Right Now....9-14-09

watching...Anthony play in the excersaucer

reading... blogs and soon the new Dan Brown

listening... to the dog baying, Philip coughing and the Anthony playing and talking

knowing... that God is good all the time...

drinking... 'crazy juice' a mixture of white grape pomegranate juice & ginger ale

wanting... play and scrapbook

embracing... that things always change and that God is good all the time...

Must Have Baby things....

I have a cousin that is having a baby for the 1st time and asked in her blog what Baby things are essential....So having 3 of my own I guess I could share a list of things I use everyday

Here is my list of things I couldn't live without 3 babies later!

1. Brent aka Daddy! Having a supportive, nurturing husband and father is the #1 thing, all the others are just things that help us enjoy our babies even more and make our lives a little easier.

2. The 1st thing we noticed that was a good thing to have especially in the hospital was scratch mitts, newborns have no control over the movement of their arms and can scratch their faces which always makes them cry the 'really sad' cry

3. Gowns- these are life savers in the middle of the night when you are half asleep and you seem to find a defect in the sleeper of the 'extra' snap! All you have to do is pull them up and down for the diaper changes.

4. 'Handsies'- With gowns you get little fold over hand covers! Nearly all gowns that we have, have them as well as the 'newborn' Carter's sized clothes. This is also good for at night when the little Houdini's wriggle their little hands out of the burrito wrapping and could possibly wake themselves up by...scratching.

5. The Burrito Baby Wrap- Nope this isn't a great new food at Chipotle!! It's the wonderful way the nurses wrap your new package! LEARN it! USE IT! Swaddling has been proven to soothe fussy babies and helps reduce the 'startle' in the startle reflex. They sleep longer so you do! We have always just used normal receiving blankets, they have the new expensive wrap contraptions, they are just costly...you can have 4 receiving blankets for the price of 1 wrappy thingy...

6. Cloth Diapers- No, I'm not that 'green' but they are the BEST burp cloths, wide enough and long enough. And the more you wash them the softer they get! If you can't do plain white adding a little ribbon or embroidery makes them colorful & fun!

7. Boppy- I have one in every room I nurse in. They are not just for mommas! Daddy can use it to just be a little more comfortable while holding the baby, it also helps with big brother/sisters to be able to hold the baby with support. With all of the nursing that is done in the 1st year and beyond your arms do actually get tired.

8. Nursing stool- I didn't get this until we had Michael- but it's reclined forcing you to sit back in the seat/couch as you nurse reducing the back strain that you will feel from nursing. Mine has a foot warmer too!

9. Baby Bijorn- there are lots of imitations but I swear by the brand- it is so wonderful super easy to put baby in and out! Michael lived in it and Anthony is too! When you don't want to fiddle with a stroller or just want to be hands free around the house. And babies love to be close and in motion. I got a blue jean one- not too girly, Brent will wear it.

10. McClaren- The best 'umbrella' stroller ever!! We have the Techno XT- VERY light weight folds easy with handle, lays all the way flat for newborns, the handles adjust to accommodate different heights (Daddy), comes with a rain cover (or plastic bag as I call them- good for rainy, windy or cold days) and a foot muff for cold days. We also have the Techno Double stroller- same functions as the single, but the seats are independent allowing for all ages to ride, when one is up and the other can lay flat. It's the width of a standard wheelchair so it can go everywhere a wheelchair can!

11. Pack n' Play- The ones with a changing station & bassinet are the most helpful and are used thru all the 1st year and beyond. We had and have a 2 story house and being a c-section mommy having a place the baby can sleep and be changed down stairs is a must...having a place for the baby to sleep in the room you spend the most time in is a bonus as well. And a play pen is good for when they are older to play & nap in. It gives them a safe place to play when you have to be in another room doing chores or housework.

12. Baby monitor- we have one with 2 receivers (one in our room & in a room where we can't hear the upstairs) It's nice to just have ears in the room when they are little and after a while when they wake up cooing and talking to themselves! Brent and I would lay in bed and listen to the babies babble, until they would yell for us to come get them! Also, you can listen for the sound of Velcro ripping when they are older and are taking their diapers off to make messes in the crib! (Oh, yes they do this! Michael finger painted!)

