Update

Holly, the kids and I went to the hospital this morning to visit Ashley and Skylar. It was really strange visiting the same NICU that took care of Evyn when she was born. The nurses are still awesome, friendly and informative.

Skylar weighs 2.47 pounds and is 14 inches long. Apparently, she is a good size for her age. She now has a feeding tube that is supposed to help reduce an air pocket or something - nothing to worry about - she has a catheter that she is receiving antibiotics from and is breathing ROOM AIR! Her bilirubin is a little high, has not increased today and they will recheck it this evening. She still has the patches on her face that hold the oxygen lines in place, but they are there just in case they need to hook her back up, but for now she is doing it all on her own. They are even talking about starting feedings in the near future. She is doing amazingly well right now. We are thrilled and hope that it continues.

Ashley will likely be discharged tomorrow and was on her feet, dragging her IV pole and took her first walk with us down the the NICU today. Evyn and Reed got to watch through the window, but Evyn got pretty emotional. They have had a hard week too.

P.S. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

What a week this has been.

It is amazing what can happen in 60 hours. We went from our regular routine to finding out Ashley is pregnant and then witnessing the most intense, scary, happy event we could have ever imagined....the arrival of our baby, Skylar Marie. She was born at 11:57 p.m. on August 30th and the craziest thing is that she was delivered by my OB/GYN, Dr. O'Connell, who delivered Evyn and Reed and just happened to be on call. We are unsure of her stats at this point but think she is right about 2 pounds.

Ashley started with an infection yesterday afternoon and by 5 p.m. she was started on a labor-inducing drug and was already 3 cm and 80% effaced (BEFORE the drug). Things went smoothly at first, then came the really painful contractions. She was encouraged to get the epidural and then things took a turn and there was talk of an emergency C-section. Her cervix was not fully cooperating and did not want to open all of the way. At this point, Holly, Gary and I were left alone with Ashley for 15 minutes. These were the longest, most critical 15 minutes. The room was silent for most of that except for an occasional moan from Ashley as she lay there in bed with her head tilted towards the floor (last ditch effort to get her cervix open enough). In comes Dr. O'Connell to do her final cervical check which would determine everything. Thank goodness her cervix was ready and it was time to push. This is when things got crazy. The NICU team stormed in after 2 very urgent calls warning them of Skylar's arrival, and after a few pushes she was here. It was amazing.

The best part is that she was actually making noise (they warned us that she would probably not be able to do this due to her prematurity). She gave us about half of a newborn cry and then sounded like a puppy, making the sweetest noises. I swear she was trying to assure her mommy that she was okay. She was breathing on her own, was thrashing around and had great color. The NICU team worked on her for about 20 minutes right there in the room. I was overhearing them talk about how great she looked and how well she was doing, and that is when the excitement set in. What a relief! They held her up for Ash to see, let me get close with my camera and even let Ash hold her for a very brief moment before they took her to the NICU. The NICU doc initially thought her eyelids were still fused but when Skylar was placed on her mommy's chest, those eyes cracked open. Thank goodness I got a picture of that magical moment.

Ashley is doing great and she and Gary are on top of the world, knowing that their baby is fighting and doing so well so far. We are all well aware of the fact that Skylar could hit some roadblocks along the way and have been told to take a day-by-day approach, but a 15 year veteran in the NICU told Ashley and Gary this morning that Skylar is the closest thing to a miracle that she has seen. They are even talking about starting on feedings in the next 24-48 hours (huge news!)

I will update as things happen and Blogger is being difficult and not allowing me to post pictures at the moment. I will keep trying, so check back later.

Shocker!

I woke up yesterday feeling great, energized and ready to start some fun activities with Evyn and Reed. We started off at the park with some friends, and as we were walking back to the car I realized that my cell was not on. I quickly powered it up and the chimes starting ringing so fast that I almost threw it into the woods, thinking that it was going to explode or something. I realized that I had several voice mails and started to dial up and check them, however, my phone rang before I could follow through with that.

On the other end of the phone was Holly, panicked and scared. She said "I am at the hospital, and I need you here." Oh no! I immediately assumed she had hurt herself at work and asked how bad she was hurt. Then, I got the shocker of a lifetime. She replied with "Ashley's pregnant and her water broke. She is only six months along and they are trying to stop labor!" Turns out, they were right across the street from where we had just been playing. I really can't remember much after that - we had both just learned that our lively family was going to get livelier. We are going to be grandmas. Grandmas with a 3 year old and a 4 year old. Grandmas in their 30s and 40s. Grandmas who seriously considered having a mid-morning cocktail at that moment in time.

