countdown to Matthew!

There are six and a half weeks until September which will bring much needed relief to the blistering hot 100's of the Texas summer.

There are 5 weeks until Austin starts the first grade.

There are three and a half weeks until this summer session is over for me and 6 weeks until my fall semester starts.

I have been pregnant now for 37 weeks.

There is only one week until sweet Matthew makes his debut into the world.

ONE WEEK PEOPLE. Then I get to see this face in person :)

Today we had an ultrasound and he is measuring 8lbs 2oz and we got to see lots of practice breathing. He is head down but sunny side up still. He really likes this position! Also she has one heck of a time getting these pictures as he is deeply nestled into my placenta and won't budge. Already a stubborn one, ha! The tech said he favors Ej and I have to agree. We will see though. In one week. ONE WEEK.

Sweet Matthew we are almost ready for you. Can not believe 9 months went by this quickly. Time surely does fly. I love you little boy and can't wait to meet you!

Also, I will spare you a belly picture. I have gained 40 pounds and it is just scary at this point! No need to scare anyone!

a little glimpse

I have two papers due by tonight so I am busy working on those and Adam has the boys for the day. I am rocking in the rocking chair that I had to move in front of the computer. The other chair was not cutting it! And when you look like this:

It is hard to get comfy! Matthew is still safe inside and wiggling up a storm today. He really likes my ribs. Really.

I can not believe in 3.5 weeks I will be holding him on the outside. Looking into his eyes for the first time. I just can't believe it.

We are ready for him as I have officially finished baby prep 2011. Crazy!

And he has the hiccups right now as I type :)

Funny how God works and how everything comes full circle. How when we think we are at our limit, we get pushed over the edge and get to experience a whole new level of growth.

School is going alright. Stressful sometimes, but going. I finish up this first session on the 8th and then the second summer session begins the 12th. Then Matthew will come the 27th. All in a days work ;)

Okay well it is back to work for me. Tomorrow I don't have school and will enjoy a wonderful 4th with my family. So thankful.

Hope you all have a happy 4th of July!!

brotherly love

And the smallest brother at 34 weeks! Only 4 more weeks until there are THREE brothers. Then my heart just may explode....

bees, my belly, and the cutest little boys ever

We ended up having a really great Memorial day! We grilled at Adam's place and had steaks, corn, and potato salad. We also had chips with guacamole (my favorite!), queso, veggie tray, fruit with fruit dip, and strawberry short cake for dessert! I really love food these days as you will get to see in my belly picture! :)

Yesterday the boys and I decided to go out and play on the trail with side walk chalk. It was blistering hot but we had fun. After we came in, a bee that had hitched a ride in my shirt, stung me. I just had been stung a couple weeks ago and had a severe reaction so this time I drove straight to the Dr. By the time I got there I couldn't even breathe, but after a shot of epi and some meds, I was good as new. Now I have to carry around an epi pen and pray the bees stay away from me! But the trip was worth it since I got some cute photos of my boys!

I try to take them somewhere  everyday as we tend to get cabin fever. It is getting more and more difficult though as the weather heats up and as I get bigger. My sciatic and round ligament pain is pretty bad these days. I only have eight more weeks though! Yikes! My summer classes start on monday and I am trying to get everything finished before then. Matthew's clothes, bedding, and diapers are all washed and ready. I think I am just about finished with Matthew prep! Just have to knock off a couple more things on my to do list.

Oh and I have to share!!!!! Ej is fully weaned! It has been 2 weeks now and he is doing so great. He doesn't even ask anymore and since he has weaned he has been sleeping through the night for the first time ever. It only took 28 months! Now if only I could sleep through the night, Ha!

Also ECI came yesterday and EJ was evaluated to see if he needs therapy. He is about a year behind emotionally and in speech. Cognitive and physical development is only a few months behind. Basically, they think all the delay is due to his medical issues and the year he was very sick. No long term cause and no autism diagnosis. Basically, none of the news was surprising to me. I knew he was a little behind in speech and in emotional development. However I am relieved to hear that they believe he will completely catch up in 6 months-to a year! He starts therapy next week and will have it every other week. With everything that could have been, I praise God for what is!

This is turning out to be a longer post that I anticipated, so I will just share my big ole 30 week belly and leave you with that scary image! Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

so grateful!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Easter weekend! The boys and I decorated eggs yesterday and had a blast! Some were broken by someones chubby little toddler hands, but that's just details that only make that day sweeter. The truth is that those boys are my light and the thing I am most thankful and grateful for. I am so excited for tomorrow!

