Wesley's Birth Story

Saturday morning August 13, 2011 around 2:30 am I was woken up by a strong contraction, but it didn't last long, so I tried to get comfortable and went back to sleep. 20-30 minutes later I had another one, so I got up to pee and went to try and sleep again. This had been happening the past several nights, braxton hicks around the 2:30-3:30 am hours. The next one came faster, less than 10 minutes apart and there was no way I could lay down for it, as it lasted a minute. I thought, "what can it hurt to get up, sit on my exercise ball, and time these for an hour?". So I did, and I was totally disappointed. There was zero consistency! At times the contractions would be 8 minutes apart and other times 30 minutes apart, but they were lasting at least a minute. And I couldn't go back to sleep because laying down during a contraction was unbearable.

I called the midwives around 7:00 am to ask what I should do, as this was my third baby and even though there was no consistency, I felt like something was happening. The midwife I spoke with said to keep timing, take a walk, shower, do your regular stuff today and once they are 5 minutes apart, give us a call. I woke Kevin up and asked him to go sleep with the boys, so they wouldn't bother me as they got up. I told him I thought we might have a baby today, but I wasn't convinced just yet. We should work out child care arrangements for the boys for today nonetheless, though.

So we all ate breakfast, I labored on the exercise ball off and on, took Micah for a walk, chatted it up with some neighbors, then we all went to the YMCA for Kyle's 10:30 swim lesson. I was walking slower, still having contractions here and there, but nothing that was consistently 5 minutes apart. We hung out for Kyle's swim lesson, then headed towards the car around 11:15. I told Kevin I was going to call the midwives and see if we could at least come in and get checked. I had not been checked at all this pregnancy because the boys were usually with me.

Around that time, I got a text from a friend asking how things were going. I gave her a call and said it was like the labor that wouldn't start or stop! I was truly frustrated, but said I would let her know when we went to the hospital, as she had offered to help with the boys.

We got home around 11:30 am, Kevin arranged for the boys to head over to a neighbor's house and started packing up a picnic lunch and the diaper bag for them. I called the midwife on call, told her what was going on, had a contraction while on the phone (all while Kyle felt the need to yell in to the receiver "I think she is almost done now"), and she asked if I wanted to come in, get checked and I said "Yes, PLEASE!". I'm really surprised she offered this, because I now know there were zero labor/delivery rooms available and zero postpartum rooms available at the time.

We arrived at Vanderbilt a little after 12 noon and I had zero contractions on the 20 minute ride in. I was starting to doubt my decision to come in now, just like I had with Micah after we'd arrived at the birth center the morning he was born. Kevin dropped me at the front entrance with my purse. We decided he would go park, but not bring anything up until they had decided whether or not to admit me. I made it up the elevators to the 4th floor and found my way to OB triage where I had to wait in the waiting room for a room to open up. Kevin showed up and I had a couple contractions in the waiting room. Kevin headed down to the deli to grab us a sandwich to share, since I was hungry, and a powerade, since we hadn't packed any snacks or drinks for ourselves.

A triage room opened up around 12:40, so I headed in and Kevin got back with food a few minutes later. They wanted to monitor me continuously for 20 minutes. I had one or two contractions during this time. The midwife arrived, chatted with us, and checked me. Loose 6, 80% effaced, posterior cervix. Mostly good news, but third baby labors can be funny, so she asked me to walk the halls until 2:30, coming back to have the baby monitored every 30 minutes, then she would check me again.

The first walk I had contractions about 8 minutes apart consistently. Then we went to get monitored and NOTHING, no contractions. I asked the triage nurse if I could get in the shower and she said yes, but that relaxing would probably stall labor, not keep it going. So, we headed back out to walk some more. We took the long loop through the OB triage and postpartum unit twice. I was walking slower, but we only had two contractions the entire 45+ minutes we walked that time! They were intense, but I was so frustrated that the contractions had slowed down once again.

Back in the triage room for monitoring and we told the nurse what had happened. I could tell she thought we had stalled out too, but she was encouraging, saying that sometimes contractions stall out, but become more intense as you approach transition. The midwife returned to check me and as she was chatting with us, talked about how she may send us home with some meds so I could rest through contractions for a couple hours, then come back. And then she checked me: "What did I say you were before? Well, you are at least an 8 now! Admit her. You are having a baby tonight!". Woohoo! Can you imagine my elation after all those non consistent contractions and the impression that we would be packing up to go home in a few minutes and contract some more?!? It's about 2:30 at this point.

The triage nurse gives me great news "A room has opened up, and it's the tub room!". Yahoo! I'll get to transition in the water, praise God! That was all I really wanted, to labor in water. The triage nurse asks if I would like a wheel chair to head over to labor and delivery or would I like to walk? I choose walking. A normal one minute walk takes me about 10 minutes as I have a couple contractions on the way over and am walking even slower.

We arrive and there were three nurses already in the room. One was asking me questions and having me sign a few things, while the other two were readying the infant area. I remember briefly thinking, at the tour they had told us the nurses to the side in the infant area only arrive when they think the baby will be there soon. Then that thought flew out of my head as Kevin asked if he should go get our stuff. Sure, why not. I'm not going to have this baby in the next 10 minutes!

So Kevin heads down to the car while I continue to answer questions between contractions. I can see the tub is almost ready and I am so ready to labor in the water when:

BAM! I'm on my knees on the floor pushing through a contraction. The nurses are saying, Mindy, can you get off the floor? You don't want to have your baby on the floor. I get one knee on the bed and BAM! another contraction that I have to push through. There is no way on this earth I could stop from pushing. Kevin has returned at some point during these contractions. I get my other leg up on the bed and bury my head in a pillow before another contraction blows through me. The midwife is here and asking me if I can turn over because I'm going to have a baby very soon. I get myself turned over and she says she is going to break my water. I don't want her to because that is when things got bad with Kyle's labor and delivery. But I nod my head yes and as she goes to break my water, my water breaks on it's own! It is 3:01 p.m..

And then a break between contractions, whew. The midwife is talking, saying his head is right there and I ask if I can feel it yet, but as I reach down to feel his head she lets me know I'll have to push through the next contraction before I'll be able to touch his head. A contraction comes and I push through it. Progress! Then a break. Another contraction comes and I push through that one too. More progress! The midwife tells me I'm having a baby with the next contraction. A brief break, and one last contraction! I push his head out, then one last push for his body. It's 3:09 p.m. and I am holding one perfect little baby boy on my chest.

The midwife is joking how she's glad I decided to come in and get checked and that I was her easiest delivery that day! Kevin cuts the cord after about two minutes, and Wesley immediately starts looking to nurse. He latches on and nurses for about 45 minutes while all the after birth duties are going on.

Talk about a fast labor and delivery! I'm so glad I listened to my body and that Kevin was supportive of me and how I was feeling the entire time. I never made it in to the tub! My first labor and delivery at a hospital and it was nothing like I expected, but everything I could have asked for!

Wesley Ryan Harkins, born August 13, 2011 at 3:09 pm, 8 lbs 1 1/2 oz, 21 1/4 inches long.

He is almost the exact same size as Kyle was when he was born (8 lbs 2 oz, 21 1/2 inches long). We are convinced that they would have had the exact same stats if Wesley had arrived just one day early, like Kyle did. As opposed to the three days early he decided to arrive!

Pop on over

to Kevin's photo blog to meet our Wesley!

