The Birth of Eliza Love Wells

The Birth of Eliza Love Wells

December 20, 2017; I was 39 weeks pregnant. I had been to my midwife appointment with Sarah at Lovers Lane Birthing Center that afternoon. I was at Target that night about 9pm, getting last minute supplies for the postpartum period and Christmas. My water felt like it burst, but there was only a trickle of water, so I want to the bathroom to check it out. There was bloody show, so I knew it had indeed been my water breaking.  Since there wasn’t a lot of water flowing, I ran around to get the most important items. Suddenly, the water started to gush and I knew I had to get out of there before it became too terribly embarrassing. I checked out (thank goodness only 1 person in line before me,) and made it to the car as I felt more gushing (sorry Jake about the seat of the car being forever ruined.) I called Amy on the way home and made it home without having any contractions.  At home, I talked to Jake and we decided to have the girls spend the night at Aunt Amy’s house. Jake took them as I changed clothes and started watching TV.  About 10:30pm, I called the midwife (Sarah was on call- I think I woke her up,) and informed her that my water had broken, but I had only had about 2 contraction so far. I agreed to call again when they started picking up.  About 11pm, there was another large gush of water, and I leaked to the bathroom to change clothes and take a shower.  In the shower, the contractions started picking up and becoming more regular. I got out of the shower, and called Jake over to start timing contractions to see where we were.  He started timing contractions at 11:30pm at about 4-6minutes apart. We then called Sarah to come on over.  While waiting for Sarah to call back, the contractions started coming every 2 minutes, very hard and prolonged (about 12am). Jake then texted Sarah’s direct line (gotten from the previous call back) to let her know they are 2 mins apart. She called back (about 12:20pm) and let us know she was on her way (from Dallas) and her assistant, Margie, would be here soon from Frisco. While waiting for their arrival, Jake got the pool up in our room and filled it while I labored in the pool. I started coaching Jake on catching the baby as we realized the midwives may not make it in time. I started pushing and as the head emerged, Margie comes in! She jumped to action and quickly had me positioned and pushing harder as the Baby’s shoulders had become lodged slightly and baby turns from pink to purple. Margie pulls baby out quickly and soon (with some rough rubbing and talking from Jake,) baby is crying and turning pink again. Well, what is it? Asked Jake. It’s a girl! Born December 21, 2017 at 12:57 am.

Eliza and I was moved from pool to bed, and Eliza latched on well and started nursing well. My placenta was taking a while to come, so with some coaxing it emerged (however, leaving some trailing behind.) Sarah arrived about 1:10am to assist. Sarah was able to get most of the trailing out, but after some large output, both Sarah and Margie stayed a while to monitor. I had some apples, oranges and water. Eliza continued to nurse well. Midwives left about 5am. We got some sleep and Jake brought the girls home to meet Eliza about 6pm. 

The Birth of Claire and Tabitha

The Birth Story of Claire and Tabitha

Born Wednesday; October 15, 2014 at 36 weeks +1 day gestation

Before I begin, I want to educate those who are curious on the hospital protocols for birthing twins naturally at my facility.  Both twins have to be head down at time of labor. You are allowed to labor in a regular L&D room; however you have to push in the OR (in case of emergencies.)  Then you are taken to postnatal room with babies (as long as babies are healthy.) The babies are required to stay 48hrs until they can go home.

On Tuesday the 14^th, I had my 36wk appointment. Jeanean, my CNM, checked me and stated I was not dilated at all, and was at 4plus. Still going good!  I posted my pregnancy picture on facebook that night thinking I was well on my way to my goal of 37wks.

