Santa!

We headed to Kenwood mall yesterday for our annual family photo with Santa. It's a family photo because none of our children will actually sit on Santa's lap! They want mommy and daddy to sit with Santa and they want to sit on our laps!! This year's photo sums up their personalities pretty well. Graham is a little dazed and confused by it all, Bella Grace is just going with the flow, Marshall is being silly as usual and Patrick is smiling only because he was bribed with enough fruit snacks and a cookie. Classic.

We also started the Elf on the Shelf tradition. And, I'll just say my children were not too impressed, as usual. The three boys named the elf 'Ella the Elf' and they constantly want her to go away and ask why she is here or there today. They don't want the elf to go back to the North Pole at night and give Santa a report on their behavior. So, we altered the idea a little bit! They must tell Ella each day what is on their wish list so that she can tell Santa. And, she does not just watch them each day and report on their behavior, that kind of freaked them out!

As far as wish lists go this year, Marshall always want a big truck or a big race car. Graham wants a big fire truck (because the half dozen or so we have just aren't the right one!) Patrick wants a Sonic Wii game and Marshall says that Bella Grace wants a dress and a Barbie. I love it!! So, we'll just have to wait and see what Santa has under our tree Christmas morning! :)

The Conversations That Consume My Day

Me: Graham, get out of the front seat and get in your seat.

Graham: I big boy, mommy!! I'm going to drive!

Me: Graham, I know you're a big boy. However, you may not drive!

Graham: I BIG BOY!!!

Me: You have to be as big as mommy and daddy to drive, son. Get in your carseat. NOW! (as I
must crawl through the car and physically put him in his carseat. A few people in the parking lot had even stopped to hear this conversation and were laughing. At least we provided a good show!)


Marshall: Momma, why are there spikey things on my penis???

Me: Uhhhh...spikey things?!? (as I think to myself this CANNOT be good)

Marshall: Yeah, spikey things under my penis. (as he proceeds to show me said spikey things)

Me: Well, Marshall, those aren't spikey things. You're just obviously a little cold.

Marshall: Why???? Why does cold make spikey things on my penis???

Me: Marshall, that is a VERY good question for daddy...

Patrick: What day is it???

Me: Tuesday (or whatever random day it is, being that we have this conversation multiple times per day)

Patrick: What day comes after Tuesday?

Me: Wednesday.

Patrick: What day comes after Wednesday?

Me: Thursday.

Patrick: What day comes after Thursday?

Me: Friday. Then Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Patrick: No, what day comes after Friday?

I'm sure you can see where this conversation is going. I am not allowed to just say the days of the week. I must answer as he asks. Let me tell you, I get quite tired of having this conversation with Patrick. Hopefully soon he will learn the days of the week.

Any of the 3 boys riding in the car: My penis hurts!!!!!

Me: I'm sorry. Why does it hurt???

Boys: Because you're going to fast!! (Or slow, or stopped, etc...)

Me: I'm not going to fast. Scoot your bootie back in your carseat and see if that helps.

Boys: IT DOESN'T!!! Stop the car. My penis STILL hurts!!!

Me: I cannot stop on the interstate because your penis hurts. I'm sorry. It will be okay.

Boys: MY PENIS HURTS!!!!

This conversation is a vicious cycle. Once they are on the subject it just doesn't stop until we are out of the car. There are even these railroad tracks that we go over often and every time it's gets them fired up because it makes their boy parts hurt!! Only boys...

Boys: Someone pooped on the club house!!! (the bottom part of our outdoor playset)

Me: WHAT?!? Boys that not funny. Stop playing around.

Boys: But there's poop in there!!! It's doggy poop. No, it's Graham poop!

Graham: Not me!!! I didn't poop!!!

Me: Show me. DO NOT touch. Just point where it is. (sure enough there was human poop in the club house.)

Boys: EWWWWW!!!!!

Me: WHO POOPED IN THE CLUB HOUSE?!? TELL ME NOW!!!

Boys: Graham!! Patrick!! Marshall!! (the blame game)

Me: Everyone inside. I will find out who did it. I'm going to wipe your booties. Who ever has poop on their bootie obviously pooped in the club house.

Boys: Uhhhhh....(busted!!! lots of blank stares at this point.)

Me: Patrick you're clean. Graham you still have on your diaper. MARSHALL!!!! You are NOT clean. WHY did you do that?!? (goofy Marshy grin and I think I may have had scary red eyes at this point and fire coming out of my mouth!!) TIME OUT BUDDY! NOW!

