super singers choir

Here's a video of Bailey's choir performance from December 23, 2008 at Ainsley Courte (nursing home). Pretty cute if you ask me!

merry christmas!

...and the stockings were hung by the chimney (or guh) with care, in hopes that the ninny soon would be there! (One day in the hospital the nurses brought Bryn to me in this stocking, we put her in it again on Christmas Eve.)

On Christmas Eve we read Luke 2 and reenacted it (Bailey was really excited about this). Guh was the Angel, Brandon the Sheppard, Bailey as Mary, Papa as Joseph, Bryn as the Baby Jesus, Mom as the narrator (Benson was asleep).

Christmas Madness/Morning:

Bailey got lots of Dog toys for Christmas!

Benson got a slide from Santa and a Little People Garage.

We had a great Christmas!

Busy!

Even with lots of help (My Mom and Dad are still here helping/visiting), three kids keep me really busy. Every time I sit down to update my blog for the last week or so, someone needs something. So here's the last week or so in a nutshell...

SO BIG!
(the flash on the camera startled her)

At her two week check-up (December 18) Bryn had grown an inch, and surpassed her birth weight...6lbs 11oz, 19.75 inches. I think now she's well on her way to 8lbs now. She's really grown...her Newborn clothes are finally fitting, and the preemie clothes a little too small!

ELVIN our Christmas Elf came to visit.

Santa sent us a Magic Elf to visit and check on the kids before the holidays. He was a very mischievous elf, and always showed up in the most peculiar places/situations. We caught him hanging from the ball (used for parking) in the garage, in the candy jar, making reindeer food, playing with toys, sliding down the banister, hanging from a chandelier, buckled up in the car ready to go, etc. It was very fun and entertaining for all. Christmas Eve, Elvin must have given a good report to Santa, because the kids got pretty spoiled. Elvin hitched a ride back on Santa's sleigh and was gone Christmas morning. We hope he comes back for a visit next year. ;)

Nan (Brandon's Grandma) and Aunt B came for a visit.

Bailey showed us her inner Martha Stewart with this amazing Gingerbread house she did. All I did was assemble the shell and put icing where she told me to. It turned out fabulously!

SUPER SINGERS CHOIR

Bailey had several choir performances, and everyone got to attend at least one!

She loves choir and does a great job. It was so cute to see! (I'll post a video soon, hopefully!)

FUNNY PAPERS

After Bailey's last performance, Guh and Papa took us to Chic-fil-A. Benson discovered the Sports section of the paper and was in heaven with all the "BALLS!" It was so funny, people in the restaurant were even stopping to laugh. He looked just like a little man!

9 days old

Today Bryn is 9 days old. Already I can't imagine life without her, and life before her seems very long ago. She still is only about 6lbs 2oz. We had to take her to the doctor on Tuesday because she had a very green goopy eye (conjunctivitis). We got her some drops and it seems to be clearing up well.

On Wednesday, Guh Leseberg came. We were all so excited to have her come. I was worried that Benson wouldn't be so excited, but Guh brought a "FOOTBALL" with her for him, and they are now best buddies. Benson even snuggles and loves on Guh. (it usually takes him A LONG time to warm up to people) He loves the football and even took it to bed on Wednesday night.

Guh must have brought the cold with her...it SNOWED for several hours on Wednesday.

more snow

The magnitude of the littleness.

bath time

We gave Brynley her first bath at home on Saturday night. She didn't like it too much, as she loves to be burritoed constantly, and nakedness is just to free for her (and cold). She didn't really cry though (she never does).

In grand Leseberg tradition, baby bathing is a spectator sport. They're just so stinking cute!

Good/curious helper. (and fat scary arm)

All freshified and bundled up.

coming home

We came home from Methodist Willowbrook Hospital on Saturday, December 6, 2008.

I was ready to go home. I couldn't get much sleep or rest at the hospital, as I had someone constantly poking or prodding me or asking me questions constantly, even through the night. Except for when I actually needed something, then I couldn't ever find anyone.

I was ready to go first thing Saturday morning, although it took until about lunchtime before they let us out. I was glad to be able to go home, and glad Bryn was cleared to go. (She gave us a scare on Thursday night, choking on spit-up until her lips turned purple! Probably a reaction to the formula they gave her, but she's still really prone to spitting up, but not out. I have to keep her upright for 30 minutes after every feeding. Her bed is also tilted at an angle, and I'm constantly burping her to help her out. Poor little thing!)

