Music City Spaids

Maggie's 6th Birthday

2012-02-02T16:06:00.003-06:00

My sweet girl is SIX years old. So wonderful. Having her has been such a special blessing from the Lord. I know I don't cherish every day like I should, but Maggie still makes my heart full to bursting!

Here are some pictures from her special days (Friday was her birthday, Saturday was her party).

Maggie got a special birthday crown in her kindergarten class. Gramma and Grampa joined her for lunch (Maggie wanted only them to come, not Mommy or James). the cafeteria offers a wide variety of salads, which is great. Their dressing selection leaves something to be desired, however. Their CHOICE was Ranch. Not really a choice when that's the only flavor they have.

Getting ready for gifts!

Annual balloons.

Sweet girl, sweet card. So cute!!!

So just because she LIKES Justin Beiber (which we are not encouraging) does not mean people need to be buying her Justin Beiber merchandise!!! ACK. I will be hiding this and another set of note pads soon. But she was excited about her notebook and her Hello Kitty fedora, which has been worn to school 3 days this week.

Gramma Spaid got Maggie a set of diamond earrings. That's one set more than her mama has...

And the ultimate gift, one every 6-year old girl dreams of, a REAL bow and arrow set. Ok - our 6-year old dreams of them. She's asked for several years already. She and Daddy will have lots of fun with her new compound bow.

Posing with her cake for birthday night, and the cake pops I made for her party.

Owl cake pops.

I bought a some super cute clip art designs on Etsy.com and designed all my own party decorations and invitations. I love stuff like that!

These girls are all sitting still for the picture, but it was UTTER CHAOS AND PANDEMONIUM while we made the other party favor (a little stuffed owl- no pictures in progress, too crazy), made mini pizzas, ate dinner, had cake pops, watched Maggie open gifts.There were 13 crazy kids in attendance. I needed an ibuprofen when they all went home.

Maggie and her two besties.

She did ask specifically for one cupcake so she could blow out a candle.

The cake pops were met with great anticipation, and enjoyed thoroughy.

I decided to allow gifts this year, since a lot of the other school girls have parties with gifts, and I didn't know how it would come across if I said "no". It was an experiment and fun this year - we will not be doing that again, for many reasons.

All the girlies posing with their owls.

Maggie and Zayli with their owls, Zeke had to sneak in for the picture.

And James as already in bed for the night when I realized I hadn't taken a picture of Tyler and I with Maggie.

Maggie had such a great time at her party. She said it was her Best. Party. EVER. I will call that a success! (And I get to do it all over again for James' 1st birthday party in a month!)

My dear sweet girl, I love you so much. You light up my days, Sunshine!

Christmas 2011 Pictures

2012-02-02T15:47:00.005-06:00

So it's, uh, February. And I'm just posting pictures from Christmas. Pitiful! Sorry.
Click below for the link.

Spaid Christmas 2011

2012-02-01T12:46:00.001-06:00

My little lefty enjoying his first goldfish crackers.

Exploding Diaper

2012-01-25T15:00:00.003-06:00

Probably not how I should spend 5 minutes updating my very neglected blog, but it's funny.

James' diaper exploded overnight, it must have had a tear in it or something. What a crazy mess. Those polymer crystal-things were all over his front, with a similar amount in the rest of his PJ's. And I couldn't just pop him in the bath, either. I didn't want that stuff clogging my drains. It took at least 10 wipes to pick them all up and get him clean. And I am SO glad his jammies are zip-ups and he can't get inside. Jeez!

Ok. Here are some other pictures from the past couple of weeks (poor Maggie - with her being in school I don't take quite as many photos of her anymore. I will remedy that this weekend with her 6th birthday)

Here's James drinking from a bottle. He's very proficient now. We're moving on to sippy cups.

We had to install gates both upstairs and downstairs last weekend. Mr. James likes to make a beeline to the stairs as soon as no one is watching him. They are a hassle but worth it.

And when people aren't looking he likes to eat shoes. All kinds: mine, Tyler's, Maggie's, clean, dirty, new, old, slippers... It's a gross habit we're trying to break.

And the tupperware cabinet. He's found it and loves it. It still is not quite enough to keep him from fussing when I'm making dinner, but it does provide a couple minute's distraction at least.

And I noticed that my iPhone pictures are quite red. Not sure how to remedy that.

James - 10 Months

2012-01-03T13:27:00.000-06:00

What a cutie! So we've made it to 10 months. I say it every month, but James is such a happy baby boy! He can feed himself finger foods, does well with a sippy cup, can hold his own bottle, army crawls all over everywhere, loves his Allistair the alligator, LOVES his mama and reaches for me when other people hold him, did really well at Christmas with all kinds of new faces and places, can play the recorder and duck call (thanks, Poppy!). Let's see, what else... When he is near chairs he can pull himself back up to sitting from being on his tummy, but hasn't sat up on his own in his crib. I've heard that bigger kids take a little longer to get their full mobility because they have more mass to move, and I believe it. However, James' army crawl is really fast, you can't turn your back on him for a second!

He is REALLY LOUD. I'm not surprised, really, but sometimes I think he is going to pop my ear drums. Happy noises, crabby noises, they are both quite voluminous. No words yet. He's got a lot of consonant sounds he can make, but doesn't really put them together. I had hoped he was trying to say "mama" - but that's died out mostly. I weaned him over Christmas, and that's gone fairly well. He's STILL not sleeping through the night, mostly because I am a softy this time around, and haven't had the heart to really make him cry it out (although this morning at 5a.m. I did let him cry for quite a while before I got up and got him a bottle). I'm not sure what he weighs at the moment, but I'd say hefty is a good descriptor. His 12-month pajamas are stretched to the max, length- and width-wise. I put him in an 18-month outfit yesterday and they were none too baggy, and the PJ's he has on above is an 18-month size.

Still in love with my little man. And he's giving me big kisses now which make up for all the hair-pulling that goes along with said kisses. I love those slobbery kisses!

James' turn on the recorder

2011-12-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

James got a hold of Maggie's recorder, and figured out how to make noise on it! He did really great before I got out my phone to video it, and then he needed a little help to do it again.

Mini Concert

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Maggie was listening to some Christmas the other night, and started hooting on her recorder. James pulled two cups from his toy bin and started banging them together to join her. We got a short clip of them playing together. We tried a couple times, and every time we started the music and Maggie played, James would, too. He's so little yet, and I forget that they are really learning so much so quickly. It was really fun to watch!

Nine Months, are you kidding me?!

2011-12-04T23:08:00.001-06:00

James is 9 months now. I can't believe it. In 12 short weeks he'll be a year. Gotta get started on that party!

He babbles with lots of consonant sounds, says Mama like "ba-bma", army crawls, claps, waves, greets everyone with an upturned hand, is learning to feed himself. He is so happy, it's wonderful.

His 9-month check up was Monday, 12/5. 22 pounds, 15 ounces, 29.3 inches. Still at the 90th percentile for height, a little below 90th for weight. He is wearing 12-month stuff just about exclusively still, some 12-month pants are too short or too tight.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-04T22:49:00.000-06:00

A little late, but our Thanksgiving was really great!

Maggie's school had a kindergarten Thanksgiving program (because, you know, they AREN'T having a Christmas program). She's a turkey, 3rd in, bottom row at the lower right of the picture.

Here's our little turkey!!!

And Bubby trying to take off her turkey hat.

I actually decorated for our Thanksgiving this year. I found some super-cute printables off Pinterest. It was fun to get all gussied up even though it was just us, Seth & Dixie and our munchkins.

And the table setting. I pulled out the china. It's pointless to have it be dispayed in my hutch if it isn't going to get used.

Right here is a picture of the BEST TURKEY I have ever made. I brined it overnight, and roasted it, UNSTUFFED, upside down. It was juicy even after it was all carved up and on the platter through dinner. Delicious!

Our happy little buddy ready to chow down on his first Thanksgiving. And boy are we THANKFUL for him! Just a joy to have in our lives.

Dinner ready to go. Turkey and gravy, stuffing, CHEESY green bean casserole, Dixie's rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato and apple bake and salad. Amazing. I think we've got our Thanksgiving menu nailed and perfect.

The drumstick was a big hit with James!

Lots of great supervision of the little boys going on here.

Tyler was sleeping so hard he didn't even wake up when I took the picture.

The girls are big enough to play on their own, but I had a Thanksgiving craft ready for them, too, while we prepped dinner. On each feather they had to write something they were thankful for.

And little Zeke settled down for a while that night and cuddled with his mama. It was really sweet!

And here we all are.

The Army Crawl

2011-11-22T16:23:00.001-06:00

My life is about to radically change. James has started army crawling. I was hoping to put off his mobility for a little while longer, but excited to see him grow, too.

The Car Cart

2011-11-14T23:03:00.001-06:00

This happy situation lasted until James thought it would be fun to lean into Maggie and bite her on the arm and stomach. So much for keeping them contained!

8 Months

2011-11-10T23:19:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday James turned 8 months. Haven't weighed him lately (but my right bicep is sure looking awesome from all that carrying), but he's in nearly all 12-month clothes now. 9-month pants and onesies still fit, but the arms and legs are a bit short. 12-month jammies are maxed out! I love my little man in his jammies. So cuddly. He is not crawling yet, but rolls all over and pushes himself backwards. Loves to play with his toys sitting up, but sometimes gets excited and throws himself backwards - so he sits with a pillow behind him to keep him from cracking his skull open. This month he's really started to wave at people, for "hello," "good-bye" and basically to get your attention. Mr. Spaid is definitely my (Melissa's) child. His volume goes to 11! Has discovered his outdoor voice and utilizes it OFTEN! The boy will not stand to be ignored or put off; I can't wait for him to understand the concept of patience - everyone's ears will appreciate it. Especially in the car in the afternoons when I'm stuck in the carpool line. It's rough!

He tricked me into thinking he was going to sleep all the way through the night at the beginning of the month. Slept through the night for about a week. Now he's back to up once or even twice at night. I'd ignore him and let him cry it out, but James is quite strong-willed, it turns out. I'm pretty sure if I let him go he'd cry from 2:30 until 7:00 when it's actually time to get out of bed. So, pretty much every night I get up for a middle of the night feeding. It's not that bad - he cuddles with me before I put him back in his crib, so I get a little extra love in there.

James will still eat pretty much everything I've given him in the way of solid foods, and we are working on thicker/chunkier textures and seasonings and flavors now. Any foods we eat that aren't highly allergic he gets a little bit of at dinner, and he really likes it. He's not quite at the point where he can feed himself chunks, but is getting better at pinching puffs between his fingers and getting them to his mouth. One of his favorite things is a strip of bread, or chunk of roll. Those 8 teeth are quite fun to use, I think. We are working on a sippy cup, but haven't had a lot of success with it yet. I think I need to get a different type.

And, we discovered this month he as a HUMONGOUS underbite (think a bulldog's jaw). His bottom teeth come completely in front of his upper teeth with space to spare. I sure hope that self-corrects, and now I wish he sucked his thumb like Maggie, it might actually have corrected the problem. Oh, well. Head-gear at 12 anyone?

Here are his monthly boppy pictures. Such a happy little buddy!

See! So happy!

