Hi There

The last two weeks have felt more like 6 months.  But in a way, it's good, because it means that time isn't flying by me like it normally does. 

Some updates . . .

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor, and . . . no surgery.  Yay!  I'm also feeling much better after a round of antibiotics.  The bad news?  I'm pretty sure the antibiotics are bothering Miss Taylor's tummy :(  She's been struggling to put the weight on.  I was really hoping she'd be back up to birth weight tomorrow at her two week check, but that's not looking like it's going to happen.  Thankfully I'm off the meds now, so that should help.

Also . . . the whole clan has come down with colds :(  Kenners started us off, next came Sis, and last night I was up the whole night with a sniffly Kam.  We are praying {and praying hard} that Taylor doesn't come down with it.  It's nearly impossible to keep her away from the sickies.  Really, colds during summer?  So unfair.

Just wanted to mention again how much I appreciate the emails and comments checking in on us.  I'm always amazed at the friendships that can be made through blogging.  I have been horrible about keeping up with my inbox, but just know that all of the sweet thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.  I can't wait to catch up on my favorite blogs soon, it's just that I've been so tired lately.

We all have, see?

And . . .

Didja see my new header?  Oh my goodness, I am blessed.  I am seriously blessed.

Finding the Groove

Whew, it has been hard to find our groove this last week.  The first few days home from the hospital were busy.  We had a BBQ planned for Father's Day {and my birthday}, and we didn't want to cancel it completely, so we had my parents and Jeremy's parents over the day after coming home.  Taylor had a check up at the beginning of last week too.  She had lost a bit of weight after birth, and was fighting jaundice, so we wanted her to have a quick check.  We had a few visitors mid-week.  Lovely friends and family brought dinner to us.  And let me just say what an enormous blessing it is when friends bring food.  So nice to have one less thing to worry about during the evening hours, you know?

On Thursday evening the girls and I were eating dinner, and were completely surprised to see that my sister and her two littles had come up for a surprise visit.  They live in southern Oregon, and we don't get to see them as often as we like.  What a fun surprise!

After that things went a little . . . down hill.  I seemed to be having a hard time with recovery, but I just figured that's the way when you have four little ones at home.  Not much time for rest ;)  On Friday Jeremy went back to work, and I probably did a liiiiitle too much.  The house needed clean up, and the three "big girls" had gone next door to my mom and dad's to visit their cousins.  So I took advantage and cleaned, and then did a mini photo shoot with Taylor.  I need to emphasize "mini".  I got one pose and then I was just too exhausted to do much more.  Friday evening we went to my mom and dad's for dinner, and I really wasn't feeling well.  We got home, I took my temperature, found I had a fever, and I was set to get everyone into bed early so that we could rest.  But before we could make it, I had a little health issue {I'll spare the details} that made me think I should call the doctor.  I first called my mother in law to see what she thought, and she encouraged me to call.  Not long after, I found myself at the ER :(  Sooooo not where I wanted to be.  We got there around 10pm on Friday night, and didn't get home until nearly 4am Saturday morning, ugh.  But sweet Baby Taylor did so well.  She just snoozed through most of it! 

So, I have a follow up appointment today, that will hopefully assure me that all I need is to finish the antibiotics I'm on {not have surgery}. 

All of that to say, I've missed catching up with you all.  And I hope to visit soon.  Things are just a little busy here ;)

Oh, and here's a photo of sweet baby girl.  Oh my goodness, is she just the most precious thing ever?
We think so too ;)

Birth Story

This little journal here just wouldn't be complete without Miss Taylor's birth story.  I kept a journal for Storknet during my pregnancy with Kam, and it is such fun to go back and read it and remember.  Besides, the more time that passes, the fuzzier this poor memory gets ;)

{Disclaimer:  This is a birth story.  It may be too detailed for your liking.  Thank you.} 

Let's start with Friday, June 17th. 

I had my weekly appointment, and when my midwife checked me she said I was 4-5 cm dilated.  Holy moly, I was shocked, and not sure what to make of it.  I had never been dilated to 4cm and not been in active, active labor.  I left the office and stopped by Fred Meyer to pick up a few things for a birthday party/Father's day BBQ we were planning for Sunday {and also a cute little outfit for Miss Baby Girl to come home in}.  And headed home as quickly as I could just in case ;)

My sister called that afternoon and when I told her about my appointment she got a little irritated that they hadn't just admitted me to the hospital.  Then, of course, I started worrying about it, fearful that if I did finally go into labor that I wouldn't make it to the hospital in time.  Anyway, I decided that prayer was probably more useful than worry, and we went about the rest of our day.

