Merry Christmas II!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!!!!!!!

We are home...

We wanted to let all know we are home and doing great. I must say that it has been quite a change having two ladies around the house instead of one.

The doctors discovered a heart murmur in Riley on Wednesday. She had a series of test run and has a ventricular septal defect (VSD). In short, she has a small hole in her septum between her two ventricles. A cardiologist came by Wednesday afternoon and stated that she won't die, have a heart attack, etc. from this defect. The hole won't get bigger and should heal on its own. In month the same test will be completed, so please pray that her heart has healed itself by then.

Maggie had a great time with her grandparents and is loving being home with her new baby sister. She has shared tons of kisses, went and got diapers, blankets and more. They are going to be best of friends.

Mommy and Riley update...

Yeah for sleep. As much as I miss my bed I must say that I love being in the hospital with so many caring people looking after us. Mommy, Riley and I were able to get a fair amount of sleep last night. Becky was able to eat some solids and is on her way to a full recovery. Below are some additional pictures, including one with Mommy and Maggie who was enjoying the automatic bed.

Riley Faith Hood is here...

The surgery was a success and mom is doing great. Riley was born at 7:59 AM is 19 1/2 inches long, weights 7.58 pounds and has a full head of hair (no this isn't her hair in the picture). We are all safe and happy in the room and will post more later. Thank you all for your prayers.

Tomorrow's the big day....

Miss Riley will be making her grand appearance tomorrow morning. I'll post when I can....

First broken bone

On Friday I had a workshop to go to in a different town. About 10:30 I got a call from daycare.....NEVER a good thing. I listened to my messages. It seems that some other child managed to pull down a shelf, and it landed on Maggie's foot. It bruised and was swelling. They applied ice for a little bit, but she seemed(in the beginning) to be okay. Then she started limping around on it a bit. The daycare was in touch with Aaron, and he was planning to come and get her after nap time. So he got a doctor's appointment and went and got her. It didn't look so great, so they sent her to a sports doctor where they could do x-rays and then give her a cast if necessary. Well, it was necessary, so our sweet baby now has a lovely pink cast. She has a fracture on the top of her foot. Normally they probably wouldn't have put a cast on it, but it's not like she'd leave on one of those boot things. I felt so terrible that I wasn't in town even though it ultimately wouldn't have mad a difference. Thank goodness that Aaron was able to leave, get her an appointment and get it taken care of. If not, it would not have been a fun weekend. She's walking around on it, and she's getting faster and faster. In two weeks they'll take it off and check it out. Here's some pics......Yes, she's eating guacamole in the last picture. Gross!

Here a link for some pics....

Shutterfly pictures

Almost 19 months!

Well, we finally go around to taking Maggie in for her 18 months well check. She's almost 19 months, but whatever.... Her daddy took her in, and that made me happy. She only had to get one shot though, so I probably would have been okay. Here are her stats....

Weight 25 lbs. 3 oz. 55%
Height 32 3/4 in. 75%

I guess they don't do head circumference anymore. That's just another thing that means that my baby is growing up. We should have some new pics next week as Halloween is right around the corner.Isn't that lovely??!!

Where does the time go???

I'd like to say that I've just been super busy, but that's really not true. This year has been going okay. I like my kids. I'm excited about having Miss Riley in December. Maggie is doing great and growing so much. Everything is just fine. However, nothing out of the ordinary is much going on. Aaron has started getting Maggie's new room ready. It's going to look great. He's such a worker. Once he decides on a time frame for something, it gets done. I wish that I was more like that. He won't let me help at all. That's nice, but it's not really necessary. I can help in well-ventilated areas. I secretly figure he thinks he'll just get it done faster. :o) I'm perfectly okay with that. Now on to some pics.... We went to a wedding in Georgia in early August. That's some of the pics. The others are just from here and there.....

First day of daycare
Oma came to visit
Our happy family!!!!

