Thank You!

Monday night I was very pleasantly surprised!  I thought I was meeting a few girls for a birthday dinner for me at Panera, my favorite!  And instead I had my first baby shower for Jacob!  I was so shocked.  I still can’t believe how many ladies came out in the cold to be there and how many wonderful gifts I got.  The outfits and everything are all so adorable.  I just keep looking at them all over and over.  I can’t wait to see them on my baby!  I love my blanket so much too and I actually almost cried when I saw my bedding stuff.   I just LOVE it.  And I really love my Jake Ryan t-shirt too.  I wore it to bed last night!  It may look funny on me right now but it’s nice and soft! 

I am so thankful to have met such wonderful ladies and I’m honored that they would do all of this for me.  It was very, very special!  Thank you Patti for organizing everything.  You are so wonderful! 

Ryan saw a couple awesome ladies yesterday who mentioned to him something about the baby’s room not being started or something?? and guess what.. when I got home from work he had moved 2 dressers, Caleb’s desk and a bunch of other stuff downstairs all by himself!  The room is almost cleaned out now.  We can paint this weekend hopefully!  Just have to have the huge desk moved!  Then its carpet time!  I should have the furniture in 2 weeks, then I can finally see my adorable bedding on his bed!  and put everything away.  I can’t wait!  I’m getting so excited!!

Our Christmas Day 2010

 

After Santa came.

Sleepy boy, always ends up in his undies.

Look at that face, he’s thinking I  know what it is, it’s my new baseball bat!

When he really loves a gift, he sometimes hugs it..

ignore the laundry and all… Thanks..

I couldn’t sleep well all night, I was awake very early just waiting for him to wake up.  I was finally about to wake him as it turned 7 am but then he came in and said “Mom, I think he came!” 

We went out to the living room and he started with his stocking.  He was a very happy boy and loved all of his gifts.  By 9:30 we were on our way to Ryan’s parents for breakfast and our gifts there.  I made a yummy breakfast casserole and Ryan’s Dad made some other yummy stuff.  So we ate and then opened gifts.  Around lunchtime we left there and went to my parents and exchanged gifts with them and  then went home to drop off some of our gifts and pick up the next load of gifts to be delivered.  We went to Ryan’s grandmas at 3 and had a delicious dinner there and exchanged gifts with our secret santa’s  then the kids, then Nana gave out her gifts to everyone.  Around 7:30 we left to go to my parents to see the rest of my family but unfortunately some had already left to go home because of the snow.  I hung out with my two sisters that live around here and my cool cousins and then finally we went home around 10 something I think.  I was so tired and sore from all of my hard work Christmas Eve.  It was a great day though!  Just wish that one day we wont have to travel so much and can maybe stay at our own house some on Christmas Day!  We are so blessed and have such WONDERFUL families and friends.  Even Jake got a few gifts!   I missed my out of town family and of course my Reese.  First year without him in so long.  Caleb said he wants Reese back from Heaven for his Birthday.  That’s not going to happen and unfortunately he’s not getting a new puppy either!  On Christmas day I also found out that 2 people in our family are expecting babies!  One is Ryan’s Aunt Julie and one is my big brother Micki and his girlfriend.  So I’m going to be an Aunt again!  Just wish I could see them more and that they weren’t so far away! 

December pictures.. catching up

On the 19th Caleb was in our Church Christmas play like every year.  There were two short plays this year, a nativity one and the shoemaker one..  Caleb was the Christ Child in the shoemaker play.  He did so incredibly awesome.  Everybody was coming up to us telling us how great he did.  I didn’t get many pics because i was in the back handing him each next pair of shoes for him to sneak out onto the bench.  I gave my Dad my camera and someone else video taped it for me with Ryan’s video camera.  We are so proud of him.  Everyone did really well!

These are a few pics from the Wood/Hock/Baldwin Family Christmas party.   Caleb was so sweaty and red from running around playing with the big kids.  I tried to get them to slow down but it was a lost cause.

Our New Son

will be called..

This is a pic from last month.  I am going this afternoon to Rockville to get new pictures! 

So, this name was never on my list with either boys, but somehow it just came up one day and it stuck with everyone.  It’s really strange how it worked out.  I still ask Ryan and Caleb to look at names with me and they say his name is Jake.. So, Jake it is. 

Merry Christmas!

Daddy’s 1st purchases for baby..

There was just no stopping him.. I’m not sure when he will ever wear the shoes, but now he can really be just like Daddy and Big Brother..

My favorite thing

about this time of year..

Christmas trees.  I’m kinda plain with them.  I love all of the ornaments that I have collected over the years and the ones that have been handed down to me.  And I love white lights.  Next year I am getting Caleb his own little tree for his room that he can put all of his buzz lightyear, ninja turtle, WWE wrestler ornaments on.. They are starting to be too much, and he has to have them right in the front! 

It’s leaning a bit to the left…  but I love it.  Our biggest tree ever.   Don’t worry, I will get it straightened up!

