What's in a Name, Part 2

So, Eve is doing great. She got the seal of approval today at the doctor...her biliruben count is going down. She actually slept ALL NIGHT last night, and of course I didn't because the whole time I was wondering if I should try to wake her up to feed her. I actually tried once to no avail. I asked the doctor about it and he said not to let her go more than 5 hours, and only let her do that once a day. The car seat sure does work like a charm! I guess it's cold wash cloths tonight. Papa definitely doesn't approve of that. He said he'd never do that to her.
John had some special time with Daddy at the pool today, and he's trying to fly (or swim) solo. What a big boy! Eve and I went along to watch big brother swim. I really wish I could have joined them in the pool.
Come on Dad! (The baby pool was beckoning)

Thrilled!

This evening on the way home from church Buck was in the grocery store and I was with John and Eve in the car. John and I were cracking up yelling Boo back and forth, watching him try to shake and roll his tongue, and listening to the super cute (believe it or not) way he says "No".

We all had chocolate milk together on the couch when we got home (well, Eve will have to wait until later), so I feel like John shouldn't feel too left out.

So, how did we pick Evelyn Rose?

As the story goes, my grandmother, Dorothy Peacock Madding, was named by her brother after the Dorothy Perkins rose growing outside their house when she was born. She has sometimes used Rose as a nickname, although it's nothing official. She gave us a clipping from that rose bush last year and it just so happened that it bloomed recently for the first time for us. We liked the name Rose, and thought it would be a nice way to honor her at the same time, and a neat story. Hopefully I don't kill the rose bush and she can have a clipping for her own home!

How did we pick Evelyn? We just liked it. I think I already mentioned that our waitress voted for her favorite name when we listed them on the table cloth at dinner one night. She nor I got our pick. That's 2 for Buck and 0 for me, but I love both of the names we've picked, and now can't imagine it differently. Here's another picture I forgot to post earlier. So sweet! Shhhhh!

Lots of Pictures

Eve is a GREAT napping buddy!

We all agree.
What sweet feet...and bloomers!
Welcome Home Evelyn Rose!
Fun in the sun with a great Big Brother
Right after her first bath at home. I don't think it's just because I'm her mother that I think she's beautiful! When her hair dried, it puffed out just like John's used to do.

Hmmm...what do I think of this worl so far???

First Trip to the Doc

Today was our first trip to the doctor. Evie weights 6 lb 9 oz now, which is beyond their expectation...good girl! She's a little yellow, and her biliruben count is a bit high, so we're taking her in tomorrow so they can see if it's on the way up or down. Not a big concern, especially since we have some experience with John. The doctor said usually they peak out around day 4, so it may be that she's already on the way down and won't need to use the bed. They just want to be sure. Otherwise, everything is good. Her newborn rash is looking so much better!
John is learning a bit more about being a big brother. I think some jealousy issues are starting to pop up, particularly when I'm feeding her. A lot of times I think I'm taking it harder than John is. He got to help Daddy put together a special toy from Grandma and Papa yesterday, and hopefully some other special things to remind him he's still very important. He is still very concerned about his Baby E, and still loves to watch her. It doesn't help that his incisors are coming in and that just isn't fun. A few trips to the pool with Daddy this weekend ought to make everything better.
Oh, and Eve is sleeping better at night...not in our bed! We tried her in the car seat last night and she did great! She doesn't like to be put down in the cradle, but was sleeping great in the king-sized bed. I was getting a little worried I might lose my place!

Blessings Abound!!

