Charlie's Birth

I've been meaning to put together a post about the days surrounding Charlie's birth for my memory and his too. Feel free to ignore this post- this is just for mommy's scrap book.

The day I was going into the hospital, BB and Poppy were in town and BB and I ran with the kids to Publix for one last grocery run before heading to the hospital. Mommy was large and in charge and it was HOT (but I had some good helpers)-



Then we got home and waited for Daddy to get home from work. When he got to the house we said our goodbyes and headed for the hospital- SO EXCITED to meet our newest little boy!


That night we ate dinner at the hospital and they got the process started. Mommy was very uncomfortable all night- lots of heartburn and contractions-


The next morning we got ready for the big day and my team arrived- Daddy, BB and Aunt Shana- they were with me ALL day (Poppy was there too- but a lot of the time he was in the family waiting area)-


Lots and lots of pushing and tears finally brought me face to face with my little love- Mommy, Aunt Shana and BB were all overcome with emotion and cried like babies and thanked God right then for the miracle you are!


We knew immediately that you were a BIG BOY! At 9 lbs 8 oz and 22 1/4 inches you were just as big as your giant biggest brother Marky! You hardly cried at all as they worked on you- such a sweet boy!


After cuddling and nursing, we were moved to our recovery room where you received your first bath from the nurse- you did not like it too much-


After your bath they put you in the warmer where you were cozy and happy and I watched you from my bed- you looked like an angel from heaven-




That night Daddy went home and BB stayed with me at the hospital. You were an angel baby all night and cuddled and snuggled.


The next day Poppy and Daddy brought your brothers and sister up to meet you! What an exciting day! Let me tell you- your grandparents sure do love you!


Meeting baby brother! Tucker said, "hi baby!"


Marky held you first and sang to you-



Then it was Sissy's turn- oh how she adores you! She kisses you all the time!




Our first family picture with all four children-


After everyone left, we had a nice visit from our family pediatrician- he says you are strong and healthy!


That night Daddy stayed with Mommy and we prayed over you and thanked God for you- we never turned the TV on- we just wanted to love on you as much as we could. Then Saturday it was time to come home! We got you all dressed up and got the blanket Memaw made for Marky years ago-


Then we put you in your bucket and headed home!


We picked up a BBQ dinner on the way home and pulled into the driveway where BB, Poppy and all your siblings were waiting! There were big blue bows on the front door and we all celebrated with lunch and cupcakes- no pictures- just know it was a fun celebration for you!


We sure do love you angel! You are a blessing and joy and we are so, so grateful for you and honored to be your family!

Faces of Charlie

Do you think I'm in love? Look at dat wittle face!







We'll be bringing him home to the circus tomorrow! I think he'll fit right in!

Charlie's here

He's here! Charles Augustine arrived today. Mommy had a pretty long labor-- longer than I had predicted, and it took a lot of pushing, but little man finally made his appearance and we were all healthy and happy. He weighed 9 lbs 8 oz, was 22 1/2 inches long (exact same size as big brother Marky) and had a head full of curly black hair. He is an absolute dollbaby with chubby cheeks and precious dimples. The internet service at the hospital is so extremely slow I can't download pics to flickr, but I'll try again later.

Waiting.....

So we are here in the hospital. This pic is from last night. My stomach is so much smaller already since they broke my water. Baby boy was swimming! Things have been progressing well but I've sort of slowed down and we hope things will get moving so I can avoid a c-section (especially since I have labored all day). Pray!

Lady in Red?

Yesterday on the radio I heard "Lady in Red" and got a little sad. You know how in the song the man just can't get over how drop dead gorgeous his "Lady in Red" is and how proud he is of her and then I got to looking at my humongous belly and sausage biscuit ankles and thought, "I will never be back to normal- I am ruined- this fourth one has done me in for good".

Then I thought, again, as I always do when pregnant, that LOVE IS SACRIFICE, and we mothers love our babies with Christ's love because we look at them and say "This is my body given up for you." I posted about this before, but I needed to remind myself that God did not put me on this planet to be the Lady in Red, I was put here to follow His call and pursue His vocation for me, which includes birthing huge babies.

That said, I will work hard to "get it back" (however much of "it" I ever had) and try to be healthy and strong, but knowing that my body is an instrument to bring immortal souls into the world takes the sting off of stretch marks that are NOT eternal- I'll only have those this side of heaven. :)

Me and my ipad 2

Who has an amazing sister-in-law? If you guessed the owner of this blog who's SIL sent her an iPad 2 for her birthday/baby gift you would be right. And while it may take me a while to figure out how to use it I already know I love it, and because I don't have an iPhone I plan to carry this with me all the time!

