Just in case you were wondering......

It's a boy if:


•You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
•Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
•You are carrying the extra weight out front
•Your belly looks like a basketball
•Your areolas have darkened considerably
•You are carrying low
•You are craving salty or sour foods
•You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
•Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
•The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy
•Your hands are very dry
•Your pillow faces north when you sleep
•Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you
•Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
•Your urine is bright yellow in color
•Your nose is spreading
•You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles
•You are having headaches
•You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number



It's a girl if:


•You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
•Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
•You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
•Your left breast is larger than your right breast
•Your hair develops red highlights
•You are carrying high
•Your belly looks like a watermelon
•You are craving sweets
•You are craving fruit
•You crave orange juice
•You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
•You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
•Your face breaks out more than usual
•You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
•Your breasts have really blossomed!
•Your pillow faces south when you sleep
•Your urine is a dull yellow color
•You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
•You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number


If you're not laughing hysterically right now......!!!! According to most of these- I'm having a girl! Honestly, after my scare today, I'm just happy to have a baby in there that seems to be doing well. I'm 17 weeks pregnant today, and I still haven't felt the baby move (thought MAYBE a couple of times, but then decided NOT). I have looked through my baby books and with ALL of my other 7 pregnancies I have felt the baby by 16 weeks at the latest (14 at the earliest). I was trying hard not to worry, but finally decided to give my doc a call this morning, and she said come on in and they'd check for the heartbeat to put me at ease. I was thrilled, but then spent the next couple of hours waiting to go get checked in panic mode- knowing I was going to go get checked made my anxiety level even worse! I can't even BEGIN to tell you how relieved I was when I heard that wonderful heartbeat racing along at 140 BPM!!! Now, here's the really ironic part.......

as I sit here typing this, guess what I'm feeling........

BABY KICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Matthew moment...

So, we went out to eat dinner last night after spending the entire day finishing up outdoor decorating and house cleaning, and Mr. Matthew gave us yet another great Matthew story! If you know Matthew or if you follow his blog, then you know that we have many, many Matthew stories socked away to tell his future wife on his wedding day (we'll have to wait until they've said "I do" or she may take off in a hurry!!!)! And last night was no exception ;-)

We decided to eat at Jason's Deli (it's a great little order-at-the-counter deli/salad bar that we love), and by the time we arrived, Matthew had fallen asleep in his car seat. Well, I wasn't about to let him take a nap at 6 o'clock at night, so I dragged him out of the car and stood him up on the ground (where he nearly fell over!). I took his hand and led him into the restaurant, and then directed some of the kids to go get a table and I shoved him in the general direction of the kids. Zack & I headed up to the counter to order the "usual" :-) and then proceeded to pay and fill up all the kids' drink cups. By the time we reached the table, the last thing on our minds was counting heads, but it didn't take me long to realize that Matthew was missing!

We assumed he had headed to the bathroom, and so we sent Josh in to check on him. When Josh returned with no Matthew, we started to check around the restaurant..... beginning with the ice cream machine! After a couple minutes of looking, we decided maybe he had snuck out to the seating area outside- the kids like to play out there, and it's not near a street, so we still weren't too worried. Zack and Allie headed out to look, and I stayed with the other kids. I saw Allie check the car, and then I saw Zack beginning to pick up his pace as he scoured the seating area...... that's when I began to panic! I ran outside and started to help search, at the same time telling Allie how I had walked him into the restaurant and pushed him toward the tables. I told her that he had been half-asleep, and so I knew that he wouldn't have had his normal energy to get into trouble. I yelled to Zack, who was now out of sight, and then, all of a sudden, I heard Allie laughing hysterically. I turned to see what was so funny, and there, through the window, I spotted her source of comedy!! On the chairs, up against the window, slept Matthew! He was spread out on his stomach across 2 chairs at the very back of the restaurant, and we couldn't see him from inside because he was essentially under the table ;-) I called Zack over to check out Allie's discovery, and we all had a great laugh, vowing that this story for sure would go down in our all-time family favorites!!!!!!!!

P.S. Is anyone getting the picture at the top of my blog (the lady with the vacuum) to pull up? It's not coming up when I get on my blog, and I'm not sure if it's just my computer or if it's a problem with blogger!

Happy feet!

For the last 3 years I have been searching for the perfect pair of boots, complicated by the fact that I knew EXACTLY what I wanted! My sister has a pair of boots that I have admired for quite some time, but I have never been able to find anything similar..... or, if I did find something similar, it would be sold out in my size ;-) So, this year, with a plethora of boots to choose from due to the latest fashion trend, I set out to find my boots early- like, back in September!!! It wasn't until mid-October that I actually found what I was looking for.....

