christmas

this year we had a blizzard christmas. it was fun and exciting and at the same time made it seem not like christmas. i will say i liked having a day break in between christmases just for me to relax a bit and celebrate with my hubby and girls alone. we made it to my brother's house to celebrate with my family on christmas eve, and by then the weather was just starting to get crazy. we didn't stay as long as i wanted just bc we were worried about being able to get home ok. then on christmas day we didn't go anywhere bc the snow was so crazy. poor billy shoveled like a champ several times and his arms are killing him bc of it. i vow we will get a snowblower for next year! my sister and brother in law were here the whole week and they came over on saturday and we played a game and hung out, then on sunday we went to billy's parents to celebrate christmas with them. we had a nice time with everyone. being a mom of two often makes me feel like i don't get to actually enjoy going places bc it seems like all i do is chase after and take care of jamie and sam and don't get to really talk to anyone at all, but it's still nice to get out and see adults who don't start screaming for no apparent reason like jamie and sam like to do. ;-) jamie is turning 2 in a week.. i can't believe that, and sam will be 2 months soon.. also crazy. so i'm just enjoying my girls as much as i can, i know it goes fast, so even when i've had it, i remember that it won't always be like this and i have to appreciate this time. 2010 will be a good year, i can feel it. my resolution will be to enjoy life to the fullest..always. and of course lose weight and get in shape.. i am hoping i can accomplish that, especially since i don't have the excuse of wanting to get pregnant soon again.. i definately want to wait a few years this time!

snow day!!!

today was a snow day! billy got to work from home and it made my week. hopefully he gets to work from home tomorrow too. i love snow days.. always have. a little update.. things are going good. we are all adjusting well. jamie amazes me, i was so worried about her accepting sam, but she really has. she gives her kisses and hugs and wants to hold "baby yam". she is such a big girl, she talks and understands everything and i have to remind myself she isn't even 2 yet when i get frustrated she isn't listening or whines a little. sami is a great baby, but is pretty quirky. she makes more noise than jamie ever did, alot of grunting and growling and squealing.. just because, not even when she's pooping her pants. we're still figuring out sleep, but i am not sleep deprived like i was with jamie (in hindsight.. why did i ever complain with only 1 baby to worry about?!) she's only 3 weeks old, so i have time to get the sleep figured out.. mainly it's just that she likes to sleep on me or next to me, and bc she's so loud, we end up on the couch alot just so billy can get some good sleep bc he has to go to work and function. i've been breastfeeding her, but still haven't found it to come easy or naturally like some women do. i'm jealous of those women. she's doing good, alot better than jamie did, but i often feel like she doesn't get full from me.. mainly bc she always seems hungry, so we do supplement with formula. i'm actually proud of myself for sticking with it as long as i have. i plan to keep trying as much as i can, but i'm not going to be hard on myself, or try not to, if i do end up giving her formula fulltime. billy has been so great, i have the best husband. he is considerate and sweet and my best friend. he's seen me at my worst and still looks at me with loving eyes. i'm one lucky lady. christmas is coming quick and i'm excited, especially bc my sister will be coming back again.. maybe i can convince her to move here... tonight i'm going to try to get a family picture of the 4 of us in front of the tree.. if it turns out, maybe i'll send out christmas cards/baby announcements. that's all for now!

tiredness

just wanted a place to rant for a moment. how unfair is it on a new mom? not only am i supposed to be recovering physically.. which is a huge undertaking, but i am sleep deprived, my mind won't stop thinking, i am expected to breastfeed (which i want to do, but it is difficult for me, which in turn makes me feel inadequate and guilty/like a failure or there is something wrong with me), i want to have enough time and patience for jamie, i want to just snuggle with billy, i want to clean my house, i want to shower without wondering who needs me/ who's crying, i want to cook, i want to go outside, i want to have an idea of what the day will hold, i want to have a schedule! it's unfair!!!! and tomorrow billy is headed back to work. even though i'm going to have some help, i just want to stay in our house on lockdown with my family until we get all these things figured out. being a new mom is hard.. sigh. just one smile from either of my girls makes it worth it, but WHY does it have to be soo hard? once i make it past these first few weeks/months, i know it will be better.. i think i can, i think i can, i think i can..

Samantha Leigh Hemmingson

Our baby girl is here. Samantha Leigh aka Sami Leigh was born at 2:40am on Friday November 13, 2009. She was 8lbs 1.8oz and 19.5inches long. She is beautiful and has lots of dark hair just like jamie did when she was born. This labor and delivery took me by suprise, but it went soo well. I started feeling contractions around 4pm on thursday. I had gone to the dr that morning and things were normal, just another uneventful visit, so i thought i still had some time before she was here. Anyways, around 4 on thursday i laid down and took a small nap and woke up and was still having contractions and they were getting pretty intense. I told my mom and billy and i think both knew i wasn't lying, but also probably neither expected that i was actually going to have her that night. My parents came over to unload a couch they gave us for our new basement and i was having pretty heavy contractions. I made the decision i wanted to go in to the hospital. When i got here i had to wait a little bit bc apparently it was a busy night for labor and delivery, lots of moms here. Once they checked me, they admitted me and my contractions got intense. I had to wait for awhile to get my IV and bloodwork done before i could get an epidural (which i knew i wanted). After what seemed like forever and after probably scaring billy to death with my drama of the contraction pain, i got my epidural and i was happy and able to relax. They checked me about every hour, and at 2am, my water hadn't broken yet, but they said they thought i was completely dilated, and as they were checking my water did break. My dr was called immediately and once she arrived i only had to push 3-4 times, like maybe 10min total and Samantha came out! She is perfect. Apparently i was hot, so i had the room really cold and i don't think she liked that very much. I was able to hold her and talk to her, then billy took over and helped the nurse take care of her and give her a bath. That night i was able to rest and am feeling good. I'm so thankful and happy.

