Flower Power

Oh how I love flowers! They make me so happy. I love dirt. I love color. I love watching something grow. {sigh} I am a true gardener at heart. And I dream of the year I can finally take the classes and become a "master gardener...." maybe next year.... anyhow, I have to admit, the lack of being "able" to garden (since we've been renters) the past few years has pained me.

My neighbor had a yard sale yesterday and I wandered over to see if I could find any treasures. She had this great plant stand and I quickly snatched it up.

Since the last thing I need is one more uncompleted project, I decided to start work right away. I was going to spray paint it brown, but once I started, I didn't like it. I happened to have a turquoise can of spray paint and decided to be bold and use it.

Mom had generously bought me some plants when she was here, but they weren't enough. So since I had to go to the store anyway, I picked up a few more. Soon, my yard sale find became something pretty.

I love it. I think it's such a happy and inviting statement for our front porch.

Don't you just want to come visit?? (which if the answer is "yes," then get over here!)

At the yard sale, I also saw this interesting rocking horse. I thought it was different, and I like different. I also knew the kids would love it. I was right, I don't think Amy has gotten off!

Tyler wasn't a great sleeper last night. Well, he just wouldn't go to sleep. That was fun while I got to watch "Dear John" on tv, by myself. But by 3am, I was over it. He dozed on and off but nothing substantial. So this morning, I was way tired. Lee took all the kids and let me go back to bed. I slept from 7am- noon! It was wonderful! After that, I felt much better. So today is a tv/pajama type day. So yes, this is the kids (at 4:30pm) in their pj's.

We have been so lucky the past few days. My wonderful friends have been bringing us meals. We don't "need" them persay, but it's nice that my friends don't listen to me, and just take action. I have to admit, the meals have been wonderful- and delicious! I've already gotten some great recipes. Today my friend, May, came by and it was great to visit with her for a few minutes.

So that's been us the past few days. :) Just adjusting, adjusting, and a project. :)

Sweet Baby Sleep

There is nothing sweeter than watching a baby sleep. And Tyler certainly does a lot of that! The other day I couldn't stop taking pictures of his sweet little face. 

All of our babies start off so dark! Then they all turn white, like their Momma. :) 

Amy had her dance pictures the other day. I took a few before she left. She looked so cute in her leotard and hair in a bun (which trust me, was an effort b/c she's very particular about her hair). As a bribe for letting me put the bun in her hair, I let her wear a little makeup. 

And since there are rarely pictures of me, I thought we should take some of me and Tyler today. 

Trip to the Park and Tyler

Today Mom and I decided to take the kids to the park. It was a beautiful day out and we thought they'd enjoy running around.....

Mom got Will dressed and accidently put Amy's shirt on him. It's the one Lee bought at a gas station when she was 18 months old. It says "Sorry guys, I can't date until I'm 30." So yeah, we had to change that before we went out in public. Amy was also throwing a fit that he was wearing her shirt. She ended wearing it when we got it off him.

At the park, Amy found a friend, and played in the sand. Will went down slides and Tyler was curled up against me in the Moby wrap.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if they were all tired and they didn't do much playing, so we didn't stay long. Soon it was home for lunch and naps. Although Will didn't sleep long and no one else even took a nap. (I definitely should have!!)

Little Tyler likes to sleep. In fact, he sleeps all day. He was literally asleep from 10am until 5pm yesterday and today. I think he may have woken up once or twice to eat and then he fell back asleep. At night he's been waking up consistently every 2 hours. So he definitely has his days and nights confused. Once that gets flipped, *fingers crossed,* he should sleep all night!

I did manage to catch him awake at one point. He was mad that I wasn't feeding him. Then I fed him, he got sleepy, and fell asleep, smiling.

He has the longest fingers....

And the longest toes..... (along with the smallest, skinniest feet)

He is such a sweet baby!! We all just love him.

We got a wonderful gift from cousin Jenny today...! Amy got this jewelry box that she loved decorating (all the decorating stuff came with it). She also got some bug catching stuff, which of course, was a hit!

Will was grumpy and wouldn't let me take his picture. He got a cool Spiderman book (also a hit!) You "color" with water and the pictures appear. He loved playing with it (despite his grumpiness).

Tyler got the cutest outfit and a great book (didn't get a picture of those). Thanks Jenny!!!

