Sunday, November 16, 2008

UGH!

So I got this whole new fancy look for my blog - And when I added it - Guess what??? I lost my whole Blog Roll - I am lost! I have no clue where to go to visit my old blogs. Lesson #1 Keep blog rolls somewhere other than on your blog!

Its been way to long and time for another update - I am working on it!! Gee life with 4 kids is busy! Especially with 3 of them 2 and under!

Short version in case you can't wait - :)

Ethan - doing GREAT in school - loving it! He can read most short words and can write a bit too! He is really excelling at Math - addition and subtraction are just coming really easy for him.

Aidan - Oh man! He is by far more vocal than Isaac - He is talking a bunch now. He loves to undress himself and does it every chance he gets! He also LOVES to take his shoes and socks off in the car - as soon as we get in. Makes these cold snowy days very hard and frustrating! (Ok - so it has only snowed once - well can you call flurries snow???)


Isaac - Well he was in the hospital for a few days at the end of October for pneumonia and while in the hospital they diagnosed him with Asthma. We are still trying to get his coughing under control. It is mainly quite during the day but it acts up at night or if he has been playing hard (running around) or crying. We are still operating under the "Orange zone" of his Asthma action plan. We will be going back to the Dr this will though cause he just started with a runny nose tonight - Something we were told to watch for and to get him in to the Dr ASAP if his cough wasn't controlled.

Mayah - Almost 7 months! Can't believe it! She is too cute. Loves to laugh and suck her toes. When I change her diaper - I have to PRY her toes out of her mouth when I am done. She will masterfully pull off her socks to get to her toes. She can even unsnap buttons if they stand in the way of her toes. At this point I do believe that she prefers he big toe to her thumb!

David - Still with Starbucks - Until Friday - We think. In December he will start with a new company called 4 Preservation. Awesome opportunity for us.

Me - Going Crazy! Well not really but I do believe that I will be starting my Masters in January.

Okay - Well I have a kitchen that desperately needs to be cleaned!

So if you were on my blog roll and what to stay on it - comment me. If you don't it might be a while till I get around to finding you again and put you back on. If you weren't on it but want to be - you can comment me too. Make me feel special! :)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Please forgive me.......

I am back. I have been gone for a while. I have had many health things that I have been dealing with in the past few months. I think that I am FINALLY on the up swing of that, although I am still waiting for a EEG and another MRI to be done. I have been switched from back and forth from so many medications in the past month and I think that we have finally found the right combo that is getting things under control, and the side effects are finally lessening to the point where I can deal with them. The really sad part in all of this is that I had to stop breastfeeding Mayah. It was heartbreaking for me but what was best for her.

Highlights from the past few months that I hope to update soon on - with pictures of course. Well I hope so. Our camera is broken (so if anyone would like to donate one to the Woolf family cause - okay totally joking...............) BUT our friend Tyler is in town before he ships off to boot camp in a few weeks and he takes FABULOUS pictures (remember May of 2007??) and is planning a family photo shoot sometime in the next few weeks......

I turned the BIG 31!!!!!!!

Ethan (our oldest) turned 5, August 2nd AND started kindergarten. He is already blending letters and can read 3 letter words - he can read most of the Dr Seuss books.

The brothers turned 2!!!!!!!!! I can not believe it. It seems like it was just yesterday when they were in the NICU so tiny eating through G tubes. Now they love to feed themselves and feed each other. Here is the conversation that I had with Aidan just the other day:

Aidan: "nummies?"

Me: "okay just a minute - I am making it"

Aidan: "oh what?"

Me: "Macaroni and Cheese"

Aidan: "Um Don't think so - not tonight"

Me: "Well that's what I am making and that's what you will eat"

Aidan: "Um drink juice eat orange"

Me: "no you will eat Macaroni and cheese"

Aidan: "I cry"

Me: "Then you will sit in the corner until you are done"

Aidan: "k" he then went to the corner - cried for about 2 minutes and then came back

Aidan: "Macaroni and Cheese"

OH BOY - do you think that I am in for it with that one or what???

Mayah is 5 months old today!!!!!!! I can not believe that one. I love her so much - I can not believe that I thought that I didn't want a girl or that I wouldn't bond with a girl easily.

David works for Starbucks and is at one of the stores that will be closing. His store will be closed by November 1. He will not find out if he has a job until the last day that the store is open. Nice huh?

Our rent is up at the end of the month. We had no idea what we were going to do. It looks like there is a house that if David likes the inside of it, a friend will buy it and then rent it out to us. We could do a long term lease with a option to buy. It has 4 bedrooms 2 stories 2 bathrooms and a den a 2 car detached garage and a full basement that we could eventually convert to a whole living area for the boys when they get bigger. It is within walking distance - like 3 minutes - from a HUGE park and a community pool and the high school - a good high school. Although I am teaching at a private Christian school that my kids will more that likely all go to.

I have a job. I am teaching and I LOVE it. Who knew that I would love it this much and that I would be as good at it as I actually am. I now think that I will be getting my Masters in School Administration.

