Halloween

Yes, it is January and I'm just now posting Halloween pictures. Oh well!
Halloween was so much fun this year. We celebrated all week long. Spencer and Trent went to two carnivals, visited Mama & Papa, Gramma & Pa-Pu, Uncle Josh & Aunt Laura, and Uncle Jason. Plus, we went trick-or-treating with Owen & Cade Sewell in our neighborhood. Spencer got so much candy. We are still using it for treats for using the potty! Spencer was Spiderman and Trent was a Sock Monkey. They looked adorable!

Way back in September...

We went to Gulf Shores the end of September with my parents. It was a long overdue vacation for both Hugh and myself. After nine long months being pregnant (2 months which were on bed rest) we were ready to get out of town. We enjoyed spending time with my folks, but they had much more fun playing with the boys.

Spencer had been to the beach once before when he was 14 months old. He didn't remember much about it. He was amazed at the sand and how big the ocean was. We stayed at the Lighthouse which has an awesome infinity pool for kids. Spencer would have stayed at the pool the entire time if we had let him. Spencer had fun playing with Mama & Papa in the pool. He built many sand castles and was thrilled to destroy them with his bulldozers!

Trent was only 3 months old when we went. He spent most of his time sleeping and eating. He did like to look at the people walking on the beach and swimming in the pool. He went swimming in the pool for the first time. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it. After the second day in the water, he enjoyed relaxing in his float. Mama & Papa were great to take care of Trent for me while I spent time with Spencer. I never knew how much work it would be taking a baby to the beach!!

We had a wonderful time. We are counting the days until our next beach trip. We are going with Hugh's parents in April. Trent should be crawling (possibly walking) by then. What fun!

Finally....

For those of you who have been checking our blog, I finally found an afternoon to update the last, oh, 4 months of my boys lives. So if you see pictures in the next few posts from the beach, Halloween, Christmas, etc. just humor me.

SPENCER
Spencer just celebrated his 3rd birthday on January 3rd. It is hard to believe my little man is that old. It seems just like yesterday we were going back and forth from home to the NICU. At his 3 year check up he weighed 37 lbs.(90th percetile)and was 38 1/2 inches tall (75th percentile). You would never know he was a preemie!! He has changed so much over the last few months. We tackled potty training and I dare to say we are done. His vocabulary is like nothing I have ever heard. I wonder some times where he learns some of the things he says. We have to be extra careful because he is like a sponge! He is doing well at preschool. He has made some great friends. He looks forward to going to school each week. I am amazed at what he has already learned in 2K.


Typical Spencer

After a long day at Alabama Adventure...notice the grape under his chin!

Loving the beach!

This is what is left of a Halloween project with Gramma.

A sweet Spiderman

Meeting his elf Gabe for the first time.

TRENT
Trent is getting soooo big. He turned 7 months old on the 16th. He is growing like a weed. He weighs 19 or so lbs. and is 26 1/2 inches long. He started rolling over at 3months and has only gotten more active since then. Things kind of slowed down a bit for him during Thanksgiving. Trent was sick for over 2 weeks with RSV virus. He lost over a pound, but quickly gained it back. He started sitting up at 5 1/2 months. He loves to sit and play with a basket full of toys. He will dig and dig until he finds the exact one he wants. He got his first tooth 2 weeks ago and is cutting his second one. He chews on anything he can grab. Just yesterday, we got out the walker for him. He thought it was great to be so mobile. He scooted around the house backwards. It was too funny! He started eating solids at 6 months. He has done really well. He loves all the first veggies and fruits. I'm afraid to blink because he'll be a year before I know it!