Now, I know that this is the kind of stuff that happens on daytime TV. We normally like to keep the drama to a minimum and are usually successful. How could our daughter who we see all of the time hide something like this you ask? We definitely noticed that Ashley was gaining weight but were sure that she would have spilled the beans if she was pregnant - we *are* cool, accepting moms after all. At this point, we are trying to focus on offering support and love even though we can't quite understand why this had to be a secret. Let me also apologize to those of you you have not gotten a phone call prior to reading this blog. We are trying to process the info and hold it together and hope no one takes offense to being left out of the loop.

As things stand, Ashley is hooked up to all kinds of drugs. The labor has stopped although random contractions are breaking through. The baby is a girl which is awesome given the fact that preemie girls generally do better than boys. She is 26 weeks along and appears to be totally healthy. That is a relief. We are now playing the waiting game. They are closely monitoring Ash for any signs of infection, which is the greatest threat now that the protective amniotic fluid is gone. She is receiving excellent care and baby girl has a 60-80% chance of survival. We are very hopeful, as are the NICU doctors, that our tiny baby will do fine, although she will likely spend the first several months of life in the NICU.

I will update as things unfold but we are expecting her arrival soon, as in (possibly) days. Please feel free to leave any comments on the blog, whether is it kind words for Ashley, expressing shock or whatever. Now I must set out in search of a camera battery. I think after all of this, Ashley would kill me if I showed up with a dysfunctional camera.

The boy is really swimming.

I recently reported that Reed decided to try out the pool without having to rely on his swim vest - a proud yet scary moment for his moms. Ever since, he has been content to swim with his vest, which keeps us from having to hoover along the side of the pool, hoping that he is kicking and paddling hard enough to keep his head above the water.

Yesterday was another story.

Holly had a group of friends over from work for some pool fun and good food. Reed awoke from his nap and being the shy guy he is, had a hard time joining the group for a swim. He kept insisting that he could not "die" (thankfully, he really meant 'dive') and seemed aggravated by his swim vest. Holly got into the pool and was able to get Reed to join her, sans swim vest. Holly eventually got out and Reed was swimming around like a champ, except for the fact that he occasionally appeared to be sinking. Just as I would worry and get closer to the edge of the pool, he would pop back up and keep on going - smiling as big as he possibly could. A few worried swimmers would occasionally try to help him, but Mr. Hardhead refused the help, squawked at them and kept on swimming.

At this point, Reed remembered that he "could not die" earlier and started crying to me and telling me he needed help. I coached him from the side and the little dude had no problem tucking his head, leaning forward and falling forward head first. They were several gasps from the adults at the patio table as they watched my three year-old do stunts that their older kids would not even consider.

After the diving and flipping got old, Reed started jumping into the pool feet first while facing the wall. He would jump in close enough so that after he was under the water, he would push his feet off of the wall and propel himself backwards, coming up practically in the middle of the pool. He was quite entertaining as he used his newly acquired skills to the max to simultaneously scare the crap out of some of Holly's coworkers and thrill the rest of us. If only he would take to potty training like he has to the water......

This week's fun.

So now that summer is coming to an end, I feel spent and fresh out of ways to keep the kids entertained - hopefully it is just this week and I will be fresh and ready for next week, or I might just have to resort to starting my countdown for the start of pre-school. Anyway, now that the heat has let up and we have gotten some rain, I thought it would be fun to take the kids and their rubber rain boots to Bryan Park, one of the few parks around that we do not frequent on a regular basis. Ashley happened to be at the house and decided to come along on this adventure. She was able to capture these pics on her cell since I was not brave enough to take my camera on a mud-hunting expedition.

Years ago (like 8 or 9), when Grayson and Elway were pups and Malcolm was young and energetic, Milly and I used to meet at Bryan Park for some of the best trail runs. They were not the best trail runs because the trails are so numerous and wonderful, it was the company - running in the woods with Milly, two goofy Great Dane puppies and a Golden Retriever was just flat out entertaining, not at all like exercise. In fact, those times running in the park were so fun and memorable that Grayson's AKC registered name was 'Stellar Danes Romp in the Park.'

