Update 11-11-09

Gosh, I can't believe that it has already been 2 months since Mackenzie was born! Not much has changed, but there are a few things to share:

Mackenzie is growing fast! She can already hold her head up to look around, and is very inquisitive. She is a very unique baby, and is quite the lover. We were surprised to find out that she has two different colored eyes, one is light blue, the other is brown, and each eye has a small spot in it of the opposite color (very cool!) She loves to snuggle with anybody.

Penny is a fast learner. She has begun to say more words (her current favorite is "HI" which she says to Mackenzie about 100 times a day) and loves to read her books (current fave, the animal book). She can feed her food to herself with a fork and spoon, and loves to drink out of straws. She is a big helper, and likes to bring blankets and diapers and clothes to me for the baby. Kisses are her favorite thing to give, and we are all blessed abundantly with them every day. She can put shoes on by herself (usually just her Crocs, but she can put the velcro shoes on too, albeit on the wrong feet most of the time).

I will be going back to work on 12/3, and while I have enjoyed my time at home with the girls, I am really looking forward to having my schedule back again. I have been going to the gym to try and get back into shape, and I have a goal of a size 10 waist, which I haven't been since like 9th grade... BUT, the important thing is just being healthier, and I am well on my way. I try to squeeze a workout in any time that I can, and I have been successful at getting to do so 3x a week.

Ryan is also working out, he swears that he gained more weight during my pregnancy than I did (which might be true considering I only gained about 10lbs), but regardless, he is trying to get "ripped" in his words. He has a goal of being able to run 10mi. in one day, so we will see if he gets there. There is an ulterior motive here, a show called "Mantracker" in which you are essentially "hunted" while you try to make it to a finish line about 25 mi from your starting point and you have to trek through mountains with only a map and compass to find your way (with a companion of course)... but he and his buddy, Corey are OBSESSED with trying to make it on the show, hence, the working out.

Halloween was a disaster. Penny hated every aspect of the holiday, from the pumpkins to the costumes, and it was not fun for anybody. Part of her attitude was because she was trying to get over a cold that we had all contracted, but for the most part, she just was not interested and/or was scared by all things Halloween. Maybe next year we will have a little more happiness.

Other than that, we have been enjoying the kids, working, and hanging out with family. We helped celebrate my great-grandma's 90th birthday this past weekend and we're very blessed to still have her in our lives.

The Lucky-est day of the year

Sept 9 2009... I guess it was just in the cards...

4 am: Woke up for middle of the night pee, only to find soaked underwear... decided to go back to sleep because I wasn't having contractions or anything else.

6am: Getting ready for work, another gush soaks underwear, floor, etc... decided to call the Dr, who directs us to the hospital

7am: Arrive at hospital, litmus test provided for amniotic fluid, POSITIVE!!! Check for dilations/effacement; 6cm and 100%... lets get the ball rolling!

9am: Check again; 7cm

11am: 8cm

1130-1245: walking around, pacing, waiting... contractions are getting stronger, but still not intolerable

1pm: contractions are excruciatingly painful... coming every 2-3 minutes and lasting about a minute each

130pm: urge to push, dr comes in

142pm: Mackenzie Rose Lucky joins the world.

Interesting fact: The first baby born on 9-09-09, and she was the 9th baby born at Simi Valley Hospital for the month of September. (I am thanking the Lord that she was not born at 9:09 either am or pm, because then I am SURE that the media would have been notified.)

My labor is classified as "pre-term" as my EDD was 10-4-09, but according to the pediatrician and all the fancy tests that they perform on infants at birth, Mackenzie was definitely NOT early, and her actual gestational age was about 39 weeks at delivery, which would explain why my labor started on its own (which, as it so happens, was the way I had wanted things to work out!)

So that is my update... Lucky Family has now been officially extended to 4 members.

been a LONG time... Oops!

Hey all,

So it is Sept '09... here is what has been going on with the Lucky's since the last time I updated the blog..

-expecting baby girl #2 any day (technically, my due date is 10-4-09)
-Penny has learned to walk, turned 1, learned a BUNCH of new words (daddy, mommy, dog, fan, see, please, thank you, ama (grandma), apa (grandpa), baby, shoes, bye bye... thats all I can think of for now... she gives kisses to her baby (mommy's tummy), is learning to feed herself with a spoon, and tries to put shoes on by herself, but its a learning process.
-We got a new car (its a big ole' family car)
-Eileen was admitted to Simi Valley hospital Aug 31 (at 35 weeks) with contractions... we sat there for a few hours, but they were able to stop the contractions, and they sent me home on "modified bed rest" which basically doesnt exist when you still have to work and chase after someone who is 15 months old.