It was a little after midnight on Wednesday; October 15, 2014, when I was in bed trying to get comfortable so I could go to sleep; I felt a pop on my right side- like a twin shot me with a rubber band.  I thought, how weird and felt like I had to pee; so I went to the bathroom for the millionth time that night and noticed a bloody discharge. Thought my water probably broke; however there were no contractions, so I went back to bed to try to get some sleep before the busy day ahead.  A couple of hours later, a contraction with some more bloody discharge woke me up (I was only dozing anyways,) so I stayed up to see if I needed to start timing them.  The contractions started very irregularly, only about every 30-40mins. At about 4am, the contractions were more regular at about 20mins apart. I then got up, showered, started getting ready for the day.  At about 6:30am, the contractions suddenly got very intense at about 5mins apart.  I woke up Jake and told him I was in labor and we better get the kids up and tell my sister.  About 8am, Jake took the girls to my sister's house then called the midwife when he returned.  I started grabbing my bag to go as the contractions got longer and harder.  As I got to the driveway, I started vomiting.  It became very difficult for me to walk and get into the car.  That was the moment Jake and I realized this was going to be cutting it very close.  We arrived at the hospital (thankfully about 2mins from the house) at about 8:30am. The midwife was already there with 2 other patients in labor.  She checked me, and said "8cm, and fully effaced. We're going to OR now!"  The main OR was already in use, so I was put on a stretcher and wheeled to the secondary OR.  Once there, they quickly tried starting an IV, get some admitting info on me, general chaos to quickly get ready before pushing time. The anesthesia doctor finally got the IV after about several minutes of attempting. I came close to popping him one as he would tell me "you have to relax and keep pumping your hand" as I was having contractions. He finally got it though, just in time before time to push.  Claire was born first at 9:11am. The umbilical cord was short, so Jeanean (the midwife) held her for 1 full minute (to get the last blood from umbilical cord) before Jake got to cut the cord.  I held Claire on my chest for a couple minutes before passing her on to Jake to hold.  While I was cuddling Claire, Tabitha started trying to come in a dive position (hand above head.)  Jeanean moved the hand down, so the head could present first. My contractions slowed to 7 minutes apart (normal for me) and after 2 pushes (about 15minutes) Tabitha was born (at 9:26am.)  I reached down to pull her out and up to me, however her umbilical cord was very short also.  So Jeanean got to hold her as well for the full 1 minute before Jake cut the umbilical cord again, and I got to cuddle Tabitha. 

Yes, I’ve become one of those weird people who check out the placenta afterwards.  Claire had attached to the placenta perfectly in the middle. Tabitha’s cord however was attached on the side with less tissue holding it in place.  It has been a complete miracle how well she did with her cord like that.

Claire got an "A" on her hat for being born first, and Tabitha got a "B" on her hat.  Claire, who was always the quiet and still one in utero, weighed 6.0lbs.  Tabitha, who was always the bigger twin, and moved constantly (often crowding Claire), and was nicknamed 'the trouble maker' in utero, weighed 6.10lbs. 

I had a hard time after they were out trying to figure out which one got which name.  I had always thought Tabitha would be the first one out, and being more active the name seemed to fit.  However, when Claire decided to beat her sister out, I started to change my mind.  In the end, I went with the names I had originally picked out while the girls were still in utero.

The girls had a little trouble keeping their blood sugars up and regulated at first (normal for 36 weekers), but by the second day were doing much better.  We went home on Friday; October 17^th, per the 48hrs rule.  Big sisters have been such a huge help! They love holding each girl, and always make sure they hold each one equally.  They don’t like for me to dress them alike, because they have a little harder time telling them apart when I do.

It has been such an adventure, and it has only begun.  Thank you for all the prayers- keep them coming!

Our Miracle

Yes, I'm pregnant again!  Yes, it's with TWINS!!!!  I'm due Nov.11. They are identical twins. No, twins do not run in my family- so this is VERY shocking! Fyi, only fraternal twins are hereditary; not identical. Yes, we will be finding out the gender and will let you know soon after.


So I thought I'd share with you all our drama with the twins, and why I asked for lots of prayers this week.



