The Hutchins Family

Emmitt 3 Months

2012-02-11T11:33:00.002-06:00

Well, believe it or not, it is that time again! Emmitt is another month older! He is really starting to let his personality show! Quite the sweet little boy! Currently he weighs about 15 lbs. He wears size three diapers and 3-6 month clothing (although not for much longer). He is eating 5 ounces every 3 hours. The doctor said we could start feeding him rice cereal, but we may wait until at least 4 months.

He is getting really good at smiling and especially likes to smile at his mommy! :-)

He has also recently found his voice! It is so fun to listen to him talk and giggle! He even carries on conversation (such as it is at his age).

In the last month he has had his first trip to the zoo.

And he has been sleeping a lot better during the night. Although his bed of choice still seems to be Mommy or Daddy's arms, we have started to put him in his crib more often.

As a matter of fact, last night we moved him out of our room to his own bed! He slept from about 10:30PM-8AM! Keep it up son!

No more sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's room!

He is starting to not only bat at the toys on his playmat, but is actually GRABBING them and giving them a little shake!

Here are a few of the monthly chair pictures!

(Believe it or not, he has NO interest in what I am doing because soccer is on the TV behind my head!)

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

P.S. Stay tuned to see what our favorite funny three year-old has been up to!

Lucky Exit

2012-02-08T20:41:00.001-06:00

Tonight we were on our way to church, Stephen looked over at me and said, "Can you guess who my favorite three year-old girl is?" I started to hem and haw. I asked if it started with a J and lots of other clues (as if I didn't know). In the back seat Jesstine kept saying "It's ME!" After a while I finally said it was Jesstine. I told Stephen he was a lucky guy to have such a cool three year-old daughter. Jesstine of course heard me and matter of factly stated, "Like Lucky Charms!!!"

Lucky to have such a witty little girl too!

We have been trying to teach Jesstine to read words by sounding out words she sees often. I recently taught her the word EXIT while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office. When we walked into church for dinner tonight, Jesstine was just ecstatic that her friend Sydney was there. She was jumping up and down saying, "MOM! Cindy is here! See it's CINDY!!! Can I sit by CINDY?!" (She can't say Sydney yet no matter how hard we try to help her!) In the midst of her excitement about "CINDY," she looked up and noticed something on the wall. She stopped mid sentence and said, "Mommy, look; EXIT!!" (Reminds me a bit of the Pixar movie , "UP," with the dogs that can talk and they are constantly being distracted by squirrels!

In Him,
The Hutchins Family

2012-02-08T14:27:00.001-06:00

Just a day in the life of the Hutchins family.

Trying to strengthen his neck and smiling about it!

Bedtime stories from "BabyBug" magazine, narrated by Daddy.

Drying off my baby bumble bee. (You're singing the song now aren't you?!)

More neck strengthening exercises with the new toy Grandmom got Emmitt for Christmas.

"Whatchu talkn' 'bout Willis?"

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

More From My Funny Three Year-Old

2012-02-06T17:03:00.001-06:00

Today we were getting ready to go to the zoo with Jesstine's best friend, Kylie. I have been challenging Jesstine to be a big girl by doing things for herself that I KNOW she can do. So lately we have been teaching her how to get herself buckled into her carseat so all that we have to do is tighten it. Today it was taking a LONG time and it was making her cry. I asked her to stop crying because if she didn't, we wouldn't be able to go. As she was still crying she said, "I TRIED but the crying wants to keep coming!!!"

When we got to the zoo, Jesstine and Kylie were running. We had stopped to see the bear sculptures. When we were done, Kylie started to run and yelled, "WUNNNNNN! (RUNNNN)." Jesstine saw her and immediately chased after her yelling, "TWOOOOOOOOO!" (She thought Kylie was counting instead of saying "run.")

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

When It Rains....

2012-02-03T16:02:00.001-06:00

Jesstine likes to put on her raincoat and boots, grab an umbrella and go for a walk!!!

Emmitt stayed inside with Daddy wishing he could go too!

But he was so happy when Mommy came back in to say hello!

(Either that or because he got 8 hours straight of sleep last night!)

In other news, we made our first trip to the dentist today. Jesstine tried to push herself up with her feet on the counter wall so she could see better at Freddy's last night. Imagine how much I fumbled describing to the dentist that we were getting frozen custard when she chipped her tooth and that she had Crunch berries for breakfast this morning.....GULP! He was probably seeing cavities in her future! Good news is that it just appears to be cosmetic. Nothing to do about that since it is a baby tooth and she will lose it in a few years anyhow!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Disney Princess Live

2012-01-28T20:23:00.002-06:00

In lieu of the yearly trip to see Elmo in concert, I took Jesstine to see Disney Live. Stephen and I thought it was the perfect thing to do for Jesstine since she has been (for the most part) such a GOOD girl with all of the changes in the last few months. Emmitt being born and then being admitted to the hospital at just 7 weeks of age was a lot for a 3 year-old to take in! She has only ever stayed overnight away from us for a full night before Emmitt was in the hospital. She was SUCH a trooper! It was always a great break to see her so happy and well when we would visit her for a few minutes when Emmitt was so sick. So, this was the perfect reward! Originally the plan was for Daddy to stay home with Emmitt. Daddy had a big week at work and couldn't get away, so Emmitt stayed with Grandmom and Jesstine and Mommy saw the princesses WITHOUT boys! It was a blast!

Instead of paying $15 for a picture with a cardboard cutout princess, we chose to pose by her favorite princess on the side of the toy stand! She was SO excited!

When she knew we were going, she asked for two things: popcorn and a toy. She got a large movie size popcorn tub! The toys were all so expensive, I was able to convince her to choose a princess straw cup filled with lemonade. At the intermission we were even able to score a FREE refill! She LOVED it! And we can wash it and reuse it many times! Not really quite worth $10, but for my girl, it was a special treat!

SHOWTIME!

It wasn't JUST the princesses at the show. There was an appearance by Goofy....

Donald.....

Minnie Mouse....

and of course, Mickey Mouse!

They read three princess stories from a magical story book!

First was Snow White.

When you ask Jesstine what she thought of the princess concert, she quietly replies, "The wicked witch was scary!"

Of course the seven dwarfs showed up too!

My favorite princess is Cinderella. She was there too!

(The evil stepmother reminded me of a character in one of Jesstine's new favorite TV shows, LazyTown. If you haven't seen it, HERE is who I am referring to!)

Used the Elmo binoculars we got at the last Elmo concert!

Jesstine's favorite princess is Ariel. Her favorite at Disney Live was Belle. I am pretty sure Belle is her second favorite overall.

Jesstine's bff, Kylie, was there also! She had floor seats, but they still said hi to us before the show and hung out for pictures afterward!

This was a FABULOUS show! I only spent just over $50, and would have spent more. The sets were amazing. I have always loved the music. TThe memories with Jesstine were priceless! She was just in awe! It was even more so than at the Sesame Street Live shows! At the beginning of the show, she put her hand on her chest just under her chin and declared, "It's starting!" I hope to have MANY more of these Mommy and Daughter moments with her! I hope she retains her innocence for a long time! She is SO sweet! She is such a joy and a blessing! I am so proud to be her mamma!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

2 Month Well Baby Visit and MORE!

2012-01-23T17:19:00.000-06:00

Well, Emmitt was FINALLY well enough to have his 2 month check up and shots. He didn't like that last part so much! At 2 months and 12 days of age, Emmitt is 23.5 inches in length (55th percentile), weighs 14 lbs. (77th percentile) and has a head circumference of 16.25 cm. (93rd percentile). He even dressed for a day at the office (see below)!

So what else have we been up to? Well see for yourself!

Gotta love rare trips to the zoo...in January!

Emmitt's first real zoo visit.

Daddy even got to join us!

It was even warm enough for the bears!

Sleeping in the stroller wasn't working for Emmitt. Should have remembered the front carrier. It worked out okay!

Finally got to see the baby orangutan!

Just a couple of primates in their nest!

Jesstine was chosen as "Star of the Week" this week in preschool. She got to take home the school mascot, Kacey the Kangaroo (see HERE) for the weekend! Next week she gets to bring special treats and have Mommy come to school and read a book of Jesstine's choice! Here are a few places she and Kacey were spotted together.

And of course, holding Kacey wasn't good enough. She had to hold her little brother too! She is still infatuated with him. She always wants to hug and kiss him. She talks to him in an "oooo, ahhh" type of voice!

And Emmitt's second hockey game! His first one hardly counts because he was SO sick there was no way he enjoyed it!

He looks at the TV like this, ESPECIALLY when there is a basketball game on!

Proud Daddy!!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Best of

2012-01-21T21:41:00.000-06:00

The best of the two month photo shoot by Danita Loney!

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2-1389_2 (1389 for color)

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18-1558-2 (1558 for black and white)

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In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Done It Again....

2012-01-16T14:58:00.002-06:00

(This quilt was made by Stephen's Grandmother, Jessie.)

Our friend, Danita, has done it again! After taking Jesstine's photos for the last couple years and taking photos of Emmitt's arrival, she has done it again! She came to me and said, "I need to take Emmitt's pictures again! He is growing SO fast!" So since we all had MLK Jr. day off, she came over this morning and here is a sneak peek! This is all I have even seen so far! Can't wait to see and share more!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Moments Like These.....

2012-01-10T18:46:00.005-06:00

make days like today a LOT easier to handle! A dream come true!

Later today, I was working with Jesstine on some "at" words using the fridge letter magnets. After each word she got correct, she would jump up and down with excitement. I spelled the word "fat" and after correctly reading it she responded like she had with the previous words with great celebration. Then she looked and said, "Mommy, YOU'RE fat!!" I can only hope she means PHAT.

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Emmitt: 2 Months

2012-01-09T16:46:00.001-06:00

I realize I am a couple of days early on this, but my work week starts tomorrow, so I wanted to go ahead and do this so I don't forget! Can you believe Emmitt is already 2 months old??!!! He is SUCH a big boy! Here is the run down:

At two months: Emmitt weighs roughly 13-13.5 lbs. He is in size 2 diapers (they are a bit big, but the size 1 are too small). He is in 3-6 month clothing as of last week. Once again, they are slightly big on him, but not as big as the 0-3 month clothes were when we switched from newborns just a month ago! He also has big feet! He won't fit into 0-3 or 6-12 month socks anymore! He is in size 12-24 and is already a size 2 in shoes and almost to size 3 (note: J was BARELY in a 0 at this age). Emmitt has had a lot of firsts in the last month. Some are great and others are not so great! He had his first Christmas. He had his first hospital visit. He also had his first smile and rolled to one side for the first time. He is laughing and smiling a whole lot more than he was even two weeks ago. He can hold his head up for a long period of time and has a little bit of control. Right now he loves sticking out his tongue. He has found his hands and uses them with a purpose. He is just getting to be SO big! He is such a sweet little boy! He adores his bouncy seat. Doesn't care for tummy time so much anymore. He still LOVES Jesstine and smiles when she talks to him. He got some NUK pacifiers (pacies as Daddy calls them) for Christmas and has really started to like them. We will see if that lasts. He still is not on a schedule yet. Last night he only took one bottle between 11:30 PM and 8 AM! That means he slept at least 1 if not 2, 4-5 hour stretches at a time! Here are some pictures, including the chair pictures.

I decided to take TWO pictures in the chair from now on, just to get a reference as to how large he is. This is the elephant Emmitt got for Christmas from the other Hutchins family!

Was SO close to capturing a smile, didn't quite get it but got the tail end of one.

Sleeping peacefully the day we got home from the hospital after being there for 4.5 days!

Told ya he loved his bouncy seat!

There's that smile! He also loves bath time! Glad I figured out the trick of putting a warm wet wash cloth on his belly! It has made a huge difference!

