Life As A Boy Momma...Never a Dull Moment

Day 1 of our vacation -- my learnings

2010-08-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

We've been driving for 11 hours and here's what I've learned so far:
1. Charlie does not appreciate bright lights at night.
2. I apparently don't care for Louisiana because I slept most of the way across it.
3. Monroe, LA smells digusting. I don't think I could even stop to pee in that stinky town.
4. Hitchhikers think Charlie is cute at 5 a.m. I didn't think the hitchhiker was so darling at that hour.
5. Sunrise over the Mississippi River is beautiful.
6. Cracker Barrel breakfast is awesome regardless of what state you are in (Hattiesburg, MS)
7. Mississippi has a booming log business. Who knew?!?
8. Roadside veggie stands make for fun pitstops. I bought peaches, tomatoes, cantalopes and boiled peanuts. Yummy!
9. Don't feed Charlie a cheerio while he's in his carseat. No really, don't. Jason did it while I was buying the goobers, and poor Charlie decided to inhale said piece of cereal instead of chewing it. Needless to say I came back to the truck to find a baby covered in barf. Thank goodness Jason has a cast iron stomach. Ten wipes and a change of clothes...presto, a clean Charlie:)
10. A full belly coupled with driving all night don't mix. That state trooper got Jason's attention when he made a u-turn and came roaring up behind us. As I'm panicking over where the insurance card is, that sweet law man whipped around us and busted the poor sap in front of us with Texas plates. Whew!! I did NOT want an out of state ticket as a souvenier. Jason has been coherent ever since:)

That's all for now. My finger hurts from typing.

My dream Saturday morning just before I woke up

2010-08-01T22:24:00.000-05:00

Don't you hate those dreams you have right before you wake up for the day? The ones you remember in incredible detail? Well, this was one of those dreams. In my dream, I was working out with our friends Summer and Mimi.

First of all, for as much as I HATE exercise, this was indeed a dream...no, maybe a nightmare. And second, if you know Summer and Mimi, you'd know they are two of the fittest, trimmest, healthiest women you'll ever EVER meet. Summer is a trainer with a master's degree in something fancy to do with nutrition and exercise, and Mimi has done a couple of marathons AND teaches boot camp with her sweet hubby three days a week. So needless to say, it would only be in a dream that I could hang with these two lovely ladies in a workout.

After we finished with the sweat-fest (in my dream), they looked at my flabby tummy, turned to me and said in their sweetest voices, "Honey, there's really no hope for that. You really need to get liposuction or a tummy tuck!!" In real life, Mimi and Summer would NEVER say anything like that to me...even if it were the honest truth. They were mortified when I told them that story last night after church.

Can you guess what I did yesterday when I got up? Nope, not eat a box of donuts. I did my Pilates DVD...and boy am I sore today. I guess the ladies were "speaking" some truth after all.

The countdown has officially begun for vacation

2010-08-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

Florida get ready!! The Lains are coming your way on Tuesday for a week of fun, relaxation and playing in the water (pool or ocean...we don't care.) The piles of laundry are almost clean. Not folded and put away yet, but clean.

It's 103 degrees today, and poor Jason has been out putting up an electrical fence so our Houdini of a dog will stop digging out of our yard to go trolling around the neighborhood. She is in for a serious surprise later today.

This is random, but considering my fabulous job as a NASCAR PR queen, you can see why I love this commercial!! Especially since the No. 20 hauler parks next to the No. 12 at the races (I'm going to Michigan as a matter of fact in two weeks for the race). Even if you're not a NASCAR fan, you will get a kick out of this commercial I promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWLt34JGbEc

Ta ta for now.

Some random photos I love of my boys:-)

2010-07-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

Fun day at the museum

2010-07-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

I got the pleasure of taking five kids (my three plus cousins Conner and Sydney) to the Museum of Science and History today. Carter actually started the day off in perfect fashion when he woke up with "Wow Mommy, that was a short night!!" Then Becky brought donuts for the kids. Great, I thought. Just what I needed were kids on a sugar high, but it didn't phase one of them thank goodness.

Yes, I said pleasure because other than the occasional bickering about who was going to push Charlie's stroller and reminding the boys not to run, they were very well behaved. One grandmotherly-type even complimented me on how well-behaved the kids were. This was after she watched me scold the boys for running...he he he.

I think the boys enjoyed it more than Sydney, but then she loves to be with Charlie, so everyone was happy. Conner and Griffin especially loved the "motion" room where they tried to build a roller coaster out of card stock, paper cups and painter's tape. They could have done that for hours. Sydney and I tried to build a marble maze, but the um, directions, weren't very good. Soooo, our marbles just hit the floor:(

All in all, it was a great day, and I hope I get to take them all back again this summer. Although, next time, we will leave sweet Charlie at home because honestly, it was kinda dull for him.

The joy of summer and snowcones!!

2010-07-24T22:58:00.002-05:00

My new cleaning crew

2010-07-24T22:28:00.005-05:00

I borrowed a great idea from Clover Lane for cleaning our floors. Griffin and Carter thought it was a swell idea to "ice skate" across the floor with towels on their feet and a squirt bottle. Griffin even took to a step further and cleaned the kitchen lights for me.

Now if I could just get them to flush the toilets and pick up their dirty clothes:) I know, who am I kidding!?!?!?!

He turned 1 last week

2010-07-20T23:38:00.007-05:00

I'm finally coming to grips with having a 1-year-old. Charlie had his check up with the lovely Dr. Vert yesterday, and he was off the charts literally. He weighed 21.5 pounds and is an AMAZING 33.5 inches tall (or should I say long???) Whoa mama!! He grew three inches and gained three+ pounds in three months. I hope this isn't a trend...I'll never keep the boy in clothes or shoes.

He had a great party Friday night...well, he actually had two parties since Becky and Greg were going to be out of town for the real party. So we had a mini party on Wednesday (his actual day of birth). He enjoyed being the center of attention, but the funniest part was that the Brothers Lain practically knocked their baby brother down to get at his toys. I mean really, a 4- and 8-year-old who are excited by baby toys!!! God love them, I can dump all the electronics, Legos, trains, etc and just buy them baby toys. Hallelujah.

Here are some pics from the parties (thank you Mama Sue for helping with the photography!!! -- we love you!!)

Hmm, what's in this package? Notice the ever vigilant Carter and Mama Sue's precious daughter assisting with the presents.

Nope, it's wasn't better then my nubby ball.

Conner, Sydney and the Brothers Lain during the first party.

Cupcake!! Not a big fan of icing, so we scraped some of it off for him.

Now, that's a happy 1-year-old!!! Love you bunches Charlie O.

Two random things

2010-07-13T22:54:00.004-05:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE using the word "hinky". I can use it in a sentence -- My computer is acting hinky tonight -- but I'm not sure I can actually spell.

So there's your word of the day.

You're welcome:)

We have nicknames for the boys:
Griffin -- either Eddie as in Eddie Haskell or the Professor. Self explanatory

Carter -- Gabby because he will talk your ear off about any subject he can think of

Charlie -- Beaver. The boy will chew on ANYTHING, and I do mean an y THING. Books, shoes, boxes, Legos (yikes!!!), dog bowls, body parts, especially shoulders and fingers. It's a challenge to have him loose in the house right now.

Hard to believe it's been a year

2010-07-13T22:23:00.004-05:00

Since I looked like this. Charlie was born shortly after this photo was taken (at 1:31 a.m. on July 14).

I love these two photos. The first one is when my OB came in to deliver Charlie, and the second is the actual time he was born. I like 15 minutes from start to finish for a baby!!!

I can't believe it's been almost 365 days since that sweet baby boy blessed our family. What a year we've had. He's been our most challenging baby as eating, sleeping and a schedule were NOT part of his overall plan. But we've all learned to coexist peacefully in the last 12 months, and I dare say, we've all thrived for the most part.

Now we have a baby who sleeps through the night (most of the time), is learning to feed himself, can drink from a sippy cup, is considering taking some steps, can say Mama and Dada...and he waved bye-bye for the first time tonight. Such milestones for a boy who was a little blob last July (but such a cute blob!!!)

Thank you God for Charlie Owen!!!

I am back, and I am sad

2010-07-04T16:47:00.011-05:00

Sad because my baby will be 1 on July 14. Sad because my oldest baby will be 9 in October. Sad because my second baby will be 5 in October. I'm just sad. I keep threatening not to have a party for Charlie because if I do, he really will have to turn 1 on July 14. Can't we just skip over that day and go directly to the 15th?

I wasn't sad about Griffin and Carter's first birthdays. I guess it's because deep down I knew they weren't my last babies. But Charlie is our last baby (thanks to a little nip and tuck Jason had in March), and it makes me sad. I never knew I'd love being a mom as much as I do. I love 98 percent of the minutes I have with my boys. (I have to be realistic as some times they do drive me crazy.) Why do the days go by slowly, but the weeks and months fly by? Do all moms feel this way as their kids grow up? My heart aches with pain and overflows with joy all at the same time when I am with them. Am I just crazy? I promise I'm not depressed, just having a hard time with everyone hounding me about Charlie's birthday party.

I've said this a hundred times...if I were younger, we'd have another one. And it has NOTHING to do with wanting a girl. It has everything to do with loving kids...MY kids. I hope I'm doing a good job as their mom. I see so much of myself in Griffin, and yes, I do some parts of me in Carter. Charlie is a mystery, but a delicious one at that. I just love these boys so much.

Okay, enough pity on this beautiful July 4. The house was quiet, and I felt the need to write. I leave you some recent photos of my beloveds.