We had our sonogram last Thursday and discovered we were having twins! As it was starting to set in, the OB came in and started giving us the grim news. The twins were mono/mono twins. Which means they shared the same placenta and same egg sac. In this case, the umbilical cords get very tangled and there is a 50% chance of losing one or both twins.  If they make it to 24wks (age of viability,) I would be hospitalized and put on 24/7 monitoring.  If they make it to 33wks (longer would be too risky) then they would be delivered with a probable month long NICU stay. Whew.  I was terrified.  That was why I reached out for prayers.


Goodness, did God deliver! With a slim possibility of a membrane being late to form, or a higher tech machine being more equipped to find a separating membrane, we were sent to a specialist. On Tuesday we saw the specialist, and a membrane was found!!!!!! Yay! Yay! Yay!  So they are now mono/di twins. One placenta, two egg sacs. Which also makes them identical twins.  The specialist says she considers me a low risk case. The umbilical cords are even so far apart on the placenta that twin/twin transfusion syndrome will be a low risk.



Thank you all for your prayers! I'm so excited about this journey we are on- it's going to be a roller coaster- but oh so fun! I'm closing out with a song my Mother reminded me of, and it's just perfect:


 Before My Birthday

Underneath my Mother's heart
waiting for nativity,
I never was so tiny, but what God's eyes could see.
And long before my ears could hear,
He called me by my name
there, in the darkness He watched me grow
watched His creation, for long before my birthday
God was celebrating me -
He knows the very moment when my life came to be.
And from the time He gave me life
He watched me tenderly
For, long before my birthday 
God was loving me!

House Project

One of our house projects included the patio.  It's finally complete......for now.  Here is a before and after.

Before:

After:

It is so much more enjoyable now!  Come grill with us soon!

Vacation Bible School

Madelynn and Annie went to Vacation Bible School this week. They had so much fun with the crafts and games there. Of course, they have been singing the songs and teaching me the movements the rest of the week.  They also made some great friends. Madelynn met and hit it off with a little girl named Natalie, and Annie found a little boy named Andrew to help her with everything. We are looking forward to participating again next year!

Reading

I finally got a good video of Madelynn reading!  She is so shy about reading, she didn't want to show it off.....I on the other hand, am a proud momma who is claiming full bragging rights!!! :)

 Then, Annie and Joy decide to join in! Too cute!

Happy 8th Anniversary!

I just can't stop thinking how completely blessed I am to have Jake to share such a wonderful life with. Jake and I have had such fantastic adventures together.  When God said with marriage 2 shall become 1, he was so right! There is no longer 'him' and 'her', there is just 'we' and 'us'.  It's so hard to explain, but it is the most wonderful feeling in the world!

Family Update

What can I say- we are so Blessed!

Madelynn is doing so well reading. The books get harder and harder, and she breezes through them.  She does so well at sounding out the words she doesn't recognize, and she loves to read to her sisters (who love to hear her read.)

Annie loves to sing and dance. She starts dance classes today with Madelynn and they both are really looking forward to it.  Annie is our little mommy. She helps me with all the housework, and makes sure Joy and Lydia are happy.

Joy is as active as ever. She is talking so well, and really knows how to let us what she wants.  She works hard at keeping up with her older sisters and is very proud of her great climbing skills. :)

Lydia is rolling very well now. She can roll both directions and loves laughing at her sisters.  She likes to be high up so she can see everything that's going on.

We are really enjoying our summer in our new home (since we got the better patio.)  We were surprised with a wonderful grapevine that has provided many great snacks. The grapes are very sweet and there are so many of them!  If you are wanting any, please come and get them! :)

The switch to cloth napkins and cloth diapers is going so well! I'm still working on a routine when traveling, but still am amazed at how easy it is at home (don't know why I didn't start sooner!)

I hope everyone is having as great a summer as we are!

