Trip to Hico

This past weekend we took a trip with my parents to visit my Mee Maw in Hico, TX. Mee Maw's mother's name was Lucy, and that is who our Lucy is named after. It was really cool to introduce Lucy to Mee Maw and hear all of her stories about the original Lucy. She also pulled out some old photos of her mother for us to look at.

Going to Hico is always a such a relaxing time. It is quiet and peaceful, and my grandmother is such an easy going, sweet, and giving person that I always feel refreshed and good after being there. Mom, Mee Maw, Lucy, and I visited and relaxed Saturday while Dad, Ryan, and Aiden took a trip out to the family farm to go fishing. Aiden caught a catfish and had a very good time playing outdoors. We can't wait to go back for another visit!

Halloween!

Halloween was fun this year since Aiden was a little older and understood the concept a bit more! He decided to dress up as a cowboy, and Zachary went as an Indian. I got his costume a couple of weeks before Halloween, and actually had to hide it from him because I was afraid he would wear it out. Unfortunately, his favorite thing was the guns...I really wanted to be one of those parents who didn't let their kids run around pointing guns at people. I just feel like it's tacky and can be dangerous if they're ever around a real gun....hmmmm. Easier said than done! We tried to work on just shooting "bad animals" like bears, tigers, etc., but I will say that the gun was pointed at me more than a few times!

Aiden's school had a Halloween carnival the Friday before Halloween. Ryan and I both wanted to go, but I didn't want to have Lucy up at his school for too long. So, Ryan went for the first part, and I came with Lucy for the last 15 minutes or so. They had to move it into the lobby from outside because of the rain, but it was still a lot of fun for the kids. There were lots of games, treats, and prizes, plus a big "feast" for lunch that the parents pitched in to provide. He seemed to have a great time, and it was cool to see him interact with all of his friends.

Saturday, Halloween, was quite a day. First, it was Ryan's turn to get up with Lucy so I could get a bit of sleep. Of course, he ended up falling asleep in Aiden's room, which meant I couldn't wake him up without waking Aiden up. So, I was really mad Saturday morning as I didn't get to sleep through one of her two feedings like I had wanted to. Then, when Ryan was trying fix our leaky faucet in the kitchen the water valve popped off, and our entire kitchen was soaked with water. Fortunately, a similar thing happened about a year ago in one of the bathrooms, so I was familiar with where the main water shut-off is located outside! Unfortunately, even though we thought we mopped up all hte water, some of it under the counters gradually was pulled into the carpet padding in the living room. By Saturday night the carpet next to the kitchen was soaked and ruined. So now we are going to have to replace flooring in the living room...right in time for the holidays...GREAT! I ended up sending Ryan to buy me a Halloween igloo (for those unfamiliar, a really good alcoholic beverage), which helped with the stress!

Halloween night Michael, Elizabeth, and Zachary came to trick-or-treat and attend our neighborhood carnival. My mom and dad also came in to see Aiden and watch Lucy while we took him out, plus Jesse and Marissa came in for the night to go to a party in town. Aiden was very timid at first, but by the time we trick-or-treated our way home from the carnival, he was a pro! The BEST part of the weekend was that since my mom could sense that I was about to lose my mind with all of the events from the day, she volunteered to sleep in the same room with Lucy and get up with her Saturday night! SO GREAT!!! I got 8 full hours of sleep, which was wonderful! My poor mom was exhausted Sunday, but I felt so refreshed! Moms are the BEST!

Jesse & Marissa with Lucy

Zachary & Aiden ready for trick-or-treating!

Lucy in one of her three Halloween outfits!

Aiden playing a game at the carnival

Trick or Treat!!!

The boys checking out their loot!

Lucy Elaine is Here!!

Now that Lucy is now a month old, I thought I would take some time to blog about how things have gone since October 10. We were lucky to have both of our immediate families here for Lucy's birth. Ryan and I arrived at The Med at about 6am, and since I had a scheduled c-section, Lucy was born soon after at 8:38 am. She weighed a whopping 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19 inches long...much smaller than I anticipated! The delivery was easy, and the only uncomfortable parts were having the catheter put in (before the spinal for some reason) and I was nauseaus and got sick from the medication at the beginning of the surgery. Otherwise, it was a piece of cake! The pain after was also not too bad. In fact, on Sunday night when the nurse came to check on me she was concerned because I had not had any pain medication that entire day...I guess I'm tougher than I thought!!

