Not Me Monday

It's Monday morning and therefore time to report via Not Me Monday.

**I did NOT buy a ticket to see the new movie Eclipse as well as the first two in the movie series. This would've resulted in a 6hr movie marathon with all my girlfriends.

**At the last minute I did NOT decide to attend only the 2ND and the 3rd movie.



**As the night wore on I did NOT find myself in a very serious and painful situation in regards to pumping. I did NOT forget a hand pump at home. I did NOT miss 2 of Micah's feedings during this time. And this did NOT result in me having to go the bathroom and relieve my very sore "milkmaids"



**I did NOT try to aim the stream into the toilet and this did NOT result in spray going everywhere in the stall. It did NOT look like a little boy had gone to the bathroom in the stall when I was done.



**I did NOT still leak all over my shirt by the end of the final movie and have to ride home with a wet shirt. Good thing everyone was tired at 2:30am and didn't notice my wet shirt!



**Yesterday, at the parade I did NOT pull this out of my jean pocket. Ahhh, the life of a mom.







**I am totally against sparklers for little kids, they burn so hot and are very dangerous. I did NOT relent & let the girls do sparklers with daddy yesterday.



**They did NOT have a blast & want to do more....great!

Love and Marriage

Love and marriage,

love and marriage

Go together like a horse and carriage

Dad was told by mother

You can't have one without the other

Bill and I had the song Love and Marriage by Frank Sinatra played as we left the church at our wedding. In 27 short days we will be married for Four years. Wow! It actually seems longer than that. I guess 3 kids in that time will do it to you. Ha!

But I found myself thinking about Love and Marriage today. They truly do go together and you cannot have one without the other. Love is what got us to that altar on July 28Th, 2006. Along with lots of coffee, concerts, sickness, birthdays, holidays, cards and home made Cd's. (Bill used to make me Cd's with special music) The truth is Love isn't always easy. It takes work.

However, Love has kept us going. Love for each other, our family & for the Lord.

In the last 4yrs I have learned that Love is hard. There are days where I feel like I have nothing left to give. I have been sneezed on, slobbered on & touched one too many times by the kids and I have nothing left to give to Bill when he walks through the door. And that kiss he wants when he walks through the door is not as meaningful as it was on July 28Th. Love is hard.

There are days when Bill frustrates me and I just want to scream at him. (sometimes I do) When he forgets his wallet at home. So the girls and I load up in the car, drive downtown and deliver it to him at work. Love is hard.

Or days when we have that argument and one of us walks out of the room. Love is hard.

When the car breaks down on the day you have a dr appointment, your husband wont answer his phone and your kids are screaming - Love is hard.

Love is hard but it goes with Marriage.

And as we approach our anniversary I wouldn't have it any other way.

Not Me Monday

So this past week was busy but there were a few embarrassing things to report via Not Me Monday.

I most certainly did NOT nurse Micah while sitting outside in our side yard while the girls played. Did I mention the neighbors window looks directly down on our yard and could see if they were to look out the window. Did I mention that I did NOT use a cover up and just let it all hang out?

I did NOT help Ellia to pee at the local park behind some tree's b/c there was no bathroom and didn't want to load all the kids into the car to drive down the street to a bathroom. Who would teach their daughter to pee outside? She did NOT later that night take off her pants and pee in the yard & then did NOT proceed to squat and grunt b/c she had to poop too.

This past week I did NOT wear my pj's every day until at least noon and then I did NOT just shower and put them back on at least 2x.

While changing Addie's diaper, I did NOT drop one of the hard poops on the floor when I tried to push the diaper out of the way. I did NOT realize that some had fallen onto the floor until hours later when the girls were playing with a round, hard, brown ball.

I did NOT work out for the first time since having the baby & only make it 5Min's on the elliptical. And my legs were NOT sooo sore for the next 24hrs from only 5Min's. There is no way that I am that out of shape.

This post is NOT full of poop!

We did it!!

We did it, as in the kids and I made it to church today! Three cheers for us...WooHoo!

