Seriously, Think Before You Speak

We went to the grocery store tonight. I used to love going by myself and actually still do. It is just much easier to have John there with me right now. I can't bend all the way over to get things out of the cart...that is actually pretty embarrassing! :)

One of the workers came up to me and started asking me questions about my pregnancy. She was super nice and had a 3 month old. We talked about how young Preston is and etc. We then went our separate ways. She then ended up sacking our groceries and she started talking to me again about the pregnancy. As many of you know, I'm done with this pregnancy but I put on a happy face and talked to her. She then tells me, "You know, I got big with my daughter but I don't think I ever got that big and to think you still have 2 more weeks left." Oh my gosh!! I couldn't even believe my ears. How do you respond to that?? I know she didn't mean anything by it but wow!

Big Day for my Dear Husband!

John and I had have a very similar upbringing in church and have grown up with those values that our parents worked hard to instill in us. That is part of what makes our relationship such a strong and happy marriage. We have the basis of Christianity as the backbone of our relationship with each other and with our children. We have been going to church together as a family with our children for a while now. We placed membership at Waterview (the church I grew up at and the church we were married in) last January. We have found a bible class that we enjoy and have learned a lot and made some great friends. We always leave church discussing what was preached and taught that morning. Carter even talks about God and what he learned. It is very exciting to be raising my family in this church environment.

John and I had talked several times over the past few months about him getting baptized. It is a very personal decision that noone else can make for you. I have known he wanted to do and I couldn't have been happier than the day he decided he was going to do it. Robert and Vickie came over a couple of weeks ago and Robert and John spoke and decided to do it within the next couple weeks. John choose tonight, August 27, 2009. We had most of our family here - Bill & Beckie (John's parents), Miles & Mary (my dad and step-mom), Grandad, Brenda (my mom) and Uncle Robert & Aunt Vickie and my cousin Brittany. And of course Preston and Carter. Robert performed the baptizm.

I am just so proud of John. I konw this will help build us up as a stronger family and lead an even better example for our boys that we are raising into men. They will look up to John for the rest of their lives and will always know that their father is a strong Christian man.

John, I love you more than words and so excited to walk this path together. I am so happy to have such a strong husband that will lead our family in the right direction for years to come. You are the best husband, father, and friend anyone could ask for! I love you!!

I'm Ready

For the first time in this pregnancy I am actually ready for Baby Boy #3 to be born. I posted last week that I was sad for it to be coming to an end and part of me is still sad. However, I am ready for him to be here. My whole pregnancy I have thought about how it is much easier to take care of him inside of me than outside while taking care of Carter and Preston. While this is true, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to take care of Carter and Preston while being this pregnant. I mean, I'm huge!!! I didn't think it was possible for me to have more stretch marks but they have somehow managed to multiply this week. It is hard for me to even get off the couch because my tummy is so big. Carter is so sweet and "helps" me get up. It is hard for me to change Preston's diaper because the edge of the dresser cuts into my tummy and if I stand further away then I can't reach him. It is hard to pick Preston up off the floor. It is just plain hard to do anything right now. I'm exhausted beyond belief but have a hard time sleeping. Even while taking Ambien, I am still waking several times through out the night and not really getting rest. My hips are killing me. I am just plain, flat out miserable right now. I know I'm whining but I'm done. I am very thankful that I have made it now to almost 37 weeks and my goal has been to make it to September 1st and it looks like that will happen. This coming Monday will be 37 weeks and only 2 more short weeks until I deliver.

So, all of this to say, I am so ready to meet Baby #3!!! I am ready to hold him and see what he looks like. I am ready to see how his big brothers react to him. I more than excited to see everyone's reaction to the name we have chosen. It is taking a lot of effort to keep it a secret because we are both so excited about sharing his name with everyone. It is a very special name and I know there will be a few tears of happiness when we announce.

36 Weeks

I am officially 36 weeks and going off the Procardia. The Procardia was to help calm contractions and I was told to stop at 36 weeks and if I go into labor then I go into labor. As it is exciting to know that the baby will be healthy if born right now, I really want him to stay in there as long as possible. I'm not too thrilled, though, about feeling all of the contractions coming back. I still had contractions on the Procardia but at least they were a little calmer. I now have 21 days until delivery day!!

