Summer Fun

As usual our time in Fayetteville seems to fly by!

So proud of his "noculars" aka binoculars

We took Drew swimming for a little while tonight and I had to take a few pictures of this sweet little man also.

This face cracks me up....he is saying "momma quit!"

One Month Old

One month...can't believe it. It has been crazy month, but not necessarily because of Brooks. I have had quite the recovery this time around, but I am not going to blog about it or I may not have another one! Ha! No...I will save that for another post. It has been a challenging month, but God has been gracious to us in so many ways. Anyway, back to the boys.

Can you guess who is who???

Brooks and Drew

Not the best quality picture, but this represents our daily life. Brooks hanging out on the floor while Mommy and Drew play trains.

The 2nd Week

We were scheduled for a c-section today. Hard to believe we already have 2 weeks under our belt! The last two weeks have been crazy and honestly it hasn't been because of Brooks! He is a great baby. Other than a little bit of a rough night last night, he pretty much only cries when he is hungry or needs a diaper change! Yes, we would love to have more sleep, but that goes with the newborn territory! I had a couple of complications from the c-section that have been challenging, but hopefully they are behind us now. Several have asked how Drew is doing and today was a much better day! He had a few really rough days at the end of last week. We are really working with him and praying for him and knowing that with each day he will get more adjusted.

Daddy and Drew were supposed to be playing outside together but Daddy took the toys!

The closest thing to a smile I could get. He was much more interested in The Wiggles than taking pictures!

2 Weeks Old

Brooks had his 2 week checkup today. I am sooooo proud to say that he was 8lbs. 8 oz today! He was 7lbs. 4 oz. when we left the hospital. I had such a horrible time trying to nurse Drew that it is such a victory for Brooks to be nursing so well!

Blessings to Remember and One Week Old

Brooks was one week old yesterday. This week has seemed like it has lasted a month, but I know they will soon start to fly by.

I want to make sure that I remember a few of the little things that blessed us over the last week. Of course we are in that sleep deprived stage and I am afraid if I don't write them down, we won't remember them.

-The timing of Brooks' birth couldn't have been more perfect. My parents and Hal's parents were able to be here. Drew was able to go to Mother's Morning Out the week I was in the hospital. His last day was Thursday the 12th.

-My amazing friend Stacey got up at 1:00 in the morning and drove to our house to stay with Drew so my parents could come to the hospital. She then kept Drew until later in the afternoon. It was nice to know he was in good hands.

-We have been visiting a church since late March. They called and congratulated us on the baby and offered to bring meals. We were blown away by their generosity.

-The countless phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages we have received from our friends around the country. Thanks for loving on us from afar!

-How blessed I am to have such wonderful parents. They have been amazing the last week. I think I often take for granted everything they do for us! From doing a thousand loads of laundry to mowing the grass to helping entertain Drew, they have been awesome.

-And I can't forget my husband. He has stepped up big time as usual. As I type this he is giving Drew a bath and loving on him even though he has put in a long day at work. He gets up with me for the 2nd feeding each night for moral support.

-It is also a huge blessing to think about having family at Brooks' birth. Hal's parents and mine were there and it was such a difference from having not family at Drew's.

The Ramsey's are blessed beyond measure and grateful for God's gift of friends and family!

Welcome to the World Brooks Parnell Ramsey

This time last Sunday night, I was timing contractions! Tonight, I am watching a precious baby boy sleep. I had said throughout the pregnancy that I didn't think Brooks would wait until our scheduled c-section date of May 23rd. Drew was born at 37 weeks and I just felt like Brooks would be early as well. Last weekend, my body affirmed that suspicion when different things that signal labor is approaching began. We ended up calling my parents on Saturday afternoon and saying we thought they better head this way. They got here late Saturday night and we got up on Mother's Day Sunday and got ready for church, but as we are walking out the door, I started having contractions and feeling downward pressure. We ended up just going to lunch and then walking around at Bass Pro for a little while (not what I had pictured for Mother's Day, but the only place that I could think of that was cool!) Contractions eased as the afternoon went on. I went on a couple of walks down the street, but was beginning to think that maybe it was going to be so soon after all. Around 8:30 or so, I began have contractions again at 5-7 minutes apart and they lasted for about an hour. I headed to bed to rest and woke up at about 12:45 with contractions again and feeling the need to push. When I got up, I started shaking and we decided it was time to call the nurse. She told us to head to the hospital. Mom and Dad stayed behind until my wonderful friend Stacey got her to stay with Drew. When we got to the hospital I was only dilated to a 2, but having contractions. Throughout the early morning, my contractions strengthened and my cervix softened drastically. By morning, my doctor came in to say that we were having a baby! They began prepping me for a c-section and about 15 minutes before they rolled me back, I began having STRONG labor pains. They took us back and Brooks Parnell Ramsey was born at 8:52 am. He weighed 7lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. We were exhausted, but so relieved he was here and healthy.

