My mom was generous enough to give me a USB with all the photos she took in the hospital when she came to meet Rowan. Because of this, I will now abuse those photos and post them on here 🙂 Its ok, guys, I have permission. But here are my faves, starting with one from the day before he was born. Behold, the comparison shot.

A solid representation of how mondo I got and how nondo he got. Oh well. I had a solid reason.

And onto hospital day! I’ll save the pictures that Brady and I took of ourselves waiting for baby in the hospital for the birth story post, which IS coming, I promise! We’ve just been having so much fun with our family and friends that I haven’t had a good chance to sit down and really pour it out the way I’d like to. There is NO rush when it comes to a babys birth story, in my opinion! But I can show you the beautiful pictures my mom took of Brady and I and our fresh baby boy during his first 24 hours.

Yup. He’s pretty much unbelievable. We know. I’m so pleased to have him in our home. He fits in beautifully, as though he’s always been here. We have had to “rearrange” things around him very little, as he doesn’t seem to require too much. Best of all, he’s incredibly loveable and easy to get along with. I love my Rowan Toby.

We had hopes of going to the city today for just a short little outing, but last night was pretty rough, and we were all dead to the world in the morning. Brady and I barely had to talk about it before deciding to stay home for the day. We had made a point not to plan anything in stone, and just go if we felt like it, and if not, leave it for another day. No pressure.

So we quickly abandoned our plans and switched them out for a day of laundry, yummy food, and movies. The kids were all fairly hands on in the day, and while I really hate to complain, I’m pretty sure I was at the height of my discomfort. Lots of places on me are achy and sore all at once. That combined with cranky kids and little sleep made for a challenging morning.

But then the kids all went down for a nap, and Brady and I lay in bed with lunch and an episode of Greys Anatomy, and for whatever reason, we were rejuvenated. I cautiously suggested we go to the city in the evening, and Brady seemed to perk right up, saying if I felt up to it, so did he. So we started to get ourselves ready, and packed the diaper bag for THREE for the first time 😀 Dekker and Laela were both excited to get dressed to go to the city, and were also both quite entertained watching me try to get Rowan’s scrunched little self into clothing. The photo doesn’t show it, but everyone was excited to pack into the van together.

We drove to the city and decided to hit up supper first. Just Wendys, but the kids LOVE Wendys. They both ate lots and thanks to a promo, we even got two free frosties, so the kids got to enjoy some ice cream as well. I’m so proud of Dekker when it comes to dessert. He loves a dessert, but when he had enough ice cream, he pushed it further onto the table and announced that he was “done for his ice cream.” I love knowing that he won’t just gorge himself sick over something. He knows when he’s done. Also a big win for Wendys – they had really fun toys in the kids meals today! 😀 😡

We had plans to go wander through Walmart afterwards. Before the frostie promo, I had thought we’d go to the McDonalds in Walmart for milkshakes, and then go through the rest of the store. We have long list of cleaning and household supplies that we need over the coming while to get the house deep cleaned, plus groceries, and some clothes for Rowan. Believe it or not, because of our previous massive children, none of the hand me downs really fit him that well. Everything starts at three months, and most of everything is stretched to the max thanks to his tank brother. I definitely won’t go too crazy buying a bunch of newborn stuff, but I’d love to have a few cute things that fit him nicely. However, the Walmart plan fell apart when we remembered that we had someone coming to our house for an appointment at 8:30, which meant that in order to have the kids down before he arrived, we’d have to leave Walmart by 7:30 at the absolute latest, and even then we’d probably still cut it too close.

So instead of venturing to Walmart with the fam, we hit up the nearby Target location and I just ran in on my own. I have to say that while this option was less fun, all the household supplies were around 25% off, which was a bonus! I overbought on most things, bought brands, and got a couple of extras, plus a curtain rod for the kids room, and paid just over $50. Win! Brady took the kids in the van across the parking lots and got us some coffees for in the tub later. As soon as we were done, though, we sped home to put the kids down.

The guy came over right on time, just as the kids were getting their final kisses. He was gone within ten minutes and now we’re just feeding Rowan and getting ready to run a tub and settle in.

Tomorrow we’ll finish up the laundry and have my parents over for supper. My dad’s been on the road all week and has yet to meet his new grandson, so hopefully he falls in love as fast as we did! How do you not?!

