2013

So 2013 is closing. Always a good year when a baby is involved.  Finished up pregnancy number two on February 21, 2013. Pretty fun experience as I remember.  Lylah Renae Cortez was born 1 week 'late' with a full head of gorgeous hair that is just more awesome everyday.  She is a crazy laugher and i'm sad I can never get a picture of her gorgeous smile at its best. Spent the year in beautiful Kent, WA and have enjoyed the beauty immensely. As you can see by the pics, I spent the greater part of the year making quilts for some loving recipients. I've discovered I really like making colorful beautiful creations that are unique to someone and have them really enjoy it.  While I will never make 11 quilts (one pic missing) in one year again, it was fun and a great learning experience. All in all, not the greatest year ever, but every day has blessings to be thankful for.

 

 She looks a little dopey here, but she actually stops people in their tracks when we are out and about.

 This was the best of our Christmas pictures.

 This was the first quilt done. You will see the progression of my aplique skills as they go through. although i'm not an artist, I now freehand a mean butterfly.

Doing good

Just an update post - I realized looking back at the last post that Lylah is now almost 4 months and man does she look different!  I love how they change and continue to develop.  She is a talker, and coos a ton. She is super happy, laughing all the time. She isn't great at taking a bottle, hates a pacifier and in general just wants Mom at her feeding-beck and call.  We just got back from a two week 'vacation' in Colorado, whwere i had a training for work.  Me and my mom and Lylah holed up in a hotel for 2 weeks.  What a trooper my mom is.
Max is HUGE!  I swear that kid looks like he's 5  instead of 2 1/2 years old.  He has hit a rough stage where he is throwing his tantrums and crying a ton - i do take the blame mostly beacuse he has 3 new molars coming in at the same time and doesn't get near enough sleep with me waking him up at 530am to go the babysitters....He loves his little sister a ton and is always concerned on where she is and now thinks he can pick her up and 'bounce' her to comfort her.  He is awesome:) 

Lylah Renae

So I need to blog the latest and greatest. well that would the two greatest - Max is still up there. Its neck and neck.  February 21, 2013, 1:03pm, Lylah Renae Cortez was born.  She was due Feb 15, and once the date went by and I started to feel LESS pregnant, I went in to get her checked on the 20th.  No contracitons, no progression. I wasn't dialated and I didn't feel any pressure so I"m pretty sure she was low enough. So doc said that it probably would stay that way and that we would probably have to induce whenever I decided.  So she called the hospital to see when they have availability and they said "right now'.  Hmmm super.  So I wasn't sure, so I drove to Olympia with my mom to have lunch with Kendra and decided, sure why not, lets go home and head to the hospital. So I got showered, took one last pic of teh belly and headed in at 5:30pm.  By the time they got me hooked up (couldn't get the IV in all the way because it was the one day of the year i didn't drink any water).  So at 8:00 pm, i finally got the first ripening pill - cytec something or other.  Then another at midnight....started feeling contractions about 3:30am adn they came regularly every 3 minutes from then on.  I was a champ I must say.  I had two great nurses who told me how amazing I was and Lylah was born at 1pm....This first month has been a struggle and stressful adn strangely relaxing all at the same time.  Lylah is a sweet girl and Max loves her bunches. If she ever looks at this and wonders why she probably won't get a monthly post like her brother did - blame it on Max and the neediness of a 2 year old:)

 10 minutes after giving birth. Feels GREAT to be done.

 First Day home

 1 Week

2 Years for Max!!

Max turned 2 almost  a month ago!  and now as I see my niece's birthday blog, I realize I may have gipped him out of birthday gifts - but i had convinced myself that Max didn't even know about presents nor does he show much interest in opening them (although i was proved wrong by Aunt Judy, grandma Hodgson adn Grandma Ketchum's gifts :S).  So I bought him balloons. That is it.  We went to Fred Meyer, and he thought those were the coolest thing and played with them for days.  The cake was soooo much better this year than last.  Last year I was going for some sugar-free, cocounut something or other i think.  This year, it was a box vanilla cake with whip cream and strawberries inside and strawberry yogurt whip cream frosting.  It was deliiiiccciouss. And my big boy is starting to rattle off his words...I did get him (later) 2 more Signing Time videos which he just loves. He signs 'Train' and 'Play' so well.  He is saying 'help me, all done, cheese, agua, star, shoes, mouse' and rambling with a bunch more i'm sure I just don't understand.  He is such an awesome kid and I love this stage where he is so active and curious. Can't wait to bring Baby Girl home and get her up to speed and running with him!

 Max got his own Individual strawberry cake of course. He LOVED it.

Ready for baby

 We are counting down! So I'm posting my last few months of pregnancy pics.  Funny how i feel so much bigger than I look. Although i am much bigger than with Max.  I think the fact that I can't fit in any clothes and I eat bread and cookies by the pound make me feel very large. I'm not generally uncomfortable - my feet and hands are swelling a little and I'm tired alot. Definitely ready to not be working anymore.  But all in all I'm doing great.  Hoping everything goes well and preparing for worst-case scenario - V-day baby.  I am making lock down preparation to make sure she is NOT born on Valentines Day. You know, the really important things.

 This is 32 weeks

 34 weeks

 34 weeks - more attitude :)

 38 weeks.  The break between 34 and 38 came with about 4 batches of cookies and 2 loaves of homemade bread.....i'm nervous about the next two weeks

Belly pics

I've been trying to get pics of my belly as I feel it is large and in charge - but self-pics are hard iwth a phone and I don't feel they illuminate the large-ness!!  But this first one is this morning, starting into week 30. 

 I think these are about 27/28 weeks. i need a photographe r- these pics suck

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was a great time.  Although i must say it seems such a let down with only 40 minutes of eating after all that prep. But i do really enjoy the prep. I love cooking a bunch of stuff I know people are going to enjoy.  Here is the Hodgson/Ketchum family table. 

I was very thankful this year for health (and i promptly got a cold), living in Washington again, Max's awesome development and strength, and a great family to have been raised with.

 This is my attempt at Scotchmallows (if you are not a See's afficionado, please move on)

They turned out ok. i'm developing a strategy for even better Christmas turnout

 Max looking suave in his coat and hat. He was looking for his friend The Cat.