Week 2

It's hard for me to believe Will is 2 weeks old (actually he's over 2 weeks since I'm a slacker!). He is such a joy and a delight. He makes my heart so very happy!

• How old: 2 weeks
• Weight: We'll find out on Friday. He has a weight re-check with the best pediatrician on the face of the planet. I've warned Dr. Steele if he retires we'll be on his doorstep for our appointments. I'd rather pay him anyway instead of insurance.
  
• Sleep: We're holding strong with the great sleeping habits. I'm still waiting for the bottom to fall out. I will say the 3:30 feeding seems to take an eternity, but at least you go back back to sleep without too much fuss. You sleep most of the day away with occasional awake time pieced throughout.
• You poop a whole lot. Oh.my.goodness! You are one regular kid. We are going through diapers at an exponential rate. I should hit up Pampers and see if they'll send me some for being a loyal customer.
  
• You're slow at nursing, but I don't mind. I need to savor these moments. You will take a bottle, which I'm thankful for. You haven't received a lick of formula (not that I think it's bad), but I'm glad our nursing relationship is working out so well.
• You love to be snuggled.
• You're not a big fan of bath time, which I don't blame you since you can't be submerged in water yet.
• You sleep through the chaos known as Andrew and Zachary or Andrew and the Terminator.
• Your brothers love you and fight over who gets to hold you.
• You love to be swaddled.
• You're mighty beautiful. Your dark hair and blue eyes are mesmerizing. - Your eyes are still blue and the area right around your pupil is a nice shade of light blue. Lord, please. Your hair is slowly getting lighter and just like Andrew you have a hint of red to your hair. I have no clue where this comes from.
• You're starting to focus a little more with your eyes. You look my way when I talk to you.
• You've found your thumb on a couple of occasions.
• You love to be outside. The fresh air agrees with you (and me too).

Look What I Found

Someone has been working hard over the last week and finally found success. That makes 2 of my 3 monkeys who have a liking for their thumbs. Makes Robbie upset, but makes me happy. I love a thumb sucking baby.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Week 1

So far so good. Will has proven to be the most easy going baby. Robbie and I are waiting for the other shoe to drop because neither of the first 2 were easy. I prayed for an easy going baby. I hope the Lord heard my prayers.

I'm going to do my best to keep up with his stats and what he's doing via the blog because I failed miserably at keeping a baby book for Zachary and I'm pretty sure I'll fail at keeping one with Will. Thankfully I have the blog to remind me of the milestones of my kids.

• How old: 1 week
• Weight: at our check-up on Friday (8/19) you weighed 7lbs 5oz
• Sleep: You nap once in the morning, once in the afternoon, a small cat nap right before your daddy and I go to bed. You sleep from 11:30ish - 3:30/4:00 and 5:00/5:15 - 8:00ish. The times fluctuate a bit, but you really give us a decent amount of sleep. We've learned to feed you a bottle at the last feeding, which seems to hold you over nicely. Thank you for being good to us. Please keep up this pattern.
• You poop a whole lot. Oh.my.goodness! You are one regular kid.
• You're slow at nursing, but I don't mind. I need to savor these moments. You will take a bottle, which I'm thankful for. You haven't received a lick of formula (not that I think it's bad), but I'm glad our nursing relationship is working out so well.
• You love to be snuggled.
• You're not a big fan of bath time, which I don't blame you since you can't be submerged in water yet.
• You sleep through the chaos known as Andrew and Zachary or Andrew and the Terminator.
• Your brothers love you and fight over who gets to hold you.
• You love to be swaddled.
• You're mighty beautiful. Your dark hair and blue eyes are mesmerizing.
  

I love being your mom. I'm treasuring each and every moment because before I know it you'll be off to preschool and then big school.

Randomly Cute Pics

Bath time

All cozy and sleeping

I heart milk

Favorite past time: sleeping

Another favorite thing: milk

Will's First Visitors

Uncle Chris - we were supposed to share a birthday

Big Brother Zachary - can you tell he's excited?