Only to lose them to Jacob!!! Actually, I found my boots in a store, but of course they didn't have my size, so they suggested I try ordering on-line. Not only did they have my size on-line, but they were even on sale for $30 less! I didn't think twice about ordering them and, now that I have them, I am thrilled with my choice!!!
And I knew I made the right decision when I wore my new boots out last week to my OB appointment and I received five compliments in the one hour that I was out ;-)
Now I'm thinking I should get a second pair of the exact same boots.......ya know, just in case...........!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

CHAOS!!!




Yep, I've been a little busy lately (which explains the no posting since Sunday!) getting ready for...... Christmas! I know, I know, it's waaaaaayyyyy too early to be decorating for Christmas, and normally, we wait until the Friday following Thanksgiving, but this year is different. Not only do we have family coming for Thanksgiving (which means no decorating that weekend), but we are leaving just 2 short weeks after that for our trip to Montana. SO, we had two options..... decorate early or don't decorate...... make that ONE option, because NOT decorating around here is NEVER an option ;-) So, I decided to dedicate this week to dragging out all the Christmas tubs and hanging the garland, lights, etc. The only exception this year is that we didn't do our big tree- we got rid of our old one last year, and we certainly aren't going to replace it if we won't be here for Christmas! And the chaos in the pictures above went on for 2 long days, but finally ended yesterday, and here's the result....
The above is our front entry and the trees below are in the formal dining room.
Santa adorns the buffet in the dining room....


Dining room table centerpiece that I put together.....
Front entry.....

Formal living room....

And the stockings were hung......
Yep, there's 10 of them up there- we almost fill the staircase!
Back to the formal living room....

Kitchen window...
Kitchen buffet.....
My Christmas quilt- handmade by my mom!
The hearth room....
Our kitchen table....
3rd floor hallway overlooking the front entryway....

And the basement......


This is where the kids hang out, so we put all the Christmas toys and books out for them!
I still have a few things to tweak, but I'm about done! Zack already hung the lights in the trees outside, and he plans to hang the wreaths on all of the windows this weekend- then we will be officially done! And just in time for gramma & grampa, who will arrive this coming Tuesday- YAY! I'm happy to have it all finished, as I have 2 photo shoots this weekend and one over Thanksgiving- be sure to check my photoblog for new pictures next week!!

Home for the holidays...

Well, it's not actually home, but it's the place where we've spent the majority of our Christmases for the last 13 years! I'm talking, of course, about my parents' log home that sits on 40 acres of land in beautiful southwestern Montana! Not only have we spent many Christmases there, but we've also spent many, many hours driving TO GET THERE, and this year will be no exception........ well, except for ONE exception! You see, this year, Zack will be driving, but I (22 weeks pregnant by then) will be flying....... but not alone ;-) Nope, I will be joined by both Jacob & Matthew, and I will be praying CONSTANTLY!!!!!! Zack, on the other hand, will be making the 15-hour trip from our house to Billings, Mt, by himself with our other 5 children. From there, we will meet up and stop for the night before continuing the remaining 5 hours of the 20-hour drive! Believe it or not, this is not the furthest we've driven to get home.... when we lived in Texas, we would make a 24-hour trip home each year ;-) But it's all worth it when you drive up and see this......

And when you get up in the morning and see this.....
Yep, there's a ski run right across the valley from my parents' house, and it's where all my children have learned to ski! And here's the view as we drive up the road to the house- the garage is the first thing you see, and it's so cool as it has a real "bunk" room on the whole top floor, designed specifically for the kids!!!
And here's a side view of the house!
And here's how it looks when it's snowing!!!
Here's a great shot of the property with the ski runs in the background! Besides skiing, we enjoy snowmobiling, ice skating, sledding and snowman-making!!!
Here's my dad on his 4-wheeler in the middle of a snowstorm!
And here's his (ahem) favorite activity!
I love this shot of the house at dusk with the snow on the ground! At Christmas, my parents always go and cut their own tree, and it's always VERY tall! It goes right in the big window!

And here's a shot of Emily & Sophie skiing- not sure if that's Zack or my dad with them ;-)
As much as I'm not looking forward to the getting there, I can't wait to experience the magic once again- how blessed are we?!?!

And on another note...... if you haven't been to my photoblog lately, I have some new stuff up over there! Business is picking up as the holidays draw near, and I have shoots scheduled for the next few weekends ;-)

An Ode to Pregnancy

THANK YOU scale for showing me
the price of my new figure
unfortunately I have to say
it's only getting bigger.

