Bryce's Program

Hey all! Bryce had his Christmas program at Temple Tots on Friday and did a great job! He looked very comfortable on stage! He kept telling us he was singing so loud and that he really did a good job. I was in a tough spot to take pictures and had Collin with me so luckily Nana had come too and brought her camera so you can check out more on her blog if you haven't already.
http://www.pattyarrick.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Nana!!!

Okay, for those of you who have not seen this yet, I had to give out a little Christmas cheer! It is okay to laugh, get hysterical even, I do. I love these guys to pieces and right now they could not be more different. Bryce, we cannot convince that eating is important and Collin, we cannot fill him up. I decided yesterday that I am not buying anymore "first" jars of baby food. We have plowed right through to the second jars and mind you two of those at a time!!! I don't know what we are going to do. I hope he stays that way though. Bryce is very difficult when it comes to meal times! Anyway here Bryce at all of 33 pounds is trying to hold up his whopping 22 pound baby brother. Bryce loves Collin so much though, he loves to make him laugh and sing to him!

This is the yearly "picture in front of the tree" for 2008. The day we put up our tree Bryce ran for 4 hours without stopping he was so excited! He is so pumped for Christmas this year. I have never seen anything like it! He is obsessed with Santa Claus. I know that there are debates back and forth about kids and Santa but I watch Bryce's eyes and think that there are so many years for the tough stuff of life right now at 4 he believes in magic and I really can't take that from him! But he is so very excited!

Jennifer, here is a great one for you (I almost called you with this one the other night). Bryce along with several other TFC and Olympian children is going to be a sheep in the program at church and we have been talking it up forever. Dress rehearsal was Sunday night and I mistakenly thought "no problem" and focused my attention on my singing and "Baby Jesus" (Collin). To my surprise I looked back to find my little sheep not wanting to come up the aisle and then crying and disrupting the entire herd of sheep and shepherds. So, in swoops Mommy and takes him out to talk. When I asked what the problem was, the answer was so simple, "Mommy, I don't want the other kids to be sheep with me, because I like Nana", now if anyone understands this you are doing better than me. And then to get the sympathy vote, "I am just a little too nervous for this"! He went to the Christmas party downstairs and played games and ate with the other kids after this so I don't forsee the same problem next week for the actual program but seriously could he be more unpredictable?

One more, Bryce told Josh that they had birthday cake at the party and Josh said "who was it for buddy?" and Bryce answered, "it was for Jesus...but we ate it" Just to clear it up, Baby Jesus never showed up to eat that cake!

Interview with a preschooler

The other day I convince Bryce to let me interview him so, we could remember the things that he liked when he was 4 years old here is how that went...

What is your name? Well, it is really Incredible Hulk but my boy name is Bryce Greene

Age: "sor" (4)

When I grow up I will...do grown up stuss (stuff) like take a shower

Favorite food: sticks and cheese, celery but not bananas (guess what was for lunch)

Favorite drink: uh, hello, apple juice

Favorite thing about school: stopping at the grocery store and getting things we need for dinner [this has happened once] and saying our alphabet

When I get in trouble I feel...bad, really bad

What makes you happy? You [Mommy] being nice to me and Daddy sighting (fighting) me

Favorite thing to do at home: playing and finding Mighty Mac

Best friend: Andrew [Beckett]

Favorite place to go: the store...Walmart to look at something

Kids need...shoeboxes (guess he got into Operation Christmas Child) Hey, nobody gave me a shoebox

I love...new Indiana Jones guys and new Incredible Hulk huys

Favorite thing to do with Mommy: learning

Favorite the to do with Daddy: wrestle

Best part about Collin: sharing

Favorite book: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles books

Favorite Movie: Thomas, the one where Salty has the ocean cars with a shark and octopus and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Favorite place to eat: Bob Evans

Favorite thing to wear: Pajamas and Superheros shirt

Child like faith!

Bryce went through a time where he was almost afraid of praying, he acted very strange and freaked out by the whole thing. After bouncing this off of our Bible study group about a year ago, we decided that it wasn't that weird to be a little freaked out about talking to someone that you cannot see (the phone was weird for him at first too). Well, he has gotten better and we are saying prayers before he goes to bed every night. He still doesn't like that he has to be quiet that long but that is a whole other problem. Well, the other night when I was putting Bryce to bed we started in our usual routine, we talk about any prayer requests that he has and then I pray right next to him. I have been lately just asking if he wants to "say the words" when it is prayer time and he usually says no but this night he said "But Mommy, I don't know what to say." The teacher and mommy in me pounced on that, great time for a lesson. I told him that he had just gotten finished telling me a story and talking to God was no different than talking to Mommy or Daddy or anyone else and he could tell Him anything. He looked at me for a minute and said "okay, what do you want to pray about, Mommy?" I told him that I wanted to tell God how thankful I was that he had been a good boy that day. He thought just a second and this is what came out...
"Uh...Jesus? Sanks (thanks) for me going to the carnsel (carnival) and mommy is sanksul (thankful) I been a good boy today, Amen."
It was so sweet and cute and a reminder to me that there is no such thing as "prayer language" and God loves to have conversations with his children.
I told Bryce that God loved children and loved to hear them pray. He then asked if God only loved kids that were big enough to walk. I told him that God loved everyone and he said "even Collin?" Worried about his brother...I guess he still has some learning to do, but don't we all?

