Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my Dad's Birthday. Since I am not able to spend this day with him, I thought I would give him a shout out to him via the website. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!! I am thinking your 59 today, but I may be wrong. Either way, have a great day celebrating. Even if we can't be with you.

My Dad holding Olivia

 

My Dad holding Emma-James

 

My Dad holding Owen

 

Sadly, I cannot seem to find one of my Dad holding Ezme. This is probably because the first real time we saw them wasn't until Thanksgiving and by then, Ezme hated men holding her. Even her own daddy. And because we don't see them that often, Ezme gets nervous around my dad and takes a long time to warm up to him. And my mom too. Next time we see you Dad, we need a picture of you and Ezme together!!!

22 Weeks

22 weeks today. Time sure is flying by. In reality I could go anywhere between 38 and 39 weeks, so it takes a few weeks off the timing right there. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that I am even pregnant. To me, it just seems to be daja-vu all over again. In my mind at least (and probably my body is feeling the same way) I haven't had a baby and have just been pregnant for the last 18 months. Ugh, that is almost creeping up to be as long as an elephant. Ummm, I think not.

I am feeling pretty good and my belly is "FINALLY" starting to show more and more. I am still blessed to fit in most of my jeans and still haven't needed to make that emergency visit to Motherhood Maternity for some clothes. Thank God. I am never happy with their pants. They are so uncomfortable for me. Especially since I don't like wearing anything that doesn't touch my ankles during the summer months, finding anything that is a light weight jean these days are nearly impossible. So I just don't even bother. I do need a few new shirts now that the weather (or at least was) getting warmer. Maybe this weekend I will make a trip to the store. I would like to have something nice to wear for Mother's Day.

I am still not feeling this little one move very much. I am trying hard not to be such a worry wart. But its hard. I feel slight fluttering and flickers, but no major kicks and rolls. He is slightly bigger then average and both the tech and Jason saw baby moving when I had my ultrasound back a few weeks ago. I am still concerned though. I guess its my mommy gut feeling. I am hoping my "new" doctor will really listen to me this time and take a closer look. Times like this it makes me miss my old doctor so much. She would have really listened to my concerns, and have made sure there wasn't an underlining reason to his low response and movement.

Thankfully though I am still feeling great. Though I find myself getting a little more sluggish and tired. I have gained a few more pounds in the last couple of weeks. More then I have wanted too, so its bummin' me out big time. I have always managed to maintain a pretty good weight gain during my pregnancies and I am afraid this one might not work out the same way. I don't want to get upset over something so trivial, but I guess with just having Ezme and not really ever loosing the baby weight I gained with her, its making me feel a little more aware then usual. I told Jason that as soon as little guy is born, I am going to visit Mrs. Weight Watchers and work hard to loose the baby weight from EVERYONE. I will be turning 31 in January, and it would just be nice to look as good as I did when I went to college. Its a goal that I am ready in my heart and my head to reach.

As of now, I am just working on scheduling for the fall. Girl Scouts for both my old and new troop. Schooling for Olivia. Summer vacation and summer programs for the kids. House chores. Painting, cleaning, organizing. You know, the life of a family of 6. Our biggest goal is to try to come up with some extra cash for an addition. Who knows. Maybe god will shine upon us and we will get lucky. One can only hope and dream. Until then. I continue to grow baby belly-button and enjoying the time we have left of a family of 6.

Random Pictures of the Kiddos

Yummy Thumb

 

Big sister Olivia and baby sister Ezme

 

Happy Baby

 

The kiddos (Olivia 7, Emma-James 4, Owen 2 1/2 and Ezme 7 1/2 months)

 

Guess who is starting to crawl? And new favorite toy

Yup, its true, the last week or so Ezme is using her new found skill in crawling. Its pretty funny to watch her move around in circles on her belly to obtain an object of her liking. What is even more funny, is watching her scoot on her bum, to move around the downstairs part of the house. Since everything is hardwood, it makes it really easy for her to just slide around by pushing her arms until she starts to move backward. The last week though, she has really mastered getting up on her knees and inching slowly forward. I say probably by the weekend she will truly be mobile. She has already managed about 4 crawls. Ugh, my baby is growing up TOO FAST! Soon a new baby will be in the house and she will be learning to WALK!!

You want me to crawl to you mommy. Ok. I want to eat the camera.

 

I decided to show off my SLIT skills instead

 

See, aren't I cute?

 

Okie, I will show you my new skills

 

Gearing up to go to Olivia

 

Stopping to rest instead

 

I thought I had a picture of her actually up on all four's, but I promise you. She is actually mobile.

