Lily Pics!

Here are some pics: ML and Amy, our first nurse--she was hilarious and got us started....at 4am

This was the "fun" part of labor....we ummm....don't have pics of the....umm "not fun" part. Apparently they were erased...not sure why.

Right before the doctor took ML to be prepped, we had time for a quick picture. The smile is because of the Epideral. The hands are being squeezed because....well it was a C-section people!

The weigh-in....10lbs. 6oz....uhhh....okay. That might be my fault. Us Cole Babies were pretty large (all between 9 and 11 lbs!).

Couple other shots with family....

Lily Evelyn!

Wow...what a day! We woke up yesterday at 3am for our 4am induction...not having slept because we knew that it was the day. They started the pitocin and the waiting began. Mary Lynn's parents and my parents got there early in the day and things weren't progressing very fast (for you parents...that means she was still smiling and laughing). The doctor came in and said "no pain, no gain" and broke her water around 9am. The contractions were already frequent, but now they picked up in intensity for ML. She did such a great job, but after 5 hours of labor decided maybe an Epidural was not such a horrible idea. First....HUGE needle. Second...God send. We were able to enjoy a couple of more hours before the doctor said that we still had not progressed and it was time to start talking C-section. So...at 5pm the doctor began prepping ML for surgery and I stood there looking dumbfounded. Again, for those who have gone through it....they don't really give you time to talk it over...its sort of like they tell you and hand you the scrubs at the same time.
I was put off in a separate room to wait while they prepped her....really lonely and all of a sudden left to your thoughts...and of course prayer. Wow...that was some good prayin'.
Lily was born at 5:41 and the doctor's first reponse was "Wow, big baby". 10 lbs 6oz!! 22in!! The second was "Wow, we never would have been able to go natural with this one". So it all worked out. I will add some picture later.....but our family was so great being there all day and the nurses and doctors were PHENOMENAL! Sandy was a small, common voice of reason that we were so happy was a part of our day.

Sleeping now...more later...

Greg's Pre Baby Pump up Speech

Its funny to think about how much our parents probably had to do to get ready for us to be born. They didn't have the internet, HD Tv's cell phones, or even cordless phones. Yet, they still were able to manage. I think the hardest part right now is the waiting for Gregelina to come along...I told someone the other day that this is like waiting for Christmas except worse because someone keeps moving the date for Christmas. So most of the time I...

...yes, dress up like I won the gold medal. Its actually funny because you can't make plans (Murphy's Law and all--make a plan baby comes)...so Mary Lynn and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together. That has been a huge perk of post third Trimester Gregelina.

Well, okay so maybe we should have stayed in Cincinnati. I think one of the neat thoughts that I've had in this whole process is that ML and I have only known each other three years and yet we will have known this child for its entire life. Longer than anyone else. I am excited to see what it looks like moving on the outside (although many a good night was spent watching it dance from the inside) and hear it laugh. Not really cry or poop...but I hear that comes with the territory.

The unknown is good...we all drove for the first time, went on a first date, and headed off to college without really knowing what we were in for but darn it we all made it. But now I have Google and Mary Lynn has the Nest to help us figure it all out.

Our first baby...Boomer Cole

We'd be remiss if we didn't make mention of our good old dog Boomer early on in our blog. Boomer is our Irish Setter and we've now had him for over a year and 1/2. Like anyone who has a dog, they become part of the family and you can't imagine life without them! He was a rescue and my parents were fostering him for a day when we went to their house and first saw him. Greg jokes that it was all a "set up" for us to get a dog, but he was more convinced right away than even me that we had to take him!

Boomer is so quirky and fun - he loves putting his rear end up on the couch (he's not allowed on the furniture, but somehow we make an exception when he "sits" down on the couch like us). He loves going to the dog park (Otto Armleder is his favorite!), loves walks anywhere and everywhere, tries to be king of the backyard by chasing after squirrels/rabbits/birds - although thankfully hasn't caught one yet, and is just the best dog ever. He loves playing with his cousins Bailey (Sean & Meghan's lab) and Harley (Mom & Pop Bea's Setter)...and also enjoys runs with Uncle Dave. When Dave takes him on a run, Boomer knows he gets to go at "lightning speed" and really gets his work out. Usually after one of those runs Boomer can be found curled up for hours on his dog bed.

Here are a few pics of Boomer - he'd be happy to know he's getting his 5 minutes of fame in the blogging world...

Boomer and Greg - comfortable on the couch. And there's Boomer our faithful watchdog.

Boomer and his buddy Harley.

His "exhibitionist" pose must be comfortable because he's often in it!

"Uncle Dave" at the dog park with Boomer and Belle.

Nursery Pics!

Here are a few nursery pictures in the hopes that Baby Cole will get the hint and want to actually join us and enjoy the nursery as well!

Here's the crib...just waiting for a baby! The bedding is from PBK - I love it! The other pic is inside the closet - real exciting I know...but I wanted to get one of the Bengals onesie. Hopefully Gregalina will bring some luck to the team!


The glider is where Greg will be spending many a night feeding little Gregalina...oh wait, that'll be me...


This will be our little pumpkin's first Halloween outfit!


Baby Cole got a ton of cute toys and great books from family and friends. In the meantime, Boomer finds great joy in going into the nursery and snooping through the toys. Somehow he knows they're not his, but that doesn't stop him from taking one or two out and leaving them in the middle of the floor. His favorites so far are the Bengal bear and one of the teddy bears.

Due Date + 3 Days...

This is our first "official" blog post - how exciting!

We thought this would be a nice way to keep our family and friends updated on all things going on in the Cole house (or "Team Cole" as we fondly refer to ourselves : )

There has been quite a bit of activity happenin' on Garden Road. Mary Lynn is now 9 months + pregnant. Our due date was on October 16, 2008 and we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sweet pea. Mary Lynn has had the past 2 weeks off work and hasn't slowed down!

ML: So here's my foray into the world of blogging. I never thought I'd venture down this path, but I'll try and post when I have time (which from everyone I talk to, time won't be something I have a lot of once our baby is born!) I've enjoyed having the last couple weeks off work and have gotten a ton of things done. From finishing up the nursery, making meals to freeze, cleaning the house, putting up new window treatments...to making last minute trips to Babys R' Us (boy do I dread going to that place!) - it's been a busy but productive time. I have allowed myself some R&R - which for me consists of reading on the patio, meeting up with friends, walking Boomer or watching DVR'd Oprah (and no Greg, I don't eat bon bons - who has ever even had a bon bon before?!)

We've taken Boomer to the dog park the past couple days and have been taking nice, long walks in the hopes that Baby Cole will feel like joining us! Last night was especially nice - we had tea and sat out on the front porch on our awesome new rocking chairs ($40/chair at Walmart - best deal ever!) It was a chilly October night, but the sky was clear, the stars were twinkling and I even saw a shooting star! You can probably guess what my wish was...and it may sound cliche, but I tried to soak the moment up and realize that soon everything will be changing (for the good of course) and that it won't just be the 2 of us anymore (3 counting Boomer...and we certainly can't leave him out!) We're excited, anxious, a little nervous, but more ready than anything to meet our sweet pea.

I'll add a few pictures of some things we've been doing in the meantime...but for now, that's it for my first post!