I had the diaper bag packed last night. I did NOT lay out their clothes but will do that next time.

Bill and I worked great together today in getting the kids and ourselves ready. We even had time to go out to breakfast as a family.

Then Bill helped me get the girls into their Sunday school class. Then he immediately had to tear out of the parking lot to get to work. He might have been 5 Min's late. But isn't he the BEST for helping me get to church & get the girls into class??

Then Micah and I settled into a seat in the very back and worship started. It was sooo wonderful to worship today! I cannot express how much my spirit enjoyed the worship service today. And the band played some really good songs today.

Right before the sermon I had to leave to go and feed Micah. In the nursing mothers room there were at one point 4 moms and all of us had boys! Luckily, our church has a live feed into the mothers room and so we were able to still be part of the service, even though the room is in another building.

I was able to make it back into the service for the rest of it & use the bathroom before picking up the girls. Which I did okay with on my own. I put the diaper bag & car seat into the car and just carried Micah to pick up the girls.

All in all it was a good Sunday service experience for me and mostly done all by myself. I think this can be done, I think it can, I think it can.

You know you're a mom of MSC.....

MckMama did a post this morning titled "You know you're a mom of MSC (many small children) when" And I laughed & laughed. Go read her post but first read my own list:

You know you're a mom of MSC when:

...You are still sleeping with at least 7 pillows from your pregnancy & your baby is 2months old

... When your child comes into your room at 6am and you just pretend she isn't there, hoping she will go back to her room. But she doesn't of course.

... Everywhere you go you hear "Wow, you've got your hands full"

... You often go 2days without a shower & baby powder is your newest hair accessory

... Baby spits up on you & you just leave it there, not paying attention to it till you realize hours later when you are in the grocery store.

... You run out of milk when you are pouring cereal for your kids and you add some water to the bowls.....after all it's non-fat, what's a little more water?

... Peanut Butter & jelly sandwiches are suddenly your favorite and you crave them even at night

... You say "Because I said so" at least 5x an hour

... Your favorite part of the day is nap time and you find yourself watching the clock

... Your wardrobe consists of sweatpants, tee shirts & more sweatpants

... When you recently got ready for a wedding you almost forgot what you looked like in a dress, hair all done up & make up. And were quite surprised at how nice you did look!

... You tell your husband you want to spend some "quality" time with him, you head upstairs, and you promptly fall asleep while he is taking a shower.

... You are often still in your pajamas at 11am and so are the kids

... You let the baby sleep in his clothes from the day before, the next morning assess if there is any spit up on them, find none & leave him in them for the 2ND day in a row.

... Coffee is your drink of choice - all day long

... You suddenly have a new appreciation for wine, since you were pregnant for the last 3 years and forgot how good wine really was.

... You have an ever growing pile of UN-matched socks. They go into washer together but do not come out together. Where do they go??

... You said you'd never allow your MSC to wear crocks. However, that changes when your child gets a pair from Nana & Grandma and they suddenly are all she will wear. And she can put them on herself - a plus!

... You eat the left overs off your children's plates and consider it your lunch

Fathers Day

Today is Father's Day. And because of that I want to honor 2 special men in my life.

The first important man in my life is my husband, Bill. He is such a good dad. Words cannot express how wonderful he is with our kids. He is so gentle and patient with them. He loves spending time with them and hearing all about their day.





This morning, he got up when Ellia got up, she gets up earlier than all of us, and he went to her room & layed on her bed with her. They just hung out in her room, talked & played. On the day he should've got to sleep in, he got up early & spent time with our daughter. That is a good dad!


One things for sure our kids will always know their daddy loves them!!

