Trick or Treat!!!

Halloween was really fun this year! We first took Thayne to the Country Club for their Halloween party...they had hay rides, pumpkin carving and a Halloween buffet. Obviously Thayne just watched and was admired by all the older women there bc of his cute monkey costume...but next year he will be running around with all the other kids! Halloween afternoon Brian and I decided to take some time for ourselves and head down to hop on the Rich N Bennett Halloween Bar Crawl! For those of you who are familiar with Rich N Bennett festivities this is a great event...and one that we could not miss. So we threw together last min costumes and reverted back to our kid-less days for a few hours. When we got home we put Thayne in his monkey costume and Tonka in his pumpkin costume and headed to the neighborhood parade. It was a lot of fun and then it rained! We spent the last few hours of Halloween passing out candy and meeting our neighbors. Here are a few pictures of the Halloween week!

Catching up...

I am a little behind which is obvious so I will do my best to catch everyone up on The Boyle household.

I am not sure where October went, but I do know we had a lot of fun! Ashley and Matt came to visit the last part of the month to hang out with Thayne, show Matt what Carolina was all about, and to go to the Carolina Balloon Festival. If any of you are in the area next October you must join us for this great event. Statesville, NC is about 1 hour away and every year they host a hot air balloon festival. They launch about 50 or so balloons, have a wine tasting event and the traditional festival food (fried anything...really they had fried butter...no joke). The wines are not that great considering most are from the NC region and we dont grow the best grapes in our climate...but it is still fun! Thayne was not really sure what was going on but he was a really good kid. That same weekend we had our wonderful and talented wedding photographers (www.geneho.com) meet us up in Lake Junaluska, NC to take family photos. The weather turned out perfect and we got some really neat shots with all the fall leaves in the background. I should have the link to the pictures soon so I will be sure to share them all with you as soon as I can.



Labor Day (I said I was behind!) we spent it with my Dad and Corinne in Lexington, KY. They had a fish fry party where Dad cooked up some of the Halibut he caught this summer in Alaska, and then we headed down to the lake for ribs with a few of their friends. I tried to wake board which was a bad idea, but I got a good rib recipe out of the trip so it was not a total loss. Dad has recently taken on a new job which will be moving him to Greeneville, SC in the next year...that is only 1 hr away from us so that is very exciting news!




Thayne was given the green light to try solid foods earlier last month so I began making my own baby food. It has been a great experience so far, however I am slowly realizing how much this kid eats and may not be able to keep up with demand! I am 3 for 3 right now on foods...he loves pears, avocados, and sweet potatoes (I am not sure there is anything he wont eat). Making the food is really easy-I pretty much steam or bake his food, throw it in a food processor and puree it, and then put it into ice cube trays to freeze. The ice cube holes make 1 oz food cubes so they are really easy to measure...and the food keeps really well. I have found a few good websites that have given me recipes (www.wholesomebabyfood.com)and the Petite Elephant blog that is on my list to the right side of this page. I am not sure what my next experiment will be but we have been taking it slow since he will only be 6 months Nov 22nd. Below is the video from the very first time we fed him pears...he was so funny and Brian couldn't get over how his feet almost touched the foot rest on the high chair! (click on video to watch)

From Exported Videos

The new thing in our house the last few weeks has been Tonka! Thayne has started to realize that he has a puppy, and that this puppy is fuzzy and sometimes very funny. The two of them are so cute some times...they just look at each other, Thayne will sometimes scream at Tonka to get his attention, and other times Tonka just licks Thayne till I get grossed out. I have been trying to catch them on video playing together bc it is so funny. Thayne wants to be right next to Tonka all the time and he has been giggling the last few days when Tonka gets in his face. I was able to get a little of them on video tonight so I will post that below (yes Mom, I washed Thayne's hands after Tonka licked them before he put them back in his mouth.) Tonka is very smart tho bc he sits just out of reach from Thayne, I am thankful to have a patient dog. We will see how things go once Thayne is mobile...I have been trying to warn Tonka but I am not sure either of us understand what we are in for! (click on video to watch).

From Exported Videos

Brian and I have been busy with work and being parents. Brian has been traveling almost every weekend for work, which gets a little old but is a necessity at the moment for our business. I have decided that I would have never made it as a single parent (correction...my kids would never have made it with me as a single parent). I am able to take a few days this month to head to SLC to see family, and then Brian will be heading back to SLC for work in Dec and Thayne is going with him to see Grandma/Grandpa DeHart again. We have decided to stay home for the holidays this year which will be new to all of us including Tonka who has spent all of his Christmas's in the kennel. Pop is coming to join us for Thanksgiving this year, which is also when I am having Thayne's 6 mo pictures taken as well as a Boyle Men generation photo (Sean we will photo shop you in!). I have once again decided to coach soccer, but this time it is just for a short indoor season. A few of my girls from last year were interested in playing indoor again for the Winter and I decided to put a team together. We have our first game this weekend (Nov 7th) and play through the end of January. Indoor is a lot of fun and we have a great group of girls...it will be weird to coach and not be pregnant!

Well other then cheering for the Phillies to win the World Series, and cursing the Eagles & Packers almost every Sunday that is pretty much all that is going on in our lives up to this point. We hope everyone else is doing well...I hope to post more often but as we head into the Holiday madness I am not making any promises.

What are you feeding that kid??!!???