** I just realized that there isn’t a picture of Roro on this post!! Behold, how he looks right now, as I see him.

All babies look like old men, right?

After an unbelievably seamless night, we had such a great day of visitors!! Its quite amazing how well we’re all feeling so far, and how genuinely comfortable we were having people over. Granted, they are VERY easy people to please and have over, so pressure was low, but now, at the end of the day, I’m not feeling dead to the world in the slightest.

The kids honorary Grandma Willa came in the late morning with lunch and presents. The kids warmed up really nice and quick, and they all got a solid amount of playing in while Brady and I ate our lunch and slugged back our coffees. Rowan also got his first cuddles from Grandma Willa, and I’m pretty sure I can safely say that they already make a really great pair. He had a nice little stretch of wakeful time while she was around too. He has very few of those in a day, so far. This boy loves his sleep.

The kids went down for their naps after our guest left for home, and they gave us a solid hour and a half to rest up and watch Greys. Its nice to have that downtime, as much as I’m feeling stronger than I thought I would be, I don’t want to burn out. So the quiet time was really nice.

My mom came in the late afternoon with all the makings of one of my favorite suppers! We had a nice visit and the kids ran around her in circles as loudly as possible, clearly having missed her. We all puttered around the kitchen together while mom insisted on getting supper together with little to no help at all, and then we played downstairs while it cooked for just about an hour. It was pretty perfect. She got some Rowan snuggles while Dekker and Laela raced around like maniacs and entertained us all. Good times.

We had cheesy potatoes, sausage, and broccoli salad for supper. I probably ate the most. I LOVE that meal. Pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing were for dessert, which is also a heavy favorite for me. Truly a delicious day all around.

My mom stayed until a bit after the kids had gone to bed, and got in a few more baby hugs before she was on her way home. While I am sad that the day is done, and I could always visit with my mom for hours longer than we seem to have, it is time to get this achy self into the tub. I don’t mean to give waaay too much info, but my milk made its appearance in a big way today, and its time to get some relief for these knockers! A warm bath is just the ticket!!

Our first night at home was a bit choppy, but once we figured out that Rowan was ready to pretty well triple his feeding amounts, we got a six hour stretch! I definitely don’t expect such a thing this early in the game, but its nice to know its possible, and that likely our broken sleep was due to something we can help fix.

Ro slept through breakfast so we hung out with Dekker and Laela, and moseyed around the kitchen a bit, trying to maintain our routine of tidiness at least a little bit. It worked. It was nice to have the kids feel a little bit normal anyway. Dekker asked about Rowan right off the bat though. He wanted to know where his brother was. I love that.

Brady hung out downstairs with the kids for a nice chunk of the morning so I could phone date with my sister. It was really wonderful for me to be able to relive Rowans birth story with her. She has a really good understanding of what all went on with Laela’s birth, and therefore, a very clear perspective on the similarities and differences between this delivery and that one. She helped me feel very encouraged and loved and basically like I deliver babies like a rockstar, which is a great way to feel. It was so nice to visit with her. We always enjoy a great chat, but don’t get to them too often. Love you, sister.

In the early afternoon, a nurse from Healthy and Home came by to check on Rowan and I. She was a great sport about coming so far out of the city to see us, and the kids were super comfortable with her around. She was happy with all of our answers, and seemed to really trust that we knew what we were doing, which I totally appreciate. There are definitely those who act as though they know more than everyone. Not that I think I know more than her!! I’m well aware that she is educated as a nurse, and I am not, but I do know my kids 🙂 We had a nice time. Rowan checked out beautifully. He didn’t fuss once through the entire time she milked blood from his little heel, or with her cold stethoscope on his chest. He didn’t much care for being naked on the scale but recovered quickly. She also checked me over and said that everything is as it should be, without divulging too many details, haha! She was very encouraging, too, that I shouldn’t be afraid to take something for pain, and I am, but not as much as I thought I would be. I’m feeling better physically than I thought I’d be. To be honest, I’m finding more pain in all of the little sites (iv, blood draw, epidural, tired legs, mild contractions, etc.) than I am in my birthing bits. So far, Tylenol is seeming to be enough. Woot!

