Getting Bigger

Wow, I can't believe Meredith is already 9 weeks old (just over 2 months). She is growing so well, and at her visit last Friday she weighed in at 10 lbs even, and was 23 inches long. Here are some pictures taken recently. She is a very happy girl, and the boys love her to death!

2 months

Wow, I'm really bad about updating this thing. Mostly because of our TIRED dial up connection at the house, and my wonderful 6 weeks of maternity leave from work. That's right, the mystery baby is here! And it was a GIRL after all! (Notice the 'girl' text is not in pink... I've gotten plenty of that at the house. I'm ready for some other girly colors now.)

For the short version, I'll say that we were blessed with the arrival of Meredith Anne on Oct. 13th at 1:25 am (yep, Friday the 13th). She weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 4.5oz and was 20.5" long. The boys absolutely adore her, and she is beginning to get a pretty big kick out of them as well. As far as who she looks like... well, to quote her daddy "She looks like a boy in a dress." In my opinion, she looks very much like Aidan, and only a little bit like Truitt. Her eyes are not as deep brown as the boys, but they are going in that direction.

Below is a picture of our little Sugar Bug at 1 day old.

Here she is at 2.5 weeks old

Busy, and Tired...

Man, I can't believe that I haven't been around to say anything lately. Well, I can... my excuse has been "When I get those pictures of the camera, I'll post." So, I got the pictures off the camera, but didn't bother uploading them... so I'm just going to post.

School is in full swing... we've started the 2nd six weeks & should be getting a report card tomorrow. Aidan typically does really well, but his conduct this first go round might be hurting. We've had a few notes come home already, and we are working on better conduct & attitudes towards authorities. Truitt won't get grades since he is still in Pre-K, but I'm sure he is doing fine.

I'm about to hit week 37 in my pregnancy. Still no idea if this baby is a boy or a girl. I do have another ultrasound on Thursday morning to check and see how LARGE this kid is going to be. We've almost decided it would be worth waiting the 2 more weeks until delivery to find out the gender; we've made it this far, what's a couple of more days? I'm ready to be done... that's where the TIRED is coming from in the title. My hips hurt so much that I can't seem to get comfortable at night for a decent night's sleep. "Only a few more weeks" is my new mantra. Dr. G has acted like he will induce around the 16th or 17th of October... we will probably decide a more specific date after the ultrasound on Thursday.

BUSY... that describes life right now. Who would've thought 2 kids in sports could kill so much of your week? Aidan is playing baseball (machine pitch) and Truitt is playing soccer. So Tues, Wed, & Thurs nights are shot for us running between practices & church. To add fun to the mix, Aidan has a few Friday night ball games... which kills that evening for us. Truitt's soccer games are at 8:00am on Saturday (who's bright idea was that????), and Aidan plays baseball at either 9:00am or 11:00am. It really doesn't leave much time for much else during the week, but I don't think I'd trade it for anything. I enjoy watching the games & it seems Fred is having fun coaching.

Well, hopefully in another day or so I will come on and do some more updates after my ultrasound & appointment. Also, Aidan turned 7 a week ago, and with our "busy-ness" we are just now getting to have a party this coming weekend. Maybe these pictures will make it to the blog.

I've got plenty to say... I guess I just need to get around to saying it.

Six Flags over Texas

Well, I know about a month ago I posted that we would be making a family trip to Six Flags (and by 'family', I mean extended family). We went to go visit my parents in July, just in time for my mom's 63rd birthday, and as a treat Mom & Dad, Brother & his family, and of course the 4.5 of us all made a long, hot Saturday trip to Six Flags. My parents use to take my brother & I as kids each year, and they obviously still have some favorite rides (that date all the way back to when the park opened 40 yrs ago). Mom even has a picture of them in the Mexico section of Six Flags on a date (so probably about 37 or 38 yrs ago). Here are a few pictures of our day...

The whole group, at the main entrance.