Big Brother Andrew - he's super excited!

Aunt Lauren

Auntie Heather

Nonnie - AKA Non, Nonnie Boo

Aunt Kat and Aunt Mereme came to visit too, but Mommy forgot to get their pictures. I'm sorry. We'll have to get pictures at our next visit. Thanks to everyone who came and kept us company. We love you!

Delivery Day

Post contraction and the excitement of getting the "show on the road"

William Cooper Perry - known as Will or Coop depending on who you ask

One big boy!

He's got me wrapped around his finger

The "other" man in my life. I'm so blessed and so so in love.

Happy Birthday, Will!

Hopefully I won't forget any details in this post. As you can see from my weekly posts I never posted one for Week 39. There's a good reason for this. I started leaking fluid on Monday (38w 1d), went to the hospital only to be sent home. My doctor said the fluid I was leaking wasn't amniotic fluid and to keep an eye on things. I continued to leak this fluid all week long. With all of my pregnancies I leaked fluid and with Andrew and Zachary (his case a little different) it took the doctors quite a bit of time to determine the fluid was indeed amniotic fluid. She did do an ultrasound and was able to determine the fluid level was fine and she guesstimated Will to be at 6lbs 10oz. She wanted me to keep my scheduled appt. Anyhoo, my weekly doctor's appointment was on Tuesday (38w 2d). Everything appeared to be fine. The doctors did another ultrasound to check on the weight and fluid level. This time Will measured in at 7lbs 10oz (yes, a whole pound more than the night before). I already had a c-section scheduled for August 22nd if I hadn't gone into labor by my due date. When the U/S technician measured Will I knew right then I wasn't going to suffer another week and my doctors moved my c-section up a week. If I'm being honest I was really hoping to go into labor on my own. I had to be induced with Andrew and Zachary's pregnancy was a whole different ball of wax. The good Lord heard me because Sunday night (the night before my c-section) I started having contractions that progressed into something very painful. I called my doctor around 2:30am and told her what was going on. This time I was bleeding with the fluid and the contractions were about 8 min apart and lasted about 1 - 1.5 min each. She wanted me to come on in before we got past the point of no return. I was already scheduled to be at the hospital at 5:45, so what's a few hours? Boy, I'm so glad I did go in and didn't wait. I had already started progressing and the pain level was borderline unbearable. We arrived at Rex Hospital at 3:45am and the nurses and doctors wasted no time getting us ready for Will's arrival. By 5:11am William Cooper Perry was born and life has been that much sweeter. He weighed in at 7lbs 14oz, 20.25 inches. His measurements are the exact same as Andrew's measurements. He looks just like Andrew except he has dark brown hair and his eyes are the deepest shade of blue. I do hope they stay blue.

I may be speaking way too soon, but Will is a wonderful baby. I know the first few weeks babies sleep a lot, which he does, but when he is awake he is content and cuddly. He eats like a champ and then naps. Last night we put him down at 11:30pm, he got up at 3:30am, ate and went right back down until 7:30am (Zachary woke him up). He loves to kangaroo care and I'm happy to oblige him. I know this is the last baby for our family and I'm trying to enjoy every minute (good and bad). The boys absolutely LOVE him and fight over who gets to hold him and help change his diaper. It's wonderful knowing they love him. I hate that they fight over him, but it could be worse. I told my mom I prayed for a baby who was easy going, content, loving and all around easy. So far the Lord has answered my prayers. Either that or he's equipped me to deal with life so well that it feels like Will is a piece of cake.

I am completely in love with my little bunny. He is a piece of heaven here on Earth.

Pictures to follow in another post.

38 Weeks

Picture to come later. Too lazy to download. I look the same. Big belly and ready to pop.