And here we introduce his lovey, Allistair the Alligator. And James' sucky-lips and doe eyes. He sucks on his tongue when he's tired, or cuddling with his mama, or holding something soft. Like Allistair. He's SO sweet with those eyes and lips. Makes me melt every time.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T00:34:00.001-05:00

Tyler and I headed up our church's Fall Festival this year. It made for a very busy October for me, but it was a lot of fun. Tyler and I went as the King and Queen of Spaids. The playing card fronts were made by his mom when she and John were first married, so there's some history there. We were joined by a bumblebee fairy and Charlie Brown. I didn't want James in a hot costume, and Charlie Brown was good and easy.

Zaylie and Maggie.

The King and Charlie, waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

Parlor Tricks

2011-11-02T00:33:00.001-05:00

James learned a new trick at the fall festival!

2011-10-28T16:17:00.001-05:00

Best giggles ever!

Enjoyed a sunny moment at the park

2011-10-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

I'd say day at the park, but I don't have that much free time right now! We stopped after some errands at a local park we hadn't tried out yet. Maggie ran around with some kids she met and I popped James in a baby swing. He loved it! And I am loving his chunky thighs.

In this one you can see how much hair he's getting! He's going to end up a toehead like his sister, but his is coming in a lot quicker than Maggie's did!

You can see his bottom teeth in this one. He's got the 4 up top to match, too!

2011-10-12T08:59:00.001-05:00

I am loving his Halloween PJ's. Having fun this morning playing with toys.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-08T21:21:00.001-05:00

This morning we took the chilluns to the pumpkin farm. It was fun to be there this year - it was the perfect weather, not too hot, and James got to sit in a stroller instead of in my uterus (TMI, sorry, couldn't resist).

Maggie enjoyed playing in the corn bins again.

Here's the little man.

I see TWO turkeys in this picture.

The lighting isn't great here, but the sheep eating out of her hand tickled something fierce!

James playing sack of potatoes.

Tube slide.

Corn maze.

All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth

2011-10-08T21:09:00.003-05:00

Friday after school Maggie asked me rig up another floss slip-knot so she could yank out her loose tooth. Several tugs and a plea for floss removal later, she gave it one last try and her tooth came out! And once again I couldn't keep it together and cried for just a minute over my baby growing up a little more more.

7 Months and Fantastic

2011-10-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

Monday James turned 7 months. He is sitting up pretty well, rolls over and over and over and over, turns and twists, smiles, laughs, babbles, blows tons of bubbles with slobber, and as of today (Saturday) has 7 teeth!!! Here's his boppy picture from Monday.

Same day, Maggie feeding him some baby puffs. Do they look related?

And here we have the two most beautiful children I have ever seen. GOODNESS SAKES!

Same day, riding on Daddy's shoulders, a favorite place to be.

On the flip side of all this happy, there has been a LOT of crying this week with two teeth coming in. I have to constantly remind myself that at some point in the very near future he will be like Maggie who is losing teeth and this is just a phase. Tyler took care of a frazzled Mommy with a date Friday night!

Tyler Had A Visitor Labor Day Weekend

2011-10-08T20:39:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I didn't post these already. Labor Day weekend Tyler's male soul mate, Josh, visited. I took a cue from my friend Niki's husband Greg who corralled their kids all weekend so I could enjoy Niki. So Tyler and Josh had uninterrupted time together. And let me tell you, those boys enjoyed themselves. Additionally - I think Josh does not eat regularly when he's home. He ate and ate and ate while he was here. Tyler didn't say, but he may have had to purchase a 2nd seat on Southwest for the flight home.

Josh is a big turkery hunter. So the turkeys that visit our yard were a real treat, as was this huge flock down the road from our house. We parked and watched these turkeys for a good 1/2 hour. So much fun!

And Maggie also enjoyed Josh. I don't remember why she needed to have a pitchfork on the front porch, but she was embarrassed I took her picture.

James Thinks Torture By Sissy Is Fun

2011-10-07T16:20:00.001-05:00

Sitting Up - We're Growing Up!

2011-09-25T20:54:00.001-05:00

James is sitting! Can't pull himself to sitting but can now sit up for several minutes on his own once I sit him up. We've entered a new exciting phase- gonna need some new toys. Our address is... Just kidding.

2011-09-20T20:40:00.001-05:00

Here's a short clip of James enjoying some peaches in his "pop". We love this thing in our house!

2011-09-18T23:32:00.001-05:00

We have a beginner reader on our hands! Maggie sounded out the whole book to me Friday and then read through it several times today.

2011-09-12T23:04:00.000-05:00

Each night Monday -Thursday Maggie's teacher has provided 3-5 minutes of homework to reinforce what they did in class that day. Today Maggie was to draw something loud and something quiet. I just about died with laughter when I asked her about the pictures (which were not labeled at the time) and she told me the loud one was a bell and a WATERMELON is quiet. While very true that melons are quiet, it is such a random choice. Oh. My. Quite the witty girl.

2011-09-09T22:19:00.001-05:00

Maggie got to take the class Gingerbread Man home this weekend. Each kid in her class gets a turn. They are supposed to take a picture or two and then tell a story about what they did. all the other stories in the book are written by the parents... Maggie wanted to write it herself, so Tyler helped her spell out all the words but she wrote it herself. I am continually amazed at how she is learning and developing so quickly now that she's in school. My big girl!

6 Months of Sweet Baby James

2011-09-04T20:24:00.002-05:00

Saturday marked James' 6 month birthday. What a chunka-hunka of love! I weighed him last night, and it looks like he's holding steady at about 20 pounds.

Current Achievements:
-is now rolling back to tummy AND tummy to back, he has started rolling all over the floor to get his toys.
-loves to eat solid food as long as it's in a mesh baby-pop holder. We've done bananas, pureed frozen sweet potato puree, frozen plum puree and his favorite fresh peach chunks.
-sleeps completely through the night every once in a while, I am still getting up most mornings at 4 or 5 to feed him, then he goes back to sleep until 7 or 7:30
-on a normal day takes 3 good naps
-had a GREAT! day in the church nursery today. Took a 2-hour nap and was happy the rest of the time he was in there. This is a major first for him; I get called out of the service or Sunday School most mornings to calm down a screaming baby. (what can I say, he loves his mama!)
-babbles up a storm!
-gives huge belly laughs for big sister
-is wearing 12-month clothes

Needless to say, we are just loving his presence in our family. I could chew on those cheeks all day! He is a constant reminder to me of God's faithfulness and provision and care and compassion.

2011-09-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

James had his first banana "pop" for lunch (red bin). He had so much fun with it!! He was so messy I cleaned up all the remaining banana slime then gave him a frozen plum pop (red bib). The plums were a little tart!

Maggie's First Day(s) of Kindergarten

2011-08-22T21:57:00.004-05:00

Wow. My little 8 pound, 5 ounce pink little bundle of amazing preciousness just came home from the hospital, and here she is going to kindergarten!!!

I say first days of kindergarten because last Wednesday and Friday she had "transition" days for starting kindergarten. Not regular days, but orientation -type days, and her OFFICIAL first day of kindergarten was today, Monday. So since I am thoroughly confused as to what I should be considering her first day, I took two sets of pictures.

Here's last Wednesday:

I was very concerned about her being happy about going to school. She seemed excited at times, but in the weeks leading up to Wednesday there were still times that she acted really conerned about school, too. All tmy fears were put to rest after she got to her class, we put up her lunch and backpack in her cubby, and she sat at the table to start working on her Gingerbread Man necklace. I took the above picture and she says to me "Aren't you going home? I want you to go now." Well! That made it all better for me. She was excited to be there and didn't want me, so out the door I went. No tears from either of us. That afternoon when I picked her up she gushed about all that she did, and friends she had made and the school. Relief!

Here are pictures from today:
Pink and Hello Kitty and light-up shoes. A perfect first day outfit if I do say so myself!
Sometimes having to push a stroller has it benefits (other than the sweet chubby baby inside that stroller): like seeing how much Maggie loves her daddy and how much her daddy loves his little girl.
And my two sweet babies: 5 months and 5 years.
(sappy letter for my baby)
My dear Maggie,
The house is a whole lot quieter with you in school each day now. I miss your smiling face and toothless smile already. I can't wait to see and hear about all that you are learning this year. I am so glad you are becoming more independent and sure of yourself, but remember I'm always here for you, and like I always say you can always talk to me about anything. I love you and I am so proud of you. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure with you.
Love, Mama

2011-08-16T19:06:00.001-05:00

Today has been a pacifier day. He's wanted it ALL day when normally it's just a toy for rotation.

Couldn't Wait - Time for Cereal

2011-08-14T22:20:00.004-05:00

I have really tried to wait until James was 6 months to introduce cereal, but the past week he's been waking up 2x a night to nurse and sometimes I can tell he's not full when he's done nursing during the day (which is not surprising since he's such a big boy). He is 5 months, 1 week and 4 days; we gave Maggie her first right at 5 months and 1 day. Not much difference between the two ages.

SO - we took the plunge and gave him some cereal this evening after we ate dinner and before bedtime. First picture: not sure what's about to happen.
Getting that first spoonful in his mouth.
And some more!
That was a messy as he got- a little bit on his lips. Very little of the cereal got spit out and he liked to suck it off the spoon. I'd say his first foray was a big success!
My happy boys after James' first cereal.
I am really looking forward to this new phase in Little Bubby's life. He ate about 2 tablespoons of cereal tonight fairly quickly - Maggie only got through 2 teaspoons and most of that ended up on her face or bib! I must say a big portion of the fun for me is seeing how much Maggie enjoyed his first meal. She really is so sweet to him yet - we'll see if that attitude is the same when he's mobile and sneaking toys out of her room!

Day at the Lake

2011-08-14T22:15:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday we went to the lake with Dixie, Zayli and Zeke. It was overcast and not blazing hot, but the water was PERFECT and the girls had a good time. They played on the railing that goes into the water for quite a while.
Cute little Zekers!
I got this floaty for James at the store- and it happened to be just like the one from Carl's house. I think James preferred to be in it this way instead of his legs in the holes.
We got a nice visit from a mama duck and her nearly-grown brood of ducklings. We fed them some grapes out of our lunch!

Toes!

2011-08-14T22:13:00.001-05:00

Because he is so cute with his toes:

First Weekend in August: County Fair

2011-08-14T21:45:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we took the kiddos to the Williamson County Fair. It was hot, but had rained earlier in the afternoon so the crowds weren't too bad.
You know I love me some turkeys! And these were a really neat color.
This bin of corn was probably the highlight of Maggie's day. She played in there for at least 1/2 an hour. Poured corn all over herself, covered her legs, made a "corn angel".
Posing with Daddy.
We let her pick two carnival games. She did the duck pond (
Then she picked the dart game. She actually popped one! The man gave her a stuffed elephant. We thought the rides would be a no-go for Maggie. But she LOVED them! She did the tea cups, mini roller coaster, giant slide and two kiddy lift-type rides all by herself. At the tea cups she didn't want Daddy to go with her (those rides make me vomit) and walked right up to a small group of girls and asked if she could ride with them. I was very proud of my outgoing girl right then.
The roller coaster was her least favorite. She didn't like how it jerked right before it went down the little hill. But she at least did it with a smile.
She is the second kid from the left all the way up there. She marched on up the steps all by herself, and even looked out and down to see me and wave. I was really impressed with how brave she was!
When it was her turn she went down right, no hesitating or acting afraid! Maggie was even happy when it was done - which was a lot better reaction than the water slides last month at Lake Chelan.
Daddy rode the carousel with her.
James is too little to enjoy most of the fair, but Maggie always makes an effort to keep him happy. We sat down for dinner and immediately she got him to laugh and giggle!
My favorite boys!
And I remembered to have Tyler take a photo with me and Maggie.
At the end of the afternoon, there was a "wild west" show with wolves. We thought it would be a good idea for Maggie to see them up close since they have been the center of her nightmares lately (poor baby!). She really liked seeing them, but hasn't helped the scary dreams.
Next year we plan on going a little later in the afternoon than we did before. We were hot and tired before the sun went down and missed out the fireworks on seeing all the rides lit up. We had a great time for our first family trip to the fair.