Yet- this first night was spent primarily with me playing with the camera thingy and laughing. Thank you Amber!!!!!!



P.S. If anyone has an "app" suggestion let me know- I am a total novice!

Look who I saw today....

There are no words- I'm completely, totally, madly in love. He will be here soon!

Another reason why I homeschool

So Marky is going to a boys' outdoor camp this week that goes from 8 to 4 everyday. He's never been gone from us for a whole day like that. The couple of things he's done have been 1/2 day things. I had to wake him up early this morning while the others slept and get him fed and dressed and his lunch packed and swim suit, towel, water bottles, etc. packed in his backpack and he was on his way with Daddy. Both Marc and I were a bit sad about the whole thing- even though Marky was beside himself with excitement over getting to do boys' outdoor stuff (and he did swim and shoot BB guns and sing praise songs- the whole Christian camp experience).

It's just that I love having him here- with me. And I can't imagine doing this everyday. It's funny b/c he used to go preschool and of course we tried a 1/2 day kindergarten for one semester, but it seems to me that the more we are together the more we like each other and are used to each other. The more he is gone- the more jolting it is for both of us when he comes back. And to see the reaction of his siblings when he wasn't here this morning- it was pitiful. Julia said, "let's go get Marky now", and I said, "he's going to be gone all day today" and she said, "BUT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!"

I took the two little ones to the McWane center and noticed Tucker kept walking up to boys about Marc's size and tried to play with them. Those boys didn't understand why the 2-year-old with the paci wanted to play with them, but Tuck Tuck is used to his gentle, patient brother taking care of him and showing him things. (Good thing Sissy is ultra-attentive to him and never leaves his little side or he would have had his feelings hurt). I'm so happy for Marky getting to have this boys time and do the archery, canoeing and rock-wall climbing that he longs for, but I could never have this be our everyday schedule. I like eating breakfast casually with all my babies and reading stories all together and teaching them myself. I really think it builds on itself- the more we are together, the more we want to be together. So bottom line- we are pitiful without big brother and need him here.

In other sweet news, on the way to camp Big Marc was telling little Marc a story about St. Michael coming to the aid of a soldier in the Korean war when the soldier was up against communists. Marc said that Marky loved it (he loves St. Michael) and said, "now was this in North Korea or South Korea?" (So they had to have the "how Korea became divided conversation). He also said, "oh I know about the communists- they are in my book about the space race", and Marky explained the space race to Marc using terms Marc said he'd never heard. Then they prayed a decade of the rosary together and Marky talked about why he'd never want to live in a communist country. I said to Marc, "How many people had that conversation with their 7-year-old on the way to the Baptist church camp this morning, do you think?" :)

The Donald should watch out

Little Marc is obsessed with starting businesses and earning money lately. Everyday we have to listen to him brainstorm and come up with his different strategies and prices. Yesterday he made a giant Hot Chocolate sign b/c he wants to sell hot chocolate in the winter (so the sign is now in the attic for 6 months awaiting his business venture).



Also yesterday, he helped me and Daddy so much in the yard that Marc said, "I'll give you a nickle for every weed you pull in the front yard,"- consider it weeded- the boy cleaned up. Then today while I was cleaning out my closet (9-month-nesting, remember?) and Marc was working on the computer he said, "what if I offered to weed people's yard's for money?" and we both kind of half-heartedly listened and said, "yeah, maybe, we'll see...." Later- we learn he actually made signs and hung them on people's houses. "Weeds be gone"- here's one we had to retrieve from our next door neighboors' planter-





Gotta love his enthusiasm- but we are going to have to be careful on what we "agree" is a "great" idea. :)

Hugging the biggest watermelon

Julia loves Charlie so much- she talks about him day in and day out and hugs my belly and rubs her hand on my belly anytime she's near me. Today as she hugged Charlie and talked to him (and I was in my green striped shirt) she said, "I feel like I'm hugging the biggest most giantist watermelon ever!". :)

Cankles

I'm not saying my ankles look like this....



...but I'm not saying they don't. :) In fact, this whole picture is a little TOO close to my current dimensions for comfort. Stay Puft, ya'll!

Thriving or surviving?

