Bittersweet

I return to work tomorrow and am full of bittersweet emotions tonight... and a little anxiety as well. How on earth did 10 weeks fly by so fast? How will Abby do at the babysitters? How will I do without her for the day? How will I ever get out the door and get to work by 7:30? I haven't even been out of my pajamas by 7:30 for 10 weeks! I'm feeling a little anxious that my morning routine will be dictated by when Abby wakes during the early morning hours, determining when I feed her, which determines when I shower... you get the drift. I'm also a little anxious about just how in the dark I am about what has been happening at work since October. I didn't crack my school bag until last night. I've just got to get through the first day and will be good to go from there - I hope.

I apologize for the lack of pictures on this post, as I haven't had a chance to look at our pictures from the holidays yet. Soon... I promise. However, here is a quick update from the last few weeks:

- Although the holidays are fun, I was happy to wave goodbye to December in hopes that January will be a healthier month in our family. Abby was hospitalized the week before Christmas for three days due to a fever. The doctors ran about every test they could, but were only able to conclude that it was a virus. It gave us a pretty good scare and made for an anxiety ridden, sleep deprived few days! The rest of us have all had nasty colds for part of the month, and I even had strep, an ear infection, and pink eye (I know, you'd think I was an eight year old with that list!). We were extremely thankful that Abby's illness was just a virus and we were able to be home for Christmas, with everyone healthy.

- Ben LOVED Christmas, and those are his own words. He really got a kick out of opening the doors on our advent calendar every day and getting an M&M. He had accidentally opened the 25 door early in the month, only to discover it was loaded with M&Ms. On Christmas morning, Brant walked into his room and said, "Merry Christmas!" Ben yelled, "Yea, I get to open the big door today!!" Yes, it is the little things, isn't it?!?

- Potty training has been successful!! We are thrilled that Ben is officially an underpant wearing kid! The process was relatively painless, for the most part, and has certainly led to some interesting conversations and moments.

-Abby is a smiling maniac. And, it appears she may have a little dimple on one of her cheeks. Beyond smiling, she is also vocalizing like crazy, almost as if she is having a conversation with me. Her other big trick lately is sticking out her tongue. She loves to watch my tongue, and then sticks her's out in response. Like I said, it is the little things!

Well, since I am re-entering the working world tomorrow, I had better get my lunch and bags packed for the morning that will be here all to soon.

I hope you all had a Happy New Year! Best wishes to you for 2011!

Remembering 2010...

Merry Christmas! 2010 has been a blessed year in our house! From home renovations, to starting a new job, to welcoming our beautiful Abby into our family, we have so much to be thankful for this holiday season.

We began 2010 with home projects, and since January have painted our kitchen, dining room, living room, foyer, and both kids' bedrooms. We've also installed new carpet in the living room, new flooring in the dining room, and various light fixtures throughout the house. In addition, Brant tested out his woodworking skills by making and installing new baseboard trim and chair rails, and is continuing to work on crown molding. Of course, we've always got Ben to help us out!

Ben turned two in March and is such a delightful little boy, always full on energy and something interesting to say. He spent spring and summer enjoying fishing and canoeing with Brant in our pond. I absolutely loved my time at home with him this summer. We went to the swimming pool often, frequented the library, and made many trips to the park. Ben also loved our vacation to the lake this summer. He couldn't get enough of the water and the sand, as well as the smores over the fire in the evening. The picture below is one of my favorites - truly an exhausted boy after a perfect summer day at the lake, just enjoying a smore. Ben also discovered that he loves to help me bake in the kitchen, and to help eat the sweet treats afterward! Ben has adjusted very well to being a big brother and Abby is now an essential part of his hugs and kisses routine at bedtime!Abby arrived on October 26. She is such a precious baby girl. She enjoys her big brother making funny faces at her, bouncing and dancing to Christmas music, and being cuddled. She has started to offer her bright smiles to us in the last few weeks. Seeing that little light in her eyes with her smiles is so great!

Brant continues to work for Bader Rutter and Associates out of our home. He travels frequently to the home office in Milwaukee and to visit his client in Indianapolis. I started a new position as an Instructional Coach with Ankeny Schools. I'm loving the new challenge and being able to work with teachers in all grade levels, but also appreciate being in my same building with many familiar faces.

