How is this possible?

Answered prayer

A while ago I shared some prayer requests. And as my sister pointed out, they were all answered in ways that (this should not be surprising) were better than I had imagined! So, I wanted to thank any of you who joined me in praying for the birth of our new little guy, and let you know how awesome His answers were:

First was for Grammy, Grampy, Seth & Luke: Well, G&G got called in a little earlier than expected and probbaly had to wing it a little more than expected, but I think my parents survived the experience. And I think the boys had a great time! As far as the boys coming to the hospital - because I wasn't sick the boys were able to come up around lunchtime Saturday and meet their new little brother. And, oh were they excited!

Next was for David: He was awesome! He had worked hard all day Friday getting things at work in order so he could take off after the baby came and I'm sure he was looking forward to relaxing Friday night and Saturday. Of course, adrenaline kicked in somewhere around the time we started throwing things in a bag to head to the hospital Friday night. But he was great. Never seemed queasy, at least not that I knew of, and he just patted my shoulder during the beginning of surgery and until Max was here. Then he took pictures of him (I couldn't see into the bassinet/warmer) and showed them to me while we were still in the OR. He slept in my hospital room for 3 nights. Not comfy, I'm sure, but it was really nice to have him there.

Baby Max: He is wonderful! I am so very thankful that he arrived healthy. I don't take this for granted.

Hospital staff: Let's just say that I LOVE the anesthesiologist! I know it is not coincidence that he listened to me and to my past experiences and came up with a plan based on that. And it worked. REALLY worked. Remember, with Seth I threw up more than 12 hours and with Luke at least 7 hours after the c-sect. With Max, I gagged one time. And that was Saturday morning after I tried to eat oatmeal (the only thing on the "liquid diet" that seemed like breakfast; I detest oatmeal and should've just gone with chocolate pudding, nevermind that it was 8AM!). Not only was the anesthesiologist great, but my next favorite doctor after my own doctor was on call that night. My doctor was the one to see me in the hospital both Saturday morning and Sunday morning. And finally, a friend of mine is a nurse and she was there when I got there Friday night and was there part of Sunday too.

And finally, as for me: I've already mentioned that I did not get sick. It was wonderful! Plus, I love that Max's birthday wasn't actually chosen by a doctor, but by Max. In addition to that, I didn't have to spend Saturday anticipating the c-section on Sunday.

So, all that to say, God is so good!

Daddy is so cool

Alternately titled, "Wow, Mommy, you are so boring!" Okay, but cut me a little slack here people. I've either been puking, huge, or recovering for nine (plus) months. Yeah, not sure what excuse to use now...

But, the boys thoroughly enjoyed Daddy's time off. I think I'm the practical one who thinks things through. David though is the one who just does it. Nevermind what the aftermath of giving a two year old a garden hose and a sand table looks like (baths before lunch, just if you're interested). But they loved all the time outdoors and the crazy things David came up with to entertain them (or wear them out so we could ALL nap in the afternoon).

Max, enjoying some time outside - well-shaded, sleepy time.

The three oldest boys, ready for some fun in the sun.

Luke, after sliding down the slide into the pool

Seth, jumping out of the pool.
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Day 2 - this time with the sprayer on the hose, rather than the pool!

They all had so much fun. Maybe this was why I was dreading Dave going back to work?

things I thought would be important...

I spent SO much time getting ready, or at least trying to get ready, for the arrival of wonderful new baby. But it is SO funny to look back at what I thought would be so very important, that turned out not to matter at all!

For one, matchy matchy big brother/little brother t-shirts. I know, Luke's should say "middle brother" but he's now a big brother (and they didn't sell a matching "middle brother") so the two older boys both have older brother shirts. I went on an extensive waddling tour of the southside of town to find these shirts. Max is 3 weeks old today. No one has worn their shirts yet. I thought I would want to do this at the hospital. Then I realized I would have to dress Max in the shirt and preserve it until the pictures were taken (he really enjoys spitting up) and that I wasn't really mobile enough to jump up and snap pictures anyway. Now it needs to happen before Max outgrows his shirt!