THANK YOU shoes for shrinking
as my feet begin to swell
if you'll ever fit again
only time will tell.

THANK YOU nose for betraying me
for everything I smell
now makes me feel really sick
even things I love so well.

THANK YOU Noah for consoling me
I'm not really fat
I'm just much bigger than I used to be
like you keep telling the kids in class.

THANK YOU toilet for beckoning me
everywhere I go
for every time I have a drink
I start to overflow.

THANK YOU stomach for covering
all I see when I look down
I guess I don't really need to see
what's hiding on the ground.

THANK YOU kids for reminding me
I'm really super crabby
maybe next time you will take
your problems to your daddy.

THANK YOU Matthew for asking
if we'll get the baby out today
you never cease in reminding me
how far it is away.

THANK YOU GOD for blessing me
with BABY number eight
though I complain I know this child's
a BLESSING and not a fate!

*And just in case you're wondering, as my mom was, YES- I did write this!!! I certainly have the experience, and probably could have gone on, and on, and on.......!

Buzz's Misfortune...

Many years ago, when the girls were still little, there was a certain movie that came out and quickly became a family favorite. Some of you may know it..... Toy Story! And not only did our family love it, but we had lots and lots of the toys from the movie. One of our most favorite toys, and definitely the one kept in the best condition through all the years, was an original Buzz Lightyear action figure. Well, it was in the best condition, until it met with Matthew that is.......

Poor Buzz- he never really had a chance! Just a few short months ago, he was a fabulous toy that all the kids loved, and all of his parts still worked (even his sound), but then Matthew got the best of him. The first thing to come off was his leg (I think he was trying to fly off the stair railing). But 'ol Buzz hung in there and still delighted the kids, so we kept him around. It wasn't until about a week ago that the worst damage was sustained by our superhero......
Yep, that was the day his head came off! Poor, poor Buzz. The worst part is that they don't make him the same way anymore, and our classic toy is now not worth much. But I do have to admit that it's rather ironic the way Buzz ended up...... guess maybe we should change Matthew's name...... to SID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mcklinky Blog Hop!

I wanted to join the Mcklinky blog hop this week in hopes to get a question answered that I have been meaning to post about for some time now! This week's theme is "Ask a question," and the idea is to get my readers to comment and answer my "burning" question! So, here's my question, and I REALLY hope you can help me out!!

Does anyone out there have a spouse that SNORES and is there ANYTHING I can do about it?!?!

And, yes, I got him to try the Breathe Right strips- NO DICE!!!! Please help me!!!!!!!

A MIRALCE!!!!!!!!!!

PRAISING GOD FOR STELLAN!!!!! I am so excited right now that I can hardly sit still to type this! If you didn't yet hear the good news, be sure you head over to Mckmama's blog right now and witness a TRUE MIRACLE!!!!!!!!

Early Thanksgiving!

Last night we were invited to help our good friends celebrate their daughter's 14th birthday! They decided to have an early Thanksgiving dinner at the same time, as they will be out of town for the upcoming holiday, and we were more than happy to oblige;-) They are not only great hosts, but they are also wonderful cooks and any invitation to their house is always very much appreciated!! Here are some pictures from our evening- this is the gorgeous table that was set when we arrived (set for all 14 of us, I might add!!):


And the beautiful desserts, to include pecan and pumpkin pies, and some yummy little birthday cupcakes:
And here are our gracious hosts (Mimi & Joel) whipping potatoes and carving the turkey:
Ahhhh, the turkey, in all it's glory.....
Dinner was BEYOND yummy, and then the boys enjoyed watching Lauryn blow out her candles...
After dinner, the kids and men retired to the fabulous basement for some fun games! Here's Zack trying to remember how to play ping pong (he used to be a champ at it!!):
And here he is trying his hand at whatever you call this game (the name is totally escaping me at this moment!!!)....
We had a great night- THANKS GUYS!!!!!!

A Midsummer Night's Dream!

Last night, we were so excited to see our highschool's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and even more thrilled knowing that 2 of our children were in the play!! Allie, our 17 yr-old, played the part of one of the fairies, and Noah, our 7 yr-old, played the part of the little changeling boy (the two main fairies were fighting over him!!)! We were very surprised when we walked into the school and found this....

