The Look-alikes

I already find myself sometimes calling Carson, Austin! It's like deja vu looking at him because he resembles his older brother when he was a baby almost identically! So, can you tell which one is which???

Carson David McEvoy is born!

Carson David McEvoy was born on Monday, March 24th at 9:24am and weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 10 oz. and measured 22.5 in. long (5 oz. bigger and 2 in. longer than Austin)! What a bruiser! We went into the hospital at 6:00am and once things were started around 7:00 with the pitocin, the doctor came in shortly after and broke my water and labor started progressing fairly quickly. I was able to get an epidural (heaven sent!) and dilated from a 4.5 to a 10cm in only 45 minutes! All in all, active labor was only 1.5 hrs long and luckily I only had to push for 10 min(amazing considering the sheer size of Carson) before he came into the world kicking and screaming!

So far, we are doing extremely well. I am recovering great, sleeping when I can (esp while my mom is here!), and fortunately, Carson is eating well too. He is a very sweet baby and looks just like his brother did! We've decided Austin had bigger hands and feet along with a little more hair, but other than that, their baby pictures are clones of each other! Austin is doing fabulous with him, so loving and affectionate, and even a tad protective of him when visitors come over! He is also very helpful and curious about everything, and just loves having a baby brother! Anyhow, things are going good so far, but I'm sure as Carson changes, grows, and becomes more alert, the struggles and tiredness will catch up with me even more! We are so blessed and thrilled to have such a sweet and beautiful baby boy and so grateful that everything went smoothly and everyone is healthy!

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter this year spent with my mom (who came for the birth of our baby on Monday) and our good friends, the Richardsons. We colored Easter eggs on Friday night, and then on Sunday we had a fabulous dinner and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The best part, however, was playing Guitar Hero and watching the kids dance to the music! It was hilarious, watch the video!

One week to go, maybe sooner??!!

All of you that have experienced pregnancy know how awful the last few weeks are. First of all, there's the sheer largness of your expanding belly as the baby grows the most the last few weeks! And that creates an uncomfortableness like no other! The baby's kicks are more powerful (especially in the ribs!), your belly is always tight, you're utterly exhausted all the time, the Braxton Hicks contractions get stronger, there's that pressure in the lower abdomen from the baby's head (which makes you not want to wear pants!), and let's not forget the ever more frequent bathroom trips in the middle of the night (I'm up to 5x a night)! For me, I'm experiencing all of the above and then some and I'm just ready to be DONE! I don't care if I will be getting less sleep once the baby arrives, I just look forward to having my body back, sleeping on my back/stomach, and not dealing with a "basketball" in my tummy!

Regardless of all the aches, pains and nuances those last few weeks, I'm still charged and exercising 3-4 days a week! Everyone thinks I'm nuts, but it helps my energy level, makes me feel stronger and better, and most of all, it's extra motivation to possibly get this baby going sooner! As of last week, I was 2.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced and the baby has dropped, so it could be any day. The 24th is the day I'm being induced, however, I have bets with Eric that I won't make it until then! We'll see what happens! Oh, and did I mention that the baby was 8 1/2 lbs already as of last week! Yikes! Where do these big babies come from??!! (Thanks McEvoys!) Despite all this complaining though, really I'm just thrilled and excited to meet this little one, it is all worth it in the end!

Our baby is growing up!

I realized today that my first baby is growing up! This past week we've started potty training because he's FINALLY showing signs that he's ready for it (even though I was going to wait until the baby arrived and he had adjusted) It's slow right now, but it's so cute to see how excited he is when he goes on the big potty! The look on his face is priceless, like "Look what I'm doing Mom and Dad!" He gets so proud of himself and of course, he's extra motivated because I give him 1 special treat for going on the toilet. In addition, he's excited to wear "big boy underwear" which I'm going to take him shopping for once #2 arrives. I know it will be such a transition for him with a new, little one around and the attention not on him all the time, so I'm not going to force things too quickly right now.