the basement

The basement finishing project is near completion! it looks awesome and i can't believe all the work billy and his helpers/teachers were able to complete in like 2months (billy started on September 5th)! we are very appreciative to all those who helped us out.. especially my bro Jeremy with the tedious drywall part of it.. and his wife Amber who shared him with us so much, and both our dad's for their expertice and letting us borrow stuff. Here's some picts so you can fully appreciate what it was and now is!

this is actually after billy framed it.. it was just the cement walls with insulation hanging before

Here you can see the lighting change and electrical billy and his dad did.. a big difference

Here is the insulation put back up

The beginning of the drywall.

almost all up.. and billy nice and dusty

drywall all up and one of many mudding coats on. and the ceiling texture added

The drywall done and picking paint.. went with a yellow i am still getting used to. And billy on stilts painting the stairway down.

Here's the whole thing painted.. still no carpet

Carpet started

and complete! minus furniture, but it's on the way.. we're just enjoying the openess


i'm so proud that we did it! i only have about 1 more week until our new baby girl comes.. and she could decide to come at anytime before then, so i am glad we finished it and can just enjoy it now! jamie already has been running laps down there and it's just perfect for our growing family.. our house feels like a real home and i love it.

it's the final countdown

i have less than a month left before baby girl comes. i have major emotions from every which way flowing through me. i am VERY excited to meet my little bundle. i want to see her and hold her and stare at her and smell her. i have been looking through jamie's old picts and videos and can't believe how fast time has gone already and how little she was and just remembering so much. i feel like my life didn't really start and i didn't really know who i was until i became a mom. i also have crazy anxiety about how i'm going to handle TWO kids. i have to remind myself that people do it, and have done it for forever, so i will be able to. but i still am very nervous. i feel guilty that jamie won't have me 100% like she does now, this is probably my biggest issue - guilt! i feel overwhelmed bc i know how tired and exhausted it will be in the early months. even though i've gone through it before, i'm nervous to give birth again (and think it's so unfair how long it takes to recover physically!). i have never been a person who enjoys going into the "unknown".. i've pretty much always hated not knowing exactly what to expect. but even though i have all these feeling (and way way more) i know it will be wonderful, and billy and jamie and i will make it through and our new baby girl will be the perfect addition to our family and we won't be able to picture life without her!

a lazy morning

It's Labor day and billy and jamie are both still sleeping at 10am.. gotta love it! Since i never did update you on the baby, here ya go. We are having another girl! I am 30wks now and this pregnancy has been alot different than when i was pregnant with jamie, probably b/c i now have jamie as a constant distraction. i've been feeling pretty good and have had no complications so far! Here is a picture of the baby from her last ultrasound at 28wks. she has her hands by her face and the umbilical cord by her mouth. We're very excited to meet her, but i am very nervous to be a mom to 2.. especially in the early days of not enough sleep.. i am a person who needs sleep! she's worth it though. Other than the baby anticipation things are going great. Billy is working on finishing our basement for more room to play, he got the whole thing framed in 2days! now we just need to do electrical, and drywall, then get the carpet in. God is good to us and i am grateful. Will update again soon...

more fun with jamie

here is a video i find so cute, jamie is walking in my high heels. and these particular high heels remind her of Mimi (my mom) b/c whenever she finds them she says MIMI!

in other news which i 'm sure you all know.. we are expecting our 2nd baby! i am about 20weeks and we find out on thursday if it's a boy or girl.. hopefully! when we find out i will try to update this and put some picts up. Life continues to be too good to me and we are soo blessed.

Videos that make me smile

Jamie Leigh is growing up so fast. Here are two videos of her, one is of her giggling, which i could listen to all day. The other is of Billy chasing after her, i love watching her little body run. Notice she doesn't fall on any of her toys, she's got skills. Enjoy!

day outs are mandatory!

ahh. today i went and met my friend and fellow mommy lyndi for an afternoon out. we saw Bride Wars. it was good. i laughed and was able to just relax. after that we walked around the shopping center then got some chips and guacamole. we sat and talked.. mostly about our babies.. but it was so nice to be able to talk and carry on a conversation without having to worry about a squirmy fussy baby and other people around you who may get annoyed if your babies becomes whiney or screams like jamie does! after that we parted ways and i wandered around hobby lobby and target. it felt kinda like a day i would have had before i became a mom. i really miss those carefree days, but i do love my life now. i have decided that time outs like today are necessary. i have been uneasy about being away from jamie, but i think it really is needed sometimes and i am going to start trying new things and taking care of myself more. but today was wonderful and i want to thank my husband billy for watching jamie so i could go have fun. billy is a wonderful husband and tolerates me and my moods and gripes very well. i love you billy! mwah!

My baby's 1

yesterday was jamie's first b-day and party. i as usual stressed over it, but it turned out well. i'm just so thankful for all that we have and all the people in our lives. jamie got some nice presents and had alot of fun playing with everyone who came. and of course, we had a cake smash! here are some picts:

in her party hat and eating some yummy cake

ahhh, squeaky clean after a bath

And here is a video of us later that night and jamie giggling..i love it! i was pretending to be asleep so that is the weird noise i am making..