I'm A Blond Again...With Some Red???

Well, I'm not crying yet. I got my hair done today and I'm not sure what happened, but I'm now blond on top and red underneath. I was planning on going back to blond, but my hair girl is kind of funky and likes to do color. She told me she would put a dark brown underneath because "it's the cool thing do." I was cool with that, but when I got home Marc said, "You look very European" and I knew something was wrong! That was not really the look I was going for.

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So, I'm not real sure what to do. I'll probably leave it because I don't really have time to go again to have her fix it. She works out of her home and starting tomorrow the entire back of her house is being gutted and refinished, which is why I had to get my hair done today and not right before our trip to Texas. I'm not a fan of the red, sorry mom, but maybe it will fade after a few washes?!?

In other news, Addison is a little chunk. Our girls never gain weight fast and in fact, Cerys was never even on the percentile charts. So I was not expecting much more from Addison, but this little girl is not going to do anything I think she will- remember she was 2 weeks late! At her last weigh in she was 9 lbs. 2.5 oz., so she had gained a bit from her birth weight...yesterday, she was ...drum roll please...10 lbs. 11.5 oz! WHAT? She's on the 91st percentile on the chart and I just can't believe it! Her newborn clothes are already packed up, she is too long for them and even some 0-3 months outfits don't fit her! I'm so pleased to have a little girl on "the chart!"

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We're off to London tomorrow to get her birth certificate and passport! I'll be back later in the week with some pictures from our trip. Her first train ride and trip to the big city! :)

I Can't Even Think of A Title

Today we all went to church for the first time since Addison was born. It was not as tough getting all of us ready as I thought, thanks to my awesome husband. It was uneventful which was good- little Addison slept the entire service!

Here she is in her cool socks her Uncle Shane and Aunt Deanna sent- aren't they cute? They look like she is wearing little Mary Janes, so cute!


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Mommy and Addison ready to go!

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This week is a busy one- Cerys has her normal school thing, I'm getting my hair cut and colored (you can tell I need it from the above picture!!!) and Marc and I have to take Addison to London to the embassy to get her birth certificate and passport! That will be a long day I'm sure, but we have to do it. We will be taking the train, which is always easier than driving into London. I'm planning on taking Addison in the sling so we won't be messing with a pushchair (stroller) all over the tubes and buses- we've done that before and it's not fun! A friend of ours, who has already done so much for us since Addison was born, will be keeping the big girls all day for us so we won't have to drag them to London too. Can you imagine? I'm not ready for that!

The health visitor and midwife are also coming this week. My midwife will be discharging me from her services. For those of you not familiar with how things are here- once you leave the hospital your midwife that you have seen all along through the doctor's surgery (office) comes to see you as often as you and her would like. Mine has not come as often this time, but that is fine with me, I haven't really needed her all that much. She's phoned me several times to check on us though. Also, the health visitor that is also through the doctor's surgery comes to see you and the baby the week after you are home from the hospital. She brings her scales to weigh your baby as well, which is nice. You will see the health visitor on and off during the first few years of your baby's life- she will do well baby checks and meet with you before immunisations ,etc. There is also a baby clinic at the doctor's surgery every Wednesday that is drop-in, no appointment needed to see the health visitor in case you have any concerns or questions or want your baby weighed. It is a good service that the NHS provides, however, if your child needs medicine or you have any concerns the health visitor will just tell you to make an appointment to see a doctor. Anyway, my health visitor is coming on Tuesday to weigh Addison so I can't wait to see what she is up to now. She only lost half an ounce to begin with so I would not surprised if she is 10 pounds now. Although, our girls tend to gain slowly so who knows.

The weather is still cool and grey, but spring is coming- daffodils are blooming! It always cheers me up to see bright yellow flowers poking through the ground, especially on the really dark and dreary days. It's like God knows we need a bit of color around here!

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Someone Loves Nutella!

Please don't judge me- but Bailey had her first taste of Nutella today. I think she liked it.


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Please excuse her hair too, I have no clue what to do with it. It's stringy, not much on top and just hilarious. There is not really enough for a ponytail on top and clips will not stay in. So, she just has crazy hair most of the time.

