The Barthelemy Bunch

Mother's Day

2010-05-16T20:57:00.005-05:00

I know this is a bit late, but I still wanted to post about my mother's day. At daycare, Macy had gone to the Seed House and picked out a flower, which they put in a pot that they decorated (I had intended to take pictures of it, but that didn't happen yet). This was very sweet and she was so proud of her creation and excited to give it to me. Later, I was going thru her papers from school and found that she had also made a mother's day card. This is the best mother's day card I have received to date. It has the standard poem and handprint inside, which is very nice and sweet, but the part that was so special to me is that Macy actually wrote 'Happy Mothers Day' on the cover. I am so proud and it is just so stinkin' cute that she ran out of room and had to finish the word mother on the next line! This is a keeper for sure!

Dracula is here!

2010-05-08T21:43:00.000-05:00

It isn't easy to get a decent picture of this, but Holden's top two eye teeth have come in... minus his front teeth. This gives him a little bit of a dracula vibe don't you think?

First cuss word

2010-04-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

We knew this was coming sooner or later as it does with pretty much all kids. Actually, I was pretty surprised it wasn't way sooner and way worse knowing Macy. I was vacuuming in the living room Sunday evening and, as she likes to do, Macy got out her little Dirt Devil to vacuum along with me. I guess it wasn't cooperating in going exactly where she wanted it to go and she was getting frustrated, so she busted out a "sh#$@!" Not once, but twice... just to make sure we heard it I guess since the vacuum was loud. Now I have to admit... even though that is one of those key moments where your kids are watching you to see how you react, it was really hard not to bust out laughing because she used it in the right context and everything! Then she lied when we asked her where she had heard that word... she said from her preschool teacher - right! So we had a talk and she got to spend some time on her bed thinking about it. Not sure how much good it did, she is a hard headed kid!

My baby is 1!

2010-04-04T20:50:00.016-05:00

I know I'm a little late with this post, but life gets busy and this blogging thing can suck up a lot of time.... and well, sometimes going to bed just sounds better than getting on the computer!
Anyway, Holden officially turned 1 last Wednesday and we had his party the previous Sunday. It is truly amazing to me that it has already been a whole year since we were introduced to our baby boy.

Mommy put the cake a little too close and I grabbed a finger full!

The blue evidence is on his chin, but now he's dumbfounded at everyone staring at him and singing... as well as the flame of fire... hmmm.

On his new Lightening McQueen ride.

Macy needed much more coaxing at this cake stuff than Holden, but I guess he's had more opportunities to practice than she did. He was practically dancing in his chair before I even gave him his cake, he loved diving right in!
Seriously, could he look any more innocent?

In heaven!!

Straight to the bathtub we went!

He is such a sweet, cuddly little guy, but is already starting to show an ornery side. He is the biggest momma's boy and starts to cry if mommy leaves his sight for even a second. Poor aunt Kathy is determined to be able to hold him without him crying even if bribery is necessary! This is all new to me as Macy was never much of a clingy child, but mommy doesn't mind.

He isn't walking just yet, but is doing everything else and getting into new things every day... such as unrolling the roll of toilet paper and splashing in the dog's water bowl, fun! He also likes to throw food down on the floor and watch the dog eat it. I figure that's a win/win.

At his 1 year check up he weighed in at 20lbs. 4oz. which I think they said was around the 14th percentile and he was 28.75" long. So.... he's growing, but he's still our little guy!

New photos

2010-03-22T20:50:00.008-05:00

I braved it and took both kids to get their pictures taken a couple weekends ago. It was just about as crazy as I expected it to be. Thank goodness mom came along (thank you mom!!) to help out while we picked the photos to buy. But the good thing is that it's over with and well worth it.

The four year old...

The almost one year old...

Bro and sis... while they still love each other!

Practicing for the big day! (sorry in advance for hurting your neck, I can't get some of the pics rotated)

MORE Tales from the Toilet!

2010-03-17T20:51:00.001-05:00

This first tale doesn't actually involved a toilet, unfortunately. On Sunday, Shanon and Brett spent the afternoon in our garage replacing the garage door opener and Macy was out there playing for awhile too. I was in the kitchen working on getting supper in the crock pot when Macy came in from the garage then headed directly out to the backyard. In a few minutes she came back inside and walked right up to me with a big grin on her face and exclaimed that she had just peed outside. It took me a second to process this, but once I did I immediately looked down at her pants and saw that they were soaking wet. She giggled with delight at my shocked reaction. I asked her why in the world she did that and she very proudly said she peed outside just like Brett!! So then we had to talk about how boys and girls are different (obviously, based on her pee soaked pants!). She was a little disappointed, but she still thought it was hilarious and proudly told Brett that she had peed outside just like him.

A couple evenings ago, I was getting stuff ready to give the kids a bath. After gathering pjs, lotion, diaper, etc. I returned to the bathroom and was just horrified when I saw Holden literally playing in the toilet water! I never even thought about him trying to do this let alone that he could actually reach it, but he proved me wrong by the looks of the mess he made on the seat. Thank goodness Macy had actually remembered to flush when she used it last!
Lesson #354: Keep the toilet lid down when not in use!

Tales from the toilet

2010-03-10T20:54:00.009-06:00

Here's a little PSA for what apparently could happen when you're on the toilet if you're not careful...

I'm a little late with this since it happened last weekend, but this picture just does not do her lip justice... it was huge. No one was with her when it happened. She was in the bathroom going potty, then we heard a thud followed by panicked crying. Shanon went in there to check on her (I was feeding Holden) and found her face down on the bathroom floor, pants to her ankles. He got her up and found she was bleeding profusely at which point he calmly called me in there. I tried not to freak out (which is what I would normally do at the sight of that much blood) because she was already freaking out. I checked and all her teeth were still in tact so I figured that was good. Anyway, later we asked her what the heck happened and she said she was playing with the shower curtain (the tub is next to the toilet and she can reach the curtain) and lost her balance, causing her to fall off the toilet and bang her mouth on the tub. Hmmmm... lesson to be learned: the toilet is not a playground!!

A pony party

2010-03-01T20:30:00.021-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated Macy's birthday with a party, My Little Pony style. I made her cake and although it's not as spectacular as last years, thanks to Betty Crocker I think it at least looks like a pony. Most importantly Macy was happy, mission accomplished!

Now daddy can say he bought his little princess a pony for her birthday!
Is this about as ornery as it gets or what!!!

Macy's face when she saw her new Barbie bike.

This thing even has a little bike on the handlebars for Barbie to ride on, how cute is that!!

Macy was super excited that Trystan was able to come to her party!

Holden really loved the cake and ice cream and didn't seem to mind that the icing was pink and got him all pink! He was practicing up for his party in just a month!

After everyone had left, Macy put her new Barbie outfit on and took her new bike for a test ride around the tables.

Happy 4th Birthday Macy... we love you and hope you had the best birthday ever!!

Almost 4 years ago...

2010-02-16T20:35:00.017-06:00

It's hard to believe that it's been almost four years ago now that our lives were unbelievably blessed with such a precious little angel. She has kept us on our toes from day one!

From such a tiny, helpless newborn to a big, very independent girl... where has the time gone!

We're preparing a special pony party to celebrate the occasion!

Good news and bad news

2010-01-26T21:27:00.007-06:00

First the good news... Holden finally started crawling on Saturday!! Shanon and I both got to be there when he did it for the first time which was really exciting. Proud papa had to call the grandparents and tell them the news. I had just made the comment that I wondered if the kid would be crawling by his first birthday, so I guess he showed me.

Now, the bad news. He had started getting a cold over the weekend and it got progressively worse: a bad cough, fever, and throwing up. So I took him to the doctor today and he has a double ear infection... the poor guy! So now he's back on the antibiotic we had such a fun time getting down him just a month ago. I fear that he's heading down the same path of dreaded ear infections that Macy is/was on. It's definitely not the worst thing a kid can have, but I hate being so helpless... having sick kiddos is awful!

Who are you?

2010-01-17T21:57:00.003-06:00

Macy's latest fun thing is pretending to be someone else. It started a couple of weeks ago when she decided she was 'Valerie'. If we called her Macy we got scolded and were told she was not Macy, she was Valerie. Apparently Valerie liked to wear sunglasses in the house. Another time she said that she is 'little Hannah'.... after Hannah 'ontana as she says it. The best was when she said she was Jake (in her best rough, male voice). 'Jake' said he had went campin' with his boys and they got lost in the woods. They ate fish and then they found a dragon and it ate one of them. Then Jake asked me to come along with them, to which I respectfully declined for fear of getting gobbled.

What a fun age... you truly just never know what may come out of their mouths next!

Miss Holden

2010-01-02T21:39:00.011-06:00

This is what happens when your big sister decides she has a little sister instead of a little brother.

She, I mean he, doesn't look too scarred does he??

Mr. Holden

2009-12-24T09:07:00.000-06:00

Other than the occasional cough and runny nose, up to this point Holden has been a very healthy little baby. He started running a fever Saturday afternoon and it was up and down all thru Tuesday morning. He wasn't acting too awfully fussy, but the poor guy just felt like he was burning up. Unfortunately, he does not take after his sister with how well she takes medicine (I now appreciate that she is/was like that!). We were alternating Motrin/Tylenol to try and keep the fever down and keep him comfortable, but this little guy just does not like medicine. He would see it coming and would literally pucker up his lips and spit it out. Or if I did get it in his mouth, he would gag and throw some of it up. Then you have the question of how much medicine he actually got and whether or not you should give him a little more. Anyway, I took him to the doctor on Monday and it turns out that he has an ear infection and probably an upper respiratory infection. So now we have antibiotics to get down him twice a day.... what a challenge that is! The only way I have found that works is to give it to him when I'm feeding him, so I sneak a little in between bites. He still gags, but most of it is going down!

Interestingly enough, I was giving Holden some Tylenol after leaving the doctor's office on Monday and I saw that he finally has a tooth coming in on the bottom, yay! The letter to santa asking for teeth must've done the trick! Then later that same day he also finally started getting up on his knees, he hadn't even been doing that yet. Now he is already on the verge of taking off. Now I'm rethinking my desire for him to finally start crawling! He also weighed 17lbs. 10oz. at his doctor appointment... my little man is growing!

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve! I am so excited to celebrate our first Christmas as a family of four. Having kids at Christmas brings back all the magic of the holidays that I remember as a kid. Our celebrations start tonight and last thru Saturday... the house will probably look like a tornado went thru by Saturday night!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

More Christmas stuff

2009-12-23T12:47:00.000-06:00

I've gotten behind, so this is my attempt to catch up...