Fred, Mom, and the boys driving the antique cars.

Truitt and cousin Audrey with Bugs Bunny.

Mom & Dad with Audrey on the log ride.

Fred & the boys on the log ride.

Conversations...

Last night when the boys went to bed, Truitt asked me to lay down with him for a few minutes. He wanted to "play", which is a game we've invented with 2 stuffed animals that come to visit one another, and typical "play" tag. I'm getting tired of this game, because his windowsill just above his bed is "base" and his animal likes to camp out there. This is when I pull my trump, say I'm tired and tell him to go to sleep. This works about 60% of the time. Last night, however, I started with the "I'm tired" trump card & he bought it. He began asking me questions about the baby... is it moving, does it feel this when I tickle your tummy, etc. I asked him if he was going to be a good helper when when the baby came, and here is how it went:

"Truitt, are you going to help mommy when the baby comes out?"
"Yes, I'm going to help you."
"Are you going to change the stinky diapers & help feed the baby?"
"Um, no... that is what you are going to do. You are the babysitter, not me. It's your job."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Be a helper."

Hmmmmm, sounds like I'm a babysitter, not "just a Mommy". I think this comes from being at Sarah's, where the bigger kids (Aidan & her oldest daughter) have teased Truitt that he needs to changes the little babies' diapers. He decided that since Sarah is the babysitter, it is most definitely her job and that he wants no part of the stinkiness that babies tend to put out. It will be interesting when the baby is born, just how he reacts to everything.

The Cows Can Wait...

We have some very exciting news for our family. Fred was offered a position with a Geological company here in Houston, for more than double what he is making at Chick-fil-a. While he loves his work at CFA, he feels this is a God sent opportunity to help us continue to get our finances back on track in the next several years, especially with a new baby on the way. His last day of work for CFA is today, and he is planning to start at the new company, Fugro, on Monday the 24th. This next week will be busy for him, getting the house in order, looking into a bunk loft for the boys' room (we're hoping to just loft the twin bed over the queen, rather than buy a bunk bed set & loose the queen size bed), and just getting things in order to go back into the corporate world.
We will miss CFA... the boys don't want him to quit. We know this is the best, and it is definitely from God because he wasn't looking for a new position. Chick-fil-a ownership is still a long term goal for us... a very long term goal. We hope in 10-15 years to look into the opportunity once again, knowing the past 2.5 years will be beneficial in our application process.

On a side note... I have another dr's appointment today. Fred & the boys will be joining me this time (a first). The kids have been curious to "hear the heartbeat", and I'm going to ask Dr. G for an ultrasound, so maybe they can even "see" the baby. Then, we're heading to my mom & dad's for the weekend... tomorrow a quick trip to Six Flags with all of the family. I'll miss riding the rides, but it will be fun for the boys, neither have been but they always love the rides at the Rodeo each year. Be looking for some new pictures next week.

Stubborn Baby

Well, yesterday I went in for another ultrasound at a local community college where they train students to be ultrasound techs. I figure since it was only to try and get a better peek at the gender, I could go play guinea pig for 30-45 minutes. I must say, I was quite impressed with it. The instructor was talking to the students during the scan, while on student was doing the wand & computer stuff. The others were there for observation and to "ooohhhh & ahhhhhh" over the "good shots" the student doing the scan would get. I was kind of cute to hear "Wow, beautiful femur" and "Look at the placenta, it looks really great!" Again when they went looking for the gender, all we could see was tightly crossed legs. Best guess is still a girl, as there wasn't any boy parts sticking out anywhere, but they really didn't get the good shot of the "3 lines" they look for in a girl. They told me I was welcome to come back again in about a month & they would try again. I might see if my Dr. does another scan in the office sometime, and decide from there. I am going to let all my local pregnant friends know about this place... it's nice to get a free scan & peek at the baby.

