Summer, at least this far

I realized the other day that I have pretty much only been updating my blog with things related to pregnancy. Being pregnant is hardly the only thing we have done this summer :) This would probably be better split into several shorter posts, but I fear I might never get it done if I leave it to that so one long post it is.

Colorado

Awwww, cute, even after 11 years together.

Train ride in Leadville

On the train. I asked Isaac if he was excited and he said, "I have been wanting to go on a train my whole life and today I finally get to."

Cool train shirts

My sweeties with flowers. After this, I told them to leave the rest for everyone to enjoy.

Adelle's second birthday

"Helping" Mom make birthday cupcakes

She took a bite out of one of the cupcakes that was cooling on the cabinet. Here she is feeling dejected because I said she couldn't eat a cupcake because it was still morning.

I relented. If you can't eat a cupcake on the morning of your birthday, when can you? So here she is, eating the cupcake that she took the bite out of.

Birthday book from Grammie and Grandpa (that had a lot of clothes to go with it!)

Blowing out the candles on her birthday cupcakes

Lots of outdoor time in June when it wasn't scary hot.

It seems like maybe this isn't the best way to go down a slide, but he made it work.

Humidity= curly hair

My little bike riders

I love our neighborhood. Lots of trees make a nice canopy of shade over the street. It is just beautiful :)

Adelle's spot during bike rides

We have kept up a casual session of school this summer. Fun stuff, finishing up the alphabet path (we will get it done before the baby is born!). Lots of puzzles, trips to the library. We had been doing school time during Adelle's nap but I have instituted Quiet Time during her nap now, so that I can rest, mostly, so we have had to accommodate her toddler shenanigans while we are doing school. Sometimes this is fruitful and she cooperates and I snap pictures (see below) and sometimes it is frustrating and disruptive. Such is life, right?

Issy helping Adelle with a puzzle

Liam and Adelle looking through the alphabet in an old workbook

Issy and Isaac were at Totus Tuus for a week in July, so Liam and Adelle got to spend a lot of time together. Interesting to see how the dynamics changed when you took the older two out of the picture. They were both more patient with each other. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very good that week, so we didn't get out like I had hoped but we read lots of books and they had lots of smoothies.

"Helping" Mom make smoothies.

I suspect that pretty much the only thing I will report doing the second part of the summer will be spending time at the pool or otherwise in water. Because it is too hot to do pretty much anything else :P

31 weeks

31 weeks

Baby George was looking good today. He is estimated at a hefty 4 1/2 lbs already- in the 80th percentile. We are now scheduled for weekly appointments from here on out. Which I am really trying not to be overwhelmed by. But it is overwhelming. It also helps put things in perspective- that neat list of appointments, ticking off the weeks until this little boy comes out to greet the world. I am scheduled through 40 weeks, but if he would like to come out earlier, that would be mooooore than ok with me. We discussed doing the amnio at 37 weeks, which we are going to go ahead with. While I don't relish the idea of another amnio, it seems like the smartest course of action.

This will be the longest/shortest summer I have experienced. It is already mid-July and yet, when I look at the finish line, it seems soooooo very far away. It has been so hot. My back/hip issues have been helped immensely by the chiropractic, I am so grateful for that. But other pregnancy discomforts have crept up, some more challenging than others. Recently, I have started to feel very claustrophobic in my body, I feel like I can't breathe well enough and it makes me feel all panicky. And I am not sure how I can be pregnant for one day longer, let alone 9 weeks.

But I have enough self-awareness to know that I am prone to being overdramatic and that even though things seem difficult right now, I will indeed make it. And when I am holding that sweet, soft little baby, this will be just a memory- there, but hazy around the edges. Thank goodness for that.

Restless Womb Baby

I have been up for about an hour with a very restless baby George. He is funny- I have periods of pretty regular movement (when it is about time to get up in the morning, after lunch, evening time, usually a little when I am trying to fall asleep) but he was just really, really wild last night. Every time I got up to go to the bathroom, he would be kicking up a storm. I managed to fall back into a restless sleep most of the times, but at a quarter till five, he got me. He apparently doesn't like it when I try to curl into a ball around him because he kept kicking my ribs pretty hard whenever I would try. I wonder if he is going to be longer than the others were? All the other babies were in the 19 inch range and I don't recall having this problem. I guess we will see.

As I was laying in bed, trying to fall back asleep, I started to think (uh-oh) about the next couple of months. I'll be 30 weeks in couple of days and I am simultaneously thinking "ten more weeks?! how am I going to be able to grow this already cramped baby in there for ten more weeks?" and "ten more weeks?! i have way more things to do in the next ten weeks than the energy to do them" And that all, of course, hinges on him actually getting to stay in until his due date. In reality, it could be another 7 or 8 weeks before he comes, which makes me a little less panicky about the former. And more panicky about the latter.

