Team Tippin

A Giving Halloween

2011-11-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

From October 31st:

So here are our Halloween pictures - in reverse order, I'm afraid. But, if I take the time to change them to the correct order, then I probably won't get this posted for another week. :P

We carved pumpkins... and once again Seth was the master carver. His pumpkins always get the best comments!

A neighbor brought the kids a light-up blinking smiley face toy and Benjamin LOVED it! He trucked around the neighborhood carrying it. (Oh, and the gash on his nose is from slipping and falling face first into a wooden step. At least his eyes didn't turn black!)

We had a Bride and a snuggly Bear this year. They both enjoyed dressing up a lot. Benjamin thought the candy was fantastic, but just because it had shiny, crinkly wrappers. He didn't get to sample any. Maybe next year!

Seth decided to "prime" Ella's candy carrying pumpkin with some candy from our stash. Eleanor examined it before leaving. Then she walked around, knocked on doors and accepted candy from others. But, before leaving each house she gave a piece of candy to the person offering her candy. It was extremely touching to watch others' reactions to her giving. Some were so touched. Others tried to reason with her. Others "traded." Seth and I just watched and giggled.

About 3/4 of the way through her march around the neighborhood she told us, "I don't have any more candy in here to give out!" We were puzzled. "You have more candy in your pumpkin now than when we started." "No, I don't have any to give out! Now I don't have any candy to give to Judy!" (Judy is our neighbor who is very special to Ella). We realized then that she was giving the candy Seth had originally put in her pumpkin. She thought she needed to give everyone candy from our house since we weren't there to give it out!

Later she had fun giving candy to the other kids who came to our door. We were glad we went early and were back home because it started raining... then snowing. But, it was a fun family day.

Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow

2011-11-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

First day of real snow 2011:

Mommy is so glad the snow waited this year! We've had a few days of snow before now (beginning November 1st) but it has been light and has melted right away. This is a full month later than last year! Of course, Eleanor has been waiting and waiting to put on her "snow geared" and build a snowman.

So, these kids just had a blast! And Benjamin lasted outside for a long time while Ella ran around, tried to build a snowman, threw snowballs and made snow angels. I was impressed. It was a fun snow day. We kind of can't wait until we get another one. :)

The first steps

I think I'll just eat some of this stuff

Running around

Hmm, cold!

But it tastes pretty good...

What's that sister doing?

I should try that, too!

Snow angels

Have a happy November day!

Attempting to Reconfigure

2011-11-01T14:36:00.002-06:00

Hello all -

The last few months' break happened for a few reasons:

1. We lost access to the blog.

2. We stopped using the internet for a while due to the hacker situation.

3. I didn't have an email address for a long time (I haven't been able to recover my hotmail address, so I'm sorry if you have tried to communicate, but I've had to totally start over and I lost all my contacts).

4. I continued not feeling really great for a long time.

5. We have a just-over-one-year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old who take up 100% of my time!

We are feeling quite removed from so many of our friends and family... so I've decided it is a good use of my time to get this going once again. Plus, we are generally so busy we rarely see our friends around here in Sheridan, so they will appreciate it, too. :)

So, hopefully I will get good at regularly posting again. We have a lot to catch up on!

Benjamin is walking!

2011-08-26T08:49:00.001-06:00

On the 17th Benjamin decided to take his first steps. At that point, he was confident walking with a push toy around the house. Since then he's quickly moved to taking steps on his own. I'm not sure how to decide just when he "started walking" since his progression is very different than Ella's was. Once she started, she didn't want anything to do with crawling anymore... Benjamin enjoys using a variety of techniques to get where he's trying to go. He will stand, take 2-4 steps toward something, sit down, crawl the rest of the way and then pull up to cruise around on the object. He's very proficient at this type of travel.

He is now starting to get more interested in just walking and has put many, many steps together at once. This video is from yesterday.

One Email Recovered

2011-06-23T11:00:00.002-06:00

So, the process is finally moving along (slowly). I have recovered the email that is linked with blogger, so I can now once again post as myself and & (yah!) will be able to archive this stuff for our family. We are still working hard to get our computer all figured out and reformatted. I have not recovered my main email address, so still be aware of phony emails being sent to you.

More on Email Hijacking

2011-06-22T09:50:00.003-06:00

Hey guys, Bethany here, posting as Seth.

I am still unable to access my email at this time. ANYTHING YOU RECEIVE FROM BRTIPPIN@HOTMAIL.COM IS NOT FROM ME!!!!! Please do not respond to emails from that address, and DO NOT GIVE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION about us or yourselves to that address.

I set up a second email in order to recover the first email and that was hacked, too.

We are redoing everything we possibly can to fix this issue. At this point, if you need to reach me either email Seth or call or text me. Thanks. Also, we are not using the internet at our house currently, so if you choose the email option, it may take a while to get a response.

Email Scam

2011-06-18T08:25:00.002-06:00

Since I haven't blogged very much lately, I'm not sure who will read this, but it is important: This morning my email was hacked and I am unable to access it. An email was sent saying my family and I are in London, in need of cash. Just as it sounds - THIS IS A SCAM. We are safe, home in Wyoming, doing our normal thing - I just can't get into my email account. So, obviously, don't send money, but also know that I cannot send or receive email at this point. Hopefully I'll get this figured out quickly.

Bethany

Benjamin

2011-06-04T15:18:00.001-06:00

Our little boy is getting big quickly! He's busy, busy, busy these days. I'm afraid, since I haven't been keeping up on the blog, we're not recording his milestones very well. So, this post is for Benjamin - to remember the general and specific times he's done particular things.

We were on "vacation" or rather, a trip, to the Northwest May 11th through the 25th. During that time, Benjamin...

started sitting up with confidence and without always falling backwards on us (5/13)

began crawling with real crawling mechanics (5/15)

waved in response to another person's waving (5/15)

ate Joe's Os all by himself! (5/16)

learned to transition from sitting to crawling (5/21)

Since being home Benjamin...

broke tooth #3 through, though it remains just a small white dot on his left side on the bottom (5/26)

broke tooth #4 through on the top left (6/2) and is pushing and pushing on tooth #5 on the top right

began pulling himself up to standing (5/26) and has since had many, many bumps and bruises each and every day

has improved pulling to standing so much that he's up and about and working hard at "cruising" all around everywhere (6/4). He stands in his crib, pack-and-play, the bottom of his high chair, people's pant legs, his activity table, the couch, the bathtub - everywhere!

is babbling like a champion (6/3), working on his "da da da"s and "ma ma"s along with various "oooo"s and "aaaah"s and "la la la"s

continues self feeding, eating rice rusks, Joe's Os, mashed banana chunks and watermelon shreds by the fist-full (6/4)

started sleeping through the night!!!!!! As in, 8-9 hours!!!!! (5/29) HOORAY!

likes to crawl/climb up and over things. His favorite "obstacle" at the moment is the dog's food tub. He climbs up on top and sits there babbling away on his hands and knees. Sometimes he climbs off the other side and sometimes he fusses until someone helps him down. He has definitely fallen off face-first a few times, but he is learning to keep his elbows locked as he heads off the other side and wiggles himself side to side until he can get one knee down at a time. (6/1)

wants nothing to do with the cupboards and "toys" Ella liked at this age, but loves any toy Eleanor is playing with, loves the animals and loves to crawl to people. He also seems quite attracted to books and pulls as many off the shelf as possible. (6/2)

For Daddy

2011-05-19T00:34:00.000-06:00

Mini golf with Uncle Jeff

"Run Around the Rosy"

Looking at tiny fish in the sea water

In the sand

First taste of sand

We love you and miss you TONS. We're having fun, but we're tired.

Weather

2011-04-29T09:58:00.003-06:00

This is for memory's sake:

Yesterday was 72 degrees and sunny. We played out in the yard all day long and I held myself back from planting seeds in the garden.

Today we have 4 inches of snow, it is still falling, and it's 31 degrees. I guess it's good I didn't plant.

Lovely, lovely Wyoming.

The Ella Girl

2011-04-29T09:57:00.000-06:00

Ella is currently:

a girl through and through...

obsessed with dancing & being a ballerina. (She will tell you once she turns 3 she will take dance lessons and tumbling!)

very into gardening, worms and bugs.

in love with wearing dresses.

hopelessly sure she will soon "get big, get married and be a mommy to a baby girl in my tummy. Her name is Ashlynn-baby or Maxson." (This story stays the same except for the names... currently we have 3 friends who had new babies this week and their names are Max, Paxton and Ashlyn, thus the current names).

always wanting to go on a walk, out for a run or on a bike ride.

completely, utterly, irreversibly in love with Rapunzel (Tangled). My favorite part of this obsession is the concept that she should always play outside in the grass barefoot, "like Rapunzel does!" (As much as Ella is a girly-girl, she still has this rough and unrefined side. She's not super princessy and she's just as likely to tell me in the morning that she'd like to wear sweats and running shoes as she is to want a leotard and tutu).

7 Months has come and gone!

2011-04-28T09:20:00.000-06:00

Now that we are 1/2 way through Benjamin's 8th month... I guess I'll finally get his 7 month post up here. We've had a rough go of it the last month or so with RSV as well as some other nasty cold/cough thing and a huge breathing (or rather, not breathing) scare. Thus, we've huddled down and tried really hard just to get everyone well. Not much else (on a large scale) has happened or gotten done.

