Just enjoying Luke

We finally got to sing Happy Birthday to Chris and have some cake. He wanted to make sure he shared it with his newest birthday present.
Anna had asked to hold Luke. It must have been very relaxing because she fell right asleep!

Luke meets his Big Brother and gets to go home

Luke - two days old

(This might seem ridiculous but he's my last baby!!)

Everyday he looks different. It's so hard to tell who he looks like. At first, he reminded us a lot of Jaden, then he seemed to look like Anna but he doesn't look like either anymore. I guess we'll have to wait and see if he resembles anyone. But as I was reminded about something the kids' late Papa Jack would say, "Luke will look like Luke".

I have to say that I was nervous about Jaden coming to the hospital. I had originally thought I would stay a little longer at the hospital to let my body recover a bit longer before going home to Jaden. I love him all the world but he just doesn't understand the pain associated with having just had a cesarean section and I figured he would just want his "Momma". Since I couldn't hold him or pick him up I thought he would be really upset. But, I was getting a little bored in the hospital and decided I would rather take my chances at home.
Jaden walked into the room and went right past me to the baby. He was sooooooo excited! He looked like he might jump out of his skin. It was hard to keep him from touching him to hard or grabbing him. He had a smile from ear to ear the whole time. I was upset about my baby becoming a "big brother". It just didn't seem right because he was just the "little brother". He has adjusted very well so far and seems to be loving his new role.

He looks so tiny in the car seat. I needed more blankets to prop up around him. He just looks so fragile.

We made it home! Thank goodness we got that minivan just in time. It would have been a tight squeeze to fit everyone in our Accord.

Our first visitors

Our little Luke one day old

Our neighbor and life saver Laura. Laura lives just a street over from us and is a new transplant to Clute as well. Both she and her husband moved here in April and are adjusting to life in Texas along with us. While we are all at the hospital waiting for Luke to be born Laura stayed with Anna and Jaden. It was nice to not have to worry about them because I knew they were in good hands!
Anna was a little shy about meeting Luke for the first time. She kept a distance at first but slowly started to move closer and closer.
In no time she was holding him and feeding him a bottle. It's funny one of her first observations was about his hair. She said, "He doesn't have any qurls". (That's what she calls Jaden's curls).

It's a boy!!!!

INTRODUCING: LUKAS WESTON TYREE

BORN MARCH 11, 2008

AT 12:57 pm

8 pounds 6 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

I have to say that the third time must be the charm. Despite my overwhelming anxiety at times (because of Jaden's prematurity) this was the most "normal" pregnancy and delivery that I've had. And believe me, I thank God for it every free moment that I have!

The last couple of weeks I hadn't felt very well. I was having pretty bad heartburn and started feeling nauseous more often. The last few days were pretty uncomfortable. I actually lost a little bit of weight. I was a little concerned because I hadn't gained very much to begin with but it doesn't seem like Luke suffered! Not to mention the week before I started out with a monster leg cramp that left me waddling for most of the week and happened to slice the top of my middle finger off on a mandolin while cooking supper. Thankfully, I recovered by the time I went to the hospital.

The day before we went to the hospital I had a check up with the Doctor. Everything looked good. The baby was in the head down position. When he checked the baby he also checked me and I was dialated about 2+ cm - so, things were starting to move along anyway.

Here we are before leaving for the hospital. We didn't have to be there until 9:30 so, we had a relaxing morning. It was a little harder for me because I couldn't have anything to eat from 12:30 the night before.

Here is the final measurement of my belly - just about 44 inches around!When we got to the hospital the hooked me up to the monitors to watch the baby and monitor contractions. It turned out that I was in early labor. I had been having contractions from the day before that had started to become more regular through the night. They told me that I would have had the baby today even if the c-section hadn't been scheduled. It was nice to know that he would have come today anyway. Today was the day afterall! At 12:30, right on time, they came to take me to the operating room.Chris, my Mom, and my sister-in-law Kelli were allowed to be in my room and wait for the baby to come back. Chris and my Mom were allowed to come in to the OR to see the baby being born. I had thought they would be in there the whole time but they were only allowed to come in as they were taking him out and then left with the baby. I was very, very nervous. I tried to talk the Anastesiologist into knocking me out and just waking me up when the baby was here. She and the nurses were very kind and reassuring but she wouldn't do it. It turned out to be a little better than I thought - not that I want to do it again!

