Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to give a quick update from South Carolina.....

Yes, we are in South Carolina, so that means that Raegan is out of the hospital. Praise the Lord! Some of you may not know that Friday the 18th, we took her to the ER because she was breathing really fast(she has RSV). They admitted her that night thinking it was pneumonia, put her on oxygen, and sent us in an ambulance to Children's Hospital. The radiologists at Children's determined that it was bronchiolitis, not pneumonia, but her oxygen saturation was still low, so we had to stay in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. She is a lot better, but still on the mend. Thank you for all your prayers. I really believe that the Lord healed her. And we are so grateful, because when the doc tells you that your three month old has pneumonia, when they stick her with ivs, and put her on oxygen, it is pretty scary. Because of this, I missed Arnold's graduation. :( Thank goodness his family was in town. I will try to post pictures later. So, Raegan is better, Arnold is officially officially officialy Dr., and me, Peyton, and Raegan are in SC visiting family. We had a great Christmas, got a lot of wonderful gifts, and are having a great time! I hope you and your family had a great Christmas too!

Sick Baby

I have a sick baby at home. We found out on Wednesday that Raegan has RSV. We are having to do breathing treatments for her and really monitor her breathing, etc. Please say a prayer for her healing!

Rain Rain Go Away!

We had an interesting weather experience this weekend. It's been raining cats and dogs in New Orleans the whole month of December. This Saturday was no exception as it poured rain for hours and hours. The ground is already soggy from so much rain, and it began to flood. Arnold left the house right before it started raining, and when he tried to come back a few hours later, he was stuck! All the streets around our apartment were flooded. After riding around for about an hour, he finally found a dry spot to leave the car three blocks or so from our apartment, and then he began to walk back. His jeans were soaked almost up to his knees. I was so thankful that I was not out in the weather with the girls. What would I have done? Arnold said the animals were starting to line up two by two at the Winn-Dixie down the street. Ha!

It's Friday!

Here are some random things about this Friday, and well, just some random things........

1. It is cold today! BBBBBBRRRRR!!!!
2. I went to daycare to check on Raegan and stopped in Peyton's class on the way. They were eating cupcakes. Peyton had her back to me at the table, and she wouldn't even hardly acknowledge me. I guess she didn't want me to take her home or feared that I would take her cupcake from her. That girl loves to eat!
3. Speaking of Raegan, she is refusing to take her bottle again.
4. I have not done one minute of Christmas shopping, but I probably won't go tonight because it's too cold!
5. My apartment has smelled like a wet dog most recently and I can't figure out why.
6. Tonight would be a great night to snuggle up on the couch, drink some hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie.

Instant Cappuccino

When I was young, I was a morning person. As I became a teenager, I developed into a night owl. Now I just want sleep. I just want to go to bed early and wake up late. When you have young kids though, that doesn't happen. Sure you can go to bed early with the kids, but then nothing gets done, laundry, etc. I have to work too, so this creates a dilemma. I decided the other week that I need something to help me in the mornings. I don't want to drink a ton of caffeine because I am still nursing, but I need something to help. I think I may have found an alternative....instant caramel cappuccino from Community Coffee (I think CC is a New Orleans brand). I know there's instant coffee involved, so I'm hoping there's a little bit of caffeine, but not enough to make me go crazy. It doesn't say in the ingredient list that there's any caffeine, so I'm assuming maybe it's not too much?? Maybe it's psychological that I feel better after drinking it, but either way, it's a nice treat in the mornings.

Christmas Parties

Arnold and I hired a babysitter the other night and left the house, by ourselves, with no kids. WOW! We went to a Christmas party for his work and enjoyed a great party with awesome catered food...crabs, shrimp, catfish, gumbo, jambalaya. We actually had to drive an hour or so north across the lake for the party, right out of the city limits to a little town called Folsolm. I actually saw stars in the sky! And it was cold! I LOVE Christmas parties...the food, decorations, the music, games, Christmas sweaters, and rockin around the Christmas tree. Do you love Christmas parties?

O Christmas Tree

In the top picture, Peyton's puppy had obviously been bad, so she put it in time out. Apparently, Mary, Joseph, and Belle were acting up too, so Peyton also put them in time out. You can't turn your back on Mary and Joseph for a second, and they're acting up!Peyton standing by the tree.