Yep, that's Noah, front and center!!!!! His picture is right in between the two main fairies on a board filled with the main characters in the play- wow!!! And while he didn't have any lines and certainly was not a main character, it was so wonderful to see him honored in such a great way! Only the main members of the cast were placed on the board, so he even beat out his big sister ;-)

The show was wonderful and both kids did a fabulous job! Our school has such a fabulous drama department, that it's always a treat to go see the shows- the acting and production quality is incredible! Here are some of the shots we got after the show-Allie hugging one of the main characters with dad standing proudly in the background.....
Allie and Noah!!!!
Allie did her own makeup, and it was very cool!
It's always chaos after the shows- all the actors come out for pictures!
Allie, Noah and good friend Mitch....
Allie, Noah and Mitch again (who actually played an "actor" in the play)....

Allie and good friend Nikki!!
Allie, Noah and Wendy (one of the main characters- she did an amazing job!!)....

Allie, Noah and more good friends! The cast is such a tight-knit group and they have a great time together!!
Noah and MR. DONKEY!!!! Actually, this is Josh- he also played an "actor" in the play- one that turned into a donkey- and he did a wonderful job! Noah loved him and his donkey costume!!!! One of the best things about being in the play for Noah was all the attention that he received! Every day, he couldn't wait to go to rehearsal, and he was very much loved by all the actors- they were so sweet to him and really "took to him!" Noah even received a very coveted award last night after the play at the cast party- a pin given to only a couple of the actors for their performance. I have to say, although Noah didn't have any lines, he was on stage quite a bit, and did have to learn where to go and how to act, and he did really well! We are quite sure there will be more acting in his future!!! Great job Allie and Noah- we love you both!!!!!!

Show us Your Life: Thanksgiving Traditions

Today I decided to join in with Kelly's Korner blog carnival- she's doing Thanksgiving traditions and recipes!! And since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought it would be a great post!

Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of: Turkey, homemade stuffing, sweet potatoes with a glaze, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamy corn, and a relish tray. We also have a cranberry relish that is to die for, and of course, pumpkin pie!! YUM!!! I'm going to share 2 recipes today- the creamy corn (it's a huge favorite and sooooo easy!) and the cranberry relish! Enjoy ;-)

CREAMY CORN:

Ingredients~
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
onion salt to taste
small amt of milk (add what you need)
very large bag of frozen corn

Directions~
*place cream cheese in large skillet or dutch oven on very low heat until it begins to melt
*add onion salt, milk, and frozen corn and let thaw and cook slowly over a low heat until hot


Cranberry Relish:

Ingredients~
1- 12oz pkg cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 medium orange
3/4 to 1 cup of sugar

Directions~
*slice UNPEELED orange into 8 segments
*Place half the cranberries and half the orange segments into a food processor
*Process until evenly and finely chopped
*Transfer to a bowl and repeat the process with the remaining cranberries and oranges
*Stir in sugar to desired sweetness
*store in refrigerator

One of our favorite "new" traditions is going to see a movie on Thanksgiving Day- after we've chowed down of course ;-) We started doing it about 7 years ago with our kids, and everyone really looks forward to relaxing after all the hours of preparation that go into dinner!!

The "single-child" phenomenon...

Yesterday, I needed to run to Target and Matthew insisted on going with me even though Emily was home and he could have stayed with her. I agreed- with gritted teeth- to take him with me, despite the fact that I had been hoping for a very quick trip there and back ;-) Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while and know Matthew, understand that he is not the easiest of children to deal with! In fact, he's so demanding of our time and attention that I actually started a blog just for him about a year ago (if you haven't checked it out, feel free to visit Matthew's Madness!)!

So, you can imagine my surprise yesterday as we loaded into the car and Matthew hopped right into his car seat, buckled himself in, and sat pleasantly for the short trip to Target! And then, not only did he follow me closely through the parking lot (normally he would run treacherously here, there and everywhere!), but he stayed right with me as I made my way quickly through the store, ONLY STOPPING ONCE TO TOUCH SOMETHING!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!

Now, I know what you're thinking: he must have been sick or tired, right?! Nope, neither! In fact, he was SO well behaved that I found myself buying him a treat in the checkout line, despite the bags of Halloween candy that currently adorn our pantry shelves ;-)

This can only be explained in ONE way, my friends, and I am deeming it the "single-child" phenomenon! There's just something about taking only ONE child out with you, and I can't put my finger on why, but for some reason, they just seem to behave better.
And, truth be told, the same thing has happened before with my other children, but I NEVER expected Matthew to fall into this category- proving that even the orneriest children are not immune!!!

So, what is it?! I was in a rush yesterday, so it couldn't have been due to me being more relaxed having less children to deal with. Nope, I don't think it was anything I did- so it has to be something inherent in the kids, right?! I mean, as much as I adore this cute little guy....