Macy and Holden had their first Christmas program at daycare a couple weeks ago. As much as I like to think that Macy has star quality, this event only confirmed that she won't be the next American Idol anytime soon. I don't know if it was all the people or what, but Macy had a meltdown and was crying off to the side. Luckily her teacher was able to calm her down, but Macy pretty much stayed off to the side and didn't really do any singing to speak of. That's okay, I just felt bad for her. She did have fun though!

Macy showing off her antlers they made from her handprints.

Holden showing off his antlers... made from his tiny footprints.

Santa made a stop after the Christmas program, but Macy wanted nothing to do with him. As you can see, Holden wasn't so sure either!

We also went to the Breakfast with Santa event. I warned Macy in advance that this would probably be the last time that she got to see santa this year so she knew this was her last opportunity to let the big guy know what she wanted for Christmas. She didn't actually sit on his lap, but she did stand by him and even told him she wanted a baby doll for Christmas. Holden was really smiley so we were able to get a good picture - yay!

This was actually a spontaneous picture... we went to my dad and step-mom's after breakfast with santa and so I had my camera on me. How awesome is that... I was dreading trying to get a good pic for our Christmas cards this year!

My little present.

Then my other present decided that looked like fun, so she needed to do it too.

Then daddy decided we couldn't leave Lexi out.

God is in Effingham?

2009-12-22T21:13:00.003-06:00

Okay so I know that God is actually everywhere, but it caught me off guard yesterday when Macy asked me if God was in Effingham. We had just gotten back from taking Holden to the doctor there, so I assumed that's where it came from. Well then she says that Mary is there... I assumed she was talking about Mary from daycare and thought that was a little odd. Then she adds that Joseph is there too. That's when it clicked... she was talking about Bethlehem, not Effingham!

Santa Day

2009-12-07T21:14:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, I (with the help of my mom - thanks mom!) took the kids to Santa Day at Lincoln Trail. I had never been to this event before, but Macy really had fun. She got to make some ornaments, decorate and eat a sugar cookie, get her face painted, make some reindeer food, and have a balloon flower made for her. Oh, and of course we can't forget that she got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus too. She was all stoked about seeing the big guy, but of course when it was her turn she got scared and wouldn't even make eye contact with him let alone tell him what she wanted for Christmas. So I just plopped Holden on Mrs. Claus' lap and snapped a pic. I'm surprised she even half smiled in it.

Then later while we were doing the other activities, she kept asking about Santa and saying she wanted to see him. This is exactly how it went last year... all excited about seeing him until the actual moment arrives. Last year we were walking away from him when she apparently realized she better tell him what she wanted, so she yelled back to him that she wanted a baby doll. So far this year she hasn't been quite as specific in her Christmas request, she says she wants candy and toys. I'm pretty sure santa will be able to deliver on that!

Macy showing off her balloon flower and candy cane on her cheek. Neither lasted much longer after the picture was taken.

I'm really excited for Christmas this year... it is going to be so much fun with two kiddos!

I'm thankful...

2009-11-25T17:42:00.000-06:00

for a supportive and loving husband that is always there for me no matter what (even when I wreck the van!)

for two of the most beautiful and loving kids a mom could ask for

for wonderful friends and family
that no one was hurt in the accident (see previous post for info if you missed it)

for DVR... seriously, this is a life changing invention people!

for Netflix... Shanon and I have 'date night' every Friday after the kids are in bed thanks to this gem.

On a more serious note... I don't understand why, but God has and continues to bless me more than I deserve. It's easy to let the day-to-day activities get you down, but when you take a step back and think about the big picture, does all that really matter? This holiday I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and remembering just how much I have to be thankful for and to give all the thanks to God.

The curse of the van

2009-11-25T12:21:00.013-06:00

Well, I did it. On exactly the one month anniversary of purchasing the van, I wrecked it. Yep, yesterday I rear ended a car at one of the bagillion construction sites between Oblong and Robinson. Aside from being shaken up and severly embarrassed (thankfully no one was hurt), it got me thinking. I've only had this darn van for one month and so far:

After having it for a week, it died on me twice and had to be towed to Mattoon for the dealership to fix it. Apparently the fuel pump had come loose and was leaking fuel... can you say scary?!

Saturday morning one of the tires was completely flat, it apparently had a nail in it.

The accident yesterday.

A couple other fun facts:

The man that came to tow the van yesterday was the same one that fixed the flat tire on Saturday... of course he recognized me. I really wanted to melt into the pavement.

We had just increased our insurance deductibles a couple weeks ago since "we never use it anyway". Seriously, is somebody laughing at me up there?

Did I also mention that I was just coming off a two day migraine 'episode' and that I was headed from work to Newton to have 'Thanksgiving lunch' at daycare with Macy? Talk about a gynormous case of mommy guilt for missing that! I tried to make amends with a quick trip to DQ that afternoon. Surely she won't be scarred for life.

Maybe this van thing just isn't meant to be for me? Or maybe just this specific van is cursed? Either way, surely things can only get better from here on out! Embarrassment aside, I'm just very grateful that no one was hurt!

Joining the rest of the universe

2009-11-19T21:33:00.003-06:00

Alright already, I caved. I was really thinking about trying to be the very last person on the planet to join Facebook... then I found out that even my mom has a page and is in fact giving me updates about MY friends via Facebook. I love ya mom, but something is wrong with that picture. So.... between that and constant prodding from pretty much anyone with a pulse, I got a wild hair and decided to finally join Facebook. Crazy, I know.

So now someone needs to teach me what the heck to do. The word on the street is that 'the wall' is where it's at... whatever that means. Now somebody be my friend please!

Weight update

2009-11-18T17:42:00.000-06:00

I forgot to post an update about Holden's weight gain. I took him back to the doctor's office last week for a weight check since his growth had slowed down. At his appointment a month earlier his weight was 15lbs. 4oz. and this time he was at 16lbs. 10oz., so he's growing just fine. About a week before I took him back, he finally started eating more and I could tell he was getting heavier and fuller looking in the face. Several people have even commented lately about his double chin!

Unfortunately, now that he's eating more he has acquired a new problem... a going #2 problem. He's had a few instances of crying because it hurts and when he does go, it is usually hard. We never had this problem with Macy, so it's new to us. I've been told to give him Pedialyte, but he won't drink it. We have fed him prunes (yuck!), which he actually will eat, and that does seem to help. He also has a cold now, which not only means a runny nose, but also leaky eyes. So those sweet slobbery kisses now include snot and eye gook. You feel like you've just taken a bath afterwards, but really you now need one... gotta love it!

Say your prayers

2009-11-13T11:49:00.000-06:00

The other night we were all at the table getting ready to have supper when Macy announced out of nowhere that she wanted a new baby. Then she got more specific and said she wanted a baby girl named Megan... just like MacKenzie (her friend at daycare who has a sister named Megan). I thought it was funny and wasn't sure how to respond, so I told her that she needed to talk to God about that because babies are gifts from God. So then she decided to say the prayer before we ate. She thanked God for the food and various other things that I couldn't understand, then added that she wanted a baby sister named Megan, Amen. So cute.

She really is such a great big sister to Holden. She makes him laugh all the time and this morning she ran off with a tissue and I found her in Holden's room trying to wipe his nose because she noticed he was in dire need of being wiped up (he has a cold and both eyes and his nose are like faucets). Those two are really going to have some fun times together in the future!

Mouseketeers

2009-11-04T21:09:00.020-06:00

We had a Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Halloween this year.

Macy was super excited about Halloween this year. All month long she had been asking when it was gonna be Halloween and was practicing trick-or-treating with her friends at daycare. This was the first year that we actually went to houses other than just grandparents. She wasn't so sure about that at first, but once she realized they were all giving her candy, she was completely cool with it.

Later, we met up with Terry, Kathy, Trent, and Gracie and went together up and down the street at mom's. The kids had a ball (especially when Macy got to see her bud Payton Harris) and it reminded me of the good ol' days when I did the same thing with my cousins. Macy is already looking forward to Halloween next year and I think we probably have enough candy to last until then!

30 and a van

2009-10-26T17:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, I'm admitting that I turned the big 3-0 yesterday. Even more than that, I'm admitting that I am now the owner of a mini-van. As if entering my thirties wasn't enough, I had to go and relinquish any iota of coolness that my Camry with two kiddos in the back gave me. I don't think it means that I've "given up", just that I now see the value in having more space since the crumb catchers take up so much of it. I'm not sure that turning 30 and buying a van at the same time was the greatest idea I've ever had (where the heck did all those wrinkles come from?!), but hey, there are worse things.

So, the next time you see me crusin' in my green Town & Country with the windows down (one of the kids and/or Shanon probably ripped one) and the music cranked (probably rockin' out to a little 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' action)... just remember I'm still super cool!

Look alikes?

2009-10-19T20:50:00.007-05:00

Macy and Holden at six months... do you think they look much alike?

Half Birthday

2009-10-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

Holden is six months old now and getting cuter by the minute.

The latest:

He's a rolly polly little guy, making the trek from one side of the living room to the other.
He's still wobbly on the whole sitting thing.
He is babbling and squealing more than ever.
He's a belly sleeper. I put him to bed on his back, but almost always find him on his tummy in the morning. He's mobile enough now that I don't worry about it too much... plus he's sleeping thru the night more often now, so maybe that's the reason!
He is so funny when he gets excited, he gives a bunch of laughs/squeals while flapping his arms and rubbing his feet together... similar to what his big sis used to do. He is rarely sitting still, always moving and squirming around.
He still loves to giggle and his favorite source of entertainment is Macy. His eyes light up when she's 'performing' for him. You don't even have to tickle him, just do something silly and he will belly laugh if he's in the right mood... SO cute.
He's enthralled with Lexi (our Yorkie) these days and loves to watch her.
He is eating baby food now and so far is a huge fan of carrots and squash and insists on 'helping' mommy with the feeding. Often times I have to literally pry the spoon out of his hands so that he doesn't gag himself.

Some recent cute pics:

His six month check up was on Monday and he weighed 15lbs. 4oz. which puts him down to the 11th percentile. I was concerned that he hadn't been putting on as much weight as he was previously (at his 2 month check up he was over the 40th%) because he still isn't a big eater during the day at daycare. They told me to come back in a month for a weight check. Other than that, he's doing just great!

Here are a couple of other random photos. I had to throw in a rare pic of me and the kids... I need to do better with getting in the pictures.

