Newer pics of the new baby!

I thought I'd take a moment (a rare moment, I'm finding already!) and post a few newer pictures of Parker (that many of you already received in an email yesterday) that are a little better than the ones I posted the other day.

A closer look at all of his hair!! Since Thomas had thin, blonde hair at birth, Parker's hair was a bit of a surprise!

And here's the first picture in full color. I just liked the way it looked in sepia tone.

Our first night home was ... a challenge. I'm not sure why, but I think it's pretty much a universal fact that many babies just do not like to sleep at night when they first come home. Parker is no exception. Of course he's sleeping fine now, and he was sleeping just fine up to 11:00 last night, but the rest of the time in between was a bit difficult. This wouldn't have been as much of a big deal if Thomas wasn't calling for me at 7:30 (at least he gave me a bit more extra time than usual!).

All in all though, Parker is good and Thomas is doing well. But as I type, new baby is calling my name. Must run!

It's a boy!!!

I'm most pleased and proud to announce that Thomas (and his family!) welcomed a beautiful baby brother into our family yesterday afternoon at 4:58 pm. His name is Parker (his middle name is my maiden name...and Parker is a family name from my father's side, by the way. Please forgive me for wanting to stay a bit more anonymous on this "public" site.).

Parker came into this world weighing a surprising 8 pounds, 8 ounces (4 ounces more than his brother), and 20 1/4 inches long (1 inch shorter than his brother!). He seems perfectly healthy and so far he has been a perfect little baby. Thomas has been the best big brother in the short time he has spent with Parker and he has been so loving too, which has warmed my heart. I hope to get some better pictures of Parker today, but until then, here's the best of what I have!

A little Budda face...


Thomas meets his baby brother...




Parker was very nice and brought a car to give to Thomas. He was most pleased...

Hopefully I'll be back with more pictures later today (though my connection from this room is not the best). Many thanks for all of your support and prayers that have helped us reach this happy occasion.

A big day for playgroup

When Thomas was about three or four months old, we started going to a weekly playgroup. It's usually more of a time for the moms (especially in the beginning when the babies didn't do much more than just roll around on a mat for the whole time), but it's been wonderful...for me and for Thomas. I've made some wonderful friendships and so has Thomas. He looks forward to his weekly play time, as do I. Here's a picture from one of our first playgroups.

Though many children and moms have come and go, a few of us have become playgroup regulars. In the picture above, That's me in the red shirt, and in front of me is Thomas who is looking at Lily (in the pink shirt). To my right is Caroline and her daughter Margaret Anne. These three children have been the most frequent visitors (playgroup is held at Lily's house).

Here's a closer picture from Halloween 2006.

There used to be another boy who came regularly (Mills), but unfortunately he had another playgroup commitment (and school) that called him away. So thankfully Porter recently joined the group as a new regular, and now Thomas isn't the only boy any more. Here are the four kids today (L to R: Thomas, Lily, Porter & Margaret Anne)


The kids always seem to enjoy each other's company...

They even tried to play along a bit when we asked them to hold hands...

We took these pictures today because today marks a milestone for our little group...it's the last time that all of these kids are the "little ones." I'm, of course, due to deliver on Friday and I'm not the only pregnant nom in our group. Lily's mom (Taryn) is due five weeks behind me (of course she's been on bedrest for a few weeks, with a little bit more to go...but that baby girl is staying put!), and Margaret Anne's mom (Caroline) is due about 12 weeks after her (in September...with her THIRD!). The order is funny because right now Margaret Anne (Caroline's little girl) is the oldest, then Lily (Taryn's), then Thomas. This time the babies are coming in the reverse order!

Here are the pregnant moms today at our last playgroup before a new little baby joins the group! (L to R: Taryn, me and Caroline)

Thank you girls for all of the great memories and fun times over the past nearly two years. I look forward to more great times as our group becomes larger (and we become smaller!).

Charleston Air Expo Family Day

The Charleston Air Force Base played host last weekend to the Charleston Air Expo. One of the perks of Trey being in the Reserves is that we had the option of attending Family Day on Friday (which is more of a dress rehearsal for the main event on Saturday). So instead of braving a crowd of over 100,000 people, we were able to go enjoy the sights and sounds with only a comparable handful of folks.

