I'm Not Ready

Oh...I'm not ready! My little man started first grade today...and mommy isn't ready. He is TOTALLY ready! There are just so many factors in this event that have all come to my realization and I have decided I'm not ready. I know he needs to grow up and this is all part of it, but that means he's growing up...does that make sense?

And then these pictures... it seems like he is just all grown up - standing against the car with the keys in his hand! What is he going off to college already?! Oh dear!



One of the biggest things for me with his being in first grade is that he is riding the bus! Oh my...this is all too much for me. I have been on the verge of tears today because of how much is so new for him - and me. The bus is HUGE for me...I am not driving him to school every day, which I did for Kindergarten. I won't be walking him to his classroom and getting him ready for the day. All of this he will be responsible for and do on his own. I'm sure there will be days when he misses the bus, which he almost did today, but it's still the idea that I am no longer needed for that and he is taking responsibility for things himself.

The bus showed up early this morning, which made us rush out of the car to the bus. I didn't get a picture of him getting on the bus or even get a hug from him before he ran for the bus, said hi to the bus driver and hopped on. Oh how big he is getting! As a mom, I about lost it when I didn't get to take a picture or give him a hug. However, I had to remind myself that today I was going to meet him at the school so I could get pictures of him getting off the bus and in his classroom.





As the bus driver stopped the bus and I was standing on the sidewalk waiting...I heard the most wonderful voice say "Mom!" and a little hand peek out from the window on the bus and wave! Oh, it made my heart melt :o) You might be wondering where my littlest was during this whole time. I was wearing him actually. I grabbed my moby wrap and threw it on before we walked out the door. I snuggled him down in the fabric and he just layed his head against my chest and fell right to sleep!

After he got off the bus, we walked inside the school and went to his classroom, which happens to be the first room on the left! He has Mrs. Bryan, who was my first grade teacher 22 years ago. I am so happy he was able to have her! His classroom was all put together and organized for the first day of class. He easily found his desk and sat down to put all of his supplies in the brown paper bag. Mrs. Bryan was going to help all of the children put their supplies away in an organized manner instead of just shoving them all in their desks...yes, I said desks. He has a desk! Not just a table he sits at like Kindergarten...an actual desk that opens and holds all of his things! Oh my...I really am not ready for this!





After he finished doing the little sheet of work at his table, we took his backpack out to the hall to hang at his spot. He found his number and hung it up. For some reason, I had to get a picture of the little area that will be where my boy hangs his backpack every day. So here it is ...



While I was taking this picture, Liam turned around and walked back to the classroom. I put my camera away and turned to walk back in the room and my little boy peeked out of the classroom door with a very worried look on his face. My heart warmed. He still needs me :o) I think I am a little more ready for this now.

Where Does The Time Go?

A month...I can't believe it has already been a month! Amid the sleepless nights, constant feedings and changings, split attention and adjustment period, there are those moments that you cherish and that make all the other stuff worth it!

As I learn more and more about my youngest little man, the one thing I love to see are his smiles! Of course, that would be the true smiles :o) Not just the gas ones! His eyes just light up when he has a true smile - and it takes up his entire face! His eye color is so dark - and has been since birth - but it seems as though when he truly smiles they have a sparkle to them.

We know what his cries mean, usually! We can tell when he just wants to be close. And we are also speculating on what things he may or may not like as he grows up. Like his nose - I have a feeling he is going to be a child that puts up a holy fit when he has to have his nose wiped. He already can't stand just to have it wiped even the slightest bit.

I have found the best times for the boys and I to venture out and have a routine for when we do it. I never was a morning person, but having a second child has made me more of one even more than the first one did. I get a lot of my things done first thing in the morning - whether it be errands that take us out of the house or getting some things done around the house. It seems to happen earlier in the day rather than later, which seems to work out better because then we have all day to do whatever else we want or can.