Why is that that nearly ALL of the conversations at my house are centered around body parts and/or bodily function?!? I've been warned that boys will not outgrow this for quite some time, probably not until they're like 40. Nice...

Why I DID NOT Vote Yesterday and To Axxium or Not to Axxium

So, yeah, I'll admit it. I DID NOT vote yesterday in the 2010 midterm election. Shame on me. I chose not to vote. Why? Well, I did not take the time to research any candidates or issues that were on the ballot. Not one second. I would have walked in the booth and basically Christmas-treed the entire ballot. Not cool. Kind of takes you back to those college test days, huh?!? :) And, I feel that if I'm just going to do that then I am actually not doing anything good for any candidate or issue. So, my pledge? Well, in upcoming elections I am going to make myself spend the time to research who and what is on the ballot so that I can make an educated vote!! Now, if I can just stick to that little pledge....

But, what did I do yesterday instead of voting??? I got a much needed mani/pedi!!! Yay!! And, just for the record, when the little guy has to go in the back to get a better tool for your heels, you know it was time for that pedicure! I actually got the OPI Axxium 14 day manicure. We'll see how it holds up. I chose a super neutral color so that if doesn't last like it should, I won't be walking around with trashy looking nails. This Axxium stuff you have to go back and get taken off, plain old nail polish remover won't do the trick! Basically, from my research (because you know, it's so much more important to research the manicure you're about to get rather than the election!) it's an acrylic nail polish that they put on and use UV light to set and an acetone resistant top coat to ensure that it lasts. The best part? Your nails are totally dry when you leave, so no smudging and chipping on your way out the door! Day 1- holding up quite nicely. I'll keep ya posted! :)

There's a POTATO Coming!!!

Yesterday we had some pretty nasty weather, as in a wind advisory and a tornado warning. When I picked the boys up from school they had to do their special severe weather dismissal and actually put every child in their car with their parent. I asked the boys about the sirens and what they had to do and why they had to do it. They response I got? "There's a potato coming!" Yes, Marshall informed me that there was a potato coming. Patrick was very quick to correct him and inform him that it was, in fact, a tornado and not a potato. I did, however, get a good laugh! So, keep your eyes peeled for those potatoes!! I hear they can be pretty dangerous. :)

The Mad Skills Posessed by Yours Truly

Yes, I have mad skills. I am almost a super hero!! Who else can manage to cook dinner, empty the dishwasher AND nurse a 3 month old all at the very exact same time?!? Me!! Dinner's got to be made, the dishes must be put away and our princess decides she CANNOT wait to eat. What's a busy mother or four to do??? So, yes, I am tooting my own horn a bit. But, I figure in umpteen years I'll want to remember how I did it all. And, I'll be able to look back at our lovely little blog and remember these times.

"Honesty Appreciated :)"

So, this past Saturday was our street garage sale. I participated. Well, I tried to participate. Let's just say that I learned that I am NOT a garage sale kind of person! It sucks. This was my first and probably only garage sale. You want to know why? Because I just don't care. It's stuff that I'm planning to donate and I'm not one to keep a lot of crap in the first place. I regularly take random things (mostly clothes and toys) to Goodwill. I actually make the boys pack up things and take them with me as a way to talk about those that are less fortunate. But, I tried to be a good sport and put some things out. How did my portion of the garage sale end??? Well, I gave up after about 30 minutes. I left our few toys, bins of clothes and old Halloween costumes out and placed a little jar that said, "Honesty Appreciated," and called it a day. I did, however, manage to make about $15.* People were actually honest about what they purchased!! I loved it! Maybe I'll invent a new type of garage sale. I'll just place my stuff out with prices and a cute little jar and continue about my day...



*Well, I actually ended up in the hole $40 after buying Italian smocked dresses for Bella Grace and stocking up on Playmobil for the boys!

Friday Family Fotos- Lovey Dovey

"Lovey dovey" is Graham's favorite thing to do with Bella Grace these days! He comes downstairs in the morning with all of his things (lovey, comforter and dog lovey) and wants baby sister on the kitchen rug so he can lay down beside her and be "lovey dovey." It's pretty sweet!! They both just lay there for a while, or as long as it takes Graham to decide he is no longer going to be "lovey dovey" and hit her! It's priceless, though. :)

A rare, sweet moment!