Another, my perfectly stocked ipod. I spent a lot of time picking music (not just for the hospital), even downloading some stuff for the boys and a game for me. Not sure if I forgot I was having a c-section and wouldn't be hanging out in labor for 12 hours or what! Or maybe I forgot that afterward I would have a new baby to feed and love on, rather than playing a game on my ipod. The ONLY thing we used it for - to look at the pictures of the other two little guys and decide who Max looks more like. Oh, and I would say that people who looked at the pictures and looked at Max were split pretty evenly. So, I guess it wasn't even useful for that!

Third, pacifiers. I picked out, purchased, and sterilized some adorable pacifiers. It's a new brand. Comparably priced to the brand we used with the other two boys so I justified that, while they were pretty cute, it wasn't really a splurge. Until, of course, I sterilized the first package and realized they didn't have handles on them. Then I freaked out as I figured I would be alone in the hospital with the baby and knock the paci on the floor and not be able to get up yet and have to call a nurse to get a paci off the floor and rinse it off, etc. SO, then I had to go and buy a second package of this brand of pacifiers but with handles. (I'd already sterilized the first, I couldn't take them back!). Umm, yeah, Max detests them.

And finally, preparing like I was going to be at the hospital for days on end. It seriously turned into a little weekend. I had Seth on a Saturday night and I think I went home Wednesday(?). So, I just thought we would go in Sunday morning and come Wednesday or early Thursday. Instead, we went in Friday evening and came home around noon on Monday. I am NOT complaining but it was like Max's doctor and my doctor came in Monday morning and threw us out and immediately the room was abuzz with discharge nurses and baby photographers, etc. I never even got to eat my breakfast - and the nurse was withholding my pain meds until I had something in my stomach!

Anyway, it just goes to show that nothing is really all that important except meeting and loving on that baby! Everything else just sorta takes care of itself!

A very busy weekend...

Mommy and Max on his non-scheduled birthday


Dave introducing Max to the older boys

Not this weekend or last weekend, and not Memorial Day weekend, but the weekend before promised to be very busy! We knew our baby was scheduled to be born mid-morning on Sunday, May 23rd. I know - on a Sunday? Yes, my doctor was to be at the hospital that day anyway and I would be exactly 39 weeks pregnant so that was the plan.

And we had things to do still to get ready. I spent the first part of the week cleaning the upstairs. I started cleaning the downstairs but lost interest partway through the week. I made sweet tea and homemade cinnamon rolls and did laundry. And made sure the boys were fed (over and over again).

My list for Saturday looked something like this: eat cinnamon rolls; tidy the house (again); wipe up the bathrooms which were cleaned earlier in the week; clean the downstairs; pack hospital bags for me, David, and the baby; paint my nails; David wanted to mow the grass; buy Seth some sandals for summer; take pictures of the boys kissing my belly; and finish it all up early enough Saturday to just spend some time hanging out with the boys in the evening - our last night as a family of four.

So, when Dave got home a little early Friday afternoon and the boys were refusing to sleep - just being really loud and rowdy in their room - I thought maybe we should go ahead and go shop for Seth's shoes and get that done. Dave and I headed up the stairs and I grabbed the basket of the boys' laundry I had just folded. Dave said he would carry it for me. I made a comment about the worst thing that might happen is that my water could break and I could not have to try and sleep for 2 more nights this large and miserable. Ha ha ha. Silly me. But apparently I wasn't that excited at the prospect as I let Dave have the laundry basket.

But as I put the clothes away it became quite evident that the baby wanted to pick his own birthday, whether I had carried that basket of laundry up the stairs or not! I wonder what Seth thought as we had just told him that we were going to go buy him shoes and in 10 seconds we changed our minds and were hustling around a little like crazy people (remember how packing the hospital bag was on Saturday's list?).

I called my parents, dad was at home and headed right over, and mom was on her way home from work and came staight to my house. Once dad got there and we sent the boys downstairs David and I threw my stuff into a bag (I had started packing and had a list but couldn't find a pen so it was that annoying, repeatedly-reading-the-list-to-see-what-the-next-missing-item-was).

And the rest is history - basically my water broke at 5pm, we got to the hospital at 6pm and our new baby was born via c-section at 9pm - 37 hours before the scheduled c-section. Dave left for awhile to go home and pack his bag, which gave my parents and sister a chance to come up and meet Max. Feel free to ask my mom and Gretch about their time in the supply closet! And both kept saying how great I looked (which was really just code for "Hey, you're not puking yet!" More on that in a future post.).