ALLERGIES!!!

After a very long year of dealing with Travis's ecxema, rashes, runny nose, etc, we took him to an allergist. We got to the allergist at 4pm. Keep in mind, we had Emily this week so Steven was home with the girls and brought them too. I wanted Steven there because he has never experienced allergies nor does he have any understanding of them.
Back to the main point- we got there at 4pm. We were quickly put into a room- with tile floor- and Travis started roaming the room. The nurse asked a million questions about family history (Yep, its all my fault) and then left the room. That was about 4:30. Then we waited. We waited. We waited. Travis started throwing stuff. We waited. Travis started yelling (probably because his sister Kaylie was in his face the entire time we were there). We waited. Travis started crying. Look at my watch- its 5:10. What in the world. Travis goes to bed at 5:30 so we are nearing D-Day with him. He started picking up the toys and throwing them across the room... I tried stopping him at first but then realized, hey, if they want to take that long, I will let him do whatever. Steven was SUPER annoyed at this point.
Finally, at 5:30, Steven went looking for the nurse. She came in and asked if he had had any reactions- huh? I said reactions to what... she thought he had already been tested. NO LADY! So she went to get the doctor. I really liked him- but I was beyond frustrated at this point. They did the skin prick test and BAM- Travis immediately starting having flare ups all over his back. That was the longest 15 minutes ever. Thankfully, he was tired and just wanted his mama to hold him.
Turns out TRavis is allergic to a lot of very basic stuff. MILK, EGGS, PEANUT and DOG! Come on kid! Couldn't you have made it any easier on me?
That night, I had to stop at the grocery store and start accumulating stuff that he could eat. Soy milk, soy yogurt, fruit, dairy free snacks. IT was alot of work...
BUT...
I am happy to report that Travis has been doing this diet for 2 weeks. His skin looks a MILLION times better. He now likes to poo several times a day but who wouldn't with all that nasty soy crap (literally).
Anyways- we are on the mend now. If anyone has any great recipes that are egg/milk/peanut and of course DOG free, pass them my way.

Polar Express Train

We took the kids this past weekend to ride the Polar Express Train in Palestine. Let me just start off by saying that Steven was SUPER excited to drive 3+ hours to ride a train- I forgot to tell him when we started the trip that the train ride would only last about 30 minutes... oops!
It took us about 4 hours, 15 minutes to get there. We had 2 potty stops before we got out of Houston! It was crazy!
The actual train ride was cute- the kids enjoyed it. Travis had a cold from Thanksgiving weekend and he was still feeling crummy from it so he was a bit under the weather and not his usual happy self. But overall, it was fun.
Would we go again? No, I don't think we will do it again. But we can say we've ridden the Polar Express Train right? Here are pics!

More of T...

More pics

Happy Birthday Travis Cade

One year ago tonight, I was having major anxiety. I was wondering. Waiting. Excited. Nervous. Scared. Emotional. Miserable. Hungry. Miserable. HUGE. Hungry. Couldn't sleep. Did I mention HUNGRY, HUGE and miserable?
I was one night away from meeting my precious baby boy Travis. I can still remember all of the feelings and emotions I had this exact night, one year ago. It was such a long and emotional road for us to get to that point and I remember just feeling so RELIEVED that we were finally there.
I can't believe that Travis has been here for a year! I can't believe how much he has changed our family and just completed it.
He has this infectious smile... I look at him and he makes this silly chuckle and smiles the most adorable smile and I just melt. You can't help but just smile back.
He is a mover and a shaker! The child started walking at 9 1/2 months and he's been moving ever since. He loves to dance. He loves to listen to music and some songs, that Steven plays for him over and over, he hums along.
He loves to do TOUCHDOWN and raise his hands. He adores his sisters and follows them around wherever they go. He loves to give hugs and sugars. So very loveable.
Travis Cade, my sweet little man that I just adore- mommy loves you more than you will ever comprehend. I will always be proud of you, I will always support you and you will ALWAYS be my baby.

