Saying Goodbye

There has always been one man in my life that I have looked up to more than anyone on this earth and that is my PaPa. He has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. When I think of him I think of the way he is constantly sucking to get things out of his teeth...sounds gross but it isn't. lol I think of the way he laughs. I think about how he loves to play card games. I can even remember the way he smelled when he worked driving an oil truck. I remember playing in his garden. I remember how I would sit in his lap while he drove and he would let me "drive." I have so many memories of him and love him beyond words. I love the fact that Carter is going to remember him. Carter had so much fun sitting on his lap while PaPa would drive him around his house in his scooter. He would let Carter honk the horn. I have the stool that he made me when I moved into my own apartment. He knew I would be needing it to help me reach the tall stuff and I still use it. I smile every time I think of him.

I received a phone call from my mom today saying PaPa isn't doing too well. He has stopped eating and drinking. The doctors said they are going to stop all treatments in the next few days and are going to just keep him comfortable. As much as I didn't want to hear that I knew it was coming. His life the past few years haven't been what he would have wanted. He has always been a very active person and he had to hate the fact that his legs wouldn't let him do the things he liked to do. He fell and broke his hip on Father's Day this year and it has been down hill from there. I don't understand how something as simple as that can cause a person's body to deteriorate like this. I know he is going on to see MaMa and my Aunt Janice and they are going to be so happy to see him but it makes me so sad to see him go. PaPa was the man that was going to live forever.

So, on Sunday, on our way to San Diego, we are going to stop in Abilene. We are going to meet my mom for breakfast and I'm going to go see PaPa for what I hope isn't the last time. I don't want the boys to see him. I want Carter's memories to be what they are and I don't want that to change. However, if it is the last time I see him at least I can tell him one last time how much I love him and how much he has meant to me for thirty years.

Sick

It seems like with a family of five someone is always sick. I long for the day when all five of us are healthy at the same time! :) John has another sinus infection. This is like his third one in the past two months. He is back on antibiotics and some steroids. Preston had a stomach bug on Friday and now on Sunday Carter has it. Preston only thew up a couple of times and acted completely fine in between. Carter started throwing up right after dinner and hasn't stopped. Since about 7 tonight he has thrown up at least 7 times. It is now 10:00 and he just fell asleep. I pray that noone else gets this. I am doing my best in sanitizing everything and washing and washing and washing.

2 Months Already!

Liam turned 2 months old over the weekend! I can't believe how fast time is moving. I wish it would slow down a little!! At two months old Liam is:

• starting to smile


• following with his eyes


• responds to his name


• starting to coo


• drinks 8 oz bottles


• sleeping through the night

He weighs 14.1 pounds (95th %) and is 23 inches long (50th%). He also had to receive his 2 month shots. He got a shot in each leg and then one oral vaccine. He did great!

Silkie

John and I go in and check on the boys everynight before we go to bed. Carter has this habit of putting his silkies into his pullup which causes a problem as he still wets his pull up most nights. So, we go in and make sure that he hasn't done that or take them out if he has. Well, the other night I went in to check on him and this is what I found...

Yep, they had been stuffed into his socks!! I have no idea how he was able to get all FOUR of them stuffed in there but he did. We left them there but had to take pictures!

I also had to take a picture of Preston while I was in there! :)

Halloween 2009

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! I have had a fireman costume for Carter since he was born and it was going to finally fit him this year. However, he had different plans. He actually had an opinion on what he wanted to be. He wanted to be a bumble bee. I think he got the idea from one of his friends at school. Well, it turns out his friend wanted to be Bumble Bee from the movie Transformers. Carter has never seen Transformers nor will he for quite a few more years but he had his heart set on an actual bumble bee. So, I went on a hunt for a bumble bee costume that wasn't too babyish and wasn't made for a girl. I finally found one at Target and got one in his size and one in Preston's size. They were the cutest bumble bees! Liam went dressed as a ghost. I have an infant bee costume but it was too hot for him to wear it.

We started the festivities with Trunk or Treat at our church. It was the first time for us to go to anything at church since Lian was born. So, it was nice to see everyone and for people to meet him. Carter and Preston certainly got their share of attention too. Carter would tell people that he really wasn't a bee it was just a costume for Halloween. So cute!

