Team Cross

Bald Boys & Beautiful Day!

Well, we are in full snot-mode now with all 3 boys officially congested.  Austin is the best, and Cody is the worst, shockingly.  It's not too bad though because all of them slept good last night.  Cody woke up a little worse this morning and all 3 just sound 'nasally' and have snotty noses.  Cody wasn't able to nap today because he started coughing, and Tyler took a lot of little naps today.  Tyler is enjoying is new "walk -behind" or as I call it, "pusher".  I changed his exersaucer into the pusher because he didn't like the saucer any more.  The kid still won't crawl, but is trying his best to walk!  He can already take a good 3-4 steps with the pusher...my mom says he probably sees Austin and Cody walking and thinks "to hell with this crawling business".  I am still hoping he will crawl before he walks...I just want the kid to get what he wants to get without crying about it!  Tyler is a mess!  But dangit he's a cute one.  All the boys are slightly bald after their haircuts the other day.  I had gotten a new pair of clippers because mine had gotten a little messed up.  I think it was because I kept it in the garage.  Anyway, the settings on the new ones were not correct.  I usually use a 1, 2 and then 3 on the boys going from bottom to top, and so I set the new pair on a 1 and began.  It cut Austin so close that there was nearly no hair!  After experimenting with the settings, a 5 on the new clippers was the closest to a 1 on my old ones!  So, I had to basically shave Austin's head really short.  Oh well...luckily I have boys and their hair grows so stinkin' fast it won't matter in a week or 2.  I was nervous that Austin would see it and freak out, but when he looked in the mirror, he simply rubbed his head and said, "I like it mommy, I like it!".  Whew!  Cody and Tyler got close cuts too...no point in cutting less hair off of them and having to cut it before Austin's.  Anyway, Austin went to school today with his new hair and a new pair of shoes on.  He had resisted wearing the new pair of shoes, but his old ones were way too small.  He has been waking up at night for the past few nights complaining that his feet hurt.  So, in order to diffuse any drama, I simply put his old shoes in the Goodwill box out in the garage, and told him that his new shoes were his only pair...either put them on or don't leave the house.  He complained, but got over it.  He was very concerned that his teachers and friends at school would notice his new shoes and that he would get attention for that (a phase he's been going through--he gets embarrassed), but when Scott dropped him off at school, it was the haircut that got the positive attention, and so then he got embarrassed that Ms. Debbie and Ms. Veronica told him his haircut was nice!  You just can't win with the kid!  Luckily, Debbie and Veronica are 4-year-old veterans, and understand Austin better than even I do.  I love his teachers!  Anyway, not much was done while Austin was at school today because like I mentioned earlier, Cody and Tyler weren't in the nap mood, so I left earlier than usual to pick up Austin, and stopped by the mall to get him one more pair of shoes in a bigger size, then stopped by the pediatrician's office to pick up more ezcema lotion for Tyler.  Austin had a good day at school today and had a bunch of artwork, including an adorable magnet.  He also made a Texas flag and informed me that "Texas is a state".  After all the mess this week with the weather, we finally got a break today and it was gorgeous outside!  It got up to 65, and the boys played in the yard for a long time after school.  Tonight was an early one (well, when is it not?) and all the boys were in bed by 7:30.  Scott has an early game tomorrow at 4pm against Texas State.  By the way, I just realized that my pictures have now started over with number 0001 on this memory stick. I got this memory stick right around or right after Cody was born and I have already taken 10,002 pictures (the magnet pic was 0002)!  Next mission: to get a new camera!

Tyler's Pictures!

I finally scanned Tyler's 7 month pictures so here they are...I plan on taking him to get his 8 month pics next week (I'm late I know)! I love how he wrinkles his nose at the last minute. As usual, 7 month pictures of Austin and Cody follow!
  

Ice Storm

Here in Texas, we don't have snow storms, we have ice storms.  Snow would be much more fun and much prettier.  Ice is a pain in the butt.  So last night we had an ice storm. It was pelting against the windows like crazy. 


And here is what it looks like this morning (it's 20 degrees).  All schools are canceled and Scott is making waffles!

Oh yeah--Cody has his appetite back!