Random

I got out of the house today for an hour...ALONE. I put in a CD in the car and turned it up real loud and sang at the top of my lungs, it was great fun. I went to Boots, it's a 'chemist'- think drugstore. I ended up getting some make-up and some baby items. Then I went into to my favorite store, Home Sense. I always find cute things that I don't need at all! It was a very much needed one hour outing. Thank you honey!

So I have not attempted the school run anymore since last week. I just can't face it. Just kidding. I will soon probably, maybe another week. I'm sure Marc is ready for me to take over, it's mostly mums who take their kids to school and they all keep asking him how we are doing, which is very sweet of them! Several of them have sent home gifts for Addison, which blows my mind. I just met these mums in September and one mum I only met in January when her little girl started nursery. They have been very kind to us.

Tomorrow I will take Bailey to her Ear, Nose, and Throat checkup- she had "grommits" (tubes) in her ears at 6 months old and we have to keep going for hearing tests and check-ups. She has passed all her hearing tests, but lately I've been wondering about her hearing...maybe she just has selective hearing now that she is 2.5 years old? Because she can't seem to hear me when I ask her to tidy up her toys or to tell me when she needs to sit on her potty. I'm kind of nervous about our appointment because we will have Addison in tow, so I'm praying she will fall asleep in the stroller on the way to the hospital and hopefully she will stay asleep during the appointment. Of course this is the 3rd time the hospital has rescheduled this particular appointment. It was originally set for last November. I did not want to cancel it because who knows when I would be sent another one! It's just that Thursdays are Marc's teaching days and so he won't be able to go with me and of course the appointment time was set for the same time that Cerys gets out of school, but thankfully I have a friend who is willing to get Cerys for me.

In less than 4 weeks we will be headed to Dallas! I'm SO excited. Marc has some meetings to attend and so we are tagging on a vacation to this since he would be going to the states anyway. Yes, we are probably crazy for flying with a 6 week old and 2 other small children, but I told him there was no way he was getting on a plane to Dallas without me! So, we will spend 2 weeks over Easter at my parents house. I have a list of things to do already- most of them involve eating.

Addison slept for a 5 1/2 hour stretch last night! I'm not complaining, but I was shocked...and happy. I felt like a new woman this morning and even joined the rest of my family for breakfast! I'm not counting on her doing that every night yet, but it sure was nice!

Two Weeks Old...

Addison Marie is now two weeks old- at times it feels like she's been here forever in our family and other times it feels like yesterday when she was born. Thank goodness it wasn't. These two weeks have been great, hard, fun, exhausting and everything in between.

So, how are we adjusting to having three kids?

The girls are doing pretty good. As I'm typing this, Cerys is sitting next to Addison helping her when she loses her paci. She just said to her, "Now keep it in this time Addison." Ha. They love to hold her, sing to her and talk to her. There does not seem to be any jealousy issues, yet. Bailey is doing pretty good, although she knows when I'm feeding Addison that I'm pretty helpless so she finds all kinds of things to get in to. She is so ready to be potty trained, I just don't have the energy to even start right now. Totally not related, but a funny story- Cerys came home from school one day last week and said that her friend Mikey made up a new song. When we asked her what it was she started singing, "I love rock and roll" over and over again. I love how she thinks Mikey actually made that song up!

I'm adjusting. Having three has been harder than I thought. Addison is fairly easy at the moment- eats and sleeps (except between 2-4 am for some reason). The part I'm finding hard is having the energy and patience to care for Cerys and Bailey. They get a full night's sleep and are up and ready to go in the mornings- and I am just drifting off to sleep after feeding Addison. Marc is a great help, I'm so blessed to have a husband who does everything. Since I'm the only one who can feed Addison, I would prefer he sleep most of the night so one of us has the energy for the big girls come morning. It works for us, even though we are both tired. We decided to get out of the house yesterday and take the girls to one of our favorite parks. It felt like a major operation to just get us all dressed and out of the house. I was feeling so discouraged on the way there and may have said something like "We will never be able to go anywhere again, it's just too hard!" Leave it to me to make broad statements like that. "Never" is pretty dramatic. Then Marc reminded me that I felt that way after Bailey was born and may have said, "We will never be able to go anywhere again, it's just too hard!" Once we go to the park then I was just feeling guilty because after 5 minutes I was ready to go home! Ha.

