Welcome, Livy!

Oh, Miss Livy. She surprised (shocked) us by arriving 2 weeks early. I had my regular weekly OB appointment on Tuesday, 12-20 at 4:00, and when she checked my cervix, she said, "Yep, still the same as last week, dilated to a 3....oh wait, no, you are dilated to a 4, and 50% effaced. Don't go having this baby over Christmas, I am not on call!" And then we laughed, because we had already set up an induction for 12-28, which I was bummed about because although I would be getting my fabulous OB for delivery, my favorite nurse who I had with both boys wasn't going to be working. SAD! So, I drove home and made dinner. Then at 6:00, the contractions started. But they were all over the place...3 mins apart, 7 mins apart, 2 mins apart, etc. So we called Labor and Delivery, and the charge nurse said that since I was already so dilated and this is my 3rd baby in less than 4 years, I needed to drink a ton of water, lay down for an hour and time the contractions to see what they do. As soon as I did that, the contractions went to 7 mins apart, 1 minute long every time. So then we were confused...were they slowing down, or becoming more regular?! I called back to L&D and my dr (who was THANKFULLY on call!) told us to get to the hospital. So we called Chris's mom, and she came to sit with the boys who were already in bed. I was apologizing all over the place, assuring everyone that I was probably going to just get sent back home, but in the back of my mind, I knew this was "it." And then I got sad, in typically Jen-mommy fashion, because I had just rocked Wadey to sleep as the baby for the last time, and I was worried that the boys would be sad in the morning when I wasn't there.

So we got to the hospital, and the contrax were getting pretty bad, this was at 11:00pm. They took me upstairs, got me changed and hooked up to the monitors. And I told Chris to go to sleep because they would probably send us home in a few hours and he would have to go to work. Then the nurse came and started an IV for fluids because the baby's heart wasn't having decels like it was supposed to, and the fluids were supposed to help. While Chris was sleeping, I went walking the halls, trying to get labor to kick into high gear. At 2 am, the nurse checked me again, and I was 5 cm, so my dr said there was absolutely no way she was sending me home because 3+ babies typically come super fast. So Chris got up, started pounding back the coffee, and we started walking the halls together. At 6:30 Dr. Saunders broke my water to get things going, and at 7am I was SO HAPPY because my favorite nurse walked in my room! She just happened to be working that day, and I got her!!! What luck?! They started pitocin at around 8, because I wasn't progressing very quickly. That sucked, but what do you do? ;) I labored by walking, rocking in the room, bouncing on a ball, etc. Then at 2:00ish, I asked for an epidural. It was the most painful one I have been given, but also the best! I could still feel contractions, but no pain. Awesome! Then at 3:30, I started feeling tons of pressure, so my nurse checked me, I was dilated to a 10 FINALLY, and baby was coming down. So my dr came in the room at 3:45, I pushed through 3 contractions and Miss Livy Noelle was born!

Chris, me, my OB and my nurse all said, "She is so tiny!!!!!" when she came out, almost a full pound smaller than her big brothers. But she was also 2 weeks early. ;) Thank goodness.

Sweet girl (and the best nurse!)





The epidural took a bit to wear off, so by the time I was finally moved upstairs to the mommy/baby rooms it was after 6:00. So Chris went and picked up the boys (and McD's for them!) and brought them up. They were soooooo excited to see baby girl. They have adjusted amazingly well so far.

And nothing can make your 19-month-old look more like a giant than a brand new baby! Geez! Wade seems huge now! We are so blessed to have added such an amazing little baby girl to our family. She is so laid back so far, and we rarely hear her cry, unless she is naked or hungry or tired. We are all in love!

The best chicken and noodles. ever. make this soon.

I love love love love fall and winter for the sole reason that I get to prepare soups! Hate the cold/weather of these seasons, love the soups. Here is one of my favorites, do yourself a favor and make this soon! (or, have a baby or surgery or something, and i will make it for you!)

Chicken and Noodles

1 lb chicken breast

1ish cups of diced carrots

3/4ish cups of diced celery

1 small white onion, small diced

8-9 cups of water

3-5 TBSP of chicken boullion granuals, depending on how strong/salty/chickeny you like it (I use 4ish)

1/4 cup melted butter (unsalted)

1/2 tsp black pepper (more to taste)

salt to taste, depending on how much boullion you used!

