It's a beautiful snowy morning here in Ohio. We've had a few days of flurries and have about 5 inches of snow on the ground. The wind chill leaves us at only 8 degrees so I'm sure AGW will not be interested in building a snowman! So far Carey hasn't had any trouble getting home from work at 6 a.m. and the roads have been decent. I try not to leave the house in weather like this and I've been very successful :)

AGW has been working on potty training for 2 days now. I think she's doing a great job and actually enjoys hearing her potty "sing" when she does it! She also enjoys hours and hours of playing and ride her tractor and car in the wide-open basement. It's a good thing we have that space to let her run around and get some energy out! This week is her Christmas program at school so I'm sure I'll have pictures to post later.

HLW has overcome his inability to gain weight. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight. No problems for this big boy! He is smiling and laughing more often, especially when his big sister comes around.

Carey is doing well on night float. He misses using his hands in surgery, but he seems to like the team he's working with. I still enjoy having him home (and awake) for a few hours in the afternoon. I'm not sure what rotation he's on next month, I'll update on that later.

As for me, I am learning to adjust to the great indoors. I never knew I'd look forward to days when it actually gets above freezing! I've decided that I'm going to have to get outside on days when the sun is shining, no matter what the temperature is.

Carey and I are preparing for our first Christmas without our extended family. It's definitely different for us. We're working out the details and new traditions that will stay with our family as the kids grow.

So, that's all I have for today. More pictures to come....

So you may have noticed that I'm still MIA. I haven't quite figured out how to add blogging into my routine. We're all still alive and well (even Carey) and we're enjoying the begining of winter in Cincinnati.

We all enjoyed Carey's two week vacation but it flew by, of course. Then he had two weeks of general surgery and last night he started his month of night float. I've been dreading night float but after last night I don't think it will be so bad. AGW usually isn't awake when Carey goes to work so that was extremely upsetting for her. (He goes in at 7 pm and gets home around 7 am.) She was afraid that he would leave and not come back- she's had too many relatives do that lately :( When she realized that her daddy would be back, she was ok.

HLW is growing at supersonic speed. He is trying really hard to hold his head up so that he can see everything that is going on in our zoo. He's a very good baby and does his best to sleep as much as possible...just like his daddy :) His weight is no longer an issue, he is quickly turning into a chunky monkey! He doesn't fuss much at all, very rarely do I hear him cry. He does squeek a lot. Actually, he squeeks, grunts, and groans, constantly. I've also been hearing more and more coos as he tries to put his little thoughts into sounds for me. Oh! I just heard an adorable giggle too! Music to my ears!

AGW is also growing like a weed. She is still very tall and skinny and is turning into quite the athlete. She keeps herself very busy chasing and tormenting all of the animals, caring for her babydoll, and running in and out of the house. She and Cash spend hours exploring the furthest corners of the yard and chasing squirls. She absolutely loves going to school, although her teachers report that she is very quiet and reserved. Rarely do they hear a peep out of her. I was shocked to hear that considering how talkatiave and lively she is at home!

As for me, I am loving life. I have two perfect, precious, adorable, babies to keep me company all day! I've become excellent at letting dishes and laundry pile up just so I can play with my babies. I'm loving life :)

Only a few months late....

I've been meaning to do this for about 8 weeks now. Can you believe my precious boy is already 2 months old?

The week before Hayes was due my doctor and I scheduled the c-section because I hadn't progressed. At all. On October 6th Carey and I got up and got AGW to our pastor's house before heading to University Hospital. I had to be there at 11 to get checked in. This time everything went very smoothly and right on time. I was scheduled for surgery at 1:00 that afternoon and that's pretty much what time they took me back. I was much more alert this time so I will never forget how intimidating the OR was. Carey wasn't allowed in until after they had given me the epidural/spinal thing so I sat by myself on the bed with my bare butt hanging out while about 10 people ran around getting things ready. For the most part, no one really paid attention to me. They weren't rude by any means, I was just the next person on the table and they had a job to do. I could see all of the equipment as I sat there and thought how most people aren't awake to see how scary the OR really is. Stainless steal tools aren't exactly warm and welcoming. I just kept reminding myself of the sweet little boy that would be coming soon and that kept me from jumping down and hauling out of there!