13. Convertible crib- You get much more use out of them if they can be used as a toddler bed. Philip used his crib for 5 years, Michael is still in his. Anthony is in Philip's crib now and will use it for a toddler bed. We have British Cot Beds so they only go into Toddler beds but some American cribs actually convert into full beds once they are ready for a big bed. I've even seen some that go into a twin bed as well.

14. A Lovey- it's comforting for the baby/toddler to have a constant that has familiar smells and a familiar touch. Our boys each have a blanket/stuffy lovey they are super soft and have bits of satin on them. I highly recommend buying 2 for a back up. They will attach to stuffed animals as they get older but the lovey will always be a favorite.

15. A Good Photographer/Good camera- these are the most important! To catch and preserve the precious moments of the 1st year and beyond. If the photographer is good they will take the time to get to know the baby and you will get the genuine smiles and sweetness! It's so great to live in the digital age...even though we lived across an ocean our family can see events that happened minutes ago in seconds! I have always tried to document to make sure grandparents/aunts/uncles etc... are apart of the boys life, even if it's in pictures. And don't worry about blinding them with the flash all of my boys have perfect vision! :0)

16. Breast Pump- this is up to the individual and the budget. I have the Avent Isis hand pump and have found it to work just fine for me. It's good to have once your milk comes in and the pain begins to relieve the pressure. And for when you start cereal to have milk on hand to mix with. Also, if you want others to help feed you can pump a bottle and have a break and having some in the freezer for back up if you are out and it's feeding time! The VIA system works great for storing and freezing milk. The Avent system is all interchangeable you can go from bottles to sippy cups with ease and use all with the pump.

17. Diaper Champ- MUCH better than the Diaper Genie! You use regular trash bags, and the only time you open it is when you are changing the bags so the smell is minimal.

18. A group of Girlfriends- they don't all have to be mommies too but it can help when you think that what just happened could have never happened to anyone else!! And to be able to hear that no it's normal! It's good to remember to take time a be a girl and with these girlfriends they will laugh with you in the peaks and help you in and thru the valleys.

19. A pretty nursing bra- I know it's silly but remember that you are a girl and once upon a time wore VS! And now your 'secrets' are leaking all over your shirt!! Not to mention the maternity panties!! It's nice to have nice pretty underclothes even when you are nursing and things are leaking everywhere! Plus, you wear a bra non stop mind as well make it pretty! Also, it's good to have good supportive nursing bras.

20. Bouncer/Swing- some place for the baby to hang out when you are not holding them! They sometimes just want to hang out with out anyone holding them. We have a bouncer that the boys loved and after the 3rd one got a swing because Anthony loves to be in motion. And sometimes the baby can't be bijorned...ie. cooking/bathing. these are your helpers.

21. A good baby sitter- or an adopted Grandma. Sometimes you need to go out. Having a teenager or one of your girlfriends that can come give you a break is priceless. And plus, it's important to go on dates with your honey!

22. A reference guide- I love What to Expect the 1st Year (I have the entire series) and use it all the time! It's good to read all the way thru or read as you go...

23. A (good) pediatrician- You should be able to talk to them openly about worries and feel that they heard you and are willing to help or offer advise. If your baby likes them it's a good sign! We have been blessed to have great docs for our boys!

24. Little Luxuries- my boys love their chamois sheets, blankets and bumper. Babies love soft things and it's nice to indulge and watch them smile! Also, nappy sacks, they aren't very 'green' but if you are at a friends house or out you can put your dirty diaper in the scented sack and dispose of it in regular trash without clearing the room.

25. Diaper Bag- a good one can be hard to find, my favorite is from Land's End I think it's called the Do-It-All Diaper Bag, it opens up like a doctors bag very roomy and is bright blue on the inside so you can see things. It holds plenty it's good for 1-3 kids! We have back up stuff for Philip and Michael as well as the essentials for Anthony in it.

Prayer! Pray! PRAY! In the good praise, in the ugly pray. Don't stop! It's also a little time that you can take for you and your Father to be still and quite and know that he is God and that you won't be given anything you can't handle. When I'm having a hard time (they will come, I have had my share and know that there will be more) after talking sometimes arguing with God I always come out renewed and refreshed. And know that while you pray others pray for you and your little one as well!

A 5th Birthday Party!

