Auld Lang Syne, Hello 2011!

A bit of time to post before 2010 ends! It was quite a year! Busy as usual, full of fun as always! We did some house projects...namely a new fence, garage door, cupola, bathroom & entry floors, a new nursery etc...

We had happy news with the birth of Noelliah. That would definitely be our #1 story this year!! She wants to have a noteworthy birthday as it is September 11, 2010! We are loving every minute of snuggling and every little fun thing. She is growing so fast and is loved by and loves her sisters.

Aliyah and Keirah had a fun time celebrating their 4th & 8th birthdays together in August. It was one of the hottest days of the year, but right after it became bearable again.

Grandpa and Grandma P. had rough spots in their year with a broken hip for Grandma and a 2 1/2 week hospital stay for Grandpa. They are doing much better now and have been watching the girls again (both the girls and grandpa/grandma are glad). We are thankful that it has gotten better.

Great-grandma K. also had a rough patch with a broken hip, but has been able to move back to her previous place of residence. This makes it much easier to visit.

We have another cousin/new nephew. Little E was born 5 weeks after Noelliah. I think for now they are about the same size.

Josh and I celebrated 10 wonderful years of marriage for which we truly thank God. I think it is so much fun! It is a busy, crazy ride most of the time with our schedules, but I wouldn't want to share the ride with any other person than my soulmate, Josh!! I love you sweetie! We were happy to get a few days away in June to Florida. It was awesome, albeit hot and humid.

I have been able to see and reconnect with some friends that I haven't seen in years!!!!!! I hadn't seen my lovely college roomie for 10 years...precisely since Josh and I got married. We got to visit with her family when we went to Florida. My best HS friend and my paths have crossed again! I also got to see another childhood/college roomie friend just today!! It never ceases to amaze me with each one of these girls, no matter how many years it has been...it is immediately like old times. I am reminded of the richness and depth of our friendship and simply why we are friends. Love you girls!!!

We have been blessed beyond measure and the items listed above are just a tiny sampling of those blessings!! I'm listening to a 3 month old squeal and smile and wiggle while I type. I just love her! I love love love my 2 older girls and I LOVE my most wonderful husband!!!!

Happy 2011 to you and yours!! Be blessed!

LOVE

Lovely Branches Pink 5x7 folded card

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Christmas '10

Sorry I have been so negligent about posting! Between Christmas to-do's, work, homeschool, a newborn, and housework...we have been exceedingly busy!
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas...we did, however we are beyond exhausted! Every celebration in our family was at our home so Christmas was 3 solid days! We are trying to fit all of the new stuff in and get organized as well as everything cleaned up! I am sure a garage sale is in our future so we don't run out of space!
On that note, I think we need an extra few days of Christmas recovery! YIKES!
People talk about movie-watching and other stuff...I think our kids watched one or two, but us???we couldn't find time! I guess now that we are almost to January, maybe just maybe things will slow down????
Blesssed so much...but tired...signing off!

3 months old

It's so hard for me to believe how quickly the last 3 months have flown by! It seems like yesterday I was still pregnant and waiting for her to arrive. By the same token, it also seems like lifetimes ago. She is growing fast, though. She has begun to hold her bottle on her own. She also wants to sit up very badly. She did for a few seconds and rolled from tummy to back today. Noelliah is our longest baby measuring at 24" already! That is 5" of growth since birth.

She loves to smile and she brightens our day. She is getting used to the crib and will take naps in it. We are awaiting our first big blizzard tonight...oh joy!

It is the weekend and a nasty one weather-wise. Josh is working so we are pretty much staying inside and cozy. I chilled out this morning and did nothing for once. Okay, I snuggled with Noelliah. Other than that, I folded laundry, wrapped gifts, finished cards, and a few t-you's, organized and cleaned up.

Last night was very nice! I got to see 2 different friends. Who knew McDonald's could be that wonderful. Well, when you have great conversation and friendship...who cares where it is right?? Looking forward to more of this in the future!

Almost done with our Christmas shopping =). I think I have that last gift figured out. We have a few gifts to pick up yet and some to be delivered, but I think it is all taken care of...hopefully!

Welcome, Sulley, Noelliah at 3 months

We are enjoying a new little kitty in our house. He is a few weeks older than Noelliah. I can't believe how much he has grown in the 10 days that we have had him! He's spunky that is for sure! Can't wait for him to be declawed...
Still miss Chaney and can't believe how quickly he went. Aliyah was holding Sulley today and started freaking out a little because she thought Sulley was kind of going limp like Chaney did. We had to convince her that he was okay and that it is extremely rare for a kitty to die in your arms like Chaney did.

Noelliah will be 3 months old on Saturday...no way. She weighs a bit over 11 lbs. and is 24" long! She has grown 5 inches since birth...wow! She is our tallest baby so far. She loves to smile and be with us. She enjoys sucking on her hands and watching her mobile. Noelliah is laid back and overall very good!

We have been beyond tired and not just because of Noelliah. She does sleep pretty well most nights. With Josh gone on a trip last week, Christmas preparations, Christmas events, making a big purchase, etc....We have been up very late and run a hectic schedule at times if you ask me. Take last Friday for example...
we both got off work at 3 pm. I went straight to pick up the 2 girls and then to sign our papers for our car. Following the car transaction, we headed straight home to get ready in like 15 minutes for our date. We had dinner reservations at a newer restaurant and it started snowing....wouldn't you know! We arrived and enjoyed our dinner as well as our first date in over 3 months (unless you consider when I went into labor lol)! As soon as we could finish dinner of yummy Filet Mignon and olive oil mashed potatoes mmmm, we headed to a Christmas show that our church puts on every year. It is telecast and has thousands of people attend. In fact, it was like we ended up in Chicago when we tried to go across Peoria and it took 45 minutes. Traffic was bumper to bumper in all directions and everyone was headed to the same place. In fact, they delayed the show 20-25 minutes due to everyone trying to get in!! It was beautiful and following the show, we drove home in the snow. The roads weren't the greatest until we reached a certain point and then it was like there was a line that the snow didn't cross. I was REALLY glad when we came home and there was barely any snow at our house. Oh yeah, we picked up the girls and got home to straighten up the house. That was all in the span of a Friday night from 3 pm to 10!

Well, Christmas shopping is close to being finished. There is a certain someone who is extremely hard to buy for...I need to have help on this one!

Well, all of my pics are on Facebook and I don't have time to post them to this entry...sorry! Bye for now...laundry calls me and it is almost 11 pm!

Noelliah 2 months...a sweet memory book.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Elegant Christmas Cards

A few weeks ago, I was chosen to host a Shutterfly House Party. I think I can speak for all and say that we had a most wonderful time. Shutterfly was fabulous and sent 10 different card samples. I immediately had a favorite card which I highlighted at the party.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/family-wall-noir-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93479

The card is such high quality and very classy. I love the simple elegance of this card as well as the ever-popular monogram in the middle. My very favorite card even after looking through hundreds of Shutterfly cards.

While my favorite card was the one listed above, I also had others that I like a lot. This one is very similar, yet is a flat card...no inside.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/family-wall-red-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93479

You may be noticing a theme here, but there's several options in the same style. I am really STUCK on this style because of the elegance. This one is a bit easier on the wallet, and has great color combinations!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/with-love-chartreuse-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Of course, I could go on and on about the various products that Shutterfly offers. Their photobooks, calendars, canvases make wonderful gifts...just naming a few. These are gifts that last the test of time, do not need to be returned for a different size, and are perfect for that grandparent that has everything.

What I love about the Shutterfly photo cards is that not only are you sending a card, but the recipient is more likely to keep it rather than throw it away when the holidays are over. This eliminates the need for a card and a separate photo to put inside. Not only that, it saves a TON of time. For me, the time saver of having the photo and card all in one coupled with the fact that I put my own greeting inside and they are already "signed", this is great especially having a newborn in the house! Check out Shutterfly...you will not be disappointed! They offer great promos and take care to make sure everything arrives lightning FAST!!!!!

I can't wait to see your creations, and I love getting Christmas cards...hint hint!

Goodbye Chaney

Today was interesting. I may be certifiably crazy as I took 3 little girls out by myself for Black Friday shopping. It has been a tradition since I was little. The girls did great and they were really good and patient. If only the adults were that well behaved =).

