Keeping Up With the Gates

Dancing Queens

2011-10-22T19:09:00.002-05:00

Trying this again

2011-07-09T10:04:00.003-05:00

I know I am not the best blogger... I am going to try this again. Even if I only post pictures, it's better than what I have been doing. Here are a few from the 4th.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th from us, too :)

The party got crazy! Naked girls in the pool :)

Random pic of Bear watching Mickey.

When the house gets really quiet...

2010-10-31T22:08:00.002-05:00

Hay was playing in her room, so we thought... Really she was playing with a purple marker in the computer room. She uses the old computer tower to climb on top of the desk to get what she wants. In this case a marker... must not have seen the 3 different pads of PAPER on the desk that she could have colored on.

Gates, party of 4!

2010-07-19T13:48:00.004-05:00

So, it's been a while since I posted and we have welcomed baby Riley Kathryn to our family!

So, I went to see Dr. Putterman on June 17 and as usual he asked how everything was and as usual I replied with ready for you to let me have this baby. He joked with me and said that he was working this weekend, how was Saturday for me. We laughed and I said that it was perfect... wishful thinking! He had been telling me for weeks prior that if I started dialating that he would induce me since we live so far from the hospital, but unfortunately in weeks prior I had not been dialating at all. BOO! By this point I was pretty miserable. So, he checks me and I am 2 cm dialated and 50% effaced. YAY! So, he tells me to meet him in his office. Last go round when he said meet me in my office he scheduled me to be induced with Hayden. So, I go meet him and he says that we could come in very, very early Saturday morning. This is different than with Hayden where we came in at night and had her the next morning. I asked about that and he said that if that worked for us then we could repeat it with Riley.

About to leave for the hospital

So, we went in to Methodist the following night, got the same pill that I got with Hayden, Cytotec. I labored through the night, but nothing too terrible. At 6:00 am, Dr. Putterman came in and checked me and I was 3 cm, so he started Pitocin which took my contractions and pain to a whole new level. So, I asked for the epidural. What felt like an eternity later, I had the epidural. It was not as effective as it was with Hayden. I was still feeling a lot of sharp contractions that were very close together. The nurse informed me that I was probably dialating so fast at this point that the epidural couldn't keep up. Turns out she was right. Only minutes after getting the epidural I was 10 cm and ready to push. Riley was born after 5 pushes. Chip and I were a little concerned when she wasn't out after 3 like her big sister :) She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. My dad guessed her weight! She was 19.25 inches long. She is such a laid back, sweet baby. We are so lucky! Big sister is so proud and not jealous at all. She loves to hold and kiss baby Riley. She is always putting the paci back in her mouth the second it falls out. It is so fun to watch Hayden with Riley.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2010-06-17T17:56:00.005-05:00

Chip and I have been married for three years now! My how time flies and how quickly life can change in three years! We celebrated by going out to eat and exchanging cards. We ate, for the first time, at Fogo de Chao. We would totally suggest going there if you have never been, but go hungry since it's all you can eat. The service was awesome and so was the food... well worth the money for a nice dinner out.

Hay Hay wanted to be in our anniversary pic :)

Wedding party

Chip said I was pushing him out of the way with my big dress ;) It did take up most of the aisle.

Finally a bump pic

2010-06-10T16:20:00.002-05:00

I went to the doc today and my blood pressure was a little high with trace amounts of protein in my urine... I suspected this since my feet have started swelling pretty badly. Dr. Putterman did not seem concerned. So, I guess I am not either. He did not check for dialation because he is going out of town this weekend and didn't want to stimulate labor, so I guess we have to wait another week... I don't want to wait until July 1, but of course will deal with it if that is what is best for Riley. Hay Hay and me at 37 weeks.

37 weeks

This was at 35 weeks with Hayden. I can't tell which baby I am bigger with... more swollen for sure with Hay.

It's officially SUMMER!

2010-06-06T18:18:00.003-05:00

Hay Hay and Maddie jumping off the rocks.

Hayden loves playing with her big cousin.

Hayden took all these bows down from her bow organizer and made me put them in our hair :)

One of her many swimsuits.

Hay is loving getting to stay up late. Here she is laying of a soft blankie playing with Daddy's phone.

Another swimsuit and her cool shades.

Hayden loves bath time. She says "bubbies" for bubbles. She knows which bottle is the bubble bath, so she acts like she is pouring it in the tub and squeals, "Bubbies!"

Daddy frequently has to "babysit" Hay's baby doll :)

She likes to pile things on Daddy when he falls asleep on the couch.

34 weeks down, 6 to go!