My sister passed me down the overwhelming amount of baby boy hand me downs this week. Wow. He could probably wear a different outfit everyday the first six months and not have to repeat. The issue is that currently, I don't actually have a place to put his things. I am going to set up a crib (which I need to get from my sister-in-law) in the boy's room (they are getting a bunk bed from my *other* sister) so he can nap in there, but he will sleep in our room at night. Now, where to put his clothes and diapers? I don't think they will fit in the boy's room. The house has enough space, but they might end up someplace weird, like the learning room. I think I might be overthinking this too much.

I still need to organize/rotate out/go through all the other kid's winter stuff from last year *eye roll* Yes, I realize it is July. I was trying to put it off until after vacation because I knew we would need warm stuff for CO. We have been back for over a week now. And their full suitcases of clean winter things that need to be put away are still in the living room. I think by the time I get it all figured out, it might be time to get them out again :P

And then, of course, there is schooling. We have been working this summer, though not as much as I would like. Rarely as much as I would like. Honestly, that is my number one stress of homeschooling is that I worry about not getting enough done. Or not doing it in an organized enough manner. And, and, and.... The kids seem to be doing well, the older two have been concentrating on their phonics, I have touched a little on 100 Easy Lessons with Liam, we have finally broken out our math games and we are finishing up the Alphabet Path, though at an accelerated pace.

So there you go. No wonder I couldn't get back to sleep this morning, I had all that rattling around in my head :p It is about 6:20 now. The kids will start getting up and I will start to feel like I am ready to go back to sleep and finish up the night. Ha! Might as well make my morning cup of coffee now :)

29 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks (please excuse dirty mirror, the mirrors are often dirty around here!)

Appointment today- looked good :) Every week he is doing so well gives me more hope that I might get to take a well (if not slightly yellowish) baby home with me in a couple of months. He is in a good position right now (sometimes LOA. sometimes LOT.) Liam was in an extremely similar position and he came out just fine :)

I am, however, getting to that "I am so done being pregnant" stage. Not because I am particularly uncomfortable. Not because I have everything ready (ha!) but because I am tired of all the appointments. And it is really only going to get more intense from here on out. I will be seeing the regular OB every couple of weeks until 36 weeks and then weekly. I will be seeing the specialist weekly after 33 weeks. And I am also seeing the chiropractor for my back. Which leaves me with a ri.dic.u.lous. amount of appointments with various assorted healthcare providers. It will be nice once he is born and we can slow down a bit.

I am feeling better since I started seeing the chiro. My back and ligaments have still been giving me some trouble but I am going fairly frequently at this point, so relief is often just around the bend. And it seems to be resolving itself quicker, too. Hooray for relief. I was pretty sure a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to make it to the end of my pregnancy if I continued to feel like that, so it is nice to feel (relatively) normal most of the time now. I at least feel like I can make it another 11 weeks now without my pelvis falling apart, which is good ;)

Vacation

Well, Joe has most of the vacation pictures on his camera, but I thought I would share what I had. We got to spend a lovely few days in the mountains in Breckenridge, CO. When we planned our trip I thought it would be nice to go at the end of June to catch some of the cooler weather since it has been hot here. Well, I got what I hoped for. This is what we woke up to the first morning:
Luckily, it melted pretty quickly this first day. We went into town to look around. It was quite wet. And muddy. It was still cool, so we thought it would be nice to get the kids some hot chocolate. We went to a cute little cafe. We warned the kids that it was hot and to be careful not to spill it.

Liam was the first to spill his.

Issy and Isaac were kind enough to share the rest of their hot chocolate with him. Joe and I weren't done with our coffee, but we decided to go ahead and walk some. A kind shop owner saw us and asked if we would like our picture taken:
Not a bad picture, if I say so myself. Pretty much immediately after this, I picked up my coffee while the kids were admiring the snow behind us. I was standing behind Issy, who then jumped up in excitement and spilled the rest of my coffee all over my sweater.

Which led me to remember: ideas in my head (like getting hot chocolate with four small children) are often easier in my head than in real life. Not saying I wouldn't do it again. Sometimes I really just need to adjust my expectations.

The next day we were going to drive to the top of a pass we drove last year, but it was closed so we found a different one. We stopped at the top and walked a little further on the trail. Great views. My little mountain babies:
Overall, it was a pretty great trip. After the first day, the snow melted and it was gorgeous the rest of the time. It was nice to get some much needed time in the mountains.

