something to smile about

This morning we had Dawson's Early Intervention (EI) evaluation and happily it went very well! We met with a physical therapist and a speech therapist and they spent about an hour engaging our little guy.

He is doing GREAT! :) (Well, we already knew that hehe, but nice to have a professional agree ^_~) In terms of his motor skills, the PT was very impressed with how he's doing - he is a bit delayed of course in terms of where most typical babies are at this point, but just in little things like not bringing his arms upward reaching as much as they'd like, having a wobbly head when being held upright, kicking his legs out a bit to the side instead of rotating his hips inward and kicking straight up, etc. She showed us that although it appears he has good neck control, it's because he has found a trick to compensate for the weakness there - he rotates one shoulder forward and the other backward, stabilizing his head. Of course that's not a good thing as it can create a bad habit but it's so amazing what these little guys can come up with to make their bodies do what they want them to do! :) She said his muscle tone is a bit weaker than typical kids but it's excellent compared to most DS babies and that most of his skills - kicking his legs a lot, bringing hands to midline, turning his head while lifting it during tummy time, tracking objects with his eyes, grasping objects with both hands - are very advanced for DS babies and not too far behind typical kids. She gave us some tips to help encourage him to reach upward more and to prevent him from compensating with his shoulders while holding his head upright but overall she was really pleased with how well he's doing.

The ST eval was even better - there were 5 areas she tested and scored on (I forget them all lol, it was like Cognitive, Social, etc) and he's actually measuring above average at the level of a 3 month old or above (and that's on a scale of typical kiddos, not DS babies) - smiling, cooing, making and holding eye contact, getting excited or irritated at loud sharp noises and happy with voices, looking for voices, and of course feeding well hehe!

The therapists did bring up something that I brought up with the ENT - the possibility of silent reflux - because of how gassy/fussy he was the whole time and a few times it looked like he was going to spit up but then he swallowed it back down. The ENT said he didn't think he had it, but we went ahead and made an appointment with the only pedi gastro here to be safe (out of network of course, but what can you do?) His appointment is on 3/20. The PT also said he seems to have some abdominal muscle separation (diastasis) which we also already figured because of his big Buddha belly, and the pedi didn't seem to think anything of it but she said we should really push him to monitor it and make sure the muscles close up over time so we'll bring that up again at his 4 month check-up.

So all in all he's doing great and I'm very glad we can focus on the areas he needs help in. It makes me very hopeful that if we work hard we can minimize any delays he might have. We're so proud of him! ^_^

To top it off, the little ham must've known he had a critical audience - he chose this morning to go from occasional, hard-to-get smiles to full-blown easy grins! And what a cute grin it is!

messes: take three

Why is it that some days go so smoothly, butter across the French toast, while others are a quick succession of messes-mommy-is-too-tired-to-clean-up? My kids are masters at coordinated efforts, and Monday was no exception. One roll of toilet paper, one box of Kashi cereal (at least it was the yuck-o kind with the twigs) and a half-bag of frozen tortellini later and PRESTO! I had newly cleaned floors and these three pictures. Isn't everything much cuter in hindsight? :)

We carted the kids off to the pediatrician that night for 3/4 well visits. Cade was 35 lbs, 40 1/2" and grumpy as ever. Macy was 23 lbs 8 oz and 31 3/4". And stealing the title of Biggest Superchunk Yet was little Dawson at 13 lbs 12 oz and 21 1/2" long! All are healthy, Macy had one shot (we decided to delay the MMR until 2) and Dawson, the lucky little dog, came away with no pricks at all and a raincheck for next December. It's amazing what one extra chromosome can buy you these days - even a year's reprieve from vaccinations due to mom's unwillingness to Mess With Things that Need Not be Messed With while that little brain and little body work hard to do their best.

So glad for healthy little ones - onward to the next mess!

our funny valentine

Four years ago today I was in the midst of my first and worst birth experience. Four years ago today we said hello to our little wild one, Cade. I can no longer recall the exact tone and pitch of his first cry, but I can still vividly remember the blanket of relief that fell over me as I realized despite being over four weeks early, his lungs were mature.

Matt and I never planned on having children. Cade was a surprise, a not-supposed-to-happen. But he was hard-pressed to show us exactly what we would have been missing out on had our plans unfolded flawlessly. He is still just as determined.

It is so hard to believe that our little man is 4 years old already - even harder to believe that we now have three other sweeties to call our own. The last four years have truly been an achingly beautiful microcosm - a fast assault of new lessons and a new take on the meaning we give our lives. Matt and I are both very different people than when we first met over eight years ago (wow! has it been that long?), but although sometimes the demanding existence of Mama and Dada presses down on us like no stress we have ever known, the rewards are simple and infinite. A smile, a laughing raspberry, a soft hand intertwined, an innocent question, a silly face - if there was ever a shadow of magic in this world, this is it. And to think it all started with one little boy ...

Happy Birthday Cade! ^_^

perspective

I was doing some exercises with Dawson on the couch this morning and moved him to his tummy - he propped up for a few minutes but then started fussing, clearly done with tummy time for the moment LOL! Before I realized what he was doing he rolled over onto his back!

I put him back on his belly and after a minute he rolled over again. Back on his belly yet again - this time he rolled back over immediately. I thought, okay maybe the slight incline of the couch cushion is the culprit and I adjusted him to face outward so he was on a level surface - he rolled again! So I finally put him down on the floor on his tummy where after a big fuss he rolled again - 8 more times before I finally believed the milestone was reached. (Mommy's a slow learner, what can I say? heh)

Cade: tummy to back at 6 months old

Parker: tummy to back at 5 months old

Macy: tummy to back at 5 months old

Dawson: tummy to back at 2 months old

I started crying lol, not because he reached the milestone and left his sibs in the dust at that!, but because I never realized before how much I take these little things for granted. What a wonderful gift of perspective he has given us! Could we be any more blessed? :)

And of course - the pics!

