A New Baby & Another Birthday

It has been a busy few days around here.  I had my 38 week appointment on Wednesday and our son was born on Thursday afternoon.  All went well and both baby and I are doing great.  I am glad that he was NOT born this past Saturday.  Our last baby turned two years old on Saturday and I wanted so much for each of the children to have their very own birthday.  Thank the Lord for granting that request.

So, the baby was born on Thursday the 11th at 3:14 pm.  He weighed in at a tiny little 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 19 inches long.  He is beautiful and just perfect.  He is so laid back and is just as sweet as can be.

We came home from the hospital on the 13th ( my 2 year olds birthday) at about 4:30pm.  She is sick and was running a fever and had been waiting so patiently for her birthday party.  It was just a short family birthday and she felt pretty miserable.  A few hours later my hubby ended up taking her to the ER.  She has pneumonia AGAIN and an ear infection.  What a way to celebrate your birthday, huh?  She is starting to feel better.  A lady at church this morning gave her a big batch of helium balloons for her birthday.  I think that was wonderful.  It extended her birthday a bit and she was feeling better and able to enjoy it more.

As you can see it has been a bit crazy around here.

So here are a couple of photos to share with you………………….

First, here is our new son, Nathan Asher.  He’s a handsome one if I do say so myself!!!

Here is one of the birthday girl!

And a shot of them together………

I am abundantly blessed!!

Pregnancy Stats

Here I sit at 38 weeks and no baby yet.  I am still pregnant.  A few contractions here and there but nothing signifigant. I began taking black & blue cohosh and evening primrose oil a few days ago.  I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, hopefully that will yield some good information for me!

Here at our house everyone is choosing a date.  We decided if someone guessed the correct birth date they would win something.  Not exactly sure what yet.  I thought that I would let you all in on our little game.  I have listed my stats below.  Take a guess.  What do you think the baby will weigh?  When do you think he will be born?  There is no “real” prize only the bragging rights for being correct!

child#1  Boy: 9 pounds 3 ounces 5 days late

child #2 Girl: 4 pounds 8 ounces 7 weeks early

child #3 Girl: 8 pounds 4 ounces 2 weeks early

Child #4 Boy: 8 pounds 7 ounces 2 weeks early

Child #5 Girl: 8 pounds 1 ounce 2-3 weeks early

child #6 Girl: 8 pounds 3 ounces 2 weeks early

child #7 Girl 8 pounds 1 ounce 1 weeks early

child # 8 Girl 7 pounds 6 ounces 2 weeks early

child # 9 Girl 8 pounds even 1 week early

child #10 Boy    WHAT IS YOUR GUESS????

You Know It’s Time When

I am soooo ready to have this little bundle!  I am used to delivering early by a week or two and I am hoping that will be the case this time.  I am more than ready to pop!  I wonder if after reading the list below you will agree with me.

You know it is time to have your baby when:

• You notice that people no longer look at you but at your belly.
• You have practically outgrown every maternity outfit you own.
• It takes either help or five full minutes to roll over in bed.
• You notice 80 year olds walking better and at a faster pace than yourself.
• People have been asking for two months if the baby is due any day.
• People comment about HOW big you are and that you definitely LOOK ready.
• Walking up the stairs makes you as winded as running a marathon normally would.
• After only being home  for 12 days (from a seven month deployment) your hubby says it is time for you have that baby because it seems like you have been pregnant forever!
• You use your belly not only as a table but it is a very stable table.
• You begin to believe that getting out of the bathtub should be considered an Olympic event!
• When you step on the scale you wonder why your husband’s weight is registering!
• You have at least one moment a day when you cry because you just don’t think you can carry this heavy weight even two steps longer.
• You start having the recurrent pregnancy nightmare of delivering in the car and ruining the interior of the nice vehicle.
• You begin to think you could breath fire because the heartburn is winning out over that bottle of Tums you carry everywhere with you.

MOST OF ALL:

• Because it would be so much better to hold that sweet baby in your arms, see what he looks like, caress the soft baby skin, and be able to breath once again!

Priorities–Voting!

The other day when I was dealing with a lot of contractions (which have since died down to practically nothing) I was beginning to get a little concerned about something.  I was afraid I was going to end up in the hospital having this little one and miss my opportunity to vote in this election.

The other night I awoke several times because of a recurrent dream that I went in to labor and missed the polls.  I remember trying to talk the hospital staff into getting me a ballot or letting me out of the hospital for an hour so I could go and vote.

Yes, voting is that big of  a deal.  The young man at the polling center this morning (at the high school) who walked by and said he thought people were dumb and that voting was stupid probably would have thought I had gone off the deep end!

I do not see voting as much as a right as I do a privilege.  I was honored to be able to cast my ballot today!  Every vote counts even a little Alaskan one!