After the Trunk or Treat we headed back to our house with MiMi and Ken. John and I took Carter and Preston trick or treating down our street while MiMi stayed home with Liam and passed out candy. Preston walked the whole way and his little legs were tired by the end of our block. He loved every minute of it though.

Carter and Preston doing the cake walk with Aunt Vickie

Greeting the trick or treaters.


Preston checking out his loot.

Bath Time

Bath time is one of the boys favorite things to do, except for Liam. Liam hates the bath and cries during most of it. Carter and Preston take their bath together and have a great time playing.

Liam is starting to look like the Michillin (sp?) Man. I love the rolls!!

Smiles

Liam is getting bigger every day. It is hard to believe that he will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and 2 months old on Saturday. How does it go by so fast?? He is just starting to smile. MiMi was over watching the boys on Thursday while John and I were at the hospital for my injection. After we got back home, Preston and Carter were still napping so me and my mom got to play with Liam. MiMi has been able to get the most smiles out of him. I can't wait until they get to be more regular and hear his little laugh.

Excited

I am finally excited to be getting my life back. These past couple of months have been some tough ones. They have been great, don't get me wrong. I have just been struggling with things. Having a newborn is always a little rough. It's hard just to find that groove and routine and then to have that mesh with the routine of what is already established with the rest of the family.

Liam has been a great baby! He is very laid back and is happy as can be as long as he is in his bouncy seat. He hates the swing but LOVES the bouncy seat. He has been napping in that thing since we brought him home from the hospital. I finally had him take a nap in his crib yesterday. It was the first time he had ever slept in his room. At night, he will sleep for a solid 6 hours and sometimes longer. He is still sleeping in the pack n' play next to me. I really like him in our room so I'm not sure when I will move him to his room. I plan on having him take naps in his room from now on, though, so he can get used to his bed.

I went on Thursday and had my first injection in my back. It was a very simple procedure. They sedated me and then I woke up and went home. I had to ask a nurse if they even did the injection because I didn't even know I had gone to sleep. It was crazy. I have finally had some relief. The pain isn't completely gone but it is tolerable. Last week, I did decide to switch Liam over to formula. This allowed me to take other medications to help with the pain. Part of me is okay with switching him and part of me is upset. I'm sad that I gave in and sad that I will never have the opportunity to nurse another child. I am happy, though, for selfish reasons. I can now go out without him and not worry about feeding him or needing to pump. I reassure myself that I did what was best for my family and for myself. He had breastmilk for a solid 6 weeks and that is better than nothing. I cannot put guilt on myself for this.

Another thing I have been struggling with is post partum depression. I had feared this since I was already having these feelings while pregnant. Looking back, I think I might have had a bit of ppd after Carter was born but not to this degree. I am normally a very happy and opitmistic person. However, this past month has been an uphill battle for some reason. I know the thoughts I have and feelings I have are irrational but I can't make them stop. I sometimes think I'm going a little crazy. I know I have a very supportive husband and very supportive group of friends. However, I have never felt so alone. I can't explain it. I have a great doctor who is very on top of my meds and has kept communication open with me on me getting better. These past few days have been better. I am finally feeling like myself again. It is so refreshing to see the light. I feel like I am becoming alive again, as cheesy as that sounds.

Tonight, I have been wasting a lot of time on the computer which I normally don't get to do. I have been reading blogs and finding other blogs from friends of friends and etc. I ran across a blog of a photographer based out of Abilene. I then continued over to her website. She is an amazing photographer. She captures true emotions in the people she photographs. She had the perfect music and I normally don't like music on website but hers was perfect. I was drawn to her website and couldn't leave until I had seen all of the pictures she posted in her galleries. She inspired me. She made me realize, again, why I want to become a photographer. I want to capture those moments in time. I want to give people that gift. I want emotions captured that words cannot express.

I have put my photography on the backburner these past couple of months. I'm not sure if it's because I have been busy with a newborn and two other boys or because I've just been down. But the fire has been lighted again. I cannot wait to start taking pictures again and finishing up the class I signed up for 6 months ago. I'm excited to learn something new daily and put it into action. I'm excited to spread the word to friends and family so I can take pictures of other people besides my kids! :)

It is amazing what one website and the abscense of pain can do! So, all of this to say that I'm excited about life and what's to come!!

