Welcome, Julia!

I had a my 36 week doctor's appointment on Wednesday, August 21st.  
At that appointment Dr. Kirkman checked me.  I was dilated to 2cm and was 90% effaced.  
He told me to take it easy until my 
next appointment (5 days later) when this baby would be considered full term.  
Also, the doctor told me to have my hospital bags with me on Monday
and to have a babysitter ready for my kids.
Grandma Hallstrom took this picture of me right before I left for my
37 week doctor's appointment on Monday, August 26th.
I had a feeling that this day was going to be an exciting one.

Last self portrait of this pregnancy.
My doctor's appointment was at 10am.  Dr. Kirkman was over at the hospital finishing up a baby delivery.  I had a 45 minute wait in the patient room so I took a couple pictures of my surroundings.

I can barely see my toes.  And yes, I gave myself this pedi.

Waiting patiently at the doctor's office.

Dr. Kirkman checked me again and told me that I was dilated to 3cm and 90% effaced.  
I was indeed in early labor!
I told him that I had been awake since 6am having some big contractions, 
but that they didn't bother me at all.  
He said that it'd be best if I headed on over to labor and delivery 
(the neighboring building).  I was scheduled for a 1pm c-section.

Where I spent 50+ hours this week. 

I called Sam and told him the great news.  I sent him home to get Tyler off to school 
and to tell Grandma Hallstrom that we'd need her to stay the rest of the day and the following morning.
I went to the hospital myself, got all checked in, and prepped for surgery.
Sam met me there and we waited for awhile.

Waiting. No pain.
I am not lying when I say that I was in no pain.  I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes.

About to meet our daughter!

Proud parents

Here she is... Julia! 

Julia Elizabeth Ward was born on August 26, 3013 at 2:15pm weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz. and she was 18.5 inches long.

She's a keeper!

Nothing is better than this! I'm loving every second with my girl! #newbornsnuggles

#weneedeachother #tinyfingers

Loved having this reminder in my room.  #room24

I wasn't feeling good for the rest of the day.  I couldn't keep any food down until the next morning.  

Sam brought Grandma Hallstrom and the kids to meet Julia.  

We didn't quite get the classic family picture on the hospital bed like I wanted, 
but at least we got something.

View from my room. When the kids came to meet Julia, Brian said, 

"Oh look! There's pink clouds because we had a baby girl!" 

The next day, I saw a complete rainbow! #ilovethemountains

Breakfast in bed

Lunch with my Visiting Teacher, Heather Stephenson.
We had a nice visit #latergram #thanksforcoming#shebroughtlunch #caferiosweetporksalad
My mother-in-law and my second cousin, Angela Lewis also came to visit me in the hospital.

Grandma Ward with her 12th grandchild, Julia.
A special thanks to my Grandma Hallstrom and to my mother-in-law, Carolyn for their help
 with the kids while I was in the hospital.

I would like to end this post with Julia's mini newborn photoshoot... hospital style :)

Baby #4 Update

Here I am right before going to the doctor.

And here's my newest obsession... MY secret stash of chocolate.  

I have to hide it deep in my closet to make sure nobody else finds it.  

I really like the pomegranate flavor too.
I bought me a pack of these for my hospital bag.
My sweet treat of the week was introduced to me by @merakoh at her CONFIDENCE Workshop. #chocolatesupplyformycloset #iliketoeatmychocolateinpeace #noshameinnotsharing

Man, do I look tired in this picture!  

On days when I feel like I can hardly stay awake, 

we resort to lazy ways to bond and entertain ourselves.
I am getting tired of kid shows. It's worth sitting through the shows for the big hugs though.

I bought that dark dresser from my friend that was moving away.  

It fits perfect in that corner.  I've washed, folded, and put away baby girl clothes.

I think the only thing I have left to do is buy a new crib mattress and we should be all set.

Miss Katie graduated from crib to make room for her sister #baby#4

Baby #4 Update

So, I'm FINALLY in the last stretch of this pregnancy!
And I'm finally starting to get into the nesting stage.
I bought a dresser for the girls' bedroom.
I'm stocking up on diapers and formula.
Soon, we'll paint our TV room downstairs.
I need to wash up and fold newborn clothes.