On Saturday morning, Jeremy got up to go to work.  I told him to go on ahead, I wasn't really feeling much, and I figured it could be days.  I went back to sleep for a little while, and got up around 7 to start getting ready for the day.  By 8am I was having regular, strong contractions, and I decided to call rather than wait.  The midwife on call {one of my two favorites!} told me that she'd heard it could be any day, and that I needed to come right in.  So I called Jeremy and told him the plan.  Jeremy's Dad drove me in to the hospital while his mom stayed with Sierra, Makenna, and Kam.  I wasn't sure how long it would be until we had a baby, so I didn't want them to have to hang around the waiting room {a very small waiting room} all day long.  {And by the way, we weren't purposely ignoring my parents, they just happened to have left to go camping earlier in the week and weren't around}.

We met Jeremy at the birth center about 9am, got checked in, and we were then told that if I hadn't progressed past 5cm and my water hadn't broken, I'd be sent home.  Because there was a discrepancy between the date that I thought I was due, and the date they thought I was due, the hospital policy was to not break my water or do anything to help labor along until after 39 weeks {according to my due date, I was 39 weeks 6 days, but according to theirs I was only 38 weeks}.  I sent up a quick prayer, because the thought of going home didn't really appeal to me ;)  The midwife checked and I was at 5-6cm and 100% effaced, so YAY, they let me stay.  She had to attend to a C-section, but told me that as soon as she was out, she'd come break my water if I wanted. 

Jeremy and I sort of just hung out for a bit.  I was pretty comfortable, so we filled out paperwork, and waited to see the midwife.  She came back in around 11ish, and asked if we'd like to break the waters and get labor going a bit.  Uh, yes please!  Right after it broke I could tell a difference.  My next contraction was much stronger, and I remember saying something like "Yeahhhh, I don't think this is going to take very long."  After that I just shut my eyes and concentrated on getting through the labor.  And then, maybe minutes later I felt like it was quite possibly time to push.  Sure enough, it was.

And at 12:19pm on June 18th, Miss Taylor Grace was born. {Uh, 8 pounds, 3 ozs. 20.5 inches long, I'm pretty sure my due date was correct.  Just sayin'.} Of course, at that moment we still hadn't decided on a name for her ;)  Jeremy had really wanted a Taylor from the beginning, and I had wanted a Hadley.  In the end, Jeremy won ;)  And you know what, about 5 minutes after we decided she was a Taylor, it just fit.  I think children sort of just become their name anyway.



And now we're here.  Our perfect little family of 6.  Four sweet little girls, ahhhhh, I could not be more blessed.  Life is definitely different.  There's going to be a bit of an adjustment period, I'd say.  But I'm reminded about every 2.3 seconds just how blessed we are. 



It's strange, though, with each new baby we add to our family, the longing for more babies grows stronger {for me, just to clarify}.  That's been the hardest part these last few days.  The overwhelming emotions, and sadness thinking that this is our last.  I just cannot imagine not being pregnant again, feeling that life inside you.  And the miracle of birth.  The moment you get to meet your precious child face to face.  Ohhhhhkay, deep breath.

Thank you SO much for all of the comments and emails of well wishes.  You cannot imagine how much they are appreciated.  I hope to be back in the blog loop soon.  I'm just a little preoccupied right now.  You understand ;)

She's Here!

So . . . . remember my last post?  Approximately 15 minutes after I published it, I called the hospital and was told to "come right in!"  I did.  Jeremy met me there {I had told him to go on ahead to work that morning}.  And a few hours later little Miss Taylor Grace was in our arms.

Miss Taylor Grace Fraijo
Born June 18, 2011 @ 12:19pm
8 pounds, 3 ozs. 20 1/2 inches



Kam could not be happier to be a big sissy.



Our four precious girls



Coming Home

I have so much I want to say, but I am SO exhausted right now.  The last two days have been kind of a blur ;)  And adjusting to our new life might take a teensy bit of time.  Someone who used to do a lot of complaining about being pregnant already misses being pregnant.  And that same someone may or may not bawl uncontrollably at the thought that this little blessing may be our last.  So we're not going to talk about that right now.  We're going to enjoy every single precious minute with these gorgeous sweet girls of ours.

I'll be back someday soon ;)

{Oh, and thank you so much for all of your sweet comments and emails.  I appreciate them all.}

Checking In . . .

{Not in to the hospital ~ though I gotta be close, right?}

Yesterday I had another appointment.  Is it just me, or does it seem like I live at the doctors office?  Sierra and Makenna deicded that birthday shopping for Mama with Daddy might be more fun than tagging along to the doctor {who can blame 'em?!}, so it was just me and Kam.  I promised Sierra that I'd let the doctor check me.  {She is SOOO anxious for Little Miss to arrive}.  So I prepared myself for "you're still at a 2 1/2 hunny".  But much to my surprise, I'm between a 4 and 5!  What the what? 

