Some pictures of her :)

Emily Grace

Born January 29, 2012 at 4:08 pm. She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long.

The morning started out with getting ready for my doctor's appointment at 9:30 that morning. I took a shower and started having contractions. There was a couple strong ones! Then we were making breakfast. (I had asked Brad the week before if he wanted to go with me to one of my appointments to meet the midwife before the day so he planned on coming with me that day). Brad had made some muffins and my contractions were coming about 10-12 minutes apart for about 30 minutes. (Nothing new because I had a couple of days where I had contractions several minutes apart for a few hours-we thought she might be born the week before.) I told Brad and he told me to see if Shayna could watch Henry that morning-just in case :) so she was available to watch him and Brad took him over to her house. Then he came home and it had been 45 minutes of 10-12 minutes apart so we hurried and got the car packed (our bags were already packed since we thought she might come the week before). Brad drove while I listened to my Hypnobabies tracks to help with the pain of the contractions.

We get to the doctor's office and she asks how I am doing. I said I was having pretty consistent contractions. She checked me and I was dilated to 4 cm already. So she told us to go to the mall and walk around and come back if they got closer and stronger. So we went and got the seatbelt fixed in the car and then went to lunch at Chili's.   The contractions started to get very strong and about 4-5 minutes apart. I hurried and paid and had Brad get the car while I had another contraction. I got in the car and put on my Hypnobabies tracks and cringed whenever Brad went over a bump. We went to the dr's office and sat there for what felt like forever!! Then I was checked and I was dilated to a 7 and she said that it was time to check into the hospital. I tried to walk to where the labor and delivery part was but I was having too strong and too frequent contractions to walk the whole way. We got checked in and I listened to my Hypnobabies tracks trying to get through the labor without medication. It was hard but I did it!! She was born at 4:08. I had told Brad that I thought she was going to be born around 3pm that day while we were driving down to Sioux Falls.

It was a great day and a great experience to go unmedicated. She ate right away and did great!! Emily had a little jaundice-not as much as Henry but still had some. I was thrilled to be able to walk around about an hour after she was born. I walked to where she was going to have her first bath. We were anxious to get out of the hospital and be home with Henry and Emily!

Shayna brought Henry to the hospital and he didn't really care about Emily (at first) but was delighted to see Mommy and Daddy! Henry has done great! He is a happy big brother and he is a proud big brother. He likes to hold Emily, sometimes without help which scares me a little!

Life with two is a challenge but I am so happy to have both of them. I go back to work on Sunday:( but Brad will learn the ways with two kids all alone :) I even get a nap in some days while both kids are sleeping!

That's all for now.

19 days and counting!!

Only a few more weeks until Emily makes her debut!!! We are very excited to meet her and see all her wonderful traits!  We went to Idaho for Christmas/New Years and it was great to be around family again but it was also the longest drive ever!!! I was having contractions and Brad was getting nervous.  I wasn't so nervous because they weren't getting any stronger or closer together.  Henry had fun hanging out with family and getting spoiled by his grandparents. 

Amanda is coming at the end of the month!! Hopefully Emily cooperates and comes when she is due and not early or late because it costs too much to change flights!  Les and Karen are coming on the 31st and then Stefanie is coming in the middle of February.  We are excited to have all the help and Henry will hopefully still feel loved and not neglected since newborns take so much time!!  We are planning on getting a tractor from Emily to Henry, which Henry will get when he meets Emily for the first time!

Almost Thanksgiving!!

Life has been going so fast! Only 2 1/2 months approximately until Emily is born. This pregnancy has felt so much faster. But I guess that happens when you are busy most days. Emily likes to turn and flop and tumble more than Henry. He liked to kick and punch all the time. Brad is getting more nervous about having a girl. He has talked some of his friends that have girls and they were sharing some stories about how your life changes so much more when you have a girl! Guess Brad really will want another shotgun when Emily gets a little older ;).

Henry is really starting to get his colors down. Of course everything (almost) is green first And then he gets the right one. He is also learning the ABC's song. He is learning to count 1-5 and likes to start with 2. Of course he is learning née words and phrases everyday. He is starting to be able to carry on a conversation. He is very good at putting puzzles together. He likes to pick on Red and loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Cars!

Its a girl!!!

Well, we are 24 weeks along (only 3 months to go) until we meet Emily Grace Poe! We are super excited about having a girl and for Henry to become a big brother. He is so helpful (most of the time really helpful). He calls Emily Emmy and loves to kiss her (my belly). Everything is going well with me and the pregnancy now. I am gaining some weight and enjoying being pregnant finally.

