Micah's 2 month stats

We had his 2 month appointment today, and he's growing like a weed!

13 pounds 3 ounces - 75%
24.5 inches long - 88%
16.5 inches head circumference - 85%

He had his 2 month shots, and took them like a champ. He cried for all of 5 seconds, and then he was in such a good mood all day!! We've been trying to get him to go to sleep unswaddled the past week while Eric's been home. He'll lay down for naps unswaddled, but doesn't sleep as long as he used to, and before tonight, would not go to sleep unswaddled for bed time. I'm not complaining, because being swaddled, he's been sleeping up to 10-11 hours without a feeding!! Tonight, however, we got home around 9 from my in-laws (they invited us over for dinner and Mamma Mia! (cute movie)), and he had nursed at 8:30 at their house. Eric changed him, got him ready for bed and laid him in his crib while we got Cara ready. He just laid in there talking and cooing. After we put her down, he seemed happy enough, so we left him in there, unswaddled, and vacuumed (we've been rearranging now that the tree is down and built ins are up, and every time we move a sofa, there are clumps of dog hair, no matter if I vacuumed 2 hours before!!!). He was still fine, so we cuddled on the couch to watch an episode of the Office season 4 (a christmas gift for me from eric's family) and he fell asleep all on his own. This is not a new feat, he's done it many times before, but it usually involves us going in and re-inserting the paci, or giving up and swaddling him. So far it's been about 2 hours and he's still going strong. I just pumped and am getting ready for bed. Hopefully tonight goes well. This is EXACTLY when Cara stopped being swaddled. She didn't take her 2 month shots nearly as well, and did not want ANYTHING touching her legs that night, so she just completely went cold turkey on the swaddle thing. Anyways, here's hoping ;). We're taking him to get his 2 month pictures taken tomorrow at JCPenney. Can't wait!!

Parent/Baby Dedication

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

This was taken at our church this morning. Bailey actually got Cara to smile, too bad she wasn't looking at the camera. The church takes pictures too (some with us, some with all the family, some with Pastor Alex), so I should get those in a few weeks. We had the privilege of dedicating Micah James to our Saviour today. We promised to pray daily for his salvation, and to live a Godly life to be an example to him. We did this with Cara back in 9/2006. We are so happy to have our church family, and to be able to do this for our children.

Gift cards drive me crazy!

Oh my goodness gracious! We had such horrible experiences yesterday. Let me first say, I love the people who gave us the gift cards...just wish maybe they had picked a specific store or just sent the cash! So we went to wal-mart to spend a gift we got that said it had $40 on it. We had also received a $25 gift card (mastercard) and a $25 visa gift card from wal-mart that had the receipt taped to it, which we thought was weird, but more on that later. After deciding what to spend our $$ on, we were all ready to check out. We have the double stroller, but Cara has to go potty, so Eric takes her while I check out with Micah. The total is like $49. We had 1 gift card with $21 on it (long story), so we scanned that first, then we have $27.70 left. I gave the gift card marked $40 on it. She scanned it and said I owed $7.70 still. UGH. No big deal, the card was marked wrong, but it's that awkward thing, do you want to ask the person who gave it to you if they put $40 on it and it only got marked for $20 (because you don't want them to waste/lose their money), or do you just assume they were buying a few at once and wrote the wrong amount on there. I chose the latter, but ugh. So, I owe $7.70, that I hadn't planned on owing, so I whip out one of the $25 gift cards we have. After trying it like 5 times, and it not going through, I notice that it says it has to be activated on the little sticker, so I just put it away and thankfully Eric walked back up at that point with the other one that worked and we were able to leave.

So, we get in the car to go home and I call the number to activate the card. Except it needs this 14 digit activation code that is on the receipt that the card came with.....that I threw away last night! And we have 2 of these cards. At this point, I mistakenly say, "this is freaking ridiculous" and quickly my little tape recorder, Cara, shoots it back out of her mouth (in a much cuter version), but still we have to explain that that is not something we say and Mommy had to apologize. Can you just see her in Sunday School saying that?!?!?! :) So we get home, and know exactly which bag of trash it is in. Had it not been worth $50 to us (2 $25 cards), we may not have done it, but we dig through the trash. Not too horrible, but gross still the same, and we find them. Now I noticed before that it had $25 gift card and another item on the receipt for $8.94, what I didn't realize was that was the FEE Eric's aunt paid to get the card (times 2)!! Shoot, that sux! Just give me the $33! So I get online to register the card, thinking it would be faster. What I didn't know (and probably Eric's aunt didn't realize) is that these are basically prepaid visa cards for people who have bad credit. So you have to give all of your information (including certain ID #s that you should NOT have to give, that I tried not to, but wouldn't let me continue until I did) and they take it all and send you a personalized card in the mail in 7-10 days. I don't want a personalized card (or a second card with someone else's name for another $8.94)! Plus, there is a $4.95 MONTHLY fee, so if I don't spend my $25 GIFT card by 1/6/08, I get charged $4.95. My in-laws came over after Micah's parent/baby dedication today (another post on that later) for lunch and we mentioned it to them, because Eric's sister and brother got the gift cards too. They had even more problems, because Amanda (eric's 14 year old sis) is underage, and so they ended up having to register it in his dad's name. Anyways, if any of you are looking for gift cards for people, DO NOT buy the Walmart Money Card! What a waste of money!

Could you survive another Great Depression?

I found this quiz from a blog I linked to on yet another blog I read :)

Take the Quiz

Here's my score, I'm surprised!

You Are 67% Likely to Survive Another Great Depression
Even though you may not be expecting the worst, you're the type of person who prepares for the worst.You live a relatively modest life. You don't overspend, and you aren't very materialistic.You are also quite self sufficient and independent. You have many useful skills.You can take care of yourself and those you love... which is crucial to surviving another Great Depression.

Newsome Christmas

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

On Christmas day, Eric's family came over to exchange gifts and we had a great time.

Built ins almost complete!

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

Go click on this photo to see all my notes on flickr. These are the AMAZING built ins Eric promised me for my birthday. The only thing left to finish is for him to build the doors for the bottom. Besides that, everything is all trimmed out and perfect. The photos don't do them justice, they are just GORGEOUS in person!

This is from my family's visit yesterday

It wasn't a fluke!

Micah ate at 8 pm and slept till I woke up him at 7 to eat. Hallelujia. Christ is King and he hears my prayers :). I will post pictures soon, but Merry Christmas to all who are online on Christmas day reading my blog! :) Jesus is truly the reason for this joyous and gorgeous season. We've already sang happy birthday to Him and ate some of His cake we made! What a fun Christmas when you can sit around in your PJs and your dinner is already made sitting in the fridge ready to cook! Much Love to all!

A Merry Christmas Eve indeed!

Micah slept through the night for the first time. My night isn't the 7-8 hours they say in the book...I mean slept through the night like I didn't have to wake up and feed him at the crack of dawn! He last ate at 8pm. He woke up at 3 ish for about 2 minutes, but went right back to sleep. I woke up at 6 am bursting at the......seams, and went and woke him up and fed him. I was still super full, so went and pumped the rest. After that it was time to start the turkey anyway! He was fast asleep, he'd probably kept sleeping, but now that he's full, he'll probably do his normal and sleep till 9 am. I am just so refreshed and excited! I hope he keeps this up!

Merry Christmas!

Sorry I've taken a blog break recently. I've been enjoying all of our family time since Eric's last day last Friday for 2 weeks. He'll be super busy after the next semester starts back up since he will be short an assistant until he can hire a part-time one (long story, more details to come!).

The turkey is ready to put in the roaster at 7 am. The sweet potato crisp and broccoli, rice and cheese (2 dishes each, one for Wed, one for Thurs) are in the fridge waiting for tomorrow. The Happy Birthday Jesus cake is warm and making my house smell wonderful, and cookies have been delivered to our great neighbors! All I have to do tomorrow is enjoy my family (mom, darrell, bailey and matt are all coming) and make the green bean casserole and watch the turkey. I can't wait!! Cara is going to be so fun this Christmas!

Love to all!

Santa Visits

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

Well, we finally got our Santa pics for the year. We actually went to Bass Pro Shop at Katy Mills mall last week and got their free pictures, but our scanner isn't working, so I can't show them to you. I took the kids to Memorial City Mall this morning, and they both did great. Cara never did the scared of Santa thing. I let her out of her stroller and she walked right up to him and got in his lap. Micah slept through most of it, but we got some cute pictures! Check out my flickr (if you're friend/family) and you can see their individual shots.

Claire?

PS Aimee....doesn't this look like Claire?? haha.

I've been tagged...

My friend Kendra tagged me to do the following:
Here's what you have to do when you've been tagged:

1. Open the 4th folder in your computer (I went to 4th folder in my 2008 file of pics).

2. Choose the 4th picture in the folder and post in in your blog.

3. Describe the picture.

4. Tag 4 people.

I don't know much about this picture, so I went and looked on flickr (where I have all my photo storage). I took it on 4/4/08 at 6:08 pm. It says "I just thought this was too cute, she was in her 'pearls' (beads) and dress shoes with a tshirt and blue jean shorts :)"

Man, if I can't remember 8 months ago, I'm glad I've uploaded all pics since Cara was born there and tried to describe some of them!!