Ezme also has a new toy that excites her very much. I think because her big sisters and big brother loves to push her around as if it was a swing. She has already mastered jumping pretty high and giggles every time.

Happy Jumpy Baby

 

No More Fish

I decided that since the girls were gone to Maine for a good week + this was the perfect time to re due Owen's room to his wishes. When we moved into this house almost 5 years ago, Olivia's request was to have me paint her room "Blue" and have fish all over the walls. She was 100% into NEMO back then. (and I think this has a little to do with the fact that she watched it a lot with Anabelle before she died, so it holds a special connection to her in this way.) So I worked hard on painting her room and putting a fish mural on all the walls. It was really heartbreaking to see them go, but it was time. With Owen sharing a room with not only Ezme but the newest little man to enter our lives the end of the summer. I thought a fresh and new makeover was long overdue. I managed to score some OOPS paint from Home Depot for 5 bucks for a gallon. Jason wasn't completely sold on the color, but in the end, it came out fantastically. I am still slowly working on the mural but hope to get the pictures up within the next week or two. It really looks fantastic if I do say so myself. Owen is in love and even the girls are excited to see it when they come home. Here are a few pictures of the fish on the walls before I started the new paint job.

The Shark Olivia insisted on so many moons ago. She named him "Steve"

 

The little Nemo fish that went all around the room. Lets just say, this took me FOREVER.

 

The really cute fish my sister painted on the wall for the kiddos.

 

A hint of the new wall color! It has no name, but the color is between a light Olive green and puke green. Jason and I hated it at first, but it came out so pretty after it was all said and done. And the mural we have put on the wall really compliments it so much.

 

The walls are finished with the color, and most of the mural has been sketched out and painted. I only have a few more things left to do as well as Jason putting the new closet door on. So excited.

More Kitten Pictures

Graces' favorite place to sleep. Underneath Ezme's baby seat

 

Owen Xavier

So, I figured since I did a little background on Emma-James, I thought it would be fun to do one on Owen seeing how he is officially 2 1/2 today. So without further waiting, here is Mr. Owen.

Owen is a great little guy. The only "boy" in the family besides Daddy of course. He is the calmest of all the kids. Very low key and go with the flow type. Very much like his daddy in that sense. Owen is a great little boy. With a quirky smile, and ways to grab your attention, he usually get just about anything he wants. Especially with his little sad puppy dog pout. I swear in just 2 years he has mastered this down to a science. And when it comes to girls he has it down packed.

At 2 1/2 years old there is very little that Owen really cannot seem to do. He talks up a storm. Runs, jumps, and climbs EVERYTHING he can find. Including our large playground in the backyard. He has very little fear, especially when it comes to climbing up things. I am waiting for him to someday find the biggest tree and climb to the very top. He would too. He isn't much into getting dirty. His hands especially. He HATES it when his hands are covered in anything and immediately wants you to wash them.

His favorite loves right now are his Mommy, Nemo blanket, baby (baby penquin) and ducky. He carts them around EVERYWHERE. Well, except, me. I just go no matter what. He is very caring and loving to his "babies". Making sure they are covered up and "fed". He definitely has a fantastic fatherly love about him and I love how his sisters are helping him nurture this loving side. He truly will be a fantastic Daddy when he grows up.

Owen is a master at his colors and shapes. Is starting to draw pictures that represent people. Big head, with lots of arms and legs. And of course, big eyes. LOVE IT. He is working on learning his ABC's but is more interested in counting to 20 over and over again. Out of all of our kiddos, he is the most polite one. Which is really frustrating as we try to teach all of our kiddos that "Please" and "Thank You" go along way. I am hoping his politeness catches on to the girls and quickly. I am not saying they are NEVER polite, it just would be nice if they were as often as Owen is.

Owen is loving his love of the water right now and we are hoping to put him in swimming lessons this fall with the girls. He loves, loves, loves putting his head under water and blowing bubbles. I am hoping we can take many trips to the pool, beach or lake this summer to give him all the practice he needs for September.

Our biggest goal from now until the fall though is POTTY TRAINING. Compared to the girls, who basically taught themselves with no help from me, is being extremely stubborn. We are really hoping that he will want to do this new skill not only before the new little one is born, but because he has also been invited to start Pre-School early and he is really eager to go. So we will wait and see. He loves his big boy underwear (Cars) and enjoys sitting on the potty. But still hasn't figured out to put two and two together. I am not too worried just yet. I am sure it will click when he is truly ready. Just pray its before August!

