Texas

Life is good!!! To be honest, I probably won't get back to this for awhile. Most likely when I do our first ever Christmas letter/card I'll post it here as well. We've had a lot of adventure, blessing, and life lived since August. All is well in the Pulliam house and we are very happy to be here. Kids are super fun and of course adorable. I expected life to slow down moving from the west coast but being basically in the outskirts of a big city we could literally be busy all day everyday with the moms group and other activities-no complaints here :) So hang in there if you will. By January the computer will be fixed, we will be way more organized, we'll have a routine, and I have made a pre news years resolution to update the blog more, if nothing else to have better record keeping of how our life has taken shape looking back a few years down the road.

Home Sweet Home

Austin or Bust!

The Pulliams are moving to Austin!!! Yes, that would be in Texas. Crazy, but we are so excited and I am bursting with pride with my husbands diligence and hard work at providing a better life for our family. Lots to do so details will follow in a day or so!

No one said it was easy...

My dear sweet Elle is challenging me lately as well as my serious little Rylan. I'm feeling stretched beyond stretchable with these two. I'm finding myself drawn to spending time with Blake as her needs are easy to meet. The "big" kids often break my heart and leave me feeling discouraged that I have no idea what I'm doing. I fully admit I am distracted with the job search for Kenny far too often, so I know that plays into the misbehavior happening in our house. Rylan and Elle are so different thus parenting them isn't the same and it seems like my skills as a parent are are far from adequate. I'm trying to be wise in the way I guide and correct them versus just reacting out of frustration, but I'm at a loss, what do I do when nothing works??? They are a priceless beautiful gift and I will be eternally grateful for them I just don't know how to keep from wishing away thedays because I know I'll miss it when they are older. I am the queen of lists-to do, grocery, dinners, playdates, birthdays, things to do with the kids, etc...I miss my husband, I miss sleep, I miss taking my time to get somewhere, I miss them being babies that didn't talk back or tell me they don't like me or to get away. How terrible is it that I long to run, shower or have Cotton Candy work just so I only have one thing to focus on and it doesn't involve being little beings?! If I had to write an ad for my job it would read as this: 3 gorgeous babes in need of one extra patient energetic mom with octopus arms to be a referee, janitor, cook, driver, personal assistant, storyteller, stylist, photographer, activities director, entertainer, nurse, laundress, and various other duties as assigned.

Now, I do love the honor of mother, just having one of those days I suppose, and the way I keep from laying on the ground and having a meltdown is to turn on my favorite Pandora station and peck away as fast as my overly tired hands will let me. Here I pretend I can sing perfectly, share my heart openly, and be more than I am....aaaahhhh if only I wasn't pretending. I've tried journaling and it became a chore and I don't need any more of those. So what do I need??? Time maybe??? A good babysi

tter? Probably both. I'll end with this, I hope that regardless of how I feel these bad days, that my children grow into healthy, respectful, responsible, loving adults that remember a fun sentimental childhood. If they come home from school on holidays and actual want to spend time with me I will have succeeded.

Give me patience when little hands

tug at me with small demands.

Give me gentle words and smiling eyes

a

nd keep my lips from sharp replies.

So in years to come when my house is still

beautiful memories its rooms may fill.

Read all about it....

http://moderndaymoms.com/cotton-candy/

Cotton Candy on Modern Day Moms

Cotton Candy featured on Modern Day Moms. Check it out for a chance to win a $20.00 store credit!

http://www.moderndaymoms.com/giveaways/

More sad but also exciting news

We are so bummed but yet also excited for the Rose family. They are headed to Washington the end of May to Seattle for the rest of the year then onto Spokane. It is a great opportunity for their family like the Uppenas, but we are sad to have more friends leaving California. Heidi and I have been pregnant together with Ruby and Elle and Emmaus and Blake so it's extra sad that we won't watch our babies grow up together. To our friends and family in Washington if you know of anyone or a resource to search for a furnished place in Seattle for the next six months I know they would great appreciate any suggestions.

What a weekend...

This weekend Elle: peed in her potty, perfected a somersault, and learned how to put on her pants. Rylan: played catch with a ball and helps with Blake without being asked. Blake: officially smiling and starting to coo. Holy smokes folks, thats a lot for this mama to wrap my brain around. What a special mother's day/birthday weekend for Kenny and I even though he only had yesterday off. May is gonna fly by which is terribly sad because one of our best friends is moving to Texas very soon. Rylan doesn't know yet and it's going to break his heart as it did mine when he hears :( We are sooooooo very excited for the Uppena family but hate to see them go, and that's about all I can say about the subject right now, tear :( :( :(

Happy 36th Birthday Kenny!

Wish you could be home all day with us :( We love you!