Daddy and Macy had some fun with play-doh one day.

Preschool

2009-09-24T20:28:00.036-05:00

I know, I know... this is WAY late, but nevertheless my little angel started preschool last month and I still have the need to share, late or not. Unlike most of the other blogs I had read posting about the teary-eyed transition as their little one went off to school for the first time, Macy's first day of preschool was pretty much like any other day, plus a new backpack. She goes to preschool at daycare, so the 'big change' consisted of moving to a new room. She was disappointed when I told her she didn't get to ride a bus. Of course I'm okay with the lack of change because it makes it easier on me... maybe I'll save the tears for kindergarten!

I did get some pictures, but as you can see Macy was in her typical foul morning mood (I just don't know where she gets that from!) and wouldn't give up a smile to save her life. You'd think she was headed to a torture chamber... how sad are those faces! As you can see there's no fancy schmancy new school outfit for her... that thing would get trashed in a second at daycare! So hello hand-me-downs and garage sale finds! Dave Ramsey would approve anyway.

An important detail I didn't know about before preschool started.... it's in the afternoon. No nap + 3 year old = craziness Macy is a girl that really needs her naps (I don't know where she gets that from either!), so this has been a rather difficult transition. I think it was on day three... we get home and I unbuckle her and get her out of the car. She starts in with the whining and does the limp noodle thing and so I let her throw her little fit on the ground while I go around and get Holden and my other stuff and go inside. After I put everything down and let the dog out, I open the garage door and yell for Macy because I don't see her.... she doesn't answer so I walk out into the garage and see her still laying on the floor of the garage where I had left her to have her fit. I am not happy that she is laying on that dirty floor so I yell at her to get up off that disgusting floor and come inside. No response.

So I march over to her and this is what I find...

Yes, I found her asleep on the garage floor and yes I immediately felt guilty for yelling at her. Then I did what any mom would do, I got the camera. After snapping a few, I then carried her inside and put her in bed. She slept all night, thru supper, only waking to get a drink and use the restroom. We even had to wake her the next morning. That poor girl was tired! We haven't had any more nights like that, but we shoot for a bedtime of 7:30 now. This really makes the evenings fly by.

Macy really enjoys preschool though and feels like such a big girl. It is so cute hearing her recite the pledge of allegiance as well as some of the songs they sing at school. Who knew Miss Mary Mack would still be all the rage with the preschool set. Our little girl is growing up!

Benefit on Saturday

2009-09-18T11:23:00.003-05:00

I posted previously about Shanon's mom, Glenda, recently having a hysterectomy due to uterine cancer, so I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a benefit on Saturday (tomorrow) for her to help with medical expenses.

There are lots of things planned:

A meal at the Lion's Club in Noble, serving from 12-4pm.
A poker run in Clay City at the 111 Club, sign in is 11-12, leaving at 12:15.
An auction that evening as well as a DJ at the 111 Club.

If you're looking for something to do, come on out!

Pics

2009-09-16T17:23:00.008-05:00

Here are some miscellaneous pics that I thought were too cute not to share:

I thought this one was funny because it looks like he's trying to pose Macy's face... finally telling her what to do for a change!

Yet another pic of Holden with a "I'm not so sure about this mom" face.

Is it just me or does that face look ornery?!

My little man is turning into a big man so quickly these days. He's rolling all over the place and is already so squirmy on the changing table like he wants to roll right off! He is still such a good boy and has been giving mommy more sleep-filled nights lately!

Child abuse?

2009-09-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

Some may call this child abuse, I call it being economical.

It's really called child #1 was a girl and 'needed' pink things. Child #2 is a boy and inherited those pink things. I still think he's cute!

New Toy

2009-08-27T20:44:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Shanon went and bought a new toy...

I know, I was also surprised that it wasn't a toy for him! He actually first bought a bike seat for Macy, but upon trying to attach it to his bike, he learned that it wouldn't work. You see, since he is an avid bicyclist,complete with spandex shorts and everything.... okay I'm kidding, but for some reason he couldn't have just your regular old Wal-Mart mountain bike, he had to have a 'professional' grade bicycle that you can't attach things like seats for kids to ride in.... why think of the wind resistance that would create!

So anyway he came home with this bike trailer and at first I was skeptical, but after giving it a go myself (see below), I was impressed with how smooth it is. I could hardly tell I was pulling anything... unless you're going uphill.

I don't think Macy really understood what it was at first, but she really liked her helmet and after going for a ride, she really like riding in it.

So guess what else these fancy bicycles don't have.... kickstands! I know, I couldn't believe it either! Shanon asked me to help him by holding the bike so he could adjust something and that's when I discovered this. This makes it interesting to try and get Macy out of the trailer without dumping the 'fancy' bike over. I don't have a bicycle yet, but you can bet mine will be a good ol' Wal-Mart cheapie complete with kickstand!

4 months

2009-08-10T19:07:00.011-05:00

Yes, yes, I know this is late, but I figure better late than never. Holden is 4 months old, almost 14 lbs. and over 25 inches now. Although he has and can roll over, most times he still gets stuck on his arm. He recently discovered his voice and is making all kinds of loud, funny noises now. He is also noticing he has two feet down there and trying to get at them. We've put him in the Bumbo seat several times now and he seems to enjoy it.

I know I've said it before, but he is just so darn sweet. There is nothing better than when he is naked on the changing table and and I tickle his little belly... he is very ticklish and just giggles and giggles. He even thinks his sister is pretty funny most times.

We tried rice cereal this weekend and as you can see he decided we should wait a little longer before trying that crazy stuff again.

He has been sleeping better the past few nights, so mommy is hopeful that it will continue. He's really getting into that stage I just love where he is always doing and discovering new things and he's just so sweet that it's hard to not hug/squeeze/kiss part or all of him all the time!! Here's to four more months of loving my little man!

Bubby and Sissy

2009-07-23T20:03:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share some sweet pics of the dynamic duo. Macy has really started taking her role as a big sister seriously lately. On Saturday, she was making trips back and forth from Holden's room to the living room bringing toys to him which was very cute. She also always makes sure to notify me when he's crying (as if I hadn't already noticed) and she loves to cuddle up next to him in bed.

Can you tell they're related??

The white flag of surrender

2009-07-21T20:45:00.010-05:00

I give up! :)

There is just something about my kids that causes them to have a strong urge to suck, just not on a pacifier. Oh well... there are definitely worse things. I'm just glad to have my happy baby boy!

Some new 'Macyisms':

She crawled into bed with us Saturday morning and was apparently looking at the back of Shanon's head because I heard her say, "Daddy, your hair is getting white... you need to wash it." Poor guy!

Tonight I heard her talking about her right hand, so I quizzed her and asked which was her right hand, then which was her left. She pointed to the correct hand both times. Then she proudly pointed to her chest and said "this is my right boobie and this is my left boobie". At least she got it right I guess!

3 month pics

2009-07-10T07:26:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to Holden's three month photos taken by Amber:

http://www.photographicsgallery.net/p320544430

I think they turned out really well. There is one where he has a bubble on his mouth which looks so funny. The last one of him in the hat cracks me up too. He was such a smiley guy that evening... as soon as I put him in the seat, he just started smiling away for Amber. Maybe it's a sign that he's destined to be in front of the camera.... or maybe he's just a happy baby. :)

Christmas in July

2009-07-04T14:54:00.002-05:00

Santa came for a visit, complete with a white beard and everything:

I wasn't kidding when I said this kid is a bubble factory. I've been trying to get a picture that shows it better and he keeps giving me opportunities to do so.

I can't believe he is three months old already! I have to say that with Macy being born on the 1st of the month, that made it easy to determine exactly when she was three months, six months, etc. With Holden being born on the 31st, this is more of a challenge since several months don't have 31 days. So was he three months old on June 30th or July 1st? Or does he get to skip it and stay two months old?! Either way, since I'm late at posting, he's definitely three months old now.

Holden at three months...

The poor guy is definitely a second child. He's getting better at holding his head up, however it is no thanks to mommy giving him regular tummy time or any of that stuff you are meticulous about doing with your first. It's more like me being worried about him having a flat head from being in the bouncy so much.
It seems like he doesn't stop squirming other than when he is sleeping (and even then sometimes). The other night he was on the floor on his back and acted like he was going to roll over, he just needed to get his leg over and he would've had it.
It amazes me how he can sometimes go from being a really upset boy to a quiet, just chillin' out little man... as if he forgot why he was upset. This was a life saver the other night when I was trying to make supper.
The other night I caught him, red thumbed... er I mean handed. He was making a lot of noise in the pack n play, so I looked in at him and saw him sucking away at his thumb! I mentioned this to my mom and she said she had also seen him do this the other day and daycare confirmed the same... noooo! So he's figured it out, but I'm still going to do my best at cutting him off at the pass with a pacifier!

Being a mom can be so bittersweet at times... I love watching them grow and learn and discover things for the first time, yet I also wish I could freeze time and keep them this way forever. I find myself imagining what things will be like at this time next year. Holden will be walking, probably more like running, and getting into everything and Macy will probably start activities like tumbling and maybe swim lessons or t-ball. I have come to the conclusion that you never get used to how quickly time passes and how fast they change and all you can do is savor it and take in the moments as much as possible as they come because you never get them back.... also having the digital and video cameras nearby to capture these moments is wonderful because although we haven't watched many of the tapes yet, I know it won't be long and we'll be watching them and saying, 'oh I forgot he/she did that!' These child rearing years are probably the most stressful and chaotic time in our lives, but also the most rewarding and fulfilling.... thank goodness, otherwise we might not do it!

First Giggle

2009-06-28T21:38:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to share that Holden let out his first giggle on Wednesday... so cute!! I was changing his diaper when he did it, which really isn't that surprising since he has always seemed to enjoy having his diaper changed. I've gotten some really big, sweet smiles at the changing table the past few weeks! Anyway, he's only laughed a few times since then and of course I haven't been able to catch it on video or anything. He still dishes out the smiles though. I just feel so blessed to have such a sweet baby boy!

We love you daddy!

2009-06-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Daddy,

We love you so much and wanted to tell you just some of the ways you are such a great daddy to us.

You always make time for us even when you're busy.
You always shower us with tons of hugs and kisses.
You try to be patient even when we're both crying and your nerves are wearing thin.
You make even the dullest things loads of fun.
We always know you love us because you tell us all the time.

Thanks for being the bestest daddy ever!!!