Owen Xavier Day 1

 

Owen 1st Birthday

 

Owen 2nd Birthday

 

Owen 2 1/2

 

Happy Half Birthday little man. We love you so much and are so excited that you are going to be a big brother to your baby brother very soon. We love you so much.

Portland, Maine and New Addition

We dropped our girls off in Portland this afternoon to visit my parents and my sister for the week of school vacation. They were really excited to go, though I worried about Emma-James being away from both Jason and I for entire week and how that would go. Surprisingly though, she woke up this morning ready and eager to leave. Not wanting to leave for school in the slightest, she had her bags packed and ready to head out the door. It took some coaxing to finally get her to go to school, but we managed. Jason kept promising her that we were leaving as soon as she got out of school. Of course, wouldn't you know it, the minute Jason picked her up, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "ARE WE LEAVING FOR MAINE NOW." "I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER." She is so funny.

Sadly, we didn't get out of the house until almost 1pm. Jason was stuck doing last minute fire problems at work. So we waited as patiently as a seven and four year old would. And let me tell you, when it comes to Nana and Papa, all bets are off for patience.

We finally were on the road a little after 1:30pm. We managed to hit a bit of traffic in Boston, but was smooth sailing after that. My parents end up having to wait for us for a few hours because of our delay. Thankfully my mom is able to keep herself busy with some shopping. We finally arrived at 4:30pm. With a quick switch of the car seats, hugs and kisses good-bye. The girls were off for another 3 hour car drive until they reached my parents house in Millinocket. We stopped at the rest area in Kennabuckport and grabbed a bite to eat before finishing our journey back home.

We arrived a little after 8pm. I checked my email to see that the lady I had been corresponding with regarding a little kitten had emailed me back saying we could pick her up that evening. I asked Jason if he minded traveling into Warwick so late at night and he said no. So off he went.

It really was the perfect timing too. Owen and Ezme were sleeping. So she had the run of the house to get use to everything. And the entire week to become comfortable enough before the girls came back home. So without further anticipation here is our sweet addition to our family. Her original name was Patches Grace, but we have decided to just call her Grace. She is a 13 week old calico kitten who is just the sweetest little one. Her demeanor and ways about her are so much like Moose it really is scary.

Grace

 

Ezme and her new little furry friend Grace (she either sleeps with us or with the baby) Ezme 7 1/2 months

 

Which reminds me of this picture (Emma-James and Moose) Emma-James 4 1/2 months

 

It really brings tears to my eyes to see her (Grace) so well adjusted to the family. Especially interacting and loving the kiddos just as much as Moose did. I am so happy to have her here with us, to hopefully stay for a very long time.

HALF WAY THERE!!!!!

Wow, its hard to believe that I am already 20 weeks today. Half way! It seems like just yesterday Jason and I found out on Christmas night. Of course, you spend that very first night knowing how long it will take for 20 weeks to arrive. You dread the wait and the anticipation of being able to go in for your level 2 ultrasound to find out what you will be having, and them BAM. The time is finally here. Of course, so much has gone on in the last 20 weeks. The girls birthdays, and of course our birthdays too, and lets not forget our Anniversary. Not to mention trips to Maine, Girl Scout functions, Valentine's Day, Easter and so much more. It's really no wonder why this pregnancy has seemed to flown by. I think it also has something to do with the fact that I have felt TERRIFIC. Absolutely no morning sickness. Right now I am carrying baby so low that in fact it doesn't make me look very pregnant. And to mention it makes it very hard to find baby's heartbeat when I go in for my check-ups which only causes me panic and alarm. I also don't feel the little one move, so I have already made two unexpected trips to my doctors office just for peace of mind. Something I have NEVER done with my other kiddos. Not even with Anabelle who had more reason for alarm and concern. I am taking my good fortune with every blessing. I don't think I could have handled all that's on my plate right now and have been sick all at the same time. Not to mention it really gives Jason a break too. Since I haven't needed his "extra" help this time around, it gives him more in office time then having to be home with me. That in itself has made this pregnancy that much more special. Being able to be pregnant and not having to rely on the hubby. I know he would in a heartbeat, but he has always been their for me in the last 5 monkey's, its just nice to know I can do this one on my own and take care of everything that needs done. The house, the laundry, the kiddos, Girl Scouts, cleaning, you know. Everyday living.