Since 6 months Benjamin has:

started eating avocado, rice, oatmeal, banana, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, green beans, applesauce and peas - he still loves to eat, but sweet potatoes are by far his favorite. He barely tolerates green beans or peas.

gotten teeth (4/6) - both bottom guys have popped through and look huge! We thought he was having tons of trouble with teething and were confused because we thought it was just the one on his bottom left side. Instead, both broke through together! He certainly knows how to use them, too!

started crawling - or rather, "inchworming" (4/21) - he reaches with his arms, gets up on his right knee and pushes himself forward, dragging his left side. It isn't very efficient, but it certainly gets him where he'd like to go. He also gets himself up on hands and knees, but then he looks around like, "now what?" and then flattens himself back to the floor.

begun making it impossible to change his diaper! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a small boy to stop wiggling long enough to get poop off and a clean diaper on!?

talking more and more. He says, "gluh gluh gluh" a lot as well as, "ah ya ya ya." Only at the saddest of moments will we get a "MA MAaaah!" The funny thing is, he started this right about the same time his voice turned super hoarse because of his respiratory illness - I think he realized his voice sounded strange!

is no longer Mr. Super-chunk. He weighs 19 pounds (which we know well thanks to numerous visits to the dr. and watching to be sure he wasn't losing too much weight through this illness). I think he must have gotten longer recently since he seems a lot less chunky to me right now. We won't know his height/length again for another couple of months.

has not slept through the night for an entire month. He currently wakes up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours (Mommy is feeling the effects of this for sure!).

loves hearing people sing and nursery rhymes. We get lots of giggles from This is the Way the Ladies Ride and Humpty Dumpty. His favorite soothers are Hush Little Baby and Jesus Loves Me.

is obsessed with attempting to grab the cat.

will finally play for short periods of time while sitting up unassisted. We assume he was against this before because his tummy was so chubby that it was uncomfortable!

Eleanor Christine

2011-03-28T21:55:00.000-06:00

I've started several posts about our Ella over the last couple of months, but they haven't quite gotten finished... and now I hardly know where to begin. Eleanor continues to grow in stature as well as vocabulary daily. She is a healthy, happy, spunky girl who gets girly-er and girly-er all the time. These days she is very into nursery rhymes, singing, being a ballerina, swimming, playing with dolls and Sesame Street. She often plays pretend and loves to "be" a baby, puppy, monster or mommy. Her imagination is WILD! She always keeps us smiling.

This evening, after dinner, Ella was running around the house and finally settled herself in the kitchen. She started pushing a toy on the refrigerator that plays the ABC Song and each time it played, she would turn around and around in circles - making herself dizzy. Finally she sat down on a small stool and we giggled about her facial expression. Next thing we knew she said, "Our house is turning... around... and around!"

Many days, Eleanor picks her own unique outfits. Leotards and tu-tus are a favorite. The above pictures are from a few days ago when it was quite warm outside, but had recently been raining, so the backyard was kind of muddy. She chose that outfit completely on her own. The rain boots are out a lot right now because it is fairly "warm" (by our standards) but it has been snowing a lot over the last week. Snow and thaw, snow and thaw...

Here are a few quotes I saved. Unfortunately, I haven't been very good about writing down her incredible little comments. Hopefully these will make you smile, though:

"When we get sad, some rain drops coming from our cheeks. Yeah, we cry and rain drops come from our eyes."

Typical prayer over a meal:

"Our Jesus, thank you for our food. Thank you for our family. Thank you for God. Thank you for making us healthy and grow strong... AMEN!"

Looking at a map of Sheridan: "Dis is South America, here Africa, dis Adeline's house and Lucas' house. Dis way to VA, dis to Daddy hunts. Dis way Iowa. Mommy, we go South America now?"

Ella sings and sings all the time... Most songs now end with, "I know my abc's next time won't you sing with me." This inevitably leads to singing the ABC song.

6 Months Already!

2011-03-23T08:44:00.001-06:00

Benjamin turned 6 months last Saturday. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday for a Well Child Visit. Here are his stats:

Height: 25.5 inches (18%)

Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz (64 %)

Head Circumference: 43.5 cm (43%)

Thus, he's quite the chunker! We love his little chubby frame these days. Some of his favorite things are rolling over and over and over, his Baby Einstein play mat (with dangly toys he can grab and pull while listening to music with lights that flash in time), our animals, people singing and Eleanor. About a week and a half ago we were cutting down a diseased apple tree in our backyard and had some friends over to help us. They brought their golden for a little doggie playdate and London and Sadie were chasing each other around, being dogs. Benjamin watched and watched and then started laughing. He laughed and laughed at those dogs! The other things that make him laugh are Eleanor and tickling. He is very in tune with his hand-eye coordination and has great dexterity.

Some things he dislikes are being left alone, strangers, sitting up to play, food that is even the littlest bit chunky and getting shots. He is still a very calm, gentle, peaceful little guy. He smiles often and is very patient. He still doesn't vocalize very much, but we do get the occasional coo, giggle and fuss. He watches everyone and everything very intently. He is straining and straining these days to get his little body moving and ready for crawling. I think this milestone is still quite a ways away, however, since he cannot get his tummy off the ground. He is also working very hard on cutting his first teeth. We've had several rather fussy evenings lately in this regard. We can see one little white dot so far, but who knows how long it will take for this tooth to fully show itself (we've been thinking for the past two weeks that it's sure to break through in the next few days).

We are grateful daily for Ben's presence in our growing family. He's a very pleasant, joyful little man. We look forward to watching his continued growth.

Snapshots

2011-03-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

I realized recently that we haven't blogged in almost 2 months! Sorry family!

These snapshots are the only good pictures we've gotten over that time... Eleanor is going through a "I don't want my picture taken" stage and I haven't had time to clear our overly full SD card to make more room on the camera. Until today. So hopefully we'll be taking more pictures again soon!

The above collage includes a very cold, but sunny walk out by the buffalo pen - a much needed outdoor activity. Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy the outdoors again soon! It also includes Valentine's Day when Seth surprised us by taking a few hours off work in the morning to stay home and make us breakfast, Benjamin's amazing ability to sleep hard through almost anything, his love for bathtime and Eleanor's willingness to have her picture taken when she's holding her brother (after having picked out his outfit for the day).

We hope you all are well and we hope to do a better job of keeping in touch. :)

First Meal

2011-03-10T08:23:00.001-07:00

Benjamin recently had his first taste of rice cereal... and it went very well. (3/4/11)

4 Month Stats

2011-01-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Benjamin went in for his 4-month check up this morning. Here are his newest stats:

Height: 25 inches (48th %)

Weight: 14 lbs 14 oz (45th %)

Head Circumference: 42 cm (16.5 in) (39th %)

And just for comparison, I looked up Eleanor's stats... here's where she was at just over 4 months: height 26.8 in, weight 14 lb 5 oz, and head 16.3 in. We always knew she was long and lean, but this definitely tells me why Benjamin seems chubby to us!

Here's a pic of Ella at 4 1/2 months...

And Benjamin...

A Bigger Frosty

2011-01-25T16:22:00.001-07:00

It's really snowy around here... and it is cycling through warm and cold spells. So, we've had great snow for bigger and better snowmen. Here's the latest creation - way bigger than the last! Eleanor was going through one of her "I don't want my picture taken" stages, so she ran inside while I snapped Mr. Frosty.

Pics of the Day

2011-01-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Smiley, chubby baby.
Small girl who hates getting her picture taken these days.

All of us together because Seth mentioned there haven't been any pics of Mommy up here lately... and I figured he was right. Plus, once I set up the timer and told Ella I would be getting my picture taken with her then she decided it was okay to have her picture taken. (Insert mischievious laugh here).

On Top of Ol' Smokey

2011-01-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Eleanor has recently decided she really likes noodles with sauce (previously she didn't like tomatoes much). Thus, we've had several very fun meals lately. This particular night she was sure she didn't want her noodles cut smaller - she just needed a bib! I think it worked out quite well for her.

Giggles

2011-01-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Benjamin is a happy little fellow. He smiles biggest for family members, but is happy to provide a smile for just about any female who talks to him. His giggles come out, though, only for Daddy and Ella - they must be the silliest ones!

Frosty the Snowman

2011-01-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Eleanor is obsessed with the idea of building snowmen and making snowballs. Unfortunately for her, Wyoming is very cold during the winter - and thus the snow is typically very dry and doesn't stick together. This makes snowmen and snowballs impossible, but is great for snow angels... We recently had a warm spell, however, where the top layer of snow melted and what was left was nicely sticky. A neighbor lady made a great snowman in the yard across the street from us so Ella could look out the window and see him. That afternoon, we had to make one for her to see out of her window!

So this is Ella's first snowman. She LOVED making him - especially dressing him.

Today it is snowing again (and has been on and off for the last week) so we have plenty of snow once again... when it warms up I'm sure you'll see more of our creations.

Four Months!

2011-01-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Benjamin is four months old today - and I'm wondering where the time went! He is a sweet, gentle, happy little man and we feel extremely blessed to have him as part of our family. It is exciting to see small pieces of his personality emerge every day and to watch him learn and grow. He is "talking" to us more and more each day, loves to giggle at Daddy and Eleanor, is working hard at learning how to grab things, is happiest while being held (but laying on his back and kicking comes in at a close second), wishes it was summertime so he could just wear a diaper all the time, and is still working and working on his rolling over skills. He has finally decided being on his tummy is not the worst thing in the world, so he rolls from tummy to back less frequently now. And, he's working on the logistics of getting his hands out of the way so he can easily roll from back to front. He's made it sucessfully a few times, but most of the time just spends a lot of time curving his back with his feet up so he rolls back and forth from side to side (usually while making all kinds of singing noises).

He has his 4 month well check next week, so we'll update you then about his growth stats - but, we have absolutely no worries there! This little boy has some chunk-tastic thighs going on!

Learning

2011-01-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Eleanor is learning new things like crazy these days...

and one particular area of significant gains is with the alphabet. She is working hard at learning all her letters - and is doing very well as they become associated with people she loves. She knows "E for Eleanor," "B for Benjamin," "S for Seth," "L for London," "G for Grandpa" etc. Every sign or T-shirt or anything with lettering now gets perused for Es and other letters she's particularly fond of. She also loves singing the alphabet song. Her version goes something like this: "ABCDEFG next time won't you sing with me." Although, it is constantly evolving and lately she's sung, "ABCDEFG HIJK LOMOP." Occasionally we'll get the whole thing out of her. :)

Here Seth was letting her "use the 'puter." Typing has definitely improved her letter recognition skills - but it must be carefully monitored, or we end up with strange settings changed on our computer.