... he can REALLY be a royal pain when it comes to taking him anywhere!! I know, it's hard to believe that this child can get into so much trouble......


But he does! And I'm curious as to what the heck was up yesterday!!! So, if you've experienced this "phenomenon" with your children and you think you know what it's all about, please leave me a comment and let me know!!!

Following in my footsteps...

Seventeen years ago today, I gave birth to my first baby- a beautiful 6lb, 6oz baby girl that we named Allison Joy!

And over the years, that sweet little baby grew....
and grew.....
and grew....
and GREW.....!

And so today, as we celebrate our sweet Allie's 17th year of life, I can't help but feel so proud and so honored to be her mommy! Especially since Miss Allie has decided to honor me by following in my footsteps! You see, this is a picture of me taken some 25 years ago (I'm on the left!)....

And THIS is a picture of my daughter taken just last week!!!! As they say, like mother, like daughter ;-)
I'm so honored to have the 80's Dancing Queen Image being carried on!?! And as much as I'd like to forget the big hair and crazy styles from those days, my oldest simply adores that era, and she simply won't let me move on!!!

So, Allie, today is YOUR day, and although you insist on reminding me of just how old I really am ;-), your dad and I want you to know just how much WE LOVE YOU and we want to wish you an amazing and wonderful day! You have blessed us more than you will ever know!!!

Happy 17th Allie Joy!!!!!

Halloween & stuff....

Oh, I DO NOT like this new format from Blogger- I think I'm going back to the old one!!!  There is definitely more control over the pictures, but the upload process is a nightmare, and then I can't get the pictures where I want them!  Sooooo, here they are in random order- who knows where the labels will end up!  It won't let me type where I want to, so lots of things are going unlabeled- sorry!!  We've got Halloween and then our Halloween party from Friday night, some pumpkin carving and then the boys' school parties from Friday.  Enjoy!

The boys during the school Halloween parade!

Back by popular demand....

The kids have been preparing for our 2nd Annual Halloween bash for the last few weeks, and tonight is finally the big night!  I wasn't going to do another party this year- it's already such a crazy time for us with 4 birthdays coming in the next month- but many of the neighbors were asking us if we would do it again as it was such fun last year!!  So, Emily has spent hours "building" walls for a haunted house and the others have been making posters and decorations, as well as planning games and prizes for the party.  For the last 3 days, my garage has become party central, and not only am I not allowed to park in there, but I can barely even walk through it, and someone always has a fit if the garage door gets opened up!!!  Here's how it looks now:

The black trash bags are the walls, and inside is a maze of twisting, turning hallways with scary things hanging down and places for people to hide!  And because it is so windy and nasty out today, we have decided to move the majority of the party inside.  Emily has been busy setting up tables in the remainder of the garage for all the food!

As bad as it looks now, we hope to have it done and ready to go by 6:30 pm- ugh!  But before that, we have a costume parade at Josh & Noah's school to attend, Noah & Allie have play rehearsal until about 5:30, and Sophie has to be picked up from basketball at 5pm.  We also have to make the punch and pick up some dry ice to go around the punch bowl...... wish us luck! 

We asked everyone to bring a treat or a snack to share, so here's my contribution to the food....

Yep, I got to bake and frost 48 cupcakes for the big event!

We are hopeful that this year will be as much fun as last year, and we look forward to doing it all again (?) next year!
I'll get pictures up of all the fun tomorrow ;-)

Epidurals- good or bad?!?!

I wanted to do a post about epidurals and get some feedback from what all of you out there think about them- best thing ever or no flippin' way! You see, up until baby #7, I had never had an epidural, and now that I've had the experience, I will never do it again!!! Here's my story:

Baby #1:
I was 21 years old, had no family around and was on my own. My husband and I took a natural childbirth class cuz that was the thing to do, and we pretty much decided we would try to go natural. At that point, I was more afraid of the epidural needle going in my back than I was of what my body was supposed to go through naturally ;-) I went into labor about 5 weeks early, and after 13 hours, Little Miss Allie joined our world. Although I had been given Stadol to take the edge off, I had resisted the epidural and things went pretty well. I was able to go completely on my own, and there was no induction of any kind (and no pitocin!) Of course, it was the worst pain I had ever experienced and my husband's hand was bent and broken when it was all over, but I DID IT!!! And that was with no one but Zack there to cheer me on! Now, if I could do it once, surely I could do it again....

