Mini Vacation

Amber's wedding is in a little less than 2 months, and Pappy's birthday is on the 20th of next month, so I have been thinking of going and spending a few weeks with my side of the family!

I feel crummy that not everyone in the families are getting to see the kids grow up. I guess I was spoiled--both my Dad’s and Mom’s side of the family lived in town when I was growing up, so I never wanted for seeing any of them. Now, the bulk of my family lives half way across Texas, and Mike's are scattered to the four corners of the globe...I guess that's growing up, I guess.

Anyways, if I go down after the 20th, I will be able to make it for Robert's birthday, and having just narrowly missed my own, it will be a bit of a belated present to me. There is a really neat zoo out there that we are going to take at least Emerald to--I bet she would love the animals. There is also a blueberry patch where you can pick fresh berries, plus the lake to go swimming in...it is all very exciting.

The only downside is that the children and I would not see Michael for nearly a month--he still has to work. In theory, it sounds great for both of us--he would be able to come home and relax, not having to worry about helping me with Emerald and Gabriel, get to do the things he enjoys....and Emmie, Gabe, and I would be able to see the rest of the family that they love so much and that love them...but we would miss him something awful.

I bet it will all turn out just wonderful though!

--ANDIE!--

Bright Horizons

So, Emerald just got out of daycare for the summer. I can't believe she went to "school" for a whole year!! She just blossomed under her teachers' care--she started out incredibly shy and wanting to explore and play on her own. But since then, she has turned into quite the little social butterfly, and made many adorable little friends.

Amanda and Miranda (her teachers) said that she was their most studious student--during free play time, she especially enjoyed pretending to be the teacher, and reading books to herself and others. Which, I suppose is no surprise if you remember that both her parents have been bookworms their whole lives. I remember one of my favorite stories that Rhonda tells me about when Michael was a little boy was that he brought her a book and asked if he could read it--it was the dictionary! What a weird little guy J.

Besides reading, she has also gotten very interested in dance and art. Every day, she wants me to take her outside to color on the sidewalk with chalk, she colors several pictures a day for Daddy while he is at work (she especially favors markers and colored pencils, and prefers to use crayon on the fridge!), and dances her little heart out. I taught her how to twirl, and she mimics the Wiggle dancers surprisingly well. I've read that infants have a natural rhythm and connection with music, and it is definitely true of Emerald!

To encourage her new found love of the arts, Michael and I bought her some Christian children's albums that she seems to just adore. A forum friend suggested a recipe for toddler-friendly finger paints as well--plain yogurt with food coloring added--she can eat it and not get sick, and it doesn't stain quite as badly!

She may be out for the summer, but she and Gabriel are enrolled for next semester so mama can get a much needed break!!

--ANDIE!--

Spring Has Spung!

I could not be more ecstatic--my roses have come in!! I have been trying to care for those I knew about when moving in--the house is a lovely yellow, and there was a bush on the walk-way out front with lovely pale yellow roses, so I would water those and try to prune them a bit...Now we have the pale yellow, as well as sunset peach out front, and the loveliest red, pink, and white out back. I have fresh roses in my house nearly every week now!

Nothing could grow out at my house back at home, so forgive my excitement. :) 

--Andie--

Gabriel's Got Thrush!

Oh, goodness--Mr. Gabriel Lynn has thrush!

In case you don't know what that is, it is a very common infection where the normal yeast in your mouth starts overproducing, usually due to a adjusted climate in your mouth (specifically, when you begin taking oral antibiotics, which kills off the good bacteria that balances out the bad bacteria in your mouth). Lots of babies get it, but it is very contagious, so Michael and I can't kiss on him for four or five days. L

Its really not serious--the saddest part is that the bacteria went down his throat, causing soreness and so his little voice is all cracked and pitiful. He can barely cry, and he refuses to be set down at all.

We are really concerned that Emerald is going to catch it, because she loves to "share" with Gabriel--she will take his pacifier or give him hers, finish his bottles, and smother him in kisses. The last thing we need is a re-infection cycle starting up between these two!

