Grace Abigail Pearson joined our family Friday night, October 30th, at 9:09pm. She weighed 6lbs 2oz and was 18.75" long. Her official gestational age is 36 weeks to the day. She is beautiful!!

 

In an effort to maintain records so I can eventually craft Grace's story, I'll make updates to the end of this post until Grace is discharged from the NICU.  Keep checking back to find out the latest on the Little Miss!

 

* Saturday 4AM -- Grace moved from regular nursery to Level 2 NICU. She is tachypnic and having desats. She is placed under oxygen hood with 30 % O2.

* Throughout Saturday Grace continues to present signs of tachypnea and has to have her oxygen level raised to 50% under the hood. Saturday evening (9PM) the decision is made to move her to nasal CPAP. By 11PM Grace has been weaned back to 41% O2. She seems more comfortable and her respiration rate has slowed significantly. We FINALLY see rates that are normal.

* Sunday AM, Grace has been weaned to 33% O2 on CPAP and her respiration rate at 8am vitals was 50!! She is extremely agitated and spends much of our first visit fussing (I suspect she is hungry). Nurse decides to consult doctor when she arrives about either a) feeding a small amount (5cc) or b) provide a light sedative for Grace. At this point we need to do something to calm her down because it's getting difficult to judge her ability to breathe because she is crying so loudly and so often. Nurse feels her current monitor readings aren't true indicators of Grace's ability to breathe without assistance.

* Sunday, 1PM -- Met with Dr. Barry at Grace's bedside. Decision was made to give Grace a dose of surfactant (helps to make the insides of her lungs slippery so they don't stick together). Currently Grace is on CPAP with 38% O2. She is sating at 98-100% and her resp. rate is perfectly normal. Dr. Barry also gave Grace a small dose of a mild sedative -- it has helped Grace relax enough to not fight the interventions she needs. Dr. Barry likened it to an adult taking an over-the-counter sleeping pill -- helps sleep and relaxes you but not to the point where you can't be awakened by noise and movement. When Grace's nurse returns from lunch she will take an arterial blood gas level. Assuming ABG levels are good, Dr. Barry said they would begin aggressively weaning the O2 with the hopes that Grace would be off O2 by tomorrow. At that point she can begin feedings. Dr. Barry mentioned that if things go well she may consider gavage feeds (tube feeds) in TINY amounts this evening. Overall we are pleased with the progress of Grace's care. All the docs seem to be treating her more aggressively than they did Sam. Instead of having to prove herself on the most invasive and intense equipment before being moved down (like Sam) she is having to show a rather significant inability to perform at lower levels before being moved up.

 

* Sunday 10PM -- Spoke with the night nurse. Grace is on 40% O2 -- she had a rough day. The goal, before weaning the oxygen level, is to calm Grace enough that she will not fight the CPAP. Dr. doesn't want any more sedation right now -- the feistiness is a good thing, in small measures. Nurse moved her IV from her left hand to her scalp because the TPN is so hard on her veins. They did decide to leave the two IV placements in so there is an option to rotate between the two without having to re-stick Grace.

* Monday, 9AM -- Grace is on 28% O2 -- WOOHOO!! Nurse told Luke Grace is behaving herself and hitting all the milestones she needs to hit to continue on with weaning the oxygen. Dr. hasn't done rounds yet so we aren't sure what the actual goals for the day are; obviously she needs to be weaned of O2 but originally the dr. mentioned the need to perhaps leave her on room air CPAP for 24 hours after weaning so she won't have to take any backward steps. We'll see. From our experience with all this before I can tell you that she will probably go from CPAP to nasal cannula before she is completely oxygen free. Then we will have to begin gavage feeds first to ensure she can tolerate those before we begin to try real feedings. Again...not sure what the doctor has in mind since I haven't talked to her today.

* Monday, 2PM -- We are absolutely walking on sunshine! While we were visiting Grace, the doctor ordered her CPAP removed and moved her to nasal cannula! THEN, instead of closing the isolette up after the oxygen change, the nurse passed her off to me (after I gave her a quick diaper change of course!). Luke and I were both able to hold her for about an hour or so. She is beautiful and much happier with the CPAP prongs out. Assuming she maintains her O2 sats at 99-100% (which she was doing consistently while we were there), the nurse has orders to wean her down to room air (21%). Once at room air she will hang out on nasal cannula until tomorrow. Grace had been given 10cc of breastmilk by gavage before we got there and did great digesting it all so she was given another 10cc before we held her. Assuming she doesn't have an issue digesting it AND that she can keep her respiration rate down the nurse has orders to begin feeding her 10cc by mouth. We are soooo excited!

 

 

 

 

It's been quite a week for our family! The best description is that it feels like I was about to get hit by a truck but managed to step out of the way just in time. Still a little shocked at what the outcome could have been but so eternally thankful that God had other plans.

Wednesday morning I went into my OB's office for a regular visit -- knowing it wouldn't be a regular visit. I had been struggling with high blood pressures and headaches and knew that my kidneys weren't functioning up to par. I walked into the office in tears because I felt so badly. After a poor result on my protein test and a poor BP reading it was quickly decided that I should head to the hospital. We checked into Memorial Hermann downtown shortly after lunch, me feeling worse with each passing moment. Doctors checked me and Grace, determined that she was breech and that there was a possibility I would deliver that day -- no more food or drink for Val as a c-section was in the future. By dinner the doctors decided to wait until 9pm to make a decision (to allow 6 hours for the steroids for Grace to work) but told me not to be surprised if they woke me in the middle of the night to deliver. In their words, "there is no doubt you are pre-eclamptic."

Up to this point the progression of the evening was something with which we are VERY familiar. However, about 11pm I began having contractions. Because I received epidurals so early into labor with the boys it took a few contractions for me to realize what was going on. After two hours of contractions coming about 2 minutes apart it looked as if Grace was deciding to come on her own. Of course as soon as we thought a decision had been made the contractions stopped. I was told to rest and drink fluid. About 2am contractions began again and I was back on no-food or drink. I contracted until about 4 and once again doctors began making noises about immediate delivery. But once again the contractions stopped and plans changed again.

About 6am the doctors decided that they were not willing to stop labor if it was coming but they were also not prepared to help it along at that point. It was decided that we would wait for more tests results. At that point my blood pressure had been GREAT but I still had a terrible headache. By 4pm, Thursday it was appearing that the decision would be NOT to induce but not to let me go home. The tests seemed to indicate that while I had been getting sick when I checked in, at this point I was now getting better. BUT it was the doctors opinions that I would in fact get sick sooner rather than later...they were hoping to get me to last a few more days.

My final test results came back around 7pm -- my protein levels for the 24 hour period were PERFECT. Last week I tested at a level of 277 (300 is abnormal/BAD), in the hospital I tested 102. About 9pm the doctors returned to tell me to GO HOME: my labs were good, my headache improved (didn't disappear but was manageable) and my blood pressures were the best they've been since I got pregnant. This time doctors words were "you are NOT pre-eclamptic." I practically RAN out the door.

Truthfully there is no other explanation for the 180 degree turn-around other than a miracle of God. While improvement was a possibility, the complete disappearance of all symptoms shouldn't have happened. But it did...and here we sit -- at home, with Grace safely tucked away in mommy's tummy where she belongs for the next few weeks.

So where do we go from here? Good question. Luke and I both realize the bullet we dodged so to speak so we are natually cautious. While I was not told I was on bedrest Luke and I have decided that a modified bedrest approach is a good idea. So I'm homebound until Grace's arrival. I ran a few quick errands today but they only lasted about 30 minutes. Luke will take over the major errands (groceries and such). My sister, Kristen, will join us on non-school days to help me corral to wild little boys. On Jack's school days I should be able to handle Sam on my own. Luke and I have agreed that the non-essential household chores will be left undone for the time being. I'll do a little here and there but my main goal will be to take it easy and stay pregnant. I won't be going anywhere really -- including church -- for a while. I see my doctor Wednesday of this next week so we see if she has a different idea. I'm still taking my blood pressures at home to watch things. The doctor mentioned that we were hoping to make it to 36 or 37 weeks. My guess is with the recent hospital time we will probably stop at 36 weeks which puts Grace's arrival sometime around Halloween. Again...I'll have to ask my OB when I see her.
Right now I'm excited to still feel Grace kick instead of sitting beside a NICU isolette.

Here's praying for a very UNEVENTFUL four weeks!!

