Monday, December 21, 2009

Our busy December


We have been so busy this past month! I have been horrible about blogging the past several weeks. I honestly don't know where the time has gone! Here are a few things we have been up to.

We had breakfast with Santa at the beginning of the month. This is an event held at the Fort Worth club every year that Jay's parents treat us to. It is always so much fun and we are so lucky to get to go every December.


The boys are on vacation from school until January.


They both LOVE school! Bailey loves learning what letter each word in the english language starts with. He loves learning about the seasons, months of the year and has been practicing writing his letters. He also loves chapel time and Spanish class at school. Now days, any time I tell him something he informs me that he will need to check with his teachers and see if it's right. What happened to the days when he didn't question Mommy?!


Blake also really enjoys school. They say his favorite part of the day is outside time and art. I am glad that he is so happy while he is there. His one day a week away from me has been good for both of us. He is definitely not the mommy's boy that Bailey is. This kid is a Daddy's boy. Now, don't get me wrong, he has many moments where all he wants is mommy, but there is a big difference between the boys!

Blake has two teeth now and can stand independantly. He is still eating anything and everything! He turned 10 months on Sunday. He has been wearing some clothes that are for a 12 month old

because he is so long. His 6-12 month pants are like highwaters on him and some of his shirts are now 3/4 sleeves on him. He went to the doctor the other day and is 29 inches and 21 lbs. He is really good at walking while holding your hand. He can go pretty fast.
The Fort Worth Museum reopened recently and we bought a membership. The kids had a great time there. They had so much stuff for Bailey to do! We didn't get the chance to see the planetarium, but will do that soon. We saw the Polar Express at the Omni while we were there. We have done this the past two years and Baley really enjoys it. We are definitely getting into the Christmas spirit around here. Bailey is SO ready for Jesus' birthday and Daddy's birthday. Plus, he is very excited about Santa this year and knows exactly what he would like Santa to bring him.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!


Wednesday, November 04, 2009

8 1/2 months!

It's hard to believe that Blake is 8 1/2 months! Time has really flown and I think it goes by faster with the second child. He is such a joy! He has a sweet personality and is such a cuddler. The only time he really gets mad is when you are cleaning him up after a meal or when you are changing his clothes. He hates to be restricted. In some ways he is like Bailey and in other ways he is the complete opposite.

Blake started officially crawling tonight! I had posted early that he can certainly get around where he wants to go, but isn't doing a "traditional" crawl. He will move each knee one time, but then he decides to scoot both knees at the same time or to just roll. By the time Bailey was this age he had been crawling for 3 weeks! I guess Blake hasn't felt the need as strongly because big brother hands him anything he wants. He is waving, clapping, occasionally doing the sign for "more" and says "mama" and "dada". However, I have to update that he IS crawling!!

Also, Blake is still toothless. Bailey cut teeth at 7 months. However, it doesn't keep Blake from eating literally everything in sight! Among his favorties, french toast, graham crackers, avacados and anything chocolate. He also loves his veggies...already so different from Bailey.

Bailey is still such an amazing big brother. He is always telling Blake how much he loves him. Anytime Blake cries he says "I will calm him down" and sings him a song. It is so sweet.
Bailey is loving school! I like to call him my "what's next" child. Always wanting to know what's next. "Where are we going after this?", "What's the letter going to be after this?", "What month is after November?" His teachers say he is a sponge! They tell me that he loves to learn and is the only child that answers all of the questions correctly! Talk about being a proud momma!
Halloween was great! Bailey went as venom (black spiderman) and Blake was a glo worm. They looked so cute!
Monday was the 1 year anniversary of Jay's accident. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago and in other ways it seems like just yesterday. The emotions aren't quite as raw, but it is still very easy to get choked up when thinking/talking about that day. We still keep in touch with Eric and Colleen. Eric is making great progress. Monday night we had dinner with them and Mary. She is feeling better than ever and even walked in the DRC Half on Sunday! Jay had a Dr. appt. last week and he is "healed" so to speak. He can try his hand at running if he would like. The pain Jay feels is likely to be with him for the long haul, but he may see minimal improvements over a long period of time. It's hard for me to think about Jay, not yet 30 and knowing he may have pain every day for the rest of his life. It's a hard pill to swallow. I try to stay positive about it because Jay has said that he can accept that this is his life now, but I feel so bad for him! We still agree, we are very lucky people. Jay is with us, we have each other and 2 incredible kids! Enough of my rambling, have a great week!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Our San Diego Vacation

