Adjusting

I can't believe our new little man is almost 2 weeks old! We are slowly getting used to having another person in the house, although he is such a good baby that when chaos is erupting around us we tend to forget he is even there. Unfortunately, as par for my course, I developed Mastitis last Saturday (I also got this about 5 days post-partum after Sadie and Eli). I woke up chilled and feverish in the middle of the night, shaking like after the baby was born. My Mom was a huge help as Steven was out of town for a family wedding (he was the officiant!), my Dad also came back up for the weekend. For those of you who don't like for someone to stay with you after you have a baby YOU ARE CRAZY, especially with other kids in the house. Physically and emotionally, I couldn't have managed that first week and a half without my Mom! Many tears were shed on Thursday when she left, everyone but Steven and David I believe (although Steven was definitely in favor of her staying, as long as she was willing). I was beginning to gain some confidence that I could handle mothering 3 until today, when my fever shot back up with a recurrence of Mastitis (hello, new antibiotics). Thankfully my in-laws are in town and were planning on having the big kids spend the night tonight and taking them to church tomorrow, and Steven is here to take care of me. David's my little bed-buddy, he's happy as a lark to lounge around in the bed with me all day, snoozing and nursing.
The big kids are doing well the baby, minus a few mishaps in behavior. They both seem to really love him, especially Sadie, who has spent a lot of time holding and singing songs to David, usually about her being his sister and how much she loves him, etc.. Eli leans over and gives him kisses about 25 times a day, and seems to have gentle intentions, at least. He's had a little bit of a hard time with nursing, (does he remember?) and has appeared very interested in trying it himself. He asked me soon after we were home "what doin' Mommy?" and I said "nursing the baby, but he doesn't seem very hungry right now," Eli quickly responded "I hungry!" I've also made sure to trade out holding the baby, when possible, for some good snuggles with Eli. One day I was by myself with the boys and he was walking around singing "Hol' me, hol' me, hol' me" to the tune of "Holy, Holy, Holy". Too cute. I've felt especially sorry for him at times, though, as he seems to have changed from the apple of Sadie's eye to the bad guy. She has some displaced anger, I think, and has been quite mean to him at times. Her way of adjusting, I'm sure, but we are still attempting to nip in the bud. For the most part she has been quite the little helper, and for that I am glad. Today when I was feeling my worst I think they were feeling the effects of some mild neglect. They both climbed into the bottom of new co-sleeper and zipped themselves inside, unable to get out. If I wasn't worried they were going to break it I would have left them in there a while, to teach them a lesson. But I didn't.
We are blessed to have grandparents near and far to help in times like this, but I am ready to feel better, get my house in order, and have my big babies sleeping in their own beds again. For now I will snuggle with my sweet bundle and concentrate on fighting off the Mastitis once and for all, or, until next time.

And Then There Were Three

A quick disclaimer to this birth story is that I have some help remembering the details. My mom is a birth doula and keeps a notebook of her client's births, jotting down notes as she can during the labor process. So, her notebook is by my side as I recount the details of May 30th, 2011, one of the best days of my life! Truly, the story starts early Saturday morning as I woke up with contractions and began to worry I was going to have to cancel Sadie's birthday party. We had a huge day planned with lots of guests and a new (used) swingset being brought up and put together by my Dad. I worried through several contractions then finally, an hour or two later, went back to sleep. I continued to cramp on and off throughout the day as well as have other "labor signs" but we enjoyed a great birthday party with 14 kids and 12 adults and a very happy Sadie. Steven was preaching the next day in Winston Salem and again, in the middle of the night, I woke up with contractions and just knew we were going to have to make other arrangements. Much to my disappointment, the labor slowed. My parents came anyways that afternoon and we just sat around and waited. That night I lost some more sleep due to contractions so I decided enough was enough, he was ready to come out my body just must be oxytocin-deficient. I had an induction scheduled for Friday the 3rd and knew my doctor was on call that Monday. I called her first thing that morning and begged her to let me come in to get checked. She agreed and Mom and I were off, in the truck, to the hospital. 

