Happy Birthday Aaron!

This is the birthday boy after a night of virtually no sleep! But I think he was still really happy!

Nanny came by on her lunch break to snuggle her newest granddaughter! And wish her son a happy birthday if course!

Sid and Zoe came to snuggle baby sister! They were so gentle with her right away! They also wished Aaron a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Aaron! Hope you like your birthday gift ;)

I Know This Little Girl!

I didn't sleep at all last night! My mind was reeling with what the next day would hold. I "slept' in the recliner in the living room while Aaron slept in the bedroom. I think he didn't really sleep much either.

We arrived at the hospital about 3o minutes before we were suppose to. (Probably around 4:30) Just Aaron and I and our carefully packed diaper bag, over night bag, with my secret letter from Zoe and my pics of the the family to focus on durong contractions.

There wasn't a room yet ready for us, so we sat out in the waiting room for what felt like forever! I was a little nervous.

Then it was time and we got into a room and I got my lovely hospital grade gown on and on went the monitors and your little heart beat filled the room, and I relaxed. We could hear babies crying and other moms delivering all around us! I thought it was neat to think that ewould be us in a few hours. Aaron I think was disturbed by us. One new mama was doing her share of screaming! We later found out she had opted to have her baby natural!

Sid, Zoe, Grandma and Grandpa came to the hospital after things got underway! I think Sid and ZOe might have been worried about me if they hadn't seen me with there own eyes that I wasdoing great! I think they loved being able to hear Aubrey's heartbeat. Nicole and Nanny and Pop pop did too! Nanny and Pop Pop brought me roses. Aaron and Nicole watched the contraction monitor and talked me through some contractions. I was so glad for the company. I drifted to sleep a few times after I got my epidural.

Then about 2 o'clock I started feeling a lot of pressure and contractions, very strong. I assumed the epidural was wearing off. So Aaron called the nurse. All of our family left the room while she checked me. She said it was time! Aubrey was ready!

We told our families to sit tight- it was time. Everyone kissed us and went out to the waiting room.

As the nurses got things ready, they commented to Dr. K was currently delivering twins and would do her best to get in here as soon as possible! Ha ha! I wasn't sure who would catch Aubrey if need be, but here she came anyway.

Finally the room was ready and Dr K made it. Aubrey was here pretty quickly. Aaron was right next to my head the whole time talking me through it.

Immediatley they put sweet Aubrey on my chest and she was red and LOUD! Her little body was strecthed out stiffly, her eyes shut tight and her mouth was wide open! I thought "I know this little girl"! She was exactly as I had envisioned her.

I remember just saying over and over, "Hi baby, hi, sweet baby!" "I love you Aubrey, its okay, mommy's here!" I kept whispering to this little distraught angel! She had obviously been very comfortable in her mommy's tummy, and being forced out was no picninc!

!

As they cleaned her up, Aaron took these pictures! She definatley was letting us know that no part of that was fun for her. I couldn't wait to get her in my arms. The nurses announced 7 lbs, 15 oz and 19 inches!!

She held tight to daddy's finger!

After they wrapped her up Aaron brought her to me. She was perfect!

Everyone came in to marvel at our sweet baby after that! She made a few squeaky noises and yawned. Sid and Zoe were so quiet and amazed by her instantly!

I am so thankful that our sweet baby came into this world so easily! She is such a gift from God!

Completley Ready

Tomorrow morning, Aaron and I will drive to the hospital, all giggly, and ready for my induction. I am due to be there at 5 AM- not sure they will actually start at that time, but, maybe something will be started by 6. LOL

I have to say, we cannot wait to meet this sweet little angel baby!

Mama is READY, Aaron is ready!, Zoe is ready, and Sid is ready.

The house is ready.

The crib is ready.

Car seat, diaper genie, tiny little booties are all ready.

Hospital bag is ready, gifts for Sid and Zoe are ready, camera is ready.

I think Aubrey is ready too.