November, December... etc.

2011-01-03T09:45:00.001-07:00

So there is definitely the general - I have 2 small children and thus no time to blog - excuse, but I've also been battling a nasty and frustrating illness for 5 weeks now. Since I last posted we have:

- had Thanksgiving with our friends (at Ella's friend Avery's house)

- prepared for Christmas by playing lots of music, decorating and doing lots of crafts

- survived another hunting season with Seth having tons of fun (and London, too!)

- had a little boy turn 2 months and then 3 months old

- had a little girl continue to run circles around us (mostly in good ways)

- had a wonderful, low-key Christmas with just our little 4 person family

- had the Tippin grandparents join us for a few days between Christmas and New Year's

- enjoyed ringing in the New Year with Kayli, Amanda and Joel doing our annual Wii Game Night

Hopefully I'll find ways to get more posts in here for you. Thank you to all our family and friends who have raised concerns about not hearing from us recently. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Bethany, Seth, Eleanor and Benjamin

P.S. You all will be receiving your Christmas cards at some point... so be on the look out. :)

Mr. President

2010-11-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Playing Outside: A Progression

2010-11-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

With the beautiful weather we've been having here this fall, Eleanor has continued to play outside often. It is getting much colder, however... and she dislikes the idea of wearing winter clothes since it isn't snowing. So, here's an example of the progression that happens any given afternoon. There is approximately 5 minutes between each step.

Step 1: long pants over tights and a "tutu" (leotard), shoes and a lightweight jacket

Step 2: a plastic bag - for collecting rotting plums, of course!

Step 3: glubs

Step 4: a hat

Step 5: staying inside because "it's too cold!"

Big Pants

2010-11-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine let me borrow a whole tub full of "tweener" clothes... and I tried them on one recent evening. Eleanor decided she really needed to get in on the action, too!
I think they are still a bit big for her... but they fit me just right. It is really nice to have some clothes that I can return when I'm through with them, are slightly bigger than my "normal" clothes and aren't my maternity clothes. They help me feel slightly more put together these days. :)

Leabs!

2010-11-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

Feeling Better, Rolling Over and Smiles

2010-11-10T17:17:00.003-07:00

Today we are all feeling better, although we're tired. Because of the illness around here, we skipped out on Bible study yesterday and MOPS today. Yesterday ended up kind of busy because I felt like there was a lot of cleaning to catch up on, but today the fatigue set in and all of us have pretty much just hung out and enjoyed each other. Benjamin seems to be getting so much bigger (older) all of a sudden.

During a forced bout of tummy time, Benjamin rolled over 4 times in succession - he really dislikes being on his tummy! - so I grabbed the camera and lucky for you he did it one last time:

Then we finally captured one of his adorable little smiles:

And one from Ella, too:

Icky, Icky Sicky

2010-11-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

So I officially got 1 1/2 hours of sleep... then much later another hour... then much later another 2 hours - but only because Seth was able to head into work a little bit late. Between Eleanor throwing up and Benjamin needing to nurse, it was a wakeful night. This is the kind of sickness I don't handle very well... especially when it means changing all the blankets and sheets on the bed multiple times in the night. We have finally mastered the concept of the "barf bucket," however, and the second half of the night Ella puked there. Tremendous!

So, if you're feeling in the mood, we'd love prayers for Ella getting better, the rest of us not getting sick (especially Benjamin) and me having patience today as I'm functioning on little sleep. Thanks!

Big Blue Eyes

2010-11-06T14:45:00.000-06:00

It seems Benjamin will have bright blue eyes like his sister - although his are currently a slightly more steely blue - and he's using them more and more each day. This little critter just loves lounging on the floor, kicking, looking around and occassionally rolling over. So far he's still only been successful with the rolling from front to back (10 times, maybe), but he's sure trying from time to time to get himself from back to front.

He's growing fast! These days we love to check out his lovely, chubby thigh rolls. :) And he's making his way out of his 3 month clothes - I expect a day in the next few weeks when I'll realize I can no longer button his onesies or fit him from shoulder to feet in his pajamas. I'd forgotten just how quickly they grow...

The Back Log

2010-11-03T15:23:00.014-06:00

Here's where you can check out what we've been doing lately (if you're interested). I'll keep updating the list as I get time.

Halloween!

A Visit with Grandma and Grandpa Sargent

Kayli's Birthday

Autumn Leaves

A Visit with Grandma and Grandpa Tippin

Corny Jokes

Our Big Girl

Benjamin Meets Avery

The Pumpkin Patch

Painting Downtown

Just Because...

2010-11-03T15:06:00.000-06:00

It's Been a Long Time.

Here are today's pics of Benjamin:

He continues to be a happy baby. We're enjoying him thoroughly.

Our lives are busy with 2 little ones, sickness and recent grandparent visits. I have hopes of getting many more posts put up here on the blog very soon. We hope you all are well - and that we haven't lost all our faithful readers. :)

Just Chillin'

2010-11-01T19:36:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa (Sargent) came to visit us October 29th through November 1st. Eleanor was so excited they were coming that we learned about calendars and how they mark days/dates. She knew exactly which day on the calendar G&G were coming and I would show her each morning which day was Today. Then we would count how many days we still had to wait until they came.

On Friday she woke up to G&G here, sleeping in our basement. She was VERY excited.

Unfortunately, Ella came down with a nasty bug on Saturday. This meant we didn't do much while G&G visited except visiting. We enjoyed the babies, talked amongst ourselves, watched football and baseball, played Munchkin, baked and experimented with venision and antelope recipes. And Ella got a chance to go shopping with Grandma for cowboy boots and a cowboy hat! She also got in a trip to the park - where there happened to be a dog dress up contest going on for Halloween - before coming down with the worst of her sickness.

Even though our activities were fairly low-key, it was a good visit. Thank you Mom and Dad for taking the time to come and see us!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T15:18:00.001-06:00

Ms. Ella - The Cat

(This was the only picture of the two kids we got - the only one of Benjamin - because our camera died mid-photo session.)

Eleanor was sick on Halloween, so we didn't do many of the activities we'd planned. Grandma and Grandpa (Sargent) were here, so Benjamin stayed with them while they handed out candy and Seth, Ella and I headed out for some quick Trick or Treating in our neighborhood.

The pumpkin carving actually happened the evening of November 1st. Ella was still talking about carving the pumpkins (actually, asking to cut them open and scoop out the seeds) and she was feeling slightly better, so Seth decided it should be done. They had a great time.

what's up

2010-10-25T09:53:00.002-06:00

we have a sick baby. just the sniffles, but it makes sleeping difficult. last night we added a fever, too. today i have to hold him 100% of the time.

benjamin rolled over from tummy to back on saturday, then he did it 2 more times on sunday.

other than that, we're good and life is "normal" and there is little time for blogging.

The Leaves are Falling All Around

2010-10-24T08:12:00.000-06:00

This year we've had a BEAUTIFUL autumn. Hopefully I'll get a few more pics of the kids in leaves, but here are the few I got one gorgeous evening.

Kayli's Birthday

2010-10-22T14:18:00.000-06:00

Amanda was out of town on Kayli's birthday this year, so we had her over. (Well, Ella, Benjamin and I had her over). We had a fun time decorating her cake, eating pizza and cake, being silly with Joel, opening presents and just generally hanging out. Happy 12th Birthday, Kayli!

Hiccups

2010-10-21T09:28:00.000-06:00

We posted a video of Eleanor with the hiccups when she was tiny... so I thought we needed one of Benjamin, too. Here he is, 1 month old, not quite as calm about having the hiccups as his sister.

From Iowa...

2010-10-19T07:57:00.001-06:00

on an Airplane.

Meeting Benjamin Michael

Eleanor is obsessed with the idea of traveling on airplanes - especially to Iowa. I assume this is because we last traveled there via plane. She understands people can go all kinds of places on airplanes, but she definitely knows that Grandma and Grandpa (Tippin) come from Iowa.

When they arrived at our house, it was squeals, shouts and hugs all around!

G&G came to hang out with our little family October 12th through the 18th. We enjoyed our visit thoroughly. The first day was all birthday goodness (for me). After that we celebrated Benjamin, watched Ella open lots of presents, went shopping (for shoes, of course), enjoyed our 4 meals out per year (thanks, Jon and Ruthie!) and talked ourselves out. Eleanor enjoyed trips to the park, swimming, trips to G&G's hotel, riding her bicycle, playing with new toys and getting to eat out at restaurants. Benjamin enjoyed getting snuggled.

Reading with Grandpa

Look, Benjamin's Smiling!

P.S. The horse was found! Apparently, Ella had placed it on the floor, pulled out some shoes to try on and then shoved the box back in, shoving the horse back behind the shoe boxes and shelving. They found it while rearranging stock. She has slept with Horse ever since.

"I Can't Even See Him!"

2010-10-17T15:50:00.000-06:00

Many, many of the gifts we received for Bejamin ended up in camo print. Acutally, super cute... but they tend to bring out the corny jokes in everyone.

This particular day, Eleanor, Benjamin and I headed out to get dog food. One friendly clerk at the feed store asked Ella, "Is that your brother?" She said, "No, dat's BENJAMIN!" which made me laugh and the clerk said, "Oh, I could hardly even see him there." This, of course, got quite the blank stare from Ella and I just smiled politely - because I've heard it so many times lately! Ridiculous.

Sayings from our Big Girl

2010-10-14T23:04:00.000-06:00

We're having fun with our constantly growing girl. Lately she's said a ton of funny, big girl things, and here are a few we remembered to write down. She's also working on doing tons of big girl things. This comes in handy when I'm nursing Benjamin, but has also gotten her in a bit of trouble. We're working on finding a good balance of activities she may do on her own and things with which we must assist her.

