Baby Jacob

He's finally here. Jacob was born on Thursday April 2nd at 4:21pm. He weighed 8lb 9 oz and was 21 inches long. (he didn't weigh as much as I thought he would). I'm home and trying to get rest. My mom and Darren are my saviors right now. I'm struggling with some "blues" but trying to overcome them. I'll be back to normal hopefully in a couple weeks. The baby is super good. He is a sweet little guy. The kids love him and want to hold him all the time. I'll write more later when I'm up to it. Here are some pics of the new addition. I'll add an album to my facebook page later with more pics. Thanks for all the emails, concerns, and kind things from everyone. We are doing well and adjusting.

Still Pregnant

My mom flew in on Thursday night without luggage (lost), but made it none the less thankfully. Now the waiting game is one. That night I went into "labor" for a couple hours, I was about to wake everyone up and then everything just stopped. So, I'm still pregnant and just wondering if he'll ever come out. Here are some pics of my mom reading to the kids. Lily was "smitten" after grandma read her the first book. If you want to get on Lily's good side all you have to do is read her a book. The kids are enjoying her being here. Yesterday we went to Mount Trashmore so I could walk up and down that ridiculously big hill. By the time we were done I felt like I could fall down dead. I got a few contractions after that, but still........nothing. I'm pondering more drastic measures......"Castor Oil" any one???? Still not sure about that one. Any way. I've been bad about looking at any one's blog and commenting. Hopefully you'll understand, but just putting out the update that there really is no update and I'm still huge and pregnant. Send contraction prayers my way please!

Big Bertha!

We are in the home stretch. Even though I'm so uncomfortable, I'm hoping the baby stays put another week till my mom gets here. It will be so much easier with the kiddos to have her extra hands here. So pray that Jacob stays cozy till at least the 27th, then after that, I'm all for him making his exit.

I'm "regretfully" posting a prego pic of me, the big bertha mother. But I've felt bad that I haven't taken many prego pics of me this time around. Believe it or not, I haven't gained any weight with this pregnancy, I was just that fat to begin with! ha ha ha! I will actually weigh less after he is born then I did when I got pregnant with him, so that's a plus, maybe I can keep up the work and focus on me for once. ???? Hopefully. Any way, here is that pic and a pic of the pretty trees in bloom here. When Ashton saw the trees in bloom he said "Mom!!! Look it's hot snow!" (that day had been really warm, but the trees looked like they were covered in snow. cute)

Nervous

I find myself getting anxious at times knowing I only have 20 some odd days till it's "go time". Normally in the past the doctors will go ahead and give me an induction date about a week or so early so I don't have to push out a 9 pounder, my babies come out around 8 lbs. The doctors here could care less if I had a 7 pounder or a 12 pounder, but the word induction to them is like a curse word, heaven forbid! So I just sit not knowing if I'll go into labor tonight, or in 2 more weeks. It's hard for a "planner" like me to just sit and let whatever happen....happen. But I have no choice. But my body for sure is tired of having babies. This pregnancy was fine until about a month ago, and now I really can "feel" the toll it's taking on my body. My hips ache, my pelvic bone feels like it could split in half at any second and my back aches.... poor me right? I know all mom's go through it, I'm just definitely feeling more of the aches this time. My body is saying, "enough is enough woman!" Any way, just venting. Not really wanting the baby out now because that will mean I have 4 kids, but I wish my body wouldn't hurt so bad. Any way. all is good here. Let's just pray I don't go over my due date and have to push a 10 pounder out, that will not be fun.
Another note: This baby is Darren's baby to name. We pretty much named Ethan together, and then I named Ashton and Lily, so he gets dibs on this one. Which is fine till I heard the name he wanted. But now it's been 6 months since he said the name and he still wants it. Okay ready? The name he wants is........Jacob Edward Conner. Now anyone who has not read the Twilight series is saying..."so? what's the big deal?" Well it's a huge deal if you have read them. These books are "huge" right now, kind of like the Harry Potter craze. Jacob and Edward are the two main male characters in all 4 books. My husband never read the books, he knows they are popular but doesn't care. Edward is a family name after his dad, and he just likes Jacob a bunch. So there you have it people, the name most likely will be Jacob Edward and I don't want any laughs or giggles from anyone thinking I was so obsessed with the books that I had to name my last son after them! I can only imagine blessing day at church. All the women will be smiling and giggling! Have mercy on me!!!!! This is my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it!

Mud Bath

The beginning of this week the high barely hit the teens. It was sooooo cold! Today's temp got above 75. The weather here is WACK!!! But regardless, the kids actually put on shorts today. I heard the water running outside and came to see what they were doing. I found the sprinkler on the porch and them running through it. Yes it may be warm, but not that warm! I almost opened the door to tell them to turn it off, but had to grab the camera first. Then the soaked lawn turned into mud fast because the ground below is still frozen, so it was hard for the water to sink in fast enough, so they decided to play in the mud. Lily gets less and less clothed as time goes on, but they had fun. I bit my tongue and let them enjoy their warm Saturday in the muddy backyard. Who knows what next weeks weather will bring? Make up your mind already! :)

Thank you

Thanks to all of you that were so sweet to me during my "yucky week" with your kind comments. The hubby is home now, and all is well. Of course, the kids are all practically better now, only trace signs of them ever being sick still remain. And today despite my husband getting a cold, he told me to write down my "list" of what I wanted done before baby comes.... (You mom's know the list, the nesting list, of stuff that just has to be done before baby comes. Crazy stuff like cleaning out all closets, pulling out all couches, computer desks, piano, and cleaning behind everything....list goes on like that for a while). I don't know why I get that urge to make sure everything is spotless before a new baby, but I just do. Probably cause I know I'll be down and out for a couple weeks and want things spotless. Any way, he already helped me today knock out a few of my to-do items. He's the best! I know inside he's thinking, this is crazy, but he doesn't say a word and he helps me move all the heavy stuff so I can clean behind everything!

