A quick update

Not much has changed since the last time I wrote. We're still scrambling to get everything together. It's been really hot here, and since Steve's been working non stop in the heat it's taking it's toll on him. I can't wait for it to officially be his place, because this Limbo we're stuck in is frustrating!

Not much has changed in the kid's week. Summertime laziness is awesome. Andrew's starting to develop the habits teenagers are so well known for..even if he's only 11! He stays up late, would be glued to the video games if I didn't pry him away, sleeps till noon unless something wakes him up, and eats horrific amounts of food all day long. Unless he's playing video games, at which point, he forgets to eat! haha. I NEVER thought I'd be so close to raising a teenager.

Hannah has been sweet as sugar lately. I'm not sure what she wants..haha. Just wish she'd clean her room once in a while! I guess by picking my battles with the kids, the room thing just isn't top priority currently. Sooooo, her room just sits...and sits...and sits. In fact, the best way to get her to go play in her room is to tell her to go clean it. She ends up playing for hours!

Well, I'm now 1 handed so I will post more later!

This was from a few weeks back but I never got a picture of it until later. This is how I told Andrew he'd made All Stars. I drove to pick him up at school and he was greeted by the sign. It's hard to read but it says "Congratulations Birdy for being an ALL STAR!!" (Birdy was the nickname the team gave him..(Baird...Birdy...)

I can't believe how unbelievably small he looks in this bed, and how gigantic Hannah now looks in it! What a trip!

This isn't the best picture, but look at his little lips! He makes this little "ohhhhh" shape that I can't get enough. I hope this one sticks for a while!

He's getting hungry.....

Just like every other handyman I know... snoozin' on the job! So much for being Daddy's helper, I guess!

Life

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.." -Charles Dickens

These past few weeks have been the biggest emotional roller coaster I think I have ever ridden. Hands down.

On one side of the coin, our family has been triple blessed. Thomas is a blessing, and every little sigh and squeek he makes leaves my heart fluttering. Andrew is such an amazing kid. Every time he and I talk, I watch the blooming of a man emerging-and as much as it scares me to see him grow up so fast-I'm wholy confident that he has every quality we've prayed for him to have as he grew up. Hannah brings light to every situation, as dark or bleak as it may seem at the time. The way her eyes dance when she's telling a story leaves a huge smile on my face even after she's skipped off to her next project. We are truly, truly blessed.

On the flip side, our life is leaving us up at night wondering how we are ever going to make it right now. Let me preface by explaining Steve's work situation. Steve is a self employed "mechanic" (though the term mechanic is the furthest thing from what he really is.) Anyhoo.. He works in a bay that is on a lot with a guy named Randy who sells trailers & parts. Randy rents the place, and Steve pays Randy a bay fee to work out of the spot. Randy's business has been suffering for some time now. Steve, however, has been doing phenomenal at work. Sometimes he has to book clients weeks in advance because he literally does not have enough time in the day for them all.

After Thomas was born, Steve took some time off to be with us. However, because he has people relying on him (and everyone who knows Steve knows he's going to do everything in his power to help someone out when they need it) there were occasional times when he had to run up to work to finish projects as parts came in for the jobs he'd promised to fix. Well, one of those days was last week. He's happily working when all of a sudden, Randy comes up and tells him he's going to be closing shop. At the end of July. THREE weeks away. He tells him he's really sorry, since he's got a baby and a family to worry about. Ummm.

So not only does Steve no longer have a job-he now has to figure out what to do with all of his work equipment, tools, parts for jobs, metal, EVERYTHING. We have a garage, but there is NO WAY his stuff will fit. 10 years of work stuff pushed into a 3 bedroom house with 3 kids, 2 adults, 2 dogs and 2 birds? I really truly doubt it's gonna be pulled off.

So after many tense days of stress, sleep deprivation, and LIFE we mulled over the possibilities. Steve finally decided on taking over the lot. He won't be selling trailers until later on, but he will continue to do what he already does, along with being able to sell parts (Randy currently sells the parts and makes the profit). He has a customer turned good friend that will rent out half of the lot (Steve doesn't need the office, just the work bay) so he won't have to pay the entire thing.

So. This could be the best thing that ever happened, or could put us in the hole quite quickly. I have every confidence in Steve. He is amazing at his job, and customers love him. He has people coming from as far as Orange County to have him work on their things. My worry is this economy. One thing I learned from watching my Grandpa's vaccuum cleaner shop was that when the economy goes bad people fix things. So right now, people are fixing up their trailers and tractors as opposed to buying new and Steve is profiting quite well from it. When the economy picks up, he can sell new trailers and still fix the old, and maybe, just maybe, this will work.

For now, I'm just going to squeeze my eyes shut and pray really, really hard.

