It was pretty much an immediate thing. Took 'em off, and away he went. Now I'm wondering why we took so long to take the training wheels off in the first place. At least we know that Silas is ready for a training wheel-less bike too. Thanks, Like-a-LIKEaBIKE!

Posted by Beau at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Today I am 31 weeks along, which would leave exactly 9 weeks until my due date...except that I am having a c-section. The good thing about c-sections is that we can plan exactly when we need help with the boys, dog, mail, etc., and set it up ahead of time. The weird thing about c-sections is that the due date becomes irrelevant sometime about...now. My doctor and I discussed the baby's birthday at the last appointment, and it looks like it will be Nov. 30, barring any surprises (shout out to my brother Josh and sister-in-law Lauren who will potentially be sharing their birthdays with her!) Of course that may change, but that's what we're thinking. Gotta quick get our Christmas decorating in!

[So when people ask me when I'm due, what do you think? Should I say my actual due date or the date I'm scheduled for my c-section? This has been concern of mine recently, and I still haven't determined the right answer...:)]

We've had our little girl's name picked out for roughly 10 years now. When Beau and I got married, we had both a boy and girl name that we wanted to use, and we're pretty solid when it comes to not changing our minds ("Luke Ryan" was our boy name). So, without further ado, our daughter's name: Faith Claire Teague.

The meaning of Faith is pretty self-explanatory, but it also means trust, confidence, or belief. Her name pretty much stemmed from one of my favorite verses in the Bible:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

Her middle name is Tiffany's (Beau's sister's) middle name, who set us up on our first blind date over 11 years ago. Claire means illustrious, clear or bright.

When we first told the boys what we were going to be naming the new baby, they started calling her "baby Faith" right away. However, the latest sermon series at our church was on "Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith", and they did a similar version in kids church. As soon as we got home from church that first Sunday of the series, Luke says, "I don't think we should name our baby 'Faith'." "Why?" "Well, faith is something you believe in but can't see. We'll be able to see her, right?" It's taken a little convincing, but I think he's now on board...

Posted by Jeanine at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

• How they love to listen to the Spanish music station on the radio
• How Luke has started getting holes in the knees of his jeans
• Silas's Curious George impression - dead. on.
• How they can communicate with each other without using any words
• How the boys drape themselves over your shoulder when you carry them downstairs after their nap
• That Luke's favorite pair of shorts is camouflaged (the first item of clothing he's specifically asked me to buy for him)
• Silas's low, guttural laugh
• Answering out-of-the blue questions ("How do the walls stay up?" "Why do we all talk differently?" "How do people make these big signs on the road?" "Why is lightning in the sky?" "Why did God make the devil?" "How do you get a hangnail?" "Why don't ladybugs have tails?" "What's the difference between 'slip' and 'trip'?")
• Silas's summer "water wing tan"
• How they always want to include each other in excursions ("Is Silas coming?" "Can Luke go, too?")
• Luke's daily singing of things he wants to say
• Silas's careful enunciation
• Luke's sly smile when he doesn't want you to know that he's pleased with your praise
• The "snert" they named and invented - half snort/half gross (as if snorting isn't gross enough). It used to make me want to throw up during my 1st trimester, but now I can appreciate the boyness of it.
• How Luke ever so gently gets Silas up from his nap by rubbing his back and whispering to him
• How every night is a slumber party since they're sharing a room
• How careful Luke is not to brag about the fact that he no longer has to take naps. Every day he whispers in my ear, "I don't have to take a nap today, right?" It's been 3 months.
• How Silas immediately stands on his head when you put him to bed and leave the room
• How they say "our chuthers" instead of "each other"
• How their main goal of each day is to get our chuthers to laugh
• How Luke's favorite bathing suit is the one that has nothing to do with how it looks, but that it's size 100. 100! Now that's a big kid size (read: European).
• How excited they both are about their baby sister! Luke has even offered to help carry her for me, as I only have 2 hands for the two of them. :)

Posted by Jeanine at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

...very healthy baby! Praise God! The ultrasound went very well yesterday, and everything looked great. The boys and Beau came with me, so that was even better. The ultrasound tech said that in 2 years of doing this, she'd never seen any siblings as into watching the ultrasound as the boys were - fun!

About 1.5 seconds after the ultrasound wand made contact with my stomach, the tech asked, "So do you want to know?" "Wait...now?" Didn't she want to wiggle it around a bit just to make sure? No - apparently it was very clear. Just like that. That immediately said "boy" in my brain, but in case you were wondering, it's a girl! Our children have no problem letting us know ahead of time what gender they are.

Luke and Silas were not surprised. They knew all along. Beau and I were both shocked, as we believed that we were destined to make boys, though Beau had had a hunch. I believe I was the only one completely surprised. Whatever happened to mother's intuition??

We are, of course, thrilled. As we would be either way. But this throws an added element of unpredictability and newness to the mix. A girl with 2 older brothers! Double the amount of grilling that future boyfriends will get. Bring on the pink!

Posted by Jeanine at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)