Sugar Land, TX

We went with Jeremy last week to Sugar Land. It's right outside of Houston. The drive was about 3 hours and the kids did pretty well. We had a good time while we were there and the kids and I had plenty to do. We visited the Natural History Museum, The Houston Zoo and the Children's Museum. I actually got to order room service one morning, which I haven't done since our honeymoon. It was a good trip, but I was exhausted at the end of each day. This pregnancy is tiring and having two kids does not allow for much down time at all. Here are some photos from the trip.

E.T. Phone Home

Gabe loves E.T.. We were using it for a while as a reward for potty training, but then had to back off. Last week he received a huge surprise in the mail from Rick-E.T.. Gabe went completely nuts when he saw it and has not left it alone since. We had to take him to church with us and he "took a nap" in the van while we went inside. E.T. also lays with Gabe during his quiet time and hangs out with him in his room. Jeremy and I were afraid that Gabe would be scared of him since he has been having trouble with nightmares, but he is not afraid at all. He actually tells E.T. that he will protect him. Aah, the imagination of a 3-year-old, gotta love it.

First Baby Appt

The whole family went to our first appointment today. Jeremy and I chose two midwives that are in practice together. Joi and Stacy are amazing women and have been working together for 5 years. They have delivered babies in third world countries and are both highly qualified. Today we just went over paperwork and figured out my due date which is March 27, 2009. So I am seven weeks along. All of the appts. are at Joi's house and I get to have an ultrasound every time. We were able to see the baby today and clearly make out the heartbeat. Thankfully, one of the apprentices there had zofran on hand and gave me several. I have been extremely nauseous this past week and have lost 4 pounds. Although, you would never be able to tell since I cannot even zip up my regular pants. I actually pulled out a pair of maternity shorts this morning and put them on. Hopefully the sickness will only last through 12 weeks (I am keeping my fingers crossed).

Mr. Incredible

Last Friday, the kids and I went to a play place called Fiddlesticks. Gabe had a great time dressing up in the costumes. His favorite was Mr. Incredible. Once he put on the costume he would not take it off. i think he had it on for almost an hour. It was a little big on him and when he would run around, the muscles built into the chest of the costume would hit him in the chin. He kept saying, "Ta da, I am Msr. Incedible." He doesn't look very happy in the photo below, but he was so excited to be the super hero.

9 Months

Shelby is still crawling away. She is super fast now and follows us around everywhere. She is also getting to the extreme attachment phase with me. When I leave her in another room, she usually cries hard and then cries as she's crawling. It's kind of funny. She is also eating more adult food, we shared a piece of pizza the other night. No other teeth have come in yet, but she is constantly moving her tongue along her top gum and drooling. Shelby's also eating bananas, turkey, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. But her favorite is yogurt and the pizza. We bought her a walk n' ride toy that she has been using a lot since arriving home from TN. She will pull herself and walk behind it for a few minutes then get on her knees and play with all the gadgets on the front. She is really attached to Gabe too, and he can get her giggling when Jeremy and I can't even get a grin out of her. And along with her glow worm that she sleeps with every night, Mom got her a Gund Comfy Cozie Bear. It is so soft and Shelby loves to cuddle with it. She has had a runny nose lately but besides that, she is a happy, healthy 9-month-old baby.

Just Checking

I know this may sound silly, but I took another pregnancy test just to be sure. I am still so surprised by this news. And yes, I am still pregnant. I feel sad and disappointed in myself that I wasn't more careful (although I am not sure how much more careful I could have been). I feel so complete with my two children and Jeremy, that I never even imagined we would have another baby. I don't want those sleepless nights again, the never-ending bottle feedings, my belly growing huge, and one of my most selfish fears-3 kids in diapers. I pray Gabe has this poop issue worked out by March. I know I may sound like a whiny baby when you read this, but I am just being honest. This pregnancy is a real life change and I am glad it will be 9 months before it becomes a reality. I know that when I see this baby I will be excited and happy but right now I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed. And as a result of this news, we are trying to get a more family friendly vehicle, maybe move into a house and figure out how to save even more money. We are so thankful that Jeremy has an amazing job and we are in a good position financially. But who doesn't worry about money when you have kids? taking it one day at a time is best, but what pregnant woman can really do that when hormones are changing everyday? Okay, enough complaining from me.