Sneak peak

I can't wait to share Wesley's birth story with you! But it will have to wait until I am home.

A sneak peak: Kevin was heading to the car to get our bags after I was admitted and I joked with him that I wasn't going to have this baby in 10 minutes. What we didn't know was that if he had taken 20 minutes, he would have missed the birth of our third son!

Thanks for all the love, prayers and congratulations. The big brothers are on their way to see us. I have missed my boys so much!

Another update I guess

Kevin graciously worked at home this morning so he could take Kyle to a make up swim lesson at 10:30. Turns out we were the only family that could make the make up lesson, so Kyle got a private lesson! Tomorrow he will swim again, then every Sat. up to his birthday party day! He is so much more confident in the water since we started lessons this summer. I am excited that Micah will be able to start lessons next summer since he will be 3 in June! My August babies always have to wait for the following summer. That's the earliest you can start without it being a parent/tot lesson.

I am starting to get a taste of what's to come in the next week or so (God willing)! The occasional painful practice contractions are a brief, yet familiar, reminder of why it's referred to as "labor". Every person I know who also had an August due date has now given birth, every one of them before their due date. Jealous? Maybe a little. Would I like to throw myself a pity party? Yea, basically. Would I like to be holding our newest son and posting pictures of him all over the place? Absolutely! I dreamed I was in labor all night long last night, which was not cool. Then I had more labor dreams during nap time today.

One person I haven't dreamed about is Wes; which is strange because I had dreams with both of the other boys. Very real, life like, turned out to be true dreams about their physical looks and personalities! I am incredibly curious about our little guy.

Micah and I were playing catch with his Curious George stuffed animal today and he started throwing George "to Wesley". LOL. Yea, straight at my stomach. It was hilarious. He also decided to stand up and surf in the bassinet of our playpen after throwing some toys in there. I can tell that being a big brother at 2 is going to be waaay different than being a big brother at 4 was.

That's about it. I'm bored to tears, exhausted, and ready to have this baby!

First day of school

Well, it's official: I am the mom of a bona fide kindergartner! The first day was only 2 1/2 hours long, but everything went smoothly. I cried once in the shower while we were all getting ready to drop him off and teared up several times the rest of the morning, but we all survived. Kevin stayed home a bit this morning to accompany us to drop off and take a few pictures. I know Kyle will do great this year; his teacher has got it together and the school seems to have a really great staff atmosphere (although who really knows unless you work there)! Kyle was a little nervous when we arrived, but walked right in and warmed up to the classroom with no issues. There was one poor little girl crying and Kyle said another little boy ended up crying at some point during the morning too. The pick up line took over 20 minutes, so we will be walkers ASAP. And today that pick up line was only the kinder parents; not even the rest of the schoolkids parents waiting to pick them up too! I am so thankful that even though we aren't in the best district in the state, we are in one of the best neighborhoods/elementary schools. You could tell that the families for the children that are zoned for Kyle's school are all about being supportive and involved!

In other news, Micah and I spent a leisurely two hours watching sesame street, reading books, and coloring! Additionally, he played with any toys he wanted to his heart's content. I have a feeling, even with Wesley around, Micah is going to enjoy some of this extra time at home with mommy. Whereas Kyle always wants to be on the go, Micah is more than happy to hang out and play at home. After Kyle came home and we ate lunch, Kyle took the time to do a couple puzzles with Micah and was teaching him how to match up the pictures again! It was awesome. He has been so understanding with his little brother the past couple days and I so appreciate it.

The reason I appreciate it is because I'm pretty much out of commission. I can stand up and walk slowly to do something, but there is not a whole lot of mommy play time going on around here lately. We had another afternoon appt. today, right over quiet/nap time. I left an hour early so we could buy treats at Trader Joe's in case they were running late! Kyle picked 100 calorie milk chocolate bars, I picked salt water taffy, and we picked yogurt covered pretzels for Micah, since I was carrying him through the store fast asleep. Oh yea, no big deal, I'm due in 5 days and carrying my dead limp asleep 25 lb toddler around TJ's. So they actually got us in and out in 30 minutes this time, YEA! Wes is still really low, and I was told there is a LOT of baby in there. Awesome. Everything looked good, once again, so thankful for that! I will be even more thankful when he arrives :)

Goodnight! I've been woken up at 3 am every morning lately and unable to go back to sleep, so I'm exhausted.

39 weeks

Yep, and last night I was up for 45 minutes thinking I was timing contractions, but it was just a false alarm *sigh*. I didn't even get to play with my fun new contraction timer app on my phone (the contractions were that erratic, although still keeping me awake)!

In other news, we got a call from Kyle's teacher last night and I get to attend the "parents only" meeting for kindergarten tonight, Kyle gets to meet his teacher and see his classroom on Wednesday night, and then he starts school Thursday morning! Things I should do before Thursday: wash his uniforms and have a good cry about my first born baby going off to school! Kevin awesomely manipulated our seating arrangement in the van so Kyle can get in and out as easily as possible (Micah and Wes sit in the middle row captain's chairs, while Kyle sits in the back row and walks through the aisle to get in and out). Have I told you I love our new van? I love our new van, LOVE it!

Kyle was so awesome with Micah this morning. I brought down the game "Memory" and sat myself in a chair with my feet up on the ottoman. Kyle started explaining to Micah how to find matches, JUST LIKE A TEACHER. It was crazy the way he was breaking down the game step by step for Micah (they were doing it picture side up) and Micah loved it, totally caught on. Kyle was so encouraging with him. I am sure one of the grandparents taught Kyle how to play "Memory" this way and he remembered (or maybe in preschool)? Kyle has been getting really frustrated with Micah lately, as in "We taught him how to share/take turns yesterday, why isn't he doing it today?" kind of things. I ask him what he does when he gets frustrated with other kids in school and he tells me that the big kids are better about it than Micah (which I'm sure is certainly true).

Anyways, time to go grab a big cup of water and put my feet up again. Kevin is posting pictures over at his new photo blog if you have a chance to check it out: http://canvasinmotion.wordpress.com/

I would love to blog right now

but there are about four hundred things to do while the boys watch sesame street. So, in brief:

I attended a surprise baby shower brunch for Wesley this weekend! It was lovely and completely unexpected. We are so blessed!

I've been having lots and lots of random contractions, especially while walking. As soon as I sit or lay down, they go away. I know I am in true labor when I am unable to sit or lay down because I'm having contractions (at least that was true with Kyle and Micah).

We had a fun, whirlwind weekend with the boys: The Frist Center, church, community group, and Kevin got the entire to do list done of "things before Wes arrives"!

More later...

Hey ho

high blood pressure and swelling here we go! As if, I thought I would get away with no high blood pressure this time. Kyle did the same thing to me; these August babies just push my body to the breaking point! I am not complaining. In fact, as anxious as I am to meet our little Wes, I am not anxious to push him out. Um yea, it was only two years ago that I pushed Micah out, AND I STILL REMEMBER THOSE LAST 45 MINUTES. Not that they were completely awful, horrible, unbearable or that I won't be able to do it again, and yes, I know, every labor and delivery is different. However, there were 4 long years between delivering Kyle and delivering Micah, so my memory was a little fuzzy that summer of 2009. My memory is not fuzzy. Kevin will attest to the fact that I am doing nothing to encourage Wesley to be born: no walking, jumping, bouncing, strange exercises, herbs, medicines, or various things the midwives would be willing to assist with. I am taking it as easy as possible, putting my feet up, and trying to relax while entertaining our other sons and keeping the house as clean as possible for the people who will be taking care of said other sons while we are in labor.

