Something I hope I never have to do.
Other than the obvious, I hope I never have to beg for food to feed my family or have to sleep in my car to keep my family safe. I take nothing for granted and truthfully thank God every day or at least think about my blessings and how fortunate I am. I know that it can all change in an instant, taking us out of our comfort zone and on to the street. For too many people this is a reality, not so much in this country, but around the world.
I also hope that I never have to give up freedoms that are protected by the Constitution. We must continue to fight so that they are not taken away. We must continue to exercise our right to vote and stay informed. We are very fortunate to be able to live in a country where we are able to express ourselves. Some people take it to extremes and have a completely warped mentality, in my opinion (for example the Occupy Movement) but we are free to demonstrate and express our thoughts and views.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Day Five
Something you hope to do in your life...
Here's ten because I do not feel like writing much tonight :-)
1. Learn a second language, and how to use my sewing machine
2. Go back to school
3. Use my passion for the earth and rocks and start mining again
4. Eat at Hell's Kitchen
5. Run a complete marathon
6. Give back in some fashion to my fellow wo/man
7. Explore photography, alternative medicines, differential equations, chemistry and quantum physics
8. Wine and dine on the Mediterranean
9. Write a book perhaps and COMPLETELY read the entire Bible
10. Meet Bob Harper and thank him for helping people change their lives
Here's ten because I do not feel like writing much tonight :-)
1. Learn a second language, and how to use my sewing machine
2. Go back to school
3. Use my passion for the earth and rocks and start mining again
4. Eat at Hell's Kitchen
5. Run a complete marathon
6. Give back in some fashion to my fellow wo/man
7. Explore photography, alternative medicines, differential equations, chemistry and quantum physics
8. Wine and dine on the Mediterranean
9. Write a book perhaps and COMPLETELY read the entire Bible
10. Meet Bob Harper and thank him for helping people change their lives
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Day Four
Day 4...Something I have to forgive someone else for...
Honestly, I blame no one in MY OWN life for the way things have turned out. I feel that I am completely the one with my hands on the wheel. Life is way to short to play the blame game. I believe that people need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their own actions and life. Ultimately it is up to you. Obviously there are people out there that are real victims, but after the healing it is time to let go and get on with life. I know it is easier said than done sometimes. I am sure people have hurt me in the past, but I have long gotten over it and forgiven those individuals. I do not hold any one responsible for any actions that need forgiving any longer. I would say that I am probably too forgiving, but I am okay with that. I can not hang onto angry emotions when it comes to the people in my life. I have great love for the everyone that I am blessed with knowing and accept them for what they have done, good and bad. I know many things are unintentional in love. We have all tried our hardest at times and that is all that matters. With love, comes forgiveness.
On another note, however, I find it hard to watch the news. I am very empathetic toward anything I see, whether it is happy, sad or repulsive. Too many times is it sad and just downright horrible. I am extremely sensitive when it comes to people placing harm to others in cold blood. I just do not understand how a human being can do some of these things and then I get very, very angry. This is especially true when it comes to victims of horrific crimes. As many of you who know me, I followed the Caylee Anthony story from Day One. As the clock ticked and more information came out about her mother and her bizarre behavior, I grew so angry. I followed the entirety of the case and was less than thrilled with the outcome and the decision of the jury as I feel justice simply was not served. My point is that I need to learn how to forgive others in life who do horrible things, I just do not know how. In that aspect of forgiveness, I have some deficiencies. I think that many people do. It is hard to forgive someone who has committed the most heinous crimes. And that my friends, is why I do not watch the news.
Honestly, I blame no one in MY OWN life for the way things have turned out. I feel that I am completely the one with my hands on the wheel. Life is way to short to play the blame game. I believe that people need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their own actions and life. Ultimately it is up to you. Obviously there are people out there that are real victims, but after the healing it is time to let go and get on with life. I know it is easier said than done sometimes. I am sure people have hurt me in the past, but I have long gotten over it and forgiven those individuals. I do not hold any one responsible for any actions that need forgiving any longer. I would say that I am probably too forgiving, but I am okay with that. I can not hang onto angry emotions when it comes to the people in my life. I have great love for the everyone that I am blessed with knowing and accept them for what they have done, good and bad. I know many things are unintentional in love. We have all tried our hardest at times and that is all that matters. With love, comes forgiveness.
