Our New Hobby

A few weeks before I returned to work from maternity leave Peter and I decided we would like to start climbing fourteeners. So we did.

Grays Peak - Elevation 14,270 feet

Grays peak is to the left. Torreys Peak is to the right. It is common for most climbers to do a combination climb and do both peaks in one day. Being our first 14'er there was no way I was attempting to do both! But we will certainly go back and tackle Torreys someday.

This is a close-up of Torreys

A close-up of the saddleback between the two peaks

Water break!

Pup and the proud dog mom

Colorado Columbine


Getting closer... The peak is not the one in this picture. You actual follow a switchback and start a particulary steep incline to the top of Grays.

We're at the top! This is a view down the backside of the mountain. You really realize how small and perhaps insignificant we tiny little humans are!

Grays is one of the most popular fourteeners to climb. Can you tell! This is the top. And this is not showing any of the people behind me.

A view of Torreys from the top of Grays

All three of us- Elevation 14,270 feet!!!!

We climbed Mt. Sherman in August. I will post those pics tomorrow night.

We're Online!!!

Can you hardly believe it!? Okay, it took us an extra long time to get the internet, but it has finally happened! So we're back.
I know all of you are dying for photos of Ella so that's pretty much all I will post right now.
But I do have tons to update you on so I'll try to get some more pics posted throughout the week.
Since June (which was my last post), we have moved, we have climbed two 14'ers, Peter has started a new job, and we have grown quite a big baby! Needless to say it has been crazy busy. But we are all hanging in there and doing well.
Ella's last appointment was last Friday. It was her four month appointment. She weighs 16lbs! She is in the 90th percentile for height (26in) and weight. Doc says she looks great and is really strong for her age. She has been rolling over for about two months so she is really good at holding up her head. She is very inquisitive and watches everyone that comes and goes. Including the dog. She loves Koa! She makes her giggle. It's so cute.
She has also taken to sucking her thumb which is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen. It actually works out quite handy at night when she needs to self-sooth....then I don't have to get up! She won't even take a pacifier anymore.
For the most part she is a pretty easy going baby. I think she gets tummy issues every now and again and that can make her pretty fussy, but otherwise she's wonderful!
On September 15th Peter started his new job at MMS. Don't ask me what it stands for...I always forget. It's something about minerals. Basically he is doing the same thing he did for the state government (auditing oil and gas companies) , but now he is working for the federal government. It's a little bit further away from home, but he can pick his own schedule and he gets every other Friday off, so that's nice.....for him.
Our new house is wonderful! The closing process was just that...a process. A few days before we were supposed to close we found out that they would be unable to transfer the title to us due to the fact that a percentage of the home was in a trust and the owner did not have a personal representative deed for that portion. We were being told that it would have to go through probate and that that would take a month.
I found all of this out the week Peter happened to be out of town on business. So I was alone with the dog and baby trying to figure out what the heck to do about the house. Meanwhile my parents had already given their landlord notice, so someone was gonna end up homeless! Or at least that's how I felt.
In the end, closing ended up getting delayed a little over two weeks. Peter and I drew up an agreement with the owner that we could move in early. So we moved in a week later than we had anticipated. The only downside to that was that it was last minute and we were unable to find movers. So we recruited our friends with trucks and muscles to come and help. It was a rough weekend, but we got it all done!
Since then we have settled in pretty quickly. There are a few lingering boxes (mine) that need to be unpacked, but that's about it. We have to furnish a dining room and a living room that we didn't have before so we are having to prioritize and decide what are necessities and what can wait.
Before we had made the decision to move, Peter had worried that we wouldn't be able to make a new house feel like home, the way our townhouse did. But we both agree that it really didn't take long at all for us to feel at home. We are really comfortable with our decision and feel like this place was meant to be ours. Here's to many exciting years in our new home!
Okay, here are pics that everyone has been waiting for.
Peter, Koa, and I climbed two 14'ers as well but I will post pics of those climbs later this week.

GO BRONCOS!!

Could you get this dog away from me??

What?

I'm four months old!

The first time I rolled over!
Ain't she cute!

I don't think Koa could possibly get any closer. Of course, now where am I supposed to sleep??

I snuck her in this chair at Babies R Us and took a pic!

Help! She pinned me!

Taylor asked Francis if she could have a baby.

Maddie was very good with Ella Bella.

Told ya she's cute.

This was back at the end of June....look how tiny! Auntie Heather will have one of these soon!

Okay, we already covered that I'm cute. Are we done now?

A New Home!

It's official. Peter and I have bought a new house! We will be moving at the end of July. It just so happens that Peter will be out of town for work the week we actually get to move in so I'm not really sure how that will work out, but we'll see.
Here is the "ad" for the house.



