Definitely Not Firing on All Cylinders

So, the picture says it all.  Poor, poor Piper is now sporting "The Cone" which is a small glimpse into how everyone in our household is just not quite operating at 100%.  If anyone has their act together, it's Travis.  He's definitely holding down the fort for our family and thank goodness he's there for us!  If you haven't heard, 2 weeks after Zoe arrived, Lucy and Piper had doctors appointments of their own.  Both were having issues and come to find out, Lucy has a slipped disk in her vertebrae and Piper has an infection on her foot that is really inflamed and nasty.  So, the slipped disk is pretty major, but something not recommended for surgery.  She now takes steroids and might have pain medication for the rest of her life.  Sheesh.

I feel like I spend every waking moment feeding the babe...holy cow (literally)!  I forgot about the time investment on just feeding alone.  It's been 3 weeks now and although we're able to get out and I'm feeling pretty good these days, I still feel like I'm in the newborn baby funk.  The one where you don't know what day it is, there are days when you don't go outside to even get the mail and the time is just ticking by and you have NO CLUE where it's gone.  I can't remember what I did yesterday or even two hours ago, so I wouldn't ask.  :) 

The good times are the moments threaded through the hysteria.  For example, when Piper got "The Cone" today, Mia asked why and then asked if we could say a prayer for her since she was hurt.  Melt my heart so of course, we drop everything, shut the TV off and there she goes...saying the prayer for her family and "all our blessings."  It's all worth it!

Zoe is such a beautiful girl and at the end of every day, we feel like our family is complete with her here. 

We love you, Zoe! 

Itty Bitty

We're still amazed at how small Zoe is.  I guess you really do forget how itty bitty newborns are, but you never forget how yummy they are to cuddle with and how they snuggle right up to your chest.  We are lucky to have another sweet baby.  One that is happy and healthy and rarely cries (only when she's hungry).  We've had a couple nights of 4 hour sleep, but mostly we're still up every 2 to 3 hours.  I'm looking forward to the days of a schedule and nap routine.  Even though I've been anxious to get there, it might be a little early to have such high expectations!

We haven't had the chance to email everyone or get our thank you cards out just yet so we wanted to say thanks to everyone who has helped us welcome this new baby into our family!  It's been such an exciting time, but exhausting.  We have really enjoyed the visits, gifts, dinners and well wishes. :)

Happy 4th of July!

For our holiday, we walked out front and were able to view the fireworks from the parking lot overlooking the valley. We also had a visit from a professional photographer provided by the hospital. I thought this was a great idea! She snapped these photos right in our room and although I would have preferred to get ready before snapping photos, I thought she did a great job capturing the moment. I just adore this blanket knitted by a girlfriend from work, it made the photos that much more special since this is Zoe's blankey. :)

Welcome, Baby Sister!

Baby Zoe has arrived! 

She is 7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 1/2 in.  What a cutie!  :)  The surgery went very well and we are amazed at how mellow she is.  She's cried a few times, but is easy to appease.  She has lots of dark brown hair that is all the rage in the nursery.  But if you remember, Mia had dark hair, too, but only when she was born.  Have you seen our blondie lately?  I would have never imagined having blonde kids - we'll see if we end up with two blondies!

Life is good, we are proud parents and are loving to cuddle with our newest addition.  She is healthy and beautiful. 

Almost Here!

Just a few days left and we'll get to meet our sweet, little pea!

When I talked to Mia on the phone on Friday, her first question was, "Is Zoe coming out of your belly yet?"

I had to explain that I was just at work, but yes, she will be arriving within a couple weeks!

We're really getting close now...

Oh, the anticipation!

Thanks, Nikol!  For letting us use your downright amazing loft to take some snapshots!

Just one more...

"Just one more time, just one more minute, just one more book, just one more song, just ONE MORE of everything!"  We get this a lot lately and so we thought we would post it as a common discussion topic when you're with Mia.  Travis has been using her as a subject for lots of photo shoots so we're starting to get some really fun photos.  Yay!  Just in time for the new baby. :)

Memorial Weekend!

It's so nice to have a 3 day weekend, especially when things are heating up at work.  With Mia, I was able to wind down a bit and get ready for maternity leave, but this time around, it's not going to be the same. :( We'll have to work hard through the end of the quarter to make our goals, so I'm hoping I can make it!

For the holiday, it was really nice to have Nina and Lily in town to play.  The weather finally perked up and it should be 80 degrees today.  As you can see in the picture with Mia flying her kite, there's still plenty of snow in our mountains and Travis was able to finish out the season with one last day on the slopes today up at Snowbird.  I saw him leave in shorts and his flip flops, I have a feeling that there's some hairy legs on the mountainside!  Oh well, at least someone is getting some sun in this house.  :)

Our other big news is the fact that a little someone is now using the BIG GIRL POTTY!  Holy cow - just in time for the baby to arrive.  The thought of changing diapers for 2 girls didn't sound as fun as just for 1.  We've made it past every miletstone except for the nighttime and for now, that's fine with us.  We're going on 2 weeks now, so I'm hoping the habit is set with just maybe an accident here or there if we're out and about.  Otherwise, knock on wood...I think we've got this one nailed (for today).