2010-05-19T21:18:00.005-05:00

I can't believe Riley is going to be here so soon! I feel like we have so much left to get ready for her arrival. It is much harder to get things done this time around... huh, wonder why? Maybe it's our little 16 month old shadow :) We have made some more progress, though.

Ash finished painting the tree... We are still going to put a few fake, pink flowers in the tree. I just can't bring myself to pay $8 per flower... need a Michael's coupon or some cheaper fake flowers

The crib is put together, but not ready for a baby yet... two screws left to screw in and no mattress. The crib skirt we had made arrived... I can't tell if I love it yet. I need to see it with the mattress and sheet, so that it will be held in place. Right now it just sags and looks stupid.

Dresser is full of newborn clothes, blankets, and burb cloths, but no handles to open when with. You have to pry them open, being careful not the break all of your nails off in the process. The problem is that the top four drawers need pulls with the holes 2.5 inches apart and the bottom two drawers need pulls with the holes 3 inches apart. I can't find any of the same pulls with different hole widths! even online! I want some that are that antique rust color... Any suggestions?

I got crafty, with Brianna as my inspiration, and decoupaged some wooden letters with scrapbooking paper. When I finally got the nerve to do it, I called Chip and said that we needed to decide how we were going to spell the baby's name, so that I would get the right letters. He quickly enlightened me that either way we would need the same letters: Riley or Rylie. That is how quick my brain is working these days. I have to laugh at myself! Anyway, I think they turned out super cute and I can't wait to get them up on the wall. You can see that we got the changing pad and the cover came today!

As far as Hay Hay goes, she is doing great! Walking all over the place and speaking her own little language! She had strep last week, but has finished her antibiotic and is much better! She is ready for the summer, so she can swim and play with her sister :)

Making progress in Riley's room...

2010-04-10T09:28:00.003-05:00

So, thanks to Aunt Ashley and Aunt Emily, we have Riley's room painted.

We had a dresser, that was mine and Ashley's when we were little, refinished. I wish I had taken a before picture because you would not believe the transformation. It looks awesome. Aunt Brittany found this lady off Craig's List. She is in Katy and very reasonable. http://www.simplematters.weebly.com/

The crib is here, but not put together yet. We have to get all of the furniture that's in the room out before we can get the crib in.

The bumper is here. www.babybedding.com

I am having a bedskirt made from a lady I found on etsy. www.etsy.com/shop/tcwilson She is doubling the white, so it is fuller and putting a solid pink layer in the back, so there is a hint of pink coming through.

Just a few more things and we will be ready for Miss Riley's arrival...
- drawer pulls for the dresser

- paint wall mural
- curtains

- mattress

- sheets

- changing table stuff

- and the list goes on...

Guess I better get to shopping :)

Wow, second pregancies go by much faster! Less that 12 weeks til she is due and so much left to do!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-10T09:19:00.002-05:00

What to do in Riley's room?

2010-02-21T08:46:00.007-06:00

Figuring out what to do in Hayden's room was so easy... not so much this time. I can't make a decision and I am not sure I even love the options that I am thinking about. I need opinions :)

I love this crib! Of course it is $900 and not going to happen, but I hope I can find something similar out there for less.

I love this paint color and the tree on these walls, but these walls kinda lead to a shabby chic room, which I am not too sure about... Plus I have no idea where to find a bed skirt like that or where to have one made. I found just some cream colored organic looking bedding, but I don't know. I thought with the crib above and distressing an old dresser to antique-ish white would look cute... I am just not sure about this whole theme.

Here is something else that I like, but it would mean new wall ideas... I like this one because Hayden's room has birds on it, so it would be a different take on the same thing.

What do you think?

Happy Birthday, Chip!

2010-02-15T18:11:00.003-06:00

Chip turned 30 yesterday!

Chip's newborn picture in the hospital

Birth stats

Look how old school the color of this pic is! He He :)

Doesn't Hayden favor him?

Baby Gates #2 has a name!

2010-02-15T17:16:00.003-06:00

It's official... Riley Kathryn Gates will be baby #2's name!

When you ask Hayden where the baby is she lifts up my shirt and pokes at my belly button! It's so cute... I hope we aren't confusing her for when Riley is born :)

Baby #2 is a GIRL

2010-02-13T09:10:00.005-06:00

We found out on Wednesday that #2 is a another girl. She is growing right on track and everything looks good. I can't believe that we are half way to meeting her! Now that we know she's a girl we can start doing all the fun stuff... naming, decorating, shopping!

You can see her face in all of these pictures!

