Proof

Motherhood is loud.  And while I don't know any different, my guess is that as a mother of four boys, my house might even be a tad louder than others? 

Oh the noise...the noise!

My days are filled with chaos - some of the organized type, most of it not :)

I feel like I'm in constant motion, but never moving quite fast enough.  It is hard work trying to be one-step-ahead of these busy bodies!

But there are moments of calm and still and quiet. 

The noise is gone. 

The wiggles stop. 

Just peace. 

And I have picture proof.

ETA: apparently this only happens once a year  :)

6

What have we been up to? 
It's hard to describe in words, exactly....but I'll try:
Loving little and big boys, feeding boys, nursing a babe, changing boys' clothes and diapers, potty training one boy, playing with boys, disciplining boys, napping boys, getting outside in between rainy days with boys....
and attempting to keep up on sleep, laundry, cleaning house, and drinking coffee :). 

Whew.  We are six weeks in as a family of 6.  I have never been more exhausted, nor more elated in all of my life.

Ahh, the baby and the boys...never a dull moment!

It's a very busy time of year, but I wanted to write a few things down while I'm remembering them.

Last week, at 27w 2d, I had some bleeding.  No contracting, lots of fetal movement (although my mind was definitely playing tricks on me, and I felt the movement was less-than-normal), no other symptoms or cause for concern ~ but this Mama was trying very hard not to freak out!  I was seen for an unscheduled visit in the office by my OB - who thankfully did a quick exam and announced that Baby was perfect, and everything was well.  My cervix was irritated, but long, thick, and closed as it should be.  The bleeding continued on and off for the next 24 hours, but was gone just as quickly as it appeared, and hasn't returned since.  Whew.  I have not experienced complications (aside from Placenta Previa with Jacob) with any of my pregnancies, and this was definitely ucharted and very scary territory for me.  I am so grateful for the outcome, and will patiently wait for this Little One's arrive ~ preferrably in March, please!

The same day, Jacob swallowed a penny.  Yes, really.  He was home with our babysitter while we were at work, and he played in the bathroom at rest time, and somehow placed a penny in his mouth (one of two pennies I'd been meaning to place into piggy banks...argh).  At first when I heard the story, I didn't believe him ~ he's four, and tends to embellish things from time to time....but as he described how he placed it on his tongue, and it fell down his throat, I couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief.  I confirmed the story by finding only one penny in the bathroom.  He proceeded to talk, act, play, and eat/drink normally, and following my ER Pediatric NP friend's instructions, as long as he was doing all of these things, the penny should pass on its own.  Thankfully, two days later, the penny arrived ~ in our toilet!  We have been having many conversations about not ever putting anything besides food or drinks in our mouths thankyouverymuch.
I truly thought Nate would be our first to put something in his mouth and actually manage to swallow it, but I was wrong!  My next guess is that Wyatt will be our stitches guy, and Nate will be our broken bone boy.  Or maybe some combination of the above.  One can only guess as a mother of three boys (and possibly one more!  Ack!  How did my MIL survive those years?!)...

We are all hitting some major milestones this week - I'm 28 weeks, Jacob is 4 1/2, Wyatt is turning 3, Nate 15 months....time is going by so fast!  I find myself enjoying each of their ages so much. 

I am happy to have the next 11 days off from work ~ for only 3 of my own vacation days, along with our holiday schedule.  It's been too long since I took time off for "no reason" - aside from vacationing or maternity leaves!  We plan on seeing both sides of our families (from out of state and not) and then having a couple of stay-in-our-pajamas-drink-coffee-and-play-with-our-toys days between Christmas and New Year's.  We'll see how that all pans out too - as we will be in "contagious cousins" contact most of the weekend!  (two have colds, runny noses & low grade fevers, another has strep throat -- what would the holidays be without sick kiddos?!  aaggh!)

Off to wrap presents, tidy up the house, do some laundry, and mostly...enjoy my family.  Ahhhh....

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

21 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights  -

How Far Along: 21 weeks (alternatively speeding right along, and crawling by at a snail's pace, depending on the day of course!)