I made the mistake of going to Target today. I normally avoid that kind of store on Black Friday, however I was hoping to get a particular gift for someone. Once we trekked into the store complete with television camera remote out front (I avoided this completely), I saw the size of the lines and I remembered one of my cardinal rules...I don't stand in lines. I will for 5-10 minutes, however my philosophy is that time is valuable and it would take something pretty special and great to wait in a line. I didn't do it to see the Oprah show and I certainly wouldn't on BF.

We came home exhausted and ready to nap. After that, I was cleaning up the kitchen and thinking about our evening with Josh. Aliyah went outside to throw away the LARGE T-giving edition newspaper and came back onto the porch and I heard her talking to Chaney. Soon after, they both came inside. He tried to get into the lazy susan cabinet as he often does if I have it open. I sent him on his way. Aliyah was holding him in the LR. Within 5 minutes of Chaney being inside, Aliyah was carrying him out to the porch. I thought she was just putting him back out there. She said something and I went to the door where she said, "just bury him" with a disturbed look on her face. He was lying on the porch floor in a manner in which I knew he was gone. She was apparently holding him and we started making strange sounds (I didn't hear them and I was close by so they must not have been loud). She said that his body went limp after that. I asked her why she didn't say something and she said she was scared. I'm sure she was because he just died in her arms and she took him out on the porch and laid him on the floor.

He had gone to the vet in Sept. and was current on all of his shots and heartworm stuff and all was good. He had been purring at her when she came in from putting the paper in the trash and was as normal. We only can guess that he had a heart attack or something. So, we are sad and missing the little salt & pepper member of our family. Aliyah is pretty sad and I am too. Chaney loved me and would follow me like a dog. He would try to be right next to me if I was holding Noelliah.

Aliyah only has her little frogs, but she wants something cuddly that she can hold. She LOVES animals. I told her I don't know if right now would be good timing for a new pet. It is hard to adjust to a brand new pet with a brand new baby.
The thing of comfort is that Aliyah was giving Chaney love right before and right as he died and he went so quickly he probably didn't feel much pain. We miss him though!! He was a good kitty and was loved by a few little girls.
Bye Chaney, we miss you already! I miss you looking out the door as we would leave every day. I also miss your greeting at the door when we came home as well as your readiness with your paws on the door to go inside when we arrived home. You were a loving little guy who couldn't get enough attention.

First Thanksgiving

It is her first Thanksgiving...
Noelliah's that is.
Little does she know how thankful we are for her presence in our family. I do think that she knows and feels loved. The smiles and laughs tell me that.
So much has changed in our family over the last year. The most obvious being a new member. Aliyah and Keirah prayed almost every night for her before she was born. Aliyah talks about her lovingly and I ask her if Noelliah is everything she prayed for...she always has said, "yes and SO MUCH MORE"!

There are so many things to be thankful for, I will name a few. I often sit with Noelliah and just feel so overwhelmed at how blessed we are and thank God for His blessings.

-my family--they bring immeasurable love and joy into my life
--a warm, comfortable house
--cars (mine has heated seats and I'm loving those since I'm such a fan of winter--haha)
--remote start on my car (that will be great this winter especially with a baby)
--jobs (we are both blessed with good jobs, although I think and Josh would agree that mine is better than his...not complaining about his by any means though)
--a wonderful church
--being able to live in America
--being able to homeschool our girls
--health
--provision
--friends

I could truly go on and on, however I will cut the post short. I have 3 girls to tend to and one of them is a sweet little newborn. There is laundry to do and other household chores. Josh has a long evening at work due to this busy time of year.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

The Weekend

I'm not going to lie...I love weekends. Every now and then we get the opportunity to sleep in...a rarity these days for sure =). It offers a break from the busyness of the week.

I'm happy that the girls are settling into the routine. Some mornings are a bit rough especially the ones where I have to get them all ready alone. School is going well for which I'm very thankful and Noelliah is a very sweet baby.

Tomorrow, I am going on the annual shopping trip that some girls from church do. I'm hoping to find some gifts for some special people. We are finished buying for the girls. At this point, I am the most behind I have ever been in the way of Christmas shopping. If I haven't purchased it yet, I normally have in mind what I am going to buy...but not so much this year! Noelliah gets to join me tomorrow and daddy is going to be with Aliyah and Keirah. His big task tomorrow is to finish the leaf clean-up in the yard as well as finish the outdoor Christmas decorations.

This weekend officially starts busy time for our family. Josh works A TON around Thanksgiving. Then after that, he has meetings at corporate in WI. It will be my first time with him gone for a few days while having all three girls. We will all miss him.

Almost time to decorate for Christmas...with the busy fall that we had I must say that we have just begun getting used to it being fall. Somehow it transitioned from summer to Christmas time without us noticing. Maybe that is partly why I am so behind on the gifts. Life was busy with 2 grandparents being in the hospital, Noelliah being born, schooling, going back to work...and just junk like laundry and stuff.

Well, I had better get ready for bed since I have to get up early in the morning.

My Latest Obsessions

It has been a busy weekend well make that busy week AND weekend.

My weekend consisted of my latest/favorite obsessions:
~my sweet family which includes lots of pink--especially with their new pink pj's (thanks so much Aunt Juju)

~the colors aqua and pink (in Noelliah's nursery where we spent time)
baby photos (Noe had a 2 month photoshoot on Sat) filled with laughter, coos, and pure joy

~Shutterfly (trying to find that just right Christmas card)

~handmade baby hats (a local shop sells THE MOST ADORABLE handmade hats)...they are all different sizes/styles/colors and she gets different ones all of the time. They are made of things like mohair, angora, wool, cashmere etc...Noe (we say No E) now has 4 of those--along with 2 pretty pink hats from Aunt Juju. Hey, it's like shoes and purses...a girl can't have too many. Noe can't wear shoes (her feet are still too small to fit into any and she doesn't do purses yet so hats are IT--and it keeps her warm!

~snuggling--can't get enough of that

~sweet baby blankets (I purchased a new type at the same shop that sells the hats)

~Lisa Leonard necklace with my 3 princesses names (a lovely surprise in the mail) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE!

~thinking of friends...near/far and how they have touched my life whether it was 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or the present time I am thankful to have known them. Sadly, many of my best friends live far away. Most live in different states scattered everywhere! I think it is so funny though that whenever I see them again, it is like time stood still and the memories of our times together and the reason we are friends comes flooding back.

~my husband...I didn't get to see him much this weekend because he was working hard for us, but I appreciate his tireless and hard work whether at work or at home. I love you, Josh.

~our church...we are doing a parenting series right now in SS which is great!

~just sitting and looking around at my family and thanking God for His abundant provisions and overwhelming blessings!

Gorgeous Day!

It has been over a week since I last posted. There's so much to talk about, but I haven't had time to blog.

I guess I will go backwards. We are eeking out every nice day we can out of fall. Today was mid-70's and we couldn't be happier about it. The girls played at grandma's and we took a walk as soon as I got off work. That has been the theme of our week since the time change. If we go on the walk as soon as we get home, we can make the whole walk in the light. The girls even have a bit of time in the backyard before dark. If you have children, you know why we are diligent to do this. The pent up energy lasts way too long in the winter...not to mention mama needs the exercise.

Yesterday was a wonderful day as a family. It was nice outside and we just spent the day together---our favorite thing to do. It was Noelliah's 2 month birthday already. It is flying by I'm telling you. We got up early for a dr. appt. She had to get her round of shots. Poor little kids have so many shots to get now. They have increased in number with every child we have had. She did pretty well, however was inconsolably crying in the afternoon...thanks to the shots. She did weigh 9 lbs 9 oz. and 23 1/4" so she is growing (although still little). I compared baby books yesterday and she is my longest baby so far, but right in the middle on weight. Keirah was biggest and Aliyah was smallest.

We went to a nearby town and did some Christmas shopping at some neat stores followed by lunch at Cracker Barrel. They have the naughtiest/yummiest breakfast meal there. It is cinnamon french toast. It tastes like a cinnamon roll--even has the frosting. YIKES!! It was AMAZINGLY good! We were pretty tired yesterday afternoon so we didn't get a whole lot done, but we had to go grocery shopping. We got some great deals and then went and visited great gpa/gma. Grandpa is finally out of the hospital after 2+ weeks for which everyone is thankful. He seems to be doing well and looks good. We finished up the evening just talking and being together. As I sat and looked at the girls and Josh, I couldn't help but think of how blessed I am by my sweet family! Thank you, God!

