Chee-toes!

Avery is a sucker for some Cheetos!
Chee-toes:Say Cheeeeeeese!

Welcome Norah Kinsley!

It took about 2 weeks of pre-labor and 2 false alarms before she decided if and when she would come... but when she did, she came in just 3 hours! Here's how it all went down:

At 2am Sunday, July 31st, I woke up to what I thought was my water breaking. Around 3 I woke Jeff up since I was having contractions, but I was reluctant to go in since I had already had 2 false alarms. I really didn't want to get sent home again! We decided it was better to get checked to be on the safe side.
We got to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitors and they watched me for about 2 hours. At that point I was 5 cm dilated and having lots of contractions but my water had not broke yet. They decided to keep me just a little longer to see if my contraction got more regular before deciding if I was in "active" labor or not. Sure enough, around 7 am the nurses decided that I was not in active labor since my contractions were not of regular strength or timing. I insisted that they call the doctor to see what he thought first, since I was sick of being sent home and worried that I would not make it back in time since I was already dilated so far! After 8 am they came back in and said that the doctor was willing to admit me and he would break my water if he had to.
They wheeled the IV in... I freaked out! I HATE the IV. It hurts like hell. It's worse than the epidural. The thought of what they are doing just grosses me out. Sure enough, I was shaking so bad during the IV (which took 4 tries and I looked like I had been in a fight and all bruised up by the time they got a vein) that my water really did break! Gushed all over the bed! ooooo! At that point I was really in active labor with no assistance (yay!).
By the time they got me in the labor and delivery room I was at 8 cm. Still no epidural! I insisted that they get the anesthesiologist in there asap since I really had no desire for a natural birth! lol
I think I got the epidural around 10 am and she was born at 11:50. Lets just say I was only partially numb... yikes!
Norah weighed in at 8lb 6 oz and 19.5 inches long. No wonder I was so miserable! Even up to the point of delivery the doctor didnt think she would be much over 7 lbs. I will never forget Allyson's face when they said her weight, lol!
Speaking of Allyson, she was in the room with us and captured the moment on camera so beautifully! I can not wait to share the video she made. I am so thankful for such a precious gift she gave us! :) She also took some beautiful pictures of Norah last weekend that I can't wait to share, either. She has such a hidden talent; I can't believe she hasn't been doing this longer!
Norah is such an easy baby; I really hope it stays that way! The only time she ever gets upset is when she's hungry and even then it takes her a while to really get worked up. I am so thankful for that since I am having to cater to 2 babies now! I think that this being my second time around helps a lot too. I am not nearly as nervous and I know what to do right away in certain situations rather than questioning myself or letting it go too long. Now that she is 2.5 weeks old, she is finally starting to be more aware and sleeping less during the day; I really do not remember Avery sleeping as much as Norah does. We are getting on a little bit of a schedule but its still pretty much "feed on demand" and I will let her sleep no longer than 4 hours at a time during the day before feeding her and I have been given the OK to let her go as long as 6 hours at night if she wants (that, she has not done since her first week, though :/).
Avery on the other hand... has become a handful! I think it's a combination of Norah being around, entering her "terrible 2's", and her getting bored around here since we can't really take Norah out yet. I really hate having to constantly get onto her during the day but I also can't just let her get away with stuff just because I am holding Norah, etc and I know that consistency is the key. It's a really hard fine line... A feeling you can never really describe or understand until you are there :( . She is having some bad jealousy issues so I am doing my best to be patient and understand. I am hoping that time will heal and she will come around to being the good girl I knew. I love her to death so it's hard to see her throw fits and get so upset; I've even cried after having to discipline her. It feels mean at the time but I know she needs boundaries and rules.
Anyways, I digress.... It's been busy around here and our move in less than 2 weeks will only make it worse. I am really getting excited about the move and getting settled in Kingwood. I know we are going to love it there!

Swimming with Pappy

This video makes me laugh every time!

Ice Cream Man

One of the best American past times is the Ice Cream Man. I love sharing little traditions like this with Avery. She got super messy and sticky but it was a lot of fun!

Coffee Table = Stage

I bought a new coffee table a few weeks ago. Little did I know that it would become a performance stage perfect for dancing to Barney on!

Things I'm Currently Thankful For

-Coffee in the morning (ok, maybe all day ;P )
-Glass of wine and conversation in the evening with my husband
-a nice warm bed that is like sleeping on a cloud (although my time spent there has greatly diminished these days)
-My video monitor - I got a second camera so I can see both girls at night. It's fantastic!
-Our future house in Texas. We are really getting crammed in this house so this move can't come fast enough! We will be almost doubling square footage which will be wonderful but I dont look forward to cleaning that much space... and another bathroom!
-My husband. He keeps me grounded on bad days like yesterday and reminds me constantly that I am going to miss these days with the girls. Yes, it may be hard and frustrating and a patience tester, but they are going to fly by.

Bathing Beauties

Aren't these just the cutest little girls?! I am so glad that my girls have close cousins to grow up with!

Playing Catch Up

I finally got Blogger to work if I use Mozilla instead of Internet Explorer... So, I am going to be playing catchup from the last several weeks now. Lots has been going on so it might take me a while but it's much needed!

Blogger troubles

I've been having trouble posting anything on my blog lately (hince the lack of updates). I'm hoping it decides to cooperate soon so that I can get back to blogging! I am having to use my BlogPress app now, but hopefully not for long.
I guess that's only part of the truth, though. I have been in a serious slump with my blog. I think it's because I never feel like I have any readers. I know of a few but most of those are people who I talk to regularly so anything I put on here is old news to them... Sigh. I think the real reason I want to get back at it is simply to keep up with my girls. This is a great outlet for me to showcase their developments and the cute little things they do everyday. It's actually really nice to have since I've finally started working on Avery's First Year scrapbook; everything is in order and all I have to do is copy and paste my comments...
Anyways, a lot has been going on lately so hopefully I can catch up soon!
Here's the most exciting thing that has happened since I last posted:

We're On The Move!

Yep, we are moving back to the Houston area!

I have to be honest and say that it is truly bittersweet.

Of course, Houston and Texas are home and we love being there; family is there and we have roots around the city.

However, I have not lived in that area in 8 years now so no matter where we were to move, we would be starting over as far as friends go. Luckily, I am not the type of person where this scares me, so I have no fear that we are going to be just as happy there as we are here.

Don't get me wrong, we are very excited and I know that Jeff is thrilled about this new position he will be taking at work, but I can't help but be sad to leave so many wonderful friends.

It took me a while to get used to the idea of living in Louisiana when we got married, maybe because I didnt really have much of a choice in the matter. But, as my dad always says, I tried to live by the motto "bloom where you're planted." I have really grown to love it here and the people. It's much different than Texas, but different can be good.

I know we will make numerous trips back to the area to visit. After all, it's just Houston not across the world, or something! lol

Anyways, it's been pretty crazy around here as you can tell by the lack of posts. I've been feeling the rush to try and finish projects before Norah gets here and try to get this place even more organized and ready to show. We hope to put the house on the market next week and we are leaving today to go see houses in Kingwood. I am praying that Norah will stay put through the weekend!! It is a pretty hairy process that you have to go through with a corporate move so it may be a few months before we are settled in a new place but Jeff starts the new job Sept. 1st so hopefully we dont have to do too much temporary living.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on here and of course, you will know when Norah gets here! :)