The nurse left around 2:00, and we put the kids down pretty much right afterwards. They weren’t exactly impressed, but it was a little bit later than their normal nap time already, and they actually fell asleep relatively quickly. Rowan was also ready for a nap, since we had given him a good drink while our nurse was out. So yes. On our first day at home, ALL THREE KIDS napped at once! Brady and I took that opportunity to lay in bed and watch some solid guilty pleasure tv. We have tons to do in this house, but today was not the day for it! Not that we were falling asleep standing up, or in awful pain, or generally miserable, but cmon! First day home! I had a baby Monday night. Wednesday afternoon is not the appropriate time to pull out the paint or scrub down a bathtub. Am I right?! Yes I am.

Rowan slept another uber-stretch through supper, and we actually got him up to come hang out in the basement for the last hour-ish of the day with everyone. We’re definitely still having to watch Laela really closely that she doesn’t poke him too hard in the face, or pull his hair, but when she is gentle, we clap like crazy and celebrate like maniacs and she LOVES that. Dekker still didn’t want to touch his baby brother, but he did sit beside the bouncy chair for a little while. He liked when Rowan was awake, and had his eyes open.

“Baby Rowan likes my airplanes?”
“Baby Rowan keeps looking at me!”
“Maybe Baby Rowan makes a funny face at Dekker and Dekker makes a funny face at Baby Rowan?!”

So its coming along nicely anyway 🙂 I didn’t have high expectations that Dekker would want to be especially hands on with him, especially in the beginning. This interaction is great for me!

The kids had a great evening downstairs, and even had a funny race up to their bedroom that seemed to make it a bit easier. I brought Rowan in for our usual few minutes of hugs and kisses and cuddles, and I could tell Dekker was a bit uncomfortable with it. When he came to hug me, he more so draped himself over one of my shoulders instead of around my neck. I encouraged him to come around my neck, and showed him he could without having to hug Rowan. Maybe that sounds mean, but I know my kid. He gave me a big hug and kiss, and then out of the blue, pointed to Rowan and said “Maybe he could hug me, mommy.” I held Rowan out to him, and Dekker gave him a big hug, and a kiss on the head before bailing to the other side of the room. This encouraged Laela to come over and point madly at Roro until I held him out for her. She rested her head on him momentarily (her version of a hug) and kissed his face. Leaving the room to “Night night, Rowan!” was just the cherry on top.

I brought him back to our room where I lay him in a pillow and turned on some lamps. Brady called me back into the kids room, saying that Dekker had made a special request for “a mom and a kiss.” I loved that, and went immediately. My big boy met me in the hallway just outside of his room. Dekker wanted me to himself, just for a quick second. He gave me a really big hug, then grabbed me face and planted a big kiss right on my mouth. “I love you, mommy. Sleep well!” And he closed the door on me. My heart…

So its truly been a spectacular day. I felt a little overwhelmed going into it, now that my body hurts a bit more and I hadn’t had much rest in the night, but these kids are epic people, and they really make life incredibly rich and dare I say easy most days.

I know I promised everyone Rowan’s birth story when we got home, but today was about other things that I’d rather talk about. Don’t worry, I will not deprive you of the story of his birth. It will come! But I can very genuinely say that this evening, my adrenaline is wearing off, and my hormones are amping up. I was dozing amidst the family before 7:00pm. So this will be a scattered post, but something, nonetheless!

We had a shockingly smooth first night with Rowan! He gave us nice, 4-4.5 hour stretches between his feedings, so Brady and I could sleep. I slept pretty light, on my mommy-alert for my new babe, and I nudged Brady awake when I heard stirring and gurgling. (No, I’m not cruel, and would have happily got Rowan myself, but my epidural did funny things and my right leg was fairly dead to me for most of the night. Its back now.) Brady found Rowan, laying wide awake, quietly talking and sucking his hands. This kid is surprisingly relaxed.

We spent the morning passing all of the little tests and being checked for any number of things, which resulted in our being discharged right after lunch. We also were able to get my mom in to visit during the morning, which was so perfect! My dad is traveling with his work this week, so my mom was on her own and we really wanted her to meet the baby! Jerilee was home with Dekker and Laela, and we figured we’d probably be sent home before legitimate visiting hours started up at 2:30, so we made a point to call up my mom and invite her 🙂 We wanted a visitor and she wanted to visit! We had a lovely time with her, watching her bond with our beautiful Rowan Toby, and telling her all about our experience this time around. Really, really nice.