Needless to say, I have many memories linked to the park, and I took a small but smile-provoking trip down memory lane while I guided Evyn and Reed down the wooded trails in search of mud to stomp around in. Silly me, I was thinking there might actually be some ooey-gooey mud to play in, but since we have not had much rain at all this summer, the ground promptly slurped up any moisture around. I promptly resorted to plan B - the little shallow creek that the dogs used to cool off in.

This was the perfect solution - the creek was shallow enough and did not appear to be too dirty, although it turned out to be pretty stinky. The kids were super excited, and I continued to relive the past and remember my favorite girl, Grayson, as I stood around on dry land with Ash, supervising the water stomping activities. That is when they just had to take it to the next level (no surprise here). First, Reed found a deeper spot and both of his boot tops were under the water level. He did not seem to care too much so neither did I. Then, the kicking and splashing started followed by digging up the creek bottom with the hands. This was then followed by Reed falling in a deeper area which left only the very tops of his shoulders and head dry. This did go over too well with him. As I was encouraging Reed to come closer to me, Evyn thought that she would try getting on her hands and knees too. She did not fall like Reed had, she just wanted to see if she was missing any fun. After this stunt and Evyn's refusal to listen to my words of wisdom, the fun was over and it was time to head back to the car. The lesson here: Wet clothes are no fun and walking back through the woods with wet clothes is even worse.

The day following the adventure at Bryan Park we chose a more subdued location, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with our friend Aiden, his baby sister and mommy. Today, I have refereed several fights, and Evyn and I drew faces on a few spare cherry tomatoes from our garden, cut slits for mouths and squeezed. Even I giggled as we pretended that our little tomato people had a serious stomach bug. All I can say at this point is TGIF. Hope next week provides me with fresh new ideas for child entertainment that do not involve stinky creek water or puking tomatoes.

Hit and Run

Random Questions

The video above is one from the past but it is so funny I had to share (again).
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Thought I would ask Evyn and Reed a few questions. You never know what might you might hear.

What is your favorite color?
E: Purple and pink and blue.
R: It's orange. I wike yellow.

What is your favorite thing to eat?
E: Macaroni and pizza.
R: A biscuit.

Do you have a favorite pet? Who? Why?
E: Mikey because I like to pet her. she runs.
R: Eddie.

What is your favorite song?
E: Wheels on the bus and i like fergie.
R: A boo-boo. (???)

What is your favorite book?
E: I don't know.
R: Good Night Dora.

Who is your best friend?
E: Braxton.
R: Evy. (aww, how sweet is that?)

It's my b-day and I will grump if I want to..

So, today is my 35th birthday and I am not really excited about it. In fact, I have not really been excited about having a birthday since I turned 21. When I think about the number 35 and how it relates to the number of years I have been alive, I really just cannot even believe it. How have I gotten to be this old?

I don't (always) feel old and I even think that my looks have not really changed too much since my 20s either, until I look at a picture from that time in my life and realize that, yes, I have aged and, yes, I do look middle aged, I do look like a suburban housewife (thank you very much, Elaine) and I would probably stand out in a club where the cool kids hang out.

Now that I have been up for a few hours (woke up grumpy, no less), have gotten my exercise, grumped around a bit, have been impatient with my kids and am now enjoying E and R's nap time, I have had time to think. I have been thinking about all of the people who have blown up my phone this morning and those who sent me text messages, wishing me a happy birthday, not to mention the cards from Holly and the kids this morning, a call from my high school friend in Dallas, an e-card from aunt Nita and a lunch invitation.

Because of this, I am, right this minute, making a conscious choice to be happy and thankful that I have friends and family who have thought about me today and thought enough to extend happy thoughts and birthday wishes my way. I really am a lucky OLD lady. :)

More fun, more friends.

I am not sure what the Duggar Family is made of, or better yet what her uterus is made of, but Holly and I are not the kind of women who could deal with being that outnumbered. We spent last weekend entertaining my friend Elaine's kids, Justin is 11 and Gracie is three, and boy does she have some energy. She earned the nickname Senorita Hops-a-lot - always in motion and perfectly content just standing and hopping in place while asking a question. We had a fun weekend swimming, swinging, jumping in the bounce house and cooking out.

Having a couple of extra kids for the weekend was really not that much more work, but having two three year olds was challenging at times. Then, add a couple of more friends, ages two and a half and four, and you have lost all control.

Now what?