 

Sam's surgery was a success.  It took a little longer than we anticipated; the surgeon told us to expect 45 minutes and it was a bit longer than that, mainly because of anesthesia and post-op wake-up.  The tumor removed was about 2 inches in diameter but was wafer flat which is why we didn't expect that size -- no one could feel it's true diameter.  Sam did great in post-op.  He fussed and was a bit confused at first but once mom and dad got there and he got his night-night (his blanket) he calmed down.  He was a little restless and the nurse asked if his eye hurt.  Knowing he wouldn't understand "Does your eye hurt?", I asked him if he had a boo-boo.  He grabbed his IV and whined "boo-boo mommy!"  Once the IV was removed he asked for Jack and tried to put on his shoes!  We got him some lunch on the way home and by the time we arrived in Katy you wouldn't have been able to guess he'd had surgery a few hours before (except for the angry gash and stitches in his temple!).  We saw Dr. T for the post-op this past Tuesday.  He was very pleased with the progression of the healing of the incision.  The stitches had dissolved and actually Sam's hair is already growing up around it a bit.  Dr. T said by the time Sam is 7 or 8 the scar will be so far in his hair no one will know it's there.  Now it's just a battle scar for a little boy who's earned his fair share!  The pathology on the tumor returned benign which we anticipated -- still it was nice to have things confirmed.  We'll go see Dr. T in April/May of next year just to check the progression of the scar healing.

 

Sam's vocabulary has exploded lately.  We are getting full (short) sentences inter-mixed with his usual gibberish.  Tonight he said, "More milk please mommy."  I was impressed, first with the unprompted sentence and then with the unprompted please.  His pronunciation still isn't great but that he's working on it is good to see.  He has started called Jack "Jacky" -- not sure why but it's cute.  And while Jack always called us Mama and Dada (or Mamacita and Daddy-o!) Sam calls us Mommy and Daddy.  Sam's motor skills are also still exploding!  He can (and has been able to for about 2 months) jump with both feet -- something Jack couldn't do until 3.5 years. 

 

Jack started school September 4th.  He attends MWF from 9-230.  He is having a blast.  I think his favorite part is that he doesn't have to take naps -- he has rest time and is allowed to read books on his rest towel.  He really is enjoying what I've come to call the 4-year-old freedom.  This is his second year to participate in carpool but this year once he gets out of the car the helping teacher makes sure he is pointed to the right door and he's on his own!  Boy was that hard for mommy to watch the first time!  I was sooooo worried I would try to pick him up the first day only to be told he hadn't been there -- and had wandered the church for 6 hours!  He did fine and is loving it.  He also enjoys the responsibility of pulling out his own folder and handing in papers.  Hopefully that continues through to real school!! 

 

Sam is slowly transitioning to Jack's school days.  Most times he is convinced that I have forgotten Jack somewhere and screams at me to find him.  Once he realizes that I'm not going to he settles in and enjoys being an only child.  I have a feeling this is actually going to make the transition to new baby a bit more difficult! 

 

Jack is still very interested in reading.  I'm not pushing things but he is figuring out words with sounding out letters.  He is impressed with himself when he recognizes letters.  He really wants to begin taking Kung-Fu (I don't know where he got that...) so we are considering Tae-kwon-do.  Between school starting and new baby things we haven't slowed down long enough to pursue it though. 

 

As for all things baby things are gearing up.  Baby girl has a name -- Grace.  We still don't have a middle name but we are working on that.  I purchased (and received) her bedding this weekend and have actually picked out paint colors.  Grace is expected to arrive in about 7.5 weeks from now so we have plenty to do!  I am visiting the doctor every two weeks now to keep a watchful eye since the boys were early.  I found out last week that I failed my one-hour glucose tolerance test forcing me to have to complete the three-hour test this past Friday.  Hopefully I'll get the results back soon (tomorrow??)  and hopefully things are fine.  I really really don't want gestational diabetes.  It won't be that big of a deal -- I just want as complicated a pregnancy as possible; pre-e prevents that but I'd like to not have another complication added to the list!

 

Luke is super busy both at work, home and church.  Unfortunately his group, which has been able to avoid lay-offs thus far, had to let two junior members of the staff go this week.  (No one worry -- Luke's job is super safe!)  The loss just means that Luke doesn't have as much assistance in getting some of the more basic parts of his job completed.  At home he's been a super-star at picking up the slack from his pregnant wife!  Between taking the boys, decorating a nursery, working in the boys' bathroom and generally doing all the things I can't do any more it's a miracle he has time to get to work!  Church has him super busy with teaching Kindergarten Sunday School!  He's also working on an apologetics Bible study that is pretty in-depth. 

 

I think that's about all for now.  I'll get pictures up eventually! 

 

 

Jack's surgery was Monday.  Overall it went well.  Jack did great in pre-op, wooing the nurses in the process.  His nurse told him he was getting ready for a space flight and he loved it.  After receiving his oral sedative to ease separation anxiety Jack was quite the comedian. He kept talking about flying over the sea and was hiccuping so hard he would knock himself over.  It was so funny!  The surgery was late starting by an hour so we had to occupy Jack for longer than we expected.  Dr. Anthis showed up and answered all of our questions.  Then he prayed with all of us.  The interesting/remarkable part of it was that he not only prayed for Jack's health and safety during the surgery but also for Jack in general and his personal growth.  It was nice!  After the surgery Dr. Anthis told us that we had definitely made the right decision -- Jack's tonsils were filled with pus (YUCK!) and apparently he probably hasn't felt well in a while.  Recovery was tough.  Jack was scared from the anesthesia and was in pain.  He cried and cried, even with Luke holding him in the bed.  Fortunately after his second dose of morphine he calmed down.  I almost had a close encounter with the floor -- I guess Jack's crying, the heat, the smell and the pregnancy made a terrible combination.  I was able to hold it together enough to not need medical assistance though -- that would have been sooo embarassing! 

 

We have learned one thing about Jack's personality through all of this -- he can be a MEAN patient.  I felt sorry for some of his nurses while we were in the hospital and I really feel for them now that his anger is directed toward me!  Talk about a lion with a thorn in his paw!  He seems to be healing though and he is slowly getting back to his old self. 

 

Wednesday we had a baby appointment.  Little girl is doing great.  She received many comments on her activity level (believe me...not new news as I rarely get sleep any more because she is always on the go!).  She is 1lb 12 oz right now -- to compare at this gestational age Jack was 2lbs 12oz.  Hopefully this means I won't have to give birth to a GIANT and maybe she is on-track for a full-term pregnancy.  We have 12 weeks until 38 weeks, when we'd induce. 

 

Tuesday is Sam's surgery.  We dont' know any details on that yet -- the hospital will call with that information tomorrow. 

 

I'll keep you posted.  I also have some pictures to show off -- just gotta slow down long enough scan them!!

 

We're safely home from our annual vacation with Grammy and Papa.  This year we went to Cypress Acres Ranch in Wimberley.  We stayed in a rustic log cabin on 250 acres.  The boys had a blast.  The drought there is unbelievable; here people are worried about their yards dying -- there people are worried about their wells drying up and literally having NO water for their families and stock.  Fortunately our little bit of creek had a swimming hole deep enough for all of us.  We toured Wimberley and Jack got some more rocks for his rock collection -- from the same rock store that Luke frequented when he was a little boy.  Jack swung from a tree swing and into the creek and Sam enjoyed jumping from person to person.  Both are fearless in the water.  Sam had one little incident -- he tripped on his towel and rolled into the creek.  All I could do was scream at the others because although I was the closest to him there was no way my pregnant self could jump into the creek after him.  Sam was fine and was more upset that his towel got wet than that he almost drowned.  Jack demonstrated that rather than giving birth four years ago to a regular little boy I, in fact, gave birth to Davy Crockett.  He fished and hiked, followed animal tracks and analyzed their...well you know.  He found treasures and searched for adventure everywhere.  He practiced his bow and arrow skills and shot his potato gun -- both souvenirs he got at various country general stores.  We saw lots of deer and Jack's reaction was always the same; "Quick, get a gun to shoot 'em so we can eat 'em!"  Apparently Bambi has no effect on him!!  Sam did his best to keep up but it's hard when you're not terribly good on your feet and the terrain is so uneven.  The only hesitation Sam showed was when the horses (or as he likes to call them "dogs" ) came up to the porch.  Other than that he was determined to follow Jack on every adventure.  I think his greatest experience was sharing a bed with Jack and discovering that he was old enough to begin wrestling (a fad that was brought home with us!).  Of course Baby Girl got her own souvenirs -- hats and mary jane socks all pink with bows and flowers.  All in all we had a fantastic time.  I have to admit I'm glad to be back where there are no scorpions in the bathtub/shower and I don't have to worry about snakes hiding in the leaves. 

 

As I mentioned earlier, Sam has decided that it is in his best interest to wrestle Jack.  My living room rug is beginning to resemble a training mat for UFC.  We've had a few tears but more often than not the two just love to beat the snot out of each other -- laughing the entire time. 