Marshall joined in "lovey dovey" time!
However, Bella Grace looks a little concerned
about the hammer he is holding. I don't blamer her...




Marshall taking a turn holding Bella Grace

Graham being extra "lovey dovey" and

giving baby sister a kiss!!

Meet 'Pat'

Meet 'Pat'...aka Patrick. First off, I must say that Patrick has made drastic improvements in his writing skills since starting our new school. However, he has recently started bringing home papers in which he simply writes 'Pat' instead of Patrick! Robert and I cannot help but find this hysterical!! Patrick gets extremely upset if we call him 'Richard' (his legal first name!) and we won't talk about what happens if we call him 'Pat!' But, hey, at least he is trying, right?! I figure he's just being a bit lazy and has figured out that it's a lot easier and quicker to simply write 'Pat' instead of 'Patrick.' And, it gets the message across that it's his paper. I can't help but say it, but it's such a male thing to do, huh? Reminds me of when my brother used to write 'Christ' on his papers in kindergarten instead of 'Christian!!' Gotta love the protestant kid calling himself 'Christ' while attending the Catholic school! :)

Friday Family Foto

Ready for Halloween!!! Last year- red dragons. This year- green dragons. Hey, I tried to get a little variety. At least they went for a different color dragon this year! And, Marshall decided Bella Grace needed to be a butterfly. So sweet! :) I just hope she does some major growing over the next month. She gets a little lost in that butterfly custume!

Hard Evidence...

...that this child seriously needs a full body padded suit every time he steps even just a toe out of his bed!!! He has a goose egg from falling on the sidewalk, two black eyes from Graham throwing a juice cup at him and a scratch on his cheek. Since this picture was taken, he has also added a bloody scrape in the corner of his eye and additional bloody scrapes on the outside of his eye!

The Wrath of the Breastfeeding Gods

Thursday night I had my first (and hopefully last!) run in with mastitis. Oh. My. Gosh. It was MISERABLE. Thursday night at dinner I all of the sudden started to feel really cold and achy. My temp was just under 100 degrees. I assumed I was coming down with something and figured I'd head to bed early and be just fine. Not so. Within a few hours my fever sky rocketed to over 103 degrees. I was feeling BAD! I was covered in goose bumps, shaking and could not get warm. All I could think about was missing Marshall's field trip the next morning and what were we going to do when all six of us got this nasty bug. I was also worried that I might have an infection from the Adiana tubal ligation procedure I had last Monday. (More on that in another post!) Well, early Friday morning I figured out what was going on. When I woke up I had ALL the classic mastitis symptoms. I immediately called my OB and the nurse immediately called in two prescriptions. I'm on antibiotics four times per day for about two weeks. The really fun part of all of all of this is that Robert woke up early Friday morning with vertigo! So, two parents down and four children under the age of five. Not a good combo. I took enough ibuprofen to function so I could go on the field trip and Robert was well enough by late morning to watch Bella Grace. I put in a call of desperation to one of our baby sitters and she came over for the afternoon so I could sleep. I really thought I wasn't going to make it. I just couldn't stop shivering and my fever was not breaking. But, by Saturday afternoon I was feeling better. There's still a lot of pain where the infection and clogged milk duct are, but it's getting better. So, dear breastfeeding gods, PLEASE let this be my first and only run in with mastitis. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy!

Miss Pretty

Well, this post is really about nothing- just an update of pics of my Miss Pretty. She is almost 10 weeks old!! How did that happen?!? Bella Grace is such a good girl. Sleeps well, eats well, doesn't fuss too much. Well, except for when she's tired, hungry or over stimulated. The over stimulated thing is just a hazard of being the fourth child and having three older brothers!! But, all and all, she is just precious. :)

Sleeping through P&G Day at Kings Islands on Sept. 18, 2010

Marshall just loves his baby sister!!

All the cool newborns wear silly bands, right mom?!?

Her brothers insist that she wear them on a daily basis!

Patrick is SO sweet to Bella Grace! He is reading her his

Turtle magazine. He is definitely a great big brother!

Sleeping through our Labor Day party.

She just about always sleeps with her right

hand up by her face. Funny thing is, that's how

she was in all of my ultrasounds from 12 weeks

on and it's even how she decided to be born!!!

Graham thought that Bella Grace needed some toys

while she was peacefully sleeping in her swing. All

three week old babies need Duplos, right? Graham continues

to adjust to loosing his spot as the baby of the family.

