MaillouxBaby

8 months old already... and Christmas pictures!

2012-01-19T22:09:00.010-05:00

It is hard to believe that our little Avery is already 8 months old! She is so good. She is full of personality and just smiles at everything! I am always awed when I realize that she is experiencing everything for the very first time... and she has had quite a few firsts this past month! This was her first Christmas, her 1st cousin on my side of the family was born, she had her 1st ear infection, her first 6, yes SIX, teeth, and she has started to crawl! The sweetest thing lately is the way she giggles uncontrollably when Cole gives her "raspberries or zerbils" on her belly... too cute! I've included some Christmas pictures of all of us also... enjoy!

So tired...

Getting ready for Santa!

Showing off the goods...

Family Christmas photos

Avery and cousin Riley!
(not such a little baby anymore!)

All clean!

"Hi Mommy!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

2011-12-20T21:05:00.008-05:00

Well 4 years ago, just about now, we were headed to the hospital in Virginia as we prepared to welcome our 2nd baby into our lives! Our little man Owen will be 4 years old tomorrow! It seems just like yesterday that the nurse handed him to us with his little Santa hat on. He was the smallest at birth, weighing only 7 lbs 3 ounces... we used to call him "chicken legs". Not anymore though. Our baby boy now weighs almost 40 lbs and is almost as tall as his older sister! Though still our shyest and most sensitive, Owen is really coming into his own. He loves superheros, trains, trucks, coloring, building things, playing pirates and just about everything else. He is an awesome big brother to Avery... he would do anything for her! He won't start Pre-K until next fall, when he is almost 5, but he is ready and excited to learn anything that anyone will teach him! He is also super excited that he has learned to write his name recently!

I heard this song, "I've Been Watching You" by Rodney Atkins, about 2 years ago and have been waiting since then to use it in Owen's birthday video, since it talks about his 4 year old boy. Ben does not care for country songs, but I thought it was perfect since Owen (well all the kids really) watch everything that Ben does and just loves to spend time with him doing anything from watching TV, to reading stories, to making dinner, to fixing the lawn mower, to hanging Christmas lights, etc, etc... (you get the point)!

Hope you enjoy the video. We love you Owen, our sweet boy! Happy Birthday!

7 months old... and other things!

2011-12-18T20:41:00.012-05:00

Hard to believe that another month has gone by and Avery is now 7 months old! We have had a very busy month preparing for and celebrating Christmas twice already with family. The kids are super excited for Santa to come next week and to hopefully get a glimpse of Rudolph. Owen told Maddie yesterday that he saw him on the roof of the mall... I think he was trying to make her jealous. Avery is growing like a weed though I think she is still the most petite of the bunch. At her last visit she weighed 15 lbs 7 ounces, but was 27 inches long! She is not crawling yet, but I bet she will be next month. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth and is becoming more daring about reaching for things that are out of her reach. Here are some (quite a few) pictures of the past month. Enjoy and be sure to check back after Wednesday to see Owen's birthday post and video! Happy Holidays!

Helping choose and cut down the tree

Decorating the tree

Emmitt, our Elf on the Shelf

Maddie's Christmas wish list. It is addressed to Santa and Emmitt since Emmitt took it with him to the North Pole one night!

Christmas at Nonnie and Papa's

Just playing...

Such a sweet face!

Checking out my new ball popper!

Excited about his new race track!

Cole sound asleep on the floor after tearing his bed apart in a tantrum...

Owen's swimming lessons

Cole at Owen's swimming lessons

Maddie wrote out all the words to Jingle Bells... I'm not sure why, but she did a good job!

Maddie in her 1st school music concert!

1/2 a year...

2011-11-18T20:40:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that half of a year has gone by already and Avery is 6 months old!!! It just doesn't seem possible. She is a wonderful baby and just loves everything! Her brothers and sister make her laugh all the time and she has become fascinated by the cats the last few days! She has mastered sitting up and scoots around the house on her belly, getting into all sorts of tight spaces! I think the hardwood floors will slow her down a bit when it comes to crawling and walking... at least I can hope! I guess we've been lax about taking pictures this month but here are just a few of our goose. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:06:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween 2011!

5 months and Fall Time Fun!

2011-10-15T20:55:00.007-04:00

Another month gone by so quickly and Avery is 5 months old! She has had an exciting month. A few days after she turned 4 months old I put her down on the ground, expecting her to fall right over- but she sat up all by herself- a whole 1-2 months earlier that any of her siblings! Also a few days after she turned 4 months old I decided to let her try some baby food, again not expecting her to do well with it- she gobbled it right up and looked at us as if to say "you've been holding out on me"! Here she is, from 4-5 months old... our "Baby Goose"!
Also mixed in are some pictures of all the kids having some fall fun!

Playing

Watch out guys... I cat sit up!

Pumpkin Land

Maddie on the zip line

Pedal bikes in the rain

"I love Daddy's mashed potatoes"!

Baby Goose

Playing in the leaves.

What a cutie!

cute kids

Ready for school pictures

Avery's 1st pumpkin!

Squash!

Sweet girl!

4 months old

2011-09-18T21:10:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that Avery is 4 months old already! She is such a sweetheart (or "Babyheart" as Cole calls her). She is going to daycare 2 days a week now and liking it, except she still won't take a bottle. I guess she's got her mind made up about that one. She likes tummy time now and loves smiling and laughing at the kids. She's a pretty easy going baby! Her latest thing (that hopefully doesn't last too long) is to wake up in the middle of the night and talk to us for 2 hours or so...
She recently went for her doctors appointment and weighs 12 lbs 8 ounces and is 24 1/2 inches long!
Here are a few pictures from this past month.
enjoying my tummy!

Hurricane Irene

hanging at the beach

supervising apple picking

till next month...

1st day of school

2011-08-31T20:45:00.003-04:00

So our 1st baby went off to KINDERGARTEN today! Yesterday was her open house which I took her to. She wasn't so sure about things yesterday, in fact, she almost started to cry while we were there. One of the things we had to do while visiting yesterday was to sign our names on the sign-in board. While everyone else signed their names in big letters at the top of the sheet, Maddie wrote hers in teeny tiny letters way down at the bottom, away from all the others... totally uncharacteristic of her. I felt bad. Today though, she was ready! When she got home after a full day at school, she said "it was AWESOME"! Here are some pictures we took this morning before her big day!

Summer 2011

2011-08-28T22:42:00.002-04:00

3 months old!

2011-08-17T14:17:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that Avery is 3 months old tomorrow. The summer is almost gone and school starts in less than 2 weeks! Avery is becoming quite a little baby rather than a newborn. She is very alert and attentive, especially to keep an eye on all the big kids! She is a smiley little thing and LOVES to be held by anyone. She loves her big sister and brothers most of the time and enjoys watching them play. She likes to be outside, her swing, and to just be part of everything. She recently went to her Aunt Kimberly's wedding and did remarkably well in the car on our trip to Washington DC! Here are a few pictures... until next month!

2 months old

2011-07-20T22:14:00.006-04:00

Avery turned 2 months old this past weekend and it seems hardly possible that 9 weeks has passed already! She is doing great! She weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces (50%) and is 22 3/4 inches long (60%). She had her first shots last week, of which she was definately NOT a fan. She has been quite the traveler lately. We visited my parents in Massachusetts and Storyland/Santa's Village last weekend in NH (more of those pictures later), she has been to both the lake and beach and many activities around town! The kids adore her and often fight over who's going to kiss or touch her. Maddie is wonderful with her and Avery just loves her back! Avery loves looking at Maddie and listening to her talk or sing to her. She often smiles at Maddie, which Maddie LOVES of course! Maddie has her own nickname for Avery- "Tiny"- they are very sweet!
Here are some pictures of this past month. Check back- I plan to post monthly with new pictures and updates!

Cute toes!

First smile!

"Super Baby" at Owen's party

At the beach

Not a fan of tummy time

Hanging outside

On the ferris wheel at Storyland

One month old!

2011-06-18T21:26:00.005-04:00

Avery is one month old today! Already it seems like she has been part of our lives for longer than that. She is such a good baby- she only fusses when she's hungry, tired or in need of a dry diaper. She LOVES to snuggle and is not picky about who she snuggles with (usually)! Maddie and Owen can't get enough of her- Cole loves her too though he is a bit jealous at times I think. I can tell she's getting bigger- she is much more alert and aware when she's awake and has learned to SMILE!

Here are a few other pictures from the last few weeks.

first bath
brother snuggles

Great Grampa
just chillin

Welcome Avery!

2011-05-25T20:55:00.008-04:00

Well, it has been 2 weeks since the arrival of "Baby Avery" and we are all adjusting well. Here is the story of her birth and a few of her first pictures.

