You can just call me Auntie Laura

It is official. As of September 25, 2007 my niece was born 7lbs 50z and 20 inches long. She and mama suffered from a fever due to the fact that they didn't go into the hospital soon enough after her water broke but everything will be fine. She is a beautiful little baby girl with a thick head of dark hair just like her Auntie Laura, although I think I picked mine up a little later in life. Congratulations Nathan and Hope!

The mother of all colds

So about a week and a half ago my neighbor friend comes to my door with her two month old. She is winded and looks frantic. I look like I just got out of bed, because I did. She quickly explains to me that she needs to get her oldest son to Kindergarten, like 5 minutes ago, and that she went to put the youngest of her 3 boys into the car seat only to find that one of the new kittens (as if her life wasn't crazy enough about 2 weeks after her youngest is born her cat has 3 kittens) has taken its first poop in the babies car seat. Well, I grab my little 2 month old friend shoo her back to her minivan and begin telling baby Ian how he and Gavin will someday rule the neighborhood and be best friends. This is met with the newly learned skill of smiles and cooing that only proceed to make my heart melt and long for the day that it is my baby that is smiling and cooing at me. After a monster spit up from Ian his mother comes knocking on the door to retrieve her little one. This is when I learn that she has been sporting a horrible sore throat for about a day. I wave it off saying it is probably sinus problems, which Mike has had a lot of lately, so I feel I should be the expert or something.

Sunday night rolls around and I quickly realize that it wasn't sinus problems but a monster cold that seems to have infected half of the Valley. By Monday morning I am canceling my chiropractor appointment in an effort to not infect the other half of the Valley. I am miserable. Yet, I insist that by the time my birthing class comes around at 6:00pm I will feel as good as new. How I thought I would do this I still have yet to figure because being pregnant there aren't a lot of options for medication. By 5:00pm I am swollen, achy, sneezy and I swear I sound like Darth Vader. But still I insist that I could go to my birthing class until I realize just how miserable I am and that if I made a whole entire room full of pregnant women sick, well I probably wouldn't go back to the class if that happened because I would either be beaten by a room full of pregnant women or feel so guilty that I just simply couldn't show my face. Monday night I sneeze and pull a muscle in my stomach and come to the revelation that there is sick and then there is pregnant sick and the two are on very different playing fields.

After a few nights of not sleeping I call my doctor and near tears explain that there must be something I can do. She lists a few drugs I can take tells me to drink lots of water and get a humidifier. Humidifier turns out to be my best friend I begin sleeping as well as a pregnant woman can and breathing better instantly. However, over a week later as I sit here still hacking, coughing, sneezing, achy, stuffy and I will spare the other gross details I just read that it takes pregnant women much longer to recover from viruses than most. Tonight will be the second out of four of my birthing classes that I might miss if by tonight I don't miraculously recover. Despair has set in and I fear that I will never be whole again. The worst part is I paid $65 for this birthing class.

New Additions

I was awoken the other night by a loud ringing. When I finally realized what time it was and that the incessant ringing was the sound of our new house phone I frantically grabbed it and put on my best "you hardly woke me voice" even though I had just fallen asleep and it was well after midnight. My Aunt Kathie had called to let us know that Bella after many hours and a c-section had joined us in the world a healthy little girl all 7lbs 8oz and 22 inches of her. I was glad to hear since there was an ultrasound early on detecting a small hole in Bella's heart. She seems to have pulled through with no problems. My cousin and his girlfriend I am sure are more relieved than any of us. My Aunt (Bella's Grandma) was of course as proud of the new arrival as could be.

I went quickly to work the next day realizing that I had never sent them a gift. Oops! Silly me I had meant to and I guess now was as good a time as ever. After figuring out the minor glitches in my sewing machine. I sewed a nursing cover and a matching burp cloth out of fabric I happened upon at a local quilting store. I had to share pictures. I am so in love with this fabric and I don't want to let it go.

Hopefully they will get use out of these and love the fabric as much as I do. Congrats Zoller Family you are in our thoughts and prayers. Can't wait 'till it is our turn.

Love, the James'

Success!

Our garage sale was a success. At the beginning of the day I have to say I had my doubts that it would really get off the ground. It was touch and go for a while with a few people here and there. However, when it is a few people here and there from 8-5 you end up with quite a few people. I having only had one garage sale in my life really didn't know what to expect. At the beginning of the day Mike and I said that if we sold our entertainment center and our guitar we would feel like we had done great! When I rolled up at 5:00pm with Courtney fully expecting to see the guys starting to clean up our stuff but instead found them negotiating on our entertainment center with a couple from down the street I was so excited I had to walk away because I would have spoiled the deal. I am never good at negotiating. One lady got most of my stuff at half price with just a look. I would tell her the price of an item that was clearly marked and she would squish her face up in the awful "You have got to be kidding" look and I would buckle under pressure. At one point Mike finally stepped in and when she gave me the look he said "what you don't think we are asking enough?" That is why I love him. We balance each other in ways I think we often fail to see. Like bargaining for a deal, he loves it and I hate it with a passion. If my buyers only knew with just a look I might have given them my stuff we would never have made all the money that we did.

Thanks to Mike's negotiating skills I get to buy some much needed maternity items like some workout pants so I can't make excuses for not going to the gym to walk on the treadmill and maybe a winter coat. I seemed to think I would be fine without one but Mike argued that he wasn't taking me home from the hospital without a coat and in November I would need a coat even if it was only for a few weeks. So even though I want to spend all my money on my little man I guess Mommy needs somethings too. Now that I think about it some pants that didn't squish the all air out of me might be nice too. I had this idea that all maternity pants were comfortable but I have reached a point where nothing but a pair of over sized sweats is comfy. If I get into that habit I might get turned into "What not to wear...Maternity Series."

Below is the picture of babies coming home outfit. Did I mention that baby has a name? In case I haven't it is Gavin Michael James. I can't wait to see him sporting this super soft outfit.

What have the James' been doing?

Take a look! We have been doing a lot of work around the house. Mike took Friday off making it a long weekend and for his study breaks I had a husband to help me with long awaited projects. I am sure that it wasn't his dream weekend working on my honey do list but I was very grateful. Of course it all looks better in person and anyone wanting a reason to visit us now has one.

Mike was so patient and crawled across the ledge to hang my plate collage.

Mike worked for weeks to refinish my Grandpa's dresser. It was in need of much love and tlc and Mike make sure it got the attention it deserved.
The babies room is coming together. My Grandpa's dresser will be used as the changing table . I finished recovering a used glider and Mike hung a much needed new light fixture and wall hangings this weekend. This weekend we are doing a garage sale and celebrating friends birthdays. It should be another exciting weekend at the James house. Hopefully by the time it is finished we can park two cars in the garage again.