And All I Hear Is...

...the washing machine! Wow...I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I gave birth to this amazing, laid back, loved baby girl. As I sit here amazed that my house is quiet and all the kids are sleeping I just thank God that he gave me such wonderful children to call mine.

I'm not going to lie, it's is down right chaotic in this house at times and especially when I have my hands tied feeding the baby and Kara is beating up Tyler because she wants the toy, she didn't even know we had until he picked it up, from her brother and then it starts, bottle removed, baby down, baby cries, mommy takes the toy from Tyler and Kara and they both cry, yup...3 crying all at once! What do I do? Laugh! Really, because that's all I can do, I can't cry anymore, this is life and I'm going to make the best of it.

I finally ventured out with all 3 little ones alone yesterday for the first time. I have to tell you that I am so proud of myself I couldn't hardly stand it. We all got up, got dressed and headed out to see Daddy at work in Alex Bay, of course we didn't eat breakfast before we left but I was so impressed with my kids we got "no no's" (donuts) on the way to see Tim. They did really good at Tim's work and really well on the way home, even though I bribed them both with french fries so they would stay awake...I went 1 for 2! Then when Brandon got home I ventured to the Mall with all 4 by myself (I needed a new cell, mine pooped the bed), only minor breakdowns there but I think I only yelled at kids 2 times yesterday...one a piece! I had patience and was calm all day...it was great!

Kara and Tyler smother Alexa with kisses everyday and they can't get enough of her. Tim's partner yesterday at work told Tyler and Kara that she was going to keep Lexi at the station while they went home to take a nap, that did not go over well at all...Kara told her "down" and pointed to the car seat and Tyler started to cry and tried to take Lexi from Christine. It was quite funny, we are so glad that they aren't sitting on her and putting blankets over her head! I've told her that she has to be tough because the two of them aren't going to let her be anything else!

I will be going back to work (YIPPEE) October 19th and we have found the most wonderful babysitter for the girls that I could ever tell you. This lady is a stay at home mother and wife and watches another baby whos mother works for JRC also but only has him in the evenings, we went to meet her and fell completely in love and we are so blessed to call her our sitter!

Meanwhile...Alexa has started to fuss and is hungry!! Ta-ta for now!

Pleased to Announce the Birth of...

ALEXA LOU THOMAS

SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2009

8LBS 10OZ

19 3/4 IN LONG

12:25A.M

Alexa came into the world and our lives haven't been the same since. I admit I wanted her out because I was sick and tired of being pregnant and felt like "crap" the last couple weeks, but now that she's out and we are finally adjusted I can admit, I wanted her back "in" for the first couple days. It has only been 19 months since we've did the "newborn" thing but it was extremely hard getting back into the swing. It didn't help matters that we now have a full house and had to adjust lives of children to the new baby as well.

Alexa is 10 days old today and shes a bundle of joy. All my fears of her older sister sitting on her and thinking she's a dolly are completely nothing what I expected. I sit here in tears and can tell you that Kara is the most amazing person with Alexa than I could ever imagine. She is beyond words amazing with her. If she is out of her sight she will run around the house looking for "lala" Lala has become her nickname as Lulu is Kara's so we have "lala and lulu" in our house. Kara smothers her with kisses at every chance she can get and says "nice" and rubs her head gently.