You head out in public and hit the nearest Krispy Kreme for some sugary doughnuts and chocolate milk ( i hear little teeth rotting). It was fun, but taking six kids, five of them under five, was anything but quick, quiet or calm. I did manage to whip out my cell and snap some pics.









Seeing the fun and those smiles made the chaos that was our trip to Krispy Kreme totally worth it.

Welcome Baby Alleigh Elizabeth M

This is the adorable little ball of love that we have been waiting for. She officially joined the family yesterday evening, weighing 7 lbs 3 oz. The kids and I stopped by to meet her this morning. Ashleigh is doing well, the baby is great and Travis is super excited and can't get enough of his little princess. I can't wait to get some more baby time and snap some pictures of her.

Big Day for Reed

Reed first started his day with a trip to the pediatrician for a slightly belated three year well check. He now weighs 40 pounds and is 40 inches tall - a mere 4 pounds less than his sister. He also peed in a cup without a fuss, let the doctor feel around his tummy and he got his blood pressure taken with an actual cuff. He did not cry, he did not protest - he only chewed his tongue like a rabid Pitt Bull.

The biggest bit of Reed news is much bigger than a cry-free trip to the doctor. He can now swim all on his own. Holly was out this afternoon swimming with him and coaching him on, and he swam away like a future medal winner (i may be exaggerating at this point, but he is only 3!). He even ran and jumped into the deep end (while Holly scrambled like hell to get to him) and did just fine. He also got fancy and did a forward roll into the water. With all of that work in the pool this afternoon he is bound to eat something for dinner tonight (hopefully).

Happy Birthday Holly

So, all week last week Holly kept saying "I am old. I am gray. I can't believe I am getting ready to turn 42 on Monday." Well, once Friday evening rolled around, she was all about it being her birthday. Bring on the beer, the friends, the food and don't forget the presents.

This past weekend was designated 'Holly's Birthday Weekend' and let me just tell you, it was non-stop. It started with a couple of guests Friday evening (including friends for Evyn and Reed). The kids even stayed up way late, racing around on Power Wheels in the front yard in the dark. Saturday morning was sort of a recovery day early on, Evyn spent the day with Braxton and Ayden, and then more friends came over in the evening - lots of swimming kids and water balloons and a bucket o' margaritas ( I had dinner plans and missed that mini-party). That brings us to Sunday, the actual birthday dinner cookout and swimming with a different group of friends and a few of the friends who had been over earlier in the weekend. I feel like I need to go into hiding - being that social (and all of the *social* drinking) is painful.

Holly took today off to recover from her birthday weekend, which was a brilliant idea. She woke up this morning with a screwed up back from the intense water balloon battle last night (you would have thought she was at the peak of her softball throwing career) and a hangover - not really feeling on top of the world. I am waiting for one of the kids to ask why Mom's birthday lasts for three days and theirs only lasts for one. No question who the biggest kid of this family is. Happy birthday Holly.

This is how it is done.

While Holly was trying to teach Evyn how to dive the other day, the dive attempts morphed into forward rolls into the pool. Once Reed saw what Evyn was doing, he joined in.

Reed later described to me how it was done. Here is what he said: "You hold you breath, put legs down, tuck-a-you head, fall in, go upside down. "


Here is Evyn's demonstration:

The Bride, A.K.A. Ashley

How could it be that we have two kids in pre-school, one of them still learning to use the potty, and a soon-to-be bride? Ashley is going to marry her boyfriend, Gary, in May of 2008 - 10 months from now. This wedding has gone from Ashley wanting to wear a sundress and Gary wearing no tie and no jacket and neither of them wearing shoes to Ash in a simple but elegant wedding gown, complete with a sequin edged veil and a crystal tiara with rhinestone flowers that costs almost half as much as her dress, and Gary has decided to wear a (drum roll please) tuxedo!

This picture was taken with my cell phone in the bridal shop, so you really cannot make out the details of the beautiful dress she chose (which was my favorite from the second I saw it on the hanger). The guy next to her is Ryan, the wedding consultant, who said in his sweet little voice while trying to talk her into wearing a veil, "the veil is what makes you look like a bride, not just a girl in a white dress." Made sense to us, but what do *we* know about weddings anyway?

We are actually enjoying the planning process - definitely soaking up some of our precious spare time, but what is more precious than seeing your grown daughter in love and excited to enter a new phase of her life with a man that seems perfect for her?