A proud American

Most of you all probably have not seen some of the pictures that JR likes to take, particularly of the boys when they are little. He gets quite creative. This is the latest one that he took and sent to my family. They have all enjoyed it so much, figured I would post it.
Here is the text of the email that he included with the picture....


This is why I am able to sleep so good at night; I was born in the greatest country in the world, I am free to worship GOD and I can have a gun as well. I can not use or shoot my rifle yet, but my dad sure can..!!!!
GOD bless America ...
kisses to everyone.
JBM
Future US Navy Seal

Bath time

B had a great time yesterday at school. His first comment, and the one thing he told anyone who asked, is that he got to go to the playground three times. I also, finally, witnessed him doing the monkey bars by himself. All summer he had been too scared but sounds like watching all the other kids gave him some motivation mom could not provide. Last night we laid in bed and he rambled off all kinds of things about his day - who misbehaved, who brought their lunch, who had what backpack, etc. He said his teacher is the best because she lets them do things they like!
J is doing well with speech therapy. The therapist said that most of his sounds are there, he just needs the repetition. She is really working on 'oral secretion management' - ie drool. Seems that he forgets to swallow so still trying to make him aware of that. The last piece of the puzzle is getting his 'marker' words. Instead of "Mom, lay me" we are working on "Mom, will you lay with me". He omits all the "the, and, with, to", etc. words. She said once he gets this, we can look at discharge. Either way, it looks like he will be done mid March, when he turns three and no longer receives services through this one agency we have been dealing with.
JB sure enjoyed his bath today as did J as he helped me. He loves to kick and squirm in the warm water. I have noticed that he also loves his sleep. I knew he loved to sleep, but now he has a definite "put me in bed Mom, so I can sleep" cry.

He is off!

B is at Kindergarten! We were actually on time, a few minutes early! He immediately took off to play on the playground until the bell rang. He was a little nervous, asking how he would know when the bell rang, if he would know where to go, etc. He was so excited last night he could not sleep. We laid in bed together and talked until he fell asleep.
These are the times that I am very thankful I have had 5 years to be at home with him to help 'train him up' and build into his little life. From here, it will be lots of covering him in prayer as he begins his first step of gaining 'wings' so to speak.

Last week of 'summer'

Hard to believe that summer has come and gone!
B starts Kindergarten on Thursday. I was talking with someone today about it and when I told them who his teacher was, they replied that I am gonna want to stay on 'top of her'. I inquired further and was told that she is okay but I want to make sure that I stay in close contact with his teacher and make sure that B is being challenged. So, not that I want to push my child, but it sounds like his teacher might be one that does not really challenge some kids and knowing B, he is going to need that or he will get bored and probably into trouble.
JB loved his first shower. He still continues to sleep and eat, in that order! As long as I get 4 hour stretches at night, who can complain.
J is continuing with therapy and from the sounds of it, his therapist is wanting to test him again because she thinks he is getting close to being on age appropriate level.
Off to try to stick to the new bedtime routine. It took an hour last night of going in and spanking them before they 'got it' and settled down. I anticipate a shorter 'fight' tonight because J has not napped and he is usually the one that keeps B up late with his antics.

JR has taken the two older boys camping tonight, so looking forward to a quiet evening!!! This past week we took the boys out to a forest service cabin where an out of state friend was staying and got a few more pics of the boys. JB continues to do well, mainly sleeping and eating, in that order! Both of the other boys seem to have adjusted well. Not sure how J will deal when big brother B heads to school next week. JR is enjoying his new job!

Is there a baby in the house?

Little JB continues to amaze me. Every day I think he will 'come out of' his sleepy newborn state, but he continues to nap anywhere from 3-5 hours throughout the day and night. (If I can get him to stay awake for 30 minutes after eating, that is a huge accomplishment.) He is eating very well although I don't have him on any kind of schedule because I hate the thought of waking a sleeping baby. His umbilical cord has come off, so it will be time for the ceremonial 'first shower' with dad in the next day or so. (They are too slippery when wet for me to handle). Hopefully JB will come to love showers as much as his brothers. Every night they happily hop in the shower, sit under the water and play with their toys until the 'hot' runs out.
Kindergarten will start next week for B so we will soon be gearing up for the new school schedule. Can't believe he will be in school. I think it will be a great change of pace for him and fill that big social need that he has.
Thursday my mom leaves so the real test will begin! No more sitting around while someone else does all the work!

Settling In

We are settling in. JB (Joseph Bailey) sleeps and sleeps. He usually goes a 4 hour stretch, be it day or night. So that means that I am only getting up once in the middle of the night. I like this! The only time I have ever heard him cry is when he is dirty or hungry. It is amazing how he already knows my voice and it instantly calms him in the middle of the night. He is just a calm, relaxed little kiddo that is very alert, when he opens his eyes. The boys are doing well with him. J loves to give him lots of kisses and hold him and B has already given him a bottle.
I am feeling pretty good. Usually by the end of the day I am ready for bed but certainly getting up and around well.

