Lots of New Photos

We took the girls to Disneyland last week. It was really beautiful all lit up and Allie had a really great time. She even rode the Matterhorn!

Christmas was great, our house was packed with food and family. I've been on vacation, and the rest has been wonderful.

I posted a ton of pictures online, be sure to check them out! (click here)


-Brett

Sisters

Yesterday morning I put Melanie in Allie's room so she could "hang out" with her sister. When I checked on them, I found Allie lying next to Melanie singing and cuddling her. It was so sweet. Now I'm glad that the novelty of her sister hasn't worn off.

Melanie's Hospital Visit

Last week, Melanie gave us quite a scare. She had been sick for a couple of days with a fever and vomiting. After going to urgent care and having urine and blood samples taken, the doctor decided she needed to be admitted. She had an IV in her little hand so antibiotics could be administered. However, on Saturday the area began to leak so the nurses had to put an additional IV in her foot. Melanie's cry made me leave the room. It was the most heart wrenching cry a parent could hear. The doctors also performed a lumbar puncture to test the spinal fluid for meningitis. Thankfully, her tests came back negative and Melanie returned home on Saturday evening. The irony of this whole thing, Melanie did not lose any weight. In fact, when I took her to the doctor on Monday, she weighed 12 lbs 7 oz. She has her 2-month visit on Tuesday to start immunizations so I'm curious to see how much she gained in 1 week.

Melanie's 3 Week Update

Melanie went to the doctor this morning and was I in for a surprise. She weighed in at 9 pounds 8 ounces. That's a 2 pound gain in 3 weeks!! Allie didn't weigh that much until she was 3 months old! Brett pointed out there are women who push babies out that size. That made me thankful Melanie was born when she was still little. The differences between Allie and Melanie are becoming apparent. Melanie eats (obviously) and sleeps more than Allie did at this stage. Allie had better neck movement and control and was very curious about the world around her. Melanie could not care less. She's more worried about eating, sleeping, and making sure her diaper is clean. Allie continues to dote on her baby sister. It's very sweet to hear Allie call Melanie "sweetie" and "punkin". We are adjusting to the sleep deprivation and diaper changes. We forgot how many diapers babies go through in a day!

Our First Night Home

Well, we survived the first night home with the girls. Allie was so excited to have her sister home that she wanted to help with EVERYTHING! She held Melanie, fed her, changed her diaper (just watched actually), picked out her pajamas, read her books, "played" games, did anything and everything that revolved around her sister. Melanie, on the other hand, layed around and slept most of the evening. She woke up to eat and then fell asleep again. We fed her at 8:30pm and she didn't wake up until 1:30am to eat! She then woke up every 3 hours for a bottle. We are all well rested and waiting for Allie to tip over the bassinet due to checking on her every 5 seconds. Thanks to my Grandma who stayed with Allie all week. She's a saint for dealing with a strong-willed 4 year old and didn't run for the hills after 1 night. Thanks also to Brett, who went into survival mode Wednesday night. He was up most of Tuesday night, barely slept Wednesday but went home anyway to spend some time with Allie (and give my Grandma a break). By the time he returned to the hospital, he was ready to drop. I'm still trying to figure out how he's able to function on such little sleep. He's my hero! Thanks to everyone for their good wishes. We can't wait for you to meet the newest member of our family.

Melanie is here!

Melanie arrived this morning at 9:31 a.m. PDT. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs, 6 oz. She measured 21 inches long. All the girls are doing great!

I posted some pics on the web album at http://picasaweb.google.com/thelarrimores.

I will post more and some video clips when I get home tomorrow.

-Brett

The Baby Will Be Here....

Allie's sister will arrive on Tuesday September 18. Allie already has it marked on her calendar and is ready to wear her "Big Sister" shirt.

Another Doctor Appointment

My appointment with the beloved Dr. Dale was fairly routine. I am measuring at 34 weeks which isn't bad and the baby's heartbeat is normal. What I was surprised the most about was my lack of weight gain. Considering how much cake I ate this weekend, I figured I would have gained at least 1 pound. So I guess not eating ice cream every Tuesday at 31 Flavors and drinking my weight in water has paid off. I signed the tubal ligation consent form (sorry Bob, no more grandchildren from me) and Allie couldn't understand why Mommy wasn't going to have any more babies. I explained to her that having her and her sister were enough and that she'll thank me eventually. Dr. Dale is due to call me this evening to schedule the c-section. Only 7 weeks to go!!

Happy 4th Birthday Allie!!

Today is Allie's 4th birthday. We can hardly believe it! Allie is growing leaps and bounds each day with her ever expanding vocabulary and reading skills (yes, she can read). She makes us laugh everyday with her jokes and words that we never heard her say. She is so excited about becoming a big sister in about 6 weeks. She has vowed to teach her little sister how to play peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek. She is such a funny and sweet little girl and we're proud to have her as our daughter.

Busy Weekend

We had a very busy weekend. We had the girls rooms (that sounds and looks strange) painted pink and ours having one wall painted dark brown. Melanie's room is a soft baby pink and Allie's room is Pepto-Bismol pink. It has taken a couple of days (for me) to get adjusted but Allie LOVES IT!! She is so excited about her new pink room. She even said bye-bye to her old paint on Friday night. As for the nursery, we have the crib, changing table, and dresser set up. Brett and Allie surprised me Saturday night with the baby and Allie's rooms organized and the master bedroom put back together along with the new bedding on the bed. They were so proud of themselves. I was more surprised that Allie actually helped and stayed out of trouble while Brett installed new outlets in the baby's room. Brett and I wrapped up the weekend installing blinds and curtains in the baby's room and trying to keep Allie from climbing on the crib. I know that Allie is trying to figure out a way to get into the crib so she can snuggle with her sister when she arrives.

