The Thomas Family

Friday, March 4, 2011

Hodges is 4 months old!

Wow...what a whirlwind the past 4 months has been. Hodges started out as a pretty fussy little guy and has grown into a pretty laid back and happy baby. I have to say, I'm so happy about this because I was worried about how I would ever make it with a fussy baby and a crazy toddler! We are all doing jsut fine now and everything and everyone seems to be falling into a routine.

A couple of weeks ago, Hodges was Baptized...what a special day it was. My brother, Damian, and sister, Emily, are his godparents and we are so honored that they would take on this role for our sweet boy.

Kate is still pretty smitten with her baby brother. She always asks to hold him, feed him, play with him...etc. She says he's getting bigger everyday so that he can have tea and play with her soon. Precious!

Kate was sick this entire week and Hodges has a little bit of it too. Here she is being overall pitiful on the sofa. Bless her heart. She woke up today, Friday, as good as new and back to all of her old shenanigans! I'm running on little sleep due to her need to pee pee in the middle of the night (oh yeah, Kate is fully potty trained...we're so proud of her!!) and Hodges' congestion so say a prayer for me that this rambunctious little girl doesn't do me in....thank heavens it's almost the weekend and we will have Brad home. I plan on an afternoon of shopping (by myself). We all need some new Spring duds. With Kate, shopping was so easy because there are sooooo many options...I find this to not be true with Hodges. I need a good day of cute clothes hunting for that snuggly boy!!

And here are a few pics of Hodges from the past few days. His 4 month check up is Monday so stay tuned for the stats. He weighed 16.6 pounds at the doc this week and is wearing 6-9mo clothes so we know he is getting plenty to eat...ha!

I think it's safe to say he's pretty smitten with her as well. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to call this life mine!

happy weekend everyone!!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

6 Weeks Old

Yesterday marked Hodges' 6 week birthday! He is getting so big! He had to go to the doctor this week for a little check up on his congestion (which is still there but nothing serious) and weighed 11 lbs 6 oz. Whoa..what a beefcake!

Here he is playing under his gym. He seems to love it just as much as his sister did. She laid under it all the time! The other day, I introduced him to tummy time and the little bugger rolled over...from tummy to back. It's a little early for that but knowing how persistant this one is, it doesn't surprise me.

And here he is having some time with his Daddy. Doesn't he look different in every single picture. That's one of my favorite things about babies...they seem to change from minute to minute.

Here is Mr. Christmas. When Kate woke up that morning, she took one look at him and said, "Oh wow, Mom! He looks like Christmas!!" She's so funny! She also told me that I looked like a jingle bell the other day after I changed into a red sweater...ha! I hope it was the red sweater she was referring to and not this awesome figure I have going on right now...bleh!

Little Brother...

Oh, how she loves him...

She loves him so much that she even shares her princesses with him. She requests that he visit her room often, and lay on her bed. She just gets the biggest kick out of him being in HER territory! On this day, she piled the princesses on him because he "asked" to play with them. Then he kicked a little and they unpiled...she thought that was the best!!

And here we are trying to get a smile out of Hodges. Let me tell ya, he's a hard shell to crack! He only hands out smiles when he wants to and that's not a lot.

We are sooo ready for Christmas around here! Kate understands that we celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas but is a little more interested in the Santa concept at this stage. We made a list together and she always talks about how "nice" she's been and not "naughty" and that Santa will bring her lots of new toys! Hope you all are in the Christmas Spirit and enjoying it!!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

This and That

Well, Hodges is now 5 1/2 weeks old and working hard to figure out life outside the belly. He is a little on the fussy side during the days but sleeps well at night (usually 3 to 5 hour stretches). The poor little guy has a stuffy nose that Kate brought home from school so he snorts and coughs a lot right now...bless hims heart. He started smiling a little bit yesterday and is rolling over from his tummy to his back when we do tummy time...that's how much he just really doesn't like it..ha! I'm excited to see what the coming weeks bring...his personality is starting to develp a little more each week and I love it. While I don't want to rush things, I really am looking forward to him being closer to 3-4 months...I'm not much of a newborn person..ha!

