And They Are 3

4 days old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Where has the time gone??? I cannot believe my little babies are growing into such precious little boys. They are so sweet and crazy and smart and too-smart-for-my-own-good and adorable and mischievous and loving! They often drive me crazy, but then they turn around and melt me into puddle of mush. I love my firstborn boys so much and am blessed to have have them in my world.

Happy Birthday Boys!

Pinning away

Are you on Pinterest? If yes, Come find me! If not, Why not?

Ive been pretty busy lately. Pinterest has been fuel for my crafting frenzy! Want to see some of my inspirations?

Source: thedesperatecraftwives.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: crochetroo.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: homemadegrits.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: micahmakes.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: demonstrativebears.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: mycakies.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Jack of the day

Tim: How 'bout nuggets?
Trip: NO!!!!
Tim: How 'bout pizza?
Trip: NO!!!!!!
Jack: How 'bout ice cream cone?!?!?!

We know what's on Jack's mind.

Friday Night Leftovers - Catch up!

• My big boys are almost 3 years old...where has the time gone? Wasn't it just yesterday I was delirious with exhaustion because I had two little ones that wouldn't sleep through the night?
• Actually, it WAS just yesterday I was delirious. Both Trip and Jack wake up at least once a night crying. Why??????
• Aedan is doing that thing where he does NOT wake up during the night. He HAS been staying up until almost at night, though. And he doesn't care for naps.
• Speaking of Aedan, he's almost six months old. And eating solids. And happy as can be. And needs to slow down!
• Oh yeah, that last picture of Jack? It's atropine in his right eye. He wears thick glasses and at his last check up they determined he's still not using his left eye like he needs to. We have to put atropine in his right eye Friday and Saturday nights in lieu of patching it. After the first few nights of doing it he was fine and now ASKS us for his drops.
• Trip seems a little jealous of Jack's glasses and drops. He doesn't need to be, though; he'll definitely be the first one in braces. Poor little kid got my jaw.
• Tim is finally happy with the vehicle he has. He loves his little BMW. If he doesn't quit giving it so much attention, he may end up sleeping in it.
• I kid.
• Not really.
• Tim got a vasectomy. The emotions we've both had about that are worthy of their own blog post, but I won't get around to it. We've both had serious remorse, but know it's for the best. Another miscarriage/pregnancy/child would be too much stress (emotionally/physically/financially - in that order) on our family. If money were not an option (ie we could afford a larger house, nanny, maid, cook, & adoption or surrogate) we both would have loved to have more children.
• It freaks me out that I haven't had a post-pregnancy period. Logically I know it's because I'm breastfeeding, but my illogical side is freaking out. (think "AUGH I'M PREGNANT!!! OMG MY CERVIX IS MESSED UP!!! HOLY SHIT MY UTERUS IS FILLED WITH CANCER!!!) (like I said, illogical on all counts.)
• Tim had to go to a cardiologist for a seriously rapid heart beat. As far as we know, nothing is wrong. We ARE dealing with the military doctors, though, so we don't know for sure. The cardiologist gave Tim a stress-test and an echocardiogram and said he'd send the results to his primary care manager. We haven't heard back from his PCM, yet. We're likely never to hear back, though. He didn't find out for years that he had high cholesterol (and by then it was no longer high).
• I'm so glad the weather is turning cooler! I know this is crazy coming from my mouth, but I hope we have a nice cold winter (down south only. I hope everyone further north has the exact winter they want). Last winter was way too warm down here & we paid for it with the bugs this summer. 
• I never ended up doing the crochet-a-long I planned on. Instead I've been making hats for different bambinos born to my interweb/twitter pals and for my babes. I tried knitting a scarf for a buddy, but the yarn was screwy and I finally threw it all in the trash.
• Oh yeah! Trip is pretty much completely potty trained!!! Woo-hoo!!!! Jack on the other hand...ugh. He was great for a while, but now he refuses to use the potty. Like I said...ugh.
• I wish I understood why pregnancy announcements still bother me. I'm super happy for any of my interweb/twitter friends, but everyone else....jealous. Why????

Head on over to Danifred's and see who else is having leftovers tonight!

Wordless Wednesday - Atropine

Hey there!

So I haven't posted in a long time...again. I've had so many posts rambling through my head, but just haven't had time or energy to put thought to blog.

I can't believe Aedan is 4 months old already!! And Trip & Jack will be three in just a few short months. Where has the time gone??? Aedan is longer than the boys were at his age, but he's thin like they were. He has the cutest chunky looks, but he's only around the 5th percentile for weight. He's working on a few teeth, but isn't as fussy as the boys were and they weren't as fussy as most teething babies get. I'm very blessed.