Thomas enjoyed seeing the planes on the ground. As we arrived the Air Force Thunderbirds were performing. It didn't take long for him to decide that these planes (F-16s) were a bit too loud for his taste. He watched them sometimes (with a firm grip on his Daddy)...

But if the planes were too close or too fast, he decided he much preferred a closeup view of his Daddy's shirt instead. :)

(Note the planes at the top of the picture, just to the right of the center)

He wasn't all that sure of them, and before long told us "Scared. Planes. Loud." Ever since the event I've talked to him a great deal to assure him that planes are indeed quite nice, especially since his dad flies them. Sometimes they are loud, but nice all the same. So now he says, "Scared. Planes. Loud. Nice."

As you can see, while there he needed some convincing...

The show was amazing though. Still pictures just don't do it justice.

Once the Thunderbirds show ended, he was a bit happier (though I will say, he never cried about the loud planes, which is good!).



When we went aboard the C-17 (the plane his Daddy flies), he was far more intrigued by the Humvee on it. He didn't understand why I wouldn't let him get inside and "drive it!"

He wouldn't even smile for the camera because he was far too interested in talking about the lights...

So I let him sit on it instead and that just had to suffice!

We took another friend and his newly 4-year old son along with us. As we were leaving, the boys had to go "touch" one last plane.

After a quick review of all the sights and sounds, it was time to go.

We had a great time and look forward to doing it again next time the show is back in town! Funny thing is, the last time it was here, Trey and I went and I was very much pregnant that time too (with Thomas, obviously)...probably 37 weeks or so. Next time, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to say the same.

Speaking of this pregnancy, I'm nearly 39 weeks now and due to meet our baby on Friday (unless he/she makes an appearance prior to then!). Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that everything will go as it should.

Doctors and D-Day

Since Sunday, Thomas has seen a doctor three different times and I've seen one once. It's been a crazy week. But after a week of Thomas just not being Thomas, I think he's finally on the mend. Two days ago (on Tuesday) I woke him from his 3-hour nap at 4:00. He sat up briefly to drink his milk, then laid back down until I forced him to get out at 5. This is him looking so pathetic that day (He wears pajama bottoms at naptime because they are more comfy and because I don't like putting his dirty pants that have been on the ground into the place he sleeps! So that explains the odd outfit.):

He has not been running a fever, but he's had a stomach bug of some sort and he's just not had his usual energy or appetite. He has been content to just sit on the bed or couch and cuddle with me, and for as much as I enjoy it, it's just not him. I was so happy to see him tonight after dinner acting more like himself. Hopefully tomorrow will show more improvement!

As for my doctor's visit, my body seems to be gearing up quickly for this baby to arrive. Not to give too much information, we'll just say that this baby could come at ANY time. Trey was out of town, but decided to come back a day early just to make sure he won't miss the big arrival.

If the baby doesn't come on his/her own before then, because of a minor issue I will be induced at 39 weeks (will either be next Thursday or Friday, May 1 or 2). Trey's hoping the baby comes sooner, I'm hoping he/she will wait until I tell him/her to come out! Either way, by next weekend Thomas will have a new brother or sister!

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers that the baby will make a safe and healthy arrival into this world!

Our little two-year old!

It's so hard to believe that Thomas is now a two-year old! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was on bedrest for 20 weeks, hoping and praying for the miracle that he came to be. He has provided immeasurable joy in my life and I truly don't know what we would do without him.



He was a bit under the weather on his actual birthday. We even had to take him to see the doctor (on a Sunday!). So he wasn't quite his perky self for his pictures, but he cooperated nonetheless.







The first time we took a monthly picture with the puppy he was 2 months old. I think he's grown a bit since then (or the puppy shrunk!):


By six months, he was really gaining on that puppy (but still waiting on some hair)...


And by a year, he was finally showing some hair, and definitely bigger than his puppy friend...


Six months after that, he decided posing for his monthly pictures was a waste of his time, but I managed to get something!


Now at 24 months, he has had two haircuts (the last one more dramatic than the first...as you can see in the first pictures) and has grown quite a bit since he was three days old:


I can't say it enough, he is truly a joy. For the most part he listens well. He has his fussy moments when he is tired or ill, but all in all, I see other parents out and about with their children (making a fuss) and I realize that he's really a pretty good child. He is a picky eater and would gladly live off pizza and potato chips if I'd let him. So far though he lacks one thing that his mother has...a sweet tooth! I guess that's a good thing!

