Daddy's new J.O.B.

OK...so it may be old news to most of you...but MB got a new job working as a flight medic. He loooves it so much and is thrilled to be doing what he's doin and away from the fire department. Mr. B and I took our friend Marcheen down to the base and we have some exciting pics (and video) to share....

OK...now here is some cool video of Mr. B landing....

What an awesome adventure!!! Marcheen got to ride too. I didn't go this time...but it was a beautiful day for it! I'll take the next flight!

13 weeks old!!!

Can you believe it?! Miss Carleigh is 13 weeks old tomorrow...Tuesday she'll be 3 MONTHS OLD! It has flown by so fast. I started back at work last Monday. We are all doing great at school and work. It is good to be back!!!

We had a garage sale yesterday that was a success...but almost didn't happen!!! MB and I got attacked by a ping pong table...it sounds funny now, but it wasn't when it happened. It is such a long story that really is dramatic and sounds horribly bad. Ask me about it some time....

Here are some pics from our most recent photo shoots!!

My first party....

BG went to her first party this weekend! She's 11 weeks old now and is so much fun! Here are some pics.....and yes, I know she really has no hair...but I couldn't resist the hair clip.

Here she is with Daddy, he just told her what her curfew was....

This is the birthday girl...Mallory...you can see why Bryson digs her so much!

And here is a group of pics that my brother's wife took of BG recently. Isn't she gorgeous!!! They are beautiful!!!! And yes...I am totally vain!

2nd day of day care...SUCCESS!!!

Mommy made it without a tear!!! Ha! Ms. Nicky said that BG was great and she wished all the babies were like her....(she's just trying to make me feel better). She also told me that BG laughed so much thru her feeding that it took them 45 minutes to get 5 oz. in her! She does that at home too....and I didn't even have to read The Happiest Baby on the Block!

BG is truly a blessing and has been a joy these last few weeks. She's such a happy little girl.

Remember, I had an immense craving for tomatoes while pregnant with BG...check out her outfit below....
Doesn't she look peeved in this pic...its like - Dad, I don't care about this computer stuff....

BG is 10 weeks old!

She's such a happy girl! We took her to day care Monday for a couple of hours. She did well. She'll go again tomorrow.....I can't send her full time just yet...it makes me too sad. But she's doing great!

2nd post of the night...

So I laughed so hard the other night I almost wet my pants....and I cried!!!! We were on the speaker phone with MB, he was traveling home from training after 3 weeks being gone. He yells "OH CRAP!" Mr. B runs to the phone and yells "DADDY?! WHYDOYOU HAFTA CRAP?!" OK, like I said, I almost wet my pants laughing so hard...it was bad...really bad...I'm a horrible mother I know, but I warned most of you. I can't help but laugh! Finally I did ask him if he knew what that meant, and he said no. So I feel a little bit better at this point...

More photos from trip home...

We had fun stopping by Metropolis, Illinois - home of the one and only Man of Steel! We pulled around the corner to see this statue - which Mr. B calls GIANT and screams out COOL!

Not much time left on leave...kinda sad I only have two weeks left. I remember these feelings with Mr. B. It is so hard to feel like you don't have a choice in this decision...money is a necessary evil unfortunately. But I see Mr. B and how well adapted he is to day care and I know BG will be too. I just hate it sometimes-- but deal with it.

Check back soon!!!!

9 weeks old...

BG is 9 weeks old now! I can't believe it. It makes me sad, just to know that so much time has passed so quickly. I'll blink and miss this, I'm afraid. BG is hysterical! She's smiling like crazy. She wakes up with a grin, she looks at nothing and smiles. Her brother makes her laugh by tickling her feet.

Some things I have learned this week:

1. Don't travel with two small kids for 9 hours by yourself.

2. when one of you has to take a bathroom break, you all have to take a bathroom break.

3. Illinois Rest Area's are awesome - they have playgrounds

4. Mommies don't glisten, they sweat!!!!

5. Cracker Barrel makes me happy.

We've just come back from a great trip to my parent's house in St. Louis. We spent some time with my sister too. We took Mr. B to Grant's Farm. I've included some pics below!

Funny story of the road trip: Mr. B's Gagaw (that's Brysonspeak for Grandpa) loaned us the Magellen GPS for the trip -- which was AWESOME! SO as we are driving along, "Maggie" told us to turn left. MB has been working with Mr. B on his directions and he's very good with them....so he says "MOOOOOOOOM! Which way did we just turn?" I told him we turned right. In a most persistant voice, he replies "Mommy, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TURN LEFT!" Very funny.