"I'm a good jobber!"

Where did the baby come from? "Our tummy!"

Is that your baby brother? "No. Dat's Benjamin!"

While holding Benjamin: "Mommy, look at him toesies! Look at him eyes! Him slippery, wiggly!"

Daddy: "You may not demand things of me like that." Eleanor, crying: "I'm not a man!"

"Mommy, I look like a walrus!" holding 2 almonds on either side of her mouth.

Mommy: "I love you, Eleanor."

Ella: (nodding)"I know. Daddy loves me, too, together... together love me. And I love Bengerman...all us love...and the puppy, too! I love our puppy."

Meeting New Friends

2010-10-05T15:42:00.000-06:00

Eleanor and Avery have been missing each other. These girls usually get to spend so much time together, but with summer, me being preganant and tired, a new baby brother... it's been a while. Luckily, though, Benjamin recently got to meet Avery - and Ella got in a much needed playdate.

I just love the look of delight on her face as she first held our precious little boy.

Pink Bicycle

2010-10-04T16:18:00.000-06:00

This is just one of the many "big girl" things Ella has learned over the past week. We got her this bicycle for her 2nd birthday and she was excited, but not quite coordinated enough to ride it. Last week she decided she wanted to try again and after just a couple days of "practice" she's a pro. (Although, as you can see, we still need to remind her often to look up and out to where she's steering).

Busy

2010-10-03T23:27:00.000-06:00

I suppose you all understand we've been busy, and thus, no recent posts. The thing is, we've not just been busy with an infant and a toddler - we've been doing fun things. So, keep watching and I'll get you up to speed on our last week in the next few days.

The first thing was the Maiden Voyage of the BOB Duallie! (Now, actually, the "Double BOB" as Ella calls it has been out many times with Ella and her friends, but this was the first time with Benjamin). We've been walking as much as we can. The weather is still beautiful, so whenever it works so that both children have eaten, we don't have anything else pressing to do, and I'm feeling up to it - we walk.

Another sort of routine thing was Benjamin's second doctor's appointment. He'd had one when 3 days old and had lost quite a bit of weight, so they had us come back for a weight check. At 3 days he weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces. At one week he weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces! Thus, no worries, Mommy's milk is treating him well. He looks chubbier and more filled out each day.

Benjamin Michael - 2 weeks

The more exciting events (and sister/brother pictures for the grandparents) will be their own separate posts here in the next few days.

P.S. If you think of it, pray for us tomorrow (Monday) - it's Seth's first day back to work after these last 2 weeks off, and Ella, Benjamin and my first day home alone! I think we're all a little nervous. :)

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-02T15:25:00.000-06:00

Taking advantage of the amazing weather, and knowing it usually snows/freezes by the 1st or 2nd weekend in October, we headed as a family out to the pumpkin patch. This is one of my favorite activities, so although Benjamin was just a few weeks old, we all went together. We had a really good time riding the tractor, picking our pumpkins, snacking on juice and cookies, and checking out the farm animals. Eleanor was especially excited about the goat who had gotten out of his pen and was running amok.

I love some of the pictures we have of Ella when she was just 5 months old and we headed out to the same spot... unfortunately we had sun in our eyes the whole time and she wasn't quite in the mood for pictures. Oh well!

The "Pottery Place"

2010-09-30T15:31:00.000-06:00

A new business started up downtown this summer called Something to Kiln. Eleanor now has a new favorite activity. :)

Just a week or so after Benjamin was born our whole family headed down to the "pottery place" to paint. I worked on a bowl I'd started previously (and yet have to finish) and Seth helped Ella paint a puppy figurine. Benjamin slept contently in his carseat the whole hour.

So far, Eleanor has painted a cup and saucer for herself as well as the puppy. She often talks about going back and painting other animals. We'll see what's next!

Time for More Pictures

2010-09-28T14:30:00.002-06:00

Just some random pictures from the last week...

Daddy

2010-09-25T17:05:00.000-06:00

This week I've been overwhelmingly blessed by my husband, Seth Michael. I'm grateful for so much that he's done, and always does, for me and our family. Here are just a few things I especially appreciate:

*A solid and constant sense of companionship and support while I was uncomfortably pregnant and trying to stay emotionally stable during the last week of this pregnancy. Seth was always there to assure me I was doing fine, to help me calm my anxieties and let me know he was ready, too, to have Baby come into this world.

*The way Seth took control of everything as soon as I told him my water had broken on Saturday evening. He brought us all home, helped get Ella settled, cleaned the diningroom because of an unfortunate incident with London, gave London a bath, cleaned the kitchen, made sure I had food and water, packed himself a hospital bag, arranged everything in the car, fixed the infant car seat and got it installed in the car (not an easy task this time, I'm told)... and I'm sure several other things I'm unaware of. He totally allowed me the space to just be in labor - relax as much as possible and focus on my body and the Baby.

*The amazing coaching he gave me while bringing Benjamin into the world. There is absolutely NO WAY I could have gotten through labor and delivery without drugs without Seth's very active love and support. He was there every single step of the way, giving a hand or a shoulder as needed, rubbing my back, pressing pressure points, reminding me to eat and drink frequently, assisting me to and from every new position or place I needed to go. Essentially, he stayed by my side 100% of the time and did anything and everything I asked of him (plus a whole lot more). I am sure he was just as tired as I was when it was all over. I don't think he sat down or did anything except think of me and care for me from 8 pm Saturday night until 3 pm Sunday afternoon.

*For all the house cleaning and chores he's done this past week so I could simply rest, recover and snuggle with Benjamin.

*For entertaining our Big Girl while Benjamin and I focused on nursing.

*For reminding me constantly this week that I am strong, beautiful and adjusting well to our new family situation.

*For loving our children in a truly powerful way. I love to watch him giggle with Eleanor and hold Benjamin tightly to his chest.

Seth, you are a wonderful man and I am so honored to be your wife and the mother of your children. Thank you for loving us in such amazing and powerful ways. I look forward to our next week home together as a family and pray we may all settle in exceptionally, enjoy each other's company and get a whole lot of rest.

Just Some Pictures

2010-09-24T07:10:00.000-06:00

The Birth Story

2010-09-23T22:51:00.001-06:00

Thursday morning I woke up feeling exceptionally well. I decided to take advantage of the day's lack of plans and clean the house. Strangely, it took on an obsessive sort of quality. I remember telling Seth over the phone, "I've been taken over by a cleaning poltergist or something..." In no way, however, did I actually think this was the energy-boost/cleaning frenzy women talk about having just before giving birth. I was trying very hard to remember I still had 2 weeks of pregnancy left before my due date and the possibility of many more days past that. I was grateful, however, for the sense of peace I regained through having a clean house and for the renewed energy. In the evening, Seth assured me he was ready for our baby to come anytime - he was set at work and feeling ready to help me through the birth process. It was nice to hear that out loud. We went for a family walk and talked a lot about names... not really getting anywhere.

Friday Eleanor and I spent the day together, playing and reading. We headed off to the doctor's office for our weekly visit and learned my body still wasn't really doing much. I was only 1 1/2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. I was still feeling really well and cheerfully talked with the nurses about the possibility of still being pregnant for another 4 weeks. They did assure me, however, that although Dr. Scott was out of the office that day, he was in town. Thus, if I went into labor over the weekend he would be around to deliver the baby. I decided on my way home from the doctor's office that I really wanted a pizza and movie night. It was wonderful to actually have an opinion about what I wanted to do and that I could make it happen. We had a fantastic, relaxing evening.

Saturday we slept in and enjoyed a very lazy morning together as a family. Eleanor played around us while Seth and I sat together on the couch drinking coffee and reading. When nap time came around, both Ella and I went down. At that point I wasn't feeling really great - having cramps and such - and we were looking forward to an evening out at some friends' house. When I woke up I remember thinking, "It'd be really great to have this baby tonight," and feeling like it just might happen. Of course, I squelched the feeling because there could be way too many days in a row with that kind of wishful thinking. The really strange thing was, though, that I'd dreamed about Cleta Crisman telling me that she'd been at a friend's house for dinner the night her water broke with one of her kids. I thought, "What a weird memory, I hope that doesn't happen to me!"

So we headed off to our barbecue and had a great time being social with 2 couples from Seth's work. I still wasn't feeling wonderfully, but it was a great place to ignore my crampy feelings and exhaustion. We all enjoyed talking, laughing and playing. The food was awesome, too! (Thank goodness for some fantastic proteins to get me through the night ahead). Just after dinner, while waiting for berries and ice cream, I headed down to the play room to help Eleanor go potty. Lucas, our friend's son decided to come down, too. The kids asked me to read them a story and I said, "Sure." I grabbed the book from Eleanor and realized there was no way I'd make it sitting on the floor, so I plopped down into a nearby chair. And my water broke. I jumped up immediately (saving the chair) and thought, "Really? Did my water just break? Really? No way." Of course, standing up stopped the gush, so I wasn't sure. I headed to the bathroom., then upstairs. I decided I was crazy and I just wanted my water to have broken, so we all sat down to berries and ice cream. The gal across the table asked if I was feeling okay. She said, "You're having contractions, aren't you?" I said, "Yes." Another gush.

After several more trips to the bathroom and finally convincing myself that it had indeed happened, I went over to Seth and whispered in his ear, "My water just broke." He said, "Really?" I don't think either of us really knew what to do or think. I thought, "Maybe it's not a big deal. I suppose it is a good thing to wait a while and see what happens." So, we went back to visiting. Unfortunately, it was slightly wet waiting and I was feeling increasingly crampy. Plus, it was getting towards 8:30 pm and Eleanor usually goes to bed at 8. Once I pointed out the time, Seth helped me get Eleanor packed up and we quickly headed on home. The whole way home I kept second guessing myself and thinking, "I just really want my water to have broken." We got Ella settled into bed and I sat down with a book to wait and see. As soon as I sat down there was another (big) gush. I quit trying to convince myself otherwise and settled into a "we're going to have a baby by tomorrow night" mentality. That felt good.

