moving mountains

Tyler and I pride ourselves on not having a lot of things we don't need.  Or, we did, until we saw all our accumulated miscellaneous junk during the packing process.  Three residences, six years, and three children are to blame!  Moving is always a daunting process and it was made terribly loathsome when things were not proceeding favorably with our home purchase.  It's a little bit fun to pack up your things with anticipation of placing them in their special new niches of your new home.  It's pretty sad to pack up your things when there is a very large possibility they will have nowhere to go.  Tyler handled all the heavy lifting and shuttling to the storage unit without complaint and worked so hard to finish the tasks at hand.

When it became pretty clear that we would not be moving into our "dream house", I was heartbroken.  We loved our house in McKinney.  We loved Palmer's preschool where he had made friends.  We loved the downtown square where we lived for several years.  We loved the Heard Museum where we had just gotten an annual pass.  In the process of deciding to buy that house in Lewisville, these things weighed heavily on my mind, but when I pictured our family in that new house 5, 10, 15 years from now. . . those things we loved were easier left behind.  I sobbed over both losing these cherished familiar things and losing the place I had excitedly planned our future in.

The day we moved out of McKinney there was a crushing to do list.  Juggling the kids, packing, moving and cleaning made for the kind of busy where you forget to eat lunch.  If you know me, I don't miss many a meal!  It probably made things easier, though, that it was so busy since there was little time to dwell on how wrong it all felt.  After closing, we came back to get our outdoor cat Vlu and when Tyler suggested to Palmer to say goodbye house, I didn't linger in the moment- I had already cried enough lately.

houseguests

It is funny to see the faces people make when you say you (and your 4 other family people) are living with your parents or in-laws.  These faces say "eeeeek" or "oh my" or "not that, anything but that!". Haha.  We are very fortunate to have relatives that are very accommodating and easy to live with.  No juicy drama to spill here, sorry!  It was a difficult 6 weeks of being without our own home, but much less so thanks to my parents and Tyler's mom.  They let us invade their ordered, quiet abodes with our noise and needs and STUFF, oh the stuff!  A family of 5 needs a lot of it.  We still have a ways to go to thank them properly for doing all they could to ease that stressful period of transition for us.  Grandparent overtime doesn't pay time and a half if you were wondering.  Good thing our little darlings are so darn cute!

a new year in a new place

Yep, we moved!  Christmas seemed like the most chaotic and emotional time to do that sort of thing so it worked out pretty perfectly.  Haha.  If you have no knowledge of the epic house buying/not buying saga we went through Nov-Jan consider yourself fortunate as I could go on FOREVER about how ridiculous it all was.  Here's the short story: 

We found a house in Lewisville that we loved.  Loved.  It was a property like no other with lots of awesome attributes for raising the kids.  We quickly sold our house in McKinney.  Shortly before closing on our purchase, we encountered problems that despite our most generous and intelligent attempts at resolving, could not be overcome.  I blame several people and factors, but mostly the completely unreasonable sellers who had no regard for us getting royally screwed.  So one week before Christmas, instead of being happily settled into our new family home, we were tearfully packing up our old house that we no longer wanted to leave, moving all our things into storage, and going to live with our parents for the indefinite future.  

House hunting and eventually buying the home we are in now was a bittersweet process since we would never have left the place we were in McKinney if not for the lure of the original property that was no longer ours.  I didn't want to move for any house, I wanted to move for THAT house.  There are positives to the lovely house we have now and everyone likes to say it will be for the best.  Maybe it will, but I'm still not over it.  That's ok :)

double the age, double the fun

Our Russell is 2 years old!  Wow!  We celebrated with a weekend packed full of family and outings.  He commemorated the milestone with a few knock down drag out fits.  I would expect nothing less from such a firecracker of a kid.  On his actual birthday, the 26th, Tyler took off work and picked up donuts for breakfast.  Russell woke up first out of the kids and got to enjoy two sprinkled treats as an only child.  We hustled to get out the door and made a morning trip to the arboretum!  Aunt Lauren and cousin Paige were here from Oklahoma (yay!!) so they and Kay Kay came too. The pumpkin village is in full swing, so we spent most of our time chasing the boys around in there.   Did you know McAlister's has $0.99 kids lunches?  Seriously!  And if you're not opposed to dangerous levels of sodium, forgo the applesauce and take advantage of the moments of silence that a mountain of potato chips provides.  We hit that up on the way home.

