Baby Bubbles is here!

Briggs Bolin Hodges was born last Tuesday at 1:30 am. He was 5 weeks early but weighed 7lbs 4 oz and was 20 in long! So needless to say he really was a baby giant!

The day started out with me feeling pretty ugh and so Knox went over to play with Gan. I stopped by my parents and while talking to them in the kitchen felt like I may have tinkled myself. Turns out it was not tickle and I was leaking amniotic fluid. I wasn't as freaked out as I would have been, him being 35 weeks, but I knew he was already weighing 7lbs. I headed to Mandy's office to check out the situation and sure enough she told me to go to the hospital because we were having a baby that day.

My husband did not take this news as smoothly as some might expect. Cool, Calm and Collected...umm not so much. He was running around like a crazy person...I think he changed shirts 3 times, didn't remember to bring anything he might need to the hospital and got in to the car to go to the hospital with NO SHIRT ON. Ummm, Slade...pretty sure it may be a "No Shoes, No Shirt- No Service" type of deal...

Thankfully, my epidural worked this time so labor was MUCH different and MUCH better! Knox got to come to the hospital and Slade ordered him some little scrubs that has his name on them so he was, "Dr. Knox" and would only answer as such. As you can imagine after being there almost a week, "Dr. Knox" had quite the fan club. He kept telling me, "Mom I textin Mandy." I would ask him why and his response, "well we both are Doctors..we both have skubs" (Scrubs)

He was also thrilled because Bebe & Grandad, Bob, Dodo & Dede, Heather, Thomas, and Gan were all up at the hospital so it was pretty much like a party for Knox.

Briggs had to stay in the NICU for a few days to develop his little lungs and basically just cook a little longer...but he got to bust out on Friday and come home! We are already SO in love with him and Knox is beyond thrilled to have a little brother...he loves patting him and telling him he loves him. It's really sweet.

Snapped a quick pic to show how HUGE I was before we left for the hospital.

lets do this!

Dr. Knox is SO excited!

a little nervous about all that's going on

so happy to be a big brother!

My first time to hold Baby Briggs

Daddy gets to hold Briggs

loving on my little man

Briggs already loves Grandad

baby Briggs first picture with no feeding tube or CPAP

in his little incubator in the NICU

Knox checking in on his brother

wanted to "pat" him

loved his "Big Brother" button he got

making sure everything looks right

he's already so in love!

holding hands

We got to bring him to our room for a visit!

Knox was thrilled

first pic as a family of four

wait...you mean I'm stuck with these people?

loving on my first born

Grandad was pooped...Knox was faking

Bob and Briggs...Knox had already lost interest

Well...maybe not

first brothers pic...Neither looks too sure about this

it's love

Grandmothers and the boys....Bob, Knox, Bebe and Briggs

Gan and her new bff

daddy loving on baby briggs

Baby Briggs and Daddy

Daddy and his boys!

Headed Home!

Baby Bubbles...errr Baby Goliath

So we went to the Dr today and needless to say it was a bit of a surprise. Knox and Slade came with me because we had a sono and were going to get to see how big baby bubbles is! Well....he's not big, he's HUGE! I am only 34 weeks and 4 days and he already weighs almost SEVEN POUNDS! He weighs more right now than Knox did when he was born. If he goes full term he will be over 10lbs...not gonna happen.

Good thing is I am dilated to a 4 and 75% effaced, so it looks like it will be this week or next. Bad thing is, I'm only almost 35 weeks so I worry about Bubbles lungs and development.

Supposedly I also have an excess of fluid around the baby so that means that if my water breaks it will be a gusher...yippee! Knowing my luck, this WILL probably happen in public. We are so excited to meet this little bambino and Knox was SO pumped in the sono today to see him. He kept saying, "He's waving at me!!" and then would wave back at the TV. He is going to be such a great big brother...I can't wait to see how it is!

Big Boy Room!

After having to go to L&D with contractions, slade and I decided to go ahead and move Knox into his big boy room. Actually August 1 was always my move in day, the pre-labor just made it easier to convince Slade.

Knox is THRILLED! Slade is a little devastated his baby is growing up :). Knox was jumping on his bed and looked at me and said, "mom, this is great! I LOVE it! Thank you!"