--Andie--

Memorial Day

 

This past Memorial Day, Rhonda and Ken bought Emerald an inflatable froggie swimming pool, and this adorable striped swimsuit. Can you believe it's all ready a 3T?! The previous attempts at getting Emerald to swim had been a little unsuccessful--she enjoyed floating in the water at my parent's house in Tyler last July, but she was still very tentative.

This time, you couldn't keep up with her! She ran from the pool, to the slide, to everyone outside, and back again all night! It wasn't that big of a surprise then that she ended up eating TWO AND A HALF of Rhonda's grilled Bratwurst, plus sauerkraut, potato chips, peanut butter crackers, lemonade, and some of the delicious blackberry sundaes. She must really be showing that German Huse/Black!


Michael wasn't able to be there--he had to work every day this week, and it is really wearing on him. He can't wait for Sunday, when he finally gets to kick back and relax. I feel sorry for him--he would have loved to see Emerald splashing around, and I know that he is sick to death of my "thrift" meals (I'm a little too frugal for my own good some days).

Gabriel didn't seem to be feeling well--even though he is generally a very active baby, he was content to sleep in Grannymom’s arms the entire time. Poor sleepy little guy.

I guess all that play wore on her--on our walk home, she fell asleep on the ride, and stayed asleep almost the rest of the night.

She is so super cute!!

--Andie--

Gabriel's Birth

Welcome to our Wearden Family Blog! Hopefully, this will help us keep everyone more up-to-date on the comings and goings of us--Michael, Andie, Emerald, and Gabriel.

Since we have been hermits for the last few months (years), the next couple of posts will probably be catching up to the point we are now--Emerald is 20 months old, Gabriel 3 months. First, Gabriel's birth!

Gabriel was due February 24th of 2009, or Rhonda's and Marian's (Gigi/Granny) birthday. Unlike my pregnancy with Emerald, it didn't look like I had gestational diabetes, which was a huge relief, as it was an inconvenience more than anything else. Unfortunately, they were wrong, and due to Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)--meaning Gabriel was not able to grow--and the diabetes, they wanted to get him out as quickly as possible. His lungs were "severely underdeveloped, due to miscalculated due date and uncontrolled diabetes", which means instead of being born on February 12-14, he had to bake an additional week and a half.

It ended up being a godsend that we had to delay the birth of the baby, because Emerald chose that moment to develop the flu, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), double ear infections, and antibiotic-related yeast infection and had to be kept away from me and the little baby until she was no longer contagious.

Michael was the only one that got to know the baby's gender, and therefore he was the one that got to choose the baby's name. He later told me that he had narrowed it down to three boys’ names, three girls’ names--Alexander, Dylan, and Gabriel, and Aeris, Myka, and River. I love all those names--my husband has wonderful taste!

We did the c-section at 1pm on February 20th (a Friday), and it was a bit of a fiasco, to be honest. The nurse in charge of me was having quite the difficult time, resulting in multiple attempts to insert my IV, a veritable gusher of my own blood all over the hospital bed, and administration of amoxicillin (to prevent infection during the surgery), to which I am allergic. So, I was a little panicked when I actually ended up in surgery, but it all turned out fine in the end.

Gabriel Lynn Wearden was born 6lbs, 9oz (the exact same as his big sister had been, and 1 oz lighter than I myself had been) and 19 inches long (1/2 inch longer than Emerald). He had the loveliest olive skin, big dark grey blue eyes, and a dusting of the silkiest dark hair.

We stayed in the hospital for the standard three days after the c-section. He did not have any trouble when he was born--no jaundice, no blood sugar issues (despite the diabetes), nothing. He was perfect. J

Now he is the happiest, gassiest 3 month old baby boy, and in the next few days he will be joined by his new best friend, Baby Boy Bevill!!

--Andie

Post Number One

Welcome to our new online home! This blog will feature the Wearden Family news, pictures, thoughts, and comments. Basically, it is a way for you to keep up with us and the kiddos without having to mail pictures, write letters, and all those other tedious methods of communication. From now on, check http://weardenfamilynews.blogspot.com/ for all the information you could want about Michael, Andie, Emerald, and Gabriel!

We're just getting started, so keep checking back for more content soon!