Baby #2
Exactly one year and 26 days later, Miss Emily came screaming into our family after another 13 hours of labor, and still no epidural, but this time I had been given pitocin and the pain was more intense and more frequent than the first time through! Surely now I had obtained PRO status!

Baby #3
Sophie, our 3rd blessing, was the first baby that I probably should have had an epidural for! She came out weighing a whopping 8lbs. 13oz. and she came out with such force that I had third degree tearing you know where!!! It was still about a 12 hour labor, and I had been given pitocin once again to really get my labor going, but when it was time for pushing, she was out in ONE PUSH- major ouch! I always wonder if an epidural would have helped.....

Baby #4
Our first son! Josh was a completely induced labor- I had developed a hernia during the pregnancy and was in some pain and we were concerned about Josh being big. Well, even though my body may not have been ready for labor, I still managed to get through the induction plus another 14 hours of labor with no pain meds! Not only that, but Zack got to deliver baby Josh all on his own- the doctor had decided we pretty much knew what we were doing!

Baby #5
By now, I wasn't even considering epidurals anymore. I was beginning to learn that if I really relaxed and focused instead of tensing up and panting, I could get through the pain and actually speed up labor- all on my own! I was given pitocin once again and had my water broken "the rest of the way" (it already had a small tear which was why I was admitted). This was the first baby that I was able to sit in the tub and labor with, and I was able to completely relax. It's amazing how quickly your body can do the work if you let it. When I got in the tub, I was about 4cm dilated, but within 45 minutes and not very many contractions later, I was dilated to a 10 and ready to push! I was able to relax and "open" my cervix really well in the water, and instead of doing the "heeee, heeee, heeeee, heeeee" and panting breathing, I learned to breathe slowly and deeply through the ENTIRE thing! No tensing up my legs and no panicking- and WHAT a difference! The only problem with Noah's delivery was that he was facing up and the pushing was different than I was used to. My back hurt and I couldn't really feel the urge to push, so it was much harder to gauge what I needed to be doing. Fortunately, he was in the 7lb range and I was able to deliver w/o any intervention.

Baby #6
Mr. Matthew! Yes, he entered this world with a bang and is still going......!!! Matthew is the reason I had an epidural with #7- here's what happened:
At about a week before my due date, I went in the hospital with preeclampsia and was induced immediately. Although I was given pitocin and had to have my water broken to induce labor, I was still able to focus and "drop that baby down" pretty darn quick. I was completely relaxed until it was time to push, and that's when the trouble started! Matthew didn't want to come out, and after a couple of hours of pushing I could tell that those around me were beginning to get worried. I was given oxygen and a final chance to get him out, or it would be a c-section for sure! Fortunately, with the help of a vacuum, I was able to deliver him in the "nick of time!" As soon as he delivered, we discovered the reason for all the trouble- Matthew was born weighing 9lbs 40z, face up , and he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck 3 times- God blessed me that day ;-) !!!!!! I have since decided that the fact that I am able to relax and drop the baby down so quickly may be the cause of my babies being born "face up." It's just a guess, but I'm thinking that they don't have time to rotate properly as they drop and that's why they end up "sunny-side up!" That and the fact that I have been induced and so the babies probably weren't in the proper position in the first place. But who knows........!

Baby #7
Well, as you can probably imagine, after my experience with #6, I was a little nervous about delivering #7. So nervous, in fact, that I seriously began contemplating an epidural! I had already had 2 babies in a row born face up, and I was convinced it would happen again. And my fears weren't eased any when I went to my final doctor's appt. and it was confirmed that baby Jake was facing the "wrong way!" So, when I was once again induced with pitocin and having my water broken, I decided to ignore my fear of the big needle and have the epidural. I was hoping that it would allow me the chance to calm down and not worry so much about the pushing that I was dreading! WRONG!!!!! The first thing to go wrong was that they didn't get it in on the first try- ugh! Then, on the second try, my normally-strong-been-through-everything-husband almost fainted and had to be taken to a seat!!!!! That didn't make me feel much better about the huge needle about to pierce my spinal column!!! But I stuck with it and it began to work, and, I must admit, it was fabulous for the first couple of hours (although I really did feel like I was cheating!)....... until it started to wear off!!! At first, I wasn't quite sure what was going on- I just kept feeling a kind of pinching in my lower groin- so by the time I alerted the nurse to what I thought was happening, it was too late. By the time someone finally got in my room to "dose" me up again, it was time to push! Well, I was none too happy! And not only that, but Baby Jake was still facing up and I got to endure back labor once again! Fortunately, I was able to push him out fairly quickly (just a couple of pushes thanks to my doctor who wouldn't let me rest and made me bear down in between the pushes even though it hurt like ----!!!)- he was another 7- pounder and it made a huge difference over a 9-pounder!

