First Colorado Hike... is that snow??

We took the girls on a 4 mile hike today to Lily Pad Pond (elevation: 11,500). Kaylee hiked most of the way in, and mama carried Chloe in the Bjorn. We were sooo proud of her!! When we got to the ponds, we sat down to take a breather, eat a power bar, and take in the view. The scenery consisted of beautiful beaver ponds covered in Lily Pads, snow covered mountain peaks, aspen tree groves (Christy's favorite tree), and... dark clouds building over us. Within about 10 minutes of laying out our picnic, it was clear that we needed to pack up and high-tail it outta there! By the time mama got Kaylee on her back, Paul tucked Chloe in the Bjorn and daypack on his back, it was starting to sprinkle a little. Then, it started to SNOW HARD (Colorado's corn snow)!! Kaylee was crying out "RAIN! RAIN!" (her snow experiences are very limited), and Paul and I jogged along the trail. Pretty soon, the snow/rain softened, and we finished our hike at a pretty brisk pace. While loading up back at the car, the sun came out and there was a rainbow over one of the nearby valleys. That's Colorado in the spring for you! Needless to say, we were all a little wet and a little cold, but it was a fabulous morning of hiking in the mountains. Now, we are back at the condo and everyone is taking a little nap... swimming/hot tubbing to follow this afternoon! Here are some pics from our hike this morning...

Wait for us, Kaylee!!

Mama with her girls...

The whole family in the woods!

Uh oh - here comes the corn snow.

Snowing hard!!
Paul on the trail with Chloe in front in the Bjorn.

Snow is over - but it is still chilly for the little ones.
Chloe's hiding in the Bjorn on Paul's chest,
and Kaylee's hiding in mama's backpack!


Paul navigating some downed timbers with Chloe.

Christy and Kaylee at the trailhead... Kaylee's all done!!
Time to get back in the car, dry out and warm up!

Breckenridge

We just arrived in Breck for the week - Christy grew up visiting this area with her family and grandparents, and it is one of her favorite places in the world. Our flight arrived late into Denver, immediately following a hail storm. We had to sit on the tarmack waiting for a gate for about an hour while DIA officials checked every plane for hail damage before flights were allowed to leave. We arrived in Breck around midnight (1am Texas Time), and were pretty wiped out. Today we are mostly acclimating to the altitude and getting settled into the condo... Kaylee had fun playing with her friend Kasey at the condo - here are some pics.

Kaylee's first S'more

Kaylee and Mama making the perfect s'more in Orlando.

Some more pics...

Christy and Kaylee on the new boat...
Paul teaching Kaylee how to drive the boat.
Potty practice!
Chloe has the same big, dark blue eyes as Kaylee had as a newborn!

long overdue updates...

I've been reminded how hard it can be to find a little time to post new pics and updates! Chloe is already a month old. She is a great baby! She is "waking up" more and more each day, and really seems to be taking in her surroundings now. She loves to study my face, and I swear I've seen some little smiles while playing our games! I love looking at her big, deep "Mediterranian blue" eyes. She is such a blessing.

Kaylee continues to be a huge help, usually. At night, when Kaylee is tired, she tends to demand more individual attention without Chloe present. Not surprisingly, Chloe's fussy time is generally between 5pm and 9pm as well. They like to double-team us! During the day, however, Kaylee loves to hold the baby, help change the baby, and will bring Chloe her doll's bottle when she is upset. She also tries to help by kissing Chloe's head and patting her belly when she is fussy. They are going to be great friends, I think.

Kaylee is growing like a weed, and is so smart. She amazes us with things she picks up from who-knows-where! She is showing more and more "pretend play", which of course I am so grateful to see! The other day, she pretended (unprompted by us) to wash Lucy-dog, including shampoo and rinsing with the hose. Lucy tolerated the pretend-wash better than the real thing. ;)

Here are some pics over the last month... of both girls!






Kaylee loves playing on the playscape!












Chloe hanging out...

Kaylee helping make Pa's 65th Birthday Cake! She's got the beater-licking down...



Chloe and Pa taking a short snooze.


I will work on some more pics later -- Chloe is calling me for snack-time!! :)

1st Doc visit today...

We decided to go ahead and take Chloe to the pediatrician today for her initial visit. She received a good report -- she is healthy, gaining weight (now back to 8 lbs 8 oz), and looks wonderful! She shows no signs of jaundice, her head shape is "back to normal" after the delivery, and she is thriving. We are so blessed and thankful to have another healthy baby!

Thanks to everyone for all the support over the last few days - it has been kinda rough on us, and we really appreciate all the love! We are looking forward to introducing Chloe to the world, so feel free to come visit. We expect to stay home for a week or two before we start to venture out...

hugs,
Christy and Paul

Where did the measurements go??

