Merry Christmas!

So I haven't updated since before the weekend since we've been a bit busy. The flu has been once again making it's rounds here at home. Unfortunatley the day after I brought the baby home form the hospital I ended up fighting the flu bug myself. That 24 hour flu comes and goes pretty fast, but it sure does hit you hard while it's here! Oh my has this bug made adjusting to a 4th child so much harder! The baby himself has been a dream though. He is a super easy child who sleeps pretty much all the time...unless he has once again decided he is hungry....he is eating at anywhere between 1 1/2 to 3 hours(much more towards the 1 1/2 hours though!) I sure hope this easy temperment stays with him!

We had Elijah at his first doctors' appoint ment yesterday. The nurse practioner said he looked great and he was almost back to birth weight at 9 lbs 15.5 oz at 6 days old! He is a bit jaundice, but not that bad. She said he looked just fine and was pleased with his over all check-up...again everything is so smooth with this baby!

Besides the flu and getting used to being parents of 4, we also are getting closer and closer to moving in to our new house. We decided that even though we will not quite be moved into the new house, we are going to spend our first night there tomorrow night so the kids can wake up on Christmas morning and open presents under their own tree in our new home. I'm not sure that we are quite ready to stay there full time yet but we are really close to it.

I need to get Elijah and I settled in to bed for the night. Have a great Christmas and I will post more picture after all the presents are opened and the wrappign paper mountain is cleared! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas Card Shoot

So I just had to share a few of the photos I took of Elijah for his Chirstmas Card/Birth Announcement. Of course these are just a few of the many poses I took...but I think all of them would bore you! HAHA!!! Hopefully we will get these cards finished up and mailed out in the next couple fo days.

More of Elijah....yes we're a bit proud!

Ok so I just couldn't help myself from taking tons of more photos today of our precious baby boy! I picked a *cough* *cough* few of them to share with everyone. It's amazing how much his looks change literally by the hour! He is looking so much more like a boy baby! He also is showing himself to be a pretty laid back baby. He really only gets upset if he is hungry and then I still have to really work with his to nurse because he just wants to sleep! Daddy can not be anymore proud of his new son! We did realize that Elijah has Daddy's widow's peak hair line for sure! How funny that none of our girls got it but sure enough our boy did! We spent the day with a few visitors, but pretty much just realxing. Last night I was able to get about 6 hours give or take of sleep that was broken up into like 1 1/2 hour naps. I still think that for the first night with a not so motivated nurser, that was pretty good. I also was able to take a couple hour nap this afternoon. I laid down and was out! Elijah must have flet the same way though because he was also out cold at the same time! We were hoping for the girls to get to come to the hospital today to meet their new baby brother, but that wasn't really possible. My mom said that Emma and Caroline were both throwing up last night. Maddelyn has been doing quite a bit better, but the other 2 just started the virus. Great! Nothing like bringing a baby home to sick kids! Praise God for my mom who was so very sweet to care for my sickies while we were up here with Elijah. We will be going home tomorrow as soon as my and his doctors have gave us the go ahead. So far everything looks great with both of us and we hope to be out before lunch!

Here is a link to the hospital's website where they posted Elijah's picture today. http://199.117.41.164/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=9&action=detail&ref=1078 We'll still have his actual portraits done before we leave to go home tomorrow.

Nathan and his mom with the baby

Nathan's Grandmother and Elijah

Can you tell at all how proud I am of that not so little bundle?

It almost seems like a waste to have all that lovely hair on a boy! No...I am loving all that silky smooth hair...even if it on a boy! After having two bald baby girls, I am blessed to see any hair let alone that much!

My Aunt Donna has made yey another diaper bag for us. I think the teal and brown she picked out was just too cute! Thanks Donna!

Cute Videos!

Here are some videos of our bundle of joy. Since we have gotten a digital video camera from my inlaws, we should be able to post more of these in the future. Below are the videos and the links for YouTube so you can send and share with your friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnTwpJogpbU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm6vzMA-uhA

He's Here!!!

We are so proud to announce the arrival of our son....

