Transition.

he is the sweetest little peanut in the world- sleeping, eating, and pooping his way right into our hearts. :) he hardly makes a sound, and when he does, it sounds like far away pigeons. except when he hiccups... then it sounds like there's a giant bullfrog loose somewhere in the house.




i feel great. like... surprisingly normal. we've been out and about a couple of times- truman in the sling sleeping right through each outing. it's amazing how much they sleep at first!

i keep calling truman "myer".

how am i supposed to keep all these boy names straight??? hehe.


the transition back home has been a bit more difficult this time around due to a certain little two year old:



do you see that look in his eyes? yeah... lord help us all. haha.


yet the transition has still been sweet and manageable due to a certain powerhouse husband:



i love having his babies. it always reminds me how much he adores me. how much he adores US. he has been taking care of EVERYTHING while I try and get back into the swing of nursing and resting and eating/drinking like a mad woman.

i just can't believe there are five of us now. the thought takes my breath away at random moments throughout the day.

it's an incredible thing.

A First Day of Life.

laboring.

rejoicing.

introducing.

smooching.

counting.

listening.

brothering.

embracing.

He is amazing and thrilling and sweetly calming all at once.

I can't believe my arms get to be so full of such wonderful little men!

Introducing....

truman arthur clark

"faithful and strong"

The most beautiful little newborn ever!!

Our little Truman was born at 11:15pm on Ash Wednesday, weighing 7lbs and 3oz!

My water started leaking Wednesday morning so I was admitted to the hospital that afternoon. At about 9pm, my contractions really kicked into gear and things went very quickly from there! We are all doing GREAT!

He is so very quiet and precious and we are doing a whole lot of swooning over little True!

Praise the Lord, He is GOOD!!! :)

More pictures to follow....

Boy or Girl, Boy or Girl, Boy or Girl.....

Hey Friends!

Chris here.

Just wanted to let you all know......

yup.

Em is in labor.
She is my hero!
Such a champ.

We shall see if this little one can make it's debut on Ash Wednesday.

Cheers!!!

38 Weeks Pregnant!

(Well, I guess I won't technically be 38 weeks until Wednesday, but who's counting?)

(---->ME. ME. ME. ME.<----)

I'm still here! No baby yet, and no signs that it is coming anytime soon. This is how my back feels about that:





har har.

But seriously, I do feel grateful for these last few days I have to get things together. There are still pictures to be hung on the walls! And giant old computers to move from the baby closet! And TOILETS to clean! You know... very important, life-altering events that MUST be seen to before this baby can possibly make its entrance into our home!

My mommy is flying out on the 15th of this month to be with me for a couple of weeks as I transition from being a mother of two to a mother of THREE, and I am so excited to see her I can hardly wait!! I just hope I have a baby for her to hold by then. She came out after Myer was born, too, and pretty much saved my life. I am so grateful for her willingness to put her life on hold so that she can come help me after I push out all these babies! haha.

Thank you to all of you who have entered our Baby Pool in the post below! It has been SO fun reading all the different responses and I find myself smiling as I read through your guesses... imagining what each scenario would be like... it has been so fun! I can't wait to see who wins!

I personally have been praying for the EXACT same stats as Mel guessed:

March 10th
6lbs 4oz (please please please)
19"
Girl!

Only time will tell! Squee! :)

37 Weeks Pregnant and a Baby Pool!

I am now officially considered "full term" and in my 37th week of this pregnancy. Both the boys were born in the 38th week, so if this babe is anything like its brothers, it could be any day! (Please, Lord let this babe be like its brothers! heh.)

I am feeling a bit restless, but I am also keenly aware that this baby will come in the precise moment that he or she is meant to enter this world.

One of the things that makes birth wonderful is that it forces us to WAIT and release control while still actively expecting and longing for something... and every birth has taught me more about how I should also be longing for and waiting on God (just as ferverently as I am waiting to meet my new little love) in every single circumstance of my life.

There's something so beautiful in the waiting and releasing... something we don't get much of a chance to experience in today's "quick fix" culture. Sometimes it is just good to be forced to slow down and breathe and expect.

Anywho.........

I think what this all REALLY means is that it is time for the official BABY POOL to begin!!

The winner will receive... something. Yet to be determined.

But it will be cool! And maybe even awesome!