The big boys are getting bigger and more toddler-ish. Almost 3 is not my favorite age, so far. The boys are super smart, but maybe too smart for their own good. Some days they're like two monkeys sans cage. We're potty training right now, which is going fairly decent. We haven't really worked on keeping up with it when we leave the house, though. They also adore their littlest brother, but the jealousy is finally starting to show up. Trip has started to get beyond clingy. Every day is definitely busy in my house...especially since I have a power napping infant and two non-napping toddlers. Someone pass the coffee!



******************************

So I'm getting back into crocheting. I've also taught myself to knit. :) I had a knitting lesson to learn how to do cables & how to fix stitches a few rows back. It was so much fun! I'm also going to try and re-open my etsy shop. I'm excited, but not extremely confident, yet. Do I really have the time for this? I'd like to make the time. Crafting helps relax me (when I'm not interrupted a million times in one minute) and the income would be nice. Extra pocket money is always nice!

I'm also going to do a CAL (crochet-a-long)! If you'd like to play along, head on over to The Oxford Family and check it out!!! It's an adult sized granny square blanket!! Yay!!! I'm going to try to step out of my safe zone and get bold with the colors. I'd like to say I'm making this for my mom or something, but I'm going to keep this for myself. it would be nice to have something handmade on the couch a la Attic24.

So what's new with you!

Friday Night Leftovers aka the only way I can blog

• I can't believe my baby is 3 months old!!! Where has the past three months gone???
• Trip & Jack are about to drive me nuts with their poo-nap-antics. I've finally resorted to sewing the zipper pull to the fabric of their jammies for naps. I kid you not. If they have any access to their diapers they pull them off and use their beds and bedroom as a huge toilet. I'm sooooo tired of washing every.thing.they.own. on a daily basis. I won't even go into the furniture and carpet cleaning. ::sigh::
• Tim bought a new toy. Shortly before we found out we were pregnant this last time he bought a Crossfire.
  
  He then wised up and got rid of it and admitted it was an impulse buy.  Just a few weeks ago he got the car bug again and ended up deciding to buy another "toy". It needs a little bit of body work, a new driver's seat, and a new top.
  
  At least I like the color.
• I taught myself how to knit continental style! Woo-hoo!
• 
  

Head on over to Danifred's and see who else is having leftovers tonight!

2 Months Already?? (w/new pic)

Sorry about double posting this. I accidentally deleted the original.

It's been an amazing two months. I can still clearly remember the doctor holding my little guy up so I could see him. BEAUTIFUL! (I really owe you guys a birth story...it was so different than my c-section with the boys.) Aedan is such a delight! He's usually very laid back and happy. He's gotten a little faster at eating and is showing it with his growth! He loves to be talked to and often coos and smiles back. He's constantly wiggling (frequently in his sleep as well) and waving his arms and kicking his feet. He's a joy and I'm so blessed to have him.

Aedan had his two month well check this morning. The doctor loved him! In his words, "This guy is awesome!" Aedan was so attentive and responsive to the doctor. It was so cute! He also was a first for the doc...the first baby to pee on him in his 2 1/2 years at this base clinic. Hahaha! Here are Aedan's stats:

At 2 months

Aedan is 10 pounds 4 ounces, and that is

at the 22th percentile for weight.

Aedan is 22.25 inches, and that is

at the 28th percentile for height.

Aedan's head measures 39.5 centimeters,

and that is at the 39th percentile.

Breastfeeding has been somewhat of a challenge. It started out with a great latch, but the occasional bad one lead to cracked & bleeding nipples. Then I had to deal with a less than stellar supply. At two weeks Aedan wasn't back up to his birth weight and hadn't gained even an ounce over a week. I started to supplement and added pumping to our regimen. My supply increased some and the supplementing decreased. He quickly got back to a good weight and has been gaining steadily since. We still have to supplement a little, but all in all it's wonderful. I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to truly breastfeed this time!

Aedan has a mild kidney condition called hydronephrosis. It was first detected in utero and confirmed by ultrasound after birth. He had some testing a month ago to make sure it isn't caused by something serious, and it's not. The urologist is going to watch it until it either worsens or resolves itself. The staff at MUSC was AMAZING with Aedan (and with me, lets face it, Moms are usually more difficult than their infant patients)!! It doesn't seem to affect him at all.

Oh. And I'm going to whisper a secret to you. Are you reading closely? Aedan's been sleeping through the night for a few weeks. Did you catch that? Who wants to bet I just jinxed the hell out of myself? That's OK! I honestly didn't mind the nights with Aedan, anyway. This is the last time I'll get to do all this and I'm soaking it all in!