Earlier in the week/last weekend I had a fun Shutterfly party. It was a great party because everyone got a free Shutterfly book and cards. We had a wonderful time and I loved the way the party worked. I named it Apple Pie & Shutterfly. The treats were all apple in nature...apple pie (I forgot to put out the ice cream--oops), apples & caramel, caramel apple candy corn, coffee (with caramel apple creamer as a choice), warm apple cider, and apple candles for the guests. It was awesome to hear the ideas everyone had and hear tips. I learned a lot myself and I was the one hosting the party. I couldn't help but think that Shutterfly could have picked a few of the party guests rather than myself b/c they knew more--lol! My sweetie took the girls to play at the park during the party and came home and promptly began cleaning up everything...what a wonderful husband! It was so fun to enjoy some friends and catch up!!
Oh yeah, I was able to get 5 Shutterfly books and 10 cards and my total was 0.00!!! I had some free books saved in my Shutterfly account 2 of which were from Similac. I was pretty excited about the big order for 0.00!!

In between, I have been working, homeschooling, laundry, cleaning, and everything else that I don't have time to talk about or have forgotten!

It is time to decorate the house (outside) for Christmas. It is a huge job, but hopefully will get tackled sometime this week if the weather is okay. Well, off to enjoy the rest of my Friday evening with my 3 girls.

Adjusting

Well, it has been almost 2 weeks back to work. The girls have been settling into the new routine nicely (all 3). So far, my house hasn't fallen apart in disaster--thank goodness. I am definitely thankful that I can take Noelliah with me to work.

Life has remained busy. Grandpa is still in the hospital and will hopefully be able to get out soon. Mom goes up there 2 and 3 times a day so she has been going back and forth a lot. She takes grandma up there in the morning and comes back typically to watch our girls. After I pick up the girls, she goes back up to visit grandpa and then bring grandma back home.

Yesterday I was just thinking of how much I love our girls and my husband. I feel so blessed by them. I remember people telling me when Josh and I were first married that after a few years I wouldn't miss him when he was at work or whatever the case. I'm happy to say that they were wrong!! I never believed that anyway. I always call him on my way to work. I do miss him and the girls. I can't imagine doing life without them. It would sure be boring! We are a team!

Well, I probably should go and do what needs to be done. Oh yeah, after dinner tonight we saw a rainbow and it was pouring down rain with the sun shining brightly. It was gorgeous I must say!! You don't see that very often...or in November for that matter.

Full Week

The latter part of the week went much faster than the first part, that's for sure. Of course, when you are factoring the weekend, it always goes much quicker.
My first week back to work is under my belt. It has been a full week with work and grandpa being in the hospital.

They are running a myriad of tests to try to figure out what is going on with grandpa health-wise. The other hospital's diagnosis of an aneurysm was inaccurate. They have found a tumor in his stomach. They believe it to be a carcinoid cancer tumor. Test results are pending from bloodwork and urinalysis. These are to see how far it has spread in his body. Obviosuly, the hope is that it has not spread everywhere so that they can remove the tumor. If it has spread, they will not remove it, but rather give him a drug to counteract the chemicals that it releases.

We (the girls and I) were finally able to visit this afternoon. He is in an area that is restricted to children. The hospital is pretty large and taking 3 children there alone is pretty daunting when they can't even see him. Well, they asked today and the nurse said we could visit. He was excited and they were excited and there were a few tears from him, but mostly lots of storytelling. The girls LOVE to hear grandpa's stories. The stories go on and on and on. It had been a week since we last saw him which is quite a bit considering they had usually been seeing them both quite often as we would stop over during our daily walks.

My mom has been going back and forth daily as has my uncle (to the hospital). My mom comes back and watches the girls while I work and then goes back to see grandpa and bring grandma home later in the evening each day.

Noelliah is 7 weeks old today. I have no idea where the time has gone! She is so bright eyed and alert and enjoying the world around her. The smiles are so beautiful and delightful and they really make my day! She is settling in nicely to the family and getting used to our go go go routine. She got a lot of attention at the hospital today from people wanting to see her. I saw a mother leaving the hospital leaving the hospital with a new baby and it brought back those emotions again...that thought of it seeming so long ago already and not wanting it to go by so fast. We have tried to savor each day for what it is and September and October were perfect for doing such! There have been endless walks, time enjoying the breezes, many bike rides (with us watching), and lots of snuggling.

Aliyah took a rough tumble on her bike today. They have put that "lovely" rock stuff down on various parts of our street. Some of it is still loose. She caught some of the loose gravel and spilled over completely and fell on her face. Her eye is black on the corner and on the eyelid along with a gash on the corner and scraping all along her cheek. Poor thing. It looks horrible.

Keirah is ever helpful. She enjoys school. She makes sure she does each and every thing in her work and is sure to bring whatever we have not completed yet to my attention so that we can get it done.

Josh just completed another project. He installed a new carriage house garage door. It looks beautiful! I'm really happy with how it dressed up and changed the appearance of the garage. Speaking of Josh, it was 11 years ago today 10/30, that we got engaged! I came home for a quick weekend from college. I flew in to Chicago on Friday night, we arrived home very late and then spent Saturday enjoying the fall weather and leaves (that is very non-existent in Florida--usually). On Saturday evening, we went to dinner and shopping and then to the park where we spent our summers working. It was on one of the docks that overlooks the water (I was worried that he would drop the ring through the spaces between the boards). The next day (Sunday) we showed off the ring to people at church and then left to go to Chicago to take me back for my flight. I remember it so well. It was Halloween so all of the flight attendants and airline workers were dressed up for Halloween. I'm going to imagine that with today's security and restrictions, they are no longer allowed to "dress up" for Halloween anymore. I think we had a Tinkerbell flight attendant. That was the best but quickest trip I ever took considering how far it was! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband!!

Well, my checkbook is calling to be balanced and I need to get the girls ready for bed.

It's Time

...to go back to work. This will be interesting to get settled into a bit of a different routine. The babysitting situation should be interesting for a bit as well as grandpa is in the hospital and grandma won't be watching the girls and mom will be taking grandma to the hospital while grandpa is there and whatever else. I'm sure it will work out, but it could get interesting on some days I'm sure since the girls can't sit up in a hospital all day.

There's a few things I'm "anxious" about...

-getting us all out of the door in the morning alone on a regular basis
-homeschooling (hoping it goes smoothly at night).
-the babysitting thing for Aliyah & Keirah
-grandpa and whatever is going on with him to get straightened around healthwise

Other than that, I feel out of the loop on work stuff as my brain has been on mommy/teacher/house brain switch.

The girls have been instructed that we are going to have to work like a "well oiled machine" so that things run smoothly. Aliyah really misses spending time at great grandma's. We visit there often, but she asked the other day when grandma will watch them again. I told her that I don't know (and this was before grandpa was sick this weekend). She never gets tired of hearing the stories that grandpa tells and visiting.

Well, I'm off to get them ready for bed and get stuff ready!! Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go...

NEW Picture!

WOW...she's fast! My neighbor and our family picture taker squeezed us into her busy weekend of shoots after my realization that we should take pics before the leaves are gone. Not a moment too soon as the scenery is GOR GE OUS! I told her we didn't need them and if she reads this...I totally meant that we didn't need them right away. Apparently, to her that meant that we didn't need them within 3 hours...because she's already done!

I don't know how she managed to pull out any photos from that being as we had a 4 year old that had just awakened and was not agreeable and a newborn to work around. But...she did! So, after almost a whole year, I have a new photo on my blog!!!

Thanks, Mila!!

Family Friday

It is a very RARE thing that we all get to spend ALL of Friday altogether. It maybe happens 2 times a year if that. Today was one such day! It started early because of my dr. appt and getting everyone up and ready to go.

The dr. appt was kind of bittersweet as it is the last doctor visit for this pregnancy. It's like it closes that chapter now. It was weird being at the doctor's office NOT pregnant. The last time I was there, it was 8 days before Noelliah made her grand entrance and it was at the end of the day on Friday so nobody was there. This time the waiting area was FULL! The midwife came in and was happy to see Noelliah and told us that it was a fun delivery (I'm assuming since she was Josh's former classmate it was probably memorable). Actually, it was the best delivery for me of the three. She is great and not that "out there" midwife that wouldn't be for me.

We made our way to a nearby store to get some boots for me. I have been wanting some, but didn't want to wait too late (sold out like last year). I had looked at Nordstrom in Chicago where every pair of boots that I liked was in the $400-500 price range. Great boots...just really not necessary for where we live as they don't even sell that brand here (that I have seen). So, I got a pair for much less...much much less. We then went upstairs to see what shoes they had for Josh. He always finds great shoe deals there. Today...no exception. We purchased 3 pairs of shoes for LESS than what my one pair of boots cost. He got some Puma's, Born, and then a pair of Skechers for my brother.