He will always be one of my babies. :)

My Version of a Good Day

Yes, today has been a good day. A great day, in fact. Yesterday, notsomuch. We won't go there. But, TODAY, the boys woke up in half way decent moods, ate their breakfast (without complaining they wanted something else!) They managed to get dressed (without any major temper tantrums or me putting the wrong clothes on the wrong child!) We were on time to school (and I even remembered to pack lunches since they stay late for Spanish class. Forgot their Spanish books, though!) Graham, Bella Grace and I headed to the gym and I got a great run in (and managed to have time to shower before leaving!) Graham and I had a great lunch date that involved Happy Meals (while Bella Grace peacefully slept in the booth!) We also had friends come over to play for a short bit (without too many "You have to take turns" discussions!) Bella Grace went down for her afternoon nap very well (in her crib!) My children have not yet covered themselves in dirt from the backyard that requires a hose down before entering the house (they have, however, been pulling the fluffy lining that coats the inside of my couch cushions out!) This, my friends, has so far been a fabulous day. Funny thing? It also is following a night where I slept from 9:30pm until 6:30am. Amazing what a little sleep can do for a momma!!

Manual Labor

This is my version of entertaining three little boys while attempting to keep this disaster of a house clean!! They will spend 30-45 minutes vacuuming. I love it! It is also my way of *hopefully* teaching them that this house does NOT clean itself. No, the Cleaning Fairy does not live next door to the Tooth Fairy! Now, I have a reason to justify my compulsion to purchase vacuums ALL THE TIME. YES!! And, even better is that here pretty soon Bella Grace will be old enough to vacuum and I'll just HAVE to purchase another vacuum! That just totally makes my day. :)

It's JUST a WALK!!

Yeah, so last night's little trip to return a neighbor's crock pot that she made us a fabulous dinner in (thanks Liz!) ended just like every 'little' trip/adventure/errand I plan at the wrong time of the day. First, Patrick has a melt down because HE wants to carry the crock pot. I tell him it's too heavy. He doesn't believe me. I let him try to carry it (not smart, mom!) and he almost drops it because it IS to heavy. I catch the crock pot. Disaster avoided. We successfully return the crock pot. Our great neighbors come out to visit for a moment before we head in for bed. The kids are blissfully playing in the front yard and on the sidewalk. Life is good. Not for long, though. Marshall falls in the sidewalk and gets a HUGE goose egg on his forehead and rightfully so, melts down. Our neighbor grabs ice and some arnica gel (miraculous stuff, people!) and we get Marshall settled down. Before I blink Patrick trips and skins hes knee. It's bleeding and he's freaking out. Just in time for Bella Grace to wake up and fuss in her stroller. Awesome. But, we made it home, everyone made it in their pj's, brushed their teeth, Bella Grace settled down and Marshall did not start vomiting or acting funny. Whew! A trip back to Children's avoided! By 7:15pm everyone was sound asleep. Just in time for daddy to come home. Oh, the excitement never ends!

Finding Time...

...for the blog. And, a whole bunch of other things. But, the blog is one I am going to devote some time to. All three of the boys have given up their naps. Yes, GIVEN UP naps. AHHHHH!!! This is throwing me for a loop. A BIG loop. Nap time was when I got things done around this place. It was also when I tried to write my blog posts. So much is going on around here that I want to document so that we always remember it. And, so that it gets printed at the end of the year when I have the blog printed! I am not a baby book or a scrap book kind of person, so the printed blog is my substitute. So, one of my goals is to devote an hour or so every Tuesday and Thursday to the blog while our baby sitter is here. And, I'll even put up pictures!! So, hold me to it guys! :)

Daddy Needs a Big Bicycle

According to Marshall, Daddy needs a bicycle. Not just any bicycle, but a big one and it must match Marshy's. Why? So they can ride together!!! SO sweet, my little Marshy-moo! :) Marshall informed me of this on the way home from school yesterday. Out of the blue. And, he was sobbing by dinner time because he had wanted me to call daddy at work and tell him and then pile in the car to go to the "bicycle store." He has his sweet little heart set on getting a bike for his daddy! And, only daddy. Not me, Patrick, Graham or Bella Grace. We'll have to see about the bicycle for daddy. This whole desire of his also started the conversation about just because we want things we do not simply go to the store that very moment and buy them. Sometimes we have to wait, sometimes we have to earn the privilege to buy things we want. Didn't go over so well with the 3 year old in my house!!! We'll see, though. Maybe with some good behavior, helping more with picking up our toys and listening to mommy and daddy we might be able to arrange a trip to the "bicycle store" (aka Target or Wal-mart!) to purchase a bicycle for daddy. And, a helmet, too! A nice Cars helmet to match Marshy's! Daddy just can't wait! :)

Lots of Posts and It's My Birthday!!!