Operation Christmas Child

Okay, I know I have a crazy son! This is what he has been wearing to bed, my t-shirt. Josh was getting him ready for bed one night and he just wanted to wear underwear and a shirt so Josh asked him, "your shirt or one of mine?" To which Bryce responded "Mommy's"! So this is what I found for him and he has been wearing it for 3 nights now.


We decided that it would be good for Bryce to do an operation Christmas child box this year since he has no concept of anyone having anything different than the way he has it. He picked out items and I let him help me pack it and we printed off and filled out the "about me" sheet from the OCC website. While we were filling that out one of the prompts is "I love Jesus because..." and I didn't even know what to expect from him when I read that but he so sweetly replied, "because he gives me a happy heart" How cute is that?! Then we continued through the sheet and when it was all done, I told him that we were going to pray for our box and for the little boy that would get our box. When we were finished praying for it Bryce asked for the little boy's name that we were sending it too and I said I didn't know he said, "call his mommy afterwhile and ask her his name."


Later we were talking about how important our box was because besides the present this little boy was going to find out about Jesus through the people who were bringing him the box. I told Bryce that not everyone had churches to go to where they could learn about Jesus. He looked at me thought just a split second and said, "well, when we get him and he comes here, he can come to our church right Mommy?" I think he is slightly confused!







I know, he has nothing to do with the story but look how cute he is! Do you like the carrots on his shoulder? Yes, he is eating baby food now and the only problem we are having is that it is not fast enough for him! I can't move my arm to get the next bite in his mouth fast enough. His first go at it he ate an entire container of sweet potatoes!

This is my new favorite picture of Collin. He is much easier to take pictures of these days than his brother. When I put Collin somewhere, he stays! He did great last week with his 4 month shots, for the first two he looked the nurse straight in the face with this look that said "is that all you got?" and even for the last one when he cried it was just until I picked him up then he grinned at the nurse! I guess when you weigh 20 pound and 14 ounces (yes, that was what he weighed) you are tougher than most babies!

Superheros and Jack o lanterns!

Josh promised Bryce that this Halloween they could carve a pumpkin into a Jack O Lantern, so Bryce and Nana picked out a pumpkin at Walmart and this past Saturday since it was a "no work" day for Josh they got to work. Bryce could hardly wait to take off the "hat" but was soon disgusted by what he found inside! With all of his texture issues, I guessed this is what would happen but he would not let the "guts" near him.

This was his face when I asked what he thought of what was inside the pumpkin! I told him that some people take out the seeds and toast them and eat them. His response was "you and Daddy can but I am not"

They had a blast though and Bryce wanted to make sure his pumpkin looked "friendly" much to Daddy's frustration because "friendly" pumpkins have round eyes! They got it done though and we put a candle in it and every evening Josh or I have gone out to light the candle and Bryce doesn't realize this (he doesn't pay attention to life sometimes) so he thinks he has a magic pumpkin that turns on at night!!

Don't you love matching pajamas - less annoying than constant matching outfits but just as cute! They were both happy to be dressed as Batman, even though I am sure Collin had no idea what was going on! Josh put Collins pjs on him and told me that in the body they fit him really well but the sleeves and legs were a bit too long well, when I looked this morning, I had accidentally gotten him a 24 months in the pajamas! And they were not extremely big, he may catch Bryce soon!

One more thought for the day...we had another thing to add to our "list" the other night. Josh had to threaten to put Bryce in the corner if he did not quit "barking"! Oh the things you have to say as a parent!

"Woos, woos" - Bryce...translated "Woof, woof"

Just add it to the list!

I learned something today. The first day of school after the first sick day is a step backward! I left Bryce wailing at school today, not fun! He had some pooing problems for a few days and didn't go to school on Tuesday so we got all thrown off, and for a kid that is obsessed with things being the same as they were last time, not good! But we will make it over this bump too! God gives me the strength to make it through each day, and boy to I need it these days!
Josh and I have a mental list (and I have it on my Facebook profile) of things we never thought we would have to say as parents and another one to add to that came up last night. We were getting Bryce ready for bed and Josh noticed something on his neck. After a huge ordeal (I know, surely not with Bryce right?) of me holding his arms down and him screaming, the spot was removed. He looked Josh right in the face and said "Da - yee, you hurt me" and here it comes...Josh looked at him and said "if you wouldn't wipe boogers on your neck, that wouldn't happen" I got out of control laughing, seriously, would you think you would ever have to say that to anyone? Little boys!

Turning the corner

Okay the pictures don't really go with the post today, but my boys are cute and they were matching (I don't do that often) so here they are!

I think there is a good possibility that we turned a corner with Bryce and preschool. He has not cried at all this week! He tells me that he whines a little but he is 4 I have decided that is what they do! On Tuesday before we left home he told me that he thought he was afraid of Temple Tots (scary place, I know, ha ha). I asked him why and he said that sometimes he has to pee and Miss Stacy says that it is another boy's turn in the bathroom. I guess he was afraid of having an accident at school, in front of his friends and probably more importantly Miss Stacy! I explained to him that all he has to do is tell Stacy that he has to go bad and can't wait and she will do her best to let him go! Well, that seemed to fix his issues! He didn't cry that day when I dropped him off and today I detected a hint of a smile! Plus, he has been voluntarily talking about school and the kids and what he did during the day! Turning 4 and knowing that he could go to the bathroom when he really needed to may have been the ticket! I won't declare him cured of his school fits just yet, but it looks like we could be on our way!

