2 weeks of wonderful

Its been 2 weeks of wonderful around here! In the last two weeks I have fallen in love all over again... actually I think we all have! Thora has made it so easy for all of us to do that! She is truly a lovely and delightful child! In fact, I would say, she is captivating... seriously, I could stare at her all day!

In the last 2 weeks I have enjoyed watching Thora get to know her big brother and big sister... she is really one popular kid around here! Wyatt and Icyle fight over who gets to hold her and well, Thora doesn't seem to care one way or another... except when they literally fight over her. Its been a joy to watch the three of them together... even if it can be a bit stressful at times... like when I want to use the bathroom or take a shower but can't leave the room because the Wyatt and Icyle wont leave Thora alone! 

Thora seems to already have her own daily routine with two awake times, one in the late morning and one in the late evening, and other then that she pretty much sleeps and eats every 3 hours or so... and of course she poops a lot too... which is very entertaining to her big siblings! She also is a good sleeper at night... she wakes up to eat about 2-3 times most nights and falls back to sleep afterwards... which makes mommy very happy!

Its only been 2 weeks but I already can't imagine my life without her! She has already brought so much joy to our family and I look forward to every new day watching her grow and change... and many more weeks of wonderful!

 Happy 2 weeks Thora!

"We have 3 kids... we are really adults now" - Chris Hughes

Yep. 3 kids. 

We must really be adults now.

Going from 2 kids to three kids is an adjustment... however, I feel like it's going fairly well so far! But Chris is home and that is a huge help... I am not quite sure how things will go once he is back at work starting Saturday. But for now we are adjusting just fine.

Wyatt and Icyle are both terrific big siblings! They both adore Thora and "fight" over who gets to hold her. If Icyle is holding her she is thrilled but then Wyatt wants to hold her and if Wyatt is holding her he is thrilled but Icyle is usually crying and saying "Ma baby! Ma baby!" (translation "My baby!") and throwing herself on the floor or into the arms of either Chris or myself. I know it's going to be an adjustment for the kids to have a new sibling but so far they are just enjoying Thora and we are enjoying them enjoying her!

We realized last night that our nights might be a little different then we are used to... waking up to feed a baby every two hours is an adjustment that I am trying to make and Chris waking up with the big kids (whenever that happens) is an adjustment he is trying to make... but like Chris said "we have 3 kids... we are really adults now" and part of being adults is making adjustments and being flexible. So we are doing just that!

And, really, it's not so bad! We are more then blessed with these 3 beautiful children and we are completely thrilled that we get to be their parents and, well, I am happy that we are really adults now!

Thora Grace

After about 8 hours of labor, Thora Grace was delivered into her daddy's waiting hands... and I couldn't have been happier to have her out! It was not a hard labor for the most part... only the last hour was really, truly, painful... we (being me, Chris, the kids, my midwife and my friend Caroline) sat around talking, facebooking, and blogging until about 7 or so when I started getting the transition shakes. That's when I (or more my midwife) decided a nice hot shower might keep things moving along and ease the pain a little... she was right. I got into the shower and, with Chris' counting skills, I made it through the next however many contractions and finally felt like there was not much more time before she would be born.
After the shower I got into a night gown and headed for my bedroom... for about an hour and a half my contractions got worse and worse and worse until finally it was time... if you've had a baby then you know what time I mean... the time when your brain finally says "GET THIS BABY OUT NOW!" And I did just that... Stacy, my midwife, had just finished a story about how she has seen woman just push so hard that they have their babies before they are even fully dilated... and I thought to myself "I am fully dilated so all I need to do is push super hard and it will all be over!" so I did... and it was! Praise the Lord she was finally out!
Chris caught her and gave her to me, and after making sure she was actually a girl (because I always have to check to be sure), I snuggled with her for about an hour while her cord drained and I called and texted family and friends.
Now, I can't take all the credit here, I mean I did do a really awesome job, but there were others in the room making it all happen. Chris was amazing! He was a great birthing coach/partner... counting with me through contractions, giving me mints and water, putting on my chapstick, pushing on my hips to help with the pain, holding my leg, catching the baby... he was simply amazing! And Caroline, who was there to be our photographer, even got in on the action! What an awesome friend! She took photos, pushed on hips, was dubbed the "chapstick girl", gave me water, held my leg, and even made me some of the best tasting eggs for dinner when it was all done! And of course my midwife extraordinaire, Stacy! She is seriously incredible! I can't even write all the things she did during this birth... adjusting Thora's head, getting my through the really though contractions, making sure I didn't tear, making sure Thora was delivered safely, making sure I got a shower, unloading my dishwasher, and even making our bed at the end of it all so Chris and I could go to bed!
It was a good birth! Not that it wasn't painful... because it most definitely was... but it was everything I wanted and it ended with a beautiful healthy baby!

