Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, from me and my little hummingbird!

What's on my Tree Wednesday?

It is finally here folks, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving! Time for my very first "What's on my Tree Wednesday"! It feel like I have been waiting forever for this day to come! While I was putting up my tree this past weekend I couldn't help but look over all of the ornaments, they are all so special to me that I had a hard time deciding which one to share first. I finally settled on this one.

This is my little family, all five of us. Well not really, it is really a dough ornament that is representative of my family. But, you get my point. Now don't get me wrong, I truly believe that Jesus is the reason for the season, but if I had to pick another reason, it would be family. Not to brag, but I do have a wonderful family! My MIL gave me this ornament the year Jack was born. Even though it is now two Christmases old it still suits us. It is still just the five of us, and barring the miracle re-growth of my fallopian tubes, it should stay that way! Plus, being that we live in northern Indiana we are HUGE Indianapolis Colts fans. So when my MIL ordered it for us, she had us all dressed in blue and white to show our support. The ornament itself came from a little company called Mistletoe Memories. They have lots of different designs to fit any one's family and they personalize for free. Maybe the other reason I like this ornament so much is because it isn't the first one of it's kind that she ever gave me. I have others too, one from the year we got married that just has Chris and I on it, and the ones she got us after each of the girls were born. I enjoy putting all of them on the tree each year and contemplating the evolution of my little family. I think personalized ornaments are really special, and that is the main reason I chose to share this one first. I wanted to share a little bit of who I am, in hopes that you all will come back and share your ornaments with me!

If you are interested in sharing some of your favorite ornaments, go ahead and write a "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post. You can grab the button code right over there on my sidebar. Please link back to me either by using the button or by linking internally within your post. Then come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. Copy and paste the URL of your "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post and then you're done! Then go ahead and start clicking away to visit other people and see whats on their trees too! Remember, I'll be hosting this little carnival until Epiphany, so if your tree isn't up yet, come back next week!

*UPDATED* OKAY, SO APPARENTLY MY MR. LINKY IS NOT WORKING THE WAY I EXPECTED IT TO. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MckMAMA'S BUT IT DOES WORK. IF YOU CLICK ON YOUR'E NEXT IT WILL TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER PAGE WHERE THE LINKS SHOW UP. I'LL WORK ON IT FOR NEXT WEEK PEEPS! I'M AFRAID TO MESS WITH IT RIGHT NOW.

Sisters, Sisters, There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters...

Tonight while I was giving the girls a bath I asked Reagan who her best friend was. Her response was, "Dee Dee is my bestest friend in the whole world!" Then I asked Dee Dee who her best friend was. Surprisingly, her answer was the same, "Reagan, Reagan, Reagan!" It made me smile to know how much they really do love each other! I can only hope that this will last throughout their lives. I am not naive, I know that they will have their arguments in the future just like they do now, and I anticipate the teenage years will be especially difficult. But, I hope they will always come back to each other and that they truly will be best friends. Maybe it is just because the holidays are coming up, or maybe it is just because I am particularly fond of "White Christmas", but I started singing them this song, and of course Reagan started singing along. Any one else care to sing along?

Not Me! Monday

Oh yes folks, it is that time of the week again! I just love Mondays, I really do. What better way to get a good laugh and make yourself feel just a little more normal. Cause I tell ya, when you're couped up inside a house with three people under the age of five, you really start to doubt your own normalcy! For those of you reading, I am happy to provide you with you weekly dose of not feeling so alone in the world! So, if you didn't come from there already, head on over to MckMama's blog and read her Not Me's! Poop in the heater... Maybe my week wasn't so bad! Here are some of the things that were not so bad about it...

1. I did not spend the whole week cleaning my house, only to host my family Thanksgiving on Sunday and end the day feeling like my house was messy all over again. I did not question why I bother to clean in the first place.

2. I did not wake up at 5 a.m. to put my turkey in the oven, totally overestimating the amount of time it would take to cook. It was not done by 10, only to sit and wait for my guests to arrive at noon.

3. I did not break out my Christmas tree at midnight on Friday and decide to put it up. I most cetainly did not then become too exhausted to finish it and leave it until the next morning to decorate. I would never do that because I always finish what I start.

4. I did not blame myself for giving in to Reagan when she asked for a glass of water even though it was way past bedtime. I was not completely frustrated by the fact that it was 10 o'clock and they were not asleep yet! I did not then selfishly force both girls to sleep in the wet sheets after Reagan spilled said glass of water in their bed! UGH!