On another note, however, I find it hard to watch the news. I am very empathetic toward anything I see, whether it is happy, sad or repulsive. Too many times is it sad and just downright horrible. I am extremely sensitive when it comes to people placing harm to others in cold blood. I just do not understand how a human being can do some of these things and then I get very, very angry. This is especially true when it comes to victims of horrific crimes. As many of you who know me, I followed the Caylee Anthony story from Day One. As the clock ticked and more information came out about her mother and her bizarre behavior, I grew so angry. I followed the entirety of the case and was less than thrilled with the outcome and the decision of the jury as I feel justice simply was not served. My point is that I need to learn how to forgive others in life who do horrible things, I just do not know how. In that aspect of forgiveness, I have some deficiencies. I think that many people do. It is hard to forgive someone who has committed the most heinous crimes. And that my friends, is why I do not watch the news.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Day Three
Something I need to forgive myself for...
This one I am not going into detail on, but let me just say that I have no (or very little) regrets. I may regret some of my actions and means, but not my decisions. These choices made the path that I currently am on today, and as we know, one small decision as simple as going to the store can have a huge impact. Had I made a decision so minute as that, I would not have joined the military, met either of my husbands, nor would I have had my children, so for these EVEN small decisions I am very thankful. Any deviation could have set a domino effect on a completely different path and I would be missing out on what I truly was intended for.
That being said, and having very little regret, I guess something that I have to forgive myself for is not living up to my true potential. I have a very strong math and science grasp, yet many times I feel like a failure, like I have not became all that I could have been and used my God-given talent. I see endless people my age, very successful and I look down on myself for that. Time has not left me though and through my determination, will figure out a way to use what I have been blessed with. One way to help me cope with these feelings is to view the successes in life at different angles. I too am successful, just with something completely different.
This one I am not going into detail on, but let me just say that I have no (or very little) regrets. I may regret some of my actions and means, but not my decisions. These choices made the path that I currently am on today, and as we know, one small decision as simple as going to the store can have a huge impact. Had I made a decision so minute as that, I would not have joined the military, met either of my husbands, nor would I have had my children, so for these EVEN small decisions I am very thankful. Any deviation could have set a domino effect on a completely different path and I would be missing out on what I truly was intended for.
That being said, and having very little regret, I guess something that I have to forgive myself for is not living up to my true potential. I have a very strong math and science grasp, yet many times I feel like a failure, like I have not became all that I could have been and used my God-given talent. I see endless people my age, very successful and I look down on myself for that. Time has not left me though and through my determination, will figure out a way to use what I have been blessed with. One way to help me cope with these feelings is to view the successes in life at different angles. I too am successful, just with something completely different.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Day Two
Hmm...since I am quick to recognize all my flaws and faults, I had to think about the things that I love about myself. I know you are not supposed to define yourself by your children, but I would say that one thing that I do love about myself is how natural it came for me to be a mother. When I think about who I am, the first thing that comes to mind is my kids and my family. It is almost like they are part of me, just another appendage, like an arm or a leg. I would say that my maternal side is something that I really embrace and love about who I am. It is truly ironic because I was always the one in my family that would say "I am NEVER, EVER going to have kids.", or "I can NOT stand kids!!!". I think that stems from me being the oldest child in my family and oldest grandchild on one side and one of the oldest on the other. At that time, kids seemed like a bother, but now I have a whole different viewpoint, especially since those little "bothers" in the family are all grown up and simply adored by yours truly. In a way, being a mom has heightened my sense of compassion and ability to empathize with what others are feeling. I find it hard to hurt others and when I do, it is often unintentional and consumes me with guilt and regret.
That is not the only thing I love...I LOVE my attention to detail. It is also a catch 22 though because it has caused me a great deal of mental fatigue and unrest because of my expectations, especially when it comes to household chores and organization (another love of my life). With children those expections are simply not practical. I can not expect to have a completely sterile house, free from crumbs and always have military-style perfect edges on the laundry folds (let alone EVER an empty laundry basket again!). Thankfully Mommy found ways to cope and thus, have acquired a greater sense of balance. I relapse occasionally, going on cleaning or organizing binges but that is usually when the house is a complete train wreck where there exists a definite need for my services.