The "I'm in labor" post

I figured that not many people write a blog post when they are in labor... but I can... so I will... why not!

Today is my due date and I am officially in labor! My midwife came over earlier this afternoon and checked on my progress and then we decided she should break my water since I was dilated to a 4 * stop for contraction*... anyways... the contractions have been picking up rather nicely since then.

I have been having inconsistent, but strong, contractions since she broke my water. Now that I remember what contractions feel like, I wish I had more patience and could have waited for this baby to come on her own... but I am impatient and I * stop for contraction*... don't remember what I was going to say!

Oh yah! I figured this baby is going to come out one day or another and either day it's going to hurt so I mine as well do it now!

I am really excited to meet * stop for contraction*... this little girl! I keep wondering what she will look like and what if one of my kids actually has brown hair... how crazy would that be! I have all her things set up just waiting for her * stop for contraction*... and I know her daddy, brother and sister are ready for her come out too!

We finally decided on an official middle name... it was a debate between Mercy and Grace. You will have to wait to find out which one we finally decided on! * stop for contraction* (That was a short one)

Now we are deciding what to feed the kids for dinner and when I should call my midwife since I have had 4 strong contractions in the last 5 or 6 minutes... hmm... I think we will do PB&J's for the kids and... meh... we will see what the next contraction feels like before I make a decision on contacting my midwife!

Having your water broken is a funny thing! Every time I move or laugh or walk I feel like I am peeing my pants and I feel so sexy since I am wearing a depends adult diaper! But hey, it gets the job done * stop for contraction*... okay... that one hurt... anyways back to depends... they are super great for labor and right after because I don't have to worry about leaking... it's really a win win situation... and I mean I look really good in them!

* stop for contraction*... that one hurt too!

Alright... so that is all for this "I'm in labor" post. Next time I post I will have a * stop for contraction*... ouch... new baby!

Due

This baby is due tomorrow and I intend to make my due date!

Today my midwife came and checked on my progress... I was dilated to a 2/3 and not fully effaced yet so she stripped my membranes and gave me some tinctures to take to help me dilate. She said it looked like tomorrow, if I keep dilating, will be the day!

So nice to know that I will hopefully be having a baby within the next 24 hours!

And either her stripping the membranes or these tinctures she has me taking are making me have lots of strong contractions... which is a good thing! I am gladly embracing these strong contractions knowing that they are bringing me closer to delivery!

Since this baby is coming tomorrow, hopefully, I am in "get it done" mode... we set up our tree, I am doing laundry, I put all the folded laundry away, made sure the house was picked up, gave the kids baths and now I am about to fold more laundry and put that away as well!

I am just so excited for this newest member of our family to be here!

When daddy is home...

Today daddy was home...

and not that we condone drawing on yourself... but...

it was super cute...

and she was super proud of her work...

"mmmmmah" - it is SO cute when Icyle gives kisses these days....

and when daddy is home there is usually hanging upside down time...

and Icyle was still really proud of her work...

and of course snuggles are always wanted from daddy when he is home... 

I am 39 weeks pregnant today... aka very ready to have this baby...

and these are the three loves of my life...

and the kids did some flying...

yep... so that's what happened today when daddy was home!

Random thinkings

The house is decorated for Christmas... and it's clean... very clean... so clean in fact that I have given this baby permission to come out at any time... well, any time after Sunday. I say Sunday because my midwife will be home from her vacation on Sunday and I really would like her to be here to deliver this little peanut!

So, yes, any time after Sunday baby...

It's fun having the house set up for Christmas... makes me happy and sort of giddy! I look at fire place with 5 stockings lined up along the mantle and think about Christmas morning when my family will be here and the kids will come down the stairs on Christmas morning and see their stockings all full of fun surprises... how excited their little faces will be and the fact that we will have a new bundle of joy to celebrate with! And I think about how different life will be for us in just a couple short weeks or maybe even days... when this new little one joins our family... it will be so fun and yet I remember how much work new babies are!