And last but not least the outfit I picked out with my nephews, Noah, Ian, and Connor, in mind! Sorry Connor, there are no guys on the motorcycles. It does say "ZOOM" though!

In Him,
The Hutchins Family

My Poor Baby

2012-01-05T18:24:00.002-06:00

In case there are readers out there that I don't know that follow this blog, it has been a terrifying week in our household! We have been noticing how fussy Emmitt has been, particularly after a bottle. We chalked it up to colic or gas. I took him in the Wednesday before Christmas and the doctor put him on some meds. It didn't seem like they were helping. So, we just kind of kept trying to work with him through it. Friday it got to the point where neither Stephen or I were sleeping because he was screaming SO much. I noticed that day that when I would pick him up he would scream as if in pain. So, I made another appointment to take him in. That afternoon, I took him to our family doctor. After blood work and a chest x-ray, he chalked it up to more gas. He said he thought that one of his levels was a little high, but nothing to indicate anything but a possible virus. So we went home. Friday night he just got worse and worse to the point he wasn't eating well and was crying seemingly for no reason. Anytime he was moved even just slightly, he would let loose with some terrible screams! We again, just tried to work through it based on what the doctor had told us the day before. At about 2, I noticed that he had a red spot on his neck/shoulder area while he was asleep on the couch. About 2 hours later, he woke up screaming and Stephen brought him up for a bottle. He noticed that Emmitt was really warm. So we took his temp. My heart sank as I watched the number climb from 101 to 103 with little time in between! I also knew that when taking the temp under the arm, you are supposed to add a degree. So he really had a 104 fever! I wasted no time. I melted down right away...then called Sandra to watch Jesstine. Called my mom to tell her we were headed to the ER. Packed Emmitt's diaper bag. As soon as Sandra was here, we were off to the closest ER about 5 minutes a way. On the way, I called the doctor to fill him in. He said that he probably wouldn't have taken him in, but to go with my intuition (I had failed to mention the red spot because I didn't realize it could be a sign of what was going on). When we got to the ER, they got us in VERY quickly. We had given him tylenol before we left and they measured his temp rectally at 101. He was SO fussy! To the point I could barely calm him down. When the doctor came to look at him, I remembered to show him the red area. That is when they started to act really fast. They took bloodwork right away. I had the results from the test the previous day (my doctor gave to me when I called) so they could compare. The quick results didn't show anything unusual, but because of how high the fever was and the suspicious red area, we were admitted to the hospital. The ER we went to is associated with a local hospital, but doesn't do more than emergency services. This was beyond their scope, so they sent us to the big hospital via ambulance. Once there they acted fast in starting some IV antibiotics and let us know we would be there for a few days. My mom and dad went to the house and picked some things up for us. We spent New Year's Eve in the hospital with a very sick boy. They kept hitting him hard with two big broad spectrum antibiotics while culturing the blood work that was taken in the ER. We also fought the fever until the next afternoon. The next evening the preliminary results showed that he had some kind of strep infection. They then had to narrow down what kind it was so they knew which drug to treat it with. The following day they had determined that he indeed had step all through is blood stream. They even determined what kind it was. It was Type A: pyogenes strep infection. This is the most common type that you or I would refer to as strep throat. It is EXTREMELY rare in infants and babies under 1 year of age and even more rare as a skin infection! We have NO clue as to where he picked it up. After they determined what it was, we had him off of one antibiotic and kept up with the other. They then took more blood and cultured it. After 24 hours, no strep grew so they knew the antibiotic was working. They wanted to watch the culture one more day to make sure it was gone. So FINALLY after almost 5 days in the hospital, we got to go home today. The doctor also even helped us to get out in time to surprise Jesstine at school when she was done with school today! Here are a few photos of our journey. So far he has been doing well at home. Please continue to pray for him. I am still a bit leary. I guess because he was just SO sick, I am apprehensive about him REALLY being well again. I am paranoid about every little skin issue, cough, gag, or cry!

At the ER. I finally got him calmed down after the rectal temp check, weight check, and placement of the IV.

Because his condition was serious enough, they decided to admit him. They transported us free of charge by ambulance. I rode with him while Stephen drove behind us. He went over a bump and was a little concerned.

This shows you a little of how bright red his skin was.

Resting mostly peacefully.

It started to spread quite a bit. It initally was just on his shoulder/neck area on the left side. It eventually spread all the way across the front and back of his neck and down his left shoulder onto his back partially (not down to the shoulder blade but about half way down).

Poor guy! Had to have the IV placed three times for one reason or another.

Here he is wearing a shirt that Uncle Seth and Aunt Jenni got him!

They traced around the rash with a pen to see if it was spreading. I kept telling people that it was his tattoo tracing!

This was after the third IV. He really protested that one more than the others. The first day we were there though, a boy brought him a stuffed owl (we named him Wesley after the hospital he was at). The owl was a good companion for Emmitt.

He started to smile, laugh and play by later Monday afternoon. Here he is yesterday in his "kickie play."

Today he took a late morning snooze with Daddy!

And just before we left, he was giving even more smiles!

Again, thank you for the thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming! I pray that he stays healthy and the antibiotics so their job. It is so sad to see such a little baby have to go through this! He wasn't even 50 days old when this all started. Tomorrow he will be 8 weeks old. Just wish that some of his personality didn't have to make his first appearance in such a tough environment. His personality did start to show and he had a LOT of smiles and laughs for us as soon as he was feeling better! He even started to roll over onto his left side for the first time! Hopefully he will be healthy and strong and we don't have to repeat this for a LONG time....or EVER!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

More Christmas

2011-12-28T22:53:00.003-06:00

As much as I LOVE getting together with family and the holidays in general, I am really looking forward to things slowing down and for a new routine to begin! Maybe it is because I only get sleep in 4 hour increments these days. Or maybe I am just getting older. What ever it is, here is a little glimpse of the fun we had the last few days while my in-loves were in town!

Emmitt has a new cuddle buddy!

Aunt Jenni ALSO has a new cuddle buddy!

In the middle of the visits with family, I had my follow up appointment with my doctor! If you ever need an OBGYN, this is the guy to call! Had to get a picture with him for Emmitt's baby book and for my memory's sake! Been through a LOT with this guy!

Aunt Jenni and Emmitt got pretty cozy!

Seth reading to the big kids!

Jesstine playing dress up in her new dress up clothes! Here she is as a fairy princess.

Here she thinks that she is Bell of Beauty and the Beast fame!

Hope your holidays have been wonderful!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Christmas with the Hutchins Family

2011-12-25T22:32:00.000-06:00

Making Christmas cookies!

Decorating cookies.

Ready for family date.

Light seeing on Christmas family date.

This is a light show sponsored by businesses in the community. It is free of charge, but they take donations at the end that help support programs for the disabled in the community.

I liked this one, but the car was moving too fast to capture it!

Even had the manger scene.

This was set to music.

And we drove through it.

There were jets of water shooting and I think they were supposed to be lit some how.

We are considering these cool color changing ice sickles at some point for our house.

Jesstine watching her Santa video.

The kids' Santa gifts!

Stockings are hung from by the fireplace with care.

Note Santa left for Jesstine next to the empty plate that once held his cookies and bowl that once had reindeer food.

Emmitt slept through the staging of said Santa gifts! :-)

He also slept through the beginning of Christmas morning as well! Isn't he SO cute?!

Jesstine walking into the living room to see what Santa left.

She found her zoo right away!

Every DVD was her "fwaborite!"

Dollhouse stuff.

Pink rain boots (she outgrew her previous pair).

Another DVD.

Pink velour pants from Aunt Jenni and two different shirts to wear with them.

Puzzle.

Still asleep!

Special gift from Daddy for Jesstine. Her own tennis racket and PINK tennis balls (as well as some training tennis balls that don't bonce as high). It is one she can grow with. We thought this was a great idea since she is always carrying ours around asking if she can play with them.

Emmitt woke up, so Jesstine helped to open his gifts. This is the one SHE gave him. Three shirts that are the characters from Monsters Inc.

Stocking time.

Emmitt is impressed with his Little People soccer set, especially the ball!

Our two lovely and spoiled children.

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:07:00.003-06:00

2011-12-23T18:17:00.003-06:00

I have a feeling that Mangle, our elf on the shelf, is going to be giving Santa an interesting report tonight when he flies back to the North Pole. Why?

It isn't because she was pouting...

"Why so serious?"

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

The Haps

2011-12-22T10:08:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I can't claim that title as my own. We have a monthly video at church in which they detail the happenings ("haps") at church for the month and it is entitled "The Haps." Well, here is what has been happening around here lately.

Jesstine had her first Christmas program at school last week. It was cute! I (like every OTHER parent there) decided it would be a good idea to get a picture of her in front of the pretty Christmas tree....which you can't see because it was so tall and up on a platform! Oh well!

They also had a manger scene set up at the end of the foyer. That made for a bit better of a background...but Jesstine looked better in front of the tree...

On a day that Sandra picked Jesstine up from school, she was behind some kids and they asked their mom if they could see the fairies before going home! These were the "fairies" above the manger scene! Hehe!

Emmitt is enjoying his baths a WHOLE lot more now! I found these "bath buddies" at the store and thought I would give them a try. It is essentially a large terry cloth fish that you get wet with warm water and place over the baby so he can retain some heat as you clean him. We also have a duck! It works WONDERS! Yes, you could basically accomplish the same thing with a washcloth, but this is a little larger so it works a little better!

Stephen and I went to his company party (no photos, sorry!) and they had a white elephant gift exchange. It was a bit odd because it seemed like we were the only ones that really got the "white elephant" part of it. We took a Hello Kitty McDonald's toy while others had some useful gadgets and things like a bottle of wine and this little LED Christmas tree that you plug into your computer or a USB port. I even "stole" it from someone because I thought Jesstine would like it. She did!

We got an "Elf on the Shelf" this year for Jesstine. My friends keep posting pictures of their elves doing naughty things. Our elf, Mangle, is a CLIMBER! He likes to find interesting places to watch Jesstine from each day. He flies back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa whether Jesstine has been a good girl or not (that's how the big guy knows who's been naughty or nice).

I wasn't able to put Emmitt's Cowboys clothing on him for the last two games for one reason or another and they lost. He is growing so fast and the season is almost over, so I decided I would work harder to try and make sure he is appropriately dressed for all future games. Isn't he just the cutest little Cowboy's fan you have ever seen?!

This is kinda naughty of Mangle! Like I said he is a climber, but we have a rule in the house that we aren't supposed to touch the blinds or the cords on the blinds!

Only a month old and he is trying to help hold his bottles!

Is it a productive tummy time when he falls asleep?

Jesstine is enjoying her bath paints that her friend Kylie got her for Christmas.

And the best part of this blog...I FINALLY caught a smile on camera! It was a challenge because as soon as the camera comes out he likes to look at the camera and can't concentrate on smiling! What a LOVELY smile!

In Him,

The Hutchins

More Santa

2011-12-16T17:11:00.002-06:00

On the left is Gabe. On the right is Emmitt. No, Emmitt is not much closer to the camera. Gabe is really that much smaller despite being born 18 days earlier than Emmitt.These little boys were due the exact same day! Gabe's mommy has kidney problems though, so Gabe was born at 36.5 weeks!

Grandpa Griffee holding Emmitt!

More Santa!

What a joy this little boy is!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Santa

2011-12-15T13:33:00.001-06:00

Couldn't decide which one to post, so posted them both!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Funny Moments with Funny Kids

2011-12-14T09:26:00.001-06:00

I was looking back at how many people I have had visit my blog and it is consistently 2-3 people on average. I remind myself that I keep this blog mainly as a way to look back at memories that I don't want to forget. I really need to work on getting it into a book! In the meantime, more of those memories that I don't want to forget! Here were some from the last week or so!