We're all in a little shock right now. Sometimes it's so hard to understand God's blessings. First, why, after all we've done, does he allow us the privelege of raising his children? We are SO undeserving! I really can't get past that. And to look at a little baby, barely more than 6 pounds, that God made piece by piece, intentional with every little part of every little cell, knowing that she has everything she needs to breathe, digest, cry, smile, and live the rest of her life...all packaged in that tiny little body! And to see the amazing transformation of 21 months in her big brother...to remember that he used to be in that tiny little package (well, slightly larger), and all that he can do now, his personality, his will, his sensitivity (sometimes when he's playing he just stops and runs over to stand behind me and give me a hug and kiss), his spirit. It's so amazing...and to think that God allows us to be a part of it when he doesn't need us at all, it's just a privelege he gives us.
So, I can't get past that, and then we get home. I tried to arrange with someone to clean up a bit while we were gone...just some of the big things...so we could come home to a slightly less messy house. In general our house is very messy, particularly over the past few months because I just haven't had the energy to clean and it was really difficult on my back. Anyway, we walked into a kitchen that was completely clean! Things hadn't worked out with what I tried to arrange, so I didn't expect the house to look any different than when we left. Buck had been home a few times, so I thought maybe he had just been very busy. He said it wasn't him and I should look around to see if there was a note. No note, but the more I walked around, the more I saw that had been cleaned. Our entire house!! I couldn't believe it! Even the nasty scum in our shower that I just try not to look at! Our house has never been this clean! Turns out three of our friends from church had come over one night and spent hours organizing baby clothes, getting the nursery completely ready, cleaning our room and bathroom, hallway, all the downstairs...everything!!! I absolutely could not (and still can't) believe it! What a huge sacrifice they made! A task that I'm sure was more humbling even than washing feet. On top of that, we have people from small group that have offered to bring us meals every other night for the next few weeks. On top of that we have countless people calling to offer to help with anything we need, packages arriving at the door, a VERY generous dinner gift certificate and babysitting money to thank Buck for all of his hard spent time at work, and the list goes on and on and on! We're just amazed at God's continuing blessings. Why? We are so undeserving. Each of these people are sacrificing time that they don't have, money that could well be used elsewhere, and for us? It truly is amazing. God said what they do for the least of these, they do for Him. Surely they will be rewarded, but for now all I can say is Thank You. We truly are blessed to have such an amazing support group. I hope I never forget this!

Homeward Bound

We're waiting "patiently" to be discharged and head home! Little Evie is dressed and ready to go (funny how HUGE newborn clothes are on a newborn). She's been discharged and we're just waiting for my doctor and all the paperwork to sign. It's been nice to spend some special one-on-one "restful" time with Eve, but we're so eager to see John again and find out what normal life for Buckingham Party of 4 is going to be. Eve has been sleeping very well during the day, and wanting to snuggle at night...so much for sending her to the nursery! She's also been eating like a champ. She lost 4 ounces the first day, which is on the low side of what is expected, and she didn't lose any yesterday. She'll be catching up to big brother in no time!

Evelyn Rose Buckingham

At 1:39 AM on Monday, May 26, 2008 (Memorial Day), Katie gave birth to a wonderful 6 pound 11 ounce baby girl named Evelyn Rose. Eve is 19 inches long, has a full head of dark hair, and beautiful like her mother. This picture shows a family shot---Big brother John came and visited yesterday after his nap. He was facinated with her ears as well as 'petting' her hair.

God has truely blessed us and we are humbled by how Awesome He is in allowing Eve into our lives.

More to come

Is it time?

We finally have completed all of the necessary steps----Church on Sunday---check. Clean up of house---semi-check. Low country boil/Frogsmore stew with members of Small Group---check. John take a bath---check.

Oh yea, and momma having contractions getting stronger---check.

We'll post more later. Most likely going in TONIGHT.

I'll text as many as I can to let you know the news...

Balloon Time

So, now that it's time to chase balloons, he's finally decided to give in to the nap. We used to chase hot-air balloons at a festival called "Freedom Weekend Aloft" when I was little. It was so much fun. The festival moved to Anderson for a while, but came back to Simpsonville last year. We missed the festival last year because we went to see Grandma (G.G.) for her birthday. We got back Monday night, and what do you know...a strawberry balloon was coming right in to land in Mom and Daddy's pasture! It couldn't have been more perfect! John LOVES strawberries! It was really loud, but still neat for him to see. The owner asked permission to land...granted. He then offered to take people up in tethered rides. John and I were the first to go up. He was nervous, and probably had no idea what was going on, or even that he was off the ground, but now he can say he was up in a balloon before his first birthday! The festival is back this year, so we're hoping to drive around in the jeep with the top down and chase some of the balloons. I don't think he'll be as compliant with going up this year if we get the chance. I think the noise will be more scary, but he'll definitely be much more interested in watching the balloons. We'll see if he wakes up in time.

No Fear!