However, it will be a lot easier to eat once she is born... tonight while I was eating dinner I found it frustrating how far away from the table I had to sit in order to make room for my baby bump... I felt like I could hardly reach my plate and I was afraid that every bite was going to end up in my lap before it got to my mouth! But I managed... a pregnant woman always does!

That gets me thinking... wouldn't it be really nice to make a table for pregnant women with a crescent shaped cut out to make room for her belly? I think that would be really lovely... maybe it could be a removable piece that you could put back after the baby is born! Now I'm thinking... this is a genius idea... I should totally market it!

Anyways, Icyle fell on her head tonight... I felt really bad! She was doing something (like reaching for a book on the floor or a toy or something) and fell over the arm of the chair and landed on her forehead/nose ... she cried really hard and I don't blame her... we have concrete floors! She now is sporting a lovely bruise on her forehead and I am curious to find out what it will look like in the morning! I swear during bath time I could see it getting darker! Poor girl...

I put them to bed early tonight... they were both tired... and a little bit very cranky tonight. I just decided they needed to go to bed early... so they took their baths and were in bed by 7. I didn't hear a peep out of either of them so I am assuming they knew, just like I knew, that they needed to go to bed early. I am grateful that it now gets dark around 6ish so that I can put them to bed early and they don't even really know it is early because it is already dark outside! In the summer time that doesn't work as well since it is super bright outside till like 9pm... but that doesn't matter now.

I am super tired myself... but I am trying to wait up for Chris to get home... but I don't know if that will happen. He said he was going to bring me home this one dish I have wanted to try so I really, REALLY hope he does... I don't remember what it's called but every time I see the commercial for it I drool! I guess I could always go to bed now and eat it for breakfast tomorrow! We'll see!

Yah... I think I'll do that... go to bed now and eat Olive Garden for breakfast! Nighty night!

Our day and thoughts on tradition

Let me just preface this post with this: I love my children dearly!

However, with that said, today was a challenge!

Wyatt woke up feeling much better then he has over the last 2 days and he was in the mood to be... how do I put it... annoying... and let me tell you... he succeeded!

The day started out with the kids waking up, in my personal opinion, much too early... which meant that my quiet time was not so quiet. Not a big deal, I at least got my bible study done and got to spend some time in the Word before Icyle came into the kitchen demanding my attention and then shortly after that Wyatt made it very clear that he was in the mood to bug anyone in any way he could.

One way this came out was while I was on hold trying to pay a bill Wyatt insisted that he dress up as Batman, Icyle wanted to dress up as Batman too (because she does whatever Wyatt does) but the problem is that we only have one batman mask and they both wanted it... so while I was on hold (for like an hour) I made a second mask... seen here:

But of course Wyatt wanted it, but I had made it to fit Icyle's head and not his... so that was how it all seemed to start... we got over that problem and then Wyatt started doing things to bug Icyle... like grabbing her cape and making her squeal... you know just being annoying! So I quickly decided that we needed to get out of the house... I needed some things from Target so off we went... after me quickly showering and also getting the kids dressed in regular clothes... you know... so that we didn't look like homeless super heroes!

The kids love target... we always look at toys and today I had some really random things that we needed to buy so we explored parts of the store that we have not been in for a long time! And of course we looked at Christmas stuff! I love Christmas... everything about it just makes me happy!  So we went through the many aisles of Christmas decorations and everyone was happy because the children were snacking on popcorn from the food court and I had a delicious pop... so we just took our precious time!

While we were at Target I bought a cookie spritzer gun! I have wanted one since I got married and this year Target is selling them for 10 dollars... which is quite a deal! So, I made up my mind that the kids and I were going to bake and decorate Christmas cookies today!

Not a bad plan... at least not in my head... Wyatt and I made the spritz dough while Icyle was sleeping (oh and this was after a random girl came to my house trying to sell stuff and asked if she could use my bathroom... a little weird) and that's when I realized that maybe today was not the best day for me to be making cookies with my kids (apparently all my patience was gone by this point)... but I had already started the process so I couldn't back out any more.

After we had successfully somehow managed to make the dough (in the bowl and not all over the floor) we began the decorating process (for which Icyle awoke just in time)...

Now, I know in my heart that my kids did not mean to spill thousands of tiny little cookie decorating balls all over the floor or spill colored sugar all over the table... I know that in my head... but at the time it seemed like my kids hated me and wanted me to suffer for something I has done to them!