So here is Part 1 of the photos. ENJOY! I'll post more later:

8 weeks are gone...

I can't believe BG is 8 weeks old already. Time has sure flown by. Here are some pictures, since I haven't posted in a while:

I really need to get somenew updates on Mr. B's funny comments. He's not been so hysterically funny...but maybe that's because i can't remember anything other than feeding a baby and changing diapers!! My goodness...that's all I do!! here's some soccer pics...

Just some new pics...

BG is doing great. She's plumping up and looks to me like she's getting bigger. She's on a great schedule with lots of alert-time during the afternoon and early evening. We are getting better at reading her cries/needs... and for the most part, she's a content little kid. Here are some cute pics of her from the past week or so.

Mr. B had his first soccer game on Saturday. We didn't get pics, but got lots of video. They had this huge tunnel for the kids to run through and when they announced his team, I was ready to get some photos of him running in....and he never came through. Turns out he had a little bit of a freak out on the other side. Luckily MB was with him so they walked back to the field together. But Mr. B would play the part of the game because he was scared. But I have some funny video of him and MB on the field together because MB had to get out there with him....remember folks, this is Upwards Soccer - no one cares as long as everyone is having fun!!! ANYWAY! He ended up getting out on the field and having a blast. I don't think he scored any but it was fun to watch. Here's an old photo of him from Easter that I pulled off my cell phone....

Hope you all have a great day! I'll post more soon.

Because we can't leave BG out of the "Game"....

Mattie doesn't want BG to be left out in the cold! Check it out!

NEW VIDEO! Just figured this out!

I'm so excited! I just figured out how to upload a video onto my blog! I hope it works! ENJOY!! Bryson is the one in the blue shirt...and no, he's not mad at the end....it just looks that way.

BG's 1st Bath....

...in a bathtub...she got sponge baths before! She's not been stinky for five weeks people!!! It cracks me up, the first pics we have of her brother in a bath were of him SCREAMING!! She's such a girl. She loves it.
Life is good....

LOL Moment with Mr. B

First the good news...BG is a month old and already weighs 10 lbs and 7 oz!!! She's two lbs and two oz bigger than her first pediatrician appointment after her birth! WOW!!! In just four short weeks she's gained a lot of weight. She's doing great!!!

So Ms. BG gets a little cranky sometimes...the joys of not being able to tell mom and dad what's wrong!! I was trying everything....rocking, bouncing, patting, burping...you name it. Mr. B was sitting close by trying to watch the latest Backyardigans episode, when I plainly stated, " Well Mr. B what are we going to do with your sister?!" He said "Take her back to the hospital." I nearly wet my pants laughing so hard....the love of a brother!

Have a nice day!

I'm ONE month old already!!!

I wish my job was just to lay around and be cute all the time.....doctor update tomorrow!

Our First Soccer Practice

Thought I would share...Mr. B started Soccer today!! I have waited for this day! I love the fact that my kiddo wants to play something, and I am ready to root him on (yes, I'll be the annoying mommy on the sideline!) I am so proud of him already. Check out the pics.....and GO TIGERS!!! OH, and BG is doing great too...she's four weeks old today!!!!

Happy Birthday MB!

Today is MB's 33rd Birthday! We had a Batman birthday (yes, Mr. B picked it out). And mr. B helped with the cake!!! It tasted good!!!!!

BG is 3 weeks old and doing well. She's getting a little fussier, but she's also staying up more during the day. We've all been getting good sleep at night so far! I am so glad. I don't know what I'd do without my sleep. I think I am sleeping more now than while I was pregnant!!!

Here's some cuties of the kids. Mr. B sure loves his sister.....

Everyone have a great day! Thanks for checking in!

WHAT A WEEK!!!

Hi everyone! Things are going much better......just for an update to those who didn't know, I went back into the hospital on Saturday night with a 105.5 degree fever!! Some sort of infection wiped me out completely and I spent a day and a half in the hospital. I am back on the mend. Feeling much better and ready to get myself back to normal. I've lost 30 lbs (only gained 25) and getting my energy back.



Thanks to everyone for the prayers and all who helped out around the house with the babies. I couldn't have gotten through it without you!
On to the stuff you really want to know....

