Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Camping Craziness

This past weekend we decided to go camping.
Everyone I told said I was crazy for taking 4 kids camping... including a newborn.
I didn't think it would be that bad.  We borrowed my parents trailer, packed LOTS of stuff, choose a "luxury" camp ground with a pool and mini golf, and hoped for the best.
Did I mention we went with another family?
Yeah, we had 7 kids 6 and under!
All in all, it wasn't that bad.  It was pure craziness the whole time and there was NO relaxing until the kids went to sleep, but we all had fun!
The kids love camping and we are enjoying making memories, even at the cost of our sanity at times:)

Squeak spent most of the time in the Ergo... I love baby wearing!


Baby C ready to go mini golf!


Daddy teaching Buddy Boy


Bonding:)


Getting dirty!
This is the first time we have went camping in a trailer and there is no way I will ever tent camp with kids again.  It makes life so much easier!


 


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mommies On A Mission ~ Week 1

Welcome to Mommies On A Mission!
We are a couple of Mama's who have recently had babies and are working to lose weight:)

 
 
So this is me:

Weeks postpartum: 4
Pregnancy Weight: 158
Current Weight: 135
Goal Weight: 115 & firmer
 
As of right now, I am not able to work out.  I have to wait until my 6 week postpartum appointment to get the ok from my midwife.  So until then, I am nursing, (which seems to help ALOT when it comes to loosing weight), I am cutting out all sweets, only drinking water and taking care of four kids(that's workout enough right?)!
My goals with these weight loss posts are to obviously lose the weight/ gain muscle tone, but also to stay motivated and accountable through all of you!  I don't want to disappoint:)
I am looking forward to sharing my progress and hopefully be able to encourage others along the way.  Check back next week!
 
 
So far it is just Mama G and I that are participating, but we would love for more mama's to join in!
So link up:)

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I Support Chick-fil-A!



So everyone has been buzzing about the recent Chick-fil-A news!
Have you heard?? If not, read about it here and here.

The main point of it all is that Dan Cathy (the president of Chick-fil-A) said this:
“Guilty as charged, we are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

I am not going to get all into it about what has gone on since... you can google that!
But what I want to say, is that my family and I will continue to go to Chick-fil-A because we appreciate and support what they stand for!

Here are the kiddos enjoying their lunch today:)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Mommy Talk Tuesday {Free/Cheap Kids Summer Activities}

Welcome back to Mommy Talk Tuesday!
We took a little break when I Squeak, but I am SO happy to be back at it:)
The Not So Secret Confessions of a Second Time Mom


This weeks topic is {Free/Cheap Kids Summer Activities}

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For us, we are always doing free and cheap things!!
Here is what we do to keep ourselves busy with out spending much money...

~ Park trip
~ Story time @ the library
~ Running through the sprinklers
~ Swimming at Yammie's
~ Day trips to the lake
~ Parades
~ Festivals @ local farms
~ Kid's time @ Sky High (Trampoline place)
~ Living Social Deals!
We have gotten some for bounce houses, children's museums, and horse riding lessons
~ Vacation Bible School

So far that's all we have been busy with this summer.  I would love to hear other people's ideas because we are looking for some new adventures to keep us busy until school starts in less then a month!!
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Monday, July 23, 2012

Our Last Month

I am a bit behind in blogging (I wonder why!)
So I thought I would catch up with one BIG post about our activities this last month!

4th Of July!
This was our first outing with all 4 kids:)  Squeak was 9 days old and oh so tiny!
My Facebook post that day was:
Things I have learned this morning: It takes forever to get 4 kids ready to leave, I need a bigger vehicle, Lake boys are accidents waiting to happen, and I love the craziness of having a big family;)
And looking back, it is still all true!

We went with friends to a small town parade, where the kids were showered with candy and attention




We BBQed at friends and then headed home for fireworks with Yammie & Baba








Day at the lake
My parents went camping at a lake about 30 min from our house, so the kids and I packed up and visited them for the day (Daddy came after work).  The kids LOVED so much that they convinced Yammie to take them camping this last weekend!




Corn Festival
We went to a local corn festival... there wasn't too much for the kids to do, except this giant slide!



Playing @ Home
We have been spending 90% of our time at home the last few weeks. 
Last week we got bored and I got the paint out for the kids!


Also, we have been doing lots of snuggling.










Thursday, July 19, 2012

Post Baby Weight Loss

Starting next week I am teaming up with Mama G over at Don't Call Me Crunchy for some post baby weight loss.
We will be posting every Thursday about trying to get back into our pre-pregnacy jean and the ups and downs that go with weight loss!

I am SUPER excited about this because I think it will make me more accountable and motivated!

If you are interested in joining in on the "fun", let me know... otherwise check back next week to see how we are doing:)


Monday, July 16, 2012

How Things Have Changed

I had my 2 week postpartum visit with my midwife this week.  She commented on how great I look and how this fourth baby seems to have set me into my groove. 
I think her exact words were "you have surrendered to motherhood".

While driving home, it dawned on me that she is right!
You would think I would have surrendered earlier, but I remember just 3 weeks ago being at my wits ends with my kids at the end of the day... on a good day!

Since Squeak (Baby #4) joined our family, I have been much more relaxed and content with life.
I no longer feel a rush to do something or be somewhere. 
I am happy that our calender is empty and we can spend our days at home.
I have been much more patient with the kids.
And I don't feel as overwhelmed.

We are back into homeschooling (for the summer at least).  We sat down for circle time the other day and the calender said March 17th!!  Apparently I was over homeschooling:)
We are painting, playing with playdoh, rolling in the mud and getting all around messy and dirty!
We are back on a schedule.  And I have managed to get all the kids to nap at the same time several times!

