McCarthy Family

Chase's 5th Birthday & Kate's 3 Mos Pics

2011-08-04T17:52:00.005-04:00

Beach Vacation

2011-07-18T13:01:00.004-04:00

Happy 2 Months, Kate Elizabeth!

2011-07-03T14:17:00.002-04:00

More Pics

2011-06-29T15:25:00.003-04:00

We all love our Kate!

2011-06-12T21:29:00.002-04:00

Happy 1 Month, Kate Elizabeth!

2011-06-03T18:08:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's already been a month since we welcomed our baby girl into this world. She has been an absolute joy, definitely the most laid back baby I've had yet. She doesn't make much noise and handles her wild and crazy brother better than I would have expected. Love her sooooo much!

Good Saturday Morning to You!

2011-05-28T11:14:00.002-04:00

Recent Pics

2011-05-14T11:10:00.001-04:00

Kate's 1 Week Lamb Pic

2011-05-10T11:24:00.005-04:00

As of 3:47 tonight, our little Kate girl will be 1 week old. She has been such an amazing baby and has certainly won the most popular award in our house. Chase and Ethan can't get enough of her, and neither can mommy and daddy. So far she has been a great sleeper and rarely fusses.

Unfortunately Ethan got some sort of viral infection with a high fever and we've had to keep him and Kate separate. Luckily we've had great family support to help us with that and Ethan has been fever free for almost 24 hours and we will all be home together under one roof soon!

Welcome Kate Elizabeth

2011-05-06T22:23:00.008-04:00

Kate Elizabeth McCarthy

May 3, 2011

7 lbs., 6 oz

19.25" long

(more pics & stories to come later)

Baby to be here soon!

2011-05-02T15:38:00.004-04:00

Baby McCarthy should arrive by dark tomorrow!!!

I had a doctor's appt today and this time I had Shane come with me so we could discuss all our options. With only two weeks of school left for Ethan, I was starting to get nervous about when the baby would make it's appearance and if we would have any time to settle in before summer.

Also, I have been extremely uncomfortable lately and sleeping is pretty much non-existent...all which makes for a very cranky mommy.

At my appointment today, the doctor said I had progressed a little more and was in great conditions to induce. I would have liked to give the baby a little more time to come on it's own, but my doctor would be unavailable from Thursday thru the weekend (darn Jazz Fest). So we opted to go ahead and schedule the induction for tomorrow. This also makes it easier to prepare for being away from home and to talk to Chase about what will be happening the next couple of days.

Very excited!!!!!

39 weeks & Kids go on Safari

2011-04-29T08:47:00.006-04:00

Today I made 39 weeks pregnant, only a week until my due date. Certainly didn't think I would make it this far.

Update with baby:
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon.

Yesterday the boys went to Global Wildlife for a safari tour and to feed the animals with our babysitter, Lauren. Chase did great feeding the animals right out of his hands, but I was told Ethan was a bit more reserved. Wednesday, MawMaw & Pops took them to the zoo. The first thing Chase did when he got home was tell me a list of all the animals he saw at the zoo and how much fun he had. I didn't make these trips with them, but am very thankful for having great help these last couple of weeks from everyone doing fun things with the boys. I think they've been spoiled, ha!

Brotherly Love

2011-04-28T10:22:00.004-04:00

Easter Morning

2011-04-24T11:48:00.005-04:00

Dying Easter Eggs

Easter Loot

Chase digging into his Easter Basket

Ethan loving on his Easter gifts

Easter Egg Hunt

Chase's 1st Race

2011-04-17T18:59:00.005-04:00

Last night Chase ran his very first race. He and Shane did a 1 mile fun run in Covington, it was so cute! Lining up for the race: A little pre-race strech:

Nearing the finish line:

All done, way to go Chase!!!

Shane and the boys post race:

The boys enjoying the race festivities

Boy or Girl????

2011-04-14T20:58:00.002-04:00

Getting ready for Baby Mc's arrival...enough of both pink & blue to last us the first week. Getting very curious if its a boy or girl.

Uh Oh!

2011-04-12T14:14:00.003-04:00

Well, it didn't take long, my first fender bender in our new tank. Not even two months old and I already hurt our car. While trying to pull into a parking spot at the hosptial before my nonstress test for the baby, I hit another parked car. Shane is being very supportive, but I'm pretty upset. I know it could have been worse, but my poor new car! Luckily the owner came to his car while I was there and he was extremely nice. It is his work car, so it didn't seem to bother him too much. Although the damage on my car looks worse than his, I managed to break his brake light, back bumper and side bumper so I'm sure it will be pricey to fix his car. Then with our car's damage on top of that, ughhh, looks like we will be claiming it on our insurance, sigh.

Besides this incident, we had a relatively good morning. Both boys slept until 6:30 and woke up in great moods. There was no whining or fighting this morning. And a big surprise...Ethan made me take off his diaper so he could sit on the little potty. He was just playing like he always does, but while he was doing this, Chase came into the bathroom and made peepee on the big potty and immediately Ethan made peepee in the little potty! I was so excited! Potty training may be coming soon!!!

At my doctor's appt, everything looked great. No more bleeding, still only 1 cm dilated and I am having fewer contractions now than I did the past several weeks. Doctor said I can come off bedrest, but I still have to take it easy and no strenous activities with the kids. I think I can handle Chase, but my little Ethan is a bit more difficult. Counting down the days until we meet our new little monkey!

Ice Cream Man

2011-04-11T13:33:00.008-04:00

Last night after dinner, just as we were about to throw the boys in the tub, we heard the Ice Cream Man making his way down our street. Shane immediately grabbed some money out his wallet and said, "Who wants some ice cream"? A nana-second later, two half naked boys were immediately running after him.

Five minutes and five dollars later, all the men happily had some ice cream in their hands but somehow the pregnant lady got none! Oh well, I guess I was too busy snapping pictures because they were so excited. And it doesn’t sound like I missed much. Two minutes later, Shane walked in the house saying, “The biggest rip off in America”! The ice cream was so melted that after just a few licks, Chase’s entire popsicle fell in the grass…something he reminded us about first thing this morning! Waiting for the ice cream man: Picking out what he wants

Waving bye to the ice cream man

YEAH!!!

36 weeks and Counting....

2011-04-08T09:26:00.002-04:00

Bike Videos

2011-03-26T20:10:00.006-04:00

Big Boy Chase

2011-03-25T17:14:00.005-04:00

Chase getting ready to go for a ride on his big boy bike...no training wheels! He's so excited! (I'm just realizing from this picture that I might have his helmet on backwards, oops!) He actually can go pretty far by himself, he just needs a little help getting started.

And Chase now officially makes poop on the big potty all by himself, he even did it at school today (you can imagine what his bottoms looked like when he got home since he doesn't quite know how to wipe yet, ha)!

So many accomplishments in one week, he's growing up so fast!
Today I made 34 weeks pregnant, only about a month to go! Here's what's happening with baby:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy.

More Birthday Pics Plus....

2011-03-23T14:27:00.006-04:00

Ethan really loved being sung to and blowing out the candle, so Chase & I ended up singing the Happy Birthday song quite a few times yesterday. It was a great day and both boys slept past 6:00am and were well behaved all day. I felt like I received a birthday present!

Breakfast candles in pancakes

Evening candle in cupcakes

It's not all wrestling and fighting, they DO love each other after all

Where's Ethan?

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ethan!

2011-03-22T09:28:00.001-04:00

Ethan's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-03-19T17:37:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrated Ethan's 2nd birthday with a small party at the park. It was the perfect day to have an outdoor party, the weather was beautiful. We kept it small (after all, how many friends does a two year old actually have) mainly because I knew I would be 33 weeks pregnant and not up for a big party. It turned out great and I can't believe our little man is two years old.