Avery's due date was Sunday May 15- which came and went uneventfully. I had a doctors appointment on the 18th and found out I was 3 cm dilated but not very effaced (for those of you who know what that means). Given our history of having large babies (Maddie was 9lbs 7oz and Cole was 9lbs 6oz) the doctor, Ben and I were all a little concerned that Avery would be at least that size since she was already 3 days late. The doctor asked if I'd be willing to get induced. I had, up until this point, not wanted to be induced because I had gone into labor naturally with Cole and it was very fast and kind of fun not having a planned birth- but I agreed because of the above reasons, not to mention not wanting to be pregnant anymore...

We arrived at the hospital at 3pm and got situated in our room. Our nurse (the wife of one of my coworkers) helped get us settled, started my IV and paperwork. She started Pitocin at 3:50pm. Around 5:00 the doctor came and broke my water. I was still 3cm and 75% effaced. Once my water was broken, the contractions became immediately more intense but still were not that bad. Ben's parents brought the kids for a quick visit around 5:30. Around 7pm I decided that I would try some IV pain medicine and to call the anesthesiologist for an epidural since I was only 4cm and figured it would be a while still (I should have known better). The anesthesiologist (another coworker of mine) got there just a few minutes later, I signed the consent and he got everything ready.

I sat up on the edge of the bed for the epidural and the contractions were coming almost continuously. The anesthesiologist was only able to get the local numbing medicine injected (not the actual epidural) before I started yelling at him to "stop touching me"... I feel bad about yelling at him. The nurse told me "that looks like the face of someone about to have a baby" She checked things and said "I don't feel any cervix"- and so I went from 4cm to fully dilated in about 10 minutes with Pitocin and NO epidural. Now despite whatever Ben says I would have much preferred the epidural but it was not to be... for the 2nd time!

Avery Abigail Mailloux made her entrance into the world (helped by her daddy) Wednesday May 18, 2011 at 7:44pm. She weighed a healthy 8lbs 9oz (much smaller than anticipated) and was 21 inches long.

Avery has been wonderful! She is a good sleeper and she loves to snuggle. I have needed to remind myself what life with a newborn is like. It takes longer to do anything, including get out of the house- someone is usually whining or crying by the time we get there. I need to remind myself to slow down a bit and be more patient with myself, Ben and the kids. Speaking of the kids- they all love Avery! They are (usually) very big helpers and love giving Avery hugs and kisses- now if I could only get them to do it one at a time!

That is our big news! Here are some of Avery's first pictures. I will try to post more regularly now that the little one is here so you can all see how she grows! Hope everyone is healthy and happy!

Spring has sprung and Happy Birthdays!

2011-04-13T19:09:00.013-04:00

Well here it is April again and two of the kids' birthdays are upon us. Madelyn will be FIVE years old on the 21st and Cole will be TWO on the 23rd! I say it all the time but I just don't know where the time goes. It's hard to believe that 5 years ago we were anxiously awaiting our 1st little bundle of joy and had NO IDEA what a ride we were in for. This journey of parenthood has been (and I have no doubt will continue to be) nothing short of a whirlwind. Ups, downs, smiles, tears (sometimes on all of our parts), amazement, disbelief, pride- the list goes on. I've thought this before and it still amazes me- but the song Grenade by Bruno Mars says it all (though I'm not sure the context of the song)- "cause what you don't understand is I’d catch a grenade for you, throw my hand on a blade for you, I’d jump in front of a train for you, you know I'd do anything for you, I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through my brain, Yes, I would die for you baby"- I never thought or knew that I could feel that way about another person but I know after having (soon to be) 4 children and a few "close calls" that Mother's Instinct (or whatever it is) takes control and I would do any of the above things for my children- it's pretty powerful stuff! OK enough seriousness. So, Maddie is going to be 5! She continues to blow our minds almost every day with the things she says and knows. She is finishing up her Pre-K program in June and is looking forward to KINDERGARTEN this fall. She knows her letters and numbers and can count to 29 by herself, higher with a little help. She likes to work on (very) basic addition and subtraction and time telling. She is still our little social butterfly and still hasn't stopped talking yet! I felt badly last year when I decided not to do a 4 year old video for her so this years video is actually from age 3-5. The first picture is of her holding a newborn- this is NOT our newest baby, but rather Cole when he was born. Maddie has been asking us to sing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" to her a lot lately which is why I picked this song for her video. I really like this version of the song by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'- It is a bit carefree just like Maddie. Just as the lyrics suggest- "somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, and the dreams that you dreamed of once in a lullaby- dreams really do come true". So Madelyn, my dream for you (one of many) is that you never stop dreaming. Happy Birthday Little Bug! We love you more than you can know.

And Cole... is just as amazing as his sister and brother. He is becoming quite the "big kid". He loves to do anything that the other kids are doing and doesn't miss a thing! He is talking quite a bit now and knows MANY words. Unfortunately, one of his favorite right now is "NO" (usually said with a devilish grin). Cole knows some of his colors and animal sounds. He is especially cute when he says that a donkey says "E.. Awww". He loves day care and his teachers "Looori" and "Nennie" (Lori and Nettie). He is very intuitive and loves to "help". I think that he's going to be a great big brother, just as the older 2 were/are to him.

When Cole was just an infant, a family member told me that she thought that he had the soul of another (deceased) family member because he smiled when she said that person's name. I don't intend to get philosophical or religious or anything like that since I tend NOT to believe in things like that. That said, there IS something about Cole. Sometimes, if you look into his eyes, it's almost like he's smiling to himself saying "I know things that you do not"- it's a little weird. The words to "These are the Days" by Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs made me remember this and that is why I chose this song for his video- "you'll know it's true, that you are blessed and lucky, it's true, that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you". And while Cole, I know that you won't remember these days, "these are the days that (Mommy and Daddy) will remember", and I hope that you WILL always remember how much we love you! Happy Birthday Coley Moley!

Happy Birthday Owen

2011-01-05T21:37:00.004-05:00

Here it is, a little late, but better than never... Owen's 3rd birthday video. It never ceases to amaze me how fast the time goes by. It's hard to believe that our little man is 3 years old already. I remember when he was born just like it was yesterday. Owen is truely becoming a BOY! He loves all things trucks, trains, tools (especially if it means helping Daddy), outdoors and superheros. He also loves to annoy the you-know-what out of his sister- something I fear he will never grow out of... oh well. He is also very much our sweet boy. He is our shy and sensitive one. One of his favorite things is to climb into bed with us almost every morning for his snuggle time, which is why I picked this song for his video. Enjoy some of our favorite pictures of Owen from the past year while listening to "Let Them Be Little" by Billy Dean.

Christmas, Snow and A Stubborn Baby

2010-12-27T15:45:00.004-05:00

Christmas pictures

Enjoying the snow

And lastly, since there was so much snow today, Ben suggested we call the hospital to see if there were any cancellations and maybe we could have our ultrasound today instead of tomorrow. He was right! Maddie and Owen came with us and were excited to check on and see the baby "on the TV". It seems that the baby is already a very stubborn little bug as it had it's face buried and looked like it was face down... so I regret to say that I have no pictures to post. All we got were the scary looking skeleton skull ones. After much trying, the tech was able to get a very quick glimpse and made Maddie's day by saying that there is a SISTER on the way!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T21:27:00.005-05:00

Gingerbread house

Watching Santa on Norad Tracks Santa

Christmas PJs

"Hanging" our stockings
The Night Before Christmas

Snug in their beds

Happy Birthday Owen

2010-12-21T20:51:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been 3 years already. Happy Birthday Owen! Hope you had a great day. Here are just a few pictures from the day.

Announcing...

2010-11-15T21:10:00.004-05:00

We are happy and excited to announce the 4th (and without a doubt... FINAL) addition to our family!
Little Bug #4 is due to arrive somewhere around May 15, 2011.
I have, as usual, been feeling pretty yucky for the last 10 weeks or so but am happy to say, starting to feel better in general.
We hope to find out the sex of the baby sometime around Christmas- Maddie is hoping for a girl, Owen a boy. Mommy and Daddy don't really care as long as it's healthy and has all of its pieces. That said, a girl would be nice to even things out and make dividing up the bedrooms a bit easier!
Anyhow, that is our big news! Hope you are all well. Stay tuned every once in a while for more updates!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:34:00.005-04:00

Snow at our house this morning!!

Carving pumpkins with Daddy

Pumpkin seeds, yum!

Maddie's spider pumpkin and Owen's ghost

Getting dressed! Cole the pumpkin, Maddie as Snow White and Owen as Spider Man!