I tag: Sterling, Valerie P, Erin B and Jen Barnes (you know, because at 13 days overdue with baby #3, there's not enough for you to do!). Only because I know they check my blog and might actually post! And I want to see Val's totally random torso pic! :)

I know, it's been awhile!

This has probably been my longest break since Micah was born with no blogging! It wasn't on purpose. It just got busy (CHRISTmas season tends to be that way sometimes). Last Friday night we had a rip roaring good time here with about 7 of my girlfriends. We call them 'Scrapbook Nights' and we invite all the girls from our ABF (to my house usually). In the beginning, we actually scrapbooked a LOT, now we tend to bring pictures, look at them for about 30 minutes, and then just talk/eat/hang out/fellowship/swap war stories for the next 4-5 hours! It was a blast, and probably what we all needed right before this busy season. I also got my Christmas cards made and ordered (to be delivered today), so I did get SOMETHING done! Saturday Eric had region band clinic/concert all day, so the kids and I went to Pearland to hang with my sister. She and her hubby had their annual Christmas party that night so we stayed for a little bit, then came home (through an hour and a half of the tollway being closed down due to a wreck traffic) and hit the hay. Sunday morning we went to church, and when the kids were sleeping Eric stayed home and 'let' me run a lot of errands that I needed to run (in and out of lots of stores--for returns, more on that later). It's funny how I used to live for nap time so I could nap. Now I live for nap time so I can go places ALONE and not have to haul two kids, one either in a basket or throwing a fit that she doesn't want to be in a basket, and one in a sling/moby wrap that I have to maneuver while trying to keep the 2 year old in the car long enough to not run out into traffic! :). Fun stuff. I must qualify this to say nap time when Eric is home...not when I'm home alone, just in case anyone was confused!! haha.

But my girl, she is a little copier right now. I think I've mentioned that a time or two. Her latest trend is babywearing! She sees me wearing Micah all the time (totally love the 'bonding' that it brings, but also love the hands-free-ness it lends itself to), so one day, she wanted me to tie a blanket around her. Then she wanted me to put her new purple cat (that she calls a bear) that she got from her sunday school teachers for Christmas in it, but not in the front 'like micah, in the back!" Of course Mommy obliged, and this is probably the first time I've gotten her to smile for a picture in 6 months!!

Also, Micah is smiling a LOT now! It is the most precious thing. I can't wait for him to smile AND be baby acne free!! It looks horrible in these pictures, but it is actually clearing up a lot now.

Also, Micah hit his 6 week growth spurt right on time, and man did the whole 'eating every 3 hours' take on a new meaning! For like 4 nights in a row, I was up a LOT. More than I remember being up when he was fresh home from the hospital! I know it's not true, but it's what God does to allow women to want to have more children. You forget the pain/sleepiness!! Ok, maybe not totally, but enough to be insane enough to want to do it again (and again, and again!) :). He has also decided that his *fussy* time is from 9pm - 12 am! He did this a few times a couple weeks ago. But last night, right on cue, he fussed straight for 3 hours. Once I finally fed him again at 12:15 (to truthfully shut him up suffice him again, since the 10:15 feeding didn't work) he slept through till 6:20! That was the first time in what felt like a week I got more than 2.5 hours sleep at one time. And it was nice! Although my boobs didn't like it after not getting a break for 4 days, but they got over it :).

Here is one more baby fix, my two little sweeties cuddling right before Cara's nap the other day. She L.O.V.E.S. it when I lay him down with her!! She is the best big sister.

I have more to post about Christmas gifts/returns/budgeting, but it will have to wait! More on that later.

6 weeks old and first bottle (warning--may be TMI!)

So my little man has been sleeping awesome. Not GOING to sleep awesome, but once he's down, awesome. I fed him around 11 last night and he slept till 6!! And because I was so super full and had already leaked out of one side, he got all he needed from that side. So when Cara woke up at 8, I was leaking out of the other side. I thought, well, my mom is going to give him his first bottle next Friday night (our NewGround Christmas party), maybe I should at least attempt it while I'm here with the boob just in case. So I pumped at 8 and got 5.5 ounces. He woke up around 8:30, and let. me. tell. you., I was meant to be the crazy nursing for a year mom that I am! I can't handle bottle feeding. Usually he eats on 1 side 5-10 mins, burps, eats on the other side, burps and we're done, maybe a little spit up. This bottle thing was crazy. About every half ounce he'd start choking or need to burp, and I could see all my liquid gold breast milk rolling down his chin and neck! He only took about 3.5 ounces, and I could tell he was frustrated. I used the same bottles that I (rarely) used with Cara. I made sure I had the newborn (size 1) nipple in them. I don't know. I know he didn't get what he wanted, because then he latched on for a few minutes and calmed down. I'm sure he didn't get much, but he sure liked it. But, in the hour since then, he's spit up about as much as he normally does in the morning, so who knows! Hopefully it goes ok for my mom, because since she's spending the night, we're hoping to sneak to a movie after the party :).

PS if you haven't checked my flickr site, I've uploaded lots of cute new videos.

Sibling love and Cara's new song

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Cara learned a new song at school to perform at their Christmas program next week. I can't wait to see 10 2 year olds perform it!! It has hand movements too :). She is such a sweet big sister....just ignore the last 5 seconds!

Rebel FOR a Cause!!

You know I LOVE MckMama's blog right (I check it more often than I check my actually known face to face friend's blogs!)?? So now, right before Christmas she is hosting an AWESOME way to give back and, possibly win an amazing prize package. Please PLEASE click on the link (the camera picture) on the right and DONATE DONATE DONATE to three amazing causes. And if YOU haven't already linked to her blog and started reading it, DO IT. It's God's hand at work in normal people's lives. She is a blessing to her blog readers, and will be to you too!
God Bless!

1 month

Micah was one month old last Tuesday, 11/25. We had his 1 month appointment and here is what we found out:

10 pounds, 13 ounces (73 %)
15 cm head (50%)
24 inches (97%)

He's so long!! :)

Cara updates

So she is such a sweet little lady! She is a big time copier, so we have learned to only stay nice things (especially in the car....no more "STUPID DRIVER!" :)). The girl LOVES to sing. EVERY thing! We've been singing with her, and 'dancing' before bedtime for months to our cute Christian CDs. Now she knows all the words. She's known a few songs here and there for awhile, but now it's like every song she sings along with. It is just too cute. She loves our puppies, and they are so good with her. She loves helping with baby Micah. She's such a good helper, I can ask her to go get something while I'm feeding him and she obeys like a big girl. She also likes to put his pacifier in for us.....sometimes however he doesn't want it and she doesn't understand it. He just isn't a paci boy like she was a paci girl! Ok, gotta run!

Cyber Monday?

Ok, maybe I've missed the loop the past couple of years (because we had little to no money to spend on Christmas gifts for the family AND I have somehow gotten on EVERY store email list in the past year), but I LOVE cyber Monday! I get to sit in my pjs and order my gifts and they come straight to my door with FREE shipping. I went to order a book on amazon.com that was $12 cheaper online than in the Books-A-Million near my house (plus free shipping). Then I found almost everyone else's gifts! I'm done except for 3 things! Woo Hoo, and as of 3 days ago, I hadn't gotten anyone anything! Plus with the money we saved and received as gifts for Thanksgiving (my mom's side of the famiy does Christmas at Thanksgiving), Eric and I can get our new tv. Which means Eric has been working like a mad man to get my built ins finished!! So it's a win win! Will post pictures once he gets more than the main box up. I can't wait.

The Reason for the Season

Eric and I have always made it a point that Christmas is about Christ's birth, not Santa. We don't banish him, but we talk a lot more about Christ and why we celebrate. So it's funny to see where a 2 year old's mind goes. I made a snapfish book for Cara's 2nd year (for free--thank you Oprah--I'm not a fan, but happened to catch the part where they gave away a free book woo hoo!) and we took it to Thanksgiving so everyone could see. My mom asked Cara who was in this picture with her:

And her answer was: "Baby Jesus!" :)

Gotta love breastfeeding

Cara: I NEED to feed the baby!

Me: Ok honey, how about you feed your baby:

Happy Thanksgiving

Wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We are at my uncle's house. Later today we'll have about 25 people and about 8 dogs here!! :) Fun times.

For my faithful blog reader.....

Happy Birthday Colleen! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

9 years together

Today marks the 9th anniversary of when Eric uttered those special words to me via IM "I guess we can be boyfriend and girlfriend, I don't think it'll last long though." Ahhh...the memories ;) Love you baby!

7 blissful hours!

So on Saturday night, I fed Micah at 5:30, laid him down at 7, and figured he'd wake up around 8:30 to eat and go to bed for the night. He never did, so I woke him up at 9:40 (the magic time a week ago I fed him and he slept till 4:15!), fed him (tried to, he was so sleepy!) and went to bed, hoping to get till 4 am again! Not so, he was up at 1:30. Eric went and put the pacifier in, but it only (kinda) held him off until about 2:30 :(. I was frustrated and exhausted. I had to feed him again at 5:30 and 8!

