Babies' First Thanksgiving

Owen and Kathryn's first Thanksgiving was so much fun and very busy! We made the drive home on Wednesday and on Thursday took them to Hartselle for lunch at Bruce's Grandmother's house and then back to Huntsville in the afternoon for dinner at my Mom's house. They probably saw about 30 extended family members in one day and when you're normally used to only seeing Mom, Dad and your brother or sister on a daily basis that's a whole lot of family! The babies did great and made it through the whole day just fine. They sampled a little bit of the traditional Thanksgiving cuisine, but stuck mostly to their regular foods because I was afraid they'd get a tummy ache. Both Kathryn and Owen loved chicken and dressing, rolls and sweet potato casserole (without any of the nuts of course). It was quite cute to see them try to figure out these new flavors and then wait eagerly for more once they realized how tasty they were.

It's true that the holidays take on a whole different meaning once you become a parent. I remember last year Bruce and I making the almost-hour drive out to Cracker Barrel in Manassas, VA to celebrate Thanksgiving when I was about 33 weeks pregnant. We didn't go home because I was on bed rest and we were anxiously waiting for our little ones to arrive. It was hard for me to imagine then what the next Thanksgiving would be like with them and it seemed so far away. Well, this year has flown by and God has continued to bless our little family again and again and for that Bruce and I are truly thankful. Everything from the twins arriving as full-term babies, to a very healthy first year for K and O, the fact that I am able to stay home with them and that we were given this assignment in Biloxi which put us a lot closer to family. Yes...amazing blessings from God! This Thanksgiving all I could think about was my wonderful husband,the two most precious gifts I could have ever been given who were sitting with me at the table eating their sweet potatoes and the sweet little girl who is growing daily in my belly. Sure, we were exhausted, trying desperately to get that perfect first turkey day family picture, driving to get to two dinners and trying to visit with everyone while chasing two very busy babies, but it was just the Thanksgiving I had hoped for. That's what it's all about...family, friends, good health, love and laughter.

Earlier this month I posted our 11-month goal. Well the babies are 11 months old now and are still drinking from sippy cups and bottles. After a week or so I realized that there won't be a problem getting them to take milk and water from a sippy cup, but that mixing formula in a sippy cup is kind of a pain. Bruce and I agreed that we would just wait to make the switch to whole milk and full-time sippy cup use on their first birthday. Naps seemed to have leveled out a little and they now take one long nap a day or two one to one and a half hour naps a day. Because they are awake so much longer in the afternoon now, we've moved bedtime up to 6:30 and they seem to be really happy with that. Kathryn is the proud owner of six teeth and Owen has four, working on at least one more if not two. I hope for his sake they come in soon because he just seems miserable sometimes and that's not his personality at all. I hate to see my babies in pain!

We've had a couple of colds within the last month but nothing that a few nights of a cool mist humidifier and a little TLC didn't fix. Both babies are standing alone now and cruising (or holding on to furniture and walking) all over the place. They try to say "pat-pat" which is the phrase I've taught them that means "be gentle," "dog" which comes out "dod" and Kathryn says "beebee" when she sees her favorite hand blanket. We don't know what that means but maybe it's her version of baby. Their little voices are so sweet and it's obvious they are soaking up everything now! Their little vocabularies are expanding daily even in they can't verbalize what they know. I've read that by one year of age, a baby understands most of what is said to him (or her). I found that to be fascinating and it makes you realize how important communicating from day one with your baby really is. Bruce and I try to narrate everything we do with them or for them on a daily basis which is kind of funny sounding to others I'm sure when you're grocery shopping in Walmart.

December is a very busy month for the Wilhite family. There will be first birthdays, first Christmases and our anniversary to celebrate. K and O saw Santa Claus while we were home and it went totally the opposite of how I thought it would go. I expected Kathryn to melt down from fear and Owen to be all about it, but flip that scenario and that's what happened. So I now have a lovely picture of me, the babies and Santa Claus because having Mommy in the picture made Owie feel better. It's kind of neat because it was Sullivan's first trip to see Santa too! I got an extra picture for her baby book also. For fun, we had both Grandmothers jump in and hold a baby and sit on Santa Claus's lap! The pictures are too cute for words and how many babies can say both Grandmothers went with them to see Santa for the first time?

It will be an exciting month to say the least and I know I'll have some adorable pictures to post along the way. Well that's enough blogging for now I suppose, here are some new pictures. Enjoy and I hope everyone out there had a very happy Thanksgiving!

A few shots from the Po-Boy festival we went to in New Orleans. That's right - an entire festival dedicated to a sandwich. Bruce was on cloud nine. It was on Oak Street in New Orleans, hence the "Oak is for Loafin'" t-shirt.



Owen and Kathryn with Grandmother and Poppie

Celebrating their first Thanksgiving with Pop and Grandmama

I had to get a picture with each of my babies on this special day


Our first (and last...heehee) Thanksgiving as a family of four

Any time Bruce and I are both showered, clean and dressed up a little we snap a picture. Believe us people, it doesn't happen that often.

Kathryn looking at Great-Grandmama's dog Missy and Owen is learning how to churn butter.

