The Grand Finale

I LOVE that I can finally tell a story I wondered so much about. I had many moments of visualizing how things might go...and much to my surprise; Nothing is predictable.

At 4:30 pm on Sunday evening we were eating dinner as a family. I coughed and my water broke. This has never happened before. With past pregnancies my water breaks at the hospital when I am in active labor and basically defines a very short time before baby is born. You can understand my worry wondering if intense labor was about to kick in at any moment. Our child care arrangements arrived 15 minutes later and we were en route to the hospital. We arrived at 5:30 pm. I had manageable Braxton Hicks type contractions until about 8:30 pm when they asked me to walk down the hall from Triage to Labor and Delivery. Contractions grew a little stronger but still manageable. At one point, contractions moved to 1 min and 30 seconds apart. Each contraction had a double peak to it. I can recall having 10 of these intense uncomfortable contractions followed by 6 minutes of pushing and a very healthy baby boy was born.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience child birth. I am especially grateful to have had this last opportunity to;
First, feel anxious about the idea of it
Second, have it organized in a very comfortable and calm experience
and Third, have it end in such an intense manner that I feel the much needed closure.

I love the euphoria that comes from meeting a new member of the family. I love the doctors and nurses who compliment and cheer for us and I love having had this opportunity to reflect and absorb memories of the past and present.

My favorite comments were from my delivery doctor who has been delivering for 12 years and Chase is her new record weighing baby.
An admitting nurse stopped us as we left labor and delivery and said, "You had to have the biggest and best!"

Well, I don't think she's wrong this time around. And I'll take all the attention I can get.

Nurse Leslie. An absolute sweetheart who took great care of us through the process.

This one is for the record book. I could have had 2 healthy twin babes - OR just one massive one.

Guess what I had? Here's the massive one:

Having said that, this really is a bad camera angle or something. He really isn't as massive as this picture makes him look. However, this picture makes me laugh ... so that's why I share it.

The boys were in school and so Sadie was presented with the role of Big Sister on her own. It was a quiet and special Monday morning for her ... and us.As expected, this little man is well received. I don't mind hanging in the hospital except for the fact that the beds are SO uncomfortable AND for the first time ever I did not achieve a private room. SO ... Ryan found the Nurse Practioner and told her I'm an experienced Mother who's ready to go home. That would make room for the other 30 babies born into the hospital that day. Surprisingly, things moved faster than expected and we were on our way home at 2pm.

Thank you to Amanda (displayed cuddling below) for transporting the boys to and from school.

It was fun to introduce 4 boys to their baby brother. They were SO excited! to meet him. I greeted the boys at the door when they arrived. Colby and Quinten saw me and their faces quickly dropped. Colby almost started crying and said, "I thought you were going to have our baby?!" (as he looked at my tummy).

I quickly calmed him down (of course) reassuring him the baby was waiting around the corner.

A whole lotta big brothers:

Logan

William

Colby

Quinten

And these are the tender moments of the first 24 hours. Time has moved relatively slow. I hope it continues to do so.

Update With The Truth

So, it seems that I am wrong. I know, it's hard to believe. But it's really true.

I figure that by my 5th pregnancy I would know more about my 'dates' than the doctors. SO, my due date for myself was May 21, 2011. While at the same time, I understood the doctor's due date for baby's arrival was May 26th, 2011. I thought I was right (for reasons I won't outline here) always knowing, in the end, it really wasn't a BIG deal because it's only a difference of 5 days.

Well that was a BIG mistake. The poor people that follow my due date were expecting something to happen a WHOLE 7 days ago. And still....nothing. But the truth can finally be known, based on my official due date of May 26th I'm actually only 2 days overdue.

SO, now that the doctor has proven more knowledgeable about me, than I am of myself. I can now say I was 3 weeks away from my due date with the pregnancy portraits taken AND I was 7 days away when setting up an event for 420 people. SO, I'm not as accomplished as I once painted the picture for.

Having said all that, I should probably update on how it feels to be 2 days overdue. Well, it's not that bad really. I've never delivered early SO it's not really a big surprise. However, I have been uncomfortable for 3 days, thinking baby might arrive. I have had minor anxiety attacks asking myself WHY I'm back in this awkward predicament AND I have not really realized the true magnitude of the effort of labor and delivery. So, I've had moments where I've "checked out" on the family, I've cried feeling overwhelmed and I've momentarily wished I could be anyone else BUT myself at this exact moment. Basically a pity party larger than I've ever experienced before.

Hopefully, I can snap out of it. This honestly is a first for me with the situation of not taking an active role in the home and 'checking out'. Hopefully I can find the strength to positively proceed through labor and delivery AND my kids can have their fiesty/energetic Mom back.

Sigh of Relief

Most would think that 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant would only bring thoughts of the arrival of baby. Well not me. I had a few concerns that the arrival of baby would keep me from fulfilling my commitment. This is all I have thought about for the past two weeks ... and of course, had planned for, much before then. I also had the additional worry of wondering if I would ever find help - as our set-up schedule fell right smack in the middle of a work day. It's much easier to find help on weekends and evenings.

After cleaning and arranging votives and vases it was time to pack them back up.

