Katja Rose...YOU ARE HERE!

What a journey life has been lately!  I can't believe I am a Mom to five kids! I was surprised and scared when I found out I was pregnant with number 5! I was only scared because we had so much coming up in our family, that I didn't know how we would fit in time for having another baby.  We had a big move coming up plus building a home, so having a baby was not planned by me.  Actually, I was trying not to get pregnant, however, when we have plans...sometimes God has other plans.  When I told my husband that I was pregnant, he was thrilled and said that God's timing is always perfect and he will provide.  So, this summer at the end of July, Katja Rose came into our world.  I was due on July 14th, according to the Dr., but I figured I was closer to the 18th or 19th.  We said that we were not going to do anything with this pregnancy to induce or interfere, and I am so glad that the experience was a much better one!

I started having slight back aches, contractions and tightening when I had gone out to eat for Chinese with my Mom-in-law on the 23th of July.  I was about 1 1/2 weeks past my EDD, and pretty soon the Dr.'s were going to encourage me to set up for induction.  I went home that night, and my contractions came steady and stronger.  At 1:30 am on the 25th, I thought we should head into the hospital.  When I was checked I was at a 2 cm, but after sitting in the hospital for about 6 hours, and my contractions pretty much slowing down and becoming so sporadic, we went back home.  I sat at home all day with being able to get a nap squeezed into my afternoon.  That evening, my contractions became super intense, and approximately 11 p.m. I felt the need to push with them....so we went back up to the hospital.  This time, we weren't going home, because I was dilated to an 8! :)  The nurses all got the room ready, because we were having a baby!
I could get into all the details of that night, but I will just keep to the big details.  My husband was going to be catching our baby, and I love that! Doesn't he look great in scrubs?

My best friend, Randi, has been with us for 4 of our deliveries.  I love having her and my husband in the room for support.  Both of them are such an encouragement for me and blessings.  I so gratefully appreciate them!  So, back to my story of Katja's entrance...without much for pain meds., I pretty much cried and yelled out in pain.  I am sure the whole hospital heard me a few times, and I remember thinking that.  I had Phetanol (which is like Neubain) just 2 doses. With that pain med., I was able to rest slightly between contractions.  I had an unusual labor, because my contractions never came one on top of another with little time in between.  My contractions stayed coming at about 1-1 1/2 minutes apart for all of the labor.  I knew time was close when I started naturally pushing through my contractions.  What an amazing thing!  I don't recall how long I pushed, but it didn't take long, and Katja (literally) flew out.  Terry almost had her slip through his hands.

My Dr. was super!  He was technically still on vacation, but he was officially back to work later that day on the 25th.  So, having him come in was a very nice sacrifice.  I think he did a great job, and he showed up in his shirt and cap. LOL 

I love my dear friend, Randi!  (Thanks for all you do, all you are, and for being my dear sweet friend! I appreciate you!)

Katja Rose (Katja: pronounced caught-ya, is a form of Katherine, meaning PURE) weighed 8 lbs., 10 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Here is one of my nurses.  I loved all my nurses, and I really don't have a complaint about any of them. Usually I get one that we either clash a little or I just don't care for them, but this time....all of them were super!  My whole experience with this labor/delivery was excellent!  I was at a different hospital this time, and the care far exceeded the last hospital.  I had small town hospitality here!

My Mom holding her littlest granddaughter.  Katja is number 24th of the grandchildren on my parent's side.  It would have been fun if she was born on the 24th.

My Dad making faces at his granddaughter.

Here I am holding my second little girl, and also holding my friend's daughter who is 2 months older than Katja.  My face is starting to swell on this photo.  I had one allergic reaction during my stay, and I had big time swelling, and chest tightness.  Good thing I was in the right place if things went wrong.  After I removed myself from all medication, I had to be on Prednesone for 5 days.

Daddy and his two princesses...

Grandma Cheryl with her two granddaughters. (Maddy is so in love with her baby sister)

Grandma Cheryl with our kids~ Nathaniel (12 1/2), Caleb (6), Madelyn (4), Cole (2) and Katja (newborn).

