MOM & BOYS

These aren't the greatest photos but here are some photos of me & my boys!!

LUKE AUSTIN RIPPEL

Introducing Luke Austin Rippel. This is him resting at home while mommy is snapping pictures.

He was born on January 15,2009 at 1:05pm....weighing in at 8lbs 1oz....and 19 & 1/2 inches tall.

Let me just say that my experience with this birth was totally different than with Matthew. I knew what to expect this time but some of the stuff that happened I don't remember happening the last time. This time I was looking up in the lights of the OR & realized I could see everything they were doing(kinda gross)....so I stopped looking 'til they actually got Luke out & then I looked back into the light & saw him.

Recovery was a bit different too. I got up the next moning was able to do everything they needed me to do & was up most of the day moving around. I again did not keep baby the first night I was supposed to because I believe I "over did" it that day so I was in pain.

Matthew loves his baby brother & is already very protective of him. A nurse came to take Luke for a test & Matthew screamed & cried 'til she brought him back. He has been very helpful with Luke. He helps me burp him, gets me diapers etc. What a big boy helper.

Sadly though, I think I may be suffering a little bit of post partum depression. I don't know for sure but I'm more emotional now & can cry at the drop of a hat. I'll go into more detail about this later....right now I have to go...someone's calling for "lunch".

TOMORROW!!!

Well tomorrow's the big day. Luke will be coming into this world around 1pm(EST). Hard to believe it's time already...though I'm so over being pregnant...LOL!!! It just seems like yesterday we were telling everyone that we were expecting.
I have everything ready at home. The only thing we haven't done yet is put the infant carseat back in the car. We were supposed to get that done this past weekend BUT Wayne's back was hurting from being in 2 attics a day for 3 or 4 days straight. So he says he'll do it tomorrow before we go to the hospital....otherwise he'll have to do it by himself sometime before he picks us up at the hospital on Sunday.
I had to pack a different coming home outfit for Luke because our weather changed. I only had cute onesies packed BUT since we got a cold snap that's supposed to last thru the weekend I had to find an outfit that was a little warmer(which was hard since Matthew was born in the summer & mainly had "summery" clothes). Hopefully the one I did find won't be too big on him.
Well, I better look like I'm doing some work. This will be my last blog for a few days. Will be back on sometime next week...hopefully.

3 DAYS LEFT

Hard to believe there's only 3 days left 'til this little bundle of joy is born!! I'm so ready BUT yet also a little apprehensive. I had a "bad" day yesterday. Matthew was being kind of bratty & I was trying to get a lot accomplished.....it almost overtook me. I was almost in tears wondering how in the world I am going to manage this....being a mom of two. The Lord will give me the strength to handle it, I know...but it was just a little(who am I kidding)...a lot overwhelming yesterday.
I will try to blog between now & Wednesday(or maybe Thursday morning) but if not will be back on ASAP after coming home from the hospital.

1 WEEK

YEA!!!! 1 week from today & Luke will be in this world. We are excited!! I am a little apprehensive as to how Matthew will react to his baby brother....BUT hopefully he'll be fine. We've been trying to spend as much time with him as possible for the last week or so, as well as this coming weekend(as it is his last weekend as an only child). Everything is ready for Luke's arrival except for getting the carseat back in the car & putting back on the fabric pieces(that I washed) for the swing & bouncey seat....all of which will hopefully get done by Saturday afternoon so that Sunday we can go to church & then spend rest of day just goofing off w/Matthew. I am hoping to get the house & laundry all done on Saturday so that Sunday is just a goof off day. I'd really like to be all caught up so that the last three nights before Luke's arrival that I don't have to "work" every night after working all day.
The ultrasound doctor on Tuesday said that the guesstimation of his weight is 7.5lbs(give or take a pound)....I said probably give...I really think he's going to out weigh Matthew at birth. Matthew was 7.4lbs....I really feel Luke will be at least 8+lbs. With the time frame of my surgery
both boys will have been born at almost the same exact time....which I think is pretty cool. My biggest "challenge" is not being able to drink anything after midnight. With my sinuses the way they are I'm up a couple of times just for a drink....BUT I can't that night....I can only "swish" out my mouth. And then no breakfast....I have to sit there & watch Wayne & Matthew eat & drink while I can't have anything....not fair .
Well I better get to work. I will try to blog between now & delivery day. If not, I will be on as soon as I feel up to it after I get home. I come home on Sunday....so then it might be like Wednesday the earliest....we'll see.

