summer break starts TODAY!!! (unless you counted last evening)

today we're starting.  we have SO MANY fun things planned...
this morning we discussed and switched out chores.  here's our list:

• match up socks  --#2
• pick up lawn (dog doo, shoes/socks that might've been left out there, toys, etc.)  --mom & #4
• kitchen clean-up after each meal (including: rinse dishes, load dishwasher, wipe off counters)  --#2
• fold and put away laundry  --#1
• fill water bottles  --#4
• sweep and mop (kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, entry way)  --#1 & #2  SAT. ONLY
• pick up living room  --#1
• water Finnagen (3X/day)  --#3
• clear table before meals  --#5
• vacuum living room  --#3
• clean both bathrooms  --mom & #3  SAT. ONLY
• sort laundry and bring fullest pile to laundry room --#4
• empty trash cans  --#3
• wash off table (before and after meals)  --#2
• organize toys and toy area  --#1 & 2  SAT. ONLY
• vacuum rooms  --#4 SAT. ONLY
• feed Finnagen (2X/day)  --#3
• empty dishwasher  --#5
• put away silverware  --#4
• pick up toys  --#5
• walk the dog  --#1
• mow the lawn  --#1 / mom  FRI. ONLY
• do laundry  --mom
• make lunch  --mom & #2
• clear table after meals  --mom

#1 being the eldest...
these are to go along WITH daily responsibilities:

• clean room
• make bed
• get dressed
• brush teeth
• comb and style hair
• devotions

and a NEW implementation (is that a word???):  we're pairing the kids up.  #1/#4.  #2/#5.  #3/#6.  they are responsible for their partner. 
SERVICE is our word/deed for this summer. 

breakfast is to be fixed and eaten by 9am.
chores are to be accomplished before noon (unless they are a time of day chore like the dinner-time chores).

this is my documentation.  notes taken. 

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

FIRE

i had another fire accident.  would you like to hear about it?  well, read on my dear friend...

yesterday was a FULL day!  we had one thing after another after another and then packed with several on top of each other to end it off. 

jones' last t-ball game was from 5:30ish to 7:30ish.  wolfie had martial arts at 7 to 8.  middle school mayhem (a big end-of-the-year party) was also yesterday from after school until 5:30.m  i also had to make and serve dinner somewhere in there... before the sports because there's NO WAY these kids of mine could wait 'till after 8 to eat!  plus, 8:00 is bed time.  it was a school night. 

so, here's how i had it planned.  i would make dinner and have it ready by 5.  serve it to the littles at 5, jump in the car at 5:20 with a plate of dinner for wolfie.  we'd fly to drop off wolfie (early) and make it to jones' warm up for his game.  aren't i good?!  see... i'm getting the hang of it!!!

anyway, i turned on the oven to 425 to preheat while i whipped up the meal (mexican lasagna).  i had the skillet on top of the stove top, which isn't normal, but it was a clear work space, so i used it.  as i was whipping, i noticed the smoke coming from the oven, and i cursed at myself for not cleaning up that mess in there... AGAIN!  it's been smoking gross smelling aroma for the past two months it seems!!!  i kept working and it kept getting more extreme.  so i glanced down at the window and saw some flames...
oh crap!  so i opend it to see how bad they were... or something.  i'm not sure why i opened the door.  to see if they were real???  and they got higher.  so i shut it.  and i told the kids there was a fire in the kitchen. 
binkins went around and opened all the windows/doors and rallied the little ones.
i opened up the other doors and windows.
jones continued to fight with his shoe.  he was trying to get his cleats on. 
i tried to decide what i should do.  if i open the door again, the flames will be fed more oxygen.  if i don't take care of it, it might just ruin the oven.  what other options do i have???
so i flipped on the fan for the _____ (loss of word) option and then opened the door.  woops.  lots of smoke.  bigger flames now.  i turned around to see what the kids were doing in binkins "rally the little ones" emergency evacuation.  binkins, boo, and starboy were all gathered together in the middle of the living room with their fingers in their ears.  totally ready for what they knew was next.  (yes, it's embarrassing that they know what's to come -fire alarm- when mom starts a fire!)
i told binkins to take them all outside instead. 
jones continued to fight with his cleats.
the smoke started to get really bad.  it was getting heavy in the kitchen.  that's when i noticed my sweet sleeping babe in her bouncer on the counter.  so, i picked her up and placed the bouncer outside too and told binkins that she was gonna have to watch her for a bit.  no opposition there!!!
then i rushed back inside.  i knew i could figure out what to do.  even though every decision thus far was stupid... i'm not stupid!
so i got the fire extinguisher.  and i blew out the fire with it. 
and then jones came up to me with his shoe and asked me to untie the knot.  it was just too tight for him.
and we all lived happily ever after.  except wolfie didn't go to martial arts.  and nobody attended jones' game except for buttercup and me.  and then the aftermath of the game... well, that'll have to wait for another post!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

