Calum: 9 Months

My baby boy. You are growing UP! I can't believe how big you are getting. Your first birthday is quickly creeping up on us!

This picture is seriously the best I could get. You do not sit still for a second. Especially when I try to take your picture! HA!

You wear size 12 month clothes and a size 3 diaper. You go to bed at 7:00 pm and wake around 7:30 am. You take two naps a day. One at 9:00 am and another at 1:00 pm. On the dot. Everyday. Each lasts about 1.5 hours. You thrive on a schedule!

You are not a fan of table food but I am slowly learning what you like and don't like. There's not much you like. You'd rather nurse!

You are into EVERYTHING! You recently started opening cabinets and unrolling the toilet paper roll.

You put everything into your mouth! I'm constantly searching the floor for food droppings from a certain 3 year old. :)

You have 4 TEETH now!

You recently have become fascinated with your daddy's ear and you will pull it and growl. It is so funny and we have no idea why you do it!

The only word you really say is "buh buh".

You can climb the stairs now!

My boy, you are an angel and we love you SO much!! You melt my heart!

Calum: 8 Months

My sweet boy, I am so behind on this blog post!

At 8 months, you weigh 17 pounds and 6 ounces. You haven't gained any weight this month because you are ACTIVE! You are crawling SO good now and starting to climb up on things.

You wear a size 3 diaper and 12-18 month clothes.

Your daily Schedule:
7:00/7:30- Wake and nurse
8:00- Breakfast (usually yogurt and bananas)
9:30-Nap
11:00- wake, nurse and eat lunch (veggie and fruit)
1:30-Nap
3:00-wake
4:00-Sometimes you nap again if you're really tired
5:00-wake, nurse and dinner (veggie and fruit)
7:30-Nurse and Bedtime

This is what most of my pictures looked like. You don't stay still for a second!

Calum, you are the SWEETEST boy!! You are very easy-going and go-with-the-flow. You hardly ever get upset.

You LOVE bath time. You're at an age now where you can play with Ava and it's so fun to watch the both of you.

You're a picky eater and I am not used to it. Ava ate anything so it's been a challenge trying to learn what you like and don't like.You love almost all fruit and sweet potatoes. You hate peas. You will eat mostly all other veggies if they are heated up. You hate baby cereal. We tried avocado and refried beans the other day and you gagged until you threw up. Crazy boy!

You put everything in you're mouth! Another thing i'm not used to. Ava never did that so now, I am constantly making sure there is nothing on the floor that could be a choking hazard.

You love to play tackle on our bed just like Ava did when she was little.

A sweet little comparison... 

Ava Drew is 3 years old!

My sweet Ava Drew, you are 3 years old! I can't believe it! You are the sweetest, sassiest, girlie girl ever!

You weigh 24 pounds and you are 34 inches tall. You wear a size 7 shoe and wear 2T clothing mainly for the length. Jeans are too big for you in the waist so you mainly wear leggings and dresses.

You still need your nap during the day. You will usually nap for about 2 hours every afternoon.

Your favorite song right now is Jesus loves me (with the hand motions) and you are phasing out of watching Peppa Pig. You used to be obsessed with it.

You LOVE barbies and you HAVE to have lipstick on at all times.

You are not a picky eater and will pretty much eat anything. You still don't like mashed potatoes or any potatoes really. You never have.

Some of my favorite things that you say... "Momma, come here, wet me show you sumfin", "We'll see", "Maybe", "Don't kiss me, you'll mess up my wipstick", "I'm a BIG girl", "I'm 3 months old", "Momma, watch dis, I'm a cheerweader".

You're my favorite girl in the whole world ever, Ava Drew!

Calum: 7 Months Old

Cal, you are 7 months old!! 

You weigh 17 pounds 6 ounces and 24 inches tall (I believe). You wear a size 3 diaper and 12 month 

clothes. You wear a size 2 shoe. Your hair is finally starting to grow back! 

