Out Of The Mouths . . .

Oh, my Eli!  He lives in a wonderful world where he can do anything.  Example:

Eli: I am going to cut down a tree with a chainsaw!
Me: Oh, and what will you do with all that wood?
Eli: Build a brick house!
Me: You are going to build a brick house with wood from a tree?
Eli:  Hmmm.  I am going to find a brick tree and cut it down and build a brick house.

Huck: I don't really think that is a good idea, Eli.  You should build a tree house.

I'm thinking he already cut the tree down.  :D

One Month Already, Juliet?

Oh, time.  I won't state the obvious.  She has already been in our family for a month and it seems like I just walked back in the door from the hospital.  Our family has made it through the "growing pains" and things are starting to settle back into a routine.  Juliet has added a whole new kind of fun to our house.  And to think at one point I was totally content with just boys!  I am loving the bows, tights, and pink!

The boys love Juliet so much!  They still want to hold her all the time, kiss her, hug her, and pick out her outfits.  Jonah looks at her and exclaims, "I never knew she would be this beautiful!"  Benaiah yells, "Jules cryin'!" (as if I can't hear her) whenever she is practicing her singing.  Eli will hold her even if she is crying - oblivious that he might not be exactly who she wants ;)  Huck is continually a helper and wants to give her exactly what she needs.

Juliet might be only one month old but she already has . . . um . . . preferences.  Mostly, she likes to be held.  I have gone on more than one walk and returned carrying a baby and pushing an empty stroller.  When she is content to sit in her bouncy seat she stays in a round baby pen.  Sounds harsh but it is for her own protection.  She is not quite big enough to wrestle.  She likes to be swaddled to sleep, will tolerate her paci, and eats every three hours.  Juliet likes frequent wardrobe changes but since she can't tell us she just spits up on her outfit to let us know she is ready for a new one.  She is beautiful and so precious!  I am so blessed to be her mommy!

Welcome, Juliet!

Welcome to the world, Juliet!  Even with months of preparation, nothing could have prepared us for how precious you are! 

Thursday I went to the doctor for a routine visit and barely made it out with out being sent straight up to labor and delivery.  After weeks of measuring right on she all of a sudden was measuring very small.  They confirmed with ultrasound that she was going to be smaller, but that her abdomen was especially small.  That fact combined with the Fifth’s Disease I had during the beginning of pregnancy increased her risk of stillbirth.  However, she was wiggly and had good blood flow.  An induction was scheduled for the following Tuesday. 

Talk about getting no sleep!  I would lie awake just to make sure she was kicking.  Then during the day I didn’t waste a second of the time I had with my boys before our house got a little pink.

Tuesday morning I called at 5:30 to check on bed availability.  We were told to come in at 10.  By noon I was started on Pitocin.  Not too bad since I was actually going into labor the minute I walked in the door.  

It was slow going, and I was so tired by midnight that I asked for an epidural.  At 2 in the morning I was still only at 4-5 centimeters.  Then, around 2:40 I called the nurse in because Juliet had come off the heartbeat monitor.  She kept trying to find her heartbeat and just couldn’t.  She pulled the sheet down to try a new spot when – SURPRISE!  Juliet (her whole little self) was just lying on the bed under the covers.  I got to hold her right away.  

She had just delivered herself!  In the room rushed all the doctors and other nurses, but she was just hunky dory.  Juliet Ember Melin arrived 2:42 am weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces and measuring 19 ½ inches long.

After I finally gave her up Danny got to hold her.  He is over the moon excited about having a little girl!

The next day I got the best gift – all my boys came to meet their baby sister!  Jonah, Eli, and Huck all wanted to hold her.  

Benaiah came straight to my lap :D

Already learning to "roar".

Eli so happy to see Juliet that he didn't even notice she spit up!

Benaiah wanted to give her fives and “love” on her – which really means try to lay on her.  I’ll have to watch that one like a hawk.  

The doctor even let the boys help check her out!

Then, I got a picture with my mom and Juliet.  Pretty soon we will be able to take a four-generation picture with Maw.

Side note:  So thankful for these two:

Not only did they come and take care of and love on the boys (which made me rest a little easier), but they brought frozen meals for after they left.  Love them both so much!  Oh, and if you ever want something from Papa make Juliet ask for it.  She already has him wrapped around her finger!

One long night in the hospital and we were headed home!  Remind me never to leave for more than a few hours.  When we got home the boys had so many things to tell and show me.  A little overwhelming but my heart was so full!

She is already such a joy!  She likes to lay on her tummy on my chest and, like all babies, sleep.  She has a head full of dark hair like her daddy.  She likes to be swaddled and suck on her hands.  She squeaks when she cries - and when she is happy.  I can’t wait to watch her grow.  I pray that she will be a woman that fears the Lord and loves Him with a passion like no other! Now to get a nap!

Did I say nap?  I meant, who can stop looking at this precious thing?  Here are a few more to hold you over while I sleep :D

I've Already Walked There

Wrote this a while ago.  Just now getting around to posting.  :D

I love my boys!  The oldest is only four but I feel pretty confident in parenting them.  A lot of prayer and sweating and knowing the fastest route to the E.R.  It puts me at ease knowing Danny is a wonderful role model.  I teach them and play and everyone is happy.  I realize one day they will be stinky teenagers.  They will tower over me and have secrets with their dad that I will never hear about (probably for my own sanity).  I love them and my life as a mother of boys!

