Lots of Love

The girls sure love their brother! He's got 4 mothers...he better brace himself!

Perfect from head to toe...

Our little boy is here! He was born on July 20. Two weeks and two days early--on purpose of course! On Tuesday the 18th, we went to the hospital for another ultrasound and an amniosentisis (depending on what the ultrasound said). He still measured big, and after a visit with my doctor, we decided to induce labor--this baby wasn't going to get any smaller! We went in on Thursday morning at 9:00 and by 10:00 they started me on the pitocin. During the day I made small steps and by 5:00, I was only dialated to 5 cm. UGH!!! Abby and Emma came in two hours and so it seemed like a long time. Luckily, I had a roomful of people! My mom, grandma, sister (Annie) and her fiance, and my two friends, Jamie and Missy. We had a fun day. I layed in the hospital bed and we just sat and talked and laughed. I did have an epidural at 11:30, so I was comfortable. At 5:30 they turned off the pitocin and let it clear out of my system and then they came in and turned it back on full force and then it was all downhill from there. My contractions started coming fast and strong --for a while they really hurt! The anethesiologist had to come and give me more drugs and I'm so glad! After that it didn't take long at all. My friend Missy massaged my head and played with my hair and it really helped a lot. She was a great coach. So, he really came fast once he decided to come! He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long--pretty good size for being early! He is absolutely perfect from head-to-toe. He is so good so far too. His sisters just love him. They are really good at holding him and making sure his head doesn't flop all over. He's sleeping great! He's only been waking up at 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. hopefully that will continue. I got to go and stay with my mom from Saturday after I got out of the hospital until Wednesday and she took great care of me. I had lots of good breakfasts and lots of sleep-- and usually I don't get either. It was hard to leave and come back to reality, but I guess it has to be done sometime. I am so happy he is here! Our family is complete.

Where to buy a husband?

The other night I had put all the kids to bed and was laying by Emma in my bed. Raymond came to me and told me that his new asst. manager had locked her keys and the store keys in the office. ( I guess they were on the same key chain.) It was 11:00 at night and Ray is the only one who has keys to the office other than Debbie (the asst.) and Tracy (who couldn't leave because her husband was gone somewhere with the car.) So, we pulled all the kids out of bed and took the 25 mile drive to his work. While we were getting ready to go, I had asked Ray why Debbie's husband couldn't come and pick her up. He told me that she was a single mom, so that answered that question. When we got Emma buckled up she said to me, "Mom, why can't her husband come and get her?" I explained that she didn't have one and she said, "Well, maybe she needs to go and buy one." LOL. I couldn't stop laughing. Wouldn't it be interesting to get into the mind of a four year old???

It might be fun as a job...

This last weekend my little sister and her fiance came and I was able to take their engagement pictures. It really makes me want a nicer camera! I would love to do this and make some money. We had a lot of fun. She is very photogenic. He has a harder time, but he did a great job! They turned out really cute. I am so excited for them and for our family. He is going to be a great addition. The wedding date is August 11. I am going this weekend to do bridal pictures for her. Stay tuned to see what they look like!

Closer Every Day

Today was my 34 1/2 week appt. Not too much longer. I only have 3 weeks from today and I get another ultrasound that will determine if they start me early. It would be lovely if it all worked out that way. It is so hot, and I am uncomfortable and grouchy. I keep telling Ray and the kids that I will be a better mom and wife when the baby is here. This picture was taken about a month ago and I am much bigger now. Don't have a recent picture though, so this one will have to do.

Dance, dance, dance

Today was our schools annual dance festival. It's always so fun to watch the kids dance. I had two kids this year. Whitney danced to "move it" from Madagascar. Abby danced to an old song, I don't know the name of it, but it sure was cute and they did such a great job. I took pictures, but I still don't have the program installed. It makes me giggle how much concentration that those kids put into what they are doing. You can just see their little mouths counting beats, or saying what move comes next. They were so excited for me to see what they had learned and they've been practicing for weeks--at home and at school. Today was one of those '"final" days. It really is summer. I really will have a 1st grader and a 3rd grader. My babies are growing up. I am so proud of them. They have done so well this year!

30 weeks and counting...DOWN!!!

Saturday was my 30 week mark. I am so excited to get this little boy here! I can't wait to see what he looks like, to hold his tiny hands, and kiss his cheeks. What a long experience this has been. The cool thing is I actually only have 9 weeks left instead of 10 because my doctor is starting me a week early, since my last baby was a week early and weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. I've had two ultrasounds so far, and he measured big on both of them. His head measures especially big, so I have a third ultrasound today with a perinatal something-or-other. I have to go to a different office to do it. I'm pretty sure they aren't worried about anything being wrong, just taking some extra measures to make sure. Emma had a big head. She was just a big baby--but, oh so cute and chubby. I think it's just in his genes. His dad's family has some big people, and his dad is big.