I can't say right now whether I'm thriving or surviving or in hiding. This pregnancy during months 1-8 was the easiest pregnancy I've had hands down. But this 9th month- these past four weeks- oh my goodness- it's been tough. For one thing, I am huge- this baby will be huge. He is under my ribs, shrinking my lungs and giving me back pain and aches and heartburn and you name it. I feel like I am really doing the pregnancy waddle. I have to sleep sitting up or I wake up with tons of heartburn and coughing. People tell me my face still looks slim and I say it's because I haven't laid down in four weeks and all the fluid in my face is collected in my ankles. There I said it. :)

The kids are being good, but they are stir crazy just like me. I'm too tired to keep going and doing inside, but they think it's too hot to go outside (and I do to) and I'm too tired to take them to the pool and too tired to do much of anything else either. I feel like the clock is on slow motion. Every activity I do or book I read seems like it would move me closer to the end of the day and sometimes I think the minute hand never moved. When Marc got home from tonight I think I looked like a zombie sitting in the chair staring off into space mumbling something about "make them stop fighting- this baby is killing my ribs- what's for supper?" to him.

I'm not upset, I'm not venting- this is what 9-months-pregnant-in-July brings to one's life and I am so very grateful to have this baby on the way. I just wanted folks to know it's not all ease and comfort over in Mama D's house right now. I'm surviving the heat the best I can just like everybody else.

P.S. There is one precious quote from a story I read to Julia today that I wanted to share. A king had three sons and wanted to determine who would be his successor and he gave them a test to get the most clean drinking water for the kingdom. The first son got great tools and cisterns to hold the water. The second son got less tools that weren't as nice and no cistern. The third son got a cracked wooden dipper and a couple rusted tools. Instead of complaining he said,

"I know that my father loves me as well as my brothers. Father probably had reasons for giving me poor equipment. It shows that he has great confidence in me, that he trusts me to do this difficult job with poor tools. I will try not to disappoint him."

If only we all said that to the lot we'd been given. A friend sent me a precious quote the other day that said, "You should only look at someone else's plate to make sure THEY have enough."

Amen and amen.

Two became one

So Mama's nesting fury knows no end and this weekend our attention turned to what will now be called the "boys' room" (used to be Marc's room). Because Tucker has done so well sleeping in Bubba's room all week we knew this room arrangement was a done deal- the problem was we had no place to put Tucker's clothes. So we had to do some rearranging and moved Marky's bookshelf and found the perfect little dresser for Tucker to put in it's place in the corner. The taller dresser is Marky's (I should have waited to take these in the day time- the night lighting is not flattering)



Then today we had to add Tucker's name to the room (and yes, they play with this castle almost every day- it's been worth every dime we spent)



And there ended up being enough room on the front wall for Marky's bookshelf (which is filled with all his favorite books). Tucker is coming in after night church to get ready for bed- is he really a big boy now? (And yes, the paci is back- turns out moving to a big boy bed was enough change in itself for baby boy and he needed his paci a little longer) :)



In other funny news that I want to remember- the boys' new favorite snack is a hard boiled egg- healthy daddy makes them in bulk for himself. Last night Marky ate one and ran up to his room to do push ups, "Gotta build muscles with all that protein I just ate" he said. He is his father's son. :)

Meanwhile- this is what Daddy found in princessland tonight. She always asks to stay up a little longer with her light so she can read- and she ALWAYS falls fast asleep- this time the book had fallen to the floor-


We love our little girl so much-

No Idle Hands here

Life with the little professor is never dull- his brain and hands can't ever seem to be still. Mom says I have to write this stuff down b/c I will forget it. So here we go. When we woke up yesterday morning this was sitting on the kitchen table-



He'd been up by himself and cleaned out the egg carton to use to make this boat. Marc asked Marky if it was a corsair and Marky said, "no more of a Viking longboat". I don't know what either of them was talking about.

Other quotes from the past three days-

1.) Having him read to me the story of Ulysses he gets to the part about getting to Aeolus' island surrounded by bronze walls and he stops and says, "You know that's silly- bronze is not a very strong metal- if I made walls around my kingdom they would at least be iron."

2.) After science class Julia mentions that she pet a python snake and I say, "Julia, are pythons poisonous"? Marky says, "um, mommy"...."SHHH! I'm not talking to you Marc- Julia, are pythons poisonous?" and then I realize that I don't know the answer myself and say, "okay Marky- are pythons poisonous?", "Um, Mommy, did you mean to say 'Are pythons venemous? Snakes are venemous. And no, they are not."

