Whew!!

I had GRAND plans to have a post all done first thing this morning.......funny how plans don't always work out, isn't it?!?!?!

It was quite a loooooooonnnnnnnng day today.

It started off with a not-so-great night of not-so-much sleep......but, what do I expect with a newborn????  I guess I expect she'll sleep the 6-8 hours straight she's been doing every night, but, I have to remember that that might not always happen!!!  And, last night was my reminder!  She slept a good 4 hours straight from 8-midnight, but then it was up and down every 1-2 hours.......and on top of that, Ava comes bouncing in the room at 5:55 this morning!!!  Yikes!  I'm not quite used to this, but I guess I better start!!

The kiddos (A & L) are still acting out quite a bit, too, and are definitely not quite settled into the idea that sister Anna is STAYING, and that she is taking some of Mommy's attention away from them.  They love her to death, but it's a little tough for them right now.  They also don't know how to be gentle with her, and I found out the hard way this morning.  I set Anna in her bouncy seat after nursing her, to go into the kitchen to pour my coffee.....Ava and Luke were both in the room she was in, and I told them not to touch her, or the seat.  The next thing I hear is Ava and Lukie giggling like crazy, so I thought all was well.....but, then......the NEXT thing I hear is Anna screaming bloody murder and the pitter-patter of Ava and Luke running like the wind!!!  I run into the family room and find Anna off her bouncy seat and face down on the floor!!!!!!!!  I FREAKED out!!!  Thank the Lord that the bouncy seat was on the floor and is low to the ground!!  She ended up being totally fine and stopped crying as soon as I picked her up, but, boy was I upset!!  Neither Ava or Luke would fess up to who did what, or what actually happened, so they BOTH got time out.  They are generally pretty great kids, but we're having issues right now of them DOING WHAT I SAY.  I'm constantly reinforcing and disciplining ALL day, ALL the time.  Sometimes I feel like that's all I do, but it has to be done!!  Man, did I learn my lesson today, though......I need to strap Anna into any seat I put her in, and not trust my 2 and 3 year old to know how to handle an infant!  Just one of MANY things I'll be learning along the way!!!

I spent the majority of today with Anna in Seattle.  I think I mentioned that Anna has some kidney issues, and we were at Children's Hospital today getting an ultrasound and a VCUG.  (Don't ask me what that stands for!!)  It was hard to see my precious 2 week old in pain and screaming throughout the procedure, but she was a champ and did so well.  We still have a long road ahead of us with her kidney issues, so instead of going into great detail about it now, I'll fill you in as soon as we know, for sure, what lies ahead for her.  But, as of now, she is completely healthy and doing fine!

I work one day a week doing childcare for a Mom's Group at a local church, and I got a call this morning from one of the members congratulating me on our new little one, and telling me that they want to provide meals for our family!  What a blessing!!  They'll be providing 3 weeks of meals, three days a week!!  Wow!  We're sooooo blessed to have them do that for us!!  So, that means, Monday Meal Plans can pretty much go out of the window for the next 3 weeks while we have generous ladies bring us meals!  Yippee!!!

I do have to give props to an AWESOMELY tasty recipe!!  I made Amish Baked Oatmeal this morning, (it was also our breakfast on our first morning together as a family of five!!), and it is DELICIOUS!!  If you like oatmeal, or even if you don't, TRY THIS RECIPE!!!!  You'll love it!!!  Click HERE

I'm going to try to savor this week with my three little ones, because next week Ava starts back at school at the Developmental Preschool, and soon after that, Luke starts once-a-week at a Pre-Pre-School for 2 1/2 year olds!  It will be a little crazy, but, they are both sooooooo excited and CAN'T WAIT to go!!!

I am so happy and proud of my sweet, little family, that sometimes I am moved to tears.  God is so good.

I know......

I've been neglecting this blog!!!!       But, for good reason, right???!!  :-)

I'm hoping by next week I can get back into the swing of things and get back to a more "normal" schedule.  Mark goes back to work on Thursday, so, I'll be "flying solo" after that!!  It'll take me some time to get used to being by myself with three little ones, but I'm hoping by next week I can get back to my normal schedule with this blog, as well!!

I do want to post my birth story at some point.  I kept journals through, both, Ava and Lukie's pregnancies and throughout their first year, but, it hasn't worked out so well to do that through this pregnancy.  The time just hasn't been there!  But, I do still want to write all about Anna's birth to, at least, have it in writing and documented so that I'll never forget it!  I'm going to do it soon so that the details don't escape me!!  I'm hoping this blog can be a little like a journal, from time to time, so that I'll have some details of Anna's first year of life documented!