And speaking of sweet...Kate is just about as sweet as she can be these days. We have good days and bad days still (as far as behavior goes) but she is 2, ya know! Mostly, she is very helpful, VERY loving, and very funny. She says some of the craziest things and I need to start writing some things down so I don't forget. This morning, she handed out papers to Brad and me and told us she was the teacher and that we were going to learn about puppies. She told us that puppies are brown and sometimes white and that they eat brown food. It was so fun to watch her mimick what her teachers do at school. She is also VERY into princesses right now and we are about to go into princess land after Christmas, I'm sure. Every time we go to the store we go "looking" at all of the toys and she tells us what she would like to have...ha! Her exact words are "I probably will want this". Also, she loves Hodges so very much and is the best big sister!!

Here is a sneak peak of our Christmas card pic...

Kate and Santa. She was a little bit freaked out that she had to sit on his lap. She walked up there and stood in front of him and began telling him about her list...and then he picked her up. The look she gave me was priceless. She did really well though but was much more comfortable when he let her go!

Brad put up lights on the house and tree this year for Kate...she loves them and asks often to go outside and see the lights.

This is Hodges' first "real" bath a few weeks ago when his awful belly button attachement finally fell off. I just really can't imagine how traumatic it is being born...especially for little boys. They have "stuff" going on everywhere! I probably minded more than he did though.

And here we are the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Kate is showing off her turkey hat she made at school and Hodges was taking a nap...he was almost 3 weeks old here. I am going to do my best to get some updated pictures soon. It's A LOT different with the second one. I don't have nearly the amount of time I had with Kate....and I thought it was soooo hard when she was a newborn. Life is just a little different with two but great nonetheless!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

William Hodges...11/4/10

The story of the day he was born is below but the pictures got way out of order...oh well.

Sherry and Addy Jane...this little one is 9 months old and walking everywhere!!! She is soooo precious!

Our little gnome on his way home. The outfit looked so cute when I ordered it and while I do think he looks precious, I think I might hear about this one from him 20 years from now. He looks a little funny...ha!

Daddy and his first baby.

Kate and me.

The twins the day we came home.

Fairy Kate and Princess Vivi playing dress-up the day we came home from the hospital.

Abby, Sam and Baby H

Kisses for Hodges

I love this picture. Kate cracks up at every little noise he makes.

Mary Catherine, Kate and Caroline seeing Baby Hodges. Look at Kate's sweet smile. I really do think she genuinely loves him to pieces. I can't lie...I was a bit worried about it...ha!

Grandpa Bill watching Hodges get cleaned up a bit.

Papa and Sissy with Hodges. Fran's maiden name is Hodges, so that's where his name came from. William is my dad's name.

Mommy and Hodges...

See...it looked like he was a redhead when he came out. My anesthesiologist had red hair and was so excited that Hodges might have read hair...ha! Turns out, it's black. So strange...

His story:

A little history: I was almost 2 weeks overdue with Kate when I was induced and, even then, she STILL didn't want to come! So....I was surprised when I began having contractions the week before Halloween. I never even had a tinge of a contraction with Kate until after hours of Pitocin and the doctor breaking my water...ha!

Anyway, I started having Braxton Hicks (painless and usually irregular) contractions the week before Halloween. I didn't think much of them because every pregnancy is different and I thought lots of people had BH contractions toward the end of pregnancy. Well, at my 36 week appointment, I had a contraction right in the middle of the doctor listening to Hodges' heartbeat. Oops. So, she put me on "modified bedrest" and ordered me to take it easy for the next couple of weeks...and I did. Which, let me tell you, was REALLY hard with a two year old and a strong desire to "nest"! Brad picked up most of the slack but we all know it's hard to hand over the reigns when you want things a certain way. We all survived though...and the contractions all but stopped except for several each evening which is pretty normal after a long day.