Love,

Macy & Holden

Bubble boy

2009-06-20T22:18:00.002-05:00

Holden is quite the bubble boy these days. By that I mean he is constantly making little spit bubbles around his mouth... to the point of looking like he is foaming at the mouth! I haven't been able to get a real good picture of this yet unfortunately. You can see the bubbles in this photo, but this doesn't come close to showing just what this bubble factory can do!

I also wanted to post some more pictures and a couple updates:

I think this pic pretty much sums up the brother/sister relationship thus far. Macy with an excited, ornery grin and Holden with a 'get me the heck outta here mom!' face.

I think blue is his color!

Yes, I'm just that funny people.

A recent bath.

Falling asleep watching the game with daddy.

Macy loves her baby brother.

So sweet!

As I mentioned before, Shanon's mom had surgery on Tuesday and thankfully everything went well and the doctor said they removed all of the cancer. She even came home a day early and is recovering at home now. We are so blessed and thankful that they found this early and were able to get it before it spread. Cancer is such a scary thing and to think this is the second time for her to deal with it is even scarier. Thank you for the prayers!

So now I've got two whole days of work under my belt and it actually feels pretty good to get back into the swing of things. Of course, I am keeping very busy there with so much to catch up on, so the day flies by... that always helps! Holden did well at daycare... I'm so lucky to have such a good little boy! In fact, lately my lack of sleep has been due to Macy, not Holden! He's been sleeping until around 4am and then usually goes back to sleep after I nurse him. Well, the little miss has been coming into our room crying or climbing into our bed around 4:30/5am. Geez... and I was complaining when it was 6am! I'm wondering if I should start cutting back on her nap, so she'll sleep longer at night. I'm really not ready for her to give that up just yet though! I'm open for suggestions!

Back to the grindstone

2009-06-15T14:59:00.007-05:00

So tomorrow (Tuesday) I return to work. Part of me is actually ready to get back into that routine, but of course a big part of me is sad to leave Holden all day. Luckily, I'm starting back part-time, so that the transition can be more gradual. I'm already wondering how I'm going to get everything done... I feel like I do dishes and laundry all the time and I can't figure out where that's going to fit in the evenings. Shanon got me a small digital picture frame that can fit in my purse for Mother's Day, so I'm going to load it up with pictures so I can take it with me. I also realized that I don't have any 'bigger' fitting dress pants, so I reluctantly had to bust out the ol' maternity pants again so that I have something to wear to work. Hopefully that will be short lived!

Also tomorrow, Shanon's mom is having a hysterectomy performed in Springfield. The surgery is due to finding a cancerous mass in her uterus, so please keep her in your prayers.

Two months old

2009-06-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

My little man is already two months old! He is getting to be quite the chunk I must say. His well baby appointment was on Tuesday and he is up to 11 1/2 lbs. now! He went from the 18th percentile at one month to the 45th! He is also 23 inches, which is the 53rd percentile. Of course he also got his first set of shots - 3 sticks... that just never gets easier on parents does it!

He is such a sweet little guy... he's smiling a lot more these days and we 'talk' back and forth with cooing sounds, which I love. Lately he's really been focusing on his left hand and getting it into his mouth and trying to suck his thumb. Given that we already have one intense thumbsucker, I am trying to keep from having another but he struggles with figuring out how to suck on the paci. I've tried four different kinds. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!

Here are some pics from the last week:

He's definitely filling out!

I think he's workin' the bald look pretty well don't you? He just needs a hoop earring and you can call him Mr. Clean!

This outfit is from Kelly Richardson (thanks Kelly!) and he looks so cute in that hat!

This smile even comes with spit bubbles!

A swingset, the dentist, and a parade.

2009-06-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Shanon and his brother put together a swingset for Macy, which she was very excited about. Here are some pics of her enjoying it:

Macy had her first visit to the dentist last week. I had my teeth cleaned first so she could watch and get an idea of what this dentist thing entailed. She decided she needed a real close look, so while I was getting my teeth cleaned she climbed on top of me in the chair and was laying on me watching. She wasn't scared at all and did such a good job. She even told the dentist he had funny glasses at Kelly's prompting. Here are some pics from the momentous occasion:

Macy, my mom, and I all went to the Strawberryfest parade last weekend. Even though we got rained on at the end, it was worth it because Macy just had a ball. She was so excited when she saw it was starting and she did really well with listening and not running everywhere like a yard ape. She was especially excited later when she rode on a pony and jumped in the bounce house.

I also have to add another funny thing that Macy said to me this week. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but I was most likely telling her to stop doing something (I think that's all I say to her these days) and she said, "chill out mom". Crazy. She's such a funny little girl these days!

Catching up...

2009-06-05T11:00:00.007-05:00

As I promised about a million years ago it seems, I am posting some of the pics we had taken when Holden was three weeks old.... ages ago! These are all untouched, without any of the cropping or effects and I couldn't even rotate our family photo or the one of us holding him, so don't get a crick in your neck looking at those!

I'm working on a couple of new posts to catch up with what we've been up to. They will have more recent pics so you can see how much he has grown and changed in the past few weeks... he's getting heavy!

Say what?

2009-05-18T22:01:00.007-05:00

So the first few weeks home with Holden was what I'll call the 'honeymoon period' as far as Macy's behavior goes. Starting around week 4, her behavior went down the tubes and has yet to recover. Luckily the pediatrician had warned me of this, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. We use bribery as much as possible! Also during these challenging weeks, Macy has said things that I knew I would hear at some point, I just didn't think it would be so soon. It started with the oh so common, "It's not fair!". Then, on Mother's Day no less, she folded her arms and said, "You're not the boss of me mommy!" Then a few days ago it was "Fine, you're not my best friend anymore!" I can't help but blame daycare, how else would a three year old come up with this stuff?! Either way it cracks me up. We're just praying that her behavior will start getting better soon... Holden is definitely the easier of the two and he probably cries less than she does these days! Oh and no one told me that three's are worse than the terrible two's... the pediatrician told me that and I had no idea. She assured me that the four's should be better.... please Lord, make it be true. :)

Growing like a weed!

2009-05-08T14:41:00.032-05:00

Holden had a well baby checkup on Tuesday (he was 5 weeks old) and he is already up to 8lbs. 12oz. and 21 1/2 inches! I figured he was at least 8lbs., but not almost 9. He is finally starting fill out his 0-3 month clothes a little better. His eyes have also really turned a lot more blue in the past few days... we'll see if they'll be as bright blue as his sister's. Also, Holden gave his first real smile on Wednesday, how exciting!

I think I figured out the trick to getting him to sleep at night: s-w-i-n-g. Tuesday night I gave him a bath and then put him in the swing while I put everything away. He feel asleep in it and was still sleeping when I decided to go to bed, so I just carried it into our bedroom (it's a small swing).... and voila, a sleeping baby at bedtime! I think he slept 4 hours in that thing. This has pretty much worked the past few nights also which has been SO wonderful!! Unfortunately, I've had migraines the past couple of nights, so the swing has especially been a blessing.

Some pics...

A sleeping beauty:

From his first real bath:

Much better now!

Still a proud big sis:

Macy loves to squeeze under there too!

Still here!

2009-05-03T20:42:00.018-05:00

Yes, I know I have been neglecting my blogging duties... my only excuse is that when I do get a free minute, this just isn't the first thing on my mind lately!

So far being a mom of two kids has had its moments, but overall it has been just great! Thank goodness Holden is a good baby because Macy is probably doing more whining and crying than him these days! She hasn't been acting out specifically towards him or me, but I'm confident that her behavior is directly related to all the changes this little boy has brought to her life. She loves him though and when we took him to church the first time, she was already announcing to anyone that would listen in the parking lot that she had a new baby brother.

As I mentioned, Holden is a great baby... doing the predictable eat, sleep, poop routine during the day, pretty much without a hitch (yay!!). Now, the evenings are a little different... I have been spending 1 - 1 1/2 hours just getting him to sleep. See, he really likes his mommy, so he'll be sleeping away in my arms and the second I put him down in the bassinet, he's wide awake and crying. This is flattering after maybe the first or second go around, but then it's just frustrating. However, I'm still counting myself lucky if this is the worst part... Macy definitely cried a lot more.

Updates:

Maybe just flukes, but Holden has rolled over from his tummy to his back three times.

Macy was watching me change his diaper last weekend and he decided to show off with a pee fountain, which landed on her arm. She freaked and ran screaming and crying for daddy!

We finally got a swingset and Shanon finished putting it together last week. Macy was super excited!

We got newborn pics taken of Holden last weekend.

Macy now likes to feed her babydolls 'like mommy' which means lifting up her shirt.

I had my first post-baby migraine, which just was awful as usual. Thank goodness for my mom for saving the day and taking Macy to daycare and helping watch Holden... you're a lifesaver mom!

One day I heard Macy tell Shanon that she wanted a brownie. He told her she didn't need no stinkin' brownie (in a joking manner) to which she responded, "no, I want a nice clean one!"

Our dear friend Dan Baughman lost his year long battle with cancer. Dan was such a generous, caring man who had a big impact on my and especially Shanon's life as well as so many others. He is dearly missed.

I will post pics from Holden's photo session last weekend soon!

First holiday and more pics

2009-04-12T15:00:00.029-05:00

Today was Holden's first holiday! Easter was Macy's first holiday too... the only difference is that there was no pretty Easter dress this time. I did put one of his new outfits on and take pics though. We decided to play it safe and stay at home today since he's still so little. However, at his 1 week appointment he was already up to 6lbs. 5oz. and 20 in. so he's working on it!

Macy found all the Easter eggs!

Here are just some other random pics....

We got Macy some new princess panties and she apparently couldn't wait to put them on (she has two pairs on):

Some pics of the proud big sis:

Sponge bath time!

I keep trying to capture one of those big smiles he throws out while in a deep sleep and this is the best I got:

A sleeping angel:

Shanon went back to work on Wednesday, so that was my first day with both kiddos by myself. The day went surprisingly well! I'm not counting on that continuing though. Macy has started acting out somewhat, so I think that was just the calm before the storm! She is still going to daycare a couple days a week so that she has some of her old routine. It's ironic that just a few weeks ago she had starting saying, "I go to Busy Beez a lot!" Talk about mommy guilt. I assured her that things would be changing soon. By the time I go back to work, she'll probably be complaining about being home so much!

Announcing our new addition...

2009-04-04T14:28:00.012-05:00

Holden Dale

Born 3/31/09 at 1:11pm

6lbs. 2 oz., 19 1/2 in.