Philip opening presents! He had a blast with all of his friends, and the weather was beautiful! So we sent the kids outside for some out of season play time. The 'Plant' cake...Since Wall-E finds a plant this was the cake complete with worms! And 'gree' punch, not forget the twinkies. I was so upset about the paper goods...the party supply discontinued all of the Wall-E paper goods, so we didn't have any of that character stuff...so we went with green and blue hence the color of Earth.
THE BIRTHDAY BOY!
On his birthday we all got up and walked him to school! Mia made and brought his cupcakes to his class. It was bittersweet hugging him on his 5th Birthday to go to the hospital 4 hours later to have a baby! I can't believe that Phil's 5...

Looking back...

38-9 weeks....

Well it's the home stretch....and I'm done! I can't sleep...my hips are about to kill me....ah...I'm 9 months pregnant.

Mom & Mia are here...we had Philip's 5th birthday party. That was nice, another post...

Monday is the big day!

37 week update...

37 weeks was interesting...it started with a bang...more like a whack!

-Monday on my way to pick up Philip I fell...yes, before all of the snow and ice hit. (I don't need obstructions to kill myself!) Thankfully my friend Tiffany was with me and went and got Phil while I sat on my rump assessing the situation. I gave myself 20 minutes to feel 'better' and contractions started so I called the Dr's office and they told me to come to L&D. So, Brent came home...and off we went...

10 hours and 2 rooms later we got discharged but not with out an IV, tests, those stretchy bands for the monitors that they didn't design for a 'bigger' momma and the best of all...pelvic exam! We had a great nurse though, she was awesome! I must write her a note. I hope she's working when we are there. And my doc was on call, so that was nice. We started out in a Labor room then because of all of the mommies that were in 'labor' and waiting the pending result that could have caused us to have the baby then they moved us to a recovery room, reason: it was 10 feet away from the OR. Down side, NOT a hospital bed, but a gurney! OUCH! I had contractions all thru the night but they didn't seem to bother the staff as much as they did me and Anthony who was moving around enough to make me nauseated, which resulted in drugs...and due to the pain from the contractions the 'new nurse' (yes we were there for 3 shifts) thought I was complaining about my pain from the fall...I also got some Vicodin. So, needless to say, I was flying high...still nauseated, feeling the pressure and getting kicked...oh, and STARVING! I was put on NPO status, also, bedrest until Wednesday at my appointment, then we'd go from there. Brent was great the entire time, poor guy refused to eat.

-(Tuesday)So, upon leaving we went to the 24 hour McDonald's drive thru...fyi...they have a limited menu that does not include a simple plain hamburger! That's nice...tell a VERY pregnant woman who hadn't eaten in 15 hours that the one thing she wants isn't available! So, we came home went to bed, Brent stayed home with us and wouldn't let me do anything...I went from the bed when I couldn't stand to lay down anymore to the couch. And of course the snow and ice hit...so Philip wound up coming home early Tuesday and there was no school Wednesday.

-Wednesday's appointment, I was moving slow...but all checked out good. Heart rate good, blood pressure great, measurements right on track, still only 5 pounds gained...and the funnest...for some reason either I didn't do it (don't know why) or they lost the results but my inital blood panel didn't exisit so I had to visit the Vampires. And in the continuing saga to locate my medical records, we faxed the 'right' form to hopefully get them so the doc can review my surgical notes.

-Thursday, Brent came home early, Philip got to go to school. We were going to have pictures taken Monday but had to cancel, so this was the other day we could go. We got Philip's 5th, Michael's 3rd and Preggo Pics. Brent was super sweet and OK'd a trip to CheeseCake Factory but when we got there it was a 15-30 minute wait they couldn't say which...so we got cheese cake and went somewhere else.

-Friday, Philip's school had a day off...Teacher work day. Brent took the day off I wouldn't be able to handle the kids...they are trying to put me into labor! I slept most of the day...in the afternoon I got a call from the Drs office...the "National archives" that should have my records do not infact have them...they are at Leavenworth! WHAT! So, Monday Brent has to make some calls and hopefully they can get my records to the doc in 9 days! Cynamon came over in the evening to help me with one of the bigger projects. The washing & folding & rearranging of the baby clothes. We also made up the crib, for some reason the bumper doesn't fit like it did before...but we made it work. So 4 loads and 2 baskets full of clothes we finished around midnight! I'm starting to panic...Mom & Mia will be here in a week...Phil's party is next Saturday...I'm still organizing the house and trying to get things in order, but slowly...and I get tired so fast! But the baby will come, and it won't matter if I didn't get everything done, I just don't feel that way at this point...I want to get as much as I can done! Oh, well, one more week!