Apparently Cinderella(in the blue) and Belle(in yellow) showed up for the birth of Jesus. They must have come with the shepherds.
Our Charlie Brown tree.Raegan was all slobber and smiles.And last but not least, we were able to trade in this cutting edge piece of 19 inch technology (tv with a vcr combo!) for a new tv. My dad bought us a tv for Christmas and we got it early. Arnold was able to watch the Saints play on the new tv and he was very happy!

Pros and Cons

As we settle into our new place, I'm discovering some things I like about it and some things I don't. Overall though, I am pleased. Now if I could only get everything unpacked...

I like....

INSULATION!!!! I finally live in a place that has insulation. That means the place is not 1500 years old. I like insulation.

carpet. I know wood floors, etc. are all the rage these days, but give me good old carpet. It's warm. Your feet aren't black after you walk across it (and who has time to mop every day?). And you can sit or lay down on it and not have to worry about getting dirty and black. It also absorbs sound...good news for our neighbors.

walk in closets. I've never had a walk in closet in my life. I love it!

being one block away from the grocery store (I know Arnold will come to appreciate this. Especially when I say, "I forgot ____, can you run and pick this up.") and right in the center of town...store, malls, Starbucks, restaurants all within a few minutes.

I don't like....

stairs. If we ever buy a house, I will do whatever it takes to not have to run up and down stairs. I had only lived in our new place one day when I decided this.

an electric stove. For the past five years, I've had a gas stove. Of course when we first got married, I didn't even know how to turn the thing on, but since that time I've come to love a gas stove. It heats up so quick! And when you have a two year old screaming, "I hun-gy!!", you come to appreciate a quick cooking stove.

our hot water heater. I could bake a cake in the time it takes for our hot water to heat up.

Are there things you like or don't like about your place?

Thanksgiving Pictures

Peyton patiently waiting on her turkey.
Raegan with her little blue jeans on.

Peyton and her cousin Katelyn. Katelyn is five, and Peyton is two. They had a great time together.

We are Moved

I know it has been a long time since I've blogged, but there's a good reason for it...CHAOS! That's my life right now. Let's see, where to start............ Last week, we really got serious packing up our house. But then we weren't able to get the key, so everywhere you turned, there was a cardboard box or a pile of mess staring you in the face. Everytime I start packing up and moving, I always think to myself, "We have WAY too much stuff, and I am going to get rid of half of this junk." But then I never do. Well, we decided to go to Monroe for Thanksgiving to spend time with Arnold's family. And honestly, I was so thankful to get away from the mess that was my apartment. It was stressing me out. This past Sunday, we went and got the U-Haul truck. They gave us a 14 foot truck instead of the 24 foot. I knew that thing looked incredibly small. Luckily, when we took it back up there ten minutes after we had gotten home with it, we called and they had a 24 foot available. But they gave us a free day for all our troubles. That was a blessing. Yesterday, we were up early in the morning to finish loading it up and then we began unpacking at our new place. And now the new place is a wreck, and I'm stressing out again. :) I can't stand living with so much disorganizization. I'm not sure if that's how you spell that word, but I am so tired that I can't think straight. Raegan doesn't seem to be bothered, but Peyton had 2 or 3 meltdowns this morning. It's obviously stressing her out too...hhmmm....I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. ;)

I would love to post pictures. I have a ton to post, but I can't find the cord to my camera. I think it is seriously lost. Well, I'll post a picture of the outside of our apartment complex. I found these picture on their website.

By the way, it's DECEMBER 1st! Can you believe it???

What to do?

Raegan is a great baby. She enjoys watching Peyton and she has started laughing and smiling more. She will just sit in her little chair for long periods of time. But I seriously think she is trying to kill me with sleep deprivation. It's not her fault. She's not purposfully waking up three and four times a night just for the heck of it. But this child has more gas than a whole family eating a gallon of beans. Mylicon doesn't help. I hear stories of babies who at two weeks old are sleeping through the night. If I get Raegan to sleep for four straight hours at night, I feel like I just conquered Mt. Everest. I'm still breastfeeding, doing everything right. I know that time passing by will improve the situation, but I may die before we get to that point!