It was built in the 70's, but was updated in 2000 so we don't have to do any major updates before we move in. It is so nice! The backyard is beautiful and I finally get the dining room I have been wanting. I will try and keep everyone up to date on the whole moving process. Right now I have started packing my books...which will probably be the majority of boxes that we have to move!


In other news, I visited with Whitney and Lorelei over the weekend. It was great to see them, and Lorelei is getting so big! Soon Ella will be that big, and I just can't imagine it. I will also be back at work by that time, and that kind of freaks me out. But all in good time.



I'm sure Whitney will have lots of pictures of her visit, so visit her blog! Hehehe, I didn't take any photos.
http://deuels.blogspot.com/

Must run...hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their summer!

Introducing Ella Jean!!

So for all those people out there wondering how long it would take me to get my act together and update out blog....it has taken me exactly one month from the day I gave birth! My apologies for taking so long to get pictures on here, but really, I'm fairly proud of myself for keeping it together these last few weeks.

Lots of things to update you on. Of course, the biggest news is the newest addition to our family!!!

Of course she is the most beautiful girl in the world. She took her sweet time getting here, but it was worth the wait. For those of you who have not already heard the story, this is the short version. I checked into the hospital at 1:00am on Saturday May 3rd with regular contractions that were getting stronger. The docs sent me home because I was not dilated enough. They gave me some Ambien and told me to try to sleep through these early contractions and come back later in the day.

For those of you who wonder whether Ambien works well, let me tell you, I think it took five minutes for me to fall asleep and I don't remember a thing until about 10:00am when I was woken up by stronger contractions. I love that stuff! Anyway, took Koa to her favoritie place--day care, and then headed to the hospital again. They still didn't think I was dilated enough so they had me hang out for 2 hours to see if there was any progression. There was...thank god, so they admitted me and I was off to the races! However, Ella must have known that her Auntie Jennifer was due in at 8:30 that night and that her Auntie Venessa was observing Shabbas until sundown, because she decided to hang out a lot longer than we anticipated. She even took her mom and dad for a ride to the OR. Her heartrate had dropped and was not going back up so it was a race to the operating room for an emergency C-Section. Low and behold--she decided she did not like the bright lights of the OR and her heartrate came back up just as the moved me to the other table. So...back to the delivery room for a natural delivery. Phew!

Finally....at 11:20pm, with Aunties a plenty, and uncles and grandpa in the waiting room, Ella Jean was born. What a day!

So today she is 1 month old. It's amazing how much she has changed. Today I got her to smile at me. That was so cool. She is making lots of noises and she responds to our voices. For the most part she is a happy baby. She seems to get fussy at the same time each night and cries, I think, just to stay awake. But once she goes to sleep, she will sleep for a good five hours which is really nice!

I took these today--exactly one month old. She's got squishy cheeks! She is very alert and never sleeps through a feeding. I'm guessing she's over 8lbs. now. At her two week appointment she was 7lbs 10oz.

Peter and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on May 21st. Peter took a half day at work and we all went to the zoo. And while Ella slept for most of it, we still had a really good time.

Here are more pics--

As you can see from the last picture--even Koa has to try to catch a nap when she can!

There is another big change on the horizon for the Hanley's.

We are going to be moving sometime this summer. It just so happens that my parents were interested in moving, and they said they would rent our townhome from us, so there will a few moves going on this summer!

Peter and I have already started looking at homes and will hopefully find something soon. There is one house we might put a bid on but we are taking a look at a few more properties tomorrow night and will make a decision thereafter.

I can not wait to have a backyard! And more space will be good now that baby Ella seems to accumulate something new everyday. It will also be nice to get Blake his own room. I think he will really enjoy it.

Needless to say, we have been a busy, busy family. We are hanging in there though and that's all that we can ask for right now.

I do not have to go back to work until mid-July so we are just trying to enjoy the time I have off and adjust to all of the changes.

Now that Ella is on a bit more of a schedule, I hopefully will get a few minutes here and there to keep up with the blog. I'll be sure to keep taking pictures and will keep everyone updated on the house hunt.

Hope everyone is doing well. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

I know it has been a long time since I have updated out blog. I apologize. It's been a busy month.
As you probably all know....no baby yet. But hopefully soon. Today is my official due date. I have an appointment tomorrow with the nurse, so I'm guessing we will schedule a date to be induced if I don't have the baby this week.

I started my maternity leave yesterday. Hence the reason I have the time, and the energy to update the blog! It's weird to not be working. Especially since I am feeling so good. I feel like I need to be at work, or at least being productive. I have slept in a little bit these last two days. Then I eat breakfast and watch American Justice, then I get the day started. I have been doing laundry for the past two days and am still not done. I...and the baby...have a lot of clothes!

I try to do some chores and then rest in between. The rest is nice. Koa has been quite the sport and has let me sneak in a few cat naps. But I have made a point to spend some extra time with her and show her lots of love before the baby gets here. She seems to appreciate it. I bought her a new toy today (the PetSmart weiner dog toy) and within ten minutes they became best friends.