Happy Birthday Sweet Ethan

Back to Square One

2011-03-14T14:33:00.002-05:00

Well, although we were able to get Ethan to fall asleep in his new toddler bed pretty easily, getting him to stay there all night and into the morning was a different story. After a very difficult week of everyone in this house losing sleep (Ethan would even wake up poor Chase), we decided that this would not be the best route for when a newborn is added to the family.

After another horrible night/morning with Ethan on Saturday, we realized that Ethan's crib could lower one more level. We tried that last night and Ethan is no longer able to climb out his crib. He slept all night back in his crib in the nursery.

So today we purchased another crib for Ethan's new room. The baby will take over the nursery and Ethan will have a new crib in a new room. His crib converts into a toddler bed and then into a full size bed once we're ready, so hopefully it was a good purchase. My plan is to NEVER take Ethan out of the crib again, ha!

Here's a pic of Ethan's new crib:
This is the crib converted into a toddler bed:

This is the crib converted into a full sized bed:

This is the 6 drawer dresser that matches his crib so the furniture will be able to grow with him. Fingers crossed this works for a while, we all desparetely need our sleep over here!

Pics to go with the post below

2011-03-09T16:22:00.002-05:00

Ethan & Chase playing in Ethan's new bed in his new "big boy" room
Chase happily making poop on the little potty and Ethan taking notes

The boys playing in the rain yesterday afternoon after dinner. This picture was taken right before Ethan went down a little slide we have on the porch and brushburned his little tooshie

Ethan fell asleep during one his rides. Tell me, how can he sleep like this but refuses to take a nap in his bed?

SUCCESS

2011-03-09T08:35:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a HUGE day of accomplishments at the McCarthy household, and since it was Fat Tuesday, Shane was home to be a part of both.

Well at the ripe age of 4 1/2, Chase FINALLY made poop on the potty for the first time. Those of you who know us well are aware of what an ordeal this has been over the last couple of years. Well he finally did it! Given he will only do it on the little potty in front of the TV, but progress is progress! We made a big celebration out of it and Chase was so proud of himself that he told me he never wants diapers again and that he wants the garbage man to take all his diapers away. He also said he can't wait to teach Ethan on how make poop on the potty and that it's not scary after all. AMEN!

As for the other big moment, Ethan finally slept in his toddler bed last night all night long. We've been trying for the last 4 nights with very little success and on the 3rd night we couldn't even get him to sleep in his crib anymore. He would climb out and start banging on the door screaming & crying within 2 seconds of putting him to bed in his crib, something he's never even attempted before. I ended up having to lay on the hardwood floor in his room at 7 1/2 months pregnant to get him to fall asleep in his toddler bed. Then from 12:45 am till 2:30 am, he woke up every 15 minutes and would open his door and start wondering around the house. Finally at 2:30 he slept until 4:00 and woke up again and then went back to bed until 6:30. It was a very rough night for me with little sleep. So I was a bit nervous about how last night would go, but he slept in his new bed in his new room from 8 last night until 6 this morning without coming out his room even once. I did hear him whimper a few times over the monitor, but Ethan stayed put and we all got a good night's sleep. When he woke up this morning, he came into our room, grabbed our hands and pulled us into his room to show us where he slept all night. He was proud of himself and so are we!

Pictures to come soon!

Ultrasound and Dr Appointment

2011-03-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

Hello from Baby McCarthy! Today we had another ultrasound and doctor's appt. Everything with baby is measuring exactly to date and he/she currently weighs 3lbs. 8 oz. The heartrate was once again in the middle at 145. My next appt is in two weeks, starting to get close!

The first 3 pictures are a profile view of the baby. It was hard to see because once again he/she wasn't cooperating and kept covering it's face with it's hands. The last pic is the baby's feet. The ultrasound tech did confirm what I thought, the baby continues to elbow me with it's very bony elbow on my left side...what a stinker.

I have felt the most activity with this pregnancy, the baby is constantly moving and doing flips. Let's hope that's not a sign that I'm having another kiddo that refuses to sleep :-)

I had no weight gain at this appt so Shane took me to celebrate with poboys for lunch...YUM! I haven't had one since the beginning of January when Shane's family was in town.

30 Weeks & Mardi Gras

2011-02-26T20:32:00.008-05:00

Yesterday made 30 weeks, we're 75% of the way there and the "nesting" phase has begun. I all of the sudden feel a big rush to get everything ready in time for the baby. Many changes are needed in the house to make room for one more and I suddenly feel pressured to have it done right now!

This is my last progression picture from 5 weeks ago (25 weeks). When compared to today's progression pic at 30 weeks, you can see that once again, I had a big "pop" during the beginning of my 3rd trimester. With Ethan & Chase it happened between 26 & 28 weeks, but this time it happened during my 30th week. Baby currently weighs approximately 3 pounds and is the size of a head of cabbage.

25 Weeks:

30 weeks (today): As a comparison, here are my 30 week progression pictures with Chase (top) and Ethan (bottom). It looks like I carried high with Chase, low (and huge) with Ethan and in the middle with this one. Who knows what we're having this time....

Last night we took the boys to a Mardi Gras parade in Mandeville. Chase did a lot better than last year, but still was happiest from a distance. Once he caught a pair of beads for Ethan and a football for himself he was ready to go home.

Today we tried a much smaller parade, the Lawnmower Push parade in Abita Springs. This was Chase's kind of parade, he loved it. He would wave his hands and grab his loot and toss it in the wagon for keeps. I think both boys really enjoyed themselves this afternoon, but we'll probably stay away from the bigger parades at least for another year.

The New Family Car

2011-02-20T10:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Shane and I picked up our new family car, a 2011 Yukon XL. Not sure if we should call this a car or a bus, it's so big. But we LOVE it! I've already driven around town a couple of times, and believe it or not, it's easier to drive than my 4Runner...parking may be a different story.

On Friday Ethan stayed home with me because he had a stomach bug. Within 15 minutes of being home yesterday and taking the boys and Milo & Jackie for a test drive in the new car, Chase started throwing up. Luckily it didn't start in the car! Unfortunately, Chase had it pretty bad. He was sick every 30 minutes until 3:30 this morning and now mommy is extremely tired and cranky. He seems to be feeling better right now, so let's hope it's passing and Shane and I don't catch it.

29 Weeks

2011-02-18T15:16:00.001-05:00

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice).

Your baby's very active now and some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy. This happens when lying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might notice that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins," lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Farewell to the 4Runner

2011-02-18T15:09:00.003-05:00

Only a few more days left with my 4Runner...we're going to pick up our new car tomorrow. It's bittersweet. That was the first car I bought all by myself. I even took the poor salesman on a test drive to my parents' house, I think he was nervous. I've had the car for 8 1/2 years and so many memories were created in that car. I started dating Shane, got married, moved into our first home and brought home two babies from the hospital in that car! It's been a wonderful 122,000 miles with not a single problem. Farewell my friend :-)

Weekend with Sissy & Butsie

2011-02-18T14:56:00.003-05:00

Shane and I spent last weekend downtown while Sissy & Butsie stayed with the boys. We packed a lot into our short stay: a dinner at The Pelican Club, a visit to Harrahs, 6 hours at the Racetrack, a Hornets game, Shane ran a half marathon and then brunch at Mr. B's. It was a lot of fun, but exhausting, too!

