My days at home ...

Here I am.  At home.  All the time.  With the kids.  With baby dear.  Rocking in my recliner.  Feeding Austin.  Burping him.  Changing diapers.  Doing laundry.  Wiping counter tops.  Asking the kids to "do this and do that" for me.  I am trying to stay content right here in my stage of life.  To be discontent makes me miserable.  Believe me ... I've done that enough of times before!  This really is the place to be right now for me ... at home.  My time will come to get out and about.  Sometimes I need to remind myself of this. 

Time goes by so fast and with only a blink, I will be watching little Austin grow up.  He is two weeks old already.  Lena took us for his first doctor appointment on Tuesday.  (Since I'm not to drive yet.)  Austin was all scrunched up in his car seat and did great.  He is back to his birth weight!  8 lb., 6 oz..  He's 20 1/2 inches long.  The doctor was happy with his weight and how he looks!  Ashlyn rode along with us to the doctor too because she's got a skin issue!  Major!  (Why do things like this happen in inconvenient timing?  Like the dishwasher suddenly stops working.  I guess these are never good timing things?  :)  )  She started with a blister on her butt the day Austin was born.  I was in the hospital and caring for baby and myself, so her skin was taken care of by Mike and babysitters.  We tried different creams and lotions but it seemed to just get worse.  She soon had a patch of 'blisters' on her elbow and ankle.  So, the doctor took a look at it and diagnosed her with impetigo.  She's on a oral med now to cure and stop the spreading! 

We stopped for a sub at Subway and Lena grabbed a few groceries for us before heading home.  (Thanks Lena!)  It was a good feeling getting out for just a bit - even if it's to the doctor's office.  I have to be honest and say though that I was in a sweat before going out the door.  Hormones!  Checking the diaper bag to be sure I have all I needed is something I didn't do for four years!  It takes a little getting used to again!

Adjusting to baby takes some adjusting.  Sleep?  Me?  Not for long periods of time anymore.  Not for now.  Baby is getting up every three - four hours to be fed.  He had a few really good nights and a few nights where all he wanted was to be held.  I appreciate the rest he does allow me to get!  Yesterday, he took a long nap in his swing.  I had to decide if it was a nap in bed or some time in the sunshine.  Hadassah and I enjoyed the afternoon together in the back yard while Matthew and Ashlyn played "Wild Crats". 

Here are the kids this morning.  Pulling weeds for me ... 

Austin at 2 weeks old ...

We did sneak out of the house for about an hour last night to watch Mike play some ball.  They only played four innings and won!  Perfect.  Short and sweet!

Caring for Austin is a privilege and blessing! 

I love you little man!!!

Turning 10!

Matthew is celebrating his tenth birthday and he is loving it!!!  He was so excited for today that when he went to bed last night, he couldn't sleep.  He wanted to quick sleep and have today arrive!  :)  When morning came, he was up earlier than usual.  I wasn't surprised.  When he's got something in his head and excited, he's up early! 

Turning 10 years old is exciting for him!  I remember turning ten myself and couldn't wait to tell people that I was two hands full now!  :)  Funny how you remember some things.  Matthew asked for his normal usual breakfast ... two over light eggs on a croissant roll.  He totally loves eggs!!!  Then at noon, Mike came home and picked him up.  They spent the whole afternoon together driving golf balls and playing golf.  They ate lunch in the clubhouse.  They laughed and had a great time.  Then they went to Leacock Sports and used up Matthews gift certificates and bought a new ball bag!  He's thrilled to have a big bag now and he's got it all organized!  :)

 

Mike has a game tonight and so how perfect for Matthew to drag his big, new bag to a game! 

Gotta have the crazy photo too right?

Matthew is growing taller.  He's thin.  He's got those dark, dark brown eyes that are always so tender. Especially when Ashlyn needs his pity!  He loves to tease and gets Ashlyn screaming a lot but the two of them love each other just as much as they tease.  The other day Matthew was at Dante's house and Ashlyn scrapped her knee.  She wanted to call Matthew right away and ask for his pity over the phone.  So cute.  Matthew loves to play baseball.  He does it every single day!  He loves to be with his church friends.  He has such a tender heart.  We love him so much!  Now that he has a little brother, I can't wait to see them grow up together.  Austin is going to learn so much from Matthew!!!

Happy birthday Matthew!!!  We are so blessed to have you in our family!  Always keep Jesus #1 in your life.  Keep praying.  Keep smiling.  Keep loving your sisters and brother and family. 

I love you!!!

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With a newborn baby in the house, we are not going anywhere.  I am still healing from surgery.  I am still sitting on my recliner feeding baby a lot.  I am still not doing much housework.  Hadassah is helping me out like crazy!!!  Thanks girl!  But, this does not keep the kids from asking, "What are we doing today?"  I think with us going to the pool so much in June, they are missing it.  They are missing getting out with me.  I remind them again, almost every day, that we are staying home 'again'.  Austin is too young and I'm not to drive far yet.  Just a bit longer yet!

So Hadassah is getting creative with her crafts.  They colored sugar the other evening and made art with it!

Hadassah is such a stickler with crazy poses!