More Changes

The first night home went well. Got more sleep here than I had been getting at the hospital, although JR did not. He was up retrieving JB for me, etc. Was noticing today that both of the other boys had dark, really long eye lashes and little JB does not have any eyelashes or eye brows. He might tend towards the red head characteristics of Momma. His hair is a light brown, but we will see as he grows.
I went through the pictures JR took after the birth and found one that was too cute, from when they were giving him his first bath. According to JR, he loved the bath.

On a totally different note, another big change. After lots of prayer, JR has decided to leave his electrical apprenticeship and go to work for a property management company in the area. He was offered the same job a few months ago but did not feel it was right at the time. We tried waiting out the economy and things just are not picking up as quickly as we had hoped. This job offer was almost equivalent to his other job but guaranteed work. So, he begins on Wednesday. He has given a 2 year commitment so he could always pick up the apprenticeship later down the road when the construction industry stabilizes. We are just thankful that God brought the job offer back around to us and made it very clear through some circumstances that this was right.

Home from the hospital

We arrived home Sunday afternoon. 24 hours earlier than anyone thought, but I was feeling good, up and moving and the baby was doing great. I was not getting much sleep (despite the baby going for 4 plus hour stretches of sleep) so looking forward to some good sleep tonight. We did not decide on a name until just before leaving the hospital. (Despite what you have heard, you can leave the hospital without a name, you just have to have one within 10 days). So, we decided on Joseph Bailey (JB going forward on the blog...So we have a JR, B, J and now JB.)
The boys have been great. Always wanting to hold him, soothe him, etc. When I got home today, forgot how painful it can be to laugh. B and J had put up streamers and decorated the house. B had put a streamer across the front door and told me I had to break it. So, I reached out with my hand and broke it, to which I got "Mom, you were suppose to break it with your stomach." Needless to say, I started laughing, was soon doubled over crying and supporting myself with the wall. B looks at me very seriously and says "mom, you really do not look good!". I was glad when I finally got to a chair to sit for a while.
Nothing planned this week but laying around and adjusting to life with a little one. More pictures hopefully later this week.

Mom and Baby are doing good.

Another boy in the family

Baby News!

God has blessed us with a 7 lb 8 oz baby boy!!! Benjamin and Jacob are thrilled to have a baby brother! Shannon and baby are doing very well....Jose says he has a possible quarterback! No other details as to name etc. Pictures and more information posted tonight hopefully! Benjamin, Jacob and I are on our way to the hospital.....I am so proud and thankful for this beautiful family! Granny

Hangin In....

No other words at this point. Just hanging in and looks like I might make it until Friday.....

New Date

I am officially on the schedule (for C-section) for Friday, August 7th at 8:30am. Yeah, my 'regular' Doctor will be doing it!!! As for now, this kid is tucked up so tightly in a ball, the ultrasound tech could not get a shot of a profile, a hand, nothing but a little foot...

Getting out

After 3 days of being still and quiet, decided we all needed some fresh air.
Headed out to the river with the boys.









I was just finding a cozy spot on the ground when I turned and saw, about 8 inches away....




I may be 37 weeks pregnant but this momma proved I can still get up and move if I need to
It was good to see B up and moving again. Not really talking much, but at least being active.

The end result when we left, given J had fallen in several times


Maybe it is just my imagination, but B's voice seems to not be as 'nasally' as it has been and it is weird to see him with his mouth closed. He has always had his mouth open, since he was a mouth breather but I do believe he has much better airflow through his nose now.
As for me, I guess the Doc is wanting to keep a little closer tabs on the baby. She called Friday afternoon and wanted me to come in 2 times next week for a non-stress test and biophysical ultrasound. Basically, two tools they use to make sure the baby is not under any stress while in the womb. The ultrasound is pretty cool because the first thing they check for is the moving diaphram. Babies don't breathe in the womb, but 'practice' breathing and the tech said if the 'environment' in the womb starts going or the baby gets stressed, the practice breathing is usually the first to go. So far everything has appeared fine but I guess the doc is taking the conservative approach. All of this 'extra' testing got started because I mentioned that the baby does not seem to be moving a whole lot, but then again, I never felt the other two as much as would be normal either. Oh well, either way, only 2 more weeks, at best of the waiting game (yes, the envelope is still sealed!)