The first is actually from Emmitt. I ordered some things from Bath and Body Works for my mother-in-love. When she got her order, there was a bottle missing. I decided that it was best for me to take care of it since I had ordered it using my own credit card. I called the customer service number and it was an automated system. Not only that, it had voice recognition where you had to say "customer service" to speak to a customer service rep. Emmitt was asleep on my chest and snoring away (he had been a bit congested lately). Just at the moment where I was to say "customer service," Emmitt let out a really loud snore. It registered on the phone and as a result I heard, "That is an inappropriate response. Please try again."

The second is from Jesstine. I was talking to her about her address. We talked about what state and what city she lived in. I was drilling her and asked her, "What state is Wichita in?" She replied emphatically with, "THUNDER!!!!" (In case you don't know already, she LOVES hockey games and the Thunder is the local team that we go and watch.) Needless to say, my fellow hockey fans were thrilled!

The last isn't really a saying or anything. It is a picture because a picture says a thousand words. Jesstine is ready for Christmas and she is ready for it to be NOW!

Gotta love kids!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Another Comparison

2011-12-13T13:52:00.001-06:00

I keep hearing how much Emmitt and Jesstine look alike (when Jesstine was a baby). I can SOMEWHAT agree, but to me, they not only act so different, they also look differently! Cast your vote!

(Click to enlarge)

In Him,

The Hutchins

1 Month

2011-12-11T12:18:00.001-06:00

Well, today is the day! My baby boy is one month old already! It is hard to believe! Here are a few pictures I haven't posted yet, plus the "chair pictures" like I took with Jesstine each month! The only difference is this time I plan to add a piece of paper with the month on it...makes it easier to keep track of what month it is later when I go through the thousands of pictures I have taken!

It is of course December here and it is pretty cold. I finally broke down and got the "Cozy Cover" out for the car seat. Emmitt doesn't care too terribly much for the flap that covers his face. Daddy chooses not to use it unless I ask him to!

Here is my boy in all of his handsomeness! Aunt Jenni and I picked this shirt out for him specifically to go with these jeans (which I thought had fleece lining in them, but I was wrong).

Emmitt Boyd at one month:

At one month, Emmitt is eating anywhere from 4 to 5 oz. bottles every three hours (sometimes he would like them MUCH sooner). We have had to use the sensitive formula for gas and fussiness. He has a tummy kinda like daddy did at his age. Not much spit up, just every once in a while. As I probably mentioned before, he eats as soon as his eyes are open most times and sometimes he is screaming for food even before his eyes are open! He is currently wearing size 0-3 month (3 month) clothing, but his arms are even too long in those some times. I haven't weighed him but I would guess he weighs close to 10 lbs. He is in size one diapers. He has smiled a handful of times, but I have yet to capture that on camera. He likes to look at lights, but doesn't really focus much on people's faces yet. He mostly just eats, poops, pees and sleeps! He is awake and alert sometimes for extended periods of time (mostly when we don't WANT him to be). He sleeps anywhere from 3-4.5 hours at a time. Most times it is pretty much 3 hours because that is when he wants his next bottle! He is a cuddly baby too! He likes to fall asleep in someone's arms. He especially likes falling asleep on Mommy's chest or with Grandma Griffee! He has a pretty strong neck and he doesn't mind tummy-time for the time being! When he is on his tummy he can rotate his head in either direction and hold it there for quite a little while before he gets tired. He has also already picked up his first cold. He has been fighting a bit of drainage and stuffy nose! He is growing so fast already! I look forward to seeing how his personalty comes out in the next few weeks!

Far away shot on the chair (with a far away look).

Close up shot where he is actually looking at me (or at least in my direction).

In Him,

The Hutchins

P.S. In other news, Daddy seems to have caught Jesstine's stomach bug from 11 days ago! I am hoping there are no other victims of it in this household!

Customer Service

2011-12-10T23:11:00.001-06:00

The other day, Sandra (my mother-in-love) called me to let me know that she had received the shipment from Bath and Body Works that I had helped to order for her. The only problem was that one bottle of shampoo was missing. Because I ordered it for her all of the information was in my email and on my credit card. I told her I would take care of it. Emmitt was asleep on my chest, so I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I picked up the phone and dialed customer service right away. Of course it was an automated system! Not only that, to speak to a customer service rep., I had to SAY, "customer service." Right at the precise moment I was to say customer service, Emmitt snored quite loudly. It triggered the voice recognition on the phone to say, "That was an inappropriate request. Please try again."Had to laugh and had to post for memory's sake! Emmitt is quite a loud sleeper!! We have learned that rather quickly!In Him,The Hutchins

Moments Like These

2011-12-09T22:20:00.001-06:00

It's moments like these that remind me that the sleepless nights lately are well worth it!

Emmitt already ADORES his big sister! There are times when I need to get something done and she will talk to him or hold his pacifier in his mouth to buy me a few more minutes! Here he was under the play gym and she wanted to talk to him. He watched her the whole time!

This was actually taken a while back (the week after Emmitt was born to be exact). Ian doesn't like Emmitt at all...he LOVES Emmitt! This was the fantastic picture that we were able to capture how enamored Ian was with Emmitt!

In Him,

The Hutchins

P.S. Coming soon, 1 month pictures! He is almost one month old already!!!

Still Here....Mostly!

2011-12-06T21:38:00.001-06:00

Funny how we forget exactly how tired a newborn makes us feel! The couch is still where I spend most of my sleep time! We are still so overjoyed to have Emmitt as a part of our family! It isn't as evident on Mommy and Daddy's faces (note the second picture in this post), but Jesstine is STILL beaming about her little brother! She is so excited when he gets to join her for story time just before nap and bedtime! She is feeling much better so she has been allowed to hold his hand more often. Downside is that Mommy, Daddy AND Emmitt now have a touch of a cold. That on top of the every three hour feedings (and sometimes less because this boy EATS), we are pretty worn out here. So if we forget something important, please don't take it personally! We just may need some gentle reminders! Now, on to the pictures!

When we found out we were expecting Jesstine, my mom picked out a boy outfit and a girl outfit. I kept the boy outfit in hopes that some day I would get to use it. I was worried I wouldn't because it was shorts and a short sleeved shirt. Well, Emmitt got a little warm the other day, so I changed him to short sleeves and a pair of pants. Here is the shirt Mom bought 4 years ago! I LOVE it! Emmitt could care less about fashion at this stage obviously!

This picture deserves some explanation and an apology to my hubby. I had to post it to show a) the outfit Jesstine picked for Emmitt to wear after helping me keep him happy through a massive clean up after a diaper change gone wrong AND helping while I gave Emmitt a bath and b) just to show you how BOTH us parents look pretty much non stop these days!

This was when I began to see that Jesstine was REALLY feeling better. She looked so funny hanging from the back of her chair, I had to grab the camera!

Jesstine and I put the tree up for the year. Grandmom always gives us each an ornament for Christmas every year. She always remembers Babe B. too. This year's choice was PERFECT! I saw it and just couldn't bring myself to buy it. I was still pregnant with Emmitt and it is hard for me to go to my "Babe B. place" in my thoughts and heart when I have a life growing inside of me! I absolutely ADORE this ornament! (For those of you who don't know or don't remember, this is he book that Daddy read to Babe B. almost nightly. The illustrations were used on her handout at her memorial service and the saying on this ornament was put on her headstone.)

Jesstine is showing Daddy the special ornament that Mommy let her pick out at the store this year!

The star is the last thing that gets put on the tree and Daddy helped Jesstine to put it on.

In the words of Dora, "We DID it!"

Hopefully next year I will FINALLY have my bigger, prelit Christmas tree! For now, here is the tree we have had since we got married!

Stockings are hung by the fireplace (along with the Christmas tree Jesstine made in Sunday school).

This shirt is PERFECT for right now!

Told you she liked to hold his hand!

Fun Extras:

Each year I try to make some baked goods for my co-workers as a holiday gift. This year I am in no condition to bake! So, I have been enjoying a lot of McDonald's Extra Value Meals in order to collect Coke glasses. Here is why! Okay, so really half of these were from LAST year! I didn't REALLY enjoy 7 McDonald's meals in two weeks! I think they turned out pretty cute! So if you are looking for an inexpensive way to give someone a cute gift, here you go! They were super easy to make! I bought some mint M&M's and seperated out the colors to make it look a bit more festive. Topped that off with a Reese's Christmas Tree (small ones that come in a big bag). I then covered the top with press and seal wrap to hold it all in and to hold the bow on top. There is a gift tag on the side of each glass too!

And lastly, one last thing I had to share! I did this last year because Jesstine was just getting old enough to really understand and enjoy Christmas. This year we have started a few more Christmas traditions including our very own Elf On The Shelf, Mangle. So, here is a link to her very own Santa video! She will watch this on Christmas eve sometime. (Underneath is the home page where you can create your own for your spouse or child/children).

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mIEJYFiWz7-Ina-gY8UJB-g

Start your own here:
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

Until next time!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Emmitt

2011-11-28T16:13:00.001-06:00

I have meant to update for a whole week now, but things have been a little crazy here! Between roofers showing up unexpectedly to our house (long story) and Jesstine's hives and stomach flu, it has been an interesting few days! So here are some pictures!

For Fun:

Comparing my belly in the hospital before Emmitt was born to him in front of my belly after birth.

Comparing Emmitt's first days at home (left) with Jesstine's first days at home (right).

A spectacular gift that was made for Emmitt by his great aunt, Sandra Gail Hutchins! She made Jesstine a Sunbonnet Sue quilt a couple of years ago as well! Some of the fabric in both Jesstine's and Emmitt's quilts is from some left over fabric that their great grandmother, Jessie Hutchins, gave to Aunt Sandra.

First Week:

Mommy made Emmitt wear these gloves so he wouldn't scratch his face!

I think I posted this already, but I was super proud of how Kylie was SO enamored with Emmitt!

Jesstine had a lot of fun having Mommy and Daddy home the first week!

Emmitt has liked the swing a whole lot more than Jesstine did. Don't know how much longer that will last though.

Week 2:

Our neighbor and sometimes babysitter, Melissa, didn't have school the Monday before Thanksgiving and it was my first time to be alone with both kids all day because Stephen had gone back to work. So she came to hang out and have some "down time."

Emmitt's first "bath" at home. We have a similar picture of Jesstine like this.

I told Stephen he needed to get the camera at one point while giving Emmitt his bath. Jesstine of course had to get hers too...."CHEESE!!"

Jesstine LOVED this part. Emmitt didn't like ANY of it!

Emmitt in his bouncy seat...his second favorite sleeping spot, his first being in bed with Mommy or Daddy or on Mommy's chest.

Just finished a bottle. Now he is holding Mommy as he goes through his milk coma.

Needed a new picture at church. He was nine days old here and lost his umbilical cord stump AT church!

And of course here are my favorite people in their team gear! His first time to watch a Cowboys game with Daddy!

TOUCHDOWN!

Because his stump had fallen off, it was time for a REAL bath! He didn't like this much better. The water was not warm enough. Daddy and Mommy had forgotten what all they needed and needed to do for a newborn bath! We had everything better prepared the next go around though!

Sporting his "Little Brother" shirt! I know his pants are hiked up! That was not done on purpose, he hasn't filled out yet so they ride up! Should meet Papa's dressing standards though! :-)

Already trying to hold his own bottle!

Emmitt's hospital pictures came in the mail and were wrapped in bubble wrap. Jesstine was enjoying it!

Told you it was one of his favorite places to sleep; next to Mommy or Daddy!

He also likes this corner of the couch.

Thanksgiving Day! His FIRST Thanksgiving! Grandma couldn't get enough of him!

