Erin Elizabeth Roberts

We saw our baby girl today at our 20 week sonogram. Everything looks great. We thank God for that! It is a good thing that we found out her sex a few weeks ago because today she was not as cooperative. Looks like she learned a few things about modesty in the past couple weeks. The sonographer said that she is stubborn...she wouldn't move from her favorite position...all balled up, snuggling her face into the placenta. We got a few pics of her, but overall she wasn't too cooperative. I told the sonographer that we didn't mind not getting a good face shot...we are just thrilled that everything looks healthy!!! Great day for our fam!

...oh and she weighed in at a whopping 11 ounces! :)

ABC's of Harrison...

He is lovable. He is squeezable. He is simply irresistible. HE IS 11 MONTHS old! (as of midnight tonight!) How in the world has it been 11 months? Really?

For his 11 month birthday...Here are the ABC's of Harrison--
A--(I'm tempted to sing "A, he's adorable...but I won't) Attention seeking. Just one of the many examples of this is how he pulls my pajama pants down every morning while I am making breakfast---just so I will look down at him and not be able to resist picking him up.
B--BOY! He loves playing with balls, being noisy---just getting into things.
C--Crazy man! He loves being chased and screams and laughs every time I'm after him.
D--Dimpled. (and not the cheeks on his face)
E--Easy going. Go with flow kind of guy.
F--Friendly. He will not even look at us when we are out to eat. He has his head on a swivel so that he can people watch. Plus, he likes the attention from strangers. (notice A)
G--Giggly. A swift glance in his direction is bound to earn you a belly laugh.
H--Happy. Kinda' goes with giggly and friendly...and easy going.
I--Imitator. He likes to do what we do. Especially his big brother.
J--Jack in the Box hatin'. His little lip starts quivering whenever the jack in the box comes out. He scrunches up his eyes before the music even starts.
K--Kicker. He kicks those legs and feet anytime he is getting dressed or his diaper changed.
L--Lip smacker. He sure can smack his lips to give the most perfect kisses.
M--Mighty Strong. Bam Bam. Freakishly strong like Monica on Friends. This kid can move furniture.
N--Needy. He likes to play but his most favorite spot is in our arms.
O--Opinionated. Veggies? Nope. Sitting him down? Not so much. A different lovie? No way!
P--Predictable. I know what he wants before he does most of the time.
Q--Quite a bully. He loves to crawl over and turn off the TV during Leyton's favorite show.
R--Rowdy. Lots of energy. Very loud. (Bam Bam)
S--Silly. He scrunches up his face and does one amazing fake laugh!
T--Tough. (physically...not so much emotionally---he's a tad sensitive) Big head bonks result in just a few seconds of crying.
U--UP UP and UP....he likes to try to crawl up on things.
V--Verbal. He lets us know when he just does.not.like.it!
W--Wobbly. He's a little wobbly when he's standing on his own two feet. Not sure of himself quite yet.
X--eXtra cuddly. I mention it each month, but this boy can snuggle!
Y--Yummy! I can eat him up. And he loves when we do!
Z--Z??? hmmm Zippy. The boy is quick on all 4's!

A-Z....we love you, Harrison! And we love all of the wonderful things you bring to our lives!!! Happy 11 month birthday!

Cooperative?

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...this picture makes me laugh! Harrison had his first haircut at Sports Clips. She was able to get some of his hair cut...definitely would not describe him as cooperative.

Big Day!

Leyton met his two new teachers at school today...Ms. Roz and Ms. Sophia. He seemed to like his classroom and all of the fun new toys. This Tuesday is his first day back.

Around the House....

Harrison's first drink from a straw. Leyton, of course, needed his picture taken too.



This is what Harrison does when we ask him to show us his tongue.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Family fun at the Frisco Rough Riders game!

Potty!

Ok...so Leyton had a fabulous week in his undies. We have done everything like we normally would. We even went to the movies...spent long amounts of time in the car...and we made it without a single accident. (I do realize this won't always be the case)

What's going on with the poop problem? Glad you asked! It goes something like this...