And couldn't resist posting this one ^_^

slow start

Still working on transferring files to the new site. I've decided to go for a traditional blog this time as updating three separate mini blogs for each child - and now one more! - was becoming much too time-consuming (time?? what's that?) So I'll be posting updates on the kids and the general rantings of one stay-at-home mommy :)

rewind: macy

(Prior updates)

8.8.07


Macy is mobile! She just started crawling 2 weeks ago and is now an old pro - turning up all over the house faster than we can keep our eyes on her! :) She's doing great; only babbling "dada" (where's "Mama"??? waaah!), adorable as ever, healthy and chunky and in love with her big brothers. I feel like I'm watching a horse race and she's just waiting for that gate to open - all bets are off for our boys once she starts walking! ^_^ Her 9 month check-up is next week. I have to get some pictures uploaded - unfortunately Matt's laptop bit the dust and I lost over 200 pictures from the last couple months, so hopefully I still have some others on the PC :( I'll just have to make up for it with more pics :) I just ordered the kids' Halloween costumes - Cade will be Captain Hook (of course!), Parker will be Peter Pan (though we seriously considered Mr. Smee hehehe) and Macy will be giving Tink a run for her money :)


3.18.07


FINALLY - new 3 and 4 month pics of our princess are up in the Portal!!!! (And lots of her big brothers going up tomorrow hopefully!!) Macy is doing great, she was 14 lbs 6 oz and 24" long at her 4 month check-up - just perfect! She isn't rolling over yet, but then again she HATES being on her tummy, just like Cade did. She's quite content lying on her back, kicking and giggling at the antics of her brothers. She's just started sleeping through the night in the past week; next goal: get her sleeping in her crib instead of in the swing haha! She gets more and more beautiful everyday, and I can't stop taking pictures of that beautiful little face ^_^ I just got a new, wonderful camera so I can do justice to these gorgeous kiddos of ours - I'm having way too much fun!


1.25.07


Macy is doing great! ^_^ She was 12 lbs even at her 2 month check-up and really starting to smile, coo and giggle. The boys are in love (especially Parker now - he can't walk by her without giving her at least two full-lips kisses!) She gets prettier everyday ... we can't believe how lucky we are to have 3 such gorgeous kiddos! I finally got some new pics up, and if you click on the video link at the top of this page I even have a little video of her from a few weeks ago kicking her legs and making noises. Too cute!! ^_^


11.14.06


Our princess is here!! Macy arrived on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 11:30am after a 12 hour labor but only 13 minutes of pushing. She was a whopping 8 lbs 15 oz and 21 inches long, and is doing great! She has a ton of dark hair (finally!! a dark-haired child haha!) and is such a cutie! The boys are doing great with her - Cade especially is in love ^_^ Life is very busy so will be updating more about her story soon!



11.10.06


39 weeks today and thinking our sweetie will be joining us sometime this weekend!! ^_^ Great appointment this morning - BP was perfect at 120/68 and saw my favorite midwife, Suzanne, who wasn't at all concerned about the ultrasound results. She felt around and said she doesn't feel that big but she does feel long, so that would throw off the estimate they gave me. Didn't mention induction at all, and probably no need to heh! I was 2 cm dilated but she easily stretched me to 3!!! Wow, 1/3 of the way there!! She stripped my membranes (had that done with Parker and went into labor 4 days later) and said it's very soft and stretchy in there and a couple hours of good contractions should be just enough to push things into action. Been having awful cramping and intense contractions on and off all day since, so definitely feeling like this is our weekend! Best part is that Suzanne is the midwife on call until Monday, so that would just be the icing on the cake! ^_~ Can't believe we're going to be holding our little girl so very soon - we're so excited to see her!



11.7.06


Our ultrasound this morning went well, Macy's head down and low, fluid level perfect at 14 and practice breathing the whole time ... but they estimated her weight at 8 lbs 13 oz - YIKES!!! Her head circumference was the smallest of the big 3 measurements, coming in at nearly 1 week ahead. Followed by belly circumference at 1 1/2 weeks ahead and lastly by femur length - at a whopping 2 1/2 weeks ahead, measuring at 41+ weeks!!! Hoping the weight estimate was skewed because of her apparent long legs (just like Mom thought! ^_~) but her cheeks sure did look chunky! She was very shy, turning her head away from the "camera." She looked very grumpy but adorable - and we even saw little hairs on her head! Not looking forward to my appointment on Friday - I expect once the midwife recovers from passing out at the ultrasound report she'll mention the "i" word in no uncertain terms. And although I don't want to be induced if it can be avoided, I also don't want to end up with horrible tearing/episiotomy or a c-section. Hoping to have my membranes stripped just as we did with Parker at his last appointment and have her by next Tuesday at the latest! Now if we can just get little Macy to agree ... ^_^


11.3.06


Had our 38 week appointment this morning, not much going on! Only 1 cm dilated and "just starting to efface" and cervix is still high and posterior with Macy's head still floating slightly. Oy!!! I've had several episodes of prelabor, one that had me thinking maybe it was the real deal, so I was pretty surprised at the lack of progress. Oh well, guess baby girl is nice and cozy in there. The midwife did have my fundal height measuring 5 weeks ahead at 43 cm - yikes!! - so we're having an ultrasound on 11/7 just to be on the safe side. She said Macy doesn't feel like a big baby, so could just be from fluid and/or baby's position - personally I think we've got one long-legged little girl in there! ^_^ It will be fun to see her again, but sure wish it was in real life and not just on a screen! Guess she's just insisting on being a typical girl - late as usual! ^_~