However, Sunday night was blissful! He did amazing all day, riding in the car an hour each way towards Spring to attend a good friend's baby shower. He ate at the shower at 4:30. Then we got home and he was fussy, so I went ahead and fed him again at 6:40. Then again at 9:09 (I remember when I started!). And what did he do?? Sleep until 4:19! That's right, 7 hours and 10 minutes! :) I remembered the last time he slept so long, he had a couple 'cluster feeds' in the evening, meaning every 2 hours instead of every 3. If that's what it takes to get that good sleep, then I'll do it. Too bad I didn't go to bed until almost 11 because I was up reading blogs. I'M ADDICTED! :)

this is how tired I was at 6:40 tonight....

I tried to 'count' back from tuesday (when Micah will be 1 month) and came up with the fact that Micah was 29 days old, so we were playing with Cara's numbers and found the 2 and 9 and took his picture. Then later I told Eric he was 4 weeks old today (that would make him 28 days, not 29!) :). Tired mommy....

Fryday post

I know it's Saturday, and totally college football time, but Texas Tech is getting their behinds beat by OU, so I'm not as interested. That and I'm falling over asleep waiting to feed little man before heading to bed myself. So I checked my favorite blog to read (because she updates even MORE than I do!) and she has a contest going on. I need to post about her Fryday contest and LINK to her blog. And in doing so, I'm entered into a fun drawing. I need a new blog header including both of my beauties, and totally need photography lessons! :) I am saving reading her photography tips blog post until I can actually concentrate on it without 2 little rugrats underfoot (and not totally tired so that I can remember it!). So enjoy, if you've never read her blog, enjoy!

Just for my memory..

When we took Micah to the doctor this past Monday, he was 10 pounds 1 ounce!!

Things are going well, he's such a good sleeper (Tuesday night he gave me from 9:40 - 4:20!!! -- he hasn't since though). Cara is sleeping great too. Today we all slept till 8:45, it was awesome, and exactly what I needed. We are lounging around at the house on this cold day. We can't WAIT to get to Thanksgiving break!

11-18-1999

That day will forever be engraved in my brain. 9 years ago today I lost my best friend. Miranda Denise Adams died early that morning in the tragic Aggie bonfire collapse. I miss her dearly, oh how many fun, sweet, sad, loving, silly, memorable times we had together. We even lip synced (yes, to NKOTB!!) back in 4th grade (part of our PE class, weird, I know). We were always in band together, and study partners. And when we went off to college, she to TAMU and me to BU, we seemed to get closer with the miles between us. I spent some FUN times visiting her and our other best friend Kate (they were roomies freshman year) at TAMU freshman year.

We used to go to College Station every year and visit with her family on the site where bonfire fell at 2:42 am. We went to the memorial dedication when it was 5 years past. We haven't been the past few years because of Cara and work schedules, but we're already planning on being there next year for the 10 year anniversary. Her family is part of my family. I know all her aunts/uncles/cousins. I love her parents, 2 brothers, their wife/fiance and kids. Her parents, as tired as they were today from being up in the middle of the night, and just the emotional drain they must go through this day every year, came by my parents house tonight as soon as they got home to Santa Fe to come meet Micah. It was so sweet. They can't believe I have 2 kids (either can I!), and oh how I wish we could have gotten married together and had kids together. God is good, I know that and I praise Him daily. I know He takes all of us in His timing for us, but oh how we miss the people He takes. Lord, today I just pray peace over her family and all that loved our sweet Dada. We miss you girl!

I should have taken a nap today! and other random thoughts....

Ok, so you know how you THINK you know what's going to happen, so you prepare for it, and then of course it doesn't?? That's God saying "haha, you THOUGHT you knew my plans for you!" Like last night, Micah was a little cranky, you could tell he was trying to push out a BM for us, but he wasn't getting anywhere. So we thought, UGH gonna be a long night. It was also the first night in 2 weeks I'd decided to put him in double stuffed bum genius' overnight, because the fitted cloth diapers I have just weren't holding up anymore. AND the BG's weren't going to rub his belly button raw anymore now that it's all healed up. So I doubled stuffed like 8 of them, thinking, ugh, he's going to be up all night trying to poop and being cranky. He fed at 8:30, stayed awake for a litle bit with us, then finally quieted down around 9:30. You know when I heard him next? 2:30 the next morning! Woo Hoo. He had done that quite a few times, but not recently. That was a nice surprise!

Then today, Cara went down a little late for her nap and wasn't acting tired (around 1:40), then he didn't go down until almost 2:45, so I thought, I'll just look around online, fold some clothes, I probably won't have time for a nap. Cara (who used to take good 3 hours naps) has been taking shorter (sometimes only 1.5 hour) naps is STILL asleep at 4:15, as is the bitty boy! Man I wish I'd had known that about an hour and a half ago!

Today went well, we hung around the house this morning. I got a shower (getting to be a normal occurence!) when Micah went down for his morning nap (around 9:40) and I let Cara watch an Elmo video. Then we headed off to the doctor because I had a few things I wanted to get Micah checked on. I thought his baby acne might in fact be a rash....it is so red and bumpy all over, and has spread down his neck and a little on his shoulders. The doctor says it is just baby acne, but it's a really bad case, so she gave me some cream to put on it. Also wanted to check out his circumcision, it's healed nicely, but there's just one little spot on the bottom that looked weird, wasn't sure if it was vaseline build up or what. Doctor says that part just takes a little longer to heal and it looks great....woo hoo. I don't know!! Then wanted to check with her on if she thought he had diarrhea last night (long story). She said he sounded fine and looked totally healthy. I like Eric's new insurance for the kids, no copays ;).

After that we headed to the mall to get Cara a jacket. I got to use the double stroller for the first time, and it worked great. She got a really cute pink jacket, and pink polka dotted (60% off) rain boots :).

Ok, he's waking up now, gotta run and feed my boy!

More Brother/Sister Loving

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The Baby Acne begins..

Micah is a champ. If my face looked like his...oh wait, it kinda does :). He's like Cara, hits the 3 week mark with a BUNCH of baby acne. Although Cara's was mostly on her cheeks/forehead, Micah's is mostly on his neck and lower jaw. Poor guy.

I thought HS football was over!!

:) Haha. Eric's old band (Memorial HS) is currently playing Taylor HS here in Katy for a playoff game and the kids were bombarding his cell phone with texts and calls telling him to come see them. He promised he'd go to a game this year when he left last year, but he never did. So, he left earlier (it was already 3rd quarter) after the kids were in bed to go see his old kiddos. The senior class this year were freshman his first year at Memorial. It's making us feel old!! :)

I haven't posted much about Cara. She's doing great, she loves Baby Micah. She's never said just Micah, although today she did sing 'Micah James...' ;). She LOVES my boppy, and that's been the only real 'issue.' Every time I go to feed him, and use it, she says "Mommy, I NEED the blue pillow/boppy." I have to promise she can have it when I'm done. She's actually napped with it too. Her new thing is saying "I like your _____." Today my friend Jackie came by and watched Cara while I ran to the doctor and she told Jackie "I like your hair, it's so soft" as she pet it. She told Daddy today she liked his chin, and pet his beard :). She's wanting her baby and paci a little more often, so we're letting her have it, but we've already noticed a decrease. When he first came home she wanted it all day long!! :).

Today was a good day. This week was good! Eric was back at work full time starting Tuesday. Micah had his circumcision that day, and Cara was at school that day. Wednesday we made an outing to get stamps and to playgroup. Thursday we stayed home most the day. We did go get a coke at Sonic and take it to daddy at school. And today Cara stayed home but Micah and I went to the doctor. I also got a good nap today!! That was a nice Friday surprise.

Tomorrow morning I hope to make it to get some groceries and a birthday gift for a friend's little girl's party tomorrow. We are on the last roll of TP in our house!! We have been having such yummy dinners delivered 4 days a week, we haven't been making it to the grocery store. Eric's gone a couple times to get milk/fruits/veggies, but we didn't realize how low we were on TP, dog food, etc! Ok, that's enough for my boring Friday night!

Can you read this better?

I changed the font to white, can you read it better? I got lots of complaints about it. Give me to Thanksgiving, and I'll change the whole thing, ok? :)

Today was fun. Micah had a poop explosion. I sat him in his swing for the first time today to get Cara's breakfast all ready. I heard him pooping (he grunts REALLY loud), so I knew it was coming, but when I went to get him up, it was out of the diaper, on him, his clothes and the swing. Fun. I got it all cleaned up, but man I can't wait till he's back in our cloth diapers!!