The surgery took about 20 minutes from start to finish. I didn't feel a thing but the sound of the saw (or whatever they use) was terrible enough. It's so funny how I had such a different experience from two years earlier. Probably because I knew what to expect this time.

I heard him cry and it felt like hours before they finally brought him over for me to see. He was amazing. Perfect. Mine. But then they took him to the other side of the room where I couldn't see him! I've probably never been so anxious as I was while they were cleaning and weighing him. Those motherly instincts kicked in extra strong this time and I wanted my baby in my arms!

They put me back together and finally put HLW in my arms. We rode on my bed down the hall into a recovery room. This was very different than last time. The recovery room here isn't private. It's a large community room with privacy curtains around each patient and the nurse's desk in the middle of the room. Carey and I sat in awe of our sweet boy for a few hours while they waited for feeling to come back to my legs. It was during this time that we updated the entire world about our new addition via facebook and text message. With in the hour every family member and friend had access to several pictures of my new boy. Isn't technology amazing? Two years ago I sat in the hospital bed uploading pictures to my laptop and then emailing them to everyone. My, how things have changed :)

After recovery we went to the room where we would stay for the next two days. Carey went to pick up AGW and brought her to the hospital to see her Mommy and new brother. I don't think she knew what was coming, she was just ready to see her Mom. Carey set up her playpen and we got all of her toys out and ready. She couldn't care less about them . She stayed up until 2:00 a.m. running (literally) around the hospital room and climbing up and down from my bed. She also LOVED giving "her baby" kisses on the head and petting him! :) Finally she crashed on the tiny couch bed in her daddy's arms and slept until 10 the next morning.

So, that's the story of the birth of Hayes Lane. Luckily it was uneventful except for having a toddler stay the first night in the hospital with us!

We survived! Carey is working his last call night of pedi surg. We made it through the rotation with out any problems. We owe a big thank you to all of our prayin' friends! To be honest, I don't remember much of it. I know that every once in a while he would come home talking about an appendix, colon, or watching a cool case. For the most part, I couldn't think of anything other than which kiddo needed to be changed or fed next, so I didn't really absorb any of it. Sorry honey, you've moved down on the priority list for now. I don't exactly know where to start. I still need to describe Hayes' birth so that he will have that to read in a few years. I think I'll do that next time. Instead, here's what I can remember from this week:



Monday: Hmm. I don't remember



Tuesday: Nope. Nada.



Wednesday: I decided to take both babies to the zoo. I'd say it went relatively well considering the fact that I forgot 2 major things. The first thing I forgot was the bottle. I'm still not used to grabbing AGW's sippy cup AND a bottle. I bet I don't make that mistake again. The second thing I forgot is that I'm only one person. With only two hands. Common sense, huh? Not for a sleep deprived, hormonal, new parent of 2.

Thursday: AGW went to school and did not want to leave!

Friday: AGW had a Halloween party and parade at school.

Enjoy the pictures. Hopefully more to come later...

So far today AGW has put make up on Emma and covered my face in stickers. She is adjusting to all of the changes very well. She helps as much as possible and loves on her baby brother constantly.

Hayes finally got through his battle with jaundice and is putting on weight. I hope I can keep up with his eating habits now! He still pees through every outfit I put on him and most of the time he pees through my outfit and a towel as well! He isn't as fussy as AGW was (so far) but does request to be held often .

Carey is finishing up his last week of pedi surg. It seems that it went really well and he got to operate a little more than usual. He definitely showed more interest in the last month and was also able to make a few contacts.

As for me, I'm still adjusting to the changes both physically and emotionally. I'm in love with our new family and attempting to figure out a routine that works for everyone. It make take a while! :)

Until I'm able to get everything lined out, expect my posts to be short and sweet. Also, expect more mistakes due to the two kiddos in my lap, lack of sleep, and multiple distractions!

After being gone for so long, I forget what I have and haven't blogged about. I may forget most of the details, but these things I will never forget:


Hayes Lane Watson
October 6, 2010
1:49 p.m.
8 pounds, 2 ounces
20 inches


Enjoy the pictures and I'll be back later in the week to describe how everything went. We are all doing very well and loving the new baby!

