Are we there yet…

Unlike his sister, baby Hutson arrived a week earlier than his scheduled c-section date at 38 weeks and 3 days.  Big sister Mary Reese arrived 10 days after her due date and tipped the scales at 8 pounds and 15 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. Little brother weighed in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces and 20 inches long. He’s a peanut, but a precious one at that! He’s got a head full of dark hair and is already stealing the hearts off all that come in contact with him.  He looks like his daddy and I pray that he will act like him too.

Because of previous complications with the vaginal birth of MR, we were advised to do a C-section with baby Hutson. This picture was taken right after the C-section. Breathing problems caused our little man to stay in a transitional nursery for 10 hours after the surgery. We were thrilled to have him in our arms again early the next morning.

Gran C and Big Daddy brought MR up to the hospital a few hours after Hutson’s arrival. And although they had to look at him through a glass window, they could tell that baby Hutson was the mirror image of his daddy (with his mama’s dark hair). Two days later, MR and Gran C got to meet the little man in person.

Hospital vistitors included big sister Mary Reese, Gran C, Big Daddy, Uncle B, Aunt B, Danny, and Uncle Bill.

In the two weeks since my last post, we have embarked on several home improvement projects, visited with family from Griffin, Cumming, Athens, and Waycross, welcomed the arrival of sweet Anna Bea, watched the fireworks in the Marietta Square, cheered on the Braves at Turner Field, and counted down the days and seconds until Little Man’s arrival…as of today, we are down to 14!!! And while our to-do list and social calendar is growing smaller, I am most definitely growing larger.

John Thomas’s  first birthday celebration in Griffin

Reynolds and Mary Reese

Waiting to welcome Anna Bea

Sweet Anna Beatrice (Anna Bea)

July 2, 2010

 8 pounds, 8 ounces; 20 inches long

Four precious cousins

The July 4th weekend included fireworks in the Square, a visit from Danny, and a trip to Turner field to cheer on the Braves.

G, Danny, and Aunt B

MR and Uncle B

The larger I get, the longer my G’s to-do list grows. Last weeks task was to paint Hutson’s nursery. Window treatments and bedding are on tap for this week. With only five weeks remaining, it seems like time is flying…the next three weekends are full of family, fishing, a birthday party, and the arrival of sweet Anna Bea. We’ve got lots to do and so much to be thankful for!

The nursery colors are pale blue and red; I will post pictures once the window treatments are up.

This past weekend couldn’t have been any better…

A visit from Gran C and Big Daddy,

a cookout with Julie, Bill, Nene and Boss

and a girl’s spend the night party (complete with pjs and a bedtime story from Big Daddy).

Heading to church on Sunday.

By 8 am this morning, I had completed 5 Petey Pie orders, sewed MR a new pair of shorts and a dress, mowed the yard, unloaded the dishwasher, and completed two loads of laundry. Feeling a bit like Superwoman, albeit a rather large and bloated version. We are down to 8 weeks until baby Hutson’s arrival and I’m doing my best to trick my body into nesting mode. Most days, I fail miserably on my “to do list”, but excel on my daily caloric intake. I’m hot. Anxious. Big. And ready. But also nervous about entering the newborn phase again. It certainly feels real–I’ve already gained the recommended weight limit for pregnancy– but then again, it doesn’t. Its hard to imagine what life will be like with two babies. I’m looking forward to the changes and learning to embrace (and not rush) these last remaining weeks.

I’m officially as wide as I am tall. My bra resembles something purchased from a prank store and my panties could fit an elephant. Still, I am giddy with excitement at the thought of meeting our little man in just 9 short weeks. Until then, we’ve been doing our best to keep busy…Popsicles on the porch have become a nightly tradition. We’ve also been doing our part to cheer on the Braves. G and MR attended Friday nights game and convinced me to join them again on Sunday. And although Sunday’s game included zero time in the stands (we met Dora and played in the Kid Zone instead),  it was a nice reminder that an air conditioner, couch, and bag of Doritos is truly a pregnant girls best friend!

First game of the season; G and MR met our friend Jeff and his son Brayden for a daddy’s night out at Turner Field.

The kids has a blast watching baseball and playing in the Kid Zone.

The daddies had fun too…

so much fun that they did not return until midnight with two very tired, sacked out kids.

 Dora (the Real Dora as MR refers to her) stopped by Sunday’s game

                
MR and Aunt B; Sweet MR makes this face when she doesn’t want us to know that she is having fun. Gone are the days of modeling Petey Pie shirts; this is all I get when I ask her to smile.

It really was one of those weeks…

One of those weeks where we stayed in pjs way past noon,

one of those weeks where the porch replaced the tv,

and one of those weeks where we ate like kings and queens.

Mothers day was equally as special. G and MR gifted me with a Dyson vacuum. It really does work like a charm and I am absolutely loving it! We visited our new church for the first time and had lunch at a nearby soul food restaurant. One things for sure, I’m counting blessings and not calories these days. My last doctors appointment showed that I have gained A LOT of weight and that I am anemic, giving me a much needed excuse for my sluggishness and irritability:) We also set July 20th as the c- section date for Hutson’s arrival. That leaves 10 weeks to go and many, many more gallons of ice cream and time spent relaxing on the front porch!

The older, wiser, and wider I get, the more I realize that while time is money, time spent searching for coupons and good deals puts even more money in my pocket. Becoming a coupon-carrying, thrifty mom is much more rewarding and exciting then I ever thought it could be!

$18.88 in groceries (saved $26 in coupons)

Goodwill score for MR: 2 Lily Pulitzer dresses and 2 Orient Expressed dresses for $10

Goodwill score for baby Hutson: 1 Lacoste shirt, a pair of seersucker Polo shorts, and 1 pair of The Children’s Place shorts for $4

Another round of winter weather earlier this week meant more snow pictures, a few too many cups of hot chocolate, and lots and lots of snuggle time with sweet MR. We’ve had a busy, productive week and are glad that it’s finally Friday! We’re also happy that “baby bruder” finally has a name. We’ve decided to name him Hutson Garrett.  Hutson was my dad’s grandfathers name. Naming our little man makes me even more excited; I can hardly wait to meet him!

In typcial southern fashion, the snow was gone by the next morning and warmer temps returned! February has been the busiest month on record for Petey Pie’s. My little mail carrier and I are making at least 3-4 trip a week to the post office to ship out orders. 

Almost half way there. I’m big; I know it. But, I’m growing a precious baby boy who puts in frequent requests for Mexican, Lucky Charms, and Chic-fil-A.