I went back for my 2nd follow up appointment today with my PCP. First I went for the rash under my arms, then another follow up last week, and he decided I needed to be checked for diabetes! So I had a bunch of blood drawn on Saturday morning, and had to go in for another follow up today. I'm not diabetic, praise the Lord, but he told me 3 things based on my test:
1) I need to drink more water. Ok, if you know me, this is not an issue! I drink about 4-5 GALLONS a day :). So, I was like, ok....
2) I don't eat enough meat. Um, ok.....
3) My cholesterol is REALLY high again. 3 years ago it was 323!! I had it checked last October and I had brought it down to 273--down 50 points with diet and exercise alone. It was still high (supposed to be under 200), but going in the right direction. Then, my old PCP told me to not check it during pregnancy because it always goes up when you're pregnant. I figured he'd check it Saturday when I was getting the blood work done. I had hoped it'd be down again because I'm already 8 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, however, I know my hormones are still raging. Ok, so it's SUPER high. I don't even want to put the number, I'm seriously a heart attack waiting to happen. He told me to lower my fat intake. Granted, at the end of my pregnancy, I didn't watch what I ate as well as I did before, but I'm like, what can I cut out now? Besides M&Ms, my weakness, I know, I've cut out LOTS of the stuff I used to love. So I'm bummed. Kinda disappointed. So please keep me in your prayers, I really need to get this down!

Just kidding about not having much to post about....

Good thing I like doing laundry, because I hate disposable diapers. We are literally on outfit # 6 today!! Either from spitting up RIGHT after I changed him (twice this morning) or wetting through the BACK of the disposable diaper onto his outfit. I mean, I know I've been cd'ing for awhile, but I still know how to put on a disposable (he wore them in the hospital). And explain to me how a little BOY wets through the back?!?!? I've been using them because of his circumcision, we're putting vaseline on the gauze, and I didn't want the vaseline messing up the cds (not sure if it will), so I just put him in 'sposies for this week. UGH.

Oh, and Val P, if you're reading this, it came off today. ;)

A recent cute picture....nothing much to post about today!

Birth Announcement

It is finished!

My poor little man! Today he and I had to wake up early (well, I woke up, he slept) and we were off to the hospital by 5:40. Eric also had his monthly JH band directors early meeting at 6:15, so my father in law stepped up big time and was at our house by 5:45 to let Cara sleep, get her ready, feed her breakfast, and get her off to school today. I wonder if he put a bow in her hair?!?! I will find out shortly I'm sure. Little man did awesome. I got to see my OB for the first time since my 38 week check up (he didn't deliver me since I had Micah on a weekend....got the on call OB). He slept up until it was time (straight through putting what looked like a pacifier on his little part to numb it 1 hour before the procedure) and then came back and nursed like a champ. We had to stay until 9:30 so they could watch it and make sure the bleeding went down. At one point during a change, as I was getting a diaper, he peed all over the little sweet nurse! And since I had the only baby on the day stay floor, I got lots of attention (aka - HE did) :). We also had to go get his heel pricked today for the 2 week newborn screen. He did WAY better than Cara during that as well. Now we're home and resting (gotta catch up on my Army Wives...the season's already over!) before we go pick up Cara. Just thought you'd like to know!

No procedure today

Oh my goodness hospitals are ridiculous. So we had Micah's circumcision scheduled for today at 7 am with my OB as an outpatient procedure at Katy Memorial Hermann hospital. We were supposed to be there at 6:30, or so we were told Friday morning by my OB's office manager. Then, around 2:30 on Friday we were called by someone on staff at the hospital saying the rooms were over booked and we were supposed to be there at 8:30 for a 10 am procedure today. I asked if my doctor was made aware of this, and of course no one could answer me. I should have used my better judgement and just showed up today at 6:30, but I couldn't get my tired bum out of bed. So, at 7:30, when I was up and dressed ready to feed the boy to go, I get a call saying I wasn't there, and my doctor was, and he can't do it at 10 because he has office visits....blah blah blah (which I knew would happen). Long story short, the office manager (Toni) at my doctor's office, whom I love, called and found out the scoop, called the hospital and did "lots of yelling" in her words, and now we're rescheduled for tomorrow at 7:30 am. Did I mention Eric took a half day to go with me this morning and mom took the whole day off to stay with Cara, and neither of them can take tomorrow off??? Yeah, it's been a fun morning. But we're scheduled for tomorrow and my father in law is going to come over at 6 am tomorrow to sit with Cara (or hopefully sit while she sleeps), and hopefully I'll be home in time to take her to school, but we shall see.

In other news, you can probably tell I have started looking at all the cute templates out there for my blog. Oh my gosh, had I known it was this easy, I would have started playing with it ages ago! I'm still trying to get the picture thing figured out at the top, but oh well. Please click on the link to follow my blog if you like... :)

Church Sunday

We took the kids to church today. Cara missed her sunday school class, and she talked about seeing her friends Caroline and Noah (although Noah is in a new class this year) the WHOLE way there!! Micah stayed with us, and we just went to our NewGround adult bible fellowship this morning. We timed it perfectly and he slept the whole time. Of course my friends thought I was crazy for being there, but mom was here, and she wanted to run some errands, and helped us get out of the house on time. We miss going and seeing friends and learning some more about God's word. Can you believe I didn't take a picture??? :)

Our little miracles

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

Here's a link to the pictures on flickr from JC Penney. Remember, you have to contact me and let me make you a friend or family to see all our pics.

2 week checkup

I forgot to post this, but Thursday he had his 2 week check up. He was 9 pounds, 1 ounce. He was 21.5 inches long and his head was 14.25 inches around. His finger has healed nicely, and now we're on to a crusty nose, thanks to big sister Cara. But besides that, he's totally healthy. The umbilical cord came off a while ago (maybe last weekend, I can't remember). However, last night was awful. He was up fussing from about 9-12:30. Mom was here, so when I gave up at 11:30, she took over. However, I woke up at 5 am, with no feeding since 11, and had to go wake him up to eat. He does that. He'll be really fussy, then sleep for 5-6 hours!! He ate pretty good, but I pumped because I was still full and got out 2.5 MORE ounces. He slept till 8:30 (and Cara slept till 8:15) thank goodness because we were all tired. Eric has to judge region band today, so he left around 6:40 and won't be home until 7 or so today. Mom is here, Aunt Bailey has come to visit and uncle Matt will be here later. Eric's aunt Joanie is coming to meet Micah in a little bit. Busy Busy day!

Nurtured Family

Ok, I just have to tell you, Eric, the kids and I ventured out to a store called Nurtured Family today. It's awesome!! I had ordered some stuff from their website previously, but they have recently opened and old brick and mortar store near Copperfield. They have WAY more fun things in the store to touch and feel than online. They have almost every brand of cloth diaper imaginable, all the accessories, babywearing stuff, lots of baby clothes and mommy (nursing and maternity) clothes and bras. They even have a play room where Eric kept Cara entertained. Anyways, fun outing and the kids did great!

Super Mommy!

Haha, not really, but I got a shower this morning, so it makes me feel that way. Eric took the day off again, and we started getting ready at 8 am for our pictures scheduled at JC Penney for 10:30! :) He shaved/cut hair/showered while I fed the kids breakfast, then he watched Cara (funny how that works out....Micah went down for his morning nap) while I showered. I had already picked out our blues/browns outfits the other day. I got to blow dry my hair, put makeup on, and have my kids and hubby look SO cute! Did I mention (with the thanks to key undergarments) I was in pre-pregnancy clothes!! Woo HOO!!! I can't wait for the Smiles by Wire to come out so I can post the pictures online, they turned out SO well. Well, all the ones of Micah. Cara of course didn't want to participate or even sit still, so the two we got of the 4 of us, 1 she isn't smiling. The other, it's an overhead shot and we're all looking at the baby, and Cara is holding her baby, her paci and a sucker! :) haha. My friend Jenny gave me this really cute blue camo cloth diaper, so that is what he wore for most of his alone newborn shots. We did happen to get a really cute one of Cara kissing his head too.

In other news, I've become re-obsessed with looking at, shopping for, and reading about cloth diapers online. I have PLENTY, so I don't need to shop, especially for like the next 6 months, but it's so hard not to. My friend is letting me borrow all her newborn sized fitteds that her 3 month old has grown out of. I have 4 covers for them, plus 24 prefolds I had already purchased, so we have enough. Did I mention the awesome friends and family I have that have added 9 bum geniuses to my 2 I had already purchased! Plus, for the next size up (small), I have 13 fuzzibunz/swaddlebees that a SWEET lady from church gave me (that my friend is currently borrowing). I have 3 really cute covers, plus the prefolds will work for awhile I'm sure. I guess when I type it all out, I have room to order some smalls ;). I just have to keep the bum geniuses in my head that they work for all sizes :). I have found a cloth diaper board I like to read, and then hyenacart.com has like 200+ stores I can just browse forever and ever. Plus, I have recently converted 2 friends to cloth diapering, so it's fun to not be the only 'crazy' here ;).

In other news, Micah is THE BEST BABY! He's on a good eat/awake/asleep schedule during the day, usually taking 3-4 naps. He eats every 3-3.5 hours. Although at night, he's usually giving me one stint of 5 hours. The past 2 nights he's slept from about 11-3:45/4 or so. It's been awesome. He's awake right now looking at me with those big blue eyes. I really need to sync up his and Cara's schedules, but it's awesome nice to have them alone a little while. Eric is staying home tomorrow again, and then my mom is coming up to help with Friday and Saturday (eric has to judge region band all day).