BG is great. she's growing and eating great! I missed her Monday appointment because I was coming home from the hospital, but her Dad and Aunt took her. Dr. "Glub" (as Mr. B calls him) said she was great. She already weighs close to her birth weight at 8 lbs 12 oz. Overall she's an awesome baby.

Mr. B is slowly trying to test out what he can and can't do around her. He loves to help with the paci, but is starting to jam it into her mouth instead of being gentle. He's just testing the waters I know....I took BG to school to drop Mr. B off and all the kids in the class had to crowd around her. Of course Mr. B elbowed his way into the front of the class so that no one would touch his baby. He's very proud of her.

Off to cuddle with a crying baby!!! She's very vocal...especially when her Dad's not around!!! He can cool her down in a second...rascal!! Take care and I will try to be better getting pics and posting here!

A Quiet Moment....

After a pretty rough week...I've had spikes in fever and have pretty much been on my back since Monday....I found a quiet moment while both babies are sleeping. There's no sound in the house except the bird chirping outside my bedroom window...how many more moments like this will I have today??? Not many.

BG is still doing great. She has started sleeping five to six hours at a time at night. What a blessing. She did that several times at first and I thought it was just a fluke...but that is her trend. We feel very blessed because she's a good baby. She's also a grunter and makes these hysterically funny sounds when she moves around and when she eats. I still can't believe how pink and perfect she is.

Her brother, Mr. B, is awesome too. We have a hard time convincing him that he has to go to school in the mornings. He desperately wants to stay home...but he's been pretty agreeable so far.

Gonna try to get some rest before the day starts. Will try to post some new pics soon. Everyone have a great weekend!

4 day update!!!

Hi everyone...We are finally home. We thought we'd be home early yesterday but finally rolled in yesterday evening. So glad to be home!!!!! Mr. B is so excited about his BG. He laughs at her every time she coos or cries.

Mr. B had some GREAT comments at the hospital....he asked me if I am still "fragicle." I loved that!!! At least he understands that mom has to take it easy. He was so excited to take pictures of his sis to school on Tuesday. Apparantly he's a proud big brother.

We had a check up by the pediatrician in the hospital and Mr. B said "Is he hurting her, why is she crying?" Then he proceeded to run straight up to the doc, I thought he was going to wollop his leg!! But he didn't. He had to check her out in the bassinet while the doc was working on her. He turned to me and whispered "mommy, tell her not to be afraid..." So sweet and overprotective already.

I want to add more pictures...I will try to do that soon. My days are full with this little one. So far, she's a great sleeper and a very determined nurser. I finally got a few minutes today to check in.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! Also, check her out on the web....Click on the link below and then find WebNursery. You'll find her picture there...I can't get it to pull up right now, but maybe you can....

http://www.ehealthconnection.com/regions/tennessee/

Welcome to the World BG!!!

Well!!! The girl has finally arrived!!!!!! We are so excited. After a short labor/induction...Miss Carleigh Elizabeth is here!!! She was born at 6:16am on July 23rd. She weighed 8 lbs 14 oz (7 oz bigger than her brother) and 21 inches long. She's beautiful.

Because I don't want to think about this tomorrow...

41 Week post from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing:A bit over 20 inches long, your
baby has continued to grow and may now weigh almost 8 pounds. As cozy as he is,
your baby can't stay inside you forever. For your baby's safety, your
practitioner will talk with you about inducing labor if your baby isn't born in
the next week — earlier if there are any problems. Most practitioners won't let
you wait more than two weeks past your due date to give birth because it puts
you and your baby at increased risk for complications. About 5 to 6 percent of
women have prolonged pregnancies that extend three or more weeks beyond their
estimated due dates. Babies born at 42 weeks and beyond can have dry
parchment-like skin and are often overweight. Waiting that long to deliver also
increases your chance of developing an infection in your uterus that could be
dangerous for your baby or of having a stillbirth. What's more, your labor is
more likely to be prolonged or stalled, both you and your baby have an increased
risk of injury during a vaginal delivery, and you double your chances of needing
a c-section.

Offically 7 days late tomorrow....ugh.

5 days overdue....

OK...so I am now five days overdue and still no sign of baby. Thanks everyone for being so patient with me. I have been really grumpy but the end is near. My doc is going to induce me on Monday, July 23....if she's not here yet. Which looks the case at this point.

Check back soon. Definitely after Monday!

