Claira's TWO!

I can't believe how fast they grow, and how many huge events have happened in only two years. She had a nice birthday, but it was normal except that we had one of her favorites dinners, spaghetti.  Opened a few gifts and blew out candles over brownies.
Here is Claira opening a gift from Nana & Papa via ichat. It is amazing the technology my children are blessed with. They are 2/3 of a country away and they can watch her open their birthday gift, AMAZING!!!


Today, Saturday, we had her Horse Party at the local splash pad. She was very specific in the people to invite and the things she wanted there. She only wanted 3 friends, the neighbors, Cheetos, pizza and cake. And for some random reason she decided to make it a horse party, I was expecting Dora but she's the birthday girl!  

Here is the Birthday Princess and her Soccer Boy brother (he had his first practice today!) flexing their muscles.

"Look Mommy, Waterfall"

Yes, that's a tiny stuffed horse she is trying to ride.  "Ye Haw!"

"Make a Wish"

MMM Good Cake

She had a great day!

Bob The Builder

Can Mommy do it? Yes I can!

This week at Lynn Meadows the PBS character Bob The Builder came to visit. He did a show with our Bear Cub Club teacher and Home Depot was there.
At first Claira was scared but Wil couldn't have been more excited.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There was a wooden Bird House to build

A tool belt to color

and an edible project that we took home to do after dinner.

What a wonderful time. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this mommy of 3, well at least today went well. High Five to Bob!

Andy took ALL 3 to the beach

Since Jenny (Andy's Mom) is here I got some alone time. It was a great Friday afternoon. Not to hot, not too cold, and not really even windy.  Jenny has been wanting to find some pretty shells. I tried to explain to her that our beaches just had oyster shells but she had to see for herself. That was fine with the kids and definitely fine with me. I packed them up, got them dressed and waved GOODBYE. They returned about an hour and half later with big sandy smiles and a camera full of pictures. I know, how wonderful! Andy actually used the camera I tossed in the bag. It looks like they had a great time. There was so many great pictures I had a hard time narrowing it down to a few so here is a bunch.

Claira looks to be a future model

or maybe a surfer. Does she catch the wave?...

She does!!! and its just her size

so much fun!

Come on Grandma Jenny, the waters fun.

William apparently was much more into the sand

Lets not forget the fun that Little Aby Kate had!

After their outing and a bath, Andy and I headed out the door on a DATE!!! Aby was with us but, she slept in her moses basket the whole time (it was the longest she had gone in days without screaming). Not only did we have a wonderful dinner but the kids were great for Grandma. They ate all but two pieces of a large pizza! and went to bed without a fuss. Aby also continued to give us no problems. She slept wonderful and with my new bland diet she seems to be calming down a bit...not sure what worse a diet with no dairy, no spice, no flavor or a screaming baby. Maybe as she gets older she will tolerate more exciting milk. I can only hope.

Sleeping Like Angels

No not quite like Angels...but still so sweet cuddling together.  Last night Aby slept 5 1/2 hours strait!  I am not expecting that often but WOW how nice.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I turned 28 on Monday...it was really just another day. I was up from 1:30am-4:00am with Aby at which point I woke Andy up and told him it was his turn. Claira and William were wonderful they got up a little late 6:30 then were happily put to work by Daddy coloring me a card as he snuck out to work. I woke up surprised at almost 7:30!!! Which though it was a wonderful treat to sleep in, I now had 3 kids and myself to get feed, showered and dressed and out the door to preschool in 45 minutes! They were so helpful we made it on time! After a nice morning with the girls we had a lunch playdate at a friends house, late naps, a trip to the Doctor for Aby's awful diaper rash (poor Wil had to miss Gymnastics, but Mommy can only be one place at a time and he was very understanding after he saw her bottom). After the trip to the doctor we came home made Spaghetti at which time Daddy arrived home with Grandma Jenny! Oh how we enjoy having her here. She is a great cook!
And we'll even though my birthday was just an ordinary crazy day it was still special and I got some great gifts.

Did you notice the THREE microplaners! I guess I got the point across that I thought Rachel's was cool. Thank you Rachel, Wil & Claira, and Mom & Dad. I am also very excited to try my muffin top pan, the kids are going to LOVE that. Maybe I can find a good recipe in the cookbook Aunt Cata & Uncle Big got me.

I am also very excited about my new dragonfly Franz tea cup. I have started building a tea set, why? I have no idea but they are very pretty and unique I really love them. Thank you Dennis and Jenny (my in-laws)

Finally Some Pictures of Aby

I find myself a bit overwhelmed these days...GEEE Image that! Who wouldn't be a bit frazzled with three kids under the age of 4 running a muck. Between dirty diapers, snacks, puzzles, blocks, nursing, cooking, cleaning, and OH the laundry.  And how can I forget the talk of birthday parties!  Claira has her's all figured out, who knew a little girl turning 2 could possibly be so opinionated about a birthday.  With all this going on who possibly has time to take pictures. I take those precious few moments of free time to just cuddle and enjoy my little Aby. She already has grown so much. Two outfits she used to fit already are too short! She was at the Doctor on Friday and weighed in at 9lbs 9oz.  

Looks like a 'Brown Eyed Girl' just like her Mama. 

(their actually like a navy blue color right now)

She loves her new Rainforest Bouncer (Thanks Great Aunt Joan and Great Uncle Wess)

Look at me holding my head up!!

Some very hard to find, quite Mommy cuddles

3 Little Monsters

Thank you!

These beautiful flowers arrived today with a nice card "Welcoming our little girl" from a "Dear Friend". Whom ever you are that sent them did not say who you were! Oops! 

