Maddox Graduates from Pre-School!

I can't believe that Maddox is already done with pre-school and ready for kindergarten!  Where did those years go?  Since he's been going to pre-school at my school in Cannon Falls, I've had the chance to watch him grow from a little 3-year old to a big 5-year old!  What a difference a few years makes!  I've tried to check in on him most days when he's at school, and I think we both have looked forward to our late afternoon hugs.  One day his teacher e-mailed me with Maddox's question: "Is my grandma coming to see me soon?"   Awww!  :-)

 This year's end-of-the-year program was during school time, but I was able to rearrange my schedule so I could attend.

 The kids sang songs,

played instruments,

and got their graduation certificates.

Good job, Maddox!  We're proud of you!  Off to kindergarten!!

Mabel's Birth, Part 2

Hey!  I'm on a roll!  Two posts in just a few days!  I'm determined to tell this baby story!  If you missed the beginning, scroll down to my last post and read that first.  The night of Mabel's birth, I stayed with Charlie at his house, took him back to the hospital in the morning to visit his new baby sister, and then dropped him off at day care for the afternoon.  Jenna really wanted to go home right away, and since she was feeling so well, they just had to wait for the doctor's permission. 26 hours after giving birth, they flew the coop and headed home.  I actually ran into them in the Target parking lot!  They were stopping for diapers on their way home (Jenna stayed in the car with Mabel), and I was doing some shopping while I had some free time.  So Mabel had her first of many trips to Target when she was only 1 day old!  I picked up Charlie from daycare, hung around for dinner, and then, since everyone was doing just fine, I went home.  

I had planned on taking three days off from school, thinking Jenna would spend two days in the hospital, so when I called my sub and told her I could come in on Thursday, she talked me into sticking with my original plan.  Thursday was our class trip, so I took it as a personal day and worked in my room all day, starting the packing up process for the end of the year.  It was the perfect opportunity to get a head start, since the kids were gone all day!  I could not stay away from that baby, though - Sandy and I went to visit as soon as school was out.  We picked up a DQ cake for dessert - Jenna's favorite! 

I think Charlie is sticking his finger in the side of it,

and it looks like he cleaned his plate, too! 

Yep - all gone, except for the drip on his chin!

 And Mabel just slept through it all!

 Awwww, so sweet!

On Saturday, we returned for a family welcoming party.  Ted, Pat, Joyce, and Paul (the great aunts and uncles) all came to meet Mabel. 

 She did NOT sleep through her first bath before their arrival!

 That's better!

 Trying to get a onesie on a newborn can be a challenge!

 Of course, we had to show up with a present for Charlie - another Little Critter book.

 Must be a good story!

 It was a really hot day, so Charlie got to do a little swimming.

 Ready, set...

 GO!!

 And Miss Mabel slept through it all, this time on Joyce's lap.

 Chuck took his turn at holding her, too.

 Looks pretty cozy.

 Ah, some eye contact with Mom.  :-)

And some cuddles with Dad!

Little Miss Mabel

My last blog post was entitled "Waiting For Baby Girl Held."  Well, she is now 3 months old and I am finally posting pictures of the big arrival.  Somehow, it's lots easier posting on Facebook!  I actually had two drafts for this - I uploaded pictures about 2 months ago, and then did it again 2 weeks ago, totally forgetting that I had already done it.  Oh well...  I may never catch up!

Jenna called me on Monday afternoon, May 14th, to tell me she had been having contractions all afternoon.  I was at a friend's after school having a glass of wine, and since I was going to be on "Charlie duty," Jenna told me to quit drinking immediately!  I called my sub, giving her warning that I would probably need her the next day, went home, fixed dinner, and then went to school until about 10:00 pm, making good sub plans for the rest of the week.  Jenna called in the early evening with the news that the contractions had pretty much stopped after she got home, but I was prepared!  She called again around 2:30 am to say things had started up again, so I got up and headed to South St. Paul.  Jenna and I hung out while she timed her contractions and Andy slept (he needed all of his strength), and then she decided it was time to go.

This baby is ready to put in an appearance!  I dozed a bit on the couch after they left, then got up and took a shower before Charlie woke up.  I got Charlie ready for the day, and after taking him to daycare, I went straight to the hospital.

When I arrived, Jenna had just had her epidural, and she was feeling kind of bad because her contractions had slowed way down and they were putting some pitosin in her IV (not exactly her plan, but whatever works!).  She was soon smiling again, and within an hour she was dilated to 10 and ready to push!  Andy had gone downstairs for some breakfast, but we called him back, and he brought his food with him.  It went uneaten for awhile!

After only 20 minutes or so of pushing...

here she is!

8.05#, and 20" long - the perfect size for a healthy baby girl!

I feel so privileged to have been at the births of both Charlie and his sister - what a wonderful experience!  

I had called Chuck when I knew Jenna was getting close to pushing, but he was still on the road when the baby was born.  He arrived soon afterwards, though - just in time for some pictures. We left Jenna and Andy alone for a bit while they decided on the name.  Right after the baby was born, Jenna said "I think it's Maren,"  but when we returned, we were greeted with...

"It's Mabel Elizabeth!"

Look at that pouty lower lip!

Corey arrived, bringing Chipotle for lunch.

Ahhh, Maddox was once almost that little!

Lots of hair!

Kyle came a little later in the afternoon.  Jenna is looking good, too!

I picked up Charlie from daycare, took him to Target to pick out a present for the baby, and then he got his first peek at his baby sister!

Charlie's favorite books at the time were Mercer Mayer "Little Critter" books, and I brought him the one about the new baby.  He listened to most of it!

Peek!

Nice baby!

Family pictures just got a lot harder to take.  This is the best we could get of everyone!

Congratulations, Held Family!