Christmas & Nicholas

It's a little bit late for my Christmas post, but I'm finding my time to be a little limited these days! Christmas was great. Santa came to our house early in the night (thank goodness) because a little boy (Nolan) was ready for his presents in the middle of the night. At 1:45 a.m., I was fast asleep on the couch, when I heard a little voice say, "It's everything I wanted!" I turned my head, and saw Nolan looking in awe at the presents under the tree. I told him to go back to bed, and he did....for a little bit. He made a couple more trips downstairs before I convinced him that it was still time to sleep!

The rest of the bunch woke up around 8 or so in the morning, and we actually had to get Nathan out of bed for the big event. The kids were happy with their presents, and boy did they get a lot of stuff after all was said and done. We finally wrapped up our Christmas activities on Saturday after all of our company had given the kids their gifts. And Sunday, I was so ready for my house to be "normal" again, that we put all of our Christmas decor away....it's nice to get rid of some of the clutter!

Here are a few Christmas pics and a couple of pics I took of Nicholas yesterday! He's growing more and more each day.

Nolan with his race track.

Natalie with her Polly Pockets.

Nathan got a Big Wheel. He'll have a blast this summer keeping up with his big brother and sister!

Wide-eyed!

Starting to smile!!!

Pre-K Christmas Party

Yesterday was Nolan's Christmas party at school. Our whole family made it to the party, and I'm so thankful I had Matt's help this time. Miss Aimee took Nicholas immediately, and then when she was finished holding him, another mother held him and kept him for the entire party....so it was nice to have free hands!

The kids were all great. Nathan was excited about all the treats there. I had to keep a close eye on him because he was grabbing at other kids' plates and drinks, but I think I kept him from snatching anyone else's stuff. Natalie was a little disappointed that she didn't get to participate in the songs they sang, but she didn't throw a fit about it....she just had a pouty look on her face. She was as good as gold at the table for refreshments, and even told me that they shouldn't have the TV on because everyone was eating (that's one of our house rules).

I got to meet Nolan's girlfriend at this party. He has told me about her, and she frequently puts drawings in his backpack, but I had never really seen her before. I was surprised when she came right up to me as soon as we walked in the class. She said, "Hey Nolan's mom." I said hi to her as well. She then proceeded to tell me that Nolan was really cute. I just laughed and thought back to my elementary school days when I always had my little "boyfriends" She was about twice Nolan's size.....she towered over him....it reminded me of the movie Sixteen Candles with the foreign exchange student and his girlfriend. But it was really cute to see how much she liked Nolan. Another mother told Matt that her daughter came home from school one day and said, "I got my first kiss today." When her mother asked from whom....she replied, "Nolan." We asked Nolan if he had kissed any of the girls in his class, but he denies it....so it's hard to tell what's the truth, unless we ever get to ask Miss Aimee.

Here are a few pics from the party.

Nolan and Emily (his girlfriend). Some other kid took this picture...Nolan thought it was a good idea to share my camera with his classmates.

Nolan eating some snacks.

Natalie took a moment to smile for the camera.

Nathan was loving all the food. I didn't give him a snowman cupcake at first. But he starting pointing to them, and saying "snowman" so I had to give in.

Natalie and Nathan's Birthday Party

We celebrated Natalie and Nathan's birthdays yesterday. It was actually Natalie's birthday, but instead of having everyone drive up to our house again next weekend, we went ahead and celebrated Nathan's big day as well. The kids had a ton of fun opening their presents and eating their cakes. We messed up and let Natalie skip a nap before her party, so she wasn't exactly pleasant for most of the day.....but when it came to opening her gifts, she was good as gold. Everything she opened, she would say, "Oh!!! A new (whatever toy it was)" It was so cute when she tore off the wrapping paper of one present that was then in a decorative snowman box... she assumed that the snowman box was her present...since the wrapping was off. She then exclaimed, "Oh!!!! A new snowman!" But she then realized she had to open the box as well.

Here are some birthday pics.

The pretty birthday girl!

She got a great big baby doll.

Nathan was proud of the mess he made with his cake!!!

Bad pic of Nolan (my fault)....but he wanted me to show off his blue teeth and lips.

This was a few days ago....

I just love this pic.....Natalie loves her new baby brother.

Christmas Pictures and a Snow Day

I'm updating today just because I know I've fallen a bit behind on my blog since Nicholas has arrived.

Everything is going well with the kids. Nolan is still spitting out all the states and capitals, and he has recently learned nearly every state bird and flower thanks to the book that Aunt Pam sent.....he absolutely loves it!