Another Tooth

2011-08-08T13:47:00.002-05:00

Lost her top middle-front tooth last night. She yanked it out with dental floss.

Then she had to have me write a letter to the Tooth Fairy/Tooth Mouse. She was no longer convinced that she was visited by a Tooth Mouse since mommy and daddy had been visited by the Tooth Fairy as children. She drew both the Fairy and Mouse, which you will recall she called a mouse but was really a man the size of daddy.

The Tooth Fairy left her a reply letter and a drawing of herself AND A DOLLAR! Maggie was most excited about the letter.

And the sweet girl this morning. Her gapped smile makes my heart flop every time. I can't believe she's old enough to be losing all these teeth and starting kindergarten to boot!

Update: Tyler took this photo Monday night. My beautifully radiant little girl - what a smile!

Swimming

2011-08-05T22:19:00.003-05:00

Wednesday Tyler's work closed early so we could go swimming at his bosses house - it has been SO hot here we haven't been outside a whole lot unless water is involved, and I keep James inside most of the time because he is too little for sunscreen yet. Carl's pool is surrounded by trees, so when we got there it was nice and shady - a perfect place to swim all afternoon!

We got Maggie to ditch her tube and "swim" in her life jacket. I feel much safer with her in it, and I think it helped her feel more comfortable in the water.
James had a great time in the water.
Here's the little man giving me kisses! It was so sweet.
Gotta have a picture of Maggie and a beer bottle. It was empty, folks. Chill. And Gramma Amron, as soon as Maggie saw her next-year's swimsuit was a two piece, even though the top is a rash guard, she insisted on wearing it. We have been having the bikini battle for some time now (she wants one, we have said absolutely not) - this quelled the issue with her. Baggy bottoms and all she loves to wear this suit. It will fit better next year.
James finally gave it up and fell asleep in the stroller I got out so we could eat dinner without having to control his grabby hands. I love his little popped up leg there!
Thanks, Carl, for letting us swim in your pool!

James is 5 Months - August 3

2011-08-05T22:03:00.002-05:00

Here is my little man! This past month we have started blowing bubbles, rolling on our sides, got a tooth, started playing with toys... really growing fast! And still, so happy! We had a couple days with many tears, he is teething and I think had a small virus, but now we're back to happy and smiley and flirty. James has the best waggling eyebrows I've ever seen! And he will smile and flirt with just about anyone. We are all still so much in love with our little buddy.
July 22 he had his 4-month wellness visit (late because we were on vacation) and he measured 27 inches long and weighed 19 pounds 7 ounces. I'm sure he's a good 20 pounds by now as he gained about an ounce a day between his appointment on July 1 in Seattle and this most recent visit.

Little Man is needing a lot more stimulation than just laying on the floor these days. He loves to roll over and chew on the toys I put out for him, but that lasts only so long. I will say that he is already starting to pull his knees up under himself when he rolls to his tummy - maybe he will crawl sooner than Maggie?

I pulled out the Exer-saucer and he loves it.
And I've started putting him in the Bumbo with some toys, too. This one needs more supervision- his spastic hands clear off the toys pretty quick and an empty tray creates a sad baby pretty quickly. Most days now I spend a good deal of time moving him between a blanket on the floor with toys, the Bumbo, the Exer-saucer and the swing (4th set of batteries, by the way and I think the motor is about to seize up).
We had a new friend come over - Josiah (and big brother Elijah). These two are only 2 1/2 weeks apart. Josiah's mom, Diana, is thinking about cloth diapers so I went over what we do and lent her some to see if she wants to go for it. We are so very thankful for our precious, sweet little man! Every good and perfect gift is from above!

Bubble Gun Fun

2011-08-02T18:12:00.002-05:00

Got a bubble gun-thing at the store. It is pretty awesome.

iPhone Updates

2011-07-26T20:43:00.002-05:00

Olive thinks everything of James' is for her. She sleeps on his activity mat if I forget to put it up at night. Poor baby ends up with cat hair on his face every time he rolls over if I forget.

Today was the first time I put James in the cart without his car seat. He did alright, as long as Maggie was in sight he enjoyed being in the cart. He is not sitting up on his own yet- had to rely on the safety strap, so there was a lot of slouching going on.

Little Buddy Getting Bigger

2011-07-23T22:40:00.003-05:00

Literally! James picked up a cold from our arriving flight, so I took him to a doctor to have him checked out just to make sure it wasn't anything serious. July 1 he weighed in at 18 pounds, 3 1/2 ounces. Friday, July 22, he went in for his 4-month wellness check (late because of our vacation). 21 days from his weigh-in in Seattle, he weighed in at 19 pounds, 7 ounces, measured 26.8 inches. I forgot to ask our pediatrician what percentile that pops him in, but according to the CDC website the best I can figure he is in the 95th percentile for both!
And I didn't mention in the vacation post, but he learned to blow TONS of bubbles, rolled over for the first time last Saturday (final results are the above picture), AND his first tooth came in Monday 7/18 (bottom left-center).

And still, he is just so darn happy! I am so blessed to have such a happy baby that loves to be around anyone and everyone. It made vacation so much easier! James loved to be held by anyone, including his cousins, and was really easy-going. Although he rarely slept through the night on vacation, but back at home he has gone right back to sleeping through the night. Blessed!

Seattle Summer Trip 2011

2011-07-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

I am finally sitting down to blog about our trip. We had a great time with our families and managed to pack in way too many activities each day, but I think it was a fun way for Maggie to spend a chunk of her summer before we embark on kindergarten.

I loaded a ton of pictures to Picasa and posted comments on them. You should be able to click the picture above and go to the album to see them all.

4 Months - On Vacation

2011-07-07T00:21:00.003-05:00

James turned 4 months on Tyler's birthday. We are in Lake Chelan on vacation, so no boppy picture. But I think I got a good substitution:
This past month has been so wonderful! My little man is still so chill, and happy and sweet. He's been sleeping through the night, as in bed at 8 or 8:30, through till 4:30 or later, and back to bed until 8 (except for a couple nights here on vacation) for the past month. James LOVES to chew and suck on his thumb, fingers, thumb knuckle, wrist, my fingers, his blanket, you name it. He has not stuck with just his thumb now that he can find it regularly, and several times he's even given himself a hickey on his wrist!

He's been rolling onto his sides, loves to grab his toys and put them in his mouth, can really hold his head up during tummy time, and is so close to being able to sit up (as in staying up once I put him there, he can't pull up on his own yet). He still loves his sister the most, and the past week has really enjoyed all the extra attention from his cousins, Alexis and Gabby, as well as from grandparents, uncles and aunt. Giggling is a regular part of our day and he's SO smiley and flirty.

Poor baby got his first cold from flying out to Seattle! I took him to the doctor right before we left Gramma Spaid's for Lake Chelan and they did confirm it's just the common cold not anything worse. He's already a snorty little guy, and now it's worse. Sweet Baby James is not quite so sweet when I have to spray his nose with saline and suction it out to get his nasal passages clear. I also got a weight confirmation last Friday (7/1) - 18 pounds, 3 ounces. He's in some 6 month clothes yet, moved into all of his 9 month summer clothes, and a pair of 12-month jammies.

And yes, I am still thankful every day for my sweet little blessing.

VBS 2011

2011-06-20T16:31:00.005-05:00

Last week was VBS (Vacation Bible School) at our church. I helped out as co-director and as crafts leader. It was a lot of work to get it all put together as a new co-director, but fun! It's a great outreach opportunity in our church neighborhood.

Maggie had a great time this year, too. James was undecided in the nursery. each day he took a really good nap, but one of the days he drank his entire bottle and got angry because he wanted more (whereas the day prior he wouldn't finish the same amount).

Here are some pictures from the crazy days:
Crazy Hair Day: multiple ponytails, peacock feathers and hair bows.
Crazy Hat Day: her gorilla strapped to her bicycle helmet
Tacky Day: This was the hardest day to put together- I tend to buy most of her clothes in a complimentary color palette so she can pick anything out of her drawers and wear them. We had to pull out some winter stuff for this to work. It was 90 degrees that day, thankfully the church runs their A/C somewhere between January and Antarctica so she didn't smother in her clothe

Maggie's Dance Recital

2011-06-12T21:57:00.004-05:00

I can I just say - SO CUTE!!! Saturday was Maggie's recital. She did great. Her class (4s & 5s Tap/Ballet/Tumbling) did two separate numbers with a Hawaiian theme: a tap routine to "Little Grass Shack" and a ballet routine to "Over the Rainbow". Synchronicity was not their strongest suit, but none of them were scared, no one burst out in tears. And they all had to wait backstage in their outfits for about an HOUR before it was their turn for their first number. I will call that a success.

Here's the grass skirt outfit for her tap routine. This was taken a couple weeks ago on picture day. The girls were instructed to wear a little light make-up. My child is just FIVE, so we went with a little translucent powder, blush, mascara and sheer lip gloss. It was enough that I can tell just how beautiful she will be in high school. It was also enough to open up a whole new can of worms. "Mommy, can I keep that pink lop gloss?" Mommy, when can I wear make-up everyday?" "Mommy, WHY do I have to wait until I'm older to wear make-up?" "But that's so far away!" Mommy, can I have more lip gloss?" And on and on...
And here she is in her ballet costume. Each girl got a "trophy" in their dance bag. Maggie was SO excited about that trophy! Daddy got her some lovely flowers, but they were sadly overlooked as soon as she realized there was a trophy in her bag. (She fell asleep in the car on the way home holding her trophy)
Here's Maggie and the neighbor girl Emily who is also in her class. They both did so well with both routines. I helped backstage to get the girls in the right skirts and shoes, fix hair, and apply multiple layers of lipgloss to many little lips.
Posing with Daddy.
Poor Tyler. He sat in the auditorium, with James and the video camera to record Maggie. There were 24 routines. Maggie's group was 12th & 19th. I was helping in the back and got to watch them from the side of the stage so I didn't even get to sit with him or keep James entertained while he filmed the 5 whole minutes Maggie was on stage (the program was nearly 2 hours). But he was a trooper, and I am so thankful for him!

We are about ready to go home, here she is sitting with James.

Melissa's Memorial Day Weekend...

2011-06-06T14:05:00.005-05:00

... was spent in Dallas visiting some friends. Niki (Stevens) Spangler, husband Greg, and adorable kids Addie and Scott. Thank you Tyler for letting me abandon you with Maggie on Memorial Day weekend to go visit her. It was a real treat!

