Pictures

I just took this one for my new website: And these were taken by Katie when Bryce was 8 days old:

I have more photos to share soon.

Things I have learned about Bryce so far:

• He hates bath time or being naked at all
• He hates riding in the car
• He loves to eat...big surprise there, huh?
• He has a dimple in each cheek
• He is pretty easy going, seeing as his big brother pesters him a lot. I feel as if I am always saying, "Watch out for his head!" Just wait, Kayden, until the tide turns and Bryce is the one pestering!He has already pee'd on me three times, which is three more than Kayden did.
• His umbilical cord was two feet longer than it should have been--maybe that is why his belly button/cord seriously stinks right now. As in rancid. How can such a cute and cuddly kid smell so rotten? Is this thing ever going to fall off?
• He has a raspy cry that is not very loud (thus far!)
• He sleeps pretty good most nights. I hate to even write that for fear of jinxing it. I usually get up around 3 and then again at 5:30.
• He makes the Derek Zoolander face...a lot. Just call him Blue Steel.

That is all I can think of for now. Happy Weekend, Bloggers.

Rough Birth= Rough Week

When Bryce was 9 days old, we took Kayden swimming at East Kentwood's pool and while we were there Bryce's right arm and legs would not stop twitching. He had done it before, in fact many times since birth, but this one was exceptionally long. For over ten minutes, I watched as his little arm twitched away. When I got home, I called the nurse after-hours line concerned it was a seizure. She informed me that it was not a seizure, but to mention it to my doctor at the two week check up. The twitching continued.

Last Wednesday I went in and was informed that it could be normal twitches associated with development of the muscles, or it could be bleeding on the brain because he had such a traumatic birth. He still has two large bruises on each side of his head (his head actually looks triangle-like because of this--thank God he has a lot of hair!) , so they were concerned that possibly some bleeding internally could have occurred as well. If it continued through the weekend, the plan was to get an ultrasound done through his soft spot to look at the brain. The fear being that cerebral palsey was leading to the twitching because of a neurological disorder.

So, Tuesday we trudged down to DeVos Radiology department. It is a scary place to be. Each parent is there because they fear something is wrong with their child. Whether it be cancer or a problem like ours, the unknowns are palpable and the tension is felt immediately upon entrance.

Bryce did really well for the first seven minutes of the ultrasound. While he was sleeping soundly, it was actually pretty cool to look at the brain and activity surrounding it. Then he woke up and started getting really upset. Come the end of the ultrasound, I think I was crying harder than he was. Since I have not ever had to go through anything like this, I thought they would tell immediately what the results were, so the longer she was silent, the more concerned I was that something was terribly wrong.

Thankfully, I just called today and everything looks great. Please praise God with me that these results came back so positive. I covet your prayers for the future, though, as if the twitching continues we will have to go in for another test to make sure they are not seizures. So far, the last two days have been uneventful, so I pray this will continue. Between the collarbone and this, I am sick of DR's visits!

I was returning e-mails right now and noticed things were awefully quiet behind me. Turned around to this:

Ah, sleep.

I miss you, friend.

A few more pictures

First pix together

Totally random-we went to EK to swim when I was in labor

Josh's parents

My mom

First day home, still a litle cone headed

Kayden and I playing outside when I got home from hospital

From today

What a difference six days make!

Last week Monday, I was told by my DR that they would not induce me until end of this week. Of course, knowing how large Kayden was and how many problems I had-- I panicked. Thank goodness I did not have to wait that long! Bryce actually broke his collarbone due to size and was stuck for a long time so I am thankful I had him when I did.

Great hospital visit; I love being in the hospital after delivery. The pace of life is so much slower and I love just being able to sit and hold him all day. I missed Kayden so much, though, and by the second night I was ready for some one on one with my first boy. AND some good food. That food was horrible!

The first night home was....rough. Bryce slept the best of all of us. We had some technical problems with how the bedroom was laid out so we had to move it around in the middle of the night. Josh then tripped over the newly positioned baby bed twice, leading to everyone waking up. We finally settled down and Kayden fell out of bed for the first time ever. Thankfully, it has gotten so much better. Knock on wood, but Bryce has been only waking up every four hours the last few nights. I am not expecting it to last, but thankful I have it for now!

I am feeling overwhelmed. When I focus on the day to day, all is well. However, when I start to think about adding balancing a business with all of this, I feel really overwhelmed. I am trying so hard to still give Kayden a lot of attention and also take time to really enjoy this newborn stage. They are small for such a short time, if I blink I am afraid I will miss it! Fitting in work just seems so much harder now, but I have mostly moms as customers so they have been really understanding.

Bryce had his first DR visit today- 9lbs, 11 oz already and is 97% for height. 95% for weight.