So, I putzed around a little bit - eating, cleaning up a bit, getting comfortable - and started having more contractions. Then I decided it would be best to try and get some sleep, so I took a shower, got ready for bed and lay down. Of course, laying down made the contractions slightly more frequent and definitely more powerful. So, sleeping didn't really happen. I was able to rest, however, and have Seth head to bed. Around 2:30 AM I headed back out to the livingroom and read a book while timing contractions. They were still irregularly occuring every 5-10 minutes. I really didn't want to head to the hospital too soon, so I just waited - and was relieved that Seth was sleeping. I read for most of the night, took a couple of short naps, took a couple more showers, ate and drank a lot and finally decided I should probably get Seth up around 5:30 AM. Contractions were definitely getting stronger and they were more consistantly close to 5 minutes apart. He woke up on his own about that time and started to get things into the car.

We called the hospital around 6:30 AM and they told us to have breakfast and then come on in. So, we called our neighbor to come and stay with Ella, ate more food and headed off. I was feeling nervous, but ready. Seth did a great job of helping me release my anxiety - which of course sped up the contractions.

We arrived at the hospital just after 7 and they hooked me up to the monitors. I was checked for dilation at 7:20 AM and was told I was 3-4 cm dilated. The nurse said they were going to keep me because my waters had broken. I remember having to concentrate enough through the flow of contractions that I wasn't concerned about not being very dilated, but I had to consciously remind myself that it didn't have to happen fast, I just had to keep going. An hour later my doctor arrived and I was 4-5 cm. I could handle that, a cm an hour.

So, we walked the halls, rocked on a birth ball, did pelvic rocks on the floor (I was told baby wasn't quite into the right position to continue moving down), rocked in the rocking chair, stood and "slow danced," lay on the bed, soaked in the tub... all the while listening to music and focusing on the fact that I was going to have a baby today! My contractions never let up - but I don't know really how frequent they were. They just steadily got more and more powerful. Through it all I felt totally comfortable relaxing and letting go, giving in to the process because Seth was right there. He was AMAZING! He rubbed my back, pressed pressure points, made sure I drank enough water and offered food. He constantly told me I was doing a good job.

When my doctor came back, between 10 and 11 am I think, and checked me again I was still only 7 cm dilated. I remember thinking at that point, "This is really tough, and I still have a long way to go!" He headed off to have lunch and we continued at our work. It was about that time my contractions got really super intense and I remember the only thing that helped me get through them was squeezing Seth's hand as hard as I could while moaning (loudly). Then I don't really remember anything... the haze took over.

I know I moaned, screamed and cried. I know at one point I felt like I was sure I would vomit. I also know I thought, "This is so painful, why didn't I opt for an epidural?" But, I also knew I could do it. The worst part of the whole process was dilating from 9 to 10. I was starting to feel the urge to push, was in horrible pain and was being checked all the time while in the middle of contractions. They were also continually monitoring Baby and I just wanted them to stop touching me! I stopped listening to what they were telling me (although I was aware the doctor was getting changed and on his way to our room) and just started pushing. The next time I was checked it wasn't X number dilated, it was, "I feel the baby's head."

Then the official pushing started. 10 minutes later, Baby Boy Tippin was born (12:48 PM)! He cried two little cries, Seth cut his cord and they placed him on my chest right away. He lay there contentedly and looked at us - for an hour. Then they took him over to be weighed, etc. He cried one little cry when given his Vitamin K shot, but settled down immediately. When he came back to me, he nursed like a champ for half an hour. It was so relieving to have him here - and even better to know there had been absolutely no concerns about him and his health through the whole birth process. He is vibrantly healthy and deliciously content to be out in this world, snuggling with us.

Of course, he didn't have a name... but that is for another post.

Dear Benjamin,

2010-09-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

Here are a few things I've loved getting to know about you over the last 24 hours...

*You smell wonderfully like Baby

*You are calm and gentle, content to look at the world and snuggle with your family

*You have two fantastic dimples that I look forward to seeing more often as you learn to smile

*You nurse like a champ

*You are tiny and floppy, soft and smooth

*You fit amazingly into the crook of my neck, knees tucked up onto my chest

*You look like your Daddy

*You have amazing hair!

*You look like your Big Sister, too - you have the same nose

We (Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister Ella) all look forward to all the new things we'll discover about you every day. Welcome to the family!

He's Here!

2010-09-20T21:22:00.002-06:00

It's a Boy!

Introducing:
Benjamin Michael Tippin

Born September 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM
7 pounds, 13 ounces
20 inches long

Week 38

2010-09-17T16:15:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 38 weeks, 2 days

Weight Gain: 1 lb.

Blood Pressure: ? but must be fine because there was no comment

Fetal Heartrate: 150 BPM

Fundal Height: ?

This week was much better than the last. I'm grateful to have experienced much less pain, both from general aches and a cessation of those pesky Braxton-Hicks contractions. Of course, this makes me feel like this Baby's birth is still quite a ways away, but I'm handling that truth much better at the moment (it's amazing how one's outlook changes toward the positive when one's feeling better).

Yesterday I got a serious burst of energy (it was amazing!) and cleaned the whole house. I know they talk about that happening to women just before going into labor, but I think it was just an energy burst... the strange thing was, though, it was like I was suddenly back to my normal, old, nonpregnant self. And, I must admit, I'm loving the newly cleaned and straightened environment in which we're now living.

The main thing on our agenda for this upcoming weekend is relaxation. I'm not very good at it, but I need to try!

The doctor's visit showed a little progress this week - I'm now 1 1/2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Baby has dropped. So, things are looking good. I'm relieved something (anything) is happening and we pray even more will happen soon. :)

Canning

2010-09-17T07:49:00.000-06:00

As a record for next year, here's the canning I've done since August:

Red Current Jelly - 8 half pints

Peach Jam - 9 half pints

Dill Pickle Relish - 8 pints

Jalapeno Salsa - 12 pints

Bread and Butter Pickles -12 pints

(Spaghetti Sauce - 3 quarts)

Pears - 22 quarts

planned -- Applesauce and Apples for Baking if I make it to Monday still pregnant and with good energy/spirits

Tuesday and Wednesday this week I canned 60 pounds of pears... after saying I wasn't going to do anymore canning this season. :) Much of this was for a friend who is out of town for business and had 2 boxes of pears ripen during her absence. I won't say it's totally what I wanted to be doing, but I did enjoy myself and Seth and I had a fun morning together peeling slippery pears in the dark. I am now relieved to have them finished and stored away, out of my kitchen. The super great thing was - my new stove is awesome and the whole process went MUCH more quickly than in the past.

Dress Up

2010-09-17T07:02:00.001-06:00

In Daddy's motorcycle jacket!

All Dressed Up

2010-09-15T07:10:00.000-06:00

Eleanor is going through another stage of wanting to wear dresses all the time. This is slightly difficult at the park, but fun in most other situations. She looks beautiful!

Huge Belly

2010-09-15T06:50:00.000-06:00

To remember really how large pregnant women get... 38 weeks and growing.

Eleanor Christine

2010-09-14T09:08:00.000-06:00

I'm in a mood to celebrate my Big Girl today. We had a lot of fun taking some pictures this morning - lots of giggles between these two girls. Thank you, Ella, for being you.

Daddy Cakes

2010-09-11T09:20:00.000-06:00

This is our new range. Here's the initial installation of the gas line.

And here is a proud baker of "Daddy Cakes," our first set of cupcakes baked in our new oven. The term Daddy Cakes evolved from a conversation in which I called Ella "Babycakes" and she got really excited, thinking I had made cupcakes... in the end these particular cupcakes were so big she deemed them "Daddy Cakes." And went on to enjoy them thoroughly with her Daddy.

P.S. Thank you Aunt Natasa for the leotards - Ella wears them every chance she gets. She either calls them "tutus" or "tutards."

General Comings and Goings

2010-09-11T08:35:00.001-06:00

I haven't blogged in so long because I was concerned all I would do is complain... but I do think I should start getting this thing back up to date and I'm feeling slightly better than "normal" this morning.

The last couple of weeks we have:

* Had our stove/oven break in the middle of canning pickles and having 5 extra people at our house for dinner.
* Had the huge decision between 1. getting the stove fixed, 2. buying a new electric range, 3. buying a used electric range and 4. running gas line to our kitchen and buying a new gas range.
* Decided on the gas range and had the stressful and difficult task of finding a plumber in Sheridan who would take the job, wouldn't charge a ridiculous amount, and would show up to our appointments. (We finally got it finished and installed 2 weeks after the old stove blew up - actually good timing for Sheridan).
* Meanwhile tried to figure out how to eat well without any burners or an oven (pretty much didn't happen... our nutrition has suffered).
* Went camping again over Labor Day Weekend, but had to come home on short notice since there was an expected 2-4 inches of snow overnight and Seth's Jeep was not cooperating 100%.
* Helped a friend can spaghetti sauce.
* Decided not to do much more canning this year because I can't stand comfortably in front of a hot stove for that long right now (oh, and we didn't have a stove for a while).
* Calmed a bit of my nesting urge by completely organizing our storage and laundry area - unfortunately overdoing it and thus leaving several other areas of our house annoyingly unorganized.
* Attended a few playdates.
* Walked, walked and walked.
* Finished my musical duties at church and with piano lessons for the fall.
* Started Beth Moore's new Revelation Bible study/lecture series with Women of the Word.
* Started MOPS for the year.

37 Weeks

2010-09-10T15:30:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 37 weeks, 2 days
Weight Gain: ?
Blood Pressure: 117/63 ???
Fetal Heartrate: 144 BPM
Fundal Height: ?