I guess Marc would have to tell us how he is adjusting, but from what I see he is doing good, but tired of course. It's so sweet to see him and all three of his girls huddled up on our bed together. It just makes me smile. I still can't believe we have not only three children, but three girls. They sure love their Daddy.

I'll leave you with a few pictures- sadly I have not taken many. I guess that is what happens with the last child? It's not that I don't want to, it's just that most of the time I'm not sure where the camera is or I'm too tired to go upstairs and get it!

Here is Addison, all bundled up for our first walking in the stroller. Those are the mittens and hat I knitted for her a few months ago. I thought the hat might be too big for her but I also had no clue I was carrying a 9 pound baby! Her head fits just fine! :)

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Daddy and Addison hanging out one night-
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We Heart Packages!

A few ladies from our Bible Fellowship class in Texas sent us a huge package today! We love getting packages! The girls were overjoyed to see Goldfish is all I can say!


Snacks, pacifiers, hair bows, bibs, etc.


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Thank y'all SO much!


Our friends in Paris also sent us a package last week with some cute onesies and shoes, and some other things. My friend made these burp cloths, are they not precious?


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Too nice to have a baby spit up on them! Ha.


Yesterday was a rough day, I'll just be honest. Bailey and Addison and I walked up to the school to get Cerys and although I timed everything just right- Addison pooped herself all over just before we had to leave. Typical isn't it? Then she screamed most of the way up there and as we were waiting for Cerys to come out of the school. I was sweating bullets by this time and was not only exhausted but hurting as well. Marc was in London all day picking up a new car for us, thank you Lotttie Moon. We could not get all 3 car seats in our little red car. I was so sad to see her go, but we will be more comfortable in a van. Anyway, so that is why I went to get Cerys- since he was gone in the car all day. I realized very quickly that it was a little too early for me to be walking that far. I ended up having to take Addison out of her car seat/stroller to calm her down, then of course Bailey wanted out of the stroller too. And as Cerys was running out of the school and across the blacktop she fell face first into the ground and now has a lovely scrape from above her eyebrows and across her cheek. Needless to say, she was screaming then too. I felt like a 3-ring circus and all eyes were on me. I finally got everyone semi-calmed down and we all walked home in tears- Bailey because was hungry and did not want to ride in the stroller, Cerys because of her inuries, Addison because she was hungry I guess? And me, well why not? I was tired, hurting and just wanting my bed. Once we got home I fed everyone lunch and we all crashed on my bed for a much needed 2 hour nap. I was so thankful that all the girls were asleep at the same time. We woke up just as Marc was coming home with our new van and a box full of Krispy Kreme! He stopped in Bristol to get us some doughnuts, what a guy!


Here is Cerys last night after her bath. Poor thing!

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Birth Story!

I can't believe my sweet (not-so-little) Addison is one week old today! I looked at the clock at 8:50am this morning and realized that one week ago I was in incredible pain and ready for it to all be over...now one week later it's funny how you "forget" about the pain.

First, a few pictures. Ruth, the midwife that did all my prenatal care, came on Tuesday and Friday to check on us. She weighed Addison (she's only lost 1/2 an ounce) and did the heel prick test (PKU). Addison just laid there. I'm telling you, so far she is pretty laid back. I hope it stays. Poor kid, being the last of 3 girls will not be easy.

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Here is a family picture of us, not the best but it's the only I have so far!

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I'm going to try and be as brief as possible because I don't want to bore you with all the details!

After having the baby monitor on for a while and checking me to see how far dilated I was - (still at a 3)- my midwife "B" gave me the medicine to start the induction around 11:30pm. Marc had already gone by this point. At the time, I didn't really think through the fact that he had to leave because it was hospital rules. I assumed he would be coming back soon anyway, had I known I would go all night without him I would have objected big time! Allowing a woman to labor alone all night is not cool. I don't care what the "rules" say. Anyway. I was told it could take up to 6 hours for the medicine to do anything, and if did not work I would have another one put in- if that still did not work I would have an IV drip of pitocin or something similar. So, after changing into my pj's, I just laid there listening to my ipod and praying that it would work! I would rather hear Chris Tomlin than the lady breathing through contractions next to me.