It was so exciting to have the doctor announce "It's a Boy!". I was surprised. The first thing they said was "wow, this baby sure does have a big head!", then "this is a big baby!", then, "It's a boy". I had to wait anxiously to find out. It was wonderful to hear him cry! His APGAR scores were 9 and 9. This is the best of all the kids so far!

Here are some more miscellaneous pictures from the big day!

The final countdown

*BELLY SHOTS*

(This had a whole different meaning when I was in college!)

We had some fun tonight taking some pictures with the baby before it makes its debut into our little world. We are at 38+ weeks and only have a few more days to go - Yay!!! We are all getting anxious to finally meet this new little one and find out if it's a boy or girl. It seems like strangers I meet in the community have a strong opinion that its a boy but someone that Chris works with bought us a couple of beautiful little girl outfits. Here's what we have to go on so far: Chinese Lunar Calendar - says girl, I had no morning sickness with Anna but had morning sickness with Jaden - this time I had morning sickness, With Anna I had a linea nigra (brown line down my belly) with Jaden I did not - I have a slight one that has come up in the last few weeks, with Anna my skin was nice and clear, with Jaden I had pimples - this time my skin has been pretty good, the weight gain was consistent each time and go was where I gained weight (pretty much just my belly if you can't tell!). So, who knows? It will be really cool for the doctor to hold up the baby and announce what it is. After that I'll be anxious to find out it's blood type. You are probably puzzled about that statement. Well, this is the reason why. Anna and I have different blood types and she had pathological jaundice. She had to be under lights 24/7 except to nurse for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours for almost a week. I didn't get to hold her or dress her up - we pretty much just looked at her while she laid under special lights. But Jaden has my blood type. He had jaunice too but it was very mild. I'll be very happy to hear the baby is O+ but if not it will be okay too. At least we know what to expect this time around and it won't be so traumatic.
Hope to have some good news to share very soon! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that everything goes smoothly.

We've made it to 36 weeks!

To say that we are relieved to have made it to 36-weeks is an understatement. We are thrilled! Everyday we are another day closer to having a full term baby this time. We've been amazed at how well Jaden has done since being born 8 weeks early and this baby is now a little over a month older than Jaden was when he was born.

Here are some pictures of me and my belly. Even though I feel like I'm huge other mothers keep laughing at me because they think I look like I'm just 7 months or so pregnant. They are surprised that I only have 3 weeks (actually less) left. You can decide for yourself. I think if you saw me when I was pregnant with Anna or Jaden you'll know that I look bigger this time - I know this isn't saying much. But, I think we'll all be surprised when the baby gets here because it will probably be HUGE despite my deceptive belly. Remember Anna was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and Jaden was 4 lbs. 9 oz. with 8 weeks to go!

This day the baby must have been laying funny because I had to sit up really straight or sit back. It was hard for me to drive, believe it or not. I just felt really full and was a little out of breath. I have begun to feel more uncomfortable this time than I was with the other pregnancies - and that isn't even that bad at all. But, I think it's God's way of letting me know that I'm getting older and making me feel ready to be done being pregnant. With Anna and Jaden I enjoyed the pregnancy part so much that I was actually sad when it was over. This time I think I will have satisfied my needs and will be very ready to meet my new baby.

I don't think I look big at all from the front but I think my legs look so much smaller than they really are in comparison to my belly!

Chris wanted to show off his "sympathy" belly. In reality I think Chris has lost weight.

This is such a crappy picture but I thought Anna looked cute so I sacrificed my own vanity!

Making Valentines

Anna is definitely into making "projects" lately. She's a very crafty kid so, this was right up her ally. After working on one of the projects I had read about using finger paints Anna decided to make her own. I was very proud. She made a couple of Valentines all by herself. I did absolutely nothing. Well, except tell her how to spell "love". She cut, glued, colored, and wrote all by herself. It was very sweet.

Even though Jaden is "all boy" he doesn't really like to be dirty - at least not his hands. I had to keep a wet washcloth nearby for frequent cleanings.

Jaden thought he would experiment with the paint. The first place he tried was actually his mouth but that didn't work out to well. Next, was himself. Eventually, after much coaxing and instruction, he stuck to the paper! Thank goodness for non-toxic, washable finger paints. At least I think they're non-toxic!

International Pancake Day

Today at Story Hour at the Library we learned that it was "International Pancake Day". I guess if you went to IHOP you could get a free stack of pancakes. Daddy had to work late so we made our own with a special twist - we had heart shaped ones!