5. I did not forget in the hustle and bustle of yesterday, that Jack needed to have a nap. He did not then fall asleep hanging off of his chair after finishing his applesauce at dinner. I did not then take this picture because he was just too cute for words!

6. I did not cheat on my hubby imposed blog break and still check in on a few of my "friends" late at night. I did not realize during this break that I am tottally addicted to my blog and all of the blogs I read. I do not love Not Me! Monday and I was not dying to return just to be able to post my Not Me's!

By the way don't forget about my first "Whats on my Tree Wednesday" post, coming up in two days! Please check back in with me and join in on the carnival fun!

I'm Baaaaack!

Hello again all of my bloggy friends! I sure did miss you all! I did have a nice break even though I managed to check in with a few of you while I was suppossed to be away. I also did some catching up tonight and hope to finish reading everyone's posts tomorrow. I managed to get my house spotless in time for my family Thanksgiving, and now I feel like it is a mess again. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I also wanted to say that I found the time to put my Christmas tree up. The kids were so excited and I even let them help me hang ornaments this year! It took me an evening and the next morning to finish it becasue I started too late at night and got too tired to finish! Now that it is up, I am even more excited for "Whats on my Tree Wenesday?" Don't forget that my first post will be this Wednesday, so start planning ahead, and get those ornaments ready to share! I will see you all again tomorrow for Not Me! Monday... Lord knows I have plenty to share from this week!

Thank God for Small Miracles

I'm busted!

Last night, the hubby looked at me and said, "Just how many blogs do you read now anyway! Do you even know these people?" The fact that I couldn't even answer because I honestly don't know is not good. He made the suggestion that since I really need to get my house ready for Thanksgiving (to be hosted here on Sunday) that maybe I should take a few days off from blogging. Much as this saddens me, I know he is probably right. The problem is that even though I do not know many of you in the sense that he thinks I should, I truly feel like I do. This is my support community whether he likes it or not. So, rest assured that I will be back and if I do have a free moment I will be checking in on all of you! But I will leave you with one final story.

Yesterday, I kept Reagan home from school because she had a little bit of a fever and was acting worn down. This threw off my whole schedule and therefore I did not get nearly as much done as I had wanted to. It also meant that Jack didn't fall asleep in the car like he usually does. I found him on the floor in my bedroom, picked him up and transferred him to my bed. Of course, this made him cry and so Dee Dee laid down next to him and was trying to comfort him. I just walked away thinking "great, now he won't even get a nap!" When I returned a few minutes later, this is what I found...

Aren't they just too precious? Thank God for small miracles, like a child who gets his nap. The last thing I needed yesterday was for him to be grouchy! Until next time ya'll!

The BIG Reveal... "What's on my Tree Wednesday"

There it is guys, this is my big idea. " Whats on my Tree Wednesday!" I LOVE Christmas!!! One of my favorite things about Christmas is the tree. I love decorating it and reliving all of the memories that each of my ornaments holds. I have my favorites of course, old ones, new ones, the ones I made as a child. So, I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to take pictures of some of my favorite ornaments this year and share them on the blog. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. Then I started thinking... what if EVERYONE could share their favorite ornaments? Now, I am no MckMama, but I was thinking... wouldn't it be fun to host a blog carnival?! So, with a little research, some input from friends, and major help from Rebecca who created the button, I think I figured out how to do it!

So, here is the plan. Beginning the Wednesday before Thanksgiving I will start sharing pictures of my favorite ornaments on our tree along with the stories behind them. I plan to keep doing this every Wednesday until Epiphany. I will attempt to put up a Mr. Linky so that anyone else who wants to can join in the fun and then come back here and add their post to the list. The button, along with the code will be in my sidebar for anyone who wants to grab it.

I really hope that everyone will be as excited as I am about this! Please consider joining in even if you can't commit to doing it every Wednesday. If you know anyone else who loves Christmas as much as I do, spread the word and invite them to participate! Happy Tree decorating!

The First Snow!

Well even though I had a very fun filled day yesterday I am too tired to write a big long post about it. In a few words, I went to Indianapolis to visit my brother Shawn, Kevin, and their new roomate Sara. Chris had a ticket for the Colts game and I went out to eat and then shopping. It was rare to be able to go somewhere and leave the kids for the WHOLE day! Thank you so much Nini and Papaw, I needed the break! We got in late last night and woke up this morning to snow! Winter is here folks, ready or not!