dreaming of summer!

a month or so ago, my creative, fun, wonderful mom-of-a-sister posted about 60 things to do before her son turned 6 (in approximately 60 days from when she thought it up).  how fun, i thought.  so i marked 60 days on my calendar before my son, jones, turned 6.  and it came, and it went.  :(
but last weekish i started getting the itches for summer break.  i miss my kids.  i'm getting antsy to hang out with them ALL DAY LONG!  and no, i'm not being sarcastic.  i'm SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!  honestly, i'm having a hard time waiting.  both last monday and the monday before that, i almost didn't want to wake them for school.  in fact, I DIDN'T... but otter pop did (being the responsible parent that he is).  anyway, i dream of all these fun things to do with them.  i get all these ideas in my head of places to go and see.  i anticipate all sorts of activities... and then the summer comes and goes. 
i shouldn't shouldn't say that.  last summer we had a gay ol' time.  my creativity drew me towards vacation bible school every other week, all summer long.  the kids hadn't done vbs before and they really enjoyed it.  it also prepped my mr. jones for school... which i was pretty worried about. 
this summer i've decided to get all those ideas, and write 'em down.  we're gonna have a summer bucket list!  i started it yesterday.  here's what i have so far:

1. picnics
2. horse races
3. birds of prey museum
4. botanical gardens
5. farmer's market
6. check out free festivals that happen all summer long
7. wednesday evening ***** centre on the grove (live music and entertainment)
8. travel!  road trips!  mountains, ghost towns, national parks, local ginormous canyon, up north, visit cousins, visit grandparents/aunts/uncles, beaches, hot springs...
9. camping
10. find a dinosaur museum
11. and still a vbs here or there
12. play ball in the park
13. go swimming
14. hiking
15. fishing
16. climbing
17. tree climbing
18. bird watching
19. house hunting

i'm so excited!!!!! 

next on my to-do list-making-list is to make a bucket list of things that NEED to be done during the summer.  maybe we'll compare the lists and make it a fun if-then tally sheet.  for instance, if we accomplish 1 to-do, then we'll pick 1 fun activity.  or if we get 3 *'d to-do things done, then we'll choose a * fun bucket list thing to do.  or, if we do 5 !'d to-do things done, then we'll choose a ! fun bucket list thing to do.  (those *s and !s would be labels we could put on our fun bucket list, if you didn't catch on.)



Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

monday menu #11 for 2012

this week is an exact replica of last week's.  except minus exact because there's one item missing. 

here's what i have: 

• mexican lasagna with perhaps some corn bread muffins on the side
• pulled pork sandwiches with some sort of healthy vegetable.  i'd like coleslaw... but i always get complaints because no one likes it.  even i am just pretending to like it when i eat it.  maybe just a green salad. 
• grilled marinated chicken with grilled veggies (like, but not limited to potatoes, asparagus, green beans...)
• hamburger helper stroganoff without the box's helper, served with green peas.
• swiss steak and homemade fresh bread

i am still finding it hard to budget my dinner-making-time between running 13-year-olds to and from martial arts and 5-year-olds to t-ball practices and games and nursing an 8-week-old.  i realize dinner is a priority, because we have to eat... but MAKING dinner isn't as much of a priority i guess. 
i'm up for any tips that those of you have used.  really.