Well, that is it for now. Thanks for all the well wishes sent our way. I am a little slow on the e-mails right now so sorry if you have not gotten a personal response:-) I will try to post more pix later.

To God be the Glory for the things He has done!

Welcome to the World

To God Be the Glory for the things He has done!

Welcome to our precious little one-

Bryce Xavier Bird
Born April 9, 2008
9 lbs. 1 oz.
3:38 PM
with a head full of black hair!

I do not have pictures since this laptop is not compatible with my camera. My dad is uploading pctures for me to post tomorrow.

...AND thank God for whoever invented epidurals. What a difference!!!

So, I admit I have been avoiding.

Avoiding e-mail, the phone, this blog, ducking if I see someone in the grocery store....all to avoid the inevitable questions.

When are you due again?

Is that baby ever going to come?

No baby, yet?

Still hanging in there?

For those of you that have never had to wait on a baby, consider yourself blessed. Answering these questions really is not a problem, it is the multitude of times in a day that I am asked to answer them. As if I am not anxious enough about having a baby and being overdue, talking about it all day long will certainly do it. So, if you call here and Josh answers the phone "No baby yet, this is Josh" and I am "unavailable"...that is why.

I agree with Michelle....I am officially over it!

The Ugly Face

Tonight, Josh and Kayden were outside taking a walk with the "cozy coup". I was cleaning out my 'Mom-Ride', and Carmelo decided he had to go outside. I shuffled to the door to let him out, and no sooner had I sat down to rest for a minute than he started barking. Like little yippee dogs do.

Now normally, I would open the door and shoo him inside so he would not cause a disturbance to my neighbors. Instead, I turned around and in essence put out the white flag of surrender. "Let him bark it out", I thought. "I don't have the energy". I then caught my look in the reflection of glass. This is pretty much what I saw:

The crabbiest face of them all. I can't even recount how many times I have apologized to my mom for snapping over something trivial... I might as well walk around with a big apology sign on my forehead. Kayden is not on the receiving end, but I think he realizes some days lately I am too tired to fully discipline. He has taken that line and ran with it.

For example, today when we were eating at Wendy's and he started jumping on the booth seat. Normally, I would reprimand very quickly and make him sit down. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders and thought it might get rid of some excess energy.

I think the thing that bothers me most about all this is that, for the most part, I am a pretty sunny and energetic person. I was full steam until this past weekend when I caught a cold and I can't seem to shake it. My energy is gone, and with it has come a case of the grumpies. I am hoping kicking this illness and a good nights sleep will give me perspective.

In the meantime, if you see me and I have the above-mentioned face, please do not take it personal. I will return soon. Hopefully!

Dutch Much?

Q: How dutch are you?

A: So dutch, that when the handle broke from my curling iron (shown above), I wrapped brown thread around the broken handle instead of buying a new one. Every morning, even I cringe a little.

Married to Josh too long...

Filling out my March Madness bracket currently, and my favorite press conference of all was on Sports Center:




Rivaled only by:





The sad part is I crack up every time I see either.


SO, in honor of all things sports, let the bets begin. I am going with my Psycho T....

A new first

I sat down at the doctors office and started to read a magazine. Reader's Digest Humor in Uniform to be exact. I have always loved reading funny or pithe stories taken straight from life. Somehow my inner chuckles turned into me looking something like this:

Mouth wide open, perhaps a small purr of a snore. The nurse had to actually shake me to wake me.

Certainly a new low.

Lesson Learned?

Procrastination.

The year was 1998; Josh was home visiting for Spring Break. I was in my junior year of college at GVSU, and taking a pretty tough political science course. An 8-page paper on voting systems and electoral behavior was due the next day. I, of course, had not even started it thinking I would work on the entire thing the night prior.

<

Josh suggested going to his Aunt and Uncle's beach house on Lake Michigan, and after an afternoon spent walking on the beach he proposed. Writing a paper was now the last thing on my mind. Giddy and excited, I wanted to call friends and celebrate. However, I was stuck by the computer typing away all night as Josh slept on the pool table adjacent to the computer.

>

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Man, not a lot has changed in 10 years.

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We had our tax appointment tonight and I pulled two all-nighters to get my books up to date. Blogger Nation, who is with me? Any procrastinators out there? What a huge relief to be finished. Apple juice, anyone?

Random thoughts...

since I have not blogged in a while.

• 26 days seems like forever if you are awaiting vacation...not so much if you are trying to get ready for a new baby.
• Overheard by Kayden last night, "It's my money, and I need it NOW!". Hmmm...he might watch too much TV.
• He is a huge helper these days. I was blue taping the baby room, and he did this to his room. Something only a mother could be proud of.
• Target is really fun. I am not a huge shopper, so I hardly ever go in there. The $1.06 popcorn/soda combo is a winner, though. I might shop there more often!
• Speaking of:

we are getting there!

