Happy 8 Months, Thora!

8 months... my little Thora is 8 months!?!? Where has the time gone?! 

Thora is such a delightful baby and an absolute joy to be around...





She is cuddly and sweet, silly and fun...

She is a content and happy baby, but also loves to get in on the action....

She laughs at her siblings and loves being tickled...

she is mischievous and always getting into things...

The last 8 months have been a blast!

Happy 8 months, Thora! You are truly a blessing from the Lord!

Pizza Night in the Hughes House

Pizza night doesn't happen in the Hughes house very often...

but last night it did...



and can I just tell you....

it was delicious...

like really delicious...

like so delicious that we even let the baby have some!

While mom is away...

the children will play...

and go to Mcdonalds...

and play some more...

and eat cookies...

and go to bed with dirty faces... 

and wake up with dirty faces too.

The haps...

Here's what's been happening around here these days...

Icyle is the little mama, as always, but maybe even more so than before. She is always willing to play with Thora, feed Thora baby food, and help change Thora's poopoos (as she would say)... she would even do this to Thora if she was big enough to carry her this way...

 Thankfully she hasn't tried to put Thora in that baby carrier... she seems pretty content to just carry Big Baby around in there.

The other morning all the kids were dressed up in dress up clothes...

Wyatt was dressed as a knight, but he insisted that he was actually a viking who was saving dragons from other vikings who were trying to kill them... sounds rather similar to his favorite movie How to Train Your Dragon... which he has only seen a million times.

But he is a really funny kid these days... always coming up with something clever to say that makes Chris and I crack up... sometimes I wonder where he comes up with this stuff... seriously... I love his sense of humor! 

Icyle was dressed up as a princess... she has her own style. I'm a little scared to let her pick out her own clothes because I never know what she will pick out! She usually has some kind of mask on to complete her ensemble... but I guess she decided she didn't need one with this outfit! 

 Here, Icyle and Thora, are posing together in there tutus... these kids... they just make me smile!

Thora, although she didn't pick out her own outfit, was dressed up as a dinosaur ballerina. And what an adorable dancing dinosaur she made!

Thora is my little doll baby! She is the happiest baby in the world... I know many people would try to argue with me, but she really is just a happy kid... she always goes with the flow and even though her sister loves her a little too much and her brother wont leave her alone she almost always has a smile on her face!

 I mean really... does it get much cuter? I think not.

 I just love that little tutu butt!

Oh, ok, and let's talk about pajamas... 

I think it's safe to say that my 7 month old has way out grown her 6 month pajamas!

Good thing all I have to do is open up the next box of girl clothes I have packed away!

So, yah, anyways, that's the haps around here.

What do I have to complain about?

    I have nothing to complain about. I mean, I guess I could try to find something to complain about, but really God is good and I have nothing to complain about. Not only is God good, really good, but He has blessed me with an amazing family! I have an awesome husband who loves me and takes care of me and provides for our family. I have 3 adorable children who I get the privilege of sharing my days with and teaching and training to love the Lord. I really cannot complain.  

I mean how can I complain when I get to spend my days with these 2 dirty faced children?

Or clean the house with this little ball of adorableness strapped to me?

Or when I wake up to this face in the middle of the night?

I can't. I have so much to be thankful for!

So today I am not complaining. Instead am enjoying the gifts God has given me.

And, just because this made me laugh:

I took these pictures one right after the other and it just made me laugh.

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

"What!? That one looked goofy?"

"Is this better? Cheese!"



Blogging... again...

Ahem.
I know I have said this before but I am blogging again.
I know.
I know.
I've said it like 20 times.
I realize that I have an issue with staying on top of my blog.
I acknowledge that.
I have no excuse.
But.
Here I am.
So.
Here goes nothing.

The last 3 months in a nutsell.

Chris is still working an insane amount of hours.
Wyatt is basically the same as before... maybe a little taller.
Icyle is going to be 2 in about 2 weeks and she is definitely almost 2.
Thora is 4 months old and rolling everywhere and trying to figure out this whole crawling thing.
And I am 33 lbs lighter then I was 3 months ago thanks to weight watchers.
We had family in town for 3 weeks in March and it was wonderful.
Last week I felt like I failed as a parent.
This week I feel like I am doing fine as a parent.
I am already sick of the Texas heat.
I am, however, enjoying the tan I am already getting.
Chris joined weight watchers so he could lose a few pounds.
Chris lost 8 pounds after being on weight watchers for 5 day.
Chris sucks.
Just kidding.
Ha Ha.
Wyatt has been saying some super funny things.
That kid cracks me up.
Icyle has been singing the B-I-B-L-E and Jesus Loves Me.
Seriously, the sweetest thing in the world.
Thora is drooling like you wouldn't believe.
She is obviously teething.
But she is still the happiest baby on earth.
Thora and Icyle are finally sleeping in the same room.
Thora now sleeps through the night.
Go Thora.
Whoo.

There.
You are all caught up.

Our beautiful 7 week old

Jumping on the bed...

Jump on kids... jump on.

5 weeks old

I can not believe that my baby is 5 weeks old!

My how our lives have changed in the last 5 weeks!

Middle of the night feedings, lots of diaper changing, lots more laundry to wash and fold, lot less sleeping for mommy and daddy, and it takes 10 minutes just to get everyone out the door and in the car.

But there is are also lots of cuddles, cute little smiles, and happy older siblings who always want to help!

Seems to me that every day brings new joys with a baby in the house!   

LOVE this girl!

This is the outfit Icyle picked out today...

Cinderella shirt, fairy wings, princess slippers, and a Batman mask to top it off!

Seriously, how could you not love this girl? She is so much fun!

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!