He is talking up a storm. He's not really talking in sentences yet, but he communicates very well. One of things I love to hear him say most is "find 'em" -- which sounds more like, "Fine-mum." Often he throws out a word that I didn't even realize he knew (he pays very close attention to what is said around him, so we do have to be careful!). He can count to 10 (though sometimes he skips 3 & 4), and he recognizes almost all of the letters in the alphabet (and most single numbers). He can't sing his ABCs quite yet from start to finish, but if we sing them with him, he will chime in with a few letters here and there. He's still working on properly pronouncing his Cs and Ls (and probably some others I'm not remembering at this moment), so "cars" is more like "tars," but he's always getting better. Not too long ago he finally decided he is "Thomas" and not "Tah-pees" -- which is how he used to say his name. He even properly uses possessives most of the time (as in "Mommy's" if he sees my car, or "Thomas's if he's telling me something is his). He says some two-word phrases like "Shoes on!" And he is constantly telling me "Self!" when he wants to do something (like get in his carseat or walk up the stairs) all by himself.

He is all boy in that he loves everything with wheels. Riding in the car with him is funny because he is constantly on the lookout for the car brands that he knows. As soon as he spots a familiar symbol, he'll tell me "See-sahn" (for Nissan) and "Mommy!" since Mommy drives a Nissan. He also knows Toyotas ("Toyas" as he calls them) and Hondas. He gets a little confused with the brand of his grandpa's car because that symbol is oval shaped, as are several different car companies. In fact, everytime he sees an oval logo, period (including Graco and Playskool, for example) he says "Ampa!" Of course he usually follows that declaration up with "Shape! Oval!" since I'm always telling him that the particular logo is not quite like Grandpa's but is the same shape...an oval. And as I mentioned before, he knows the cars driven by numerous people (Nana, Grandpa, Beth, Andrew (though this is Andrew's wife's car...and he calls Andrew, Ooh-due), Nannie, Papa, Daddy, Mommy, his friend J's mom's car, and our neighbor's car (and that car, a Cadillac, is always "Percy" because that's the name of her dog) and points out every similar car on the road.

He went for his 2-year well baby visit today and the doctor said he is growing and developing perfectly. He's had a bit of a stomach bug for the past week, so his weight was down (27 pounds, 6 ounces) and in the 25-50th percentile. I was a bit concerned (since he's dropped percentiles so significantly) but the doctor assured me that by this age their metabolism starts working a little better and becomes more of a genetic factor. Since I've always had a very high metabolism, I decided I shouldn't worry so much. And the doctor assured me that Thomas looks just fine. As for his height, he's still in the 90th percentile, at 36 inches (with his shoes on, though). So that was good...and not surprising.

I think I say this often too, but Thomas is a very loving child. He loves to say "Love" and get hugs or "Kisses" for kisses. If he sees someone has a boo-boo, he will get this sad, concerned look on his face and say "ooooh" and/or "fix it!" When he hears babies crying in public, he'll say "Sad...better" (as in, "that baby is sad, make it better"). Lately he loves to put his hands on my cheeks and smoosh his face so that he is kissing my nose...and he just stays there. It's the funniest thing. It's all I can do not to hysterically laugh. He is always willing to blow kisses too.

For as much as I worry about the challenges of being a mother of two, I can't wait to see how he will react to his new brother or sister. So far he loves other people's babies and is very gentle with them. Hopefully he'll be the same when one is living in his house! I'm constantly telling him certain things are for "the baby" and he knows where "the baby's" room is and such. And when I ask him if he's going to have a brother or sister, he does tell me "sister" pretty consistently. We'll soon see if he knows something we don't know!

He sleeps well and he's a pleasant child, so I guess I can't complain too much! He makes my job mostly enjoyable and easier than it is for many others. It's still the hardest thing I've ever done...raising a child, but watching him grow and learn is the greatest reward ever. Sometimes I wish I could stop time so he'd stop growing up...but then again, I'm so excited and interested to see what he'll learn tomorrow and who he is going to become. I just hope the next two years don't pass as quickly as these two have. I think I blinked and they were gone. :)

Two years old!

Happy SECOND birthday Thomas!!!

Just a little picture teaser... This post is coming soon! But in the meantime, it's hard to believe that it's been two years since we were first holding this little miracle in our arms:

I'll finish this post soon. Probably tomorrow...