 

We're attempting to wind down summer and gear up for a new school year, but there are some things we have to accomplish first. Next Friday we venture to College Station for Aunt Kristen's graduation from TAMU -- congrats KRIS!!  Monday, August 17th Jack has his tonsillectomy/adnoidectomy.  We should be home from the surgery by Tuesday mid-morning as he is required to stay 23 hours for observation.  Wednesday, August 19th we have another baby appointment -- just routine, nothing special.  We will get to see another glimpse of the Little Miss -- she didn't cooperate last time so the tech was unable to get a clear enough picture of her heart so we will try again this time.  And YES -- I'm going to ask for gender verification!!  THEN...as if that week isn't busy enough...August 25th Sam is scheduled for surgery to remove his p-tumor.  Fortunately Sam's procedure is a simple and short day surgery that will require zero hospital recovery time.  In fact the surgeon said he should be running around by dinner like nothing happened.  And to wrap up a very hectic August, Luke and I leave for New Orleans August 28th for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary.  Nothing particularly exotic we know but given our summer and the fall/winter to come we thought it was the most prudent choice!

 

I'll update as I can...and am working on even more pictures of the boys. 

 

7/13/09   As promised, some updates.

 

Jack had his 4 year well child appointment shortly after his birthday.  He received a clean bill of health!  The best news was that Jack's growth percentiles are FINALLY creeping up -- I secretly thought he would be in the 30th percentile forever.  Jack is 41" tall putting him in the low 60's percentiles and he weighs 36 lbs putting him somewhere in the mid-50's. Even better news, Jack at his current height in only 1" shorter than Luke was at 4.5 yrs (and we know how tall Luke got to!).  Of course this is no indication because at the same age Jack has at least 2 inches to go to catch my height -- and we all know how tall I didn't get!!  Jack also had his vision and hearing checked and both returned perfectly normal results -- I suppose that means when he can't hear me it isn't a physical problem but just selective hearing already playing a role in our relationship!

 

Jack's ENT (well his nurse anyway) called us on Jack's birthday to let us know that the doctor has decided to leave on vacation on Jack's scheduled surgery day.  Consequently we had to move the date so the tonsillectomy is now scheduled for August 17th.  It was the only date we could get that wouldn't interfere with Jack's school, our scheduled vacation, the doctor's vacations (yes plural) and still fit in the surgical dates available with the doctor and hospital.

 

We met with Sam's surgeon this afternoon regarding his tumor.  We received news we were hoping to hear; the surgeon agreed with the dermatologist that it is more than likely "no big deal". He said the tumor is common in little guys and that Sam has an extremely common presentation and placement.  Unfortunately the tumor does have to be removed so we have a surgery date scheduled for August 25th. We would have like sooner but when the surgeon you need to see has such a specific specialty (pediatric craniofacial and plastic surgery) it takes a while to get in if things aren't emergencies.  Fortunately the surgery is a quick day procedure and should have little recovery time (surgeon said Sam will probably not notice it by dinner that night).  After surgery the tumor will be sent to pathology and the surgeon echoed the dermatologist's leaning that the report will return a benign reading. 

 

Next on the agenda:  BABY DAY!!  I'll update wednesday after baby appointment to let you all know pink or blue!

 

 

 

5/20 we had another baby appointment.  We got another look at Chicken Tart.  (The name?  yeah. that was Jack's idea...and it kinda stuck).  CT is doing well.  Heartbeat this time was 156 so still high but not like before.  We were hoping to get a shot so we could guess gender but this one is more stubborn than the other two combined.  When the ultrasonographer tried to wake CT up, baby curled into a ball that was surprisingly tight.  The poor tech was barely able to get the measurements she needed to complete some of the trisomy testing. 

 

5/21 Sam had his 18 month well baby appointment.  He is growing right on schedule.  He weighed 24lbs 11oz, was 31" long and I don't remember head circ although I do know he's in the 90th percentile.  His other percentiles are in the low 30's.  I wrote all this down but apparently a little boy has been in my purse since then because that piece of paper is gone. The pediatrician did say that we need to get Sam's bump checked out by a dermatologist (the mosquito bite looking thing on his temple).  Jack had his last day of preschool this day as well.  He was sad to leave but elated about summer!

 

6/6  Jack finished up tball season.  He had a good time and is ready for more.  Too bad mom and dad aren't quite so ready...well maybe just mom.  I think Luke would like the season to start again too!

 

6/10 Sam saw his dermatologist and we were told that his "under the skin birthmark" was not that at all.  Rather Sam has a pilomatricoma tumor.  Yeah...the word tumor freaked us out a little too.  Dr. C said it needed to be removed within three weeks to few months.  Unfortunately he also informed us that he doesn't operate on children because of the sedation required so we have been referred to a pediatic plastic and craniofacial surgeon, Dr. T, who operates out of Hermann (can I say how much we love that place!).  We will see Dr. T on July 13th and should know more then.  We've researched the p-tumor and it looks like no big deal; most cases (almost 99%) are benign.  The tiny percentage that are malignant are easily treatable and don't seem to matasticize (sp?) to other areas of the body. 

 

6/15 Jack, Sam and Mommy started VBS this week.  Daddy has taken off work for Wednesday and Friday to help as a sub too.  So far it's been a great week!

 

6/16 We had another Chicken Tart appointment.  Baby is growing well.  Heartbeat was in the 140s...I give up on this.  We finalized a date for the BIG ultrasound -- July 15th.  Here's hoping CT cooperates this time!

 

This next week is Jack's 4th birthday.  I cannot believe my little one is 4.  It seems like yesterday that we were announcing his upcoming arrival.  We'll celebrate this year with a family party and a Batman theme.  Jack is excited and so are we! He has his 4 year old well appointment Tuesday so I'll update then.  Next weekend Luke and I celebrate our 5th anniversary.  We've managed to cram in quite a bit of life in the first five years!  Maybe we'll take it slower for the next 5 -- but knowing us it won't happen!  No big travel plans for June but hopefully we'll get a nice dinner and maybe a movie that weekend.  We are planning a trip sometime in July/August/September -- obviously we're still in the early planning phase!

 

Upcoming events:  in late July we'll trek to Wimberly for some family time.  Immediately upon arrival home, Jack has his pre-op appointment for his tonsillectomy as his surgery is scheduled for August 3rd.  We're also contemplating a small family trip in August before school starts back up.

 

Let's see -- other things...Jack is still doing great on his Bible memory and he is getting closer and closer to reading.  His vocabulary is astounding; I wish I could post a sample here of him talking so you could all hear.  I did the happy dance the other day when I realized my pre-schooler knows the difference between the uses of good and well!! Sam is starting to speak in two word phrases and occasionally a sentence (still hard to understand but it's there).  Sam is very interested in potty-training and actually asked to go and then went yesterday without prompting.  It hasn't been repeated but we were all shocked.  Even Jack did the potty dance and cheered for him.  The gruesome twosome are becoming the best of friends...laughing and playing together all day -- makes my job a lot easier!

 

Whew...I think that's it.  Actually I'm sure that's not even close to being all but it's what was on the calendar and I'm tired now!  I promise I have pictures...I'm working on it.  Maybe by next week??

 

We had a baby appointment about two weeks ago.  Unfortunately Luke was unable to attend that appointment as well due to the massive flooding in the Katy area; he was unable to get to work and school was cancelled so he stayed with the boys -- no one needs the gruesome twosome at the OB's office.  Baby is growing right on schedule and had an audible heart beat of 176 bpm.  Dr. Mullin made the comment that perhaps the high heart rate indicated a girl.  Nothing definitive yet so don't start buying pink!  We go back to the doctor at the end of the month so I'll be sure to update then.

 

Sam apparently read my last post about not being very verbal.  His vocabulary has exploded lately.  He is still not in two-word phrases or sentences but he has a large single-word vocabulary and is communicating quite effectively with it.  He is getting very used to being able to direct the dog...watch out baby #3!  Of course Sam is still climbing and exploring.  He is my busy little one, rarely sitting still and spending most of his waking hours pacing around the house looking for something to get into.  His new love is baseball and he desperately wants to be like his brother.  Most of the time Monkey-See-Monkey-Do is the name of the game. 

 

Jack is doing well.  He is about to finish his first year of pre-school.  He loves school and all his friends.  I have a feeling summer might be hard for him to be without the stimulation!  He is still working on reading skills and writing skills.  He can write his name, although most of the time he writes his letters in perfect backward fashion.  His teacher tells me that this is because he's left-handed.  Jack is still fighting me on the left-handed business.  It's evident to all the grown-ups in his life that he is left-handed but he wants to be like "everyone else" and will only use his right hand around me.  Fortunately his teacher says he will use his left hand at school.  I'm going to get some pencil grips for lefties this summer to help and I'm researching methodologies to help with the letter reversals.  It's very obvious that he is not dyselxic so I'm not worried about that.  One of Jack's strengths seems to be his Biblical studies (that sounds so official -- trust me, it's not).  He is learning soooooo much from his nightly devotional times with Luke.  Next time you see him, ask him to say his Bible verse -- right now that's Zephaniah 3:17.  He's also working on a verse in Philippians. 

 

That's about all for now.  I have some really nice pics from t-ball that Daryl took; I'll post some as soon as I get a chance -- those and a few shots of Sam's new artistic endeavors. 