We came home for a bit and then finished getting ready for our family photoshoot. Our neighbor graciously squeezed us into her busy schedule this weekend! Hopefully, there's something good she can get out of it. Noelliah had her moments as did I'm sure all of us. Beautiful location and perfect with fall in full glory!

Josh is putting the finishing touches on our new garage door. It looks really great I think! I will post a pic soon.

Now, we are scratching our heads figuring out how to best spend our weekend. It's back to regular routine on Monday and I'm sure that will take some getting used to with adding a little baby to the mix! Yesterday and today have been the first days of all of the time I have been off, to take it easy and not do any household chores or schoolwork. We did extra work on Wednesday so we could be off the last two days. If anything, I didn't want to be behind on school especially while off work since it will be more challenging to do school in the evening with a baby. We will figure it out, it will just take some organization and time!

One thing is for sure...spending a Friday together as a family of five for the first time is delightful! We love being together!!!!!!!!!!!

Ticking away

...time of course. We went to the park today after we finished school. I don't usually take the girls there because it is normally loaded with children, teenagers from all over. We like more of the "laid back" empty playground to play. It wouldn't be that way if the children that are typically there were obedient and talked nicely, but that's how it is.

Today was a wonderful day to go as that dry October breeze made its way through. The leaves were flying off the trees making their own confetti. I couldn't help be sentimental while we were there as I have spent thousands of hours at that park. Why? It was my (our) summer job during the end of high school and college. Even more special, it is where Josh and I met 15 years ago. Just saying that kind of makes me feel old. Granted, we didn't start dating until we had worked together for 5 summers. So, I snapped a few photographs today of where it all began. Three little girls later, it was a nice visit. Oh yeah, and I can't forget, we got engaged there as well.

I'm trying to get various things accomplished at home before going back to work. I am happy at the large amount of progress made!! It's not that I cannot accomplish anything at home because I work, but I'm still getting used to having a 3rd child--a newborn and doing homeschooling and everything else. Today, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have fall pictures taken before the beauty of the leaves on the trees is gone. We are trying to squeeze that in on Friday afternoon. Got the car taken in for service yesterday--check. I'm trying to get yoga in every night (or almost). Last night, I was exhausted and did not. This is a 6 week program. I'm GONNA DO IT! The closets have all been cleaned out and organized, and the basement has been purged of what I can purge it of now, the blinds have been cleaned, and a host of other things that I won't bore anyone with.

Well, the girls want to ride bikes, Noelliah needs fed, and we need to go on our walk...all before it gets dark.

Yesterday...

...in the midst of me having several "projects" going while taking care of Noelliah, Aliyah is in the living room with a dust rag dusting the furniture. Since I hadn't asked her to do anything, I asked her what she was doing. She told me that since it seemed to be my house cleaning day and I was really busy with a lot of things, she was trying to help me. She continued around the whole living room dusting.

She later picked up Noelliah and was holding and entertaining her to help me out. I must say, it was really sweet of her to be so thoughtful and try to look out for me! She also asked if the mail was in yet. It may seem small, but it was big to me because she was so thoughtful and sweet! I love these 3 little blessings we have!!

We did get several things organized and stuff as well as some bike riding for the girls, a birthday dinner with grandma H. and then plenty of reading time and Playmobil time for the girls also.

October Sunday

It is another beautiful day today. Temp is high 60's I would imagine. We didn't go to church today. Keirah has a drippy faucet for a nose. My SS class is helping with various duties around the new building so we didn't have class today so that would have meant an hour with me having no place to attend while the girls were in SS. I wouldn't have been much help while caring for a newborn =).

We did spend some time outside--on a walk and then the girls rode their bikes. The sun felt very nice.

The girls have a new cousin as of today (a new boy cousin). He weighs 8 lbs. 10 oz. and is 20 inches--already bigger than Noelliah is currently...lol.

Well, there is a laundry basket sitting in my LR that I can't quit looking at because it is nagging to be folded.

Can't wait for Josh to get home as always!

I can't even believe this one...

haha! I have purchased a Beaba babyfood maker. I never saw myself as one to make my own baby food until I saw this device in the Williams Sonoma catalog. It appears incredibly easy and the reviews also state as such. Since we do buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, I think this will work great this time around. You see, babyfood making before was cook something on the stove (steam it or whatever) and then move over to the blender and finish it off there. This little device does it all!!

The other advantage...babyfood has gone way up in price since Aliyah and Keirah were born and portions have gotten smaller. That's no surprise right? Well, I look forward to using this in a few months when Noelliah is ready for solids. I'm not rushing it along I promise! She is five weeks today and I want it to slow down--way down! Have a great weekend all!

Journaling

Since I have had time sitting feeding Noelliah, I decided to keep a daily journal of little things about our day. I did this with Aliyah, but somehow not with Keirah. Maybe I was more overwhelmed with things at our house when Keirah was born since we were in the midst of our upstairs addition then.

Yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to write down all of the nice comments on Facebook and text message from the day of and a couple days after Noelliah was born. I am almost finished with that and then it will be placed into her baby book. Who knows if Facebook will be around down the road when she is older...I'm gonna guess something else will have replaced it by then =).

Being at home a lot more these past weeks also makes me "crazy" with things that I come up with that need done. They aren't pressing things by any means and most haven't probably been done since I was at home when Keirah was born. It is weird stuff like washing the curtains (I guess that isn't overly weird), but my clothes rack downstairs got to me last week. I purged it down to hardly anything and had a trunkload for Goodwill. I still can't wait for that new wardrobe and it isn't coming soon enough! There have been endless things that I have come up with and completed. I think the windows need washed almost constantly. Once they are washed, it rains (not much lately) or they get some kind of nasty junk from birds, cats, fingerprints or whatever...I digress.

It is Friday night and it is all of us girls. I love half of the Fridays (when Josh is off and we go do something). The other half (when he works) are pretty much boring. There isn't anything on the box as we don't have cable and now it is dark before we blink. We have ridden bicycles (the older 2 while I supervised and held Noelliah), we have taken our walk, the girls have been on their swings, and now we have all said at least once that we are bored---or stir crazy. We can't think up anything overly cool to do in the house. My creative fun ideas are gone I suppose. Maybe we will go for a drive. Noelliah usually sleeps so that would be fine by me.

Well, I hope your Friday evening is more fun than our boring one.

Love them!

It is amazing what some time off with Josh (daddy) can do! We had an amazing time with him (all 4 of us girls). I realized that Josh and I haven't had that much time (both off work) together in probably close to a year!!
Update on our lovely girls:
Noelliah- gained 10 oz this past week and is up to 7 lbs 14oz so no more weight checks-yay! She is very alert which they always comment on at the dr's. She is strong and holding her head up well...one month old already!
Her awake/asleep patterns are still the same as they were in the womb. She naps typically in the morning (usually her best nap of the day). She starts being more wakeful in the evening starting around 9-9:30 and may have crying spells. Most of the time she is definitely awake for a couple of hours around 11-1am. She takes a bottle, but prefers the "liquid gold" without a doubt. We love her to pieces!!

Keirah--is a great helper and great at running around the house to get stuff we need. She always informes me when Noelliah is crying (as if I can't hear it) and tells me that Noelliah must want me. She has had the cutest 4 year old mispronunciations lately that I love!

Playbil stuff--Playmobil people and toys
Handtizer--Hand sanitizer (she has her very own bottle that she picked out)
FO-or--her age (apparently four has two syllables)
"Mom, I want to see how many miles I am today"...said when stepping on the scale in our bathroom.
"who is this Hanna Andersson person and what does she do?"...said when I told her to go get her Hanna Andersson pajamas.
Andresta--the name she called "Iridessa" the yellow fairy in the new Tinkerbell movie. She called her this for months until she saw the fairy movie and realized it was Iridessa (even though Aliyah had told her the correct name over and over)
Love these words and those enchanting eyes she has!