Neither could Alexis (Grace's second oldest).

Or Conrad for that matter (Grace's oldest).

Charis had to have a little help from Daddy.

This is Aunt Grace (my sister).

Third Week: (2 weeks old, but into his third week)

Having some fun with Jesstine in her bed!

Then when Mommy gave Emmitt to Daddy, more cuddling ensued in Mommy and Daddy's bed! I love how Jesstine is holding Emmitt's hand in this picture!

Big sister wanted to feed Emmitt a bottle!

Again in the bouncy seat! He is starting to get is original chub back.

Mommy's Rock Star!

Aunt Ola and Uncle Ryan came in after Thanksgiving. So yesterday, Luke (almost 3, Left) and Corbin (4, right) came over to play!

Aunt Ola held him when I would let her! I have trouble letting others hold him for too long after being apart from him the whole day after the day we came home from the hospital.

Today has been a bit eventful! Jesstine woke up at 1:30/2:00 throwing up. It lasted until about 5 AM. It has been a very LONG tiring day! Well, my computer is having problems, so I need to go! Until next time.

In Him,

The Hutchins

Smilestones

2011-11-23T20:44:00.001-06:00

Emmitt is growing and changing each day! He has had a few milestones lately. We were in church on Sunday and I went to change his diaper. As I pulled his shirt up, his cord stump fell off! I was shocked! It had been less than nine days! Jesstine's took nearly a month! The downside is that I think it must have been jarred loose a little early. It is still bleeds a little!

That is not as fun of a milestone as today's milestone! Today I saw the most beautiful thing I have seen! Emmitt smiled at me, not once, but TWICE! It wasn't even in his sleep like usual! The only thing that is even on par with that would be when Jesstine smiled just minutes after birth and then again when my mom was holding her. I think I have even seen glimpses of Emmitt's laughter. When he knows he is SO close to getting a bottle he fake coughs and kind of chatters a little...almost like he is chuckling with giddiness awaiting his bottle!!

One thing is for sure! I love this boy SO much! There is nothing like it! It is starting to set in that I have a son AND a daughter! I will let you know about his sleep another time though!

In Him,
The Hutchins

At It Again

2011-11-19T20:48:00.001-06:00

Jesstine is at it again. Some of her favorite people were in town for the weekend (Uncle Seth, Aunt Jenni, Noah, Ian, and Connor). We spent a lot of time at Grandmom's house. Like most grandmas, she has "pretties" around on coffee tables and end tables. She has a bowl of potpourri that is in the shape of balls. Jesstine picked one up to examine it and shake it. I looked at her and gave her a stern look and said, "Jesstine, you know better." She put it back, but continued to stand there. After a few minutes, she picked one up again, looked at me and said, "I don't know better!"In Him,The Hutchins

Morning Report

2011-11-17T12:55:00.001-06:00

When I thought about writing this post, I kept thinking back to the movie, "The Lion King." There is an annoying little bird that is the advisor (of sorts) to the king. There is a song that came out on the first DVD released version of the movie, called "The Morning Report." Anyhow! Here is the morning report.

Things are going well here. Jesstine went to both days of preschool this week (which was surprising to some that we still sent her even though we just had a new baby). Emmitt is doing great and I am feeling much better as well! So, what's with the "report" part of this? Well, we got a report card of sorts from Jesstine's preschool today. I kind of had a chuckle at remembering reading through some of Stephen's school papers when we were dating and engaged. I read things from his teachers like, "Stephen seems to be preocupied with food." My favorite (which is a running joke in our household) is when he would fill in the answers to to things like, "Who is the hardest worker in your family?" His answer: My mom. OR "What is the hardest job you have to do in your house?" His answer: Cleaning my room. "Why?" Answer: Because I have to make my bed. (Earlier on the list it asked something about his least favorite chore which of course was making his bed.) I was interested to see what Jesstine's teachers have said about her because I have my guesses on what they would say. I was especially interested when my friend Kelly, (Jesstine's best friend, Kylie's mommy) drove by and said Kylie's paper said her teachers would like to see her playing with other students other than just Jesstine. HEHE!

Jesstine of course has a few things that she needs to work on. Most are just things that we have never really explored for one reason or another. Others are unfortunately just part of her age and personality. One of the days that Grandmom went to pick her up, she heard the teachers telling Jesstine that she needed to walk in the classroom instead of bouncing. As a teacher I can TOTALLY understand this! As a mom, I know that it is a part of Jesstine's bubbly, happy personality! I hate to quell that, but at the same time she needs to know when it is appropriate and when it isn't. And wouldn't you know one of the things that is "still developing" is that she needs to use "walking feet" in class. The note said running though, not jumping which is even more understandable to me as a mom and a teacher. Jesstine just LOVES to run!

We were immediately interested though in what it said about how Jesstine plays. To our surprise, it says, "Play has progressed from playing besides or with Kylie to playing with others. Working on learning to share." Hehe. So there WAS a note about Kylie on Jesstine's note too!

I have really seen some growth in certain areas for Jesstine since she has started preschool. I am interested to see where she is at the end of the school year. Since having Emmitt, it has become very apparent just how big Jesstine really has grown! I love my little girl SO much and feel so blessed that God saw fit for me to be her mommy!

In Him,

The Hutchins

P. S. Again as I was typing blog post, Jesstine hit us with another funny moment. Today at school they learned about Indians. Daddy and Jesstine were playing "Princesses" downstairs which consists of her and Daddy trying to get Dumpty to safety in the "tower" which is the stairs, before the Monster gets her. They of course wield swords. At one point, Jesstine stopped and said, "Uh Oh! We need bow and arrows." To which Daddy replied, "Well, we only have swords. We don't have bows and arrows." Jesstine said, "I do!" Daddy said, "Where?" Jesstine, "I have lots of bows in my room!" (She was referring to her hair bows!)

Also a funny note. There is a well known "app" for smartphones, iPads, and iPhones (possibly other electronic devices and even for computer too), called Angry Birds. Jesstine has played this on Grandma Griffee's phone as well as the iPod. She always sees the stuffed animals in the store and gets super excited. So, when Emmitt was born, Grandma Griffee brought her some Angry Birds toys! One is a yellow triangle. So, she brought her Angry Bird to show and tell today! Hehe! It was pretty funny in my opinion.

First days as a family of 4

2011-11-16T02:16:00.001-06:00

Emmitt is FINALLY here as you can tell by the last post! It is a far different birth story than that of both of the girls, but isn't every birth different? I of course was unable to sleep much the night before. I was ready to see this little guy! We went in at 6 AM on Friday, November 11. It was still dark out. Jesstine had stayed at Grandmom's (Stephen's Mom) house the night before, so she was already settled at that point. They started the pitocin (the drip) at about 7:30 AM. It was fairly easy at first. Didn't take long though and the contractions started to pick up. I was begging for an epidural not too long into the process. It was very strange. My cervix was only dilated to about a 1.5 when I came in. But it was very soft, so it was difficult for them to really get an accurate check on it. By the time I wanted the epidural, it was still only at a 2 or 3, but off to the side so it was hard to check (once again). I got up to go to the bathroom before the epidural and low and behold, my water broke! I had never had that happen before! Usually my M.O. is to get the epidural and then they have to break my water for me. Not this time! Went to the bathroom, got the epidural. They checked me a short time later and was only a 4 and it was again WAY off to one side. That is when you would think I could take it easy, right?! It wasn't much longer and I really started to have some pain on my right side! I was freaking out! I am not supposed to feel ANYTHING with an epidural! The anesthetist nurse said that the epidural only works for tissue related pain. What I was experiencing was the baby's head against my pubic bone. It was INTENSE to say the least! He was trying to watch his way out of the birth canal (not a great position for either him or me). So, they rolled me to my side (I WAS a 4 at this point for sure) and we coaxed Emmitt into shifting a little. It was still QUITE uncomfortable. About this time my doctor came in to check on me, he kept saying, "Humm, I think we are hitting transition if we aren't there already." It was also at about this time (perfect timing and had to have been a God thing) that my mom surprised us on her lunch break! She had come when I was at my worst and needed her there! The anesthetist nurse did a fantastic job of calming me and getting me into a zone of sorts. But I really needed my mom! About 15 minutes after they moved me to my side, I started to feel that pressure that you KNOW is a sign that it is about to happen. I told mom. She kept telling the regular nurse that they had better check me. The nurse was putting it off because it had taken SO long to get to a 4. Finally she did. I had gone from a 4 to complete with in 15 minutes! They rolled be back to my back and I started pushing. The doctor made it right before I started pushing or right as. He hadn't even left the hospital (lucky for me and for him). It took 7 pushes and 3 contractions and Emmitt Boyd Hutchins was here at 12:41 PM on 11-11-11!!! Here are some moments from our day.

There is a new practice now in the hospitals (new to us and new as far as with full term births) called kangaroo care. The infant is cleaned and IMMEDIATELY placed on the mother's bare chest for at least an hour! No one else can hold the baby or handle him/her. Just momma! I have to admit, I kinda liked that part!

Back when I had my breast reduction surgery two years ago, I had decided that my next baby would be bottle fed. So, here Emmitt is, less than an hour old having his first bottle.

I have a similar moment where Jesstine looked up at me after she was born. We were BOTH in heaven at this point! Yes that is a paci in my hand already. He wasn't 5 minutes old and already had found his thumb! We don't want that! I know that there are many different opinions on this, but it is our decision to not let him have his thumb! I was a thumb sucker and don't want him to be. End of story!

This was after the hour that he was on my chest. They put him in the warmer and started to clean him and get all of his vitals and scores and such.

Just a look at him before he gets cleaned off. You can tell how much bigger he was than Jesstine!

Checking his vitals.

We have a close up of this same angle of Babe B.'s ear. I cry when I think that I am getting to experience little pieces of her through my son.

He DIDN'T like the bath!

Getting dried off now!

This was the view I had from my bed across the room. I could see his little foot on the glass and wiggling! Once again, he has another piece of Babe B. His feet look just like her feet, only smaller. They both have feet like Mommy!

Weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 (almost 4) oz. Big boy!!!

All that work deserves a nap!

Meeting big sister for the first time! She was SO good with him!

She was really reluctant to, but she gave him kisses.

He even brought her a present!

When we asked her what he brought, she said, "Princesses because I am a princess!"

As mentioned, Mom barely got to see him born before she had to race off to her next patient (who cancelled by the way)! She didn't get a chance to hold him until they brought dinner up later that night.

Grandpa came with her.

This is Auntie Terri. She is the main music teacher at the school where I teach and a GREAT friend! Thanks for coming to see us, Terri!

We both like sleeping this way!

Getting ready to ask for a bottle or yawning. I can't remember, but he is NOT protesting.

Eyes are open!

The next day some good friends from church brought us donuts from the Donut Whole and came to see little Emmitt.

Future babysitter getting her practice in!

We had a LOT of these snooze fests!! It was very difficult for me to sleep the first few days because I was in pain.

Cuddling before getting to go home!

All Shockered up and ready to go!

Daddy wheeling the cart of stuff out.

I got to have Emmitt on my lap while we rode home!

Jesstine was waiting at the door when we pulled up! She was quick to get a bonding session in as well.

Didn't take long for THIS to happen. They are watching football together!

I came in and saw how he was sleeping and thought of one of my favorite pictures of Jesstine at this age. So, I snapped a photo!

Saturday I was in quite a bit of pain and pain meds were not helping. We were worried first that it was a bladder infection. But when the over the counter medicine that helps with pain reliefe for that didn't work, we started to worry that not everything was expelled at birth. So, I headed back to the hospital to be checked out. After a sonogram and a CT scan, they couldn't determine anything and admitted me to see if they could at least find something that would help me to manage the pain better. We finally found something that seemed to work. I was sent home at around 7. So I missed the first real day at home with my baby and Jesstine! She was SUPER excited to find Emmitt and I on the couch the next morning!