that is about it... we are expecting baby Mackenzie Rose any day now, the nurses goal for me was 36 weeks, and i'm at 36.5 as of 9-9-09... we will see what happens. Just taking things slow, day by day..

heard a heartbeat

And man, was it fast!!!! I don't remember Penny's heartbeat ever sounding like that, so maybe my feelings are correct (boy)!!! We will find out what we are having on May 5 at my next "well-being" checkup.
I am starting Yoga classes in a few weeks, I was able to find a local class that is pregnancy-safe, and I am really looking forward to that.
Penny has 8 teeth now, 4 each on the top and bottom, and has two more bottom teeth growing in... she's going to have a mouth full of chompers here soon! She likes to stand up by herself now, and will drag anyone who is willing around the house while she walks. She won't walk by herself yet, but if she has help, she doesn't want to stop. Penny also likes to "sing" in the car when we play music, it is the cutest thing I think I have ever heard!!!!
She has tried some new foods, namely: eggs, yogurt, steak, papaya, and toast(which is great because its excellent finger food i have discovered).... and i'm sure there is more, i just cant remember right now. I AM SO GLAD THAT SHE LOVES EGGS! Makes breakfast a little easier.

finally subsiding, just to have another

So, just when I think that morning sickness has finally subsided, for the most part anyways... God throws another obstacle at me.
Saturday morning, Ryan is walking to our door to go get Penny out of bed, and we hear "THUNK"... yeah, she climbed/fell out of her crib... OMG! Ryan felt so guilty ALL DAY, but I just had to tell him, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
So, the first two days she had a nice shiner, but the bruising goes away, so now she just has a nice little boo boo on her face just above her eye where she hit the carpet....
prior to this incident, she has not attempted to climb in, on, or out of anything.
after she escaped, she has since taken a liking to climbing up onto couches at anyones house, onto coffee tables, and kitchen chairs... so now i have to watch her even closer than previously... and it is driving me NUTS. I will have pictures of this incident maybe tomorrow

some pregnancy pictures from baby #2

So I am due October 4 (tenatively as they always are)... here are some updates from the Lucky fam...

Ryan =still working at TimeWarner, playing softball and basketball, making messes around my house

Eileen= sick all day, working full time again (until october at least) and trying to maintain less mess around the house so it doesnt drive my OCD pregnant self insane

Penny= 1 step away from walking by herself, standing up for very short periods of time unsupported, eating everything, 8 teeth... she is an adrenaline junkie, the higher you can throw her or the faster you can spin her, the better.

new baby= making mommy sick, growing a lot, moving around a lot (at the ultrasound, it took dr Tan about 3 minutes to chase the little squirt around so she could get some good measurements

I am so happy with my life, and i cannot wait for the warm weather to continue

when will it end??

Sooner than I had anticipated (although I guess it had to happen someday), we have stopped breastfeeding. I am very heartbroken about this, because we were doing such a great job until now, but the teething has really affected her (and NOT in a good way) and I was chomped down on three times today, twice hard enough to draw blood and tears. So that is the end of that. I really would like to soldier through this, but it has been occurring more and more lately, and I'm pretty sure that I have had enough. But, on the bright side, this means that all of my food energy will be transferred to the new baby, and he/she won't have to share with a greedy big sister.

However, there are some new things that Penny has been doing (besides biting me):
1. Says mama, and bob. We think that bob might be dada, but we aren't too sure, because sometimes she will look right at Ryan and say bob, and other times "bob" is anything that she can reach.
2. Gives kisses.
3. Cruises the furniture, and can stand for about 10 seconds by herself.
4. Eats ANYTHING that we give her. This include a "Salsa Verde" Dorito that Ryan so graciously decided to let her try. And she liked it.
5. Will chase people or animals around. Her Uncle Charlie loves this the most, since she is the closest one to his size.
6. LOVES to be outside, especially in the swings!
7. Daddy has started playing roller coaster with her, swinging her all around the house in a seated position, holding her upside down, twirling really fast in circles, you name it. This girl is going to be a daredevil, SHE LOVES THE ADVENTURE.
8. Starts fussing the minute that I come to pick her up from Grandma's houses.
9. Will drink out of a sippy cup. The flow of the water/milk/juice is a little fast for her right now, because she is still used to the bottles, but she is getting better about not choking herself with the drink.

Thats about it for now. We are celebrating our one year anniversary on Monday, and on Tuesday will be revealing our newest little baby via ultrasound. Very cool :)

PREGNANT AGAIN!!!!...already!

