Finally, here they are!

In no particular order, here are some pics of Embree Beverlee Bird. The above is her just chillin' on the couch. She is NEVER awake. I can't get her to nurse longer than five minutes at a time. She just sleeps and sleeps and sleep! I have even tried getting her naked and a wet rag and she is just dead to the world...Definitely picked this up from Jeff.

Jeff's classmates often make fun of him for assuming the following position in class that Embree so gracefully imitates.
Maddox sharing his toys with Embree. This is the first morning after we brought her home. He even tried to get her to hold one of the ornaments in her hand.
Hanging out on the couch!

This is the first time he saw her. He wanted to share his blocks with her right away.
He was very distraught that she was upset in this picture.
Here are some hospital pics.

Right after delivery. The delivery went really smoothly. She was born on Black Friday, November 27th at 10:45 p.m. I had my first contraction while I was taking a nap that afternoon. By 6:00 p.m. we were on our way to the hospital. When we arrived I was dilated 6 cm, 100% effaced and at a 0 station. I was in pain! The contractions were about every 3-4 minutes. The doctor who checked me had the nerve to say, "Just let me check you and we will see if you have progressed enough to stay here." Hello!?!?!? I can't even move or breathe and you are telling me you might send me home? Seriously, can't you tell the difference between people in real pain and labor and those who aren't? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. Good thing I couldn't talk very well.

I kept asking for an epidural but they kept saying they had to draw my blood first and put in an IV and do some tests and paperwork. I kept telling Jeff to go find them and get me something. My the time they finally decided to admit me I was dilated to an 8 and she was at a -1 station with contractions every 2 minutes apart. Still in pain and still no one even concerned about that!

They finally did the epidural after I told them I thought I had to push and checked me to find that I was ready to go! Thanks a lot! Anyway, I am still glad I got the epidural cuz she was face up and so we sat and waited a couple hours for her and me to rest up and then she was born after about 20 minutes of pushing. WAY easier than Maddox's delivery, even though it was more painful.
Right before Embree was born. It being the holidays, I am so grateful to whoever invented epidurals. Amazing!

Maddox's Baby Preparation Training

In order to prepare Maddox for a baby sister, we used some unique and really everyday experiences. Most of the time I didn't even realize we were teaching him until I looked back at the pics and decided they were just as good as buying a doll for him to beat up and probably throw in the trash...he is really into throwing things away right now, even his candy! The first is just a cute pic of him showing his sister how to watch TV. Forget the rule that you aren't even supposed to let your kids watch TV until they are two (which he will be on Sunday) and forget the rule that you are supposed to sit at least six feet back from the TV, he is all over going blind and breaking the rules. He was actually pointing to the letter "o" on the TV and got really excited. Usually he is pretty good about at least staying behind the piano bench.

This next pic series is of Maddox wrestling with Matthew. This first move is the steamroller. He has tried this on Embree, but luckily I was holding her in my lap and was able to deflect most of the blows.
Even though it looks like Matthew is crying, it is really not due to anything Maddox did to him, at least I can't remember that being the case.
Tickle torture?
My final pic before giving birth...nine months pregnant!
This is one of my favorite things that Maddox does. Here he is learning to be soft. He loves to get the eggs out and line them up on the counter (yes, it is not clean). Then he will count them and put them back in. When he first started this I didn't like it, but he actually does very well now and doesn't break very many. The ones he does break we use to surprise Jeff with cookies so everyone benefits!

His tower. Just because he is so cute. Nothing really here that relates to babies, although he does build lots of towers now a days while I sit on the couch and nurse.
Here he is learning to be very careful (and also learning how to drink from a glass).
He was pouring water back and forth between glasses. He did very well at first until he tried to dump all the water into one cup and it overflowed. Oh well, he helped me clean up the mess.

She is here!

We just got home from the hospital. I will post more later, but Embree is here! She was born Friday night at 10:45 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs and is 20 1/2 inches long. She has chunky legs and her head is normal size! Yeah! If any of you saw Maddox as a newborn, he had (and still does have) quite a head!

Pregnancy Update (and other stuff)

Maddox is in love with the letter "o". Here are a few pics of the "o's" he found while we were at the park over the weekend.

This one is of him drawing an "o" in the sand with his stick...actually I drew it, but he helped and directed me.Here he is going down the slide...notice his mouth looks like he is saying "Ohhhh..." I actually think he is saying "Go" but "O" sounds cooler.
And this is funny cuz he made Jeff go down the slide. That looked awkward, but I shouldn't talk because he usually makes me go down with him and further down you will see that with my big belly it is anything but pretty.
He definitely won this game of tic tac toe...all O's. Big surprise. That one last X barely hung in there for one more second before he changed it.
On the walk through the park to the playground, he discovered this "O." He is really getting smart. He loves to look at signs and read books and identify letters. I think he knows most of them and is starting on numbers. If only we could get him to talk now!
Maddox and I chillin on the couch. It is so fun when he snuggles with me. Mostly it is when he is sick, but this time he was just being sweet. Can you tell I am running out of clothes that fit me?