The next 20 weeks will be pretty much the same ol' stuff. Continuing to work with the kiddos for school. House chores and Girl Scouts. Cleaning up the front and backyards. I am hoping to get Owen's room painted next week and some much needed furniture a paint job as well. I wouldn't mind also doing some touch up painting around the house as well. I know their are a few walls that sure could use it. I will probably start bringing up the baby clothes for little man at the end or mid June just so I can get it out of the way. July is pretty busy for us as we are spending 10 or so days in Millinocket with family. So that takes up a good chuck out of my time right there. And I decided that I want very little to do in August except rest and relax and enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Though for those who know me, this probably wont happen. I am to much of a busy body to keep still. So my guess is I will probably be organizing Girl Scouts for the fall and planning out curriculum for Olivia as well.

As I enter the next 20 weeks I wonder what it will be like. Will I be sick or stay the same. Will I continue to feel terrific or start to feel heavy and uncomfortable. I guess time will only tell. For now though, I am enjoying every minute of it. As the time goes by, I am looking forward more and more to bringing a new little home and watching my older kiddos interact with their new baby brother.

To Move or Not to Move...The kiddos around that is

So now that we know what our little belly-button will be, our biggest question now is if we should move everyone around right now or wait another year. The biggest reason for the move is to give the girls who are now in the common area a room with a door. Especially now that they are getting bigger and the noise and craziness right below them sometimes bothers them at night. Such as the washer and dryer going. Or washing dishes and running the dishwasher. Not to mention if we have late guests and we are talking loudly, the kids will wake up. Owen right now is in a room with a door, and we have decided that he will keep this room and share it next year with his new baby brother. At the moment though, we are debating if we should prepare both our master bedroom in becoming the girls room and Owen's room in becoming a boys room. This would mean that Jason and I would move into the common area, loose our space, privacy (not that we have any right now to begin with) and the ability to SLEEP IN. This being the common area connects both the master bedroom and Owen's room. As you can see, my dilemma. We were debating back and forth on waiting for the move to happen after our addition was put on, but because this doesn't look like it will happen before this little guy arrives, I am wavering back and forth on the idea. There is a chance the girls are going away for 11 days to Maine and the thought of doing this while they are gone is kind of promising. So help me out everyone!!

Pros Are:

* Special area just for the 3 girls
* Shared bedroom that looks more like a "bedroom" and less like a space made to look like a bedroom
* A DOOR
* Space to play
* Space to do homework and writing
* Small cubby areas each girl can have to do what they want with
* More room for their toys that wouldn't have to always be locked up
* Part of our CLOSET BACK (the kids have it for toys)
* we are the last to go to bed, vs the kids who have staggered bedtimes

Cons Are:

* We loose our privacy
* No door
* No way to sleep in because of the noise
* No space for us personally
* No place to get away from the kiddos when we need a "break"
* When new baby arrives baby might wake up kids with the crying (doubt it, because they were never bothered before)

Ezme 7 months old

Didn't I just post about Ezme being 6 months old? Gosh, where is the time going? The summer is fast approaching and school will soon be out in less then 9 weeks. Crazy I tell you. I was even talking to a friend of mine trying to figure out a weekend we can get together. The first available one for the both of us isn't until AUGUST!! Hopefully I can fix that problem. Even though August seems so far away, it really is just around the corner.

Anyways, getting off track a bit. Its hard to believe that Ezme has been with us for 7 months know. To me, its seems like she has been here forever. When she was born, it was as if she just fit right into our family. Now, at 7 months old she is amazing all of us with her new tricks.

Ezme is now able to:

* Move herself around by scooting on her bum
* Move herself around by making circles around an object
* Is babbling "Dada" and "Owwivia" when she wants someone to play with her
* Is starting to show more interest in food as long as Daddy feeds her
* Is still getting up at least once in the middle of the night.
* Is getting on her hands and knees for seconds at a time
* Loves to play with her toys on the floor. Her favorites right now are her monkey and colored rings.
* Loves to go for walks in the stroller
* Enjoys the outdoors and the car

As she gets older and enjoying more freedom, I look and realize that this time next year I will be watching all of these wonders all over again. Along with an 18 month old who will be learning new wonders in a different way. I am definitely blessed for sure.

It's A.....................................................