Please pray for Micah on Monday. After lots of contemplation and prayer, Eric and I have decided to get Micah circumcised (although man, it's been an ordeal with insurance, etc). Because no one was available to do it when we were discharged from the hospital, we had to wait and schedule it outpatient at the hospital. Monday the 10th around 7 am, he will be having it done, so please say a little prayer for us all that morning.

What to do today....

So, Eric went to work today. I didn't want him to waste one of his days off when Cara would be at school all day. I successfully got Cara to school and now Micah and I are home and he is napping in his crib. I've been a laundry queen the past few days (that's one chore I don't mind doing, I actually enjoy it, I know I'm weird), and the dishwasher isn't full enough to run a load (thanks to all the amazing dinners we've been getting from our friends in NewGround!), so what to do? I haven't taken a nap yet since he's been sleeping so well in about a week. Maybe today I'll do that, just for fun :). There are of course a hundred things to be done, like I need to go to the store and get milk and some more fruits/veggies, but that can wait (for eric :) ). I need to vacuum, but I think I'm going to spend most of the day just enjoying this gorgeous little boy that God gave me just 10 days ago. The Lord is so good!

Update on finger, etc

Well, the little man can eat. Last Monday he weighed in at 7 pounds 13 ounces (my milk came in that evening). Today, he weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces, at 9 days old. The doctor gave me some cream to put on it a few times a day, and then we go back on Friday for our 2 week check up. Anyways, hopefully it clears up by then, keep praying, it looks really yucky! :)

First night in own room

With Cara we put her in her crib on day 10. We decided to do Micah last night because Eric is going to go to work tomorrow (Tuesday) since Cara will be at preschool all day, and I have to try this thing on my own at some point ;). We thought it might work better if Micah wasn't in our room. This was his 3rd night in a row to eat and go right back to sleep. He's been down since 8:30 last night and fed at 9:30, 12:45, 3:45 and 7. He's still asleep (it's 9 am, we're waiting for him to wake up to eat and start the eat/awake/asleep cycle for the day). We're happy he seems to be so content. I think it's partially us not being nervous since this is our second go round, and we know what to expect. We have pictures scheduled for Wednesday at JC Penney, so I'm super excited. I already have our outfits picked out :). Keep his little finger in your prayers, it looks like he has an infection in it. We think that's why he was so fussy on Friday night. It may have gotten caught in something. We are heading to the doctor today at 2:30 to have it looked at. But besides that, the nursing and cloth diapering is going GREAT.

Happy Day

Well, the past 2 nights have been great. Micah has been eating and going right back to sleep throughout the night, for up to 3-4 hours at a time. We are fans of babywise. We didn't start Cara on the semi-scheduled thing until she was a month old, and that night she slept 6 hours straight. So we've been slowly transitioning Micah to that. Basically, it's eat, awake, THEN asleep. He's been doing it for 2 days straight and so far the 2 nights have been wonderful. He's so happy and alert when he's awake. Yesterday late afternoon/early evening he was fussy for a good while. Our kids have pooping issues (mainly, that they don't go but every 4-5 days when they're babies, sometimes longer, which our pediatrician says is normal up to 7 days). So we had to help him along last night, since it had been since Monday evening when he did it last. He made 2 dirty diapers, but was still fussy. Come to find out this morning, he's got what looks like a little infection on his finger. We cut his super long nails on Tuesday, and Daddy got him a little close on one finger. Now, it looks a little bad, so we put neosporin on it with a mitten, and that has seemed to help. Plus, today he pooped all on his own! I know, TMI, but it was a happy day :). Here's a new picture.

1 week old - Micah James

He was so happy and alert after his little sponge bath today. Isn't he just the most handsomest? :)

"Costume" pictures

Here's a picture of the kids (and us) from tonight, before and at our church's fall fest. Cara started a runny nose last night and overall didn't feel good today, so we only stayed about 45 minutes. I LOVE my Moby Wrap!

Pre-Pregnancy Weight!

Just a quick post, I've had this rash under my arm since about a week before I had the baby (I know, not attractive). My OB gave me a powder, but it hasn't helped, so I ventured out today to my PCP for a visit. Eric was at work, I just fed Micah, and mom stayed home with both babies. Anyways, I was freezing in the waiting room, hoping to hurry up and get called back so that I can get back home (I drove myself), and they finally called me back. Then the best thing in the world happened, I got on the scale. I know, not something you usually enjoy doing, especially 6 days after giving birth. However, when she said the number, and it was 3 pounds LESS than my pre-pregnancy weight, I did a happy dance in my head! ;)

Drop Shots

We have more videos on both Drop Shots and Flickr. If you click on dropshots.com you can search for users, and both Eric and I have accounts with old and new videos. :)

Sweet big sister

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

First Outing

Here is a picture of our first outing today. We got Cara dressed up and took her to her fall fest at her preschool and then to playgroup to get a picture with all her friends. We also stopped by Eric's school on the way home to show Micah off. We had a good time, and we all got a nap (some longer than others) this afternoon. Eric's about to leave me for the first time with both kids. He has his 1st band concert of the year tonight. Wish me luck!

Bath Time

Flickr...

In case you noticed, I took the flickr badge off because I made all of our photos only available to Friends and Family because some weirdos were making comments I had to delete. So, if you are on flickr, add me as a contact. If you are not, and you want to see our HUNDREDS of pictures (ok, Thousands, literally), you need to go to flickr and open your own account and add me as a contact. Sorry! :)

Just a quick update

We're home and doing well. I feel fabulous, it's amazing the difference in the 2 recoveries! Cara's at preschool today so it's just Eric, Micah and I. Eric's taking off Monday - Thursday this week and next and mom's coming up Thursday night through Sunday for the next 2 weeks. Cara is doing really well. She LOVES the baby and loves to 'hold' him. She also loves the ball toy we got her from Micah and goes and plays with it in her room a lot. She's been sleeping straight through even when he fusses, so in our tight little house, that is a blessing. He's been doing really well during the day, but wanting to nurse and fuss every 2 hours at night. We're adjusting well though. Gotta run, and enjoy the 1 kid day :). New pics on Flickr coming soon.

New Pumpkin Patch Pics

Here's the link to the pics we had taken on Wednesday of Cara. :) She's so precious!

http://www.timestwocreations.com/html/newsome_pp_08.html

Pictures are up on flickr!!

click on the flickr banner to your left. and yes valerie, i have a blogging problem.

Pictures are up on flickr!!

DSC06914
Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

Baby Micah James Newsome is here-this is a long one

I'm in the hospital wi-fi-ing it. I just nursed him and Eric's sister just got here. She just got to hold him and now he's getting his hearing test. Here are his stats:

He was born at 3:51 am, weighing 8 pounds 7.5 ounces (1/2 a pound more than Cara) and 21.25 inches long (she was 19.5). They told me his head circumference, but I can't remember it.

