TT Time!

TT came down for a visit yesterday and, as usual, we were spoiled and had a great time. She picnicked with us at CTL, took us the Chic-fil-a for an ice dream, read books to Henry, and out for yummy Mexican food last night. Today, I dropped Henry off at school and she and Manning and I went for coffee and shopped around a bit. We picked Henry up from school and then to Five Guys for lunch.

We were sooo saaad (see pic above :) to see her go this afternoon and we can't wait to see her again soon!

CharlesTOWNE Landing with the TOWNES

When Christine called me and asked if Henry could play "hookie" from school on Wednesday for a picnic at Charlestowne Landing I, of course, said YES! I LOVE this place and so does Henry. We picked up some Subway sammies, spread out a blanket, ate quickly while refereeing our children stealing each others chips, and had a grand ole time!

We then ventured into the Animal Forrest for a bit and then received a call from T.T. that she was at the gate. So, Henry and I went out to get her and headed back in. We all enjoyed the animals and each other for a while! We had 3 very tired children at the end of the day and some good naps were had by all.

And this little peanut slept the entire time and was his little laid back self. It won't be long before he is running around chasing the big kids, but for now I'll take my little sleepy head!

One Month, Manning

If you don't have your polo, then you're going home solo! WHAAAAT!!!

• You are 4 weeks old today
• You are sleeping in your crib at night now
• You love your mobile and we call the little animals on it "your friends"
  
• You also love your swing during the day
• You hate to have your diaper changed
• You hate to take a bath
• You like the Baby Bjorn much more than your brother did. I can put you in it in the afternoon while I'm cooking dinner and you fall fast asleep.
• You eat 3-4 ounces every 2.5 to 4 hours, however you are a rather lazy eater and it takes soo long to finish a bottle. We're working on keeping you awake and stretching you out longer b/w feedings.
• You follow my eyes and objects great, but are still our little cross eyed cutie. I don't remember when your brother got his eyes all straightened out, but I know yours will get straight soon.
  
• You are such a great little sleeper so far. You usually go down about 9pm or 10pm and wake up to eat b/w 2am and 3am. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to get you back down, but nothing a little bit of sleeping on my chest won't fix
• You LOVE to sleep on mine or Daddy's chest
• You are not going to be held to such a strict schedule as your brother. Mostly b/c we are constantly on the go with him and partly b/c your mom is a little more laid back this go round
• You like your pacifier, but are starting to need it less and less
• Your eyes are a beautiful steel blue and I hope they stay that way
• You skin is beautiful and your hair (very little of it) is definitely red. You don't seem as fair skinned as Henry.
  
• You are cooing some and have given several REAL smiles today. I am positive these are the real thing and these wide open mouth grins could melt the world.
  
• Your mommy loves to sit and stare at you in the mornings while your brother is at school and inspect all your parts. You are gorgeous and get cuter each day you are with me.
• Your nicknames are: Man Man (Mommy), Mandiggler (coined by your crazy uncle D, but all of us call you this now!), Little Pap Pap (Mommy). I'm sure there will be many more for you along the way as one of my most favorite things is to give nicknames :)
  
• You are the perfect addition to our family and we can't imagine life without you little Man Man. We love you so much!

Playin' Around

I know I have said this before on here, but Henry has totally taken to the big brother role like a champ. I am so proud of him for his genuine interest in the well being of Manning on a day to day basis. He is so gentle with him and gets so excited over every little move he makes.

He LOVES to help me out with grabbing diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc. and I don't know what I would do without his help. He is also great about "plugging" his pacifier back in when he needs it.

Henry may be "wide open" and a total "hand full", but Manning is one lucky little boy to have a big brother like him. They don't know it yet, but they are in for some good times ahead!!!

Boys = Dirt

Yesterday afternoon we were outside playing and I made the mistake of leaving the hose pipe on after watering my ferns.

Within minutes this is what happened.

Thank goodness for Oxyclean, Clorox, and Tide!

Christening

No, your eyes do not deceive you. Yes, that is a THREE WEEK OLD BABY on Folly Beach. Some of you who read this blog probably think his parents have lost their minds for venturing out to the beach with a newborn and you are probably right! We most certainly have! BUT, we felt the strong urge to "christen" Manning right off the bat by dipping his itty bitty toes in the Atlantic. Maybe not one of our most stellar ideas, but the deed is done nonetheless!

