Sleeping babies

Oh my gosh....there are three sleeping babies in my house right now! I love it when they all snooze at the same time.

Boo Boo

My heart breaks when I see my children hurting - physically and emotionally. Tonight, as I was holding L, I got to the bottom of some steps and thought I was setting him down but didn't realize his foot was caught in the camera strap (which was hanging out of the baby bag I was carrying). When I released him from my grasp, he fell face forward onto the rocky pavement, busting his lip. Blood was everywhere. I immediately scooped him up and began wiping the blood away but it kept pouring. He was screaming in pain which made me start crying. My crying caused A to begin crying so I was, needless to say, in a moment of panic. I screamed out my husband's name and he came running to my side. My heart couldn't take the picture of seeing my little boy in such pain so I stayed with A in an effort to help calm him while my husband went back inside to tend to L. Fortunately, we were at the home of some sweet friends, one of whom happens to be a P.A. He told us that it looked like L's teeth were fine but that his lip was cut pretty bad (no stitches needed, though) and to keep ice on it after giving him some Tylenol. The drive home was full of screaming kiddos and I can't seem to get the mental picture of L falling out of my mind. No matter how small or big the boo boo, my heart aches for my children when they're hurt. I am grateful the Lord created me to be the mother of these three little lives but pray that I will trust in Christ for their well being and not in my own "skills".

Sibling Love

The brothers love their little sister.

Hang time

Expressions

"Let us pray"

Looking around.....

Summer Camp

This week is full of summer camp at Brookstone with Miss Glenn. A is having so much fun! He cried on Monday morning and insisted that he wasn't going, but when I picked him up at noon that day he begged to go back. Today they "visited" the Bahamas where he made a grass skirt and ate pineapple.

Took a break

I usually post to my blog everyday but I've been so tired lately. I think the busy-ness of having three kids plus the physical aftermath from surgery has caught up with me. More pictures will be posted later.

Aren't they cute?

Rub-A-Dub

Middle Child

I'm the middle child in my family so L and I have a unique bond. He wants to do whatever he sees his older brother doing and also likes to explore on his own. Here, he wants only to play in the water and pump the hand soap to make bubbles. He screamed when I finally took him down off the stool from the sink. He was asleep in his crib just five minutes after taking this picture.

Asleep

"She is precious in His sight"

Who lost the peas?

I was on the phone tonight with my "Birmingham" friend, Crissy, when my youngest son handed me a bag of dried black eye peas. I laughed. A few weeks ago, returning home from a grocery trip, I made a mental checklist of the purchased items as I began putting them away. Unable to find the bag of peas, I went back into the garage and checked all throughout the van. No where. Here it is about a month later and guess where my youngest son found them...in the front yard bushes. They must have slipped out of a grocery bag or someone's little hands got to them before I could and decided to "drop them off". I thought it was funny.

One week old

AB at one week of age. She looks big to be only one week. We took her to her first doctor's appointment today. She's gaining weight and has already grown an inch in a week's time.

AB Stats:
Birth weight = 7 lbs 11 oz.
Weight when leaving the hospital = 7 lbs 1 oz
Weight at one week checkup today = 7 lbs 14 oz

(The pediatrician called me a "milk goddess")

Length at birth = 20 inches
Length at one week old = 21 inches

Tossing Toddlers

I thought this was cute. On the top, Dad tossing L this past weekend at a church party (L = age 19 months old). On the bottom, Dad tossing A in the same pool back in Aug. 2005 (A = 16 months old).

Cartoon Time

There's a new baby in the house.....can't you tell? It's early morning cartoon time while the little one gets her breakfast first.

Loving life

Just a few pics of what we've done today. A enjoyed a cupcake, L sat in the floor to read a book, and AB enjoyed playing with Dad. I, on the other hand, visited my midwife to have my staples removed (what a joy...ugh).

The first 24 hours

Today is our first day together as a family of five (well, Mitch needed to go to the office so he wasn't actually here all day with us but my mom was so she can count as the fifth person!). A and L played outside in the water while my mom and I watched. AB decided she wanted to sleep most of the day. It was also due time for her first bath so below is a picture of her fresh out of the tub.

