invasions from the other half

Hello loyal readers of my wife's blog,

Like the author of the previous post, I was given permission from Nicole to post about the baby. Praise God, we have a healthy baby girl. At first, she looked lizard-like but soon gained color and was cleaned of her gunk. She is precious and we are so very thankful that she and mom are healthy and doing fine. On behalf of my wife and I, I would like to personally thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We have been very blessed today and we take none of the credit for this miracle. God is Great!!

I posted some pics that we have so far. Obviously, we will post more in the coming days.

I will say that it was really awesome to be the one to tell the other kids that we had a girl. They were very excited when they found out. They really wanted to go see mom and the baby, but alas, I made them take naps first. I told them that we can't go to the hospital until everyone sleeps...they all fell asleep within 19 seconds... :) ahhh, the power of manipulation...

Thanks for reading,

Husband

(my blog)

I Am That Good

Just mere hours after major surgery and giving birth, I am online and blogging to the world about my fifth child. Yes, I am one amazing woman.

Okay, this is not Mrs. As Many As We're Given. She asked me to let the blogging world know about the baby. And to tell the truth, I'm a little nervous. This blog gets so many more viewers than mine. And it's award winning! Oh, the pressure!

So this has to be good. I know that you all just want the facts and a quick return of the real Mrs. Given. Well, I'm going to make my 15 minutes of fame last as long as I can. So I will withhold all the vitals for a little bit longer. One, two, three...

Okay, okay. I won't make you wait. Here's the scoop on the whole baby situation:

• Baby Girl!
• Born around 10:00am
• 7 lbs 13 oz
• 18.5 inches long
• A bit of blond, blond, blond hair

All involved parties are doing fine and expect to be released from the hospital on Saturday.

If you are counting at home, that makes the score 3 girls to 2 boys. Go Team Given!

Since Mrs. Given has no control on what the baby will be called, at least for today, I will dub her Baby Cakes. Welcome to the world, Baby Cakes.

I will update again if I hear any more news. We will return to our regularly scheduled blogs next week, since I'm sure Mrs. Given will have lots of spare time now.

Sincerely,
No Longer At The Kids' Table

Counting Down

It is official. I will have a baby tomorrow. My surgery is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CST. I have to be at the hospital at the ridiculous hour of 6:30 a.m. I'm not sure why, as I had my bloodwork done today. I'm already wearing one of the many plastic bracelets I will acquire in the next 24 hours. I'm excited and nervous and anxious all at the same time. I can't wait to know what we have and to hold him/her and see that everything is all right. In honor of my last full day of pregnancy, a list of things I will and will NOT miss about this time.

Will miss:

• Feeling the baby move inside. Even when it hurts, it is still incredible. I can't believe there is a whole little person in there!
• All the compliments from friends and strangers alike. People love to tell pregnant women they look great and we love to hear it. I especially love that most of Husband's male friends make a point to say something nice. Their wives have taught them well.
• Being excused from doing any hard work! I revel in the attention and help people feel compelled to give to pregnant women.
• Being pregnant in general--my body is really good at this whole gig, and I usually feel my best when pregnant.

Won't miss:

• Leaving a "sample" at every visit. You moms know what I mean--how is a largely pregnant woman really supposed to do this?
• Sitting in a waiting room and then an exam room with 3 kids. Even on their best behavior it gets old to be stuck in an office for an hour plus with little ones. I could tell today that my patience was pretty much gone.
• The sheer exhaustion. I know I will still be exhausted, but I know it will be different too. I will be able to sleep some of the time, much more comfortably than right now.

That's about it. I definitely have more to be thankful for than to complain about. Now it is just a matter of time till the little one is here!

A Burst of Energy

I can tell the big day is drawing near. Today I feel more energy than I have felt in a long time. I made it to confession this morning, so that was a good way to start the day. Well, it didn't really start the day, as I was up and doing stuff before that, but it was still my first out of the house destination. I was fortunate to have a neighbor watch the kids, and she even did the few dishes in my sink!

The kids and I went to the post office, grocery store, and Target. And I'm not exhausted. I mean, I could go for a nap, but I don't feel as if my eyes must be taped open to stay awake. It is a nice feeling. Thankfully, I had that energy yesterday too. I was able to get both kid rooms as clean as possible and did a ton of laundry. In fact, I realized we have too many kid clothes. I ran out of hangers! I thought I was doing a good job of thinning things out, but I will have to be more willing to let things go. We're hoping to have a garage sale in May, so it looks like I will have some clothes to sell.