Saturday night, while at the Hornets game, my sister called and said that Chase was standing on the bar stool and fell off and split his chin open. After lots of phone calls, we decided not to take him to get stitches and to use sterile strips and skin glue instead. His chin is starting to heal, but we still have to be very careful and make sure he doesn't hit it and split again.

Thanks Lindsey & Butsie for an awesome weekend away. When can we do it again :-)

Chase's Prayer

2011-02-10T19:15:00.003-05:00

What we've been up to...

2011-02-09T17:49:00.003-05:00

I had another doctor's appt today. Everything with the baby looked great. I'm almost 28 weeks along. I've gained a total of 20 lbs and my belly is measuring right on target (26.5). I go back in three weeks for my next check up and another ultrasound. Only about 12 weeks left until due date!

Things around here have been crazy as ever with Ethan in full swing of the "terrible twos". He has quite the temper and is extremely rough. He loves to climb everything and is talking up a storm. He is our little wild man with a strong personality. He may be trying but he is quite the comic...he's so goofy!

The boys sharing a pallet
Chase and his dinosaur party

Ethan has been quite the handful lately. He is always climbing everything and then calls for me when he get stuck.

3rd Trimester!

2011-02-04T15:40:00.003-05:00

Today makes 27 weeks, the beginning of our third and final trimester!

I've been experiencing a lot of lower back pain and last week it got really bad. Although I told my doctor I didn't think I was contracting, she sent me to labor and delivery just to get checked since I had preterm labor issues with Ethan. Everything checked out great with the baby: no contractions and no dilating.

However, the back pain continued to get worse, so I ended up going to a chiropractor yesterday. While examining me, he pinpointed the exact location of my pain in a matter of minutes. He said due to the extra weight of the baby, my spine had compressed and all my lower vertebrae shifted to the left (or something like that).

The chiropractor said it looked pretty bad. He put me on some heat and adjusted me then told me to ice, heat & stretch as much as possible and to soak in a warm bath. I did everything he told me and still went to bed in quite a bit of pain last night, but woke up this morning feeling a bit better with more mobility. I went back to him today and he adjusted me again and said that my back was already starting to look better. He thinks by the time I go back on Monday, I should be feeling pretty much back to normal. I guess I'll have to continue to see him throughout the rest of my pregnancy just to be sure it doesn't get that bad again.

I don't know why this pregnancy has been so much harder on me, but the chiropractor did mention to me about three different times that "Being pregnant at 32 is not the same as being pregnant in your 20s". Seriously, he's a man, what does he know about being pregnant?!

Anyway, here's what's going on with me and baby:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

As your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.

My Big Boy!

2011-01-26T20:54:00.002-05:00

A picture of Chase as happy as can be just relaxing on the sofa watching Princess and the Frog on the "Big TV" as he requested. I had just tucked Ethan into bed, so Chase can finally enjoy the movie without Ethan jumping and screeching all over him. He looks like such a big boy, but still loves his LuLu!

25 Weeks

2011-01-23T12:07:00.005-05:00

Well, we're now 6 months pregnant (25 weeks) and glad to be more than halfway through this journey. This third time around seems to be much more difficult on me. I fatigue very easily and my circulation issues are pretty awful causing me much discomfort. Keeping up with Chase and Ethan has been pretty tough, but we'll be holding our newest addition soon enough.

Here is my 25 week progression picture. To be honest, this was taken in the morning. My end of the day belly is a MUCH different story...I look 2 month bigger. Baby weighs about a pound and a half and is very active, especially at night time.
My 20 week progression picture taken about 5 1/2 weeks ago.

Perhaps another Hugh Hefner in the making?

Chase sleeping with all his LuLus

January 2011

2011-01-18T14:31:00.003-05:00

After all the gifts Santa brought, Chase and Ethan have been most entertained by playing with the extra sheets. One night, it entertained them for hours. They were full of giggles.

Sweet Ethan

Chase fell asleep in our bed one night while Shane & I were watching tv in our room. We couldn't resist taking some cute pics with our big boy!

Recent Pics

2011-01-03T16:50:00.003-05:00

This is how Chase fell asleep on Christmas night, with his "Big Jessie" that Santa brought tucked right next to his Woody. He was so happy! Chase and Ethan sporting their new Batman pjs!

Hanging out with their cousins, Max & Evan. Chase really bonded with Max this trip, he followed him around like a little puppy. It was pretty cute, and Max didn't seem to mind him tagging along. We hope to visit with them again soon!

Progression Pictures with Chad

2011-01-02T20:30:00.003-05:00

Every pregnancy, I have taken a progression picture with my brother-in-law, Chad. Most often, he ends up winning the belly contest, but in his defense, he has yet to pop out a kid, so it's got to be huge, ha!

32 weeks pregnant with Chase:
23 weeks Pregnant with Ethan:

21 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #3:

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T15:09:00.006-05:00

This year was a GREAT Christmas. Chase's excitement on Christmas morning made the entire day so wonderful and I wonder why I was ever a grump preparing for this moment. He woke me up at 6:00 am talking extremely fast saying, "Mommy, mommy we got to hurry and see the presents Santa brought. I just know he came because I was such a good boy, let's go, let's go...."!

I let him open his stocking but we waited on the Santa gifts until Ethan woke up an hour later! Poor Chase was dying to see if Santa left him any presents (they were locked in the playroom so he couldn't see anything).

Chase was really into every single gift, but Ethan preferred to play with whatever gift Chase just opened. We had an amazing morning and a great time visiting with both families.

Merry Christmas everyone! (I have a video that I will post eventually....)

Sharing the slide:
Ethan rocking out on his new horse...he's a wild man on that thing!

Chase playing with his new Tag books:

Baking a cake for Baby Jesus:

Posing next to Santa in their new Saints & Southern Miss outfits from MawMaw & Pops:

Santa's Loot:

Posing by the tree the morning of Chase's Christmas Program:

A rare family pic with just Ethan:

Chase before his Christmas Program:

Fun times in the bath:

Hornets Game

2010-12-18T00:01:00.003-05:00

Tonight Shane and I had an awesome experience. Shane's company's law firm gave Shane and a coworker of his two court side tickets to the Hornets game. Fortunately for me, his coworker couldn't make the game, so I got to go in his place.

The seats were on the court, the first row, only two chairs from the half court line. Shane said the only better seat in the house are the owner's seats. I still can't believe how lucky I was to be able to sit there.

The players were so close you could feel the floor shake when they ran up and down the court. We had VIP parking that was literally 20 steps to the arena's door plus a free buffet dinner before the game.

Hugo the Hornet came and sat on my lap before the game and Shane & I just took it all in. What an amazing game!!!!

Shane and the view from our seats:
Shane & Belinelli throwing in the ball (I actually had to scoot back to fit this in my camera's view, he was practically standing on my feet)!

Me after the game standing in front of my seat on the court. I was still very excited, but one tired mama:

20 Weeks!

2010-12-16T18:41:00.004-05:00

We are now at the halfway mark, 20 weeks! I took a progression picture and then compared it to my 20 week progression pictures with Ethan & Chase. What an eye opener! Not only is my stomach showing way more this pregnancy, but I believe motherhood has aged me. I feel like I look like a baby in my progression picture with Chase. I didn't realize how much I aged until I did this comparison. But Chase knows how to make me feel better, he said I look "handsome" in my picture...gotta love him!

Things are going great. I feel fine with the exception of my circulation issues and I'm exhausted by the end of the day. If only I had as much energy as my boys!

The baby now weighs about 10 1/2 ounces and is the size of a large banana.