Some Pictures

I don't have much time so I won't be able to write a blog, but at least I can post a couple of pictures. Thomas keeps me pretty busy-he likes to eat a LOT. I'm curious to see what he weighs in his next checkup. The kids are enjoying their summer. Swimming, spending time with friends, and just relaxing mostly. I'll be sad when school starts! Well, I hear Little Mister Crabby Patty crying for dinner, so I'd better go. Hope everyone is doing well out there!

Thomas' first "real" bath. Thank goodness the sponge bath days are over now!

He was finally awake for a picture! :)

Trying to figure out what all those flashing lights are!

Update..

Given the high energy, run around type of lifestyle it feels like we live in this family, this week has been pretty "boring" in comparison. Yet it's not really boring at all. Grandma Vickie's visiting this week! She's been spending lots of time with all 3 kids, and took Andrew & Hannah out for some well needed "big kid" time. It's been great having her here, and we're really going to miss when she has to go back home.

Had another check up with Thomas yesterday. Things are going along swimmingly. He had dropped to 7 lbs 14 oz last week and was back up to 8 lb 2 oz yesterday-right on track. They measured him at 20 1/2 inches and said that's what he was at birth-that they don't always take good measurements when they're rushing after the birth. Poor Hannah-has to share her length with her brother!

We finally got to see his "real" pediatrician. Before we saw Kaiser doctors, since I have Kaiser coverage. Now Thomas is seeing the same doctor that Hannah sees, which is in the same practice as the doctor Andrew sees. I chose the pediatricians based on their bedside manner, and it seems like Andrew's doctor is a better fit for him, while Hannah & Thomas' doctor fit better for them..

As far as the kids go, things are really relaxed right now. Andrew's All Star's team didn't do so well on Sunday. Unfortunately I think tomorrow's game will go about the same. I'm glad that baseball is coming to a close (finally!) but I'm really sad Andrew's team didn't do better.

For the 4th of July Steve's mom watched Thomas so that we could go on the roof and watch the fireworks from home. No boat trip this year :( Well, the kids & Steve went on the roof-I chickened out at the last second. I don't know why I've started having this huge fear of heights. I think mostly it's because I just don't trust people around me. A very long time ago I had someone pretend they were going to push me, then do that quick pull back thing..well, he pretty much almost dropped me. Ever since then, my fear has only grown stronger since people think it's funny to see me get scared. So even when I know they won't do anything, I'm afraid they will.

Well, I'm going to post a few random pictures I've taken. I've been keeping the flash off, which I'm finding out is making for REALLY bad pictures...so I promise next round will be better! :)

Ok, so this is like, the millionth picture taken in this bouncer thing..it's just easy to take pictures in it! :)~

I love the little fist, always by his face!

Can't get enough pictures of big yawns!

Andrew & Hannah HATED being swaddled. Thomas needs it for bedtime. I LOVE this thing! It makes it so much easier & he actually stays in it all night! Except for a little hand, which will sort of creep it's way up to his face again over the night-but I leave it a little loose up top on purpose for him :)

Riding on our way to the baseball game. Again, another great invention-a head "holder" that actually works right! Plus we can use it in our Jeep Stroller that I'm dying to get to use!

Don't know why the picture warped like this, but he has his eyes opened, so I HAD to add this picture!

Hannah-always peeking in on him during the ride.

On the way to All Stars game.

Thomas' Birth Day Story

Let's hope that little Mr. Sleeping Beauty decides to keep on sleeping right now, so that I can finally get some time to post our story.

It started on Tuesday morning around 6:00 in the morning. I had some really strong contractions for about 45 minutes, and then....NOTHING. Absolutely NOTHING. So, I decided to stay up & just do whatever. Enjoyed a cup of coffee, went on my usual email/website/twitter/news update run. Then at 8:41 I had one of those iffy contractions. Feels exactly like the real thing, just really weak. I started having those every 7-10 minutes without any regularity for about 2 hours. They only went over a 10 minute period once-and that was 11 minutes apart. Steve was getting up to go to work, and I asked him what he wanted to do. We decided to call the labor & delivery nurse to get her advice. I was completely honest with her. I told her they were regular, felt exactly like a "real" contraction, but that I could talk through them. In fact, I had a contraction on the phone and said "see, this is what I sound like with these contractions." She told me that I was more than welcome to come in to be checked, but that chances were to not get my hopes up. So we took our time. We packed up the last of our bags. I did the dishes, cleaned up a little bit, got the kids finished packing for their "activities bag" to keep them busy during the wait at the hospital. We left and did a couple of errands. Steve had to stop at the bank for cash for the vending machines & stuff at the hospital. I realized I hadn't eaten anything yet, so we stopped and got some food. We had planned everything well, but didn't have any tape for the video camera (gotta love procrastination!) so we went into Rite-Aid and got the tapes. Steve was wandering towards the aisles to start perusing the cool stuff, and I was getting irritated because I was afraid my contractions would stop before we got to the hospital and then I'd lose my chance of being admitted. I started having less regular & more sporadic contractions at that point, and each one wasn't really all that painful. I was able to stand without help & whisper, I just couldn't carry on conversation too easily.