Ahhhh, Boys...

We had our first trip to the Emergency Room this past week. Last Wednesday (Nov. 4th), John and I thought Carter and Preston were sleeping. We were watching TV and about to go get ready for bed. We heard something fall and then heard Carter crying. John quickly went into their room and called for me to come in there as he could see blood on Carter's head. I ran in there and took him into the bathroom. I got a wet washcloth and started to clean the blood away from his hair to try to figure out where the blood was coming from. We finally got to the source. He had a cut that was about 1 1/2 inches long and about 1 cm wide. We immediately knew we had to take him to the ER...he was going to need stitches. This was about 9:45 at night and we had to get all three kids into their car seats and off we went. I sat in the backseat with Carter and held a towel on top of his head. He asked me if he was going to be behind the glass with othe babies. I reassured him that he wasn't. It made me laugh though because his only association with a hospital is me having babies. We went to Richardson Regional at 190 and Renner. I must say that I was highly impressed with them. We immediately got into a room and immediately saw a doctor. I'm not sure what time we got there but we left our house at 9:45 and we were back in our car going home at 11:15. Carter ended up with two staples in the top of his head. He was such a trooper. He didn't cry until the second staple. You could tell it really hurt when the doctor put that staple in. Preston was very sweet and shared his silkie with Carter. (in the panic of getting out of the house we forgot his silkie!!!)

So, what happened...Carter was playing with a soft stuffed soccer ball and threw it up towards the ceiling. It hit the light fixture which came down and hit his head. The light fixture didn't break or anything but the force of it split his head open. I'm just so thankful he wasn't looking up at it when it fell.

You would think that Carter had learned why we tell him not to throw things in the house but nope. I caught him today throwing a football in the living room. I reminded him that he had staples in his head because of throwing a ball. I still don't think it really set in! :)

I know this is just the beginning of what's to come raising 3 boys. And to think, Carter is more cautious than Preston right now...

The Toughest Part of Being a Parent

I have come to the conclusion that the hardest part of being a parent is making decisions. You try to educate yourself as much as possible to make the best choices for your children and family. However, I think as a parent you are always questioning your decisions. There is so much societal pressure as to what is the right or wrong way to parent. People, especially other moms, are very judgemental of other moms.

I have ran into a few major decisions lately that need to be made and I am very much torn on what to do. What if I make the wrong decision? What if what I think is the right decision ends up being the wrong one? What will other people think?

The first decision is about the H1N1 vaccine. I have flip flopped several times on what I should do regarding this vaccine. There is so much media hype on this flu. The CDC is wanting people to get vaccinated however there isn't much testing on the vaccine. There are people saying not to get the vaccine and then there are people that are dying because of this flu. I don't think I would be so torn if I didn't have a newborn. His little immune system isn't built up and I hate to think what would happen if he did get the swine flu. I spoke to our pediatrician about it and he just repeats that the CDC wants people to get vaccinated. He will only give the vaccine to kids between the ages 2-4. So, the only one that can be vaccinated is Carter. I asked him what his personal opinion of the vaccine is and his response: "Please don't ask me that question." What??? Why not?! That statement really scared me. So, as of right now I don't think Carter is going to get vaccinated for the H1N1. I am going to get everyone the seasonal flu this year which I normally don't. But again, with a newborn I want to take all precautions.

The next decision is really weighing heavy on me right now. I ruptured a disc in my spine. It is causing me to have extreme pain in my hip and down my leg. My toes have started to go numb and my other leg is starting to hurt too. I have taken a round of oral steroids which did not provide relief. I am also taking a combination of muscle relaxers and pain killers. Those provide some relief but leave me very drowsy. A drowsy mom makes for a terrible mom. Also, even though these drugs are safe to take while breastfeeding they are still being passed on to Liam. I hate that he is getting a dose of these drugs even though they are in small amounts. I have a prescription for a non-narcotic pain reliever but it isn't safe to take while nursing. It is targeted directly at nerve pain but I currently cannot take it. I could switch Liam over to formula for a little bit and pump and dump and then pick up breastfeeding after I am finished with the medication. However, I really don't think it would be possible for me to pump that much with having three kids. I exclusively pumped for Carter for 4 months and that took A LOT of time, time I don't have now. Both Carter and Preston have been formula fed and are very healthy kids. My struggle is not necessarily switching Liam over to formula but not having that bonding time while nursing. I really enjoy nursing and I think I will really miss it if I quit now. Liam is my last baby and I want to hang on to every little thing with him.

