3 Kiddos

So I think Grady's been getting most of the attention on the blog so I wanted to share a little of the other loves as well.
These kids are hysterical and I wish I would write down the funny conversations we have with them when they happen, because I rarely can remember them.

My dad came over the other week and we went to lunch and the park. He got a kick out of Wyatt's response to me. This is a daily occurrence so I guess I've gotten used to it:
Me: love you Wyatt!
Wy: love you too Mom!
Me: aw, thank you honey!
Wy: you're welcome Mom!

Last week, Maggie got my phone, which is a regular happening.
Me: do you have my phone? Who are you calling?
Mags: Noni! (Then to the phone) Hewo Noni!
Me: say how are you
Mags: how you Noni? (Now talking to her Elmo) Say hewo Noni. (Now talking for Elmo) Hewo Noni!

On a beautiful Sunday, we took the kids to Steak N Shake, then to a nearby playground.  Once we got in the car to go home, Wyatt's fit took over as expected.  Usually he just cries, "I don't feel good. Momma needs to check on me!"  That's what he always says and we're not sure why.  Especially since he says it when I'm standing over him disciplining him.  This day, however, he actually did what we always ask by using his words.  He was telling us that he was upset because he didn't want to leave the playground.  We were elated and started praising him for this.  I told him I loved him and he told me he loved me.
I told him Daddy loved him and he said, "I don't love Daddy, I only love you Momma."
So Kevin says, "Well I love you regardless!"
Wyatt quickly responded, "I'm not Regardless."
We just busted out laughing.  He had no idea he was so funny!

I can't get enough of them!

Grady's 2 Months!

Grady is 2 months old now! It seems like he's been here for much longer than he has.  I guess he's been a part of our family for as long as we knew he was coming.  He's growing by leaps and bounds.  He's already much larger than his brother and sister were at this age.  We went to the doctor last Thursday.  I had an idea of how much he weighed since we had been to the doctor the week before to see if he had reflux and he does.  He's on medicine now and it seems to be helping a bit.  Some days are better than others.  So here are his current stats:

Height:  25 3/4 in. (100th %)
Weight:  18 lbs.  (100th %)
Head: 16 3/4 (100th %)

Neither of the others were in the 100th percentile in any category at this age!

At 2 months, Grady is wearing size 3 diapers and growing out of his 6 month clothes!  That's right, he will soon be moving up to the 6-9 month size in clothing...hopefully he can wait until I get that size back from my sister in a few weeks.  He is sleeping through the night ( I was told that 5 hours is considered sleeping through the night).  He sleeps 5-7 hours each night.  It's definitely a blessing to be able to sleep some during this early stage.  Maggie was sleeping through the night at 4 months so I'm hoping he'll follow suit and keep on gaining in this area!
Grady has begun to smile a lot!  He's really a happy baby, when he's been fed!  He's starting to talk a little here and there.  He's super sweet and I could hold him all the time, if I knew he wouldn't be spoiled by it!  He's already not fond of being by himself.  He prefers the noise and chaos that his big brother and sister make available to him all the time!
Grady looks more like his daddy than either of his siblings. He still has that strawberry hair, but he's all Kevin!  He sometimes looks like Wyatt when he sleeps, but he's awake more and more these days!

We continue to be completely enamored with our newest little one and we can't wait to see how he continues to grow!
I'll try to post some pictures soon!

Merry Christmas!

A little over a month ago, we had Christmas!  Life with a 2 week old at Christmas was pretty simple.  Being pregnant and then having a newborn made decorating for Christmas...not something I wanted to do.  However, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if we didn't at least put up the tree for the kiddos, so we did! We even put ornaments on it...all four of the ones I ordered that arrived on Christmas Eve.  So our pre-lit tree with four ornaments (one for each kid and one with a picture of all of us) and our stockings were the only decorations we had for Christmas this year and it was perfect! I might consider sticking to that for the rest of my life...nah.  I do enjoy Christmas too much to do that forever!
We did the same thing we've done for the last few years, which I hope keeps up because I'm loving the tradition we're starting as a family.  We had brunch and gifts and time together with Kev's family on Christmas Eve, then Christmas Eve service at Kev's parents' church and his brother's family went to service with us again this year so that was extra special!  Then we had Christmas morning at our house and lunch and time with my family at my parents' house.  This year my sister's family was here on Christmas so that was great too.  I love my family, old and new and I treasure all the time we have together!
To say that Christmas Eve service was normal would be a total fairy tale!  We were quite the entertainment for the people around us.  First Maggie, then Wyatt, and then Maggie again.  The girl can't make up her mind between Mommy and Nana and so she kept going back and forth between us.  After a few times of this, I told her "no" and so she promptly threw her head against the wooden back of the pew. If the loud thud that echoed throughout the small, high ceiling sanctuary during a quiet moment during the service wasn't enough to get your attention, then I'm sure Maggie's blood-curdling scream, followed by her crying would have done it!  What's worse is that as everyone's turned around looking at me with concerned faces, it's all I can do to suppress my laughter! When the teens in the family behind us realized I was laughing, they started laughing and it was harder for me to keep it in.  Kev quickly grabbed her and took her out.  As soon as they got back, Wyatt did something (I'm not sure what) and he ended up having his own fit and someone took him out.  He came back and ended up asleep in Nana's lap since he hadn't taken a nap that day.  A little while later, Maggie wandered out of our pew (2nd from the back, thank goodness) and around the back to the other end where Nana and JJ were.  When she tried to start up towards the front, JJ caught her and she fell and so ensued another fit from her.  Yes, we were quite the picture-perfect family at Christmas Eve service!
Now for a few pictures from the holidays!

