About Me

Texas, United States
I am a stay at home Mom from Oregon who has landed in Texas.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Stacie Eldredge Photography

I have this friend. She is amazing! She takes amazing pictures, she has a great eye for soft, natural pictures. She took our family pictures at the beginning of December and I somehow never linked up to them! See them here: Family pictures pre Wyatt.

She also came over (after a serious last minute call from me) to take some newborn pictures of Wyatt. She even came the day before she jetted off to Utah. I am ever so grateful for her coming then. We captured such a sweet age! See Wyatt's newborn pictures here.

And just in case I didn't link to them, you can also see the amazing shots she got of Wyatt in the NICU. I tell ya, she is a great friend (for more reasons that just the pictures, obviously), but these are memories I will cherish forever! NICU pics here.

If you are in the DFW area, I suggest you stop by her blog and check it out. Then schedule your photo session post haste!

One month: 4/22/11

Hopefully I can get a better picture next month! Little monkey wouldn't look at me!

Easter pics

We had such a fun Easter weekend! It was supposed to be the weekend Wyatt arrived, but he was already a month old. Grandma Lori was sick when Wy was born so we planned on her still coming (and spoiling us) for Easter weekend (but that is a whole nother post). I tried somewhat to get our clothes to match. These are the best of the pictures. Brady is in his new, serious. crazy. face. stage. And as you will see below, they are pretty funny, but not so much good for family photos!




His face in the below picture? Priceless. Funny enough to allow the picture to be posted, even with my triple chin!
Keith and my genes mix really, really well. Love this beatiful girl!
And a few fun jumpy pictures!

Surprise!!!

*I started this post in the hospital, and yes, it has taken me a month to sit down and finish. Such is life with a new baby, no?*

The best laid plans, right? All throughout my pregnancy I have been telling everyone that I wanted to wait to go into labor instead of scheduling a C section. I knew I was gonna have a C, but I wanted to wait to do it until Wyatt was ready to come out. Little did I know...

So Monday night (the 21st) after a long day Keith and I settled into bed pretty early due to a pretty big lineup of repair men and doctors appointments and carting kids to this school and that for the following day. Basically I was dreading Tuesday like no other. I think lights were off before 10 for sure. I  woke up around 12:30 and had to use the bathroom, but didn't want to because that meant traipsing through the house to go potty, seeing as how our toilet was ripped out of the floor the day before for repairs! As I laid in bed trying to talk myself into getting up I felt myself go a little bit. My first thought? Sweet. Pregnant lady wets the bed. *sigh* But, I couldn't stop it. And it happened a little bit more. FINE body. I am getting up. Sheesh.

So I waddled myself into my bathroom to check out the damage and clean up and as soon as the clothes started to come down, the liquid did too. Whoa nellie. Wasn't expecting that. Took me all of a half a millisecond to realize something big was happening. My. Water. Just. Broke. and broke and broke and broke. Seriously so much waters! (Which makes sense seeing as how at every doctors appointment they told me baby had plenty of cushion!) And it took me about five minutes to calm down long enough to realize..."hey, instead of letting my water break all over the floor, maybe I should get IN the shower." Ha! Had a good chuckle at that one.

So, since I was completely unprepared for what had happened, and Keith and I were pretty much out of it (seeing as how I woke him by yelling, "Um Keith?? I am pretty sure my water just broke!!") , the first thing I thought to do was call my friend Danielle. She is seriously my maternity whisperer. So she told me what to do (call the doctor, duh) calmed me down, and assured me she would take the kids. Ok, we can do this. Basically the next 30 minutes were spent cleaning up, packing the rest of my hospital bag (or at least what we could find and think of!) and waking the kids. It was crazy. And all during this I was still gushing. Eventually, through all the madness, we got everything packed, and together and in the car and on the way. Only thing we forgot was my pillow and clothes to wear after the birth, I even remembered my blankie!

Oh, and I should pause to mention that the kids were such troopers! We had to wake them up, and pack them in the car in the middle of the night. Brady was so sweet, once he realized what was happening he said, "Wyatt is coming tonight!!" They were very cooperative, especially since we seriously hadn't talked about what we were going to do when the baby came AT. ALL. They had no prep! In all of our minds Wy wasn't coming for another month!

After we dropped the kids off at Danielle's (serious. life. saver.), we headed over to the hospital, they took us straight up to triage and there I got all settled while they got in touch with the on call doc (who told me, "oh, I remember your call! I was hoping you would just come in, because your message cut off" Not surprising since I was probably freaking out while leaving the message!) . Oh, and all through this I was still draining! (SUCH a weird feeling. Like someone turned a faucet on inside of me)

So much happened the next three hours. I finally finished draining, which brought on contractions (not so much fun, those) which prompted the doc to go ahead and do my C then (instead of waiting for a more reasonable hour of the day). I was surprisingly calm the whole time, probably somewhat of a chatterbox because I was in such shock! The worst pain was the IV (3 tries this time), and then they wheeled me into the operating room, sat me up for my spinal (way less freaky this time) and soon it was time to take him out! I honestly love the pressure that you feel when they are moving the baby out, because you are so numb you can't feel anything else! I asked Keith if he was watching and he said he started too, but since it was 3 in the morning and he had no food in his belly, he thought it best to look away as they cut his wife's stomach open (sounds like a good plan).

