Youngest and Oldest

It's hard to believe that my baby Chan is a Senior in high school and it's even harder to believe that I have a new baby boy, Camden to round out our family. So, to preserve the memories forever and to celebrate two such amazing things- a graduation from high school and a new sweet baby- I had a great photographer take pics of the boys for me. Missy Saunders, who is not only a very talented chick, she is also an awesome friend to my sister Kelli. Anyway- I think she did an amazing job as always. She took our Christmas pics last year as well and if I could afford it, I would have her over all the time just to take pics. So, without further ado, I will show you the pics now. She captured a ton of good ones, but I am only posting three each of the boys, simply because Blogger can be slow and I have to pack for our Thanksgiving trip. Here they are:








P.S. Missy's photography site

Under construction...

Ok, so I am in the process of getting a new header and layout made. Also, I am composing my scatter brain to do my birth story. Please keep checking back as this is a work in progress and my time is in super SHORT supply..... remember: patience is a virtue!

A whole lotta nuthin'

Well, I am still pregnant. Crap! Even though I am scared to death of childbirth and newborns in general, I truly am ready to be through with pregnancy- forever! Things have just been SO WEIRD around here. I have had several signs that labor is imminent and was sure he was coming the last two nights. Then, things would stop out of nowhere. I have literally woken up Monday and Tuesday, gotten chores done, kids off to school, and rested all day long thinking any minute my contractions and other symptoms* (TMI, but at the bottom of the post if you're curious) would pick up steam. It has been very frustrating to say the least. I haven't been cooking at all. We have just been doing bachelor food (mac-n-cheese, nachos, raviolis, Ramen, etc) just because- A) I'm exhausted and B) I can't think straight long enough to prepare a meal. I even went so far as to have my mom stay the night last night because I was POSITIVE he was coming. She is now back home, bags packed waiting for my call. I have my sweet friend Erin (my kid's second mom practically) at my beck and call helping me out as well. I feel like everyone around me is holding their breath and I feel like I am disappointing everyone or like The Lady Who Cried Labor. So, once again my bags are by the door, we had a quick easy dinner, and I am freshly bathed in my pj's waiting once more for labor. I sure hope I can start a good labor pattern before 7:30am and I can avoid an induction tomorrow morning. Plus, maybe baby boy can pick his own cool birth date without me prompting him. Once again, Thanks So Much for all the sweet phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages. I am sure y'all are just as ready as I am for him to come. Then, I can get busy blogging about sore nipples, yellow poop, and how tired I am.

*mucus plug and bloody show*

waiting, waiting and more waiting.....

I am sitting here on my bed, with a laptop, outfitted in PJ's. And, I am waiting- for a contraction, my water to break, or a baby to land on my bed. I have cleaned the entire house many times over. The clothes the kids slept in are already washed and folded. There is a ton of food in the house and still I wait. For some reason I just knew I was gonna go into labor last night, because I had a hair appointment today I guess? And, obviously he isn't here yet. I had a rough night of sleep, my back was killing me and my dog barked ALL NIGHT LONG. So, I cancelled my hair appointment. The thought of driving to Mansfield when I would rather be resting didn't sound very appealing at all. Plus, I figured when he's a few weeks old a fresh color and cut would do wonders after many sleepless nights, poopy diapers, spit up in the hair, and day after day of sweats and bad breath. Honestly who is gonna notice my hair-do when I am busy pushing a baby out anyway?
Anyway- as of now I have an induction scheduled Wednesday (9-9-09) if I choose to be induced or I haven't gone into labor by then. I am very leery of inductions- I have been induced twice and when your baby isn't ready to come out, it' a long brutal process. So, I am gonna try anything and everything to get labor going this weekend. And, if not I will cancel the induction if I chicken out. The 9-9-09 birthday would be cool, but I really want him to be born on his watch not mine. I am just surprised that he hasn't come yet. I haven't really been resting at all. I have cleaned and walked and pushed myself physically every day for the last two weeks and still he's staying put. He has dropped so low and I have so much pressure down below that for the first time in 5 pregnancies- I WADDLE!
So, that's the state of things. I am just waiting. Today I am alternating between the couch, my bed, housework, the bathroom, and the fridge. And, I am crossing my fingers....

Back to the OB she went.....