Well obviously things happened not too long after my last post! I woke up early Tuesday morning and realized I was having regular contractions. After an hour of timing them, I decided to wake up Shanon. We got to the hospital around 7am and the doctor checked me during his morning rounds. I was dilated to a 5, so he went ahead and broke my water at about 9am. After that, I progressed fairly quickly and was ready to push by 12:45. After less than 15 minutes of pushing little Holden was born. The doctor put him on my stomach and I was checking out how light his hair color was when I felt something warm (yes, my lovely epidural didn't work so well) and the doctor said Holden had just peed on me. I figure he was just breaking me in early!

He is just a perfect little man... he's so hairy I call him my little monkey. He has little stork bites/angel kisses on his upper lip, nose, and between his eyebrows just like Macy did. It really threw me that he has blonde hair though, you can hardly see his eyelashes. We came home from the hospital on Thursday and Macy is quite the proud big sister! She loves him to pieces (literally!) and can't get enough. The next few weeks should be interesting!

More pics...

The doctor actually took this one after he was born:

Macy meets Holden for the first time... do you think she's excited??

You can see his blonde hair here:

He may be little, but he has big feet:

We do know that his digestive system is working very well. He peed and pooped through 4 outfits AND receiving blankets our first night home. I only have a few newborn size sleepers so we had to put some 0-3 mos. on him which look just ridiculous. I picked him up last night and he had managed to get his entire arm out of his sleeper. He's got some growing to do!

Holy Dilation Batman!!

2009-03-30T21:00:00.013-05:00

So I had my appointment this afternoon. It was at 3:50 and my name didn't get called until almost 5:30... this made it interesting to try and keep my blood pressure under control! I also managed to make three trips to the restroom in that time, wow. Anyway, my blood pressure wasn't quite as high, but borderline. I had a lot of anxiety going into the appointment, so I was glad that it wasn't too bad. So then the doctor checked me. He asked what I was at my last appointment (exactly one week ago) and I said a 1. I thought he was going to say I was maybe at a 2, but no, he said I'm at a 4!! I think my response was 'holy cow!' I wasn't prepared for that at all, I was so focused on the blood pressure issue. Heck, I was begging for the epidural at a 4 last time, this is a breeze so far!! I'm 90% effaced and the baby is at 0 station... i.e. ready to rock and roll!! With the baby being so low, that explains the frequent trips to the restroom lately... I went another three times before we got home!

He said I could go into hard labor as early as tonight (obviously not so far since I'm typing this), but to come back on Thursday (if I make it that long) to see if I've progressed any further and to check my blood pressure again. If I'm doing okay at that point, then he'll induce me on Friday. So no matter what, this baby will be here in a matter of days! I keep having contractions sporadically (which I did before), but now I'm paranoid that it's actual labor and don't know it. I just don't want to get to the hospital late and miss my window of opportunity for an epidural... drugs are the critical part of my birth plan... in fact, it's the only part!! He still wants me to stay home from work, so looks like I'm officially done with that for awhile. Shanon is worried about my water breaking all over the place... we just had our carpets cleaned. He really wants me to wear Depends. I'm not kidding. Is that normal?

I had Shanon take my picture in the nursery today:

Here are some pics of the nursery:

You can kinda see the outfits we have picked to bring the baby home in in this one:

So.... stay tuned!!

Bored at home

2009-03-27T12:44:00.005-05:00

Here I sit in my recliner at home, surfing the net on my laptop and watching tv.... all day. Normally I wouldn't complain about such a concept, but it's harder than I thought to just do nothing! Let me back up...

As previously mentioned, my blood pressure was elevated at my appointment on Monday, so they had me go back yesterday to check it again. Unfortunately, it was up again - darn blood pressure!! So they did some bloodwork and a non-stress test on the baby, both of which came back just fine. There was no protein in my urine and when they took my bp again later, it came down. However, given my history of pre-eclampsia with Macy, the nurse practitioner wants to be cautious and told me to stay home from work today and Monday until I can see my doctor Monday afternoon and he can decide what the heck to do with me.

So, as I said, here I sit. It's harder than I thought to not give in to the urge to get tons of stuff done since I'm just sitting here and this baby will be here soon. I still have to pack a bag for the hospital! However, I also don't want this little one to come any earlier than necessary... so if I must be a lazy bum, so be it! On the bright side, I'm catching up on all the daytime tv I've missed since my last maternity leave.... since when did Maury turn into the new Jerry Springer?! Wow, these nutty people make octomom look normal!!

I digress... anyway, this can turn into a pretty serious condition, so let's hope all this relaxing does me good and all goes well on Monday!

Play the Baby B Guessing Game!

2009-03-25T09:31:00.006-05:00

I found a website where you can enter your guesses for the baby's birth date, gender, length, and weight so I thought it would be fun to see who is closest!

Go to this website to enter your guesses! This kid will be here before we know it, so don't waste any time!

http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyB2GuessingGame

Also, I had a doctor appointment on Monday and my blood pressure was slightly elevated, so they're having me come back on Thursday to check it again. I was told to relax with my feet up in the evenings... easier said than done with a 3 year old, but Shanon has been great with helping out. Hopefully it will be down tomorrow!

New Pics

2009-03-23T08:11:00.002-05:00

Check out Macy's new pics on Amber's website:

http://www.photographicsgallery.net/p59467421

I also got some maternity photos taken, but they are password protected. Only a select few will get to see my stretch marked belly in all its glory!

Duggars vs. Gosselins

2009-03-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it... the last book I read was the one written by the Duggar parents. Yes, those crazy people with 18 children. I got their book and also the Jon & Kate + 8 book for Christmas (thanks babe!) and still haven't opened J & K's book yet. The Duggar book was actually really good and had some good tips on parenting, organization, etc. I know the Duggar's get a lot of criticism for their highly conservative values and just for having so darn many kids, but I tend to find them rather refreshing. I mean, how nice is it to see a family with strong Christian values who live according to their own beliefs and not how society tells us to live? It really is such a rarity these days.

I watch both of these shows on TLC of course (I love DVR!!!) and I am becoming more and more complacent with J & K and how they appear to have become spoiled and changed by fame. I am less and less interested in watching them as they explore their new gynormous house and yard. Their show has become somewhat contrived, not to mention commercialized as they promote different products (how many times did they mention their new Whirpool washers and dryers?!) and of course their book. I used to relate to Kate and her neurotic tendencies, but anymore I just feel sorry for poor Jon who is constantly getting berated by her. Do you think his guy friends give him a hard time about being a wimp? Oh wait, he's probably not allowed to have any friends.

So back to the Duggars.... sure having such a huge family means that the older children have to help out around the house and with the younger kids, but is having responsibility really such a bad thing for kids? Seems like we could use more of that in today's world. I'm not saying these people have it all figured out, but it seems like something can really be said for the strong morals and values they are working to instill in their children. I feel like I can really learn something from these people. What I learn from J & K is that their children are not allowed in their bedroom or else they will catch the wrath of Kate and that they are not allowed to name their own pets for fear they might pick something childish... gasp! Now, if that darn Michelle would show even an inkling of being upset just once, I might be able to relate a little better to her.

But hey, at least both families were able to support themselves even prior to their reality shows and book deals... unlike a certain octomom out there.

Duggars vs. Gosselins.... my vote is for the Duggars. What do you all think?

God eats Twizzlers??

2009-03-16T12:35:00.006-05:00

Sometimes if I'm eating something that Macy thinks is exceptionally yummy and I'm sharing it with her, she'll adamently say "Don't eat it all gone, okay?!" She wants to make sure I don't inhale it without letting her have more.

Well on Saturday, Shanon, Macy, and I were in the car and I was eating a Twizzler Pull-n-Peel. She wanted some so I peeled off one and passed it back to her. She then said her usual, "Mommy don't eat it all gone", but added, "save some for God!". Hmmm..... she's either an angel for thinking of God or just using that as an excuse to keep me from eating it all!

Doctor Appointments

2009-03-10T20:14:00.015-05:00

I am officially 35 weeks today, holy smokes! I feel like I still have so much to get done and time is getting away from me. I had a doctor appointment today, which was fairly uneventful. He did check me and confirmed that the baby is very low (uh huh!!) and started to say that nothing was happening yet, but then changed his mind and said I'm dilated to about a 1. I had thought that maybe something was going on because I've been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions with some fairly painful cramping off and on. I had lots of BH contractions with Macy, but they were never painful. My pants are getting super uncomfortable because the baby is so low... I wish I could just wear my yoga pants 24/7. I also feel like a fat lady trying to squeeze into too small of tops, like my big belly is hanging out of the bottom. I now have more empathy for men with beer bellies... it's a lot of work to lug this thing around! Also, between frequent trips to the restroom, the ridiculous amount of effort it takes to roll over in bed and try to get comfortable, and Macy getting up a lot lately at night, the sleep thing has been eluding me.

Despite all of this complaining, I'm still not ready for this ride to be over! Even though this is my second time going through this, I still can't get over how amazing it is that there is a little life growing inside me and that it will soon transform us from a family of 3 to a family of 4. I'm going to miss feeling all these kicks and elbow drags and hiccups. However, I am so excited to see if this little one will look like Macy did and if it will have stork bites like her... not to mention finding out whether it's a boy or a girl! We are officially in the homestretch!

Last week I took Macy to her 3 year checkup. She is 33lbs. and 38 1/2 inches... 75th percentile, wow! She has always been around 5oth percentile or less in the past so she is definitely a growing girl! I had noticed lately that it really seems like she is shooting up and she has always been a pretty good eater. Her pediatrician commented more than once about her being talkative, which made me happy because she was a little slow in this area at first. She is definitely making up for it! The ped. warned me that about a month after the baby is born is when Macy will probably start acting out and that since I plan to breastfeed, she will choose that time to do it. Great! Well, at least I know what's coming. For any of you moms out there that have been through this and have advice, I'm all ears!

A Princess Party

2009-03-02T21:29:00.000-06:00

My angel turned three years old yesterday, wow! I just can't believe how fast she is growing up. What else should a little girl turning 3 have for her birthday, but a princess party?! Truth be told, the original request from Macy was to have a Lightning McQueen party, but I knew there was no way I could pull off that cake! She requests to watch either Beauty & the Beast (my old VHS tape from when I was a kid) or Sleeping Beauty most evenings, so getting her to go for the princess theme wasn't too difficult.