The last sonogram showed her lungs were very active :) The sono tech said she has hair and guesstimated about 8 lbs, or just under. I guess tomorrow we will see :) I have been having full blown contractions- just not in any sort of pattern. Due to my bed rest, I notice every little pain, and I immediately think- is this it? And wait for some sort of pattern. But nothing. Hopefully they will have helped me dilate even more, so that things progress quickly.

Next post should be pics of Aubrey, and all about her delivery!!

AND daddy's birthday- he will be 25 Tuesday :)

Sweet Friends and Gifts For Aubrey

My friends from church threw me a baby shower on the 11th. They came over to my house and did the entire set up and clean up, since I am on bed rest!! In the picture above Jan, me and Aubrey, Darla, Kelly and Angie. Kelly shared with me while at the shower that her and her husband and little girl are expecting another baby! This is AWESOME news!!

Jan, myself and Natalie! It was such a joy getting together with them and catching up with everyone. Angie just had her baby, named Ella, and I got to hold her while we chatted. She is a sweet slice of heaven. I couldn't believe the nice things they brought for Aubrey. I was blown away!!

This picture doesn't even do it all justice- there were so many tiny cute outfits and diapers and toys. Darla's son, Nathan, has been in Sid's class at school the last few years and Darla told us how he picked out a lot of the gifts for Aubrey!! Ha Ha- too cute!

Then on Monday the 12th, My boss from work, Amy, and co-worker John, surprised me with lunch (CHIK-FIL-A) and MORE gifts for Aubrey. This is the best pic I have of the two of us- Sid was our photographer ;)

They got me the neatest stuff and I really feel like we are officially ready for this sweet baby girl to make her appearance!

This Diaper Genie is going to be a life saver I am pretty sure!! (or a nose saver rather)

I got tons of cute outfit for Aubrey at all of my showers- this girl is gonna be the best dressed in the whole house!!

I am planning on breast feeding, but it is SO nice to have the bottle back up- especially since I am heading back to work :( Something I don't like to think about.

I am so blessed and so thankful for all the gifts for Aubrey and our family. My friends from church are planning to provide meals for our family in the days after Aubrey is here and I cannot tell you how happy that makes me- these women can cook (and some husbands too!!)

13 Days Till Aubrey and Lots on My Mind

I can't sleep, so I thought I would BLOG- LOL

We are just under 2 weeks out from holding our little girl in our arms- I just can't believe it! Aaron is excited too, closing in on this date is making it more and more of a reality for him. He laughs at how huge my belly is- I am glad it makes him happy :)

The kids are excited too- Zoe would like for me to drive to the hospital and just ask if I can go ahead and have her- these last 13 days are dragging for her (I feel your pain, sweet girl, believe me)

And Sid is cracking me up with boyish predictions of how she will look, and what she will do. His predictions have taken an odd sci fi turn- but that's ok- I know my boy and he is really looking forward to her being here.

I think we are pretty much prepared! The crib is ready, changing station ready, house completely clean, baby monitors plugged in, car seat ready- which reminds me, I need to take off the manufacturer booklets and pack the hospital bag. I washed my nursing bra and gown last night, so those are ready to be packed.

Here is a list of things that are on my mind:

1. I need to send thank you notes to friends from work and church that showered me with even more precious things for Aubrey
2. I need to figure out what gifts Aubrey is bringing to her big brother and sister
3. I need to get Aaron a card and gift for his birthday (his birthday will be the day after Aubrey's)
4. I need to call the Middle School Sid will be attending next year and get all the nitty gritty on his schedule- they were suppose to be mailed out and i haven't received his yet
5. I need to find a support group about the fact that my son is about to start middle school- I can't sleep at night thinking about my boy roaming the halls with actual 7th graders (never mind the fact that he too will be a 7th grader)!!! And playing football!! It is such a HUGE chapter that is about to begin in his life!!
6. I need more thank you cards.
7. I need to put add upcoming appts for the kids and I on the calender- my brain PDA is about to malfunction due to pregnant brain!
8. Need to find an at home bible study that I can do every morning- opening my bible to random pages and reading for 10 minutes isn't exactly working for me.

That's about it for today.