Travis starts school

When I went back to work in January, my mother in law Lisa started to watch the kiddos at our house. I was very relieved because I had TERRIBLE mommy guilt about going back to work and leaving Travis. She would come over everyday, get Kaylie off to school and then take care of TRavis until Kay got home from school. It was a great set-up! We decided a few months ago that we were getting close to wanting to put Travis into school so that he could start meeting other kids and be more socialized.
Kaylie started school at 3 months old- she never really knew any different. It was still extremely hard on me to leave her and there were many many times that I cried in the parking lot after I walked out of her school. I would call to check on her all of the time. It did get alot easier because I loved her school. They were wonderful to my family!
Well fast forward 6 years and now its Travis's turn to go to school. I was a complete mess. He seemed to do just fine but I think he was just in awe of all of the toys and little people his size! I cried daily for the first few weeks. I have awful mommy guilt with him. I don't know if its because he is our last baby or that I just am at that point where I want to stay home and be there more for the kids- I have no idea- but I've been an emotional wreck about leaving my little guy.
To his credit, he's done great. He loves playing with the other kids and is constantly trying to hug them and kiss them. He got a note sent home his first day because apparently, he and another little boy both wanted the same toy- TRavis won but decided to hit the other boy in the face with the toy, maybe to mark his territory? Either way, they said that when the little boy started crying, Travis got terribly upset and was crying too. So he's a sensitive guy. My sweet boy.
Steven hates it but he LOVES his baby. He carries it around with the arm hanging out of his mouth. I think its adorable!
They did inform me that he will be moving to the next classroom since he's almost one, is a mini giant and has been walking for almost 3 months! So that will happen the week after his birthday.
Here are some pics of him from his first day! My sweet big boy, who is almost one. :)

Prince Tribute Concert

Oh yeah, you read that right. Me and my girls went to see the Prince Tribute concert at the House of Blues. There were about 11 of us in total- we got a room at the Hilton Americas downtown and had drinks in the room before! Then we went and ate at the HOB before the concert started. It was AWESOME!! The band was dead on for Prince and did a great job. And of course I had a great time with all my girls!

Busy Busy Busy!!!

I know, what in the world is wrong with you Jen? You used to update your blog all the time! Well... plain and simple answer (2 actually)... I have no time it seems and the time I do have, I am usually posting to Facebook. I know- lame answer but at least I'm being truthful.
Here are some updates on the family:
Emily is doing great in 4th grade and she just joined the choir. She's getting TALL- relative to me- and she's such a sweet girl when she is here at the house.
Kaylie is our little diva- she lovesssss to read- she has improved her reading level 2 levels since the end of kindergarten! She plays school everyday, both before school and after school. She is also doing a theater class every Saturday at Main Street Theater and LOVING it! She's in 1st grade and loves her new teacher! She is definitely the entertainment in our house.
Travis is now 11 months old. Hard to believe my baby is almost a year. The time has gone by way too fast and I feel like I've missed out on alot with him. He recently started school and by the end of the first week, he had a fever and turns out he had double ear infections. He's been walking since he was about 9 1/2 months and he LOVEEEESSSS Kaylie. He looks for her every morning when I get him out of his bed and he just laughs and laughs at her. He's such a good spirited baby.
Steven and I are just cranking along. Work and fun with the kiddos. We went to NYC in September and got to spend some time just the two of us (and with some good friends too) it was a great trip.
I'm busy now planning Travis's 1st birthday party and trying to figure out a way that I can spend more time with my kids. We'll see where that takes me.
Here are some pics of the kiddos lately... and I'll try to be better about updates!

Anyone out there????