A Dreary Sunday Morning

I'm home on a Sunday morning because Peyton has a cold and is teething, I have the cold, and as of last night, Raegan now has it. So we're just staying at home today. Arnold preached at a church this morning because they needed someone to fill in for them. My in-laws came down this weekend to help us pack and move. But then we found out on Friday that we would not be able to get the key until Nov. 30th, so we're just surrounded by a bunch of boxes and I have nothing to cook with. I guess we'll be eating a lot of sandwiches and take out this week!

Changes

As we get ready for the move, I've come to realize that even though I'm very excited, it's going to be a big change. I have been on the seminary campus, with the exception of a year, for seven years now! I got my master's at the seminary, Arnold and I met there, we moved in to our first apartment together there, and have had a family there. There's a lot of great memories within the gates of the campus. I will miss the community of the campus, great neighbors, and the park that is our backyard. I can't believe it's finally time to move on! I will be coming back to campus to work and to drop the kids off, but other than that, will have no business anymore with the seminary. It's been a great experience, and I'm going to miss it!

Family Outings and the Move

Family Outings
This weekend, our family, all four of us, went out to eat for the first time. We went to Pizza Hut, and it was a pleasant experience. Peyton loves food, and Raegan loves to sleep, so it worked out well. Also this lady at church commented on the fact that Raegan slept through the entire service and did not make one peep. It's great, I know, we could never take Peyton to "big church". Now if I could only get Raegan to start sleeping through the night.

The Move
My house looks like a big cardboard box because everywhere you look there are cardboard boxes ready to be packed. And some boxes that are already packed. We start moving in six days. Yipee! I am so ready. And I have to comment that it is so nice to have such great friends that are willing to help us pack, lift heavy stuff, and move! Thank you God for providing people to help us!

Dr Arredondo Greetings

Two Different Sisters

I took the girls to the doctor last week and was suprised that Raegan is in the 25% for weight and height and Peyton is in the 75% for weight and 75-90% for height. Did I mention that they also seem to have two different personalities? It's amazing how sisters can be so different!
Calm and QuietNot Calm and Quiet
HHHMMMM...What can I get into next?

Dr. Arredondo

Arnold passed his dissertation defense and is now Dr. Arnold Arredondo!!! Thank you Lord!!!

Work and Pics

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Why the blogging break? Well, I did a little thing this week called going back to work. And it has been the hardest week ever...Raegan won't take bottles(still working on this one), Peyton having incredible meltdowns from the time we pick her up until the time we drop her off the next morning, Peyton waking us up and coming into our rooms at 6am, taking both girls to the doctor for shots, nothing to eat in the house and no time to fix anything, the house is a wreck, we need to start packing up the whole house, laundry piling high, Arnold's dissertation defense tomorrow...should I go on? Weekend where are you? haha

Here are some pictures from Halloween. I didn't buy anyone any costumes, we just dressed them up in cute Halloween outfits my grandmother bought them.

Okay, well I don't have the right pictures, so I will post the pictures in a few hours! Check back!

Praying for Your Children

I found a great article in Charles Stanley's In Touch magazine about praying for your children beyond the "Lord, keep her safe" prayer. It's such a privilege to pray for our little ones, to help shape them and mold them in to God's image. Here are the ten suggestions:

1. Godly wisdom.
2. For character.
3. For a spirit of excellence.
4. For humility.
5. For a desire to know God.
6. For direction.
7. For favor.
8. For discernment.
9. For the right friends/spouse.
10. For respect toward authority.

A Few Pictures

Peyton with her friend Gabriel. They were enjoying some crackers together.

Raegan is getting so big!

Day at the Spa

Last Christmas, Arnold bought be a three hour package to the spa. We went to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas, came back after New Year's, and then I found out I was pregnant. So I didn't want to go to the spa then. I have been saving my gift certificate until after Raegan's birth and finally got to use it this past Saturday! What did it include? An hour massage, a facial, shampoo and hair cut, and a manicure and pedicure. It was pure heaven! I had never been to the spa before and had only had a pedicure once in my life. I know why movie stars are so spoiled. I could really get used to it! It was nice just to have a little "me" time. And to top it off, I stopped at Starbucks on my way home and got a peppermint hot chocolate...my favorite! What a great day!

Sleeping Through the Night

Raegan is two months old and she's still getting up two times a night to nurse. I'd like to hear how old your child was when he/she started sleeping through the night and how you got them to sleep through the night.