I've known Niki since I was 15. She was the maid of honor in my wedding. And I love her to death. She went to The Master's College in California and never moved back to Seattle, and then Tyler and I up and moved to Nashville, so we've lived far, far apart for a long time. So I was VERY excited when Southwest lowered their summer ticket prices. I rebooked tickets I had already purchased and ended up with enough travel credits for another ticket. And since James is "little", and so far a good traveler, I thought why not? I haven't had to chance to go visit her in such a long time, and this seemed perfect.

I was greeted in Dallas with a big hug from Niki and this:
That's right. Someone's boxers on the baggage carousel. Joy!

Friday night we stayed up until 1:30. Greg had to tell us to go to bed. Because really, even though we could've stayed up and talked all night, children don't know that and they'd be up around 7 am. And also, a HUGE thank-you again to Greg for putting up with two crazy-chatty women AND taking care of his own two munchkins so I could crash in their house with James and have some Niki time.

Niki and Scotty at Chick-Fil-A. We went after a visit to this huge outdoor flea market. We needed some SERIOUS A/C after that - it was in the 90's with a hot wind.
I educated them on the kids' stick-on placemats, crayons and cheerios cups. They introduced me to Chick-Fil-A sauce. I didn't know about that sauce. It was delicious!!! (and I can't believe I didn't know about that sauce!)

Here's Greg. He too has been afflicted with "my-wife-takes-too-many-pictures"-itis, Symptoms include the inability to smile nicely for any camera pointed in his direction. Even if it isn't his wife taking the picture. Sorry Greg!
Here's Addie. She's about the same age as Maggie. and such a hoot! Maggie would've loved her.
Then for some walking around with the kids we went to a big mall. They had an ice-skating rink inside. How cool was that?! This girl worked there, I think. She skated beautifully and I got this great picture of her spinning.
Sunday night we went to Hard 8 BBQ. Here we are, thick as thieves.
The dinner. We split this big tray of brisket, ribs, smoked sausage, corn and poppers (Chicken chunks stuffed with cheese and roasted jalapenos). It was some really good Texas BBQ!
And here's Scotty enjoying his first corn on the cob. It was so cute - he just loved it!!!
It was a great trip with a great friend. And it was so much fun to spend time with her children and get to know Greg better, too!

We have Giggling

2011-05-25T17:05:00.004-05:00

UPDATED: I have no idea why clipshack.com is not letting my videos show up here. I can't figure out how to get my videos approved (have never had to do it before). So I've uploaded the videos directly to blogger. Hope this clears up the problems.

James started the past week or so. It is so fun! Grampa John is here visiting and his fake sneezes are a BIG hit!

My E-mail was Hacked

2011-05-17T15:00:00.002-05:00

Trying to notify everyone I can - my hotmail account was hacked this morning (5/17). Do not click on any kind of link in any emails you got from me today, I did not send it.

Sleepover - Fun Times!

2011-05-15T22:33:00.003-05:00

My good friend, Kelly, and daughter Savannah came for a visit! Savannah spent the night Friday. Maggie and Savannah had a great time: after dinner they watched Monsters Vs. Aliens and had a big pancakes, sausage and eggs breakfast Saturday morning.

Despite being a little naughty when they were supposed to be sleeping (one of the times I checked on them they were covering themselves in bandaids, another time it was a potty party) they were very cute. I knew they wouldn't go right to bed - who does that at a sleepover? I mean really. I put them to bed about 8:45 but they didn't fall asleep until about 10:45 after I finally threatened to separate them - I wanted to go to bed, too!

When James woke up at 4:50 in the morning (he went right back to sleep after nursing), they woke up and started chatting. I did separate them and put them back to bed as I was not starting my Saturday at 5 in the morning (lazy, I know!). Thankfully they slept until 7 am.

Savannah came up to both of us (Maggie and I) at different times of the visit with big hugs and said "I missed you so much!" She was so very sweet, and we have missed her, too! Maggie even made sure Savannah had her own lamb for bedtime. I thought that was so darn funny. You can't sleep at our house without a lamb, I guess.

Little Buddies

2011-05-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

I watched Zeke the other day while Dixie went on Zayli's field trip. James and Zeke are 11 months (plus a day) apart in age, but surprisingly close in size (!). And they have several of the same outfits. Here's one of them.

Cuddling with Daddy

2011-05-13T21:29:00.003-05:00

James gets a little fussy in the evenings, 7-8 he is just not that happy. It's a little too early for bedtime for our schedule, so we keep him up. Mostly. Except when Daddy's chest is just too comforting. Then a little napping ensues.

Just Because I Could Eat Those Cheeks!

2011-05-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

Bike Riding, among other things

2011-05-13T21:20:00.002-05:00

Maggie is finally getting back to her independent self after her scare on the cruise last Spring. She had recently really grown fond of riding her bike, and will even ride it far ahead of where I am walking. So far ahead that she can't hear me tell her to slow down, or stop! So while I get a little concerned that she is going to blast across a street before she looks properly, I am so very thrilled and proud that she is growing less Fraidy Cat and more Big Girl.

Singing on Mother's Day

2011-05-13T21:16:00.004-05:00

The preschool and elementary choirs at church sang on Sunday. Maggie was pretty excited to sing "on the stage".

This was during the practice before the service. I love how she and Zayli are holding hands. So sweet.
Now they're looking at the camera.
Singing during the service. I didn't get a picture of her fluffing up her hair, which she did for most of one of the songs. I believe Tyler got it on video, though, so that's good. She is SUCH a goofball when she's in little concerts like this. I'll be interested to see how she acts during her dance recital in June.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

This Mother's Day was pretty special. I mean really, TWO babies? I am loving having two children. And also, we were in the market for a minivan, and is just so happens that Tyler found a minivan and picked it up Saturday right before Mother's Day. More about that in a minute.

Mother's Day Out had a Mother's Day celebration. The moms were supposed to wear fun hats or "fascinators" in honor of the royal wedding. I didn't have a fun hat (I'm not that Southern) but I found instructions online for this fascinator and I added the feathers. It took me all of 30 minutes to whip it out. And it was so cute!!!
Maggie wanted to wear her "Snow White" bow (it's red) instead of a fun hat. No problem, it was much less hassle.
Here she is painting her picture of our house that I drew. Her friend Isabella in the background.
And the kids dyed carnations (mine had a blue tint) and custom0named bath salts. Maggie picked the scent she wanted and named it "Surfing Otter." For real. Other kids named their scents sunshine lily or something, I got otter. I am happy to report that after using the bath salts I don't smell particularly like I've been surfing or like an otter so that's good! Maggie said she picked that name because it sounded fun. So Mother's Day weekend, Tyler went to Atlanta to pick up a minivan he found on cars.com. He got a great deal, of course (I would expect nothing less from Tyler when it comes to car shopping). He surprised me by decorating it with a pink bow and a bottle of wine and chocolates on the front seat. Plus a half-dozen more bottles from Trader Joe's in Atlanta. So I got to be an extra-official mom on sunday, driving my minivan to church.
Sunday was really a perfect day. Not only did I get to drive my new car to church, I got to go to BOTH the church service and our Sunday School class (James' feeding schedule just worked out that day and Tyler took care of him during the service). Then our tradition is French dip sandwiches for lunch afterwards. I love them.

Here's Tyler with James on Mother's Day:
It gets better: I got to take a NAP!!! Then I made more French dip sandwiches for Home Fellowship, one of my favorite things to do each month. And then - wait for it ... James slept through the night! And has continued since Sunday night and today is Thursday. So. Very. Nice.

Updates: iPhone Pictures

2011-05-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

I am finding that I take a lot of photos with my iPhone that I've only posted on Facebook. So I'm going to start doing some iPhone Updates in the future so those photos are here, too. here are some updates from the past couple weeks.

How I clipped my coupons the other day (and also worked on the checkbook this morning).
Olive "helping" me fold the laundry.
Don't tell Daddy - we got ice cream cones after we met him for lunch. They were chocolately and good!
Sleeping baby. Few things are better!
Maggie's CRAZY HAIR for Crazy Hair night at AWANA (Cubbies). It took about 1/3 bottle of conditioner and 45 minutes of combing in the bathtub at 9 at night to get it all out before bed. We won't be doing that again. Her hair stayed all night in this crazy ratted, pink mohawk that looked like cotton candy, but the tangles really are atrocious.

Two Months

2011-05-03T15:13:00.003-05:00

Here's my darling, super sweet, cuddly little man. See that face? That happy face? I get to see that all the time. It is especially prevalent when a certain little girl comes around with her sing-song voice to talk to her little brother! My how time has just flown by. Two months today! James had his 2-month wellness check this morning: 15 pounds (95 percentile) and 24 inches (82 percentile). He also got several vaccinations, and I'm proud to report I didn't cry! He just cried for a moment, but I nursed him right away and that made it all better. You can see his Toy Story bandaids on his chunky little thighs.

I am really thankful for how quickly we've all adjusted to this squishy, adorable little boy! I'm working on establishing new routines that include getting two children ready for the day, clothed, fed, bathed, loved. Oh, and keeping the house from looking like a pig sty. The new normal is pretty great. Maggie still loves her little brother and showers him with hugs and kisses daily. She had already mentioned that she would like another brother or sister (so impatient!).

This baby stage has been so much fun, too. It was fun with Maggie, but she was the first baby, so I was definitely more rigid and orderly; whereas with James so far we just take each day as it comes. I'm much more relaxed this time around, and I even enjoy (ok, tolerate well) getting up in the middle of the night to feed him. I remember that this phase goes so very quickly, and am all too aware that he may be the last baby (we probably will not try for 3 years for a #3).

And while trying to enjoy this phase, I can't help but want for him to be up and moving and able to interact more with Maggie. In the evenings when she and Tyler have their play time, I can just see a chubby little toe-head tagging along, trying to do everything his big sister is doing. But I am content to wait, and cuddle my sweet little chunker each day along the way.

Easter Festivities

2011-04-25T14:23:00.005-05:00

Maggie and I colored eggs last Tuesday night while Tyler was at class. I did 24 eggs this time around, we love egg salad sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast so it works out. She did really well with the coloring and even made some 2-color eggs!
And look what a good picture she took. It was hot that day, James is just in his diaper.
Posing with our display of beautiful eggs.
More eggs.
We also made a Resurrection mountain (no picture) that we use to tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. From here: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/make-a-playdough-mountain So on Sunday morning, Maggie gets to come down to the kitchen to see the empty tomb. "He is not here, He has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:6.

We've decided to do all the Easter bunny/baskets/egg hunts on Saturdays now and leave Sunday just for celebrating Resurrection Day. That way we put the proper emphasis on Christ and His resurrection on Sunday coinciding with church, without missing out on fun traditions, too.

Oddly enough, the Easter Bunny, aka Mom, leaves baskets of goodies the same place Santa, aka Mom, leaves filled stockings! It is events like this I wish my mom were closer so I could get a fun basket, too. On the otherhand, when I do my own, I go right for the important things: Cadbury Mini Eggs. they are my favorite candy. Ever. Hands down. I plan on going to the store tomorrow to stock up on them on clearance.
So I thought it would be fun to get the kids the same bunny, just in different colors: James got gray and white, Maggie got brown and white. Maggie named hers Jellybean all on her own. Too cute!!!
Showing off her chocolate bunny.
I found that cool night-lite at Target that goes great with his room theme. Here Tyler makes the appropriate rocket ship noise for James.
Maggie picked out more foam weapons for Tyler's basket. We now have 2 foam swords, 2 battle axes, and 2 maces all from the Target dollar bins. They go nicely with the shields Tyler picked up after Halloween. I didn't take a picture, but he showed her late the proper way to block a mace attack.
About to partake of this season's first peep.
Seconds later, a mouth FULL of purple peep. Before breakfast. Delicious!
Did not end up going to the local Easter Egg Hunt. Maggie wasn't feeling up to it when it was time to go, so we just stayed home and relaxed.

