John Paul's first hike

On Sunday it was in the 70s and sunny so we went on a little hike. Thank goodness John Paul likes the sling! He has been in it several times in his 7 days in this world and seems to enjoy it!
Ok so this is not the most attractive picture of me! But I have lost 18 lbs in 6 days and feel great :)

I thought this picture was so sweet. We were throwing sticks on one side of the bridge and watching them come out the other side. Madeleine loves hikes, especially throwing rocks and sticks in the water!

The leaves are looking so beautiful! I love this time of year!

So, I don't think I ever told the story about what happened to my phone. On Tuesday night I believe (well I guess Wednesday morning), I woke up in the middle of the night in the hospital and heard a really loud static sound. I looked over at the little table which my phone was on and the entire thing was covered with water. Apparently one of the cups or pitchers of water leaked. The phone never worked again. Ken talked to someone at the hospital and they are paying for it!! It's a good thing because we couldn't afford to replace it. So I have been without a phone all week but finally got it back tonight.

I'm in love

\

The Birth of John Paul Landon

This birth story is so amazingly similar to Madeleine's.

On Sunday night I could not sleep at all, even with taking a whole Ambien. I was up at least every half hour. I was just so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep and I kept going to the bathroom. Then around 5:30 I started having pretty regular contractions, about every 5 minutes. After several hours they were getting stronger and closer together. I had a feeling that today would be the day! I had my doctor's appointment at 11am, so I just decided to go to that and see what she said. So I just walked around and had some cereal and watched Dora with Madeleine a few times. About 10:30 we dropped her off at Grandma's house. Ken had stayed home so he took me to the doctor. We had both of our bags in the car because we figured we would be staying.

We got in and the doc checked me. She said I was at 4 cm and could go on upstairs if I wanted to! She said they might have to break my water later to make sure things got going. So I was excited! Unfortunately, every bed in Labor and Delivery was occupied, so we had to wait in triage in the most uncomfortable bed EVER. I got an iv and got hooked up to the monitors for the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. I think we were there until about 2 before they moved us to a room. When we got there, the bed was much better and they checked me again. I was at 5 cm. They said they could either have my doctor come and break my water then or I could get in the tub for a while. Since that was my favorite part of labor with Madeleine, I decided to get in the tub. This helped with the pain quite a bit, but by this time it was getting pretty intense so Ken and I decided to get out our list of intentions and start praying. Ken sat next to the tub and when I'd get a contraction, we would pray for an intention on our list. Then he'd say Hail Marys until it was over. This definitely helped and we made it through every intention on our LONG list.

Side note. While I was in the tub, naked and having contractions, an IT guy walked in to fix the computer!! Yeah. Ken sat on the edge of the tub to kind of block his view, but still. Come ON people!

So I stayed in the tub for about 3 hours. Around 5pm I decided I would get out and let the doctor come and break my water. The nurse checked me again and I was STILL at 5 cm. I have long, slow labors. Then they called my doctor, who had just gone home to feed her kids supper. She didn't come in until 6:30. When she came in, she checked me and I was at a 7 cm and "very stretchy cervix." Her checking me and then breaking my water was probably the most painful thing of the whole process. It hurt SO bad my eyes filled with tears and I was ready for it to be over! Pretty much immediately the contractions started getting SO strong I couldn't think of anything else. I just had to try to relax and get in the "zone." Ken was a great coach. Around 7:30 I decided I was ready for an epidural. The guy came in around 8. The first epidural did not take AT ALL. After 20 minutes I could still feel my feet, and everything else that was going on. He said he'd have to redo it. The second time he gave me the numbing shot again (which burns and stings) and then tried to thread the catheter and could not do it at all! So he had to do it a 3rd time. At this point I was seriously thinking of telling him to forget it. But he said he would have to move up a bone in my spine. This time he was able to thread it 5 cm, which is 1 cm longer than normal I think. Within a few minutes I couldn't feel my legs and in a few more minutes I wasn't feeling contractions. However, my legs and feet were uncomfortably numb and tingly. I kept trying to get Ken to move me because I couldn't move my legs at all. At one point I kept trying to get him to bend my leg. He kept telling me that it was alredy bent. But I just KNEW it was straight. He had to take a picture with my phone to show me it was bent at more than a 90 degree angle! Then I kept telling him to move the pillow under my leg. I was touching it with my hand and telling him to move it because it was uncomfortable. He said, "Uh, that IS your leg!"

Anyway, they checked me again at close to 10pm and said I was at a 9. My doctor said that she could just give me a tiny bit of pitocin to get me to 10 more quickly. I told her to go for it! They left the room and said to call them back when I started feeling a lot of pressure. It wasn't too long after that when we called them back in, maybe 10:30 or so. She checked me and said I was fully dilated and his head was right there. The doctor came in and got everything ready. They said to push with the next contraction. I asked if I could have a mirror to see what was going on, and they put one down at the end of the bed. With the first contraction I could see his head! The second contraction he was born! His head came out, he had lots of hair! The doc was playing with his hair. Then on the next push he was born! They put him right on my chest. I thought he felt a lot bigger than Madeleine! He was so beautiful and such a sweet boy! He peed all over the doctor and nurse immediately :) I got to hold him for a while while I delivered the placenta and she sewed me up. She said I wouldn't have torn this time except his hand came out right next to his face. Then they asked if I was ready for them to weigh him. I said sure, so they weighed him at 8 lbs 8 oz, and he was 21 inches! Ken went with him (in the room) and took pictures. They wrapped him up and brought him back to me. He finally opened one eye and looked at me.

After a little while, they came over and said that he charted out as large for his gestational age (which I thought was weird!) and they had to test his blood sugar. They pricked his heel and it was 37. They said it was supposed to be above 45 so they'd have to give him formula. I hadn't even tried to feed him yet! So I asked if that was the only option? They said I could refuse the formula and try to breastfeed him for 30 minutes and they'd test it again. If it wasn't above 45 they would have to give him formula. I told them I didn't want him to have any since his sister was allergic to dairy - I didn't want to take any chances with him. So I fed him for a half hour, and he did great. They tested it again and it was 53! I'm so glad I didn't consent to the formula.