The reason I know about the high blood pressure and swelling today is because we had an appointment this afternoon, and by "we", I mean me and the boys right over nap/quiet time! Midwife seems to think I will come anytime, I keep telling them "after 39 weeks" because that is when our boys come. I was told today that they will let me go up to 2 weeks past my due date (huzzah, which means I could be pregnant until August 30th)! And, she seemed in agreement with me that Wes will be in the 8 1/2 lb range, just like his brothers. This is the first time I haven't been told "probably a 6, maybe 7 lb baby". I now pack the hospital bag in the car every time I go to an appointment, something I've never done before, but for some reason feel the need to do it this pregnancy (Maybe because I know I won't be released after 6 hours of monitoring?).

Here's to a good night's sleep!

Our new van

Pardon the awful phone pic, but there she is!

38 weeks and

still very much pregnant, with no even little inklings or indications that Wesley might join us soon. Our doctor appt. isn't until Thursday this week; I guess once you get to weekly appts. they just have to squeeze you in wherever they can because M, T, and W of this week were all filled up! I am everything a very pregnant woman can be: tired, uncomfortable, emotional, physically unable to do just about everything!

Kevin and I celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday by, you know, buying a minivan (what else would you do on your anniversary?). It's new to us, a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX-L, fully loaded. It even has the plus one seat, which just makes me giddy because that means we can seat 8 people! Who knows when that will actually happen, but it's still really, really cool. And lastly, when we picked it up last night, I had not even realized it had a sun roof! The only thing I've ever wanted in a vehicle is a sun roof. We rode home from anniversary ice cream with the boys with that roof wide open and of course, both boys had to stick their hands up through it before we went in the house. This morning after breakfast Kyle asks "So when are we going for a ride in our new van?", LOL! I am so thankful and blessed, not just to have a new van, but oh my goodness, to be a two car family again. It has been a long 8 months of making it work with one car, many schedules, and a new pregnancy.

Yesterday, I made the short drive over to Kyle's elementary school with the boys in tow in order to register our little kindergartner. Talk about paperwork! Good gracious. However, we had everything in order and should hear from his teacher soon, then a parent meeting on Tuesday, a meet and greet Wed. morning, and first day of school on Thursday August 11th! Gah, I can't believe our first born is starting school next week!

That's about all the news I have for now. Taking the boys to the bounce house today; maybe I can encourage Wesley to come a little sooner too ;)!

So, the way church usually goes...

...for me these days is I sit with Kevin during praise and worship, then Wesley wakes up and I get uncomfortable, so I head to the nursing mommy's room to sit in a rocker and rock (Wesley always falls asleep or calms down when I rock in a rocker). Yesterday, there was a mama in there with a 2 year old boy and a 5 week old boy, and she was a first time visitor! We chatted and talked, as the baby was actually her third child and I asked about transitioning, etc... Then, she had to step out with her 2 year old and handed me her little 5 week old baby boy! I about lost it, he was so tiny and I realized I hadn't held a baby in a really long time, as in probably since Micah was that itty bitty. We have babies come in to the church nursery where I work during the school year, but they are usually 6 months and up (the little ones stay with their mamas in Bible study). It made it all feel strangely real to hold a tiny baby again, as in, this will be us in about 8 weeks!

Kevin and I are starting to plan Kyle's 6th birthday party and I am torn on what to do for him, how much party do we give or allow. It's hard to have parties at our house, or that would definitely be the plan (just too small, even for 5 or 6 kids and their families). He's had a really hard time lately too, which I think is because of all the upcoming changes in the next couple weeks (starting school, new brother, turning 6, etc...). It's usually too hot for an outside party.

Micah is saying "no" and "mine" a lot. I guess that is to be expected around the age of 2! He's still talking a lot, doing everything he can do (our footstool is his ticket to freedom), and is very, very active. Kevin and I have realized that being parents of all boys is a little unique...especially when you get together with families that have boys and girls! Our boys were found to be jumping on beds and racing in to walls last night at community group...we are now focusing on what's allowed at home, as opposed to what is allowed at other people's homes (even if their kids are doing it)! Yes, our boys do jump on our furniture, race around the house, tackle, wrestle, and play ball games inside the house. That's just the way it is right now, and I hope I can remember that when my kids are older and we have active little ones visiting! They love their books, movies, and creative play with various super heroes and action figures, but everything becomes "active". Right now they are taking turns racing a remote controlled motorcycle off of various beds and tables to see if it will land right side up. The boy who isn't racing it, "catches it".

I'm exhausted and it looks like another over the top, unusually hot week here in middle TN. We are 37 weeks tomorrow and have an appointment around lunch time. I keep having braxton hicks every night, but nothing to call the midwives about. Kevin seems more anxious than me for Wes to arrive! I did finally pack a hospital bag, something I had been putting off, in denial that we will actually be driving to the hospital to have our baby and I will have to stay there for at least some length of time.

We are looking forward to taking the boys to a baseball game tonight, for as long as mommy can last! It's fun to do a few last things with them that we otherwise might not be up for here in the coming weeks.

36 weeks and change

What can I say? It's hot, but that's to be expected this time of year. Kyle is at his last week of VBS for the summer this week. Micah is more than thrilled to play and read books in their bedroom without big brother interfering in the mornings. Kevin is working as much as possible to finish up a few things before Wes arrives. I am sitting on the exercise ball drinking lots of water, eating ice, and staring at the crib that needs to be emptied and the hospital bag that needs to be packed. Everything I do takes about 3x as long as usual because I have to sit down for about 10 minutes for every 5 minutes of activity. Taking a shower and getting dressed is almost an hour long activity now; it's crazy. I have to ask Micah to hop on to a bed or couch to get him dressed and change diapers because sitting on the floor is not an option; as I am unlikely to be able to get up again! Last week I went a little overboard at Costco, but we now have some convenience dinners in the fridge/freezer/pantry so we've been able to eat at home most nights with minimal prep. There are no more ants in my kitchen: they have now migrated to my upstairs bathtub. Kevin and I have been showering in the boys bathroom while we wait for the poison to take effect. Kevin wakes up at some awful early hour, shuttles Micah in to bed with me, showers, then eats breakfast with Kyle (if he wakes up before he leaves), and takes off for the bus around 6:30 a.m.. I am more and more anxious for a second vehicle, so our schedules don't have to be so flipped around all the time and we don't all have to go everywhere, every time there are pick up/drop off conflicts.

That's about it, everything that is kind of happening around here and/or on my mind lately.

Defeated

Micah has struggled with going down for his afternoon naps the past couple days, even though he stills need one (he's out for 2 hours when he does go down easily). Also, going to bed at night has become this huge, dramatic ordeal. I let him cry for 44 minutes the other night, while Kevin was away scanning. He fell asleep on a pillow on the floor in his room. There is no place to put him; he crawls out of cribs and playpens. We don't have a play room, so if I gate him in his room for sleep time, he just plays or read books or cries. He was sleeping great in our room, but now just rolls around and talks or sings or asks to go potty. I finally told him to go play with Kyle this afternoon and he jumped up, shouted "OK!" and ran off to his bedroom.

