WHO-DEY

Dear Bengals,
I put on a special outfit today to cheer you on. The look on my face tells you what I think of your performance today. What happened?? Who-Dey, Who-Dey, Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals.......Annnnnooooottthher TEAM. :(
Better luck next week boys!

Our first date & a new Grandpa arrives

Sean & I bought tickets awhile back for the Radio City Rockettes (touring show); it was one I wanted to see since I heard my aunt Barbara talk about with such excitement at a family wedding a few years ago. It certainly was a great show- one that nicely set the tone for the holidays! The hard part was getting there. What I didn't realize was that some little thing called separation anxiety was going to set in the minute Aunt Mere walked in the house to babysit! A few tissues later, and a re-app of mascara I was good to go knowing she was in wonderful hands.
After the show, we met up with my Dad & Nana Boutelle who drove up to see Brooklyn for the first time. I was impressed with how much my dad wanted to hold her, even though she slept most of their time together. We don't get to see each other often, so I'm glad we had all of Saturday with them as well. Thank you so much for coming!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY....immediate and extended. My wonderful husband Sean and my amazing "fussy gussy" daughter & are the best! (No Allie, I didn't forget about you.) I think about the times others said you'll be surprised how much more I could love once she arrives. I can't wait to share more smiles, laughter, kisses, hugs, & joys that will have me hop out of bed every morning smiling. I am also thankful to have an awesome extended family who is helpful and loves us unconditionally. We cant wait to see you all this holiday season.
2. I am thankful for my home. We have worked very hard to together to make our house a home. I am very grateful I have such a nice roof over my head.
3. I am very, very thankful for my friends. To all my girls, you know who you are, I love you all so much and I cherish the time we spend together. I know I'll be a little MIA for awhile but I really appreciate your understanding,love and support you always give me. When I think about how long we have been friends, and the memories we share, I feel blessed.
4. I am thankful to have the freedoms & opportunities that come with being an American.
5. I am thankful for the Internet. Sounds strange I know, but if I weren't plugged in and logged on it would be even harder to communicate with all of you. Thank you to the genius who made it so easy to stay in touch, and my husband who corrects my computer "boo-boos."


__________________________________________________________________________________________
On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated another year with the tradition of going to Seans' dad side of the family in Richmond, OH. It was great to see everyone again. Ann was the first to say that seeing Sean in his new daddy role was a bit shocking. :) Too bad I didn't have a tape recorder with me. Apparently someone sleeps better with the noise of 25 different conversations going on verses regular night-time silence.That would have been something else I would have been thankful for! Here's a photo of Brooklyn in her Thanksgiving onesie: "Little Turkey," very appropriate! We also thought that this would be the perfect time to ask two very special people to be Godparents. B is very lucky to have Meredith (Seans' sister) & Sean (My Godfathers' son/cousin)!

Paula was nice enough to email a quick photo before the Thanksgiving break from our photo shoot last night. We owe Paula a big 'Thank You,' as we were not the best clients. Brooklyn wanted to eat most of the time (big surprise), & cried when we stripped her down to a diaper, & Allie just wanted to roll around on her sheet for belly rubs. All in all, it was a good time & I can't wait to see the rest of them!

It's an Innie

Brooklyn's umbilical cord fell off sometime during her late afternoon nap on Sunday. That was pretty much her last daytime nap until today. She would lay down peacefully but every time she'd just about fall asleep...BAM!....she'd wake herself up again. (You just wait Great Grammy, till you see that lil' pouty lip & tear filled eyes..then we'll see how long you let her lay there!) B & I took a long snooze this morning together on the couch. She needs her rest for her big professional photo shoot tonight with my friend, Paula.

2 wks old: who do I look like?

In checking our baby photos, we think Brooklyn has her dads' hairline, forehead, eyebrows, & facial shape & moms' eyes, eyelashes, cheeks, & the Wehry "no upper lip!" What do you see?