Aliyah - quite the handy helper. She has been working hard on school. They learn a lot in 3rd grade!! Pretty tough spelling words like "innumerable" and "subtrahend" and such not to mention long division and all kinds of big kid math stuff. She still devours books and can't get enough of them. Since Keirah won't go to sleep without Aliyah in their bedroom, we have given Aliyah a flashlight. Mind you, she would get up and read by the nightlight all of the time before so we thought the flashlight would be easier.
She is an awesome "babysitter" and Noelliah really seems to enjoy her. She is great at holding her and even getting her to sleep (amazingly). She will rock her and changes her diaper. I didn't even ask her to do either of those! That extra pair of arms are wonderful when daddy is gone. When she isn't doing school or watching baby or reading, Keirah and her play in their closet with their Playmobil stuff.

Next week, I go to the doctor on Friday. I'm ready to start yoga and finish off this belly (I hope). After that, it is back to work! These weeks have flown by faster than I could have imagined. I have tried to enjoy being with all of the girls and let them enjoy being outside and doing the things they love. Time to get back into the work routine in addition to the stuff at home. At this moment, I think one of the hardest things will be getting all of us out the door in the morning!

I love my family and I feel blessed! I have no idea what I would do without them! I am so thankful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessed

This past week has been our "roughest" so far since little baby joined our family. Not rough at all when I think of what others go through. We just had some bumps along the way...bumps like little girl meltdowns of a sweet 4 year old and a newborn. By the time Friday afternoon arrived, I was spent as Josh works long hours on certain days. Tending to schoolwork, laundry, a baby, and the meltdowns, and having been sick...you get the idea.

I was so glad to have him get off work!! Everything almost instantly fixed when he walked through the door! We ate dinner at none other than Chili's and that fixed it too!

We had a lovely Friday evening all together and we even got some things accomplished at our house--like that nagging laundry. Having a sweet little one spit up in mom and dad's bed makes more laundry too =).

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day today! We ran a few errands and were able to pick up the newly re-released Beauty and the Beast movie for the girls. Keirah hasn't ever seen it and Aliyah hasn't seen it since she was much younger since we had it on VHS and we haven't had a VCR in YEARS! Anyway, they were excited. The weird thing for Josh & I is that came out when we were like 13 or 14 years old!!

If you have heard about the Similac formula recall, we had formula that fell into the recalled items. Fortunately, Noelliah hadn't eaten any of the possibly tainted stuff (for which I'm so glad). Well, the recalled cans we had were all samples that were sent to us by Similac or given to us by the dr's. office. With that being the case, we had to send them back to Similac in a box sent to us and pre-paid for Fed Ex. Again, I kind of figured they would send us new cans or something to replace our 4 recalled cans. They have the words "sample" "not to be sold" right on them. Similac has since sent us two $15.00 coupons for any formula purchase which we used today. It made our formula like $2.00 per can (awesome deal)! Oh yeah, I might add that the "reimbursement" wasn't supposed to take place for 6-8 weeks.

I got the mail in today and noticed an envelope from Similac--although they have corresponded with me almost every day this week with information about the recall. I opened it and read that they were giving us a free Shutterfly book--makes me happy and then...I unfolded the bottom of the letter which thanked us for returning the cans of formula. At the bottom was my check at which my mouth kind of dropped open. Yours will too...

The check was for $168.00! I looked at it 2-3 times. Remember, there were 4 cans and they were samples. WOW! For me, they have righted their problem obviously. That will go toward our deductible for Noelliah's dr. bill.

Tonight, when we were eating dinner, a lady at the table next to us asked us if we finally had our boy (referring to the baby in the seat). She couldn't see Noelliah, only the back of the baby seat. We told her "no" it was a girl. She said that they had all boy grandkids (9). She then told us we had a lovely family and I couldn't help but be thankful for God's blessings! Some days have those rough spots, but I know we are blessed beyond my imagination. He provides things I wouldn't ever have imagined!

I've seen better days...

I would call today the roughest day home so far since Noelliah was born. It started last night. I got a headache and even felt dizzy when getting out of the tub. My body started to ache and well...I was visiting the bathroom way more than I would like.

I figured it was just because I was worn out and sleep would take care of it...NOPE!
I woke up around 1 or 2 and it was worse. I couldn't get warm and was shivering. My body ached even worse. Josh got me some water and ibuprofen and that helped some of the symptoms for awhile. It was all I could do to feed Noelliah. By morning, it hadn't subsided. The aches were worse and the visits to the bathroom were more frequent I think.

Josh took care of the girls all morning while I tried to sleep and get better. He called my mom before he had to go to work. She came over a bit later after finishing taking grandpa to an appointment. She got Aliyah & Keirah their lunch and then they played with their Playmobil for the afternoon. I slept a lot of the afternoon. I think that the first time I went down to the main floor today was after 5 pm.

Still not 100%, but the aches have subsided and I hope they stay away. The girls have been great and helpful. Just hoping no one else in the family gets this flu thing. I would call it my worst day home since Noelliah was born.

Tomorrow, Noelliah goes to get weighed at the doctor to see if she has gained weight. Hoping so and I would think so!

Sunday

It was a pretty fall day, albeit a bit chilly. I had my first big outing today. By that I mean, getting up and getting all 4 of us girls ready to be somewhere solely by myself in the morning. I get us ready almost every day by myself, however this was the first time to do it and be somewhere in the morning. Josh was working and we went to church. This was a bit of an adventure since our church just moved to a brand new building. It is massive! Fortunately, they have thought of some great details to make things easier for people. The parking lot rivals a shopping mall (no joke), but at least there are spaces now for everyone. The awesome detail is that they have an entrance on the side that goes right into where the smallest children have their classes. There is family and handicapped parking right by this entrance. It is much closer and much easier.

So, we arrived (early) and unloaded out of the car. First stop was Keirah since she is on the main floor. We dropped her off at her class. Noelliah is also on the main floor, however I am not putting her into the nursery yet since she is so little and young. Next stop was upstairs for Aliyah--check. Talked to a few people along the way and then had to find my class. Went from upstairs to the main floor to the basement to the very end of a long hallway and found my class. I'm amazed I found everything and still made it on time to class (with time to spare). Noelliah stayed all cozy with me during class. After class, we (Noelliah and I) went up to the main floor and then upstairs to retrieve Aliyah from class. We got her and decided to go into the sanctuary on the side of the balcony to go to worship. We sat there because I figured it would be easiest if we needed to make a quick exit if Noelliah needed to leave. We only stayed for singing because I knew it was time for her to eat soon and we had a drive home. We picked up Keirah, loaded up into the car and I breathed a sigh of relief as I made it on my first solo outing like that. Why did we go?? Well, the girls have both been asking about going several times yesterday.

We made it home just in time for Noelliah's very filled diaper and in time for her to eat. We took a nap (much needed yet again). We spent the rest of the afternoon by enjoying the outdoors. We took our walk and then the girls rode their bikes. What a difference a few days makes in the bike riding progress for Aliyah. She is so much more confident now. She absolutely is enjoying herself. Keirah likes riding as well. Noelliah (cuddled in the sling) and I watered the grass patch spots. I will be glad when it is past the watering daily stage and growing. We came inside to straighten up the typical Sunday mess and remake Kiki's bed. That is now finished and I'm trying to catch up on such things as bills and feeding the baby of course (she seemingly ate all afternoon). She needs to gain weight anyway. I will gladly give her some pounds =).

So, not much overly exciting...a taking it easy kind of day. We needed a break this weekend. Now it is time for the Amazing Race on tv while Noelliah...eats =).

October Already??

Hard to believe...she is 3 weeks old today! She grew an inch, but she needs to gain some weight. We go back next week for a weight check. Noelliah is enamored with her sisters. In fact, Aliyah plays a little game with her where she sticks out her tongue and Noelliah often does it back. Keirah also had her smiling (with those dimples).

The weather has chilled (a lot) today and it is quite breezy. I'm not quite ready for that weather yet. What we had been having was perfect to me. I like fall, I just don't like what comes behind it. We "slept in" this morning for us. After Josh went to work we (Noelliah and I) had some snuggle time. I then followed that advice of sleeping when baby does and took a nap. It's a rare event that I get a nap as usually we have schoolwork going on and things that need done around the house. When daddy isn't home, I'm the go-to lol! So, we took it easy this Saturday.

