Kade's first trick or treating adventure

 Bryson and I had such a good time taking the kids trick or treating (and no it wasn't just because we get to eat the majority of their candy either. ;)). They were both adorable in their costumes. Elliana was a ladybug and Kade was a red hot chili pepper. Elliana, this being her second trick or treating experience, was showing baby Kade the ropes. He slept through the majority of the day, but Elliana seemed to really enjoy it. She was very sweet telling everybody please and thank you. :) She loved her 'nummy nummies.' We mostly went to our family's houses and the the trunk or treat at both Ebenezer and Canaanland. I think we went 7 places Saturday night and it took us 4 hours to make those rounds! Everybody was thrilled to see the babies, so we had to stop and visit a while at each house. I so look forward to these special memories we are making as a family of 4 now. I truly cherish each day I am blessed with my husband and two wonderful babies.
 We are planning on putting up our Christmas tree this weekend. Yes, I know it's only the begininng of November, but the Christmas season passes so quickly that I want to start celebrating as early as possible. Besides, it's a lot of work decorating and I'd like to have a little time to enjoy all the hard work. I can't wait to see how Elliana responds to the tree once it's up. I bet she'll love the lights and all the 'baws.' I just hope I'm not fighting her about leaving the ornaments on the tree. I have an inkling I will be though.
 Bryson is finishing up on Kade's toy box. He's has all the boards cut and sanded, so he only has to put it together and add the finish. It looks really good already. He decided on a toy box for Kade since he did a cradle for Elliana. I think it's so special that he's hand making each of his kids a keepsake for when they are older; not to mention they are useful now. My dad made a cradle for us when we were little. The problem was he only made one cradle and he had 7 kids! Amberly eneded up with it since she had the first grandbaby. Anyhow, Elliana and Kade will both have something to take with them when they get married that their daddy made for them. I'm thankful Bryson is such a handy man and that he wants to do this for his babies.

Kade's first Halloween 2010

My sweet babies

She wasn't thrilled about being in costume at first, but she decided it was o.k. later on

trick or treating at Popie and Granny's house

Trunk or treating at Ebenezer

                                                         So sweet together
                                                                 

October is here and almost gone

 It's hard to believe we are already almost through October! This month has flown by with lots going on. Earlier this month, the 9th I think it was, we had my sister's baby shower. It went well and she got lots of things for baby Isaac. I'm sure Isaac is especially thrilled with all his dipes and wipes. :) I know Amy will be thrilled once she sees just how many diapers these little poopers go through in a day! I was greatful to see lots of friends and family come out to support Amy and baby Isaac. I hope they both feel the love everyone has for them.
 October 16th Bryson and I took Elliana and Kade to Ellijay Ga for the apple festival. It was neat seeing just how many goodies people can make with apples. The apple dumplings were both mine and Elliana's favorite.  I think Bryson was pretty taken with the apple fritters. I guess Kade will have another year to wait to see what his favorite will be. Elliana enjoyed watching the ponies and camels ride kids around. She was content just watching so we figured we'd get by one more year without having to pay for her to ride. :) It was a long drive, but a great family outing for us.
 October has also been a 'sick' month for our family. Currently I am the only one well. Late Sunday night/early Monday morning Elliana came down with croup. We had to take her to the E.R. because her breathing wasn't so great. They gave her a steriod to help open her airway and she's slowly gotten better. Today she still has a cough, but it's just related to her cold and not croup. Bryson has also been coughing his head off the past 3 days. I think his is allergy related and he seems to be on the mend. Poor baby Kade has been coughing as well. I'm fairly certain his is a cold. He's just been coughing and sneezing. No runny nose, fever, or wheezing. I'm just praying his doesn't turn into croup too! Hopefully everyone will be all better soon. I don't know how much more sleep this mama can go without!