Did I not just spend hours last night on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor with bleach and water? Did I not slave over making sure the kitchen was finally clean and sanitized so I could have this baby at home... yes... I did... and yes... they did spill thousands of tiny little balls... but I still love them! And can I just say that I am so thankful that (even though it cost 50 bucks) I replaced the filter in our vacuum today! That sucker has some major, ah, sucking power now... still took awhile to get all most of the balls off the floor, but I think I would still be doing it if it had not been for that new filter! Wow, what a difference!

Even with all of the drama though, I did enjoy making spritz cookies with my kids... it reminded me of my childhood when my brothers and I would bake spritz cookies with my mom and I am sure we drove her just as nuts as my kids drove me! But it's all part of tradition... I will make cookies with my kids every year that I can because tradition is part of what makes me love the holidays so much... that and I enjoy having these special memories with my kids... even if I was a little frustrated through out the whole process!

What you might have missed...

So it's been a LONG time since I've blogged... so here's what you might have missed:

I am pregnant... very pregnant... with baby #3

She is due to join our family any day now! We are super excited to meet her and have her in our family!

What about my other 2 kids you ask... well...

My wonderful kids are quite into dressing up these days...

And to be honest, I encourage it! What's more fun then pretending to be a super hero and saving the beautiful princess from the evil bad guy? It's fun! That, and it keeps them busy! 

I am blessed to have children who play really well together! Icyle basically follows Wyatt's every move and Wyatt loves it! He is happy to have her as his play mate (as long as he's in charge) and it makes my heart happy to hear them playing so nicely together! 

 So having kids play dress up at home is one thing,

but I have become THAT mother, you know the

one I am talking about, the one who lets her kids leave

the house in their dress up clothes... it's funny, I used to

always think those moms were SO weird for letting

their kids leave the house that way... now I realize it's

the spice of life... that and a battle of life that's just not

worth fighting!

So, yes, my children are often dressed as super heroes

and ballerinas when we go to the grocery store or to Target...

and yes, I often get funny looks from people who, like me, just

don't understand... but the kids never notice and obviously don't

care what others think... they just care what I think... and I think they are adorable with their little dress up clothes on and I am proud to take them anywhere wearing capes and tutus!

And since my kids love dressing up so much, that's a lot of what they are getting for Christmas! And since they can't read yet, I can write that on my blog with no worries of them finding out!

Speaking of Christmas... I am very excited about Christmas this year! Not only will we have a new baby, but we will be blessed with having my parents and brother here to celebrate the holidays! This will be the first time we have had them down for Christmas and I am SO looking forward to it!

Also, I am excited to see how all the sleeping arrangements work out... we have not had any company since we've moved to this new house and this will be our trial run for March when we will have my parents and my brother and his family here! I am so happy to have a house that will be big enough to fit all these wonderful people! It will be SO fun!

Hmm... so... we have covered the pregnancy and the kids obsession with dressing up... Christmas plans... what else... hmm....

Well, I have been in full blown nesting mode today... I feel this need to clean and sanitize the heck out of everything... partly because the house just needs a good cleaning and partly because we are having this baby at home, like we did with Icyle! I am really looking forward to another home birth... it was such a great experience with Icyle and I am praying it will be just as great an experience with this one! So, since this baby will be born here, I am trying to make sure that the house is really clean (even if it doesn't stay that way for long) so that when I do go into labor I wont have to worry about cleaning the house!

Anyways... that's all for now! I am really REALLY going to try to keep up with blogging again!

So here are two last pictures to leave you with...

Wyatt in his jammies because he's sick...

and my sweet little Icyle with a rather dirty face...

man, I love these little blessings!

Icyle lately...

Icyle turned 1 on May 5th!

She is busy being a big girl...

Walking all over
Talking all the time
Playing little mama with her dolls
Reading books to herself
Climbing up and down stairs
Climbing up onto pretty much anything she can get onto
Making a mess of the kitchen cupboards
Terrorizing her big brother
and pretty much just doing what 1 year olds do

She is a delightful child with a smile that melts my heart, and she pretty much wiggles her way into everyone's heart she meets... it's hard not to love Icyle with her joyful personality, chubby legs, and ready smile!

