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Family Update

It has been way too long since I blogged about me, Jon, and my big kids, oops! So, I figured it was time. And, you know I'm gonna talk about Cam too, can't leave him out! Here goes:

Me!
I am slowly but surely figuring out how to juggle me, marriage, 4 big kids, 1 little kid and a whole lotta etcetera. For sure getting a good nights sleep and the SUN coming out helps as does getting out. I have been very reluctant to get the baby out but the last 10 days I have gone to lunch (thanks Barb), 2 birthday parties and a trunk or treat. Being able to fit into my "skinnier" jeans, put on makeup and socialize has helped my mood tremendously. I feel like I whine alot and I apologize but I am still in shock! I had gone so many years set in my ways and used to the dynamics of our family of 6 that is has been an adjustment. But I am managing. I have had to laugh instead of cry, leave stuff undone and just relax. Life is too short and precious to make mountains out of molehills. I am blessed beyond measure and I am so thankful for that.

Jon!
Jon is picking up lots of slack for me I guess you could say. He is doing lots of errands and grocery shopping, things I would normally do. He lets me out here and there (that sounds bad) to get a pedicure or piddle around Target but it's stressful for him since Cam is a titty baby and screams the whole time I'm gone. I was able to get 4 bottles of breastmilk pumped and frozen for emergencies only, but Jon already used them up... for the baby. I appreciate him way more than I say and he is a great husband and father. It is pretty cool to be able to see the love he has for me and the kids just by the way he looks at us. I know that he is stressed and worries about supporting us, but he doesn't let it show. He is pretty cool, I think I'll keep him.

Chan
Oh Chan Man. What can I say? He is my big teddy bear. Boy is he ever laid back though. I won't say lazy but... He is STILL undecided about college and will more than likely get his feet wet in the adult world by attending a local college for a 2 year degree first. I am not sure if he wants to move out as soon as he graduates or not, I refuse to have that conversation. The thought of my first baby birdy leaving the nest is not a topic I wish to discuss. He did have two more medical mishaps since I last blogged- a dislocated elbow and a sprained MCL. Which means he got to play a whopping TWO football games his Senior year of high school. I know he is bummed but I am hoping he can focus that energy on getting super good grades instead. We'll see!

Hunter
Hunter is my other teddy bear. He is a cool kid and I have really enjoyed chatting with him lately. He and I have gone on a few errands together and found ourselves home alone a couple of times and have had the chance to catch up which has been great. He is growing up right before my eyes, as a matter of fact he is taller than me now! He is taking a hiatus from BMX and is getting interested in football again. Too bad the season is almost over... He had a small glitch for awhile in the form of X-Box Live, which he wanted to play all the time and it was affecting his moods and whatnot so we had a long talk and I have nipped that problem in the bud. I can't believe he is gonna be in high school next year! Holy Cow!

Chloe
Oh my pretty girl! She is growing up way too fast. I look back at photos of her from a year ago and can't believe my eyes! She is soo beautiful! And, she is in love with her baby brother. She was super bummed when she found out he was a HE and it took her a few days to warm up to him but now- she is mommy #2 around here. She changes diapers like a champ, talks to him, makes little videos of him on her camera and generally is a huge help. She has been honing her gymnastics skills like you would not believe. She was on a competitive team when she was 5 but got burned out really quick from the constant practices but thankfully she was able to stay strong. She has now taught herself how to do a standing backtuck and has almost perfected her aerial. She has also been hanging out with friends at their houses and has even gone to the mall and a parade without her mommy. She has anxiety and would normally never go anywhere without me or Jon. She is changing and growing so much. I am so proud of her.

Hayden
He is my little buddy. We have always been pretty close since he was born. I quit my job to stay home with him almost 8 years ago and I have enjoyed every minute. He was bumped from being Mommy's Littlest Boy when Camden was born and I think he is handling it ok. There are moments when I can tell he is frustrated at me and I feel so bad. He has even told me that I have been mean to him since the baby came and that makes me feel an inch tall. I have tried to be more patient and loving towards him, the last thing I want is for him to feel as if he was replaced. In addition to his mean mommy our neighbors just moved and they had twin 7 year old girls that he played with every day, I know he is gonna miss them BAD. Poor baby. He is so sweet and has a huge heart and I am so glad he is mine. I am gonna try super hard to make his birthday next month extra special.

Camden
Oh the baby boy! He is changing soo much it's nuts! He is smiling more and more and I am pretty sure he has a little dimple. He is rolling over from front to back which is way too soon. He has had a few rough nights where he stayed up all night long, that was not fun at all! He has yet to sleep a full night in his crib preferring instead to be tucked up next to me with a boob for a pillow. I am still seeing red in his hair which is just odd. None of my kids have red hair or dimples.... I am so glad he is here. He makes our whole family smile!