This was a tough week. Really tough. I'm exhausted, my belly hurts often and Eleanor was cranky and being a typical "I want to do it myself (in my own sweet time)" two year old. Since last Friday I haven't had a day without some contractions. I was sort of hesitant to call them contractions, but I don't know what else they would be. They are irratic and vary on the pain scale from quite uncomfortable to downright painful. When paired with extreme fatigue, they are miserable. All this being said, I was really looking forward to this doctor's appointment.

All the question marks above are because I had our sweet Ella with me and she kept interrupting or talking with my providers, so I either didn't hear, they didn't tell me or I just plain didn't pay attention to the data. She was being very good and cute, however, which was a welcome change to a few other activities we've done this week.

When I went in and described the belly pains I've been having, along with the fact that I haven't felt Baby move quite as much in the last couple of days, my doctor decided to check me again for dilation and thinning as well as give me a quick ultrasound to check on Baby's position, the placental site and amniotic fluid level. He said I'm definitely having contractions (these feel totally different than with Eleanor), they are starting in the correct place for optimum efficiency and they are currently doing nothing to further dilate or thin my cervix. The ultrasound confirmed that Baby has moved into "perfect" position for labor with Baby's back laying against my belly button, head down, facing my spine. This is nice in that I'm not getting constantly kicked in my right upper ribs, but it does mean I'm not feeling a lot of Baby's movements anymore because they are focused toward my back. (Eleanor didn't ever move into this position, she stayed with her little bum pointing out my left side, feet stuck high in my right ribs.) It also confirmed the placental site looks good and Baby's still floating around in plenty of amniotic fluid. So, we continue to wait.

It was a blessing to get to quickly see Baby again - especially that furiously beating heart - and I'm glad things look to be progressing just as they should. I'm starting to feel the anxious desire to be done with this pregnancy and that is taking it's toll on my mental and emotional status. I think I'm especially sensitive this time because Eleanor was so late and I'm concerned that I won't be able to keep up with my life if I have to continue in such pain and exhaustion for another month (that would be 2 weeks late like Ella). So, my (slightly desperate) prayers these days revolve around finding peace and patience as we make our way to Baby's Birth Day.

36 Weeks

2010-09-03T10:17:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 36 weeks, 2 days
Weight Gain: 2 lbs.
Blood Pressure: 120/70
Fetal Heartbeat: 160 BPM
Fundal Height: 35 cm

We're now into the days when I have to head in to the doctor for check ups every week. It feels a little bit crazy to be this far along... and at the same time I'm starting to ache for the pregnancy to be over. The last two weeks have been ridiculously full of activities and unexpected difficulties. They leave me exhausted, frustrated and feeling as though I will never again feel rested and relaxed. I know this isn't true, but I also know I will soon be getting even less sleep.

I'm trying my best to focus on enjoying Eleanor as an only child for these last weeks. It is hard, however, when I don't feel up to the same sorts of things we're used to doing. We are still walking, playing at the park and heading to the library frequently, but I'm taking a much more passive role in playing with her. I'm also having a very hard time holding her anymore. She keeps growing (good!) and is now too heavy for me to carry for very long at a time. It is also hard for her to find a comfy spot on my nonexistant lap to read and snuggle.

So, back to the pregnancy... things checked out well, but I'm surprised to know I'm now measuring a bit on the small side. I feel as though I continue to grow each and every day - and the fact that none of my shirts fit anymore (even the maternity ones) attests to that fact. It may just be that Baby has dropped farther into my pelvis... something Eleanor never did - even after hours and hours of labor. I am relieved by this fact (that Baby has dropped a bit) because it makes me feel like my body learned something from the first time and is actually doing what it's supposed to this time.

The doctor said I should continue to think this pregnancy could continue for another 5 weeks just to be mentally prepared. This idea sort of makes me want to burst into tears, but I do understand that is a better perspective than assuming I'll go into labor next week. On the positive side, when checked this morning I'm a fingertip dialated and about 40% effaced. So, things are progressing as they should - and could stay like this for weeks or could move forward soon.

This weekend we're planning on a trip up to the mountains again for some good camping. I'm praying it is a good time away to relax and forget the craziness of the last couple of weeks. Next week marks the beginning of MOPS and Bible study, but other than that is calm. I have a few projects planned around the house, but nothing super pressing. As soon as our stove top and oven are fixed, then I plan on doing a bunch more cooking to aid in stocking our freezer. Again, this isn't super pressing, however. Hopefully we'll also get a lot of sleep. :)

Due Date Buddies

2010-08-31T13:54:00.000-06:00

So, I just recieved my Runner's World in the mail today and sat down to read a bit while Ella napped. To my surprise there is an article this month on Paula Radcliff and Kara Goucher who are 2 of the top women marathoners in the world right now. They are both pregnant and both due on September 29th! It was fun to read about these amazing women who happen to be my due date buddies.

They are both inspirational - in running - and now in gestational comraderie. They each spoke about the scaling back of their training and the sacrifices made in order to ensure healthy babies. It is nice to hear women being frank about the changes our bodies go through in pregnancy and how important it is for us to listen to our bodies and take it easy (in relative terms in their cases, of course).

Camping!

2010-08-26T06:47:00.000-06:00

On a last minute whim, we took an invitation to camp with a family from Seth's work last weekend. They had their camper parked up above Dayton in the Big Horn mountains and were planning to camp out for the weekend and then move it to a new spot. So we took up our tent and camping stuff and hung out for Friday night and most of Saturday.

We've meant to camp a lot more this summer, but it hasn't worked out. I was relieved to find out that sleeping on the ground was actually more comfortable than I'd expected. So, I think we'll attempt to get ourselves up into the mountains again a couple more times before this baby is due.

Here are a few snapshots of our quick trip:

"What in the World?"

2010-08-25T07:02:00.000-06:00

This can't be comfortable! But, this is how the dog sleeps periodically...

And in the words of our sweet Eleanor, "My goodness in the world!?"

Silly puppy.

Daddy Time

2010-08-24T09:51:00.001-06:00

We love that Seth is finally finished with all his studying. This means he's back into Jeeps, fishing, hunting, etc. And, it means he has a lot more time to spend with us. Ella has thoroughly enjoyed snuggling with Daddy in the evenings and on weekends, reading about Jeeps, reading library books and just chilling.

34 Week Check-Up

2010-08-20T09:29:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 34 Weeks, 2 Days

Weight Gain: 2 lbs.

Blood Pressure: 114/70

Fetal Heartbeat: 150 BPM

Fundal Height: 34 cm

So, things continue to check out well. Baby seems happy and healthy and my belly is measuring right on track. My doctor's latest comment was, "It doesn't seem like you've got a huge baby growing here. I don't think you're on track for a big one unless you go over your due date again." My response was, "Ella always measured right on, too." To which he replied, "Oh. Well, maybe you just hide them in there really well." I guess we'll just wait and see.

The last week or so I've spent keeping myself very busy with playdates, babysitting, cleaning, organizing, canning, giving piano lessons, camping and volunteering for various small jobs. All in all -- I've done WAY too much. My body continues to totally complain through this part of pregnancy and I find myself exhausted most of the time. I know from this point on I need to reprioritize and put rest first and foremost. Unfortunately, that is quite contrary to my natural instincts at the moment.

So, my current "complaints" are continued slightly painful contractions most evenings where I have to drink lots of water and put my feet up for an hour or so. I also find my belly aching all the way across the middle to top for hours at a time - like having one really, really long moderately painful contraction that never ends. I'm having a hard time doing much exercise because Baby is so totally on top of my bladder. And, although I'm very, very tired, I'm having a hard time sleeping both during the day when Ella is napping and at night.

Now really, things are going very well here - so don't worry. I mostly put that stuff in this post to remind me when I look back at a later date what this pregnancy was really like.

I am trying to get myself prepared for labor by reading books and reviewing our Bradley materials from Ella's birth. I'm feeling better than I was about the process, but I still have several worries and such to work through. We still need to take a tour of the hospital so I know what is here at the facility in Sheridan and a little more of what to expect when we arrive there. Although I don't feel fully prepared, I'm getting closer and closer everyday to being ready to hold this little one in my arms instead of my abdomen.

Rodeo Clown

2010-08-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Eleanor loved the rodeo, as I said in a previous post... and she really loved the Rodeo Clown!

Here she's posing with her friend, Christian.

These days the rodeo stays alive in our house through Ella's daily musings about seeing cows and horses, how they had to go away to new fairgrounds for new rodeos, and how she wants to "make cows go like 'dis (cocks head to side) and fall down. Den tie 'em up! Like 'dis (rolls hands around and around each other). When I get bigger!"

Belly in Iowa

2010-08-19T06:34:00.000-06:00

We were horrible about taking pictures of our journey to Iowa, but Ruthie just sent this one and I thought we should share it. There are so few pictures of Seth and I together these days, that we have to celebrate them when they come. :)

I guess I was about 32 weeks pregnant and we're standing out on the back deck at the Tippin's new Lake Place.

I feel like that belly just sticks out so far! And I'm even bigger now!

Sheridan County Fair

2010-08-18T10:13:00.000-06:00

From July 29:

The Sheridan Fairgrounds are just around the corner from our house, so this summer Ella and I have enjoyed walking over there and checking out the livestock and happenings. Just before we left for Iowa, the Sheridan County Fair was held. Since we were busy getting ready to leave, we

were only able to get to one day's worth of activities - next year we hope we'll get to participate even more. Eleanor loved checking out all the animals, seeing the clown who was making balloon animals and climbing on the blow-up toys they had for kids to play on. Her favorite was probably the the rabbits... and we got there just in time to watch them be shown.

We also happened upon some friends of ours who were also watching the rabbit show.
And thus, we were able to hang out a bit while we looked at art projects and quilts, listened to music and watched the balloon clown do her thing.

Here's Ella peering at the goats (she loves goats - silly girl!).
Pointing to cows... and pigs... and sheep.

