Thanksgiving...

For Thanksgiving we had dinner here and had Glenn and Calla over. The guys did most of the cooking which was so nice. Lily played all day and was so excited at dinner. I skipped the baby food (bad mommy!!) and did table food. She had turkey, mashed potatoes (made with boob milk), carrots, and green beans. She LOVED every last bite. Now we actually have 2 Thanksgiving dinners because we all gather out at my step dads house on the day after Thanksgiving for dinner out there...it's pretty much pot luck, but everyone knows what they are bringing. I even bought Lily a portable high chair to take out there so she could sit like a big girl! Lily had the same things out at Papa Charlie's except she got to have some sweet potatoes out there (I caught my sister before she added all the extra seasonings to them) and she devoured all of it. Funny thing is she ate more than Dade!!! But then again Dade didn't eat anything out at Papa Charlie's. I didn't want to fight him so I said fine, just no desserts.

Here is Lily with some mashed potatoes on her chin!

Clapping for the first time!!

So I am in the kitchen, Dade and I are doing the dishes (i'm washing, he's rinsing). I'll wash some, and while Dade is rinsing, I'm over feeding Lily baby food. And while that is all going on (oh and I'm making dinner too), we are singing "This old man"' to Lily and I looked over and she was clapping...CLAPPING!!!!! All on her own too. usually we will clap when she does something on her own (I love to encourage her and make a big deal out of it). She is learning so much right now. It's cool, but man she is growing up so fast!

Lily can do something new...

Last night I caught Lily "creeping" to get to things she wants instead of just rolling. I had to catch it on video (On my phone)


She loves paper so I put it in front of her to entice her a bit...tehn of course moved it back a little...mean mommy! Lol!

Here is another one...


*sigh* she's gonna really be on the move now...I better hurry up and finish baby proofing and get another gate to keep her contained. She already basically owns the living room anyway...Lol! The boys like to occasionally sit in the living room with their lap trays and watch a movie while eating (I know...bad mommy)but I told them tonight that it's gonna have to cease for some time. We'll do it on pizza nights or something, because tonight Lily kept trying to pull their trays over and was reaching for Dade's sandwich at one point. Oh well, I'd rather us eat in at the table together anyway.

Today, I had to go to the store to get miss Lily some more baby food and puffs. We walked into Giant Eagle (I love their brand of organic baby food) and I thought instead of putting Lily in the sling like I normally do, I put her in the seat in the front of the cart. She wasn't too sure of it at first, but I think once she saw I wasn't leaving her in their ad walking away (the separation anxiety has begun...) she was fine and looked to be having fun...and she looked like such a big girl!! My baby is growing up!


Then when we went to Target, the seat in the front of the cart was WAY too big for her...oh well. Now I gotta made/buy her a cart cover...don't want those icky germs all over her.

Lily turned 6 months and had her check up...

Lily turned 6 months, well the day we had to go to the hospital, on November 10th, 2008. She had her 6 month check up on the 13th. She weighs 16 lbs. 7 oz. and is 26 1/2 inches long and her head is 16 1/2 inches. She isn't as heavy as I expected ( I think cause by the time the boys were 6 months they weighed 20lbs...) They said she is still very long for her age, and her weight matches her height so that is good. Her head is still on the small side (no biggie) but it is gradually getting up to "normal" on the charts. She had to get her shots, plus I opted for the flu shot, so she had to get 4 shots in all, 2 in each leg and do the oral roto-virus vaccination. She barely even cried when they gave her her shots. She had her bink (since they wouldn't let me nurse her while she got her shots...that's what I did for Dade)so I think that helped her with soothing a little, plus as I held her arms I was down in and by her face shhhh-ing her and giving her little kisses and telling her it was almost done...she reached for me immediately and gave the nurse a mean look for just a moment and then gave her a bog smile. I was expecting her to be fussy on the day of her shots and then pretty much cry all day the day after, because that is what she has done for both her 2 and 4 month shots...and this time she didn't. She was barely fussy. She slept a little more the day of, but no biggie, that just meant I got to nap too. :-)

Lily's first trip to the ER...