So, it's been a sweet time here at home over the past week.   Here are a few tidbits and cute stories since Anna has been home:

---Anyone who comes to our house to visit, Luke has to introduce Anna to all of them.  With one of his hands outstretched pointing to her, he says, "This is Anna.......Say Hi!!"

---The past two nights, Anna has slept 6 hours straight!!!  I'm not expecting it will stay that way, but what a blessing!!

---Anna has already started to smile!  I can tell that she and Ava already have a bond....Ava is obsessed with her and wants to be near her every second!  And as soon as Ava comes by, Anna is glued to her and Ava can always make her smile!  It's adorable.

---Breastfeeding is going amazingly well.  If you remember from my breastfeeding post, I had two totally different experiences breastfeeding Ava and Luke.  I was curious how Anna was going to do, and from day 1, she has taken to it beautifully, and loves it!

---I can't believe I've already forgotten this, but I am continually shocked and amazed at how many times Anna poops!!  (And, how many diapers we're going through!!)  I'm totally honest when I say it's at least once an hour, if not more!  I can't believe I forgot that!  :-)

---Ava's vocabulary is expanding by the minute and she is talking more and more!!  Here are a few of the "new" things I've heard her say to Anna:

"Anna a "tootie!"  (Anna's a cutie!")

Any noise that Anna makes, Ava thinks it's a sneeze and she says:  "Bless You!"

The only other baby the kids have really known in their lives, so far, is Owen, my sister Ruth and her husband Scott's baby.  For the first few days, (and sometimes still!), Ava gets things a little confused and says, "Mommy, me see baby Owee!"

Often Ava will watch Anna sleeping and tell me everything that's going on with her.  And, as soon as Anna starts to wake up, Ava's favorite thing to say, is, "Mommy......one eye open!!"

---Luke is quite an insightful little guy, and as we were all together in our room on the bed, he said:  "Mommy we are a family!"  Oh, so adorable.

There are so many more cute stories, but I'll stop there for now.  I'm so blessed to be the mom of these three little cutie-pies, and the wife of the most wonderful man in the world.  I'm truly, truly blessed!!

So, I won't be worrying about a Meal Plan this week, because I'm sure we'll be eating from my Freezer Stash!  And, we've also had family and friends help us out with meals, and Mark has been doing pretty much all the cooking this past week, as well!  What a treat!!

Hope you all are well and enjoying these last few weeks of August!  Where did the summer go???!!!!

Anna's Room

I first have to say what a joy it is to be a mother of 3!!!!  Little Anna is just a precious little gem......she is so laid back, sleeps very well, and rarely cries.  She is just so content, alert, and a true, beautiful sweetheart.  When she's swaddled up and napping, she is just toooooo cute!!  I can't help but call her my "precious little bundle."  She has such a sweet demeanor and presence......Oh, I'm in love!!!!

Ava and Luke can't get enough of their new sister.....they truly love her, but being only 2 and 3 years old, they don't quite know how to handle her and are unaware of how rough they can be!  They try so hard to be to gentle, but it can be tough for them, at times!  They do love giving her kisses and hugs, though.......there will never be a shortage of those!!!

They are definitely struggling a little with having a new baby in the home, and having attention diverted.  They are quite a bit more "needy" and wanting of every second of mine and Mark's attention, which I know is completely normal and natural.  Juggling that is a little tough right now, but I know it will get better and easier.  Mark has been taking them out on outings every day, which has been a wonderful thing----not just to give me some alone time and time with Anna, but to give them time alone with Daddy.

All in all, things are going really well!!  We feel so excited and so blessed to have added to our family!  God is good!!

So, since I never posted pictures of Anna's room, fully done, I wanted to post a few!  Since the room is so small, it's hard to get a full picture of the entire room, but hopefully you'll get the idea!  It's the perfect little room for her!  We love it!!!

[caption id="attachment_1159" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Standing in the doorway looking to the right."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1160" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="And looking to the left!"][/caption]

Would like to introduce you to.........

ANNA MARJORIE

BORN AUGUST 16, 2009, 6:50 AM

9 POUNDS 1.4 OZ

20 INCHES LONG

We thank the Lord for this beautiful, little creation!!

More to come soon!

IN LABOR!!!

Contractions started at 8:45pm last night and it's 2am Sunday morning......been laboring for over 5 hours now at the Hospital!!!  Drug-free, so far.......we'll see how long that lasts!!  :-)

We'll keep you posted!

Free To Be Me

Hope this encourages you and inspires you!!

