Crawling: A true story

I know I have other children, but Leo is the most entertaining these days.

I give you Crawling:
A true story by Leonard Jenkins

He's one happy crawling baby. Nothing is safe now.

Many Faces of Leo

Just thought I'd throw in some freaking adorable pictures of Leonard.

Not even 6 months and he's thiiiiiiiiiis close to crawling. He'll be running by like next week I think.

How are you adjusting?

A question I get asked frequently is "how am i adjusting?" or "How is it with 4 kids?"

I answer the same each time, short, sweet & to the point: Everything is good.

I'm not one to start a long conversation in passing talking about the adjustment of adding a 4th child to our family. Even if I was struggling, I wouldn't say I was.  Especially to another mother. I've got to save face, right?

There is such a stigma about looking like we have it all together.  Especially with putting our lives out there so much especially on social media. I don't know what is real anymore. I know my "real" posts on Instagram aren't as real as they could be.  Filters galore, taking 10 "real" photos to make sure i have just the right light or angle to make sure it looks the part (black and white filter is my BFF!).  I'm not saying we all do this, but i know i have once or twice or 20 times, but I try not to cause my life revolves around telling it like it is.

So back to my question: how is it with 4 kids now?

ITS HARD!

We're good but its still hard. I am luckier than most, because Chris gets 3 months off from work to be with us.  I've had him around for each kid we've brought home and I am so thankful for that.

So far these past 7 weeks most days have been great, but different & work! We have to juggle our schedules for school drop off/pick up, feeding schedules, fewer hours of sleep, but we're truly adjusting better than I hoped. And that is the honest no filter, straight on photo of our life right now.

Its a happy, unscheduled, messy, life with 4 kids.  I get tired, grumpy, hangry, & yelly, but who doesn't when they are running on fewer Z's.

I love my new life, and still can't grasp that I have 4 children.  A friend asked the other day "how do you have 4 kids?!" I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders.  I am just truly blessed, that how i guess.

we be doing

why hello there.

these are a few things we've been up to.

......

hahaha yeah not much. just being around the house. try to keep sane and have some fun while doing that.

the most exciting thing that happened was on Sunday this little guy was blessed at church. it was a very sweet, wonderful blessing given to him by his daddy.

 

the vest he is wearing was his daddy's when he was a little guy. so glad it fit so he could wear it.

did i mention this little guy is now 2months old!

yikes time sure does fly by.

 



it was great to have family there.



my siblings and i.

not in order but our heights worked out for a nice line up.

i just noticed we coordinated pretty nice for not planning. :)  

 

oh and Camden's best buds were there too!!



sweet little Henry

 



 sweet little sleepy guy Rhett

 the best family photo we could get.

mia just wanted to go to primary, she was done with pictures.

 



 my mom and dad

chris with his parents

okay and this picture just because it shows seriously how much little guy loves his sisters. he smiles and talks to them all the time and it make me so happy everytime.





a little of this and that

 

 

This one will be two weeks tomorrow.

Time sure does fly when you aren't getting enough sleep.

 

I had a little too much fun today dressing him up and taking pictures.  Not great pictures, but the subject in them is adorable so it makes them okay and i ordered some birth announcement cards too.

 

 

On a different note.

Amelia is officially potty trained.

yay for big sister and only having one kid in diapers.

 

Things are going good.

the girls are acting out more now though and i'm hoping they will stop soon cause they are driving me crazy.

but other than that, things are good.

 

 

Another note.

my birthday is sunday.

i'll be 26

yeah im an oldie

kidding, not old yet

i'm hoping to be able to get out of the house and do something,

but might be hard to do this year.

maybe i'll celebrate in a month or so.

giving up life for a newborn.

ah motherhood. :)

 



hadababyitsaboy

well well well.

whats new with you?


yeah you guessed it, i had my baby!

only a day late of my expected due date, but really i consider this little guy of mine ON TIME!!!

GLORY HALLELUJAH!!!