Nightmares

Poor Gabe. He has been having nightmares for the past several nights now. There are some characters from a few movies he seen lately that really scare him. He's been waking up at 3 in the morning and not really going back to sleep. I have been getting up with him, but Jeremy deicided to just sleep in his room last night. So Gabe slept on the blow up mattress (that's just where he crashed) and Jeremy slept in Gabe's bed. Now Mom had told us before that Gabe talks in his sleep. But last night Jeremy said Gabe kept sitting up in the bed, whininh and talking. Then he yelled for Jeremy and went right back to sleep. I know the nightmares happen to almost every kid, and I went through it a lot when I was younger. But I just feel so bad for my baby. He comes into our room crying and shaking and will not go back in his room without us. Jeremy is planning on sleeping in his room for a few more nights to see what happens. Hopefully taking the movies out of the equation and putting his bed right on the floor, Gabe won't be so scared. We'll just see how long he remembers these characters.

Friends.

While we were in Murfreesboro, we got to spend a lot of time with Kara, Karlee and Cooper. Gabe and Karlee are 9 months apart while Cooper and Shelby are 3 and 1/2 months apart. The kids all played really well together. the babies crawled around everywhere together and the two older kids played outside. The house was a little chaotic and when all the kids were down for naps, I felt exhausted. I didn't get any pictures fo the kids with family this time, but I did get plenty of all the kids.

Kung Fu Panda

Gabe has Kung Fu Panda on the brain 24/7. Bebe took him to see it when it first came out and the child has been hooked ever since. He loves to pretend his the "bad tiger" or the "tiger lady". Bebe and Kay got Gabe all the toys that were available at McDonald's on their Out West Vacation. And then he and Bebe went and saw the movie again while we were in TN. The lateest addition to Gabe's Kung Fu Panda assets is a set of pj's I found at Wal-Mart. When he opened the bag and saw the outfit, he started jumping up and down. We had to put them on right away and he didn't want to take them off.

Surprise

Well, there has been a slight change in the Culbertson household-I am pregnant. Yep, our third baby is due March 22nd or 25th. Of course this is a huge shock to us and was definitely not planned. We are very careful about these things, but I guess God has another plan for us. I have very mixed feelings about the situation but Jeremy is very happy and feels Janet had something to do with all of this. I am very excited to say that I will be going to a midwife and deliver at home or a birthing center. I feel my last two experiences were very stressful and want to see it done the other way. We have interviews with three midwives set up over the next month, so we hope to have chosen someone by the end of the first trimester. I am really praying that this pregnancy is easier than the other two but I guess either way, the end result is worth it.

Shelby's First Steps

Shelby has been pulling up on the furniture for a while, but not really taking any steps. Yesterday, Mom found Shelby pushing the stool around the kitchen. Thankfully, she cooperated with us and I was able to get it on tape.

Gabe's Birthday Pages

Boo

Shelby is getting to such a fun age. Lately, she has started to crinkle her nose just like Gabe used to do. But she adds a little snort and giggle into it.

Busy Busy

Since the beginning of June I feel like our lives have been on the go. With my mom visiting, Jeremy's mom passing away, my sister coming and then mom and Kay stopping back by, it has been a busy month. Then we have had many play dates, a try at Mother's Day Out (unfortunately, that didn't work because Gabe is not all the way potty trained) and done lots of family stuff with Jeremy. Last week was Jeremy's first trip to Kansas City to visit his two projects currently under way. He came back very excited about the progress and will now travel there every other week on Monday evening and come back Tuesday night. It was very strange for me to have him gone and I really did not sleep well at all Monday night. Then every one of us came down with colds-not fun. But things seem to be calming down just a bit. I am thinking of joining a YMCA so I have some time to myself while the kids stay in the Child Watch area. And if we join, we will probably put Gabe in the soccer or t-ball league for 3-4 year olds in the fall and Jeremy is thinking of volunteering his time to coach. It will only be one practice during the week and then one game on the weekend. It's so strange thinking Gabe is ready to play sports-my baby is growing up so fast.We will be going to TN in a few weeks, so we'll be busy there too. Here are a few pictures from Mom and Jessie's visits. And I will post some others of the kids soon

