Blake's Birthday Post

Where, oh where, do I start?

Mr. Blake/Blakers/Blakey boy,

December 14th is the day that changed my life, and from the moment I saw you (on the ANCIENT ultrasound machine in my college lab)... you had me wrapped around your finger.

 I was accepted into the Ultrasound program in April of 2006,  I fully expected that experience would change my life, but I had NO IDEA it would be in such a HUGE way.

You see, Mommy needed a physical to "officially" be accepted into the program and start "clinical". The very same physical is the day we found out, Daddy and I were expecting. It was indeed a SURPRISE! But we were non the less very excited!

I could NOT contain my excitement and called Daddy as soon as I left the Doctor's office to tell him the NEWS! ( he was not to pleased with me telling him via phone, but I just couldn't keep it in!) Of course there was fear of the unknown, Daddy was the only one working at the time and Mommy was starting a brand-new FULL-TIME adventure herself,  but we knew some way some how we would make it work.

From that point on, we began preparing for you! And I just KNEW you were a boy! Of course, I (as well as my classmates) had to take a "sneak peek" every chance we could get!  I was elated to find out you were a boy ( and that was evident even at 15 weeks!).... Daddy was even MORE elated! We decided on the name "Blake" very early on, mainly because it's the only name we could agree on. You middle name is after your Poppa.
My pregnancy with you was easy going from day ONE! You were very nice to Mommy ( but not to her body!) ... until the END! RIGHT after my very last final exam for my first semester, I went to see the Dr. He told me I needed to take it easy and put my feet up (my feet, ankles, hands, and face got VERY swollen) because I was going to have a baby SOON!  Dr. P decided to induce a week early because my blood pressure was very HIGH! So, we gave us paperwork and told us to call at 5AM the next day to see if there was a bed available!

I could NOT sleep a wink that night, I just laid there... starring and starring at the clock! I got up at 4:30, took a shower and called at 5:00 on the DOT! Sure enough there was a bed available, and Daddy and I very very NERVOUS! We ate a small breakfast, put the car seat in the car, and off we went! On the way to the hospital, Daddy said " How long do you think this will take?... You think he'll be here around Noon?!"... I of course said... "ummm.... no.. and you better just put your patient pants on, this could take ALL day!"....

When we arrived a the hospital, we registered and there was NO turning back from there! (Gramm met us there!) After all the questions, the IV in, and a few bets in place (Gramm, and Daddy were betting how much you would weigh, and what time you would arrive!) The pitocin drip BEGAN right around 8:30 am.

I was thinking to myself... OH BOY... this is going to take FOREVER.. .I don't feel a THING! Eventually the nurse came in and after we talked for a bit, we decided to get up and walk. But.... when I stood up......and looked down...... MY WATER BROKE!!!!!! At exactly 10:00am! Daddy and I still went for a walk.. a short one.. but none the less....
 When we came back and the monitors were all hooked up... the PAIN started coming. The contractions became very intense... very quickly! The nurse asked at about 11:00am if I needed anything for pain... and at that point, I said "NO... I don't THINK SO!"... her response was: "Well... let me check you to see if you are far enough along in case you change your mind".... So she did just that...

To EVERYONE's amazement I had dilated to 6.5cm in ONE HOUR!!!!! I was SOOO not prepared for that!!! Everything was happening so fast, we really just sat (well Gramm and Dad sat).... in shock! I managed to get to about 8.5cm before I CHANGED MY MIND!!!!!! I really wanted some drugs at that point! BUT Dr. P... gave me ONE choice... a narcotic... or NOTHING!!! Since this was my first time experiencing this.... I wasn't sure what to do... could I HANDLE this??? Everything was a BLUR! I went ahead and got a small dose of meds, but my the time thet injected it... I was ready to push you OUT! I felt NO pain relief.. and before I knew it..... Daddy was holding one leg, and Gramm the other.... 15 mins later....

