Thanks and No Thanks

I just thought I'd give some "thank yous" to the things/people I love about having a new baby (and also some "no thank yous" to some things I don't love about postpartum life).

Thanks to the people who brought us meals. There is something so nice about not having to prepare your own food. Aish really outdid herself with some great tilapia (sp?) with lemon cream sauce. Delightful.

No Thanks to me for freezing a lasagna that I thought would be just as good as fresh lasagna. Not so.

Thanks to the person who decided to put the 2% spandex into our jeans. I am not saying the fit is flattering on my "3 sizes bigger than usual" jeans yet. They are, however, zipped.

No Thanks to me for trying on my "normal" jeans before the 2 month mark (Who am I kidding? The 5 or 6 month mark seems a little more realistic).

Thanks to Sabrina for being great with the baby. She loves Lucy.

No Thanks to sleep deprivation.

Thanks to Lucy for making sleep deprivation a little more enjoyable. There's no one I'd rather be with at 11:30...2:30...4:45...6:45.

Thanks and No Thanks to Sabrina for somehow slipping her sippy cup of milk past her distracted mother and placing it in her pretend fridge in her play kitchen only to be found a day later. Thanks for the laughs. No Thanks for the smell.

Thanks to Paul for taking the between 5 and 7 AM feeding, having laundry parties with me, doing dishes, etc.

And lastly, No Thanks to Lucy for already getting bigger. I think I could be happy holding a newborn for the rest of my life.

You tell me

Here are some pictures of our sleeping beauties (or as Sabrina would say "sweeping gooties"). Lately, Lucy has been looking a lot more like Sabrina as a newborn. Darker, yes, but there are some similarities. What do you think?

Sabrina:



Lucy:

Pics of the babe...

Well, we are home and happy (and tired)! Everything went great with the induction. It all happened pretty quickly. In fact, Paul was doing homework up until about 1 minute before delivery. The next few days were spent doing nothing but sitting in the hospital and staring at Lucy. It was great to have so much time with just her. Sabrina has been enjoying life as an orphan child (spending every day with a different relative), and I have to admit that while I am SO thankful for the help, I am missing having her here with me. She has loved having her "new baby sister" and shows Lucy to everyone who walks in the door. Potty training has taken about 12 steps backward, but I fully expected that. Lucy is very tiny and fun, and we are all in love with her little self. She was jaundiced when we left the hospital, so they sent us home with a biliblanket, which made her look like a glow worm for a night, but her numbers are better now, so she no longer needs the lights. As for the name, Lucy is just because we like it, and Mae is after my Great-grandma Shelley. Thanks for all the well wishes. We are lucky to have the family and friends that we do. Enjoy the pics.

Lucy Mae Sampson

Paul reporting here. I'm pleased to announce the birth of Lucy Mae Sampson on September 23, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. 6lbs 2oz, and 18 inches long. She's tiny and really, really cute. Mom and baby are healthy and awaiting visitors. I'll let Lindsay fill you in on more of the details later.

6 Days

I can't believe it...only six days until my induction. Originally, I was hesitant to be induced, but honestly, there isn't much room in me anymore. Sleep has become difficult, and so has getting around (not to mention finding things to wear). I can't complain much; this really has been an easy and quick pregnancy. Now I am feeling nervous. I am also trying to enjoy the time left with just Sabrina and me at home. She really is the funnest person to hang out with all day long and has gotten to be such a little kid. Trust me, we have our moments, but I have to say, I have one great kid.

Funny story: I have been trying to get things ready to go, and the other day I decided to go to the hospital to pre-register (not that I'll go into labor on my own...that just doesn't happen for the women in my family). I kept saying to Sabrina that we were going to the hospital, and she seemed particularly excited. She said, "Let's go get the new baby sister." I thought, "Wow. She is really getting this." I kept telling her that we weren't going to get the new baby sister that day, but she persisted. Then she said, "Let's go to the hospital (said like "car show") and see Gina." Gina? We don't know anyone named Gina. Then she broke into a full and familiar conversation with Papa Bear. Where had I heard that before? Wait a minute...she was thinking of this...



I found this movie at Marshalls for $2 over a year ago, and surprisingly, it has made it's way onto her "favorites" list. Personally, I find it a little weird, but appropriate for our current situation. She was very disappointed when we got to the hospital to not see Gina, Big Bird, any bears, and no baby sister. So turns out, she has NO idea what's about to hit her. That's okay. Neither do her parents. Wish us luck!

Another one from our PJ...

For my birthday a couple of days ago, Paul got me a half-day spa adventure to be used after the baby comes, and I am in need of some serious R and R. The perfect gift. What made it even more perfect was the delivery of the gift. Allow me to write it out for you:

Me: Wow! This is great. What exactly does a "half-day spa package" include?

Paul: A massage, a facial, a "foot-cial." You know, the usual.

Me: A what?

Paul: You know where they paint your toes.

Me: A pedicure?

Paul: Whatever.

That's why we love him!

Confused in '08

Before reading this try to remember...my blog, my opinion.

Okay, so the conventions are over; we've seen/heard from the candidates, now it's decision time. I for one, am completely confused and am hoping for some clarity in the next couple of months. I am going to come out of the closet and say:

I like the Obamas.

There. I did it. I just can't help it. I love the story of a boy coming from a single parent/ low-income home, making it through Harvard Law. My inner public education teacher can't help but smile. Then he meets a girl who was raised in a one-bedroom apartment and also seemed to rise above what we would expect would happen to her. She gets through Harvard Law herself. They get married and have two adorable daughters. This isn't to say I know them personally. I know better than to trust politicians personal lives as "moral and honorable." Case in point:

John McCain.

War hero...yes. But how can I vote for someone who left his first wife at middle-age after she dutifully waited five long, hard years for his return for a 24 year-old heiress? And what's wrong with the 24 year-old heiress that she'd want to be with a 44 year-old married guy? Seriously, what makes John McCain better than John Edwards or Bill Clinton? Time? Are you saying that with time, all that we'll remember about John Edwards is that he's the son of a mill-worker? Cindy McCain wasn't the first woman he cheated with either. "Country First"...family second? That's just not okay with me. (Don't think I've forgotten all those digs at Mitt's [honest] fortune either.)

So what to do? I don't agree with most of Obama's policies. I fall more in line with McCain. Do I vote party over person? I would never do this if I were voting for Larry Craig; so why now? Am I willing to say that a leaders personal life and conduct mean nothing to me?

As for the veeps...I don't care much for Biden. I am coming around on Palin. Last weekend, I thought she was a dumb choice, but after hearing her speak, I think her miles above McCain. Sure the Elaine Bennis (Seinfeld) hair has got to go, and I agree with Letterman when he said she looks like a Lens Crafters model, but she has a lot to offer, I think. Do I vote for McCain in hopes that somehow Palin could be our next president? Is that a risk I dare take? I don't know.

It's going to get interesting.

Note: This is solely Lindsay's opinion of things. For Paul's opinion of things, he'll have to make his own post.