I am going to be OUTNUMBERED very soon!!!

Yes, folks, it is official: at the end of August, Whit is going to have a baby BROTHER!!!!! When I was 15.5 weeks along, I went in for an ultrasound to make sure that the cyst on my left ovary had gone away because the size of it at my 8 week ultrasound was a bit worrisome. Luckily, I found out that it had completely disappeared, which was great news. The technician then asked if I wanted to find out the sex of the baby. I was shocked b/c I didn't find out with Whit until I was 20 weeks along. I didn't even know you could tell the gender that early. I asked the technician that question, and she said that if the baby was in a certain position, she could give a very educated guess. Even though Scott was not with me at the appt, I went ahead and told her I wanted to find out b/c I couldn't not know! She told me that she was very confident that it was a boy, but when I went in for another ultrasound at 24 weeks for the full anatomy check, we found out with 100% certainty that we are definitely expecting another little boy! My due date was also changed from September 4 to August 28 b/c apparently, they miscalculated it by one week. We decided to name our new little one Graham Wesley Vasey. Graham is my dad's middle name, and Wesley is Scott's dad's first name, so we went with a family name this time. Graham is one active little boy, I can tell you that! Whit moved around a lot, too, but he was usually active at night when I was lying down. Graham moves around all day, which is always a nice reminder that he is doing well! So far, my pregnancy has been free of any real complications. I had pretty bad morning sickness for the first 17 weeks, and I have recently started having bad heartburn again, but besides that and the usual fatigue, things are going well. It is hard to believe that in 3 short months, Scott and I will have TWO children!! We are getting soooo excited about baby Graham's arrival, but we are also cherishing the time we have with just Whit as well. This Saturday, Scott and I are taking our first ever trip without Whit. I have never been apart from Whit for more than a few hours since he was born, so this will be tough for me, but I am SO excited!!! We are flying to NYC on Saturday morning, and we will return on Tuesday afternoon. Whit is going to be staying with Scott's parents for part of the time and with my parents for the other part, so he will be very spoiled, I'm sure! We are going to see a Broadway play one night, we're going to a Mets game with my cousins who live on Long Island, and we also plan to do a lot of just walking around and enjoying the city! I will tell you all about the big trip when we return, and hopefully, Blogger will be better about letting me post pictures of our adventure!

Postponing Mother's Day...

All last week, I was so excited about spending my second Mother's Day with my two favorite boys. I knew Scott had cooked up a whole plan for the day, and I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for me! Unfortunately, at about 4:30am on Friday morning, I woke up with a horrible stomachache, and by 7:00am, I could not stop vomiting. When Scott went to retrieve Whit from his crib, he found that Whit had also thrown up a couple of times, which he has NEVER done before. Luckily, Scott was able to take the day off, and he cared for Whit while I was busy with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. (I apologize for the graphic nature of this post!) It was such a long and painful day. The only bright part was that Whit was in great spirits the entire day. He didn't throw up any more after those initial morning ones, but he did have diarrhea throughout the day. On Saturday morning, of course, Scott woke up with the exact same stomach bug, and he and I had to take turns caring for Whit while feeling miserably. On Sunday morning, we ended up having to take Whit to Scottish Rite because he couldn't stop throwing up, and we were scared of dehydration. This was our first ever trip to the ER, and of course, it was on Mother's Day. While we were in the patient room, Whit threw up on me twice, and he had diarrhea on me once. It was certainly a Mother's Day I will never forget, to say the least! Luckily, we found out that he was not dehydrated and not running a fever. They gave us some anti-nausea medicine and sent us on our way. They also said that they have seen tons of cases of this bug lately, and it is a nasty one! Throughout the day, Whit started feeling better and better, and he never threw up again. His diarrhea was gone by early Sunday evening, too. Now we are all healthy again, thank goodness, and my Mother's Day has been postponed to this Saturday. Having this stomach bug really made me appreciate good health, and I am so thankful that this is the sickest Whit has ever been. I have the utmost respect for all the parents out there who have children who are chronically ill. They are truly the unsung heroes of the parenting world.

Welcome to the World, Mary Kathryn!!!