Saturday was Russell's "party" day.  Except I have yet to throw a real birthday party for any of my children.  ::sheepish grin::  I think I heard someone say "just family til age 5" or something like that.  Maybe that's my plan!  Anyway, don't feel bad if you haven't been receiving party invites, because no one is ;)  Russell loves to roar and enjoys playing with dinosaur toys and reading dinosaur books, so of course he would LOVE the dinosaurs live exhibit at the Heard Museum. . . right?  Wrong!  He cried.  A few times.  Haha.  The animatronic dinosaurs are very big and lifelike, so it turned out to be a little scary for him this year.  Woops.  I like to think he still enjoyed it!

watchin a bug

Russell enjoys the luxury of an older brother's toy collection so he got mostly books and a few small accessories for the train table this birthday.  Palmer was so generous to help with opening and playing with all the new things ;).

birthdays wear a kid out

not a priority

Have you checked out the ticker at the top of my blog lately?  That was Russell's due date countdown at one point in what seems like such a distant past!  After he was born, it started counting down to his first birthday.  When I still didn't change it, it started counting down to his second birthday.  How has it been almost two years and I still haven't gotten around to changing that darn widget?  If you're a mom, you know how.  It is sooooo not a priority.  Out of the zillion to do's waiting to be done, it doesn't even make the mental list.  Much less the iPhone note or refrigerator whiteboard.  Attention widget- we had another baby while you've been counting away!  The days roll onward and while some can feel so slow, there still isn't enough time in them.

My tile is really dirty most of the time, y'all.  Not a priority.  The flower beds leave something to be desired.  Also, not a priority!  Some days the kids don't get baths even though they need them and I have a photo book in shutterfly that has been in progress for over a year.  This is a crazy phase in ours lives where all three babies need us more than they probably ever will again.  We are keeping them fed, changed, and happy as best we can and taking pictures whenever I get the chance!

Our tiny lovebug June turned 6 months a couple weeks ago!  She is sitting mostly unassisted now and likes the view from there.  June has one tooth that threw us all for a loop and the second seems to be coming close behind, judging by her recent sleep (or lack of sleep) patterns.  She loves riding in the wrap on my back and watching her brothers play.  We gave pureed baby food a go when I was first recovering from my surgery and having milk supply issues, but have since backed off due to poop problems.  TMI?  Sorry ;)  Back to exclusively nursing until she is sitting well enough to start baby led weaning like we did with Russell.

Palmer is becoming quite the builder with our big cardboard blocks.  Crashing towers is a fun bonus after the construction phase, of course.  He loves to play chase with daddy and brother and go swimming at the neighborhood pool.  Russell is most often found on top of something high, unstable, or otherwise dangerous.  He watches big brother like a hawk and pushes his buttons like a true brother does.  Russell runs and talks and trips and cries.  I can thank this energizer bunny for all the "baby weight" I've lost.  He's napping right now and will wake with energy to spare, so I'm off to have a snack without sharing :)

more foffles pwease

We eat waffles more mornings than not.  Palmer wakes up asking for foffles.  Russell leverages all his tiny weight against the massive freezer door to haul it open.  Yep, they're frozen waffles!  More on that later.  I toast em up while Palmer sits on his froggy potty in the next room and asks repeatedly to watch car videos.  June fusses nervously in her bouncy seat that she is not loving for more than 15 second intervals lately.  Russell hangs on my leg and cries.  Cries because I wouldn't let him take the kitchen shears out of the drawer, or the old popcorn out of the trash, or the keyboard off the desk.  OMG this toaster takes forever.  Waffles have to be toasted twice- did you know that?

Palmer is finished going potty and I'm instructed to dump out his pee pee.  Like, now.  The food is close enough to ready that I able convince Russell to just go get in his seat and I'll bring it to him right away!  Do I buckle his booster? Only if the meal is messy enough to warrant the potential meltdown that "clicking" it for him may trigger.