OH and here is the biggest thing, I am not sure if I mentioned that I am a official college graduate!!! I received my diploma in the mail and here is what it says:

SHANNON WOOLF
THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS
PSYCHOLOGY
SUMMA CUM LAUDE

Those 3 little words under Psychology - Summa Cum Laude - means with the greatest honor. Each college has a different way of awarding this honor. Some colleges give this for a GPA higher than a 3.85, some for a certain number of AP classes, well my college gives it only to the top 1% of the graduating class. Here is the kicker. My school is a small private Christian school. My graduating class was 300. That means that only 3 of us got this honor. By the way - my GPA was a 4.13. Now I stared my college education when I was pregnant with Ethan and I ended it 2 weeks after Mayah was born - just 4 months before Ethan turned 5. So I attended college had 4 kids and still managed to get a 4.13 GPA. I am kinda proud of myself. Oh in that time frame I was also diagnosed with Epilepsy.

Okay well the brothers just woke up from their nap so I got to go get them before they jump out of their cribs - and I am not joking about that one.

PS - I had a dream last night that my parents and brother came out to visit us. It was awesome. I miss them. Maybe it could come true........................... (lets see if they read this :)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Say a Prayer

Can we all please say a prayer for a friend and her daughter.

Last night we got word that her daughter was just diagnoised with Stage 4 neuroblastoma. Her and her family can use all of the prayers that she can get right now. We serve a BIG God who holds us all in the palm of His hands.

If anyone would like to donate to gas cards or meal cards I am collecting donations through PayPal. Please contact me at my e-mail address. shannonwoolf (at) gmail (dot) com.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Missing Them!!

Yesterday we said Goodbye to 1/2 of our family! David, Ethan, and Aidan headed to Utah to spend some time with his family. Isaac, Mayah and I stayed behind. Here are some pictures of them at the airport and then a picture of Isaac and Mayah missing their brothers and Daddy!DSC02182 004 DSC02184 006 DSC02193 015DSC02194 016

DSC02195 017

We miss brothers and Daddy!!!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Today I laugh

I am laughing again. I am no longer crying every time I turn around. I am no longer feeling guilty for feeling like I don’t love my children enough. Since Mayah’s birth I have been dealing with emotions and feelings that I am not used to. The stark contradiction between what my heart and inner most being knows and what my mind and body feels. At first I just thought that that I was dealing with normal “baby blues”, the adaptation of the change of hormones in my body. There were days when tears seemed to flow for hours just to start up again minutes later. Getting out of bed in the morning seemed like a feat that was too great to handle. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I always bounced back after the birth of my other kids. Ethan was my first and even though Charmin commercials brought me to tears more than once, I bounced back. After the brothers were born I think that I stayed strong just because I HAD to, they were so small and needed their mother to fight for them. Once they were home I was just so happy to have my whole family together. After this birth, after this pregnancy, it was like things didn’t just fall into place like before. Getting into a routine seemed like an impossible feat. I was told that it could take more time this time because of the 19 weeks spent on bedrest. I tried. I tried to do the normal things, wash the dishes, do the laundry, pick up the toys – but even that seemed impossible. It was everything that I could do just to maintain the kids while David was at work. There were many times when the boys would have massive breakdowns and I would join them in tears on the floor. I didn’t know what I could do to calm them down, to calm me down. I would get angry with myself for feeling this way. I am sure that Mayah felt my frustrations as well. There were times when I couldn’t calm her down but would just have to lay her down and let her scream because I was scared of what I would do. What I pictured myself doing. I was scared at the mother I thought that I was. It is not supposed to be this way. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times for parents. After the pregnancy that I had, I was so excited to just hold her in my arms, so excited to have a perfect baby girl. And then the emotions set in and I didn’t know why I was feeling the way that I was. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

At my six week check up, I talked with my Dr about the emotions that I was dealing with. As hard as it was to admit the feelings of inadequacy, the feelings of guilt, of hopelessness, I did. Post Partum Depression. When the normal baby blues last longer than a few weeks. I was given a prescription for Zoloft. I struggled with the thought of taking a pill to “normalize” my emotions. I have studied depression, I know what causes it. As hard as it was, I knew that I needed to do something. I was scared of what I would do, what I could do. I started taking the Zoloft.

About two weeks later I had some blood work done just to get a base line and check all of my levels. A few days later my Dr called and said that it looked like my B12 level was low. It was at 75 and the low end of normal is 250. He said that I would need more blood work to see if it was a true B12 deficiency or not. That blood work would take about a week or so to come back. One of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency is depression. I was hopeful that the depression that I was feeling was because of the B12 and not Post Partum. With this new information, I stopped taking the Zoloft (I had been taking it for about 3 weeks at that point). I felt good and okay for a few days, but then the tears started back. My patience level was at an all time low. I hated the fact that I couldn’t look at Mayah without bursting out in tears. There was a day that I was totally thankful that I had a bottle of breast milk in the fridge and Jessica to take over. It was at that point that I decided along with David that the Zoloft was necessary, at least for the time being. It was not 2 days later that we got the phone call from my Dr that I did not have a true B12 deficiency. I just had a low reading on the first test.

I start working in the Fall. I will be out of the house more; I will interact with adults on a daily basis. I won’t feel trapped in my house with 4 kids. We are hoping and praying that I will get over this PPD at that time. Time will tell. But for now, I am enjoying life. I am enjoying my children. The tears have stopped. I laugh again.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

FUND RAISER

Hey all! The school that I will be teaching at in the fall and that Ethan will be attending Kindergarten at is doing a fund raiser. 50% of all sales placed by this Friday will go to the school. Please check out this link and see if you are interested in any of the items.

All orders must be placed by THIS Friday - June 20th! Thank you for helping out the school!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

From the mouth of Ethan....

Mom - my knee really hurts......Man - I am getting OLD.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

As Promised - Pictures!!!!

Isaac - He is actually smiling on command!