Wyatt making faces with cousin B

snuggles with Aunt K

opening gifts is serious business

I think he likes it!

Santa's sleeping on the job!

the best shot of my 3 loves in their Christmas outfits from Nana!

Merry Christmas from the sleeper!

enjoying their chairs until...

they found stuff inside!

Hey Wyatt--I think there's something on the tree for you!

he loved his pirate sword so much, he had to put on his hat to go with it!

pulling the wishbone with cousin E...it was too flimsy and wouldn't break

love Daddy

couldn't get a good shot of all of them, but I love my sweet Maggie's face

playing Ants in the Pants with Aunt A and cousin E

 

he's awake at last and he looks like Daddy!

Grady's Story--Part 2!

If you missed part 1, check it out here!  I will warn you that part 2 is lengthy due to the fact that it goes into great detail of all that went on with the labor as well as what I was thinking during this experience.  If you want a shorter version from Abbie's perspective, check it out here!

So here we go:

I left off with a decision that it was indeed time to go to the hospital.  Looking back, I can tell you that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, my pain was probably at a 7.  I wasn't able to do anything other than breathe during the contractions, but I wasn't crying or yelling...yet!  We got in the car and I immediately turned on some Seeds Family Worship. The very first song was perfect, saying--"Call to me and I will answer you..." Jeremiah 33:3.  The whole drive to the hospital involved me timing the contractions on the contraction app and praying the words of these verses as they poured through the speakers and lots and lots of breathing!  Kev drove like a champ!  I think he would have preferred being in the hospital at this point.
We pulled up to the hospital right around 3 p.m. and Kev got someone from the desk to come get me with a wheelchair and take me upstairs while he parked the car.  Abbie met me upstairs and was with me while the nurse questioned why I was there.  I just kind of looked at the nurse, thinking, Really?  You can't tell I'm in labor?  I'm sure she has false labor patients all the time, but at the time, I figured she should just know!  I finally told her that I'd been in labor all day, I was past due, I'd seen the doc the day before, and how close the contractions were.  Kev came and swapped places with Abbie.  They admitted me and the nurse checked me.  I was at 4-5 cm dilated.  My heart just sank and I almost completely lost my resolve to have this baby naturally.  I was so bummed.  I'd really expected at least a 7 or 8 after all the contractions all day, but to be about the same as I'd been the day before was just ridiculous.
Once I got settled and hooked up in the delivery room, I had to answer all these stupid (I'm sure they were necessary) questions while I'm having some pretty serious contractions.  I found out that my doctor was listed as not available so she would not be there, but luckily the on-call doc was someone I had dealt with before and liked and it was a female doc so I was quite relieved.  However, she wanted to hook me up to an iv and I didn't want that so we had to go through the motions of me refusing the line.  My awesome doula was constantly texting back and forth (all day) with a friend of hers who's a certified doula and another mutual friend who's a labor and delivery nurse.  They were giving us advice and letting us know that it was indeed okay if I refused the iv.
Once we got through all the necessary paperwork and questions, I put my headphones on and turned on my labor playlist of worship songs.  After a while of contracting in one position, Abbie suggested a different position.  I was open to suggestions and tried it out.  After one contraction in this position, I was done!  All I could think was that I had given it a good try and it was time for that epidural.  I was feeling a little guilty though because at that moment, I was hearing Alan Jackson singing "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus".  At that point, all I wanted to hear was get some drugs!  I asked Kev if he'd be disappointed in me if I got the epidural and he and Abbie comforted me and reassured me that I had done a great job and if I wanted it, then I should get it.  Then Abbie said I should get checked first.  I'm thinking, Great! Now they can tell me I'm at a 5-6! Then I can get some drugs!  The nurse checked me and lo and behold, I'm at 8 cm!  I had hit that part of labor called "transition" where you feel like you just can't go on, but things are supposed to go a little quicker from this point.  I'm thinking, Well that sucks--now it's too late for the epidural and I have to go through with this stupid natural labor idea after all!   I was also a little relieved that I had progressed more than I thought.  The nurse also mentioned that the sac was bulging and that once my water finally broke, I would probably be complete and ready to push.  This was quite encouraging!
So now every contraction has me focusing on trying to break my water.  I was trying so hard to will my water to break.  I don't think that helped with the pain management.  I think the contractions from here on out were the worst part.  There was no moving to try a new position because every time I tried to move, it just triggered another contraction and paralyzed me.  It was probably not the best position for laboring, but at least I was upright.  The contractions were not gradual.  They started with the tightening, only to jump straight up into the worst pain ever! During these contractions, my head was resting on either Kev's or Abbie's shoulder and I was squeezing the life out of one of their hands. I had my music going and just lost all track of time.  The pain became so much that I had a hard time focusing on breathing and traded breathing for crying out, only to have my coaches remind me to breathe, encourage me some more, and pray over me.  I had the best team I could've imagined.  God knew what He was doing when He put these people in my life!
At some point, I heard someone come into the room and introduce himself and talk to me.  I was having a contraction so I couldn't respond. I only heard bits and pieces and I could barely make out a figure bending over or sitting in a chair or something so that he was at my level.  Apparently people were looking at him like he was crazy because I hear him ask, "She's at a 5, right?"  I'm pretty sure that if I had been any more conscious and able to control my movements, I might have thrown something at him.  He was told that I was at an 8 and he quickly apologized and high-tailed it out of there.  He was the anesthesiologist and he'd come to offer his services in case I wanted an epidural (if only he knew how much I wanted one at this point!).  The nurse apologized and told us that the anesthesiologists were supposed to check with the nurses before entering a patient's room and taunting them with promises of pain relief!  What a tease!
Some time later, Doctor N. came in to check on me and offered to break my water.  I remember that the whole mentally willing my water to break was not working for me so after a quick consult with Kev and Abbie, I said yes.  As soon as my water broke, the pain intensified slightly and with the first contraction, I quickly called out through gasps, "I feel pressure!" I think the doctor had started to leave because she turned right around and got dressed and the nurses got ready.  I don't think they moved fast enough for my happiness, but I don't think I could've been pleased at that moment with anything more than drugs or the birth of my baby!  So with it being time to push, Abbie ran screaming left for the waiting room so she wouldn't have to listen to me holler anymore.  As it turns out, I had been hollering for a while through the contractions.
Let me tell you how awesome God's timing is.  At this point, I'm reminded to praise God more through my music. "My heart overflows on You with joy like a river flowing free. I pour out my praise, oh Lord receive this anointing. I lay my glory down at your feet for the honor of Your name becomes my dignity. You deserve much more than this, let me saturate You with my fragrant praise. I worship You."
Pushing Wyatt and Maggie was a breeze!  Pushing without an epidural: not so much!  It's much harder to focus on how to push, when you can actually feel all the pain Eve caused us to be cursed with.  After a couple of unsuccessful tries (I could see the doctor and nurse exchange glances as the doctor shook her head), Doctor N helps me out.  She tells me to close my mouth and then push.  This was actually helpful.  As soon as I did this, I knew I was doing it right.  It still hurt like nothing else, but at least I was making progress again.  I recall telling Kevin a couple times during this time of pushing that I wanted an epidural if we have another kid.  I remember thinking, "I can't do this. I'm so tired (I'd pretty much been up since 3 that morning), they're going to have to cut this kid out of me because this is too hard".  I'm not sure how long I pushed, but I know it probably wasn't much longer than the other two times (maybe 20 minutes).  Finally, at 5:26 p.m., Grady Alexander came on out.  As they laid him on me, I looked down at our perfect little man and I was just so relieved that it was over.  I told Grady that he would be my only natural birth experience.  I was not going to do this again.
As I'm holding this precious gift, I hear my music again: "Taste and see that life is better than you thought it was. Taste and see that God is good no matter what. Taste and see that life abundantly is what He's got. Taste and See!"
My heart is overflowing with so much love for our newest addition!  He is amazing and we thank God everyday for the blessings He's bestowed upon us!