20 Weeks with baby #3:
20 Weeks with Ethan:

20 Weeks with Chase:

Baby McCarthy Pics

2010-12-13T16:12:00.004-05:00

Today we had an ultrasound of the baby. Everything is measuring right on track...19 weeks, 2 days. We saw all 4 chambers of the baby's heart and it's heartrate was 130. We were not given any clues about the baby's sex, as it will stay a mystery until delivery time :-)

A skelaton view of baby's face. Since the baby was facing down the entire ultrasound, we couldn't get a profile view of the face or a view of the baby's cord. We will have to do another ultrasound to check on those things in a few months. But this is a skelaton view of the baby's face (a little scary if you ask me). Baby is upside down, you can see it's arm, eye socket and sinus cavity.
Baby McCarthy says, "Hey everybody, everything is going great"!

Baby's footprint:

A view of the baby's spine while baby is facing down.

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-12T11:16:00.007-05:00

This is what happens when you leave a wrapped Christmas gift under the tree. I found the unwrapped gifts behind the closed door of Chase's room with Ethan locked in. Chase unwrapped MawMaw's gift, realized it wasn't something that interested him and then locked Ethan in his room and tried blaming it on him!
Ethan saying, "Cheese"!

Chase trying to ride his bike without training wheels. In only lasted for about 10 minutes in our neighbor's yard, but at least he tried!

This Saturday we took the boys to a pancake breakfast with Santa. Well three years in a row, and still no picture with Santa. In fact ,the only pic we have with Santa was when Chase was 4 months old. Chase completely freaked out and Ethan let me take him close to Santa but refused to sit on his lap.

Story time at Santa's breakfast:
Driving the fire truck at Santa's Breakfast:

Chase's award ceremony for Soccer. His very first trophy:

Ethan and Chase enjoying a yummy treat from TCBY:

Recent Pics

2010-11-20T17:34:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how big my boys are getting! Chase looks like such a big boy and Ethan no longer looks like a baby. They are so stinking cute!

Recently...

2010-11-13T13:27:00.004-05:00

Shane and I have both been sick for a solid week, making things at home a little tough with two very energetic little boys. We're both on the last leg of our Z-pak and hoping that we start to feel better soon.

On Wednesday, I had another doctor's appt. As soon as Dr. Lobello put the doppler on my belly, we heard the baby's heart beat. She said that it's right in the middle, so this kiddo is not giving any hints if it's a boy or a girl :-)

This morning on the way home from soccer, Chase asked me, "Mommy, do you have a baby in your belly"? I responded with "yes". Then Chase asked, "Well, why isn't it coming out"? Too cute! I think Chase is ready to be a big brother again, Ethan on the other hand, well we'll find out soon enough.

Nap Time

Ethan thinks it's so funny to sit in the middle seat next to Chase and not his car seat. As soon as Chase opens the door, Ethan climbs in to this spot, laughing hysterically. Unfortunately, it always ends badly when I have to strap in a kicking, screaming and scratching Ethan into his car seat. Oh the joys...

Lost and Found

2010-11-05T12:59:00.007-05:00

Last night, before Shane and I went to bed, I went to check on the boys. When I walked into Chase's room, his bed was empty and he was no where to be found. I felt a little nervous as I looked all over his room trying to find him, but then I figured he must have woke up and went into our room and found Shane. When I headed back to our bedroom, this is what I found (he's never done this before)....

Here's a short video of the boys playing one afternoon...silly boys!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T17:26:00.003-05:00

2nd Trimester!

2010-10-29T11:32:00.013-04:00

Goodbye awful 1st trimester and welcome part II! I am so happy to be out of my first 13 weeks, and look forward to the next 13. The 2nd trimester is probably the best of the three. The first was filled with morning sickness and migraines and the last is usually pretty tough on me with the "vein" issues in my right leg.

Here are some progression pictures taken by my little photographer, Chase! Shane's usually at work, so I enlisted the help of Chase and he did a pretty decent job. I think I've gained about 6 lbs so far, which is average to my previous two pregnancies. I'm sure not all of it is baby, as my eating habits have changed to accommodate my nausea and my workout routine is definitely not as strict!

This week Ethan has been sick with a fever. I'm taking him to the doctor in a little while to make sure he'll be good to go on Halloween. Here are some pics of him during that time.

Busy!

2010-10-26T13:49:00.003-04:00

Wow, life is busy. Hope to post an update soon...maybe with some Halloween pics. Until then, Happy Halloween from the McCarthy Crew!

Chase keeps asking me what kind of baby I have in my belly. When I tell him we don't know, he requests a baby sister. It's so cute! When I lift my shirt to show them my belly, Chase kisses the baby and Ethan slaps it...probably a glimpse of what's to come :-)

10-10-10

2010-10-10T16:08:00.007-04:00

10/10/10...yesterday was Shane and I's 6 year anniversary, and to celebrate we registered to run a half marathon in Mandeville together. Neither of us imagined that I would be pregnant and since this pregnancy has been a bit rough on me, my training was reduced dramatically.

So instead, today I took the boys out to cheer Shane on as he ran the race. He did a GREAT job and finished strong at 1:58:24, averaging about a 9 minute mile. We are so proud of him and the boys were so excited to cheer him on and watch the runners. And I think most of the runners got a kick out of Chase and Ethan clapping and cheering for them because we got lots of comments.

Chase anxiously waiting for Daddy to pass

Go Daddy!

Shane approaching

Yeah Daddy

Shane giving a very excited Chase a high five! Shane said this was one of his best memories ever and it meant so much to share it with his sons!

Chase and Ethan waiting to go to school on Black and Gold Friday

Ethan and Roo at the Park

EJ passed out on the floor
Chase and Ethan having a great time rough housing with Sissy

Recently...

2010-09-26T14:15:00.006-04:00

Well, this pregnancy was a HUGE surprise. Shane and I were not trying to conceive and we thought we were done having babies. I had given away most of my maternity clothes and baby items. We were happy with our family of four, but I guess God had a different plan in store for us...WOW is all I can say!

So this pregnancy has been a lot tougher and very different from my previous two pregnancies. This is the first time I've ever had morning sickness, or should we call it all day nausea with a pounding headache. I told Shane it's like I've had a hangover for 3 straight weeks without the big party, ha! And things are moving along a lot quicker. I already have a little pudge in my belly and my right leg's varicose veins are already back in action...both happening MUCH earlier than when I carried Chase or Ethan.

Also, the doctor's office called a couple weeks back with my blood test results. They told me my hormone levels were really high...and I think Shane can verify that. I have been a bit moody, but I attribute that to the shock of this pregnancy and not feeling well at all. He thinks I'm just hormonal....

I'm hoping to feel better soon, as taking care of Chase and Ethan while feeling this way has been a struggle. Every time I tell Chase I don't feel good, he responds with "Again"?! Poor baby! Hopefully this will pass soon and I'll be back to my old self again soon!

Brothers hugging

Poor Chase goes through some terrible, painful growth spurts. This is him after crying for a while because his knee hurt from one of his growth spurts. Once I set him up in his "special" position with his special ice pack, he perked up.

This was Ethan's first night to sleep with a pillow...he looks like such a big boy!

2010-09-23T18:27:00.009-04:00

Today I took Ethan to the Aquarium to meet some friends. Chase had school today, so it was just the two of us, but we will go back again when Chase gets a day off in October.

Ethan had a really good time and seemed to be interested in all the fish, but especially the parrots. He kept pointing and talking. Should be lots of fun to bring him back to the zoo as well!

I took a picture with Ethan in the shark's mouth today at 18 months old

Chase and I in the same pose for Chase's 1st Birthday...what a chunk!