Maggie came down with a cold Friday that got worse over the weekend, so instead of spending Easter dinner with our Home Fellowship group on Sunday evening, I made an emergency run to Kroger Saturday to pick up a small ham for just us. Anyway, last year I made the easiest, yummiest ham dinner for us and the Christians (the day before Zeke was born). So this year I decided why change something that worked so well? Menu: ham with pineapple and brown sugar glaze, strawberry-spinach salad with homemade poppyseed dressing, green beans, rolls. I broke out the china, too. Gotta use it sometime!
I didn't get a good picture of the spread, Maggie was in a foul mood at that moment. But here she is minutes later in a good mood. Milk in a wine glass will do that to you. I did have her put on her Easter dress for dinner since she didn't get to wear it to church that day.
James spent the meal in his swing, smiling in his sleep. So sweet!

Mommy's Hunk-A-Chunka

2011-04-23T13:24:00.004-05:00

Loving my little man! Still so sweet:
I unofficially weighed him on our scale the other day, he comes in at a HEFTY 14 pounds.

Still Kickin'

2011-04-18T21:36:00.002-05:00

James kicked incessantly in utero, and he's still at it! Tonight he was having some tummy time (and getting sick of it) and the kicking began. I got a short snippet of it, squawking included.

Smorgasbord Update

2011-04-14T22:25:00.004-05:00

James turned 6 weeks today. I weighed him on our home scale this past weekend, and he clocked in two different times at 13 pounds. He is definitely hefty! I had to get out the summer clothes as the weather here is starting to be consistently warm and little Mister is wearing clothes up to 6 months at this point. You read that right - 6 month clothes. Most of his 0-3 month clothes stretch enough to still fit, but some have had to be put up already.

He is starting to coo at me which I am SO loving. He is making more eye contact with everyone, which I really like to see. And nights are great, usually a 4 hour then a 3 hour stint between nighttime feedings, so I am not all that sleep-deprived; last night he went about 5 1/2 hours so that was great! He loves to be in his car seat and driving around, he sleeps so soundly when we are out running errands. He is still a very sweet, relaxed, chill baby. 8:30 - 11 at night he can be fussy, but I've found that getting him ready for bed and popping him in his crib when he starts getting fussy is the answer. It's like he's got to get in a little bit of crying before I put him down for the night, but tonight he went right to sleep or at least he was quiet in his crib...

Maggie still loves him to pieces. Lots of hugs, kisses, sweet talk. She likes to lay on the floor right next to him and pat his back or rub his tummy (whichever side he's on).

I got this neat photo app for my iPhone that morphs my photos into cool images, so here's one of them. My squishy little gummy bear. Taken last week. It was a hot day, and he got all sweaty when he nursed so I let him air out.
Yesterday in this SUPER cute sleeper outfit with a cute notted hood. Look at those cheeks!
Big sister and little brother. Here in the South, that's Sissy and Bubby (or Bubba). Maggie told me she will not call him Bubby or Bubba.
Tummy time turned into nap time. LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS! I can barely keep my hands off them. And Maggie, too; that kid will not leave him alone when he's sleeping for anything!
So at Babies R Us I used the nursing mother's room since it was time to eat and we were out. Maggie thought his car seat was great fun!
Sunday night we went out for Mexican. It was so good! Again, playing with the photo app on my phone. So fun!
So that's about it. I really love this baby #2 business. I am WAY less stressed with this baby. It's fun to see Maggie with her little brother, and like I said, he is just SO CHILL. I am so very blessed with my little family!

Leave it to Auntie Tara!

2011-04-07T15:25:00.003-05:00

Auntie Tara is magic, did you know that? When she comes to visit, our children get their belly buttons! See, it happened with Maggie. And now with James. His umbilicus got all wonky and mostly detached (except for a yucky little stringy business going into his belly) over the weekend, and then Monday morning when I changed his diaper it was off! Yay!

Visitors for James Part 2

2011-04-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Tyler's sister, Tara, came out to visit. Although I do miss seeing her girls and Alex and Maggie would've loved having them here, too, having just Tara was quite a treat!!! It was so fun to have her come out and be just an Auntie. I think Maggie and James were both blessed by all the one-on-one time. Saturday we went to the Buttercup Festival. It was a nice day, so shortly after this picture was taken Maggie decided to go wading in the creek. Which was shortly followed up with her slipping and falling into the creek.
(Tara, I totally stole these off your facebook page - I have been so bad at taking pictures lately, so I'm glad these were on your camera!)

Visitors for James Part 1

2011-04-07T15:06:00.005-05:00

The last week of March Poppy and Mimie came to meet their new little grandson. We had a great time: good food, sight-seeing, good food. Did I mention good food? =)
And while they were here James took his first bottle - from Maggie! He woke up at a funny time in the morning and I needed to bring Maggie to MDO and knew he would not nurse quickly enough, so a bottle it was. He did great, and was quick. Maggie was such a big girl; she sat on the couch and gave him the entire bottle all by herself. She had a great time being able to help.

2011-04-06T14:17:00.001-05:00

Spring is in the air!

Maggie the budding photographer

2011-04-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

One of Maggie's favorite things to do right now is snag my camera and take self-portraits and snap photos of stuff around the house.

One Month! Boppy Picture

2011-04-03T18:59:00.002-05:00

Here we are at one month old. This is James' "Fists of Power" pose. We see the fists often.
And here he is with his "Yo!" pose. Note the face of indifference he displays.
One whole month has passed since James was born. Unbelievable! I just love my little gummy bear. He has been such a blessing in our lives, I can't put into words how thankful I am (we are). Big sister Maggie loves him to death (I've caught her picking him up several times, so that's not far from the truth!).

James is such a joy - pretty chill most of the time, and fusses way less than his sister did at this age. And he's been smiling since we brought him home from the hospital - they just melt my heart! He continues to grow and grow: during the day he usually nurses every two hours. The quantity of time I spend nursing really puts a damper on how much other stuff I can get done, but I am glad for the time to sit down and spend with him. Night times are pretty good most of the time, too; he goes right back to sleep after each feeding and quite a few nights he is going 3-5 hours between feedings. We won't talk of the bad nights.

In the hospital he was already holding up his head and his head and neck muscles are getting stronger everyday. The video below shows how strong his legs already are, too. All that kicking in the womb is paying off! We will be in trouble when James figures out how to move forward I know that for sure.

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

2011-03-28T16:05:00.003-05:00

I took Maggie to the elementary school this morning to register her for kindergarten. This is how she chose to make her first impression at the school - sprawled out in the chair in the main office. I thought I would be sad filling out the paperwork, but she is SO excited to go to school. She even told me she wanted to take the school bus (we'll see how ready she is for that when she starts in August). My first baby is such a big girl already!
Check back in August to see if I cry. I may be too busy chasing after James by then to be too upset... the boy can roll on his side (not all the way over quite yet) and hold his head up already at 3 1/2 weeks.

Grampa DeHoog, you will be missed!

2011-03-18T14:53:00.001-05:00

My Grandpa, Leonard DeHoog, passed away Tuesday. He was a wonderfully sweet grandpa who loved Jesus. I'm sad he's no longer here, and didn't get a chance to meet James, his 23rd great-grandchild, but so thankful he is in the presence of the Lord even now.

Leonard DeHoog Obituary: View Leonard DeHoog's Obituary by Bellingham Herald

He's Not Irish,,,

2011-03-17T14:22:00.002-05:00

but he sure is kissable! Look at those cheeks. James had his 2-week check-up and weighed in at 10 pounds even. So on days 5-13 he gained back the pound he lost after being born PLUS 6 ounces. What a good boy! Oh, and I have an embarrassing nickname for him now - my little gummy bear! Ha! I love it. I'm sure he will hate it as soon as he can speak, but it is just so perfect.

First Sponge Bath

2011-03-14T11:53:00.002-05:00

Maggie was quite excited to "help" give James his first bath after dinner on Thursday. Mostly we let her play in a sink full of water as I got him washed down. She got to wash his chest.
James looks so much like Maggie I can't believe it sometimes. Just click here to see this same face on her: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2546/1689/1600/tongue.jpg (this was Maggie at 2 weeks old)

He really liked the warm washcloth on his head and face. No crying!
A little concerned...
And all done! Just as cute as before.

More Hospital Pictures, Going Home

2011-03-14T11:47:00.002-05:00

Seth & Dixie and kids came to visit us Thursday night. We didn't have any other visitors this time around - so many families have had sick kids and sickness in general this winter, I wasn't too tore up about it!
I love this photo of him sleeping. So sweet! (his shirt says: Big deal like my daddy!)
Gotta do boppy pictures. I'll post one each month. Happy mama and her TWO babies!
Big sister with James.

Daddy and James. I have a shot like this of him with Maggie.
All packed up and ready to go. James did not scream in the car seat like Maggie did the day we left with her. So that was extra nice. And we could barely keep Maggie from crawling into his car seat to be with him!

Big Sister Meets Little Brother

2011-03-11T16:50:00.003-06:00

The night after James was born, our dear friends Seth & Dixie brought Maggie from Jan's to come meet James.
Her super-cute Big Sister shirt from Gramma Amron.

She was very excited to meet him, and hold him and kiss him. Then she wanted the "Big Sister" present our friend Denise had put together for her. About as quickly as you can read this. It was pretty funny! And then she couldn't stay off the bed and we were getting a little nervous for her around James.

James' Birth Story

2011-03-09T14:43:00.009-06:00

Ahem. Here is my rundown of James' birth. Pictures first for those that just want to see. Then I talk about birthing things. I don't think it's too graphic, but it is detailed towards the end and there is a picture with some blood. Just a warning.

Wednesday afternoon doing housework. Hoping the strain will kick up my labor.
Here we are Thursday morning after checking in about 1 am - still able to update facebook, check emails, etc. Contractions must not have been that bad yet.
Working on a contraction. I look like my brother Zach right here. Little did I know the big ones were yet to come!
This is after my water was broken but before the big contractions started.
Those cold washcloths felt so good! Everyone else said they were freezing during the delivery because of the fan Marie brought in, but that cold breeze felt like a dream to me!
My mom, Melissa my wonderful midwife, and Marie the labor & delivery nurse. I must be pushing here, I see my leg and I didn't take that photo.
See! A baby! So thankful for a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) - no pain medications.
Father - son time. James still responds more to Tyler's voice than mine.
Happy Daddy!
Happy mama and grammas!

The week leading up to James' birth I was getting anxious for my mom and Tyler's mom to arrive. I either needed to go into labor before either of them got here, or wait until after they arrived, but not in the day between when only one was here. Happily, though, my mom arrived Sunday night, all was quiet, and Tyler's mom arrived on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday March 1st was also my 33rd birthday. Yay for growing older. I felt great that day. No Braxton Hicks contractions of any kind, I wasn't tired or sore. My mom kept saying that day it was the calm before the storm. She was right!