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Aidan - I just love those eyes!

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Mayah - Laying on my bear May 09 2008 079

Mayah - sucking her thumb - she really gets into it!May 15 2008 066

Our Kitchen - re-arranged to house a baby during the day!May 16 2008 062

May 16 2008 060

May 16 2008 059

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Only 2 months later

**NOTE TO SELF** I am sure that these loyal :) readers would like to see some updated photos of the brothers - I should get on that.

So yesterday we took the brothers to their 18 month check up. Thats when I found out that it isn't even an 18 month check up but a 15 month check up. So instead of being 2 months late we are actually 5 months late. Great - sign me up now for Mother of the Year! Well I was late yet again - shocker. This time when I walked in (don't worry I called on my way letting them know I was going to be late) the receptionist obviously annoyed with me being late looked at me and then down at her watch. Nice. This is only my 2nd visit to this office and I am already making a great impression! Although I do have to say that the receptionist that was there our first day was a WHOLE lot more pleasant than the one that was there today.

Well once we got called back to the room we then stripped the boys down to just their diaper and took them to get measured. Here are their important stats:

Isaac
25 lbs even - 26%
33.5 inches tall - 55%
49.5cm head cir. - 78%

Aidan
23.8 lbs - 11%
33.5 inches tall - 55%
47.5cm head cir. - 30%

We were then waiting in the room when the Dr came in and asked if we would be willing to return later that afternoon to finish up the appointment. Apparently she had a lunch appointment that she couldn't miss or be late for and wouldn't have time to spend with us before that. So we did - we clothed the brothers and packed them all up and took them home. Now I guess this wouldn't have been such a big deal - I mean we were late to begin with but here was our timetable for the day:

11:15 - Aidans Appointment
11:25 - Time we actually showed up
11:30 - Isaac's Appointment
12:15 - Time we were asked to leave and comeback
2:30 - Time we were asked to comeback

That meant that I had just over 2 hours to get the boys home, feed them and give them a nap. Of course their normal nap time is at noon. Well thats what we did and dispite Isaac being a little fussy all went well.

Once back for our actual "appointment" I spent some time with the Dr just telling her about the boys, since this was the first time that she saw them. I told her about Isaac's never ending sickness throughout the winter and the fact that he has had a lot of ear infections. Well she then examined them guess what - yep - Isaac has yet another ear infection. So now with his snoring, high pallet, and numerous ear infections - he gets a trip to the ENT. She wants us to be seen again in two weeks - either with her or the ENT. I think that a set of tubes is in his future. She said that with his high pallet it just pushes everything up and leaves little room for his adenoids and nasal passageways.

Other than that everything is just fine with the brothers. They are still on the small side but they are growing and they look great! The next time that we see her again for a well visit is at 24 months. Oh and they each got 2 pokes - one in each leg. Poor Babies.

I am sure that I left a few pieces of the day out - but that was the main points I think. :) Remember I am a sleep deprived mother right now!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Mayah's 1 Month Check Up

I do have to say that today was a good day! Although it started really early - you know the kind of day that you really can't tell when the night before ended and the new day began. Mayah got a bath after my shower - I LOVE the smell of a freshly washed baby! Donned her cute outfit - have I mentioned yet that I falling in love with dressing a little girl - and got ready for her first appointment with a new Dr that my friend Angela led me to. David stayed home with the boys and Jessica and I headed off with Mayah - late of course! Our appointment was at 10:30 and we arrived at 10:40 - and that was just with one of the kids - Lets hope that if we have to take more we make it in time (like the brothers tomorrow)! I had already downloaded all of the paperwork needed for new patients and had it filled it out for everyone - so I didn't need to arrive early for that.

We were then taken back into our room and got the wonderful stats on Mayah - she is a whopping 8 lbs 4 ozs - The boob juice is working!!! She is also now 21 1/2 inches long - that could very well be a miss-measure because I don't know if she really grew almost 2 inches in 5 weeks. Overall, other than a cold, she is doing extremely well. For once I didn't get "lectured" for letting her sleep on her back - Just warned of the risks of SIDS. I do understand the risks - but all of my kids have been tummy sleepers.

Here is a checklist of things that she should be doing between birth and 3 months - I have checked off everything that she is doing now. I do have to add that she is consistently rolling over from her tummy to her back too - oh and actively trying to crawl! She can scoot from one side of our bed to the other or from one part of the floor to the other! She is just a very active little girl!

Well that it about all of an update that I can muster tonight. Tomorrow we have the Brothers 18 month check up so I will update on that tomorrow! Good night and lots of sleep to all!

Social and Emotional


Movement


Vision


Hearing and Speech

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mayah is 1 month old!!

May 22 2008

Well Mayah is a month old already. I think that it is so crazy how fast time flies now that she is out of me! My pregnancy seemed to go on forever and now she is already a month old. It is so crazy how much I love her and how she has already changed our family!

We will go for her 1 month check up on the 27th - so actually she will be 5 weeks old by then. She is doing so well and so stinking cute!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

A New Blog

Like I needed more to do!

I have started a new blog - this one is more focused on my daily devotional times. I am soon hoping that I would be able to actually update it daily! :) I also started it 'cause I have some new cool things in the works - I will let you know when it all works out!

If you would like to check it out you can do so here.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

530 hours

Thats how long my its been since I pushed my baby girl out my whohaa! What a 3 weeks this has been! She is growing so much - she actually has some chunk on her now! I will post updated pictures soon. My camera battery needed to be charged so I was not able to get some shots today like I wanted too. Maybe tomorrow.