I know, I know... its been a very long time since I last updated. Boy have we had a lot going on in the last month or so.
Travis spent 2 1/2 nights in the hospital for what they thought was the measles- turned out to be a virus and an allergic reaction. Steven and I both got sooo sick from staying in the hospital- it was awful. I am still trying to get over it.
Kaylie has had a great summer- she went to several theater camps (thats her calling), Kids College by Wharton Jr College, Sea Camp by Texas A&M, she went to Sea World, the Country (as the kids call their grandparents place), swimming, swimming and more swimming- and just had a blast of a summer. This was her first REAL summer. She wasn't in daycare, she got to sleep in, read when she wanted, do fun activities during the day- it was great!
Emily was here for the month of July and then here and there throughout the entire summer. It was awesome! We feel so complete when she is here, everything just fits. So its been a great summer- hard to believe that school is starting up next week. Kaylie will be in 1st grade and Emily in 4th!
Travis is also starting school soon! We are very excited for him- he will be going to Primrose just like Kaylie and we are thrilled! We have really enjoyed Lisa watching the kids and spending lots of quality time with them but we are excited for Travis to make friends and start in the school structure. It worked so well for Kaylie, we think it will be great for him too!
Travis is now 9 months old. Can you believe that? He is 27 pounds and is off the charts in all measurements. He sleeps through the night- and when I say through the night, I mean 7pm- 7/8am! The kid is a dream sleeper, unlike his sweet big sissy Kaylie. He knows who Sissy is and will scope the room looking for Kaylie. He adores his sisters. He is quite the mover and loves to crawl all over the place. He's standing on his own and tries to take steps- I think he will be walking very soon.
As for me and Steven- its the same old drill. Work and kids. Oh and working out for Steven... wish I could say that was a huge thing on my list but can't fully commit to it.
Steven and I have a trip planned to NYC in September. We can't wait! We need a vacation so badly!
I will post pictures soon- I am just too lazy to do it tonight. But I wanted to make sure SOMEONE is at least still reading this??? Facebook is so much easier, I'm much better with that.
Love to all- enjoy your week and hug your babies... XOXO

Travis is 8 months old!!!

Its hard to believe that my little man is now 8 months old. Time has FLOWN by! He's been such a good baby and such a little charmer. His sweet smile just melts my heart everytime I see it! Here are some tidbits about him:
*Weighs 26 1/2 pounds
*When he can fit into a shoe, its a size 5.
*Can sit up on his own and can pull himself into sitting position from laying down.
*Rolls EVERYWHERE! He just now started crawling but for the longest, he would roll to get where he wanted and he was fast!
*Crawls on all 4s with 1 leg dragging the ground. It is so funny but he is so proud when he does it- he will look back at you for approval and laugh!
*Says mama, dada and baba.
*He can wave, back at himself of course.
*He is just like his dad in that he loves to stare at himself in mirrors!!! And he cracks up and talks to himself.
*Sleeps through the night- here lately, he has been getting up because of his allergies but for the most part, he's a good sleeper.
*He is starting to clap!
*He ADORES his sisters. He can be fussing and they will walk into the room and he goes nuts with laughing, talking and jumping around.
*He is by far my biggest snuggler out of all 3 kids. Kaylie is a close 2nd!

We are so blessed. We love this little precious boy so much and he just completes our family. Life couldn't get any sweeter than this.

Still Here!

I know, its been forever since I posted. I have been incredibly busy! We put the pool in and it was PARTY FREAKIN CENTRAL here. Seriously, since April 23, I think we have had some sort of function here EVERY weekend! Baby showers, Kaylie's party, Emily's party, Steven's party, Amanda's 21st party... then my weekend with just my girlfriends! ITs been BUSY! But so much fun.
Kaylie finished Kindergarten- Steven and I attended her ceremony and I was bawling. Her sweet teacher, who was absolutely wonderful, made this video of the kids throughout the year and of course the music was so sappy. So I cried. And ahem, Steven did too. :) HArd to believe my Kaylie Grace, my wild independent beautiful girl is going to 1st grade. She did great in school this year, her reading is going very well and she made alot of good friends.
Emily finished 3rd grade- CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? 3rd grade? And she's 9!! WHAT? Where in the world did that little girl I met so long ago disappear to? She is the sweet mothering one of the bunch. She looks out for her brother and sister everywhere we go. You should see her in action with Travis- she's very good with him and he just adores her.
Travis is almost 8 months old. My sweet baby boy. He is such a good baby. He now sleeps through the night, he weighs 27 pounds, has 2 teeth on the bottom and is getting 4 on the top. He is a HOSS! But a sweet boy- a mama's boy. He can say mama, dada and bababababa (whatever that is). His eyes are BROWN!!! YIPPPEE!!! One that finally looks like me. He actually looks like my Dad, who I think is very handsome so I'm just very happy!
Summer is in full swing- Kaylie did a theater camp at Fort Bend Theater, playing the maid Sophie in Annie. I think she found her calling! She absolutely loved it! We were so proud of her! Emily will be here all of July and we are super excited- they will be going to Sea Camp in Galveston which is put on by TEXAS A&M and then Kids College as well! fun packed summer!
Thats about all I can think of right now. Pics are in the next post...