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

what's this "mother's day" thing???

i wonder why God didn't liken himself to a mom... aren't they like the best things ever???  that's just my thought today on mother's day.
i have, hands down, the absolute best and perfect mother for me in whole entire universe.  hands all the way down.  no contest. 
let me tell you 30 reasons (for each year of my life) why she's the best:

1. she's patient
2. she's kind
3. she does not boast
4. she is not self-seeking
5. she is not easily angered
6. she is truthful
7. she always protects
8. she always perseveres
9. she always loves
10. she's a nurse
11. she loves my dad
12. she loves my kids
13. she's full of help
14. she's my biggest cheerleader
15. she believes in me
16. she has great faith in the one true God
17. she's the best prayer warrior... she really prays without ceasing
18. she's athletic
19. she pushed out 4 wonderful babies and raised them with my father
20. she never gave up on marriage
21. she's optimistic
22. she's stubborn
23. she's a good role model
24. she's really encouraging
25. she's a great cook and baker
26. she is a nice grandmommy
27. she loves babies.  she's a baby-hog.
28. she's healthy
29. she always knows the right thing to say
30. she knows how to pinch a penny!

something else:  HER mother!  my granny is so wonderful and great.  i could almost duplicate the list above for my granny.  my mom definately IS her mother's daughter!!!  my granny is not a nurse though.  instead she is a great wife and mother as her career.  my papa, her husband, died at an early age and my granny's self-sufficient nature blossomed as she became a widow.  she was forced to be independant and strong even though it seemed like the odds were stacked against her.  papa was a business-owner.  granny was his right-hand man.  together they ran their store like a well oiled machine.  after he passed, she didn't have his income, but since she's so practically minded, i don't think she had too hard of a time making things last, wasting not and wanting not.  she's great like that!  the other unique strong characteristic of granny is her competitive nature.  she, like my mom, is another biggest cheerleader.  she wants, more than anything, for her children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to WIN (unless she's playing a game against them, that is)!  and boy does she like to play a game!!!  any game!!!  her favorites are card games (like pineochle) and word games (like scrabble). 

i can't put into words how extremely grateful i am to have these two women as mom-models for me.  i can't even begin to express how thankful i am that i have both of them in my life right now.  what is this "mother's day" thing???  it's a day to express this sort of gratitude.  to reflect on the mothers in your life.  to take a little time to tell them "thank you".  so go ahead... give a little shout out!


Don't "like" me on facebook... you can't find me there.
Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

things that i teach and/or say to my kids

1. there'll be days like this
2. flush and wash
3. do it the first time you're asked, the right way, with a happy heart
4. yes ma'am
5. listen for my voice
6. no fighting, no biting
7. if you wanna live here, you need to learn how to follow the rules.
8. get along
9. tv rotts the brain
10. do unto others as you would have them do unto you
11. outside excercise is great medicine
12. laughter is the best medicine
13. hugs, not drugs!
14. pop/soda rotts your teeth
15. your mouth bacteria eats sugar and poops acid
16. choose to do what's right (even when it's hard)
17. protect and respect
18. serve others
19. others first, self last
20. ladies first... ALWAYS
21. jesus, others, then you
22. i love you
23. don't drink the butt-water
24. don't leave for later what can be done now
25. be responsible:  don't leave something for someone else to do
26. be respectful.  always.  to everone. 
27. honor others.
28. don't shake the baby!
29. do what jesus would want you to do
30. life is like a box of chocolates

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

5 weeks

today sweet buttercup is 5 weeks old.  she's also a month and 4 days old.  she's also very cute and sweet. 
[insert 5 week pic here]
but she's not the only one in my life!

wolfie started martial arts at the beginning of this month.  she has karate on monday and wednesday from 7-8.  she's doing extreme martial arts (xma) on tuesday and thursday, which is like a jackie chan type of gymnastic/martial arts form from 5-6.  on friday she's learning some other gymnastic type of funness and a weapon's class (2.5 hours of 3 classes: 4:30-7).  on saturday she has a class of self defense called krav maga from 10-11.  all these are helping her get into shape, but also teaching her some good self discipline and respect.  next month (i think) she's going to narrow down her classes to one or two of the arts to pursue. 