Here are some of the preggo pics *Warning they are belly shots....dun dun dun....

The Wall-E invitations

So, Philip's party this year is a Wall-E theme...we are going with a 'green' space party with Wall-E. I looked for an invite that I liked but didn't find one...so I made one! It's a paper piecing made out of the new Creative Memories card stock. I freehand made and cut the yellow around the eyes, the neck is the personal trimmer, the grey in the eyes are the large heart punch cut in half and rounded, the black in the eyes is the smallest circle of the mini circle punch, and the whites are from the bubble punch. The stars are the small ones from the star punch and the '5' was printed from a font I found online and cut from the smallest circle in the patterns. I think they turned out ok. Will be posting more about the party and planning.

36 weeks...and counting

This was the 34 week pic...I'm quite uncomfortable. My hips do not like me anymore!

Michael spending some quality time with 'Anphoney' as he says. He refuses to touch my stomach unless he can feel my skin. So, there you go!

A new concept for me....Nesting. I did not do this with Philip or Michael. I mostly slept with them but I find myself waking up at 5ish wide awake and doing laundry! But not just laundry, folding and putting away, which is a task for a preggo to walk upstairs. We had bought a bassinette earlier this fall and I was looking at buying a few more sheets, they wanted $7 for 1!! So I waited for a sale at JoAnns and bought enough for 7 for the price of less than 2. And I may have enough left over to make a little blanket as well. But that is on hold until I finish Philip's quilt (another post) Not only am I doing laundry, I'm planning Philip's birthday party, making stuff for his grab bags, organizing the house, getting things in order, making the guest room ready for all of our guests...

Yes, I'm 35 weeks here....and I'm now only wearing 'stretchy pants'. Mia always refers to me a Nacho Libre...Thanks Mia! Someday she'll have to wear stretchy pants too!

36 Week appointment....yesterday...the count is still 5 lbs gained (no more), blood pressure is great, there is no swelling (my rings can still slide off, nearly fall off when I'm outside), heart rate is perfect, Anthony is head down and getting ready. Even though it won't matter which way he is it's nice to know that he's doing what he should be. I had a slew of questions for the doc yesterday and he was great and anwsered them all! I found out that I will not get taken to the other side of the hospital to recover but just in the other room and the baby and Brent will not leave me! This is nice, since after the boys I went one way & Brent went with the baby the other and I didn't get to hold or see them for 2-3 hours. We are counting down the days until c-day...17 and a wake up.

2008 in review!

January- New Year! I got to go to the Kennedy Center to see My Fair Lady! We had a little bit of a snow day with some sledding! 'Cube' decided to go back up to heaven, 'he' was with us 9 weeks.

February- Miranda's 28th birthday, Mom comes to visit. SuperBowl-Pats & Giants (w), Andrew West (nephew) is born! Philip's 4th birthday & party! Mia & Patrick come for a visit. Valentine's day, Miranda & Ruth's sleep over Birthday Party!

March- Miranda makes a trip to Wisconsin to visit Samantha & to meet Bryan & Andrew! Got to see Mom & Dad for an afternoon before flying back. Road trip to NJ for Abby's 16th birthday! Tried cheese steak w/ fries pizza... Easter with the Wilsons & Patricks

April- A new member of the family- Holly Golightly (the sweet baby cat) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with the church. Redecorating of the Masterbed room.

May- Nicholas Wilson joins our church family! Mother/Son golf outing Philip & I go have a great time. Diego's birthday party, more golfing! Andrews air show. Preschool graduation! Memorial Day picnic at Allen Pond. Brent leaves for NCO academy in Alabama for the summer.

June- Melissa moves in while Brent is gone. Daina comes to visit. We find out that we are expecting again! Mom (Cathy) comes to visit. We all go see Wall-E

July- We take mom to DC for the day. Brent & Miranda's 9th wedding Anniversary, not the best day of the year... 4th of July spent at the mall. Mid-July Brent comes home! The morning sickness attacks!

