365 Days

It's amazing what can happen in 365 days. This time last year Sean and I were just finishing up a lightening fast nursery make over. The bright yellow room was turned into a blue and green room fit for a little boy. We were all eagerly awaiting Sebastian's arrival.

His arrival has been the brightest spot this year. Dad's passing was the darkest. Even though it's been 7 months, there are still hard days. (Especially as Sebastian grows and gets into things.) I used to call my dad all the time to tell him what the girls were up to and it's hard not to do the same for my little boy. I know he's watching from above, but I miss that two way conversation.

As hard as the year has been, there are always bright spots:

-a visit from the whole family for dad's funeral

-a healthy, happy little boy that's now crawling!

-a wonderful summer spent playing in the pool

-two beautiful girls that love school

-a perfect TCU football season

my list could go on and on, but I think I'll stop there.

As I look toward the next 365 days I hope my life is filled with joy. That's my word for 2010 and what I hope to find in every facet of my day. What will be your word for the next 365?

B-Day Girl

Today is Sydney's 4th birthday. Can you believe it's been 4 years since she was born? Simply amazing. Time seems to go by so fast.
She has had a wonderful weekend. Friday we loaded up in the car and I took her to the American Girl store. She got to look at every single doll in the store and all the clothes and then pick out what she wanted. She got Julie the 1974 doll. She hasn't let go of the doll when we're in the house. I took her to lunch after we got the doll - just the two of us. We went to Chilies and she felt so grown up and was having a blast. We also stopped and looked at some shoes before heading home. Last night we had her "family" party and she got to eat cupcakes and open gifts from mom/dad and Shelby. She got two webkins from her sister (loves them) and some dress up clothes from us. I'll post the photos later, but it was perfect. She loves to dress up while she's playing and lately she will wear her costume out when we run errands. That's just Syd.
Today was her b-day party with friends and she had a blast! She got to go swimming and see her friends. Nothing better than that. I didn't get it on film - but she did a back flip in the water and circled around and came back up. It was super cool to see her do it. Sean has seen her do it before, but most of the time I've got sebastian in the pool and don't get to see how advanced she's gotten in the water.
She was very tired tonight and I hope all of the kids will sleep later in the morning. It was a great day for her and I hope a wonderful start to a wonderful year.

Carrots

Sebastian started solid food a few weeks ago. Rice cereal isn't his favorite, but he did finally figure out how to eat it. As with the girls, he was very messy the first couple of tries. Since he drools alot, that's a big factor too. Last week he started carrots. The first of real flavors. With the girls, I didn't have a camera ready for the first taste, but I was ready with this kid. Here's the photo -

I think the expression says it all. Of course a week later, he really prefers carrots to rice cereal. Yesterday he did sweet potatoes, and seemed to enjoy them. For some reason I bought those instead of squash, which was 2nd on the food list. Oh well, he'll get there eventually.

Celebration photos

We had a great time on the Fourth. Besides visiting with family - the girls loved the fireworks. We let them do sparklers and Sean set off some ground fireworks for them to watch. The neighbors were shooting off Roman Candles and other Aerial fireworks and the kids loved that. Here are some shots of the girls:

The "fireworks" option on my camera is really cool - but uses a lot of battery power. My freshly charged batteries were gone by the end of the night.

Here is my favorite shot of the evening.

Shots of Summer

It's hot here. Really hot. We're talking already triple digit heat for over a week and it's only the 4th of July. The average doesn't have us in triple digits for at least another 10 days. Guess that's why it's an average. :)
Since it's so hot, we took everyone to get a snow cone last night. There is a Bahama Bucks near the house and everyone LOVES the snow cones from there. The girls always get a Gilligan's Grape, although it turns their lips and tongue blue. I tried out the Banana Colada and really liked it.

Doesn't it just make you want to go get one. :) here are some more of the girls.

Later today we're off to my mom's house to celebrate the 4th. I'm hope to tryout my "fireworks" setting on my camera. I only get to play with it once a year so I'm not sure how it will turn out.

Time Flies While We're Having Fun!