So lets get into what when down, before i forget too much.  if you get weirded out of birth then you might not like this story. i'm not going to get into details because honestly i think birth is gross, so yeah. hahaha. i'll spare you.

lets it begin. this is a long one.

friday morning i was at the end of my rope, i just could not be pregnant for one more day, my body had enough. but i knew i could have very well have weeks to go. so i told myself i am not going to bed with out my baby in my arms tonight. then i tried to figure out how that was going to happen. evelyn had a field trip that morning, when her and chris got home around 11am i decided you know what i'm just going to go for it. so yes, i did. i drank some sick nasty stuff, clearly i was desperate. castor oil. i attempted 4 tablespoons, which i heard is the "magic" number. i couldn't choke it down, i had mixed it with OJ too. i probably only got down maybe 2 tablespoons but i figured if i was ready it would work. 

I'm just really going with positive thinking at this point. so fast forward to 3pm.  i had one contraction. AWESOME!! i'm so flippin excited. 4 minutes later another! SCORE!  2 minutes another, again 2 mintues.  after timing them for an hour they were consistently 2 minutes apart and 1 minute in length. my mind i'm thinking, uhhhh isn't this when people are told to go to the hospital?

i called my mom, warned her we were going. we were going to drop the girls off at their house, plans changed mid drive. i was nervous cause i know i could go quickly and i'm not about to have things go down in a van down by the river.

we get to hospital. wait for my mom. we get checked in. as we are getting checked in the triage nurse comes in and looks at me, see's that i'm smiling, cracking jokes and says "oh you are going to fine." as in this girl is probably not that far. so we are walking in the triage room, right outside the door, my water breaks! what!? uhhhh AWESOME!!!

SUCK ON THAT TRIAGE NURSE!!!! BOOOOYAHH!! 

 

baby had done his business though, so it was pretty gross. eeewwwww. so thankfully they had one labor and delivery room available. yay. so wheeled away we went. get in, changed, cleaned up, and was checked. this was about 7pm. i was at 6cm almost a 7. yay!! they do their routine questions yadda, yadda, my nurse started talking about an epidural and i stopped her and told her to never mention it again. in a nice way of course, and that was that. :)

i have to say that the contractions weren't really all that bad. i could get through them. breathing, focusing on things, and just staying positive and laughing. after about almost 2 hours of being around 7.5cm things started to get interesting. things got more intense, not unmanageable, just stronger. the hardest part was of course transition. it wasn't a very long space of time, it was just the whole, yeah i feel like a need to poop out a baby and i can't yet feeling, which was hard to resist and just breath through. good grief. i guess at one point i swore under my breath. i don't remember that but really i can't be blamed for anything coming out of my mouth that that point. i tried my best to stay focused and calm. i thought i did a pretty good job, but when i had to get him out i knew and i had to wait for the doc to get there. LONGEST like 5 minutes of my life. hahaha.

pushing the baby out was i'd say the BEST part ever. such a relief and it didn't hurt.  i pushed a few times and my little man was born! yay!! i asked the doctor if it was still a boy, yep he's all boy, then they layed him on me and the first thing i said was on my goodness he is heavy!! they weighed him and he was 8lbs 10oz. he could have very well been a tiny bit more cause he kept pooping while the nurses were trying to clean him up. haha. 20.5inches long. born at 10:23pm. i was so hyped up on baby love i had the hardest time falling asleep that night, i just had so much energy it was amazing!!

my nurse mentioned how great i did. i think she was just happy i wasn't a psycho while in labor and didn't want to kill her. she was super amazing, i feel like i was really lucky getting her as my nurse.

so here we are 6 days later, feeling great, just trying to get a schedule down and figure our new lives out. i must say that my husband is the bomb! he's been my rock through it all and has been doing so much to make things easier on me.

so now picture time!!!