Riley and Eleanor jumping!

Ella bravely climbing a HUGE blow up slide. Thankfully, the gal running this station was sensative to small children vs. big boys playing on this thing. Each time Eleanor asked to go on the slide, the lady made the big boys get off and wait for her to go by herself. Ella had a blast climbing up and sliding down over and over again.

Days of Friendship

2010-08-13T08:14:00.000-06:00

Lately its been hot here and we're (I'm) starting to get antsy when we just sit around the house. This is mostly because I'm pretty uncomfortable if I'm just sitting around. I need projects... and friends to distract me from this continuing incubation time.

So, we've spent a lot of time at the local parks, playing in the water and hanging out with friends - all very good things!

Super cute lineup: Ella, Christian, Landis, Adeline, Sydney

Eleanor and I always have a blast when we get to hang out with these kiddos and their mommies!

Playdate with Avery

These two just always get me with their super-duper love for each other. Here they had finished running through the sprinkler and were just chillin' on the back deck with goldfish crackers and milk. I had the sliding glass door closed, so I couldn't hear their conversation, but they were just chatting away. :)

2010-08-09T08:41:00.000-06:00

"Doing, Mommy?"

"Rubbing my tummy."

"Oh. Because?"

"The Baby in my tummy is stretching it and I'm trying to relax."

"Ella help?"

"Sure, rub like this..."

"Did you feel the baby kick you?"

"Yeah! 'Gain!"

"Okay, put your hand right here. Do you feel the bumps? Baby has the hiccups."

"Oh. Baby needs needs needs... breakfast, prob'ly!"

"Will breakfast help the hiccups?"

"Yeah, needs water, too!"

Other Ella-isms of late:

When asked if she wanted a time-out for being naughty Ella said, "No. Ella not time-out girl!"

After knocking the living room lamp out of the ceiling (and promptly getting into a lot of trouble), I asked Ella why she had gotten a time-out. She said, "Giving lamp under dog."

When asked whether the baby in Mommy's tummy is a brother or sister, Ella says, "Brother. Baby Ella's tummy sister." And along those lines... "Mommy, Sister Ella's tummy needs cookie!"

32 Weeks

2010-08-06T15:45:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 32 weeks, 2 days
Weight Gain: 6 lbs.
Blood Pressure: 108/70
Fetal Heartrate: 144 BPM
Fundal Height: 32 cm

Things are still looking good for this little one. I'm extremely tired these days, but since that's my main complaint - I'm super happy. It seems I've gotten into the groove of avoiding foods that give me acid reflux/heartburn, the contractions and such of several weeks ago have halted and Baby continues to move around like a champ. The prods and pokes I'm getting continue to be fun, but uncomfortable. Almost daily I have a time in the evening when my belly just aches and I know things are growing and stretching. I'm still carrying this baby way higher than Ella was, so I think my body is having to stretch in places and ways it wasn't quite prepared for.

We are getting very excited to meet this little person... and I'm trying very hard to ignore that excitement because we still have weeks and weeks left to go.

The good thing about still having quite a bit of time left is that we still have time to talk over names... we're having a lot of trouble this time around in that regard. Hopefully inspiration will strike us very soon!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2010-07-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

This morning we're off to Iowa to visit Seth's folks, witness Ruthie's recording during the tail end of Iowa Yearly Meeting Sessions, celebrate our 6th anniversary, celebrate Carol Jean's birthday, visit the new lake house, and just generally enjoy getting away for a while. Hopefully we'll get a chance to post some pictures (then maybe I'll actually take some!), but if not, know we are off having too much fun to find time for the computer. Blessings on you all.

Happy Birthday, London!

2010-07-29T08:40:00.001-06:00

Our puppy turns one today!

To the hardest dog in the world to take pictures of:

Thanks, London, for adding quite a bit of spice to our lives! We look forward to many more years of your company.

Proud Baker

2010-07-29T08:05:00.000-06:00

Ella and I made several yummy treats (muffins) the other day since we had copious amounts of zucchini on hand from a friendly neighbor. Ella was extremely excited about this baking adventure - I guess we haven't really baked anything lately - and she spent a good portion of the 25 minute baking time watching the muffins cook.

After we had finished and I'd taken her pictures, I looked them over and realized how much older she looks all of a sudden! My baby is definitely growing up into a big girl!

And, for all you Sargent's out there: doesn't that last picture of Ella remind you of Maddie and Peyton!?

Grasshopper Days

2010-07-27T07:30:00.003-06:00

Eleanor is once again obsessed with grasshoppers. She finds them everywhere (and they are everywhere right now) and asks for them to be picked up so she can look at them closely and poke at them. Seth has had a few adventures with this activity (such as one jumping into his mouth!), but for the most part it is fun and harmless.

Rodeo Week (Part 1)

2010-07-23T08:05:00.000-06:00

Rodeo Week is the Big Week of the year here in Sheridan. All of a sudden the town is full to brimming with people and animals. We have a carnival as well as 4 nights of rodeo fun. Of course, since we live right around the corner from the fairgrounds, we are also aware of the extra 2 or 3 days when stock is arriving, the carnival is being set up and qualification rounds are beginning. Eleanor was really super into it all this year. We walked over to the "ro-ro" numerous times during the week to check out the bucking horses, steer, calves and of course, to climb into the stands and watch the qualifications. Immediately, Ella fell in love with the calf and steer roping... She would tip her head to the side with one hand under her cheek and say, "See cows do dis! Get tied up!" By the time the "ro-ro" was over she no longer used the tipping of her head to discribe it, but just said, "See cows roped and get tied up, please!"

Thanks to Joel and Amanda, we had tickets to the rodeo 2 nights this year. The first night, Ella went with us and LOVED it! We stayed out with her until almost 10 and she was super content to watch everything. She of course loved the roping events, but she also got into the bucking events a bit and really liked the rodeo clown!

Lucky for us, some of our good friends were sitting in the seats just below us one row and to the right. Eleanor spotted them early and spent quite a lot of time hanging out with them (especially when they had popcorn!) and watching as well. It was nice to be able to let her roam a little bit and great that it kept her from running amuck.

Opening ceremonies: watching Joel's flag race around the arena.

Amanda and Ella

Rodeo Queen with the American Flag

Look, we match, Daddy!

Ella and Adeline, watching intently.

Unfortunately, our camera quickly ran out of batteries, but we do have a few friends with good pictures. We'll get them uploaded soon and keep telling you about our busy week.

A Big Girl Room!

2010-07-22T13:39:00.001-06:00

When my parents were here (back at the end of June) they helped me move all of Ella's furniture into the "big bedroom" and some of our furniture into Ella's old room. This has effectively created Ella's new Big Girl Room and a tiny little cozy room for Mom and Dad. Of course, Ella will soon be sharing her room with another little kiddo, but for now, we're celebrating it as a room just for her.

Ella loves her new Big Girl Bed and gets to take naps on it, but she still sleeps in the crib at bedtime. We're not wanting her to feel pushed out of her crib when Baby comes... and I think this technique is working well. Baby may spend some time in the beginning squished into the little room with Mom and Dad anyway.

I'm very happy with the way this room turned out. I love the bright colors and decorations. I love that my living room is no longer being taken over by mounds and mounds of toys... and I love that Eleanor loves it. She gets really excited to show people her Big Girl Room when they visit our house. It will be fun to see how the room morphs when we introduce child #2 into the mix...

And the canvas paintings you see on the walls (moon and stars over the crib, bright colored flower and handprints over Ella's bed) are the ones I did with McKinley, Kiley, Avery and Eleanor. Eleanor was very excited to hang them up! Thanks again guys for helping us decorate!

30 Weeks

2010-07-21T08:57:00.003-06:00

Things are currently going well, but I'm definitely feeling the aches, pains and discomfort of being 7 1/2 months pregnant. I keep thinking, "I'm huge! How can I get any bigger?" Part of this is a feeling that the baby is growing faster than my belly is stretching... very uncomfortable. I don't remember this so much with Eleanor. But, I did look back at old pictures of myself at this point in my previous pregnancy and realize I wasn't quite this big, but almost - and of course I'll get bigger. :)

31 Weeks with Eleanor

The other thing I find very different this time around is that I'm carrying this baby much higher. This means I have trouble finding shirts/dresses that fit and I'm totally dealing with horrible heartburn issues. I thought this was true, but it is confirmed by this little photo comparision session. :)

Helmet Head

2010-07-20T06:04:00.001-06:00

A couple of friends of ours showed up on their motorcycles a week or so ago... and after some discussion we realized the gal didn't have a helmet. So Seth dug mine out - figuring I haven't used it in over 2 years and don't plan on using it soon - and gave it to her. Of course, Ella had to try it out first.

Wacky Hair

2010-07-19T07:28:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when Daddy gives Ella her bath:

And they both giggle incessantly. Pretty fun!

A Trip to the Mountains

2010-07-16T06:36:00.000-06:00

From the 3rd weekend in June:

We've lived very close to the Big Horn Mountains, their lakes, hiking trails and camping opportunities and have unfortunately taken little advantage of them... This particular day, however, we had a wonderful family trip up to Sibley Lake where we enjoyed hanging out, fishing, picnicing, canoeing and hiking. We all thoroughly enojyed being outside all day.

Ella's first boat ride

Bret fishing

The Stewarts canoeing

Ella's second boat ride As often happens, this day we have no documentation that Seth was there with us - he was the camera man - but he was and we had a great time! Hopefully we'll get out there again very soon!

Playing "Plano"

2010-07-15T06:32:00.000-06:00

Eleanor watches the piano lessons Mommy gives fairly intently. I was under the impression that she really just played with the other kids that are generally around during lessons, but she actually pays quite a lot of attention... This translates into a desire to "play plano" a lot, especially with "music books" up on the music stand. It also means she knows there is a prize box that is "only for piano students." Of course, that means she really needs to have "plano lessons!"