I got checked in to MAU and thankfully was at least having contractions, however it was definitely early labor. Dr. R. wasn't overly optimistic but agreed to let me stay and start Pitocin to see what I would do. I was so excited, even though I knew what was in store I was ready to have my baby. We started the Pitocin about 1:30 (oh and I was only 1cm and 50% effaced in MAU), I did some walking and began to have some good contractions. They continued to turn the Pitocin up every 30 minutes and at 3pm Dr. R. came in and broke my water...there was no turning back now! I was only 2cm. The labor intensified and I called Steven (who was at home taking a nap) and told him it was time to come in. He is a great husband but sort of shuts down during all this labor stuff, he hates to see me in pain. My Mom is a great doula, however, and doesn't leave my side. I stayed 2cm for most of the afternoon and did progressively worse with my contractions. Steven and Dad went to get some dinner about 6:15 and before my daytime nurse left I decided to get an epidural. By the time I got it, a little after 7:30, I was shaking constantly and unable to relax even between the contractions. 15 minutes after the epidural I had already progressed to 3.5cm (I am convinced I don't dilate well until I get the epidural). At 8:45 I was still 4cm so I tried to rest for awhile, which is hard to do mentally. We turned on the tv and watched the last few minutes of The Bachelorette, then Steven started watching The Office at 10. Dr. R. checked me again at 10:20 and I was 6-7, and with the next few contractions I was about to jump off the bed with pressure. The nurse checked me and calmly paged the doc that I was ready to push. Steven was at the moment laughing hysterically at a scene from The Office, but he did turn off the tv to watch the birth of his son. A couple pushes later and David was born at 10:41pm! They put him skin to skin, then did a quick weight/assessment, and brought him back to me. He nursed like a champ and was sweet from the word go. I am thankful that things worked out well, that he came out healty as my little May baby. He does look just like his Daddy, so watch out ladies in a few years! He is a blessing from the Lord and we are so thankful for another healthy baby.

I have a 4 year old? And 3 kids?

I can't believe that it has been 4 years now since Sadie entered our lives. What a happy day that was! For a good part of this pregnancy I thought that Sadie and David would share a birthday, but he decided to be my May baby instead (I will do his birth story with my next post). I'm glad it worked out that way that Sadie has her own day, and she probably is too. We had her party last weekend, a mere 14 kids and 12 adults, I guess it was no surprise that 48ish hours later I would have a baby. It has been a crazy week, but I want to pay tribute to my little girl. She is my firstborn, my social butterfly, my helper, and my "chocolate cake buddy". It has been a wonderful 4 years. I could write many many paragraphs about her but my new little man is not on board with that plan....will blog more later!

Daddy = protector

 I haven't blogged about Steven in a while, I'm sure it's time. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful husband and friend, and it's fun now to see him as a loving father. Sadie will frequently climb in our bed in the middle of the night, which I don't mind since she usually falls right back to sleep and isn't quite the wiggler she once was. I remember doing the same thing as a child, and actually, I wont tell you how old I was the last time I did it!

Last night, Sadie crawled in our bed and was more awake than usual. I heard her ask her Daddy if there were any scary things around. He gave her a sleepy answer and I chimed in too, although it became clear she was just talking to him. She said she was afraid of a witch. He very sweetly told her there was nothing to be scared of, and the Lord is with us, as well. I felt a little left out as I realized she had no intentions of snuggling with me.

However, I woke up in the early morning light to see her and Steven snuggled up on the same pillow, her asleep in his outstretched arm and holding onto his hand. I suddenly realized that Mom is not all-encompassing. She didn't need me at all last night, she needed him, her protector. I am so thankful that she, and we, have such a good one! 

Thank you Lord that we have a man in our home that protects, loves, and provides for us, showing us through these actions Your grace poured out on our family. 

Spring is here!

I haven't lef the blogging world, I've just been busy trying to finish all these last minute projects before little D decides to come. I'm pretty positive I wont go early with my history (9 days late with Sadie, 8 with Eli), but, I can't plan on it. We've had a fun few weeks....here the kids are at a Grasshopper's game (the minor league team in Greensboro). It isn't really about watching baseball anymore, Steven has realized, but the grassy lawn, snow cones, music, and awesome playground make it a fun family event.

We had a pre-Easter get together in Charlotte at my parent's house, 2 of my girlfriends and my sister-in-law came over with their kids to dye eggs, go on an Easter egg hunt, and make resurrection rolls. We had 10 kids 7 and under, it was great! Here are the 8 of them, not sure what happened to the other 2.... 

Steven and I got to take a nice trip to Sunset Beach for a couple nights, just the 2 of us, on a company trip. It was a sweet time together with good food and pretty sunshine, I can't lay out like I used to but I did manage to get a little sun on the arms. Mama always said "tan fat looks better than white fat" and I need whatever help I can get right now! :)

Last weekend my parents came up for the weekend, to visit but also to help with my latest project.....that has gotten me started on many home projects this week (nesting, maybe?). Apparently I am not very good at keeping the kids quiet while Steven works from home in his downstairs office. My personal opinion is no one could keep our 2 quiet for that long but the obvious answer to the problem was to move his office upstaris to the bonus room and move the kid's toys to the downstairs office, the "new bonus room" as Sadie now calls it. I told Steven it would be an easy move but I underestimated the amount of stuff he had collected in his office over the past 2 years. Thankfully, we got it done, and just a week later almost everything is into place. I had a thrilling day of organizing every toy in the house, unfortunately the kids want to play with them now, which messes everything up! They are not content, as I am, to just look at them in their rightful place. Oh well.

After a hard's day work last Saturday we enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day Sunday, here's a picture of 3 generations....I just hope the Mommy on the right can live up to the one on the left!  