John's Birthday Dinner - Round Two

We celebrated John's birthday with his parents last night. John picked the restaurant Nick & Sam's. It is in Uptown and had the coolest atmosphere. Evidently it is Restaurant Week and all of the nice restaurants in Dallas booked up pretty fast so we had early reservations at 5 pm. Bill and Beckie met us at our house and we all drove into Dallas together.

We started dinner with drinks and John had his favorite vodka martini. I had the bartender make me a fruity non-alcoholic concoction that was delicous! John and Bill ordered deviled eggs for an appetizer but these weren't your typical deviled eggs. There was tuna, avacado and lobster mixed into them. I tried the one with avacado and it was very yummy. We had probably the best salad I have had in a very long time. Then is was meal time. I had a 10 oz filet and John had a 16 oz bone-in filet. We also had sauteed mushrooms and sweet potatoe fries. We finished dinner with creme broule topped with berries.

We all came back to our house and Bill and Beckie had brought over these lemon cookies that were more like cake from Nordstrom's. It was the perfect ending to a great evening!

Silly God

Carter is learning so much in his Bible Class at church. It is really quite amazing how much a 3 year old can pick up in 45 minutes once a week. We do talk about the Bible stories at home and read his little picture Bible but he learns a lot at church. Yesterday, on our way home from running errands, Carter sees some cows. He tells me that God made those cows. Then he starts saying everything he sees and how God made this and he made that. He tells me that God made him and Preston and Mommy and Daddy. We then start to pass Kroger and he starts to giggle a little. He says, "Mommy, God even made Kroger. Silly God." And continues to laugh. His attention quickly went on to something else but it made me crack up with the "silly God" comment.

Names

Why is choosing a name for a new baby so difficult? It is such a tough decision. This will be the name he will have for the rest of his life. We have had a name picked out for Baby #3 for a few months now and have both been very excited about it. We had told Carter so he would get used to it and even taught him to say "I don't know" when someone asked him what it is. Granted, it didn't work but we had fun practicing. John and I have referred to Baby by his name for a long time now and I know him as his name. I have already had things personalized that I have been keeping in hiding for fear someone would see them.

But last night a new name came into the picture, one that both me and John like and it would be a very special name to have. Yes, I have spent money on personalized things but that is a small price if this second name is meant to be his name for the rest of his life.

I have always liked to have names picked out early. We knew Carter's name by the time we found out he was a boy. Preston's name was a little harder and once we found out there had at one time been a Preston Manning in the family we immediately had made our decision. We have never had a name picked out, had our heart set on it and then thought of something else.

I really want it to be finalized before he is born. I really want the shock and aww of John going back to the waiting room and announcing, "[insert name] is here!" I want to fill out the birth certificate and social security card info the first time they come to my hospital room. I want him to have a name the second he meets the world for the first time.

35 Week Dr. Appointment

Another uneventful appointment. Gained another 5 pounds!!!! I think this is mostly water though because I am starting to swell up like a balloon. Hello kankles!!! :) Blood pressure was still 120/70 and still measuring two weeks ahead. Dr. Jacoby couldn't tell if Baby was still breech or head down. He could feel a round something at the top and bottom. As of our sono last week he was breech and I haven't felt him flip. The tech said it is unlikely that he will flip at this point since there is so little room.

We talked to him more about having my tubes tied. We know we want to do something permanently but just can't decide which one of us should do it. There is more that can go wrong further down the road with me, unlikely but it could still happen. But if we decide for John to go through it then it is a separate surgery and cost. Since, I am a c-section it just makes sense for me to get my tubes tied right then and there. Dr. Jacoby said in all of his years he hasn't seen any of the complications of a tubal - premenapause or excessive bleeding but the risk is there but very rare. He said the most common thing to happen is to get pregnant!! What??? That is what we are trying to prevent. He did say, however, that it would most likely be a tubal pregnancy and wouldn't be viable. So, I think we are leaning towards me getting my tubes tied but aren't 100% just yet.

I go off of my medication next Monday when I'm 36 weeks. He said that if I go into labor then everything will be fine by that point. I am hoping to make it to at least 37 weeks. That is my ultimate goal.

I don't go back for another 2 weeks and then it will be weekly appointments until I deliver. Still can't believe this is the end of it. It feels like a few weeks ago that we found out I was pregnant.