The ultrasound was really neat. We saw her wave and at one point she had her little arm up by her face, just like her big sister did in one of her ultrasounds. For a minute there we didn't think we were going to get to find out if she was a boy or a girl because she had her legs crossed at the ankles and wasn't moving them... What a lady :) It's so crazy how much you can see on an ultrasound... She looked so squished in there, but Dr. Putterman told us that her forearm is only 2 cm long... She is still so tiny. Why am I so big then?

20 weeks

Party Pics

2010-01-29T18:02:00.010-06:00

Party pics sure aren't what they were in college, huh?

Hayden's birthday party was so much fun! We had a great turnout and it was so great to see everyone.

Lollipop themed table

Hayden's cake all to herself

Cake to share

Party favors

Opening one of her many presents! She loves them all!

Hayden was such a little lady with her cake... She would just poke her finger in it and then just taste it.

We had to make her getting a little more into it... She was really tired by the time we did cake.

Dancing Queen

2010-01-28T18:01:00.003-06:00

Hayden loves to dance... anytime she hears a song that she likes, she busts a move. Here is one of many videos of her dancing... this time to her piano toy (thanks Rubin fam)

Happy Birthday Hayden!

2010-01-28T17:33:00.007-06:00

Here is Hayden the morning of her actual birthday, January 6. We can't believe it has been a whole year!

Here is she is when we got to the babysitter... just a few minutes before 7:22 (the minute she turned 1)

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-06T09:29:00.005-06:00

Hayden was such a good girl at church! She listened to Father John tell the Christmas story.

First family Christmas!

Hayden was happy to get her dress off, so she could get into those presents!

Look what Santa brought!

"Mommy, Daddy, get me out so I can see what Santa brought!"

Delicious play food out of her shopping cart.

Neat book!

"I really love to read!"

Relaxing on my new couch in my cool jean jacket!

Poison Control

2009-12-04T08:34:00.003-06:00

So, last night I had to make a call to Poison Control! The dog is on antibiotics for a tooth infection. I just put the pill in her bowl with her food in the mornings along with her arthritis medicine. When I got home yesterday, I noticed that the antibiotic was still in the bowl and all the food was gone... Apparently, Cookie is smarter than I thought. Later on, I went to stir dinner on the stove and obviously wasn't thinking about making sure that Hayden didn't make her way to the dog bowl. So, I hear the water bowl and food bowl start banging together like cymbals in the background. Oh crap! I remember that that pill was in the dog bowl. So, I run over there and it is gone! I run my fingers through Hayden's mouth- nothing. I look all around the dog bowl- nothing. So one of two things happened: Cookie ate it and I didn't notice or Hayden ate it. I freaked right about the time that Chip got home. So, I called Poison Control and they told me that the antibiotic is also prescribed to humans and that it was ok and at worst she would have stomach upset. Whew! I think I should start feeding the dog outside!

Out shopping after Thanksgiving. I know to pose with a pretty scarf on!

Things Hayden likes to do...

2009-10-28T19:07:00.008-05:00

Stroller rides to the park are definitely in Hay Hay's top 5!

Hayden enjoys working on Aunt Ash's laptop... She even knows how to use the mouse!

Riding on her dad's shoulders is super fun... Notice the hair handles!

Hayden likes to bake!

Shoes are one of her favorites things to play with.

Hayden loves to play with anything after her bath... I think it's to stall, so she doesn't have to go to bed!

Hayden likes to go see Tor Tor dress up for dances!

She loves to go watch her Daddy play soccer!

She loves to pull the toilet paper off of the roll! Can you tell she just got caught doing this?

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-28T18:58:00.003-05:00

Hayden picked out her first pumpkin at the Pumpkin Patch! It was cute for pictures, but probably not the best thing to take a 9 month old to :) She wasn't very interested in anything except getting down to the grass so that she could eat it!

First Haircut 10/17

2009-10-28T18:52:00.004-05:00

Here is Hayden's before her haircut. You can see how much she needed one!

Here she is during her cut... She was really relaxed and didn't seem to mind at all.

Here she is after with Diane! Hay Hay says, "Thank you, Ms. Diane! I love my new do!"

9 months already?!

2009-10-25T19:12:00.003-05:00

Hay Hay is 9 months old! Actually, she turned 9 months on October 6th... Chip and I ordered pizza that night and gave Hayden a crust and she was in love! The girl loves all food! She is not picky. If it is big girl food, then she is a fan! At her nine month check up, everything was great. She is still taller than she is wide, which is a good thing for all girls :) She is in the 25-50th percentile for weight and in the 50-75th percentile for height (I can't remember her numbers at the present moment).