So finally we make it over to the hospital around 1:45 or so. She hooks me up to the monitor, and...NOTHING. Not a single darn contraction. She checked my cervix and told me I was about 3 centimeters with 50% effacement. That was good, because at my appointment Friday I had been 2 1/2 with 30%. Just as she was about to unhook the monitor, I had a doozy of a contraction (thank goodness!) so she told us she was going to ask the doctor what he wanted us to do. Doctor's advice was to go ahead and walk around the halls for an hour & see what would happen. So we walked. And walked. And walked. The good thing was, I started getting regular contractions, all 5 minutes apart. They started getting a little stronger. I could tell because my irritation meter started shooting up whenever one would hit!

So, after about an hour of walking with regular contractions the nurse hooks me up to the monitor again. Guess what. NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. ZILCH! No more stinkin' contractions! I asked her if she would check me again, because I knew I wasn't imagining things. So she checks me and says I'm up to 3 1/2 maybe 4. She's about to send me home when a series of contractions start up. Irregular but definitely there. So the doctor comes in, checks me and says "Nope..she's at 5" Looks at me and says "Congratulations Mama..you're gonna have a baby today" My mouth dropped....whuuuuuu?? Oh. My. Gosh. This is real now.

Ok, so here's the point in the story where I stop everything and tell you the side note about the nurse. She was definitely not the nicest nurse you've ever met in your life. The whole time we were being checked, she was being extremely rude to us. Her bedside manner was very abrupt, she didn't talk, smile, make eye contact-NOTHING. She started having a coughing fit and didn't cover her mouth. She coughed on me, Steve, the linens closet as she was looking for something, and while she was examining me. At one point she actually burped OUT LOUD without so much as an "oops..excuse me." When I said I was glad that I was at almost a 4 and at least that's getting towards the halfway point to Steve, she rudely interrupted me and said "Um, no, actually it's more like a 2 1/2 to 3" extremely sarcastic. When the doctor came in and said I as a 5 she acted like she was surprised, as though she didn't actually know how to check centimeters at all or something.

Also, one of the stipulations of my being able to deliver at the hospital so close to home was that I was to get the same Liver Function tests that I had been receiving ever since my hospital stay. It was made extremely clear to me what I was to inform the nurses & doctors about, and that it was vital that I follow the orders, because they still didn't know what had ever happened to me. She said very rudely "Honey-I don't know what you need those tests for, so I don't know what tests to perform" I told her for the umpteenth time that I had the paper in the car & Steve could go down and get it for her so that she would know exactly what to test for. So Steve leaves as I'm being rushed a bag of I.V. fluids to be allowed to start the epidural soon. All of a sudden I had the worst urge to pee EVER. Only thing was-the nurse was gone and she hadn't left me the call button. So there I am-having to go so bad that I was seriously considering just wetting the bed because it was so painful and no one around to help me. I called Steve on the bedside phone (luckily I knew how to use it from my previous hospital stint) to tell him to please figure out how to send a nurse to me because I was totally stuck there. So he's rushing back to the room-the nurse pops in for 2 seconds with this Styrofoam wedge thing and literally PLOPS it on my legs. Just as I'm about to say "oh thank goodness, I really have to use the restroom" she gets a call on her cell phone (at this point I have no idea it's the way the nurses communicate-I think it's just a cell phone) I'm opening my mouth to speak and she starts walking out of the room. UMMMM. So Steve makes it back, unhooks me from everything (again, only because of our previous hospital stay) I use the restroom & start getting back into the bed while Steve's going to hook me up again. She walks in the room, stands there blankly looking directly at Steve hooking me back up-all the while she's blocking him from getting through. At this point she takes the wedge & shoves it under my right side, leaving me totally off balance w/my back muscles trying to compensate for being elevated in such a weird position. I tell her it's really uncomfortable, is there any way I can get a pillow or something to place on the other side to sort of balance me out. She sort of sighs or huffs or whatever and leaves for my pillow. Steve and I are getting angrier by the minute. We hadn't realized that we'd be stuck with her for so long. I had talked to Kathy, who is a nurse at the same hospital, and she told me her shift would be over at 7 (2 1/2 hours away at this point) so I should consider asking for a new nurse if this was how it was going to be. So anyway, the nurse comes back and gets another call on her cell phone so she drops the pillow on my foot and walks over to my chart and starts whining "I know..I know, but she keeps insisting on these tests..no really, I understand, but if she keeps demanding them, I don't know what else we should do!"

Oh. No. She. Didn't.