Reality

I think I can speak for both of us when I say we have so enjoyed the last 10 days together as a family. Unless there are vacation days used, or major holiday, we don't share days off together. A gift we'll be sure to give ourselves within a year.
Sean went back to work on Monday & I survived the overnight on 2.5 hours of sleep. Brooklyns' nasal congestion helped her to sleep most of the day. That's right. DAY.
She seems to be feeling better & we're back on track.
If she was just a little bit older, she would have been able to see our first dusting of snow here in KY. Brrr.....

Boys & their toys

It seems no matter what the situation, if there's a gadget to be used, there is a male face to light up. Brooklyn seems a bit congested this morning..which put that Getty-up in Sean to open the new medical bag: temporal thermometers, aspirators etc. He's also been reading up a storm on immunizations online.
Brooklyn, not letting any of this effect her, is still working on holding her head up, & creating milk mustaches. Right now, she's asleep in her swing, listening to classical music, with her soccer rattle around her wrist.

How Julie spent her first week

We'll let the photo summarize.

Brooklyn's first week

In 1 hour, Brooklyn will already be 1 week old. Wow, time does fly! Her first home visitors were her cousins-Noah still calls her peanut, Aydan-baby cousin, & Quinton, who calls her by name, let us know he's been practicing CPR so he'll be ready to babysit.
Allie has done amazingly well. She patiently waits outside her room until we come back out, healing every step we take from there. She also gets up for late night feedings, making sure we're A-OK.
Her first doctors' appointment was Tuesday. She must have known it was her first outing & we were frantically trying to get out the door (9:45am appointment- 4.5 hours of sleep) because as soon as we clicked her car seat, we heard that dreaded noise...& lovely smell....for the ride there. A soothing bath continues to create the same result. :)

Has anyone checked EBAY?

November 5, 2008, Issue of The New York Times
Commemorate one of the most important events in American history - Barack Obama's election as the 44th U.S. president.

Limited quantities for this hard-to-find newspaper.
_____
Since we don't get the daily paper, I asked Seans' parents for theirs. But have you seen EBAY? The newspaper for the date of Brooklyns' birthday is currently going for upwards of $38.00, for a $1.50 newspaper.

First 24 hours home

<



It is so nice to sleep in my own bed again. Mimi came over late last night to help out so we could catch a few Zz's. I can tell these first few weeks have the potential to be tiring, and am glad we got some assistance. Brooklyn fed around 1am, then again @4am, a diaper change @ 5am and slept until almost 10am!!!! What do ya know; all of my testing out mattresses & having super cozy bedding has paid off already. No making fun of her hat or mittens- she's sleeping soundly!
In those extra hours this morning, I got a shower...and can see my feet again. :) We also gave her a bath this morning- in which she was kind enough to christen her bathtub both ways.
It can be hard to understand tone in a blog, but I sincerely appreciate our phone not ringing off the hook. Hopefully, creating this blog has allowed everyone to be a part of our lives as we've expanded our family. I'll get to making phone calls once we've got things a bit more settled. Thanks for your patience!
Sean quote of the day: "I've never googled baby poop before!"

Our time at the hospital

My mom was the 1st person to see her; she came in early enough to help give the first bath. Mimi, Granny, Kremer, Nikki, Jim & Amy, Alison, & Grandpers also came to the hospital. So did Damon & Pam & their 2 kids but they get their own line in this blog: their 8 month son, Eric, was very excited to see Brooklyn- Sean jokingly asked Eric what his Apgar score was & where he planned on going to college!
Every doctor & nurse that has seen her commented on her beautiful color & how alert she is. I figured since she only slept for about 20 minutes since her birth until 11pm, that she'd sleep well at night....boy was I wrong! Currently, we're supplementing & she's eating at least 1oz almost every hour. She finally slept for 4 hours-on my belly- the 2nd night.
Here's one of her hospital photos. A 0-3 mos outfit, the skirt is too big & just falls off! The Uk socks were actually Seans' from his baby days. You can visit the hospital website & the web nursery to see the rest of the photos.