26 weeks MFM appt

I’ve had a pretty crazy day today but I want to try to get this updated from my appt yesterday before I get too behind and just skip it!  It was a great appt and I learned a lot, so I wanted to make sure i get it documented, if my brain will allow today.

My boys got home very late on Sunday night after the game in PA, so I got up and went to work Monday morning while they slept.  We had our Thanksgiving potluck at work, it was so yummy.  Ryan and Caleb picked me up at 12:30 and we headed to Rockville.  We got there right in time and luckily only had to wait about 5 minutes.   My nice sono lady started and doing her thing and I was checking out my new little boy and asking lots of questions.   I found out my fluid levels are no longer low, they are at 17 which is the high end of the normal range.  She said he was measuring a week ahead now and weighed 2 lbs.  I’ve been having a lot of pressure/ pain/discomfort lately way down low, especially when rising from my chair at work or getting out of bed.  It’s hard to do a lot of walking.   It’s been worrying me a lot since I’m still so early.  They explained to me that the baby’s head is VERY low already and that he’s a big boy.  His head and stomach are still measuring ahead and the Doctor even told me to restrict my carbs and sugar intake, just like when I was pregnant with Caleb.  So far, not having much luck with that, carbs are my favorite!  it’s a bad week to start any kind of diet!  Luckily my doctor once again told me that she wont let me have a huge baby, once it gets closer and he’s weighing at 8 pounds already they will write something up for me to be induced sooner.  His heart and everything else looked great.  I was a little sad we couldn’t get a good shot of his face.  He was head down low and facing my spine.  he also had his hand in front of his face for the whole 40 minutes of sonograms.  He moved it once to punch me in my side, and then it went right back.  He’s definitely still a He!  The doctor told me that my ligaments are just stretched out and there isn’t much support and I should buy one of those pregnancy support belts, but I really don’t know if they work and don’t want to spend a bunch on one.  Anyone have any experience wearing one?  I may try it, as uncomfortable as I am already when he’s just 2 pounds.  I can’t imagine how it’s going to get.  Oh, also I have Braxton Hicks every single day all throughout the day.  I really need to figure out how to drink more water.  They also come more when I’m doing a lot of walking around.  Saturday night I had my first ever real bout of heartburn.  I hated it.  I woke up Sunday morning and got it again.  Tums are my new bff.  I guess that’s enough rambling.  Here are my newest pics:

cord near mouth, momma does not like that!

arm and ear, and see his little fist of his other hand?

elbow and knee

His big ole Flintstone foot

Well, I sure think he’s cute like his brother.   Can’t wait to meet him!

Caleb’s photography work..

It’s funny to see what he took pics of with the old camera I sent with him.    Of course if I had went on the trip all of this unsupervised wrestling would not have been going on.   I told them not to be doing that, but they are boys I guess.  Its what they are always doing!  wrestling, tackling or throwing a ball.  Here are just some of the random photos that Caleb and Damien took during the Man Trip.

Raiders vs Steelers continued..

Here are pics that Ryan and Rick took at the game..with cell phone cameras..

even when he’s trying to make a mean face, still the most beautiful face ever to me.   He’s got his UA cold gear on that mommy bought him for the game.  Im a little nuts.

Bradley 3, Damien 11, Caleb 6 and Alex 19 years old.

In Ryan’s side of the family there are NO girls yet.  And we have one set of die hard Steelers fans and one set of die hard Raiders fans. 

Raiders lost but my boys still had a fun trip.  Just were very, very tired.

Caleb’s first time at a NFL game

to see his favorite team, the Oakland Raiders playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz field in PA.  It was also the first time he’s been away from me for that long ever.  He has only ever stayed overnight at my moms house when he was much younger, and I would pick him up early early in the morning.   I think I did great however, I did not cry when they left.. although I’m sure I would have if I was alone, but we all met at Ryan’s moms house and they left from there.  I did however cry my eyes out Saturday night when my exhausted baby called me at 1:30 am crying his eyes out, almost unable to speak, telling me he missed me so much.  He was just tired, but it broke my heart.  I wanted to drive to PA to get him.   When he called an hour earlier to tell me he was at the hotel and he sounded happy, I actually may have had a few tears then too hearing his voice, and then feeling all alone when he hung up.  I missed my boys.  Ryan, Caleb and my doggie.  I’ve never stayed alone in my house with at least one of them!  Speaking of my dog, it seems like ever since he’s been gone people ask Caleb on a weekly basis if he has a dog.  We were asked twice yesterday!  Then he has to tell them that his dog is dead.  At first it was hard on me to witness that, but its almost comical now how often he is asked that.

Here are some pics!

(I couldn’t pick a fave out of these.. I took many more.  I just think caleb is so stinkin cute in every one.. )

My handsome big guy

Noah wanted to go too!

A VERY confused mini van!  Steelers flag on one side, Raiders on the other..

All the boys

And then they were off on their MAN TRIP as Caleb calls it!