Special moments that I love about Bill being a dad:

• I love that Bill cried the first time he saw Ellia, his first glimpse at being a daddy.
• I love when he calls the house and asks to talk to them on speaker phone
• I love how the girls & the dog run to greet him each & every night
• How he is always looking to do special things with each of the kids
• He loves tucking them into bed & spending those last few moments of their day with them
• How he loves cuddling with them on the couch
  

The second important man is my dad, Tony. He is the BEST dad in the world. I know lots of people say that but he truly is. We are aren't just father & daughter we are truly friends. My dad taught me all about football, bestowed on me my love of classic cars & rock n roll, old movies and my love of all things blueberry also comes from him. (in fact this morning we had blueberry pancakes & bacon, and when I told my dad what we had for breakfast he said "Damm, that sounds good")

Some of my favorite memories with my dad are the following:

• Going to the REO Speedwagon & U2 concerts and rockin out together
• Watching a Sunday football game together, chillin on the couch & just hanging out
• Walking along the beach in the water in silence and being okay with that
• My dad toasting Bill and mines engagement at a bar on the Jacksonville Beach
• Walking me down the isle at my wedding
• My dad's toast at our wedding reception and him starting to cry
• My dad playing with our girls when he came to visit last Oct. That really was special for me.
  
  

Happy Father's Day!!

Seen, Heard, Said Wednesday

Seen:


Addie eating guacamole. Which by the way Bill and I both do NOT like (unless it's our neighbors). But apparently Addie loves it.









Heard:

Ellia is learning to pray. I tried to post the video, Yes, I recorded her because it is precious to hear her pray & to hear what she prays for. There is a wide range that she prays for, friends, family, Bubba, Addie, her bum bum, her dolls, etc.

However, the other night this was her prayer:

"Dear Jesus, Thank You for my family, my friends, please keep them healfy & safe" - The End, I'm done, Amen"

Said:
Me: "Ellia stop peeking under the stall"

Ellia: "I'm just looking at her shoes mama"

Me: "Well we don't do that honey"


Ellia: "But she has pretty shoes mama"

A girl after her mama's own heart, I love shoes!

Sunday bloody Sunday

*******Update*******
Thanks for all the suggestions, advice & nice comments both on FB and here. I am going to give it a whirl on Sunday and put into place some of the advice given. Will keep you posted how getting 3kids & myself ready & to church goes. Not promising we will be there on time, but just that we will get there.
*****************************************
I am a huge U2 fan and have seen them in concert 3x. They rock so hard in concert. It's truly an experience to be part of. But this post isn't about U2. However, their song titled Sunday Bloody Sunday came to mind this morning when I got a Facebook message. Although that song isn't about church or missing church, it came to mind as an appropriate title to this post.

Why is it that we have the hardest time getting to church on Sunday's? Before Micah we could be out the door all four of us & at church on time. Bill and I joked that of all days we worked Best on Sunday's as a "team".

Since the late weeks of my pregnancy & Micah's arrival we have only been to church 3x. Yes, 3x! And I could give you a ton of good reasons why and believe you me I have them playing in my head right now. But really it comes down to priorities.

My friend just Facebooked me saying "Missed you yesterday". Ugggh, I had to admit that we just couldn't get there. No real reason, we just decided to stay home. And now I am faced to either missing the next 3 Sunday's or getting the kids ready & off to church all by myself as Bill has to work. And let me tell you, it takes me at least 1.5hrs to get myself & the kids ready with help!

What do I do? Any ideas? Church has always been a priority to Bill and I, but sadly I feel it may be slipping down the list. And I don't like/want that to happen. I truly enjoy being in the Lord's house & Ellia loves going to church. Which is something we want to keep alive in her.

How do you fellow bloggers/friends/family make Church a priority & how do you get your families ready each week?

Not Me Monday

What did I NOT do this week in my crazy world with 3 kids under 3. Well read below and find out. And don't forget to check out MckMama's blog, she created Not Me Mondays as therapy for us mom's. Have fun!




This last week I did NOT run out of milk while feeding the girls cereal and I did NOT add a little water to their bowls of cereal. It's Nonfat milk, a little more water couldn't hurt right?



I did NOT take a clothespin and clip back Addie's hair while she was eating because I was too lazy to run upstairs and get a rubber band.



