Driving

This is Papa's "tractor". Brennan has been obsessed with this thing since birth. More than once we've found him out in the garage at Papa's house just sitting on the tractor quietly. When we stay at their house there's at least 1 tractor ride an hour requested. Papa is wonderful to oblige and he's taken the boys on countless tractor rides. And Brennan has been content with that.

But I think that's going to change now.....

He's actually a really good driver!

Still Alive

Yes, I'm still alive. It's been one month since my last post! Wow. Life is FULL. Full of children and housekeeping, school, preschool, VBS planning, wonderful friends, work, potty training, laundry, playing, changing diapers, discipline, cooking, and nursing, nursing and more nursing. It's been hard to squeeze blogging in there. But I'm going to try and do better as I really want a record of these days. At the end of the day I'm amazed at the number of things I've gotten done, yet at the same time, the number of things left undone. Whew, more on that later.

Here's a picture recap of the last few weeks. I'll do more of these this week.

In the couple weeks before Margo was born, getting Charlotte into bed used to take either A. a temper tantrum or B. lots of coaxing. Now it's quite easy. We just put Margo in her bed and she climbs in gladly!

A shout out to my good friend Katie (Happy Birthday TODAY!!). She drove all the way from South Dakota on the day Margo was born. She helped with our kids, cooked and was a peaceful presence. And she may or may not have seen me completely naked in the tub while in labor :).

Margo gets an audience for just about everything she does. This was one of her first sink baths.

Here is Margo cashed out. I had just changed her diaper and she went right back to sleep. She's a pretty relaxed baby!
Easter Sunday. After spending the morning worshiping at our own church, we drove out to Grandma and Papa's house. I made the boys keep their church clothes on until we got out there (oh the horror!). Two seconds after this picture was taken they had changed into shorts and t-shirts.

More to come.....

Our friend, the talented Kiana, has done it again. Margo had the first of what I'm sure will be MANY more photo shoots today. My kids will all know Kiana very well as they will all be spending lots of quality photo time with her in the years to come.

Would you believe this was Kiana's first newborn photo shoot? I know! Like I said, she's extremely talented. Margo did very well too. She slept like a champ almost the whole time!

Margo Mae

Momma and Margo

Daddy and Margo

Margo Mae

The Girls

The Boys with Margo

Margo

"Peace"

The kids meeting her for the 1st time

How many people can fit on a hospital bed?

Heading Home

Charlotte and Margo

Family of 6!

I am beyond blessed. Thank you Jesus!

It's A GIRL

Margo Mae

Thursday, March 11, 8:35pm

8 pounds 4 ounces

20 inches

Every bit of her is just perfect.

We could not be happier.

What a Different Day

Today has been a very different day from what I thought it would be.

I thought that today I would be induced into labor.

I thought I would be working through some of the worst pain physically possible.

I thought I'd meet this baby inside of me.

I thought I'd know if I had a boy or a girl.

I thought I'd be cuddling my 4th child, memorizing facial features, counting fingers and toes.

I thought my children would be given the gift of a new sibling.

I thought I'd be nursing a baby.

Instead,

I slept in.

I had a nice, long shower.

I had a lunch date with my husband (and no kids!)

I took a nap.

I made lots of phone calls and answered lots of emails, explaining why there was no baby yet.

I rearranged lots of schedules for the next few days.

Very different indeed.

The hospital called yesterday at 5:00 and bumped my induction back until Thursday. I'll admit, there were some tears. Expectations are a dangerous thing. Then I found some perspective. And to think that all weekend I thought the Lord was teaching me about patience. Looks like there was more to learn {grin}.

So my body has been given a few more hours (about 36 left) to do this on its own. I think I've said it here before, but I'd really love to go into labor naturally instead of being induced. Remember this post? We've tried EVERYTHING you guys suggested :) So far, although there's been lots of contractions, no labor. The good news is the contractions are DOING something. My body is primed and ready to go. So if induction is the end result, it should go quickly.

Here is what I know. God is the author and protector of life. He already knows the story of this child. His plans have not changed. He is sovereign over all things, big and small. Without this, I would be distraught, frustrated, upset at hospitals and Dr's and feeling cheated. But I'm not. My hope lies in Jesus Christ alone and what can go wrong when your hope lies there?

Instead, I will smile at the day(s) ahead and enjoy long showers and bo*obs that are not hard as rocks :)

Things I Won't Be Buying

The amount of baby gear on the market these days is unbelievable! Even in the 7 years since my first pregnancy, there is noticeably more "stuff" you can buy for your babies. So much of it is comical to me. Here are some things I WON'T be buying for this baby.

This is a diaper wipes warmer, with an adaptor, for your car. Really? I don't even do a wipes warmer in my house, let alone the car.

These are wipes to clean your babies teeth. Ever heard of a washcloth? Or maybe the better questions is, do their teeth really need to be wiped off?

This one really makes me laugh. Or maybe it's the mental picture I get when I picture my husband wearing this. Can you say "overkill"?
This is an electronic timer to keep track of feedings, sleep cycles, diaper changes and more. I do see the merit in this, sometimes these things are hard to remember. But keeping track of this thing and remembering to push the buttons seems MUCH harder to remember to me.
I am a minimalist when it comes to baby gear. I think there is very little that babies actually need. Someday I'll do a post on how we have babies without spending a fortune on them. I refuse to give into the marketing that says I'm a better mother if I spend a lot of money on products. I feel very strongly about this! I do not buy expensive car seats, I don't buy breathable bumper pads, or sanitizers for pacifiers. If you want to buy these things because of the way they look or because you think they will simplify your life, that's fine. But don't buy them because you think they will make your baby "safer" and thus you a better parent. It's a lie! As my momma always says "fear is big business, don't buy into it".