I can hardly believe that it's July! What happened to June? Where did it go? Our daily routine keeps things moving I guess. I try to keep things to a particular day, so the girls have an idea of what we're doing. Monday is Zoo Day. Tuesday is craft day. Wednesday is Library day. Thursday is dance day. Friday is Yoga / Swimming day. Now don't get me wrong - we do more than that, but it's the "big event" for the day. We usually go swimming at the end of the day on Monday and Tuesday when Sean gets home and several days include doing some school work to keep up those skills.
I started a 4 week scrapbook class on the 25th and it has kept me busy. It's got lots of thought provoking questions and a page to do every day. I'm behind right now, but hope to get caught up soon. Sometimes it's hard to find my "groove" before someone interrupts me.
I've also been doing a mommy and me yoga class on friday with Sebastian. It was only for 4 weeks, but I've really enjoyed it and think I will sign up for the next 4 weeks as well. I've been doing some easy yoga at home too. I just try to do it when i won't have an audience. :)
I need to start weight watchers again - now that I'm not nursing, but I think I"ll start that next week - after the 4th celebration.

Summer Time

School's out and no one is happier than me. It just wasn't a good teaching year for me. Don't get me wrong - my students learned a lot, enjoyed my class and were great kids, but my heart wasn't in it. I was given the opportunity to interview in another district on June 1st, but it was the first round. I was told that over 100 people applied for the position, so I didn't really think i would get it. Would have been nice, but that's ok. I'll be working with someone new next year and that should change things up some.

So - summer vacation is upon us and we've got plenty of things to do. This week I took the kids to the zoo on Monday and then later that evening we went to the pool. I had CPR class on Tuesday, but Wednesday we played at home. The girls made a necklace for their craft and worked on some "worksheets". Shelby did some writing, math and money counting, while Sydney started on her alphabet book. We work on recognizeing the letters and sounds that they make and color activity pages to go with them. Shelby knew all of her letters and sounds when she entered kindergarten and I hope Sydney will too. We've got two summers to get them all down.

Thursday was the first summer dance class for both girls. It rained most of the morning, so we played at home until time for that. Sebastian took a 3 hour nap on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday I went to a post-natal yoga class that's a baby and me class and really enjoyed that. It's only a 4 week class and then I think i might join the yoga class at the activity center for July.

Friday was our 10 year anniversary and we went out to dinner and a movie without the kids.

Now it's Saturday and I've got some cleaning to do before I can play again, but it's nice to be able to do it at my own pace. :)

Here's a latest picture of Sebastian. He's such a happy guy!

Lucky 13

So only because we have 13 days of school left. I'm ready to be off for several days in a row and not think about what is going on in my classroom. Sad thing is that we only have 13 days of school and I'm still looking for an elementary position. There aren't many in the area, so I'll probably be back at middle school next year. Don't get me wrong - I love teaching middle school - I just would like to stop teaching that extra hour or two every single day afterschool and doing activities on the weekends. I'd like to spend the weekends with my own three kids and their activities. OK - no more complaints. I've only been praying for the right job at the right time and I'm sure everything else will take care of its self.

Shelby had her birthday party this weekend (only 9 days after her b-day) and it was a hit. We did a pj party at a local bounce house place. Lots of fun and the kids were already in their pjs when we got home, so it was right to bed. :) Sebastian was a hit with all of the moms - most of them are done haveing kids and they don't have any babies in the family, so he was passed around the entire party. I'll post some photos of him in the next couple of days.

Things around here are going well. Mom is staying busy with activities and seems to be doing well. I check in with her every couple of days and know that Dan is checking in too. She'll be up to help us next weekend. Sean and I are going to work in the yard and she's going to babysit. She's also bring the truck so we can get dirt and grass for the yard. I know it's hard - I still have moments that make me cry, but she's doing well. We're lucky to have faith and knowledge that there is a better place when we leave this world.

high fashion

Todays weather was perfect for a sun dress. I had picked this one up for Syd at the Kohl's Easter sale. She thought it was the greatest thing ever and was so happy to wear it. However, we had an issue with the socks. She had a pair of blue socks in her drawer that matched the dress perfectly. Did she want to wear them? No - she insisted on wearing the pink valentines days socks with red hearts that are TOO BIG for her. She then wanted to pull them up all the way to her knees. She does know how to make a statement!

7 more weeks

Summer is just around the corner. I've only got 7 more weeks of school. There is something about 8th graders and after spring break that I don't really enjoy, but other than that things are great. Our final concert is May 20th, so things will slow down a lot after that. We've stopped doing sectionals after school for the next few weeks, so that makes things nice. I get to go home much earlier.
Since summer is just around the corner, I've been doing the job application thing. A couple of school districts have some openings, so I've been doing the paper work. Nothing in my current district at the moment, but I do check. It's alot of paperwork for each district, but I hope something will come of it. I'd really like to make the change to elementary.