Aggies, weddings, and the flu

2009-10-02T18:53:00.014-05:00

Since I last posted, college football started. We have been to two Aggie football games so far. Hayden stayed at BB and DD's with her cousin, Maddie for the first game. They had a lot of fun. Hay didn't know what to do with their big dog, Cocoa. Our animals don't get quite that close.

Hay Hay and Mommy before heading to DD and BB's

Gig em Aggies

Cocoa tasting Hayden

"I love my big cousin!"

After dropping Hayden off, driving to College Station, watching half of the game and many, many drinks later Chip thought it would be a good idea to get in a foot race. Since he was wearing flip flops, he thought it better to just wear no shoes. On your mark, get set, go... Chip, Steve, and Andy take off through the parking lot at Kyle Field. It did not end well for Chip. He somehow took a nasty fall. I am pretty sure something jumped up and tripped him while everyone was blinking all at the same time :) I didn't turn around quick enough to catch the fall on film, but you can hear Missy scream and Chip say something when he falls. Good thing he had been drinking to endure the pain that night. The next day (and for many weeks to come) he was not so lucky!

In between games we went to Austin for my sister, Ashley's wedding. It was a blast! Congrats to the Rundalls! Hayden is ready for a cousin on her mommy's side now :) And Hay was the cutest little flower baby! Would you believe that I did not take a single picture? I know I am a bad mom! Here is pic of her at the rehearsal!

Less than two weeks later Hayden got the flu! It was the worst thing that Chip and I have ever been through. Watching your little baby suffer and just cry and look at you like, "Why aren't you helping me feel better?" Luckily, we took her to the doc early on and found Tamiflu and got her well in 6 days. I thought I knew sleep deprived... now, I do!

Poor sick baby! Still trying to smile with a 103.2 temp

Then, we had another wedding. Hay Hay sat this one out with her Grandma. Chip and I had a great time at this one too! Congrats Brittany and Kirk!

Silly Girls

Tough guys

End of the night

Back to work :(

2009-08-22T11:14:00.005-05:00

So, Hayden spent her first week with the babysitter since I had to go back to work. Monday was the hardest day of my life. Hayden didn't even notice me leaving but I was hysterical... just boohoo-ing! But everyday got a little easier. I would still rather be home with her, but at least I am not crying anymore. There is another baby girl at the babysitter's house, Avery. She is one. Her and Hay are so cute together. They get excited to see each other, and Avery is teaching Hayden how to wave.

Here are a few cute pics...

Helping with the laundry!

Hayden's 6 month pictures...

2009-08-12T17:39:00.006-05:00

...even though she is now 7 months old! I am a slacker poster :) Here are some of her 6 month pictures take on July 1st.

Snaggletooth

2009-07-27T13:19:00.006-05:00

Hayden has her first tooth! It finally popped through after days of grumpiness and constant chewing of everything. It is on the bottom on her left side. It's so cute! Am I supposed to brush it?

She is also very close to being mobile. She gets on all fours and rocks, but not much movement that way. Chip says that the motor is running but she's stuck in neutral! She can army crawl, though. Another funny thing, she gets on all fours and then straightens her back legs and hops. It is hilarious!

She is getting better and better at sitting up by herself! If only she could get back up herself after tipping over.

"Call Liberty for your diabetus testing supplies..."

2009-07-16T17:13:00.006-05:00

As some people already know, our cat, MOM, has diabetes or diabetus as we would say... She was diagnosed on June 15. We went back to the vet on the 17th for her first glucose curve to see how much insulin she needed... I went there to learn to give the shots (twice a day!) and find out that she needs half of a unit. As we are pulling out of the vet's office, another car and I slam into each other because shs is driving in the center lane... so, I wreck my car with the baby, my sister, Emily, and the cat in it. Thank goodness everyone was ok. My car- not so much. $9000 worth of damage! Anyway, Mom had to go back the vet for another glucose curve one week later and they tell us that she needs 1 unit twice per day and to come back in a week to see how that works. So, we go back again... This time they tell us she needs 2 units twice per day and come back in two weeks... Did I mention that this is costing about $100 each time we go, not counting the $500 we spend when she was diagnosed. So, I took her yesterday and now we are at 3 units twice per day! AND we have to go back in a week! UGH!!! So frustrating!

Our pool is done!

2009-07-15T16:42:00.003-05:00

So, our pool is finally done. We are trying to learn how to maintain it... Of course, no one has the same opinion on how to care for it. But we are having a lot of fun already. Hayden loves the water! She is already fearless!

Replacing Jelly Beans

2009-07-15T16:40:00.002-05:00

I am going to cancel our baby jelly beans page and post on this... this is free! Hopefully, I will be better at keeping up with this than I have been at the other.