Christmas is Around the Corner!

Christmas is just around the corner, and I am so stinkin' excited! Excited to see my kids faces light up when they discover that Santa has visited; excited to be around all my immediate family and extended family; excited for the yummy treats and eats; and especially excited to be blessed with a new child! Those are all the things I am excited about and all the things I really "want" for Christmas!

Yesterday, Johnathan and I took the kids photos for our Christmas card. It was a blast!

Reagan wanted to pose and smile,

but Easton didn't really want to look in the camera's direction.

He did cooperate when we asked him to kiss his sissy.

She loves to kiss on him too! It's really cute.



Overall, we got some great pictures and made an adorable Christmas card!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!



Come here Reagan!

I'm starting to think that Reagan will be walking on her own any day now...just in time for Brooklynn's arrival. What do you think?

Updates!

It's been WAAAYYY too long since I updated this blog last....SORRY!

Some updates for you:

Reagan
Our sweet little diva just recently turned 1-year-old! We gave her a "sweet" birthday party and showered her with lots of love and gifts. Below is one of her 1-year pics I took. Isn't she beautiful!

She is still not walking, but I think it's going to happen any day now! Oh boy....just when our Brooklynn gets here. That's gonna be fun! ;  )

Easton
Our sweet boy is as precious and handsome as ever. He is progressing and learning more every day. His language has developed so much since he started school in August. We are so proud of him!

He still won't eat much of a variety of foods, but he does stick to his staple foods, which is better than nothing I guess!

Brooklynn
We are only about 4 weeks from meeting our new baby girl. She is so active in my tummy, so I am already predicting that she will be a energetic little girl!

Johnathan
My handsome hubby is nearing the end with his paramedic class. He only has a handful more of classes to attend, and then he can go on to take the National Registry test to become certified as a paramedic. I am so proud of all the hard work he has put in to becoming a paramedic. He will take the test days before we expect Brooklynn to be born, so there will be a lot going on in the third week of December!

Me
I am now 35 weeks pregnant, and SOOOO ready to have Brooklynn! I have been pregnant for almost 2 years straight, and I need a pregnancy break! This pregnancy has been a lot different than my first two in that I have had much more back and pelvic pain, LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions, and many more mornings of nausea...even now in my third trimester!

My plan, which I actually haven't discussed with my doctors yet, is to be induced sometime in the time frame of December 17-21. I am determined for Brooklynn not to be born on Christmas...I don't want any of my children to have to share their birthday with a major holiday, especially Christmas!

Well, that's it for now! Hopefully I will have some more interesting news to share soon!

Sweet Snuggles!

Two of my loves and snuggle buddies.

Have a great Wednesday!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? I see my little Easton doing so well and it makes me happy!

Easton has been doing wonderfully in school. He absolutely LOVES it! He is talking so much more and singing songs and following directions and asking for or telling us what he needs/wants. It's so fantastic!

Something really neat he's doing now is reading. I can write a note to him or write a sentence for him and he can READ it with no help at all!

I just love my little guy so much, and his daddy and I are just so happy at the progress he's made in just the month and a half that he's been in the special 3 yr. old class.

Last night, he was so proud of himself because he remembered all the words to the Brown Bear, Brown Bear book his teacher read in class. I leave this post with Easton's rendition of the book in song form!

Baby Brunch

Today my co-worker/friend Amanda and I hosted a Baby Brunch and Photoshoot; it was for the upcoming edition of our University's magazine. We wanted to feature all the babies born to our employees since the last edition of the magazine was published.

It was so much fun getting all the babies, and their parents, together for lots of  playtime. Reagan, although the oldest, was very clingy to her mommy, but her usual diva self did make an appearance.

We had one moment of tug-and-war with her bestie Peyton:

A sticking-out-the-tounge moment at her bestie Peyton:

Several whining/crying/screaming moments:

A few calm not-noticing-her-mommy-got-up-to-get-more-punch moments:

And many this-is-a-lot-of-fun-to-play-with-all-these-new-friends moments:

Overall, we just had a great time seeing how much everyone's babies have grown. We sure do make some good looking children!