Here are some more pictures from today with Ethan

18 Months and More!

2010-09-22T19:32:00.007-04:00

Today our little EJ turned 18 months old. It has been an amazing year and a half and we can't believe how much of a personality our little guy has developed. What used to be our laid back and easy going baby has turned into a MAD man with quite a temper and a very strong goofy side. He is hysterical, extremely opinionated and pretty smart. He is completely unaware of his age and is constantly trying to keep up with big brother.

We took Ethan's 18 month lamb picture tonight to compare to his 1 year lamb picture.

Here are some other pics we took of EJ tonight, and yes, his shirt says what you think it does!

Ethan's 1st Day of School

2010-09-14T09:16:00.004-04:00

Last Friday, Ethan started his first day of school. He goes to a Mother's Day Out from 9-1. It's just 4 hours a week, but it gives mommy the chance to go run errands while Ethan can play with his friends instead of being stuck in a grocery basket. He cried when I dropped him off and again when I picked him up, but the teacher said he did okay. He was kind of shy (which is very unlike our little EJ), but enjoyed dancing during music time (sounds more like the Ethan we know)!

It's Who Dat Time!

2010-09-14T09:08:00.002-04:00

Beach Family Vacation

2010-09-14T08:53:00.006-04:00

We took the boys back to the beach for Labor Day weekend. This was the first time Chase went in the ocean. The first day he just kind of played where the waves crashed. By the second day he was walking to the sandbar and swimming like a fish in the Gulf. It was so great to see him have fun! He would grab his kickboard and head to the waves and say, "Surf's Up, Dude"! It was hilarious!

Ethan enjoyed his inflatable pool on the beach and seemed to like throwing the sand. Both boys still enjoyed the pool, and overall we had a really nice vacation.

Recent Pics

2010-09-01T13:48:00.005-04:00

Trying to get both boys to smile at the camera at the same time is nearly impossible! The second picture is Ethan's "Cheese" face that he makes almost everytime I break out the camera. He makes that face while saying, "Cheeeeeeeeeese"!

Playing with cousins Jalyn & Rylie

Who Dat, Baby!

2010-08-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

Chase's 4th Birthday!

2010-08-03T16:33:00.012-04:00

Sunday was Chase's 4th birthday, but we celebrated all weekend long. Saturday was his birthday party. We decided to keep it small this year and only invite the friends he requested (a few buddies from school and camp). We had the party at Young Chef's Academy and all the kids were able to make their own pizza's and we had an ice cream sundae bar instead of a cake. It took Chase a little while to warm up. Chef Nicole kept him in the center of attention and we all know how much Chase does not like that. His social anxiety issues were in full force for the first 30 minutes of the party, but then he ended up having a nice time.

He told me he was going to wish for Buzz Lightyear when he blew out his candle, and boy did he get it. It seems like the theme of his 4th Birthday was Toy Story!

Cancun

2010-07-14T20:39:00.007-04:00

Last week we had a great vacation! We drove to Houston and visited with my sister and her family for two nights. We left the boys with them and then Shane and I flew out of Houston straight to Cancun for 3 nights. We had such a great time! I guess I appreciate vacations a lot more now that I have kids, because this trip really ranks in the top tier of my vacations. It was so relaxing and I really enjoyed hanging out with Shane, just the two of us. We had a really good time together and certainly took advanatge of the swim up pool bar and the beautiful view.

Thank you so much Nannie & PanPan for taking such good care of the boys. I know they had a blast with you visiting Old McDonald's farm, the pool & splashpad, the waterway taxi, the park & fishing in the backyard. I know you are probably still trying to catch up on your sleep!

Father's Day

2010-06-24T17:50:00.008-04:00

Silly Ethan

They are actaully having fun together, believe it or not

Happy Father's Day

Be sure to check out the post below, I think I finally got the video's to upload.

Vacation and More...

2010-06-16T21:45:00.018-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we took a family vacation to the beach. The second day we were there, the tarballs started rolling onto the sand. It was really sad to see and has postponed our vacation back in a few weeks. I think Orange Beach and Gulf Shores have currently closed off access to the Gulf.

But we still had a great time. Chase got much closer to the ocean and even played a little in the waves (a HUGE deal for him). I didn't take many pictures because I had my hands and hips full toting Ethan back and forth from the beach and pool, but I did manage to get a few snapshots.

The ride home was a little stressful. Ethan was running a high fever and not feeling well and Chase was extremely tired and cranky. Ethan would start crying and then Chase would start screaming and then Ethan would yell and then Chase would scream, etc... At first it was pretty comical, but after a while I wanted to jump out of my skin. Not sure how we're going to survive our drive to Houston this summer.

Abita Crawfish Fest

This is the way Ethan kisses, tounge and all:

Our little Irishman into the "goods"

Silly Ethan

Summer time treat

Chase's war wounds from Ethan pinching him

Silly boys playing on the sofa together

Spring Concert

2010-05-20T07:56:00.005-04:00

Last night was Chase's end of school Spring Concert. Chase did so great. He sang all the songs and did all the hand motions. He was so adorable dressed in his button down shirt and khakis, he looked just like daddy.

Chase and his new favorite toys

The boys playing together

Ethan on the computer

Hair cuts & Dancing

2010-05-05T09:16:00.014-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took both Chase and Ethan to get a haircut. This was Chase's 1st big boy haircut where they buzzed his hair. He looks so much older and very much like his daddy!

Ethan has been dancing up a storm lately. It's so funny to watch him. He's got 3 different dance styles: the "Elaine" from Seinfield, the "Chicken Nod" where he throws his head back and forth and the "Hands in the air, shake your bootie" to the music. I haven't been able to catch the "Elaine" on video yet, but it is by far the funniest thing you've ever seen! I don't even know how his little body moves like that. One morning last week, I tried hard to get him to dance on the camera, but he won't break out the moves for the camera like he does in person. Here are two short clips of him shaking it.

Ethan's other new tricks are waving bye bye, clapping his hands and playing beek-a-boo. He can say quite a few phrases like: Dadda, What's That, Where's Chase, Uh Oh and Thank you. It's so cute to hear him talk with his sweet little voice. He can say Mamma, but he rarely says it...usually when he's crying for me to pick him up.

My Sleepy Boys

Ethan's Silly Hat

Chase took this picture all by himself. I know it's not the best pic of either Ethan or I (no makeup, getting ready to go to the gym), but I was impressed at how he managed to get both of our heads in the picture. Not too bad for a 3 year old!

Some Firsts

2010-04-16T15:27:00.005-04:00

Last Friday night, Shane took Chase to his first Hornets game. As most of our family knows, Chase is not too fond of loud noises or big crowds, so this was probably not the best idea. Shane said he freaked out when the players came running out to fireworks and was pretty quiet the entire game. They left at halftime, but Chase continues to talk about how much fun he had at the game and how he saw Hugo. Check out Chase's intense look while watching the game:

Yesterday I took the boys to meet Carrie and Conner at the zoo. This was Ethan's first trip to the zoo. All the kids were so well behaved and had a really good time. We stayed for 3 1/2 hours without anyone having any meltdowns. It was the perfect day!

Easter Break

2010-04-07T17:15:00.007-04:00

Chase had over a week off from school for his Spring Break/Easter vacation. Eleven straight days at home with mommy and Ethan and I was really looking forward to him going back to school today!

We did get to do lots of fun activities over his break. We went to Global Wildlife Center and fed the animals, hosted a play date at our house, went to the pool at the gym and had lots of fun outside play time with our neighbors. Fortunately the weather was great for most of his vacation.

