Future Cooks

The boys enjoy helping David make dinner. Tonight on the menu was meatloaf, onion roasted potatoes, and good ole' mac and cheese!

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was quite busy! Having our early present with us it added an extra bit of fun. We had a wonderful time at Grandma Mata's and Grammy's house. Jacob didn't care for opening gifts up (weird, I know!!), so Austin had the pleasure of doing it for him. He was in present heaven!!

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours! :)

Baby Tres is here!!

We added our THIRD boy to our family and couldn't be more proud!

Isaac David was born on December 20, 2008 at 8:58am.
He weighed in at 7lbs, 6.7oz and 19.5in long.
He has a head full of dark brown hair.
He is very well loved by his two older brothers, Austin and Jacob.

We went to David's company Christmas party Friday night. I was having contractions the whole time (must have been walking in heels for 5 hours! LOL). They started out every 15-20 minutes and by the time we went to pick up the boys from Mary's house they were about every 10 minutes apart. I didn't think I was in labor at this point, because they didn't hurt. We got home and put the boys to bed. Not but 20 minutes later (as we were getting into bed) I was telling David that I think we need to head down to Clear Lake. I'm really good with timing! LOL I got our bags together as David got the boys up and we all headed on down to the hospital. At this point my contractions were ranging from 6-11 minutes apart...still not hurting as bad as the boys did. We got to the hospital an hour later and I was 3cm/70% effaced/0 station. I was still contracting every 6-11 minutes. My mom got there and graciously took the boys to my grandparents house, so they could sleep (it was about 2am at this point). An hour later I kicked into transition labor and had a good labor pattern of contractions every 3-5 minutes. At this point I went ahead and got my epidural since I knew my labors are fast (my contractions were mainly in my lower back as well). My water broke around 6am. At 8:15am I was still only 3cm. I was getting nervous by this point hoping my body would kick into gear. At 8:30am I felt enormous pressure. Nurse checked me and hello I was complete! That's the fastest progression from 3-10cm ever! LOL She told me not to push since baby's head was right there (she was getting the doc up there for delivery). The doc got to my room and we did a few pushes...then out popped our third precious baby boy! Everyone cheered in the room and we instantly fell in love with him.

Here are pics:











He knows his number (Tres) already!!


For the baby guessing game my friend Alison won (she nailed the date)!! I came in 4th and David came in 6th. Not too bad! Here are the top ten guesses:

Rank
1 Alison - - 114.83
2 Lindsayg - - 202.67
3 Jeannie - - 205.17
4 Jenny - - 454.83
5 Kaley(Kalel) - - 472.42
6 Dave - - 529.83
7 Stori - - 611.83
8 Michelle - - 769.08
9 Ashley - - 772.33
10 Pernille - - 788.25

Jeannie - I told you that your guess was a good one! :)

Results and Parties

Jake's results are back and everything is normal!!!!! We are very relieved. The neurologist said 6 out of 10 kids will have an unprovoked seizure (meaning not caused by a high fever, low blood sugar, etc) once in their life. He seems to think he is in the 60%. There is no evidence of epilepsy as of now. If he has another seizure, then we start back at square one and will have to do more tests. We are praying that doesn't happen again! Thanks for all the prayers!

We had David's Christmas party tonight at a country club out in Katy. It was beautiful! There is, of course, much more to this story! ;) To give you a hint...I went into labor at the party. I started having contractions when we were having drinks (well, the boys were, not me!) at a sushi bar before the party. Well...and the rest you will have to wait for! :)

Ironically enough...David picked my delivery date for the 19th. He knew his Christmas party was going to do the trick for me! 5 hours in heels will do it for sure! ;)

Best Friends

I decided to bring out my camera while the boys were playing outside (it was a chilly 41 degrees outside!). I love how well they get along. They truly are inseparable and love each other very much. I couldn't ask for better loving boys...they are the sweetest kids. I hope Tres joins in their circle without a hitch!