***************

Here are the facts:

--Ezra was born 10 days early weighing 6lbs & 4 oz. He was 20" long.

--Myer was born 12 days early weighing 8lbs & 1 oz. He was 21" long.

--This baby's due date is March 23rd.

***************

So, here is your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Leave me a comment with your best gut-guesstimate of what the DATE, WEIGHT, LENGTH, and GENDER of this baby will be. The person who gets the most of these things correct when all is said and done will be our winner! yay!

Gooooooood luck! And thanks for cheering me on in these last days and weeks... Your support has been so wonderful and it has helped me stay positive, so thank you thank you thank you all!!

Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock.

Things that I may or may not have done in the last 72 hours:

1. UN-packed hospital bag, RE-folded contents, then RE-packed hospital bag. TWICE.

2. Used complex mathematical equations to convince myself (and my wide-eyed husband) that this baby is coming soon- wherein I factor that both Myer & Ezra came 12 days early, and my due date was bumped up to the 23rd of March rather than the 24th, and I was measuring four days ahead at my last appointment, and considering the earth's gravitational pull and the lunar quadrant to the fifteenth power, carry the one... this baby should be here in exactly seven days! Right??

3. Reminded myself that the baby could also just as likely be two weeks late.

4. Ate many, many cookies dipped in milk.

5. Walked up & down the hall of my house and felt a kinship with the wild animals on all those late night documentaries where the pregnant mama paces obsessively back and forth prior to giving birth.

6. Complained loudly to any and all who would listen of "much pain down yonder".

7. Ate more cookies dipped in milk.

8. Shifted nursery furniture around a few hundred more times.

9. Spent many sleepless nighttime hours imagining what that moment will be like when I finally hear the words "It's a _____!"

10. Obsessively attacked laundry in such a manner that I can now hear the sound of a t-shirt hitting the carpet anywhere in my house and then CAN NOT rest until that shirt is clean & folded and put away again- nary an hour after its being cast off.

11. Convinced my five year old son to continually pray that this baby would come soon, mostly because I feel like five-year-old prayers are probably, on some level, more potent than my own.

12. Repented of potentially wrong theological thoughts towards prayer.

13. COOKIES.

36 Weeks Pregnant.

So... I thought this baby had dropped, but maybe it was just the way he or she was sitting that day because it doesn't feel nearly as low anymore. I've been in a lot less discomfort the last couple of days, which has been great!! I was getting a little worried there for a minute... It felt like this little one was just going to fall right out of me. haha. Gross.




I'm seeing my midwife every Thursday from now until the baby gets here. Part of me is secretly hoping that I will go into active labor while I am already there at the office and/or driving there, because it would save me a trip and pretty much guarantee that I will make it on time.

My last labor went so quickly, I fear this baby is going to be born on the highway... eeeeep! We are as prepared for something like that as we can be- Chris knows what to do and nature pretty much takes care of the rest- but I'd really rather not have this baby in my car... it being so clean and new-ish and all. haha.



I realized the other day I should probably freshen up on my 'Breastfeeding 101' skillz. It's amazing how quickly you forget all the ins and outs of something after you stop doing it all day every day. It really is the most natural thing in the world, but there is also a science to it and a determination that has to be there if you are going to be successful at it for any length of time, I think... like eating well and keeping your supply up and feeding for certain lengths on each side and knowing when you should or shouldn't use the pump and on and on and on... I feel like I just haven't been thinking about that whole portion of things very much this time around, and I feel less prepared right now than I was with the boys.



That has been the most challenging part of this pregnancy, I think because we haven't found out the gender... I have felt waaaaaay less prepared in every area- from clothes to nursery to carseats, but also it has bled over into the areas of getting ready for labor and delivery and breastfeeding and baby scheduling and perhaps even preparing myself spiritually/emotionally to become a mother for the third time.

It has also been a lot harder to keep the house feeling "clean & ready" with a crazy two year old running about the place, hitting each room like a little weapon of mass destruction all day long. hehe.

I am praying that these last weeks will be ones of peaceful preparation and growing excitement to meet this little one.

After all, I don't think I will look back on these final weeks and wish that I had spent more time cleaning or scrubbing, but that I had spent more time preparing my heart for this perfectly timed miracle that's on its way to join our family and our journey, you know? Becoming a mother again is ALWAYS an intense experience for a woman's heart, even if it is her third or fourth or sixteenth time around...

