Happy Fall!

What a crew!Our Littlest Pumpkin!

Mark took the children trick or treating around our neighborhood tonight. Eli and I stayed home to hand out candy. We had over one hundred trick or treaters stop by. Anna Grace chose to come home a little early, so she took over the job of handing the candy out. She was quite proud of her job, and the scary creatures that rang the doorbell did not startle her at all!

He's Growing Up!

We have not spent a lot of time riding bikes the last year or two, so Isaac had never learned to ride without training wheels. I had bought a scooter at a garage sale recently, and he has ridden it quite a bit. Today he was riding his bike, and the training wheels were not even touching the ground. He asked Mark to take them off, and he took off on two wheels! He was very proud of himself! We had promised to buy him a new bike when he could ride without training wheels (he is still riding the one he got for his fourth birthday), so I guess it is time to make good on that promise! He is growing up!

Eli's First Tub Bath

Eli had his first tub bath last Thursday. I had expected him to get upset, but he really seemed to enjoy it. What a big boy!

Queen Liv

Eli's Two Week Check Up

Eli went for his two week check up today. Dr. Jeff was pleased with how he is growing. He weighed 12 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 23 and 1/2 inches long. Today was Eli's official due date. I am so glad he arrived a little early. Praise God he is doing so well!

Boy Meets Mamaw

Mark's mom (Mamaw) came down for a visit on Saturday and stayed until this morning. It was good to have an extra pair of hands! We really appreciated her help. We will all have grandparent withdrawal for a few days!

Lots of Help

I have been getting lots and lots of help with Eli from my sweet children. In fact, I have been a bit overwhelmed by all of it! From Isaac down to little Anna Grace, there have been lots of offers to help with holding, kissing, burping and general baby care. Bailey has been especially attentive to her new little brother. She is constantly near by, talking to him and keeping an eye on him. She also keeps my diaper tub full and stocks the supplies I need.

A homeschooling mom whose children are grown told me that when you first bring a new baby home, the baby is the school for the first few weeks (or months). I think their is a lot of truth in her statement. While we are going to get back to reading and math in the next week, the children have learned a lot about babies in the last week. They have learned a lot about the physical side, from umbilical cord care to feeding and changing diapers. They have also been picking up on how to love a baby. I love it when I hear them calling Eli the little names that Mark and I call him and talking to him in sweet voices. I know the novelty of having Eli here will lessen over time, but I am so thankful for their love for him. Children are truly a blessing from the Lord!

Praise God for Grandparents!

It has been such a blessing to have my Dad and Mom's help in the last two weeks. They came down on Friday before Eli was born, and it was wonderful not to have to make arrangements for someone to keep the children. They did such a great job entertaining them, that I am not sure that the children missed us too much while we were in the hospital!

Dad went home after Eli was born, and Mom has been here since. She is such a big help. She does things around the house before I even see that they need to be done! I have done very little laundry, cleaning or cooking because she always beats me to it! People have asked how we are adjusting, and I have been telling them that I have not really had to adjust yet because Mom is here! We will all have Nanna withdrawal when she leaves! Thankfully, Mark's Mom will come when Nanna leaves, so it will be a little longer before I have to manage alone while Mark is at work.

First Bath

Mark gave Eli his first bath at home on Friday. It is kind of a tradition for Mark to give them their first bath. Eli was not very thrilled! He sure looked clean and handsome when it was finished!

A Couple More Pictures

Eli was not too impressed with his carseat!

Sweet Sleep!

Anna Grace

It seems like Anna Grace grew up over night! I called and talked to the children on Monday afternoon, and her speech sounded so grown up. Then she came to visit us on Tuesday afternoon, and I could not believe how old she looked. I remember having the same feelings about Isaac when Bailey was born. I am so thankful for my sweet children!

Eli Meets His Siblings

Isaac loves his new brother!
Look at that smile!
What a great big sister!
Anna Grace looks so big!

Mark brought the children to meet their new brother on Tuesday afternoon. They were very excited! The most memorable quote of the visit was when Anna Grace pointed at my not so flat stomach and said, "I see another one!" I quickly reassured her that there is not another one in there! Praise God for our sweet children!

Eli's Birth

We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 on Monday morning for Eli's induction. It was very strange to walk into the hospital to have a baby and not be in pain and begging for an epidural. It took a couple of hours to get the paperwork and lab work finished. I started having regular contractions on my own that were about three and a half minutes apart. It was reassuring to know that we would have been heading to the hospital that day anyway!