You nurse every 3-4 hours and also eat a veggie and fruit during supper time. You take roughly 3 naps a day. You go to bed around 8:00 pm and sleep until 7:30/8:00 am. 

You just started crawling a few days ago! You can scoot pretty well. You are almost sitting up by yourself. You are still a little unstable. 

You cut your two bottom teeth on October 6th (6 1/2 mo.)! 

You slept in your room for the first time on Sept. 27th. (6 1/2 mo.)

You don't like to be held very often anymore. You'd much prefer to be on the floor playing with your toys.

You are the SWEETEST baby in the world! You never get fussy unless you are tired. 

We love you so much Calum Brooks!! 

Calum: 6 Months

Happy Half Birthday, Bubba!!! You are 6 months old!!

At 6 months, you are wearing a size 3 diaper and I have no clue how much you weigh but I imagine it's around 17-18 pounds. You are wearing 9-12 month clothing. 

You are more interested in being on the floor playing with your toys than being held these days. You want to put everything in your mouth. 

You are the BEST baby! You are so easy-going. We can take you anywhere. You fall asleep almost instantly in church during the music and usually wake up as soon as the preacher starts to talk. 

We tried starting you on a little baby cereal but you did not like it one bit so we gave it a rest. You love baby food though! You have tried peas, green beans, carrots, squash, and bananas. You aren't a huge fan of the squash but you LOVE bananas. 

You love the exersaucer! You are smitten with your sister! Your face lights up when she enters the room. You have found your voice! You grunt and roar when you try to "talk". It is SO cute! You are all boy!!! 

Calum: 5 Months Old

Cal Brooks, you are 5 months old!!! Almost half way to a year and I just can't take it, sweet boy! You are growing too fast!

I'm guessing you weigh around 16 or 17 pounds. You wear size 9 month clothes and size 3 diaper.

You are still nursing exclusively. We tried rice cereal about a week ago but you do NOT like it. You don't spit up near as much anymore.

You take about 3 naps a day each around 1 1/2 hours long and you usually go to bed around 9:30 and sleep for 12 hours.

Your a pretty serious but happy baby. 

Your hair has really started to grow.

You love to suck on your toes and you put everything in your mouth that is in reach.

You can role over both ways and you scoot around very well.

Your jumparoo is probably your favorite place to be, besides your momma's arms, of course.

I moved you from your cradle to the pack-n-play in my room and you sleep SO much better now. I guess its because you have more room.

Ava Drew Update!

Its time for another update with Ava Drewski. That little spitfire. She is a HOOT! We love her to death! We (or maybe I should say "I" since Bryce is away at training for 5 months) were challenged for a couple months with Ava's strong will. And I mean STRONG! I have never met a little 2 year old with a will as strong as that girls!! I pushed through with lots of discipline and prayer and was very consistent and it has paid off. I read an article my mother-in-law sent me about how to raise a strong willed child and it has helped tremendously. It gave lots of tips that were SO helpful. 

Ava has never been a snuggler but lately she will come sit up next to me and let me rub her feet or back. She will randomly come up to me or one of my sisters or mom and just say "I love you ___". It melts my heart. Her favorite snack is cookie dough (homemade of course) or fruit snacks (don't judge me ;) ) which can be found any day of the week at my parent's house.  

Her vocabulary is amazing. She can say about anything she wants to. 

Lately she has been wanting to tell-time so we will start learning that soon. Hey, it's never too early to learn. If she shows interest, I will teach her. One thing I have learned is to never underestimate toddlers learning abilities. 

Ava just learned the New and Old Testament song so she sings it ALL. DAY. LONG! Some of her other favorite songs are Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABC's  and Jesus Loves the Little Children. 

She eats eggs with sausage every morning for breakfast. Her favorite color is blue and she LOVES Peppa Pig. 

Shes just discovered Barbies!! Eek!! 