We think Will is having a "jealousy" week as for the most part, he's been crazy since we got home from the hospital. He loves Tyler, and kisses him constantly. But in other ways, you can definitely tell that he's getting used to the new "baby" in the house. The other night he just wouldn't sleep. We are all in different beds with Mom here, so at one point he ended up with me. I was awake, feeding Tyler, and I thought he had fallen asleep. All of a sudden he belts out, "Are you sleeping!? Are you sleeping!? Brother John, Brother John...." It was hysterical. I laughed and thought, "No, I'm not sleeping!" Ah, William. He's so funny. But despite his grumpiness, he still makes us laugh. He loves singing his ABC's and Baa Baa Black Sheep. And like I mentioned, he loves to kiss and love on Tyler. Which is sweet.

Mom leaves tomorrow (ahhhhhhh!!!!) but thankfully Lee's last day of classes was today, so he'll be able to be home a bit more. I know everyone teases me about my projects and such, but trust me, I have no problem with taking it easy, holding my sweet one and letting the other kids watch tv. I think many more of those days are in our future for awhile! (although Mom did make fun of me for going to the store today, just to buy an ingredient for an experiment. I'll do it again and take pictures, so I won't ruin it for you now) Unfortunately though, as anyone with more than 1 child knows, you don't get much "rest" when there are other ones running around. Oh well. As tiring as it is, I just love our little family!

Just Taking It Easy

Dad was able to come for the weekend. One of our blinds in the kitchen was broken (thanks to Will) and he saw it, said, "This won't do," and proceeded to take it off the window and fix it. That's one, of the many, things I love about my Dad. If he's sees that something isn't right, he just fixes it. Of course, Will loves to "fix" anything so he was right there by his side. The blind works great now!

He had to leave this morning, but before he left he did take a look at my table and added some screws. It just needs a few coats of polyurethane and it'll be good to go! I can't wait! 

We all just love little Tyler. Especially Will! He always comes up to him and says, "Hi Baby!" and then he kisses him. He'll also say, "I hold it!" I finally made him lay down when holding Tyler. It was a tad easier on Tyler, I think! Now we just have to work on the squeezing! It's so sweet too, because if Tyler is crying, Will will say, "Ok? Ok?" He's so concerned about him. Both kids fight constantly about who gets to hold him next. Poor Tyler isn't quite sure what to make of it all!

I haven't taken too many pictures- I just found the camera today. haha. Mom has some good ones on her camera, but she doesn't have her cord, so those will have to wait. So the rest will have to be words. sorry! 

But we are all adjusting to life with Tyler. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage it when Mom leaves, but I guess I'll figure it out!  It's been so nice to have someone change Will's diaper, get the kids dressed, make dinner, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, and on and on. I haven't had to do anything but hold and feed Tyler. I have such a rough life! haha. 

Tyler is doing great. He's an excellent nurser and wants to eat constantly. At night he wakes up every 2 hours, but he seems to sleep a little longer during the day. Maybe I should start training myself to be nocturnal?? He was a tad jaundiced at the hospital and I had to take him for a recheck this morning. When they poked and squeezed his little foot, he was screaming so loud and so hard that I almost cried. It was the saddest thing! (the other's were jaundiced too, but I don't remember it being that traumatic to me) Thankfully his numbers were good and he doesn't have to have any more rechecks. I get to take small "cat-naps" during the day, which has been nice. I'm still pretty sore, and sitting/standing and sometimes moving in general, is bothersome. But that should go away soon. (I pray!!) I know that once that goes away, I'll feel much better. I do make myself shower everyday. I feel so much better when I'm clean. I've noticed if I feel good it totally passes on to the "mommy" side of life. (for some of you, who have never gone a day without a shower this may sound appalling, but others will totally understand!)  

Lee finished the latest round of edits on his dissertation and sent it off. We are still praying for an end of May defense date. This is the last week of classes for him and then finals week and then he's OFF for the months of May, June, he'll teach the month of July and be off again for the month of August. I'm telling you, this professor thing is the way to go! (Granted, it's been a ton of hard work until this point, but you definitely reap the rewards of all the hard work!) It'll be great to have him home. He'll still go in to do research and stuff, but he won't be on any set "schedule." 