Mayah has rolled over twice now from her belly to her back. At first I thought that it was a total fluke but now that it has happened again, I don't think so - I think that she is really doing it! We also watched her as she tried so hard to get on her hands and knees. She was on her belly and her little head was straight up in the air and she had her legs under her - up on her knees and she would push up with her arms (hands in fists). It was so cute - she would try for a few minutes and then she would just drop down and breath really hard until she got her energy back and she would try again. She did this for close to a half hour. Yep - she is going to give us a run for our money! I can just see it now she is going to be just like her brother Ethan and do everything so early!

She did really good at nights for a while but now she seems to want to give us a hard time at night. She sleeps so well during the day - sometime too well, and she is up most of the night. She is giving mommy a hard time!!!! I am just hoping that it is a mixture of gas and a growth spurt. She is wanting to eat just about every hour starting at 1:00am. I am not one who can just fall asleep so easily - thats David - not me! In between feeds she just grunts and groans until I feed her again. We have been giving her that gas stuff every 2 hours but it is not really helping. I am really hoping that we can just get over this soon!

Well Mayah is sleeping now - and we are watching the season finale of ANTM - (Go Whitney) - so I am going to shut down my computer, lay down and wait until Mayah wakes up to eat and PRAY that I will get some sleep tonight after that!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Lazy, Lazy Dayz

Today was just one of those days. You know the kind where no one gets out of their Pajamas until it is time to change into new ones for the night. I was awoken to David telling me that the Air Conditioner repair man was here - he was in the hallway right outside our bedroom. That kept me in my room with Mayah for the next hour or so. David got the boys all up, bathed, and fed right away. After I came upstairs and fixed my breakfast the boys were all ready to go down for their first nap. David and I then decided to watch a movie. This would be one of the first times that we had spent just down time together in a long while.

We had a couple of choices that we talked about, I am Legend, Dan in Real Life, Juno (my choice), but we then decided on PS, I Love You. Okay so I would have to say that this is one of the best movies that I have seen in a LONG time. I cried throughout the WHOLE movie. I think that sometimes you just need a good cry. I think that I was also able to get out some of those pregnancy hormones too! If you have not seen this movie, it is a must see.

The rest of the day went really easy, we just had a really nice day. I like it when David has his days off in the middle of the week - The weekends are already so full of things to do, that him working is just one of them. By having a day off in the middle of the week - it is not filled with other things and we are actually able to just veg and not do much except just hang out with our family.

David went to a Youth Staff meeting for just an hour, and while he was there I made meatballs and Angel Hair pasta. I also decided on making a chocolate cake that we had in the pantry. Yummy! We sat and watched American Idol and ate our dinner. David then had to go and get cake frosting since we didn't have any and he didn't want to eat cake with out any. The cake was really yummy. We are now just sitting in bed - each on our own laptop doing misc. things - waiting for Mayah to eat one more time before we call it a night.

Oh - Just some random updates:

David is meeting with the COO of a company this Thursday to discuss possible career opportunities with his company. Please pray that this will all work out and that there will be something that will work for our family and meet our needs. David would really like to get out of Starbucks sooner rather than later.

Also totally random: my ears have been pierced ever since I was 10 or something. Well tonight - no clue why - my ear is like infected. It is all gross and red and pussy and stuff. So weird.

Well I am going to call it a night.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Today I am a better mother

I have been a mom of 4 for just about 3 weeks now. In these 3 short weeks, I have realized a ton of different things. First being that I have awesome kids! I need to make sure that I always keep that thought first and foremost in my mind because let me tell you not all the time do the behave like awesome kids! Brining Mayah home has really brought out the, um **best**, in my boys. Lets see in the past week, Isaac has learned to and perfected the art of hair pulling. Now maybe it is because Aidan's hair is just so dang long - or he actually realized that pulling Aidan's hair is a easy and quick way to get his attention and then distract him long enough to steal what ever toy he is currently playing with. The brothers now need to be closely watched when going up or down the stairs. Aidan is now really walking up and down the stairs - no longer sitting and scooting down or crawling up. Big WAY TO GO. BUT they now understand that they can push each other down the stairs. So far it has just happened at the bottom of the stairs so the pushed brother has only fallen down 3 or 4 stairs. This is because I have caught either brother many times at the top of the stars getting ready to lung into the other one. Nice. So this has brought me to the realization that my cute, sweet, innocent boys are out for blood! They have perfected the art of stealing toys from each other, pushing each other down, hitting, strangling, pushing each other off the couch, throwing toys at each other, hitting each other with toys, doing things to each other that I never would have imagined kids that young would do to each other - but then again they are BOYS!

I have also realized that I could possibly "raise my voice" more than is necessary. There are times that I have "raised my voice" and then noticed that my windows are all open and hoped that none of my neighbors had their windows open, or even the people driving down the road had their windows down and heard my moment of weakness. Okay in the spirit of full disclosure here - I have had quite a few of these moments of weakness - each hour it seems.

I also realize that our children learn from us how to deal with situations in life. So if they are doing something that I don't like - if I yell - um "raise my voice" at them I am teaching them that when something happens to them that they don't like they get to yell and be angry. We have noticed so many times - our exact words or even our exact attitudes - coming back at us through the mouth of Ethan - and guess what - we don't like it. In fact we tend to punish him for those things. Why? Its not his fault that we have taught him what was "acceptable" behavior. We have to remember that "Do as I say, not as I do" never is successful. I will be calling Suppernanny in 5 years if we continue down this path and I have 4 mouths reciting the very things that I tell them, in the very same manner. Jo will then tell me that I brought this all upon myself.

