Christmas 2009

Best Christmas Ever! The boys' excitement was contagious.

Some of my favorite memories from this year:
* how Nathan sought out any "bioncle" shaped presents under the tree
*Nathan spending the majority of the day building things at the dining room table
*Luke getting so excited to get a skeleton puzzle. He even took a nap with it later!
*watching Luke and Daddy play with his new dragon castle for the longest time
*how Sam snoozed on the couch with Frankie while we opened gifts
*how excited Sam was to open his presents, he really got into it!
*the painting Mike wrapped up on the wall for me, it was so exciting to open it that way
*seeing Luke using his new Dr's kit to diagnose us with ailments such as "green beans in throat" and performing surgery to fix daddy's "broken brain"
*snuggling up with my boys to read Christmas stories every night leading to Christmas
*baking cookies with my two little helpers, making sure I use the right measuring cup so they get equal turns scooping and pouring (like using a 1/2 cup measuring cup when I need a cup of flour so they both get a turn)
*wrapping presents late at night with Sam at my feet---giving him every scrap of paper and wrapping paper roll to play with
*watching all of our new Christmas movies the nights following Christmas (Monsters vs Aliens, Up, etc)
*trying with no avail to get a Christmas card photo with all three of my guys cooperating
*the 22inches of snow we got on the 19th that let us have a white Christmas!

December 2009

Just a few things going on right now that I wouldn't want to forget:
* Sam (now 7 months) saying "Ooma!" whenever he wants me (or wants to nurse....still haven't figured out if Ooma is me or my boob, haha)
*Sam trying to fling himself headfirst off the couch whenever I am changing his diaper on the chaise part of the couch. He loves to hang upside down, that silly boy.
* All of Sam's unnecessary movement. He has been doing it since the womb, he is never still!
* Nathan saying to me "Sometimes when I wake up in the morning or come in from the snow I just really want to hug you so bad! I just have to hug you! What is that feeling? Is it love?"
*Luke wanting to wear his Iron Man costume all day every day
*Sam pulling up on everything all of the time. He pulls up on the side of the crib, the bath, the couch, the stairs, everywhere! Thing is he hasn't gotten his balance yet so he is constantly falling. His poor head is covered in "booboos" already.
*Having to laugh at Sam's gigantic booty everytime I change him. That thing is massive and is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.
*Luke naming his bioncles "Firewood" and "Snow White"
*Nathan making the most detailed bioncles out of paper.....all the time! There are paper bioncles all over our house.
*Luke telling me he loves me and he wants a hug all through out the day. He is so sweet and loving!
*Luke always asking to go run errands with me. He is the best shopping buddy!

6 months!!!!!

Oops, sorry Sam, I haven't updated this baby journal since May! Sam is now 6 months old and is just the cutest thing on earth (I am not biased, I swear!) He is crawling, rolling, sitting up, saying mama, trying to climb up the step in our living room, ripping magazines and books, trying to get into the big boys' toys, giving big sloppy kisses, giving the biggest cheesy grins ever, being a total stinker, refusing to go to bed at a decent hour, sleeping in like a teenager, loving baby carrots and sweet potatoes, etc etc etc etc. How is that for a one sentence update? :)

Luke and Nathan are as crazy and happy as ever. I am just so blessed to have 3 beautiful healthy sweet little boys. It can't get better than this!

the little things

Here are some things I want to make sure I don't forget from this point in my life (Nathan at 4.5, Luke at 2.5, and Sam at 3 weeks):

*Nathan's nonstop making of robots, superheroes, transformers, etc out of paper. I love seeing his creativity but the constant mess of little paper scraps on the floor can make me nuts :)
*Luke's battle with an invisible villian---he is always making punching and shooting sounds and fighting someone no one else can see
*Sam's little kissy face he is always making. I just HAVE to smooch it.
*Luke dragging out the Imaginext castle every 5 minutes and forcing everyone to play "guys" with him. He literally plops the castle in my lap!
*Sam flinging himself from your shoulder to chest level when he gets hungry---you have to watch out for that so you don't drop him!
*Sam doing pushups the moment you put him on his belly
*Nathan always wanting to be the bad guy when he plays with other kids. Should I be worried? :)

Samuel is here!

My sweet baby is here. Samuel Joseph was born April 30, 2009 at 8:25am. He was 8lbs 13oz and 20 1/4 inches long. He was born with fuzzy brown hair and dark blue eyes. He has big chubby cheeks and a dimple in his left one. He is a sweet peaceful little baby, unless he is hungry, then he has a major temper unless he gets fed immediately. He likes to be swaddled and he likes it when I carry him in a sling. He has peed and pooped on me more in the past 2 weeks than both of my other boys combined, haha.

Quick birth story---since he was a scheduled Csection there isn't much to share. :) Mike and I went out to dinner at Clydes with my Mom and the boys the night before as a last hurrah. We came home and watched Lost and after that is the point I started to panic. Knowing exactly when my baby was coming was a blessing and a curse because I was so anxious. I didn't get any sleep that night and was just waiting for morning to arrive.

At 6am we headed to Reston Hospital. They hooked me up to IVs and monitors and I was so nervous waiting for 7:30 to arrive. When it was time to go back, I was so panicky. Getting the spinal in was hard, I kept jumping when the needle went in and the nurses kept yelling at me to sit still. After the spinal/epidural was in, I started shaking and got very nauseous. This was the worst part of the surgery. Mike came in and helped to calm me down. After they told me the incision was already made (and it didn't hurt), I was able to calm down. I barely felt any tugging or pulling when they took Sammy out. They told me he had his cord wrapped twice around his neck, which made me so thankful he was out and OK. Sam screamed as they cleaned him off and he held Daddy's hand so tightly during his checkup. Then they brought my little bundle to me on the operating table and I was able to kiss him and even was able to try to nurse, but Sam was too sleepy.