Life as a family of 4

 It has been so incredible having a little baby boy added to our family! Kade is such a precious one. Elliana always looks for him as soon as she gets up and is very interested in helping me take care of him. She's so funny with him. The other day I was changing his diaper. She was watching intently. The next thing I know she has grabbed a wipe and is scrubbing his leg with it. She also loves to try to stick his passy in his mouth. Though she usually has it turned around backward trying to put the wrong side in, which doesn't work out well. Elliana loves to brush his hair too. She's definitely my little 'helper.' I am so blessed to have such precious babies! Thank you God for giving me 2 wonderful, healthy kids!
 Bryson went back to work this past Wednesday. I was truly nervous about being home with 2 babies all alone.  Bryson was so very helpful the 2 weeks he was off. I enjoyed having him home so much and have missed him terribly! Elliana seems to notice he's back to work too. She goes to the door multiple times a day and looks out asking, 'daddy?' It's sweet and sad at the same time. Obviously he's got to go to work, but I wish there were some way we could have him home more. Though I am truly thankful he only works 5 days a week and gets to come home every night. I'm just amazed at the women who have husbands in the military that are gone for months at a time. I would never make it! Anyhow, I survived my first few days alone just fine and even though I know I've got pleanty of challenging days ahead, I look forward to each and every day with my babies.
 Kade is a good sleeper...during the day. He's definitely got his days and nights mixed up. He sleeps like a rock during the day. At night he'll lay awake just looking around or fussing for his passy. It's like he wants to hang out with me and Bryson at night when he should be sleeping! He's usually up every 2 hours to eat. I don't get a lot of sleep at night, but I usually get a good 2 hour nap in during the day sometime. Elliana occasionally wakes up (usually because she hears Kade crying). Last night was one of those nights. She woke up with him at about 2:00 and Bryson had to go get her and lay her down with him while I fed Kade. When I came back to bed I carried Elliana back to her bed. A few minutes later Kade kept losing his passy and me or Bryson would have to go put it back in for him. Finally we just put him in our bed so we didn't have to get up; of course then he went right to sleep! Bryson and I are trying not to let Elliana nor Kade get in the habit of sleeping in our bed. We really like having our bed to ourselves. We and the babies seem to sleep best when everyone is in their own bed anyhow (well most of the time). I just can't sprawl out and sleep very soundly with a little one in the bed with us. I guess I'm always aware of them and trying to make sure I don't roll over on them.
 Elliana got her 15 month shots last Tuesday. Bless her heart. I hate that she has to get so many shots, but I know getting shots and preventing any one of the diseases they prevent is more than worth it. Elliana is very wary of Dr. Jenny, her peditrician. I'm not sure why because Dr. Jenny never actually gives the shots and is always very soft spoken and gentle with her. The only thing I can figure out is that Dr. Jenny is Asian. She doesn't have an accent or anything (for all I know she's lived in the U.S. all her life), but I don't know that Elliana has ever seen an Asian person before. Now she'll probably associate all Asian folks with doctors and shots. :)
 My sister Amy's baby shower is in one week. I'm excited for her to have a shower, even though she won't be attending herself. She had her 4D ultrasound yesterday and baby Isaac is so cute! I know Amy is looking so forward to meeting her son, who is due December 20! At least Kade will have one boy cousin who lives a little closer to him. William is a bit far away being that he lives in China! Looks like the boys are making a come back. Until Kade came along, poor William was the only boy with Daly, Atalie, Elliana, and Victoria! Amy is naming her baby Isaac Bradley after our brother Bradley. I love the name and think it's really neat that she's naming him after Boog. I can't wait to meet little Isaac Bradley!
 Amberly is supposed to be coming up soon for a visit and to meet baby Kade. She was actually supposed to be here today, but Attie got sick. We'll have to wait and see how she does to know when they might get to come. I'm excited to see her and Daly and Atalie.
 Well Kade just about blew his diaper off with a big poop while my sister Ashley is holding him. He scared her to death it was so loud, ha! All of the sudden she wants me to get him now.....go figure! :)

Kade is here and healthy!

Thank you Lord for giving us a precious, healthy baby boy! Kade arrived today at 12:15 p.m. weighing 6lbs 14 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. We are so proud to have him here safely. God is good. We had a few scares today during the labor and delivery process. Kade's heart rate kept dropping with each contraction (which apparently is to be expected) however, his heart rate stayed down after contractions several times. This is not good. My nurse (who was awesome by the way) was guessing that his cord was wrapped around his neck and the contractions were causing him to decel. There was a time when 3 nurses rushed in and started rolling me to my side, put an internal monitor on Kade's head, and were looking very anxious. Kade's heart rate had dropped again and was not coming back up as quickly as they like. This of course made Bryson and I very nervous. Thankfully a short time later he was back to normal. When Kade was actually being delivered his cord was in fact wrapped once very tightly around his neck. Scary stuff. The doctor quickly cut it away and pulled him out. He cried very soon after arriving, which made me feel much better. However, he was not turning pink like he should and his oxygen saturation was low. I was very anxious all over again when I looked over and saw that they had an oxygen mask on him and were rubbing him while looking concerned. They were getting ready to take him for closer monitoring in the nursery when he finally started coming around. Once again we were thanking God that he was alright!
 Even with all the scares we went through it was all in all a good labor/delivery. Much, much better than my experience with Elliana. I truly only had real bad pain for about an hour of the 7 hour or so labor process. That was wonderful let me say! I much prefer a 7 hour labor to a 17 hour labor as well. Bryson was so wonderful during the whole day. Though he gets pretty torn up seeing me in such pain, he was so very helpful and encouraging to me! He never left my side and was such a comfort to have with me. Let me just say I love my husband so very much!
 Elliana came by a bit earlier to meet her brother, who has blonde hair and steele gray eyes I forgot to mention (so cute!). She was missing her nap and a little cranky, but excited to see her 'baby.' She kept saying, "aww, baby!" She's too sweet and I can't wait to see them grow together. I know she'll love having a baby brother and Kade will probably one day be looking up to his big sister. I miss my baby girl, but we should be heading home tomorrow. I can hardly wait to get home and be with both my sweet babies!
 Again, I just want to thank God for sending us a healthy, sweet baby boy. We are thrilled to have him here. Also, thankful for the shorter, less pain filled delivery. :)

