Following in her daddy's footsteps:)

For those of you who don't know, Russell had his own lawn mowing business from the time he was 14 until a few years into college, and he is now working on a golf course, surrounded by more grass and lawn mowers. I guess he got the bug early on:) So...when we saw this toy at the toy store, we knew we had to get it for Marissa so she can start practicing now:) I'm sure some people think mowing the lawn is just for boys, but I had to do it when I was in high school (which, from what I can remember, I only mowed the lawn whenever I got into trouble...and, well, for those of you who don't know...that was a lot...but that's another story for another day.) Hopefully our girls won't mow the lawn b/c they are in trouble...only b/c we make them:) Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked, here is a video we took of Marissa mowing the front yard. Be sure to turn your sound on (not so you can hear my annoying voice, but so you can hear Marissa)

Is winter over yet?

Ugh, what a day.
But before I elaborate on that...Allie had her 1 month check-up yesterday. She weighed in at 10lb 4 oz and is 22" long. I was going to compare her with Marissa's one month stats, but for some reason, Marissa didn't have a 1 month check-up, only 1 week and 2 months. So, I guess we'll compare next month. Anyway, like I told you in the previous entry, they have both been a little under the weather, and it turns out poor little Allie has an ear infection on top of her yucky head cold and congestion. So the Doctor gave her some antibiotics and she was supposed to have a re-check in two weeks. Well...last night she started to sound worse, lots of congestion, coughing and a little bit of a wheezing sound when she was breathing. She didn't sleep very well, but was still eating. So this morning I was debating on whether or not to call the doctor to see if I should bring her in, but I decided to go ahead and err on the side of caution and call. They told me to go ahead and bring her in. So, my dear sweet husband came home right away to watch Marissa and Allie and I were off to the doctor. We got there and he checks her and, long story short...she doesn't have RSV (the respiratory virus that is going around) but he does want her to go get chest x-rays (because of the coughing) and her oxygen level tested. At this point, it was all I could do to not break down and start sobbing. Those of you who know me well, know that when I get tired, I get very emotional and well, just the thought of my little Allie having to get x-rays and tests done was almost more than I could handle:(
So, we went to the outpatient clinic, got the x-rays done (don't know the results of those, they called the doctor) and the oxygen levels tested (they were perfect) and now we are home. Miss Allie was so great through it all, she slept in her carseat almost the whole time and she is still sleeping in it as I type this. After all that, all I can do now is give her saline drops in her nose and suck out all the yucky stuff and just try to keep her comfortable and happy. We have to go back to Dr. Sabens tomorrow morning so he can check her again. I'll keep you posted. But let me just say....I am soooooooooooo ready for this crap to be over with and for my baby girls to be well again. Only 56 more days til spring....

Ella and the evil Mixer

Anyone who has a little girl with long hair needs to read this, especially if she likes to help out in the kitchen. And even if you don't have little girls, you should still read it, just for brave little Ella and the very sweet salon staff. As a woman with long hair...I was crying for poor Ella, I cannot even imagine....
Ella and the Mixer

Allie is one month old....

and to celebrate, she got her first cold:( (note the sarcasm....) Marissa woke up on Thursday morning with a runny nose and, unfortunately, it only took about 24 hours for Allie to follow suit. The poor thing sounds awful....she is very congested and has been spitting up all kinds of yucky stuff. Luckily, she is still able to nurse with no problems and she is still sleeping well-we have been putting her in the swing so she can sleep sitting up and it seems to be working great. She did sleep in her bed last night and did pretty good, sleeping about 3-4 hour stretches. I was very concerned at first because I had 2 people tell me about RSV and that a lot of kids around here have been diagnosed with it (a respiratory virus) but I took both of their temps and they are both normal. So, I'm guessing it's just a yucky head cold. Marissa seems to be getting better already, hopefully Allie won't be far behind. Thankfully, Russell hasn't had to work much the past few days because it has been so cold outside, so he has been able to help out a lot. Although I think we are both getting serious cabin fever...especially Russell...I'm pretty sure I don't have to worry about him wanting to be a stay-at-home dad anytime soon:)

Well, aside from the girls having a little bit of a cold, we are doing great. I feel so much more relaxed with Allie than I did with Marissa when she was a newborn. Nursing is going well, a little too well, actually....considering she won't take a bottle (this is where I start cringing at the thought of her attached to my boob for the next 11 months.....) Now, don't get me wrong....I enjoy nursing and I know she is better off with the breastmilk...but seriously, mommy needs a break. I tried to go to wal-mart today and about 1 hour after I left, Russell is calling me wondering when I will be home b/c she won't take the bottle and "she has been screaming" for the past 30 minutes....sheesh. So, I called my friend Layne and she gave me 3 different bottles to try, thinking that Allie just may not like the kind we have...so hopefully that will work. Any advice from anyone reading this would be greatly appreciated:)

Ok, anyway....I know all you probably wanted from this update are pictures instead of my rambling, so here are my girls, Aren't they cute?:)

Sweet Allie

Allie and Mommy

Allie and Daddy


I know it probably looks like Marissa is shoving her head away, but she was actually rubbing her head...she hasn't quite grasped the concept of "please be gentle with baby Allie"

I think Russell is more exhausted after a day at home with us than he is after a day of work....how sweet is this picture though, I love Allie's pants!

