COMING HOME- February 3

Connor and I were both given the okay to go home on Wednesday, the 3rd. While we waited for Morian to come back to the hospital, I was able to get a few fun shots of Connor eating his hand!

MEET THE FAMILY- February 2

Devin and Mackenzie came to the hospital after school to meet their new baby brother.

 Mackenzie was super excited to meet "Baby Connor," as she constantly refers to him as!

 Siblings!

WE HAVE A BABY- February 1

So, I had a doctor's appointment in the morning of Thursday, January 28. I was barely dilated to 1 cm. I had maybe some contractions over the weekend, but they felt like the braxton hicks ones I'd been having for a while. I went back on Monday, February 1 and was actually dilated to a 3! My doctor stripped the membranes and basically told me he expected to see me at the hospital that night having a baby! But if not, I was to go in the next day for an ultrasound to what was going on.

I went home and had contractions off and on all day. And I could tell they felt different than the other ones. I don't think I really expected anything to happen quickly since when I was dilated to 3 cm and gotten my membranes stripped with Mackenzie, it still took 4 days before I had her. My mom and I even told Morian to go to work because really, it wasn't very likely the baby would come that day.

Well, right around dinner time, my contractions started getting harder and closer together. They were definitely more painful. So I decided to pack a bag, just in case. And I tried to time them, which was kind of hard, but they seemed to be coming about every 5-8 minutes. I finally got to the point where I had to squat down and breathe through the contractions, which I was very much feeling in my lower back. Which is what I had to do with Mackenzie, so I was then pretty sure it was happening that night. I just needed to wait for Morian to get home from work so we could go to the hospital. And of course, of all days, he was later than usual getting home because he had to make a stop at the store on the way. He scarfed down some dinner and we headed out to the car. We made it to the hospital at about 8:45 PM.

Morian dropped me off at the entrance to the ER and went to park the car. As soon as I got out of the car, I had a contraction, so I hadn't even made it inside when Morian caught up with me. We checked in and got taken to a room where they hooked me up to the monitors to check the baby's heart rate and checked me out as well. I was dilated to about 5-6 cm. I felt like the nurses were taking their sweet time asking me questions and getting these set up and with each contraction I was practically doubled over in pain! I wanted to shout, "Hello! I'm having a baby here! Can we hurry things up a bit?!" We finally got wheeled up to the labor and delivery room on the 4th floor a little after 9 PM. (I think. I'm a little fuzzy on times!) They checked me again and I was at 6-7 cm. My contractions were getting even more painful! The nurse asked if I wanted an epidural and I said yes, if they can do it in time. So she made the call and said it would be about 45 minutes. So, I kept feeling like I needed to push with my contractions, but of course, the nurse is like, NO pushing! But sometimes I just couldn't help it and I could tell my body was just doing it on its own! 

Around 9:30 or so, the nurse checked me again and I was at 8 cm. At 9:33 (I made sure to make note of the time!) I was in the middle of a contraction and I felt a little pop and then a huge gush of water. I was like, "My water just broke!" It was the weirdest feeling; my water didn't really break on its own before. (Well, with Devin they broke it but I had an epidural so I didn't feel it. With Mackenzie, it was bulging out of me, still intact, until they told me I could push once to break it and as I did, Mackenzie slid right out.) So the nurse was like, "You're having a baby before you get an epidural." And after that, I definitely felt the need to push with each contraction and viced that to the nurse.  So she called out to another nurse in and told her I felt like I needed to push but she had just checked me and I was at an 8. Well, the other nurse checked me and was like, "Nope, she's ready to go!" But I still couldn't push because I had to wait for my doctor to get there. They all said he was pretty quick about getting to the hospital, but they had the on-call doctor go to the front desk and wait, just in case he didn't make it there in time. So I'm waiting, and dying through each contraction and still kind of pushing because that seemed to manage the pain better than just breathing through it. As soon as my doctor showed up, they got my legs up and said I could push through the next contraction. I did, and I could feel the baby close, but he didn't come out. On the next contraction, I pushed and out popped a head. Then shoulders. Then the rest of the body just slid right out! 

Connor William Black was born at 9:57 PM on February 1.

DUE DATE- January 30

So, my due date with Baby #3 was January 30. Unfortunately, that date came and went without a baby! Again! But here is a comparison to my other pregnancies.

Baby #3 @ 40 weeks

 Baby #1 @ 40 weeks

 Baby #2 @ 38 weeks 

(this was closest I had for Mackenzie because she came at 39 weeks and I hadn't had a chance to get another belly shot)

As you can see, I carried Mackenzie much lower than my boys. And I was smaller with Devin than with baby #3.

MACKENZIE GOES TO PRESCHOOL- January 8

With birth of this baby happening soon and making us a family of 5, we qualify for the public school system preschool program. So I got Mackenzie registered and all that jazz, and she was able to start the next day! Which was a Friday, so it was a little weird, but it's all good!

