Jaden's 15 month (well, 16 month actually) check up

Jaden had his 15 month check up today. I guess it is actually a 16 month check up since we were out of town when his last appointment was scheduled. He is definitely growing and is on track developmentally too. It's such a relief because when you have an early baby you can't help but worry about whether they will catch up or if they will have some difficulties. This guy has been very blessed. He is 34 inches tall and weighs 27 pounds (that's why I'm so tired! But I should be skinner from carrying him around all the time!). The nurse who measured him was training another nurse during our visit. She explained that he was in the 95th percentile and that was considered "above average". I was thinking about how he really should only be 14 months and wondered if they would have had to create a new category to put him in because he's so big! Would he be in the "really above average" category? "Gigantic" category? We're just happy that he's growing and moving along like he should. Now, if he would just start to talk more so he could whine and cry less...

Wonder Woman, Little Pumpkin, and Baby Boo

We were so excited that Anna chose to be Wonder Woman for Halloween. It took a little talking into but she's been all about it for the past 2 weeks. Everyone we pass seems to have a memory of Wonder Woman - especially the women. There was one man who wouldn't stop until he remembered all of the words to the Wonder Woman theme song! If you talk to any one in my family about me and Wonder Woman I'm sure they will quickly recall the year I got Wonder Woman under-roos for my birthday. I apparently had to change my clothes right then and there and proceeded to run/fly around the yard. My Aunt still has it on an old-time video tape.

Grandma Judy actually bought this pumpkin costume 5 years ago when I was pregnant with Anna. I opened up a box from her at my baby shower that was filled with all sorts of baby items and many Halloween costumes from sizes 0-3 months to 18 months. I think they were on clearance! This one still had the tags on it. I'm glad that I saved it and he could use it. He looked so crazy cute! I loved it.

And finally "baby boo" - I thought it would be fun to paint my belly so that baby Tyree #3 could be part of Halloween too. It looks like I painted a regular 'ol belly and not a 20 week pregnant one! I should have taken a picture from the side because from the front it doesn't look like I'm pregnant. I'll have to get Chris to take a picture of me from the side to give a better view.

When I walked out into the kitchen with my belly painted Anna ran right over to look at it. She immediately said, "It says boo". We were excited. Even though it was probably just a "sight word" for her she was able to "read" it. I said, "Anna you can read!" She said, "just a little". It's a small step but it's a start!

The fire ants have attacked my baby!

Grandma Judy has been telling Anna all about the wonderful things Texas has to offer ever since we found out we were moving here. She learned all about mosquitoes, crocodiles/alligators, armadillos, and most of all fire ants! I told Grandma she was going to be in big trouble if Anna started to have nightmares because we didn't have much of a choice about where we were moving to.

Well, this weekend at Anna's soccer game Jaden was introduced to the fire ants. It seems he decided to sit down and play in the grass right on their mound. Poor Jaden was stuck with idiot parents who didn't even realize he was being bitten. He was rolling on his back and lifting up his shirt but he wasn't crying. Chris thought he wanted to play "where is Jaden's belly button?" But, Jaden kept doing his little grunt (he doesn't really say any words yet) and pointing to his back. When Chris turned him over there were fire ants crawling all over his back. He ended with with big red welts that turned into these smaller red bumps with white heads on them kinda like pimples. I've never seen anything like that before. It was gross! He never complained about it or acted like it bothered him. We couldn't believe he didn't cry or scream. He actually fought us more to get his clothes back on after we found the ants. We ended up letting him run around with just a diaper on and his shoes for awhile because he was making such a fuss.

A rare moment captured on film

All of the cuteness of having a baby brother and the adoration 0f having a big sister have started to wear off. We have more days now with Anna screaming at Jaden to scare him away from her stuff or baracading herself in some corner with furniture and whatever else she can get her hands on to keep him at bay. She's been pretty creative, I have to say. Jaden has taken to pushing Anna away when she comes near one of us (lately Mommy seems to be the sought after item - but it changes) while screaming and giving the "dirty look". This usually results in Anna running off to the couch or whatever is soft nearby to throw herself down on while crying (arms in the air and the whole dramatic 9 yards) and wailing "he hurt my feelings".

But today the planets must have been in alignment or something because Jaden went over to Anna to sit on her lap and watch Noggin. He doesn't ever really watch TV but something caught his interest and fortunately Anna was happy to oblige him on her lap. What a nice surprise!

