More Dexter

Here are some more pictures of these past few days. Tuesday morning Clark got to meet his baby brother for the first time and it was one of the most precious moments of our lives. He walked right into the hospital room and got super excited about the "baby" and couldn't wait to hold him. And aside from his trying to throw a couple of his toys at Dexter's head he's been nothing but super sweet to him. He even made sure he gave him a hug tonight before bed.

Clark brought Dex a "nap" bear (he has one just like it and it's one of his favorite things ever) and Dex got Clark a Toodee stuffed animal, the blue thing pictured below.

Clark already being big brotherly and giving little Dex a bink.

Lisa and Miles came for a visit, and Miles even got to hold Dexter.

Sleepy little guy

All dressed up and ready to come home. He is such a little peanut-

Clark likes to hang out with Dex in the pack n play.

Clark likes being home with his baby bro. It's so cute watching him want to hug and kiss his baby "Deh-ta"

One more super cute thing- If Dexter makes a cry Clark will come running from whatever room he's in saying "baby!" and he's even starting to say "don't cry." Love my boys!!!

He's Here!!!

Baby Dexter was born this afternoon and we're already SO in love. Labor was amazing, I went to the hospital to be induced- and it was a MUCH mroe calm experience this time around :) They started pitocen at 10:43 (the exact time Clark was born!!!) and broke my water, they actually had to try three different times. They had to try the epidural three times too which was the worst part of the day- and oddly enough hurts after birth way more than everything else. At 3:10 I was only at a 5 so we thought it was going pretty slow, but only 30 minutes later it was TIME and he slid right out. Seriously- I didn't even push! He latched on right away too! Here are pictures of our adorable little guy, we can't wait for everybody to meet him. I personally think he looks like Clark, what do you guys think??? OK, off to eat, I haven't since 8 and I'm starving... Rich just brought in some YUMMY stuff!


Rich thinks I should have to wear this all the time :)

And of course I started bawling the second I laid eyes on him-

Our awesome Dr. Super and amazing L&D nurse Val

38+ week date night-

Last night Clark's Gramme picked him up for a sleep over at her house. We've had this on the calendar for a long time, but the timing actually ended up working out perfect! We got word that I'll officially be induced on Monday, so this is our last weekend as parent's of just one little dude. (They have chosen to induce since my labor with Clark was so quick, they want to make sure we get the the hospital on time with this little one and I've gotta say I'm actually relieved that we'll be able to get Clark settled in properly before Dex comes.) So we went out for a nice dinner, a walk, ice cream and then home for a movie. It was perfect. But not as perfect as sleeping in today was! We're trying to rest up as much as possible before ALL the sleepless nights we have right around the corner :)

So today before Gramme brings Clark back we're getting the house in order, putting the final touches on the hospital bag etc and just making sure we're totally ready for Monday. It's SO different having an induction date and knowing the finite end of things- I imagine the trip to the hospital is going to be so much different! Last time it was 5:30 in the morning and I was in serious pain as Rich did his best to not get pulled over while rushing me in. And this time I'll have to drop Clark off before and I know I'm going to cry when I say bye to him. I cried when I found out about my induction date and it really hit me that Clark's life is going to change so drastically so soon. He really is a nurturing little boy though and we think he's going to love being a big brother. So on that note, the rest of this weekend is ALL about Clark. We've got some fun stuff planned for him to enjoy his last weekend as a single child. We'll keep you posted on Monday for sure! Love hospitals with WiFi :)

TOTAL nesting mode and induction update!

I've been in major nesting mode. I think just about EVERYTHING in the house has been cleaned and then cleaned again. I never went through this when I was pregnant with Clark but then again, we moved when I was in my third trimester so I think I was so wiped out from that. Everything was fresh and new anyway so it didn't matter. Well, the other day when I ran out of things to do inside I attacked the front of our house (in the rain!) and went to town planting. It's not much but I do NOT have a green thumb so this was quite the accomplishment- and the cute little green plants by the front door are called guacamoles, how fun is that? I had the woman helping me pick out flowers point me in the direction of ones that are hard to kill, so hopefully the front will look nice throughout the summer- we'll see!