After surgery, I told Mike to go with Sam and I was brought to a room all by myself. I was lonely and wanted my family BAD. I didn't get to see Sam again for four hours which infuriated me. They gave him formula in the nursery against my wishes. The hospital was not a fun experience at all and I am really going to have to give it serious thought whether or not I will ever have another baby there (even though I like my Dr a lot). The nurses and hospital pediatrician were contentious and didn't seem to care about my wishes. I had to fight for what I wanted every step of the way.

I missed Nathan and Luke terribly in the hospital and could not wait to get home. Now that I am home with my family, I am so content with my three sweet boys. Sleep is a bit hard to come by, but I am trying to keep perspective how quickly this newborn time goes by and trying to soak in every possible minute. I feel like Sam will be two in a blink of an eye (because that happened to Luke)!

Mike has been awesome and has done so much around the house and with the boys. I am so thankful that my dad was able to watch the boys while we were in the hospital. I am so happy my mom lives nearby to help me out. I start back to work this week and I think the boys will be happy to get their playmates back.

Nathan has handled the transition beautifully, without a hitch. Luke was a bit cranky when we first got home and took it out on me, refusing to hug me or kiss me and telling me I was "bad". Now I am getting just the opposite, he is being a bit clingy and mommified, but of course I don't mind. I never mind getting extra snuggles and attention from my boys :)

Sam likes to nurse nonstop and likes to be held while he sleeps which makes for a tired mama. But I love how snuggly he is. He tucks his little feet under and sticks his baby booty out and sleeps on my chest. It is the best feeling ever :)

Ready to meet Sam

It is late Tuesday night and Samuel will be arriving early Thursday morning. I am so excited and so ready to meet my newest little guy. I just can't wait to kiss his little cheeks and count his little toes. I really wonder what he is going to look like! Despite all of the troubles of pregnancy, it really is all worth it. The feelings of anticipation and excitement when expecting a baby really can't compare to any other feeling in the world! It is like waiting for Christmas morning times a million :)

I know I am going to miss Nathan and Luke so much. I am so happy they have each other though. Having Paypo to come stay with them is awesome, they probably won't even have time to miss me :) I am looking forward to that moment when they meet their little brother.

I am feeling Sam squirming around right now. He is definitely my most active belly baby yet. I wonder what he has in store for his ol' mama! I love him so much already :)

36 weeks

Only 2.5 weeks until Sam is here!!!! I feel ready finally. I remember with Luke I felt like I could keep him in forever, but I am honestly ready to get on with the show with Sam, haha. He is still really high up and my poor ribs and lungs are taking a beating. I am all poofed up and bloated and soooooo incredibly slow with everything I do. Sam moves nonstop in there, I have no idea what he is doing but it seems like he is trying to entertain himself. He bounces off my ribs and throws himself into my hip. He is a silly silly boy already and I wonder if he is going to be this full of energy outside the womb ;-)

I can't wait to see his little face and kiss his tiny toes. I am getting vibes that he looks more like Nathan. I am calling dark blonde hair, blue eyes, a squishy face, and funny toes :)

Nathan and Luke are excited to meet their brother as well. Sammy in the belly gets lots of attention from them already.

31 weeks

I can't believe I have less than two months to go! I am getting to the waddling stage of pregnancy, haha. Everything takes me 5 times longer than normal to do. I pee every 15 minutes. Going up one flight of stairs gets me winded. But I don't have too many complaints. No back pain and limited pelvic pain. Sam feels so high up, I think he is lounging on my lungs! He is so strong too, I swear he is bruising me from the inside out. He is a hard kicker! He never ever sits still either. At least I never have to worry about him!

I failed my one hour glucose test (darnit) so I have to get the 3 hour one on Monday. I pray I pass, the whole thing is such a pain in the patoot. My Dr put me on iron supplements too, I am hoping they help with energy.

The boysies are doing great. Nathan is really into asking questions---I get bombarded with them all day long. "What does the inside of a spider look like?" "How does Sammy breathe in your belly?" "What kinds of vitamins are in this strawberry?" etc etc etc. He loves to learn! Luke is a crazy guy as usual. He wears a superhero cape 24/7 and is always pretending he is Iron Man or Spiderman.

I am enjoying the last few weeks with just my older boys. We are relaxing and doing fun things together. I can't wait to meet little Sam though. I love him so much already!

22ish weeks?

I lost count how many weeks I am, haha. But I am chugging along. Sam is doing great and moves nonstop. I actually see my belly jumping around now. I wonder if he will be a hyperactive baby, haha. No real cravings right now but I am eating a lot of grapefruit and salad, so that is good :)

Christmas was awesome but then we got the killer flu that wiped us out for a full week. Luke got hit the hardest and just tonight ate a meal for the first time in days. I have honestly never been THAT sick before, it was nuts. We were lifeless and useless for a while there.

The boys had a great Christmas. They got a lot of shared gifts this year because they like to play with the same things. "Guys" aka superhero figures and building blocks like legos and knex made up the majority of the presents. Nathan could spend hours making creations out of legos. Luke is addicted to playing "guys".

We got to see a lot of family in a few days and pigged out on great food. I went all out and made so many batches of cookies this year. I couldn't eat many because sweets are still an aversion for me. Stinks!

I am looking forward to us all being 100% again and getting out of this house! Being quarantined is noooooo fun.