Not Me! Monday

Oh, how I love Mondays... and I never thought I would ever say that! But, with Not Me! Mondays to bring some fun to the beginning of the week I actually look forward to them now. So please join in the fun and head on over to MckMama's blog and read all of the other things people did not do! Here are just a few of the things I absolutely did not do last week!



1. I did not see Molly drinking water out of the toilet and then choose to ignore her. That would be totally gross. I would not rationalize that since I had recently cleaned the toilet the water was probably pretty clean.


2. I did not ignore Chris' request that I come home early from Tuesday night coffee with the girls. He did not call and tell me that Jack had had the worst poopie diaper blow out ever. I did not tell him I would be home soon, only to return an hour later.

3. I did not allow our children to stay up until one o'clock in the morning on Friday night because we were all out at a friends house and having a good time. I would never screw with their sleep schedules like that. They are small, growing children and they need their rest!

4. I did not take Molly outside to go potty one night wearing only a t-shirt and shoes. I did not then look over at the neighbor's house and see their living room lights on. I did not then realize that even though our backyard has lots of trees it is not as private as I had thought!

5. I did not go to lunch yesterday @ The Cheesecake Factory and stuff myself beyond uncomfortable. I did not consider still ordering cheesecake and just taking it home only to realize I couldn't even bear the thought of eating it.

6. I did not tease my readers by promising them a HUGE idea, only to keep them hanging on. I am not still working on it and will not be announcing it some time this week. Do not stay tuned to find out what my big idea for a Christmas themed blog carnival is!!! If you don't like Not Me! Mondays, I am sure you will not love it!

FYI yes, Molly is the dog. Sorry for the confusion!

Jack's Birthday Invitation

Even though Jack will not technically turn 2 until December 1st, I have been trying to stay on top of all of the birthday party planning. Mostly out of guilt, I want to make this year's party special. You see, last year was his first birthday and we didn't do much. I called all of our family and invited them over for pizza and cake and I bought Colts plates and napkins at the grocery store. I did not plan the BIG 1st birthday party I should have. I am trying to make up for that now. I wanted to go all out for his birthday this year and that starts with the invitation. Yes, that means not just making phone calls but actually sending an invitation in the mail. Not just any invitation either, a remarkably special photo invitation! So, I called my wonderful friend Leah, who agreed to make time in her schedule to do one for me. Even though she is super busy this time of year working on Christmas cards, she whipped this beautiful invite up for Jack...

That's right folks, we are having a Toy Story birthday party. He is obssesed with the movie and I must admit I like it too. So, when choosing a theme for his birthday it was a natural choice. When I found the party supplies at Birthday Express I was soooo excited. I ordered them and they are already here! The invitations are being printed as I write this, so now it is on to the cake!

Flashback Friday *UPDATED*

I am dealing with some bloggy writer's block today people! I think I just shared way to much information at a time with this post and now I have nothing to write about. Of course, there is this amazing idea in my head that I am just dying to share with all of you! I have run it by a few people (you know who you are) but I am just waiting for the right time to unveil it. I am an extremely impatient person, so lets just hope I can wait until it is ready. So, instead of posting my fabulous idea, I decided to do a Flashback Friday.

I must admit that I found this photo awhile back and have been looking for an excuse to share it. Does anyone have any guesses as to the circumstances of this photograph? Or as to what my big idea is? I'll come back tonight with an explanation. So get guessing! Oh, and just so there is no confusion the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another!

* Yes, folks this is me at about three years old getting my very first perm! I apparently had very thin hair and someone told my mom a perm would make it thicker. Well it must have worked because my hair is still thick today even after falling out through 3 pregnancies! Here's the other kicker, the hairdresser who did my very first perm still does my hair today. I wouldn't trust anybody else!

School Pictures

Everyone usually hates those old school pictures of themselves right? I know I have a few that are definitely not my best moments! So, I really stressed over what to do for the girls school pictures this year. What should they wear, how to do their hair, what background to pick? Then, it is all up to them and whatever crazy expression they chose to give at that particular moment. I must say that these are not too bad, they definitely could have been worse. I wish I could have accessed them on the company's website but I couldn't and I had to scan them in. What do you all think? Dee Dee is on the left and Reagan is on the right...