27 weeks

25 weeks 3 days

26 weeks

27 weeks

Had another appointment yesterday and all is well. He had a couple of higher-for-him readings (though still under the cutoff) when the ultrasound technician took the MCAs. When the doctor came in, he did a couple and got much lower readings (around what they had been in previous weeks). He said he wasn't concerned and that in an anemic baby he would expect consistently higher readings across the board without the lower readings that he was able to get. Even at this stage, movement can affect the readings and he was being a wild baby when the tech was doing it. I am continuously impressed by how level-headed my high-risk doctor seems and am so relieved to feel like I can trust his assessments.

They also took his measurements, which are still ahead a couple/few weeks. His estimated weight is already 2 lbs 12 oz. Chubby little guy I've got in there. Can't wait to plant kisses on those smooshy little cheeks he'll have.

I went and saw the chiropractor a couple of times this week and plan to go for the remainder of the pregnancy. So far, so good. I really like her, and my back is feeling much improved, although that could be at least partially due to the fact that I have been avoiding things that tend to aggravate it. Swimming laps really did seem to help also. Whatever it is, I am just very glad to have some relief.

That is me. Not exciting, but good :)

Summertime!

From a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May. Lawn watered? Check. Children happy? Check.

We have been having a good summer so far. Been working on the kid's school- more about that later. It's been nice, we still have a good rhythm to our days, but have been enjoying all the summer has to offer- fresh air, swimming, bike rides. As much as I am enjoying the sunshine, I am not looking forward to the long, humid July. I know, I am picky. I just don't really like to sweat just by walking outside.

Since I mentioned it in my last post, baby George has flipped back around. Thank goodness. I was thrilled on Sunday night when Joe and I were hanging out and I realized he was kicking my ribs. Now I just need him to stay anterior and we are all set. I am still having lower back/sciatica issues, so I have an appointment with a chiropractor on Wednesday. She is really close to my house (like, 1/4 mile), works a lot with pregnant women and comes highly recommended. Since she is so close, Joe will be able to come home briefly to watch the littles while I go over there.

I went swimming at the Y yesterday which also provided some relief from the back pain. Between that and the chiropractic, I am hoping to feel better soon.

The rest of June is busy, busy- vacation, a coming home party for my brother-in-law who has been deployed, more appointments for George. It'll be July before I know it!

Happy 2nd birthday to my little Peanut

I was going through pictures of Adelle's second year trying to get photos to write this post, drinking coffee with the sun coming up and it reminded me of her birthday. I can't believe that bundle has turned into this little girl:

Summer 2010

Fall 2010

Winter 2011

Spring 2011

So happy birthday to my precious little girl!

26 weeks

Well, this post was supposed to have pictures but our computer that I put the pictures on is not plugged in currently because when we had a storm the other night our roof started leaking. Right over the computer. So we unplugged and moved it, obviously, but haven't plugged it back it. We'll get there.

Had an appointment on Wednesday. George was being kinda tricky at first. Basically, he had turned head down (he had actually been in that position for about a week) but he was posterior and his chin was tilted up. So the top of his head (the part that they need to scan to look at the mid-cerebral artery) was really hard to get to. First she tried to jiggle him to get him to move, but no, then she tried to get it as best she could. We waited for the doctor, who tried to get it again and got a much more accurate reading because George had put his chin down.

That night, he flipped breech again. And ouch. I hope he changes his mind soon because I find feet down there extremely uncomfortable. He was moving a ton this morning, so we will see.

Everyone else is doing well. We are doing school during the summer so that we can finish up a few things from last year and get a jump start on the new school year before the baby is born. They are getting excited about him- Liam told me this last week that I only had one trimester to go. Apparently he has been listening. Adelle kisses my belly and calls him PoppyGeorge, which is adorable.

Only 3ish more months to go. That seems like an extremely long and short time all at once. I have been having various issues with my pelvis and I need to see a chiropractor to get it all worked out, but I am already seeing the doctors so much as it is that I am having a hard time figuring out time/money to see a chiro on top of it. But I also can't imagine doing another three months with my body feeling the way it does. Silly fifth baby is really giving me a run for my money :)

Love you and honor you...

9 years ago I stood in front of my family and friends and said, "I, Erin, take you, Joseph, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

I have probably kept that promise better some days than others....

I am human, though, so I keep on trying, understanding that my loving and honoring will always be flawed, but honest.

We were so young. I appreciate that more now, with the hindsight that only a few years could give.

And yet, never once in the last nine years, have I doubted that getting married young was the right decision. When you know.... you know.

