Happy One Month, Gabe!

Little Gabriel Elisha has been in our world for one month today! Here are a few recent pictures. We go for his one month doctor appointment tomorrow, and I'll then post his new stats. I have some other pictures of the boys at the park and around the house to post as well. For now, happy one month, Gabe! We hope that you have enjoyed living with us as much as we have loved having you!





Look at those big, expressive eyes!


It's really not funny, but this made me smile when I saw Gabe throwing a fit after I changed his diaper. The funny thing about it - notice his shirt! ;-)


Again, so alert and expressive while checking out the animals on his swing.

More to come soon!

Caleb's Twin?

So, we all know that Caleb has a fraternal twin - Jacob. From the first day that Jacob and Caleb were born, we could tell them apart without problem. They are like night and day! People told us that we should label all of our pictures, as we would not be able to tell them apart later on - definitely not the case!

We are asking ourselves now, however, if we created Caleb an identical twin 18 months later! See for yourself:


Caleb at 2 weeks


Gabe at 2 weeks

Gabe looks a little bit chunkier around the jaw line and cheeks than Caleb at that age (makes since - Gabe is getting ALL of the Mommy Milk rather than having to share with a brother), but other than that, the picture looks to be the same kid!!

If it wasn't in the day of digital and therefore all of the pictures are in chronological order, we would have to indeed mark them so that we could tell the difference between Gabe and Caleb as babies! We'll have to remember to label any ones we print out!

One more quick comparison:


Caleb at 2 weeks


Gabe at 2 weeks

Amazing!

More coming home pics

Here are a few more pictures of the hospital stay and coming home.


Gabe is such a sweet, sweet baby - thus far! ;-)


Alert and bright-eyed after getting his tummy all full.


A sweet picture Jon snuck in our hospital room on Thursday morning.


A "self-portrait" of half of the Seastrunk Family getting ready to go home and join the other half - Abby, Jacob, and Caleb.


Daddy has Gabe loaded up and ready to go home!


Here he comes...


To meet his eager big brothers!


Jacob immediately went to go get a bear for little Gabe. (The one that was given to him "from Gabe" in the hospital.) He proceeded to get the other to hand to Gabe as well... and then continued bringing him blankets, burp cloths, and other miscellaneous items throughout the day. What a big helper! Caleb was just in awe and would stare at Gabe, periodically pointing and saying "Bubba" with a wide-eyed expression.


Jacob brings Gabe the blanket that Mommy dropped while moving to the chair.


Gabe all settled in in our room - where he'll be sleeping for a few weeks - in the bassinet that was his Daddy's! Gabe's great-grandfather hand made that bassinet for Jon in 1977, and we are excited that four Seastrunk boys have now slept in it.

37 Week Appointment!

Today I am actually 36 weeks and 5 days, but we had the 37 week appointment. All still looks great. This pregnancy has been boringly uneventful, which we'll take! (Blood pressure still holding in there at 100/60!)

Before I give the update from Dr. White, I have to step back and give the Baby Gabe Poll results:

58% of you guys think that little Gabe will weight in between 7 and 8 pounds; 36% think that he'll weight between 8 and 9 pounds; and 6% think that our "little chunk" will be over 9 pounds!

OK...

And 47% of you guys think that little Gabe will make his big arrival into the world on August 18th; 26% think that he'll come between August 15th and 18th; and 26% he'll be arriving VERY soon - before August 15th!

That all being said, Dr. White agrees with the majority for his arrival date of August 18th. He sees no reason at this point why I should not make it.

HOWEVER... if the majority wins for his weight, then Gabe will have to arrive SOON! I didn't have a sonogram, but by feeling on my tummy, he thinks that Gabe is 7 1/2 - 8 pounds RIGHT NOW! Seriously, if you touch my tummy, you can tell that it is truly "all baby." From the top to the bottom and left to right - Gabe is taking up every bit of the space in my tummy.

I didn't ask Dr. White how much he thinks that Gabe will be at birth, however if he stays in "cooking" for another 19 days, then he will for sure be over 8 pounds! Am I looking at having a 9 pound PLUS baby? If so, doesn't bother me a bit, as it's still better than carrying 15 pounds of baby along with TWO "bags of fluid," etc. Besides, he's "cutting me open" to take Gabe out, so he can be 12 pounds as far as I care. ;-)

Can't ask for anything better so far!

Baby Gabe Poll #2

Wow - I am more shocked by the turn out of the poll than I am the results! As of 9:00 Tuesday morning (less than 24 hours posted), we have had 33 people vote. I didn't realize that I had so many lurkers out there. ;-)

The winner: 61% of you guys think that little Gabe will weight in between 7 and 8 pounds; 33% think that he'll weight between 8 and 9 pounds; and 6% think that our "little chunk" will be over 9 pounds!