I finally finished all of the baby announcements. Everyone knows that he's here, but at least it's a good picture of him to send out.

Most of this week will be in the 80s and I'm looking forward to some warm weather. I might even wear a dress sometime soon. :)

The cutest baby

I realize that Sebastian looks just like his sisters, but I think he's just too cute. Here is a photo of him from yesterday.

You can tell that he's got personality. :) I love to see him smile at me.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

So it's been over a month since I posted and things are starting to get back to normal. I've completed two weeks of work and only have 43 more days of school - but who's counting. Sebastian has done two weeks at daycare and doesn't seem to have any problems. Of course, someone is always holding him and rocking him, so he shouldn't have any problems. Everyone likes to go in and hold him (he's the youngest one at the school) so you know he's getting lots of love.
Shelby and Sydney still love making faces and talking to him in the car on the way to and from school. This week he started smiling at them when they were talking to him and that just made their morning. It's really cute to see how much they love their brother. Sydney still can't keep her hands off of him, but she's getting better.

It's allergy season around here and things are bothering us all. Sydney has an ear infection in both ears and Sean has a sore throat. Shelby is a little tired and I'm a lot tired. Sebastian has stuff in the back of his nose and we haven't been able to get rid of that for a couple of days. I'm worried it will become an ear infection, but it's not like we haven't gone through that with the girls.

What's Going On....

As of today, Sebastian is 3 weeks old. It's just amazing how fast time flies. That puts me at the half way point in my maternity leave, but I'll just pretend not to notice. :) So to catch you up:

The first week at home went really well. He seems to sleep about 3 hours at a time at night and likes to stay awake in the early evening. Around 5-9pm. This lets Sean have some "awake" time when he gets home from work and lets me take a nap in the early afternoon.

His two week check up went just fine. He had gotten down to 8lbs by the time we left the hospital and was back to 8lbs 10 oz at this check up. We'll go back in a few weeks to recheck the weight - just to make sure he's still making adequate progress. He got his first shot at this appointment and while he didn't like it, he didn't cry for long.

Sebastian tolerates his sisters very well at this point. Sydney can't keep her hands off of him and Shelby loves to stand and watch him. Since his car seat goes in between the two of them, he gets a lot of pats and blown kisses during any car ride. It's fun to see how much the two girls love him and how they show their affection. Sydney has learned that we can't squeeze him, poke his eye or tap his head. She even understands that her head is hard like wood and his head is soft like a cushion and it will hurt him to pat his head too hard. :)

Both of the girls have been sick and are completely well. Sean and I both have lots of congestion and sore throats. I've been coughing a lot as well, but that's not as bad today. Last week we had an 80 degree day and it was wonderful - I'm looking forward to some more of those this week.

Although I'm tired and have a really sore throat, life is good. I can't believe how calm and happy I am. I know that this is the last baby so I'm trying to soak up as much baby time as I can. He will grow up soon enough.

The first night home

The first night home with a baby is always interesting. Shelby spent most of the night crying and Sean propped himself up in a corner with pillows and slept with her on his chest. Sydney slept 3 hours at a time and would wake up to eat and then go back to sleep. Obviously one of these children was closer to "normal" (Sorry Syd!) Sebastian was up until about 2:30 when I realized it wasn't so much about him being hungry as it was about him being cold. We'd left the AC on and it was about 65 in the house. Not a problem for those of us in flannel sheets, but he was too cold. Once I set the house at 73 and the room heated up, he slept like a champ. Until the alarm went off at 5:30 and it was time to get ready to take Shelby to school. Except for the constant stream of diapers that were used last night, things went well. Here are a few photos of our little man.