She didn't waste anytime getting some holding time in!

Just a close up of my cutie!

Monday is music class day, but none of us were around or ready in time to go, so after music class, Jesstine's best friend stopped by. She had been waiting for the chance to hold Emmitt since the week before he was born! She kept petting him very gently! It was SO sweet! Her mommy said that when she got home, she immediately started to baby her baby doll!

Jesstine turned yellow very quickly after coming home. So, to avoid that with Emmitt, we put him in the sunshine when we could. Here is my future beach bum hanging out!

Here he is meeting his Dumpty for the first time. Jesstine wore this SAME outfit when she met Dumpty for the first time!

And one FINAL picture of Emmitt bonding with Dumpty.

I am feeling MUCH better. Jesstine got to show Emmitt to the rest of her class at school and she thought that was the coolest thing! We of course didn't let anyone else touch or hold him. The class is pretty much used to this routine at this point! There was a mom who delivered in the beginning of October and one that is due in the beginning of December as well. So they are getting their fair share of big sisters in the classroom!

Hopefully when I get around to it, I will be able to post more about Jesstine. She is such a fun girl and a good big sister! She got her class picture this week too! It is pretty comical so I have to share!

Until then....

In Him,

The Hutchins

Emmitt Boyd Hutchins

2011-11-14T14:51:00.001-06:00

Born 11-11-11 at 12:41PM. Weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. was 19.5 inches long.

Jesstine brought her little brother a present when she came to see him for the first time.

Here Emmitt!

Jesstine was SO excited to meet Emmitt. She bounced in the entire way and then tried to hold in her excitement when the moment arrived!

Holding her baby brother for the first time.

Giving him kisses!

I think she likes him!

Baby feet!

The whole family!

Emmitt brought Jesstine a gift too! It was a bunch of baby Disney Princesses! "Because I'm a princess!" Jesstine said!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Waiting

2011-11-09T17:30:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me pretty well know that patience is NOT something I am good at! I need a whole lot more! So this game of waiting has been not so fun! Had another appointment today. No progress. Emmitt is doing fine. The little guy moved all of the way to the opposite side (still head down). So, looks like Friday is going to be the day because I doubt it he will come on his own. So, on to this game of waiting. In the meantime I have decided to go ahead and stay home from work tomorrow and just take things low key with Jesstine until Friday! Hopefully I can get some rest. Today I have felt exhausted. Of course waking up at 3:20 and not being able to fall asleep until after 5:30 AM is not very helpful! I have been able to spend some quality time with Jesstine though! Some last minute mommy/daughter time before baby brother is born. Today we watched a baby show. It showed babies being born. Twins were born by c-section and a little boy was born regularly. I told her that when the baby comes out, he is going to be really messy, but he is okay. The twins were born and being cleaned up and Jesstine said, "OH! Dey awe SO cute! I can't WAIT until my baby comes out of my mommy!" It made me smile!

In Him,

The Hutchins

It's Official and BEAUTIFUL

2011-11-08T15:23:00.000-06:00

As of Thursday, I am officially on maternity leave! After teaching 4 classes straight today, I made the decision that I will go ahead had have a sub starting Thursday of this week! This is so freeing! If Emmitt does make his arrival before Friday, I won't be having to contact someone last minute. If he doesn't, I can spend Thursday resting before the big day! How many moms get that choice?! Hopefully the next thing I post will be a birth announcement!!

Until then, I leave you with a conversation that Jesstine and I had the other day. (Can't leave her out; after all, she was the ORIGINAL star of this blog!)

ME: Jesstine, did you know you are SO beautiful?
Jesstine: Yes I did.
ME: How did you know? What makes you SO beautiful?
Jesstine: Because GOD made me. (Stated rather matter of factly, like "Duh, MOM! Didn't you know that was the right answer?!")

In Him,

The Hutchins

Another Emmitt Update

2011-11-03T09:55:00.002-05:00

Had another appointment yesterday. Emmitt is weighing a little over 7 lbs. based on the best calculations we could get with an ultrasound. It's kind of hard because he is at a point where his head is so far down, it isn't completely round. His abdomen is so tightly packed in there that it is also not completely round and hard to get the right angle on. The femur however, was an EASY thing to measure! I am 37weeks and 6 days today. I am VERY uncomfortable. I am dilated to a 1.5 (doctor said it wasn't a 2, but certainly more than a 1). I am 70% effaced. Last check three weeks ago was just a fingertip dilated and 50%. That's progress!!! I kinda feel like if we set a date to be induced, Emmitt will beat that and come out before. If he doesn't, at least I have an end in sight. So, right now we have set a tentative date for 11-11-11. This is only if we can get in on that day! Dr. suspects that it is already pretty full based on it being three 11's! I will probably know more in the next few days. If we can't do it that day (which is a Friday) I am guessing we will shoot for the following Monday. So, that 's where we are at. So far Emmitt is still doing a great job of moving. I noticed a major increase of contractions at about this time last week, but so far none have been consistent or stayed consistent enough to be actual labor. So just continuing the waiting game!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Nature or Nurture???

2011-10-31T22:50:00.000-05:00

(THIS WAS CREATED A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT NEVER GOT POSTED)

It's an age old topic. Do kids learn behaviors based more on their environments or is it something they are just born with? Obviously there are arguments for both points. Today we saw an argument for "Nature" over nurture. Jesstine went to the bathroom this morning after getting out of bed. She did it all by herself which she is doing more and more of. When she came into the living room after going potty, I couldn't help but chuckle and wonder if Papa Hutchins had dressed her. Some family members reading this will FULLY understand this. For those of you who don't understand, she had her shirt tucked in and her pants hiked up.

In Him,

The Hutchins

Trick-or-Treat...This Time It's For REAL!!!

2011-10-31T22:42:00.001-05:00

The FINAL night of Halloween this year! I am ready for it to be over although I am hoping that all of this walking has helped my body decide it is tired and needs to birth this baby! In the meantime, here are some pictures from this evening! Tonight we THOUGHT we were going "low key" and keeping it just to a few houses in our neighborhood, grandparents' houses and a close family friend. It turned out to be MUCH longer than we anticipated! Jesstine had dinner at about 8:30 and was in bed WELL after 9. Usually she is in bed around 8:30 and WELL before 9! Here is her night in pictures!

We decided to throw Daddy for a loop and trick-or-treat our own house first! Keep him on his toes!

This is Grandmom's neighbors' house. Jesstine likes to feed their dogs cheese. We thought they may appreciate seeing her tonight. Although, she didn't appreciate the scary sounds that were being made as she made her way to the door. She took her candy and was ready to get out of there as FAST as she could! She did get greeted by one of the dogs, Daisy.

Now at Grandmom's (Stephen's mom) house. She kept saying, "Grandmom won't have scary sounds. She has a Cat trail instead!" (There are some stepping stones in the garden to the right that have cats and cat prints on them. She likes to take the "cat trail" when she is outside with Grandmom sometimes.)

Papa Hutchins' house. On the way there, she asked which house she was going to next. We told her and she again asked us, "Will he get the moon for me?" (See the earlier post HERE.)

After that, we went to the home of our babysitter and close family friends, the Kolars from church.

They gave her some Halloween Peeps. This was the treat she asked for after her dinner. She called them the "pumpkins with legs."

Kara has always been SO sweet to Jesstine! For some reason they tend to dress in the same colors on Sunday mornings without even consulting each other! It is uncanny!

Our final stop was at Grandma and Grandpa Griffee's (Lacie's mom). Grandma knows the way to THIS girl's heart! She gave her a whole barrel of individually packaged cheese balls! (This is what Jesstine was potty trained on!) I (and I am sure Jesstine) will cherish this picture!

We are all partied out! We came home to find that our bowl had been emptied and turned upside down. Something tells me that people didn't heed the sign that said, "Please take ONE!" Oh well, less candy for us to eat. We will just have to raid Jesstine's! So until NEXT year's Halloween, hopefully this is it!

Lord willing, the next post will be less Halloween and more Emmitt!!!! My belly is sinking pretty low! Our bags are all packed. I even put them in the car thinking that if something happens and we have to head to the hospital in a hurry and we aren't at home or near home, we have everything we need! I will just have to dig out my phone charger if my phone goes dead between now and then!

In Him,

The Hutchins

A Few From Others

2011-10-31T08:59:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures from others of last nights events! Isn't my mom cute?! I guess we know where Jesstine gets some of her cuteness.

Hay-Rack Ride.

Hay Bale Maze.

Kit-Kat trunk at Westlink Church of Christ.

My cute mommy, the GOOD witch!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Sunday Best and Trunk-or-Treating

2011-10-30T20:05:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned, we went trick-or-treating at the nursing home Friday and tonight was the night for Trunk-or-treating at our own church and the church that Kylie attends. And of course Jesstine had some holiday clothing to wear to church this morning as well, courtesy of Grandmom. So here are tonight's photos!

Jesstine's Halloween Sunday Best

We started out at Aldersgate United Methodist Church just a few miles from where we live. Jesstine got to ride a pony and run through a bale maze. We forgot the camera, so while she was doing all of that, Daddy went back to get the camera! Thanks Daddy! So here she is trunk-or-treating with her bff, Kylie and her family.

She got to ride on the hay-rack ride too! Thanks Kelly for hanging on to her!

Then it was off to Westlink Church of Christ for some more trunk-or-treating!

The beehive.

The return of the Wizard of Oz trunk by Jesstine's Wednesday night Bible class teacher, Miss Danita (also the WONDERFUL photographer that is responsible for Jesstine's 2 and 3 year pictures).

An "Angry Birds" trunk made Jesstine smile!

Some of Jesstine's FAVORITE people, the Kolar family, had a Bronco's trunk complete with the Bronco Pillow Pet we got for Johnna for her birthday!

My little Jesstine Dumpty! She wasn't sad or tired, (although she didn't take a great nap today). She is sucking her tongue and cuddling her Dumpty!

Grandma Griffee was even there!!

And a photo op with Mommy in her special shirt for this year's Halloween! I guess it is Emmitt's first costume as well!

Tomorrow we plan to hit just a few houses in the neighborhood and then head to the grandparents' houses as well as the Kolars' house. Then we are done with Halloween until next year!

In Him,

The Hutchins

First of Many

2011-10-30T16:23:00.000-05:00

Friday was the first of our MANY trick-or-treating opportunities for Jesstine. In case you haven't been around us much, Jesstine is going to be Dumpty for Halloween this year. This came about last year almost immediately after Halloween, she kept saying she wanted to be Dumpty for Halloween. I started working on her costume and got most of the way through and she decided she wanted to be Repunzal.....hmmmm. Daddy and I decided that wasn't an option. I had to really use some brain power to come up with a Dumpty costume though! Who would have guessed that yellow vertically striped fabric was so difficult? To top it off, the person I had intended to sew for me couldn't do it. Luckily that was in early September. Being pregnant, I decided that I was going to have it READY to go before we got too close. I think it took me until mid October to finish it. Our first chance to wear it and add some face makeup was Friday. Since Jesstine's second Halloween, we have always taken part in a Story and Songs Trick-or-Treating event at a local nursing home put on by our Parents As Teachers organization. The kids sit and listen (usually to a resident) read a few stories, our PAT music teacher leads a few songs and then the residents line up in the hallway to pass out candy for the kids. So, here is a picture of Jesstine as Dumpty and some pictures from her first Trick-or Treat event this year. Tonight is Trunk-or-Treat at church and a friend's church.

My attempt at a Dumpty costume. We told Jesstine that Dumpty was Baby Dumpty and she was the Mommy Dumpty. She insists that instead, she is, "JESSTINE Dumpty!"