Around 2:30am, after only dozing for a bit I felt like I had cramps and tried to walk around in the hallway for a bit but that didn't really do much. About an hour I was having fairly strong contractions but nothing regular and they were not lasting too long. And this is where it all becomes a blur. I had put the ipod away at this point because I was just trying to concentrate on staying calm and not breathing too crazy for the sake of my roomies. (At this point only one other lady was progressing, the other two were probably cursing us behind their bed curtain!) I laid there for several hours breathing through each contraction as best as I knew how to, but asking several times when Marc could come back. I was told at 9am, when visiting hours started or unless I'm in established labor. Well, I'm not real sure what the heck that meant because I was fairly sure I was in "established labor" considering how I could hardly speak or breath while contracting. I'm not sure what time it was, but my midwife asked if I wanted pethidine, it's a shot given in your leg that will relax you and take the edge off. I had this with Cerys and I swore I would never have it again, it made me so sleepy I couldn't respond to anyone and felt so drugged. I was told I could have half a dose if I wanted and so I agreed to have it. It was the only pain medicine I could have on the ward, so I took it! It did make me feel a bit loopy but I was able to at least relax some in between contractions. That last about an hour.

I'm still unsure of the time all this took place, but I remember thinking I needed to push and I need Marc and I needed to have this girl out...NOW! I buzzed my midwife and told her and she checked me, sure enough I was almost an 8 and then the frantic activity began! It's humorous to think back now and realize what it all must have looked like for the my roomies. They were either horrified or mad they weren't progressing as fast as me, or maybe both? Anyway, I begged for someone to call Marc and as soon as I said that I heard "B" at the foot of my bed on her mobile phone telling Marc to get up here and do it NOW because I was progressing extremely fast. Poor Marc, he woke up at 7am thinking that the medicine had not worked since he had not heard from me. I thought about sending him a text during the night, but then I didn't want him to worry about me and know that I was pain and that he could not be there. So it was quite a shock for him to get a phone call saying he needed to come right then. Thank you Jesus we live right at the hospital. He said he just grabbed his coat and took off running. Hehehe. No time to find a parking place!

Another midwife brought me a wheelchair and told me to get in it. Are you kidding me? I can't move, much less SIT in a wheelchair. I objected several times until "B" stepped in and said, "Just take her in the bed, just take her in the bed!" Thank you B. Another lady started putting all my things- suitcase, baby's bag, coat, shoes, etc on the foot of my bed and I'm pretty sure I kicked some of it off. (I'm so sorry, whoever you are!) Then the next thing I know I'm flying down the hallway in my bed and I can remember thinking how wonderful the breeze felt while I screamed "I'M GOING TO PUSH!" And the midwives were saying back to me, "NO YOU ARE NOT, DON'T DO IT" Oh me, can you imagine what I looked like?!?! I wonder if there was anyone in the hall at the time? I sure hope not.

I got up to the delivery floor and they wheeled me into the room except that the bed would not fit so I had to get up and get in another bed. I saw the gas/air machine on the wall and begged for it, I needed something!!! "B" was bribing me saying, "Come one, get up and get in that bed and you can have all the gas and air you want!" Ha. So I made it to the bed and sucked air so hard, not really sure it did anything but make me dizzy but just having something to bite down on was good anyway. (I hope this is not too much detail?) As soon as I had the gas and air in my mouth, Marc comes running in and throws off his coat. I grabbed his hand and never let go, he told me later that I had a death grip on him and I'm sure I did! He missed almost all of the labor, but did come in on the worst part, poor guy. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, I'm really loud but I don't care!" It is so embarrassing now to think about.