ACCIDENT!!!!

Here is a picture(taken 4 hours after the "accident") of Matthew's first real injury. It looks good here...especially compared to what it looked like when it first happened. I was in working in his room, trying to get it ready for Luke's arrival. He was supposed to be playing with daddy in the living room but decided he needed to see what mommy was doing. Well we had the crib pulled away from the wall & he went behind it & fell. He started crying, so I picked him up....took him out of the room & asked him if he bumped his head or what he had bumped. Well as I asked him I brushed his hair to the side & there was this huge, nasty knot on his forehead. It had a bloody looking line going right thru the center of it. I think if he had rubbed it anymore or we had pushed on it too hard it would have "erupted". So I ran to get the ice pack. Wayne snatched him away from me & wouldn't let me near him. Of course Matthew refused to let us hold the ice pack on it at all. So Wayne took him outside, making him walk around etc while I called to get an "emergency appointment" at his doctor's office(thank God for Pediatric Associates & having emergency hours 365 days a year). They told me on the phone that since he hadn't blacked out, thrown up etc that he was fine BUT went ahead & set up an appointment for us & our peace of mind to see the doctor. This happened at 11am & earliest they could take us though was 1:45pm.
This worried me since he was due to take a nap. They assured me it was fine to let him sleep as long as we kept him up for a little while right after it happened. Then she said to just check on him every hour....so I held him & every 15 minutes would "nibble" his finger to make him "squirm" a bit. We went to the doctor & she said he was fine...he might just have a black eye in the next day or two when the swelling goes down & he "bruises" more.
After getting home though, Wayne became very overprotective & wouldn't hardly let Matthew do anything at all. Sadly, even though he swears he doesn't blame me for it happening...Wayne does blame me. He said that when I saw Matthew come in to the room that I should've dropped evrything I was doing to watch him. We still don't know if he hit his head on the leg/foot of his crib or on his fire truck that was right there as well.

A few Christmas Pics

Actually these aren't really from Christmas but of Matthew wearing an outfit from his Grandpa & Grandma Rowell while riding on a toy from his PaPa & Ninnie Rippel. SO CUTE!!! When I took him there that morning I told his Ninnie that he was there to "mow the back 40"...LOL!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to everyone. I am not one to make resolutions because I can never keep them. I usually fail w/in the first month..LOL!!! However there is one that I can keep this year & that is the one that everyone always does....losing weight. I know I can keep this one this time because I'll be able to start losing weight two weeks from yesterday..the day I have this baby. And then my goal is to lose at least everything I gained from this pregnancy(50+ lbs). With Matthew I only gained 30 lbs but lost like 47 lbs before getting pregnant w/Luke. So hopefully I'll be able to lose all the weight this time as well. I think I might be able to since I'll be running around after two little ones.
We're hoping to get some assistance w/getting our mortgage cut down(in 1/2 would be wonderful)....so that I won't have to go back to work. As of right now I need to go back...BUT....there's been a snag in my plan of going back. I knew Wayne's parents(mom really) would not be able to take care of two little ones so I checked into daycares in the area. YIKES!!!! The prices are so high & w/what little I make I couldn't even afford it....my check wouldn't cover but like 1 & 1/2 wks w/nothing left for me. So then I talked to my one friend about watching them(she's a stay at home mom). I had it all arranged...$150/wk for both kids. Only drawback is she lives like 20 miles away from us & about 10-15 miles away from my work. BUT I was gonna bite the bullet & do it anyways. Well I guess in all the talks about it...Wayne never heard me say that she would have to put them in the car to take 1 of her kids to school(right around the corner from her house...not a 5 minute drive)....he didn't hear it 'til I was talking w/my dad & Hazel about it....then all of a sudden he started "freaking" out about her driving them around. So he put his foot down about it...so now I can't use her "services". So now I really have no choice but to not return to work.....which is a slight problem....well not for me but for my boss. She wanted to know back at the beginning of December if I was quitting....so she could hire someone & I could train them before leaving. Well lucky for her, we closed a store & the manager is training to "fill-in" for me while I'm on leave. I just can't bring myself to tell her I'm not coming back....I guess I'm hoping things will change so that I could come back.
Well I better get back to work.