Want to see some pictures?

2 Months!

 

 

Sneaky morning smile

funny face

Happy boy!

Trying to nom on his hand

Cheese

What???

Oh, Hai!

I'm going to try to do a post about my big boys next. Twin toddlers sure are an experience!

5 weeks 4 days

We're all alive & well! Sorry for the radio silence. Things are going really well, I'm just super busy tired.

Tim had almost a whole month off after Aedan was born. My mom was also here for a little over a week. It was great having the help, but I'm honestly glad to have my house back. Tim is a great help, but he gets stressed out so easily...ugh.

So it's been me & my boys during the week since last Monday...Pure Heaven! Everything feels "right". Aedan is a dream! He's a lazy eater (bottle or boob), but he's a good sleeper. He started rolling front to back at two weeks (I have video proof) and smiling at 3 weeks 6 days. Trip & Jack just adore him!

Big shoes to fill

Big Grin

Before needed haircut

#HOPE

Little grin

(((hugs)))

Brotherly love

 I'll update more when I get a chance!

Aedan!

Aedan is Here!
Aedan Alexander was born today @  8:58 pm weighing  7lb  8oz & measuring 19". Mother & baby are doing well!

Not Much

There's not much going on. Aedan seems to be happy head down punching my bladder. I'm happy he's getting more time to grow!

Anddddd I'm so ready for him to get here. I completely forgot how uncomfortable the end of the 3rd trimester is.

My OB appointment last week was very uneventful. I was still only dilated a fingertip. Thank God my OB was super gentle with the exam. (I did mention the L&D doc just about killed me, right?) We'll see what they say Wednesday!

Everything else in life is just sailing along! The boys are growing like weeds & learning new things every day.

Jack cracks me up with some of the things he picks up! He'll tap his chin, say "Hmmmmm...I thinking...",  then throw his finger in the air & say, "I got an idea!" I have no idea where he got it. from, but it's too cute.

Trip can be a holy terror then switch it up & be the sweetest little thing! Whenever I have a contraction or Aedan hurts me Trip asks me, "You OK? You alright, Mah-ey?" And he won't quit asking until I tell him I'm OK and then tell him I'm alright.

Well, I had more to say, but I'm about to fall asleep. So I think I'll leave it at this.

Thank you for all the love on my last posts!

Nope

Labor & delivery was...not fun. 3 attempts for an IV, 2 blown veins, 2 1/2 bags of fluids, and a shot of terbutiline later I'm on my way home!

They managed to slow down my contractions & I'm holding steady at a fingertip dilated.

Hopefully the little guy will stay put for a little while longer!

Should I stay or Should I Go now

Farah Here reporting Live:

Amanda has been having some contractions/pain for about 24 hours now and mid morning today she called her OB's office.  The suggested that she take a trip to the L&D at the hospital.  So far so good.  She was contracting 2-4 mins apart on her way to the Hospital and she Does not want a VBAC so they gave her a shot of Terbu.taline to try and slow/stop things.  She is in good spirits, she said her phone battery is dead and Terb makes her Twitchy.  The L&D told her it would be along night so Send her all the good thought you can

So why are you so upset??

 I had my 32 week OB appointment today. Everything went really well and fairly quickly! I had a growth scan due to my mutated body prothrombin thingy. Aedan is measuring in the 81st percentile and weighs approximately 5lb 7oz. Holy big baby! His fluid is also measuring right at the top of the scale for being OK. The not-so-great news is that he seems to be retaining fluid in his right kidney. It's nothing serious at this point, and probably will never be anything serious, but MFM doc wants to keep an eye on it. It's not as serious as hydronephrosis, but I can't remember what exactly he called it (It's called mild pyelectasis. Thank you Stacie!). He said it's very common in boys and they usually outgrow it as infants. It has something to do with the way their urethra is kinked due to having a penis and due to the kidney being immature. He's 1/10th a centimeter on the bad side of the measurement they took.

I'm honestly not worried about his kidney or fluid or anything else. I am pretty upset, though. HE'S NOT GOING TO FIT IN ALL HIS CUTE LITTLE NEWBORN THINGS I'VE MADE AND HAD MADE FOR HIM!!!! I know. Woe is me. I find it so ironic that I had almost no newborn size clothing for Jack & Trip (I swear I just didn't know there was a difference between 0-3 months & newborn) and their clothes were swimming on them. Now I have all sorts of newborn items, and it looks like I'm going to have a 0-3 month sized kid. I'm not really upset. I have time to order him a new onesie to wear home, but with the swelling starting, I won't be able to make him a new sweater. :( Oh well. I'm just happy he's doing so well!