And the last nine years have been fruitful....

I am grateful for the opportunity to grow up with my very best friend and raise babies with him.

Happy anniversary, my J.

24 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks. I wore this shirt when we visited Yellowstone when I was 37 weeks with Adelle. I am feeling doubtful that it is going to fit me in another 13 weeks.

Everything is fine here. Had an appointment yesterday- the little turkey is sitting breech, which is kind of uncomfortable for me. He has about another 4-6 weeks to decide to go head down. The sooner, the better. Not one smidge of concern about him looking anemic.

I am starting to feel like I am actually going to be having a baby. Perhaps due to the hardly deniable expanding abdomen and tossy-turny in my womb, it is kind of hitting me that in a few months I am going to be doing it all again- the first few sleepless weeks, the falling in love, the adjustment/adoration as the older kids get used to a new person in the house. I have bought him some clothes (even though, really, once I get all the hand-me-downs in place, he will probably be set. It is always nice to have a few new things, though), started thinking about what I will need to diaper him (again, yay for hand-me-downs!) and about his accommodations.

And still, wow. Another baby.

First Communion

Daddy took her picture before Mass

The kids in PSR and the homeschooling kids all sat together as a class.

Party at Grammie and Grandpa's. They were extremely generous in providing both a space and most of the food for our get together. I did provide cupcakes, however :) The actual cupcake was a little dense for my taste, but the cream cheese frosting was good.

Opening some beautiful gifts from party attendants.

With her godparents.

With her "godsister" and very best friend.

Mom and Dad

My nephew Richard received his First Communion a couple weeks after Issy. Joe took some pictures for him, too and we got some of them together. I can't believe they are both so big!

Baby update

I wrote this on Thursday, the 12th, but blogger was down, so here you go:

Had another MCA today and George is looking great- well out of transfusion range. We are still on the MCAs every two weeks along with growth every four (which will be next time). The doctor stopped in and chatted a few minutes. He said that as long as everything kept looking good we could do MCAs through 35 weeks and then at 36 or 37 do an amnio to test the bilirubin level and to test lung maturity. We can keep doing the MCAs after 35 weeks, they just aren't as accurate. If the baby is moving, it can make the measurement artificially high and indicate anemia where there is none (which is likely what happened with Liam, I suspect).

But he was very encouraging about waiting things out if the baby looked fine. If his bilirubin level looks fine at the 36/37 week amnio, we will probably continue to do MCAs (understanding the limitations) and wait it out for him. The doctor thought it was great that I was able to have VBACs with the last two, especially how we handled Liam's induction. He said that the best case was for me to be able to go into labor on my own.

So I suppose at this point we continue to hope that George is unaffected (uneffected? why can I never remember that one?) and that he decides to make his appearance on the slightly early side so we don't have to worry about him. I think I am growing another big boy, which should be interesting. I have no doubt I can birth a big baby (it's in my blood) but you know, August in Kansas, big baby in womb.

Overall, I am very encouraged and very pleased by my care this time. Less than halfway to go now!

Searching for simplicity...

I am beginning to realize that the more children we have, the more elusive simplicity is going to be. Joe has been crazy busy with work, and while it is *technically* possible for me to take all four children to the grocery store with me, the idea of that makes my head want to explode, so we have to plan around when he will actually be home for me to do it child-free. This is sometimes a bit of a task.

Oh, illness. I thought when we all got the stomach flu that we would be fine for a while. Alas, no. Last week, as I said, Adelle woke up with an earache. And Issy woke up Friday morning with a fever. And Isaac got a fever on Saturday. And I am wondering what I am doing wrong and when this ridiculous chain one illness on top of another is going to end. It has been something or other since January and I am tired. of. it.

Adelle being ill makes cleaning the house in peace nearly impossible. She wants to be snuggled and loved or at least demands that you not give any other activity your undivided attention. Which would be fine if Joe was here to cater to the little dictator's toddler's needs and wants while I kept the dishes and laundry up, but that just hasn't been feasible. (On a side note, thank God for him. I don't know how I would do this life without him. I hope to get him back someday soon.)

There were good times this week, too, however. Blessedly, Issy was better in time for her First Communion, which was a beautiful and special day. (Joe has the memory card with most of the pictures, but I will try to share them soon.) Grammie and Grandpa Marney hosted her party, which was such a blessing. I married into a great family :)

So suppose I am going to have to let go of the idea that anything- grocery shopping, house cleaning, heck- life, is going to be simple anymore. 7 people (including 5 people under the age of 9)≠ simple. But our life is very, very full. And it forces me to be creative :)