Fall has definitely come! We are excited for the cooler weather and being able to wear long sleeves or sweaters and jeans.

Brad is doing great. They have hired him a new guy, Matt, and he will be here next week!! Very exciting and relieving for Brad. Brad's parents, Stefanie and Delilah are coming to visit next weekend!! We are super excited to see them. Its been since January since we have spent some real time with Stef and Delilah. It will be fun to see Henry and Delilah play together. I will post some pictures shortly of them playing together.

Henry is talking and we can actually understand 75% of his words!! He loves his CARS and Mater and Lightening McQueen. Plus any animals or vehicles. He loves to go see all the John Deere tractors and combines. He is very good at pairing things together. Mater and Lightening...tractor combine...Mickey Mouse and all his friends.

I am hoping to find him a Mickey Mouse outfit for Halloween!!! I so hope I can find one!!

Well, its been a long time...

since I have updated this and kept it up to date :) Sorry everyone who keeps looking and it hasn't changed since December 2010. Well what have the Poe's in SD been up to??? Well first of all we aer now the Poe's of Brookings, South Dakota instead of San Jose, Ca. Brad got an offer he just couldn't turn down :) and moved us all to SD the coldest week in February (-35 degree with windchill) BURRRRR!!! But we bought a house and have enjoyed owning once again. I will try to do a recap of each month of what we have been up to.

Lets see, January was hectic because we were trying to find a house to buy and still living in San Jose. We literally had a week to decide if we wanted to move. Brad was all for it from the beginning because this is the duck/pheasant hunting capital of the US :) so he was ready to get out and shoot some ducks. Karen flew to San Jose to help me finish packing and clean the house before we drove out to SD. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE HELP KAREN!!!! I would have left a day later :)

February we closed on the house, on the first and Les came out to help unload/watch Henry so we could get some things done. Because moving with a 1 1/2 yr old wasn't too much fun. The truck was supposed to come with all of our stuff on the 1st but ended up getting here on the 4th because of the weather in Minneapolis. Henry liked to help...either packing what I just unpacked or the other way around. Henry wasn't too sure about the snow, but since it was so cold we didn't really go out in much. He did get some boots so he could at least go out in the snow. We took my birthday off to go down to Sioux Falls to look for a new couch for downstairs....which we found in Brookings anyway :) and it is so COMFY!!!!!!!!! come by and check it out :) Red let us know that he wasn't happy about the move and the cold by peeing and pooping downstairs...so He isn't allowed in the house by himself. Its not like we weren't taking him out, he just would hold it while we were outside walking around and then come back in and run downstairs and pee or poop. Damn dog anyway!!! He is better now.

March, Brad was very busy training Slade (his account exc.) and working on his own clients. We were still unpacking things and the weather was still cold. Brad had to buy a snow blower (snow is so heavy and there was so much of it.) Thank goodness we have some nice neighbors and they helped us out by blowing the snow off for the first couple times it snowed a ton. Thanks Leon!! Brad found a John Deere snow blower and was so excited to use it. He only got to use it 2 or 3 times before the snow stopped. But it did snow about 12" in a day....such a change from the rain in the winter in San Jose. We are happy to be where there is snow and can't wait to make a snowman with Henry this year early on, before there is 3 ft of snow in our yard. Les and Karen came out to visit...but there was still too much snow for them to get to see anything cool except we took a drive around the area and found where all the geese were. It was so loud, all of the goosing and everything. There were SO MANY of them!! Brad got a new grill for his birthday/father's day :) which he loves and is very happy about!!

April, more snow and cold weather so not much fun then. I got a job at Lowes', I mean we were there pretty much everyday the first couple months so why not get some money out of them :) haha Brad was busy at work getting things together and learning all the new things about starting up a new property :) Henry started talking a few words, but mostly mommy and daddy and cow. He LOVES the Baby Einstein Baby MacDonald a day on the Farm movie, which has a cow :) and as the month progressed he started saying more and more words everyday.

May, Brad turned 30!!! WHOOHHOOO for Brad. We celebrated 3 yrs of marriage and Henry kept on talking. We both had to work on our anniversary so we didn't really do anything special. We went and bought plants for the yard, around the house. Henry and Brad gave me a very pretty pinkish red Hibiscus tree for the front step...its still blooming and very pretty! Lets, see what else, the grass was coming in nice in some areas and other areas we weren't sure if the grass was every coming up. The sprinkler system is a must-have from now on!! We love it. So much easier and we don't have to worry about the yard dying if we leave. Henry and Brad went down to Omaha to see Alan graduate from school and see Eric and Mala. They had a good time seeing everyone. I couldn't go because I had to work :( Sorry guys!!!

