There's only one October

Our family just loves this time of year with the leaves changing and the temperatures dropping from the hot summer heat to the cool crisp fall air. The cooler weather means that it's time for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch which can only mean Halloween is right around the corner, followed closely by Thanksgiving, Brooklyn's birthday and Christmas. The last three months of the year are just the best.

Here's a few shots of our annual pumpkin patch trip.

And, our pumpkins with their pumpkins... Brooklyn and Daddy all dressed in their Halloween best...

(Tierney went as a baby and Mommy went as well a Mommy of two!)

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Next up for our family: Tierney's baptism on Sunday.

A beagle, a table and a leash

Here's what happens to one 7-year-old beagle who invests all of his time after our dinners tripping those cleaning up, jumping up on the chairs and table in hopes of gaining another scrap of food, licking the trash can and recycling bin, and pretty much, just being a big dork! Yes, Kevin grabbed his leash and collar and tied him up to our kitchen table, the one that he cannot seem to leave alone after meals. I was nursing Tierney in another room and when I heard and saw what was going on, I started laughing so hard. I paused the nursing for a few moments because I was laughing so hard and I ran and grabbed the camera to take this photo. He only stayed there for about 10 minutes, and did it teach him a lesson? Heck no. To learn more about our dog, check out Kevin's column about how smart our lovable beagle is.

Happy Birthday Daddy & Tierney!

Today is a special day in our household. It's Kevin's 29th birthday and Tierney's 1 week old birthday ... both October babies! We've had a great day. Kevin got to indulge in some of his favorite foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and well Tierney, she's a breastfeeding champion. Not only do Daddy and Tierney share October as their birth month, they also share the same hairline and the same fingers and toes. It's always fun to see who your children look like, or better yet, which features they have of each parent or in our case of our other child. She definitely has Brooklyn's little nose! We're ending the night with some great family time, and we're really enjoying being a family of four - it's just the best!! And, as per my sister-in-law's request, here are some more photos of Tierney enjoying her first week of life.

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Tierney - 6 days old

Sisters & Best Friends

Mommy & her girls
Flying baby
Our dancing baby

At home

We got home Thursday night from the hospital, and we're loving being a family of four. It definitely has its challenges, or rather things that we're learning, but overall, we are all having a wonderful time being together and enjoying our precious little baby Tierney. Brooklyn is as we thought she would be, a terrific big sister. She loves holding, loving and playing with her baby sister. She loves her sister so much that we've had to remind her that babies are very tender and very fragile and that being careful is so important. Kevin and I are enjoying our two precious daughters and are amazed that God entrusted us with their care. Enjoy the new photos.

One day old

Sisterly love

Welcome

Tierney Marie born at 3:54 p.m., Oct. 8.

She weighed 7 pounds and 8 1/2 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches. Both Mommy and baby are doing well.

October 8??

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday where we learned that my body is still working on getting into the ripe labor shape it needs to be in. With this, my doctor looked at us and suggested we set an induction date just in case. She's a very sweet doctor, very kind, doesn't seem to think of you as just another patient, but a human being and recognizes that having a baby is a life changing event. And, she always gets two thumbs up from both Kevin and I when she acknowledges Brooklyn the first thing she comes in the room. It makes us feel good that she is including our little girl in the process. Normally you have to wait a week before they schedule your induction date, meaning that October 10 would be mine since I am due on October 3. She said she'd cheat a little and would try for Monday, October 6. That day was full and she doesn't work on Tuesdays, and she wanted to set it up with her and not another doctor, so she scheduled me on October 8. So, if I don't go into labor on my own, October 8 is the day. I would, of course, love to go into labor on my own. I've been having some pretty painful contractions, but they don't stick around long enough to constitute actual labor. I'm uncomfortable, sore and tired, all the normal end of pregnancy symptoms.

While I'm very anxious to meet my new baby girl, I am soaking in all the time I have left just Brooklyn and I, because our world is about to change very soon and there's no going back. Getting this close to our baby girl's birth just makes Kevin and I reminisce about the time right before Brooklyn was born. We couldn't imagine how much our lives would change and how rich they could truly become. It's amazing how much a baby changes your life. It's something I wouldn't change for the world though. I absolutely love being a mom, nothing in life is more satisfying and rewarding. Just gazing at Brooklyn from across the room, watching her deep in play and realizing that she's all mine and something that Kevin and I created is just the most incredible feeling. Before I got pregnant this time and even for the first few months, I wondered how I could possibly love this new life inside me the same way I love my first born, but I really believe that your heart grows bigger with each child and I am already head-over-heels in love with my baby girl. I just am extremely eager to meet her, to hold her in my arms, to see what her precious face looks like, to kiss and cuddle her, to look into her eyes, to comfort her, to protect her and to introduce her to the world.

So, October 8 may be the day. The Lord only knows the answer to that question. But, I'd like to throw a question out there to all the moms that are reading this. What did you do to induce labor? I've heard lots of suggestions from eat lots of baked beans to run up and down your stairs in your house 10 times take a break and then repeat for seven times. What worked for you? I'm ready to give a few things a try to see if my baby girl will decide to arrive on her own without an induction.

A toddler and a 9-month pregnant woman?

Brooklyn's favorite band, Maroon 5, was in concert last night. As soon as I heard that this band was going to have a concert in our town, I thought (seriously) that this would be the perfect mother-daughter date to take Brooklyn on. She just absolutely LOVES their music. She sings along with all their songs (knowing a lot of the words) and loves to dance and jump around to the beat. But, when I mentioned this terrific, fantastic, inspired idea to Kevin, he said probably not a good idea. A toddler and a 9-month pregnant woman at a rock concert...yeah, probably not the best combo or idea. And, besides I couldn't have rewound or replayed a couple of her favorite songs for her once they were done with playing it and that could have bummed her out. Brooklyn's real big on repeating the songs over and over. Kevin and I have become very tired of hearing some songs (not just from this band) that we've played per her request over and over and over again. Maybe when she's a bit older and I'm not pregnant, we'll embark on an adventure like this. It sounds like so much fun to this mama!