More fun in the leaves

Here's some fun pictures Barry took one afternoon while he and Leslie were playing in the abundance of leaves between our house and the neighbors...




She was wearing her 2T jeans so she could get good and dirty, but Barry wouldn't keep them pulled up. So, most of the pictures have her panties hanging out the back, but at least it's not a diaper! She spent at least 20 mins just sitting in the leaves "crunching" them. It's her favorite pastime with most anything... especially Goldfish crackers. We finally found something she wouldn't get in trouble for crunching!



Here she is walking through the leaves. They were almost knee deep on her.




And here she is with all the leaves piled on her...



She really liked gathering them up and throwing them on herself or Daddy...

Play time pictures

Here is a self-family portrait of Barry, Erin, Leslie and a wise man...


Here is Leslie doing some crazy kung-fu move...


Here is Dolly playing the xylophone...

Here is Rudolph (emphasis on the dolph) giving Leslie a kiss...

And here is Leslie's idea of Christmas decorations...

I guess she thought the leis, cowboy hat, and Dora hat were just the finishing touches it needed to make it her own!

Surprise Baby Shower

One of my good friends here in town threw me a surprise baby shower last week! I thought we were making bows and doing Christmas crafts, so I was totally blown away when I walked threw the door. I'm just glad I didn't change into my pajama's before I went over there like I contemplated! She even got me my favorite dessert... a cookie cake!




We played a game where I had to finish the nursery rhyme, and if I couldn't, then I had to wear something silly, but if I did, then I could pick someone else to wear it. I thought I would do really well at this game, but no so much....

Thank you to Jenna for being totally awesome and selfless and getting everyone together to have some fun and celebrate our new little addition!

New Niece!

Most importantly, on Sunday 12/14, my step-brother, Zac, and his wife welcomed their first baby in to the world. Everyone did great and she's perfectly healthy.



Kate Elizabeth Peden

7lbs 7oz

20 1/2 inches

I'm a little sad (and mad) that I won't be able to meet her for several months, but it'll be fun having the two girls so close in age down the road!

Busy Times...

We have had lots of things going on around here since Barry finished his test. Sorry I haven't had an update in a while. We've been in overdrive trying to get Christmas done, so we can get New Years done, so we can start getting a handle on getting baby things done! I've definitely started "peaking" with all the stress and to-do's that comes with having a baby... especially since we have done maybe 5% of the prep work needed and I only have 5 weeks left! So, here's some quick blogs and pictures to get everyone caught up...

Test info

Well- Barry's back from his test alive and well. He called me Saturday at lunch after the morning section totally defeated saying that was so much harder than he ever anticipated it could be... But, he called me after the afternoon section and joyfully exclaimed that the afternoon half was super easy, and he even finished with 40mins to spare! So, he still doesn't have a good feel for if he passed or not, but he is a little more hopeful after it was all said and done. He should have his results in 6 weeks or so I think. I told him not to worry about if he fails it because in 6 weeks, that'll be the last thing on his mind with the new baby and such :)

Thank you all for your prayers!

I am so incredibly happy to have him back! God bless all you single moms or moms whose husbands are in the military or work a ton or are still going to school after working a ton. I, however, cannot do it alone. I'm sure being fat pregnant doesn't help my temperament! But now Barry is home and available and helping indefinitely. I've just got to try and let him without feeling totally guilty! These holiday babies are tough! Everything was so much easier with Leslie it seems:) So for now my mantra(s) are... One day at a time. It'll all get done. God is good... always.

Prayer request

Barry left yesterday to go take his Chartered Financial Analyst test in Dallas. From what we hear, it's a "man-maker" of a test! So, if everyone will just please pray for him, we would really appreciate it. I've been quizzing him alot and going over practice tests, and I really think he is ready. But, he is not a strong test taker, and I just pray he doesn't over analyze or misinterpret too many questions:)

When he gets home, I'm officially starting phase one of my self-prescribed maternity leave:) Phase 2 begins after the holidays, but I knew I couldn't leave all the Christmas wrapping and decorating and baking to him! I get the fun stuff, and he gets taking care of Leslie and cleaning:) Sounds fair- right? I have such an awesome husband! And it's even better this time around because he would rather clean house all day than have to study for that test!

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!

Health Report

Leslie had her 3 week follow-up with the ENT on Monday, and he said everything looks perfect! He also told us that as long as she doesn't dunk her head, we don't have to plug her ears for hair rinsing which was a huge joy for Daddy to hear since he's been fighting that battle every night. I don't know how we're going to handle the summer and swimming (he said to try silly putty in her ears) but at least we can survive through the winter! Leslie has another check-up in 6 months.


I also had a check-up this week. The doctor said the baby still looks perfect. She was head down which was comforting to hear. Leslie never flip-flopped around like this baby, so even though she might still turn breach again, it was nice to hear she still has the room to turn around and get going the right direction! I have another basic check-up Dec 16th.