3.) He colors a fish in science class and says, "look- I made mine an angler fish with bioluminescence." I said "what is bioluminescence"? And he said, "Literally it's 'life light'- but it's basically a cool light made by a living organism- like a firefly."

4.) Reading a story to him about St. Moses the black who was a very strong man and before his conversion couldn't be stopped by hoards of men. I say, "who does that sound like in the Old Testatment?" And he says, "Samson- he killed 1,000 people with a jaw bone- but mommy Moses the black was doing those things because he was a bad guy- Samson was an Isrealite and killing Philistines so he was actually a good guy." How does he remember this stuff?

Today we unpacked the new travel system and before we'd even put it all together- he'd completely constructed this gun turret with a door and shelving inside-



In other pictorial news- here are a couple pics of the "twins" playing together- Sissy LOVES to sit with Tucker and put her arm around him.

Here's an unposed TV watching pic-


And here is a picture taken of them from the kitchen window- they didn't know-


See where her arm was?


Warms a mommy's heart.

Lame 90s

So I'm addicted to sattellite radio and find myself going to the 80s station- a lot. Because the 80s had great songs. And then every single time I turn it to "my" generation- the 90s- it's just garbage. I have no "sound track" to my high school and college experience- no awesome genre of music that speaks to my youth. The best we had was Hootie and Dave Matthews- so much of the rest was just garbage. My husband is a product of the 80s and his music was just so much better- their reunion was awesome b/c it had awesome songs and the slideshow video started with "Dearly Beloved....we are gathered here together to celebrate this thing called LIFE.." (if you are a true 80s afficianodo you know that's Prince's "let's go crazy" intro).

Case in point- today driving to my doctor's appt. (alone) I heard Pour Some Sugar on Me, Livin' on a Prayer, Ooooh baby I think I love you- from head to toe, If you leave- don't leave now, and a grand finale of Glory of Love by my man Peter Cetera.

I turn to the 90s station twice- first time I hear "millions of peaches, peaches for me"- sigh- turn back to the 80s....later run by the 90s and get "I hate everything about you". Garbage! We were jipped people. AND- not only did we have bad music- our style was boring and boxy and our hair wasn't fixed well. I'm just upset that my 90s experience lacked the flavor of the others- you know 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s when you hear it- you know it when you see it. 90s? Not so much.

In that vein- do you know who sings "Holiday Road" (the Griswald family vacation movie theme song)- it's not Kenny Loggins- it's Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham- is anyone as shocked as I was to hear that? Lindsey Buckingham who has achieved newfound fame with his role in SNL's "what up with that?" skit- Lindsey, man, you ain't mad at me, right?

And don't the intro lyrics to Pour Some Sugar on Me sound like he says "red I-phone"? I had to google the lyrics tonight and it's actually "radar phone" whatever that means.

Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on Livin' like a lover with a radar phone

There- I had to get that off my chest. Moving on. :)

Nesting and such

This week the big kids have been attending a 1/2 day science camp and are having a blast. They are coming home with all the posters, models, experiments, and worksheets that go along with that. I have taken the opportunity to bond with my curly-haired angelboy and NEST like crazy.



We never expected to have a curly-haired child, and I suspect after his first haircut they will be gone, but I can't get over how curly his hair gets when he's hot outside-





He and Sissy are so cute together- we call them the twins b/c they seem like peers. She drags him all over this house and yard and he follows and does whatever she wants to do- it's a match made in heaven-





Running at him to make him laugh-



I think Julia is so beautiful because of her content, sweet nature- she definitely doesn't sweat the small stuff-



Her temperament is totally unique in our home- she's just a gift from God-



The nesting bug has hit hard- I've cleaned out my kitchen cabinets, put every DVD we have in a labeled album, put every CD we have in labeled cases, cleaned out the garage, and finally- FINALLY made my way to the nursery this week. I figure with three to four weeks left I should go ahead and get things ready. :)

Tucker's nursery was very subtle and low key b/c it served (in the old house) as both a nursery and guest room- so his was basically navy and khaki. I liked it and found it very soothing (especially since the other kids' rooms are much brighter), but I wanted to add some more color in this house for Charliehorse.

So here's Tucker's version-




And Charlie's is basically the same- just added some color with new throw pillows, new bedding and a couple new pics-







I cannot wait to swaddle my little lovebug and put him right here!