Jake's EEG and Tres 37 week appt

We had Jake's EEG done today and it went much smoother then we expected! They had a room that was decorated like a kid's bedroom. They placed him on the bed and put the EEG leads (all 27 of them) on his head. They then turned down the lights and played soft music. David got Jake to lay down on the bed and within a few minutes he was asleep! Yep, it was that easy. They did the test (about an hour long) and he did very well. We find out the results on Friday.

I had my 37 week OB appt and my belly was measuring at 39 weeks. That's exactly where my belly measured with Aus and Jake right before I delivered them (Aus I was 39 weeks and Jake I was 38 weeks). It will be interesting to see if the trend continues!! Tres looked well and I have gained 30 pounds. Here are also some belly pictures that I took...maybe my last set of ones?!

Baby Tres' Bee-tiful Nursery

Here is the nursery that I designed and David put together! He worked VERY hard on putting in the chair rail, crown molding, painting, etc. It looks amazing and I can't wait to add our new addition to our family!

Thank you so much David for the perfect nursery!!!

Appt Updates

Jake's appt - The technician who does the EEG's called in sick (we think that she took a snow day, LOL) so we had to reschedule it for next Wednesday (UGGH!). The neuro pedi did give him a prescription for Valium to use if he has another seizure. So that made me feel a little better. I will have to update again next week...I wish I had answers...

My appt - I had my ultrasound and Baby Tres weighs in at about 6.5-7lbs!!! WOWZA! Yes, at 36 weeks Tres is about 7 pounds. Because Tres' head is engaged in my pelvis already they couldn't get a good estimate of the head. So that's why the weight varies. If I make it to my due date Tres will weigh about 11lbs (babies typically gain a pound a week after 36 weeks). I don't know how I make these big babies?!? I am still 1-2cm, so no change there. My belly was measuring at 38 weeks, so bigger then normal as usual.

We both have our next appts on Wednesday, so I'll update again then. Hopefully with GOOD news for Jake! Thanks everyone for thinking of him!

When we were leaving Jake's appt David spotted Endeavor being piggy backed (assuming they were stopping at Ellington). So I grabbed my camera and snapped away:

Snow in Houston - 2008

At around 2-3pm I happened to look out the window and to my amazement I saw SNOW coming down from the sky!! I opened the door and the kids went running outside to see what was going on. We ran back inside to get dressed...Austin was giddy with excitement. By the time we got back outside it was coming down much thicker and faster. Austin had a BLAST playing! He kept trying to eat it by sticking his tongue out. Jake on the other hand didn't know what to think of the snow. He couldn't understand why Austin was so happy! lol By night time we had snow covered on our roofs, grass, cars. David went out and bought a Christmas tree and we had a nice family time putting that up with it snowing outside!

It's pretty rare that Houston gets snow (and I mean snow, not just sleet or flurries)...I think typically it's once or twice a decade. So far it has snowed with 2 out of 3 of my pregnancies. If you remember our White Christmas 2004 I was pregnant with Austin. I am convinced that snow is attracted to me being pregnant! ;)

I'm free!

Today I am 36 weeks (9 months) pregnant and off of full bed rest and medication to stop my ctx's! I've never been more excited to get up and do house work! :) David finished the nursery this past weekend and I will get pictures up soon - he did an AMAZING job!! I'm fair game now, so if I go into labor there is no stopping me now. I can't wait to meet Baby Tres!

I wonder if we'll have a Christmas baby?!

Appt Updates

Mine - I had my 35 week appt today and everything is looking great! My cervix is still the same, so no changes there. My belly is measuring ahead, as usual. Baby's heart beat sounded wonderful! I have gained 22lbs so far, which I thought being on bed rest for 2 weeks would have made me pack on the weight. We scheduled an u/s for next week to see how big Tres is (since at 33 weeks he/she was about 5lbs!).

Jake - We saw Jake's regular pedi today and she confirmed that he had a tonic-clonic seizure. Basically meaning that he went unconscious first (and stopped breathing) then went into the seizure. She referred him to a pedi neurologist that we'll see next week. So far he has been great though...no seizures and hopefully it stays that way!

We both have appt's next Thursday, so I will update both of those then!

Jake needs your prayers...