She is becoming quite the little water queen! This one was taken at Schlitterbahn where she was actually not too fond of the water, but since then she has grown to love it. We frequent our little community pool and Icyle is always happy to be in the water! She also is happy to walk around and find things to stick in her mouth!

We celebrated Icyle's birthday by going to Chuck E Cheese... she was absolutely amazed by the rides... she literally had this face the entire time the rides were moving...

... then the ride would stop and she would get down and go to the next ride pointing and saying "Uh, uh, uh, uh." until she was on it... and then this face would return! It was SO fun to watch her ride the rides!

Here she is riding another ride with Chuck E... she and Chuck E were seen kissing before this photo was taken... I guess she has a thing for mice?

Icyle is the little mama of our household... she always has a doll in her hands or is pushing one around in the stroller. One day I was watching her play mama... she put her dolls in the stroller pushed them around, stopped, looked at the dolls in the stroller and said, "HI!!" then she picked up her dolls hand, made it wave at her and then went back to pushing the stroller around. This type of thing happens almost every day and it just makes me smile! I could watch her play dolls all day... but then I would get nothing done and that wouldn't be good!

Here she is hugging her dolly that she got for her birthday from Gramma and Papa! She is a very loved dolly!

Icyle, I love you more than you know! You make me giggle and I am so glad I get to be your mommy!

Wyatt lately...

I realize its been yet another long stretch since I have blogged... partly because we didn't have a computer for awhile and partly because, well, I just didn't have a lot of things I felt like I wanted to say. 

But since its been awhile I thought I would give each kid their own post... so here we go.

Wyatt... I so love this little kid! He is absolutely adorable, wonderfully charming, and wildly imaginative!

A few weeks ago we went to Shlitterbahn (a huge water park here in TX) for Wyatt's friend's birthday party. We had such a great time and Wyatt is seriously a fish in water... even when it's really cold water!

See the wrist band he is wearing... it's still there. 

We have very frequent conversations about going to Schlitterbahn "yesterday" (in Wyatt's world everything that has happened in the past happened "yesterday") and how he still has the bracelet because he had so much fun!

It really just makes me laugh... and lots of other people think it is hilarious that he still has on his ever fading Schlitterbahn bracelet. We will see how much longer it lasts! 

Also, he has been turning into different things lately... one day this was the conversation we had:

Wyatt: How are you feeling mom?

Me: I feel fine, Wyatt, how are you?

Wyatt: Oh, I feel kind of weird... maybe like I am turning into a Dragon or something?

I cracked and then made that my facebook status... cause thats what I do when something makes me laugh. Wyatt was a Dragon for about 2 weeks.

Then after watching Disney's Tarzan and going to the Zoo, Wyatt decided he was a Jaguar. He was a Jaguar for about a week and then Chris introduced him to Star wars... now he is Dart Nader (aka Darth Vader)... he wears a cape (his green blankie) and carries a light saber! It is pretty intense. 

Wyatt has also invented a new game... 

Canned Ham Skating!

It is a game in which you skate on Canned Hams (as seen above) and try to make it from one end of the kitchen to the other without falling on your face and breaking either yourself, your sister, or your mother's toes.

He loves it and I give him props for being SO creative! If you have some canned hams lying around... here is a new use for it!

We spent Icyle's first birthday at Chuck E Cheese... Wyatt was quite the big winner...

See all those tickets in his pocket?

By the end of the night we had 180 tickets... with which my husband convinced Wyatt to spend them all on a giant cockroach toy... thanks hon! Actually the "prize" selection at Chuck E Cheese really sucks... I mean... what ever happened to whoopee cushions? Anyways.... I digress.   

Wyatt is altogether just a fun kid to be around... I enjoy every day that I get to spend with him!

Thanks for all the laughs Wyatt... you are my favorite little boy! I love you!

Life in the fast lane...

Yep... so remember that last post when I said something along the lines of "I promise I will be better about posting more often" yeah... well... ahem... I know.

So, but so much has gone on since that last post!

We (meaning the whole family) road tripped it to Minnesota to visit my family... we got there on Easter and was able to spend the afternoon with everyone at my Aunt Cher and Uncle Scott's house... it was a lovely time! We were also excited to share some news with them about a special surprise that we found out about (more on that later in this post). The whole week we spent time with family and friends, whom we love dearly, and then sadly, the trip was over and we spent a very long 24 hours in the car as we drove through the night on the way home. 

But here are some pictures from our trip to MN