Our robin laid 3 eggs in her nest (Mom peeked up there) and it's been fun watching her sit on them day in and day out. Actually, when we left for the hospital, Lee was attacked by her! They both startled the heck out of each other! We can't wait for the eggs to hatch! 

That's about it for now. We are just relaxing and holding our sweet, newest little angel! 

Welcome Little Tyler!!

So Thursday was baby day! We headed to the hospital Wednesday at midnight (thankfully, Mom got here around 8pm!) anticipating a long night. I was supposed to get some medicine to help me dilate, but I ended up not needing it because when we got there I was already a 3. (yippee!!) So I got to rest for a little while and then the doctor broke my water, gave me some pitocin and I got my epidural. I love drugs during labor!!

Lee was hard at work all through the labor part. He was desperately trying to finish another round of edits on his dissertation. He finished literally, RIGHT before I delivered.

When they broke my water, it was a little green, which meant that little Tyler already had his first bowl movement. It's not a big deal, but it's a sign that they are ready to be born. That was nice, because at one point I was a bit concerned about the original "being induced" plan.

My epidural didn't really take on the right side, just like with Will, and I just decided to be a baby and mention it. The anesthesiologist gave me an extra shot and that took care of everything.  At around 11am, I was only a 4. I was a little frustrated- only a FOUR! But my nurse was so encouraging and kept saying the baby would be born around lunch time (I wasn't so optimistic).

My nurse was really hysterical, I LOVED her. Delivery nurses make all the difference! She had me laughing all the time. I had said something about waiting to get an epidural and she was like, "Why? Look, you are here to have a baby, you aren't leaving without one, you might as well do it comfortably. You don't win an award for feeling pain." Hahaha, she was so funny! But what I also loved about her was although she was pro-epidural, she was also very knowledgeable and researched (she has been doing this for 30 years!). She had me sit straight up for about an hour to bring his head down. Then had be rotate from side to side to bring his head into the right engaged position. She knew what she was talking about because at noon, she said I was ready to deliver. (yes, only an hour after I thought there was no way this baby was coming at lunchtime!)

The doctor came in, and 6 mins later, Tyler was born. YES- I only pushed for SIX minutes! (for Amy it was close to an hour and Will it was 8 mins) It was great!! Later I mentioned that to her and she said that pushing for a long time was just ridiculous and makes mommy more sore. And that if you just let gravity do its work, there's no need for all of that. She also didn't rush Tyler to the heat bed, she put him on my chest and let him stay there for over an hour!

so purple and messy!

She said that unless there's an emergency, the heat bed is just silly and the skin to skin contact with mommy is the best for everyone. She also said she's the only nurse that doesn't use the heat bed- I was so glad she was MY nurse!! I loved that she was so pro "natural" type birthing methods. So that's why we didn't know how big Tyler was for the longest time. (But we could tell he was much smaller than the others).

After a good hour, and a first nursing, Lee got to carry him to the baby room and watch him get weighed and measured. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. (Amy weighed 7'14 and Will was 8'12, so Tyler was by far the smallest!)

A little while after that, they were ready to move me to my room and we got to stop by the nursery and see little Tyler. He was so cute laying there! After that, they brought him to me and for the most part, there he stayed. I love keeping the baby in the room with me! I know they'll take them, if you want, but I always feel bad even thinking of it. You just had that precious little one, why send it away as soon as it's born?!

I did have to stay for 2 days, but it was ok. HGTV got me through. haha. And this hospital was cool with it's meals. There's a room service menu and you just order from it anytime you want. No "regular" meal that just comes to everyone. And I thought the food was good too. (Hey, anything is good if you don't have to cook it! )

Mom brought the kids every day. I have to give Mom some credit for watching these 2 wild ones. I think she's exhausted!! She took them to the park last night and thankfully it did get them very tired!!

These are pictures from the first time they visited. They we SO excited to see their little brother!

getting in some Daddy play time!

Little Tyler is a great nurser. And my milk came in today- which was great! Only took a day and half! So now he gets super full and is just nice and content. I also got to come home today and that was nice. Even though Mom brought Amy and Will to the hospital each day, I had really missed their little faces. They LOVE their little brother- maybe too much?? haha. We definitely have to watch Will! He wants to squeeze him really hard!

Little bit of hair

Lee made this comparison of the boys because we think Tyler looks a lot like Will did.
Actually, I think Will was a few days/weeks old here.

