Thomas Michael Johnston

So, after some computer issues, the doctor’s office finally got me the 4D sono pics and dvd. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

I love this first one because she is smiling.  We actually got several little “Smiles” during the sonogram.  Also we got a couple of grimaces.  For some reason we don’t have pictures of the grimaces.

I love this one because I think its sweet the way that her little hand is next to her cheek.

And I think that the next one is great to compare her to Thomas’ newborn picture. What do you think?

I definitely think that there are some similarities there.

It really is amazing that September is just meer days away. I feel like this month has gotten away from us faster than most.  I think starting school has something to do with that along with just the fact that we have just been busy.  I hope September brings a little bit of a lighter schedule since I would like to have some down time before we have months of no down time.  I have tried to keep doing fun things with Thomas on non-school days. This past Tuesday we went to Chuck E. Cheese with his “favorite boy” Max. He had a blast. He calls it Chuck E. Jesus which we find very funny. They both had so much fun I am sure that another trip is in their very near future.

Thomas continues to keep growing up so fast. He will be 3 1/2 next week and that just blows my mind. He seems to learn something new daily.  And continues to amaze me by how funny he is.  He really does have amazing comedic timing.  I would love to think he gets that from me, but it’s completely his father.

I know that I have said it here before, but motherhood is such a weird thing.  It’s amazing how you can look at this little person and wish for them to stay small.  To stay your baby.  Then you can’t help but look forward to the person they are going to become.  Be excited to see how all of the quirks they have now turn into who they will be 10, 20, 30 years from now.  I know that I will miss this stage of his life.  All of the wonder and learning and joy he has, (I have a friend who says that no one enjoys life more than Thomas.  This is completely true.) but I also wouldn’t miss what is coming next for anything.

So, we had a completely successful 4D sonogram today.  Apparently it was one of the best ones that our sonotech had ever seen.  We should have the DVD of pics and video tomorrow or Friday.  I will post some pictures as soon as we get them along with a comparison of Thomas as a baby.  I think that they are going to look a lot alike!!

So I had this whole post planned for Wednesday. I was going to title it, “Introducing Hailey Johnston…” It was going to include beautiful pictures from our 4D sonogram which was going to allow you to decide who she favored and if the name that we have chosen really fits. But as I should have known, the child who was oh so happy to show her face 2 weeks ago was hiding and not cooperating at all. So all you are going to get for now is the picture of a picture of the regular sonogram that we had 2 weeks ago.  I am pretty sure that you can not tell who she looks like in this picture!!

In other news, I got a surprise e-mail from my Jessie letting me know that she had decided to surprise her mom for her birthday and was in Cedar Key.  Since this put her in the same country & state as me I couldn’t pass up a trip to Cedar Key to catch up.  We got to spend the better part of yesterday together just hanging out.  It was great to see each other with no agenda, just some good old fashioned hanging out time. 

Here are two somewhat unrelated pictures that relate more to the previous post and less to this one.  The belly at 28 or 29 weeks, I don’t remember and the boy doing what he does best.  Goofing off.  After his bath one night he was playing super hero with his towel.  This was his super hero pose.

Sometimes when it takes me a while between post I feel that I should apologize for taking so long to post.  But then I realize that may seem a little big headed of me since it would assume that you are waiting each minute for a new post.  However, I do know that some of you use this blog to keep up with us (by that I mean maybe two of you) (okay, maybe just my mom & and she has heard most of this before but still likes reading it) and I still feel a little bad when it takes so long to put up a new post.  So anyway, for those of you who care (Mom), I’m sorry it’s been so long between posts.