Trick or Treat!

Fall Time Fun

2010-10-31T09:41:00.004-04:00

Helping Daddy pick up the leaves.

Playing in the leaves.

Building a campfire in the front yard... I thought it would get rid of some of the stumps... not so much. We still had fun though.

Check back tonight or tomorrow for some Halloween pictures!

Story Land, Blue Hill Fair, and 1st day of school!

2010-09-14T13:40:00.007-04:00

We recently took the kids to Story Land and had a great time! The kids went on almost all the rides with their overall favorite being the Bamboo Chutes Log ride! Here are some pictures from our trip.

At the Blue Hill Fair.

Yesterday was Maddie's 1st day of Pre-K. She was so excited that she was galloping around the house all morning! She is very excited to be in Aunt Jana's class with cousin Josiah and that she gets to take the bus back and forth to daycare!

She was so excited to have her picture taken on the 1st day that she wanted them taken on the 2nd day as well!

Our House

2010-08-27T22:28:00.002-04:00

Finally... I have collected all the pictures we've taken of our house in progress. Here is a compilation of "before, during and after" pictures (I'll apologize now since the video is 8 minutes long). There is still a lot of work we'd like to do, but we're taking a little break... for like a year or two! Enjoy!

April 2010

2010-04-09T22:22:00.003-04:00

I have been very lazy about updating our blog here but as you can image we have been a very busy bunch. We have been busily updating our house and currently have no downstairs as we are having new hardwood floors and a new kitchen installed!

I am writing, though, because it is April again. And as you know that is a busy (do you see a pattern here?) month for us as both Madelyn and Cole's birthdays fall within 2 days of each other. We are amazed each day at how big the kids are getting.

Maddie is becoming quite the little lady (sometimes). She knows all about a lot of things. Right now she is learning how to write her letters and she loves to point out patterns everywhere. Maddie is 40.5 inches and weighs 34 lbs. She just got her hair cut short- she is very excited that she doesn't have to worry about snarls anymore and she chose her haircut herself!

Owen (don't want to leave him out just because his birthday isn't until December) is doing great! He is 37.5 inches and 32 lbs. He is learning his colors and shapes right now. Owen loves to draw, read books, play with his toys (particularly his tractor and helicopter) and loves to be with our puppy Bella. Owen is also practicing using the big boy potty sometimes!

Lastly, but not least, I can't believe that Cole is turning 1 in just 2 weeks! As I've said before, Cole joined right into our family with the utmost of ease. He has been such a happy and easy baby (not that the other 2 were not). He loves to watch, and now play with Maddie and Owen. He just adores them and laughs hysterically at anything they do. Cole has also been walking now for about 2 weeks! He is 23.5 lbs and is 29 inches long.

As I've done with Maddie and Owen, I've compiled pictures from Cole's 1st year and set them to music. Please enjoy pictures of "my little peanut" set to "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.

Please check back soon to see a video of all the kids throughout this past year!

Meet Bella

2010-01-21T21:38:00.003-05:00

Christmas pictures

2009-12-27T21:02:00.006-05:00

Christmas PJs

The stockings were hung by the chimney (on the wall) with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

Visions of sugarplums danced in their heads...

Santa's been here...

Christmas morning!

Family photo

These are just 2 pictures... Cole with Owen's birthday balloon and Maddie and Owen being cute!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a safe, happy, healthy New Year!

Happy Birthday Owen!

2009-12-15T19:59:00.007-05:00

It is so hard to believe that Owen will be 2 years old next Monday. The time has just flown by. Sometimes it seems that Owen is still just a baby yet he is getting to be such a big boy! Please enjoy pictures from this past year set to Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly" since that is just what Owen is learning to do.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T19:42:00.002-05:00

We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Here is Ben carving the turkey and Cole practicing his standing!

Also, here is a cute story: The other day I was talking to Maddie about what it means to be thankful. I said that I was thankful that we were all healthy and that we had a nice home to live in, etc. Then I asked Maddie what she was thankful for. She looked at me and without hesitation said "you". Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:53:00.006-04:00

Happy Halloween! What a day. I think I'm more tired than the kids... We started the day off with swimming lessons, which Maddie is getting pretty good at. Owen is still not sure he likes to participate a whole lot. He does love to throw the ball around the pool though. Nonnie and Papa met us at swimming and then spent the day visiting and helping around the house. Cousins Elias, Josiah and Aidan came over and we all had some dinner before heading out for trick-or-treating. Maddie and Elias went to every house we came to. Maddie was pretty funny... she kept saying "gracias" since Dora speaks Spanish. Maddie was Dora the Explorer, Owen was Swiper the sneaky Fox, and Cole was Boots the Monkey. Josiah and Owen got tired and didn't want to walk after a while and the babies were fine. Cole enjoyed looking around and I think Aidan slept for a while. After trick-or-treating we went to wish Great Grammy a Happy Birthday and then the kids fell asleep on the ride home... after Owen chewed through his glow bracelet... hope those are non-toxic! Here is the gang. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

Owen, Cole and Maddie

Maddie, Nonnie, Cole, Papa and Owen

From left to right and top to bottom:
Papa, Cole, Nonnie, Aidan, Grammy, Elias, Madelyn, Josiah and Owen

Happy Fall 2009

2009-10-24T07:10:00.012-04:00

It is becoming apparent, though I've realized it before now, that between work, home improvements and 3 kids that we rarely have time to update this blog. I'm sorry for that but we are enjoying ourselves and the kids which is what is really important.

Here are some pictures from this fall so far.

Apple picking with Nonnie and Papa.

Cole sitting up in the tub for the first time. He had so much fun splashing the water!

All 3 kids in the tub.

Playing in the leaves.

Maddie, Owen, Elias and Josiah at Grammy's birthday dinner.

Spinach!

Little pumpkins!

At the corn maize.

Maddie said "I wanna ride on the really fast thing" and I stupidly said "OK, sure I'll take you". The "really fast thing" was 4 barrels being pulled across a field by an ATV. Hmmm, something is wrong with these pictures... mainly that I'm in them!

Hugs.

Cole already rocking back and forth on his knees! I can't believe that he's already 6 months old. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that he was born but more often it feels like he's been here forever with us. He is growing so big so fast!

Our new pellet stove!

As always, we hope that you are all happy and healthy and enjoying your fall. Thanks again for checking us out and I hope to keep posting... but we know how that goes.

Kids bathroom

2009-09-15T15:31:00.002-04:00

All is well here. I am back to work now. Last week was my first week back. I am working in the PACU (recovery room) 4 days a week, which is nice. The people there are very nice. I think I will like it a lot.

Here are the pictures of the kids/guest bath.

Before:

During:

After:

Kiddos

2009-09-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

There are more house pictures coming as soon as I can find the "before" pictures for comparison. For now here are some pictures of the kids!

House Photos: Round 1

2009-08-11T21:25:00.009-04:00

Here is the first round of house pictures. We continue to fill our days with home improvement projects... we are having fun but getting tired I think...

Maddie's room: before

and after

As you can see, Owen and Maddie are sharing a room right now... I think this is FINALLY the answer to getting Maddie to sleep through the night! Once Cole is sleeping through the night regularly and Maddie is tired of sharing her room with Owen, we'll move Owen back to his room. But for now... whatever works!

The boys' room: before

during

and after

First set of kitchen/dining photos: before

and during... notice the missing wall

And then finally some relaxing by the lake with family.

We're back!

2009-07-30T22:07:00.004-04:00

This past month has flown by so quickly! We've been busy trying to settle down before Ben goes back to work at the end of August. There will be lots more pictures to come as we finish projects in the house, but here are some for now.

Moving day! It was really quite smooth. Two guys showed up on Monday morning, June 29th, in Rochester. They packed the entire upstairs and some of the downstairs in less than 5 hours. They then loaded a UHaul truck and took it to a waiting 18 wheeler nearby. They came back the next morning and finished packing. We rolled out of town about an hour after they left. We drove to Gloucester and spent the night before finishing our drive to Maine the next day. We spent the rest of the week with Ben's parents hanging out at the lake. On July 6 we signed papers on our new house! Here are the kids playing in the boxes, the moving truck and our garage full of boxes!

Here are 21 gallons of paint... only half of what we've bought so far...

Over the past several weeks, Owen has discovered that he likes to be a "big boy"... playing with power tools and tractors... we're in trouble now!

Boys and their toys!

Here is our "official" welcome to Belfast. This was part of a fundraiser for project graduation... Thanks Trish!