So, I've got a back log of blog posts that are half complete in my draft folder. Someday they will make it to the actual blog. I promise!! From Bella Grace's birth story to Patrick's birthday to Graham's birthday to the first day of school. I will finish them. Eventually.

But, there is one little tid bit I just have to post because it occurs daily and makes Robert and I laugh every day. Graham got a truck for his birthday that came with a power drill so you can take apart the truck and put it back together. The big boys helped me wrap it for Graham- after they played with it for an hour!! When Graham opened it he was in LOVE!! But, his brothers wanted to take it from him and play with it. So, I told them that it was Graham's birthday and it was his present so he got to play with it first. They had already had plenty of time to play with it when they helped wrap it while Graham was napping. Graham quickly caught on and every time they tried to take his truck he would say, "But it's MY birthday!" It was pretty funny.

Fast forward to now. Graham is STILL saying, "It's MY birthday!!" every time he wants something they have or if they try to take something he is playing with. It's hilarious!! With all these birthdays Graham keeps having he's got to be at least 100 years old by now! If all else fails, tell 'em it's your birthday.... :)

Classic Patrick-ism

On our way home from school each day I like to ask the boys what they did, what was their favorite part of their day, what was their least favorite part of their day and what they learned. Yesterday- the FIRST real day of school- this is the conversation that took place in our car...

Me: What was your favorite part of school today???

Marshall: (super excited and super squeaky) The water thing....and the numbers...(insert random 3yr old rambling about these said activities)

Patrick: (dead serious, no real emotion) The end.


Well, I guess now is not the time to burst Patrick's little bubble and inform him he will be going ALL DAY next year and not just 9-12, huh?!? But, throughout the day at home I did hear the boys talking to each other about the various things they did at school and Patrick was excited and happy. That made me feel better! And, Patrick is now obsessed with kindergarten and keeps talking about how next year he gets to be a kindergartner. So, all in all, I think it's just their true personalities coming out. We'll see...

Big Hair Bows and Master Pouter

Yes, that is a bow that is larger than her head! But, pretty cute, huh?? What can I say, after three little boys I've got to have a little fun with my Bella Grace! :)

This, my friends, is Graham's new favorite place to go pout. Strange, yes. Not very energy efficient, yes. Gives a good laugh, yes. Hey, with our 100 degree temps outside pouting in the fridge might be a pretty good idea!!

Newborn Pics

Last weekend we headed back to Get The Picture Photography to see Tricia Hackney for Bella Grace's newborn session. All I can say is we got SUPER lucky!! The boys were SO cooperative and look below- there's a picture with ALL of us smiling!! YAY, TRICIA!! The direct link to our proofs is www.triciahackney.com/Proofs/Bella-Newborn/13237700_akP95#961252033_Zp7TJ
or you can go to her website, http://www.triciahackney.com/ and click the proofs link in the right upper corner. Thanks, Tricia, for a great session! :)

Our Newest Addition

Bella Grace Carraway

July 20, 2010 at 10:29am

6lbs9oz and 19.5in

We welcomed Bella Grace into our family last Tuesday! She is such a sweet baby and her big brothers (along with Mommy and Daddy!!) love her to pieces. Hopefully I will have a chance to post more pictures and her birth story soon!

37 1/2

37 1/2...as in 37.5 weeks pregnant!!! Baby Quad should be here SOON. You hear that baby girl???? SOON. She was estimated to be 6lb11oz on an ultrasound last week, so we'll see how close they were when she's actually born!! Theoretically, she should be bigger when she's born since they put on a good 0.5lbs per week. But, the margin of error is +/- 1lb. My money is on her weighing in at 6 1/2lbs.

I'm still feeling pretty good. Well, minus Friday and Saturday. Little Miss got herself in some crazy position and that didn't settle well with me, but she seems to have moved back to where she belongs now. Thanks, baby girl!! :) There's a small part of me that wouldn't be surprised if she comes sometime in the next 72 hours. Especially since as I type this I am having constant contractions and lots of pressure. But, we'll see. You know how we females are. She might just decide to stay in forever!