Our sweet neighbors have given us many hand-me-downs, and this might win the prize for the Spring. They love this little jeep and Eli is quite content to ride in the passenger seat, for now, although I can't imagine he would be a worse driver then she is....

Typical girl....my Dad said, on the phone while driving and not paying attention!

As for little D, he's a busy as ever and puts on a quite a show at times. He was bouncing the hymn book all over my belly the other day at church, it's fun to watch. I've been getting the baby things out, including all the cute clothes....and it's making me excited to meet him! Less than 3 weeks now, and I'll take him anytime he wants to come. In the meantime I'll try to improve my blogging frequency....

The terrible 2s and a fun girl's weekend

 Last year some of my best girlfriends, Julie and Rachel, and I flew to Louisiana for a surprise trip to see our other friend Rachel who was about to get married. This year, she is expecting her first baby (a day after me!) so we decided to go see her again, this time in Georgia where her parents live. It was a shorter trip but the time spent with dear friends, minus kids, was priceless. Of course the subjects of conversation rarely veered away from our families, even though we were states away from them. I drove down to Charlotte Friday morning and the three of us spent a girl's day in Charlotte, a little shopping, a pedicure, and a yummy dinner at The Cheesecake Factory before heading to Columbia, SC, where we spent the night. The next morning we got up and drove the rest of the way to GA in time for Rachel B.'s baby shower and a few hours of visiting. I am so happy for Rachel and Reagan as they get ready to welcome their first little blessing into the world! They will be wonderful parents and are in for a good time. Here we are below at her baby shower, showing off our bellies!

The kids stayed mostly with my wonderful mother-in-law since Steven traveled to Richmond, VA, to speak at a youth rally there. They got to go to Charlotte and stay with Aunt Leslie, which is super-fun, especially since it included a soccer game and Chick-fil-a, as well as some amateur wrestling between Eli and Leslie's youngest. Since they got home Sadie has been saying that she doesn't really live with me, Eli is her cousin and I am her aunt. She also has a dog named Hooch (coincidentally that is Leslie's dog's name). She has not let up on her dog pleas, lately she has been promising that she will take care of it all by herself. The other day I told her I didn't have the money to pay for a dog and she immediately responded with "Daddy has money to get a dog, he takes all your money so he can buy a dog." I laughed for awhile at that one. She has actually been pretty grown-up acting lately, and Eli has been my handful. I should never have bragged about what a good sleeper he was....because he is starting to show his true colors with fussy bedtimes, early waking up, and faking naps. And of course, poor sleeping = whiny 2 year old. I was beginning to wish I could cap him out at how many times he can say "Mommy" in one day, especially with no real request. But then I laid down with his exhausted little self and watched him fall asleep and realized anew the blessing it is to raise a child. Or two, or three. God bless all you mommies! It's trying at times but wonderful all the same. Thank you, Lord, for the honor of raising these you've given me, for now. Goodnight!

Anniversaries and Birthdays!

This past weekend was great. Steven took the kids to Charlotte on Thursday afternoon since I had to work Thursday night and he was going down for work anyways. Obviously they had a great time, as always, at Nana and Papa's house.

 Friday I had a (routine) doctor's appointment then was able to sleep until Steven and I left for his TEST. Obviously, Sadie has very little concern (here she is while he is taking the test, helping Papa water the plants).

The dreaded exam that he had poured hours of his life into. It was a stressful and prayerfilled 2 hours and thankfully..... HE PASSED! I have my husband back and am so excited. And if he ever considers higher education I just might have to put my foot down. After that we headed down to Catawba, SC, to the Harmony House Bed and Breakfast. A lovely little B&B just south of Rock Hill, in celebration of our 7th anniversary. We went to downtown Rock Hill for a nice dinner, pulled through the Baskin Robbins drive thru for dessert, and had a delicious breakfast the next morning. I tried to upload pictures from the beautiful

Harmony House Bed and Breakfast but all I could get to work was the link. Check it out!

On the way back to my parent's house we found out that Eli had thrown up overnight....and Sadie was going to follow suit a little bit later. Unfortunately we had to postpone his party until the next day, but to be honest it was kinda sweet since they both just wanted me to hold them for several hours each. Even though sick kids are pitiful, unless they're in a whiny mood, it's also enjoyable.Thankfully by Sunday everyone was well so after church we had Eli's party. Here are most of us, 9 adults and 10 kids! And that's just family. Mama and Sadie had made the cake on Friday and decorated it with farm animals. After blowing out the candles (actually Bennett got to them first, we re-lit them so Eli could have a fair shot), we let every child pick an animal off the cake. That seemed exciting enough, I shouldn't have bothered to get party favors!

Here's my little man being shy during the Happy Birthday song, something Sadie never would do!

But he ended up a pretty happy guy! Happy Birthday to the sweetest 2 year old I know!