220 rosesRecycling OverflowAnd a daughter who has taught herself to read (in a linen mountain)

90 Helium Balloons all packed into 1 cargo trailer. I'm forever thankful I didn't have to drive with these around my head.

A very special thank you is sent to MacKenzie (most loyal and supportive always!), Mom (most enthusiastic and worried) AND Shannon (most energetic and service oriented). We all know I could not have done this without you.

I definitely met my match with this event. I think it'll take a couple days to recover and catch-up on sleep.

The Mother of All Years

I am currently living a unique life I never expect will repeat itself.

Once a year (on Mother's Day weekend) my Sis organizes pedicures for the ladies. This year, on Mother's Day, I was two weeks away from my due date. SO, it's nice that I had the treat of not having to paint my own toes. You know, I don't want to scare the doctor, or baby so attractive toes is always appreciated.

I always think about how any particular year is the "youngest" our family will ever be. Youth means innocence to me. I love the innocence the kids bring into the home. And then when they surprise me with a lack thereof, well, I start to worry. "What have I gotten myself into" I still have to guide these people when the grow up. None the less they are great, they drive me crazy sometimes (which is mostly due to my lack of patience) but I recognize their innocence and their desire to just live life and explore it to the fullest.

It's such a sweet lesson to each one of the kids as we prep for the arrival of our new addition. Sadie has given me a new perspective I've never recognized before. She refers to her unborn baby as being so cute. The concept should be foreign to her, but she is very much in tune with the upcoming arrival. I recognize hearts are softened as we talk about the arrival of a new little one. And from past experience, I am always touched by the overwhelming peace and comfort felt in the home when a new little one arrives.

We've stated our family will be complete, and I, again, concentrate on the fact that this is the youngest we will ever be....except this time, as a complete package. Everyone having been introduced into our world. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to love every minute of 200 weeks of pregnancies. I feel very sad that this phase in our lives is drawing to a close. I look forward to the euphoria that comes from the grand finale of child birth for me. I hope, in some small way, I am able to recall what pregnancy felt like and looked like. It's a cherished time I am trying to absorb as much as possible.

And then, comes the celebration of Motherhood through the eyes of your child. This year was totally eye opening. I've been described in my Mothering as 'Super Mom,' 'Angelic,' 'Having Grace,' and even someone who truly 'enjoys Motherhood.' Maybe they should speak to my very sweet, loving and kind child William. You could never meet a better guy. Currently he's exploring his 'too cool for you' attitude BUT deep down, he's still just as sweet as ever. AND this is what he wrote to his Mother on Mother's Day (oh, I should probably mention he also is talented in sharing a dry sense of humor):
It reads: All about my funny and pretty Mom
Written by: Will

Aww, so sweet.

I especially like the cute picture drawn of us. With me and my beautiful flowing hair and of course, the size difference.

Don't worry, it gets more real
1) My Mom is as pretty as a flower
2) The favorite thing I like to do with my Mom is fight
(probably because we walk around joking about how Will and I are like Oil and Water OR even Vinegar and Baking Soda). I'm the energetic, task oriented being and Will is the easy going, do as little as possible fellow.
All I know is: What must his teacher be thinking as she reads this?!
3) What does your Mom do all day? Clean
4) What is the smartest thing your Mom said to you? there was nothing
5) If you could give your Mom anything for Mothers Day it would be: A piece of gum
6) Thank you Mom for: Food
7) Something my Mom always does for me: Drives me to school

AND it's not over!
8) What makes your Mom happy: Listening
9) What does your Mom do to make you laugh? She can't
10) What is your Mom's favorite thing to do: Put us to bed
11) What is your Mom really really good at: Scaring me and my brothers.
(I'm afraid it's true. There's nothing like seeing the look of terror as you jump out from behind doors and around corners - but again, what must the teacher be thinking!)
12) What makes you most proud of your Mom: She reads to me (Awww)
13) How are you and your Mom the same: We aren't
14) How do you know your Mom loves you: Lots of hugs

Still More:
M - Marvelous
O - Outstanding
T - Terrific
H - Hungry
E - Excellent
R - Rich

I'm certain the first 3 descriptives were taken from his neighbors paper. But hungry and rich are completely acceptable. :)

So there you have it. A real depiction of Me as Mom.

And after all the commotion created from reading through Will's gift, I feel poor Logan, Colby and Quinten were not celebrated enough at all.

Colby and Quinten provided me with breakfast in bed. This was presented in the form of a gift bag from each which included a granola bar (X2 because there's 2 of them), coffee crisp chocolate bar (from Quinten), and Kit Kat (from Colby) and a bag of tea (X2).

Logan's gift was a very creative card with gift certificates inside!
Here's the pocket:
Here are what each certificate reads:
Don't have to do all the work
Go on a vacation
Can Play Alot
Freedom
You can watch what you want to watch - expires never
Tell us we have to do all the work

(I wonder if I've been complaining too much lately?)
The inside reads:

How She helps me:
You buy me food
You pay for basketball and soccer
You take me to school
You love me

Happy Mother's Day!

To Mommy
From Logan

Although Motherhood may not always be pretty. It is always worth it. (I hope I can say the same thing when the kids are teenagers: fingers crossed).

