happy easter 2014

 Happy Easter!  We had a lovely Easter as a family of 5 going to church and hunting eggs.  Aiden was uncooperative for most of the day, so he's just throwing hissy fits in the background :):)

the long overdue {update}

 We're all alive and well, in case you were wondering :)

Imagine our surprise when we moved into a brand new home in the middle of Kansas City.. in a subdivision of a few hundred homes.. only to find out... 

 we can't get the internet.

That's right.  In 2014, this problem exists, not in rural areas, but in budding metropolises!

After several weeks of calls, fights, requests, tickets.. we have basically the equivalent of dial-up internet.  This blog post took a half hour to upload these pictures.  I know.  I know.  It's mind-numbing.

Anyways, onto life in KC.

Ava has made several new friends in our neighborhood.  There are 2 GIRLS she plays with, as well as a couple of boys.  We are very excited for her to have found new friends here.  I'll be enrolling her in Kindergarten this week for the 2014-2015 school year.  I can't believe my baby will be in school come August.  Where does time go?

As for this handsome man, he is busy making us all laugh and covering our driveway (and himself) in sidewalk chalk.  He has a new funny face, learns new words every day, and is still my sweet boy!  Until today, when he colored on our couch with crayon.  Awesome.

 

 Finley Grace is 3 months old today.  At her checkup last week, she was 12 lbs 12 oz and 24 inches long.  That's 76% for height and 52% weight.  She has a little acid reflux, which we've started her on medicine for.  Fingers crossed.  My laundry will be forever grateful if she spits up even once less per day!  Other than that, she smiles and coos and laughs and brings so much joy to our lives.  She is sleeping for about 6 hours at night, so I can't complain.  Actually, I can, because those 6 hours usually start before the other 2 go to bed and definitely before I do!  :) 

 And I'm SO in love with her little feet and her little leg rolls.  They seriously could not be any cuter!

 So life in KC isn't all so bad :)

 Ava absolutely loves being a big sister, and Aiden is very attached to his sisters.  He cries when Ava leaves and asks about her every 5 seconds.  He kisses Finley and tries to share his milk with her.

 I don't want THAT kind of milk, she says.

and this really just made me LOL

Dear God, thank you for blessing our lives with 3 beautiful children.  We are grateful for every smile, every tear, every chuckle, every hug, and every second we get to watch them grow.

 And can you please send us Google Fiber?

Amen.

another update :)

We are getting settled at our new house in KC!  James has started his new job at TMC and is getting along nicely.  We don't have internet or TV (tomorrow!) and my computer is still missing all of it's pictures.  Finley is 8 weeks old today and she is growing like a weed!  I'm still trying to get us unpacked and the construction on our home is complete!  That's all for now :):):)

update

Hello :)

I'm having computer problems and all of my photos are gone.  Yep, all 37,000 of them.  (iPhoto experts, anyone?)  Once we get moved, I'll get it figured out and update with all of the happenings but it's just so chaotic right now!  James is living in Kansas City and we'll be there by this time next week :)

keeping up with finley

 here's what i have for right now :)  the kids have me busy these days, so i'll try and post more later!

meet finley.

 

happy birthday finley

 I started having contractions on Sunday, January 12 late in the evening.  They intensified around 2 am, at which point, I told James I wanted to go get on the monitors and see how I was progressing.  I drove myself to the hospital and told James I would text him if they admitted me.  I wasn't on the monitors but 10 minutes when the OB on call said it was baby day and I was getting admitted!  The contractions lasted throughout the night and into the morning, but I was having trouble progressing.  I was 4 cm when I arrived at the hospital, but by 10 am I was only 5.  They broke my waters and it wasn't until 12:30 pm I reached 6 cm.

That's when the magic happened.

At approximately 12:30 pm, my nurse checked me and I was 6 cm and about 80% effaced.  I was getting frustrated because the pain was excruciating.  Way too painful to only be 6.  I feared my labor would last another 12 hours to get from 6-10 at this pace.  My body wasn't reacting to the pain how I'd planned and hoped.  I was still attempting to hypnobirth, but I began to doubt my ability to continue without pain medicine or an epidural.  I asked for the epidural, but we were unfamiliar with the anesthesiologist on call, so James called a friend/colleague to see if she could come up and do it, but she was in another surgery.  I cancelled the epidural.  My contractions were horrible at this point.  Tears were streaming down my face and I started to feel pressure (at 6 cm, yes), so the nurse checked me again.  I was 7 cm.  No big deal.  She called Dr. Knox and told him that I'd gone from 6 to 7 in 10 minutes and he literally said "ok" and hung up on her.  He was headed over to check on me.  The call was placed at 12:49 pm. 

On the very next contraction, as she hangs up the phone, she's walking out of the room to start getting the delivery supply cart and the things needed for the baby, and I had to PUSH.  I mean full on, she's coming out, tons of pressure, the worst surge of pain imaginable P-U-S-H. {at 7 cm, yes}  I yelled for her to come back, then another contraction came and I was pushing again and I looked at James and I said "SHE'S CROWNING!!!!"  He lifted up the sheet and her head was completely out.  I screamed "HELP ME!" pushed again and at 12:52 PM, Finley Grace was born with no doctor or anyone there to deliver me.  I pushed her straight out onto the still-extended bed, and there she lay as a swarm of nurses rushed to get her and suction/clamp.  In 3 minutes, I went from 7 to baby.

My OB arrived 5 minutes later and I said "you're late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"