We got back last night from our wonderful vacation! The weather was perfect! about 70degrees the entire time! Most of you know that I surprised Jay with a vacation to San Diego as an early birthday present! I told him about 1.5 weeks ago so that he could have time to look forward to it. He was shocked and super excited! We had a great time! We ate a lot and really splurged on the restaurants! We ate at 3 very nice restaurants for dinner and even ordered drinks each night! If you ever go to San Diego you must eat at the Oceanaire, Osetra and Flemmings! You will spend a minimun of $100, but TOTALLY worth it! On Saturday we took a trolley tour over to Coronado Island. We rented bikes to tour the island. We went over the the Hotel Del Coronado. While there, a strange thing happened. I was sitting outside on the beautiful lounge area at the hotel. An asian man came up and took a picture of me. After that, he went up and sat by another man while his friends took a picture of them. Then he got a picture of he and the man shaking hands. Maybe he thought we were locals and he wanted pictures of locals. I am not sure, it was really strange!





The trolley picked us back up a few hours later and continued on to Old Town where Jay's cousin got married last year. I was able to show Jay the church were she was married and where the reception was. We drove through many other areas but didn't get off the trolley. Our last stop was the USS Midway. We took the self guided audio tour. It was so interesting! On Sunday we went to the zoo. It was huge and the animals were so close to us! We could practically reach out and touch them!


Look how beautiful this Panda is! We were told to go there first before the line got long. We were the only people at the Pandas when we got there, but they had lots of ropes for a makeshift line. It was obvious that it get really crowded. Jay and I thought that Panda looked like Blake. Laid back and enjoying a snack! Afterwards we went to Balboa park, walked around Seaport Village and sat out by our hotel pool.


With our hotel stay we got complimentary breakfast buffet all 3 mornings. We thought that sounded like a good deal. Then we got there and saw the wonderful buffet! Not only that, but it cost $24/person! What a great deal!!


I am not sure if you can tell from this picture, but this is a beautiful ring! It is a square blue topaz stone with diamonds (16 to be exact) around it! I have had my eye on this ring for months. Not expecting to really get it, but I had our jeweler in Lubbock put it on my wish list a while back. Anyway, apparantly, after I told Jay about our trip, he called the jewelry store and had them fed ex him the ring. He brought it on our trip and surprised me with it! How sweet was that?! It is my birthday present, but he wanted me to get it early. I LOVE this ring! I wish the picture would have turned out better, but this was the best I could do.

So, as you can see, our trip was amazing!!!

Friday, October 09, 2009

My mom's wedding




Last weekend, my mother got married! We are so excited for her! Despite rain up until 1 hour before the outdoor ceremony, it was perfect! The rain let up and we were able to have the wedding at the Japanese Gardens. The reception was moved indoors, but it was still beautiful! My mother looked gorgeous and was so happy! Bailey was the ring bearer and he did perfect!!! I couldn't have been prouder! My intent was to take a ton of pictures, but being a matron of honor and having to be in charge of 2 children in tuxes (Jay was an usher so he helped when he could) I wasn't able to take but a few pictures. Bummer! Fortunately, my cousin, Chandry was there and she helped out a ton with Blake! She helped me dress him in his tux and held him while the bridal party had pictures taken. She was a total lifesaver!!!
Depite the look on my mom's face, she is extreemly happy-probably stressed about the weather in this pic. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of her in her dress.