1 big bag of Reames frozen noodles (omg, i die for these noodles)

1/2-1 cup of heavy cream (this is optional...but I recommend using it! I tend to lean more toward the 1 cup of cream side, shocking, i know)

Way before you are going to start making the soup, place your chicken in a crockpot and pour a can of low sodium chicken broth and cook it on low all day, until it shreds easily. Remove the chicken at that time, and shred it. In a LARGE stockpot, add the water, diced carrots, diced celery, diced onion, chicken boullion, chicken, melted butter, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce and simmer (you want it to still bubble, but not BOIL, if that makes sense) for 25-35 minutes, until the veggies are nice and tender, be sure to TASTE the soup at this point, and decide if you want to add more boullion. Remember, you can always add more...you can never take it away. Then add the bag of frozen noodles, and give it a big stir. Add your desired amount of heavy cream, and then let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the noodles are tender, hot and cooked. Then, ENJOY the best chicken and noodles you have ever had!

Vacations are relaxing?

Really? Because I am so tired and we haven't even gone yet! We are headed to the Outer Banks of NC next week, and it has been stressful, due to the hurricane (Irene) that blew through last weekend, leaving us unsure if we would even be going to obx. So, we had an entire backup vacation to Destin planned just in case we needed an alternate. But planning a vacation that needs to work with our little ones is tiring. Choosing flights, beach house (big enough and on the beach!), rental cars, baby rental stuff (cribs, high chairs, etc) to be delivered to the beach house prior to our arrival, etc. It is a lot to coordinate! And then the thought that I was going to have to cancel all of that, and then RE-BOOK that entire list of stuff again for an alternate vacation, well, I was flipping out. :)

And then I took a look at my calendar for this week, and oh my goodness, busy.

Monday- Labor Day/Hair appointment for me

Tuesday- Preschool for Owen/ renewing my driver's license/grocery store

Wednesday- eye appointment for me/ pedicure for me/ soccer for owen

Thursday- Preschool for O/ Kindermusic for W/ Vacation Prep

Friday- MOPS meeting/vacation prep

Saturday- be at KCI at 6:30 am!

I am going to live on coffee next week!!

He made it!

We made it through the first day of school. Well, Owen did, anyways. He was suuuuper nervous Tuesday morning. He didn't eat anything for breakfast, needed me to get his clothes on, etc. When we got to preschool he was really quiet. But we went into his classroom, he did great. He hung up his backpack, put his name circle in the train (for attendance), and then found his seat and started painting with the watercolors that the teacher had out at their tables. I sat with him for a minute, and then said, "Okay, mommy and daddy are going to go now! We will see you in a bit!" And then he said, "You are leaving? For just a little bit?" And his eyes got HUGE. And then my eyes started to well up and my lip started shaking, and I said, "Yep, just for a little bit! We will be back soon!" And gave him a hug and a kiss and then we left. OMG.

We went to the grocery store after we dropped him off, and it was hilarious, because Wade kept saying, "Oh-wee! Oh-wee!" (That is how he says Owen) like he was looking for his brother. Poor baby has literally NEVER EVER EVER been separated from big bro, so he was a bit weirded out. But when we got back home and Wade realized that he had control over their toys and that he could do WHATEVER HE WANTED and he wouldn't have a big brother taking stuff from him, or making him play a certain way, he was very excited.

Then we went back to the school to pick O up, and Wade went nutso. He was running around the lobby, hollering, screaming, etc. When Owen came out of his classroom, he was smiling! He told us that he painted a dinosaur, played outside on the playground, had snack, etc. He said he had fun! And then we asked him if he wanted to go back on Thursday, and he immediately replied, "No." LOL! But I reminded him today that he will go back tomorrow, and he seemed okay with it. :)

D-Day

Ohmygosh, y'all. Owen starts preschool, like, TOMORROW. In 10 hours we will be dropping him off, and LEAVING. I am soooooo nervous. And so is O. He had a really hard time going to sleep tonight, he was super antsy. He kept calling me and Chris into his room with random complaints, and the last time I went in to his room by myself, his major issue was "I am getting flat (fat)", which is hysterical, because to hear your scrawny 3 year old muss over the idea that he is getting fat, well, it's just funny, k? But after I tucked him back in and gave him (more) goodnight kisses, his little bottom lip came out like 6 inches, and he was holding back the tears. Break.My.Heart. Thankfully Chris took tomorrow off so that he could be there for drop-off and pickup, because methinks Owen AND momma are going to need Chris!

