Just here waitin' for my brother.....

Well, another week has past and still Ethan Thomas has not made his grand arrival. That's OK, though. Our appointment with Dr. Thompson went well on Friday. Ethan is still hanging on and showing no signs of coming any time soon. Mommy's feeling great, but is 0% effaced and 0 cm dialated. So we wait another week for his arrival and try to do all the fun things that we won't be so willing to do once he comes (like go out to restaurants/shop/etc.).

As for the weekend, we just kinda hung loose. Did some prep here and there for Ethan as well as just enjoyed our time as being "one kidded". Mommy did her routine of bills/laundry and such and Daddy mowed the yard three times (because it rained everyday last week and the yard was crazy long). We played on the deck and took walks and baked Chocolate Chip cookies. We played with tons of Matchbox cars/planes/trucks...where did he get all these!

Here's a couple of highlight shots from the weekend...enjoy!

Playing with his "Mixer Truck"

Lovin' on Allie in the sun!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Have a great night!

Ty, Emmy, Aidan and Ethan

Week 38 - A Leek!

We are definitely on the last lap for Ethan Thomas! It's 38 weeks and Ethan is as long as a common leek, which is about 19 1/2 inches. He should be in the 7 lbs range and is fully ready for the world! Here's what's going on with Ethan this week!

Mommy's been feeling very good. Over the last two days she's gotten both extended periods of time with contractions every 5-1o minutes, and then today she got less frequent contractions but they were more powerful! So let's hope that at our Doctor's appointment on Friday that we finally see some progress!!

Emmy said that she took some quiz on BabyCenter and after answering all the questions it said that she should have the baby 3 to 7 days prior to her due date (which is June 10 for those interested). So could we have another baby in this place by next week.....I don't know!?!?!

Ok, now on to Mister Aidan. He has really started to develop a personality. Here he is this weekend "funny" singing to himself as he played with his trainset. Daddy did his best to "hide" not to disturb such a great performance. Enjoy!

That's all for today! Have a great rest of the week!
Ty, Emmy, Aidan, Ethan and Allie!!!!

A Wild and Wet Weekend!

Spring has gone and the pool's are open! And we've got ourselves a little boy who loves the water!

Saturday, we hung out around the house and did some more preparation for Mr. Ethan's arrival in the morning. Aid took a decent nap while Daddy ran some phone line from our box in the kitchen down through the floor into the basement (which was a task, but also a big success). After Aid got up, and me telling him that we'd have a surprise if he took a good nap, it was time to break out the beach ball sprinkler. Grammy T got this for him sometime last year, but we just hadn't got it out yet.

It took some coaxing, but after awhile he warmed up a little bit to it. We played airplanes and flew through the "rainstorm". We played with the hose and just had a great time, all in our driveway!

Here's some pictures:

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Cautiously observing the "rain"... and hanging with this buddy, Daddy.

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Ahhh....now we're comfortable in the "rain"!!

Mr. Cool withthe sunglasses....and playing in the nicely "striped" yard!!

Surprised when Daddy turned on water to the hose!!

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Being silly and giving Daddy CPR...just kidding....we're just having fun!

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Today, we went to Church and then headed out to Auntie Elizabeth's. Their pool is heated (87 degrees today!), so even though it wasn't really that hot (low 80s) or sunny today, we enjoyed the swim without getting too cool. Auntie E had gotten Aidan several toys to play with, but the one he liked the most was the huge pool slide. I'll tell you, this guy has no fear. I put him up on the top and he was off. So fast that during the second one he surprised the "catchers" and found himself "swimming". He was fine, just a little water up the nose. All part of the learning experience! Here's some shots of the little daredevil flying down the slide.

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Ready to go...and pushing off!

Wheesh! Down he goes!!

That's all from here tonight. Hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!

Have a great night.

Ty, Emmy, Aidan and Ethan!

Week 37 - A Stalk of Swiss Chard!

Whatever that is!?!?! (Mommy note: I eat Swiss chard at the cafeteria at work- it is good! Silly daddy!)
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Well this is a very important week this week. Emmy is considered "full term"! This is great news as it means that Mr. Ethan's lungs should be developed enough that if he was born today he should be able to breathe in this great St. Louis air without any difficulties!
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Mommy has been feeling great over the last week and continues to be able to do just about everything that comes along! Ethan has been moving and getting the hiccups all the time and we are getting the house ready to go. The closet is stocked full of clean clothes, the car seats are in, the lists are made for arraignments for when it's time to go and the bags are almost packed! So, before you know it, we may have another member here at this place. How exciting! 10 months in the making!!!! Here's what's going on with our little guy this week.
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Now on to more exciting news. Many of you have seen our ribbons to the right of the text and one of people that we celebrate is my Aunt Jacki who lives in Florida. I received a note today that she has completed all of her chemotherapy and yesterday finished her last surgery for reconstruction after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Congratulations Aunt Jacki! We prayed for you and knew that you, Uncle Mike, and the kids would be strong to get through this challenge in life! Just a few hurdles left with the additional treatments and then you'll be cancer free...what wonderful news.
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OK, onto Mr. Aidan.... Last weekend Mommy had lots of work to do and Daddy had to take up the work that Mommy would normally do, so we needed to come up with something that Aidan could do for awhile, relatively unsupervised and that would keep him busy. Out of this, Construction Site with Rice was born! Aidan loved it...played for at least an hour, quietly and peacefully. Easily the best box of instant rice that we've ever used.
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That's all from here! Have a wonderful night!