They brought me a boxed lunch to eat after that while Ken held John Paul. I was SO hungry after not eating anything all day. They gave him a bath and we got to move up to our room. They said since his blood sugar was low I'd have to feed him every 2-3 hours and call the nurse to check his sugar before every feeding. I tried to feed him again when we got up there but he was too tired to wake up and eat. So they said I could sleep for an hour and feed him at 3:30. His sugar before that was 55. He ate like a champ for an hour and went back to sleep in the bassinet. I got to sleep on my stomach for the first time in months and I was in heaven! I fed him again at 6:30 and his sugar was 60. They said he was maintaining fine and they didn't have to check him anymore. Yay!

The next morning my mom brought Madeleine over to meet her new baby brother. She got a big smile on her face when Ken carried her in and she saw me. I asked her if she wanted to sit on the bed with me. Then when she saw John Paul she said "Baby Brother!" I told her she could touch him and she was really fascinated. She gave him a kiss and was really sweet! He had gotten her a present - two little magnet boards - they were a farm scene and a classroom scene with a bunch of magnets. She opened that and played, then gave him her present, which was a little photo album of family members that she and Grandma had made together.

He pretty much slept the entire first day. He was too tired to eat too much. I had to call the lactation consultant several times because I couldn't get him to latch on. Those people don't mess around, let me tell ya! They just grabbed my boob and shoved it in his mouth. So since he slept so well I figured I would get a good night sleep the next night. OH I was wrong.

Just when I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open even while I was sitting up, he decided to wake up. And he decided this was a good time to eat for about 8 hours straight. The nurse kept coming in all night because he'd latch on, eat, doze off, then wake up and want to be latched on again. Over and over. She kept coming in and asking me if I wanted her to take him to the nursery for a while so I could get some sleep. Well I didn't want him to just be in there crying! So finally she asked if she could try a pacifier with him. It was 4:30 am at this point and I hadn't slept in 3 nights, so I decided to let her try it. He was not interested. And whenever she'd take him away from me he would start crying. So finally she told me to scoot over in the bed. She laid him down next to me and put a pillow on the other side of him. I was shocked that she did this! Usually you have to hide it from the nurses if you put the baby in bed :) But it worked! He slept next to me for about 3 hours. He's a mama's boy already :)

The next day we decided we wanted to leave early (well, earlier than waiting until 48 hours after he was born, which would have been 10:41 at night.) They told us we could just bring him back for the newborn screening the next day. So Madeleine came over after her nap, we packed everyone up, and she got to bring her baby brother home! It was a wonderful 3 days and I am so grateful that we have these two beautiful, amazing children!

We are home!

And he is the sweetest baby in the whole world!!

We decided to come home yesterday afternoon early, so we had to go get his newborn screening blood test this morning. It was SO worth it to come home last night. Madeleine came to the hospital so she could help bring her baby brother home and we have started getting back into the normal routine. Madeleine thought I had moved into another home! It was really sad. So I got to put her to bed last night and told her that I wasn't leaving and I would be here when she woke up. She is doing great having her brother around so far. She says his name so cute I'm going to have to get it on video.

And I am feeling great too! SOOOO much better than the last few weeks of pregnancy. We even went out to lunch at Qdoba today. I'm sure the vicodin and ice packs are helping!

In case anyone is trying to call me, my cell phone was damaged at the hospital and is completely ruined. We are trying to decide what to do but hopefully I'll get a phone by tomorrow. I'm going into withdrawl!

John Paul is fitting right in with our family. He seems really laid back so far. I forgot how great it is to have a newborn around. He is just so sweet and cuddly. And I forgot how much I love breastfeeding - it's just like a wave of relaxation over both of us when he eats. He is doing great too. He has decided he likes to sleep right next to me and not in the cradle, which is fine with me. We started cloth diapering today and I'm loving that too. This is my first experience cloth diapering a newborn. He looks so darn cute in them!

I'm going to write out his birth story hopefully tonight or tomorrow before I forget any details. But it was a great experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Ken asked yesterday if we were 1/4 of the way done (with having kids) now, and I said Let's make it 1/5 :)

Thanks so much for all the comments!

Welcome to the family John Paul!

We love you!!!

Introducing....

John Paul Landon!! He was born at 10:41 after another 18 hour labor almost exactly like the first one!

He was 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches - big boy! He is adorable of course and I'll try to get some pictures on here tomorrow :)

Thanks for all your prayers and we prayed for all intentions! It was a great labor and very easy delivery - 2 pushes!

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

I'm too tired and fat and sore to blog.

Happy Birthday Ken!

Madeleine and I think you are the best Daddy and Husband in the whole world!

Thank you for working so hard so that I can stay home and raise our kids. I don't tell you enough but I really really appreciate all the extra work you do for us! I brag about you all the time to other people but I need to tell you more!!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

(We were hoping your son would be here for your birthday today too, but so far no such luck!)

Love you!!

George

Here's a clip from our morning - excuse her "attire" she was in the process of getting dressed. I tried to cut the last few seconds so you wouldn't get a show... we'll see if I was successful! If not I might delete this video in a few days!

Today we went to Music class - HOPEFULLY my last one with just one kid! Then we picked up some last minute essentials at Target - including Dora bandaids and a new Dora toothbrush. The kid is now obsessed with Dora, which I guess is a welcome break from Elmo.

Then we were able to have lunch with our great friends, who are moving away soon! We are sad! We walked around an outdoor mall a few times and got some great ice cream too. Hopefully all that walking is speeding up the process.

When we got home, Madeleine took a good nap. I was able to clean up and get a little sewing done, then we got to play outside! It was a beautiful day.