My favorite Christmas ornament came with a note from my mother. which also hangs on our tree, that she left in the my Christmas ornament box before she passed away. The ornament says LOVE in white, sparkly letters. This is our fifth Christmas without her, our second without Dad, so I'd like to share a few of her words from this note with you:

I hope that the true meaning of Christmas has brought peace to your heart, not just during the Christmas season, but everyday.

All of the best to you and yours!

Blessings and "Ben-isms"

Although Thanksgiving isn't for a week and half, Brant and I find ourselves so very thankful and blessed for our family. Ben is seeming more and more like a little boy and makes us laugh continually with his comments and conversations. Abby is a snuggly, adorable baby and has reminded us how amazing the miracle of life is. It is incredible to think how much she will change in such a short amount of time.

On a lighter note, here are a few "Ben-isms" that have been made lately:

On the day we came home from the hospital, Ben said at supper, "It is so nice to have a baby!". We replied, "It is so nice to have our big boy back!" Ben continued, "It is so nice to have my mommy and daddy back!"

Ben while peering at Abby in her bouncy seat: "I'm just hanging with my baby!"

Random comment while running errands with Brant: "Solve my riddle! Nobody crosses my bridge!" (We have figured out since then that this came from a Dora movie)

While feeding Abby one night and getting ready for bed, Ben came into her room and exclaimed that there were monsters in the hallway! He then shut the door and said, "Listen to me! This is our castle and we'll be safe here." We then proceeded to play "castle" for the remainder of the feeding session.

Brant was looking at the real estate ads one day and asked Ben if he liked the brick house. Ben responded that he did because, "Then the big bad wolf can't blow it down!"

At bedtime, we get on jammies and then brush teeth. After teeth brushing, we ask Ben what time it is an he jumps up and down and says, "Time for hugs and kisses!!"

Love it.

Welcome Abigail Carleen Ausenhus!!

On October 26, at 7:01 a.m., we welcomed our new baby girl into the world! Abby weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches long. She is so very precious and an absolute doll!

If her arrival is a precursor to anything about her personality, watch out! From my first contraction to delivery time was only 2 hours. We obviously weren't expecting things to progress so fast, waited to make sure the contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart, and arrived at the hospital at about 6:30, thank goodness. I will say that I did walk into the hospital (which in retrospect, was probably not the smartest decision) but required a wheelchair by the time we reached the doors. By the time I actually made it into the delivery bed, I was dilated 9 centimeters and from there, the rest is history! We are so blessed to now have two beautiful, healthy children! Words can't express our love for each of them!

Abby was named after my mother, Carleen, who was the most loving, caring person I have known. I know there are two very proud grandparents smiling down from heaven!

Fall Fun

I love fall! I love the weather, the colors of the trees, football, the food, and all the fun activities that fall tends to bring. We've been trying to soak it up as much as possible over that past few weekends, as we wait in anticipation for Baby Girl to make her appearance, which is now less than two weeks away.

Last weekend, Ben and I went up to ride in the combine with Uncle Nick. Ben was in complete awe the entire time. In fact, he said only about 3 words for the entire hour we rode. However, we didn't even make it out of the field drive to go home before he exclaimed, "That was really fun!" He now talks about the combine daily and is constantly playing with his little plastic version, pretending to dump corn into the wagon.

We also went on a fall walk around ISU's campus several weekends ago. When we parked, we realized we could hear the ISU marching band practicing. Ben was able to watch for several of their songs and even see them march past us when they were finished. We had a great time pulling Ben around campus in his wagon and reminiscing about the good old days of college, while admiring the pretty trees. We finished the morning with a stop at an Ames favorite, Hickory Park, where Ben thoroughly enjoyed his ice cream, as you can see from the picture below as he is trying to drink up every single last drop!

Yesterday, Ben, Grandma, and I went to Center Grove Orchard to pick out a pumpkin. We found that it was much more than just pumpkins and apples! Ben enjoyed looking at animals, jumping in a corn pool, eating lunch, and even going down a super slide with Grandma. We were all worn out by the time we actually picked out a pumpkin!

Ben is eagerly looking forward to Halloween and is insistant that he wants to be a ghost for Halloween. He reminds us often that he will scare us when he says, "Boo!" He has also informed Brant that he should dress like a bear and that he wants me to be a cat. We'll see about that...

Well, I hope that our next post will be announcing the birth of Baby Girl! The pregnancy has flown by and we are very excited about finally meeting our daughter!