That seems to be the question I get when I tell people that my 4 month old son is 17 lbs!!! Yes, that is right 17 lbs and 27 inches long according to his Dr. Apt this past Wednesday. The Doctor says he looks great and very healthy (duh?) and that we have the "go ahead" to start solid foods. I am going to start the adventure of making my own baby food this weekend, and Saturday morning we are going to see how Mr Thayne likes pears! I am sure he will gobble them up like everything else so I will make sure to video tape the event and post it as soon as possible. Thayne is also starting to cut teeth which seems to make him sleep a lot and scream at the top of his lungs for hours at a time. I feel so bad bc there is not much I can do for him so we both just hope this passes very soon!

The picture below is our 4 month old in the 12 month PJ's that Grandma DeHart bought him while she was out on her visit. We thought for sure we got them big enough...but...apparently they are just the right size. He is sooo cute in them and looks so grown up it makes me and Brian laugh. Enjoy!

Four Months Old

Our little boy will be four months old on Tuesday the 22nd, and that makes me a little sad. I am amazed at how much he has changed in the last four months, not to mention how big he is! No matter how hard things get Thayne always seems to melt my heart with a smirk or giggle...it has been so fun watching him explore the world. Brian and I are in awe each day watching him roll over, sit up, reach for his toys, and chatter chatter chatter! Every day brings a new surprise, lately it has been in the mornings because we never know how we will find him-sideways, on his belly, under his blanket!!! Thayne has also started to notice that he lives with an 80lb bulldog which has been really funny. Tonka will walk by and Thayne will follow him around, he has even started to reach out and pet him. Tonka tolerates it very well, part of me thinks Tonka cant wait until Thayne is big enough to play with him! For the most part we have a perfect baby; he sleeps all through the night and much to his mother's delight follows his schedule to a "T". Recently he has decided he wants to do away with one of his feedings so we have progressed to a more normal feedings schedule (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, etc). We get compliments on how happy Thayne is all the time, but Brian and I have decided that since Thayne is such a good kid that it means the next one is going to be hell on wheels! We go to the Dr. on Tuesday for his four month check up so I will post an update with his weight-I am betting we are close to 20lb (seriously this kid likes to eat). I wont be surprised if the Pediatrician starts him on solid foods because I dont see this liquid diet sustaining him much longer-which means I get to start making all his food which I am really excited about tackling! I have put together some of my favorite pictures that were taken recently to share with everyone-Thayne has such character and it shows on all his faces...so we hope you enjoy them and get a little laugh out of them as well!

Family Photos

We had our first family photos taken when Thayne was 5 weeks old...he was such a trooper because it was a very hot day in the park. Fall pictures are going to follow soon so I will post those as soon as they are done.

Gene Ho Photography

Nadean was able to produce wonderful pictures again for our family back in May (obviously before Thayne was born). I am a little behind in getting this posted but I wanted to make sure we shared them all with you. For those of you who do not know Nadean-she was our wedding photographer and has since become a great and wonderful friend. Brian and I have adopted her as our official life photographer because she seems to capture the most amazing photos...so any one in need of photos any where in the World (seriously she goes anyway!) let me know I will loan her out!!!

August...where has the summer gone?!?

I am going to try and update more then once a month, but things are moving and changing so fast right now it is hard to keep up! Thayne is getting bigger and bigger every day. It is funny how the little things that change remind me and Brian of just how big he is getting-I.E. while we were in the OBX (Outer Banks, NC) we noticed that he kept slumping down in his car seat..turns out we needed to raise up his straps to the next level bc he is so long..presto-he sits up straight again! or like when we tried to put him in his PJ's that we swore were to big only to find out that his feet dont fit in them! He is getting cuter and cuter tho..and each day brings something fun and exciting.

Now for the updates....

I started back to work this month and so far things are going well. I am able to bring Thayne with me (which we are very thankful for) and we usually stay for 3-4 hours. It has been good for both of us since I am able to get out of the house and do something other then take care of dirty diapers, and it is teaching Thayne how to nap any where. I swear I am so lucky to have a kid that will eat anything and sleep any where...makes life easier! I looked into getting a sitter for a few hours twice a week so that will start in September. We live near Belmont Abbey College and they have a babysitter list that gets distributed throughout the county-I was able to meet with a young lady who already cares for a 3 month old boy so I think it will be a good fit. Brian has been busy traveling for Schneider doing the trucking audits-I miss out on going to Green Bay this year (again) but Thayne and I are going to join him in SLC in Nov which will be fun. Work is work and things are moving along-we are thankful everyday we open the doors.

I recently have still been having issues with my kidney stones...to date I have had 4 stones while pregnant and 2 stones since Thayne. I had a CT Scan two weeks ago and the results show that I have numerous stones in both kidneys. The Urologist suggests that we break up the stone on my right side with a laser so that it will pass easier since it is so large...so that will be taking place on Wed 8.26. It is an out patient procedure but I do have to go under anesthesia, we will follow up in 2 weeks to see if it worked..if it did we do the left side...if not we try again. I also made the decision to stop nursing Thayne. I gave it my best shot and unfortunately dealt with 3 infections and horrible pain-which is a bummer because I was really looking forward to nursing. I finally decided that I would be a better mom and wife if I was not so cranky and in pain all the time. Thayne has taken to formula very well and I am feeling like myself again (after two weeks of hell...they should make a pill to stop the milk!) I hope I will once again be 100% healthy after we get these stones taken care of...BTW they have no reason as to why I have them or what caused them.

