The view around here

Not only have we added on to our family this year, we're also adding on top our house. This will be a garage, living room, guest room, and storage room. Can't wait for it to be finished.

William Daniel

I must break this 2 month blogging hiatus to announce our 4th child's entrance into this crazy family.

William "Liam" Daniel arrived Monday August 27th at 5:46am.  He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 19inches long.

I know not everyone is so keen on birth stories, but I promise this one will be short and sweet.  I woke up at 3am with contractions.  I timed them for about 45 minutes.  Called the Dr and my mom.  We were at the hospital around 4:30.  By the time I was in the bed and had an IV in, the contractions were coming right on top of each other.  Dr. walks in about 5:30, Liam was born at 5:46.  Crazy I tell you.  There was no time for any kind of pain medication what so ever.  Although, I have to say that looking back I don't think the IV drugs really did all that much to take away the pain.  Because of the blood thinners I was on, I wouldn't have been able to get an epidural until about 6am, so there was definitely no time for that either.  It was a pretty perfect delivery.  Super painful, but super fast.  Liam did great and came out healthy.  His blood sugar was slightly low, but after that first check it was up in normal range every other time they checked.

The hospital stay was quiet and peaceful.  Jonathan and I just chilled and read and watched tv and snuggled our new little guy.  The kids came and visited twice.  The boys can't get over just how cute they think he is.  Katherine loves giving him kisses.  She has really started playing with dolls since we came home.  It is adorable.

Now we are a week out.  I'm feeling really good.  Too good really, because I feel like I should be able to do a whole lot more than I should do.  I've been trying to take it easy and really limit myself to how much I do during the day.  I'm also not supposed to be lifting more than 10lbs.  That's quite frustrating when you have a 1 year old that really doesn't understand why mommy can't pick her up.  Considering how fast our first week went, I'm hoping the next 5 will go by just as fast so I can get back to the regular routine.

Liam is doing great.  He is such a blessing.  The kids all love him, and there really hasn't been any jealousy.  This transition has been really easy - except for the not being able to lift things.

It has hit me now that we are home, that I won't get to do this ever again.  There is some sadness in that.  I love being a mom, I love many parts of pregnancy, and when I'm holding our new little one, there is just no other feeling like it.  However, I'm at such a peace with it.  It feels right.  It's like Liam was the missing piece to our family.  I'm excited to move on to the next stage of life.  We'll cherish all the wonderful newborn moments one last time, and forge into the world of school, sports, schedules, and watching our kids grow into independent people.

Flynn and Max

We've added two new members to our crazy household over the past month.

Way back when, on Noah's birthday, we had a stray cat living in our neighbors garage, along with her new brood of kittens.  We promised Noah one of those kittens, but the mama cat must have sensed this, and moved her family before they were old enough.  A couple weeks later my husband's coworker had some kittens they wanted to give away.  So he brought home a little gray kitten for Noah.  We ran some names by Noah and he decided on Flynn.  

Flynn lived inside for a little while, but with Jonathan's allergies he couldn't stay there long.  He is now a happy outside cat, with a future of mouse chasing.  The kids love going outside and cuddling and playing with him. Flynn likes to attack Kaiser and Sophie when they go out to do their thing.  It is highly amusing.  He is definitely a good little kitten.

Two weeks ago Jonathan came home and mentioned that one of his coworkers lived near their county's Humane Society, and suggested that we check them out.  We had been talking about getting a big dog to be outside to roam the property and keep the varmints at bay.  I was really apprehensive about getting a dog that was not in the puppy stage.  With a puppy, you know their history and can train them from the beginning.  But we went to their website and checked it all out.  There were a couple dogs that we were interested in, but the one that really caught our eye was a german shepard/ coon hound mix called Popeye.  He was just a year old.  A large dog, and his description said he was really good with kids and other dogs.  He was also neutered and housebroken.  We filled out their short application and waited a couple days.  Jonathan got in touch with them and set out with Ohlen and Kaiser to meet him.  When he left, Jonathan commented that he really doubted he would come home with him, but thought it would just be a meeting.