Size of baby: 10.5 inches and almost 13 oz. ~ approximately the size of a carrot

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I don't know exactly, doom-day is tomorrow.  AKA "The weigh in after all this horrible Halloween Candy has been sitting around".  Should be fun times, just wait for it!

Maternity Clothes:  Yup, mostly completely made the switch-over to elastic waistbands and stretchy material.  Seriously, more wardrobes should be made in buttonless, zipperless fashion!  I know I will be singing a different tune in February though...

Gender:  Can you believe we didn't find out for our fourth baby?!  We're TEAM GREEN!  And it's making everyone who knows us absolutely crazy!!!   For what it's worth, I am feeling "BOY" and the Chinese Gender Predictor test-thingy agrees.  I also had a dream the other night about delivery, "It's a BOY!" included...I do realize I have a 50/50 shot at either gender, and my heart will be happy with whomever we're blessed with! 

Movement: Yes, indeed.  Nothing predictable or anything, but probably good enough to feel on the outside.  But the Little Stinker quits any time I even think about putting my hand out to feel.  Let alone teasing Tim for the same - nothin'!!  Ah well, soon enough.  It's fun to have this shared secret between the two of us...especially while at work!
Sleep: Yes, please.  And dish out more of it, if you could?  I get 8-10 hours a night, depending on my schedule, so I can't complain.  If I wake at night (one of the boys wakes, I have to pee, or just randomly awake), I have a difficult time falling back asleep.   Doesn't happen too often, but Zzzzz....I'm wondering if it's just working full time and mothering 3 small children vs. pregnancy?

What I miss: Not much....occasional glass of wine, maybe.  Eating red sauces without having heartburn.  Not having to wear a pantyliner every.single.day.   Oh, was that TMI?  Sorry 'bout that....

Cravings: Meh...nothing really, I guess.  Fresh fruits are delicious (apples!  strawberries! grapes!  YUM), and I'm liking odd combinations of things.  For example, I sprinkled peanuts all over my leftovers of beef stew and (separate) sauted vegetables last week.  And the week before that, I think it was leftover sloppy joes mixed with leftover butter noodles.  I'm also loving LOTS of protein. 

Symptons: mild heartburn, feeling bigger all around, some mild swelling in my feet after a long day of work, and first stranger to ask when I'm due.

Best Moment this week: spending time with all of my boys, and daydreaming about how this New Little Person is going to affect our lives, and someday doing things together as a family of 6. 
Jacob also spelled the word "LEFT" all on his own.  We were sitting at a red light, and he was looking out the window, searching for things to start sounding out.  The turn lane sign was there, and he said, "L-l-l-eh-eh-eh-fffff-ttttt, that spells LEFT" - and I was clapping and cheering, I'm sure I scared the crap right out of him ;)  It was a very cool Mommy Moment - I'm so proud of my boy! 

We're Team....

......GREEN!

All is well with our sweet 4th bundle of baby.  My ultrasound went perfectly on Monday, and for that I could not be more grateful.  The tech saw everything she needed to see, and distinctly called the heart, brain, and 10 fingers, "Beautiful and perfect".  (Insert big sigh of relief and JOY here!)

We did not find out the gender of this baby, but there were definite moments that Tim and I both waivered on that decision ~ most of which happened on the walk in to the u/s office.  It was so tempting to find out, because why not?  It's so fun to plan, to know, to envision the future.  And we get to do all of those things....in a little bit of a different way.  We figured we only had this one last chance to have this great of a surprise, so why not?  And what does it matter if we know now or if we know in 20 more weeks? 

My hope is for the delivery to go smoothly, and for Tim to be able to announce the gender, and then the baby be brought immediately to me ~ something we've never been able to experience together, and something we think would be so very special for our last babe!  (My other hope is to not deliver a baby at home....but that is a post for another day...)  I'm definitely thinking this baby is a boy, so I will be genuinely surprised if we happen to end up with a daughter.  And we have two amazing names already picked out...can't wait to share!


