Catching a ride

So that's how the two of them can ride that thing....

Big boy

Before I know it, Noah will be able to fit into his dad's clothes. For now, though, he just looks cute in them.

Sometimes they surprise you...

Yesterday I was cleaning the house, and I noticed it had gotten pretty quiet in the other room where the boys were. As most parents know, silence usually means trouble. So, I got ready to give those boys a good talking to when I peeked into Noah's room to see the two of them playing VERY nicely together. Landon was helping Noah with some blocks, and Noah was listening to his brother. It was heavenly. These are the nice surprises in life. I love those moments, so I just watched them for a while. Then I tried to video tape them, but of course, as soon as they saw me, they started showing off. So, instead I'll just post this picture of the two of them being silly once they realized I was watching.

Appointment is set

We have an appointment scheduled for another ultrasound with the maternal-fetal specialist on Wednesday, July 2nd. Send good thoughts our way and say an extra prayer that this little girl is fine and healthy!!!

It's a.....

GIRL!!! We are so excited, and I have to say a little surprised. Of course, I already did a little shopping today. :)

Everything looked good on the ultrasound, and I'm right on schedule at 19 weeks. However, we got a call later this afternoon from the doctor saying that they found two cysts on her brain, so they want me to go to a specialist for another ultrasound. I don't have an appointment yet, but I believe I should have the ultrasound within a week or so. These types of cysts can be associated with trisomy 18, a disorder characterized by severe mental retardation and multiple abnormalities. Only 5% of infants with this survive the first year after delivery. The good news is that last week I took the AFP test that shows the risk of having this or down syndrome, and it came back normal meaning I have a very low risk. Also, the doctor said everything else on the ultrasound measured as expected and the heart looked good (with trisomy 18, almost all cases have heart defects, so it's a big deal her heart was healthy). So, her cysts seem to be isolated, and from what we have read, more than 90% of these resolve spontaneously by the 28th weeks' gestation. Once resolved, the cysts do not recur and there will be no delay in development. Jason and I both feel like everything is fine. The doctor said many times that they just want to make sure and get a second opinion that everything is okay. She said that she would be very surprised if anything is wrong with her. At first I wasn't going to put all of this on the blog, but I figured she could always use the extra prayers. As expected, I'm nervous, but I really do feel like she's okay. I'm just ready for that next ultrasound!!! We are so happy it's a girl, but all we really want is a healthy baby--boy or girl. So, if you get a chance, can you say a little prayer for Baby Girl Seabolt?

A Day at Six Flags

Yesterday we went to Six Flags compliments of my dad and his company. Each year Ed Voyles has a Six Flags day, and my dad was fortunate enough to get tickets for the entire family. So yesterday, the four of us were joined by my parents, Woody, Edie, Josh, Morgan, Austin, Sally, Pete, Davis, and Matt (Hannah is in FL for a couple of weeks) for a day of rides and fun. Although I couldn't ride much because of my pregnancy, I had a great time with everyone and was able to watch the boys while Jason rode a roller coaster or two. Part of the time we stayed with everyone, and then we took off by ourselves so the boys could get more rides in. We had such a fun time! Thanks Dad for the tickets and thinking of us!

The young boys with Bugs Bunny...

Davis, Landon, and Matt riding Thomas the Train.

Noah coming down the slide in Thomas Town.

My "boys" while we waited for our old car that Landon drove.

One of my favorite times of the day was when we stopped to watch one of the shows at the park while others waited in line for the kiddie roller coaster. Noah LOVED it, and I was able to catch some of the dancing that he entertained me, Jason, Papa, Aunt Sally, and Uncle Pete with. I wish I had taped more, but I didn't know how much memory it would take up on my digital camera. See below...

Pool time

My nephew, Davis, has been here for a couple of days just spending time with us. I finally took the camera to the pool yesterday to catch the kids doing what we do at least 3-4 times per week.




What 2+ hours of pool time does to them:

HELP! He figured it out....

(Many of you have heard this story, but I wanted to write it down so I could remember it.)

So the other day we're driving to my parents, and Landon says " I want the baby to be a boy now"
Me: Why?
LCS: Because if there are 3 of us boys, we could beat Daddy (meaning wrestling). In fact, we could beat you, too.
Me: Oh no, boys just love on their mommies. They don't ever beat up on mommy.
LCS: Uh Mom-as soon as that baby is out of your tummy, you can wrestle again. If there are 3 boys, we can beat both you and daddy. (Note: he states this fact many times.)

Great--he figured out that we will be outnumbered. They aren't supposed to do that quite yet, are they?!?!?! The boy is too bright for his own good. Or, maybe I should say he's too bright for my good.

The conversation continues...
Me: If it's a girl, you don't think she can wrestle?
LCS: Yeah, she can wrestle, but girls just like to wrestle. Boys LOVE to wrestle.

Can you imagine the madhouse I will be living in soon???

The Greatest Dad!

I was fortunate to marry a wonderful man who became an even better father. Jason is good to our kids. That poor man's belly has been jumped on enough in the past 4+ years to make us have no need for a trampoline. He is tough on the boys, but at the same time, he's very loving. He never calls when I have a night with the girls or a weekend away--he just knows what to do which makes my life much easier. My boys and the new addition are more than lucky to call him Daddy.