An hour or so later they returned home, and Popeye was with them.  He is huge!  About 90 lbs with super long legs.  He was very friendly with everyone he met.   

The past two weeks have proven what a wonderful dog he really is.  He rarely jumps up on people now, unless he is very excited. Which happens every so often, he does still have some puppy in him.  He knows the boundaries of our property and stays around here.  He is still wonderful with the kids.  

Oh yes, his name.  Popeye was kind of a mouthful for the kids.  And it just didn't seem to suit him very well. Ohlen suggested Matt, but I reminded him that we know a lot of people named Matt, and that might be confusing, so I suggested Max, and he thought it was pretty awesome.  We think it suits him.  He knew his new name in a matter of days.   I've also wanted a dog that will come at a whistle.  My first dog, Mick, used to come running when I whistled.  Tonight I went to the back door, stuck my head out and whistled, a little later Max showed up at the door.  Love it.  

He spends much of his time outside, but we have him come in for the night.  He sleeps in the laundry room.  Jonathan has built him a nice dog house, but I don't think Max has really acknowledged its existence yet.

He has a few quirks.  He likes to chase/follow shadows.  It is bizarre.   He sheds like crazy.  And I found out last night that he is chasing the neighbors cats. (So sorry!!)  He eats a whole lot more than the wiener dogs... :)  Of course, he is also about 80 lbs heavier than they are.

Overall, it has been the best experience.  He is a wonderful dog!  We can't get over how great he is with the kids.  

He was really not sure about the computer that first night.

Gestational Diabetes

So I have a new little purse to carry with me for the next several weeks.

About 2 weeks ago I took the 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  This was after failing the 1 hour test the week before.  I had failed the 1 hour test with my last two pregnancies too, so I really wasn't that concerned.  Unfortunately, I got a call from my Dr's office telling me that this time I wasn't so lucky, and I have gestational diabetes.  I wasn't scheduled to meet with a dietitian for a week, so I consulted the internets.  I didn't want to just keep eating like usual for the week.  I was also scheduled to meet with an RN for training on how to use the meter and about the diabetes in general on the same day.  So, with the help of info online and from a message board of other women dealing with the same thing, I started a new diet and started checking my blood sugar to get a start on things.   

In case you aren't familiar with gestational diabetes, it is basically diabetes during pregnancy.  Most women will stop being diabetic as soon as the baby is born.  It has something to do with all the hormones.  Most women can control their blood sugar numbers with diet and exercise.  If it isn't controlled it can lead to the baby gaining more weight than they need and being big at birth.  ( I think there are some other risks too, but I think that is the most common one.)

The diet.  I was pretty intimidated at first.  I would have to really watch what and when I ate.  The week before I met with the dietitian I ate a whole lot of the same thing.  Instead of a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I am eating eggs.  Instead of eating whenever I feel like it, I'm sticking to a schedule.  Plus, I was eating quite a bit of sugary, carb filled things, so that was quite the change.  However, after I met with the dietitian things seem a whole lot more doable.  She laid out a meal plan that was easy to understand.  It seems the biggest thing is that I need to pair carbs with proteins.  I can have all kinds of non starchy vegetables.  Nuts and cheese are ok.  I do have to watch how much fruit and milk I consume.

I bought some Stevia (Truvia brand) and I use that to add some sweetness to my tea.  That has made things a bit easier. 

So far I haven't been having any trouble keeping my blood sugar numbers low.  9 1/2 weeks to go (or less). I can't wait to meet this little guy.  Now he just needs a name. :)

What's This?

Last night at around 9:30 I finally put the last stitch into the comforter I have been making for Ohlen.  I can't remember exactly when I started it, but I know it was at our old house, so it's been at least a year, probably two...
 

