Happy 1 Year Birthday Cole!

This blog posting was meant to be up a couple of months ago, since my baby turned one in January. It was not intentional that I posted this late, however, it is so important to me that I write about my baby's birth and celebrate his life! He is a miracle baby...with the toughest birth of my children. All children are a blessing and an amazing miracle created and formed by God! Thank you God for choosing me to be Cole's mother!! I am blessed beyond all...Happy (belated)Birthday to my sweet little baby boy!
Here is me (winter of 2008). Cole growing inside..."I knit you together in your mother's womb..."~God
January 2009...intense labor, by induction. Everything started at 6:00 Am and didn't end until almost midnight. My OB/Gyn Doctor is amazing! He was with me throughout the day, broke my water, and kept checking on me. After his shift, he stopped by to wish me well. He said he would stop back after his son's games (around 9 PM) and if I was still in labor, he would be with me. That is complete dedication! I really believe that God stirred in him to stick with me, because of all the complications I had with labor/delivery. I owe so much gratitude to Dr. S. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! One of my bestest friends, Randi, was with me as an assistant coach. She was with me for Caleb, Madelyn and Cole. She is an amazing, loyal, and dedicated friend! Thank you so much, Randi for all you have done, and all you are! I owe so much to you! Thanks for putting up with me, letting me bruise your arm, loving and supporting Terry and I and being my comfort in labor! I love you!!
Cole Matthew was born after over 2 hours of intense pushing, being turned around (inside) because he was face up, and face first...ouch!, and after so much pushing...he was vacuumed out. That was the hardest decision to make. I am not a promoter of the vac., but I felt like I didn't have much choice. I was worn out, ready to give up. I feared for my baby and for me.
Cole came out limp, and the cord was wrapped around his neck. I was so scared because I knew he was in grave danger. The nurses didn't say anything and my Doctor's face displayed serious concern. The nurses rushed him to the warmer and rubbed on him so hard and had a mask to his face. I kept asking if he was OK, and no one answered me. I was fully relieved to hear him cry after what seemed an eternity! He was OK. THANK YOU GOD!!
Cole had serious injury to his head from the delivery. He had an ultrasound to make sure everything was OK. He had a lot of fluid build up and the top of his head was like moving water in a water bed. I was so protective of his little head. Cole also had bad jaundice that needed monitoring, so we made several trips to the clinic for blood tests. They were concerned that the numbers weren't getting better...but eventually he made a turn for the better.
One of my best friends took this photo when Cole was a week old. Jennifer is an amazing photographer, and I highly recommend her if you need a photographer! She takes the pictures of the moment...check out her site: JR Photography (currently it may be under construction).
He is so cute!!
Here is Cole with his little cousin, Isaiah, who is 10 days younger than him. I love that the two of them are so close in age! It is fun for me and my sister-in-law, too.

Here is Isaiah and Cole last summer. I believe that they were both about 6-7 months old.
I think that he is about 4 or 5 months old in this photo. I know, I should write things down to keep track.
Cole loves to eat, and he loves to feed himself.
Praise the Lord...even if it is with spaghetti all over your face!
My kids love to dress up, and surprisingly Cole keeps hats on (for the most part). This was taken on Halloween 2009.
Cole crawled early, walked early, and seems to do everything early. I think he feels he needs to keep up with Caleb and Madelyn. It is exciting to see him go through all his amazing milestones, but he is my baby...and it is all happening to early (for me).
Cole has a new "pocket." Every time he gets a chance to hook his hand here, he does. It has to be a male-thing. It is funny, though.
Cole is so happy, and good natured. Lately we are noticing that he is determined, too. He loves to be independent: opening doors, digging in the cd's, turning buttons on/off, climbing up on to EVERYTHING (even Caleb's ladder to the top bunk bed), throwing things in the garbage or off the tray of his high chair, and anything else he can get into. It is amazing to me how much a one year old knows. He knows exactly what I don't want him to dig in, and makes it his top priority to do it. I love seeing his mind work through his actions and verbal usage. He really is talking a lot! He says: Mama, Daddy, Thaniel (Nathaniel), hode ju (hold you), Uhv you (love you), and a few more. He also knows what I am talking about most of the time, too.
Cole loves to dance, and any chance music comes on or he hears singing, he is bobbing his head and dancing. He also loves to hug and kiss. He finds most anything to be funny and loves to imitate people that he thinks are funny. Cole loves to keep up with his siblings, and he really enjoys playing with them. Madelyn loves to give Cole a push to make sure he knows she is older than him, but Cole knows which buttons make Madelyn's temper rise. Ahhh, sibling love.
My children are such a blessing and I am so very grateful to God! Cole is a wonderful addition to our family, and we are so blessed by his life. Happy Birthday to my little Cole. May God give you abundant joy and may you serve him with your whole life.