So I interrupt her little phone call with "Um, excuse me, NO." She looks up startled as I say "You know what, just discharge me-I'm going to go to Kaiser in San Diego right now" So she tells whoever is on the phone "Let me call you back, I need to talk to the patient" I let loose exactly how I felt about her. Everything. How dare she drop things on my feet, leave a patient without any communication in a room all by herself delivering a BABY, treat me as though I'm a lesion because I am telling them I need some tests, force me, the patient, to even COMMUNICATE those tests back and forth (isn't that THEIR job?) and then say in front of ME, the PATIENT that I am insisting and being demanding. Isn't that a conversation you take OUTSIDE????" So that witch of a doctor comes over to my side, starts stroking my ARM and saying "I know hon, I know..I'm on YOUR side. It was the mean old doctor telling me he wouldn't do it and I was DEFENDING you" She then proceeds to tell me to basically "shush" because she knows how tired I am, and that I've been struggling with a frustrating labor so far and I need to just relax" So that was the point that Steve starting ripping into her. "Um, NO, it's not being tired-it's YOU. We were in the hospital for FIVE DAYS and if a doctor tells us to get some damn blood work done, we're gonna get that blood work done. If that means leaving the hospital and going to Kaiser, then FINE, that's what we're going to do, but he damn sure weren't going to sit here and watch his wife get treated this way for advice given to her from her doctor" The lady just about looked like she was going to cry. Good. So she whimpers "Do you want a new nurse?" Without pause or hesitation I said "ABSOLUTELY. Thank you."

So now we resume our labor story, which, by the way, is completely boring at this point. Don't feel guilty if your eyes glaze over :)~

So then things start to really warm up. Our nurse comes in, the most beautiful angel in the world, apologizes for her colleagues behavior and stunned because she was surprised that we were unsatisfied with her service. We let her know that it would impossible to tell w/out a patient complaining, because she was sweet as sugar to us whenever someone else was there.
Anyway, the nurse gets me all set up for the epidural to be started. He comes in, performs the procedure, and the nurse sat there with her forehead against mine the entire time, talking quietly, telling me exactly what was going to happen next-telling me when to breath and when to hold my breath. She whispered encouragement the entire time, and before I knew it, I was doped up!

My body decided to go into hyper drive once my epidural was in. I was feeling some pain, but we attributed it to the catheter or just the pressure that happens even though the epidural was in place. I went to7 centimeters within a matter of an hour or so. Then, all of a sudden, I started feeling really bad pain. The epidural was only working on my stomach and back, but I could literally feel myself moving up in centimeters. So as we waited for the anesthesiologist Steve got to go through the holding of the hand, wiping of the brow contractions that every man should have to help through in order to get a child. Finally the anesthesiologist comes in and gives me 2 shots of something or other which put my legs into an oatmeal mush-the kind you get when you get work done on your teeth, and you can feel how mushy your mouth is, but it feels like there's nothing there at the same time. I couldn't even assist in moving me at all-they had to heave me up whenever I started slipping. I felt like that TLC show "The Half Ton Man" as they were counting to three and shoving me up by the pads underneath me :) Anyway, at least there wasn't any more pain. Then, at around 9 1/2 centimeters I got really nauseous. They offered me an anti-nausea medicine and I said it would probably be a good idea, since we were getting so close to pushing and everything. So she put the stuff in my I.V. and oh my gosh. I turned into a total nutcase. I was freaking out-worried about pushing because I felt so weird. I was sweating, still feeling nauseated, I don't even know what else. I couldn't move my legs, I was afraid of how I was going to keep them up to push. I don't know-just went plum crazy I guess. So everyone did their best to calm me down. At that point Hannah expressed how much she wanted to be in the room also, so the nurse said she would allow an extra person (we were only allowed 4 total, so Hannah made 5) Anyway, I started feeling the pressure of needing to push-something I don't remember feeling so strongly with Andrew or Hannah. I told the nurse, so she checked me and was surprised I was at 10 (we were anticipating another 2 to 3 hours before we got to 10) So she told me to give those first tentative pushes to see if she needed to call the doctor. 2 pushes in and she was saying "don't push don't push!" So the doctor comes in, tells me to give a push, then says "OK, now give me a minute" I don't know the exact amount of pushes, but they tell me from that 1st push with the nurse to the last push it was 13 minutes. Poor Steve & Michelle got stuck holding my legs the whole time, so they didn't get to go over to the table and see him for the first 10 minutes or so. Kathy was video taping the whole time so at least we got to see afterwards everything we missed while the doctor was finishing up.

At 12:13 a.m. Thomas Nash Amaral was born weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches long. Hannah was extremely pleased to be the largest over her 2 brothers (8 pounds 13 ounces 20.5 inches long). Unfortunately, after the initial belly minute with Thomas on me, I wasn't able to hold him for a few hours. I was really shaky and couldn't move well. I was still nauseous and was completely afraid I would drop Thomas. The kids got to hold him. Hannah sang little songs to him, and Andrew was so overcome with emotion he started crying when he held him (remember my story earlier about Andrew's graduation-pretty much exactly like that).

Steve looked like the proudest Papa to ever walk the planet. I have never in my life seen him the way I do now with Thomas. It is the most beautiful thing ever.