 I snapped some quick (not great) pictures and took it in to him.  He wasn't quite asleep, so I exchanged his current blanket for the new one.  He said, "Thanks mom.  This is more comfy than all our other blankets!!"  I think he approved. :)

It's made of entirely of flannels.  So yes, it is very comfy.  Maybe too warm for late spring, but our house is air conditioned, so I think it will work.  

Now it's on to finish Noah's.  His needs to be knotted and bound yet.  Then he will have his own super comfy comforter.

10

10 years ago, at this very moment (or you know, close) of 10:38 pm I was getting into bed, thinking about all that the next day held.  I was going to be marrying the man that I felt was the perfect match for me.

Now 10 years later, I would tell myself that I still feel the same way.  I still feel like I married the man that is a perfect match for me.

I'm having a really hard time thinking of what to write here.  There are just so many things that I could write about.  The past 10 years have been so full.  We've both changed and grown, but it feels like we did that together.  We are still on the same page.  Which is, I think, part of what has made the past 10 years so great.

As I sit and look around I can't help but just be completely content and happy with where I am in life right now.  I love and respect my husband so much.  I think we really work well together.  We share many of the same dreams.  We are usually on the same page when it comes to raising our kids and finances and other important things.

I thank God for setting our paths to cross and blessing me with such a perfect match.

And now for some blast from the past pictures.  The first is from early 2000 when we were dating.as seniors in high school.  The rest are from our wedding.  Definitely dates us, looking at our posed wedding pictures, decor, and such.  lol  But it was a nice simple wedding.  We have 4 left feet between us, so we opted for just a meal for the reception, and then off we went to our honeymoon.  We just left town for a bigger city for a couple nights.  We were 19 and 20 and in the middle of college, there was no budget for anything else.  But it was great.  We went to the zoo, a science center, saw a movie (Star Wars ep. 2 - we did get married on the 25th anniversary of the release of A New Hope. :) ), and just enjoyed some down time before we went back and had to start working for the summer. (and I apologize for the poor picture quality.  We were married predigital camera (at least for us) and I don't have the scanner here, so I just took a picture of a picture, and that just always turns out great... especially when you do it at night by the light of the ceiling light...)

So very young.

Off to our honeymoon, as soon as we rid the car of about a dozen balloons.

It's been an amazing 10 years, and I can't wait to see what the next 10, 20, 30, etc. years hold for us and our family.

I'm still wonderfully, eternally, completely, 100 percently in love with this man.

The enemy

Any one else fighting the laundry mountain?

Growing Up

This is one of those posts that has the potential to go on in forever in a sea of text.  Probably not the greatest and most exciting of things for a blog.  So, in anticipation of myself writing too much, I will attempt to keep myself reigned in.

I've been doing a whole of self reflection over the last few weeks.  I blame this on the ominous approach of my 30th birthday on the last day of this month.  Ok, that's a little dramatic, as I really have no probably whatsoever with turning 30.  I found my first gray hair around the age of 17, and my first stretch mark when my hips exploded sometime in Jr High.  These things don't bother me.

It's the inner stuff that I'm really trying to take assessment of.  How I'm spending my time.  How I'm handling myself.  How I am thinking about things.  I think most everyone knows how to act in certain situations.  We know how to put on a front.  Although, I as I get older, or grow up, I am starting to break down that false wall.   You know the one.  The one your mom put up as soon as the phone rang while you were being punished.  Her eyes were still giving you that "mom glare" but her voice talking to the person on the phone would have made you think she were out on a lounge chair on the porch sipping tea watching the sunset.  Do I fault mom for this, of course not, the poor person on the end of the line didn't need to be greeted with the same emotion that was being directed toward us, that I'm sure we completely deserved.  However, I think there are some places that we should break through that fake wall of eternal contentment.