How embarassing

2009-12-03T21:23:00.002-06:00

I got our monthly phone bill today (home phone and wireless phones). It was about $40 more then usual. Naturally, I assumed it Jason's fault as he recently added the ability to get emails on his crackberry. I opened up the e-bill so I could tease him when he got home about how much he was costing us.

Open mouth and insert foot...it wasn't Jason...it was ME who added so much to our wireless bill!!! And it wasn't because I was talking on the phone too much. It was me TEXTING!!! Am I 14 again?? I sent almost 550 text messages in a 30-day period. That's an average of 18 messages a day. Of course, the bulk of my texts go to Jason and my mom (Coco, you better check your text message allotment too!!). Needless to say, we upped my text limit from 200 to 1,500 a month. I feel like a teenager who got caught by her parents texting too much.

But really, this IS all Jason's fault -- he's the one who got me a crackberry in the first place:-) I wouldn't be sending so many texts if it wasn't so easy to do.

It's snowing!!!!

2009-12-02T07:42:00.002-06:00

It's so beautiful to see those little white flakes falling this cold Wednesday morning. Too bad they are melting when they hit the ground. Snow is so peaceful and relaxing. That's easy for me to say as I sit in my warm cozy house with Charlie and Carter still snoozing (Jason is taking Grif to school). Of course, Griffin wanted to know if he still had to go to school since it was snowing:-)

24 days and counting....

2009-12-01T22:00:00.003-06:00

and I don't have one stinking Christmas present bought yet!!! Oh, I have lots of ideas, but no time to act on them. Plus, for some reason I have no desire to drag out the tree this year. Okay, let's be honest, I have no desire to watch Jason drag out the tree and meticulously put all the lights on it. My job is putting on the ornaments, which I let the boys do last year. Perhaps this weekend I'll get in the mood.

Jason, the overachiever, put up the outside lights this weekend. We got new ones this year, and they look awesome!! And we've only burned up one timer so far with them -- he he he. Once it quits raining, I'll post a photo of the lights.

Ta ta for tonight:-)

Charlie has found his feet!!!

2009-11-29T22:12:00.004-06:00

Charlie has discovered his lower extremities, and does he ever love his feet!! I harassed the boys with my camera this morning to get these photos. We had to bribe Carter with a new Lego magazine to get him to smile...he kept telling us how dumb photos were:-)

Thanksgiving Week recap

2009-11-29T21:48:00.009-06:00

Thanksgiving week was a busy one around here. I got to be home with boys starting on Wednesday. My kids can smell a holiday for miles, so where were we on Wednesday morning you ask? The doctor's office of course, nipping Carter's sinus infection in the rear before it got out of hand.

On Thursday, we spent the entire morning cleaning up the house and yard (I've said before I live with piggies!!) I even begged my dad to be late getting over here so I could get a shower, and he politely obliged. My brother and sweet sister-in-law were here for the week, so they came with my parents, grandmother and great aunt for the day. The big boys played outside all afternoon. Once it got dark, Carter, Papa and Josh practiced kicking the football in the gameroom. Carter is natural athlete.

Charlie was getting plenty of attention too. It was so nice having Aunt Lala here...she jumped every time Charlie made a noise. I got a mini vacation:-) My kids love their aunts and uncles (my bro and wife and Jason's sis and hubby) so much. We blessed to have such a close knit family.

I didn't take as many photos as I'd planned to, but here are a few from Thanksgiving Day:

Papa and Griffin playing on the couch

Charlie, Griffin and Gigi (my grandmother who is 89 years old). Charlie is named after her husband (my mom's father) -- my grandfather who we all called Bebo.

Charlie and sweet Aunt Lala

Uncle Josh holding Charlie

Note to Coco and Jason -- we got the short end of the photos since we were doing all the cooking!!!

On Friday, Josh and Lala came back out to spend the afternoon with us. It was so nice to have Lala to myself...we had such a relaxing visit. That evening, we went to Razoo's for dinner with my parents, Josh and Lala. Griffin loved the gator tail, but to our surprise, Carter thought everything was too spicy. Charlie enjoyed looking at all the colorful decor (and people).

One year ago...

2009-11-23T22:30:00.003-06:00

We found out Charlie was on his way to join our family. Of course, we didn't tell anyone until after the first of the year (I know, I'm a weirdo) about him. It was our special secret for several weeks. Life has been turned upside down from what it was with two kids in November 2008, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

4-month checkup for Charlie/Hello Oh Canada!!

2009-11-21T12:26:00.011-06:00

Charlie had his 4-month checkup this week. He is doing great...well, except for being lactose-intolerant, fruit/raw veggie intolerant and "allergic" to naps. No, really he is doing well. He rolls ALL THE TIME now both ways, and can hold his head up for long stretches. His doc was very impressed with how active he is now. He smiles a lot, and other then his occasional bouts with gas and his dislike for naps, he is a great baby.

Here are his stats:
Weight -- 15.9 pounds which is 50% percentile
Length -- 26.75 inches which is 95% percentile
Head -- still a pinhead:-) at 25% percentile

To compare, here are Griffin and Carter's stats at 4 months old:
Griffin -- 13.9 pounds and 25.75 inches
Carter -- 17.4 pounds and 26.25 inches

So, Charlie is the longest baby so far, but Carter Magee is the chubbiest baby.

Hello St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Charlie got to meet my dear friend, Irene, via Skype today. She lives outside Toronto with her family in a suburb that she says feels just like living in the U.S. Irene and I have been friends for 15 years. We met in December 1994 when I took the job as assistant editor of the Paint Horse Journal. We hit it off immediately and became fast friends.

I've had the pleasure of visiting her in Provence, France (her hubby is French) where they lived for several years, and in her hometown of Milwaukee where her mom still lives. She is a gem, and I just love her to death. It's always good to catch up with her. I've known her oldest daughter, Athena, since was 9 months old, and I was the hospital the day after Manon was born. Hard to believe those precious girls are so grown up now.

I found this picture of Athena and Griffin from one of Irene's visit to our house on Cliffside Dr. Athena is 8 years old in this photo, and Griffin is 5 months. My, how times flies!!

In the summer of 2006, Irene and her friend Christine came across the pond from France for the Paint Horse World Show. They joined us for dinner one evening, and we had such a good time. Irene translated for Christine and I since she didn't speak English and I don't speak French. Carter is 9 months old here. Irene is on the left in the white shirt. I love you Irene!!!

2009-11-15T08:34:00.003-06:00

Charlie slept from 10 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. without waking us up!!!! Can you believe it? I haven't had more than four hours of straight sleep in months. What a great morning.

And then there's Carter Magee. He got up about 8 a.m. and brought a new Lego set to his daddy to put together. As they got started, Jason told him he had to clean up his room and closet because they were both atrocious. I asked him if he knew what atrocious meant. He looked at me like I was stupid and said, "Well, it means MESSY, Mommy!!" That boy never ceases to make me laugh.

Charlie is 4 months old today!!!

2009-11-14T22:12:00.009-06:00

Where have 4 months gone already? Where have 8 years gone?!?!?!? I can't believe it's been 4 months since we were blessed with Charlie. He is rolling over, holding his head up all the time, and trying to sit up some!! He is sleeping better at night, but the days are still iffy...if you hold him he sleeps, if not, he probably won't:-(

Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today of Charlie Owen:

These next two pictures are Griffin at 4 months. Charlie favors Grif more than Carter Magee, I think.

Don't you love his big pretty eyes in that one!!

These last pictures are Carter Magee when he was 4 months old. They have the exact same chin...although Charlie doesn't have the chubby cheeks and jaw like his brother.

I just love my boys!!!!

New pics of Charlie

2009-11-09T21:36:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe he's almost 4 months old!!! His next check up is Nov. 17. I can't wait to see how much he's grown.

Griffin pulled his own tooth

2009-11-09T21:25:00.004-06:00

Mr. Snaggletooth has done it again -- yes, he's pulled another tooth. Griffin refuses to let Jason pull them after he and my dad held Grif down last fall to pull out a stubborn one that was getting infected:-(

The tooth fairy will have to wait until tomorrow night...Daddy went to sleep with Charlie, so he hasn't seen the new and improved smile yet. Bless his heart, he has my big horse teeth in the front...

Halloween and my Army Rangers

2009-11-03T21:47:00.008-06:00

As usual, the boys had a blast on Halloween. Charlie was a dragon...thank you Beth for letting us borrow Zach's costume!! The big boys were Army Rangers in honor of our friend, Ryan, who is in the Middle East right now. Griffin was a little embarrassed to put "makeup" on his face, but Carter was very enthusiastic. Like we'd expect anything less from him!!!

We went to my parents' house (like we always do) because their neighborhood has a great party every year. Both boys entered the costume contest for their age group. Carter won 1st place, and Griffin won 2nd place. Yes, there were several kids in each group, and the judges had no idea they were my kids:-). Coco and Jason worked the bean bag toss game. They worked together to create the cutouts of a ghost and a pumpkin, which were pretty cute I must say.

My cousin, his sweet wife and their son Jonathan joined us for trick or treating after the party. It was so nice...the daddies and Papa took the boys out, and the ladies stayed behind to pass out candy.

Griffin ate so much candy, specifically Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (the world's most perfect candy IMHO), he was sick. Coco had to give him some Maalox to calm down the rumbly tummy. All was well the next morning -- thank goodness no urping overnight. Next year, Charlie will be old enough to trick or treat at a few houses. But, I'm in no rush. I love the boys just like they are now.