Alexa's birth was nothing what I expected being 28 hours long from start to finish. I had an ultrasound on Monday the 1st and they anticipated the baby being 8lbs give or take 10% so on Tuesday the 2nd I went into the doctor hoping to hear good news about a possible induction. I was 37 weeks along and was ready to have this baby. He examined me and asked why are you undressed I usually don't check patients until they are at least 38 weeks. I said "I feel funny, can you just do it" along with a pouty lip. He laughed and said I sure can. He checked me, sat up, and smiled and said "your a good 3cm dialated" Start walking and I'll see you next week if not before and he winked! I left there feeling good thinking I would soon have a baby in my arms!!! I came home Tuesday and cleaned like a mad woman and actually mowed the lawn, contracting all the way!! Wedesday came and I cleaned again, got last minute things done. I took Brandon school shopping and contracted like crazy into Kohl's came home, took a nap with the kids, and we went to Brandon's open house at school and went to Pizza Hut for dinner. While at dinner they got intensely worse, but I kept it to myself and didn't tell Tim. I had to return some things at Kohl's so I went in alone and exchanged some things while Tim sat with the kids. I came out and he took one look at me and said "you're in labor aren't you" I started crying and said I'm pretty sure I can't walk anymore at all. We rushed out to a friends house we were house sitting and fed their fish and quickly dropped kids off at 2 different places. Went to the hospital where they hooked me up to see the contractions and said I was 4-5. I started walking the halls when around 1030 my doctor came in and checked me again and said your a good 5cm, we are going to admit you, keep walking through the night and I will be up in the morning to see you. Well miscommunication led me to bed all night and no walking. I got up the next morning, showered and started walking. He came in around 8 to check me and I was at 6...he said I'll be in at lunch time to break your water until then keep walking or get your epidural. Well I walked and walked and walked and he never came in until 7p.m to break my water. I had gotten the epidural around 5ish because the contractions where coming right along. After he broke my water, and turned on pitocin my epidural completely wore off and there was no time for another one, I was pushing my med button like crazy but was feeling every ache and pain and piggy back contraction for 5 hours. At 1130 I was 9 and i started to panic I was scared and going nuts. Right before midnight the nurse came in and checked me again because I was going fast at that point and said "hunny, you're fully dialated but the screaming girl across the hall is fully as well and she starting to crown so keep breathing through your contractions until Dr. Dodard can get back over here to deliver you" I looked at her and I'm telling you right now that if looks could kill that poor woman would have been dead, my response to her was "tell that lady to hurry the hell up then" Right after midnight they came in and I started pushing. This was nothing like Kara's delivery at all. I remember him telling me push, push, push, ok her head is out here come the shoulders...yadda yadda, this birth was push, push, push, here's your baby. She came out so fast I didn't know what hit me. I couldn't believe that I had did it. We were very surpirsed of her weight and joked with the doctor and said "you told me she wasn't ready" If I had gone to 40 weeks I'm pretty sure my delivery story wouldn' t have been anything like this as I'm pretty sure she would have been over 10lbs.

Alexa is healthy and doing well along with everyone else in this household. I'm still debating going back to work because I can't find daycare and won't leave a newborn with just anyone. I want/need a mother/grandmother type person I can trust and they are extrememly hard to come by. Any suggestions please let me know!

God bless all xx00

so...um...yeah

Had the doctors appointment today...and now panic and nervousness has set it. He measured me and looked at me like...I had 4 heads. I'm 34 weeks and 4 days and I'm measuring 38 weeks 1 day. I have gained 13 pounds in 2 weeks, with that being the only weight gain this whole pregnancy, he just looked in disbelief and joked around with me for the most part. He said if I haven't gone in 2 weeks, he will see me back at the office and possibly order an ultrasound to see how big the baby is, if the baby is big the thought of induction is a possiblity. I don't want to be induced but if I can easier plan where the children will be than it will be better. Brandon left today to spend the night with Tim's father who's home from Florida and I told him that I will most likely have this baby while he's at his mothers the next 2 weeks, he wasn't impressed! In a way, I'm hoping that could be better because that's 2 kids I don't have to worry about where they are going...now my other fear is that I will go Labor Day weekend and my mother will be at camp with no cell service and miss the birth!!!! Hopefully she will be here soon!!!

48 days to go

...but really whos counting! I subscribed to babycenter.com and every week on my "weekly time" i get updates on what the baby looks like, what I should expect, etc. I saw on Saturday that there were not many days left and I kind of freaked. It surely is going by fast.

Summer is starting to wind down and I start thinking about school clothes and things for school. I have yet to find a babysitter, so we will even see if I get to go back to work/school. I'm looking for someone actively, but like my search for Fiona, i need to have full trust in this person. Especially now, with a newborn.

Things are coming together for baby Alexa, we are heading to Syracuse tomorrow and possibly picking up her carseat, yes we have 2...technically 3, but just as Kara got a new one, I think it's only fair for Alexa to have her own. I need to get the bassanet from my moms and we shall be ready, a few arrangements in the livingroom to accomadate her things, but no big deal. We set the baby swing up today and just to my prediction, Kara was sitting in it before we could get things picked up. She is getting ready, she's constantly pulling up my shirt saying baby and sticking her finger in my belly button (which is almost closed!!!!) I'm really surprised I'm not packed yet, as I was with Kara at this time. That reminds me, I'm still looking for a diaper bag as well, I'm anal about "bags" Kara has graduated from a "diaper bag" to a bag she shares with Tyler with "stuff" in it for when we go out! This shall be interesting with 4 kids and 2 bags, I'm nervous, scared, and excited all in one!

We are heading to the Syracuse Zoo tomorrow with our friends and there 4 kids, yup thats right, 4 adults and 7 children, it's always an adventure when we all get together.