40 weeks...yes, full term...today's the day and still no baby

Yup, you guessed it...she's officially NOT HERE!!! That's all I can say. All we can do is wait. Here's what babycenter.com had to say today:

How your baby's growing:It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will
be, but the average newborn weighs in at a little over 7 pounds and is about 20
inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a
bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called
"molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after
birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

I'll check in tomorrow after my doc appointment. I'm healthy, baby is still moving, but getting really low, I can't imagine she's feeling good right now. Doing fine. Just pray that she comes soon. I knew she wouldn't be early, I can only be so lucky....I am having a girl, so that is where the luck ran out I guess.

Have a great day!!!! Keep your fingers crossed.

4 days left....or more....

OK...so I haven't posted in a couple days because I just can't deal with the reality that NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!!!!! Went to the doctor on Monday, nada...nothing...no change. But I did lose 2 lbs! WHAT?! So, I am just letting you all know that I am still here and nothing has changed and I am so over it. (I promise Dear BG, that I really do love you immensely already, but you are already turning out to be stubborn like your brother! SO GET YOUR LITTLE SELF MOTIVATED!)

Soooo, since I have had no progress and every morning I wake up wanting to cry, I thought I would post some pics here for your viewing pleasure!

Mr. B wasn't sleeping, he was hiding in his sister's bed!

OK...now, some great pics of him at VBS eating an icee....

HOLY COW!!!!! 39 Weeks!

babycenter.com update:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world!
She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature
after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs
a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The
outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Um, yeah...based on personal experience...the first statement is a LOAD OF CRAP!!!!! Last night, I started having contractions...and I don't mean just little pains here and there, but intense contractions that caused me to stop while they were going on. So from 7pm until midnight, I would make little mental notes and talk with MB about them. I was SOOOO hoping they were for real. Unfortunately, we laid down around midnight, after sending Mr. B off with his grandparents, hitting Wally World for some last minute hospital items, ice cream and a good trash magazine, packing our bags completely and running around crazy trying to get everything done so we'd be "ready"-- and they stopped. KAPUT. Just like that. Nothing.

So here I am this Sunday morning, just 7 days prior to my due date (which is just an uneducated guess anyway) with no Mr. B at home, MB is gone to work, wondering....DON'T YOU WANT OUT BG?! Had your chance sister....let's get the next one right!!!!

Doc appointment in the morning, could give us some more good news -- and then again maybe not. Maybe those contractions helped speed things along a bit. Will update with a progress report tomorrow. My Doc will be out of town the 11th and 12th....so that is probably when she will make her debut. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Y'all have a lovely day! Keep your fingers crossed for a baby sighting!

Happy 4th!!!

Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!! I hope you all enjoy a restful day with fun and fireworks.... we don't have much planned. I don't want to spend the day outdoors doing the normal fourth stuff. I would rather just rest. But we will certainly have fun with Mr. B.

Weekly www.babycenter.com update - 38
weeks - How your baby's growing: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs
between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and
she's nearly 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to
test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are
ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be?
You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll
likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may
stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old.
That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more
pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more
blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue
eyes.)

Was hoping to see some progress over night, I ate eggplant parmesan for dinner to see if it might kick start some contractions (old wives tale). Still can't do the spicy foods which is really supposed to help. Walking hasn't done the trick either!!!! I realize that I technically still have 11 days left until my due date...so if the average delivery is around 41 weeks, I am still looking at over two weeks :(!!!

Had a doc appointment on Monday. Have progressed to 2.5 cm dilated, so things are happening. Sometimes I think my doc is just trying to make me feel better.....so he's lying to me. I gained 3 pounds, which puts me back up to about 25 lbs gained. My doc suggested 27 so I am doing ok. I had also just eaten lunch (chinese food) about an hour before my appointment.

Anyway, BG is hanging in there. I am feeling good, only working short days and trying to take it easy. It's working at least to keep me from being totally exhausted. Mr. B is out of school for the holiday the whole week, he spent the day with MB yesterday. They went to his favorite place "chickforlay" and to the "black playground."

BG's nursery is done and GORGEOUS!!!! I don't have pics ready yet to post but I will put them up soon. All the furniture from Mr. B's nursery is in there, but decor and colors are totally different. It is amazing...not too baby girl, will definitely grow with her as she gets older. Mom did a great job!!!!

So, other than sitting here on my butt wondering when baby is coming...we've got our bags packed, baby clothes washed, work stuff settled, etc. It's been a busy nine months...time to enjoy her!!! COME SOON BG!!! WE ARE READY!

HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY!!! Check back soon for updates.