August- Road trip to NJ to visit the Harrisons. Miranda & DeAnna go to New York for the Breaking Dawn concert series! We meet Stephanie Meyer and stay for the midnight book sale! The obsession with Guitar Hero begins... The WE Partee in Kansas City. Philip's 1st day of school- Pre-K (all day 5 days a week)

September- Softball season starts. Daddy's elbow & shoulder surgery. Brent's 30th birthday! Ultrasound- It's a BOY!

October- International Festival- fried oreos! Navy Day Ball. Camp WAMAVA church retreat Brent re-enlists in DC. Miranda begins the quilt project. Ultrasound-to see what they didn't see the last time. Have to go back in a few weeks. Halloween- the Lion & the Pirate!

November- Election day! Packing party for Operation Christmas Child- the church/school gathered 99 boxes! Daddy's other elbow & shoulder surgery. Veteran's day dinner. Michael gets the mother of all rashes! TWILIGHT!!! Thanksgiving!

December- Miranda throws out her back! Craft fair at school. Last Ultrasound- Everything looks perfect! Still a boy! Squadron Christmas Party and cake contest- Homemade Carrot Cake made and lost! Air Force Christmas party at Mimms, lots of fun as always! The making of lots of presents & wrapping of even more presents! Visits to Santa. Christmas Eve with Wilsons, Uptons, Roberts, Melissa & Edwin! Christmas! Wii & Guitar Hero...Trip to L&D with contractions, but they go away. Michael's 3rd Birthday! New Years Eve with Ashley & Kyle (I made it to midnight!)

It was an over all good year, there were some heart aches and straight up heart breaks, with losing 'Cube' and the break up of Mom & Dad and Daddy & Judy. Those were the worst of the year. But they are all out of my control... Philip & Michael are growing, happy healthy little boys and there was great joy this year as well, Andrew was born! And we were blessed with another suprise, Anthony Paul! Here's to 2009 and all that will happen!

34 Week, Baby update...

I had my appointment today...we are measuring at 34cm (right on schedule) and I have gained a total of 5 pounds. (1 pound over the 2 weeks that is Christmas & New Years) We have had a few bumps along the way since the last appointment, the Saturday after Christmas I wound up in L&D with contractions, but I was dehydrated so they pushed fluids and after 10 hours of contractions about every 10-15 minutes they slowed down enough for them to send me home. With that I'm always carrying water around with me now...
I have also been having terrible charlie horse cramps in my lower legs that wake me up in screaming pain. I was told I didn't have enough calcium, so now I'm eating tums everyday since milk isn't one of my favorite things. I'm also running low on iron....so I'm on iron once again.

Upon mashing on my belly the midwife told me why I am also having a hard time sleeping at night...Anthony is laying cross ways, side to side in my belly. Basicly when I lay down on one side I'm on his head and when I get so uncomfortable to move I'm on his rump. It also explains why I get kicks on both sides at once (leg & arm). He hopefully will turn head down in the next few weeks. It doesn't really matter since we are a c-section but I would be a little more comfortable.

A Rockin 3rd Birthday!

This year it was hard to come up with something that Michael loves, he really doesn't have a 'favorite character' he loves them all equally. But the one thing he loves above all is MUSIC! Brent and Michael will sit at the computer and listen to all kinds of music and watch videos for hours. Santa even brought him a Guitar this year! So, when I finally came up with the theme it all flowed out! I designed the cake and got the idea to make microphone cupcake cones.

The food buffet was inspired by the research of rockstar back stage demands. Apparently it started with Van Halen not wanting brown M&Ms at all, so someone took them all out! We went the extra mile and seperated all of the colors. The Jonas brothers apparently ask for 24 pieces of sushi each, not really liking sushi I made fake sushi. Of course there was pizza, a mountain of chicken nuggets, since it's frowned on to serve bubbly to minors and Cristal is $200 a bottle...we did sparkling grape juice and glass bottles of Avian water along with "Green Room" punch.

The invites were concert tickets that I designed and the kids got upon entry an 'All Access Pass' and the adults got 'Press Passes' It was a great time! We ate, played a little Guitar Hero, there was some Karaoke, opened presents and had cake! Michael had a great smile the entire time and is still talking about it!

Happy Birthday Michael!