Just last week we were able to get together with Brian's college buddies and their families in the Outer Banks, NC. We decided not to drive the 8 hrs and instead fly to Norfolk, VA and then drive down to the Southern Shores which is about 75 miles....that was the best idea ever! We left Thur the 20th and stayed through to Sunday-we had a blast! It was so great to see everyone-some we had not seen since our wedding two years ago. All the kids have grown up and it was great to get them all together again. The weather was not great-but a bad day at the beach is still a day at the beach! Hurricane Bill was a threat off the Atlantic coast so we did get some rain and lots of waves....I will post pics of Thayne's first visit to the Ocean!



Our Wedding anniversary is coming up on 9/7/09 and we will be celebrating two years!!! Since that is also Labor Day weekend we have decided to drive up to KY to see my dad and Corinne. Then the following weekend we will be visited by my mom and Brian's Dad and Joyce-Thayne is going to be on grandparent overload...but we are all excited to see everyone again! September also brings FOOTBALL for our family this is a very exciting time for us. As most of you know Brian and I are huge FBALL fans and are part of a fantasy FBall league...this coming Sunday 8/30 we will host the fantasy draft at our house...so Thayne will be introduced to his mom's one true passion (and NO I will not draft Favre now that he is a Viking).

Thayne has become quite the little chatter box lately...which is really cute! I have recorded him talking away and will share the link so that you can all hear his cute little voice...I am trying to get him to laugh so I will share that once we can get him to cooperate. For now that about does it for the Boyle family....I will try to update again soon.

**here is the link to the audio clip of Thayne chattering away** http://chirb.it/cv34Ib

roly poly

Thayne decided to roll over this afternoon! Brian and I were getting ready for lunch and to our surprise Thayne was trying his hardest to roll onto his big belly :) His chubby little arm gets in the way but we are still giving him credit for a full roll!!! Guess I better go buy baby gates now...oh and warn Tonka.

**click on the image and it will open the video**

some favorite pics

I love these...and wanted to share with everyone!

baby milestones

I am excited to say we have had a few milestones with Thayne!!! This past weekend he finally sucked on his Binky all on his own-wahoo! That is a big deal for me bc I was getting a back ache from leaning over and holding it in his mouth. Also yesterday Thayne decided he wanted to try and rollover. He is so close but has not completed the rotation just yet...he gets his legs up to his chest and leans to his right side....I swear if he sneezes he will push himself over! I think by the end of the week we will have a video to post. Thayne is trying to be like his buddy Thatcher in AZ who just recently had his 1st roll (congrats Thatcher!-see video on DeMarr blog). It is possible that we will be moving to sizw 2 diapers as well....this kid is a chunker and grows like a weed! He already wears some 6-9 mo clothing and has grown out of all his pj's so we have to go get some more.

I will keep you all posted on my little roly poly!

July

Wow this month has just flown by...and I am so far behind on blogging so bare with me as I try to catch up on all that our little family has been up to. Starting with the 1st of July we all flew out to Utah in order to spend the 4th holiday with my family. Thayne was such a great traveler...he slept on both plane rides there and back!!! He is apparently just like his mom when it comes to traveling...30 min in a car, plane, or boat and he is snoozing.

We spent the 4th weekend in Bear Lake, Idaho where my family owns several cabins lake side. Thanks to Great Aunt Judy for letting us have a bed in the cabin and for allowing us all to make great family memories. Bear Lake is a huge tradition in my family so it was really neat to be able to share it with my own son. Mom and Kent took Thayne on his first four wheeler ride and on his first boat ride...he loved them both. We spent time relaxing on the beach and spending time with all the cousins. The firework show started past his bedtime, so maybe next year he will get to see them, but mom and dad sure enjoyed the show!

The last week of our trip was spent in SLC with the family. We took a trip up Immigration Canyon to Ruth's Diner, and then on Friday we spent the afternoon in Park City walking up and down Main Street. Saturday grandma and the Aunt's put together a beautiful shower/BBQ to show off Thayne to the rest of the family and to the Eakins side. We had a blast swimming in Great G &G's pool and catching up with everyone. It was a great ending to our trip and made it even harder to say goodbye (although I think Grandma took it the hardest!).

Since we have been home we have started right back into our routine. Thayne is doing great and growing like a weed. His recent 2 month check up this past Friday weighed him at 13 lbs and 8 oz and 24.5 inches long. The Doctor has been impressed with his growth and cant wait to see him again at 4 months. Thayne didnt care to much for his first set of shots (neither did mom :( ) but he took them like a champ and then passed right out on the ride home. Thayne once again traveled with us to Myrtle Beach for Nadean and Gene's wedding...it was a short trip but the wedding was beautiful and we had a good time as a family....we will head to the beach again soon.

Brian has been traveling a lot for work and spent last weekend in Indy and this weekend in West Memphis. Pop and Joyce decided to come for a visit and was a huge help to mom....I was actual able to head out for a few hours and join the girls for a bday party in Charlotte (and a glass of wine!!). While in town we took Pop, Joyce and Thayne to the Country club pool for lunch...Thayne is a water baby just like his mom so the next day we decided to head to Target and get a kiddie pool. He loves it!!! He definitely gets spoiled with the grandparents come in town...but that is what grandparents are for!!

I have been getting use to being a mom the last 9 weeks. He is such a good baby it makes it easier...I think I would have a better time if I could stop getting mastitis from breastfeeding. So far I have had 3 infections so it makes it a little frustrating...but the schedule is getting easier with him sleeping close to 7 hrs at a time now so I cant complain to much. Brian and I are trying to decide when I will go back to work and for how long each day....August is going to be a big month with heading back to work and the Outer Banks for our last Summer vacation...I will try to update again before then!