1.  Yes I am sick -- sicker than I have ever been with any other baby. 

2.  Yes this baby is planned so yes we are excited.

3.  Yes the boys know -- Jack is excited, Sam is oblivious.

4.  Baby's first picture is to the right -- the baby kinda looks like an alligator to me right now.

5.  No we have no indications right now that the baby will come early.  Of course we hope for full-term but at this point even a little further along than we made it with Sam is good to us. 

6.  Not sure which hospital we will choose to deliver at -- I'm not a fan of Memorial Katy so we are considering the other local hospital.  Either choice, if the baby is early at all we will probably go all the way in to Memorial Hermann in the Med Center.  I'm just more comfortable with the neonatologists and NICU nursing staff there. 

 

As far as the big boys are concerned things are crazy.  Jack is daily turning more and more into a big boy.  He is loving t-ball and swimming lessons.  He is getting very close to reading and gets frustrated often that he can't yet.  His sense of humor is of course still razor sharp so we spend a lot of time laughing.  He's moved into bunkbeds in preparation for Sam joining him when the new baby comes.  And of course Jack is still my very social butterfly. 

Sam is growing daily into less of a baby.  Fearless as always he is intent on climbing faster and higher than ever before.  It's intimidating for this little mama.  Often he climbs higher than I can reach faster than I can stop him so I have to climb after him to get him off the precipice.  He is still chattering up a storm although he has very few words that are understandable.  He understands everything we ask of him and tell him though so that's a good developmental sign.  Currently he can say "mama" "dada" "no" "mine" (his word for please...we're working on that mix-up); he can also say "ball" and "baby".  He says "big boy" and "belly button" although they both sound like "baby" so I have to watch where he is pointing. 

 

That's about all for now.  More later...including some pictures of Jack and Sam. 

 

So let's see...Sam turned 15 months old this week.  He has blossomed seemingly overnight into a toddler.  I know technically he is still an infant but to watch him go you wouldn't know it.  He can give most kids a run for their money when it comes to climbing and running and falling.  In fact I was told this morning by the church nursery workers that he is "all boy" and was having a little too much fun trying to wrestle with the other little kids and teachers.  I suppose that's what happens when you have an older brother.  Sam saw his pediatrician this week for a check-up.  He weighed in at 23lbs 6oz (3oth percentile), was 30.5" (31st percentile) and had a head circ of 20" (90th percentile).  We saw a significant improvement in Sam's length percentiles which is comforting. As far as development is concerned, Sam is right on track.  He still isn't very verbal (very vocal just not verbal!).  He has a few words and then he has "words" that he has developed.  Sam can understand what we ask him and communicates often through head-nods.  I have to say it's a bit different parenting a child who cannot speak his needs -- remember at this point Jack, while barely walking, had been speaking in full sentences for almost 5 months.  Of course, it's also different parenting a child who has been able to fully scale the stairs since he was about 8 months old and can now climb rock-walls faster than most pre-schoolers. 

 

Sam gets to visit the opthamologist this next week.  We had a routine vision screening at his 12-month appointment and found a very slight astigmatism in his left eye.  A repeat of the screen at this most recent appointment found that the vision is slightly worse in the left eye and that now there appears to be an astigmatism in his right eye.  Nothing to worry over -- his vision is 20/30 and 20/40 in his right and left eyes respectively.  Nonetheless, we're going to have it seen by a specialist.  This mommy is hoping that he won't need glasses -- at least not yet. 

 

Jack is growing by leaps and bounds.  It seems like every day we wake up to a slightly older, leaner and steadier kid.  He really is turning into a "kid" and not so much of a little boy.  I have to say that I am sad to see those big chipmunk cheeks disappear before my eyes!  Jack finishes basketball season this Saturday.  He enjoyed himself but is more than ready to move on to baseball, which begins in about a week and a half.  School is Jack's spot -- he is learning a lot but more for Jack is the social hour.  He really enjoys going places and being around people.  Jack will also begin swimming lessons this next week; this of course has not happened without a heaping helping of complaints from Jack. To say that he did not enjoy his stint with Houston Swim Club is mild.  I convinced him to give another place a try for now with strict instructions that if he refuses to learn to swim (which is where he is now...) that he won't get to swim with his friends.  So come March 2nd Jack will begin lessons at Sea Sports Swim.  It is a much smaller pool and only has one class at a time.  The instructors don't put nearly as much emphasis on back floating at HSC which is good since Jack hated the back-floating part!

 

Jack saw his cardiologist on Feb.12.  Fortunately we received awesome news there.  Apparently "murmur" is a word that is used to describe a host of sounds made by the heart -- including normal, but not typically heard, blood flow.  That would be the description of Jack's murmur.  We received the all-clear for his tonsillectomy and were told to return to the cardiologist in 2 years just as a precautionary check-up.  The tonsillectomy surgery will more than likely be postponed until late summer so Jack won't have to miss school or any summer vacations.  We registered Jack for school for next year.  He will attend a 4 year old class three days a week in preparation for kindergarten.  He is working on his handwriting -- both in general and specifically his letters -- at home.  Working with a left-handed child has proved to be a little challenging.  I didn't realize how "right-handed" the world was until I watched through a south-paw's eyes! 

 

Luke and I are doing well -- staying busy with the boys.  Luke is actually seeing some slower time at work which I have to say is nice.  His job is safe and we get him home a little more since the company is asking folks to keep hours worked right at 40.  He, of course, still has enough work on his desk to work much more than that but being the team-player he is, he has been passing the "extra" along to others who could use the hours.  I'm staying busy with the boys and the house and getting kids to playgroup and church choir and heading to my own Bible study classes. 

 

That's about it for now.  I've put up a few new pictures and hope to get more new ones soon; we purchased a new computer so I'm working on locating all the files and transferring them over. 

 

Sam is now practically running -- well as much as he can considering he doesn't really bend his knees.  I think he looks like ET hobbling around the house.  He loves to walk the circle of the downstairs (living room to breakfast area to kitchen to study back to living room) usually with a treasure in his hand.  Sam is quasi-vocal.  He has a few words but most if not all are one syllable.  He can say Ma, Da, Ja (jack), Do (dog), go, yay, hi, bye, peas (please) and ruff.  The rest of the time he speaks sentences upon sentences of gibberish.  Anything relating to daredevil work is Sam's forte -- he is still climbing everything and making things to climb where there aren't devices made.

 

Jack is doing wonderful in school.  He has his first basketball game this Saturday and is super excited about it.  He is slowly adding words to his "I Can Read" list -- not a real list just something I'm keeping up with mentally. Jack is loving his big boy devotional that he received for Christmas and is showing awesome progress in his Bible learning.  He is really excited that winter break is over and he is back at school. 

 

That's about it.  I'll post pictures when I get a chance. 

 

*** 12/12 UPDATE:  Sam had his one year well-baby this morning.  He weighs 21lbs 12oz (30th percentile), is 29 inches long (20th percentile) and has a head circumference of 19 inches (80th percentile).  We had his eyes checked and Sam has 20/20 in his right eye and 20/30 in his left eye with a stigmatism.  The pediatrician said we'd recheck at 15 months because things may correct themselves; we won't be running out to get glasses just yet.  Sam received his one year vaccines as well as a TB test and a flu vaccine.  To end it all Sam received a clean bill of health and is right on track!  Way to go little man!!

 

Jack is getting to be so big.  He can read his name and can write the J and A.  He can recognize most letters by name and knows them all by sound.  For example, he may not know that an H is called H but he can tell you that the letter shaped like H makes a "ha" sound.  Jack surprised us with knowledge that he can do some very basic addition (2+3 = 5 and things like that) and that he can count to 100 by 10s.  Wish I knew where he was learning all this stuff!! 

 

I have been up to my eyeballs in college recommendation letter requests.  I will be so glad when this is all over and I don't have anymore former students who might request a letter!!  Luke is busy at work but given the economy I'd have to say that's a blessing right now!  We are about to hit our "off month" for Kindergarten Sunday School and are looking forward to getting to go to "big church" for a little while. 

 

That's about it...I'll post pictures from Sam's birthday soon. 

 

News on the fam!  Jack is doing great in school.  October was fire safety month and culminated in a visit from firefighters with their truck.  Jack almost had a coronary he was so giddy with excitement.  He is now an expert at calling 911 and stop-drop-and-roll.  Actually I'm not sure I should call him "expert";  he seems to think you should call 911 anytime there is a fire (even if it's in the fireplace) and that SDR is for when there is a fire anywhere (which could make it difficult to get out of a burning building).  We're working on these fine details but I still think it's pretty good!  This month is of coures dedicated to Thanksgiving at his school and he is having a good time.  The month will end with a Thanksgiving Feast that I'm sure will be a hoot to attend.  Jack is still as musical as ever -- he makes instruments out of just about anything, passes them out to us and then leads the family band on guitar to rousing renditions of classics like "Jesus Loves Me" or "Jesus is a Rock and He Rolls my Blues Away" -- of course every now and then we sing a little Todd Agnew or Johnny Cash.  Jack is (and always has been ) very adept at music; he picks up new lyrics fast, holds a beat remarkably well for a 3 year old and is simply fascinated by all things musical.  He is still all boy however as he asks frequently for a gun and a bow and arrow for Christmas (I think he does this to balance his request for drums and a guitar). 