That's all our health updates for now. Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy this winter!

30 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment last Friday, Nov 21. It was just a basic check-up, but he also performed an ultrasound just to check baby's growth. He said everything looked great! She's still a girl, weighed 3lbs 9oz, and she's in the 59th percentile.

When I was pregnant with Leslie, all my doctor's office had was the regular ultrasound machine, but now they have these new fancy ones that show you actual 3D pictures of the baby. I had debated the entire pregnancy whether I wanted to see her face or not, but we were just doing all the regular stuff and then out of no where- he turned the fancy part on. Like passing a car wreck... I just couldn't look away.

It's still really weird and surreal. I don't know how this transposes to what she will look like at birth (especially since I anticipate her gaining alot more weight in the next couple months.) For what it's worth, here's the picture for all to enjoy or ponder...

Fall fun

After putting up the Christmas lights, we went and played in the leaves a while. My friend, Julie, and her husband stopped by for a while to hang out and play...



We kept on having to tell her to close her mouth when we threw leaves up... It's not snow!



And, here she buried in leaves... That's Will with the money shot in the background:)

This is what Fall should be. It's so nice to live somewhere that we can enjoy a little bit of the seasons!

Happy Thanksgiving

I didn't want to travel far for Thanksgiving, and most of my Midland family wasn't in town, so I got to cook my first Thanksgiving feast. It turned very well I think (especially for my first time) and especially for someone who has trouble getting dinner on the table most nights. Barry was a HUGE help, and I couldn't have done it without him. Here we are about to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my brothers, Ben and Will...


And here Leslie is seasoning things to her likeing...

And here is a little family picture...

Santa visit

We went to visit Santa last Thursday. As we were standing in line, I realized that I hadn't briefed her on what Santa is all about. She remembers him and knows he says "Ho Ho Ho," but that's about it. So, while we waited I told her that Santa brings toys on Christmas morning to children who have been good all year, and I asked her what she was going to tell Santa she wanted. I gave her a few suggestions, and she seemed to be happy enough with that. When it was our turn, she walked right up and sat in his lap, but when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she got a big grin on her face and said "Cookies!" Obviously, my explanation was lost (or so I thought...)

The next day at lunch I thought I better try this whole Santa concept again. So, we went over it step by step and I again gave her ideas and I really thought she got it. When I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her, her entire face light up and she shouted "Cookie Cake!" The sad part is, I think she definitely understands that Santa brings her the most coveted item on her wish list, that item just happens to be a cookie cake. I guess it's cheaper than an X-box...







Here she is with her friend Parker. They sure have grown...

Thanksgiving Feast

Here is Leslie at her Thanksgiving Feast at school...



And the child who almost never allows her picture to be taken, demanded I take her picture once all the other kids asked me to take theirs! I guess I'll take what I can get!

No More Diapers!

We have had an eventful week around the Brauchi household. The first and most important development is that Leslie is now potty trained!! We tried over a couple days last month, and learned that while she can "hold it" for at least 6 hours, teaching her to "let it go" was more difficult. So, we decided to give up that round and try again over Christmas or spring break or maybe even the summer:)

But, she came home from school Tuesday wanting to wear panties, so I told her that if she went potty she could wear panties the rest of the night. She walked into her bathroom when we got home, went potty, put on panties, and hasn't looked back! The only accident she's had was Wednesday she pooped in her panties, but she even got that down by Thursday!

Here she is one Wednesday wearing her M&M's shirt to commemorate her first full panties day because she gets an M&M every time she goes...

We are starting to have some trouble in setting some limits and boundaries in her new found freedom. Such as, she'll go just little drops all morning and then fill up her pull-up at nap time which I think is very intentional. I know she can hold it through her nap because those first couple days potty training, she did. So, we might have to go just panties at nap and wet the bed a couple times to learn that lesson.

The other issue we are encountering is her wanting to use the potty out of boredom when we are out shopping or eating. Like I mentioned before, she can hold it for an incredibly long time, so we've been pretty good about letting her go when it's convenient and telling her she just needs to hold it when we know she just wants to have fun. And, she hasn't made me eat my words yet:)

Sports Songs

I don't know why this video has given me so much trouble, but I finally have it for all to enjoy! As I've mentioned before, she loves football and Texas Tech and sports in general. So, combined with her love of singing, it's only natural that she loves sports songs so much, too.


Here she is singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Listen how she routes for the "Homies." I say "home team" and Barry says "Cubies," so she combines them to get "homies."

Then she sings the Texas Tech fight song. You can usually understand her alot better, but I was just glad to get it on tape finally! Notice how she has all the guns up in the right places too! We couldn't be more proud of our lil Red Raider in training. I'll write the words below for those who want to follow along:)

And as the finale, she does "crab hands" in honor of Tech's amazing receiver... Crabtree.