Miss Independent

Anna has become the police officer for "bad" words. Today in the car I noticed a person's name on Chris's soccer sheet. The name was "Shad Skinner". I hadn't heard this name before so, I said it outloud but in a whisper. Anna was quick to point out that she heard me say a "bad" word. I tried to tell her that I didn't say a "bad" word and told her about the name. She wouldn't buy it. "But you whispered it!", she said. Apparently she's noticed that adults sometimes say "bad" words under their breath. I stated my case again. I told her that if I had said a "bad" word I would have apologized because it is not nice to say "bad" words but I really didn't say a "bad" word. She simply said, "I am not wrong". End of story. Ey-yi-yi!

This weekend we were just hanging around and Anna started singing a little song that she made up. I have to say it has the beginnings of a great song. It was basically just two lines repeated over and over. Here are the lyrics: "Listen to your Mom, your Dad is crazy". Apparently, that sentiment was not lasting.

Anna's new word

Anna is venturing out and trying new words. The word of late is "bored" or "boring". It seems to be creeping up a lot lately. I'm afraid the teenage years will be here sooner than I think.
She can give a good example of what "bored" means (e.g., when you go to a class and do the same thing every week it is boring). But sometimes she dosen't use it quite right. Here are some of the examples she's used lately in our conversations.

Me: Anna, why did you take your clip and pony tail holder out of your hair?
Anna: It was boring.

Anna: Mom, I'm just getting bored waiting for Christmas! I want that camera and pony now!

I can't think of the others right now but when they come to me I'll add them to the list. It will be fun for her to read these later!

Mia Elizabeth Pribanic

Warning: this post may be difficult to read. I have given much thought about what to say and whether or not to even write this post. It is hard to write or even think about sad times but they are a part of our lives too. One purpose of this blog is to share some of our life with family and friends who live away from us. The other purpose is to create a record of our life for our children. I want them to know about all of the events that have touched our lives and shaped who we are. This post is particularly relevant because we feel the loss of Lisa and Eric's little Mia has changed us forever too, even though she was not our child. We will probably be a little more cautious with our children, we will hug and kiss them every chance we get, we will thank God more often for the blessings we've been given. We feel so much sympathy for her parents, grandparents, and other friends and family. We can't even begin to imagine what they must be going through. We will always think of her and remember just how precious our time here on earth is.

My cousin Lisa and her husband Eric welcomed their baby girl, Mia Elizabeth Pribanic, into the world on September 29, 2007. Little Mia wasn't due for another 4 weeks but was anxious to get here. She is the only baby that I know of to ever be born on the day of her Mommy's baby shower! Some of the guests were able to stop by the hospital after the shower and say "hello" in person. What a surprise!

Sadly, on October 12th sweet little Mia was taken too suddenly back to heaven. To say that we are all very sad is an understatement. I regret that I wasn't able to meet her in person though I did hear so much about her from her proud Mommy and Grandparents. She was so beautiful and so very, very loved. Even though her time with her family was too short I know that she brought them so much happiness. They were all truely in love with their little girl.

Baby Mia will always be in our hearts and our prayers. Kiss your loved ones and treasure every moment that you are given.

The best part of the day

Jaden's favorite part of the day is going outside to wait for Daddy to come home. He gets so excited sometimes that he runs out into the street. Today Chris met him in the cul-de-sac and let him "drive". He was so cute! He even knows to move the stick shift. This kid doesn't miss a thing! Anna came out to get in the action too. We definitely need a bigger car....

Baby update: I had a 16-week check up today. Everything so far is good. Good blood pressure, heartbeat is 158/min. I haven't gained any weight this time (just 3 pounds so far total) but the doctor isn't worried since I weigh so much to begin with! I assured him that I am eating and taking my vitamins. I didn't gain much weight with either of my other pregnancies and my kids were good sized (for their gestation, anyway). I still have plenty of time left to gain weight and I plan on really enjoying the holidays -especially DiCarlos pizza at my mom's! Megan, we're going to eat it so much you probably will be tired of it after we leave. I can't wait! :)

Jaden has a sweet tooth

During this pregnancy I've sort of had a thing for Kit Kat's. (My sister-in-law has kept me with a steady supply of the Big Kat's from England - they are soo good!) Today I asked Chris to pick some up on his way home. It's a good thing he got a king size because Jaden was determined to have some too! He must have been paying close attention to what was on the table because when we weren't looking he climbed up on the chair and helped himself. He was so happy with himself and so covered with chocolate! I always say that he is so sweet I could just eat him up but I'm sure he's even yummier covered in chocolate :).