Updates on Charlie

2009-10-30T22:25:00.003-05:00

We've had two milestones with Charlie this week. First, we finally figured out how to give him a bath without him SCREAMING at the top, and I mean TOP of his lungs. The key you ask? The bathroom needs to be smoking hot, so hot that I want to strip down, and the water needs to be hot tub temperature. The boy is a diva (or should I say divo since he's clearly a boy??) when it comes to his bath. Before this week, we could only work up the courage to bathe him about once a week. That's how bad the crying was. Finally, super Coco suggested we sauna-fy the bathroom, and presto, it worked!! He's had three tear-free baths already this week, including one filled with smiles just tonight.

The second milestone is good for him, but stinks for me. Two weeks ago, I stopped eating any dairy, fruit or fresh vegges because he was having so much trouble with gas. His gas really died down, so we knew the omissions were working. I decided to add some dairy back in last night in the form of Jason's super yummy homemade pizza. Was that ever a mistake!!! The gas hit him like a ton of bricks today, and of course, it had to happen while Coco was keeping him. She had to endure a screaming baby until she could get him to pass some of the gas. So, I will no longer be eating any dairy. Does anyone know if I can take calcium so I don't miss out while I'm boycotting milk products? Man, do I ever miss my nightly schooner of chocolate milk...

The Birthday Boys!!

2009-10-27T21:30:00.007-05:00

Hard to believe, but the big boys (not to be confused with the little boys -- lucky Carter can fall into either category depending on the situation) are now 8 and 4!! We had their party at a local art studio. Each child (there were 17 kiddos!!) got to choose a piece of pottery to paint. They could also make bead necklaces, paint with watercolors, and make crowns. All the kids had a great time, and all the parents were amazed at how quiet it was with so many kids in one room. That's what happens when you keep them busy.

Griffin painted a new piggy bank with Coco. Carter painted a "fire-breathing dragon" with his daddy...well actually Daddy painted it and Carter supervised. Jason also painted me a beautiful cross for our home. We will pick all the pieces next week after they have been fired in the kiln.

When it came it to open presents, Carter was so stinking cute. With every package he opened, and I mean every one, he yelled "This is my best present. It's just what I wanted!!!" He is so precious. Griffin was a bit more subdued, but he loved all his gifts.

If you are wondering about baby Charlie, he stayed home with a very dear friend of ours, Janice. She has a precious 10-month-old grandson, so she was right at home caring for Charlie. It was so nice to be able focus on the big boys for their special day. I know they enjoyed having us to themselves for a little while.

Let's relive the party, shall we?

Griffin and his best friend and cousin, Conner.

Grif and Coco painting Ms. Piggy(bank).

Carter and Daddy paint the fire-breathing dragon.

Carter making a bead necklace.

Griffin and his crown.

Carter's super yummy cake.

Get ready to blow...

Now, blow!!

Griffin's chocolate fudge cake.

Carter loved all his presents.

Carter and all his peeps.

Griffin and his gang.

Forgot to mention...

2009-10-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

Charlie now weighs 14.4 pounds!!! And he is wearing 6-12 months clothes because he is so LONG.

I'm a slacker, I know:-0

2009-10-23T21:59:00.008-05:00

Yes, I realize it's been six weeks since I posted anything. My excuses, in no particular order, are:
1. 3 kids
2. working 3 days a week at GameStop
3. a baby who doesn't always like to sleep
4. 2 bouts of swine flu (Griffin and Charlie)
5. laundry and toys that multiply when I'm not home to watch them

Okay, enough whining about my life. It's really wonderful...just stressful right now. But every day things are getting better with Charlie.

So, how's Charlie you ask? He's fabulous. He smiles all the time now and makes the cutest baby sounds. He can be a real pill about sleeping during the day, so I don't get much done around the house. Charlie is almost 3 1/2 months old now (can you BELIEVE IT!!!). He just started rolling over this week, but he gets stuck on one arm, which really tees him off.

Griffin continues to love school. We got his first report card, and it was straight As as usual. He is a reading machine...he is so my child. I can remember the joy I got from buying Scholastic books at school when I was a kid.

Carter Magee has started Museum School at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. He is learning about all sorts of animals, and the class is the highlight of his week. Today, they learned about bats.

Pig party
Last weekend, we went to my cousin's house for a birthday party. Little did we know it was actually a swine flu party as three of the seven cousins who could get sick (Griffin has already had it, so he was immune) have come down with piggy fever this week!!

Here are some fun photos from the party. First we have sweet Coco and baby Charlie showing off his smile.

Here are four of my favorite men in the world (my brother is missing unfortunately, or it would be five!!) -- my hubby, my two cousins and my dad. Notice my cousin and my dad go to the same hair stylist.

Out of eight great grandchildren, there are seven boys and one girl. Sounds like me growing up -- three boys and ME!! This is my angel, Sydney, and cousin Jonathan, Carter's best buddy who is almost 4.

Are they cute or what!!

And here's the motley crew of cousins, who range from 16 years old to 3 months.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!

Today we saw the eye doc

2009-09-08T22:37:00.003-05:00

Charlie had his first of many check-ups with specialists today...the eye doctor. Dr. N was looking at Charlie's retinas to make sure the high levels of oxygen didn't cause any damage to the blood vessels feeding the retina. After putting drops in his eyes and waiting long enough I almost fell asleep in the exam room, Charlie's peepers were finally dilated. Of course, he was totally sacked out, which made it much easier for Dr. N to look at them.

After a thorough exam, Charlie's eyes are just fine. All the blood vessels are totally normal and healthy. He has some far-sightedness, but that is very common in infants and usually resolves itself. Carter was farsighted as an infant (he had an exam for a different issue), and believe me, now he can spot a "Tom and Jerry" DVD on the rack at Target from 50 yards!!! Unless we notice something unusual with Charlie's eyes, he doesn't have to go back to the eye specialist again!!

Our next round of specialist appointments are in January with the hearing center at Cook Children's (routine hearing tests for all infants who were on ventilators) and the Child Study Center (to make sure he's hitting all his developmental milestones). Charlie certainly seems to be a perfectly normal baby -- thank you God for hearing all the prayers for our son.

Sweet Charlie

2009-09-06T21:39:00.004-05:00

Baby Charlie has hit a fun milestone -- he's starting to smile at us. Jason finally caught his sweet grin this morning as I was holding him. How can he already be 8 weeks old on Tuesday!!!

How sweet are his little hands!!

My angel taking an afternoon nap in his crib.

The boys...Charlie wasn't too happy about this photo.

But he was more cooperative in this one:-0

Oh, to be 7 again

2009-09-04T22:51:00.005-05:00

Griffin is such a special boy. And does he ever LOVE LOVE LOVE school this year. Tonight when we were tucking him in, he told us he was very frustrated. Jason and I braced for something about how we told him "no" again or fussing about Carter playing with his Legos. What was frustrating him shocked us.

He said he wished he could go back to school right then and that he was sorry tomorrow was Saturday!!! And he was even more upset that Monday is a holiday. He was going to miss a day of learning new things. Of course, we know the real truth. He has his first teacher crush on Mrs. D (I don't use full names on my blog to protect the innocent:-0) He told us he loves her and that she makes learning so much fun that he can't wait to get into her classroom everyday. Why can't all teachers have her enthusiasm and joy for their students. Every child should have teachers like Mrs. D. Now, how many 7-year-old boys do you know who love school or their 2nd grade teacher that much? Griffin blesses us every day with his sweet spirit. I'm proud to be his mother.

One of his latest Lego creations--he just sits in his room and makes them up as he goes. No instructions necessary!!

Carter is so proud

2009-09-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

I received a wonderfully sweet and touching book from my friend Kay P. (fellow Southwest Christian mom) as a baby gift for Charlie. The book is about remembering your children's "lasts" instead of their firsts. For example, remembering the last time you help them tie their shoes or rock them to sleep at night. It makes me teary every time I read it as I know I've already passed so many "lasts" with Griffin and Carter. Thanks to this book and Kay, I'm taking more notice of these special moments.

So as luck would have it, a "last" happened for Carter this week. He decided he didn't want his safety rail on his bed anymore, so Jason took it off for him. It's been four nights (and naps) now, and we haven't found him on the floor yet!! He is so proud of himself for not needing the rail. I'm proud too, sniff, sniff, but how can he be almost 4 already? He was Charlie's size just yesterday, wasn't he??

Legos, Legos and more Legos!!

2009-09-02T14:41:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Coco and Papa took the boys on a surprise trip to North Park mall and the coolest store ever for boys...Legoland!! They were in hog heaven since both of them love to build things with Legos. We sent them with some spending money, so they each picked out a couple of sets to build. Griffin also bought extra wheels, tires and ladders, and Carter got extra Lego men. They fight all the time over the silly men, so we were glad to see a few new ones come home. This is a trip we will take them on again...but NEVER again on a Saturday. My dad said it was a zoo in that store with so many little kids and parents. He and I don't like big crowds, so our next trip to the Lego store will be during the week.

Here a few photos my mom took of the trip, including the boys standing near their favorite sculpture in the mall.

Photos pre-Charlie

2009-08-29T13:41:00.005-05:00

These are photos my sweet cousin Amanda took of us the week before Charlie blessed our family. If you need a great photographer, she is amazing!!

Griffin is a yard boy

2009-08-28T19:26:00.003-05:00

My boys are growing up too fast!!! The perfect example is happening in my yard now. Griffin has been begging to learn to mow the yard all summer. Jason finally decided it was time to let him try out his hand riding our zero-turn mower. I guess the years riding four-wheelers is paying off because he is doing GREAT!! He will be guiding the Dixie (as I call her) around all our trees in no time. Little does he know he'll have years to mow before he leaves our nest. Jason will have a full-blown lawn crew with our boys.