I do need to make the best decision for my family, my whole family. It isn't fair to Carter and Preston that I am in too much pain to get down on the floor and play with them. I'm not taking them out to parks or play dates... we are staying home all the time. I have to take my other kids into consideration. I have to be the best mommy to all three of my kids, not just one. I also have to do what is best for me. The constant pain is taking a toll on my mental health and in order to be a good mommy I need to be healthy, physically and mentally.

I am praying about these choices and hoping God will help guide me in the right direction. I'm praying that others will support me in whatever decision I come to and realize that this is a very hard decision and I pray that others will not judge me. I really wish parenting was easier. It definitely makes me appreciate my own parents so much more now.

Pumpkin Carving

John and the boys carved this years pumpkin last night. We used the biggest pumpkin of the three we got at the pumpkin patch last week. But the biggest pumpkin was still a pretty small pumpkin. Carter and Preston both had fun. Carter doesn't like to get dirty but Preston dove right in. We had to watch Preston carefully because he tried to eat it. We included Liam in on the fun but he slept the whole time in the bouncy seat.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Bill Bates Ranch Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. We have been every year for the past 3 years. It is about an hour away from our house but it is worth the drive out there. They have sheep, goats, chickens and a long horn. You are given a cup of food that you can feed to the animals. The problem is there are so many people out there that the animals are very full and don't really eat. Carter loves looking at all of the animals though. They also have a hay ride which we did last year but chose not to do it this year. We let Preston out of the stroller and let him run around. He had so much fun and loved picking up the small pumpkins. We tried to get a picture of all three boys but that is proving to be very difficult. We did manage to get someone to take a picture of the 5 of us and it turned out pretty well!

Dinner with Friends

A couple of weeks ago, my best friend, Mary, and her boyfriend, Clay came into town. I have been friends with Mary since we were little and she was my maid of honor in my wedding. It had been a couple of years since I have seen her and she hadn't seen Carter since he was 9 months old and hadn't met Preston or Liam. So, it was really special to get to see her and spend a few hours together. We met at Cheddar's and then they came over for a little bit. Carter really took to them and cried when they left. I wish we lived closer and could see each other more often. It was a lot of fun to see her though!!

Baby Toys

Preston has discovered all of his toys he used only a short year ago. Whenever the bouncy seat is in the living room he tried to immediately climb in, even when Liam is in it. We finally had to take the waterfall off as Preston kept getting in but couldn't get out.

Lack of Updates

Who knew life would be so much busier with a third baby? lol I do apologize for the lack of updates to our blog. It seems like I never get on the computer any more. I have been checking my email through my phone and hardly have time to actually sit at the computer.

This has been my first week alone with all three boys. I was very sad to see John go back to work on Monday but very thankful that he was able to take three weeks off. I think me and the boys got used to having him around. This week hasn't been too bad though. The hardest part has been getting everyone out the door and to MDO on time and then back to pick up just 5 short hours later. I have gotten great use already out of my double stroller. I have a Peg Perego side by side double stroller that will hold Preston and Liam (in his carrier) and it has been wonderful! It is so light weight and easy to open and close. I have used it to take the boys to school and pick them up.

I finally got over the hives that developed a week after I had Liam. They lasted about a week and it was probably one of the most miserable weeks of my life. I wouldn't wish those on my worst enemy. I was very happy when they started to go away. However, my hip pain has come back. I have a herniated disc that is putting pressure on my sciatica and I saw a chiropractor during my pregnancy which helped tremendously. It went away while I was pregnant and came back last week. I have been going back to the chiro but haven't been able to find any relief. My toes are starting to go numb which means it is getting worse instead of better. I made an appointment yesterday with a neurologist for next Monday. Hopefully, he will be able to help me. Seriously, it is one thing after another with me. I am ready to just be normal and healthy.

I will try to get back on here later to post some pictures but wanted to let everyone know we are still here and doing well.