10.27.06


We're now 37 weeks - Macy is full term today!!! ^_^ The little one is free to come anytime heh! Everything is still going great. BP was up a bit at our 36 week appt (138/80) but it had been a pretty stressful morning (we decided to take the boys into the waiting room - oops! Boy was that a noisy mistake! haha!) so I wasn't too worried about it. At our appointment yesterday it was back down to a good number, 130/68. Gained 2 lbs (although can barely fit on the scale anymore because my belly hits against the height-measuring thing-a-mabob heh - next week I may have to stand on it backwards), Macy's heartrate was in the 150s, GBS test was negative and she's still head down. Did have some white blood cells in my urine sample but the midwife said that was probably due to the spotting I'd had the night before (and contractions too - but alas, it was just a tease! ^_~) So we're just not-so-patiently waiting for our little girl to choose her birthdate! Cade has thrown in his guess. I told him to tell Macy to come out now. His response: "Not yet, Momma!!!!" hahaha! I asked him when she would come out then and he responded, "Halloweeeeeeeeeeen!!" Hope not, we still have some things on our to-do list! ^_^ My latest guess is 11/7 or so. But knowing what stinkers little girls can be, who knows, she might just go overdue!!


10.6.06


Here we are, 34 weeks today! Only 3 weeks til full-term and hopefully no more than 5 weeks until Macy is here!! It sure went by fast - except now these last few weeks are dragging ever so slowly! November cannot come soon enough for this tired mommy! ^_^ We're doing great, BP doing beautifully all on its own, 120/75 at our visit 2 weeks ago and 120/70 at our appointment this past Tuesday. Weight gain has come to a stop finally, so should mean we're getting close! Our little stinker was frank breech for about a month but she's now head down and dropping lower into the pelvis. Next appointment is on 10/20, we get to have the Group B Strep test and meet with an OB to "sign off" on our VBAC. After that we'll be seen weekly and we'll be getting oh-so-close to meeting our little Macy! We're so excited!



9.11.06


We now have some nursery pictures up - click here! (The "here" link isn't showing up for some reason, just click right in between "click" and "!" heh!) We're nearly finished with the room and have to say we love how it turned out! =) Had our check-up a few days ago and blood pressure was great again (126/68), gained 3 lbs and everything else measuring right along. I had finally taken the 3 hour glucose test a week ago and although I don't officially have gestational diabetes (you have to fail two or more of the four blood draws in order to officially have GD) I did fail one of the draws (by a mere 8 points at that) so to be on the safe side I met with a nutritionist and am following the GD diet and testing my sugars 4 times a day. Although I don't agree with the treatment plan, I know how controversial the diagnosing and treatment of GD is so I'll play the game for now and err on the side of caution ^_~ Should've known if it wasn't going to be blood pressure it would be something else, right? Heheh. Ah well, only 46 days until this little chick is full term! Amazing to think we'll be holding her in only 8 or 9 short weeks! 0_o We can't wait!


8.27.06


Had our last check-up on the 22nd, everything nice and boring - only gained 1 lb, blood pressure was only 122/78 (yay!!) and Macy is now head-down and uterus measuring right on target! We're now being seen every 2 weeks - getting close to the end! Only cavet was that we found out on Thursday that I failed the 1 hour glucose test. Hoping I pass the 3 hour, as I failed the 1 hour with Cade as well but passed the 3 hour with him without a problem. Of course I failed the 1 hour with him with a 147, and this time a 175 - eek! This time wasn't fasting though so that probably made a difference (gotta love how this supposedly standardized test isn't exactly standardized huh?) I was supposed to take the 3 hour yesterday but the nurse failed to give the lab the proper paperwork, so now we're in limbo until we get the lab rescheduled. We also had a 3D ultrasound this morning - Macy is still a girl and looking unbelievably cute! Pics are up here!


7.18.06


Finally, little Macy has her very own area for updates! =) This morning we had our first appointment with our new midwife practice in Sayre, PA - and I loved them! The midwife was so easy-going, relaxed, and actually treated me like I really did have a brain despite the lack of medical degree ^_~ My blood pressure is holding steady on its own for now; at last appointment 4 weeks ago it had reached 140/90, but this morning it was only 138/72 (gotta love that bottom number! Maybe it was the nice relaxing environment heh!) The midwife wrote down a few herbal teas I can try to naturally control and possibly lower it, so I'll be giving those a try in what will probably be the World's Most Disgusting Iced Tea Ever Made. But it will be worth it to avoid the meds and all the extra baggage that comes with them. I'm up 13 lbs total so far (which is good - but we're now entering the month of the biggest gains *shiver*), Macy's heartrate was in the 150s, and the midwife was surprised to feel a little butt up near my ribs. Even though my uterus should NOT be up that high right now, Macy has been kicking me right in my ribs lately, at first I thought maybe she was just bumping my uterus up but I put my hand there the other day and pushed down and was shocked when what was definitely a little foot kicked back! So she's either going to be one long or giant sized baby, or somehow 3 ultrasounds missed double trouble (haha just kidding!) Our next appointment is in 5 weeks (had to push it back because of Bethany Beach) and we get to do the wonderful glucose test then. Can't wait! (Heh)


6.21.06


We had our Level II ultrasound yesterday morning, and we're happy to announce it is indeed a little girl in there! ^_^ She looked perfectly healthy, measuring right on target for a due date of 11/17. Her heartrate was 148 bpm and she weighed in at 8 ounces! We couldn't get many good pictures because she refused to stop looking straight at us heh, so no profile shots. But she did wave her hand at us a few times (aww!) She gave us a peek right away to let us know she was still a girl, but after that her legs were firmly crossed and there was no budging her. I did put up the two cute pics that we got here. We are so excited and now we can really start shopping for pink and purple! =)



5.31.06


Wow what a weekend! It was very hot, very busy, very New York! The boys still had fun and we've nearly fully recovered ^_^ Our 3D ultrasound went great once we got there (only 1/2 hour late haha!), baby looked perfectly normal and we are thrilled to announce we are having ...

a little girl!