Happy Birthday and bits of pieces....

Today is my husband's birthday! Happy Birthday~ honey! We had a great day so far...we got up and went to church. It was Youth Sunday~ and that is when the Youth Group leads in worship, song, and prayer. Our Youth Pastor gave the sermon. I missed most of the sermon, because Cole needed a diaper change and to be fed. This usually happens during the church service when my babies are little. Cole is getting so big! He had an appointment last Thursday for his 2 month check up. He is now 11 pounds 14 ounces! It is hard to believe that he is almost 10 weeks old already! Don't worry, I am not looking to have another anytime soon...the labor/birth/recovery is so fresh in my mind, and it isn't a pleasant thought. At least I have a beautiful baby, and he is healthy! He still has a bump on the top of his head. It is hard, and that is a bit worrisome. I asked the Dr. about it, and she said it was odd to her that it was still there after 2 months. She said sometimes when they give shots, and they hit a vein, kids can get a harder lump from calcium build-up (from the blood). So, she thinks that may be what it is. Too hard to tell. She said we could maybe go to a Skull Dr., but with Cole being so little, there really isn't too much the Dr. could do. So, we wait. Madelyn had her 2 year check up the same day as Cole's 2 month. She is finally on the charts with her weight! She is now 23 pounds (still a little peanut), but she is growing well. She will just always be petite, I think. She a busy little girl, and learning more everyday! I can't believe my little baby girl is a toddler. Of coarse, she loves to say, "NO!" and she is learning Independence with getting dressed/undressed. She loves to give kisses and hugs, and is our cuddler.
For the last two nights, we have had friends over for game night. We love having friends over and entertaining. On Friday night, we had over our friends Lisa and Donnie. Our other friend, Jody and her husband were suppose to come over, but they had forgotten. We had fun playing our new Yatzee game. Good laughs, and fun. Then, on Saturday evening, we had over Jodi and Ben. We have really enjoyed playing this game called Ticket to Ride. I was hoping to review the game on my site, but no luck. It is a really fun game, and my husband especially loves it because it is trains.
I am sorry I haven't been writing too many personal blogs lately. I have been so busy with 4 kids. It really makes a difference from 3 to 4.....especially since they are all under the age of 4~ Caleb will be 4 end of May. I do want to get better with writing about our kids, what they do, and our family times. I will try to get more pictures uploaded too.
Tonight I am going to go pick up Nathaniel from his weekend with his Dad. I hope he had a good weekend with his Dad. We have been going through some things with Nathaniel and we are seeking guidance. I pray that we can help him get through his heart issues. He is 10 years old, and in such a crucial moment in his life. The other night we sat down with him and let him say anything he wanted to us. He could share his feelings, anger, fear~ whatever he wanted. If he was mad at us, or whatever. He had to stay respectful through it. It was amazing what our results were. I will have to go into more details about that another post. I hope you all had a good weekend. More later.

Madelyn is TWO!!!

I can't believe that my sweet, darling daughter, Madelyn (my princess) is two years old today! The time sure has flown! I want to share my birth story with you.
I had an appointment on Madelyn's due date (March 8th, 2007). I had an ultra-sound, which the clinic routinely does on due dates. They found out that the amniotic fluid was pretty much gone, so I was told that I needed to be scheduled for an induction. I was told that I should check into the hospital that evening around 7 PM. Terry was working that day, so I called him from my parents and told him what the plan was. He was going to stop by home after work and pick up my bag, car seat, etc. My mother-in-law was so sweet to meet me at my parent's house to pick up Nathaniel and Caleb. When Terry and I headed up to the hospital, we stopped at Subway and picked up 2 foot longs. I actually ate 1/2 on the way, and the other half in the hospital bed while I was answering the million questions they ask about history/medications/etc. I think that is a funny part about the "labor day" that I ate a foot long sub before giving birth.....
Anyway~ the IV fluids were started and I was going to have a cytotec pill inserted to help "rippen" the cervix. I didn't know the side effects of this pill, otherwise I would not have allowed this method for induction. (see Cole's story) That is a whole other story. I didn't like the nurse that was doing the registration part, and the one that was going to be helping us. She was the nurse that discharged us with Caleb. Let's just say she isn't very personal and caring. Bland would be a good word to describe her. She had difficulty getting the pill inserted (dry glove)~ yeah, can I get an OWIE!! I was a puddle of tears, and after 3 times trying, she got another nurse. I LOVE the nurse that came in to help. She was our delivery nurse we had with Caleb. Right then I should have asked if she could just help us the rest of the time. She calmed me down, told me what I could do to help....and just like that it was in.
My dear friends, Lisa and Jody, came up to see me and offer support. It was a great joy to see them and share a few laughs. One of the laughs was over glitter. I will have to tell you that one another time (or ask them).
The pill worked right away, and I was in full blown labor! Can you believe, through crying and moaning, the nurse told me I really wasn't in labor? I could have smacked her one. (F.Y.I. she had 3 scheduled C-Sections....no idea what labor is).
I had an epidural, and it helped minimize the pain. I did still feel quite a bit of pains, though. I did need oxygen, and Maddie's heart rate decreased. But, my labor lasted about 5 hours, and I pushed for about 10-15 minutes. She was born a little after 1 AM. I thought she was going to be huge, from the way my belly was out there. Everyone else thought my baby was going to be big, too. Out came this tiny, little peanut at 6 pounds 6 1/2 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. She is still little today at 2 years old. I have her well child check next week. Did I know what I was having? Nope, but I was very emotional during pregnancy, and even cried over spilled milk. We knew we were having a girl. Here are some pictures of our little princess:

