Good News on the results & more...

Thank you everyone for all your prayers. Good news: everything with my biopsy came back normal. It looks like my enlarged thyroid just came about with this pregnancy and is nothing of big concern. This is what we were hoping for and honestly really thinking was the case, but the thought of all the possibilities of what could be was definitely enough to get the mind wandering. It was so nice having such a wonderful support system praying for me. I think it was the anticipation in waiting that was the scariest part of the whole thing, even though I had such a strong feeling that everything would be fine. Thanks again! I love you all & am so grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.

my 17 week baby bump

In other news, all the kiddos just got over having a really yucky stomach bug. We are so grateful for that to be over! Anthony got to play in a high school alumni football game this past Sunday. It was a lot of fun getting to see so many of the guys we graduated with. Sort of a mini-reunion, which was nice since we missed out on ours last June because we were in the hospital having our sweet baby boy! Unlucky for him, he ended up dislocating and breaking his right ring finger at the knuckle. He had the paramedics buddy-tape it to another finger so he could finish the game. (Typical Anthony!) This was at the end of the first half. He went on to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter (yes... with his broken finger) and get the medal for defensive MVP. I guess the adrenalin kept him from feeling the pain during the game, but it sure did hit him afterwards. So, a 4 hour trip to the e.r. later wound him up in a cast all the way up to his elbow because he apparently pulled the major tendon that runs from your finger to your arm off the bone. Ouch!

Daddy's biggest fans ready for the game:)

Monday and Tuesday were extremely challenging for him staying home with all 3 kiddos being sick and having to give left handed baths, thanks to all the mess that goes along with a stomach bug! I think I better give him a medal for making it through the most difficult daddy day yet.;)

Our last little bit of news for this post... we should have 2 new nieces next week!!! My sister-in-law, Pene, is in the hospital now resting and scheduled for a c-section on Tuesday. (A "mini-vacation" according to Todd:) ) It's a little earlier than expected but due to a few different circumstances will be best for both Pene and the girls. So exciting! The first set of twins in the Kemper family ever! Prayers for a healthy delivery would be great.

Pene, Mom, Todd, me & Lyndsey

@ Pene's shower - December 4th

Good News/Bad News

I really need to try to get to the point from not having to preface each of my posts with how busy we have been and how I wish I had time to blog more often. I think it is obvious life can be a bit hectic with 3 little ones and running our own business from our home. Still, for some reason it seems to be the trend. Maybe 2011 will be the year of getting back on track.... we'll see! :)

So much has happened since I've posted last. The kids have all grown quite a bit. Isabella and Mackenzie are both attending the Montessori school where I teach (and the same one I went to growing up.) Which I completely LOVE and am so grateful for. They have already learned so much in just the first half of this year. Isabella is already writing in cursive (yes... cursive at 4 years old!) and coming home speaking more Spanish than even Anthony can understand.;) Mackenzie is such a hard worker in her class and has become so independent she hardly lets us help her with anything anymore. They are both such great helpers to both me & Anthony at home and love to do anything to help out with their little brother. Who, by the way, is not so little anymore. He seems to grow a little more every night.... we think he may pass Mackenzie here pretty soon. So... on to the other news....

the "good"

I wouldn't just say good... more like GREAT! Many of you have probably been wondering when this announcement would come. That's right! We are expecting... again! My due date is June 24th (my sister, Amy's, birthday!) This makes me 15 weeks on Friday. I'm already showing quite a bit... the baby bump seems to come a little faster with each pregnancy. So, I'll have to post a picture soon. We are so excited to be expecting another little blessing. The girls are very anxious to have a new baby in the house. They want to know if it can come home now! I told them God doesn't work that fast, but the baby will definitely be here before we know it!

the "bad"

So, at my ob appointment a couple of weeks ago, when my doctor was doing all the regular check-up stuff, she found a rather large lump in my throat. She said that I had an enlarged thyroid and she'd like me to have it checked right away. So, I immediately set up an appointment for an ultrasound to get it all checked out. The radiologist found a pretty good sized nodule, 3.5 by 1.8 cm. So, I head back tomorrow to have a biopsy done. It all sounds pretty scary, and to be honest I was a bit scared at the initial news. But, the good part of it is that even in the worst case scenario... if it did happen to be cancer, it is something that is very easily treated. What a relief! So, my reason for even posting this is to know I have a support system praying for me in addition to my family. Thank you all so much in advance. I have complete faith that everything will turn out just fine.