Although I strive to teach the boys what Easter is really about (and I feel as if I am doing a good job at this) we still do the Easter bunny and the boys will both be getting a basket and plenty of goodies :) I can't wait to see their faces tomorrow morning! Holidays have the most amazing meaning now that I have children. Seeing it through their eyes is so priceless.

I am planning on making chicken cacciatore tomorrow and lots of yummy cream cheese cupcakes! Can you tell I am pregnant, Ha! Our weekly dinner menu is pretty crazy these days thanks to a certain little one residing in my belly.

Speaking of Matthew, he is growing right on track and I have gained a total of 18 pounds now. Yikes! Those cupcakes will be my undoing! I am 24.5 weeks now and I can feel him constantly. I can not believe God has blessed with with all these beautiful boys!
Here is my belly pic from today. Sorry for how blurry it is!

I am wishing you all the most wonderful Easter tomorrow. We are saved by His death and are given hope by His life. So in awe of a God who loves us that much.

What is in a name?

Well this sweet new babe has a name now! I have enjoyed calling him Elias but knew that we would probably change it at some point. We are known for doing that!
So without further ado,

Matthew means God's gift and Ryan means little king. I think it is perfect for our sweet little boy! And unless something huge and drastic occurs, this will be his name! So excited! He really is a gift from God!

long days, really long nights

Well it is almost 7pm and EJ is still asleep from his afternoon nap and I have decided to let him sleep.
Last night was rough to say the least and ended up with us rushing off to the ER again.

Ej has been sick since February and was diagnosed with strep and we had that treated. Then he got a cold and a nasty sinus infection, and again, we had that treated. Now it is settling into his chest and my poor sweet little toddler can not stop coughing and can not breathe. We are on albuterol every four hours and he just finished a z pack. Last night however, he woke me up at 2am and couldn't breathe. He was wheezing and his whole body was jerking trying to breathe. This lasted three hours and off we went. After him coughing a ton of yuck up and throwing it up in my car, he finally was able to breathe better and rest. We got home later this morning and he has been put on some other different meds as well. It is looking more and more like he is following in his moms and brother footsteps and will have asthma as well.

So anyways he went down for a nap at 2 this afternoon and I have every intention of letting that little babe sleep. Hoping beyond hope of course that that means I get to sleep tonight :) Running on about 4 hours wears me down. Is anyone else not a nap taker though? I tried so hard to take a nap with him and I can just not nap! Hopefully we will sleep well tonight. Deep breathe in.......................Okay better.

On a totally different note I had my big anatomy scan today as well. Elias is measuring right on track and looked great! We changed my due date again and I will actually be delivering in July instead of August! How exciting! Some days feel like they are so long, some nights feel even longer, but this pregnancy seems to be flying by! I am now past my half way point and I can not believe it! I can feel him moving everyday now and you can feel and see him move from the outside. Austin got to feel last night and he loves it! Both boys will rub my belly and tell little Eli that they love him. It is so sweet! I have gained 8 pounds so far which is pretty good considering I gained 40 total with each of the boys. But we will see what I end up at! Ha!

***Okay so EJ just woke up and he has a fever. If he still has a fever in the morning we have to go back to Children's. Deep breathe*****

Alright I better go love on my little one. If you can spare a prayer, pray he gets better soon please! Three weeks+ is a long time for a little one to be so sick....

hope is still here

It has been a long couple of weeks. The boys and I are trying hard to get our new routine down, and I will say, some days it is difficult being the lone ranger. That is my reality though right now and I am embracing it. If it takes the bad to get the good, I will take it all. And when you have two little boys who adore you, and a third rolling around inside, it is hard not to see the good. To see the beauty of this new season. To see the hope that lies where it was least expected. Hope and beauty....two thing that are so abundant in this trying time. And I am thankful to the One who gives sustenance when it is needed most.

We went to the Arboretum today and it was wonderful. EJ screamed for about 2 hours straight while he desperately fought a nap, but besides that we had a blast. And beauty? Oh.my.word. there was beauty!
Behold......
















Truly all of nature speaks His name!

On a random note, I received my official  acceptance letter from TWU today and I am enrolling in classes for the summer. I am really going to try to get online classes since I will be 8-9 months pregnant and waddling around a college campus isn't my idea of a lot of fun! I will let you know!
Also Elias is 19 weeks along now and that marks our official half way point (since I deliver at 38 weeks)!! Can you believe it? I sure can't! Here is a belly shot Austin took with my iphone. And yes he cut my head off :)

I think it is safe to say I am huge and I feel every bit of it too. The funniest part of pregnancy is the random comments you get from strangers. I just can not believe what comes out of some peoples mouths!