I will go with one more...I love that I am finally starting to accept who I am physically. I am not perfect but the minor flaws do not matter anymore. Vanity means little to me these days. I used to be very obsessive with how I looked. I would run two or three times a day, starve myself, buy new clothes constantly, and have to look as good as I could. Any deviation from perfect was simply unacceptable to me. I have learned to be okay with who I am and those types of things just do not bother me anymore. There is a lot more to life than how you look and I wish I would have discovered that sooner. Do not get me wrong, I still like to dress up, do my hair, etc, but it is not a requirement to feeling fulfilled with life. Not having every hair in place is not going to break me. Back when I had body issues, I probably would have been severely depressed over my scar I have from my cesarean section from Colin. Having a beautiful healthy child was my focus, and my scar just tells another story of my blessed life.
That is not the only thing I love...I LOVE my attention to detail. It is also a catch 22 though because it has caused me a great deal of mental fatigue and unrest because of my expectations, especially when it comes to household chores and organization (another love of my life). With children those expections are simply not practical. I can not expect to have a completely sterile house, free from crumbs and always have military-style perfect edges on the laundry folds (let alone EVER an empty laundry basket again!). Thankfully Mommy found ways to cope and thus, have acquired a greater sense of balance. I relapse occasionally, going on cleaning or organizing binges but that is usually when the house is a complete train wreck where there exists a definite need for my services.
I will go with one more...I love that I am finally starting to accept who I am physically. I am not perfect but the minor flaws do not matter anymore. Vanity means little to me these days. I used to be very obsessive with how I looked. I would run two or three times a day, starve myself, buy new clothes constantly, and have to look as good as I could. Any deviation from perfect was simply unacceptable to me. I have learned to be okay with who I am and those types of things just do not bother me anymore. There is a lot more to life than how you look and I wish I would have discovered that sooner. Do not get me wrong, I still like to dress up, do my hair, etc, but it is not a requirement to feeling fulfilled with life. Not having every hair in place is not going to break me. Back when I had body issues, I probably would have been severely depressed over my scar I have from my cesarean section from Colin. Having a beautiful healthy child was my focus, and my scar just tells another story of my blessed life.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Day One
I have really been having the itch to write so I decided to start this thirty day program where there is a different topic to expound upon each day. Day one's task is to talk about something that you hate about yourself. Why not a better place then in the beginning to just lay out all the bad stuff, all the negatives, and then roll with the positives, right? That's exactly what I said.
Being FAR from perfect, there are so many things about myself that I dislike or pieces of me in need of a HUGE improvement. Let us name a few...
First thing that I really would like to change about myself is that I am very indecisive and it takes me forever to make a decision. Then once I do make a decision, I question myself and second guess. This is a big fault of mine and it has caused me a lot of internal and external conflicts in my life. Family and friends can not STAND that I can never make a decision, and then when I think I have made one, I I go back on it. As far as the internal, it has caused me to never be at peace with any of my decisions and also reinforces my lack of confidence in myself which I believe is to blame for all of this due to many bad decisions in the past. How to fix this? I am not quite sure there is a solution. I would say that I need to go with my gut or even think things through logically, but whatever I chose to do, I need to STICK WITH IT. I am very logical, perhaps overly which also helps contribute to me never being able to make a decision. I am forever weighing the odds. Well the first step is admission of guilt so there is some what of a move in the right direction...
Another thing that I do not like about me is that I feel socially awkward a LOT! I do not like to speak in front of people, I feel like whatever comes out of my mouth is just something worthy of a good laugh (and not from one laughing WITH me, but instead AT me). I lack serious confidence and have a lot of insecurities which reinforce my sense of social awkwardness. Ever since I had the kids I feel as though my IQ plummeted to a negative number. Being out of school and learning environment for so long has turned me unable to speak intelligently. I feel like I am unable to have an intelligent conversation and not from not being able to comprehend, but instead by not being able to verbally announce what I have to say. I have no problem on paper or behind a computer screen, but something about a human face waiting for me to spit out what I have to say that blinds me. I guess the solution to this would be exposure to others more frequently, allowing myself to working on my speaking through practice as well as building self-confidence, which I clearly lack.
Lastly, I am not going to name them all, but another thing that bothers me is my lack of patience. I wish that I had more of it and sadly that is how I was constructed or what I have learned. I have improved upon this just by having kids, but having kids has also erased my patience at times. It makes no sense, and I can not explain it, but just ask someone who has children. I pray that I can continue to gain more patience as the years go by.
Stay tuned for Day Two for the next topic!
Being FAR from perfect, there are so many things about myself that I dislike or pieces of me in need of a HUGE improvement. Let us name a few...