The kids were so excited when we got home. Bailey wanted to hold Bryn right away, and much to our surprise, so did someone else...

As soon as Benson saw Bailey hold Bryn, he put his arms out to hold her. Anytime the baby is in the room, he says "Hi, BEBE!". He also likes to 'share' things with her. He's constantly throwing his "ah-ahs" (monkeys) on her, trading binkis, and even sharing his water bottle (we looked over to see him putting the huge water bottle on top of Bryn in the swing!).

He actually liked holding her and didn't want to give her up. The crusty look is because he didn't want his picture taken. (He doesn't want proof that he actually likes "BEBE".)

My life for the next few months/years. Please no comments on how old/tired/scary I look. I don't want proof of the scariness either. But I really do feel pretty good. I'm tired and have a lot of pain, but not as much as I did after I had Benson, and I don't really mind the tiredness. This will be our last baby and I am trying to cherish almost every minute of it. And it feels SO GREAT not to be pregnant anymore!

at the hospital

Temperature control...Bryn kept wiggling her feet and or hands out of her baby burrito. Otherwise she loves to be burritoed and gets frantic when we take her out of it.

Again, the hands wriggled out. They always end up by her face.

It was a lot harder for me to be away from my kids than I thought it would be. I'd never been away from Benson for more than a few hours. I loved when the kids came to visit, and worried about them while they were away.

Siblings of new babies get to put their hand prints on the walls of the Mother/Baby Floor. Bailey got a big kick out of this. Unfortunately, Benson didn't get to do it, I forgot (Bay and Benz usually came to visit at separate times, so it wouldn't be too overwhelming for anyone). Although, I doubt he would have cooperated for it anyway.

sweet child of mine

She's here!

Brynley Elizabeth Wallace

December 3, 2008

9:02 am

6lbs 9.6oz 18.75 inches

Curly black hair

We're all doing well. Brynley is so tiny and cute. She looks just like her brother and sister did! She's a great baby so far, just doesn't like to wake up to eat.

One quick smooch, and then off to recovery!

Meet the Mama!

Bailey was so excited to see Brynley.

Benson, not so excited.

Peepers! (eyes) She has dark eyebrows and long dark lashes, too!

just a thought

My mom has long said that Sarah (my oldest sister) being born in an Army hospital is what made her join the Army. #3 is going to be born in a Methodist hospital. Should I be worried? ;)

happy thanksgiving and here come the holidays!

Bailey had a "Harvest Feast" at Preschool last Tuesday. She was pretty stinkin' cute in her 'Pilgrim Girl' hat and her place mat that she made. She used the place mat at home for every meal, and then at Guh W's house for the turkey dinner. Good thing it was laminated!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Guh and Papa Wallace's. It was DELISH! The Stewarts, Morgans, and Arcinegias were also there. I made SIX pies and sweet potatoes as my contribution. We had Traditional Pumpkin, Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pecan, Chocolate Cream, Peanut Butter, and Banana Cream (Bailey's specialty). It was a lot of pie, but everybody got to take almost a whole pie home for left overs! YUMMY! PS: It was 80 degrees on Thanksgiving!

The day after Thanksgiving we put up all of our Christmas decor and outside lights. Both of the kids were really excited about the decor, and Benson is having a hard time just 'looking with his eyes, not hands.' But, Bailey, the decoration security, is never far and quick to 'remind' him. He loves the "dar" (star) on the tree, and the "hohohohoho's" (santas) on the fireplace. Bailey helped me decorate the tree and Benson is now redecorating it for us. Everyday we have to move more ornaments up the tree. The bottom two feet of the tree are pretty bare, but safe. :)

JUST THREE DAYS UNTIL THE BABY COMES!!!

what a turkey

I had to post these pictures, because this is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time! This is my niece, Laura (14 mos), wearing a turkey hat that my Aunt Pam (fabulous knitter) made her. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this, and had to share. She's so stinkin' cute!