Way more than you ever wanted to know about me...

Unlike most people, I love tags. I think they are really fun! It is a wonderful opportunity to share random facts about yourself, and to learn about all my new bloggy friends. Yesterday I was tagged three times. Some people might find the task of posting all of this stuff daunting. Me, I am just feelin' the love!

My first tag came from two people. First was Elaine @ Matters of the Heart. She is one of my new bloggy friends and I just love her! She is always there with comment love! Plus, even though she is all the way across the country from me, I am reassured by the fact that as mothers of small children we share some of the same funny stories! She is having a giveaway for her 100th post, so go check her out! Leave her a comment to enter and don't forget to leave my name too! The second person who tagged me with this award was mc allen(Leah) @ ahhh, These are the Days of Our Lives. I cannot for the life of me remember how she found me (through Kam?) but I am oh so glad she did. Her life with four girls gives me a partial glimpse into what my future will look like! So thanks ladies! Even if the rules didn't instruct me to say you are fabulous I still would!

Speaking of rules, here they are...

1. Name 5 things you love.
2. Pass the award on to 5 blogs you love.
3. Link back to the giver's blog, and tell how fabulous they are.

1. I LOVE my family... All of them. I love my husband and my kids, and of course I love my parents and my brothers and sisters. But, I also love my husband's family. I have an amazing SIL, she is one of my best friends. Some days when we get to talking on the phone an hour has gone by without us even noticing. I was truly blessed to have married into a close knit extended family. My MIL has the most amazing relationships with her sisters and her mother. Chris' cousins seem more like extra siblings and I LOVE that my kids will get to grow up with their kids. Here are a few of them... from right to left. Chris' Grandmother Auri, his Aunt Linda, his cousin Pamela, his aunt Ana, his cousin Ana Cecilia, and his mom Lili (Nini to my kids)
   
   


2. I LOVE to shop for my kids. I hardly ever buy anything for myself anymore. I guess because kid's clothes are cuter and I just don't want to buy something for myself and admit how much weight I've gained. Three kids and fifty pounds later, I have some pretty ratty sweatshirts to show for it!


3. I LOVE Christmas time! I hate that I don't have my tree up yet, and I am searching for a radio station that is already playing Christmas music. I haven't started my shopping yet, but that's just because I haven't had time. I am in the process of recovering my house from Flu Fest 2008 and after it is finally clean again I will be putting up my tree (yes, before Thanksgiving!)


4. I LOVE Tuesday night coffee night! It is something my girlfriends and I started doing recently. Every Tuesday night around 7:30 we leave our hubbies @ home with the kiddos and meet for coffee at a local coffee house. We usually close the place down. Which means that the men are left behind to care for the children and do bedtime! It is all around good for everyone! Even if all we talk about is our kids, or Barbie's upcoming OB appointment and what the sex of the new baby will be, we still have fun. Let's face it, a little adult conversation is a necessity!
   
   
   
5. I LOVE that Blogger has a autosave function! Especially when nearly two year old boys push the power button on the computer modem when you are in the middle of typing a post you've been working on for twenty minutes. I didn't lose much, thankfully!

So that about covers my first tag, now onto the next one! Kameron over @ A Wrinkle in Time tagged me to list 15 random things about myself. I hope these are not totally boring, but I will give it a shot.