 

Sam is getting HUGE!!  November will find us celebrating his first birthday and I simply cannot believe my baby is already one!  I don't have size stats because he won't go in for a well-baby appointment until the 25th of this month.  He is off formula and bottles now and using sippies and drinking whole milk.  The switch has been a little more difficult than it was with Jack but it's getting easier.  Sam is also no longer in disposable diapers.  We have switched to cloth and love it.  My initial logic for considering a switch was environmental but I have to admit that the lower cost of the cloth diapers has been nice.  Plus I think they are too cute!! Sam is close to walking, taking a step or two every now and then.  It won't be too much longer before he takes off.  He is also getting more vocal and easier to understand every day.  And oh my is Sam a climber -- it's like living with a mountain goat.  The child can't walk but he climb the OUTSIDE of the stairs, the ladder to Jack's slide and anything else that fancies him.  Yesterday he moved toys around to make stairs so he could climb up the couch.  He definitely keeps me on my toes!

 

Luke's job is still keeping him busy as ever.  He enjoys his work and is doing well within the company.  I'm doing well at home. Sometimes I miss the classroom but never enough to actually return.  Luke and I are teaching Kindergarten Bible Study on Sunday mornings and love it!  Our kiddos are so fun!

 

Gotta run -- we're off to the zoo today!!

 

Hurricane Ike hit right after my last post.  We survived in one piece with minimal damage (most was to landscaping).  We did end up housing family members for a while though as some were without power for over 15 days; no one stayed with us that long but everyone stayed for a little while (at least until more permanent arrangements could be made and generators procurred).  It seemed to take about two weeks but life slowly returned to normal.

 

Jack is back in school and loving every minute of it.  His teacher, Ms. Myrtle, says she would take a class of 15 Jacks; she is very impressed with his manners (wish those would come out a little more often at home).  Jack now insists on sitting "criss cross applesauce."  He is almost done with swim lessons for the session and we have decided not to renew for a little while.  Honestly I am tired of fighting Jack to get there so a break would do us all some good.  We are enrolling Jack in basketball for the fall -- we tried to convince him to try kickball instead but that was a no-go.  Jack's favorites right now are musical instruments.  He says he needs a guitar with a case, a piano and some drums.  We are working on finding the first two, setting up lessons for piano and telling everyone we know NOT to consider buying the third!! Jack has suddenly turned into a little boy; he has lost so much of his chubby cheeks and baby belly.  His legs are longer and leaner and his controls his muscles with more precision than before.

 

Sam is adorable.  He is our gerber baby with sparkling blue eyes and an indelible grin.  Sam is still not walking but that's more out of choice than lack of ability.  He can stand unassisted but refuses to even practice walking. He claps at everything and waves to everyone.  Sam mimics Jack's every move -- not always a good thing but cute nonetheless.  He is turning into a shaggy little boy in desperate need of a haircut but this won't happen for about another month -- after his first birthday.  Sam is also VERY vocal -- I thought he might be the quiet one since Jack is so loquacious but OH NO...Sam has just as much to say.  His words are mama, dada, Jack, dog, bird, Ginger, bye, ball and bird.  Most of these are still a little hard to decipher to the untrained ear so I'm a little hesistant to consider them acquired vocab but we'll go ahead and give him credit!! He is basically on table food with the exception of formula.  About another month and then it's goodbye to formula and bottles!!  Sam is also my climber -- up the stairs with no help (YIKES) and the slide ladder. 

 

Luke is 28 today!!  He is absolutely buried at work right now attempting to correct a host of mistakes someone else made on a huge project while also completing his own projects.  We thought he would be in Korea around Sam's birthday but that looks like it will miss us although he may end up in Thailand in the near future.

 

I'm doing well...running ragged keeping up with two little boys who seem to produce dirt, staying busy at church and being a room mom for Jack's class.  By the way, if you have any ideas for a Thanksgiving Feast for three year olds let me know!!

 

The rest as promised...pictures!!

 

1.  We found out on 8/25 that Jack will need to have his tonsils and his adnoids removed.  We have decided to put the surgery off until after the new year for financial reasons and for time constraints -- he will need to be in the hospital for 23 hours after the surgery so his brain re-learns to breathe without the restriction that his tonsils have been placing on the entire thing.

 

2.  8/27 Jack started children's choir at church (WAM -- Worship Art and Music).  He LOVES it.  We also started meeting members of our ABF for dinner at the church on Wednesdays and this has surprisingly turned out to be a highlight of our week!

 

3. 8/31 we made a whirlwind trip to Dallas for a family-friend's wedding.  Jack and Sam were quite a hit and both looked dapper -- especially Jack in his navy sport coat and lime green tie (he picked the tie).

 

4.  9/2 I received blessed confirmation that a previously discovered nodule on my thyroid is miniscule and so probably not cancerous; I say probably because the spot is soooo tiny the docs can't do a needle biopsy. I go back in November for a repeat scan.  As long as it hasn't grown to 1cm by then (its 4mm now) we'll leave it alone and monitor it periodically.

 

5.  9/4 Jack met his new pre-school teacher.  He started the morning off in wonderful fashion, vomiting his chocolate milk in the parking lot of the church. He was a trooper and pulled it together long enough to get all the necessary paperwork and find his classroom. 

 

6. 9/4 started us on a weird track with Jack.  He started vomiting periodically and we really couldn't determine cause.  Finally, Friday afternoon, after discovering that he was running a slight fever, we were able to determine that Jack is teething -- AGAIN.  He is working on some more molars in the very back of his mouth.  It's been so long since he has gone through this that I forgot what teething looks like in him.

 

7.  9/5-9/7  the boys spent the weekend with my mom and dad.  Luke and I enjoyed some much needed r&r. We saw 2 movies and enjoyed some time with friends sans-children!

 

8. 9/8 Sam got a new tooth!  His second top left tooth popped out in the AM. Later that night -- another new tooth!  His second bottom left tooth made its appearance.  That brings the teeth count to 8.

 

9. 9/9 Jack started pre-school today!!  He awoke bright and early and announced he was ready to go -- forgetting to eat and get dressed.  He had a wonderful day and announced that his favorite part of the day was rest time.

 

Whew!  I have more pictures coming VERY SOON -- but bathtime is over so I'm off to put the littlest monster to bed.

 

Jack had a blast in Johnson City.  He caught four fish in the little creek where we managed to find a little water (it was sooo dry up there).  He loved "racing" -- his word for riding the ATVs.  He was able to get up close and personal with some cows and horses which he of course loved.  Plus he just really enjoyed having a whole buncha family around.  Jack is soooo ready for school to start; all the buses have him in a constant tizzy so much so that we have a countdown with the number of days to go -- 17 if you are counting with us.  He has suddenly hit a growth spurt (seems to be his standard MO -- grow right at the end of the summer).  He now wears a size 9 shoe and we have to buy his socks in the big kid department. He is still super-skinny but I'm glad to see some height come his way.  Of course his vocabulary is expanding daily -- really didn't think it could get any larger!!  He came inside this afternoon and told me he needed to do some work for God -- then proceeded to play at his tool bench. Jack is also working on the a typical three-year-old issue:  listening!  So we practice doing what he is told the first time, all the way, with a happy heart (no, I didn't make that up -- totally stole it from a friend who stole it from a friend).  We all repeat it a LOT -- hopefully it will help!

 

School starts Monday and I am super-excited that I don't have to go!!  It is the first time I have driven by a school in...probably my life...without feeling some sense of responsibility/dread. It really is amazing.  I was up at the school the past two days helping a co-worker get ready -- she found out she was teaching AP about a week ago; it was soooo nice to help a little and then leave the building knowing I had zero responsibility there. 

 

Luke was away on business this week -- back to Tulsa working on some more exchangers.  Work is good but still busy as ever for him. 

 

That's about it from our house!

 

Jack is a goldfish now in swim lessons having graduated from the guppy class.  He is a little sad not to have Mr. Alex anymore and we are all getting used to his new teacher, Ms. Stephanie, and her teaching style.  She's not mean or anything but she doesn't allow as much silliness from Jack and I'm not convinced that's a good thing.  We will give her a little more time before I request a teacher change.  Of course every day is a laugh session with Jack.  Here are two different scenes from today...

 

Jack:  Mom, you know what I do?

Me: No, baby.  What do you do?

Jack: I'm the guy that helps people do good things when they are doing bad things.

Me: really?