I know I am lacking in pictures of the boys but I promise my next post will have lots of pictures. Or I will try! Photographing lightning like children is never easy ya know ;) Until then sweet friends!

Sweet little Elias!! (and a belly shot)

Here is my sweet little boy at 13 weeks! It was confirmed he is definitely all boy and I am so excited to have another. I think three boys will be perfect for our family :)
So far, his name is Elias Matthew. We all know Adam and I are prone to change the name a couple of times until finally settling but I really like Elias and hope it sticks! It means "the Lord is my God" and I love that!
I have been feeling some slight movement for a little while and can not wait till he gets bigger and can really kick. I have gained a few pounds now but I am not too worried. I gained 40 with each of the other boys and have always lost it after. Hopefully this will go the same way. I will share a belly pic but it is not the best. I just snapped it with my iphone after my shower.

Here is the belly~ (I'll try to get a better soon!)

 And here is my little love~

Can't believe I have hit the 2nd trimester already. My nausea is almost completely gone and my energy is finally back. I am finally starting to enjoy this! So blessed!

what did the mommy tomato say to the baby tomato?

Catch up :)
And that is exactly what I am in desperate need of. The lack of attention I have given my blog lately is just horrible and I apologize! But now that I feel human again, I can't wait to...well....catch up :)

This winter has not been to kind in terms of illness for us. We have been bombarded with one case of the sickies after another. That on top of morning sickness and pregnancy fatigue, and me having to get stitches (yikes!), I had to pull away to tend to others things. Things seem to be settling down now and I am so thankful for that! Feeling good after a long winter is so nice and refreshing. You know what else is refreshing? Seeing this sweet face playing in today's snow....









Well until he fell and ate quite a bit of said snow...


But we cleaned him up and he was ready to keep going!








Sweet Austin was busy building a snow man while I was snapping pics but I managed to sneak one in :) That boy does not like getting his photo taken!

My two sweet boys! I just can not believe we will adding another to the mix! 

Speaking of our newest little one, we are growing right along! I will be 14 weeks on tuesday and I had an ultrasound at 12 weeks and the baby looked good. I have my NST on monday and will post pictures then. Also we might get a sneak peek of the gender then too! How fun!   We have started planning for the little "squishy", as Austin calls the baby, and I am redoing the boys room. They will be getting a complete room makeover and I will share that with you as it progresses! We also are getting some new things for the baby that I will also share. I love redecorating and organizing! The only room I have never cared for organizing is an office. So much paperwork and clutter. Maybe if I had a large office and some modern office furniture it would be better!Anyways, I am glad to catch up and I won't be such a stranger from now on! Promise!ps. I do have some giveaways coming up so keep an eye out for that!! :)

Surprise! My early Christmas gift!

Surprise!

Oh boy (or girl), Here we go again!!!

We had our first OB appointment yesterday and there was our "bun" with a healthy heart beat of 128bpm. I am not due till August so we have a ways to go!

If you could keep us in your prayers for a healthy uneventful pregnancy and the strength and peace to handle three kiddos ;)

I am back on my lovenox injections, prometrium, and vivelle dot patches. I am also on Zofran to try to help with some serious morning sickness. I sure hope that part passes quickly! I miss food!

I can not believe we are doing this again so soon, and it still doesn't seem real. I know that it will sink in soon enough. And I know God's plan is perfect and what He brings you to, He will bring you through! So meet bun, our third and final :)

20 months

20 months ago I discovered this, you!

Every possible emotion rushed through me. I was so very excited and more than a little nervous. This was the start of my eighth pregnancy after all. But, I was covered in a peace and a joy that the Lord had given me. I knew everything would be okay. I knew you would make it into my arms. If only I had known everything you would bring!

5 weeks 5 days I believe. We were able to see your heart beat and you measured perfectly!

Here we were at the Peri's office at about 22 weeks! You weighed a little more than one pound here! This is where we found out you were a boy!!

Here we were at about 35 weeks. Look at your cheeks!!!
I was so excited, so thrilled. Overjoyed!

Daddy cutting the cord!!
My labor was long (24 hours total) but easy and very enjoyable!! We played games and told stories while we waited for you! Then finally we were ready, and three pushes later, you were born!!
February 10, 2010 was the day you changed our lives!