Hopefully our next post will simply be the good news!:) I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas time with your families. Love & Hugs to you all!

p.s. We're a little late on getting our Christmas cards out.... surprise-surprise! So, I'll give everyone a little preview of some of the pics we took for them... none of which actually made it onto the final card. Ha!

Last night in my 20s....

It's hard to believe, I will be 30 years old tomorrow. I'm having a hard time accepting this reality... I thought maybe if I wrote it down it would be easier to grasp. Ha!!!

There are so many goals I thought I would have reached by the time I was 30! So many more things I expected to have accomplished. I had my life pictured completely differently than it has turned out to be.

It's truly amazing to see God's path unfold. I may not be where I thought I would or should be in my life, but I couldn't be happier than to have it be the way it is. (Thank you Anthony, for helping me realize that. I love you more than life!)

I have such an amazing family that I am beyond grateful for; 3 beautiful children and the most wonderfully helpful, supporting husband I could dream possible. Anytime life seems a little tough, I am always able to stop for a moment and look at what amazing people I have surrounding me and forget all my worries because I couldn't be happier. They are what makes me happy & feel accomplished! On this birthday I have many visions, dreams and goals in mind for the next decade of my life. I only pray that I can be as happy and blessed in the next 10 years as I am today.

Thank you to God & my wonderful family for giving me the happiness and joy to truly enjoy this birthday. Love, love, love you!!!!

my 3 little munchkins, who bring joy to me every day... this is true happiness!

One more year...

Another September has come without our sweet angel. We love you and miss you dearly. Although you are not here with us on earth, you will live in our hearts forever. Happy 6th Birthday Baby Girl!

March For Babies is Here!

It has been just over 5 years since Anthony & I went through the tragedy of losing our daughter, Mary Alice. After months of pregnancy complications, emotional ups & downs, we faced the unbearable... our sweet child was coming in only my 5th month of pregnancy. For years Anthony & I had dreamt of getting married and starting a family. Never could we have expected what we were about to go through.

Last year was our first year participating in the March for Babies walk. We plan on continuing this tradition every year from now on in memory of our sweet angel, Mary Alice. With the help of our wonderful family and friends we were able to raise just over $500 and put together a team of 16! Thank you again to everyone who helped us last year.

Nothing has felt better for me than to know I am making a difference by helping others, in the future, to not have to go through the loss that Anthony & I did. If we can even help just one family, one mother, one child... I feel we have done something to make a change.

Please consider donating to help this wonderful cause. It means so much to us and so many others. If you cannot donate, but would still like to help out, we would love to have you on our team.

It is my personal goal this year to double our team size... that's right, we want to have a team of 32 people!!! So, get out your walking shoes & lets March for Mary Alice!

Just click the link to the right in order to donate or join our team.

Thanks and God Bless!
Anthony, Alice, Isabella, Mackenzie & Tripp

Jamie is safe!

Thank you so much to everyone for your prayers!!!! Jamie is safe at home with Amy & the kids now. It has been an extremely long day with lots of waiting and praying, but I'm happy to say that I have a true hero for a brother-in-law! THANK YOU GOD!!!!! More later, but Goodnight for now...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!

We just wanted to say Happy Halloween to everyone & a very Happy Birthday to Cassie! We love you to pieces & miss you soooooooooooo much!!!! Give your cute little dragon & big hug from us & tell her to give you on back too!

Kenzie Roo Turning 2

How can our little baby girl already be 2 years old!?! Mackenzie has grown up so much this past year & developed quite the personality. We had a low key dinner at our house on her birthday with some of the family. Her favorite part... the cake, of course!

Is everyone singing for me?

Want some?!?

The following day we had her party at the Texas Jumping Bean. What better place to celebrate our little Roo's birthday!?! Mackenzie is constantly bouncing around the house as a different animal every day. (This being the reason that her nickname as stuck since her first Halloween.) I really didn't get many pictures at all. We had so much fun running around & bouncing that the camera was a bit neglected. Next time I think I'll have to hire a photographer to tag along.

I did get one good picture of the Birthday Girl in the party shirt that Anthony & I made for her...

Kenzie saying "thank you" to everyone for making her birthday so special.