My mother and Mark (the groom) planned every detail perfectly! From the bridesmaid brunch (can anyone say mimosa), to the rehersal dinner at Los Voqueros (self serve queso, beer and margaritas were my favorites- my friends know I love good queso and margaritas) to the reception with excellent food, drinks and cake! The newleyweds are honeymooning in the Dominican Republic and so far are having a great time!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Catching Up




I have been without my computer for the last several days, so I haven't had the chance to update. I want to post about Blake's first day of school & pictures of the kids those days, but I first wanted to mention that Jay's grandfather died last week.

He passed away on Friday morning. We were so fortunate to spend some time with him Thursday night. He was able to hold Bailey's hand, tell him what a good handshake he had & hear him talk all about his day at school. He was also able to see Blake. Jay & I were able to sit with him, hold his hand & visit a little bit. JW was a wonderful man! He was so kind and a true family man. He and Madeline were married for 61 years! How often does that happen?! We have taken a lot of pictures over the past 3 years & this is one I really like. It's a picture of JW holding Bailey after he was born. We were not ready to lose him, but we are happy he is no longer suffering.

The boys have really enjoyed school! Bailey runs right in and is all smiles when I pick him up. Blake had his first day last Thursday & they said he did really well. They did ask me to send more food next time! What?! He is only there 5 hours! I feed him before we leave the house, they provide a snack and he had 2 jars of baby food & a 4 oz bottle! My kid is an eater!!!





The picture on the right is of Bailey's first day of school & the picture on the left is of Blake's first day. Aren't they cute?
Did you notice my blog got a much needed makeover? My friend, Theresa, recommended a friend of hers & I think she did an amazing job! Thanks, Amy! Her link is down on the right had side if you want to look at her website.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Conversations with a 3 year old

Mommy: Bailey, I really like your orange shirt. You're wearing your favorite color to school today. Look Bailey, I'm wearing your favorite color too.

Bailey: Mommy, your shirt is light orange and my favorite color is dark orange.

-Good thing his shirt was dark orange.

Today was Bailey's first day of school and he LOVED it! I tried to get a picture of him going into his classroom, but he was too fast. I snapped one anyway and sort of got a smile. I will post pics on Thursday after Blake's first day. He goes to music, spanish, chapel, recess twice, centers, reading, etc. This year, since he is in pre-k he doesn't take a nap. He was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D, when he got home, but didn't nap. We left for the gym at 5pm and we got home at 7pm. He fell asleep during dinner, after only eating about 2 bites. I let him sleep on the couch until 7:45 in case he woke up wanting to eat, but he was dead to the world. Even though he has gone MANY days this summer without a nap, I now know he will need one every Tues. and Thurs. when he gets home from school!

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Success is Sweet




We did it! On Saturday, Jay, Eric, Colleen & myself rode in the Hotter n' Hell bike rally. We rode the 100K (62 miles). There were over 14,000 riders there. It was crazy! We all felt pretty good the entire time and had a riding time of 4 hours 41 minutes. Not bad for 3 first timers and 1 seasoned rider hanging back with us:). Our total time was 6 hours. There were so many people there that from the time the cannon went off signaling the start to the time our bikes crossed the start was 20 minutes! We stopped at several of the rest stops to re-fuel on snacks. At about mile 12 Colleen started having break problems so we stopped for mechanical support and got it fixed. We also stopped at the air force base and took pictures in front of the planes. 3 miles before the finish Jay got a flat tire. Luckily, he's an old pro at fixing those! We really had a great time! We had so much fun spending the day with the Nelson's and we might even shoot for the full 100 mile next year. We did pick a team name. Based on the name of the ride and what the 4 of us have been through the past year we named our team "To Hell and Back" We thought it was clever:). There was even a mention of Tattoos, but it was quickly ruled out :)



Another milestone is that Eric's Law goes into effect today requiring stricter penalties for drivers without insurance & a valid license who injure someone. We are very happy about the new law and very proud of Eric for representing himself, Jay & Mary at the hearings. Eric is a big reason this law was passed.


On a different note, my last post I promised pictures of Bailey at his gym class.






Wednesday, August 26, 2009

When little brother sleeps....