Two Months

Here's the Post I wrote yesterday and forgot to publish:

My baby is two months old! I really can't believe that two months have gone by since I rushed to the hospital in the rain to have little Raegan. She is so sweet (I just can't say that enough!). In fact, a lot of times, we forget she's around because she's so quiet! She's a very gassy baby(she must get this from her daddy...haha), but other than that, she only cries when she's hungry. She coos a lot and smiles and gets excited when she's knows it's time to eat, though she's not a big eater. She loves being swaddled, and I know that after she eats her breakfast in the morning, stays up for about an hour and then starts whimpering, she wants to be swaddled and put down in her bassinet so that she can take a nap. Raegan has started to follow us with her eyes. I think she has started watching Peyton some, as she flits about the room. I love my little baby!

And for some other news...we found a place to live! Hallelujah! A three bedroom townhouse in Metairie. Great price, great location, clean and nice. Our move-in date is December 1st if you would like to help! :)

Mealtime Experience

Yesterday I made a recipe with potatoes. After I spent all this time making them and using a lot of ingredients, I opened the flour package again. That is when I realized that the flour I used in the recipe had bugs in it. Then I went to make okra and wanted to use some cornmeal. My cornmeal also had bugs in it. Then Peyton broke one of my plates after I gave her the plate to set the table with (what was I thinking???). Then I went to make brownies and I was out of oil. Do you ever have mealtime experiences like this?

Sleep Laughing?

I have been known to sleep walk/talk. Now there are two types of sleep walking/talking. There's the kind that you have no recollection of and the kind where you're semi-conscious, but you still don't know what you're doing. I'll give you some examples.
When I was twelve, we went to Gatlinburg, TN on vacation. One night at the hotel, I got out of bed, unlocked the deadbolt, and started heading out the door. Except I didn't undo the chain at the top, so I was trying to jerk the door open and the chain was stopping me. This of course woke my parents up, and they told me to get back in bed. If not for that chain, I would probably have been roadkill. I have absolutely no recollection of this incident.
One time when I was in high school, I jerked the blinds down in my room in the middle of the night, which fell with a thud on top of my alarm clock and broke it. I remember pulling at them, and I remember them falling, but I had no idea why I was doing this. After they fell I got back in bed and went right back to sleep.
Numerous times in high school, I would get up at 2 am or so and start getting ready for school. I would even look at the alarm clock (the same broken one, which still worked somehow) and read that it said 2 am, but I was not fully awake so I thought it was time to get up. I remember taking a shower once or twice. Then I would get back to my room (now fully awake) and realize that it was 2 in the morning.
These are a few examples, there's numerous times I've said crazy stuff in my sleep.
The other night though, I did something really weird that I don't believe I've ever done before. I woke up in the middle of the night laughing. The thing that I was laughing at, and I will not tell you because it's so stupid and embarrassing, was totally nonsense because I remembered what it was the next morning. But in the middle of the night, I thought it was true, and I laughed for probably five minutes. What's so weird about all this is that I was laughing and I remember laughing but I wasn't conscious enough to realize that the thing I was laughing at wasn't true. But I was conscious enough to think, "Oh I need to be quiet or I might wake the baby." Weird. Isn't it crazy the things you can do in your sleep?

Things I Love...

Things I love about my 2 year old...

1. She is not(as is common) ashamed to throw a tantrum anywhere in public. You gotta love this. :)
2. My two year old stuffed a pack of sweetarts down my pants for some reason a minute ago.
3. She will wave and say hello to anyone, but when the maintenance man came in our apartment this morning she was terrified of him. Why do kids not like strange men? Guess it's a good thing!
4. She will poop anywhere, anytime. During a nap, while visiting my office. Gotta love this too. :)
5. She can be so sweet sometimes!
6. She will have the most serious conversation with you sometimes (and you have no idea what she's saying).
7. She LOVES the outdoors. Going outside is one of the highlights of her day. I love her innocence and simplicity.
8. She is very grumpy after she gets up from her afternoon nap. And I do mean grumpy for like an hour.
9. The girl loves books, and I love it!
10. She is not a picky eater. My girl loves to EAT!

And this is an added bonus: She's just so darn cute!

Happy 2nd Birthday Peyton!

Yesterday we celebrated Peyton's birthday. I can't believe two years have gone by! She had a great party...hamburgers, carrot cake, and lots of nice presents. We didn't go anywhere or have anyone over, but just celebrated with our family. It was a special day.
Happy 2nd Birthday Peyton!