We'll try to post more often from now on. And certainly put pictures of the house as we complete painting, etc. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T23:20:00.002-04:00

We have arrived safe and sound here in Maine! We have our walk through on the house tomorrow afternoon and then sign papers on Monday morning! Monday afternoon we will start painting with the 21 gallons of paint that we purchased the other day... fun, fun, fun! And then the moving truck arrives with our stuff on Tuesday! For now though, Happy 4th!

Marriage, Mud, and Moving

2009-06-26T15:24:00.013-04:00

Happy Anniversary to us!

5 years ago at just about this time Ben and I were saying "I do"! It's hard to believe that 5 years has past so quickly (well, really 10 1/2 years) but it has. So much has happened since then... Ben completed medical school, residency and now fellowship; we've lived in 3 states; and have had 3 amazing children! Here are some pictures from our wedding day and then some taken just yesterday.

It has been rainy with thunderstorms here the last few days. Today during a break in the rain the kids took the opportunity to play in a mud puddle in the driveway!

And finally, the day we have been waiting for a long time is here AT LAST... Ben's last day of formal medical training is this Sunday night!!! He works nights tonight, tomorrow and then Sunday. The movers (we've never had someone else move us before) are coming on Monday morning to pack all our stuff and then on Tuesday to load the truck. When they drive away sometime on Tuesday, we will be very close behind them on our way to Maine! We will spend the rest of the week at Ben's parents house and then next Monday, July 6, we sign papers on our new house!

We can not wait to get settled in and start making it home!

This will probably be our last post from Rochester, NY so good-bye and thank you to all of our new friends here. It has been a pleasure working with and getting to know all of you! Please come visit us in Maine!

Carefree days

2009-06-12T13:33:00.001-04:00

Rochester Airshow

2009-06-08T18:57:00.006-04:00

Two weekends ago we went to the airshow with the kids. It was over Lake Ontario and we had great weather. Here are some pictures of the A-10, Canadian Snow Birds, and the US Army Golden Knights Parachuters. Maddie was not a fan of all the noise, again, but the boys seemed oblivious.

Stats

2009-06-07T20:57:00.002-04:00

Owen and Cole had their checkups the other day...

Owen: 27 lbs 6 oz and 33 inches!!
Cole: 11 lbs 3 oz and 22 inches

Cole had his first round of shots and other than being mad at the nurse he did great! Owen was all caught up and didn't need any!

Cute Kids

2009-06-01T17:39:00.005-04:00

At Letchworth State Park

Sleeping

At the parade

Chasing bubbles

At the jump house club

Trying to catch Cole's smile

Visit to Aunt Kristen's

2009-06-01T15:40:00.005-04:00

On our way back from MA we stopped at Kristen and Scott's house for a day to pick up Kristen and to finally get a chance to see their home. This is Maddie and Owen on Uncle Scott's motorcycle.

While we were there we took the kids to a really cool park with an awesome covered sand pit and a discovery center in Binghamton. The kids had lots of fun driving the fire engine, dressing up, shopping and playing with bubbles.

And this is just Owen being cute!

Trip to Gloucester

2009-05-31T16:17:00.004-04:00

After the wedding, the kids and I headed to Gloucester for a few days. Ben was working nights so we spent some time with Nonnie and Papa so that I could have a little help.

Maddie being silly at breakfast.

Enjoying some nice weather at the beach.

Congrats Andrew and Lauren

2009-05-31T16:09:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago the kids and I travelled to western MA for my stepbrother's wedding. They had a beautiful backyard ceremony followed by a reception with some yummy food, good music and thankfully, a bouncy house for the kids. Maddie and Owen played in the bounce house the whole time. I was busy chasing the kids and feeding Cole so unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the couple. It was a great time. Congratulations again guys!

Lilacs and a new haircut

2009-05-14T20:57:00.005-04:00

At the lilac festival.

Owen got his first big boy haircut today... check out the handsome boy! At first he cried as soon as I put him in the chair so I held him and he did fine. The pictures are a little blurry but they're still cute.

2 weeks

2009-05-09T20:47:00.008-04:00

It's hard to believe that Cole is already 2 weeks old! On one hand it seems like just yesterday he was born but on the other it seems like he's been part of the family for much longer. Either way he is a pretty good baby. He sleeps very well at night and only cries when he needs something. He is very alert and loves to look around at everything. Big brother and sister have taken quite well to him and love to help Mommy and Daddy take care of him... and smother him with hugs and kisses! Many thanks to everyone who has visited... Maddie and Owen have enjoyed the extra attention! Here are some pictures from the last 2 weeks...

Cole's 1st trip to the zoo

Lounging

All clean Owen

Sibling love

Cole's 1st bath

Owen's new rain boots

Cole's 2nd trip to the zoo

Future veterinarians (taking care of the stuffed penguin at the zoo)

Also a big congratulations to Jana, Nate, Elias and Josiah who welcomed baby brother Aidan yesterday morning! Congrats and we can't wait to be a lot closer soon! We love you all!

Welcome Baby Cole!

2009-04-24T10:59:00.016-04:00

Robyn's version of Cole's arrival...

Thursday April 23, 2009

1:45am- woke up to pee, couldn't fall back asleep, nothing unusual though.

3am- Maddie woke up so I brought her back to her room and lay down on her floor. Must have fallen asleep at some point briefly.

4am- went back to bed and started to doze off finally.

4:23am-nearly jumped off of bed with first contraction. I thought, OK this hurts a lot more than all the other ones I've been having... There was also no easing into things... the contractions were every 4 minutes apart from the beginning.

Ben rolled over about 20 minutes later and I asked him when his alarm would go off as he already said. He told me "in 15 minutes", I said "good because I think I'll be going to work with you today"... a minute later I said "or sooner" at which point Ben got out of bed to go get ready.

While Ben was in the bathroom I got dressed and tried to call the OB's office but couldn't get through. By the time I got downstairs a few minutes later, the contractions were closer together... I stopped counting, I just knew they hurt.

We got in the car and I did ask Ben to not hit any bumps, as well as did he really need to stop at the red light, which he told me he did. Thankfully the hospital is only about 4 miles from our house because by the time we got there Ben was asking "really another one already"?

He dropped me off at the front door and I took the elevator up to labor and delivery and signed in while he parked the car. They showed me to the bathroom to change and Ben met me inside. If I didn't know already that things were happening quickly, I certainly knew when I had 3 contractions in the time it took me to change into a gown. The nurse walked us down the hall to our room where they were already setting things up. Apparently Ben had told them I was "active" and to show me right to a room.

When I walked in the room I said "I have to pee but I'm not sure if I really do", the nurse said "go ahead and try", so I did... for about a half a second when I knew that it wasn't pee but rather a baby there.

I sat on the edge of the bed and kept having contractions when my water broke a few seconds later. I couldn't lay down by myself... I think I was scared the baby would come, so the nurses helped me out.

Everything happened very quickly, obviously. There were several people in my room all at once. My OB was there and asked Ben if he wanted to deliver the baby... he did. I don't remember much after that, just that I couldn't focus on anything. I couldn't even tell when the contractions were to push so thankfully Ben told me what to do... he was great... very calm... the only thing I could actually concentrate on.

So at 5:43am, and a very short time after our arrival at the hospital, Cole Richard was born, weighing in at 9lbs 6oz and measuring 22 inches long.

I don't know if I agree with Ben's assessment that I didn't need an epidural... it certainly would have been nice to have. But as Ben put it, and I agree, the 13 minute delivery was even better!

Here are some more pictures of Cole's 1st few days as well as some pictures from Easter and Maddie's birthday that I didn't get around to posting yet. Enjoy. A special thank you to everyone who has/is planning to visit to help out. Your help is greatly appreciated! A big thank you also to everyone for the many gifts, flowers, fruit baskets, warm wishes, etc! We can't wait to introduce the new one to you all!

Easter

Maddie's birthday

Speedy Delivery!

2009-04-23T16:59:00.006-04:00

This morning at about 4:30AM Robyn asked me "When is your alarm going to go off?" I said, "In about 15 minutes." She said, "Good." Me, "...... why?" Robyn, "I might have to go in with you." Me, "OK.... should I get up now?" Robyn (with a scrunchy face of considerable discomfort) "Uh, ah, oh, uh..... yeah".

We get in the car, she asks me "not to hit any bumps". We arrive at Highland Hospital at about 5:30. Robyn says she needs to pee, changes her mind, sits on the bed. About 10 seconds later, her water breaks. About 13 minutes after arrival, at 5:43AM, Cole Richard Mailloux- weighing 9 pounds and 6 ounces, is born (delivered by his dad). It goes without saying, Robyn did not get (or need) an epidural for this one.

Mom, dad, big brother, big sister and baby are doing great.

Come out, Come out, Wherever you are!