The Best Baby Items

First of all, I'm running on little sleep. So please ignore my spelling, grammar, and anything else that you may feel like knit-picking.  Thank you :)

Since many of my friends and family are pregnant, I thought I'd post some things I found helpful to put on my baby registry. If you are not pregnant, you can buy them for Baby Shower gifts, and know they will be greatly used. :) I do have to give props to my sister, Amy, for helping me find many of these items- she is consistently a lifesaver when it comes to the best baby items (among many other things.) ;)

* Diaper Champ
      I like the Diaper Champ better than the Diaper Genie because it uses regular trash bags (and cloth bags when using cloth diapers.) Not having to constantly buy the 'special' trash bags only for the Diaper Genie makes this a great choice.

 * Playtex VentAire bottles
      Again, no special bags to constantly buy in order to use the bottle. Wash and reuse- greatness (and cheapness.)  Don't forget if you ever want them to take a bottle (even when breast feeding) you have to introduce them to it at 4-6wks old.  There are some careful rules to that to avoid nipple confusion, so do some research on it first!

* Water proof pads
        A small pad for the changing table makes accidents an easy cleanup.  Also cloth pad can double as diaper changing pad for the diaperbag (much smaller than large thick pad.)
        A water proof pad for the crib also helps keep mattress mess free and non-stinky.

* Bed ramp and positioner
       The bed ramp and positioner not only help prevent against SIDS, but also helps baby feel swaddled. The bed ramp is also nice when baby gets sick so the runny nose can run down when sleeping and not into their throat.

* Humidifier
     Humidifier is great when baby is sick, and also helps keep baby warm (make sure it has a warm setting.)  Especially great for C-section babies because they have a higher risk of fluid in the lungs and asthma.

* Swaddler/Snuggly Wrap
      I never really used a swaddler with my girls, but I have many friends who highly recommend it.  The only problem is when they outgrow it, sometimes they have problems adjusting to sleeping without it.
Edit: The blanket swaddler that zips up like overalls to keep baby warm at nights is great during winter.

* Moby Wrap
     Great hands-free way to carry baby, and baby feels all nice and comfy- puts them right to sleep.  Just tricky getting them out of the wrap without waking them.

* Diaper Baggies
     Great for disposing diapers in public without smelling everyone out. Or if you have to change it in the car and don't have a trash for them.  You can buy them in little rolls now for the diaperbag. I also use ziplock bags sometimes. :)

* Boppy Pillow
     I only use this for a limited time for breastfeeding. The rest of the time I used it for propping baby up, or helping her to sit up when ready.

* Blankets
    I get many different blankets.  Light thermal blanket for summer. Crochet blanket for winter (loose holes for baby to breath through if gets head under it.) Fleece blanket for swaddling (some prefer the thermal blanket for swaddling.) And a light blanket for summer and thick blanket for winter for use with everything else. (Especially doubling as a tummy mat, public changing table cover or hooter hider.)
Edit: Just started using the Muslin blankets- loving them!

* Pack N Play sheets
      The sheets made specifically for Pack N Plays are a must.  MUCH easier than trying to tuck a big sheet around the mattress.

* Foam Bath Pad
     I started my first child with the little tub.  That big thing got old really fast.  I quickly moved to the foam pad and it is so much easier to bathe baby with, and to store when not in use.

*  Sitting bath ring
     When baby can sit, the bath ring is great to make sure baby stays sitting in the tub and still gets a good bath.

* Kiddopotamus
      Great head rest (really full body cushion) for the carseat.

* Carseat toys
     Get one that makes very quiet sounds.  It can be embarrassing in the grocery store if it's too loud, and annoying in the car when they play it 50 times.

* Car seat mirror with Rearview mirror attachment
     Love being able to see baby when driving to know she is OK.

* Bumbo
     What can I say: LOVE.

* Paci attachment
     I don't use a pacifier with the girls (another post for paci vs. thumb sucking argument.) But if you decide to use pacifier, then having an attachment for the shirt is great for saving the paci from the floor.

* Hangers
     Clothes are tiny, need tiny hangers.

* Snake Pillow
      I don't know the official name, but I call it the snake pillow. Great for when pregnant and can't find a comfortable position. Also can be used to prop baby up when helping them sit up.

* Wipes warmer
     I stopped using the warmer part of it, however still love it as a place to store wipes on the changing table. So it makes the list.