We swam all morning long, then had lunch and played with friends. He fell asleep late last night and was up earlier than usual. I'm exhausted, physically and mentally. I'm sure it will work itself out. That's one thing about having kids, whatever is a trial one week, is a non challenge the next. Just pray for strength and rest for me if you think about this week/weekend. Kevin is going away on a work conference and I'm not sure what I'll do without afternoon quiet times.

35 weeks

Good gracious, can that be right? I remember having Kevin bring me the pregnancy test he swore was negative and staring at it, and thinking, "August will never be here. I can't even imagine being so pregnant in the summer, AGAIN!". Yea. You know, the woman who swore she would never have another late summer baby. And here we are...dog days of summer practically upon us and here I am all "blessed with child". I chuckled with Kevin how everyone at church is waiting for us to walk in with the baby bucket every weekend; because seriously, I am that large with child! I get ALL the comments lately, from strangers and acquaintances alike; friends have been much more forgiving.

A co worker of Kevin's had her baby today, TODAY. She was due next week, so yea, that sounds right. I'm waiting for an old friend in Tucson to give birth because we were also pregnant together with Micah and her son J, and I had Micah two weeks after she gave birth to J. She's also having another boy this summer. So ready, but not really. I am anxious to hold Wes, but it's still too early and I know that and I want my babies to stay in as long as they need to. We have the best labors/deliveries/births that I wouldn't give any of that up to hold him a couple weeks earlier. So it goes, I continue to eat (and gain loads of copious weight), work out, and love on my family that needs me here and now because it won't be long that Wesley will be demanding as much of my attention as possible outside of the womb. This is actually the easy part, being pregnant. It gets much more complicated once your child arrives, in a good way of course, but still more complicated!

Kevin attempted some pictures of me and the boys this weekend; with little luck, but a couple should turn out. We are taking the boys for their check ups/shots tomorrow morning and I am loathing it. I know Kyle is nervous. It has been a long time since he had any pokes.

To bed, hopefully. I have had two very restless nights in a row.

Another day

Father's Day

Playing at Dragon Park

Preschool graduation

We had a lot of fun in June, with my mom visiting for three weeks and old friends from Tucson swinging by on their way home from a road trip vacation! With about 5 weeks until Wesley arrives, our weekends are packed with to do lists. We have a lot of friends and neighbors who have offered to help us out, and Kevin is working on coordinating all of that! In addition, our church just started small groups this summer and of course, how could we not volunteer to lead one? We had our first get together this evening and it was awesome. There are four families with ten children between us under the age of 6, eleven children when Wes arrives! Also, and I couldn't be more excited about this, Kevin has recently been asked to play with the worship band at our church. It is so wonderful to hear him play again!

The boys are doing great; we try to get out of the house and do something fun every morning, although I am slowing waaaay down. Our daily outings might consist of the zoo, park, children's museum, storytime, swimming, bounce house, or even McDonalds if I am having a really rough morning. I look back on my past pregnancies and know that I wouldn't have even attempted leaving the house this much, especially with just five weeks to go. It's funny how things change, how you do what you need to do because it has to be done. I'm often nauseous in the mornings, since Micah weaned himself a couple weeks before his 2nd birthday in June, but I don't throw up! The boys have a doctor's appt. on Tuesday, Micah for his 2 year old check up and Kyle to get his shots for kindergarten. I am in such denial that he will be going to school in just a few short weeks (August 11th)!

This week I was so blessed to have Kevin and Kyle install a new CD radio in our car! Our car came bare bones, with a cassette player, that went kaput with the tape adapter stuck inside it several years ago. The boys are so enjoying having children's music in the car again, and it makes our drives that much better for me to hear them sing and see them dancing in their car seats! To top that off, our rocking chair arrived Friday afternoon, thanks to Nana! I know I have said this many times, but we've never had a rocking chair for any of the boys. This one is awesome, made by the same company that makes the industrial gliders for churches and daycares! I looove it, as do the boys. Micah couldn't help himself but to crawl up in to our laps during family movie night on Friday and be rocked while we watched Toy Story. And lastly, can you believe something else amazing and wonderful happened on Friday too? I won a professional photo shoot with the amazing Lillian Boeskool, who happens to be a friend too, but we haven't had any photos done since moving to TN. I am leaning towards a newborn shoot with Wesley because I so dearly enjoy our newborn photos of Micah.

What else, what else...Micah has been crawling in to bed with us sometime between 4 and 6 am and sacking out again. It doesn't bother me, he's a really quiet sleeper (unlike his big brother!). We had ants this week, ugh, which makes me so thankful we have quarterly pest control! The ants like to show up about once a year, when it gets really hot and they are searching for water. We spread some borax/sugar mixture down and that starts killing them, but the pest control guy does a great job of finding them outside and really taking care of the source of the problem!

And now I should go to bed, because I'm on my own in the morning as Kevin heads off to worship practice bright and early!

Just a quick update

Micah turned 2 last week! My mom is here with us through the beginning of July! I've been slowing down a lot since my last appt., 3 weeks ago. This morning we had our 32 week appt. and I'm measuring two weeks ahead! This has never happened with the previous boys in our third trimester, they always measured right on schedule. Wes is head down and they already gave me birth plan documents...is he really going to be here that soon? Right! And we named him: Wesley Ryan Harkins. All I have time for now, I have pictures! On my computer! Look for a heavy picture post next :).

Randomness

Well, scheduled a tour of Vanderbilt L&D; something we have never, ever had to do before, as in tour a hospital where we will be giving birth. Scheduled the boys doctor appts (Micah 2 year old check up and Kyle kindergarten shots). And there is something else I'm supposed to call on and schedule BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER. This is the story of my life lately, loss of memory. I haven't worked out in a week and boy am I feeling it; sluggish and tired, but can't sleep and oh the leg cramps at night. However, it is just my own procrastination since I know how to alleviate all of those symptoms: do my pregnancy workout.

Crazy day today:

Micah woke up at 5:30 am and never went back to sleep

I forgot to eat breakfast before VBS drop off

Storytime at the bookstore is awful, we will not be going back

Costco trip found me chasing Micah down the hall out of the women's bathroom. Have you seen a 30 week pregnant woman run? Neither have I, but I bet it was pretty funny.

Fed Kyle lunch, but forgot to eat again.

Fell asleep with Micah, told Kyle I was really tired from being up so early.

Kyle wakes me up less than 30 minutes after I lay down with Micah. Baby wakes up and I can't fall back to sleep.

Eat a late lunch, bite my tongue, start crying, Micah wakes up

Kyle flips out thinking his baby brother is coming too early since mommy is crying and asks if I'm having contractions

Exhausted, we skip the pool and I sit on my exercise ball while the boys play nearby

Thank goodness it's family movie night: Toy Story and a take n bake pizza!

30 weeks

Praise God, we are 30 weeks in to this pregnancy! There is a lot to do, or a lot I want/wish would be done before the baby arrives, but I know it won't happen. I'm going to complain here for one second: I'm still totally bummed that I've never decorated a nursery for any of our boys, and probably never will. We may actually buy a rocking chair for this child, something we've never, ever owned with the other two (we had an old recliner I'd nurse Kyle in, but nothing for Micah, not even furniture for the first 4 months of his life: he slept on an air mattress from a kidco peapod bed, LOL).