First thing that I really would like to change about myself is that I am very indecisive and it takes me forever to make a decision. Then once I do make a decision, I question myself and second guess. This is a big fault of mine and it has caused me a lot of internal and external conflicts in my life. Family and friends can not STAND that I can never make a decision, and then when I think I have made one, I I go back on it. As far as the internal, it has caused me to never be at peace with any of my decisions and also reinforces my lack of confidence in myself which I believe is to blame for all of this due to many bad decisions in the past. How to fix this? I am not quite sure there is a solution. I would say that I need to go with my gut or even think things through logically, but whatever I chose to do, I need to STICK WITH IT. I am very logical, perhaps overly which also helps contribute to me never being able to make a decision. I am forever weighing the odds. Well the first step is admission of guilt so there is some what of a move in the right direction...
Another thing that I do not like about me is that I feel socially awkward a LOT! I do not like to speak in front of people, I feel like whatever comes out of my mouth is just something worthy of a good laugh (and not from one laughing WITH me, but instead AT me). I lack serious confidence and have a lot of insecurities which reinforce my sense of social awkwardness. Ever since I had the kids I feel as though my IQ plummeted to a negative number. Being out of school and learning environment for so long has turned me unable to speak intelligently. I feel like I am unable to have an intelligent conversation and not from not being able to comprehend, but instead by not being able to verbally announce what I have to say. I have no problem on paper or behind a computer screen, but something about a human face waiting for me to spit out what I have to say that blinds me. I guess the solution to this would be exposure to others more frequently, allowing myself to working on my speaking through practice as well as building self-confidence, which I clearly lack.
Lastly, I am not going to name them all, but another thing that bothers me is my lack of patience. I wish that I had more of it and sadly that is how I was constructed or what I have learned. I have improved upon this just by having kids, but having kids has also erased my patience at times. It makes no sense, and I can not explain it, but just ask someone who has children. I pray that I can continue to gain more patience as the years go by.
Stay tuned for Day Two for the next topic!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Colin's Birth Story
As promised, here is Colin's birth story...
Well, my fluid had been low and I was measuring between two to four weeks behind at all my doctor visits toward the end of my pregnancy. The doctors did an ultrasound to make this determination and since it was only borderline-low, we just monitored the situation. Then on Friday the 8th of April, I woke up feeling a little crampy so I thought I would just wait and see what happened. For weeks prior, I had been three centimeters dilated, between 75 and 90% effaced, and so literally I knew the possibility of the baby could be any day now. I was 38 weeks so as far as the medical community was concerned, I was full-term so the timing was fine in that respect. About an hour or so later, I thought I saw what looked like fluid and so called my doctor immediately. The doctor told me to meet up with her at the hospital in the next half hour, and so when I got there, the nurse hooked me up to the monitor which showed that I was having no meaningful contractions. When the doctor arrived, she gave me a litmus test which showed a possible leakage of fluid and therefore she performed an impromptu ultrasound. She informed me that the baby was virtually in a dry sac and that most likely I had been leaking amniotic fluid slowly for some time now and so they were going to keep me there for an induction. The plan was to start me on a Pitocin drip to induce contractions and labor, since I was not contracting. Since I had rupture of the membranes for longer than 24 hours, they also started me on an antibiotic to prevent infection. I handled the Pitocin very well...a LOT better than I did with Caitlyn. After several hours of labor, I maxed the Pitocin out twice and only ended up dilating to about 6 or 7 centimeters. We were clearly not progressing as much as the doctor and we had hoped for. They started me on my third series of Pitocin. I ended up going through the whole round again and still ended up only around 7 centimeters. This baby was clearly not going to cooperate and God knows how long he had not been encompassed in water for, so the doctor advised me to consider a cesarean section. I was devastated. I had gone through 36 hours of labor and then this! It was virtually epidural free because I had finally gotten my epidural out of PURE exhaustion after 24 hours of labor. The pain was not anything I couldn't handle, but it was more than I could handle and still be able to fall asleep. So I got the epidural hoping I could get some rest, but I let the med run its course for one round and then I just let all the meds run out. I didn't like not knowing if I was lifting my legs or not because I was so numb so I just layed off the pain relief button. Being that numb was making me have panic episodes. I just do not like not having that level of control over my body.
