surviving the flu, a bathroom renovation, and two-year-old antics

Linking up at This Ain't the Lyceum for 7 quick takes

1. Last week we survived the flu, and I was the biggest baby of the bunch. I think that Tamiflu might be the greatest drug ever, but apparently the kid's liquid tamiflu tastes horrible... or so my children told me about 800 times twice a day for 5 days. They usually love medicine, but they definitely did NOT like "the white kind". After the second day the Officer and I somehow convinced them that it was super cool to be like a grown-up and just drink the nasty medicine with no complaints and no more spitting it in Mommy's face, so that was good. If you ever have to get your kids Tamiflu see if they can flavor it.

Luckily Lettie actually didn't get the flu. This is an old picture, but this is how pathetic our house felt last week.

2. Last week the Officer also laid the bathroom tile in our master bathroom... yay for progress! In October he demolished the bathroom, but then I went back to work for a while, and the renovation got put on hold. So, he laid the tile and is going to do the grout on Monday, and then he's taking a few days off work, so hopefully he'll get most of the bathroom done next week! (No pressure my love!)

3.  I'm excited to get the bathroom done, but it means I need to make some decisions on shower tile, vanity, paint color.... everything. I hate making decisions. The Officer and I have a deal with all of our house renovations- he will do all of the work, but I have to make all of the decisions. That might sound nice, but did you know that I hate making decisions?!

I think we are going to use this for the shower tile.... I'm making decisions.... almost.

4. Yesterday my SIL and I took 6 of our kids to the Children's Museum. It was awesome, and it was so nice to finally get the kids out of the house after our flu week. Our Children's Museum has kids' admission on sale for 15 cents on the 15th of each month,  so we will be making frequent trips to the museum.

5. I've been having a really hard time keeping my patience with a certain 2-year-old in my house. I have a million excuses of why I sometimes yell at my daughter, but no excuse is acceptable. She is 2 and often irrational and whiney, but she's my beautiful daughter.  Plus poor girl just got over the flu and has barely made it out of the house in the last 2 weeks. She deserves better. She deserves a kind mother. I'm really working on being more patient with my awesome kid, so prayers for more patience would be appreciated.

Look how cool my Bug is. I love the heck outta that girl.

6. Next week I'm bringing the girls to the March for Life. We live close enough that we can make the trip and stay with some family, and hopefully it won't be too cold. It is always such an incredible and  hopeful day.

7.  Then when we get home from the March we get to celebrate Belle's 4th birthday!!!! 4 is such a fun age. I'm so excited for next week with some beautiful January weather, the March for Life, having the Officer home, and a 4th birthday!

Dairy-Free

Right before my sweet little Third baby turned 2 months she started having a little bit of blood in her diapers. Negligent Mother over here thought "oh no big deal". I know that is usually a sign of a food allergy, but the girl is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. She never cries and is definitely thriving in the weight-gaining department, so I figured a little blood in the diaper wasn't a big deal. Then I took her to her 2 month check, and her pediatrician thought the blood was a big deal. My Mom (who works for an allergist) also thought this was something to be concerned about.

Thriving.

Anyway, after a few weeks with the blood happening occasionally I stopped eating all dairy and nuts. She hasn't had any blood in a week, so I'm motivated to keep up the diet, and she has an appointment with the allergist next week.... hopefully we'll get some answers. I'm hoping my sweet little girl is okay- she seems pretty happy.

But Mommy needs to complain a little.... after being sick for 30 weeks of pregnancy it seems a little unfair to have to cut out all the delicious foods that I struggled to keep down for 30 weeks. Plus a breastfeeding Mama is starving all. day. long. When I decided to cut out dairy I was pretty sure it was the end of the world. Peanut butter M&Ms. Ice cream. Milkshakes. Cereal. Cheese on EVERYthing. Those are just a few of the things I knew I could not possibly live without. This is dramatic, but dessert is my weakness, and I'm an emotional eater.

There is a reason I never take pictures of food, but don't these look yummy?!

After I gave myself the "be reasonable" pep-talk about all of the people who have much stricter diets for much longer, and this really isn't a big deal.... I decided I'd look at this as a diet, so I could lose my baby weight from the last 3 pregnancies (isn't baby girl so sweet to give me this opportunity?!). I'd love to report that I've lost all kinds of weight and have learned self-control, but nope. It has been good, because it has forced me to meal plan better, so that I always have dairy-free meals planned, and I've learned that rice milk on cereal is delicious, but I have also learned about all kinds of dessert substitutes.... Did you know that Oreos don't contain dairy!??!?! I don't even want to think about how it is possible that those chocolate and cream cookies have no dairy, but they are in my pantry, and they are yummy. The other night my friend, Miesha, came to my rescue- she is also a dairy-free breastfeeding Mama... except I think she has cut all allergens, and I don't think she complains about it. She brought this Heavenly little bag of dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips with an insane price-tag. We used those and coconut oil for butter, and we made some fantastic chocolate chip cookies that I have been inhaling ever since. We also enjoyed some margaritas. So I have really learned no lessons, except that being dairy-free isn't so bad after all.

Cleaning with children

Cleaning. I have never really enjoyed cleaning, but now the thought of a nice Saturday morning spent deep cleaning my house all ALONE sounds pretty nice. You know that popular meme about cleaning your house with kids???

So so true. I'm living with two toddlers and a newborn, so I'm looking around my house wondering if it will ever be clean again. I've cleaned the house as a Mom of babies, and I've cleaned the house as the Mom of toddlers- each of those are sort of challenging, but cleaning as the Mom of a baby AND toddlers is pretty much impossible. My only cleaning goals in the last few weeks have been doing dishes, vacuuming, and wiping down the bathrooms. That's it. Last week I spent 2 days trying to vacuum and mop the teeny tiny main floor of our house. My first attempt was never finished, and my second attempt took most of the day. Here's what my morning looked like:

9:00am- The toddlers have just finished breakfast and the house is already a mess, so I begin telling them to put away all of their toys so that we can vacuum while the baby is awake.

9:30am- remind them to stop playing with the toys and actually put them away while I nurse the baby

10:00am- "pleeeeeeaaaaase stop dancing and put those blankets back in your room while I burp the baby."

10:20am- I hurry and get the vacuum out while the floor is clear for the next 45 seconds

10:30am- the kitchen is vacuumed, but the baby needs her poopy diaper changed IMMEDIATELY

10:40am- resume vacuuming

11:00am- dining room is vacuumed, but now the toddlers want to do a craft since I'm forbidding them from taking out a single toy until I finish vacuuming. "No, you may not use playdoh because I just vacuumed there! Yes, I will get the crayons out for you."

11:10am- resume vacuuming

11:20am- stop vacuuming to help the recently potty-trained 2-year-old use the bathroom. AT LEAST she didn't pee on the floor- that really would have slowed down my vacuuming. 

11:30am- resume vacuuming

11:35am- stop vacuuming to pick up the crap... I mean toys... I found under the couch 

11:40- resume vacuuming. so close to being done.

11:50- stop vacuuming to make lunch for the toddlers.

12:00- use the hose to vacuum along the floor boards, under cabinets, in the corners.... it needs to be done, because I skipped it last time.

12:10- give crying baby a pacifier and beg her to just wait 2 more minutes and then I will feed her.

12:15- done with vacuuming! just in time to nurse the baby while the girls eat pb&j

12:45- Baby is fed, burped, and content, but now the toddlers are done eating lunch and I need to vacuum under the table again (and wipe jelly off of everything that was within reach of the 2-year-old)

1:00- downstairs is vacuumed, and I guess I will spend their naptime mopping (or I'll probably collapse on the couch and mop another day when my kids are adults). Nobody will eat food or wear shoes ever again in this house! 

Just in case this post was making anyone think they didn't want (more) children.  They are definitely worth a messy house.

It only took me 4 hours to vacuum three tiny rooms.... good thing I have a small house. At what age can my children start vacuuming?? 

Birth Story part 2

Yesterday I posted part 1 of Third baby's birth story, and now I get to write about the exciting part where I finally meet the little lady. Warning: this is the birthing details that I want to remember, but if you don't like that sort of thing then just stop reading now. So, I was at the hospital laboring, and the Officer had gone into his awesome support coach mode (this time he didn't need to tell me to find another gear ;). I had done Bug's delivery with no epidural, and I was hoping to do that again, because I thought the physical recovery was so much easier than Belle's. When we first got to the hospital the pain still wasn't too bad, and having the Officer just massage my back during contractions was enough to get me through them. There were still little breaks between the pain where I could watch some of the World Cup (fortunately it was only the 3rd place match) and talk to my MIL and SIL who had met us at the hospital. At that point I was just trying to offer up each contraction for others who are suffering, which helped me, but after an hour or so things got really painful, and I remember thinking "this is exactly what purgatory will be like". I got in the shower and the Officer used the shower head to spray my back, which helped the pain. Then things suddenly got intense, and I was doing the embarrassing screaming/moaning thing that the Officer later lovingly referred to as my "Hulk Smash" yell.

Worth every second of pain

After a few of these extremely painful contractions I told the Officer that I felt like I needed to poop, which during labor would be code for "I need to push". So the Officer told me we should go back to the hospital bed. The Doctor said that I was complete and ready to push anytime, but I informed her that "I didn't want to" (who actually "wants" to do anything involved with giving birth?!?!). I thought the hospital bed looked like a form of torture (I never want to sit at all when in labor), and the idea of sitting in the bed and pushing made me want to cry. I told the nurse I didn't want to get in the bed (I imagine I sounded like a bratty 13-year-old girl with all of my "I don't wannas"). She was so amazing and said it was okay if I didn't get in the bed and made it seem like no big deal at all (she must not have realized that I was about to start pushing whether anyone was ready or not). Then I very loudly informed everyone that I needed to poop (again, code for I'm about to push), and everyone realized I was about to push the baby out in the middle of the floor. The nurse threw down some blankets, the Officer helped hold me, and the Doctor caught the baby, as I just squatted down and delivered the baby. Well, there were a few more "Hulk Smash" screams involved and three incredibly painful pushes, and I think I yelled something like "Just get the baby out!!!!!!!!!", but then there in the middle of the floor my beautiful baby arrived at 6:18pm. The Officer got to announce that we were blessed with yet another little girl, and I was surprised. not. at. all.

I love finally holding a new baby

I got to snuggle my sweet little baby (now I was completely fine with chilling in the hospital bed). Then as they took her away to clean her up, I was shocked to see little rolls on her arms. The nurse said "wow that's a big looking baby", which surprised me since she does this for a living, and then she announced that our daughter was 9 lbs 12 oz. What?!?! Belle was only 7 lbs 11 oz after being 10 days late and Bug was 6 lbs 15 oz, so I thought I only had nice little reasonably-sized babies. She barely fit in newborn diapers, but that girl was absolutely perfect. I just sat there holding her for an hour telling her over and over again how much I love her.

the big baby girl =)

My sweet Third baby came out very late and very big, but her labor and delivery went smoothly and for that I'm grateful. So far she has been an easy baby, who loves to eat, sleep, and smile at her big sisters. Just like every sweet soul that God has entrusted me with so far, I can't imagine my life without her.

With my three beautiful girls

The birth that finally started....

I'm finally typing the birth story for my Third little baby girl. I guess procrastination runs in the Mikfamily, because baby girl took her sweet old time deciding to arrive (little lady was 10 days late). On Friday July 11 the Officer and I went out on a date for the first time in months. It was wonderful, but halfway through I definitely thought I was going into labor. I started to get very uncomfortable and have some random pain and shortness of breath (one might consider these contractions, but I never like to say that I'm actually having contractions until a baby is about to appear). We got to dinner and I was in a lot of pain, and the Officer and I both began to think that maybe baby would come that night! Then halfway through dinner all of my pain, discomfort, and shortness of breath ended completely, and it was obvious the baby would not be coming yet.

Saturday morning the Officer was gone at his prayer group, and I woke up with a sudden uncharacteristic surge of energy. I knew that one way or another this baby would be coming very soon, so I frantically cleaned the house. I was trying very hard to be patient while I waited for baby to arrive, and most days I did okay, but I also tried everything I possibly could to induce labor. That morning, as my final attempt to encourage this baby to arrive before my Sunday night induction, I made myself a "Midwife cocktail" (thank you Miesha for the recipe!). Of course about 15 minutes after I started drinking it the Officer came home and informed me that my in-laws would be coming over that afternoon for a cookout. Awesome. There is nothing like the idea of being in labor in front of a house full of people. Oh well.

The girls were enjoying some pool time with their cousins, while I was inside being "crampy"

Either I was already about to go into labor or that "Midwife cocktail" is a miracle worker, because 2 hours after I drank it the contractions began. Of course, I don't like to say I'm having contractions until I'm 100% sure, so instead I just told the Officer that I was feeling "crampy".... at 41 weeks "crampy" would be code for "I'm in labor, but too dumb to admit it". My sweet SIL Mantha stayed with me and a few times kindly informed me that, "Those are definitely contractions", but I just kept going with the idea of "crampy". Around 2:00 it was time to put all the children down for naps, and I finally admitted that I was having regular contractions. I was reading Belle a book before her nap, and I had to stop and stand up twice in the middle of it to breath through contractions, but again for some reason, I figured it was still early labor, because it just wasn't that painful yet.  My wonderful SIL was still keeping a close eye on me and my contractions, and around 3:00 started urging me to go to the hospital. The Officer was not sleeping this time, but was watching Golf with his family :)

Gonna meet this baby soon....

I hadn't been timing any contractions, but Mantha was paying attention and knew they were only a few minutes apart. She just kindly kept urging me to go to the hospital and making sure I had everything I needed. The Officer and I got to the hospital around 4:00, and it was the perfect time to get there. When I got all checked in my contractions were consistently 3 minutes apart and I was 6cm dilated. After my delivery with Bug, I was thinking things might go pretty quickly at this point, and I was right.

Part 2 coming tomorrow.....

The Real Babymoon

I've been living my real Babymoon for the last 13 days. It's been my honeymoon time with my sweet new baby. Our 3rd little bundle of joy (another girl!) was finally born on July 12 at 6:18 pm, and I'll write a post with her birth story soon, but for now I've just been enjoying my little baby moon. I don't have a blog nickname yet for our sweet daughter, because I just need to get to know her better.... if I had to give her a nickname so far it would be "sleepy head", "poopy pants", "angel baby", or her Daddy likes to call her "Third" (shout out to Orson Scott Card and anyone who has read Ender's Game).

The Officer with his precious Third daughter

The last 13 days truly have been a honeymoon. For the past 13 days I have been expected to sit around and nurse and burp a (pretty easy) newborn. Seriously, that's about it. The Officer has taken care of Belle and Bug all day every day (the much more difficult job right now), and all of our kind wonderful friends from Church, College, and the Officer's work friends have been bringing us dinners almost every day. Our families are wonderful, and someone is always willing to hold the new baby girl so Mommy can get a little nap or shower. Yes, all Moms know the negative sides to the postpartum time, but so far this one hasn't been too bad, and I am oh so very grateful. My physical recovery has been really easy this time around (way way way easier than the first). Also, I guess it took me a third child to realize how very quickly this newborn phase passes, so instead of stressing and worrying about things as much as I did as a first-time Mom, now I'm snuggling and holding my little lady before she does the unthinkable and becomes a toddler!

There are few things in life better than a newborn asleep on your shoulder

The first 2 weeks of her life have really been bliss. Our sweet third daughter has been a very easy baby so far. She sleeps a 7 or 8 hour stretch each night (I know I'm spoiled), and is pretty happy most of the day. To make up for a long night of sleeping, she eats almost all day. So I spend most of my day attached to little lady, which right now I'm not complaining about.

Three children under the age of 4 is definitely going to be a busy life. A life full of joy, but a very very busy life. The Officer has been off this whole time, and the thought of him going back to work next week makes me want to cry. What will I do without SuperDad?! He has been taking care of the big girls and allowing me to spend almost all of my time just taking care of my newborn.  I have been thoroughly enjoying all of this bonding time with my youngest, but having her attached to me at all times will not be ideal when I also have to meet the needs of 2 demanding toddlers. So my little honeymoon with my newborn officially comes to a harsh end next week, and then it will be back to reality. It will definitely be tough next week, but good thing my reality consists of 3 adorable little faces.

Mom to three little kids is a piece of cake right??? I just need to read books all day

Teaching me patience

So, this baby has decided not to arrive. I was due July 2, and so far this baby is 10 days late. To say that I have been anxiously waiting for this baby to come is an understatement. My last post was about waiting for this baby, so obviously that's about all that is going on in the Mik house these days.  Raising children is such a great (and often difficult) opportunity to practice virtues. I haven't even seen this baby's face yet, and already he (or she) is trying to help me practice some serious patience. Oh sweet little baby, I'm trying.

Baby Mik about 25 weeks ago

Belle arrived 10 days late, so maybe I should have expected this, but then Bug came early, so this time I was ready for an early baby. The Officer and I have been prepared, packed, and waiting for this little baby for over 3 weeks, so we are more than ready for this baby to meet us. Now I'm 10 days past due, and I'm scheduled to be induced Sunday night. It's definitely not a huge deal, but I had really hoped I wouldn't need to be induced. Induction usually makes for a longer and more painful labor, and I really didn't want another Belle marathon labor. In the end though, Belle and I both survived, and she was more than worth every second of it. If you happen to speak to me in the middle of the night when I'm awake to go to the bathroom for the 5th time, you will find a very discouraged and pretty uncomfortable Mama, who thought she would be holding a baby a few weeks ago. But today I am being patient (for now).

I am very aware that there are many women who never get to feel the sweet kicks of an unborn baby, so I'm grateful I still can enjoy those. My Doctor did a stress test on the baby on Wednesday, and everything looked great, but of course I was surrounded by other women having stress tests and ultrasounds because there are problems with their pregnancies. Again, grateful. I also have great friends and family who have been visiting me while I wait. Plus, 41+ weeks of sympathy from the Officer is nice. I can't complain about the foot massages, and he doesn't mind my complaints and laziness while we wait. Last night the Officer and I finally went out on a long overdue date night, so that helps a lady stay cheerful.  I'm not sure that I will ever have patience mastered, but I'm working on it, and this baby will come. Well, this baby is getting evicted on Monday, so my patience ends there :)

2 days overdue and enjoying fireworks with my family

Bug's surprising birth story

A few days ago I finally typed out Belle's birth story, and now it's time for Bug's. My labor and delivery with Bug was pretty much the exact opposite of Belle's in every way.  I had Belle 10 days past my due date, so I was assuming Bug would come late too. Bug was due March 7, so I figured sometime mid-March I'd be meeting my baby. My pregnancy with Bug was my easiest one, and everything was going smoothly a week before my due date. I spent that day teaching preschool and that evening at David's Bridal with Belle picking up her flower girl dress for our friends' wedding. In my normal procrastinating fashion I had nothing ready for Bug's birth.

It was February 28th at about 10:00 pm, and the Officer and I were getting ready for bed. I was so surprised when I started having some contractions. I told the Officer that it must just be Braxton Hicks, since this baby was surely not coming for another week. The Officer laughed at me and said, "This baby is coming, so I better get some sleep". His need to sleep while I'm in labor seems to be the only thing my labors had in common :) Then he went to bed. I was still in complete denial and decided I should go to bed, since I had to teach in the morning. I tried to sleep, but my contractions every five minutes would not allow it, so I got up and called my SIL around midnight, since she was in a different time zone. I realized that not only might I be having my baby in February but that it was a leap year, so this baby could be arriving February 29th.

She was a pretty chill little baby

I started realizing that this baby might actually be coming soon, so I decided I should write some lesson plans for the remainder of the week and pack a bag for the hospital. Around 2:00 am I woke the Officer up, since I had been having steady contractions for hours. He called his Mom, who drove the hour to our house to stay with Belle so we could go to the hospital. His Mom arrived around 3 or 4 in the morning, and I was still in denial. After my marathon labor with Belle I assumed I had a long time until this baby actually arrived. I finished lesson plans and took a shower, when my sweet MIL kindly said, "ummm I think maybe you guys should head to the hospital".  I told her I felt like a wimp, because these contractions were already so painful, and I probably had a long way to go.

Dads and their daughters are just the sweetest..... Bug was a tiny little peanut

We left for the hospital just before 5 am, and luckily the Officer got us there very quickly. We got our ticket for the parking garage timestamped at about 5:15am, and Bug was born at 6:17am! When we arrived at the hospital I still thought I must have a lot of laboring left, so I refused the wheelchair and waddled my way to the room, stopping every 10 feet to breath through a contraction. We made it to the room, and they tried to get me hooked up to monitors and start an antibiotic, but I was completely freaking out by then. I was 7cm when I got there, and I was definitely panicking about the pain. All the nurses trying to talk to me and mess with me were making me mad, and I looked at the Officer and begged him to "please help". Then I yelled, "Something's happening to me!", and a nurse said, "yes, you're going to have a baby", and my water broke. I tried to tell them that the baby was coming right NOW, but in my mind nobody seemed very urgent. The Doctor never made it to the room, but there was a Resident there to catch Bug as she came out in 2 pushes just one hour after we had parked our car.

Grandma has 30 Grandchildren, and is ALWAYS there to meet them. 

It was definitely a very intense and painful hour right before Bug arrived, but it was much better than the 40 hour ordeal with Belle. My recovery after Bug was super easy, and she was a pretty easy baby other than some reflux issues. She was a good sleeper, similar to her sister. Bug surprised me in every single way. She surprised me when she came only 13 months after her sister, she surprised me coming a week early, and she surprised me with her fast and easy labor, but once I was holding my sweet little Bug and for every moment since, I can't imagine our lives or our family without her.

Blessed

Now I'm 38 weeks pregnant with our newest peanut, and I have absolutely no idea what to expect! I'm hoping things will go as smoothly as they did with Bug, but hopefully I give myself a little more time to settle in at the hospital. No matter what, I just can't wait to finally hold this little baby and find out what child God has blessed us with this time!

Belle's marathon birth story

We are very close to having another baby, which means a new (hopefully not too exciting) birth story. I never want to forget these miraculous stories, and I want my girls some day to be able to read about their grand entries into the world, so I figured before I have the newest baby I should document the birth stories for my first two kiddos.

Nothing better than newborn snuggles 

So here is what I remember about the day(s) when my sweet Belle decided to make her appearance....

I was 10 days past my due date and starting to get a little antsy about having this baby. I woke up at about 5:00 am Saturday January 22 finally having contractions. The Officer worked the midnight shift back then, so he was at work for another hour or two. It wasn't bad yet, so I didn't call him home, but instead called my Mom to tell her I thought maybe I was having contractions (I was so clueless). When the Officer got home around 7:00, he said "I need to get some sleep first".  He had just been up all night and he didn't know it.... but this was going to be a long process, so it's a good thing he went to bed. He spent the next few hours sleeping while I hung out alone having back labor (but I was clueless about that too). My Mom called me a few times wanting to come meet us at the hospital.... she kept reminding me that all the women in my family have very fast labors. HA. Finally, that afternoon around 2 or 3 I had been having contractions every 4 or 5 minutes for a while, so I woke the Officer up and said we should get ready to go to the hospital. My Mom, my Dad and my sister Martizi drove 2 hours to meet us at the hospital, and they beat us there! The Officer and I arrived at the hospital and had no clue what was in store for us.

When we first got there I think I was only about 4cm and we found out that Belle was posterior or "sunny-side-up". That didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time, but I knew nothing about it. I was having back labor, but the pain wasn't too bad at the time, so I enjoyed having my family and the Officer's family stop by to make me laugh at this point. This went on all day, and I was becoming more and more uncomfortable and more and more tired. That night my parents and sister drove back to my house to get some sleep and thought they'd be meeting the little baby in the morning. Sometime that evening I got pitocin to move things along. Then I got an epidural and was finally able to sleep a little bit that night. The next day was more of the same.... horrible pain, kind family keeping me laughing, awesome husband, and very very slow progress in having a baby. My family and the Officer's family all went to Mass and came back to the hospital expecting to meet a baby, but no such luck. So they kept their vigil in the waiting room. Martizi kept everyone at the hospital entertained and tortured the rest of the family with facebook updates and made up information about my baby who was in no mood to make an appearance (I think Martizi texted my other sisters saying that I had a son and named him Pele). 

Aunt Martizi spent two days waiting to hold this little baby

Sometime late that afternoon I had about 15 nurses, doctors, and residents rush into my room in a complete panic because the baby's heart rate had dropped. In about 15 seconds I was rushed into the OR and ready for a c-section with the Officer by my side reassuring me that everything was okay. Then Belle's heart rate got normal again, so they didn't have to do a c-section and brought me back to my room, still with no baby in my arms. I think during all of that chaos Belle must have flipped over, because suddenly things started moving along faster and when they checked again she was face-down. It was now Sunday evening January 23, and I had been having painful back labor since Saturday morning. I was completely exhausted when they finally told me that the baby was ready, and it was time to push. I thought this part would go quickly. Wrong again. I pushed for almost 3 hours and felt like this baby was never going to come. Finally the doctor told me that this baby needed to come out soon. The Officer looked at me and said, "You need to find another gear or you are having a c-section"...... yes this is how the Officer coaches me, and it works perfectly for us. Two pushes later and little Miss Belle finally made her grand appearance. It was 9:14 on January 23, and I had been in labor for 40 long hours, but she was worth every second of it.

Finally holding my baby in my arms!! 

Belle's birth was long and painful, but fortunately, she was my first baby and I didn't know anything different. She also made up for it by being the easiest baby in the world. She immediately slept through the night, and when she was two or three weeks old she was sleeping about 8 hours a night. Like I said.... easiest baby in the world. Now I just hope that I don't have any more marathon labors like that one!

Belle meeting Grandma and Grandpa

Last Day

Thursday was my last day of the school year. Usually teachers are thrilled for the last day of school before summer vacation, but this year it was bittersweet for me. It was my last day of teaching preschool for a very long time. Possibly forever. I am now officially a SAHM.

When the Officer and I were dating and talking about starting a family I always thought I would stay at home once we had kids. I was getting a degree in Elementary Education, so I figured my choice would be to teach full time or stay home. So when the Officer and I got married we planned our budget accordingly, knowing that one day we might be surviving on just his salary.  When Belle was born I planned to just finish that school year. Working full time for the first few months of her life was SO hard..... I don't know how other Moms do it! I was so tired and always missing her! When the school year ended I told my Principal I wouldn't be able to teach full-time anymore, and he offered me a job teaching our new Preschool program. It was part-time and the hours matched perfectly with the Officer's hours, so I was happily able to continue teaching some and still be home most of the day.

I'll miss making crafts like this.... but I can always do it with the girls

For the last 3 years the Officer and I have juggled this schedule. I taught in the mornings while he watched the girls, and when I got home at lunchtime he left for his evening shifts. It was hard work for both of us to juggle this schedule, but I loved my job, and we loved that one of us was always home with the girls (except when court or training got in the way and then his kind kind family helped us out with babysitting). We took this schedule one year at a time, but now we are adding a third baby to the mix, and leaving 3 kids under 4 with a babysitter is a lot to ask. The Officer's schedule is also changing slightly, and his career is getting busier and busier. He has happily made so many sacrifices during the last few years in order for me to have my dream job, and he would never have asked me to quit. There are just so many little details about next year that make it obvious that my family needs me at home, and I'm so happy to do it.

I will definitely miss my coworkers and all our fun

This really was my dream job. I taught at a fantastic Catholic school, where I plan to send my girls in just a few short years. My Principal was more of a friend than a boss, and I was surrounded by the greatest coworkers anyone could ask for. The people I worked with were like family to me.... we prayed together, we laughed together, and we always supported each other.  It was a wonderful job, and I will miss so many parts of it (not the early morning alarm), but now I get to start my even better dream job. I'll still get to sing silly songs and teach the alphabet, but I'll get to spend every morning with my own children. We'll get to go to Mom's group activities and story time at the library. My girls are growing up quickly, and I'm so glad I get to spend these next few precious years with them full time.

Now I get to sit with my feet up all day while this goes on right?? 

I have been amazed by all of the support I have gotten with this decision. Everyone I have told lets me know how excited they are for me, and many women have told me that they wished they had stayed home or are glad that they did stay home. Nobody thinks I'm wasting a degree or will be sitting around all day doing nothing. I'm surrounded by people who see the value in a career as Mom. I'm glad that the Officer and I can make this option work, and I'm so grateful that I had the Officer's complete support with either decision. Now I just need to make sure I don't wear my pajamas all day, because we all know how I love my "dressy sweats" :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Moms out there. I have been really lucky to have some wonderful women in my life showing me what a great mother looks like. I grew up with 2 loving, generous Grandmothers, an inspiring Godmother, and 5 older sisters, who are some of the best mothers and Godmothers I know. Then I married the Officer and gained a perfect Mother-in-law. I have learned so much from all of these women, but of course, the most important woman in my life is my dear Mom.

My Mom has 7 children and 30 grandchildren, but even that is not enough people for her to love. If you have ever met my Mom she has given you one of her huge hugs, she has probably made dinner for you, baked congo squares for you, asked about your day, offered you a place to sleep, and she has definitely reminded you to "be holy". She is a Mom to everyone she meets.

Even after 30 grandchildren, she is still always so happy to hold a baby!

Belle and Bug love Grandma!

Thank you Mom for teaching me so much about how I should love. Thank you for showing me that every life is precious, and thank you for be willing to constantly sacrifice for your family. I hope I'm a Mom just like you. You are the most incredible Mother and Grandmother, and I thank God for you every day.

wedding dress shopping..... she has been there for every big moment in my life

On this Mother's Day I'm also thankful that I have 2 sweet little girls who call me Mommy. It is the absolute best job in the world!

the best years of my life

They are trying to hold hands while eating breakfast.... if only they were always this sweet to each other :)

I'm currently deep in the toddler trenches.  We have temper tantrums, whining, dirty diapers, dinnertime battles, meltdowns over peanut butter and jelly :).... all the usual toddler fun. Sometimes it is tiring to refill sippy cups 22 times a day, make those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cut them just right for the sixth day in a row, wipe the kitchen table, kiss boo boos, wipe noses, make dinner with "helpers" nearby, fix socks that the two-year-old just can't seem to get on quite right by herself, wipe the kitchen table again.... all while I wish I could just sit on the couch for a while. Last week was especially tough with the Officer working crazy hours, a 3-year-old who seemed to be testing me with her every action, and two little girls who have been sick for almost 2 months straight (hello ear infections that never go away). So after a few of my own cry sessions (what will I do when I can't blame those on hormones anymore!?), I needed a little perspective.

 

Sometimes I catch myself thinking "oh I can't wait for someday when they can make their own sandwiches" or "I can't wait until they can put themselves to bed" or "Will there ever be a day without timeouts?!" Then I remind myself to slow down. That "someday" will come way too fast, and I know I won't be ready for it. That "someday" will mean girls who go off to school; girls who are busy with sports; girls who don't think their Mommy is the greatest thing in the whole world; girls who don't need me all the time and don't ask for hugs and snuggles.

Yes, I will happily kiss those cheeks 1000 times a day

These are the best years of my life. A kind woman at school whose children are all grown reminded me of that a few weeks ago. I think raising teenagers is going to be so tough. Not knowing what my girls are doing every second of the day, protecting them while giving them independence, dating rules (which will be fun with the Officer and his girls ha).  No, I don't want to rush to that part of parenting..... instead I'm going to soak up these toddler years. Sure these years can be physically tiring, but they are wonderful. These are the years I get to spend playing and being loved by my girls. Yesterday I got home from school, and before I could take my shoes off Bug demanded, "Dance with me Mommy". Moments like that make these the best years of my life. Right now I treasure morning snuggles with Belle, dancing with them, being part of their little imaginary worlds, and finding trucks and school buses when we're driving ("I think that one is magic" says Bug every time). When I was in college I thought those were the best years of my life. Those carefree years were nice..... but these years are way better. It seems to get better and better..... who knows maybe those teenage years will surprise me with their own joys =)

She is so fun... most of the time ;)