John's Surprise Party

I decided a couple of months ago that I wanted to do something special for John's 30th birthday. I knew it wasn't going to be easy as we were going to have a newborn and just getting home from the hospital. I decided, though, to throw him a small surprise party. I invited our family along with a few of John's close friends. I kept it very simple since we literally got home from the hospital two days before.

I ordered a cake from Willie Mays Bakery in Plano. They have the absolute best cakes!! I had it made with lemon filling which is John's favorite and it was topped with chocolate and white chocolate strawberries. It was so good! The best part is that my mom had picked it up while John and I had taken Liam back to the hospital for a weight check. She hid it in the oven. Well, around 5ish John decided that he was going to reheat left overs to have for dinner and turned the oven on. Thank God, John's Dad heard him turning the oven on and his Mom rushed in there and turned it off. Talk about a close call!

My mom also picked up food from On the Border. I had a few party platters with appetizers. It really was such a simple party but it turned out well. John was surprised and I hope it made him feel special. I love you, John!

William "Liam" Henry Manning

Our third and final baby boy is finally here! We named him William Henry after his Great Grandfather and his Grandfather and are going to call him Liam. He was born on September 14th at 7:42 am weighing 8 pounds 9 ounces and 19 1/4 inches long.

39 weeks - on our way to the hospital

This birthing experience was so different than my previous ones. First of all, I actually made it to my scheduled date. I still cannot believe it. We got to the hospital at 5:30 that morning and checked in. Bill and Beckie met us there so they could help take care of the boys while I was prepped for surgery. My mom and dad arrived shortly afterwards. I couldn't eat or drink since the night before and this caused a few problems for the nurses to find a vein to draw blood and start an IV. It took two nurses to finally find a vein for the IV and a few pricks. One of the pricks even left a huge 3 - 4 inch bruise on my arm. Then they had to call the lab to draw blood since they were having such a hard time.

It seemed like time was flying by and then they wheeled me into the operating room. I climbed onto the operating table and they put in my epidural. Shortly after my epidural was put in, they brought John into the OR and they got started.

Having a c-section is a very weird feeling. I was completely numb from my chest down to where I couldn't even move my toes. However, you can feel pressure. It actually hurt when they pulled Liam out of me. He cried, though, as soon as he came out and that is the most precious sound in the whole world.

They quickly took him over to the warmer and started cleaning him off. John went over to be with him and the warmer was in a place that I could see as well. As soon as Liam was all clean and warm they brought him over for me to see and took a picture of the three of us.

John and Liam then went back to my room where the nurse finished up with Liam. As soon as my surgery was complete they wheeled me back into my room and they handed Liam to me for the first time. I was a little nervous because I get the shakes terribly bad from the anesthesia but one of the nurses told me that holding the baby would help. I was skeptical but it actually worked.

John then went out to the waiting room and brought Carter and Preston back to meet their little brother. Carter was very sweet and Preston, well, Preston was and still is just very curious.

After we had time as a family of 5, the rest of the family came back and we announced his name. It was an exciting moment to finally share his name, especially since it is such a special name.

I was then taken to my post partum room where we remained until Thursday, September 17th. Liam spent most of the time in my room with a few trips to the nursery so we could sleep. He is such a good baby. He loves to sleep as did my other two boys. He also loves to eat and is a great nurser. We had a few hiccups the first couple of days but I worked with a great lactation consultant in the hospital and as soon as my milk came in all of the problems disappeared.

He is now almost two weeks old and I can hardly believe it. I know time is going to fly by and I want it to slow down. With Liam being our last I know I am going to try to hold onto each and every little thing. He is already a little more alert and having a little more awake time. Before I know it he is going to be running around with this brothers.

My Dear Liam, We are so blessed to have you in our family. I cannot wait to create more memories with you and watch you grow up. You are my baby and will forever remain my baby. I love you, sweet Liam!

Family of Five!

Dr. Jacoby - my wonderful doctor!

