Good-Bye 2011, Hello 2012

I am on a roll! Two posts in a row? Wow.  The New Year is just right in front of us, isn’t it?

This year has been a pretty great year for us.  We’ve made so many great memories with our boys-big moments as well as little moments. From our summer vacation to St. Thomas to watching Michael perform in his school play.  

This is also the year that we had some stability (as much as you can have when you are expecting a new human being to join your family).

We have lived in our house for over a year and we are loving it.  We are sure that we will be in this house long term.  We love the city that we are living in so there’s no reason to move anywhere else.  That’ really the foundation of stability, isn’t it – knowing where you will be living long-term?

And last, but not least, we welcomed our third boy to our family. We adore him. There are no words to describe what a treasure he is to us.

So, thank you, 2011.  We will look back fondly on you and look forward with much hope that 2012 will be just as great or even better! Happy New Year!

8 Weeks and 1 Day!

I have not been very timely in posting pictures of Mark.  My plan was to post something each week but that obviously has not worked out. I'm really trying.  We have his 2-month check-up on Tuesday so I'll have the most current stats then.  Hopefully, I'll be able to post them with some pictures.

8 weeks and 1day old

Christmas 2011

Christmas has come and gone in a blink of an eye.  This time of the year always goes by so quickly.  Way too quickly.

We spent this Christmas at home and later went to have Christmas dinner at Grandpa’s and Ms. Jennie’s. 

The kids had a great time opening their presents in the morning with Elfie watching from his perch on the coffee table and Mark observing from his new bouncer. 

My three little men

My best Christmas gift ever!

So cute

 

Putting together the Millennium Falcon

 Daddy having fun "helping"

Lots of Legos this year

Catching Up!

Urgh, it's been awhile since I've posted.  There's so much to catch up on, but Little Man constantly needs attention.  He wants to the be held all. the. time.  Even when he is fast asleep, the minute we put him down, he opens his little eyes and starts crying.  I remember vaguely that Matthew was the same way.  I'm hoping he grows out of this soon.  It's frustrating.

It's Christmas Eve already! The kids got to open a present each this morning.  They each got a Star Wars lightsaber and were battling it out this morning.  Cute!

Last week, we drove to San Antonio "Hill Country" for a little mini-vacation. There's no way to pack light when you have  6-week old with you.  All in all, we did pretty good.  The boys had a good time - the got to swim, go on the watersides, played with some other kids they met the resort, and ice skate on a synthetic ice rink (plastic sheet covered in wax).  It was  nice little break from our routine or lack of routine back at home.  We stayed at the Westin La Cantera and the JW Marriott (love this resort). The lobbies were so beautifully decorated.

Beautiful fireplace and mantle in the Westin La Cantera

Gingerbread village at the JW Marriott

I wanted to go all out with the Christmas decorating this year.  I really had high aspiration since I knew that I would be maternity leave and thought that I would have so much time.  Boy was I ever wrong! Even as I'm typing, I know the meter running. With that in mind, this post is a catch all post.

Here's some stats on Mark:

Age: 7 weeks
Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz. up from his 4-week weight of 7 lbs., 11 oz.
Length: Did not get because this was not a well baby visit.  He was at 21 inches on his 4-week visit.  He's probably grown another inch since then.
Feeding: Mostly formula now.  About 3-4 oz. at about every 3-4 hours
Sleep: Not through the night yet.  Wakes up about every 3 hours for feeding. Will rarely nap unless he's being held

Misc: Belly button fell off on 11/13/11. Circumcision ring fell off on 11/14.  First bath on 11/15/11 at 9am.  He loved it and did not cry. He is the most calm right after bath time.

First smile: 12/12/11-right in time for Christmas!

First Soccer Tournament

Is there such a thing as falling behind on blogging about the events in your life?  If there is, I’m there.  So many exciting things have happened in the past few months that I have not had the time and energy to record it all. 

One of the things I haven’t really written about is Michael’s new soccer team.  He’s been playing for a new Academy team and doing really great on it.  These boys are so good!  They’ve only lost a few games since they’ve started the team. The exciting thing is that Michael is playing as well as the other boys on the team and he seems to really like playing with his new teammates.