Little Miss Mary Kathryn Nagode entered the world (5 days late!) on Monday, May 4, 2009 at about one o'clock in the afternoon. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz, and she and Bree are doing just great! I went to the hospital yesterday to visit them, and I couldn't believe how beautiful or small she looked! I haven't held a newborn in almost a year...you really forget how tiny they are! Being at Northside and seeing Mary Kathryn definitely got me even more excited about welcoming our little bundle of joy at the end of August!!! Many congratulations to Bree, Doug, and Mackenzie! We can't wait to see little MK again soon.

A (Very) Belated Easter Post

So, this is now my third and final attempt to load some pictures from Easter onto Blogger, but it is being SO slow that I only have patience to load two sorry! Easter 2009 was absolutely wonderful. After a visit from Easter Bunny #1, who brought Whit a new smocked summer outfit, a pair of shoes, a new sippy cup, and a few books, we went to brunch and had an Easter egg hunt over at Scott's parents' house. Whit was much more interested in throwing the eggs and running around everywhere, but maybe next year, he'll actually want to place the eggs into his basket. His 16 month old cousin, Alexia, definitely beat him in the egg gathering contest for sure! After the hunt was over, we went inside to see what Easter Bunny #2 brought Whit. He received a ball with dinosaurs all over it, which is currently his favorite toy. He also got a new book, a plush Peter Rabbit doll, an Elmo coloring book, a stuffed animal duck, and probably some other items I am forgetting. After a delicious brunch with the whole extended Vasey fam, we headed over to my parents' house for Easter dinner and to see what Easter Bunny #3 brought. Whit got a new mini football and several new outfits to wear this summer, so all in all, he definitely made out like a bandit! We enjoyed a terrific dinner with my whole family and then went home and put a tuckered out Whitster to bed. It was an extremely full and wonderful day!

15 Month Stats!

On Saturday, April 11, Whit turned 15 months, so we went to the pediatrician on Tuesday for his check-up. Here are his stats:

weight: 24 lbs. 12 3/4 oz. (50th percentile)
height: 31.5 inches (75th percentile)

Sorry, I can't remember his head measurements, but I know they were around the 50th percentile as well. Dr. Douglass said that Whit looks to be in perfect health, and she doesn't need to see us back until his 18 month well check-up. Yay! I know I have said this over and over, but I really can't believe it has been 15 months already, yet I don't really remember life without Whit. He has been the best thing to ever happen to us, and he becomes more and more fun and loving every day! We love you more than we could have ever imagined, sweet baby!

Although Whit technically only has 8 teeth right now, there are about three more that are dying to make an appearance, so our poor baby has been in some pain lately. Two of the teeth are his one year molars, and those are supposed to be two of the most painful ones to get in, so here's hoping they break through very soon!

I have been trying and trying to post pictures from Easter, but Blogger has been extremely slow, so hopefully, I will be able to get that done this week. :)

Amelia Island Trip!!!!!

At long last, I am back!!!! I am completely over my nausea now and ready to get back into the blogging world. Yay! On April 4-11, Scott and I took Whit to Amelia Island for Spring Break, and we had an absolutely fantastic time!!! We stayed at a condo right on the beach, and the weather was sunny every day, which was wonderful. Most days, it was between 75-80 degrees, but there were two cooler/windy days mixed in as well. My sister flew in on Wednesday at about noon and rode back with us on Saturday morning, so we got to spend some quality time with her, and it was so much fun. Whit loved running around on the beach, but he was not a big fan of the actual ocean because it was freezing! Anyway, the condo we stayed at was very cute and decorated in a beachy theme, which I loved. We had so much fun playing on the beach, going into the historic town and walking around, enjoying homemade ice cream, and of course, shopping! I found this adorable kids' clothing store called Twisted Kidz, and they had gorgeous smocked shortalls for boys that I had not seen anywhere else. I bought Whit one blue-green smocked shortall with sea turtles, and I ordered two other outfits because they only had one shortall in the 18 month size at their store. We also enjoyed some yummy seafood and one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted! Scott and I were able to have one nice dinner out while Hillary baby-sat Whit, so that was very nice. We also took a romantic walk on the beach after dinner, which is one of my all-time favorite things to do at the beach. The week went by so quickly, but we really did have such a fabulous time. It wasn't as relaxing as we had first thought it might be because our 15 month old constantly wanted to run around and explore everything, but this age is just so cute that we didn't mind a bit. Above are pictures taken from my old Canon PowerShot camera and my new camera that I got for my birthday, which I LOVE!!!! It is a Canon EOS Rebel XSi, and I don't know why we didn't get it sooner because it is awesome! Spring Break 2009 was the best one yet! :)

Can't Wait for a Fantastic Fall!!!!

