Seven

Seven is how many days I felt Monday lasted...and exactly how many hours we spent Monday night and into early Tuesday morning with Parker in the ER. It has been quite the week and I already feel like it is the end of the weekend, really only being Thursday afternoon. Not to mention that I am not sleeping well and have not this whole pregnancy...even with Ambien!

As you may have seen in my earlier post, we were pondering if we were going to take the boys out of their cribs. We were both in favor of keeping them "caged" as long as we could... for we knew the battles we would be facing. By Sunday, I had heard "thud" followed shortly by wailing enough times...otherwise known as one of the monkeys landing on their head on our hardwood floors=falling out of their crib. Enough was enough and we decided to convert their cages,err cribs, to toddler beds on Sunday evening. They did beautifully Sunday night...not a peep. I think I counted my chickens before they hatched...Monday nap time was a NIGHTMARE! They usually sleep from 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

They were like a bunch of freed jail birds....too much excitement and too much to do in their room. I think I must have been in there 10x during the course of 3 hours. They even got a spanking after me telling them to stay in bed one too many times. The final time I went in there....I think by the way I sucked the oxygen out of the room when I gasped...they knew they were in trouble. COVERED....from head to toe and everything in site...in Petroleum jelly! I was not too happy. Not to mention they had pulled EVERYTHING out of their drawers and had ransacked their closet. I had no idea we had Petroleum jelly in the house let alone in their room. My patience was thin and weary. They were cleaned up and promptly returned, yet again to their beds. I most likely spoke to them a little too harshly by the end of it. Finally they fell asleep for 40 minutes. In the mean time I called Chris and told him not to pass GO, not to collect $100 and to head home ASAP, my patience and discipline tank were dry. Luckily he walked in the door as they both awoke, crying and crabby. I didn't ever think my patience would run out like it did Monday...I felt awful for them, yet I didn't know what to do next.

Just when I thought we were going to sit down to a nice family meal...I actually cooked...Chris found an extra lump in Parker's groin area. He had been screaming since Chris got home and we couldn't figure out why. Two testicles and a 3rd lump, slightly discolored. As my luck had obviously run out much earlier...it was after 5 and the Dr's office was closed. I took supper out of the oven and asked Chris to pack me a bag...I just knew we were headed to the ER...Talk about a bad Monday!

As you can see, they were quite upset after nap time... I think they knew they were in trouble

I wish I could say I just laughed when I saw this...sadly I did not...one day I will!

Glad someone was having fun

Petroleum hand prints...still not coming clean

I was thinking, OK he has got a hernia...no big deal. I called my "on call" general Peds nurse Lindsey New... You just don't see these things in the Peds ICU and it has been 7 years since I have done general peds...she wasn't home:( So I decided to stop playing nurse and just be a mom...called the peds office and they sent us to the ER. They were thinking testicular torsion by the way the symptoms appeared...this would mean a transport up to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and emergency surgery. Thankfully, after 7 hours in the ER, they were able to rule this out. We saw the Pediatric Urologist yesterday, wed, and he confirmed it was a hydrocele most likely caused by an inguinal hernia. While not great news...it is much better than the alternative:) He is fine, not in any pain, playing like normal, and scared to death to have his diaper opened. Who can blame him? We are looking at outpatient surgery November 1 and then he will be good as new:)

Of course I have my camera with me at all times...it came in handy as a source of entertainment in the ER... he had fun seeing pics of himself. By this point he was calmed down and nothing seemed to be bothering him. We had to get an ultrasound to get pictures of the lump and they also wanted a blood flow study to make sure his male anatomy was getting the blood flow it needed to survive. With testicular torsion, the testicle twists and cuts off blood flow...thus requiring emergency surgery. Trying to get a 2 year old to lay COMPLETELY still for the blood flow...not so much. We tried giving him pain medicine and a "calming drug" called Versed by mouth. Usually versed is a wonderful drug. In the Peds ICU we called it "happy juice". We usually gave it IV and it makes you nice and loopy, relaxed and best yet gives you amnesia. You are fully awake...but won't remember anything. Um...not so much with Parker. It had quite the opposite effect, thus no more pictures. He did get loopy and then silly drunk. He was cracking himself and me up. I was laughing really hard b/c it was funny to see him this way. I guess I was comfortable with the drug and new this was normal. Until....he got REALLY angry, combative and aggressive. I have heard of the drug having this effect, especially in kids but had never seen it before. Maybe it is just with the oral version and I am used to using the IV? It took all my strength to hold him on the stretcher or in my arms. I fought with him for an hour before calling Chris to come help me. He had been at home with Peyton...we thought this was best for him. Thankfully a friend came over, as it was near midnight, to sit at the house while Peyton was asleep.