8 Months Old

Shelby is really growing and changing everyday. She is picking up things and studying them for long periods of time. The TV and DVD player are constant attractions for her and the word no is quickly becoming common in our conversations with her. As we shake our heads at her, she smiles and does the same. Little Shelby is in 9 month clothes, although most of the outfits are still a bit big. She is pulling up on the furniture and us with total ease. Those little feet always seem to be working. Today she let go of me and just stood there for a few seconds before she plopped right down on her behind. Shelby seems to be teething again and this time is a bit worse than before. She is really fussy and has a runny nose to go along with the top front teeth breaking through. Shelby also goes after Gabe with a vengeance now. She tries to keep up with him, but can't really even come close. They roll around on the floor together and laugh, but Shelby usually ends up crying. I guess that is the life of the younger sibling. Shelby really loves the pool and I think we will have a little swimmer on our hands next year with the floaties.

Family Photo Shoot

We had our annual shoot taken a few weeks ago and I am so please with the results. Here are some of my favorites.

Okay, I Know I Keep Switching

Well, I love the Shutterfly site, but I do not like the fact that I have to use U Tube for the video and how I cannot put the pictures in the actual journal part. So, I am going to continue using this blog for our stories and just update the Shutterfly site with all our pictures. That way if anyone wants to order old or new photos, they are there.

New Blog

Here is the link to our new blog: http://theculbertsonfamily.site.shutterfly.com/. It includes all the photos we take, videos and family stories. I am still working on it, but it's mostly done. check it out.

Birthday Party

This weekend we went to a birthday party for a little girl in our play group. There was a face painter there and at first Gabe was a little intimidated. But once he saw that there was a Spiderman face, he was all for it.

And Shelby and I actually posed for a photo, TOGETHER. I am sorry to say we don't get many opportunities like that.

No More Naps

We have been fighting Gabe to go to bed at night for probably a good 4 or 5 months. He would nap and then not go to bed until ten. We would put him in the bed at 8:30 every night, but he got up several times every night. I was not ready to give up my "alone time" during the day so we kept this routine up. Finally, this week I gave in. And you know what? It really hasn't been that bad. Gabe still has his quiet time every afternoon while Shelby sleeps and I am still able to get some things done. But the most beautiful part is that my little boy now goes down by 8 WITHOUT a fight. We are actually having peaceful evenings again and it's so nice. Here is a picture I took from a recent nap. Now we are going to work on getting rid of the pacis.

Sea World...Take 2

Gabe and I went by ourselves to the park this past Tuesday and had a much better time than before. We saw the all the animal exhibits and went from one end of the park to the other. Although it was really hot, it was a lot of fun. We even got to feed the dolphins.

Home

We are home from Janet's funeral services. They were very lovely and she looked beautiful. She was buried in Fulton, MS next to her father. Her mother lives there along with some of her siblings. I want to thank all of you for the cards and prayers you have sent our way over the past week. This has just been a huge shock to us all and I hope the Culbertson and Ragsdale families can begin the healing process now. I know it will never be the same without Janet here with us.

It's A Boy

My close girlfriend Arianna, who is livnig back in Miami now, gave birth to another boy on May 28th. Marcelo Blanco was born at 2:38 pm weighing 8 lbs and 21 inches long. Arianna gave birth in her bathtub-how cool is that?? Baby and Mom are both doing great. CONGRATULATIONS to the Blanco Famly.

New PJ's

I love babies in pj's. We found some great sales at Old Navy over the weekend and each child got some new "pajomos" as Gabe likes to call them.