The last trimester is here! Wow, didn't I have another post with the same title not long ago? Everything is going well and this is my official 28 week belly shot.

Trying to figure out Santa while we wait our turn in line.

The first trip to see Santa.

Here are the stockings I ordered for the babies. I thought they turned out so well. I really wanted something I could keep for them for a long time and make part of our Christmas tradition.

Our 11 Month Goal

In just a few weeks our little Kathryn and Owen will be 11 months old and Bruce and I have come up with a new goal. Our goal is to have the babies off their bottles on their 11 month birthday. We had always planned on accomplishing this feat by 12 months, but with all of the traveling we'll be doing before too long, Christmas, their birthday, etc. we thought aiming for 11 months would allow us to make the transition easier on them. We've also found ourselves in a place where K and O are no longer willing to follow the exact same schedule all day, every day. This is especially true when it comes to napping. I have loved being on a schedule from day one with them and it's made caring for two babies at once much easier. I guess we'll just follow their cues for now and see what happens; I'm not too stressed about it. Two toddlers without set napping schedules is much less intimidating than two newborns without set napping schedules. I think.

They are doing great with their solid foods and for the most part each just about anything we give them. They absolutely love plain water and now take formula in a sippy cup with a straw once a day. Last week when they had colds and fevers I thought giving a little diluted juice might make them happy and encourage them to drink more, but they wanted nothing to do with it! Guess they are plain water kids. I've read dropping the least "comforting" bottle of the day is a great way to start weaning so that's what we're doing by dropping the mid-day bottle first.

A typical days menu for them might include items like whole wheat toast, bite-sized pieces of sharp or medium cheddar cheese, whole milk yogurt, cheerios, puffs, cottage cheese, mum-mums (such an awesome and less-messy alternative to biter biscuits) whole wheat pasta, hamburger meat or chicken in something like spaghetti or a casserole, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, mixed fruit...you get the picture. There's a lot of variety in there and the only difference now is that meal time takes a little extra planning and cooking. It was easier to just open a few jars of baby food at each sitting, but it's so rewarding to see them thrive on big people food. We're trying to include them in our meal times so they start to associate eating with eating as a family, but right now I think they just associate it with "yay, more cheerios!" That's all for now, we'll keep you posted as we work towards our goal.

Meal time really makes our little ones happy!

Our Stroller Solution

When we found out we were expecting again, we knew we would eventually need to find a new stroller that could comfortably carry three babies without breaking Mom's back. It was very important to me to have something that would allow me to get out of the house with all three little ones on my own. Before starting the hunt for the perfect triple, I thought finding a double stroller that was practical and easy to use had been a hard task and oh how I laugh about that now.

As you might imagine, there aren't that many triple stroller options out there. They're either too expensive or too cheap, not roomy enough or too wide to fit through a door...you get the idea. So after hours and hours of searching, reading and price shopping we found our triple stroller. It arrived today and we've already taken it for a test drive and we all love it! It's a pretty great concept...there's a toddler seat that you attach up and above the two main seats turning it into a stroller for three without adding width or length. Here are a few pictures we took tonight as the babies were trying out their new ride.

The Valco Tri Mode Twin


Taking the toddler seat for a test drive - luckily the babies seemed to love it!

Babies' First Halloween

Happy Halloween! Owen and Kathryn's first Halloween turned out to be fun and oh so cute! Owen was a penguin and Kathryn was a ladybug. Owen woke up with a cold yesterday morning (poor little guy!) and Kathryn had an "I need Mommy" kind of day...all day. But once we got them dressed, into their stroller and outside, everyone was all better. We met our friends Dave and Alexis and their adorable kiddos in their neighborhood for a potluck block party and it was a great way to spend the babies' first Halloween. As promised, here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Time for a family picture. Kathryn had the cutest ladybug hands and feet, but at this point we were lucky to still have her cape and hat on her.

Waiting to go for a stroll in our costumes.

Our happy little bug. What a sweet girl - her daddy can always make her smile.

Our handsome little tough guy disguised as a penguin

Halloween can really take it out of a baby penguin! What a precious boy.

A full moon on Halloween...how spooky.

Time For an Update

What a busy few weeks it's been. I know this post is long overdue, but there just hasn't been time to post an update. Joshua had fall break three weeks ago so my family drove down to spend a few days with us. We spent Saturday watching football, eating BBQ and just enjoying the day. Kathryn surprised us all by crawling for the first time during the Alabama game! What a big girl! We were all super excited and I even managed to get it on video. While Bruce worked on Monday, my family, the babies, and I went to the New Orleans aquarium. Well, let me rephrase that...we tried to go to the aquarium. Once we were there we realized it's closed on Mondays. We still had a lot of fun and I took everyone to Cafe DuMonde's for their first taste of beignets. We'll just have to hit up the aquarium another time.