I try to structure the kids naps so that I get some alone time with each of them. Bailey and I usually play in his room or sword fight. Today, we decided to do something different. We got out our leftover ice cream and filled our containers with hot fudge, caramel and whipped cream, sat on the floor and ate! It was fun!! It was a special treat and I am sure I will pay for it on the scale:)



Bailey is doing great! He still loves being a big brother and loves being around Blake as much as he can. He is very protective of him. Bailey starts Day School on September 8th and he is already talking about being ready to go to school. Next week he will get to meet his teacher.


Blake will be going to school one day a week. I have mixed feelings about it, but I registered him before he was born. I think he will have a great time because he is such a people watcher. He is sitting up by himself for short periods of time and still loves to eat! I honestly cannot think of anything that he has tried and hasn't liked. He wants to eat everything anyone else has. I think once he gets teeth the sky's the limit for this kid! I am ready for the kids to start school because I know they will have so much fun, but I have really enjoyed having them to myself every day for the past 3 months! We have decided to keep Bailey in his my gym class during the school year because he loves it so much. I am planning to take my camera to class this week so I will post some pictures of him there.


Jay and I, along with Eric and Colleen are riding in the Hotter n' Hell this Saturday. We are signed up to ride the 50 mile, but apparantly (based on an email forward I recieved this morning) we are now going to attempt the 62 mile. Yikes! I hope I can do it! Jay has done the 100 mile before and Eric and Colleen are both fitness machines. Let's hope I can keep up with them! I will let you know how it goes....

Thursday, August 06, 2009

New Toy



Well, Bailey has a new toy. It's a stroller.For some reason the other day he pulled out his baby doll that I got him before Blake was born-one that he has had absolutely no interest in might I add. Anyway, he asked me to go get the stroller out of the garage so he could take his baby on a walk. He walked around pushing that baby in the umbrella stroller. So, today we went to Toys R Us and he picked out a small stroller. He also wanted to pick out a new doll with a pacifire, but I thought one baby doll for a little boy was enough. He loves pushing his baby around. He has named her Lisa. When he pushes her around he does buckle her up so that she can "hold on tight". That is because he likes to push the stroller as hard and as far as he can and make it go really fast. I think he "manning up" the stroller thing.


Bailey had his 3 year check up this week and things went great. He weighs 30lbs and is 37 inches tall. Blake was a little behind for his 4 month check up so he had a 5 1/2 month check up. He weighs 17lbs 4oz and is 27 inches long. My big boy!


Blake is doing great! He is still laid back and a great eater! He is eating
baby food, gerber puffs and some table food...pancakes, mashed bananas & popcycles. He loves to eat! He is starting to sit up on his own and is very mobile. He will scoot or roll, anyway he can get to what he's after.


This Saturday, Jay and I are riding in the Melon Patch Tour. It's a 29 mile bike ride. We are getting geared up for it. I hope I survive:)!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Peach Pedal



Last weekend, Jay rode his bike in the Weatherford Peach Pedal. This was a goal Jay had and he encouraged Eric Nelson (the other guy that was in the accident with Jay) to do it with him. So, Jay, Eric, his wife, Colleen, our neighbor, Miah and my mom's fiance, Mark all did the ride. I was so proud of Jay & Eric. They did great! We were able to spend a good part of the weekend with Eric & Colleen and really had a good time visiting with them. It seems like we have known them longer than 8 months! And even though they are several years older than us (Colleen is 35 and Eric turns 40 in January), you would never know it. We just enjoy hanging out together.

So, over the weekend, Jay, Eric & Colleen convince me that I too need a road bike. I have to admit, I was jealous that the 3 of them got to do something fun together & I had to sit out. Well, no more! Jay bought me a road bike on Sunday. I will try & post a picture of it sometime. We have a few training rides scheduled already! Jay & Eric really want us all to do the Hotter n' Hell bike ride. Last year Jay did the 100 mile ride! He won't be up to that this year, but the guys would like us all to try & do the 50 mile ride. I know Jay will be able to do it, but I am not sure about myself. I am no stranger to working out, but have never done a bike race. Jay is going to be my trainer. As my running partner for the past 5+ years, he has always been a great motivator, so I am sure he will be the same on the bike.