Wednesday morning, March 2nd, about 3:30 I was rudely awakened by some serious contractions in my lower back. I laid in bed for about an hour before I woke Tyler up to tell him what was going on. Then stayed for another half hour before I finally got up, they were just uncomfortable enough to keep me awake. And being excited that today was THE DAY didn't help, either!

So here's the timeline:
7:30 a.m. - told the moms, Tyler gets ready for work, tell Maggie James is finally on his way and mommy is in labor
9:30 a.m. -drop Maggie off at Mother's Day Out, have plans with Miss Jan to take Maggie home with her since I hope to be in the hospital soon.
All day we walk around Home Depot, Green Hills Mall. Contraction frequency is still abnormal. Call the midwives office after lunch to verify what's going on, and go in for a check. 3cm dialated, 90% effaced. Sounds good! Midwife suggests I walk for a couple more hours then head to the hospital.
2:00 p.m. -still no progression but still having irregular contractions, we pick Maggie up from MDO (she is very disappointed she isn't going home with Miss Jan). All afternoon we clean house. I vacuumed, help sweep the garage, get myself moving.
5:30 p.m. -drop Maggie off at Jan's house; she will bring her to Cubbies at church and then spend the night. Surely I will have this baby before morning!
10:30 p.m. -finally seeing some regularity and increasing discomfort with my contractions. They are about 6 minutes apart for an hour and a half, then all of a sudden they are right on top of each other.
12:00 a.m. -I call the midwives office to let them know my status, and we load up and head to Vanderbilt Hospital.
12:45 a.m. -check in at the hospital. Go to the OB triage, I'm still just 3 cm dialated and 90% effaced. Those were a lot of contractions doing nothing for the past 12 hours! I am so tired by this point I just wanted to sit in the bed, no active birthing for me! I guess it's good to be flexible. I had read the book so many times and Tyler read it too, but being tired I just chucked all my plans out the window.
7 a.m. -contractions had been slowing down all night. Getting stronger, but farther apart and no longer regular. My favorite midwife, Melissa, is doing her rotation in the labor and delivery ward. Yay! And my friend from church, Marie, is working her shift as a labor and delivery nurse. Yay! Two familiar faces to join me, Tyler, my mom and his mom. I am so happy that Melissa will be delivering my baby.
Some time after 7 we discuss "Vitamin P" - pitocin. I say yes! Let's get this show on the road! They don't crank the dosage since I've had a c-section, but the contractions pick up and are stronger.
12 p.m. - still only 7 cm dialated. Really?!?! I am absolutely exhausted. They ask if I want to keep going at this rate but suggest they break my water. Yes, please!
1 p.m. - My water is broken and I have two PAINFUL contractions, stronger than all the previous ones (still manageable), and then my uterus releases the hounds of Hades. I thought those two were bad until this next round comes up. Later I learned it was really just for an hour, but the first one caught me off guard so badly I started yelling and screaming - in my OUTDOOR voice! Poor Jan! Tyler had just called her to give her an update when the first big contraction hit. She got an earful.
It was all I could do to get through each one. Gone are the imaginings of my doing this gracefully. I can barely think clearly to remind myself after each contraction that I am one contraction closer to James; that thought had gotten me all the way here just fine, but no longer! My mom had to get in my face to make me breathe through them, Tyler had to jam his fists in my back (I am not a fan of back labor!), his mom got me cold washcloths. I was a hot mess!
2 p.m. - And here it is, the urge to push!!! I was in so much pain I didn't know what to do, but Melissa was off delivering another baby right then so I couldn't push quite yet. Then she and a midwifery student, Kim (who is awesome!) arrive, check me and I'm declared ready.

Right now I will eat my hat. I have gone my WHOLE pregnancy talking about how I loved the book Active Labor, how it's better for delivery (standing or squatting as opposed to laying on a bed). How "that's how I'm going to deliver, blah blah blah." Everyone knows it, because I can't keep my opinions to myself. Please note that I pushed, and delivered semi-reclined. Ack! I know! I said I would never do it. But honestly, after 35 hours of being awake, being totally exhausted, I couldn't see how I would have enough energy to squat and endure all that was going on, let alone do anything else like move out of position for resting. So I stayed in that bed and was glad to be there. I thought I could mentally prepare myself to handle all the pain, but during transition and delivery I was completely owned by the pain. I could barely open my eyes, talk, breathe, nothing. I felt completely and utterly helpless and terrified and afraid that I would go through all of this and the end result would STILL be a repeat c-section.

3:25 p.m. - James arrives!!! I pushed for about an hour and 15 minutes. They put a mirror up for me to see the progression, but all I could think was "ew!" and "I can't do this!" and "I'm scared!" and "he's going to be stuck!" and "I'm going to have to have another c-section, he's not going to come out". I was filled with terror and helplessness. But I pushed anyway. Towards the very end when he crowned I was working so hard pushing that I stopped watching his progression, so I didn't actually see much of his birth. His shoulders did get stuck, but at that point it his head was out and it was too late to do anything but push some more while Melissa and Kim worked and worked to get his shoulders out (I only tore a little bit to boot!). And until he was all the way delivered and placed on my chest, I thought there was no way he was going to come out without a c-section. But he did!

More hat-eating: I have wanted a natural birth for as long as I can remember (can you see the rose-colored glasses?). I would not say that in the moment, especially the end bits, that it was all I hoped it would be. I think that I am to the point in my life and walk with the Lord where most things are just not as big a deal to me as I make them out to be, and once I get there I see that some things really don't matter. Does that make sense? I feel like my contentment comes more from the Lord and less from my "accomplishments". Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I was able to have a VBAC (and I would choose it again for any future children), though I sure did not enjoy the last portion filled with anxiety and fear and pain. However, I will say that the moment James was birthed 90% of the pain went away, all of the anxiety and pain vanished, and all I could think about was my beautiful boy!

James is here!!!

2011-03-04T20:02:00.004-06:00

James finally arrived yesterday, March 3rd at 3:25 p.m. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces, 21 3/4 inches long. It was a long labor (36 hours), but I was able to have a *natural* VBAC. Tyler and I are so very thankful to the Lord for such a wonderful birth experience, that he arrived safely, and we are all doing great. So far he has been a totally chill baby, very very little crying and lots of sleeping and cuddling. I love our little man!
Minutes after arrival. He was cranky!

Tyler took this picture this morning - our little chunky monkeyI will update with more pictures later, I am using a different computer and it can't read my camera card.

38 Weeks, Counting Down the Days

2011-02-24T21:12:00.003-06:00

Every time I see my belly in the mirror I think to myself "Have Mercy!" It's like my belly has taken on it's own personality - I have to make concessions at the table, when I drive, when I go to bed, when I want to hug Tyler or Maggie...
No other news to speak of. My mom and Tyler's mom are coming in the next couple of days, so I hope he stays put JUST for a couple more days!

37 Weeks - Full Term, Baby!

2011-02-18T20:58:00.002-06:00

We made it! 37 weeks is considered full-term. So I've gone from having tons and tons of energy to crashing yesterday and today. Can you tell from the picture that I am exhausted? I feel like I pulled an all-nighter in college and then had to work all day.
Had my 37-week check-up yesterday. No news, other than I got good directions to the hospital. We are going to drive to it tomorrow ad make sure we know where we are going since I'm delivering at a different hospital than where Maggie was born and I've only been to this other hospital one time prior.

James' Room is Ready!

2011-02-17T13:58:00.004-06:00

Like I said, full-blown nesting going on. James's room is pretty much finished. Photos will go up on the wall after he's born, but everything is ready for him to arrive. {Hear that, James, we are READY}

Changing table right by the door. I am using cloth diapers with James like I did with Maggie, so quick access to the bathroom is a good thing. Still have to get a diaper sprayer to hook up to the toilet. Will have to check out Amazon.com.
His crib all ready. I have his name in wooden letters to put on the wall, but I need to find some manly ribbon to hang them with first. The top shelve on the right hold Tyler's AWANA pinewood derby cars and a car his Papa made for him as a boy, the bottom shelf holds a wooden train his Papa also made.
We didn't want to get rid of the double bed we recently got, so after he's big enough to move out of the crib (that's a long ways away) he will go straight to the double bed. We haven't picked out his bedding for that bed yet. That's just our old duvet set. And I need to get some nick-nacks for the green cubes on the wall.
I just found that rocket ship canvas at Target for 75% off. So stoked! And the bulldozer on the dresser was made by Tyler's Papa as well. I am so glad we get to put those special wooden toys in his room. The funky spot you see at the right window is a place where the drywall needs to be fixed (warranty repair happening next week).
So, I think that's about it. I am ready for our little man to join us any day now.

Nesting is in Full Gear

2011-02-16T13:12:00.004-06:00

I just love the above watercolor. Gotta love Google image search.

With Maggie, I felt a compelling need to PACK the freezer with food: chicken, beef, veggies, etc. Every trip to the store I would come back with more stuff to cram in the freezer. It got so bad you could not tell there was a light in there and items would crash to the floor any time you opened it. Her room didn't get finished until about a month after she was born. House stuff went by the wayside.

This time around could not be more different. Monday I finished touching up the paint in James' room. Then I moved all the furniture around (slowly) to how I thought we'd keep it. I literally worked in there for 5 hours. At nearly 37 weeks pregnant. No real breaks to speak of. Not sure where all that energy came from. And it was hard to go to sleep I was so awake!!!

Tuesday after bible study in the morning I rearranged James' room. I like it better this new way. Tyler was not impressed the first time I set up James' room because I did it without help, same for this time. But really, the crib and bed in there slide so nice on the carpet. So no big deal, I really am not straining myself.

This morning I cleared out Maggie's old clothes from her closet and dresser, washed this year's spring/summer clothes (it's 66 degrees here today!!!), organized the rest of her new clothes for next fall, balanced the checkbook, and am about to tackle the ironing. And it's only Wednesday.

I'll post pictures of James' room once I get the shelves up. I will probably go do that instead of iron today. I hate ironing. No nesting can overcome that. =)

So does all this nesting and energy mean James is coming soon? Well, Tyler and I will post on facebook, here and text as soon as we know we are actually in labor. Stay tuned!

The room is coming together slowly

2011-02-14T14:55:00.003-06:00

Finally done with the major painting. Smoky dark blue on the bottom, a lighter grey-blue on top (not turquoise). The colors are a little off, I used the camera on my iPhone. I originally thought I would paint the tan stripe white, but I just am not that steady of hand and every brand of tape I try has some bleed-through that drives me insane. So chair rail it is! It will be something fairly plain and modern.
This is the crib bedding - space rockets (and before the room was painted). Olive thinks the crib is hers. That will shortly change.
I'll be sure to post pictures when it is all done and put together!

36 weeks

2011-02-12T21:01:00.003-06:00

A little late posting. Sorry about that! Still growing, and more uncomfortable by the day. Really getting excited about James' imminent arrival.