Here's the gory story (not really) if you want to read it, if you don't, X out now! I had been having contractions, and noticed they actually had a little pain to them, unlike last weeks. Around 2, since Cara was asleep I laid down, started a movie and started paying attention to them. They were only like 15 minutes apart, so it was totally bearable. I had TOLD Eric it would happen on Friday because he had his community pep rally that night, our friends Justin and Ashley were coming to stay the night with us from Dallas, and if they weren't, it was gonna be scrapbook night! :) So after having cleaned the house from top to bottom already that day, I waited for Cara to wake up, around 3:30 and we rushed up to Kroger to get some snacks for her and chocolate chips because of course when you're in labor you need to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch for your house guests! We rushed home, and Eric had come home to be with us for about 45 minutes (and I put him to work cleaning the granite!). I was ok, they were getting to be like 10 minutes apart, but still fine. He left and I called J & A to tell them it was good they were coming because we needed a babysitter for tonight just in case :). I think I totally freaked Ashley out. Cara and I then make 17 cookies (it was supposed to yield 4 dozen I guess very tiny ones!). Around 6, my neighbor and his 8 year old daughter Kylie were outside, who Cara LOVES, and since I was having contractions about 8 minutes apart, I figured, I'll let Kylie entertain C outside for awhile. So they played in the front yard and I talked to Scott, then his wife Amanda came home, then our neighbor Stephanie and her 2 year old Aynslee walked over, so we ended up staying out there until 7:15. J & A and Eric shortly followed coming home, and we shipped them to go get dinner at Taco C. We put Cara down around 8:30 and we stayed up talking like we always do when they come. Ashley really didn't like watching me have contractions!! I could tell they were getting stronger and closer (7 minutes), then I went potty, at 11 and I had my 'bloody show.' This jumped them straight to 5-6 minutes apart. I decided I was going to need to rest, so around 12 I hopped in the shower and only had one while showering, and it was a little easier. Then I laid down on my left side, and they had dropped back down to like 12 minutes!! So I got up and walked around and as soon as I'd move or change positions, they'd jump right back up. We left for the hospital at 1, got here around 1:15 (while waiting in the car to have another one because I was NOT going to go in with them 10 minutes apart again even though they were lasting 60 seconds+), only to realize that as soon as I got out of the car and stood up, I'd have one. And then waiting for the security guard to open the door, I'd have one. They checked me into triage and I told Eric before they checked me, if I'm still a 3, then just hook me up to the pitocin and epidural now, because I couldn't have had that pain for 11 hours and still be a 3!!! At 1:30 I was a 5-6, 80% and -1 station. They moved me (slowly) into LD Room 13 (lucky!) and we went to work. They let me stand up, which was how I liked to breathe through them, hanging onto Eric at first, then when they were all of a sudden 60-90 seconds long and only 2-3 mintues apart, I laid on my right side. Of course that is when my legs started shaking a lot in between contractions. I was handling them very well (per the nurses and Eric) trying to lay and relax and breathe, and not tense up. I ended up switching to my left side, and the convulsing got worse. I had her check me just before 3 and I was an 8. My water STILL hadn't broke by this point and about 5 minutes later I was like "I need to push." They checked me again, I was a 9 and I was pushing the next contraction (still laying on my left side) and my water broke. They were coming non-stop (well with the shaking legs that's what it felt like) and I wanted to push now. At this point I still hadn't seen the on call doctor, but the nurses were AWESOME! They were so proud of me for doing it naturally, and I just kept asking questions when I could talk. They checked again and I was a 10 (and already pushing). I was still pushing on my left side, leg hiked in the air because I could not turn over yet (and the doctor wasn't there). I was not pushing very well (long deep breath and long push) and I knew I was psyching myself out because I was grunting. So I started pushing better and they were like, get the doctor in here. He took his time, (and as I found out later) was slow putting on the gloves (at one point they were like breathe through it let him get gloves on) then the first set broke and he had to put on a new pair. I was like I GOTTA PUSH. They were like, can we break the bed down (aka, take bottom off and pull out the stirrups)? I said just do whatever so I can push him out!!! I had about 3 hard pushes after that, ("ring of fire" like from Nemo, but a very bad ring), and then they made me wait through about 2 contractions while the doctor did his thing. It was HARD to wait, but they told me later, had he not stretched me like he did (and made sure the umbilical cord wasn't around his neck) I'd have had a MUCH worse tear. Then I pushed and his head was out. They suctioned and the rest of him just slipped out. I pushed for about 15-20 minutes total (including the water breaking!). As soon as he was out I felt awesome. I still had contractions from pushing out the rest of the stuff, and my legs still shook a little, but I knew the hard part was over and it was awesome. They took him from me, took his vitals in the room and everything and then I got to hold and nurse him for about 30 minutes. I had one slight tear and that was it. I'll finish this later, my best bud trayce just got here. Sorry if it's WAY TMI! :)


PS Happy Birthday Elizabeth!! :)

Update

I've been having contractions (real ones this time) since 2pm today. They are currently 8-9 minutes apart, and I just had my 'bloody show' (sorry TMI, i know), so we are hoping to go to the hospital at some point tonight. We'll update you when we can :)

New Topic.....movies that make you cry!

I know, we're all tired of discussing little boys private parts, so onto something new. So, I saw P S I love you last christmas season with Eric. Yes, he's a good hubby and let me drag him to that while my parents and sister/bro in law were seeing I Am Legend and National Treasure 2 :). I put it in our netflix list because I wanted to see it again. It came in the other day, and Eric refused to watch it again with me (I can't say I blame him). So today, I wasn't that tired when Cara laid down for her nap, AND the past few days, I lay down and can never get to sleep anyways (days, nights, whatever) so I decided to pop it in. Oh my goodness!! I didn't remember how much I cried last time. OR, I cried way more this time (um....hormones Misty)!! But it was a different cry this time. Last time I was thinking about Miranda, my best friend that died almost 9 years ago, and Michael, my cousin who died 3 years ago, and how I feel sometimes like she did at the end, that she doesn't feel him anymore. I used to dream about them a LOT, and for a long while, but it seems motherhood has made that die down (I sleep much more soundly when I'm not pregnant and don't dream much anymore), and I miss that. It helped me remember!

This time, I was crying because I'm big and pregnant and I don't just make out (and I do mean just make out) with my hubby like we used to :). Sorry if that's too much info. I can't wait for this baby to be born in so many ways. One, to have him here. Two, to be able to hug and kiss Eric without this big bump in the way (or, at least the bump without a person in there!). Three, to be able to sleep on my stomach, oh how I miss that. I miss just cuddling with Eric. We still do that, but it's just not the same when you're uncomfortable if you're not 'just so'. Anyways, now the next few movies on our queue are Eric's because I don't want to cry anymore for awhile!! :) It hurts!

Just a quick note. First, I am by no means saying what I chose (or am still deciding) for my family is right! Second, I am still deciding some things, which is why I post here, to get comments and suggestions (from friends I trust, not the crazies out there). And, again, I admit that I am crazy :).

Oh, and there's a blog that I follow, just started recently, that I found out she does not circumcise her sons. Also, she speaks about it MUCH more eloquently than I do. Here's a link to her discussing this a few months ago. Start at the bottom post and read up. I mostly agree with what she says. And I also agree that to circumcise or not circumcise is by no means a moral issue or our faith does or does not depend on it (like I said earlier). It's just something that I've been moved to research a little further. Again, thanks for listening!

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/search/label/circumcision

Renamed: I'm crazy :)

Yes, I like to read, research, do what's best for my children and family, and sometimes it's not the norm. And sometimes it takes more time than doing it the easy way. And sometimes even my hubby thinks I'm crazy at first (take cloth diapers). And sometimes, I change my mind and go back and forth. And even better, sometimes I'm a hypocrite! And definitely what I decide for me and my family is not necessarily best for my friends and their families. And sometimes, I choose to voice my opinion (which I rarely do if not via my blog) and I know it's not the norm and people will think I'm crazy, and I'm totally ok with that, because I have been prayerful in my decisions, and I know they come from the Lord!!

It started before Cara was born. I was crazy about breastfeeding. I knew I wanted to do it, I knew formula was not an option and I knew I wanted to do it for a year. And I did, all of it. It wasn't always easy, and I didn't go and do as much as I do now that Cara's weaned, but I felt I gave her the best start in life, and even if it was tough, or I grossed someone out by doing it (ALWAYS discreetly) in public, I still did it because it was best for me and my baby. And I plan on doing it with Micah.

I also knew that I didn't want my child watching tv a lot. She never really 'watched' it before 6 months, and from then on, she only watched it every other day or 2 to watch Signing Times, and boy did that help when she couldn't talk but could tell us what she wanted. Yes, Eric and I watch tv, and we grew up watching tv, and we turned out just fine, but that doesn't mean that just because we did, that Cara and my future children will. Just think if she spent that time reading or learning or coloring, or doing bible study that I spent watching Dirty Dancing 100 times over!! Granted, when I got pregnant, we let her venture out into the movie world (Cars and Nemo), but to this day she doesn't watch it every day. It's usually every 2 or 3 days, right before nap when she asks for it. And we watch about 20-30 minutes. There are days when she would sit and watch it all day if I let her, and on days when I don't feel well, that's exactly what we do.

I also was very into sleep training, as mean as it sounds. My child cried for 3 nights (progressively less each night) when she was 4 months old, and we have NEVER had a problem since, even when she's sick. She goes to bed awake, loves to climb in (now that she has a big girl bed) and talks herself to sleep. And I don't feel like a bad mom for doing it.

I made all her baby food. Yes, people thought I was crazy, people also think I do everything because I'm super cheap. I do make lots of decisions based on the fact that I could spend money on pricey (organic) baby food, but I would rather spend 20 minutes once a week making it, and then have that extra money for more fun things. It didn't take that long, and my child was not sick from the time I started making it all (Jan 2007) until the end of May 2007 when we started introducing more 'processed' food. Also, she to this day still eats all the veggies and fruits we give her (granted, there's less variety now because it's not all pureed and Eric and I just don't eat 40 different kinds of fruits and veggies). I didn't have a veggie from the time I was probably 2-24!!!

I cloth diaper. I wanted to since Cara was born, but didn't know enough and was scared of the mess. I finally (thanks to the help of a few key friends and going to a cloth diaper chat at a local consignment store) took the leap in early May and love it. I never have to run out to buy them, my water bill hasn't gone up (I wash about 2 times a week, and yes it will be more frequent once the baby is here), Cara NEVER has diaper rash anymore (which was NON STOP when she was in disposable diapers), and I don't gag on the poop, like I thought I would. It's actually easier to clean up than in a disposable. Wipe (cloth wipes) and dump.