Several people have pointed out that we don't have Chloe's measurements on our blog anymore... not sure where they went!?!?!? Anyway, here they are again.

She was born at 3:54 on Thursday, February 26, 2009. She weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz, and was 23 inches long (although they suspected that she would "shrink" an inch since she had a little bit of cone-head from the difficult delivery/forceps). So much for everyone saying to me, "you're so little - you can't be ready to have a baby yet!!". She sure didn't feel little to me!! :)

When we left the hospital on Saturday, she weighed 8 lbs 4 ounces, and had indeed "shrunk" to 22 inches. The weight loss is within normal limits for a baby her size, and she seems very healthy! We are going to see Dr. Tarrant, our pediatrician, on Wednesday (probably) for her first check-up since leaving the hospital, so we will update the stats then.

I am feeling well overall, although still very sore and tired. Chloe did well last night, our first night home. She was hungry quite a bit, but cried very little! She is quite the snuggler, and slept on my tummy for a good part of the night. During the day, she really only cries when she is hungry, or when we are changing her diaper (she DOES NOT like diaper changes!!). Her cry is "all or nothing" right now, and she has a pretty shrill little voice - but I'm sure she will learn to grade that cry to the situation as she gets bigger! She really is such a joy to have.

I can't believe how quickly, and deeply, you can fall in love with a little person. It is really undescribable! She has already made an irreplaceable spot in our hearts, and it seems so natural to have her in our family. Kaylee has been awesome with her, and constantly wants to be near her, help with her care, etc. She has not cried once, or shown a single bit of jealousy. We are so proud of her - she is truly going to be a great role model, and an excellent big sister for this little peanut. Our love for her continues to grow deeper and deeper, as we see her awesome personality flourish even more with the addition to the family! (sniff, sniff)

Jagodiks are home now!

Everyone is doing fine. Visitors are welcome! If you can, call before you stop by.

Kaylee meets Chloe

Kaylee came to the hospital today to meet her brand new little sister. When she arrived, the nurse was taking Chloe to the nursery for a check-up, and Kaylee got to see her in the hallway briefly as they wheeled Chloe down the hall in her bassinet. Mom, Dad and Paul then headed to Waterloo Ice House for lunch, and left Kaylee with me. I was able to play with Kaylee and her baby doll FeBe, practicing putting on a diaper, etc. Then I asked Kaylee if she wanted to go see Baby Chloe again, and she said "yes", so we headed down to the nursery, and watched Chloe from the window. The nurse then brought Chloe back to our room, and Kaylee was formerly introduced to her little sister. I asked her if she wanted to hold the baby, and she nodded "yes", but then was a little timid when I tried to put the baby in her lap. We decided that it was best if mama hold the baby, and Kaylee just help mama. Kaylee was very, very good with Chloe, and wanted to put the pacifier in Chloe's little mouth over and over and over. She also helped me change a wet diaper by handing me wipes and helping with the velcro fasteners. (She pointed to the umbilical cord too and said "Ewww!"). After a while, she pointed to the bassinet, and said "all done", so I put Chloe back in her bed and Kaylee and I moved on to coloring for a while. Overall, it was a VERY positive experience. I was pleased. Everyone knows how nervous I was about the introductions, and how Kaylee would react!! But Kaylee continues to amaze me with her kind heart and gentle soul, and I now believe that she is going to be my little trooper, my little helper, my little hero. I was so proud of her today - it brought tears to my eyes! When Paul returned with my parents, Kaylee continued to prove why she is the BEST big sis, and showed her Pa how to put the pacifier in the baby's mouth again... here's a pic of her with Chloe.

Chloe passes her hearing test

Let's not forget about the Big Sister!

LONG Day, but FINALLY done... here's the summary.

It has been a long day. We got to the hospital a little after 8, and got the process going. I was 5cm when I arrived, without contractions. So, everyone (including my doc) thought it would be a short time until delivery once they started pitocin, and Paul predicted to be holding our little girl by 2. But, it didn't quite work out that way. I pushed without much success for a little while, then they decided to let me "labor down" for a while and let my contractions work their natural magic. I started pushing again after some wait, and pushed, and pushed with very slow success. After two hours of solid pushing with every contraction, my epidural was pretty much worn off, and I was exhausted, frustrated and emotional. Dr. Bushart decided that "enough was enough", and that he needed to get the baby out. He had to use forceps, and pull HARD to help the baby come out. Meanwhile, my epidural was practically gone, and I was in a LOT of pain. He pulled for a minute, and then said to the nurse that the baby was stuck - so he got a better grip and pulled again. It turned out that the baby was "sunny side up", which had been complicating things further, in addition to my "difficult anatomy" issues. Buzz was finally able to get her out, and everything was perfect after that. The baby is now sleeping peacefully, and is absolutely precious. I'm exhausted, but doing well. We really appreciate all the love and support, phone calls and emails, cookies and balloons!! We are very blessed to have such great family and friends, and can't wait for you to meet our new little one.
Love, Christy and Paul

Chloe is here!