I decided to go ahead with the c-section so they pumped my epidural back up with meds, so much that I could barely feel my chest. It really freaked me out. When the anesthesiologist got out of another surgery, he came down to my room and asked me some questions, we geared up and then at 6 p.m. on Saturday the 9th day of April, they rolled me down to surgery. I started to really panic. I thought I was going to die, I was having full blown panic attacks, but thankfully God graced me with a wonderful OB and anesthesiologist. Dr. Markowitz (I still remmber his name) was my anesthesiologist. He put on some rock tunes and really talked me down, and then Chris came in and with enough focus, I really tried to pull it together so I wouldn't have to go under. Not being in control of my legs really scares me and so I panic and the level of numbing was up to my upper chest and I couldn't feel myself breath and I was just panicking. My heart rate was so high. Thank God for that Dr. Markowitz who really calmed me down and at 6:21 pm, We happily welcomed Colin Matthew Crumpler to the family. He weighed in at seven pounds even and was 20 inches long. Dr. Benjamin Isbell delivered our littlest blessing at Williamsburg Sentara Medical Center in Williamsburg, Virginia. Colin was born with big dark blue eyes and dark reddish blonde hair. He came out showing off his lungs immediately upon entrance, but after a few hours later, his breathing became labored and he was put in the NICU where he remained for ten days with respiratory distress syndrome and jaundice. The doctors and nurses were awesome and very compassionate, nursing our baby back to health. After a rocky road, we finally left the hospital a week and a half later. We are so blessed that Colin is in our life and ended up with no permanent problems as the result of his respiratory distress. You would never know he was the same baby now at six month and over 20 pounds. He's our little chunk and we love him!
Well, my fluid had been low and I was measuring between two to four weeks behind at all my doctor visits toward the end of my pregnancy. The doctors did an ultrasound to make this determination and since it was only borderline-low, we just monitored the situation. Then on Friday the 8th of April, I woke up feeling a little crampy so I thought I would just wait and see what happened. For weeks prior, I had been three centimeters dilated, between 75 and 90% effaced, and so literally I knew the possibility of the baby could be any day now. I was 38 weeks so as far as the medical community was concerned, I was full-term so the timing was fine in that respect. About an hour or so later, I thought I saw what looked like fluid and so called my doctor immediately. The doctor told me to meet up with her at the hospital in the next half hour, and so when I got there, the nurse hooked me up to the monitor which showed that I was having no meaningful contractions. When the doctor arrived, she gave me a litmus test which showed a possible leakage of fluid and therefore she performed an impromptu ultrasound. She informed me that the baby was virtually in a dry sac and that most likely I had been leaking amniotic fluid slowly for some time now and so they were going to keep me there for an induction. The plan was to start me on a Pitocin drip to induce contractions and labor, since I was not contracting. Since I had rupture of the membranes for longer than 24 hours, they also started me on an antibiotic to prevent infection. I handled the Pitocin very well...a LOT better than I did with Caitlyn. After several hours of labor, I maxed the Pitocin out twice and only ended up dilating to about 6 or 7 centimeters. We were clearly not progressing as much as the doctor and we had hoped for. They started me on my third series of Pitocin. I ended up going through the whole round again and still ended up only around 7 centimeters. This baby was clearly not going to cooperate and God knows how long he had not been encompassed in water for, so the doctor advised me to consider a cesarean section. I was devastated. I had gone through 36 hours of labor and then this! It was virtually epidural free because I had finally gotten my epidural out of PURE exhaustion after 24 hours of labor. The pain was not anything I couldn't handle, but it was more than I could handle and still be able to fall asleep. So I got the epidural hoping I could get some rest, but I let the med run its course for one round and then I just let all the meds run out. I didn't like not knowing if I was lifting my legs or not because I was so numb so I just layed off the pain relief button. Being that numb was making me have panic episodes. I just do not like not having that level of control over my body.
I decided to go ahead with the c-section so they pumped my epidural back up with meds, so much that I could barely feel my chest. It really freaked me out. When the anesthesiologist got out of another surgery, he came down to my room and asked me some questions, we geared up and then at 6 p.m. on Saturday the 9th day of April, they rolled me down to surgery. I started to really panic. I thought I was going to die, I was having full blown panic attacks, but thankfully God graced me with a wonderful OB and anesthesiologist. Dr. Markowitz (I still remmber his name) was my anesthesiologist. He put on some rock tunes and really talked me down, and then Chris came in and with enough focus, I really tried to pull it together so I wouldn't have to go under. Not being in control of my legs really scares me and so I panic and the level of numbing was up to my upper chest and I couldn't feel myself breath and I was just panicking. My heart rate was so high. Thank God for that Dr. Markowitz who really calmed me down and at 6:21 pm, We happily welcomed Colin Matthew Crumpler to the family. He weighed in at seven pounds even and was 20 inches long. Dr. Benjamin Isbell delivered our littlest blessing at Williamsburg Sentara Medical Center in Williamsburg, Virginia. Colin was born with big dark blue eyes and dark reddish blonde hair. He came out showing off his lungs immediately upon entrance, but after a few hours later, his breathing became labored and he was put in the NICU where he remained for ten days with respiratory distress syndrome and jaundice. The doctors and nurses were awesome and very compassionate, nursing our baby back to health. After a rocky road, we finally left the hospital a week and a half later. We are so blessed that Colin is in our life and ended up with no permanent problems as the result of his respiratory distress. You would never know he was the same baby now at six month and over 20 pounds. He's our little chunk and we love him!