Easter was a lot of fun because Chase was really into this year. He loved doing Easter egg hunts and talking about the Easter bunny. But I think I might have said too much, because he was too scared to go to sleep by himself the night before Easter Sunday. He said that the Easter bunny closed his bedroom door, ha! Once I laid with him to fall asleep, he was fine and very excited to find all the Easter eggs we dyed the night before hidden all over the house. This year the Easter bunny stayed away from most candy and went with gifts. It might have been tougher on the wallet, but better on the Easter bunny's waist (since we end up eating most of the candy)!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Global Wildlife Center with Mammy and The Langfords

Easter Morning

Wrestle time with Daddy!

Ethan's 1 Year Portraits

2010-03-26T13:29:00.001-04:00

I've always said that I wanted a large, framed picture of my babies to keep in my house forever (since to me, they will always be my babies)! A couple of weeks ago, I took Ethan to get his 1 year studio portraits. You can view some of Ethan's pictures(including some bonus pics of Chase), by going to the following website:

http://www.thestudiofamilyphoto.com/

Click on Gallery and then towards the bottom you'll see McCarthy. The very first pic of Ethan is the 16x20 portrait I ordered. I loved them all!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ethan!

2010-03-22T13:30:00.005-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet little Ethan James! What an amazing year it has been watching him develop his own personality and bonding with his brother. Raising Ethan has been quite a different experience from raising Chase. Ethan is not afraid of anything and is into EVERYTHING. Was originally a very laid back baby but has now developed quite a little temper. He may be small, but he is tough and rough...ALL BOY and the bruises on my legs can prove it :-)

He has learned so many things in the past two months. Ethan can clap his hands, wave bye bye and play peek a boo. He loves to dance if you play music or sing to him and he has the best "evil/guilty" laugh I have ever heard. He blows raspberries all day long and even does it to put himself to sleep at night.

Ethan got his first tooth at 4 months and his 2nd tooth at 6 months. We thought he would have a mouthful of teeth by his first birthday, but no more have popped out yet (however, we think we see one of his top teeth about to pierce the gums). Ethan is no longer walking, he is RUNNING. He is so stinking fast and can pull out all of the garbage before you know it. He has kept his mommy and daddy very busy lately.

Chase and Ethan have become really good friends and it's been so heartwarming watching Chase fall in love with his little brother. He loves to make Ethan laugh and takes pride in helping me care for him. Chase has grown into quite the little gentleman.

Happy 1st birthday, EJ. We love you so very much!!! Love: Mommy, Daddy and Bubbie

2010-03-22T13:14:00.011-04:00

Ethan's Monthly Lamb Progression Pics from 1 week through his 1st Birthday!

Ethan's 1st Birthday Party

2010-03-21T13:31:00.008-04:00

Ethan's first birthday is tomorrow: Monday, March 22nd. I just have no idea where this year has gone, it flew past me.

We celebrated Ethan's first birthday with our family yesterday. It was so nice to be able to sit down and actually enjoy the party and not have to run around like crazy. I cooked dinner and we had cake and ice cream. The rain held off long enough for the kiddos to run around and play outside the entire time. Although Ethan took a little siesta during the get together, Chase had a blast playing hard the entire time.

Check back tomorrow for Ethan's 1 year Lamb Picture!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T19:00:00.006-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the McCarthy Family!!! These next two picture are for Pops:

Ethan getting ready for Easter

Chase and Daddy weedeating together

Brothers playing

Chase blowing bubbles

Birthday Celebrations

2010-03-10T14:45:00.014-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated my dad's birthday with a crawfish boil at my parents' house. Chase LOVED all the crawfish and shrimp and couldn't get enough to eat. I found him wondering around outside and when I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was looking for some shrimp because they are "tasty". He's so funny! Happy Birthday, Paw Paw!!! We love you and hope you had a wonderful day.

Last weekend we also went to Lynn Meadows to celebrate Taylor's 4th birthday. Chase and Ethan really loved the train area! Happy Birthday, Taylor. That same day, Chase also went to a birthday party for his best friend at school. It was so cute to see him interact with his school friends. It's like watching him grow up right in person, a very sweet moment.

Check out Ethan's hair after a good nap

Also happy birthday to Callie and Evan! We love you and miss celebrating your birthdays with you in person. And happy late birthday to Sissy who celebrated her big 3-0 on Feb 25th.

And now we count down the days until Ethan's first birthday, March 22nd. A day he shares with his twin cousins, Mason & Jacob...exactly 11 years apart.

Ethan's 1st Haircut & Shoes

2010-03-01T18:30:00.004-05:00

This weekend was a busy weekend for our little man. Ethan got his first haircut and his first pair of big boy shoes on Saturday.

I know he doesn't have a lot of hair still, but it was all over the place and I wanted to have it shaped and cleaned up before his 1 year portraits. Ethan was an ANGEL. He did not care at all that he was getting his haircut. He just played and laughed the entire time...a VERY different experience from Chase's first two years of haircuts! In fact, Chase is just starting to get better about his haircuts and he is three and a half years old!

And since Ethan is walking all over the place and I can't keep him contained when we're playing outside, I had to finally buy him his first pair of tennis shoes. He's a size 5...just like Chase was when we bought his first pair of shoes around the same age.

Also, I ran the Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon on Sunday. It was my second half marathon race, and I was very excited that I shaved almost three minutes off my first race time and finished this race at 2:01:22 (my previous time was 2:04:16). The weather was WONDERFUL and it was a great day to run a race. The crowd was a lot of fun and they had local bands set up every mile playing live music. This race was so much fun that I'm already excited about next year! Here is Shane dropping me off at the starting line.

11 Months

2010-02-22T16:34:00.013-05:00

Today is Ethan's 11 month birthday...only a few more precious weeks until his first birthday!

Our little man is walking everywhere and into everything. He has developed quite the little temper, but is still as happy as can be. He loves to wrestle and play with big boy toys. Although he is much smaller at this age than Chase was, he can hang well when playing with Big Brother.

Ethan has started to get a little possessive of his mommy and gets angry if Chase comes to sit on my lap or hug me. It's so funny to hear him screech at the top of his lungs when he's mad.

He is still sleeping great at night, but fighting his naps even though he is exhausted. Ethan despises getting his diaper changed or changing clothes, as he doesn't like to sit still for anything.

Happy 11 Months, Ethan

Chase at 11 months

Here is a picture of Ethan trying to feed himself. The stinker still refuses to hold his bottle for longer than 1 minute and hasn't completely figured out the sippy cup yet. One night, I made his bottle and put it on his end table while I had to do something before I fed him. When I came back into the room, I saw that he positioned himself just right between the rocker and the table and tipped his bottle over so he could feed himself. It was hysterical!

Recent Pics

2010-02-15T14:45:00.009-05:00

Southern Snow

Valentine's Day

Around the house

Look Who's Walking (sort of...)

2010-02-09T15:23:00.009-05:00

Ethan is getting closer and closer to walking. He is now taking 10 plus steps all over the house on his own. He usually falls when he gets really excited, goes too fast or thinks too many people are watching him. It's so cute to watch him walk, like a little doll.

This is about the same time Chase started walking, around 10 1/2 months old. These crazy McCarthy boys just don't want to sit still and miss anything. Although Chase was pretty reserved as a baby, Ethan is into EVERYTHING! The lady who watches him at the gym calls Ethan her "Little Wild Man". They often have to put him in a swing to keep him away from the other babies because he is so rough. There is no laying down on the floor when he's around because he will automatically sprint to wrestle you. He thinks wrestling and rough housing is so much fun and that everyone loves it as much as he does.

