Beach Bums!

We had a great time at the beach. I would say that it went very well considering Henderson cannot wear sunscreen yet and had to be in the shade the ENTIRE time and Wilson is still 3 months away from turning 2 years old. Boy did it pass by way too quickly! It was no relaxing vacation, but very much enjoyed! Here are some pictures!

It's about time!

Well, Henderson is now 7 weeks old and I am finally posting a blog. Thanks sister Katie for posting the arrival of Henderson 7 weeks ago. I am able to do this because I am at my parents' house and both boys are asleep. the children and I are heading to the beach with my parents and sisters tomorrow - I can't wait - just to have extra hands will be nice for a change! Having 3 children has been great so far. Henderson is dealing with some reflux issues so we are now on Prilosec and he is doing somewhat better - all my children have been fussy babies, so why not one more? He does sleep great at night - wakes up 2 -3 times, but eats and goes right back to sleep, so I am sooooo grateful for that!!! He is mainly fussy in the day time after he eats and spits up a LOT!!! He is a joy to hold - which he likes ALOT, - never wants to be put down, but it's my last baby, so i don't mind holding him all the time - it has already flown by so fast, God is so good to us to bless us with 3 beautiful, healthy children in such a short time period. It is chaotic some times, especially when we're trying to get out the door, or when I am feeding Henderson and Wilson gets into the storage closet or unwraps all the toilet paper or opens the lower oven and pours his entire bag of cheetos in there - what a mess!!! but all in all I am really trying to cherish each minute! Wilson and Emma Claire are loving their new brother and it's fun to see a tender, gentle side of Wilson -- he cocks his head to one side every time he sees Henderson and says in a sweet little voice - "OHHHH BABY!!!" - it makes me laugh so much b/c he is so wild and boyish. Wilson has just learned to climb out of his baby bed with it lowered all the way down, so I'm confident that nights will absolutely never be the same again. He's a good sleeper, but he'd rather climb than anything!!

Our latest saga, I scratched Emma Claire's cornea with my fingernail - Yes, I did it. She came into our bedroom in the middle of the night and I reached out to her and wham, my finger went straight into her eye - she cried and cried and cried. Of course I didn't think it was that bad and just kept telling her to go to sleep. Well, the next morning she wouldn't open her eye and didn't, until I finally threatened her that she couldn't go to the beach if she didn't open her eye. It was horrible - all pink with a red bloody spot on the white of her eye where my fingernail had scratched it. We went to the Pediatrician's office and he looked at it and said it didn't look too severe, but he wanted us to go straight to an eye doctor b/c she had failed her vision test with her GOOD eye -- we had no idea she had problems with her eyes -- she can see fine with both eyes, but when we covered up the left eye (the injured eye) she couldn't read a thing with the right one. So, on to the eye doctor with Henderson in tow - thank goodness my mother in law was keeping Wilson. So 3 hours later and lots of crying b/c they must have but in 6 different types pf eye drops and ointments on an already painful eye we go home with eye drops of our own to put in 4 times a day and a diagnosis of a possible lazy eye (which is not visible by just looking at her at all). We go back when we get back from the beach for treatment which consists of a patch over the good eye or glasses -- i really need to focus on pirates while at the beach!!! Henderson was an angel through it all and slept in his pumpkin seat while I constantly rocked it, praying he wouldn't wake up. I was not prepared to be gone that long, which I had no problem with nursing him at a Pediatrician's office ( they just expect that, right?), but in the waiting room of an eye doctor - I just couldn't do it. But I did finally nurse him when we got to our examination room - 2 hours and 45 minutes after leaving home!!!!

Well, enough about that, on to the beach we go and I'll try to post again before he's one year old - next time with some good beach pictures!!!

Introducing Henderson Patton!

Edwin Henderson Patton was born a little before 8am on Friday May 2nd. He was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. Kellie and Henderson are doing great & they are both home now. Here are some pictures of the newest addition to our family.

-Katie

Last Day of work!

We had a great long weekend with my parents and neice (Mary Grace) and nephew (Carson) from Indiana and Katie (sis). My older sister and her husband were in Birmingham staying with my parents and going to the "RACE". My parents and katie and MG and C came to T-town to play on Saturday. They stayed all day and we all had a blast - the children just love playing with each other! Emma Claire even went back to B'ham on Saturday night to spend the night b/c she just hadn't had enough! We picked her up Sunday night before church and boy was she worn out. Monday was a holiday for me and I kept the children home and we played and EC had swimming lessons and played with her other cousins Patton and Chandler, Mills also came over to play with Wilson. So it was a busy, fun filled weekend.