The last night

So I've got to be at the hospital at 5am. The procedure got moved to 7am and it's getting late. Here's an update on this week.
Sydney woke up in the middle of the night Wednesday night/Thursday morning with pain in her ear. Sure enough she has an ear infection in both ears. Antibiotics started on Thursday night and I think she is feeling better. Shelby woke up about 6am today with a scratchy throat and a fever of 102.5 She does not have strep (according to the nurse practitioner) but it's probably a virus. Both girls went with my parents today and we may or may not see them tomorrow. Just depends on how they are doing / feeling.
I'm ready for Sebastian to arrive. Good thing it's tomorrow. I'm off for one last drink before bed. Next post will have a photo of my son. :)

6 more days

My c-section has been scheduled for Sunday the 8th. My doctor couldn't get an O.R. on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday so he went with the earlier day. I've got a solo contest on Saturday and then plan on putting up my feet to relax before the big day. I have an 8am time, so I've got to be there by 6am. Why? because I have to get a certain amount of fluids in me before they can do the spinal. I can't be dehydrated. However, since I drink about half a gallon of water a day, I don't think it will be a concern. It's really exciting to know that I'll get to watch the Grammy Awards with my son. At least I know that he won't try to talk or sing through the performances. :)
Everyone in the house is really excited (except the dog) and in the count down mode. I've got lots of loose ends to tie up, but I feel confident that everything is going to come out fine. My substitute is lined up (even after he fell and had surgery) and my students understand that I'll be back after Spring Break. Now I just have to figure out what clothes Sebastian will wear for his first photo. :) Oh and pack my bag for the hospital. Looks like it will be in the 70s for the big day, but I'm not sure about the rest of the time. Only in Texas do we wear shorts in February!

Three weeks and counting

We had a great weekend. I've gotten into a habit of dropping Shelby off at dance on Fridays and then taking Syd to McD's to eat and play while we wait. This week Sean met me there and stayed with Syd while I went out to eat with some girl friends. We had a great time and it was fun to eat and talk without kids. We all have kids, so it's a big deal for us to have a "girls night out." Saturday Syd went to dance class and then I started attacking some things on my to do list. We've rearranged the bedroom for the bassenett and washed baby blankets and sheets. Now at least he's got a place to sleep. :)
Sunday was a fun day at my parents house for mom's b-day. We stayed out there late and everyone was tired by the time we got home. Yesterday was a day off too and I was planning on getting some more things done - until the screaming started. Sydney's stomach started cramping and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. (Don't blame her a bit.) I got her to the bathroom in time for her to explode out the back end. I got her cleaned up and in a pull up and thought everything was calm. I took something down stairs and she started screaming again. I didn't make it up the stairs in time, but she had a pull up on and that helped. Cleaned up again, I went downstairs to make her a drink with probotics in it. She was fine and started drinking like a champ. I didn't mix it with much water hoping to get most of it in her quickly. (According to Shelby it tastes nasty.) Almost done with the drink, gave me a funny look and proceeded to throw up all over me. :) The good thing was that she took a 3 hour nap yesterday. She kept down gatorade and crackers and even toast last night. This morning she begged for water, so I gave her some bottled water and teddy bear crackers. It all came up. Today so far so good, but it's slow going. She's really hungry, but I won't give her much at a time. Hopefully she's on the mend and will get over this soon. I hate to have my girl sick.
As for my doctor's appointment yesterday all went well. I'm on the every week schedule now. The dr. did some general measurements and says that Sebastian is about 6lbs 12 oz right now. Amazing what ultrasound machines can do these days. That was looking at his head circumfrence, belly and femur. I'm not sure how they come up with it, but it will be interesting to see how big he actually is. Right now the guess is that he'll be in the upper 8lbs to low 9lbs range at delivery. We'll see. Next week I'll find out what time my c-section is scheduled for. I hope it's not the 7am slot. That has me at the hospital at 5:45am. Not that I won't have most of the day to sleep after that, but I'd like to see Shelby off to school.

Back to work

We all had a wonderful break and were not happy to get back to work. However, both girls had a good week back at school. Sydney learned about the letter M and Shelby worked on spelling words with the short i sound. I started back with a full week that included cafeteria duty before school each morning and after school sectionals that went until 4:45 most days. I also had a couple of last minute projects fall on my lap and had to get those taken care of. This week should be easier for me - we have half days on Thursday and Friday for final exams and I had everyone show up for my concert, so I don't have to give an exam. Plus we have next Monday off. Three day weekends are such an exciting thing!

I'm in count down mode for Sebastian to get here. We're looking at Feb 9 for the delivery day. That's only 4 weeks away. I'm not sure if it's having him or the fact that I won't have to go to work for 6 weeks that excites me the most. :) I like having time to pick up around my house and do laundry one load at a time (not in a marathon session on Sunday afternoon).