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!

Umi shoes for Spring & Summer!

I love Umi Shoes, and I think that they offer such quality and design for their footwear! I got an adorable pair of sandals for Cole to review, the Gecko (in chocolate/tan color) and I can't rave about them enough! I think Cole looks adorable in the Umi sandals and I love how these sandals are designed! The heel is covered, and the sides are open making for a great summer shoe.
Cole loves wearing his new sandals, and they are easy to put on! Two velcro straps make it easy to put these adorable sandals on and off. I love how the toes are covered with the Umi Gecko sandals, too!
Umi's shoes are made with high quality leather, which make the shoes last a long time. I think that Umi's shoes are very flexible and wear super! My kids love to run, and the Umi's last a long time.
Don't these cute little baby feet look great in the Gecko Umi Sandals? I think these sandals make for the perfect summer wear! With my son walking/running this summer, I am so thankful that he has Umi on his feet!
Umi shoes range in sizes for babies, toddlers and older kids. The sizes are in Euro, and the chart on their website is easy to understand to see what size your child would need.

Thanks to Umi, my little toddler will be cruising in style and comfort this summer. I highly recommend Umi for your children's feet! To learn more about Umi, check out their website!

I was sent a pair of Umi sandals to review. I was not compensated in anyway for my review. The opinions and statements in this review are of my own. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers.

KidsCraft Playhouses : Review & Giveaway!!

When my kids can use their imagination with play, and step into creativity...I am all for it! I was recently sent a really fun Playhouse for my kids to explore, decorate, color/marker, and make their own. (I helped a little) KidsCraft Playhouses: made from 100% recycled materials, are cardboard playhouses that fit 2-3 kids. I was sent the Shuttle Imagination to review, and my kids were thrilled! The Shuttle came in one large box, and the set up only took a little while. I like how the cardboard is sturdy...because my kids are busy, and they need something that will hold up to their test.
Here is a picture of my little guy, Cole age 1, entering the spaceship. Cole was so excited about going inside to be with his sister. He loved just going in and out.
As you can see, my daughter loved the Shuttle Imagination, too! She was so excited and could barely wait for me to put it together. She loved looking through the holes, which were designed like space shapes: circles, stars, flying rocks, etc.
Easily the Shuttle Imagination holds 2-3 kids comfortably. I love that the KidsCraft Playhouses are built for more than one child, because kids love to play together.
Peek-a-boo Madelyn! She loved looking out at her brothers. Isn't she cute?
Here is Caleb looking out, he loved this new playhouse, too. Here is his design around his face that he decorated. I think that the KidsCraft Playhouse is a great place for kids to let out their creativity and draw all over something (that is OK) and they can make it their own. I also love that this playhouse is already ready for kids to play in, you just need to assemble it for them. I have made many play houses out of card board boxes, and it is tough getting scissors through the card board, and it doesn't always look that great. However, the KidsCraft Playhouses are designed with saving the parent's time in mind (in my opinion).
The kids all had a great time coloring, thinking, drawing, and picking just the right colors for their Shuttle. It was fun to see them so hard at work.
I love Caleb's person on the side of the Shuttle. :) It is just precious to me...
I highly recommend the KidsCraft Shuttle Imagination to you. I was thrilled with this product, and my kids absolutely love it. This makes for a great indoor project when it is raining or snowing out...and my kids have so much fun in it all the time. (especially when I am making dinner).

*KidsCraft offers two designs: Shuttle Imagination ($69.95) and Creation Cottage ($59.95).
The Shuttle Imagination measures 39”L x 34”W x 72”H. Fin attachments are 12” long.

About the creators:
Two dads and a grandfather from Atlanta got a first hand look at how the cardboard box captures a child’s way of thinking. While packing up their financial services business, moving from one office to another, their kids tagged along. Although the fathers brought along playthings like coloring books and crayons for the 3 to 7 year olds, it was the empty boxes that captivated the youngsters. The dads saw the sparks of a business and KidsCraft Playhouses was born.


***WIN IT!!***
KidsCraft Playhouses is generously sponsoring to give a playhouse away (winner's choice of style: Creation Cottage or Shuttle Imagination)!! This contest is open to those in the United States (bloggers or non-bloggers). To enter, you need to go to the KidsCraft website and find out one interesting thing about the company. Contest will end on April 27th at midnight.
**For extra chances you can: become a fan of KidsCraft on Facebook, follow KidsCraft on Twitter, 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 KidsCraft company and the use of their playhouses. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This post was written for KidsCraft.com, who supplied a playhouse for me to review. I was also offered a chance for my readers to enter a giveaway with the sponsorship from KidsCraft. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

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.