The kids are keeping me very busy this summer! Bailey has been swimming quite a bit and swim lessons start next week. He is in a phonics class & soccer starts Friday. He is also in a My Gym class each week. He loves it! He has done the zip line, high bar, balance beam & trapeze


Blake is changing every day! He is still primarily breastfead, but is also eating rice cereal, baby oatmeal and sometimes I mix some baby food into the rice cereal. This kid LOVES to eat. He hasn't had his 4 month check-up yet (even though he is almost 5 months) because his doctor has been out of town, but my guess is that he weighs around 16lbs!!! He has been trying really hard to crawl! It may be a while before it happens, but he will lay on his tummy & pull his knees up under him then push off with his feet, propelling himself forwards. He can certainly get around that way! I lay him on his blanket with toys & turn my head & he's gone

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

We're Home

We had a great vacation! It was so nice to get away and just relax. We left last Monday afternoon and drove to San Antonio, ariving around 10:30pm. Jay's family had arrived several hours earlier and had warned us our motel was a little scary, but that they had cancelled our reservation for the second night and would be moving to Holiday Inn Express. Thank goodness! It was fine for one night (we were only there 9 hours), but our room had one king bed and one twin bed, so all four of us slept in the king bed. We even barracaded the door shut because it was a sketchy neighborhood. As you might expect, there was no hot water. Jay's parents room was the old maintence room. It had a funny smell and the beds were horrible! Julie, Jeff and the kids lucked out. Their room was VERY smokey and they had no more available rooms, so they were able to go to the Holiday Inn that night. Anyway, at 8 am the next morning we were checking into our new hotel, (which was so nice-a suite- with 2 queen beds in one room, a hallway with a mini kitchen, and a living room. plenty of room for the 4 of us to spread out) ate breakfast and headed to SeaWorld. (this pic is of the first motel)
The kids loved SeaWorld! They have so much there! Blake was a trooper! Bailey loved Shamu and the dolphin show. He also loved the big aqarium with the fish and sharks. Anyone who knows me, knows I love Dr. Pepper, well they only had Pepsi there (which was fine, because anything tasted good in that heat!), but you could buy a refillable cup for $8 and then it was only $1 to refill it each time. Great deal! We got one and me, Jay and Bailey shared it. I would highly recommend it because you can refill with tea or soft drinks and the price for one drink was $3, so this was definitely the way to go.



The next day we toured San Antonio riverwalk for a while then headed on to Port Aransas. We spent 3 1/2 days swimming in the pool, playing in the ocean, fishing off the pier, eating great seafood and enjoying being with family. I really think Bailey loved having his daddy with him for 6 straight days and I loved having help 24/7. I think I only change 2 diapers! Bailey was not scared of the ocean at all! He ran right in, jumped the waves and kept wanting to go further out. Daddy took him, mommy likes to stay close to the beach. He became an expert at jumping just at the right time and spitting salt water out of his mouth! He also loved destroying the sandcastles daddy built.





I am planning to take Blake to get his 4 month shots on Friday. Jay is off work and I think it's only fair that he sees at least one of our children get shots. He never had to see Bailey and I don't think he realizes how hard it is for mommy to see her child in pain. He hasn't had his 4 month check up yet and Bailey hasn't had his 3 yr. yet, but I am planning to do that in the next week or so.





Ihope everyone has a wonderul 4th of July!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day/Vacation at last!
















I want to start by saying Happy Father's Day to a wonderful daddy! Bailey & Blake are so lucky to have such a loving, involved daddy who loves spending time with them! They are crazy about their daddy!! ...Mommy thinks he's pretty great too:)










We leave tomorrow for our vacation, and we are SOOO ready!! We will head to San Antonio tomorrow afternoon and spend Tuesday at Sea World. Then on Wednesday morning we will head to Port Aransas where we will stay until Sunday morning.










