Time to blog!

Hello all! We had our ultrasound appointment on the 14th & the sonographer said she was 96% sure we were having a little girl. So, I think it's safe to refer to the baby as my precious Mia! The sonographer said she couldn't see "boy parts" anywhere in the ultrasound pictures. Here's the lovely profile shot we got of our little one!

I already think she has my nose! =) I was talking to my friend, Verna, about how it seems only parents can appreciate the wonder of those blurry, grainy, black & white images that are responsible for all of the physical 'joys' of pregnancy. We will have our next OB appointment (as the 14th was only for the ultrasound) on the 27th. I believe then we'll know when they plan to schedule my final c-section. I'm hoping for a Valentine's Day baby myself. We shall see & I shall update accordingly.

Robert is doing very well. His chatterbox-y behavior in class has disappeared & he is really buckling down. We've enrolled him in Sylvan tutoring & he loves it. All of the teachers there have commented on what a nice young man he is. I have to agree =) His tutoring will focus on reading comprehension. He struggles a bit in math & we took him to get a math assessment at Sylvan today to possibly enroll him in math tutoring as well. Well, as it turns out...he scored off the charts in math! The problem, I think, is the comprehension problem we've seen in reading. I know he can DO the work - I think he struggles when he's required to follow instructions/directions carefully. Also word problems are a chore for him.

So, after talking to one of the administrators today - we surmised that he may not need math tutoring. We'll see if things improve in both math & reading with just the reading-only tutoring. He did see on the assessment sheet that he scored 100% on all of his math assessment worksheets. We'll just say that our doorways weren't wide enough to accommodate that ego. He's such a nut & I couldn't love him more!

Then there's my Riley Monster (that name should be trademarked!). He can now officially crawl off of his belly & very quickly. He wants to climb everything - even us! His two bottom teeth are on proud display & have met the corner of a table or two while attempting that afore-mentioned climbing. Ouch! He's developing so quickly. It's wonderful to watch & a little heartbreaking. I was watching a few of the old videos we took of him when he was about a month old. It's amazing the stuff that slips by you - how he couldn't hold his head up, smile with much enthusiasm, & was decidedly immobile. Now, he's a different baby. It's truly wonderous.

The Mr. & I are doing well. David's mid-terms are over, thank goodness! This week has been stressful for us enough without them. Right now both boys are over at his mother's for the night. Here I am - updating the family blog. He's taking a well-deserved nap. We have the UFC fights tonight. I guess that's our equivalent of football or something.

That's Dave in my eye - if you can't tell, lol. <3

Either way, we love it! I'll be leaving my precious men from the 21st of October until the 25th. I'm miserable thinking about it. I have some 'business' to tend to & hopefully we won't have to separate again. Dave will really have to be Super Dad. Well, he already is =) Robert's already promised to help him out with the baby & chores. Aye...well we're Touchton Tough (that should be trademarked as well) & can handle anything. Until next time!

As The Touchtons Turn...

We are so busy these days! I meant to keep up with this thing more often - I'm slacking! Well, we had our first ultrasound on Sept. 21st. The technician said she was 80% sure the baby was a girl. Hopefully the baby is a girl because we've been running amok thinking of our possible baby Mia Taylor Grace Touchton! The tech seemed to think that I wasn't the originally thought 20 weeks, but closer to 18. Oy vey! I'm ready to be 38 weeks - not 18! The baby was also snuggled in the left side of my uterus & her profile view was obstructed. So the 4 chambers of the heart couldn't be seen, nor her profile. We have another appointment on Tuesday (10/14) to get another u/s. Hopefully our little Mia will still be a girl, lol. If not then we'll have Reese Dexter Touchton. I just hope that he or she is healthy & we'll worry about that whole blue or pink thing later! =)

Riley is doing fantastically well. He's growing & developing so quickly. He's about 21 pounds & wears mostly size 18M clothing. He wears size 4 pampers. You read that right...size 4! He can crawl now...quickly, but clumsily & his tummy still touches the ground most of the time. He now has his 2 bottom chompers. He won't hesitate to use them should you dare pop a finger into his mouth!

Last, but not least! My precious Robert! He had been having some trouble adjusting to the demands of 5th grade initially. He's got it down pat now! I am so proud of him. Even when he was having issues in class (listening to the teacher, talking in class, etc.) he brought home all A's & B's on his progress report. His teachers gloat about how much they enjoy having him in class. He's such a great kid. So very polite, compassionate, & an amazing big brother. He & his dad are rearranging his room as I type this. He loves to spend time with his dad a lot. They're working on replacing a cord for his XBOX 360. Lord KNOWS that the game systems must be in order! =P He starts his Sylvan tutoring soon. He's not struggling, but who couldn't use extra help? I'm excited for him to meet new kids. We were planning on enrolling him in soccer, but the scheduling conflicted with tutoring. There are some fun programs at the YMCA for Halloween & Thanksgiving - so we'll make sure he has his fun. Plus Dave was wanting to take him to learn karate or jiu-jitsu. Either way...he's the best #1 son ever!

I'm so grateful for our family. Dave's such a wonderful provider. He takes special care of us, does his work, & manages to go to school full time. I could not ask for more. Before him I didn't really think that a 'soulmate' existed. I now know I couldn't have been more mistaken. October 6th marks our 5th year wedding anniversary. It's been a wonderful ride & we still have so much further to go! =)

That's all for now. Take care everyone.