This is the girls last week of school. HOORAY!!! It will be nice to be able to take my mornings slow and not have hair and bus rides to worry about. It will be especially nice to have some extra help around the house. This little mommy is getting BIG! We just got our computer fixed and the program to upload pictures isn't installed yet...Hopefully soon and then I will post a picture of this big, but cute, belly!

Peanuts and Chinas

Yesterday was my ultrasound! We got up and started getting ready at about 8:00. The ultrasound was scheluled for 11:00. I was so excited! I woke up at 7:15 because I couldn't sleep. At 9:30 my mom and grandma got to my house. I had invited them because I wasn't sure if Ray could come--which thankfully, wasn't the case. While the girls were eating their breakfast, they were talking about if it was a girl or a boy. Abby, my middle child, commented that if it was a girl it would be boring because we already have enough girls. I sat down with them and explained what would be happening at the office. I told them the Dr. Would be checking the baby's heart, brain, lungs, stomach, etc.. and after all that he would see if he could tell us if we were having a brother or a sister. I then asked my youngest what the baby would have if it was a boy. "Peanuts!" she said, and then went on to tell me that her and her sisters had a china. I've always tried to teach them the correct terms, but they don't always hear them the right way. LOL. When we arrived, we got right in. No waiting is good when you have 3 excited children with you. The radiologist showed us it's head first. We got a really good profile picture. We saw the front of it's face and the kids were so excited to see that there really was a baby in there. It's heartbeat was 156 beats per minute. It measured a little big, which made the due date July 28 instead of August 5. Everything looked great. We finally got to that moment and I instantly knew what it was, because I had never seen one of these before. It's a BOY! It took the rest of them to see, but the doctor pointed it out and I just started crying. "Emma, it has peanuts!" I said. The girls all squealed and said "We're having a brother!" My mom was crying and Ray just stared at the screen for a minute. He asked the radiologist twice if he was sure. It was such an exciting experience. We are all so excited to have a little boy in our house. Now the biggest trick is being patient for him to get here.

Hormones, butterflies, and anticipation

Again, it's been forever. Only because I still don't feel that great all the time and sitting at the computer is just hard for me. I have tons of pictures that I want to post, but I need my husband to fix the connection for me. When it gets done, I will post a picture of this belly that is growing. I will be 17 weeks tomorrow. (Saturday) Almost half-way! I can't believe it. It feels like it's been forever. My hormones are out of control. I am so irritable. I have no patience with my kids at all, ever. I feel bad because this isn't their fault, but they get a lot of the repercussions. It will be nice to feel normal again someday. Hugs and kisses are in short supply with me lately and hopefully will be re-stocked soon!

On the brighter side--I felt the baby move last Saturday. That is always such a blessed time. It always makes me want to shout, "There really is something in there!" I have felt it several times since then. The kids are anxious to be able to feel it. I'm sure it will be at least another month, but they will love it. I told them that right now it feels like I have little butterflies in my tummy. The ultrasound is scheduled for March 14. I am so excited to see what this little stranger is. All the girls want a brother and of course, so does daddy. I ,on the other hand,really don't care. A boy would definitely even out some of the estrogen floating around this place. Daddy could use a fishing pal and I think it would be a lot of fun to see how different a boy would be. If it's a girl, I already have all the stuff and I totally know how to do girls. Four weddings... We need to start saving now!

Going on a field trip

I'm feeling quite a bit better. Good thing, because I was about ready to lock myself in a padded room. I haven't thrown up for a week and two days. My kids thought I was dying! Emma was shocked when I walked downstairs the other day. She said "Abby--mom totally walked down the stairs". Pretty funny.

Today we are going to Brigham to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday. It will be my first time out since I've felt well. I am so excited. It is going to be hilarious. Tomorrow my little sister, Nicki, is having a baby shower. I don't know if I can handle all this excitement! I am definitely ready to have some fun. I'll take pics and post them soon!

Sick, bored, and ready to move on

Wow! It's been a month and it seems like a year! I found out two days after Thanksgiving that we are expecting our fourth baby. Am I excited? YES! But, oh, so sick. During the past month I've lost about 12 lbs. and thrown up more times that I'd like to count. All I've done is lay on the couch and lay on the bed. My house is honestly just disgusting. Days feel like weeks, and I get so bored just laying there, but there's not much else to do. I did, however, get a new medicine called Zofran. It is extrememly expensive, luckily insurance covers most of it. It has helped a lot. I haven't lost my cookies now for about 3 days. It's a start. Tomorrow marks my 10th week, so I'm 1/4 of the way there. Cross your fingers that the next 3/4 will be better!