Watch out world...

I put makeup on this morning AND cooked dinner tonight! I am starting to feel somewhat normal again...ready to take on that growing to-do list that I have staring at me while I am on maternity leave! Now if only Jameston and Blake knew what Mommy needed to get done so they would nap at the same time :-) and if only I wasn't tempted to do this:



Nah, those things can wait (as they have in the past), because I'm busy enjoying this time with my precious boys!

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Pitch a tent

As I said in a previous post, Jameston has been a little rascal of sorts lately, so Brett and I thought it would be good to give him a little extra attention and treat him to a special event before it gets too hot: camping out! He and Daddy didn't go too far away and stayed in the backyard on Sunday night :-)

Helping Daddy put the tent together

Checking out the sleeping quarters

So excited!

I guess we thought we'd combat the pitching fits by pitching a tent! Jameston has done better this week, and we know it won't be an overnight transition. As long as Brett is home from work, we will keep planning these special treats for Jameston.

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Jameston's Jargon

Some of the things JW has said lately that I want to remember (or forget):

He prays this for us if we ask him if he would like to lead the prayer before a meal:

"God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen!" Love it!

Cruising into the sunset one evening as Boomer chaperoned

Since it seems I am nursing around the clock these days, Jameston is very inquisitive about it. "Mommy, Blake drinks milk from your tummy?" Why, yes, Jameston...that's where it comes from.

He's been both really affectionate and defiant (more on that later) since I've been home from the hospital. He tells me. "Mommy, you're so beautiful/precious." And I'll say, "Aw, thank you so much. You're so handsome/sweet." His reply? "No, I'm AWESOME!"

He has his adjectives and order off a little, but it's pretty cute. He will say, "It's too louder/harder/colder/etc."


Soooo, we've had some behavior issues with him, as we expected once little brother came into the picture. He's regressed in pottying (wet the bed for a straight week, but he's been dry the last two mornings. Hope he keeps it up! And he would go into the bathroom to go, and then just pee in his undies/shorts---we realize, for attention).

Therefore, I believe, he has said the following many times:
"I want to be a baby." I know he feels Mommy is giving little brother more attention right now.
Oh, and the very un-popular,
"I don't have to/don't want to." He has been argumentative, and we have started to ignore to outbursts, whining, etc. and have begun to focus more on positive experiences.

We love him, even when he's a stinker :-)

Here's to more sayings of his that I want to remember and not forget!

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Two-weeks-old!

Blake turned two-weeks today! We took him to the pediatrician this morning, and he surpassed his birth weight, and then some! Today, he weighed 10 lbs., 1/2 ounce and measured 23 3/4 inches long (don't know how he grew 2 3/4 inches in two weeks?! I think they measured him wrong either at hospital or today!).

Talking to Mommy the other morning :-)

He likes to have his arms up, likes he's flexing, while he's napping...

I said this last post, but the boys hates sponge baths...like screams at the top of his lungs the entire time. Poor fella!





Good thing his umbilical cord stump fell off Monday. Bring on bath time with brother and tummy time!






He had a blocked tear duct over the weekend...thankfully it went away as quickly as it came!






We have been busy soaking up our newest addition! We've made it through his first growth spurt and feel like we are getting into a good routine with him. I've been able to blog and Facebok thanks to all the feedings :-)

I hope to take his first growth picture later today, and we'll be sure to take one each month like we did for Jameston...I just may be a little more tardy on some things as compared to the first time around!

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Brotherly love

I am blessed beyond measure!

Sometimes being a brother is

even better than being a

superhero. ~Marc Brown

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What we've been up to

Admiring this little fella,

trying to sleep when he sleeps (if I'm not too busy gawking at him or spending some quality time with older brother),

playing outside,

(as much as possible since we have cabin fever!)

being reminded of and thanking God for our blessings,

realizing how big Jameston is now more than ever,

spending time with (and being taken care of) by family,

listening to Jameston's music (a.k.a., his golf clubs and high chair tray in the below picture, or his fiddle playing with pretzels or guitar playing with a pretend baseball bat)

being amazed baby brother can sleep through it all (and many other loud sounds!),

and soaking up our time with Daddy at home (JW helping him make smoothies one afternoon).

Brett will be off most of the month, so I'm really looking forward to this time with my boys!!

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One-week-old!

Can't believe it's been a week since Blake arrived! Although a little sleep-deprived, we are adapting pretty well to being a family of four (I think).

My lil cuddle-bug




Enamored with Daddy




Blake continues to be a good sleeper and nursing champ! I am feeding every 2-3 hours, and he even had an almost five-hour stretch one night! His heaviest dozing is in late afternoon/early evening, so we will try to move this around...




We went to his pediatrician on Monday, and he got a great report! Back up to 9 lbs. 1 ounce (we left the hospital at 8 14) and good color. She was impressed by his head/neck control! He's full of gas (hiccups, burps like a big person, and usually has a dirty diaper per feeding :-) And, as I said before, a healthy set of lungs as he continues to illustrate his "teradactyl cry," as Brett has lovingly called it!




He likes to be swaddled (unlike Jameston did. Thank goodness!), and he takes to paci to go to sleep (instead of nursing to sleep, double thank goodness!)