Below are some pictures from the events I talked about...I plan to get my announcements out shortly and will then post a link to the professional pictures we had taken last month for our family photos. Until then love from the Boyle house!

One Month Old

Wow! Where has the time gone....Yesterday our little man turned one month old. He is so precious and has managed to capture my whole heart, even when he is screaming and not sleeping!!! This past month seems like a blur, and I have tried to take it all in and remember every moment since we wont get them back...this Saturday I plan to have pictures taken so we have our first family photo to remember this moment in time.

Things have been going really well, he is eating like a champ and growing every minute. I am not sure how much he weighs but Brian and I both think he is close to 10 lbs+. We officially retired his newborn clothes and are starting to work our way through the 3-6 months. I tried putting his sandals on him the other day but he kicked them right off so we may still wait on wearing shoes (I have been known to make socks disappear so I dont want to chance it with the shoes). Thayne has started to recognize things around him, he even plays with the rattles on his bouncy seat. It has been fun noticing how he reacts to light, and the sounds of our voices-he has even started to "talk" and "coo" which has been fun. The other day he was screaming and I was trying to get him to take a nap-I was getting frustrated (working on no sleep myself) and he just stopped, looked up, and smiled-it cracked me up!!! It also made me realize that God makes them cute bc that is their only self defense.

We look forward to what the next month will bring...we hope one of those things is more sleep!!!

Baptism

This past Saturday we had the pleasure of baptizing our son in the Catholic Church. June 13th 2009 Thayne was baptized at St Michael s Church in Gastonia. We had lots of family and friends come from near and far to share this special day with our little family. The ceremony was beautiful and Thayne was very well behaved...he even enjoyed all the company at our house after wards!

Here are some photos from Thayne's special day!



here is the link to the full album on Snapfish... http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=684568012/a=81203507_81203507/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=comcast/

Just call me...."Mr Lunch Bucket"....

Thayne had his two week check up yesterday and he weighed in at 9lbs 2.5 oz and 22 inches long. So he has grown an inch and is a pound above birth weight and not even 3 weeks old yet....needless to say he is not starving!!! The Dr said he looked like a very happy healthy baby and they will check on him again the end of July. Now Mom is off to get some zzzzz's while the "lunch bucket" is sleeping.

Busy busy Bee...

Well Thayne's second week of life was pretty eventful! Mom was feeling much better so the family decided to head out last Wednesday night to the Gastonia Grizzlies baseball game. The Grizzlies train at our Physical Performance Center, and offer great family entertainment throughout the summer. Thayne slept through the entire game, but we still think he enjoyed it!



Saturday my friend Michelle had a pool/birthday party in Charlotte. We decided to take Thayne out and show him off...he wore probably my favorite outfit to date and was able to sport his cool shades! In my opinion he was the hottest guy at the pool!





Sunday night was bath night and thanks to Grandma DeHart and G.G. Aunt Nancy Thayne has two really cute bath towels. Grandma DeHart gave him the puppy dog one and Aunt Nancy made the yellow ducky....Thayne loves his baths but doesnt like being cold while mom and dad take pictures!!!





This week is set to be a busy one as well as we welcome back family from both sides and prepare for Thayne's baptism on Saturday. Things are going well and we are settling more and more into a schedule-which is nice for us all. I hope to update again soon.

First week home

Our first week home went great! Thayne seems to be on a 3 hr eating schedule which works with mom and dad as well-we both wish we were getting more sleep but we will take what we can get right now. First night home mom was given a scare when Thayne choked, but I guess instincts and grandma came to the rescue and a crisis was avoided. The second night Thayne decided to sleep for 6 hours without waking up to eat...which meant his mom kept checking on him to make sure nothing was wrong every 20 min-which again equaled no sleep. Since then the nights seem to be running like clock work-feedings at 11:30PM 2:30 am and 5:30 AM.....and sleep as much as possible in between.

Thayne had a lot of visitors is first week of life; Grandpop Joe and Joyce came down from PA, Grandma and Aunt Boo came in from UT, and Grandpa Rich and the family came down from KY. Thayne has been spoiled with lots of attention and love...and mom and dad have been given a lot of help (grandparents are a God send!). We hope the second week goes just as smooth since all our house guests are leaving us this weekend.

I will update again soon-for now here are some more pictures!

Joseph Thayne Boyle

We are proud to announce the birth of our son Joseph Thayne Boyle on May 22nd at 11:27 PM. Thayne weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long-and looked absolutely perfect! It was a long day considering we were admitted at 9AM Friday and Thayne was not born until almost midnight...however, the labor was great and the hardest part for mom was the last 2 1/2 hours. I was able to get my epidural before they broke my water which was a huge help. Thayne (although reluctant at first to join us) decided to help his mom out and only made her push for an hour.

Mom, dad, and baby are all doing great and are very happy! We will be going home Monday and will continue to update with new cute pictures. We love you all and cant wait to share our son with all our wonderful friends and family.

Announcing Joseph Thayne Boyle:

Today we become parents

Well the day has finally arrived!!! We were scheduled for an induction today May 22nd at 7AM but the birthplace called from the hospital around 5:30 AM and said they had to delay us a couple of hours bc they were really busy. Apparently I am not the only one who wants my child out today!!! We are delivering at Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia NC and I promise to get pictures up as soon as possible. Brian and I are not sure how we pulled this off but my mom, Pop & Joyce and Ashley will all be here this weekend....and that is impressive considering we have no family closer then 420 miles!