binkins lost another tooth.  she's reading like a pro and is super excited to dig into chapter books finally.  she LOVES to hold her sister and help out in any other way, especially if it means not doing what she's supposed to be doing. 

jones was the little red hen in his kindergarten visual arts performance.  it was really cute.  unfortunately i didn't get any good pictures, but i was there, so i'll just testify to its cuteness!  he's reading early reader books and unlike his two big sisters, doesn't get frustrated with it.  he's great!!!  also jones started t-ball the week before buttercup was born.  it's a hoot to watch 4-6 year-olds learn the sport.  they all clock out almost simultaneously after about 30 or 45 minutes.  but he's learning and they're improving. 

boo has cut naps out of her day now for sure.  she needs quiet time but doesn't do very well at it either.  she has started sleeping in 'till about 8:30ish, but she doesn't go to bed early either... i don't think it's really that healthy, but i can't force the girl to sleep!

starboy loves being a big brother.  he likes to boss his baby around, but he also absolutely LOVES to kiss and pet her.  all the kids really like to hold buttercup.  starboy is going through a rough phase and we're adjusting our training methods with him.  he's a good, sweet boy, but he's learned quite a bit of stubborn naughtiness somewhere (i can't imagine where though!)
[insert pop and i pic here]
otter pop and i have little bit been looking for a home to buy.  it may be 6 months up to 18 month until we get one, but it doesn't hurt to look around and see what's out there. 

i'm still really juggling around the mom duties and staying sane, but it's getting better each week.  all the running around is new and crazy and i certainly don't love it, but i do it and then we scrounge for dinner each night because that's what i SHOULD be doing... 
[insert dinner pic here]
so, on to that... dinner... because that is what i should be doing right now!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

3 weeks

it's been 3 little weeks since buttercup has joined us, her family, on the outside of my body.  here's what we think of her:
starboy:  she's really aweeesa.  i lub her.  she's my favorite.
boo:  i really love she and she so cute.  i hope she don't cries.  she's just my little sister and my sweetie.  shes eyes are so cute. 
jones:  she's so cute.  her feet are soooo tiny.  i wish she could grow up to play the wii.  i like to hold her because her face is so cute. 
binkins:  fine.  good.  she's so sweet.  she's an angel.
wolfie:  she's small and fragile.  she's quiet. 
me:  she's awfully sweet. 
otter pop:  i love her, she's the sweetest thing God put a nose on. 

i had to take the sweet cute little one to the dr today.  she started complaining yesterday and wanting to be held in a specific way.  she's had a little nagging pathetic baby-cough for the past week... i kinda thought she might have an ear ache...  she did and she does.  and she now weighs a whopping 9lb.7oz.  ---she's really packing on the weight!!!  (sarcasm)

her belly button still kinda looks weird, but it's an innie now, so that's nice.

her hair is growing nicely.  she's a definite fuzz head now.

she poops and pees regularly.  is healthily hydrated.  and she needs a bath...

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

2 weeks

well, last week's "update" idea sucked.  and i didn't get any better ideas from my trusty readers... maybe i don't have any trusty readers...  :(
ok, so what is it that I WANT TO REMEMBER about the first two weeks?

hm...