* Tummy Time Mat
* Swing
* Pack N Play
* Bassinet (with net top for outside and older child barrier)
* Bouncy seat
* Exersaucer
* Stroller
* Carrier/carseat

^ I usually go with Graco brand on most of these items. Baby Einstein is a pretty good brand too.

* Diaperbag
     - Columbia's backpack diaperbag is great for dads and on the go parents.

* Breast feeding Supplies
   - Lansinoh milk bags
   - Lidocaine nipple cream
   - Hooter Hider
   - Nursing Bras (Motherhood Maternity has the best selection. I recommend the ones with a underwire best.)
   - Nursing Shirt (They have really nice discreet tops now)
   - Bra Pads (the washable cloth ones work OK too.)
   - The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding By: La Leche League
   - The Nursing Mothers Companion By: Kathleen Huggins

* Other Great Books
   - What to Expect When You're Expecting
   - The Expectant Father
   - BabyWise (very controversial.....I take some points and leave others....)
   - The Baby Name Wizard
   - Baby Signing Books


That's about it!  I hope you can find some of these items as useful as I did.  Feel free to email me with any questions!

My Girls....brings a smile to my lips, and a warmth to my heart just to say that.....My Girls

Lydia's Birth Story

Lydia’s Birth Story

I want to start with how God worked some wonderful miracles with the timing of Lydia’s birth.  I was really stressed wondering who I could find to watch the other girls while Jake and I go have Lydia at the birthing center.  I had made a schedule of when some friends and family could babysit, but because of work conflicts and vacation times, etc…. there were some days and nights that nobody would be available.  We were also about to move to a new house.  We were supposed to close on both houses on Friday, Feb 24 and move through the weekend 25-26.  Due to some paperwork issues the closing was pushed to Wednesday; Feb. 29 and the moving the following weekend, (March 3-4).  God knew that we would be busy with other things that weekend.

Friday; Feb. 24, 2012 at about 4pm I started having contractions at about 1-2 every hour. I told Jake “I don’t think I’ll make it through the weekend.”  I went to bed about 9pm, thinking I’m going to need my sleep. I woke up with contractions at about 3am. Jake woke up soon after and started timing them for me. They were about 10 mins apart.  We waited until about 5am, when the contractions were about 6mins apart, to call the midwife (Dinah) and let her know that it looked like today was going to be the day.  At 8am we called my parents (my mom happened to have that weekend off!) and let them know we would bring the kids over that morning.  After breakfast and getting the kids ready, we headed over to my parents at about 9:00am.  The contractions were still about 5-7 minutes apart, but were becoming very regular in intensity.  We arrived at my parents at about 9:45am, Dinah called and asked how we were doing.  We updated her and she reminded us not to wait too late.  At about 1030am I started feeling nauseated and shaky. We called Dinah and she stated she would meet us at the birthing center at 11am.  We went to the center and walked around the park outside until Dinah showed up.  When she checked me, I was 5 1/2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. The second midwife (had just finished school and getting hours,) Christine arrived about this time.  We (Jake, me, and Dinah) decided to walk around the park some more and then went inside where I took the best and longest shower of my life.  I really LOVED that hot shower.  After about an hour in the shower, the baby had really moved down, but I felt she was still very posterior and needed to move forward.  Dinah checked me again and I was 100% effaced and about 8 centimeters dilated.  We tried at this point some different positions to get the baby to move forward (out of my rectum.)  First I went for a few contractions with my head down, knees tucked and butt in the air.  Dinah fed me some cheese and crackers and oranges.  Baby still posterior.  Then we tried lying on right side with left leg to chest. Still posterior.  Then lying on left side with right leg to chest.  THAT finally got baby moving forward.  With the contractions starting to pick up, Dinah started the water in the spa tub.  Dinah kept feeding me, but I was feeling kinda nauseated so I didn’t eat much.  I got in the tub (*sigh of contentment*) and about 1 hour later (contractions still 5-6mins apart) time to push. One push, head out, I looked down and saw wonderful head with soft hair.  Next push rest of baby out. It’s a GIRL!  Lydia Hope Wells was born at 3:12pm on Feb. 25, 2012, a perfect water birth (and still a VBAC!)  When Jake cut the umbilical cord we realized the cord is very short!  We had to lower Lydia to get enough length to cut.  After the placenta came, we realized why.  The cord had attached to the edge of the placenta and wrapped around the edge. Normally the cord attaches to the center and branches out.  The midwife and Christine had never seen anything like it before; they were so amazed they took pictures to share with their midwife group.  We ate dinner (chicken salad sandwich from Jason’s Deli) while Lydia was weighed, 8.0 lbs and 20.5 inches.  I didn’t need any stitches, so after eating we left at about 5:30pm.  Lydia’s sisters were so excited to see her!!!!  They gave lots of hugs and kisses and wrapped her up in blankets. 