Why don't we just turn the tables now? Change the course of our legacy, starting today? Well yesterday. Yesterday I made a conscious effort not to "raise my voice" at all. When one of the brothers hit the other - I just made sure that the one hit was okay and told the one that hit that hitting was not okay. There were no loud "NO'S" or "ABSOLUTELY NOT'S" just me focusing their attention in another direction. By the end of the day there were less fights, toy stealings, couch pushings and hair pullings. That was a big sigh of relief. Do you want to know what else there was less of - strife. I actually was not worn out at the end of the day. I actually liked my kids at the end of the day! The house just felt different.

Now it was a decision that I had to make each time I saw one bully the other - but it was a decision that was so totally worth it. It also took less effort than yelling - um "raising my voice" - at my kids. I think that I can survive being a stay at home mom of 4!! Can I also just remind everyone still reading - 3 of them under the age of 2!

I can do this. Not only am I bettering myself, but I am teaching my children that there are other ways of dealing with issues than getting angry and "raising voices". Today I am a better mother.

The most wonderful family

There is a family that I have been blessed to get to know over the past few months. They all have been a wonderful support for me and my family through everything that we have gone through. It wasn't until this past Thursday night that I really understood how great this family is. This past Thursday I attended a going a way party for one of the youth. She was one of our babysitters while I was on bedrest and she will be greatly missed. Her name is Tabby and the thing that I love about Tabby is the way that she worships God. You can just tell that she is truly seeking the heart of God during worship. The Bible in John says that God is seeking true worshipers - ones that worship in spirit and in truth. I know that when God sees Tabby worshiping, He is pleased. Tabby will be missed!

Okay back to Sherri and her family. I had met Sherri when David and I had first started going to River of Life - well really shortly after we moved here. Sherri runs a local Christian School that is very successful. I had first met her two daughters, Cori and Kayla, because they worked in the nursery where the brothers went. They really attached themselves to the brothers right away. I got there phone numbers thinking that if we ever needed a sitter we could use them. (If we only knew!!!)

I then started having some pre-term labor issues and was put on bedrest in December - right before Christmas. Debbie and Ward were there so we had the help that we needed at that time. David had changed his work schedule so we really thought that I could handle 2 hours with the brothers and Ethan all by myself without too many problems. Well a week after Debbie and Ward left we realized that was not the case and I was hospitalized for 5 days due to pre-term labor. That is when we really found out the heart that Sherri has. She called David and didn't ask him if he needed anything - but she pretty much just told him that she was going to take care of making sure that our kids were taken care of not only when I was in the hospital but also once I was home. You see she spent time on bedrest with all of her pregnancies. She knew what I was going through - She had done the hospital visits, medication, bedrest with other kids. She had been there.

With the girls at her school, she arranged a weekly schedule for us. We had 1 or 2 (mostly 2) girls come over everyday when David was working and play with the boys, feed them, give them their naps, bath them, and then put them to bed. They would also keep me company. I am so thankful to these girls and all that they had done for us. The helped keep David and I sane through the past 5 months!

Well Sherri and I also made a trip to the ER for Aidan - after his wood eating incident, and a trip to L&D for me after Aidan (think he might be my adventurous one?) bruised my big 'ol preggo belly. We were able to talk during those times and I learned so much about her and her family. She also told me about her school. The kids have a chapel time everyday and some of the ones that she has described to me, and that the kids have told me about, it sounds so awesome. I want to be a part of that. How often do you see teenagers want to worship or pray for others - and it is all genuine? During the going away party I got to see a small glimps of what they do. There was a video that was shown of one of there chapel times that turned into "Church on the Street". They took chapel outside and ended up worshiping and praying for 3 1/2 hours right in front of the school on the sidewalk - in the middle of downtown Woodriver. We also watched part of the video that was filmed during the National Day of Prayer. The schools worship band played and the youth did a video. It too was awesome. At the end of the party, Ryan (one of Sherri's sons) pulled out his guitar and ended the party in worship. So if you are reading this - that might have sounded cheesy but it was not. These kids, at least 40 of them - if not more, went from playing around, having fun, jumping in the pool when it was a gloomy 55 degrees outside, eating food, behaving like normal teenagers and yet they transitioned so easily into worship. Like it was a normal part of their day. In all of my time working with youth - this is not something that I have ever seen before. It amazed me. It also made me realize that there were a bunch of things at work here.

1st - Sherri's house is a comfortable place for these teens to come and not only hang out and have fun, but to also worship. They know that. You can tell that there is peace in the house. Now I am sure that with 4 teenagers (2 boys - 2 girls) living there, there are plenty of times that the house is not peaceful but yet it is always peace-filled.

2nd - These kids are doing something right. They way that they are so easily able AND willing to enter into worship, during a party - not even at church, means that they are walking this walk every day - not just at church - or even at school. Wow.

In watching these kids, I am, dare I say it again, in Awe of them. It makes my heart happy! This is what I want to be a part of.

During this Thursday night outing I was also able to watch and get to know Sherri's kids better. They are all teenagers now but you can tell by watching them the kind of upbringing that they had. I pray that I am able to give my children that. I pray that my 4 will interact as well as her kids do. I pray that I will be always an encouragement to my children. I pray that my children will learn from us that their relationship with God is a personal one. Not something that is mandatory or expected. As much as I want my children to be believers and walk in the fullness that is God. I want it to be their choice first and foremost.