Last weekend we drove home to Huntsville to have portraits made with my family and Bruce's family. We decided to do something different this year for Christmas presents so we arranged for Tonya Melton (an incredibly talented and sweet photographer from Cullman) to take pictures of each family in Big Spring Park. At least we know these gifts will be the right size! The weather cleared at the last minute and it was cool and breezy. Tonya always does an amazing job and I can't wait to see the proofs in a few weeks. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Today was cold and gorgeous, so we broke out their new coats and took the babies to a pumpkin patch. They each picked their first pumpkin and we even picked a tiny one for our new little girl. We then went to the Gautier Mullet and Music Festival. That's mullet like the fish in case anyone was wondering. Bruce sampled the fry'd mullet (their spelling, not mine) and I stuck with a safe grilled chicken sandwich, but the food was yummy. We missed the mullet toss but they had all kind of vendors selling a little of everything and had it not been feeding and nap time we probably would have shopped a little more.

And finally, we have decided on a baby name! Our new little girl's name will be Sullivan Frances. We picked Frances as a middle name to honor my Grandmother. I think she was a bit surprised we wanted to name our daughter after her, but I don't know why. My Grandmother is one of the strongest women I know, her faith sees her through everything and she is positive, uplifting and beautiful...inside and out. So now we just have to spend these last few month's getting ready for Sullivan's arrival. We can't wait to see her sweet little face!

Ok, sorry for the super long post but like I said there's been a lot going on. Halloween will be here soon and I promise some cute pictures of our babies dressed as a ladybug and a penguin. Until next time...

On our way to the pumpkin patch. The babies are riding in their new Sunshine Kids carseats - they're narrow enough that you can fit three across a regular-sized backseat. No minivan required!

Owen in his new hat and coat - he had just picked his first pumpkin. Isn't he adorable?

Kathryn holding on tight while she rides in a wagon.

Kathryn and Mommy

Daddy and Owen

This picture just melts my heart!

Time for a picture with Daddy. Owen decided to take apart some of the display and Kathryn felt like crawling instead of posing.

Owen and Mommy. He's reaching for my earrings.

Mommy and her babies.

Owen's pumpkin on the left, Kathryn's on the right and a baby pumpkin for our new baby. We thought it was funny Kathryn picked a slightly larger pumpkin than Owen.

Yay! We're at the Gautier Mullet and Music Festival!


A few pictures from New Orleans



What a smile! He was trying to sweet talk Mommy into giving him a bite of a beignet. Sorry Owen, you'll have to wait until next year.

Yup, it was closed.

Me and Joey

Me and Mom

All dressed up and ready to go

Pop showing Owen the tractor...don't worry, it was turned off.

My 20 week belly picture

We're Having A...

GIRL!

Baby Wilhite is a girl! The final tally was 10 votes for a girl and 3 votes for a boy. We have some mighty good gender guessers out there! Bruce, Owen and Kathryn were all in the room for the gender reveal and it's a moment (a very cramped, but cute moment) our little family will always remember. We definitely did not have a preference, but I will admit that for the last three or four weeks I was convinced it was a girl. I never voted on our blog because, well, I'm the mommy and I knew God would give us the baby He wanted us to have. As long as the baby was healthy it didn't matter to us. But I guess my mother's intuition was right!

She weighs 12 ounces, had a fast and strong heartbeat and was active - even playing peek-a-boo with us for a few seconds. I guess she knows we play that game a lot around our house and wants to practice now. While the tech wouldn't give us an ulrasound shot of her girl parts for her baby book (apparently it's an Air Force-wide policy, but I've never heard that one) he did get a sweet picture of her sucking her thumb. We might try to schedule our own 3D ultrasound so she can have just as many great ultrasound pictures as her big brother and sister have. We are overjoyed and feeling so blessed right now as mother and baby are healthy. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Now we just have to pick out a name and wait for this precious girl to make her entrance into the world.

Our baby girl's profile...she might be a thumb-sucker like her big brother!

Here we are at 19 weeks, 5 days

Here Piggy Piggy...

Bruce and I went to the Alabama/Arkansas game this weekend and had a blast! The Crimson Tide rolled over the Hogs and even though rain soaked us as we were walking to the stadium, it cleared up by kickoff and turned out to be really nice football weather. We would like to thank Bruce's Mom for driving down to watch the babies for us and our friends Wes and Cody for helping us get tickets. Thank you also to Tyler and his sweet parents for feeding us a great lunch and dinner; it was fun tailgating with y'all! Bruce and I really appreciated being able to drive to Tuscaloosa in the morning and home again that night. It's been a long time since we were last able to do that. Baby Wilhite kicked throughout the whole day and a lot at the game. I think it's safe to say this baby is a true Bama fan! Roll Tide y'all!

Baby's first Bama game. This will be one for the baby book!

Tyler and Bruce

Bruce and Wes

Tailgating before the game


My family was also in Tuscaloosa for the game and we had just enough time to say hello and take some post-rain storm pictures. Don't we all look lovely?

Ahhhh to be young. It means you're not afraid to wear a cute mascot hat like this one in front of 92,000 people.

What a beautiful sight! Anyone else get goose bumps?

The final score.

And you have to know by now that I'd sneak in a couple of pictures of my precious babies. Owen learned not only could he drag things out of our closet on this day, but also that bathroom cabinets have lots of goodies underneath them. What a cute grin!

Our little ladybug. Here she is trying on a new outfit that she might wear for pictures when we go home in October. Isn't she pretty?