Besides sleeping in a big boy bed too (which he's been doing for awhile now), we're also starting to drop his nap, which isn't great for me with a baby coming! But we decided since he'll lay in his bed and talk and sing for an hour at bedtime, not going to sleep until 9pm some nights, it just seems time. He's also got all his ABC's down pat now! He knows all the letters, what they sound like, etc. Whenever we're driving he will see signs and point out letters to me. That's pretty good for a kid that isn't 3 yet! Other things that he's doing that tell me he's growing up are: he shares his toys/things with other kids well now, he's kind and gentle with babies (thank heavens!), he dresses himself, he knows his rights from lefts (and shoes too), his attention span is 10x better (he can actually sit and watch cartoons for an hour, but also comprehend the stories/concepts), but most of all, he always talks about being a big brother and what he's going to teach the baby and help Mommy with. He's definitley ready!!! It's amazing how quickly they grow up, how much they learn, and how fast time flies! I'm not sure I'm ready for that!

Tag, we're it... well, my kid(s) are!

Well, I was tagged for a THIRD time a couple of days after my last tag by Jacque, even after I made a request to not be tagged again! Just kidding :) No, really, I wouldn't be doing this if it were about me because I've definitley run out of interesting things about myself, but since it's supposed to be about my kid(s), I decided this could be fun. I only have 1 right now (but soon to be another in 2 weeeks!), so here it goes! I tried to include a few pictures too...

8 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT AUSTIN REED:

1. Austin was born with a rare (non-genetic), vascular, benign tumor on his lower back that we were unaware of before his birth. Because of that, he was in the NICU for 10 days where several tests, MRI's, and biopsys were done to determine a diagnosis. During a biopsy procedure at 5 days old, he actually lost so much blood the surgeons had to give him 2 blood transfusions (because he wouldn't stop bleeding), and he stopped breathing. Fortunately, they brought him back to life and the bleeding stopped after 2 hours of applying pressure to the wound. He is our miracle child and lots of prayers and fasting were answered that day. To make it even more amazing, luckily he was born in Cincinnati because one of the world's leading hematologist that specializes in these type of rare vascular tumors (only a few MD's in the world even know about his kind) just happened to be a MD at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Talk about being in the right place at the right time...We were so blessed! Oh, and did I mention that he has never had any complications with it and that it is almost completely gone now except for a scar from the biospy?

2. Despite Austin's vibrant, non-stop (he truly is the busiest kid in the world), rough and tough, and "all boy" personality-he has a very tender, sweet side. No, he's not one to snuggle, hug or kiss just anyone at anytime. But he is very sensitive to animals being hurt, lost or killed. In fact, the first time he watched Nemo (although he didn't watch the whole movie, he has yet to do that), he had a melt-down when Nemo lost his Dad! "Where is Nemo's Daddy? Is he going to get him back?" he cried.

3. Austin has an amazing memory for everything-he remembers people from a year ago (like his friends in Cincinnati), random events that happened a long time ago, or things we've done or even said. It blows my mind sometimes the things he recalls. There are too many to list...

4. This kid will probably play every sport under the sun, not because of his dad, but because he is built and coordinated like an athlete. We especially think he will excel at football because he has the strength of a kid MUCH older than him (he always has), he has massive hands and feet, he's solid muscle with broad shoulders, but most importantly, this kid LOVES to tackle and wrestle anyone. He can take down an adult male if you don't watch out!

5. Austin LOVES dogs! And any dog at that! A pitbull growling with saliva foaming from his mouth wouldn't deter him! One of Austin's first words when he was a baby was even "doggie" (pronounced "goggy")! Even when we are at the park, he would much rather run and play with the dogs than at the playground! And yes, we will get a dog or two hopefully within a year (and no, not the tiny, yappy, annoying kind!)

6. Another surprising thing about Austin to most people is that he LOVES to read books. Austin isn't one to sit still for long (although with age that is getting better), but he has always enjoyed reading books with us. He could do this for a long time and knows many books word for word. We swear this is due to the fact that we've always read to him a TON since he was a newborn and I also think it is one of the reasons why he is so verbal, clear, and articulate. Most people don't believe me when I tell them he's not even 3 yet (besides his size)-he talks like a 5 yr old.

7. Austin isn't the pickiest eater I've met, but he is definitely unadventurous when it comes to food. He always has been. The kid loves fruit, veggies, pasta, and chicken, yet he won't touch bread, cookies, or cake! What kind of kid doesn't like pizza or chocolate chip cookies?! At least he's a healthy eater though and I have to be grateful for that...