In other news, we've narrowed the name down to our top 2 and one will be his first name and the other will be his middle name. This is such a relief for me! Kyle is starting kindergarten in less than 10 weeks. The first day of school is August 11th. No, we haven't registered him yet. He still needs a few shots and a physical. I had dreams of sending him to half day kinder at a private school or homeschooling him, and it's really, really hard to let those go. I know he'll do great and be fine and going to kindergarten in the public school system will not ruin him for life. I know I can supplement at home (while nursing a baby and entertaining a toddler...riiiiggghhht). It's all just kind of defeating, but also a great reminder that any and all of Kyle's educational future is in God's hands, not mine, so I can let go anytime and it will be okay.

Micah is really, really going to miss him. Today was day 2 of VBS for Kyle. Micah and I hung out for the worship songs and offering at the beginning, then we waited in the lobby for Kyle's class to file out. Kyle ended up being "line leader" today and got to hold the class sign up for everyone to follow. Poor Mikey, wanted to go with him sooo badly, and when I scooped him up and out to the parking lot there were big tears and he kept saying, "My Kyle, I need my Kyle!". This happened all morning long, on our way home from groceries, attempting to eat lunch, and finally it was time to go get Kyle. Micah crawled in to the back seat and all the way over to Kyle's side to unlock the car door for Kyle so he could climb right in when we arrived at pick up. Whenever we talk about Kyle going to school this year, Micah chimes in that he is going to school too, "with Kyle". I'm hopeful he can go to school one or two days a week, but it will be at Kyle's old preschool.

And then there is this car seat/vehicle conundrum that just makes me want to cry whenever I think about all the vehicle and car seat drama we've dealt with since we moved to TN.

And that's it, that's what 30 weeks pregnant looks like to me right now. A little weepy/emotional, but still so blessed by how the Lord continues to work in our family and show his faithfulness to us in everything that comes our way!

A lot going on around here

And I'm not sure where to start, so let's just hit a few key highlights:

- I survived and passed my gestational diabetes test!

- Baby boy still does not have a name, but our list is getting shorter.

- I have appointments every 3 weeks now

- Kyle is so grown up. That's the only way I can put it.

- Micah is so growing up. Our "baby" will turn 2 on June 14th. It is good to have children of several different ages and stages in your home, because it reminds you of the awe and wonder of childhood.

- We have experienced our first month of minor changes due to Kevin's new funding at work. All the transitions went smoothly.

- We had company in the form of an old high school/college friend needing a couch to sleep on for a night this week, as he is in town for a wedding. It is always good to see familiar faces!

- Speaking of which, we are expecting a visit from nana and some friends who were pregnant with us with Kyle! Such an exciting month for visitors!

- The cicadas are almost gone.

- We are still debating a solution for our current vehicle/car seat dilemma.

- We belong to the Y, and have been swimming everyday since.

That's about it, time for bed, and thank goodness the boys fell asleep in their own room tonight. It's been all crazy around here at bedtime for some reason and I've just given up and let the boys fall asleep with me the last two nights.

Been feeling strange

all day today. Maybe it's the cicadas or the weather or our late night/early morning today. I don't know, but I think I'll go to bed now and leave Kevin up as our official tornado watcher.

28 weeks

And I have my glucose test this Friday morning; I always feel like I've passed the final hurdle in pregnancy when my glucose test is over: I have a fear of needles and getting blood drawn is 100 times worse than birthing a child for me. This will only be my second glucose test, since I opted out due to low risk with Kyle. It still seems like a big deal.

The baby is growing, as am I, and he is much more active. Everyone in the family has felt him kick/move. Kyle likes to feel the little punches and rolls if I tell him when the baby is awake, Micah has no idea he's felt his baby brother in my tummy, but the baby often kicks at him while he lays on or beside me and nurses. Lately, Micah loves to drape himself over my bulging belly and relax, using it as a pillow. Having the boys sit on my lap is becoming more and more uncomfortable; I have taken to reading books teacher/librarian style, by holding it up by my face and reading to them while they sit in front of me if at all possible. Kyle finds a reason to pop in to my bedroom every morning and snuggle before Micah wakes up (I do my best to be cheerful when woken up, but sometimes it's a stretch when I haven't slept much the night before). Micah is often crying out in the night lately and Kevin wakes up using two alarms very early every morning to catch his carpool. I've never had such an active pregnancy, or so desired to sleep in and take naps, LOL.

Thankfully, our summer has started and the regular weekly schedule is pretty much gone. We have gymnastics once a week, but that is it! I'm wondering if I might actually get some of this house cleared out and some nesting/organizing/getting ready for baby stuff done!

Other things on my mind lately include purchasing a second vehicle and new car seats. It is not only physically exhausting being pregnant, but also emotionally and psychologically exhausting! I am also jealous of all the mama's I know having their babies in the next couple months; you lucky women! Although, I must say, the third time around goes even faster than the first two. Off to bed, hopefully to sleep.

VBS Junkie

That's right, here in middle TN, you can go to VBS every single week of the summer if you want. Alas, you do need to register, online, and early! So Kyle is signed up for 5 weeks of VBS this summer, the whole month of June, and one week in July. All different themes, and different churches. I guess this is what happens when your mama is in her third trimester all summer long. He's thrilled by the way; ecstatic even for games, music, and general fun while learning about God. In the rest of the summer hours I plan to be at the YMCA, feeling weightless in the pool.

And, you'll never guess, but my phone pictures are on this computer right now, so how about some pics, hopefully not ones I have posted on Facebook yet:

Field Day

Blowing bubbles

Playing sticks in the backyard

Micah sitting on Kyle's lap while Kyle sits on Kevin's lap for storytime

Making cookies on Mother's Day

Back to the daily grind

Kind of. This is Kyle's last week of preschool before summer vacation; he "graduates" on Friday afternoon. Also, I have my last day of work before Bible studies take a vacation break. Then it's a summer of VBS, swimming, and the library reading program! Oh yea, and mommy's third trimester. That's right, come Tuesday we are officially in the third trimester and I am trying to remember where the time has gone from finding out we were pregnant in early December to now! This pregnancy is flying by!

Kevin returned home from his big yearly conference on Friday night and we are all oh so happy to have him back. This morning I had the privilege of teaching in Kyle's Sunday school class, all 24 of them with one assistant; it was crazy, but in a good way! I really love our new church.

The boys just amaze me at how wonderful and precious they are each and everyday. I love our little family and am blessed to be able to have children.

So many thoughts running through my head that I can't seem to organize them or get them down here, so maybe tomorrow night.

Whew

What a week it's been! Micah ended up at the doctor's office with the beginnings of infection, due to allergies of all things, NOT ASTHMA. Guess we didn't need all those breathing treatments last week, his lungs were supposedly completely clear. My pediatrician rocks and gave me antibiotics from the sample closet because our insurance just changed and I don't have a prescription card yet. Also, he is now on Claritin, just like his older brother. If I remember correctly, Kyle developed allergies around the age of two also. Ah well, it will be over soon because boy is it getting hot and humid around here.

Speaking of two, how is our Micah turning two in a month? Has it really been two years already? He is so verbal, it makes him seem older than he is. I'm not sure how we will celebrate this year. He is still my baby, even though we've got another on the way. Speaking of, less than 100 days of pregnancy left (God willing he comes on or around his due date)!

I lost it this morning, my sanity I mean, but the day did move along smoother and we ended with AWANA awards (Kyle's voice was carrying quite well during the songs) and a late night trip to McDonalds, courtesy of grammy. Micah kept telling me how he saw daddy on the movie (video chat this morning) and kept asking if it was pizza and movie night on our ride home from work. Kyle got to spend the morning with grammy instead of at work with mommy, which he loved.

