P.R.E.G.N.A.N.T.

December 7th-8th, 2009

Yup, it says 'PREGNANT.' WHOA!! How did that happen??? Well, not the biology lesson part but the how-in-the-world part. I was wondering if something was going on the past few days, as I just felt a little off, but I figured it was surely NOT because I was pregnant. E.P.T. has proven me wrong, though. And, so has my OB/GYN. They had me go in yesterday, the 7th, for confirmation and to schedule an ultrasound since I was having some pretty bad pelvic pain and was unsure of my dates. The pelvic pain seems to be due to a 3.5cm cyst on my right ovary and the ultrasound showed a gestational sac and yolk sac, but no baby yet. They are guessing that I am 5wks3days pregnant, as that is what the ultrasound and my blood work showed. We'll see. I go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound to see if there is a baby.

I have a flood if every emotion possible right now. Excitement, surprise, worry and fear top the list. Excitement because, how exciting is it to welcome a new life into our family and into this world?! Surprise because this is purely a surprise, just as my last two pregnancies were. Worry because I just tend to worry when I'm pregnant. I worry about my health and the health of the baby. I worry how it will impact our marriage and the boys. I have fear, because I usually have that when I'm pregnant, too. I fear for the baby's safety, my safetly and every other thing imagineable. But, overall I am embracing this pregnancy. Or, trying to anyway. I know that this is the LAST one. I didn't have this feeling with any of the others, so I'm guessing this is how I know I am done after four! This feeling along with our plans to do something permanent to prevent pregnancy in the next year pretty much seal the deal.

Ahhhh....Morning Sickness

Dec. 10, 2009



A.K.A. All-Day-Long-Sickness. Yup, it's hit. With a vengance. This is reassuring, as the one pregnnacy I lost I had absolutley zero morning sickness. However, I find it quite funny how you conveniently forget how yucky morning sickness is until you're pregnant again. But, at least they say it's a sign of a healthy pregnancy!



Robert and I are becoming more comfortable with the idea of baby number four. He even says I may have to get that minivan I've been dreading! And, he may be right. We'll see. We've also talked some about names and realize that if we have a fourth boy he may not ever have a name! We had a hard time settling on Graham's name, as he was like 12hrs old before we commited to anything. All of our family and all of my nurses kept bugging me about him not having a name yeat. It was kind of funny. If it's a girl we pretty much know what her name will be. But, we'll see. My gut tells me it's a girl, but my brain is telling me to expect another boy since we already have three. Honestly, I don't care about the sex. A happy, healthy momma and baby is all that is important. It would be kind of cool, though, to have a girl. Who knows!!

6 Weeks 3 Days

Dec. 14, 2009

Yes, I am 6wks3days preggers now. This time last week was when the good ol' home pregnancy test turned positive. I've pretty much felt like crud the past week, which is why I've been neglecting my blog and Facebook duties. But, I will resume my updates soon when I feel better. Speaking of feeling better, Baby Carraway #4 was kind enough to allow me to feel better yesterday and even today. And, by better I just mean able to function without praying I don't have to sprint to the bathroom to throw up! This feeling better also makes me nervous. I want everything to be okay with my little bean, and feeling a little better makes me wonder. Yes, I guess I just worry that much when I'm pregnant! But, since Friday and Saturday were SO terrible, maybe it's just all relative. Friday night we had Robert's work Christmas party and I barely survived. The party started at 7:30pm and there was NO food until 8:30pm and I just about died. Of starvation and on-the-verge-of-pukation! I made it through, though, as if I had ended up getting sick I'm sure everyone would have knows what's up. Especially since it was such a big joke that there were no new Carraway's to welcome in 2009. All of Robert's co-workers said they were holding out for 2010. Little do they know! But anyway, I'll have to start taking belly pics pretty soon. I go for another ultrasound next Tuesday so see what the cyst is doing and to see if they can see the heart beat. Maybe if all goes well at that appointment I'll take my first belly pic of my somewhat-flat-yet-I've-had-3-babies-flabby stomach!



Until next time, you stay nice and happy and sung in there Baby Carraway #4. We love you already and Daddy thinks you are a girl, and so does Momma, but only time will tell!

What's Up in There??