Now that some time has passed, I don't know what decision I will make if God blesses us again.  However, I do know that some of the factors that led to the decision this time, will weigh heavily on my decision if we do this again.  Are we going to have more kids?  Only God knows!  At this point, we're enjoying the blessings He's already given and we strive to follow His will for this area of our lives.

**I was going to share a picture to reward you for reading the whole post (probably my longest one to date), but blogger's being a pain and won't do it right. I'll try to share some on the next post.

Why?

A lot of people have asked me why, so I decided to write down the reasons behind why I chose to have a natural birth experience.

If you know me, you know that this seems so crazy and the people who do know me thought I was.  However, as surprised as they were, they were supportive and basically just went with what I wanted.
After 2 uncomplicated pregnancies, labors, and deliveries with epidurals, I was all set to do it again. Then, over the summer, we went on vacation and I wanted a book to read so I snagged one off the bookshelf that caught my eye. Christ Centered Childbirth. If I had known it was a book about natural childbirth, I honestly would not have even picked it up! However, it was and I read it and I was encouraged and inspired to try it.  The basis is relying on God to ease the discomfort and there are tons of scripture references and even prayers to pray during the different stages of labor and delivery.  I prayed in the weeks and months leading up to the delivery that God would prepare me mentally and spiritually, as well as physically. I knew that if I put my trust in Him, He would bring me through it. You know that saying, "If He brings you to it, He'll bring you through it".  I remained patient as I had braxton hicks contractions   I did start having doubts in the last week that I might not be able to do it, but I knew that my support team would be there to encourage me in whatever decisions I made.
Other factors included hearing people I knew that had recently experienced the repercussions that can come with having epidurals and I have a close friend who's done the natural thing multiple times. I also read a birth story from a girl who was an inspiration to me and many girls in my youth group.  I read this story while I was pregnant with Maggie, but I was of the mindset that she was awesome and I'd never be able to do that!
One thing I knew I'd need was Kevin to be on board and willing to take a much more active role during labor.  I needed him to read the book (well parts of it anyways).  I had him read certain sections that basically outlined what he would need to do to support and encourage me.
The last reason I decided to try it was that I knew that I would probably have the chance to get an epidural if I couldn't handle it early on!