Pregnancy Highlights

• How Far Along: 38 Weeks - August 14th will mark 39 weeks
  
• Size of baby: a leek - head to heel (6.8 lbs and 19.5 inches)
  
• Total Weight Gain/Loss: 20 lbs total
  
• Maternity Clothes: I can wear my maternity clothes. I'm trying to hang out in dresses because the elastic on the pants hurts my belly.
  
• Gender: BOY! William (Will) Cooper Perry
• Movement: Will is definitely a mover. He moves all day long. Is this a sign of what's to come?
  
• Sleep: I'm on the couch now usually starting around 3:00am
  
• What I miss: Running and Body Pump
• Cravings: Salads, Jersey Mike's sandwiches, soft drinks from a fountain and ice (pellet) - exclamation on the sandwich part.
  
• Symptoms:Carpal tunnel has my right arm/hand completely numb and in pain. My left arm/hand are just numb off and on. Toes swell by the end of the day or if I'm on them for too long.
  
• Best Moment this week: We are about to hit 39 weeks tomorrow. I've been lazy and also trying to get things together for next week. William Cooper Perry will be delivered Monday, August 15th at 7:45am via c-section.
  

37 weeks

I am 37 weeks - I am FULL TERM!!!

Pregnancy Highlights

• How Far Along: 37 Weeks
• Size of baby: a stalk of Swiss chard - head to heel (6 1/3 lbs and 19 inches)
  
• Total Weight Gain/Loss: 20 lbs total
  
• Maternity Clothes: I can wear my maternity clothes. I'm trying to hang out in dresses because the elastic on the pants hurts my belly.
  
• Gender: BOY! William (Will) Cooper Perry
• Movement: Will is definitely a mover. He moves all day long. Is this a sign of what's to come?
  
• Sleep: I'm on the couch now usually starting around 3:00am
  
• What I miss: Running and Body Pump
• Cravings: Salads, Jersey Mike's sandwiches, soft drinks from a fountain and ice (pellet) - exclamation on the sandwich part.
  
• Symptoms:Carpal tunnel has my right arm/hand completely numb and in pain. My left arm/hand are just numb off and on. Toes swell by the end of the day or if I'm on them for too long.
  
• Best Moment this week: We started our once a week appointments. C-section is scheduled for August 22 at 10:30am. My doctor is willing to give Will every opportunity to arrive on his own, but if he's not here by his due date he'll be evicted. I also stopped my progesterone shots this week. Who knows if they really kept me from going into preterm labor, but in 2 days I will be officially full term. Hurry up 37 weeks and hurry up Will!

Andrew - 1st day of 1st Grade

I think 1st grade has affected me more than Kindergarten did. It is really hard for me to believe my oldest child is really in the throes of school. Today marked Andrew's 1st day of 1st grade. How is that possible? I haven't really talked much about school, but this year we are giving our public school a try. We love Cary Christian, so please don't think our decision to leave is because the school is bad. It isn't. It's a wonderful school! Given where we live (daily trip to school, round trip was 48 miles), the cost of gas ($70.00 once a week), a new baby (due at beginning of school year) and a few other minor factors, Robbie and I decided (after much prayer) we needed to give our base school a try. We've heard nothing but wonderful things about Herbert Akins. The principal goes to our church, we have friends who requested their child be transferred to HA and friends who are already there and love it. HA has only been open for 2 years. 2011 starts it's 3rd year.

I'm excited and anxious about this year. I hope this year proves to be a wonderful year for Andrew and he grows by leaps and bounds. He didn't appear to be anxious about going, which is fantastic. His teacher assistant made his morning when she remembered him from "Meet the Teacher" night. It's the little things, friends. The little things. I cannot wait to pick him up at 3:45 today and hear all about his day. Please pray it went well and tomorrow will be even better.

More Birthday Pics

Brotherly love. Yeah, right!

Cousins

Andrew ready for his share of cake.

Happy Birthday to me!

His birthday present - a portable DVD player.

Can you say Veggie Tales??

