3 months old!

Ryan is three months old today. I can't believe it. I can't believe how quickly time has passed, I can't believe how big he's getting, and I can't believe how much love I have for him and my little family.

Things are going well for the most part. Ryan is sleeping through the night more and more (I'm getting upwards of 4.5hr stretches between feedings), he's eating like a champ - up to 5oz in each bottle, and learning to juggle my attention between both kids is becoming easier too. It's a lot of work. A *LOT* of work. The nights that Andy is at the station and I have both kids is definitely the hardest. And now that I'm going back to work full-time, those nights are going to be even more taxing.

Payton is adjusting... She had a rough week, she got to spend two full days with her little brother at daycare and she didn't like it one bit. She kept telling Sharon our daycare provider "Baby, home!" and also crying a lot for me. It breaks my heart that I can't be there for her, but I know it'll make her stronger. She has to learn how to share not only her toys, but the attention she gets from everyone too. She's been pretty needy at home as well but I think she's starting to turn the corner.



"Huuuuug Brudder! Huuuuug Brudder!" And once we let her hold him, she coos smothers him with kisses until we pry them off each other.

And this is what happens if we don't let her hold/hug him. Oh what Fun!



And I wouldn't change any of it, not one bit.

Easter eggs

Last weekend the kids and I were invited to my friend Ashley's grandfather's farm in Puyallup. We were delighted to see so many eggs and the gigantic easter basket. Talk about Kodak Moments...!

Silent Moos

Payton is so funny, everything has to be on her terms. Everything. Case in point - this video below. (Nevermind the wardrobe - or the lack there of.)

Returning to work

Sigh. I'm going back to work this Tuesday. Only part-time, but still. A few weeks ago, my cell phone exploded with messages and calls telling me that my company layed-off something like 100 people. Needless to say, I'm thankful I was on maternity leave and covered by FMLA.

There are no longer any web people employed in Bothell, except for myself, so the website has been at a standstill and things are starting to get a little messy. I volunteered to go in a few days a week to help out until I return full-time in the middle of April. They seem to be pretty happy with this, I'm hoping it'll help me keep my job!

Payton will continue to go to daycare Tuesday through Friday and I'll go into the office on the days Andy is home, so he can watch Ryan. Eventually, Ryan will also go to daycare a few days a week too but we're holding off on that until the last minute possible... to save money. Daycare is SO expensive!

Anyway. I guess it'll be better to start back slow and ease into things, right? I was really hoping to enjoy all 12 weeks off, especially since we had an extended stay in the hospital and Andy was gone for almost a month. Oh well. "At least I have a job. At least I have a job."

Wish me luck, I'm going to have my work cut out for me.

Ryan Lee MacDonald

So I'm a little late in posting this, I've been kinda busy with this whole second baby thing we have going on. :)



Our MacDonald Family grew by two feet this January - Baby Ryan is here! It was a crazy crazy birth story - even shorter than Payton's, believe it or not. You can read all about it on Ryan and Payton's website, linked on the right of this page. CRAZY!

I hope to start being a better blogger from here on out, now that we have a routine that seems to be working and I'm no longer figuring out which way is up!

The waiting is the hardest part

...at least that's what Tom Petty sings, and I totally agree.

Today is January 13th and I have approximately 23 days left until the little guy's due date. As far as I'm concerned, he can make his big debut NOW! I didn't forget that the last month of pregnancy bites (I mean how could I - I just went through this with Payton!) but I did forget how truly uncomfortable I was.

Sleeping is a joke. I can not lay on my back or my stomach. And I can only lay on one side for so long, then I have to flip to the other side. Watching me flip has got to be similar to watching a whale sun himself on the beach. Seriously, it takes everything in my being to lift myself up, turn my belly to the other side, relax, and then get comfortable again. Imagine that then adding a loudly snoring husband next to me. Oh and don't forget the lovely pregnancy hormones that raise my body temperature so that even a normally cool 60 degree bedroom feels like a freakin' oven! Blech. I'm so over it.

I'm really not going to bitch about every aspect of my life and how this pregnancy is affecting it, really. I am very greatful to have a fertile body, don't get me wrong. I just wish God made it a little easier on us once we did conceive. After all, we are supposed to push this tiny human out of our bodies after hours of contractions and pain. WTF?

The nursery is progressing. Walls are painted, dresser is finished and ready, crib arrived, blackout shades are up. My problem is that the room itself is so tiny, nothing fits properly or looks right. I'll have to take pictures tonight to show you. Still looking for a matching rug and some art for the walls. And I wish the laminate light wood colored bookshelf matched either the dresser or the crib, but I think I'm SOL with that too. And really, it doesn't really matter - we'll hopefully move this summer and I can buy some new pieces for each room anyway. But still.

My Magic 8 ball told me that it is "for certain" that I'll be having Ryan this week and maybe even on Saturday. I'm hoping it's right.

Happy Holidays!

It's been a long time since I've posted but things have been hectic, to say the least. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa spoiled you and yours!

Here it is December 29th already and I'm almost 35 weeks pregnant. Holy Baby, Batman! I have just over a month to go until our Little Man arrives and I am so ready. So ready to be done with this pregnancy. So ready to move on with our lives, and have our little family complete. Is the nursery ready? Well that's another question... haha

Andy just finished painting the nursery, and we're getting ready to move the newly refinished dresser/changing table in there so I can start putting away clothes. I'm ordering the crib today. Then it's just a matter of finding some art for the walls and organizing all the baby stuff (and other random crap we have in there) to make the room feel cozy and cute. It's so strange to me that I've been a procrastinator with the nursery this time around. I was working on Payton's the day after we found out she was a she! haha

Speaking of Payton - the girl is getting big! She's 16 months old now and probably the most fun she's been since birth. She has a mouth full of teeth (she cut more than 8 teeth within 2 months!), an extensive vocabulary and just loves loves loves to play. From the moment we take her out of her crib in the mornings, it's non-stop GO, _ALL_DAY_LONG_! She's such a little person now, it's hard to believe she was ever a newborn baby.

Here's the little princess, learning to say "Cheese!" for the camera:


And if anyone is interested, I updated Payton's website with a few new pictures too!