My Year in (Pictures) Review: Goodbye 2009!!

My Year in (Pictures) Review: Goodbye 2009!!

January 2009: Zoe is going to be a big sister!

February 2009: Cyst or Possible missed Twin?!

March 2009: Nick turns 32! & Zoe is a soccer girl! & Spring Break!

April 2009: It’s a GIRL!!! Ava is on her way!

May 2009: No pictures from this month for some reason... hmmm....

June 2009: Zoe writes her name for the first time!!

July 2009: Can you say BEACHED WHALE?

August 2009: A baby shower and tea party!!

September 2009: Ava Cloee Wade is born!

October 2009: Zoe turns 4 & Nick and I celebrate 5 years of marriage! & Ava is one month old!

November 2009: Ava is TWO months old!

December 2009: First Christmas as a Family of 5! Ava is three months old!

As 2009 has come to an end, all I can think about is how grateful I am to have what I have. A wonderful husband, healthy children, my own good health and a good job. This past year hasn’t been easy, actually it’s been extremely hard. But it’s over and I made it through. I hope 2010 turns out as great as 2009 has been. See you all in 2010!!

3 months and no blogging

Has it really been three months since I blogged about, well, anything?! I guess I should catch you up on life from the past 3 months... Or not, If I had time to do that I would have already!! So instead of catch up, I'm going to blog about today!

Today, Ava is THREE MONTHS OLD!! Can you beleive it?

She is a 1/4 of a year old. She has grown soo much and has really stolen all of our hearts!She weighs 12lbs some odd ounces. She still has BEAUTIFUL blue eyes!! (and the Dr. thinks they will stay blue!) See:

She is super long.

She absolutely HATES tummy time!

She has recently discovered her hands and how yummy they are. She has also discovered her voice and how to growl!!
Ava caught her first cold last week and had to miss two days of school. But the dr. said it was just a virus and we have to wait.it.out - BLECK!! The three words a mother never wants to hear. She is starting to feel better. She is such a good baby. She usually goes to bed around 9:30-10:00pm and sleeps until 6am. Granted she may wake up around 3am to have a snack. :)

We all love her sooo much and look forward to watching her continue to grow and learn!

Two Months...

One Month Old

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Wade Family proudly presents our newest addition…. Ava Cloee Wade!!!

Ava graced us with her presence on Monday, September 21, 2009 at 7:25 pm. She weighed 7lbs 7oz and is 20.5 inches long.

It feels like the past week has been a big blur! Sunday night, I remember telling Nick that I was so ready to just have my baby here and she could come whenever she wanted. I sat on the couch talking to Ava in my belly, I told her that she didn’t have to wait any more and she is more than welcome to join our world whenever she was ready, but no pressure. Little did I know it would be the next day!! So here’s how it all happened… Monday morning at around 3:30am I was abruptly awakened by contractions that I had never before. (I didn’t feel any of this with Zoe because my water broke and I had an epidural) I tried so hard not to wake Nick up, but I couldn’t help but grab his hand with every contraction I had… They weren’t consistent and very random. I tried to lay in bed and tough it out but I just couldn’t lay there and wait for a contraction to happen… So I took a shower and decided I would google a bit about contractions and early labor. (It had been 4 years since I had this class so I needed a refresher as to what was going on) So I started timing the contractions, 18 mins, 3 mins, 20 mins, 16 mins…. And so on. I finally was able to relax and sleep for a few hours, then 6 am rolled around and I wanted so badly to stay home however my replacement/trainee was scheduled to start training and I couldn’t just call in on her first day of training. (I could have, but didn’t) So off to work I go… I had contractions all day, but still nothing consistent. I called the dr. and he said to keep timing and if they get 5-10 mins apart then go to hospital…. Well, they steadily got stronger but were not consistent. I trained (half assed due to contractions) all day, but when 4:30 rolled around and the contractions were 12-16 mins apart, I had to get home… I called Nick and told him what was going on and that I was going home to get Zoe and would continue to time them out and if they get worse or closer together, we would be going to the hospital. (My mom was headed to the house just incase we had to go) So I get Zoe at daycare at 5:25pm and get home, at this point they were coming more frequently, I wasn’t able to time them as I was busy getting her and trying to get her situated. We got home, I got Zoe settled in, I took a shower to try to relax but at this point the contractions were 5 mins or so apart and We NEEDED to go. (My mom showed up while I was in the shower and loaded up everything and Zoe) So my mom called Nick and told him it was time to meet us at the hospital and we were off…

Quick Side Note: Zoe was a great support the whole time, she kept saying ‘It’s ok mommy, we are going to the hospital and you will be better’, I truly have the best kid ever!!