Been a LONG Time!
Wow, has it been a long time since I have blogged. So long, that in fact I forgot I had a blog going. Since the last and only entry, I've had another child, Colin, for a total of three little munchkins. Caitlyn is now six and in the first grade, Nathan (Nate) is 2 years and Colin turned six months on Saturday. So needless to say, that life is busy. But that is okay though because Mommy likes busy.
I'm finally adjusting to "stay-at-home" motherhood after 2 and a half years out of the military and no work outside of the home. I had always worked since I was 16 years old, so I have to admit, it was a long road to find my comfort zone and things did NOT come easy. I'm really thankful now that we are getting into a groove. I guess having three sort of forces you to have some sort of a routine and system going or you would go crazy. Preparation has been essential, as well as organization and trying not to put things off has really helped me stay on top of everything on the home front. Thankfully Chris has not had anymore deployments and doesn't foresee any in the near future. For those of you that don't remember, he was deployed when Nate was just two months old and didn't get back till he was almost a year. That was the worst. I'm welcoming his new position.
So what have we been up to since Winter of early 2010? Hmm...Well, Chris came home in April of 2010 and we got readjusted to having him back and then in June of 2010 we went to the beach south of the Outer Banks in NC for a week with his mom and the (at the time) two kids. They had a blast at the beach. We went on a cruise to Shackleford Banks from Beaufort, NC and got to venture onto the small island that includes beautiful wild horses and large whelk seashells. It was an experience of a lifetime. We even saw an oyster population. Beaufort is a great town by the way if you are ever in the area. If I could pick any place in the United States to live, Beaufort would be in my top five, possibly top three. The town has a vast history, to include Blackbeard, the pirate. We stayed at a timeshare on Atlantic Beach right down the road. It was a great vacation and the kids had a blast. Then later that month, my aunt and uncle had a place in the Outer Banks of NC and when my mother came down to visit me, the kids and I accompanied her down there for a few days. We are only about two hours from the OBX. It was a beautiful place and we had a lot of fun visiting with family and just getting away from it all.
A trip to NY and our summer was complete and we soon found out that our family was not. In August, I found out I was expecting again! We were a little scared at first with all kinds of your typical worries but ended up really just being thankful and excited. We found out a few months later, that this bundle of joy was a "bundle of BOY". It could not have worked out anymore perfect. The boys would be 21 months apart so the best of friends and Caitlyn would still have her princess status in the house. My due date was the 20th of April in 2011, so NOT another July baby (my first two had the same due date and ended up being three days and four years apart) so we were thankful for that! We ended up spending Thanksgiving of that year in northern VA with my Dad and Step-mom and family and we stayed home for Christmas.
As my due date approached, my expanding belly was not correlating with my pregnancy progression so we had to monitor the situation and it turned out that my fluid was low. Then the day came. I thought I noticed some fluid so we rushed to the hospital. I was 38 weeks along and about three cm dilated and 90% effaced. After 36 hours of pitocin induced contractions and virtually no epidural (after the med ran out I was too scared to keep pressing the button) we had to make a decision since I was only 6 cm and not progressing. I elected for the c-section because it was looking like we would have had to do one anyways, and I would prefer to not do one in an emergent situation. At 6:21, we were blessed with our littlest angel, Colin Matthew. Colin spent 10 days in the hospital with respiratory distress and jaundice in the NICU. He truly was our little miracle. Now he is healthy as a horse, over 20 pounds, and almost sitting up. He has a very fun loving personality and is, we anticipate, a future trouble maker. We say this because every time he sees his brother jumping on the couch or doing something he shouldn't be doing, Colin starts laughing his head off. It's the cutest thing. Nothing like seeing brothers together. Big sister is great too, and very protective and loving. Seeing your children love one another is one of the greatest gifts. I can't explain the love that I have for these kids and they are truly a blessing.