Coming Home

We were dischared from the hospital on Friday, Nov. 7th. Here's a photo of her in her coming home outfit. Before leaving, we headed upstairs to see Seans' grandfather. Even in a loopy state, he said something very memorable to both of us: "Before you were just married, now you are a family."
A big thanks to our neighbors for taking care of Allie during all of this, and the treats in the fridge! Brooklyn also came home to a beautiful vase filled w/ white roses from Aunt Christina & Jordan.

Mommy memories

Election Day for me started with that burst of energy. Those that made their regular phone calls wanting to know if anything had happened yet discovered I did get that burst of energy...but it didn't come out so much in the form of cleaning, instead dancing! Q102 our local radio station had 'pick your candidate, pick your song." I remember mostly "Coco Cabana" & "Rockin in the USA," on my way into work that morning. Everything was hysterically funny-someone even asked if I was going to laugh the baby out. I left for lunch, wanting a turkey Subway sandwich & a DQ Oreo Blizzard. Coming back to work, I told Jim, my boss, to do whatever he needed done out of the office-because I thought something was 'going on.' But I didn't leave. By the time he came back in about 15 minutes- I felt fine again. Heading home, my back was starting to bother me just in the slightest & went in to grab a shower. Feeling fine once again, we heated up some soup & settled in for election results & acceptance speeches. Fast forward 12 hours & we have received the best gift ever.
What I'll remember most about Labor & delivery, is that those first several hours were easier than I thought-contractions were breathable. I debated getting the epi, and I'll certainly never forget they needed to put it in twice after missing the first time. As she was crowning, I was asked to stop, yes stop, pushing until the doctor was ready-he delivered 3 babies in less than 40 minutes. I'll remember the feeling of "I did it!" after her head was out & I looked when I thought I wouldn't, Sean cutting the cord, how beautiful she was when they put her on my belly, (& she wasn't cleaned off!) & the nurse showing Sean how to put on the first diaper. I remember thinking-this was easy, I could do this again.

Proud Parents

Hello World

just to clear it up

nope, that is not a typo (cough..Nikki...cough) Brooklyn's middle name is Maebh (sounds like Mave). Jules and I wanted something distinctly Irish as part of her name and as we both truly liked Brooklyn as a first, we decided to put it in the middle. The following excerpt will help clear up the meaning behind the name.
" From an old Irish name Madb, "the cause of great joy" or "she who intoxicates." The great warrior queen of Connacht and embodiment of sovereignity she stars in Ireland's greatest epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley" (read the legend). She left king Conchobhar Mac Nessa for Ailill because "you are a man without meaness, fear or jealousy, a match for my own greatness." But the couple quarrelled over who had the most possessions. Maebh's bull had defected to Ailill's herd and so she bought Daire's brown bull. When Daire went back on the deal she went to war with Cuchulainn (read the legend) and the province of Ulster to recover the bull."
You can follow this link to here Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes) pronouce it for ya. http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-i-m.html

Still working on those pics...please stand by :)

Sorry it has taken so long

Brooklyn Maebh Kelly came into this world kickin and screamin at
At 12:52PM, November the 5th. Both she and mommy are doing great (though both still in the feeling out process of this whole nursing thing). Brooklyn is 8lbs 9.4 oz and 20.25 in long. We appreciate everyone’s support during this entire affair, your support means the world.
I’ll post pics once I get a min. to breath.

Sean

The waitin is the hardest part, unless you're a woman in labor and then it is probably the passing of large objects through small openings