Waiting for the big arrival

Kade's first picture, he was so blue!

Sweet baby boy

Proud daddy!

So glad to finally be holding him in my arms!!

My precious family of 4

The BIG sister!

My sweet babies

                                                                   

Kade is coming!

We are scheduled to induce on Wednesday the 15th...that's in 2 days!!! I am so very ready to meet little Mr. Kade. In some ways I can't believe how long it's taken to get here, but on the other hand... wow the time is here!  We go in at 4 a.m. (really!?) and I'm thinking I should be hooked up and getting my pitocin by 5. Hopefully not many hours later, Kade will be here safe and sound. I am so nervous and excited at the same time. I DREAD the actual process of labor and all. Trust me I did NOT forget that pain in the least. Those people who say you forget about it, well they lie. I knew having Elliana wouldn't be a cake walk, but really I had no idea what I was in for. I'm praying this go around might be a bit easier. Maybe the epidural will at least work the entire time anyhow. Ultimately though, I truly just hope and pray that Kade gets here safely and is healthy. We have been so blessed once already with a perfectly healthy, happy little girl...I just pray God sees fit to give us a healthy little boy as well!
  Today I'm chilling with Elliana and soaking up our last bit of time together with just the two of us. She's so stinking precious and I know the new addition will be a big adjustment for her. She's such a good natured baby though, so I really don't forsee any major issues.  She is crazy about babies and wants to love on every one she sees. She said, 'love you' for the first time today. Even though she was just repeating me and doesn't know what it means yet, it still melted my heart. :) I'm really going to miss her while we are at the hospital. It will be her first time spending the night away from Bryson and me. I know she'll probably do great, but I will so miss laying her down and checking on her throughout the night.
 Bryson has been so good to me during this pregnancy. I've had lots of back pain (with this massive belly of mine) and he's been very good to give me back rubs and help me out in so many other ways, like bathing Elliana for me. I know he's just about as ready as me to get this baby here. I can hardly move and grunt around like a pig when I do. Bryson's always having to pick things up for me and get me things that I can't reach because I can't bend over! I'm so incredibly blessed to have Bryson as my husband. He is a wonderful daddy too, and I know adding a son to the family will just be icing on the cake!
 Tomorrow we go for our last OB appointment and then of course Wednesday is the big day. Please pray for our family this week as we are transformed from a family of 3 to a family of 4!