We did it real quick. Went out to the Folly Pier just out in front of the Holiday Inn with every Guido from the Jersey Shore here on Spring Break. Lovely! It was hysterical and I was literally about to pee my pants from laughing so hard while Brad was chasing Henry trying to keep him out of the frigid water and away from all the "Snookie's" trying to pinch his cheeks! (If you don't know about Snookie, then you need to tune into the show on MTV...Jersey Shore. Some real class acts ;) I digress. I did the dip and then bolted back to the car to feed my poor baby while his big brother wallered around in the sand for a bit. Brad and Henry came back to the car shortly with blue lips and a quivering chin. Then proceeded to strip naked (Henry, not Brad) and dry off. I was beginning to think we belonged out there the way we were carrying on, but we quickly pulled it together and headed home.

It was one of those moments that this family will look back on and reminisce for years to come. We'll tell the boys all about Manning's first "dip" in the mighty Atlantic and smile.
Memories we are a makin'!!!

Around Here

• Big bro is back in school and in his routine and for that we are ALL thankful!!!!
  
• Brad is back at work this week and we are all getting into a groove with a new person in the house.
• We've received some amazing meals from some great cooks over the last week and it has been a huge help.
• Manning had his 2 week check up and his weight was up to 7 lbs. 10 oz. Yahoo!
• He is still sleeping a lot during the day, but every day he is awake and aware more and more.
• Our nights have really been great (knock on wood). He usually gets up to eat only once and can go from 3-5 hours b/w feedings. I know this could all change on a dime, but we'll take it while we get it.
  
• I have given up breastfeeding. It is a decision that was made with much deliberation, but one that is best for the sanity of my family. Manning didn't nurse as well as Henry and it was becoming more stressful than peaceful, so I decided to give it up. He is thriving on the formula and it's much easier on everyone.
• Henry really is such a great big brother to Manning. He is so gentle and loving towards him. Me, not so much. But as long as he's kind and gentle to his brother, we'll work on his attitude towards us :) He is getting great reports from school, so that's good.
• Manning has started to coo as of this morning and it is the sweetest sound to my ears. I also think he's real close to giving us a smile.
• All in all, we are doing well adjusting to life with two!
  

First Bath

We had our first submerged tub bath last evening and to say that little Manning DID NOT LIKE IT would be an understatement! He screamed the whole time and clearly hated his first bath experience.

I am quite sure I had the water temp just right and that I was real soft and gentle with the wash clothe. It could be that we made it a family affair and that his maniac big brother was running wild with excitement. He was bringing chairs from all over the house trying to get up close and personal for his bitty brothers first bath. I'm pretty sure that Henry's first bath was done in a much more serene environment. But, then again, all of the first born "firsts" are CALM. Something Manning will NEVER experience I am sorry to say!
Better get used to it little Man Man!

So, I guess we'll give it another whirl in a day or so. Or maybe we'll wait until Henry is in school next week :)

Pure T Sweetness!

Happy Easter...

FROM
THE EARNST BROTHERS!

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail

The Easter Bunny sure was good to Henry and Manning this year! Manning got some new pacifiers, some wrist rattlers, and some diapers.

Henry got a bunch of new beach toys and bucket, a rubber snake (BIG HIT), spider man under roos, a pair of rainbow flip flops, a squirt gun, and a little bit of candy.

But, that Easter Bunny sure was a scatter brain last night. He dropped a bunch of jelly beans on the front porch and walkway and some of his cotton tail fell off while he was checking on Henry. There was cotton on Henry's pillow and bedside table. Silly Rabbit!

Aunt Hanna and The Thain Crew Roll Through

Saturday was my first day alone with two children, but only for a few hours in the morning. Aunt Hanna and The Thain crew drove down from Columbia to spend the day with us and I was so glad! Ry Ry and JJ entertained Henry while all the girls "fussed" over Manning and Little Durham. Henry LOVES those boys and they are great at getting him all riled up and then heading outta town! Just kidding! I could not believe how much Durham has grown and she has such a cute personality.

Aunt Hanna didn't put Manning down the entire day and even watched the boys while I went to Target to get Easter Bunny prizes. I am so mad I didn't get more pics from the day, but Courtney sure did and I'm hoping she'll email me some?!?! ;)

Thank you all for coming down to visit! I loved seeing you all!