Love this picture the nurse took of Hal holding my handing during the c-section. I think I was more nervous for this one than I was for the emergency c-section with Drew.

Hello World!

Brothers

Drew is doing really well with Brooks! Most of the time he acts like he isn't there, but we have caught a few sweet moments!

Talking to brother

Giving him a kiss before Mother's Morning Out

Drew is doing real

Daddy and his boys

Holding his brother for the first time

Easter..Better Late than Never!

I know, I know....Easter was forever ago! I just haven't taken the time to sit down and blog. We had a great day in Laurel this year. We we all went to church with Hal's parents, and I must say that Drew made it through the entire church service. Of course he wasn't silent, but hey, he is 2!

After church we headed to the Ramseys for a family pic, lunch, and an egg hunt.

Love this pic of my boys!

Ed and Shannon (Sorry Shannon I think I didn't realize your eyes were closed.)

Madison, Drew, and Jess

Easter basket from Paw Paw and Maw Maw. He loves his new cars!

Yes, she is stealing a 2 year olds candy. Ha! Love you Jess!

Random Friday and Random Phone Pics

1) Storms, storms, storms! I didn't know I was signing up for this much crazy weather when we moved to MS! Hal just called to say that the alarms went off in their building and they had to get in a shelter at work.

2) Maw Maw and Paw Paw are coming up to spend some time with little man tomorrow while Hal and I spend some time together for our anniversary. There has been talk of pedicures, shopping, and eating! I am just looking forward to some time with Hal. Work for him has been crazy and life for us is going to get crazier in the next month or so.

3) How do I feel? Big and pregnant. :) But grateful to still be carrying this little guy. He is very active. I will be 34 weeks on Sunday.....getting oh so close!

4) We have visited a new church a couple of times and have really enjoyed it! We are looking forward to visiting again this weekend and hoping to find that is where God would like us to be!

5) I should be working or doing something else other than blogging....Enjoy the random pics from my phone!

First golf lesson from Grampy on a trip in March

We often have to put our animals in the baby swing and then Drew gets in the bouncy.

I was rear-ended week before last....her car looked much worse. :)

Easter Egg Hunt in the park with some friends this week

My sweet little man playing on the back porch yesterday afternoon.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

We spent a great weekend in Texas with our friends the Strohs. They relocated to Corsicana in the fall and moved into their new house last week. We were able to pay them back for helping us out when we moved in last May by spending the weekend helping them finish up their unpacking, decorating bookshelves, and hanging pictures. We loved being able to help them out, but it honestly wasn't work for us! It was a treat to be able to spend time laughing and jut hanging out. Drew, Blake, and Owen spent tons of time playing outside. We also took them for a few blue bonnet pictures. We were literally only out of the car about 5 minutes, but Kim managed to get several great pics!

Drew and momma

Love this picture of my sweet little man!

Kim and I with our boys!

On the way home, we stopped in Marshall, TX to have lunch with our friends the Hollidays. It was awesome to see them but bittersweet to have such a short visit. I can't believe I didn't get pic of all of our kiddos together.

Zoo and a Choo Choo

Last Saturday we decided to take Drew to the Jackson Zoo. You all know this kid LOVES animals. We had not taken him before because we knew the zoo no longer had elephants and elephants are his favorite, but the weather was beautiful and we decided to go for it. He kept asking for elephants, but loved getting to see all of the other animals. It was fun to compare how much he had changed since our visit to the New Orleans Zoo in November.

I love these pics of Hal and Drew walking! It reminds me of the one in the blog header from Starkville.

He couldn't decide if he wanted to look at the giraffes or play with the other kids. Our little man is such a social guy!

Checking out the orangoutangs.

This Tiger wanted to get up close and personal with Drew.

I didn't manage to get a picture of the otter, but he loved watching them swim around.

"Mingos" in Drew language

I can't even believe I posted this picture of my prego swollen self

Watching the chimpanzees play

He wasn't sure what to think about the carousel.

This is the best picture I have of our train ride at the end, but it so doesn't capture the joy this little man had riding the "choo choo." He was heartbroken when we didn't ride again.

After the train ride, we managed to get him back in the car and we headed for lunch at Sal and Mookie's. I was afraid it would be a rough lunch because he was so tired, but he was perfect. He ate his entire lunch and his ice cream that his daddy got him for a treat.

It was a great day and we will have to take him back soon!