We decided to surprise Jason with an early Father's Day celebration tonight (Thursday). Jason and I are heading to Savannah tomorrow and won't return until Sunday. I was worried that his Father's Day would get kind of passed over since we will be driving, going to get the boys, and spending time with my dad. We are giving him his presents tonight, and I bought big ol' pork chops to grill out. I'm not a fan of pork chops, so we don't have it often (aka a treat for him). The boys and I also made signs for him (see below). I hope he enjoys his night. He's had a tough week at work and deserves this. Happy Father's Day, Jason! We love you!

I also wanted to do a little bragging on him in regards to his most recent project. We are moving Landon up to the bedroom upstairs (bonus room) when the baby comes. We finally bought him a bed and dresser, but he needed a bookcase. So, Jason went to work and built him one. Below is a picture of the almost finished product. It still needs to be painted (the white is primer), but you can tell what great work he's done! I'm so proud of him. :)

SIDE NOTE: As most of you know, Jason's company is merging with another one at the end of this month, so we've been unsure of his job status. Today he was offered the job as branch manager (his current title) of the combined branch. This branch will be a very large one, and he'll have quite a few more people reporting to him. He'll have his hands full, but I know he can handle it. Once again, I'm proud to call him my husband!

Trying to keep cool on a hot day!

Ode to Kasey

Kasey is our 5 year old hound mix. I just like her. She is good to us. She lets the kids tug on her, tease her with treats (Noah's new favorite thing to do), chase her, and bug her in general. She's a good, low maintenance dog (especially now that Abby isn't here for her to use as a chew toy). Yeah, the dog has a very loud bark, but it doesn't last too long, so we deal. Even Jason can't help but smile when she won't leave him alone as he first gets home from work. For me, she's my personal comfort. When we still lived in South Carolina, she became my main companion. Jason had already moved to GA, so I was alone with Landon and Kasey for 4 months. Landon would go to bed around 8pm, so the rest of the night it was just me and my dog. She took care of me. In those 4 months, she filled a place in my heart that is only hers. I can remember when I was pregnant with Landon, people would tell me that I wouldn't love my dogs as much as I did then. They didn't know anything. Yes, the dogs did not get the same amount of attention that they did prior to Landon's arrival; however, Landon didn't get the same attention he did after Noah joined our family either. Didn't mean I loved him any less, and I definitely don't love Kasey any less now that we have kids. She's the one I go to when I'm sad or really frustrated because she listens without comment. When I've had enough and feel like I need to run away, I always want Kasey with me because I know she'll give me the unconditional love that I need right then. Again, she's my personal comfort. So, Kasey, this is my ode to you! I stalked the shelter every day for a week looking at you, making sure no one had adopted you, and each time, you were still there waiting for me to take you home. I like to think we chose each other! Thanks for being my hound dog.

Kasey when she was about 10 months old.

Kasey checking out the happenings in the neighborhood from our deck.

Bubble blowing boys

Time to teach Noah how to do it...

Landon decides it's just easier for him to do it...

Noah goes back to what he knows--playing with cars and trucks in the dirt.

Sleeping boys

I just got done watching my babies sleep, and nothing is more beautiful than your sleeping child. Landon is perfection in his sleep. He sleeps like his dad, so there’s no waking him up. His long eyelashes fall down his face, and he literally is beautiful. Noah sleeps like his mom, so you have to be quieter around him. He gets the scrunched up face like me, but his Gerber baby looks come out in their purity, and he too welcomes perfection. Whether it’s been a good day or a bad one, their sleeping bodies bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. When I watch them sleep, I always think I’m not good enough to be their mother—especially on those bad days. I want to be the person they deserve, but I don’t think I can ever match their perfection. So, they are stuck with me, and I guess my job now is to try to limit the number of hours they need at a therapist as adults. I love them. That part of me is perfect. I love them.

My Conversations in a Day

There are days when I just want to talk to an adult, have an adult conversation, and not have to explain something to a child. Sometimes when Jason comes home, I bombard him with talking. I just want an adult to communicate with. He wants to finally relax and not talk, I'm sure. If you don't stay home full time with your kids, you probably don't totally understand this. That's okay. I didn't either until it became me. Here is a sample conversation we had the other day in the car:

LCS (Landon): Mom, why are the bugs white on the window thing (windshield)?
Me: When they hit the windshield, they splatter.
LCS: What's splatter?
Me: When they hit, their guts go everywhere.
LCS: What are guts?
Me: (heavily sighing) The bug's insides.
LCS: Huh?
Me: (bigger sigh) You know, when you smash a bug, all the guts splatter on the floor. That's the same as when they hit the windshield.
LCS: I don't get it.
Me: When a car is coming, a bug doesn't get out of the way, so they hit the windshield, splatter, and die.
LCS: Oh--like a person (not sure what he meant here until the next sentence). A person gets out of the way when a car comes, but the bug doesn't.
Me: Yes.
LCS: I get it.
*I just smile because I know we can go back to the peace and quiet of driving and listening to 95.5 The Beat! :)

Everyday--there are conversations like this. Not bad, I know. But is it wrong for me to yearn for a conversation here and there that doesn't require an explanation? I don't think so. At the same time, I started this blog to record conversations like this, so I must not mind that badly. :)

Side note: as I was writing this, the boys came downstairs not knowing I was here. I hear Landon say "You know what Noah? I love you". I'll be recovering from my melting heart now!