And that's it for now. I am trying to limit my time on the computer, so I won't be blogging as much. Not that I had been anyway! I feel better when I accomplish more around the house and one nursing session with the laptop open can last way too long. Keep reading though. And I might add new pics eventually....

Facebook status update rejects

Ashley Anderson Myers-

wonders if the kids would notice if I put breastmilk in their cereal

never thought she'd have crusty old lady heels... but alas it happened

is so glad Camden doesn't complain about her never ending morning breath

would love to go to the bathroom minus the audience, namely a cat and 6 week old baby

can't believe she found a hair that LONG under her armpit!

Dolly Parton eat your heart out...

is hoping that by not shaving my legs I'll stay warmer in winter...

found a Dorito in her bra, but is ok with it since it means she got lunch and so did Camden

smells like spit-up and is totally cool with it

wonders how many times she has flashed her children a breast...

is starting to sympathize with Pigpen from The Peanuts cartoon

thinks her butt is becoming fused to the couch and that she is quite possibly developing a bad case of "Secretary Spread"

Thinks she heard the cat call her Wide-Load

All the single ladies...

Hey girls. My name is Camden McCay and I am 5 weeks old. I weigh about 11 pounds and am gaining weight by the second. I just recently rolled over from front to back (scared me half to death at first) and I smile and coo at whomever will talk to me. I am thinking I am gonna have sandy blond hair with my mommy's red highlights when it grows in all the way. I already have a receding hairline but give me time. I'll have thick, luxurious, run your fingers through my hair locks in no time. I love warm milk and typical of all men- I am a boob man. I make no apologies for that, I can't help myself. Powdered milk and rubber nipples, no thank you. I am a snacker and eat every hour, but only for 15 minutes at a time. The other 45 are open to cooing, smiling, cuddling and whatever else your heart desires. I enjoy long walks in my stroller and dinner by candlelight, ok nightlight. My mom thinks my neck is ultra cuddly and kissable, especially when I am freshly bathed and don't smell like spit-up. What? I have a sensitive tummy. And, I hope you don't mind- but I still crash at my parent's place. They have a giant king size bed and mine just seems cold and lonely. I like to cuddle with my mommy and she is my first love. Also, this needs to be said, much like a typical boy- I'm gassy... I realize this is alot to take in, but I am worth it. Promise. So, if you're under age 1 and would like to chill- call, text or email me.

Crazy... but true!

Today me, Jon, and Camden went to the hospital to see our friend Shawna's new baby. We snuck in past all hospital authority figures since we had a baby with us. With the flu going around lots of places like doctor's offices and hospitals are very strict on visitors. We stayed a little over an hour after which we headed out to grab lunch before we had to get Hayden. We left through the double doors that go in and out of the maternity ward, the same way we came in. Outside of maternity was a little foyer with restrooms and such and then a big waiting area past the foyer. When we were leaving we passed an older woman who was in regular business attire but she had on her hospital ID. She glanced at us, said good afternoon, and proceeded into the maternity area. Jon took the baby, my diaper bag and purse and went to the foyer while I went to wait for the restroom to be available. I hadn't been there a minute when the double maternity doors flew open and the same lady I saw before came rushing out, very frantic. She saw me standing there and proceeded to scan the hallway and foyer area like she was looking for someone. Then she saw me. That's when she started to grill me, and she was puzzled AND worried, you could see it in her face. She asked me why I was there, was I visiting someone, was that my baby, where was the baby at, how old was the baby, etc etc. I looked at her kinda odd and answered all of her questions: I was there to see a friend who just had a baby, yes the other baby was mine, he was 5 weeks old, he was with my husband in the foyer (thank goodness Jon walked into sight at that exact moment) and she was more than welcome to go look at him. I told her he was little (she said she noticed that) but was obviously not brand new. I also told her his circumcision and belly button were all healed up, which no brand new baby would have healed from already. She still looked kinda worried but as I answered her questions she seemed to calm down a bit. And after all was said and done all she said was that she thought maybe their security system that rings an alarm and shuts down every entry/exit door was on the fritz... not an apology or anything. And, while I think it's great that she was aware and doing her job it would have been nice if she had apologized or something!! It was very embarrassing as there were several other people in the foyer as well. When we were walking out I kept expecting security to tackle us or something... Seriously though, I think I'll stay home for a little while longer. Or at least I will steer clear of the maternity/newborn area of all local hospitals.