And finally, I took this the other morning when Marissa woke up not feeling well, I put on her favorite cartoon and she sat there for about an hour, poor thing looked so pitiful:(

Better late than never...Christmas 2008

Well, both of the girls are asleep (which is what I should be doing...) but I wanted to post some loong, overdue Christmas pictures before next Christmas:) Enjoy!!

Marissa opening her big gift from Pops and Nana Nichols

It's a car!!!

She loves it:)


And since we live next door to a golf course, Papa and Grandma McKinney found some golf clubs that are just her size:)

Papa and Grandma also got her a red wagon!! I can't wait for it to warm up so we can use this more.

Having fun with Zach and Heather's Christmas present to themselves...Rock Band w/lead singer-Marissa!!


Allie was pooped from too much fun on Christmas morning...

Those are just a few...but stay tuned for an Allie update!!

The best Christmas present ever:) Allie Joy Nichols is here!

She's here!! Allie Joy Nichols made her grand entrance this past wednesday, December 17 at 1:31 pm. She weighed in at 8lb 2oz and was 19" long. The delivery was so much easier than my first-we went in at 5 am on Wednesday and they started an IV of pitocin to get things going. Then my doctor came in around 9 am and broke my water and I got my epidural shortly after. Things progressed quickly from there-my nurse said I would start to feel some pressure when the baby was getting close and so around 12:30 I called her in and told her I was feeling a little pressure and she checked me and I was 9cm dialted! So anyway, she came back about 45 min later, checked me again and it was time! She called in my doctor, I pushed twice and that was it! Allie was here!!

Now anyone reading this who had their baby at Northside in Atlanta (which is where I had Marissa) knows that the experience there is wonderful, so this hospital had a lot to live up to! But let me tell you...I don't have one bad thing to say about our time there. Every single nurse was so great, the room was very nice and Russell even said his bed there was more comfortable than the one at Northside. :) However, with all that said, I was still ready to get home to Marissa, so my doctor let us go home Friday morning and so began my life with two babies under 2 years....

Well, I know all y'all really want are some pics, so here you go. Our newest addition, Allie Joy Nichols!

Our first picture together as a family of four:)

This picture is my absolute favorite:) Daddy and his girls...

Everyone keeps asking me if she looks like Marissa...I figured I would let you judge for yourselves...Allie on the top, Marissa on the bottom-what do you think??

And finally, I had to post this one of Marissa and her papa (my dad)-she kept wanting to mess with his computer, so we gave her our old laptop to play with and she loves it, look at that smile!!

Baby Shower, Baby's Room, and Baby Belly:)

This past weekend our friends, the Allen's and the Ortiz's, threw us a wonderful baby shower/football watching party:) The Alabama vs. Florida game was on, so we knew the guys weren't going to be so keen on the idea of having a shower during that, so we all watched the game and during halftime, opened the gifts for Allie! Russell's good friend from high school, Scott and his very sweet girlfriend Megan, drove in from Birmingham for the occasion and it was so great to see them! Unfortunately, my pregnancy brain got the best of me and I didn't think to take a picture with everyone-just a quick belly shot (the only one I have taken all pregnancy) and one of the 3 of us. I so wish I would have taken one of all the girls and the guys, but, like I said, I'm just not thinking straight these days....Anyway, thank you guys again for a wonderful day, we had a great time! And here are the pictures we did take....

38 weeks pregnant

Since this is kind of a post dedicated to Baby Allie, I figured it would be perfect to put pictures of her nursery here. I am so pleased with the way it turned out and I can't wait to have a little one in there:) I used Marissa's bedding (since she will get her big girl bedding soon) and my wonderful mother-in-law, Gail, helped me pick out the fabric for the curtains and then sewed them for me!! And they (Russell's parents) also brought the chair from their house which matched perfectly and I snagged a stool from my sweet mom and recovered it w/the leftover fabric from the curtains. I also made the picture frames above her crib with inspiration from this post by Shannon. So anyway, enjoy the pictures!!

Oh and since we are talking about Allie-let me give you a quick update...I went to the Doctor yesterday and I am a couple cm dilated but she still hasn't dropped, which is very apparent to me and the constant pain in my ribs...but the doctor said I could pretty much go into labor anytime. I went ahead and scheduled an induction for the 17th at 5 am just in case she isn't here by then. I was a little hesitant to do that, but Dr. Ballard said all that would be involved for me is starting an IV and some potossin (which I had with Marissa) so that made me feel better. Keep us in your prayers and we will keep you posted on her arrival!!