1. he tells me when he needs to go
2. I put a diaper on him
3. he goes and sits in the bathroom...on the floor by the toilet
4. I hear a few grunts
5. he is reading some books
6. he comes out to tell me he is finished
7. I take his diaper off
8. we put on his big boy undies

Next week we will sit on the toilet---still wearing his diaper.
The following week, we will take his diaper off. (or attempt to take it off)

I don't know why he is so hesitant to sit on the toilet but I figure this way he is at least not getting to play as he is doing his business. At least by going in the bathroom he is taking the time out of his busy schedule to....poop. (sorry I could use more technical sounding words, but it's just not me.)

So...let's hope we have another good week in the exciting world of potty training!

Things To Remember---

Ok...since this blog is starting to be my way of remembering things that happen in our lives, I decided to "jot" down a few things that I wouldn't wanna forget down the road. I swear now that I never would, but who am I kidding?

1. During Erin Elizabeth's pregnancy, my only true craving has been hot chocolate.
2 Harrison's first word was bye bye (while waving) and his second word was ball. "ba"
3. Leyton calls his belly button his "button pusher" and he doesn't like us to touch it.
4. Leyton's most favorite toy is his notebook and crayon. He spends most of his day walking around the house to find clues that he can draw in his notebook. (just like Blue's Clues)
5. We have found a babysitter that we love and use often. This is the boy's first person to watch them really...besides our family members and a couple of close friends. Her name is Sabine....known to us as "Nina" and she was one of Leyton's teachers last year. (and will be Harrison's teacher in one more year!)

Not That Cool---

I never understand why people are in a hurry to potty train their child. (sure, the cost of diapers...but other than that?!?!) Don't get me wrong, I do not want my child going to Kindergarten in a diaper, but I have never been in a big hurry to jump the potty training hurdle. I am even guilty of telling Leyton to pee pee in his diaper when he tells me he has to go. (in public places) Honey, that's what diapers are for!!! I decided that I should buckle down and jump on the potty "train" since I ain't getting any smaller and the energy is only going to decrease with each month of pregnancy. We have worn undies on and off for many months, but I decided that TODAY IS THE DAY to not make any more excuses for diapers. (going places, road trips, laziness...etc) So, he will only be in a diaper for naps and nighttime.

Potty Training is not that cool.

Leyton has been SOOO easy when it comes to peeing in the toilet. He started telling me he had to go a long time ago. Then I would just let him run around "naked as a jaybird" to get the hang of it. He has had occasional accidents...like when we have lots of friends over or when we were at Chuck-E-Cheese. He likes to wait until the absolute last minute to take the time to go potty. Usually he is "potty dancing" as he is running in the bathroom.

POOP, my friends, is a whole 'nother story. I have no clue what to do. He tells me to put a diaper on him so he can poop. He goes in the other room, hides, and takes care of business. If I come close to him he tells me to "Get back." I tell him I will let him wear the diaper for 10 minutes so he needs to get busy. He does. I change him. All is good. I have tried everything for him to sit on the toilet and he will not do it! NOPE. Never. No way. I can't force him, can I? I guess I could just let him poop his pants. I did that once...it does not phase him. He is not one of those kids who doesn't like the feel of it. He just walks around like he's been riding a horse for a long time and continues to play. SO...any suggestions would be great. I don't think the diaper thing is ever going to solve the poop issue, so what do I do? Stickers...nope. Big Bribes....nada. Watching a video on the laptop...no, thank you. NOT EVEN GUM PEOPLE! Have I ever mentioned that this child is stubborn? (just like daddy) ;)

So, the moral of the story is this....potty training is not that cool. But my kid is.

I'm A Big Kid Now!

Sportin' my Diego baseball undies. Yeah, I'm pretty cool.

Under the Weather...

I have a sinus infection....

And when I'm under the weather, my mommy builds me a bed on the ground and lets me watch my favorite Baby Einstein.



And that makes me happy!

She's Kickin!

I am 18 weeks pregnant and had not felt Erin Elizabeth kick. I felt Harrison REALLY early...like 15 weeks or something. I wasn't really concerned because the sonographer told me that the placenta is between me and the baby so it would take longer for me to feel her move. Last night I told Russell that I am really ready to feel those baby kicks...I needed that reassurance. What do you know? I laid in bed last night and felt her kick several times! I had forgotten what an awesome feeling that is...I love it!!