Here are 2 pics he sent me from his cell phone from training. He got hit in the face with paint balls, not once, but twice. Poor guy looked beat up when get got home with all the bruises all over his body, but I think he secretly likes it! he he he! ;)

Ick

Well the week is at a close. The hubby will be home tonight or tomorrow morning thankfully. I find myself wondering how it is possible that EVERY SINGLE TIME Darren has left, something happens that tests my strength of being a "single parent" at the time. Last weekend I found myself saying "We have been so lucky that our kids have been so healthy!" We literally have been sick once in almost a year of living here. That's pretty good. And what happens? The next morning Lily wakes up sick. So Darren left Sunday, I had to stay home from church with the sick one and then started the week..... Lily was sick with yucky congestion and coughing for 3 days, next Ashton. He's still in "full sick mode" right now. Non stop coughing and snot pouring. Tons of fun. Yesterday morning Lily was "better" from the cold, but she decided to throw up non stop all over my house most of the day. She is now over that thankfully, and today after nap she woke up with 102 fever! When will this stop? What in the world. I guess I should never be thankful for healthy kids, because someone, somewhere in the universe always hears me and makes sure to put an end to that. Every time Darren has left one of my kids has gotten sick. I kid you not. Every stinking time. Which makes for long nights going solo back and forth from one kids room to the other trying to get them back to sleep, All while being 8 months pregnant mind you. Then Wednesday night, I started having bad contractions all night long. not just the little braxtons either, they were painful and coming every 5 minutes. I was almost at my breaking point, I didn't want Darren to have to leave training just 2 days before it was all over. and this baby needs to cook for at least 3 to 4 more weeks! Any way, after much tears and praying they stopped thankfully, now I have to sit and look at my house that I want to strip down and clean major thoroughly and I can't. I just stare at it. But owell. Any way, that has been our fun week thus far. And as soon as Darren gets home, I'm sure all my children will magically heal and all will be well in wonderland once again!
Here's one quick story of something that happened on one of Darren's deployments in Texas: Mind you, this whole scenario takes place in a matter of 2 minutes:
Okay. Ethan and Ashton are outside playing, I just put Lily in her highchair to feed her (she was probably 8 months old), she is starting to fuss cause she's really hungry. I'm fixing her food and in flies Ethan screaming bloody murder and limping. His big toe is bleeding really bad. I sit him up in the sink, he's screaming so loud, I can't understand a thing he's saying, but I'm rinsing his toe off and it's nasty!!! (come to find out later, he had dropped a cinder block on his foot), As I'm washing his foot, and trying to calm his screams and tell Lily all is okay, in runs Ashton, slips on some water in the front entry way lands on his back smacking his head on the door frame. Now all 3 kids are screaming like they are on deaths door. So now, I must ignore Ethan in the sink, run and pick up Ashton, calm him down, rub his giant goose egg head and sit him on the couch. After about 10 minutes the drama is gone, but you can imagine the wonderful moment that was! That is just one of MANY stories I could share with you, but I won't bore you any more. But I am convinced that mother's are always tried and tested to the core of their ability when they are alone. Could this happen when my husband was home? Heaven's no, that would just be too easy!

One week left

Since we haven't seen Darren that much with him working nights, he would always write us a letter on the board for us to read the next day. I thought this note was funny. Not what Darren wrote, but what Ethan wrote in response. I'll translate, since his spelling still isn't perfect. Ethan's writing is in Red and Green: "I love you too Dad, but mom is kind of being mean. But I have no homework!" I had to laugh when I read that, because I actually felt like I was being extra patient and kind that day, but I guess kids see differently! ;)


Here are the shots I hate taking, but I always do. I always take pics of when Darren has to leave on a deployment. Don't ask, I just do. He's only gone for a week of training this time. I can tell we have been a little too used to him being home, since he hasn't been deployed since we lived in Texas. We were all crying over him being gone just a week!
Here's Ashton playing on his "pile" of stuff to take.



Cute shot of daddy with the kiddo's



Silly shot



Sad Ethan! No fun



The kids hate it when he has to leave. And believe it or not, Darren cried this time. He NEVER cries when he leaves. I think he tries to be strong for us, but this time he cried. It shocked me! He said, he thinks he's just stressed because he hasn't seen us for practically a month anyway with the last schedule, and he's stressed because he knows I'm due to have a baby in a month and he was just feeling the emotions stronger than usual. It choked me up to see him cry. Especially when you're used to them being the "strong ones".

It started raining the second we had to go outside and say bye.

Hugs goodbye.

Almost 5 minutes after Darren left it started snowing, really hard and fast! And it only snowed for like 5 minutes. Honestly, if I hadn't been walking by a window we would have missed it. S0 Ethan flew outside as fast as he could to enjoy his 5 minutes of snow fun. The other 2 kids watched from inside, they weren't as excited to freeze outside as Ethan was.

Snow on Yoda

Snow on hair!

Any way, all is good, We'll be excited when Darren can come back at the end of the week. That will mean this crazy training is over and his schedule should be getting back to normal, and we can count down till baby number 4! Hope you all have a good week!