June, Brad is busy selling and still helping Slade out. Middle of June we found out we were expecting #2 in January but I didn't go to the doctor until the middle of July. We planted trees!!!! Ok, we is not correct, Brad planted trees with some help from our neighbor Leon and Henry digging some of the holes :) We love our trees and can't wait to see how they will look in a few years and a little bigger. We also planted the shrubs and flowers around the house...at least all that we were going to do this year. At the end of the month Les and Karen came to visit, but we set them to work!! Sorry, but we really appreciate all you did for us!!!! Les and Brad worked on planting some shrubs in the backyard so help with privacy and Karen worked on painting our bedroom and 2 bathrooms!! She is such the painter!!! I just hope she wants to come back :) We should have the new baby room all painted so she shouldn't have to paint :) Henry is talking more and more but he couldn't say "Grammy". Every time we would ask him he would say "Papa" ahah Les was very happy that both his grand kids said his name first before they said Grammy.

July, Brad is working very hard still and has the hopes for hitting his personal goal. Henry and I go to Idaho to visit friends and family for the Cudaback Family Reunion. It was great to see friends in Moscow, while we were there. We stopped over in Odessa, WA to visit with Lyndsay and her kids. It was great to be back in Moscow and see all the DOME renovations as well as stop by the bookstore to buy Henry a Vandals Hat (which he wears all the time, and gets mad when we take it off...backwards of course). Then we drove to Donnelly where the family reunion was and got to see Paul and Rhonda's home. It was nice to see them and family. Henry even said grandpa and grandma for them :) Great Grandma Cudaback scared him a bit to begin with but then he warmed up. She gave him a book ;) she knew just how to get on his good side :) Henry loves books!!! Amanda even came to the reunion to hang out with us and roast marshmallows to make smores. Henry didn't make it to the smore time because he was too tired :) maybe next year. then we went to visit Great Grandma Patterson and Aunt Lisa and Aunt Debbie. It was fun to see Henry interact with his cousin Aruna. Amanda even stayed to visit too. We then went to dinner at a good pizza place and then to Amanda's home to visit and just chill. Then Henry and I said our goodbyes to Amanda and headed to Boise to see Les and Karen, Stefanie, Delilah and Josh at the Boise Zoo. It was fun. Both of them liked all the animals. The butterfly exhibit was the coolest part!!! A butterfly landed on almost all of us! Then we got on the plane and headed home. Henry was pretty good on the first airplane and he slept on the second one. Brad painted our living room area while we were gone!!! YAH!! Only one wall and the kitchen left to go...plus the baby room. We also got to hear the heartbeat of the baby, which we sent to lots of people. It was very fast!! I have been sick most days, and just nauseated most of the time since we found out we were pregnant.

And August, Brad is busy as ever and stressed. Just that time of the year and its a new property and some of the things he has always had are not there yet because its a property. He found out that Slade doesn't plan to be with Learfield any longer and so now Brad is looking for his replacement as well as trying to get everything filled and ready to go for the first home game on Sept. 3rd. Henry is talking and telling stories. He loves to call Papa and Grammy and say a few words and then hang up on them. He has figured out how to speed dial their numbers so sometimes we don't even know he has called them. So if you get a random call from either of our phones and you don't hear much but Henry or something Henry has chosen you to call that day :) He is growing and wearing 2T or 3T clothes. His 2 year birthday is just around the corner. Delilah already turned 2 and its just crazy to think that 2 years has already passed. And I have to say, the second year went WAY faster than the first. I am told that it keeps that trend!!! YIKES!!! Henry will be in school before I blink I think! Red has been OKAY with all the thunderstorms...but he still doesn't like it. And we can't enjoy the cool thunder and lightening.

I will try to be better (much much better about updating this blog). We are going to find out if we are going to have a girl or a boy on the 13th of Sept.

Christmas Tree outing

We went to get our Christmas tree yesterday in the pouring rain. Brad, Henry, Red and I all went and picked out the tree. Brad cut it down and we all got very wet! It was fun and Henry didn't even complain until we were putting him in the car and I took off his pants because they were so wet. We turned on the heat and then when we got home we threw Henry in the bath. He enjoyed the warm bath :)