I recorded Pride and Prejudice on PBS the last 3 weeks, so I have something to watch during those night-time feedings when I can't stay awake. Husband watched about 3 minutes of it on the last night and tried to get me to explain what was going on. He didn't get it of course. I loved watching it though. The first time I ever saw the BBC/A&E version was at my friend's house across the street. Her mom was watching it and we sat down and got completely engrossed. I had not even read the book at the time. I love it!

Husband or a friend will guest post details on baby's arrival when they get the chance.

5 Days! 5 Days!

5 is not a very big number. Just in case you weren't sure.

Here are some random bits and pieces.

• Princess did not win any awards for her Science Fair project and that is fine by me. I'll post a picture later of her standing by the project board.
• I might be buying a track suit like outfit for myself. Maybe. I know my regular clothes won't fit right away, and I'm not huge on the idea of continuing to wear maternity clothes. I at least want an option.
• Getting my hair cut tomorrow, and am taking IndieGirl (age 5) with me as a model of the hairstyle I want. Is that sad? To get my hair cut like my daughter's? I did choose the hairstyle she has and we have very similar hair types. I'll post a picture tomorrow after the cut.
• My left leg gets sore really quickly, from doing something as strenuous as sitting and reading blogs. I have to walk slowly and carefully like an old person. If this is all I can complain about when it comes to pregnancy, I am blessed.
• I finally used my online gift card (thanks Heidi!) at Target.com. I bought a book, Forever Odd by Dean Koontz.
• I have no obligations today, can stay home in my jammies until time to pick up Princess if I so choose. I should stay home, because Monster decided to be awake for over an hour in the middle of the night last night, but I'm feeling the urge to get out and start getting some of the things I need for the hospital.
• Need to go to Confession before surgery. Must call church.

That's all for now. Promised pictures will be posted eventually.

The Full, Boring, Long Story

I survived the crazy day. I am going to share with you all that made it crazy. The following sentence should give you an idea of where we are headed.

I found myself in Target last night, alone, and was too tired to enjoy it.

Yes, my friends, it is true. I could not even appreciate uninterrupted Target time. It is a sad thing indeed.

Some of the craziness was my fault. Husband and I are the masters of procrastination. Unfortunately, this bled over into our efforts to help Princess with the Science Fair. Oh, curses on the Science Fair. It was optional. Princess chose to participate. We had to set up her poster/project by 7:00 p.m. yesterday. We are not talking about a model of the solar system or a molecule here. No, it had to be an experiment. So we decided Princess would determine if a soccer ball went farther when kicked standing still or with a running start. This was something she could do, she was able to come up with a hypothesis, and she actually likes kicking a soccer ball. I should note that we have known about the science fair for a month. And we did the experiment and recorded the results two weeks ago.

Anyway.

The day began with Husband trying to set up our new printer (another curse on our lives) so that I could type out the information for the poster board for the science fair. He forgot to do it Tuesday night. He spends some frustrating time not getting it to work, and has to leave. I sit down and begin attempting to make it work. All while knowing we are supposed to go to playgroup, where I am providing the craft and snack. The snack that still needed to be prepared. Because I am the wife of a ninja, I managed to get the printer working. I could go to playgroup knowing I had what I needed to get the project board done.

Meanwhile, Monster is coughing up a lung. He starts the morning with a breathing treatment. He really shouldn't be around other kids, but I don't know if the other coordinator for playgroup is going to make it because they just moved to a different house and her life is understandably crazy too. So we hang out at church for a bit, realize only one other person is there, and decide to call it off this week, so that my son does not spread his germs to unwitting healthy children. We go home. We do another breathing treatment. I'm exhausted (there is the whole issue of birthing a child in one week). Monster and I take a nap, of sorts. Lots of coughing involved. Oh yeah, at this point we have a doctor's appointment at 3:00, which means I must pick Princess up from school early and take her with us to the doctor. Love walking into a doctor's office at 3:00 in the afternoon with 4 hyper children (even though he is desparately trying to rid himself of a lung, Monster is quite cheerful). Before picking up Princess, do manage to get all material for project board typed and printed out. Squeeze in one more breathing treatment before going to the doctor.

Monster has an upper respiartory infection, so all we can do is continue with the breathing treatments. However, even the doctor recognizes the valiant efforts of the lung to vacate the body and gives up a prescription for a steroid. On the way to the store, Monster is gagging. Decide to go home and do another breathing treament (that's 4 if you are counting) before going out in public. Since we are already home, decide to finish putting together the poster. Princess helps put it together (it is her project after all). We load ourselves into the car. We take the project to school, set it up, see the other ones done by kindergarteners (way more involved than ours, those parents are saints). Time to go to Target to fill the scrip. It is nearing 6:00 at this point and my kids have had minimal food (apples I think). Husband knows this craziness is going on, and gets home early, but we are not there. Target says it will be 40 minutes before scrip is ready. Awesome Husband says where can we meet for dinner. We head over to Mexican restaurant and stuff our faces. He takes the kids home and I go back to Target. Where I am too tired to do anything but get the medicine.