too much 'hospital' time

Yesterday B had his tonsils/adenoids out. I was up at the hospital with him for about 4 hours, start to finish. He did really well. He was very exhausted going in to it, so a little emotional. When I walked to the OR doors with him, the nurse said "this is where we part, B you want to give your mom a hug?" I thought, not good, it would have been better for me to quietly slip out. He started crying, hugged me and would not let go. Two nurses had to finally pry him off of me. I joined up with him in recovery about 40 minutes later. He came home with quite the appetite, eating mac n cheese, apple sauce, milk shake, strawberries, popsicles and chicken nuggets. He has not taken any of his pain meds and he thankfully slept all night last night. Still feeling a little puny and his voice is raspy. I sure hope he does not get use to all these fun foods and just laying around. (We do have the tonsils in a jar if anyone is interested). The doc did say that the adenoids were pretty large, which we knew the adenoids were more the problem and not the tonsils. Maybe now he will breathe easier and hopefully be able to smell too.
Then today I had my appt. The doctor ended up running a few extra tests to check things out with the baby. So my appt lasted over 3 hours. Everything checked out just fine and both the doc and the ultrasound tech said the baby was in a tight little ball, so the gender was not 'visible', had I wanted to know.

Been a busy last 10 days. B enjoyed the sports camp and then VBS this week. I started out strong on the projects around the house but finished really strong in the nap department with J. Oh well. This week B is having his tonsils out on Wed so hoping that the first 24-48 hours he will catch up on some much needed rest. I go back in Thursday for another appt and ultrasound. 3 weeks from tomorrow is the scheduled day. Although we have been in the mid 90's the last few days, not too uncomfortable for me. It is usually 80 as we go to sleep and wake up with it close to high 55s. It is this time of year that I wish A/C was the norm. But fortunately our place stays pretty cool on its own.
Recent pics of the boys (yes, J needs a haircut but can't stand the way he looks 2-3 weeks after a cut...) We found this cow a little odd out behind the house. Seems that the cows have figured out this summer how to get through the fences and it is a normal occurence to have the police out trying to round up one or two as they make it down the road or into yards.

We have a date, sort of

Headed to the Doc today. She has 'tenatively' scheduled the c-section for Monday, August 10th. However, she does not think I will make it that long. My track record has been 2 weeks early, which would be around the 4th. In two weeks I will have another ultrasound and she will keep watching things. She is the type of doc that would schedule a last minute ultrasound if she felt it was needed. The upside to the baby coming early is that my Doc, who I love, will be on vacation starting the
10th but is on call most of the week prior.

Summer Camp

Yesterday I dropped B off at his week long day camp with the Y. As I drove away he was circling the group with his arms crossed checking it out. Today when I dropped him off, within seconds he was off and playing with another kid. This has been a fun, new experience for him. He gets to take his lunch, have snacks, etc. If camp is any indication, he is going to love Kindergarten in August.
I have been wiping down top of fridge, finishing up 6 year sewing projects, organizing kitchen cabinets, washing baby clothes, a whole list of miscellaneous projects. Hopefully JR will have some more time off later this week to take J out for a couple of hours!
Today J decided he wanted to take his table outside and color. I was quite impressed to see him carry the table and 2 chairs and coloring stuff outside all by himself. The question remains to be seen if he will carry it all back in....

Summer is slipping away

I keep thinking I will get some photos downloaded either from Colorado or B's 5th birthday. Being pregnant at 40 and keeping up with the two boys is taking it's toll. I often find myself napping most afternoons with J. Thankfully B is very independent and has no problem entertaining or taking care of himself. I find I can stay on top of the day to day, but if I slip up one day, I have a very hard time catching up the next day. I have even come to the point of putting most of their clothes and shoes away because I cannot get them to keep it picked up and I am just tired of doing it! (I think the smart mom is the one who took all the clothes out of the bedroom and kept everything in the laundry room....no more hauling clothes back and forth. Of course she has a huge laundry room and tons of kids, but what a great idea!)
The allergy season is in full bloom and it seems like every 2 weeks in early July it just knocks me out. B was the first one up this morning and I sent him downstairs and told him to watch PBS and get a cupcake for breakfast (yes, this afforded me more sleep time)!! Good thing that is not a way of life for us!
We are about 6 1/2 weeks away from baby number 3. The envelope is still sealed. Some days I am convinced it is a boy and other days I am sure it is a girl. So, it will definitely be a surprise.
We celebrated B's 5th birthday over the weekend. How fun to watch him grow up but boy the attitude we are starting to deal with! As a friend commented yesterday, he is just so smart and strong willed! I love all the 'adult' conversations we have though. It seems like nothing gets by him, everything gets stored somewhere in that little brain of his until he feels it is time for it to surface and ask questions/make conversation.
J continues with therapy. It appears that motor planning is a predominant issue with him. For example, instead of saying "come" he pronounces it as "kim". When corrected he will say come, but it always comes out as 'kim'. Fork is another word. It is always 'fort' and 9 times out of 10, even with correction, he still says 'fort'. Daddy is another word...it consistently comes out as 'diya'. From what I can understand, it is just a matter of training the brain to pull out the correct sounds, sort of like one would learn to read with dyslexia. His vocabulary is continuing to grow and when 'coached' will put whole sentences together.
B goes to a week long sports camp next week, so starting my to-do list. J plays so well alone, when big brother is not here to stir the pot, so hoping to get most everything done. Then all I have to do is enjoy the last 4 weeks or so!
Will try for pictures later in the week.