Fight Raiders fight! Fight Raiders fight!

Fight for the school you love so dearly.

We'll hit them high. You'll hit them low.

We'll push the ball across the goal.

Tech! Fight! Fight!

We'll praise her name. Boost her to fame.

Fight for the scarlet and the black.

We will hit 'em! We will wreck 'em!

Hit 'em Wreck 'em Texas Tech!

And the victory bells will ring out!

Art Projects

Leslie is finally starting to get the idea of coloring and using her imagination. She brought 2 art pieces home from school this week. And, for the first time, she was able to tell me what they were!

This is a flower.

This is an alligator.

I'm so proud of her! She's getting to be so big! We'll be doing sand art and lanyards in no time:)

Surgery Pictures

All the kids get little doctor polar bears. She liked making hers slide down the bed...



They gave her some medicine to relax her, but it just made her act all loopy. She was too funny fighting staying awake. I didn't mind so much because it was the most she's let me cuddle her since birth...

They came to get her about 5mins after her medicine wore off. She had fun taking a ride in the bed and elevator. And she kept on thinking this nurse was Mam-maw (her great-grandmother.)

And finally, here we are back upstairs in her room enjoying chocolate ice cream for breakfast and watching Toy Story 2. Life is back to good.

Finally!!

Leslie slept through the night and didn't wake up until 8:30! God is good!

Nocturnal Escapades

Last weekend Leslie spent the night at a boys house, and then this week, we caught her trying to sneak out! The time change has REALLY messed up her sleeping. It wouldn't be such a big deal except she realized she can open her door and come wake me up in the mornings instead of playing in her room for a while like she has been since we took the side off her crib.

I finally realized I needed to be a little more proactive in correcting her schedule when I woke up one morning (after telling her to go play in her room for 15mins until my alarm went off at 7:30) and found her in the backyard playing in her pajamas. So, we went to Target that evening to get some childproof doorknob covers. Of course, they were out, so I decided we could make it through one more night without one.

So she comes and wake me up periodically throughout the night wanting to get up or have me put her covers back on etc..., so I get up and put her back in bed, no big deal.... Then I wake up to thuds. I'm not sure if she's in her bed kicking the wall or if she's out roaming the house trying to turn a movie on or something. So, I turn my head to expose both ears and get a better gauge of the sound. It's quiet for a while, so I figure she was kicking wall and I start going back to sleep.

All of the sudden I hear the back door open and her yell, "It's cold!" I told her, "Leslie Claire! Yes it's cold- it's 4:30 in the morning!" A cold front had moved through since her morning escapade. She had been on the back porch playing this whole time! I hustled her little hiney back to bed and didn't even have to yell at her... she knew. She slept the rest of the night no problems.

She was rather upset when she woke up in the morning to find I had gated her in her room:) Lord help me... While I don't think she's a terrible two, she certainly keeps me on my toes! Stay tuned for more wacky stories as we journey through toddler-hood together...

Singing

Here is a few of Leslie's songs. She loves to sing... but not so much for the camera. Luckily, her love of looking at herself when we turn the camera screen around surpasses all else:)


Here she is singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and part of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"...

Maize fun video

Here is some video from our trip to "Old MacDonald's Farm" aka the Maize...

Leslie loved this cow train! Watch her throw her hands up over every hill. And then watch her slide down this mega slide. It was alot faster in person. She was pretty upset they wouldn't let her go by herself. She is her father's child!

And we're back

We're done and home! Everything went really well. The doctor said there wasn't any scaring or damage in her ears from past infections either! She was a big cry baby waking up, but I expected that because I'm the same way:) These tubes will stay in 6 months to a year and the doctor doesn't anticipate she'll need them again... we'll see about that. She's got ear drops for a few days and ear plugs when around water until the tubes fall out; but hopefully, that will be our only inconvenience (which is a lot less than bi-monthly 2 hour doctor visits!) Thanks again for all the prayers! God is good.

off to the hospital

We're off to the hospital. We should be home before lunch and I'll try and post a little note letting everyone know how things went! Thanks for the prayers!

Leslie's surgery plans

We went to the ENT doctor this morning, and he said everything looks good for her surgery on Friday. We won't know her exact surgery time until Thursday, but the nurse said probably around 6:30am. No food or drink after midnight on surgery day. They'll just use a mask and general anesthesia to put her under (no needles or IVs.) It should take about 7 mins, and then she has to stay an hour after just to monitor her, and we should be out by 9ish. Everyone assures me it's not a big deal, but please keep us in your prayers just the same. I'll keep you posted as I learn more...

Tech vs. Texas game

Barry and I got to attend last Saturday's victory over UT!