Curls

I think Madeleine has the most beautiful curls I have ever seen! (I MAY be a little biased... I'll admit it!) However, people comment on them all the time. And I've already told Ken that if the boy has curls like this, we aren't cutting them off until Kindergarten, and even then it'll depend on the dress code!

Have you ever heard the song "Here's your Sign." Lyrics are here. It was out on the country music stations around when I was in college I think. Go read it! It's actually funnier when you see the video, but you get the picture.

So several times in the last year seemingly intelligent people have asked me "Are her curls natural?" I really want to say, "No, I chase my wiggly toddler around with a tiny little curling iron every day. Here's your sign."

Now, my Grandma asks this every time we see her, but she's 90 so it's ok. She also always says several times that I'm so lucky that I had a girl, which is especially funny when my dad is there! It's not her I'm talking about.

So today we were at Barnes and Nobles, and an acquaintance came up to me and said, "Oh did you get Madeleine a perm?"

Here's your sign.

My family is crazy.

Today Madeleine and I went to Rosary group - we pray the rosary (and the Divine Mercy Chaplet today) and the kids play. My phone was in my coat pocket in the other room. When I left, I looked at my phone and saw my mom had called 6 times and there was a message from her saying she had been over to my house because she didn't know where I was!

THEN, I was putting Madeleine down for her nap and I could not keep my eyes open, so I decided to lay down in my bed for a little while. I turned my phone off so I wouldn't get woken up. When I woke up after an hour I had about 8 missed calls and a whole bunch of texts! Ken couldn't get ahold of me so he called my mom, who woke Ava up early and came over to my house again to check on me.

I assume that when things start happening, I WILL be able to get to a phone! :)

Anyone want to guess when he'll arrive? Tax day? Ken's birthday (18th?)

39 week appointment

OOH I missed a day of blogging - I hope no one got too excited :)

Yesterday morning I had an appointment with the doctor who told me two weeks ago that it could happen "any day." She checked me and I'm STILL at 3 cm and she "stripped my membranes." Sorry if that is TMI! She said "You'll probably contract tonight." I didn't. That kid is happy where he is. And I'm feeling pretty good so I don't mind waiting a few more days.

After all, this is the last time in my life where I'll have just ONE kid on the outside. I'm going to enjoy every second with her and give her lots of Mama time.

By the way, has anyone ever had their water break at an "inopportune time?" Every time I go out I wonder if it's going to happen! Especially if we are at the library or something....

Happy Easter!

You know how many stores I had to go to to find that octopus?? (There are several religious books in there too, I promise!)

The octopus was a hit! She carried it around all day. She also loved her jellybeans. I think she is addicted! She got a little wooden "watch" (it has a watch face but it's like a bracelet.) She wore that all day too.

Loved her kazoo. She is pretty good! She even played the tune to the ABC song.

This is what she does when I tell her to smile for the camera!

Finally a good one!


Madeleine did not go to mass today. Ken's parents entered the Church last night at the Easter Vigil at their church! Madeleine and I stayed home because their church is pretty far away and there's no way she could stay up that late. So she and Ken slept in and I got to go to 8am mass and actually pay attention!! It was a struggle to find something to wear! It was completely packed but the usher found me a seat. Then we had a nice relaxing day and went out to dinner with my parents and Ken's side of the family. It was a fun day! And definitely a treat to be able to attend mass without having to deal with a toddler :) We prayed for her though!!

*Oh my goodness I just noticed the kitchen scissors and prescription bottle next to her in that last pic! Don't worry I was right next to her the whole time :)

Ken's Trophy Wife

Oh boy am I looking good these days.... coming up on 39 weeks!

I have the best mom in the whole world! Today she went shopping with me for some last minute gifts for Madeleine's Easter basket - Ken actually found a purple and pink stuffed octopus! I've been looking all over for one. She loves them for some reason.... the kid is crazy :) Actually she watches these Dora videos and two of them have an octopus. We also went to the Catholic bookstore and bought some appropriate things for her basket! Then after her nap my mom wanted to take her to go visit my Grandma in her nursing home, and while she was gone she treated me to a pedicure! Yay!! Thanks Mom :)

SO cute

I can't believe his little butt is going to be this tiny. Thanks V for the great diapers!! And A, notice we still use your quilt EVERY DAY!! :)

I'm still pregnant and feeling great.

I love being a SAHM

We had a GREAT day today. We went to music class this morning. Madeleine wore the adorable froggy dress that my friend made and it was quite the hit! She showed everyone her "Pink Froggies." Then the teacher incorporated frogs several times in the class and she was thrilled!

Afterwards, we went to visit my old college roommate, who has a 3 year old daughter and a 2 month old daughter. I had a great time hanging out with her! The girls played great together in the backyard. Of course with all the toys out there they both choose to play in the pile of dirt. They were really cute - working together with their shovels to fill each other's buckets. My friend also gave me several newborn All in one and pocket cloth diapers - they are SO SO cute and small! I can't believe his little butt is going to be that small. Thank you V!

When we got home we had lunch and Madeleine took a great nap. I got to sew a little and talk to some friends, then made cabbage rolls, roasted broccoli, and sweet tea for dinner. Love my days as a Stay at home mom :)

Baby update - have had ZERO contractions today. He is due in less than two weeks so I know he'll be here soon enough! I've really felt great all day. Oh and also, Ambien, where have you been all my life!! 1/2 a pill last night and I had the best night of sleep I've had in MONTHS!!! I don't even think I got up to go to the bathroom, which usually happens at least 3 times. It was fantastic :)

Rejected

Wish this kid would just make up his mind! I had contractions for several hours last night, ended up soaking in a hot bath, laying on the couch, walking around, and they ended up about 4 minutes apart and painful. So around 11pm we went ahead and packed our hospital bags. Then I laid down in bed and they WENT AWAY!! I actually slept pretty well last night, for the first time in a while.