1. I was raised Catholic, but I haven't been a very good one lately. It is not that I am not a religious person, I just don't get to church as often as I should. I am trying to work on this.
2. For instance, yesterday @ MOPS our speaker shared a verse that really spoke to me. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Gal 6: 9-10 I think I am going to put it on my refrigerator.
3. I am a soap snob. I have to have the Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming stuff. I can't help it. I tried buying the cheap stuff last time I needed soap but I hated it. So yesterday, before coffee I went and bought the good stuff. Who can complain when they are 3 for $10?
4. I take my camera everywhere, I almost always have it with me. I.E. the above picture. Since I have found the beauty of the digital camera I can't help myself. I desperately want a more advanced camera, but I am stuck with my simple Kodak Easy Share.
5. However, there is the rare occasion that my camera gets away from me and finds it's way into the hands of my kiddos. They usually take a bunch of random pictures of furniture. Sometimes though, they will manage to get one good one, like this one that someone took of Jack. Nice photography skills girls!
6. I was a theater major in college. I started doing theater in high school and I was hooked! I put this part of my life on hold to get married and have babies, but I hope to embrace it again one day.
7. I use the T.V. as a babysitter. Yes, I am guilty. I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes you just have to do the dishes in the sink or fold laundry. If I left the kiddos to their own devices to play I would only return to a room full of mess. Therefore the T.V. makes my life easier and I have learned to accept that I am not the perfect parent.
8. My house is never as clean as I would like it to be. Even if I spent the whole day cleaning. If you showed up on my doorstep the first thing I would say after hello would be "please, excuse the mess. I have little kids."
9. I met my husband when I was about 7. He was probably 11. Our moms were really good friends and when we started dating they didn't like it. They were worried we would eventually break-up and ruin their friendship. We got married and their relationship changed, they are not as close as they used to be and I am sorry for that.
10. I was only 17 when Chris and I started dating. I was 2 weeks away from graduation and he was home from college living with his mom and dad. We had a whirlwind summer. He never went back to school and I changed my plans and went to college 20 minutes away. What can I say, when you know, you just know. We got engaged that Thanksgiving.
11. I was a young bride (19) and a young mom (22) but I managed to graduate from Manchester College in 5 years all while getting married, having Reagan, and carrying Kennedy in my pregnant belly that last semester.
12. I love taking pictures of my kids sleeping. My camera is filled with them. I especially enjoy taking ones of Dee Dee sleeping because her eyelashes are just to die for! Here is one I took yesterday when she fell asleep on the coffee table. She is her father's daughter and can sleep anywhere! Don't you just love the crayons in her pocket!
13. One of my favorite things about fall is apple cider. I can't even begin to count how many gallons of it I have bought this year, and I am the only one in the house who drinks it!
14. I also really like egg nog at Christmas time. I don't even have to add the alcohol, but I sometimes do. What can I say food and drink bring the seasons alive!
15. I really enjoy blogging. I love my blog and I can't believe I am not sick of my design yet, but I'm not! I also love reading other people's blogs and finding new friends. I feel like I have finally found a network of women I can belong to, and to all of you who are reading I thank you for that.

I have chosen not to tag anyone in return for this time around. It was a lot of work, and though I enjoy sharing I don't want to burden anyone else with having to write that much. Kameron, as for the 5 things tag... I did that one not too long ago and I am just going to pass on it today. I was planning on doing it but I've been at the computer for an hour already and my children really do need some adult supervision!

Flu Fotos

Here are some of the pictures I snapped this past week....

Not Me! Monday

Time for another addition of Not Me! Monday. Is everyone ready to hear all of the exciting things I did not do this week? Well the truth of it is I actually did not do much other than clean up puke and take care of sick kids. Yes, we are still sick. Jack threw up in bed again this morning and I am keeping Reagan home from school today just to be on the safe side. However I am sure I can still come up with a few things I need to get of my chest... let's see where to start?

1. I did not have to refrain from taking too many pictures of my sick children this week. Being sick is not fun, and surely the last thing they wanted to do was have their picture taken. I did not have to keep reminding myself that it is not necessary that I document everything!

2. I did not secretly wish that on the day my husband stayed home to "help" me, that he had just gone ahead and gone to work. I did not think my day would have gone smoother if I could have just done it all my way instead of listening to what he thought I should do.

3. I did not then sneak away to Wal-Mart for an hour and a half just to get away from the sick kids and nagging husband, leaving him to clean up 2 puke messes by himself!

4. I did not thank God for Nelson's Golden Glow Chicken. I was not rejoicing in the fact that because my younger brother is on the swim team and we bought chicken tickets from him, I did not have to cook on Saturday. I love cooking for my family, and I would never be happy when I didn't have to do it.

5. I did not let Jack take a bath with me last night. He is much to old for this. I did not tell him no three times and then proceed to go ahead and let him in the tub once he had taken his clothes off all by himself. I would certainly never allow his cute little naked butt to keep me from following through. When I say no, it means no.

6. I am not totally pschyed that thanks to my new little gadget from the blog frog on my sidebar, I can see that MckMama has been visiting me! I am not a crazy stalker person. I do not LOVE her blog, and I certainly do not think I am special just because she came to read mine!