So last night around midnight Lily woke up crying and as usual I let her cry a little...next thing I know Chad had brought her downstairs...which is normally a big no no, but he had a very worried look on his face. He said he heard her cough through the baby monitor and it just didn't sound right. As soon as he got closer I could hear it in her breathing, very raspy and almost forced, like she was having problems breathing. That immediately scared me. Chad held her and put her in her carseat while I gathered a few diapers and things to occupy her at the hospital. She cried all the way there, and as much as I didn't like that, I at least knew she was breathing. I did notice that she seemed alright until the car got warmer, so I turned the heat off about half way there. As soon as we got there they got us back to Triage and immediately in a room. A nurse came to check on us and Lily was all smiles and "talking" to everyone. part of me felt bad because now she seemed okay. She didn't cough much but you could hear it in her breathing, a deep raspy-ness. The Dr. immediately said he thought it was Croup. I had told them I just knew she didn't sound right, like she couldn't breath. I was afraid she had picked something up off of the floor and put it in her mouth earlier and had gotten lodged (grated this is midnight, she went to bed at 8:30. I figure if something had gotten stuck it would have caused problems before now...but who knows). Th Dr. ordered neck x rays just to be sure. Within minutes we were taken back to get the x rays...I had to put her on this bicycle looking seat and then they close this clear tube like thing around her while I held her arms up...(see below)

(that isn't her in the pic...got it from a google search) I felt so bad...they warned me that she would most likely cry a lot, but she actually did really well. I stood in front of her, holding her hands and he head still, and she didn't cry until I moved out of her sight...the x ray techs were sort of surprised. They made sure they got the x rays, sent them to the Dr. and then we were on our way back to the room. About 20 minutes later (if that), the Dr. came to the room, said the x rays looked good and it was definitely Croup that she had. They were going to give her a steroid shot to help her airway, then we would be on our way. They told me that if she started to cough and get bad to bundle her up and sit outside with her, that the cool air would help her a lot, or we could get the bathroom all steamy and sit in there, and that too would help her. Needless to say, she slept in our room in her pack and play for the next two nights so we could keep an eye on her. We borrowed a humidifier from Glenn (Chad's brother) and Erin and ran it at night for her. She is doing a lot better. I can occasionally hear a little raspy-ness in her voice when breathing before bed, but the humidifier helps with that. I know Chad said that he barely slept that first night. He said one minute you could hear her raspy breathing and the next you couldn't and he was scared she has quit breathing, but she didn't quit breathing, she had just changed positions and you couldn't hear her as much...kind of like when people snore, and they change positions and you can't hear the snoring anymore.
It was such a scare and I am soooooooooooooo glad that she is feeling better.

Pics of kids at Dawes

I took the kids to Dawes Arboretum to snap some photos of them while the trees still have some leaves on them....







Plus I had just gotten the boys' hair cut (it'll be a while before Lily gets a haircut), so it's a great way to show off the new do's...well, I love showing the kids off anytime!

And even more...

Lily is now 5 months old. She is getting so big and it seems like she is doing something new, or trying to, everyday. On her 4 month check up, she weighed 14lbs. 14oz. and was 25 inches long. She is in the 90th percentile for both. She has been rolling over for some time now, and she can pretty much get anywhere she wants, if and when she wants. On day I was sitting here checking my email, while she lay on the floor right in front of me. I looked up and she wasn't there. I was like "what!?!" I got up, and saw that she had rolled into the next room, our office area! She was even laughing like she knew what she had done. If she can't get to where she wants to by rolling over, she kind of "caterpillar" creeps, where she puts her forehead on the ground and then pushes her self up and forward. It's so cute. She's working on sitting up right now. She'll be doing it and then get excited and try to get a toy and of course topples over. She doesn't seem to care as long as she got that toy into her mouth though. and she is such a happy baby. I won't say she never cry's or doesn't have bad days cause who doesn't, but she is so smiley and laughs. She definitely loves attention too. Don't leave her alone for too long or she will let you know you need to pay attention to her! She also loves to watch the kids play outside. She'll watch them run around, ride their bikes, and climb trees. She'll get all excited and stiffen her arms and legs, and try to gt off my lap like she's going to get down and start playing herself. it wouldn't surprise me at all though. She has been ready to get going since day one!

Here are some more pics and videos...

I know this pic is sort of blurry but I can't help but like it. I believe she was going to attack her hand...

All pretty in pink...

Posing pretty...

First time she slept in her crib.
Yes, I know she isn't supposed to have any blankets in there with her, but I seriously didn't leave the room and she only slept for like 15 minutes...

And some more random pics...

Dade made a mustache and beard out of silly putty...he's so silly...

Daddy and his princess...she so has him wrapped around her little finger...

May the force be with you...

Lily and her big cousin Calla...
Calla tells Lily that she can't wait for her to grow up so that they can play princess together and she can teach her everything she needs to know...I have to admit, that one scares me a little...