Speaking of staying in forever, Patrick told me (again) today that he did not want to go back inside my belly. He said he didn't like being in there. Because, you know, I'm sure he remembers being in there for nine months!!! He also informed me that baby sister was coming Tuesday. Really?!? When I told Patrick tomorrow was Tuesday he said he knew that and that she was coming Tuesday. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if tomorrow brings a baby!!

I'll try to remember to take a belly pic at some point this week, but right now too comfy sitting on my you-know-what to get up and get the camera. So, be sprinkling some labor dust, water breakage dust, get-this-baby-out-soon dust around and let's get ready to have a baby! :)

Things That Make You Wonder...

I wonder if this one will ever miss a par-tay!!!

Crooked hat, noise maker- he'll be the life of the frat house.

Um, should I be concerned that he woke up with blue

around his mouth?!? It wasn't there when I put him

to bed. Hmmm...I guess if he's turned into a Smurf

by lunchtime I'll call the pediatrician?

Does lapping up water/mud from any puddle anywhere

signal a serious problem??? Graham will do this ANYWHERE

at ANYTIME with ANY amount of water and/or mud puddle.

Patrick has a scary good ability to catch flies. He just grabs

them out of thin air. Weird. He likes to bring me his catch.

Weirder. Graham is picking up this skill, too.

My sweet, nurturing baby boy. When he saw baby sister's

swing I told his it was only for babies. He promptly went and

got his baby doll and put her in the swing. He's going to

make such a good mommy's helper once baby sister arrives- if

he can survive his jealousy issues and learn to share his mo-mo

and his mommy...

Is this foreshadowing a future career???

Never leave home without your helmet and your water gun.

Always be prepared for battle.

My Patticakes listening to baby sister with my stethoscope.

Go ahead son, go to med school, but please let mommy and

daddy escape the bills for this part of your education!! :)

Will this child EVER decide to wear clothes and/or shoes?

At this point I'd take one or the other, it doesn't even have to

be both. I've never seen a child more comfortable in his own skin.

I'll get very worried when he starts googling local nudist colonies-

if there are any around here???? Okay, resisting the urge now to

google it myself...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Marshall!

July 2nd was our Marshy's THIRD birthday. HOW is he THREE already?!? Such a big boy! :) We decided not to do a big party this year, just due to baby sister's arrival being so close to birthday season in our house. But, we did do a little party with just the five of us. We had pizza for dinner and Marshall had requested a special dump truck cake from Busken bakery. YUM!! After pizza and cake it was present time.

Could Marshy be any happier about it being his birthday?!

His brothers were more than happy to help open his presents.
And, if all else fails, use your teeth. Right, Graham?!?




Marhsall with his construction hat and his fancy
new garbage truck.





Look at that big boy on his new bicycle!!!

Off he goes...

Marshall is quite good at riding his new bicycle now.

He can go up and down our street pretty fast!

Marshall even gave his big brother a turn riding his new

bicycle! Go, Patrick Go!!

Robert's birthday is next (July 30th) and then it's Patrick's big day (August 1st) and Graham's big day (August 11th.) Baby sister will have her birthday somewere near daddy and Patrick. Patrick has already made his special birthday requests. He would like a Wii (or 'Wheat' as he calls it!) and a Wii cake. I'll have to talk to the bakery about the whole Wii cake thing, I'm not too sure what we'll come up with on that one! All three boys are getting Leapfrog Explorer handheld games for their birthday. They had no idea what these were until they spotted a little boy with one at the gym just the other day. Now they are obsessed!! So, I have a feeling they will really enjoy their new handheld game system and games from their Nonny and Mimi.

Maternity Pics

Monday morning the boys and I headed over to Get the Picture Photography to have Tricia Hackney take my maternity photos. We had a great session!!! Tricia took my maternity pictures when I was pregnant with Graham and also his firt year portraits. Her website is http://www.triciahackney.com/ and my pictures are under the proofs link. Here is the link to the album, too www.triciahackney.com/Proofs/Shannon/12857295_FU5yp#927971561_5dMF5

A special thanks to Tricia for a great, fun session!! :)

July 4th, 2010

Happy 4th of July!!!

Yeah, I know. Red, white and blue polos.

But, I can't help it. I'm just a dork like that!!

Can you guess which child inherited the

I-Absolutely-HATE-Pictures Gene from his daddy?!?

Now, This is a first!!

Have you ever seen this?!?