We spent 2 nights in the hospital, and we were very ready to get home by the time we were discharged on Monday afternoon. My parents statyed with Aiden at our house until Monday evening, and then Ryan's parents came over from Michael's house Monday evening through Wednesday morning. My mom then came back Wednesday and stayed through the weekend to help us, which was GREAT!

Aiden adjusted pretty well to his little sister. While he was nothing but sweet to Lucy, giving kisses and hugs frequently, he was very defiant and attention-seeking with Ryan and I. I guess it was better that he took out his confusion, etc. on us rather than the baby, but it made for a couple of long weeks. He has since settled down and is back to his normal self! We kept him at home with us the first week after Lucy was born, and then he headed back to school. Since Lucy has settled in, and I have gotten into an easier routine Aiden has been staying home a couple of days per week, which is nice.

So, we are quickly adjusting to being a family of four. It is defintely tough going from 1 to 2 kids, but Lucy has been a pretty easy baby so far. She is usually easy-going, but does already have a short temper. Whenever she gets mad, she turns bright purple, screams, and doesn't take a breath...I'm afraid she's going to make herself pass out! Her tantrums last about a minute, and then she is calm again... i'm already looking forward to the toddler tantrums!! She is now sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night, so I typically only have to get up to feed her once per night. We still have her in a bassinett in our room, and will likely transition her to her room after Thanksgiving.

Here are some pictures from Lucy's arrival:



Lucy Elaine Cosser

Beautiful hat!!

Zachary & Aiden playing with Uncle Spoons while waiting to meet Lucy

Aiden is not so sure about this!

Grandmommy, Lucy, & Aiden

Our happy family of four!

Sweet baby girl :)

The Final Countdown!!

We are officially in final countdown to Lucy's arrival! Yesterday was my last day of work until I return in Januray (although my office was only 26 minutes into the work day this morning when I got my first phone call...sigh...)! When I had Aiden, I was only able to take about 6 weeks of maternity leave. He seemed SO small and helpless when I returned to work, and it was really tough. This time, I made sure that I had been paying into short-term disability to help with financially being out longer. Plus, the way Lucy's birth date falls will easily incorporate dates I am already off of work for Thanksgiving and Christmas into my total time at home before having to go back. So, in all I will be home with her for 12 weeks. Not as awesome as the full year maternity leave some other countries allow, but much better than the last time!

I had my last doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I had gone from absolutely no progression to 1 cm dilation and some downward movement. It doesn't really matter since I will have to have a c-section anyway, but it's good to know that all the latest discomfort has had some result! We were told that we will need to check into the hospital at 6 AM Saturday morning, and that the c-section will begin between 7:30 & 8:00. So, in 48 hours we should have a baby girl!! FINALLY!!!

This weekend mom, John David, and Stephanie came over to watch the Aggie game. John David brought a really cute shirt he found for Aiden. I think we are going to have Aiden wear it on Saturday to the hospital! Mom also took some pictures of Lucy's finished room.

I will be posting pictures of Lucy on facebook and on the blog as soon as I can. I'm sure my mom will post them quicker than I will on facebook, so I will tell her to tag me in the pictures so everyone can see!

Wish us luck as our family grows from three to four this weekend!

Uncle John David and Aiden with his new shirt!

Hold still for a picture Aiden!!

Here's hoping Aiden's shirt quote will be accurate!

Lucy's crib & Mother Goose pictures

Lucy's dresser/changing table

Dollhouse bookshelf that Uncle Jesse bought Lucy!

October Update

Yay!! It's officially October, and I made it! After a couple of weeks of scares, I am finally at a point where I feel comfortable with Lucy making an appearance any time. Her room is ready, clothes are washed, supplies have been purchased, and I am "end of the road" miserable....it's time!

I am very curious to see how much she will weigh when she is born. Aiden was only 7 lbs. 2 oz., which is less than what the doctor thought (he predicted a little over 8 lbs.), but I can tell that my stomach is much bigger this time. I'm also very curious to see what she will look like. I remember being so surprised when I saw Aiden for the first time because I just assumed he would favor Ryan and have a darker complexion and dark hair. When I saw him, I remember being shocked that he looked like...me! He is starting to look more like his dad than when he was a baby-especially his eyes. So, now when I picture Lucy I see her looking a lot like Aiden. Maybe I'll be surprised and she'll be the one to look like Ryan!