Welcome to the world.

At Seton Hospital

Just checked in....babies heart rate is 132. Everyone is doing fine. They just broke Christy's water. She is almost dilated to 5cm. Still no contractions. Baby should be here soon.

Inducing tomorrow!!

Well, I guess tomorrow will be the big day. Despite my efforts to induce labor on my own, I'm still sitting here, waiting... and waiting...

My doctor ("Buzz") said that I am dilated to 4cm on Tuesday afternoon, but still no contractions. So, we will head to the hospital at 8am tomorrow morning to get a little help from the doc. I am getting more and more concerned that this L&D may go quickly, and I don't want to be too far from the hospital!!!

Stay tuned to our blog tomorrow - we will be updating our progress periodically throughout the day, so that our family and friends can stay informed as to the progress of welcoming our new baby girl!! We are very excited to see her, and introduce her to her big sis Kaylee!!

When?? When??

We are on the downhill slide into adding our second little girl to the family! While I am not "officially" due until March 4, we have decided (with our doctor's advice, of course) to induce on Feb. 26, one week earlier than the due date. Kaylee was exactly one week early as well. At my last doctor's appointment, "Buzz" (my doctor, Dr. Bushart) said I was dilated 2cm, 50% effaced, and the head was "locked into position"! Of course, these numbers mean nothing really - other than there is no turning back, and that I better not take a vacation now. So, it could be any minute now, or it might be another week - there is no scientific formula. My back issues from a few weeks ago have resolved, which is a nice change. I am feeling great for the most part, but am definitely feeling big and more and more uncomfortable. It is hard to get comfortable at night to sleep.

We would like to think that Kaylee is excited, but the reality is that she probably doesn't really understand the whole concept, or realize that her little world is about to be turned upside down. She definitely loves her baby dolls, and plays with them a lot. She knows where her baby sister is, and will lift up my shirt and point at my big, round belly. She has felt the baby move, and sometimes squeals when the baby gives her a big kick. But what does she really think about the big belly? Probably just that mama needs to go on a diet!!

When not playing with her assortment of baby dolls, Kaylee is usually focused on her box of books. Her language is increasing, and she loves to go through the books and label everything (or ask "what's that"). Her articulation is not great yet, but mama and dada understand her! You can tell she really, really wants to talk more, and trys to repeat any new words she hears. She has a lot of signs that she has learned at school, which is awesome, except that sometimes we don't know what all the signs are!! Her school teachers report that she is the only kiddo in her class (of 10 kids) that has not ever had to go to "time out", and they say she is also the most polite of all the "2ish" kids. She almost always says "please" and "thank you". Her manners also extend to being a great helper - she likes to help "clean up", and will put her dish (and the dog dishes) in the sink when she is finished (imagine our surprise the first time she put her plate in the sink! We had no idea that she even knew what a sink was!! We just overheard something "crash" in the kitchen sink, and turned around to realize she had figured it out on her own!!)

Anyway, she is a LOT of fun watching her grow - she keeps us entertained (and surprises us) all the time. I think initially it is going to be hard for her when we bring home her sister, but we are confident that she will "come around" quickly and be a GREAT big sis and a big helper for her mama...

When we head to the hospital, we are planning on taking our computer, and updating this blog regularly throughout the process... sending updates/pics of our progress! So, check back, and stay tuned!!

Christmas in Florida 2008

Kaylee Making Cookies for Santa

Christmas is so much fun with the little bug.

Christmas 2008

Santa visited our Credit Union on Saturday and we got a Jagodik family photo. Kaylee didn't want to sit an Santa lap this year. Lucy wasn't really interested either, but enjoyed their yummy snacks.
Lucy thinks she should get a raise for being the family dog especially if she is going to be in every picture!

Camping at Canyon Lake

We want camping last weekend with Kaylee. She was a great camper playing with acorns, sticks, and her dog, Lucy and she really liked her gloves. We all slept in the tent...Mom, Dad, Kaylee, and Lucy dog. Potter's Creek Park is one the the best campsite we have be to and we have revisited three times already. We didn't bring our jetski because it was to cold, but Canyon Lake has very blue clean (no duckweeds) water. We also meet some old friends there with their kiddo's.