Jack:  yeah I'm that guy. (points to himself with two thumbs) and I think I'm gonna tell the snake on tv not to say "stupid" and to help him pick a different word. is that a deal?

Me:  yeah that's a deal.

 

 

Later in the car...

 

Me: who's my best big boy? (a way I use to boost up the big kid when things seem to be a little too much about baby brother)

Jack:  me!!

Me:  who's me?  I can't see me? (pretending to look around)

Jack:  me, Jack -- the hero.

Me: oh, you're a hero?

Jack:  yeah, it's what I do. I'm a hero. (very matter-of-factly, with arms crossed and head nodding for emphasis).

 

Of course there is also this scene from the other day...

Jack: (after receiving a swat for disobeying -- standing up tall with hands on hips, he says loudly) I'm as big as you. You are a bully and I will not be afraid of you.  It is not nice to hit. This bathroom is big enough for both of us.  (this is almost a direct quote from a Veggietales episode).

 

He has also recently told my mom, "Grammy, I'm gonna wear my pajamas for an ENTIRE week." And also told me dad, "Woah, Papa.  When did you get so big?" (as if before Papa had been little?)

 

Sam is still not crawling.  He gets up on all fours and sways forward and back -- and then launches himself forward.  It's an interesting mode of transportation.  When he tires of this method he resorts to the army-style crawl.  He is so close!  He still has four teeth (all the fronts on top and bottom).  He has been crankier than usual but we suspect this is another tooth attempting to make an appearance.  We only thought Jack was our wild man -- Sam has officially won that title.  You know the straps on the changing pad?  Yeah -- we didn't either -- until Sam!  He has to be strapped in to change a diaper -- not because he will roll off (which I guess he would if we walked away) but rather because he is sooo strong and soooo determined to flip to his tummy to see new things.  So it's either the straps or poop everywhere!!

 

Jack is in his second week of swim lessons at Houston Swim Club and loves every second of it!  He is focusing on floating on his back and alternating to a sort of doggy-paddle until he reaches the side of the pool -- the goal is to teach the kids to be self-sufficient should they fall into a pool unnoticed.  Jack loves his teacher Mr. Alex and has lots of fun diving to the bottom of the pool to get rings.  Baseball is Jack's latest and longest lasting love.  He plays catch all the time and surprised Luke and I by being able to hit a ball when it's pitched to him -- not off a tee.  We are also working on Jack's independence.  He has morning and night jobs that he has to complete and he follows his chart like a champ. 

 

From the cries emanating from the living room it sounds like I'm needed....I'll try to get pics up at some point.

 

That's about it!

 

Jack had his three year appointment last week. He is 30 lbs and 36" tall putting him in the 25th percentile for both.  This is a big improvement over last year's percentiles so we are happy for that.  We moved him into a big boy booster this week as well.  He still had room in his carseat but Sam was in need of a new seat.  So rather than buy a new seat for Sam, we bought a convertible booster for Jack.  It still has the same harness as his carseat but will transition to a seat that uses the car's belt and then eventually into just a simple booster.  Jack is excited because his new seat has its own cupholder and cubbie holes for snacks and treasures.  Of course this also means that Sam is no longer in his infant carrier.  He is in a big boy seat (still rear-facing) and he seems to like it.  Actually he seemed a little disappointed when we didn't let him face forward -- all in good time little man, all in good time.

 

Jack is changing from a toddler to a big kid overnight.  His favorite past-times involve the sports.  We daily venture outside to play basketball, baseball and football as well as ride bikes, motorcycles and collect bugs.  He is a lefty so it makes helping him learn to throw a little challenging but that's okay.  Jack showed us at lunch today that he can identify the letters A, C, M, L, S, F, H and E; he also knows the sounds they make.  We have been practicing our school work every day -- that's what Jack calls it.  All we do is sit down together and practice drawing circles, tracing his name, and playing games like memory or "which one doesn't belong."  He loves it though.

 

Jack starts swim lessons in about two weeks and not a moment too soon!  We have had a few mishaps this summer that prove last summer's lessons didn't stick.  Add that to Jack's fearless attitude toward anything and you are bound to get disasterous results.  So off to Swim Club it is!  He will actually continue to take swim lessons all school year -- once a week -- so hopefully we won't have this same issue next year.  We are also looking into piano lessons for Jack.  I know that 3 sounds way way too young but Jack has shown not only an interest but vague hints of an affinity for it.  It would only be a 15 minute lesson once a week so it won't be too overwhelming.  That means that we are in the market for a piano for the house -- although I'm not sure where we will put it seeing as the house is kinda at capacity!! 

 

Sam is soooo close to crawling!  In the mean time he has perfected the art of rolling and scooting to the places he wants to get.  He also seems to think he is ready for table food -- sorry little man, you need more than three teeth for that! Sam has also turned into a little blabber mouth.  He makes noises all day, "baba" and "mama" and "lala" - no "dada" yet but I think it's close. He actually knows that mama will get me and pulls it out when he isn't getting his way.  His newest "trick" are his giggles -- he gets fits of them at random times and just laughs at anything and everything for hours on end.  Too cute! 

 

That's about it from here...I'll post more pictures later!

 

This weekend, Sam's first top tooth appeared.  Saturday morning his top left tooth poked through the skin much to everyone's relief. 

 

Wednesday we will trek to Minute Maid park to cheer on the Astros vs. the Rangers.  It is a late father's day gift for Dad and Papa.  It should be fun.  Jack can't wait to show off his new glove.

 

My friend is 29.5 weeks pregnant with twin girls and is having contractions that the doctors are having trouble stopping.  Right now she has been transferred from Katy to Hermann Med Center and things are at least stable.  The situation is eerily similar to my own (her due date is actually August 27 -- mine was August 29).   I would just like to ask folks to pray that the little girls would stay put for a little while longer; that the parents would feel a peace about the situation and that the doctors would do what's best for all involved. 

 

Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

Mom (to Jack):  You better sit still or you will hurt yourself.

Jack:  okay mommy

Mom:  Jack, what did I just ask you to do?  You aren't listening...

Jack:  sorry mommy I want to sit still.  I will do it.

Mom:  Jack I have asked you four times to sit still.  There are dangerous things on the counter that could hurt you (my straightener for instance).  If I have to say anything about sitting still one more time you will visit time-out for three minutes.

Jack (with big doe eyes): But mommy you know I just love to play around.

 

The kid never ceases to amaze me.

 

 

Another first for Jack...and proof that he is already smarter than me.  He explained to me in rather specific detail the workings of a combustion engine today.  He has been fascinated by the exhaust pipe on Luke's truck and is always asking Daddy to talk about it.  Apparently the answer, "that's the exhaust pipe" is insufficient so Luke has been having to give great detail to the workings of the pipe.  Jack picked up more than we thought he would.  He can now explain with striking accuracy how exactly the engine works.  He is truly amazing.

 

Sam said MaMa this week.  He also held his hands out to be picked up.  Yeah for more firsts!  He still only has two teeth but my oh my is he a cranky baby right now.  We know the top teeth are soon to appear.  He is becoming quite adept at rolling to reach his destination.  He is also no longer content to lay down...ever...he can do basic sit-ups so he can see the world! 

 

Today marked my first official day as a stay-at-home mommy.  It was a relatively uneventful day.  I have a feeling that I won't really notice the change until the beginning of school comes and then goes without me.  Then I may notice something is different.

 

Friday Sam's bottom right front tooth popped out and then Sunday his bottom left front tooth joined the party.  Finally the weeks of drool and crankiness have paid off!! It seems that his top teeth are not far behind the bottom ones; we are probably in for much more of the same for a while.

 

And last but certainly not least...JACK.  I saved his firsts for the end because they are hilarious.  Jack, for the first time, vocalized that he knows the difference between boys and girls...and that he likes girls.  My oh my...that boy!  Saturday he very matter-of-factly announed to me that I didn't have a "weiner" like him and Daddy -- I have "girl parts".  He then returned to his leisurely perusal of Saturday morning cartoons.  Wednesday morning began unlike any other morning...Luke had left the house at 4:30 to make it to Hobby Airport by 5:30 for a 6:30 flight to fabulous Tulsa, OK.  Jack of course decided to wake up at 5:30 instead of his usual 6:30.  As I was rushing around trying to get him, Sam and myself ready for school, Jack stopped me and asked what those "bumps" were.  The day before I had just had a conversation with a friend of mine about teaching kids slang vs proper words for those body parts.  This conversation, along with the thought that I wish my husband was in town to answer this question from my VERY young son had flooded my mind.  Jack very forcefully said, "Mom, answer me."  That's right...not mommy or mama...MOM.  So I answered, "They are called breasts."  Jack thought about this for a minute and then said, "I like breasts."  He then returned to his fascinating episode of Zaboomafoo.  All I can say is...I am NOT ready for this!!!