The last time I sat down with her for Eleanor's "plano lesson" she informed me that we needed to practice the "Engine Song." This particular song goes like this:

"Big Red Engine racing down the track choo choo choo we'll be right back!"

On the choo choos students "squish" a low set of 3 black keys together 3 times. Well, apparently Ella has heard this song enough times to tell me I needed to play my part and sang and squished her part right along at the correct time! She's still a bit shaky on the concept of 2 and 3 black key groups, but she got the low/high thing and the placement in the song. I was impressed.

Hopefully this exposure to music will help her later in life - I hope she'll always like it.

When Daddy Watches Ella

2010-07-14T16:00:00.002-06:00

They do very different activities than when Mommy and Ella hang out! This particular day, Ella got some driving lessons. As I recall, she later told me she took Daddy to Home Depot and Walmart to get avocados and puppy food.

Painting with Friends

2010-07-13T07:47:00.000-06:00

From the 2nd week of June:

Just after Grandma Tippin left from her visit, Eleanor and I had 3 very fun visitors for the week. My friend Katie was out of town on work and needed childcare for her girls, so we enjoyed a full house for a while. We took trips to the parks, played in the fountain, ate ice cream, painted, took walks and were just generally girls. It was a great week (although I was exhausted by the time it ended!).

One of the super fun projects we worked on was painting some large canvases for Eleanor's new Big Girl Room. I knew we needed something fun for the older girls to do while the younger ones took their naps throughout the week and I definitely needed some bright colored decorations for the new kids room. The first afternoon, Kiley and McKinley and I spent a lot of time at the kitchen table with paper, pencils and markers doing some planning and brainstorming of ideas. The session went great! I was so impressed with their creativity and ideas.

The next morning we let the littler girls help us paint the backgrounds...

and got very messy...

Then the next day we painted the main pictures with acrylic paints during nap time. The finished products are amazing! Again, I was so impressed. I am very excited to get these hung and take more pictures of our finished products.

That day for lunch we also had cherry/strawberry smoothies... and Eleanor decided to wear quite a bit of hers.

Getting Back to the Blogging World

2010-07-12T07:42:00.005-06:00

Hey friends and family -

We've had a wild last little while. I think for the most part it's been good, but we've also had our struggles. I hesitate to begin updating the blog when my mood presses me to simply complain about current circumstances, so I've waited (not so patiently) and I think now we're ready to catch up with y'all. A lot of our absence stems from a busy summer - visitors, playing outside instead of in, extra projects around the house, a pregnant belly and all that aligns with that - you know, the day to day stuff.

I think my other reason for not tackling this project is that it is a project. So much has happened! So much growth is occuring! I'm not exactly sure where to start or how to format this so we can look back at it fondly later...

So here is today: it is already 80 degrees and I'm looking out at my garden thinking I should head out to tackle the weeds that have overtaken everything, but I know I'll put it off until tomorrow. Eleanor hasn't risen from sleep yet, so I'm enjoying a quiet house while I have breakfast and chat with you. Seth is already hard at work at the VA where he is doing his "normal" work as well as beginning to move his office to a new location and get a whole lot of paperwork finished for HR. London is already looking like she'd really like a long walk. Baby in my tummy is happily dancing about after a lovely breakfast of homemade granola. All in all, we're good and this is just an average day in the Tippin household.

Here are just a few new posts if you'd like to look back with us:

28 Weeks
He's Official!
Cherry Lover

28 Weeks

2010-07-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Gestational Age: 28 weeks, 2 days
Weight Gain: 2 lbs
Blood Pressure: 114/63
Fetal Heartrate: 140 BPM
Fundal Height: 28 cm

This appointment was much needed! I was having a very rough week - having lots of contractions already, needing way more rest than usual, generally feeling strange and uncomfortable, spotting - so seeing the doctor could hardly have come sooner. Happily, however, the time I took to rest seems to be just what my body needed. Things are checking out just great, Baby sounds and feels good and I'm cleared once again to get back to my running/walking/housekeeping activinties.

This last month I finally started to feel pregnant - really pregnant. I'm happy about that, since it obviously means Baby is growing and growing appropriately, but it is also pretty uncomfortable in the Wyoming heat. I took a fun trip with Amanda last week up to Billings to get stocked up on some cute summer maternity clothes and what a difference that has made! It is really important to feel comfortable and cute when your belly is overtaking your body. :)

Baby continues to be an active critter, bumping and jumping around, just like Ella. But, Baby is quite a bit more subtle than Ella ever was - or at least more... gentle? I guess my sense right now is one of a slightly calmer spirit. It is fun to begin to get a sense of this child - it's fun to have some space to spend time getting a sense of this child.

We had our first set of hiccups the other night...

I continue to crave fruit like crazy and I'm enjoying my fresh CSA vegetables emmensely. I'm doing a great job of staying away from gluten, dairy and refined sugars. I've eaten quite a few steaks lately and let me tell you - beef never quite tastes as good as when I'm pregnant!

Baby and I decided to have a couple little dates on the road this week and started up a gentle running routine again. It is great to get out in the cool of the morning and get in some exercise just the two of us. We decided to take London for her first run yesterday, too, and she did really well. Of course, she wanted us to go faster than we were planning, but her joy was fairly infectious.

Seth and I have started seriously talking about names, but continue to be seriously stumped! We're going to need some amazing inspiration here soon or Baby might really be named Baby for a while. :)

He's Official!

2010-07-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

We have the most wonderful news we could possibly share right now:

Seth passed his EPPP!

And, is now officially licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the State of Wyoming!

Really - he even has the paperwork in hand to prove it!

So, no more studying, no more stressing and wondering about the dreaded test, no more evenings without Daddy. We get to party!

Cherry Lover

2010-06-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ella is a fruit girl - always has been. And here are a few pictures to document her love of this time of year... cherry season.

What a beautiful belly! Haha.

Pretty as a Picture

2010-06-25T06:47:00.000-06:00

A local photographer here in town needed models for a dress/hat maker's portfolio. Eleanor was selected randomly from a pool of us who offered our little girls to smile for the camera while playing dress up. :) So, we had our mini photo session yesterday morning. Ella did wonderfully and Alissa already has a few shots posted on her website. Check them out at www.alissaferullophotography.com/blog. They are pretty cute!

Silliness

2010-06-24T07:25:00.003-06:00

Pure silliness. Seth took this crazy picture of me, Ella demanded to see it and then she proceeded to "copy" me. Of course, once we got the camera turned on her, she wouldn't get her hands out of the way. But, here's the proof that we are slightly crazy around here on occassion. :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2010-06-23T07:34:00.000-06:00

From June 10:

Ruthie left the afternoon of Seth's B-Day. It was great to have a chance to celebrate a bit with her and then Eleanor and I made "Little Cakes" for our own celebration. I let Eleanor pick the type of cake and frosting... so Seth ended up with "pink cake" (strawberry) and "choc-lot" frosting. I attempted to save the girly, child-like flavors with fresh strawberries for the tops. At least they looked pretty! Seth took most of them to work the next day (where they were devoured) and his co-workers said they were wonderful and tasted like strawberry and chocolate milkshakes! Ha ha.

Happy Birthday, Seth! We love you lots and hope you have a great year!

Swimming Pool Fun

2010-06-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

Grandma Tippin came to visit a couple of weeks ago and she bought Ella this fun wading pool. This collage documents Ella's first dip into the pool. Since then it's gotten a lot of additional use. :)

Gramma Tippin Came to Visit

2010-06-22T06:45:00.000-06:00

Back in the first week of June, Gramma Tippin came to visit Eleanor. We had a blast! So much fun, in fact, that blogging certainly didn't get done. :) We went walking, took trips to the park, ate ice cream, talked, read books, went shopping, planted flowers... the list goes on. Thank you, Ruthie, for the visit - we enjoyed ourselves very much.

100 Days to Go

2010-06-21T10:00:00.003-06:00

This month has flown by... really time has flown since about mid-May... and I feel like I've blinked and suddenly I'm heading into my 3rd trimester of this pregnancy! After posting this morning, I checked the blog and realized the ticker says there are only 100 days left for us to go! Right now that seems impossibly short. when it is 105 degrees and I'm even more largely pregnant I'm sure time will slow down again, but we have so many upcoming visitors, camping trips and vacation plans on our horizon the summer might just continue to blow on by.

So, happy 100 days (+ or - a few) of watery comfort, Baby! We are getting very excited to meet you!

More Sliding Fun

2010-06-21T07:48:00.003-06:00

June has been peppered with gorgeous, 80 degree weather as well as rain, rain and thunderstorms. Eleanor has taken full advantage of each sunny, warm day and spends as much time outside as we will let her. When Mommy needs to get things done at home (and thus won't take her to the park, water fountain, swimming pool or to get ice cream - truly her favorite things right now) she settles for lots and lots of running in our yard, chasing London and using her new slide. Of course, she shares the slide with her special doll friends.

Potty Trained!

2010-06-15T06:55:00.000-06:00

It's official! Eleanor is potty trained. We are SO proud of her and all the efforts she's put in. Since our trip to Seattle Ella hasn't had ANY poop accidents and has only had 2 other accidents - that's in 2 1/2 weeks! She is all about her new big girl undies that she gets to wear all the time and is a champ now at telling us when she has to go. (Yeah for no more timers!) She still wears a "Mickey diaper" at night, and it is still wet when she wakes up, but she keeps her underpants dry for naps and during the day. I'm relieved we are "finished" with this part of her training, but I'm also impressed at how well she took to this round of training.

Here is the big girl with some of her potty charts.

And her feet are sporting "dry pants" stickers.

We've since moved past needing reward charts and stickers, but she is still getting candy rewards. She gets 2 Skittles every time she successfully uses the potty and gets a Dum-Dum sucker each time she goes poop (thanks, Hannah, for the timer idea!). Soon we'll begin to faze these out as well.