• This time change is killer for me. My 2am bedtime has gradually turned into 3 or 4ish, so mornings right now stink.
• 100,000 + baby names are mentioned in my new book, none of which we can agree on.
• I am thanking God it is not flip flop season just yet. Even the feet are elephant-like these days.
• I am officially cheating on Josh. My mom introduced us about two weeks ago. He is tall and white, a little squishier...his name is Frank, and I am in love. Sleep with him every night....wish I would have had this body pillow sooner.
• Just interrupted from typing to be asked, "Mom, can I please be a Bare-naked boy?" Kayden officially hates clothes.
• Finally, this one is really random. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer paid $4,300 for one hour of indiscretion. Could we possibly be paying our governors too much if they can afford that?

The Lazy Mans way...

or, rather, the lazy girls way to send out a coffee invite.

I do not have all your personal e-mails handy, but would love to do coffee again soon. I miss my fellow bloggers!

Be the First to Enter

Click on picture


I am putting this contest together, it should go live tomorrow sometime on my site. Thought I would give you a sneak peak and a chance to win. Even if you are past baby stage, it still is fun to enter and they make great gifts:-)

OH. MY. WORD.

Why, oh why, do I now have Shrek feet?

and cankles?

Disgusting.

We love the Grand Rapids Children's Museum! Bob the Builder is there now, one of my favorite exhibits they have had.

So, on Wednesday, we packed up and headed downtown. On the way back, Kayden said he was so hungry; off to McDonalds we went. After a little ways, I noticed Kayden was really quiet, so I looked back to see he was choking. Five 'throw-ups" later, and a big old mess in my car, I headed home feeling shaken. It is a helpless feeling, and I miserably failed at being pro-active in the situation. I just sat there looking at him, like, is this really happening?

The rest of the day passed without incident (other than Josh's team winning the semi- final game. Go Professional Pharmacy) so I figured I would take better care to keep an eye on him eating in the car.

Fast forwad to 1am. [Side note: In our house, we actually have a intercom system throughout the house, albeit an old one. However, that is not the attention grabber of choice. If one of us wants the other one, we proceed to the nearest wall and bang.] I heard some banging, so went to go check. Lots and lots more sickness. I felt so bad for the poor kid. I was actually so relieved to know Kayden had the flu, and that he had not been choking earlier at McDonalds. Two day of washing around the clock later....

I need to also give a big thanks to my hubby who is so much better with this than me. I can handle it for just so long without feeling queasy myself. Dad rocks.

Boys basketball.

8th graders vs. Boys team at Byron

Scheduled: January 22, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Resheduled: January 29, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/no school

ReScheduled: February 6, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Rescheduled: February 11 (today)

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Anyone see a theme, here? Perhaps we should STOP rescheduling this game.

Happy 35th Birthday

A few pictures from the school party.

The cake --isn't is awesome?

Being mauled by 4th graders

A few highlights from the day:


*riding to the Zeeland 8th grade boy's basketball game. Three junior high girls. My car officially seats two, so one rode in the far back "trunk space".
*Kayden reciting his Sylvester/Tweety monologue, ending in "Drop It, Drop It, Drop It" louder and louder the more attentive the audience of giggling girls was.
*the basketball game. Although it resulted in a loss, the boys played better than they ever had before and it was truly a great game with the final score being only 1 pt difference. Bitter wife predictably blames it on bad refs.
*Grandma Birdy's surprise cupcakes. Yum.
*Josh opening half-eaten presents. While wrapping earlier in the day, I took a phone call and Kayden chewed through eight pieces of gum in about five minutes. Opening half a pack of gum just ain't the same.
*the present Kayden left for Josh in the potty chair. We have been trying for #2 on the potty for four months now. We even took a picture to send to my parents in Hawaii....TMI? Now, that is all Kayden wants to see. Proud already at age three.


And now, in honor of my annual birthday tradition of sharing facts Josh would hate me sharing....

10. He hates the smell of eggs, tuna fish, coconut, and nursing homes. Well, I agree with that last one. And tuna.
9. He hates Duke. With a passion.
8. He must love me (a lot) to leave sunny So Cal to live in this weather.
7. He loves all frozen foods- pizza, mozzarella sticks, fries, chicken tenders. Good thing he is tall or he could possibly weigh 400 pounds.
6. Mirage Tanning is still in business solely because of Josh. I actually looked into buying a tanning bed for Christmas to save us money.
5. He bumps his head at least once a week. I flew back to buy this house alone...not realizing our staircase and basement bathroom ceiling is too short.
4. His truck is called the Green Hornet. Don't look too close or you might see the muffler...falling off. No, seriously.
3. He is taking master's classes at GVSU, and loves every minute of it. Even though he is in class with all women. Wait, that may possibly be why he loves it?
2. He never answers his cell phone. Ever. For a long time, I thought it was just when I called, but it really is universal.
1. He cleaned toilets in college. For a job. For minimum wage. No wonder he is so willing to clean ours.