Manic Monday

Mondays are notoriously rough. Mostly for people who actually have day jobs and have to spend the day recovering from the weekend and playing catch up for the week that has just begun. I worked once, I know how Mondays are. Monday tried to get me this morning. It was almost a "Manic Monday" but I prevailed. I woke up this morning to AGW fussing over the monitor like usual. She is my alarm clock most mornings of the week. This morning I struggled to throw my swollen feet out of bed because last night was a call night. No one sleeps well on call nights. It took a minute or two before I could convince myself to get up, but finally my body lost the battle to guilt and crawled out of bed. Before I go upstairs to get my little princess I have to do the things I know I won't be able to do once she is with me: use the bathroom, make coffee, let the dogs outs, start breakfast. I've got all of that down to 2 minutes, max. Usually then I can turn on Sesame Street on the way upstairs so that when I bring my grumpy baby downstairs, she is happy to sit and watch Elmo for a minute while I finish breakfast and then cuddle up to her with my coffee. But this is Monday, so instead I walked out to find 2 piles of dog vomit on the couch and one in the living room floor. Ugh. Good morning to me. The upset tummy explains why Cash needed to sleep with his Mommy early this morning. So instead of continuing with my normal routine I listened to the level of fussiness coming from the monitor and determined that I had just enough time to clean up the mess before AGW was fully awake and wailing. No way to start any day! Fortunately, as I vacuumed and scrubbed, I heard a knock at the door and saw my sweet husband's face! He was home nice and early from his night on call! Seeing him made cleaning up vomit a little more tolerable, at least I wouldn't have to face the rest of my Monday alone!

Then we both went upstairs to surprise AGW and found her sitting at the end of her bed waiting for me, as usual. She saw her daddy and gasped "Daddy Home! Daddy Home! Daddy Home!". This was the perfect start to her Monday. After picking her up however, we discovered that she was soaked. Soaked through her diaper, pj's, pillow, and all the bedding. Ugh. This would have been strike 2 for my "Manic Monday" if Carey had not come home. We peeled her out of her wet pj's and crumbling diaper and I couldn't have been more grateful to have Carey's assistance on this particular Monday.

Strike 3 came as I was getting AGW dressed for the day. I needed to slather her with diaper cream to help recover from the diaper soaking of the night before. I couldn't find the opened tube (go figure) so I grabbed a new tube and squeezed. Not a power squeeze, just a regular squeeze. But on this particular Monday, this squeeze was enough to literally shoot the first bit of diaper cream straight up into the air, bounce off the ceiling, and land directly on my head. Really? What are the odds? If Carey hadn't been home, this would've been the breaking point. I would have taken it as a sign to stay off the streets and go back to bed. Instead I laughed, put on a hat, and told myself it could have been worse. It could have been bird poop. Monday didn't get me this time.

Pumkin Patch Express

To celebrate AGW's last weekend as an only child we were able to combine several of her most favorite things: trains, animals, and pumpkins. We took her on her very first train ride to a working farm where we were able to pet lots of animals, pick pumpkins, and enjoy homemade treats. To say she LOVED it is an understatement. Today she was still talking about the choo-choo stopping at the farm and for a 2 year old, that means we made a pretty big impression. We all enjoyed it. Carey and I both felt like giddy kiddos on the train and while petting the friendly animals. It was a picture perfect day for the whole family. AGW won't remember it, but as parents, Carey and I will cherish that day with our sweet little girl forever.

AGW's 1st Camp Out

Friday Carey surprised us by coming home at 5:30! We decided to kick off AGW's last weekend as an only child with a backyard camp out. We roasted hot dogs, made s'mores, set up the tent and filled it with sleeping bags and quilts. It was a perfect evening for a campfire and AGW loved the idea of sleeping outside. She loved it so much, she refused to go to sleep for hours :) As usual, Carey passed out first and AGW and I tossed and turned for quite a while before she finally crashed on me. I had my usual problems: pregnancy insomnia and multiple trips to the bathroom. About 2:30 AGW woke Carey and me up because she was irritated with us. We were in her way. She needs lots of room to toss, turn, and kick, and we where interfering with that! We lugged all of our bedding back inside and she happily went to sleep in her own bed. You'll never guess who was most grateful to come back inside: Cash and kitty! They are definitely not made for the great outdoors!

Nursery and More

I feel like the pictures don't do the room justice. I'm still working on a few projects, go figure.

My birthday lunch at Don Pablos on the river. Outdoors+mexican food=happiness :)

Texas Tech Cuties

Oktoberfest and Fountain Square