Ethan's other new tricks are waving bye bye and I've heard him say "momma" a handful of times. He is learning so much and has developed his own little personality. He is not at all interested in playing with any of his baby toys and would rather play with big brother and all of his toys (trains, cars and trucks are a must over here).

I can't believe that we will be celebrating Ethan's first birthday in 6 weeks...time has just flown by with him. Never in my life would I have imagined myself with two boys, but God knows what is best for me and these little men have changed my life and blessed me in so many ways.

(Yes, I realize I should have taken his socks off when he was trying to walk on the slippery, hard wood floor)

Happy 10 Months, Ethan and Who Dat?!

2010-01-31T15:23:00.010-05:00

Sorry I'm a little late on this one, but we didn't have internet connection for over two weeks and we just got it back today. So much has happened over the last two weeks. The two biggest announcements, our little E has turned 10 months old and has learned a bunch of new tricks and of course, the Saints are going to the Superbowl!!!!!

Lots of Who Dat fever going on over here, we're so excited we don't know what to do. Lucky Shane is going to the Superbowl in Miami while I will be watching from home with the little ones. Here are some pics from the NFC Championship game in the dome last weekend. I've never heard the Dome so loud and the fans have never been happier and nicer. It was just one big happy family filling the streets of New Orleans after the game. Finally...black and gold in the Superbowl, Baby!

Last week, Ethan turned 10 months old. Over the last few weeks he has learned quite a few new tricks. He can take several steps on his own and now waves his hands when we say "bye bye". He shakes his head "no, no" and laughs when we're trying to get him to do something and has started doing what we call his "evil" laugh when he's doing something he knows he's not supposed to do. He is still a very happy baby, but recently has developed a little temper. When Ethan gets mad he throws his head down and kicks his feet...it's pretty comical. Happy 10 months, Little Stinker!

Chase and his Cars

2010-01-13T16:47:00.005-05:00

Chase's new favorite toys are his Disney Cars. They are all over my house and I pick them up all day long. But they keep him so entertained throughout the day, so I find myself buying him new ones all the time.

His favorite car is the big, green truck that Santa brought him. Since Chase has been such a good big brother and helper while I've been busy taking care of sick Ethan, I decided to surprise him with a big, red truck...Mack. Chase was so excited!

He keeps telling me, "Mom, you are the best" and showering me kisses, hugs & praises...good way to get another truck in the near future, ha! I'm such a sucker!

Recent Pics

2010-01-13T11:59:00.004-05:00

With the cold weather and Ethan's RSV, we've spent a LOT of indoor time at home lately. I have to say that I was worried about how Chase would react with having to share his mommy with his sick brother so much, but he has been doing great. Chase is even trying to help give Ethan his breathing treatments. I'm so lucky to have two wonderful little boys!

Here are some recent pics of the boys.

Merry Christmas

2010-01-02T09:22:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's holiday. We had an amazing Christmas this year. This was the first time Chase was really into Santa and the decorations and of course, presents. He had so much fun. On Christmas morning, he kept jumping up and down in circles saying, "I'm so excited, I'm so excited"! It was so cute.

I did get a little on video, but today is the first day we're spending at home in about ten days. We've had so much fun visiting with all our families in town for the holidays and have been busy on the go. I'll get the video uploaded soon.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve Morning Festivities Begin...

2009-12-24T11:03:00.008-05:00

Our family Elf on the Shelf, "Happy", left Chase and Ethan a bag of reindeer food this morning to feed Santa's reindeer when they come to visit our home tonight.

Chase proudly showing off his gift from Happy

Showing Daddy (morning time starts pretty early over here)

Leaving the food for Santa's reindeer

Ethan is excited about the reindeer food, too

Baking a birthday cake for Jesus

Ethan trying to take a few steps this morning

Chase and Daddy, busy at work

Happy 9 Months, Ethan!

2009-12-23T08:36:00.006-05:00

Ethan made 9 months yesterday. Our little stinker is into EVERYTHING! There is no leaving him alone. He loves to get into the toilets, the plants and the garbage...similiar to a puppy dog, ha! He can now stand all by himself for a couple of seconds without falling and has become an expert crawler and climber.

Happy 9 months, Sweet Pea!

Happy 8 Months, Ethan!

2009-11-22T13:17:00.011-05:00

Ethan turns 8 months old today. So much has happened over the last couple of weeks. He is officially crawling EVERYWHERE and pulling up on everything to stand. Shane had to lower his crib today because we kept finding him standing up in his crib. I feel like he is growing up way too fast. I can't believe he is mobile already and I'm afraid he will be walking way before I am ready!

Ethan is still a very happy child. He laughs at everything and has the sweetest smile. He says "Dadda" all day long and loves to screech at a very high pitch when he's excited.

Like his big brother, Ethan seems to enjoy eating. His belly is so big and adorable! Baby puffs can just about solve any problem. As soon as he sees the container, he opens his mouth and sticks his tounge out like a puppy dog.

Happy 8 Months, Ethan...Go Saints 10 & 0!

Pulling up on the toy box to stand by himself

Good Morning, Bed Head (before we lowered his mattress)

Play time with Daddy

Wagon ride

On our wagon ride the other day, Chase just started singing "Jingle Bells" for the first time ever. They must be learning some Christmas carols at school. It was so cute! Ethan is in the background playing the drums (kicking his feet in the wagon).

Ethan is Crawling!

2009-11-12T20:28:00.011-05:00

Ethan has been on the verge of crawling for quite some time. He gets so frustrated when he rocks back and forth just to fall down. Well tonight he saw Chase's green sippy cup and decided that he just had to have it. He started crawling right towards it. He went all the way across the room without falling.

Here's a short video of our big boy going for the cup for about the 50th time, ha!

Last Friday night, Jalyn and Rylie came over to spend the night with Chase. Ethan slept in his crib while the rest of them had a slumber party in Chase's room (well, at least until Chase climbed into bed with us in the middle of the night). Saturday morning we went to Cafe du Monde and then to feed the ducks. I think they all had a great time playing with each other.

Slumber Party in Chase's room

Rylie tucking in Uncle Shane

A crowded car to get beignets

Messy Breakfast

Playtime

Ethan playing, too

Feeding the Ducks

Jazz Half Marathon and Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T14:56:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a long and fun filled day for all of us. The morning started at 5:00 am when I had to wake up for my very first half marathon race. The weather was very cold and wet, but it could have been a lot worse. Shane dropped me off near the starting line at 6:15 and when the gun went off at 7:00am, it was still dark.

I ran the race in 2 hours and 4 minutes. I was very happy with my time, but was extremely exhausted by the end of the race. Mile 11 was a bit difficult for me and I was so happy to see my friend Carrie on the street cheering me on at that point. It was just the extra push I needed. Once I saw the 12 mile marker, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and finished the race strong. I was so happy to see Shane standing right before the 13 mile marker routing for me to finish.

After the race, my lips were blue and purple from being so cold, so Shane took me to get a nice hot cup of coffee. Then we ate lunch at Shane's parents' house and headed back home to get ready for Halloween.

This year my parents, Shane's parents and the Gandy's came over to celebrate Halloween with us. It was so much fun because Chase was really into everything this year. He LOVED his costume (a golfer, of course) and enjoyed trick or treating with his cousins. Unfortunately Chase and Rylie didn't make it too long because someone on the end of our street scared them with a mask and they were both a bit freaked out and ready to go home.

Happy Halloween everybody!

2009-11-01T14:43:00.004-05:00

Happy 7 Months, Ethan!

2009-10-22T15:03:00.006-04:00

Ethan turns 7 months old today. He is getting his 2nd tooth, sitting up and trying to talk and crawl. He is getting so big!