Peyton with her new puppy dog Scout and her new Playdoh.

Raegan thought our party was BORING.

Craig's List

As I wrote in an earlier post, we've been really searching for an apartment or house to rent. We've been looking on Craig's List, but haven't really had any luck so far. Arnold has looked at several that are either too small or in a bad location. We both looked at one yesterday that was very old and was on a very narrow street. You know it's a bad sign when you pull up, parallel park on the street, and a Lowe's truck almost hits your car. Well, we really had to move the van so that the Lowe's truck wouldn't hit us. Today we got a scam email from a property we had contacted. We've had several people who just haven't returned our phone calls. It's very frustrating. If a house is nice, it's way too much money. Sometimes it's a nice house for a good price but in a bad location. We'll keep on searching. I can't imagine what it would be like to look for a house to buy!

Two Posts in One Day!

The Monkey Room was great(see post below). Peyton had a blast, AND as a bonus she took an extra long nap. I love staying at home with my kids because you get to do fun stuff like this during the day! I wish I had some pictures from the Monkey Room, but I forgot my camera. It was basically a large room with indoor play equipment, but really cool indoor play equipment....slides, bridges, nets...lots of other kids too. I decided I couldn't be so TOTALLY paranoid about someone in my family catching the swine flu. We just need to be careful when going out and always wash our hands.

Peyton has been doing a lot of two year old sneaky things lately. The other day while I was taking a shower, I knew she was up to something. Normally she either stays in the bathroom with me or pops her head in there about 80 times. This time she was nowhere to be found. After I got out of the shower, I opened her door (which she had closed) and found her sitting in her bed with her container of wipes and a tube of Desitin diaper rash cream she was spreading on her legs like it was lotion.

And now for a cute picture of daddy and Raegan...It's so great to have him back!

Coming up with a title is hard

I've been a slacker lately when it comes to writing blogs. Maybe it's because the days go by so quick when you're at home!
Today we're planning on going to the "Monkey Room" with a friend and her little girl. The Monkey Room is for kids, and I have no idea what it is. But I'm sure Peyton will have a fabulous time. Yesterday we went to the park and played. We had a great time there. And then last night we went all went to Sonic and ate in the car. Peyton loves this whole concept. Of course, she just loves to eat in general. I've never seen a child eat like she does.
Arnold and I have started looking for a place to rent. In the next month or so, we've got to begin moving. How hard is it to find a nice, affordable, clean, safe place to rent in New Orleans? It's obviously pretty hard. The places we like are probably more than some people's house payment and car payment combined. The Lord knows our needs though!

A Few Pictures

Peyton has discovered that you can pull up a chair, climb up on the chair, and reach anything you want. SO, she's started "helping" me in the kitchen. We made cookies tonight.


Raegan is getting bigger. She's such a sweet little baby.


Here is a picture of Arnold with four copies of his dissertation about to hand them in!

Did you know you could do this?

I had read on someone's blog that you could do this, so I thought I would give it a try. We got our hospital bill for Raegan's birth this past week. I called the hospital and asked them if I paid in full, would I be eligible for a discount. They looked me up, said "yes a 25% discount", and instantly knocked $205 dollars off my bill! Praise the Lord! I didn't know you could do this!

How do you stop a toddler from messing with her baby sister? Peyton is CONSTANTLY wanting to mess with Raegan....stuff her passy in her mouth, wake her up, touch her, pick her up. It drives me crazy! I especially don't like it when she wakes her up! I never thought Peyton would give a care about her baby sister. In fact, I thought Peyton would probably just ignore her. Not the case!

Well, this is it...the last day of dissertation! I know Arnold is SO ready. He's been working really hard.

Gross

I should have known Peyton was doing something because she was so quiet. She was in her high chair after we had eaten lunch. I look over and her tray was filled with milk. I wondered if her sippy cup was leaking. Then she showed me what she was doing...taking a drink of milk, spitting it back out into her bowl, then dumping it on her tray and playing in it. It was everywhere. Gross.

This Past Week...

Some things going on in our household...

Arnold is wrapping up his dissertation! Only five more days until it's due. I can't wait til it's over!!!

