Rach's 1st Dentist Appointment

Another milestone has been reached by Miss Rachel Belle. She went to the Dentist for the first time yesterday. I was very nervous for her ~ she's not real big on new things/people/experiences. I was all prepared for the classic crying and screaming scene. But she surprised me! With Speed by her side, she did it all and was a very big girl. No tears! No drama! No whimpers! She was a little unsure about things and didn't say a word the entire time, but she did everything they asked her to do. Her favorite part was probably the strawberry toothpaste. I have a feeling that she swallowed most of it. The hygenist said that she got just as much on her tongue as she did on her teeth.

Can I just say that pediatric dentistry has come a very long way since I was little? Rach was able to watch Finding Nemo on a flat screen tv attached to the ceiling while she was having her teeth cleaned. Taking x-rays consisted of one SMALL square camera placed in the front of her mouth. Two clicks and she was done! Remember the nasty tray of flouride the dentist made you suck on for 5 minutes? It's been replaced by a quick swab with a q-tip. Our children are very fortunate.

The hygenist, Jessica, I"m sure had some good laughs at our expense later on that afternoon. I took pictures of the whole process as you can tell.

Taking One for the Team

I'm having to say Good-bye to dairy for the next 11 months...not completely, I can have 4-6 ounces a day. Jared and I were talking about it, and I'm pretty sure that translates into one small glass of milk. I'm so sad. I'm a big fan of dairy. Think about it: Ice Cream, Cream Cheese, regular cheese, Yogurt, Butter, Sour Cream. Wow, thats a lot of food taken off the table. (Pardon the pun.) It's quite a sacrifice, but you do what you have to do as a parent. Besides, a good night's sleep for Isaac (and for us) is worth the trade-off.

Baby Items I'm Most Thankful For...

1. Swaddle Me Blankets ~ I'm not sure if it was Jared or me who found these nifty little diddies when Noah was a newborn, but they are the best blankets. Like the name suggests, they make swaddling simple.
2. Swing ~ All 3 of my children have loved this classic piece of nursery furniture. Its very calming. The one we have now has a music setting and a toy bar across the top, perfect for teeny eyes learning to focus.
3. Non-manual Breast Pump ~ oh so much easier and faster than the manual ones they give away at the hospital, very much worth the investment.

Phone v/s Email

I'm so not a phone person. I used to be. When I was in high school and even early college, I loved talking on the phone. That was standard operating procedure upon arriving home from school or class. It didn't matter that I had just spent the last 8 hours with most of the people I talked to. There always seemed to be something or someone to discuss. I'm not even sure exactly when my feelings about the phone changed. Perhaps it was about the time that cell phones became popular. Maybe I started feeling pressure to talk to folks at any time b/c now they could get in touch with me at any time. And since they were now calling my cell phone, I couldn't the play "oh i wasn't at home" card. That's the beauty of cell phones, right? The ability to get in touch with a person at any given time no matter where that person might be or what that person might be doing? Perhaps it was the convenience that killed the joy for me. Who knows? All I know is that getting on the phone is one of the last things that I want to do. Phone calls are almost always the last thing that I scratch off my to-do list. It's really rather sad.
I don't know what it is exactly about talking on the phone that makes me want to avoid it like the plague. Perhaps its the fear of those awkward silences when the conversation lags, or maybe its the uncertainty of the length of the conversation. I don't know, I just almost dread hearing my cell phone ring. Not that I don't like keeping in touch with my friends and family. I love being around people. I'd just much rather email or text or check facebook. Those seem like much less invasive ways of communication. People can respond at their leisure and oftentimes while they're doing other things.
So if I ever seem uncomfortable on the phone, at least you know the reason.

Isaac "Shug" Jordan's Week Old Pictures

I'm not sure exactly how this tradition started, but with each child, I have taken their One-Week pictures in an Auburn outfit. Gotta start 'em early, right? War Eagle baby boy!

What a Week!

I don't know if we could've had a more adventurous first week at home with a new baby. I suppose it's possible, but I rather doubt it. For starters, on Monday morning, Jared woke me with the news that our air conditioner had died. Thankfully, his younger brother, Nate, works for an HVAC company here in town so we knew exactly who to call. However, we learned that it would be at least a couple of days before 'Josh' could work us in to his schedule. Nate & Hannah graciously invited us to stay with them. Rach & Noah were so excited because that meant an extended sleepover with cousins Gabe & Abi! Monday night, we all went to MBCC for Philly ball as we do each Monday night. About halfway through the second game, Jared went down hard on his ankle. He has weak ankles and usually plays with braces. Not Monday night. He sprained his right ankle. When it first happened, he was afraid that it was going to be a really bad one, but it turned out to be mild. Tuesday evening, my mom decided to go home to Foley a day early. She said that she couldn't impose on Nate & Hannah another night. This would have been okay except that she made this decision too late for Jared to be able to take off of work on Wednesday. Hannah & I were left with 4 toddlers and a newborn all day. As Hannah said, we were definitely outnumbered.

It is now Thursday. Josh fixed our A/C this morning so we were able to go back home. We were very happy, well Jared and I were at least. Rach & Noah were begging to stay longer or to bring Gabe & Abi home with us. Jared is taking off a week of work to stay at home for some quality family time and to help me get adjusted to the idea of being at home with 3 children. Its been quite a journey already.

Isaac Jordan is Here

well, he's finally here! The newest member of our little family, Isaac Jordan Wingard, was born Monday, July 7, at 10:30 am. He weighed in at 9 lb 3 oz and was 21 inches long. I was in labor for 2 and a half hours, which is not long at all. I do realize that, but let me just say that it was the most intense 2 and a half hours of my life. My L & D nurse was as sweet as she could be and incredibly helpful, but had my IV drip going a little slower than I wanted. I had to wait for an hour for my epidural, and by the time I got it, I was entering transition. The epidural only had time to take the edge off of the contractions and make me feel relaxed enough so that I didn't really care that I was in some very intense pain. Natural child birth has never been a desire of mine. This experience validated and solidified my decision to always use drugs. I have to say, though, that the recovery is a lot easier and quicker without them.

We brought Isaac home on Wednesday, and he's doing great. He is just so precious. He's sleeping well for us, which is so nice. He goes down between 10:30 and 11 and wakes up to eat around 2 and then again at 6. He goes right back to sleep after eating too. What a blessing! Rach & Noah just love him. Noah gets very excited and has a hard time being gentle b/c he just doesn't know how to control his excitement over baby Isaac.

almost there

tomorrow is the big day...we're headed to Brookwood at 530 in the morning. I am so excited about baby boy! Jared still has not found a name that he really likes yet, and that's stressing him out just a bit. We do have 3 or 4 that we both like, but just haven't settled on 'the one.' Oh well, my only request is that baby has a name before we leave the delivery room. Poor child, I don't want to be calling him baby for the next 2 days. This will be the first time that Mom hasn't been here in B'ham...she's at a conference out in Phoenix. We've got some awesome friends and family that are stepping in with Rach & Noah until we come home. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some pics of little man up really soon!