Natalie is so excited for Christmas, or at least looking forward to the toys she will get. Anytime a commercial comes on the tv that shows a girl playing with a toy, she shouts, "I want that for Christmas!" And, of course you have to acknowledge her everytime...."Okay, Natalie. You want that for Christmas." That's why I love the channel Noggin....they don't have any commercials! It's even gotten so bad that she says she wants raisens for Christmas because of the Sunmaid Raisen girl!

Nathan is as rotten as ever. He's becoming quite the talker as well. He repeats EVERYTHING he hears. I'm sure that if he sat with Nolan for a bit, he would probably run around here saying the names of states too! I was so impressed with him the other morning. After he burped, he said "Excuse me."....and it's not even something I've been working with him to say.....he's just picked it up from his siblings!!!

Finally, little Nicholas is great as well. He's such a good baby...which I must say all of my babies have been good as babies too. He's waking up only twice during the night for feedings, but it's not so bad. Though, I must admit that one full night of sleep for myself would be fantastic!!! I haven't had a full night's sleep in months.....and I'm still sleeping on the couch so I don't disturb anyone during the night. I've slept on the couch since June, so I'm really looking forward to Nicholas sleeping all night so that I can get myself back in a bed!

I don't have many pics this time, but here are the one's I do have (and no pics of Nicholas.....this is what happens when you're number 4!)

I was trying to get a super-cute Christmas picture of Nathan to send to a radio contest....but he's not been very cooperative thus far. The deadline is Saturday!

Natalie was participating for a Christmas shot too, but she's over the age limit. Isn't she cute....ketchup face and tangled hair...she's still a beautiful girl!

Natalie and Matt having fun in the snow.

Nolan loves the snow....look how huge his gloves are....we couldn't find his, so these are adult-sized.

Survival

Matt left for Charleston yesterday, and had to stay the night there for a meeting today. He's still not home yet, but I feel like the bulk of my work is over! I actually survived a night on my own with 4 kids! I never thought he would have to be out of town so much, but now I know I can get by for a night on my own.

I only gave 2 baths last night, even though Nicholas was due for one, I figured he could skip another night. Nathan and Natalie, though, were pretty dirty since I didn't catch Nathan in time to prevent him from dipping toys in a pee-filled potty with Natalie by his side! I thought Nathan had gotten over his toilet obsession, but I was wrong, as he was dipping more things in the toilet this morning.

Matt probably won't be home in time for dinner this evening, but another one of my wonderful neighbors offered to bring dinner to our house tonight....and I didn't even attempt to refuse the offer!!! I'll take any help I can get these days.

Last night's sleeping arrangements were pretty undesirable. I had gone to bed with Nolan and as soon as he fell asleep, Nicholas woke up. So I headed down to the couch for a diaper change and feeding. I fell asleep on the couch with Nicholas beside me (yes, this is a no-no....but it works for me). At around 2 a.m. or so, Nolan made his way down to the couch as well, and curled up on the end opposite me. Then, at 15 til 5a.m., Natalie came down to tell me that she didn't pee the bed, but that her pants were wet (and, yes, she DID pee the bed). So Natalie spent the remainder of her sleep in the rocking chair. Nathan was the only one who slept where he was supposed to!!! I'm glad Nolan was there on the couch this morning, because he woke me up at 7:20. Otherwise, I probably would have overslept and missed his bus!

I'm looking forward to having Matt with me this evening....even if he's late getting home, at least I'll have some adult conversation!

One final note: Nolan brought home his "art" from school yesterday. He drew a picture of New Mexico and wrote it as well. I just wonder what his teacher thought about a 4 year old drawing a picture of a state....and quite well too!

Early Christmas Gifts

We got Aunt Pam's Christmas presents in the mail on Friday. I was going to try to wait until after Thanksgiving to have the kids open them, but when the saw the large box, it was just not gonna happen. The birthday presents were discovered as well, so Nathan and Natalie got early birthday presents as well!



Nolan with his WV flash card.

Nolan LOVES his US puzzle. He has all the states and capitals memorized and can identify the shapes of the states too!

Natalie with her beloved Hello Kitty toys and socks.

Nathan with his toy dog, which was quickly discovered to be a great bath "squirt" toy.

Of course the box was a great gift as well.

And finally, Nicholas with his 1st Christmas bear.

Snow Day and Grandparents Visit

Yesterday, school was cancelled due to snow. I thought Nolan would be disappointed, but he was actually pleased to stay home, and begged to go out and play in the snow. I finally gave in, but told him I couldn't go outside with him because I had to stay inside with Nicholas. Nolan went out in the backyard for about 10 minutes, which was sufficient enough for him. He got to eat a little snow, make a snow angel, and "clean " the sliding glass door with some snow.