No matter what happens in this life, I hope that Thomas always knows he is loved more than any one of us can express.

"The Raging Hormone"

Oh my, Andrew's graduation on Wednesday was interesting. At least I made the entire class of 2009 5th graders laugh at me! (Ok, mostly just Andrew's friends, but STILL).

Ok, so it was a cute theme-Hawaiian. The mood was light, the music sweet but not sappy. THEN, of course, they start singing this song about growing up and how they love us as their role models and blabbity blabbity blabbity. THANKS GUYS! I started bawling like a big fat baby. Which, of course, sent Thomas into contraction mode. Which made Andrew's friends start poking him and whispering "Hey man-isn't that your MOM?" which made him start doing that "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh" look along with a few of his own eye rolling, snickering laughs. Which THEN, in turn, makes Kathy start busting up laughing, shooting pictures of me looking like a big blathering idiot, which of course, makes ME start busting up laughing. So there I am, laughing, crying, and contracting, all the while, the kids are singing this sweet song dedicated to their parents. I find out later, Mr. Brian told the kids "I'm picking this song, because it's guaranteed to make them cry" OH... MY.... GOSH!! Let me remember to be on the committee when YOUR kid graduates! :)

The funny thing is, it's just 5th grade. I mean, 6th is a big leap from 5th, but not REALLY. There's much bigger milestones that Andrew's leapt through that I didn't cry like he was leaving us forever!

ahhhhh, hormones.

Yes, that would be Andrew singing the song-told you he was snickering at me! Stinkin' kid!

I am ONLY adding this picture because if I'm going to talk about how horrible I was, I guess I should show it.


An official Middle Schooler now!

Awesome kid!

Andrew and his partner in crime, Sean

Andrew's teacher, Mr. Korporaal. I cannot say enough good things about Mr. K. He will always be a huge part of why Andrew is the Andrew we see now. Plus, he made reading cool, and anyone who can do that just plain rocks in my eyes!

Drumroll please.......................The infamous Mr. Brian!!!

Part of the group of boys that ruled T.H.E. A rascally bunch, but all very good, kind, sweet kids. You couldn't hand pick a better bunch of boys!

I told them to "show me what you guys were REALLY like all these years" They didn't fail me!

Update to the All Stars

So, I'm feeling a little less stressed after talking with the coaches at the meeting tonight. He is totally understanding of Andrew's missing some practice for his baby brother. Also, games won't begin until July 5th, so there's no worry of him missing games. I will even be able to go to a few as long as we all get the clean bill of health. I'll just tattoo a message on Thomas' forehead saying "Look all you want, but if you touch me my mom will probably kill you!" haha

I'm so proud of the bugger!

Now I'm just waiting until we get close to game time to head back over to watch his Tournament of Champions game. Holy guacamole, I feel like one of "those" moms!

Add Another One To The List

Poor Thomas-he's never gonna be allowed out, I guess!

Andrew made All Stars!!

Meeting today, then his Tournament of Champions game..practices all week, and I believe games for All Stars are like, um, NEXT WEEK. AHH!

At least Steve'll be home, so it might actually be EASIER when Thomas is born. Except then I'll be missing Andrew's games most likely.

But either way ANDREW MADE ALL STARS!

My Cup Runneth Over

I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of total love and pride for my kids yesterday. Not that I don't love them all the time. It's just that, as any parent knows, as time wears on, you sort of-well, not forget that you love and admire your kids-you just get drawn into the daily humdrum that is life. The tide that washes over you is so far back on the beach that it takes a great wave to bring it back in.

I haven't had so many compliments given to me about those 2 as I did yesterday from random people at various times throughout the afternoon. Not that I need the approval of strangers-don't get me wrong. But it felt good to hear the compliments on them.

They really are superb kids. Words cannot express how proud I am of them. Not for the stuff they do, though that's great too. It's for what wonderful souls they have. Loving, empathetic, strong, genuinely GOOD human beings. I can't imagine a world without them. I can't even fathom my life without my daily doses of Hannah-isms, and Andrew's goofy jokes. A day where someone doesn't giggle about something gross like farts or poop. A day where I have to ask someone to pick up their towel, or please get back to your homework.

I can't imagine life without these two. The way Hannah sees me sad and comes over to hug me. Andrew scratching my back as we watch a movie. Kisses goodnight, big grins, and those hugs that make a gloomy day bright again. Now this miracle is being brought to me a third time. A boy waiting to emerge who's personality will affect those around him. The ripple effect of life around him, as he touches those he meets. Just as others have touched our lives. I am so grateful to be given this gift once more.

My cup runneth over.

Short Update

Remember what I said about Mr. Brian, the music teacher? Well, Andrew was antsy to make sure that he gets a "last time" to hang w/Mr. Brian and play his violin with him. I'm serious-this boy went through like 3 years of moans and groans every time it was practice or lesson times. I even tried to bribe him with money, junk food, EVERYTHING to get him to love practicing. So yesterday, after I unplugged the video games, he went into his room and practiced (after his initial practice) for another half hour, to perfect the part of "Devil Went Down to Georgia" that he's been working on.