Nesting

Today has been a crazy day of nesting!! I took the boys to McDonalds for a playdate this morning. We were there for two hours and everyone was worn out. I had thought about taking a nap while the boys were napping but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work on our house. I have literally done tons of laundry and put everything away. I have been working on organizing our master bedroom - we have had boxes of "stuff" that we just threw in when we got new furniture months ago. This has needed to be done for a long time!! I have washed and put away baby clothes. I have just been going non-stop. I feel like the baby could come any day now and I want our house to be ready. I want to make sure the boys have plenty of clothes to pack to send to my in-laws when it's time and I want to make sure John's clothes are all clean when we come home from the hospital. I really don't want our house to be messy when people will be coming by. I just want everything done and ready!

Last year, on August 1st, I freaked out that I didn't have everything together for Preston's arrival. And guess what happened?? My water broke that night! I hope my water doesn't break tonight but at least I am one step closer to having a clean house! :)

A Day of Reflecting

I am now officially past the point in pregnancy where I had Carter. I had Carter at 34 1/2 weeks and I am now 35 weeks. Carter is now a very healthy 3 1/2 year old so I know if Baby was born now he would ultimately be okay but I don't ever wish to visit another NICU. It was a very scary day, the day Carter was born. He was our first child and the not knowing was hard to deal with. It was hard to see him hooked up to a breathing machine and feeding tube and the next year that followed was hard. We saw a pediatric cardiologist and pulmnologist along with his regular pediatrician for that first year. We are very fortunate that he has outgrown all of his complications from being a preemie and forever thankful!

A hard picture to look at but this reminds me of how lucky we are now.
Date: 2/4/06
Weight: 5 lbs 6 oz

Now an extremely active, happy, healthy 3 year old!
Date: 8/2/09
Weight: 29 lbs

Happy Early Birthday, John!

John's birthday is September 21st, Baby's due date. Since the baby will only be a week old we decided to go out for his birthday before Baby makes his grand entrance. And since Carter and Preston are at John's parents house this weekend we thought this would be a good weekend. John picked Red Lobster and Cold Stone Creamery. We were so full from dinner that we were only able to eat half of our ice cream and brought the rest home. We also stopped at a Redbox and rented a movie. Two movies in one day!!! It has been a great day!

John ordered lobster with a side of king crab and I had coconut shrimp and garlic grilled shrimp. For dessert, John had coffee ice cream with roasted almonds, heath bar and carmel. I had sweet cream with heath bar.

First Night Away From Home

John and I dropped Carter and Preston off with Grandma and Papa(John's parents) this morning. Carter was so excited to go over there. As soon as we told him he was going he kept asking to go now. I hadn't even gotten out of bed. When I told him I had to shower and get dressed he told me that I could do that afterwards.

This is the first time for me to spend a night away from Preston. I never understood the moms that had a hard time leaving their children overnight. I never had that problem with Carter. I'm not sure if it was due to the fact that I spent his first 2 weeks of life away from him while he was in NICU or the fact that I had to go back to work when he was only 8 weeks old or what. But I totally get it now. I know Preston will be just fine and Beckie will take great care of him. I just miss the little guy. It is nice to have a quiet house but goodness, it is almost too quiet!

After we dropped the boys off, we ran to the bank, ate some lunch and went to see a movie. We are in money saving mode so we decided to go the dollar movie. We saw Star Trek. I am not a Star Trek fan by any means but the movie was really good. It almost made me want to start watching the show...almost. lol We then ran over to Babies R Us and came back home. John has been working a little bit and I have been cleaning out Carter's room.

Speaking of cleaning out rooms...it is a lot of work. I need to get all of Baby's clothes put away but right now all of Preston's clothes are still in the nursery. So, I need to move all of Preston's stuff into Carter's room but before I do that I have to make room. I have been putting away clothes that don't fit Carter and just cleaning things out and organizing. Maybe it's the nesting kicking in but I really want it all done before Baby comes.

We are getting ready to go out to eat. We have decided to have John's birthday dinner tonight. He chose Red Lobster so we are off to Red Lobster and then to Cold Stone Creamery. Nothing fancy but it will be nice to have adult conversation without kid interruptions. Granted, we will probably just talk about the kids the whole time! :)

A Trip to L&D

A pregnancy just wouldn't be a pregnancy without an early trip to labor and delivery. My contractions have picked back up lately and I felt like I might be leaking amniotic fluid. I went to see Dr. Jacoby this morning and everything checked out fine. He even did a sono and my cervix is still measuring in the normal range, it is on the lower end of normal but still normal. My fluid levels were on the high side of normal, which is exactly what happened with Preston. At the end of my pregnancy with Preston, I had to completely try to cut out all sugar including fruit. He still was born at 38 weeks weighing 9 pounds. So, looks like I'm making another big baby. I am going to try even harder this time to keep my sugar intake lower. The outcome of what can happen with too much fluid is so much more of a reality to me now than it was last year. As I don't have diabetes or gestational diabetes, I still need to take care of myself to the best of my ability right now. I can sacrifice those yummy sugary foods and drinks for just a few weeks to help try to lower my fluid levels.