Ava Drew is in LOVE with her daddy and she was in heaven when he was home a few weekends ago. She also LOVES Calum and always goes up to him and says, "Hey Buddy, did you have sweet dreams?". Sweetness. 

Oh, Selfies? She is the queen of them! :) 

 This is her facial expression for EVERY picture!!!

I am in LOVE with this sweet princess!!! She's the best ever!! 

Calum: 4 Months Old

My favorite little guy, you are 4 months old!! Your personality has really started to shine through and I love it. You are such a sweet and happy baby. You only get fussy when you are tired or hungry or just want to be held. You are a cuddle bug and I can't get enough snuggles from you.

You weigh 15 lb 8 oz (49 percentile) and your height is 25.5 inches (57 percentile) and your head circumference is 41 cm (12 percentile).

You are wearing 6 and 9 month clothing.

You wear a size 3 diaper!!!!

You're a chunky little guy and I love it! Your hair is finally starting to grow back.

Your schedule isn't very predictable but we try to stick with the Baby Wise method. You go down around 8:00 pm and will usually wake up around 10:00 pm and it will take me about an hour to get you back to sleep. You wake up around 7:00 am to nurse and will usually go back down until 9:30 am.

You have a little tooth that will probably pop out soon.

You hate the car seat!!

You still nurse every 3 hours. You spit up A LOT!

You love bath time. Kisses from your sissy are your favorite! You HATE your neck to be touched. You are your fathers son!! ;)

You have found your feet and we can always find you holding onto them. You are standing up great and love to be facing out when I am holding you.

Calum: 3 Months

Calum Brooks, you are 3 months old!

You weigh 13 lb 14 oz (54 percentile) and 25.3 inches tall (84 percentile). Your head circumference is 40cm (17 percentile).

You wear size 3-6 and 6 month clothing and a size 1 diaper (getting snug though).

You nurse every 2-3 hours (you're a BIG eater) and you only get up once (anywhere around 4am-6am) in the night which means you sleep 6-7 hour stretches at night.

Lately, its been difficult for you to get yourself to sleep so I have to bounce you and walk to get you relaxed and to sleep.

You are the cutest little thing and you LOVE to "talk" (coo) and it is so sweet. You are the happiest baby!!

You have found your hands and you are totally mesmerized by them!

You are so close to rolling over and you try so hard. I bet it won't be too long!

You love your big sister and you are a trooper when she gives you lots of kisses and covers your face with her hair.

Calum: 2 Months

Calum, you are 2 months old! We have loved these past two months with you in our lives. You are the SWEETEST baby.

You weigh 11 pounds and 1 oz. (a whole pound heavier than Ava was at 2 months)

Wearing 0-3 and 3 month clothes . You've already outgrown most of your newborn clothes. :( 

You are wearing size 1 diapers. 

You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day and stretch it to around 4 hours at night. 

You are a great travelor! 

You LOVE your play mat and kick and coo every time I lay you on it. 

You love your baths and your paci. 

You have found your hands and you are mesmerized by them! 

You are very ticklish!! 

Most of your hair has fallen out and it makes me so sad!! 

You love to be held and cuddled. You don't like for me to put you down very often which I love but makes it a little difficult to get things done. I'm soaking it all in though. 

Calum Brooks, we love you SO much!!! You are the perfect addition to our family and we couldn't be more happier!

Ava: Update!

I've been meaning to do an update on Ava for awhile now. Ava is quite the character. Because I want to look back on this one day, I have to state that Ava is the most strong willed child I have ever met!!! Honestly. I love her to death but she is giving me a run for my money lately.

Ava Drew weighs 23 pounds. Her hair has really started growing. She wears a size 5-6 shoe and wears size 18 month clothes. She loves having her nails painted and hates having her hair brushed/messed with. She isn't a fan of wearing bows now but I still force her to wear them. Ha!

You can bet 90% of the time she is running around the house with just panties on or her "frog" pajamas (as seen below).