Grandma called and invited us over for fried chicken. The girls love her fried chicken. We got ready and ate the healthiest meal...she fries in olive oil and everything else was vegetables and fruit. The girls ate up and got ice cream for dessert. It was good. Grandma was back in her element of cooking/serving food, waiting on everyone, and begging you to eat more. They don't like to have leftovers. She wasn't using her walker or cane or anything. It was funny, every time anything got low on anyone's plate she was ready to go get more or serve up more. Keirah was Miss Healthy Eater downing two servings of beets and a large serving of peas. Oh yeah, speaking of eating...we all weighed ourselves after lunch. I had no idea how much the girls weighed. Aliyah is 43.5 and Keirah 29.5...after full lunch and dessert. I won't tell you what I was, but I've lost 16 lbs. since Noelliah was born...maybe more considering we weighed right after lunch lol.

Aliyah has improved so much in just a few days on the bike riding. She doesn't need any help anymore and she starts and does everything on her own. She asks to ride daily now. The girls have been playing with their Playmobil toys, reading, and playing with their horses. This keeps them entertained for hours! They are great helpers with Noelliah as well. I'm so thankful for them. Each and every day, I realize how blessed we are to have the family that we do. I can't imagine life without my lovely girls and my husband.

Well, this week starts our flurry of October birthdays. It seems each family has "birthday months". Ours would be probably August and October and September is quickly catching right up =).

Have a great weekend and cover or bring in your plants as it may frost.

To Do To Do

Days are all full to the max each day with all kinds of things. Feed baby, get breakfast for everyone (usually one armed), eat (with one arm) while holding baby, get school going for both girls, straighten kitchen and maybe squeeze in dishes (at times with one arm) while holding baby, send Keirah on to make her bed and straighten her room as she finishes school first, teach Aliyah's new math concept for the day, followed by Language, and everything else. By the time we get to writing and spelling, I am usually hoping to be able to put Noelliah down for as long as she will allow. If so, then I hurriedly put on make-up and get hair fixed. She may or may not wake up before that is over. Continue by getting Keirah's clothes out and Aliyah's, check on Aliyah's school progress and see if she needs help.

Next, work on other odd items that need done...address birth announcements, change a diaper, feed the baby, dust the furniture, check the mail, work on the checkbook, help with bed-making if Keirah had trouble, if she allows put the baby down to sleep, go put out yard patch and water the patch that has already been put out, write thank-you's, and then realize we are starving. Aliyah will have finished her school work so get them ready and then figure out lunch. Make a trip to the post office to get stamps for those birth announcements, mail them, drop something off, come home.

Realize the afternoon is half-way over and feed the baby again while the girls play and I sit and chill while the baby eats. Next, we go on a walk and make a stop at grandma's house. After visiting awhile, we head home so that we can work on bicycle riding with Aliyah. We haven't been faithful at the bike practice just because it wasn't exactly an activity that worked well with me being pregnant and daddy not home most evenings. So, I am determined now that it will get done. We had 15 minutes before dark to work. I hate that it gets dark so quickly because we always have so much to do that involves outdoors. It was probably like a 3 ring circus now that I think about it. Keirah riding her bike around, while I hold the baby in the sling, and help Aliyah and try to help her realize that she CAN do this. She starts to make great progress and I feel so excited! I'm further determined that we will work on this every night.

Darkness is upon us so it is time to head indoors. Time for Noelliah to eat again and just in time for me to sit and watch Biggest Loser. WOW--watching that show makes me never want to eat anything naughty again. We finish that and move onto the baths for the girls. At this point of the night, Noelliah is very for sure that she wants to be held. I assist the girls as much as possible and make sure they don't forget to wash everything. Brush teeth, get dressed, let me brush your hair...you get the idea. It's almost 9 and that starts the "nightly cry routine". It started around 9:30. She wants to be held constantly and even then still cries. Aliyah wanted to help out so she "babysat" while I took a bath. It was nice to have her sing to Noelliah and talk sweetly to her. After that, it was baby bath time. Okay, with that finished, eating time again for baby. By this point, I am more than ready for daddy to get home and be back up for mom. This is the point of the day that I am exhausted and ready to totally pass out. There are different things that need done each day, but this was my yesterday.

Oh yeah, I'm excited to report that Aliyah is riding her bike. The only thing that needs work is the starting off. I'm so proud of her!! The other thing that is funny lately is Aliyah and her desire to earn $$. We allowed her to pick out something special at a local store after the baby was born. Of all things, she picks out this American Girl book called "A Smart Girl's Guide to Money". Okay, she has been reading it A LOT. She doesn't have anything that she is earning for at this point, just for her piggy bank. I gave her $2 for her "babysitting" last night. Keirah got $2 as well for being a great gopher and getting everything needed. The money was promptly stuffed into both of their banks. Grandma H. said she is going to give Aliyah $2 for learning to ride her bike. She is really enjoying this "earning" money thing. She loves to swiffer, help with dishes, etc...Believe me...I won't have any problem figuring out chores for her to do to earn cash.

Growth Spurt

I think Noelliah is on a growth spurt. She can't seem to get enough to eat even though I feed her seemingly constantly. If she has too much formula, it comes back out. We shall see how much she weighs on Thursday at her doctor appointment.

For now, she is losing some hair =(. I love the soft baby black hair. She still loves to be cuddled and I love to snuggle and cuddle with her. This time is going way too fast! We are busy busy busy. The girls are doing school each and every day and there's that stuff called laundry, dishes, and stuff! There isn't ever enough time when Josh is off to get it all done. The weather is nice and we are walking again and loving it. I carry her while we walk and she sleeps.

People have been so nice bringing us food. The hardest days are the long days where Josh is at work. It is nice to have those meals. I am learning tasks one armed again, but cooking isn't probably a great idea one armed--ha!

The oldest sister has been helpful in holding her while if I need to get something done quickly. Keirah is helpful when it comes to tasks around the house like putting groceries away, organizing, getting diapers, and getting laundry from the dryer and putting laundry away.

Each day, I am struck at how blessed we are with these gorgeous and wonderful gifts from God! I love my husband and I love our girls!! So thankful for all of them!!!

2 weeks!

It's hardto believe that Noelliah is 2 weeks today. Where is the time going? Yesterday, my neighbor came over and took some pictures. They turned out cute. Her dimples even showed in one of them =). We love her so much!
Oh yeah, this is my 400th post! Insignificant, but I noticed when I logged in.

It cooled off today and rained. We spent a family night at home watching a movie and just being all together.

We are excited because our church has its first service in the new facility. We outgrew the previous building and parking was very crowded (if you could get a spot). So, tomorrow is our first time to church as a family of five and it should be a wonderful service! The girls have been asking why we haven't gone.

Well, we need to get to sleep!

Happy 2 weeks baby girl!

Tired-Like

So, I'm pretty tired. It seems that Noelliah may have a touch of colic. She cries at the same time each night and is hard to console. It starts after 9ish and continues for an hour or two (although I couldn't tell you how long actually). Our nights are sometimes decent and sometimes not as in the sleep dept. Last night was a not-so-decent. Of course, there aren't naps but I love being able to love on her and hold her. She likes...OR LOVES being held a LOT! That's fine too. I am learning how to do house stuff one handed again.

Funny thing is...she sleeps best when we take off in the car and go somewhere OR if I put her in the sling.

Anyway, I could use a good 30 min. nap but daddy is at work so that's not happening today or tomorrow. I think we will go for a walk soon. Maybe that will help give me energy.

Chaney gets his claws removed tomorrow morning. He has an overnight stay with the vet. We did not tell Aliyah choosing rather to let her realize he is gone. She had a lot of reasons she didn't want him declawed when we mentioned it before baby was born. At this point though, it needs done. He likes to hang on the door on the porch so he can see us and we don't need anymore screens ruined if the window is down. He is having issue with playing the 6th fiddle since baby is here.

Looking forward to a chance nap...maybe if I'm lucky =).

Blessed & Overwhelmed by it

Today was something else...in a good way. First and foremost, grandma went to the oncologist about her PET scan. The results were all good. She only has to go bi-annually unless she starts feeling differently. That in itself made a great day. We were supposed to stay away from grandma's due to the radiation from the PET scan. Pregnant women/infants aren't supposed to be around them for a couple of days. We got to visit her today and she is now walking with a cane and very well. She got to hold Noelliah much to her delight.

People both family and friends have been so kind and sweet. They are overwhelming us with generosity and acts of kindness. Sweet surprises have come in packages for the girls. Today was like Christmas for them. They have been busy for hours just playing. A friend from church came over today to bring a meal. Not only did she bring a meal for tonight, but she brought soup for me to eat for lunches as well as fruit and all kinds of other great stuff and a cute outfit for the baby.