Some more...

Here are a few pictures and video clips from my phone taken over the last few months...

Here is Lily and her first taste of baby cereal...

Lily's first stroller ride

Lily loves to be outside, this past weekends camping trip proved it even more. If she starts to get fussy sometimes all I have to do is walk outside and she stops. She loves the wind blowing and to watch the trees and everything around her outside, well except for the sun being in her eyes, but who likes that?!

Sitting in her Bumbo.
I bought this Bumbo for lily case she always wanted to sit up, but of course couldn't on her own. My friend Reagan said her daughter Aubrey loved hers so I thought I'd try it out. She loved it!
Thanks Reagan for the great idea!

First picture of all three kids together.
Lily loves her big brothers (and they love her too). She loves watching them and laughing at them. i do have to admit, they are pretty goofy. Sometimes I can't help but laugh at them too!

Here is Lily looking at herself in the mirror for the first time.
She loves looking at the baby in the mirror. She doesn't realize that it is her yet but she will;-)

Too much to write...

I figure as much as I want to go back and write about everything that has happened over the past few months, that is seriously just going to be too hard to do, if I want to do it right. So I'm just going to briefly go over them and if I forgot something, I will add it later... That is the best way I can do this...

Baseball ended at the end of June for both of the boys. Dawson is now playing fall ball with his last game this coming Saturday, and Dad doesn't really know if he even wants to play next year. I won't push him, it is completely up to him, but my rule is, once you sign up, you will finish she season. No quitting.

Here are a few baseball pics of the boys...

I told them to pose however they wanted to and this is what i got.
I love it!!

I thought it was cool that their shirts together spelled out 911!
Nothing but trouble! Lol!

Just a cute one of them together...

More will come later as I have time...sometimes more than one post a day...

It's been a while....

So...we haven't had the net since the end of May...wow...I have some major updating to do...Give me a week or two (maybe three) and I'll get it all on here, just hang tight...I promis it will get done.  If you want to see some pics of Lily, you can check them out on my myspace at myspace.com/aquarius716.  I believe they are public right now...  Not much has gone on, but then again I say that and then once I see what has gone on, I think, "dang...that's a lot of crap..."  Lily seems to be learning something new, trying something new every day...they grow up too darn fast...

Well I'm going to get off of here for now and I'll start my updates real soon....I promise...

Not much going on...

Well there isn't really much going on...lots of baseball...(Dawson had 4 games the week after Lily was born and I only missed 1!!), weather that needs to be just a little warmer (supposed to get up in the 70's and 80's) and Dade's graduation zoo trip...okay so I guess more than I though has actually gone on...Lol!

Dade's graduation zoo trip...

All the kids who are moving on to kindergarten got to go the Columbus zoo and Chad
went as a chaperone...and they all had such a blast. Chad and Dade even stuck around the zoo after all the other kids left to see a few things they didn't have time to see earlier. Dade said his favorite things to see were the Lion, Tiger, Rhino and the Alligators. He didn't get to see the Zebra's, Giraffes, and he wanted to ride the boat and get cotton candy. We are planning a family trip to the zoo for the summer and I told him we would put them on our list of things to do.

Dade and some of the graduates...

And again....

Dade, Chance, Brandon and Emma...

Dade "petting" a corn snake...

Dade riding a pony....

Lily...

Well her weight is up to 8 lbs. 3 oz., so she has gained a full pound since we left the hospital! Yeah! I figured as much since she eats ALL OF THE TIME!!! I am serious. If she is awake, then she is most likely eating...and my poor boobies...Lol! Of course I take pictures of her all the time...

Lily all dressed up in yellow...

Mommy and Lily asleep...
this happens quite a bit...

Dade holding his little sister...
he and Dawson are constantly wanting to hold her,
talk and sing to her and give her hugs and kisses.
They are wonderful big brothers and a lot of help!

Some other random pictures...

Dade wearing Daddy's coat!

Looks like he belongs to the mafia...
better watch it, he may have to take you out...

Huh????

Lily Jade Parsons

On May 10th, 2008 at 5:49pm, Chad and I welcomed Lily Jade Parsons into the world. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long.

