Much more to come!

As of recently, I have been laid off from my full time job.  This seems to be a blessing in disguise at this point in our lives.  Was this expected?  No!  Will we as a family be able to benefit from this?  We think so!  Please stay optimistic and wish us well in this endeavor.  We foresee great things to come in 2013 for our family.  One of those includes more posts to our family blog.  Yay!!

Happy or Mad?

After Tristan's physical therapy appointment Wednesday, we decided to have lunch with Daddy.  We always love these special occurrences...which don't happen very often.  As we were waiting for our food, I had Tristan on my lap staring at Brent.  These are two pictures he took..

Look at that adorable smirk!

Do you think he's a happy baby?

Then we decided to run to a few stores to see if we could find a "Baby's First Halloween" onesie.  (So sad we still can't.) Needless to say, we used ALL the diapers in the diaper bag and had to make a few stops in parking lots for some snacking....not on my part.  Tristan was quite content for the most part.  My child despises his car seat (because it makes him so warm) so for him to stay in there that long, I was quite impressed.  However when we got home he was definitely showing us how he truly felt....

All this shopping is driving me mad!

Boo!!

I absolutely love how happy Tristan wakes.  He is all smiles and loves to just talk away.  He makes every day worth waking up happy for.  :)

This afternoon we were able to meet up with Tristan's God Mommies to spend some time at the Pumpkin Patch before their trip to Hawaii!  (Yes, EVERYONE knows how jealous I am.  We are dying to go back.) Jenny and Steph were amazing.  Between posing us and helping with drool and attention duty, I couldn't be happier.  These women truly are wonderful.  Brent has no clue we went to the pumpkin patch.  I have wanted to get Tristan's photo done so I can print a picture and frame it for Brent's desk at their new office.  I'm absolutely ecstatic tomorrow this will happen.  I can't wait to see the look on his face when he opens it.  Here's a sneak peek at some of the shots the ladies got.  Love these.

Staring at all his ladies.

Boo!  Did I scare you?

Just chillin in the pumpkins.

Mommy and Tristan

Tristan smiles!!

Going places

What a week!!

Between me working 78 hours (total of both jobs) and Brent helping his company move locations this week, plus Tristan starting Physical Therapy....man have we been busy!  I was beginning to wonder if the weekend would ever get here.

Monday we had our initial visit for Tristan regarding Torticollis.  He has a slight flat spot on the back of his head and the doctor was talking about putting him in a helmet.  Needless to say the tummy time was definitely upped a little in our house.  Nanette is our therapist and she was quite complementary regarding our parenting so far.  She stated of all her torticollis patients thus far, Tristan has the mildest case.  It was great to hear, however we want to correct what he does have at the moment.  We will be going to therapy a couple of times a week for 6 weeks.  While we are in therapy, we will be working on range of motion in the neck and arms and she wants to work on him using his right hand more.  Who am I to stop her?

Tristan adores Nanette!

Tuesday Daddy was able to stay home with Tristan since Mommy went to work at the store.  (Yay for Gift Wrap Wonderland set up!!)  The boys had a fabulous day together and managed to get quite a bit of tummy time in....with Hannah.
(Every time I attempt to correct the photos, this one changes directions.  Picking my battles and hoping you are okay with turning your head for one shot.)

Hey furrball, what are you looking at?

Can I play also?

Wednesday morning was just as fun during tummy time, but before that we had to lay in bed talking.

Tristan's morning smiles

No really, she LOVES helping during tummy time.

Thursday morning was a bit different.  We woke up to the same cute baby, but he decided he would begin talking this morning.  I was ecstatic when he let me video a snipit of our "conversation."

10.18.12 Learning to talk

Then there was Friday!!  Oh what fabulous Friday brings.  (On days I work at the store, I have to get Tristan and myself ready, head to the store, meet Brent to swap cars and let him know what we did/what needs to be done and how the day went.  Brent then heads home with Tristan to start their night together.) When Brent met us at the store, the day had already been chaotic.  I needed to go to the office earlier, but we ended up in horrific traffic at 2pm.  I thought we would never get there.  We didn't get to leave until 5 and again we managed to get stuck in traffic.  Luckily it wasn't quite as bad, but Tristan was still upset 80% of the drive.  Of course we get 5 minutes from the store and he finally passes out from crying the entire trip.  We get there and I ended up having to wake him.  Once Daddy arrived.....

I like when I see my Daddy!!

Needless to say it was a busy week, but these are some fun highlights.  Saturday Brent had to work at the new location, so Tristan and I relaxed quite a bit.  It was well deserved and enjoyed.  :)

Ahhhh, it is Saturday!

We (namely Mommy dearest) enjoys Saturdays the most out of all the days.  Why, you ask?  This is the day Tristan and I spend together and I don't have to work either job!  Usually it is still a busy day of housework and working on that never ending to do list, however we take a little extra time on Saturdays to snuggle.  That nap that feels so great during the week to Tristan alone....yep, Mommy decides to be a part of those on Saturdays.  Possibly my body's way of telling me to relax after a crazy week and prepare for the next week ahead, but I love them.  Plus I love waking up to a super happy smiling gorgeous baby in my arms.  (Psssttttt, Sundays are Daddy nap days.  I usually come home to them passed out together being all cute.)