Gabriel

I know I have been giving a lot of attention to Shelby in these posts, so I thought I would give an update on the changes in Gabe's life. He has been saying full sentences lately and really picking up on things Jeremy and I talk about. He weighs 38 pounds and is quite tall. Thankfully, he is able to fit into all his shorts from last summer and his swim trunks. He still sleeps with his pacis, but that's quite alright with me. If sleeping with pacis means I get him to take a nap, I'll deal with it. He does take naps most days, but he does skip every once in a while. The naps are shorter but I am happy he still goes down.
Gabe is very creative and loves to imitate animals, play with paint and still his favorite, Play-Doh. Jeremy bought him several animal figurines from Wal-Mart and Gabe carries them everywhere and even sleeps with them. He really likes books and has been hanging out in his room more listening to books on CD. He is also learning his numbers and loves to sing nursery rhymes.
I am hoping to teach Gabe the basics of swimming while my mom visits for the next few weeks. He seems much more excited about getting in the water this summer and trying some new things. He already blows bubbles in the tub which he flat out refused to do last summer. I think if I am consistent with him, we will have a little fish on our hands before long.
Gabe loves Shelby, but picks on her all the time. He is either sitting on her, rolling her over or yelling because she is messing with his things. But he is sweet with her and gives her lots of love.
I am so pleased with the person Gabriel is becoming. He has such a warm heart heart and friendly demeanor. Of course, he can be wild and make me want to pull my hair out some days but that's to be expected. He is a great kid.

Sea World

Okay, I think I was a little naive to believe that we could spend a lot of time at this park, just the 3 of us. The kids didn't misbehave or anything, but it was 102 degrees and that park is massive. I had no idea where anything was so we wandered around. I wasn't able to get nearly as many pictures as I wanted to, but below are a few. Gabe loved looking at the shark and fish exhibits. He wasn't really impressed with the Sea Lion show. Next time I will have a game plan ahead of time so I know where i am going and what we will be doing. We are thinking of getting Jeremy a season pass as well so he can go with Gabe. But we had a good time and both kids took long naps this afternoon. And I will be going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow we are going to hit the pool here and then go to the Riverwalk in the evening. Sunday Gabe and Jeremy are off to the zoo again and then we are going to spend Memorial Day just hanging out together.

Teeth

Shelby has been cutting her first 2 teeth for about a week now. I am surprised she has behaved so well. The other day she seemed to fuss constantly, but it wasn't really that bad. I think she looks adorable.

Head Shaker

Shelby has started doing this in the past few days and it's soooo cute.

Presidian

This is Jeremy's company. Just wanted to add it so you all could see what he does.
http://www.presidian.com/. You may have to copy and paste the link.

The Weekend

Jeremy kept the kids today while I got to run errands and have some alone time. He told me tonight, "Sarah, you have to be tired at the end of a normal day cuz I am exhausted." I laughed and said that I usually am beat. But he and Gabe spent lots of time outside with some water guns and Shelby got to enjoy a ride in the sling. I love that Jeremy will wear that thing.
Today was really nice for me. I was able to explore some more of this big city and I feel a bit more comfortable now on the major interstates. The view from one bridge was beautiful, I could see over the treetops and straight downtown. And this evening Gabe and I went around trying to fins some bugs to put in his bug catcher. We didn't find any bugs but we did bring back some golf balls for Jeremy. It's funny how far off some golfers are from the actual hole.

Here is the view from our back porch. Pretty peaceful, huh? :)

Thumb Sucker

Shelby has sucked her thumb she was six weeks old. We soon learned she likes to hold things in her hand while sucking that teeny thumb. She especially loves Bebe's chain for her glasses. She wraps it around her finger and lays her head down on Bebe's chest. It's so sweet. So since Bebe is not close by :( Shelby finds some interesting substitutes. The other night she grabbed one of Gabe's plastic forks and began to suck away. It really calms her down and is precious to watch. She also likes to grab some of my hair in her hand along with a stuffed animal.

Gabe's Possessions

Since Shelby has begun to crawl, Gabe is having major major issues with his things being touched. Even if he is not playing with something, if Shelby is touching it he loses his little mind. Today she was going after his sandals and instead of Gabe picking them up and putting them on the stairs like I suggested, he thought they would be more protected on his feet. I couldn't help but get this photo opp. He had just woken up from his nap, that's why the diaper is still on. He wanted me to put on my shoes so Shelby couldn't touch them too.

The San Antonio Zoo

We visited the zoo last weekend and then this past Thursday. It is a really nice place and a great way to entertain Gabe. He and Jeremy ran around looking at all the animals and just having fun. Shelby was really good even though she skipped her morning nap. we got a good hour and a half in before the kids got cranky and then it was time to go. On Thursday i took the kids and we went through part of the zoo. Gabe listened really well and everyone behaved beautifully. These pictures are from when all of us went.