I need to go clean my house. Our bible study starts back up tonight and I am very excited but I want there to actually be carpet you can see when people get here! I have missed our group, although I was relieved for the break at the time that we took it - I was 37 1/2 weeks pregnant! I am ready to start back in, here's to diving into Acts!

Ready for the Real World?

One quick "Bryce story"... about 10:30 this morning Bryce asked "Where is Daddy anyway?" When I told him he was at work, he said "yeah but it takes a long day to get there so he is not there yet." Since Bryce went to work with Josh yesterday before school and left "before the sun was awake" which was utterly astounding to him, I knew he knew how long it took to get there. I said "well, remember Daddy leaves before the sun comes up so he has been there for awhile." Bryce said "well, you know, you pass my school on the way to mine and Daddy's work." And I said "so, you work there too now?" to which Bryce replied "yes, but you never let me go there!" Only 6 weeks of preschool and he is ready for the workforce!

This is what "4" looks like for Bryce! Never a dull moment!

Birthdays and Bugs - Again!

Well, it happened, my little guy turned 4! It doesn't seem like it is even possible for it to have been 4 years ago since I spent 28 hours in labor bringing this little guy into the world! The last four years have been filled with ups and downs, easy days and hard days but such is the life with kids, I quickly learned from this fellow!! It is hard to believe someone when they tell you how much you will love your kids until that first one comes and you get a good look at them for the first time, it is a love that you have never had before but amazingly can feel over and over because when the next one comes you love them just as much! God has blessed Mommies and Daddies with that ability to love each and every kid 100%, and that gift could only come from God because it is hard to comprehend until you feel it and you just know!

Anyway, Bryce got to have his special day. We took him to lunch and to Petland and purchased him an aquarium and 4 fish (since he was 4 and all). He was absolutely thrilled! But the excitement didn't end there, he got to have his party. He had a great party with a houseful - literally - of friends and family. His friends Ben and Anna Kate even got to come from South Point (thanks guys - it made his birthday really special)! There were kids and babies all over the place! It was a great party and he had a great time!

The next day he got to take birthday snack to school. He took Ohio State cupcakes to the kids in his class and thought that was great! He was a little whiny from just recovering from his bug and being up late from his party but he still thought it was a big deal!

But Tuesday night, I got the dreaded bug! I lost a whole day being in bed. It was like Wednesday never happened! I have been so blessed with a wonderful husband who saw to things and an awesome Mom who took care of my boys while Josh was at work! God has given me a wonderful family who is willing to help in any way that they can! Thanks Mom!!! I am on my way to getting better but the bug took with it my energy and appetite (not the best way to lose baby weight)! We are praying that it stops with me, this house has become the Clorox wipe and Lysol capital of the world, I have sprayed and wiped everything, hopefully stopping the bug in its tracks. Josh has his fishing trip coming up and Collin is too little to handle such a bug! Keep praying with us that it stops with me!

Bryce and his fish tank! He named the fish Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow. He is his mother's son!!

Bugs and Birthday Bummers!

Well, I am supposed to be preparing to welcome party guests in just about an hour and a half but instead I am sitting at the computer in pajama pants and a t-shirt and hoping that no one else starts throwing up! Bryce started yesterday morning/early afternoon with a stomach bug. He threw up 4 times before we made him lay down for a nap. After he woke up from that and an unplanned nap in the floor, he said he felt better and wanted to eat so he ate toast and Sprite and then asked for a Popsicle so he ate that too, then went to bed. At about 11 pm, I heard him in the bathroom throwing up again, bummer. He threw up 2 more times before 9:30 am, so we decided to postpone his party and have it on Monday, given no one else in our house is sick. It absolutely broke my heart to have to do that, he was very much looking forward to his party. I am praying round the clock that God will protect all of the rest of us, my baby just wants to celebrate turning 4! We are especially praying that Collin doesn't get it, at such a young age, a bug like this can be very dangerous! Just keep us in your prayers and hopefully I will be posting on Tuesday about the wonderful 4Th birthday party. Regardless, my first baby will be 4 on Monday, that seems like such a big boy age! I can't believe how the last 4 years has zoomed by!

Why can't it always be like this?

Look at that face...is there anything sweeter? Bryce has such potential to be a sweet and easy kid and the reason I know that is that he used to be that way...and sometimes still is! It has been a rough 6-8 months with him! I have a lot of people tell me it is his age but that does not make it any less frustrating! He is disobedient, defiant, and just generally difficult much of the time. After his big accomplishment of no crying on Thursday at school, today he decided to throw a screaming, wailing fit! It is frustrating because I am where I feel God wants me, at home with my babies, but now I am questioning that choice with this one. Would he be better adjusted if he had to stay with someone else? Am I doing him harm by staying with him all of the time? Even though I know it is not true these questions swirl through my head every time we have problems with him! He will be 4 in 6 days, that is so hard to believe! And I know "this too shall pass" and in 2 years when I have to send him to kindergarten I will be wishing for the days when he could be home most of the time! And then in 10 years when I send him to high school, I will wish for the time when he wanted to be with me!

This is just an example of the drama that surrounds Bryce though, last night he could not go to sleep and had to keep worrying about where he and his future wife were going to live when they got married, why couldn't they just stay here with me and Daddy? Even far off "problems" cause issues...

Just airing some frustrations...I love that kid more than anything and wouldn't trade him for 10 perfectly behaved children...he makes life interesting and challenges me everyday and is a reminder of God's grace...we are not born innocent and nobody teaches us to misbehave but God sent His Son to fix that and everyday it is a surrendering process to give God rule of my life...especially in parenting!