 

One more anecdote from Jack...proof that he listens to EVERYTHING.  We were at dinner Tuesday night and Jack out of the blue announced that he liked the white stuff.  Now because Jack's "R" sound comes out as a "w" I had to make sure he said white and not right.  After that mystery was solved Luke and I had to figure out what white stuff he was talking about...glue, icing, cookie filling.  It was ranch dip. Luke and I responded with a good-to-know attitude.  Then Jack announced that his friend Peyton too liked the ranch dip.  With his chin in the palm of his hand and his fingers tapping his cheek, Jack then announced "Peyton can't eat the ranch dip though because it makes him diarrhea."   WHAT???  was our general response.  Apparently Peyton is in fact allergic to ranch dip and cannot eat it for the very reason Jack informed us of...and apparently Jack's school teachers shouldn't talk about this in front of Jack.  Needless to say, after Luke and I had stopped laughing, we had to have a convesation with Jack regarding appropriate dinner conversation topics.  Again, all I can say is .... OH that boy!!

 

That's about all from here...dinner is about done and Sam is crying.  More later...

 

Jack literally has a countdown for the end of school.  I honestly think he may be more excited than I am -- of course I also don't know if he realizes that he won't see his friends and his teacher anymore so we'll see how that goes. He has turned into a big kid overnight.  He is starting to fill out a little and is less of a baby every day.  Luke and I often just sit in wonder at that fact.  Of course he is also quite the little comic. 

 

That's it here...again, I have tons of pictures to put up but little time to get them up.  I try to slow down during finals next week and get some up for everyone. 

 

I feel comfortable in saying that Jack is now 100% potty-trained.  It's been weeks since he had an accident. YIPEE!!! He just earned his shiny big coin for no accidents -- Luke promised him a silver dollar that he got from work. He is quite the chatterbox and often times his brain works faster than his mouth so he stumbles a bit on some word orders.  All this means is he repeats things over and over again to make sure he gets it right.  As his third birthday approaches it is quite evident that his independent nature is coming on full-force as he has a strong opinion on everything from when I cook dinner to whether or not the car needs gasoline.

 

Sam found his feet about a month ago.  He can roll over (also about a month ago).  He has been scooting forward longer than he has been rolling.  I suspect he could roll earlier than he did -- he just had no motivation. We get real giggles from him now which is fun. Sam is on to fruits as he passed the veggie tests with flying colors.  To be honest, he is not a fan of undilutated fruits so I have to mix them with cereal.  Today we learned that Sam is now ticklish.  His little laugh is soooo funny. He is still working on teeth but it appears we have a month or so to go on that front.  He has a doctor's appointment later in the month so I will update on his stats then.

 

That's about it around here.  We wish all the mommies out there a very Happy Mother's Day.  And a happy birthday to Gigi Ruby too!! 

Love, The Pearsons

 

Jack is a my little ham.  He is growing up so fast.  But for a few accidents here and there, he is mastering the big boy potty thing.  He is all boy -- turning everything he can get his hands on into a gun or spear or ball or car.  He had a wonderful Easter and loved getting to hunt eggs.  I think he is still on candy overload.  Of course the Easter bunny brought lots of pennies too which was probably the highlight of the event. If Jack keeps it up, he will be able to retire before he is eligible to work -- the kid loves to save his pennies!

 

On Tuesday Jack and Sam spent some time at a new friend's house.  Luke and I had small group so the boys went to the Tiptons'.  Jack came home and when he said his prayers he thanked God for his new friend Connor and all the fun he had.  Miind you this was unprompted...What a sweet boy!

 

This weekend we are off to College Station to see Aunt Kristen get her Aggie Ring.  We are excited about a trip to Aggieland and Jack can't wait to wear all his Aggie clothes.  He has been singing "The Spirit of Aggieland" in anticipation -- and yes, the kid can actually sing the whole song.  It is pretty amazing to us!

 

Speaking of singing, Jack loves to sing "The Lord's Army" and act out the motions (of course instead of artillery he says artivery but whatever!), "The B-I-B-L-E", "Glorious Day", and a host of other songs.  He is quite the musical kiddo.

 

Luke is doing well.  Still busy as ever with his job but he is enjoying it -- most of the time.  The market is high which means lots of work right now. 

 

As for me...I might as well post it here as it is official. February 9, 2007, I posted here asking folks to agree with me in prayer that God would do whatever he needed to so that I could stay home with my boys.  In less than a year He did exactly that.  While I was on maternity leave, Luke brought home news that due to a change at his job I would have the opportunity to stay home with my boys.  At the culmination of this school year, I will officially join the ranks of the stay-at-home mommies.  YIPEEEE!!  I can't wait for play group and MOPS and laundry all day long!

 

That's about it around the Pearson house...more pics to come. 

   A short update -- I do have some new pictures but have had zero time to put them up so I will try to slow down next week and get those done.  Why no time??  Well I started work this week and the entire family is having to do a bit of transition because of it...but we will figure it out soon!

    On Sam -- he is doing great at holding up his head and is all smiles and coos these days.  He started sitting in his Bumbo seat today and had a blast.  He has always prefered to sit up and be where people are and the Bumbo makes that a little easier for all.  He is getting soooo big already.  We found little baby fat rolls around his wrist this week.  Those are new for us since Jack never really got rolly-pollie.  We love having a little chunka-munk. 

    On Jack -- he is doing great on the potty-training front.  He wears big boy underpants all the time now.  Occasionally he still has accidents but he is only 2.5 after all.  He reminds me daily that having boys is more than I ever imagined.  He picks up just about anything and calls it his "shooter" and makes gun noises.  This week his new thing is that he wants to stand up to go potty.  It is almost more than a mommy can handle! 

    A quick anecdote on our little comedian -- on the way home from dinner tonight he pronounced, quite seriously, "I'm poopin' in my pants."  Not wanting to have to clean that mess, I freaked and asked if he was serious.  He replied "Gotcha.  HAHAHAHAHA"  Are you kidding me??  If he is playing jokes on me like that now I can only imagine things when he is thirteen.  Luke and I couldn't help but crack up at the situation.  Every day is a new adventure with him!

    I posted the new pictures of the boys.  These are really to commemorate Sam reaching 2 months but we decided to take one of the boys together. 

    News for Jack -- he is out of diapers and pull-ups at school and into real underwear.  His teacher told us Thursday at school about the transition. He is further ahead at school than home because at home he wants to be more like Sam to get attention but this means that home will follow shortly.  YIPEEE for no more diapers! 

    Jack is still working on potty-training.  He only wear diapers at night and his notes from school say he is on the potty all the time there!  We have a little more trouble at home but that is more Mommy and Daddy's fault than Jack's.  My goal is to have him in big boy underwear by the end of the summer. Jack has also started cutting his two year molars; they are just cruel to him. So in addition to just being two and all that two encompasses he is in pain from his teeth. 

     It looks like I will return to work within the next month.  I don't want to go back but there is a part of me that is itching to go back to school just so it will be over sooner.  My teaching situation may possibly change this next year.  I don't want to talk too much about it since things are so undecided but the changes have the potential to be awesome!  Pray that God will have His hand in all the proceedings.

    We want to wish Gigi Margie a speedy recovery from her recent surgery and hospital stay.  Get better quick!

    Luke's work is still overwhelming.  There is more work than he has hours in the day.  Supposedly his company is in the process of hiring him some help but that seems slow in coming.  Luke has started to branch out to his chem-e buddies from other companies and such to see if anyone needs a job!  While he enjoys the work I know that he would appreciate a little slower pace.

    And our latest bit of excitement -- we spent this past Saturday on our first date night since Sam was born.  We had so much fun we ended up losing track of time and were gone seven hours!  Upon a very late arrival at the house we found that Luke's truck had been hit sitting in front of our house.  We were shocked and not quite sure how to handle the situation!  Fortunately our neighbor left us a message and we were able to contact the constable for the full story.  Apparently a teenage girl took the curve by our house too fast and wasn't paying full attention and hit Luke's truck.  She has insurance and the truck is being repaired but it was quite a shock to come home to at midnight.  I put some pictures of the truck on the site so you can see exactly what the damage was like. 

    It's time for naps around here so more later...

    Sam is getting big!  At his one month appointment he weighed in at 8lbs 14 oz and was 20.5" long.  He is in the upper 20s-30s percentiles in every category!  With his new found growth also comes reflux.  He started some medication but it doesn't seem to be doing a lot of good.  He is having trouble resting so we no longer sleep at our house!  Of course he is still eating well!

    Jack is growing up before our eyes!  He loved Santa this year and proudly announced that the reason for Christmas is Jesus.  He sings "Jesus Loves Me" all the time.  Lest I make him sound like a saint, remember he is two -- so we had a small argument about whether Jesus loved just Jack or mommy and daddy too. Eventually he saw reason and acquiesced to our way of thinking...sort of.

    Speaking of transitions, Sam is doing well.  He is actually sleeping 3-4 hours at a time.  Yipee!!  Since he wasn't in a noisy NICU for long he has done well at home.  As long as he has a dry diaper, a full tummy and a tightly swaddled blanket, he is a happy camper.