Pics of the ultrasound are up here! The tech was definite about the gender, of course for me it seems a little too good to be true, luckily we have our regular level II ultrasound on June 20th, so we can get confirmation then. But the money shot is very pretty and looks like a classic girl shot, so we've already had our first mini pink shopping spree, buying a few adorable sleepers (and one possible going home outfit - click here to see it) - and we fell in love with a bedding set at Babies R Us called "Blossoms", so we of course had to have it and all the accessories! (Click here to see it!) We're keeping receipts just in case, but hoping we won't need them! Macy Elizabeth will be the name of our little princess, we are so excited to complete our little family. Two wonderful boys and one sweet little girl - could it get any better than that? ^_^

rewind: parker

(Prior updates)

8.8.07


Our little sweetie is 2 years old!!! Can't believe how fast it went! :) His birthday party is in a couple weeks so we will be officially celebrating then! He has his 2 year check-up next week; can't wait to see how much he's grown! He's doing great, really starting to chatter more and more and losing those last bits of babyness :( He and Cade are really starting to have fun together, complete with little conversations that only they can understand. ^_^


3.21.07


Just a little update on our little guy - he's doing great, really starting to build his vocabulary and even sometimes chattering a bit :) Can't believe he's almost 2!!! Lots of new pictures up! (Gotta start updating more frequently hah!)


8.8.06


Just a quick update - Parker's 1 year check-up went great, he is perfectly healthy and weighed in at 25 lbs (still a chunker in the 75th percentile, but an improvement from the 95th percentile at 9 months - yikes!) and was 29 5/8" long, right about the 50th percentile just like his big brother. He was a trooper with his shots ^_^



7.30.06


Our little sweetie is 1 year old!! He had a great birthday party last weekend; he was his usual happy, adorable self ^_^ We have pictures up (hey I was fast this time heh!) We had a relaxing day, just went out for dinner and of course gave him lots of birthday kisses. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. No matter how many 1st birthday parties you have, I guess you can never wrap your mind around how fast kids grow up. Hoping for another wonderful year!


7.18.06


Parker's pics are now up to date! (Yay!) 9, 10, and 11 months are now up =) We're less than a week away from Parker's little birthday bash! We were originally thinking of a frog theme (what is it with Parker and frogs? haha) but decided to do something more one-year-old-friendly and went with Sesame Street 1st Birthday. I'm sure he'll love the colors, and he loves Elmo! I can't believe our little baby is almost 1 already - the time goes by so fast *sniff* He is so unbelievably adorable, walking around like a pro (and he's even started clumsily attempting to run from Cade, usually falling in a heap of laughter on the floor), babbling like crazy, sharing his binkie with us (among other things) and yesterday he even said his first official yes-that-was-definitely-a-word kinda word. Cade and I like to play on my old work phone, pretending to talk to people, and Parker has been imitating us for the last few weeks, holding it up to his ear, tilting his head to the side, and sometimes even making the intonations of "hello?" (sounds like uh-uhhh?) But yesterday I handed him the phone and he put it to his ear and looked up at me and said perfectly "Hello?" It was soooo cute! And what a perfect first word for such an open, happy, bighearted little boy =) What a cutie!



5.23.06


Okay, I have FINALLY (*cough* *choke*) put up some new pics of our little chubs! 7 and 8 months are up, and 9 months should be up soon! Our little guy is doing great, cruising all over the place, babbling crazily and even eating table foods! He was perfectly healthy at his 9 month check-up, weighing in at 24lbs 2oz (ouch!) and measuring 28 1/2" long! I have a good excuse for not updating, really I do! (See Site Updates heh!) ^_^



2.2.06


FINALLY - an update!!! These boys are keeping me sooo busy, and now of course I'm a few months behind. Slowly but surely getting all the pics up... Parker has new 4, 5 and 6 month pics but there are some more to be added. He's doing great, sitting up on his own and talking away. Still not rolling, but what can we say? He's a pretty content little guy. He loves to lay on his tummy and sees no need to roll over (yet!) ^_~ His 6 month check-up is next Wed 2/7, can't wait to see how much he's grown!



12.14.05


Ack, long time no update -_- I'll be putting new 4 month pics up very soon. Parker had his 4 month check-up on 11/30 and he was a whopping 15 lbs, 13 oz and 24 1/4" long!! Our wee one is getting so big! He was such a good boy! He's really starting to interact with his world, batting at toys and he's even rolled over a few times. Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh was great - as soon as we put him on the floor when we arrived he started rolling over! Can't wait for his very first Christmas!



10.19.05


Welcome! Here's a little place devoted to our newest addition, baby Parker (a.k.a Fatty!).

---

10.7.05


Parker's 2 Month pictures are up and screaming cuteness! The little guy is doing so wonderfully - at his 2 month check-up he weighed in at 12 lbs 13 oz and was 22 1/4" long!! He gained as much weight in his first two months as his big brother - but Cade had the excuse of having some catching up to do! We're not sure who exactly Parker's trying to catch up to, but we think it might be Godzilla! He's in 3-6 month sizes now, and even some 6-9 month sleepers fit him! He's smiling all the time now, such a happy little guy. We don't even have to work at it like we did with Cade - all we have to do is smile at him and he smiles right back. Sometimes he even lets out a little giggle! The next few months will be so exciting - can't wait until the little chubs is crawling! ^_^



9.7.05


Finally - we have some new pictures up, both newborn and 1 month! Parker is doing great, looking more and more like Cade every day, and getting quite chunky! ^_^ Can you tell which baby is which? Click here for a picture of the clone babies! (Parker is on the left, Cade on the right.) What a pair of cuties we have! ^_^


8.20.05


Wow, can't believe our little guy is already 3 weeks old! Time just flies doesn't it? We made our big move to Binghamton one week ago, and we're just now getting the computer set up. We're still spending most of our free time unpacking and getting settled. The boys' surf-themed bedroom is looking incredible! Can't wait to get some pictures up! Parker was doing well at his appointment 2 weeks ago, he had dropped down to 7 lbs within the first couple days of birth, but was up to 7 lbs 7 oz after 10 days, which is great. His next appointment isn't until 9/28 for his 2 month check-up. Gosh, that doesn't seem that far away anymore *_*



8.7.05


We now have Parker's first pictures up! The little guy is doing great! His next doctor's appointment is this Tuesday! ^_^



8.2.05


Parker has arrived!!!