In fact, at dinner tonight, Griffin told him that soon he could sit on the back porch "like an old man" and watch he and his brothers do the yard. Personally, I can wait for few more years before seeing that around here.

Isn't my big man handsome!!

And this is sweet Carter when he's sleeping...too darling!!

Random thoughts and new photos

2009-08-27T11:06:00.004-05:00

I spotted my first gray hairs last night while the big boys were showering/bathing. I can't imagine why I'd be getting any gray hairs with three boys, can you?? I'm so okay with getting a few grays. I have no idea what my natural hair color is anyway (does any woman really know??), so they will get covered up just like the rest by my wonderful stylist, Jan.

So I get home this morning from my 6-week checkup with my OB, and the big stool was out in the kitchen. I asked Carter why it was out, and he said, "Mom, I blowed a BIG HUGE booger out of my nose, and I had to use a tissue just like you always tell me." I guess the boy does listen to me every once in a while!!

Here are new pics that my sweet sis-in-law Sherri took last weekend.

Carter is funny

2009-08-16T19:28:00.005-05:00

One of our neighbors, no, it's not one of our sweet Hillside Dr. neighbors, is burning leaves tonight. Our whole house reeks of the nasty smell (at least when we burn, it's mostly brush and dead tree limbs that doesn't smell too bad). The smoke was so bad at our house that one of our next door neighbors came over to make sure it wasn't our house!! Anyway, Carter told Jason that if Jason caught on fire, he'd melt like a marshmellow because he's so white. I guess it takes a marshmellow to know one...he he he. Those two sunburn so easily.

New pics of the boys

2009-08-16T16:43:00.003-05:00

Griffin is my "baby wrangler" as I like to call him. He loves to hold Charlie and will help with almost anything I need. Carter is my diaper-changing helper. He likes to open up the diapers and marvel at the color of Charlie's poop.

Charlie's checkup and first outing with all three boys by myself

2009-08-16T16:18:00.004-05:00

Charlie saw his pedi on Thursday for his 1-month checkup . The little piggy continues to gain weight -- he was at 9.9 pounds, which is one pound over his birth weight. And he grew an inch!! He's in the 95% for height and 50% for weight. So far, he's more like Griffin then Carter in how he's built.

On Friday, Grif and Carter had haircut appointments, and Griffin had "meet the teacher" at school, so the boys and I had our first outing by ourselves. It was a little daunting to get out the door by 10:30 a.m., but I'm proud to say we were on time to the salon for their haircuts.

Our good friend, Dawn, called on the way and asked if we were available for lunch. I had already planned to go to Tommy's Hamburgers for lunch as it's next door to the salon. Dawn and her sweet hubby have three boys too (8, 6 and 3) so our kids all love to see each other. Two mommas and six boys were quite the sight at Tommy's -- I walked out with all the boys while Dawn cleaned up our table (it was a hopeless cause). People at two tables asked me if the baby in the car seat (Charlie) was a girl. They actually looked a little sad when I proudly told them Charlie was a boy. Poor people, they have no idea how much fun boys can be!!

Check out the big boys' sleep over with Sydney

2009-08-16T16:16:00.002-05:00

Susan was so nice to recap the evening and post pictures, so I had nothing to do:-) Thanks for having them over. They really did have a great time!!

Charlie and his baby sling

2009-08-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

Here's how I'm able to update my blog while holding Charlie at the same time. He loves to sleep in this thing, and it's actually pretty comfortable.

Busting out of baby jail

2009-08-10T20:22:00.004-05:00

It's been a crazy few days for us. My brother and his wife were in town to meet Charlie. We spent most of the day Friday and Saturday with them. Lauren loved her new nephew. She held him every chance she got. And Josh was quite busy with the other two. Griffin and Carter were so glad Uncle Josh was here...especially since their daddy hurt his back riding the Texas Giant at Six Flags last week and couldn't throw them around in the pool. The boys cried when it was time leave my parents' house as they wanted to go to San Antonio with Josh and Lauren. We promised them we'd figure out a time for them to visit.

They will make great parents, won't they!!

Charlie had another weight check on Friday, and he's up to 9 pounds now. As often as he eats, he ought to be about 20 pounds. Today was the first time I was able to get out of the house without a kid, and guess what exciting place I went. No, not for a pedicure or massage (I wish!!). I went to Albertson's for groceries. Jason asked me if I was glad to be out of baby jail, and honestly, it was nice to be by myself for an hour with no one hanging on me. Charlie slept in our room while Jason worked, but of course, five minutes after I got home, he woke up hungry. Imagine that!!

He has a checkup with his pediatrician Thursday afternoon, which I'm sure will go great. The only problems he's having are spitting up quite a bit after feeding and not burping very often. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. Our other two were burping champs.

The boys and their "Big Girl" Sydney

2009-08-05T11:27:00.007-05:00

We are so blessed to have Sydney B. in our lives (not to be confused with our other sweet Sydney, our cousin -- pics of her coming with the boys soon). I have known Sydney's mom, Susan, for more than 9 years. She helped me when I was interviewing for my job at RadioShack in March 2000. She was pregnant with Sydney at the time. Our bond grew once Griffin was born, and by the time Carter came around, we were very close friends.

Sydney and Griffin have been friends since they were toddlers, and she's loved it as we added Carter and Charlie to our family. Sydney loves babies!! They came over to spend the day with us on Monday. It was so nice to have them here. And Susan made a wonderful pasta salad for our lunch. Note, she added feta cheese to it which was yummy!! If you need a great salad to take to a party, try it!!

Here is a photographic chronicle of Sydney and the boys:

Sydney (almost 3 years old) and Griffin (20 months old)

Sydney (5 years old) and Carter Magee (1 month old)

And finally from Monday, Sydney (who just turned 9 last week, sniff, sniff) and Charlie (3 weeks old). Charlie was hungry, so he wasn't very happy, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the expression on her face. It's classic Sydney.

New pics of Charlie

2009-08-03T19:35:00.003-05:00

We bought two awesome new lenses for my camera, so bear with me as I try some new things with my photos.

Pedi appt, visitors, church -- it's been busy the last few days

2009-08-02T16:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy few days for us. Charlie had a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician Friday afternoon. He gained 5 ounces, so he weighed 8.8 pounds, which puts his almost at his birth weight (I'm sure he's over it by now since it's Sunday afternoon). One thing she HIGHLY encouraged us to do is keep him away from lots of people touching him and other children as best we can. While he's not on "house arrest," we will be limiting his exposure to crowds over the next several months, or at least until the springtime, so we can make sure his lungs stay as healthy as possible. He goes back to see her on Aug. 13 for his next check-up. I think we'll be seeing her a lot in the coming months as she wants to make sure he's progressing as he should be.

We've had lots of visitors this weekend, and our family, friends and neighbors have given us many wonderful gifts for Charlie. I promise I'll be getting around to thank you notes soon, so don't think I've forgotten about you!! He still has his days and night somewhat mixed up, so he and I are awake most of the night. Last night, the longest stretch he slept was two hours...sigh. While it's very frustrating to be awake so much, I know this is part of having a newborn, and I remind myself constantly during those 3 a.m. feedings what it was like to have him in the NICU for 12 days. My pity party quickly vanishes once I do that, and I'm able to focus on the important job of caring for this sweet angel.

For the first time in six weeks, we went to church last night. It was the first time all five of us have been in the truck together. It felt so good to be at church among our friends and family. It was "Snack Saturday" as Griffin calls it when we have communion. The boys love to take communion with us (which our church highly encourages all children to do if they'd like).

When our pastor saw us coming up to take communion, he swooped in and took Charlie from Jason. Pastor Rick held Charlie, introduced him to the congregation and briefly told them Charlie's story. His message was about God's promises, and he held Charlie up as an example of His promises. Of course, I had to hear what Rick said second-hand as I was busy helping Carter fish his bread out of the juice cup -- thank you Summer for taking it all in stride!! Regardless of whether I heard every word or not, it touched Jason and me that Rick would use our baby as an example to drive home his message. God is GOOD!!

I'm off to catch a quick nap while the two youngest boys sleep. Wish me luck:-)

Quotable quotes from Carter Magee

2009-07-29T10:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Carter saw a commercial on the Food Network for cheese from California that talked about the "happy cows making happy milk". He turned to me and said:

"Mommy, you know, cows make milk. And you've turned into a cow."

Then in usual Carter-fashion, he went back to playing with his toys while I was left to laugh over his latest revelation. Perhaps he's watched me pump one too many times...

And this just in... Carter wanted to sleep with his daddy tonight, so Jason told him go on into our room. Carter said he wanted to watch TV. Jason said, "I have a better idea, let's watch the backs of our eyelids." Carter jumped up and down and said "I love that show Daddy!!" Ah, to be 3 years old again.

Charlie's first pedi appointment

2009-07-29T09:46:00.003-05:00

Charlie's doc appointment yesterday overall was good. She was very pleased and surprised with how quickly he turned around. She was watching his progress each day via his online chart (the beauty of using a Cook Children's network d0c), so she was totally up to speed on everything he went through in the hospital. He gained one ounce to 8.3 pounds, so she asked us to bring him back on Friday for another weight check.