The waffles are browned to a lovely crisp. Winning. I dread the day they decide to strike for syrup instead of the much more benign butter and cinnamon sugar combo I have 'em hooked on. Palmer needs underwear. Now we can eat.  They can eat.

I haven't blogged in 2 months and figure I can squeeze in a post while they have breakfast.  I sit down with my coffee and turn the key lock off the keyboard and find the mouse hidden on the shelf out of toddler reach.  Palmer needs water in a big boy cup with a straw.  Also, more foffles pwease.  How did he already finish those?  June is done with that torturous bouncy seat.  Turns out, I can nurse a baby while buttering a waffle and convincing a three year old that he doesn't have to have a straw because the cup already has a spout.  

One day I'll get out my shiny calphalon waffle iron that I used before June joined our circus.  Family.  Someday I'll make the whole grain batter from scratch the night before and they won't stick and kids won't care that they're "different".  For now, Eggo is where it's at. :)

OMG it's May

I guess my blog posts have a theme now.  It's the "holy cow life is flying by because I'm so dang busy raising all these kids" theme.  I've been trying to post regularly on Facebook so you've probably seen most of what's going on around here, but here are a few more pictures to enjoy!

 

 

June is now 3 1/2 months old and still so stinkin cute!  She is starting to get really curious about the world around her.  I love her coos and gaas and all the other sweet noises she makes.  Little miss is getting her hands in her mouth a lot lately and drooling enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see a little tooth pop up soon!  She usually sleeps for a 6 hour stretch in the night which is so nice for mommy.  I nurse her in bed and she'll go back to sleep with me until 7:00 most of the time!  Cosleeping is not so scary, I promise :)  I am treasuring these sweet snuggles with her while she's so tiny and needs me so much.

Happy!

Embracing the bows and frills of baby girlhood

Russell is at such a funny age right now!  He is becoming a bit of a goofball like his older brother and learning what makes people laugh. "No" is the word of choice lately, but he says it with such adorable attitude I don't even mind!  He tries new words every day and will soon be talking non-stop I'm sure! Russell loves Elmo, Nemo, reading books, and sitting in laps.  He's getting taller by the minute and can grab more off the counters and shelves- eek!  This guy hates riding in the carseat but loves being busy and going outside.  He keeps US busy, that's for sure.  Fighting for freedom is a 20 month old's main mission, but he still loves being held and worn by his mommy <3 div="">

It is just me or is he a handsome dude?

Daddy's boots

Palmer is three.  Is that enough said?  Do you have a three year old?  Haha.  He is at once so precious and up to no good.  He is marvelous and frustrating.  He fills up my heart and makes me want to scream.  Get the picture?  Three is emotional and magical and we are figuring it out one day at a time.  Palmer is working on sharing with brother and using the potty while mommy is working on being patient and loving him through it all.  He is a good boy and a good brother and I am going to cry thinking about how OLD he is now!!  Tomorrow wraps up his year at MDO and his sweet teachers always say how agreeable he is, always (usually ;)) up for anything. 

Three years ago.  My baby!!! 

Beach day at MDO!

Loves holding his sister

How is it April?

I can't believe summer is just around the corner and our sweet baby girl is two months old!  She is so precious and I just want to gobble her up daily.  It is also an insane workload caring for three 3 and under day in and day out.  Whenever I get a spare minute I try and snap some pictures of the kiddos because I just know this period in our lives will be such a blur!  The Gump house is crazy, loud, messy, and chaotic but I try my best to keep it full of love.

June is pretty happy as babies go, and as cute as they come of course ;)  She is 10 lb 13 oz today at 2 months 3 days (36%), 71% in height, and 80% in head size.  Gotta keep up with her brothers' reputation in that department I guess ;)  Plus, lots of brains in that noggin.  June loves being held upright on your chest and shoulder, nursing, cooing on her changing table, and doling out smiles to eager relatives.  She hates the pacifier, riding in the carseat, and having her eyes poked by her brothers.  I haven't even tried putting her on her tummy, woops!  Third child falls by the wayside yet again ;)

June's labor and delivery continued!