Maggie's 5th Birthday Princess Party

2011-01-30T20:47:00.006-06:00

Getting ready to help.
Such a big girl helping do her cupcakes. She frosted two, and then decided she'd rather add the pink glitter sprinkles.
Licking the frosting off the beater. It's more fun than helping get the cupcakes ready!
The Princess Cake. I used Maggie's Sleeping Beauty Doll for the doll part. It was made out of strawberry and lemon cakes. Yum! Also, between the cupcakes and this big cake, I ended up making 4 batches of buttercream frosting. And yes! We cut into and ate the princess cake at the party. Delicious!
So girly. I let the girls use my china for their lunch and dessert!
The princess's place setting. So girly!
Here we are! Maggie chose to be Snow White for her party. And it was so fun that everyone came in their dress-up clothes.
Little Miss Snow White before her party.
We started out the party with coloring princess pictures and decorating crowns with princess stickers.
After the girls were done coloring their princess pictures and decorating their crowns, we had a Princess Parade. Each girl got to take their turn coming down the stairs and join the procession marching around the dining room table. They took it very seriously and it was so darn cute!!!
Princesses on parade.
Enjoying cheese pizza, grapes, carrots & dip for lunch! They all did so well - no spills or accidents and everyone loved their lunch.
Smiling while everyone sang "Happy Birthday".
Blowing out her candle.
Watching part of Beauty and the Beast. All the little girls loved it!
The party went off without a hitch!!! They all played nicely even thought they didn't all know each other (church friends, neighborhood friend, MDO friends).

And a big thanks to Gramma Amron for all her help getting things ready and keeping things flowing. I was so not motivated to do the party this year being so pregnant and just getting over a really bad cold, but it was the most painless party I've ever thrown for Maggie.

So very thankful for my little princess girl. She is such an amazing blessing in our life!

Maggie's 5th Birthday

2011-01-30T20:28:00.004-06:00

I am brought to tears every time I think about how old Maggie is now, or the day she was born, or the day we brought her home from the hospital, or her previous birthdays, or that she starts kindergarten this August, or the fact that we have so few years left with her before she goes off to college. I am so very thankful for the last 5 wonderful years we have had together with her and I'm so excited to see how she does as a big sister.

My beautiful 5-year old girl!
Maggie picked grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for her birthday dinner.
Enjoying her dinner.

The birthday girl getting ready to open her gifts!
Amron, Mormor, Me, Tyler and Maggie.
She opened her presents pretty quickly, I think because she wanted to get to her birthday cake and I said we would do presents before cake.
Not sure what she wished for...
I made a chocolate cake for her birthday, but she ended up having the last cupcake from the batch we brought to Mother's Day Out.
Playing with her "Paper Jams" guitar. What a goofball!

34 Weeks

2011-01-30T18:13:00.003-06:00

Ahh, 34 weeks. 6 weeks to go. Got some good news this week at my OB's office:
1) I was NOT diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I thought I was, but the OB confirmed on my charts that they were satisfied with my blood sugar readings and I just have to check it every once in a while to verify it's not going up. So that is GREAT NEWS. Not sure how I missed that because I've checked my blood sugar religiously for the past 2 months. Not being labeled a gestational diabetic makes a huge difference in how you are treated - both at the OB's and in the hospital for delivery - so it is a big relief.
2) I am no longer measuring significantly larger than my dates, now I'm just on the larger end of normal instead of gargantuan. Which means no special treatment from the OB, they probably will not do another ultrasound on James unless I start measuring extra large again.
3) the result of #'s 1 & 2 mean I can still try for a VBAC. Yay!

In related news, Maggie is very excited about her baby brother on the way, but to anyone who asks if she's excited with "Yes, but I still wanted a baby sister first."

32 Weeks

2011-01-12T20:55:00.004-06:00

I don't have a photo of my belly with Maggie at 32 weeks, you'll have to wait 2 more weeks for that. But here's my profile from today.

Observations:
1) At this point all the books I have say the baby should be filling out the available space in utero and their movements are starting to be restricted. HA! That boy flip-flops and hits and kicks like it's going out of style.
2) As of today I've entered my 8th month, and there are 56 days left to sweet baby James' due date, less than 2 full months - yikes! I am hoping he comes a little sooner than March 9th. Any time after Valentine's Day would be fantastic.
3) Sciatica is terrible. I took Maggie to the mall on Tuesday to get in some walking (not in the cold and snow and ice) to help alleviate my pinched nerve. About 1 1/2 laps in, sciatica set in BIG TIME on both sides of my tailbone and on down to my knees - usually it's just in my right leg. I finished my laps walking incredibly slowly and like a stiff 90-year old. I was so embarrassed. The rest Tuesday was rough.
4) I've LOST 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks. So that was a nice surprise at the OB's today. I've been keeping my weight gain down anyway, and though it was certainly not intended, I'm pleased.
5) There are LESS THAN two months to James's debut. From time to time we come across little video clips and pictures of Maggie as a baby, and I am so incredibly happy that we get to go through this all again. Even the sleepless nights, because it is so worth it!
6) I need to get a move on getting the baby's room ready to go. The basics are in place, it's just not painted or decorated.

Snow Snow Snow and More Snow

2011-01-12T20:29:00.004-06:00

We have gotten some REAL snow in Tennessee. It wasn't just a dusting like we normally get (and school closes anyway). Sunday night it started snowing, and when we woke up on Monday there was a good 3 1/2 inches on the ground. Glorious!!! I will say, though, that it is really funny to me how so many people here treat it like the End of Times.

Roads were so bad Tyler's work closed Monday, too. Yay! that meant Tyler would take Maggie outside so I didn't have to. I didn't want to go outside, and I can't find my snow boots, and I'm pregnant, so there. And Monday I still have household chores to do, regardless of snow or Tyler's day off. I powered through laundry while they were outside.

Maggie just reveled in the snow. She loved it!
The beautiful woods.
The view down our street after breakfast. Lovely.
Snow angels. Any time snow is mentioned, snow angels are quick to follow with Maggie. Those black boots belong to Emily, the neighbor girl.
Across the yard at Emily's. They played outside for a bit, then Maggie disappeared into Emily's house for a good portion of the afternoon.
The snow came Sunday night/Monday morning. It's Wednesday night and the snow is still here and has spit a little more each day since. Such a rare occurance here in Nashville - it is usually melted away by the same afternoon. After dinner tonight Tyler took Maggie outside to play for a little bit before bed. Tyler's smile is directly related to the big clump of snow he flicked at me and James - and the fact that it stuck right to my belly. Maggie stayed focused on digging the snow off the porch steps. It was very important to her that they be cleaned off.
And, schools are closed again tomorrow for the 4th day in a row. Seriously.

Playing with Christmas Presents

2011-01-03T15:00:00.003-06:00

One of Maggie's gifts was a gift card. So after Christmas I took her to Target and she had a great time figuring out what to get to use up her dollars. And one of the items she picked out was a candy necklace making kit. Here she is, I took a picture of her with her finds.We all sat down the other night and made necklaces. Daddy, too.
Happy girl with her necklace.
Tyler's necklace. Can you see that the white candies in the middle say "death"? Yeah, the kit came with blank candies and edible ink pens. He had his way with the pen.
I had fun with the icing and sprinkles on my candies.
It was a fun family night!

Latest James Update

2010-12-31T16:03:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had an ultrasound at the maternal fetal specialist's office to double-check all James' measurements and do some in-depth imaging. He is growing like a weed, or more appropriately, like a moose. Third trimester ultrasounds are not incredibly accurate, but they estimate his weight to be about 4 1/2 pounds right now at 30 weeks, which is about a pound and a half larger than normal. Other than being a very big boy (and might I say incredibly active), he is developing normally and is healthy as can be.

According to my OB, there is nothing left to do but just keep an eye on his growth, make sure my blood sugar remains stable and wait. Since full term is considered 37 weeks, he could come any time after Valentine's Day. As long as he is healthy, I'd prefer he come earlier, I am getting mighty uncomfortable!

30 Weeks. And That Belly Is Only Getting Bigger

2010-12-29T20:28:00.004-06:00

Please, for the sake of your children, avert their eyes, the following images may be too traumatic!

From the side. And yes, I really do have 10 weeks to go.
For comparison - here I was with Maggie at 30 weeks. I should've worn a fitted shirt for Maggie's belly shots...

Here's the front shot Tyler's mom requested. I know what you are all thinking - what is the deal with the seam of my jeans? I tell you what, 5 years in the hot attic was not kind to these poor maternity jeans. I know I need to get new ones, but now I'm just 10 weeks (or less!) away from delivery, and I keep hoping I can put up with constantly hitching them up.

I Didn't Have to Dream of a White Christmas

2010-12-25T15:35:00.008-06:00

We got one! Christmas Eve night it was snowing a little bit before we went to bed, and I hoped it would stay around long enough for Maggie to see it in the morning. It did, and it has been spitting little bits of snow all day now. Our back porch when we woke up:
CHRISTMAS EVE
Christmas Eve we went to church for the candlelit worship service. It was really nice, and Maggie did great holding her candle. Then we went to a friends for a Christmas party - thanks McKays! It was a lot of fun. I neglected to take photos of our fun. Oops!

Then about 8:45 we opened some presents. To lighten the load on Christmas morning. Because when we stay home in Nashville, there are so many wonderful presents to open from everyone that the blessings are a little overwhelming.

Love this rock star outfit for sweet baby James from Gramma Amron.
Bibs and an awesome onesie with applique tie for The Boy.
Modeling her new apron.
Look at that static! That poor child.
Enjoying her new TinkerBell sleeping bag from Gramma Amron and Grampa John.
We always cap of Christmas Even with the account of the birth of Christ from Luke chapter 2. Clearly this child ate too many cookies and sweets at the party at the McKays. Look at that crazy smile -oh, well!
Then "The Night Before Christmas" before bedtime. Maggie goes back and forth about the existence of Santa. We are fine with her believing in Santa as long as the focus at Christmas time is on the birth of Jesus and Santa is just for fun. But she really liked the poem. We forgot to put out milk or cookies, and thankfully she didn't notice.

CHRISTMAS DAY
Maggie told us every day (many times) for 2 weeks that she wanted a Baby Alive for Christmas. Looks like the jolly old man delivered.
Inspecting the long-awaited Baby Alive. We had to get it out of the box and get it ready for her so she could feed her dolly before we continued with the rest of the presents.
One of our family traditions: popcorn while we open presents. Tyler loves the popcorn tins. The one I picked up this year didn't just have the dividers, each flavor came in it's own bag. Not quite the same aesthetic in plastic bowls, but it still worked.
My mom has called Maggie her little peanut since before she was born. And now Maggie's got an ornament to prove it! So sweet.
My mom framed a picture of Tyler and Maggie from last Christmas. Maggie told him he needed to take it to work for his desk!
I love cake pops, and Bakerella. And I really love this cake pops book!!! So excited to make more of these.
Tyler enjoys Maggie's squinkies almost as much as Maggie does!
A glass birdie ornament from my mom. I love it!
Opening yet another gift. We let her open gifts in 2s and 3s so we'd all finish about the same time.
Look at this little man outfit for sweet Baby James from my dad. Love it!
Hammin' it up in the new vest from Poppy & Mimi.
New slippers from Tyler. Love 'em!
Ready to tear into her stocking after brunch. I will spare you a shot of my stocking pile, it was embarrassing. But also a lot of fun!
Playing soccer in the snow.
Posing with the collection of snowballs she and Tyler were making.
I've got a turkey roasting in the oven for dinner, a pie cooling on the counter, and my two favorite people playing on the Wii. We had a wonderful Christmas in Nashville this year, and hope you did, too!