I look forward to spending more time with this family. I want to learn all that I can from them. I am blessed, and honored to call them my friends. And our babysitters! :)

Friday, May 9, 2008

I am a College Graduate!!

And I graduate with honors as well!

After starting my college degree when I was pregnant with my first son. I am now done. I joked with one of my professors that now that I am done with my BA degree I can stop having kids! 4 kids - 4 1/2 years - I am done. I only have grades for 2 out of 3 of my classes so far. An A- and a B. My second B throughout this whole journey! If I get at least an A in my third class I will graduate with top honors - Summa Cum Laude, but if I get a B in my third class, I will still graduate with honors - Magna Cum Laude. Pretty cool considering everything that I have been through during this journey. Ethan - Pregnant with the twins - Pre-Term labor with the twins - Isaac and Aidan - Preterm birth - 23 days in the NICU - Seizures - being diagnosed with Epilepsy - moving cross country - Pregnant yet again - Pre-term labor, again - 127 days on bedrest - 2 more seizures - Mayah! All of this and I now have a Bachelors degree in Psychology!!!

Mayah - 2 weeks old - And a update on life.

Well as of today Mayah has been outside my womb for 17 days!! Everyday that I look at her it is like my love grows for her more and more! I can not believe that after 126 days on bedrest - wondering just how I would deal with one more day - she is in my arms! My daughter. Just as I think that the bond between a mother and her sons is really something special - I have come to realize that the bond between a daughter and her mother is great. As much as I didn't think that I could step up to the challenge of being a mother of a little girl - I am so thankful that I am given this opportunity. She is truly our gift from God. And I am thankful that we have been blessed with her and thus completing our family.

We are adjusting with life with a new little one. And let me tell you it is an adjustment. We rearranged our kitchen so that we have a pack-n-play there so that Mayah has a place to sleep or just hang out and she is on the same level as all of us when David is at work. The brothers are adjusting with not being the only main focus throughout the day. They are acting up just a bit more mainly when I am holding or feeding Mayah. Our pediatrician suggested that we try a sling with Mayah so that she is close to me but also my hands are free for the twins. I just got my Ultimate Baby Wrap out and all cleaned so I will try it out this afternoon with her.

She is has a long awake period during the day - normally like 4 hours. Too bad this time is normally at the same time that the brothers are down for their nap. She is a good sleeper at night though. We normally get at least one 4 hour block a night. She is really then up every 3 hours to feed.

She is a champ at feeding. We have been to the Dr. a few times just mainly for weight checks since she was born - Here are her stats up to now:

Birthday 4/22/08 - 6lbs 7ozs 19 3/4 in long
4/24/08 (discharge day) - 6lbs 3 ozs
4/25/08 (first Dr visit) - 6lbs even
4/30/08 (second Dr visit) - 6lbs 2 ozs
5/7/08 (third Dr visit) - 6lbs 10ozs

She is gaining just like she should be! I so wanted to be successful at breastfeeding with her and it looks like we are off to a great start! There are times when I feel like all I am doing is feeding someone or changing someones diaper! If it is not Mayah it is Ethan or the brothers - or ME!!! I can't believe how hungry I am! This Tuesday I had my braces adjusted and now my mouth is really really really sore so I am not able to eat anything that I have to bite into. That limits my food intake choices quite a bit!

Monday, May 5, 2008

7 Years Today

7 years ago today - David and I started our journey together. It is amazing to look back and see all that we have been through together. We have been blessed with 4 beautiful children. We have lived in 6 different houses. We have lived in 3 different states, moving cross country 2 different times. We have both gone back to school and received college degrees. Through all of this I can say that I love my husband more today than the day that I said "I Do". He does complete me. He is my better half. Tonight we will celebrate our lives together. We will be amazed at where we came from, we will be in awe at where we are at, and we will dream about what the future holds for us. Most importantly we will be together. Forever and Always.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

One Week Old


It's amazing to me how long a week seems to last when you are pregnant, but how quickly it goes by once she is here.
Mayah is a week old today.
She is a champion at breastfeeding & pooping. She poops EVERY hour!
She is sleeping very well at night with atleast 2 four hour stretches.
The brothers love their little sister & Aidan loves to "give her lovens" and he puts his cheek up to her cheek.
Aren't they cute?

Ethan loves his little sister & is going to be a GREAT big brother to her.
Everyone is doing well and I hope to be able to update more regularly.
Because of the seizures I had before giving birth, I am now back on anti-seizure and it is making it difficult to sit in front of the computer.
Please bear with me & know that I am thinking of you all.
The kids with Grandma & Grandpa Havasu
Daddy's Girl
Isn't she cute?

Saturday, April 26, 2008

My Baby Shower AFTER the Baby

My friend Angela threw me a shower at the Honey Tree.
It was an awesome time with my friends and family!
Thank you all!
Friends & Family
Angela even got my my favorite - Carrot Cake. YUM!
Check out the diaper cake too!
Lots of great gifts
Funny onesie

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Mayah is Here!!!!