He decided to beat his induction date and make his appearance on Saturday 7/30. I woke at 6am to my water breaking, and within 15 minutes started having contractions 2-3 minutes apart and pretty painful. We arrived at the hospital at 7:40am and I was 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. It went very fast (and was nice once I got the epidural!) and at 12:20pm I was completely dilated, and at 1pm I started pushing. Parker was born at 2:30pm. He's so adorable and looks just like Cade did! We're both tired and sore, but doing great! Will post some pictures as soon as we have a free second! ^_^



7.26.05


Great appointment this morning (our very last one)! Blood pressure was 102/58, I lost 2 lbs (woohoo!), nonstress test was good, and I'm still 1 cm dilated and now 50 - 75% effaced. The doctor stripped my membranes to try to get things going, and we scheduled an induction for next Monday 8/1!! He might still arrive before then, but if not, only 6 more days to go and little baby Parker will be here!! We're so excited and can't wait to meet him!



7.22.05


A busy day today ... after much deliberation, we decided to cancel the c-section and go ahead and try for a VBAC. So it's back to the waiting game! We had our ultrasound this morning, Parker was measuring 3 days ahead still - he weighs 7 lbs, 9 oz!! He's so squished in there! At that rate he'll weigh around 8 - 8 1/2 lbs at birth. Almost twice what his big brother weighed! He then spent most of the nonstress test sleeping while I had tons of contractions; finally after I had some hershey kisses he woke up and gave us some good reactions. Then had our second internal exam - we're now 1 cm dilated! Really hoping we keep progressing and go into labor on our own very soon!



7.15.05


Just got a call from my doctor's office and we have the c-section scheduled - the date is 7/27 at 7:30am! Still hoping he'll make his appearance before that, but if not - only 12 more days until we meet our little guy!! ^_^



7.14.05


Today Parker is officially considered full term!! We're so happy to have made it this far! Yesterday's appointment was good - everything normal and Parker looked great on the nonstress test. Matt and I also decided to go ahead and schedule a repeat c-section for the week of 7/25. I would still like to try for a VBAC if I go into labor before then, but with us moving to Binghamton on 8/13, we don't want to end up having a baby on 8/7 and then moving only a couple days after being discharged from the hospital. So I've got my fingers crossed that Parker decides to come out and play soon, but if not we'll be meeting him in 2 weeks or less anyways! We don't have the section scheduled yet, we're just waiting for the office to call us back with the date. Next week is Parker's very last ultrasound, and possibly our very last doctor's appointment! Wow how time flies! ^_^



7.7.05


Yet another perfect/boring appointment this morning - blood pressure was great, nonstress test great, fluid level perfect ... had our first internal exam and was kind of disappointed to learn that not much is going on right now. The doctor said maybe a little effacement (although Matt thinks he said that to make me feel better haha!) but no dilation yet. Parker's head is very low and easy to reach, so maybe that's a good sign. Talked about what happens if and when we get to my due date with no sign of baby, since we don't want to go too far beyond my due date because of the blood pressure issue. We agreed we would try induction as long as we don't use any cervadil/cytotec or other cervical ripener which can increase the chances of uterine rupture. So we scheduled our last two weekly appointments, with the last one being on the due date 8/4, and if Parker hasn't arrived by then we'll be scheduling the induction within a few days of that. We also scheduled our next growth scan so we can see how fat he's gotten - he was looking pretty squished on the fluid check! Come out soon Parker!!! ^_^


6.30.05


Another uneventful appointment today ... didn't gain any weight, fluid level was good, blood pressure was good, and Parker did great on the nonstress test - he was very active this morning. Next appointment we have our Group B Strep test and our first internal exam to see if anything's gearing up to go!



6.23.05


Great appointment this morning - blood pressure was back down to 100/60, I only gained 1 lb, nonstress test was perfect, and our ultrasound went great. Parker is measuring 3 days ahead now, weighing in at 5 lbs 4 oz! He is also head down now!! Just hoping he stays that way! ^_^



6.16.05


New ultrasound picture of Parker's little face is up! Not much new going on. Our appointment this morning went well, blood pressure was a little up but still very good, Parker's nonstress test was great, fluid levels looked good. He's still breech *_* If he hasn't turned head down by our 36 week check-up then we'll schedule a repeat c-section. So hoping he flips in time for his growth scan next week!



6.11.05


Had our appointment yesterday morning, blood pressure was great again (100/60), we gained 3 lbs in 8 days!! O_O Parker was a little difficult again for the nonstress test, it took us 10 minutes to get a steady heartbeat and then he was in a rather quiet mood for the first 15 minutes. Luckily for him the nurses kind of forgot about us and after 40 minutes we had a few good accelerations. He also had a very bad case of hiccups for the last 10 minutes or so - it was so cute, we could hear them on the nonstress machine and he was shaking my whole belly. We finally made it to my fluid check appointment (40 minutes late) where we saw Parker yawn twice (hiccups will do that to you!) and found out that the little stinker is now breech! His head is under my ribs and his bum in my pelvis. I think he flipped the day before because I felt really bad pain for a few hours, and it usually hurts whenever he changes position. It's still early, so hopefully he flips back to head down at some point in the next few weeks. Our next growth ultrasound is scheduled for 6/23 when I'm 34 weeks - we are now taking bets on how big he is heh! Matt is guessing 6 lbs even, and I'm guessing 6 lbs, 5 oz or more, but hopefully we're both wrong because that would be one big boy! =) Hopefully we get a good picture of him this time. This new ultrasound place is terrible with pictures.