5 Years

Today marks the fifth anniversary that our baby angel came and left our lives so quickly. There is not a single day that goes by that Anthony & I don't think or talk about our Mary Alice. However, every September 17th on her birthday, our day is consumed with her memory and thoughts of what life would be like if she was still here. She would be 5 years old today. What a special birthday. This marks such a "big girl" age in Isabella's eyes. So many things she says all the time start with, "When I'm 5 years old I can... (fill in the blank here.)" I can only imagine what it would be like to have 3 little girls running around the house right now & 1 little baby brother. I can completely envision how much fun all 3 of our girls would have together. Life would definitely be different.

At the same time, I cannot imagine my life without my precious guardian angel. How many people can actually say that they know who their angel is?! I believe with all my heart that she is ours and that she is continually watching over our family. How else could we have been blessed with 3 other wonderful & healthy children?

Today was special for another reason as well. We celebrated the life of Anthony's great-grandmother who passed away on Sunday. I know our little angel is welcoming her home. She was a truly amazing woman who will be greatly missed.

We love you Mary Alice & miss you every day. Your memory lives on in our hearts and will never ever fade. My heart aches for you so unbelievably, but I know you are in a much better place. May God bless you & continue to hold you in the palm of his hands.

Bye-bye Summer

Where to begin...? So much has been going on since our last post. I cannot believe how far behind we have gotten. I said I would do my best to stay updated, but obviously that has been a little difficult. The summer was wonderful, for both our business and the family. We can only pray that things will keep up during the year. We've been staying busy with shirt making, sports, spending time with the family, more sports & more shirts!

Tripp & I sporting our shirts at Daddy's softball tourney

Tripp is already almost 3 months old! It is amazing how quickly the time is flying by. At his 2 month check up he weighed in at a whopping 14lbs., 8oz. He is definitely our big boy! 97th percentile! He is still eating and sleeping for a very big part of the day, but he has so many more awake moments now. When he is awake, he is just so alert & smiley. Such a little cutie & joy to be around.

Mackenzie has developed quite the personality lately. It is so fun to see what an individual she is becoming. She loves to make people smile and laugh, just like her daddy. She is definitely starting to come out of her little shell.

Isabella has really become my little helper. She loves to do as much as I will allow her to help around the house. Cooking, cleaning & helping out with her little brother & sister. This is her very first attempt at making homemade tortillas. I have to say she did a pretty good job! We have tried to spend as much fun outside time with the kids as the high temperatures will allow this summer. This usually means we are by some sort of water... which they love!

We recently just got back from a trip to Corpus Christi. The kids all loved the beach. Their favorite part had to be building sandcastles. They even braved the big waves in the ocean for a bit.

We took the kids to the Texas State Aquarium where they got to see all sorts of cool sea life.

The following day we went to the USS Lexington. The kids loved seeing all the planes on the ship and getting to sit in them to test them out, but the favorite of the day was the little jail cell. Go figure!

This is ultimately what we live for right here. The 3 sweetest kids you could imagine. Some of our favorite times are early in the mornings when we all cuddle together in our bed. They just make life so much fun!

Although, with this many in the bed, the positions can get a little silly at times. Kenzie & Tripp at one end...

& Bella at the feet!

Beautiful Chaos!

This is the title of my friend, Missy's, friend's blog (make sense?) Anyway, I cannot think of two words that better describe our life right now. "BEAUTIFUL CHAOS" If it wasn't already taken, I think I would definitely make this the new title of our blog. Life with 3 kids (all 3 & under!) & running a new business from our home has proven to be one of the most incredible, crazy, fun, stressful, happy, chaotic times we have dealt with thus far in our marriage. This being the reason for our lack of posts lately... sorry.

I wish I had tons of pictures to fill everyone in on what's been going on the last month of our lives, but the truth is I have just been way too busy to keep up with pictures lately. Anthony took two weeks off after Tripp was born. It was wonderful! But, when he went back to work, he was told he no longer had a job. Ugh! Not again. It was right after we found out I was pregnant with Tripp that I lost my job. Once again, God was testing us to see how we could handle the situation. Thankfully, we were able to find the hidden blessing in the situation. For the past few months Anthony & I had been talking about how we really wanted to invest more time in our business & eventually get to the point where he would no longer have to work & we could both focus on Georgetown Fanatics full time. We didn't think we were quite ready but God decided to give us just the push we needed. It's been a little scary along the way, especially at first, but we're just trying to make it through one week at a time right now. So far we have stayed consistently busy, which is really nice. Last night (or should I say this morning... at 6am) we actually just finished a job of 150 shirts that were only ordered on Thursday & due by noon today. With Anthony gone all weekend at his state softball tournament we didn't get a start on it until Sunday afternoon. Talk about a time crunch! Times like this really bring me back to my college days of all-nighters spent up at the architecture building.