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Ty, Emmy, Aidan and Mr. Coming Soon

600th Post!

Can you believe that since May of 2006 we have posted 600 times? Holy Moly!

Wow, lots to talk about tonight.

First off, bummer news coming from the Doctor's office on Friday...Baby Ethan was facing down and away from the ultrasound, so no pictures! We tried twice and both times he was in that position with his arm over his forehead so there was no possible way to see his face. They had the whole 3D setup, but for not! We did see that he has hair and that (thankfully!) he is still a boy.
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Good news is that he is doing great! He measured at 7 lbs 2 ounces and around 37 weeks. So with 3 weeks left and him gaining about a half a pound a week, I think we're looking at around a 8 and a half pound turkey! All else was well with the little guy; he had plenty of fluid (this was an issue last time with Aidan) and his heart rate was just crusin' along as well. "Not Open for Business" for Mommy though as Ethan seems content just to stay inside as we are 0% dilated and 0% effaced. Oh well, she's been contracting a lot so in time (my guess is 3 weeks) we should see Baby Ethan for the first time!!!

Had a very nice weekend here in the 'Lou. Had some strong storms blow through Friday leading to clearing and cooler temps on Saturday and today. Yesterday, we met up with Auntie Elizabeth in Des Peres, Missouri for their "Extreme Trucks Day". They had fire engines, ambulances, backhoes, dump trucks and all sorts of other big trucks that Aidan found very exciting. He got to sit in a real backhoe, dump truck and fire truck and got to talk to a paramedic and fireman! They also had a playground there, which at this age for the little guy, it's O-N, ON!!! Here's some pictures:
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Sitting in a real backhoe (actually a REALLY nice backhoe. It had air conditioning and a radio)...and stepping down the steps at the playground!

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A friend at work told me before we got preggers with Aidan that "boys are fearless, they'll do anything". Well Aidan has some fear, but not at the playground. He just runs up there, plops that butt down and slides down, without any thought or reservations!!

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Daddy met his friend Brad and his brother Scott then downtown at the Cardinals' baseball game...they lost, but we had awesome seats. We sat one row in front of the Cardinals' wives and I'll tell you, not one of them gives a crap about baseball. Not only did most of them show up around the 5th inning, they sat and gossiped or had their little bratty rich kids running around kicking the seats (ours included, yes Yadier Molina's kid I'm talking about you). So, I guess when your loaded and you've got some of the best seats around (for free), heaven forbid that you cheer for your husband when he makes a nice out or gets a hit. Blah....

But...I did get some awesome pics on my new camera. It has an optical zoom of 20 times, which is 17 times more than our other camera, and as such, I can get good pictures even though I'm far away.

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Adam Wainwright pitching to some loser Milwaukee Brewer stick figure (two pitches later he hit the ball out of the park for the ONLY run of the game as the Cardinals lost 1-0 (it was also one of two hits that Wainwright allowed the WHOLE game!!)) And the picture on the right is the man, "El Hombre" Albert Pujols, the best player in baseball.

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Brad and Scott stayed at the St. Louis Hilton, here was the view from their room (the Anhueser-Busch Factory is the big bunch of brick buildings straight out with the smoke stacks)...

Speaking of the camera again, we had a friend visit us last night, Mr. Owl, that I spotted and shot (with the camera, duh). Here he is....awesome!
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Can I get a "hoot-hoot!"

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Finally tonight, Mr. A. In his cool guy church outfit this morning. He was an angel in church, which makes Mommy and Daddy's life so much easier.

That's all for tonight!

Have a great week!

Ty, Emmy, Aidan and Ethan

Week 36- A Crenshaw Melon!