The Blog Frog

Well, it was inevitable... everyone in our house got sick. It started on Wednesday night with Reagan and continued on into the weekend with Dee Dee and Jack. Dee started throwing up on Friday night and was sick all night long and into the day on Saturday. We had a bit of a reprieve last night but then around 11:30 Jack threw up in bed. So far today no one has gotten sick and I have spent the day cleaning, disinfecting, and doing laundry! Now that we seem be on the upswing, I wanted to bring every one's attention to my updated sidebar.

Yesterday afternoon (when no one was puking) I was messing around on my computer and came across this website called The Blog Frog

It seems really neat, and even though I am still trying to figure it out, I wanted to encourage all of you to go check it out. From what I understand so far, you can use it to "hop" blogs and find out what blogs your friends are reading. I put this little link on my sidebar too. I also added one of their widgets, that keeps track of the people who visit my blog. I'm just tryin' this one out, it might not stay. How depressing would that be to log on and realize no one is actually reading? I mean the whole point in writing this stuff is so that someone reads it right?

Anyway, I also made one other addition to my sidebar yesterday. After writing Jack's birth story I decided it would be nice to have some of my favorite posts over there for everyone to read. Oh, and also to make it easy for me when I want to go back and read them. So, I hope everyone enjoys their week! I am headed back into the other room to watch the Colts with my hubby until the dryer goes off again! See you tomorrow for Not Me! Monday.

Jack's Birth Story

It is very hard to believe that in a few weeks my baby will be two years old. I feel like he was born yesterday, although if that were truly the case I would be exhausted from lack of sleep instead of just from having sick kids. Back in September, in preparation for her birthday, I documented Reagan's birth story and I wanted to do the same with Jackson's. His story has many twists and turns so buckle in and hang on tight!

Back in the Spring of 2005 I was a young mother of 2. Reagan was only 2 1/2 (30 months to be exact) and Dee Dee was 9 months old. I was very content with my two little girls, but I did want to have just one more baby... someday, but not then. After Dee was born the doctor had asked about tying my tubes, but @ 25 I was not ready to say I was DONE having children. On March 15th which just happened to be Chris' birthday I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had had irregular periods my whole life but that time around I hadn't had one since January. We had plans to celebrate Chris' birthday and I didn't want to go out drinking if there was any possibility that I was pregnant. I thought for sure I wasn't, but better safe than sorry right? So I took the test. It was the first time that I had ever taken one of those digital ones that actually says "pregnant" or "not pregnant", before I had always used ones with plus signs or double lines. When the word "pregnant" came across the screen immediately after my pee hit the sensors I almost died right there on the toilet. My whole life flashed before my eyes. How was I going to handle one more? What would happen to my girls? It wasn't fair for them to not get to be babies, and have to keep making room for another one. How would we do it financially? We were going to need a bigger house, bigger cars and more of everything! I will be completely honest and say that at the time, I did not want the baby. I didn't even bother to tell anyone about the positive test. I went through my day like I had planned and took the girls to Leah's to get Kennedy's 9 month pictures taken. The whole time I just kept thinking "what am I going to do?"

Here is one of my favorite pictures from that day

On my way home I stopped to buy Chris a birthday card. Inside I wrote "Happy Birthday Daddy, I hope this one is a boy!" When he read it his face went blank. All of the color literally drained out of his face and he looked up at me and said, "Are you serious?" Well I was and like it or not, we were having another baby. I spent a few days brooding and thinking about all of the coulda, woulda, shouldas, but then I began to grow accustomed to the fact that this was God's plan for me and that He would never give me more than He thought I could handle. I called my high risk OB/GYN who had delivered both of the girls and made an appointment for the second week in April.

By the time my appointment rolled around I was in full excitement mode. I knew my doctor was going to call me crazy and tell me all about the risks of having three c-sections so close together and so on and so forth , but I didn't care. I was prepared to throw it all back at him and explain that I was sorry, that this baby may not have been planned, but was not however unwanted. Because of my high risk status, the first thing Dr. Wheeler did was an ultrasound. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Not because I could see it on the screen, but because I could see it on his face. He kept looking and looking but he could not find a baby or a heartbeat anywhere. He told me not to panic yet, and to get dressed and go get him a urine sample to test. As I did that, my mind went everywhere from ectopic pregnancy to thinking that maybe I was crazy and I had read the first test wrong. When my test came back from the lab he called us into his office. I was not pregnant. Though he did not doubt that I had initially had a positive test at home, he said it must have been a very early chemical pregnancy that had since dissipated. He said that it was common and that there was nothing I could do about it. He sent me home and said I would have what would feel like a very heavy period.