After dinner tonight, Chris was asking O if he was excited for school, and Owen said, "Yes. But I think that mommy is going to cry." LOL! Well, I need to get off and go to sleep so that I can take my baby to school in the morning! Waaaaah!

The Name Game

Naming babies is hard work. Like, real hard, man. They will have that name FOR-EV-ER, so it is important that you don't eff it up, you know? With Owen, it was pretty easy.

Owen- Part of Chris's family's farm is called "The Owin' Place." Something about when it was first purchased, it was done so on borrowed money, so they were "owin' " money on it. ;)

Henry- Chris's uncle Henry was like my kindred spirit. We were basically the exact same person, with the exact same weird quirks, and I loved that guy SO much. Imagine me, but in a 66-year-0ld man's body, and that was Henry. He passed away when Chris and I were 22, and I miss him sooooo much. And Chris and I joke that Henry is up in Heaven all kinds of thrilled that Owen's middle name is his namesake, because that is just how Henry was.

Wade- this was a hard one! Chris and I were at major odds over Wade's name. I wanted Wyatt; Chris said he would rather die than name our son Wyatt. (No offense to any mommas of Wyatts...I love the name!) So, when we were literally down to the wire, like due to have him within a few weeks, I suggested Wade during one of our name talks. And it was put on the "maybe" list, but I was secretly planning on ambushing Chris in the delivery room and coming out victorious with a new baby Wyatt. Well, Wade won. And it so SO funny/weird, because when he was born, and Chris's parents brought Owen up to the hospital to meet baby, Larry (chris's dad) goes, "Where did you get the name Wade?" And we were like, "Oh, Jen suggested it, and it apparently was the "dark horse" in our name game." And then his dad proceeded to tell us that he had kin in Chula that used to come visit when he (Larry) was a boy, and two of his uncles were named "Doc and Wade." So, in a roundabout way, Wade is a family name, lol.

William- William was my grandpa's name, and I have tons of sweet memories of that man. We thought it would be a great middle name. Actually, Chris wanted William to be the 1st name, and call him Will. But "Will Smith"?? Ummm, no. Wasn't going to happen.

So, here we are again. We were sure we were having another boy, so we had our boy name all set, and picked out. But, alas, we won't be using that name now, and we are back at square one, CLUELESS as to what we will name our baby girl. In a way, it is kind of nice to not really know what you are going to name the baby. Because then you avoid all of the "feedback" from everyone, and plus, if you change your mind when you look at your baby when they are born, you aren't stuck with monogrammed towels that have the wrong baby name on them. And did I mention that you don't have to deal with all of the feedback??? ;)

You're going to miss this...

...You're gonna want this back...

Are you familiar with that Darius Rucker song? It's about looking back when your kids are grown, and missing all of the quirks that go along with living with wee ones. I was singing that song in my head tonight as I about broke my neck trying to maneuver around the landmines (read: toy trucks, hot wheels, hard plastic dinosaurs) that the boys left all over the kitchen floor. I know that when our babies are all grown up and it is just me and Chris left to hold the fort down, I will actually miss not risking bodily harm by walking across the floors. OH. And speaking of "missing" stuff, one thing that I will miss once our kids are older are the surprises that I always find when I change the laundry. Wade is momma's-lil-helper around here, and when I am stuffing clothes in the washer or dryer, he loves to help. But if I leave the washer or dryer doors open while I am running to the bedrooms to get something, it never fails that he will find his own things to add to the wash. Sippy cups, diapers, books, hot wheels, etc. I never know what little treasures I will find when I change the laundry! Kind of fun. Except for when he sneaks a diaper in the wash. That is just gross because the diaper kind of explodes, and this weird ballish-gel type stuff gets EVERYWHERE, so you have to take everything out, wipe out the washer, reload the clothes AGAIN (keeping a better eye on your baby) and so on and so forth.