Funny Friday

I haven't posted in a while, but I desperately needed something to make me laugh -- the lack of sleep lately is getting to me. So, enjoy this really cute video of Reagan acting silly. It made me chuckle, and I hope it makes you do the same! Have a wonderful Friday!

Its a girl!

We are so excited to announce that our next bundle of joy will be a baby girl! Her name will be Brooklynn Page - Brooklynn, with two n's, because Lynn is my middle name, and Page, spelled without an i, because that's Johnathan's grandmother's maiden name.

Her due date is set for December 28th, but we have already requested to be induced at least a week before that because I have a history of having BIG babies, even when they are 7 and 10 days early - Easton was 9 lbs, 5 oz and Reagan was 8 lbs, 12 oz!

We got a 45 minute ultrasound done today, but Brooklynn wasn't cooperating for us to get a good profile shot - she stayed in a tight wad the entire time with her hands and legs covering her face. So, I don't have a good picture of her to include. We do have to go back in 4 weeks though to get another ultrasound checkup because my placenta is lower than the doctor would like, so maybe we'll get some better pics then! Overall, the doctor said she looks great!

This will be interesting to see how Reagan reacts to having another girl in the family. I have a feeling that Brooklynn will be completely opposite in personality than her big sister and hopefully be more easy going! I am not worried about Easton's reaction. He is such a good big brother to Reagan; I would only assume he is going to be that way with Brooklynn.

P.S. School is going really well for Easton. He cries to go! So far, it's only been him and one other child, sometimes two, so he is getting A LOT of one-on-one instruction/attention from his teachers. I have already seen a few little changes in him. Awesome!

675 Miles of Pure Bliss

Yea! I am so excited for our
yard sale extravaganza!

That's right! 675 miles of yard sale after antique dealer after yard sale, yard sale and yard sale...it is pure bliss.

This Friday, my mom and I are headed out to the World's Longest Yard Sale -- a sale that stretches from Gadsden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan. Now to be honest, we won't be covering the entire 675; there is no way! We are just visiting from Crossville to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and that could take a week alone if the sale was that long. We'll just be gone until Saturday.

This is our sixth year in a row attending the sale, and I am so excited. I can't wait to discover all kinds of neat treasures and antiques. Pictures will come soon!

Tybee Island

We just got back from a fun/relaxing/stressful  family vacation on Tybee Island, Ga. It was Reagan's first time at the beach and Easton's fourth!

We went with my parents, and they were a huge help! I don't know how in the world we could ever go on vacation without two more sets of hands there to help and two more hearts to love!

The trip brought some new experiences for our children. Easton slept in a real bed, by himself, in his own room in our condo. He didn't get out once during the night, and slept great all night long each night! What a big boy!

Reagan, on the other hand, slept in Mommy and  Daddy's bed EVERY night! It was hard not to put her in the bed because she was in a pack-n-play in our room, so it was hard to ignore her every whimper and cry. It was just easier to put her in the bed with us and go back to sleep. I will say, to defend Johnathan and I, she did START OUT every night in her own bed.

Easton and Johnathan spent A LOT of time in the water. They swam, and Easton even boogie-boarded.

Reagan and I stayed mostly under the shade of the beach canopy. She loved to play in her and Easton's kiddie pool more than play in the ocean. She was the resident greeter for all those coming to and from the beach water. She would just smile and wave at everyone!

On the next to the last day, we spent some time in Savannah touring the historic area, and we stopped at Forsyth Park to let the kids play. It's a beautiful city park with a beautiful fountain and lots of things to do.

Overall, we had a great trip. Can't wait for our next one!

PS: Easton started school this week. He is in a special needs class with four other students. I think we are going to see a lot of changes in the next few months with his language development. I can't wait to find out what new things he discovers about language and about himself!

Updates!

It's been a while since I've posted; just a lot going on at the Thomas house!

A few updates for you, by person:

Easton
Our little guy will be starting school in two weeks. He will be in a head start program for 3-year-olds. It's basically a special ed (I hate that phrase, but that's what it is) class with about 8 other children like him--those that need a little extra push/help/attention in language development.

Reagan
Our little DIVA is now sitting up on her on and talking up a storm, baby talk that is! She doesn't crawl yet; she hates being on her stomach. She, however, loves to stand up, with someone holding her, and ZOOMS around in her walker trying to get into whatever she can find. Just as an example, last night I caught her with her brother's hamburger that she stole off his table. That little hamburgler!