Celebrations and Smiles!

He did it, he did it, he did it, Yeah!! (Dora fans can sing it!) On Thursday, Bryce didn't cry at school!!!! When I dropped him off, he looked a little bit sad but didn't cry. Then, when Josh went to pick him up Miss Stacy said that he whined a little but no crying!! So, we had a celebration! He got to call Nana and Mamaw and tell them and invited them to his celebration. I made celebration brownies and he got all of the promised prizes! Nana and Uncle Josh and Mamaw and Grandpa came over to celebrate with him. It was a big accomplishment and we hope that this week goes just as well, maybe even better!

The little one has a new trick too! Collin is getting more and more smiley over the last few weeks. He loves to be talked to. If he wants to be talked to and you are not paying enough to him he has a fake cough that he does to make sure that he is getting your full and undivided attention! He loves to smile at his Daddy the most and smiles very easily at the word "daddy" too! He is growing like a weed and is changing everyday!

We are so blessed by God with these two little guys!

Side note: We now have high speed internet connection so it will be easier for me to make posts when I can get time!

Think on the positive

After a very difficult drop off at preschool today that ended with punishment, I have done nothing but think about where in the world I could have gone wrong with this one! What could we have done to cause this child to have the tantrums that he has, that talks back the way he does, to have the anger he displays...all at almost 4 years old? Then it came to my mind (oh, God's little reminders) that we are not causing these (thank you Adam and Eve) but we are responsible for teaching him that these things are not pleasing to us or God and that evidently is going to take a little time with this little fellow! Then I was also reminded that it is not always difficult and he has his wonderfully hilarious moments! So, here's to the good side of my oldest son. Enjoy the "Bryce stories."

First, since bringing Collin home from the hospital we have changed his diaper mostly in the living room. After finding out that his little brother can "shoot" pee when he is not diapered Bryce has not wanted to have much to do with the process. But Sunday evening he happened to be karate chopping his way through the room while Collin was getting a changing. While going by he looked down at his baby brother and said "Whoa, his pee pee guy is SMASHED!" Anyone who has changed a baby boy's diaper completely gets what he was referring to.

Lately Bryce has wanted to expand his horizons a little when it comes to TV shows and reluctantly we allow him to watch some "older kid" cartoons as long as an adult we trust is watching with him. Last night he had watched something that used the words "shut up", "stupid", and "hate" all of which he is not supposed to use. Well, while riding in the car he said "Mommy, can I tell you the bad words I heard on TV?", which he loves to do. Since I knew what had been said and knew that they were not really BAD words I told him he could. He then said, "Hmmm...what was it that they called Shhh?....Oh, yeah, they said shut up!"

And finally this one happened awhile back but I love it! We got a video baby monitor before Collin was born (Thanks Nana!) and had been trying it out in Bryce's room. He knew that we could watch him from the living room. One night as I was putting him to bed we were talking about how Jesus is everywhere all at the same time and Bryce was of course confused by this (aren't we all?) and earlier in the day he had gotten in trouble at Bob Evans, after the "wheel" turned in his head for awhile he said "I think Jesus might not know the way, he is walking to Bob Evans right now." Then, we talked about how God can see us even when no one else can and I told Bryce that God could see him even when I walked out of his room and shut the door and he very seriously looked at me and said, "He can see me on His monitor?", I tried to explain that God didn't need monitors to see us but, when a 3 year old comes to a "logical" conclusion, there is no arguing! So, in Bryce's mind Heaven is full of baby monitors for God to watch us all!

Here is too Bryce and to hoping and praying that school gets easier and we can figure out a way to make him understand the importance of good behavior!!

Shots and school!

Well, we are now into week 3 of preschool and the crying still has not stopped! But we have stopped talking about it, we have begun to think that Bryce has the idea of "even negative attention is extra attention". He has promised prizes waiting for him and the DVD player has been out of our car for a week and I told him that if he would not cry when I dropped him off he could have it back.(He lost it during a fit in which he screamed and talked horrible to me.) Nothing has seemed to help so we have decided ignoring the problem is the way to go with this kid who if it is not his idea it is not a good one! We are hoping he will get the idea soon that school is not too bad!


It is also hard to believe that he will be 4 in just 2 1/2 short weeks! He is quite excited about his birthday this year and especially for his "Lightning McQueen" party!

My little rock star is eight weeks old now! That is kind of hard to believe too but he fits into our family so well that it seems like he has always been there! It is amazing how God knows just what kid to give us! He had to go today to get his first round of baby shots. So far it seems to make him fussy when it is time for Tylenol but thankfully that seems to help. But the BIG news of his checkup was that he is continuing his growing spree. He weighed 16 pounds 5 ounces, clearly the biggest baby of his age in the waiting room!

Tomorrow is another day of school! Pray for Bryce as he goes and for us as we deal with him!! God is good... all the time!

My BIG boys!