2009-04-22T14:52:00.003-04:00

As Pam put it when she was pregnant with Shaun... it's time to start smokin' this baby out! I thought that your 3rd baby was supposed to come quicker than the others. As of today I'm only 4 centimeters and 90% effaced. I actually thought that he would be born sometime last night because I had contractions all day long as well as lower abdominal and back pain... so much for that thought. I need some serious labor vibes here... hopefully we'll have news soon! In the meantime I guess we'll just wait...

Maddie's 3rd Birthday Video!

2009-04-11T15:49:00.008-04:00

Please enjoy some of our favorite Madelyn pictures from the past year set to music.

April is upon us at last!

2009-03-31T17:24:00.002-04:00

In just a few short hours it will be April! I know that doesn't mean much to most of you but to me that means that this pregnancy is almost over. I do not say that with a negative tone, just one of anticipation. We are 37 weeks tomorrow which means the baby is considered full term from here on! As is par with my other pregnancies, I am ready to be done... I'm tired of being pregnant... Yesterday Ben and I had the day off together, which never happens. We sent the kids to day care, had breakfast out and then came home to work. Ben actually did some work related stuff, while I got caught up on Owen's scrapbook and cleaned/organized all the kids' clothes and tried to get things ready for the baby. I guess that means I'm in the "nesting phase" since I now have a sense of urgency to get certain things done before baby's arrival. It won't be long now!

Does anyone have any thoughts about when he will arrive and how much he will weigh? Please comment below. We'll keep you posted!

A long time coming...

2009-03-21T12:09:00.010-04:00

I need to apologize first for the length of time that has gone by since our last post. Between being sick, work and then traveling home recently the time has just gone by- we have had a very busy few weeks.

Our big news is that we have found a new home! We met with a realtor back at Christmas and Ben's parents have been looking at houses since then. When we went home 2 weeks ago, we looked at the "Top 14" and narrowed it down quickly. We put a bid in and settled on a price that we were happy with. We don't actually close on the house until July which is good since the bank wanted it that way and the seller needed some time to move out too! It is close to everything- town, hospital, park, ocean, and family! We are very excited to finally settle down and have some place we know the kids will enjoy growing up!

We also had a very small (and very early) birthday party for Maddie with her cousins and 1 other family since we're not going to be doing anything for her actual birthday, except maybe having a baby. I wanted her to have a party so she didn't feel forgotten with all the upcoming baby excitement.

We came back to Rochester last Saturday and then this past Wednesday our friends Pam and Charlie arrived with their 2 kids David and Shaun. We have had fun having friends in town. We took them to the Museum of Play as well as an indoor play area and then to one of the local parks today. Maddie has been so tired that she slept through the night the last 2 nights! We'll see if it lasts after they leave tomorrow.

At the play museum.

At the indoor playground.

At the park.

And lastly, it is hard to believe that there are only 4 1/2 weeks left before our new little guy arrives. We haven't been as good this time around at taking belly pictures but here is the latest one.

Also, please vote on our new list of names to the left. Hope all is well with everyone and we'll try to keep up with the posts from now on.

Day Care Illness #573...

2009-02-12T12:48:00.004-05:00

or just the other 572 that have finally caught up with me...

It seems that Owen has been sick since starting day care back in July. Nothing serious, just the standard runny nose all the time. I've often though how lucky we've been that Maddie hasn't been sick a lot, but maybe that's because she was in day care in Virginia as well and has built up immunity to a lot of the bugs. Well, Maddie complained of a sore throat last Wed and Thurs and then Friday afternoon she had a fever.

Those with kids know that when your kid gets sick it is difficult for you not to as well since they are inevitable coughing or sneezing (or worse) in your face all the time. So naturally I had a low grade fever on Friday as well. Nothing big, just didn't fell great. We had a great weekend except for the development of this really irritating cough. Monday I had our 30 week check up with the OB who said I could try Robitussin, which I did with no relief.

Monday afternoon I started having fevers again that were only relieved temporarily by Tylenol, in fact by Tuesday they were coming back a few hours before the next dose of Tylenol was due. By Tuesday night I knew I could not work on Wed so I called in sick. I didn't sleep either Mon or Tues night because of coughing or fever so by Wed morning Ben thankfully offered to go to work a little late and take the kids to day care for me. I helped him get them ready and then didn't move off the couch until 10am when I took a shower. I folded a small amount of laundry before falling asleep on the couch again until about 2pm. I called Ben to say hi, but before I did that I checked my heart rate and it was 120... he told me to swing by the hospital and get some IV fluid and then we could all go home together.

By the time I got to the hospital it was 3pm. Everyone on Labor and Delivery is really nice. I've stopped by many times just to say to Ben so I've seen most everyone there I think at least in passing. I filled out some papers since I was officially there as a patient and to be seen in triage. I put on my mask (since I had a fever and cough) so I hopefully didn't expose any moms/new babies to my illness and sat in the waiting room. A few minutes later a nice nurse came to get me and explained that since triage was full I would be put in a private room (which was probably better for everyone else). For those who don't know, "triage" is just that. It is not being admitted to the hospital, but rather a place you go to have someone (a nurse or doctor) decide whether you need to be admitted, need short term monitoring, or like me need some sort of brief intervention and then go home.

Once I got to my room and changed, the nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor (which is standard) to make sure the baby was OK. He was. Ben commented though that we were competing for fastest heart rate. Mine was 130's and baby's was 150's. Then came the fun part... getting my IV. Normally I have great veins but apparently I was more dehydrated than I realized since it took 2 nurses and an anesthesiologist 2 tries each before I had a working IV. They still had to stick me again later for blood but that part was easy. So I just hung out for a few hours while they gave me 3 liters of fluids and tried to run some blood work and a flu test (yes, I did have a flu shot). Unfortunately the lab was crazy backed up because the computers were down so I didn't get the results before I left at 7pm but I did feel a bit better after all that fluid.

Ben had already picked the kids up at 6 and had fed them dinner by the time I got home so all there was to do was help get them off to bed before crashing ourselves. I took the Codeine they had given me for my cough which I'm not sure really helped or not. I think I'll try 2 pills tonight but if it doesn't help then I guess I'll just deal with the cough because while all this medication is safe to take during pregnancy, less or none is always better. I called in sick again today which, other than not getting paid, is good because while I haven't had any more fevers I'm still very run down and still trying to catch up on fluids.

OK, so now for some pictures...

The first is of our Super Snow Bowl crew. We hosted the annual super bowl party here in Rochester. Many thanks to all who attended. I think it was a great time. We had guests from as far away as Massachusetts, Virginia, and Florida and then many fellow "New Yorkians" (is that a word?)/Rochestorians (I think that's what people around here refer to themselves as... anyway, here is the group that actually played snow football.

And then here are some pictures of Owen, who has officially become our little walking/half running boy!

10 1/2 weeks to go

2009-02-07T19:45:00.004-05:00

We are at the 29 1/2 week mark... officially 3/4 of the way there! Besides feeling exhausted all the time, I am feeling pretty good. We are now visiting the OB every 2 weeks instead of monthly.

I had my glucose test a few weeks ago and the doctor said it was good... 129, but I think that is too high. I am convinced this baby is going to be just as big as Madelyn was. Everything about this pregnancy has been exactly the same as with her. Another similarity is the swelling that I'm starting to get and some "elevated" blood pressures.

During our last visit 2 weeks ago, my blood pressure was 130/74... way too high, especially for me who runs about 90-110 systolic. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that I had just gotten the 2 kids ready and dropped off at day care by myself and then raced to the appointment with only a few minutes to spare. I tried to explain that to the doctor who kept asking me if I was having headaches and was too busy filling out lab slips for me. I made the nurse recheck my BP before I left... it had already come down to 120/something... I still haven't had the labs drawn... I've never been such a non-compliant patient before, but I know that my BP was high because of the stress of the morning, not because of anything else. I have another appointment this Monday... hopefully I don't get yelled at too much.

I will try to get more pictures up soon... hopefully tomorrow. Until then, I have 2 sceaming kids to put to bed.

Help name our son!

2009-01-18T14:19:00.002-05:00

Please cast your vote to the left. Here is a list of potential names for our litte guy, in no paticular order. We would also welcome suggestions that are not on this list (just email us or place a comment under this post).

Big Girl Bed

2009-01-18T11:44:00.004-05:00

So, we had decided right after we moved that we would not put Maddie's crib back together again and that she could go right into her toddler bed, but she had absolutely no interest. Rather than have her sleep in the pack and play anymore, we put her crib back together and she was fine. She really has never expressed any interest in a big bed and we were fine with that since she's never climbed out of her crib.