If you don't know "Devil Went Down to Georgia," or even if you do, find it on my music player. Listen specifically to the violin (ok, fiddle, in this case!) and realize-Andrew's learning that-and really well! WOW!

Again, a special thank you to 1 of the best teachers ever!

Why I Can Never Go Into Labor!

Before I begin, let me say that I'm truly sorry if this blog rambles, has terrible grammar, and in general, makes no sense. I have extreme pregnancy brain right now!

Ok, now I can move on.... :)

These past few weeks, and especially this past week, have been insanely hectic! Andrew had City Tournament, where other leagues in the city form together to have one huge tournament. 3 games a week, practices in between. AAHH! Surprised any of us still have hair after that tournament! Unfortunately, the boys lost halfway through, and ended up in 4th place. Which, in the big picture, isn't bad, considering one of the leagues they played against were the ones from Vista who made it to the Little League World Series a couple of years back! Still to come-Tournament of Champions! Andrew's team, the White Sox, ended up in 1st place for their division in the league (2nd year Andrew's been on a 1st place team!) so they play TOC in 2 weeks. In the mean time, Coach has scheduled 3 practices next week, on top of their end of the year party.

Today was Closing Day Ceremonies for the regular season. The kids had a lot of fun. Andrew got his trophy for 1st place team. I think the best thing of all though, was that VALL (Vista American Little League) had a dunk tank this year, and all the the managers from all of the teams got in and let the kids from their team try and dunk 'em! I loved all the heckling from the coaches, and then seeing the coach crash down mid-smarty pants comment! The look on the kids faces as each one threw 'em in was hilarious! It was a really nice time, and great to see all the kids have some down time to hang out.

So all that baseball stuff would be reasons # 1, 2, & 3 why I'm not allowed to go into labor yet!

Also, let me preface the Music on the Green story with this; Mr. Brian is the music teacher at Temple Heights Elementary. He is a musical inspiration to everyone he crosses-in fact I would love to learn how to play guitar so I could go have a jam session with him! Andrew told him about his playing violin, and Mr. Brian was so excited that he told him that he absolutely HAD to bring his violin in during lunch to jam w/him and some other kids that came in. It really renewed Andrew's desire to play-something that's hard to do when you've been taking lessons for 5 years! He LOVES music, teaches guitar in the mornings to kids, has a bongo drum lesson for other kids, and just makes you love the music right along with him-it's impossible to explain without meeting him, but once you do, you can't stop talking about him either!

Soooo...From what I've come to understand-Mr. Brian doesn't get paid by the district. His entire ability to stay at Temple Heights is through the donations put together the year prior-if we raise enough, he gets to stay. There are many different ways-penny drives, your typical run of the mill candy sale type stuff, and this-Music on the Green. An entire evening devoted to keeping a salary alive for Mr. Brian. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING for the night is donated. There's a silent auction with some amazing prizes, cake walks, jumpers, face painting, raffles, etc. Teachers even donate as much as they can. They had a booth where kids got to throw wet sponges at them! Also, each teacher donates a "win a lunch for you and a friend" for the silent auction-I won it for Hannah with her teacher. Well, Mrs. Keen told Hannah that she could bring 2, since she couldn't decide! Let me tell you, winning that silent auction wasn't easy to do-Mrs. Keen is very loved! Unfortunately I lost out on Andrew's teacher-those bids were way too rich for my blood. Also, Kathy & I were going to go halves for Mr. Brian, but his was extremely high also! Sad, but good too, because the bids were getting really high!

At the end of the evening, all of the grades come up one at a time and perform a song with choreography. Hannah's grade sang "Hound Dog" By Elvis. Andrew's grade actually worked with Mr. Brian during music class to take an existing song & change the lyrics to fit their grade. I got it on tape, but I'll have to switch it over to DVD to be able to share it.

So, there's reason # 4 why I'm not allowed to go into labor yet! I couldn't miss Music on the Green!

Reason # 5-Andrew has the infamous State Report Due on Tuesday, which pretty much makes or breaks his ability to move on to 6th grade..lol..Ok, not really, but it's HUGE, and, unfortunately-he has the attention span of an ostrich! :)

Reason # 6-The kids both have the WAVE Water Park to attend for their end of the year treat for a year of working their little grubby fingers to the bone. Now, I know that the WAVE isn't that big of a deal, but it really is. They've been looking forward to this day all year-in fact, this will be Hannah's first year getting to go with the school. To pull them out of it and then have them have to wait around for the "just in case it happens any second" labor that I may very well have would be heartbreaking in their eyes! Gotta love the unpredictability of childbirth!