And here's the little gnome I had hiding in our mulch- he finally got a home among flowers. These ones smell though, and not good. Thankfully they're outside and you can't really tell!

And meet BOB. He's the new edition to our family. Rich and I picked up the double stroller last weekend with a little help from our friends (thanks everybody for b-day contributions) Now I'm afraid I might be one of those zoo moms that could run over a family of four with her GIANT stroller. I think we'll end up with a double umbrella for traveling because this guy's not too small, but I already can't wait to bust this out around the neighborhood!

And of course in cleaning mode all the baby stuff has been brought out and cleaned a couple times over. Clark discovered the bouncy and swing today and this is where we found him after dinner. Cuddling "Kevin" his fave bird from UP! We took him to see that movie last week (his first ever) and even though we knew he was really young he did awesome! He's been obsessed with the previews for a loooong time now and we knew he'd be pretty good about it. He actually made it through an entire hour of the movie before getting fidgety (and was even there for the previews and short before it started so we think he did amazing for his age!) We figured he wouldn't make it through the whole thing so we saw it earlier in the week- and LOVED it! Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, it's worth checking out. I cried, of course, but it doesn't take much these days...

And one final note- I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and we officially have June 22nd as a final due date- if little Dex is not here by then he's getting evicted. But after seeing me on Tues Dr. Super thought doing it earlier might be best since I'm progressing so well and my delivery was so fast the first time. So I'm on a waiting list at the hospital (they're booked) for either this Sunday or Monday! If a spot opens up he might be here on the 14th or 15th which is crazy to me!!! Either way, the bags are packed and we couldn't be more ready or excited to meet the new little guy and have our family complete!

Sometimes being a homeowner sucks-

So I was on our deck today talking to Lisa on the phone and a gust of wind blows by... followed by a HUGE crash. So our easy-to-clean, fold-in, double pane window folded in all on it's own and shattered in our breakfast room/kitchen area. Lovely. So at 37+ weeks pregnant I spent about an hour trying to pick up giant shards of glass off the floor, vacuum it up and make sure there wasn't any glass to hurt our feet, Clark's feet or kitty paws. And of course then I poked my hand with some glass and had blood pooling in my hand while I'm trying to clean with the other, because I didn't want to walk to the sink to wash it and track glass over there. Then when Rich got home from work he vacuumed two more times and steam mopped and we're STILL finding tiny glass pieces- it's crazy. Shoes only in the kitchen for a long time now. Wish we could call the landlord and have him fix everything- I've got no idea where to begin getting a new window. And I think we just need the new glass, since the frame is OK. We'll see. But right now I've got a pretty ghetto plastic garbage bag duck taped to the window frame since we're getting thunderstorms tonight. Lovely! I had to snap a quick photo with my phone since it was all I had on me before I started cleaning. It's not a great pic, but you get the point. Ugh.

Welcome to the world Kinley Addison!!!

Yesterday at 12:11pm Kinley Addison Clark made her grand debut weighing 7lbs 6oz and measuring 20 inches long. Gavin is super excited about his baby sister, and mom and baby are doing well too. Can't wait to meet the beautiful little girl, congrats guys!!!!!!

Family Picture Time

I've been wanting to get family pictures taken for a long time now. And we decided we should get some done before little Dexter makes his grand debut since it's the last time we'll be a family of three! So even though I'm the size of a house right now they turned out pretty cute. Here are some of the proofs from the photographer's site- enjoy. And since she was so fantastic check out KELLY PARK photography and her BLOG.

Big Brother Practice

We borrowed one of Clark's big cousin Perry's babies to have around the house and let him get used to having one around. He's been practicing "being nice" to the baby, not poking the baby in the eyes etc. Here are some cute pictures this morning. He gets so excited to see his baby each morning :) We think he's going to be a great big brother!

Clark sharing his sippy with his baby (snapped on my phone)

Cuddling the baby after his morning milk

Reading the baby his favorite story UP!

And eating the baby. Oh wait...

Pool Time

A couple weeks ago we joined the Shaw Park pool for the summer, and I think it was the best decision we've made this year so far :) Clark loves it more than we could have even expected, and wants to kill endless hours walking around the splash pool- we can't complain either, when it's HOT out there's nothing better! Happy summer!