We went to bed late, as usual. (Decided on some late night nookie...you know to try and get the baby out (Lol!). ) Chad fell asleep and I started to have some mild contractions, which was no big deal. I had been having contractions for weeks that had led to nothing. I timed them just in case though, cause you never know. At about 4:30 or 5 am, they started to get a little stronger, so I decided to get up and walk around. They tell you that if they still keep up and get regular then they may be real contractions. So I wanted to check that out. I got last minute stuff together for my hospital bag, got the boys' baseball uniforms together (since they both had games that next day), checked my email, and started to clean a bit. About 7 am I think, I woke Chad up telling him I think we needed to go to the hospital. He got the boys up, got the car loaded, called his brother and we got to the hospital between 8 and 9 am. They put me on the monitors and after a bit, although I the contractions were still pretty strong, they were no longer regular and I hadn't dilated or effaced any more. So I headed back home disappointed. I went home to get some rest and Chad took the boys to the ball field for Dawson's game at 1. I tried to get some sleep, but just as I had drifted off, the contractions started again at about 1:30 or so. Soon they were regular at about 6 or 7 minutes apart again and seemed to be a lot stronger. So, again I got up and walked around. This time, they definitely got stronger and were about 5 minutes apart so I called my Dr. again. She told me to wait until they were regular at 5 minutes apart for about 2 hours. At this point, it had only been about 30 minutes. The pain of the contractions seemed unbearable and I called Chad at the ball field. I was scared and didn't want to be at the house alone anymore. When he got home (after making arrangements for the boys) and I told him what the Dr said about waiting 2 hours, he said no, and I could call the Dr on the way, which I did. he then called back and had them call the hospital to have a wheelchair ready for me because there was no way I was going to be able to walk up to the 3rd floor. We got to the hospital (at 4:10pm), and a nurse wheeled me up to the 3rd floor while Chad parked the car. When they got me back into the room (the same one I was in earlier), they checked me and I was at 4 cm (instead of 3). If my water hadn't been broken at the house, it broke within a half hour of us being at the hospital. They had admitted me this time, instead of just observing me (YEAH!!!). They started my IV and gave me antibiotics (for the strep B that tested positive (no biggie)) and then some nubain (sp?) to take the edge off, but I only think it really made me kind of loopy... The nurse checked me again and i remember her saying something about getting the Dr. All I could think was epidural time...so I asked, and they replied, "oh honey, you don't have time for an epidural...she is ready..." Chad said the look on my face was complete and total horror. I remember thinking there was no way I was going to be able to have this baby without an epidural!! They started getting the bed ready and kept telling me NOT to push during my contractions, which were now coming so fast, they were basically one on top of another...I wanted to push so bad, I almost felt like I had to hold my breath to keep from pushing, but at the same time I HAD to breath... Everything was happening so fast that I couldn't think straight. they got me in the stirrups and all ready and said to push with the next contraction...time seemed to stop for just a moment and to me it seemed like the contractions had just stopped ...I just wasn't ready for this all natural!! The next contraction came and I pushed, but not really. I was holding back because I was flipping out on the inside! I finally pushed, I mean really pushed and Chad said it took like 3 pushes and Lily was here! I do remember feeling her come out and being relieved that it was over... it did hurt, i won't lie to you, but it was all over in an instant, and I didn't even tear!! next was the placenta...I don't remember this with the boys, mainly because I had the epidural...but apparently mine didn't want to leave me... I guess the problem was that my bladder was full and because of that, the placenta wasn't releasing which looked to me like it was causing a lot of blood (Chad said it flipped him out too)...but once she relieved my bladder, it was fine and the heavy bleeding stopped and the placenta came out as well...
Right after Lily was born, they put her on my chest while they started cleaning her. I was honestly in shock. I couldn't believe it had happened so fast. I couldn't believe I had my baby girl already. Plus I was still a little loopy from the Nubain, Lol! So that is the story as I remember it. I can now say that I have experienced natural child birth. Not that I want to do that again, but it wasn't horrible. It was over so fast, and now it is all just a memory and Lily Jade Parsons made it all worth it! (and I truly believe that sex will bring on labor!! lol!!)

All goopy eyed...

On my chest right after delivery...

Daddy has his little princess to go with his princes...

Wide awake...

So angelic looking...

Look at her big feet!! Lol!!

Dade's first T Ball game

Sunday May 4th was Dade's first T Ball game. It definitely went a lot smoother that I was expecting it to. We only had 5 kids show up that could play. Zach being such a great sport showed up to support his teammates and sheer them on, even though he couldn't play (He had hurt his had earlier in the week). Playing only two innings, they were so ready to be finished! They were so cute!!

Dade being Mr. Cool while we wait for the game before us to finish...

In the Dugout, getting ready for the game!

Dade being a little...

Bored...Lol!!

up to bat!!