Colorado Pictures

Really nice weather!! Just a lot of hanging out and watching all the cousins play!!

Colorado here we come

The last week has been busy. We are heading out today for 10 days in Colorado. Really looking forward to getting away!
We bought a mini van last weekend, so really looking forward to having a nicer, newer, bigger vehicle to travel in!
Won't be online but will try to update with photos towards the end of June.
Had my 30 week appointment. Everything is looking really, really good! Hopefully by the end of June, early July we will have 'picked' the birthdate!

camping

The first camping trip this summer. JR decided last minute to take the boys out. So, I enjoyed a quiet evening, working on projects (I think I could have a whole week and still not get everything done!) They had a great time and took bikes, balls, etc. (Pictures below).
J continues to make great strides in his speech. Still not where he should be but putting 3 and 4 words together. As I leave his room as night he says "No Ma, Lay Me" (lay down with me). One of his biggest words right now is "nice" and depending on the context, he is either saying "be nice" or "not nice".
B on the other hand...This was a recent conversation. We were working a jigsaw puzzle. He was trying to put two pieces together that did not go together.
"B, those don't go together."
"Yes they do Mom"
"No they don't"
"Yes they do" and then a slight pause "Are you arguing with me?"
"No, B I am not"
"Yes you are mom"
"No, I am not, just stating the fact"
"Are you lying to me mom?"
Oh, the hard concept of authority and I am the parent, you are the child!
Some pictures of the recent camping outing, plus a few of JR's recent adventures.

Summer is "officially" here!

The Kindergarten Graduation and Field Day went well. The kids sure had fun! The weather was beautiful!!!! Here is a picture of B 'graduating' and one of his teacher, Miss Tina.


We went fishing over the weekend and J loved it...He would not put the pole down and if you ask him about it, all he does is say "fish" and move his arm in the casting motion.

Another one of the boys...

The other day we were driving in the car and B said "I want to go to the store where Grandmas and Grandpas go to die". Stumped I inquired further..."Miss Tina was telling us about a store or place where Grandmas and Grandpas go to die and they are buried or something". They must have been reading a book at school that talked about cemeteries. I guess later this week we will go visit our local cemetery.
Last week I took B to an ENT to get him checked out. He has problems breathing at night and what I would call sleep apnea. I think some of it is related to his allergies and the foods that he eats. After a neck x-ray and a night of sleeping hooked up to a pulse oxymeter, the ENT has found his adnoids are pretty large and he does have mild sleep apnea. So, we currently have him scheduled for late July to get both tonsils and adenoids removed. I am not totally sold on it yet, but at least have it scheduled. Seems like some think these surgeries help and others have had different experiences. It is an out patient, couple hour thing and they cauterize (sp) them with a laser. Amazing what they can do these days. What I don't understand, and will have to ask the doctor is if it is so minimally invasive, why do they warn of a 1-2 week recovery period.
Other than speech therapy for J and weekly bible study for me, nothing else on the weekly summer schedule. We do have a trip planned to Colorado in June and B will participate in a one week sports camp through the Y and other than anticipating baby, nothing else planned. Looking forward to a summer spent outdoors doing whatever we feel like doing. The boys are already getting a 'tan' and everybody's hair is getting lighter. Of course JR looks like he has spent weeks at the beach.

Kindergarten here we come

We had B's preschool spring program tonight. Hard to believe the year is gone. Tomorrow is his last day, a 'field' day. Will try to upload some pictures in the next couple of days.
Had my 28 week appt today. Everything appears fine. Everyone seems to think it is a girl. The envelope is still sealed!
The cows have come back to the back pasture behind our house. They appear every summer for 2-4 weeks. Don't really know where they get their water source so the neighbors and JR have started turning the water hose on them. The boys are quite excited about this and I am thinking it will become a nightly tradition!
Not much else happening, just enjoying the beautiful summer here!

Memorial Day

Looks like a beautiful weekend, with no snow in the forecast for the first time in several years. No special plans. JR took the boys out fishing this morning, so I got some things done around the house.
This past week we have been watching the tree outside our house. For about 10 days it gets beautiful flowers (I have no idea what kind of tree). There have been probably around 100 bees buzzing in the tree. Fortunately they don't bother us since we literally walk 1 foot from the tree.



Here is a picture of the fish he caught today....

My Favorite so far

I think the only way I can get them both to look at the camera and smile at the same time is when they are wrestling....

2 recent pics