Photo Story Friday - Blankets!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

In my spare time, I like to crochet. I made this blanket for a couple who just had a baby girl the day before our fourth child was born.

I taught myself how to crochet when my best friend from high school was expecting her first baby. Since then I have made close to 50 blankets. It is a stress reliever for me. It is a good hobby for me because I can work on it, put it down, work on it, put it down, and work on it some more. Interrutions don't matter except at the beginning when starting the pattern. And with kids, interrutions are going to happen!

Life With 4

Life with four kids is hectic, crazy, and lots of fun. We have all had our moments when things have been a little too overwhelming, but we get past it and things settle down again eventually. We have not attempted many things away from home yet, and I am not going to push myself like I have done in the past to do so. The world will go on without me. I have even cut some of my school duties, as much as it broke my heart to do it. But with a week in the NICU under my belt, I am in absolutely no hurry to go back. So we stay at home, as germ free as we can be...at least for the time being.

I do feel a little bad for the Knight. He has been SO used to being on the go go go all of the time. To sit and actually have some time to watch cartoons and Christmas movies seems so strange to him. He still wakes up every morning asking what we are going to do that day. He has been acting out a bit more than the other two kiddos, but that is to be expected. He is almost four, and he has been the baby all of this time. Pretty soon it will be warm enough for the Knight and the Baby and me to go to the park during the day. The mile walk and the fresh air will do us all good.

Photo Story Friday - My Quartet

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This picture was a long time in the making - 7 1/2 years to be exact. Wow - I still cannot believe that the three big kids smiled for the camera! I would write more but the baby is sleeping so I am heading that way too.

:)

Home!

We are home and home has never felt so good! Here are some pictures of the day we broke out of the hospital!

DadOf4 and the Knight got breakfast tacos for us all! Yummy!
Our little baby!

What are you doing in there baby? So much for being modest.

DadOf4 cudding baby.

Whe we got the good word that the baby was being discharged, we carried our stuff back to the van.

DadOf4 and the Knight carried the baby out of the hospital.

HOME!

Princess, the baby, and DadOf4 rocking at home.

We had visitors! DadOf4 works with the gal on the right. The other gal is her daughter. The daughter was Princess's first babysitter!

Safe and sound at home!

Let the sleepless nights begin!

We are home!!

We are home! Baby is sleeping so I am heading that way too! Pictures to be posted tomorrow!

Photo Story Friday - Not Homeward Bound

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A week ago, I wrote that we had had our little boy. Well, we are still at the hospial a week later. He had to spend a week in the NICU because of an elevated white blood cell count. We were supposed to get to go home yesterday but they found a sore at the IV site on his arm and suspected a staph infection. So, they circled the sore with a pen (so we could tell if it was growing or not) and we waited. They moved the IV up to his scalp. It looks horrible, but it does not seem to bother him and at least he cannot suck on the IV like he did when it was in his hand.

The good news is that this morning it actually appeared to get smaller and less tender to the touch. Also, his white blood cell count has been normal. We may get to go home today, we may not. I am not counting on it because it was such a disappointment to not go home yesterday.
My husband has been amazing through all of this. He has been strong when I couldn't be. He has made me laugh when I wanted to cry. I married an awesome man.

I could not have asked for a better friend than AB's mom. She has come to the hospital to see me three times, and yesterday when I was so sad that I could not go home, she started pointing out my blessings - and that is exactly what I needed. We have been so blessed that they let me stay here at the hospital with the baby for a week and a day. They don't charge us for the room either. It has been wonderful to be able to be with him and feed him and take care of him. He truly is a blessing, and I am thankful for all of the one-on-one time I have had with him. Yes, I miss my other kids at home more than I can tell you, but DadOf4 has brought them to visit me each and every day. That is a lot of work for him. I am truly blessed and very thankful for all that I have today.

AB's mom also brought ice cream after DadOf4 and the kids left. I was good and didn't eat all of it, although with this stress I was tempted. I still have a wedding to get in shape for! It was a great little pick-me-up and just what I needed. Again, what a blessing a true friend is!

Mom's Night Out of the Hospital

DadOf3 and the kids convinced me to leave the hospital for a while tonight and go out to eat. It felt really, really strange to not have the baby with us, but we went and we had a nice time.

The kids had to try this neat horsey.
Princess is getting so tall!

What to order?? How about pasta, the Prince's favorite?!

Coloring time!

Finally it was time for a little movie in Mom's room while Daddy went up to visit the baby. It was a good evening!

Photo Story Friday - Our baby is here!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Whew - has it ever been a crazy last day or so! Our precious little baby was born on New Year's Day at 2:52AM. We arrived at the hospital at 1:15AM. I started getting a backache around 10PM, but because I could talk through the pain, I didn't think anything of it. Then I started getting really shakey. We had friends over for New Year's Eve.

Here is Princess with her noise makers.
The Prince had fun playing the Wii with our friends!

My little Knight says, Cheese!

Me with AB's Mom. We ended up calling her back about a half hour after they went home after New Year.

I had never had to make the decison to go to the hospital before. I had been induced with everybody up until this point. By the time we arrived at the hospital, it was obvious that I was in Labor.

Our little guy was born less than two hours after we arrived at the hospital! (Man! I look a little bit out of it!) This was actually about 3 hours after he was born. He had some breathing issues that cleared up after some oxygen, but they had to keep him to observe him for 3 hours. My nurses would not let me go with him, but DadOf4 got to go. Those were a really, llloooonnnnggg 3 hours.

The Knight with our baby!

The Prince with our baby! (DadOf4's parents are on the computer screen. We were talking to them with the webcam. Mom and Dad - I'm gonna set you up with one of these in March.)

Princess with our baby!

DadOf4 with our baby!

Happy New Year baby!

MomOf4 and DadOf4 with the baby!

Our precious baby is now in the NICU. I tested positive for Strep B and he arrived so fast they did not have time to get 2 rounds of antibiotics in me before he was born. We are still waiting to hear if he is positive or not. His body was producing lots of white blood cells so they are erring on the side of caution and taking him to the NICU for antibiotics. We should know this morning if he has Strep B or not. If he does, he will have to stay in the hospital for at least 10 days. If he does not we will get to go home as planned. Time will tell.

(P.S. I would really appreciate any comments you could leave today. Looking for distractions while I wait to go back to the NICU....)