A Few More Pics of The New Addition

Claire is in love with Care Bears......she got a new one today from James....his name is purple.

We were trying to get a picture of her t-shirt, but all we got was a big "Ta".........

"Da"!!!!!! We learned it in gymnastics and it really comes in handy ;)

A quick kiss for mommy....I think I needed this more than her! Missing my other baby!

Such a sweet smile.

Opening her "big sister" gift that James got for her!!

Giving James a little something from his "little brother" gift from her.

Pointing out body parts.

Such a sweet sleeping face ;)

She was looking for his ear.

Showing Mommy and James her turkey she made at school.......she was doing very well with the inside voice until I asked what the turkey says......

She said James was holding her hand!!!!

Not quite sure what to think of this room. This was when she first got here.....I am trying to help James out!

Sleeping baby....he conks out after eating.

I love this grumpy old man face!

Loving on my 2 babes!

Still just pointing at him and saying James.....it was like she could not believe that he was here. So funny!

Claire did so well with their first meeting! She really was excited to see him and I had missed her more than I thought! She is such a love!

James Strickland has arrived!!!!

These are a little out of order, but so precious! Miss Claire came to meet baby James today and we had so much fun seeing her in action. She kept saying baby James and pointing at him. Se was so excited to see him and it was almost like she could not believe he was here. Too cute!

Here is our family of four!

Here she is holding James for the first time! She really did a great job. Mimmy said they talked about it for days.

Just a little kiss for him.
Mom and baby having some snuggle time. Love this little peanut!

Daddy is enjoying the snuggles too!
Such a sweet face. He has already changed! He came out all perfect with no swollen eyes or anything like that! He actually came out screaming and then shoved his thumb in his mouth. He hasn't found it again, but continues to look for anything to suck on.......I have another "paci-child"!

James Strickland Tudor

Arrived at 9:23 am on Monday, November 24, 2008. He weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz and was 18 inches long. He is just perfect and we are so happy he is here and healthy! Mom, Dad, and big sister, Claire, are all doing so well.

This was a TOTALLY different experience from when I had Claire! It was so controlled and almost laid back. Just a sweet and calm day! Sounds crazy, but the surgery was enjoyable! Everyone was just so kind to us and we talked and talked in the O-R just like we were all chatting in my room or something. My dr came in on her day off to deliver me and it went off without a hitch....now I am reminded of how hard the physical side of the recovery is daily...sometimes up to the minute, but it was just such a nice delivery! I could totally do it again in a few years.....(that comment was meant specifically for Strick!!! He was wondering how long it would take me to start talking about #3........... :)

Before James' arrival dad and Claire had to take the new camera for a test run and here are a few pics from that photo session. These were taken near one of the fountains by Country Club Plaza.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and thoughts that have been sent our way. They were heard! God is so good! I cannot express how content I am right now. This little boy is such an angel and is doing everything he should be right now...sleeping...nursing SO well.....just being a perfect little guy! After having he and Claire together today it has been a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be grateful for and I am counting my blessings every second! This kid is some kind of precious and Claire will always be an angel in our eyes. What a wonderful life we have! I love my family!

We go home tomorrow morning and I cannot wait to start getting back to some kind of normalcy....as soon as we figure out what that is ;)

Tomorrow....

Well tomorrow is the big day! Sorry I have been so late in posting...we have had computer issues and now have a new camera so there is a whole new learning curve for me. Will get better when baby gets here. That is what I tell myself ;)

We check in at 7 am and will begin the surgery around 9 if all goes as scheduled. I am a little anxious, but so ready to meet this little man and get started on our lives at a family of four! How exciting! Thank you for all your prayers and keep them coming. We just ask for a healthy baby and mama, and we so look forward to sharing him with everyone.

I have an email ready to send to everyone so be looking for that soon after delivery. We will have Strick's computer up there with us and will hopefully be able to post some pictures soon too.

Can't wait!!

We have a date!!!!

I am so excited! Went to the doctor today and she went ahead and set the date for my c-section. Sweet James will make his debut on Monday, November 24 at around 9am! Our little turkey will be here just in time for the holidays!! We are so excited to see this little man and boy do I have a lot to do! The doctor says all looks great and he is measuring perfectly! I am tolerating everything really well and there are no real concerns right now. We will probably be in the hospital for Thanksgiving, but otherwise it will be really nice because Strick will have so much time off and Mom will too! We will have Claire covered!!!! What a great big sister she will be ;)

Sweet baby James!