We will see how tonight goes...

farmer and the dell

Knox just told me, "Mom, I'm in a band."
Me: "Oh really, what songs do you sing?"
Him: "The Farmer and the Dell. It's a great song, the Farmer takes a wife AND the cheese stands alone!"

Potty Trained!

We are officially potty trained! Well, by potty trained I mean 90% of the time he goes to the potty in the toilet and he is wearing pull-ups at nap and night time. BUT STILL...I consider this to be a top notch achievement on my parenting belt. I did the "3 DAY POTTY TRAINING" and it really worked like a charm. I believe a lot of it is that I didn't rush it and let him tell me when he was ready to go in the potty.

When I asked him, "Knox, do you want Mommy to teach you to go pee pee in the potty?"
He replied, "No Mom, Both! I need you to teach me to go pee pee AND poop in the potty!"
Well okay then.

We went to Target to pick out his potty and he decided that he needed a big boy potty and a little potty as he didn't know which he would like best. In an effort to make this as painless as possible I did just that...got him both.

We went to pick out underwear and I said,
"Knox we are going to get you some big boy pants to wear instead of diapers!"
He looked at me like I was from Mars and said, "Mom, do you mean underwear?"
Me: "Oh, you know what underwear is?"
Him: (still looking at me like I am the dumbest person on earth) "Uh, yeah..my friends at school wear it"
I swear this kid, he is two going on 25.

He decided he likes the big boy potty much better and has only had maybe 10 total accidents in 2.5 weeks. We still haven't mastered going #2 in the potty but that may have changed yesterday.....

Knox tells me he has to go potty but does NOT need my assistance...okay. I realize after about 5 minutes that it's VERY quiet in there. I go in to find him sitting on the potty where he proudly announces, "Mom, I hoo-wee'd in the potty!" (that means poop...I hate it when little kids yell, I POOPED!) I was immensely proud until I took a look around....

Before he went #2 he tried to STAND UP and pee ...just like Daddy. Well Daddy has better aim (most of the time) and Knox had gotten pee on every possible surface. Seriously this kid must be some type of camel because there was A LOT of it. He even had little pee puddles in his crocs. That takes talent. He knew I wouldn't be happy so I figured that's why he went #2... he knew he had to rally with something big to make me not be mad about the pee.

Well, he was right...it was a parenting dilemma I had yet to face. Be mad about the pee because he KNOWS BETTER than to stand up or be thrilled that he finally did what I've been asking for the last 2 weeks...I went with the latter. Well played Knox, well played.

All in all, I would say it was a pretty painless experience. Knox is such an easy kid that I am terrified Bubbles is going to be a tiny terrorist. Oh, well...one outta two aint bad!

Congrats Bob!

It's me Knox and I had a big weekend! We went to Hereford to celebrate Bob because she is retiring after a really long time teaching and principaling. Her teachers threw her a retirement party and I of course was invited. When I got there I went into the office, got on the intercom and said, "BOB! I HERE!" She was SO surprised to see me!! I was also very excited because the retirement party was at Bob's school, so I got to go see all my friends (her teachers) especially Inella, Nancy and Boppy.

I know her school is going to miss her but I couldn't be more thrilled that Bob is retiring. I have big plans for us now that she is going to have more time..I mean seriously, why wouldn't she want to spend it all with me!?! Dodo and Dede were there and Heather too...so a good chunk of my fan base was with me all weekend!

Daddy and Dodo played in a golf tournament and Daddy played with my new friend James Tate...I love him. It really was an action packed weekend; I got to see Meme, go to the park, play basketball in the gym at Bob's school, play in the sprinklers with Daddy and Dodo, go on walks with Bebo and basically have someone to entertain me 24/7...just the way I like it.

My big finale was Grandad sent his plane to come get Mommy and I because Dad had to stay in Hereford. I was SOOOO pumped. When we were on the runway I looked at mom and said, "We are going so fast, then we are going go really high, then Grandad is going to pick us up...I so excited!!"

Mom is an amazing stewardess. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm no diva... I just made her feed me gold fish, get my water, adjust my air about 423 times and may-ve read the same book about 14 times. I know she was happy to do it!

Bob and her boys

Knox had to get in on the action

Knox and Daddy

Heather and Bob

The diva headed home

All in all it was a GREAT weekend, I was pooped when I got home!