Boys Truly Are The Best

I think I have the sweetest 3 year old in the whole wide world. Last night, I had a melt down. I hate it when my kids see me cry but sometimes it is just unavoidable. My nerves are really starting to get to me and I'm basically just freaking out about having a baby on Monday. While I was "cooking" dinner last night I just started crying. I had my back to the kitchen and was trying not to let Carter see me. I was talking to John and explaining to him why I was upset and he was trying to comfort me. Carter walks up to me and grabs my hand and says, "Mommy, don't be sad. Maybe you need a hug." So, I picked him up and he hugged me for at least 10 minutes. I would ask him if he wanted down to finish his pb&j sandwich (why "cooking" was in quotes, lol) and he would tell me that he wasn't done hugging me. So, we stood in the kitchen having the longest hug I think he has ever given.

Carter, you will never know how much that hug meant to me at that very moment. You made absolutely everything so much better in my world last night when I thought things were falling down around me. I love you so much and you are the Best Carter in the Whole Wide World!

Nervous

I am now 3 days away from meeting Baby Boy #3. Which by the way, I cannot wait to tell everyone his name! It will be nice to refer to him as his real name and not Baby. But anyways...I am getting very anxious and nervous. In a way it has been nice to have been surprised when my water broke and we just went to the hospital to deliver. This is so different now that I'm so close to my scheduled date. I have started to feel like I'm not prepared which I know that I am. All the baby needs is a place to sleep and a few clothes and blankets. All of which are ready. The anticipation of the c-section itself has me nervous. I have survived 2 c-sections and know this will be no different. I'm dreading the recovery process of it. I know I don't have a natural birth to compare it to but a c-section is definitely not a walk in the park. Seeing that it was just 13 months ago that I went through it, the pain is still fresh in my mind. The intense burn you feel when you stand up for the first time, the pain in the incision from moving into a different position in bed, and the pain after they take the epidural out - 24 hours later.

It is all worth it in the end as there truly is nothing like holding your newborn for the first time and looking into each other's eyes. It is amazing how there is that instant connection between a mom and her new baby. I'm excited to see Carter and Preston meet Baby for the first time. I'm excited to see every one's expression when we announce the name. I'm excited to find out how big Baby is. And I'm most excited to have our family of five complete.

I can't believe how I can have all of these emotions all at the same time - nervous, scared, excited, anxious, happy, sad... It will all come together though in just three short days!

Really? Sick 3 Days Before Baby Comes?

I started feeling bad yesterday and started to run a low grade temperature. I had no other symptoms so I called and spoke to Dr. J's nurse. She told me to just take Tylenol and give her a call in the morning if I still had it. Then last night I started to get some major sinus pressure and Carter was getting a little nasally (is that a word?) too. Carter started to also run a low grade temp. He woke up in the middle of the night with a 101 temp. So, we gave him Tylenol and he got to sleep the rest of the night in our room. I called this morning and got him in to see Dr. M. They performed a flu test which came back negative, Thank God! So, he prescribed him a zpak just to be on the safe side. I spoke to my nurse this morning and as soon as I started talking she said, "Oh you don't sound good." LOL And I didn't feel good! She was so sweet and I didn't even have to go in to see the doctor. She called in a Zpak for me. I asked her if this would affect my c-section on Monday and she said the only reason they would delay it would be if I was still running a fever. I hope and pray that I'm not!!! We picked up both prescriptions and have already started them. I certainly don't want Carter sick and not able to be around the new baby. How heartbreaking would that be? And I most certainly don't want my c-section delayed. I am very ready to meet my third baby boy!!

38 Week Dr. Appointment - The Final One

I had my 38 week doctor appointment today. This was my final appointment which is a little hard to believe. I have never made it to my final appointment! I'm shocked that this kid is so content in there and doesn't want to come out. My blood pressure was back down to normal 110/80 and my weight, well, lets just say I'm going to be thankful to start losing the weight instead of gaining. I am measuring at 39 weeks and Dr. Jacoby thinks that Baby will weigh approximately 7-8 pounds. Now, that is just from feeling him from the outside and the size of my uterus so there is really no telling. I feel like I have a 15 pound baby in there!! Dr. Jacoby said everything looks great and he will see me early Monday morning unless something happens before then.