A little background info . . . typically by the time I'm dilated to 4cm, I'm READY to have a baby.  Sierra was born several hours after the "4", When I got to the hospital with Kenners, I was dilated to 4.  Two hours later, she was in my arms.  Even Kam . . . when I got to a 4, they broke my water, and voila!  A baby girl a couple hours later.  So this "walking around at a 4cm" kinda has me freaking out that I'm not in any sort of active labor yet.  {It also has me freaking out that by the time I figure out I'm in active labor, I'm going to need to speed race to the hospital!  Hello, 40 minutes away!!!}  But I'm thinking I must be close, right?  RIGHT?!!

Whew! 

Other fun facts {if I haven't already mentioned.  And I probably have}.  Tomorrow {the 19th} is my birthday and Father's Day and my due date ;)  We have a smallish barbecue planned to honor our special dads.  {Think it'll be cancelled?}  Our dads are about as great as they come, and Jeremy is so wonderful with our girls.  Pretty much the most.fun.dad.ever.

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And one last thing . . . I gave in to a tummy shot.  I figured I may not have much time left to take one.  Sierra snapped this for me yesterday.  Can we all agree not to a. laugh  b. gasp at the enormity that is my stomach {and arms, and bum, and face.  yeah.}

Thankssomuch.

Hope you all enjoy this Father's Day weekend!

{And I hope to have someone to introduce you to soon!}

Minis

Okay, baby is on the brain pretty much night and day right now.  So . . .bear with me.  {I won't cry too much if you click away.}

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While we wait {and wait} for Miss Lovey Poo to make her appearance, {and while we are stuck inside enjoying more rain}, we've been trying to come up with fun ideas to keep us occupied.

The other day Sierra brought out her American Girl Tiny Treats book and we found some really cute {and simple!} ideas.

Like these miniature s'mores:

Cute, right?

You just need a handful of chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and Golden Grahams.

Arrange chips on 1/2 of the grahams, marshmallows on the other half, and microwave for about ten seconds.  Then smoosh 'em together.



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Next we made mini donuts.

We used Honey Nut Cheerios.




And chocolate syrup, powdered sugar .  .  .



. . . . and, of course, sprinkles!  I think I've mentioned before that sprinkles really do make food much happier.



And our finished product:



A little messy, but super fun!

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So, talk to me about what you do to keep the littles occupied in crummy weather :)

Things I'm Learning . . .

Every day is a new learning experience. Isn't that the way of Mamas?

Some things I've been learning lately:

*I have false labor at night*

Yep, it's fun.

The last two nights I seriously have thought we might be heading to the hospital. Last night ~ contractions every 6 minutes or so for two hours. The ones that really kinda hurt. Then . . . a big fat nothin'.

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*These two . . . love each other quite a bit*

The older one? She is going to be a tremendous help when I'm at the hospital.

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*This one is a bit of a handful these days*

 

I'm thinking *someone* knows life is about to change.

 

And also? She likes blue popsicles.

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*These two also love each other*

But in a different way.

Sierra takes on a motherly approach, and Kenners is the "fun" one ;)

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I just like this photo. I'm learning that the sunshine improves my mood TREMENDOUSLY!

And also . . . my Tamron 28-75 lens has been feeling soft lately :( so back on the 50mm goes!

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And lastly . . .

This little one ♥ LOVES ♥ "chockit doonuts"

I swear she can spot 'em from a mile away when we're grocery shopping. Then . . . the happy shriek: "CHOCKIT DOOOOONUTS!!!!!"

After eating TWO of the mini donuts last night after dinner, she helped herself to two more when I wasn't looking!

Little stinker!

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What things have you learned lately?

Getting Ready

We are SO ready for Baby Girl's arrival.

{So ready.}

But she's not due for another week. Two if you're going by the date they gave me at the doctor {I am not}.

So we wait.

{With hideously swollen ankles}

And do what any impatient mama would do . . .

{Well, besides complain. I'll admit it, I'm a big whiney baby}

Give up?

Sew, of course.

Little Miss No-Name deserves a pretty new blankie, does she not?

I thought so too ;)

Most of these are just scrap fabrics I've had lying around from different projects. But I love them so. The seaside rose has been a favorite of mine for years, and I'm so happy it has a home in this blanket.

Now . . . I just can't wait to use it!