Reasons # 7 & 8-Andrew has a musical he's been working on w/his teacher for a while. That's not until the 11th. Then he has an official "graduation" ceremony on the 17th (last day of school)

Soo, I think that about covers it all. I think. Of course, there's always more-like Hannah's end of the year Girl Scout party, regular school life, and everything else..I know I'll be out of the hospital in a day..that it's not a life sentence-but I also know how EXHAUSTING life is with a newborn, and I don't want to miss a minute of these great things the kids are doing! They've worked so hard for all of it.

On to random good news. We'd been struggling with what to do about Steve's truck issue for a while now. He bought a truck about 2 years ago that turned out to be a total lemon, but he wasn't covered because he bought it "as is." So we were stuck with a truck that, albeit was almost paid off, didn't run right! Anyway, he was scouring everywhere to research the truck he wanted. He looked at private sales, walked into dealerships often, and had numerous discussions with me over the last year. Well, a few nights ago he found an add on Craigslist from the Dodge Dealership, and they had his dream truck for a really good price! I'm not kidding-this thing is literally his dream truck. Well, it's 2 wheel drive, but he's really ok with that, since he didn't plan on truly needing the 4 wheel often enough to ever justify the extra price. After a day of thinking it over (and over...and over...and over) WE GOT A NEW TRUCK! It is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm so excited, because it will not only allow him to expand his business further, it will also make it that much easier to tow anything & everything our little hearts desire! Now we can finally take our trailer or boat on long trips-like up to Pismo Beach or out to Lake Mead like we've been planning FOREVER! I am truly, completely, in love with this truck! :)

Well, I've rambled a lot, so allow me to take my exit-but not before posting some pictures, of course!

Andrew's 1st Place Team Trophy!

They always do a little parade to get there..ceremonies!

Andrew playing some of the songs he learned w/Mr. Brian. Not the best picture, but I'm too tired to edit this :)~ Besides-we all know he's adorable anyway!

Hannah with one of her bestest friends, Aliyah. Also a classmate & fellow Girl Scouter!

Our new baby before our new baby!

37 Weeks 5 days..getting verrrrrrry close!

Different shirt finally, thought I'd show I don't just wear the same outfit over and over!

Close up shot. Hmm..Too tired to make these look really good!

I had to throw this one in-how is she sleeping like this? (Her leg isn't resting on anything, it's just UP..thought I'd clear that up, since she's got a stuffed animal looking like it's supporting her leg) She had both legs up, but one fell right as I came in. So strange!

The Silver Lining To My Hospital Stay

This past week has been interesting, to say the least. It all starts back about 2 weeks ago. I caught whatever bug was going around. Normal annoying symptoms-starting with the flu then seeming to progress into a really bad cold. I called the nurses station at Kaiser San Diego when I first got the temperature, and they gave me the information for pregnant treatment. I did everything they said to do. It didn't get better, so then I scheduled an appointment with my general practitioner. He gave me essentially the same information. I started noticing my weight dropping, and when I went into my prenatal appointment I had officially lost 5 pounds. Nobody seemed to worry much, but I kept telling everyone that I hadn't been able to keep any food or fluids down. Still no seem to worry. I told them that Thomas wasn't as active as he usually was. Still no cause for concern-they chalked that up to less room in there to squirm. I kept having that nagging feeling though.

Still, by Tuesday, I had no appetite, I'd lost 10 pounds, and I'd thrown up water one too many times. I called the triage nurse in San Diego one more time. At first they seemed apprehensive to even really listen to me. When I told her about the 10 pounds, she tried to correct me & say that it'd only been 5. I told her that since my Friday apt. I'd lost another 5 pounds. Finally, with a hint of aggravated annoyance in her voice, the nurse advised me to come to San Diego triage to be checked out.

Needless to say, I was severely dehydrated, and the baby's amniotic fluid was really low. I had elevated liver enzymes, which they could never figure out, a virus that needed antibiotics, and a myriad of other complications that needed to be addressed through medicine & obsvervation. I knew things weren't right, yet it wasn't until I really started making a stink that they listened to me.

Luckily Thomas was ok through it all, and after they hydrated me he started back to his usual self-flipping, kicking, squirming & generally being himself. They had to take a few ultrasounds, and he was his same ornery self! In fact, when the lab tech tried to get a good picture for me to keep, he kept throwing his arm up in front of the picture!

Finally on Saturday morning they told me that, although my liver enzymes are still high, they're going down. I was put on a thousand different meds for at home, and I'm still on high alert as far as exposure to anyone really goes. aka, no hugs & kisses from the kids and no baseball games for the next week :(

I was extremely lucky to have the help of Steve, my Aunt Diana, and my friend, Kathy. Without them, I don't think this week would have been able to happen. Finally, that age old question "what exactly do you do all day" was answered for Steve! His was sprinkled with 45 minute one way drives to the hospital, too, but he saw what a hectic lifestyle we have going on here. Not to say I'd ever want to repeat the week, but I think it was nice to get a little boost in appreciation from him for the work I put forth :)

On to my silver lining-I really got to spend some one on one time with this little peanut baking in here. I was monitored regularly, got many ultrasounds, and once I started feeling better, was able to focus on my pregnancy and what it's like. Knowing that this is my last pregnancy, to be able to have that opportunity to enjoy the little movements, and that time that is secret & special to the two of us. Don't get me wrong-I'm totally ready to pop this little guy out, but I appreciate the kicks, squirms, and hickups too!