*Sigh*

I definitely did not think I would be here, on this Monday, August 10th, without a new little babe in my arms.  I thought FOR SURE I would have had her by now!!!!

I will admit......at this point, everything irritates me.  I know I have to be patient and I am trying sooooooooo hard, but any woman who has been overdue will know exactly what I'm talking about.  It can be torture.  I have literally had every sign in the book that this baby is on the way, and each day that goes by, I get more and more disappointed that I'm still pregnant.

I do have to remember that God's timing is perfect, though, and keep focusing on that, no matter how hard that is to do.  I also have to remember my post from a few days ago, that, when I start to go into a little bit of a "woe is me," or when I get into an irritated or disappointed state, I have to remember that it's NOT HELPFUL.  Boy......another thing that's hard to do!

If I don't go into labor on my own, and if at my appointment this Thursday, I still haven't had the baby, they will do a Non-stress Test and Ultrasound to check and make sure everything is OK.  If it is, they will let me go one more week after this.  If I STILL don't go into labor on my own by next Thursday, then I have to have a C-section, since I can't be induced due to a VBAC.

I can't imagine going 10 MORE DAYS......it makes me want to burst into tears just thinking about it.

My fervent prayer is that I go into labor on my own.......and soon.  Thank you all for your support and prayers, as well, and if you were wondering how to pray, now you know!!!!!!  :-)

I'll keep you posted...........................

FREE Chocolate Friday!

Don't forget to sign up for your FREE Mars Chocolate!!

Go HERE

I had posted a couple weeks ago that it was only 4 per household, because that is what I had heard....BUT, we've received way more than four, so maybe that was a misprint!!  Keep signing up for that FREE chocolate!!

$10 Off Code for online shopping at JCPENNEY

Looking for ways to save money on your Back-to-School Shopping??

Use the code GET4BTS to get $10 off a $10 or more purchase at JCPenney.com!!

Happy Shopping!!

McDonald's Coupon

I rarely see online coupons for McDonald's, and this is a great one!!

Go HERE

to print a coupon for a FREE medium fries and FREE medium drink

with the purchase of any Angus Third Pounder at McDonald's

The coupon expires August 31, 2009.

Tip Tuesday

Here are a few reminders on ways to save money on your Groceries!!

Don't Waste Leftovers!!!

Have a list on your fridge as to what leftovers are in there.  Even in my TINY fridge, they still get lost or I forget about them and then they're gone forever!  On your Meal Plan, plan a Leftover Night, or two, so you're sure to eat them all.  Or, pack them immediately for lunch the next day.  I do this often with Mark's lunches and it really saves money in the long run!

Buy Frozen Veggies

While fresh veggies seem to taste best and are a little better, did you know there's not much nutritional and taste difference?   And, since you can keep them in the freezer, they rarely go bad.  We love buying and eating fresh veggies, but they often go bad and I kick myself for not using them up more quickly!!

Stack your Coupons!!

I've already mentioned this a few times, but a good reminder never hurts!! Remember that you can stack a STORE coupon with a MANUFACTURER'S coupon!!  The two stores that I frequent the most, Safeway and Albertsons, have been recently coming out with some awesome store coupons and I can often match all of them up with a manufacturer's coupon that I already have and get items for under $1!!  I recently got 6 boxes of Raisin Bran at Albertson's for .17 cents a box!!!  Always look for ways to STACK!!

Monday again......

and no new baby.........yet!!!!

I'm just 6 days away from my due date, but it might as well be an eternity!!!  I have to admit, though, it's much easier to wait on this babe, due to the fact that I have two other ones to take care of, and all my time isn't spent focusing on waiting.  I can remember being so desperate for my first to come!  I'm not quite as desperate with this one, but, I'd still love for her to get here........AND SOON!  :-)

I had grand plans to get pictures up of the Dahlias and the garden, (the Dahlias are amazing, and we might just have the tallest corn I have ever seen!!), to get pictures up of the baby's new room, and to have my Meal Plan all ready and prepared......but I don't have ANY of those things done!!!  I really thought I'd have more energy at this point, but my energy is very low........very, very low.  I'll have my spurts here and there and I've gotten a lot done in those spurts, but other than that, sitting or lying down is very appealing to me!!

I will try to get pictures up of the baby's room soon!!  It's so quaint and cute and adorable!  Just right for a new bambino!  I'm not going to do a meal plan this week, in HOPES that baby will come this week!!!  (Plus, due to the fact I can't seem to think straight at the moment!)

My blog posts might be fewer and farther between for the next few weeks, but that all depends on what pans out!

Hope you all have a great week!!