My next post will consist of pictures of our son....I am so excited!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Well I have to give credit to my wonderful husband for making my first Mother's Day a great one. He was kind enough to bring me breakfast in bed, and gave me two of the cutest cards...one was even from Thayne that included a gift card for mom to go buy new clothes once he has arrived (which is so nice bc I cant remember the last time I bought myself clothes). It really made my day and helped improve my mood...lately I have been very frustrated and emotional about still being pregnant-yes, I know I am not due until Friday...but I just want to have Thayne and move forward with being a mom. Brian unfortunately has been the victim of having a wife who has not been very happy or fun to be around the last few weeks....so I am very grateful that he puts up with me!!!

Things are still moving along and we head to the doctor tomorrow to make sure things are still on track. I probably wont be posting much lately...but dont worry we will post pics and updates as soon as Thayne decides to join our family. Thank you to all the family and friends who continue to call and check in on us...we truly are blessed with a great family and cant wait to share our son with everyone.

to be continued....

36 weeks

Well down to the wire now...so this will be the last set of belly pictures. I cant believe how round it has gotten since the last time, and from the front you can tell he has dropped down a little. I hope and pray everyday that my scares wont burst open from my Appendectomy as I watch my skin magically expand with every hour....the human body is truly amazing!

He will be here soon-though some days I don't think it will be soon enough!

Delivery Poll

We are officially entering into the end of this pregnancy...and in order to have a little fun I thought I would steal this wonderful idea for a Delivery Date Poll from our good friends the DeMarr's!!! (thanks guys!). Right below the Baby Countdown there is a poll listed...feel free to put your best guess down as to when you think Thayne will make his debut. I only took it to May 25th bc if he waits any longer then that I will probably freak out!

Have fun guessing!

UPDATE: My wonderful husband already pointed out that I forgot to list May 14th as an option...I am too lazy to go back and fix the poll bc I will have redo the whole thing...so just dont consider the 14th as an option!!!

Tonka goes to the beach!

Besides helping Brian and Joe run the Physical Therapy office, I also coach a U12 girls soccer team for the local club in Gastonia. The last weekend in March the team and I traveled to Charleston, SC for the Piggly Wiggly tournament. Since Charleston is near and dear to both mine and Brian's heart we decided to pack up Tonka and make it a family vacation. Tonka has never been to the beach-and for those of you who have met our dog you know he doesn't really do well with new surroundings or large crowds. Needless to say we have the biggest wuss of a bulldog on Earth...but we love him anyway! The pics show him having a good time-and I think he did for the first few minutes and then he decided he never wanted to go to the beach again....he slept all the way home and for the next 3 days due to all the stress-I give up on trying to introduce him to the world!

Thayne's Room!!!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of having my mom come in town to help get the nursery ready...and boy am I glad she did bc I would never have been able to do it without her! Pop and Joyce also came in town to help unload all the goodies from the PA shower in March, as well as help get everything organized from the shower here in Charlotte this past weekend. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to all for your help...I think it is safe to say we are ready to bring this kid home. Despite not having pictures in any of the frames yet the room is complete!

Maternity Photos

Two years ago I set out on a quest to find a wedding photographer, and little did I know I would stumble onto a one of a kind friendship in the process! I was told about a great company located in Myrtle Beach called Gene Ho Photography where I met Nadean. Words cannot describe this women's talent and she has been able to capture some of the most important times in my life through her camera lense. Last month I was able to have her take a few hours out of her busy wedding season schedule to shoot my prego belly pics! Nadean you truly are amazing and I cant thank you enough for your time!

Baby Shower -Allentown PA

This past weekend Brian and I flew up to Allentown to be with his family for a baby shower. Joyce (Pop's lady friend!) was kind enough to host a shower along with Brian's father. They both really went all out for us and our little bundle of joy and we cant thank them enough! Brian and I enjoyed spending time with family; Brian was able to see aunts and cousins he had not seen in a while and I was able to meet some family members for the first time. Brian's grandfather also made a trip down which was very nice! We did have a little surprise while we were there-Meghan (Brian's cousin) had her baby boy at 1:44pm on Saturday. We were lucky enough to visit the new mom and baby Nathan before we left-and he is very cute! Thank you to all the family and friends that made the trip down to Allentown to share this special time with us-we love you all and cant wait to get everyone together again soon!

Here are some pics of the wonderful gifts Thayne received

32 Weeks

New belly pics!!! Last Friday we were 32 weeks...and my belly is getting bigger and tighter everyday...Our last OB apt went well and everything checked out fine-we head back to the OB office on 4/2 for the next follow up. So far I have been doing well-I have been uncomfortable which is normal and about every third night I dont get much sleep. Thayne is moving around a lot and we hope at our 34 week check up that he is head down. We will update everyone else again soon!

3D/4D ultrasound

This past Saturday we were able to go and have a 3D/4D ultrasound done down in Charlotte. Thayne ended up being a little camera shy and hiding behind his one arm and the placenta so the pics are not as very clear as they should be, but I am heading back on Tuesday to see if he will be more awake! We also have a DVD but I have yet to figure out how to convert the footage into a format that Google/you tube will recognize in order to upload the video to this blog...any ideas are appreciated! Our little boy is very cute and has his father's nose, forehead, and hair (I was bald till I was two so he didnt get the hair from me). We cant wait to meet him in person in a 10 weeks!!! Enjoy the photos

Winter Storm 2009

So that title may be a little dramatic...but it is the South and we dont do snow. The storm hit with lots of rain Saturday morning, and then around 5pm Sunday it turned into that ugly white stuff. If you cant tell-I hate snow...blame it on the fact that I was raised in the desert.