Nana

We can't thank you enough for coming down to help last week! It was nice to be spoiled for a bit and all your help is much appreciated!

We love you,

Brad, Shelby, Henry and Manning

How Manning Made His Grand Entrance

*this post includes some rather graphic pregnancy/birth type info. so you boys feel free to skip
*this post is also long, so please feel free to skip

I want to record Manning's birth story on this blog b/c I never wrote it down for Henry and regret that. It all began last Thursday March 25 around 8am. I was all ready to go to work and was just getting ready to leave. I sat down to pee for the 1 billionth time and realized that I had lost my mucus plug. There was a good amount of blood, so I decided to call the doctor to make sure this was normal. I knew at this point I would not be going to work that day so I called my boss to let her know. Dr. Hargrove had me come in for a check at 9:30am . I arrived and was checked and was told I had indeed lost the plug, was only 1 going on 2 cm's dilated, 60% effaced, and that labor could be 1 hour away or 3 days. Henry was at school and then to Ms. Brenda's so I went home to rest. Frankie came and got me at around 12:30 and we went to Bessinger's for my favorite cheeseburger at my request. I was having a few contractions at this point which I had been having on and off for a day or so, but no pattern and not really that strong. They were strong enough though to make Frankie nervous and she had me come back to her house for the afternoon to rest. The contractions continued to get a bit stronger, but still no pattern. I was convinced that it was just false labor pains, but Frankie believed we'd have Manning by the next afternoon. She was right. I picked Henry up from Ms. Brenda's at 5:00pm and we went home to grab a few things and then headed back over to Mimi's for dinner. Brad met us there and by the time he arrived at 7:45ish I was having strong contractions about 10 minutes apart. We began timing at this point and I had already alerted my parents and Hanna to be on standby. By 8:30 they were coming at 8 minutes apart so we decided to head home and leave Henry with Mimi and Pops for the night. I got home and got in the bathtub to help relieve some of the pain and now they were 4-5 minutes, so obviously they were beginning to pick up. Brad had out his little pad and was constructing some sort of graph to better explain the patterns to the doc. So cute! I called Dr. Hargrove at 9:00ish and she had me head to St. Francis to be checked out. I arrived, was checked, and was 80% effaced and still only 2-3 cm's dilated. I was terrified that they would send me home with false labor b/c at this point the contractions had slowed to 8 minutes again (of course), but my PRECIOUS nurse Susan thought I was good to go and admitted me along with Dr. Hargrove's permission. I could literally write a book about the nurses I had that night, mainly Susan, but I'll save that for another day. She was in her 50's, very motherly, country accent, and the most calming and reassuring nurse. We fell in love with each other as the night progressed and basically both cried when it was all over and I was transferred to the post partum unit. I feel so lucky to have had her take care of me!
So, I got all hooked up to the monitors and awaited the almighty epidural. Which I did not get until a good 7 cm's b/c the anesthesiologist was tied up in an emergency c-section with a girl who had had zero prenatal care and gestational diabetes. She delivered a 13 lb. baby! He finally got there and administered the epidural which took effect immediately and was heavenly! My epidural did not work with Henry and I had a really hard and intense labor. This time it was picture perfect and I couldn't feel a thing, literally. I was able to lay back and rest some. Manning's heart rate kept dropping while flat on my back, so she had me stay on my left side and he was fine. I kind of stalled at 8 cm's so they pushed a little pitosin to get things moving. It worked and soon I began to feel A LOT of pressure and the urge to push. Susan called Dr. Hargrove and by the time she arrived I was REALLY ready to push. I think I pushed about 7 or 8 times and out my little angel came. Brad had decided before that he couldn't handle cutting the cord, so they handed to scissors to Hanna and she took the honors. I don't think she had time to react, so she just did it and did a great job. They immediately put him on my chest and he was the most precious little tiny thing. Those moments after birth are so surreal. You just can't believe it's finally over. That this little person had been growing inside you for 10 months. We immediately thought he looked like Henry and he still does. And yes, he does have strawberry blond/red hair. It's not much, but definitely in the red family.
At 3:13 am on Friday March 26th, my heart made room for one more child. I couldn't imagine how that could be, but it did.
And I am so proud I could just burst!