Sunday morning was one of those instances for me.  Someone at church asked how I was doing.  And instead of answering with a cheerful "Great! How are you?"  I answered with a very honest, tired, "Alright."  That morning I had got all the kids ready for church myself, as Jonathan was not feeling well at all.  I was tired.  And answering that way led to a wonderful conversation that really raised my spirits for the day.  That first response probably wouldn't have produced such an honest conversation.

I could ramble on.

I actually wrote a whole other paragraph, about time management, and realized that that really doesn't go with what I was talking about at all really...  So I'll save that for another day.

So the point. At almost 30 I think I'm starting to understand how to be more authentic. At least in a small way.

I think I need to try and translate that to how I think about myself. I think sometimes I lie to myself about myself..  I know there are times when I look in the mirror and really see myself, and am taken aback.  For some reason, in my mind's eye, I am still the same size and shape that I was at about 17...  not so much.  And I often wonder if I'm not doing that with my inner self too.  Am I completely overlooking some part of my personality that needs work?  Well, to be honest, I know there are things I need to work on.  My patience, for one.  My compassion.  My temper.  My cynicism.   My 17 year old self didn't really struggle with those things.  She struggled with a whole other batch of emotions.  And now, at 30, I have a completely different life.  I've been married for almost 10 years.  I have 3 kids, and one on the way.  My job is babysitting two kids, on top of having my own 3 at home.  A whole different ball game from working at a restaurant, dating, being in high school, living with my parents.  I didn't have a whole lot of need for patience.  At least not patience for 5 children 5 and under that are relying on me for just about everything.  I didn't have anything to be cynical about, except maybe when I wasn't allowed to do exactly what I wanted, and to be honest, that really didn't happen a whole lot.

I have a feeling my 17 year old self would be shocked to see how wide her hips are going to get.  And how fast those gray hairs are going to multiply and take over.  But I also have a feeling she would tell me that I need to chill out.  She would be so incredibly happy with where I am.  I am living exactly the life I wanted to live.  I wanted to be a mom.  I wanted to be at home with my kids.  I wanted to get married to a man that I respect and love with all my heart. I have it pretty darn good, and I really have no need to be cynical.  Or to have a temper.  Or to lose my patience.

I just need to remind myself of this daily.  It is way too easy to get caught up in the little frustrations of the day, and completely forget about the joy of the big picture!

Thanks for reading my ramblings.  Reading back through I think I still made a pretty crazy transition somewhere in the middle there... Oh well. :)  It's where the thoughts were going tonight.  And now... it is time for bed.  Apparently I have some sort of draw for writing here after midnight, as I'm pretty sure that's about what time I wrote my last entry as well.

3 Years Ago Tonight

3 years ago today, I prepared 2 separate suppers, one I was taking to a family that had just had a baby, and the other for us and a couple that was supposed to join us for supper.

3 years ago this evening, I was completely exhausted after having worked hard on the meals all day.  Turns out the couple joining us for supper completely forgot about our plans.  I stared feeling like something was a little amiss right around 9:30.

3 years ago right now, I was in the triage area, breathing through contractions while the NBA playoffs were on the TV.

3 years ago at about 1:30 am, I got an epidural and giggled about not being able to feel my legs.  And astonished the nurses when they realized I was just about completely dilated, when I was only at a 6 (10 is complete) before I got the epidural.

3 years ago at 2:14am Noah Reuben joined our family.

These past 3 years have gone by so fast.  He is no longer our youngest.  He has embraced his role as middle child. :)  Destined for a childhood full of hand me downs, but also full of sibling love.

He is our clown.  He is the one that gets when someone is teasing him.  "You kidding me?"  He already knows how to tease back.  He has the best laugh.  He loves his big brother and his little sister.  He was the one that correctly guessed that his new sibling was going to be a little brother.  He has light wavy hair, in contrast to Ohlen with his darker straight as an arrow hair.