so much to catch up on

Wow, when I looked to see what my last post was I was surprised to see it has been over a month! Geez, I'll never remember everything that's went on....but I'll try my best.
 Our Panama City Beach vacation was a blast! I thought I'd be miserable and hot the whole time, and though I did get pretty warm, it was a great time. Elliana was so stinking adorable in her swimsuits playing in the sand and water. She really seemed to enjoy herself so very much. We had a little kitty pool we put under our umbrella at the beach and put a little water in it so she could be close to the ocean, but not have to be in it. It was a great idea and she splashed and played for hours in her little pool. She loved crawling in the sand too. She just couldn't get enough of the feel of sand on her feet and hands. She was a little bit afraid of the ocean the first day, but after that she loved the waves and getting to go out on a float with her daddy.
 Sadly, halfway through the trip she got a double ear infection. We ultimately had to find a pediatrician down there and took her in. Her temp. went up to 103.7! She was absolutely miserable and had to have an antibiotic shot as well as some stronger oral antibiotics than she's previously taken. It took her a few more days to really get to feeling better (which was about the time we were heading home). She didn't get to go back in the water, but all in all I think she enjoyed the beach. Bryson and I enjoyed the family time and eating all that good seafood as well.
 Chad and Laurel got to come back to the Whetzell's for a few more days in early August. William and Victoria are so sweet and loveable. I really wish we got to see more of them. Elliana had such a good time hanging out with kids her age. They all played hard and even Atalie and Daly got to join in for a few days. For a single night the entire Whetzell family was back together. All 7 Whetzell kids and their families. It was a mad house for sure! I really miss the madness....well sometimes. :) Chad, Laurel, and the kids are now back in China. Amberly and her crew as well as Amy are back in Albany, Bradley is back in Tuscaloosa, Bryson and I are back in Bryant, and the rest of the Whetzell's are in Higdon. It'll be another 2 to 4 years before we'll likely have a chance to be together again, but I sure cherish the few times we can get together like that.
  Baby Kade is large and in charge, or making me large at least! I feel like a house on legs. I don't remember being near this miserable with Elliana until the very last week when our power went out and we had no water either.... now that week was miserable. However, Kade must have decided making me uncomfortable was a neat thing to do. He's so busy. My bladder probably has bruises on it from all his kicking and head butting. All the joys of pregnancy, nausea, heartburn, swollen feet/legs, fatigue, stretch marks, back pain, contractions, sleeplessness, weight gain, shortness of breath, (and the list could go on forever it seems) have just seemed extra uncomfortable the second time around. Maybe I'm more worn out since I'm chasing Elliana around so much, but in the end I know it's all worth it. Bryson and I are so looking forward to Kade's arrival...only 25 more days until he's due!! Just maybe I can make it.
  Bryson's birthday is coming up Tuesday. I can't believe he'll be 28! I really don't feel like I should be 27 now either, but I guess there's no stopping the hands of time. It really just seems like yesterday Bryson and I were 19 and 20 and going out on our first date. I sure have enjoyed every minute with my boy though. I hope we have many many more birthdays to share in the future. It's so sweet to see old married couples together at 70 or 80 years old. My Granny and Popie are two of the cutest old folks I know and they are still so very in love with each other. It's sweet to see them together. I hope one day Bryson and I will get to be old, white haired and and still celebrating birthdays together with that love that only gets sweeter with time!

The 3 little girls getting scrubbed up 

Elliana was NOT happy about the photo session

Mom and dad's five grandbabies

some unhappy fairies

ha ha Victoria

Cute smile

Elliana and he cat, Mr. Puddy

She loved the little seat!

:)

looks a little hot here

in a chair again

Bryson, me, Elliana, and Kade

The Rogers PCB 2010

Ellie and her daddy

Giving Brodie some lovin

Pappy's favorite grand daughter :)

                                                          One little cutie!

pre-vacation

  It has been so long since Bryson and I have gotten to go to the beach, years actually. We are leaving Saturday and we can not wait to be on our way! This will also be Elliana's first trip to the beach. She really likes the water, so I'm betting she'll enjoy the beach altogether. It's supposed to be cooler there than it is here, so that's wonderful for a pregnant lady to hear. We are going to Panama City and are hoping the oil is still way off shore like the last update stated. One of my favorite things about vacation is eating out. I know that sounds lame, but I always enjoy that part. :) I hope to find some good seafood places. Of course this year I'm really looking forward to seeing Elliana play and experience the beach for the first time too. She's absolutely adorable in her swimsuits.
 The pregnancy is coming along slowly but surely. I'm so ready for little Kade to make his appearance. He's VERY active. I'm afraid Bryson and I will have our hands full with this one. Elliana I think will be very helpful. She's so into babies right now. It's cute seeing her with them.
  Bryson's job is going well. The only thing I don't like about it is that he's salaried, so he never knows exactly when he'll get to leave. Usually at 4:30, but if something comes in at the last minute needing to be done, he may have to stay late...til like 7 or so. Which was the case last night. So far he hasn't had to stay late much, so that's good. Also, if need be he may have to work weekends here and there. We'll both really hate that, but all in all it's a good job. We are thankful that he has it and also thankful to be closer to family.
  This past week we got to see my brother Chad and his family who are in from China! Bryson and I got to meet Victoria their youngest baby for the first time. She was born in April of last year, so she's just 2 months older than Elliana. Elliana had a blast meeting her unlce Pooh (Chad), annt Lolly (Laurel), and cousins William (who is 2 1/2) and Victoria. They all played so well together and especially seemed to love the kitty pool. William and Victoria are precious! I really enjoyed seeing them as well as Chad and Laurel.  Especially nice was when they came to my house last Friday for dinner. I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, crab salad, and apple turnovers. The food was good and the company even better. They'll be coming back by in August and we are looking forward to seeing them again before they head back to China.
  I should have internet access all of next week while on vacation so I might be updating again shortly. Ta ta for now.

Precious picture of Laurel and Victoria

William, this boy loves a broom

Victoria enjoyed drinking the water. :)

The Whetzell Family

Trying on some swimsuits, she was ready for her nap too

                                  One of my favorite outfits that she has. We are just missing the cowgirl boots!