We got to the hospital at 6:18pm, I was triaged and checked in (thank goodness for pre-registration) I was dilated to 6cm when we got there…Nick showed up seconds after we did. They got me all hooked up and in an L&D room, checked me again and I was 7 cm. I asked for an epidural but when they checked my to make sure I could still get one, I was already to 8cm…. To late!! No Epidural for me!! I had contemplated going without medicine with this one, but that quickly went out the window. Apparently, Ava and my body didn’t feel the same way!! I didn’t think I was strong enough to do it, I have no tolerance for pain. I’m a Wuss!! But I somehow did it and I felt it all, and oddly enough the labor pain wasn’t the worst part, the contractions were! I yelled and screamed so loud that everyone could hear me in the waiting room (I was the only one delivering) and Zoe was terrified because her mommy was in pain. My water still hadn’t broken at this point and they were waiting to make sure my doctor and everything was set up in the room to break it because it would go so fast afterwards… So everything is ready, and my doctor breaks my water and my body told me to push, however the doctor told me to breathe through them, WHAT?!? Breathe through them? How? Why? I want to push!!! I couldn’t breathe through the contractions, I NEEDED to Push!! So I did and within 5-6 good pushes Ava made her debut!!! They laid her on my chest, She cried and whimpered! And nothing else mattered, the pain went away and it was just me and my new baby girl. She was perfect, all cheesy, bloody and oddly colored. She was mine and I was hers. Ava Cloee had stolen half of my heart within second of being born. (Zoe has the other half) Everything after that was pretty textbook. I had to have two stitches, they cleaned me up and cleaned her up. Surprisingly enough, I felt really good for just giving birth!

Nick and I decided that Zoe would be the first person to hold her. She was so excited to see her and to make sure that mommy was ok. The minute Nick and Zoe sat on that couch and Zoe saw her new best friend, I knew I was in for trouble. Zoe fell in love with her new baby sister, just as mommy had. Then everyone else (My Dad, Suzanne, Matt, Shane, Grandma Sharon, Grandma Ruth and Aunt Sandy) came in and saw our little one. Zoe immediately came over to me, got in bed and asked if I was ok? She said that I scared her cause she could hear me crying and she didn’t want me to be sad! (I truly love her) I reassured her that I was much better now that both of my girls were here with me and that I loved her very much! Ava had to be whisked away to the nursery for her first bath and all that fun stuff, so her entourage followed after her. Nick and Zoe escorted her down the hall and watched to make sure that little sister was ok. The nurse helped me get situated and moved to my postpartum room and I got some quiet time before everyone came back. I am a mommy of two! I gave birth without meds!!! I have a beautiful new baby girl!

So fast forward to now… We are home and everyone is happy! Zoe is all about kissing and hugging her little sister! Nick and I are in awe of our beautiful children. Nick has been really helping out with all the around the house stuff and keeping Zoe occupied, so I can tend to Ava. But I’m trying to give him some Ava time and get my own time with Zoe too. I know we are only on day 3, but so far so good!!

I feel like Ava’s birth was a whirlwind event, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. She is so calm and chill, for now. She hardly cries, she loves to cuddle up at my neck. So far she is very low maintainence, but we are only on day 3!!

I will try to keep everyone posted on how we are doing and the adventures of Zoe and Ava over the next 6 weeks. (Zoe is staying home with me while on maternity leave) Until then, I hope everyone has a great week!!!

Take Care,
Stefanie

We welcome with love...

Library

This weekend I decided that Zoe needed to experience the local library and we needed to get a library card. So on saturday, after our stop at the donut shop we headed to the library to see what was going down. Zoe was in book heaven!!! She wanted to read every book on the shelf. It was really cool to watch her face light up when I told her to pick a book... We really didn't have any particular book in mind.. I just sort of guided her to books I thought she would like. She picked two books, Brave Charlotte and Beverly Billingsly takes the cake. I had to explain to her that we were borrowing the books and they didn't belong to us... and she said 'Oh, like when we rent movies and have to take them back'....she's so smart!!

Well, this week we are reading 'Brave Charlotte'. We are going to read it every night before bed and do a special craft project to go along with the book. Last night was the first night we read, she was sooo into it!!! She asked all kinds of crazy 3year old questions! It was great. Tonight we did our craft project. It was alot of fun! I traced all of our hands (Zoe, Nick and I) on black paper and cut them out... Then Zoe glued cotton on the palm of each hand and two googlie eyes on the thumbs... and when you turn the hand upside down it looks like sheep... Very Cute!!! Here's our project:

This is the finished product...Yes I realize I spelled Charlotte wrong... It's still cute though....

Zoe's little hand is Charlotte... She was so proud of herself!

These are mommy and daddy's big hands, we are the 'older sheep' in the book

This is our herd o sheep

and of course the artist had to sign our names on our project..Not bad for a 3 year old. I love her!!