Go Team Pink!!!

We found out today that we are having another girl. Yay!! Two girls and we'll have our complete family of four(plus Puck, of course). We're excited, and everything seemed fine. She weighs about 8 oz. right now. She was so wiggly too. It was fun.

Maggie is 15 months!

So, it was time for our 15 month appointment. I was sad to have to take Maggie to this one. That usually gets to be her daddy's job. I know. I'm mean. Anyway, all is good. Maggie REALLY hates it when her ped looks in her ears, but other than that was fine with the exam. However, the THREE shots did not go over well. Really big scream!!!! I always feel so bad, and I am glad that she's so small that she won't remember the shots later....well, I say that anyway. It was so funny to watch her watch the nurse put her gloves on. It was like she knew bad things were coming. We took off her band-aids together this afternoon, and all is well. She doesn't even get a fever, or a red spot or anything. She is a seriously good shot taker.

Here are her stats:

Height 31 3/4 inches--75-90% (she is seriously Aaron's child here)
Weight 23 lbs.--50%
Head--75%....I don't know the actual measurement

I'll add pics later.

Something new in the oven....

Well, I figure that most of you have heard the news, but here it is if you haven't. Aaron and I are expecting another baby come December. Yep, it's true. It wasn't exactly in OUR plans, but apparently God had something else in mind. As of right now, we don't know a whole lot. I'm 15 weeks. I've gained plenty. Ha ha! The due date is December 17, but that will change if I decided to have a repeat c/s. So I'm not just hitting the twinkies hard or anything. I'm sure that pretty soon I'll look plenty pregnant. Don't plan on seeing any belly shots though. It isn't going to happen. However, I will post on here when we find out the sex, but that won't be for about another month. A Christmas baby...what a present!!

I've been tagged....by KELLI!

Six random facts about me....

1. Some people know this one, but I'll count it anyway. I am lactose intolerant. It stinks! I haven't had real ice cream in probably 10 years. It was the frosties from Wendy's that keyed me in to my problem, and I haven't gone back since. It's not like I've totally rid my diet of all dairy products, but no milk or ice cream for sure. This is why snowcones are my best friend!!!

2. I have a super neurotic cat named Puck. She's 16 years old and still going strong. She pulls out gobs of her own hair and has a gimpy foot because a very large dog chased her one time. She escaped but pulled a muscle in the process. The hair-pulling thing is the worst though.

3. I LOOOOOOOVE pickles. It's not just when I'm pregnant. It's all the time. Clausen pickles just make me happy. If I could live on pickles, I probably would. Of course, I only like sour ones. The other ones are nasty!

4. My husband thinks I ask too many questions. Whenever he tells me about stuff, I want him to explain it in great detail. I really do, and I really want to know. The problem is that I usually can't understand what he's talking about(take computers or cars for example). He knows that I won't understand even if he walks me all the way through it, so it drives him crazy. But I'll keep asking. One of these days I'll understand!

5. My husband and I bought a mini van on Ebay. We don't actually have it yet. Aaron is going to get it on Tuesday. After we get it, I'll let you know what we think. I just think it's crazy to bid like almost $20,000 on Ebay. Ha ha! I'm not sure that Aaron thought we would actually win.

6. Aaron and I are thinking about moving just to have a pool this summer. Yep, it's true. Texas is just too hot to do much else, so we're kind of starting the process. We'll see how it goes. There's a lot of stuff that would have to work out just right.

Okay, there you go. I'll try to post soon.....maybe with some news....