My little Blake is changing so quickly! He turned 4 months on Saturday and started eating rice cereal (I say that loosely). He started rolling over about 2 weeks ago. Now, he wants to sleep on his tummy and there is no stopping him! He is getting quite the little personality! he "talks" all the time, is totally in love with his daddy and clearly is amused by his big brother! Bailey is equally amused by Blake. He loves to congratulate him when he rolls over. Whenever Blake poops Bailey is sure to tell me "it was an acciden." I am constantly laughing!
I know we will have a great vacation and can't wait to blog about it when we get back!

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

What do you think?


I have been looking through old pictures lately. Jay & I have always thought that Blake looks like a chubby version of Bailey when he was a baby. What do you think?


Bailey







Blake


Bailey
Blake

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Potty Training Update

Potty training is going GREAT! Bailey has been doing such a great job! We have been able to leave the house every day. Gym, grocery store, church. We have not adjusted our schedule at all. We went cold turkey. I don't even let him wear pull-ups at night (if he were wetting the bed he would be wearing them, but he has stayed dry). I thought it would be weeks before he would come to us saying he had to go potty, but he started doign that on Friday! There have even been a couple of times when we have walked by his bathroom and seen him in there sitting on the potty-guess he doesn't need us anymore:). Actually, today he told him not to come in. To stand out in the hallway, he could do it by himself.

We have had a little problem with pooping and I am in need of suggestions. He has only pooped in the potty once and 3 times in his underwear. I am not sure what the problem is. Someone suggested taking him right before and after each meal to see if he can poop. He hasn't had any tee-tee accidents since Thursday, so I am very happy with that! 5 days dry! I had purchased him lots of fun big boy underwear, but Sunday I took him to the store to pick out his own. He really like doing that! He picked out a pack of 7 pairs and each pair had a different disney movie represented on it...WALL-E, Cars, Toy Story, etc. He loves getting to pick which ones to wear each morning.

I really appreciate all of the advice I was given and it was very helpful. It was great to get a lot of different advice and kind of shape it to fit with my parenting style. I think I took a little bit from everyone. We chose mini marshmellows as his reward. 1 for sitting on the potty, 2 for tee-tee, 3 for poop and 5 for staying dry at bedtime and naptime. He is getting to where sometimes he forgets to ask for his marshmellows. I am happy about because I didn't want to be giving him marshmellows for the next 2 years every time he went to the potty and I wasn't sure how to stop it once I started. I will post pics of him in his big boy underwear soon.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Eric's Law

Well, House Bill 2012 has passed the House and was heard by the Transportation Committee in the Senate today. Eric was there to respresent him, Jay and Mary. I have attached the link below if you would like to hear his testimony. I think it's about 11 minutes into the hearing, so you can fast forward.

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/

click on committess on the left side of the page. Then click on Transportation committe. Then on the date, May 22. That will take you to the video.

On that note, the accident has been on my mind lately. Admittedly, it is never far from my mind. I always think about that day and how grateful I am for my family and friends who were there. I just want to say that I have not forgotten what everyone did for me. I will not forget that my sister stayed with Jay until the ambulance took him. I will not forget that my cousin, Marty walked out of work to come to the hospital and be with me. I will not forget that my aunt, Donna stayed on the phone with me giving me directions to the hospital. I will not forget that my friend, Desty left her 3 month old son to bring me snacks and toiletries, knowing that I would not leave the hospital. I will not forget that our minister dropped what he was doing and came to the hospital and stayed until Jay went into surgery 4 hours later. I will not forget the Youngs, who made sure I ate dinner and picked up Jay's truck from the accident site. I will not forget that my entire family and Jay's family stayed with me at the hospital until Jay was out of surgery. I will not forget that my mother and her fiance spent the night at a hotel near the hospital to be close to me and took the next day off work. Please know that I will NEVER forget.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Potty Training