Ethan is still a very happy baby. He loves to move around and blow rasberries. He thinks his big brother is hysterical and seems to enjoy wrestling with his daddy.

Happy 7 Months, Monkey!

Swine Flu and More

2009-10-17T12:29:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Chase's school called me and said Chase was running a 102 fever and to come get him. By the time I picked him up and brought him home, his fever was up to 103.7...poor baby. We alternated Tylenol and Motrin all day, but his fever never broke. After a very long night of high fevers, crying and vomitting, we took him to the doctor's office this morning. Chase tested postiive for the flu. His doctor said it's most likely the swine flu since Chase has already gotten his flu shot and it's not regular flu season yet...it's swine flu. Please keep your fingers crossed that poor little Ethan doesn't catch it, too, he's too young! This is what the swine flu does to a three year old...I don't think there has been a single day in Chase's life when he has ever fallen asleep on our sofa!
Ethan has really been talking up a storm and trying his hardest to crawl. He is close to saying "Dadda" and he is rocking and scooting all over the place. It shouldn't be too long now.

Ethan Graduated!

2009-10-03T07:54:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Ethan's last day of physical therapy. His therapist said that he is turning his neck so well that she could barely tell which side he was having problems with. Although his head is still a little flat on the left side, it has rounded out quite a bit and I don't think we're going to have to put him in the helmet.

Also, Ethan is officially sitting up. He can't get in the sit up position on his own, but if we sit him on the ground, he will stay sitting up on his own. Looks like we can finally start going on wagon rides again!

Ethan sitting up:

High Five from Big Brother

Ethan loves to grab Chase's hair, and Chase thinks it's hilarious when his bubbie "gets him"

This is what Chase does when I try to brush his hair in the morning. He runs away from me yelling and laughing, "You can't get me"! What a stinker!

6 month Update

2009-09-30T13:49:00.009-04:00

Poor Ethan has been really sick for the past week. He has a bad runny nose & cough and has been running fever since Sunday. I took him to the doctor on Monday and the flu test came back negative. They did some blood work and his white blood cell count was high, so they think it's an upper respiratory infection and started him on antibiotics.

Today was supposed to be Ethan's 6 month well baby visit, but since he's still running fever (101.5 instead of 103.5), the doctor just examined him and will do his vaccines once he is feeling better. She did give him a rocephin (sp?) shot to help loosen the mucus in his nose, because poor baby is struggling to breathe and eat. They did another flu test and it came back negative again (so definitely not the flu, phew). They also did another blood test and although his white blood cell count is still high, it's not as high as it was on Monday, so hopefully the antibiotic is working.

Here are the big boys stats:
Weight: 17lbs. 8 oz - 50th percentile (Chase was 18lbs. 10oz at 6 months)
Length: 27 1/2 inches - 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches - 10-25th percentile

Here's a picture of poor sick, sleeping Ethan after our 2 hour doctor's appt today:

Here is a recent picture of Chase...ummm, can you say "Mini-Shane"?

Happy 6 Months, Ethan!

2009-09-22T08:46:00.005-04:00

We survived the first half of Ethan's first year. I cannot believe he is already 6 months old! Ethan has been the best baby and rarely ever fusses. He is constantly laughing and talking and brings so much joy to our lives.

Chase starting sitting up right on his 6 month birthday and Ethan is really close. He can sit up pretty well, but he gets so excited and throws his entire body back, so we have to be very careful and watch him.

Happy Half Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan, today at 6 months:

Here is Chase's 6 month lamb picture. We took this picture just hours before he ended up in the hospital for several nights with a severe case of RSV. Poor baby was so sick in this picture, but still gave us a huge grin. Here's hoping Ethan's 6 month birthday is much better!

Chase being silly:

Recent Pics

2009-09-10T19:09:00.002-04:00

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T13:06:00.004-04:00

We are having a nice Labor Day weekend and Ethan, Chase and I really enjoy Daddy being home for an extra day.

Saturday we had our friends, Chad & Katie over for a grill out. Chase had a blast playing with Chad and stayed up until 10:30 that night. Sunday we went over to my parents' house for a crab boil. Chase had his first taste of crabs and seemed to really like them. He kept asking my dad for more. Today we are having our next door neighbors over for another grill out. They have two kids close in age to Chase and Ethan so it works out perfect.

We didn't get a chance to visit with MawMaw and Pops this weekend, but Chase is really looking forward to seeing them next weekend (he keeps talking about the Pumpkin Patch, so it looks like you guys are going to have to take him there again this year, ha)!

Happy Labor Day Weekend Everyone!

Recent Pics

2009-08-26T09:35:00.003-04:00

Go Saints!

Ethan's "Gorilla Stance" (he can sit up like this for really long periods of time so I think he'll be sitting up very soon)!

The Boys

Please exscuse the lack of bottoms on Chase...we've been attempting to potty train for the past couple of months and it's just easier thay way :-)

Happy 5 Months, Ethan!

2009-08-22T18:26:00.006-04:00

Today, Ethan turns 5 months old. The little stinker seems to be putting on quite a few rolls...he's a potato! He is still an extremely happy baby and is constantly laughing and smiling. Lately he has been making the funniest growling noise, blowing very slobbery sherbets and he is trying to sit up all by himself. He can actually stay in the sitting position for quite a while when he's in his "gorilla" stance. I have a picture, but it's on my new camera and I haven't figured out how to upload the pictures to my computer yet. (BTW, does anyone know if memory cards are not compatible with all computers?)

Today was such a beautiful day that we had to spend lots of time outside (no humidity in New Orleans during the summer is a big deal)! We took the kids to the park this afternoon and Chase had a blast. I realized that I haven't taken him to the park since Ethan was born (Shane has taken him a few times since then, but I haven't). He didn't know what he wanted to do, he just kept running from activity to activity. I guess I need to start taking him more often :-)

Girl's Weekend

2009-08-19T17:07:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we had our annual girls trip to Destin. It was so much fun and I don't know how it's possible, but we get crazier every year. We had fun hanging out on the beach, water surfing, going out and staying in. This year the trip fell on my birthday and I was surprised with a delicious cake and decorations.

I was away for 3 nights and that is the longest I've been away from Ethan. I missed all my boys so much, and with the exception of one incident, Shane did a good job of taking care of the kids alone. I will say, I think after this trip, he appreciates what I go through every day a little more now :-)

Here are some recent pics of the boys. The first one is how Chase and Ethan play together at night time. The second pic is how Shane dressed Ethan one morning (notice the outfit is on backwards) :-)

Family Beach Vacation

2009-08-10T21:22:00.009-04:00

This past weekend, we spent a long weekend at "Mammie's Beach Tower" (as Chase calls it). The first two days, it was just the four of us, and then Maw Maw and Pops joined us for the final two days of our trip.

Chase is still very much interested in the pool and not so crazy about the beach. It was a lot of work to get him on the beach and even more to keep him there. Ethan did great and lasted for longer periods of time outside at either the condo or pool. And even though there wasn't too much relaxing going on, I really enjoyed not wearing any make-up or fixing my hair for 4 straight days in a row :-)

We had a very nice vacation and appreciate Mammie and PawPaw letting us stay at their condo and MawMaw and Pops for playing with Chase in the pool so Shane and I could enjoy some solo beach time together.

We got back late yesterday afternoon and Chase started his first day of school today with a savage tan and blonde hair...he's such a cutie! When I dropped Chase off this morning, I asked Ethan what he thought about his Bubby going to school. Ethan responded with a huge grin from ear to ear...what a stinker :-)