She ain't just whistling dixie

well, at least not yet but she's on her way! Anna is so proud that she has learned to whistle. I even heard her in her room last night practicing when she couldn't sleep. :)

You don't realize how hard it is until you try to teach someone else to do it.

Soccer update

Well, I am happy to report that this week Anna did SO much better than last week. I wish that I had brought my camera with me! She played hard. She ran so fast up and down the field. It was so cute to see the determination on her face. She even had her tongue hanging out! She didn't really make it to the ball but she came close. In her defense, she's got some really fast and more aggressive kids on her team (they are doing so well!). Her Daddy let her do the kick off once so she did get to kick the ball during an actual game.

Of course, she had to goof off too. Once during her break she told me she was going to go down to the end of the field to visit with her friend Faith. When Chris called her to come back in the game she was no where to be found. Our hearts actually stopped for a minute. Faith was missing too. Then, we all looked down at the opposite end of the field and found them both playing around a tree! We are going to have to have a talk about that.

Next, it was time for a kick off and the other team's Coach asked Chris if his players were ready. Chris said, "Yeah". Then the Coach said, "Are you sure about that?" Chris turned around to find Anna and another player lying on the field picking grass. Oh well, at least they are having fun.

Go Tornados!

Dancing fools...

Anna, Jaden, Nicole, and Alex busting a move.

Jaden walking

Jaden actually took his first steps in July. Even though he was born 2 months early (and should have been only 10 months old) Jaden started walking around the same time as his sister who was born full term! This video clip is from August. I just figured out how to transfer the video to a file I could put on my blog. (FYI: when all else fails call a good friend who's smarter than you to remind you to check the instruction manual that came with the camera. There may be a CD that you were supposed to install that does this. Thanks, Dana!). Still, I wanted to share this special milestone with all of our friends and family back east. I know Grandma has been anxious to see this!

Enjoying a Sunday afternoon

Today was just a relaxing day. The weather is finally bearable. We are getting to enjoy being outside again and are taking advantage of our backyard. The kids had fun splashing around in the kiddie pool and being squirted with the hose by Daddy. Once everyone got dried off and dressed, Daddy got Jaden dressed in attire appropriate to watch the football games with him - his Texans football jersey (sorry Steelers fans!). Later, we finished the day by getting ice cream and visiting the duck pond. The kids had fun throwing bread to the ducks. I have a feeling we'll be visiting them a lot. They will probably be very fat ducks and geese before too long!

You may be wondering about the "5 Tyree's"

Since there are only four. It seems that I've forgotten to tell many people that we are going to have another baby. In the midst of trying to get settled in our new place God decided to bless us with another little one. I had "morning" sickness for a number of weeks. It was a struggle just to get the kids cleaned up and fed. I couldn't even think about sharing our good news yet. We were surprised to say the least. Caught very off guard actually.
I was about 6 weeks pregnant before I even started to wonder if it might be a possibility. Before Jaden my cycles were very irregular and it wasn't unusual for them to be any where from 5-7 weeks apart. I took 4 different pregnancy tests over several days before I called the doctor. I just couldn't believe it! We had some difficulty getting pregnant with Jaden. After many months of trying without success I ended up needing the assistance of medication. The doctor told me that if I wanted any more children I would just need to take the medication again. I guess even doctors can be wrong sometimes.
Also, because of the complications I experienced with Jaden and his premature birth we had talked about waiting for a few years to decide whether or not we wanted to have another child. He gave us a really good scare! But, God had other plans for us. He seems to know best. Every time that I try to plan something I learn that it's not really up to me after all. Anna was a complete surprise, we thought Jaden would come right away and he didn't, and we didn't think I would be able to get pregnant on my own this time and here we are!
I am 13 weeks pregnant now and feeling much, much better. We are expecting the baby sometime in March. We'll take any and all prayers you have to offer that this pregnancy goes smoothly and we don't have any more early arrivals! We will gladly wait the entire 40 weeks to meet baby Tyree #3. Oh, and any tips for managing a family with two little ones are always welcome. :)