I thank who ever you are and I hope you post a comment or call me to so I can formally thank you for the happy bit of sunshine you placed on my table.

Thank you Andrea!!!!

Lizard, Lizard

Who knew Andy was a photographer!

Mabybe He'll Miss us!

Talk about waking up to good news! We'll keep hoping for the best...

Hurricane Ike

Oh, Seriously!!! Here we go again...do we board? Do we run? If yes, which way to go... East? West? North? Or should we stay? This is going to be another long, busy, stressful week. At least Nana & Papa can get out of dodge before it gets too close. This shows a neat satellite image of Ike's projected path.

Aby Update

I took all 3 kids to the lab yesterday to get Aby's blood taken, yes ALL 3 and they (I) did GREAT!  Aby didn't like the stab in her foot but it gave us good news.  She passed the blood work and is happily napping in her own cozy bed with no lights blaring in her face.  She also had her one week check-up and she is already 9lbs!  I know when your born at 8lbs 12oz making it to 9lbs  isn't that far but when we left the hospital she had lost all the way to 8lbs 7oz so that was still 1/2 lb in one week.  

I on the other hand am on the best weight loss track ever!  20lbs in a 9 days!!!  Sounds great but I still have 22lbs to go and the last 15 is going to linger a lot longer then 9 days.  I am ok with that because I am already fitting into my baggy shorts, though they are not baggy right now.  But still at least they are 'normal' shorts and not maternity.  What a welcome sight my ankles are, but not as welcoming as the day I can fit my real wedding band on these chubby fingers.  

Wil's Back to School

Yesterday was Wil's first day back to school. We met with is teacher and explored his new classroom about 2 weeks ago.

But due to Hurricane Gustav our Open House was canceled so we just jumped right on in with his first day. He had so much fun. In his class are two girls, one of his best friends, from last year and a new boy!

This is exciting because last year he was THE boy with six girls. His new friends name is "Bart" but when your 3 it sounds more like "FART", very cute.  He told me all the songs he learned in music class and tried to teach them to Claira, but he finally told her he forgot the words and next day he'll tell her the rest. The best part of the day was going to the bathroom alone, twice! I asked two of his friends their favorite part of their new classes and both girls told me how they went potty all by themselves. Funny what excites you at 3 years old. He also was excited for Ms. Winnie, one of his teachers last year, because she even had a new teacher! He was sure to tell me she wasn't scared because she was in the same room even though she had ALL new friends.

Bilirubin

Abygail had me a bit worried as she changed from pink to yellow.  By yesterday mid-morning the whites of her eyes were almost green!  I took her to have her blood tested and her Bilirubin levels were 14.8 (high).  Within a couple hours the Medical Supply people were here delivering a special light for her.
When bilirubin levels are high, a condition called jaundice occurs. Jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The increased bilirubin cause the infant's skin and whites of the eyes to look yellow. Too much bilirubin may mean that too much is being produced or that the liver is incapable of adequately removing bilirubin in a timely manner. After birth, newborns begin breaking down the excess red blood cells they are born with and, since the newborn’s liver is not fully mature, it is unable to process the extra bilirubin, causing the infant's bilirubin levels to rise in the blood and other body tissues. This situation usually resolves itself within a few days, and we did try to place her under indirect sunlight but due to the weather there has been very little.  So in some cases like Abygail's, special lights are used. This phototherapy is what they brought to the house to treat her. These lights work by helping to break down bilirubin in the skin. The infant is placed naked under artificial light in a protected isolate to maintain constant temperature. The eyes are protected from the light with a little blanket shield.
For babies, like Abygail, who require treatment, the treatment is usually quite effective. Usually newborn jaundice is not harmful and with phototherapy treatment clear up in a few days. She goes in tomorrow for a follow-up blood test and another hearing test (she failed the first two). Then a visit to her Pediatrician later in the afternoon. I am sure everything will come back great...she is already a nice shade of pink and her eyes are clearing up quickly. They say it is also common to fail a newborn hearing test due to excess fluid.  So by now any excess fluid should be gone and she should pass no problem.

William and Andy are on their way home now from USA Medical Center in Mobile with great news.  He finally has gotten the all clear on his Anemic issues.  His hemoglobin is where it should be and he can finally after 3 1/2 years stop taking his Iron medicine.  YEAH!!!

Special Nana Time

Nana might be handicapped but she is still good for some things like...

Playing Memory (Wil won!)

Baby cuddles

Tubby Time

and just good old hugs with her tiniest girls

Nene is here now too, so the kids should continue to get extra love as we settle into having our adorable little Aby in our lives.

Cleaning up from Gustav

Poor Andy is sick...he got Claira's fever from last week. It hasn't slowed him down much though. It took him 3 days to prepare for the storm and in just 3/4 of a day he had the yard toys back, boards down and stored and if that wasn't enough work he put the fence back up! Such a great Daddy.
The kids also helped.

This is 'Bob The Builder'

Riding out Gusav

ITS WINDY!!! I can hear a few things randomly hit the back windows...this just so happens to be the peak of the storm and a very strong part is passing over. I can hear a bit of noise in the roof but I feel VERY safe. I also feel very sore and am relaxing on a heating pad. Wil and Nana are watching Toy Story 2, Claira is 'cooking' in her kitchen, Andy and Aby are still sleeping.
All-in-all we are experiencing a tropical storm, winds are about 45 gusting a little more or less. Rain is off and on hard and comes from all directions. The only stressful part is the Tornado warnings that keep popping up, but if you just don't watch the news you never know your under one!

So far we have all power, cable and phones so call if you want!

UPDATE---
Andy just went out to look at a few things and so far we lost a bit of fence, but it was taking the wind strait on. Maybe now that part has gone down it will give a place for the wind to pass through.