Father's Day

Poor Fred. He commented on how he didn't expect to actually "play father" on Father's Day. He got the lucky task of stepping up to the role when I announced Friday evening that I was going to have to go into work over the weekend to finish something by Monday morning. So, after church on Sunday my sweet husband & kids dropped me off at the office, planning to return on their way back for evening service and pick me up. No special lunch (well, they did get some fried chicken from the Kroger Deli on the way home) and "scriptural nap" as he calls it. He was happy to make it home in time to watch some World Cup Soccer, however.

He informed me later that night, after commenting that it wasn't that bad of a day, that on the car ride home the boys declared it "be like Dad" day. Aidan announced that since it was Father's Day, that meant they were all going to go home & be like dad... "We're going to go home, put on black t-shirts, sit around in our underwear, and watch soccer ALL DAY LONG!!!!!" To which Truitt gives out an excited "YEAH, UNDERWEAR!!!" Hmmmmmm, maybe it was a good thing I had to go into the office for a while Sunday afternoon.

A Hard Day

Last week when I showed up at Sarah's to get the boys, Truitt had fallen asleep on a stool beside her couch while watching TV. It looks like he played a little hard that afternoon... resulting in a good picture for the teenage years.

Recent Pictures of the Boys

About 3 weeks ago I took the boys in for some "free" pictures at The Picture People. I had received a coupon in the mail for a free portrait package, which included 1-8x10, 2-5x7's, and a sheet of wallets. They had to be of the same pose, so I made it a point to do something fun, since I knew I wouldn't be getting any additional pictures (at $20 per sheet). Below are some of the proofs I copied off the website. At first Truitt didn't want to participate, but once I told him he could make a silly face, he jumped right in the fun. We bought the picture of them showing off their "muscles"... although it looks more like Truitt is showing off his elbow.

Is it a GIRL, or a BOY???

Well, according to the ultrasound I had last Friday, we're not 100% sure. BUT, the tech did say that her best guess is that it's a GIRL, so the boys & Fred were right with their guesses! She told us that she couldn't find any little boy parts, but that the legs were pretty tight together & there was a hand hanging out around the general area (to which she commented "You would think that meant it was a BOY"). She told us that every thing looked great, and that she didn't see anything that would signify any major problems. I'll go see Dr. Galvan again this Friday, and I will ask him if he will do another ultrasound in his office sometime in the near future to confirm the tech's "best guess". We are excited either way, but I'm really pushing Fred to let me redo the nursery (it's the same thing that was done for Aidan, 7 years ago). I'm thinking that if indeed this is a girl, that will be my best chance at changing things around. :o)

The Last Day of School

The last day of school. Wow, I never thought as a "non-student" that I would be happy to see this day. Today the boys only have a half of day, and then they are off to Sarah's house for the summer. I think they are both excited about it, maybe even Truitt moreso than Aidan. They both have been wanting to sleep a little later in the last couple of weeks, and I know they will look forward to spending more time outside (in the hot Texas sun).

So what's in store for them this summer? Mostly trips to the pool (Truitt says he wants to learn to swim) and public library. I believe the latter will be even more fun for Aidan this summer, as he has become quite a reader this year. He is enjoying the "chapter books" and even offers to go read when I tell him it's time to turn the TV off (now that's a HUGE step for this kid!)

All is going well with my pregnancy. I too look forward to the opening of the local pool, so I can go float this big 'ol belly a couple of times a week. I remember how relaxing it was while I was pregnant with Aidan... and actually missed it during my pregnancy with Truitt. I will be having an ultrasound in a couple of weeks, where we will once again find out the gender of the baby. I think boy, but Fred is convinced it will be a girl (so much that he has me thinking it is quite possible). We would be happy with either, and I won't be suprised no matter what the sex is when the tech tells us what it is.