Becky

The Yellow Dog Adventure

Here's a story that's hard to believe, but it's ALL true. Two weeks ago Aaron, Maggie and I were in the car headed to Lancaster for my niece and nephew's swim party. Caitlin just turned 6, and JD is 3. We were quite on time and planned to grab a quick bite to eat before we got there. Traffic was pretty heavy but not too bad. We decided to take the HOV lane on the south side of Dallas. Those of you that have gone this way know this is kind of scary. It's completely closed in on both sides, and there are no exits for probably 5 miles. I mentioned seeing a yellow dog(AKA school bus) ahead of us because I was griping about how I don't think that buses should get to be in the HOV. We were probably 15 cars behind the bus. We're moving along at a relatively good pace when all of the sudden we come to a stop. We didn't just slow down. It was a complete and total, put on your parking brake stop. Lo and behold! What do I see? That yellow dog has broken down in the HOV lane ahead of us. There is NO WAY OUT! About 15 minutes into the ordeal, another bus comes in the northbound lane and stops with the help of a police car. All the kids get out, jump over the guardrail and get onto the other bus. So they're all free, but we're still stuck. Maggie starts to get pretty restless about this time, so we get her out and let her wander free in the car. There's not a whole lot to do though. We notice the couple in the car behind us has started playing cards. At least 2 different gentleman walk up the bus to try to render some type of aid. People get out of their cars and look around. I got out to see how many cars were behind us....as far as I could see down the HOV lane. Then I took some pics and got back into the car. After sitting for an HOUR AND A HALF, a tow truck finally comes to get the bus. We sat there for an HOUR AND A HALF with a baby with nothing to do. I can't say that I was in good humor the whole time, and I can promise that I will NEVER get into an enclosed HOV lane again. Yes, people, this too can happen to you.

She's 1!!!!

Maggie is 1!! We had a wonderful birthday party today. The weather was perfect. Maggie was in good humor. We were surrounded by wonderful family and friends. We couldn't ask for anything more. I just can't believe she's one. I'll post some pics later, but here's her stats.....

Weight: 21 lbs. 50%
Height: 29 1/2 in. 75%
Head: 17 3/4(I actually think they measured this wrong as this was the same as her 9 month checkup, but whatever) 75%

She got 2 shots at the doctor, and she took them like a pro. I'm so proud to be her mom. I just can't even explain it!!

Here comes Peter Cottontail.....and other such nonsense...

It's so weird that Easter was so early this year. It turned out to be a pretty nice day. Maggie looked beautiful in her Easter dress. I looked all right. I got to see my family. Aaron got to see his mom. My parents got to give the kiddos lots of junk they didn't need. :o) We saw some of Aaron's extended family. People hunted Easter eggs. It was all quite Eastery!!! Loved it. Now the only sad thing is that there's only one more day before spring break is over. Not loving that! However, we're sooooo on the downhill slide. It's hardly any time at all before it's all over. That is a good thing. I'm sure I'll have more to post later. Now I'm just too tired, and it's just too late....

I'm loving the bunny ears. Thank you Target $1 bin!!!
Here's my two favorite people just chillin'. I LOVE how she's all kicked back and leaning on my hubby!Here is Maggie "hunting" eggs. Hey, she did like to shake them. I think she was just sure they were egg shakers. Loving this outfit. Thanks Aunt Kelli!!!In our Easter finery. I love Maggie's dress. Thanks Mom!!! So it's not the best pic of me. Who cares!?? Maggie looks great, and that's all that matters!!! Happy Easter y'all!!!

Just some pics.....man, she's growing up!

Falling off the ends of the Earth.....

I know it's been a while, but there hasn't been much going on....just life. School is all right. TAKS is fast approaching, and I can't say that I'm excited about that. However, being the writing teacher does have its advantages this time of the year. Soon my part will be done. I'll be helping with the reading portion after that, but it's not really on my back.

Maggie is good. It's just so odd to think about that she'll be 1 soon. We had some pictures made with the cousins the other day, and they are so cute. I'm sure that we'll have pictures made when Maggie's 1 as well. I always think that's sooooo fun. Maggie's not the biggest fan, but we definitely need to have them. I'm thinking pretty dress...flowers...the works!! Good times!