Cody lost weight because of not eating last week after that stomach bug...it was the weirdest thing seeing him not caring about food...no begging or pulling at my pants during dinner, no climbing up on the counter trying to open a banana, no digging in the trash!  He got his appetite back on Saturday though so we are back to all of that, and he was driving me nuts this morning!  He climbed up on the dinner table and finished off Austin's breakfast while I was changing Tyler's poopy.  Cody is a hoot.  Here is a picture of him after his nap finishing off some of a banana that Austin hadn't gotten to yet.  It got quiet, and I knew without even looking what that kid was doing!  Tyler had some zwieback toast today for the first time and loved it.  The picture of him crying is because I walked off to go get the camera...heaven forbid that I am more than 10 feet away from Tyler.  Cody had fun playing basketball today.  He figured out that he could finally make a shot if he pushed the ottoman over to the basket and stood up on it.  We stayed inside today because it never got over 30 and we had some wintery mix stuff going on.  Gymnastics was canceled and Austin was a little bummed.  Little did he know that I wasn't going to take him anyway because of the weather!  All of us were tired today I guess because of the weather and we just laid around.  Cody took a 3 1/2 hour nap, and Tyler took 3 naps.  Austin took none!   Tyler won't take the bottle, but will take formula from a sippy cup.  I am able to only nurse him once a day, or sometimes once every other day since he never had the patience to stick with it so my production hasn't increased at all.  There is really nothing I can do about it and am just trying to nurse him when I know I can.  He is doing well with food, and despite having no teeth, does a pretty good job of mashing food with his gums!  Austin wouldn't let me take any pictures of him today--not even silly ones.

One Mom, Three Kids, Seven Pukes, and a Four-Point Loss

Brace yourself...this is a heck of a post! 
This trip began great.  I had managed to pack the entire car while dealing with Cody and Tyler on Friday morning, and even made a quick trip to Target for some baby cereal.  I got everyone loaded in and went to pick Austin up from school early.  He had just finished lunch!  Perfect.  Cody and Tyler were already fast asleep by the time we pulled up to the athletic office and Austin just jumped out of the car and was ready to go.  He put on his trusty turtle backpack, and ran off towards the bus and his daddy.  What a great trip this was going to be!  Scott informed me that we would stop in about an hour so that the guys that had just gotten out of class could grab lunch.  We were off! and pulled out at about 1:05.  After about an hour, I got THE text message: 'Austin just threw up'.  WHAT?!  I could not believe it.  He had told Scott that he had to throw up, Scott grabbed a bag, and he threw up in the bag.  We stopped soon after and as soon as Austin stepped off the bus puke #2 happened.  And it was a ton.  Scott thought he was done after throwing up on the bus because it was so much.  Austin got in the car with me, and I contemplated turning around and going home, but we had already driven an hour and a half, and the thought of missing another trip to my parents (remember the last one was canceled because he got strep), and arriving home by myself with 2 little ones, a sick one, and an entire car to unpack, was too overwhelming for me to think about.  I called my mom and she said to come on.  Not soon after we got back on the road, Austin said he had to throw up again, and I did the blinker-hazards-pull over routine, jumped out of the car and ran to get him out.  Too late--puke #3 happened all over him.  My phone was ringing like crazy because Scott had seen everything when the bus drove by and was freaking out.  I had Austin get out of the car and stand there covered in puke while I attempted to clean out his carseat.  Cody and Tyler were crying the whole time because the sun was in their face as the door was open.  I wiped Austin down, changed his clothes, and got him back in the car.  He could hardly crawl back in the car he was so weak, and he was really pale.  At this point, I didn't know if it was motion sickness from the bus, or a bad bug.  We set off again.  The second time I had to pull over, I got to him in time and he threw up #4 in a bag...he was barely throwing up anything anymore but kept heaving it up.  I just felt terrible for him, and was wondering if we were ever going to get to my mom's and dad's.  Austin was miserable in the backseat and just kept moaning.  I felt like crying because I felt so sorry for him.  He looked terrible and looked like he felt terrible.  With about an hour left in our drive, Tyler started screaming his head off.  I tried to hand him a bottle, but he refused to take it and just got even more mad.  I had to pull over again to see what was wrong...he had pooped and wanted his diaper changed.  As I was changing his poopy diaper, Austin said he had to throw up again, so I held a poopy half-naked Tyler on the seat with my right hand, and grabbed a bag and held it with my left hand while Austin puked #5 in that.  I just could not believe this was happening.  Here I was on the side of the road again, and I was tired, sweaty, and about to have a breakdown!  I just kept taking deep breaths and tried to stay calm.  We finally arrived at my mom's over 5 hours later.  It normally takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes.  I can't tell you how happy I was.  My mom took over Cody and Tyler (they were SO HAPPY), while I got Austin inside, unpacked the car, and gave Austin a much-needed bath.  He was so happy to be there too!  I got him in some pjs and set him on the chair in front of the TV.  I got everything ready for Cody and Tyler's bath, but not long after that, Austin started puking again (#6).  It was just bile.  The kid had nothing left.  It was terrible.  He could hardly move and was just white as a sheet.  I got the other boys ready for bed, and after about an hour, my mom and I started giving Austin a teaspoon of Pedialyte every 15 minutes to see if he could hold that down...after 3 rounds of that, he puked that all up (#7).  With that, I put him straight to bed. 