Tuesday, April 22 started at 3am with me having a seizure.
David & I drove to the hospital and I was immediately taken to L&D and put on IVs & montering. The doctors came in and talked to me & said because of my seizures that it would be better to deliver than allow me to stay pregnant.
They didn't want to start my induction until I was loaded up on anti-seizure medicine.
10:30am I was started on pitocin. It was increased every half hour until I was at the full 20.
At 2:30 they broke my water and I started having some low blood pressure issues & at 3:30 I got my epidural. Thank God!
Basically the man with the big needle came in and stuck it in my back. I love that man!
My blood pressure issues continued and I was watched constantly until I delivered.
There were some points that I was ready to give up and just go for a csection because I wasn't dilating as fast as I wanted to, but everyone kept encouraging me & telling me I could do it.
My friend, Debbie, left the hospital at apx. 8pm to meet her husband at my house which is 45 minutes away and when she left the nurse checked me and I was still 5cm. So, we knew it was going to be a long night.

At 8:45 I was on the phone with my friend Angela and I was telling her I was real nauseous & shaky and she told me that she bet I was in transition and was going to be ready to have the baby soon.
I told her, "No, it's just my low blood pressure."
The nurse overheard the conversation and decided to check me.
Angela should be a midwife!!!!
When she checked me, I was complete & ready to push.

Problem! Debbie was 45 minutes away!
They said if I really wanted to wait until she got back I just needed to lay on my side, breathe through my contactions and not push.
We called frantically for Debbie to come back and she rushed back to the hospital.
At 9:30 the nurse said we couldn't wait anymore & I needed to start pushing.
Minutes later, Debbie walked through the door.
It took me 4 contractions & Miss Mayah Jacqueline entered the world!
6lbs 7oz. & 19 3/4 inches long.





And, the boys...

Saturday, April 19, 2008

I have a contest for you!!!!

Full Moon - Eggplant - Walking - Burritos

We are doing everything that we can to get this baby here!!!

So now I guess we should start a poll to see when you all think that she will get here.

Here is what we are going to do. In my comment section leave me two different entries:

1. Date and time of Little Bits birth

2. Weight and length of Little Bit.

We will have a **prize** for the one who picks the closest correct info. How does that sound?? Remember David works for Starbucks so the prizes will be good!!! If you don't have a blog - leave me a e-mail address so that I can get a hold of you if you are the winner!

Good Luck!

So info that might help: at my last growth scan at 36 weeks she was measuring in the 23% at 5lbs 3oz +/- 9oz. This whole time she has been anywhere 15th and 25th % during her regular growth scans. I have gained a whole 11 lbs this pregnancy! Anything else you would like to know???

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Results

Well I am still and will be still pregnant tomorrow. The amino showed that her lungs are not ready yet. I know it is all for the best, it is just still hard to handle.

They now won't induce my until 39 weeks. Here's to two more weeks pregnant.

Waiting

We are now playing the waiting game. We should have the results by 4 Central time. That is just an hour and a half from now.

It was not as bad as I thought - although I am sore in the area now - and having wicked contractions. Nothing timetable - but also said to be expected.

I will let you all know when I know something.

Send up those prayers

We will be having our amino today in just a few hours - please pray that all goes well and Little Bit is ready for Thursday night!

Thanks!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Just in case you have been wondering

In just 72 hours from now - if all goes well - I will be laying in a hospital bed wishing labor to come fast and painless!!! Of course I still have a paper due in 24 hours that I am only a paragraph into on a 7 page journey. Other than that report I still have 3 book reviews and 5 assignments that are just going to be forced to wait until after Little Bit comes.

All three boys have fevers, runny noses and coughs - All started just this morning. So we will be taking them to the Dr tomorrow afternoon.

David has decided, thankfully, that he is going to work tomorrow and then take the rest of the week off!!! I am so excited that he will not have to work Wednesday and Thursday. The downfall is that tomorrow will be a LONG day - probably he will only work long enough to get me and the boys to the ped.

I booked an appointment for a cut, color and wax for Thursday at noon! I will go from there to get my toes done :) It will be my last "free" moment for a while I am assuming. I will be looking forward to answering the question of "when are you due?" that day with "10 pm tonight"!

To be honest, I am really looking forward to being computer/internet/freakin' drama/stress free for a few days.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Just how do you spell D-O-N-E???

It is 5 am and I am sitting here in my sons bedroom looking out his window throughly enjoying the fact that I am not looking at a 12 foot block wall that was placed there to keep out the traffic noise from the I15 Freeway.

I took my Ambien at midnight, but as it seems the other pills that I take have pulled rank with the Ambien. A battle that I am at the moment suffering because of. Some wonder if this could be the start of actual labor. Of course it can not - you see I am no longer hooked up the the terb pump - I no longer have a nurse tell me twice a day that the feelings that I KNOW are contractions are nothing more than Uterine Irritably. So you see that there is now way that my body can actually be preparing itself for labor on its own. Our could it? You see nothing has been normal this whole pregnancy so of course why does this which could just be normal - fell like something totally different??

I have entered the world where I look at awe and wonder to those women who are able to carry a full nine months with out even blinking an eye. Those women who seemingly have the prefect pregnancies. At first I was angry - I wanted to share my misery with those pregnant ones around me.I would enter a store and get the knowing smile and nod with "when are you due?" question - my response "not soon enough". Please don't get me wrong - I am and have always been fascinated by the womans body being able to sustain a life that starts as no bigger than a head of pin. When I found out that I was pregnant with the twins - as I grew each day to actually think that there are two babies in side of me. WOW The creative power that God is to allow our bodies to sustain life for a precious other that we ultimately get to call our own. To think that as you get closer to full term - the same baby that is in that growing belly will be the same baby that will come out craving to be united with the voices and sounds of the world that she has spent nine months imagining about.

I have come to the conclusion that no matter how you get there
The end result is the same.

