The Birth of CJ in Pictures, Part 3

Words fail me. I can not express to you how much being able to hold my daughter immediately  meant and continues to mean to me. Having been denied that most fundamental experience with Zsa Zsa for no reason other than policy, keeping CJ with me from her very first moments has been all the more sweet. It is my hope that all mamas having cesareans be allowed to experience birth this way. I feel this, in conjunction with CJ picking her birthday, led to her being a better nursling. 

The Birth of CJ in Pictures, Part 2

WARNING: Some of these pictures are graphic, and most of them are bloody. If you'd like to skip to part 3 with the non-bloody pictures, go here. 

For the story of CJ's Birth go here.

For the first part of the Story in Pictures, go here.

These are still kinda tough for me to view. I'm glad I have them to anchor me in the moment when I start to think it was worse than it was, but it's still pretty hard to see. The whole event was so monumentally life changing, seeing pictorial proof is a tad overwhelming.

The Birth of CJ in Pictures, Part 1

You have no idea how badly I wish I'd done my hair this day. Or worn something NOT pajama-y. And I wish I'd brought my own, flattering hospital gown. 

Ah well. 

This is real life, not a TV episode. 

For the story, go here

Vacation: Lake Tahoe Day Four

Saturday the kids and I kept it low key. We rode the trolley to the Rainbow Trail, which is where I hiked approximately forty thousand miles while holding a toddler who wouldn't let me carry her on my back. We went to the stream profile room, which was SO cool, we took Daddy back with us later that afternoon when he got home from his meetings. (But after we had some so-so Thai food in a restaurant rated the best Thai in Tahoe. SO glad we didn't go to that other Thai place.)

The Profile room is an underground room right next to a creek (if you're from Idaho, creek is pronounced crick, trust me). One wall of the room is glass AND it also makes up a part of the stream so you can see the fish that are swimming in the creek and the craw-fish and all the other cool stream-stuff. My kids ADORED this place. It was pretty cool, but to be honest, the best bit was being able to sit in the dark while my kids quit whining for slightly longer than 4.2 nanoseconds. By Saturday, we were ALL pretty much done with this trip.

It turns out a small person inherited her mother's proclivity for travelling poorly. Sorry, honey. Really I am. For both of us.

On our way back to the condo, we stopped to get ice cream. The kids both REALLY wanted rainbow sherbet, so that's what we got them. Zsa Zsa took a couple licks of hers and then stole my pistachio ice cream. And she wouldn't give it back. So I stole Hubs hot fudge. But I gave his back, because I'm awesome like that. Rainbow sherbet is kind of nasty. I guess I can't blame her, but from now on, she's going to get whatever I'm having. This stealing of mommy's food has gotten to be quite a habit the last few weeks.

Things I Learned This Week

• You're supposed to vacuum as many times in the week as you have people living in the house. Did y'all know this? WHY didn't someone tell me I'm only vacuuming HALF as much as I should be? I thought I was being all proactive getting out the Bissell twice a week. Pish. 
• My son can spell his name...and send texts and emails from my phone. This means people I haven't talked to in oh, forever, are getting text messages from me that say only The Boy's name.  

• Just because you CAN make a tutu without a pattern doesn't mean you SHOULD. Unless you want to do it over three or so times. Seriously, use a pattern. :D I will say it was super a lot more easy to do with my new sewing machine, courtesy of my mama. 
• Cooking three dinners in one night, day after day can get a little old, and your personal family may starve. 
• Job's Tears (croix beans) are good for colon cancer.

• If you let your kids read Dr Seuss, they are bound to Box with Socks. At least they weren't boxing foxes. 

More Camping Pictures

 These are cows. Husband took the picture from a moving car. We thought it would be nice to show his dad that cows can be raised in such a beautiful area, as well as in Arizona. (wink, wink) Even though I KNOW Husband's family will never move, I can dream, can't I?

 Seriously. Who WOULDN'T want to live here?

And one more of my seriously cute babies.

Camping 2.0

My sister talked me into going camping with her family this weekend. You know, because it went so well the last time. Briefly, here's how the last time went; I had a less than 18 month old, was hugely pregnant, and it rained. The whole time. Our tent nearly floated away. Yes, really. The boy cried the entire night so we packed up camp at two am and drove home. It was pretty much the worst camping experience ever.

Needless to say, I was reluctant to try camping again. Really reluctant. But my sister had an ace up her sleeve; flushy toilets. In my opinion, flushy toilets can make or break a camping trip.

Here it is, in pictures. Pictures I took with a REAL camera, no less! Be impressed.

Yeah, nobody said I was GOOD at taking pictures. 

Just that I can occasionally use a half way decent actual camera. :P

Red Fish Beach

 Paddle Boat Ride

The View. Honestly, I fell in love with Idaho again on this trip. 

On the way home we stopped at Smilie Creek Lodge

Someone did NOT want their picture taken. 

The Grumps had set in.

And the sleepies. 

If that's not the most tired you can be while still eating ice cream, it's close.