Dreams and Other Things

Night before last I had a dream that our baby girl made her appearance. And it got me thinking that it would be fun to find some pregnancy/labor/delivery statistics, and then post them. But I went looking, and couldn't really find what I was looking for :( Bummer. And the stats I did come up with weren't that interesting.

So instead, I'm going to ramble. I know how excited you are about that.

I'm going to be honest. I'm a little nervous. Isn't that funny? I mean, it's not like this is my first baby and I don't know what to expect. I guess Kam's birth sort of threw me for a loop. There was something sort of comforting about being induced. I was already in the hospital, I knew that sometime within the next day we'd have a baby. There wasn't as much of the "unknown". I don't really like the unknown.

Now I am constantly wondering, will I go into labor when Jeremy's at work? {He's a firefighter, and works a 24 hour shift at a station that's over an hour from our home}. If he is at work, would I wait for him to drive all the way home first, or would I meet him at the hospital? If it's the middle of the night, and he's at work, and my parents are gone {they leave to go camping on Monday for a week}, would my MIL stay with the girls while I drive myself in to the hospital?

Do you see? I WAY over-think things. I know that when the time comes, I'll know just what to do. I just have such an active imagination, and it's running a little wild right now ;)

And that's about all I got.

I have another appointment this morning. And then more waiting ;)

While I'm waiting . . .

I'm curious {I may just have to compile some stats of my own!}

How long were your labors? Did they get progressively faster? {Mine did not}.

Any funny stories you'd like to share? {Please no horrific ones, I have enough of those stored up}

Any tips or suggestions while we wait these last couple of {uncomfortable} weeks out?

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

The girls have been in desperate need of a hair trim. But since they were talking about going a bit shorter, I thought I'd wait until after their dance recital.

Ahhh. Fresh and ready for summer!

Doctor's Appointments and Other Updates

Last Friday I had {another} doctor's appointment. I've reached the weekly appointment stage. In some ways I can't believe that we're at the end of the pregnancy. And in other ways . . . well, I've affectionately named this the pregnancy that never ends ;) Kam was born just shy of 35 weeks, so it just seems that our newest little one should be here already!

Anyway ~ my doctor's appointment. I weighed in, sigh. And since I'm being honest here, I'm just going to share that I've gained nearly 40 pounds. ACK! I'm just not one of those women that gains 20 pounds during pregnancy. I gained 42 with Sierra, 37 with Kenners, and 34 with Kam {but remember, she was 5 1/2 weeks early}. I'm not cute pregnant, by the way. Nope. And I'm retaining quite a bit of water . . . pretty.

{warning: there may be times of overshare today.}

As soon as my midwife came in I jokingly asked when we could induce ;) And, YAY, she said that they would go ahead and schedule an induction by the 25th as long as I had already started "making progress". So then, of course, I worried that I won't have made any progress. I needn't have worried, though. She did a quick check, and I am almost 3cm and baby is at -1 station. I realize that's not any big deal, BUT, it does mean that even if nothing changes, I will still have a new baby girl by the end of June. We're pretty happy about that :)

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And in other baby news . . . we're still hemming and hawing over a name. I have my favorite and Jeremy has his. And we're still trying to come to an "agreement".

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That's all I got.

Busy Busy Bees

We've been busy, busy bees!

First off, all of my whining about the weather has, apparently, paid off ;)

We've had a two day break from the rain, and the thermometer hit 86 degrees this weekend! WOOHOOOO!

Sierra and Makenna have been practing and preparing for their upcoming dance recital. They dance all.day.long. Up and down the grocery aisles, in the living room, outside, you name it. It's pretty cute. After my doctor appointment on Friday {more on that later}, we stopped by Michael's to pick up some things we could use in making little gifts for the girls' classmates. Kenners chose these little suckers. And we saw the butterflies, and couldn't resist. So we turned them into hair clips.

Sierra decided to make bracelets for the girls in her Jazz 3 class. After I snapped this photo we added a little sterling disc stamped with the girls' initials.

Oh, and did I mention the weather has been gorgeous?! I did? Oh, well, it's worth mentioning twice ;) {Did ya notice that someone lost another tooth?}

If you're new here, or missed it before, we live right next door to my parents. We each own 20 acres that adjoin, and it's such fun for the girls to have their grandparents nearby {Jeremy's parents are just up the road too, making it extra special!} Sierra's been holding on to this mailbox since Valentine's Day in hopes of putting it up where our driveways meet, so that they can exchange notes.

Oh, and did I mention? We've been having some nice weather ;)

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday ~ Kam's Day Out

On Monday, Jeremy took Sierra and Makenna fishing . . .

. . . and Kam stayed with Mama

We grocery shopped, sang silly songs, and browsed photo albums.

And had such fun, just the two of us.