Katja and her little friend, Kayla...holding hands.

Getting ready to go home. 

I love this photo!  My favorite!

Crying newborns are actually pretty cute. :)

All set in the car seat.  She looks so tiny!

Welcome baby Katja! We are so thankful for our little daughter! I am thankful for the hospital, Dr., nurses, my husband, best friend, and for having such a beautiful & healthy family!

Fun pictures of the kiddos, updates...what is NEW!!

It has been way too long since I have posted a "personal" blog post. I am sorry about that, but really...life has been busy around our house. I have been really enjoying my children, and time on the computer has been less these days. I know that I need to blog about my life, my kids, our experiences we go through, and I am going to really try to do that more. I know that I have friends and family that check my blog for updates, and I have been slacking. My kids change constantly, and I want to journal their lives on my site. So, here are some recent photos of my adorable children.

Caleb sometimes gets creative with his food. This is a picture of a spinach leaf dressed in black olives. Caleb is really growing lately, and I can't seem to feed him enough. He must be going through a growth spurt...or something. I will feed him (lots) and less than a hour later he is asking me about a snack. So, I just assume he is in a growing stage. Caleb has been talking a lot about God, Jesus, and Heaven lately. I love his curiosity and awe. He is so inquisitive and bright. Caleb's conversations are enlightening and he is really fun to converse with. He has some great thoughts and ideas, and he has an impressive memory! If we need to remember something, we tell Caleb because he will remind us.

He always keeps us laughing with the things he says, still. His favorite things to do currently is playdoh, reading books, doing arts, playing his Leapster and watching Shaun the Sheep videos.

Madelyn is almost two, and loves to follow Caleb around. She loves to copy him and keep up with what he is doing. She is a princess, girly-girl and is really enjoying her dolls, make-up (pretend), her purse, kitchen/dishes set and fingernail polish. She is really learning a lot and her vocabulary is daily expanding. She can count to twenty easily, and knows most of her colors and shapes. She amazes me with what she knows. Madelyn loves to be cuddled, held, and really craves to have her love tank filled with closeness. I could never get too many hugs, so I am totally loving that she craves that. Madelyn is a petite little girl. She currently weighs #25 pounds. She will have her 3 year check up next month.

Madelyn currently loves to play with her dolls, reading, coloring, playdoh, doodle pad, and anything Caleb is doing. She is consistently making comments on how she wants to be in gymnastics and be an ice skater. I really think that she would be good at those two sports because she is very flexible, small frame, and loves to dance. We shall see...

Nathaniel is currently back in the public school as a fifth grader. He LOVES his teacher, and she is amazing. She is a big believer in children learning, not just getting a good grade. If her students get problems wrong, she gives them a chance to correct their work for credit. I think that is a great teacher! She has said to me that Nathaniel is a delight to have in class. She loves how he is so polite and has such great conversational skills. She says that he brightens his day and makes it special. That makes me so proud as a Mom. I think Nathaniel is very thoughtful and has such a big heart. Nathaniel is at the point that his friends are really important to him, and he would love to spend a great portion of his time with his friends. I think Nathaniel is entering the puberty stage, because he is growing lots, has the "growing pains," and goes through spurts of eating/not eating much. He excels in his studies and he is doing super in school.

Currently Nathaniel loves to read (the bigger/challenging book, the better), trading pokemon cards, playing video games, and building with his Bionicles/Legos. Terry and him really enjoy double video gaming on the computers, too...playing Age of Empire.
Cole is a very happy, and very funny 1 year old. I am seeing so much similarities between Cole and Nathaniel, when Nathaniel was little. Cole loves to smile, and if he is crying...it is because he is really hurt (feelings or physically). Cole is practically running and he loves to climb up on EVERYTHING! I haven't had a climber yet until Cole, so he keeps me on my toes. One time I was in the bedroom putting the kid's clothes away and Cole was talking away. Soon I heard Cole yell out something and I look to see where he is. He was at the top of the ladder to the top bunk! It freaked me out! He loves to climb. So, if you come to our house and see all the dining room chairs away from the table, it is our defense to keep Cole off the table. :) Cole loves music and dancing. If there is music, Cole tries to sing, bobs his head and dances around. He finishes our phrases, like when I sing, "Happy Birthday," he says, "to YOU!" It is adorable. He can wave bye-bye, blows and gives kisses (mouth open), points to everything, says quite a few phrases, and loves to greet Dad when he gets home from work. He tries to keep up with Caleb and Madelyn, so I feel like my baby is growing up too quickly. I am wrapping up with nursing, so that is a change for him and I.

