Honestly...I thought this summer would be different!

I started the summer with great intentions, I have been doing better doing the school year at getting up with the kids and moving through the day. So, I mistakenly thought that with a new born I would be able to have some fabulous schedule where we all did amazing activities and learned great new skills. FUNNY!

Turns out our new little guy does not want to sleep 12 hours at night like the other 2 were at this age. He is constantly hungry, so if we get a 6 hour stretch at night it is a blessing. I have started quipping when people ask if he is sleeping through the night that "He has done x, y, or z for the last 3 nights, so we are sure to have a different pattern tonight."

He sure makes up for any lack of sleep with his pleasant disposition and smile. We are constantly finding new ways to make him laugh. Tonight we were fighting over whether he would get his fingers in his mouth or I would get the binky in. Turns out he thought it was a great game, he figured out that laughing let him get his mouth open wide enough to get a finger in around the binky. That made him laugh harder! What fun!

The kids are amazing with him. He follows M's every move, including trying to dance while watching him play "Just Dance 3." C has so much patience, and is totally saving me. I don't know how I will get anything done when she goes back to school. She is always willing to sit and talk to him or hold him while I accomplish a simple task or two.

Anyway, it is too bad I cannot type and upload picture while I nurse! This blog would have extensive entries everyday, but I guess I will just have to enjoy cuddling the precious miracle the Lord has given us instead!

Love to you all! Hope the remainder of your summer is blissful and full of perfection, Lol!

Letters to our kids

Just saw a beautiful letter from a mother to her young daughter. For some reason my phone won't let me paste the link, I will share it on facebook. It was about how the women on the bachelor act, and how it will affect her daughter if she acts that way. We must try harder to help our girls see themselves through a realistic lense, not the media lense. It breaks my heart to see girls with low self-esteem who are amazing and beautiful!

2 Months Old!

So, we really took 2 month old pictures, but I have not edited them yet. Hopefully that will happen soon, but feeding him seems to take priority. Anyway, I am going to add a few pics from my phone, hope you are all well!

8 Wonderfully Reflective Weeks

8 weeks ago today I was preparing to be induced. Too bad the hospital was full, so we did not make the cut that day, but in a lot of ways I was grateful. The extra 3 days gave me time to pull it together and resign myself to the fact that Pitocin and I were going to meet again. Somehow I survived, thank goodness for super fast deliveries, and we have had our beautiful boy for 8 weeks on Monday.

8 sleepless weeks...okay, not really. He is up to about 6 hours once per night now, but that usually starts at 11:30 or midnight. As a result there have been many days that I just have to get up and going when he is done nursing. I keep hoping he will either make it 7 hours or start sleeping a little earlier so I can sneak in another hour. I am so grateful summer vacation starts tomorrow. Hopefully by the time the kids go back we will be on a great schedule. (Wishful thinking, I know!)

Anyway, we have had some requests for more recent photos. I will try to get some up soon, but here are a few from his 2 week photo shoot:

Love you all! Hope you are well and happy!

Finally Here!

It's a BOY!
Stormond arrived yesterday (4-15) at 11:06 a.m. He is 9 lbs 2 oz (huge compared to the other 2) and 21 inches long. Happy, healthy, and sleepy!

We could not have asked for a faster delivery, I was induced at 9:40 a.m., so literally less than 90 minutes. We had a great nurse named Rachael who believed me when I told her that I go really fast, and did everything to support our process. I feel so blessed that we had such great staff! Dr. Smith (as always) was supportive and very calm, but got us through the process even when the baby's heart rate started to drop.

We are all excited to finally have our new little guy here. I will post more soon, but for now here is a sneak peek of the new addition:

 He has a Walther head! Dr Smith said he thinks it was a record for his office for a natural birth! 37 cm.

 Bruised eyes look much better today!

Update...

So we are still here, no baby yet. The hospital we are delivering at is running very full this week so induction has not been an option. I am grateful for that in a lot of ways, I really don't want pitocin. However, this baby does not seem to have any intention of coming out. After spending the entire pregnancy on my cervix causing contractions it has decided my ribs are a better place to hang out. We just cannot make contractions stick.

We even went to the zoo today and walked. All we seemed to accomplish was making my feet and ankles more swollen. I am so ready for a water pill, lol! Of course that would just make the bathroom my permanent home, so that is probably not a good idea either. Oh well! I am such a whiner!

Sorry we have nothing more exciting to report...we really have not forgotten to call any of you! We will let you know as soon as we have anything to report, meaning the baby is actually here. We don't want to get anyone's hopes up (especially our own) at this point. Anyway, the new goal is to have the baby before my brother's wedding on the 7th of May. I think that is the most realistic goal I can set. Lol!

We love you all and hope all is well for you! Between waiting to hear from the doctor all week and C having a nasty virus we are not getting out to see anyone. Hope you are all happy and healthy!

The Induction debate...

So, tomorrow we are 39 weeks, and it is time to start the debate over whether or not to induce this baby. My gut instinct is NO! I did not enjoy pitocin with C and feel like it will completely defeat my goal of staying drug free with this delivery. However, we really do have to address how big this baby may be. Both of the other kids were over 6 pounds at 35 weeks. when we look at the fact that most babies gain between a 1/2 and a full pounds per week from week 36 on this kids is getting BIG! Bare minimum, if it was 6 at 35 weeks, it is now 8 lbs. That is a good size baby, but if we had one week where it gained a pound we are over 9 lbs! So, last week the doctor told us he is concerned that after all this time of keeping baby in we may end up with a Cesarean birth because the baby will be too big.

Okay, so there it all is... what do you all think? I am terrified to deliver a 10 lb baby after two 6 lbs babies, but I am sure it is possible. I am just not sure that having any interventions will not lead to more interventions. The doctor said we can start by breaking my water, but 90% of the time he ends up giving women pit even after breaking their water...We can get up to 2 minute contractions when I go walking, but the baby is not engaging in my pelvis, so eventually my body gives up on the contractions.

I am really torn, so I would love to hear from anyone with great ideas or experience!