I had a birthday this past week. Arnold made it very special...a good cake, a present wrapped in Christmas paper..haha! My birthday cake had three princesses on it...he said one for each of his girls...awww!

Peyton just spilled half a box of macaroni noodles all over my floor, the baby is crying, and I'm trying to fix supper! AHHH!!!

Raegan is starting to coo and smile back at you. It's so precious!

Peyton had some type of allergic reaction to something that bit her yesterday. Her leg is very swollen and red. What kind of creatures do we have here in south Louisiana??!!

Me and the girls made our Saturday trip to Sonic(it's the only place you can go and eat and not get out of your car) and got jr. candy icecream Sundays. Only a $1. You can't beat that...especially the opportunity to get out of the house! It's our second Saturday in a row. And Peyton becomes giddy when we mention icecream. It is defintely one of her favorites.

Can I just say again that I cannot WAIT until Arnold hands in that dissertation?!!

One Month

Raegan is a month old today! I find that hard to believe. The time has flown. She has filled out a little more and is getting prettier and prettier each day. She now weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. The last few nights she has slept better, which I am so grateful for! But we love her so much and can't wait to watch her grow.

Reading

I took this picture last night after Peyton had fallen asleep in her bed. She loves bringing her books to bed with her. This is how I found her when I went in to check on her.

This Past Week

As I learn to adjust to two children, I am finding that the days are flying by and that I don't have enough time in the day for everything! But here are a few things that we've been doing this week...

Raegan has been learning to sleep a little better at night. Praise the Lord!
We went to the doctor this week for her reflux and she is now on Zantac, which she HATES. How do you get a three week old to not spit out all of her medicine? But I did taste it, and it is VERY nasty. She's now up to 7 lbs. 5 oz., which is what Peyton weighed when she was born.

We've tried to go and play outside some this week, but it is raining in New Orleans non stop. Rain Rain, Go Away!

Peyton is sick, which is a real bummer. How do you keep a sick two year old away from a newborn? She's always trying to get up in her face, sneezing on her, etc. I don't know what to do here. I think Peyton probably picked up a germ from the doctor's office the other day. I'm trying not to worry but it's hard.

I successfully was able to take a shower almost every day this week! How did I do it? By wheeling the bassinet into the bathroom with a sleeping baby inside. Of course Peyton was in there too, peaking in the curtain and getting soaking wet. But at least it was a shower!

Arnold is still steadily working on his paper. I have started proofreading it again for mistakes, though finding the time to do this is rare. Keep praying for us!

A Few Loves

Here's a picture of Raegan and some of her sea creature friends.




And here are a few things the girls like doing these days...

Peyton loves....

turning off the hot water heater when we're apparently not watching. It makes for a nice shower.

rifling through the trash.

spitting in her hands and then rubbing them together. Yuck. Two year olds
do some odd things. :)

watching Finding Nemo. Thank you Janna for leaving us that movie.

trying to shove the pacifier in Raegan's mouth.

playing with her daddy.

Raegan loves....

sleeping in the daytime.

being held in the middle of the night. :)

Reflux

Raegan is two weeks old now, and it's been a hard two weeks. My kids seem to all be "blessed" with reflux. This means lots of bibs, lots of spit up on everything, lots of fussiness, and pain, and needing to hold them upright after they eat (supposedly for thirty minutes....and even at 2 in the morning or they will cry). Last night, I had a breakdown. You see Arnold has less than a month to finish his dissertation, so while he's been steadily working on it, I have been staying up with the baby at night. In two weeks, I have hardly had two hours of sleep put together. My mom would get up with her in the mornings while she was here, but at this point Raegan was still nursing every two hours. It's always an hour of sleep here an hour there. So last night, Arnold watched the baby the entire night and it was heaven. Of course I still had to nurse her every three hours, but I am very grateful for the much needed sleep. I understand why sleep deprivation is a form of torture.
So if you can think about it, say a prayer for our family...That Arnold would get this dissertation finished (due Oct. 1), and that our little angel would sleep.

On Our Own

My mom and aunt Jane left today to head back to South Carolina, so now we are officially on our own! We have had a guest(s) at our house since May, so now it is just our little family of four. It's going to be interesting. But now on to my mom and aunt...you have never in your life witnessed two women before clean a house like these two. Baseboards, windows, dusting, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, washing, straightening up, cooking, getting the baby at 4 in the morning so that I could get some rest, buying groceries for me twice. There's nothing these two didn't do. I am so thankful to them for driving ten hours to help us out. What a blessing! I'm really going to miss them.