We also strive to be debt free. You'd think we had 3rd eyes on our heads when we tell our parents that we can't go do something because it's not in the budget this month, or that we only buy Cara 3 things for Christmas, (1 that she wants, 1 that she needs and 1 that will grow her relationship with Christ, thanks Erin) because we want her focused on learning about Jesus and not Santa. They think we're absolutely crazy because 2 years ago, when we first started our Total Money Makeover and had lots of debt, we told them we weren't getting anyone anything for Christmas. Eric and I rarely exchange gifts, but we know that later in life, we will be able to go and do more, and give our kids what they truly need and want without having to cut back, because of the sacrifices we're making now. And this is how I'm able to be a very happy stress free stay at home mommy, verses what I was before I had Cara (you don't want me to go there!). Believe me, I wish my husband made triple what he did, and we didn't have to budget as tight as we did, but I also am happy that he is happy doing what he does, enjoys his job, and he is happy that he gets to provide and I get to stay home. If you'd have asked us 5 years ago; that would have NEVER even been an option to us!!

And now, I'm considering not circumcising my son. You thought all the rest was bad, just mention that in public!! :) I again have done lots of research, and believe it's best for him. I know it's the norm here, especially in the south! But why would God make us in His image, (Gen 1:27) just to have a piece of him cut off shortly after birth. We are not under the covenant anymore of having to have it done (1 Cor 7:19, Gal 5:6, 6:11, 6:15, Col 2:11, (read around the verses too). Our faith is through the grace of God, not under the 620+ laws of the old testament (Eph 2:8-9). They used to do it to little girls too (yes, we have foreskin you just can't see it like you can a boys). Doctors used to do it to boys without asking the parents permission (in the 70's, early 80s) which is why so many of our generation is done. Eric still isn't totally convinced, and that right there is enough for me to have Micah circumcised if Eric truly feels that's what's best. But again, I have been praying for God's guidance (and soon!) so that we are all in agreement. I know that when he gets older, he will look different. I know he may have to answer questions, or (oh my goodness!) even be made fun of. But I also hope to raise a man that is strong, loving, and focused on what God thinks, and not what others think of him.

And, I think all these things about my family. I do not judge what other people do for their families. I know convenience is a big factor in a lot of decisions these days, and that is great for others, but I want to know WHY I'm doing something, not just because everyone else does. I pray that I haven't offended anyone, and if you were at playgroup today, you didn't hurt my feelings! You are completely entitled to your own opinions, as am I. Obviously, the circumcision part is just 1 bead in a string of things that I feel that people think I'm crazy for!! :)

Happy Anniversary Bailey & Matt

Today is my sister's 2nd anniversary! I can't believe how fast it's gone. Cara just loves her aunt Bailey and uncle Mack (yes, like the big truck in Cars). All of a sudden she started calling him that and it has just seemed to stick! :) Man, 2 years ago today I had a 4 month old and was trying to fit in a bridesmaids dress that I had to try on at 3 months pregnant and figure out what size I'd be 4 months post baby! That was not a fun process ;). Anyways, here's to the happy couple! (Sorry for the old pic, it's from February on Matt's birthday, I don't have a more recent one!!) :)

Newest News

I just got back from the doctor, I gained this week (which doesn't surprise me the way I've been eating!!). I'm up a total of 16.8 pounds for the pregnancy. I hope that's it! My blood pressure was 123/60, Micah's heart rate was 145, and I'm measuring at 39 weeks. Last Thursday when I got checked, I was 2 cm, 50% effaced and at -3 station (the baby was high). Today I'm 3 cm, 80% effaced and at -1 station. The doctor said the baby was much lower than last week (which Eric told me last night, "He looks very low all of a sudden!"). We went over our birth plan, and he was ok with all of it. There are some hospital policies I wish I didn't have to deal with, but it's not anything major. It's nice because Dr. Z's wife is pregnant too (due 4 weeks behind me), so they're making all the same decisions we are, and taking the childbirth classes we did with Cara (isn't that funny that if your husband is an OB you're still taking classes??). He did have to run because one of his patients was pushing at the hospital. And he delivered 3 on Thursday, and one was having major contractions when I was leaving his office, he's a busy man. Anyways, that's it for now!

Just a quick update so I can stop getting texts....

We are going to be SOOOO over our 200 texts this month!! haha. I've been feeling good, just a little uncomfortable. After that great night's sleep Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights just weren't that lucky. Friday, I did it to myself. We went to our ABF's game night and had a blast. Although, there was lots of good food too, so I grazed all night and ate WAY too much. I was up a LOT that night with indigestion, etc. Yesterday was fun, my mom came up and we went shopping and got some big sister/little brother shirts for Cara and Micah. I also got her a little white leotard to go under her poodle skirt for the fall fest at our church. We tried it on her to make sure it fit, and she just sat and twirled around in her skirt, she loved it :). It's the first time she's actually shown interest in it, so that made me happy! Also, Eric's parents bought us a ceiling fan for Micah's room and came over and helped Eric install it. When they got here, mom and I went to lunch, to pick something up, and then went by St. Peter's craft fair. They had TONS of cute stuff. Mom headed back to Santa Fe, and Eric's parents hung around all afternoon (most of it dealing with the old house/ceiling and figuring out how to make the fan more sturdy). They took us to Luby's for dinner, which was yummy, and then we came home for a nice quiet evening. Even after all that (and no nap for me), I still couldn't sleep last night. I tried, I went to bed earlier than Eric, but after a good hour, I was up going to the bathroom, and just being uncomfortable most of the night. I did have another good hour and a half of sleep from about 5:30-7, when my alarm went off for church. We debated not going, but it may be our last time for awhile, so I wanted to go. It was of course a good service, and our friend Bryan taught our ABF. We headed to Fuddruckers for lunch, and now we are home, Cara's sleeping and we're watching football. I will probably doze off on the couch later ;). Just wanted to update everyone. I'm still having contractions, but they are back to how they were before the doctor checked me last Monday. Hopefully, when he checks me this Tuesday, they won't start up again, unless they're the real thing and want to stick around! Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes :).

Just a quick update

Well, after I kept praying all night Wednesday night and Thursday for God to help bring Micah soon, I realized, I was praying my will, not His!! So last night, at 9pm (early for me) I got down on my knees and confessed being selfish and wanting Micah to come on my time and not his own (and the Lords!). I prayed for a good nights sleep, to know exactly when I'm in labor, and to be able to enjoy my last days as a mommy to just Cara. I had the best nights sleep I've had in months. I slept from 9 pm - 8 am (thanks to Cara sleeping a little later than normal) and I only woke up 3 times to pee. That's a record for me when it comes to the end of pregnancy. That, and I was able to go right back to sleep which isn't normally the case. So Cara and I spent a fun morning at home. I got lots of laundry done/kitchen cleaning, and we sat down to watch Cars, and played in her room a LOT. She LOVES to read books, so we read a ton, and we played with her little people house, her babies, her strollers, everything. She just laid down for her nap. I need to make some brownies for tonight (our ABF is having a game night) and shower, and then I may just lay down for a nap too, we shall see. Eric should hopefully be home around 4 today, and then I have him the whole weekend. Praise God that He is faithful and knows the plans he has for us!

nothing

well, nothing's happening. I went to my dr. office just to check and i was still 2 cm and 50% effaced. I was exhausted from being up all night, so I came home and took a 2.5 hour nap. Now I'm going to eat and go walk around.

today's the day?

I've been up for 2 hours and they are 3-5 minutes apart. I lost my mucus plug and feel like my water is going to break any time now (compared to how it felt when that happened with Cara). My mom (poor lady) is on her way up here to watch Cara. If they don't get stronger, then we're going to go into my doctor's office right at 8 when they open to see if they can check me to see how far along I am and if I'm leaking fluid. That's what woke me up, a contraction, and the feeling I was leaking. If I stay up, walking around, they are continuously every 3 minutes, if I lay down they slow down, so I'm up walking. They're not going away this time. We'll post more as we know it.

in labor?

Well, despite having contractions for 2 days, yesterday they died down. Good thing because we had hot water heater drama all night last night as our brand new one sprung a leak (in the same place as the old one!!), and not where the water source goes in as so many friends have offered that advice. Near the heating element. So Eric called the manufacturer, they said that was what the problem was and they'd send a new one out and have it to us by Thursday (uh, it's Tuesday and we like to shower), so they said go buy one at Home Depot and we can return the one they send us. So that's what Eric did. He had to get it really tight for the leak to stop, but it did, last night. Today each of us checked it when we woke up and it seemed fine. However, after cleaning house and making 4 dozen mini muffins, I kept feeling dizzy and quite nauseus. Eric has a small break in the middle of the day, so he came home to check on us and get some lunch. He checked the hot water heater, and sure enough, it's leaking again. Not bad like yesterday, but like 2 drips....still it's not working properly. So, we're stuck, we don't know what else to do. My step-dad is coming up tonight to look at it.

In other news, my contractions started up again today. I haven't timed them the past 2 days because I didn't want to get my hopes up and I didn't really think I was in labor. However, today, I just feel different. I keep praying that God would either send them on, or take them away, so I stay out of this guessing game. Micah definitely likes them because he has been moving around like crazy since they started back up, which makes it hard to tell if the pain is the contraction, or him stretching my insides from one end to the other. Anyways, we'll keep you posted. I don't feel like today's the day, but we shall see, the Lord only knows.

2 cm!