So, we are still set for a c-section on October 10 (also Ryan's 30th birthday!). Ryan's parents and brothers and my parents and brothers are coming in Friday night, so we will have more than enough spectators for the big event!! Mom and Dad are planning to stay at our house with Aiden until we get home from the hospital, and Nan & Joe will be at Mike and Elizabeth's house until we get home and will then move over to our house to help until they leave on Wednesday. I think my mom is planning to come back to stay with us for a few days after the Cossers leave as well. I am thinking that I will need lots of help this time since there will be a 3-year-old running around the house too!

In other news, I will be gaining yet another sister-in-law this summer! Jesse proposed to his girlfriend Marissa during their vacation to Mexico last week. Marissa is an Aggie and a high school math teacher in Houston, so she'll be relocating to Dallas to be with Jesse after the school year is complete. She's from Corpus, so I assume the wedding will either be there or in Houston. I've only gotten to hang out with her a few times, but I really like her a lot and think she is a good fit for Jesse. So, we'll have one wedding (John David & Stephanie) in April and another in the summer...busy year! Hopefully they'll move quickly so that Aiden and Lucy will have some cousins to play with on my side of the family :)

Here are some pictures of the new engaged couple:

Green Eggs & Ham

This past weekend my brother John David had his bachelor party in Port Aransas, which Ryan attended. Since I was a little worried about staying home alone with Aiden after the previous week's false labor episode (and my mom had ballet tickets!), Aiden and I had Ryan drop us off at my mom and dad's house in Mo. City on his way. Always the drama queen, Lucy gave me a bit of a scare Friday night/Saturday morning, but after talking with my doctor I decided to stay at my parents' (2 hours away from my doc & hospital...) until Sunday when Ryan came back. Luckily, my "signs" subsided by Saturday afternoon, and mom and I were able to enjoy the Houston Ballet's production of Manon Saturday night.

Aiden received a Green Eggs & Ham dvd for his birthday, so Grandmommy decided to make him green eggs and ham for breakfast Saturday morning. As you can see, they were a hit with Aiden and Grandaddy!

We are now about two weeks away from the scheduled arrival of Lucy, but I have no idea if I will make it that long. At my appointment Monday everything looked okay, but I was measuring 2 weeks bigger than I am. My doctor estimated she weighs about 7 lbs. now....uggghhh! Aiden only weighed 7lbs. 2oz. when he was born!! I would like to at least make it through next week, but I realize I don't have a ton of control over the situation....we'll just wait & see what happens :)

Our little Aiden turned 3 on Thursday. It's really hard to believe that three years have gone by so quickly!



Unfortunately, Aiden's actual birthday was overshadowed by his yet-to-be-born little sister. Wednesday night I decided to stay at Mike & Elizabeth's house because Ryan had to drive to Dallas for the night for an early meeting Thursday. It's a good thing that I was cautious because I woke up at 3 am having contractions every 6-7 minutes. I waited an hour, called my doctor, called Ryan, and woke Elizabeth to drive me to the hospital. I ended up staying until about 2:30 that afternoon, went through a couple of IV's, and the contractions stopped. The explanation was that I must have been dehydrated or too active, which started the contractions. So, I am supposed to stay hydrated and take it easy (not sure how that happens with a 3-year-old!) so that Lucy stays put until October.

Elizabeth was wonderful, and kept Aiden and Zachary all day Thursday. They went to the park and got to play, and Elizabeth even wrapped Aiden's gifts for me and baked his cake. We had a small family party Thursday night, and then a bigger event Friday!

A bunch of us went to Playhouse Disney Live Friday night to see Mickey & friends, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger, Little Einsteins, and Handy Manny. The kids had a blast, and we came back to the house for cake, ice cream, and presents afterwards.

Saturday the guys started putting together Aiden's swing set (a gift from all the grandparents). They worked until about 9:00, then started back up and finished Sunday. It was a rainy weekend, so they did a lot of assembly in the garage and then moved parts to the backyard. Aiden was very excited about his new slide and swings, and once it dries up some we'll have to have Zachary over to check it out with him!

We also got some more things on the wall in Lucy's room. I had ordered a wall quote for the wall above her bed. I like the quote and font, but the color came out bright pink even though I ordered SOFT pink! I haven't decided what to do about it...I'm really not happy with the color because it doesn't match at all, but I don't know what to do instead. It does look better in the picture than in person.

Here are some pictures from Aiden's birthday weekend!