Divots & Ultrasounds...

More "sunning" pics. And as you can tell by the "smile" on his face, he loves the sun. I'm going to start investing in sunscreen now!
Ok, for those of you who already know about it, Esten's ultrasound of his spine looks normal so far. The radiologist has not read it yet, so I don't have an official report. And here's a little inservice from http://www.parenting.ivillage.com/:



Esten (and Adria too) was born with a tiny divot or "sacral dimple" just at the base of his spine (right between his butt cheeks). "To put it simply, a dimple in the lower back along the spine may be a simple divot in the skin which causes no problems whatsoever, or it may be the sign of malformation in lower layers including the spine and spinal cord." Dr Rain (his pedi) wanted to get a better look @ this dimple & make sure there were no "neural tube" (spinal cord) defects. And something I learned, this is the "portion of the spinal cord that is involved with sending signals to allow the bladder to empty." So, the baby can get bladder infections from not peeing often enough; just for the record, Esten pees constantly; so I assume we're good there.



When Adria was a baby, I chose not to have the MRI done on her dimple because she seemed (to me and Dr Raine) to be developing normally; she would have had to be sedated for the MRI. Hopefully this was the right decision! Anyway, that's the news.



Oh, last week I forgot the rest of Esten's stats! 8# 6.5ounces (50th percentile); 21.5 inches long (50th percentile) and 36cm head circumference (10th percentile). Mind you, Brayden did not hit the 50th percentile on the growth charts until he was 7!!! Esten may end up being tall... or at least taller. Love you all, Crystal.

Family game night.

This was Esten's first game night; he was VERY excited!! I was trying to clean up after dinner and he actually stayed ammused for 10 minutes. I'm having to get a little creative to buy myself time...

Notice "Cousin It" after her bath. At least this time she's not the only "faceless" family member in the picture (bad angle, sorry!)Look at those cheeks & the chins!! He's such a piggy... I think this is my first baby that has rolls. Although in comparison, I know this isn't much of a roll, but I'm used to 10-15 percentile kiddos!!


This video is for cousin Jett. Auntie Heazy (my sister) asked for a video where Esten wasn't screaming; she wanted "baby talk" & cooing. I told her good luck; but apparently he has a softer, quieter side that I just happened to catch. Enjoy!!

Boy how time flies...

Boy how time flies when you're... exhausted!! Esten is 1 month today...and yes we still have red hair. Copper to be exact. He went for his 1 month check up yesterday & now I know why I feel like all he does is eat!! He gained 1# 1.5oz in 1week!! He's now 8# 6.5oz. Yikes!! He's showing off his onesie from his Aunt Shirley (who has red hair)...Close up...

After 5 years, I finally got a pic of Adria & the OB that delivered her... boy how time flies when you're raising a Diva! Dr Atkins also saw me about half of the time with Esten. And Lynn, the OB nurse who had to put up with me for ALL THREE pregnancies...Bless her heart!!


As I'm posting, Brayden is at his last baseball game of the season. Donovan got some good uniform pics for me so I could share them!!
What a handsome boy. I can't believe he's going to be 8 in 3 months!! Boy, how time flies when you're having fun...

Strip him down & put him in the sunshine...

Ok. Naked; sunshine. Done. Hopefully Grammy's instructions from FL will reverse my bad karma from the last 24hrs. Long story short...

Nursed "E" from 11p-12a last night, held/rocked him from 12-1am. Got kicked by "A" from 1-2am (in our bed due to the thunder storm & some ill timed candy before bed...). Nursed again from 2-3am. Awoke @ 4am by "B" standing beside the bed staring @ me... hate that!! Nursed "E" AGAIN from 4:30-5:30am... what the #@*%!! Bailed on my King sized bed with every darn "John Boy" in the neighborhood in it; off to the guestroom with "E" and swing in-tow. Donovan apparently felt the 1 less person in bed & hunted me down.. to tell me he would take "A" to work with him so I could get some rest.... Nursed @ 8am, 10am, 11am; spoke to Grammy @12noon. I'm not sure if it's the naked or the sunshine that's going to get me some rest, but I'll let you know.

I'll have to save the "run-in with the Walmart cashier" with (3) kids in-tow for another blog. Yes, I've become THAT woman; three kids grocery shopping in Walmart. I think this is one of those pivotal moments in life... BUT ISN'T HE BEAUTIFUL!!

This post comes with a WARNING!!!

WARNING!! This video is very loud... I just wanted to share a little piece of my world. As I have mentioned, Esten has a slight temper. This is mostly for my sisters in FL; so they can really get to know their new nephew......

As for my NICU pals, I think I got one of those babies that either need to go home or be intubated. Enjoy at your own risk!!

And so you don't think I just let my little red haired man scream... this is video just a few seconds later. Sometimes the pacy works, but most of the time he just keeps on going until he gets it all out!!

Mayfest AND Chuckie Cheese!!

This is Adria's tap costume; they performed at Mayfest this past Sunday May4th.

I'm not sure why my Daddy is the one who looks so excited to be at Chuckie Cheese... I don't think he ever progressed past the age of 5.
Needless to say, after a dance show outside at Mayfest, the AC was welcomed at Chuckie Cheese. I got home & went straight to bed and stayed there all day Monday too. These people (ie.: Grammy & Tampy) are wearing me out yet saving my sanity all at the same time!!




Enjoy the video from Mayfest!

Found my thumb..

Just some cute pics of Esten... he appears very happy that he found his thumb!

Big sister is ALWAYS willing & asking to hold him... or kiss, touch, talk to, snuggle him. Poor kid is going to have personal space issues from his sister. I tried to explain what "personal space" is to Adria... she's so cute, she listened & then asked "can I hold him now?"

Esten's first tub bath...

On May 3rd, Esten was finally ready for his first tub bath!!

Sorry it took so long to post, but sleep has taken precedent over EVERYTHING else. We made it through our first growth spurt this past week & I am still trying to catch up. Have I mentioned that Esten has a "slight" temper?? Especially regarding feeding time... there is no such thing as "wait one minute." He nurses often & gets VERY loud if I dare make him wait!!

Adria's April 21st dance show.

This was taken just before her group went on stage. The picture is a little strange, but I love her facial expression & the way she is standing.

These pics are from April 21st; this is Adria's ballet costume. She had an outside show that her dance studio participated in. Love the hair by "Mom."