Braxton Hicks and Going Bonkers.

(Photo by my Husband.)
I think it should be called "Determination".
Or... "Somebody Go Buy that Tiny White Boy a Belt".

I've been experiencing my first ever Braxton Hicks contractions and they are making me feel totally CRAZY. I've never had a contraction that wasn't part of actual labor, so these "fakey" contractions are messing with my head. I've been cleaning the house and packing my hospital bag and washing all the baby clothes and pacing the floors and getting everything ready because I feel like labor is eminent, when really I have a MONTH left to go until my due date.

I'm feeling super anxious, which is not like me at all. I am really trying to calm myself down and tell myself to breathe, but I feel like I am on edge ALL the time!! I wish I could just sleep the rest of this month away. This pregnancy has been SO different than my first two, it's wild!

Today, I woke up and my whole body looked strange when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The baby seems to have dropped plunged, like, to SEA LEVEL, while I was sleeping, and now the pain and discomfort down low is so intense, I can't even imagine having to waddle around like this for another month. THREE people stopped me while I was out running errands today and asked if this baby was "on its way".

God, give me peace. And patience! And a fast forward button!

haha.

One thing that has really been helping with the discomfort are 'pelvic rocks'. That's where you get on your hands and knees and slowly arch and curve your lower back for about 10 or 15 minutes. It works like magic when I am feeling achy and sore. Also, Chris has been helping by giving me 'hip squeezes', where he firmly squeezes the top bones of my hips while I lean forward and relax. It helps open up my pelvis and alleviates a lot of pressure on my lower back. You preggo ladies out there should definitely try both of these exercises... they are amazing!

I FINALLY bought a little bitty girl coming-home outfit today. It's already washed and folded and in my hospital bag, along with an itty bitty boy outfit. I also picked up some nursing-friendly PJs for the hospital and everything else that I'll need for our stay there.

You see? I'm going bonkers over here.

I think I need to take up a new hobby or something. I need to find something to distract me from bouncing off of my walls. Maybe I'll delve into the world of bird watching or woodworking! Or perhaps I'll start painting country scenes on grains of rice!

For now, I am going to go work on my thumb twiddling. And pelvic rocks. And chocolate eating.

;)

The Flu & 35 Weeks Pregnant.

Wowzers. What a whirlwind the past few days have been!

Two days ago, on Valentine's Day, I came down with the flu. Have any of you ever had the flu while you're eight and a half months pregnant? Let me just say this: I don't recommend it. It was pretty much the worst 48 hours ever. But I feel MUCH better today after a lot of resting and tylenol and fluids.

the hero.

My husband was a champion, of course, and stepped in to save the day- taking care of the kids and me all by himself while still managing to work and provide for our family. How does he do it all?? One thing I've learned from this is that there is no better way to feel loved by someone than by being taken care of by them like that. It made Valentine's super extra sweet this year.

(IN HINDSIGHT. haha.)


*****

On Saturday we had Ezra's 6th birthday party, which went great! I knew that I wanted to keep it really mellow because I am so very pregnant and did not need to be stressing over a crazy party. We invited a handful of friends over for cake and wii games, and I just put out some snacky foods for people to nibble on. Easy breezy lemon squeezy.

My friend Erin MADE this Obi Wan costume... so amazing!!!

It was really fun and Ezra had a blast! I had picked out all of these books from the dollar spot at Target for little gifts for Ezra's party guests, but then forgot to give them out as people were leaving. That's the third year in a row that I have completely forgotten to give out my goodie bags. haha I am a lost cause.

*****





Other than that, I have been starting to feel the panic creep in about getting everything really ready for the baby. It hit me the other day that I should probably buy some tiny diapers and some white onesies and have them on hand asap, because we are at the point now where this baby is coming much much sooner than later, and it will probably need something to wear and poop into. I also need to pack my hospital bag and we should probably get the car seat situated just in case too... ack! So, so crazy. I feel like I am forgetting something major this time around in getting everything ready. I need to go dig up some checklists or something, or else it's going to be the "goodie bag" scenario all over again, I just know it. hah.



I have an appt. tomorrow with my midwife, and then after that I start seeing her every week! I'm trying to get all pumped about the labor, like I was last time with Myer, but this time around I am more feeling like I just can't wait until that part is over and done with. I need some serious birthing motivation!! STAT! :)