Trent 2 days old

Trent 1 month

Trent 2 months

Trent 3 months

Trent 4 months

Trent 5 months

Trent 6 months

Trent 7 months

Spencer's summer fun

This summer has been quite eventful for Spencer. A couple of weeks ago, he and his buddies, Noah and Alyssa, were playing at the Splash Park in Trussville. Spencer was running and fell down several times and was pushed down a few. He shook it off and went on playing. The next morning he woke up and wouldn't put any pressure on his right foot. I took him to the pediatrician and they sent us to St. Vincent's to see an orthopedic doctor for kids. We found out the Spencer broke his toe, the second to last one. They think he broke the bone on top of his foot. They put on a blue cast up to his knee. He has to wear it for three weeks. He gets it off the end of this month. He learned he could still run in it, and it has not slowed him down one bit!!!

Spencer has spent a lot of time at the lake with his Mama & Papa. He and his Daddy have enjoyed riding the Jet-Ski, fishing, and swimming. Spencer talks about the lake all the time. He is ready to get his cast off so he can go swimming again.



Many of you know that Spencer carried around my robe as his security “blanket.” He also took a pacifier. Well, he gave it up at the beginning of August. We went to the lake and “left” it at home. He didn’t cry too much for it, but had a hard time once we got home on Sunday. He had a few rough nights, but for the most part has done quite well. We told him that because he gave the pacifier and robe up, that he could get a prize. He chose to get a Handy Manny backpack and lunchbox. Of course we got exactly that.

He started Mother’s Day Out at Northpark Baptist Church on August 14th. He loves his teachers & has several friends already in his class. He looked so cute going to school carrying his new backpack & lunchbox while hobbling in his bright blue cast.

Hugh and I took the boys to McWane Center this last weekend. Spencer had so much fun! They had an exhibit called "Itty Bitty Magic City" that was specially designed for preschool age children. Spencer operated a crane, shopped for groceries and scanned them himself, changed a tire and the oil on a car, played with a giant Lite-Brite, danced on a huge piano, and flew an airplane. He is already asking to go back. Trent seemed to enjoy himself, too. He slept most of the time. Below are some pictures from our trip.

Finally...a moment to catch up!!

Where, oh where, do I begin? The last two months have been a blur! I had great hopes of posting a weekly blog about the boys, but as you can see I am quite delayed on that. So here's what has been going on with the Stewarts in the last couple of months. Be prepared, it's a long blog entry...

June
Trent came home from the hospital on June 19th. He was eating well and doing great. When we left the hospital he weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. Having him home was so different for us because we were nervous wrecks when Spencer came home. It was such a blessing to have a healthy baby who didn't come home with a monitor attached to his belly.

We took him to get his weight checked when he was two weeks old. He had already gained 1 lb and 3 oz. He is a little pig! He has his days and nights mixed up. He sleeps most of the day and some of the night. At 12 days old, Trent went on his first outing with Mommy and Daddy to Walmart. Ha! Cabin fever had set in after 2 months of bed rest and a week in the hospital. I had to get out of the house!!

Trent loves to hear our voices, especially Spencer's voice. Spencer is getting used to his baby brother. He is still having trouble sharing our attention. It never fails that when I am feeding Trent Spencer decides to climb up the walls (or try to tear them down)! You've gotta love a two year old.
July
This month things were a little easier for the most part. Trent is sleeping much better now. Usually, he takes 3 long naps during the day for 2 hours or so. At night, he will sleep for up to 4 1/2 hours at a time. He loves to be held and hates to be put down in his bed. Don't most infants do the same thing?? Trent loves to be outside like his big brother, loves to hear Mommy sing, and he is trying to coo at us.

It has been a month of firsts for Trent. He took his first trip to the lake at 2 weeks old. (Again, I had to get out of the house.) He sat under the umbrella and watched Spencer & Daddy swim with Mama & Papa. He went to church and to the mall with us at 3 weeks old. I ventured to the grocery store with both boys. I had to call my dad to come and help me. I couldn't handle them both. Pitiful, I know.

Hugh and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on July 19th. We went to dinner and to shop for a ring for me with Trent's birthstone. Spencer stayed with my parents and Trent stayed with Hugh's parents. This was his first time to stay away from us. I actually did alright. It was nice to spend an evening alone with Hugh. They are rare!