Johnathan
Is still as handsome as ever and working towards earning his paramedic certification. I can't wait until he finishes that up!

Me
I am 17 weeks pregnant today. I have started feeling the little baby move. I am guessing that it's a boy, just based on how I feel and how I am carrying. We will find out for sure on August 9 @ 9 a.m.!

I hope to get back into posting regularly again. We have some vacations and trips coming up in the next few months, so I should have some great photos to post! Until then!

The Word is Out! and Patty Cake!

I haven't posted in a while because A LOT has been going on in our lives. We just found out we are expecting our third child! A surprise blessing that was in GOD's plans. I am fine with either a boy or girl, but having another girl would be really neat because she and Reagan would only be 15 months apart.

We are thinking...and I am not sure if we can hold out...that we aren't going to find out the sex of this baby. The baby was a surprise, so finding out the sex will be a surprise too!

I'll leave you with the cute video of Reagan doing her version of patty-cake while I sing!

It's All In GOD's Hands

On Tuesday we received some really bad news about my grandmother...she has breast cancer. They don't know what kind yet, but it's definitely cancer the doctor said.

She goes next week for a biopsy, and that's when we'll find out if it's an invasive version or stagnant or whatever.

My mom brought up a good point to me last night...this changes the whole dynamics of the health of the women in our family. Since my grandmother has it, our chances of having it are so much greater now. I never thought that at this young I would need to get a mammogram, but I am going to start getting one at every annual checkup I have from now on.

I love my grandmother so much, and words don't express how upset I am about this happening to her. I am going to keep a positive outlook, though, for her and my family's sake.

It's all in GOD's hands now. Pray for my family and especially for my grandmother please.

The Star of the Show!

I went and picked up Easton from school today, and his teacher informed me that he was selected as the star student for the week! Awesome! We are so proud of him! They even gave us a sign to stick in the yard and everything.

This is Easton and I getting home from school, and his sister and daddy, with camera in hand, are waiting on the porch to congratulate him. Look at that excited face. Priceless!

Simply Sunday

We had such a relaxing afternoon on Sunday. We picked up some KFC and had a great picnic at a local park. Then we went for a LONG walk/hike. It was really nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

When we got back, Easton was being such a lovey to his sister. Check out this cute video!



Happy Monday!

Blue-Eyed Beautiful Baby

I took photos of my precious baby girl yesterday. Here's my favorite of the gazillion pics I took!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Just a cute video!

This is just a cute video of Reagan being her social self. Enjoy!

(FYI: The pink glow at the bottom of the video is my iPhone cover that covered up part of the video lens when my mom was filming) : )

60 Years Young

My mom is one of my best friends. We have so much fun together, whether its hanging out watching tv or on our annual trip to the World's Longest Yard Sale. She and I have the best relationship. I can tell her anything, good and bad, and she has never judged me or told my secrets. Thank you for that mom!

Today my mom turned 60...don't hate me for saying your age Mom...but she doesn't look a day over 40. She has been and is the best mom anyone could ever have, and now she is the best "Gammie," as my son calls her.

Thank you mom for all that you do for us and for cherishing every moment you have with your grandkids. You have taught them and us so much about loving and caring for one another. We all love you so much! - Lolli

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.

We caved in. Easton has been getting so hot lately and sweating all the time that we decided it was time for the long, lucious blonde locks to go. Johnathan and I have been talking for weeks about doing this...we just loved Easton's hair so much...but this weekend we brought out the hair clippers and said goodbye to Easton's hair (well not completely...we collected it all in a sandwich baggie and will put it in his memory box  :  )- !

So, Easton went from this.....

to this....

and finally, to this!

Much better for the warm weather!

Don't Worry. Be Happy!

Wow. I have neglected the blog for exactly a week now. It's not that I didn't want to post; I just got really busy and caught up in my daily life.

Some new happenings in my life:

For the last few weeks, I have had some emotional and physical issues (anxiety, insomnia, hair loss, mood swings), so I went to see the doctor to get myself checked out. The verdict...she said it could be one of two things: I might have a thyroid problem or it's just post-post-partum depression. So, she drew my blood to check my thyroid levels and she started me on some anti-anxiety/depression medicine.