Dec. 18, 2009



Okay, Baby Carraway#4. What's going on in there? You have me a little worried today. The morning sickness is not really present today, but Graham's mo-mo's are still sore. So I guess that's a good thing. But, you know how I am. I get worried at the slightest little thing. So, not that I want to be hugging the toilet again or anything, but I'd like a little reassurance that you are okay in there! But, Tuesday is not that far off and that's when we will hopefully see your precious little heart beating on the ultrasound screen. Hang tough, sweet baby, I hope you are doing alright. :)

A Fluttering Heart

Dec. 31, 2009

On December 22nd we had our second ultrasound of Baby Carraway #4. They were checking to see if my dates were matching up (aka if there was a heart beat now) and looking to see what the cyst had done. Well, the cyst is still there and we saw that heart beat!! A sweet little fluttering heart. Yay! The two ultrasounds, my blood work and my knowledge put me at 7wks4days which is about a weeks and a half behind what the last menstrual dating put me at. But, I knew I was right! I think after being pregnant enough you just kind of know when it happened. So, everyone is settled on the dating now and I move to the regular every 4 week appointments. I go back in January 7th and hopefully they'll hear little Baby Carraway #4's heart with the doppler!

On other pregnancy notes...The morning sickness had gotten a TON better. It started earlier and with lot more vengeance than any of my other pregnancies, but it seems to have faded slightly earlier, too. This is great news for anyone that has to be around me these days! ;) I've also got the early pregnancy pooch thing going on now, too. I finally went and invested in one of those pregnancy band things so I can wear my normal clothes and just not button them up. Would be a great thing to have even when not pregnant for after all those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!! I might just have to hang on to this thing. :) And, Patrick and Marshall seem to know that there's a baby on mommy's belly. However, I doubt they really get what this means but it's cute to hear them talk about it, none the less. We did finally tell all of our family and friends while we were home for Christmas. They all seem to be pretty excited, some more excited than others, but I think that's just how it is when you start having multiple children. It becomes kind of the norm, so to speak, for you to be pregnant!! I am planning to start taking belly pics on the days of my doctor appointments, so I should have one next week at the 10wk mark. Until next time...stay nice and cozy in there little bean. :)

Preschool Christmas Party

Back on December 16th (see previous post about me being a little behind!) Robert, Patrick, Marshall and I went to the Christmas party for Patrick's preschool class. Graham stayed home with a sitter, as decorating gingerbread houses seemed a little out of his league at the age of 16 months! We all had so much fun! We decorated our gingerbread house (which was mostly eaten by the time we left the party,) made cranberry and popcorn necklaces and fruit loop necklaces and even got to watch the kiddos sing some Christmas songs!!

The boys really enjoyed making their gingerbread house, but couldn't resist eating more candy than they put on the house. Every time I turned around there was candy missing! By the end of it Marshall was using the popcicle stick as a spoon to eat the frosting and Patrick was taking big bites out of the roof!

Making the necklaces were just as much fun as the gingerbread house and provided a great opportunity to snack, too! Marshall strung his entire froot loop necklace and then ate every single fruit loop off! Maybe I should actually let them eat sugared cereal occasionaly and they wouldn't be so obsessed with eating it.

The kids singing songs was Patrick's least favorite part. He decided to sit in my lap instead of going up to sing. I guess he was having a shy day or something! But, all in all it was a great time and Robert and I enjoyed meeting some of the other moms and dads that came to the party!

A little behind...

Yeah, I'm a little behind. On blogging, facebooking, picture taking, Christmas gift wrapping, gift mailing and, oh yeah, packing for our trip. We leave tomorrow!!! Yikes! But, today I will get us packed, the house ready for us to leave and off we will go tomorrow at lunch time. A special thanks to my super great husband for helping with massive amounts of laundry the past few days so that I can just pack up the clothes we need. Whew! Usually I'm frantically doing loads of laundry so that I can pack, but now it's done. Thanks again, Robert. :) I will also attempt to get caught up on all the things I'm running behind on. I've been a little exhausted lately and I think all of us are fighting one of those yucky winter colds. But, we are super excited about our trip!! We can't wait to see all of our family and celebrate Christmas! Safe travels for us and everyone else that hits the roads and/or airports this season. I'll hopefully be back in full swing in the New Year with lots of exciting posts about lots of super exciting things. :) Merry Christmas!