Going Home

It's good to finally be home after giving birth to our daughter, who'll I'll begin referring to as AB since I already refer to baby #1 as A (baby #2 is L). Here we are being transported out of the hospital down to our car. What a wonderful weekend this has been. However, I am heartbroken for my friend, C, who's father passed away shortly after we welcomed AB into the world. As I am celebrating the new life of this covenant child, C is kissing her father goodbye. C, I am thankful you know Jesus....He is dancing with your father now & celebrating his new perfect body.

It's me...

Hey, everyone. Mitch typed the last post and put up the pictures. I am having "computer withdrawal" so I just had to take a few minutes to post my own words. Our daughter is in the hospital nursery right now having her daily routine checkup with our pediatrician. Mitch is at church with our boys so I'm actually alone right now. It's kind of freaky! I'm watching the Wimbledon men's championship as I type.

My stay in the hospital has been fantastic. I love having my babies here and have always received the best care. I am in no pain (thanks to the wonderful drugs I've been given) and am enjoying this time. After undergoing a section, a mother has to stay four days and three nights so I've got one more to go before I enter back into "the real world". Our precious daughter is just that....precious. I can't believe I have a little girl.....oh my gosh, I have three children! Both of the boys favor me and my side of the family but I definitely think that our newest addition looks like her daddy's side of the family. Who would have guessed that I'd give birth to a black haired baby? She doesn't have the fair skin like the boys so maybe she'll be the one in the family who can enjoy the sunshine without getting burned. It's sweet to watch Mitch with her. He is the best father in the world!

After my doctor finished my surgery, he told me that the cord was wrapped around our daughter's neck three times so even if I had attempted the VBAC, as I had so desperately wanted, it would have eventually led to the OR due to probable fetal distress. She hadn't even dropped into my pelvis due to there being no slack in the cord for her to do so. That explains why she was always sitting so high as well as why I made no progress in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Also, the midwife told me that my uterus was so thin that it was transparent - not good. I asked if that would matter in regards to having more babies and it was recommended that I only have one more. The more sections a woman has, the thinner her uterus gets. Did you learn something new today? HA! So, I'll never get to try the VBAC like I wanted but I believe in the sovereignty of God. This delivery happened just as it was predestined to occur. The providence of God is a glorious thing. He is good.

Most of my family....I wish the boys had been present for this picture as well as my sister and her family and my brother.

Abigail Arrives!

Abigail Rayne made her appearance at 1:03 this afternoon (7/6/07).

She has a beautiful head full of black hair, weighs 7 lbs. 11 oz., and is 20 inches long.

Jawan and Abigail are both doing well (and finally getting a little sleep at 10:15 p.m.)

BUT - I know that you really just want to see the pics:

Here's the fam just before Mom and Dad departed for the hospital.

Mom and Dad in the delivery room getting their first close-up look at the sweet baby.

Here she is - in the midst of getting her first bath!

"Hey sweetheart, welcome to the world."

Finally - another girl in the house!

The Grandparents

"Dad, does Abigail like nuggets and fries?"

Abigail meets two of her cousins.

Luke says, "Hey wait a minute. I'm the BABY!!!!"

C-section

It's on the calendar. Our sweet baby #3 will be born sometime tomorrow early afternoon. We can't wait to meet our new addition and neither can A and L! What an exciting time. Look for pictures and stats to be posted sometime tomorrow night.

House Prayer

I love the Bryson family. Peggy is so real and makes me feel so normal. Every conversation I have with her is one full of encouragement. She is authentic. As I was walking down the hallway in her home this afternoon, I saw this prayer hanging on her wall. I just had to type it out and make a copy for myself to frame for my own wall. I love the words as they are what my heart sings...

House Prayer

~ Dear Lord ~
Never let this house become too elegant to house the laughter of children.
Never let the objects that enhance the tables and shelves become
more precious than the small clumsy hands that reach out to touch them.
Never let the upholstery be too fine to hold the weary bodies of little children.
Never let the picture or paint on the walls become
more beautiful than those little hands prints in the corner.
Never let me become so busy making the rooms beautiful
that I forget to guide toward inner beauty the tiny souls that live here,
for you have always kept your priorities straight.
Don’t let me forget the only things in this house that are eternal
are the souls of your children.
Amen.