God Has Plans For Me and For You

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? Genesis 17:17

When God gives you a glimpse of what your true calling is, does it make you want to fall on your face and laugh, just as Abraham did? Does it seem ridiculous that God might choose little 'ol you to do something that might change the world? Once you pick yourself up from laughing, consider that He just might mean what He says! Live it up!

Girls Just Want.....Really Cute Stuff

I follow a lot of other blogs, and not too long ago, one of those blogs asked people who make things to post a link to there sites. That is when I came across something so cute, I knew I had to have it! Christy Hutchins makes the cutest wipee cases I have ever seen in my life!! And they are really reasonably priced. I think I may have to order one from now on for everyone I know that has a baby coming.

I contacted Christy not long after seeing the wipee case and in no time, she made one up for Aubrey......

I mean how stinking cute is that!! She has a ton of different designs featured on her blog with all sorts of color schemes. I love the way it turned out! She is very creative and super sweet! Now with Aubrey so close to being here, I will toss it in the bag that is going to the hospital with us.

Contact her if you want one too! These would make the cutest gifts!!

www.sassystoragecase.blogspot.com

Two Little Fish

Summer Lovin'

Yesterday went amazingly well.

The kids actually stayed here with us, and had a really great day! We all got so much accomplished, the front hall closet got cleaned (all those blankets now have a home), our bedroom got cleaned and organized. Aaron worked on the crib, which had a missing slat. The kids got a long (for the most part) and made lists of things that would make this summer truly awesome- now who can take them to NRH20? And Six Flags?

We finished the day by Aaron grilling the best garlic herb chicken breast in the world! And watching Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief together on the couch.

It was a perfect summer day full of just enough accomplishments and just enough chillin.

I did almost die though while Aaron was working on the crib. It was the closest I have come to death since Father's Day 2009.

But I will save that for another post :)

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Rain, Organizing and a New Vacuum

Even I, who cannot enjoy the summer sun rays, due to having to sit on the couch, am getting a little tired of the rain. I really did appreciate it at first- I DID! It cools everything off, makes the grass the most vibrant green, and I have always enjoyed watching big ominous thunderheads rolls in while the wind whips the trees to and fro.

But my kids have cabin fever of the worst kind- they need to swim! They need to jump! They need to be able to go outside and run-a-muck!

So, nothing personal, but rain, please go on! It was fun at first, then annoying and now just down right inappropriate- I guess you haven't heard, but this is Texas, we don't get you in the summertime here.

SO, on this July 4th Independence Day, the kids have plans to go up to the Harwell's, the spend the day with their Grandma and Grandpa and cousins, and if the rain takes a hike, some much needed outside time followed by fireworks.

Aaron and I will be organizing (not sure if Aaron knows this yet) I actually only have two major projects for today, that shouldn't take that long considering how motivated I am (If it isn't nailed down- toss it).

First we will tackle the front hall closet. We have two entry closets by our front door. One is for coats (and the vacuum, and the suitcases). THE OTHER one is shelved and houses: puzzles, games, craft supplies. large cookware things that won't fit in the kitchen, hamster food, dog treats, commonly used household tools, flash cards, about 23 VHS tapes from years ago, a half eaten dog pillow, various batteries and holiday stuff. This is the one that we are going to clean out and organize, making room for all the other things in the house that are just cluttering things up and don't actually have a home.

Second, comes the master bedroom. I frankly don't know where to begin with the master bedroom. Weekly it becomes a catch-all for things that have no home. Vases. blankets, shoes, yearbooks, magazines- etc. So every surface will be cleared, cleaned and left cleared and clean. The only thing on top of this dresser will be XY and Z and so on.

Does that sound pretty anal? Probably not. I am sure all of you can't stand clutter as well.

By the way- while I was typing this Aaron got up and I began to tell him my ideas for the day and he quickly ate some cereal and headed out the door to Home Depot. I shouted "Be back soon!" No response could only mean he is really really excited about my organizing project.

