Christmas Treats

This weekend the girls and I made some sweets to share with our neighbors.  The girls had so much fun making the Santa buttons.  Actually, they really enjoyed eating the ingredients for the Santa buttons.  :)  I lost track of how many Hershey kisses Audrey inhaled before I made her get down.  They were both good helpers and we had lots of fun.

Growing Boy

Noah is growing so fast!  At his 1 month check-up he was 10 lbs. 3 oz. and 22 inches long which puts him in the 65th percentile.  He's wearing 0-3 month and some 3-6 month clothes and is doing well with putting himself to sleep at naptimes after just a little bit of fussing.  He's given us some longer stretches of sleep at night going 5-6 hours between feedings and only getting up once to eat.  As you can see below, he loves to look at himself in the mirror and plays well in the floor gym. We are so thankful for our laid-back, easy going baby boy!

1 month old

Hard to believe a month has gone by - it's both sad and a relief.  He's been a very good sleeper but not a very good nurser.  I've cried so many tears over our struggle with breastfeeding.  He does great nursing in the first 3-4 minutes but then falls asleep and it's nearly impossible to get him to wake up to finish a meal.  So, I've been pumping and feeding him breastmilk in a bottle which is working for now.  Of course he takes a bottle great because it doesn't involve much effort from him.  I'm hoping that as he gets older, he'll get better at staying awake while nursing.  He's definitely growing... he put on an entire pound in 7 days a week ago.  That's more than 2 ounces a day when they're only supposed to gain an ounce a day at this age.  He's outgrown most of his newborn outfits and can no longer wear newborn diapers.

This boy loves his carseat which is wonderful.  He takes most of his naps in it during the day and sleeps in his crib at night.  Thankfully he's a good rider in the car as well which is something I really prayed for knowing he'd spend time each day riding back and forth to Anna's school.

And then there's the ugly green soothie pacifier that all of our kids have loved.  He's really taken to it in the past week but still finds his thumb too.  He's had lots of gas bubbles in the evenings this past week and thankfully sucking on the paci has helped relieve some of those.  Overall he's doing really well and is really starting to interact with us by cooing and smiling which thrills all of us, especially his big sisters.

The Swing

We are thankful for the swing!  It was our saving grace with Audrey and seems to be with Noah too.  Anna hated it as an infant but Audrey loved it and so far Noah does too.  We tried to sell it after Anna didn't like it but the Lord must've known we'd need it with the next two.  :)

Anna's Kindergarten Feast

 Anna had a feast at Kindergarten yesterday and she was so excited!  Daddy went with her and they had a great time playing games and eating yummy food.  Both classes, morning and afternoon, also performed a beautiful song for the parents.  Great job kiddos!

In the video, Anna is the third one in on the top row.  Michael zoomed in part way through and you can see her better then.  He was taping with our camera and the camcorder so he had his hands full.  :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!  We are so blessed and praise our Lord for all that He's given us.  We've enjoyed a relaxing day enjoying each other, watching the parade, and eating a yummy turkey dinner that we purchased from Bob Evans.  Michael did a wonderful job getting it all ready and making a few more sides to go with it.  We each took turns saying what we were thankful for and also did some thanksgiving crafts.  What a great day we've had praising the Lord from whom all blessings flow!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our New Addition

Here are some pictures from the past 3 weeks from right before our little man arrived to the present.  We're so greatful for all of the prayers that have been sent up on our behalf and for our mothers whose help we couldn't have survived without.  Michael's mom came and cared for the girls while we were in the hospital and my mom came last week to care for us when Michael went back to work.  We are so thankful for God's perfect timing and for working things out just right as only He can.  Enjoy!

2 weeks old

Noah is 2 weeks old today and wow, the past two weeks seem like a blur!  It's amazing how a new baby changes things.  He's a great sleeper and fairly content baby BUT he's such a sleepy eater!  Here he is passed out alseep on the boppy pillow when he should be nursing.  I have the hardest time keeping him awake and am having to pump to keep my supply up because he likes to eat a little and then nap - not good.  He's slowly starting to get a little bit more alert during feedings so hopefully he'll soon be able to stay awake for a full meal.  We go to the doctor for a weight check tomorrow and are praying that he's on the uphill now and has gained some weight.  We're loving our sweet baby boy!

Entertaining Noah

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

1 week old today!

Hard to believe our little guy is already 1 week old!  He is so sweet and so loved by his 3 mommies and daddy.  :)  The girls can't get enough of him and love to read and sing to him.  What a blessing he is!

A few pics of our newest Sweetie...

Noah Michael is here!

Born at 8:06

Weight:  7 lbs & 13 oz

Length:  19.5 inches

Mom and baby are doing well.

Another Baby Update

Nothing new to report really... had another check-up this morning and all is still the same, even the weight gain, woohoo!  Of course, I haven't had much time to eat Halloween candy so that'll probably change before Thursday.  :)  I met with the doctor who'll be doing the c-section and she is just wonderful!  I'm so thankful God has worked it out that she will be my doctor.  I asked her tons of questions since I've never gone into a planned c-section and she put my mind at ease and even hugged me before leaving the room.  Our Lord continues to work things out so perfectly as only He can... first, by allowing Michael's mom to get the needed subs so that she can be away from work and come stay with the girls Thursday through Sunday.  This will elmininate the girls needing to be switched between people while we're in the hospital and I'm so thankful that she will be able to care for them and that they'll be with the same person while we're gone.  Also, Anna does not have school on Thursday and Friday as that's when parent/teacher conferences are.  I was fretting a bit about how she'd get to school and just the routine of it all and now that's not even an issue.  These things, along with several others, point toward the many reasons as to why having this baby on November 4 is the best plan.  Of course, he could still come before then which would be great but everything is working out wonderfully - Praise the Lord!