We had a near disaster with Ping & Pong tonight. Aliyah was sobbing because her frog container was knocked over with no water. Chaney had been in her room unattended. We figured he had eaten them for a snack. Upon closer examination (after major tears and sobbing), Josh discovered two (living) frogs under the rocks. Aliyah had run outside and was down on the ground where Tufsey is buried sobbing about pets. Who knows how many neighbors heard that. She was so relieved and happy that they were alive. Oddly enough, Chaney is scheduled for declawing on Thursday and we had done that before this happened. If I haven't mentioned it before, she is animal CRAZY!

I hope these people know how blessed and appreciative we are for their kindness. It overwhelms me and makes me teary.

Brevity

I've posted before about cherishing those we love, and that very thought hit again today.

Josh called to say that one of his former co-workers passed away from cancer last night. Josh worked with both her and her husband. Her husband was his boss for several years. They got married the same year we did, had their first child the same year we did etc...

We saw them just two weeks ago today and she had started treatments again and was very tired. She had been cancer free for several months, had a clean scan in May and then in July was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer because it had spread to her liver.

She is in a better place in a cancer free, pain free heaven, but I can't help but hurt for her children and her husband.

Cherish those you love and enjoy each and every moment that you can! Life is too short to focus on the negative! Give your children and your spouse some love today!

updating needed!

WOW! I need to update pictures and info on here! Since I downloaded a ton of pics yesterday, maybe I can update this today between feeding, cuddling, and schooling. At least I can check off birth announcements and Shutterfly book off my to do list!

September Changes

The girls have been wanting to go on a walk and are wondering why it has been so long. In reality, it has only been like 9 days or so, but in childhood, that equals forever. With Josh working all weekend, the days have become quite long and lonesome at times. I couldn't wait to get back to our nightly walks to be honest so today, I decided it would be time.

I put Noelliah in the sling as she is sure to sleep there. We started the familiar route albeit a little slower than usual. As we walked, I couldn't help but notice all of the changes in the 9 short days it had been since we last walked. Trees are beginning to change, leaves are now dotting the ground, the locust hum has silenced and turned into the pleasant cricket sound, the air is different, and it was even quieter than usual.

Not only have things changed outside, but in our family as well. The last time we walked, I was wondering when Noelliah would join our family. I think it was a bit hotter and more dry. Now, we walk along the 4 of us girls. Well, Noelliah rides the rest of us walk. Last Sunday, we had just gotten out of the hospital. Now, we have been home for one week as a family of five. We finished the walk at a shorter point than usual only because I am sure I shouldn't have been vacuuming today. It was nice to go again and breathe the fresh air. Oh yeah, something else that has changed...it is getting dark so much earlier now and I am not a fan of that!

9/18/10

Noelliah is one week old today!! What have we been up to?? Cuddling, kissing, feeding, loving, listening, watching, holding, snuggling our little girl! She is soo tiny even though pictures may lead you to believe otherwise. She's a little sweet doll baby!

It is hard to believe we have 3 little girls now, but we absolutely love it! Aliyah and Keirah are big helpers. Today, I took the age old advice to sleep when baby sleeps and it was a nice nap. Aliyah and Keirah retreated to their closet to play their little games with their animals and dolls and whatever other treasures are there. I love that they will do that and be entertained for literally hours.

We attempted to visit the Pumpkin Festival parade today, however they cancelled the parade due to rain/lightning. Baby was all snuggled up in her sling and warm as ever. She slept the whole time.

Aside from keeping up with laundry and dishes and housecleaning, I am working or trying to work my brain to come up with something creative in the way of taking Noelliah's pictures for birth announcements. Yeah, we are still in the "working on" phase. I did take some pictures today and I remembered to share her hospital pic link finally... http://www.our365.com/newbornportraits/babydetail.aspx?birthid=32d9270e-5604-4538-b6a1-c3cae474382f&babyid=affff2c5-f972-4fc3-a8c8-069297686ecf

Go visit it!
It is weird now, because I don't really have people's email addresses anymore since anytime you need to connect with someone, you can pretty much text them or send a message on Facebook. I thought about it and I probably only know less than 5 email addresses of people.

I have also kept busy with the girl's homeschooling. We haven't missed any days yet! I'm glad for a day off today!

In case I didn't share, Noelliah has two dimples which we have seen as she smiles in her sleep. Aliyah also has 2 and Keirah has one. Noelliah has rolled over from front to back probably 3 times and she is pretty strong at holding her head up or pushing herself back from you if she is up against your chest. All I can say is that the girls prayed for a baby sister that was healthy and strong and their prayers were answered.

Well, I need to tidy up a few things, figure out something to eat, and throw in a load of laundry...while she sleeps. We are in babymooning land here and not wanting to miss a second of these newborn days!!

Last Week

...at this time, we were on our way to the hospital with me hoping I wouldn't get sent home and that we would make it in time. Where does the time go? That means that baby girl is one week old...slow down!! Everything has just flown by! We are sleepy, but it is totally worth the sacrifice of sleep. We love her so much. She's a sweetie and a cuddler!

She's Here...the adventure begins!

Well, it turns out...that feeling I had was right. We went to dinner that evening at Chili's and I figured I would make it another day or so. We came home and jumped into some things that needed finished...dishes, laundry, vacuuming, Aliyah's schoolwork. I took a break and talked on the phone still feeling like it would be a day or so away. I got up to get ready for bed and it had started raining. I took a bath and started feeling like the back pain and lower abdominal pain started to pick up.

I had Keirah go get Josh and I told him I was going to get some stuff ready to go and get ready and dressed again. I had two reservations...being sent home from the hospital OR not making it to the hospital on time. We called my mom and told her to be on high alert. She decided to come over to spend the night. As I was getting ready, things began picking up even more...to the tune of every 3-5 minutes. This all happened over 15-20 minutes. Aliyah was beyond excited and was hopping around. I got love from both girls before heading out. We decided to take off. My thought was if everything stopped we would turn around and head back. Josh assured me that they wouldn't send me home and it was real. We headed out in the rain while each of us made a call or two. It was almost 11 pm I think. It seemed like we got to stop at some extra red lights (go figure). The contactions began to intensify. I had to remind Josh to speed up a bit since he was kind of going LESS than the speed limit. I was so happy to see the lights of the hospital...semi-deserted due to the late hour.

We got out and took nothing inside except for my purse and the paper from my doctor's office that I had been instructed to take. We walked up to the doors and they were all locked...oh boy! So, there we stood with me having contractions that were pretty intense just hoping to get inside. There wasn't anyone inside the large lobby. Josh picked up the phone to get the doors opened. It rang for what seemed forever and finally someone picked up. He explained and the doors magically opened. I remember the elevator ride up...me bent over in pain. We got up to the floor and Josh told them we were there to have a baby. I often wonder how often people just walk in and say such because both times we have done that they have seemed kind of surprised considering it is the maternity floor. They put me in a room and excused themselves quickly as there was a delivery going on across the hall.

So, here I am sitting on the bed while across the hall is some lady who evidently didn't do any pain meds (our guess). She was moaning, groaning, screaming and all things imaginable. It was disturbing to me as I was in pain myself and that wasn't helping. We turned on the television to drown out the strange noise. Fortunately, it ended and I was writhing in pain. It hit me then that I was in back labor which I vividly remembered having with Aliyah. The LD nurse came back and started getting things going for me...meaning getting all of the info and other trivial things. She asked me my pain level and I told her 10...it was! They asked if I planned on having an epidural which I told them YES! Before I could have that, they had to draw blood, more questions, and forms to sign. The blood draw didn't go so great pain-wise since I apparently hadn't had enough water. I don't give blood very well--small veins or something. Add to that, the contractions were every 2 minutes and VERY intense. My phone was basically dead so no updates for anyone. They hooked me up to the monitors and confirmed what I told them about the 2 minute apart contractions. The blood pressure was a little elevated--go figure based on the pain.