Fourth of July celebration

We spent the fourth of July with our church family. We all gathered to swim, grill hotdogs/hamburgers and chat until it was time to depart to see the fireworks. What fun!

Frustration

I am so frustrated. Today has been a hard day. Much disappointment....

I went for my 39 week checkup today only to find out that I've still made no progress. I've been stuck in a rut for three weeks. Baby #3 is comfortable where she is. My midwife is on vacation so I saw one of the physicians today. She said that since I've made no progress in the past three weeks it would be best to go ahead and put a repeat scheduled c-section on the calendar. She doesn't want me going past my due date with a third baby. I was disappointed but I agreed.

The nurse said she'd call me late this afternoon to tell me when the section would take place. That call came at 4:30 p.m. She told me it would be another seven days (my due date) until my section because the hospital was jammed full until then. I asked if I could have a specific doctor perform it and she said he wasn't available that day. I then told the person on the phone that I had already talked to a friend of mine (who is a nurse at Hospital B where I want to give birth) who told me that they were not booked up for the next three to four days. That's when the nurse on the phone realized she had spent all day trying to book me at Hospital A when I was actually registered at Hospital B. She said my chart read Hospital A.....I just don't get it. I have followed all the rules....I went to my consult back in January and wrote down in my chart that I wanted to give birth at Hospital B. My husband and I, together, went and registered at Hospital B when I was 28 weeks so they would have all my insurance and paperwork info ahead of time. So, how is it that now I have to wait another two days to find out when I'm gonna have a c-section (tomorrow is a holiday so the office is closed and it will take all day Thursday before they call me back, I'm sure)? I need to shut up, confess, and repent. We've all made mistakes.

A is still screaming and crying when being placed on the potty to poop. I just don't get it. I am trying hard to parent him to the glory of God. My sin runs deep and is rampant. Please pray for me. I never knew potty training would be this hard. I think I'll start soon with baby #2.

*Sigh*

At the library

My sister-in-law and I met up at the library today for our kids to experience "Rhyme Time" in the children's reading room. A had fun playing with his cousin E, along with a few of the puppets that made their way around the room.

I've been tagged!

My friends, Amber and Kat, have both tagged me. So, to keep from having to do this twice, here are my answers to eight questions about me that some people couldn't care less to read:

1. What were you doing ten years ago? ...in 1997 I had just graduated from college

2. What were you doing one year ago? ...enjoying time with my family by going swimming, visiting friends, and playing at the park.

3. 5 snacks you enjoy: ...Fruity Pebbles cereal, any flavor ice-cream, honeybuns, Snickers bar, and trail mix.

4. 5 songs to which you know all the lyrics: ...Ice Ice Baby, Amazing Grace, And Can It Be, The Star Spangled Banner, Happy Birthday, and any nursery rhyme you can think of.

5. 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire: ...pay off debt, buy a house, put some in college savings for the children, give to the church, and hire a full-time chef (I hate to cook).

6. 5 places I've lived: Thomasville, GA, Valdosta, GA, Birmingham, AL, Columbus, GA, Moody, AL

7. 5 things you like doing: ...taking a relaxing shower, going for a walk, watching a great movie with a friend, spending time with my husband, traveling, and singing.

8. 5 things you would never wear again: ...panty hose, twisty-bead necklaces, two different colored socks, banana hair clip, anything neon in color. The 80's were not fashionable.

Very little progress with potty training

I have to use many distraction techniques while A sits on the potty to do "the duty". L is always interested...especially when we use the toilet paper stick as a microphone. Here, we're singing Amazing Grace. I sure do need lots of that!

Marannook friends

My sweet friends, Nikki (with Sarah Ann), and Lelia (with Jonathan). I became close friends with Nikki and Lelia ten years ago while on staff together at Camp Marannook. We've remained close over the years and try to get together as much as possible. God is good to give friends!