well, after we got home from the hospital we realized that we really had created a sweet bundle of cuddle.  she LOVES to snuggle and it's so apparent -even in these first 2 weeks- that she loves to be touched, held, skin-to-skin.  we've had to wean her away from us, so that she'll sleep in her own bed at night.  i'm too paranoid to co-sleep, so when she demanded to be sleeping with us, it pretty much meant that she'd sleep and i'd just snooze a little off and on (in a sitting up position). 
buttercup came out of the womb ready to poop... in fact, she slipped a little out even while she was IN the womb.  but we went through a 20-pack of diapers in two days at the hospital.  they were poopy almost every single time!  just so you know, that is a lot of poopy diapers for a newborn!  since i breastfeed, i knew she wasn't really eating anything...  she was shrinking dramatically with the output and no intake!  at discharge i think they said she weighed 8lb. 10oz.
she was also very very gassy.  she'd let out these farts that could honestly clear the room if it weren't for her sweet cute face needing kissed 24/7.  when we got home, the second night she was in such pain from that rank smell eating her insides she cried for 3 hours straight.  that would have been rough even during the day, but it just so happened it was from 2 to 5 in the morning... on the night before otter pop's return to work!  it was heartbreaking.  and there wasn't anything i could do to help her...
my wonderful, awesome, sweet sister came up to help with the kiddos on the monday and tuesday after her birth.  -we were in the hospital until sunday evening.-  however, my mother-in-law decided that she wanted to keep the kiddos, so my sister came up anyway and brought all her cleaning supplies.  we got to hang out and then as i rested and recouped, she cleaned our house!  hot diggity dog i hit the jackpot when she was born!!!!!  (my sister, i'm referring to... but buttercup too.)
[insert aunT pictures here]
on wednesday, my mommy came to help, however my mother-in-law still had the kiddos... so once again, i was blessed with some great company!  we made a jont to the store and bought some items and played some games and had a gay old time... 
[insert mammy pictures here]
the kids got dropped off wednesday night and it was great to see them and for them to see us and really meet their baby sister.  they still, even now, are having a hard time calling her by her name.  they refer and introduce her as our new baby, buttercup!  it's kinda cute and i remember the same thing happening with starboy. 
boo and starboy were a bit under the weather with some nasty coughs.  boo was almost over it, but man that little starboy sounded like death had hit him as he'd get his cough attacks!  as the week progressed and the weekend drew nearer, jones and binkins also started the coughing.  my mom left on friday night and we entered the weekend ready for some fun. 
school resumed on monday and the kids were excited and ready to go back and tell everyone about their new baby sister. 
this past week has been a great one of adjusting and getting back into our routine.  the kids all have adjusted really really well to having a baby in the family again.  even little buttercup is adjusting great!  she is on a good routine with her napping and eating. 
she eats every 4 hours during the day and goes for 6 hours once during the night.  she poops and pees very very very very frequently.  she sleeps pretty much every 4 hours too.  it goes like this: eat, poop, eat, pee, look around... sleep. repeat. 
my milk came in and passed me right through engorgement very quickly.  by very quickly, i mean that i was swollen for about 24-48 hours tops.  i was given some supplements, by a friend, to help with with my supply as i have struggled to make enough milk with the others.  they definitely helped!!!  in the past few days i think i might be making a little too much as i'm feeling VERY full between feedings, or close to feeding time... 
sweet buttercup is so easy going.  she's a sweet sweet blessing to be around.  she had her blood test today where they prick her foot and fill up four circles with her blood... pku or something...  and she slept right through it!  i'm not kidding.  she didn't wake up at all.  she doesn't spit up ---first out of all of mine that hasn't.  she doesn't fuss much and when she does, it's not very loud.  she's tolerant of anyone holding her.  she's just fantastic.  she doesn't even ask for the pacifier! 

i've changed approximately 100 diapers as of tuesday...  thank the lord for saving money through cloth ones!!! 

anything else?  just ask!!!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

downloaded pix

welcome to our family sweet buttercup!
i've finally downloaded our pix off our camera.  so here's a recap:

FINALLY!

right after her first little bath

some sugar-sweet visitors

she hearts her auntie

SOME THINGS WE ADORE ABOUT HER:

 

 

 

 

more visitors

 GOING HOME!

...

more to come!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

41 week 1 day ... buttercup is here!