Trick or Treat!

Cinderella and Snow White had lots of fun tonight trick or treating.  Audrey did not hesitate to grab handfuls of candy, I had to hold her back, and if it wasn't so cold they probably wouldn't have wanted to stop going from house to house.

 And they're off... leaving Mommy in the dust.  We got in a good workout climbing hills and lots of steps in this area where nothing is flat.

 We went to Miss Robin's house and the girls were thrilled to see her puppies who also were dressed up in costumes.

 Miss Robin's husband works with Michael and she has been such a blessing helping us out with the girls since we moved to PA.  She's our "on-call" person if the baby decides to come on his own and we need someone to stay with the girls. 

Humbled

I've found myself so humbled lately before my God who is orchestrating the events in our life so perfectly as only He can do and who is loving me through others.  I've been in tears several times lately at the number of sweet emails, facebook messages, and phone calls from many of you who are just checking in to see how we're doing.  I am so blessed to have such loving friends and family and can't thank the Lord enough for your prayers.  We're feeling them and greatly appreciate them!

Baby Update

My doctor's appointment this week went well, "everything looks good" as they say.  I've gained 25 pounds which is the maximum I wanted to gain so now I need to lay off the sweets and see if I can just maintain that for the next week.  :)  I see a different doctor at each doctor appointment but the consensus is that I'm 2-3 centimeters dilated and 50-80% effaced/thinned.  I've been that way now for 2 weeks so I think I'm just stuck there.  =)  Michael and I have been praying about this baby’s delivery and we have both felt very uneasy about waiting until November 11th to do a c-section if he hadn’t come by then on his own. At every doctor visit they remind me of the risks of having a vaginal birth after already having a c-section and I remind them that I’ve already had a successful one, however, the fact that the doctors are uncomfortable with it has really bothered Michael. Both the group of doctors I see here and the doctors I saw in West Virginia told me that they would not even allow me to try for a vaginal birth this time had I not already had a successful VBAC elsewhere.  Michael and I have talked a lot in the past few days about this and I called the doctor this morning and was able to schedule my c-section for next Thursday, November 4th at 7:45 a.m. if baby boy hasn’t come on his own yet. When I first talked to the office they said they were booked and had nothing available but then after they did some more checking, they were able to get me in on Thursday morning with the doctor I like the best. Praise the Lord!  This just confirms for me that we’re doing what we’re supposed to. I do not want to have another c-section but if it comes to that, I’ll know that’s how God’s planned it all along. I feel so much more at peace about all of this now which is another sign that we’ve done the right thing.  I don't ever want to take things into my own hands, I definitely want to follow the Lord's guidance, and I feel like we've done that with how this is all working out.  Little boy may come before next Thursday and be delivered vaginally which would be great but if not, he'll come into this world via c-section next Thursday morning.  I'm thankful the end is in sight and so grateful for all of you who are praying for us!

Welcome to our home!

Many of you have asked for pictures of our home and I've been putting it off but while I'm trying to busy myself as I wait for baby boy to arrive, I thought I'd go ahead and post some.  I didn't include pictures of the basement as I just recently posted those.  If you saw the pictures of the house when the previous owners lived in it (posted back in June), you'll quickly see that our decor is much more low key than theirs.  They didn't have children, we do, and we like to live a bit more simpler.  I love our house and praise the Lord for blessing us with a wonderful place to raise our family.  As we follow Him to the places He leads all over this country, I'm so thankful for the nice homes He's provided for us to live in.  Moving so many times has not been easy but He's never failed to lead us to the place that's perfect for us at each stage.  Enjoy! =)

Free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Hopscotch

The girls have been having a great time playing hopscotch in the driveway.  Michael drew them a hopscotch board with chalk and they've been hopping away.  What a great way to burn energy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Carving Pumpkins

This past weekend we were blessed with beautiful weather and we took advantage of it by carving our pumpkins outside on the picnic table.  Thankfully Daddy doesn't mind doing most of the work because Mommy can barely stand the smell of pumpkins.  Anna enjoyed scooping the guts out with a spoon but wouldn't use her hands.  Audrey wanted nothing to do with any of it but was very loving towards her Daddy who did the work for her.  :)

 Yes Anna, pumpkins stink!  And yes, Audrey's being Audrey when it comes to looking at the camera...  urrrr!

 Great job Daddy!!

Ready and Waiting

His room is done and waiting to greet him. As you can see, we're planning to name him Noah, Noah Michael, however, we've not signed any papers yet so that could still possibly change. We both love the name, the Biblical testimony behind it, and it's meaning (restful and peaceful - we can only hope!) but we don't want our little guy to have the same name as 500 million other boys especially with the last name of Smith. We were pretty set on it and then in the past 2 weeks we've heard of 2 other Noah's and so now I'm kinda doubtful. The girls love it, they actually were 100% set on it before we were. Choosing your child's name is so hard! It's definitely not as fun as it was when I was younger naming my baby dolls and changing their names every other week. =) We're continuing to pray that God gives us a clear answer on what this little one's name is supposed to be. We didn't name the girls until we saw them so this is early for us. Maybe we just won't be sure until we see this little guy.

 Michael picked out his bedding and the decorations.  He knew he wanted to do his room in airplanes but was very picky about which ones.  He was set on WW2 planes so we looked at several different bedding sets until we found the right one.  He then found a "fleet" of model planes at Hobby Lobby that he wanted to put in his room too.  The wall decals went with the bedding set and he and my brother put those up.  It was nice having him pick things out and make the decisions.