6.2.05


Another uneventful check-up this morning...blood pressure was a whopping 102/60 and baby measured fine. The nonstress test was a bit of an annoyance, Parker refused to sit still and his heartbeat kept popping in and out on the machine. He was moving around like crazy, kicking the monitor off and trying to get away I guess! A few more weeks and he won't have much room to hide! Amniotic fluid level looked good, so crossing our fingers for another boring appointment next week! ^_^



5.26.05


We had our check-up this morning, blood pressure still good, and our first NST went great - Parker was very active and got lots of accelerations. He kept kicking the NST monitor off and I had to keep pressing it back down because it would lose his heartbeat. Already a little stinker! We then had our ultrasound to check for growth - everything looked great, he is still head-down and very low, and had his legs folded in front of his face and his feet next to his head, all curled up in a ball. Very cute! He measured a full week ahead, weighing in at 3 lbs, 9 oz!! His thigh-bone length and of course, head circumference, were measuring the furthest ahead - looks like another long-legged, big-headed cutie pie for us! ^_^



5.18.05


Had our appointment this morning, blood pressure was great once again, we're measuring right along, and we found out that I passed my glucose test with flying colors! Passing is levels of 135 or less, and mine was 111 (for comparison, my levels were 147 when I failed the 1-hour test with Cade)! So everything's looking really good, we're really starting to get excited about the prospect of a pre-eclampsia free pregnancy and a full-term little one! Next week we start our weekly check-ups, nonstress tests and amniotic fluid level checks. We're also getting our monthly ultrasound to check for growth next week - can't wait to see how big our little guy has gotten! =)



5.13.05


Well, we got the results back from the 24 hour holter monitoring and the echocardiogram and the doctor said everything looked good...so hopefully tomorrow morning's glucose test turns out just as good! We'll be spending the day at the zoo with Cade, so that should put it out of my mind for a little while at least =)



5.11.05


We ordered Parker's going home outfit this past weekend, and it should arrive today! It's so cute! You can see a picture here. My cardiology appointment last week was good, doctor didn't think I had any problems, but tomorrow I'm doing a 24-hour holter monitoring and then Friday an echocardiogram just to be safe. Then Saturday morning I'll be taking my 1-hour glucose test. This week is just fun, fun, fun isn't it? ^_~



5.4.05


We had our prenatal check-up this morning. My blood pressure was very good (the lowest yet in fact!) and we're measuring right around 27 weeks. Everything's looking good! We got our prescription for the 1-hour glucose test (oh yay) so I'm planning on taking it next weekend. I failed it with Cade (but then passed the 3-hour) so hoping I pass it the first time! We go back for another check-up in 2 weeks, and we'll get an ultrasound again shortly after that, and then probably start weekly appointments pretty soon after this next appointment.



4.22.05


We had our third ultrasound this morning! Parker is looking very cute and getting big - he's measuring 1 lb, 13 oz and we're right where we should be for our due date! He's already in the head-down position - his big brother was also in a head-down position at his 28-week ultrasound, so seems like neither boy has inherited their dad's penchant for procrastination ^_~ We saw so many beautiful shots of his profile and face on the screen, the pictures the tech printed for us don't do him justice! He looks almost exactly like Cade, so cute and button-nosed, with that perfectly round head. It's so fun to think about what he'll look like...maybe just like Cade but darker-haired and brown-eyed. Can't believe we have less than 15 weeks to find out! =)



4.14.05


Still working on the website...hopefully we'll be up and running soon with working links and everything! We had our appointment yesterday, blood pressure was good and we're measuring right where we should be. We have another ultrasound scheduled for one week from tomorrow just to check up on his growth - can't wait to see our little guy again! I'm thinking I've got a giant in there - we can already see him from the outside, bumping around and poking his back and bum up at us heh! We also just bought Parker's nursery bedding. We're doing a beach/surfer theme - perfect for our August baby!



3.24.05


Here we are! Welcome! The website is still a work in progress; we hope Parker loves the little frog theme! ^_^

rewind: cade

(Prior updates)

8.8.07


Cade is getting to be such a big boy - we have just sent in the deposit and paperwork for preschool! o_O We originally planned on having him at the center at BU, but they ended up not having any spots (despite spending a year on the waiting list! :P) so he'll be going to the Discovery Center Childrens' Museum preschool - we hope he loves it there. He loves going to the museum and now he'll get to play there every day! He is as spirited as ever (to put it nicely hehe) so we are very hopeful that preschool gives him the focus he needs to direct those crazy energies! :) He'll be going 5 mornings a week - Mom gets her first taste of playing taxi-driver to 4 extremely closely-spaced kiddos! I can't wait! (Not!) ^_^


3.21.07


Yay!! New pictures are up of our big boy, including from his 3rd bday bash! Cade had a Bob the Builder theme (his obsession of the month heh!) complete with Bob costume. His second Christmas ... er...I mean birthday party hehe ... was a success - everyone had a great time! Cade is doing great, amazing us everyday with the things he says and knows. He is a very hyper, free-spirited child so somedays it feels like we have 4 or 5 kids instead of 3, but we definitely never lack for exciting moments ^_^


7.18.06


Woohoo new pics of our big boy are now up! Decided to create a new page for "2 1/2 years", so those pics basically cover the time since his 2nd Birthday party. I'll probably have to separate it further - hate having dozens of pics all one page hehe. Cade is doing wonderfully, he is learning so much and saying so many things every day. His newest thing is saying "One more time" while holding up one pointer finger - he especially likes to do this when he wants to be spun around in a circle repeatedly (of course hah!) It's so adorable!