Since Colin came along it's been a small adjustment and not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. He's been my most easy baby to date, and I think part of that is due to birth-order. Having three, I can't give him the non-stop attention that I was able to give, say, Caitlyn when she was a baby. He is a very calm and chill baby, and unlike the other two who did not start sleeping through the night till 11.5 months old, Colin started around four months. It was such a welcomed change!
In September, Caitlyn started the first grade and she is doing great and started reading. It makes me so proud to open up her backpack and see 100% on her science or spelling test. She's a smart cookie. Nate is very smart too and is talking a lot more. He says the funniest things. One of his newest favorites is "NO WAY!" or when he sees the moon he says "crescent moon"...it's too funny. All three of the kids love music and it's priceless to hear them sing a long to familiar tunes and kick their feet to the beat. Nate is really into anything with wheels, but nothing as much as Thomas the Train. He's got endless energy that I wish would rub off on me some days :)...
Chris is doing well. It's been a busy year with home improvements but finally things are almost done and getting into place. There is never a shortage of work as a home owner. He just hit his twenty year mark in the military last month which basically is the point that you can retire from the military if you so choose. He plans on staying in till at least 24, but you never know.
I joined a MOPS (Mothers of Preschool) group at our church and love it. It's amazing how you can bond with perfect strangers of similar circumstances and life experiences. It's helped me put life into perspective, and give me a little needed change of attitude. I have met some great ladies and look forward to developing those friendships as the months go by. We have Bunko night coming up. I've never played but they say it's really easy and a whole lot of fun, so I can't wait! We also are going to be going back to church. I was raised Roman Catholic, but after some soul searching and experimenting with different churches, I have decided that Lutheran was best for us. The church is very family friendly, they have Sunday school for the kids during our service and the beliefs are very parallel to the Catholic church. I have felt so at home at this church and have met some truly genuine people along the way. We are very blessed. Chris and I have also been running in our free time and the boys and Chris and I even completed our first 8K in September (ironically I came in second for the 30-34 ladies age group)! We plan on doing the one at Busch Gardens in December. I love doing the runs and used to do them all the time before the babies came along.
So that's that. School is in session so it's business as usual right now. Have a couple weekend trips planned, and just got back from a trip up to see my Dad and my Step-mom Jan and brother Zack. It's always nice to see family. I just wish we lived closer, but compared to Omaha, this is nothing! Chris's family is about three hours away and even my hometown in NY is only a nine hour drive for us.
Life is good and I'm feeling very content and happy with what we are blessed with. I have a sense of completion that I have never had before since Colin came along. I really think our family is complete with the five of us. Perhaps a dog in the future (at Caitlyn's persistence)???
I'm finally adjusting to "stay-at-home" motherhood after 2 and a half years out of the military and no work outside of the home. I had always worked since I was 16 years old, so I have to admit, it was a long road to find my comfort zone and things did NOT come easy. I'm really thankful now that we are getting into a groove. I guess having three sort of forces you to have some sort of a routine and system going or you would go crazy. Preparation has been essential, as well as organization and trying not to put things off has really helped me stay on top of everything on the home front. Thankfully Chris has not had anymore deployments and doesn't foresee any in the near future. For those of you that don't remember, he was deployed when Nate was just two months old and didn't get back till he was almost a year. That was the worst. I'm welcoming his new position.
So what have we been up to since Winter of early 2010? Hmm...Well, Chris came home in April of 2010 and we got readjusted to having him back and then in June of 2010 we went to the beach south of the Outer Banks in NC for a week with his mom and the (at the time) two kids. They had a blast at the beach. We went on a cruise to Shackleford Banks from Beaufort, NC and got to venture onto the small island that includes beautiful wild horses and large whelk seashells. It was an experience of a lifetime. We even saw an oyster population. Beaufort is a great town by the way if you are ever in the area. If I could pick any place in the United States to live, Beaufort would be in my top five, possibly top three. The town has a vast history, to include Blackbeard, the pirate. We stayed at a timeshare on Atlantic Beach right down the road. It was a great vacation and the kids had a blast. Then later that month, my aunt and uncle had a place in the Outer Banks of NC and when my mother came down to visit me, the kids and I accompanied her down there for a few days. We are only about two hours from the OBX. It was a beautiful place and we had a lot of fun visiting with family and just getting away from it all.