Speaking of panties, Ava is 100% potty trained!!! Woo hoo!! She woke up one morning and decided that she wanted to pee in the potty and hasn't looked back! Somehow, she has learned to get up in the night to go to the potty instead of in her pull-up. I am so thankful!!

The only way I can get her to do something is to tell her not to do it. ;)

When we leave to go somewhere, we have to take her clothes with us and change her once we get to our destination. Like, if she is home in just a t-shirt, she will wear that t-shirt in the car until we get to where we are going. She refuses to get dressed at home.

She is VERY opinionated and doesn't like to be told what to do.

She LOVES to be outside and one of her favorite things to do is to go "Shoppin' at Target". ;)

Some of my favorite things that she says is "hella cocker" (helicopter), "jamas" (pajamas), boobies (blueberries), "smacks" (snacks), "Twankle" (twinkle). A really bad habit that she has is putting a "t" sound at the end of words like "phone t" or "moont". I have no idea where she developed that habit but we are trying to break it! Ava has really progressed in her vocabulary. She can pretty much say anything she wants to and can hold a good conversation.

Ava likes to be "rocked" (me holding her) and sang to every night before bed. We sing 4 songs, in this order... "I love you" (barney song), "Jesus Loves Me", "ABC's" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

As difficult as she can be, I am completely in love with this little girl. She is the light of my life and brings a smile to my face everyday. She says some of the funniest things and can make a bad day turn good.

This picture describes Ava's personality perfectly! 

Catch up

Wow! I am WAY behind on an update. Life has been pretty crazy the past couple of months. So, here is a little update on where our little family is at right now.

Bryce got orders to go to training for a new job in Georgia and he was ordered to arrive on April 27th. About 3 weeks before this, we decided to pack up our house and put everything we own in storage and me and the kids would stay at my parents house in Texas for the summer. So, we got busy packing! With our cars loaded down, we left Cheyenne on April 17th and stayed with Bryce's parents for a few days. We spent Easter there and finally got to relax after the busy 3 weeks we just had.

Then, we drove to Sherman and Bryce stayed for a few days and then drove on to Georgia for his 4 1/2 month training. While Bryce was in Sherman, we got to go see a movie while my parents watched the kids. It was so nice!! We also went down to Denton to see my BIL's presentation of a project he had been working on his whole college career. It was so fun to spend time with my family that weekend.

Now, Bryce is in Georgia learning how to be a special agent and me and the kids are spending our days at my parents house in Sherman and we are loving the warm weather. We went shopping in Canton this past weekend and this coming weekend, we will be going to Tyler for my sisters graduation from SFA.

Calum: 1 Month

I am a bit late on this post but its better late than never, right?

Calum's weight is uncertain but its probably around 8-9 pounds. He nurses every 2-3 hours and sleeps all. the. time. I forget how much newborns sleep! He wakes up by himself for every feeding unlike Ava was when she was a newborn. I had to wake Ava up for almost every feeding. Calum wears newborn diapers and newborn clothes.

Calum sleeps in a cradle next to our bed. He is such an easy baby. He is always so content and only cries when he is hungry or tired. He has insanely strong head control. He loves his baths and he is a big fan of his paci.

Pictures from Calum's first month...

Calum Brooks Stringer

Photo Credit: Julie Livermore Photography

Calum Brooks Stringer

Born: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 5:09am

7 Ib 7 oz

20 inches 

Birth Story: On Monday, March 10th, my mom and sister decided to go ahead and come up to visit in hopes I would have the baby within a few days. I was SO excited to have them in town. They arrived late on Monday night. On Tuesday, we all went to my 38 week doctors appointment. I found out I was dilated to 4cm and 60% effaced. After my appointment, we went to Walmart and Target to walk this baby out. I was having mild contractions all day but nothing consistent and I was super uncomfortable. 