Here’s the low down on where we have been, bullet style (We’ll start with the youngest):

• Baby girl Johnston - Still in there.  Still moving, still growing.  She only has 11 weeks left before she moves out of her current home.  We have yet to name the poor child.  If we wait until she is 3 or 4 I figure she can just name herself.  She might name herself Dora or Sleeping Beauty, but still at least she would have a name.  We had a sonogram last Wednesday and while there has been some change in the placentas location, it’s not enough yet.  I have another sonogram scheduled for 32 weeks to check it again.  Tyler was not able to go with me this time so I took the grandmothers.  The sono tech may have been a genius.  After she was done checking everything she switched over to the 4D sonogram.  During this the baby gave us a little sleeping smiled and seemed to look a lot like her brother.  The grandmas were smitten.  They were practically pulling their checkbooks out before even leaving the room.  So we have a full length 4D sonogram schedule for next Wednesday.  They will give me a disk with some pictures on it, I will pass those along.
• Thomas - He started school last Monday and so far really loves it.  I really like his teacher this year.  I think that she will be very good with him.  He is still making us crazy during this 3 year old testing of limits phase, but he also makes us laugh daily.  The other day he told me thank you for turning his show on and that he was so proud of me.  And today when I kissed him on the forehead he said, “I love that!”  How can that not make up for all the bad?  I think it’s God’s way of keeping numbers down in the circus.  If they weren’t cute & funny, we would all be selling our kids.
• Me - I am doing mostly good.  I am eating a lot and getting fatter by the day.  I wish I could say it was only in my stomach, but that seems to be the part of me that isn’t getting too big.  I was really hoping for an answer at the last sonogram and it bugs me a little that I didn’t get one.  I am not a person who is very good at waiting and this is really testing me.  Also, I turn 29 on Friday.  My cousin who is just a couple of months younger than me and I were joking that this is the last birthday we’ll ever celebrate.  My mom interrupted and said that was 39, not 29.  We both decided that 29 would be it for us.  I’m sure we’ll change our mind sometime in the next 10 years.
• Tyler - Still working hard.  He has really gotten into diving lately and so have several of his friends.  This gives him a nice outlet from work.  He has also started taking Thomas to “work” with him every so often.  Thomas loves the boys day out. 

So that’s where we have been, what we have been up to.  I’ll try and get some pictures up soon, but you know how it goes.  So I’m not making any promises.

So for starters, I should say that I did try to find the same shirt that I took the other picture in for comparison sake, but I couldn’t.  So you get this washed out green shirt instead.  Also, I feel I should note that I am wearing yoga pants that have never actually been used for that purpose.  I believe that I did walk in them once or twice, but usually they are used more for lounging.

Tomorrow I will be both 26 weeks and 6 months.  I am starting to feel a little more pregnant with each passing day.  My body does make up time quickly.  It may wait a while to actually start showing any signs of pregnancy, but once it does, it does very quickly.  I think that the heat is helping with that feeling.  If it had been in my plan to get pregnant during these months I would now be hitting myself.  It was not.  I knew better!!  :)  I would have a 3-ish month old baby if my planning had taken place.  I will say that the upside to this waiting and hot pregnant summer is that I have had several friends just recently gave birth to girls.  This is great because I already have an awesome newborn wardrobe with the promise of more on the way. 

We just found out that my sister-in-law is also having a girl.  This makes us both very excited.  I have 2 girl cousins the same age I am and she has one that is the same age as her.  She is due 6 weeks behind me so they will also be close in age.  Thomas is shaping us to be the only boy grandchild on both sides.  I feel that this can’t be good for him.  Mainly for spoiling reasons.

On a silly note: Two recent Thomas quotes

While Tyler was putting him to bed one night: “Daddy, when I get big like you and mommy I am going to lay on the couch and go to sleep when I want to.”

To me today when leaving the store: “I need to see daddy.”

Me: “Daddy is at work.”

“Why does he go to work?”

“Well, he just has to go to work some days.”

“So that he can buy me Buzz Lightyear Pajamas.”

“Exactly”

I never really had the opportunity to “nest” when I was pregnant with Thomas.  At least not in the traditional sense.  We moved about 5 weeks before I had him so up until that point I couldn’t do anything to get ready for him and after that point it was more like unpacking madness.  Thanks to my mom and grandmother my new house was more than ready for him when he came.  But I don’t truly consider that nesting since it’s something you do when you move regardless of a baby coming.  That being said.  I can tell that nesting has started this time around.  I know that this is the house that we will bring our baby home to.  I know where her room will be, where her stuff should go.  But because she won’t have her “own” space there is a lot to do.

I think that the other thing plaguing me this time is a totally unclear time line.  I guess there never truly is one, but due to the placenta previa, I could have her in her scheduled 3 1/2 months or 2 1/2 months.  That second time line seems really, really short.  I have my next sonogram on August 6th, but until then I am not sure.