Stay tuned for the rest of the birth story tomorrow and see if I made it through!

Grady's Story

So Grady is one month old as of Monday and I decided it's time to write up his birth story.  I'm so amazed at God's love and His continual blessings over us and our family.  The following story would not have been possible without Him!

For the people who don't really care (men and maybe some women who aren't birth story junkies like me and a few of my friends), here's your version:
I went into labor, went to the hospital, and popped out a baby!  It's a boy!  The end!

For my birth story junkie friends and any other people who might be curious, here ya go:

**Just a note: I decided to try the natural route this time around and if you know me, you're probably laughing because you probably know that I have a fairly low pain tolerance.

So...My last pregnancy post left off with a pending 40 week check-up.  We went to that on Thursday, December 6.  We had an ultrasound where they monitored Grady's vitals and organ function visually for a little bit.  Then I got hooked up to some things to continue to monitor Grady's heart rate, check for contractions, and I had to push a button every time I felt movement.  Then I met with the doctor (not mine=not completely happy).  He was nice enough and answered our questions and put Kev's mind at ease about continuing the pregnancy without inducing for the time being.  He checked me and I was at 4 cm and a good bit effaced (don't remember exactly how much).  I did go ahead and ask him to strip my membranes just to see if that would kick-start anything.
Fast-forward to about 3 a.m. December 7.  I woke up for the umpteenth time and had another contraction--no big deal since I've been having them for forever at this point.  Ten minutes later, I had another.  Before I could fall asleep, I noticed another one 10 minutes after that.  So now I lay in wait for continual contractions at 10 minutes apart.  I tried to sleep, but I was kind of just awake.  The contractions continued every ten minutes and were strong enough to wake me up once I finally fell asleep around 5.  I dozed in between contractions.  I let Kev sleep because I knew that at least one of us should be sleeping.  At about 6 a.m., I texted my doula (my friend Abbie) to get her opinion of whether I should keep Kevin home or send him on to work.  The last thing I wanted was to keep him home and have the contractions fizzle out as soon as I got up.  We decided Kev would be able to get home quickly enough if things progressed so he went to work while I tried to snooze a little more.
8 a.m. brought calls from the kiddos to wake up and get some breakfast.  I continued to notice contractions, but I wasn't timing them at this point because I was a little busy doing other things.  I called Abbie and we decided I would come over to make salt dough ornaments and then we'd go for a walk to see if that would speed things along.  I called my mom to let her know that I might be in labor and that I'd let her know if things kept up (later I found out that I forgot to call her back).  I kept moving around, got the kids ready, and took a shower.  If the contractions were going to stop, all of this change in activity should have done it.
I finally got to Abbie's around 11.  I talked to Kev during the drive and told him to stay at work because the contractions were still too far apart and not strong enough yet.  I noticed a few contractions about 5-7 minutes apart on the way over there and they continued.  I stayed walking around and started timing the contractions with a timer app and noticed they were soon becoming stronger and closer together.  However, I was still talking and smiling and even laughing a little during them so they weren't bad yet.  I wasn't ready to call Kev yet, but Abbie went ahead and called Mark (her hubby) and finally convinced me to go ahead and call Kev and it was a little after 12 p.m.  Here's how our conversation went:
Kev--Hello?
Me--Hey.  If you wanna come on home after you finish with this class, you can. :)
Kev--What? How far apart are the contractions?
Me--Well some of them are about 5 minutes apart, but...I guess a lot of them are 3ish minutes apart?
Kev--What?  I need to come home now!
Me--Okay.
Can you tell I was pretty nonchalant about it all?  I don't think I had fully accepted that I was in true labor and that Grady was definitely coming that day.
So the contractions are starting to get a little farther apart now that I'm sitting on the exercise ball instead of walking, but they're definitely getting stronger.  I'm still in a good mood through them though.  Now we're wondering whether or not I should drive home, so Kev meets me at Abbie's.  After he eats a quick sandwich, we decide that I'm fine to drive.  Halfway home, I have a pretty strong contraction.  Luckily we were coming to a stop and I had to wait to turn.  As I turned on to our street, I have another one so they're still in the 5 minute range.  Kev's parents are waiting for us when we get there since he called them when he left work.  We get the kids loaded up and sent off while I continue contractions.  They're getting a little stronger, but I'm not ready to go to the hospital yet.
Abbie gets to the house as the kids are leaving so we go inside and hang out.  She crochets while I get back to timing my contractions.  After a few more contractions, I'm ready to try a new position and I've stopped being able to really talk a lot during them.  After a few contractions on the floor and a crawl to the bathroom to pee, I'm ready to go to the hospital!
**Insert sigh of relief from Kevin at this point!