So, today I went in for another check-up. Seriously- bad experience... First I was late and was courteous enough to call. That idiotic receptionist tried to tell me if I was more than 15 minutes late he would have to reschedule! Really? What about all the times he made me wait over an hour?? I managed to slip in a whopping 4 minutes late! Miraculously, I was called back within 5 minutes. Where I was promptly weighed, I am up 1.5 more pounds, wowza! The minute I got in the room I told my nurse exactly what I thought of the receptionist, it rhymes with witch. Then she told me my Group B Strep test was positive. Which made my blood pressure climb to 140/90 and my feet to swell like balloons! Ok, my feet were already swollen but still! They did get bigger, much bigger. I am sensing lots of rubber flip flop days in my future. Anyway, back to the point- Of course I was sitting there panicking about the strep test because I had Googled it the other day and it scared the bejeezus out of me! That didn't help matters one bit! Then that silly nurse asked me if I wanted to be checked for dilation and effacement!! I said to her: "of course I do, don't all doctors check at 36 weeks on?" And she acted like I was WEIRD! That got me even hotter! Anyway, he finally came in and molested my cervix with his big fat fingers. Which was horribly painful and not at all something I care to do again. I think I may tell her no next week when she asks if I want to be checked. She might wet her freaking scrubs. Anyway... to make a long blog post short- I am dilated 1 to 2 centimeters and starting to efface a TINY bit. Which sounds promising if you are going to give birth to a Lee press on nail... As of now, I am on strict doctor's orders to rest with a vat of bon-bons and some cheesy television. Which I fully plan on obeying ;)

P.S. After I calmed down a bit I had my blood pressure checked again and it was down to 122/76 so that's good!

Wondering-

how the kids are handling the first day of school, particularly Chloe. Today was her first day of middle school. I am really hoping Hunter helped her out today... it's nice that they are in the same school again this year.

if I can get all of my last minute nesting done before baby.

how many more chocolate chip muffins I can eat before I get sick to my stomach, hmmm... also, if the chocolate I got on my white shirt will come out.

when I am gonna go into labor, how it will start, how long it will take, and if I can manage without the epidural.

what the baby looks like, if I really want to name him what we have discussed, and if he has hair.

if I will find the mental energy to load the very few pictures I took of the first day back to school.

if my kids realize for the first time in their entire lives that I forgot to put notes in their lunches- it's been a tradition since they started kindergarten. I feel terrible about forgetting....

if Chloe is gonna have a good year. Middle school is when girls become Mean Girls and I can't stand the thought of ANYONE being mean to my Chloe girl.

if Jon will surprise me with the fluffy chocolate brown glider rocker I have been begging for.

if Swine Flu is gonna be as bad as they are saying- kinda scary... supposedly flu season starts in a few weeks. Yikes!

if I can get my last minute errands run before baby.

and lastly- if anyone is reading this and if so are you bored yet?

yet even more pics of baby related stuff.....

So, as I said before I am working on the baby's room in spurts. Other than two adorable wall hangings/goodies that are being made by Amy and Sarah, I am done with my part- Labor & Delivery not included. I also FINALLY received my CUTE diaper bag that I ordered off of Etsy, so of course I have to show that off too. So far my favorite things in there are the pics that Chloe and Hayden painted! Anyway- here are some more pics of the goings on in the nursery.
As soon as I get the other stuff and hang it, I will post AGAIN... I can't help myself! I am in love with this room!

number cards (these are above the closet)


number cards


number cards


Chloe's tree she painted for baby (this is above the crib)


Hayden's masterpiece for baby (this is also above the crib)


DOTS!


diaper bag/purse


close up of crib quilt


quilt again...

Trying to be Positive Patsy when I feel like Negative Nancy.....

Ok, so first of all I feel like I should say thanks and sorry at the same time. I feel like I complain ALOT on here and I am grateful for the sweet comments when I do. I guess it's easier to type my feelings as opposed to writing them in a journal. And, I am pretty sure the people around me are tired of hearing me complain, so my internet "audience" gets to hear me rant.
That being said, this last month of pregnancy is doing a number on me. I am sooo stressed it's pathetic. I have ALOT of school shopping left to do, baby stuff that needs my attention, and 4 bored kids. And, to top it all off- Chandler (my oldest child of broken bones, torn ligaments, staph infection fame) has injured himself YET AGAIN...! This time he dislocated his elbow, which doesn't seem that bad to me but what do I know? He had to be taken to the ER where they put him under to put the elbow back in place and is now in a sling for who knows how long and will miss about 6 weeks of his Senior year of Varsity football. Already he is driving me NUTS! Bored, hungry, etc. every 15 minutes. He is on Vicodin ES which has made him pretty much unable to help me by watching the kids so I can get school shopping and planning done. I have been stuck at home for 3 days and I guess I might be having a hormonal woe is me cabin fever kind of thing going on.
Plus, I am FREAKING out worse than ever about childbirth. I made the mistake of reading about unmedicated natural childbirth and I am absolutely scared to DEATH!! I am assuming the fact that I know he has to come out somehow is making me antsy. Really, do they still put you under and deliver the baby? That way I can wake up and he's here! I don't really want to do that, but as each day ticks by I am getting more and more anxious. Not even chocolate is helping.... I think I am quite possibly driving Jon bonkers as well. And, he is the most laid back person I know. In addition to all of that I can't wake up before 11 each morning and I am taking naps right after dinner each evening. Will things ever be back to normal? Really though, what is normal? Anyway, thanks yet again for listening. I am off to take a mid-afternoon bubble bath. Wish me luck and stuff.