Trent had his one month check-up on the 16th. He weighed 10 lbs. 7 oz. & had grown 2 1/2 inches. Dr. Harmon said he was doing great. He couldn't believe how much he had gained since birth~ 2 lbs. 12 oz.!!!

His umbilical cord finally fell off at 6 weeks. We could finally give him a tub bath. He liked his bath, except for getting his hair washed.

We got our first real smile from him on July 31st. He was 6 weeks old. It is so fun to see his cute little grin.

Spencer is getting so big! He is talking non-stop now. It amazes me the things he says and especially what he understands. He loves to sing songs and play with trucks and cars. I think we have a record for the number of Matchbox cars one can own. Ha! He loves to play outside and ride the lawnmower with his Daddy. He learned how to peddle his tricycle this month. Hugh worked with him and taught him how to do it. I missed seeing him for the first time, but have seen it many, many times since then!

August
Trent started cooing at us on August 1st. He had been trying to figure it out for a week or so. Now, he won't stop! He loves to kick his feet and move his arms when he's awake. Spencer thinks this is too funny. We told him to say "Ah-goo" to Trent and see if Trent would talk to him. He did, and I think they talked for 2 minutes straight "Ah-gooing" at each other. Hugh and I watched on and laughed hysterically.

Trent amazed us at 8 weeks old and slept for 7 hours straight. Spencer didn't sleep through the night until 5 months old. Since then he has been going between 5-7 hours each night between feedings. I feel like a new woman!!

He went for his 2 month check-up and is growing so fast. He weighed 12 lbs. and 10 oz. and was 23 inches long. He has gained almost 5 pounds since birth and grown 4 inches. I want to stop time and enjoy him being little for a while longer. It amazes me how fast they grow up.


Well, I think that covers the last few months of our lives. It's crazy how much the boys consume our lives. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Trenton John Stewart has arrived!!

Trent is here!!!! He was born on June 16, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. by c-section. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 0z. and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is absolutely perfect. He has dark hair and an olive complexion-not at all like his mom! I think he looks like Hugh, but many say he looks like Spencer. We will see! We were so happy to have a healthy baby. He didn't have to go to the NICU!!! We were able to see him, hold him, and have him in the room with us immediately following delivery. This was a new experience for us.

We were so fortunate to have my doctor, Allison Heaton, deliver Trent. I was scheduled to have him on the 18th, but plans changed when I went for my appointment on the 16th. I had my weekly ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level and my non-stress test. During the non-stress test, I was having pretty hard contractions-more than I had ever had. Dr. Heaton decided that she didn't want to wait to do the surgery. She said, "How about 1:30 today?" Of course I said YES!! It was a rush to get the family notified, get Hugh to the hospital, and most importantly, make sure Spencer was taken care of and got a NAP!!! Everyone arrived at the hospital before the surgery, and Hugh and I got to spend some time with Spencer before I went back. That was much more emotional than I had expected. He wasn't going to be my baby after today.

As I was in surgery, Dr. Heaton asked Hugh and I if we were done having kids. We said we weren't sure yet. The reason she was asking is because she saw a problem while operating. Because I had a prior c-section with Spencer, I had an old incision on my uterus. She said she saw a window (a thin layer that you can see through on my uterus). Actually, it was a hole opening up on my old incision. She said that it could have been a matter of 3 minutes, 3 days, or 3 weeks, but my uterus was on its was to ruptering!!! She said that if mine had ruptered, it could have taken my life, Trent could have been stillborn, or I could have had a hysterectomy. She said we skated by again this time! (Remember, I had a placental abruption with Spencer.) Dr. Heaton said she was so glad that she followed her gut and did the surgery on Monday instead of waiting until Wednesday. Who knows what could have happened!

Needless to say, we feel blessed to have 2 healthy boys. Hugh and I are counting our blessing that Trent arrived safely. Thank you for all your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

I promise to post more soon. As you can see, it has taken 11 days for me to get this post done!! Enjoy the slideshow.