YOU WERE HERE!!!!  At 12:20pm  all 6lbs 15oz of you arrived!!!!

I guess Daddy was right after all! He ended up winning the bet...on TIME and WEIGHT!!! Who knew I would have a 2.5 hour labor and birth?! Surely NOT ME!

  EVERYONE CAME TO THE HOSPITAL TO SEE YOU! AND I MEAN EVERYONE!!! We had so many visitors and we learned at lot of new things at the hospital...but none of them really helped... especially not the lactation consultant!!! We learned what worked for us, when we got home and settled in :)


You have stolen every one's heart from that day!!! You are the apple of Gramm, Nan, Pop, Gramp, Great Grandma Hoskins and Great Grandma Roy's eye, everyone... adores you...after all you were the FIRST grandson :) and first GREAT grandson!!!


You were a pretty relaxed baby (except for the 3 week mark.. where you decided to projectile vomit every feeding, and we found out you had Pyloric Stenosis, which required SURGERY!!! But that's a WHOLE OTHER STORY!!!!!!)...

You have turned into a sweet, caring, and gentle little boy!! You absolutely ADORE your baby sister (sometimes too much!).You have a lot patience with her, but you aren't so fond of her stealing all the attention! You are very territorial of your space... and your DADDY!!!!

YOU are DADDY'S BOY!!!! You have always been close with him, but I never imagined you would be this close! You want your Daddy to do everything with you! Put you to bed, get you dressed, give you a bath, feed you... EVERYTHING! You are the BEST of BUDS!!!

You also LOVE your LOGAN!! You two are going to be BEST FRIENDS when you grow up... you already ARE!!! :)

You LOVE your Dog, Sophie! :)

You HATE sleeping or eating! You can go days just eating a hot dog... and drinking Milk!!!! But I've been assured you are growing well... and you won't starve yourself!!

You are a very quick learner (you walked at 10 months)... and you love to read, draw, put puzzles together and watch TOONS! But Boy... you LOVE the outside... YOU NEED your "outside time".. because you have A LOT of energy!

You can count to 13, say your ABC's, and have the BEST manners :)  You started preschool this year, and LOVE IT! You are a home-body though... and you don't like to be away from home, or be in a unfamiliar place. I think you get that from me.... you tend to be shy :)

I wish I could say you do no wrong, but the truth is .... you are a very stubborn BOY! You like things done a certain way... and that's YOUR WAY! You know exactly what you want, and usually won't compromise!  But we are learning that as long as things are done on your terms... you are becoming more flexible. As long, as you can make the decision... you are OK with it!

My sweet Blake, you are the apple of our eye! Daddy and I believe everything happens for a reason, and God knew exactly what he had in mind for us, when he gave us you! We love you more than words can express.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy and McKenna

Trauma

WOWZERS... today was eventful!!!
We began our morning with our annual check-up at the Pediatricians office. Thankfully Sam had taken the day off, because I knew both kids were getting shots. BUT little did I know... they were getting NINE all together!!

 Before the actual trauma of thee shots, we had to do the complete routine: Strip down, get their weight, height, temp, and bp for Blake . We learned Blake needed a hearing and eye test (which I had not prepared him for). First up was the eye test, in which he forgot the names of the shapes, so by the end of the eye exam he was a little frustrated b/c we couldn't tell him the name if the shape... but he got over that. Then he had his hearing test, and I could tell by the nurses reaction he had failed in his left ear... which meant he probably had an ear infection. After that we did the run down of concerns, allergies, and a failed attempt at a urine specimen (he was a little shy in the potty) with the nurse.

Now... some of you have heard me talk about the peds office before... some of you have not! Well.. long story short... LOVE the Dr... HATE the office staff and LONG LONG wait! Anyway... after the 25 min wait (and we were her first appts)... the Doc came in and asked Blake what he did for his birthday.........
his response "It's NOT my birthday"........