Now, I have made Macy's birthday cake for both of her parties up to this point, but they were a somewhat basic round layered cake and I thought maybe I could up the ante this year (aka my preggo brain got the best of me). I looked online for cake ideas and found a castle cake that looked fairly easy for someone of my skill level... or should I say lack thereof. But I couldn't just stop there, no siree. I had to do more searching, finding more castle cakes and more ideas. This generated yet more searching, on ebay, to find some princess figurines to go with the cake... shopping at Wal-Mart and CVS to get some clearanced Valentine's candy and princessy stuff for the little girls... then hitting Hobby Lobby when I decide I must also make the icing, which means I must get frosting tint instead of using good ol' food coloring (it suddenly wasn't up-to-par for this endeavor) and something called clear vanilla (who knew!) as well as some pretty paper to make flags for the cones. Yes, after Shanon and I looked at everything I had collected for this once relatively simple undertaking, I suddenly had a moment of clarity and we both busted a gut laughing at the fact that there was practically no way I was going to pull this off and we'd be frantically calling DQ to see if we could get a last minute cake.

Well, I don't know if God was looking out for me or for my poor husband (sparing him a total meltdown from a hormonal, pregnant woman), but somehow it all managed to work out (this doesn't normally happen for me people!). Macy loved her castle cake and princess party. When she woke up from her nap she was so excited to put her Cinderella dress on. She had tons of fun playing with her cousins, eating cake and ice cream, and opening all of her gifts. Grandma Glenda and Grandpa Richard got her a princess sleeping bag and she decided she had to use it last night, so I unzipped it and used it as a blanket on her bed. She apparently decided that wasn't sufficient because when I checked on her later, she had it on the floor laying on it and was also snuggling with her new Sleeping Beauty doll.

Here is the castle cake:

Here is Macy proudly displaying three fingers.
Everyone sang Happy Birthday and she suddently got really shy & didn't know what to do... definitely out of character for Macy!

Blowing out the candles... she did one at a time with multiple attempts, it was a lengthy process!

The three princesses: Gracie, Macy, & Hadley. The two on the right may look sweet and innocent, but I can tell you that later Shanon found them in the nursery jumping up and down in the baby's crib!!

A good time was had by all. Macy was happy and Shanon and I were relieved when it was all over. "And they lived happily ever after"... until I told Shanon we could be doing this all over again in a few years if this baby is another girl!

33 Week Appointment and Drawerings

2009-02-24T19:54:00.012-06:00

I had a doctor appointment on Monday and I was pretty excited because I was getting another ultrasound and I was anxious to see the baby again. Well, the little booger didn't cooperate and had its hands in front of its face, so we couldn't see anything. We literally walked away with two pictures, one of fingers and one of a foot. Nothing even worth posting. The tech did comment twice on all the hair it has and asked if I had heartburn (thankfully no!). I didn't even think about that showing up on an ultrasound. I guess maybe it was a blessing they couldn't get a better picture because even just the picture of the fingers was enough to cause Shanon to worry something was wrong... he actually asked the tech if the baby had warts or blisters on its fingers because they looked bumpy. Thank goodness only one of us is neurotic right?

Anyway, they estimated the baby's weight at 4lbs. 5oz. which fell in the 48th percentile, so everything is measuring right on schedule. The heartrate was 143. So far so good!

Macy has been quite the artist lately. She regularly uses her travel magna doodle (thanks Kashtyn!) to create these drawerings. Amongst her many creations are a lemon, a 'nake (snake), her friends (each a single line), a bear, a bug, and even a crib for the baby. I can't wait to see what she draws next!

Also, the other night Shanon was going to put Macy to bed. He said she walked into her room and accidentally stepped on a baby doll on the floor and huffed, "Dang it! tumbody needs to clean this room up!" Hmmm.... think she had heard that before??

They say it's your birthday....

2009-02-22T07:41:00.001-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YA!

HAPPY 32ND BIRTHDAY SHANON!!
I hope you have a wonderfully fantabulous day babe!!

Name Trouble

2009-02-18T12:24:00.001-06:00

According to the poll, most of you think we're having a baby boy. I find that interesting considering we're having a lot of trouble coming up with a boy name. This is starting to frazzle me a bit since last time we had the names picked out before we even started trying to get pregnant. Now here I sit, 32 weeks pregnant, and no names.

Don't worry, even if we did have the names picked out we still wouldn't be telling them. Someone gave me the advice to not tell the names we had picked back when I was pregnant with Macy. The main reason for the secrecy is to avoid negative comments if someone doesn't like the name. The hope is that if we tell them after the baby is born, when it is rather permanent, they will bite their tongues. Aside from that, it's just fun to have a secret and be able to announce the baby's gender and name after it's born. What a unique idea! ; )

We do divulge the middle names though since they are family names and therefore have special meaning (i.e. we don't care if you don't like them!). The boy middle name is easy, Dale. Both Shanon and I have that name running through our families.... his grandfather, his nephew's middle name, and Shanon's middle name. It's also my grandfather's name, an aunt's middle name, and a cousin's middle name. For the girl, I just can't convince Shanon to go with my mom's middle name, Pearl (sorry mom!) or either of my great grandmothers, Daisy and Flossie! So that leaves us with my middle name, Ann.

Anyway, as I was saying.... we're having a harder time this go 'round. We do have a 'backup' girl's name, but that's it. I need help people! Seriously, I'm starting to drive everyone around me nuts asking for suggestions. We don't want anything traditional (I'm scarred from always having at least 2 or 3 other Jennifers in my class), but nothing too out there either. Bring on the ideas!!!

You know it's time to get a smaller purse when...

2009-02-11T12:50:00.005-06:00

you're looking for something and come across an apple that you don't even remember putting in there. Wow, how does that even happen?! I think it's time to ditch the mommy purse!

The Big 3-0

2009-02-07T14:48:00.011-06:00

So I'm a little behind, but last week I hit the 30 week mark, wow! On one hand it feels like I've been pregnant forever, but on the other I'm not ready for it to be over soon. Everything has been going just great so far. I've been having some swelling, but I knew that would be coming. Still wearing the wedding ring so far! I told Shanon that this baby is probably going to have a major conehead because it just feels like it is already wedged into position. My next appointment is Feb. 23rd and they will do an ultrasound, so I am very excited to see baby B again and see how big it is now. Only a couple more months!

Ode to Steak 'n Shake

2009-02-02T11:56:00.013-06:00

I had the 3 hour glucose test on Friday and I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The drink had more sugar in it than last time, so I was rather nauseous after downing it, but I had a good 'sticker' so the blood draws weren't so bad. It felt like I was in the movie Groundhog Day because four times the same girl called my name and four times I walked back to get stuck. By the time I was able to leave, I was pretty darn hungry and don't think I hadn't already planned out where I was going to have lunch: Steak 'n Shake.

I considered just using the drive-thru to save time, but then I thought about how nice it might be to actually sit down by myself at a restaurant. It was shocking just how wonderful this dining experience was. I pretty much inhaled my yummy steakburger, fries, and cherry coke (the best!). Apparently all that grease wasn't enough to make me feel too guilty because I then proceeded to down a hot fudge sundae... but I had a coupon for a free one, so that makes it okay right?! I guess I felt like this may be a 'last supper' of sorts depending on the results of my glucose test, so I went all out. Needless to say, I walked out of the restaurant with a smile on my face and even more weight to carry around in my belly. Anyway, I got a call that afternoon from the dr. office saying my results were normal - woohoo!! I am VERY thankful for that!

On a side note, on Saturday Macy and I were laying in her bed reading a book for naptime and I noticed the baby was kicking a lot. I asked Macy if she wanted to feel the baby kick and put her hand on my belly. The baby kicked her hand a few times actually and Macy's eyes lit up in amazement, it was really neat!

'now Day

2009-01-29T20:48:00.008-06:00

The college was closed Wednesday due to the large amount of snow that was dumped on us. I was oh so disappointed as you can imagine. So I decided to take advantage and put Macy in her winter gear and play in the 'now, as Macy calls it. It was rather funny seeing her in all those layers and I feared I would get to live out that old Cosby Show episode where Cliff gets Rudy in all her layers of clothing and just as they're ready to go outside, she announces she has to pee. Luckily, that didn't happen until after we had been outside for awhile and she said she had to poop. I stripped her outside layers off and sent her inside while I took mine off. A few seconds later she opened the door and said she didn't have to poop... hmm. Anyway, she had a good time playing in the snow. My main duty was to pick her back up every time she fell down (which was often). It was kinda funny to watch her try and get up on her own, but I didn't torture her too long before helping.

Is that Macy or an eskimo marshmallow man?!

I've fallen and I can't get up! Where's a medic alert bracelet when you need one?!

While I'm mentioning some old school tv shows, Macy has a new phrase she likes to throw out there occasionally. We'll be at the table eating supper and talking and she'll cock her head and chime in, "Whachu talkin' bout Willis?!" It's really funny how she says it and I have to admit that this one actually came from mommy, not daddy. Seriously, can anyone tell me what show that is from? I'm thinking it's Diff'rent Strokes?

As far as my 3 hour glucose test... well, I've been trying to take it all week! I had rescheduled it for Wednesday due to the weather and then that got rescheduled for Friday. I'm just ready to have it over with already!

I Failed!

2009-01-25T16:37:00.000-06:00

Last Monday I had my 28 week appointment, which is when you get to have that fun glucose test to make sure you don't have gestational diabetes. That sugary drink actually wasn't too bad and I got to pick from three flavors, how exciting! (yes, I'm being sarcastic) I stuck with the standard orange flavor. Afterwards, I saw a physician assistant and she did the usual feeling the abdomen/checking the heartbeat stuff (the HR was still up around 150-160). The baby's head is still down, which I already knew because it already feels like it is really low.

So anyway, I hadn't heard anything from the office, so I figured I must have passed the glucose test.... wrong! I got a letter in the mail Thursday telling me that I failed it and to call and schedule the 3 hour glucose test. So I'm going in for that on Tuesday and yes it really takes 3 hours and I can't leave the office. They will take my blood 4 times.... how is a weenie like me going to handle getting stuck 4 times?! I still have the bruise from the first test. Not to mention worrying about the outcome..... I have little to no self-control when it comes to monitoring what goes in my mouth. So here's to passing on Tuesday!

Can I Get an Amen!

2009-01-21T09:00:00.006-06:00

Macy has been doing fairly well with not being too disruptive during church (as much as a 2 year old can). It always helps that we bring a couple books and things to distract her. The other Sunday she was getting ansy during a prayer. I told her that we were praying and that she needed to be quiet. She apparently thought the prayer was going on longer than necessary so she took things into her own hands... she stood up on her chair and yelled "A-men!" in the middle of it. Of course we were mortified, but everyone else thought it was cute and Macy ate it up when she got a few laughs. I tried my best not to laugh, but it was pretty funny.