She doesn't think we need to follow up with the pulmonologist at this point, but just to be on the safe side, she did ask us to make an appointment with a pediatric eye specialist. She is treating him like a premature baby since he was on the ventilator, so that's why she recommended the eye doc. In her words, she isn't worried, but wants to be "anal" about making sure everything is good with Charlie, and we appreciate that. She wants to follow his development very closely over the next year or two to make sure there are no delays with reaching developmental milestones, but again, she's not overly concerned, just being cautious. She doesn't believe he was on the vents and oxygen long enough to cause any major delays (neither did his NICU docs), but we'd all rather be safe.

Last night we actually got him to sleep a few hours at a time in his basinette. And my sweet hubby heard him crying at 4 a.m., so he came into the living room to take over and sent me to bed!!! It was so nice to get three hours of sleep in my own bed instead of the couch.

My sister-in-law Shashe is back in town after being gone to visit her hubby's family in Wisconsin for 10 days. She hasn't seen Charlie since he was hooked up to all the tubes and wires, so I can't wait for her to come over today and see her nephew. My brother and sis-in-law will be here from San Antonio next week for a visit. He came up and surprised us for Charlie's birth, but he never got to see the baby since Charlie was sent to the NICU so quickly. They have been checking on Charlie every day, so I know I will have to wrestle Aunt Lala for the baby once they get here:-)

Charlie is happy to be home

2009-07-27T22:11:00.004-05:00

Baby Charlie is SO happy to be home. He is a good-natured baby who doesn't cry unless he's hungry (which is every 2-3 hours round the clock right now). Charlie is making up for the two weeks away...he does not like to be put in his bassinet or bed. As long as someone holds him, he's quiet as a mouse. So, as you can imagine, I've been holding him practically day and night. I'm glad we have a very comfy chair in the living room as that's where he and I have slept the last two nights!!

Griffin is a model big brother. He loves to hold Charlie, and he helps with every diaper change. Today, he restocked diapers for me, and held him while I made our lunch. Carter is mildly interested in Charlie and still calls him "New Baby". As I remember, Griffin wasn't too interested in Carter when he was born, so Carter's reaction doesn't surprise me too much.

Charlie has his first appointment with his pediatrician tomorrow. I'm anxious to see how much he weighs so we'll know if the breast feeding is going as well as it seems to be to me. He weighed 8.2 pounds when we left the hospital on Saturday. Hopefully, he's maintained his weight or gained a few ounces. I promise I'll update tomorrow with news from his appointment.

Charlie got his first bath at home tonight, and he hated every minute of it. I think all newborns cry during their baths, so we didn't take it personally. We worked over his scaly feet, and they look much better now!!

The house still looks like a bomb went off in it, and I never did get a shower today, but hey, that's par for the course with a newborn. And I'm thrilled to have him home. I'd much rather be sleep-deprived wearing yesterday's clothes as a result of taking care of him then from being at the hospital.

Calm down everyone...Charlie is GREAT!!!

2009-07-25T15:06:00.005-05:00

My goodness, I take one night off from posting on the blog, and everyone goes nuts!! This boy is loved, that's for sure. The reason I didn't post last night is that we thought he might go home today, but I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up. He didn't have a good feed for me last night at 8 p.m., so we were thinking his doc might keep him today to make sure he was eating good. In fact, he had an over-aggressive nurse last night that wanted to reinsert his feeding tube after the poor 8 p.m. bottle. I pitched a fit about it, so she checked with his doc about the tube. Of course, the doc said NO TUBE. She wanted to see how he did overnight with his bottles, and he was a superstar.

So, I got there this morning at 10:30 a.m. and guess what -- he ate like a champ all night and his doc said he was ready to go home!! Jason and I brought Charlie home about 2 p.m. Jason is giving him a bottle of breast milk right now, and all is well at our home today with Charlie here. It's been a looonnnggg 12 days, but we are finally done with the hospital. His doc says he will be a totally normal baby with no side effects or future issues due to his PPHN. We have no docs we need to follow up with other then his pediatrician. Of course, I'm going to be a fanatic about visitors...everyone will have to wash from head to toe before touching baby Charlie!!

Two of his nurses stopped by to tell him goodbye, and they told me everyone was talking about how quickly he recovered. He was the talk of the NICU today. We are so thankful to all the docs and nurses at Cook Children's for the care he received. Under God's guiding hands, they took a very sick baby and made him well again. Thank you for all your prayers for baby Charlie. This is proof that prayer does work.

I probably won't be posting everyday now, but I promise I will update my blog regularly with Charlie (as well as Griffin and Carter) stories. We'll be ready to introduce Charlie to everyone soon, For now, we just need to catch our breath and get back into a routine with our family since things have been so crazy lately.

We love you all,
Jason, Jill, Griffin, Carter and Charlie

More progress for Charlie

2009-07-24T00:22:00.003-05:00

We just got home after spending all day with Charlie. The big news for Thursday is that late in the evening he was moved to the progressive unit, which means he's getting closer to coming home!!

He is doing a pretty good job with taking the bottle and nursing, but we did have to threaten him with the feeding tube this afternoon to make sure he ate enough to keep his doc happy. The only thing keeping him at Cook Children's right now is the little bit of oxygen he's still on. If we can wean him off the O2 and he does well for at least 24 hours without it, his doc will probably discharge him!!!

Please pray that he tolerates the O2 weaning process on Friday and continues to feed well. If he does these things, we could possibly have him home this weekend. God is GOOD. Our boys are indeed the children He has blessed us with.

2009-07-23T07:03:00.003-05:00

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask for or imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

I never imagined a week ago Charlie would be progressing so quickly. I was ready for weeks in the NICU. Thanks for the scripture Mama Sue!!! Love you.

How was your Wednesday? Ours was great!

2009-07-23T00:13:00.005-05:00

My Wednesday update will be short and sweet as I am beat tonight!! Suffice to say it was another remarkable day for the super baby. His doc is absolutely amazed by his progress in the last 36 hours. She can't believe how quickly he's turned around, and I know it's because of everyone's prayers for this precious baby. The Great Physician certainly has his hands on Charlie!!

Today we had another major milestone as he got to nurse and take a bottle for the first time. He did a great job nursing the first time, but the other three times we tried, he was just too tired, so we gave him a bottle to supplement. His feeding tube and IV were pulled this afternoon, so now all he has is a small nasal cannula delivering some oxygen. That's it other then the basic monitors.

We held Charlie almost all afternoon and evening, and I even got to bathe him tonight. Boy did he need it...he was stinky after seven days without a bath. He did not enjoy it one bit, but he sure smells and looks better. And he gets to wear real clothes. Jason had fun shopping for him at Babies R Us tonight while I stayed at the hospital.

Here are a few photos of sweet Charlie from today.

Here's how I left him at 10 p.m. all snug and tucked safely in his bed.

Tuesday was a special day

2009-07-21T23:03:00.013-05:00

Today's progress can be illustrated with one photo.

Are you ready? Are you sure?? I had tears again....

We got to hold Charlie today!!!!!!!

God is obviously hearing all our prayers for this little angel. What a day he had on Tuesday. He started the day inubated on the jet ventilator and with lines still in his belly button, and he ended the day with just a nose cannula delivering oxygen, his feeding tube and the IV in his arm. It was a remarkable day for our little man.

Jason and I actually missed the first half of the day due to work for Jason and an appointment I had for Carter. Papa had to work today too, and Coco and I had decided she would come up when I got there at lunch, so Aunt Becky was our surrogate for the morning. For those of you who don't know Becky, she is married to my cousin Greg, she and Greg are responsible for getting Jason and I together 14 years ago, she was my "best chick" at our wedding, she cleaned up our house on Sunday and finished the laundry...you get the drift on why she was there all morning.

I asked Becky for her account of the day, and here's what she said:
"When I started my morning shift with Charlie, I was so pleased to report to his mom that everything was status quo through the night, and he was doing great. When I say he was doing great I mean he was sleeping peacefully as any newborn only stirring long enough to stretch, squirm and yawn even with the tubes going into his mouth. His color looked so good and his swelling was gone. (Note from Jill -- he now weighs ONLY 8.10 pounds, so he's shed all the fluid weight he gained...if only weight loss was this easy for us mommies!!)

His feet were no longer these balloons about to pop but I could identify them as not only feet but as feet that look like all the Lain boys’ feet and toes. You give my any baby and I could find a Lain boy by his feet and toes (Note from Jill -- they are Jason's feet and toes, not mine, and yes, I'm DYING to get some lotion on them:-). It was good to see them so clearly now. Little did I know that this day was about to get exciting.

The doctor requested a blood oxygen level at 10 a.m., and the results were excellent . So with a push of a button and a move of some knobs, Charlie was off the jet vent and on the “regular vent”. I was so pleased to text Jill of the progress and couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw how good he was doing. He continued to lay peacefully unaffected by any changes being made. Did I mention he had not had any pain medicine since midnight and it was 10 a.m. What a trooper! I watched with anticipation because I knew that in one hour if the blood gases were still good then they were going to move forward some more.

One hour later they checked his gases again and again they came back good so next thing I know is knobs are being moved again to change the pressure of the vent. Not only did they change the pressure, but the two tubes in his belly button were taken out. He was progressing right before my eyes and didn’t seem to mind it but welcome it as if saying "I’m ready…let’s do this".

Okay, back to my account of the day now as Becky had to leave since he can only have two visitors at once, and Coco had joined Becky around 11 a.m. At 2 p.m., his nurse pulled another blood gas, and it was fantastic again. His doc was at lunch, so we decided to grab lunch too just in case she did want to extubate him. As we were finishing up, his nurse called me and said we could return in 30 minutes to a baby with no breathing tube!! I think the following photos will tell the story.