Yesterday, I did NOT allow the girls to go out in their pj's and raincoats to play while I worked a bit in the yard. They did NOT get soaking wet & muddy. They did enjoy every minute of it.



One day this week when I took a nap, I did NOT sleep with Micah cradled in my arms and I did NOT drool on his head. When I woke up I did NOT see all the wetness in his hair and wonder how the heck he got wet.

Bloggy abuse

I feel so behind in my blogging. I haven't blogged Micah's birth, he turned 1month - 2weeks ago and I still haven't posted a picture, Ellia got a haircut & took her first bus ride, and I want to update my blog but don't know how. And it's not like I have a ton of time on my hands, ya know with the kids, the dog, the house and now my garden.

Did I mention that I am still trying to figure out this 3 kid thing during the day, by myself?

Right now Addie is in the high chair, cause she can be contained there, playing with her place mat since she ate all her dinner. Ellia is dancing around the living room, what she does most days. And our 3rd born, well he's sleeping in his car seat, on the dinning room table where I put him when we came home an hour ago.

Yep, I'm getting this 3 kid thing down!! Never fear I will get some pictures up & do some blogging soon.

It is the Veteran

Stole this from our cousins blog, but it is too good to not post again!

It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.


It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.


It is the
VETERAN who
salutes the Flag,


It is the
VETERAN
who serves
under the Flag,


We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.


God Bless them all!

Things seen/heard/said around the house this week

Seen:
Ellia with her shirt up and her baby on her stomach. When I asked her what she was doing she replied: "My baby is hungry, I feed her from my boobies"

Heard: "Addie this is your craft I made you"
Addie pushes it away
"Sister, I made you this craft you have to have it"
Addie again pushes it away
"Take it now" and the crying begins because sister wont take the craft she made her

Said: "this is my calcu-phone" - What Ellia calls the calculator that I let her play with, apparently it's her phone too.

"A cheese stick has cheese in it, huh mama" - Why yes it does honey.

"Were you planning on running the whole race? Do you think that is such a good idea?" - this is what Bill said to me after I told him I was thinking of running the Mill Creek 5k dash in July.
Thanks honey for the vote of confidence! (he later explained it better and I wasn't upset anymore at him)

Not Me Monday

nAre you feeling guilty for going camping with your family, but then coming home at bedtime to sleep with your own pillow? Overcome with embarrassment when you tripped and nearly fell in front of a group of people in a parking lot? Well, don’t be! Not Me! Monday was born out of MckMama's desire to admit some of her imperfections and reveal a few moments she'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing! I know I sure do.


Last Sunday, I did NOT lay our son down on the bathroom floor at church to change his diaper & go pee myself b/c they didn't have a baby changing station. (our church is in a different building for a few weeks)

I did NOT use paper towels to shove under his bum to protect him from the above mentioned floor. Who said mom's weren't creative?

This past week I did NOT have to do the shake method in the bathroom b/c we were out of TP and then I had to walk dangerously into the next room with my undies down my legs, afraid to pull them up. I did NOT just type this!

I have NOT begun wearing an apron whenever I am in the kitchen b/c I just cant keep from spilling stuff on me. And I am tired of staining clothes, and buying new clothes isn't an option financially or weight wise. I could NOT be that messy!

I did NOT tell Bill I had to use the bathroom when I really didn't but just wanted too so I could read the new People & get a few minutes to myself. .

Bill and Ellia went on a bus ride this last week. Her first one and I did NOT make Bill take the camera along and document it for me. He did NOT give me a look of disgust and did NOT agree to do it when I started crying.

Micah turned 1month last week and I did NOT pose him for pictures in Bill's Boston Redsox hat for over 10mins, but yet haven't posted the pictures yet.

<>

I did NOT cry this morning when Bill left for work, which did NOT result in both girls crying and us all falling into a heap on the floor crying together.

Ahhh, it's going to be a great week. What did you NOT do this past week?

Happy Mothers Day!