A labor of love. I'll never work with fondant again.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Zachary!

On Saturday we celebrated Zachary's 3rd birthday. It's really hard for me to believe my youngest (and hopefully soon to be middle child) is 3. Where has the time gone? We don't have his 3 year check-up until September. I'll post his stats then, but here are some facts about OFZ.

In honor of your 2nd Birthday Zachary, here are some facts about you.

• You are wild!
  
• You talk NON-STOP!
• We affectionately call you the Terminator.
  
• You are obsessed with DVDs, CDs and electronics in general.
• Your speech is amazing. You are definitely a southern boy and it makes my heart oh-so-happy. For instance, we mentioned going to eat somewhere and you said, "That place is hurrible." Most of us pronounce the word as horrible.
  
• You will eat just about anything. You're not fond of eggs and tomatoes, but you will honestly try everything once.
  
• You like to rise early just like your older brother. It could be that he wakes you up in the morning.
  
• You mastered sleeping in your big boy bed pretty quickly. I don't have to fight you at nap time and bed time. THANK YOU!
  
• You call out to the whole house when you're awake. Heaven forbid we not know you're awake.
• You always come to my side of the bed and say, "Hey sweetie."
  
• You love to sing and often ask to listen to our praise CDs. Known as "getting our praise on".
• You are in love with Nonnie. Madly.in.love. I can totally understand it. I'm thankful he has a wonderful grandmother. You call her Non or Nonnie boo.
  
• You always run. Never walk. On the slim chance you walk, you're always holding my hand.
• You tattle on your brother, which I find hilarious. Nothing is a secret around you.
• If Andrew gets close to you, you make a hurrible velociraptor noise. It's rather annoying!
  
• You're doing well with potty training. We're not quite there yet, but we've made vast improvements.
  
• You love school and cannot wait to start the 3 year old class.
  
• You love to suck your thumb at nap time and bed time and your "tags" must be in hand.
• You're still a bean pole. You eat a ton, but your constant movement keeps you slim. You can wear 24 month clothes still.
  
• You are beautiful. There isn't one feature that is cuter than the other. You are perfect in every way. Your eyes and lashes melt my heart.
  
• You're tough as nails. I'm scared you'll really get hurt one day and we won't know it because your tolerance is super high.
  
• You like to ride on the lawn mower with your daddy.
• You want to play every sport we mention. You get upset that Andrew gets to play golf with Daddy now and you can't go. One day, buddy. One day.
  
• You like to take showers.
• You are a fish in water. You love to swim.
  
• You know how to answer the phone and talk to people.
• You don't know a stranger. You will walk up to anyone and introduce yourself. This makes me nervous.
  
• You can operate an iPhone. You've even been known to delete apps and call people.
• You know how to turn the TV on and operate the DVD player.
• You like to tinker with things and figure out how they work and/or put together. I think you'd make a fine engineer.
• You've been to Disney World more times than your age.
• You love the beach!
  
• You love going to church. I love that you love going to church.
• You give great hugs.
• You've taken a big interest in books. I love this about you.
  

I'm sure there is so much more. If I remember more I'll be sure to add it to the list. You, my little man, are more than WONDERFUL! You are perfect in every way. You make my life so very happy. I am completely amazed by how you have taken the world by storm and continue to do so on a daily basis. Your daddy, brother and I love you so much it makes our hearts burst. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Tae Kwon Do - Belt Ceremony

Prepare yourselves for a massive blog update. I've got a lot to share and it's happenin' now!

Andrew has really done well with Tae Kwon Do. He really wants to do well and works hard on the different exercises they do in class. This past week he tested to move from his yellow belt to green belt. He was awarded his green belt last Tuesday. During the belt ceremony a demonstration team from Korea performed for us. It was really amazing to see the stuff these people can do. The boys were amazed. Needless to say I expect one day my dishes, wood boards, apples and such will be flying through the air along with karate chops and kicks.