Today is my last day of work - for the next 3 months anyways. Tonight will be my last night to teach 3 year old choir this year. On Thursday, I will get last minute things done (like a manicure and pedicure with Emma Claire -- the important things:). EC and I will then go to a May Day Tea Party at EC's friend, Mary Alice's house (while Wilson is napping at his Nana's) and then enjoy my 2 "big kids" for the rest of the day. My mom is coming Thursday night and we have to be at the hospital bright and early on Friday. I can't believe Wilson is about to be a big brother. He is still such a baby himself - I even rocked him to sleep last night, just enjoyed holding him (although I could barely breathe the whole time - I can't imagine what I would feel like if he was a "normal" 19 month old size??? :) I have recently made a comment that I make this new baby sound like such a "final" event, in that my life will end with baby #3. I know it won't, but I am just fearful that I won't be able to enjoy the "little" things with my other 2 children for awhile. Which I know is silly, because SOMEONE has to do those everyday things, like put them to bed and bathe them and tell them stories and sing to them and pray with them and feed them. And I do forget, that newborns sleep ALOT!!!! So in writing all this, I realize that we are just adding another jewel to our family and that life will go back to normal within a few days - just a little busier is all.

But summertime will be filled with lots of happy times and great memories. I really do have big plans to make it to the pool with all 3 children OFTEN. Henderson should be easy- hopefully sleeping in his carseat alot, it's Wilson and his little wild self that I worry about. Just an example of a "crazy" thing I caught him doing on Monday - I fetched him out of our lower oven yes, OVEN (and gave him a big pop!)!!!! No, it wasn't on, but the upper one was cooking his waffle and I guess he was looking for it. Now this oven has no lock on it, but I think I need to find one - do they make them that you can add to it??? Well, back to the pool, good thing the University pool has an awesome baby pool area with fountains and bubbles!!! Maybe I can hide the big pool from him all summer (yea right - with it's big red slide and blue inner tubes and basketball goal, and fountains shooting out everywhere - it's every toddlers' dream!!) Emma Claire is swimming on her own now, so I will depend on her daddy taking time out to be with her one-on-one in the big pool when he can.

So, all and all I am ready - ready to hold my last newborn and smell that wonderful smell and just slow down for awhile and really enjoy babyhood and childhood. I am definitely ready to not be pregnant, though I can't complain too much, it has been a very good one, again. But I am ready for "real" clothes and laying on my stomach and going for walks in my hilly neighborhood without feeling like a baby is about to fall out of me!!!

I will try to post a blog as soon as i can, but without internet at home, I will be bound to my in-laws and sister-in-law for use of theirs. So, be patient (Katie sis).

Update!

Here are some pictures from the Earth Day picnic that someone emailed me. You can see how funny it was watching Will and Emma Claire do the 3-legged race! Also, there happens to be a picture of me - so rare since I'm the only one who ever carries the camera around!!!

the 2 of us sure do like to eat!!!!

I had my final doctor's appointment on Tuesday and my doctor did an ultrasound because I was measuring too small - she was afraid the baby had stopped growing or something. So they did an ultrasound and he's a whopping 7 1/2 pounds already - we were both suprised!!! I got to see him on 4-D and he's got Emma Claire's cheeks and chin and Wilson's eyes (as far as I can tell), his head is on the big side which is exactly how Emma Claire has ALWAYS been and also a big belly (EC too) - hopefully no scrawny little boy this time! The hair color is definitely up for grabs - Red or blond???? But I'm really excited and a little relieved to have seen him! Only 1 week to go!!!

A Wonderful Weekend!!!

We have this "slight" obsession with balloons!!!

Emma Claire and Wilson before church

Emma Claire and Daisy before church

(we lost Wilson to the balloon!)

Well, we had a wonderful weekend. The weather was fabulous despite torrential rains Friday night. The Sunday School family baby shower was like a good ole southern family reunion - it was pot luck and man we have some good cooks in our Sunday School class. It did start raining during the meal and we all rushed inside to keep dry - Melissa and Thad were sports though and didn't mind 20 adults and about 20 children running through their house -- Thanks!!!