Today is the day. The day all moms are honored for all their hard work & love. The day that celebrates us and if we are lucky (and I am) we get breakfast cooked for us and cards are waiting for you on the table. (mine were)

Today, is the day that I want to give a shout out to my mom. When you are a child you do not always see your mom for the real person she is. It wasn't till I became a mom that I really saw my mom for who she was. And she has been an amazing example of a mom.

A few thing's I've learned from my Mom and hope I can pass onto my children:

Stand up for what you believe in

Be generous

Be supportive

Love till it hurts and even if you get hurt, continue to love

Serve your community

Have fun

Laugh about the bad stuff, it helps you get through it

Pick your battles

Teach your children patience & you will in turn learn patience yourself

How to make birthdays really special

Root for the underdog because no one else is

How to make a sick kiddo feel better

Share your home, always make it available for others

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks only what the Lord thinks

How to make learning about the "birds & the bee's" & "womanly issues" a fun conversation & one your daughter remembers with a smile. (just ask me what my mom did )

My mom just flew home a week ago after spending 3.5wks with us. And it was the BEST visit I've had with my mom. We had such a good time together. Going to the park with the kids, the Zoo, cleaning my house, shopping, pedicures, watching Survivor together and lots of chatting. And finally she got to see one of her grandchildren come into this world. A gift she said was "priceless" and would never forget.

Thanks Mom for all you did while you were here. You spoiled us!!! But most importantly you gave yourself, which is what you always do, and it meant so much to me.

Happy Mothers Day!

I love you & miss you

Show us your kid's names or future kid's names

Kelly over at Kelly's Corner does these fun posts on Friday's where you "Show us your life". Yesterday, was "Show us your kid's names or future kids names". So I've decided to play along.

Ellia Lorraine

Ellia was a name that we just loved. We heard it when we were dating on a TV show and we wrote it down deciding right there and then we'd use it for our first born daughter. And no matter what names we picked out we kept going back to Ellia.

Lorraine, is Bill's mother's middle name. And I just loved the way it sounded with Ellia. Plus, Ellia has the same initials as me ELD. Kinda of cool for a first born daughter.

Adilynn Danese

Adilynn, is a name that Bill came up with. We were going to name her Addison, but that is so popular right now. And we loved the nickname "Addie". So one day Bill said "What about Adilynn, like Madilyn but drop the "M" and add a "A". I liked it immediately.

Danese, is my maiden name and I just really liked the idea of using my maiden name some how in one of our kids names. And it just so happens that it sounds good with Adilynn.

Micah John

Micah, was the name we've had picked out for a boy since we first got pregnant. We just thought it was a strong name and we liked the meaning.

John, is Bill's dads name. We had always thought we'd use James as a middle name but that changed when Bill asked if we could use his father's name. At first, I was still stuck on James, but I saw how much it meant to Bill and I so come around. Now I really like it.

Other names we like, but will not be using:

Kaylee Susan

Braden Wyatt

Anthony John

"Mama" vs "Mommy"

When we got pregnant I decided I didn't want to be called "mommy" - I am not exactly sure why, but I just wanted to be different. There is nothing wrong with being called Mommy but I really liked "mama". You don't hear it much and I think it just sounds so cute when a kid calls their mom "mama".

So when Ellia was born I just always referred to myself as "Mama" and not "Mommy". When she started talking she picked it up pretty quickly. Although, she did the switch-a-roo thing and would call me both "Mama" and "Mommy". But ohh how it made my day when she'd say "Mama" And Yes, I admit it, when she did say "Mommy" I would correct her and say "Mama"

As she grew the "Mama" slipped away and she began using "Mommmmmmmy" more and more. And I'm not kidding when I say she would stretch out that word as far as she could when she was calling for me. Why is that kid's do that?

Pretty soon Addie came along and I thought, here's my chance to get her to call me "Mama" and maybe Ellia will start doing it again too. Addie is our stubborn child and isn't going to be persuaded to do anything she doesn't want to do. And that means calling me "Mama".