I was devastated. Not only was I not pregnant but I felt so guilty for initially having not wanted this pregnancy. I felt like it was my fault. I must have done something wrong to have made God take this baby away from me. I slept for three days. I didn't want to have to look at all of the people we had so cheerfully told our "good news". I didn't want to have to say "oops, I'm sorry were aren't pregnant." I spent one particular evening getting very inebriated and feeling sorry for myself. Then in the beginning of May Dee Dee got sick. She had rotovirus and was so dehydrated that they had to admit her to the hospital and put her on an i.v. I went back into mom mode and decided then and there that I was going to be there for the kids I had now and quit hating myself over something that was beyond my control. I was spending the night in the hospital with Dee when I started bleeding. I thought it was a sign. It was time to move on...

As the months went on I continued to feel worn down and tired. I was still very hormonal and emotional, but I chalked it all up to what must be my body trying to get itself back to normal. At the end of May, Chris and I bought a bar with my mom and dad about 30 miles away and began making plans to move. Our house was on the market and Chris was commuting back and forth every day. I hardly ever saw him, but the bar was his dream and I was happy to be supporting him in it. By the time my birthday rolled around in July I was sick and tired of still feeling like I was pregnant. I called my doctor's office and explained my story. The phone nurse told me to take an at home test and call back after I had the results. I wouldn't have thought I could ever have been as surprised at the results as I was the first time around but this time when the stick said "pregnant" my heart sank. Not for the same reason it did the first time, but because I couldn't bear the idea of going through that all over again. I was cautious. When I called back, I told the nurse that I refused to believe the at home test. I had had a false positive once before and I was not going to believe anything until after the blood work came back. So I drove the 45 minutes to my Dr.'s office for the blood work and then went home to wait. A day later, on my 26th birthday they called to tell me that yes, I was definitely pregnant. The next day, I went in by myself to have an ultrasound with a technician. I was expecting to see a little peanut on the screen. I thought for sure that I had managed to somehow get pregnant again. Needless to say I was shocked when I looked up and saw this...

It was definitely not a peanut! The tech put me at 17 1/2 weeks. I was almost halfway through my pregnancy and I had missed all of it! On my way home I stopped at the bar to tell Chris. He was as shocked as I was when I showed him the pictures. The next week when I went to see Dr. Wheeler, he told us it was a boy! He apologized over and over again saying he wished he had done the blood work back in April. He was convinced that if he had it would have said I was pregnant and that judging by the way the baby was measuring now there was no possible way that this was not the same baby I thought I had lost. He chalked the bleeding I had up to the stress of Dee Dee's hospital visit. I was almost crying in his office because all of the guilt just washed away right there. I loved this baby, I wanted this baby, I needed this baby. And I was going to have him home before Christmas! I was officially due December 18th.

We went into high gear as far as preparation went. We moved into a rental house so that I had two extra hours of Chris' help a day and while we unpacked I got all of the baby things out again. Though to be honest some of them hadn't even been put away yet. I had a crazy last pregnancy. I had a almost nervous breakdown in September. I was just so overwhelmed by the thought of having three children under the age of three and a husband who wasn't around very much. I was smart enough to realize there was a problem and got on some pregnancy safe medication. After that I just spent my time trying to get all of my Christmas shopping done before the baby's scheduled arrival date of December 1st.

Because I had had two previous c-sections so recently, my doc did not want to take the chance of having me go into labor. When he gave me my options between a couple of different dates I immediately picked December 1st. The reason for this was because three years earlier my mom's sister Connie had died in a car accident on that day. My mom hadn't been the same ever since. I figured if I could give her something to celebrate on that day, it might help make getting through it every year a little easier.

So, Jackson Reed Polk made his way into the world at 7:42 a.m December 1, 2006 in the middle of an ice storm. He weighed 7lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. Though I expected to have a normal hospital stay with him, that was not in the cards. He had a hard time getting all of the fluid off of his lungs as some c-section babies do, and he went to the NICU after getting cleaned up. Every day I hoped I would get to bring him back to the room with me and every day my hope faded. Eventually when I woke up on the fifth day I knew I would be leaving the hospital without him. To me that was the part I dreaded. It had been the worst part of Reagan's birth experience and I had no doubt, that even with all I had gone through to get him here it would be the hardest part about Jack's. I spent the next five days torn between being at home with my girls and being at the hospital with Jack. Not to mention the fact that I was recovering from major surgery and a tubal ligation! I couldn't drive and the hospital was 30 minutes away. It was the worst five days of my life.