Barry actually drove up with my mom and brother late late late Friday night after trick-or-treating so he could go to College Gameday Saturday morning. I made a couple signs for them to take, and after 3 hours of sleep, he and Ben woke up and headed to the set. You can see the signs pretty well a couple of times and if look really quick, you can see Barry's face during a big crowd shot. It was a dream come true for him! I'm just so glad we figured out a way that he could attend... and I'm thankful that I have a brother still under age that was able to wake up and keep him company:)

It was an amazing game! Of course the game was packed. The students did a really good job of "blacking out" the stadium. You can't really tell in the picture, but trust me that that's what you're seeing.



Here is a picture of the students rushing the field at the end of the game. The Saddle Tramps shoot off guns at the end of each quarter and the end of the game. Whoever was in charge of that needs to be fired because he kept shooting them off before the game was over, and therefor, caused the field to be rushed repeatedly with a second left on the clock. It was pretty amazing though when the student section emptied out finally and covered the field. And, we didn't even tear anything up this time! (The idiots on the goal post patrol need to fired too because they went ahead and lowered the goal post before the game was over!) We did lose a few benches in the student section on a big play, but I know how easily those things break from experience.

It made me a little sad to think about how old I am. I wanted to be young again and be sitting down there in the student section cheering and heckling and standing and jumping and rushing. But I am much too old, and currently, much too pregnant, to enjoy such mayhem!

We sit in the outside section with my brother, Ben. So, here we are documenting our attendance...

And here is Barry and me in another rare no-Leslie photo...

So where's Leslie??
We have awesome friends who offered to watch Leslie for us over the weekend while Barry and I relived our youth. The game didn't start until 7pm and it was just crazy and crowded, so we decided to leave her in Midland. Leslie stayed with Phillip and Jenna (Parker's parents.) They went to the park a ton, and they stripped Leslie down to her diaper and let her play and roll around in some mud they have in their backyard, and Leslie had her first sleepover... with a boy none the less:) The original plan was for Jenna and Baby Beckham to come back over to our house for the night so Leslie could sleep in her own bed, but she didn't want to, so they just gathered up her stuff and let her sleep with Parker in his full size bed! I guess they were plenty tired because Jenna said Leslie didn't move all night:) Hopefully, I can get some pictures of all the fun and post them for all to see! Mega thanks to Phillip, Jenna, Parker and Baby Beckham for helping us out!!! We love yall!

Halloween

Leslie dressed up like a Bumble Bee for Halloween. We never could get a good posed picture of her, but maybe you can composite the idea from these few...

Here she is up at Barry's work. All the kids come up and go trick-or-treating around the office. She filled an entire pumpkin with candy on this trip alone, so we didn't have to worry about collecting candy at any of the other events for the night. She would go up to people and say "Buzz Buzz- Sting!" and tap them with her wand. It was really cute:) This is also the only picture with her wings on...






After dinner, we went up to her "school" for their "Trunk-or-Treat." They had a ton of cars and trucks in the parking lot that kids could get candy from. I'm glad we had already met our candy quota because the line was incredibly long. Leslie of course, just wanted to play on the playground...



She also got to jump in a few big air moon jumpers which she loved. Here she is waiting in line for one...

After this, we traveled around town trick-or-treating, showing her off to a few friends, and then, called it a night. It was a fun Halloween! Now I need to start thinking on how I'm going to theme both my girls next year...

First Pumpkin Carving

Leslie and Daddy carved a pumpkin the other night. While she liked the idea of it (and getting to run around in her diaper,) she did not really want to take an active role in the process. The insides were just too yucky! So, Barry would scrape all the sides down and then she would ladle the guts out carefully to keep a safe distance...

Mommy helped draw the face...

And after Daddy cut out the face... she had a beautiful jack-o-lantern!

The Maize

Last weekend Barry's parents came down to visit. On Saturday, they picked up Barry's niece and nephew who live in Imperial, and we all went to THE MAIZE.




Here is Barry and his dad and all the kiddos as we began the corn maze...



Here's Barry carrying Leslie so she can try and see over the corn and tell us which way to turn...

Here's Barry and the Kiddos ringing the Victory Bell... finally!

They also have a ton of other little activities for people to play on... ideally children, but Barry tried them all out too:) To "help Leslie" I'm sure...

Here is Barry "helping Leslie" and his nephew with the sandbox diggers...

Just kidding... here he is really helping her! I think the real reason couples have babies 2-3 years apart is because that's about the age the kid starts liking Daddy more anyways.

And here they are riding the tractor pulled Cow Train. She LOVED it! She threw her arms up over every bump and waved at everyone passing by!

Here I am smuggling a pumpkin! Just kidding again! 26 weeks down...

Here's Barry and me in a rare non-Leslie picture...

We had a super great day and spent alot more time out there than I ever thought we could! We only had to leave because Leslie's nap time was way over due! Keep checking back for some video, too. It's no zoo or Disneyland, but for Midland, this is about as good as it gets...