Then I woke up early and walked around the house and started having them again. Also feeling LOTS of pressure. So I called my next door neighbor who is a nurse at the ob office. She was wonderful - she was actually leaving on vacation in a few hours. She told me to drink lots of water and keep walking around for a while, then sit down and if the contractions stopped it was probably not the real thing. She called back a few hours later and said I should go ahead and get checked at the doctor because both of my favorite doctors were leaving at noon. So I called over there, had my mom pick us up and went to get checked. Still at 3, head really low, mostly effaced. The exam was extremely painful so she said that was a good sign something was happening. She told me to go home even though I was hoping she'd send me upstairs and I'd have a baby on the outside by now! Oh well! She gave me a prescription for Ambien and told me to get some good sleep for the next few nights. I think I'll try a half a pill tonight.

Sew sent me this awesome A-line dress pattern for Madeleine and I was able to make one during her nap today. It was so easy and cute! Maybe she'll wear it for music class tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep my mind off other things :)

2 year appointment

Madeleine had her 2 year old well child visit today with our pediatrician. We just love him! I thought she'd have to get her MMR and chickenpox shots today since she hasn't had them yet. However he wants her to go get tested for food allergies first just in case she tests positive for an egg allergy. She does eat eggs all the time but he said that it's different than getting it injected. So we got an appointment for May 8 and I already made sure Mom could come with us :) Then he said she can get the shots when her brother comes for his 2 month appointment. He also said her loud breathing could have something to do with food allergies and she'd grow out of it.

She said her ABC's for him, and he listened carefully and said NO 2 year old does it that well! He said listened to her talk some more and said "this kind of smart gets their college paid for." haha! We can only hope!

He said not to worry about potty training at all right now for at least 6 months. That's pretty much what I was thinking anyway since she has pretty much completely regressed in the past few weeks. Also he said to read books about her baby brother and "talk him up" which we've been doing. And then when he gets here, to keep her routine completely boring and the same - eat at the same times, do the same things, have the same bedtime and bedtime routine, etc. I thought that was pretty good advice.

She was also almost 24 pounds and 34 inches tall. So about 10th percentile for weight and 50th to 75th for height. He said she was tall and skinny and that is good!

In other news, I've been inspired by my blog friend Sew, got to move my sewing machine downstairs and have been sewing during naps! She made little Six some great things - burpcloths, onesies, cute shorts and even a dress for Madeleine! She is very talented and thoughtful!! I am having a great time and making lots of cute things. Of course I probably only have a week or two of sewing left before I have to take a break :) I'll try to take some pictures of some stuff I've made tomorrow when the light is better!

Also, I had some contractions tonight but they didn't turn into anything!

2 weeks to go? *Update*

Off to the doctor to get violated this morning. I'll update later!

Well, she said I am still at a "good 3 cm." And his head was REALLY low. She gave me her home phone and cell phone and pager and told me to call anytime! She asked how long I pushed with Madeleine and I told her 20 minutes. She said, "Well, this one won't even take 20 minutes he's so low!" So that's good news.

Still waiting!

Boy's Room!

Come on out, Little Man! Your room is all ready! (Not that you'll be spending much time in there, but at least you have clothes put away and diapers ready to go!)

I know these aren't the best pictures, but I love his bedding. I found it on ebay and loved the red, white and blue. Also Ken is in the airline industry so I really liked the vintage airplanes.
Mom made these beautiful airplanes out of cardstock on her cricut - they match perfectly and are flying all around the room! By the way, the big airplane behind his crib will be pulling a "banner" with his name on it - that's why the ribbon is hanging down right now.

Changing table: Stocked. The tiny cloth diapers are in the dryer right now but we'll use disposables for the first week or so, and maybe overnight for a while. We'll have to see how it goes. I do love cloth diapering though, so he'll have a fluffy little cotton butt the majority of the time. Diaper Champ, toys, trashcan, and hamper are all ready.

My mom also made the lampshade with planes. She is very talented! I love the valances. The rocking chair and boppy are all ready, and we hung up his outfits in his closet. We have his little shoes and hats and blankets ready in there too. His dresser is in there too, and we have it stocked with onesies, shirts, pants, jammies and sleep sacks. Oh, and I made the blanket on the rocking chair. I wanted to challenge myself to do a crochet project - I think there are twelve different squares and I'm happy with how it turned out!

The inside of his bumper and his mobile. Doesn't it look cozy? We do have a cradle he'll be (hopefully) sleeping in for the first 3 months or so in our room but maybe I'll try to let him nap in his crib occasionally. We'll see how it goes. Madeleine had to be sleeping on me or next to me at all times for the first several weeks. Of course, now she barely lets me hold her so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts with this boy!

Also today, Mom cleaned my room and bathrooms for me :) I have the BEST mom ever!!

And I went through and organized all Madeleine's clothes. Now she has her spring and summer stuff out on one side of her closet and in her drawers, and the next size fall and winter stuff on the other side of her closet. Plus she has two bags of 3 and 4T stuff for after that, thanks to Ava and family! The house is clean, the diapers are washed, the kids rooms, toys and our room is well organized.... come on out Baby!

Nobody get excited

Maybe the doctor didn't know what she was talking about. I've felt perfectly fine all day!

I was hoping he'd be born soon but now I'm going to shift my focus back to the due date, still three weeks away! That way if he comes early, it'll just be a happy surprise! Plus I have another ob appointment with another doctor on Monday, so we'll just see what she says.

By the way, I have the best mom in the whole world! She has spent all week getting the boy's room ready and cleaning my house!! What could be better??

Thank you so much for all your intentions! Keep em coming! We're getting quite the list. Don't worry about asking for more than one - my labor with Madeleine was 18 hours so I'm sure I'll have plenty of contractions to go around :)

Intentions

Yeah, I just spent 3 hours walking around Target and the mall, and I don't feel much different. BUT, just in case he decides to come early, I wanted to get this post in.

Before I went into labor with Madeleine, I asked everyone for intentions to pray for during contractions. I got an amazing response within hours, and that was my absolute FAVORITE part of labor - being able to offer contractions for intentions.