Anyways, so even though everything checked out okay, Dr. Jacoby still wanted to send me over to the hospital for monitoring and for them to do the ffn test. They can get the results back in an hour where as if I didn't go I would have had to wait until tomorrow. John was with me so he was in charge of the boys. The boys did GREAT! We were only there for 2 hours but that is a long time for a 3 and 1 year old. Heck, I was bored! The ffn test came back negative, the contractions were still rated as irritability and I was sent home. I was instructed to start taking the Procardia again religiously 3 times a day for the next two weeks. After 36 weeks, he wants me to stop and if I go into labor then I go into labor.

On our way out we went to the Newborn Admitting Nursery. I had heard they had gotten rid of it and sure enough they had. They now do everything - first bath, weigh and etc. - all in the room with the mom or in my case in the OR or recovery room. I don't think I really think that plan is all that great. I like the fact that the family gets to see the baby through the glass while they do all of that and they won't get that this time. They are able to come into the recovery room but I get the shakes so bad that I wasn't even able to hold Preston until I was in my post partum room. And I want to be the first one to hold him. I guess maybe they can come and look at him but not hold him? I just don't know.

We also stopped by the little gift shop, A Mother's Gift. I had never been in there and have always wanted to go in. I had one of the lactation consultants size and fit me for a nursing bra. I thought I knew the size but just wanted to make sure. I explained to her the problems I had with bras, I'm short and after two back to back babies, large chested. It is so extremely hard to find a bra that truly fits. She showed me one that I cannot wait to buy. It is on the pricey side but oh my gosh, it looks so comfy. I hope it is. She also explained to me that if you give birth at Plano Presby then you forever get 20% off their nursing bras. How awesome is that? The only downside is that they are inconveniently located in the hospital and the space is so tiny that I won't be able to go when I have the kids with me. I looked online after I got home and surprisingly, the hospital had the best prices. So, maybe I will make a trip up there in two weeks when both boys are in MDO.

A Lil' Sad It's Coming to an End

I am now 34 weeks and counting. The baby has been a lot more active lately and I am trying to love every second of it and take it all in. It totally amazes me that our bodies are designed to grow another person and it makes me so incredibly thankful that I have now experienced it three times.

As I am getting bigger and more uncomfortable I am finding myself complaining. However, part of me doesn't want this to come to an end so quickly. I love being pregnant! I love feeling him move inside of me! I love knowing that he is constantly with me and hears my voice!

I am very blessed to already have two wonderful healthy boys and even more blessed to have had a healthy pregnancy for the third time. I often take these things for granted but I do know how fortunate me and John are. I hope and pray that this pregnancy continues on the same path and I give birth to a healthy baby boy.

So, I am getting sad and emotional that it is coming to an end. I don't like to think about the fact that I will never feel life inside of me in just a few weeks. However, I am excited to meet this little man and raise another boy. I'm excited for my family to grow up and get out of that neverending baby stage. I'm excited to see my three boys grow into men.

A Good Day

We have been having quite a few rough days lately so it is so nice to report such a good day. Granted, it's only 3:30 but usually by this time I am completely ready for John to be home. The day started very early as Preston woke up early. We all got up and had breakfast and were in the car and on our way to a park by 9. We met some friends from our local Wylie Mom's group. Carter was excited because the train park is one of his favorite parks to go to. I don't really get it because it seems like it would be boring as it is just a train with no moving parts but the kid loves trains!

The train park is part of our outdoor mall. So while we were there, we walked over to the Stride Rite store and returned a couple of shoes I had gotten for Preston. I had found some super cute shoes at the Stride Rite outlet and figured I would save a little bit of money. We also went into the Carter's store to see if they had gotten any of their "Big Brother" t-shirts in. They only had long sleeved and the smallest size they had was 3T, which isn't going to fit Preston. I need to order the ones I designed for the boys. They are really cute.

