Who doesn't love a great birthing story?!?!

Oh my goodness. It's been two years since my last blog. There is so much to update the world on. I had a SON, in February 2014. His birth story is a pretty amazing one...so, I'll start there. :)

My husband and I had decided that after our third daughter (born in 2011) that we were finished having babies. My husband, I think, always wanted a son, but worried that if we "tried just one more time" that we'd end up with twins. That was a story that my nurse told us, when I was delivering my third daughter, that actually happened to her. So, I finally caved, and agreed that we should be done. Well, in June 2013, I found out, that we were being given yet another present, and that we were expecting a baby around Valentine's Day 2013. I was so excited. I had always wanted just one more. So, I did weekly maternity shoots with a friend, and tracked this pregnancy's progress closer than I ever had, because I knew THIS was my last pregnancy. Well, on September 26, 2013, I found out that we were having a BOY. I couldn't believe it. I thought I would never hear those words, even though with this pregnancy, I had 3 gender dreams, all saying BOY. I was so excited at this new adventure we were about to endure.

Last maternity shot before he came.
He was about the size of a watermelon!

So...time is getting close for baby to make his arrival. Hubby and I were still hammering out what his name was going to be. We had finally decided that his name was going to be Oliver. But, the middle name was just driving us crazy. We went back and forth, and round and round. Nothing fit right. At one point, I suggested Oliver Slade, but for those superhero lovers, you know that Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow) and Slade are enemies! I didn't want my son wrestling with himself his whole life, LOL, so we shot that one down. We also tried Oliver Cato. Cato was Green Hornet's side kick. Hubby thought it was great, and the more I heard it, it started growing on me, but then, he shot it down. Finally, we kind of gave up, and said "GARY". Why Gary, you ask?! Well, that's my husband's middle name, my father in law's middle name (but what he goes by), and my step father in law's name. So, it was perfect! We got all the important guys on my husband's side of the family. WELL...Oliver had other plans, and I guess he decided he didn't want that name. So...here's the good stuff, like so good, you wish there was a video of this!!

Delivery time is finally upon us. My sister kept telling me that Ollie was going to have the same birthday as her husband, 2/6. It's 3am, on 2/6, and I start having some pretty harsh contractions. I had been having contractions every night from midnight till 6am, for the last month, that were 2-5 minutes apart, but at some point, around 3am, they made the switch to much more uncomfortable. So, I go and wake hubby up, and tell him, I think it's time to go to the hospital. He got angry because we didn't have a plan in place for late night deliveries, and went back to bed. So, I sat on the couch (thanks honey), working through them. At 330am, he finally gets up, and asks what we're going to do. I say "I'll call my sister and have her come over and hang with the girls, just in case it's another false labor". So, I call...at this point, it's about 345am. She can't get her hubby up, to drive her over. So, she says she's going to call our Mom, and have her come over. Mind you, my Mom is 35 minutes away, in perfect weather, and we had just had an ice storm the night before. So, my Mom calls me, and asks if it's really it, and when I confirm that I really think it is, she gets off the phone, and heads on over.

Mom shows up at around 425am. I go over the school day routine, as quickly as I can, and head out. Hubby can't get the car out of our parking spot, and is basically rocking (in drive & reverse) the car, out of the spot. We get out, and off we go. At 435am, I made a facebook status (LOL) that said "I think this is it! Hospital bound...and we better get there soon!!!!!!!!Omfg!!!!" We were 10 minutes from the hospital at this point. My husband was so calm, cool and collected, and he kept saying "Your water hasn't broken yet. We have time. We will be there soon". He said that, because, with my third, when my water broke, she was born 12 minutes later, so he was trying to calm me down. Well, we make the turn to onto 5 mile (about a mile from the hospital), and my water breaks. So, I really started freaking out then. I knew he was coming, and there was no stopping him. Well, he finally (felt like 10 minutes, but I think it was like 2), turns into the hospital parking lot. When he did, I pulled my britches down. 

I knew he was coming and I couldn't wait. So, I put my hand down, and feel his head, and in that moment, I became doctor and patient. And, in one big grunt of pain/push, he was born. I breathed a sigh of relief and patted his back, in which he started fussing. In the moment, I announced "He's here", and my husband then lost his calm demeanor, yelling "Is he breathing? Is he okay? Is he breathing? Are you okay? Oh my God?!! What the Hell!". That's when the fun really begins!!! Hubby parks at the ER entrance, and runs in a yells "My wife just had a baby in the car". One guy follows him out to see what's going on. They later explained that a LOT of first time dads will yell that, and then the wife is in labor for 10 hours. Ha! Well, my experienced husband knew. So, the lonely guy comes out, and looks at me. I'm sitting in the front seat, and he looks confused. So, I Lion King-ed my baby up, so that he could see him. His eyes were as large as a hockey puck in that moment, and he runs back inside, and out with about 10 people, a gurney, and lots of blankets. It was like 5 degrees Fahrenheit. So, he yells at my husband and me, to NOT open the car. They didn't want to shock the baby. So, they get in position, and next thing I know, I'm being lifted out of the car, and blankets thrown everywhere. I had called my doctor before I left the house, so the nurses knew I was coming in. They were laughing because they had just gotten down to the ER to meet me, before they knew I'd had my son. They were joking that when looking at my file they commented on my fast deliveries. 