I got my 30 week sonogram yesterday and the lady was in an especially good mood. I explained that after the last sonogram I thought his nose looked "funny". She explained that it was the distortion of the machine and that was totally normal. When we finished she said she was going to play for a bit.........I did not know what that meant until she started and I got to see this sweet baby boy. She asked what I thought of that nose and I said it was just perfect!!! He was sucking on his arm and posing so perfectly!!! I was ecstatic to get to see this and Strick was so sad he was not there. We feel like we have seen him so much since I get so many sonograms, but this was so special! It made me feel like I can make it these last 2 months.....gave me a little added and much needed energy! I left the doctor and immediately went to Strick's work to show him. He has a picture of Claire in his office from when she was born and we think there is a strong resemblance................either way, it was a nice surprise and I was grateful that she took the time to do this for us!

The boy gets a name....

As many of you already know....we have chosen a name for little boy Tudor. He will be called James Strickland Tudor. We had this name picked out before we even knew what Claire was so it was a pretty easy decision. James is after my grandfather, Pop, and Strickland...well that is obvious! We are so excited about this little one and cannot wait to meet him. I just know this name will serve him well. My Pop is the most amazing man on this Earth and if we can raise a little boy to be half the man he is....we will consider that a job well done!

I promise to catch up on posts soon. I thought I would this weekend while my family was here helping out, but we worked and I think the "nesting" is starting to kick in! I cannot get organized enough. With James on the way and the thought of a long winter indoors with a 2 year old and newborn......my list keeps growing! We did get Claire's room started and after the visit during her birthday weekend, I really think all I will have left to do is wash and get out all old baby gear. We are moving her into a "big girl" room.....don't let the name fool you, we will still keep her in a crib, but it will be a new room with new furniture and all. Since we did the nursery in all neutral fabrics we will add a little blue here and there and James will be ready to go! Sweet boy! I have a sonogram tomorrow and hope to talk to the doctor next week about the surgery date. I would like to have some idea of when we will do it....not sure how the whole scheduled date works, but it is looking so attractive right now. I will (hopefully) get to have all my bases covered and Claire will be well taken care of!......and spoiled rotten!

Promise to post pictures soon....I think I have the whole summer to catch up on!!! Yikes!

It's a......

BOY!!!! I cannot believe it! We are so excited! Baby looked great and everything was in working order ;) Claire is going to be the best big sister to her little brother! Hope he is tough enough to handle her!!!!!!!

De Anna Rose

We have made several trips to De Anna Rose to pet some goats and enjoy the nice weather! Our first trip was with baby Beau! At only 4 weeks old he slept the whole time, but we loved the company!!

Here are Kat and I ready to see some animals!

Claire loved the goats! It was hilarious! She would feed them and then laugh so hard, immediately stop and seriously ask them if they wanted more. We were cracking up!

She is so bold and not scared of anything!!!!!

Taking a much needed break!

Cowgirl?

We went back while my parents were in town for more goat feeding fun!

So fun to run and play outside! It has been a long winter!!!

Lovin' some babies!

Claire is so into her babies right now.....very timely I think! She has a particular one that she loves (cabbage patch), but she plays with all her babies. One day we were in the car and she kept saying baby.....so I had to find all the babies in the back seat so that she could hold them. How sweet is she?

Hope this holds out until November!

Strick's big catch!

We have this lovely pond behind our house that the geese swim in and it looks so pretty.....well, it is also stocked with fish! Strick was out running some errands and came home to find Claire and I still asleep, so he decided to fish. He caught a whopper!

This is the pond where all the action happened!

Here is the fish!

The fisherman and his catch!

Helps to show you how big this thing was!!!!

Strick wanted me to skin/fillet it and fry it up for dinner.....I then reminded him that this was not "Little House on the Prairie" and that there would be no skinning here. He called Miss Blanche from next door, and she gladly took it and brought him some fresh fried fish a few days later. To his dismay, it did not taste good at all! Blanche went out and got some fresh catfish and they had a taste test. The stuff from the grocery won! We have heard that the large ones are not as good to eat as the smaller ones. We think this one weighted about 12 pounds because it broke Strick's 10 pound line.

The fish story gets bigger..............

Miss Blanche was out in the neighborhood at a garage sale last weekend and a lady told her that her husband has caught a 25 pound catfish in the pond. Strick thinks the lady is full of it, but he in now on a personal mission to find another huge fish! As long as I don't have to fry it up I am good with it!

Claire is......

Going to be a big sister! We are so excited! I am due in late November so we hope to have baby right before Thanksgiving ;) Here are some pics of Claire in her "big sister" t-shirt! She is so hard to catch these days. On the move constantly!

This might help to explain my blog break here lately! I have been feeling well, just tired and not motivated to do much.....so the next few posts will be catch up!!!

Allie Grace Reyes

Yippee! My cousin, James, and his wife, Shelli, has their baby on Wednesday! She is so precious! Allie Grace weighed in at 6lbs 9oz and was 20 inches long!




Apparently, she looks lots like her daddy from the nose up.....especially the red hair! I love it!



Doesn't Shelli look great? Sweet baby girl!

Can't wait to meet you, Allie!