Last weekend he participated in his first tournament with his Odyssey team in McKinney.  I didn’t attend the first day because there were three games, and I would have had to take Mark out with me to the fields for 12 hours.  I didn’t think I would be able to handle it. They won all three games.

On Sunday, I went and saw both games.  The first game was to determine which team would play for the tournament championship.  Odyssey lost in a shoot-out, which should not have happened because they should have won 2-1.  The referee was pretty much an idiot and did not see the 2^nd goal that one of our boys scored. When the game ended, the score was 1-1 and our team lost by 1 point in a shoot-out. So instead of playing for the championship, the team had to settle for playing for third place, which they won. Oh well.  I don't mind the third place, but I just felt like they were cheated.

Baby Stats

We went in for our first follow-up on Monday (11/14/11) when Mark was 1 week and 4 days old. At this point he was back up to his birth weight of 7 lbs 11oz.  When we were discharged from the hospital, he was at 7 lbs and 4oz so I was very happy that he was putting on weight.

Our 2nd follow-up visit was on Tuesday (11/22/11). Mark was 2 weeks and 5 days old. He gained over a pound, putting him at 8 lbs and 12 oz. He only gained an inch in length - 21 inches,

What a relief for me to know that he's getting enough food.  However, I was told to eat another 300 calories so I don't make skim milk.  My body definitely does not belong to me anymore. Additionally, I'm to cut out dairy completely to see if it reduces gassiness for Mark. This breastfeeding thing sure is not easy, but it's suppose to be best so i'll continue with it for as long as I can.

Title Change = Life Change

As you have noticed, I have changed the title blog a little.  I knew that our lives would be forever changed going from two to three. It has not all been easy, but it is worth it. This time around, I'm a little more prepared and I'm definitely a lot more patient.

This time around, I think both M and I cherish the moments more.  We're able to enjoy the experience with a more mature perspective.  Not to say that we cherished the experience with Michael and Matthew less.  It's a different experience now because we are at a point in our lives where we are more settled.

I can't believe it has been three weeks since my little Mark joined us.  I will write the birth story when I have more time and energy.  For now, it's sufficient to say that there are no words to describe the feeling I got when I first laid eyes on him.  It was one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had.

Welcome to the World, Mark!

First Meeting

Mark's Birth Announcement

Welcome Monogram Blue Birth Announcement

Announcements for every life event: graduation, wedding & baby.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Halloween!

Today did not start off very well. I accidently backed out into M’s car. I messed up my bumper and tail lights and the side of his car has a huge dent on it. I’m so mad! I don’t know what I was thinking. I knew his car was parked behind me and I have the back-up sensors on my van. I guess it all didn’t come together in my brain. There goes $2K…

On a happier note, the kids had a great time trick or treating last night until they got home and Michael had a mini-meltdown. He got upset because he didn’t get to watch his show after his shower. Then he got upset that he only got to keep 10 pieces of candy. What’s the point of going trick or treating when he only got to keep 10 pieces? According to him, “This is the worst Halloween ever!”

My Little Ninjas - Pre-Halloween Meltdown

False Alarm

I really thought I was going to have a baby today. This morning at 4, I started to get pretty strong contractions regularly. By 6 in the morning, I was getting them almost every 10 minutes and at about 6:30, it went to every 20 minutes. At about 7am, the contractions stopped. Bummer. I was so ready to have my little man. Oh well. I just hope he doesn’t decide to come when M is away in El Paso.

I took Friday off because the boys had a book parade at school and I wanted to be there for that.  Surprisingly, I convince M to come along and watch teh boys in the parade. Matthew dressed up in his ninja costume as Flat Stanley from “Flat Stanley and the Japanese Ninja Surprise.” Michael went in a striped shirt and shorts as Greg from the “Wimpy Kid Diary.” It was nice and simple.

Since I had the day off, I also went and had lunch with my little men. McDonald’s for both!

Lunch with my little man

Lunch with my other little man

38 Weeks!

I am officially 38 weeks pregnant. My aches and pains have inexplicable gotten a little better. Maybe Mark has dropped? I don’t really know, but I’m very thankful that I don’t feel like crying every time I have to move around.


We are so ready to meet this little man. I think Matthew is the most excited. He kisses my belly every day because Mark is in there. Not only does he kiss my belly, he likes to lift my shirt up to kiss my bare belly. I’ve had to tell him that he can’t do that when we are out in public because, frankly, no one wants to see my big, bare belly.

