Playtime!

Our little boy is getting bigger!



Almost a "cheese" face. He has a really cute smile, I just haven't quite caught it on camera yet.


Drew is VERY strong. He already scoots on his tummy and pulls his elbows and knees under himself as though he's ready to crawl. Yikes!



"What exactly am I supposed to do in here, Mom?"


There is always a 'sissy' near by to aid in the playing process.


Such a wonderful world of play to love.

Escape...

Well, after falling off the deep end a bit with some postpartum craziness, we debated on whether or not to follow through with our plans to visit Camarillo for our annual before-school get away. We took the plunge and I cried my way through packing for 5 and preparing for the 7 hour drive with an infant. We made it there in one piece and after the first few days I was beginning to feel like myself again and we started having fun.

We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant on the pier:


Spent some time on the beach:



Played plenty of cards with my Aunt and cousin from Utah:



Went back to the beach:



Spent plenty of time in our jammies:



And did the usual back-to-school clothes shopping. There's nothing quite like a good old fashioned get away...

pics for kicks - pure bliss

The latest and greatest

Our baby is already a week old! Daddy went back to work today... yikes! I have three children. Reality hits hard sometimes. Fortunately Drew is being wonderful today. Some fun pics of the girls and their new toy, I mean baby:


And as far as delivery goes this time around, I give it a perfect 10. Great epidural, great nurses, 4 pushes and voila, perfect baby. My only complaint was being up 24 hours before hand in early labor with no rest. Contractions started Sunday around 3 pm but didn't pick up until 11 pm, just in time for all sleep to be lost. We went in around 2 am and were sent home only to return 2 hours later ready to go. My blessed epidural came at a time that I cannot remember (I was a little distracted at the time). Then Brad and I played cards, ate lollipops, and snoozed for about 2 hours while we waited to get some antibiotics on board. As soon as that IV bag was empty they broke my water and an hour and a half later it was all over. I love epidurals!!

Here's the proud papa and his boy:

The girls made cupcakes to celebrate Drew's birthday. We all sang "Happy Birthday" together that night and enjoyed the treats.

For the first time we were able to come home after just 1 day in the hospital. Both the girls had to be observed for 48 hours before being released. So Tuesday the 30th we welcomed our boy home.
I'm not a big fan of this picture since I still look like I have another baby to deliver. But hey, 24 hours people, I was just glad to be smiling.

We made our introductions to the zoo. Our "little" dog Terra is an old pro and hardly sniffed at Drew. Beau on the other hand has become very interested in what's going on with the new noise maker. He checks on him every time he comes into the room.


So we move beyond the first week of our son's life. Still can't believe we actually got a boy!!

Ta-Da!

Andrew Brian

"Drew"

Monday, June 29
1:57 pm
7 pounds 13 ounces
18 1/2 inches

Summer days

I love Summer! Sleeping in, staying out "late" (this word has a totally different meaning when you have children), playing in the pool and having fewer commitments in general. Ah, its so nice to be able to take a deep breath and relax. Just a few fun pics:


Mornings are slow around here these days. But there's nothing better than lazy snuggles and morning giggles.


The weather has been so amazing! Outside fun is constant. Even the pooches are enjoying the cool breeze. This is Beau playing bubbles with Caitlin. She blows 'em, he pops 'em.


And, on the occasion that it is hot enough for Mom to get in, we sneak in plenty of family pool time too.
Fortunately the water is hiding my humungo whale-like shape (doesn't help that my maternity swim suit is black and white, I feel like Shamoo). But I can't tell if the water is also altering the color of my legs or if I really am that white! Oh well, can't see my own legs anyway.

Ready!... Set!.... Wait.

Six days to go. Probably 9. All Baby equipment is set up and ready to go. The car seats stand ready and waiting (Amber will be graduating to a booster when she comes to pick up her baby brother). Sleepers, onsies and burp cloths are washed, folded and ready. Bottles and pacifiers sterilized. To-do list complete. Calendar empty. Pre-labor contractions constant. So what are we waiting for!?

No matter how many times I tell myself this baby is not going to come early I still can't control the urge of excitement with every breathless contraction. They lasted 4 days with Amber before we knew it was hospital time. Today marks day 5 for Drew. These are not the Hollywood screaming painful variety, just strong enough and consistent enough to keep me from sleeping and occasionally interrupt daytime activities.

So now the plan is to throw preparedness to the wind and overbook our calendar with swim dates, play dates and service opportunities in an effort to distract our over-anxious family.

Speaking of dates, Brad and I had a wonderful weekend treating the girls to their final pre-baby-brother dates. Every month or two we take the girls out individually for a date and then swap children the next round. The girls soak up their one-on-one time so we wanted to fit in one last hurrah before baby time.

Thursday, Caitlin and I went to San Francisco to see the play "Wicked" at the Orpheum. Brad and I had seen it a few months back and kicked ourselves for not taking her then. So when the opportunity arose to take her I jumped. We enjoyed breakfast for dinner at a little diner in San Fran and then got to enjoy our front row seats for the show. I managed to forget my camera so I'll need to wait to post the picture my Aunt took later. It was a fabulous night out with my girl.

Meanwhile Brad and Amber spent the evening swimming together and getting ice cream. I also forgot to send him with a camera so imagine Amber's face (and clothes) covered in melting chocolate and ice cream. Daddy thought it would be amusing to let her give a chocolate-dipped cone a try solo. I had to put my laundry anxieties aside and remember they had created a memory.

Saturday we made our swap and hit the dating scene once again. Both the girls chose to have picnics. Caitlin and Brad rode the motorcycle up to the school (I allow her on the death machine only inside the neighborhood) to play on the parks and enjoy their lunch. Daddy still will not admit that some day this princess will think it is perfectly fine to hop on the back of some boy's motorcycle for a date. "It'll be different then, I'll just tell her its not safe." Yeah, good luck with that.


Amber and I headed off to the "big slide park" for our picnic. She chose this park because there is a great little place to feed ducks and geese. So after riding her bike and playing on the slides we took half a loaf of bread down to our feathered friends.


No date ever seems complete without ice cream so we made our way over to Dairy Queen for a cone. Apparently Daddy and Caity have established this habbit as well because before we could finish our cool treats, in they walked to crash the party. We all closed up the final date together enjoying our drippy cones.






So... the countdown continues. He can't stay in there forever, right?