Upon my happy arrival home, I find Monster crying in bed because he is so tired. I make him more upset by dragging him out of bed to take his medicine. Then he gets so upset that he throws up (so much for that dose of steroid). Husband kindly tells me that he'll handle the other kids while I tend to Monster. We give him another breathing treatment (5) and he sleeps on my lap for a while. Then, all of a sudden, he is AWAKE! Not just awake, but running and playing and feeling the effects of so many treatments. We finally crash on the couch at 10:30.

For all that, the day was not unbearable. Monster's sickness is already abating, my kids were mostly well behaved in our various adventures, and the baby is still inside where it belongs. Still, I won't mind if the remaining days go a bit more quietly.

Thanks for the prayers.

Crazy Day

Just in case you start wondering, no, I don't think there will be a baby today. However, there are about 8 million other things going on that I may or may not relate at a later time. So, this is all I've got for today--just a note to say baby is still inside and life is crazy.

Spring Fever

Given that I'm a week away from birthing a child, I really have no business looking at spring clothing. I mean, who knows what size I will be, or whether I will even want to be seen out of the house. But, today, I took a stroll around a couple of stores with the kids. I have to consider that I will be nursing (hopefully), so that limits my spring options. But I'm so excited that winter is almost over. Anyway, I am finding myself looking at the new clothes out for the spring and imagining that I will be buying and wearing them (yeah right).

For example, this cute top at Old Navy, although the store had it in a gorgeous deep teal color. It might look nice with this skirt.

And if I wan't planning on buying a super-cute diaper bag that can pass for a purse, I might be tempted to buy this. The Target store has another cute one, but I can't find it on the website. Still, I must resist all temptation to buy handbags.

I've been looking at shoes too (as if I need any!) but haven't found anything I have to have. I love the cute, casual flats that are so popular, but they fall off of my narrow heels too easily. Anyway, these are the thoughts in my mind when I'm not compiling my endless to-do list before baby arrives. It is nice to be able to think of something else, at least some of the time.

Weekend Update on Monday

Go read Husband's post about what was one of many blessings this weekend. We celebrated our anniversary (7 years) in completely un-romantic fashion, but that was okay. What else are you going to do with 4 kids and 10 days to go before #5 arrives on the scene?

I finally went to the spa and used my gift certificate from Husband that he gave me for Christmas. It was my first time to have a facial (mask, lotion, all that stuff, no makeup). The technician gave me a neck and shoulder massage while my face was being steam-treatead (I'm sure that is not the right word). It was nice, but she was a little too firm. I also had a prenatal massage. Again, the lady did a very good job, but was too firm in the neck and shoulder area and I was actually sore the next day, and not in a good way! However, the arms and legs treatment and back massage were all excellent. I may have fallen asleep during part of it. I couldn't help it-- a dark room with hippy-dippy new age music playing is a recipe for a nap in my opinion. It was very nice to have a few hours of peace and quiet (got a pedicure too, now my toes will be pretty for surgery).

On Sunday my wonderful girlfriends from college had a baby shower for two other ladies and me. It was so nice to just sit and visit with these women. We have all known each other for 10 years or so now, and those of us who still live locally get together once a month for Bible study and fellowship. We were originally brought together by our shared faith, and that is still our unifier, but our relationships are so much more than that. I have felt very strange about baby showers for a fifth child (I had another last week and will have another after Baby comes), but of course it is nice to be celebrated and showered with love. We have lots of diapers! Yea!

Husband is home today, since it is a bank holiday. We have big plans to get lots of cleaning and rearranging done. Because, um, the ticker, it is down to single digits! We have a lot to do between now and then!

Please pray for us. I am filled with anxiety about this delivery. I know that is now what God wants me to feel, but I am having a hard time giving it all up. I am just ready for the delivery to be done and for a healthy baby and a healthy mommy.

Excellent!

Aimee says I'm excellent, or at least my blog is. Thanks! Now I get to pass on the excellence. You may only accept this if you promise to say "Excellent" in your best Bill and Ted voice.

Red Cardigan writes on so many things; the Church, politics, parenting, writing, homeschooling and so on. She is an excellent writer and always makes me think. Her blog is excellent.

Stevie is managing to blog while taking care of a newborn and her other two kids and going back to work. That is excellent.