Each time an airplane goes by Clark gets REALLY excited!

He is facinated with the slide or "sli" if you're speaking Clark. But it's a little too big for him this year- Next year little buddy.

And the pool has amazing snow cones, which Clark got to try for the first time last week! Obviously he was a fan.

Nursery Pictures - AND 36 week progress

Well, we decided on a name finally. And I'm honestly surprised at how many people like it, although I'm sure a ton of people are just being nice. Most didn't like Clark's name until he was born but I honestly can't picture him with any other name, it just fits his personality perfectly. Hopefully Dex will love the name we have chosen for him! And he is going to get his Daddy's middle name, Vincent. Clark has Rich's first name as his middle, so both our boys will have part of their Daddy's name in theirs, which I LOVE.

And, we've got the nursery almost finished, which is SUCH a relief right now. The only things missing... an adorable monogram pillow my cousin is making (she made the bird blanket from scratch- she's really amazing!) some artwork Clark is making for his little brother's room, and baby Dex of course!

And it might be just in time. I had my 36 week check-up today and I'm already 2cm dilated. Woohoo! They filled out my induction paperwork and sent it over to the hospital so we should have an official date soon. They're probably going to induce because of how FAST my first labor was (and they want to make sure we get to the hospital on time) which is fine by me because I like the fact we'll be able to get Clark all settled at Marc and Lisa's without the mad dash to the hospital. And, because I have gestational diabetes the little guy is already good enough size- which is perfect. Although for a GD mom he's only in the 60th percentile which is fantastic, the doc's are pleased with that.

And as a little side note- last weekend our good friend's Erin and Doug came in town with their little 4 month old adorable baby boy Collin. And Clark was amazing with him. He was very gentile and even gave him little hugs. We think he's going to be an amazing big brother, and can't wait to see him in action!

Popular Baby Names-

Since SO many people we know are expecting little miracles I thought I'd post this fun website. You can see what the top ten most popular baby names are in your area (even by hospital!) and it's really easy to kill some time playing on there. CLICK HERE to check out what's popular where you live-

The top ones at the hospital I'll deliver at are:
Girl Names
Lillian
Madison
Ava
Emma
Addison
Alexis
Claire
Kaitlyn
Sophia
Emily

Boy Names
Samuel
Tyler
Jacob
Michael
Luke
Matthew
Lucas
Blake
Joseph
Ethan

Thank You-

everyone for all my wonderful Happy Birthday wishes today!!! 29 already, where is the time going? I never really thought I'd be married, much less a mom (to almost two wonderful boys) at this point- but as corny as it sounds I'm so lucky to be living this life and have really been blessed.

Last night we headed out to see one of our favorite bands, The Decemberists, with Marc and Lisa. It was a great birthday treat (and we got the tix for Marc for his bday, so it was party times all around.) Plus, the last time we saw them live was when I was very pregnant with Clark so it was fitting that both boys got to "see" them before even being born! Today Clark was having a tough morning crabby-wise, which has been kind of typical of him this past week. I'm not sure if it's his two new teeth (his last two before the final four "2-year" molars come in) or the fact he's approaching the terrible two's (and lets face it Clark seems to do most things early :) but he's been a handful... a cute handful. He always does something cute like hug me and say he's "sowwy" after doing something not so cute, like try to rip fist fulls of my hair out. Lovely. We grabbed lunch with Nicolle, and he was in a MUCH better mood after his nap. Rich and I took him to the pool, which has quickly become our favorite thing to do this summer- Clark could spend all day and night there just walking around. I'll have to stop being lazy and post pictures soon for sure.

I've been bad-

and way too tired and uncomfortable to drag my camera around and take pictures. So I haven't been, and I haven't updated in a long time- sorry about that! Memorial Day weekend John, Kristen, Lola and Renee came to STL for a wonderful visit. Here are a couple pictures I'm stealing from their blog and CLICK HERE for a link to their pictures from the weekend if you're interested. And you can check out their blog on the left if you want to see what we did that weekend, I'm too tired to write it all out, sorry- but we had a great time, and hope we can all get together again sometime soon!!!!