Dad just got here, and will be here until Monday. Mom will be here until Thursday and then Karen comes on Saturday. So much loving family is so wonderful!!!!

So I am home, Tyler is home, we are all snuggly and happy. Thanks everyone for your comments, love and support!! We certainly LOVE our new little guy!

Last Post Before Baby??

Well, the time is upon us! Little Tyler will make his entrance into this world soon! Thursday to be exact. After talking things through with the doctor, we decided that being induced was the way to go. Actually, it's really because I don't dilate. I didn't (really) with the other ones. With both, I had fluid leaking (too much information???) and the contractions were immediately 3 minutes apart, but I'd get to the hospital and *maybe* be at a 3. So tomorrow at midnight, we are headed to the hospital. I'll get something that will help me dilate and have the contractions be more regular. I'm not usually one that is so forward with medications, but in the case of child birth, I'm all for it! Actually, Lee is trying to finish the semester at school, Mom is working around her work/temple schedule (and lives 3 hrs away) and oh yeah- we have 2 other little children to take care of- so a "plan" is just easier this time around. I'm actually being induced on my due date, and both kids were born then as well..... and my doctor will be on call that day, and I really wanted her to deliver (as opposed to another in the practice) so it all works out well. Now just to keep him inside until tomorrow night. :)

We've actually had a busy two days so that's been nice to help time fly. I took Amy to dance today and then afterwards went to go vote in our local election. I admit, I'm not usually one for politics- I tend to think everyone in politics is corrupt and the whole screwed up system drives me nuts. Living in Carrollton for all those years, with Lee in the police department and me working for someone with an "in" in local affairs totally ruined me. But a friend was running for school board and I wanted to support him, so I took the kids (in the RAIN) and voted. When I walked out, a man out front said, "You know, that lady and I were just saying how great it was that even though you have 2 small children and are ready with another, that you took the time to come out and vote. We haven't had many people voting today. Thank you for voting."

Ummm, ouch. I just smiled and said "thank you" and didn't dare mention that if it wasn't for our friend, I probably wouldn't be there either! Yikes!! I'm so awful!! I guess next time I'll have to learn more about our city and *really* have an opinion!

After all of that, I decided it was a "stop by Little Caesar's and pull out juice boxes for lunch" kind of day. The man gave Amy a sticker too, she said that her's was a badge that said, "Amy is always hungry."

The kids have (miraculously) been going to bed and are ASLEEP by 6:30pm every night. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah !! Unfortunately, that means that they are up super early. I woke up around 5am (from going to bed by 9pm) and Will was right beside me at 5:30am. So things have been a little crazy with all of our sleep schedules. And I'm sure they will just stay crazy for awhile. They say that one of the reasons pregnant women pee so much is because your body is getting itself ready to be up with a newborn. Well, aside from that, I have Will, who has yet to sleep through the night. So I should be good and ready for this newborn! We actually just increased our cable package by some channels, with anticipation of the crazy nights.

I told Amy she could get her and Will something healthy for a snack. She got a bag a doughnuts. Hmmm...... and I love the banana behind him. haha. Actually, he did eat that later on. (and the sweetened condensed milk, also behind him, is just for food storage). He was saying "cheese!"

So that's it for now. Thankfully we have nothing scheduled tomorrow and that will give me a chance to straighten up before Mom comes. Kind of C.R.A.Z.Y to think that we will have another kid so soon!!! I'm not sure I'm up for it. But I guess it's too late to turn back now. Everyone's prayers would be great, in hopes that little Tyler is healthy and the delivery goes well! I'll be back as soon as I can with pictures of him! (I hear they keep you in the hospital for a full 2 days here, uggghhhh!!!!! I'm totally dreading that!!!!! (I only had to do a 24 hr stint with the other two).





 

A Gift and Few Other Things

Lee's cousin, Stephen, has an awesome wife, Jenny. Her and I hit it off immediately as we share a deep love for crafts, sewing and generally making a mess. :)  Anyhow, she sent us a baby gift the other day and it was so cute!

She made Tyler this "taggie" play blanket. (I'm actually not sure what you call it and it's actually the size of a large washcloth). I've seen them before but have never had one.

She also embroidered his name on it. How fun!

And she also sent us this onesie that had me dying laughing when I opened it....