At 3:37 am on Tuesday, March 22nd our little baby, Wyatt Ernest Bowers was born! He was 5 lbs. 4.6 oz, 18 inches long. And seriously amazing! What an unexpected, amazing adventure that night turned out to be!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Woot!

We finally have Internet in the house! I have so much, so very very much to write about! Crazy things have happened since we have moved into the house. Not the least of which is that we had Wyatt one month early!

So soon, be on the look out for posts about the new place, the new babe, and all the stress that has accompanied those things.

It's been a wild and wonderful last few weeks, that is for sure!

Friday, March 18, 2011

It's time

As I sit here at the computer, giving my hips a brief rest, and fighting off tears, I realized...I am gonna miss this house. I really am! So much has happened, and so much growth has taken place inside these walls. It was our first house. I clearly remember the excitement of moving out of an apartment to a place with our very own yard! and garage! and 3 bedrooms! and bookcases as far as the eye can see!

It's quiet now. The house is pretty much a shell filled with boxes and furniture. Keith is gone taking a van load of odds and ends to the new place. The kids are both fast asleep, in their naked rooms, ready to wake up early and play at a friends. Not really grasping that this is it. The last night in their special rooms, their first rooms. That the dinner so lovingly prepared by a friend was the last dinner. That tomorrow it will all be gone, whisked away by friends and family off to a new place. With new beginnings.

Natalie told me that she already misses this house, that the new place doesn't feel safe. That it's...different. I told her it would become safe when we are in it. We will make it comfortable and turn into into a HOME and not just an empty shell of a house. But I get exactly what she means. We have a routine here. It's all we've known for 2 years. Pretty much all Brady really knows at all. It will be hard to leave. Harder than I thought it would be.

I know that soon the sad feelings will pass. When the boxes start getting unloaded and the walls filled with pictures. But right now I wonder why, with every new and exciting thing, does there always seem to be a bit of sadness mixed in? I assume part of it is my maternity hormones kicking in to full speed, but I know that a part of it is the moving on. Growing up we moved a lot. A LOT. And every time it was hard. Hard to leave friends, and familiar streets. Hard to meet new people, and be the "new kid" again. I am so grateful, so very very grateful my kids don't have to change schools. That would be too much. I don't know how I ever did that so many times as a child.

I guess this post has no real point. But I want to remember how I felt. That I did love it here. This house was good to me, and good to my family. And now we get to move to a house of our very own, and I hope it will treat us just as well.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

today

5:30 am: get awoken by Natalie saying she is hungry and can we get up now.
5:31 am: tell her to go back to her room and DO NOT come out until at least 6. for. the. love.
6:00 am: go get Natalie and head to the kitchen to cook my food and start getting everyone up and ready for the day, lunch packed, hair done, clothes put on, check blogs and fb, etc.
6:45-7:15am: proceed to melt down with tears and general hysterics over the rude responses and mean looks being exchanged between kids and directed at me. Make the kids sad because I am sad. Meh. Maybe seeing Mom cry over their meaness will make it stop? One can only hope.
7:15 am: kneel down for family prayer, asking for patience and kindess and obedience and the like. Can't we all just get along?
7:20 am: out the door and off to take Nat to school.
8:00 am: arrive back, send Brady to his room to play, hop in the shower.
8:15-8:45: rush around frantically trying to get B dressed, myself dressed, my hair actually dried and styled(a sure cure for some morning blues) and out the door for preschool.
9:00 am: drop Brady off for preschool, head to Target for prescription pickup, a few things for the baby, a gift for a birthday girl, a 12 pack of Diet DP.
9:45 am: off to first Doc appt. of the day. *sigh*
10:15 am: pee in a cup, get to see the baby, listen to the nutritionist tell me how to read the labels, listen to the doc tell me that my blood pressure is a bit high (first time ever for that) and that I need to cut down on activity. ha. hahahaha. ha.
11:15 am: head to Home Depot to set up an appointment for a window guy to come and measure our windows for an estimate.
11:30 am: Talk to very nice man about our options for window coverings.
11:45 am: Cry a little inside at the guesstimate costs of putting shutters and/or blinds on all of our windows.
12:00-12: 30 pm: fill out paperwork, blah blah blah. (wonder if we really NEED window treatments, I mean, who cares if the neighbors can see our every waking and sleeping move...)
12:40 pm: Leave store with an arm full of temporary shades and a slightly lighter pocketbook.
1:00 pm: pick up Brady from preschool, rush home to get him some food, use the bathroom for the 20th time today, and sit down for a few seconds.

and here I am. Still to come?