When we were home over Christmas Maddie slept in a real bed at her Grammy and Grampa's house... we were a bit skeptical but she did fine.

Last weekend I asked Maddie if she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed like at Grammy and Grampa's and she got excited and said yes, so she helped take her crib apart and was very excited about her "new" bed. That was last Sunday...

Sunday-slept all night, no issues

Monday-slept all night, no issues

Tuesday-slept all night, no issues

Wednesday-came in our bed at 3am

(Maddie resting on the bathroom floor at 5:30am while we get ready for work)

Thursday-came in our bed at 6am

Friday-came in our bed at 12:30am

Saturday-tried having a night light on... came in our room at 12:30am, I got out of bed and brought her back to her bed where for the next hour she squirmed all over, in and out of the covers, whining about needing to go potty. Finally at 1:30 we went to the potty where there was no pee or poop but we had to sit there for a long time trying. As soon as she got back to bed she kept crying about needing to go poop on the potty, needed me to sing to her, hold her hand, get her water, etc. I dozed off at some point (I'm sure she didn't), but she was still crying about the potty. I told her to go get Ben because I had told her I was only taking her once. I dozed off again and then noticed the bathroom light on. I checked on her since I wanted to be sure she wasn't alone... Ben was with her... it was 2:30 am. After going potty she came, reluctantly, back to her bed, where she whined until we both fell asleep again. I woke up at 5:30am and got back into our bed since my back was sore after sleeping for 5 hours on her floor. At 6am Owen started crying and then Maddie was at the side of our bed again... this time Ben got up and went into her room only to deal with the potty thing again, though this time she went. Owen cried in our bed with me until almost 7 when Ben took them both downstairs and I was able to sleep until 8:15...

So, we are all ears and eagerly awaiting some advise on how to get Maddie to stay/sleep in her bed because tonight leads into the work week and Ben and I will get really cranky, really fast with limited sleep all week. The easy answer is to put the crib back together but I don't want to deal with this in 3 months when there's a new baby in the house keeping me up also.

HELP!!!

It's another GIRL... finally!!!

2009-01-16T09:54:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Edward, Jeanne and Big Brother Sebastian who welcomed

Sophie Madeleine Brennan Bliss

January 14, 2009
9lbs 5oz

We're so excited for you!

Happy January!

2009-01-12T19:25:00.006-05:00

Ben and I were able to enjoy ourselves the other night thanks to our getting a babysitter. We had our work holiday party and one of the other doctor's daughter watched the kids for us so we could get out just us. It was a mostly uneventful evening... after Owen fell into the side of the tub and smashed his 2 front teeth in... and after Maddie, mistakenly, locked herself in her bedroom and we had to switch the doorknob around... the babysitter came and Maddie wasn't so sure but only 2 minutes later she was holding the girl's hand and showing her all of the toys so it was all good. For all those wondering... the babysitter was here for 4 1/4 hours (through dinner and bedtime) with the 2 munchkins so we were going to give her $35 but didn't have change so ended up giving her $40... probably too much but worth it!

Here are some of the latest pictures...

Silly boy in the tub.

Crawling in the tunnel.

Big boy walking.

Mommy and Baby at 25 1/2 weeks.

Playing in the snow.

Hope everyone is doing well and a few shouts out to our friends and family...

Mike- Happy belated BDay 12/19

Annee- Happy belated BDay 12/27

Shirah and Dan- Congrats on Baby Boy Finnian Steven Thomas O'Connell!!! (hope you're getting some sleep)

Mike- Happy belated BDay 1/10

Bruce/Grandpa- Happy Birthday today 1/12

Jana- Happy Birthday 1/15

Babysitting help

2009-01-04T16:44:00.002-05:00

This Saturday we are getting a babysitter to watch the kids so we can go to a holiday party but since it's our first time with an actual babysitter we have no idea how much they get paid these days... any suggestions... Help!!!

Our Christmas Vacation

2009-01-03T22:30:00.007-05:00

So we have been back in the swing of things for about a week now, sorry it has taken so long to get these pictures up. We had a great Christmas starting out with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Robertson and Aunt Kristen and Uncle Scott on 12/13. Then we left NY in a snowstorm and headed to Maine where we celebrated Owen's actual birthday on the 21st and an early Christmas on the 24th with Grammy and Grandpa, Aunt Jana, Uncle Nate and cousins Elias and Josiah. Next stop Massachusetts to Nonnie and Papa's house where we also visited with Aunt Kristen and Uncle Scott again, Aunt Kimberly, Aunt Ericka and Uncle Mike as well as went to Great Aunt Janet's house before coming back home here to NY on the 28th. It was a whirlwind trip as usual but we are thankful to have been able to make it back home for the holidays. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and have a happy and healthy New Year!

YOU NEED TO CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO SEE MORE, SORRY, COULDN'T GET THIS ONE TO AUTO-PLAY...

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2008-12-14T21:18:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that Owen is going to be one already. His actual birthday is this coming Sunday, 12/21. He has had an incredible year and amazes us everyday. He is such a joy and a little charmer! He knows that all he has to do is smile and it melts our hearts. Here is a collection of pictures from this past year set to music. Thanks again to Pam- I heard this song on her blog and thought it was perfect for Owen's first video. The only problem is the song says "darling Sean" at the end... it's still the perfect song. Enjoy!

Vacation and other stuff

2008-12-08T21:00:00.005-05:00

For the past week we have been "vacationing" at home. We did have lots of relaxing but there was some business mixed in there as well. We headed to Maine first where Ben had some interviews for next year. We had a late Thanksgiving and Maddie and Owen enjoyed hanging out with their cousins.

After Maine, we headed to Massachusetts where we spent time with more family. Friday was Ben and my 10 year anniversary so Nonnie and Papa watched the kids so we could have a nice dinner out.

On Saturday we celebrated Owen's birthday a little early.

Maddie and Owen with a special suprise guest.

Owen right before he put the candle out with his finger...

and right after...

Opening presents.

Maddie and David

We got home last night and then headed to work again this morning. Today we had another ultrasound to check on the new baby. They needed to get some additional pictures that were more clear today since we're further along than last time. They also did a 3D picture for the fun of it... it's a little funny looking but the ultrasound tech assured us that it is very cute for only 20 1/2 weeks along...

And lastly, but not least, we got Owen's birthday pictures done before we left. I don't think he felt very good and didn't smile very much but we managed to get some cute pictures anyway!

Mother's instinct is NOT always right...

2008-11-19T20:20:00.002-05:00

I have said, right from the very beginning, that I knew what sex our baby-to-be is. I felt so sick very early on and had lots of food aversions (specifically milk, coffee, and WATER) and I wouldn't call them cravings, but much preferred carbs to anything else in the first trimester. I would have bet anything in the world that we were having another girl. Well, as you can see below, I was clearly mistaken.

It's another BOY!!!

Feet!

Hands, waving hello!

Looking directly at him... a little disturbing.

But still a cutie! (and a big forhead just like his sister and brother)

And for the record, Maddie has said all along that the baby is a boy "like Owen".

16 weeks

2008-11-07T21:37:00.003-05:00

Everyone place your votes to the left. We, hopefully, will be able to find out boy or girl at our next ultrasound on 11/19. Ben and I, or at least I, have our own thoughts (I have since the very beginning)... we'll see soon!

Also, I remember that Pam had this very cool ticker when she was pregnant. It tells you little tidbits on baby's development... I was glad that I was able to find it... enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:02:00.003-04:00

On the way to daycare this morning!

All ready for trick or treating!

Trick or treating! Maddie had her hand in everyone's candy basket before she actually said "trick or treat"... oh well, she's still learning.

Here are some pictures of Maddie last Halloween for comparison... she's getting so big!

15 weeks

2008-10-29T21:06:00.002-04:00

We are 15 weeks today and here are our pictures... baby looks good so far! I feel like I look much bigger than 15 weeks, but I guess that's what happens when you've already had 2 kids. I feel pretty good these days. Not too sick, not too tired yet. In other news... we had our first snowflakes today...

Ben's comings and goings

2008-10-28T17:04:00.003-04:00

So, I have not personally posted for a long time and I thought now would be a good time to do so and update everyone as to what I have been up to. I have been very busy at Highland Hospital where I spend 80% of my time on the Labor and Delivery floor. Highland Hospital delivers about 3000 babies per year, about 40% of those by c-section. My role there is to help out the residents with their vaginal deliveries while learning how to do c-sections. It has been great, people have been very nice here in Rochester and at the hospital.

For tracking purposes, I have to record all my deliveries, so I thought I would share. From July 14 to October 28:

I have delivered 71 babies.
20 vaginal deliveries
51 c-sections.