3.4.06


Finally, we have Cade's 2nd birthday pics up! I really wanted to get the pics up sooner, but life happened, what can I say? ^_^ Cade's doing great, saying more and more everyday - really becoming a big boy!



2.14.06


HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADE!!! Our little Valentine is 2 years old! We watched the clock turn to 5:12 and tried hard to remember that first cry. Amazing how fast life flies and those memories get harder and harder to recall. Cade had a wonderful birthday party, and we went out for breakfast this morning to celebrate again. We'll hopefully have all the pictures up this weekend ^_^


2.2.06


Can't believe it ... Cade is going to be 2 in 12 days!!! O_O He is such a big boy! Where did the time go?? He's such a smartie, he has a vocabulary that still boggles our minds, can have a whole conversation with us (or himself hehe!) and he's even started counting from 1 to 10!! We're still trying to convince him though that his age is "2" and his name is "Cade" not "Old" ^_^ We're having a little birthday celebration for him on Sunday 2/12 - a LazyTown theme (his absolute favorite show that he just can't go 24 hours without!) Complete with a 4-tier cake with lollipops (a replica from a cake in one of the episodes), personalized candy bar wrappers and blue and light blue M&Ms ordered special! We even have a surprise Sportacus costume for Cade to wear on the big day, and Mom is fighting through her embarassment and donning a pink wig a-la Stephanie! His 2 year check-up is next Wed 2/7!



12.14.05


Our big boy is doing great! Really looking forward to his 2nd Christmas - he knows how to say "Santa" and even says "Ho ho ho!" in a cute funny way! He loves the tree, especially turning on the lights! He's going to be so excited this year! I can't believe he's nearly 2 years old - where did all the time go?!



10.17.05


Welcome to Cade's side of the world! Our big boy is doing great!

---

10.14.05


We now have a wishlist up for Cade! We thought it would make it easier to give everyone ideas for Christmas - complete with links to where to find them! We'll add things as we see them. We're usually so last-minute, we're starting early this year! ^_^ We're probably going to move our bedroom downstairs and turn that room into a playroom for the boys, so we've got to get it all decked out! The playroom theme? U of M of course! We should have a wishlist up on Parker's site soon too (although what could a little chubs like him want for Christmas? We'll have to think of things!)



10.7.05

Finally, at last - an update! New pictures are up!! It's so tough to manage two websites, I'm going to be starting work on a central website for both boys (a surfer theme of course!) - we must simplify!! ^_^ Cade is doing great, he's becoming such a little man. He gets sweeter with Parker everyday, and they're really starting to interact. When Parker's sitting in the bouncy seat, Cade kisses him and claps Parker's hands together - Parker thinks it's the funniest thing and starts cooing and grinning. It's so wonderful to see them together - can't wait until Parker is old enough to really play with his big brother. Cade's vocabulary is just taking off, and he's learning how to dress himself - a couple weeks ago he raced into the bedroom while I was changing Parker shouting "Look! Look!" ... I looked and looked and couldn't figure out what I should be seeing, when I realized he was wearing a pair of shorts. He'd only been wearing a onesie before, so he'd gotten a pair out of his drawer and put them on all by himself - the right way and everything! I just about cried right there. Our baby Cade is growing up! ^_^



8.7.05

We're so thrilled to announce that Cade became a big brother on Saturday July 30th, at 2:30pm!! We had been scheduled for an induction on Monday 8/1, but baby Parker decided to beat the clock and arrived via VBAC (vaginal birth after cesaerean) after a fast 7 hours of labor and 1 1/2 hours of pushing. He was 7 lbs 6 oz and 21" long. He looks just like his big brother did - it's kind of scary how similar looking they are!! We were discharged only 24 hours later and are doing great! Cade is being a wonderful big brother, giving him kisses and holding his hand when we're in the car. We're still getting adjusted to life as a family of four, but we're so happy that Parker has finally arrived!


7.23.05

Just a quick update - we've been so busy getting ready for baby Parker's arrival! Cade is doing great, learning tons of new words (we made a list and his vocabulary is around 35 words and learning new ones every day!) He was sick for a couple days last week and now has an ear infection - poor guy! We are now less than 2 weeks away from Parker's due date - pretty soon we'll be posting that Cade is a big brother! ^_^


6.21.05

Finally got some new pictures up! Cade's been so busy - we had a fun trip to the zoo, Grandma came out to visit for Memorial Day weekend and we went to Chuck E Cheese's for the first time and played outside in Cade's new kiddie pool!


5.23.05

We have some new pictures up of the big boy! Besides a bad cold all last week, he's doing great!


4.28.05

Cade had his 15-month well check-up today (well, 14 1/2 month heh) - and he's doing great! he weighed in at 24 lbs, 4 oz and he's 31 1/4" long! his chest sounded clear, both ears are totally clear of infection and fluid, and he was so brave with his 2 shots! he's such a happy little guy, when we were first called in from the waiting room he ran after the nurse screaming and laughing. it's so nice to have a true "well" check-up once in a while! ^_^


4.22.05

we had our third ultrasound today - Parker is looking great and weighing in at 1 lb, 13 oz. make sure you go to his website to see all of our ultrasound pictures! Cade has his well check-up this coming Thursday, so we'll get to see how big our little chubs has grown!



