Dan Nicholas Park

Even though we've lived in North Carolina for 3 years now, we are still learning about fun new local places to visit. We recently learned that there was a great park for kids in Salisbury, NC, which is only about a 30 minute drive from where we live. We took a family trip to check it out on Friday. It was great - there was SO much to do there. Cass rode a carousel, rode a train, played in a playground, went to a zoo and saw all kinds of animals, including bears, bobcats, and a woodchuck. We also walked around the lake and looked at paddle boats, then visited a petting zoo. They also had a splash pad that Cass would have enjoyed, but it was getting close to nap time so we had to call it a day and head home.

Here's Cass and Chris on a "boat" in the playground.

Cass is a timid little boy, and until recently hasn't really enjoyed slides much - he's finally becoming more brave, and loves them now.

Here's Cass checking out the donkey in the petting zoo.

And more pics . . .

Since Celena and I are pretty much stuck in the house for the first few weeks of her life and I'm getting stir-crazy, I've been entertaining myself by taking even more pictures of her. After spending too much money on professional pictures of Cass during his first year (most of which weren't even that great because once he developed stranger anxiety he would not smile for photographers), I decided I would try to take pictures of my kids myself. We bought a nice camera for Christmas, and I've taken a few basic photography classes and bought some additional lenses and lights. I certainly am not a professional, but am hoping to learn enough so I can take pictures of my kids myself and not spend so much money on professional pictures!

More pics

I've been having fun taking pictures of Celena. There are more posted in a slide show above. She is SUCH a good baby! She rarely cries, and when she does cry, she is quickly soothed by either being held or fed. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she stays this way - I kind of wonder if she is just good right now because she was born early, so she really should have another 9 days in the womb and maybe just isn't aware of her surroundings enough to be too fussy. I also wonder if maybe since I'm still on my pain medication from the c-section and am nursing, that she is getting some of the drowsiness effect of the medication. I guess only time will tell - for now, I'm really enjoying how easy she is to take care of! Cass was the complete opposite. There were nights with him where I did not sleep a wink, he was just inconsolable! Maybe the powers above decided that we paid our dues with him, so we were blessed with an easy baby this time! :)

Introducing . . . Celena!

Our baby girl arrived early!!! My last day of work before maternity leave was Thursday, July 16. We are able to start leave 2 weeks before our due date, so I had planned to spend the next couple weeks getting the nursery ready and preparing for the baby. BUT . . . I woke up around 5:00 AM the next day, and my water broke! I woke Chris up, and had never seen him jump out of bed so quickly. By the time we got the hospital, the contractions were around 5 minutes apart, and continued to become stronger and more frequent over the next couple hours. The nurses were asking if I wanted to do another c-section or try a VBAC, and they seemed a little surprised when I told them I hadn't decided yet. The doctor told me that I was dilated to 3 and 80% effaced, and she wasn't sure how quickly I would progress or if I would get there on my own at all (since I had a previous c-section they wouldn't give me pitocin to hurry things along to avoid risk of uterine rupture). At that point, I was getting so uncomfortable from the contractions that I decided to just have another c-section to get it over with. So, Celena Renee was born at 8:41 am on Friday, July 17! Below are a few pictures of her first couple days of life. Big brother Cass is very excited about her. He gives her kisses all the time. (He insisted on wearing his shades in their first picture together). Now that I'm home, I'm sure I'll be taking tons of pictures of her, and will post them shortly.

37 weeks

Here is the latest picture at 37 weeks. We're on the home stretch! Since Cass was breach I had him by c-section, so this time around I have the choice of a repeat c-section or the old "traditional method" of delivery. After much deliberation, we decided to schedule another c-section, so the big day is July 29 at 8 AM. The doctor initially told me that since my due date isn't until Aug 2, they wouldn't expect that I would go into labor before my scheduled c-section date. However, I went to the doctor last Wed (at 36 1/2 weeks), and was dilated 2 centimeters (who knows if that means anything though). Later in the week, I had what seemed to be false labor - lots of cramping, but I think it was caused by being a little dehydrated. After 3 days of drinking tons of water, it has stopped (whew!). Anyway, the doctor told me that there may be a good chance that I may have the baby early. Although I'm excited for her to get here, I really don't want to go early because we are not ready at all! My last day of work is this coming Thursday, and I had planned to do all of my preparations after that. And I kind of like the predictability of thinking that I know exactly when she will come. So, we'll see - hopefully she'll hang in there a couple more weeks!

BBQ

Tonight we had a few friends over for a cookout - they all have boys just a little bit older than Cass (and ironically, we all will have baby girls that are less than 6 months apart). The boys were outside playing in the pool and driving Cass's little car. Apparently Cass's friend Bennett was having some car trouble, so Cass was pushing him. :)

The boys were playing outside while the men grilled, and I was inside the house with the rest of the moms. I came outside to find Cass's friend Bennett stripped down to only his diaper, pushing Cass in the car this time. Apparently Bennett had finished playing in the pool and his dad was in the middle of changing him, when he decided it was his turn to push the car!

Here are the little guys sitting at the table eating their dinner. In this picture, Cass looks like he completely knows how to cut food with a knife and fork (of course he really doesn't). Oh, and by the way, Cass is boycotting his high chair. He has decided he is a big boy now, so it's time to sit at the table! I don't really mind . . . it's nice to not have to clean that high chair anymore!

4th of July

Cass participated in our annual neighborhood 4th of July parade again this year. The holiday snuck up on me, so I wasn't prepared with anything to decorate his "float" with. So, his float was his red wagon pulled by Daddy, and he dressed up in a shirt with an American flag on it.

Here are my boys watching the neighborhood fireworks show. You can tell it was past Cass's bedtime . . . he was getting tired! He liked the fireworks at first, but got bored with them after a while. Maybe next year he'll appreciate them more.

Even though he was tired, we were still able to get some smiles out of him at the end of the night.