Tobias Oliver Baxter is here!

We went in for our 38 week check-up, and my blood pressure was so high that Dr. Martin decided to send me right over to the hospital for a 24-hour observation.  But once they did some blood work and checked me, they decided to break my water and induce.  We were surprised.  You always think you're ready, but we felt unprepared!  Wes ran home, and hurried back, because it was all happening so fast.  Eventually, they were ready to give me an epidural to bring down my blood pressure, but the it didn't take.  And now I was progressing quickly.  The anesthesiologist was tied up in emergency C-sections, and it was forever (or at least it felt like it!) before he came back and did it again.  Luckily the second time it worked, because with each contraction my blood pressure was going well over 200/100.  Wes was getting really worried.  Tobias was facing up, and because of his position, the contractions were super painful and coming in clusters of two or three in a row, and then only about 2 minutes of rest.  Once I was complete, and started pushing, baby wasn't tolerating it anymore, so he got out the vacuum, and then the forceps.  After that it was just a couple of pushes, and he was out.  I don't really remember it being stressful, but Wes said they were close to doing an emergency C section.  I guess I was concentrating, because I missed that conversation!  Eventually, Tobias arrived around 8:30pm.  He was 7lbs 9 ozs, 21 1/4 inches, and had a full head of hair!  He was doing fine, and latched on to eat right away.  Wes was so stunned by the stress of the delivery that he didn't even get the camera out until I yelled at him several minutes after Tobias was born to get the camera!!

We hadn't decided on a name yet, so we waited until he was born to see what he looked like.  We settled on Tobias Oliver Baxter, with the initials TOB, kind of like Sebastian Eric Baxter, SEB.  We're glad he's here and healthy.  He is getting so big so fast.  It's amazing how much easier it is to get him to eat and sleep then Sebastian!  He does have tummy problems, but I changed my diet right away, and he's been fine since.  I can have a lot more things than I could with Sebastian, so I'm not starving like I was before!  All in all, we are so lucky to have another beautiful, healthy boy in our family!



Sebastian and Grandma Pam holding Tobias on their first visit to the hospital.





At home with Grandma Marlys.




Sebastian loves to hold his baby brother!



 

Do these boys look alike or what!  Can you tell who's who?

Sebastian's big boy room

When we found out we were having another boy, we decided it would be so much easier to keep the baby room as it was and move Sebastian in to a new room.  We asked him if he wanted to let the baby have his crib and get a new bed and new bedroom, and he was all for it!  So we went shopping for a new bed, and found one with some storage.  We found this one that has a door at the foot of the bed with a "tunnel" as Sebastian calls it.  He likes to go under there with a flashlight and play.  We found some truck bedding, which Sebastian loves!  He and I did some paintings, and with some other decorations, his room turned out pretty cute.  He's very proud of it!

 I had a good time painting these scenes that match his bedding set.  I spent hours on these, but it was fun, and they turned out cute!

 These are Sebastian's paintings.  He had fun smearing the paint all over.  He helped paint the letters of his name, too.

 My matching boys!

Spring and Easter

The spring flew by!  With a baby on the way and being swamped with school, it was a whirlwind.  I had to give a recital in April, and with that combined with all the teaching and studying I had to do, I don't really even remember having Easter!  We always have a dessert contest.  I literally stayed up the night before Easter doing eggs for Sebastian and deciding what to make for our contest.  I had to get up early to make it...a delicious lemon cheesecake.  It was my first cheesecake, and I think it turned out pretty good!  Like usual, all the desserts were awesome.  Erin plans to make a judging ballot with different criteria for next year, because while we call it a contest, we never actually decide who won!



Easter egg hunting in the living room!