6 Pounds and 5 Inches in 4 Weeks??

My doctor's visit yesterday was an eye opener. I gained 6 pounds and my fundal height increased by 5 inches in 4 weeks. Considering I've gained only 13 pounds overall, my doctor wasn't too worried. It was when she measured my stomach, I got the "look". She measured me at 32.5 inches and told me that this could be a bigger baby than Allie (GULP!). Some good news: my ankles are still normal, my glucose test came back normal, and I can't see any stretch marks, so far. I will start seeing my doctor every 2 weeks for the next month and then weekly. She did tell me that she'll schedule my c-section for the week before my due date. So we are planning to have the baby around Sept. 20. We decided on the name Melanie since Allie is telling everyone that's the name of "our baby". It wouldn't matter what we named her, Allie would call her Melanie.

We took Allie to see her first movie at the theater today. We saw "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" and ate popcorn. She did really well and stayed in her seat most of the time. However, the novelty of the experience wore off about 30 minutes into the movie. We'll see how she does the next time.

That's Cool Mama!

Allie came with Brett and I to hear her sister's heartbeat for the very first time. She was so excited this morning that she was waiting for us. When Dr. Dale placed the microphone on my stomach, Allie's eye got huge and she exclaimed "That's cool Mama". Dr. Dale offered to let Allie hear her own heartbeat but she declined, only wanting to hear the baby's. As for me, I gained 3.5 pounds (which puts me at 7.5 pounds in 27 weeks- only 13 more weeks to go!) and my blood pressure is normal. I take the gestational diabetes test next week. I've been having Braxton-Hicks the last couple of days which have been rather uncomfortable and tiring. I don't remember having them while I was pregnant with Allie. My dr. gave me this big scientific explanation and then told me to get use to them. No love from her. And on another note, Brett and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary today. It's amazing how much our lives have changed since that day.

Allie Loves Her Sister, For Now

Well, I only gained 2 pounds this time (thanks goodness). I was actually surprised since I've been eating Pringles and peanut butter and chocolate ice cream lately. And no, not together. My blood pressure (111/64) and the baby's heart rate (142) were both normal. Only 17 weeks to go! Allie has been so great with the whole "I'm having a sister" idea. She loves to talk to "sista" and rub and kiss my belly. I know things will change once the baby is here. My Mom suggested I record Allie doing and saying all of these sweet things because in about 8 years, Allie will be probably screaming at her sister to get out of her room.

Sonogram #2

I had another sonogram today to take more pictures of the baby's heart. We saw the 4 chambers working and definite confirmation that it's a girl. Her girl parts were in clear view. Allie thought it was "cool" to see the spine and the bowel. It was funny to hear a 3 year old say the word "bowel". I have another doctor's appointment next week. I can't wait to see how much weight I gained this month (ya right). Until next week...

It's Another Girl!

We had the sonogram today, and it's a girl!

Baby News

I went to the OB/GYN on Wednesday and to my disbelief, horror, shock (place your own adjective here), I gained 5 lbs. in 1 month! My ever reassuring doctor said that I’ve netted 2 lbs. (PHEW!) However, she said that if I continued to gain 5 lbs. per month every month, then she would have my jaw wired shut. Brett was able to go with me to hear the heartbeat (and see the scale). I have been a nervous wreck all month because Allie elbowed me in the stomach, which hurt for 2 days, so hearing the heartbeat provided some relief. I don’t remember ever being this neurotic while I was pregnant with Allie. The ultrasound is scheduled for May 15 and Allie will be seeing the baby for the first time. She’s actually counting down the days! We will also know if the baby will be named Garrett Michael, Melanie Olivia (or Anne) or Caroline Michelle. Allie likes Melanie but she’s 3 and will probably want to change the name to someone’s in her class.

We went out to Palm Desert for Easter this year, and had a very relaxing weekend. I played golf, Kristi relaxed, and Allie... well she was herself. Allie had a great time finding Easter eggs, playing with everyone, and eating candy. She fell asleep 5 minutes into the car ride home.

-Brett

Today was Allie's first day of pre-school. She is going to do 3 mornings per week at the children's center at Cal Poly.

She had been literally counting down the days for over a week. When we dropped her off this morning, she went right in and started playing, barely even waving goodbye. Kristi wanted to go back and check on her, but decided to let it go.

She said she cut playdough, painted the sky blue and green, played in the sandbox, got a ride in a wagon, and had story time. She said one story was about the body, and the other was about kitties. Allie also said they had goldfish and apple juice for snack. She said she really like school but she's sleepy.

She's dirty and stinky with sand in her hair, which means it must've been a good day. She will sleep well tonight!

-Brett

Went to the doctor 3/9

I went to see my doctor last Friday. Everything is going well.
I heard the baby's heartbeat which was reassuring, I'm always so nervous!

Allie is very excited about the baby and shouts everytime she sees a baby. She really wants to cuddle all the time this week, almost like she knows what's coming!

My next appointment is April 4, and we'll find out the sex of the baby on May 15.

Allie starts preschool next Monday. She'll go 3 mornings a week. She's very excited to be going to the same school as Daddy, but disappointed that she doesn't get to ride the bus.

Make sure to check the link above and see our online photo album. I just uploaded some great pictures of Allie painting. Never turn your back on a 3 year old with paint. Good thing she was outside!