Simon, meet Evie

H-Day

Evie has Hair

Hospital Groupies

Matt and Evie

I snapped this shot last night. Matt and I both agreed that yesterday/last night was one of the best nights ever. Sure, we didn't get any sleep but we were expecting it this time! Actually, Matt did get sleep when his back wasn't hurting (he was quite the labor coach and had quite a workout helping out, so the hospital bed and its reclining features helped). I wasn't really able to sleep b/c of really low blood pressure and dizziness b/c of loss of blood but it was a joyful and not stressful night and at least I was awake enough to help out with Matt's back. It was just fun to finally have Evie and know that Simon was safe and I guess Wed. might end up being the best night when we are all together.

A Room with A View

Apparently Monday is a good day to have a baby. The hospital doesn't schedule c-sections and inductions, so you have a pretty good chance of not getting a small room. We pretty much got the largest of the larger rooms, from what we understand. Corner Room, 3 windows, two tvs, two sinks, one bath, one rocker, one pull out couch, one hospital bed that we shared last night which was a fun and actually quite comfy even when shared :)

Big Brother at his First "Sleepover"

Here is Simon and Timmy - Debi just emailed me this picture taken last night on Evie's birthday! Simon doesn't exactly know where we are, so he'll be really excited to come to the hospital tomorrow and see his little sister! When we left yesterday around 5:45 a.m., Debi was at our house waiting for Simon to wake up for her to whisk away to her friendly home where he feels very secure. It's difficult to be separated from Simon, but this picture takes away any worries!

Evie is Awake!

Evie is punctual

Only 10 percent of babies come on their due date! Contractions that couldn't be ingnored started at approximately 4 am and Evie was born at 11:20 am.

Evelyn Grace McDaniel

October 23

So, 6 days from D-Day (due day!) and Fall weather is finally here! This pix was taken on our way out the door for Tuesday night prayer. Simon is adorable with his red curls ... in need of a trim, though! Tomorrow I see my midwife again; Last week on Thursday I was 2.5 cm and 60% effaced, so it will be interesting to see if we have progressed this week. We are praying and trusting the Lord for a safe delivery, in His time, but definitely hoping for at least one more infant-free weekend! (especially since Mom is wanting to take Simon to her house this weekend!)

Simon and Daddy

The first pix is last night. (notice the 'new' curtains I 'made') After dinner, Matt announced to Simon that they were going to make a present for me. Matt was walking around with the Better Homes and Garden checkered cookbook. Matt wanted to make a cake from scratch, since he'd never done that ... The batter was really thick but I didn't say anything. Then, while it was cooking Matt said, I don't think the cake is going to turn out. I said, why not. He said, "The batter didn't seem runny enough." I admitted, "I know." So, I glanced at the ingredients and read them aloud and we realized Matt omitted the milk ... about 2 cups. So, with only 4 minutes left in baking time, we were laughing to see what would happen. They were actually quite good, kind of like a pound cake or a big cookie :) And Matt made iciing, too...But what do you do with a whole cake and only two eaters? Solution: Matt took it to work today with full admission of his omission. Maybe a lactose intolerant person was finally able to enjoy a cake!
So, Simon made the face on the pumpkin all by himself. Pretty good work, I must say! Simon pronounced pumpkin, 'kunkin'. Sweet. Our little kunkin, and we're getting a real kunkin soon, possibly on Halloween! (Not really a pumpkin, but thinking Evie might come then, as it is two days past her 'due date.'
I'm hoping she doesn't come early, so that we are pretty much guaranteed fall'ish weather for future outdoor birthday parties.
Simon and Matt working together to put up new blinds in Evie's room. I want to get some for Simon's room, too, but am waiting until he is past the phase of breaking/playing with his, since I can't supervise all of the time!
Simon would look at the pix and say, "Now, what does the picture say?" He helped me the other day put together our "nursing stool" which you can see in the background of the third pix in the post right after this. We were pretty proud of ourselves!
Notice how Matt and Simon are sitting in the EXACT SAME POSITION in the last snapshot. I love it :)

Simon and "Baby Ebby"

So, I need to keep a careful eye on Simon, whenever he 'helps' with Evie (as you can see from how he is smothering her in the green blanket on the red chair...)
We had some friends over on Friday with their 3 week old little girl and Simon was very well behaved around a real, live baby :) When she cried he said, "It's okay" and mimicked Maddie who was rubbing Ruth's little feet.
In one pix you can see in his hand his yellow "Piece." That's what he calls it. It is sticky tack and he is pretty attached to it. It's one of his favorite toys. He discovered last week when we were hanging up some bible verses in his room. So, now I need to go back to using scotch tape b/c if it has sticky tack on it, he is likely to pull it off and take the sticky tack!
Simon reading a crazy Dr.Seuss riddle book that drives me crazy .. too many words. He knows I don't like it, so he'll grin and pick out that book often when we are going to read together. But, I always, in mock extreme disgust, say, "Not that book. Not that book." But, I won't read it, and he will just look at the pix. Matt is a good sport and will indulge quite readily with all of the silly tongue twisters ...

Adorable Simon Quotes

So, let me explain the Tigger Pix. I was washing clothes for Evie and Simon was excited to see this "Costume" that is 0-3 months. We actually have a pix of Simon wearing this Tigger onesie when he was just 5 weeks old...and it fit him then. So, he is really into costumes, always wanting to go to a costume party and it is too bad we don't do Halloween. I guess I should still get him a costume (maybe when they're on sale!) b/c he thinks they are pretty cool. So, I said, "It won't fit, but we can try." And it does fit ... sort of.