We arrived at the birthing center around 11:30pm. Surprisingly I didn't have any contractions in the car! That's a good thing considering how miserable I was on Russell's car ride to the center, but I was a little worried that it meant my labor was going to slow or stop. I didn't want to have woken up my midwife and photographer for nothing!

When we got there my contractions were about 5 minutes apart and I was 3-4 cm dilated. Contractions required some concentration, but I could talk during them if I had to. I chatted with everybody in between and made some trips up and down the stairs to encourage labor to proceed.

I stood and swayed through most contractions, holding onto a stair banister, bedpost, or countertop. After an hour or so, things weren't much different than when I arrived, so my midwife Leslie suggested trying to rest on my side on the bed and see if my body backs off (like maybe I would be going home still pregnant- noooo!). We turned out the lights and laid down. I was jealous of everybody else who would actually get a real nap without painful contractions nagging them every few minutes!

Fortunately the "rest" allowed my body to recharge a little a throw a little more weight behind those contractions. I had a hard time coping with the contraction pain while laying down so I got up to move around more. I held onto Tyler's shoulders and neck a lot while I stood and swayed. All of a sudden I felt a little desperate to get in the water and had Tyler go ask the midwife if she thought I was dilated enough to get in the tub without it slowing down my labor.  She said yes!

The warm water felt GREAT. Oh my goodness, finally.  My contractions were intense, but I held Tyler's arms and hands over the edge of the tub while my midwife Leslie or birth assistant Debbie (recently arrived) poured warm water down my lower back. This was about 2:00 am and the point I entered a crazy exhausted time warp. I labored through challenging contractions in that tub for 2 more hours. That's til 4:00 am if you're counting. I was beyond tired. Beyond. Shouldn't I be done by now?

We had listened to some music from an iTunes playlist of mine off and on throughout the night.  Sometimes it bothered me and sometimes I wanted it on.  (Women in labor can be moody ;))  I did a lot of deep humming and moaning through contractions and always felt better if I could hold Tyler's hands.  In between contractions he would hold out a glass of water for me with a straw so I could take a sip without having to hold it.  

My midwife asked if I would like to be checked for dilation and I declined. I did not want to hear it if I had only made a little bit of progress after all that hard work.  I figured if I HAD dilated a lot more, then we'd be meeting baby soon, so no need for a painful cervical check.  I stood and labored some more.  I don't know if it was this time or before the tub (time warp) but at one point my whole body was shaking out of control.  I think it was a mix of exhaustion, adrenaline, and labor hormones.  I would get my legs to stop shaking and then my arms and torso would start.  I'd get them still and them my teeth would start chattering and then my legs again!  

Everyone was soooo sleepy having been up all night and Leslie encouraged me to try and rest on my side again because I was getting incredibly worn out.  My contractions were tough at this point since I was in transition (past 7 cm) and I did some serious moaning through them.  Sometime between 6 and 7am, after a couple more hours of laboring, I was so done.  I didn't have a big meltdown, but was definitely feeling emotionally taxed!  Leslie suggested checking my dilation and possibly breaking my water based on that.  She checked me at 9 cm and warned me that breaking my water might make the contractions more intense.  That was fine with me though as long as I could get in the tub again!    I gave her the OK to break my water at 7:00 am in the hopes it would speed along delivery.  

Boy was that right!  I waddled to the other room where the smaller clawfoot tub was since the big birthing tub had cooled by this point.  I just kept hoping that there wasn't much longer and that good progress was happening!  One neat thing about unmedicated childbirth is you can be so much more in tune to what your body is doing.  The urge to push is unmistakable, so you don't need anybody telling you it's time or counting out tens for you.  Baby June arrived at 7:25 am and man was I sooooo happy to have her out!  Haha, and to meet her of course.  Ladies who are expecting big babies- don't spend too much time worrying about L&D- the little babies are sometimes just as difficult!  7 lb 11 oz compared to Russell's 9 lb 9 oz seems like it would have been a piece of cake, right?  My first girl just had to be a tough cookie ;)

Check out the link if you haven't seen the other pics!  I was so happy with how they turned out!

http://www.elizabethannephoto.com/june-allen-tx-allen-birthing-center-photographer