The other 20% of my time is spent at Highland Family Medicine which is a residency program like where I went in Fairfax. Here I see "normal" patients who have complaints from back pain to pneumonia to diabetes. It is refreshing at times to do more "basic" stuff.

Congrats to the Bouteneff's!! I have added a link to their blog (on the left). Check out pictures of their baby (really, all you can see is Tara's belly, but I guarentee it will get bigger).

Hope to see everyone at the holidays and/or the SuperSnowBowl!

Officially Insane!

2008-10-17T19:40:00.003-04:00

So... for any of you out there who haven't heard the news, we are very happy and excited to announce the upcoming arrival of our newest soon-to-be bundle of joy... Baby Mailloux #3!

We are 13 weeks and 2 days along and, knock on wood, I have finally begun to feel better. I was quite nauseated early on but, thankfully, I think that has passed.

This baby is scheduled to arrive on April 22, but hopefully not on the 21st as this is big sister Madelyn's birthday... we'll just have to wait and see.

Since we were induced with both Maddie and Owen we would like to just let things happen naturally when the time comes, so that should be interesting as I'm not exactly sure what to expect. But as I said, we'll just have to wait and see!

Below are pictures from both of our ultrasounds. The first one is from when we were 8 weeks and the ones after that are from just the other day.

8 weeks

13 weeks

And yes, we are officially looking for a minivan... we are actually going to test drive one tomorrow...

Fall time fun!

2008-10-13T20:36:00.006-04:00

Warm PJs

Wagon ride

Pumpkin patch

Feeding the goats

Baking cookies

Carving pumpkins

The finished pumpkins

Helping Daddy

2008-09-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin and Apple picking with the kids

2008-09-28T20:23:00.005-04:00

Our vacation

2008-09-23T16:13:00.011-04:00

We just had a very relaxing week off. Nonnie and Papa came to visit and then we just hung around, did some days trips and then visited Grandma and Grandpa and Great Grandma Joan.

Here are some of the pictures from our week...

Madelyn trying Mommy's makeup.

Sleeping soundly.

At Niagra Falls.

We took a day trip to Letchworth State Park about 45 minutes away. It was beautiful with lots to see and 3 waterfalls. It is called The Grand Canyon of the east.

Maddie's 1st elephant ride at the Big E! She was fine until the elephant started to walk and flap its ears. Then she wanted to sit in my lap.

Owen practicing his standing-- he's so proud of himself!

On our last day at Lake George we woke up early and took Maddie to the Glens Falls balloon festival. We stopped and got coffee on the way to see the 6:30am launch of about 90 hot air ballons. It was a pretty amazing site. I would definately go back sometime in the future. Here are just some of the pictures.

Now it is back to the routine. Up early every day for work. Oh well, such is life. Hope everyone is well. Happy Fall!

Yeah! Our computer is back!

2008-09-13T18:57:00.014-04:00

Here are some of the latest pictures for you to enjoy... The kids are changing everyday. Owen is a moving maching these days. Ben calls him little commando man since he doesn't really get on his knees to crawl but rather drags himself around by pulling himself with his arms. He also loves to pull himself up on things and stand. Maddie is also getting bigger all the time. She is becoming quite the little lady. She uses her words much better and even uses correct pronouns.

Happy and Sad...

Silly girl

Cool Kidz at the State Fair and Maddie petting the Llama

At the park

Learning to stand

Owen on the go... little "Commando Man"

Cute little bugs

Maddie practicing taking pictures...

At the play museum with Nonnie and Papa

Maddie on the jumping castle

Broken computer

2008-09-08T16:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but our computer has been broken...
It is on it's way back and should be in working order this weekend...
Look for new pictures soon!

Breakfast in the park

2008-08-17T18:18:00.003-04:00

This morning after Ben got home from work, we took the kids and had a picnic breakfast at Highland Park (known for its lilacs in the spring). It was a beautiful morning with lots of sun and blue skies. The perfect way to start the day!

Latest Pictures

2008-08-14T19:58:00.008-04:00

Zonked

New sandbox

Playing in the kitchen

Handsome boy

Silly gooses

At Park Ave Fest

Some local fun

Picking blueberries

Yummy crackers

I love to play ball

AT LAST!

2008-07-30T18:20:00.001-04:00

Some pictures from the last 2 months!

Pictures are coming...

2008-07-21T12:55:00.003-04:00

I PROMISE!

We are finally settling in! We moved into our new home relatively uneventfully and then headed back to New England for vacation and Kristen and Scott's wedding. We have been back here in NY and have completed a full week of work/orientation/day care. Owen is loving day care though Maddie is not so sure. Ben is working nights this week (5pm-7am) so it's just me and the kids. I finally found the cable to download from our camera so I'll do that this week sometime and then post pictures (a lot) from the last month or so!

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us out during this crazy transition time!

All moved in...

2008-07-06T11:29:00.003-04:00

So we left Virginia at 6:30 Tuesday morning (instead of 5:30 like we had hoped) but made good time, arriving in Rochester around 2:45 in the afternoon. Bruce and Becky were already waiting for us at our new house with our POD. Skip arrived a little while later and we started unloading right away. We hired a guy to help us and he showed up at 6pm and we were done unloading by 7:30pm. The only thing we had difficulty with was our queen size box spring... we actually had to cut the support bars underneath and fold it in half to make it fit up the stairs!

Wednesday we unpacked most of the stuff. Bruce and Becky cleaned and unpacked/organized the kitchen while Skip was in charge of watching the kids a lot of the time... both of which were HUGE helps!!! We also put dressers together and hung curtains. Skip left at dinner time and Bruce and Becky stayed the night again.

Thursday morning Ben and Bruce found a washer and dryer on Craigslist for $125 (for the set). They took my car and went to pick them up and were able to get everything hooked up and in good working order before Bruce and Becky headed home! Ben and I also made a Hope Depot run and picked up a whole bunch of stuff including fans and an A/C (no more central air).

Friday Ben and I got more stuff unpacked and organized at the house.

Yesterday we got up early again (though not too early) and headed out to Maine. We left at 8:30am, which is later than we hoped, but we did get to see the POD get picked up which was pretty cool! We met my mom and Kristen off the Mass Pike for lunch and then arrived in Maine at 6:45 last night.

Today, so far, we are enjoying just relaxing and the beautiful weather! It is just about perfect... warm, but not too hot. Quite the contrast to what we've been used to in Virginia. We are expecting a bunch of company shortly for a BBQ by the lake and to finally introduce Owen to his extended family.

As for the rest of the week, we will relax here in Maine until Wednesday. Then we will head down to Gloucester for a few days. On Friday we'll head up to NH for Kristen and Scott's rehearsal and then on Saturday the big wedding!

Sunday will be an early morning again as we need to drive back to Rochester and prepare to start work and day care on Monday morning! When we get back and settled in... again, we'll be able to post our pictures (there will be a lot) from our last few weeks. Until then enjoy the nice weather!

And we're off!

2008-06-29T22:55:00.004-04:00

Well, in just about 30 hours! Our plan is to be on the road hopefully by 5:30am on Tuesday morning. We'll have no email after tonight so we'll post again and hopefully have some pictures to share once we get settled in up in New York!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-06-26T19:40:00.003-04:00

Wow! It's been 4 years already! It's hard to believe that Ben and I have known each other for 10 years this year... it has gone by so quickly.

This morning was nice and relaxing. Ben didn't have to go to work until noon so we slept in a little and then had breakfast together. Owen had his 6 month check up today (He is getting huge... 19 lbs 12 ounces, 27 inches). Ben was able to go with us which was nice except we had some difficulty on the way to the appointment. I decided that it would be nice to get some coffee so we drove to the Dunkin Donuts- on the way, a car 2 in front of me decided to turn suddenly so the car in front of me stopped short- I, therefore, stopped short- Ben, however, in the car behind us did not stop so short... until he hit the back of my car. Everyone was buckled and is fine... I am so glad that it was Ben that hit us though and not someone else. That makes him 2 for 2 with my car! Maddie was pretty funny-- she said "Whaaat was that" and "the car moved Maddie's head".

After Owen's appointment Ben had to stay at work so the kids and I took our lunch to the playground and then we went on the merry-go-round. Now we just finished a yummy dinner of nachos at home since we're trying to eat everything in the house before Tuesday. We may head out for some ice cream for a celebratory dessert though.

A big congratulations to Ben (and Charlie) for finishing residency! Only 4 days left here in Virginia- next time we post we'll be official residents of New York!

Also we want to send lots of warm wishes to Doug and Kristi- wishing you a speedy recovery!

Bubbles, Baseball, Boxes and Babies!