Well, the time has come. Now that Bailey is 3 we are about to sart potty training. Thursday is Bailey's last day of school & we don't have a lot going on the two weeks following, so we are going to buckle down & do it. I have talked to several mommy friends of mine who have potty trained boys & gotten a lot of advice. I have pretty much heard the same things from each of the moms. Cold turkey seems to be the way to go. Including bedtime. I have purchased a lot of underwear & am going to get a sheet protector for Bailey to sleep on. I have been told not to get upset or punish him when he has an accident. I've also been told that if we need to leave the house during potty training then I should put him in underwear & put a pull up on over that so that he can still feel that he is wet, but that it won't be a big mess. This way, I can still go to the gym & the grocery store. My mom friends have told me this will most likely be a 2 week process. I am open to as many suggestions & as much advice as I can get, so feel free to give me your opinion. I will update next week & let you know how things are going.




Bailey had a great birthday & received lots of wonderful presents that he is having a blast with! Blake is 3 months old now (or will be on Wednesday), so he can go to the gym. I was able to go both Saturday & today & look forward to being back in my regular routine of Monday thru Saturday. Even though I have lost all of my weight & am back into all of my clothes, all of you moms out there know that things still don't hang right at this point. I wish I had more time before swimsuit season, but I guess I will just have to work hard the next month & hope for the best. Blake is doing great! He weighs 13 lbs 6oz & is 24 inches long. He is very laid back & is smiling & "talking" all of the time! He is a great nurser too. Totally different from Bailey. I was only able to breastfead Bailey for 3 months. I hope to breastfead Blake for 6 months. At this point I am playing it by ear & will nurse him as long as it seems like the best option for the both of us. He has been drooling a lot, so he will probably start teething in the next month or so & I am not sure what it's like to breastfeed a child with teeth!


So now, we are gearing up for summer. Bailey has VBS (which I am volunteering at), he is signed up for soccer, a phonics class & 2 sets of swim lessons. I am also going to enroll him in a my gym class. My mom's group will meet twice a month, the movie theaters show free kids movies on Wednesdays, there is a spray park nearby & apparantly, Granbury has a man-made beach. Bailey got a trampoline for his birthday so we will have lots of friends over to play on it. We plan to be very busy this summer. Little boys who are busy & play hard...nap hard!!!


This is our Mother's Day picture. I had a great time with my boys. They sent me flowers & got me a digital picture keychain that holds 40 pictures. Now I will always have pictures of the kids whenever someone asks to see them.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Discretion Advised

If you have a weak stomach, don't read this post.

Bailey has pinworms. If you don't know what that is, it's a female worm that apparantly travels through your intestine and lays eggs in your "hiney". DISGUSTING! After 3 weeks of hearing Bailey cry all night (this is the time of day that the female worm lays her eggs & it can cause pain or intense itching), but not being able to see any pinworms using a flashlight at night, we went to the Dr. He went ahead and gave Bailey a prescription. In the case of pinworms, the whole family has to be treated, so we all got a dose. According to his Dr., some common causes are cats, dogs and sandboxes. If the child scratches their hiney and the (brace yourself) fecal oil gets under their nails and then touch something, bedding, food, etc. and someone else injests it, then they can get pinworms. Thankfully, neither Jay or I have had any symptoms. And to be honest, I couldn't get that pill down fast enough! Unfortunately, the infected child can be reinfected a week or two after they take the medication. So, our Dr. prescribed a refill. We will really focus on lots of handwashing! Apparantly all kids get this at some point, but it's still gross! Symptoms are itching, pain and flinching.

On a less discusting note, Blake had his first round of shots today and his 2 month well baby check-up. He did great at his shots, only cried for a few seconds and Bailey held his hand the whole time. Blake has slept for most of the day though. His check-up went great. He smiled for his Dr. and was holding his head up. He weighs 12 lbs. 5 oz. I know that seems like a lot (75th percentile), but he is 24 inches long (also 75th percentile). The Dr. said that since he is so long his weight is perfect.

Hope this post wasn't too graphic for anyone, but I wish I had known earlier what the symptoms were!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sorry it's been so long!










I can't believe it's been nearly 1 month since I have last blogged. A lot has happend & I will try to catch you up.