So, blog readers, I must confess that the real reason I have been so bad about blogging regularly is because I am PREGNANT!!!!! Today, I have completed 12 full weeks, so hopefully, we are out of the danger zone of miscarriage now. With Whit, I threw up almost every single day for three months, which was torture, but it was summer break, so at least I could stay in bed. This time, even though I did not throw up much at all, it has probably been even tougher because I have had a very active 13 month old to take care of, so there has been no wallowing in bed for me! I am hopeful that all of my nausea will soon be gone completely, which will be quite a relief, to say the least. Once again, Scott and I were blown away when I took a pregnancy test on December 23rd because my period was late, and it came back positive. We had planned to start trying this summer at the earliest, but this pregnancy is such a blessing! Whit and the new baby will be about 20 months apart, which makes me extremely nervous at times, but I am so excited about adding to our family. I think Whit will make a superb big brother, and I can't wait to find out whether he will have a baby brother or sister. There are so many pros to each sex, so we really don't have a preference either way. We found out the sex last time at 20 weeks, so I am guessing the timeline will be the same again. I wish I could be patient enough to be surprised in the delivery room, but I am way too much of a planner and way too impatient for that!

Whit Playing in the Park!

First off, please allow me to apologize yet again for being a bad blogger. I have been feeling so poorly and run down lately, so I have been just plain lazy about updating this bad boy. Anyway, on Friday, the weather was absolutely beautiful-sunny and high of about 60. Scott, Whit, and I met my friend, Mandi, at Newtown Park for Whit's belated 12 month photos. Mandi is a girl I used to teach with at Autrey Mill, and she is also quite a talented photographer. Above are some pictures of Whit having a blast at the park.

A Successful Surgery!!!!

Yesterday, our prayers were answered because the ear tube procedure went perfectly! Whit now has tubes in both ears, and we are very much hoping that this is the end of the many ear infections. The surgery was scheduled for 9:10am, but we had to be there 2 hours early. I was nervous about how Whit was going to behave because we weren't allowed to give him anything to eat after midnight. I thought he might get really fussy because the boy does love to eat, but luckily, the waiting room was chock full of amazing toys. Scott and I just played and played with Whit until it was time to get him suited up for surergy. Those toys sure were a wonderful distraction, to say the least! Whit didn't fuss once because he was too busy having fun. Once we got called back, I had to put this tiny gown on him, and I got teary because it hit me even more that my baby was about to be given anesthesia and actually operated on for the first time. They let one of us go back with him just while they were putting him under, so I got to make sure that he was really "out" before they started the surgery. Luckily, it only took Dr. Thomsen about 10 minutes to clear out the fluid in the left ear, (the right ear was clear) and to put tubes in both ears. When they brought Whit back to us, he was asleep, but when the nurse started checking his vital signs to make sure he was okay, that woke him up, and he was insanely fussy for about 15 minutes while the anesthesia wore off. He was so confused and out of it, and I felt incredibly badly for him. As soon as I nursed him, he calmed right down, and then we were able to leave. All in all, I was extremely pleased with Scottish Rite and all of their staff. They took wonderful care of our son, and we are so thankful that everything turned out great. For the rest of the day, Whit was in great spirits and ate like a heavyweight boxer! He even slept his usual 12 hours last night, and he woke up in a terrific mood this morning, too. We have to put ear drops in his left ear twice a day for three days, but after that, we are free and clear. Hooray!