Don't forget to guess on "Prize Per Pound!" (See post below!)

prize per pound

Okay....I only have 9 days left.!!! It's time to make our guesses about how big Brynley will be. Here's some info to go off of: I will only be 37 weeks. Benson was born at 37.5 weeks, and was 7lbs 2 oz, 19 inches, and I had gained 12 lbs during the pregnancy. Bailey was 41 weeks, and was 8lbs 9oz, 21 inches, and I gained 50 lbs during the pregnancy (YIKES!!). I have not gained ANY weight during this pregnancy. I am still down 2 lbs from where I started. (Woo-Hoo for me! I guess it's my consolation prize for having such a miserable time. Or possibly a result of barfing everyday?) To see how big my belly is, check out the "Baby Shower" post, I haven't changed much. I'll try and post a belly picture later. Everyone who reads this MUST guess! The winner may get a prize courtesy of Guh Leseberg. Let's just say, FLAMINGOS will be involved.

Oh, and you can also guess if she'll have hair or not. Bailey had a head of curly dark brown hair, Benson had a skimming and mullet of medium brown hair. Brandon was pretty much bald (not much has changed!), and I had a fair amount of BLACK hair.

Here's my guess:
6lbs 10 oz, 18 inches.
Skimming of dark brown hair

Bailey's Guess:
2 lbs 0oz, 3 inches long. :)
"just a little bit of black hair"

holy hand-me-downs!

I don't normally take pictures of my dirty laundry, but this isn't really dirty, and none of it's mine. It's all BABY clothes! I went thru the several boxes of hand-me-downs from several different sources, and washed and freshified the clothes. This baby is going to have a ridiculous amount of clothes. Best of all...FREE! Thanks to all for the hand-me-downs, or hand-me-arounds, as some of these were Bailey's and have gone to two other cousins before coming back to us. Gotta love it...cute stuff, hardly worn, but worn by many. I say these clothes definitely got their monies worth out of them! Oh, and this was only about HALF of what was given! And the outfit Benson is wearing, also a hand-me-down. His whole winter wardrobe is courtesy of his cousin, Gavin. (I took a picture of him by the laundry so you could see how high the piles were stacked!) Again, thanks to everyone for clothing my children!

sunday best

Doesn't get much cuter than this! I love the little man suit (again, Benson doesn't like his picture being taken, so this is the best I could get). Bailey's new dress is so beautiful, thanks, Guh L. for MAKING it! It got rave reviews!

I'm still here!

No, I haven't quit blogging, I've just been preoccupied. I'll make a real post with pictures tonight, but in the mean time...here is a quick entry... a Christmas "Getting to know You." Now, all you fellow bloggers (Becky, Brianne, Warden, Kelly, Tiffany, etc, etc) better do it too!


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags, but the kids prefer to unwrap paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Fake
3. When do you put up the tree? Black Friday
4. When do you take the tree down? Christmas afternoon
5. Do you like eggnog? A little goes a long way
.6. Favorite gift received as a child? dolls?
7. Hardest person to buy for? Parents!!
8. Easiest person to buy for? Babies
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a Plastic Fisher Price one. Maybe someday, a real one.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Haven’t had one yet!
12. Favorite/Worst Christmas Movie? Favorite: "ELF" Worst: "Christmas Shoes"
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? September
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No comment
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? fudge
16. Lights on the tree? White, prelit are the best
17. Favorite Christmas song? “O Holy Night"
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, now that we have kids.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes, but only by singing it.
20. Angel or Star on top of the tree? Star or bow
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve, the rest in the morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? the song “Feliz Navidad”
23. Favorite ornament? My collection of Yellowstone ones from over the years...must go back!24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? My mom's rolls
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A nap

baby shower

Yesterday, my Lady-in-Law's threw me a baby shower. It was so fun, and so nice. They made everything so cute and PINK! The food was delicious and we had a blast. Bailey had been so excited about this since I found out I was pregnant. She got right up and dressed in her most pink outfit (just for the shower!) and couldn't wait for Brandon to take a picture of us 'matching and going to the shower.' She loves opening gifts and thinks it's fun to be one of the ladies. We got lots of great stuff that we needed. Thanks, Guh, Becky M., Becky W., and Brianne for a great shower!

Opening presents...Bailey's favorite part! (Sister-in-law, Becky W, sitting next to us)

My friend, Wendy; cousin-in-law, Sarah; Aunt-in-law, Becky M.

Presents!

YUMMY!

Cake from the most delicious bakery (RJ Goodies)

...DOUBLE YUMMY!