After 30 minutes of pushing (man, that was way too long!) her head was out and then the next contraction her little body was born. They laid her on me right away, all goopy and gross, but she was so sweet. She hardly made a sound so I kept asking if she was okay and they assured me that she was. I looked at Marc, who had a few tears coming down and he assured me she was okay too. Addison opened her eyes and just stared at us as if to say, "Well, here I am!" Then I asked to make sure she was a girl, and yes she was a girl. Ha. She was so quiet and calm and then I knew that is why she was 2 weeks late- she didn't really care!

I had to be stitched up and while that was going on, we just stared at Addison and talked to her, then she pooped all over me. Nothing like motherhood, right? I will say that not having an epidural for the after part- being stitched up- was almost as bad as giving birth without one. I was not ready for that.

So, sweet Addison was born at 9:09am, we were in the delivery room for a few hours. I got to have tea and toast- the toast was either the best toast I've ever eaten in my life or I was just so hungry and happy that it tasted that way. Then I got to take a shower which was awesome too. I didn't realize how much I used my lungs until I tried to walk to the shower, I could not take any deep breaths and the shower absolutely wore me out. Then I was moved to "THE WARD" (dum, dum, dum, dum). And that is an entirely different post. It was not as bad as I was picturing it to be or as bad as the stories I've heard. It was not ideal, but it was okay.

So, I think that is most of the story. If you are still reading, then well done, sorry for rambling on. I'm sure there is more to it that I either don't remember because I'm sleep deprived or that I have blocked out. Ha. God was near and I'm so grateful that everything turned out okay. As I mentioned before, it was not what I had planned or wanted but it's over and God blessed us with a wonderful midwife in the process!


STATE CHAMPS!

We stayed up late last night to watch my Dad's team play in the finals and it was so worth it! They won by 14 points!!! They played PCA (Prestonwood Christian Academy) and it was a great game! PCA has beaten TCA twice this year, so for us to beat them in the final was awesome!!!

My Dad has been coaching for 30 years and this is his first State Championship and I could not be more proud! I was so sick to my stomach watching last night- Marc and I were huddled around our computer trying to keep quiet so didn't wake up the girls. It was so neat to see my Dad and brother "live" that I just cried. By the way Caleb, when did you get to be as tall as Dad?) I would have given anything to be there last night, even with a one week old infant, we would have been there cheering for you Dad!

We love you and are so proud of you!

Kickin' My Tail

Okay, I'm so sorry I have not posted the birth story yet. Having 3 kids is really kicking my tail lately. The big girls are doing good and adjusting well- the first few days were kind of crazy since they were SO EXCITED, but now I think the new is wearing off and we are all calming down a bit. One moment I feel like I'm totally doing this thing and the next minute I'm all weepy and feel like I can't do anything! It's crazy, the hormones!!!

Marc took the girls to the park this morning and on any other day I would have been so happy for the break- but it made me sit in bed while nursing Addison and have a good cry. We had all planned on going to the park this morning, I seriously need a little outing- but someone forgot to give sweet Addison the memo- we are suppose to sleep from 2am-4am not scream our head off. So, as the big girls were waking up, I was falling back asleep after a long night. The next thing I know, my sweet husband is waking me up at 10:30am telling me he's taking the girls to the park. So, I sat up in bed and cried.

Anyway, all this to say that I'm going to try and post tonight after everyone is in bed and peace ascends on our house. It's going to be another late night for us though, we have ourselves a basketball game to watch online! My Dad is the head coach at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas and my little brother is one of the star players! And tonight is the state finals, playing against our home church Prestonwood Baptist. TCA won the semi-finals last night because of my little brothers 3 point shot on the buzzer, winning by one point! Ya'll I cried about that too because I could not be there to see it! I've been going to my Dad's basketball games since I can remember, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was in love with all the players when I was a pre-teen, no it did not. At times like this, it totally stinks to live overseas.

So, we are going to up watching tonight and praying hard for my Dad's first state championship! Go TCA!

Pictures!

Here are just a few pictures for now-

Addison getting her first bath at the hospital. They only sponge cleaned her right after delivery, gross. So, the next day I was happy to have someone clean her up, although they did not wash her hair. You better believe she got a shampooing as soon as we were home!

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All semi-clean and snuggling with Daddy-

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This was taken once we were home, fast asleep!
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