Potty Time

2009-01-12T13:17:00.001-06:00

Ever since Macy decided to start going on the potty, she has done awesome and has had very few accidents. The only time she wears a pullup is at nighttime (the discovery that she could make it through naptime was simply by forgetting to put one on her when we were first potty training her). Around Christmas time, the pullup had really been bothering her and she would dig at it like crazy and want it off. I have since decided that this is possibly due to her needing a bigger size... so I guess that could be a strategy for encouraging them to try underwear!

So she announced that she wanted to wear panties to bed a couple weeks ago. I explained that she would have to go pee on the potty at night and that if she peed in the bed it would be on her and we'd have to clean it up. She decided she could handle it, so I thought we'd give it a whirl... daddy was skeptical. Early the next morning, I heard her yelling coming out of her room. Assuming she had wet the bed and was scared, I jumped up and ran to her (best I can these days anyway). To my surprise, she was totally dry and apparently was just afraid she wasn't going to get to the potty in time! We are so proud of her, she has been dry every night since then with only one exception, yay!! I'm pretty sure her bladder is twice the size of mine these days!

Also, one night we got out the dollhouse that grandma Connie and grandpa Jerry got for Macy and she was playing with it in the living room. Macy had the little girl doll 'go potty' and wash her hands in the little sink. Then she announced that she was going to go potty, so she shucked her pants and undies and stuck that little pretend toilet up to her butt!! Shanon and I were yelling 'No!' in between our laughter for fear that she was actually going to pee! She just cracks me up these days!

Rock the Vote!

2009-01-01T13:16:00.005-06:00

As previously promised, I have added a gender poll to the blog (see top right side of the page). Now that I'm getting bigger, the guessing has started so I'm interested to see what everyone thinks and in a few months we'll see who was right! I have been asked many times if I've done 'the ring test' and the answer is no. I don't really know how it works and I'm pretty sure there's no scientific evidence to back it up. Ironically, I'm not totally sure that the heartrate wive's tale is wrong. The baby's heartrate was 169 at 20 weeks if that assists with your guessing.

Okay, you've got the info and the belly pic, now vote!

25 weeks down

2009-01-01T12:35:00.001-06:00

I now have 25 weeks under my belt.... hmmm, haven't worn one of those in awhile. I thought I would post a new belly pic since it is growing at a rapid pace these days!

Macy wanted to be in the pics too and as if on cue, she also lifted up her shirt when she saw me do it so she could show off her belly too. Pretty cute I'd say!

Everything is still going well and progressing normally. The kicking has started getting much stronger and the elbows, feet, etc. dragging across the belly thing has started too. I love it when the baby is in a weird position causing my belly to be lopsided and you can see exactly where the baby is.... it freaks Shanon out!

Here is just a random pic I took of Macy the other night before her bath. As I was putting photos in the album yesterday, I realized I have lots of butt shots like this..... future blackmail material I guess!

A Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-29T15:10:00.037-06:00

As of last night, we are finally done with all of our Christmas celebrations. This year was even more fun than the previous years with Macy since she now understands things a little bit more. We sprinkled 'reindeer food' on the lawn and put out cookies and milk for Santa. Shanon and I made sure to drink the milk and eat the cookies (being a parent is tough sometimes!), but we left part of one cookie on the plate. Well, the next morning Shanon and I did a doubletake at the plate because the half eaten cookie was gone! For a split second I thought I heard a voice in my head say, "Yes Jennifer, there really is a Santa Claus".... then I realized our dog, Lexi, must have discovered and devoured it sometime during the night. Oh well.

Last week Macy and I made some Christmas ornaments.

Granny got the girls princess chapstick (it's red like lipstick) and here is what happens when you let uncle Jeff apply it.

Gracie, Macy, and Hadley... the three musketeers.

Macy with daddy and mommy at the Zumbahlen x-mas.

Next year's Christmas will be even more eventful with a new baby in the mix, I can't wait!

Macyisms

2008-12-22T21:47:00.005-06:00

Macy is definitely entering that stage where she is starting to say and do funny things... she cracks me up.

This past weekend the three of us were sitting down eating lunch when Shanon decided to ask Macy what she wants to be when she grows up. She immediately responded, "a horsie!"

Tonight after her bath, Macy was brushing through her wet hair (of course she wants to do everything herself) and she paused and said, "it's crunchy!". She had just started describing chips, croutons, etc. as crunchy when she eats them, so I guess she thought her hair sounded crunchy too!

Oh, and now sometimes after she coughs she says, "goodness sakes!"

I don't want to jinx it, but she has been behaving so well lately (this is after coming off a very bad streak). She is so loving and sweet... we are just eating it up while it lasts!!

Visiting Santa

2008-12-15T20:12:00.001-06:00

Macy has gotten to see Santa twice this holiday season. The first time was at the Santa Train (talk about a cold wait in a long line!) and the second was at Breakfast with Santa.

The Santa Train

Breakfast with Santa... can't you just sense her excitement?!

Both times she was very excited leading up to the event and we even practiced telling him what she wanted for Christmas. However, when it came to actually sitting on his lap and talking to him, she completely froze up! The last time, she waited until she was done and we were walking away to decide she wanted to talk to Santa. Too late sweetie! That's okay though, Santa in his infinite wisdom knew she wanted a Barbie doll anyway.

I can't believe Christmas is next week already, wow! Our Christmas shopping is basically done and the gifts just need to be wrapped. I haven't tackled that just yet for fear of a certain little person thinking they need to rip into them. I have the next two weeks off work though (I am SO excited!!), so there's time. Unfortunately, it won't include me lounging on the couch watching Oprah... I have a very long to-do list and I can't wait to finally start marking items off. I am also excited to spend time making Christmas cookies and candy. We'll see how that goes with a 2 1/2 year old who really likes to 'help'!

An early Christmas present!

2008-12-05T08:19:00.009-06:00

Congrats Kelly and Jeremy Richardson on the birth of baby Mallory!!!

She was born early yesterday morning (12/4) and weighed in at 5lbs. 9oz. and is 18 1/2 in. long.

You can see pics on her sis-in-law DeAnn's blog: http://lifeisgood4.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to meet the little bundle of sweetness! Makes me so anxious :)

Merry Christmas a little early guys!

Halfway there!!

2008-11-25T20:46:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I'm to the halfway mark already. It sure does fly by a lot faster when you're busy chasing a toddler around! I had my ultrasound on Monday and only had to wait an hour in the waiting room! (sense the sarcasm?) It went great though and the little dude was very active. The baby weighs 12 ounces and is right on track. We got a 3D photo of the baby's face (see below) and I have to admit, it somewhat freaked Shanon and I out! We only had the regular 2D photos with Macy and I guess we weren't bothered by our little skeletal alien baby. But to see the baby's actual face, wow! Of course Shanon is worried that it's deformed or that something is seriously wrong with it since it doesn't look just perfect (he also worried that Macy was going to have a freakishly big head because it kept measuring a week ahead, but she was just perfect!).

Side profile, the baby is facing down.

A 3D pic of the baby's leg and foot.

A 3D pic of the baby's face and hand.

Maybe what actually freaked us out about this last pic is the fact that the tech had to erase part of the baby's arm so we could see its face. Notice the hand appears to be floating!

Oh, and nope, we opted not to find out the gender of the baby. We didn't find out with Macy either. Although part of me would like to know, I think it would be like opening your present before Christmas and I would wish I had waited. However based on my last pregnancy, I know all of you will have opinions on what we're having anyway so look for a poll coming soon!

Third time's the charm.... let's hope!

2008-11-19T20:54:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Macy has had chronic ear infections since she was about 7 or 8 months old. She got her first set of tubes in July 2007, which promptly fell out about 3 months later. So we went in for set #2 this past February and the doctor also removed her adenoids, hoping this would help as well. Again, one of the tubes fell out about 3 months later. She made it just fine throughout the summer without any problems or anything, so I was hopeful that she wasn't going to have problems anymore. Wrong!

Macy had a regular follow up appointment with her ENT doctor last Wednesday. I was somewhat anxious for him to take a look because the previous couple of weeks she had been acting like they might be giving her trouble again. The right ear that still had a tube in it looked great. He had me look in her left ear, it was full of pus - lovely! So we scheduled another surgery to put a tube in that ear for two days later, we didn't waste any time! She did just fine, it was somewhat of a breeze actually with the exception of the ridiculous stickers they put on her chest to monitor her during surgery. I had forgotten all about those until we were putting her clothes back on and I saw them. She screamed and cried so hard when we took them off, she hadn't cried at all to that point. After it was done I saw why, one of them left a big purple bruise. Geesh, do they really have to be THAT sticky?!! Anyway, all was good when they gave her suckers on our way out.

Oh, and we also finally moved Macy into her new bedroom over the weekend. She was excited, but you could tell she wasn't too sure about it either. She did great though and now we can think about putting the crib back up in her old room which will be baby's room. I think getting that set up will start making it all seem more real!

Veggie Tales Live!

2008-11-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

When I saw that Veggie Tales Live was going to be at the Rosebud Theater in Effingham, I knew I wanted to take Macy. I thought she was old enough to really have fun at something like that and possibly be captivated (aka not running around or whining)most of the time. So I got some pretty decent tickets, in the center section about 10 or so rows back. Now we do have a couple of Veggie Tales movies, but Macy wasn't really interested in them before. Me with my quick thinking decided to bust them out again the weekend before the show (which was last Monday, the 3rd) so that she would at least recognize the characters.... I mean vegetables. So off we went on Monday and we had been talking to her about it so she was really excited (although I'm not sure she really knew what exactly she was excited about at that point). So we get in our seats and it starts. She just sits there and stares, not sure what to think. This lasted most of the first half, but then by the second half it was a different story. To say she was having a great time is the understatement of the year! That girl was crazy - literally bouncing off her chair, clapping, jumping up and down, etc. Shanon and I were just cracking up laughing so hard because while all the other kids were sitting calmly in their seats, ours wouldn't stop jumping up and down because she was so excited. It was really sweet... especially condsidering the show wasn't over until 9pm and her normal bedtime is 8pm, plus since we had just changed the clocks back an hour it was really like 10pm to her. Needless to say, she totally crashed in the car on the drive home. All in all she had a great time and I think it was money well spent, thank you Veggie Tales!

Macy with her newly acquired Bob the Tomato.

Just before the show started.