What a time we had just looking at Charlie. (Papa was able to cut work short to join us for the party.) I can't even describe how beautiful our Charlie is without the tube and all the tape. He is truly a precious gift from God, and Jason and I are honored to be his parents.

This photo shows how we left him at 9:30 p.m. -- sleeping peacefully in his bed. Good night angel and sweet dreams. I can't wait to see you again in the morning.

Monday was a good day!!

2009-07-20T23:25:00.005-05:00

Today was a good day all around. No tears, not even a snivel for me today, and Charlie made some progress too. His doc is trying to wean him off the jet ventilator over the next few days in the hope she can extubate him and put him on a breathing apparatus called a bubble C-pap. When this happens, it will be a huge milestone for him, so please be praying about this.

His oxygen level stayed pretty steady today at 26%, and his blood oxygen levels were acceptable all day. He continues to be totally off the pain med drip and is only getting it when needed. His sweet nurse fashioned a pacifier that fits between the prongs of his ventilator, and it helped calm him down when he got agitated a couple of times.

One God-thing that happened today is that I discovered that the mom of one of Griffin's good friends from his 1st grade class is a pediatric pulmonologist at Cook Children's!!! I emailed Karen today about Charlie, and she said she would be glad to be his doc. It will be nice to know one of his docs on a personal level.

I got to help his night nurse change his diaper and start his 8 p.m. feed. It was nice to be included in his care. Of course, it didn't hurt that I realized I knew his nurse's uncle from my RadioShack days (I recognized the last name from her name tag).

Charlie had visitors today from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. His nurses say he is one of the few babies that has someone at his bedside most of the day. He was weighed last night, and he tipped the scale at 10.4 pounds -- remember he weighed 8.9 pounds at birth. The good news is he has lost several ounces of fluid, and we're hoping tonight's weight shows additional loss. I have a new lens coming for my camera on Wednesday, so I'll be posting more photos of Charlie soon.

I found out tonight from one of the other moms that even the other NICU parents are talking about Charlie and how big he is. This mom's baby is just 2.5 pounds (born at 28 weeks -- she's doing well and gaining weight) so Charlie makes four of her!!

The Cook Children's volunteers really know how to take care of NICU parents. Here is a beautiful handmade quilted bag the lacation nurse gave me to carry all my pumping supplies in.

And tonight was a "birthday party" for all the new babies in the NICU. Each family got to choose a quilt for their baby that volunteers from all over Texas make. I selected one made by two ladies who live in Ranger (which is outside Abilene). Isn't it cute!!

This just in from Carter

2009-07-20T13:48:00.007-05:00

This post is rated PG-13 so shield your eyes as needed.

Carter and I were just making lunch together. He looks into my big glass of tea and says, "Holy crap Mommy, that's a big hunk of ice!" Griffin and I nearly lost it laughing so hard. I think I know where he heard that lovely phrase, but I'm not naming names...I needed that laugh. And who can resist this face. I love my boys!!!

Sunday's progress

2009-07-19T21:13:00.002-05:00

Today was a better day for Charlie then it was for me!!! I cried practically the whole time I was with him this afternoon...I'm sure he wondered who the babbling idiot was today. Tomorrow will be better I hope. It's just really hard to see my sweet, innocent baby lying there, and I can't do a thing to help him. But enough about me, let's talk about sweet Charlie.

The big development from today was the pneumothorax seems to have resolved on its own. His doc tried a new therapy on him for six hours today (straight oxygen, which he hasn't been on in a couple of days), and by George, we think it worked. The pneumo was very obvious on the 5:30 a.m. X-ray, but by the 3 p.m. X-ray, it didn't seem to be there anymore. It's so cool his nurse can pull up his X-rays side by side on her computer at his bedside. The downside to his X-rays is that his right lung looked cloudier this afternoon then it has in the last day. But the docs aren't overly concerned about that change since the pneumo is gone.

His blood oxygen levels, blood pressure and heart rate continue to be in acceptable ranges with no meds. He is off his pain medication drip and is getting morphine (scary, isn't) and Versed on an as needed basis. I think he got three morphine doses total today, so that's not too bad. He wasn't as alert when we were there because of a recent morphine hit, so it didn't seem like he really knew we were there most of the time.

Charlie continues to do well with his feedings. He is taking almost an ounce of breast milk every three hours. He continues to make lots of urine and stool, so the "plumbing systems" seem to be in working order. The only big change that may be made overnight tonight is to take him off the jet ventilator and put him on a regular ventilator. That would be a huge stride as he has be on the regular vent for 5-7 days to really help his lungs heal. Other then that, he should be status quo overnight with the big events being an X-ray and another weight check. Hopefully, our weight loss plan will be successful and he will be closer to his birth weight of 8.9 pounds.

I'm getting lots of good comments about the blog, and I'm so glad you find it informative. I love giving you updates on our angel. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. We feel your love and concern for our family!!

Sunday morning update

2009-07-19T09:30:00.002-05:00

I talked to Charlie's nurses overnight and first thing this morning. He had a good night overall. He did not show signs of problems with the pneumothorax, and his X-ray from 5:30 a.m. didn't change, so they are still not planning on inserting a chest tube, praise God!!! His blood gas (oxygen level) continues to be good. They pulled out his catheter because he was making so much urine thanks to the Lasix, so now he will have his diaper changed regularly. And his doc increased his feedings, so Bessy, as Jason likes to call me, is going to have to get on the ball making milk for this baby.

Speaking of Bessy, I make everyone laugh when I have to pump at the hospital. They have a special lactation room in the progressive ICU (where the feed and grow babies are). In this room, there are four "stalls" as I like to call them with comfy chairs and pumps for moms with babies in the hospital. I call the room the milking shed because we're in there like cows lined up in a milking barn on a dairy farm. So far, Bessy is doing her job well. I'm about 18 hours ahead of Charlie right now. I pump every three hours, so I take lots of milk up to the hospital when I go. It's small price to pay to make sure Charlie is getting the best nutrition possible.

This morning is back to the real world as we need some clean laundry, and the house looks like a bomb hit it. Then, we'll be off to spend the afternoon with our angel.

Saturday was a good day

2009-07-18T22:54:00.007-05:00

It's something we all take for granted, but today we got to see the baby's eyes for the first time!! When I walked into the NICU today, my parents were there with him. Daddy came out so I could go in. He said Charlie was having a good day, but didn't elaborate. Little did I know what waiting for me...EYES!!! Well, as you can imagine, I lost it totally. It was a such a relief to see those precious peepers open and trying to look around.

It touched my heart so to see him semi-awake. Jason and I will always remember how that moment felt when we gazed into those eyes for the first time. We were also allowed to touch him tonight, which we haven't been able to do since Wednesday. Charlie seemed to know it was us there with him.

Charlie continued to make progress today. He was able to stay totally off the nitric oxide, and his oxygen levels were between 40-50% all day. He continues to be off all blood pressure meds, and his pain med drip was cut in half. That's why he was more alert today and was able to open his eyes finally.

He started taking more milk in each feeding...10ccs every three hours. He is starting to stool, which shows his digestive system is waking up, and his urine output was crazy good. His nurse weighed him early this morning, and he has gained almost 2 pounds of fluid weight in five days!! Thanks to a couple of doses of Lasix, he is starting to shed the extra fluid. His doc calls it his weight loss plan. He is the biggest baby in the entire NICU right now.

He does have one area of concern in the form of his partially collapsed lung, or pneumothorax, I mentioned yesterday. It means air is entering the space between his lungs and chest wall. His X-rays from today didn't show any improvement in the pneumothorax, but his vital signs are not signaling that he is in distress from it. Pneumothoraxs usually heal on their own, so since Charlie is not showing signs of problems as of tonight, his doc is sitting tight and waiting. She will do another X-ray in the morning and see if any improvement was made overnight. If he does start to show signs of distress, she will have to insert a chest tube, but she's hopeful that will not have to be done. We pray it's one procedure Charlie will get to skip!!

This a lovey that the Teddy Bear Transport ambulance nurse gave us on Wednesday when they were getting him ready to move from Harris SW to Cook Children's. Jason and I both slept with it to get our smell on it, and Griffin wore it inside his shirt for a while. We put it in his bed so he has something from us with him all the time. Since he was moving more tonight, Jason put the lovey in his sweet little hand.

He has a name at last!!

2009-07-18T22:39:00.002-05:00

Today was a good day. First, you need to know we have finally settled on a name for our angel. After much debate, discussion and balloting among a few key family members, his name is...drum roll please:

Charlie Owen Lain

He is named after my grandfather (my mom's dad) who thought I was the best thing ever. He always called me "Doll" growing up. He passed away right after Carter was born, and we buried him on my 36th birthday. Even though he was a man of few words, I always knew I was loved and cherished by my Bebo. I think he would be proud to know his great grandson is carrying on his name.

This is Bebo and Carter (2 months old) just a few weeks before he passed away.

And this is one of my all-time favorite photos of Griffin and Bebo when Grif was 4 years old.

Friday's update

2009-07-18T11:29:00.001-05:00

We spent almost all day up with the baby. Griffin and Carter wanted to see their brother (Grif saw him at the Harris NICU, but Carter did not). Griffin asked lots of questions about all the tubes and machines and was very introspective the entire time. Carter, on the other hand, was, well Carter. He asked when the baby was coming home and why he was "in that box". After that, he was ready to go back to the waiting room with Papa (my dad).

Note -- Kleenex alert!!! Griffin told my parents that he "took a picture of the baby in his head and Photoshopped out all the tubes and equipment". He told them all he can see now in his head is the picture of a really cute baby.