Kylie (a lion) and Jesstine (Jesstine Dumpty) waiting for the songs and stories to begin.

Carter, Kylie and Jesstine dancing to the songs.

Carter looking JUST like his Daddy as he crawls in and out of the chair during a story.

Kylie, Grace, and Jesstine waiting in line to go get treats from the residents.

In Him,
The Hutchins

Emmitt Update

2011-10-26T18:42:00.002-05:00

We had our 37 week appointment today (will be 37 weeks on Friday). Stephen was not able to go with us so it was just Emmitt, Jesstine and I. The doctor has been doing weekly biophysical ultrasounds because my fluid levels have been "borderline." They like to see levels anywhere above 5 and I have been hovering at a 7 which is a little close in his mind. It is actually pretty nice to see Emmitt every week now! Granted, some of what I see is not all that much because everything is SO cramped in there right now! Today was an exception! First we always look at the heart which is VERY reassuring for me! I no longer have to turn away until he tells me the heart is beating. I watch the screen the WHOLE time! Usually within seconds of noticing the beating heart, we can actually see glimpses of Emmitt breathing! Yes, babies breathe in the womb. I have found that I can even feel it with the way Emmitt is positioned so differently than Jesstine or Babe B. We then got a glimpse of the foot that likes to move up and down my right side and into my ribs on the right side! After that, he got a GREAT shot of Emmitt's face! We were able to see about two thirds of his face. The other part was pretty crammed in there! It was so neat to see his face again! Furthermore, we were actually able to see his eye move around and look at stuff! He had his chubby little hand up on his chest tucked under his chin, much like Jesstine often did! He is head down and he was looking very healthy. I am still measuring about a week or two ahead physically. He hasn't dropped anymore this last week though. Next week the doctor will check the cervix to see what kind of progress my body is making. I have been having quite a few contractions, mostly the warm up kind of contractions. We have talked this whole time about how we would just wait and let my body do its own thing without inducing this time. The closer we get, the more it sounds like the doctor is leaning toward inducing as soon as hospital policy will allow. I think this is based on my physical fatigue and fluid levels. So the plan right now is to go in next week and check on how my body is doing. Then if it seems things are working on their own, we will set an induction date for 39 weeks in case I don't go on my own. 39 weeks will put us at November 11 (just two days after my older sister's birthday). So, continued prayers are appreciated. I am very anxious at this point, but I think most of it is the healthy variety. Of course there is a part of it that is anxiety because we are coming up on 37 weeks which was when we lost Babe B. Needless to say, I am ready no matter what way he gets here! I just want him to be healthy and strong! I just want to bring him home and add him to our family!

In Him,
The Hutchins

Land and Mangles

2011-10-25T17:27:00.001-05:00

As you have seen on the blog before, Jesstine can say the funniest things sometimes! It amazes us what she picks up on. Some things are just so smart to be coming out of the mouth of a newly turned 3 year-old. Today was no exception!

Jesstine goes to Grandmom's house after preschool on Tuesdays. Grandmom feeds her lunch and then lets her play until I get there to pick her up. Today when I arrived, they were doing "school." School is sight words. I was sitting and marveling at how amazing Jesstine was in reading words that she hadn't even looked at for several weeks (hook, book, look, etc.) Grandmom reintroduced the word "and." Then she started to add letters to the beginning of "and" to make new words, like sand. Grandmom got to the word "land" and asked Jesstine, "Jesstine, do you know what land is?" Jesstine matter of factly replied, "Yeah! EARTH!" We both laughed because we were astonished at her true response!

Later, we were watching the news and a local fast food restaurant commercial came on. The place is called, "Spangles." Jesstine hasn't been there for a VERY long time. So long, I don't know that she was even old enough to remember. As she watched this commercial, she suddenly said, "Yuck! Mangles! I don't yike Mangles!" It was so funny! I love how she "mangled" the name of the restaurant on accident. If it were me, I would have given it a name like that on purpose if I really didn't like it. I just don't know if I could even be creative enough to come up with, "Mangles!"

In Him,
The Hutchins

P.S. And she just keeps going! I should really wait to post until she goes to bed because she always comes up with something new! Was reading her "Fox In Socks" for her bedtime story tonight. At the beginning there is a disclaimer of sorts that says not to go too fast because it can be dangerous. At about the halfway point, I was reading a complicated rhyme and Jesstine says, "Those rhymes are dangerous!" SO funny!

The Golden Oldies

2011-10-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

Last night was our annual all school concert! At my school, we do an all school concert each year and pair up with our PE teachers. We have a theme each year and it usually takes place on our school parking lot. We combine grade levels in groups of two, ie. K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. This year we had many challenges! We have construction going on right now at school, so we don't have a parking lot that is sufficient to do what we usually do. So, we had to be a bit creative. Little did we know we would have to be REALLY creative! So we ended up having the program on the soccer fields to the north east of our building! Other than the dust and grass, it turned out to be a really good plan! As mentioned, our music selections always revolve around a them. In the three concerts I have already done, we had a country theme, a "Night at the Movies" theme, and a Halloween theme. This year the theme was "The Oldies Concert" with music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Along with the theme, we allow the students to dress up according to the theme. So they were instructed that if they chose to, they could dress in the style of the 50's, 60's and 70's. The music and PE teachers of course dress up as well! We always try to look as surprising as possible! So this year we decided to dress as if we were in our 70's! Here in lies the next challenge! I am currently 9 months pregnant! Our first thought was an old man with a beer belly. Then my co-worker decided that since I was running the sound and needed a chair anyway, we could put me in a wheelchair with a lap quilt on to cover my belly. It was brilliant! The concert was a HUGE success! The students did well, the sound (my job) actually went smoothly other than some feedback issues that I never could figure out how to resolve, and the crowd LOVED it! One of the songs that the students sang was, "Please, Mr. Postman." We decided that we HAD to have a postman. Luckily, my neighbor is actually a US Postman, so the costume was fairly easy to attain! We also traditionally dress our principal up each year and she is a great sport and goes with it willingly! (Two years ago she was Marilyn Monroe.) So, without further adieu, I introduce the teaching cast of "The Oldies Concert!" See if you can spot me.

Jesstine did NOT care for the white hair! She just kept looking at me funny and gave a detached hug. When she saw me this morning she had a huge smile on her face and immediately looked at my hair! She was happy I was back to normal!

(Lft. to Rt. Shelly Hoffman, PE; Terri Ten Eyck, Music; Me in the wheelchair; Heather Vincent, Principal; and Debbie O'Dell, PE.)

In Him,

The Hutchins

Introducing....

2011-10-17T09:51:00.001-05:00

Gourdie!!!

At the pumpkin patch on Saturday, each of the kids picked a pumpkin. As I mentioned before, Jesstine is a rare breed that wants the smallest pumpkin she can find. I thought for sure she would gravitate toward the tiny pumpkins. Instead, we came home with Gourdie! (On a side note, Gourdie was originally "Gordon," but with Jesstine, EVERYTHING is a girl. So, we renamed HER Gourdie.)

In Him,

The Hutchins

P.S. Gourdie is VERY small! The picture doesn't represent this very well! She is about 3-4 inches in length from top to bottom! Small enough to fit in Jesstine's hand and be carried around from place to place.

Fall Fun with Family

2011-10-17T09:04:00.001-05:00

We got the pleasure of spending a fun weekend with family out of town this last weekend! It was more than enjoyable, even at 35 weeks pregnant! Needless to say, it is probably the last trip that we will get to take before the baby comes! We went to visit Seth, Jenni, Noah, Ian and Connor! Made some great memories and got to see their beautiful new home! So, here are a few photos from our trip!

Jesstine got an aquadoodle for her birthday from her best friend, Kylie. It came in handy as we left town. We always get out of town before we allow her to watch a video when Daddy drives. :-)

Here Jesstine is at Uncle Seth and Aunt Jenni's new house! She liked the view from the banister all of the way down to the floor in the entry way!

Saturday morning, we went to Noah's soccer game. I believe he scored at least one, if not two goals!

Here Seth is giving Noah a hug as he comes to sit out so someone else can play.

What's a soccer game without a little passing during half time!

For some reason, I didn't manage to get any pictures of Ian playing soccer. I did get some sideline shots as we were leaving though. In this one, Connor was concerned that Jesstine was sitting in "his" chair (which actually I sat in through both games), so Jesstine made room and they BOTH sat in it! Cute moment!

Also, Connor felt that he wanted to help carry stuff to the car, so he "helped" family friend, JerJer, carry his ChairChair.....er Chair.

Noah's game was in the morning, so we had lunch and naps, then it was off to Ian's game. After Ian's game, we took the kids to a pumpkin patch. I think Jenni got a better picture of this, but here's what I had! (On a side note: Jesstine is NOT in pain or anguish! She is just being Jesstine and saying "Cheese!")

I found a GREAT photo spot for Jesstine! Wouldn't you know, in the first shot she wasn't smiling. Then in the second one a man appeared in the background! Oh well!

Jesstine and Daddy are waiting for the pony rides.

It's finally her turn!!! Here she is getting up on her pony, Cowboy!

Noah on his horse (either cookie, sugar or something else).

Ian

Connor

Look at that posture! That's my girl!

Pony ride is over, but it was fun!

Connor following Ian's lead while waiting for our tickets to go through the cane maze.

And they're off! (This is the came maze. They said it is usually taller in the past. Not sure what KIND of cane it is. The stalks were a lot like corn in looks and smell, but no corn!)

Can you find Noah?!

How about now? Noah and Ian are somewhere hiding in there!

Oops, took a wrong turn and ended up at a dead end!

Didn't take long though and they were off again!

Back at the tent they found a tortoise!

Trying on a cowboy hat at the craft building.

Connor wasn't thrilled with the fairy wings. LOL!

Jesstine, walking with Daddy!

Again, I think Jenni got a better shot of this, but here are all of the Hutchins kids and grandkids!

And of course we had to do a SILLY one too!

My beauty waiting for her breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.

The grandkids...for now! Emmitt will join the bunch before Christmas!

And last, but not least for sure! Jesstine crawled up on the couch to cuddle with Aunt Jenni. She was attached to this toy sloth and a frog. Jenni made them talk and bounce around and Jesstine LOVED it! Had to capture this precious moment! She LOVES her Aunt Jenni. I think the feeling is mutual!!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Word of Advice

2011-10-13T20:19:00.002-05:00

ALWAYS check your bed for dinosaurs before turning in for the night! (Especially when a three year-old has been playing in your bed that day!)

I rolled over to get comfy (rolling over and getting comfy have become difficult tasks lately for me) last night after we had turned the reading lamp off. As I shifted my weight on my elbow, I felt something poking my arm. These were the culprits!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Baby Brother

2011-10-12T21:15:00.001-05:00

Well, no new pictures to post from the appointment today, but I can bring everyone up to date on how things are going. I will be 35 weeks on Friday. I am measuring at 37 weeks. Baby has plenty of fluid. They start to worry at anything under 5 and his fluid measured at 7.92 or something. He is head down (which was welcome news to me). We got to see him breathing and he moved quite a bit. The doctor said that it is a really good sign when he can feel a baby moving under the ultrasound wand! Yes, he is DEFINITELY still a boy! My cervix is still thick, 50 % effaced and only a fingertip dilated (which Dr. said is right how things should be right now). Doctor said that I won't be having a baby in the next week based on those findings. (If he were to be born in the next week, he may have to stay in the hospital a few days longer, but more than likely would be able to go home as soon as a full term baby would.) So, it looks as though we are in the home stretch! Please pray for us as we muster our way through this last 5 or so weeks! I am really physically feeling the trials of pregnancy more and more as the days go by.