We then loaded back into the minivan and were headed home. I needed a few things from the grocery store and I figured I wouldn't want to get back out so we went ahead and stopped at Kroger. Both boys were so good!

We came home and ate lunch and for the first time both boys went down for nap with only a few tears and I only had to make one trip in there to rescue a pacifier. While searching for said pacifier I hit the outside of my eye on the crib and bruised it. The crib is nowhere close to childproof from the outside as it is 30 something years old and there is a metal piece sticking out that I so gracefully bumped into.

I am hoping that the rest of the day and evening go as smoothly and maybe, just maybe I can get out to go get a pedicure that I so desperately need!

Another Round of Ear Infections

Preston has been fussy for a day or two and has had a very runny nose (still clear though). This morning he started tugging on his ears, so I figured we needed to head to the doctor again. Dr. Morchower didn't have any openings but Dr. Henderson did. She is so calm and gentle that we got through the whole appointment without any tears!! John met me there to help since Carter is still having trouble with the whole listening thing. There was fluid on both of his ears and more on the left one than the right one. She said it was very borderline but enough to write another prescription for antibiotics. She wants to see him in two weeks to check on it.

I talked to her about how this is his third or fourth ear infection and when should we start to be concerned. She said it is hard to put an exact number on it. She said that a lot of it depends on the frequency and how well he responds to antibiotics before referring us to an ENT. I explained how I suffered from ear infections as a kid and our nephews have had numerous ear infections. She agreed that part of it could be hereditary and some of it could also be from allergies. He is too young to try allergy medications so... She said that we will see how the fall goes but I personally think at this point two double ear infections within weeks of each other is a little excessive. If he has one more soon, then I am going to request to see an ENT.

I am thankful, though, that we caught this one early before it got too bad. Hopefully he will be feeling like himself tomorrow.

Celebrating Baby Boy #3

My Aunt Vickie and cousin Brittany gave me a baby shower today to honor Baby #3. I was hesitant to have a shower since this is my third baby boy and only a year after Preston. I like the idea of celebrating each baby but didn't want people to think I was asking for gifts. However, they insisted and I gave in. I made sure to keep it small and only invited a few close friends, family and girls from my bible class at church.

I received a few gift cards to Target and Walmart, diapers and wipes, some essential bedding for a 2nd crib (mattress pad and sheet), and a new floppy (needed when you have 2 kiddos in high chairs at the same time). My other cousin, Brandi, also made me a few burp clothes that are super cute. Brittany made me two scrap books. One is for teddy bear pictures and another one is to mark the milestones of his first year. She did the same for Preston and I know she puts a lot of time, effort and love into it. Aunt Vickie gave me a new bear to take Baby's picture every month and the bear is huge! Both Carter and Preston have had a great time playing with the bear today.

I don't have any pictures yet but will post some after Brittany emails some over to me. They did such a great job and it was great to see Brittany's new house. She made cupcakes and had the best lemonade, which is one of my weaknesses right now. The day was a lot of fun and very much appreciated.

When Will Baby #3 Meet the World??

My sister-in-law found a website while she was pregnant with my niece and it is a fun game. It is a poll to guess the delivery date, how much he will weigh, how long he will be and what time he will be born. Anyone that reads my blog, please log onto the website and vote on when you think Baby #3 is going to make his grand entrance.



I had to edit this to add, that even though I am a scheduled c-section, both of my boys came early. Carter was 5 1/2 weeks early (due date 3/10/06 and born 2/4/06) and Preston was 2 weeks early (due date 8/17/08 and born 8/2/08). I, of course, am hoping that I make it to my scheduled date but just looking at the trend, my only assumption is that Baby #3 will be early as well. :)

Does It Really Start This Young??

Carter is giving us a run for our money! I'm shocked at what comes out of his little 3 year old mouth. Carter eats breakfast with John every morning while I take a shower and get dressed. They share a bowl of Cheerios and then Carter gets his own breakfast. Yesterday morning John was cleaning up from their bowl of Cheerios and Carter starts banging his spoon on the kitchen table. That is a big no no in our house and Carter knows it. John asks Carter to stop and reminds him of the rules. Carter looks at him and says, "Daddy, just go to work so you can't hear me." Wow! So, he knows he is breaking the rules but thinks if we can't hear him then it is okay?? The teenage years should be a lot of fun!!!