ER

Yep, the title says "ER"... not in reference to the long running NBC drama series, but in reference to the trip we made Sunday afternoon to Texas Children's Hospital's ER. This is a first for us, well for an injury anyway. Can you guess which child had to be taken? If you guess the wall jumping, couch diving, ninja fighting 4 year old, you're right. Truitt had be taken in for stitches by his left eye. Amazing how Aidan is almost 7 yrs old, and hasn't made 1 trip to the hospital (then again, he is my cautious child).

It all started on Sunday after lunch. We had decided to stay up at the church for an informational luncheon for the youth group & the summer activities they have planned. Yes, our boys are not old enough to be in this age group, but we so loved the youth while we were at First Colony that we have decided to work with them here at Memorial Church of Christ. (Now mind you, we just placed membership the first of April, after visiting the church since the first of the year so the events to be described make this all quite comical in my opinion.)

Once lunch was over, the boys asked if they could go play with some of the other kids that were in their age group (most of them had older siblings that belonged in the youth group) and we said sure... it is the norm here for kids to take off an go entertain themselves during these types of things. Not 10 minutes into the Youth Minister's talk about the activities for the summer I hear someone crying... I think to myself "Is that Truitt?" About a minute later, the door to the room they were in opens & I see Aidan's head poke out. This is when I realize that it is indeed Truitt wailing at the top of his lungs. Soon, he comes walking out, with blood streaming down the side of his face. "Great" is all I can think (am I a caring mom, or what?).

Luckily, Fred had gotten up to get us some more tea, and he got to Truitt quicker than I did. He carried him off to the bathrooms, stopping at a first aid kit first. I caught up with him there, and took him in the restroom to try and clean him up some so we could see where all the blood was coming from. It turned out to be a small cut near the corner of his left eye, maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch long. Fred says he thinks we need to go get stitches, mostly because it is so close to his eye. (I hadn't really put much thought into it... I was thinking if we could get it to stop bleeding we'd be okay.) Several other friends had come to help us out, and brought a bag of ice to help with some of the swelling. We go find Aidan (who is more than a little grossed out by the blood... don't guess he will be going into a medical profession) and load up in the car.

As we pull out of the parking lot Fred asks me where to take him. I tell him there is a hospital just up I-10 from where we are. No, he doesn't want to take him there. So I mention SW Memorial, which is on the way home, and also Sugar Land Methodist... the hospital where both boys were born. No, he doesn't want to go there either. He doesn't want some "quack intern in the ER doing stitch work on his kid's face". "Where is Texas Children's?" he asks. "Downtown in the med center," is my reply. "Let's go there." In the back of my mind I'm thinking... the med center is where all the student drs are... it's where UT's med school is, along with various others, like Baylor. We've known friends in med school... they did their work at all the hospitals in the med center. Texas Children's is a teaching hospital.

Upon arrival, Truitt is asleep in the back seat, band aid on his cut, quite content. We go in, and I must say it is so nice to go to the ER that is catered for kids. I've taken Truitt in for illness at 3:00am before to Methodist, where it is very much NOT kid friendly. But here at TCH it is painted brightly & there are cute pictures made by kids framed on the walls. There is a TV in the waiting room showing kid shows, and the nurses all talk to the kids, not the parents. I must say, next time we have a crisis, I'm driving the extra 10 minutes down to the med center. The triage nurse takes a look and says that she thinks we need to stitches rather than the glue (a new superglue like stuff that sticks your skin back together) because of the location. We measure, weigh, and get the blood pressure taken. Truitt seems fine, more a little apprehensive of what is to come, than hurting. We have now found that we are the day's humor for the staff as "this happened at church" is in our file. They all laugh even harder when they learn that we are "new" to this church... what a way to get your name known.

We get shown to a room, where we begin our wait (I'm okay with this... it is the ER afterall). They have a tic-tac-toe game in the room & we play, & sing songs, & hang out. After a while they bring Fred & Aidan back, and then the boys start laughing and cutting up. A nurse comes in and brings them some crayons & a couple of coloring pages, and comments that he isn't sure the kid is really hurt by all the laughing that is going on.