And for the billion and ten people that feel the need to tell me I'm huge and joke about carrying more than one and ask if I'm due any day...HE'S A BIG BABY SO STFU! NO ONE enjoys being told they're huge.

So who'd like to see pictures of the chunky monkey? I swear you could see how chubby his cheeks were in the 2D shots, even!

Chubby Cheeks

That's his foot flat on his forehead

I promise I still have another post or two coming. I haven't forgotten about them!

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Oops! (again)

The biting issue has been seriously curbed. If I exhaust the boys before nap time, Trip doesn't mess with Jack. Sometimes this isn't really possible (rainy days are rough) and on those days I put them in separate rooms. Some days we just don't have a nap. Jack will also now tell Trip "No Biting!" I guess he's finally over the bruises. I know I am!

I can't believe how big my boys are getting...all three of them! Aedan (oh yeah, we settled on a name) is growing daily and I'm HUGE! Trip and Jack seem to get bigger every day. I swear it's like someone is feeding them miracle grow! I can assure you it's not me, they're barely willing to eat anything I cook. Finicky little things.

So I guess I should share some pics.

Uh-oh! You caught me! I LOVE dirt!

Pretty flower! (It's from an oak tree)

Jack & Trip
My sweet boys!

30 weeks 3 days
I'm HUGE!

I really am huge. I've gained too much weight (luckily the doctors haven't gotten onto me about it). I'm actually measuring a few weeks ahead due to my weight. Aedan seems to be trying to force his way out of my right side. It can be so painful at times! He's actually caused me to almost hit the ground in pain when he's kicked/headbutt/clawed at my cervix. I wouldn't give any of this up for the world, though. Feeling my boys move inside and holding them on the outside are the only things I enjoy about pregnancy, so I'll love it while it lasts!

Well, I had so much else to stay, but I just can't remember it. I guess that's what happens when I don't blog for too long.

I have another post I'm brewing in my head. I promise this one will come soon!

Help!!!

I need help. Trip won't. quit. biting. Poor Jack screams at bedtime and naptime. I'm pretty sure it's because Trip tortures him after we go downstairs*. If Jaws doesn't want to go to sleep (or wants out of his room) he bites Jack. I counted 10 bite marks on Jack after nap today. 10.

We've tried explaining this is bad and hurts. We've scolded. We've bit him back. We've popped his mouth. We've tried time-out. We've tried combinations of these things. We're at our wits end!!!

I'd appreciate any advice, suggestions, stories you have to offer. Please! Our last option is to move Jack into the nursery and out of his room with Trip. I don't think this is a really valid option since a) there will be a newborn in there before I know it and b) we've never been able to get them to sleep if they're not in the room together.

*Any time I hear Jack start with his "I've been attacked" scream, I head back into their room. I don't just leave him. I always tell them both to stay in bed and NO BITING before I leave the room.

:-)

I'm still here and doing well! The vomiting has slowed down considerably. Of course, now that I've said that I'll spend 1/2 my day puking tomorrow. Whatever, I'll take it for the good days that come between! I've so much more energy than I ever remember having while pregnant with the boys...of course that was a twin pregnancy. I'm also nesting so much I can barely stand myself. I want the nursery set up YESTERDAY! I'm also ready to kill Tim for not picking up after himself better. Yes, he vacuums (once in a while) and sweeps, but that does not make up for leaving his crap laying around. At least the boys have begun helping pick their stuff up!

Speaking of boys...we have confirmation that Thumper is indeed a little boy! The ultrasound technician threw me for a loop by referring to Thumper as a girl throughout the scan and not checking the gender until almost the end. She explained that she thought we told her we had been told earlier we were having a girl. *roll eyes* Thumper is most definitely a boy, though. He's also feisty! He's feistier than Trip ever was, and he's a handful. I'm definitely going to be kept on my toes with these three!!

I cannot believe my little boys turned two years old already. They're getting so big and learning so much! Jack can count to 13, sing his ABCs, and recognizes almost every letter in the alphabet and numbers up to 12. He knows a few of his shapes and is working on his colors. Trip, on the other hand, can climb anything he wants to and go anywhere he pleases. He follows me everywehre and always wants to "hep" me. He is so very social and says "Hey!" or "Hellllo!" to almost everyone that crosses his path. They are both so unique and so full of personality!!! Every day brings new challenges and new blessings.

I had so much more to say before I actually started this post, but as usual it's gone, now. I'll leave you with a video of Trip "helping" Jack and a few pics of all of my boys!

Thumper @ 20 weeks

My two reindeer

Jack LOVES cake!

"Cheese"

My little superman

Big grin