I woke up Wednesday morning at 3am having horrible contractions so what did I do? Made sure everything was packed and ready to go and while I was putting a little makeup on, my mom walks in and tells me to GO TO THE HOSPITAL! ha! Her babies came fast so she was worried I would have a fast delivery, too. My mom and sister stayed behind at the house until Ava woke up while Bryce took me to the hospital. My mom ended up coming to the hospital shortly after we arrived. 

I got into my lovely hospital gown and they got me all hooked up to the monitors. Then, it was time for them to put in the IV... I was stuck 8 times by 5 different nurses before they were finally able to get it in. It took almost an hour. That was by far the worst experience EVER with needles! By the time they got the IV in, I was ready to push. The doctor came in to check me and I was complete. I pushed 3 times and the baby was born! It all happened SO fast!!!! I was in shock but totally grateful for a healthy and fast/drug free delivery. Next time, I might opt for a home delivery though.  

Calum (pronounced with a short vowel "a" like Calvin) came out with a head full of dark hair. He is the sweetest baby and loves to snuggle. Right after he was born, my sister brought Ava up to the hospital to see the baby. It was really early in the morning so Ava didn't show much emotion but I think she was excited to see Calum. My mother-in-law arrived at around 5pm. We stayed in the hospital 24 hours so we went home on the 13th around noon. 

36 Weeks

Wow! I can not believe that I am almost full term! This pregnancy has FLOWN by!!

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How far along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: Honeydew Melon. About 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long. 

Total weight gain: 21 pounds 

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Sleep: Some nights are good. Some aren't. Last night was good. I only got up once. 

What I miss: Being able to move easily.

Cravings: Ice water!

Symptoms: Heartburn, nerve pain!!!, exhaustion, restless leg syndrome. 

Best moment this week: Getting (almost) everything ready for baby's arrival. 

What I am most looking forward to: Holding my baby boy!!! 

At my doctors appointment a few days ago, I found out I am dilated to 3cm and 50-60% effaced (WHOA). So, this baby could make his arrival any day now. Of course I want this baby to stay in for as long as he needs to be healthy but man, I am ready to not be pregnant again. I usually have several contractions a day but nothing consistent or anything to worry about. I go for another appointment next week and I will be getting an ultrasound to make sure the baby is still growing okay because I haven't gained any weight in the past few weeks. This baby is VERY active and I feel like he is a big baby so I am not concerned. 

Gestational Diabetes update: Since tracking my progress, my blood sugar levels keep getting lower and lower. I ate pasta, bread, and dessert the other day and my BS was 72! I am so thankful!

34 Weeks!

34 Weeks? How can it be?

This week was an eventful one as far as my pregnancy goes. We had a couple of scared moments where we thought I was going into labor. One evening at dinner, after shopping all day, I started having consistent contractions every 6 minutes. They eventually went away after a few hours. A couple of days later, I woke up from a nap with contractions every 2-3 minutes and they lasted for about 3-4 hours. I didn't call my doctor and didn't go into the hospital because they weren't painful and I had a feeling they would just go away...and they did. Thank the Lord.

The next morning, I woke up thinking I was leaking amniotic fluid. Sorry if that's TMI. I called my doctor and they had me come in a couple hours later. Turns out, I wasn't leaking fluid but I did have an infection that causes pre-term labor which explains the contractions. So, I am on antibiotics for that and hopefully I will have this baby boy inside me for a few more weeks!

Bryce has a feeling the baby will come within the next two weeks and he is usually right about that sort of thing so we shall see. I'm hoping to make it to full term but with my gestational diabetes, it may not happen.

Speaking of the gestational diabetes, that hasn't been fun. I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day but I have been able to keep my levels low. The only thing that raises my blood sugar is fruit so I try to stay away from that.

Anyways, here is a pregnancy update...

How far along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: A Cantaloupe- about 4 3/4 pounds and 18 inches long.

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: For the most part. All my pants are maternity but I still wear some of my long shirts.