And he hit the ball!!!

Run to 2nd Base....

Zack...rooting his teammates on!!

Stay tuned for more baseball...that was just the first game of the season...and many many more follow...Lol!

Still waiting...

Okay. So this little girl needs to make up her mind and come out to meet the world. One minute I am having lots of contractions, wondering if it is time to go to the hospital and the next nothing. Lol! I have tried walking, and have been cleaning like a mad woman (or as much as I can) around here. I figure i had better get it finished now, while I can and have the time to do it! Lol! We all know once she arrives, between caring for her, practically living at the ball field, and trying to rest...that doesn't leave much time for anything else. That, is the life of a mom! I love it though. I wouldn't trade it for anything...not even all the money in the world!

We have finally made some headway on the stack of boxes driving me nuts...Chad restacked some, we repacked some and we will just keep working on it. Slowly but surely they will get done. As long as we are making a little progress here and there, then I won't let it bug me too much. We just need to figure out what to keep, find a place for it, what to store, and what to get rid of...which is a HUGE task. You seriously never know how much crap you have until you move...
Hopefully the next time we move it will be into a house that we have bought! That would be nice!

Baby Doctor update...

Well I just got back from my weekly checkup. Last week when I went in, I was dilated to 3 and 50% effaced and I was so excited! This week...no change. Oh well. I figure with the contractions getting stronger and me now being 37/38 weeks, I don't have much time till Lily decides she is ready to make her debut. I am still really nervous, but so ready at the same time. It will probably happen in the middle of one of the boy's baseball games...Lol!! Wouldn't that be funny! Whenever it happens, I hope it happens soon!! I will keep y'all posted!

First weekend full of baseball...

Well Dawson has had his first baseball tournament. It started with a game Thursday night, we won 11-1. It was an awesome game and our team, well they did phenomenal... Game two was Saturday at 1 (we won that one as well). We had to be back at the field for a game at 5. When we arrived, the other team was only in the top of the 4th and it had started to rain. Not only that but the coaches and umps were constantly arguing...it was horrible. They ended up calling the game because of the weather, it had finally started to pour. Our team was trying to give it a little bit of time to see if it would stop, they wanted to play soooooo bad. Well after waiting 2 1/2 hours and trying
to move to 2 other fields, they finally called our game as well. The kids were disappointed. They really wanted to play in the rain and slide in the mud...Lol! Us as parents were relieved. We just wanted to go home. We were cold, wet and tired. We were rescheduled for noon today (Sunday). Well we show up today and play game 3, and win. Game four was scheduled at 4. We get to leave to get a quick bite to eat and get back to field for game 4 (game 2 of the day). The kids were getting frustrated and a few late attitudes get in their way. We lost, but were still in the final 4 so had to move into game 5 (which was game 3 for the day). We had a very short break, and played game 5. It was not only a close game, but a really REALLY good game. We lost by 1 run in the final inning... The kids were a bit heartbroken, but the coach and all the parents kept reassuring them what an awesome job they had done, and they really did!

So needless to say, I got a little dose of what the summer is going to be like. Not tournaments exactly, but lots of baseball. It wasn't all that bad. The worse part about it was walking to the nasty bathrooms. I only have to go every 20 minutes or so and with 4 fields, and only one bathroom located in the middle of all the fields, it sucked having to walk there not only when I had to go, but when Dade also had to go....ugh.

Team in the dugout cheering their team mates who were batting on....

Safe!!!

Was that a ball or strike????

I am sooooo ready for Lily, but at the same time, not. Every time I walk, I feel like She is seriously right between my legs. That and my groin aches ALL the time. It constantly feels like I have a really bad pulled groin muscle, mainly in the left side...walking sucks, rolling over in bed really hurts and moving from a sitting to a standing position isn't really fun either. The contractions seem to be getting stronger and more often throughout the day. last night I started having really really bad back pain that radiated into my lower abdomen...which I was classifying as contractions. They weren't regular, but they did hurt. I seriously thought when we went to bed last night that I was going to be waking Chad up within a few hours to go to the hospital. Obviously that didn't happen. Part of me wishes it would have, but another part of me is secretly freaking out! Am I ready for baby number three? Can we handle another one? Can we afford it? How are our lives going to change? Am I going to be overly hormonal after the birth? Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I know that this is supposed to be normal but I don't like it. I have control issues and me not being in control is bugging the crap out of me. Lol!

Sorry about the rambling. I seem to be doing that a lot here lately. I will write more later. Gotta go. Darn contractions.....