::

Today is beautiful.  Tim took the day off, and everyone got outside for a bit of sunshine and fresh air, and giant leaf piles and raking.  The big boys were super helpful ~ even with the bagging part of the job.  They mostly loved diving into the piles! 

We have also been enjoying some time with our family who now resides in South Carolina.  The boys have loved every minute they get to spend with their big girl cousins who are 12 and 8.  It's been nice to catch up with them - we love their company, and we miss them dearly!

Looking forward to celebrating Thanks.giving early with them, and Hallo.ween as well.

Happy Weekend!

Easter

Highlights from Easter Sunday: Going to church as a family, singing, worshiping together, hugging husband, and my boys, and thanking my Savior for the ultimate gift of his life, that I might be saved from myself.  Thanking God for giving up his Son as the sacrifice for us.  Such as selfless, priceless gift.  As a parent, it is something I can hardly comprehend...

Other highlights = Coordinating outfits for the boys.  Who says boys clothing isn't cute?!  Thank you, The Child.ren's Pl.ace!  We saw a couple of other families who had similar ideas, even some of the same boys' clothing at church.  CUTE!

Jacob was wearing a necklace stating, "He Lives" from the Children's Sermon.  Wyatt has one too, but he refused to wear it, and was simply appalled that we would even think to request it of him (request it?  Really?  Except we didn't...it was just offered). In this picture, Wyatt is putting his finger to the dimple on my cheek.  It was everything I could do not to laugh aloud during the photo shoot (courtesy of my FIL). Yes, Nathaniel wore a hat - and he left it on and looked adorable, much to my husband's dismay.  Love you, honey! 

We ate lunch out at a Con.ey Is.land.  We put the boys down for naps, cleaned up our house, and my inlaws came to visit.  We went out to enjoy the amazing weather, flew kites, and Nate sat in the grass for the first time (and did fairly well at actually sitting on his own).  Easter dinner was tacos.  Nothing was "traditional" about this day, but it was a celebration nonetheless. 

One of several shots of all three wiggly boys, dressed and smiling - truly a rare instance around here!  And this was following church, lunch, and just prior to naps.  Woo hoo!

Oh my, I love this family!  I am blessed.  Every day.  Always.

Today.

Today, I am refreshed.

Today, I am soaking it all in. 

Today, I feel confident.   And assertive.   In my work, my time, my organization, my mothering. 

Today, I feel awake and alert. 

Today, I felt sunshine on my skin and fresh air in my lungs.

Today.  My boys were full of smiles, laughter, and plain ol' silliness. 

Today, I had one-on-one time with Wyatt to the fruit market.  We named colors, picked and counted produce, and smelled citrus.  And discussed why pickles and cucumbers look so similar. 

Today, we had our first ice cream of the season. 

Today, I didn't want to put my baby down. 

Today, Jacob giggled hysterically when I got the hiccups after dinner.

Today, I "met" my new niece, Rachel Sophia, through a picture e-mail.  I am already in love!

Just today, I didn't want it to end.

I want more of Today. 

Sledding Adventures

Start with one brave Daddy,

Add in two excited Small Boys,

to One Very Large Hill....

...and you get "Snow Much Fun"! 

Again, and again, and again....until Jacob is done, anyway. 

(Wyatt was done after one run - he didn't like snow in his eyes!)

Nathaniel even made his debut on the snowhills.  (I think he was a bit bummed he couldn't join in all the screaming with Jacob & Wyatt!)

We are having as much fun in the snow as we can...but please note that we are all very much looking forward to Spring & Summer, when we can go outside and it doesn't take 20 + minutes to prepare to do so.  Love it too, when we get snow pants, boots, mittens, scarves, hats, and coats on, then Jake announces, "I have to pee!".  Of course you do.   

Happy Birth Day!

Happy Birth Day, sweet baby Alex!

My brother and SIL welcomed a new son into the world early this morning at 12:10 AM. He was 8 lbs even, and all is well.

We are thrilled to have a new nephew, and cannot wait to meet him!

Congratulations to his parents, and his big sister Ellie. We love you guys!