Top 10 things I've learned from being a Mom

Okay, so I've been "tagged". My friend, Dana, has passed this on to me. My job now is to make a post with my top 10 things that I've learned from being a Mom. This should be fun!

Here we go:
1. I've learned that being a Mom is way, way harder than I ever could have imagined.
2. If you think "opinions are like a#*holes and everybody's got one" you just wait till you're a Mom. Most people have many and they aren't afraid to let you know about them. Get used to it. Thank goodness that's not a physical possibility too (Moms don't get to spend nearly as much time in the bathroom as Dads do)!
3. I've learned to be much less judgemental towards other Moms. Most are doing the best that they can do with whatever circumstances they are dealing with at the time. And most are making decisions with love for their child at the core.
4. I've learned to choose my battles.
5. I've learned not to spend money on "good" furniture or clothes until the kids are grown and to not stress over possessions because chances are they all will be peed on, puked on, scratched, colored on, or otherwise damaged. You just have to accept that if you want to relax and actually enjoy your kids.
6. I've learned that childhood passes by way too fast and the time I spend with them is more precious than gold.
7. Considering #6, I've learned that it is also very healthy (and should be encouraged) for Moms to have some time away from their children to spend alone and with other people they enjoy doing things they enjoy that has nothing to do with kids from time to time. It's just good for your soul and makes you a better Mom.
8. Trust your instincts. Mothers generally do know best.
9. I've learned I need to be more careful about what I say in front of my kids. If you do slip up its very likely that your child will hear you and will repeat it in front of company and you'll be embarassed. Sometimes even innocent things can come across the wrong way out of the mouth of a child and you'll also be embarassed. I like to blame it on Dad (hee, hee).
10. The most important thing that I've learned is how incredible it is that you can love one person so much you think your heart will burst only to find out there is just as much love when #2 comes along, then #3....

I know tag: Debbie, Kelli, and Tangee

Scroll down - birthday posts have finally been added!

We need your help deciding on a baby name

We have been having such a hard time deciding on a name for a little girl. We still don't know what the baby will be but are trying to get prepared since time is winding down. As of this moment a little boy would likely have a name (we've agreed on that already) but if it's a little girl she would probably have to be called "Baby Girl Tyree" until we could decide on something. We've narrowed it down to 3 - well, as of today. Anyone who's talked to me knows I've changed my mind on the names and the number in the running many, many times over the past few months. So far we've got 1. Sofia, 2. Alexa, 3. Lauren. We think these are all very good names but we can't think of middle names to go with them. Maybe if we can figure out some middle names to go with these we may be able to figure out which one would fit best. I'm guessing the baby will still be born without a name if it's a girl because with all the thinking I've done about this I almost want to meet her before I decide which one suits her. It's kind of fun wondering what sort of surprise is awaiting us!
I have made it to 33 weeks today! Every day I feel better about carrying this baby to term. Jaden was born at 32 weeks so, this baby already has 7 days longer in the womb to grow and get stronger. Things are looking good - there doesn't seem to be any reason to think this baby should come before it's supposed to. Despite having had an abruption with Jaden the doctor assures me that the chance of that happening again is very slim - especially since it was very unlikely with Jaden as well. But, we've still got six more weeks to go so, continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Face painting or war paint?

Today we visited the Children's Museum in Houston. Both kids had a great time. These folks planned it out well - there were activites to keep Anna interested and Jaden entertained. I was pleasantly surprised at what they had available. There was a wonderful toddler/baby area that was full of things to stimulate little minds and challenge little bodies. I would like to have a room modeled after it in my own home. Jaden and I hung out there for a while to give Chris a chance to take Anna around to all of the different interactive exhibits and to explain them. I give him credit for trying to explain "viscosity" to a 5 year old. I'm sure he did it much better than I would have.

In the middle of the hall they had stations for the children to play and "create". One of them was a face-painting station. Anna love, love, loves to put on make up so I thought this would be right up her ally. Even though she said that she was having fun her face was SO serious. She looked like she was getting ready for battle. Jaden cracked us up! I don't think he could believe we were actually letting him color on himself with free reign.

Jaden the Joker?

Jaden got ahold of one of Anna's markers (fortunately, they are the washable kind) and decided to color his face. He may have thought he was putting on makeup because he's been watching his sister do lots of that since Christmas. Chris caught him before he got very far but thought he looked like the beginnings of "The Joker".