This morning was one of those times that we ventured out for a bit in the morning because I had to register the oldest little one for school. I have a first grader...yes, a first grader! Where did the time go and when did he grow up? It seems like overnight he has gone from being the first little one growing in my belly to being halfway to a teenager! He is so excited for school to start - he's been asking me since June when school starts again. That is fine with mommy because I loved being in school too! He learns so much so quickly! We ride in the car and he starts reading signs and words that I didn't even know he could pronounce! A few weeks ago, we checked out a book from the library and one of the words in the title was "universe". I thought for sure that was going to be one of the words I had to help him sound out, but he said it without any trouble right off the bat. He blows me away sometimes! And I know it won't be long before the littlest one starts blowing me away with the things that he learns and does!

Time just goes by way to quickly! They grow up and get smart before your eyes. They are babies - blink once and they are in elementary school, blink again - high school, again - graduating college, once more and they are getting married and having babies of their own!

Speaking of babies, my littlest one beckons! Time to get back :o)

Our Blessing!

Introducing our little bundle - who is now not so little anymore :o)
Austin James Thompson was born on July 9, 2011 at 1:18 in the afternoon. He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He was born the day after his daddy's birthday!

At 4:30 in the morning on July 9, I woke up to what I thought was me having gone to the bathroom in the bed. I had not done this at all throughout the entire pregnancy or through Liam's pregnancy, but I had heard that it happens. So I got up and went to the bathroom and quickly realized that I hadn't peed - my water had broken! So I calmly, but excitedly went back to the bedroom and over to Josh.

"Honey, my water broke." Josh's eyes popped open so wide and quick! :o) "Ok, let's get going!" was his response. He immediately got up and we started getting things together. I started laughing because the situation was just so cute! We got the last few things put into our suitcase and Liam ready to go. After loading the car, we got in and headed to Grandma's to drop Liam off. My contractions had started by then and were coming every 5 minutes.

By 6:30am, we were walking into the ER and letting them know I was in labor. We walked down to the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital and got things started. To keep things shorter here, I will just skip through the next few hours of contractions and pain! However, through the entire labor process, I was telling my nurses that I had a history of fast labors - once I get to a certain point, everything goes quickly! No one really believed me, so when I went from a 2 to a 7 in about an hour to an hour and a half, they were rather surprised. Finally, I got to a 10 and said I needed to push. No one could find my doctor, so I was told to breath through the urge.

My nurse checked me and said something to the effect "oh, we need to get the doctor in here now or I am going to have to deliver this baby. It's literally going to be one push and he will be here." Another doctor was brought in because they still couldn't locate my doctor. As he was introducing himself, my doctor walked in. They told me to breath through another contraction or two because he didn't have scrubs or gloves on. I said I needed to push and he nodded his head as he got his gloves on. I pushed twice and the doctor had time to put his gloves on, turn around and catch Austin as he was coming out. I wasn't joking when I said I had to push! :o)

Needless to say, he is perfect and things are going very smoothly. We have had our moments and yes, I am sleep deprived, but it could be worse, so I can't complain! Josh was SO lucky to be able to take the first 2 weeks off to be with us and it was amazing! When he went back to work, we quickly realized how much we had all been spoiled by him being home for those two weeks! I wouldn't have traded it for the world though. He is such an amazing father and fantastic supporter for me.

At Austin's, two week well-check appointment, he weighed 10 pounds! ...yes, I said 10pounds!! And he was 21 1/4 inches long! In less than 2 weeks, he had gained almost a pound and a half and grown 3/4 of an inch! He has his 4 week appointment tomorrow and I am curious to see how much bigger he is. The weight gain and growth was a reassurance for me as a breastfeeding mama. I have been so determined to breastfeed and have it work this time that I did so much reading and gone to classes. I wanted to prepare myself as best I could, so his gaining has been a weight off my shoulders! Obviously I am doing something right if he is gaining that much! :o)

Josh introduced a bottle for the first time yesterday evening when he got home from work and it was amazing! It went so well for the two of them! I was not in the room as I wanted to make sure that my little one didn't hear, see or smell me. My sister-in-law, Natalie, had given me that advice and it went so well! It was such a neat experience for my husband to be able to feed his boy since that is what I had been doing from the beginning.