I'm including the picture that the lab tech was finally able to get. It was so different seeing Thomas' face so personally-those 20 week scans all look basically the same. I want to say thank you to everyone who was praying for us during the time, and tell you that we really appreciated all the support we got during my stay there.

I'd say I'm 90% back to myself-which is good, because these next few weeks are going to be HECTIC w/baseball, school ending, and a special little girl's 8th birthday!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was a nice time with Steve, Andrew, & Hannah. Besides a few breakdowns by my hormonal crying :) I have been ultra sensitive this week over nothing!

The kids gave me their presents, which, of course, were great! I love homemade gifts! Andrew made a pop up card and Hannah made 3 blocks that spell out MOM. She also gave me a paper with a secret code that I have decipher.

After breakfast & presents, we did a drive down to the San Diego hospital that I will deliver at if I go into labor before June 2nd. I loved the hospital! The staff was really nice, and a nurse took us on an unofficial tour to quite a few of the rooms to show us what it will be like if we're there. It makes me sad in a way that I only have 3 more weeks before I can go down to Palomar Hospital in Escondido! Reality, of course, is that I'd rather do the short 20 minute drive over the hour one, but STILL, the room was great, and I really liked all of the staff there. We have a tour of Escondido hospital next Saturday, so we can make the final decision then-that is, of course, if Thomas comes after 36 weeks!

Steve was definitely shocked by the rooms-I asked him afterward & he said that he expected it to be more sterile or stainless steel or something. He was impressed by the drop down delivery bed, and the fact that everything was encompassed into one room. Seeing his face when he saw the little baby weigh/monitoring station was priceless. We found out that when I go in for my tubal ligation, Steve will be with the baby by himself for the whole time-I think I saw a glimmer of terror which he quickly hid when he saw me looking at him! We didn't get to see the rooming area, where I'll be staying afterwards, but she said there's a possibility we'll be sharing a room with someone else. I definitely hope it's a slow week!

After the hospital, we went over to the cemetery that some of my family is buried at. My Grandma Linda was buried there, along with her mother, father, and one of her brothers. Also, one of her sister's ashes were scattered over all of the graves there. We laid flowers on my Grandma's and Great Grandma's grave, and walked around looking at how many graves were from people born in the 1800's. There were quite a few. In fact, we found one family born in the 1820's. As awkward as it sounds, the kids really enjoyed being there. I think Hannah got to have a little bit more of a connection to her Great Grandma, since she was born after my Grandma had passed away.

After going to the cemetery, we took the kids to Dave & Busters. We ate lots of yummy food & played some games. Hannah won 350 tickets altogether from $10 worth of play. 119 tickets were from playing "Deal Or No Deal" by taking the "deal."Unfortunately, she held the case with 200 tickets! She didn't mind though, because the other case left over was only 30 tickets, so she figured she wouldn't be greedy with it! Andrew & Steve played all the shoot 'em up, run 'em over games. Andrew played a few games for tickets, and tried to convince Hannah to combine tickets to both get something better! Needless to say, he didn't get to, despite his pouting, and Hannah got a nice little bracelet, while Andrew got some Chinese Finger Traps!

It was a great weekend, and a wonderful Mother's Day. I can't imagine a better little family if I tried!

Our Trip To Santa Maria

I didn't think we'd get another good family trip in before Thomas arrived, but was pleasantly surprised by this semi-last minute drive to visit Steve's Grandma Marie in Santa Maria. I've been on a trip up there before, but this was the first time the kids got to see a piece of Steve's childhood. We drove past his old house, places he went to school, "his" restaurant that he loved, and to the 2 best parks I have ever seen in my life! We visited with his Aunt Ida & Grandma Marie, and took his Grandma out to lunch, & then down to the beach. The kids got to climb the trees that Steve & his brother built tree forts in, and see pictures of him at their ages. I was so glad we got to go, and see another layer of Steve come out as he shared his special memories with us. We ended up taking over 50 pictures, so I'll have to weed through them to post some of my favorites (any time they're in a picture, it's a great one for me!)

Words can't describe what it feels like to watch them explore the world together.

They didn't even fight when I stuck them together for a nice picture!

Steve & his Grandma.

Poker, a crazed look in her eye, chasing squirrels at the park.

Poker didn't know what to do when the squirrel shot up the tree-she's used to ground squirrels!

A little pond in the park. One of a few.

Ok, this is more like our family!

I couldn't even fit the whole tree in the picture!

32 weeks & 5 days!

Tree root jail-can I keep them there?!

Duck, duck......GOOSE!