I think Catholics are especially blessed to realize the joy of offering up suffering and uniting it to to Jesus' suffering. So many saints have written on this subject. I think it's a very powerful prayer. When I was in labor with Madeleine, Ken would say, "We offer this contraction for ______" and then say Our Fathers or Hail Marys until it was over. It was just amazing, it gave my pain a real purpose (besides, you know, getting the baby out!) and we don't get this kind of opportunity too many times in our lives! I want to take advantage of it.

So please, if you have anything you want me to pray for during labor, leave me a comment or email me at regs78 at yahoo. We want a big list! Then I'll print it out and put it in my bag, which I haven't packed yet :)

Ready to go?

So yesterday was my 37 week appointment and Ken had an early dentist appointment and got to come with me! I got my first "exam." Oh how fun that was! But I had been feeling pretty crampy and had a hard time sleeping the night before so I told her that. She said something was "brewing" and I was dilated to 3 and my cervix was ready to go! She said she thought if she didn't see me this week she'd see me on the weekend! YAY!!!

SO, my mom and I spent the entire day yesterday getting his room ready, going through all his clothes, sorting by sizes, hanging stuff up and stocking his dresser and changing table. We made up his bed, washed his carseat cover and got it ready, and mom made some great airplanes with her cricut for the walls. It looks fantastic in there!! We have one more thing to get today and I'll post pictures.

Then last night I had contractions about every 5 minutes for 3 1/2 hours! They were consistent but didn't get stronger or closer together. I sat in the tub for about an hour, then moved to the chair, then eventually fell asleep on the couch! I even slept pretty well last night. I seem to start having contractions when we're moving around, so after we get the last thing for the room at Target, we are going to the mall and trying to "walk him out." :) I'll keep everyone posted.

Nesting?

We got SOOOO much accomplished this weekend!

Saturday we went shopping for a few things we needed, including some newborn diapers and wipes, a hamper, a trashcan and some hangers for his room. Then that same day I bought a changing table/dresser for $25 on Craigslist. We were planning on painting it and changing the knobs - it is white so it doesn't go with his furniture. We bought all that stuff at Lowes and also a lampshade for his lamp.

Ok so last weekend I had seen a changing table that I LOVED on ebay. They were trying to sell their crib and changing table together and only lived about 30 minutes from us. I asked them if they'd sell us just the changing table and they said they would for $150. I told them that was too expensive. So then today, after we had bought the other one yesterday, they emailed back and said they had relisted it and it didn't sell again, so I could have it for the price I asked - significantly less than $150. This was absolutely perfect for his room, so I couldn't pass it up! We drove down there and bought it this morning.

They also threw in a changing pad and two covers, and a wipe warmer :) It matches his crib and dresser. And you can kind of see his hamper next to it. I LOVE it!

I'm sure there will be plenty more pictures of his room this week b/c my mom and I are going to fix it up. I can't wait! After that he is free to come anytime! Also my mom and dad picked up the cradle from my brother's house today and brought it over. I washed the sheets and will get it all set up tomorrow and hope the cat stays out of it*!

So I figure the other changing table/dresser we bought could be used in Madeleine's room. It was cheap and she needs more drawer space.

Also I did 6 loads of laundry today, and also ordered my last load of cloth diapers... for awhile anyway! I'm really excited to get the house ready for Baby Six! I have to think of everything else I have to do - wash the carseat cover and install the base in the car, wash the swing and find a place for it, bring in the bouncy seat and baby bathtub... what else do I need to do? I forget everything I need for a newborn! I probably should buy some baby shampoo or something... oh and he needs socks.

*Speaking of the cat, he is doing great - seems to be totally back to his old self. Even putting up with all that Madeleine can dish out.

Grace

This morning we went to confession before our regular Saturday morning Barnes and Nobles date. I got a priest that I normally try to avoid ONLY because he knows me. I know that's not a good reason but, ya know, sometimes you want to remain anonymous. Anyway I ended up getting him and I'm SO glad I did! He was really great and told me I made a good confession. Then he asked if I knew of anyone who was Catholic but hadn't been to church for a while or someone who was "unchurched." I told him I was sure I could think of someone. Then he told me that my penance was to invite that person to mass before Easter. I told him I would.

When we left I was thinking about who I could invite. I texted my friend and asked what she thought. She told me that she hadn't been to church in a few weeks and that confession at her church started in 20 minutes. So I told her to go and she did! Afterwards she said that she felt like the lost sheep and God was reaching out to her to get her back on track! Wow! She said she was so thankful I texted her, totally believed that penance was for her and she wouldn't have gone otherwise. And she is going to mass tomorrow. God is good!

And it's the first penance I ever texted :)

It's here

My very last day of work!! I cannot believe it. It's been my dream since I was a little girl to be a full time stay at home mom... raise my kids how I want, take care of my house, let us all be on our own schedules, have some freedom, etc.

It's scary that today is also my last paycheck! I hope we can make it work out. I am pretty sure I'll have to bring in some money after this summer, but right now I'm just going to enjoy my dream come true for the next few months, and take the best care of my kids, husband and house that I can!

Thank you Ken for working so hard to make this happen!! And thanks Mom in advance for helping me clean the house next week :)

Novena to conceive a child

I saw this on FloridaWife's blog and just had to post it. As most of my regular readers know we said a novena to St. Anthony right before we conceived Madeleine. And John Paul II is one of my favorite people ever and he was such an amazing influence in my life! So if you or anyone you know want to say this, it starts today and ends the day before the anniversary of his death - April 2.

For my non Catholic friends who read this blog, we ask saints in heaven to pray for us just like we ask friends on earth to pray for us. For more information you can read here.


Novena to JPII for _______ to conceive a baby.

Dear John Paul II, servant of God, we believers of the Most Holy Trinity; Mary, the mother of God; St. Joseph; and the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church are united in prayers with those on the Catholic-Fertility list.