Jon and I both were two of the votes who voted for "between 8 and 9 pounds." Our logic is that Jacob and Caleb were born early (yes, GREAT for twins, but still early) at 37 weeks and 4 days and weighed 7 pounds, 12.5 ounces and 7 pounds, 2 ounces respectively. If Gabe stays in place until the c-section date of August 18th, he will be 39 weeks and 3 days - which will mean that he gets to "cook" two weeks longer than the boys! (At this stage of the pregnancy, all he is doing essentially is getting more fat reserves.) Plus there is more room for him to grow in there with there only being one - and that Jacob and Caleb "stretched out" a good home for him!

BUT... the question is... will he actually make it "in Mommy" until the scheduled c-section date of August 18th?!

Here's the scoop as to why Gabe will or will not make it in Mommy until then:

* I am still walking at least a half mile with the boys in the blistering Texas heat every day (which could induce). However, I have yet to have one true contraction while walking (by this point one or two could be expected).

* I carried the twins to 37 weeks and 4 days. Does that mean 37-38 weeks is the time that my body prefers to carry a pregnancy? Do remember, however, I was on bed rest for almost 12 week prior (which is what we think kept the boys "in" that long).

* Do also remember that they didn't take the boys because I went "into labor" - it was due to my sudden blood pressure spike (so, again, I've NEVER had a REAL contraction at all).

* We had a c-section scheduled for February 5th with Jacob and Caleb, however they found a way to make their arrival one day early on February 4th. Will Gabe keep the family tradition and do the same (August 17th)?!

Baby Gabe Poll #2 When will Baby Gabe make his big arrival? Sometime in July. Early August - before the 15th. Between the 15th and the 18th August 18th After August 18th. The results...

So let me know what you think! I have my thoughts, but what are yours?!

Also remember to vote in yesterday's poll if you have not already done so: Baby Gabe Poll #1.

And see our Babymoon post from this past weekend.

Baby Gabe Poll #1

The time is drawing closer...



Three weeks from today, as a matter of fact!

Don't miss the previous post about our Babymoon this past weekend, but also vote in the first (in possibly a series) of Polls!

Baby Gabe Poll #1 With the twins, Amber carried 15 pounds of JUST BABY! How much will Gabe weight? Less than 7 pounds Between 7 and 8 pounds Between 8 and 9 pounds Greater than 9 pounds Oh, he'll be all of the 15 pounds or MORE! ;-) What did other people say?

The polls are anonymous, so you lurker (ahem - stalker) types have no fear! ;-) I am so curious to see what all of the readers think!

Oh, and if you have ideas for more polls, let me know.

36 Weeks - * YIKES! *

We are now officially to the "less than one month" countdown!

I had my 36 week appointment this morning and all is still going well. For those of you who know about my history of HELLP Syndrome, my blood pressure was 100/52 today and there was no protein at all in my urine - as well as zero swelling in my legs (which is quite amazing for any one in this Texas heat, let alone a pregger chick!). This is way uneventful when compared to the twins' pregnancy! In the back of my mind, I keep waiting on something to happen since every appointment was so dramatic with Jacob and Caleb, but it looks like all is just going to be smooth sailing.

* Well... mostly smooth sailing... *

I like to have to demeanor that I've "got it all together," but lately I feel like I am losing it. I am having some HIGH anxiety about Gabe coming and how Jacob and Caleb will be affected by the addition to our family. Will they regress after Gabe arrives? Will they have even more meltdowns/tantrums? Will they try to hurt him?! (OK, so not intentionally, but they are having a hard time understanding "gentle" here lately.)

In an attempt to "make it all better," I have been frantically trying to get our house PERFECTLY in order for when Gabe arrives, getting myself into one project after another. I already have ADHD and I think a little OCD, so nesting gets taken over the top - EXTREME in my case. I am flat, worn out, exhausted, but our closets are starting to look pretty good. ;-) Oh, and I am trying to work on cooking a lot of meals that can be frozen now so that we will actually eat more than Chick-fil-a (much to Jon's dismay) or Subway, without me putting pressure on myself to cook while tending to two toddlers and a newborn.

I guess what it comes down to is I am freaking out a little about having THREE BOYS within 18 months, so I am trying to be as prepared as I can be - like THAT will help when all of the chaos hits! What freaks me out the most is that I have ZERO CONTROL over life right now - and I HATE THAT! (I admit it - I am a MAJOR control freak!)