Today the pool opened. John really enjoyed it last year (although he was just getting the hang of walking, so he mostly wanted to go to the edge and practice that), but when I took him once to the YMCA this winter, he was pretty clingy. I figured after he got the hang of it he'd really enjoy it, but I thought that might take some time. WRONG!!! It was freezing cold, but that certainly didn't slow him down. We took him in and he LOVED it...chattering teeth, blue lips, and all. We had a life jacket on him. He kept going back and forth between us and didn't mind too much when we let go! Near the end I went back in with him and let him "jump" in. He didn't get it the first time, but after than he pretty much just ran toward the edge until he ran out of ground and ended up in the pool. No fear! (except for Mom, of course!!!!) He was so upset when we left, and so tired. I thought for sure he'd take a good nap when we got home, but he's had quite a party up there during nap time.
Another thing, he's been spending a lot of time with Mom and Daddy's foster baby lately and is really into "baby" everything. He gets concerned that we drive around with a baby car seat, but no baby. He's also been reading a board book we have on how to handle babies. It was given to us as a joke when I was preganant with John. It has do's and don'ts such as do dry the baby with a towel, don't dry the baby in the clothes dryer. He's been studying hard; although I still don't think he has a clue that he's going to be a big brother. His cousin Marco was over here 2 days ago and he immediately went to get his train to try to share with him. He was horribly disappointed that Marco didn't show interest, but it was so sweet! He never shares like that with me! He just does these sweet things like sharing, and trying to give the baby's pacifier to him, and give him a high five, that make me think he's going to be a great big brother. Then again, he body slams the dogs, which makes me a little nervous.
Another cute thing he did. Last night we were working in the yard with mulch...OK, two cute things. Our 3-year-old neighbor Scotty was helping with the mulch too. I was taking pictures and told them to look at me. Scotty immediately looked and said "cheese". John followed suit and smiled and said "cheese" for the first time. We got a good chuckle out of it. Afterward I took him up for a bath and put him to bed. We were sitting in the front yard chatting with neighbors and every now and then we looked up to see him peeping out the window at us with his pacifier in his mouth...so cute. What a sweet little boy. I have so loved this time with him. I'm so excited about having another, but a part of me thinks I will really miss the special time with just the two of us.

Baby Update

Well, I tried to post a funny video earlier today, but had some trouble. It was a video showcasing John's dirty mouth. We were happy he started talking until we realized he had trouble with the word "chips" and now frequently says "B!$&%*" instead. In face, when he really wants some, he screams it. It's brought us to tears many times. Too bad I can't get the video to download. It's hysterical.
Anyway, I had another doctor's appointment today. Spicy-Ann is still very high up, but I'm dilated 2-3 cm. The doctor said she could induce me this weekend (she's on call, and I really like her), but I told her we'd wait to see how I was feeling next week. No need to induce except that John was 8 lb and 11 oz., so she said we could shoot for a smaller baby. I have another appointment for next Thursday if we don't head to the hospital before then. Since we're missing our annual beach trip with old crew buddies this weekend (Memorial Day Weekend), we're having friends over for Frogmore Stew. I figure she can hold off for Frogmore Stew, then we may consider inducing. It sure would make planning easier, right?

Late-Night Scare

Buck is ready to pack hospital bags now. Late last night I tapped his arm to wake him up. He woke up startled and immediately assumed it was time to go to the hospital. I didn't even think about that. I just needed him to help me roll over so I could get up to pee. Ah, the end of pregnancy is so graceful and sweet.
More John stories...
When we brought him home, he slept like superman for a while. When the doctor checked him out of the hospital, he noticed that John was turning a bit yellow and told us to keep an eye on it. He said if it was much worse, to make an appointment for Monday (we came home on a Saturday). Well, it was worse. We went for our first visit to the pediatrician, Dr. Belvin, and immediately fell in love. He is such a nice, laid-back, happy, playful man. And, he had his third child just a few days after John was born, so it's nice to ask him for advice. Anyway, John's biliruben was really high so they ordered him a bili bed. It was almost like a light table for x-rays, but it glowed bright blue. We were supposed to keep him on it at all times except when he was eating. He didn't seem to mind it, but I minded not getting to hold him all the time. We had to go back every day for a week or so to get his heel pricked and check the levels. They kept going down, but never got quite as low as expected. John had already had a few days of troubled eating. For a few days he wouldn't nurse and we ended up feeding him with a shot glass (that made for some funny pictures). One day of formula for him, and we broke the jaundice cycle and he was fine. No more bili bed, but again, it made for some neat superman-looking pictures.