Here we are at 36 weeks, also known as 9 months pregnant. This week little Ethan is the size of a crenshaw melon, which apparently is "one of the most sweetly succulent members of the melon family." Who knew? Tonight Daddy took the night off, so it's Mommy here with tonight's post!
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There isn't really too much going on with little Ethan now. As you can read here, he is pretty much just in the "fattening up" stage. Although it says he could be around 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long, we will know a lot more this Friday when we get what will probably be our final ultrasound. We are super excited because this time we will get to see him in 3D!! Our doctor's office didn't have the 3D machine when we had Aidan, so this will be a new experience for us. Other than getting cool pictures, the real purpose is to do some measurements to see how big he is, how much fluid he has around him, and to verify that he is head down. Aidan always measured huge, and ended up being 8 pounds even, so we have learned that estimates are really just that.
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Speaking of doctor's appointments, we are on the weekly schedule now. Last Friday's appointment yielded a good heart rate and the first "exam" for mommy. There aren't any changes going on yet that would indicate labor is imment, and since we were still 3 weeks from full term last week (now we are two weeks from full term) that is actually a good thing. Talk to me when I am 40 weeks pregnant and see if I am still singing that same tune. As of now though, I still feel great. I actually have less swelling now during the week in my hands and more swelling in my feet, but just the opposite on the weekends. Overall I still think the swelling is much less than what I had with Aidan.
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Other than being excited to meet Ethan for the first time, the biggest things that are keeping me going are my new diaper bag and my new breast pump. I know, I know....excited about a pump? Trust me, if you are a working mom who breast fed your first baby for a year and plan to do the same with the second, you get excited about a breast pump, especially this one....it's the Rolls Royce of pumps.
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Enough about breastfeeding...on to the real reason you all read....pictures and movies of Aidan!

Daddy and Aidan drawing with chalk on the driveway....he wanted dig-digs, bull-zozzers, dump trucks, garbage trucks and his new favorite...ice cream trucks!

So last week, during Cinco de Mayo, the teacher's tried to teach the kids how to count to 5 in Spanish. Well, after a little coaching by Daddy and I, we have gotten Aidan to learn 1 to 10 in Spanish! It's funny that with his limited linguistics at this stage that he actually has an easier time pronouncing many of the Spanish words versus the normal English ones!

Finally, we're not gettin' much on the baby pool voter...everybody vote, please!!! See the picture to the right!!

That's all for tonight!

Emmy, Tyler, Aidan and Ethan too!

Happy Mother's Day Mommy! Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Wow, what a great weekend! Grammy Peggy had driven up from Nashville (more on that later) and we had a very nice visit from her. Also, just about every 5 years or so, Daddy's Birthday coincides with Mother's Day and this year was one of those years, so we had lots to celebrate!

First, we were very happy that Grammy could make it up to see us this weekend, but we had no clue that she would have to drive through a tornado to get here. Friday afternoon, as she was driving up, Daddy had told her that after the initial line of storms she should just hit the very back edge of the second line. To my surprise, the second line rapidly intensified and Grammy Peggy was driving right into a tornado! Luckily she pulled off the highway and ran into a hotel. Although we're not sure it was a tornado, it did do significant damage around Southern Illinois. Here's the storm report with a very eery looking radar picture (for those of you "really" into weather, here's a detailed explanation on what was going on). So luckily, Grammy Peggy made it here safely!

Now, onto the fun....

Friday night we hit up La Carreta, our new fav "hole in the wall" Mexican joint. Grammy and Aidan had quesadillas, while Mommy and Daddy had steak fajitas. Saturday, we hung out most of the morning and did a little shopping. Aidan came home and took a good nap, and afterwards, since the weather was gorgeous, we went for a nice walk around the neighborhood. Here's a few pictures....

Saturday night, Grammy P and Aidan had a date night together, while Mommy and Daddy also had a date night for Daddy's Birthday! While P and A had Pizza Hut, M and D went down to one of Daddy's favorites, Maggiano's Little Italy....and it didn't disappoint...it was great!

Today we woke up early and got the whole Mommy's day-Daddy's day started! First, it was time for presents! Daddy opened first and got some great stuff. First from Jim and Grammy P, an awesome, awesome cooking utensil. What is it you may ask? Well, it's a branding iron, that I heat up with a kitchen torch or whatever and then burn into a steak that I'm cooking. I was so surprised by this gift, but really think it's cool. So, what is the result...see the pictures below of Daddy's Birthday Dinner (Steak marinated in Allegro, White Cheddar Cheese Scalloped Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus...fantastic!) Thank you Jim and P!

Nice Initials on that steak!!!! Awesome...just awsome!!

Next, the big surprise from Mommy. She had been consulting my friend Aaron as well as doing some independent research on what to get me. I'm one of those people that is very tough to surprise, but I'll tell ya, I was stumped this year on what she'd go for. Well, it ended up being a great present. She got me a Canon PowerShot SX10 IS digital camera. Our current camera (a point and shoot Sony), while working good, just doesn't have the clarity of a more powerful device. So, with the arrival of Baby E coming in just 5 short weeks, I was overjoyed with a better quality camera to capture all the first's that we'll be doing soon. Thank you Mommy!

After a good breakfast, we decided to head out to the park! The weather was nice and I wanted to put the new machine to good use! (BTW I took over 110 pictures today with it!) So, here we go....

