Dear Baby,

Today I found myself particularly sentimental about our pregnancy. I caught a glimpse of my shadow when walking back from Trinity's school this morning. In that moment I felt so happy, and thankful for you and this pregnancy, it was overwhelming really. I am so thankful for how beautiful you have made me feel. How much energy I have now, and how I connect with you on a daily basis. I am so happy for this miracle happening inside of me...can you believe that you have just a few more weeks to grow? I wonder how anyone could not enjoy being pregnant. Thinking about being your mama feels good, but, I think I will really miss this time that I have had with you in my womb. Maybe because this may be the last time....or maybe because going from 2 to 3 is such a leap, whatever the reason, I am going to miss it. I love how your daddy looks at me and tells me how beautiful I am. How your sister Trinity kisses you in my tummy each night before bed. How your big brother Tristan rubs you in my belly and says "baby". I love feeling your movements, how you respond to touch and light...how you love music, especially Mason Jennings. I think it's amazing that you have already put yourself on a schedule and you wake an sleep at the same time each day. Your energy fills me up and makes me feel fantastic. Thank you so much for choosing us to be your parents. I will enjoy these last few weeks with you safely inside, trying to remember every moment. Grow baby, get healthy and strong, we have quite a challenge to face, and soon.

Fun Times

She wants to join the Circus, and some day, he'll be an Acrobat. For now...we just have fun at Family Carnivals.

Happy Birthday Shannon!

August 29th was Shannon's birthday and we celebrated at home with family. Tristan has started to really love the Birthday Song, and can hum the entire thing adding in "to you" at the right moment. Trinity made her daddy a Transformers Coloring Book and she was so proud to give it to him. It was such a great day, and I am SO glad that he was born :)

Tortoise??? REALLY??

Yes, we are indeed insane. We rescued yet ANOTHER pet last month, this tortoise that we have affectionately named, Donatello. He is fabulous. Animal count is now at a staggering 12, whereas the people are still steady at 4. Now, to be fair, 4 of those 12 are fish, and 2 are lizards...the cat never comes out to play until the kiddies are in bed, the bunnies are basically small dogs, and the dogs...well, they are basically human. "Next time, on Animal Hoarders"....oy. Keep in mind, this dinosaur cousin stays outdoors, eats grasses and fresh veggies from the garden, and has VERY little upkeep. We do love him so, and he's fun to introduce to the neighbor kids.

We're Jumpin' on the bed....

They LOVE to do this....I don't blame them, it looks pretty fantastic when they do.

Ahoy Matey!

Sunday was National "Talk Like a Pirate Day" and along with that, they had Pirate Day at Trinity's school. Had me and Tristan not had to go to his school for his eval, we would have done it up right! But, I think Shannon and Trinity pretty much covered all the basis, ARGH!

School for the T - Man

It's getting closer....Tristan will be going to school soon, and though I originally had some serious apprehensions, after his evaluation last week, I must say that I am feeling so much better about the entire process.

During the eval, there was the entire Developmental Team (about 4-5 people) to evaluate Tristan's skills (think playing with a purpose and being observed) and to ask me a bevvy of questions ranging from his social development to his psychological. During the interview, the subject of his early reading skills was raised. I talked about how he is able to see a word once, and then master that word and read it whenever he sees it again. They asked about specific words, and were very intrigued with the idea that he was able to recognize everything from "apple" to the more complex "computer". His reading vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few months, going from reading roughly 25-30 words to now well over 100.

At the end of the evaluation, we were told that he has a developmental disorder called Hyperlexia. Hyperlexics are often misdiagnosed as Autistics at a young age. When they hit the age 4-5 they grow more out of the "autistic type" behaviours and lead into the developmental disorders associated with Hyperlexia. Hyperlexia is present in about 10% of children misdiagnosed with ASD. They are also extremely intelligent, verging on savant. They have specialized capabilities, and excel at things that require early reading, order and picture associations. We have worked with Tristan on many things, and nothing is more exciting for him than to read.

This may be a new opening in his door of many things to come, but for now, we are going to just take it day by day...treating each new discovery as they come. Our little guy, the "maybe autistic, possibly hyperlexic, showing signs of an appraxic, definitely wonderful Tristan."

Lucy, you got some explaining to do.....

I totally ABSOLUTELY suck at blogging. There, I said, I SUCK. I have so many aspirations to put amazing pictures to a story and share it all with you, my beloved friends....but alas, I don't do it. Instead, I sit and thumb through a large magnitude of pictures stored on my camera and dream up ways of writing fabulous stories, knee slapping one liners, and tales of amazement. Do you see any??? Nope. I haven't been able to blog like I know that I should. BUT, I am hoping soon that will all change. I do have high hopes, let's HOPE that I can stick to them.

Heeelllloooo 31 weeks!

Here it is...9 more weeks (give or take a few) and we will meet baby 3! We have been playing around with a few names, but...are going to wait to see her before we decide officially. So, what have I been doing to prepare you ask? NOTHING!!! ACK! This pregnancy has literally snuck up and bit me on the ass (and left a few extra pounds there too). I haven't washed anything, really bought anything, had a baby shower (do you even have one of those on your 3rd?), haven't broken out the co-sleeper, ANYTHING. Now, all of a sudden, I am in nest mode, high gear. I have organized the bookshelves, dusted and purged from our entertainment center, cleaned off the hutch, and have been donating like crazy. My goal is to cut down on the toys here by at least 50% before baby comes. The kids are only really using a handful of them, and we will keep what is most dear, but...the other stuff, has to go, and they are ok with that. I am working on a baby quilt, and will be having the kiddos help make a peice of art for their new sister. We are all very excited and happy at the thought of adding another Hydeman to our family and are cherishing these last few weeks before her arrival. I have taken some more baby bellly pics and will post those soon! For now, NAP TIME....boy, am I pooped.