Family Love

Last week was a tough week. As I mentioned before, Steven's grandmother passed away the day before Mothers Day. I felt so sad for Steven and his family. Its funny- when we first met, she wasn't a fan of me. She was not happy when she found out Steven and I were having a baby and she certainly was not that excited when we got married. She didn't know me but she wanted Steven to be with Emily's mom- which was understandable.
Once we had Kaylie and she started to see me with the kids, she realized that I was a good person and that I took good care of my family, her grandson included. She also knew that I loved and cared for Steven's family very much. She would start giving me hugs and tell me you're a good momma, you're a good momma to those kids. And she would tell me that I always treated Emily like she was my own... so I'm at peace knowing that she approved of me. She loved her family and her great grandkids. It was hard this week on everyone- esp Larry. I felt so bad for him and it was so hard to see him so vulnerable like that. This past week really made me realize how blessed I am. See I come from a family that pretty much does their own thing... we don't always spend alot of time together and I'm pretty much the one that keeps the group together so to speak. I see my Dad about once every few months unless there is an event. I talk to my mom and younger brother Jimbo alot but don't see them as much as I want. And this has always bothered me. I always dreamt of being close to my family as I got older and things just don't seem to always go according to my plan. But the good thing is- I do have family that loves to spend time with us and my kids. Steven's parents have been so supportive of us- from the beginning, they have always treated me like a daughter and have gone over and above to help me and Steven. When I was pregnant with Kaylie, Steven's mom went to the hospital with us- she helped me in every way imaginable. When Travis was born, she took care of Kaylie and Emily. She brought them to the hospital to see us and made sure they too got the attention that they needed. Sometimes, I take that for granted. I get frustrated because I want it to sometimes be my family that wants to spend time with my kids, with us. But in the end, I am thankful because my kids will grow up knowing that they have grandparents who would do anything for them. That love them unconditionally and I am so excited for them that they will have that kind of relationship. I didn't have close relationships with my grandparents. I would see them on occasion but it was nothing like the relationship that my kids have with Lisa and Larry. And their Aunt Manda would do anything for them too. So even though we lost a part of our family, I think it made us all realize how special our family is and no matter what our past has been, we need to be thankful for each other.

Travis- 6 month Update

Well Mr. T is 6 months old today... and we went to the doctor for his check up. He looks great! The doctor said he's a big healthy cutie pie, which I agree of course.
Here are some new tidbits about TMan!
22 1/2 pounds (97th percentile)
27 1/2 inches long (88th percentile)
I don't remember his head measurement but he's in the 94th percentile!
All in all, he's a big boy!

His reflux is getting better- he's down to half a pill of prevacid every day.
He has 2 teeth that have come in on the bottom.
He sits up on his own and loves to reach for everything.
He will jump like crazy if you stand him up anywhere.
He is talking like crazy- and says DADADADADA non-stop. MAKES ME MAD!!! But thats ok... He has a good daddy so I'll accept it.
He has excema.
He loves to eat baby food- his favorites are bananas, apples mixed with blueberries, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle and carrots.
He still wakes up during the night but the doctor informed me today that I need to let him cry through the night now. I can't handle it but I have to TRY... He does sleep with 2 "babies" every night. 2 of the pics is how he falls asleep every night snuggling with them- I love it.

We are just so happy and love spending time with him. His sisters love him so much and he lights up when they give him hugs or snuggle with him.
Happy 6 months Travis... We love you sweet boy.

Love the sound of waterfalls...

We have water! We have a working waterfall... people, the pool is complete (minor things still remain) and we still have landscaping to do. But we ENJOYED the pool so much this past weekend and then tonight, we were able to turn on the waterfall. SOOO nice. Kaylie has asked to eat every meal outside! HA! LOVE IT! Here are a few cute pics.

In the News...