The boys spent 2 weeks with their mother...a whole other story, that would take me all night to blog about...long story short, Tyler came home with a bald head and a diagnoses of Chicken Pox, which are really flee bites from her 5 dogs...we are anxious to see if his Chicken Pox come back when they go back the last 2 weeks in August...Court ordered visitation, not our choice.

We are all doing well, just hanging out and anxiously awaiting the arrival of this baby!

Hiccups OH MY

I have to admit, even with the extra weight I never felt as much movement with Kara as I do with Alexa. This girl doesn't ever sleep, I'm hoping its a sign that when she comes out she will sleep alot to make up for it. The boys watch in amazement how my stomach moves all around from one side to another. Today, we went to pizza hut for lunch/dinner and Tim sat the kids down while I went to the bathroom and I come back to find them sitting at a booth I sat down and could barely fit, really the whole meal she was pushing against the table and all I could do was laugh. We really are at the point where when she pushes I can see a lump (maybe a hand or foot or quite possibly her head?) it's crazy, even with all the fat!

The hiccups are out of control, last night at midnight I was almost in tears because I couldn't fall asleep because the hiccups were every 2 seconds, even though it was annoying, Tim and I got a huge laugh about it.

10 weeks and counting, 70 days, we haven't really even started thinking about getting anything ready. This time with Kara I was ready and had already picked out her coming home outfit and rearraged her room 2 times. I guess it is true when they say things change with your 2nd. I have made a list of things we need and things I want per say. I'm hoping to get into Kara's clothes (most still with tags on or even worn once) next week!

xxoo

What to do?

So, its been almost 3 weeks since the start of my summer vacation with the kids. Tim is busy working overtime which is perfectly fine, but here I am with the kids. The last couple days have been nothing but utter mayham. I yell at the kids from the time they get out of bed until the time I fight with them to go to bed, I'm thinking my kids are the only kids in the city that have a summer bed time of 8p.m. Today I'm pondering on what to do. We have a beautiful pool, yes, but its hard to get a 3 1/2 year old who doesn't really know if he wants in, an overactive 17 month old who would just jump in if we let her but then once shes in, she wants out! And a fish of a 10 year old who really isn't any help unless hounded. So, our only pool time usually happens when the kids are napping.

Today I have been looking around the websites of watertown wondering what we could do today and tomorrow. Today may be still a little chilly for the park for a picnic, so maybe that could be tomorrow, I contemplated the Sci-Tech Center or the zoo, both of which I don't really like, but would suffer through for the kids. Honestly, I've never been to the Sci-Tech Center either has Tim so a part of me wants to wait and go as a family, but a part of me wants to get the kids out of the house to do something. Yesterday we went to the library, and I think when people saw me pushing a double stroller with two toddlers in it, they went running the other way! The kids were good for the first 30 minutes while looking at the books they picked out (Mickey Mouse and Thomas The Train) then when Mommy wanted to look for books, they decided to pull as many books off the shelf as they could and throw them on the floor which Brandon was nice enough to pick up for me, but felt the need to yell at them, loudly, everytime they threw it on the ground, causing attention to us!

Hopefully something will come to mind. Swimming lessons are still an option for Brandon for the summer, but sadly they start Monday and they are everyday, and the last 2 weeks hes at his mothers and we all know shes not going to bring him in everyday!

Aches and Pains and Recliners, OH MY

it's started...literally a pain in my ass! This baby is way more active than Kara ever was. I can be doing something when all of a sudden a jolt hits me like a ton of bricks, it scares me. I've gotten to the point where I dread going to bed, in fact I cried when we went upstairs to bed last night because I can't sleep, I can't get comfortable in bed and when I do I have to roll over or get up to pee. My siatic nerve is pinched to the point it crams up on me and I can't move. The other night while Tim was working I actually came downstairs and slept in the recliner, even though I got up 3 times during the night to pee and check on the kids upstairs, I slept, but really don't want to make it a habit.

I don't know if it's because I'm on vacation and I'm trying to stay busy, but I have cleaned (including dusting, moping and vacuuming) the downstairs of this house completely. I am caught up on my laundry everyday and before I go to bed, there are no dishes in the sink and no toys on the floor. My bed gets made everyday, as do the kids, and sometimes I find myself looking for stuff to do, I actually was going to get on a ladder and wash my windows but thought twice about that. I'm pretty sure my husband doesn't want to be at work and get called to my house to pick up my butt off the ground.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th.