 

 

 camden with his cousin henry.

henry is 7weeks old

camden is 2 days old

cam is bigger.

that's my boy!

lol

:)

the last days

so for serious i really would love to be having this baby like right now, but i'm not. i'm hoping for this week. that would be AMAZING!

my "due date" is the 28th. yeah so just a couple of days.

i had my (hopefully last) dr. appointment monday. I am to just about 3cm dilated.  if i'm not fully 3 after that exam i'd be surprised. my doctor has the biggest hands ever! he didn't mention effacement or whatever and i didn't care enough to ask. he did mention that the baby is really low. SCORE. any news is the best news in this situation, and i'm just glad i'm something and baby is good.

my babies just love chillin in the womb way too much. im just such a good incubator.

doc made a note on my charts that i prefer to NOT be induced. he did mention if i get closer to two weeks over they will schedule something at that point but they will let me wait it out. lets all pray that is not the case!!

so that is my baby update for you right now.  just a waiting game at this point, its fun, annoying, exciting, and frustrating all at the same time.

we're ready for him.

full moon

just thought i'd share an update.

i am closing in on 39weeks. i went to the doctor yesterday. things are good, heartbeat strong. my next appointment is next monday, which i'm hoping a)it is my last one or b)the full moon will be on my side and i won't make it to that appointment.

either one would be just fine with me. :)

i didn't take very many pictures of myself this pregnancy, but in fact its more than both of my other ones combined. i didn't take any with evelyn and maybe 2 with amelia. haha.

so here is a progression i think it starts at 22 weeks and the last one is from monday right before my appointment.

these were all from my phone, i suck at taking pictures, dirty mirror, so yeah not the best pics ever. :) but enjoy.

i'm excited for not being pregnant anymore, and being able to cuddle and love on my little boy. :)

oh and notice the bed? yeah its really tall. seriously so excited to be able to get in and out of it without losing my breath. :)

staying alive

i swear im still alive.
even though yes, i feel like death at some points of the day. i would know i've been there before trust me not the best place to be. but even with the small amounts of that i'm still feeling great.

i waddle, i wince, i cringed, but all in all i'm happy. I can't wait for these next few weeks to happen. hopefully many walks around our local zoo helps things come along. oh and we got a new bed and it is taller than the one we already had so its pretty much a work out trying to get myself in and out of the thing. getting up in the middle of the night is the worst thing right now, hahaha. chris has woken up a few times and has had to help pull me up on the bed. its pretty ridiculous if you ask me. :)

oh by the way. i made a decision, to have a natural birth this time around. so aka so induction date will be scheduled, no drugs will be given. everyone cross your fingers, toes, eyes, and legs that i'm not 2 weeks late. thank you everyone for the good vibes. :)

Saturday was my baby shower, sadly no pics were taken(i forgot my camera, of course), but it was an amazing time and so happy so many people were able to come and support me and baby cam.

here are a few phone pics of the last little bit. enjoy. :)

 

 i thought it was a perfect fit for my little camden lyle.

only 1.99 i couldn't pass it up. :)

 

got this book on a tuesday and read everything by friday.

i loved everything about this book and i know it will seriously help me with my decision to go natural. i am really excited!!!!

 

 

this is our front yard id say 80% of the time.

we live on a corner and people ditch their evidence of drinking and driving in our yard. it drives me crazy.

 

my sweet little nephew henry with his great grandma crandell at my baby shower saturday. he is the cutest!!

me at 36 weeks. this mirror is at a slight angle which makes me look much MUCH smaller than i really am. oh and this outfit is worn pretty much every time i'm in pulic now, its the only one that fits.

i wish i had a video of the waves my stomach makes and it tickles every time he does it too. this is me trying to relax, and depuff my legs and feet. it doesn't look like my feet are propped up but they are, thats how big my tummy is. haha.


i hope everyone has a great day!! thanks for reading folks. :)

the end is near

i'm guessing still 5 maybe 6 weeks just for good measure though, but i can use all the "on time" baby vibes i can get right now. :)

i'm just about 36 weeks. yay, but really doesn't mean much for me.

evelyn 10 days overdue-induced
amelia 5 days overdue-induced

i don't want to get induced this time. so we will see what happens. i'm just hoping that since its the third and a boy, things will be different.