She was super  excited to start going to school again!

 She goes in the morning for 3 hours. A nice perk is she can get breakfast at school for free, so we drop her off first so she can eat there and then we take Devin to school. And then I am able to pick her up in the middle of the day and still get Devin at the end of the school day without any problems.

 On her first day, I went in with her (obviously!) and she was a little nervous, but the assistant teacher kind of just took her into the classroom without allowing her time for her usual long goodbyes (which was super good) and now she goes in without a problem. I just drive up next to the school and there is a teacher there waiting to get her out of the van. She grabs her backpack and hops out and doesn't look back! My little baby is growing up!

She is super excited about all the things she gets to do in school- like library on Mondays and gym on Thursdays. She even has homework, which she does happily!

DEVIN'S CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT- January 8

At Devin's school, they have 6 week grading periods. And after each grading period, they have an assembly where they hand out class awards (like best class in PE or music, etc) and then each teacher will also pick one student in their class to be awarded the Certificate of Achievement. Devin's teacher let me know that at this latest assembly (the 3rd one), Devin was the student to be receiving the award, so Mackenzie and I made sure to attend!

Way to go!

MORIAN TURNS 33- January 1, 2016

Morian turned 33 this year! We considered trying to get a babysitter and us just going out, but we figured it might be kind of hard, plus it's fun to do things for birthdays with the kids. 

But first, he had a few presents to open:

 a nightstand organizer

 and polo shirts

 and money!

PREGNANT SISTERS- December 27

I have never *really* been pregnant at the same time as a sister or sister-in-law. But now my sister, Kayley, and I are pregnant together! We had to document it at Christmas time since that would be the last time I'd see her until after my baby is born. So here I am at 35 weeks. Believe it or not, Kayley is 21 weeks pregnant. She's got the tiniest little belly that you can't even see!

Let's remember what I looked like 21 weeks pregnant this time around:

Yeah, I feel like I got huge really fast and then just stayed the same size for the last 20 weeks!

CHRISTMAS DAY- December 25

On Christmas morning, I heard Devin get up to go to the bathroom and then he went into the living room to inspect it, "case the joint" as it were! I let him do it because I didn't want to get up just yet! Even though it really wasn't that early. The kids actually slept in!

Santa left a note for the kids, thanking them for the delicious cookies!

Christmas tree with presents

 Mine and Grandma's stockings

 Devin's, Morian's, and Mackenzie's stockings

 Mackenzie was pretty excited to see what was in her stocking!

 As was Devin!

CHRISTMAS EVE- December 24

The kids had been wanting to make sugar cookies like all month, but I told them we should wait until Grandma gets here. And even then, it took us until Christmas Eve to finally make them! But we had to have cookies to leave out for Santa!

They were excited to help me roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters! (And maybe sneak a little cookie dough! But who can blame them?! That stuff is good!)

SANTA'S VILLAGE- December 19

As Morian drives to and from work, he passes the Richardson Library, which he saw was starting to look rather restive for the holidays. We looked it up and saw that they do a "Santa's Village" in the courtyard by the library and city center with a bunch of little buildings that have to do with Christmas and lots of decorations. So, we braved the cold to go and see it.

Inside the city center they had some decorations we took pictures of.

 Devin liked this tree made entirely of poinsettias.

COOKIE HOUSE DECORATING- December 16

The library had a cookie house decorating night for kids, so Devin and Mackenzie were able to go and decorate their own little houses that were made out of graham crackers. They both did an awesome job frosting and loading their houses up with lots of candy!

PLAYING IN THE LEAVES- December 15

What is this?! The kids are playing in the huge pile of leaves in the middle of December?! It was a beautiful day and they couldn't help themselves! (Good thing they did too because they were all gone the next day!)

ANOTHER LOST TOOTH- December 4

Devin lost his third tooth in like 8 months. He was pretty excited to get another half dollar from the tooth fairy!

 He had gotten hit in the mouth while playing football at recess, causing it to be more wiggly than it would have been at this time and so it bled a lot after it came out, even though it popped right out!

PUTTING UP THE CHRISTMAS TREE- November 29

It's been our tradition to put up our Christmas tree on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. As I was getting out all my decorations, I realized that my Nativities were missing. Then I started remembering more and more that I didn't have. ANd I realized they all must have been in the box we never got when we moved here. I am incredibly sad (and very mad!) to think of all the things I no longer have. But I am grateful we at least have our tree and ornaments to put on it and our stockings. At least not all is lost!

Devin with the first ornament he put on.

 Mackenzie with the one she did.

 Trying on the tree skirt- always a good time!

 We made Morian put up an ornament just so I could get a picture of him and prove he was there!

 This year Devin got to put the star up on top!

 Way to go buddy!

 And look! I was there too!