I know some people say you should be hush-hush about depression, but I feel like it will be easier for me to deal with it if I talk about it. I am not ashamed. It's just one of those things you can't help and that just happens sometimes.

In Easton news:

We have seen some improvement in his speech. He is more willing to say things now, especially when we give him a cue, ie "Tell Daddy, 'Have a good day'!" He is trying really hard; however, he still won't answer any questions besides if we ask him if he wants yogurt or if he wants to go outside.

He is still in speech and occupational therapy on Fridays, and we hope to see some greater progress soon!

Newest update: just found out he passed his hearing evaluation afterall! The County Preschool Intervention said he passed but will need further evaluation in 6 months! So, now we are on a waiting list for him to be put in the County's therapy program for the fall.

What about Reagan?

She is still a DIVA! and a ton of fun. She loves to laugh and giggle and coo! She's currently working on rolling over...she's almost got it! These last few nights have been a blessing! She has slept from 8:30 p.m. until after 6 a.m. without waking up through the night. I am still waking up though wondering why she hasn't woken up! :  )

What's ahead?

This weekend should be a ton of fun. From family get togethers to egg  hunts to Easter bunny pictures, I can't wait! Pictures of that will come next week!

Room Sweet Room!

For the last two nights Reagan has slept in her own room! It makes me sad and happy at the same time--she's getting older : ( but she's sleeping better in there than in our room : )

I love her little room. I decorated it myself with Target bedding and accessories, homemade art, items from my childhood, gifts & yard sale finds.

It's off the kitchen, which makes it hard to stay quiet after she's gone to bed, but I like having her on the first floor. When we bought the house, the room was the master bedroom, but it was awkward because there wasn't a bathroom attached. So, we built a master bedroom suite on the other side of the house (several years ago), and this room became an office/storage/dog room. When we got pregnant with her, I decided it would be the perfect room for her because it was far enough from Easton, so they wouldn’t disturb each other at night, but it was close enough to us so we can get to her quicker at night.

I can't believe my little baby is already 5 months old, and I didn't want to move her to her room until she was 6 months old, but it was just time to make the transition. Let's just cross our fingers that the better sleeping at night continues because Mommy and Daddy need some rest!

TGIF!!!

I am ready to get the weekend started! I can't wait to enjoy this beautiful weather! I hope everyone soaks in some sun and takes a moment to appreciate this beautiful Earth that GOD has blessed us with. Have a great weekend!

The Weight is Over!

Yes. I did it. I have finally lost ALL of my pregnancy weight! With my pregnancy with Easton, I gained 70 pounds and my pregnancy with Reagan, 40 pounds. It took me a year to lose the weight from Easton and now only 5 months from Reagan. Exciting!

I am not, by any means, writing this to brag. I am just proud of myself and I just feel like shouting from the mountain tops! Cheesy. Sorry.

I think what ultimately helped me this time, that was different than the first, was that I am breastfeeding Reagan and I am doing an exercise class called ZUMBA once a week.

Even though I have lost the weight, I still need to tone certain parts of my body--specifically my thighs and my arms. But, with this warm weather coming, I will soon get outside and chase my rugrats around to do just that!

Enough about me!

Brother Hugs and Sister Loves

Easton and Reagan were so cute with each other this past weekend! See the video for yourself!



Happy Monday everyone!

All Smiles

Yesterday Easton had his school pictures. I was actually concerned at how he would do because he never wants to sit still long enough to even look at the camera and will hardly ever smile on cue. But, when I picked him up and before I even asked his teachers about it, they both said, "Easton did soooo good today with the pictures. He smiled so well. The pictures are going to be so cute!" I smiled so big hearing that. I am soooo excited to see how they turn out!

Speaking of smiles, Easton has his tooth extraction and tooth filling appointment today. I feel like a bad parent for letting one of his teeth get rotten and get infected, but the doctor says it's not uncommon at his age at all. There was a long period of time that it was very difficult to brush Easton's teeth. He would kick and scream, so I know we didn't brush his teeth very well...but we tried. He's gotten better about letting us brush his teeth now, but the abscessed tooth is just out of our control at this point.