Railroad Day at Santa Margarita Ranch

We are so ready for Friday at this house...

Just a few...and a couple old ones

Baby Mine

Dear Blake,

Baby mine, don't you cry.

Baby mine, dry your eyes.

Rest your head close to my heart,

Never to part,

Baby of mine.

Little one when you play,

Don't you mind what they say.

Let those eyes sparkle and shine,

Never a tear,

Baby of mine.

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/a/alison_krauss/baby_mine.html ]

If they knew sweet little you,

They'd end up loving you too.

All those same people who scold you

What they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes,

You're not much, goodness knows.

But you're so precious to me,

Sweet as can be,

Baby of mine.

All those same people who scold you,

What they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes

You're not much, goodness knows.

But you're so precious to me,

Sweet as can be,

Baby of mine.

Baby of mine

The first 36 hours

Click here for a few pictures of our sweet Blake Lucille...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=332376&id=663659147&l=2b3996415d

It's a Girl!!!!!!!

More to follow....Blake Lucille Pulliam was born March 16 at 9:10 pm. 7lbs.13oz and 191/2" of perfection! We are healthy and so in love.

38 Weeks!!!

Could be any day now! With the flu having made its rounds through all of us, I'm just feeling better today, still congested and bad cough but the yuckiest part seems to have passed. After lots of hours spent over the last week at the hospital including one exhausting night, all of the non-stress test and blood pressure test numbers have ended in the healthy zone. I have another one tomorrow after my regular doctor's appointment, hopefully that will be the last before we meet this new little one. Fortunately for me my mom was able to make a last minute trip down on Sunday so I could kick this bug asap. Literally couldn't have done it without her here. Sooooooo hopefully the next post will be sharing our happy news!

Home Stretch

This is the month we've all been waiting for. Some days it feels like it's going to take forever and other days I can't believe it's right around the corner. Without going into any detail, we have a lot up in the air right now so it's keeping me somewhat distracted from obsessing over baby's arrival. I'm trying to find lots of things for us to do to keep the kids busy and life fun for them before it's slows wwwwaaaaayyyy down for a couple months. I feel pretty good but have some very uncomfortable/painful moments almost everyday. I'm hoping that all this "work" ahead of time will make for a short labor, one can dream right? We'll keep you all posted

Grateful Heart

Today we were incredibly blessed by friends. We had a delicious soup dropped off, cash sent in the mail and a gift basket with a gift card included. I feel so spoiled today and encouraged for tomorrow, although a little nervous. I am excited for the Vendor Showcase but "selling" is definitely not my strong suit, but that's okay because Cotton Candy sells itself, right?! Baby d-day is rapidly approaching and the closer it gets the more consumed I get with wondering about "shim". What will you look like, will you be like your brother or your sister, will you be a good sleeper, how will nursing go, will the epidural work this time, will you like to be outside like your siblings, what will your name be, how will I do with three, will I be sad to not be pregnant ever again, will daddy really cut the cord this time, who will deliver you, will labor be long or quick, will it be during the day or night, and much much more...The one thing I do know is that your birthday has already been determined and that we will welcome you with overflowing hearts and utter joy. In just a couple days we will be at 35 weeks and I have no idea where the time has gone and can't believe we get to meet this little one so soon, yay!!!!!!!!!!

About 33 Weeks

...and fully in countdown mode!!!! After a sweet baby mint shower and a visit from my mom and sister, I feel ready. Well let me clarify; ready in terms of being organized and room prepared for baby, just waiting to put the car seat in. Also physically ready to be done being pregnant. I love every single little wiggle in my belly, but unfortunately at this stage for me that does not make up for the discomfort in doing my "daily chores" and keeping up with two little ones. I'm realizing just how close in age these three will be and sometimes it totally freaks me out. Emotionally I'm not really sure if I feel ready for the new addition. So incredibly excited to meet "shim" just feeling a mixed bag of worry and anticipation for the shift in our family. I was comforted last weekend after watching squishy love Brody Blake that the kids will be incredible with baby Trio. Elle is 100% obsessed with Brody and it warmed my heart to see how much she loved having him here and is so enthralled with him any other time we see him. Rylan even said, "...look at his cute little ear mama..." We already don't sleep all night so I'm not concerned about that either. I did the same thing with Elle-feeling like I'll have to divide my heart and mentally I know that's not the case-somewhere in the short distance from brain to heart it's getting all mixed up again. On another note, I am pretty darn sure this is the last baby I will carry. I have gotten so many colds this pregnancy and with Kenny's ridiculous lack of having a work schedule I just don't think I am up for doing this again. I feel much more peace about being done now than I did a few weeks ago. This feels right for our family. If the opportunity falls into place to adopt in the future we are still open to that. After a night of false labor and my lack of ability to really let things go, we are feeling like we have made a decision that is best. I am so grateful for all the Costco trips and dinners Amy has provided and all the dinner dates Rylan has had at the Blakes, seriously could NOT have gotten through the last couple weeks without your help. I hope you know how much you have given me through you generous acts. Also having my mom and sister here last week was awesome because I got through my baby list and now should baby come early, we are set! Thank you G-ma Kim for babysitting in a couple weeks for the craft fair and willing to come in the middle of the night or day when Trio comes...Blessed to have friends near that are helping out this sick and tired mama!