Walkin' into the park...having a great time!



Coming down the big slide and ready to go again!

On the teeter-totter with Daddy and smelling the flowers

Posing on the rocks...brought the goofy smile again!

With Grammy and I love the picture with Mommy...you guys look so good!!!!

Family shot...On the rock

We then said good-bye to Grammy Peggy and thanked her again for coming up and watching Aidan on Saturday. While Mommy was doing some work around the house, Daddy and Aidan got some good time together playing a new "game" on the deck. We took all his "dig digs" and got out some old Instant Rice that was in the pantry and played "Construction Site". Amazingly he played quietly and independently for at least an hour. He was so enchanted with filling up the trucks and dumping them out. Then we filled up the garbage trucks and dumped them out...it was so much fun!

Finally, after dinner tonight, the "pièce de résistance", was the birthday cake! Daddy has become a very big fan of Dairy Queen Ice Cream Log Cakes, and man I loved this one! Here's the candle's and singing from tonight! Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for your birthday cards and well wishes...here's to 31 more and 31 more years!
To my Emmy, the happiest Mother's Day to you...you are a beacon of strength, compassion and love to all of us, especially Aidan and Mr. Coming Soon. Thank you and I love you!

To all other Mommy's, thank you for all that you have done to raise and care for those that you love. Your stamp on the hearts of your children is worn with pride and love; and we love you so much for all the things you've done for us!

Have a wonderful night everyone,
Tyler, Emmy, Aidan and Ethan

P.S. Allie never makes the blog. So here she is, taken by Grammy P last night. A great picture of a great part of our family...."Stink Stink" aka "A.P." aka "Allie Punkin"

PSS: It's time for the Baby Ethan Baby Pool! The winner this time gets....well to be called a "winner". Just click on the icon to the right there and go to the game page. You get to pick weight, length, date and time. Good luck!!!!!!

Week 35 - A Honeydew Melon!

Can you believe that just three short weeks from today, Mommy will be considered full term with baby Ethan!!! Oh my oh my! This week, we can say (in the words of the Kentucky Derby), "And Down the Stretch they Come!!!" as Ethan rounds the last turn and heads to delivery. This week not much going on other than working on that breathing (through hiccups) and gaining weight (through Mommy eating up some good stuff). Check out what's up with E here.

Couple things to start out tonight. I'd like all of you to include our friend's the Hawn's in your thoughts and prayers. They are quite worried tonight about the health of their little boy, Ryan. We hope and pray that God provides them with comfort and healing through this difficult time.

Next, we would like to wish Grammy T a very happy birthday tomorrow! Double Nickel!! We love you very much and are so thankful for you in our lives!

Now on to Mr. A. He's been really really liking the potty in recent days. Although we haven't had any successful actions, he's definitely got the sitting part down....and wiping, in fact all he wants to do is wipe. So for now....2 sheets of TP, else he'd go through the whole thing. Here we are tonight, sitting and reading his new favorite book, "Even Firefighters Use the Potty".

Finally, we've had some really nice weather here over the last couple days, so we decided to break out the bubbles. To our surprise, Allie the Dog was having more fun than Aidan. Watch here below "eating" the bubbles....what goof!

That's all from here; have a great night!

Ty, Emmy, Aidan, Ethan and Allie the Bubble Dog

Weekend Warriors!!!

Well, it was a VERY productive weekend around the Frost home this weekend!! Papa Steve drove in on Thursday to help Daddy start finishing the basement.

First off, I've got to thank my Dad for coming out and helping me do this. His knowledge to help me pull this off was fantastic and we worked very well together to get this room going for our family. Thank you Dad for your time and help....we made awesome progress!!

I also have to thank the other "Weekend Warrior" of the house, who probably had the most difficult job of taking care of a crazy hellion called Aidan while being nearly full term in the preggo category! Thank you Mommy for giving me and Papa Steve the time and space to knock out this job!

We completed all of the framing and nearly all the wiring for this new room. Friday we got most of the studs up and headed to the casino for "All-you-can-eat" crab legs for our daily "reward". Saturday we finished up much of the framing as well as replaced the threshold to our door in the basement, which had almost completely rotted out. Our reward was our #1 dinner, BBQ ribs with shredded potato casserole and corn on the cob! Then today we did all the wiring and boxed in the HVAC line that runs down the side of the room. All in all, lots of good work on these days...check out the pictures below!

Looking into the room, to the left and to the right.



Two shots of looking into the closet.



And looking back out towards the entry door

The Weekend Warriors!

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Papa Steve and Aidan after a long day of work and Aidan being funny!

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Aidan opening some presents from Papa Steve and Nana Liz...Thank you guys!!

Well, I'm just about exhausted....as is Emmy.....we're off to bed.

Have a great night!

Ty, Emmy, Aidan and Ethan!!