Well Traveled

No baby yet...although John is really getting excited. I don't think he really has any idea, but Mom and Daddy have a foster baby that he's been practicing with, so when he sees the crib and the car seat he knows there's supposed to be a baby there. I think he's going to be a GREAT big brother! We're just working on teaching him what is OK to body slam, and what isn't OK. It's a tough thing to learn, I guess.
So more time to focus on John. How about his travels? The first trip he went on (aside from tailgating at Clemson) was to Cape Cod for Buck's cousin Kerry's wedding. He was 3 weeks old. 24 hours or so in the car to get there for a long weekend, then the same back. What a great long weekend it was, though! John was great in the car. The trip was a lot longer because we stopped for him to eat pretty frequently, but we also fed him in the car (pumping in traffic is definitely interesting). We stopped in NC on the way there, and arrived in Cape Cod very late at night. It was the perfect trip because he got to meet Grandma and Grandpa Bucky, almost all of his aunts and uncles on the Buckingham side, cousin Tommy, and a lot of the extended family as well. Everyone loved holding him, particularly Uncle Rod, but they also enjoyed making fun of his "S" shaped stretches. He sure was a funny stretcher. We also made fun of his purple mouth. The doctors thought he and I may be sharing a yeast infection from nursing, so he had this purple medicine for his mouth that stained everything, and made him look like he'd been eating lots of grape popsicles. What an experience at 3 weeks...to meet so many great relatives, and to have traveled a huge portion of the east coast, and to have slept through his first wedding. He and I also fell asleep in the last few seconds of the Florida State game and missed Clemson's big play to win it. Hey, it was a long trip. I don't think we'll be so brave with two. Fortunately the Buckingham clan is coming our way for a beach trip in July, so our trip will be much shorter. Fortunately we'll get to see ALL of the aunts and uncles and ALL of the cousins.

What's in a name?

Want to know the new baby's name? Too bad! She's not here yet, so you'll have to wait. We didn't name John until he was a day old. Buck wanted a "good strong English name", which really narrows things down...particularly since I didn't want a name that everybody else chose. We had a list of 15 or 20 single names that we agreed were alright. We ended up putting each of them in a hat and pulling two at a time to come up with a good combination. We came to the hospital with 3 choices. I had this vision in my head of him being born and the name just coming to us. Finally Buck asked if I wanted him to get my parents to come meet him. Somehow he must've known about my vision, or seen distress on my face, because my plan was for them to come in and we'd say "Meet so and so". Without a word from me, he said, "we don't have to name him before they meet him". So, I conceded, which was good because we didn't end up picking a name until the next day. For the record, I didn't get my pick, but I'm so happy with John Winthrop, and I think it turned out perfectly. Even though we have a John in almost every neighboring house, it turns out he's the only one I've met in his age bracket.
As for our little Spicy-Ann, that's just her nickname for now. When we were looking through family records, we found Spicy-Ann around the civil war period on the Madding side, I believe. What a fun name (unless you're in middle school). We could've used LulaBelle. That's what Pop called me, and I rather like it. We had it narrowed down to 4 names when we went to dinner a few weeks ago. Buck wrote them down on the table cloth (you can only do that in fine establishments), and the waitress gave us her pick...unsolicited advice. So, that night we narrowed it down to two. You'll just have to wait to hear them. For now it's still Spicy-Ann, or Miss Sassy as her Grandma Bucky calls her (she misunderstood over the phone and I've been trying to break her of that bad habit ever since, but she really likes it...I have no doubt she'll deserve that name just plenty).

Clemson Pictures

Born Tiger

Still no baby, so it's a great opportunity to catch up on John stories. Was he born with a college affiliation? Absolutely! As much as can be done (since only a small portion of anything to do with children is actually in the hands of the parents) we planned his birth around football season. John had a sign on the hospital door that read "It's a Tiger". He came home in a tiger baby cap (made with love by his G.G.). When he was 9 days old he attended his first Clemson tailgate (missed the game because it was a noon game in the high 80s or 90s) decked out in Clemson gear from head to toe...literally. No brainwashing here, he was just born into a Clemson family. He slept through a lot of football games his first season, but stayed for most of each game except short trips to the tailgate for a snack. At one tailgate he blew away his competition (Knox, my old roomie Claire's son that is 5 days older) in a drinking race. When I was in college, did it ever occur to me that I'd be spending a significant portion of my half-time tailgating time nursing in other people's cars? Not quite. At one of the games we took John to get his picture with the Tiger. They have a pep-rally before each game, and we knew that would be our best chance to catch him. We were there early and were the first ones to get pictures with the Tiger, who really enjoyed holding John. Right after than we ran into the twirlers, who REALLY enjoyed holding John. So, right from the beginning he was not only a Clemson fan, but a ladies' man as well. He was pretty hungry in this picture, and if you look closely, you can see where his focus is. I've entitled it "Got Milk?" (John, if you're reading this years from now, "Got Milk" was a huge ad campaign.) Unfortunately it's gotten more difficult to make it to games, but we still made it to a few tailgates last year, where John discovered fried chicken....yum, and we'll definitely do our best to give Spicy-Ann the same introduction this year.