For those of you who aren't familiar with the tv show "The Big Bang Theory" this is a joke from it. Lee started watching it because he heard there was a Star Trek reference in every episode, and he was trying to spot it. Then we both just got really into it. The show is about these 4 super duper smart guys and it's just hysterical. It's one of our favorite shows.

In one episode, Sheldon, talks about a new game, "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" and they play it. Here's a short video (from the show) to demonstrate:

Lee has been trying, and has successfully memorized it and plays it with Amy. He also has a t-shirt with the same thing on it. So when I opened the one for Tyler, I just died laughing. Lee thought it was awesome too and Amy couldn't believe they now had the same shirt. Anyhow- good job, Jenny, good job. Best gift ever!!

Amy drew this picture of herself on the computer the other day. I was impressed because I think the mouse is really hard to draw with. I love how she put a flower in her hair and the other little details.

We have a robin building a nest on our back porch! It's so fun watching her! There are times we literally stop for a long time and just watch. There's something so fascinating about it. She's still building, no babies yet, but we can't wait until we can hear those little cheep-cheeps!

On Friday I went out to the van and it was dead. Will was playing in there the other day and he turned a light on. So Lee jumped it off Saturday morning. Thank goodness we have 2 cars and a husband who isn't afraid to fix some things. I always think it's going to blow up when you even touch the engine. Apparently I have no working knowledge of machines.

Amy took this of Will and I just thought it was cute.

I don't have any other pictures, but let me tell you.... yesterday morning Will just about drove us nuts. I was cutting Lee's hair and I kept hearing a toilet flushing. I just assumed it was Amy, but upon further examination, nope, it was Will, and he managed to overflow the hall toilet. That was fun to clean up. The only saving grace was that the floor probably did need mopping.

Then not long after that Amy runs to us and says, "Will has the syrup!" He was at the table, just squeezing the syrup out of the bottle, giggling away. Thankfully, it was only on a plate, but the plate was FULL. Oh this child!

After that, he went down for a nap and I went out to spend a little time to myself. I figured with the baby coming this week, it was going to be only chance for awhile. I did go to the grocery store, but before that I walked around an antique mall that I just love. Last night, one of Lee's co-workers hosted an end of the year family BBQ and we all went. It was a lot of fun and I was glad to finally meet most of Lee's co-workers and their spouses. Next time, we'll get a sitter though, as we were the only ones who have small children. But we had a good time and the food was delicious! (and let me say, the end of April was the PERFECT time to have a BBQ. The weather was soooo nice.... no bugs...... I can't stand BBQ's in August when everyone is dying from heat and bugs! I'll have to remember that for the future!)

Well, that's about all the Wade updates for now. :)

Homemade Lava Lamp

A few weeks ago I saw a cool idea on Pinterest about a homemade lava lamp. I knew our kids would love it. I had to buy some alka-seltzer tablets, but everything else I had on hand. Today I decided to do it with the kids. It didn't take a ton of time (which I admit, I was kind of wanting) but it was really cool. Obviously the kids really loved it.

For this one, all you need is oil, water, food coloring and alka-seltzer tablets. Click here for the "original" directions.

This one cracks me up... I think they'd jump into the jar if they could! 

It's always fun doing "experiments" with the kids. The only problem is that Amy asks for more! I should have been a scientist myself so I'd have the stuff on hand! haha.

In other news- we got the piano tuned today. Man! Were the kids intrigued by THAT! Especially when he took the top off and you could see inside! Just like you thought Mom, he said it was pretty bad. But Mom warned me as it had been several years since it was tuned. He even played several melodies and oh they were so pretty! It really reminded me of how beautiful an instrument can sound when someone knows how to play it! haha.

I started feeling contractions last night. Nothing steady, but some nonetheless. I thought for sure I wouldn't make it through the night. But alas, I did. Watch me go the entire next week. Which is fine- but it just reminded me of how close this baby is to coming. AHHHHHHH!!!! I've had problems with the nerves in my right leg for awhile (all baby related) and they are getting more intense as well. Most of the time it feels like my thigh is on fire. SOOO painful! But other than that, I've been doing well. I have no problems resting, as now I am tired and just want to rest. I got a few more "meals" together and organized the food areas (fridge, freezer, cabinet) a little. I guess I'm just nesting..... or panicking?? Hmmmm....... Hope you are ready Mom! :)