Here are some pictures of him in the hospital

When they finally told us we could take him home, we were ecstatic. Even though it meant that he would go home on a monitor because he still forgot to breathe sometimes. Because of the monitor, we would have to spend the night before rooming in at the hospital. Nothing new to us, as we had done the same thing with Reagan. We made arrangements for the girls and took the opportunity to go out for dinner just the two of us. We ate at an amazing Mexican restaurant, and then headed over to the hospital. The next day we drove home and daddy went to work. I however, went to my mom and dad's with all three kids in tow to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family. It was an amazing day, and one I will never forget! I finally had all three of my babies in my arms, and I was complete.

*I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, they were all scanned into my computer because I don't have the digital versions!

A Game of Chase

Today is a beautiful fall day here! Even though I have one sick kiddo (Reagan threw up in the car today on the way home from taking Dee Dee to school) I decided to go outside during Jack's nap and take some video of the dog. She has been doing wonderfully and I must say that the past couple of days that has been a godsend! Anyway, the fact that we have a nice fenced in backyard makes it really easy to let her just run off all of her energy. The kids love going outside with her too! This morning I had Dee Dee all dressed for school when she came inside with dirty paw prints all over her shirt. Needless to say, I had to change her five minutes before we left! This afternoon when she got home, the first thing she wanted to do was go back outside with Molly. They had fun chasing each other and of course Molly stopped periodically to chew on sticks. I am loving the nice weather we have had lately! It is about 60 degrees out today, and a little windy but still gorgeous weather for November in Indiana! I hope we can enjoy it while it lasts, because the snow will be here before you know it!

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Flu Fest 2008

So, yesterday was a really long day around here. I actually didn't even have the energy to blog last night, which for me was weird. To make a long story short, Reagan was sick. I would have thought it was too early for the flu, but I guess I was wrong. I had gone out to a party at my SIL's house on Wednesday and while I was still out I got a call from my babysitter. This is a sitter who NEVER calls, so I knew something was wrong. Apparently, Reagan was throwing up and so I ended up cutting my night short and coming home. She already had her in the bathtub by the time I got there. Can I just say I am so grateful for my excellent babysitter! So we spent that night with a sick kiddo in our bed who continued to trow up periodically through the night. I don't know about any of you other moms out there, but I have not ever slept the same since I had children. I feel like I always sleep with one ear open, listening to make sure they are okay. When one of them is sick, that is amplified. Chris is amazed at how I can be sleeping and hear the puke coming, sit straight up in bed, grab the big bowl, and catch it before it hits the covers. What can I say, I guess its just instinct. But, whatever it is it still make for a lousy nights sleep. So, exhausted as I was yesterday I still had a sick child and the puppy. To top it all off, my husband decided to stay home from work to "help" me. He then proceeded to get sick and I ended up with one more person to take care of. I snapped this shot early last night after all of the kiddos had fallen asleep watching a movie in the girl's room. Isn't it just so cute how Jack is nestled right in between them? I couldn't resist, because even after the really long day I had to smile when I saw them like this. I just hope it doesn't mean I am in for flu fest round two with Dee Dee or Jack.

A Little Election Humor

I am glad the election is over.

Though I may not be happy with the outcome, I am glad it is over. I am scared and unsure of what is to come. I pray that Obama will be what is right for our country. I pray that those did not support him will now. I can only hope that as a nation, we can unite as one and go forward.

And jsut to show you that I am not a sore loser, I have a bit of election day humor to share with you...

Though I am not sure everyone would agree with this sentiment, I do believe Reagan would. My Reagan that is... not President Reagan. For those of you who don't already know, Reagan's pre-school teacher is her Nini (Grandma). Where a kid is concerned who could possibly make a better President than Grandma? Apparently yesterday they had a lesson on the election and all of the kids voted. Then after school I picked her up and took her with me to go vote. As we were standing in the little booth, she reached up to pull on my shirt and says...

"Mom, are you voting for the white guy or the black guy?"

I just about died right there. I could hear everyone in the room laughing as I leaned down and told her I would tell her later and she need to be quiet. Oh, the things that come from the mouths of children. I guess that will be the last time I take a five year old with me to vote.