Yep!!! Ryan and I found out on Monday that we are expecting again!! I had a hunch, but just wanted to confirm that either I was or was not pregnant, so I made an appt with my OB, and sure enough, PREGO!!!! So I am about 7.5 weeks right now, due (tenatively) September 25, we are hoping for a boy, but either way we will love our children. Ryan claims that the odds are stacked against him when it comes to the sex of our baby, he is the only boy out of 4, and there are only 2 boys in my immediate family out of 6.
We will definitely be posting soon, I'm pretty sure I'll start showing sooner than I have anticipated (my pants are already a little tight :*( )

end of january already!!

alrighty... end of January 09 already!!!! We have a new president, hopefully who will lead us into a brighter future, and things are a changing in the Lucky house!!

We got rid of our troublesome roommate (one of ryans friends) last week, and have a new (normal) person moving in next week...

Eileen's best friend Melissa got the chance to come out and visit for a week, so we have had lots of fun going to the Aquarium of the Pacific, out to lunch, shopping, you name it, we have done it this week!

Penny now has 5 teeth (2 middle on the bottom, 2 top middle, and left canine), can cruise the furniture, and has taken a liking to playing in her crib at 2am (i hope it is a phase that she grows out of quickly)

Eileen did not get the job at the bank, like she had hoped... but it would have been nice to know that her hire was contingent on another girl moving.

Ryan is doing well with Time Warner, and his bonus checks (which are a reflection on his performance overall) have been increasing, which is a good sign of his growth at the company.

That's really about it... we have been kind of keeping it on the down low for now, but once the economy starts to pick up, we will have lots of pictures of new things!!

a new chapter

Well, as of yesterday, I officially received an offer to work for Ventura County Business Bank!!!! Of course I accepted, I have been DYING to get out of the Ford dealership for a long time now, and this opportunity is absolutely amazing!!!! I will be making more money, working in a healthier environment, and although the drive is a little more (the office I will be working at is in Westlake), I am so blessed to have the chance to expand my skills in a career that won't be jeopardized by a bad economy.

its been forever, i know!!!!

Hey everyone,

I know it has been absolutely FOREVER since I have last updated the blog of the Lucky family, but here it is!!

I can't believe that 2009 is already here!!! There are so many new things going on in our lives, it is incredible! Here is a synopsis:

Penny: Is now 7 months old (gosh, time flies!!!). She is crawling/climbing all over anything that she can pull herself up onto (couch, coffee table, mom, off of the bed, into the door, you name it, she is getting into it!)... She can say "mom", but prefers to only use her new word when she is crying, in case anyone forgot who she wants to rescue her. We are trying to work on "dada" but for some reason she really doesn't want to say it (but she will sometimes). Besides from those, everything else is "bob". She loves animals, Grandma Char has two dogs and two cats that she likes to play with, and she absolutely loves to be outside. She is very adventurous with food, and will eat anything that we give her (literally, everything. On one occassion, she licked a Salsa Verde Dorito chip, and wanted more of it). She is still mostly bald, but her hair is getting thicker, so hopefully by her birthday we will have hair that is worth mentioning. She is definitely Daddy's girl, and prefers playing with him over playing with mommy. She also has two teeth now (both bottom middle ones) and is working diligently on her top teeth.

Ryan: Is still working for Time Warner Cable, and he loves his job!!! I cannot believe that this opportunity has turned out so great for him, and have not seen him happier at work. Sometimes there are nights where he doesn't get home until late, but at the end of the day, it is about a million times better than working at Ford. He is playing softball in the rec league here in Simi, and enjoys that time with the family and friends that make up the team. He also got back into basketball and is playing a few times a week with friends. Other than that, he loves his one day a week that he gets to spend all day with Penny alone, and is absolutely THE BEST DADDY I could have ever asked for (makes me want to cry with happiness!!)

Eileen: Ugh, where to even begin? I am still working at Ford, but I have been interviewing with a few different companies that would actually pay me what my skills are worth instead of jipping me out of every cent they can... not that I'm bitter or anything, right?? Anyways, I am so thrilled with motherhood, it is challenging, but it has been the most fun and humbling experience I have ever encountered. I love being a wife to the most amazing husband in the world, and I could not be more proud to be introduced as his wife. (seriously, could I gloat any more? lol) We are going on a year next month( I can't believe how fast time has gone by!!!) and we are eagerly looking forward to expanding our family soon. I have been working out again, not with such intensity as I was when I was at home on mat. leave, but still getting back into a routine (sticking with it is the hardest part in my opinion) that will help me live a healthier life.

All in all, we are having a great time as a family, and try to make sure that we do a lot of fun things so that we can have pictures to show everyone. Here is a quick picture look at what life has been like for us since the last time I posted (september '08)

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Labor Day party

Trying solid food for the first time -->
Sleeping with Daddy v Family pumpkins '08

V

<--- Penny dressed up as a ladybug for Halloween

Penny and daddy picking out a Christmas tree

Penny's first trip to the snow (dec '08)

Ventura Harbor (Jan '09)