Nolan's snow boots are too small from last year, and I haven't had the chance to get new boots for the kids. So he wore his camo boots instead, and they seemed to keep his feet dry. I really need to hurry up and get new boots, cause Natalie too has been asking about her snow boots, and I can't seem to get across to her that she needs new ones. I'll have to find Dora boots for her, cause that's her favorite. As for Natalie and Nathan, they went to Charleston with Matt, and are staying at Matt's parents' house until Matt is finished with his training sometime today. They'll probably be home late this evening, and I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Last week, my dad and Shirley came to visit and brought my grandparents as well, since they hadn't seen Nicholas yet. Nolan was the photographer that day, so here are the pics he took.

Great-grandpa holding Nicholas.

My dad and Shirley with Nathan.

Me and my grandma.

Natalie licking cupcake icing off her hands.

Nicholas taking a snooze.

Meet Baby Nicholas

So my new little boy decided that Tuesday wasn't going to work for him, so he decided to come into the world on Friday instead. I was at home with all 3 kids, and started to have minor contractions around 10:30 that morning. I called my neighbor around noon to see if she would let Nolan and Natalie come over for a bit so I could try and time the contractions and figure out if I was truly in labor. When the contractions didn't quit, I decided to go ahead and go to the hospital. I was admitted at about 4:00, hooked up to pitocin at 7:00, water broken around 10:00, and Nicholas was born at 11:00. I decided that for this last baby, I would go drug free. It wasn't that bad until the 10 minutes it took to go from 6cm to 10 cm. My doctor left the room after he examined me at 6 cm....five minutes later, he came and checked me again, and I was at 8 cm....he tried to leave the room (thought I would be at least 15 more minutes), but I told him there was NO WAY I couldn't be ready, and I was right....it was time to push. Pushing without an epidural was quite different as well.....MUCH more painful than I could have imagined. But all in all, I'm glad I did it naturally for the final baby.

Nicholas Andrew Cook weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long. He was born at 11:00pm on the nose on Friday, November 7, 2008. Here are the pics so far.







Welcome to the world!

He doesn't look too thrilled, huh?

Another boy for Daddy!

Happy to see new baby brother.

Nolan loves his new brother sooooo much!




















Natalie's gonna love being a big sis again.










Nathan could have cared less about the new baby.....he was happy to be with Mommy again.

My Last Dr.'s Appointment!!!

Today was my last appointment for the pregnancy. I am now dilated 3cm, 70% effaced, and the baby is at -1 station. If I don't go on my own before Tuesday, I will be induced Tuesday morning!!! The doctor asked if I'd like to be induced tonight, but since Matt's parents are out of town, I declined. Then, I could have chosen to be induced on Friday, but WVU has a home game on Saturday, so I declined that proposition as well....due to traffic/hotel rooms/parking, etc...! There's still 6 days remaining until Tuesday, so we'll have to wait and see what happens...otherwise, it appears we'll have a Veteran's Day baby!

Trick or Treat Night

Trick or treat this year was wonderful! I thought we would only hit up our street for candy, but the kids did so well that we made a lap around the next street as well. Nolan and Natalie were both into it full force this year....especially Natalie. She was SO determined to get her candy. When she would see someone sitting out in front of a house with candy, she would take off in a sprint to the person and say "trick or treat". Her candy bucket was quite heavy after a while, and she would switch hands occasionally and flex her fists to get the blood circulating again.....but anytime I asked her if she was tired or if I could hold her bucket, she replied with a convincing "NO." Nathan didn't hit up as many houses as the other two, but still managed to rack up a lot of candy....he was content to eat a sucker or two along the way and would occasionally get an extra piece of candy from his brother and sister.



Ready for some candy!



















Too excited to stand still!!!














Just an idea of how many "outsiders" bring their kids to our subdivision for trick or treat. Cars were lined up on the main road as well as on the street inside the subdivision.

Pre-K Halloween Party

Thanks for all the input on the baby names! It looks like Nicholas is the front runner....and nearly everyone has said that sticking with the "N" is the thing to do....guess you all know my OCD's all too well!

Yesterday, Nolan had his Halloween party at school. Matt was going to try and make it so he could help me with the kids, but he wasn't able to leave work. Thankfully, though, the kids were no problem at all. All the preschoolers did a parade through the halls of the school, and I pushed Nathan in the stroller with Natalie either by my side or trying to walk with Nolan. Once we got back to the classroom, Nathan got out of the stroller and played with the classroom toys and actually didn't try to escape! The parent volunteers had enough cupcakes and snacks to share with Natalie and Nathan as well, so they were both in hog heaven eating all the yummy snacks. Natalie was even invited to sit at "circle" with Nolan while the kids sang songs. She looked like she could have fit right in.....she sat quietly and took it all in. Even when we came home, she was trying to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" just like they did at school....it was too cute. When it was time to leave, one of the teachers stayed with my kids so I could get the van and drive it to the door closest to the classroom....and I must say it was a great help!