Well, the long awaited day arrived this week - Bryce's first day of preschool! On Friday night before his first day we went to open house and got to see his classroom and the school. And we got to see and talk to Miss Stacy. I think it is a comfort for Bryce to have Stacy as his teacher, he does not adjust well to strangers and since Stacy is big sister to his best buddy Andrew and younger sister to Miss Kristi, that makes her or Amy(the other choice - hey, we couldn't lose this year!) a great choice for his teacher. He seemed great after open house and even said that school looked "sun"! Then the busy weekend of the OPGA convention came and something in the motel that we stayed in triggered allergy issues (thank you Daddy!) and so on Tuesday he was exhausted and had a runny nose and a cough. But Mommy, Daddy and Collin were all there to take him to school. And all looked well when we left. He had spotted his friend Curbee and Maddi, a neice to some friends of ours he had met on Friday. We wondered and worried about him all day but knew he would be okay and I as I had told him over the weekend, God would take care of him! When we went to pick him up, Stacy said that she had one little boy that couldn't get it together and had triggered 4 other criers (that is 5 out of 8 kids) and Bryce was one of them. He told us that he cried because we were not there, so for Thursday Nana made him a little picture of our family for his pocket and we hoped this would help - with no success. It was a little sad but as I have told everyone over the last 2 days, it would be a lot sadder had he not been planning for 2 days to lose it on Thursday, it makes it harder to feel sorry for a kid that is planning his breakdowns ahead of time. Miss Stacy did say that he cried less on Thursday and we are hoping that this gets better and better and that when he is feeling better, school will be better!! Pray for all of us as Bryce continues school, that it gets easier for him and for us leaving him!!
Now, onto his little (ha ha) brother. I have laughed for weeks at the response to Collin when people ask how old he is - every person says "well, he is a big boy isn't he?" On Tuesday we got to find out just how big. Collin has had a stuffy nose for a couple of weeks but it didn't seem to be a huge deal until while we were in Newark, green goopy stuff started coming out of his eye. I called the doctor's office from there and they made him an appointment for Tuesday morning. After dropping big brother off at school, we took him to get checked out. The first thing that they did of course was weigh him. Now, I knew that he looked big but was shocked when the nurse called out 14 pounds 7.5 ounces!! Are you kidding me, my six week old is 14 1/2 pounds, no wonder he is outgrowing everything!! That was shocking to me because at 2 months old Bryce weigh 12 lb 6 oz. So, little brother is really showing him up! All I can say is I am very thankful, as fast as he is growing that he was 8 days early!!!!
God has blessed me beyond belief with these two little (ish) guys! Sometimes I start thinking about all the ways God has blessed me and it is overwhelming! If I get down about things, hey it can be exhausting being a mommy, especially being at home all day with 2 small kids, all I have to do is stop and look at my life! I have so many blessings from God, His salvation and grace being the very top of my list! My wonderful family and friends, and....well, you get it , I could go on all day!

Well, here we are, 2 1/2 weeks into my life with two boys! And boy oh boy (sorry, no pun intended - I guess my father in law has rubbed off on me!) is it ever interesting! Collin was very jaundice at the beginning and had to be on a home billi blanket for 5 days, which made it almost impossible to move him, change him or snuggle him! But thankfully that went down and he was released from his "tail" at one week old. They had us trying to feed him at least every 2 hours and he enjoyed this habit so after that there was no filling him up. I was nursing him for 30-40 minutes every 2 hours and then he was never satisfied so in between feedings was taking supplement bottles. It was taking a lot of time and energy to fill him up! Big brother, Bryce did not like the fact that Mommy was "tied up" to his brother for all of this time and begged me not to let Collin "eat off me"! After 12 days of trying to keep up with this schedule, we discussed it and decided that it was not best for our family to keep this up and we put him on a bottle full time. Now, he takes 4 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours round the clock! We have settled into a pretty good routine and me and the boys have had some good times. Bryce is a great big brother and can't get over his baby brother and wants to love on him all of the time! Just this past Wednesday, we took both boys to the doctor for check ups. Collin at 2 weeks old, weighed in at 10 pounds 14.5 ounces and everything looked great! Bryce got his school physical and checked out just fine and his ready to start in about a month. We are all doing great and are adjusting great to our new family of 4! God is so good and has blessed us greatly. He brought Collin and I through delivery safely and is taking care of us everyday. He has blessed us with 2 little miracles and great boys! God has blessed me so greatly I could go on and on, He is SO GOOD!

He's here!!!

Well, Collin Isaiah Greene arrived bright and early this morning! Our bundle of joy made his grand entry after 20 hours of labor at 4:08 am today, July 9, 2008! And yes, everyone they were right he was a large boy! He weighed in at 9 pounds and 3 ounces and was 22 inches long! We are both doing fine, a little exhausted but just fine! He is his big brother's pride and joy! He can't get over him and loves him dearly! The kisses are neverending! Thanks to everyone for the prayers. God is awesome and gives us beautiful gifts!

Finally!!

Finally we have somewhat of a plan! I went to the doctor yesterday and have made a little progress. I am still not dialating but am now 75% effaced so that was pleasing enough to Dr. Song. I will be going to the hospital late morning on Monday (the 7th) and will be there all day that day getting my units of FFP (fresh frozen plasma) for my replacement therapy for my Factor XI deficiency. Then bright and early on Tuesday morning, Dr. Song will be coming to the hospital to start my labor with a Foley (sp?) bulb. Then, according to him, he will break my water on his lunch break and be back around supper time to deliver a baby! Those of you who will be thinking of this on Tuesday should not write this plan in stone, he told my friend the exact same thing last Friday and came back at 11 pm to deliver her baby, since I have done this before I am well aware that babies have a time table all of their own.
We just ask for your prayers as I deliver under the special situation with my blood and prayer for Collin as he is going through labor and delivery with me. I also ask prayer for Josh as he will be with me the whole time, for patience and strength. When, I had Bryce he was almost as worn out as I was when it was said and done! Now we add to the mix Bryce as he will be staying with Aunt Kiki on the day that I am in labor, something new for him! He is also having trouble at night already! He is getting up every night to, we suspect, see if I am still in the house. When Mia was born, I left in the middle of the night and he just woke up and I was gone, there is a chance that this may be on his little mind now! Also, please pray that all will go according to plan, pregnancy is unpredictable but they really don't want me to go into labor before the induction and pray for the doctors, there is a chance that there may be some slight disagreement between the different types of doctors working on me during my stay just pray that this is all worked out and I am no more the wiser!!!! Just pray for us. I think I am prepared, but also anxious and a little scared because I know what I am in for! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and this little guy for many many months! Hopefully the next post will be me posting as a proud mommy of a brand new baby boy!!