Sleep: I have had bad restless leg syndrome so that interferes with me getting to sleep but once I get to sleep, I sleep pretty good.

What I miss: Bending over and not having as much energy.

Cravings: Ice water

Symptoms: Heartburn, restless leg syndrome, Braxton Hicks contractions,

Best moment this week: Getting some of the babies clothes washed and finally ordering a carseat!!

What I am most looking forward to: Meeting our baby boy and seeing Ava interact with him.

31 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 31 Weeks!! 

Size of baby: Pineapple

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes! 

Gender: Boy!! 

Movement: All the time! I feel like he moves more than Ava did. 

Sleep: Good for the most part. Some nights I get bad restless legs but once I fall asleep, I am out for the night! 

What I miss: Being able to get around like I used to and not feeling as energetic. 

Cravings: ICE! I am borderline anemic. Its not bad enough to take supplements but its enough to where I crave ice! 

Symptoms: Heartburn, lower back pain if I am on my feet all day, Braxton Hicks contractions, and gestational diabetes (more on that below).

Best moment this week: Getting a few more baby clothes that I need. Its been a rough week. 

What I am most looking forward to: Getting all the baby stuff that we still need and getting it set up and my baby shower next weekend! 

After finding out that I (barely) failed my first glucose test, I had to go again for the 3 hour test. Thankfully, Bryce had Monday off for MLK holiday so I was able to go by myself. I fasted for 12 hours and went in at around 8:30am on Monday morning. I had to drink this horrible drink that tasted like straight up syrup. I had nothing in my stomach and then had to drink that horrible drink so it made me very light headed and nauseous. I was able to stay in the room with my Route 44 Sonic water and a recliner with a tv for the whole 3 hours. So, it wasn't that bad. The nurse came in every hour to draw my blood. Once it was all over, they said they would call me the next morning for the results and I went home to EAT! This girl was hungry! 

The next morning, I found out I had failed the test. My score was 170 and its supposed to be below 140. Ah! I am scheduled to see a diabetes specialist on Friday and a nutritionist on Tuesday. I am praying they don't make me check my blood sugar 4 times a day. If you know me, you know I do NOT like any kind of needle. Even talking about it makes me want to pass out. I am just hoping and praying this process isn't as bad as I am expecting and it goes away soon after the baby is born. 

29 Weeks- Baby #2

Whoa, so much for trying to do weekly pregnancy updates. At this rate, I will have monthly updates! Sorry, baby #2! Hopefully I will have a picture to post soon.

Ava and I went home for the holidays and we were in Texas for over a month. It was awesome spending the holidays with family but it is great to be back in my own home. I went for a check up a couple of days ago and baby boy is growing right on track and is healthy as can be..praise the Lord!! I am so grateful.

Weight gain: I have gained 20 pounds so far (AH!!) but feeling good. I only gained 10 pounds at 29 weeks with Ava. I eat non-stop because I am always hungry!! Baby brother likes to EAT!! Heartbeat is 158.

Maternity Clothes: My new maternity jeans from H&M are my new best friend. I just love that store! Can I get an amen?! I usually wear maternity clothes but there are a few tops that I can still squeeze into.

The baby moves all the time and I feel like his rolls and kicks are so much stronger than they were with Ava. Maybe I just forgot how it felt but I am loving every minute of it. I love being pregnant but I can not WAIT to hold this sweet boy in my arms!

Cravings: ICE!!! I go for my glucose test tomorrow so they will also test for anemia. I craved ice with Ava but it wasn't bad enough to take iron supplements.

Symptoms: Acid Reflex like nobody's business! Tums are my best friend right now. And I feel like I have completely run out of room. How can I possibly grow any larger?

What am I looking forward to? Holding this baby in my arms! I miss having a newborn! I wish I was looking forward to setting a room up but we might be moving before the baby is born so everything is on hold until we know for sure what our plans are.