Okay, if your tears are dry, onto the day's progress. Overall, it was a good day. He did have a few setbacks early as he had to have a blood transfusion around 5 a.m. due to all the blood they draw for his endless labs. And because he had been lying flat on his back so long, the top part of his right lung partially collapsed. His doc wasn't too worried about the lung as it's a fairly common problem for these babies.

In the afternoon, he was able to start taking some breast milk in his feeding tube. He got a whopping one teaspoon at 2 p.m. and another teaspoon in the evening. And they weaned him off of the nitric oxide, which was helping to keep the blood vessels in his lungs dilated. So the good news on that is he is able to keep the vessels open now on his own!! He was on 60% oxygen, which is a great number given he is off the nitric oxide now.

I'm headed up there shortly for the day. Jason is going to play with Griffin and give him some special time. He really needs time with his daddy today, so they are going to ride four-wheelers for a while. Carter is in hog heaven at Granny's, so we might not see him for about three days!!

His first photos!!!

2009-07-17T22:01:00.005-05:00

Here is our angel on July 14 right after his birth...

And here he is in the NICU at Cook Children's today. We took Griffin and Carter up to see their baby brother.

Update from Thursday

2009-07-16T23:38:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, no, we have NOT named him yet. We've just had too much on our minds as you can imagine to concentrate on his name. Hopefully, we will find the right name for him soon.

Now, today's update on him. His overnight doc called us twice with updates, and I called both times I got up to pump for him. He had a rough night (Wednesday into Thursday morning) as he was trying to breathe on his own as well as with the oscillating ventilator they have him on. At one point, he was taking close to 90 breaths per minute between the two, which is WAY too many. Once his doctor and nurses got the right cocktail of drugs to totally sedate him, he settled down close to sunrise and started letting the ventilator do the work by itself.

Overnight, they gave him a dose of pulmonary surfactant to help reduce the pressure in his lungs, which allows the lungs to inflate much more easily. He also stayed on the nitric oxide, which relaxes contracted lung blood vessels and improves blood flow to the lungs. In addition, he's on a blood pressure medication to keep his pressure up, which in turn, helps the blood flow more freely in his little lungs.

During the course of the day, they were able to wean him down from 100% oxygen to 50% oxygen in his ventilator. They tried to wean him off the nitric oxide, but he wasn't ready for it, so they put him back on it this afternoon. When I talked with his doc this evening before we left, she said they would be making no major adjustments overnight. She wants to keep him steady and stable for 12 hours before making any adjustments.

So her overall comment was that he is still in critical condition, but she was pleased with the progress he made during the day. They are giving us no time frame of how long he will be in NICU...we're taking it day by day right now. Best case, I think he could be out late next week as he's on a course of antibiotics to rule out any infections or pneumonia. Or it could be a couple of weeks. It all depends on how his body progresses.

We are very pleased with how his day ended up. He looks so peaceful and perfect in his little bed. And he is already quite the NICU star. All the nurses that come on each shift stop by to see the "fat baby" and admire him. Our nurse told us they don't get many full-term babies in the NICU, so everyone loves to look at him. He is pretty fabulous if I do say so myself:-)

I know he is already on many prayer lists both in Texas and around the country. I even have a dear friend in France, Irene, who is lifting him up in prayer. Thank you to Kristen and Dawn who prayed with Jason and me over the baby's bed this afternoon. I know he felt your presence. And for our friends and family, thank you lifting for him up to the Lord in your prayers. We feel your love and encouragement!!!

Charlie's story begins here

2009-07-16T23:05:00.007-05:00

Since our baby is a sick little pumpkin, I'll be updating everyone via my blog. Here's the first email I sent out to some of our family from Thursday morning. It will get up you to speed on what happened the first 24 hours.

Our precious boy is here, but he desperately needs your prayers. He was born on Tuesday, July 14, at 1:30 a.m. as a seemingly healthy and VERY big boy (8.9 pounds and 22.5 inches) via a very uneventful and quite easy delivery. We got to hold and love on him for about 30 minutes. He went to the nursery for his bath and routine care while I was moved to a regular room. Around 8 a.m., we were told he had been moved to the NICU because he had turned blue in the nursery and was having a lot of trouble breathing.

The Harris Southwest NICU team did everything they could for him (including intubating him Wednesday morning), but his breathing and blood oxygen levels never improved. Because he was classified as a critical newborn, he was transferred via ambulance to Cook Children's yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon to their newborn NICU. He has a condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension, which means the arteries in his lungs aren't dilating enough to allow his blood to get the oxygen it needs. This is a good website about PPHN: http://www.persistent-pulmonary-hypertension-newborn.com/

He continues to be on a ventilator, and his docs have put him on nitric oxide to help relax the blood vessels in his lungs so they can better deliver oxygen to his body. Our family spent lots of time with him in the NICU yesterday. We can't touch him, and he's heavily sedated, so he can't hear us either, but I believe he knows we are there. And I know God is with him even when we can't be.

Please put our baby and his medical care team on your prayer list. We need as many people as possible lifting our baby up to the Lord at this time. I know God has a special plan for this baby, or he would not have blessed our family with him. I'd also ask that you pray for Griffin and Carter. Griffin got to see the baby in the NICU at Harris SW, and he understands that baby brother is having trouble breathing. Carter just knows that baby is not in Mommy's tummy anymore, but that he's not ready to come home from the hospital. Grif is a very sensitive boy, and he's having a hard time with all this. Carter is struggling with being separated from me. All four of us are at home (Thursday morning), so hopefully we can give the boys some peace.

On a lighter note, no, we have not named him yet. As most of you know, we like to get to know our babies before we name them, and we haven't had that opportunity yet. Jason and I have had no time together alone to discuss our angel's name, but we will soon.

I will do my best to keep you updated, but please be patient with me. Things change with him on a seemingly hourly basis right now, so it’s hard to stay up to speed myself. The last 48 hours are a blur for me.

Soon we'll be a family of 5

2009-07-13T00:15:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe these are probably some of our last hours being a family of four. I'm scheduled to induce baby boy #3 at 7:30 a.m., but of course, the hospital called earlier and told me they weren't sure if they would have room for me. I have to check in with them at 6 a.m. to see if they have a room for me!! At this point, I think I might take a cot in the hallway:-) I'm tired of being tired and so swollen that my feet and hands hurt.

I have to say bittersweet with this pregnancy since I know this is our last baby. Even though it's been a challenging pregnancy, it makes me sad I won't have this little person with me all the time. I really love feeling him move around, especially when he gets the hiccups. And the kids/cousins love to feel him moving. It puts such joyous smiles on their faces.

Griffin and Carter cannot wait to meet him. It's all they've talked about this weekend. Griffin wants to be able to introduce the baby to his cousins. We even let them have a say in the name game at dinner Sunday night. Of course, we still don't know what his name will be, but both boys had very specific opinions on the name.

God has blessed us with these incredible boys, and I'm honored to be their mother. I can't wait to see what it's like to be a family of five. One thing I know for sure is that my home won't be clean or quiet for about 18 more years, but it's a small price to pay for the joy my boys bring me every day.

Kitchen chair makeover!!

2009-07-12T14:47:00.004-05:00

As we get ready for new baby, one of the things I've been wanting to have done is recovering our kitchen chairs. My boys are pigs, and I do mean PIGS!! Especially Carter Magee. He thinks his chair is a napkin. We knew buying chairs with cream seat covers was a risky move, but we loved the design of the chair, so we did it anyway. This time, I got smart and bought dark patterned fabric that will hopefully hide some of the mud our little piggies sling. So, Jason got a wild hair today and recovered our chairs. Carter said the staple gun hurt his ears, so he's been wearing some of Jason's shooter ear muffs.

Here are some before and after photos of the project featuring Carter's personal chair. Don't you agree we needed them recovered!!!

Go outside boys

2009-07-05T23:41:00.011-05:00

Today was a lazy Sunday, and I was hard-pressed to find something for the boys to do here at home. I sounded just like my mom (love you Coco!!) when I told them they HAD to go outside to play since it was only 85 degrees (so much better than the 100+ degree days we've been having). So I kicked them both outside, and here's what we came up with.

Griffin made a "bobsled" out of his booster seat and our garden cart. Carter gave him a big push and off Grif would sail down the driveway to a ramp/jump they rigged up. I promise it's not too dangerous!!

To cool off, I turned on the sprinker for them to play in. I think they thought it was a bidet:-)

Then they took turns standing on it and jumping over it.

Happy brothers (it didn't last long unfortunately)!!

My sweet 3-year-old

2009-07-02T18:10:00.002-05:00

Since I'm still on bedrest, Carter's preschool teacher, Ms. Carmen has been keeping the boys on Thursdays for me. When I picked them up this afternoon, Carter was VERY happy to see me (usually he is having so much fun with Carmen's four children that he's not interested in coming home). He hugged and kissed me, and said hello to his baby brother (still in my tummy).

When we got home, I went to unbuckle him from his carseat. I told him I had missed him today, and he said the most magical words a mother could ever ask to hear, "Mommy, that makes my heart happy. I missed you bunches too." Of course, then I had to explain why I was crying to him. How does a 3-year-old know how to melt my heart already?

Random Quotes...

2009-06-28T14:03:00.003-05:00

Griffin while he and I were eating a snocone sans Daddy and Carter last night -- "Mommy, I enjoy our special time together. We get to have adult conversations like if I was already in 5th grade." Precious!!