How far along? 36 weeks(close enough!)
Maternity clothes? a lot of the clothes i wear aren't maternity, but really i have just a few things that fit right now. most are pajamaish. so you'll see me rotate those few things and in my pajamas. :)
Sleep: i've been sleeping okay. obviously getting up in the middle of the night. but i've actually had a few good nights of long stretches of sleep. it's been nice.
Best moment this week: i didn't slap someone when they touched my belly. i did tell them to not touch me, and they got the picture with the look i gave them. :)
Miss Anything? being able to do pretty much anything without losing my breath.
Movement: he's been rolling around and having a party all the time. i have noticed at night he actually stops, so lets keep it up baby.
Food cravings: bananas and peanut butter
Anything making you queasy or sick: no i ended that a long time ago. thank heavens
Labor Signs: true labor, no. but i'm okay with him cooking as long as he needs too. i've been having a lot of braxton hicks so i'm excited about that.
Wedding rings on or off? if i wore it then yes it would still fit. my fingers don't swell as much as my feet do.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happyish. its hard to stay happy all the time when you are uncomfortable 24hrs a day.
Looking forward to: the baby shower festivities, my next dr appointment (the 7th) i'll get an ultrasound and see how this little one is growing, and getting the book i ordered, ida may's guide to natural childbirth. exciting things woot!!

time keeps on slippin....

slippin, slippin, into the future.

oh man Space Jam. memories.

anywho.

so time is flying peeps. thank goodness. the last thing i need right now is for time to stand still and take forever. i've got one thing after another lined up this month and next to keep me busy and my mind occupied.

32 weeks folks.

i'm feeling large and in charge. wish i wasn't so large, but you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

it started to sink in that i have 8 weeks (possibly more) left when i realized i'm starting to see the doctor every two weeks now. it usually doesn't hit me till that point. then every week, yikes. panic button. nah just kidding. it's exciting but definitely different feeling the third time around for sure.

-right now i'm up at 5am because i can't sleep. joyous. well i could sleep cause i'm tired just too uncomfortable this morning. i can fall asleep easy and as long as i don't wake up for a bit so i get good sleep. i consider myself lucky.

-braxton hicks for the win people. it's a bit of a new experience for me. none with evelyn (that i can remember), and a few times with amelia. this one, he's throwing me for a loop. i'm hopeful this mean i'll actually go into labor on my own. that would be nice and what i'd like to happen this time around.

-i've been watching baby stuff on netflix. ever seen The Business of Being Born??  i probably wont be having a natural birth, but i've enjoyed watching the movie, and the episodes. i'm definitely more knowledgeable, about time huh. haha. its been fascinating.

-i think amelia might have a hard time with the baby adjustment. she's been acting out a lot more this last week and i think it's because of baby. she got mad at me yesterday and punched my stomach. i'm hoping this is just a little phase and not the future.


well i hope you all have a wonderful day! make it the best day yet!

flavor of the baby :)

 

if you are here reading this you are about to find out

as my dad said at some point "the flavor" of our baby.

 

 

let me start off by saying

RULES OF THREE.

something that i've seen with MANY of my friends

three boys, three girls

so knowing this of course i was nervous.

i love my girls yes, but i knew if it was another girl

i would punch my husband in the face.

hahaha

but of course i didn't want to get my hopes up. 

 

i was expecting telling my family to take a little more time

but just so ya'll know

if you are going to write something on the bottom of a cupcake

use another paper liner other than white!

you can see right through it when you've finished eating your cupcake.

didn't expect that side effect.

hahaha.

oh well it was still pretty funny.

 

anywho i made cupcakes

pink and blue.

 

 

 

they were stinkin delicious if i might say so. :)

i wrote on the bottom of each one what we were having.

so basically what it ended up being

if you ate a cupcake you knew what we were having.

love surprises.

 

 

 

 

 

this one loved the cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

 

so what was on the bottom of those freakin delicious cupcakes???

 

 

 

 

 

well..........

 

 

 

BOY!!!!

yeah thats right rules of three STOPS right here!!

yay!!

 

chris and i had a high five moment during the ultrasound

my doctor was like "yeah not really excited huh?"

it was pretty awesome.

 

We are so excited to have a little boy in our family!!

 

little Camden Lyle!

(we've had his name ready for him for almost 6 years!)

 

about time

so now you know. :)

worth the wait?

 

yeah, i think so too.