whether stripping my membranes did it or not, no one will ever know, but buttercup has arrived.  let me tell you about my part in bringing her into this world:
after my dr's appointment on thursday i was having contractions and cramps on and off, but really painful.  i went to bed that night hoping to simmer them down.  it didn't work.  i woke up at 12:26 with horrible cramping (i say cramping because that's the feeling.  what i was experiencing was contractions.  they were faithfully waving every 3 minutes.)  i jolted awake because beyond the pain, i was wet.  it felt like the pillow i stuck between my legs was soaked.  i jerked out of bed like i hadn't been able to do in approximately 4 months.  i put my hand down to feel the bed and sure enough it was soaked too.  i hobbled quickly to the bathroom.  i peed and peed and peed, but it all felt like pee, so i waited for my pee to stop to see if i'd keep leaking out...  i finally stopped peeing, and nothing else was dripping out. 
hmmm... i hollered to wake my hubby a bit so he could tell me if the bed was really wet or not.  --i've "soaked" the bed in sweat before, where it feels soaking wet to me, but then when i go to lay back down, everything was bone dry.  anyway, he roused enough to answer my question that the bed wasn't wet at all.  so, maybe i was wrong.  praise God.  i was really ticked at the dr. for stripping my membranes at this point!!!  but, good.  maybe my water didn't break.  phew. 
now, stop here if you don't want TMI.  skip to the end.
so, i wiped... and came out with a TON of cervical fluid.  i'm talking my "mucus plug" or my "bloody show".  it was disgusting... that is what had soaked my panties and apparently was running down my legs on the way to the potty.  gross.  but as soon as i started cleaning it up, i remember it happening when i was in the hospital trying to naturally labor with starboy.  so what did this mean?  it meant that those cramps i was having were indeed dilating my cervix and now it was dilated enough that my mucus plug had unplugged. 
it also told me that i was experiencing stage one labor. 
i knew this because my birth coach, otter pop, and i have been reading and studying dr. bradley's book "the husband-coached childbirth" (or something like that).  what i should do, to be as natural as possible during stage one, is pretty much fake-sleep.  fake-sleep is my vocab for 6 steps in the bradley method, but it pretty much completely describes what it entails.  (lay down on the side as one would naturally in the deepest most relaxing part of sleep -also called the running position-.  mouth breathing through the abdomen.  eyes closed.  and 2 more i can't think of.)  anyway, this fake-sleep should help to relax my body so that the contractions can do what they're supposed to do. 
so, i cleaned myself up and then went back to bed.  or i tried.  i was too excited though.  i couldn't sleep at all, and after an hour and a half decided that maybe i was in the put-put stage of phase one.  so, i put-putted around... got on facebook, and posted my status, " today MIGHT be the day... we're still waiting to see. but i have been awake (and WIDE AWAKE) for the past hour and a half... and i don't feel "normal" anymore! --although i still could say i do feel "fine" this minute."  i dinked off for another thirty minutes and then went back to bed.  i fell asleep at about 2:30 or 40.  kinda.
i kept contracting fairly regularly -although not every 3 minutes anymore- all morning long.  as the kids got up around 6:30, they had spread out to every 10 minutes.  my husband told the kids to pretend like everything was normal, but to go on throughout the morning without me because i was in labor.  binkins came back to me and said, "i hope your day gets better mommy and that you stop hurting so bad.  daddy said you were in labor."  i asked her if she knew what labor meant.  she looked at me, kinda puzzled and replied, "yeah.  it means you're working really hard!"  :)  (of course she knew what labor meant!!!)  i love her.  i love my kids.  i love my husband. 
we called otter's mom early so that she wouldn't even have to go into work, she could just come right over.  but she couldn't.  but she was still over before the big kids left for school... so that worked out.  she even brought doughnuts, which totally helped the kids get their chores done lightning fast! 
otter pop drove them all (sophie included) to school to help explain the picking up of jones (that'd have to be done at noon) at the same time.  i had written down the instructions... but hands-on learning is always more helpful. 
before they left he drew me a bath, so i soaked while they were gone and when they returned, sophie just took the littles to her house so that i could labor in peace.  we stuck in a movie, or turned on the tv... i'm not sure which because it really was just a background distraction...  i fake-slept while the contractions got harder and more painful by the minute.  around 11 they were painful enough that i really really had to concentrate on relaxing through them and by about 11:30 or 45 even through the relaxation they were bringing me to tears. 