Picture OVERLOAD: nesting, re-decorating, and misc...

Ok, so I am finally able to post some pics of all the SUPER HARD STRESSFUL work I've been doing around the house. I am pretty much done with everyone's rooms but the baby's which is ironic because I had this brilliant idea to play musical bedrooms because he was coming.... I have more big plans and cute ideas for the nursery and hope to get started tomorrow, wish me luck!! Anyway- just a short rundown: Hayden's room used to be Chloe's and was pink/cottage green Shabby Chic decor. The baby's room used to be Chan's and was brown and blue stripes, Chloe's room used to be Hunter and Hayden's and was blue, orange, and brown surf. The big boy's room was our home theatre/game room (which was our garage when we moved in) and was purple, black, red, with black carpet, home theatre decor, etc. And, lastly the bathroom was tropical blue surf overload. I'm afraid a little thing called $$ or lack of has put my living room/kitchen plans on hold for awhile but I am pleased with the looks of things so far. All right now- give me some honest feedback.

Big Boy's room


books and stuff


TV watching seats


close-up of bed


room from doorway



picture in kid's bathroom (reminds kids to conserve water- ha, ha, ha...)


mirror and cool towels


shower curtain in kid's bathroom which inpsired everything else


Hayden's book nook


Hayden's room- decorations, TV with Zumiez stickers (skater must have....)


more decor, decals, TV


Hayden's bed (I chose comforter, he picked paint)


Chloe's dresser and chair


dresser (Jon refinished this, it was cottage green with rose knobs)


shelves full of goodies, love the curtains


the bed and new duvet (she chose decor and colors based on the duvet)


crib full of sheets, bumper, etc. (waiting til the last possible minute because the cat has already tried to claim ownership...)


drawerful of goodies


closet (trying to organize...)


bouncer/stuffed animals


crib (again waiting til the last minute to get ready because the cat thinks this is his room...)


lonely shelves (trying to decide what to put on it)


shelves of cute stuff


changing table

Baby Showers!

Me and the baby (and Jon) were recently the guests of honor at not one but TWO baby showers. They were thrown by my sweet sister Kelli and two sweet friends, Erin and Sarah. One was for my friends from Grand Prairie and Arlington and one was for our couple friends. And, these ladies went all out. We're not just talking cake and punch here. We're talking FOOD, FAVORS, AWESOME CAKE, DECORATIONS! And, these sneaky ladies not only planned and hosted a great party- they gave me gifts too. Which, they will be getting spanked for.... as soon as I have some energy to do so. I specifically told them no gifts if they hosted the shower, but they didn't listen. I had a great time at both showers and I think Jon had a pretty swell time as well, he did pretty good for his first ever baby shower! I am just so thankful for my friends and family, that I was all mushy both days. I was able to score enough clothes, blankets, diapers, toys, sheets, and all manner of fun things that baby boy is spoiled already! I was also able to get a ton of gift cards that I am gonna put towards some of my bigger items. Thanks again for a great time! I am a lucky girl to have such an amazing support system. I have but a few photos, I was too busy eating and talking to take very many. But, I know for sure Miss Sarah has some great ones over at her blog. She was able to get pics of all the cute decorations. Check it out here. I may be able to scam some from Erin sometime too, we'll see.

P.S. I do believe I am in the home stretch....!

about to open our loot at couple's shower (gotta love my hips, they were made for birthing babies or so it appears)


cutting the cake (aww, just like our wedding day)


kiss, kiss (they made us)


me and Miss Chloe at my girls only soiree

Thirty Six-

days left to be pregnant

days left to pee every 15 minutes

rolls of toilet paper

doses of Pepcid AC

times to be allowed to nap and not feel guilty

days to have fattening cravings

days to watch my baby kick and squirm in my belly

days where it's ok to have a fat belly

days to avoid the litter box

days to be a human oven during a Texas summer

days to have thick luxurious hair

days to wear maternity undies

days to not have to worry about birth control

more days of morning sickness (crossing fingers)

more foot rubs

more days to make my kids to more chores than normal

more times I can use pregnancy as an excuse for anything

and, BONUS- I'll be 36 on my next birthday!