Addie is so sweet and lately has started saying "Hi Mommy", "Hi Daddy", "Hi YaYa" "Hi_______" It so sweet and it especially melts my heart when she comes down the stairs in the morning, in her pj's with bed head and says "Hi Mommy". Or when for no reason she looks up from her pile of toys and says "Hi Mommy".

In that instant how can I can be upset that she is saying "Mommy" instead of "Mama"? The answer is, I can't. It's the sweetest thing in the world and I will take hearing "Mommy" any day.

What do your kids call you? Did you want them to call you something different?

Guess what? I still have Micah to work with on the "Mama" thing ;o)

What a Good Mother Does…

I found this on Facebook on my friends page. I liked it so much I am posting it today. Enjoy!

A good mother…

…serves her child water from bpa free cups
…never lets her child drink from plastic
…goes for the Barney set on sale

…speaks gently and does not interfere much
…keeps a close eye and quickly intervenes
…lashes out in anger and regrets her actions

…lives in the moby
…buckles them up in a bouncy seat
…holds them in her arms

…yells too loud
…guides too soft
…crys too often

…makes the world their child’s classroom
…volunteers in the public school classroom
…scrimps to send them to a private school classroom

…eats oreos for breakfast
…lets her children eat oreos for breakfast
…hasn’t touched a brownie in years

…cloth diapers, cloth napkins, cloth pads and cloth toilet papers
…uses paper towels and composts her leftovers
…should be investing in the Ziploc company

…rocks her child to sleep
…says prayers and stories with her child in bed
…snuggles, hugs and kisses goodnight, then lets her child cry it out

…sleeps with her husband only
…sleeps with her husband and children
…doesn’t sleep much at all

…hikes, camps and nature walks with her kids
…teaches her children how to poop in the woods
…doesn’t go off the blacktop path

…gives her child formula from birth
…breastfeeds her 4 yr old
…pumps in the bathroom at work

…can squeeze a penny out of a nickle
…splurges on herself
…hasn’t bought a non-necessity in years

…home cooks
…micro waves
…drives through

…showers, makeup and dressed every day by 8
…wears heels to work
…is in pajamas well past noon

…cries over mommy fears
…worries over decisions
…fights for their future

…has a lot of money
…has no money
…takes good care of the money she’s got

…goes to church
…doesn’t go to church
…feels guilty for not going to church

…makes dollhouses from pixie sticks
…bakes chocolate chip cookies
…drinks mocha frappachinos

…is sometimes too rough with her kids
…is sometimes unavailable to her kids
…is sometimes locked in the bathroom with a pint of ben and jerry’s

…has laundry piled on the living room floor
…vacuums the living room floor
…wrestles with her kids on the floor

…wishes she was thinner
…wishes she was smarter
…wishes for a maid

…takes time for herself
…runs herself ragged
…runs a 5K

…reads with her children
…reads to herself
…is illiterate

…watches oprah
…watches ellen
…watches dora

…buys only wooden toys
…scores garage sales finds and hand-me-downs
…buys the latest and greatest gizmos

…loses her temper
…loses her keys
…loses her friends

…loves with all she’s got
…loves when it’s hard and hurts
…loves until everything that doesn’t matter fades away

A Mother's Love

Mother's Day is coming quickly. This week I am going to try to do a post every day on what it means to be a Mother, a tribute to my own mother, and any other little tidbits I feel like sharing, as it is my blog.

I just like everyone was birthed into this wide open world by a Mother. And, I was lucky enough to be raised by both a wonderful Mother & Father. But in terms of this post we will just talk about Mother's. We'll save the Father post for later.

And my Mother like her mother before her and before her did the BEST job she could. She kissed me, fed me, changed my diaper & pretty much gave me everything I could ask for within reason. Growing up I never really quite understood this Mother bond thing. I knew I loved my mom and that we had a different relationship than my dad and I. But I never really got it, that is until I had a child, a daughter.