He slept pretty solid until probably about 3am, and then got me up to go to the bathroom.  He was up and down after that, and at one point I heard a strange noise and turned around in bed to see him with his cup gulping down water.  I had put his cup away so he couldn't drink, and I guess he found it.  I thought oh well, hopefully he'll hold it down, and he did.  In the morning, I woke up to no kids.  I walked out to find my mom with all 3 kids!  I was so exhausted that I somehow didn't hear any of them get up and my mom let me keep sleeping...it was 9am!  Austin was acting fine and had eaten 2 bananas no problem, was jumping on my mom's mini trampoline, and playing like normal.  I took Austin and Cody to the park that just happened to be 4 houses down and they had a blast.  We came back for lunch and naps, and Cody slept for an hour and a half.  Austin took a THREE AND A HALF HOUR NAP!  He woke up and we got ready to go to Scott's game at Sam Houston State.  We gave Cody and Tyler a bath, and my mom stayed with them and fed them and put them to bed, while Austin and I went to the game. 

The game was close the whole time.  Austin didn't like the 'Bearkat' mascot, so he stuck close to me pretty much the whole time.  We ended up losing by 4 points.  It is always hard to play on the road, and the refing isn't usually in your favor if you are the visiting team.  For this game however, it was particularly bad, and I normally  don't believe that a loss is ever caused by bad refing.  BUT, I do believe this game was lost because of that.  There were several, I would say about 8-10 calls, that were absurd and I know 2 of those bad calls resulted in 3 pointers by the other team.  Crappy.  Anyway, we got back and Austin was revved up and did some crazy dance moves for my mom and I on the trampoline.  I will post the video.  We were laughing hard, and my mom was tearing up from cracking up. 

Sunday's drive back was great...whew!  I stopped twice--once to get gas and let Austin pee in the grass (definitely a perk with boys), and then once more because Tyler pooped.  We got home about 4:20, and Scott met us outside...the boys were so excited to see him.  Later Sunday night after all the kids were in bed, I watched some game tape with Scott.  He was actually getting clips together to file a refing report.  It's a process, but worth it in a case like this.  You have to fill out paperwork, and provide a dvd with clips and explanations.  It won't change the outcome of the game, but it will keep the refs that worked this game away.  They will not be allowed to ref another UTA vs. Sam Houston State game, which will be a relief, especially if we happen to match up with them in the conference tournament later.  The clips Scott had were even worse than I thought, and there were more...at least 12-15 points of really really bad refing mistakes.  Oh well!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Must sleep.

I am going to bed now, but will post tomorrow about our weekend.  All I have to say is that I am so happy that I was with my mom.  The title will be "One Mom, Three Kids, Seven Pukes, and a Four-Point Loss."

Road Trip!

Tomorrow at 1pm we will be leaving to drive down to Huntsville for Scott's Saturday game against Sam Houston State.  My parents are in that area now and I am excited to be able to see them and stay with them!  Austin will be riding on the bus with Scott and the team, and is so excited about it that he doesn't know what to do with himself...he gets all wiggly and fidgity when we talk about it.  This will be the first time he has been able to do it.  Just one of the perks of being the head coach's son!  I will be following the bus with Cody and Tyler in tow.  The game is on Saturday night, and so we will come back on Sunday.  I have already begun to pack up the bus with all the stuff that it takes to travel with 3 small ones...2 pack n plays, a double stroller, Tyler's bath seat, a baby gate, a booster seat, and Tyler's walker are already in!  Wish us luck and pray for another win!

MAVERICKS GO TO 3-1 IN CONFERENCE PLAY WITH 67-52 WIN OVER SFA

Big shots, solid defense help Mavs win third consecutive game

Jan. 21, 2009

ARLINGTON, Tx. - The UTA men's basketball team took advantage of some sharp outside shooting and solid defense to continue their climb in the Southland Conference as they knocked off Stephen F. Austin 67-52 Wednesday night at Texas Hall.

UTA led by one at the half (30-29) and Stephen F. Austin scored the first points of the second 20 minutes. After that it was all Mavericks.

Three-pointers by Brandon Long, Roge'r Guignard and Marquez Haynes led the assault as the Mavs went on a 17-4 run over the next four minutes to help earn their third consecutive win.

"Our guys hit some big shots tonight," Mavericks head coach Scott Cross said. "We didn't really change anything at the half. We just came out, played our game and hit some shots."

While the offense was clicking the defense was equally as good or better.