12 am 5/5 - Officially Noah's birthday  :)

He loves being outside.  He loves digging in the dirt.  He tells great stories.  "And what happened!"  Complete with hand gestures and often reenactments. If you look up "independent" in the dictionary, you may just find his picture.

We love you Noah! Happy Birthday little grizzly bear!!  Good bye "terrible" twos, hello thermal detonating threes. :)  (Yeah, I made that up that name for the threes in honor of Star Wars day...)  (Dear Noah, sorry your mom is such a nerd.)

Exciting Week

This is quite the week for us over here.  First off, I had my mid way ultrasound appointment yesterday.  It was, as always, an amazing experience.  I feel so blessed to live in a day and age where we have the technology to be able to take a peek at our little one inside.  Especially this early, before being able to feel super big kicks.  To be able to see the baby moving all around.  To see their tiny heart pumping, their little limbs moving all over, their tiny little perfect noses, and, of course, getting that confirmation of what "kind" of baby is in there.

I was asked if it loses some excitement with the 4th one, and for me, absolutely not.  I was still anxious all day, wanting the time until the appointment to speed by.  I was still a little nervous that there might be something wrong.  I was still waiting with baited breath to hear the announcement of the baby's gender.  And I laughed out loud when it was announced.  I had unconsciously been using a gender specific pronoun the last couple of days, and I was right. We are having our third little boy.  And we couldn't be more elated.  When it comes down to it, no, it didn't matter.  We would be elated with another girl.  I can't describe the feeling that came over me when we were leaving the hospital.  The feeling that this is our family.  This is it.  This is who we are going to make memories with.  This is who we will get to see blossom and grow.  This is who we will love for the rest of our lives.  3 boys and 1 girl.  Just seems right.  I know that anything can happen, that we aren't guaranteed anything in this life, but why on earth would I dwell on what might happen?  Doesn't seem like much fun.  I know what stress and worry can do to a person, and I know that if  I let myself, I can let worry drag me down too, but I can't allow that to happen.  As much as it pained me to see worry eat away at that person, it also made me much more aware of it in my own life as I've gotten older and have kids of my own.  I just wish that person were still around to talk to about it; I wasn't well enough equipped back then.

Wow, that certainly went to a place I wasn't expecting.  I suppose that's what happens when you write these things late at night on a whim...

In any event, I give you a sneak peek at our little one.  I'll spare you the boy proof picture.  I mean, I get why they print it off for you, but we will keep it to ourselves.

The other exciting part of our week is all about the oldest child of our little clan.  He will be going tomorrow morning to register and be screened for Kindergarten.  I am so very excited for him.  I know he is going to love school.  (For now, at least.) He has been counting down the days.

It's all kind of surreal for me.  We will be starting anew with a brand new life the same time we will be watching our oldest take some of those first real steps towards independence. I want him to be independent, but it isn't always easy to let go.

I can't wait to see what he can accomplish. I knew I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember.  This is one of the things that I was looking forward to.  Seeing what my kids make of themselves.  To encourage them and push them to be their best.  Being on the brink of school just brings all those feelings to the forefront.  I know, he's only 5, but I feel like the post I will write when he is about to graduate from highschool will come along entirely too quickly.  I know the ride probably won't be an easy one, but it will be worth it.

I guess really, it feels like we are on the brink of starting a whole new phase of life.  We are both going to turn 30 this year.  We will celebrate our 10 year anniversary soon.  We are having our last baby (at least that's the plan). We are moving out of the newborn/baby stage and into the having kids in school phase.  It's exciting.

We've had some things not go the way we planned lately, and we are realizing just how trivial they really are.  We step back, take a look around, see the roof over our head, the food on our table, a 5 year old who can ask some profound questions, an almost 3 year old that constantly makes others laugh, a 10 month old that completely lights up at the sight of her daddy, and an ultrasound picture of a new life to come, we realize that we have been blessed by God so richly.  We couldn't ask for anything more.