Blessings

Blessed. Truly blessed, to say the least. That is what we are. We are blessed is so many ways, from having a warm, cozy home to food on the table to Robert having a stable job to me having the privilege of being at home with our beautiful boys to having amazing friends and family and I could go on. Forever. I am rich in so many ways, and I'm not talking about financially. This time of year, especially given our country's economic situation, I am finding it more important that ever to be so appreciative of all that we are so fortunate to have. Especially the small things, the small things that mean so much.

This Christmas we are able to buy gifts for our loved ones, but we are cutting back just like everyone else. Not just because we want to conserve money, but because in all honesty it's not about the material gifts. It's about the intangible ones. The feelings, the sights and the true meaning of this season. My boys will have more gifts from friends and family than any child needs. They will love it. However, Robert and I have never been big gift people and we tend to keep all gift-giving occasions pretty simple. The boys will have one present each from mommy and daddy and a few small things from Santa and some very small (can we say $1 bin at Target!) things for their stockings. And, to tell the truth, I would rather my children just have fun, positive, special feelings about this time of year than to have a single gift under the tree. This is what I strive for. For my children to have nothing but pure joy and understanding of the Christmas season. We are doing pretty well on this, too. They know why we celebrate Christmas and just love to see the manger and baby Jesus. They don't really understand the whole Santa thing, party because I have not stressed it too much. They will get into that soon enough. For now, I want them to focus on the real meaning of Christmas and set a foundation of nothing but happy memories.

I say a prayer every night for those families that are in a more difficult situation than we are. Although we may not be there now, we do not know what the future holds. I wish everyone a glorious, blessed Christmas and I believe that we should all be more appreciative of the little things that make us so rich. As these are the things that make Christmas a truly magical time of year.

Many Blessings and Merry Christmas!

Potty Mouth

Yes, I can be a potty mouth at times. I admit it. But, it's not like I'm dropping the horrible f-bomb left and right or anything. I just have a few choice phrases/words that I often mumble under my breath or not so under my breath if the occasion presents itself. And, many of them are not even "potty mouth" things, they're just things that I would rather my children not say. Such as, "Oh my GOSH!" with a huge sigh afterwards. This one is usually due to the boys getting into something. Or, "Seriously guys. This is RIDICULOUS!!" Again, when they are doing something they should not be doing. These are two phrases the big boys use all the time, and I have to admit it can be pretty funny. But, I do have one word I say that is a little higher on the inappropriate list. It's dammit. Yes, it's a favorite of mine. And, I usually don't even realize I'm saying it and it's usually when I *think* I'm alone in the room and drop something or hurt myself. However, the all hearing ears of my 3 year old and 2 year old have picked up on this word. Isn't it amazing what those little ears hear when you think they are busy doing something else on the other side of the room or not even in the same room as you are?! Well, the other night while Robert and I were eating dinner, the big boys were playing with their barn and trying to put their trucks inside of it and use it as some sort of auto repair shop. Evidently their trucks were broken or something, who knows. But, the trucks would not fit inside the barn and the next thing I know, both big boys are saying, "Dammit. Dammit!!" as they attempt to shove trucks into their little barn. I tried to ignore it, but after a few times I reminded them that dammit is not a very nice word and that they should not say it, and neither should momma. We'll see how it goes. But, I do take responsibility for this one. And, I apologize in advance to everyone because you know they won't ever use that word again until we're sitting at Christmas dinner or something! I can already see how it will go. One of them will drop or spill something and a big 'ol dammit will come out. So, as I've mentioned in posts before, I think watching my potty mouth will certainly be one of my New Year's resolutions!

First Snow

We had our first snow this morning, only a dusting, but enough for the boys to be excited. We bundled up and the played for a minute (probably less!) before getting in the car to head to the gym. It was barely 20 degrees, so our time outside was short lived. But hey, we got out in the snow a little bit and I even remembered to take a few pics!

Graham decided to sit right down in the snow! And yes, he was pretty wet by the time we made it to the car. He was also not happy that his hands were cold. He screamed the entire way to the gym!

Marshall liked the snow much better than Graham. He insisted on putting on my gloves instead of his!