Gabe could not stop talking about the rhinos after we left, so I added the picture for him.

Just An Update

This week has been stressful to say the least. We do not have our internet service yet so I am "stealing" someone else's wireless service when I can. Our apartment has very old appliances and we have had several problems including the dish washer literally smoking. When we left Diamondhead, we left behind Keith's ladder and Cherie and Joel's lawnmower and gas can. We found out soon after we left that the items were gone, STOLEN. I am so mad about that. I cannot believe someone went over there right after we left and just took what they wanted.

Gabe has been acting out (that's putting it mildly) but seems to have some good moments too. Shelby is cutting her first tooth and crawling (slowly) all over the place. We went to the zoo today, which was fun but a bit difficult with 2 kids. San Antonio is pretty cool so far and we went to our first play date this past Friday which was a lot of fun. We met some nice moms and kids and hope to become more active.

There are only seven boxes left to unpack and then it will be done. I hope to get the kids to the pool this week, it's been in the 90's here.

Texas

We made it. We are safe. We are exhausted. And the kids are in their own rooms. YES-there is a merciful God. More later.

Crazy Shelby

This was last night. Shelby has a little case of diaper rash so I was letting her air out for a bit. She army crawled about 6 six feet and found this toy.

Videos

This is from yesterday when Gabe just couldn't get enough of Shelby laughing.



And this morning, Shelby began to "crawl". It is too cute seeing her scoot across the floor like that.

6 Months

Shelby is 6 months old today. Many of her new talents include getting up on her knees and rocking, scooting on her belly in circles, eating more food at one sitting, annoying her brother by touching anything that belongs to him and much, much more. She has begun to get more of an attitude and cries now when she is left alone in her bed. Her naps are still not air tight, one day she takes 2 long naps, the next day it's 3 short ones. The other morning she was up at 5:45 and this morning she didn't make a sound until 7. But thankfully her night sleeping has not changed at all. Shelby weighs sixteen pounds now, but still seems so small. I guess she is going to be a petite girl. When I look at Shelby I see so much joy and happiness in her. I cannot wait to see what she begins doing next.

AAAGGGHHHH

So, we still have not gotten a confirmation on the day the movers will be here next week. At least we have a place to live in San Antonio. We are slowly packing but will probably do a marathon this weekend. We have a family photo shoot Saturday afternoon and then I am seeing my cousin Eileen Sunday. I hope to see Debbie and Keith over the weekend as well. My car has had problems the past few days and Jeremy's truck has been out of commission for a few weeks now. Shelby is either teething or has a yucky cold and Gabe is still having some problems with the whole poop thing. I would like to see my friends one more time before we set off, so hopefully the car will be up and running by Friday. Thank goodness Jeremy's co-worker lives close by and can give him a ride to Biloxi. The kids and I have been taking lots of walks and staying busy with hide and seek and play-doh.

Needless to say, we are staying super busy and will not stop until we reach Texas.

Gabe's Continued Obsession

I think Gabe is going to do something in the art world when he gets older. The child is truly in love with Play-Doh. every chance he gets he is sitting at the table making animals, people, boats, whatever. It is a great wat to pass the time for him and myself. Although many times I get roped into making an animal that doesn't look remotely like it should. But Gabe is happy with the outcome so that's all that matters. He even sleeps with an animal he makes or a can of the doh. It's cute to see him holding onto it so tight while he takes his afternoon naps.

Shelby's Girly Pose

Shelby is so freakin' hilarious when she gets on her belly. She will scoot herself in a complete circle to try and get to something she wants. There have been some moments where she has gotten on her knees, but no crawling yet. But she has begun to strike this "girly pose" whenever she wants to see what is beside her or behind her. Jeremy and I laugh everytime she does it because it just looks so funny. She's showing off her first model pose (look out Baby GAP).

Just Some Cute Pictures

And no, Shelby's hair is not red. I think it's just the lights in the bathroom that make her hair seem different. She is still ash blond, although the back is getting darker.