The moment I found out I was pregnant the first time I was in complete shock. Shock that it was finally happening to me and that Bill and I had created a little life. A little life that was growing daily in my tummy. And mothering that baby started from that very moment the test read " +" I began talking to my tummy, rubbing it, drinking less caffeine and protecting my little peanut. I dreamed of what he/she would look like, what they would do when they grew up & planning all the things we'd do as a family. My life was changed forever when that test read " + ".

The afternoon Ellia was born I realized the depth of the Lord's love for me. In the instant that Ellia was placed on my chest all bloody & messy I felt a warmth come over my entire body. And in that moment I realized that I was being flooded with love for her.

A love that cannot be shaken or moved. A love that surpassed all that I had known before. And later when I was re-counting that moment I realized that is how the Lord feels about us. He loves us so much and gave up so much for us.

"nor height nor depth, nor any other created

thing, shall be able to separate

us from the love of the God which is in

Christ Jesus our Lord"

Being a Mother has it challenges, highs, lows and many joys. But most importantly it is filled with lots of Love. My day is full of washing little hands, feeding hungry tummies and housework. However, mixed in are lots of hugs & kisses. And these help make any bad day better.

When one of my kids wraps their chubby little arms around my neck or gives me a slobbery kiss everything fades away. Suddenly, I am reminded that being a Mom is the BEST thing in the world and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Not Me Monday - Baby Boy style

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This was created by MckMama, head on over to her blog to see what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week!

In the last 5weeks I did NOT go to the Maternity Triage unit 5x before finally being admitted on my 5Th visit.

I have NOT been having contractions almost daily since I was 30 weeks pregnant and these contractions did NOT end up materializing into real labor until I was 37 weeks & 2 days along.

My Mother came to town at the beginning of April and until 2 days ago I had NOT done any dishes, laundry or cleaning what so ever!! She is leaving on Saturday and I do NOT know what I am going to do.

With the girls I was against baby wearing. The idea of having a baby strapped to me in a clingy style wrap wasn't appealing. I did NOT buy one this time around after seeing a friend using one & raving about how much she loved it. I do NOT love, love, love using my moby wrap.

Breastfeeding this time around wasn't on my agenda. With 2 busy little girls and a newborn I just thought it wasn't going to be my friend. I however changed my mind at the last minute, borrowed a friends pump and am breastfeeding Micah. And I am NOT enjoying these very special bonding moments tremendously with my little man.

It's been a long time

It's been a long time since I've posted a new post. Life has been Craaaaazy!!

Since my last post my mom arrived from Florida for a 3week visit, my friends threw me a baby shower, Bill is off on his 5week paternity leave, Addie has gotten sick, gotten better & is now sick again, the girls visited the dentist for the first time and oh yeah our precious baby boy arrived......early!

Since I turned 28 weeks I have been having contractions and dilating. Four trips to the triage to be turned away and sent home with drugs to stop contractions & help with pain. Finally on trip #5 I called the Triage nurse and this was the conversation:

After giving her my name etc

Yes, I am 37 weeks 2 days, having contractions 2-3Min's apart for the last 4.5hrs."

Nurse - "And are they strong enough that you cannot breath through them or walk?"

"Yes, they are"

Nurse - "And you're how far along again?"

"I am 37 weeks and 2 days. This is my 3rd baby, and will be my 5Th trip to Triage, I know what needs to be transpiring for me to come in, I am on my way in and will be there within 10minutes"

Nurse - "Well, alright then, I guess we will see you when you get here" and she was very snotty about it!!

So we arrived at the hospital and after being checked it was confirmed that I was 4cm and 90% effaced, contractions every 1.5 - 2Min's apart & hard. And I will save the rest of his birth story for another post. Micah's birth story was something!! All three of my kids births have all been different in it's own way. Just like our kids.

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks of the kiddos.



Addie did NOT like the dentist, well at least when she checked her teeth

Ellia was a champ!

This was the day before Micah came, wonder if this helped push him out?

Nana and Ellia coloring

Micah - 8lbs 19 1/2 inches