Well before this gets even longer, I will save more little updates for another time. This is the first time I have been able to take a break and write (my head needed to catch up with my body - lack of sleep will do that sometimes!). All I know, is this little guy is truly a blessing from God. He is amazing and perfect! We have loved watching him grow and develop over the last (almost) 4 weeks and can't wait to see the rest!

Anxiously Awaiting

I should be sleeping, but I'm not. Silence and the humming of the computer are the only things that can be heard in our place right now. My men are sleeping the night away. I, however, am not. The littlest one that is growing inside of me is moving and pushing out as I am writing this. I have yet to meet him and he is amazing in every way. I can feel his little feet as they push against my skin and he tries to stretch out. This is a feeling that I will never forget and love the opportunity that God has given me to know these sensations. I know many do not get to experience the joys of pregnancy.

As we eagerly await his arrival, we are trying to prepare; as much as one can truly prepare for the birth of a little one. I have definitely been in nesting mode the last week or so. I have been getting so much done in the days that it amazes me sometimes. It's as if I get one project/chore done and before I can turn around I think of something else that just MUST be done. There are days that I don't sit down at all to relax until my husband comes home from work. It just seems as though it never all gets done. Since the beginning of the pregnancy, I have had a running list of things that I need to or would like to get done before this little guy gets here. As soon as some of those items get checked off, I am writing more down. I did just that tonight :o) As I was laying in bed, unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, I thought of as least two more things that I need to do before he's here. So out of bed I get to add them to the list.

Up until last week, I would have said that yes, I was ready for our boy to get here. However, when Josh mentioned last week that there was only ten days until I am full term (now there are 4) I said no way! I am just not ready. There is so much stuff to finish still.

There are only a few small things that we need to purchase still, but other than that, we have everything we will need for him right away. I just feel like more needs to get done around the apartment before he can get here. :o)

Oh! And those weekends that are free before he gets here that I mentioned last time are no longer free :o) It's amazing at how things/weekends fill up so quickly! Hopefully, after Austin gets here I will have even more chances to do some writing and will attack the book that Josh and I started several months back. Until then...we are anxiously awaiting!

Growing

So, it's been a long time since I have blogged here. I had started a different blog awhile back, but did not last with that one. I have been feeling the calling to write more and more, but just don't sit down and indulge. So maybe I can start here again :o)

As people know, life gets hectic! And our household has been nothing less than hectic at many times over the last few months. Liam just had his first t-ball game last weekend and he did fantastic! It was so hot and the poor kid couldn't get enough water in him, but he toughed it out and made some great hits and catches! It was so much different from 3 years ago when he did t-ball :o) His coach is so awesome with all the kids and they are all learning so much. He has another practice this Wednesday night with his next game on Saturday afternoon. The team name is the Giants (like the San Francisco Giants) and boy does that seem true for Liam. My six year old and another little boy are the tallest on the team. And as mommy watched from the sidelines, I saw my not so little boy run to first base, give dad a high five (Josh was coaching first base) and stand next to him - seriously looking like a giant. I have been realizing over the last year that my child is no longer little or a baby. He is handsome, tall, smart, loving, caring of others, learning to be a gentleman, excellent reader, struggles with math (but is still determined to figure it out), sweet, thoughtful and continuing to grow right before my eyes. Sure, we have our days, but I wouldn't want it any other way - and if you think about it, how boring would it be if he was perfect?! And how imperfect would that make me look? Anyway, he is growing up and I love it, but those precious moments where I get to snuggle him and he's my little boy (even for a moment) melt my heart!

Our days have also been filled with school, doctor's appointments, family plans, birthdays and parties for those birthdays, holidays and preparing for the new baby. We have purposefully not planned things on weekends in order to utilize some of that time for just relaxing at home as a family, but somehow the weekends don't always end up free :o) After this coming weekend, we have two weekends that are relatively open before Austin gets here. I have been telling Josh to take advantage of some of the free time to go fishing. He hasn't had much time to do this, so I wanted to make sure he had several weekends where he could just go out and enjoy a few hours of the morning to himself. So far he has been out a couple of times and caught some pretty nice size bass!