Here are some pics from the party.

Circle time.

I couldn't get their attention....so a back shot is the best I could do!

Nolan and Eddie...

Eddie begged me to take his picture...it was just too cute.

The Name Game!

So Matt and I still haven't officially decided on a name for the new baby. Here are some of our suggestions.....and I'm open for any feedback!!!

Sticking with the N's:

Nicholas Andrew
Neal Andrew
(by popular demand, I'm adding another):
Noah Andrew

Going in another direction:

Curtis Andrew
Andrew Drake
Colton Andrew

Obviously we both really like the name Andrew....and it has Biblical and family ties....which both boys have as well. Again, I'm open for suggestions....shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment about what you think!

Parent/Teacher Conference

Yesterday evening, Matt and I had the opportunity to talk with Nolan's teachers at the school's first Parent/Teacher Conference. As soon as we all were seated, Miss Aimee simply said, "He is just sooooo bright." She said that Nolan was so far advanced in class and is doing great as far as social skills are concerned. She also said that if Pre-K had a gifted program, she would definitely put Nolan in it.

She gave us a handout of observations she had done on Nolan. She even laughed because his observations are quite lengthy compared to the other children...simply because Nolan provides so many opportunities for observation. One of the things that cracked me up on the observation list said, "Nolan counted 119 spiders with the spider game." I asked Nolan how the game was played, and he said they had to count spiders as they put them in a box. To me, it was just amusing because who has the patience/attention span to pick up and count 119 toy spiders??? Miss Aimee also shared an amusing story about how Nolan asked her if she knew what all the poles outside were for. Miss Aimee played along, and asked Nolan what they were for. He then went on to explain to her how the poles ran electricity to people's houses and this enabled them to turn their lights on! But I guess since Matt works for Verizon, it's no wonder Nolan knows about utility poles. Also, she was working with the children on recognizing parts of a book. She asked Nolan to point to the title of a book, and instead of pointing to it, Nolan reads it....."Fall Leaves Falling" he told her. She said she laughed and thought to herself, "well, he didn't POINT at it, but I think he knows."

Of course, all of the "smarts" she talked about concerning Nolan came to no surprise to Matt or myself....we know he is above average. It was the social aspect that we were more concerned with.....and simply because Nolan would rather carry on conversations with adults for the most part. Again, Miss Aimee said he was doing fine. She said he interacts well with the other kids, but he still likes to play by himself some too. She told us about a little girl in class with special needs, and that sometimes this child doesn't get to go outside and play with the others. One day, Nolan asked if he could stay inside with her as well. Miss Aimee said it was great because Nolan would come and talk to the other child and was trying to include her in the things he was doing. Miss Aimee said that Nolan was an absolute pleasure to have in class and said when she goes home at the end of the day, it's Nolan that she talks about.

Matt and I were so pleased to hear these wonderful things from Nolan's teacher. We are both so very proud of him in every way imaginable. I tend to brag on him quite a bit, but it's hard not to...he gives me a lot to brag about. I love all of my children more than words can describe, and they are each so unique. Their individuality's are what make them so special and are all such a joy to have. I am proud to be my kids' mommy.

Quick Dr.'s Appt.

I had to see another doctor in the practice yesterday (one whom I've seen before and didn't care much for). I was hoping my opinion of him would change this time, but it didn't.....I'm sure this means he'll be the doctor on call when I have this baby! Anyways, he decided not to give me an exam, so I have no clue if I've progressed in the past week. My next appointment will be next Tuesday....so I'll have to wait until then unless baby decides to come beforehand.

Time Alone

Matt took all the kids to his parents house on Saturday, and returned on Sunday afternoon with just Nolan. Natalie and Nathan will be spending the week with Mom-o and Pops again. I miss them already, but it is nice to have some time to myself. I actually took a bubble bath on Saturday night and used the jets in the tub; then, treated myself to a self-performed manicure and facial! Sure it would've been nice to go to a spa to have this done, but maybe some other time. I'm actually considering getting a pedicure today before my doctor's appointment since I can't reach my toes very well! I'll try to update again after my doctor's appointment to let everyone know if any change has occurred....with every exam, I get a little more anxious!

I'll leave you with some pics of the kids.

Ready to go to Mom-o's house! Nathan wouldn't cooperate for this pic...

I guess he wanted a pic all to himself!!!

All of Granny & Poppy's great-grandchildren.

Uncle Jason trying to get Natalie to relax with him....obviously this didn't last long!

Natalie was giving Poppy some kisses, but getting a picture of this didn't exactly work.

Nolan and Judson had a blast wrestling with each other.