I'm not going to lie, trying to balance everything & keep the house organized at the same time has been quite the challenge for me so far, but hopefully I'll get a handle on it soon. This is what our dining room table looks like when it's taken over with the business. Hopefully we'll be able to get it under control soon or we might end up on an episode of Clean House!

Our sweet little man is growing up so quickly. I can't believe he is already a month old. He brings so much joy to our family. It's amazing how easy going he is. He pretty much eats or sleeps all day & the times that he is awake, he is just as mellow as can be. Definitely our little gentleman!

smiles like this just make me melt...

The girls are absolutely in love with their little brother. They both call him "my baby" now, a nickname Isabella started when he was in my tummy. We haven't seen any jealousy just yet, as I thought might happen with Mackenzie. I think it's because the girls are so close with each other. Mackenzie has just grown up so much in the last few months & loves her time with her best friend, Bella. They spend endless hours every day playing with each other & love to take random breaks throughout the day to go check-in on "their baby." Having Anthony home during the days has been so nice. It has felt like a continuous vacation or long weekend, just with a lot of working on the side & late at night. The girls really love having daddy here all day & I'm definitely not complaining either.;)

This isn't the best picture because of the background, but can you tell what he did to his hair? Yep, it's in a mohawk. At his tournament this weekend, both Anthony & his cousin decided to get this new do. Silly boys!

It's fair to say we've been extremely busy lately. I really will try my very best to keep the blog updated as much as possible. Although, it's taken me over 5 hours for this one post because of all the breaks I've had to take since I started it. :)

Introducing our precious baby

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!

Anthony III

Born on June 5, 2009 @ 9:20 a.m.

9lbs. 2oz.
20 inches

We headed to the hospital Friday morning (4 days past due) for our scheduled induction. Here I am right before I changed into my hospital gown as big as can be at 40-1/2 weeks.

After getting all set & hooked up to my IV, the nurse started my pitocin drip at 5:50a.m. I was already 3 cm dilated & 70% effaced, so we were off to a good start. An hour later at 6:50 my doctor came in to break my water. Another hour went by & I was already 6cm & 90% effaced. 9:05... 10 cm! By 9:10 I started pushing & 10 minutes later we were welcoming our sweet baby boy into the world. It wasn't quite as easy as it sounds.
Our little one was such a big boy that this was definitely the most intense pushing I have had to endure of all my deliveries. My doctor kept saying the baby wasn't happy & I really needed to hurry to get him out. His heart rate was dropping which was really scaring me but caused my adrenalin to get going at the same time. Once his huge head came out, Dr. Irvin told me the cord was wrapped around his neck so I had to get him out with the next push. I immediately started crying & pushing at the same time. I had to get him out NOW! His shoulders ended up getting stuck so Dr. Irvin had to help twist a little to get him out. His cry was the absolute sweetest sound I have ever heard. Thank God for a happy & health baby! She held him up & the cord was right between his legs. It was the screams from mine & Anthony's moms that first gave it away that we had a baby boy. How exciting!
Everyone kept saying how big he was & as soon as they took him to the scale I knew why.... 9pounds 2ounces!!!!! I can't believe I was able to push out a baby that big. Dr. Irvin said absolutely no more going past my due date for any other babies. In fact she said she'll most likely induce me at 39 weeks next time.

So we had been trying to think of names to call our little man other than "Anthony the 3rd," which is quite the mouthful. "Little Anthony" didn't really fit because, well, he's just not that little. We had thought about Trey for a long time as well, but we have a really good buddy named Trey & that's who we automatically think of when we say that name. So, we finally decided on Tripp. It's short & sweet & fits his personality well. He does get called Baby Anthony quite a bit as well. I tend to call him Anthony when I'm talking to him & Tripp when I'm talking about him to someone else. Isabella still calls him "my baby" as she did the entire time I was pregnant. She keeps telling me how happy she is that "her baby" is finally here. Mackenzie just calls him "baby." I'm sure over time he'll gain a few more names & become the boy with many names, as most people in the Guajardo family have multiple nicknames.