Update

Thought I would post an update for those who check regularly to see how things are going with the arrival of Baby Collin. Well, not much to update! I went to the doctor yesterday and am still not dialating and only effaced to 25% and Collin has decided to stay put for the time being, he pulled his head higher than he was last week so the doctor said "see ya next week"! We still don't have an induction plan! My father in law has been talking with a certain doctor from anesthesia about my factor XI deficiency and we are trying to choose a day when that doctor is on duty for maternity. So, our first option was July 2, a week from yesterday but with the lack of progress, Dr. Song doesn't think I am ready for that. So, the next option is July 11, which Dr. Song is okay with as long as I don't start dialating and making more progress before next week. He doesn't want to risk my going into labor and the situation be complicated further! So, pray for Collin and I, pray that it all works out for our best as far as health and safety is concerned! I guess at this point the idea is WAIT! Just keep us all in your prayers, I am getting considerably more uncomfortable everyday and I know my family has to be paying the price for this. Poor little Bryce, he understands and doesn't at the same time why Mommy can't do all of the playing that I have been able to do before and why Mommy needs to rest and I tired all of the time. In a few weeks it will all be over though and he will be wondering why in the world such a little guy can make such big noise when he needs something! Just keep praying for us!

The waiting game!

Well, I went to the doctor on Wednesday and had another ultrasound. Just another reconfirmation that I am carrying a large baby boy. I was not quite 36 weeks at the appointment and he was measuring to weigh 7 lb. 1oz., which means he has gained 2 pounds in the last month! In my head to compare, Maleigha, my adorable niece, weighed 7 lb 2 oz at full term!! Then to top it all off, Dr. Song checked for any progress being made and I have made absolutely none!!! With Bryce at this point I had already began the thinning process and was 75% effaced at my 36 week appointment. So, this throws another wrench in the plans! The original plans were to induce on the 7th of July, then due to some special circumstances, it was thought that maybe the 2nd would be the day of induction, which was okay with me. But when I had made no progress on my own, Dr. Song says that everything is on hold until he checks again next week. If I don't start thinning out, he cannot induce labor until I do. So, now we just play the waiting game and trust God to do what is best for me and Collin. God created Collin in His own time and plan, which were nothing like mine at the time and I learned then to wait on Him, maybe he is trying to teach me this again!!! I guess I am a slow learner! But please be in prayer for this situation. With the blood issue I have, we would really like for everything and everyone to be on board to work out for what is best for our family! God is in control and I know that it will work out to what He knows is best whether we do or not. It is just difficult waiting and not knowing!!

Showered with Blessings

On Saturday some friends in our church threw a baby shower for me and Collin. At first I was unsure of the idea of having a baby shower for my second boy but when they asked if I minded, I thought why not?! It was wonderful! There was an excellent turnout of people from my families (blood, marriage, and church!)! People are so sweet and generous, God has definitely blessed us with a great group of people in our lives. Throughout my pregnancy, I have found it super easy to become frustrated and aggravated with people in general. Especially since our pastor left in February, it has been super easy to get frustrated with things at church because everything just seems harder now, thank you raw emotions and hormone overload! God really used the entire shower experience to humble me and to teach me a lesson! God's love in brothers and sisters in Christ is bigger than our circumstances! Josh and I were blown away by the love that we were shown through the shower itself (thank you soooooo much to the Beckett ladies) and the gifts that people in the church brought for us and Collin! I felt extremely blessed throughout the entire day! And one big reason is...
This may be a long post because I had one exciting day! Sitting at my shower waiting to begin, I had my back to the door and my Granny pointed to someone walking in and made a surprised noise and face. When I turned around to see what the fuss was about, Jennifer, our former pastor's wife and most importantly a very good friend was walking through the door. My mom and Grace B. had conspired together and invited her to come down for my shower. I was very excited to see her! I know there are others too, but I have missed her and her family soooo much since they moved back in February (really Jennifer, you don't know how much!!)! Then I found out that not only was she at the shower but Scott and the kids had come to and they were at my house so the kids could play with Bryce! I knew that my little guy's day had been made, he had missed Ben and Anna Kate so much and I knew the chance to play with them would be more than exciting for him! They also got to stay through the evening and we got to have a wonderful visit with them and the kids got to play some more! Watching them together again was great and sad at the same time, but it was great to get to see them and spend time with them. So, thanks to all involved in getting them here and thanks Duncans for the best gift you could have given, coming and visiting with us!!

Big Baby!