After a while the dr comes in & she tells us that if he can hold really still, she thinks she can just glue the cut (yeah!). Truitt tells her that he will hold still, and she returns later with the glue pen & some saline wash. I hold a washcloth over his eyes, so she doesn't get saline or glue in them, the nurse holds his legs to help keep him still, and she is done in about 5 minutes. I feel pretty lucky that we didn't have to go with the stitches, I can only imagine asking him to "hold still" while they came at him with a needle to deaden the area. After we were done, the nurse brought us a couple of Gatoraide drink boxes for the boys & we were on our way out.

Monday night I took a picture of his eye, which is now turning a nice shade of black & blue. Later tonight I'll try to post it as well. He doesn't act like it hurts, and was proudly showing off his "glue" at church on Sunday night. He tells everyone, "They glued me like when I use my glue on the paper at school." Ah, yes... one for the baby book.

Veggietales LIVE!

A perk of working for CFA came to us last night. Fred's boss gave him 4 tickets to go see the Veggietales Rockin' Tour Live last night.

A week ago Bob & Larry (courtesy of the local Christian radio station KSBJ) came to do a promotional of the show at Fred's CFA. All the kids loved it, and it was crowded with little people. Truitt had his picture made with Bob & Larry, which I haven't gotten from my friend yet... and Aidan passed (mostly because he's "too cool" for Veggies now). During the mayhem, I commented to the boss's wife that I had wanted to buy tickets to the show, but hadn't had the extra money or time to have done it just yet. She made the comment that she had hoped the radio station would've given them some tickets & left it at that. Well, yesterday Fred calls me & asks if we had plans, & I said no. He said Mrs. K had given him 4 tickets for that night's performance. I think I was more excited than the kids were! I asked him to be sure & get the camera so we could get some photos & he said okay. Later he called and said the tickets said "No photos or videos allowed". Well, bummer.

We didn't tell the kids what our "special treat" was. The first guess was Astros tickets (we wish), and then they went though the list of movies & going to the park... you name it. It wasn't until we pulled into Sugar Creek's parking lot that Aidan clued in to why we were there... and it wasn't until we were INSIDE that Truitt caught on (I'm not sure he understood that yes, we were there to see the show). We went in, looked around, visited the CFA booth & won some free chicken coupons on the "Wheel of Chicken" as Aidan called it, and then we headed in for our seats. The tickets were great, better than what I had looked at buying a month ago, so I feel we were really blessed. We no sooner sat down & they got the announcements/welcomes going by the children's ministry leader of SC when they announce "No FLASH photography or videos allowed". Ugh, we could've turned the flash off and gotten some pictures! Oh well, when I got online today, I decided to go look for some stock photos at the Big Idea website that I could download. I figure I can always print these out & use them for Truitt's scrapbook (whenever that gets done). Here are a few pictures of the show....

The whole gang... minus Mr. Lunt... The costumes were great, the eyes moved & the mouths moved up & down as they sang/talked. I was quite impressed.

The famous Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato & Junior Asparagus.

The show was quite entertaining. They came out and sang many of the songs from the shows, as well as a lot of Larry's silly songs. They of course had my two favorites... "The Cheeseburger Song" and Boyz in the Sink came out to sing "The Bellybutton Song". Larry Boy made an appearance as well, as a 'real person' sang the Larry Boy Theme song. They had about 5-6 real people that were dancers/extras to help add to the Veggies singing. Aidan was impressed with the 2 guys that could do back-flips and such during the performance.

All in all we had a lot of fun. Truitt stayed glued to the stage the entire time, and it was neat hearing all the kids (and their parents) singing along with the Veggies (they encouraged this at the start of the show). Hey, who can't help but sing along to "Oh whereeeee is my hairbrush?"

Nope, he's a frog.