It's not just me either... I see a huge difference in Daddy also!
Our family is complete and we are settling in.

I know that there is a baby moon phase after having a new one join the family, but I really hope things stay this way.  It makes life more fun and enjoyable!





  

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Birth Story of Baby #4

I haven’t thought or talked much about Baby #4's birth since it happened.  Part of me is still trying to come to terms with the fact that this is my last birth story.  But I am thankful that I have amazing birth stories to tell and that I will forever have the memories to cherish.
This birth story starts out like the others, with mild contractions 10 minutes apart for a week.  Luckily they were not painful and I was able to sleep through them just fine.
 On the night of the 24th, I woke up to stronger contractions that were about 7 minutes apart.  I thought this was the beginning of something, so I woke up to time them and to walk a bit.  After about an hour and a half, they unfortunately got neither stronger, nor closer together.  I headed back to bed.
When I got up the next morning, I had a major melt down.  I wasn’t upset that I hadn’t had the baby yet; I was just irritated that my body wouldn’t stop whatever it was doing.  I felt like my body was playing tricks on my mind!  After my melt down, Daddy decided to stay home from work (I think he may have sensed something that I didn’t).  He watched the kids while I napped and went for a long walk, the whole time I was still having contractions.  
In the afternoon, the contractions started to pick up a little and get stronger.  I was by no means in early labor, but after my last birth that lasted all of about 20 minutes, I felt the need to call my midwife to warn her.  She decided to come out, thinking that once she got here things would pick up even more.  I also called my birth photographer, who decided to come out right away.
At this point, Daddy decided to get the back yard set up for the birth.  After a week of 100 degree weather, the baby decided to make its entrance on THE windiest and coolest day in June!  So after the bamboo was put up for privacy, Daddy had to put up tarps and ply wood to keep the wind and cold out of our “shelter”.  I got busy cleaning up and pulling the birth kit out.  I was still having contractions 5 minutes apart but not painful, just mildly strong.
My midwife showed up around 5, checked the baby and checked me.  I was 5cm dilated and baby was doing great.  Awesome, let’s get this show on the road!!  We finished setting everything up, decided that we would still labor/birth outside, and headed out to walk more. 




We walked, talked, hung out, and caught up.  Things didn’t seem to be picking up very fast.  I was baffled, all my labors have gone really fast and I figured this would be the same.  So we had dinner, baked cupcakes, got the kids in bed and walked more.  I was still contraction every 5 minutes, again not painful just mildly strong.












Around 8 I got to the point where I wasn’t sure these contractions were really doing anything.  I had my midwife check me again and I was only at a 7.  I was thinking this was pure craziness!  She told me that my bag was bulging and if I wanted her to break my water, she thought I would have a baby in my arms within minutes.  The thought of that was appealing, but after talking it over with Daddy we decided it was best to let nature take its course. 
It was getting late and the sun was starting to go down.  The wind was picking up and it was cold.  I really wanted to deliver outside but everyone was concerned about the weather.  My midwife was so accommodating; I thought for sure she was going to tell me we needed to take it inside.  Instead we decided to put all the blankets on a warmer and bring out a space heater.   She said as long as the baby and I were warm, nothing else mattered.
For the next hour I walked circles around the mattress we had brought outside, hoping desperately for things to start progressing.  Everyone else stayed inside and came to check on me periodically.  By 9:30, I was exhausted.  Not from the labor, but because it was past my bedtime and I had been walking for the last 9 hours.  My contractions were still the same, 5 minutes apart and mildly strong but not yet painful or powerful enough.  Daddy and I went inside to talk and sit for a bit.  He tried to lift my spirits, but he seemed tired also.  We started talking about having my water broken and while trying to decide what to do, I had one big contraction that took me by surprise.  Half way through it there was a pop and there went my water.  Yay, progress!  For a brief moment, I panicked.  I know what happens when my water breaks, my babies come fast and I wasn’t ready for it.  I reminded myself that this is the fourth time I have done this, I can do this.






We headed back outside.  Everyone prepared for things to pick up and for the baby to arrive quickly.  5 minutes passed, only one mild contraction.  Realizing this may be a while, I was covered in warm blankets.  Everyone else was shivering.  5 more minutes passed and another mild contraction.  Another 5 minutes passed and one more mild contraction.  Finally after another minutes, I had my first urge to push.  Then nothing for another 5 minutes!  I looked up at my midwife at this point and said “What the hell is going on? Why is this taking forever?”  Everyone laughed, but I know they were all thinking the same thing.  After that I had another mild contraction and then things picked up.  Daddy got ready to catch the baby as soon as he heard me cuss during my first real push.  Apparently he told everyone that when I cuss, that is a sure sign that the baby is almost here.  I didn’t hear him say it, but I was thinking the same thing. 









After two big pushes, babies head was out.  And we finally realized why everything took so long… the babies hand was next to its face, making a larger circumference and an odd shape to fit through the cervix.  I pushed his body out with ease, right into Daddy’s hands. Daddy gave the baby a quick look over and then placed the baby in front of me.  Immediately I looked to see boy or girl?  I already had a good feeling of what baby was going to be, so when I saw he was a boy I said to myself “Yeah, you’re a boy.”  I picked him up and just held him, while Daddy held me.  It was beyond perfect.  












We stayed like that for a good 15 minutes.  Then Daddy picked us both up and took us off to bed, where I pigged out on leftovers and the baby was checked.


















June 25th 2012 @ 10:28pm.
Our new baby boy is perfect as can be.  7lbs 3oz and 21½ inches long.  

It took us over a week, but we finally decided on a name. Maddox Edward Lake.