I know its difficult with me on bed rest. I want things clean, but others have to be my arms and my legs! Speaking of which- every item of clothing, every hooded towel and every burp cloth for Aubrey has been cleaned and put away thanks to Sid and Zoe!! WHO KNEW they could be such marvels when it comes to laundry! There are so many surprises with those too! They make me smile all the time! (Except when day 4 of no rain brings on sibling rivalry like you have never seen!! They are beginning to make Cain and Abel look like saints) But the house is getting clean and ready for the arrival of this baby and that does make me smile.

Which brings me to the new vacuum. We have a vacuum cleaner that isn't working- meaning its lost its suck. We really over work a vacuum too, so this next one is going to have to be INSANELY sucky!! I am assuming Aaron is in search of one today. He didn't say much before he fled- I mean left- for Home Depot and various other places pregnant women do not hang out.

I wonder what he is going to say about me needing him to pick me up a nursing bra and nursing night gown. I'll let you know!

25 Days Till Aubrey

We are really in the home stretch till our Aubrey is here :)

I cannot believe we have a little over 3 weeks till that little monkey is here. Next week I will be focusing on getting things ready, which will involve more de-cluttering (where does all this stuff keep coming from?!) packing the hospital bag, washing the last items for her (blankets, towels, and little clothes- oh and her crib sheets, socks and hand mittens- I FINALLY got the hand mittens- my husband LOVES me so much!)

Time to get the kids ready too. We read a book yesterday that was all about welcoming a new baby into your home. It was aimed at much younger children, so we had a hard time getting through it with out laughing a lot. Sentences like "Do you notice your mom is getting rounder? What could that mean!!" The kids are so above such literary cuteness. But the part about love not being like Apple Pie, that it eventually runs out was really neat to me- A parents love never ever runs out. They acted like they knew that too already- but it was such an awesome analogy, I think it helped them to be able to think about our love for them in that way.

Aaron is still doing it all while I sit still and let this sweet baby grow. There is so much I wish I could do for him, and I can't wait till I am on my feet again and can fill my days with little ways of making his life peaceful and easier and happy. I feel like I am limited to what I can do to help him right now. But it has occurred to me lately that I have been turning down offers of help from others because I don't want to feel like a burden. It never dawned on me that put more burden on my superman husband. So I have created a LIST for what others can do for us to help. That way when people eagerly offer "Is there anything you need? Anything we can do for you?" I don't reply with the programed "No thanks, we are fine". Instead I can reference the list which is essentially an ongoing menu of things that we need help with: return DVDs, pick up milk, drop off dry cleaning, unload dishwasher, switch over laundry, take the kids for a swim, dog for a walk- these things seem small one by one, but when Aaron gets home and these things are done it will make a world of difference for him. I know people offer to help because they want to. I need to let them.

So, let the "Friday" countdown begin till this sweet baby arrives. Until then, here I sit :)

Lists, Lists, and more Lists

If you don't know that I am a list person, then you don't know me at all.

I make grocery lists, things to do lists, things to pack lists, movies to watch lists, lists of books I need to return, lists of lists I need to make- its a sickness I think. But I like it, so I continue.

Here is my current to do list:

1. Do a bible lesson with the kids
2. Reschedule Zoe's Dr's apt so that she can skip town with my dad and watch fireworks in Kansas with my sister and her family
3. Do laundry for said trip (AKA have Aaron bring me dirty clothes so that I can point to clothes that need to be washed)
4. Marinade Pork Chops for Aaron to grill (AKA shout directions from the couch to my dear 12 year old son, on how to dump pork chops in a bowl and cover with garlic herb marinade and cover and put in fridge and then holler the importance of scrubbing his hands thoroughly to avoid salmonella or swine flu or something equally horrible)
5. Organize my bed rest station (the coffee table) (AKA ask mom to stack magazines, return books to the library and throw away Kleenex, candy wrappers and other items that have found there way into "my" area)
6. Make a list of things that need to be done before my baby shower that my sweet friends from church are throwing for me on the 11th- CAN'T wait to see these amazing girls!!
7. Watch Valentine's Day movie with Aaron

That's it for today! I'll let you know how much I actually get done!! Sid just made the pork chops, so that is one thing off the list~!

Share whats on your list for today!

Happy Thursday!