By the time Chris got there the effects of the drug were wearing off and he was calming down. Chris took him and got him to lay on the stretcher...he cried and asked where "brough" was. That made me sad. Parker does not like being without Peyton especially during sleeping time. Finally, after much prayer, he fell asleep and we were able to get the blood flow study done. He was so sweet sleeping on Chris. They don't cuddle like this anymore and Chris was loving it. I was too scared to take a picture for fear of waking him up. We got home around 2:30 Tuesday morning...what a day! We were so blessed to have so many friends lined up at a moments notice to help. Our neighbors with 4 kids of their own, friends from small group with 3 little ones and Chris' best friend and his wife were all ready to jump in at a moment's notice. We had Chris' mom on standby to come down from an hour away in case we were heading to surgery. Thankfully we did not need her. I did get some really cute shots of Parker "playing" in the ER. One look at him and I am sure many wondered what the heck we were doing there!

see my "amlance"

"firetruck, woo woo woo"

giving monkey some loving

doesn't he look so big laying in bed playing with his blocks and watching TV!

After the Versed wore off...he passed out hard...sure wish I could get some sleep like that!

TAG, I'm it!

So this is a first for me...here we go. My neighbor Sara tagged me...if you haven't checked out her blog, you should! She's got 4 amazing children, a wonderful family and oh yeah...she is a fabulous photographer. Call her today, clearly you are missing out. We just got our order back and I am in awe we are the people in the pictures! Anyhoo, back to the game of tag. 8 interesting facts about me....sorry it's not that exciting.

1- I love filling out paperwork/surveys. Really, I am not kidding.

2-Summer is my favorite season with fall taking a close 2nd (Tiger Football y'all)

3-I LOVE to read

4-I miss working with sick children and their families. I miss my ministry there and the challenge/learning that comes with post op pediatric cardiac nursing. Don't get me wrong...I love being at home with my monkey's, and the bean on the way...I just get an "itch" sometimes:)

5-Ice cream is my favorite food! I pick restaurants based on their dessert menu:)

6-I love doing laundry

7-I HATE unloading the dishwasher

8-Shopping is both therapeutic and gets me in trouble! I think it's my personal therapy...why pay a counselor $100/hr when you can just shop! After all, a cute top does wonders for a sad mood...and can be worn multiple times:) Sounds like I could really use that counselor!

Told ya it wasn't much fun:) If you find your name below, you've been tagged!

Kim Metzger
Heather Whittaker I know you are crazy busy...just in case you need a break from packing!
Catherine Goforth

And of course a picture...what fun is a post without a picture? That's all any one really wants to see anyway right?

An old favorite of mine...my three boys!

Ahhh, do you hear that?

That my friends is the sound of college football kicking off! What better way to get it started than an annual tailgating kickoff party. The New's held their annual Tiger Tailgate kickoff on Sunday, the day before the big game. The day before you may ask? Yes, you see there is no such thing as too much tailgating:) I believe this was the 4th year of their yearly event, however it is the first one we have made it to seeing that we have been in California for the past 3. It was wonderful catching up with everyone, many we have not seen in 3 years or since our student days! The addition of kids seems to have multiplied since we have been gone....kids everywhere! It's so good to be back in the South and even better to be back near Clemson... God's Country. Nowhere but the South do they do tailgating right! Mmmmm, there was Barbecue:) Something So Cal has not quite figured out...No not A barbecue, cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. You see, that my friends is a Cookout. Pig, people, we are talking about a PIG!!!! Oh it is soooo good to be back...Pigs, tailgating and Clemson...it doesn't get much better:) With the kicking off of football season, that only means one thing. Fall is just around the corner:) We sure did miss the changing of seasons out West in Cali...I can't wait to see the leaves change colors! Don't get me wrong... I am a summer girl through and through (I did love this about living in Cali, summer all year long). However, I did miss the fall ever year. Chris of course is in heaven... Clemson football and fall...his two favorite things. Glad to see The Tigers got off to a good start Monday night:) Hope we keep it up!

You see Par, this here is a big game tomorrow... we've got to be able to run and throw the ball if we are going to beat his old man.

Yea, Pey Pey...I see what you mean. Any good looking trick plays we can pull off? This is FSU we are talking about. Bobby, man he always has something up his sleeve!