33 Week Check Up

I had a very uneventful doctor's appointment with Dr. Jacoby today. I gained 3 lbs in the past 2 weeks but only 25 overall so I'm actually doing pretty good. My blood pressure was 120/74. The heartbeat was strong and he is still breech. I got all of the paperwork for the hospital. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM on the 14th and then the c-section is scheduled for 7:30 AM. Man, that is super early!! I don't forsee me getting any sleep that night if I make it to my c-section date.

Less than 6 weeks away from September 14th!! So Baby #3 will for sure be here in less that 6 weeks! Crazy!!!

1 Year Old Check Up

I took Preston today to see Dr. Morchower for his 1 year old check up. He weighs 19.3 pounds (25th-50th percentile) and is 29 1/2 inches (50th-75th percentile). His eye sight and hearing was perfect and the doctor seemed pleased with everything.

We talked a lot about how to help Preston adjust to the new baby and all of the changes that are happening in our family. I am very worried how Preston is going to react to the new baby. He is very much a momma's boy and when he is upset, he only wants me. Granted, he doesn't really know any different. I am the one that has taken care of him for the past year. Yes, John takes care of him but Carter has been John's main focus this year since I nursed Preston and gave him his baths and etc. Even with bottle feeding for the past 6 months, I am the one that gives him his bottle. So, Dr. Morchower's advice was to have John do more with Preston for the next few weeks so he gets used to someone else. He was pleased to hear that I enrolled Preston in MDO in the fall. He said it would be better to do two days a week instead of one day a week but we are having a hard time affording one day. He thinks MDO will be very good for him to become a little more independent. Dr. M told me that Preston is going to be the epitome of the Middle Child Syndrome, given his age. I wanted to start crying right there. The last thing I want is for my child to have the middle child syndrome. I don't want to overcompensate and give him more attention but how do I find that balance?

Dr. M could tell my anxieties -- he has known me since I was a newborn. He reassured me that they were there for me, even it was to provide me with a glass of wine. lol He reassured me that I would survive and would do a great job. He reminded me that they were just a phone call away.

We also addressed Preston's temper. I don't think I have mentioned the temper that my sweet little boy has but man does he have a temper. He is getting to that age that he is starting to hear the word "no" and we redirect him but he gets extremely upset. He has recently started hitting me in the face if I'm holding him and he doesn't get what he wants. Dr. M told me to not react to him and simply put him down if I am holding him. He told me to redirect his anger at something other than me. How do you teach a 12/13 month old to be gentle???

After our lengthy conversation, the nurse came in and gave Preston his shots. He got the regular 1 year old shots with the exception of the MMR vaccination. I decided to delay that one until 15 months. He is only scheduled to get 1 shot at 15 months so I am grouping that one with the MMR.

Dr. Morchower gave me a hug on our way out and said he would see me in a few weeks with Baby Boy #3!

Happy 1st Birthday, Preston!

My baby is officially one year old! I cannot believe how fast this past year has flown by. Preston has added so much fun to our household. He is full of personality and loves to laugh. At one year old, he is crawling, pulling up on things, walking around while holding on, babbles all day long, can say DaDa and Night Night (sometimes MaMa and Bubba), has started to eat table food, has 8 teeth (4 top - 4 bottom).

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, August 1st. Grandma, Papa, Mimi and Ken, Poppy and Mary, Uncle Chris, Aunt Kari and Cousin Kendall, Courtney, Steven and Preston's girlfriend, Samantha came over to help celebrate. He got a ton of toys and clothes and even a little bit of money to add to his college savings!

The party started off with pizza. Preston had never had pizza before but he LOVED it! He ate almost two full pieces of cheese pizza. I didn't think we were ever going to get him full and get to move on to the presents. But he finally either got full or just got tired of eating!

Next, we opened all of the presents. His big brother, Carter, helped until he wanted to just play with all of the new toys. He got a tractor, care bear, clothes, a book, a fun pull toy that has a shape sorter with music and many many other things.

Then he got to eat his first birthday cake! He never did get into the actual cake but he thought the icing was pretty tasty. I got his cakes from Willie Mae's bakery in Plano. They were so yummy! They did such a great job at matching the cakes to his invitations, too!

After a few hours of partying Preston was definitely one worn out little boy. It was such a fun day and we can't wait until his next birthday. We are so fortunate to have friends and family around to help us celebrate such special days like this one!