Dear John Paul II, servant of God, who are already in heaven, this is a novena for your intercession that __________ becomes pregnant and delivers a healthy baby who will glorify and praise God.For people certain things are impossible to attain and sometimes people are unable to understand God's will, but we deeply believe in your intercession, JPII. You always defended children, especially the unborn ones, and you loved them above all.

Please look at _________ who is asking for biological children. Look at the tears in her eyes begging to become a mother.St Ann, you gave birth at a late age to our Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Most Holy Mary. That is what God wanted. With God nothing is impossible.We believe that God, Creator of heaven and earth, will look kindly upon _______ and give her the blessing, through Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and JPII, of becoming a mother of her biological and adopted children whom she will love and thank God for.

Dear JPII, please help our prayers to be answered and that _____________'s womb be filled with the beating heart of a tiny baby. We already give you thanks and sincerely believe in your intercession to God.Dear JPII, your beloved mother also asked God for you to be born. Please remember our prayers. Amen

We will be saying this for some friends this week.

Poor Mo

This post is about to be TMI about the cat.

Last night I noticed that Cosmo was acting a little weird. He was sitting in the litter box for a long time and nothing was happening. He was also walking and standing kind of funny. So today I took him to the vet and his boy parts were blocked so he couldn't go to the bathroom. They had to sedate him and catheterize him and he's spending the night! Also the vet said that if we had waited another day he probably wouldn't have made it. Poor little 'Mo! Glad we got him in in time. He's gonna be fine and can come home tomorrow.

I had to go to the doctor this morning for my 36 week appointment. I guess I have to get naked every time now. Today I had to get the group B strep test which involved a swab. So I go in there, and the nurse tells me to strip from the waist down. Then she points to the paper NAPKIN and tells me I can cover up with that. OOOOOkkkkkkay. So this napkin goes on my lap and does not NEARLY go around my whole body. Also the table is situated so your butt faces the door so that is the first thing that greets the doc when she comes in, along with anyone else who happens to be passing by at the time.

Then she said they'd start "checking" me next week. I told her that with my first kid I was dilated to 3 cm and 90% effaced for 3 weeks and it didn't make any difference. She said I'm probably already dilated a little but didn't expect me to go early. So WHY do they have to check me again? I don't get it.

The rest of the day was great. Can I just say I was SO excited to get a package of tiny cloth diapers and covers in the mail today??? His little butt is gonna be so darn cute! (Much cuter than mine, as several doctors and nurses and patients can attest after today!!)

Just Wow.

Remember several weeks ago when I backed into my mom's car in my driveway? Yeah, I tried to forget about it too.

Well, mom and dad went on vacation last week to Myrtle beach and took their car in to get fixed during that time. So yesterday I took my mom to go pick it up and pay for it. They had gotten 3 estimates and this was the lowest one at $685. Killing me. Anyway I went in with my checkbook to pay while mom stayed in my car with Madeleine. I asked the older gentleman behind the desk how he was doing, and he said he was good. He asked how I was doing and I said, "Well, not so good since I have to pay for backing into my mom's car!" He looked at me for a second and said, "Let's just make it an even $500."

I think I just stood there with a look of shock on my face for a second because he said "Every little bit helps, right?" I almost started crying and would have given him a big kiss and hug if there wasn't a huge desk in my way! I thanked him several times and still just can't believe it! I got back in the car and told my mom and she couldn't believe it either, and said that the guy was the owner of the shop.

So if anyone around here needs body work, go here!

I can't feel my legs

Getting closer....

One month from tomorrow is the due date from the ultrasound. The due date from the LMP date is April 24. Either way, he'll be here soon and I can't believe it!

Thinking about that makes me realize how much we have to do before he gets here!!! His room is a disaster. I haven't done anything with it yet because Ava is still sleeping in there. We are going to switch cribs so he'll have the white one and then move the big white changing table/hutch/dresser in his room. Madeleine is getting the crib Ava sleeps in and the new (from freecycle) dresser. I also want to get her a short little bookshelf and maybe a toybox or something. Six needs a lamp and a bedside table for his room.

I have to get the cradle from my brother and sis in law, buy diapers and wipes, get the downstairs and upstairs changing tables set up with everything, wash clothes and sheets, clean the rest of the house, figure out what else I need and buy that - including another monitor, socks, etc. I also need to schedule Madeleine's two year doctor appointment and two year pictures.

Also I want to get a haircut and maybe a pedicure :) I mean, I can't reach my feet anyway! Thankfully my mom is off the first week of April while the kids are on spring break. Hopefully we can tackle all of this that week and then he is welcome to come anytime after that!! I'll be 36 weeks in a few days and if he feels the need to come a few weeks early, no problem little man!

Hey, you guys must really be praying!

This week is going way better than I had hoped! Yesterday we went to the library and happened to be there for story time. This isn't necessarily the GOOD part of the week, but it's a funny story. Madeleine does not do well on the potty when she's busy playing. At all. She had gone right before we went to the library so I thought I'd be safe to take her in there for an hour without bringing an extra diaper in. Famous last words, or thoughts as the case may be. About 5 minutes into play time, Ava says she has to go potty. So I rounded everyone up and made everyone try in the bathroom, where I discovered that Madeleine had already wet her diaper. Now this diaper had a doubler (like an extra piece of cotton in there) so I took that out and put it in a plastic bag and told her that we were just going to have to put the same diaper back on. You know how she's terrified of the changing table. Anyway I tried to put her diaper and diaper cover back on as she was standing by the sink. Apparently I did not do a very good job. We went into story time and she was sitting on my lap. All of a sudden I felt something wet. WHAT? I haven't been peed on for a long time. I really must have done a bad job putting that diaper on while she was standing up! Oh well, these things happen. I had promised the girls we could eat lunch at the little cafe in the library though, and I was SO hungry by then I was getting shaky. So I took everyone out to the car, changed Madeleine's diaper and took off her pants. I wonder what everyone thought about the little girl in a shirt and a diaper eating lunch at the library restaurant??