Caleb loves to pose and then he says, "Take a picture of me doing this!"

Caleb and Madelyn posing. Are they trying to be spiderman poses? Too bad Cole wasn't turned around for the picture.

Madelyn in her pose to mimic Caleb's. They are two peas in a pod.

Caleb just relaxing...

I really like this picture of Nathaniel. He is really changing lately...growing into manhood. He will be getting braces this year, sometime. At his last Orthodontist appointment he was told to get three teeth out. The Doctor said, "Be one with the wiggle." Nathaniel and I thought that was funny and clever. He achieved the goal, and now he is ready for the work to be done. (we aren't ready for the bill yet, though).
Cole consistently has a smile on his face. He can be a little shy when he meets someone for the first time, and he is more of a mama's boy right now. But with a little warming up, he loves to be with people...especially other kids.

I love this picture of my wonderful children. It is a challenge to get a picture of all the kids looking and smiling. I love that I am their mom, and that God specifically chose me to be their mom. I am so thankful for them!

Updates around our house:
I have been really behind with "milestones" for my sweet little guy. I missed his 9 month check up...it was 10 1/2 months. I missed his 12 month check up, it was 13 months (he is #22) and I didn't have an actual birthday party for him...plus I have yet to post a ONE YEAR blog post for him. It is my priority this week. I tell you...I don't love him less or think he is less important, I just have been so busy with life. We did celebrate his birthday with my mother-in-law and our family up North, but timing around his birthday was crazy busy. We are planning on celebrating Madelyn and Cole's birthday together next month, though.

We have our house on the market and we are planning (hoping) on moving. We don't have concrete plans for when we move, but we would like to implement a camp ground business.

We have been going to a different church and we are totally loving it and growing in our relationship with God. God is totally at work in our lives and he is using this church in HUGE ways! Today, Terry and I renewed our vows, along with 100+ other couples. Our church did a wedding after one of the talks this weekend, and then the renewing of vows took place! It was awesome!! I will have to write more about it soon. I just want to say Thank You God!

Well, since it is after midnight I should get to bed. I am trying to get to bed on a decent time because I know it is healthier to get my rest.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family (review & 2 giveaways)

I think most everyone would admit to having a family that is dysfunctional, right? Most everyone has stories about their in-laws, kid-crazy stories, relatives (in general), family vacations, sibling rivalry, and more. Chicken Soup just came out with a book fit for families to share the funny, heart warming and inspirational stories about all kinds of families and their dysfunctions. "Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family," (released October 2009) has the famous Norman Rockwell painting on the back, and a picture displaying today's family ~may resemble your own. Chicken Soup commissioned a painter to create a loving spoof of the famous Rockwell painting on the front cover.
All in the Family shares 101 stories covering topics such as: family horror stories (Michael Kilpatrick, sharing the story of his little brother, Stevie, falling through the "two holer") and loss stories (Carol Huff sharing a story of cleaning her childhood home after her parents passed away). All in the Family is a great book for laughter and tears, and one to be shared and passed around your family. I recommend this book!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark and Susan Heim) $14.95 available in book stores and/or online now.

WIN IT!
I have the opportunity to host a giveaway on behalf of Chicken Soup for the Soul! There will be two winners. This contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers of the United States. Contest is open until February 12th, 2010. To enter, leave a comment about a funny family story.

**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or become a fan on facebook, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment about family memories. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was provided from Chicken Soup for the Soul. They have provided me with a book to review and information to share with my readers. I am sponsored to offer 2 giveaway books to giveaway to my readers through this review. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.