Tomorrow is going to be another craft night, I will post when complete!!! I hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Stefanie

Build a Bear

All summer long Zoe's school/daycare has done a 'special' activity every day. Well, tomorrow marks the last day of summer before school starts and Zoe moves up to the 4 year old room!! (YAY, she's super excited) And to make tomorrow even more special, the school is having Build a Bear come build special bears just for the school. HOW COOL IS THAT!!! (Yes, we had to pay a little extra this month, but it's still cool and cheaper than going to the actual store) Each bear is going to be made at the school and will be wearing a special shirt with the school's name on it!! Zoe is soooo excited and has been talking about it all week!! So I thought I would try my hand at 'Building a bear' and making a Teddybear cake for tomorrow... What do you think?

I don't think it's my best. But when Zoe saw it she said "You are the best mommy ever. And I love you cause you made me a cake for my special day!" I love her.

I hope everyone has a good weekend! We have a busy weekend ahead (Baby shower on Saturday and Sibling class on Sunday) so I will definitely blog later!!!

Stefanie (and Baby Ava in Utero)

Life and List Update!

This weekend was a BUSY weekend!! BUT We got alot done in a short amount of time!!

Friday night, Zoe and I had a girls night with Stephanie and Mia. We helped Steph get Baby Gavin's new room setup, and also managed to demolish Mia's room.. Sorry, Steph! But it was fun, lots of much need giggles and girl time for the preggo momma's! (Zoe and Mia had fun too!)

Saturday, Isaiah, Zoe and I went to my friend Liza's daughters 3rd b-day. I, of course managed to get lost (imagine that?!) on the way out there, but we finally showed up and had fun swimming and catching up!. After the b-day party we met my Dad and stepmom Suzanne for lunch and went to check out some possible bunkbeds for Isaiah's room, which I'm glad to say we are now bunkbed owners and Isaiah finally has his own 'boy' room!! (I found some really cool, blue and red skateboard bedding and accesories) My dad and Suzanne were so nice and delivered & set up the bunkbeds for me (I tried to help, but was only allowed to do minimal work) and helped me get all of Zoe's stuff moved out of her room and into the 'Girls' room! Isaiah, Zoe and I spent the rest of Saturday night getting all the girl stuff out of the boy room and washing/drying the bedding. It was a good night! My Mom-in-Law and nephews came in late Saturday night/Sudnay morning. My MIL came up for my baby shower (Sunday) and the boys wanted to come hang out with there cousins and to see their AWESOME Uncle and Aunt! :) I haven't seen the boys in a while, they have grown so much!!! Zoe loves hanging out with the boys, even though they are older than her. (12,13 & 14)

Sunday, My bestest friend Stephanie and Mr. and Mrs. Betz (Stephanie's parents) gave Baby Ava and I a wonderful baby shower! It was so much fun to catch up with everyone and enjoy time with my friends and family! Baby Ava and I are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Baby Ava gots loads of cool stuff and I know shee will enjoy it all! We had a blast! Thank you Stephanie for being such a great best friend! After the shower we just took it easy. The boys played xbox and Zoe tormented them! I will admit on thing though...feeding three teenage boys, is kinda scary!! I'm used to a finicky three year old, those growing boys can EAT!

Now for the to-do list update!

1. Register for Baby @ Babies R Us - DONE!!!
2. Register for Sibling Class @ Baylor Irving - DONE!!!
3. Pre-Register for delivery at hospital - DONE!!!
4. Finish stripping Zoe headboard and footboard - DONE!!! (Thanks Shane)
5. Order bedding for Zoe and Ava’s room - DONE!!! (Thanks Mom)
6. Buy bunk bed for Isaiah’s room - DONE!!!
7. Swap Isaiah and the girls rooms - DONE!!! (Thanks Dad and Suzanne)
8. Buy extra dining room chair - DONE!!!
9. Wash Boppy pillow - DONE!!!
10. Wash Carseat liner - DONE!!!
11. Get breast pump - DONE!!! (Thanks Cindy)
12. Make (Sew) rocking chair cover and seat cushion to match bedding
13. Organize Zoe’s dresser
14. Wash Basinet bedding
15. Set up the bassinet
16. Get playpen
17. Pack my bag for hospital
18. Pack diaper bag and baby’s stuff for hospital
19. DEEP clean the house!!!
20. Clean out freezer in garage to make room for milk
21. Cook a few meals that ‘freeze beautifully’
22. Plan Zoe’s 4th b-day (I know, I know!)
23. Write Thank you Cards!
24. Make arrangements for Zoe when the baby comes

Well, that's my update for now... Hopefully the to do list will be much shorter the next time I update... But it's progress right?!

Have a great week everyone!

Stefanie

Nesting and Obsessing!!!