The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. Today however, was fantastic! Madeleine had an appointment at the eye doctor at 8:20. This is a pediatric opthamologist who is fantastic with her. She has a little issue so we're doing some treatment and have to go back about every 2 or 3 months. She did SO great - sat up in the chair, answered all the doctor's questions, read all the pictures up on the chart, and even let the doctor cover her right and left eyes. She also got to wear the 3D glasses so she could check her depth perception. She did great. The doc said she could see remarkable improvement after just 2 months of treatment. Her vision was about 20/30 before and now it's back up to 20/20. Also her depth perception was above average and her muscle control in her eye is improving. So we have to continue the treatment and go back in June. She thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the big chair!

Then, we hurried over to the Mothers for Children group at church, where my friend (with the 12 kids from a few posts back who told me about the calm time out approach) was speaking on Disciplining with Christ's love. I have never left Madeleine in the nursery before but I did NOT want to miss this talk. Well, I was worrying for nothing! She went right in and started playing with all the toys. I told her that if she wanted to come sit with me anytime she could just ask one of the adults to come get me. That was not necessary! At one point I went to the bathroom and peeked in at her and she was just playing and talking to the other kids! YAY!!! I was so happy. So I got to hear this fantastic talk, and I'm sure I'll post more about that later - I took a lot of notes.

Then I got invited to knit with a group of moms on Friday morning in the nursery so the kids could play. I would love that and I'm looking forward to it. We went home, had a quick lunch, picked Ava up from school, and everyone took a great nap. When we got to their house, it was such a beautiful day that we spent the afternoon playing outside. A friend of mine who is their neighbor came over and talked for a while too. G was extremely helpful and played with Madeleine so well. I just loved seeing her having so much fun outside. I am so looking forward to spring and summer. She loves playing outside.

So thanks everyone for all your prayers - and keep them up - they are working! And Happy St. Patricks day!!

Pray for me....

My mom is out of town this week, so I am taking over her days watching A and G, which means I'm working a full week for the first time since last summer! I hit 35 weeks yesterday and my patience is wearing thin. The only part I'm really worried about is after school with all 3 of them at A and G's house. A gets really possessive of her toys and won't let Madeleine play with anything. Madeleine gets into all their expensive stuff and G needs help with her homework and everything else. It is stressful! Also pray that A and M get good naps so everyone is in a good mood in the afternoons.

However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. NEXT week is my last week of work and then I'll be a full time stay at home mom - my dream come true! For 4-6 months anyway..... :)

Two year old behavior

OH. MY. GOODNESS. I don't think we'll be going back to TGIFridays anytime soon!

There was whining, yelling, screaming, squriming.... and Madeleine wasn't good either :)

Story from Church last week

I keep forgetting to share this but I'm still laughing about it!

Last week in Mass after communion, Madeleine said she had to go potty. I checked and her diaper was dry so I took her back there. She is terrified of the changing table in public restrooms, so every time we go in one she says, "I don't have to get changed!" or "I don't have to lay down!"

She must not have told me in time, because by the time we got all the way back there she had gone in her diaper. Now that she is back in cloth diapers again there's really no way to change her except on the changing table, so I keep telling her that if she doesn't want to get changed, she needs to go in the potty instead of her pants.

Of course I had not brought another diaper back there since I had checked and she was dry! So I had to waddle my fat self all the way back to our pew, get a diaper, and back to the bathroom. The whole time she is saying "I don't have to get changed! I don't have to lay down!" I think she is scared of heights! I told her she does have to get changed since she went in her diaper.

When we got back the bathroom was packed because Mass was pretty much over. I laid her on the changing table and she kept saying very loudly and in a really scared voice, "Mommy won't let you fall anymore!! Mommy won't let you fall anymore!"

So you know everyone in there probably thought I let her fall multiple times and now she was terrified!

We are off to the fish fry tonight and I can't wait!! I love The Fry!

My morning

24 degrees outside

Van window stuck open.

Annoyed.

I'm already getting to the point in this pregnancy where I'm getting a little irritated. I have to get up every 2 hours at night to go to the bathroom, then I can't fall back asleep. None of my pants fit. He's getting really heavy. My back, hips, and stomach ache all the time. But I know for a fact that it is ALL worth it! And I'd do it over again in a heartbeat for my kids.

Ken and I go to Barnes and Nobles every weekend for a little coffee date. Since Madeleine was born we've taken her with us. She has a great time eating a bagel, visiting with the "regulars," reading books and drinking her "chai" (really chocolate soy milk.) We talk to one lady who works there every week - since before Madeleine was born. She had a baby a year ago so we always ask about her. She is content with her family size but knows we want a big family and totally respects that. Last week she saw me waddling around the store and asked how I was feeling. I truthfully answered that I was getting a little sore and tired and couldn't wait to have this baby. She asked me if I had changed my mind or if I still wanted more kids and without hesitation I answered YES! I will forget about this, about labor, about lack of sleep, and I'll get a precious gift from God. I will never turn down such an amazing gift. (I haven't got to the annoyed part yet.) In fact, this didn't annoy me at all, it put things in perspective that this hard part of pregnancy will be over soon and I'll soon have a sweet little boy.

Now for the annoying part. Today we went to our local butcher shop to pick up some fish for dinner. A guy from our church owns it and we love going there. It's right in the heart of the downtown part of our city. So I parked and put Madeleine in her stroller and took a walk down Main Street. After we went to Joes, we decided to walk down to a little yarn store. I usually don't like this yarn store but they were having a sale so I just wanted to see what they had. I pushed Madeleine in, and she was being her usual charming adorable self. Then the owner of the shop asked, "Is she having a brother or sister?" I answered brother, and she said "Oh good, now you can quit, right?" Honestly I was totally shocked and didn't know what to say for a moment! I've heard of people commenting on family size, but always thought it was more like families with 5 or 6 or more kids. I have ONE (and 3/4 :) She looked like she really wanted an answer so I said, "I'd take 10 more just like her." She looked at me like I was crazy and continued what she was doing. So I just got out of there but walking back to the car I started to get really really annoyed. Who does she think she is? I could have told her that I totally trusted God with my family size and would never turn down a gift from Him. I could have told her it was none of her damn business. Seriously, if anyone ever says anything like that to me around my kids when they are old enough to understand, I'm going to be really mad. And also, I'd be so sad if I knew this was my last 5 weeks of pregnancy EVER. I pray I get to experience it all again.