At first check, I was at 3 and was 80-90 effaced. My water broke and then I was at a 4-5. After what seemed like ages, the lady came in to do the epidural. I hoped to be able to sit still...it was hard but I got it. I think it was around 12:30 or 1 when that happened. My left leg started tingling rather quickly, although they had to come back a few minutes later to add more. Pretty soon, the mid-wife on call came in. We talked and she said that it was going to be a pretty quick delivery. Time was flying by and it was probably 2 or 2:30. The epidural definitely helped. Around 3 am, the midwife came in again and sat down to talk and say they were calling a person from another hospital to do suctioning when she was born due to the meconium that was present when the water broke. Apparently, with the lateness (earliness) of the hour, they had to get a person to come in for this. She wasn't worried about it as it is common. As we sat there, she (midwife) told us that she grew up in the same city as we did. In my mind, I figured we would find a connection somewhere since we have lived here our entire lives. She asked what schools we attended and told us that she attended a private Catholic hs. Well, I figured that there was a good chance that she and Josh may have gone to the same elementary/middle school. Josh was pretty drowsy as he had worked the early shift the day before and had been up almost 24 hours straight. Anyway, in the next sentence she said that she went to the school. I looked at her and told her that Josh went there too. She asked him how old he was and then it all clicked for both of them. Yep...Josh and our doctor went to school together from kindergarten through 8th grade. We all had a good laugh about all of that. She said it made her day. I thought it was great because of all of the docs that I had seen, I saw her the most and so this seemed really comfortable. She (doc) checked again and I was fully dialated and effaced.

Anyway, the special suctioning person arrived from the other hospital and they were ready to go. I wonder really if it would have all gone faster if the hospital hadn't been busy that night and it hadn't been the middle of the night. The LD crew were lively and funny and it was so pleasant. She wanted me to do a "trial" push I guess. Once we did that for a few seconds, doc said she was getting dressed which all happened in like 15 seconds it seemed. They said fast, but I didn't have a clue how fast. We did a push and another and mid-way through one of them I almost felt nauseous and was coughing. Really, I just needed some breaths and all was fine. Next push...not long and there she was...3:45 am. I heard her start crying right away and they held her up. I didn't think she looked very large. I couldn't believe it happened so fast! I got to hold her and love on her for the next hour or more. After that, daddy went to the nursery to do bath, weight, and all of that good stuff. He was gone awhile. Finally, the nurse came back a little over an hour later to tell me her weight...7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long!

We were so excited! Not much sleep save about 30 minutes for me and then I was starving for breakfast. We ordered breakfast and I ate/scarfed that right up.

I was so impressed with the midwife. She did a great job of explaining everything and taking care of us. It was the best delivery I've had.
The hospital was so full, that I had to stay in the birthing room until way later on Saturday when they had 7 mommies/babies leave. Normally, this hospital doesn't have near that many at once. All rooms are private and that's great if you ask me. Ironically, once we got to our room, it was the same one we were in when Keirah was born =). We got discharged on Sunday which was awesome...rather than Monday. The beds are just not comfortable. I wanted my own bed and I knew my back would feel better at home in my own bed and I was right =).

More later on our adventures! Typing is difficult while holding a baby! We are loving her and cherishing each and every moment as they go way too fast!!

I've Got a Feeling...

...based on today's events that we will be meeting baby girl very soon! My guess is by Sunday...maybe sooner! Josh is outside mowing as the daylight quickly fades. The last load of laundry is drying and there is a load waiting to be folded. We will wrap up a few things here tonight and possibly visit the festival tomorrow...based on whether or not we are heading to the hospital.

Can't wait to let y'all know!

6 days or so...

At this point, we are 6 days from due date. My mindset now is...what's a few more days? Finally, last night I got a good night's sleep last night. It really helps a lot at this point. Yesterday was a more "miserable" day. I was dragging and kind of uncomfortable.

I never imagined it would be this far into September to be honest, but oh well! I like to stay busy because otherwise...what else would I do?? Still working, still walking, still doing yardwork, still crossing off the to-do's, still shopping, still garage sale-ing etc...

We went to a few sales in a nearby town. We found an awesome sale in a nice sub. I found 3 lovely urns for my flowers, a new pair of Sketchers for my mom, and several Gymboree outfits for Aliyah as well as a coat. It was exciting. I love sales where the clothing all smells and looks lovely. That is the case at this sale!

We got some good news about grandma today. She visited the oncologist. She said that the amount of cancer found in the bone was very minute. At this point (we will know more after the PET scan), they do not foresee even any treatments being necessary aside from 6 month checks. It is certainly an answer to prayer. Our girls have been praying each night (although they don't know exactly what they are praying for).

The girls received a lovely suprise/gift today. Thanks to Aunt Juju and Uncle Randy, they now have a cute little horse tire swing. They are about to burst! Not only do they love to swing, but Aliyah has wanted a tire swing for literally years and she is crazy about horses! My parent's neighbors have a tire swing and Aliyah loves it and she can't get enough of it. I can foresee hours of tire swinging! Thanks so much for being so thoughtful. They were beyond excited as the pictures show. The horse is named Princess. I'm sure this will give them years of fun!!!

The girls and I enjoyed a pleasant walk. This weather has been perfect by my definition. The humidity is gone, there is a breeze, and crickets are chirping rather than the howl of locusts! I am looking forward to the weekend because hopefully we will get to go to the Marigold Festival and have a baby too!!

Lovely

Yesterday was absolutely lovely! Keirah had a wonderful day to celebrate! She got to take a fun boat ride, visit with family, open some gifts, eat pizza, and play! We had a wonderful afternoon visiting with aunts/uncles/cousins and playing! Keirah was mostly in her shy and quiet mode, but she did have fun. No swimming for her, but her sister sure enjoyed all of that! It really felt like Josh had the full day off even though he didn't, but the afternoon and evening were so relaxing and delightful!

She chose Monical's for dinner. We ate and then followed up with birthday gifts. Grandma got out for her first outing since breaking her hip (well aside from visiting the doctor last week). They joined us for dinner and we were happy to see them eating normally again. Both of them have been eating very little it seems. This is the most grandma has eaten in weeks. They came over to our house to watch Keirah open her gifts and grandma even ate half of a cupcake! It was good for them to get out of their house.

Keirah got to enjoy having her own Leapster. Aliyah has had one for ages, but Keirah really needed her own. We didn't hear much from Kiki the rest of the evening. Well, not much from Aliyah last night either as she was busy reading books.

I'm up early again. Not that I couldn't use some sleep, but I awoke with a splitting headache and wasn't comfortable. Today makes 39 weeks, and I am daily wishing for the day to arrive! She will have her own birthday now since we have passed the August birthdays and not Keirah's Sept. birthday. Oh yeah, can't wait to spill the name soon too!

Thanks to all our family that we got to spend time with today! It was absolutely wonderful!

Birthday & Labor Day

I am sitting here in what we call our "ocean room" while the breeze and the morning light pour in just enjoying the stillness. It is a holiday so few are up and about. Josh has been gone to work for over an hour now and the girls are sleeping. The cat--who knows--he's probably wishing he were inside the house. My bowl of Cheerios is history, and here I sit.

Little Keirah is 4 years old today! In some ways I can't believe it, but in others I totally can. She is so "mature" and attentive to things. Keirah is our cuddler. If you sit on the couch, chances are she is right there beside you with her arms clutching yours or her head leaning on your arm. She loves dolls and always has, and she is very motherly. She saves up kisses and will tell you just how many she has in her mouth for you at a given time. Keirah tells us that she has 3 nicknames: Kyrah (ki-ruh), Keekster Barber, and Kiki. She most commonly is called Kiki by all of us. Kyrah stemmed from someone's mispronunciation of her name, but obviously it didn't seem to bother her. Since day number one, she has been blessed by a big sister who loves her! They may have their moments where Keirah "squawks" at Aliyah, but truth be told...Keirah can't bear the idea of even being in her room without Aliyah at night. They have been sharing a room since day number one as well.

The summer before Keirah was born, we put an upstairs addition on our house. When she was born, it wasn't completed yet. So, at that point they had to share a room. A few months later when it was, Aliyah didn't want to be away from her sister. They still continue wanting to share a room. They play in the walk-in closet for hours with horses, dolls, stuffed animals, and toys. Aliyah is constantly reading books to Keirah, and yes they goof around as well.

We feel so incredibly blessed with our blue-eyed darker haired girl. We never imagined that we would end up with a blue-eyed girl. Dark hair...well that's is obvious, but blue eyes...wow. Aliyah once introduced her sister as this, "this is Keirah, isn't she a beauty". I must say...she is!

What else, well Keirah has a knack for organizing like none other. She will take everything out of say a cabinet or whatever and totally organize it as good as an adult! She doesn't like any help with the chore either. She is a helper in all sense of the word and can always be counted upon. A lot of times while I water the flowers, Keirah is right there ready to help. If I pull weeds, she starts pulling as well.

Keirah Reaghan, we love you more than words and we hope you have a most wonderful 4th birthday and a wonderful coming year!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY!!