Tripp & Daddy

Relaxing on his first day at home.

We got home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon & spent the rest of the short day we had left relaxing from our long weekend away from home. Monday we were planning on spending our first day together at home as a family of 5. Little did we know that there were other plans waiting for us. About 8:30 in the morning Tripp threw up a rather large puddle of blood. We immediately called the doctor to set up an appointment to take him in. His Dr. ended up calling us back a few minutes later & told us we needed to go ahead & take him into Dell Children's Hospital for testing. So, my dad came to the rescue to watch the girls & Anthony, Mom, Tripp & I were off to the hospital in Austin. The staff there is completely amazing. We were treated so wonderfully while we were there & everything seemed to go by so fast. Tripp started off with x-rays of his tummy. Then, they pumped his stomach & took a stool sample. They also had me pump some milk to make sure the problem didn't lie elsewhere. During this whole process the ER doctor asked me not to nurse him until we could figure out the problem. After all the tests had been done & most had come back normal the Dr. told me that I could go ahead & start feeding him. (Poor thing had gone most of the morning without eating.) She was waiting for the results of one last test to come back & she really wanted to postpone admitting him to a room for as long as possible so that he wouldn't be exposed to any other germs in the hospital. As soon as I started nursing him, we figured out the problem. I was dripping blood from my breast & that is the majority of what he was getting rather than my milk. Poor baby! This is what the Dr. had thought originally except that when I pumped milk there was no blood at all. It was only when he nursed because of the bad grip he was getting. Thankfully, Tripp ended up being just fine. I had to give my body a break for a couple of days & strictly pump in order to feed him. I am completely healed now & we are both feeling much better. Sorry for the late post, the first week at home was a little different than we expected.

Our little buddy resting with Daddy @ Dell Children's

Happy to be home at last! You can see the little drop of milk coming from his mouth. He must have a happy tummy.;)

Look at our big boy!

Change of Plans

So, I know this is super late but today has been a crazy busy day. We have had a change of plans & I am going in at 5am to be induced on Friday rather than Monday. I realize most of you probably won't be reading this until after the baby arrives but we'll be sure to let you know of our wonderful new arrival as soon as possible. I think I am too busy at the moment to even be nervous. I am really excited, although I still don't think the reality has hit me yet. Please say a prayer for us if you can that things will go smoothly. We cannot wait to introduce our newest little miracle to the world!!!! Love & Hugs to all! Alice, Anthony, Isabella & Mackenzie....

the much anticipated 40 WEEK!!!!!!!! update

Still no baby yet! I guess this little one is deciding to follow after big sister, Mackenzie, & hang around a bit longer than expected. How is it that the more kids I have the longer I stay pregnant each time? I thought they were supposed to come sooner every time. Oh well! I think in my case they don't come sooner, just faster.
I asked for this baby to be patient for me to make it to at least my due date & now I suppose it's the baby's turn to ask for my patience. I had my appointment today & am still only 2cm. There hasn't been any change from last week. My doctor doesn't want me to go past 41 weeks though, so we have set an induction date for next Monday, the 8th at 5am. That is of course, if the baby doesn't decide to come before then. I love my doctor & she is great enough to follow my wishes of trying to go into labor on my own, but there does come a point where one does need to see an end in sight. I think I'm there.
I also asked Dr. Irvin today what she thought of the baby's weight at this point since that seems to be a question I get asked quite a bit lately. She really doesn't think the baby will be too much bigger than either of the girls. Isabella was 7lbs.8oz & Mackenzie was 8lbs. even. So, I think we'll stay pretty close to that. Only time will tell.
It is very exciting to know that we will definitely have a new little bundle by this time next week, if not sooner. I am looking forward to seeing the girls' reaction to their new sibling. It's amazing how much they already love the baby without even meeting him/her yet. I think Isabella may be more anxious than any of us. (By the way, she changed her vote today to a girl.... for the entire 9 months I've been pregnant she has said we're having a boy to anyone that has asked her... or me, for that matter & then all of a sudden when Dr. Irvin asked her today, she said "girl." Anthony & I both looked at each other shocked. I'll have to check with her tomorrow to see if she switched back or not. )
We'll be sure to post a new update on Monday unless anything happens before then. Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers! Love & Hugs to all!