Birth Story Part 2 (long long long)

So, where was I? Oh yeah, my OB wanted to check my progress so he left the room and I dropped trou. And then he came back in and he checked me. And it hurt really alot. And, I was a whopping 3... THREE! I knew it. I knew I wasn't more than a 4 at most. He told me to go straight to the hospital. Wow, panic much? I told him that wasn't possible as I had to go get my hubby, my bag and drop the kids off at the sitter's. I told him the earliest I could get there would be in at least an hour maybe two. I knew I had things to do and it would take longer than he would have liked. Grudgingly he said OK and off I went. To Target. What? I knew we needed cat food and stuff for a quick dinner, since my mom would be with the kids. And, history repeated itself- I stopped and held onto my cart and breathed through contractions. They were still coming at 5 minute intervals and boy did I get ALOT of stares. The checkout girl told me I was nuts and brave. Wasn't that sweet of her? Anyway, I got in my car and called Jon and told him to get ready and I headed home. Of course I got stuck in 3 school zones, behind 2 school buses AND a tractor on a two lane road. I could have passed it but I couldn't see past all the dust he was kicking up. It took me 10 minutes longer than normal to drive home!

Once inside I had Chloe load my bags and the car seat in the van and Hayden helped her put the groceries away, while I did a load of laundry and took out some trash. This whole time Jon was panicking and it was cute and funny. I don't think I've ever seen him so fidgety and nervous and sweaty! He kept thinking I was gonna drop the baby out on the kitchen floor or something. Obviously he has forgotten I don't labor that way, I dawdle. Finally I got in the car and we headed out stopping to drop the kids at Erin's. Jon wanted to let them run in but I went in to say hi and grab a bottle of water. He was getting more nervous by the second and finally got in the car and I believe he may have honked. I was still having every 5 minute contractions but they weren't that bad. Finally we were on our way and when we got to the hospital Jon was annoyed that I didn't want to be dropped off but instead would park and walk with him. We go upstairs and get the last and smallest delivery room available. Of course. That has happened to me with 3 out of 5 kids. I met my nurse and she told me to get dressed in a gown and she would get my IV started. I chose to pace the room for awhile. I was dreading being stuck in bed for who knew how long. After 30 minutes or so I took a quick sponge bath and put on my gown and climbed in bed.

My nurse came in, (it was nearing 6:00 I believe) started my IV and bid me good luck as she was headed home. The new nurse was AWESOME! She was super sweet and I just knew it was gonna a smooth ride. Sorta. As soon as I got the IV of fluids and antibiotic started and the fetal monitor on my contractions intensified but were still only 5 minutes apart. And, I was miserable. When she came in to look in on me I begged her to check me because it had been almost 2 hours (it was 8:00 now) of non stop pain and I was POSITIVE I was at a 6 or 7. I hadn't been checked once at that point which I found odd. Anyway, I was still a THREE!! Crap! I decided at that point that an epidural was in order if I was gonna survive labor. I was really really mad at myself at that point because I had grand plans to have an unmedicated delivery and I wasn't even gonna let my OB break my water. Hah! The anesthesiologist couldn't come quick enough. When he came in I told him about all my back problems and he said he would try his best to make it work. Well, I now know what it feels like to be shot or stabbed or bent in half. The pain from the first (yes first) attempt was worse than any contraction could ever hope to be. When he said "that didn't work I'll have to try again" I almost died. Really I wasn't sure I could go through another attempt. It was horrible. I can't even stress that enough. I have never felt that kind of pain in my life, ever. Evidently my back is really messed up from prior epidurals. I felt pain go down each leg and it was AWFUL! The second try was just as painful but it WORKED! Yeehaw!

After it kicked in Jon and I sat and we and waited. Jon surfing the internet and me texting friends and chilling. At around 8:30 Erin came to visit and brought Jon some smelly Taco Bell for dinner. She stayed for a bit and while she was there my OB came and I let him break my water. And he checked me and I was still a THREE! Wow, I never expected that. I also never expected my doctor to watch Family Guy between talking to me and doing his doctor stuff. At around 10 Erin left and I started to doze and so did Jon. He was snoring soo loud and poor thing was sleeping in the littlest chair I had ever seen. Basically he and I dozed for hours and it was really nice. At midnight I was checked again and was finally a SEVEN, woo hoo. So, back to sleep I went. I would only wake briefly to eat ice chips and tell Jon to shut up! I do remember my nurse coming in alot to hold the monitor on my tummy and have me roll on my sides as his heart rate kept fluctuating so much. At around 1:30 I could feel him in the birth canal or so I think. I am pretty sure he could have been born very soon at that point but I was way too groggy to tell my nurse I felt like pushing. I am thinking it didn't look like I was making much progress on the monitors as my contractions never would peak very high even though they had been coming quicker and quicker. Who knows. I just distinctly remember pressure like when you have to push. I do know he had a bad cone head which doesn't make sense since I only pushed a little before he finally came out. It will forever remain a mystery.