In the ER, they made sure my son was okay, and then took me up to the birthing center. There, I was in a triage type of room, and they had nothing prepared. So, they went searching for scissors, to cut the cord, the clamp, needle for stitches, and so on. I made them very unprepared...well, my son did. :) After all was said and done, I had a healthy baby boy that was estimated to have been born at 445am. He was 8 pounds 10 ounces, of pure bliss. He was my heaviest child, of course!

So, we announce his birth to friends and family. My husband called my Mom, when I was in the ER, and he was left to park the car. It was a crazy bit of time. But, hubby's best friend jokingly said "Since he was born in a Ford, you should name him Oliver Ford". We laughed about it, for a bit, and then about 2 hours later, we were like "Yeah. Let's do that!". So, we did! Oliver Ford was born on a cold and icy early morning, in the front seat of our Ford, at 25 miles per hour. I joke and say he is a true superhero...fast and furious. And, he's been that way ever since!
I hope you have enjoyed catching up with me, on his delivery, and I can't wait to share more FUN stories raising 3 girls & 1 boy! My kiddos never make dull days! We are loving our adventure, and living life to the fullest.

Here we are, almost 18 months later!

Birthdays galore!!

Wow! It's true what they say! Time flies when you're having fun! :) I can't believe it's been 6 months since my last blog. Charly, Kenna and Daphne are obviously keeping me on my toes.

Let's see...quick update. Daphne is crawling. She has taken her first steps, but prefers to continue crawling, or have me carry her. Charly has started 2nd grade and is doing wonderfully. Kenna is fully potty trained. Woot!!!!

Anyhow, I can't believe my babies are growing up so fast! It feels like yesterday that I was still pregnant with Daphne, and Kenna was a baby. Gosh, I still remember being pregnant with Charly, like it was yesterday. Now, here I am planning a third 1st birthday!

Speaking of birthdays, I just celebrated my 32nd birthday. :) I LOVE my birthday. And, my wonderful kids and husband got me a Mother's ring...and it's BEAUTIFUL! My girls, left to right, are January, November and October birthdays. I love how the stones are all so different but still in the same family of color. :)

Now, I'm busy planning Daphne's birthday birthday. She's my little pumpkin, so we're going with a pumpkin/fall festival theme. I've found so much AWESOME stuff at Michael's craft store, and gotten some awesome fabric at JoAnn's. I am trying to get crafty, so I'm making Daphne's birthday banner, and a few other things. I can't wait to see the finished product!!! I only have 4 more weeks to get this all done, so I'll be busy, busy for a few weeks. 

Mommy's Little Pumpkin

Then, three weeks after Daphne's birthday, I have Kenna's 3rd birthday. She wants a princess theme, so I've been searching for Disney Princess stuff. Luckily, they are very popular this year. :) So, it should be easy enough. But, so I'm not scrambling from one party, to the next, I'm trying to plan them both, now. :)

Mommy's Princess!

It's been CRAZY trying to plan two parties, back to back, but I must admit, I've gotten really lucky! First, my Mom is always there ready to help, if needed. And, she's done some shopping with me, and gotten some great things for the girls' parties. Second, I discovered www.couponchief.com. It has made my online shopping a little easier. With 3 kids, it's almost impossible for me to go to the store, and concentrate on what I'm shopping for without getting distracted 800 times. With coupon chief, I do my online shopping like I normally would (like at partycity.com), and then, I go to coupon chief to see if they have any discount codes or promotions. Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm always looking to save a dollar and that I LOVE my coupons. :) So, this site has helped so much b/c I can stay home and still get the savings I'm looking for. :)

Then, while on www.couponchief.com, I discovered, they have a rewards program. You can add codes, to help others, and you can earn money back when your code is used! How awesome is that!?!?! So, not only am I saving money by using their site, but now I can make some money too. SWEET!!! You better believe I added some codes. :) And, I definitely encourage any of you to check out the site...it has seriously helped me with this double party planning!! And, any other purchases online, I'll definitely be going there, to check for codes, before I hit that submit button. :)

After this first birthday planning, maybe I will do like my parents did for several years, to my sister and I, and plan a joint birthday party. :) I know, the first birthday is really only special to the parents, b/c in 2 years or 20 years, the kid will never remember it! LOL! But, I made the other two 1st birthdays special, so I can't not do it for Daphne too! Afterall, she's the last 1st birthday I'll ever have (until Grandchildren...which is a long way out). Obviously, after the parties, I'll post pictures! I'm so excited!!!! And, seriously, check out Coupon Chief, if you haven't already!! :)

I'm gonna try this again...

Phew! It's been a whirlwind couple of months. I am so far behind on my blogging. So much has happened since my last post, in July.
Where to start...