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while, things have been really busy around the Wade household. I am doing good! I am almost 31 weeks and feeling/looking every bit of it!!! I am starting to nest, which drives me crazy!! I want to have everything planned and ready to go!! I want everything DONE NOW!!!

So I’ve decided to make a list of everything I can think of that needs to be done. … So here it is….

To Do before the Baby is Born List

1. Register for Baby @ Babies R Us - DONE!
2. Register for Sibling Class @ Baylor Irving - DONE!
3. Pre-Register for delivery at hospital - DONE!
4. Finish stripping Zoe headboard and footboard - DONE!
5. Order bedding for Zoe and Ava’s room
6. Make (Sew) rocking chair cover and seat cushion to match bedding
7. Buy bunkbed for Isaiah’s room
8. Swap Isaiah and the girls rooms
9. Buy extra dining room chair - DONE!
10. Organize Zoe’s dresser
11. Wash Boppy pillow - DONE!
12. Wash Carseat liner- DONE!
13. Wash Basinet bedding
14. Set up the bassinet
15. Get breast pump and playpen from friend
16. Pack my bag for hospital
17. Pack diaper bag and baby’s stuff for hospital
18. DEEP clean the house!!!
19. Clean out freezer in garage to make room for milk
20. Cook a few meals that ‘freeze beautifully’ so I don’t have to cook after baby is born
21. Plan Zoe’s 4th b-day (I know, I know!)

I know there will be more added to this list, but this is all I have for now… You think it’s to much?

Short Family update:

Zoe is great!!! She is enjoying spending her summer with her bubba and is learning how to swim!! Isaiah is also doing great, he has been going to summer camp and tormenting his little sister! Nick and I are status quo, nothing new with us, just busy with work, the kids and getting ready for Ava!! (Of course I’m driving Nick crazy with all my NESTING talk, but oh well!!)

I will update more about our summer when I can think about something else besides my to do list!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Stefanie

Breaking NEWS!!!!

Zoe has been working very hard all year on tracing all the letters in the alphabet both at home and at school. Her teachers and I think she is Brilliant!!! I'm biased I know... Well today Zoe wanted to write, not trace, WRITE!!! So we grabbed some paper and her big girl pencil and set up at the table. Zoe asked me "Mommy, how do you spell sisters name?" So I spelled it out for her "Ava." (Yes, Baby girl #2's name is Ava, for now) She then said "Ok, go slow," So I said "A" and she wrote an "A". Then I screamed and clapped with joy!! She smiled soo big, she was so proud. And she asked "what letter is next?" So I told her "V and A" and she wrote "V then a little a." I was soo tickled and so was she!!! Then I asked her if she wanted to try to write her name and she said "Sure!" and you know what? SHE DID IT!!! She wrote her name!!!! I'm soo proud of her!!! Here are the pictures I took of her work:

I'm a proud momma!!!

It's been awhile... Time to Blog....

So I know that I have been a little lax with the blogging.... So it's time to get everyone up to speed!!!

I celebrate my 27th birthday on April 26th... Yes, I know along time ago... It was a great day! We had lunch at my favorite mexican food restuarant, Chuy's with my family. I received some AWESOME gifts!!! My hubby bought my Twilight, my dad and stepmom got me a great 'Mixer' so I can make/bake wonderful things... I never thought I could love an appliance, but I DO!!! IT's great!!! My mom and stepdad bought me a load of maternity clothes, Thank Goodness, cause my big ole belly wasn't fitting into my regular clothes!!! I got tons of cute outfits!!! my 27th was a great day spent with the ones I love the most! Thanks Guys!!!

I have since been reading the Twilight series and am hooked!!! I have read all four books in less than a month... They are soo good!!!

We had our BIG SONO on the 30th, which I posted a little blog about.... WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL!!! I'm sooo excited!!! I really hoped she would be a girl... I would have been ok either way, but secretly wanted a GIRL!!! She's measuring right on track with my due date, which was 18wk 4days then... But I'm 22wks 4 days now.... :) She is very active and kicks all the time! Nick finally got to feel her kick about a week ago. Zoe is super excited to have a little sister to share a room with!!! Pink, Pink and More Pink!

This is a profile shot... Isn't she cute?!

Zoe is finished with soccer, I think she played 4 games total... the rest were rained out or too cold! But she loved it and made a ton of new friends! She loves her new trophy. We are definitely considering fall soccer, but will have to see what the schedule is like once the new baby comes!

I have been busy creating Cakes!!! I think I have found my second love (after my family)!! I made cupcakes for teacher appreciation week and a cake for my best friends graduation from nursing school...

How'd I do?

Well, that's about all I have for now... I promise to update more often.... I have a doctors appointment and another brief sono, so I'll be sure to update everyone tomorrow!! Till then I hope everyone is well and has been having a great month!!

Take Care,

Stefanie