My parents with Madelyn. In this picture, she is under 9 hours old.
I think she is about 3 months old in this picture. I did have more of her birth pictures, but our hard drive crashed with them on it. I am desperately hoping we can restore those!
She is such a silly girl! She is feisty, even when she was smaller.
Madelyn is a very happy girl!
Here she was starting to walk around while holding onto objects.
She is a girl in every aspect of the word. She walks like a girl, talks like a girl, and is moody like a girl. We love our little girl, and are so happy she was given to us from God!

She was drinking "pop" on our trip to Chicago last summer. That is what she called her bug juice.
She loves to "copy" mom and babywear her babies. My friend, Candace, gave Maddie this child sling for her Christmas gift.
Blowing out her candle for her Birthday! After we all sang Happy Birthday to her, she clapped and said, "Yeah! Good job everybody!"

MMMMmmmm......Barbie Chocolate Cupcakes!
So careful with her cupcake...not really liking getting her fingers dirty.
Madelyn got mostly clothes for her birthday. She LOVED it! Seriously, she had to try on everything she got! She got underwear, 2 dresses, 2 shirts, a sweatshirt, 3 pair of jeans, and a summer outfit!
Big brother Caleb loved to help Maddie with her gifts. He wanted a gift, too, but I told him he only needs to wait 2 months to his birthday.
She has the cheesiest smile lately. She loves to show off her teeth. She is finally getting the last couple teeth on her bottom gum next to the front two.
We love you Madelyn! Happy Birthday to our precious girl! You are very dear to us, and we pray God will bless your life and you will bring honor to Him in all you do. Thank you, Lord, for our little girl!

Fun "girly" toys now available!

Madelyn had her 2nd birthday party this weekend (with the Grandparents) and she was very curious about one of her gifts. Every time she walked near the gift, it moved and babbled. Her brother, Caleb was quite curious as well, and almost opened it up himself!
Here are some pictures of her opening her gift:

Caleb wanted to "help" her out. He wanted to open all of her gifts.
She was really excited to see the little baby inside her gift!
She couldn't figure out how the baby was crawling and making baby sounds.
I think she was trying to get the baby to look at her.
She was having her new little baby kissing her new little puppy. She is really getting into pretend play at her age, and the Little Mommy Scoot so Cute doll from Fisher Price is fun for her to "be the mommy" to. The Scoot so Cute dolls are perfect for ages 2 and up, and retail for $27.00 from Fisher Price. She crawls, coos, giggles, and makes a spitting sound. She is pretty quick across the floor, and starts crawling from a motion sensor. Scoot so Cute doll is a fun toy for your little girl to play with and pretend to be mommy to.

Are you looking for a gift for your daughter's birthday, or for her to give to her friend?Polly Pocket Designables Perfect Party Bag makes the perfect present for the birthday girl! Polly Pockets are a popular hit for girls ages 4 and up. Madelyn is a little young for Polly Pockets yet, due to the small parts, but I am sure she will enjoy them in a few years. The new set of Polly's: Designables Perfect Party Bag has 25 pieces, including a birthday cake, invitations, decorations, and more! The packaging is a fun on-the-go tote with a floral handle. There are two different totes containing either Polly or Lila (dolls). Available for $17.99, ages 4+ You can find them online, or at a local retailer like Target or Walmart.
Polly Pockets also have other fun sets available! Polly Pocket Designable Doll Packs would be a fun gift to put in the Easter basket! Polly Pocket and her friends Chrissy, Lea, Lila, Shani and Kerstie bring the trendy, stylish and polly-tastic fashions to every girls Easter basket! Each doll pack includes a doll and super-chic interchangeable outfits and, at only $5.99 each, they’re a perfect, affordable alternative to all those sugar-laden sweets! Available for ages 4+.
Polly and friends will love to shop and play in the new, multi-level Polly Pocket Designables Courtyard. The girls can dance the night away in the disco, visit the glam shopping boutique and shop til they drop or visit the scrumptious café – the possibilities are endless! To make it ever more Polly-fabulous, the Courtyard glows with a light up feature! The Polly Pocket Designables Mall Stores lets girls build their own Polly world, their way, and features shopping at its best to include the Glamour Shop with Polly, Candy Shop with Crissy, Electronics Shop with Lea, Fashion Boutique with Lila, Sports Shop with Shani and Music Shop with Kerstie. When attached to the Designables Courtyard, the individual Mall Stores will each light up. The Desingables Courtyard is available for $25.99 and the Designables Mall Stores are available for $13.99, both are ages 4+.