The cicadas are coming, I saw carcasses today and heard their whine in the trees. Not cool TN. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow (by that I mean we have absolutely nowhere we need to be and nothing we need to do).

Another year, another Mother's Day

I was blessed with a very awake snuggle bug at 5 am this morning; a little nursing, a little tossing and turning, a little talking "Mama, you asleep?" from my Mikey. He graciously laid in bed with me until Kyle joined us at 6:45. Then a few more cuddles and I shooed them off to their room to play while I showered and got ready for church.

I opened Kyle's Mother's Day present that he had made in preschool: a canning jar filled with all the dry ingredients for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I had been teasing him all weekend guessing that it was a jar of dirt and worms! There was of course the cute little question and answer paper/card stapled to the bag and thankfully, Kyle did not answer any of the questions in a way that would make me cringe *whew*.

We ate breakfast and had a surprise video chat with Daddy before needing to leave for church. That's right, a video chat. For some reason, those conference planners for biomedical engineers who specialize in imaging like to schedule over Mother's Day EVERY SINGLE YEAR. And EVERY SINGLE YEAR something crazy has happened from sick children to a sick mommy to a miscarriage to natural disasters. This year I am expecting the hatch of the cicadas from the Tennessee soil. I'm sure it will be awesome.

Thankfully, I often have reinforcements in the form of grandparents. It was a lot easier to access these grandparents when we lived in AZ, but Grammy has made it out to be my support every year here in TN while Kevin is away. Today we headed out for lunch and ice cream after church, then spent a leisurely afternoon of naps and quiet time, after which the boys played with friends and we had a low key dinner. Just about a perfect Mother's Day, definitely one of my best so far. It's overly emotional to be pregnant on Mother's Day, and with every pregnancy I have spent a Mother's Day pregnant because we seem to be *ahem* most fertile over the holidays which results in summer babies.

Happy Mother's Day, to all of you who are moms, who are going to be moms, who are battling to be moms, who visited your children's graves today, and who mourned the loss of your own mom today. All my hopes, love, and prayers for you.

I am thankful

*For another year of funding for Kevin which equals another year of job security and better benefits!

*For my very own house, on a cul de sac, with a fenced in backyard, big mature shade trees, and neighbors with children the same age as mine

*For a reliable, fuel efficient, sub compact car to tote my family around town in

*For a church where we finally feel at home and look forward to going every week

*For our new baby boy, and our easiest pregnancy yet

There are a lot of things that go with all of those blessings that I like to complain about, but in the end, God just keeps on taking care of all my complaints. So even though I may not like where we are right now, or feel like I'm being dragged through an emotional/spiritual desert most days, I know I'm not alone. For all of you who continue to read and pray for us, thank you.

Dear Baby,

Just wanted to let you know how incredibly loved you are already. Your brother Kyle could hardly contain himself in December when he figured out we "might" be pregnant with you. He was all questions about how will we know? How can we know? How do you find out? As soon as we got the positive pregnancy test he was ecstatic, jumping up and down, and running around. Ever since, not only do Daddy, me, and Micah get goodnight/goodbye hugs and kisses, but so do you! My stomach has never been so loved! Also, Kyle insisted on being at your 20 week ultrasound, just like he was at Micah's. Your brother Micah hasn't quite figured out what is going on around here, but follows in suit lately by lifting up my shirt, finding my belly button, and kissing it while saying "baby". I've started to explain to him that you two may have to "share" nursies when you arrive, since he's really not showing any sign of weaning yet.

You have already been "given" lots of great little toys, blankets, and other baby doodads that you will no doubt never remember, but they will make mommy's job a little easier around here. Additionally, it's like Christmas because your brothers are having a great time re discovering all these baby toys! I picked up your first pair of little leather shoes today, but am still searching for just the right "take home" outfit. I talked to daddy about using a cradle for you instead of the crib, because our room is just so full of furniture right now! Also, we might be close to picking out your name, which is very exciting for me! I love calling my babies by name when you are still growing in my tummy.

Just know that I think about you all the time and we are all excited for your arrival.

Not much to report

It's the weekend again and I am so incredibly thankful to be feeling as normal as I usually do pregnant! The weather has been sunshiny for a change and we are excited for overnight guests to arrive tomorrow! Not only that, we are excited to go to church...which pretty much hasn't happened since we moved from AZ to TN.

I remember the wife of Kevin's old college roommate telling me it took her 5 years not to hate this place; 5 years you guys and I thought, "It only took about a year and a half for us to settle in to Tucson". But I think she was right as we approach our two year anniversary of living in TN. I get it now.

The boys are, well, the boys. I get sympathetic looks when people find out we are having another boy; I want to tell them I don't need their sympathy, or want it for that matter. Boys are fun, playful, affectionate, daring, adventurous, thoughtful, and (at least as youngsters), seem to love their mama more than anyone else in the world. It is a blessing to be surrounded by sons, and I bet that moms of all girls feel the same way!

I found some of Micah's teeny tiny newborn socks this morning while cleaning out the boys' under things drawer and I thought, "I'm going to get to pull these on some more itty bitty feet in a couple months" as I threw them in to the crib with all the other infant baby items I've found lurking in the boys' closet! You know what else is really fun? I have all of my favorite outfits that I saved from when Kyle was 0-12 months old! These were in storage when Micah would have been able to wear them, but they will be perfect for baby boy since he'll be an August baby just like Kyle! I can't wait to pull them out again and remember our baby days with Kyle while making more memories with his baby brother.

Did I tell you we're half way there? Yep, 20 weeks, all downhill now to the big due date, and if I'm lucky he'll come a few days early just like his brothers did! My next big milestone I'm counting down to is 100 days to go. Off to bed, morning comes early with all these children in the house, even the one in my tummy is starting to wake me up with kicks and rolls!

Anything but boring

This week has continued last week's theme of crazy with Micah becoming an incredibly clingy mama's boy. I have even been wearing him again, with the wrap and soft structured carrier, doing my best to work around my 20 week belly. He won't even be comforted by Kevin, which is a truly rare thing! Kyle went back to preschool today, Kevin has been able to work two normal days so far this week, but I'm still a pregnant, emotional wreck.

Kyle had his first baseball game tonight and it was awesome; like I couldn't stop smiling awesome which is a great thing because last year all I did was wince during his practices and games because of the awfulness of the league and coach. The kids had an amazing time and the parents were fantastic! I am so thankful we found the extra money to switch leagues because it was worth it; every pinched penny! Kyle couldn't stop talking about the game and playing baseball on the way home, which has never happened before. He has practice tomorrow and another game on Sunday. I am so thankful for this positive sports experience for him; it is exactly what I had in mind when thinking about my little guys learning to play team sports.

I'm feeling baby boy a lot more lately, but nothing uncomfortable. I didn't gain any weight last week, but that could just be due to the food poisoning episode. Either way, I don't mind since the weight went on fast the first half of this pregnancy! Nursing is becoming more uncomfortable and I'm at a loss on how to wean Micah. Kyle weaned himself and it was so easy! Guess I need to do a little research.

Today has really taken it out of me, so I'm off to bed.