Alright, having trouble posting pictures right now. I'll try to put them up soon.

Not Yet...

As Daddy is in Denver on Business, lil' girl is not coming yet. Katie had an appointment today and is doing fine--lil' girl is still up high in the belly.

Katie's dad was away on business in Ohio when she was born. Hopefully, she'll stay in and keep on cookin' until next or the following week...

HELP!!!!!

Our original plan was to try to put John and his little sister in the same nursery together once she started sleeping through the night. Her crib has been in there a while so he could get used to it. We have a cradle that she'll be sleeping in until she sleeps all night. Funny how plans don't always follow through. Today I went to get John up from his nap, and where do you think he was playing??? In his sister's crib! Tonight I was trying to put him down, and he kept climbing in it and jumping. Something tells me we need a plan "B".

So Big

As I mentioned before, John was born with a mullet. We'll never question if he was southern fried, that's for sure. He lost a good bit of it when he was a few months old, but held on to the mullet and a little Dali Lama patch. His new hair came in pretty quickly and pretty thick as well...it's always been straight. We've seen just about all the different possible colors. It was a dark brown when he was born, changed to blonde with a good hint of red, and has gotten a bit darker now. We finally broke down and got his first haircut a month or so before his first birthday. The mullet had faded to a rat tail that went nearly half-way down his back. So, he has regular haircuts now, and is very well behaved as long as the snacks don't run out.
TODAY was a big day, though. Today he sat all by himself for the first time (rather than in my lap) and looked like such a big boy in the chair! It's amazing the behavior you can get with McDonalds fries and a milkshake.
He's also starting to use simple sentences, which amazes me. He's always been very motor driven...early to walk, climb, etc. We were a bit worried about his speech for a while because he was very verbal, but didn't have many words. At 18 months I wouldn't say he had quite 5 words, and really those were more grunts because he just used one sound syllables. Between 18 months and now his vocabulary has exploded and he's making short sentences. The sweetest one was yesterday when he was eating supper in his high chair. The dogs started barking outside and he kept asking me "Daddy home? Daddy home?". Sunday morning (Mother's Day) he woke up around 4 and I decided to treat myself to a little snuggle time. I brought him in the bed, where he decided to treat himself to a little party time. He was talking, laughing, and having a great time. Buck tried to calm him down, at which time he started kicking his feet with joy (in my direction) and yelling "move please. move please". At least he uses his manners.

My Favorite Things

If you've found this blog, congratulations. My very pregnant brain gave most people the wrong address!

So, I'll start with a little about John. He was born August 24, 2006 at 5:03pm (very generous). 2 days after his due date. It's the only time I've ever cried because I was happy. He weighed 8 lb. 11 oz. and is still in the 90+ percentile for height and weight. Where does he get it from? Not a clue. He was born with a mullet, and we were so proud. So, now he's 20 months old, and super duper fun! Here are a few of his favorite things...

~Watching fire truck parades on YouTube (I recommend to all parents with little boys)

~Racing (and wrecking) tricycles with 3-year-old neighbor Scotty - this gets pretty rough, but John is very tough and resilient

~Watching the Simpsons

~Chocolate milk and strawberries

~His train set

~Reading books

~Wrestling with Dad

~Wrestling with the dogs

~Wrestling with pretty much anything (hopefully not his little sister!)

~Playing guitar and dancing

~"Driving" Daddy's Jeep and cranking up the radio

~Creek hikes

~Trucks

~ MOE'S

~Re-setting the time on Mom and Dad's alarm clock...and turning the volume all the way down...such a prankster

I caught some flack for the family picture I posted. It really doesn't show the "real" us, but it's the only picture of all three that I could find except Halloween where Buck had a Marshmallow Man mask on. So, here's one of my favorites of John...more like the real thing.

Here We Go!

In an attempt to keep some record of fun stories about John the wild child and Miss Spicy-Ann (coming soon to a theater near you), and hopefully share some news and pictures, I'm giving this blog thing a shot.
So, for those of you who may not be up-to-date, here's a quick summary.
May 2001 I graduated from Clemson
August 2001 I started work as an Engineer at a pharmaceutical company
September 2003 I married Buck (or Stephen as you may know him)
August 24, 2006 John Winthrop Buckingham was born (I'll have to update his first year and a half along the way)

Still to come...
May 27 2008 My last day of work!!!!
May/June 2008 We become Buckingham Party of 4!!