On another note, I was looking through Emmitt's closet and noticed that the ONLY Dallas Cowboys gear I had for him was for 3 months and older. By the time he is 3 months old, the football season will be over (or in it's final weeks). So I ordered a Dallas Cowboys set for him to wear right away! I am really pleased with it. I chose it partially because I figured I got more for my money. Because he will be bottle fed, I can use the bib for a LONG time and the booties can be worn probably for a while as well! I know you are dying to see it and since I don't have any appropriate ultrasound pictures (the only ones I got today were of my son's manhood), hopefully this will suffice!

Now here's hoping that the Cowboys actually do well this season.

In Him,
The Hutchins

Big Sister In Training

2011-10-12T13:42:00.002-05:00

Well, we are getting really close to Emmitt's arrival. I will be at 35 weeks on Friday. That is just 5 weeks from my due date, November 18!! For me it couldn't come any faster. The closer it gets, the more impatient I become. And we won't even talk about the more uncomfortable I get! In the meantime, I have started to talk to Jesstine about what it will be like to have a baby in the house. For her second Christmas, her and her cousin both got Newborn Cabbage Patch babies. She has never shown interest in it (although at the time that was the first aisle she went to when we would go to the toy aisle at any store. So yesterday, I showed her how to hold her baby, change her diaper, feed, clothe and put the baby in bed. It is a work in progress. Jesstine still likes to carry the baby by one of her arms and allow her to dangle at her side or in mid air! There is also a LOT of standing baby on her head, especially during diaper changes (another story entirely)! She is getting better though. She tends to go from one thing to another very quickly. She will come to me and say, "Oh, the baby is sleepy." A couple of minutes (if not less) later, she will say, "Oh, she's stinky! Pee YEW!" Then it's, "Oh, she's hungry." So I managed to snap this sweet moment of her feeding her baby...after instructing her on the proper way to hold her baby while she feeds her!

Later today is our next Emmitt appointment. The doctor plans to do another sonogram to see if he is still breech or transverse. Hopefully I will have something to share with you later! He should be about 5 lbs. give or take a few ounces. He is certainly a mover! I have never had a baby move this much before! There are still times when I get anxious, but he reassures me usually pretty quickly with a big swift kick! He is going to be a soccer player like his Daddy, I think!

In Him,

The Hutchins

FINALLY Some Rain!

2011-10-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

After a summer with very little rain, we finally got some and BOY did we! It did cause some inconveniences of course, especially with a three year-old in tow! We were stopped at a stop light on the way home from church and from the back seat we heard Jesstine say, "I took my shoe off!" I asked her the seemingly obvious question, "Why did you take your shoe off?!" (I was thinking about how it was raining and when we stopped for lunch we would have to stand in the rain to get her shoe back on before proceeding into a restaurant. So she replied with the obvious answer, "Because I wanted it off!" Daddy couldn't control himself! He laughed SO hard! Of course that made Jesstine realize that she had said something clever! Later we were at lunch and we having a hard time getting Jesstine to eat. So I came up with the bright idea that she could go play in the rain as soon as we got back if she ate enough! She was ALL about that! Wouldn't you know, when we got home, it had mostly stopped raining aside for some sprinkles. Oh well! We let her play anyway! So here are today's pictures of our Fall rain!

She insisted on having a "Hummbrella" even though it wasn't really raining.

My "hummbrella" soldier.

She gave up on the umbrella rather quickly.

She walked EVERYWHERE in those rainboots! It's a good thing too. They are getting too small and may need to be replaced before winter!

On to bigger and better things, like puddle jumping!

I LOVE this picture!

Sometimes she would run all of the way from the top of the driveway and then jump into a puddle at the very bottom! At one point she fell down and when she got up she looked at her hands and shrieked! We thought for sure she had scraped her hands up until we heard her scream, "AAHH!! GRASS ON MY HANDS!!"

When she got tired of jumping, walking through them worked just as well.

In Him,

The Hutchins

P.S. Because she has had us rolling so many times today and this is the best way for me to remember to "write" these things down for future giggles, another funny moment with Jesstine today. As I was typing the captions to these pictures, Jesstine was SUPPOSED to be going to sleep for nap. All of the sudden I hear what sounds like her calling for Mamma over the baby monitor. So I stopped and listened. Sure enough. She was calling for me and in a seemingly frustrated tone. So I went in and asked her what the problem was. Very matter of factly she said, "Mamma you making me angry! You are talking and I am trying to get to sleep!" (or something a long those lines)!! I tried not to laugh and told her that I was doing nothing of the sort and that I was sitting in my chair, typing on the computer. I said, I would try to be quiet so she could sleep! What a day already with this funny little sweetheart!

Bowlend (Bowlin')

2011-10-08T21:27:00.003-05:00

After a productive couple of days, tonight we took Jesstine bowling (bowlend as she calls it) for only the second time ever. Three things made this trip different. For one, I remembered the camera! A second thing was that they offered us a ramp which I think made it SO much more enjoyable for Jesstine. And lastly, I didn't participate. Let's face it, I could BE the bowling ball at this point! So here is our adventure in bowling!

Daddy helped her pick out the perfect ball.

Waiting for Daddy to set things up.

Daddy setting the ramp up just right. Check out how this big girl got the ball all by herself!

Setting the ball up on the ramp.

There it goes!

Daddy's cheerleader! "GO DADDY!"

No bowling photo shoot is complete without some "CHEESE!!"

A better view of her being a big girl and getting the ball on the ramp by herself!

Afterwards, she wanted to eat pizza at the bowling alley. We opted for something else. She chose fish sticks. Thank goodness the bowling alley is close to a Long John Silver's!!!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Sneak Peek Halloween 2011

2011-10-06T20:23:00.001-05:00

Let's see if you can guess what Jesstine wanted to be for Halloween this year. I will show you a FULL picture after she goes Trunk-or-Treating!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Preschool Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

Today was Pumpkin Hunt day at preschool. Jesstine's preschool does in school field trips. They bring "field trips" to the school instead of taking the kids places. Not enough time and resources to take 4 three year-old classes to the pumpkin patch! Of course the parents are invited to be the paparazzi if you will. I was happy to take on that role! Stephen was going to come, but something at work kept him from getting to come. So here is a little photo journey through the "Great Pumpkin Hunt."

They got all of the class on a trailer and pulled them all of the way around the building and back to the back corner where we had set pumpkins out in the grass.

Notice MY kids is the kid that had to sit by the teacher....(in case you don't know, teachers usually position themselves around the kids that could potentially be a problem). I am hoping that just happened to be a matter of circumstance.

Listening for directions on how to hold their pumpkin when they get it.

Further directions that they are to only get ONE pumpkin!

And they're OFF!

Jesstine worked hard to find just the right pumpkin. Others went to one right away.

Jesstine kept picking one up and then saying "This one is TOO big, Mommy." They were all small and roughly the same size!

I finally convinced her that this one was small enough.

Marching her pumpkin to the teacher to get her name put on it.

Waiting her turn to get her name on her pumpkin.

Class photo. It took about 4 shots to get this right...at LEAST.

CHEESE!!! (Getting tired of pictures already!)

Walking back to the school after getting pumpkins.

It was really a fun experience! It was SO cute to see all of the little boys and girls pointing to their mommies and grandmas as they pulled closer to the pumpkin field.

In Him,

The Hutchins

On The Way To Dinner

2011-10-04T20:48:00.004-05:00

Tonight we were headed to dinner at Freddy's. Believe it or not it has been over a week since we have been there and even LONGER since we have been as a family. Just kind of at random, Jesstine piped up from the back seat of the van, "Dadda, did you get the ladder?" Stephen wasn't sure why she was asking this so he replied with something along the lines of, "What for?" Jesstine quickly answered, "So you can get the moon for me." This was significant and sweet to us because one of her favorite books is Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me by Eric Carle. Aunt Grace gave us a DVD with several Eric Carle stories on it, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and of course this book! It is amazing what comes to the mind of a three year-old just kind of randomly!

In Him,

The Hutchins

P.S. Later I was brushing her teeth and we were talking about how in the book, Papa is the little girl's daddy. But we know someone else as Papa: Papa Hutchins. So Jesstine asked me, "Can Papa Hutchins get the moon for me?"

More from Jesstine's Sweet Tooth

2011-10-02T23:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight I was talking on the phone and Jesstine, being the big girl that she is, went in the bathroom and took care of business without having to have any help. When she was done she called to me to help with the clean up process. I have been trying to get rid of some of the M&M's we used to potty train. She has a dispenser that is a lot like a gumball machine and it sits on the bathroom counter. After she was done getting cleaned up, I left so she could pull her pants up. About 20 min. later she comes to me and says, "Mommy, I want to eat they all." I noticed that she had a little chocolate on her mouth. I asked her what she was talking about. She just simply repeated what she had just told me, "I want to eat they all." Only she added, "I need the yeyyow one." I went back to the bathroom and discovered that the M&M dispenser that had been about a quarter of the way full was now reduced to 5 candies and about 6 coming out of the dispenser hole! LOL! I got a good chuckle out of it, but quickly took the dispenser into the kitchen and put it where she couldn't get to it! I wonder what kind of trouble she is going to try and pull when the baby gets here and she is forced to be a little more independent.....

In Him,
The Hutchins

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2011-09-29T19:34:00.000-05:00

For a year now, we have been watching a couple of children every other Sunday night while their mom works the night shift. The little girl has a condition called Apert's Syndrome. As a result, she had to have surgery on her head. So, her older brother is staying with us for a few days. Tonight he had a project he needed to do for school. I had just sat down in my chair and was munching on a snack of Cheetos (I know, really healthy), when he said he needed some white paint. I put the Cheetos in my chair and left to get the paint. When I came back to sit in my chair, this was what I found:

I guess the saying goes, "Like mother, like daughter!"

In Him,

The Hutchins

KC or Kaycee

2011-09-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

Today, Stephen came home after being away for five days on a missions trip to Joplin, MO with some other members of the church. He got home right as we were headed home, so we thought we would bring home some lunch. We both missed him terribly! So we also got the idea to go downstairs and watch football with him while we ate our lunch. While we were watching football, Stephen noticed that the MLS (soccer) game he had recorded was on. We decided to watch that because one of the teams was our team, formerly the KC Wizards and now Sporting KC. A little ways into it, KC scored a nicely played goal. Stephen and I cheered, "Yea KC!" Jesstine smiled and looked up. She said, "Dats like Kaycee the kangaroo." Kaycee the kangaroo is the mascot for her preschool class. We both chuckled at her cuteness! What a great way to welcome her daddy home!(Disclaimer: I typed this on my iPod touch, so take that into account if you spot any errors like mispelled words or missed capitalizations.)In Him, The Hutchins

Budding Artist

2011-09-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

Several months ago, Jesstine started to talk about how she wanted to be Dumpty for Halloween. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make that possible. As the time is getting closer, I have purchased some supplies here and there. I am not a sewing person nor do I have a sewing machine. So, I thought I would paint yellow stripes on a white pillowcase. Jesstine and I went to pick up some paint the other day at a craft store. She decided SHE needed to paint too. So, we picked up a Disney Princess paint book and some watercolors. I think I may have an artist on my hands!

Here is yesterday's painted picture (one of 4 that she did that day!!!).

Today's is MUCH more refined! It is obvious that she tried to make certain parts certain colors even! I was shocked when I looked down and saw this!

Now, if only I could get her interested in coloring! She will spend a few seconds coloring and then she is done! It has been mentioned to me by her Sunday School teacher. You put a paint brush in her hands or a puzzle in front of her and she will go to town! Not with crayons though!

In Him,

The Hutchins

What Did She Say?!