That being said, after our company came over this morning to meet Tristan, he was passed out within 5 minutes.  He was wide awake in the swing and I decided to get him to check his diaper.  (I just knew he would pass out sooner or later.)  I picked him up and walked into the kitchen to put something down and then headed to his room to change him and he didn't make it.  He was smooth passed out on my shoulder.  Needless to say, I decided to let him be and relax with him.

Having the Miles' brothers over wears me out.

Watching football after napping during UT/OU game.

Trip to Dallas

As I laid Tristan down at 12:30 Thursday morning, I wondered if I should even attempt sleep myself.  I decided to finish up some work and start getting ready.  It wasn't worth it to stress about sleeping through the alarm and I was NOT missing this appointment.  We managed to get everything packed (yes I over packed, but hey, I'm a little OCD so what did you expect?) excluding the stroller, which we quickly realized we definitely needed.  Got on the road and Tristan started screaming.  Not going to lie.  I thought it was going to be a sign of the day...just for a split second!  I couldn't allow that to happen.  I have been so hopeful about this appointment and it was going to remain that way.  We get to the hospital almost an hour early.  (My Dad would probably fall out of his chair if he knew this was the 2nd time in two weeks I was early for an appointment.)  We were checked in and had to go here, then there, then back to here...it was a lot of shuffling.  (Hence the need for the stroller.)  Can I just tell you how much more shuffling I would do?  The physician we saw was just amazing.  Before he even ordered x-rays, he told us what was wrong.  The x-rays simply confirmed it.  Once he had the x-rays, we went over every bone in Tristan's hand and he explained what we were looking at for surgery options.  We are looking at two different options for surgery, however we will need to go back in 6 months for additional x-rays to determine the path for surgery.  The great news is, with either surgery we are quite happy.  Such a huge difference than the last surgeon.

After the hustle and bustle of the morning, we were able to spend the afternoon with Brent's Aunt Nancy.  She was such a pleasure to be with.  We went to lunch and were able to spend some time at her house.  She lovingly played hostess to my friend (of many many years) Rachel and her daughter, Madison.  Tristan and Madison had their first play date.  It was so cute and I'm not sure who took more photos.

Needless to say, our trip to Dallas was quite eventful, but also relaxing.  We loved our family and friend time.

Thank you again, Nancy, for being our hostess.  We truly appreciate it.

Entertaining babies can wear a man out!

Tummy time?  Yep, I got this!

Madison and Tristan being entertained by Brent.

Patience please!

Please have a little patience.  I started my post about our trip to Dallas, but I'm falling asleep at the computer.  This Mommy (and Daddy) needs some sleep.  I will definitely finish it tomorrow.

Good Night!

Then there were 3!

Alright, so I didn't quite keep up with the pregnancy like I was hoping to. (What was I honestly thinking with two jobs?!?) I am making every effort from this point forward to blog more in order to update everyone with our family. 

Tristan was born July 24th. We had our fair share of scares, including the NICU, but I don't think I would have traded it for the world. We met the most amazing nurse and had a handful of other wonderful nurses as well. Kassie is the most wonderful young lady we could have ever hoped for. 

One of Tristan's complications is his right hand missing two fingers and the thumb and pointer are webbed together. We have seen one specialist here in Austin, however we are heading to Dallas Thursday to get a 2nd opinion. Praying the surgeon we see in Dallas gives us more optimistic options. 

Now on to the fun!  Our bundle of amazing joy is growing so incredibly fast. Everyone tells you to enjoy every moment but you don't realize just how precious every second with them truly is. I sit and stare in amazement. Brent and I are still beside ourselves. Even tonight, after Tristan was asleep, we both talked about how he is so gorgeous and we couldn't have asked for a better baby. Yes, we have had our share of colic, but all in all...he is an angel. Everyone talks about how alert he always is and how he is so content. Him being our first, we really have nothing to compare to. All I know is we are blessed and we know it. He has been sleeping through the night, and by that I mean a minimum of 7 hours sleep, since the day prior to 6 weeks!!  Again, can we tell you how blessed we are?

This weekend Tristan began "whooing" like an owl. We wonder if he has heard the owl outside our window. (he usually talks all night.). When he gets going, there is no stopping him. He loves when you repeat him. We get nothing but smiles during who time.

Tonight Tristan learned he could kick in his bath, which he proceeded to do. He smiled and enjoyed soaking Mommy dearest.  We loved it though. 

Again, I promise to keep up with the blog more. Maybe some day Tristan will read it. 

 

What do two Nickells make?

You get a baby Nickell!!  We were able to see Dr. Cowan last Thursday.  Things are progressing incredibly well, per the doctor and nurse.  Baby Nickell is already so active we could see kicking, stretching and rolling over during the ultrasound.

We go back on the 19th for the 2nd ultrasound.  Stay tuned for more pictures and changes.