A long week led up to an even longer weekend

Kevin has been busy this weekend, playing the role of Mr. Mom even more than usual while I recovered from food poisoning. Additionally, he cleaned up the vomit in our back seat from a Micah episode on Friday :

I took the boys to walmart on Friday morning and just as we pull in, Micah throws up not once, but three times, all over himself, his car seat, and our back seat. It was an unseasonably cold day, but I had to strip him down outside the car then pop him in the front seat to put on the spare set of clothes I keep in the diaper bag. Of course, with it having been in the 80s all week, I had switched the clothes out to warm weather gear. Now, what to do about that car seat? Well, I got it uninstalled and threw it in the trunk, then cleaned the back seat best I could. We headed in to walmart for a cheap booster seat for Kyle to ride home in, so Micah could use the five point harness seat (they both have the exact same car seat, just adjusted differently for their heights). We got to the car, got everyone situated, and it took all my will power to overcome my queasiness and make it home. I cleaned up the car seat if you ever need tips or tricks on that sort of thing, while Kevin tackled the car.

Back to everything Kevin has been doing: my laundry closet looks amazing with its new cupboard and shelves installed and he is currently steam cleaning our carpets downstairs! He knows just how to keep a nesting mama happy!

I picked up a new bedding set today and black out curtains for our room! We have had black out curtains in the boys room for several months now and with baby brother arriving, I wanted some for our room too since that is where he will be sleeping for awhile.

That's about it; crossing my fingers for a more normal week across the board, from physical health to sleep to work and school.

And after all that

I am recovering from a night of food poisoning.

Date Night

Finally, a couple hours alone with Kevin. It's been months because, well, we have no "village" here. I was going to make reservations for the kids at a "parent's night out" program run by a local play place we have frequented so we could celebrate Kevin's birthday tonight, just the two of us. However, once our retired neighbor heard about that she offered to watch the boys for free! She's a mom and grandma many times over and has watched our dog before, but I'd never thought she would watch the boys. I made sure there was a $5 carry out pizza on the counter and "Cars" in the blu ray player. Then we went out, waited for a table, and there were even cloth napkins! I felt like an adult for a couple hours, the food and company were fantastic.

Crossing my fingers we won't have to do a middle of the night breathing treatment, but not counting on it. Off to bed we all go; here's to the weekend!

Not allergies

At least not for Micah; let's just say his "allergies" escalated quite a bit last night and at the doctor this morning they told us that after visiting them with severe wheezing 3 or 4 times by the age of 2, well, they prefer to just go ahead and call that what it is: asthma. We did a breathing treatment at the office and were told to do them every 4 to 6 hours through the weekend. Well, due to our insurance, the breathing machine needed to be delivered to us at home, not given to us at the office and then billed to our insurance company. Micah woke up from his nap ready for another treatment and there was NO respirator at our house. I called the company and they had it scheduled for delivery at 7:15 tonight. They had neglected to put in the notes that it was a pediatric patient who needed it for immediate use. So we made due with the rescue inhaler and it was delivered within an hour of me calling.

Allergies

I think we've been hit by the allergy gods, and not in a good way. Poor Micah, this is his first "real" allergy season and he is suffering the most. Last night was long, with a lot of coughing, dry heaving, and some throwing up of mucus (he has a super sensitive gag reflex). Kevin and I are exhausted and a little foggy ourselves from sinus back up. Kyle seems to be doing the best of all of us thus far. There's little Micah or I can do/take to help due to our age/condition, but probably time to buy some claritin for Kevin and Kyle. Ready for this loooong week to be over.

Totally off topic

So, it seems to me that even though we patiently went through the membership process for a church we really do love and enjoy on Sundays, we just keep getting these little issues, pokes, and red flags that make me feel like it may be time to move on and keep looking for a church here in the Nashville area. This also makes me feel sick to my stomach.

Pity party time, just close the window now if you'd prefer not to hear me complain. I am so tired, frustrated, and beaten down trying to plug in, make friends, find a church, etc... We will be "celebrating" (and I use that term loosely) two years in TN this July. Two long, lonely, socially depressing years. I just don't know if I can drag the kids around to different churches every weekend, again, for months and months at a time. I can count on my one hand how many times people have accepted a playdate invitation to our house and actually shown up. It's frustrating because I put in the time, I connect, invite, plan, attend everything we can to invest in relationships with other people here, but there must be something I'm doing wrong or missing about the culture here because it's not working.

The question I get asked everyday now,

by friends and strangers alike is: Do you have a name yet? Well, no, actually we don't. Kyle has Kevin's initials, Micah has mine, and I really thought our next children would be adopted and might already have been given names, so I hadn't considered what we might name additional children our family was blessed with in the future.

Neither of us seem set on using initials again, but it's not completely out of the question. At this point, we joke that at least one boy could be named Kevin Jr. (something we had briefly considered when pregnant with Kyle)! Of course, naming this child isn't on Kevin's immediate radar, but he indulges me by listening to a litany of potential boy names every night before we go to bed. I am so used to being able to call my womb by name after finding out the sex, that it's a little unnerving calling him "baby boy".

Kyle has already latched on to a name Kevin was throwing around (in jest, in regards to a sports figure) and asks us every night at bedtime if we've decided on his baby's name yet. I think it helps make the whole process of a new sibling arriving more tangible for him when the child has a name.

I stuffed all our cloth diapers, folded them up, and popped them in the diaper basket along with our cloth wipes, all ready for baby boy. Micah's skin is just so sensitive we've never been able to use but one cloth diaper a day before he breaks out in a rash, and that's after just one hour! It doesn't matter what brand, material, liners, or inserts I use.

That's what's on my mind tonight. I'm so glad we're doing this blogging thing again because it really helps clear my pregnancy brain before bed. Goodnight!

Rub a dub dub, three boys in a tub!

Well, not quite yet, but soon enough! I'm sorry for slacking on the posting this week, but good news: Kevin bought us a new "family" desktop computer; I guess he was tired of hearing me complain about how I could no longer do a single thing on my 8 year old Windows XP machine! It's nothing fancy, but did take a few days to set up and we ordered a few extras: wireless card and webcam (so if you see me available to video chat on gmail, ring us up, we will answer if we are around or call you right back if we miss you). It sits upstairs in our room, on our dresser and I will buy a pilates ball to sit on this week as my "desk" chair and soon to be birthing ball.

Things are changing around here! Kevin put together the crib again so we could start piling baby stuff in to it. We've received a few toys from my work, I pulled several 12 month outfits out of the box I was planning on sending to Goodwill and threw them in there, and I keep finding little blankets, crib sheets, shoes, socks, swaddling blankets, and slings in the big boys closet, so all those have been tossed in too. We're making room for a rocker/glider and a small computer desk, but our poor bedroom is going to be full of furniture! I figure the baby's clothes and diapers will live under his crib in some cute wicker laundry baskets I got at Micahel's a few months back because those will need to be repurposed since Kevin is installing a cabinet and additional shelving in our laundry closet! I'm soooo excited for this, because it means some extra pantry space!

Kevin has really gotten in the mood to start doing some upgrades around the house since this pregnancy started and I love it! It totally feeds my need to nest to see him come home from the hardware store with bags and boxes or research how to diy for sealing a porch or putting down hard floors. My one contribution to all these upgrades will be new linens and towels for us; we bought the current sets right after we got married, so almost 8 years ago. Yikes!