My appointment today for my level 2 ultrasound went fantastic. Though their were a few bumps along the road that made my mind work in overtime. One being the doctors office called me yesterday asking if it would be okie for our genetic counselor to meet with us during our ultrasound. Of course, I thought the worse. As the last time she met with us, it was to go over things regarding Anabelle. So I immediately started to worry. Miss C has been a fantastic friend to us over the years so I didn't hesitate to call the office back to see what was up. She said that everything was perfectly okie and she just thought why waste time meeting and then going in for the ultrasound if we can kill two birds with one stone. FEW!! I felt so much better. I was able to relax so much more after talking with her. Otherwise I would have been a nut case the remainder of the day on Monday all the way until my appointment on Tuesday.

We met with Miss C and looked over our report from our quantitative AFP. IT LOOKS FANTASTIC. Add to that my numbers from the Nucal test, I couldn't have been more happier with how things looked. Honestly, this was the first test that came back with things looking great. Emma, Owen and Ezme all had numbers that made us keep an eye on them during the remainder of my pregnancy. So who knows if I will have to do the same with this one or not.

Our ultrasound was fantastic. Though the little bean really didn't want to move. Talk about a quiet baby. Something we DO NOT have around this house. It definitely made things difficult when it came to getting good solid shots of the heart, kidneys, hands, feet, major bone structures, and brain. The technician was fantastic though and was able to get just about everything she needed. We may have to go back for a repeat ultrasound in 10 weeks, but for now, both her and the Doctor seem happy with the pictures they saw. The little one was a shy one and continued to hide with hands and feet around the face. So we were sadly unable to get any good shots of baby. I am due September 3rd by my LMP. But the ultrasound gave me a due date around the end of August. So I may go early on my own like I did with Owen. Who knows. Baby is measuring 5 days big. Which shocked me as I am barely showing, have lost 10 pounds since becoming pregnant and the baby really doesn't move around much. I was almost positive this little one was going to be tiny.

We were even able to see the sex of the baby. So without further anticipation, we are having a baby BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! talk about shocked. I swore I was having a girl. I have been right 5 out of 5. Even Jason was completely shocked. But we are happy. The girls are thrilled, Owen however, well he is warming up to the idea of not being the only boy anymore. I am sure he really doesn't understand too much about what is going on. But you never know. Kids surprise you sometimes. And yes, we have a name for this little guy. But we have decided to keep this a secret. So it looks like I can now put away all the girl cloths from Ezme and start bringing up the boy stuff in another month or two for the newest boy in the family.

Thanks for everyone who send well wishes to us before my appointment. It definitely makes it easier for me not to go insane that's for sure.

Happy Easter

This Easter I was blessed to have my family come down to celebrate with us. My mom and dad have NEVER come down over Easter weekend as my mom or dad and sometimes both are working over the holiday. This year though, my dad was out of work, and my mom took the time off. WOOT!! I spend the better part of Saturday just cleaning up around the house. A good chunk of it was already done the day before THANKFULLY. I decided instead that I would start my "spring cleaning" early and do some odds and ends as well. Washing and ironing all the curtains in the house. Organize the kids toys, clothes in their bedrooms. Clean out all the winter clothes from our room and pack things up. My hubby informed me that I was making more work for myself. To which I said. "Its getting done isn't it." So I was happy non the less. The house is slowly coming together for the summer, and it makes me happy I can have more time working on the outside instead of always cleaning and organizing inside.

Easter was great. The bunny came and hid about 106 eggs, to which I think the three kids combined found a total of 30 eggs. My little ones just don't seem to be as in to the HUNT as I was as a kid. They enjoyed more counting the money he left and gathering their toys to play with. He was generous this year and brought the kids some fantastic tub toys (that keep them busy for hours!! and the water now stays in the tub HURRAY) Some pop beads and some stickers for their bedroom walls. They also received a wonderful Easter basket from our neighbors across the street. Very sweet for them to do that. I wish I had taken a picture of it before the kiddos got to it, but at last, my pregnancy brain forgot. And of course lets not forget the baskets of goodies my parents brought for all of them. It sure was a crazy day.

I spend the morning/afternoon cleaning up from the huge breakfast I cooked. French toast, eggs, toast, and bacon. Jason made some yummy whip cream with his cream maker too. Breakfast ended up being fantastic. After clean up, the kiddos played with their new toys while I made the table for brunch/supper. Put the ham in the oven, made some bread and worked on the potatoes. Everything came out great. I even added some squash and green beans. We had so much food leftover, we managed to eat the last of the Sunday meal for supper. We will have enough for at least three more meals.

Its sad that another Easter has come and gone. But I am really excited that next year Ezme will be old enough to participate in the fun and excitement and we will have a new addition to our home. Can you imagine, 5 kiddos running around. Crazy I tell ya. I hope everyone had a great Easter. Hugs to all.