As I mentioned, we were allowed to leave right after lunch. Brady went to grab our coats and the car seat from the van while Ro and I had a little snuggle date and I ate my lunch. We left shortly thereafter, but not before my iv site bled through the bandage and all over the sheets. Good thing we got that mess out of the way before we were in the elevator or the van. I love not having to clean up my own blood.

Ro tolerated his car seat great, and travelled like a champ. Once we got home, we got him and his Auntie Jerry acquainted while we waited for the kids to get up from their nap. She snuck out before they got up, and she was the first thing Dekker asked about when we went in for them. We got in lots of hugs and kisses and we all got reacquainted with each other, while Rowan hung out in his cradle in our room, waiting for his turn.

And then I carried him in to meet his siblings. Dekker was very, very shy. He just wanted to sit on Bradys lap, a respectful distance away. I’m not too surprised. He did the same with Laela. It took a few days. He never disliked her, but was pretty cautious. I see the same thing happening here. But Laela was in there like a dirty shirt. My predictions were right. She really likes to poke him. We have to watch her. Her very first move was poking him right on the nose, then poking my nose, and lastly, poking her own nose. Yup, we all have noses, in case you didn’t know.

The kids had a really easy supper, and then we all played in the basement around Roro in his bouncy chair. Laela wanted to bring him everything and poke him in the face a lot, and Dekker wanted to sit on our laps and not a whole lot else. All in all though, it is wonderful being home! I am so comfortable here. While we had a wonderful room at the hospital, great staff, and even yummy food, I would so much rather be here among those I know and love the most. Plus, my bed and my tub and my food makes all the difference 🙂 Its good to be home.

Ro has successfully slept away the earlier part of the evening, and is having a nice long stretch of wakeful time right now. Hopefully that means he’ll give us a nice stretch of sleep before night feedings begin again. We have been without them for about ten months, but if having Rowan in our home means they’re back, bring them on!

For a while anyway…

Sometimes I keep secrets from you guys, and its really hard! Keeping my pregnancies under wraps for the first trimester never lasts the full twelve weeks. Things like that re hard to keep from you! So when I had my prenatal appointment on Thursday, and my doctor and I decided to put me on an earlier induction list, it was really hard to keep from you!! But we did it, and I’m pleased as punch to tell you guys that, today, our third child was born 🙂 I’m going to save the birth story for another day, as I really want to get in my cuddle time now. He’s wide awake, completely alert, and quiet. I feel like we won’t have tons of time like this, so I need to go enjoy it.

But first, his little details, or what I know so far. His name is Rowan Toby. He is our itty bittiest baby yet, weighing in at a measly 8 lbs 6 oz, but being a week early will do that to you. He’s 22″ long, making him the tallest one yet! He looks so much like Laela, but has big, Dekker-sized lungs. He is unbelievably beautiful!

I couldn’t have asked for a better labour. Truly, I have already found so much healing in the way he was born. It was all very quick, but not at all like last time. I have so much to tell you, but again, not tonight.

Just know that we are THRILLED and completely nauseatingly in love with this little boy. I can’t wait to share more about him with you guys in the days to come. But tonight, its just going to be the three of us 🙂

A while back, a friend of mine offered to take some maternity pictures of me. Jamie’s business can be found at ilwphotopraphy.com or facebook.com/ilwphotography, for those who would like to inquire about her services. It was a total hoot! We were both freezing and had a lot of fun. I’d recommend her far and wide! The pictures are edited and ready to be viewed, and I was actually quite taken aback by them. I feel very modelicious, and at a time when I am often feeling like a beached whale, she sure made me feel gorgeous. That all being said, this is a post for you to look at pictures of me, haha!

I have to say that I’m a bit bummed at wordpress. WordPress hosts my blog, and used to make my pictures big and beautiful quality, and now, since I upgraded, the pictures are only allowed up to 10MBs, so the quality will likely be ripped to shreds 🙁 But they are still so pretty and I wanted to share, even if you have to click on each and every one to enlarge them.