Well, I spoke to soon (or just 'spoke' for that matter). *Sigh* 3:00 last night I had the frog back in my bed again. I had taken him back down to his room, only to have him show back up after 10 minutes (yes, he was asleep when I left him). Oh well... I made it a point to stick him next to Fred, rather than on my side, so maybe he would wake up and go put back in bed... it didn't work. Truitt was still snoring when the alarm went off at 5:30.

Maybe he's a puppy?

Okay, so as soon as I post about Truitt being a frog in MY bed, things change.

I've been scared to post this new occurance (out of fear that maybe, just maybe it will all end). I think Fred got tired of hearing me complain about the "in stereo" snoring & constant elbowing that I was having each night, so last Saturday he decided after Truitt was asleep to go put the t-shirt he had been wearing in the bed with Truitt. He said he covered him up with it. His logic "Maybe he will smell me, and think he's in bed with us." Okay, so this little tactic has worked... for 4 nights now. Hmmmmm... is he really one of those new little puppies that likes the smell of his momma/new owner?

Hey, "whatever works" is all I've got to say.

Frogs & Names

Frogs
Why, oh why, sweet Truitt must you come in every night around 2:30am and climb in bed with me? And why, oh why, must you stick your bony elbow in my back/arm pit/bulging baby belly. And why, oh why, can't you sleep quietly like this...

rather than like a sprawled out frog that has been smooshed by a semi on the side of the road. sigh

Names
So last night as we are driving along, Fred asks the boys what they think would be a good name to call the baby when it is born. Of course we get the normal names that belong to all of our favorite friends, and even middle names of our immediate family. We explain how we would like a name that someone else doesn't already have, much like Aidan (back before the rest of America decided it was a "cool" name) and Truitt (haven't found another one of these yet, thank goodness). "Ohhhh" they say in unison, only to be followed by this list:

"Mr. Spongebob Squarepants!" yells Truitt.
"No," Aidan replys, "Tony Hawk is much better."
"Smash Baby!" yells Truitt.

Fred & I look at each other "Smash Baby?" I say. Fred responds with "YEAH, let's call it Smash Baby." GREEEAAAAT is all I can think. Truitt begins saying it over & over in his best heavy metal, head banger growl "Smaaaash Babyeeeee, Smaaaaash Babyeeeee, Smaaaaash Babyeeeee".
Now I remember why we don't discuss names with anyone. I'm not sure if "Smash Baby" is better than the "Alligator" that Aidan wanted to name Truitt, or not. sigh, again

I'm still not sure exactly why I decided to do this. I mean really, who cares to hear my mindless dribble? I must say it has to be from the 'addiction' I have gotten from reading blogs that belong to various friends, not to mention I'm thinking it might be a good way for others to keep tabs on where we are going in life.

Many of you know that we are expecting kid #3. It's been a ride that I've often told Fred will be the last time I take this ride. Although, I won't take any drastic measures yet to insure that it won't happen again. Ask me again in another year or so if I'm done, or if #4 will be added to our family. Now to answer all the other initial questions many of you may have...

• yes, the boys are excited (well Aidan is, I think the verdict is still out for Truitt)
• no, we aren't going to tell you the name we have picked
• I still don't know if we are going to find out if it's a boy or a girl
• no, we don't necessarily want a girl because we already have 2 boys
• yes, I will be returning to work after the baby is born (Chick-fil-a doesn't pay that much)

In addition to adding information about us I hope one day to use this blog to share updates on our venture to obtain our own Chick-fil-a store (hence the title... Cuddle Cowz, from the famous Chick-fil-a Cow advertising campaign). Many know that we are currently working towards this final goal; and I hope that after the birth of our Pumpkin Pie (the nickname that I've given #3 for now) in the fall, we will be closer to submitting our application to the Corporate Office. The operator that Fred currently works for has told us it can be about a year after the submission before we are awarded a store. I'm hopeful that this will happen for us, we have really come to love CFA & the things this company stands for.

So anyway, feel free to come back & check in on us. Grab a lemonade or sweet tea from CFA, and be sure to Eat Mor Chikin.