Charly started 1st grade! She was so excited because she found out over the summer that her Kindergarten teacher was now going to be her 1st grade teacher. :) We just adore her teacher, too, which certainly makes it a LOT easier on us. :)

Charly's 1st day of 1st Grade!

I turned 31. A few weeks later, my 3rd daughter, Daphne Elizabeth, was born on October 29, 2011. I was induced at 8am, on October 28th. I had 2 easy labors prior to her, so I thought she'd be an easy labor as well...err! I was so wrong. Well, okay, I was right, but it was a LOT of waiting. She had been low for the last 4 weeks, and then on the day of her induction, she took flight, and was way high! The doctor actually thought at one point, that she had turned, and was breech. She wasn't...just high. So, we spent ALL day and night waiting for her to lower herself, so we could get this labor on the road. That night, they said they'd try one more time, and if nothing happened they were going to stop the pitocin, and start in the morning. So, my Mom and Sister left. Well, apparently it started working, b/c at 340am, I sent my mom and sister a text saying "They just broke my water. I'll call when things start progressing." I called my Mom 10 minutes later in MAJOR pain, screaming "the baby's coming. HURRY!" She was born at 3:58am. She was 7lbs. 6 ozs., 19 inches long, and 4 pushes. My Mom and sister got to the hospital 30 minutes later. Sadly, they missed her birth...they waited all day with me, and when they went home things really got moving. But, she's here now, and we couldn't be happier!!!

Welcome, baby Daphne!

OK...next. Three weeks and one day later (November 20th), Kenna turned 2. We had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party, since she just adores Mickey and Friends! She is becoming quite the little ham!

My Kenna!

For Christmas, we drove to Orlando, to spend the week with my in-laws! I know what you're thinking. You are thinking we're crazy driving to Florida, from Kentucky, with a 6 year old, 2 year old, and 8 week old. But, my parents were kind enough to get 2 headrest DVD players, so the big girls had movies to watch the whole way there. And, everyone did amazing. The first night we stopped in Atlanta. On the way back we stopped in Knoxville. We had a fabulous time! We took Charly and Kenna to Disney World, while Daphne got to spend some much needed time with her Nana. We just HAD to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse. When we walked around the corner to them, and Kenna saw them, she just started waving, and clapping. She was so excited to meet them! She was in heaven, when Minnie gave her kisses!

The infamous castle picture. :)

 

The family meeting Mickey & Minnie

OK...moving on. The new year came! YAY to 2012!! My husband turned 35, on Friday the 13th (of January). My husband had to work, so I decided that I was going to make a trek back to Pennsylvania (where I grew up) to go to my Grandparents 50th anniversary party (my Mom's parents). When we got to our destination, I found out that my Grandpa (Dad's father) had unexpectedly passed away. He was 89. It was one of the saddest days of my life! So, now, I was not only in PA for a celebration of 50 years spent together, I was also there for the loss of my Grandpa. It was a hard day! My Pap (as we all referred to him) will forever be in our hearts. RIP Grant R. Derrick.

After coming home from Pennsylvania, I had less than one week to get ready for Charly's 7th birthday! We had a cupcake themed party (since she's just so sweet!), so we decided to have the girls decorate their own aprons! We held the party at Michael's craft store, in their Party Room! It was so much fun watching the girls! They had an absolute blast!! I can't believe my 1st baby is now 7 years old! Where have the last 6 years gone!?!?! Happy Birthday, Charly Reanna! January 26th!

My Charly!

The decorations!

 We are almost caught up!! Two weeks later was my brother in law's birthday (Feb. 6th)! We celebrated by going to Cracker Barrel for dinner. YUM! Happy Birthday, Daniel!! Two weeks after that, brings us to last night (Feb. 18th). We had a dinner to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday! A great time was had by all. It was my Mom, and her 14 most favorite people. :) Glad to see I made the list...LOL! Anyhow, after dinner we all decided to go back to their house to continue the celebration. Little did my Mom know, my sister and I went over to their house earlier, when they were out, and decorated for a surprise party. :) My Dad ho-hummed, and had to make a stop, to give us a chance to all get to the house before them. :)We were all set up, and when they got there, ta-da...a party. :) She was so excited! It was a fabulous night!! Happy 50th birthday, Mama!

A picture wall, of my Mom through the years!

Her cake!

The centerpiece...candy from the 60s!

And, then, there's today! We were just recovering from partying. :) We did NOT drink, but I had two (Charly and Kenna) very wound up little girls, that didn't go to sleep until after midnight. So, they slept in until almost 1030. Daphne, too! She was obviously a sleepy girl too. Well, when she woke up, she did something fabulous. She rolled over!!! What a big girl! 15 weeks old, and she's on a mission to get moving! She's just like her big sisters...go go go! Boy, am I in some serious trouble when she gets moving!

Daphne <3

Alright...so we're current. :) Thanks for making it this far...and hopefully I don't slack off so much anymore. I'll see you all again, soon. :) Goodnight! Sleep tight!!