We have 8 more days to go. I’m still not sure if I’m ready to not be pregnant anymore. I love being pregnant. I love feeling my baby kick and move around, but at the same time, I can’t wait to hold my little one and kiss him, smell him, and just be with him.

We got a couple of pictures of his face last Thursday and it looks like he has some really chubby cheeks. Dr. says he’ll be about 8lbs, but I’m hoping since we are inducing a week early, he will be a little bit smaller than that.

A couple of stats from my last visit – heart rate was 142 and my weight was 162. I still gained over 40 lbs, but I think it’s better than my previous pregnancies.

We have another weekly appointment with Dr. New tomorrow and M will get to be there again. Hopefully, we’ll get another peek at his chubby little face. Yay!

38 Weeks and 1 Day.  Photo by Matthew Fisher

Pumpkin Farm Time

What did we do this weekend? Less soccer than I thought we would have. In fact, Michael mentioned to me that he hasn’t had a chance to play as much soccer as he’d like. One game a week is apparently not enough for him. I had actually braced myself for 3 soccer games, but it turns out that 1 game got cancelled and 2 were at the same time, so we only had one game this week.

Both boys did really well at soccer. Matthew played goalie for a quarter and made some good stops. He also scored a goal, which made me so proud. Michael’s Odyssey team lost their first game this season, but Michael played a fantastic game. In fact, Coach Paddy remarked on how well he played.

It was a pretty quiet weekend. We did go to the pumpkin farm for the boys, but it was a pretty mellow visit. We decided to go a smaller pumpkin farm closer to our house. It was not as exciting and there were not bounce houses, but there was a huge corn maze that Matthew and Michael got to go through. We went around taking pictures and got ourselves a bag of fresh kettle corn. It was delicious!

37 Weeks

I’m having a hard time deciding whether I’m ready for my Mark to come. Yes, the aches and pains are bad and getting a good night sleep is difficult now, but I love being pregnant. I love being able to see my little one move around and pull away when I poke him. And mostly, I love not having to wake up for night feedings!

My ligament pains are still around. Some days are worse than others. I get the worst pains at night when I’m ready for bed. Mornings are better.

We have our weekly appointment tomorrow morning and I’m excited that M can go with me. I’m hoping we can finalize the date and time to go in for the induction. I’m also excited for M to see the little stinker!

37 Weeks

It's Friday

Happy Friday! I can’t believe we are already halfway done with October! Oh-and I’m officially 35 years old as of Monday. Crazy. We didn’t do much. My in-laws took us out to dinner to the kids’ favorite Italian restaurant so that was nice. They also gave me some cash so I bought a couple of things for the house, and some new pajamas and a robe to take with me to the hospital.


My mom got me some diamond solitaire earrings that she’ll bring over when she comes to help with the baby in November. I’m a little nervous about them because I’m notorious for losing earrings that have value. These might just stay in the safe.

I have lots on my “to do” list this weekend, but I’m afraid that my issue with the round ligament pains will prevent me from doing most of it. I consider myself to have high tolerance for pain, but this thing is kicking my butt. I’m so frustrated that I can’t do as much as I’d like to and move as fast as I’m used to.

Michael is going to Six Flags this weekend for a friend’s party and staying overnight so we’ll just have Little J this weekend. I think he’ll miss his big bro, but I think it will be good for both of them to be separated once in awhile.

36 Weeks and Round Ligament Pain - Oh, It's Real.

So I’ve been saying that I don’t have much to complain about with this pregnancy. Not so true anymore. I’m in major pain with severe round ligament pain or something else. It’s been really bad this past week to the point I’m afraid to get up to go to the bathroom. Walking up and down the stairs is torture. I can’t even move around in bed without getting hit with the stabbing pain. I’m so ready to have this baby. 39 weeks can’t come quickly enough.


I had my 36 weeks appointment this morning and Dr. new did some measurements on Mark. He’s about 6.5 lbs. now and Dr. New is predicting that he’ll be a little over 8 lbs. at 40 weeks. Please get him out before he reaches 8 lbs.! We are scheduling for induction on the 3rd. Dr. New also remarked that his one has a big noggin – just like his big bro Matty.