Elijah Gregory David

12-16-2008

10:28 am

10 lbs o oz

21 1/2 inches

Yep...he's huge! All the nurses have said he looks more like a 1 month old! I kept telling everyone that I knew we were having a big baby based on how big my belly was. He weighed in at almost exactly a pound heavier than Caroline was. Besides being obviously huge, Elijah has a headfull of light brown hair that is tipped in yellow. He has light yellow fuzz all over his body and Maddelyn's lip liner lips. It will be interesting to pull out all the baby pictures to see just who he looks the most like.

Little Elijah decided that he wanted to make his arrival on his own time frame since instead of going in for my induction at 7 am this morning, my water broke at 3 am! It had to be his way! Things progressed very quickly after we arrived at the hospital at 5am, and by 10 am I was complete and ready to push! This whole labor and delivery experience was a definite ansewer to prayers at how quickly it went and just how smooth it all was. After my epidural I ended up feeling nothing!!! I couldn't even feel the normal pressures that are still left with an epidural. As my mom says, I was talking and laughing between contractions/pushes! Obviously I felt fine even while delivering this 10 pound baby! PRAISE GOD!!! Everything went as smoothly as possible and even after he arrived I remember saying I can not believe that he's here already! WOW!

I will take more close up pictures tomorrow, but I figured that everyione wanted to see at least what I had already. I need to cut this a bit short though since Little Elijah is wanting to eat.

Tomorrow's the Day!!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! In less than 24 hours ( I pray!!!) we will get to meet Mr. Elijah! It seems so weird to say "our son!" I am to be at the hospital to start the induction at 7:00am and by judging about how long it took with Caroline I would say that we should meet him tomorrow evening. Today has been spent doing all that last minute stuff. Most of it was not life or death, but things I wanted to check off the to-do list before the baby arrived. My dear friend Alicia said I was super mommy today with the silly stuff I got done! I have all the gifts wrapped, the kids stuff prepared for them to have sitters the next few days, my room re-organized (to make room for baby), laundry done for the most part, the girls room cleaned, Christmas pictures cut apart and labeled to hand out, Christmas cards/birth announcements ordered, my ribbon stock re-organized, and all my hair bow orders made up and shipped out! Whew! Let's just say I should sleep well tonight!!! With me being a bit OCD, I think labor will go alot better knowing my to-do list got knocked off and not having to worry about it after I come home.

We also are coming along on the house. As of today, all the carpet has been laid, the wood floors refinished, almost all the painting is done, we have bedrooms, dining room, and living room furniture up, and last but not least our Christmas tree is up! We wanted to make sure that the girls got to enjoy putting their own tree up even if we are not quite in the house yet. We are getting pretty close though. Today my appliances were delivered and last night Nathan's Grandmother hung bedroom curtains for me. Of course whenever we do decide to move in we will still be without a kitchen and the 3rd floor master suite is still waiting on the permits from the county. So, hopefully soon after the little one arrives we will be moved in. I'll post pictures of it as soon as I can after the baby.

So think of us tomorrow and I will of course have my laptop and camera with me at the hospital to download pictures as soon as I can after he arrives! As everyone who see's me keeps saying...he's going to be a big one! I'm guessing at least 9 lbs 8 oz based on the fact that Caroline was 9 lbs 0.6 oz and I am much bigger this time around. We'll see tomorrow though!

New Pictures

So I have lots of photos to post to catch up before the new baby arrives in FIVE DAYS!!! These are a few form the last "all girl" photo shoot I did with the girls. We had gone to my in-laws in PA a couple of weeks ago to do an early Chirstmas since we knew that we'd be crunched for time to get up there before Christmas with Elijah coming. These hats are just too cute on them!

Last night my mom and friend Jenn thrw me a baby shower. It was VERY sweet of them seeing how this is baby #4! Jenn took a couple end of pregnancy pictures for me. Oh my! I mean yeah I knew I felt huge, but I am soooo much bigger than I was with Caroline in the photo we too on the way to the hospital. If she was 9 pounds what will he be??? Yeah that's a bit frightful!

This past Sunday was our kids program at church. The teachers asked if Caroline could be a drummer boy with the 2-3 year olds since she is almost 2. That little girl did a wonderful job at it! She was so cute up there just smiling away and banging her drum tot he music. Of course we were blessed that the teachers let each child keep their drum to take home a s Christmas pressent....Oh Joy!