To be continued...

Growing Grady

So here is Grady's growth stats from his first couple of check-ups:

Reminder that he was 9 lbs. 3 oz. and 22 1/2 in. at birth.

Newborn check-up (4 days old):
Weight--9 lbs. (87th %)
Height--22 1/2 in. (100th %)
Head--14 3/8 in. (89th %)

Two week check-up:
Weight--10 lbs. 4 oz. (92nd %)
Height--23 in. (100th %)
Head--15 1/4 in. (100th %)

He's really too long for most of his 0-3 month sleepers, but since he's not completely stretching out yet, he can still wear them.  He can wear some 3-6 month clothes already and it's just crazy!

He's now a month old and still growing! I can tell he's gaining weight as my arm is feeling the burn some days!  If I lay him down, he looks so small...then I pick him up and he doesn't seem so small anymore.  He's so strong and has been holding his head up a good bit for the past couple weeks.  He is eating and sleeping very well (although--if he'd sleep longer at night, I wouldn't complain!).  He's not the least bit bothered by his noisy siblings.  They can run all around, screaming like banshees right next to him and doesn't even flinch!

Wyatt and Maggie are quite fond of him too!  If he's not in the room, they ask about him.My sister made a joke about taking him home with her and Wyatt was very upset.  My aunt was holding him while visiting at my mom's house and when it was time for us to leave, Wyatt told her that Grady needed to go home with us. They love their new brother and it just warms our hearts so much to see them as enamored with him as we are!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Grady's birth story!

Welcome!

Welcome to the world little man!

Grady Alexander

12/7/12

9 lbs. 3 oz.

22 1/2 in.
 

We are in love and Wyatt and Maggie are so excited to have him home!  They can't get enough of him and we are so blessed!

 

I will post again later when I have time to tell his birth story (for my friends who are birth story addicts like me!).  We are all doing great...tired, but great!



40 weeks?

So the 40 week due date has come and gone and I'm still pregnant!  We definitely did not expect to make it this far.  However, a due date really is just an educated guess.  It could be off by a week or two in either direction.  In my case, I don't think it would be off by more than a week.  I was late, so it's supposed to be normal for me to have a late baby too.  If I don't have the baby sooner, I'll go to the doctor on Thursday and have a few tests to make sure everything is good with the baby.  I think he's fine. I have contractions a good bit here and there throughout the days and nights and I'm still feeling a good bit of movement from the little man inside.
Kev would like for me to go ahead and have the baby now!  Every Monday when he shows up to work, his students (and co-workers) keep reminding him that he's not supposed to be there!  I wouldn't be surprised at all if I go into labor tomorrow (when my doc gets back in town).  I think I'd be surprised if I made it to the doctor appointment Thursday.  Either way, my goal is still to have a safe delivery with a healthy baby.  We continue to pray for little man and me as we know we're coming to a close on this pregnancy.  I think the kids are sensing baby's imminent presence as they've become a little more clingy in some ways, and in other ways, they seem to be getting used to Daddy doing more for them when he's around.
At my appointment last week, I was dilated 3 cm and 80% effaced.  Let me just say that that's huge progress considering the last few weeks.  However, a pregnant woman can stay at this stage for a while still.  I was the same when I was pregnant with Wyatt for a couple weeks until we were electively induced with him at 39 weeks.
People keep asking us if we'll induce, but for now, the goal is to go into labor on my own when the baby and my body are ready, unless our doctor tells us we need to do something else.  Dr. M is totally supportive of our wishes and we trust that God is giving her wisdom and guidance as she cares for us during this time.

We do ask for continued prayers for:

1. health and safety for Baby 3
2. health and safety for me
3. continued wisdom and guidance of our doctor
4. a quick labor and safe delivery
5. flexibility on my part if labor and delivery don't go as I hope
6. endurance for Kev as he stands by my side and supports me during labor and delivery
7. endurance for Kev as he takes care of us all during my recovery
8. smooth transition to a family of 5
9. peace during this most wonderful time of the year as we celebrate a new baby and remember Jesus' birth as well!

39 Weeks!

So we've come this far...we might as well just wait till next week when Dr. M will be in town for the duration!  I went to the doc last Wednesday and still not enough progress to indicate labor might be near.  Kev made a pretty good point the other night about the fact that I would like for baby to wait until I get my to-do list finished and the doctor is in town.  I could very well be willing this little guy to stay put without realizing it.  It's amazing what power your mind has over your body!  I go to the doctor again Thursday and I'm hoping for similar results, so we'll just have to wait and see!  We've managed to get a few things taken care of that were pretty important to me.  The last few things involve a little more cleaning, straightening, and organizing. I feel pretty confident that we can achieve these things this weekend while the doc is away.

We had a great Thanksgiving with family.  I didn't take many pictures, but I did manage to snag one of the kids with Cousin B.  Luckily it turned out because as soon as the shutter clicked, Wyatt was off again.  He didn't take a nap that day so he crashed completely during the 20 minute drive back home.