As some of you know Jake had an episode today where he stopped breathing and had a seizure. We are very lucky to be just a few blocks away from the fire station (it's right outside of our neighborhood), so the ambulance was here within just a minute or two. They took him to North Cypress Hospital (5 minutes away) where they stabilized him. They did blood work (all which came back normal) and a CT scan of his head (also came back normal). Since it was an extended holiday weekend they did not admit him for further tests. Instead we are going to get him into Texas Children's to see a pediatric neurologist. We have an appt with our regular pedi on Tuesday and will keep everyone posted. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

This was the short version...if anyone wants to know the long version just email me!

Update on Jen and Baby Tres

I am home from the hospital (still pregnant with Tres)! Some of yall know I've been hospitalized this week due to pre term labor. I started contracting every 10 minutes around 6am on Tuesday. I took my Brethine pills to help stop them, but they weren't stopping. I called my OB and went down to Clear Lake for observation to see what was going on. When I arrived they put me on the monitor and I was contracting every 3-5 minutes and in a lot of pain. They checked me and sure enough I was 1-2cm dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby down low at a -2 station. They immediately wheeled me into a room for admission and started my IV. They put me on Magnesium Sulfate IV (this is your heavy duty labor stopping medication) and gave me steroid shots to help develop Tres' lungs quickly in case he/she delivers early. The next couple of days are kind of a blur to me, because the way the Mag Sulfate made me feel (it knocks you out, makes you feel horrible and drowsy). My contractions never fully stopped, but they got them down to just 2-3 an hour. They finally decided to take me off the Mag and put me on another medication (something I could take at home). The new med (Procardia) worked much better on me and I hardly have any contractions at all now. My doc felt comfortable sending me home on Procardia and me being on complete bed rest. Yes, that's right. I can only get up to go to the restroom and shower until I am 36 weeks. Then I can come off of the med and bed rest! David has been wonderful setting everything up with the boys and making sure they are taken care of. He's set up their arrangements for when he has to go back to work next week and he's doing a great job with house work - what a wonderful man!

They did an ultrasound while I was there and the baby weighs about 5lbs - yes at 33 weeks!!! I don't know how, but I seem to be able to grow some big babies!

I want to thank my amazing mother in law, Marilyn, for watching the boys while I was in the hospital. It really helped us out and the boys are still talking about all the fun they had! :)

David's Birthday

We celebrated David's 32nd birthday today! I got him the new Blackberry Curve phone. He is loving it! His old phone was outdated and only worked when it wanted to, so this is a nice upgrade for him. During the day he took Austin to work with him (since he only works half days on Friday's). Austin LOVED hanging out with daddy, meeting all of his friends, and helping color code highway design plans. For dinner we went out to eat with David's family at Tokyohana's. It's a Japanese restaurant (one of our faves) where they cook the food in front of you as a show. Well, the boys didn't care too much for the flames! Austin did ok, but Jake SCREAMED the entire time. Note to self: Jake won't be a fire fighter when he grows up! ;)

Halloween 2008

The boys (or should I say Batman and Robin) had a fun-filled Halloween! During the day we went to our play group's Halloween party down in Clear Lake. The boys got to see their friend's all dressed up! Then after dinner we did the usual neighborhood trick or treating. It was sure different then our old neighborhood though (our old neighborhood in Friendswood didn't have many houses with kids). We weren't expecting a neighborhood full of kids and activities...it was a lot of fun! Batman stayed behind with me to hand out candy and Robin went trick or treating with David. All the boys on our street went in one group and the girls all went in another group. Even though Austin is one of the younger ones he had no problem keeping up! The bigger kids made sure he was up front at every door so he didn't get left out...what sweet kids! After a couple of hours trick or treating they all came back to the culdesac and played football. Austin and Jake played until they about passed out! lol Here are some pictures:

My halloween "costume" at the play group party - the shirt says "I'm so crafty, I make people":


Austin practicing his scare moves:


Batman:


Robin (he wanted to be Robin, because red is his favorite color):


The boys getting their hands on my candy:


Batman helping me pass out candy at the house:


The boys (and one of the girls) of our street:


Friday night football, Halloween style: