Blogspot Special "Addition!"

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She's here!

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The months of waiting have come to a close, and we are blessed to announce the arrival of the newest member of the M family!

When I had Biggest Brother, it seemed to me that I was having "a baby." And that was his identity. But after watching him grow, and welcoming sibling after sibling, all with different traits and personalities - the excitement is no longer for welcoming just "a baby," but an eager anticipation to meet a whole new person...a brother or sister...a new unique individual who is joining our family.

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I have elected to give birth to our children naturally, and I am extremely grateful that my pregnancies/deliveries have enabled me to do that.  I know that isn't always the case.
To me, the experience of natural childbirth is a powerful collision of pain, even fear, but overwhelmingly, the peace of God, and the intense love that makes every second completely worthwhile! And as apprehensive as I always am going into it, I have found God to be ever faithful in meeting me with His grace and strength. I feel I have been truly blessed to be able to have my children this way.

These are the most precious of times to me!

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It was for that reason that I asked J to document as much of the journey as possible this time around. We forgot the camera last time. So without further ado, here's a look into the grand entry of the newest Baby M!

Don't worry, all pictures are viewer friendly! :)

Approximately 6P.M. 

Contractions about 6 minutes apart at this point.
Birthing balls are a-mazing.

Arriving at the hospital.
Meet the stop with absolutely NO sense of urgency whatsoever when processing a woman in active labor!
"No, I don't wear eyeglasses.  No, the gardener of my great uncle's second cousin did not have high blood pressure..."


Daddy making phone calls and taking pictures of himself doing it.


In triage awaiting my assessment.


Verdict: 6 to 7 cm and 100 percent
I'll take that!

I just so happened to go into labor during J's scheduled weekly podcast.

So of course, they had me call into the show between contractions.
It was a short call.

Big Sis made me this special necklace to wear at the hospital.

There's no one in the world I'd rather have beside me!

In transition now...that's the stretch going from 7 to 10cm.

Aww, my hubby loves me! :)

How sweet is the look on his face!

Slight speedbump in progress.

Baby is posterior.

Doc put me in a side-lying position to allow the contractions to turn the baby.

Going through transition in bed = not fun!!

Becoming even more not fun!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9
Thank goodness!

11:56 P.M.

"It's a big.....GIRL!"

She emerged clinging to her umbilical cord for dear life. :)

Check out those rolls!

That's 9lbs 2oz of some serious chubba lovins!

It's always been an encouragement to me in the last stages of labor when the nurses turn on the baby warmer, and you know it won't be much longer!

Daddy's hand and Baby Girl's feet.

She has the lungs to match her physique!

Proud Daddy

Ice chip cheers!

Well, hello, beautiful!

37(+) Weeks

Almost there!

Belles and Ballerinas

I had the task of keeping the girls occupied today while Daddy and the boys fished all of the Christmas decorations out of the crawl space. We just so happened to discover Big Sis's old Belle costume, and it happens to fit Littlest Sis perfectly now! She doesn't have any dress-up stuff of her own (until Christmas...shhh) so she was delighted to wear it all morning.

As for Big Sis, she was happily sporting the new leotard that I found on clearance for $7.00 a couple of months ago....a perfect occasion to bring out such a find.

Dresses = Dancing, of course.

But dancing is sooo much more fun when a brother joins in!

Thanks for the entertainment Brother!

...Even if you were supposed to be downstairs helping...

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Here are a few shots from Younger Brother's Thanksgiving Feast at Preschool.

He did a great job singing!
I was very impressed that he knew all the words after how much school he's missed.


And I am very thankful for the new best buddy he has made this year.
M is also a very rough and tumble boy's boy!


They are two peas in a pod!
:)

Compliments to the Chef

My son (the younger one) just told me in a most sincere fashion, "Mommy, the sandwiches you made make me think I'm going to throw up."

Wow, thanks dude! :)

On the Up and Up

Getting some fresh air, and feeling good enough to accessorize!

Swined!

It was an interesting weekend here on the home front. And a long past five days for a baby girl.

This was her Thursday evening. Clearly not feeling well, but still making the effort to say, "Cheese!"

And time lapse about two hours.
Really really not feeling well!

The cough that she got overnight on Wednesday had started to sound pretty disturbing, she was achy and congested, Motrin was only bringing her temp down to 101-102, and the sound of her breathing was concerning....resulting in two late night phone calls to the Pediatrician.

Because she does not have any underlying conditions, he said there was no reason to test her. But based on her symptoms, the time of year, and the fact that she'd already been vaccinated for seasonal flu...his diagnosis: Likely H1N1

We've been SWINED!


Day 3

Doped up on Motrin, not any worse, but not feeling much better.

She spent Wed - Mon pretty much attached to Mommy.

I was on the fence about getting my H1N1 vaccine. But after being given a snot covered kiss on the lips, having her take her fingers out of her mouth and surprise shove them into mine, and throwing up on my face Wed night, I was feeling much better about having made the decision to get it!

A bubble bath offered a much needed boost in morale!

And helped her feel just well enough to enjoy a homemade smoothie in her favorite smoothie cup. That, and a bit of Pedialyte/Pediasure have been about the only things I've been able to get her to eat even still.

A smoothie was in order for Big Sis too...

Who had also started to not feel so hot!

Thankfully, a low grade fever and runny nose was as bad as it got for her.
The red nose is a result of her meticulous hygiene...now if she can just teach her brothers how to wipe their noses even half as attentively!

And finally some sleep for a weary girl.

Her coughing kept her from sleeping a wink all day long, and she would only sleep in increments, and in Mommy and Daddy's bed at night. It was good to see her resting so peacefully, even if it was two feet away from me on the couch!

Great job baby girl!

Way to stomp the guts out of some swine!