On the family front, Peter is doing well. His ankle is still not 100%, but it is getting there. And I can just sense how anxious he is to get back to his tennis routine. It's almost bad timing that he will be getting well right at the time the baby comes. I will want him home all the time with me and he will want to be hitting the courts!
Blake is also doing well. I think he is a bit apprehensive about the arrival of his little sister, but once she is here, I think he will be fine. He just ended his baseball season, where, in a couple of games, he earned offensive and defensive player of the game!! He made some really good plays as third baseman, and as an outfielder he knows to get rid of the ball as fast as he can! He also got recognized for "most dirt on his pants". He really likes to slide into home!

I'll get Peter to take a picture of me later and I'll add it to the post. That way everyone can see what I look like on my due date.....still pregnant.

Hope all is well. We will be in touch!

A Few Updates

Peter's ankle is slowly healing. He is starting to realize that it is going to be quite a while before he is 100%. We are still icing it and keeping it wrapped so hopefully he can get back to his normal routines in about three weeks. We'll see.

It seems as though our entire household is under the weather lately. Earlier this week Koa and I developed a cold...on the same day! I took off from work early on Wednesday since I wasn't feeling well and by the evening Koa was coughing up a lung. I never knew dog coughs sounded so horrible! I feel so bad for her. Anyway-Koa and I stayed in bed all day Thursday. The rest was definitely nice.
Yesterday I felt good. Blake was over so we dyed some eggs. The Easter Bunny also made a visit which Blake decided to tell us about at about 6:30 this morning! He said, "I just knew he would come!" How cute.
I guess maybe I should have rested yesterday too, because today I am not feeling too swell. My plan was to do some cleaning but I could barely even walk from the kitchen to the living room without needing to sit, so that plan got shelved. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better.
Koa on the other hand, wants to try to still play with us, but it doesn't take her long to start hacking. So we are trying to keep her calm (HA!).

And now that Peter is incapacitated...to a point, we have had to put our plans to get rid of some furniture and move some stuff around on hold. We are still trying to get out and buy a glider or recliner to put in our room, but this will have to wait since he can't really be moving anything like that.

My doctors appointment earlier in the week went well. Everything looks good he says. Apparently I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions and didn't even know it. I told him I hadn't had any, but when he was checking her heartbeat he could feel on my tummy that I was having one right then! He told me that that feeling was a contraction! Oops. hehe. I thought it was just the baby sticking out her butt or her head or something. How funny. This makes me feel a lot better though because I was starting to feel like I was going to be pregnant forever. At least now I know that my body is "practicing" for the real thing.

Next Sunday is my baby shower and I can't wait! Whitney will be in town and I can't wait to see the new addition to their family!! It will be so nice to see everyone all at once.
I'll post pics as soon as I can.

Love to All

Swollen Ankles and Rising Nerves-Let's All Just Drink

Earlier this week, Peter was at the park with Blake and he took a spill and sprained his ankle.

Looks nice, eh? Of course, this is the worst type of injury for Peter who has to be "doing" something all the time. He will have to abstain from tennis, softball, and ping pong for the next few weeks and I just know he is going to be going stir crazy by the time this is all said and done. The bright side of this story is that his ankle is not broken and he will not be on crutches when the baby is born....unless she pulls a suprise appearance, which I highly doubt.

Speaking of ankles, mine have started to swell as well. But it's just at the end of the day when I'm home from work and it's not too bad. For the most part I'm hanging in there. I'm tired of not being able to bend over and it's frustrating that I get winded so easily. I also am hot all the time! Mostly though, I just feel like there is no way there is any more room for her to grow! But she has been good to me. No painful kicks and she's pretty mellow at night so I am sleeping pretty well.

Peter is getting really excited for her arrival and we both are noticing that our nerves are on the rise. I am constantly asking questions that can't be answered yet. Like, "well what if I can't get her to stop crying and you're sleeping, are you going to help me??!" and "Do you think that she'll be calm since she seems to be pretty calm now??" and "What if I go into labor when I'm at work, and the dog is at home by herself, and we don't have time to go home first....." yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm probably driving Peter insane. But so far he has kept his patience.

As we enter the final home stretch of the pregnancy I can't help but think that the time has just flown by. I can't believe I'm actually going to have a baby in this house in two months!

Heather's sister Maria is getting married on Saturday and we had the bachelorette party for her a few weeks ago. Jennifer and Francis happened to be in town that weekend so it worked out that Jenn could spend the eveing with us. Here are few photos from our evening.

Popping the champagne in the limo:

A little too rough with the glassware:

Two beautiful ladies:

More beautiful ladies--Elizabeth, Shannon, and Jennifer:

Laser-Tag Assault Unit--one of these girls scored 4000 pts, and one scored 0 points!