8. One of Austin's favorite things to do is talk to Grandma (my mom) on the phone. He gets so upset when she calls and I'm talking to her-he wants her all to himself! He will have a 45 min conversation with her (with minimal distractions!) about everything he's done, she's done, the baby coming, his toys, you name it! It really is the cutest, funniest thing to listen to and my mom loves it! Those two have a very special bond.

So, that's Austin. He's such a special boy who makes us laugh constantly and has a personality bigger than life. We love him to pieces! I tag...Allyson, Rachel, and Heather!

Trucks, Fire Engines, Cars, Trains and anything that moves!

I don't think until I had a boy that I really knew how to distinguish all the different kinds of trucks out there-bulldozers, front-end loaders, diggers, backhoes, graeters...The things you learn though when you have boys though! Austin loves to see all these trucks out on the road and always has to remind me of what they are. In fact, one day, he asked me, "Mom, what is that huge truck called?" to which I responded, "I think that's a digger". He then replied, "No, you don't know Mom, we'd better ask Dad when he gets home". I just had to laugh, even Austin doubts my truck-deciphering abilities! Of course, he has his collection of most of these trucks at home, of which he likes to put things in like legos or even snacks, and dumps it out all over the place, all the while making the appropriate sound effects! Oh, and he also loves to "crash" his trucks into everything!

We can't forget about his all-time favoritie, his fire engine! It comes equipped with the revolving ladder, hoses, buttons, sirens, and firemen. He could play with this truck for hours! And everytime he sees a real fire engine he wants to follow it to the fire station or wherever the fire is!

My cancer news

Approximately 3 or 4 months ago, I noticed a mole on my leg that had changed. It had gotten darker, the borders had changed, and the surface felt different. I ignored it at first thinking it was pregnancy related (the melanin in your skin can change due to hormones causing freckles and moles to darken), but my gut told me to go get it looked at in case it was cancerous. I got a name of a local dermatologist and went in. He inspected it along with a number of other moles on my body and decided to "burn" it off and send it to pathology to be sure.

A week later, I got a phone call at 7:00am from the dermatologist himself telling me that it was in fact a malignant melanoma and that he wanted me to come in immediately to get it removed. Keep in mind this news came the exact same week that Eric failed the board exam again and then lost his job. I think I was in shock at first, but then it hit me on the way to the doctor and I just fell apart. "What else could go wrong in our lives?", I asked myself repeatedly on the drive. I tried hard not to think about it until I had spoken with the doctor and found out how deep the cancer was. But of course, you can't help but freak out a little! So, after the doctor removed it (he took out quite a bit of skin too), we spoke for awhile and he told me that it was only in the epidermis, but if I wanted to get additional tests once I had the baby just to be sure it hadn't spread into the dermis, or worse, the lymph nodes, that was an option.

When I got out of his office, I sat in my car for a long time trying to gather my thoughts. I was stunned, scared, crying, and praying to my Heavenly Father to give me comfort. Granted, I knew that I had spent years in the sun lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, teaching skiing, sunbathing, and even though I was pretty good about always wearing sunscreen, it probably didn't matter. Many hours a day for half of my life spent in the sun added up to a high probabality of skin cancer. But still, you never think it could happen to you. This was a major wake-up call for me as you can imagine. My thoughts were running wild as I was driving home, probably too wild. "What if it's spread into my lymph nodes? The doc said there was probably a 20% it could've because of the size of the melanoma. Will I have to do chemo? What about my family?" Yeah, I know, I went way off the deep end, but you can't always help it at first. You always think of the worse. I came home, broke down again with Eric, and then we said a long prayer asking for the Lord's mercy and for peace in our hearts to know everything would be ok. Well, we got our prayers answered and I started to feel better about things. Eric was such a comfort to me too, which helped greatly. Somehow, things would work out, I would be ok, and I would be around for my husband and kids. I just knew it.

Well, I was right, after another two weeks, I went back into the dermatologist to get the stitches removed. Turns out, the remaining skin he had removed just to be sure didn't have any traces of cancer, and the melanoma was indeed just superficial. He told me I probably didn't need to have the further tests done, that I would be fine, but that he wanted to follow up with me every 6 months for the next couple of years. WHEW! Our prayers were answered and I could move on with life (just a little more careful)!