Carter after spending quite a bit of time away from home with friends and family this week due to my bedrest -- "You are the best mommy I ever had." And "I'll be glad when baby brother comes out of your tummy so you can pick me up and hold me again." I can't wait until I can hold you again either buddy!! It will be soon, I promise.

I love being a boy momma.

My boys are fish

2009-06-28T10:06:00.005-05:00

Griffin and Carter finished their swimming lessons, and what improvement they made!!! Griffin can now breathe while doing the freestyle stroke without actually stopping, swim on his back doing the actual backstroke (he does go in circles sometimes, but that's okay!!), and the breaststroke.

Carter Magee is officially water-safe now. He looks like a bobber on a fishing pole -- he loves to go from his tummy to his back when he's swimming. He can now swim across my parents' pool with no help, and he'll jump in from anywhere to swim to you. All we have to do is remind him about big arms and big kicks and to keep his eyes in the water. Thank you Mr. David and Ms. Julia for the awesome lessons this year!!

He's a man of few...but funny words

2009-06-08T21:00:00.004-05:00

A lot of people think my sweet hubby is a very quiet man...but if you really know him well, he is hilarious, witty and quite the smarty pants. Case in point was last night. My parents invited us over to swim and to have dinner. Hubby being the great son-in-law that he is, started cleaning up the dishes while a few of us poky people were finishing up. He didn't turn on the kitchen lights, so when my mom walked into to kitchen to help, she asked him why he was working in the dark.

His reply, with one of his HUGE contiguous grins on his face was "I do my best work in the dark!!" She and I busted out laughing, especially since I'm eight months preggo right now!! She told him those were details a mother didn't need to know about her daughter, and that she'd judge how good his work was when the baby was born. Of course, this little guy will be as fabulous as his two older brothers, so I'm sure I won't need to cash in on any money-back guarantees for hubby's darkroom work:-) I just love that side of him!!

It's been too long since Griffin had teeth

2009-06-07T14:32:00.015-05:00

I know getting teeth are a momentous occasion for children, but the most recent tooth Griffin has coming in is a sight for sore eyes!! I can so remember getting a call in early November 2006 that my sweet barely 5-year-old baby had knocked out a tooth a school. Talk about panic. We live 25 minutes from his school, so I called my dad, who conveniently was 5 minutes away from school, to go up and sit with him until I could get there. Griffin was on his knees in a chair and fell over hitting his mouth on the table. His teachers were mortified that he had knocked out a tooth -- and it wasn't just any tooth, it was one of the big ones on top!!! I think his teacher, Mrs. Y. cried as much as he did!!

We make an emergency visit to the dentist for x-rays to make sure the whole tooth came out, which thank goodness, it did. And for the last 31 months, we've had a child missing a front tooth. The other front baby tooth fell out and the permanent one came in last earlier this year. I even had him x-rayed again this spring to make sure that darn tooth was actually in his head. Well, it was there, because it FINALLY broke through the gum yesterday. What a relief. I barely remember what he looks like with top teeth, so I can't wait to see him in a few months.

Here he is with all his teeth:

Here he is the night he knocked out the tooth:

This is from this spring with both front teeth gone:

And here he is with the new tooth coming -- YEAH!!!!

Out of the mouth of babes

2009-05-28T17:27:00.002-05:00

This just in from Carter...he comes into the living room with undies and shorts down around his ankles and carrying his wipes. It can only mean one thing. Then he proceeds to tell him he has stopped up the potty with a "super huge tree branch log poo". Spoken just like a man!!

But this is a man who prides himself on stopping up potties (the joys of living on a septic system). He runs out to the garage and brings me the plunger before I can even get off the couch. I waddle off to his bathroom and do my motherly duty. After he flushes again, and all is clear, he proclaims me as "Super Mommy!!" What more could I ask for?

Random Photos

2009-05-20T15:12:00.011-05:00

My virtual friend Coco posts random photos once a week on her blog. Coco is the relative of one of my best friends, Mama Sue, and she is HILARIOUSLY FUNNY!!! Her blog is a must read. Anway, I loved her idea of random photos of the family, so here goes my version.

Griffin was so filthy after playing in the mud that hubby put plastic down on his truck seats to bring the boy home!! And he was sweet enough to power wash the clothes and shoes before I put them into my beloved front loader washer.

Carter as the Karate Kid. And he's wearing one of his favorite shirts -- the soccer ball shirt. I must wash it three times a week!

Carter loves to paint, and I mean he loves it. He always wears his painting apron, and believe it or not, he actually cleans his own brushes up when he's done.

Griffin's first season as a ball player is almost over. Hubby and Papa are coaching the team, and what a beating, um, I meant, joy it's been for them:-) Griffin is still waffling on whether he'll play again next year...or whether the coaches will return for another season.

Dr. Carter, I presume

2009-05-18T14:40:00.004-05:00

Today was my 30-week appointment with my OB. Carter went with me since most of my appointments are on Mondays. He is quite well known among the nurses as he has a most unusual habit while we're at the doc's office...he pees in a cup just like me:-) Yes, you read it right. He offers a urine specimen at each appointment to make sure all his well with him.

Her nurses absolutely LOVE it when he proudly walks up to their station with his little cup in hand. Even the other patients smile at him. He is always so proud of hitting that cup!! Today, Tasha told him he had no protein in his urine (neither did I), but he might want to drink more water. He just laughed and said he likes milk better. He also helps take my blood pressure and listen to the baby's heartbeat. Even the receptionist knows who he is. I guess we all have to be famous for something.

Baby Names

2009-05-17T15:22:00.003-05:00

Last night at church we got to see our friends' new baby boy Brazos. All Griffin could talk about was how sweet he was and how much he loved Brazos' name. Grif is so excited about his new brother coming. I think he will be a HUGE help.

Carter is also excited about the baby. Periodically, he comes up with names for him. Before we knew he was he, Carter was convinced the baby was a sister, and he was going to name her Kara. It's actually a cute name, but Kara doesn't fit a boy, so we're on the hunt for a name.

Sooo, Carter's newest names for our baby are:
Bob the Hooter and my favorite (especially when Carter pronounces it) Esh-kabob. Can't you just see his teachers trying to get that name out on the first day of school!! I think we'll keep looking for a name for baby brother, but thanks for playing the name game Carter. I love your imaginative thinking!!

Carter's version of feeding a baby

2009-05-15T11:28:00.003-05:00

So after his bath earlier this week, Carter and I were talking about his new baby brother. I asked Carter if he knew what babies drank, and he said "milk". Score 1 for the 3-year-old! I asked him if he knew where the baby's milk would come from. At first he said "from the refrigerator". Then he rethought his answer and said "from the milk tanks". At this point, I was dying to hear what/where he thought the tanks were located, so of course, I pressed him for more details.

He was so proud of himself when he told me that the "milk tanks are in Mommy's shirt!!" Spoken like a boy who nursed for 14 months himself!! I'm so proud:-)

And to think I wasn't sure if I even wanted kids...

2009-05-10T23:57:00.009-05:00

Well, that was in my teens and 20s. Little did I know what my 30s would bring. Thank goodness my sweet hubby convinced me back in 2001 that a little person would be a nice addition to our home. I still remember crying in the bathroom at the hospital the day after our first son was born because the nurses were pressuring us to name him (he was five weeks early, so we didn't have a name picked out). I told Jason that if we named the baby, we'd have to take him home and be responsible for him. Can you say "raging hormones!!"

Of course, Jason talked me down off that crazy rant, and almost eight years later, that sweet baby boy gave me a Mother's Day gift he made at school. It's a red pot holder that reads (in his best handwriting I might add):

Dear Mom,
I like you because you make good food and lay down with me. (We talk about his day and pray before bedtime.).
Thank you for playing cards and Jenga.
Love,
Griffin

And if that wasn't enough, our precious son #2, Carter, told his teacher that his favorite thing to do with Mommy is to stay home with me!!

Talk about love...I can't even describe what these boys mean to me. They make me laugh, cry and stomp my foot in frustration. And that can often be in the span of 15 minutes around here!! My life revolves around them and their daddy, and I wouldn't wish...or dream for anything else. Our children are indeed a blessing from God, and I praise Him every day for allowing us to raise such fine boys.

I am one proud boy momma:-)

P.S., thanks to my own mom, Coco, for being such a great role model as a mother. She set the bar pretty high, and I strive to meet it every day as a mom myself. I love you Coco!! Happy Mother's Day.

P.S. #2 -- How sweet were my boys trying to nap together this afternoon before Daddy's pizza party for our family moms.

Mmmm -- Kahlua cake

2009-05-09T23:22:00.002-05:00

So tonight was a perfect example of my funny boys. I was making a family favorite dessert for Mother's Day -- chocolate fudge kahlua cake. I ran out of kahlua this afternoon, so being the good Christians we are, we went to the liquor AFTER church tonight:-) Griffin was quite intrigued by a store that just sold "stuff adults like to drink," and Carter was dying to try this magic potion that we had to drive 15 minutes to buy.

So when we got home, I cracked the seal, poured about two drops on a teaspoon and let Griffin sample the kahlua. He told me it was gross and walked off. Carter, of course, was a different story. He LOVED his sample and asked for more in his sweetest little voice. Who can resist a 3-year-old who is using his best manners, so of course, I indugled him with two more drops -- and I do mean literal drops for those of you worried about my sanity on this one. Then he asked if I could put some in his oatmeal, (which, of course, did NOT happen). I think I've created a monster...

Today is as good as anyday...

2009-05-09T23:15:00.002-05:00

I've been told by many friends and family that I need to write down all the funny things my kids (and hubby) say and do. So, I figured today was as good as any other day to start. Let the memories begin!!