Baby Comparison

Can you tell the difference?

The first baby is Raegan, the second Peyton.

Raegan's First Week

Some things going on in our household these days...

Lots of visitors and lots of help! Thank you Jesus!

Not a lot of sleep. Raegan has her days and nights mixed up.

Peyton running full force and slamming into my legs while I'm nursing. That always feels good.

Peyton running full force, grabbing the bassinet, and running around the house. But not while the baby is in it! :)

Me wondering how I'm going to survive by myself when all the help leaves!

Raegan Videos

A quick video of Raegan getting checked out by the nurse...







Here is a short video of her getting measured...

The Birth Story

Here is the story of the birth of Raegan Kiley........

Friday about 5am, I woke up with a really painful contraction. Off and on during the morning, I had painful contractions. I came home from work at 12:30, had a few more painful contractions, but went back to work at 1:30. At about 2pm, I was advising a student when I started having painful contractions that I began to notice were coming about 10 minutes a part. So at 2:30, I went home and told Arnold that we needed to leave. By this point, the contractions were five minutes a part. Now, unfortunately, I had not packed my bags or prepared, so we were both scrambling around. We finally get in the car on a Friday afternoon and it's raining and yucky and traffic is horrible on the interstate. It took us 45 minutes to get to the hospital. At this point, I'm about to panic as the contractions are very painful and coming about every 3 minutes. We finally get to the hospital and I am four cm. dialated. They take me back to the room to get the iv started so that I can get an epidural. They get the epidural started and check me. I am now 8 cm dialated and not that much time had passed! At this point, the epidural was basically worthless. I felt most everything. I finally called for them to see if they would give me more...same result. I then called again to say that i felt tremendous pressure, and WHERE'S THE DOCTOR???!!! They said they would come check me and that she was on the way. They check me again, and I'm now at 10 cm., though my water had not broken. Probably about 10 agonizing minutes later, the doctor shows up. At this point, I am feeling every contraction and dying and the pressure of the baby ready to come. So the doctor breaks my water, and about ten minutes and four pushes later, Raegan was born!!! I have to say that I am thankful she is so small since I felt everything. I am really thankful to God that everything went so well (and so fast!) during the labor and delivery and that we now have a beautiful little girl. Our internet connection at home is dial up, so you can imagine how slow it is to post pictures. But I will try soetime later to post a few more.

Raegan Kiley

Raegan Kiley was born August 21 at 7:18pm. She weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs. 3 oz and was 19 inches long. She is healthy, tiny, and beautiful with black hair. We just got home from the hospital tonight (Sunday) and will try to post more pictures and details later.

Raegan K. Arredondo

Well, here she is... Raegan K. Arredondo. Born August 21, 2009. She is about 6 lbs and 19 inches long.





Peyton meeting her new little sister





little Raegan opening her eyes for the first time.



We will write more later.

An Update and Why I Love Target

I went to the doctor again today, all I do these days, as I am 9 days days away from her due date. I am almost 3 cm. dialated, and the doctor said she would probably be coming pretty soon. But I have learned to take these famous last words with a grain of salt. Then I had to run over to the hospital to preregister. I have to say that it was exciting being up on the labor and delivery unit. I can't wait!

And here's something random. While at Target, I picked up a bottle of salad dressing, the good kind, after noticing the price was only $2.04. I even read the price tag very carefully to make sure it matched the label on the bottle. I get down to the register and lo and behold it rang up $2.84. I told the cashier that the price tag said $2.04. You know what she didn't do???...she didn't call someone over to check the price and hold up the line for twenty minutes, she didn't roll her eyes at me or have an attitude. She simply changed the price and finished checking me out! And this is why I love Target (for the most part!).

Toes

These are my toes. The reason my toes look so good is that my roommate from college, Tara, came over last night and gave me a foot massage and a pedicure. I was in heaven! God bless Tara. She is a saint. I can no longer reach my toes, and they were looking nasty! You should see my legs...they're getting the same way! haha

Below is a picture of Peyton and her Papaw. They bought her this little rocking chair, and she loved rocking beside him. This picture is not very good, it's blurry.





Peyton loves to color....ALL over EVERYTHING... :)