Well you see, we told him his birthday was tomorrow.... because well... we didn't think he would understand that Tuesday was his birthday, but his party was tomorrow. SO in short, YES we lied to him! But for his own good! We got a chuckle out of it and explained to the Doc, and she as well chuckled b/c she had once done something similar with her kids :) HA! I'm not the only one who lies to their kids! Blake just looked at her like she was CRAZY, he "knows" when his birthday is! lol
After examining both kids from head to toe, she said both kids looked great, EXCEPT they both had a SLIGHT ear infection. She went ahead and treated both of them.  I had a feeling both had an ear infection because they were starting to get runny noses yesterday. THANK GOSH she gave us something... because with Blake's big party (at the bounce house)... we would have had to call everyone and tell them BOTH kids were sick, and to enter at your own risk! I surely didn't want to do that, and have Blake have ZERO friends at his party! Other than the ears, Blake is in the 75% for height and weight, and McKenna was in the 90%. GROWING LIKE WEEDS!

After she wrote the scripts it was time for the DREADED shots! Blake was first... and  well..... it was UGLY!!!! He had to be held down by two people and screamed louder than I've ever heard the boy scream... just saying over and over "STOP...Don't do that!!! NO NO NO!" which broke my heart. I tried to distract by saying I would buy him a treat... but by that point... there was no calming him down!
Next was McKenna's turn and she cried out the first shot... and held her breath as the next 3 went in. I quickly distracted her with a sucker and she was good to go! (soo much easier, but it still broke my heart to see her in pain!)... both kids whimpered as we got them dressed and bundled up..... so pathetic! BUT....
PHEW... it wasn't even 10:00am and what a traumatic morning!!!!

We drove to Brooklyn, dropped off our scripts, ran through Mickey D's to get Blake a Happy Meal... and made a quick trip the the Dollar Store so he could pick out a toy (which was a least a 20 min trip itself!).... picked our meds up and headed home!
Both Sam and I had a busy rest of the day with appts and various other obligations, so we regrouped and off we went AGAIN!
After we all made it back home, we all sat down for dinner exhausted! Sam and I gave the kids a bath and drugged them up for the night! (with antibiotics... not DRUGS! just had to make that clear).....

IT'S BEDTIME!!!


WHAT. A DAY...


Stay tuned for more Scoop.. Blake's BIG party is tomorrow and his Birthday post to follow :)

McKenna's Birthday Post....

I know this is so cliche.. but I REALLY can't believe it's been a year! McKenna doesn't seem like she should be a year old already!! I feel like I should have a 6 month old still... but some how a year has past... and we are celebrating her first year of life!

So, this post is going to be a wee bit sappy...

McKenna Ranee,

Words can not describe how I feel when I look into your BIG BLUE eyes every morning. You are such a joy, and seriously the most laid back baby I have EVER encountered! Not much phases you. Everyone always ask, "Is she always that happy?" and my answer is always "Yes!"

You absolutely adore your big brother, and he adores you! I can already tell you two will have a great bond! You love food... and I mean ALL food!! You  always have been a pretty great eater from day 1!! And baby girl you LOVE your sleep! You've been sleeping through the night since you were 7 weeks old... and Mommy and Daddy LOVE you for that!

Speaking of Daddy... you have him wrapped around your finger... and for a man that NEVER wanted a little girl, that is quite an accomplishment. He is jealous of our Mommy/Daughter bond, but I must confess, I LOVE IT! You prefer Mommy more than Daddy. After all your first word was "Mooommmm!". I wouldn't want it any other way!

You love to talk, talk, talk! These days your favorite word is "YEAH!" You love your bed (you prefer your bed, and hate to be held when you go to sleep). You love to put clothes around your neck or on top of your head and crawl around. I think I see a future dressing up everyday in princess clothes! Your favorite game is peek-a-boo! And you have learned to "shake your booty" to any song! But you are also pretty content just sitting back and watching the action. You didn't crawl until you were almost 10 months, but you are without a doubt very mobile now! It's only a matter of time before you will be walking!