Our lives will be forever changed
by one small cry
tiny fingers wrapped tightly around mine
a mouth that will look to my body to once again sustain its life
Forever a part of something that it greater than the original
When a child is born SYNERGY happens
Look out world - HERE SHE COMES!!!!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

At least someone is comfortable about having the lights on.

I am not sure if you I have told you all this (and I am just too lazy to go back and find out) but I have been sleeping in Ethan's because his bed is SOOO much more comfortable than mine. It is a firm queen size and it fits me perfectly! Well this afternoon I was sitting up in my new room trying to do some homework and my attention was directed to Ethan's fish tank. We gave him a fish tank for his 2nd birthday and we have found ourselves constantly replenishing the fish that we have in his tank. I do find myself tearing up each time we find a "floater" but Ethan thinks that it is "cool" to "set them free in the ocean". Remember all drains lead to the ocean. I guess that we have some great big drains if they make it to the ocean from the middle of the US! One particularly sad occasion was setting a few fish free that were on their last legs anyway. It is one thing to flush a dead fish - another thing to flush a fish that David SAYS is going to die anyway.

Well tonight I was watching the two fish that are currently residing in the fish tank and thought that their behavior was rather odd. The bigger one was pushing around the smaller one. At first I thought that he was attacking the smaller one and after urgently calling David up to Ethan's room to separate our fighting fish - he informs me the bigger fish is a boy fish and the smaller one is a girl fish. He then leaves me to fill in the blanks.

I guess that I never really thought about where baby fish came from.......

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Because I have so much other stuff to do - I decided to add this to the mix right now too!!!!!

I found this link and decided that it was actually worth my time! I mean I need things to do that are far more important than finishing homework before the baby comes right???? And since we are now down to 8 days or so I gotta get busy!!! Any way It is The Great Blog Hunt and I love that it takes you to a whole bunch of Way Cool blogs that I will be bookmarking along the way!!

If you are interested and don't have any homework to do :) why don't you try it out
http://www.greatbloghunt.com/
and it will explain everything.


Good luck!

No cute title - 'cause I am just DONE!!!!!

I had my Dr's appointment today. I wish I sounded more excited about it all but right now I am just in a massive funk. There is so much going on and I am just ready for everything to be done! I will give you a run down of my appointment. David was able to go with me and that is always good. This is the first pregnancy that we have had that he has not been at every appointment with me. I guess that is what happens when you have 4 kids! They were short an u/s tech today so I ended up having my appointment split. My blood pressure was taken and good - 108/45 and there was no protein in my urine. All good. Then I was asked to step on the scale. I gained 3 lbs since Friday!!!! That means that I have gained a total of 7 lbs in 10 days!!!!! I understand that weight gain is good - but that is a little drastic in my opinion! I was then sat down for my NST. Little bit did good - her heartbeat was a steady 135 and she gave just 3 accels in 15 minutes with her heartbeat getting to the 180's. I had 3 or 4 contractions in that time too but that is not new. During my NST the Dr came and sat with me. I love my Dr! He just has the best sence of humor. He is really down to earth and just a great guy. I really tried to convince him to deliver me today. I even told him I would buy him dinner! I would have even been okay with a c-sec if he would deliver me today! I am afraid that someone in this family won't survive the week if I stay pregnant!! I am so hormonal right now and unfortunately my family is paying the price! Of course I am still pregnant and will stay pregnant for another week at least!

We went ahead and scheduled an amino for next Wednesday at 9am and then my induction. I have my Golden Ticket!! I really do have a golden ticket that has my induction date and time on it. I get to report to L&D at 10pm on Thursday night, the 17th! Lets pray for 2 things - first the amino is all clear and second no one in St. Louis decides to deliver on Thursday night so that I get a bed in L&D!

I then had a u/s to check everything and all looked good. Her weight is consistent with what it has been and she is still on the small side. She is about 5lbs 3oz give or take 6ozs. The tech showed us all of her hair - she said that she can see lots on the u/s already! Little bit also has some chubby cheeks!!! I can't wait to meet her!

Oh - I did ask about my weight gain and my Dr was a little shocked once he actually saw it. He really couldn't believe it and wanted to know where I put it on at! He said that he will just wait and see with next week. My blood sugars were really good so he wasn't massively concerned with it then.

I tested positive for Group B Strep - very weird since my last hospital visit I tested negative so some how in the past 5 weeks I got this. My Dr said that it is nothing to worry about - I will just be given antibiotics during delivery.

Let me tell you - I am so looking forward to next Thursday night!!! I would also be very excited if I went into labor between now and then too!!! I know that I am still 3 weeks away from my actual due date - but also remember that I am 4 weeks further than I was with the twins!!! I am finally getting much bigger and my stretch marks are getting stretch marks!!!

Well I am off to do more homework - or maybe I just might sleep - who knows.

Monday, April 7, 2008

36 Weeks!!


Well I made it this far!!! We will find out on Wednesday my end date!! I can't believe that it is all coming to an end! Boy am I ready!! I have even resorted to sleeping in Ethan's room because his bed is a little firmer and SO much more comfortable on my back. I get to sleep right next to the open window - which will freeze everyone else out but is nice and comfortable for me! The next few nights they are calling for rain and I LOVE the rain so the thought of being able to sleep next to the open window to hear and smell the rain is exciting!

I am feeling more and more pregnant as each day goes on. I guess that is good since I am 36 weeks! I wonder if it has anything to do with my 4 lb weight gain in one week or not!