Hunting eggs in the Hoefs' grandparents backyard




All the desserts in the Easter contest



Winter 2011

We had a really nice Christmas this year.  Christmas was really fun with a two-year old!  Sebastian was excited to help decorate the tree, and was very curious about all the gifts under the tree.  He thought they were all for him!  It was nice to have a break from school to spend time with family.  We went to Firethorn before Christmas so the kids could sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.  I thought Sebastian would be scared, but he seemed fine with Mrs. Clause!  We went to the Hoefs' for Christmas Eve, and then went to the Baxter's on Christmas day after we had the morning at home.  Sebastian was so excited to run down to the basement in the morning!  We got him a table and chairs, and set up a whole carpeted play area with a train table.  He has a lot of fun down there.  We finally got a ceiling put in the basement, so we spend quite a bit more time down there now.



Cousins Will, Grace, Xander and Sebastian at the Hoefs' (in the new sunroom!)



Christmas morning at home

New basement play area



At the Baxter grandparents' house, with cousin Barret




Crazy cousins Barret, Sebastian, and Blayse



Fall 2011

I wanted to post some pictures of our new baby, but decided before I did that I would try to catch up on a few of the pictures and stories since October!  I am in school, and I'm on the computer all day, and when I'm not on the computer I'm either teaching, in class, or being a mommy.  So I've gotten way behind.  Here's the short version of our fall!

We were quite busy with me in school, my first semester at UNL working on my DMA in Jazz Composition.  I was directing the UNL Vocal jazz ensemble and still doing the vocal jazz group at Doane, too.  Add in the symphony, violin lessons, and the office, and I was a busy bee!  Sebastian started going to daycare at our neighbor's daughter's house right in Hickman.  She has a house-full, and he really enjoys it. 

Wes did some hunting, and got his first antelope, which is now mounted on our wall in the basement, between two of his three deer he has mounted.  It's turning into a wildlife museum in our basement!  We didn't really go anywhere with me in school.  We found out at the end of December that we were expecting a baby!  So that was our fall in a nutshell.

Coloring with Andy and Lacey Bantam's daughter Emma.



Riding his new bike...we're still not using the pedals, but he gets around pretty fast!



Trunk or treat with the triplets.  He's Abu the Monkey from Alladin.



Wearing daddy's shoes!





Playing at Roca Berry Farm, and picking punpkins



Sebastian’s Birthday—2 years old!

 

I know this is long overdue….Sebastian’s birthday was September 10th!  I have a really good excuse, though…..now that I’m a full time student, part time teacher at UNL and Doane, and a mommy, blogging has been WAY down on the priority list.  So let me see if I can catch you all up on what’s been happening in the Baxter household.

Sebastian is talking up a storm.  He has little sentences we think he’s been saying all along, but now we can actually understand some of it!  He is getting more coordinated, and jumps and runs around like a wild man.  He climbs all over the dog, and they have a lot of fun.  Jack licks Sebastian (which Sebastian asks for because he’ll lean in for it) and then he squeals and yells “Eww!” 

Sebastian loves to put on Wes’s or my shoes and walk around.  He says “cheese” for pictures now, even when we don’t ask him to…hilarious!  He chases the cat, Shadow, all over the house, and whines when he can’t catch him, whining, “Meow, meow….”  If I get ready to leave the house without him, and put my shoes on, he’ll say, “mommy, shoes, off.  Shoes, no, no, no.” 

Sebastian’s favorite foods are rice (any kind..brown, Spanish, wild, Chinese food) applesauce, scrambled eggs, yogurt, blue berries, chips, green beans, peas, and anything off of mommy or daddy’s plate.

Sebastian also started going to a new daycare in Hickman, which is really close and convenient for us.  I think he has made the transition well, and although it was hard to take him from the previous daycare we liked so much, it seems like it was the right choice.

I’m halfway through my first semester of my DMA program.  I’m really liking my classes , and although it’s hard to keep up with all the homework with a family, I’m glad I took the chance to go back to school.  It will be a long 3+ years, but I’m excited about what the next 3 years will hold!

The pictures above are from Sebastian’s birthday party with our family.  I made him a Thomas the Train birthday cake…he loves “choo-choo’s!”  He got lots of fun toys, a shiny new bike, and a piñata full of candy.  I think the kids had a good time.

Thanks for checking in, and I’ll try to keep up with posting more frequently!