Well, it was confirmed, I am carrying a large baby boy! I got to go to the doctor yesterday afternoon and we got to take another look at Collin growing like a weed! They did all of his measurements and checked everything out and all looks good. And yes he is definitely still a boy, we have the picture to prove it! Bryce went and did much better this time since he has gotten okay with the idea of having a baby brother instead of a sister. He just stood quietly next to me on a stool and started mesmerized by the "TV" on the wall. He asked us if he could please go and see what his brother was doing, it was so cute how can we say no to that! He is becoming more fascinated everyday by what is going on inside my belly!
Back to Collin though, after all measurements were taken and the machine did its calculating thing, it guessed his weight at 5lb 2oz! Then the doctor came in and uttered these words "5lb 2oz, wow, this big baby"! Just what the person who has to give birth to him wants to hear!! No really I am thanking God that he is growing healthy and strong! We got a picture of his face that his little cheeks look chubby and everything! Of course the part of him that is measuring the farthest ahead is his head!! I just ask that everyone keep praying for both of us as July 7th is quickly approaching and my desire is for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy! This mommy loves her giant baby boy!

That "Sunny" boy!

First of all Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms!! My sweet boy is really just realizing what mother's day is this year and when we were talking about it he told me "mommy, I will get you lots of "sings" (things) for Muzzer's Day, lots of girl "sings""! Of course, I just thought that was the sweetest, cutest thing ever! Then Wednesday night on the way to church he started "thinking" out loud about what he could get for me. His list included a head lamp (yes, one of those light things that goes on your head!) and a new steering wheel! Then I mentioned to Josh that I would really like to have a baby sling/carrier that is called a Peanut shell and there is nothing said near Bryce that gets by him so he added a "peanut shell" to the list. He probably thinks he has the world's weirdest mommy that she would want him to give her a peanut shell! But all he knows is that is what mommy would like to have. There is a big heart inside that little guy!
On that subject, he is finally getting okay with the idea of praying. It used to freak him out a little. He is now getting into having things to pray about! The last 2 Wednesday nights at prayer meeting he has raised his little hand and given his request out loud! And at 3 you may think that it would be for things he wanted or boo boos that he had but it wasn't. Last week he wanted to pray for "his Baby Collin" (we are just thrilled he has adjusted to the idea of a brother!) and this week I was having some major back issues with pregnancy and he raised his hand and told Papaw he wanted to pray for his mommy's back! The faith of children can be astounding at times, he knows exactly where to take his request when he is worried about someone!!
One more "Bryce story" and this one is pure entertainment! Yesterday him and I went to WalMart with Aunt Kiki and Mia and before we could get out of their driveway he had to pee! It is kind of a struggle for me with my giant belly to get all thirty some pounds of him in and out of the car seat so when he was done peeing I had him climb into the car and into his car seat on his own. When he was about halfway in the car seat he said in a strained voice "mommy, I can't do this anymore, I am too "sat"(fat)" Where does he come up with this stuff?!

My big boy!

Well, whether I am ready or not my baby is going to school. We got the call on Thursday (thanks, Stacy!) that Bryce will be able to have a spot at Temple Tots in a 3's class so he will start preschool when school starts in the fall! I was thrilled! He really needs the interaction with other kids his own age. Being the only kid in Sunday school and children's church alot has not done much for him socially!! He also needs the time with someone else in charge that is not me or another member of our family. There are just so many positives to him going to preschool!! We have made it clear to him that we are not sending him to school because the new baby is coming but that is another nice thing for me is that will make it easier to spend individual time with both of my boys!
As, excited as I am for him, he was that much upset. He has made his feelings about the possibility of preschool well known to everyone! He DOES NOT want to go! So when I told him that Stacy had called with great news, he started crying! The crying didn't last long though but it went to anger, his favorite thing to say that day was " I am so mad sor (for) school"! I tried to tell him all of the great points for him and how much fun he would have. I even told him that I went to that school when I was younger but all that mattered to him was that his "best buddy, unca(uncle) Josh" had gone there too! He did seem to perk up after that and even told Nana and Papaw that there was great news about HIS school. Of course the great news was that they had beds and a playground! When you are 3 these things matter! Hopefully in the next 3 1/2 months we can convince him that this is a great idea and he will be all ready when the time rolls around! He will after all be a big brother by then!!

Graduation!

Uncle Josh is graduating from college one week from Sunday! Bryce is so excited and proud and he doesn't even know what that means!! The original plan that we had was for all of our family to go to Wilmore for the graduation and to see Josh(my brother) but for Bryce and Josh (my husband) not to attend graduation so that other members of the family could use their tickets! I am not sure how aware Bryce was of this plan cause he never really talked about it. But yesterday we got word that Uncle Josh had gotten 9 tickets for graduation, plenty for everyone who was originally in the plans to go and Josh and Bryce. When I broke the news to them at dinner last night, Bryce was beside himself with excitement, hollering and cheering about it. The next words out of his mouth were "what is graduation anyway?" When I explained that it meant Uncle Josh would be done with college, he was even more excited. He hates to see Uncle Josh go back when he has been home to visit! Then when I explained that Uncle Josh would be wearing a funny hat and a funny dress over his clothes, he is ready to go now!! He is so happy he gets to go to graduation even though at 3, he has no clue what is going on, he just knows he loves his Uncle Josh!!!

Poor little Collin!