So there is my brutally honest 36 week update. Overall things truly are going great and I can't complain. We have been blessed with what appears to be another very healthy child. Most of the time the boys and I are staying so busy that I don't think about the upcoming chaos - it's just at night when I STOP, sit down, and get quiet for a minute - then I have time to think. (* ding, ding, ding * There's my problem - I think too much!)

But only 27 days (or less) until Gabe is HERE and then I won't have time to worry anymore. :-)



On happier news, Jon and my "Babymoon" is drawing closer!! More about that to come...

Celebration!

On Saturday, we had a Baby Celebration for little Baby Gabe!

The "Baby Celebration" pretty much was a Baby Shower - but since Gabriel is a second pregnancy, we did not call it a "shower," rather a "celebration." Another difference in this "celebration" is that, since we are having a third boy and were blessed with TONS of stuff for the twins that we still have, we had a "teddy bear drive" in lieu of gifts to go Tarrant County Sheriff's Department, where Deputies will distribute them to children effected by domestic violence and similar situations.





Mostly we feel that EVERY child is a blessing and deserves to be celebrated, so we wanted to get to get friends and family together to have snacks, cake, punch, and, of course, chocolate and coffee to celebrate our newest little gift from God - but did not want everyone to bring gifts. Thus, a Baby Celebration!



Jon and our dads were there (mostly because Jacob and Caleb came and we needed help corralling them while I visited with everyone!). But, since they were all there, we thought it would be fun to "punk" them and have a little surprise game - just for them. We gave each guy a baby bottle with about 4 ounces of juice, in which they had to suck down as fast as they could. Well, my dad and Jon had the same exact though, as they, simultaneous, unscrewed the top and chugged it within seconds! (So quickly, my camera did not get the shot in time, but this is them afterward.) Taking the top off had NEVER crossed our minds - but they both agreed that it was the first thing they though of! I must say that I am a little freaked out that they BOTH had the same thought. My dad won because his was sucked dry and Jon had a little left at the bottom. He had to wear a sign that said "I'm a Sucker," and also got a sucker out of the deal. (The gift isn't as funny, considering he didn't actual suck it down!)



We ended up collecting 40 bears at the celebration! I wasn't expecting that many, but am honored that we will be able to give so much on Gabe's behalf. Here's a cute pink bear, as I rarely see many pink things anymore! ;-)



And, because my friends and family are such sweet, generous people, many couldn't just bring bears to donate; so I ended up getting gifts anyway! The biggest gift given? Diapers and wipes! Overall, we got a grand total of 862 diapers (ranging from Size 1 - Size 2/3) and 3191 wipes for Gabe's little butt - literally! Wow! It's A LOT of wipes, but figure they will most definitely get used around this joint, considering they will be used on three hinies.



There were also several other things brought - gift cards, some really cute clothes, lotions, etc. (At least Gabe won't get ALL hand-me-downs now! LOL!)



My friend, Amy, came up with the idea of doing the celebration for Gabe and made/sent out the cute invites shown above. My mom stepped up to do a lot of the other work involved in the celebration, however, since Amy lives so far away and my mom felt it was a lot for one person to tackle. Because of both of their hard work, I gave them each a bottle of wine. (Although that's not NEAR enough for all of the work that they put forth!!) You can't tell very well from the picture, but the wine bottle is in a little cradle-looking basket and wearing a diaper and baby t-shirt. :-) (Yes, I am too creative for my own good - I know!)



Mommy and Daddy were overwhelmed by all of the friends and family who turned out for the celebration and all of the great gifts received.



Here's a shot of all of the bears and stuffed animals collected. Wow, guys, this is going to potentially put a smile on 40 once scared kiddos' faces! I am so excited to present these in honor of our son.



After we stacked them all up, we did let Jacob and Caleb play in the huge mound of animals for a while before bagging them up.







My LITTLE guys had so much fun, however, whether he'll admit it or not, I think Jon had as just much - if not more - fun diving into the mound of bears!



THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all who came out to be a part of this special day! We had a lot of fun, and hope that you did as well. Gabe is one lucky little boy to already have so many people who love him so much.

32 Weeks!

Here are some pretty pics of Baby Gabe (oh, and Mommy) at 32 weeks!!



Don't they look good in black and white? Another cool thing about black and white and bare tummy shots is it somewhat masks all of the great stretch marks I got courtesy of Jacob and Caleb (so far no new ones this time around - but I was so stretched last time around, it wouldn't surprise me at all if I didn't get any NEW ones).