Last baby?

This is the great debate...To say I'm torn is an understatement. It's hard to imagine these being the last few weeks of my entire life that I will feel a little wiggle babe growing inside my belly, but being completely honest, most days have been challenging physically, mentally, and sometimes both. I will freely admit I dwell on and over think things far too often. I am borderline obessesed with the it, like I have to have a decision made the second I walk out of the hospital new baby in tow. As much as I like the "idea" of a large family, I'm not sure we are those people. I don't necessarily feel done but I am much much more open to it now then right after Elle was born, although I do remember saying during or right after delivery "...I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!...", yet here we are again and now I find myself undecided, maybe if the labor and delivery included pain relief and baby did not have to have light treatment for jaundice and we fell into a fortune, and Kenny had a regular work schedule, and at least one was in school, and and and....see what I mean. How will I ever decide??? I guess ultimately it is out of my hands because like this baby, if there is another Pulliam meant to be in this world from my womb, it's gonna happen prepared, planned, "prevented" or not...I guess I'll leave it at this, we will revisit this topic next year. I've told myself however many children we have when I'm thirty, that's all we'll have. So when December 11,2012 comes, the eve of my 31st birthday, the last day of being 30- I'll have made a decision, either I will be pregnant or Kenny will be headed to the doctor :)

January 2011

Random Thoughts

Cotton Candy is off to a great start for 2011 and I'm excited to see what this year will bring for the business. Baby is growing right on track and everything is going well but growing more anxious by the day to meet this little one. Kenny is still on the job hunt for all of us to move onto bigger and better things. Although we do have some wonderful people in our lives here and it will be sad to leave we just really want to provide something other than a small town life for our family. Having both grown up in isolated small towns, it's just not how we see life for our family. I had a great chat with an old friend today it was so refreshing to feel like a "girl" and not just a mom. Not that being a mom is not the most amazing thing ever, it was just nice to share with another woman and be able to support one another in life, nothing huge just life. Rylan and Elle are really developing a love and care for each other and it's a privilege to watch and I hope I am helping to foster a healthy and good relationship between the two. I know just in time for our family dynamics to shift right?! Funny how as your family changes, your priorities and plans change with each new member. Last random thought, Elle is exactly the age Rylan was when we brought her home, crazy how fast that has gone and how much he has changed in her short little lifetime. He seems so grown up compared to then yet it feels like she was just a baby we were learning about and getting to know. Now just 10 weeks away we'll have another baby to get to know and I'm sure Elle will seem like such a big girl when we bring baby home. Sad how incredibly fast it goes....

We are done!

We had a great quick trip to SF. To quote Rylan's doctor, "...you guys have done everything technologically possible for him...there is no target area left..." Best news we've heard in awhile :) So now any future treatments will be up to him. Even THE top specialist for this treatment gave us the all clear. We are so grateful to Dr. Cordoro for everything she has done and with such great care. She even said she felt like a friend of the family and hopes to keep in touch. The next day we met up with Rylan's "doctor office friend" Maddox (a sweet little boy whose family we've gotten to know over the last year of treatments as he was always on the schedule right before us). We had a super fun time at the Exploratorium with them and then with about a thousand pounds lifted off our shoulders headed home. Thank you to all our friends and family that have checked in on us after treatments, prayed, stayed at the house, given special treats, and much more. Your support and encouragement through this chapter of our lives was so appreciated. For 2 1/2 years we have made this trip and we are so so so so so so glad to put this behind us.

Last Trip to UCSF????

Hopefully tomorrow will be our last trip to UCSF for a long long time. We'll be sure to let you know this weekend what we find out. I feel like I want to complain but as I sit here my little babe is wiggling in my belly reminding me that life is good. On that note, I had my glucose test this morning and go to the doctor for my check up and rho gam shot next Wednesday, all that means delivery day is rapidly approaching :) I am excited about so many things. I was hoping Kenny and I could get in a night away before baby trio comes but I guess we'll have to save it for another time. We had an incredible Christmas and mellow New Years. I'll post some pictures next week. Well at least one is awake and desperately needs me at this precise moment or the world may just fall apart. Til the weekend...