Peyton courting on Tess
Uncle Greg sharing his chips with Parker

Catherine and her girls... I sure can't tell them apart:)

A family of Orange

Peyton and Da watching the fireworks

Peyton (right) signing "more" fireworks...Parker NOT loving it:)

Celebrating Labor Day

We had a very busy labor day weekend. As usual we packed the van and headed to the lake. The boys are always so excited to go see Hannie and Pa Pa (Chris' grandparents). What a great weekend to kick off the start of college football! Ahhhh, that just means fall is around the corner:) Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed your day off work.

Chris and Peyton catching some games on TV

Our barber hard at work
The oh so classic Parker face
Peyton helping Pa Pa make homemade Peach ice cream...mmm
Parker digging for some ice
Chris and I have started the conversation...is it time to take the boys our of their cribs? After this weekend.... NO IT IS NOT!!!!
Here is the room they napped in... IN their pack n plays mind you. Notice the unmade bed...it was nicely made before they got a hold of it.
I walk in to find this
and this....
How in the world did they do ALL this damage...yet never leaving their pack n play.... Nope, they are not leaving their cages, err cribs ANYTIME soon. The room looked like it had been ransacked by robbers looking for the one jewel they came to steal! Oh boys...can you at least turn it off at nap and bed time?

***2 hours after posting this, I hear what you only have to hear once to remember what it is...the sound of a head hitting hardwood floors and then SILENCE...followed by wailing. BOYS! you are making this impossible, now you are going to break your neck***

Touch a Truck

One of our favorite days was back this spring when Chris' mom and us took the boys to "Touch a Truck". It is held every spring just North West of Atlanta and is FREE to the public. It has every truck imaginable there. UPS, Firetruck, Ambulance, Mail, Domino's 18 wheeler refrigerated hauler, you name it...it is there. The best part is the kids get to climb in them, sit in the seat, crank it up, blow the horn....every little boys dream! Seeing that the boys are head over heals for trucks...we couldn't resist taking them. As we passed by they were so excited to see a firetruck. That is all the "talked" about from the time we parked the car until we saw it live. In one of the pictures below you can see Parker's lips pursed together....he is making the "woo woo woo" sound of the firetruck. They loved the trucks best from a distance. It took them longer than I thought to warm up to them up close. I know next year they will love it even more!

and ONE makes Three!

If WOW was your first response... you are not alone:) We were quite shocked at the news too. Clearly, it was in OUR plan to wait 2 more years.... funny how we even attempt to make plans of our own. We are, however, VERY excited to realize this is God's great plan for our family's life. We have found He has quite the sense of humor:) Two the first time around....now ONE two years "early". Yes, we have checked twice now. There is only one! Sooooo, instead of heading to Chick-fil-A seminar in February of next year to play with Mickey....we just may be heading to our local hospital. Our official due date is March 7th...but we are measuring 6-7 days further along on ultrasound....it just might be a big one! We are leaning toward another C-section and if that is the case we are looking at 38-39 weeks for delivery....right during seminar:( I have pleaded with the Dr. not to go for 2/29 which would be 39 weeks. No one wants that day for a birthday! We had planned on bringing the boys down after seminar was done and taking them to Disney....now we will be taking them on another ride of their life!

We should know by homecoming what the sex is! First things first....must know before tailgating:) This pregnancy so far has been MUCH different than before. Not sure if it is b/c there is only one, or that there might be pink bows in there. I have been awful nauseous this time and the insomnia is ridiculous. I was not sick one day with the boys and could nod off to sleep at any time. We shall see.

Now you can see why I have been posting old pictures and stories....not too much adventurous outings going on these past 12 weeks. We are excited and extremely thankful God has blessed us with another precious life to care for. It is a bit ahead of our schedule but we would not have it any other way. It reminds me of a verse I found in college. Proverbs 19: 21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. NIV Of course when it is good news, it is much easier to cling to this verse. I have found myself clinging to this verse when it isn't good news either...much, much harder but a glimpse of hope too.

Of course, most of our family is rooting for a girl. I think Chris' grandfather (Pa Pa) wants a girl worse than he wants his retirement! Hope we can give him one. I do love my boy's though and we are soooo in boy mode. We have the clothes, the toys...the mindset... we will know soon. It's a good thing we bought our mini van after the boys were born. Of the other options we were looking at....we would be in trouble now! Looks like we are well on our way to filling it up....it does have seating for 8!

Funny boys

As you can see by the clothes, I am still catching up on some favorite moments from this past spring. Peyton getting some love from daddy. Both boys absolutely love getting their back scratched. It is one of the only times you will find them sitting still.

What will these two monkeys think of next?

Those are some big shoes to fill!

They love playing in our closet...Parker brought me my boots and insisted that he wear them.

Then of course brother had to get in on the action.

