Jiffy Jambalaya

Haven't eaten this since before I was pregnant (doctor said no sausage). Anyway, it's quick, easy, and yummy.

1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice

In a skillet, saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, water, sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil; add the rice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Happy Mother's Day

I meant to post about Mother's day, but time got away from me. Anyway, it was a good one! In the morning, Papa, Syd, Cole, and I went to Ida Lee for Syd's swimming lesson. Then, we raced back to the house for brunch. We had the whole gang over to celebrate. Jodi made her famous hash brown casserole, and we all enjoyed lots of good breakfast munchies. Sarah made all the mothers fantastic pottery gifts, and my wonderful husband got me a spectacular Coach bag! That afternoon, Cole got to meet his Godparents, Mr. and Mrs. Chabot. They delivered a ton of gifts and dinner! Of course, Sydney just loves the Chabots - she especially liked playing with their new iPad (wow - are they brave to let her play with their new toy). Anyway, the afternoon was just as much fun as the morning. What a great day!

So Far So Good...

Cole had his two-week doctor's appointment today. Although we have a couple breathing and circulation issues we'll be monitoring over the next couple weeks, the appointment was a good one. He's a heavy boy: at three weeks old, he weighs 9 pounds and 3 ounces - that means he put on nearly 2 pounds in the last two weeks! He also grew an inch in length and an inch and a half in his head circumference.

Over the last two weeks, on a couple different occasions, we've noticed that Cole's mouth and lips turn blue. We're pretty sure it's not a heart issue, but we're going to monitor the situation, and if things get any worse, we'll be going for an echocardiogram by 8 weeks. Doctor Plescia did listen to Cole's heart today, and he said he feels confident that the change in color is a circulation issue. We've also noticed that during nursing, Cole sometimes forgets to breathe. According to Doctor Plescia, this is a fairly common occurrence that we're hoping Cole will outgrow. The fact that he's been nursing really well, gaining weight, and producing plenty of dirty diapers are all really good signs that these issues are not serious. However, we'll be keeping a close eye on him over the next five or six weeks.

One More Thing About Swimming...

Yesterday, during Syd's swimming lesson, Tom asked her if she could do the doggie paddle. She proceeded to bark during the rest of the lesson. She could be heard "woofing" from poolside.

Daddy-Daughter Swimming

For the past several months, whenever Syd's had a swimming lesson, her Papa has been taking her. Anyway, with the last change of classes, I went ahead and signed her up for Saturday lessons. I figured Saturday lessons would give Tom an opportunity to take her - along with anyone else who's interested (I mean really - as long as I don't have to get into a suit anytime in the near future, everyone will be happy). Anyway, Tom took Syd to her lesson this morning, and the two had a blast. There were smiles all around in between the blowing of bubbles, kicking, and paddling. We have several more weeks of swimming lessons to go, then we'll take a break for the summer when we can swim in our own pool. Then, we'll be back to Ida Lee in the fall. There's no time for funny business. She'll be in lessons year-round until she can swim!

Finding a New Normal

Well, today is Cole's two-week birthday! We're slowly finding a new normal. Cole is eating and sleeping, and Sydney is such a great helper and a terrific big sister. She loves to hold him, kiss him, and help mommy whenever I need an extra hand. Cole is gaining weight and becoming more and more alert. His belly button stub fell off today, and he's got the cutest little button! I love being the mommy of these two. Tom and I feel especially blessed to have this wonderful family!

Welcome Cole Thomas!

Last Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at 8:27 pm, we welcomed our son, Cole Thomas, into the world! He was 8 pounds and 4.6 ounces and 19 inches long. Here's the story of Cole's grand arrival:

On Tuesday morning, I noticed a series of consistent contractions and back pain. I figured I'd ride it out a while in case it was a false alarm. Grandma Bergeman was scheduled to come over to play with Sydney so I could go shopping and pick up some last-minute items. But, when Grandma arrived, I decided it might be a better idea to stick close to home. When the contractions were about 8 minutes apart, I called the doctor (around 9:30 am). I thought for sure they'd just tell me to come to the office for a check-up, but they sent me directly to the hospital! When I got to the hospital, the nurse determined that I was about 3.5 centimeters dialated. That wasn't necessarily great news because I'd been 3 centimeters dialated the week before. Anyway, instead of sending me home, the nurse suggested that I walk the hospital for an hour. After an hour, Doctor Park checked me, and I was 4.5 centimeters! She admitted me to labor and delivery (around 11:30 am), and we knew we'd be meeting Cole in no time.

Tom joined me at the hospital right around noon as I was getting comfortable in the delivery room. Everything was moving right along - I got my epidural around 1:30 pm. The epidural wasn't seamless. Soon after I got it, it was clear that it was only working on my right side. I couldn't feel my right leg, but I could wiggle the toes on my left foot! Anyway, the anesthesiologist had to come back and turn up the epidural, and eventually, I was blissfully numb!

It took several hours for the contractions to get strong enough to initiate active labor. Around 7:00 pm, the nurses were having a hard time monitoring my contractions. They came in and adjusted the monitors several times to no avail. Around 8:10 pm, they decided to check me and determined that baby Cole was on his way! In fact, things were moving along so quickly, the nurse had me start pushing without putting my feet in the stirrups! After 15 minutes of pushing, Cole Thomas was born!