So today, at 6 p.m., he goes to get that sucker pulled out of his mouth and gets a filling in another tooth. We hope that he will cooperate with just the laughing gas mask on his nose and mouth, but if he doesn't, we have to resort to putting him in a papoose--a hard flat board with a straight jacket thing attached. Ugh. I think I would get too upset to see that, so Johnathan is going to take him, and I am staying home with Reagan.

I will let you all know how it goes. I hope my baby doesn't have too much pain. Good thing his speech and occupational therapy is this morning before his dentist appointment, because if he went to therapy after the dentist, then they would really think something was wrong with his speech!

Have a great weekend!

Support System

This morning has just been awful! From my husband calling me saying he was sick and I had to take the kids to their respective places this morning (Reagan to my mother-in-law's and Easton to school) to Reagan spitting up and pooping all over herself and me to my outside cat bolting in the house as I was leaving (and I had to chase her down) to not finding a parking place when I got to work, it hasn't been a great morning. It kind of sounds trivial when I write it all down, but we have all been there more than once!

Anyway, I am finding that what gets me through the day is my support system of family and friends, and people who are in a similar situation as us. Just yesterday, I ran into a professor at the college where I work. I already knew that her son is autistic, and he is the cutest and sweetest little boy. We got to talking, and because I knew of her situation, I brought up the fact that Easton's pediatrician thinks he is autistic. She and I talked for a good while about her son, my son, their differences, their similarities, and so on. It was good to know that I have someone to talk to who knows exactly what I am feeling as a mom who has a son with delays.

Once I got back to my office, I had a long email from her with names and numbers of different doctors her family has used for her son, tips and advice, and just goodwill of "I know how you feel." She offered to be a shoulder I could lean on if I needed her...because that's what moms do.

I am thankful for people like her who know what it's like, and I am so thankful for the family and friends that support us each and every day.

Well, our next adventure is the dentist. Easton has some teeth issues now, so I will let everyone know soon enough how that goes!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Today we took Easton for his second try at taking a hearing test. And the verdict is...ehhhh...he cooperated for about 25% of it.

Instead of the health department, this time we took him to this place called Progressive Audiology. It's where a lot of "old" people go to get hearing aids. The doctor was super nice and tried to establish a good raport with Easton, but my little guy has a mind of his own. Once he saw the toys in the room, it was hard to break him away from playing with them to take the hearing test.

We ended up going into a sound booth room--first try with toys and second try without-- and the doctor would play noises that would come out of different speakers that were in the corners of the room. Easton did pretty well responding to the sounds by looking in the direction of the speaker that was playing the noise, but he has his limits and after about 5 minutes, he had had enough!

The next step was trying to get Easton to be still and not scream long enough for the doc to stick these ear probe things in Easton's ears to see if fluid was behind them...that was not happening! Easton screamed and kicked! He wanted nothing to do with that!

So, we still don't have a passed hearing evaluation for Easton, and now it's on to begging our doctor to sign a provisional certificate. Cross your fingers for us! We need to get him into this intervention program...and soon!

Chic Art on the Cheap!

Even though I want to make this blog about my family and my life, it's fun to break it up every once in a while with something different. So, I decided to feature a recent craft/art project that I completed a couple of weeks ago for our living room.

Has anyone ever heard of Ballard Designs? Well, they have gorgeous furniture, art, linens, and so on. The catch is, however, is that it's really EXPENSIVE! That doesn't stop ME from creating my own version of some of their art!

Like this wall art by Ballard Designs? I did...but it's $149.00! Who has that kind of money for art or wants to spend that much? Not me. So I created my own version of this! AND, it only cost me $25!

*Please note: the photo above is only half the art I created. The other four boards are on the other side of this window...I just didn't take a picture of those!

It was really simple to do. This is what I used, and what you will need if you create your own:

* 8 sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper with colors that coordinate with your room. (My layout is different than the Ballard Designs version because I only had space for 4 boards on each side of my living room window. You can create your own unique layout for your space!)

* Spray adhesive

*Spray paint (in a color that coordinates with the paper)

*MDF Shelving (I bought an 8 ft. piece because I needed 8 boards at 12 inches width each. AND, if you don't have a circular saw or someone to cut it for you, DON'T FRET! Home Depot will cut it for you!)