The furniture has arrived!!!!

Well despite being admitted to the hospital yet again this past Wednesday night (they now think we are dealing with kidney stones so it is hit and miss right now with the pain)-there is a silver lining!

Our nursery furniture arrived Friday afternoon, and it is beautiful! After making Brian and Corinne move it several times I finally settled on a layout. It looks great in the room, and it will look even better once I finish decorating it! It is crazy to think a little tiny baby will sleep in that big crib soon....we cant wait!

My weekend in the ER

This weekend was full of excitement and fear. Saturday I headed out to coach mu U12 soccer game around 10AM and found that I had a severe pain in my right side. I chalked it up to Thayne having his foot stuck somewhere he shouldnt, but as the game wrapped up and I drove home the pain never let up. I met Brian for lunch but after about an hour I decided I couldnt take it and we needed to head home. On the way home I decided we needed to head to the ER and error on the side of caution. I was admitted to OB triage who then admitted me to OB ER. After a few polks and an exam by the midwife on call they decided to call by OB in for a consult. My symptoms were confusing-some showed signs with appendicitis, and others pointed to kidney stones. My OB decided we needed to contact a surgeon and have an ultrasound to rule anything out. After meeting with the surgeon our options were more then confusing...since they were not 100% sure it was my appendix they couldnt be convinced removing it would relive my pain. Surgery poses a risk to the baby bc there is no way to monitor him during the procedure, and it can cause pre term labor. Not doing surgery and taking a chance that my appendix ruptures is an even greater risk since the infection would most likely cause me to miscarry. After weighing all the options we decided it was best to have my appendix taking out and take the risk of surgery.

So about 9:30 EST last night I was prepped and wheeled into the OR...30 min later I was back and down one organ. The surgery went well and was able to be done laposcopically (sp)which means they didnt need to cut in-instead I have three small holes in my stomach as entry points. Thayne was a trooper...his heart rate and blood pressure stayed normal through out the night-and became as active as possible once the anesthesia wore off. It is a true blessing that we had no complications-and for the most part we are out of the woods for pre term labor. The surgeon said that my appendix looked normal upon removal...but we are still waiting on the pathology report (which will be complete later this week...prob wed) for final results.

I sit here now posting this blog from my hospital bed where I have spent the last 36 hours recovering. I am no longer in pain, just some discomfort and soreness from the procedure. Thank you to all our family and friends who have called and stopped by to check on me, the baby, and Brian...we really appreciate it. I should be dismissed tomorrow and will spend the rest of the week healing. I am very thankful that God watched over me and my son during this time...and will forever count my blessings. The silver lining I guess is that I will have a really cool story to tell Thayne when he is older!!!

28 weeks and counting....

Here are the latest belly pics!!! It is so crazy to see how it has changed over the last few months...no wonder I feel so heavy! Everything is going well...the last check up we both got high marks and it turns out my weight is just fine (that nurse didnt know what she was talking about!). We have 12 more weeks...and we are both so excited to meet him. I will start going to OB apts every two weeks now so we will have another check up on March 5th. In the meantime we are in the midst of interviewing Pediatricians in the area.

For all you parents who do have/or will have soon... kids playing sports!!!

I received this article from my DOC (Dir of Coaching) with the local soccer club where I coach a U12(Under 12) Girls team. As a coach I myself have had to address parents and their tendencies to "side line coach" with all of my teams. Some are easier to tame then others, but I have learned that if you lay down the rules in the beginning you eliminate the potential for major problems as the season goes on. My rule is "as a parent you can cheer and encourage, but do not coach on my sidelines-if I have an issue or you create an issue I will ask you to leave the game." I think it is a fair rule! This article cracks me up-and is a great attempt at addressing a major issue with a sense of humor. Now I will admit as my child gets older and shows interest in sports I will have a hard time sitting still on the sidelines....so I am thinking of posting this article in my office as a reminder.

Enjoy:

Time for a Children's Revolt
By Mike Woitalla

Some of the things I've heard adults yell at children at soccer games are just downright hilarious. Like the coach who yelled at a 6-year-old, "Give him a target on the flank!"

Oh, how I wish the kids would start shouting back. Go ahead and give an earful right back to the loudmouths on the sideline.

I would have loved to see the little boy turn around and say:

"Excuse me! Give him a target on the what? Do you realize I'm 6 years old? How little time do you spend with 6-year-olds that would make you think 'Give him a target on the flank' makes any sense to us? Maybe after we learn how to kick the ball farther than five yards we can start giving each other targets on the whatever.."

If you've been around youth soccer games you've probably noticed that whenever a little kid manages to break away from the pack and toward the goal, the shrill screams of "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" begin. How wonderful it would be if a kid would just stop in mid-stride, turn to the sideline, and shout:

"Listen here, and listen good! I KNOW I'm supposed to shoot. I'm 6 years old, but I'm not an idiot. And what if I didn't want to shoot? What if I wanted to dribble around the goalkeeper. Am I allowed to do that, or are you in charge of every movement and every decision I make out here?"