 

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My prayed for sunflowers!!!

On Sunday we took pictures of Austin and some family photo's right here at home.  I woke up and prayed, "God, I would love if my sunflowers in the garden would be blooming for some pictures."  I didn't think too much else about my prayer until it was time to do family shots.  We wanted to take some pictures in the field right beside us.  When we went to pose, I spied two sunflowers in the tall grass!!!  I was so excited and got goose bumps when I saw them!  The sunflowers in my garden are not blooming yet but I believe God sent these two small flowers just for me!  We posed beside the two flowers and I know I will always treasure these pictures just a bit more.  God blessed me with these flowers. 

Sent from heaven!!!  :)

Be blessed with the beauty of God's creation.  His flowers.  His gifts!!! 

Thank you God for these flowers!!!  What a special gift!!!

Recovering ...

I am still in recovery mode.  I am so glad that with Austin's due date being today, he arrived early and doing great!

Things are going well here at home and I am so SO so SO thankful for Hadassah's help around the house!!!  It's amazing what a thirteen year old girl can do to help a recovering momma!  She does the wash.  Folds it and puts it away.  She cleans up the house.  Sweeps the dirty carpets.  Cares for Ashlyn.  Holds Austin.  Mows the yard.  Pulls the weeds.  She's my in house maid!  Mom and Jody have been a big help as well!  They were both here yesterday cleaning the house and then pulling weeds outside and hoeing.  Jody left with cucumbers from the garden that she will make dill pickles for me!  Mike has also been playing the dad AND mom rule around the house.  He's trying to spend lovable time with each of the kids.  One night, he played catch with Matthew.  This is something that do every single night normally.  The next night, he was playing basketball with Hadassah.  Then another night, he went biking with Ashlyn.  He holds Austin.  I am so blessed to have some many helping hands!!!  It would be a much tougher recovery without the helping hands and the meals from church.  Thanks to everyone who is preparing delicious supper meals for our family! 

I'm going to try to back track a bit here now and write a little bit more about Austin's birth.  This is Mike and I walking in to the hospital.  It's the strangest feeling walking in and not being in labor and knowing that in a few hours ... baby will be born!

The kids are seeing their new baby brother!

 Mom brought the kids in to see Austin for the first time!

The day of surgery went as well as expected.  Very sore.  Tired.  Happy.  Filled with blessed emotions!  Nurses are always in and out checking up on me.  Mike was by my side the whole time.  I was having terrible pain in my right hand fingers.  An ER nurse came up to have a look at my IV and everything seemed to be fine there.  Why were my fingers hurting so much???  Really MUCH!!!  I finally asked for a bag of ice to see it that helps.  It felt like bees were stinging my fingers.  The only thing we could figure out in a case of pregnancy carpel tunnel???  It wasn't till evening that Mike left the hospital, played a game of baseball and tucked the kids into their own beds.

Day 2 is never a great day after a C section.  The pain meds are wearing off from surgery.  It's time to get out of bed and try to walk around.  Go to the bathroom.  Shower.  All with a REALLY, really sore belly!  I always struggle big time with gas!  My stomach pops and I was having such gas pains!!!  I was taking a white mint pill to try to ease the pain.  The nurses made me a tea drink that they say can help?.?  I don't think it helped a bit for the pain but it tasted good!  Hot Lipton tea with ginger ale soda added.  Try it!  I've made it since here at home!  They call it their "mommy's cocktail drink".  :)  Mike was with me in the afternoon and then evening again.  We had some visitors come and see baby boy!  Austin was doing great!  Eat, burp and sleep.  The nurses enjoyed caring for him in the midnight hours so I could rest and sleep!  I was so grateful for my nurses!!!  The gas pains got so bad that they brought in a hot water pad for my stomach.  We all hoped it would help.  I didn't sleep the best.  I was ready for another day to begin! 

Day 3 went a little better!  I always started my days out like this.  Breakfast and cold water.

 The nurses would change the board.  Mike helped me get dressed into my own clothes and a hot shower!  My own PJ's felt much better than those hospital gowns!  :)

 We had some thunderstorms and rain.  I watched from my room window. 

 

My family was ready for me to come home but I stayed one more night.  I still needed the nurses help too much to brave doing it alone at home.  Mike and the kids came in Friday night to be with Austin and me.  It was only us for the whole evening and great to see and talk to the other kids.  I missed them too and was ready to come home tomorrow.  Ashlyn hopped up beside me making sure she don't hit my belly! 

 

Mike came in Saturday with a hot cinnamon dolche coffee (decaf) for me!  I ate breakfast and lunch at the hospital while the doctor and nurses got us discharged and ready for home!!!  It was a sunny day and stepping out of the hospital felt good!  Here is baby dear ready to come home!

So precious!  Love him so much!

 
It felt to good to be back home and in my own recliner and couch!  The kids were excited to all be back home together too!  The life of another newborn in the house has begun!  We welcome this little man into our lives, hearts, home and arms!!!  We all could not wait for his arrival!

Now it's up at night to feed him.  We all take turns holding him.  Loving on him.  We are so blessed!