*Picture hooks and wall hooks

Step 1: Take your 8 boards (or however many you have decided to do) and spray the all the edges with the spray paint. Let dry...obviously. You may have to do several coats because it soaks really well into the MDF.

Step 2: One by one, spray each board with the adhesive glue and then smooth on your paper. Let dry!

Step 3: Attach the picture hooks to the back of each one. (This was the most difficult part for me for some reason. I had to get help.)

Step 4: Measure your wall and make marks for hanging your boards...then put your wall hooks in!

Step 5: Hang your art! Step back and enjoy!

Oh My Chinny, Chin, Chin!

Lately when Easton gets upset or frustrated about something, he says "Oh my chinny, chin, chin!" He picked it up from a cartoon show called Super Why, which featured an episode about the big bad wolf and the three little pigs. It's really cute when he says it...at least he is communicating instead of just whining!

I have been so frustrated lately I want to just say "Oh my chinny, chin, chin!" too. Our latest adventure has been trying to get Easton into the public school version of speech therapy.

The advantages: not only is it free, but they have the children come twice a week for therapy. (The private therapy is only once a week for 30 minutes each time, and our insurance only pays for up to 20 sessions)

The disadvantages: getting into the public school version is like try to conquer an obstacle course blind-folded. They make it SOOOO difficult to get in...but I will do anything for my little guy!

One of the big problems we are having right now is getting Easton's hearing evaluation done. Which is a feat! He doesn't like the earphones in his ears, and he doesn't understand the directions they are giving him on what to do. I just want to scream "That's why we are trying to get him into this program people! He's not going to cooperate because he doesn't understand!" We are going to try to go one more time (this Friday), and if he still won't do it, then we are going to have to beg and plead to our doctor to sign some kind of provisional certificate for him.

 "Oh my chinny, chin, chin!" Give me patience please!

"Have a Good Day!"

"Have a good day!" That's what my sweet little boy told me this morning on our way out the door! Awesome! Have a great weekend everyone!

Pre-Preschool and Laughing Pizza!

At the beginning of February, we started Easton in a preschool program. It's on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.- noon...and it's in the church on campus where I work. We decided to put him in the program for the structured environment and so he can play and interact with other children his age. We hope the program will also be one of the many steps we are taking to help him develop and improve his language and fine motor skills.

So far, he is doing fabulous! He still has a little anxiety when we drop him off in the mornings, but the teachers tell us that the tears only last for a minute and then he's fine! Each time he is there it gets better and better for him. He is playing well with the other kids. (There are 5 other boys in his class and 2 girls!) He is participating in activities and even sitting still at the table to eat his snack (that's a big step for him!)

I think his favorite part of school is music time. He LOVES to sing and dance! As you can see, from the video below! His favorite group is Laughing Pizza (a family band that sings children-inspired songs). Please excuse the nose-picking parts of this video! AND the fact that it's sideways...I can't figure out how to fix that!

Sleepless Nights

For the past couple of weeks, Johnathan and I have gotten very little sleep...all because of our sweet precious girl. I lay her down for bed at around 8:45 p.m. every night, and then around midnight, the crying begins. And she is waking up, from that point, every 30 minutes to an hour.

We aren't quite sure what the problem is; we have, however, narrowed it down to two possibilities:

1. She is teething and in a lot of pain, which makes her really restless and fussy, or

2. The formula she gets in her bottle before bed is making her stomach upset.

My guess it that it is a little bit of both. She gets "mommy milk" all day long, either from me directly or in a bottle, and then she gets that one formula bottle before bed...because the formula doesn't digest as quickly and used to keep her satisfied to sleep for long periods of time....but not anymore. I switched formulas on her last night to one that has less cow's milk in it, and she did sleep a little bit better...Thank GOoDness!

For her teething issues (she has two bottom teeth coming in) we have tried teething tablets, Baby Orajel, Motrin, and just plain ole' teething rings. The Orajel seems to work the best for her.

We'll figure it out soon enough how to comfort our little diva! As tired as we are, we love every moment of fussiness and/or happiness we have with her.