4.14.05

Cade is 14 months old today! wow it goes by so fast. he's started eating "big boy" food - sandwiches, pasta, chicken nuggets - he's got Mom cookin' all night ^_^ after much, much debate, we finally decided on a name for our new addition - Parker Reese! we have another ultrasound scheduled for next Friday to see how much he's grown (we can't wait!) we are also launching "ribbit", Parker's very own website. I've added a link above so check it out! not much there yet, but it's in the works! =)



3.12.05

biggest update ever! all of Cade's pictures are now up! 9, 10, 11 months and even his 1st birthday! enjoy! Cade's big birthday bash was a great success - Cade was a little shy at first but then he became the little entertainer, walking all over the place and getting into everything (he seems to be very good at that!) he loved his cake, made a huge mess, and helped Mom open lots of great presents. since then, he's been perfecting his walking skills ... he tries to run and he can stand up from sitting without holding onto anything. he's also becoming quite the little helper - he'll even look for and bring us his shoes if we ask him! we've also been trying to teach him that there's a baby in Mom's tummy - now he'll walk over, lift my shirt a little and pat my tummy and say "babeee" in his cute mispronounciation! he probably doesn't really understand yet, so hopefully he doesn't start pointing to less-than-svelte strangers' tummys and saying "babeee"!! speaking of the little bean, we had our big ultrasound 2 weeks ago and all looks perfect, baby was measuring 7 oz and we found out that it's a boy!! we're so excited that Cade will have a little brother to play with. now I have to get working on another website! the name we have picked out so far is Holden Wylie ... Cade and Holden has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? ^_^



12.28.04

finally! I got Cade's 8 month pics up! I still have our holiday portraits to post, and I have to get his 9 and 10 month film developed. we've been so busy, and of course I'm tired all the time - I have a good excuse though! ^_~ Cade had a great Christmas, although he was more interested in climbing on his presents than opening them heh. but he got lots of cool big boy toys that he loves. he's cruising all over the place now, running marathons around the coffee table. he'll be taking those first all-by-myself steps anyday now. our baby jelly bean is doing well, too. we saw the heartbeat last week at 154 bpm. all looks well, and looks like I'm probably due more around August 6th. oh well, two more days for Cade to enjoy the wonders of being the only child! =)



12.07.04

new pics will be up soon... I have them all cut and loaded, just have to put them up on a page. Cade has his 9 month check-up last week and he was 20 lbs, 11 oz and 28.5" long!! he's such a big guy! he just got over a little cold (which he of course gave to his mom!) but is feeling much better now. he's crawling all over the place now, forward and backward, and pulling himself up on tables and other things. he says BABA, MAMA, and just yesterday he started saying DADA - he's sooo cute when he babbles! in other news, we're happy to announce that Cade will be a big brother sometime next year around August 4th! we already have names picked out - Holden Cooper for a boy or Avery Claire for a girl. it would be nice for Cade to have a little brother, but of course a girl would be wonderful too (and I already have ideas for her website - think pink! ^_~) but just hoping to be blessed again with a beautiful and healthy baby, just like Cade!



11.01.04

at long last - an update! Cade's 7 month pics are now up (I know, I know, we're almost 2 months behind!) he's not quite crawling yet, though he is scooting backward now and he likes to rotate in a circle up on his elbows. he started clapping his hands last week - he does it so clumsily but so adorable and he gets a real kick out of it when we clap back at him! he's still getting cuter with every passing second, and he's started developing a preference for his mommy (he still loves playing with dad, but if I'm nearby he'll lean and reach for me) which I don't mind at all! he was tigger for his very first halloween - he wore his costume at the parade at daycare, but alas - he fell asleep at 4:30pm on halloween so he couldn't stay up to welcome the 2 trick-or-treaters who came to our door (we were very busy!) he's getting his flu shot in 2 weeks, but doesn't have another check-up until 11/30, so we'll see how fat he's gotten then! ^_^



8.29.04

Cade was 18 lbs, 2oz and 26" long at his 6-month check-up! he's just perfect. (though he does have a big head hehe - 45 cm!!) he did really well with his shots. we have his 6-month pictures up now - including some neat black and white ones we took in Michigan.



8.22.04

we just got back from visiting Grandma in Michigan yesterday. Cade did so well on his first plan rides. a little fussy at times, but mostly slept or flirted with the flight attendants ^_^ he had a tough week, constipated and gassy and mostly miserable. the last day he was a lot happier, and so we went to Grandma's work to show him off! he did take one dip in the pool, but it was a little cold and he cried. he loved Simon, his Dad's old english sheepdog. it was a fun trip, too bad it couldn't last longer and without constipation! new pics will be up soon. cade has his check-up tomorrow night, so we'll get to see how fat he's gotten heh!



8.7.04

Cade's rolling over all the time now!! (tummy to back) he looks so silly doing it. he moves his upper body first and then smiles like a goof while he tries furiously to swing his legs over. when he finally succeeds he's so proud of himself! he sits up pretty well too now - we still have to offer nearby protection but he's getting so good at it! we started veggies last weekend - he loves sweet potatoes, and likes his peas too. this weekend we're starting a new cereal. today, oatmeal; tomorrow, the world!



7.29.04

Cade's 5 month old pictures are up now! poor thing caught a cold about 2 weeks ago that turned into an ear infection and bronchitis - after a week of antibiotics and nebulizer treatments he's almost all better. we went to the doctor today and we can stop the meds and don't have to go back until aug. 23 for his regular check-up. he was 17 lbs, 8 oz today! ^_^



7.17.04

new pictures are up from boston!! 5 month pics are on the way soon. in other news, Cade laughed like a grown-up this morning! he's been "baby laughing" for a few months ("geeee!!!") but this morning he was cracking up with real hahas - he laughed so hard he gave himself the hiccups. he is too cute! ^_^



7.10.04

well, mom just accidentally erased the whole homepage, so we're starting from scratch here. *_* Cade had a great time in boston over 4th of July weekend ... he was very good but slept through the fireworks of course! at his last doctor's appointment on Tuesday, he was 16 lbs, 12 oz and 24 1/2 " long! he's getting so big! he's great at reaching and grabbing now, puts everything in his mouth, and we're sure he'll be rolling over soon. right now he likes to roll from side to side, and rotate around (so if we lay him down, five minutes later his head's where his feet were originally) - he's such a weirdo. but a cute one! ^_^