But I do realize this is the culture. You have your one boy and one girl then you're done. After all, it's important to be able to pay for their entire college education, have a huge house, go on lots of vacations, and buy expensive things, right? It's probably not this lady's fault she thinks like this. What do you say to someone who makes this kind of comment?? I'm SO grateful that I do not think like this and even MORE grateful that I have a husband who is totally open to life.

I had to go through a lot for my kids. Surgeries, drugs, infertility, doctors, needles, morning sickness, hard labor and recovery. It was SO worth it. SO worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. My babies are worth it.

Birthday party number 2

My friend Jenni suggested that I tell Madeleine to ask Mary on her birthday to give her whatever gift she wanted to give her. She went to bed talking about Mary and Jesus and angels. I truly think Mary's gift to her was the 76 degree perfect sunny weather on the day of her birthday party! When do we have this weather in Indiana in early March?? Never! So we decided to move her party to a local park. We got our own shelter where she was able to open presents....

Play in the dirt with cousins.....

Eat cake....

And play on the playground like a little monkey!!

She loved the playground last year, but I can see she will enjoy it even more this year! I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time here this spring and summer!

She had SUCH a great time, and that made me so happy!

We are supposed to have one more nice day tomorrow before it gets cold again, so we're going back to the park with some friends. I can't wait :)

Cake!

Madeleine had a fantastic birthday party and I'll post about that tomorrow with pictures, but I just wanted to show how great the cake turned out! First of all, the cake was DELICIOUS! I got a recipe out of Taste of Home and modified it to make it dairy free, and also used a bar of Ghiradelli chocolate that a friend sent me. The batter was SO good, it's a good thing there was enough left for the cake after Ken and I had a few tastes :)

Then I used store bought frosting - I'm not a big fan of frosting anyway and I'm usually not happy with how it turns out when I make it. But I tinted half of it pink for the sides and left the other half white for the top. I also had to run to the grocery store to get more. There were some sneaky little girlscouts at the grocery store too with their cookies!

So then I added pastel M&Ms to the bottom and top, and some different colored twizzlers around the sides. The drumsticks were chocolate covered pretzels and my mom made the "Happy Birthday Madeleine" sign.

SOMEONE around here could hardly stand to wait to taste the cake! She pretty much refused to eat anything today because she knew there was cake in the house! She finally got a piece along with some ice cream made from coconut milk and she certainly loved it!

I also can't resist linking to a post one year ago with the same title. Wasn't she just too adorable?? :)

Great birthday!

Madeleine and I had a wonderful day yesterday on her second birthday! I made her favorite breakfast, french toast, and then Grandma surprised us by bringing donuts and balloons! Madeleine picked all the pink sprinkles off her donut and that is all she ate. After breakfast we went to get her haircut, which she loves because she gets to watch Elmo and then go down their big slide. Afterwards, we walked next door to this great toy store and I just let her play with all the toys.... she especially loved the Calico Critters table - she spent about 45 minutes there, rearranging the little animals and putting them into their chairs and beds and sandbox and bikes.

When we got home we had lunch and she took a great nap. I told her when she woke up we could go outside and play - for the first time this season! We had a great time even though it was really windy. She LOVES playing outside!

Then we took her out to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. She had salmon, meatloaf, fries, green beans and a cookie. She loved it!

When we got home she got to open presents! She got a Leapfrog letter sounds refrigerator toy, a book, and a little desk with crayons that folds up. But her favorite present by far was....

Her bongo drums!!! She played them forever last night and was NOT happy to leave them when we told her it was time for bed. When Ken went to get her this morning the first thing she said was "I wanna go play drums!" I think it was a hit :)

I baked her cake tonight after she went to bed, and tomorrow I will attempt to decorate it like a drum for her party... wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!!!

To the most beautiful TWO year old girl in the whole world!!! We love you Honey!!

Four Generations

Margaret Loretta, Margaret Loretta, Madeleine Margaret and Elizabeth Anne. Hm....

And there you go - me at 33 weeks!

Well, it's official.

We need bigger towels in this house.

Discipline and diapering update

This discipline technique of not yelling, calmly placing the child in time out really seems to be working! I don't think I've raised my voice once since my discussion with my friend last week. Raising my voice was not working to get her attention or get her to stop what she was doing anyway. So now if she is doing something she is not supposed to be doing (or NOT doing something - like coming when I call) I give her one warning and if she doesn't do what I tell her I get up and immediately lead her to her time out chair. After two minutes I go over to her and say "Mommy put you in time out because...." Then I give her a kiss and a hug and let her go on her way. Most of the time I only have to ask "Do you want to go to time out?" and she will do what she's supposed to. Also if I am out of the room when she does something she's not supposed to, she will come to me and say "I don't wanna go in time out." I ask her what she did and she tells me! Yesterday we were at my mom's house and she took something out of the kitchen she wasn't supposed to and took it into the family room. I told her to go put it back and she said "NO!" I immediately got out of my chair and she hung her head and said "Time out" in a sad voice. I think this is great! She knew exactly what the consequences were going to be. I'm definitely going to keep this up. It does involve a lot of "getting up," in other words hoisting my extra large frame out of the chair, but I think it will be worth the extra effort.

So, in diapering news, I did decide to put her back into cloth diapers. The price of the pullups was killing me. And actually, she is doing better than ever! She usually doesn't wear anything at home and never has an accident, so I only put her in diapers when we go out. I still take her to the potty and she normally only has 1 or 2 wet diapers/day. I feel better about saving money and I'm really glad this hasn't made her regress.

And speaking of cloth diapers, I cannot WAIT to order tiny ones :)