Carter's Video: February 2006 - December 2007

For Christmas 2007, John and I made a video/slide show of Carter's life up to that point. John put in a lot of time and effort into making it a video and we gave a copy to family as a Christmas gift. We decided that it was best to make one every other year since it is so time consuming and it makes for a better video when there is more time to cover. So, I am now starting to go through all of our pictures starting at December 2007 and pulling the pictures and video to include. It will be so much different than the first one we made since we will now have two new children to include. I got a little sentimental and decided to post the video we made of Carter. The quality is significantly reduced so it can be uploaded onto the web so I apologize for that in advance. I hope you all enjoy Carter's first year and a half!

First Steps

At 13 months old, Preston is officially walking. He has been taking steps here and there for about a month but on Sunday (9/6/09) night he took off. He always paces back and forth while holding onto the couch. Well, the other night he got to the end of the couch and just kept going. I was in such shock I couldn't even say anything. I just looked over to John and started pointing. He made it half way across the living room until he fell down. He is so proud. He holds his little hands up in the air in a fist to be sure not to hold on but he knows he can catch himself if he needs to. I am so proud too! What a big boy!

Second Trip to L&D

I have now been pregnant longer than I have my previous two pregnancies. I do not know how people go past their due dates, sometimes two weeks, and don't go crazy. I am 38 weeks today and already starting to go crazy! Yesterday afternoon I started having severe pelvic pressure. It hurt to walk, sit, stand...just the slightest movement made it feel like Baby was going to come out. The pain was so intense that I couldn't even feel my contractions. I decided to go to sleep and see how the night went. I was up and down all night long. I think I only got a total of 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I thought about waking John up around 4 but decided we were so close to the daytime that I would wait until the morning and call my doctor. I spoke to the on-call doctor around 9 am this morning and we decided it would be best to go ahead and get checked out. We got to the hospital around 11:30...even though I thought I had been prepared and bags packed, it still took us a long time to get out of the house with two kids in tow. We went fully packed in case we ended up staying. So, that included getting both kids packed and ready to spend the week at Grandma's and staying a full day at the hospital. I got hooked up to the monitors and got settled in. Dr. Reisler (the on-call doctor) came by almost immediately and checked and I wasn't dialated at all. This actually surprised me considering all of the pressure I had been feeling. My contractions were still considered irritability. After a couple of hours later I was discharged to go home and continue on with my life for the next week. I will either be back next Monday morning or sooner if my water breaks or if I go into true labor. You would think would my third I would know a little bit more of what to expect but I don't. My body has never actually gone into labor and I'm not sure what it feels like. I have had my water break twice and labor induced once but not even on my own.

The nurse I had today was great. She joked that maybe Baby could hear the chaos going on with having Carter and Preston and has decided to just stay put. I honestly wouldn't doubt it. It's ironic...you would think that each pregnancy would get shorter instead of longer but I always tend to be in the small percentages and this is just another one of those times. At least Baby is doing great and healthy. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Finally, We Can Play Outside

Now that the weather is cooling down a little bit we actually got to go outside and play in the backyard. John and Carter went out this afternoon while Preston was napping and then we all went out after dinner. This was the first time for Preston to play on the new playset and he LOVED the swing. I was actually shocked at how high he wanted to go. The higher we went the harder he laughed. Carter pushed him for a little bit but was a little rough. I was scared that Preston was going to get whip lash but he loved every minute of it. Carter played with balls and loved throwing them up the slide and watching them slide down and loved just throwing them up in the air. John helped Preston slide down our little slide that Aunt Shannon got Carter last year but he wasn't so sure about that.

The Boys Cooked Dinner

I have not been in the mood to cook dinner lately. This isn't so convenient as we are on a pretty tight budget but we are doing pretty good at not going out. I was so wiped out today though after our trip to the mall so John volunteered to cook dinner. We had BLT sandwiches and the boys did such a good job! Thanks, Honey!

Train Ride

Carter has been asking for a few days to go to Collin Creek Mall. He LOVES trains and they have a little train that kids can ride for $2. He could care less about the mall but he has been wanting to go and ride the train and eat. Why are kids fascinated with the food court? So, today, we actually didn't have anything planned. It was a nice change of pace. We got up and had breakfast and Preston took a morning nap. After Preston woke up we headed to the mall. The first stop was at the train. He was so cute. I gave him the money and let him buy his own ticket and he loved handing his ticket to the conductor. He really wanted to ride in the engine and told me he was the engineer.

He is funny...after taking a ton of pictures he actually told me, "No more pictures, Mommy."