One the most common screams from the sidelines is "Pass it! Pass it! Pass it! Pass it! Pass it! Pass it!" I want a little kid to tell them:

"So you've noticed that I've gained enough confidence to try to dribble through a mass of kids who are kicking at my shins. You see, I've been playing around with the ball in my yard and I'm starting to figure out this dribbling thing. And you want to discourage me! Well guess what? I'm going to ignore you. When my teammates start asking for the ball, then I'll start thinking about whether I should keep dribbling or pass the ball.."

I once heard a mom yell at a child to pass the ball before the 6-year-old even got control of it.

"Hey Mom, do realize how ridiculous you sound?"

Just last weekend a chubby girl of about 8 years old was racing back to her own half. Watching her run was a delight. She waddled a bit, but was picking up speed and had a marvelous look of determination on her cute little face. When she stepped over the halfway line, the coach growled, "Stop! You're a forward! Get back up front."

Boy will she get confused if she stays with game and later gets admonished for "not tracking back." Instead of looking up at the coach with guilt, I wish she would have headed over to the sideline and said, "I'll run around on this field however I please!"

Yes, a lot of the sideline shouting is so inane it's comical. But it's also sad.

Last season, when we didn't have a referee for my under-8 girls team, I took the whistle. Our team's opponents got screamed at by their coach and parents throughout the entire game.

When one of their girls took a shot, our keeper made one of the most amazing saves I'd ever seen a 7-year-old make. She lunged and stuck her little hand out to block a very well struck shot.

The coach shouted, "I told you to shoot earlier!"

The girl who almost scored looked over at the burly screamer with an expression of genuine guilt, as if she had done something terribly wrong. It was a look of pure sorrow.

What can one possibly say to a coach like that?

A work in progress....CONT...

This post will be short but I wanted to get some pics up of the nursery. They started painting on Monday and should be done this evening (2/10/09) so I cant wait to see the finished project tonight! I took a few pics last night...they have the bottom paint completed and the chair rail hung-they had to come back today to paint the green and the chair rail white.

Very exciting! We also decided on our furniture which you can check out at BabyCache it is the Heritage Collection!

CONT....2/11/09

The room looks great-I decided to combine all the pics into a slideshow to make it easier to view them. We love the room and cant wait to fill it up with our new bundle of joy and all of his stuff!

Nursery

I have had a few people ask me if I have decided on a color theme for Thayne's nursery....and I can finally say "Yes-I have". I was having a hard time finding patterns I liked because I didn't want to go with the typical "boys" room with cars, sports, jungle, etc. I was looking more for a color pattern that he could grow with and that it would be easy to convert once he was old enough to decide how he wanted his room to look. Needless to say I found a really cute pattern on www.walmart.com so here are some pictures of the color scheme-we will be painting the nursery the same way they have it in the photo-green on top, white chair rail, and then a light tan color on the bottom. I was even able to find that cute alligator rug at Target!!! We are also registered at Walmart and Target.

"mamas dont let your babies grow up to be cowboys"

I have always been blessed with great and wonderful grandparents that spoiled me beyond belief (it helped I was the first grandchild on both sides)but none the less I always had more then I needed. It has been fun watching my parents and father in law adjust to the reality that they too will all be grandparents soon. Thayne will be the first grandchild on both sides of the family as well-and boy will this kid not want for anything! It has been so fun to talk with my mom lately and hear about how excited she is about all the cute things "he just has to have".....so I cant resist sharing a pic of the latest "must have". They are soo cute!!!

Hurry...lets do everything we can as a duo before we have no life!!!!!!

That is about how I feel with all the running around we are going to be doing in the next few months. Starting with tonight and this weekend-I figured I better post about the events prior to them taking place otherwise I am going to be so busy and fall way behind. So here we go.....

Wednesday 1/28/2009

Brian and I are part of Club Blum which is the 20-30 something club that the performing arts center in Charlotte have to help get a younger crown involved in Broadway. We get discount tickets and some shows allow us to purchase tickets before the public. We have been lucky enough to see SpamAlot and Wicked. Tonight we get to see RENT-Which I am very excited about bc it has the two original cast members in the series!


Friday 1/30/2009

Charlotte does this really cool event called Charlotte Restaurant Week and this is the second running of the event. Basically it offers the public a 3 course meal for $30 a person at some of the finest restaurants the city has to offer (seriously check out the link and see the list). We got together with the Newly Wed Club this past summer and went to the Melting Pot for this same event-and to say we had a great/fantastic/super night would be an understatement. Brian and I are going to have a date night this Friday and try a new spot called Fiamma so we will let you know how it turns out!

6 Months down....3 more to go!!!

This past Friday we hit the 24 week (6 month) mark!!! Everyone is doing fine...mom has had a pretty rough weekend with a very bad bladder infection (AGAIN :() but that seems to be under control now. We were able to take two new belly pictures-sorry for the bad quality but we had to use Brian's camera phone bc I no longer have a digital camera that works. We have our next Dr apt on February 19th so we will update everyone again after that!

A relaxing weekend for two....actually two 1/2!!!

This past weekend (MLK weekend) Brian and I made our annual trip to Asheville to enjoy the wonderful Grove Park Inn. Brian attends the IPPS (Independent Private Practice Section) conference which includes several private practice owners and other well respected members of the PT profession through out the state of NC. I on the other hand get to enjoy myself at one of the best spa's in North America!!! This is a very special place for us BC it is also where Brian proposed in January 2007, so we enjoy our weekend getaway every year. This year I was able to take part in a mom-to-be package at the spa which included a body wrap and pre-natal massage (which are the best things ever!) so thank you to all the birthday gift card contributors-it was well spent! Brian was able to join me later in the afternoon to soak in the mineral pools and spa's (don't worry I kept the little guy out of the hot water...but I dipped my toes in for a little while). It was a great weekend and we highly recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy themselves in the NC mountains. We go every year on MLK weekend so anyone that wants to join in and get a ridiculous room rate let us know.