So, that's my story! What a ride it's been! And I'm actually excited to do it again- but this time...... NO EPIDURAL!!! Why bother?! I know I can do it and there is no unknown without the epidural. But with it, you just never know if it will work, if it will give you a headache (oh, I've heard horror stories about the headaches), if it will wear off, etc., etc., etc...... It figures that the ONE TIME I tried it, it didn't work- guess I needed to know that I could do it all on my own and I shouldn't worry! After all, I'm not really "on my own"- there's someone there looking out for me through the whole thing, and if I put my trust in HIM, I will make it through, just as HE intended!

But I'm really curious to get your thoughts and experiences with the whole "labor" thing! Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think about epidurals!!!

New pictures!

New pictures up on my photoblog- check them out here!

Prayers for Stellan!!

I was shocked this morning to find Mckmama's blog post- Stellan is back in the PICU and is intubated with really no warning at all!!! Please check out her blog for all the details and join me in prayer- that's where my heart will be today!

An Award for me?!

Hey all, I was just honored with a fun award from a sweet reader named Somer- be sure you check out her blog and tell her "hi!"- and now I get to join in the fun!! This award requires me to tell you all 10 HONEST things about myself and then pass it on to others, so, if you're ready, here's my 10:


1) I love to drive fast, and although I try not to go too far over the speed limit, I really think of driving as a sport and put all my energy into it- just ask my kids! I will tell you that I have NO speeding tickets ;-)


2) I am a total neat freak-most of you know that about me already- but I'm much more relaxed now than I was in my twenties! It can be both a blessing and a curse!


3) I have a very rare eye disease called pars planitis that was discovered when I was about 10 yrs old. I have seen many, many specialists all over the country for this disease, and although it has stopped from getting worse, it is still something that I deal with in my daily life. One of the worst things that has happened because of it was that I developed a cataract and had to have surgery about 12 years ago!


4) I LOVE photography- and if you haven't already, be sure you check out my photoblog!!


5) I am an Army brat (that means that my dad was in the Army when I was growing up!)!


6) I have lived in both The Netherlands and Germany.


7) I make all the kids beds every day, and it's usually the first thing I do in the morning! I've even stopped to make beds on my way to the hospital while in labor as well as before we all go downstairs on Christmas morning!!


8) I am incredibly organized, and if I say I will do something, it's done!! I keep sticky notes all over and I do things as soon as they need to be done- I try to never procrastinate!


9) I have a very strong sense of right and wrong, and I don't like it when people break the rules- there is no gray in my book (not always a good thing!).


10) I am 38 years old, and I will turn 39 in January. I was 20 years old when I got married and 21 when my first baby was born- weird huh?!





Ok, well, I hope I didn't tell you guys too much that you already knew! It's hard when you have a blog cuz you put so much of your life out there on a daily basis- well, at least I do ;-)





And now, I get to nominate 7 blogs that I enjoy, so here they are:



1) Raising Olives



2) Moms the Word



3) The Williams Family Blog



4) Alabama Slacker Mama



5) The Never Done Farm



6) Grasshopper Viewpoints

7) More than Enough

And here, dear winners of the Honest Scrap Award, are the rules!!!

* In a new post, thank the person for the award and link back to their blog.

*Share 10 honest things about yourself.

*Present the award to 7 other blogs you enjoy.

*Tell those 7 people they have been awarded.

That's it! Thanks again Somer- it's always an honor to be recognized!!!

What it takes.....

Every year, I struggle to get the PERFECT Christmas card picture, and every year I swear that the NEXT year will be different!!! Well, this year is no exception ;-) I've always dreaded Christmas card pictures because it's the one time of year that so many of our friends and family get to see how we've changed, and I always feel so much pressure to get a great shot. And, as you can imagine, with each additional child, the process gets harder and harder- from picking out clothes to picking out the perfect spot to getting all the kids to sit still long enough to get the shot! Yesterday was my first attempt at getting the shot, and it looks like it won't be my last ;-) Here's what I go through.......

Well, that's a nice start, but we're short 5 kids! Let's see what happens when we add them in....


Feeling sorry for me yet?! Oh, and the dog just had to be part of the chaos as well....

The picture quality isn't very good because I uploaded them through blogger instead of copying them and pasting them, but I didn't really care because they're all so bad anyway!
Oh, and BTW, this is just a VERY few of the pictures I took- there were many, many more!
Ok, maybe a new postion?!
Great, except we're missing Matthew.....