2008-06-10T20:47:00.006-04:00

We are quickly winding down our time here in Virginia. In fact, we are packing up our POD this weekend and then living with just the minimal necessities for our last 2 weeks here. So, this will be our last post for quite some time. When we post again we will be in our new house in Rochester!!! Here are some of the latest pictures for your viewing pleasure! We will post again in a few weeks- wish us luck with our fast approaching move!

Owen and Maddie in the bubble bath!

Maddie and Owen's first National's game/Owen's first baseball game.

Maddie crawling through "tunnels".

Boxes everywhere...

And last, but certainly not least, we want to send out a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Pam, Charlie and Big Brother David- they finally welcomed baby Shaun Scott Wicks this evening at 6:21pm!!! He weighed in at 7 lbs 15 oz. Congrats again guys and good luck with your upcoming move!

"Weekend" in Phily

2008-05-30T21:22:00.004-04:00

We took a couple of days this week and headed up to Philadelphia to visit Pam, Charlie and David one last time before they move to Boston. We had a nice visit but unfortunately (especially for Pam) baby Shaun decided that it wasn't time yet to make his appearance. We are anxiously awaiting news though...

We took Maddie and David to a local park where they had all sorts of fun things to do on the playground as well as inside a huge house. One of the fun things was a giant slide where everyone got to join in the fun... check out Maddie and David going down together!

Silly kids in the tub

Owen sitting!

Packing, croup and new pictures

2008-05-22T22:44:00.003-04:00

Silly girl

Sick Owen

Feeling better!

Playing in the sand box

Little Monkey!

Cutie pies!

The packing has begun...

Our whirlwind week!

2008-05-19T14:19:00.010-04:00

Whewww... we are back from our weeklong trip... and what an exhausting (but successful) trip it was!

Friday- we left Virginia at noon and headed for NY. We stopped for lunch for about an hour and then continued on north. Maddie stayed awake for most of the trip but was incredibly good. Owen slept and was also good. The drive from Springfield VA to Rochester NY is only about 6 1/2 hours but with 2 kids and stops for lunch and gas it took us 9 1/2. So we arrived at Stacey's house (Ben's friend from Colgate) at about 9:30 pm. Maddie played with the dog while we unpacked the car and set up our stuff. At about 11 we put Maddie down to bed and after some crying, she fell asleep... until about 12:15 when she decided she didn't like the pack and play anymore. Once she realized that we were in the room, that made matters worse. Stacey's house is not that big so once Maddie woke up, so did everyone else (us, Owen, Stacey, Stacey's other overnight guest and the dog)! We tried taking Maddie to bed with us and finally I ended up putting her in the car and driving up and down the interstate from 2-3 am until she fell asleep... only to wake up again when we got back to the house.

Saturday- we were very tired! Looked at 6 houses. Went to dinner with Stacey and her friend Jocelyn.

Sunday- even more tired. Looked at more houses. Thankfully, there are lots of playgrounds in Rocester and we were able to stop between looking at houses and let Maddie run around. Owen also did remarkably well getting in and out of the car all the time. We tried to take him out of the car seat when we knew we had a little extra time or when he wasn't asleep. Stacey made a wicked yummy Mother's Day dinner!

Monday- more houses! Every time we got into the car Maddie would say "a different house"... We found lots of places that would be acceptable and a few that we really liked but would change one or two things... we finally picked a house we saw this day and canceled our appointments for Tuesday.

Tuesday- I had job interviews for most of the day. We squeezed in looking at 2 day care centers and picked one... I am relieved since this was the biggest challenge to find one with room for both kids! Maddie almost joined 2 groups of kids while we were touring so I am glad she will soon be back with kids her age! I also had my first public fall while at lunch... We went to Panera Bread since it was quick and I had to get to interviews... I was carrying Owen (thankfully he was strapped in tight to his car seat), the diaper bag and an open soda. I don't know what I tripped on (just my own feet) but I went flying. The soda went all over and Owen tipped up in his seat and immediately started screaming! Everyone was fine except for the embarrassment factor... I still made it to the interviews on time.

Wednesday- I had an interview at 8 am. While I was there Ben took the kids back to the day care to fill out paperwork and turn in our money to reserve their spots. We were going to go sign our lease on the house, take some quick pictures and then get on the road since we were driving all the way to Portland ME, a 9 hour drive. I got out of the interview and called Ben who informed me that he was at the bottom of the hospital driveway with a dead car... While he was at the day care, he hit a curb and he got a flat tire. Not a big deal. He called AAA and they came to help him change the tire. He then drove to pick me up at the hospital a half mile away. Well, he got 0.4 miles and the car died and wouldn't start again... He called AAA again. By this time I had joined him and the kids and our car. AAA came and informed us that he thought it was the fuel pump and that this would be an all day affair... ummm, not on our list of things to do with a 9 hour drive still ahead of us. So, he towed our car away at 9:30am (with Maddie saying "by by Mommy's car) and left Ben and I with 2 kids, 2 car seats, 2 stollers, bottles and food for Owen, snacks and a few toys on the side of the road. After debating our options, we took a cab to the realtors office and signed our lease. We then walked a mile (with all our stuff) to lunch and then across the street to our new house. I took some pictures and took some measurements since we had time to spare. Ben called the repair shop twice and was told they hadn't looked at the car yet so you can imagine how happy we were. Finally around 1:30pm they called with "good news". It wasn't the fuel pump but rather the fuse to the fuel pump. Apparantly when you hit something hard enough a fuse shuts off gas to the fuel pump so that your car doesn't burn for too long should it catch on fire. So I guess that was a good thing that it worked! So we called another cab and loaded everyone and everything in it and went to the repair shop, where we still had to wait for a new tire! Finally we got on the road (6 hours late) around 3pm and headed to Maine. We only stopped once and arrived at 12:30 am.

Thursday- Ben had a conference (which is why we were there). Ben's parents, grandmother, sister and her family came down to visit with us while we were in town. We had fun swimming in the hotel pool during the day. Maddie was a bit nervous at first but by the end she was jumping in without holding on to my hands. Now she just needs to work on the swimming part... Owen joined in on the fun too and had a great time in the pool!

Friday- Ben's conference again. Drove to Gloucester afterwards to my parents house.

Saturday- Edward, Jeanne and Sebastian flew in for Sabina and James's wedding. Nonnie and Papa babysat all 3 kids while we went to the wedding. It was nice to have some adult time! The wedding was great too!

Sunday- Went to brunch with the bride, groom and their family and friends. It got started later than expected so we (again) didn't get on the road until about 3 pm. Drove all the way home to VA and got in about 12:30 am. Unloaded essentials only and collapsed in bed at 1 am. Owen started crying at 1:15... put him in car seat in our room where he slept (thankfully)!!!

Check out our pictures below...

Ben, Maddie, Owen and all our gear waiting for a cab- one thing we did figure out was how to hook Owen's car seat into an umbrella stroller!

House pictures-

Master bedroom

"common area"/landing at top of stairs

Upstairs bathroom (in the process of getting updated)

Maddie's room

Owen's room

Dining room and stairs

Extra room/play area

Living room (currently has fridge and stove in it)

Downstairs bathroom (also getting updated)

Kitchen (not the prettiest)

Enclosed porch (off of kitchen)

Yard and driveway (we share a driveway with our next door neighboor and the back yard is not our responsibility to mow which technically means it is not ours, but we're hoping the neighbors are nice and the kids can play back there. We do have a patch of grass on the front and side of the house that is ours to mow- we need to get a lawn mower- but we live on such a busy street that playing out front is not a good option.

Maddie and Elias at the pool

Getting in the pool

Maddie and Josiah

Sabina and James

Colgate crew

Without kids for the night!

New pictures, new foods and earthquakes...

2008-05-06T21:32:00.007-04:00

So today after lunch the kids were just hanging out while I picked up a little bit when all of a sudden there was this loud "Kaboooomm"... that it literally what it sounded like. I went outside expecting to see a car on fire or a building missing since it sounded like something exploded. It turns out that it was an earthquake and the epicenter was just a few miles away. It only registered a 1.8 so I can't even imagine what a "real" earthquake would be like.

Here are some new pictures (sorry it has been so long since we've posted)... it will be a while before our next post also. We are headed to Rochester on Friday for house hunting and job interviews... wish us luck!

Maddie on her new bike... notice that Daddy had to carry it back!

Hanging out on Mommy and Daddy's bed

Owen and Mommy

Sleeping soundly

Getting a ride in the wicked cool box... just wait until we move Maddie!

At the zoo with Aunt Kristen, Aunt Ericka and Aunt Kim

And Owen trying some "real" food!!
sitting in my chair
rice cereal
squash
prunes