You had a rough start due to you being born with pneumonia. You were taken away mere hours after your birth to Children's hospital which was three hours away. I had to wait to be discharged the next morning. That night I was so scared we were going to loose you. I prayed for you and I started to learn all about real faith.



Daddy got to hold you for the first time! Your big brother was so excited to meet you!

He loves you so much! We couldn't wait to bring you home!

You did come home! I couldn't have imagined the love you would bring into our home!


Second month!

In this month your jaundice was fading and your little personality was starting to emerge! You started sleeping better and were more awake! I love this face you made!




Third month!

You were getting over the most of your health issues by this point and life had fallen into a beautiful rhythm. You were really close to sleeping through the night and were such a sweet baby. A snuggler from the start, you spent most of your time in the sling.

Your first Easter!

Fourth month!

This month was filled with happiness!! We moved to Texas, you were rolling around, sleeping through the night in your own crib, babbling, and starting solids! You were such a joy!




Fifth month!

This month you were really coming into your own! Laughing and playing all the time! You started saying "night-night" and dada! Eating was going great and your favorite thing was applesauce! You loved your big brother and would just smile and smile!


Sixth month!

This month was so easy going! You were happy almost all of the time. Still in good health, we just enjoyed everything the day brought! Learning how to say mama made my heart almost explode!




Seventh month!

This is the month that we struggled for the first time with some illness. We struggled to get you to eat, but besides that you were still your sweet loving self. You had a passion for the outdoors and were sitting up all by yourself. You loved to play with your toys!


Eighth month!

You spent a lot of this month in the hospital! You remeber when I said while you were in the NICU, I was learning about faith? Well I needed it more than ever this month. There were times when I didn't think you would make it. You were so very sick. But I gave it to Jesus and I thank you, my sweet baby, for teaching me to trust...


Ninth month!

We came home and we were confronted by our new normal. Things had changed quite a bit and it was a period of adjustment. I was so very thankful for every day, no every moment with you. My baby...

We spent more time at the hospital too...


Tenth month!

This month was a huge catch up month for you! You finally started pulling yourself up, pushing your self into a sitting position, talking again, and over all started to stabilize. Your army crawling is precious! Your eating picked up and you were gaining weight! I was so proud of you!!! We did spend a day in the hospital for an infection, but were very lucky you did so well!!!

This picture makes me laugh! You are so excited!

Eleven months!

Last month was amazing! Your full personality was bubbling to the surface and I was amazed! You were crawling with your tummy off the floor and cruising very well. You were becoming very vocal and have no issues yelling for attention!! You were still very attached to mommy and daddy but we didn't mind! Eating was no longer an issue and you would inhale three large meals a day plus nurse like a champion! You started sorting your toys and you loved to do puzzles and read!


Twelve glorious months!!!!!!!
What can I say to truly do you justice? This year, this amazing year, has left me almost speechless. I love you more than you could ever imagine. You are still crawling like an olympian and your cruising is so confident. You will be walking soon I know it! You have three teeth on the bottom but two on top are poking through. You talk all the time, you love to color, you like to explore, play with Austin, you can point to your eyes and say "eyes" and you also know your nose and mouth. You laugh all the time, love kisses and snuggles, and you favorite thing is your silky blanket. You love all your toys especially your new mailbox and all your balls. You LOVE to play ball! You eat constantly. Seriously! You love anything! You hate being changed and being dressed. You always have! You want to go go go!! I still wear you in the sling and I love to rock you and to read to you. This morning when you woke up, I picked you up and kissed all over your cheeks, remember? What you didn't know is that I inhaled so deeply so that I could permanently lock away your smell. I love to nuzzle into you and just breathe. Everything in life becomes calmer and just...better. You make my life better. You are my light, my love. You are my beautiful blue eyed masterpiece. My angel. You have taught me so much. I have grown so much. You are so strong and so magnificent. I can't imagine life without you. I wish I could just hold you forever. How are you already ONE year old? How does that happen? Thank you for a year I will never forget. Thank you for choosing me to go on this journey with...
Love you so much- Mommy







who is the birthday boy????

I am!!


Sorry for the quality of pics! I had some interesting issues uploading! I guess thats why the sizing is off! Also, yes, EJ does have a snotty nose. Poor baby has been sick with a cold for a solid week. These were his presents from his grandma!! Thank you so much Cheryl!!
I can't wait for his party tomorrow!!!!!! Happy Birthday EJ!!!!