Other than the ligament pains, everything else is fine – Mark is healthy. His heartbeat is at 150bpm and is looking good. My weight is at 162 (Yikes!). My goal this weekend Is to get my hospital bag packed and all baby clothes washed. I have to get his “going home” outfit embroidered with his name on it. I’m hoping to get it done this week.

It’s starting to feel a lot more like fall here lately! It rained last weekend and last night. Glorious, cooling rain! It was so nice to sit around the house, and watch the water coming down. Our lawn and trees definitely need it.

Our house is starting to look a lot like fall too. I’ve got my fall wreath up, my mantle decorated, and have different fall décor throughout the house. Blame it on the nesting. It’s a shame that all this will have to go down after Thanksgiving to make room for Christmas. Which reminds me – I need to go buy that Christmas tree from Costco before it sells out! That’s another “to do” this weekend.

I’ve decided to go with a big artificial tree for the living room and a smaller real one for our family room. Yes, it sounds a little much, but I can’t forgo the real tree smell. This way, they kids can make and hang whatever ornaments on the tree in the family room, and I can decorate the living room tree with fancy color themed goodness. It’s the best of both worlds!

35 Weeks

We are 35 weeks pregnant! We’ve decided to plan this one out and have Mark induced on 11/2. M was hoping for 11/1 or 11/11, but those dates did not work out. Hospital policy won’t let us induce before 39 weeks and the doctor says that 11/11 is too far out for induction. Of course, all this might not mean anything because he can decide to come earlier.


I had my Dr.’s appointment this morning and everything looks great. Mark’s heartbeat is at 150bpm and my weight is about 158. I got a little peek at Mark and, oh my, he’s got chubby cheeks. He had his little arm slung across his eyes, but we got a pretty close look at his cute little face. I can’t wait to meet this little man! Just four more weeks.

Matthew is just so excited for his baby brother! He keeps asking me how much longer and says that he’s going to teach him to do all sorts of things. I’m also very excited to see the boys’ reaction to Mark. I have a feeling that they will be bored of him in a couple of days once they realize that he doesn’t do much but sleep, eat and cry.

Soccer, Soccer and more Soccer

I am exhausted from this weekend – 4 soccer games and 1 hospital tour, plus all the regular weekend errands. I had planned to do some fall planting, but I was just too tired and took a much needed nap instead. Our wreath is up on our front door, so we are getting there.


Michael started his first 2 games with his new Academy team. On Saturday, he played a great game with his recreation team and scored 3 goals for the Star Jets.

In his 1st game with his Odyssey team, he didn’t do so well. Since it was a much more competitive league, he only got to play a couple of minutes and he looked confused most of the time. In his 2nd game on Sunday, he did much better. He got to play the whole game and did very well. He scored his 1st goal. We were so proud.

We finally took a tour of the hospital where we will be delivery little Mark so we know where to go when I go into labor. This makes me feel better. I will be very happy when we decide on the date to induce. That way there is one less surprise to worry about. My next Dr. appointment is this Wed. so I’m hoping that we can come to a decision then.

The weather was so beautiful this weekend that we spent most of the day outside on Sunday. We are so enjoying our backyard. Kids love to play ball out there and me and M just sit around watching TV, reading and hanging out under our covered patio. We had both lunch and dinner out there on Sunday and I only got bit once on my foot. I’m looking forward to more weekends with this weather!

Michael looks like he's about to poop in his pants!

Matthew decided to try out Michael's baby bowling shirt from when he was a year old. 
Scary thing is that it sort of fits him at the age of 6...

34 Weeks and 1 Day

We have 6 more weeks to go, which is less than 2 months. I am so ready to meet this little baby. As much as I love being pregnant, it’s getting harder and harder to move around. I’ve been doing a lot of grunting lately, and picking things up of the floor takes a lot out of me. So it might be a little bit of a relief after Mark is born. Or it might be the opposite and I miss being pregnant. That’s how it was with Michael and Matthew.


Mark is 4.75 lbs and about 18 inches long (Babycenter.com). We won’t really know until Dr. New measures him a month before our due date. I have another appointment with him next week, and then we go to weekly appointments. I can’t believe we are almost there. The time just flew by.

