Blog Neglect

This is a 9 month picture with cousin Bronwyn. I was just reading over some old posts from when Roxy was a baby and I started regretting not posting more updates on Everett because I really enjoyed reading Roxy's old ones. So I will give one now. Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by how different Roxy and Everett are. Everett has been such an "easy" baby. As I write this, he is sitting on floor playing with toys all by himself and has been doing so for a while (I am still giving him attention so don't condemn me), but that is something Roxy never did because she always needed our attention.

Everett will be 10 months tomorrow. He has six teeth and weighs almost 20 lbs. He has been army crawling for a few weeks, but doesn't crawl on all fours. He is quite fast. He's been pulling himself up to stand for a couple of weeks. He still can't eat non-blended-up foods. That's all I can think of developmentally. He is on his third round of antibiotics for ear infections right now.

Everett loves Roxy. If the four of us are together his eyes are usually on her. Of course, that could be because she is the one usually moving around and making loud noises, but I think it's because he likes her so much. Roxy is great with him, mostly gentle, and eager to help.

fun in the neighborhood

The Rock

This is at one of the playgrounds in our community. It's a giant fabricated cclimbing rock. She can climb it herself now too. I was impressed.

Wacky Day @ Pre-School

Big E

butterfly house

my little rock climber

I can now send posts from my phone so maybe I will update this thing more...

She did actually climb up this herself and she will jump off too. Don't tell Mom. Hers or mine. Of course, I catch her.

She's 3

Our baby girl is three. I'm way overdue on a Roxy update, so here we go...
She weighs in at 35lb 4oz and is 38.75 inches tall - 80 percentile for both. She amazes me everyday with her brilliance, words, energy, and, yes, attitude. She runs the full spectrum for us from utter joy to grave frustration.

Her favorite things: playing with baby dolls; riding her trike; fruit snacks; buckling-in anything that fits in Everett's car seat; Wonder Pets (TV show); talking (she never stops); running around in circles in open-spaces; shredded tires (ground cover at the playground - aka french fries); blanket; rocks; and pretend driving.

Least favorite things (she is kind of a scaredy cat): bugs, any unfamiliar noises, the dark, bedtime, and when we try to make her poop on the potty. She has been peeing on the potty for well over six months, but she still won't poop on the porcelain throne. She asks for a diaper. At least she can put a pull-up on herself, go in the bathroom, and turn on the fan.

She: can say (not just sing) the alphabet; has a vast vocabulary - turbulence, uncomfortable, etc.; says how she is feeling - angry, sad, happy, frustrated;

Roxy is a great big sister. She hasn't showed any signs of jealousy, only a little acting out to try to get attention. She always wants to help and is very gentle with him. Today she said, "Everett is my favorite little guy!"

I adore her.

We spent the day with family at our house and made it an all day celebration. Nanny (my mom) was in town and I am so glad she was able to be here for that and to meet Everett. Somehow we lost a bunch of pictures through some technological glitch, but here is one.

Everett Lewis Dinkins

THE STATS:
8-Feb-2008 3:32pm
9lb 11oz
21.25 inches

THE TIME LINE:
3:00a contractions start - consistent but never came at regular intervals
6:37a grandma's called to come over and watch roxy
7:50a breakfast at cracker barrell
8:45a shopping at target
9:20a call to dr office and instructed to go to the hospital
10:30a leave for hospital after going home to say bye to roxy
11:20a admitted to labor and delivery room
11:36a trish 5-6cm dilated, 80% effaced, -2 station
2:40p 8cm, dr breaks water, pain intensifies exponentially, and screaming commences
3:10p pushing begins
3:27p everett's head is out but shoulders stuck
3:32p everett born (more labor and delivery details to be posted)

THE PICTURES
Laboring on the big, yellow ball
Cutting the cord
And then there were four
Standard
Going home: take one

Take home: take two

Due Date

Due
As you can see, Trish is still pregnant... we are guessing February 8th...

Snow play

We got about 8-10 inches of snow the day before and we spent a good portion of the day sledding, building an igloo, throwing snowballs, and building snowmen.

Filling the Gap

I still love the idea of blogging, but I have been lazy in the endeavor to keep it up to date... we'll see what happens from here, but to highlight the last 5 months:

After getting pregnant and graduating from school the idea of moving near family started to appeal to us. We ultimately decided to move to St Louis where Trish's parents and eldest sister, Jen, live. Jen is married to Jason and they are expecting twins due June 3rd. Sheila, Trish's other sister lives about 3.5 hrs away with husband Joe and Michael, Roxy's four-day-younger cousin. Sheila is, I mean was, due yesterday so we'll have another niece here any day now.

We weren't sure of timing, but I was able to transfer with Graybar so we moved sooner instead of later. We couldn't sell our condo in time so we are renting it out (that was a stressful, time-consuming process). So Trish and Roxy flew Dec 4th and I drove with my friend Don Weber (who married us and lives in St Louis) and arrived Dec 9th.

We stayed with Jen and Jason for a couple weeks and now we are renting a 2Br/2Ba apt in the same neighborhood . Tomorrow Trish is working her last of seven shifts as a barista at Starbucks. She is due Feb 3rd.

We loved Seattle and miss our friends, but we are hopeful for this next season.

So those are the highlights. Give me a call or email me if you want the details.
Emerging

First Haircut

She is almost three and this is her first haircut, seriously...

She did so good. We were amazed.
So long
In process
Reward
Finished product

Seattle Condo

In case you ever wanted to know what our condo looks like...
RENTED.

roxy play

by Meredith Dancause

Graybar new hire

Have you ever heard of Graybar Electric Co.? I hadn't either till May of this year when I applied for a job there. Well I got it and started on June 11, 2007. Graybar is a Fortune 500 company with branches all over North America. We are an employee-owned company that is a "provider of electrical and telecommunications service solutions and products." Seattle is the NW District headquarters.

I work in the Financial Department. My job is quite diverse, which I like, so it is hard to explain what I do. My main duty is that of financial manager for about 300 commercial accounts. I establish creidt lines, ensure payments are made, and do a lot of problem solving to resolve payment issues. I also create financial reports, set up new accounts, and work with other departments as it relates to finances, especially accounting.

I realize this may sound boring to a lot of people, but I enjoy working with numbers and analyzing things so I have been enjoying my job. As well, I am getting the experience I desire which I believe will help prepare me for my long term goal of doing Business as Mission.