All kidding aside, I am so blessed to have him as a husband. Without being too mushy, I love spending time with him, am so happy for his unconditional support, proud of the father he has become, and am honored God brought him to me. Happy Birthday, dear!

Need vacation!

My parents left for Hawaii on Friday morning, and I cannot stop thinking about vacation; specifically our lack of. Seems like everyone I know is either 1) already away or 2) going away soon (yes, I am talking about you Triplet Mom).

Instead of vacationing on the sandy beaches or whisking away to Mexico to relax in the sun, we are trying to come up with a place for a small getaway as consolation. We were thinking Double J, since it would be fun for Kayden (although not the slightest bit of vacation for us with all the screaming kids). I thought some of you had bad experiences with it, though, am I right?

So, here is my mission, fellow bloggers. I need to find a place that is:

• within driving distance, as we only plan on going overnight
• affordable
• includes some sort of indoor activities that would be fun for a three-year-old
• warm water if it is a pool area
• not terribly overcrowded (this last one might be asking too much!)

Anyone know of this place?

Slippin'

So, how is it that the new MacBook Air has been out for a whole 15 days with no mention from Chelle?

Little disappointed.

Want to make millions?

Figure out the solution to this:

Saturday I went and got groceries at Meijer. The yellow tags showing sale items were abundant, and overall the shopping trip was very successful. You know us dutchies, I can't buy if it is not on sale.

Yesterday, before throwing away my receipt, I started checking it over. I was overcharged for four items that should have been marked down but weren't. $5.29 for Josh's frozen pizza that should have been 4 for $10.

Today I will drag myself into Meijers, stand in the return/exchange line with seventeen other people, waiting for the one person working the desk. Here is the part where the millions come in: find a way to automate this online. A website where I can type in my receipt number and have the price adjusted without leaving the comfort of my own home.

_______________________________

Also, how about a family friendly, sit down restaurant with a play yard? We will be meeting with friends on Friday evening, both of us have little ones, and would love to go to a place like Applebees with a play structure like McDonalds. Is there something like this out there already?

The debate:

As if the baby naming challenge is not enough, we also are trying to decide about preschool next year. Josh wants Kayden to go to preschool two years, I think one year is plenty.

My reasons against two years:

• he will be in school the rest of his time with us, what's the rush?


• I am not a morning person, and getting Kayden and baby ready in the morning would take some serious discipline...or a shorter work night.... on my part.


• We go to Coffee Break on Tuesdays and MOPS every other Thursday anyway, so the interaction and time spent with other kids is about the same as it would be in school.


• I am not ready to let my baby go to school!


• Oh, one more thing...the money. With no employee discount on the horizon, I would rather hold off that tuition bill as long as possible.

The pros, according to Josh:

• he will get an early start. The theory is that the earlier you get that brain stretching and challenged, the further along he will be when you get to kindergarten.


• MOPS and coffee break are great for interaction....if Kayden would actually interact. He is all too comfortable sitting by himself and watching.


• my days of sleeping in until 8 are probably over anyway with a new baby coming.


• it is only really two days a week for four hours, and Josh is directly across the hall.


• he will be almost four, not really a baby anymore.

So, please weigh in bloggers!! What did you do--one year or two of preschool? Did it make a difference?

Introducing: Kaydens acting skills

Take One:

Take Two:

Manipulation

One of Kayden's favorite things is taking the periwinkle comforter off our bed, pulling it down the steps, and draping it over the couches to form a tent. Josh, who is a bit neater than I, does not like the comforter wiping the floor from our bed to the living room (probably due to the smashed cheese-it crackers that always end up on the floor; wish as I might, the dogs never eat the stuff I want them to).

Yesterday evening, after the comforter had already gone upstairs to offset daddy's arrival, Kayden looked back and forth between Josh and I.

"Daddy, I do not feel so good. Do you know what would make me feel better? The blue blanket, right here on the couch."

Manipulation at it's finest. Now, everything would make him feel better- soda, a brownie, piece of gum, watching Christopher Robbin. Give 'em an inch...

Work it Out

One more reason I am not going to the gym....

Yikes!

We are officially under 100 days until this baby is born.

Well.....hopefully. Judging from past experience it could be more like 104 days, but here's to hoping!

As we are putting away Christmas stuff, we are taking out baby gear so I don't have to get back in the crawl space again. I am realizing that I really should have done a better job of storing things.