at 12:15 otter pop had a dental appointment to take measurements and pick up his new partial.  it was supposed to only take about 10 minutes -at most- so he rushed off (at 12:14).  at about 12:30 a wonderful God-sent neighbor-friend dropped in on me.  i had had 3 contractions between 12:14, when pops left, and 12:30, when she arrived.  she asked how they were progressing and i told her they were only every 10 minutes, but were really picking up intensity.  she asked how long they were lasting and i told her i wasn't paying attention to that as much as i was just trying to get through them, so she said she'd start keeping track.  well, all of a sudden they started rushing in.  12:36, 12:38, 12:41, 12:44...  they were very intense!  my friend was rather concerned as she was watching me die right before her eyes.  it was about 12:45 when otter pop arrived back home and said friend and i told him that we'd better head to the hospital. 
he packed the car and i called the birth photographer.  i was really scared because what i had realized in the past about 3 hours, that when i got up (like, to go to the bathroom), or even just sit upright, the contractions would not only intensify by 100%, but also would speed up by 100%.  in between the 11-12 o'clock hour, the speed -when i was sitting up- was pretty much piggy-backed to where it was just one contraction on top the other on top the other... 
i sat up to get ready to get out to the car, and told otter pop that i'd better go potty first.  i hobbled to the pot and tried to relax myself when i felt the urge to push...  i got really scared and told otter that we needed to go, NOW.  of course he was waiting on me... so i wiped and got up (with my hubby's help) and went another few steps before i decided i should stop at the other bathroom and empty myself again before the car ride.  did i mention that i was scared?  because i wasn't.  i was petrified! 
we made it out to the car, back up, and drove about 50 ft. before i reminded him that i'd need my purse.  so we backed up, got the purse, and then sped off to the hospital. 
my wonderful loving husband pushed on his hazard lights and sped all the way to the hospital, passing [at least] 2 cops, and running only one red light.  we arrived and got rushed up and admitted to labor & delivery at 1:36.  at that time i was dilated to a 7.  i informed me that my birth plan was just a joke and that if they really wanted to save my life, they'd have to give me an epidural as quick as possible.  well, someone must've been listening because by some miracle the anesthesisist (sp?) was in my room waiting for the nurses to put in hep-lock iv.  then, the other miracle, was that he was able to administer the epidural while i was in the laying position!  (the miracle in that act is that if he couldn't have done that, i'm sure that i would be paralyzed or dead from trying to get it inserted while sitting up with those contractions piggy-backing with the highest intensity possible!)  anyway, the epidural was administered by 2pm and by 2:12 i felt tremendous relief.  sigh.  i COULD do this!  i didn't have to die. 
my water broke during a check of my cervix and a light green color was detected.  :(  this meant that i might not be able to hold my sweet blessing right away.  however, my husband was catching... so i wasn't devastated...  :)
at about 3:45 we got notice that my dr was on her way over.  at 3:52 my dr checked me and confirmed that i was complete (at 10 cm dilated and 100% effaced and at station 0) and ready to start pushing.  as they tore down the bed, i started to feel the urges.  i had 3-4 contractions, pushed 3 times each contraction, and had my sweet buttercup on my tummy at 4:08pm. 
am i disappointed that i chose to not have this baby naturally?  absolutely not.  i didn't choose meds... i chose life!
buttercup was born, friday, march 23, 2012 at 4:08pm, weighed in at a mere 9 pounds and 5.2 ounces.  her head circumference was 14 inches.  she looks balder than a q-ball... but she has a thick head of short, fine, blond hair.  her nose is great big, smashed all fat, and long.  she has fingers and toes of a 2-year-old, but placed on newborn hands and feet.  they're not at all fat... but they're SURE long!  when she was born, her little cheeks were so chunky and pinch-able... but 24 hours later, she's all unswollen and back down to normal.  no fat rolls on her arms or legs anymore.  :(   she's a beautiful little gal!  i'm completely blessed to introduce you to her:



Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

boys night out... girls evening in...

well, the fun date night on thursday, only lead to more desire for monster truck action.  last year, otter pop took jones, with some friends, to the monster truck races and they had an unbelievably great time!  pops said that he really would like to do it every year. 
so... a year passed...
this year i talked him into taking starboy too.  because starboy LOVES automobiles!!!!!!  i mean, it is his whole heart's desire.  he is passionate about things with wheels... that go vroom!  seriously. 
anyway, i didn't really have to talk him into it.  boys love boys night out.  :)  so, here's some pix recaps:

and then us girls... we stayed home.  and played games, and watched a movie.  no pictures taken.  :)


Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."