** Funny story! After I ranted about wordpress and their tiny pictures, I changed a setting, and BOOM! Bigger pictures! The quality is still not even close to how they really look, but its better than the teeny tiny pictures, in my opinion 🙂

Brady, Jerilee, and I worked our butts off around here today! There is so much to be done in this house, and I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed these days. So we worked this afternoon away.

After the great Finish dishwasher clean the other day, it would appear we’ve washed too much crud down the drain, and the water isn’t all draining out properly. Not at all. Clean the filter, I know. We don’t have one. Well, I’m sure he have one somewhere, but upon pulling the casing out of the bottom, the pump is right there. Whatever is blocking the pipes is way the heck down there. Because of this, the dishes aren’t coming out looking too great, so Jerilee handwashed our entire counter of dishes and put them away. While she did that, I got a started on the bathroom clean. I cleaned the basics, except the  tub, because that needs sooo much more help! If anyone has some great cleaning advice for hard water stains left WAY too long, I would jump at them! But after cleaning the counter and sink so beautifully, I decided to cut out the silicone around the vanity. Great order of operations, I know. There are now bits of silicone all over the counter, and while that can be wiped up for the most part, the ledges look awful. I did successful unclog the sink though! The water has been draining super slowly, and thanks to Pinterest, baking soda, and vinegar, it now runs out beautifully. One win for the day, anyway. Jerilee and I also took most of the tape down from the upstairs paint job. We’re shorties, so we left the top of the door frames for Brady.

Brady put the curtain rods up and I washed our curtains so we could finally rehang them. They look gorgeous against the grey walls! I can’t wait to show you guys pictures when we finally get the rooms put back together!! Brady ran around like a chicken with his head cut off today, and did so many jobs! He put our new microwave up finally, which included him rebuilding the shelf overtop of it and cutting all new holes where they needed to be. He tried to fix the dishwasher, removed the sink stopper in the bathroom for me, and washed the entire living room floor by hand to scratch off the little paint spots that had splattered that the mop wouldn’t pick up. All the light and outlet covers are back on, and just about all of the drape sheets are off and in a box. Even the one little tile that fell off of our table forever and a day ago is stuck back on. Really, we accomplished a ton.

But it doesn’t feel like it. I feel discouraged today. Like with any and every other house, its feeling very “one step forward, two steps back.” Tons of other little things keep popping up and adding themselves to our list. Actually, I’m specifically NOT keeping a list of jobs we need to do. It would be enormous and I know it would stress me out to just look at it. Instead, I know we will remember those jobs along the way. We KNOW we have lots to do still. Instead, I’ve began compiling a shopping list of things we need to buy in order to complete these projects. Its always more fun to view the work as a shopping trip, right? The list includes some cleaning supplies, a curtain rod for the kids room, a few lengths of trim, a new tub faucet, a few replacement light switches, and the list goes on. But it doesn’t seem too bad to look at it that way for me, so I’m going with it. One big Walmart/Superstore trip, and one Home Depot trip should do it, if we’re organized enough! Maybe that will come sometime next week. Its a very small way to look forward to getting work done anyway. Gotta start somewhere!

Today was probably the most fun I’ve had in a really long time, and the timing couldn’t be better. Coming up on our baby being born, my mom and I had a date planned. No deadlines, and just some general girl time.

Before anything, I hit up my waxing place for my usual. I always lie to you guys, by the way. I always say I get my legs done, and I do, but I actually get my arms waxed as well. They are sooo hairy and I always feel like they look dirty, so if $10 can save them, I’ll happily pay! I haven’t been in since before Christmas, which I know sounds pretty gross, but having been doing my legs for around eight years, my leg hair doesn’t grow as fast as it used to, so its not as bad as it sounds. My waxing girl is fabulous and works at warp speed, so when I saw that we would finish up ahead of schedule, I hesitantly asked if she could fit in an eyebrow wax as well. I’ve only had my brows done once before and loved the result, so I figured that I could justify the treat. She was done in moments, and they looks flawless. I’m so pleased to have no more strays and no more unibrow!! I feel all nice and fresh. Waxing was a great place to start today.