2011-09-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

I am single parenting it for about five days this week while Stephen is in Joplin on a missions trip with some church folks. Tonight is the first night of this. After nap today, Jesstine was playing happily back in our bedroom (introducing Emmitt's Dumpty to her Dumpty). Out of the blue, she comes up to me and she says, "I've got some good news and I've got some bad news, Woody. The good news is I found your hat! Oh, boy Slink, where'd you find it? THAT'S the bad news!" (For those of you who don't know, this is a conversation between Woody and Slinky Dog in Toy Story 2.) I laughed quite a bit at hearing my little three year-old recite an entire conversation from a movie! She is CERTAINLY her Mommy and Daddy's daughter! Oh, and I just want to add that it has been MONTHS since she last watched that movie. I found some CD's at Target that have 4 songs and a story on them. They are anything from the Disney Princess stories to Toy Story. Toy Story 2 happens to be one of them she hears often in the car. So, my guess is that is where she picked it up!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Dinner with a 3 year-old

2011-09-18T19:03:00.003-05:00

Dinner with Jesstine is always interesting. We never know if she is going to eat what I fix or not. Tonight was no exception. Here are a couple of noteworthy moments:

Tonight we were having Hamburger Helper for dinner (not one of her favorites). She usually picks at it and only eats a bite after being forced. She asked what it was and I told her it was Hamburger Helper. Later she mentioned how she had finished her "handy helpers!" After a little while into dinner she started saying that she wanted some cake. I said, "You mean a brownie like last night, it's kinda like cake." She emphatically said, "YEAH!" When she had finished all of her dinner (minus the hamburger from her "handy helpers"), I got her a brownie bite. I have it to her and she said, "That's not cake, that's a BROWNIE!" (Aunt Jenni, her comment reminded us a little of "Hey, where's my cookie?!"

There is never a dull moment with this girl! Despite being home today from church so that she didn't pass any of her snotsies or sneezes on to anyone else, she has had us rolling with laughter quite a bit today!

God is Good!

In Him,
The Hutchins

State Fair Slide

2011-09-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here is the video of Jesstine on the slide. You can't really hear her scream because of all of the noise around me, but you may turn up your speakers just in case. It does capture her joy when she gets off and wants to go again though. Also, sorry it is sideways. I haven't figured out how to get it oriented correctly!

In Him,

The Hutchins

State Fair

2011-09-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the year again. State Fair time that is. (I just looked back at last year's post and noticed that I started it out the same way! Here's to predictability over originality!) We like to try and go one time each year. Let's be honest, we go mainly to see the butter sculpture and to eat fair food that is TERRIBLE for us! Well, and an added bonus is to go so Jesstine can have fun too! This year when we told her we were going, she just kept talking about what rides she would ride. She gets that from her amusement park junkie parents! Needless to say, she was NOT disappointed! She also kept talking about getting popcorn at the fair. This is a new thing. We have not ever purchased popcorn for her at the fair. She just LOVES popcorn! That was about all she ate most of the day. Well, that and Cheetos. Of course I FINALLY remembered to bring the camera only to discover that the camera card was not in it. A camera with no built in memory is not really useful without a camera card. So, once again, you are stuck with grainy cellphone pictures!

Here Jesstine is on her way to the fair. Yes, she is wearing a sweat suit. It was unseasonably cool this year at the fair! It was actually perfect weather comfort wise!

If you look back to last year's fair post HERE, you will notice that Jesstine had her first pony ride. In sticking with tradition (and because it is super close to the entrance) we chose to begin our fair experience with a pony ride. (This time we had to promise her she could have popcorn as soon as she was done.) This year's pony was named Chippewah.

I handed the camera to Stephen and he was able to get all three of us (Emmitt included) in this one!

A little while later, we were walking around trying to decide what fair food to partake in. We stumbled upon this interesting smoker. Yes, you read right. This is a smoker shaped like a revolver.

Here is the photographic proof of the Cheetos reference. When we first came in, there was a Frito Lay truck with a table set up next to it. You could spin the wheel and what ever kind of chips it stopped on, you got to pick up a bag of off of the table. Jesstine had her heart set on Cheetos the moment she laid eyes on the table. So, although I spun and it landed on Classic Lays, she was delighted when the man said she could choose some Cheetos! (We are in no way affiliated with Frito Lay company! We just really enjoy their chips!)

After the Cheetos mess was cleaned up, Jesstine spotted the big yellow slide. She saw it last year, but we weren't sure that she could handle it. So, we took a chance this year. Daddy was gracious enough to go with her (although looking back, I am sure he would tell you it was his favorite part of the trip this year). So, here they are standing in line for the tickets.

Here they are walking up the many steps to the top (one of the many reasons we thought Jesstine needed some help on this ride).

THIS is the part that will stick in our memories for a LONG time! At this point Jesstine was screaming. Not just any scream, but a guttural scream like she was scared out of her mind! It turns out it was a scream of sheer joy and excitement. It reminded me a lot of when my mom goes on water park slides!

At this point it was apparent that she was okay by the huge smile on her face!

She immediately jumped up and started asking to go again! This pleased us both to no end! She got to ride one more time and was just as animated then! I got that on video. I will preview it and see if it is worth posting.

Stephen and I decided that this must have been the stuffed toy that the people in charge of the carnival games managed to get the best bargain on. They were EVERYWHERE. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly depending upon how you look at it), we didn't see any people carrying one around. Anyone for a Rastafarian banana?

Another tradition is the pig races. Yes, it is just what it says it is. Pigs racing. They make it pretty entertaining though! I looked over and was just so thrilled to see this, I couldn't resist a picture! Much cuter than racing pigs!

So we decided to let Jesstine ride ONE midway ride. This was the one that she chose. She was adimant that she wanted a PINK car (her favorite color if you didn't already know). When we walked over there, there were other kids already riding in the pink cars and she started to cry! They were riding in HER car! I told her that they were everyone's cars and that she would get a turn as soon as they were done. She quickly claimed the pink car for herself. Afterward I told her the car was actually pink and red. She tried to convince me she needed a do-over in a pink ONLY car.

And the last part of our photographic fair journey is the Texas travel exhibit. It was kind of neat and we wore the appropriate clothing for the occasion (unknowingly of course), our Dallas Cowboys sweatshirts. You wouldn't know by THIS picture though! I had a great laugh later because A) for a few moments I was back to my pre-pregnancy (by pre-pregnancy, I mean all THREE) shape! B) Here Stephen and I are on the beach in our bathing suits (and I have apparently dyed my hair brown) and Jesstine is in her sweatsuit! LOL! It was free though! It beats a fair photo button any day!

Check back soon. I will preview the "Slide scream" video and if it is worthy, I will post it sometime soon.)

In Him,

The Hutchins

Home..er..Backyard Improvements!

2011-09-10T13:09:00.003-05:00

We have started some improvements to our backyard. For a while now, we have wanted to pour concrete under the deck and all the way to the other retaining wall. With our house being a view out basement, we have had problems with bugs getting in the basement windows where the grass is growing up close to the house. It hasn't been as much of a problem under the deck, because we had rock put under the deck when we lanscaped the front of the house. Well, there just wasn't enough so we were constantly fighting weeds and the weed barrier we put down was coming through the thin layer of rock. We have worked for a few years to try and match that rock, but have not found anything that would be cost effective. So, we decided to take all of the rock out (that we could) and put it in the front. Then buy new rock to put along the back. We also decided to use some real edging instead of just the brick that we had put there to begin with. So, here are the before and after pictures.

Before- Under the deck.

Before- Beyond the deck.

After- Under the deck. (Jesstine is already breaking it in)

After- Beyond the deck.

Our next order of business is to skin the deck. We are going to have someone come in and basically replace all of the warped, cracked, rotted, and dilapidated boards, leaving the existing support structures! So stay tuned for more to come!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Popcorn

2011-09-10T12:48:00.001-05:00

It is fun to pick out similarities in yourself and your child. Or even your spouse in your child! Perhaps even more fun is picking out similarities with other family members. This could be anything from physical features to even mannerisms or likes and dislikes. Well, we have found an endearing similarity between Jesstine and Papa. She LOVES popcorn! A few weeks ago, I took her to Pump It Up because she got a free pass for reaching her summer reading goal. She got popcorn as a snack afterwards and tore through the entire bag before we got home! This last week we went to the zoo. We got a coupon for free popcorn with our membership pack this year. So, we used it while we were there. She ate an ENTIRE small box of popcorn on her own! Last night, we took Jesstine bowling for the first time (forgot to take the camera and my phone battery was dying, so no pictures, sorry!). When we got home, we enjoyed some popcorn and Looney Tunes. So, Papa Hutchins, this post is dedicated to you! It seems as though you have passed on your love of popcorn to a sweet little girl!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Another First

2011-09-02T13:32:00.004-05:00

Well, another first occurred in a week of firsts this week! Jesstine has been going to the pool since she was very young. I started putting a swim vest on her shortly before she turned two and she has been pretty independent in the water ever since. This summer we made it a point to have a swim "playdate" at least once a week with Jesstine's best buddy, Kylie. Well, Kylie got a sore spot on her leg from her swim vest. So this week she has had to go sans swimvest. It was only last week that we really discovered that the girls could really "swim" without a vest. We had only ever tried it in the shallow end where they could touch. Well, with Kylie being without a swimvest, we took the girls to the deep end and they jumped in, swam to us, and then swam to the wall! It was astonishing to me! I had thought for quite some time that Jesstine may be ready, but I just wasn't brave enough to try it! She still needs a considerable amount of help, but she is at least MOSTLY doing it by herself! She can swim about 5-10 feet without me holding her! I am so proud of my girl! She is growing up SO fast! Just in time for us to have another, and hopefully our last, baby to watch grow up! Oh, and don't worry! I still plan on using a vest MOST of the time we are in the deep water. It is just fantastic to me that she CAN go without one!

In Him,

The Hutchins

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-01T22:15:00.001-05:00

Today was the fist day of preschool for Jesstine! It was bittersweet to see our little girl go to school for the first time! Yet it felt good because she was so excited and I know that she is going to enjoy it!

So, here she is. Ready for her first day of school! Pigtails, CHECK! Cupcake backpack, CHECK! Dora shoes, CHECK!

The backpack is really SO large for her, but was a great price and we were able to get her name put on it. She refused to allow us to carry it.

On our way to school in the van! (FYI, I was stopped at a stoplight as this photo was taken!)

Daddy even got to come with us and was a HUGE help this morning! Here he is getting Jesstine out of the van for the walk to her classroom!

Are we ready?

Here we go!

At this point she was pointing out all of the other cute backpacks that others were carrying. She also had to note all of the little girls who were ALSO wearing Dora shoes!

Almost to the front doors!

Photo op with Mommy!

We couldn't get her to take a picture without saying, "cheese" so I tickled her. The result was that I looked silly!

The long walk to her classroom at the end of the hallway. Closer to the playground that way though!

Hanging up her backpack on her hook. Mommy had too much in her hands and accidentally got a picture of her name tag in the process!

This was actually a harder process than one would expect. She has always been able to easily identify her name...until she was put next to a boy in her class named, "Jesse!" She found her hook RIGHT away though!

After a quick pause to say hello to her teacher, she walked right in and barely looked back.

And after a few steps, she saw more kids and did her typical bouncing self. I caught her jumping in to her classroom!

It also didn't take long after Kylie got there for the girls to find each other and play!

Here's to hoping this is a great first year of school for Jesstine! I realize that at this age it is just a social thing and really more for moms and dads to get a break during the day. I still think it is a good decision for Jesstine to go. We will see if it plays out as I hope!!!

In Him,

The Hutchins

Playdate Pictures Continued

2011-08-31T21:46:00.010-05:00

Here are ALL of the pictures from our playdate at Botanica!!!

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