Wilson is always hanging off of something!

The Earth Day picnic with Will's work was fun - Will and Emma Claire participated in a relay race together - they did the 3 legged race, which was actually more of Will carrying Emma Claire because of the height difference -- he is 6'4" and she is a 3-year old, enough said. Sorry I didn't get pictures of that, but I was busy trying to keep Wilson out of the muddy red clay on the softball field!!! Emma Claire enjoyed 'her races", but later said she didn't like being tied to her daddy! Later we enjoyed face tatoos and a great fish fry by Bottomfeeders - nothing like fresh fried catfish and banana pudding!

Emma Claire with her "face painting"

Saturday afternoon yard work was done while Wilson napped and Emma Claire and I were able to talk her daddy into going to Wal-Mart and buying a little plastic pool for the backyard. Since it was about dark when they got home it was not used until Sunday, but Patton came home from church with us and they immediately filled it up and had a good 2 hours of fun in a 4 foot diameter pool with a little tykes slide. Good old fashioned fun is what i like to call it - who needs country clubs???

Emma Claire, Patton and Wilson in the littlest pool ever!!!

Gotta have popsicles on a warm spring day!

We then ate dinner at Will's parents' house with Ree-bo and Nini, his mom's cousins, and enjoyed more great food and conversation! We did lots of great eating this weekend, which might mean a couple pounds extra gained at my doctor's appointment tomorrow, but the good news is that it's the LAST ONE until the c-section!!!!! Yay for me!!!!!

14 more days!!!!!!

2 weeks to go until little Edwin "Henderson" is born via C-section! I can't wait! I really hope I can make it the next 2 weeks - I've got my summer planned out perfectly according to the May 2nd date - but these things aren't always as we expect, so we'll just keep waiting. Henderson's big sister Emma Claire is waiting very patiently and asks just about every day,"when is he going to come out, mommy?" in her most exasperated voice! She is really going to be a big help. Wilson on the other hand doesn't have a clue, except to laugh and call my tummy a "ball" every time he sees it and lift my shirt and blow raspberries on it -- it's really cute! Hopefully he is so young that after a few days he will no longer remember life without a little brother and keep treckin on with his wild little self. I am really feeling good, minus the few aches that come with toting around a 6-8 pound "load" in my tummy. I cannot complain, God has really blessed me with 3 wonderful pregnancies and hopefully one more healthy little guy. Here is the only belly shot i could get -- Emma Claire took this one, hence the cutting off of my head - this is for you sister!

On a different note, we heard back from the Ped. GI doctor about Wilson's EGD that it all came back normal, we are weaning off of the Prednisone for the next month and hopefully will not have to get back on it -- though I can't say it did much good in the eating arena (only made him even more hyper than he already was). He still eats VERY little each day, but we are slowly gaining at about 1/2 pound some months - still at 19 pounds though and 19 months old!!!

these are pictures of Emma Claire and her friend Mary Alice playing dress up at CHOM (Childrens Hands On Museum)

I installed the infant car seat in my van yesterday and just in time Emma Claire has learned to buckle herself in to her booster seat all by herself and let herself out too -- what a help that is to soon still only have 2 children to buckle in every time we go somewhere, and with these push-button sliding doors on vans it makes life much easier!!!! I recommend the Honda Odyssey to anyone with multiple children who doesn't mind going over to the "other" side of mommy-hood with a van - you can't beat the convenience, and the gas mileage is much better too!

We have a busy weekend with a one-hour makeup swim lesson on Friday evening for Emma Claire (from when we had a cast) - she is doing so good, she can swim the whole length of the pool all by herself - just one more thing that will make my summer easier and more fun - Emma Claire is growing up so fast -- I don't want to hold her back, but where has my baby gone??!!!! We then go straight to a Sunday school baby shower and pot luck dinner for a couple who is having their first child (kids included) on Friday night and a family picnic Saturday morning with Will's work. The rest of the time will be spent napping (the children), playing outside in this gorgeous spring weather - but we have got to do something about the bugs in our backyard -- they are swarming!!!! cleaning house, doing laundry and any other thing that I come across that just HAS to be done before Henderson arrives.