Whit's Surgery :(

Last Monday, I took Whit in for his 12 month check-up, and we found out that he weighs 23 lbs. and is 30.5 inches tall, which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 50-75th percentile for height. Everything looked great until they checked his ears and found out he had a double ear infection! That news was upsetting enough, but what was even worse was knowing that because he got yet another ear infection, he would have to get tubes in both ears. We went to our pre-op appointment at the ENT on Thursday morning, and Whit's ear tube surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at Scottish Rite. They are going to call us this afternoon to let us know his surgery time, but they take kids from the youngest to the oldest, so I'm pretty sure his will be done early in the morning. We are supposed to be there 1 1/2-2 hours before the surgery start time, so it will be a very early start to the morning. Even though I know the surgery only takes 15 minutes, and our ENT does this procedure all the time, I am still so nervous and feel sick to my stomach every time I think about my baby going under anesthesia. Please, please pray that everything goes smoothly tomorrow. I am really hoping that these tubes will allow Whit to live an ear infection-free life from now on. Bless his heart...since September, he has had at least 6 ear infections that I can think of off the top of my head. I will try to update the blog as soon as we get home from the surgery.

Whit's 1st B-Day Party, Sesame Street Style!

Please forgive me for not blogging in a really long time. We have all been sick in the Vasey family with bad colds, sore throats, ear infections, etc., but we seem to all be on the mend now, thank goodness. Whit's Sesame Street first birthday party was a roaring success!! At first, he wasn't so sure about his cake because he got very upset when I tried to put his birthday hat on his head (big mistake!), but as soon as I gave up and just gave him his mini cake, he loved it!! At one point, he realized that his hands weren't doing a fast enough job getting the cake and frosting into his mouth, so he just bent down and tried to put the entire cake in his mouth! It was hysterical!!! We had tons of family and friends join us to celebrate Whit's big day, and it was so wonderful sharing this milestone with the people who matter most to us. My friend, Katie, who has 2 small children, told me that I would get teary when everyone started to sing happy birthday to Whit, and she was exactly right!!! I just started thinking about all that has happened in the last year and how absolutely amazing it has been to watch Whit grow into this happy, healthy toddler! He is such a sweet, curious, adventurous, loving baby, and I know this next year is going to be even more fun and magical! Here are some pics from Whit's party. My friend, Mandi, who is a professional photographer, also took pictures at the event, but I haven't seen them yet. As soon as she burns me a CD, I will post them. For now, these are the definitely less than professional shots! :)

The Big Day is Tomorrow!!!!

Tomorrow is Whit's first birthday party, and Sunday is his actual birthday!!! I have been busy planning his party for a while now, and I am so excited that the big day is almost upon us!!!! I am going to keep the party pretty low-key because it is his first birthday; there will be plenty more in the future for me to go hog wild on, I'm sure!!! Guests are arriving to our Sesame Street themed party at 11:00am, and then we will serve lunch: Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, high roller deli wheel sandwiches, pasta salad, cheese and crackers, and for dessert, Sesame Street cake, of course! I was going to attempt to make Whit's small cake and the cake for the rest of our guests, but I haven't felt great this week, so I broke down and ordered the cake from Publix instead, and they are throwing in a small cake for Whit free! After lunch, we will let the babies play for a while-besides Whit, there will also be Alexia (13 months), Mackenzie (10 months), Wills (8 months), Pippa (12 months), and Wyatt (almost 5 months) in attendance. There will be about 30 adults there total, so we will definitely have a full house, which is just the way I like it!! I bought all sorts of Sesame Street themed first birthday stuff-plates, napkins, an Elmo balloon, cups, a Happy Birthday banner, so I think we are set!! I can't believe my baby boy is turning ONE this weekend!!! Aaaaahhhhh! The best year of my life by far has flown by, and I can only hope that the rest of Whit's childhood slows down a bit because I don't want it to be gone in the blink of an eye!!! Besides Whit's birthday party, we also have a baby shower, a birthday dinner party, and a baby dedication for our niece to attend this weekend, so it is going to be CRAZY busy around here! Please check back in a few days for lots of Whit's party pics!