This is what I discovered in my watering

can that was sitting on our front porch.

And, it wasn't quite dead yet!!

What is it????

A BAT!!!

EWWW...

34 Weeks...The Good, The Bad, The U.G.L.Y.

So, I've made it to 34 weeks. Probably only 4 more weeks to go, or 5 if she decides to wait until her eviction date. We'll be meeting our baby girl before we know it!!


The Good: I feel pretty good still! Wow! I could not say this at 34 weeks pregnant with Graham. So, Baby Quad's being rather kind to mommy. :) I personally think I feel better simply because the boys are older and sleeping better at night and the varicose veins are not nearly as painful as they were during my last pregnancy. This is actually the first pregnancy since Patrick that I've not had another child still waking during the night!! Not that I'm sleeping like a log or anything, but at least I'm not getting up with one of the boys. I've also managed to have a perfectly uneventful pregnancy thus far- what a blessing!! Hopefully I will have a perfectly uneventful, smooth delivery and of a beautiful, healthy baby. Oh, another good- I'm pretty sure she's head down now!! Yay!! Her hiccups are felt low now, the stronger kicks are up near my ribs and I can definitely tell that she goes back and forth from having her head engaged then not engaged. My doctor said this is very typical of third, fourth, etc. babies. Something to do with the fact that the penthouse (aka my uterus!) has been nice and stretched by it's previous occupants and that my ligaments are very stretched out, as well. They say she'll probably fully engage later when she really runs out of room, or it could even be as late as when labor actually begins! I'm still guessing that she'll come about the same time her brothers have come- right at 38 weeks. I've had the lovely signs of cervical changes lately, just like with the boys, and there's been an uptick in Braxton Hicks. But, I guess you never know!


The Bad: Well, not too many bad things to report. I'm not sleeping well, but that's to be expected. It's hard to get comfortable and once I'm in a position it takes so much effort to roll over that I fully wake up. And, speaking of waking up, baby girl is still waking me up at night! I guess my constant movement during the day rocks her to sleep so she's bright eyed and bushy tailed all night long while I'm still. The varicose veins are definitely the worst looking they've been with any of my pregnancies and they're definitely painful. But, it's pretty much to be expected so I just deal with them. Over all I'm very fortunate at his point. I could be feeling a lot worse!


Now, for some updated belly pics. She's certainly growing!! And, so are other parts of my body- just ask Patrick. This morning Patrick walked in while I was getting dressed and gave me a very confused, puzzled look. He then asked why my mo-mo's were so big now (mo-mo is momma milk/boobies in our house!) I told him they were bigger because they had baby sister's momma milk in them. He then got very serious and told me that baby sister really needed to drink her momma milk. I explained to him that while baby sister is in my belly she eats whatever I eat- that we share. And, once she's out of my belly she will drink momma milk. Still confused, he looked at me and touched my belly as told me that baby sister was REALLY big now and that she was almost all the way up to my mouth. Yeah, I feel like she's that big,too, Patrick!! He then got very serious again and asked if she was going to hurt my mouth when she came out of it. I assured him that she would not hurt my mouth when she came out and that I would be ok. I'm still avoiding telling him where babies actually come out!! We'll deal with that one when he's a little older! But, he was very quick to tell me (this is not the first time he's said this) that he DOES NOT want to go back inside my belly to live when baby sister comes out! Too funny!! I assured him that no one was going back inside my belly. It's a one-way ticket out!!! :)

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33.5 Weeks

33.5 Weeks

Is it just me or does she look a little

lopsided in this pic?!?

Now, for the U.G.L.Y. These pictures are for me to remember just how yucky my right leg was during pregnancy and also for all of those people out there that have told me how horrible their varicose veins are, only to find to out they simply have little spider veins that are totally painless and in my opinion, not that unsightly!! Get ready, it's pretty gross...

My right leg looks like this all the way

up to my groin area.

Nice looking shin, huh?

And I wonder why perfect strangers stare at my leg!

My right foot. The varicose veins are even in the arch

of my foot now. Not fun! This makes for painful walking.

But, I figure ugly, painful varicose veins are a pretty small price to pay. It could certainly be A LOT worse! Or, I could not be fortunate enough to even be pregnant for the fourth time. I will, however, get these guys taken care of this fall after she's born. They gotten to the point that even the vascular surgeon says they've got to go. And, I do have prescription compression hose. They just aren't very effective for the location of some of my problem areas so I choose not to wear them.