I got an epidural around 8:30 (I love epidurals -- hats off to the natural child birth ladies!), and then the nurse started the Pitocin. Dr. Wheeler came in and broke my water about an hour later. A little after 11:00, it was time for the action to start. We did a few practice pushes, and then I had to stop and wait for the doctor to arrive. The nurse could tell that Eli was a bit on the big side, and she wanted to doctor to be there! Dr. Wheeler came in and things got intense for a few minutes when we got to Eli's shoulders. The doctor said that if he had been any bigger we probably would have needed a cesarean section at that point. I am VERY thankful that it was not needed!

Since we induced at 37 weeks, Mark and I both thought that he would be around nine pounds. When Eli was born, the nurse looked at him and said, "This is NOT a nine pound baby." Everyone in the room was shocked when the nurse placed him on the scale and he weighed a little over twelve pounds. Until that point, Olivia had been our biggest at eleven pounds. Dr. Wheeler and I had agreed at my first doctor's visit that we wanted her to remain the biggest, but that did not happen. I am so thankful that the delivery went so well. Praise God!

Introducing Our Newest Blessing!

Our newest blessing from the Lord has arrived safe and healthy! Elijah Mark was born on Monday morning. He weighed 12 pounds, 1 ounce and was 22 inches long. We are so thankful that everything went so well. I will post more details about Eli's arrival in the next few days.

A Small Update

I had my 37 week doctor's appointment today. There had not been much progress from last week. My blood pressure and protein level were elevated, so I am supposed to "take it easy" until Monday when I am induced. I am not sure what "taking it easy" looks like with four children running around, but I am going to give it my best shot!

My parents are coming tomorrow night, so this is our last night to ask ourselves, "If tonight is the big night, what do we do with the children????" I will be very glad to have Nana and Grand-Bob here. I am very thankful that we have had so many people willing to help us! God has really blessed us during out eleven months here!

A Couple of Quotes

"What color skin will our baby have?" --Isaac (I got to explain that children are the same race as their parents. I love the innocence in that question!)

Olivia asked when we will visit the North Pole. I told her it was quite cold there. She said, "We could take a jacket!"

Love that Smile

I love pictures of sweet little faces missing teeth (can you tell that I finally moved my recent pictures from the camera to the computer??)! Bailey has discovered a new loose tooth, so we are anxiously awaiting the time when we can summon the tooth fairy again!

There's Nothing Like a Donut!

A few weeks ago, it was our turn to take snacks for our Sunday morning Bible class. We took the easy way our and stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way to church. We heard no complaints from the children about having to stop. I snapped a few pictures of some happy little faces!

The Pumpkin Patch

We went with Olivia's Mother's Morning Out class to Tate Farm's Cotton Pickin' Pumpkin Patch last Tuesday. We go to a pumpkin patch almost every year, but this one was amazing! It is a working farm, that produces cotton, soybean and corn, along with pumpkins. I was not quite prepared for the three hour tour that we were taken on. My Knight in Shining Armour (Mark) called me a few minutes before we were leaving home and offered to take a few hours off and come with us. I am so thankful that he did, because I do not think that my pregnant self could have handled it by myself!

We started out with a picnic lunch followed by time on the playground. The playground included a hayloft, tractor tire pyramid, farm equipment that had been converted to slides, and other unique play equipment. We then headed to the corn crib. The children loved "swimming" in the corn (I found quite a handful of corn in the washing machine afterwards!). We stopped by to pet some animals on our way to the hay maze. I was especially thankful for Mark's presence so that I did not have to go through the maze. I think that I would have gotten stuck! We finished the day with a hayride out to the pumpkin field to pick a pumpkin.

It was a warm day, and we were exhausted when we left, but it was a great experience. A stop by Sonic helped to revive us on the way home!

I Love Fall!

I am really enjoying this fall weather! Friday night is our "Family Night", and I usually make homemade pizza. Last night, I was not in the mood, so we ordered pizza and took it to the park. It was so nice to be outside and not be sweating! We went to the playground this afternoon before dinner, and it was lovely. Mark and Isaac got a new Nerf football, and they have enjoyed using it today. What a great time of year!

The Big Day

I had an ultrasound this morning to see how our little man is doing (it did confirm that he is a little man!). He looked great! The ultrasound estimated that he weighs about eight pounds, thirteen ounces (give or take a pound). We scheduled an induction for October 13. My body has already been "getting ready" for the big day (I am 3-4 cm dilated), and my doctor is not sure our little one will stay put until the 13th. We are working on finishing our plans to take care of our four cuties during delivery. This is complicated by the fact that it is now fall break in our area, and many of our friends are heading out of town for the week. I am praying that God will take care of the details of the delivery (and let me get an epidural too!).