Meet B.O.B

Today I-

had new carpet installed in all of our bedrooms- finally!

got to see my mom, my sister Kelli, her kiddos, and some sweet baby kitties. Family rocks!

sorta saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince... between potty breaks and dozing off, I saw about 30 minutes total. Cost me $7.50 too!

went pee pee in the potty about 20 times, half of those being in public restrooms. The Chili's in Grand Prairie by far had the nastiest bathroom of all. Flush people!

thoroughly enjoyed being with all 4 of my kids all the day long. They were being turds as usual, but I loved being with them- it's been awhile since Chan and Hunter are always with friends.

bought 11 gallons of paint, took FOREVER.... But, we now have paint for all the bedrooms, which feels awesome!

moved the crib into the future nursery, so surreal. Not only is there a baby in my tummy, but pretty soon he'll be sleeping in this house!

didn't eat a single meal at home which just feels wrong. I had 1/2 of an order of movie nachos, 3 Southwest eggrolls from Chili's, and a grilled chicken wrap from Sonic. I feel yuck and I swear I heard my body ask for an apple or a carrot. Jon managed to move the mattresses out of our kitchen so I can reach the frig for tomorrow's meals. Whew!

didn't get a nap or Facebook time, which hasn't happened once in the last 6 months. I think I am preparing myself for when baby comes and I am at his mercy.

had a tornado named Jon Myers come through my house. Not really, but everything we own was moved into our kitchen, living room, and Jon's trailer. My house looks scary... can't wait til I can redecorate.

left the house at 9:30 am and didn't get home until 10:30 pm. I can pretty much guarantee I am gonna be swollen like crazy, for who knows how long.... I hope not, because I have plans non stop for the next two weeks. I have appointments to go to, baby showers to attend, and of course sleeping and eating.

sold my surf bathroom decor, thanks Mary! Hope y'all enjoy it!

am hoping to get a much deserved bubble bath with a trashy magazine (Us Weekly). Won't someone please get the books, high heels, and pillows out of my tub- anyone?

She's hit a brick wall...

**DISCLAIMER- I am about to rant. You've been warned.


Ok, so I have reached the I'm so over being pregnant stage. Is it ever gonna end? I can't believe I'm saying that... Just because feeling a baby move inside of you is an amazing yet indescribable feeling. There are other neat things too, but that is the absolute best. However, I am ready to get this baby boy out of my body. Which is bittersweet, because this is the absolute last time I will be pregnant. That being said- I am pretty sure I had a mini nervous breakdown yesterday. I got too hot and went too long without eating and I started having that scary feeling where you can't take a good deep breath. I guess alot of it started Saturday at about 4am when he decided he liked the head down position best, his feet got so tangled up in my rib cage that I was awakened out of a deep sleep. Now, he won't stay out of my ribs and it hurts! I feel like I can't breathe either. He is also squishing my stomach which is making my ulcer and nausea the worst it's ever been. I know I have said that alot, but really it's horrendous. I can't sleep- at least not normal hours. I feel incredibly guilty for not being more fun and involved with the kids so I am constantly apologizing and buying them goodies and lots of ice cream. Nothing fits. I look like crap- all the time. And, I am sooo tired of people acting shocked when I tell them I am pregnant. Apparently I am so morbidly obese I just look like a wide load/lard ass who went back to the buffet one too many times. And, I am scared to death of labor. I know he has to come out but I am terribly frightened. Then, when he comes out, will I remember what to do? Can I do this? Will I be able to manage the baby and my other kids? Will I have any time for me? How will we afford a baby? I guess I should also mention that other than starting the kid's bathroom I am nowhere near closer to getting any bedrooms done and time is ticking fast, which is a whole new can of worms. Really, what I am trying to say is I am losing my mind... I really need some serious encouragement. I need to be pumped up so I can make it emotionally and physically for the remainder of this pregnancy. And, I am not talking about a new purse or a pedicure either. C'mon- help a girl out... I need soothing calming words of encouragement.

P.S. I think Jon should read this. Maybe then he would understand. Ha- who am I kidding?

He's got the cutest little baby face....

I went yesterday for my 3D sonogram. Of course the baby was being a little stubborn. He was awake but was hanging out in one position. He had his arm tucked around both legs and and his legs were right in his face. We tried everything to get him to move... but nothing. The sono technician did manage to get a few face shots. And if you were wondering- yes he is definitely still a boy! Chloe is still skeptical- even though his boy parts were larger than life on a projector screen. He opened one eye at one point as if to see what all the fuss was about. Personally I am amazed at technology- that you can see what your baby looks like before they make their big appearance. I remember with all the other kids just having a grainy ultrasound pic and being completely surprised at delivery. Especially with Hunter who hid the goods through FIVE sonograms. Anyway- he looks like my other kiddos and looks perfectly adorable to me. Oh yeah- although I have no photo to show for it, he definitely has my thighs. The first thing we saw when she started the scan was two FAT thighs, they already look ripe for squeezing!

what are you looking at? See his little eye open?





P.S. just a little FYI- I have officially gained back every single pound I lost, plus 2... And, I had a little scare with my blood pressure last week (it was reading 135/85 which is high for me) and this week was much better 125/72. Turns out I was ALOT anxious and a little dehydrated.