Here lately, there have been alot of stories in the news that have really ticked me off. Boyfriends killing their girlfriends kids, stepdads starving their step children who are tiny kids, parents just having total lack of consideration for kids. Just makes me mad.
I am a product of what you would call "broken home". My parents divorced when I was 6 years old and I grew up living with my Dad and younger brother Jimbo. My dad dated women throughout my childhood and teenage years- some were very sweet and good to us and a few were not. But I learned alot from the people that my dad was with and especially from the people that my mom was with. I really don't think my home was "broken". Both of my parents loved me and my brother, they just fell out of love with each other. Would it have been good to grow up in a home where I saw my mom and dad fight every single day? Yelling at each other and just not being happy? No! It was a much safer environment for us to be in a stable home with our parents not being together. This business about staying together for the kids... its a bunch of bull in my opinion. Its the selfish thing to do because its the safe thing to do.
In my case, I knew when I met Steven that he had a daughter. Emily was very important to him and he stressed that to me the 2nd time I was around him. Although I was a little taken aback that he had a child, it never made me not want to be with him. And I felt a connection to Emily right from the start. I took my experiences of growing up in a "broken home" and how I was treated by people that came and went in my life and I knew that I wanted Emily to always feel special. Like she belonged. Like she was my own. I never wanted her to feel uncomfortable or like I didn't love her. I have a special bond with her because I know how she feels- I've been there when my mom and dad weren't together- and they both were with new people. Coming from what people refer to as a "broken home" made me want to love her even more. And I do. Alot of my friends comment to me that they wish they had a step mom like me when they were growing up- that I treat Emily like she was my own. She is one of my own... and that will never change. I would never make her feel less important or like she isn't a part of our family. Its not her fault that her parents aren't together- and her mom and I are friends. We've come along way from when STeven and I first got together and we talk alot and communicate well with each other.
I'm not saying Steven and I are perfect- we fight, we get on each others nerves, we sometimes need some space from each other. But we love each other- we are committed to each other- and we are a team when it comes to our kids. We are in this together and thats how it should be.
We do NOT fight in front of the kids- we both agreed in the beginning that we would never do that. I saw many fights between my parents and I don't ever want my kids to feel like anything is their fault. And I don't want my kids to think that fighting and yelling is the correct way relationships should be- especially with Travis. I dont want my son growing up thinking its ok to yell at his wife- or treat her or anyone disrespectfully.
So today- I'm tired. Tired of seeing all these stories about kids getting hurt by step parents... a woman's boyfriend getting upset with a 4 month old for crying and he beats the kid to death because he won't be quiet.
Know what you are getting into before you start it. If you can't handle the situation, if you can't handle having a child that isn't yours physically, be the big person, be the unselfish person and walk away.
Thats all....

Happy Birthday to Kaylie Grace

Today, 6 years ago, I was in alot of pain... I was tired, FAT, worn out, did I mention in pain, having pre-term labor for an extended period of time... waiting to meet my precious baby girl.
A little background for you- a year before I met Steven, I had some medical issues and was told that I would not likely be able to carry a baby to term. I was devastated... who in the world would want to be with someone that can't have kids?Then I met Steven. He was the proud dad to a baby girl named Emily and I fell in love with him immediately. And I thought- this is perfect. I can't have kids but I've met this man that has a daughter, this is all meant to be.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was shocked. I couldn't believe it- and I was feeling every emotion you can think of- excitement, scared to death that something might happen to the baby because of my medical issues, nervous, anxious... it was a LONG pregnancy and I had every complication under the sun. I was put on bedrest at 24 weeks and had to take medication every 3 hours to keep me from going into labor. At 36 weeks, I was taken off of the medication and I started going into labor a few days later. It was a rough delivery day (I'll spare you the details), but the moment I met my daughter, Miss Kaylie Grace, my heart filled with feelings I had never felt before in my life. I know every parent feels this- especially moms. But my bond with Kaylie was so strong after everything we had endured together. She was my fighter, she was my miracle baby, my whole world changed the moment I laid eyes on her for the first time. I will never forget that sweet moment. Every year since has been this amazing journey- ask anyone in my family and they will say, Kaylie is a mini Jenny all over again. She's bossy, independent, wild, caring, loving, full of spunk, creative, and such an entertaining child. She has a mind of her own and loves to be the center of attention.
Happy birthday sweet girl- you will always be my precious baby and I will always love you more than you can imagine. I'm so proud of you and the person you are. My sweet Kaylie Grace.