Bless a Soldier

I stumbled on this great link where you can bless a solider in a matter of minutes. My kids had fun each writting their own message to a soldier. It was so cute to hear them say thanks! Check it out and it only take a minute....

Something good that Xerox is doing If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

14 Days and Counting!!!!!

So exactly 2 weeks form today we get to meet Mr. Elijah! Oh my...there is so much to do! HAHA! I stumbled across this poem and thought all the mommies might enjoy it. Have a great day!

The Night before Christmas for Moms

It was the night before Christmas,when all thru the abode

Only one creature was stirring,and she was cleaning the commode.

The children were finally sleeping,all snug in their beds

While visions of Nintendo Wii and Barbie flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,

With a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.

So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter

Which made her sigh"Now what's the matter?

"With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand

She descended the stairs,and saw the old man.

He was covered with ashes and soot,

which fell with a shrug."Oh great" muttered the mom

"Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa"I'm glad you're awake."

"Your gift was especially difficult to make."

"Thanks,Santa, but all I want is some time alone."

"Exactly!" he chuckled"I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she asked"What good is that?

Run along,Santa, I've no time for chit-chat.

"The mother's twin. Same hair,same eyes,

Same double chin."She'll cook,she'll dust"

She'll mop every mess.You'll relax,take it easy,

Watch The Young & the Restless."

"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true!"

I'll shop. I'll read.I'll sleep a whole night through!

"From the room above,the youngest began to fret.

"Mommy?! I scared... And I am wet.

"The clone replied"I'm coming,sweetheart. "

"Hey" the mom smiled"She knows her part.

"The clone changed the small one,

and hummed a tune,as she bundled the child

,in a blanket cocoon."You the best mommy ever.

" I really love you."The clone smiled and sighed"I love you,too.

"The mom frowned and said"SorrySantano deal.

"That's my child's love,she's trying to steal."

Smiling wisely Santa said"To me it is clear"

Only one loving mother,is needed here.

"The mom kissed her child,and tucked her into bed.

"Thank you Santafor clearing my head.

I sometimes forget,it won't be very long

When they'll be too old,for my cradle-song.

"The clock on the mantle began to chime.

Santa whispered to the clone"It works every time.

"With the clone by his side Santa said

"Goodnight. Merry Christmas,

Mom, You'll be all right."

Puppies and Babies!

So I just had to share these photos of my Aunt Kim's newest addition. She received 10 week old little Emmit for her birthday. Cute as can be isn't he! This little one is her 3rd and he is 10 times cute in real life! Caroline calls him "putty."

We went to my 36 week OB check last Wednesday and were able to go ahead and schedule my induction for the 16th of December! Woo-hoo! this really is a stress relief for me because with me being due December 24th, I was so worried that the girls would have to push back opening gifts until after their baby brother came home form the hospital. Anyone who knows me knows I am a tradition junkie so the thought of Christmas in the hospital was just so sad, But, it really helps that this is also one last thing for me to have to worry about right now. We are so busy with trying tot get into our new house and just plain old getting ready for baby that I don't need anyother worries. It hit me this past weekend that I have about 2 1/2 weeks until baby but I have NOTHING ready! No bed, no clothes, no carseat in place, no diaper bag, no hospital bags pack...nothing! So I her arrives today.... we would be making a Walmart run to bring him home. Praise God that my Dad and Husband helped me out last night by going through our stored boxes in the garage to find my cradle, carseat, and the baby boy stuff that I do have bought up. Since we figured that we would be at my parents for just a few weeks I had no clue I would need baby boy stuff left out. Now I just need to sort through these boxes to get out what I would need right away, clean the carseat, set up a cradle and such. I also have a shower next week that my mom and friend Jenn are throwing me so that will help prepare as well. I guess that we've just been so focused on the house that nesting was put on the back burner. I think if I get some stuff in order I will feel more at peace. After the contractions have greatly increased since going off the progesterone shots at 36 weeks, the nesting urge is taking over!

Hubby is on a trip for work all this week, so the girls and I will be both nesting as well as getting ready for my second craft show this weekend. Have a great day!