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Is 2008 really over already?!? This year has truly flown by like no other. I can honestly say that while 2008 was the best year of my life, I think 2009 will be even better! I do remember that the first 10 days of 2008 were extremely uncomfortable because I was soooo ready to have Whit!! I was huge, I had horrible heartburn, I couldn't sleep because I had to pee every 5 seconds, and my back was killing me. Once January 11th hit, though, the year suddenly got incredible, and it has continued to become even more wonderful every day. Having Whit completely changed my life, and he has filled me with such overwhelming love and joy. I remember a few hours after having him, I felt so overcome with love that I thought I was going to burst! This year has also been extra special because I got to see my husband transform into the most loving and amazing father, and that has made me fall in love with him over and over again! 2008 was definitely a year for having babies! Tons of people I know were also blessed with babies...Bree, and her husband, Doug, welcomed Whit's best friend, Mackenzie, on March 4th, Michele, and her husband, Will, welcomed precious Wills into the world on May 8th, my friend, Jenny, and her husband, Adam, welcomed adorable Wyatt on August 18th, Lizzie and Mitch welcomed Olivia on November 2nd, Stephanee and Ryan had Julia on November 18th, and Steph and Dan just welcomed Baby Daniel on December 28th, 2 minutes before Steph's birthday! Whoa! There are tons of people having babies in 2009 as well, so there is a lot to look forward to. Andrea is due January 23rd, Amy is due February 16th, Tania is due March 31st, Bree is due April 30th, and Linda is due June 11th. Hooray for a wonderful 2008, and I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for our family! Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy New Year! (By the way, if you are wondering, the pics at the top are just some random ones of Whit enjoying some of his new toys!)

Merry (Very Belated) Christmas!

I cannot believe it is now New Years Day, and I have not even blogged about Christmas yet! In my defense, our internet was down for over a week. Anyway, the Vasey family had a wonderful first Christmas with Whit! On Christmas Eve, we headed over to Scott's parents' house for the annual Christmas Eve dinner with the whole Vasey clan, my sister, my sister-in-law's mom, and my brother-in-law's new girlfriend. My parents were unable to attend b/c my mom came down with a nasty 24 hour bug the day before Christmas Eve. It was so cute watching Whit and Alexia play together as always, even though they always seem to want the same toy at the exact same time! We had a yummy dinner of ham, macaroni and cheese that I made, cheesy pineapple casserole, green beans, and bread. Whit loved it all, too! On Christmas morning, Whit slept until 7:30am, and then we took him downstairs to show him what Santa brought! Whit must have been a very good boy this year because Santa was extremely generous! He got Whit a Radio Flyer wagon with a canopy on top, seatbelts, cup holders, an extra seat for another passenger, the works! I can't wait to take Whit for lots of rides when the weather turns a bit warmer! Whit also received several pairs of Carters fleece footy PJs, an adorable outfit from Gymboree, finger puppets, tons of books, Tonka cars, a huge container of Mega Bloks, a dump truck to put the blocks in, a truck that makes all sorts of sounds, nesting cups and cubes, and more stuff that I just can't remember now! We made the mistake of leaving out his favorite toy in the world, his Thomas the Tank ball, so he was more interested in that than in his new stuff for a while! He did help us tear open a few of his gifts, and he liked playing with the wrapping paper when we rolled it up into balls for him. After a morning nap, we headed over to Pam and Wes's house at around 11am for brunch and Christmas Part II. We opened up stocking gifts first, then ate, and then opened up the rest of the gifts. Once again, Whit really cleaned up! He got his very first train set, a Little People animal farm, a Little People racing garage, a Little People ferris wheel and amusement park, 2 pairs of adorable "big boy" shoes, a Learning Puppy, a Little Tikes car and train, a Little People Tow and Pull tractor, and once again, more that I can't recall. It was wonderful! We left at 2:30pm to head home for a nap because Whit was exhausted. After an hour and 20 min. nap, we went to Christmas Part III at my aunt and uncle's house at 4pm. Whit got this great ball pit and tons of extra balls, a Bounce and Spin pony, a Winnie-the-Pooh choo-choo learning train, a Leap Frog musical table, Leap Frog farm fridge magnets, and a gift card to Babies R Us. We left at 7pm to take a very tired Whitster home. So far, he has LOVED playing with all of his new toys! Because he got so much and will be getting even more at his birthday party next weekend, we decided to put away 4 or 5 gifts and give them to him one at a time later. All in all, it was the best Christmas for Scott and me because we already had the best Christmas present we could have ever imagined! I did not take many pictures this year because I was too busy having fun and enjoying the moment, but here a a few from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope your Christmas was magical as well!