So, the restless nights of concern about missing my opportunity are gone and this little baby is now free to arrive!!!  Priorities after all, priorities!! LOL

Get out and VOTE!!

I DO Have a Blog, Don’t I???

I bet some of you thought that I forgot.  I do remember that I have a blog though.  It has actually been a nice little break to not get up and fret about what to write.  My hubby is still off of work and so this blog has been neglected.  I thought that I would share a short update with you, just so you know I haven’t forgotten my blog and my readers entirely.

We are enjoying spending time together as a family.  We have taken a trip to the museum.  Hubby and I have had several dates.  We have taken many trips to Lowe’s and hubby has been working on all the housing/remodeling projects that are yet to be finished.

Hubby ended up catching this nasty bug that we have been fighting for over a month.  He has actually been in bed sick the last two days.  Everyone is a little under the weather right now but we are trying to mend.

Our oldest child moved out last week too.  In some ways it is strange and in other ways not so much.  I just pray that the Lord will direct his life, motivate him, provide for him, and protect him.

We had our first snow.  Though Anchorage has yet to see accumulation I have had about an inch of snow in the yard for the last couple of days.  This of course means that the sleds were pulled out and used!  We finally went through all of the winter gear to see who needed what this year.  YIKES!  Just about all of the children outgrew stuff!!  Thankfully, no new coats were needed but the list of boots, hats, gloves, and snowpants that needed to be replaced almost gave me a heart attack. I did really well though.  I went when all of my coupons were good.  We actually left the house at 8 am with the children to go shopping!!  I thought it was maybe a sign of insanity but it turned out well.  I ended up saving $60 in coupons!  Which brought my bill to ONLY $675!!   At least I will get good reward points for cash off and money off at the gas pump too!

Now for the baby update.  It is finally November!!!  The baby is due in three weeks.  I am so ready!!  You know it is time to deliver your baby when…. 1) you have outgrown almost every maternity item you own and 2) people begin to stare at your belly instead of actually looking at you!

Yesterday was an afternoon and evening of contractions.  Hopefully, they are actually making some progress.  Three weeks of contractions like I had yesterday will NOT be fun!  I have been there and done that!    We are anxious and excited for the arrival of our newest little one.

Soooo, there is the update!  What is going on in your life????

Sickness and More

Well, my two with pneumonia are on the mend.  It is amazing what a little pink antibiotic can do!  The rest of us, well, we could maybe do with a little of that pink stuff.  I spent almost the entire day at the hospital going to appointments.  I had my OB appointment.  That actually went well.  I am down to only one finger stick a day now instead of four.  The baby seems to be doing well and growing well!  Baby measured three weeks bigger than two weeks ago but still on track and I only gained one pound to boot!

I did actually manage to get an appointment for another child in the peds clinic, almost unheard of these days.  BUT I was not impressed.  I think I had the one doc who really should not be wearing that title.  She is older and seems absent minded.  She even left her tools laying around the room and never put them away.  She tells me that this child I brought in probably just has a cold.  She can hear nothing to even indicate the need for an x-ray.  I am sitting there wondering if this lady even has good hearing.  I brought up the fact that my daughter complains and moans that her ribs hurt every time she breathes.  That lady actually shrugged her shoulders and said she didn’t know and that she guesses a cold could cause that.  We came home and daughter spiked a temp of 102.5.  That doesn’t sound like just a cold to me.  We will see if her body can fight it off or maybe we will end up back in the ER some time this weekend.

I am fighting this bug as well and feel pretty much like, well, you know.  My temp is gone for now so I will just suffer through it.  Being sick however has made my blood sugar begin to spike so I am praying I get over this soon for more than one reason now.

I am hoping we will all be well by time hubby makes it home next week.  If he makes it home next week like anticipated.  He began his travel a day or so ago and upon reaching his first stop along the way they informed him he was supposed to have been there days ago.  He was given the wrong dates.  Do they know how bored he has been just sitting around while his replacement was already there???  So, I am waiting to hear if they have figured out his new travel arrangements yet.  They do this moving troops thing enough, you would think that the system would have all the kinks worked out.  His travel has been messed up almost every time!  I am just ready for him to be home and so are the children.   They know time is getting short and are beginning to start in with the, “I miss daddy” talk again.  I was hoping the last couple of weeks of this deployment would snowball and go by quickly but they seem longer and longer with each passing day.   Soon though; very soon!

So the plan for today:  Clean and try to kill these pesky germs, piano lessons, pay the bills, grocery shopping, clean out the vehicles, and try not to be sick anymore!

On an up note, I splurged and finally bought myself a pair of Dansko clogs and I LOVE them!!!  )

And yesterday, one child took the PSAT and thinks she did well.  That is one standardized test for the year out of the way!

I guess I should go shower and get the children moving while we wait for the sun to rise.  May the Lord bless your day today!