    Luke is in a busy stretch at work, busy ordering millions of dollars of equipment for projects all over the world.  He seems to be enjoying the work though -- at least most of the time!!

    My work -- well I shouldn't be doing any work since I am on maternity leave...but best laid plans right...???!!!!  Things are still busy and my sub isn't helping things.  I visit the school at least once a day and work several hours a week getting things organized and graded.  Hopefully this will change at semester!

   Well...it's off to put the boys to bed...more later...

OH...and the pictures may be slow coming now that I have two little ones!

    News on Sam -- he is off oxygen completely and is working on feeding!!  He has taken two bottles today like a champ and is always ready for more.  Sam seems to be getting a little orange so he might have to (probably will have to) sit under the bili lights for jaundice soon.  Hopefully he won't have to do that long because if things keep progressing as quickly as they have he will be home soon!! 

 

Jack is turning into quite the little entertainer.  He "read" to his class the other day.  He has the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" memorized as it correlates to the pictures on the page and his teachers let him present it during story time.  He can actually do this with quite a few books...not going to lie it is a little freaky sometimes!

 

Luke celebrated his 27th birthday about 2 weeks ago.  We had a nice celebration just the two of us at Fogo de Chao and then more nice celebrations our parents' houses. Work is keeping him super busy as well -- but he able to work on some really interesting projects.

 

Other birthdays this month are Grandma Pearson and Gigi Margie.  Happy Birthday to both!

 

Work is absolutely wearing me out right now.  With no holidays since Labor day this year is beginning to feel more of a marathon than usual. I am hoping things will get easier soon! I just focus on the joy of officially being the most pregnant I've ever been.  And I secretly get a little joy out of telling strangers that news...they never really get it!

 

More later...

    My blood pressure is high but not high enough to warrant a change in medication or bedrest.  My blood work came back wonderfully normal as did the protein levels.  Because of all this we had another ultrasound of Sam.  He is big -- of course!  He weighed 2lbs 12oz at 27 weeks.  Sam is not as big as Jack was at the same time which I was glad to know!  Sam is also head up -- not anywhere ready to be kicked out.  For the first time I got to talk about the hospital I am choosing to deliver at and setting up a pediatrician for the delivery.  We never had those options for Jack...we didn't even get to choose the city much less the hospital and pedi.  It was kinda fun!

    I have new pictures of Sam and of course tons of Jack but school is so ridiculously busy that I haven't had time to get them up here.  Pray that Sam and I are able to maintain the status quo for the duration -- we have 9 weeks to go until induction time.

    Jack can now sing his ABC's, count to 20, name the days of the week and the months of the year.  He knows about a zillion nursery rhymes by heart and can sing just about any song he hears (including a little Black Crows -- that was an accident on our part!).  Jack's favorite book is his rhyming Bible.  Yesterday he crawled up in Luke's lap, requested a Bible story and then pronounced that he loved Jesus.  Luke asked him if he wanted to be a pastor and Jack answered, "yes, an Aggie pastor."  We aren't sure what an Aggie pastor is but it sounds good to us!

    Jack is now fully aware of Sam's imminent arrival and can tell you that he will be having a baby brother named Sam at Christmas time -- and that Sam is in mommy's tummy and that he will sleep upstairs when he arrives.  Of course, while Jack CAN tell you all of these things...he doesn't usually -- Sam is a bit of a sensitive subject sometimes.  Occasionally Jack will even say that he doesn't want to be nice to Sam.  Of course there are other times when Jack blows raspberries on my stomach and giggles that he is tickling Baby Sam. 

    We go back to the doctor on Tuesday 10/2 for Sam...we expect things to look fabulous as always! 

 

    Jack is back at school as I am now in my second full week with students.  We had a bit of a scare on Friday; Jack broke out in hives at school and we had to make a last minute appointment with the doctor.  Of course Jack's pediatrician was out of the state for Labor Day weekend.  Fortunately we were able to rangle an appointment with my physician.  We did blood work (no results yet) but the consensus was that Jack had a severe allergic reaction.  Since we hadn't changed anything at home we know that it must be something at school.  We are still trying to investigate the cause but so far nothing.  After a week of steroids and anti-histamine Jack is feeling much better.

     We had quite a Labor Day weekend.  We purchased the baby furniture and finally decided on a nursery theme.  I have put pictures up of the furniture and the bedding.  And for those that don't know...baby boy #2 has a name.  He will be Samuel Evan (Evan[s] is my mother's maiden name) and we will call him Sam.

    We also finished Jack's room this weekend -- well sort of.  We still need to put in his new dresser (that will match the natural wood of his toy storage), hang his shelves over the dresser and then move all the toys back in.  But...the parts that are done are up in pictures.  A big thanks to Danielle Violet for the mural -- it has to be the best part of the room.

    First, Luke and I have been dragging Jack around Houston looking at furniture for the new baby.  On our last trip to a particular store, Jack decided he had had enough of shopping for his brother and exhibited less than desireable behavior.  He decided that he wanted to take his crocs off and run like a banshee through the displays of baby cribs and changing tables.  By the way, Jack calls his crocs his "snappygators" -- a name of his own creation.  Back to the story -- Luke and I spent the better part of our time in the store convincing, and then forcing, Jack to put his snappygators back on -- that is until we decided to leave.  Yesterday we went back to the store with my mom and dad to make the final decision on baby furniture.  Jack was playing in one of the display gliders and his snappygator fell off; he immediately ran over and asked for help to put it back on.  One of the sales associates said, "Oh is this the snappygator boy?  I have told his story to probably a dozen customers since the last time you were in here."  All I could think was WONDERFUL -- my child (and his atrocious behavior) are so memorable that people are telling and retelling his story!!

    Now a bit of Jack's precocious behavior.  If you haven't been around Jack lately, you probably don't know that he talks better than most toddlers and can even give some pre-schoolers a run for their money in the gab department.  At dinner this week, Jack decided it would be funny to drop things on the dog.  While we weren't crazy about him dropping food, he was at least learning a valuable lesson -- drop the food on the dog and you lose the food. But then Jack pulled out the fork and began to dangle it precariously over the edge of the table.  Luke told Jack not to drop the fork or he would get in trouble.  Jack turned in attention to Luke, cocked his head to the side, gave a sly impish grin and then proceeded to drop the fork.  Of course at that point, he began to cry that he wanted the fork back (before we could even begin to correct him). Luke proceeded to tell him that he warned him not to drop the fork and that now that it was on the floor it would stay there for the duration of the meal. Jack sweetly, with big crocodile tears welling up in his eyes, then said, "I didn't understand."  Luke and I looked at one another and simultaneously said "we're in trouble." -- our toddler already knows how to make excuses to get out of trouble.

    Oh wonderful little Jack -- our lives would be so boring without him!!

    We asked Jack if he wanted a little brother and he said yes.  I am not sure he understands what that means exactly but a yes is a positive step. So now it is off to gather more boy goodies.  I suppose I should learn -- I mean really LEARN -- the rules of baseball.  I have a feeling I will be watching a lot of it in the coming years. Hopefully we can steer them both to football -- I know the rules to that game already!

    Our latest journey took us back to the hills of Texas -- to Llano to be precise.  We had a fun filled week on a ranch directly on the river.  It was wonderfully relaxing -- and Jack learned the difference between a swimming pool and a river! We have enjoyed our time but with school just three weeks away (for teachers anyway) it is time to try to return to some normalcy of schedule.

    Jack has decided that he is no longer a baby -- he is a big boy and he announces this at least 10 times a day. Just this morning he told me that he was a big boy and was going to eat his big boy waffle.  It's a good and important transition -- especially with a little one on the way.  Jack has also begun to master the ABC's and can, when he is in the mood, identify some of his letters. Additionally, he has decided that "thank you" alone is no longer sufficient as he has of his own accord added "ma'am" and "sir" to it.

    The bean seems to be doing well...nothing to report really.  Of course the belly is getting bigger all the time and I occasionally feel little kicks and wiggles.  This pregnancy is still shaping up to be completely different from the first. Hopefully that means we can make it to at least the right month if not to full term.

    Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary -- 3 years. While we are not celebrating in enormous fashion now, Luke has planned a wonderful trip to Chicago for us in July.  We cannot wait!

    That's all from here!  More pictures soon -- I have to chase the munchkin now!

 

    Jack and I went to our first official playdate today with our Bible Study class.  We had a blast at the pool with all the other mommies and kiddos.  I didn't realize how much I was missing being at work. Tomorrow it looks like we will head to the beach.  Next week we start swim lessons!  Jack and I have quite a busy summer planned!

    The biggest event this month is Jack's second birthday. It is so hard to believe that he is already 2!  Time flies when you are having fun!

   I'll leave you with new pictures -- or at least ones you haven't seen!