My allergies aren't so bad as they were last month. 

I don't have anything else interesting to report except for these photos:

Sandwich of the week... Tuna fish with red grapes on toasted onion poppy ciabatta bread 

#don'tjudge #baby'schoice #yummyfood

Loving all the rumbling in my belly#sohappy #baby#4

This girl is excited to become a big sister soon.

 Katie is SO sweet when she kisses my belly or places her hand just so to feel baby kick. 

#bigsisterbootcamp #baby#4

Baby #4 Update

Just 10 more weeks or so until we meet this baby girl.  #feelinglarge

I've been going on long walks for exercise.

This girl becomes the most active when I'm trying to sleep after a long day.

So, I end up staying up way too late most nights and pay for it the next day.

Luckily the kids are pretty good and just entertaining themselves in the morning.

Sam gets the boys breakfast before he goes to work.

Katie sleeps in most mornings like me and eats breakfast when I do.

To keep my mind off of how big I'm getting and how there's only a small handful of clothes
in my closet that will fit, I try to keep my fingers and toes painted nice and wear chunky jewelry.

I'm eating whatever I want when I want.  I don't feel like I'm going overboard with the food.

Anyway, my kids like to put their hands on my belly and try to feel the baby kick.

It's fun to watch their faces light up as they feel the baby kicks.

We can wait to meet our newest family member!

Baby #4 Update

The BUMP.

24 weeks and I can STILL see my toes!

A little TV watching before bed #mykidsallliketosnuggleonthecouchbeforebed

I'm actually 26 weeks along now. And I'm feeling great for the most part as long as I eat frequently. I'm kind of dreading June because my allergies flared up the most last June and the Extra Strength Sudafed and Zyrtec that I'm taking doesn't relieve my symptoms all that much. Anyway, now that all of my kids are out of school, I get worn out quickly. I try my best to keep the kids entertained. Thank goodness for our awesomely set up backyard and for so many fun neighbor kids. Saturday is the only day I can sleep in. I am lucky that Sam lets me sleep in as long as I need to every Saturday.   I've been so tired that I could seriously sleep 12 plus hours straight if I didn't have to eat.  Just 14 weeks until we meet our baby girl (or 12 weeks if I'm lucky)!

This comic sure tells it like it is around here!

BIG Announcement to the Kids

Baby #4 Update

Happy Easter!

So, I am 19 weeks along with Baby #4.

I feel so blessed that my pregnancies are not too bad.

My only complaints are that my poor face keeps breaking out, I have to wear 

my glasses more often than I'd like because of my pesky allergies, and I get headaches.  

I have had NO morning sickness whatsoever with this little one... so SO great!

I've been able to feel the baby kick starting around 17 weeks!  Best feeling ever!
With the work of keeping the house somewhat in order, carpooling, and all the kid chasing I do at the playground, etc., I am so worn out by the middle of the afternoon.  Once Brian has his homework done and the kids have completed their chores, I let them have a couple friends over to play (either downstairs or in the backyard.)  If I have dinner in the oven by that point, I sometimes get the rare luxury of resting on the couch (usually only lasts more than 5-10 minutes before the kids need me.)  

Patiently waiting at the doctor's office
Random cravings I've had:

Perogies cooked in butter over the stove dunked in warm spaghetti sauce.

PF Chang's egg rolls
Jamba Juice
Little Caesars pizza
Doughnuts

Sam and I went in on April 17th for the big ultrasound.

We were thrilled to find out that the baby is a GIRL and is healthy as can be.

This is how we announced it was a girl on Facebook and Instagram:

The kids and I decorated our kitchen with baby boy and girl decor.  

After eating tacos for dinner, I set up the camera downstairs and recorded this fun moment:

Then we ate a yummy homemade cinnamon cake.  

K: Pink balloon... just what I wanted.  T: Huh, a girl?!  B: Ah man, I really wanted a brother?! 

         K: Pink balloon.  T: I just stick my tongue at girls.  B: I'm still the oldest kid, so I guess having a sister will be okay.