The Mavericks held SFA's top two players - Josh Alexander and Matt Kinglsey - were held in check all night. A pair of the top scorers in the league Alexander scored just 10 while Kingsley had only six.

"This was a total defensive team effort for us," Cross said. "We did a lot of double-teaming in the post and that gave them some problems."

Overall the Mavericks held SFA to just 37.7% from the field while they ended the night shooting 44.8%.

"This is a big win for us," Long said. "They were the best team in the conference last year and are one of the best again this year."

The night started off with the banners celebrating the team's conference tournament championship and NCAA appearance being unveiled before the largest crowd of the season.

"It was great to see all of the guys who played on that team and who are still on the team that helped win those banners," Cross said.

The win puts the Mavericks at 3-1 in the conference and just a game back of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi who defeated Lamar Wednesday. UTA is now 10-7 overall.

The Mavericks are back in action Saturday at Sam Houston State. Tipoff in Huntsville is at 7 p.m.

A little better...

Yesterday was a little better for Cody and I.  Cody had a banana and 2 pieces of toast. I had 2 pieces of toast.  The problems yesterday were with Tyler!  He refused to take a bottle all day.  At the end of the day, his diaper was dry for too long and I was worried.  I tried numerous times to nurse, and during naptime pumped, only to discover just one ounce of milk combined.  Last night, I looked at the can of formula, and since it's organic, it had expired much earlier than I thought.  I felt terrible and threw it out, then ran across the street to A&Js for some formula.  I went back and Scott tried to feed it to Tyler with no success, so I put pedialyte in the bottle and he drank it all.  Whew.  I tried to pump again before bed with the same result.  Problem is, I can't produce any more milk if Tyler doesn't nurse, and he won't nurse because he is too impatient and frustrated to try long enough.  Tyler went to bed at 7 and woke up this morning at 6:30 hungry.  I made a bottle and mixed the formula with half water and half pedialyte, tried to nurse him first (unsuccessful) and attempted the bottle.  At first he resisted, then gave in and took 4oz!  Thank goodness!  That kid is so stinkin' stubborn and hot-headed, and I was so relieved when he gave in!  He was a happy happy baby this morning.  I think Cody has his appetite back today because he asked for breakfast, and then after changing Tyler's diaper, I came around the corner into the kitchen to find Cody in the trash, eating chip crumbs out of the bag I threw away this morning after making Austin's lunch!  AH!  He cracks me up.  Scott dropped Austin off at school this morning and I took Tyler and Cody to Babiesrus to get Tyler's monthly pics made and pick up some items.  This Babiesrus now sells all the organic items that we use (baby food, wipes, cleaners, etc.) and it is AWESOME.  Today will be a busy one.  After I pick up Austin from school I plan to give him a snack and a shower, then put him down for a nap so he can attend his dad's game tonight (cross your fingers).  We need to get there as soon as possible because they are unveiling the NCAA banner tonight before the game.  We are playing an undefeated SFA so it will hopefully be a big win!  I will scan and post Tyler's pictures later or tomorrow!

"Let's get in the car and go somewhere!"

That is what Austin said first thing this morning.  I think the fact that we hadn't left the house since Friday was wearing on him.  Cody still didn't eat anything but a piece of toast today but acted fine.  He is drinking plenty which is all that matters.  I didn't really want to eat anything either, but was feeling very weak and queasy so I had a shake for breakfast and some soup for lunch and felt better.  My stomach is still yucky though so I guess Cody is feeling the exact same way I am.  Whatever we got is doing a number on the ol' stomach.  I'm just glad that is the only issue...no fevers or anything else.  I had a little list for the store so since Austin asked to go somewhere this morning, I decided we could go there.  We had a quick trip and all the kiddos behaved well.  It seemed to satisfy Austin just enough.  We came home and I put Cody to bed since he wasn't interested in lunch.  Tyler tried to nurse, but I still don't have anything for him, so I tried to give him a bottle.  He threw a little fit and refused it.  I attempted several more times and he still wanted nothing to do with the bottle.  I even put the formula (the same formula he has had every time Abbey babysits) in his sippy cup.  Nope.  Didn't work either.  I gave in and fed him some more cereal and veggies and then put him down for a nap, figuring if he is thirsty enough, he will have something to drink eventually!  Austin and Cody had fun playing today.  Austin actually let Cody wear his headlight, and they "had an adventure and looked for stuff behind things and in the dark" while Austin had his flashlight.  It was pretty cute.  I made spaghetti for dinner which made Austin extremely happy.  Cody and I had none.  Tyler went to bed at 7.  He never took the bottle, and luckily tonight while putting him to bed, I was able to nurse him.  Austin and Cody were in bed by 7:30.