Eating for two....

This morning Thayne and I went in for our 23 week check up. Everything so far has checked out great-all the labs are coming back normal, and we were able to hear the heartbeat again (which is so neat). I can tell he is getting bigger bc I feel him more and more-and the nurse was able to find the heartbeat right away. One concern they did have is that I am not gaining enough weight (which makes me laugh). Since I started seeing the Dr I have only gained 9lbs-which for anyone who knows me is a major accomplishment! Not to gloat but for some reason I have never been able to put on weight....So the nurse/DR suggested that I try having a milkshake everyday-which I then informed her I do at least 5 days out of the week bc I have a great milkshake maker at home! I am not sure how I am going to accomplish their request but somehow I have to try and gain 30-40 lbs total before delivery which is in the next 4-5 months. I will keep you posted-we will be taking another belly picture next week at our 6 month (24 week) mark. Hope all is well-and any tips on what to eat that will fatten me up let me know!!!

Belly update!!!

Here is the latest belly update! On Dec 26th we were 20 weeks (Five months) and everything was healthy as could be. I am definitely showing more and can start to feel my belly get heavier and tighter. The past few days have been uncomfortable but for the most part I have enjoyed being pregnant and continue to be amazed by what my body is doing. Everyone that see's me cant believe we are currently 22 weeks (almost) because I guess with being so tall I hardly look pregnant...but I am totally ok with that! At 21-22 weeks Thayne is about the size of a cantelope and weighs close (if not already) 1 pound. I have felt him kick and move around more and more (mostly at night) and Brian was able to feel him kick a few weeks ago which was really neat. We go back to the Dr for another check up on January 16th so we will have another update soon.

Planes...Trains...and Automobiles....okay so there were no trains!!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to blog with an update....so much has happened the last 3 weeks my head is still spinning.
Where do I start-
Brian and I hopped in our first automobile on Dec 19th to go visit his Dad and family in Allentown, PA. Normally this is not a terrible drive, but I guess when your pregnant wife has to pee every 2 hours it makes it really difficult to stay patient! We finally arrived around 1AM Saturday morning..with very little weather issues. Pop and Joyce made us a wonderful Christmas feast with all the fixins' and then we opened presents from Santa! Later that night we had the chance to meet up with Brian's Aunt Char and Aunt Maria and his grandfather "Pop-Pop" at a local dive (by the way Joyce had the largest lemon meringue pie I had ever seen). It was so nice to visit with all of them and hear Pop-Pop's stories! Sunday we had a great breakfast, the boys went to church while Joyce and I dug through Pop's house looking for baby stuff. I found Brian's luvie blanket from when we has little, and the cutest growth chart...I also found the outfits that Brian and Sean were baptized in so we plan on getting it cleaned and letting Thayne wear it! Sunday afternoon we headed back home to Charlotte.
24 hours later we both hopped on our first of many plane rides on our way to SLC, Utah to visit my family for the Christmas Holiday. We got in late on the 23rd-Brian spent the 24th with my mom, Kent, and his boys at the Canyons skiing (I dont ski pregnant or not)and later met up with me and Boo at the house for our Christmas Eve Dinner. Everyone had A LOT of fun Christmas Eve...but what happens in mom's basement should stay in mom's basement to spare all you weirdo's some major embarrasment!!! Christmas Day was beautiful and covered with white snow as always for that time of year-we opened presents, ate breakfast, showered...and then headed off to grandma's house. My Aunt Judy hosts a party the day after Christmas where we are able to get together with the other half of our family (we are just to big to all be in the same place...oh and VERY VERY LOUD). Later that night Brian and I headed out to Toole to meet up with a long time friend of mine from 3rd grade. It was so great to catch up with their family and we look forward to hanging out again next time we are out that way. Brian spent as much time as he could skiing before we had to part ways. I left Sunday the 28th but Brian stayed behind until Monday night for business.
24 hours later....I hopped on another flight on my way to Lexington, KY for New Years with my Dad. Ashley met me there and we were able to spend a late Christmas and the NYE holiday with Dad and Corinne. Brian drove up on NYE night with Tonka and thankfully made it in time to give me a NYE kiss! We had a small party with friends at Dad's house, watch the ball drop...and then headed to bed. The next morning after opening gifts we settled in to watch Penn State play (and I use that term loosely bc I think they forgot they had a game that day) in the Rose Bowl. After the horrific display of football Brian and I decided it was best to stay and get some rest and wake up at 4AM to drive back home. We got on the road on time, little weather issues (although I was asleep most of the time) but then just as everything is going well-we find ourselves stuck on I-40 for hours. Thankfully we were near an exit with a gas station which I finally decided to get out and walk to before I exploded! Tonka did so well in the car-couldn't ask for a better dog...but every time we leave the house now he looks at us like "I don't care if you leave but I am NOT getting in that care with you". We made it home safe and have started to get back to the normal schedule.
It was so nice to see everyone and spend time with family-we hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Next year we have both decided that staying home will be our best option....so everyone can come visit us next year!!!