Lydia latched on for nursing right after birth and has been such a wonderful nurser ever since.  She loves to just nurse for hours.  She has a soft cry until she decides she’s done waiting on me; then she can really wail!  She wiggles and squeaks a lot unless I’m talking to her; then she is very still listening and watching me.  She is so sweet and petite, what a wonderful gift from God!

Yes, she was still a little blue from birth in the upper photo. But she got pink real quick!

The second photo: Dinah on right, and Christine on left.

 My Girls!

 

Christmas Fun!

So here is a long blog with lots of photos......kinda like all my other blogs- lol

We first went to Dickens of a Christmas.....twice. First without Daddy, then again with Daddy.  It's the Christmas festival that downtown Mckinney holds every year. The girls had fun with the petting zoo, and each made an ornament (twice), and loved the hot chocolate and funnel cake and corndogs.  Madelynn heard 'ho, ho, ho' over the loudspeaker and kept asking "Mommy, who is doing all that ho-ing?  We have to find who is ho-ing!"

Then, we went to our HOA Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.  They had alot of crafts there as well. The girls ran around another petting zoo, ate hot chocolate and cookies, played in a bell concert and took pictures with Mrs. Claus (fyi, much shorter line than with Mr. Claus.)  In the end we went on a fun carriage ride.  It was warm that night, but the Madelynn and Annie loved wearing their hats. Such fashionistas- lol!

I woke up this week to screams of snow and "icing."  Evidently, we had gotten a small dusting of snow and the girls couldn't wait to get out and try eating it- lol!

We also made some Christmas bells for our neighbors this year. The girls were so excited to be using permanent markers.....I had to watch like a hawk, but most things ended up unscathed.  *sniff*  My girls are growing up!

Well, we still have more Christmas activities planned. I really love doing all these fun things with the kids.  Hope you all are having fun with your own Christmas plans!

Halloween

I love all the Fall activities, and so do the girls!  We went to Kroger's annual fall games and trick-or-treating special, the girls and Jake went to a pumpkin patch (with his family of course), and then we've had alot of fun making paper pumpkins and passing them out with cookies to our neighbors too! 

Then for Halloween, Annie and Madelynn decided they were a fairy princess. Joy was content just being herself.

I think they made out fairly well!  Mommy and Daddy enjoy the candy very much too! ;)
Hope everyone had a great Halloween too!

Summer Sandwich

My Favorite summertime sandwich is a cucumber sandwich.

Spread some cream cheese on bread (just regular cream cheese is fine)
slice some cucumbers and add
add optional turkey (delifresh turkey lunchmeat is what I use)

viole! yummy!

On a Sad Note

One more quick thing, on a sadder note. I did want to thank you all for keeping me and all the friends and family of the recent deaths in your thoughts and prayers.  It's been a hard couple of weeks, especially for this overemotional preggo. I just pray that I can be there for all the wonderful people in my life who are hurting from these deaths. I want to respect the privacy of these people and not give details on here, so just a small summary.