Do these places charge by the hour??? If so, we’re so screwed  That’s right, the lil one has still not made the scene. Jules hung in there, med free, for about 6 hours but finally, on the advice of the nurse, accepted the epidural. As those of you who know Jules well know, she HATES needles. When, years ago, she broke her kneecap while playing soccer, she was damn near going to forgo the pain meds, so the girl can take some pain; but the nurse told her that she was not progressing along very rapidly, contraction wise, and as such she ran the chance of wearing herself out and not having enough left in tank to push when the time came.
So, here we sit, granted, I more comfortable than her at this point, at approximately 11am, Wed. morning, she is 10cm and the finish line is in site…or is it the starting line? A philosophical point that she doesn’t look in the mood to debate with me at this time (and haven’t we had enough debates for a while anyway : ) ) We (The nurse, myself, and of course Jules played her part), just did some pushing and it looks like we a little ways to go; the nurse said she’ll be back in about 30-45 min. I will keep posted anyone who was lucky enough to stumble upon the blog today. I snapped a few photos but I’m fairly certain that if I post them, this WILL BE OUR ONLY CHILD, one way or another. So stay tuned dear reader for I’m pretty sure the answer to any question this morning is “yes we can”.
Much love, peace
Sean

A night of nights

As I am the more politically charged member of the family, Jules has tasked me with blogging duties for the night. This is a night that has left me with a struggle to find the words to adequately express just how I feel; and for those that know me well, that is saying something. Listening to Barack’s victory speech, I wondered if this is how the generation before me felt when Kennedy spoke; do we dare dream that we will have our “man on the moon”…. Instead of a nation reacting to the advances of a party that relies on fear to persuade voters, we rose up, people of all walks of life, and said enough. We came together and…errrr, I bet that those of you who paid attention to the time stamp of this post are wise to what else happened tonight. Yuppers, that is correct. At the precise moment that Barack finished his speech, Jules felt (and heard???) her water break (roughly 12:30 EST on 11/5). I am writing this bedside at the hospital as she tries to get some rest. We are still waiting on the lil one to make her first appearance; Jules is only 1cm still and the contractions aren’t too bad yet (though they seem to be increasing in intensity) I told Jules I am going to live blog the birth…but that didn’t go over too well : ) That said, I will keep everyone up to speed as best I can and I’m sure you can expect calls when the time is right. (we’ve not called to tell people yet so if you’re reading this…mums the word until further notice)
The reaffirmation of my faith in humanity came at a most opportunity time, it’s been one hell of a good night.

much love to all, peace

Sean

In the words of Grays' Anatomy....

"SERIOUSLY?"
I have walked. Ate spicy food. Sat on the birthing ball. And every other home remedy except castrol oil. I thought for sure you would try to interrupt your daddy's' time to fulfill his civic duty this morning but he just called to say he has his voting sticker & is scouting out his free Starbucks. If you don't come today, you'll put a dent in my "I'm always right" comment & I'll have to go back to the doctor again in the morning. Not only that, but I'd like for you to pick your own birthday..your father on the other hand is surprisingly antsy & wants me to pick Thursday to be induced! Seriously. You've got about 15 hours left in the day....and please, dear God, don't plan on using them all to start your decent!

25 was not enough

Well, November 2nd has come...and has almost gone, all 25 hours of it. My belief is, lil **** Kelly felt that she is special enough on her own and that she doesn't need the oddity of being born on the one day of the year that is longer than the others. Further, it is my belief that The actions of **** Kelly are in direct opposition to the wants and wishes of her mother; while Jules has gone above and beyond by working right up to her due date (and beyond???), it has finally begun to takes its toll and she has resorted to watching TV while lying flat on her back with her cankles elevated up on the back of the couch. I am fairly sure that Jules is ready for our lil girl to say hello to the world.
I as well am ready for the big debut, it has been a long nine months and while it is going to be one hell of a big change, I also know it is going to be a lot of fun (sh**ty diapers excepted). So, any day now you all can expect a call from us letting you know that our little girl has made the scene. Wish us luck, I am sure we'll need it : )

Much love to all, peace

Sean

Guess who's nesting now

I got home from work yesterday to find my husband put together my home office, cleaned the kitchen, put away Halloween decor, was making a batch of onion soup & was on a chair cleaning the living room ceiling fan. We thought it would be funny if she was born during the time change last night, but, as you might guess, I'm sitting here eating my 2nd breakfast now at 8:30am. Guess we'll see if I fall within the few that deliver on their actual due date.