Patrick went an immediately threw snow balls! However, he had not put on his gloves yet and was pretty upset when the snow melted in his hands and made them cold. I see a theme here! My children do not like having cold hands. But, who does?!

Decorating for Christmas...Personal Touches

Hmmm...Notice something a little odd about this picture?? I looked at our tree the other day and noticed that the boys had added their own personal touch to our decorations. Nothing like a dirty sock and even a Toys R' Us coupon on a Christmas tree!

After taking a couple of years off from decorating the outside of our house, I decided to dig out all the outside stuff and put it up. They boys love looking at all the lights on their house and it has definitely put me in even more of a holiday mood!! No dirty socks in the garland outside...yet, anyway. :)

Top Ten Signs It Might Just Be Time To Wean

10. Your child is over 12 months of age
9. Your child is capable of feeding himself table food
8. Your child drinks out of a sippy cup and cup just fine
7. Your pediatrician asks at every visit, "Is he finished nursing yet??"
6. Your child's older siblings walk him to you whenever they think he needs momma milk
5. Your child attempts to gain access to his momma milk by going down your shirt
4. If going down your shirt is unsuccessful, he lifts your shirt and crawls under it
3. Your child asks for momma milk by name, even if he's got a sippy cup right in front of him
2. Your child gets a giddy, goofy grin on his face and kicks his feet and claps his hands if you tell
him he can have some momma milk
1. Your almost 16 month old knows the workings of a nursing bra and will unclasp it, nurse and
close it back up when he's finished!



Yes, Graham is showing all of these signs. I think if might just be time for him to be done nursing! He's down to just a few times a day, which is nice. However, I do miss the "nature's boob job" that I've had for the past couple of years, as things are a little um, lower now that he's nursing less. But, I do have so much more energy and I am not ravenously hungry all the time since he's not sucking all the life out of me these days. So, once we get through our holiday travels I think we will be spending some time focusing on weaning Graham (of course I've been saying this since he was like 6 months old!) and even attempting to potty train Marshall.

Language Explosion

Graham's vocabulary is exploding! I swear, it has happened over night. Just today I have heard him say half a dozen new words!! My favorite so far is "Actic" for Patrick. Patrick knows Graham is calling his name and he answers, it pretty sweet. Graham also saw some batteries from our flashlight and pointed to them saying, "battery!" I just love it. Especially when at dinner he looked at me and mumbled, "Wanna ite, momma!" So, a bite of momma's dinner he got. It's so great to hear his language blossoming. Patrick was a very late talker, and to be honest I was a little worried. Marshall talked extremely early, and it looks like Graham is pretty much on target. I think there is something so exciting and special about hearing the voice of your child say words for the first time.

Wordful Wednesday

Yes, Patrick is wearing my boots. And, he even has my boot socks on, too. He thought he looked pretty good when this picture was taken! Hmmm....if he ever goes through some crazy cross-dressing phase maybe we'll be able to trace it back to this! ;)

Best Laid Plans

Yesterday I took a stroll through Home Goods (love that store!) while the boys were with the sitter. I saw this cute little "Time Out" chair and thought it would be great for the boys. Well, not so much. When I brought it home they fell in love with it. I explained that it was our new "naughty spot" and when they misbehaved they had to sit in it for a few minutes. The totally missed the point. They ended up carrying it around the house, sitting in it and pouting as if they were in trouble. We'll see what happens when they actually have to sit in it at some point today, as someone is in time out every day!

I spent yesterday morning, before the boys woke up, Goo Gone-ing my kitchen floor. The boys had made cute signs for Daddy's promotion announcement at work Monday. While I was digging through our arts and crafts bin to prepare, they got into the foam letter stickers and decided to make a "snake" with them across my kitchen floor before using them to make congrats signs for Robert. I didn't really freak out at the time, as whenever they stick stickers on things (my Waterford vase!) they usually just peel right off. Not these foam letter stickers!!! They were S.T.U.C.K. Urghh. I finally ended up finding the Goo Gone stuff and had to let them soak in it for a while before I could get them off. I also ended up having to mop the kitchen to get the greasy Goo Gone off of my floor. Lesson learned. And, Goo Gone is pretty fabulous stuff!!