The differences between carrying baby #1 and baby #2 have just astounded me! We are so totally blessed by God to be having this little guy and are so thrilled to see him but at the same time the obssession to have everything perfect before he arrives is just not there! With the schedule of my pregnancy the bulk of it fell in the busiest time at work for Josh so the renovation project for upstairs could not be started until he got some time. So, here I sit about 10 weeks from baby Collin's arrival in his room surrounded by stuff that does not belong in here and thinking how his big brother got up this morning out of his bed and still has clothes in his dresser and chest! Hopefully we get all of it done!
And then there is the fact that I have been through childbirth before and am starting to panic about having to do it again! I just request prayers from everyone for my peace and a safe and uneventful arrival of Collin Isaiah! (And that God will bring back to my mind how to care for a newborn, I feel clueless again!!)
Bryce is of course getting more excited and more confused everyday at Mommy's protruding belly! It is of course getting quite large and he can't help but look at it and touch it. He likes to talk about his brother growing inside, and kicking - boys, anything that may resemble violence is fascinating!! But he thinks if Collin can kick me then it may be okay to put his feet on my belly to attempt to kick him back, this plan was quickly nixed!! I worry about the little guy having to learn to share everyone and everything in his life at first, it will be a rude awakening after 3 1/2 years of being the only one!!

On a different subject, I know I call him LITTLE Collin in the title but I am not so sure how little this baby is going to be. My belly is getting huge! In the last couple of days, I have had people tell me that I am going to be HUGE by July, ask me if we are sure it is not twins and when I went to make a dentist appointment for 4 weeks from now, they were not sure they should do it for fear I would be in labor or have a new baby!!! I don't know how many times I have told people my due date and they look at me like I may be lying to them! It is frustrating but I want to think that it just means that God is growing my little guy big and strong so he is good and ready to be born 10 days early and everything will go smoothly!!

What year is he living in?

I had to tell this story about Bryce! Nana got him a talking Easter card, the card has on it two chocolate bunnies, one that has had the ears bitten off. The one with ears is saying to the one with no ears "Happy Easter" and the one with no ears says "What?" Then when you open the card it shouts (literally) "I said, Happy Easter!" Bryce finds this card hilarious. When he opened it he said, "this card is so sunny (funny), it cwacks me up"! The funny thing is that I am not sure he gets it. He talks about it all of the time and quotes the shouting part, he says "I said, hath me Easter" and he will argue and argue that he is right and that is what the card says! My question is since when did my 3 year old start speaking King James English?! He is just funny and his understanding of the world is priceless!!

A message from Bryce: 1234567890 bryce 12345678900000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

How big can I get?

I am finding out quickly how different a second pregnancy can be! At 23 weeks pregnant, I still feel like July is an eternity away but at the same time by belly is getting bigger faster than time is going by! I get comments and weird looks whenever someone new finds out my actual due date! And already I am outgrowing maternity clothes! And another new thing is that Collin seems to be much stronger already than Bryce at this same point, he has his times of making Mommy very uncomfortable! I really try to see those rib jabs as a sign that God has blessed me with a strong, active baby! My favorite comment on my belly came of course from my son! Over the weekend someone asked him what was in his Mommy's belly and why it was getting so big, without skipping a beat he looked up and said matter of factly, "she's huge"! I guess at three he hears more than we think!!!

Easter Weekend

Hope everyone had a great Easter celebrating the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ. I know we had one busy weekend. We started on Friday evening going to my aunt and uncles house for pizza and Wii - AI game for Wii is very fun! There Bryce played endlessly with Yoyo. When we got in the car to return home he was utterly exhausted but said "Mommy, that was sun (fun) at Yoyo and Dawn's" He loves undivided playing time with someone!
Then Saturday morning began with coloring Easter eggs, he loved it! Then in the late afternoon we went to Mamaw and Grandpa's for "Easter" a day early! Bryce was surrounded by relatives everywhere. He was great though! But the biggest surprise came from Uncle Justin, he brought Bryce two baby ducklings for Easter! We are now the caretakers of Tuck and Ming Ming (fans of the Wonder Pets will appreciate that). They are living in our basement until they are big enough to go back and live in our pond. Bryce is enjoy having something smaller around that he thinks he can boss.
Sunday was church day, we just went to the service at 10am at our church. Sunrise services and toddlers probably wouldn't mix well! Bryce was thrilled to wear his "handsome clothes" Complete outfit of shirt, tie, khakis, argyle socks and "golf shoes"! He thought he was pretty cool when people at church told him how cute he looked!
Then, it was on to Nana and Papaw's for pictures, lunch and fun. Bryce got to play his favorite game of hiding things and finding them, Easter egg hunt!! Complete with prizes (thanks Nana and Aunt Dawn!) He spent the whole day playing and having a great time with family. Especially his best guy Uncle Josh!
We had a great weekend but boy was it exhausting for this mommy! Keeping up with a 3 1/2 year old and growing baby boy #2 can really take it out of you on a busy weekend like that! Today, we are taking it easy!
One more Bryce story for the weekend, one night after we arrived home from one of our various adventures of the weekend, Bryce looked at me and all my big belliness sitting on the couch and said "Mommy, you sure are handsome with those blue eyes," he is a sweetie sometimes. Of course my blue eyed boy has probably been told that himself by someone else but it must have made him feel good and he thought he would pass it on!

Brand new at this!

I am very new at the whole "blogging" thing. I would love to update this regularly to keep famliy and friends involved in our lives wherever they are! God has blessed my family greatly and I love to share all of the amazing things he has done in our lives!
Bryce is growing up more everyday and you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next!
We are so blessed to be expecting another baby boy in July whose name will be Collin Isaiah, unless you ask his big brother, who will respond, "my baby's name is Boz"!
Hopefully as things continue to unfold I will be able to keep updated and I am sure you all will be seeing regular "Bryce stories"!