And here it is. I am eight months pregnant in this...now 8 1/2 and counting! I went to the doctor today and I am officially one centimeter dilated and my cervix is softening. Not much progress, but from two weeks ago it is something! I am anticipating going late and having her sometime in December. My official due date is Nov 28.

Trick or Treating

We went trick or treating this year with Doug and Roz. It was tons of fun because Maddox was old enough to understand that you get candy when you go! He is on a sucker kick right now thanks to the speech therapist. He carries around all the suckers he got faithfully, his favorite one being the red/pink ones, which, as you can tell from him pumpkin basket he picked out, is his favorite color. We were at Walmart and Jeff tried to get him to take a blue pumpkin but he was adamant about the pink one, so Jeff dug down to the bottom of the cage full of pumpkins to fish Maddox out a pink pumpkin. Several people at Walmart witnessed Maddox give Jeff back the blue pumpkin and walk off with the pink very happily. It was really cute and my excuse to get Jeff to go along with it was that our girl can have it next year.
Matthew was a three musketeer with his other brothers and Maddox was a fireman!

Jeff's and my costumes at a Halloween party. The girl who hosted used to hang out with the goth kids during high school even though she wasn't goth, so we just wanted to bring back a few memories for her. Jeff did a great job. He even applied his own make up!

Maddox having an afternoon snack. He lined up all his crackers and proceeded to take one bite out of each and then put them back, as he does with all things he eats...He never eats the last bite. You may think it is funny, but I will tell you it does get annoying and Jeff gets tired of eating Maddox's scraps.
Helping Daddy grill. He loves grilling and using the fire starter and helping Jeff work on his bike. Maybe there is hope for him, even though he loves pink! Did I mention he only plays with the pink cars we have and only colors with the pink markers?

Pumpkin Patch

We visited a local pumpkin patch the other day with Matthew and Roz. Maddox had no idea what a pumpkin what, but got excited really fast when he realized he was supposed to be excited. Even though he wasn't feeling too well, he still had fun!Looking for a pumpkin!
He picked like three pumpkins but this is the one he eventually stuck with and it was the dirtiest. I have to say we did not carve his pumpkin. We ate it instead! In fact, I am eating it as we speak! I made pumpkin bars for Jeff and me. They turned out so yummy and I didn't blow up the kitchen...I only almost did! I softened the pumpkin in the microwave and it overheated and started smelling REALLY bad. Wups! I have to say that is the only time I have ever had anything dangerous happen in the kitchen.

Then when I made the frosting for the pumpkin bars Maddox decided to help. He had never licked a beater, so I gave him one and he went to town! He LOVED the cream cheese frosting and has been asking for it ever since he tried it, carrying around the beaters, which I finally consented to making frosting yesterday morning for breakfast...I would like to note that he first ate oatmeal for breakfast AND it was Halloween, so it is officially a sugar day, right? I couldn't get the picture to move, so the first picture of his eating frosting is when we made it for breakfast.
Playing in the dirt.

The wagon ride.

Long Overdue Update

One night for FHE we made a firetruck with Maddox. I forgot to get a finished product picture, but it turned out awesome! Lowe's does a craft every other Saturday for free for kids. We got this from them. Maddox is really into hammering right now, so it was perfect!And here he is with his fire truck hat he got there. He wears it backwards and loves it!
And I thought I should throw one of these in. I haven't taken many but here I am with two months to go. I am quite a big bigger now and got my first stretch mark. Kind of sad, but oh well. I figured it would happen one of these days. It is still small though so I am crossing my fingers.

Jeff and I are still deciding on a name. We like Embree, Aspen, and Paisley, but are leaning toward Embree.
And here is the series of Maddox's new favorite thing to do...He is doing it right now-watch Baby Einstein!

Curled up in his favorite blanket, laying on his other favorite blanket, watching more Baby Einstein. He won't watch anything else, which I am fine with and calls it his "move."

We tried to let him sleep in his toddler bed for a few nights. He did okay but realized quickly he could get out and that was the end of him sleeping and taking naps! After a few sleep deprived days for him and me, I put him back in his crib for now. I think the baby will actually sleep in his toddler bed for awhile.
Cars, cars, cars! He loves cars! Vroom, vroom is the sound he makes when he plays. Here we are with a ramp built for them. I am not allowed to play or touch them, just hold the ramps. Otherwise he gets really mad. He hoards those cars and can hold up to four per hand! Just dollar store cars but he doesn't know the difference.
Here he is driving his car around the house.

Lexington had a free day for kids at the horse park with free pony rides. Maddox didn't know what to think but we loved it!