2:15 pm: Second doc appt, this time with OB. The last of the in and out appointments. Next week? Pelvic exams begin. Yay.
3:00 pm: pick up Natalie from school.
3:30 pm: plop kids in front of the boob tube and curl up in my bed for some rest (see previous mention of cutting down my activity)
5:00 pm: prepare dinner...oh man. Dinner! What on Earth are we gonna eat for dinner....
6:30 pm: kids in bed. or. else. Seriously.
7:00 pm: turn on MY boob tube shows and hopefully start chipping away at packing the kitchen.
8:00 pm: glance up to welcome Keith home. Maybe a hug, if he's lucky.

We shall see how late I last.

*sigh*

Oh yeah, and I still need to unload/load the dishwasher and fold the whites sitting in the dryer. There's time for that, right?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

seven.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

random Brady

Yesterday Brady says to me, "Mom, we are having a baby soon, and moving into a new house, and I just turned 5 and Sissy's birthday is coming up! That's 4 miracles!" He is just too sweet. These kids are so darn excited for the baby. Brady is constantly saying he is much more excited for Wyatt than for the new house, and then quickly reassures me he is also excited to move.

Right now he is in his room making his bed and cleaning his toys so he can check off some boxes on a little chore chart they sent home with him from preschool. I think I need to jump on that excitement and make a chore chart for the new house. I mean he is So. Excited. to put a check in that little box! 5 can be such a great age, but it's also hard because he is truly transitioning from a toddler to a child.

I think Natalie forgets sometimes that Brady has his own imagination too, it will be good for Brady when the baby comes because I think we will all start to view him as a kid, not "the baby". We haven't had any teary moments lately where he cries to me that he doesn't want to grow up, and wants to be my baby forever. Those are heartbreaking, and I always reassure him that he will ALWAYS be my baby. If only we could keep them small and sweet forever.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

life

1. I think I am slowly losing my mind. You know when you go to the grocery store and you think, "do we have any of this at home?" and you hem and haw until you buy it, and you get home and low and behold, you DID have some of it at home? I keep doing that with tortillas. I think I have about 50 tortillas in my fridge. Seriously. We also have far too many cans of diced green chilis, but at least those aren't gonna spoil on me!

2. Natalie is currently in her room listening and singing along to Taylor Swift. Granted it's not the newest CD, full of songs about her current and past relationships, but still. Hold me.

3. Brady told me he is WAY more excited about Wyatt than the new house. I agreed with him. I can't believe we've only got 6 or so weeks left. And between now and then the amount of work that needs to get done is insane. I try not to think about it. I know it will get done though. I am pretty great when I procrastinate.

4. My girlfriends and I have been on this amazing crafty kick. It's certainly fun and keeps my mind engaged. I feel like if I don't do something where I have to think on some level or another I start to get blue. It's hard to fill blue when you are in a house full of amazing women and adorable kids. I wonder what our next project will be...

5. Danielle and Karen threw me my first ever baby shower last week. I about died. They did so so much, and I loved every bit of it. D wrote up a whole post here, aaand since I am too lazy to steal the pics you can go there to check it out. I can't believe I never had a shower with the big kids. Makes me sad. I think I may be getting another one for Wyatt though (spoiled? yes!), so then I will consider myself properly baby showered!

6. This house thing is like, really happening. IN. SANE. I drove by today and I saw that they had started fixing some of our requests (putting the storm windows and screens back on) and it's super exciting. Packing is going, slowly, but going. I am kind of an expert at it by this stage in my life. I have moved far more times than any person ever should.

7. Peanut Butter and Dill Pickle Sandwiches. Seriously. These are my new best friend. It's not even a pregnancy craving thing, they are just good. It's like the ultimate in salty/sweet combo and you MUST try it. At least once. Get your favorite bread, thinish layer of PB on both sides, and then a few slices of dill pickle in the middle. I get the pre-sliced pickles and it takes 3. Oh my goodness. It's so fun, and so good, AND GD approved! Yay!

8. I have started packing my hospital bag. Too early, probably. But, I don't want anything that I may need in the hospital to get packed and then not unpacked in time. Plus I found a cute bag at a recent trip to Sam Moon with Sarah, and I couldn't just let it sit there empty! Any tips on what I should take? I don't want to forget anything! So far I have a potential first outfit, a bunch of teeny socks, my little toiletry kit for Wyatt, the first blankie I bought him, and I think that's it. I need to get some cute slippers or socks for me, regular clothes will go in right before we leave. But what else do I take for baby?