We had a great weekend, spending a lot of time outside, an afternoon at a kids concert about an hour away, and tonight at a sports bar with fellow U of A alumni cheering on the wildcats to victory in the NCAA basketball tournament. Kyle is on spring break this week, so I hope to take the kids on nature walks at two nearby parks and hit up the discovery center where we have a family membership (it's about 30 minutes away, so we don't make it there but about once a month).

I am going to work on uploading some pictures from our new camera this week, so keep an eye out for those. I'm off to bed!

*Gasp*

It's a boy! You probably already know that from Facebook or a text you received from Kevin or myself, but I am still in shock; is that okay to admit? A house full of boys, three of them! Don't get me wrong, I love my boys something fierce, and always will; in fact, even though Kevin and I still get sent reeling in the parenting realm, I like to think we're starting to finally get the hang of this "raising boys" thing. Truth be told, we haven't been doing it that long, but it kind of becomes a way of life: Everything, from clothes to linens to toys comes in the primary colors. We have seen, read, and reenacted every Thomas the Train story known to man. What does Daddy play when he gets home from work? WRESTLE! We have a basketball hoop in our family room, a closet full of ride on toys (bikes, scooters, cars), and several "collections" from our daily romps outside. These include sticks, rocks, and other treasures. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the back porch, nauseous, watching Kyle and Micah play in the backyard and I could see it in my mind: three little boys building, playing, and exploring together.

And so we are "blessed with boys"!

Our day in short

So what did we do today?

Well, Kyle went to preschool and learned about the letter "U", played indoor hockey, and his special job today was the door holder. Micah and I went to the zoo immediately after dropping Kyle off; his favorite place was the farm. He would call the animals by what they say, for example: he would say "moo, moo" for a cow, "baa, baa" for a sheep, and "cluck, cluck" for a chicken. We went home for lunch and an early nap. Micah woke up just 15 minutes before we had to go pick up Kyle, so we cleaned out the car and went back to preschool.

After school it was a balmy 53ish, so we stayed and played at the playground. After school, we all headed home for a few minutes before strapping on the bike helmets for a little bike riding until it was time to make dinner. I started "Toy Story 3" for the boys because Friday is movie night around here and prepped dinner before Kevin arrived home (usually we pick him up on Fridays, but today his meeting was canceled and he made the carpool, so no rush hour drive down to Vandy with the boys in tow = a very happy mommy).

After the movie we put the boys to bed, Kevin did a pregnancy food run for me since dinner didn't sit right, then he headed out to catch the Arizona game at a sports bar, while I relaxed here at home. It is well past my bedtime, but I will try to post here often for all of you giving up Facebook for Lent :).

And time rolls on....

Wow, it's been a long time since that last post and well, a lot has happened since then. Our boys have been growing up in leaps and bounds:

I swear Kyle wakes up inches taller every morning! He is reading a lot in the past two months, very curious about everything, and excited to start "real school" next year. He continues to be an amazing brother to Micah, even when annoyed by how "babies ruin everything!" (his final exasperated comment when he just can't figure out how to play with his little brother anymore). He and Micah often sleep in the same twin bed all night long and wake each other up in the morning to read and play. Kyle wants to teach Micah everything, but doesn't always appreciate it when Micah mimics him in everything! Kyle is eating more foods lately, with a happy attitude towards "trying new things". He loves being/playing outside but, this crazy TN weather has not cooperated much this winter. He keeps asking when we'll be wearing shorts again and why can't we play outside today (because it's 35 degrees, sorry sweetie). He is growing more patient and thoughtful, growing up in more ways than I can describe to you.

Micah is quite the charmer, as was evident at dinner out tonight with every server and chef stopping by to ruffle his hair and say "Hello amigo!", only to be rewarded with a giggle or grin from the unexpected attention. He is a talker, repeats EVERYTHING we say in earnest. He is also the most empathetic of all of us, completely stops what he is doing if someone says "Ow!", sneezes, or gasps in order to ask "You okay?" as he peers into their face intently. He eats with abandon, trying everything on my plate, although not necessarily on his own (even if it is the same food). He is most definitely tall for his age, but still my baby, crawling up in to my lap at every opportunity or asking "I hold you?" if he senses I may be standing up or going somewhere he usually can't go. He just recently discovered Thomas the Tank Engine and has shown the maturity to leave the track put together so everyone can play on the train table. For several days he would pick a train or two to carry around with us as we went about our tasks. He is all about technology, wanting the speaker phone on for all calls, or to add his own "comments" to chats and facebook updates if he can reach the computer. He also LOVES to be outside, just like his brother, so when the weather is good we drop everything we are doing and head outside. The boys make up games with sticks, leaves, rocks, ride bikes, scooters, and coaster cars, draw with chalk, blow bubbles, and just explore. Micah adores his big brother and I know it will be hard for him when Kyle begins school in the fall.

And lastly, I have been feeling downright crummy lately due to the fact that we are expecting baby #3: SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE WRITING HERE. Maybe that's another reason why I haven't updated since December. Shortly after Kyle accepted Jesus in to his heart, I started feeling crummy. Chalking it up to the flu, I found it odd that every time I nursed Micah, my crumminess seemed to disappear for awhile. I joked with Kevin that we must be pregnant again and he retorted with "I'm surprised you haven't bought a test yet". Well, I was near the dollar store that day, so why not buy a couple of tests. I waited until Kevin got home that night from work and took one of the tests, then laid down on the couch feeling crummy again. Kevin gushed from the bathroom that it was negative and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that there was no way on this earth I could be pregnant in TN: FAR FAR AWAY from any support system at all; no friends and no family. A few minutes later he told me he was going to throw it away, but I asked him if I could see it just to make sure he had read the test right. KEVIN, IT'S POSITIVE! There was the faintest line on the test and he says "It's been more than 10 minutes, it says not to read it after 10 minutes". Ah hu, I was having flashbacks to our pregnancy tests with Kyle where Kevin responded with "How often do they give false positives?" in all seriousness. Kyle ran around with glee finding out that we were pregnant again and let us know in all that it's a girl; that he has been praying for a sister and God must not listen to us, but listens to him, LOL! (No, we don't know what we are having yet, but Kyle will always tell you it's a girl if you ask him). We had just given away all of our baby gear, and were about to sell the crib when we found out we were pregnant again. We are also a one car family again after many strange circumstances: one very, very tiny car that I continue to thank God for, but often miss the roominess of the vans I had over the past several months. We have no idea if we will get another vehicle to accomodate this child, or do some creative car seat buying/rearranging when the time comes.

I have to say that I am floored by this pregnancy, but excited nonetheless. Micah has continued to nurse and I have had the easiest pregnancy as far as morning sickness goes of all three thus far! Not to say I completely escaped the puking or queasiness, but it was totally tolerable this time and I even kept working part time! All of our tests have come back good and my appointments have been routine. We are delivering with the Vanderbilt midwives, at the hospital, which I'm nervous about. My stomach popped waaay early this time and I already feel huge. Our anatomy ultrasound and next appointment are on Wed. March 16th and I'm definitely curious to know what we are having this time around. I have my hunch, seeing as I dreamed about this child, just as I did with Kyle and Micah before our ultrasounds with them. Only God knew we could handle a pregnancy being so far removed and not quite settled in TN if it were an "easy" one and I thank him everyday for that grace.

We are traveling to AZ April 12-19. We will be in Tucson while Kevin works during the week and in Phoenix for the weekend. I can't tell you how excited we all are to see everyone and reconnect. I must go to bed, the unisom has kicked in.