So here are a few adorable Simon quotes.
"Lay down just a little." Simon says this when we put him in bed and say goodnight, but he wants us to lay down with him. The other night I said, "I can't tonight, sweetheart, my back is hurting too bad." (to crawl in the lower bunk). So, we say goodnight and an hour later when I headed to bed I went in to check on Simon and he looked to be semi-awake. So, I tucked him in and he said, "Mom, can I have a hug hug kiss kiss squeeeeeeze?" Of course. Then, "Can I kiss your back?" I guess he had been thinking of a way to make my back better. I said "Sure you can." Then he said, "Mommy, where is your back?" Then his attention was changed and he wanted to pray instead. This is his prayer, verbatim, " Dear Jesus I pray for Mommy's back hurts body kiss band-aid Amen." Then he asked me if he could get me a bandaid :)
Another quote upon walking into the kitchen for breakfast, "Food is good. I like food. I like my milk."
Another one, "Mommy, may I have some green milk?" Not sure where that came from.
On Friday when he woke up I told him that we were going to clean the bathrooms that day. (He really likes to help clean the bathrooms.) So, after breakfast, he said, "Let's go clean the bathrooms!" I said, we will after we clean up the breakfast dishes. He said with MUCH ENTHUSIASM, "Clean the dishes, OKAY!" (He helps me load them in the dishwasher and then he wipes the table with a sponge.)
Yesterday when he woke up he said, "Mommy, I wanna build somethin.". He wasn't even out of his bed yet. I asked, "What do you want to build?" "A house for baby Ebby." I asked who would help him. He said. "Daddy." I said, who else? He said, "Pops." "Who else?" "Timmy" "Who else?" "Gigi." "Who else?" "Debi." (Timmy's mom)
Today, Simon was going to a 'costume party' (pretend) with Timmy, Scuffer (a penguin from a favorite dvd), his blanket (his friend) a wad of sticky tack (another friend) and baby ebby (pretend and so small that she 'fits' in his hand." He had all of his friends go to potty before the party and he gave 'baby ebby' a gummi worm (also pretend) when she used the potty.
And, the last quote, murmured at breakfast yesterday. "No nap today. We're going to play." (A singsong unknowingly picked up from gigi. She said those two consecutive sentences together once, not realizing it would rhyme and become a favorite sing-song of Simons...besides on that very day, he had already has his nap... :)

That is Beautiful, Mommy!

The top pic of Simon's oatmeal is right before I let him stir in his toppings (brownsugar, raisins, butter) He exclaimed, "Mommy, that is beautiful!" Very sweet. So, I snapped a pix of my masterpiece cereal creation.
His encouragement continues...We were all sick last week and are still recovering this week. One night, Matt and I were crowded on Simon's twin bottom bunk bed with him giving him good night attention, and Matt laid his hands on Simon's chest and prayed for him. After he prayed, Simon said, "Good job, daddy."
Simon has become more verbal in the last week; Matt and I have both noticed an increase in his dialogue, both with just himself and his toys and with us. So, that's lots of fun to hear his voice, pronunciations, and general perspective on life.
We can't seem to find Matt's jump drive and Matt thought this morning it might be in a pair of his pants ... possibly one of the two that I threw away a couple of weeks ago. It was quite releasing to see the pair of khakis and gray slacks that were faded and threadbare go in to the garbage (they weren't fit to donate, even though Matt wore them each at least once a week to work!) So, hopefully they didn't go down with our jump drive as well...That would have been worth donating...and keeping!
There is something about pregnancy (not sure if this is true) that makes me have a heightened sense of smell. Part of the problem I had first-second trimester was with smells...Well, its back. Must take a cycle. I think I can smell dust. Weird, but I think its true. I guess I need to dust more. Maybe that's what Simon and I will do today...

Preggo Mamma

Well, here they are. Long overdue. We took so many more pix when I was pregnant with Simon! So, these pix were just taken and I am 36 weeks pregnant.

I am going to the midwife every week now, so that is exciting. I had scheduled Monday's appointment at Baylor so that we could visit the hospital. While I was in my appointment, Matt took Simon on a tour of the hospital, showing him the little babies and explaining a bit about when Evie comes. My appointment went really fast and I was able to join the tour as well....And guess what they had that completely made Simon's day??? Pretty much Simon's favorite word, POPCORN! They were making it outside the gift shop so we bought him a small box and I think it sealed the hospital as a pleasant experience.

Wow, the babies were so tiny. I kind of forgot how that was.

I have been feeling like I am moving like a snail this week. Round ligament pain, I think, but it is excruciating at times. And my brain isn't working. I mustered up the energy to go to the grocery store and could only get about 1/3 of my list done b/c I was overwhelmed with basic movement.

So, we had an Office Premiere Party at our home last Thursday. That was fun. The first four weeks of season four are one-hour long episodes which will totally spoil us when the 1/2 episodes come. I don't understand why NBC doesn't make The Office a one-hour time slot...

Matt bought Simon a present en route home from church tonight at Half Price Books - Pinocchio on laserdisc. I bought him a present at the grocery store. Kleenex in a Ratatouille box. Hmmm.... Well, in my defense, the other day, on the way home from the hospital we went by Braums for milk and veggies and we bought Simon and myself an ice-cream cone (We had promised Simon ice-cream after the hospital as a treat before we knew there would be popcorn....) So, Matt asked, "You're letting him eat ice-cream before dinner?" I nodded my assent, expecting criticism. But Matt said, "You're like the coolest mom ever!" (Simon rarely gets treats, mostly b/c I rarely leave the house anymore...so, hence, the health splurge)

I have nesting instincts that barely let me get to sleep at night; I just want to wake up the next morning and 'get things ready.' But then, everything takes so long I am accomplishing so little actually.

This Saturday I am hoping to take Simon to Calloway's Nursery so that I can pick up some fall mums as thank you gifts for baby shower hostesses and they are having kid's day where the kids paint a miniature pumpkin...so that should be nice.