34 weeks and 1day

I guess I’m in “nesting” mode because I feel like the house needs to be clean all the time. I did not make the bed this morning and I can’t stop thinking about it. I had to do the dishes this morning because it really bothered me that the sink was such a mess. I am usually pretty laid back about that sort of stuff.

And I think I have separation anxiety with my two older boys. I feel like crying every time they get on the bus to go to school in the morning. One of these days, I will make them miss the bus on purpose and have them stay with me all day. Just kidding. Maybe not….

What a Great Weekend!

What did we do this weekend? Here’s a list:
1. Michael’s soccer game (I had to miss because Matthew had a soccer game at the same time, different place)

2. Matthew went to a friend’s birthday at Bass Pro Shop. I’ve never been there before and was amazed how many things come in camo print. I now also know where to get a machete if I ever need one. It was interesting. Matthew got to practice his “shooting skills.”

3. M and I went to our friend’s 40th birthday party. We did not bring the kids and we even stayed overnight at the Westin. It was a nice night spent with friends and food. However, we left at 9:30 because I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. The next day, M and I enjoyed a nice, quiet breakfast where I found my new favorite croissant - the blackberry-cream cheese croissant. Yummy!

4. Sunday was mostly an errand day. M finally hung our family portrait that we took last fall. It will be obsolete when Mark gets here, but it was such a beautiful picture that I thought we would keep up until we can get another one done with Mark in it.

That’s pretty much a rundown on our weekend activities. Next weekend, I’ll write about our hospital tour. Wow, we have such an exciting life!

Today, I surprised my little men with lunch. Pei Wei for Michael and McDonalds for Matthew. I think they were happy to see me, and I love to make them happy.

Welcome Back, Fall!

I am so happy to welcome in the Fall Season! Fall has always been my favorite time of the year, but this year is going to be especially awesome. This year, we will be welcoming our 3rd Little Man into our lives. We are just so, so excited! By Thanksgiving he will be here and I cannot wait.


I am also happy that the weather is much cooler. We are still looking at the high 80s and low 90s, but it sure feels a lot cooler than from what we have been experiencing for the last 3 months. The cooler weather has inspired me to do some decorating for the season so that’s what I will be doing this weekend. I’ll be making my rounds to Garden Ridge, Michael’s, and Hobby Lobby to get my fix.

I might not have time to do much because we actually have plans this weekend, but I’m hoping to at least get my scarecrow up by the front door. Both boys have soccer games on Saturday and Matthew has a birthday party later that afternoon. Then M and I are off to a friend’s birthday party and spending the night down where they live.

33 Weeks

I had another doctor’s appointment this morning. I swear I just saw him yesterday. I got to see little Mark again. He did not want his face to be seen today because he blocked it with both his arms and hands. We did find out that is will not be born bald. We saw his spiky tufts of hair.


My weight stayed the same as it was from the last 2 weeks, so I’m still at 154. Dr. New says Mark’s heartbeat is nice and strong at 142 bpm.

I don’t have much to complain about except for the normal pregnancy aches and pain. I’m having a hard time finding a comfortable sleep position and getting out of bed is getting to be a little difficult. I’ve been cheating and having my occasional Starbucks. To be fair, those specialty seasonal drinks are really hard to resist, especially since the weather is getting cooler.

I talked to the doctor about the possibility of inducing this birth and he does not have a problem with it. However, it needs to be after 39 weeks. M wants mark induced on the 1st or the 11th, but I think that the 1st is too early and the 11th is too late. It’ll probably be 11/4 – right between Sandi’s birthday and my FIL’s birthday.

Oh, in other news, I am getting to be an expert at exterminating lice. Yes, lice. The boys caught them again yesterday and were sent home. Thankfully after the treatment yesterday, they are lice free and are now allowed back in school. I’m hoping that’s the end of it.

33 Weeks

Starving My Kid and Other News

Matthew told me this morning that he almost starved the other day because of me. A couple of weeks ago I switched his lunch box with Michael’s on accident and he almost starved because of that. Two weeks ago, people, and he’s still holding on to it. I asked why he just didn’t eat Michael’s lunch. “There wasn’t anything I liked. There was only an apple and yogurt. I hate yogurt,” was his response. “Thanks to you, I almost starved to death.” No, he’s not a drama queen at all…

We had a very productive weekend. I’m proud to say that Mark’s room is ready for his arrival. We ran around this Saturday and bought stuff that we think we will need, and on Sunday, M spent the day putting in light dimmers and hanging what needed to be hung. I washed most of Mark’s clothes and organized the room. It actually looks pretty nice. There are a few more things that I need to pick up, but for the most part things are do.