On Sunday Blake started smiling. It is so cute to see him smile. When Bailey saw him smile for the first time he said "Blake's smiling. He's a big boy now". That was a great start to a great Easter. We went over to the Newton's that afternoon & watched the kids play & hunt easter eggs. Bailey really "got it" this year. He knew exactly what to do-he had already had a hunt at school & one easter morning at home, so he was an old pro by the afternoon.



You know that saying "kids say the darndest things"? That describes Bailey perfectly! Let me start this story by saying that when Bailey gets in trouble he calls it grouching (mommy grouched at me). So, yesterday, Bailey & I were planting flowers and I had jsut planted a white one & Bailey yanked it right out of the flower bed. I said "Bailey! Don't do that" Well, of course, for the next hour he repeats "I pulled the white flower & mommy grouched at me" Then he decides to add "& mommy said she didn't love me" Now, where he got that I have no idea! I have NEVER told him that. He continued to insist that I had said that. What's a mommy to do? Later, when he got tired of helping me plant flowers he threw up his hands & said "I quit!"


Then there is Blake, my laid back child (for now anyway). He is doing great. He sleeps pretty well at night & usually only wakes up twice. Any of you other mom's out there with newborns feel like you spend your days breastfeading in the car? On Tuesdays & Thursdays Bailey is at school so Blake & I run a lot of errands. Who has time to go home and nurse every time he's hungry? I have pulled into countless numbers of parking lots to feed him. Whatever works, right? I'm sure I'm not alone in this.








Friday, March 20, 2009

One month

**UPDATE**
I'm told the story is on the Dallas Morning News website if you can't get the paper

My baby boy (or as Bailey likes to call him, Blakey boy) is one month old today! I can't believe it! I know that in the blink of an eye he will be Bailey's age and Bailey will be in kindergarten. Time, please stand still!








Things have been going great here! We are moving along and everyone is adjusting. Today, I got my FIRST nap since Blake was born. It was a glorious 45 minutes! Blake is such a laid back baby. So laid back that when he fusses I start to panic...what's wrong with him? He never cries! I'm sure it's just that he is starting to spend more time awake and would like a little attention please! At night he sleeps for 2-3 hour stretches, which is great. Bailey woke every 1.5 hours for the first 2 months! This kid is going to spoil me!


Bailey is AMAZING with him! He has only gotten jealous 2-3 times and love Blake like you wouldn't believe. He is so protective of him and always wants to know exactly where Blake is. Anyone that comes around us will hear Bailey say "come look at my baby brother"




Have I mentioned that I LOVE having 2 boys? It's so great! I am not sure why there were people that felt sorry for me that I was having another boy (someone actally said to me "oh, that's okay"). I couldn't imagine it any other way.

We had Blake's newborn pics taken last week. They turned out well. If you want to look at them go to http://www.alexanderportraitdesigners.com/ then click on the online proofing and the login is Julie

Bailey had a minor injury this week. His arm apparantly got stuck in a chair at Nordstroms and when he pulled it out he got a nurse maids elbow (previously known as supermarket elbow). My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and I could tell he was really hurt because he cried off and on for 1 hour and he held his arm extreemly still for 2 hours. After talking to Jay, we made the decision to take him to a clinic (of course my father-in-law was out of town, so couldn't help). They did x-rays, which were very painful for Bailey because he literally couldn't turn his arm into the position they needed. After determining that it was nurse maid's elbow, which I think is similar to a dislocated elbow, the Doctor had to set it back in place. It took 2 tries and a lot of crying, but he got it. Almost immediately, Bailey was fine. He was so excited that his arm didn't hurt anymore. The first thing he said was that he wanted to call daddy and tell him his arm was all better. Whew! That was a rough afternoon. Luckily, Jay's mom was able to go with me and the boys to the clinic so I had reinforcements. Of course, a strawberry milkshake was a must when we left.
On a side note, the article about Jay and the 2 others hit after the DRC marathon is running in this Sunday's edition of the Dallas Morning News. We previewed the article a couple of weeks ago and were really pleased with how it turned out. So, if you live in the area, grab a copy.