Trick or Treat at the Trail

2008-11-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

Lincoln Trail College (my employer) hosts an event each Halloween called Trick or Treat at the Trail. The whole place is decorated (even the stacks in the library) and you bring your kids all dressed up and and walk through the college and trick or treat the different tables set up along the way. It was a lot of fun and more importantly, it's free! Then you can eat in the cafeteria and get free balloons and popcorn. We didn't bring Macy last year because I didn't think she was quite old enough to really even care, but this year was a different story. For those of you that know Macy, you know she is rarely speechless, but as we walked along and there were people dressed up and so many different things to look at, she didn't utter a word the entire time and only stared in awe. She had practiced saying 'crick or creat' so well that morning darn it! Of course by the time we were done and sitting down to eat, she was so wound up that she wouldn't sit still for longer than 2 seconds. Here are a couple of pics from the evening... yes, I dressed up too, as an escapee from Robinson Correctional Center(just around the corner from LTC). Thanks for the photos Danelle!

We also Trick or Treated the grandparents the following night, which Macy enjoyed too of course. This involved her wearing the Cinderella dress most of the night, so it wasn't long before she had a big hole in the toe of her tights, grass stain on her knee, and a rip in the hem of her dress. Not exactly a dainty little princess, but a darn cute one!

On the new baby front... after we got home the evening of Trick or Treat at the Trail, I finally got Macy calmed down and to bed and plopped down in the recliner for a little while before I went to bed. I felt something in my tummy and wondered if it was the baby. I've had little twitches here and there, but haven't been sure if they were the baby or not. So I waited and sure enough, I felt it again in the same spot! The baby must have been wanting to take it's turn not being able to sit still because it kept kicking several times after that. I was really excited because this is probably the thing I missed the most about being pregnant, not to mention that it is really reassuring knowing that the little booger is doing okay!

Pregnant lady with narcotics... and I'm not afraid to use them! Okay...so maybe I am!

2008-10-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

So I had my 16 week appointment on Monday, which was pretty uneventful (yay!). I had a headache at the time, which reminded me to ask the doctor about safe medicines to take for my migraines while pregnant. For those of you that don't know, I periodically get migraines to the point of vomiting all day and/or night. I have already had this happen this pregnancy and it is horrible normally, but especially so when you have precious cargo to worry about. I was seeing a neurologist while pregnant with Macy and she prescribed Reglan, which was primarily just for the nausea. I mentioned this to my doctor, so he gave me a script for that, but he also gave me one for oxycodone (I think this is the correct name), which is a narcotic. I was like, 'Huh?? You're giving me what?!' He assured me (more than once) that it is completely safe for the baby and I won't get hooked on it or anything. So I think, okay, maybe taking narcotics is better than getting sick. So I go to get it filled at the pharmacy and they need my social security number due to it being a controlled substance, which freaked me out a little and then when I mentioned that I'm pregnant, they seemed a little alarmed. The pharmacist told me to only take it if I have to. Great, so just when I start to feel okay about it, they have to go and worry me again! Hmmm... to take the drugs or not to take the drugs, that is the question!

A princess it is

2008-10-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago I started thinking about Halloween coming up and I thought Macy might be old enough to help pick out her costume this year. So I told her Halloween was coming up and that she would get to dress up. I asked her if she wanted to be something girly like a princess or Tinkerbell or if she wanted to be an animal (since she loves them) like a monkey or something. She said she wanted to be an 'epelant' (elephant). I thought great, can't you pick something easier?! So I would check in periodically after that to see what her answer was and it changed to a 'lion, roarrrrr!', then finally to a 'tiger, grrrrr!'. She settled on a tiger and that was her response each time, so I found a tiger costume online. Before I went ahead and bought it, I asked her one last time what she wanted to be for Halloween and this time her response was a princess! Not just any princess, a BLUE princess! I didn't prompt her at all, so I'm thinking this answer must've come from daycare, but I'm going with it. So.... Cinderella it is! The only problem now is the smallest Cinderella dress we could find is still pretty big on her, so I may have to bust out the safety pins!

2 1/2 year photos

2008-10-09T12:19:00.001-05:00

So I wasn't originally planning to do any more professional pics of Macy until she turned three, but I wasn't that happy with her two year pics. So I threw caution to the wind and got more photos taken. Of course, the day of the appointment I pick Macy up from daycare and she apparently had decided to pretend she was pigpen and was covered in dirt and had a layer of sand and dirt caked on her scalp. I tried my best to get it out with limited time, so her hair is somewhat disheveled in some of the pics, but hey... that cute face makes up for it right!

Here is the link to Amber's website to view the photos:

http://www.photographicsgallery.net/p644484176

There are some cheesy ones because I made the mistake of telling her to smile a few times and you know how kids at that age whip out some crazy, contorted face that they think is the best smile ever. Luckily, there are some really good ones too!

New Due Date & Skid Marks

2008-10-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

I had a doctor appointment Monday and got to hear the heartbeat again, which is always reassuring. However, I was pretty confident everything was still okay because I have really been starting to feel different (pregnant) lately. So among the many questions on my list for the doctor was what my official due date is since all three ultrasounds measured ahead a few days. He said they will go by my ultrasounds, so my new due date is April 14th. He laughed at me because I was excited by this because it makes me feel a little better about my already expanding belly!

The funniest thing happened Monday night (at least I thought it was funny). Macy was just in her underwear and Shanon was on the floor playing with her. For some reason most parents seem to have an obsession with kids' tushies.... at least in my family anyway! They're just so irresistible and with her in underwear now, it's hard not to squish it all the time. So Shanon apparently had that urge, but afterwards he looked at me and made a comment about her stinking. She had pooped earlier and he had wiped her (which was a new endeavor for him) so I asked if he wiped her good and he said he did. I said well maybe she went at daycare and they didn't wipe her good or maybe she had 'sharted' (you'll know what this is if you've seen the movie Along Came Polly). So I did the ol' skid mark check in her undies and about fell on the floor laughing so hard because there wasn't just skid marks in there, someone had laid rubber!!!! SO funny. I'm not sure at what point the rubber was actually laid, but when Macy saw my reaction she had to see for herself of course so she examined them and thought it was hilariously disgusting. Ahh, we're such a gross family!

Macy's New Shirt & Potty Training Success!

2008-09-24T21:34:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, we got a new shirt for Macy... (be sure to read the fine print!)

I dunno, does she look like she's excited or not?!? I guess it kinda goes with the shirt! Anyway, I'm due April 19th and we are, of course, super excited! We put this shirt on Macy when visiting family and it was interesting to see how long it took them to read it (some needed a little prompting and others had to bust out the bifocals!) It was a fun way to let everyone know. Anyway, I did have problems with spotting, so I've had three ultrasounds already, but everything looks great and the baby was even measuring 3-4 days ahead. I still can't get over how loud and strong the heartbeat is on something so itty bitty! I have been surprised by nausea and fatigue in the mornings and evenings since I didn't have any with Macy. It's not fun! Hopefully I only have a week or two of that left. I'm looking forward to another spring baby and Macy will have just turned 3, so I think it will be great.

The weekend that we started telling everyone also happened to be when Macy decided to finally get potty trained - double bonus!! She's doing awesome with it and is very proud to show off her big girl panties (she literally pulls down her pants and shows everyone!). Her favorite phrase lately is "I not poopy!" because she's so excited that she didn't poop her pants that she must proclaim it periodically. She's also somewhat obsessed with the fact that our dog, Lexi, poops in the yard. She discovered this a few weeks ago and she immediately had to run to daddy and inform him that Lexi poops in the backyard. She will randomly mention that Lexi poops in the backyard, just in case I forgot.

On Saturday, we went to the Fall Festival parade and it was so much fun. Macy was literally jumping up and down clapping when she saw it was starting, she was sooo excited. I had explained to her that I would hold her bag and she would get the candy and put it in the bag and man... that girl was all business with her candy retrieval duties!! I guess she just knows not to mess around when it comes to candy! Afterwards she went on a pony ride too, which she didn't want to end because she loves "neigh's" as she calls them. She is at that age now where she is really enjoying things like this so much and it makes me enjoy them that much more. Oh how sweet it is!!!

6 years?!?!

2008-09-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

Really?? Has it been that long?! Sunday was our wedding anniversary and on one hand it's hard to believe we've been married that long, but on the other hand I can't imagine it's ONLY been six years?! (just kidding sweetie) We didn't do anything special to celebrate, just hung out. Per Shanon's rule, we didn't even exchange cards... I'm pretty sure that's simply to avoid the possibility of forgetting (even though the date is inscribed in his wedding band for that exact reason).

It's amazing when I look back at where we were then and where we are now... we have been very blessed in our life together and I can't imagine it getting much better. Here's to another six years, love ya babe!!

St. Louis Trip

2008-09-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer, we took a trip to St. Louis for our first 'family vacation'. We went to the zoo, Grant's Farm, the Magic House, and of course did some shopping. As expected, Macy absolutely LOVED seeing all the animals and really had no fear when it came to getting up close to them.

We went to the zoo first, it was a HOT day!! Here are some pics:

Next we went to Grant's Farm, which I was really impressed with since I really had no idea what to expect. You could get closer to the animals, which was neat. Macy got to feed baby goats from a bottle, which she really enjoyed. We first went inside the fenced in area to feed them, but they were literally jumping all over her for the bottle (which amazingly didn't faze her), so we quickly decided feeding them from the other side of the fence was a better option!

Drum roll please....... this next pic is my fav from the trip. I prefer to believe that the camel was giving Macy a kiss as opposed to possibly thinking she would be a tasty snack!! Did I mention that animals were much closer at Grant's Farm than at the zoo?!!

Our last stop was at the Magic House which was a little crazy with all the kids running around, but there was a lot of stuff for Macy to check out and try, so she had a great time.

Here is a great pic of Macy and daddy during the trip:

All in all the trip was a success and we will definitely be doing it again!

Woohoo, I did it!!

2008-09-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

Wow, if I can do this blog stuff then anyone can!! So I decided to follow in the footsteps of some friends and start a blog to keep in touch with friends and family. Plus, I love any opportunity to talk about and show off Macy. She's getting so big, it really is amazing how quickly they grow up! Our current focus is potty training. She is going on the potty, just not all the time. Hopefully, this will be conquered soon and next on the list will be tackling her thumb-sucking. That is going to be one heck of a battle, so if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears!!

Anyway, here are some pictures of Macy from this summer:

I plan to try and post every week or two with the latest and greatest with our family. Hopefully I'll get more recent pics posted and maybe I'll get adventurous and try and post a video! We'll see!