Aaron will be doing some more traveling this year. I feel like a single parent when that happens, so it's pretty hard. I really don't know how single parents do it. They totally have my respect.

I hope to have more interesting things to post about soon, but no promises!!! I'll be back soon with pics....

Oh the times they are a 'changin....

Well, before I get to the main point of this point, I'll update about our illnesses. Maggie had an ear infection...AGAIN! She also had managed to have a bit of an eye infection. Some antibiotics and eye drops later and she's as good as new. She still has a runny nose, but it's that time of the year. I am also feeling much better as I've been taking my OTC drugs for a while now.

Now to the main reason for this post....... It's official. Maggie can FINALLY crawl!!! I know. She's almost 10 months old, but whatever! She's been thinking about it for a couple of weeks, but she just wouldn't do it. However, this morning she finally decided to get on the move. Now she's not good at it yet, and she doesn't want to do it all the time. BUT she can do it. We've both seen her. I figure it will be a couple of weeks before she's really good at it, and I'm going to try to enjoy that time until I have to put up the kiddie gate. The kitty just knows she's in BIG trouble. We're all excited and got it on video. Anyway, we're pretty excited but sad at the same time. Our baby really is growing up. Before we know it, she'll be 1!!!

Here's some pics for your Maggie fix....

Ugh...that's it, UGH!!

Okay, I was okay with me being sick. I've had a stuffy nose, sneezy, coughing, etc. Maggie has also had a runny nose, but now she might have PINKEYE! Could it get any worse? Poor baby. I'm miserable. She's miserable. Daycare made her leave. I have a doctor's appointment in about 40 minutes. I just feel UGH! For Maggie, of course, I'd do anything, but if I get pinkeye......things will be ugly around here!

I'm now done feeling sorry for myself. Thanks so much.

9 months have FLOWN by!

Guess who is 9 months old???! It's MAGGIE!!!!!

Here's our normal posting of stats....
Weight 19lbs. 7 oz.
Height 28 inches
Head 17 3/4 inches

She's getting so big. Before we know it, we'll be planning our 1st birthday party!!! How exciting!!!!!

More pics!!!!!!!!

I'm tired of being tired!!!

Well, the holidays came and went, and I don't feel any more rested. KWIM? The first week was all right except that I still had to dash around buying last minute present. I'm just that kind. I'll never be that lady that is done with her Christmas shopping in October. It's just not in my nature. Then we went to Florida to see Aaron's sister and mom. I love both of these families, and we had a great time having Christmas and staying at a condo. I even managed to get a tan since we went to the pool for 5 days! Can you believe that?! But it just wore me out. I was worried about getting there since Maggie's never been on a plane. She did just fine, but I was pretty much a nervous wreck until we touched down. I didn't want to be "THAT LADY" with the annoying baby. Then we had about a 3 hour drive to get to our first destination. After that we went to the condo. It was really nice. We had our own bedroom....but the bed was super soft. That is simply unacceptable. Aaron slept most nights on the floor! I can't do that, but I sure wanted to! The time there was pretty relaxing...going to the pool and all. But I'm the type that just wants to sit around, not put make-up on, not shower(gross, I know) and hang out in my jammies all day on vacation. That did NOT happen, and I am sad. Then we went to our third and final destination before heading back to the airport to do the flight thing all over again. Again, I was a nervous wreck. Again, Maggie was fine...even though she was much more of a handful thanks to an irritating flight attendant. Here's that story----She was sleeping all peacefully when the flight attendant came to get something out of the overhead compartment for someone right across the aisle from us. Then she SLAMMED it shut. Maggie almost jumped out of her skin and immediately woke up. I could have killed her! But all's well that end's well!

All in all it was a great Christmas. We hung out with the Rouws, Hulletts, Learneds, Hoods and Frankenbachs! We saw each side of the Christmas. We met new cousins and aunts and grandparents....crazy! I'll leave you with some pics of all the good times!! Enjoy!