You have Daddy's eyes, and long eyelashes, but there is much debate whether you look more like Mom or Dad. I think you look like my baby pictures more than Daddy's, but there's no denying you definitely look like your Dad! You also have inherited his height, and sweaty genes! You are not a happy baby in the heat! You have my feet, thin hair, and unfortunately my booty! I can tell already! Sorry about that! ;)

This year we have traveled to many places with you, and you have no problem adapting to new environments! We visited Grandma and Grandpa Garlinghouse in Sault St. Marie twice, and of course our big trip the Florida, which was your first plane ride!

Daddy and I like to call you "Granny" or "Doris"... you have so many characteristics of your Great Grandma Roy (her name was Doris)... and she would be so elated to meet you! I'm fairly positive she gave you your beautiful blue eyes! All she wanted was ONE Grandchild with blue eyes, and when Blake was born, she just KNEW his eyes were going to change... (his are about as dark brown as they get!)... About a  year after she passed away, we got to meet your beautiful face! Daddy and I have always said she was pretty tight with the man upstairs and we just know she convinced him to give us this perfect little girl!!!

Baby girl, you are our pride and joy! You were wanted before you were even conceived, and we are so proud of you! We have so many hopes and dreams for you, and we only hope as parents we can give you everything you want and need! We love you more than words can descirbe!

WE LOVE YOU,

Mommy, Daddy and Big Brother Blake

Phew... well Blake's birthday is actually today... guess I'm a little behind... stayed tuned for more Scoop... Blake's birthday post to come!!

UPDATE!

OK... It has been FOREVER since I updated my blog... and since I have a minute to myself, I decided it was time.

We had a BLAST in FL!!! The plane ride down was very smooth and both kids did really well... McKenna is NOT a "lap" baby... she hates to just sit on your lap, so that was a bit of a challenge, but we made it! Blake LOVED flying!

The weather (with the exception of the last 2 days) was BEAUTIFUL! Since we got in late Sat night... we spent most of Sunday lounging around, and getting prepped for Disney on Monday. Before we left on Sat... I had a bit of an anxiety attack because I was SURE our pain-in-the-butt double stroller wasn't going to fit in our "compact" car... Fortunately we managed to get all our luggage into a HHR :) Little side note... the stroller had ladybugs under the umbrella... and well lets just say they were SWARMING other travelers in DTW! ;) Sorry but, all I could do was laugh... after much deliberation on weather or not to bring the DANG thing... it was infested Ladybugs...just my luck!

Anyway... Disney was CROWDEDDDDDDD! but we still managed to have a good time... The kids got to see Buzz, Mickey and Minnie, Goofy, Woody and Jessie... and still got to ride quite a bit of rides! AND see 2 shows and the parade!!!! Blake is a roller coaster JUNKIE! :) I loved seeing his face after each and every ride! (the Pirates of the Caribbean... not so much!) After all that FUN stuff...the kids were whining and tired and were VERY READY to go home!

The rest of the week was pretty laid back, we went to the flea market, the outlet mall, and mainly just laid around, and SWAM! Oh... did we SWIM!

There were some issues that came up during our trip, and well... let's just say, it made for a stressful trip home. BUT we still managed to have a good trip and we can't wait to do it again!

The worst part was on the way home... my car broke down on the side of the road and we needed to be towed home... THANK GOODNESS for Ken and Alissa! (who were nice enough to take care of our Dog as well).....


SOOOO... with all that said... we are back in the swing of things and getting ready for 2 very special birthday's!.... My baby is going to be ONE on Sunday!!!! I can't believe how fast it has gone bye!! MAKES ME SAD!!!! And Blake will be the BIG 4!!

Well...  we have A LOT coming up... so stayed tuned for more Scoop!