We are so thankful for all of our family!

 

I also got to go black Friday shopping Thursday night into Friday morning with some great friends.  I didn't go overboard, but I'm regretting not getting a few other things for my sister's kids.  Maybe I should've gone overboard...I could've returned what I didn't want, right?  I think I fell into bed around 2:30 and my wonderful hubby let me sleep in that morning!  I think we were all hoping I might go into labor...but obviously, that didn't happen!  Oh well, maybe next week!

On another note, I took the sick kiddos to see wonderful Dr. B yesterday.  Wyatt has an ear infection that we suspect just never fully cleared up last month.  Maggie has some pretty nasty sinus stuff, most likely infection.  So both kids are on antibiotic and Wyatt will get rechecked at one of the baby's newborn visits.  Now if Kev can get all better, we'll be in business!  He's not sick, he just has the crud. I think we've all just been passing it around over the past couple of months.  I'd really prefer for everyone to be on the mend by the time baby makes his big debut!

We're so blessed by our wonderful parents who've been able to help us tackle a few things here and there to get ready for baby and knowing they'll be here to take care of the kiddos while we're in the hospital is huge!  Thank you parents for all you do for us!

38 weeks!

So the time is just ticking away! Little man is coming soon...hopefully, but I'm hoping he'll wait till next week now that it's Thanksgiving week. I'm assuming my babies might be 39 weekers since I haven't managed to pop one out sooner at this point!  Sunday marked 38 weeks and I was able to get a couple more things marked off my checklist (i.e.--girls night with pedicures and maternity pictures).  Hopefully I'll be able to link to a sneak peek of those soon, but my photographer has been super busy lately so it might not be till after baby 3 comes.  We were lucky we actually got the pictures done.  Here's one quickie of Wy and Mags in their "big" shirts.  This was pretty much the only way we got them to pose together, facing the camera at the same time!

**Note to Mom: now you know why I don't get tons of pics of the kiddos together!**

I still have a few things I'd like to get done before he gets here and a couple things that are must-dos before he comes!  I go to the doctor again tomorrow so I may have a better idea of how much time we have left (but probably not). Apparently, there's just no real way to know when a baby will come on his/her own! Go figure!  All in God's time, but hopefully God's time will be when my doctor is in town!  She'll be gone Thanksgiving day and then Dec. 1-4 so I'm praying that we'll be blessed to have my doctor present for this guy's debut.  I know people have a preference for their doctors, but mine is truly amazing and I've been so blessed to have her for the past four years!

I'll try to post a picture when little man comes, but don't be surprised if it's not on time!

37 weeks

First of all, we had our 3rd trimester ultrasound a few weeks back and little man is measuring right on track to be tall (big shocker)!  They estimated his weight to be about 6 lbs which puts him at about the same as Wyatt and Maggie.  His head is also measuring a little over 9 cm.  For those that are unfamiliar with the process of birth, the hole he has to come out only opens to 10!  Wyatt had a large head too, so it's not uncharted territory for us.  It was a great ultrasound session.  We got to see a beautifully formed heart just beating away and doing exactly what it's supposed to do.  I wasn't too interested in all of that when I took Biology years ago, but it's so much more interesting when you see it working live in a being that God has created inside of you!  We also noticed that he is in fact still a little man! Nothing has changed in that department.  He was also being quite uncooperative when it was time to peak at his face.  He wouldn't move his little hand out of the way for anything.  The sonographer poked and prodded and did all she could to get him to move, but he was quite the stubborn little mister!  I guess we'll have to wait until he gets here to see his sweet face!  It is worth it though!

So according to the medical community, the new little man inside is given the OK to come on out since I've hit that 37 week mark. I'm not quite ready for him, but I think I will be soon!
I honestly wouldn't mind if he decided to come on out before Thanksgiving (I'd love to be able to eat my fill without someone squishing my stomach!) but I'm patient enough to wait as long as it's deemed safe by my doctor.  Maggie came along at 39 weeks 4 days and Wyatt was induced at 39 weeks (given that I was progressed a good bit, he most likely would have come that week anyways so it worked out).  I imagine that he might decide to wait until later, but I just feel like he could come sooner.  I'm trying to not get my hopes up though.  As of last week, I was already dilated to 2 cm.  I'm pretty sure I was not progressed with the others that early, but I honestly don't remember exactly.  I've also been having tons of contractions (braxton hicks and real ones) for several weeks now.  For those of you who don't know--a pregnant woman can be dilated a few centimeters for weeks!  Being 2 cm makes me feel better after all the contractions I've experienced, but I know very well that it doesn't bring me any closer to actual labor!

I have a few things I'd like to accomplish before little man comes, so I'm perfectly content waiting him out.  I'm sure I'll become less patient as I finish things and feel more ready for his arrival!  I'm seeing the doctor again this week and next so I may post more if things change.  Otherwise, I probably won't post much until his big debut!  The kids are getting excited, although Maggie probably doesn't have a clue what's really coming!