SAHMQueen is a good friend in real life. She blogs about a variety of topics which I always find interesting. And she is a good cook. Excellent!

There you go, some excellent blogs to check out. Thanks again Aimee!

Oops!

Kathryn at Little Men was kind enough to point out that lapses in posting may lead some of you to believe a baby is making its entrance into the world. Such is not the case, I assure you. I'm not likely to go into labor--it has only happened once and that was early and we believe brought on by food poisoning. My body likes to keep the babies inside it seems. Should something change and we find ourselves having this baby sooner than expected, I will do my best to make sure Husband or someone is keeping y'all updated.

Aimee was kind enough to share some blogging love, and I will pass it on tomorrow most likely. Today I have to go to the Ford dealership to get windshield wipers and I have a doctor's appointment. I got the oil changed in the car yesterday, after school, and was all happy that I would have my car maintenance taken care of finally. Alas, it was not to be. Apparently the kind of windshield wipers I need are only available through the dealer. Joy of joys, to take 3 children to the shop.

In other news, pitchers and catchers report today! Woohoo! This is truly a big day in our house. Husband and I are avid baseball fans. While we have no reason to believe our Rangers are going to do anything worth cheering about this season, we can still hope. The beauty of spring training is that every team has a chance to win it all.

Okay, I will try to post every day so that no one gets the impression I'm having a baby sooner than scheduled. I'm not promising quality though (as if I ever have).

Will Power Has Left the Premises

I have decided that these last two weeks of pregnancy are going to be all about indulgence. Okay, I'm not going to go crazy and break the bank and buy everything I want. But. When I'm at the grocery store, and I see the bags of fun size Snickers and Peanut Butter Cups for 99 cents, instead of 3 dollars, I'm totally going to buy some. And I will eat them as I please. With no guilt whatsoever. So don't mind me as I eat the chocolate as if it is the last time I will ever have such goodness. My sweet tooth is very happy now.

Visual Tonic

Sometimes people ask what it is like to have so many young children. They remark that it must be a little bit crazy around our house. They might say they could never do it. I would have said the same thing myself, not too long ago. Anyway, things are sometimes crazy and hard and chaotic, but sometimes, they are not. In fact, a lot of the times they are not. So here are some pictures of the good side of life with almost 5 under age 6 1/2. And my apologies to readers in colder climes (that's you, dcrmom) for reveling in the beautiful weather of the past few days.

Oh yes, and apparently we decided we will have lots of time for yard work this spring. Husband and a good friend dug out a patch of yard for a salsa garden on Saturday. After getting all the soil poured and raked, we decided we were going to need a rabbit fence (but really a kid fence) around the garden. So Sunday Husband and his Dad got that together. Here is the final result, just waiting to be planted. We will hopefully have tomatoes (two kinds), onions, several kinds of peppers, cucumbers and corn (or so Husband hopes).

In Case You Were Looking

The cutest kid on the planet lives here. I know some of you may think your kid is cuter, but let's put all those silly thoughts out of our heads now. Because, really, it is just not possible.

And let me assure you, I love all of my children and they are all stunning and cute and wonderful. But, this one? This one has my heart in his hands and I think he knows it. He comes running to me at the computer and sits on my lap for a few minutes, just chattering, and then decides he's done and runs away. Like he just had to come refill his mommy tank. And he is stubborn and spoiled and he makes me crazy, but about two seconds later all is well again. Each of my children has a litle quirk/habit when they are tired. Princess plays with her eyelashes. IndieGirl taps her bottom lip with her finger. Buddy sucks his thumb and plays with an eyelash. All very endearing. Monster, though, needs his mommy or daddy to soothe him. We both wear swivel-hook bracelets from a retreat. I've worn mine everyday of this boy's life. When he is tired or unhappy, he immediately reaches for my arm and starts to fiddle with the bracelet. In fact, he now touches it every time I pick him up. I think he thinks it is a part of me. And it is for a variety of reasons. But, now, this bracelet will be forever treasured. One day he won't want to lie down with me, or sit on my lap, or reach for me for comfort. In just a few short weeks my lap will be occupied a majority of the time by someone else. I hope he still finds time to touch the bracelet and check in with me.

Okay, two posts in one day means no posts for a week, right?

21 Days

Holy cow-has anyone else noticed that the tickers say 21 days to go? Rationally, I have been aware of the big day drawing near, but it still sometimes sneaks up on me. Am I really ready to have 5 children? Of course not, but I know I'll be given the grace I need to adjust to this new life. It doesn't help when someone realizes for the first time that this is my fifth child, and my oldest is only 6, and how in the world do I do it? Lots of grace I say. Or at least think. The truth is, we each live our lives, and we get used to it, and we don't think about it so much. It is what it is, to be a bit trite. It is only when someone else points out the seemingly overwhelming circumstances that we might pause and think about that. Thankfully, there is not a lot of time for pausing and thinking around here.