With 5 weeks left until my due date, all three of us seem to be growing into something more. Liam has been taking on not only a big brother role, but also a gentleman and protective role. Josh has been experiencing the joys of pregnancy and also the anxiousness every time I have a contraction, which has helped him to see just exactly what my body goes through in pregnancy. He has also gotten emotional and protective as well! I have been growing into my stay at home mom role. I use to feel like I needed a job in order to feel worthwhile and appreciated, but over the last year since I graduated from college and have been a true stay at home mom, I have been truly enjoying the ability to spend so much time at home with my boy! Even though I don't always feel appreciated, I know that I wouldn't want it any other way and can't imagine going back to work. I am truly blessed to be able to have the opportunity to stay at home with Liam and now Austin. I will miss having my oldest boy at home with me come August as he will be entering first grade and be in school all day. He has three days left in Kindergarten!

Growth can be amazing!

Wedding! :o)

I know most of you have already seen these photos because they are on my facebook. However, I thought I would still post some here. I know it has been awhile, other than my post from 2 minutes ago, since I have blogged. Life has been crazy, full and blessed. This day for us was amazing and I can't believe it has already been four months almost. Wow, time sure does fly! I haven't entirely figured out why, but I love this first photo. It is odd, but captures what's needed :o)

Liam helped walk me down the isle along with my dad. It was a precious moment (no pun intended), even though the sun was in Liam's eyes and he kept blocking his face with his arm. This whole day came together quite nicely for us and we couldn't have imagined anything better. We both wanted every single person to be able to join in our celebration. However, a nice small, intimate wedding was what both of us longed for. We loved the idea of getting married under the tree in my parents' yard. Keeping everything simple and uncomplicated made things much less stressful for us. About the only thing that we were worried about was whether or not Josh was even going to make it home for the wedding. His boss made it difficult, but he was there and that's all that matters. It was a great day! :o)

This photo of the unity candle both of us absolutely adore. If you look closely, you can see that the candle was lit. However, right after this picture was taken, the flame blew out. Our photographer was quite with his fingers to get the shot. We love that it shows the candle and the flame. When we have the money, we hope to get this printed off and hung up as a reminder for us both. Life has a way of taking over and sometimes a little reminder is all you need.


This is my family! And I love them dearly!

Oh Life.....

So things with the Thompson's have been nothing but crazy lately! I have been working on my senior project that I have to finish in order to graduate. Since my gpa is high enough, I was able to choose to do a creative project. I decided to take on writing one of the books that I had started a few years ago. It has been a frustrating process nonetheless because of the advisor that I have; however, it is almost done! I just emailed off my final draft of the piece today and should, hopefully, hear something soon. If there are revisions that need to be made then I will go through and make those changes and turn the completed piece in by Friday the 18th. As long as it passes then I have four classes to take next semester and I will graduate in May! :o) Yea! Finally!

I have to say that I am thankful for God and his timing. Sometimes I struggle with it (Josh and I are trying desperately not to struggle with it right now), but today was quite the blessing. My best friend from elementary, middle and high school, Heather, came back into my life today. She is home for the holidays visiting her family and asked if we could get together for some coffee. We chatted for four hours today. To make a long story short, we both had a hand in pushing each other away about eleven years ago. Things were tough in my life and she didn't know how to handle it. Then because she was pushing me away, I pushed her away. Anyway, over the four hours we have both realized that our lives have been going much the same way and have included a lot of the same things. I have been in desperate need of a Christian female friend. Josh and I had just been talking about this and now here we are :o)

Liam has been growing and learning so much! He is still at the YMCA daycare and loves it there. He was moved up to the 5 yr old room, even though he is only 4. They had too many 4 yr olds and needed to move some up. They thought Liam was a good candidate and boy were they right! He was not being challenged enough in the 4's, so his behavior was suffering. He was acting out because he was bored. Now in the 5's he is learning something new every day and his behavior has drastically changed. Of course, he has his days, but what child doesn't?

I have been trying to work on being grateful and appreciative for everything that we have, even the little things. It is a work in progress and a daily reminder that sometimes we just need to wait.