Keep us all in your prayers as we prepare for this newest blessing from God!  He is truly amazing and we could not pretend to do anything we do without his mercy and grace! 

Specifics to pray for:

1. Please pray for the remainder of the pregnancy to remain uncomplicated and keep me and baby boy safe and healthy.
2. Pray that the labor and delivery are smooth for me and little man.  Pray for our health.
3. Pray for Kev to remain solid and unstressed during the labor and delivery.  Pray for his energy levels to stay up.
4. Pray that we'll be able to get rest during the first few days at home and that little man will adjust well to life outside the womb.
5. Pray for Wy and Mags to adjust to having a new little brother in the house.  Maggie's become quite clingy lately and rarely lets Kev do things for her (unless it involves food)! Pray that she'll learn to be a little more laid back during this transition and that few tears are shed during this process (from her and me).
6. Finally, pray for us to continue to fully trust in God through all He has planned for us in this wonderful season of our lives!

October

So October has now come and gone and we are that much closer to meeting our newest blessing! For now, here's a little info of what's been going on here lately!  I think I mentioned in the last post that everyone was getting a little under the weather.  We pretty much had someone sick or potty training for 4 weeks in a row!  Yes, that's right! Wyatt is finally training and he's doing a fantastic job (with mommy and daddy).  He can't stand to tear himself away from grandparents to go, so we'll just worry about that as he progresses!  So week one: Kev had a bug and Wyatt had croup/ear infections.  2: Wyatt's first weekend of potty training. 3: Maggie was sick with something viral and was super congested.  She's much better, but still a little congested and irritable.  She's also getting some teeth though!  4: Kev caught the virus.  It's been a trip.  I've been fortunate enough to just be pregnant and tired and so far I don't seem to have caught anything from the crew9 knock on wood)!  Hopefully everyone will stay well for a while!
I promised pictures from Pirate/Princess night at CFA so here's a couple.  I wish I had a pic of all of us together on our camera, but we just did it in the photobooth they had available and I don't feel like scanning them in!  Maggie also got her pic with the CFA cow in the photobooth too.  Wyatt wasn't interested, but Maggie was precious!  So here's our pirate and our princess:

 

 

 I took the kids to a little craft/local vendor outdoor event when Kev was under the weather and Wyatt got to draw on a pumpkin.  We picked one out for Maggie, but I wasn't about to arm her with a sharpie!  She didn't mind though.



 



Our church had a fall festival.  The kids had fun jumping in the bouncy house with Noni and then they got to ride a train and play some games for candy...unfortunately, my camera died during the bouncy house expedition so this is all you get! 

Happy Birthday to me!  Kev got me a cookie cake and it was soooo yummy!  I think next time we'll make sure we don't pick it up 2 nights before my birthday next time.  It was so hard to not nibble on it during the day!

Happy "dress up for candy day"!  Last year and this year, we took the kids to Kev's parents' church for a little festival and then to a "trunk or treat" at a friend's church.  They get to have fun in a Christian setting and we don't have to walk from house to house!

Maggie was a princess (thanks to Noni)!

Wyatt got to be Lightning McQueen (thanks to 50% off after last year)!

They love each other sooo much!

They also love their candy!

Gone fishin' and caught some candy!

More candy love!

Golfing with JJ!

Eating a hot dog with JJ!

Walking for cake with Nana!

 

So that wraps up October! Stay tuned for a baby update!

TIRED!

Well I'm 33 weeks along now and these next 4-7 weeks seem like they're coming up too fast! I've heard and read that many pregnant women experience fatigue when the third trimester comes...followed by a renewed burst of nesting energy as the day draws near.  I didn't have any of that during my first two pregnancies.  I really just had the fatigue/exhaustion during the first trimester and felt fine the rest of the time.  I've had a lot of people ask how it's been the third time around (especially with 2 little ones).  Well, there's been a few similarities, but a lot of different aches and pains.  I haven't had anything major with any of my pregnancies: sciatic nerve stuff with Wyatt where my leg would just go completely numb when I needed to do stuff (like grocery shopping), lots of low back pain and carpal tunnel with Maggie, and now just little aches and pains that make it rather uncomfortable to move/walk (sometimes it hits when I'm laying in bed).  I'm very blessed to have these relatively "easy" pregnancies with no complications (so far) and I thank God for this regularly.

We haven't done much lately, but I do have a few pictures to share in my next post (when I feel like finding the camera card in the camera and loading them on the computer!).  The kids have had some minor colds and Maggie may have been teething last week so at least one of them woke us up every night last week.  I didn't feel great, but I just attributed it to pregnancy stuff.  Apparently it wasn't completely due to pregnancy because my doc gave me some antibiotics at my appointment last week.  Then Kev woke up with a 24 hour stomach bug on Saturday so I took the kids to a local fest (it was basically a large market-type thing and they got their picture taken, looked at a bunch of goats, and decorated mini pumpkins).  We walked around there for a little bit, then went to the store to pick up some saltines and ginger ale for the daddy.
I'm guessing being outside with all of the fall allergens on top of getting over a minor cold was enough to help Wyatt develop a nice case of croup.  He woke us up at 5 Sunday morning with breathing issues so we gave him a steam bath and stuck him in front of the freezer and googled his symptoms and finally tried to go back to sleep...Wyatt did not, but Kev felt well enough to finally just take him away around 7:30 and let me sleep till after 10 (gotta love that man of mine!).  We took Wy to the clinic where he was diagnosed with croup and the beginning of a double ear infection so we got steroids and antibiotic.  He's feeling much better this week!
Maggie's either teething or having some slight allergy issues or both.  Last night she decided she wasn't going to sleep, but she finally did around 10:30.  Then Wyatt woke up at 6 and I had to put him in bed with me.