Here is my attempt at keeping this beautiful phase of life intact in my memory.

Thank you to Liz for your amazing ability to create a work of art for my Memorbilia. These pictures were taken 2 weeks before our due date.

Excuses, excuses

Wow, I think I need to go on vacation in order to maintain family journaling.

What could I ever have going on that would cause such a delay in updates ... well ... it often takes the form of new projects I sign up for ... and others I do not.

With 4 weeks remaining before the arrival of a new baby I thought it would be best to go through the boy clothes. And considering the 4 boys we've had I felt overwhelmed with the selection. SO, I created a minimization project. And not just for the newborn to 1 year size quota. That's never organized enough for me... SO, 0 to 5 years was completed.

Then I signed up for the community garage sale because I thought I should also unload some out-of-date wedding decor. Then I sought out household items ... and on and on. Garage sales are SO much work. I love that everything feels so organized and a particular clutter weight has been removed BUT I also have always had this fear of going to all this work for nothing. 4 years I watched neighbors participate and clear out their stuff. This was to be my courageous entrance in to the position of offical garage saler. Well, what can I say. As luck would have it ... the stars were NOT aligned and we had 5 people visit in 1.5 hours. I have no idea why 4 years in a row had a traffic jam of cars through our culdesac ... and then this year: nothing. But I have learned my lesson. NEVER again will I organize a garage sale.


So that was a big project. Then there's the little ones of:

1) starting seeds indoor in prep for our family vegetable garden

2) deciding to make 3 loaves of banana bread (on a whim)

3) a typical preparation of dinner for one evening metamorphisizes into an additional 4 frozen meals for the future

4) cleaning and more cleaning as the little people continually transport, rocks from the park, dust and dead grass into the house

5) weekly visits to the doctor - plus an extra ultrasound to confirm the babe is NOT breech - Here he is. 6) bulk grocery shopping to create stock - you think I'm joking but in the past 2 weeks I've purchsed $700 worth at Costco and $450 worth at Superstore.

7) And then, I had this crazy idea to book a 420 person event 2 days before my due date. I decided this should be the event to expand my services into special orders of 220 red roses, 60 vases, 440 votive holders, 90 helium balloons for balloon bouquets. All the while, attempting to remain composed with the thought things cannot always be scheduled perfectly. Especially baby delivery.

8) If that's not overwhelming enough then lets add with the fact that the vases and votives need to be picked up in Montana. To my benefit, I have overprotective parents that will not allow me to depart. So, they've made the romantic day trip together.

9) I re-hemmed the boys school pants because they are becoming a little long in the legs. I purchased this amazing suit for Ryan 2 year ago: which I finally hemmed for him. When people ask him if he's wearing a new suit; I don't think he really has an answer. Yes, because it's the first time he's worn it OR no because we've had it hanging in our closet for 2 years.

10) Our rental house is available again, so it's back to fielding many calls, arranging 14 showings and attempting to find a good fit.

11) I spent 2 days reading and understanding one of our little men's school assessments and then crafting a 4 page letter as to WHY he is FIT to attend the same school our other 3 boys have been offered to enroll in. It didn't work. This added unnecessary stress and substantial time in considering all the options.

12) I moved on to organized all the girl clothes too.


Monday I was feeling crappy. I caught a head cold from the little people around me ... I thought I was getting better but feel worse. I was overwhelmed with some of the major tasks left to complete in the next two weeks and the burden of 15 calls waiting responses from me .... sooo:

I caught up on grocery shopping most of the morning, finalized the last of my orders for the event next week and took registration papers for our new school (different but still good school) AND was home by 12:30 pm. I then decided Monday's meal should be another bulk creation of 3 frozen meals and a dinner. I think adding to my responsibilities somehow creates a sense of satisfaction.

My Mom says I sounded tired on the phone today. Ryan took the time to explain to her that it has nothing to do with growing a baby and more to do with "projects" I create. You must know I I don't do all this on my own ... Today Quinten and Colby were highly energetic and super irritating. Their behavior was less than desireable SO I gave them chores for the course of 30 minutes while I made dinner(s). They carried (bulk) groceries down to the basement. Oh, and in the process, Colby announces there's been an accident and the bag of brown sugar broke open. I come to find out the 'broke open' definition is a little finger poke. When I asked if he had been eating the sugar, his eyes gave the answer before he could sheepishly say, "Yes."

And the other chore was taking out the recycling. These projects kept them productive and appreciated :)

All the while, I don't want to miss out on one of my favorite and most memorable field trips. I volunteered to support Quinten and Colby's field trip to Safety City!

AND why not volunteer to inflate 60 balloons and decorate for a friend's SURPRISE birthday party.

After all this, we feel it's important to find the time for an Orange Soda Float. It makes all crazy days a little better.

EASTER 2011

Will with Loot Sadie looking a little tired.

All red heads should be surprised with a red head Ariel Princess. Suddenly Sadie's hair doesn't look as red anymore.

Quinten

Logan

Colby. The boys each received Lego Sets. The best Easter bunny gift ever. It proved to be hours and hours of entertainment.