Here is the problem I have.  I am not a “wait until Tyler gets home” or “call my friend” kind of gal.  I like to do it myself.  There is something bothfun and rewarding about rearranging a room.   Of course I was told to take it easy so that should stop me right?  Well, not so much.  Today I moved all of the furniture in Thomas’ room.  I mean ALL of it.  By myself.  I want his room to be done slowly so that when we add the crib to it and eventually a baby he has a little time to get used to each stage.  And since I have the whole nesting thing going on it had to be done NOW!!  And Thomas loved it, he had been at work with Tyler and when he got home he ran in his room to get something and stopped at the door and exclaimed, “I love my new room, Mommy!!” which totally made all of the hard work worth it. 

There is still a lot to do, but I figure that I have at least earned a ticket to sit on the couch and do nothing this afternoon.  Nothing to complain about there!!

We have been trying to live it up this summer.  It is already super hot here.  I would love to blame that on pregnancy, but I’m sure anyone, pregnant or not, would agree with me.  Our friends the Baxley’s have moved back to FL.  Unfortunately, they didn’t quite make it all the way down to Tampa, but an 1 1/2 hour drive is a lot less than 8.  They threw a party in honor of their move.  True to FL style, it rained.  I think it just made it more fun for the kids though!!

 
To help keep us cool I bought a blow up pool for the backyard.  It’s just big enough that if I am feeling fat and hot I can join him.  I also bought Thomas Batman goggles and flippers.  He loves them.  And they encourage him to go underwater which I enjoy.  He is doing really well with his swimming.  I still don’t think he will be ready in time for this summer’s Olympics, but one can never tell.

 
We had our annual 4th of July bash in Cedar Key.  I know I have mentioned it here, but this is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays.  It’s the one time that all of my mom’s family seems to be able to get together.  Bigger holidays get eaten up and shared with other sides of families, in-laws, crazy schedules, etc.  The 4th is just for us.

This was also the first time in almost 10 years that all of the 6 grandchildren were together in one location.  We have come close many times, but it just never seems to happen.  This 4th it did.  We have certainly grown (in many ways) since that picture that was taken 10 years ago. 

Summer really is going by so fast that I just can’t believe it.  Thomas starts back to school in just a couple of weeks.  He will be going 3 days this year which is both exciting and a little sad for me.  With the 2 day program I didn’t look back.  So I don’t know if it’s the hormones at work or if 3 days really does seem like a lot more than 2. 

It’s official.  There is now a belly.  This is only discouraging to me because I get a mild rash when thinking about maternity pants.  I am just not a fan.  They are getting close my friends.  Oh so close.  Luckily since I carry pretty high I get to stay in regular pants for a little while longer.

I think that I have officially picked baby bedding for this girl who has still yet to be named. I completely blame my husband for that.  He is too picky.  And doesn’t offer suggestions, just says no to mine.  And I have thrown some pretty great names out there.  I’ll keep you posted on the naming and the growth.  It’s just getting started!!

It’s been a long time since I have posted anything.  We’ve had a crazy couple of weeks.  Tyler was in Uganda, Africa for 12 days and while he was gone we kept ourselves entertained with VBS, pool time, and a visit to CK.  He has been back about a week and boy are we glad to have him back.  Thomas was just not quit the same kid without him around.  I’m sure I was not quite the same mom either. 

We did have a little late night adventure that took both Thomas and I about a week to get over.  Tyler’s flight was originally scheduled to return home Monday night at 10:45.  I gave Thomas a late nap thinking the he could just stay up and go with me to get him.  Tyler’s flight then got delayed until about 11:45, then 12:15, then 1:15.  I still let Thomas go.  We got home about 2 that morning.  Thomas woke up at 7.  I coaxed him into going back to sleep and he woke back up at 8:30.  Still not quite enough sleep for either of us.  But it was worth it in the end.  He was beyond excited to see his daddy.

Here are some random photos from May.  I have taken exactly zero pictures this month.  The first 2 are from our beach trip last month and the last 2 are from a petting zoo thing he had at his school.