And Allie was laughing so hard that her mascara started to run!
But then, miracle of miracles, one of the trouble-makers fell asleep.....
So we bribed Matthew (the other trouble-maker), and then tried another pose.....
Unfortunately, by then, Noah had decided that he was not happy, and he wouldn't do anything but glare at the camera.....
But then, some of the kiddos decided to pretend like they were sleeping, and that was fun.....

This was one of the better shots, but it's not what I'm going to use!

Nope, I have decided to try again at the farm this Wednesday! Time for a change of scenery!!! Wish me luck.......
I was hoping if I showed you all what it takes to get that perfect shot, maybe you would appreciate my Christmas card just a little more this year ;-)

New pictures!

A couple new pictures up on my photoblog- check it out here!

Catchin' up...

Boy, am I droppin' the ball or what?! Not only have I not been updating my own blog as much lately, but I haven't been checking in with the blogs that I normally enjoy reading either! Somewhere between pumpkin patches, planning for the kids big Halloween party next weekend, photo shoots, birthday shopping, entertaining, dentist appts, doctor appts, soccer games, and all activities that represent "the fall season" for our family (oh yeah, and my really sick kiddos with 105 degree temps!), I have had to let some things go! I just keep telling myself that, come January, I will once again be bored to tears......sigh, who am I kidding?!?! But I should be back to my normal blogging schedule by then ;-)

I did get some great news this week, and I'm excited to share it! The sonogram that I had on Tuesday was actually done as part of a test to determine my risk for having a baby with Down's Syndrome and Trisomy 13 or 18. It's part of what's called a "triple screen," and it involves a sonogram to measure the fluid at the base of the baby's neck and a blood test (my blood)- done at the same time to calculate my risk. So, while we were excited to see our little one, we were actually there for a much bigger reason! And on Friday, I got the phone call with my results, and here's what they told me:
*chances of me having a baby with Down's Syndrome based strictly on my age (this is before the actual test results): 1/108
*my actual risk based on the test results: 1/2141
*chances of me having a baby with Trisomy 13 or 18 based on my age only: 1/187
*my actual risk based on the test results: 1/3721
YAY!!!!!!!! Both great results, and I am thrilled- not that I was ever worried or anything....!

So, in light of these great results, I decided it was high time I get a picture up of my growing belly, and here it is.....

It's growing every day!

Now, on another note, check out what we had for dinner tonight.....

How cute is that?! The one above is before we cooked it, and the one below is all done!
We love Papa John's take-n-bake pizza, and they are doing these special jack-o-lantern pizzas this week- how fun!

Another fun thing I got to do this week was host our neighborhood book club- and the best part was getting to make all the yummy foods that I love but my family won't eat!! One of my all-time favorites is veggie pizza.....
...and while it's called "pizza," it's actually uncooked (except for the bottom crust) and it has a cream cheese layer and then a salsa layer instead of a pizza sauce. It's topped off with lots of fresh veggies, including radishes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green pepper and alfalfa sprouts, and then some shredded cheddar- yummy! My sweet dishes consisted of chocolate-cherry cookies, oreo balls and something called "The Great Pumpkin Desert!"
I threw in a spinach cheese dip and some sausage-cheese balls, and it was on.....!!
But it's simply not book club until you bring out the wine! Although I have never developed a taste for wine (or beer for that matter!), I am happy to have it on hand for everyone else! Actually, I had NO CLUE what kind of wine to get, but thankfully, my husband is slightly more cultured than I am, and he took care of it for me ;-)
I love to entertain, and while I don't get the chance to do it very often, I look forward to more dinner parties and get-togethers in the future.
For now, I am happy to enjoy looking at this.....

Hello in there.....

FINALLY! Here's baby......enjoy!

Where's that baby?!?!

Sonogram pictures have taken a back seat to fevers and vomitting children, but I WILL get them up later today! Unfortunately, they need to be scanned into my computer, and that's one thing I don't know how to do, so I have to have Allie do it. She happens to be the only one in school today (all the others are out due to parent-teacher conference week, and she will have tomorrow off), and I will have a house full of kids while I'm trying to get ready for my neighborhood book club tonight, which I am hosting. And two of the kids have dentist appts. this afternoon. And we have a broken toilet handle. And we have two broken cupboard doors that need new hinges. My handyman said he'd try to come home a little early to fix the broken items, so I'm hopeful...... Wish me luck ;-) Oh, and it's raining...........!!!