Whew, this is hard work!

Sharing a cool treat with a friend

One of my mom's favorite things to do with the boys is buy them ice cream cones from
Chick-fil-A. Their icedream is wonderful and has quickly become the boys favorite. They always clap their hands together and ask for "Mo" (more). These are a few sweet pictures I captured of the boys sharing a cone. Amazingly, they would take turns each eating a bite. We have to coach them to eat from the top! The cone is their favorite part and they love eating from the bottom up...doesn't work so well.

They could only be patient for so long...eventually they both dug in!

Now that is some serious eating!

I love this shot of Peyton. I think Parker was eating a little too fast for him and he thought he was missing out.

Mess, mess! Remember what I said about eating from the bottom up!

New Friends

Wow! I am way behind. I have so many pictures from this spring I never posted...so many stories to be told. Not to mention that I still can not get the Picasa web albums to post:( Aghhhhh! Here are a few pictures of some new friends the boys have made here in the neighborhood. It's been fun watching the kids continue to play over the summer. I need to do a better job taking pictures:) Maybe if we finally stick around one town long enough, they will have these friends into high school. We shall see.

Our next door neighbor Ava. What a cutie! Somehow I missed getting a picture of her brother Jaxton. They both love coming to play and always bring toys to share.

Peyton taking in all the action

Parker loving Jaxton and Ava's battery operated tractor

Nope you aren't crazy, you are seeing double...twice! We have met a family with identical twin girls that are only 1 1/2 months older than the boys! What a blessing it has been getting to know the McMurry family. The boys love playing with Ansley and Charis. Carolyn and I love trading stories and finally having an understanding ear!

Peyton and ???? Now I know what you all feel like trying to tell the boys apart. I usually get the girls right in person...a picture is a whole different story. Peyton, such the ladies man... I think we might have to keep an eye on these two!

I love looking back at my childhood photos and seeing friends I had made. Many I still have today! I hope the boys are as fortunate as I was.

I'm so glad you're our neighbor!

FINALLY! We have pictures of the boys and of us as a family.... and I LOVE them! I have been wanting to have pictures of the boys made since they were babies. You know, the really sweet baby ones with the cute feet and chubby cheeks...professional ones that take the spot on the wall where your bridal portrait once hung. Two years later and we never got around to doing them. We just never felt like we could fork out the money in California and truth be known, I was too tired to attempt it. Looking back though, I have always regretted not having them done. They are only babies for a short while and you can only capture it for so long. We've done Target, JC Penny and of course Picture People. They have been OK, and we have bought them....but they were nothing special. You know...take my baby out and insert yours and you have the same picture and pose. I've always wanted to capture the boys personalities, especially as they have gotten older. This mostly is how we tell them apart...and oh yea....sitting for a posed picture is not an option. "All done" is often heard before you can get them both in the same spot. All this to say... they were quickly approaching two and I knew we were running out of time before another 2 years slipped by. I convinced Chris the time was now and set out to find a professional photographer. There are plenty in our area to choose from and I was having a hard time. Little did I know the answer was sitting in my backyard! Our neighbor and her kiddos were over playing in the sandbox and she promised to email me some info on neighborhood playgroups. Little did I know she was my answer! Underneath her email "signature" was the address for her blog. I pop on over and find the most amazing pictures. I quickly realize not only is she an amazing mom to four beautiful children...she is an extremely talented photographer. I couldn't believe it, it was perfect! She offers "a day in the life" sessions and will come to your house to capture you and your family doing life. Not only did the boys know her and thus wouldn't run away....but she could capture them running and playing and eating-everything they do best. No posing required:) So all this to say: check out Sara's blog ("Please, help a neighbor out" post) as she posted a few pictures of our session. It brought tears to my eyes. She captured the boys wonderfully. I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures. We had a hard time getting smiles out of Parker...well that is Parker. The picture of Chris and me on the bed with Parker is classic! The "Parker face" on Parker and Peyton having a grand ole time jumping on the bed in the background! I am excited to have pictures that capture the life of my boys at this age. Memories on paper that we can share with them and their families one day. Thank you Sara for sharing your talent and gifts with us. We are truly blessed to have you as neighbors. I can only hope and pray my boys turn out like your kiddos... happy, well behaved, and most importantly- full of life:) Thanks for being a model family for us. It's always so nice to have people in your life that have "been there and done that" and mostly, a family that is filled from head to toe with the love of The Lord. We have so much to learn. Make sure you stop by and check out my boys:) Her blog is great: tons of great pictures, fun family life and super funny stories of her kiddos.


Just one example of why we found a professional!
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