Anyway- back to the story. At around 3:35ish my doctor came in to examine me and I was 10, even though I knew I had been complete for at least a little while. Jon and I were both sooo groggy it didn't seem real at all. I felt like I was drunk or dreaming or both. But man I was ready! We chatted a bit and he had me do a couple of practice pushes. He told me I was a great pusher and the baby would likely come quick. My doctor got dressed and a ton of people from the NICU came in (just in case) as the baby had pooped already. Stinker! Then I started pushing. And, I pushed through 3 whole contractions (which took less than 10 minutes) and out he came at 4:11 am! I couldn't believe he had reddish hair and that he was so fat! It was so surreal as it always is when you deliver a baby. That little thing that was kicking you is there! In the room! And then it begins... the sleep deprivation, the sore boobies, the crying, the yellow poop, the never ending love, the smiles, the bills and on and on and on. And, here we are a month later trying to make it through each day. It's harder than I realized but I am so happy and in love. I am tired and I have bad breath and dowdy clothes. My house is a freakin' hazard. I can't figure which end is up... But I know it gets easier and I also know that before you know it he's a big smelly kid about to fly the nest and I am gonna miss him so bad... For now, I am trying to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy my babies. He is gorgeous and sweet and I think he might want a baby sister....

hahaha, I am totally serious!

breathing through a contraction


falling in love...


checking for red hair!


chillin'


headed home! I wonder if he knew what he was in for?


p.s. read this, an old post I did when all my kiddos went off to school. Little did I know....

Soul Searching

I am not gonna say I'm overwhelmed, even though I'm overwhelmed. And, I figured out why. It's not because I had my 5th child, it's because I don't manage my time well and I don't prioritize. Really what's important day to day? Facebook? I don't think so. Six hour naps? Nope. Watching recorded shows that aren't erased until I erase them? No siree. Basically unless I have somewhere to go I spend my days napping, online or watching the telly, while I nurse the baby. Now that Piggy Flu is rampant and I have a newborn who isn't leaving the house until the pandemic is over, I am in my pj's ALL DAY and I am starting to feel like a LOSER. Yes, there are days when a nap is a necessity like when Cam is up til 4 am. However, I don't need one everyday and I don't need to sleep more than a couple of hours. Then there's the computer. I am on it ALOT. Checking my blog and Facebook and constantly looking at the same lame crap. Other than fun little comments on Facebook and reading blogs, I am wasting a ton of time online. I could look at all my friends blogs and FB in less than 15 minutes a day. When what I am doing is staying on for hours at a time. Have I read my scriptures? No. Have I exercised? No. Is my housework and laundry done? No. Do I feel like I am getting stuck in a rut of feeling down and being lazy? Yes. By the time I get off the computer each day my kids are walking in the door and I am frantically trying to shower and clean and I am usually cranky because I am mad at myself. I deserve better and so do my children. I am not judging those of you who spend time on your computers or lounge in your pj's. I am just saying that for me life could be more than I am making of it. Yes, it's fun to talk to my friends online, scoping out blogs and read cheesy celebrity gossip. But, I am making a habit of doing that each day and not alot else. I don't think I have an addiction, but I do have a bad habit. And I really really want to try and turn over a new leaf. I want to embrace each day and live it to the fullest. Sure, I need to spend some time each day doing chores and cooking but there are so many more things I could do that I am not doing because there's no time. I waste it sitting on my bum. I would love to go for a walk with Camden in the fresh air. I wouldn't mind reading Hayden a story and holding him til he falls asleep. Or going on a date with my big boys and for ice cream with Chloe. I wanna lay under the stars on a blanket and have hot cocoa with my hubby. I wanna have family game night and family prayer and on and on. I am gonna quote a line in a cheesy Miley Cyrus song- life's what you make it so let's make it right. And, that's exactly what I want to do. So, I may not blog or Facebook as much but I still will some and it may take awhile to break the habit. It will be hard and it will require diligence and prayer. And, my main motivation is my kids and my self worth. I really don't think I want to be remembered by my children as the mommy blogger who chats on FB with her friends. I want to be the fun mom who makes her and her family's happiness Numero Uno. Wish me luck.