Well, I guess those contractions have been doing their job. Today I am 37 weeks, 1 day pregnant, and had my dr. appointment. My blood pressure was 124/74, Micah's heartbeat was 145, I gained no pounds from last week, so still up 13 pounds. I'm measuring at 38 weeks. I have had a feeling since last weeks appointment that this baby will be born before it's due date. We've been doing LOTS of things. We finished painting the bricks in our living room yesterday. We got the car seat situation figured out, van cleaned out, and have 2 car seats in the car now. I've washed everything under the sun that could possibly touch the babies skin, i.e. swing, bouncy seat, clothes, sheets, blankets, towels, etc. I froze 10 meals. I plucked my eyebrows (believe me, this is more for y'alls benefit (or anyone that sees me) than Micahs) :). I've been cleaning house again now that our furniture is back where it normally goes. The dogs are getting groomed tomorrow, I finally picked up my inhaler prescription after the pharmacy had it for 2 weeks (for labor, my asthma is in control, haven't needed it in a year, but I remember needing it during labor, so wanted it just in case!). Oh, but I still have a hundred things on my list. So if anyone wants to come over and help me, just CALL :).

Oh, so anyways, I told my doctor that I hoped I was like a 3 (dialated) today, but I wasn't getting my hopes up because I was probably still a 0 (because I never really dilated with Cara before I was induced). He was checking me, telling the nurse what I had told him, and he said, well, you're definitely not a 0, you're a 2, baby's head is down and dropped, blah blah. So when he was done (did I mention it hurt more than I remember) he said have you heard of stripping your membranes, and I said of course, friends had had it done, blah blah, and he said "because I just did that." Like it was nothing. Like I shouldn't have been asked before he did it. Like, maybe I want the baby to cook a little longer (or have too long of a to do list to help things along just yet). Like, I'M ONLY 37 WEEKS! Anyways, so that kinda perturbed me, but at least there were no drugs involved. Granted, I've only been seeing this doctor for 5 weeks, so we've discussed my birth plan, but I need to type it up and get it in his chart so he knows to not do anything else to me without my consent PRONTO!!

Anyways, that's my rant and rave :). I do hope the baby comes soon, but I also want to nap instead of get a hundred things done, so we'll see which I choose!!

PS, did I mention our hot water heater went out this weekend? So after Eric and his dad installed it yesterday, we still had minimal hot water last night. I got to shower/shave one leg :) but Eric ended up with a cold shower :(. However, today all seems to be working fine, Thank you Jesus!!

CRAZY NESTING

I mean, I did this with Cara, so it is to be expected, but I start nesting way early with my babies (well, with this, one, like 6 months ago!). I made a list yesterday morning about everything that has to be done before Micah comes....it's a page and a half long, and I actually have 10 things marked off it already. Then, today, I went to the grocery store for the 2nd time this week, and gathered supplies to make 11 meals to stick in the freezer for us, plus tonight's dinner, plus a friend's dinner who just had twins!! I am EXHAUSTED because I did most of the cooking during Cara's nap, which left no nap for me. What's awesome is that our ABF at church always takes care of new mothers. We usually provide meals 3 times a week for about 4 weeks, so I'm not worried about that, but I figure, I don't feel like cooking EVER now, so at least I have some meals to go to the next 3 weeks (hopefully less) while waiting for this baby to come. And it'll be healthy and not expensive-bad-for-you-fast-food.

I'm waiting on Eric to get home from the Katy HS Football game he took his 8th graders to. Tomorrow Bailey is coming up and we're going to a store in the Rice Village (with Cara, while Eric is working the Katy Marching Festival) called A Woman's Work tomorrow morning, and I'm excited. They carry lots of different baby wearing devices, and you can try on all the different types. Well, that's the quick post for tonight, I'm going to bed the second Eric gets home!

It's done!

I finished the bumper pad, now the baby can officially come ;) haha.

Any day now??

So I just got back from my doctor's appointment (and dropping off some clothes at a consignment store, and getting my haircut for the first time in over 3 months...) and it has finally hit me. Baby Micah CAN come any day now. Technically, I have 4-5 days before I'm not 'preterm,' aka 37 weeks, but Dr. Z says what's 4-5 days, and you're measuring fine. I gained 3 pounds this past 2 weeks, so up a net 13. My blood pressure was 113/67. I'm doing this baby naturally, so we aren't going to induce or anything, but that fact that we could, is just crazy to me. I have had a feeling this whole pregnancy that he will come early, like mid-October, but now grasping that that is only a week a week---WHOA! Anyways, I definitely have to go finish the last part of that bumper pad now, just in case ;). Haha.

Amazon Registry

Let me preface this by saying I am by no means requesting gifts!! I have just received a few questions from people offering to buy Micah things, and they know I want cloth diapers, but don't know what/where/how to buy them. I have an amazon.com registry that has some items we'd like. We didn't do a 'real' registry anywhere, as this is my 2nd baby and we have everything we could ever need (although some is pink) :). Also, on the registry is Bum Genius diapers, but it's the wrong (i.e. older) version. I'd like any colors of the Bum Genius 3.0 One Size Fits All diaper, which you can find retailers online at www.bumgenius.com Hope this helps!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby&id=FVKXGI5HG4H3

Only 33 (ish) days to go????

Eric and I can't believe how soon our little Micah will be here!!! This fall, since school has started, has just FLOWN by. I'm happy, because I thought as soon as Eric went back to school, and I got huge, it would just drag. We've been slowly getting the room together. We didn't go with a specific theme, just blues/browns and sports accessories. Here's a picture of the blue walls/brown curtains and new letters I bought. I was going to do everything myself, but found these at babies R us and had a coupon and they were the perfect colors! I've already wasted 45 minutes, but for the rest of the day (Cara's at school) I plan on finishing his bumper pad. I also finished her poodle skirt for our Fall Fest at church 2 weeks ago. We tried it all on last night, and she loved it! Although she was more impressed with the white tights (she likes words that rhyme). :)

My next doctor's appointment is next Tuesday, 36 weeks. I'll start going every week after that. I have BH after I eat usually, but not much. I'm not in any pain (except at night, my hips hurt from sleeping on my side for 8 months), which makes me think he won't come early as I had hoped (not early, just like a week or so before halloween). Oh well, we shall see. Well, enough procrastinating, time to go cut 12 rectangles of fabric :).

Nice Weekend...minus the sick child

Well, Friday night started out with scrapbook night here at my house. There were about 7 of us here and we had a great time talking and scrapbooking (a little bit!). Saturday, we had the morning to ourselves, and Eric figured out how to fix the leak in Cara's bathtub, so he made a couple of trips to home depot. Cara had woke up Friday morning with a runny nose, and I thought, finally, her 2 year molars are coming in. Then Saturday she started a little cough and felt a little warm. I started her on some Mucinex to get all the mucous out. That night Eric's band met the Seven Lakes High School Band at Rhodes Stadium for a pre game tailgate BBQ and then the game. Our friend, Damon Archer--who is the orchestra director at our church--is the head director at SLHS. So Cara and I met Eric up there for some dinner. We tried to go to the game, but Cara was not listening or sitting still, so we headed home at the end of the first quarter. Eric came home that night around 9:45, about 3-4 hours earlier than when he was a HS director (they only stayed through half time), feeling a little bad. I couldn't go to church Sunday because I had to stay home with Cara as she had a fever within 24 hours. Eric woke up and played all three services, and then came home and felt worse. Cara and I had a nice morning at home, she was in such a good mood, which hasn't occured lately, so it was a nice change.

I got ready, and my 3 good friends, Adrienne, Deanna and Jackie came over to see the baby's room and take me to lunch. We all used to work at ConocoPhillips (Dee still does) and we've kept in touch and do lunch every month or so. They decided they needed to spoil me with some gifts and a nice lunch before I pop. It was so nice!! We went to Carino's here in Katy and then came back to my house where Dee had brought her yummy Chocolate Eclair Cake!! They each got me a couple of very cute little boy outfits, and then they went in together and got me 6 bumGenius 3.0 One Size Fits All diapers!!! I was SOOOO excited. These diapers are awesome, they fit newborns, up to Cara's size!! We had a great time and got to catch up. It was the first time we'd gotten together since we had a little going away thing for Adrienne; she moved to San Antonio in mid-August. I truly cherish my special friends. God has blessed me with some great ladies to fellowship and do life with, at church and through other outlets.

In other news, our new BlackBerrys were just delivered. Both of our phones were dead/not working, and since we'd had them over 2 years, we were due for an upgrade. First we went to the AT&T store, and there was only 1 free phone! So, we came home and went online, and got 2 blackberries for $50 total. His was free and mine was $50, not bad. But, now I'm trying to figure out how to get my phone #'s to my phone. They sent us a new SIM card. I know I can put the old one in the new phone to get the numbers, but if I saved any to my phone, I can't get them (since my screen isn't working). SO, if I call you often, and you don't hear from me, call me so I can get your # back in my phone!! Gotta run and take Eric lunch, he's feeling awful and slept in and didn't have time to get lunch. Love to all!