Sweet afternoon slumber




But he does not like to be naked. So diaper changing and sponge bath time are loud events in this household :-)

"Here's looking at you"




We are so blessed to have another healthy boy to call our own! Jameston has done well, as well, with a couple of regressions in the potty training and attention-getting departments (I'll share more on this later).

God is good!!




Thanks to Instagram for allowing me to document this first week, since I have not uploaded pictures from the cameras yet (I am not as far along in recovery process thanks to a complication from the c-section---I'll post about that later). More to come soon about our time at home!
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He's here!

Blake Everett Winters arrived at 6:45 last night---all 9 lbs., 9 oz., and 21 inches of him! Here's our future linebacker :-)




He's got a healthy set of lungs, as he screamed/cried the first 30 minutes until Mommy could hold him




Dr. Merideth was awesome! I started having mild contractions around 4 (after experiencing some other non-noteworthy symptoms all day) so I drove myself straight from work while Brett arranged for his brother to get Jameston from daycare so he could meet me directly at the hospital. I checked in at 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced, and contracted pretty much every 4-5 minutes for an hour while they arranged the OR for the c-section. And then my water broke, but they didn't say how far dilated I had become in that hour.




Two hours after I had checked in, he was here!




Cade brought Jameston by around 8:30 or so after treating him to dinner so the he could meet his little brother. He was such a sweet big bro, all the while concerned about Blake and Mommy. So sweet!




Jameston came back up to the hospital this morning, and Blake was more alert...so JW was excited! We had a good night last night. Baby brother is a great eater and sleeper so far, and this Mommy is feeling like she's headed down the road to recovery a lot quicker than last time.




We are SO in love! More pictures to come, as these are just some from our phones.
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Another decade behind me...

I turned 30-years-old last Friday...gulp. I remember thinking that age sounded old when I was in high school, and now, here I am...bring it on! My boys sure did a great job of pampering me not only that day but ALL weekend. What can I say? I am a lucky gal! And it sure is nice when a birthday (especially a BIG one) falls on the weekend...

Friday started with home-made breakfast made by Brett (yum!) and a trip to the doctor (since I am off work only on Fridays). I found out that my blood pressure was up from the last week (I was in on the 13th for a sonogram, at which they measure baby bro at 7 lbs. 12 oz.) Boo for high blood pressure! So, I had to go back in this Monday to double check. My doctor is not worried, since it did elevate near the end of my pregnancy with Jameston, and since I have not had any "worrisome" symptoms like headaches, blurred vision, etc. On Monday I was dilated to 2cm, and 50% effaced. Right now we are scheduled for a c-section on Monday morning unless he decides to arrive before then!

Back to my birthday festivities: after my doctor's appointment, my mom and I took Jameston to MiMi's Cafe for lunch (I had a Groupon!) While he napped and mom stayed home with him, I treated myself to a mani/pedi. It was so relaxing, and I think I "needed" it to bring my blood pressure down :-) I then went home to rest a little myself. Brett and I went on a date that night to dinner (California Pizza kitchen; Maggiano's had a 2-hour wait!) and a movie ("The Hunger Games"). I was flooded with calls, texts and Facebook messages that sure made this birthday girl feel loved and further put icing on the turning-30-cake :-) What a WONDERFUL day!
Then on Saturday my boys offered to take me on a shopping trip to the Allen Outlet Malls, where I went somewhat "hog-wild" for clothes to wear post-baby (hopefully)! We went to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings (had a gift card from Brett's birthday---I think I gained 10 pounds this weekend! oh well, just tack it on!) for some wings and Rangers baseball. That night, Brett grilled out fajitas for me and about 15 family/friends and their kids who came over to help me celebrate turning 30. No pictures of the group really, or myself for that matter...I just snapped ones of the kiddos having a grand ole time in the backyard. Another great day!
AND on Sunday, I was feeling VERY pregnant, so I relaxed and nested most of the day, while Brett cleaned out my car (it took him a LONG time, if that tells you how bad it was). I'm telling you, we could sell it right now it is that clean! 

I had such a wonderful weekend that I wish I turned 30 more often :-) No birthday blues here...I am so excited to see what the next decade (and next few days) holds for me and my family. And I am even more ecstatic that one of my boys will have a birthday close to his Mommy's!

You gotta be kidding me

Three weeks ago I was in Irving on a Tuesday morning for an all-day training. And Brett was in Houston. And Jameston was in daycare. Of all days to have horrible weather in the metroplex, it for some reason HAD to be this day. Lovely. Just what my nerves needed at 36 weeks pregnant! Thankfully I was in a hotel conference room being taught and not caught out in the hailstorm. And thank the Lord the storms went south of where Jameston was (I was calling up there like a mad woman, and checking the radar like crazy)! But my car did not fair too well...$3000 worth of damage later, the Santa Fe never looked so beat up!

Probably 200 hail dings all over the hood and top (even sides)

 The windshield got the worst end of it...and it was replaced last week, also while I was at work!

What is so miraculous is that with the 15 (or more) reported tornados from that day, no one was killed. God had many, many angels looking over everyone!