The first death was of a dear friend and coworker. She was such a vibrant and fun person to be around. Cancer can be no fun, but she had a way of uplifting people through even the hardest of circumstances.

The second death was of the mother of a very close friend of mine. I had known her mother for several years, and enjoyed all the conversations we shared. She was such a comfort to talk to, and gave the best advice. She was like the sun; being near her warmed your heart and made you a more positive, better person.

The third death was of a friend of mine, that I've known for about 14years. We had met in high school, and even though we lost and regained contact many times through the years; we always picked right up where we left off......as if no time had gone at all.  He had such a quiet strength about him, I could always be myself and feel right at home.

Each of these very special people will always hold a place in my heart. I know I will see them again in Heaven. It makes me appreciate everything and everyone even more.
Well, this quick note ended up being alittle longer than expected.  Please remember to tell everyone you love them, and to live each day to the fullest.
I love you.

Long Overdue

I know I haven't posted in forever, but I've still been so tired with this pregnancy. I can't seem to get anything done.  Jake and the girls have been really patient with me....hopefully this stage passes soon.  Some quick updates:

We bought a car!  We kept debating on getting a minivan, and had finally decided to get one. Then when we went to the dealership to compare the Honda Pilot with the Honda Odyssey (totally thinking the Odyssey would be the clear choice) we found that the most pros were with the Pilot!  It was cheaper, with the better APR. It has good gas mileage, and room for 8 passengers. The trunk space wasn't bad, and did I mention it was cheaper?  I'm very glad we chose the Pilot. Even though I've found some cons to it.....I enjoy spending money on things I really like rather than things I 'groan' about.  We can pretend to be young just a little longer. ;)

After getting some kind of stomach virus, the girls are back to their normal selves again.  Madelynn is enjoying sounding out and trying to read everything in sight. We're working on writing.....but that is still needing alot of practice.  Annie is talking better and better. She really enjoys singing, and is working on colors, shapes, and numbers.  Joy got 2 more teeth in! She now has her 2 bottom and 2 top teeth (both middle.)  She got a taste of table food, and took off trying to taste everything!  She is still trying to figure out the sippy cup, but enjoys copying her sisters.  She races after her sisters (on all fours) everywhere they go. She has even started imitating things; i.e. she puts the toy phone to her ear and yells in it. I can't believe how big all the girls are getting! Here is a recent pic of Joy (yes, her onesie is quite the mess.)

I will post recent pics of Madelynn and Annie later. They are so busy, I realized we've been doing mostly movies of them.
Well, gotta jet off. There are so many things I want to blog about, I'll have to search for the energy (and time) later.

Going for girl number 4!

Yep, pregnant again! This is one Lucky baby! It's due date is February 29, 2012 (leap year) and is my parents grandchild number 13. Not to mention, it is truely by the Grace of God that this child came to be (but that is another long post.) We have decided right now to keep the sex of the baby a surprise until birth (we'll see how long we can last.) We feel very blessed that God trusts us with another child......and pray for more energy to keep up with His standards....hehe. Thank you for joining us in celebrating this wonderful adventure we are embarking upon.

Hansel and Gretel

Madelynn's first dance recital was on Saturday. She did great! She was an angel in the play Hansel and Gretel. I think she had alot of fun.

Mom, we need a new house

Such funny conversations I have with Madelynn lately. Here is one recent one:

Mom, this mirror looks wrong here. I think we need to move the house.

Move the house?

Well, maybe we could just buy a new house.

We need a new house?

Yes, this house is too old. We need give this house to people who like old things.

Like who?

Like old people.

Old people?

Yes, daddy is old. He can live here, and we can go to a new house.

I don't know about that.....

Well, maybe we can just get all new stuff. Are you thinking what I'm thinking mom?

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking we need a new palm tree, acorn tree, all new trees....

She continued with a list of new things we need, while I quietly laughed.... Her imagination is just hilarious!

The Harmonic Clash

Yo-Yo Ma and Lil Buck. Love the culture clash that works in such harmony.