So I think I'm entitled to be a little tired!  I've definitely gone back to sleeping during nap times, but I'm hoping the kiddos will go back to sleeping through the night so I can get other things done while they nap!  That's the gist of lately.  I'll post some pics from Pirate/Princess night at Chick-Fil-A last Friday night.  The kids were too precious!

The Rest of August

We didn't do too much during the rest of August because Kev went back to work.  It's really sad to wake up in the morning to the sound of "da-da" from the monitor and realize that you have to get up instead of sleeping in like you've been allowed to do most of the summer.  So it's back to life as usual.  I do have a few pics (and hopefully some video) to share so here we go!

So Wyatt was too excited to actually eat anything (including cake and ice cream) during his party.  A few days later, perhaps his birthday day, we had some leftover cake.

I think he liked it!

Let me just tell you that this was fun.  Wyatt had a couple really good, clean hits (especially the first one that I tried to take a picture of because I didn't think it would be good enough for video--lesson learned)!  He also had a few 3 year old attention span moments where Kevin would set him up and step back and Wyatt would run put the bat in the bush.  That's my boy!

This one went the wrong way...do you see the ball?

Even Maggie got in on the fun!  She did pretty good too!

 

Here's Wyatt being 3!

 

 

Here's Maggie getting a turn and Wyatt being 3 some more!

Kev and I got to go to a Braves game...on a school night.  Needless to say, we were pretty wiped out the next day, but we got our free Chipper Jones bobble-head figures and had really great seats (if you need sporting event tickets, use scorebig.com) for about half the price.  One thing we found out after we got our dinner was that you're allowed to bring food and drink from outside the park, so we could've saved a little money there, but this pregnant lady really did enjoy the delicious corndog and boiled peanuts that my love bought for me!  We also got some souvenir cups with Chipper's signature printed inside them.  For those of you who don't know, this is Chipper's last year and he's the most awesome Brave ever!  It was a real treat to get to see him in one of his final games.

Look at all those flags of playoff years and one World Series Championship!

The man himself, warming up--we totally got lucky with 3rd base seats!

Here he is in his first at bat, about to hit his first homer for the night!  He hit another one later.  It was a great game and we had a fun time!

Check-up Time!

It's nice to have both kids' well check-ups in the same visit.  Luckily, only Maggie had to get any shots; Wyatt just had the flu-mist.  Let me start by saying that if this your first visit to my children's check-up stats reports, you may want to browse some other posts to get an idea of the size of them.  When we say we have large children (who were born regular-sized), we really mean we have large children.  They've managed to stay off the charts since their earliest baby visits.
Wyatt's 4 months
Wyatt's 18 months
Maggie's 9 months

Maggie's managed to be big like her brother, but not as big (thank goodness!).  Her percentiles are still as high as his though, since girls generally are smaller than boys.  So without further ado, here are their current stats:

Wyatt turned 3 last month so here are his 3 year old stats (above the 97th %):
height: 41 1/3 inches (3 ft. 5 1/3 in.)
weight: 45 lbs.

Maggie hit the 18 month mark a couple weeks ago (above the 97th %):
height: 34 3/4 in.
weight: 31 lbs. 7 oz.

So Maggie's slowed down significantly.  She's still squeezing into some of her 24 month clothes, but quickly growing out of them.  She fits comfortably in 2T and some 3T (I think 3T pants will be too long when winter hits).

Wyatt is wearing size 4 pants and size 4/5T shirts.  He needs bigger shirts because they're a little longer and he's never been lacking in height!

They're both developing tremendously in language.  Maggie is saying tons of words.  Wyatt started Cubbies this year (part of the AWANAS program) and is doing great at memorizing his Bible verses.

I'm really looking forward to all that's in store for my babies over the next year!

The Zoo!

The last day of July brought a last minute trip to the zoo, which is about an hour away.  We got there about an hour after it opened, took the kids to see all the animals, and got out right before we were starving and picked up some non-expensive food for the ride home.  The kids had a blast and we loved watching them have a blast!  We didn't take a ton of pictures, but here are a few that we did get.  I wish we had gotten pictures of feeding the giraffes, but it's probably for the best because giraffe tongues are slimy!  Maggie, our daredevil, got into it just from seeing the other kids do it and Wyatt surprised us by doing some feeding as well!  They loved it!

Let me just tell you that she loved everything!

Tiger love!

Elephants!

I'm not sure what they were looking at, but it was fun watching Wyatt getting into posing on the turtle a little bit!  Next year will be even more fun!  Yay!