The tummy is really starting to grow some - keep putting on that weight, Baby Boy! (Yup, now you are really checking out the stretch marks now that I drew your attention to them. hehehe)



Aren't all of these pictures so pretty? No, I didn't pay anyone to take them - Jon did it! We took the boys for a picnic to the park, but decided to get dressed a little nicer than we normally would so that we could take some nice pictures.



This one is Jon's favorite. I think it is because it looks as if I am in Colorado, and he really wants to go now. It's been a couple of years since we have been, and we are sure it will be a couple more with the arrival of Gabe. I want to take them hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, however Jon wants to take them skiing on our next trip. We'll see...



This would be a great family picture if the sun wouldn't have blocked my head somewhat. :-( I may try to play with (and have Jon also try) photoshop later...



The very proud "Ma-ma" and "Da-da" of three precious little boys!



Back at the casa, we attempt to get a good, sweet picture of all three of the boys and I. Sounds easy enough... hehehe... YEAH, right! This one isn't so bad, but Caleb wanted to suck his thumb. (He's not even my big thumb sucker - Jacob is. The little turkey!) Don't they look more like little boys than babies now?!



Jacob didn't want much to do with taking pictures, as it would require him to SIT STILL! So this pretty much sums up the majority of our "photo shoot." You can, however, get a good shot of their new "Big Brother" shirts! They are the same design, but Jacob's is blue around the collar/sleeves and Caleb's is red. They also have their names on the bottom!



This is such a cute candid shot. Those are usually some of the best. Caleb is so proud to show everyone "where's baby brother?"



All is progressing well, and it looks like Gabe will arrive August 15th via scheduled c-section if all continues going so well.



Can you believe that is only 47 more days away?!

We go back on Friday, July 11th for an appointment and sonogram. You know we'll then have some actual Baby Gabe pics to share along with the tummy shots. ;-)

My lovely baby bump...

Here's a close up belly shot taken before church this morning.



I go back to the doctor this Thursday. Next sono will June 11th, so we will know more about how Gabe is measuring and see his sweet face again. But if we could guess how he is looking right now, it would be something like this:



Pretty cool.

Can you believe he'll be here in 54 more days?! That's less than 2 months... YIKES!

Memorial-Day-Weekend-Re-do!

We had a great, yet very busy weekend. Either way, it was MUCH better than our sickly Memorial Day weekend!

We started by Jon being off on Friday and ECI coming out to evaluate the boys. It went well, and we were so proud with how the boys behaved for the three ladies that came out with ECI! The results: they do indeed qualify, based on their Motor deficit. At almost 16 months, Caleb is about 11 months on Motor development, while Jacob is at 12 months. The great news was that they were at or ahead of the game for the other categories! Not surprising to us, Caleb was at 17 months socially. He takes after his Momma there. ;-) So, they will come out again in two weeks, and we will determine what all we can do to help get these little guys moving!

Entertaining their guests was very tiring for the boys, so they had a lunch of grilled cheese, carrots, and mandarin oranges, and crashed hard during nap! When they finally got up, Daddy and I had a big surprise waiting for them outside! We were finally able to wade around in our own little pool!! As you can see from the pictures, they loved it!







Saturday we had a Graduation Party for my cousins (the boys' second cousins), Kyle and Tyler. Kyle is graduating from Keller High School, and will be starting the "Blinn TEAM" program (part time enrolled at Texas A&M) in the Fall. Tyler is graduating as the Salutatorian of Lake Worth High School and will be starting Northwestern State University in Louisiana in the Fall on a great (almost full!) scholarship! We are very proud of both of the guys!


Jon, Jacob, Amber, Caleb, Cindy "Nan", and Al "Abuelo" at the Party


Gran with most of her crew: all of the Grandkids and Great-Grandkids that were there! (Kyle is to the left and Tyler is to the right of her in the middle.)


Jacob really wanted to practice his walking skills when he saw CAKE sitting on a nearby table. Jon kept having to distract and pull him away!

Sunday morning, we headed out to Mesquite for the Harper Family Reunion. (Jon's Gran's side of the family) The boys again did well, considering they had to get up early, there were tons of new faces, and they were outside with no great place to roam free.











Poor boys, again, crashed HARD after visiting with so many family members out in the sun all morning! Amazingly enough, once we got home, they actually continued to nap - shocking!





Here is a decent family picture from the Saturday night party:

(If we get both boys looking moderately happy, it's decent - if we get both boys looking at the camera and moderately happy, it's great - if we get both boys looking at the camera, smiling, and neither Jon nor myself happen to blink at that moment, it's a miracle!!)

Finally, here is my 28 week tummy!