Happy Birthday Nathaniel~

Yes, that is a candle in a slice of pizza!
I cannot believe I have been a mom for 10 years now! Wow~ where does the time go? I was in so much pain 10 years ago right now as I type this! I will share my birth story of my oldest son: Nathaniel!

I was 22 years old. I was due on October 20th, 1998. I had a Dr.'s appointment on the 20th, and my body wasn't doing anything to progress toward labor. My dear, and wonderful Dr. stripped my membranes (without warning...mind you) and I about died! I think he may have had to scrape me off the ceiling. OK, it wasn't like that, but it was horrible! Anyway, he said see you in a week. He told me I could have the baby any day that week, except for Thursday, because he would be gone that day. So, wouldn't you know it? Nathaniel decided to make his way into the world on Thursday, October 22. I went to bed around midnight on the 21st, and woke up at 4:00 with the feeling of needing to relieve myself of solid wastes. Since I had no luck of that, and could not get myself back to sleep, I figured that I MUST be in labor. I remember sitting on the couch for an hour doing word finds, before calling my best friend~Jennifer~ to tell her what was happening. Yes, I called her about 5 AM. I called my favorite cousin around 8 AM to talk to her and let her know, too. The day progressed, and I had a small breakfast (2 french toast slices). My friend, hairstylist, and (at the time) my brother's girlfriend, came over for a few hours in the morning to hang out. Jennifer got to my apartment around 11:00. By that time, my contractions were getting worse. I tried watching my Soap Opera (Young and the Restless)~which I have given up almost a year ago~but, I was in too much pain to get much out of it. I remember pacing around the hallway, and leaning on the doorway. Nathaniel's Dad got up there about 1:00 PM. I waited until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, since it was my first baby, and I heard it would be long. We headed up to the hospital about 4:00, and checked in. Nathaniel's Dad, my birth coach and best friend, Naomi, and Jennifer were with me. I had a wheel chair to ride up to the room, and really, I have no idea how I made it across the parking lot. I stopped SO much for every contraction. I think I was measuring a 2 only when they checked me. I wanted to yell...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I remember the phone kept ringing, and I told Naomi to tell them (whoever it was) to quit calling! I wanted no lights on, and the shade slightly pulled. That sun was so bright! The nurse checked me again at 8:00 and said I had made it to 5 CM dilation. WOO HOOO! She asked if I wanted an epidural, and I declined. The Dr. and nurses kept wanting me to get up and shower, or walk, or anything to get up...and I just wanted to lay there and wallow in my pain. They didn't tell me it would help me dilate faster. I think they should tell that to new moms! (~Remember that Alicia! :))

Anyway, I did get up and sit in a rocking chair. I had terrible back pain, and the nurse (God bless her) said it would help if I sat in the chair. As I did that, she sat at my feet and pushed my knees back. This took amazing pressure off my back and felt great! Then, I went back to bed. By 10:00 PM, they got the room ready~I was dilated to 10, and I was ready to push. I gave a few practice pushes while we were waiting for the Dr. After a handful of pushes, the nurse informs me that I should push like I am pooping. OH~~OK!! That made a huge difference! Nurses and Dr.'s should also share that information with new moms right off the bat! Well, I did have a small poo come, and I told the Dr.'s about it. I said I did, and they said I didn't...even though everyone thinks they do. After they argued with me about 3 times, they said, "Oh, yes, I guess you did." Hello~I think I know! :)

After 45 minutes of pushing, out comes my beautiful, amazing, miracle baby boy! Weighing in at 8 pounds 6 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long. He was so small, and tiny and amazing! What a wonder God creates such amazing miracles! I was so overwhelmed...and TIRED. I loved holding him, cuddling him, and letting him sleep in my arms. I am so happy that God chose me to be his mom~ what an honor!

I love you Nathaniel! You ARE my GIFT FROM GOD! Nathaniel means Gift from God.

We will be celebrating a family meal out tomorrow night, and he is having a boys party on Saturday. Then, on Sunday we will have the grandparents over, and maybe some cousins. We had to postpone some of the celebrations off of his "official" birthday due to his birthday falling mid week. Happy Birthday to my first born...Nathaniel! Now he is in the double digits!