So Lent begins today. There has been lots of discussion about it in the Catholic blogging world. I don't like sharing what I'm giving up, usually. This time, I'm not sure I'm giving anything up. I mean, I'm about to give up sleeping and sanity and coherent thought, whether I want to or not, so heaping on the sacrifices seems a bit extreme. Still, there is room for sacrifice somewhere. Inspired by Jen, I want to try to pray one of the three main hours of the Liturgy of the Hours each day. I just need to find a resource that has them, so I know what I am doing. Husband and I are also embarking on this new financial plan and it definitely has some spiritual elements to it, at least for me. So, we are taking the life we already live and seeking to add some prayer and contemplation to it. I think it is fortuitous that these changes in our lives are beginning during this particular liturgical season.

I won!

I didn't know it until today (silly spam folder), but I won a blog redesign! Yippee! I know those of you that read my blog regularly (thanks, by the way) will be happy to see something different. Confessions of a Flabby Ironman will be doing my redesign. Woohoo!

I also won a Target card from God's Grace in Practice. It is sure to be used for baby stuff, or hospital stuff in preparation for baby. Thanks for being so generous.

I also won a Target card from Raquel, again failing to check my spam folder until today. I'm so sorry for my stupidity. Enjoy your trip Raquel and I look forward to hearing from you when you get back. Thanks!

Week One

We went to our first Financial Peace University class this weekend. Since we had already talked to friends who went through the classes, we had an idea of what to expect and had already implemented a few things. The first goal is to get at least 1000 dollars in savings. Husband, anticipating a tighter year income-wise, has already set aside more than that. Yea him. Also, we have been using cash for groceries all of January. This is just a small part of switching to a cash only (not even debit card) lifestyle. And I can honestly say, when I think of handing over those bills, I really consider whether or not I need to buy something. My goal has been 100 dollars a week, and I am averaging about 80 dollars. Now, in January, I woud just keep the extra cash in my purse and it inevitably went to take-out food and things of that nature. This month, the cash goes back in my cabinet at the desk to be used the next week. I also shop at Sam's once a month, and the amount I spend will vary. For January is was about $170 I think, but this past weekend it was $100. I mainly buy paper goods, diapers, snacks, and meat at Sam's. Anyway, the first class was interesting and I'm looking forward to the rest of them. After watching the video we break up into smaller groups, so we can really talk about the challenges we face. I'm pretty sure I'm the only stay-home mom in our group, but that's okay.

During this class and the discussion afterward, I was really hit by an epiphany of sorts. Something I have known in the back of my mind, but have not really acknowledged. And I would venture a guess that it is not just me, this thought that I had. I spend too much money on things I don't really need, and that goes to a spiritual problem for me. Instead of finding contentment, fulfillment, happiness in the things I've already been given that are more than just things (marriage, children, community), I think I need more stuff. It is not so much that I am unhappy, just that I haven't made it out of the shallow end of life in some respects. I see something that is cute or whatever, and I think, we have the money, so I should have that. Things are not bad, but being consumed by them is. I shop out of boredom at times. Instead of engaging my children, or actually starting one of the many projects brewing in my mind, I load up the kids and go to Target. Why do I do that? I have to admit too, that blogging doesn't always help. We all love to share our great buys and our interest in fashion and whatnot, but doesn't that sometimes help us rationalize unnecessary purchases? This is all very rambly, but I know part of this process for me is going to be about reevaluating what is important, recognizing why I spend the way I do, and changing that.

So, be prepared for more incoherent ramblings. Woohoo!

A New Arrival

No, not mine! Sorry for tricking you. Go visit Aimee and tell her congratulations on her new son. I love to hear the baby news.

The Winner!

Using random.org, the winning number was 152. Shultzybabe, you have a new purse and some goodies. Just shoot me an email at the address in my profile with your snail mail address and I will send you a bag of fun. Yea you!

Baby Blankets

As a new mom, I was overwhelmed by how many blankets we were given. There is no way I would need all of those blankets. Little did I know. We used those blankets for so many things besides keeping a baby warm. So I can't imagine not having baby blankets around when the newest one arrives. But some women face that reality. Mary at Owlhaven is raising money to buy blankets for new moms in Ethiopia. If she hits her goal and there is more money left over, it will go toward a new washer for a community. So, think about giving a buck or two. Rarely do we get to give money for something so specific. So go and donate!