I had a lot of fun looking through the baby store to find a “going home” outfit with my Little Men. They were so excited to help. They came to me with some really cute options, but in the end, we all agreed on an outfit the M found. It matches the crib set we got a few months ago. Very cute.


Mark's Nursery

 

Mark's "going home" outfit that matches his nursery!



32 Weeks and Other Things

For some reason, I thought I was at 33 weeks. Oh well. Pregnancy brain taking over I guess. I’m so forgetful these days. More than usual anyway. I had my shower last Saturday and it was wonderful. I had 8 great ladies there to keep me entertained. Big thanks to them for braving the 114/121 traffic to get to the shower. Some sat in traffic for an hour and a half. I’m grateful that they decided to stick it out. Jennie did a awesome job organizing and hosting the shower. I think everyone had a great time. We played a few games, but most of the time was spent in good company with good conversation and food. Jennie also made me a beautiful diaper cake, which I’m really hesitant to take apart because it looks so nice!

Isn't this beautiful?

My last appointment was last Thursday and it was one of the best appointments because I got to see Marks little face. I saw him blinking his big eyes and his little lips were moving. I just know that he’s a beautiful little baby! I can’t wait to meet him. Dr. says everything looks great. My weight was 152, up 2 lbs. from 2 weeks ago. Marks heartbeat was a little fast at 154 bpm up from 146 2 weeks ago. I think the coffee I had earlier had something to do with that. Dr. remarked on how active he is. That also may have been the caffeine as well.

Matthew is so excited for his little brother. He keeps asking how much longer. Michael doesn’t seem as excited, but I think it’s not in his personality. He doesn’t really express his feeling as easily as Matthew. We had a pretty busy weekend with the shower and the soccer games.

We’ve decided to opt out of Saints soccer because M doesn’t feel like it’s helping Michael with development. Aside from that, there are not enough kids on the team and most of the kids on the team are just not very good. It’s hard to go to game after game and get badly beaten. The score was something like 14-0 last week.

We took him to another Academy team practice and he didn’t seem to like it too much. We are at the point where he needs to make a decision on whether he wants to play competitively or just stay with a recreational team. I want him to give competitive soccer a try because I think he’s very athletic and he loves the game so much that he could be a great player, but at the same time, I don’t want to push him into something he doesn’t want to do. I just don’t him to miss out if he has a chance to really be great at something.

31 Weeks (9 more weeks to go!)

Pregnancy Highlights


How Far Along: 31 weeks

Size of baby: A little over 15 inches and weighs 2.50 lbs (Babycenter.com).

Weight gain: I was 152 the last time I had my regular appointment 2 weeks ago. I have my next 2-week appointment tomorrow.

Maternity Clothes: I haven’t tried wearing my non-pregnancy dresses in about 2 weeks. I’m just not feeling the dresses right now. I’m wearing maternity tops and bottoms. I went and got some more tanks and another pair of jeans at Old Navy yesterday. I can wear my non-maternity cardigans over them and that should hold me over for the rest of my pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

Movement: Movement switches from pop-corn popping-like to full on rolling around. This morning it felt like he was using my bladder as a punching bag. When I haven’t felt him move in a little while, I drink Coke so he moves. Don’t judge…

Sleep: Waking up every few hours to use the bathroom. Backache is actually getting less frequent and I’ve stopped waking up to them. It’s harder to find a comfortable position to sleep in as my belly gets bigger. Pillows are my friends right now. I sometimes wake myself up from my own snoring.

Symptoms: I feel very heavy. Going up the stairs is getting harder. I have had some Braxton-Hicks contractions and had my first bout of heartburn last Sunday. I think I’ve only had heartburn 2-3 times in my life and I can definitely live without them. I’m hoping this does not become a regular thing.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy and having a nice cup of coffee in the morning, especially now that it is cooler in the morning.

Cravings: Trying to cut back on the sugar. Craving coffee drinks.

31 Weeks. Photgraph by Matthew Fisher, the official photographer of belly shots.