A trip to NY and our summer was complete and we soon found out that our family was not. In August, I found out I was expecting again! We were a little scared at first with all kinds of your typical worries but ended up really just being thankful and excited. We found out a few months later, that this bundle of joy was a "bundle of BOY". It could not have worked out anymore perfect. The boys would be 21 months apart so the best of friends and Caitlyn would still have her princess status in the house. My due date was the 20th of April in 2011, so NOT another July baby (my first two had the same due date and ended up being three days and four years apart) so we were thankful for that! We ended up spending Thanksgiving of that year in northern VA with my Dad and Step-mom and family and we stayed home for Christmas.
As my due date approached, my expanding belly was not correlating with my pregnancy progression so we had to monitor the situation and it turned out that my fluid was low. Then the day came. I thought I noticed some fluid so we rushed to the hospital. I was 38 weeks along and about three cm dilated and 90% effaced. After 36 hours of pitocin induced contractions and virtually no epidural (after the med ran out I was too scared to keep pressing the button) we had to make a decision since I was only 6 cm and not progressing. I elected for the c-section because it was looking like we would have had to do one anyways, and I would prefer to not do one in an emergent situation. At 6:21, we were blessed with our littlest angel, Colin Matthew. Colin spent 10 days in the hospital with respiratory distress and jaundice in the NICU. He truly was our little miracle. Now he is healthy as a horse, over 20 pounds, and almost sitting up. He has a very fun loving personality and is, we anticipate, a future trouble maker. We say this because every time he sees his brother jumping on the couch or doing something he shouldn't be doing, Colin starts laughing his head off. It's the cutest thing. Nothing like seeing brothers together. Big sister is great too, and very protective and loving. Seeing your children love one another is one of the greatest gifts. I can't explain the love that I have for these kids and they are truly a blessing.
Since Colin came along it's been a small adjustment and not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. He's been my most easy baby to date, and I think part of that is due to birth-order. Having three, I can't give him the non-stop attention that I was able to give, say, Caitlyn when she was a baby. He is a very calm and chill baby, and unlike the other two who did not start sleeping through the night till 11.5 months old, Colin started around four months. It was such a welcomed change!
In September, Caitlyn started the first grade and she is doing great and started reading. It makes me so proud to open up her backpack and see 100% on her science or spelling test. She's a smart cookie. Nate is very smart too and is talking a lot more. He says the funniest things. One of his newest favorites is "NO WAY!" or when he sees the moon he says "crescent moon"...it's too funny. All three of the kids love music and it's priceless to hear them sing a long to familiar tunes and kick their feet to the beat. Nate is really into anything with wheels, but nothing as much as Thomas the Train. He's got endless energy that I wish would rub off on me some days :)...
Chris is doing well. It's been a busy year with home improvements but finally things are almost done and getting into place. There is never a shortage of work as a home owner. He just hit his twenty year mark in the military last month which basically is the point that you can retire from the military if you so choose. He plans on staying in till at least 24, but you never know.
I joined a MOPS (Mothers of Preschool) group at our church and love it. It's amazing how you can bond with perfect strangers of similar circumstances and life experiences. It's helped me put life into perspective, and give me a little needed change of attitude. I have met some great ladies and look forward to developing those friendships as the months go by. We have Bunko night coming up. I've never played but they say it's really easy and a whole lot of fun, so I can't wait! We also are going to be going back to church. I was raised Roman Catholic, but after some soul searching and experimenting with different churches, I have decided that Lutheran was best for us. The church is very family friendly, they have Sunday school for the kids during our service and the beliefs are very parallel to the Catholic church. I have felt so at home at this church and have met some truly genuine people along the way. We are very blessed. Chris and I have also been running in our free time and the boys and Chris and I even completed our first 8K in September (ironically I came in second for the 30-34 ladies age group)! We plan on doing the one at Busch Gardens in December. I love doing the runs and used to do them all the time before the babies came along.
So that's that. School is in session so it's business as usual right now. Have a couple weekend trips planned, and just got back from a trip up to see my Dad and my Step-mom Jan and brother Zack. It's always nice to see family. I just wish we lived closer, but compared to Omaha, this is nothing! Chris's family is about three hours away and even my hometown in NY is only a nine hour drive for us.
Life is good and I'm feeling very content and happy with what we are blessed with. I have a sense of completion that I have never had before since Colin came along. I really think our family is complete with the five of us. Perhaps a dog in the future (at Caitlyn's persistence)???
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