also says she is getting to be a good size. Since Nolan was 8 and a half pounds, she wants to make sure this baby doesn't get too big that I can't deliver her naturally. Today she asked me if I was planning on getting an epidural... while she didn't say it out loud, the look in her eyes was saying "because you are going to need to if this baby gets any bigger!" So Monday afternoon I am having an ultrasound so they can get an approximate idea of her size. We'll see what happens after that! In the mean time, I have started back to work, which is a good thing because that means I now have my sick days/paid leave for the year. Our apt. is about as ready as it's going to get for the baby to come. So there isn't much left to do but sit and wait for her to come! Hurry up and come on out Little Lady! We're ready and excited to meet you!

** This picture is a recent one of me and Nolan walking on the beach. Enjoy it because it is probably the only pregnant picture of me you are going to get!

More Milestones

This Summer (which is sadly almost over for me - but gladly because that means it is almost time for our baby girl to get here!) Nolan has reached several new milestones. He's learned TONS of new words, learned to swim (well, at least learned the idea that if you kick and move your arms you will go somewhere), learned to correctly eat with a spoon, learned to use a baseball glove (he's not very good at catching with it, but at least he knows it's not a hat now!), and most importantly, he's now sleeping in a big boy bed!!

This is a picture of his bed (which he calls his "baseball bed"). I was really hesitant to switch him out of his crib - mainly because he sleeps really well in there and I wasn't willing to give up the 3 hour nap he takes everyday just to struggle with getting him to stay in bed. But I finally decided to give it a go so that he was use to sleeping in his bed before the baby comes. I know she won't use the crib for a while, but this way he has plenty of time to adjust and won't feel like his little sister stole his crib.

He's been sleeping in this bed for about a week now, and I'm pleased to say that he has done GREAT! I couldn't have asked for it to go better. He hasn't crawled out once. He goes right to sleep like he always has. In fact, I'm not sure he really knows that he's able to get out of the bed himself. Most mornings and after naptimes I find him standing up in his bed with his arms outstretched, waiting for someone to get him. This morning was the first time he actually crawled down by himself.

I think the key to the success of this transition is due to 1. letting him run around lots outside so he is good and tired and ready for bed, and 2. picking sheets that he was excited about. He's always loved anything having to do with sports so I figured this would be a hit when I got it on sale several months ago. But recently he has gotten really excited about baseball in particular (which I love). Hence the reason he calls it his "baseball bed".

I'm definitely proud of what a big boy he is. But when I look at him sleeping in this big bed, I can't help but be a little sad that he is growing up so fast!!

Pt. 4 - Lincoln, NE

Sorry for the delay, but in case you were wondering... the last part of our road trip was Lincoln, NE. Our primary reason for going was for Paul Velander's wedding. He is a good friend of Jack's from high school. The wedding was beautiful (although hot), and the people friendly. We also had fun at the tractor museum (I think this was Nolan's favorite part of the whole trip! See pic.), Antelope Park/Playground, throwing rocks/fishing in the Velander's lake, and playing in the hotel pool. There wasn't a whole lot going on in Nebraska, but it was a fun time!

Part 3: Minnesota

Why on earth would you go to Minnesota you ask? Well, it certainly wasn’t for the mosquitoes, although there were plenty. The primary reason was to visit our dear friends Ben and Laura who moved there last summer, and to see some family on my mom’s side that we don’t get to see very much. We had a great time! Here are some highlights:

4^th of July – Nolan got to play in one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes – which he LOVED! And we got to see fireworks – which I always LOVE! The only downside was that Nolan apparently ate a little too much watermelon which he projectile vomited all over my face… and then all over Ben’s. Gross.

This is Jack and Nolan playing by the lake. The water felt really good after a long day in the car!

This is Nolan playing with some glow sticks while we waited for fireworks to start:

It gets dark really late in MN... fireworks didn't start until like 10:00, which was 11:00 Eastern time. Nolan tried is best but just couldn't make it the whole time. Meanwhile Laura and I had a great time hanging out and catching up!

Family – We got to visit my Aunt Marie. I haven’t seen her in forever, but it was good to visit and catch up. We missed out on seeing some other family, but my mom got to see them so the trip wasn’t a total waste.

Baseball – Tuesday we went to a MN Twins baseball game – Nolan’s first game! He really did a great job considering baseball games are so long. I think his favorite part was all of the clapping and cheering. He was quite the little flirt with the people behind us. Whenever they would cheer I think he thought they were cheering for him. He also loved the cheese curds they serve there (which I’m willing to bet they don’t have at all baseball stadiums). It was really fun!

Mall of America – You can’t go to MN without going to the Mall of America. Well, maybe you can, but since I’d never been I wanted to check it out. Obviously the boys could care less about the shopping, so the highlight was definitely the rides. Nolan got to do his first “roller coaster” rides! He definitely had a BLAST! It was really fun to watch.

At the Lego Store... Nolan got to meet one of his favorite characters - Woody from Toy Story! (the Lego version of course):

Nolan playing with some Lego's:

(another engineer in our midst?)

Jack and Nolan on one of the rides:

Our friend Ben on a ride w/ Nolan (who is clearly having a BLAST):

The "horsey" ride - w/ our friend Laura:

Part 2: Chicago, IL

It took us 13 hours, but once we got to Chicago we had a great time! We got to see Logan and Antonio who showed us around the city. Some highlights include: eating brunch at Anne Sather’s (best cinnamon rolls EVER), walking around town and the playground, visiting the zoo, eating traditional Chicago Pizza, and more… wish we had more time to spend there!

It's hard to see it in the pic, but Nolan has icing all over his face. Even he knows the glory of Anne Sather's delicious cinnamon rolls!

This is Nolan looking at some animals at the zoo. Good thing his head is so big or he would have gotten it stuck:

Quick group shot near a fountain somewhere in Chicago:

Road Trip!

For our summer trip this year we decided to travel across the country – first to Chicago, then Minnesota, then Nebraska, and back home. My biggest concern going into the trip was traveling with a toddler and a hugely pregnant momma (me). But I am relieved to say that Nolan did AWESOME and I was able to control my bladder to a reasonable amount of bathroom stops. All in all, we had a great time! I will be posting some highlights from our trip (but it may take a couple of posts worth, so be patient!)

Pt. 1: Driving (and driving, and driving some more…)

Here is us packed and ready to go... -->

Throughout the 10 days of our trip we spend about 48 hours in the car. Yikes!

Nolan usually does ok in the car, but he is so active that he gets restless after a certain amount of time. This could pose an obvious problem when you’re traveling for a bazillion hours. Thankfully though we were able to plan accordingly (thanks to much advice from friends!) and we all survived! Here is a glimpse of his time in the car:

We left around noon which is the time Nolan usually takes a nap. He was bathed and fed so he fell asleep pretty quickly in the car, and slept for 3 hours!

After "nap time" we stopped for gas, bathroom, and to stretch our legs. Afterwards Nolan was perfectly content to eat his popcorn and watch Toy Story on our portable DVD player (best. invention. ever.)

By the time we stopped again it was time for dinner. We ate and stuffed Nolan full of french fries (a reward for being so good). Then he played some in the car - with an empty cup no less. I couldn't care less what he was playing with, as long as he was happy!

And for the final lef of the trip, it was bed time! While we drove through the dreadful state of Illinois (tons of tolls and terrible roads!), Nolan slept. We finally arrived at our destination about 1am Central Time.

The rest of the traveling days followed in a similar manner, although this was the longest day of driving. The others were 7, 7, 12, and 9 respectively.

More to come soon...