As Good As It Gets...

7 boys in Houston for a long weekend. It was fun and CRAZY! Lots of boys equals lots of noise! It was great though to all spend time together!

Little Man....

Comedian

He is funny. For real. He gets a little carried away at times trying to make people laugh. People who know me from a long time ago probably know exactly where he gets that from. I have mellowed over the years! ANYWAY, here are some of his latest funnies...

1. He tells me that his name is not Leyton. He is Austin or Scooby or Tuck or Blue...or any other name he can come up with.
2. He makes this ridiculous ace ventura type face and whips his head around to look at me.
3. He puts his own spin on words that he knows how to say. He says things like "okea" for okay. (example...I tell him to do something and he ignores me so I tell him to say "okay, mommy." He's way too stubborn for that so he says "okea." OR...after time out I ask him to tell Harrison he is sorry---instead Leyton says "sorra harrison.") STUBBORN, but secretly funny.
4. He told me that he no longer will eat breakfast. SO...we call the exact same food at the exact same time of day our "morning snack" and he will eat it up. He told me that he loves morning snacks more than breakfast.

He is also such a love bug these days. He rubs my back, wants to snuggle, tells us he loves us....just a sweetheart. When Russell got home from his annual boy's trip in Arkansas, Leyton said "I sure am glad you are home, daddy." Just melts our hearts! :)

Oh and as for this picture...I do realize that every picture of him is the same--only different shirts. It must be his signature pose..and smile! :)

Our Baby Girl...

I am SO tired. I didn't sleep well last night. I was either awake thinking about all the exciting/fearful things about pregnancy or I was dreaming about telling my family what we are having. I probably had the same dream 100 times---and each time I was telling everyone, "It's a boy!!" Never...not once, did I tell them that we were having a girl. We left the house today to go to the appointment at 8 am. My mom and the boys followed us because they were meeting my best bud Kristin, her mom, and her boys at the mall play area by the hospital. I had huge butterflies all the way there. More so than I have had with any pregnancy. I think because we both know this is our very last time to have this experience. I told Russell that the best way I could describe how I felt was similar to being a little kid on Christmas Eve. It was a combo of nerves and excitement. We got to the dr's office and our sonographer called us back. She started quickly and right away I was relieved and thrilled to see our little baby moving and hear the heartbeat. She measured things...showed us both parts of the brain---10 fingers, 10 toes. What a wonderful feeling! I think anyone who doesn't believe in God needs to come witness someone having an ultrasound. It is a miracle...no other way to describe it. Then, she got to the "goods." I said "Oh...it's a boy!" Russell agreed. Then the lady typed "It's a girl" on the screen. We screamed and cried. Completely shocked. Absolutely so happy. The sonographer told us that the baby was giving her a very plain view. I asked if I could buy outfits and stuff (questioning how sure she was.) She told me that I could buy the bedding and paint the room---she is positive. Another sonographer and our doctor both agreed.

Then, Russell and I met my mom, the boys, Kristin, her boys, and her mom at Cafe Brazil. My friend Kecia came too with her son Brandon. And...my sis, her boys, and her mother-in-law surprised us there. :) I came in and gave my mom a puzzle to do to find out the sex. (one of those blank white puzzles that you can write on) She was all nervous...fumbling around.

This is what the puzzle said...
Is it a BOY or is is a GIRL?
C'mon, take a guess! Give it a whirl!
Either way, we know it will be great...
So, now it's time to CELEBRATE!

So, after all her fumbling around she still didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. I gave her an envelope after that and she opened it to find the pink note saying girl.



Everyone screamed or cried. It was awesome.

SOOO...my motherly instinct stinks. I would have bet you everything I had that Harrison was a girl...and everything I have that this one was a boy. Good thing I'm not a betting kind of gal.

Yea for Erin-Elizabeth! We love you and thank God that you are a part of our family!

Sugar and Spice...

Yep, it's a girl!!! We are beyond thrilled! & SO surprised. I'll write more details soon.

p.s. some people have asked what our names are...Erin-Elizabeth for a girl. (double name) It would have been Beckham if it was a boy.