My mom and I wanted to hit the nearby mall to peruse Target. Its closing, and we love a good bargain. Plus, the sales just jumped a bit in the last day or two, so we figured it was a good time. But upon arrival at the mall, we walked past a nail place and checked out some prices, resulting in us getting pedicures together. Moms treat 🙂 It was so much fun! I’ve never gone to get pedis with my mom, and she is sooo ticklish!! It was funny to watch her squirm while the aesthetician laughed at her. We shared a color, even, both getting beautiful dark purple nails. I moseyed over to have a shellac mani done afterwards. I loved having a shellac french mani when Laela was born. I’m a bad nail biter, and lots of you will be able to relate how your nails become brittle and yellow immediately after having a baby. That, exhaustion, and the general life changes that come with a new baby result in me chewing my nails down to nothing, so the shellac is a good protector. And its pretty. Thankfully, they placed mom right beside me with a little foot fan so we could visit while I had my fingers done. It was so nice to get in a bunch of visiting and girl talk about babies and life and excitement!! SO much fun! And wow, did I feel shiny and polished afterwards!

We made our way to Target afterwards, as we originally planned to do. We took our time and walked most of the aisles. It was so nice not having a deadline!! I’m pretty bummed that the bedding is still so expensive :/ But I bought a backpack, a Christmas ornament, a few cosmetics, and a humidifier for the kids room. I finally found one that I like!! A Safety 1st, filterless, cool mist one. PERFECT for the kids room! Everywhere I’ve looked, they’re $40 and sold out, and at Target, it was $35, in stock, and 20% off! Can’t argue with that! Big wins all around.

We grabbed lunch in the food court afterwards. We had planned to make our way across the city and do a bunch more things, and hit any restaurant we wanted, but we were both fading a bit, and neither of us were super hungry! I’m pretty sure there is just physically no room left in my body for food at this point. Seriously, how much room does my stomach have to expand? Not much. So we ordered a meal and shared it, and I grabbed a booster juice as well. We probably visited for a solid hour, and I think I can safely say we lost track of time and just enjoyed ourselves. Soon, it was 3:00, and continually snowing. The roads had already been a bit sketchy on the way in, and didn’t exactly promise to be improving, so we made our way out of the city, and mom drove me home.

How refreshing was today?! SO refreshing!! I am not at all dreading having another child in my life and home and family, but I did enjoy this kid-free day with my mom. It was nice to get pampered and fussed over a bit before all of everyones fussing is directed at the baby 🙂

He’s coming sooooooo soon!!!!!

How often do days play out exactly as expected? Not too terribly often, especially at this stage of the game in a pregnancy. I’m 38.5 weeks along and I woke up this morning around 3:30 with contractions. Not braxton hicks, but painful contractions, one on top of the other. I went to pee, in an effort to relieve any pressure off of my body, and tried to go back to sleep. I succeeded in dozing for the next two hours or so, but very restlessly. Contractions weren’t letting up. They got worse for the next two hours.

Now one would think that, with our history of how Laela was born, I’d be racing out the door to the hospital. But I have never gone into labor on my own, and call it pride, or insanity, or what have you, but I really really dont want to have a false alarm on my third child. So I decided to wait it out. Brady delayed his work day and came to cuddle with me and watch a bit of tv in bed with me, while we waited to see what would happen. Eventually, things slowed down and pretty well quit. By that time, though, I had spoken to my mom and set up a bit of a plan. She came out so Brady could go to work, and I could potentially get a few things done, or the other way around. Once my mom had arrived, Jerilee texted shortly after, and came out to join us. Together, the three of us ladies kept the kids alive and fed, while blitzing a few jobs around the house. All bottles are washed and ready, and laundry got started. Plans were discussed and made as concrete as possible, which is incredibly loose for concrete.

Long story short, I had a prenatal today and am not in labor. Who knows what went on this morning, but I’m not super dilate for effaced yet, and nothing has really changed significantly. So no, baby is not here yet. While I still feel like things are far away, this feels oddly like the night before I delivered Laela, and was so confident that nothing was going to happen. How weird would that be?? However, I am not holding my breath one bit. I was induced with Laela when she was eight days overdue, and I am currently “due” on March 2nd, so while I know people say that you go faster with each kid, this would be quite a leap into early!

All of that aside, I’ve been awake since 3:30 this morning and am feeling completely wiped out. Now that this post is over, I am going to doze in front of an episode of Friends before I have to stand up and be an adult, and go finish the laundry. Sooo thankful for a husband who will feed the kids while I lay in bed.

Hoping for a long, restful night.