MDO Christmas Program

2010-12-23T10:15:00.004-06:00

I can't believe I almost forgot to put these up. Last week (12/16) Maggie was in her last Mother's Day Out Christmas Program. (sniff!) She got to be an angel this year. Here's her Pre-K class before the show. All her partners in crime were also angels. A little ironic to this mommy.

Hammin' it up for Mommy.
A quick picture with Mommy and sweet baby James.
With Daddy after the program and out of her costume.
And the best part EVER. During the program Maggie decided to pull down her tinsel halo and use it as sunglasses. So classic! I am bummed that I forgot to charge the video camera and only have it on my digital camera, so the quality isn't great because she was so far away. And I apologize for my comments during the video, but I just couldn't help myself!

Toof #2

2010-12-21T13:36:00.002-06:00

Sunday morning Maggie lost tooth #2. By force (again). At breakfast it was SO crooked she looked like an Appalachian (pronounced: app-al-aCH-an) hillbilly, and I couldn't look at her any more. That crooked tooth freaked me out more than the thought of having to pull it out, so we got out the dental floss once more.

There was significantly more drama with this tooth - I couldn't get the slipknot to stay put. Maggie started to cry because she thought it would hurt, even though the first tooth didn't hurt at all when it came out. And I think 5 tugs later out came the tooth; the first four attempts were foiled when the slipknot came off her tooth. But there was very little bleeding.

We let her take her tooth to church to show her friends in Sunday School.

And then that night the Tooth Mouse struck again.

3D Ultrasound of James

2010-12-21T12:02:00.002-06:00

At my last ultrasound I did get to have a 3d ultrasound of Sweet Baby James. I kept it to myself so I could surprise the grandparents with his first real picture, and included it on my Christmas card pictures. So here he is. I love him so much!

It's Toof Time

2010-12-15T21:52:00.004-06:00

Maggie lost her first tooth tonight. Her bottom middle teeth have been loose for some time. I noticed today that the tooth on my left was sitting just about completely behind her other tooth. So, I tied it up with some floss, and let her yank it out herself. She did it on the first try!
I quickly sewed a little pillow for her tooth to put under her own pillow. Don't look at the stitching, it was already past her bedtime, and I was not about to rip out stitches in felt.
My happy girl with her little pillow.
And, by the way, the Tooth Fairy will not be visiting the Spaid household. The Tooth Mouse will be visiting. She came to me one day last month and declared that the Tooth Fairy was not real, but that the Tooth Mouse would come get her teeth and leave her a quarter. And, get this, the Tooth Mouse is a MAN. Not like a tiny fairy-sized man, but a big man like Daddy. What an imagination!

Baby James Update

2010-12-09T08:45:00.004-06:00

Here I am at 27 weeks. Taken last night. Feeling enormous, the ground seems so far away already!
And baby James. Taken on Wednesday.
First, let's just admire this beautiful boy. His profile is very similar to Maggie's.

Wednesday I had an additional ultrasound as James measured big at the 20 week ultrasound (upper end of the weight scale, but his long bones were much longer than normal). Again yesterday, he was measuring large for his gestation: the OB said 75th-95th percentiles for weight, head, arms, and 95th PLUS for his leg bones. On an unrelated note, he did NOT like the ultrasound wand - he would kick and hit at it so hard it would almost bounce off my tummy.

I have taken both the regular gestational diabetes 1-hour test (came back elevated) and the 3-hour test which came back normal. The OB is now making me check my blood sugar 4x a day, and in the past week I have not been over the limits without changing my diet. Even after consuming moderate quantities of homemade fudge!!!

Personally I think I'm just growing a long baby! My dad is 6'5", his brother is 6'7". My brother Zach is 6'4", Brian is 6'1ish". Tyler is 6'2" and the shortest man in the Spaid family. His dad is 6'4/5", Uncle Ken is similar. Cousin Josh is 6'10", cousin Jason is 6'7". My cousin Tom on my mom's side is a tall order, too! But, the OB is not convinced, and I am going in for a high-level ultrasound at the end of the month to double-check all the measurements of the baby and go over my "dates."

The up side of all this is I get to see him on ultrasound again at the end of the month. It is just amazing what medical science can do, and I love seeing my little boy!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-05T20:19:00.007-06:00

We spent this Thanksgiving at my Dad's house in Spokane. It was a lot of food and fun! And snow. A lot of snow.

Maggie helped me make the pumpkin pies.
And here are the beauties! They were delicious!!!
Our feast. Delicious!
By far the bestest turkey I've ever eaten. My Dad brined it first, and then roasted it upside down. The white meat was amazingly tender from the first bite. Reheated in the micro it was STILL moist and perfect.
This is the gravy boat, a puking turkey. It was hysterical!
Tyler spent much of his weekend with us covered in Tilly and Maggie.
Thanksgiving day. Maggie would play outside until she was pink all over. Living in Nashville there just isn't a real reason to buy waterproof gloves or snowpants or any of that. We had to live with multiple layers.
Black Friday we did head out to the mall after breakfast. We found a great distraction for Maggie - a $5 moose at Build-A-bear. She named her moose Lily.
Less than 24 hours later, she left Lily unattended on a couch. Tilly took that as a sign that the moose was her chew toy. Sylvia found Tilly still with the moose but not until after Tilly chewed off the ears, tuft of hair by the bow, made a big rip in her cheek and chewed up the tail real good. It was so hard not to laugh when we were describing what happened. Maggie did really well, though. Sad faces, but no crying, and she was concerned about Tilly's tummy after eating the ears.

We are VERY THANKFUL that Build-A-Bear has a "hospital" that you can send them to. So we took her back to the mall and in 6-8 weeks we'll get a rehabilitated Lily!

I think just about every night she had hot chocolate before bed. Until she peed in her sleep in the bed next to me. She loved sharing her marshmallows with Poppy.
There's a hill on the edge of town that is PERFECT for sledding. I haven't been in years, so we made it out there to go down the bunny hill portion. In consideration of baby James, I didn't go to the big hill.
My turn! It was so fun!
Making their way up the bunny hill.
Mimie started to slide away half-way through getting on the sled. It was pretty funny!
Sledding is hard work. We were all tuckered out after that adventure.
All the thinner tree branches were covered in frozen fog instead of snow. I've never seen it in person, but it was beautiful!
Poppy doesn't mess around when it comes to clearing snow. The attachment for his tractor was pretty awesome.
I had Maggie pose in one of the paths made by the snow blower. It was about a foot high, and that was before we had a second round of snow the next day.
Maggie sat with Mimie the whole time we were there, whether it was watching a movie or when it was time to eat. It was very sweet.
A little person Maggie drew for Poppy.
Posing with her first-ever playdough person. She said it was baby James. I will be concerned if he is born with blue hair.
Posing on top of the fridge. Poppy put her up to it.
In the airport on the way home she played with this little boy for 45 minutes before we boarded. She was very glad to have another kid to play with, and not just her momma.

We Have a Name for Baby!

2010-11-17T14:01:00.002-06:00

We have decided on James Edward.

The middle name is easy: it's a family name. Tyler's Dad and Grandpa's middle names are Edward, as well as several other family members. And coincidentally, It is similar to De Waard, my maiden name. So Yay for the middle name.

The first name, James, has two important components: it is a family name, Tyler loved his Grandpa Jim very much and he has since passed away, but more importantly it is also the name of a book of the Bible that has had significant importance to Tyler and I over the past three years.

Verses from James Chapter 1:
² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

It has been a roller-coaster ride to be where we are in our lives right now, to see how far the Lord has taken us in our walk with Him, and to have this immense blessing of a second child growing and kicking as I type.

As for what we will call him, it will be James. Maggie and I are permitted to call him Jim or Jimmy, but we prefer that everyone call our baby boy James. For all you non-Southerners, many of our Southern friends have suggested "Jim Ed" as an appropriate nickname. However, we are not the Duggars nor do we live in Arkansas, so Jim Ed gets a thumbs down.

One friend even suggested Edward Spaidhands, but that doesn't really fly, either. =)

Gatlinburg 2010

2010-11-17T13:52:00.005-06:00

I LOVE OUR ANNUAL GATLINBURG TRIP.

This year was one of the most fun years we've had. Saturday night a bunch of us rocked (or rather, waved our hands like we just don't care) to music, mostly hip-hop, from our Jr. High days. It. Was. Fantastic. I found myself transported back to 1990: I almost had to reach up and see if my wall of bangs had magically reappeared, and check in the mirror to verify I was not, in fact, wearing my Hammer Pants. Yes, I owned a pair in 7th grade with matching jackety-vest thingy. That's just how I rolled.

I did not take photos of said trip down memory lane (that would be too much incriminatory evidence), but here's the traditional on the cabin porch photo. You will note here that I am a mere 23 1/2 weeks along. I look like the 7-month version of myself when I was pregnant with Maggie.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-04T14:23:00.001-05:00

We had MANY Halloween festivities this year. It was a lot of fun! Wednesday night she got to wear her costume to AWANA. Friday night was our church's Fall Festival, and Sunday night we took Maggie for her first trick-or-treating night in our neighborhood FULL of children and houses offering candy.

This year she went as Tinkerbell. The dress came from her dress-up clothes, so I bought a bigger pair of wings to go with the dress, put her hair up in a bun, and then had to figure out some shoes.

Tinkerbell's Shoes. I made these myself from a pattern I found online. They did not make it out of the house, though. Maggie didn't like the feeling of the ground below because they were just lined but not padded. I ended up putting the poofs on some sparkly shoes she had.
See, they were so cute!
Our pumpkins. Maggie provided moral support while I carved these.
The pumpkins along with the cool ones I got at the Farmer's Market with Tyler's parents when they were here.
Tinkerbell ready to go to AWANA on Wednesday night.

FALL FESTIVAL
Ready to go to Fall Festival.
Posing nicely for Mommy before we enter the chaos that is Fall Festival. We noshed on hot dogs, nachos and, of course, the Haskins' homemade doughnuts. So good! Then we hit up all the booths for candy.
Bounce house. She got some serious air this year! And then you got to pick a piece of candy when you got out.
While Maggie was in the bounce house, Daddy had to man the candy bucket.
Getting some candy.
Posing in front of the bouncy obstacle course. She went around and around for about 30 minutes.
Zooming out the exit to go all over again.
Climbing up the "rock wall".
Here she is doing a bean-bag toss.
I WANT MORE CANDY!!!
More bounce house.
Night-night!

HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Posing with Daddy right before they took off.
Her FIRST trick-or-treating adventure ever. We started at the neighbor's house. Tyler took her around the neighborhood. He said she was pretty shy about having to say "trick or treat."
Off with Daddy.
What a poser! She came back right away to put her coat on underneath her costume, it was chilly!
She come home with a full bucket of candy, and big smiles! She was most excited about her visit to Miss Cindy who lives down the street from us (she is also the church secretary and keeper of the best candy dish around). She had saved a bunch of candy and a Capri-Sun just for Maggie's visit. What a good grandma, Miss Cindy! Thanks!

I went out Monday with my friend Dixie to pick up next year's costume for Maggie and Baby Boy. We were successful, but you'll have to check back next year to see what we got!

Staining the Deck

2010-11-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

Tyler got some help this weekend staining the deck. I am glad I could find some of Maggie's older clothes that fit well enough for her to "help out".