Fast-forward to November 3rd. Brad and I did some picking up around the house because the sweet ladies who help us clean were coming in the morning. I suppose I overdid it and I began having pretty steady contractions around 8 minutes apart and then they picked up to about 5-6 minutes apart around 3am. I got up and went into the den to watch some TV thinking they would go away. Well, they stayed at around 5-6 minutes. Still, in denial, I proceeded to get myself and Kate ready for the day (accidentally forgetting makeup...boo because I look s.c.a.r.y. in all of the pictures of Hodges' big day) and off we went to IHOP for a special "Mommy and Kate pancake breakfast" (we had to be out of the house early for the cleaners to work before Kate went to school at 9). We had a great breakfast of pancakes and eggs which I ate because, again, I was in denial that I was having contractions. I know...what was I thinking?!? Everybody in labor and delivery, that morning, was talking about how to handle the fact that I had eaten a pancake breakfast with the anesthesia and all during the c-section.

It was just that we had PLANNED for him to come on Monday, November 8th...it had been scheduled for months! We had company coming in for my cousin's wedding and staying through MONDAY to meet Hodges...when he was scheduled to come...ha!

After I dropped Kate off at Mother's Day Out that morning, I hesitantly called my mom and told her that I was having some painless contractions about 5 minutes apart or so and she said, "Sarah! That's what I had the day your sister was born! Call your doctor!" So, I did. And they said to go to Labor and Delivery immediately for monitoring. Since I was in denial, I pulled over and texted my sweet husband (so as not to alarm him..hee hee) and he called me right back and told me he was leaving his office and would be right behind me at the hospital. Then, I chatted with Lucy on my way to the hospital...she was sure I would have Hodges that day and was cracking up that I was driving myself to the hospital. What can I say...in denial. When Brad and I both arrived at the hospital, I told him that I hated to waste the nurses' time and his time and that I was sure they would probably just send me home. Wrong. As soon as we got to the check in window on Level 5 (L & D), they told me that I was being admitted and that I would have my baby at noon. Of course, I start crying because I was not planning this and was so worried about Kate. Brad calmed me down and I was able to get in touch with my friend, Mary Catherine (a big thank you to her), to make arrangements for Kate to be picked up from school (none of our family was in town yet) and I felt so much better knowing that Kate would be in great hands and well taken care of until family arrived. Brad's parents left work, quickly packed and hopped in the car as fast as they could and headed our way. And my parents were due at the airport around 5:30pm. When I knew that everything was going to be okay (especially Kate), I relaxed and began to get excited about getting to meet Hodges.

Everything went perfectly during the csection and out he came at 12:12pm, weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches. He was perfect and I swear, a red-head, but it's black now. Weird.

Big sister meeting Hodges after Mother's Day Out. I have since talked to her teachers and they told me that Kate was "off" the whole day and talked about Mommy going to the hospital soon to have Baby Brother. I guess she just knew that he was coming that day. Wish she would have told me...ha!

Just minutes after he was born.

So, that's his story! We have had lots of visitors and Hodges got to meet ALL of his aunts and uncles and cousins on my side, his Papa and Sissy, his Granpa Bill and Grandma DeDe, Mary Catherine and Caroline and of course our great friends, The Shepards. Thanks to everyone who has visited and sent gifts and well wishes. We appreciate them all!!!

Sweet Hodges....1 Week Old

Well, our sweet little boy has been here for a week now. He really is such a sweet baby...I can see it in his eyes. He definitely has his Daddy's gentle personality...and a little of my impatience, especially when it comes to wanting to eat. He goes from zero to starving in no time at all. Kate is a really great big sister and really seems to delight in anything to do with Baby Brover (what she calls him). She likes to hold him, help feed him and comfort him when he's crying ("don't worry, baby brover!"). The girl melts my heart. As far as her adusting to our family addition, she seems to cry a lot more when she doesn't get what she wants and is more overall weepy about things and that makes me very sad but I know she will adjust and it will one day be as if he has always been with us. Overall, I would say she is a giant trooper and makes me even more proud of her.

My mom has been here since the big event and has been a Godsend. She has kept Kate busy and has just helped here and there with whatever needs to be done. When she leaves, Brad's mom will join us and be tons of help as well. We do appreciate the help so very much!!

I'm going to try and make a post about his birthday later on. He ended up coming 4 days before he was scheduled (repeat csection) which really threw me for a loop! I was, however, so glad to finally get to meet him! Hope you all are having a great day! Off to pick up big sis from MDO!