So now, I sit here awaiting a baby girl.  "Finally you got a girl!"  "I bet you were waiting for this one!"  "Are you excited about finally having a girl?"  I've heard these a million times.  To all of them I smile and say, "Yes, we are really excited."  And in a way I am.  I will have someone who might want to do crafts for more than 2.5 seconds.  I'll get to paint little nails and adorn her with bows and frilly bloomers (which I recently found out come with every little girl dress - who knew?).  But deep down inside I was terrified!  Don't they know what could happen with a little girl?  She might turn out like me!  Says a lot about my self-esteem, I know.  But in all truth she might struggle with the same things I struggled with.  She might fall into believing the same lies I believed.  She might have crazy emotional battles.  She might . . . and then it hit me.  I've walked through all that.  I can help her along the way and make sure she makes it through.  

It was at that moment that God spoke to me loud and clear saying, "I'VE already walked there."  Wow.  Let me just step back a minute and breathe that in.  She might turn out like me, but she might go through her own struggles with which I am not familiar. I might not have all the answers to help her through.  God already knows every step she is going to take.  He knows what will rage in her heart.  He knows where she will shine and where she will fail.  And, since he appointed me as her mother, He will prepare me.  He will arm me with what I need for each day and, along the way, he might even use it to help me become more like him.  

What a peace I now feel.  To be reminded of God's sovereignty.  How nothing walks into my life without walking past Him first.

Highlights of My Week

I didn't know that this past week would be the last one with just me and the boys.  So glad I soaked up every minute!  Some of my favorite highlights . . .

Eli informed me that the web comes out of the spider's exhaust pipe.

Jonah: My apple fell.
Me: It's okay.  Just blow it off.
Jonah: It has dirt on it.
Huck: That's okay.  Dirt is crunchy!

Went on a fall walk with the boys around base.  They used sticks as blowers to be the landscape men.

They watched America's Funniest Home Videos clips on You Tube.  It made me laugh that they laughed so hard at people falling!

Went camping and hiking complete with s'mores!  Love that we have a 10 man tent so we can all fit!  Benaiah hiking in his footy pajamas and sneakers topped it off!

Watching the boys dance to Danny's favorite songs from high school.  Even though they give me a headache.

Watching the boys balance on their hands and one foot with the other foot in the air . . . because Jonah told them that is how you rinse off in the shower!  :D

Baking pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pie!  Glad my boys like to cook!

Huck playing dentist!  Made me laugh that he remembered the name of the lady that gives out prizes.

Making spiders, pumpkins, and bats during nap time!  They each have their own personality that comes out in their work!  Then, they all wanted to use them to decorate their room.  It sure is scary in there!

Listening to the Jonah,  Huck, and Eli sing the opening lines of Lion King (Yes, the ones in some other language) over and over while playing in the playroom.   

Just to name a few!  :D

Out Of The Mouths

Eli has been saying a lot about police lately . . .

We are walking and hear sirens.  "Uh oh!  Somebody's going to time out!"

They have caged Huck under the laundry hamper. . .
Eli: We made a prison.
Me: (I can't understand what he is saying.) A prison?
Eli: Like if you go to jail you are in one?
Me: Yes, a prison.
As he runs off  . . . "Huck, stay in there or I will call your mommy!"

Well, I hope I never get any calls from the Official Time Out Prison!

My Little Bookworms' PIcks

I have been so busy reading books to my kiddos that I haven't taken the time to share some of our favorites!  We went to the library right as BRAND NEW books were being put on the shelf!  Woohoo!  Made my day and there were some wonderful reads!  Not only did we get to enjoy a classic The Very Busy Spider but we got to try out some new titles.

Dinosaur Dig - This counting book features dinosaurs AND construction. What more could a boy want?!?!  My boys loved guessing what the dinos were building. . . even more so after they knew the answer :D

The Big Guy Took My Ball - Huck and Eli loved reading this book because they could "read" it themselves after a few times.  Their favorite page - the pig with the broken heart :(

Where Do Diggers Sleep At Night? - This boy-friendly bedtime story tells the tale of how each type of truck gets ready for bed.  Very clever!

Alexander, Who's Trying His Best To Be The Best Boy Ever - The title pretty much tells it all!  My boys could definitely relate to the temptations of this poor guy.

Hope you are enjoying reading as much as we are!  Now it is starting to cool off we might even move our reading outside!

Road Trippin' to the Beach

This year we needed to trek from Fort Bragg to St. George Island.  Nine and a half hours of driving time.  Do you know what that turns into with all the potty stops and lunch breaks?  A ROAD TRIP!  I decided that since we had two days to get to the beach we might as well take our time and enjoy it.  I found a website called roadtrippers.com and used it to plan our stops in conjunction with our meal times and sleeping spots.  I could even tell them how far off the route I was willing to adventure.  So, with a rough plan in mind we started out!

Our first stop was three hours down the road at Colleton State Park.  This was a real treasure.  We were the only ones there.  Brand new playground equipment, clean bathrooms, and plenty of picnic space!

My picnic lovin'  boys!

Our next stop was my favorite!  We visited the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah.  There were about a dozen old train cars to climb in and tour.  The red caboose was a favorite, but the boys also thought the train car with a toilet was amazing!  Boys!

The rain stopped just in time for us to ride a 1913 steam engine on the turn table and down a short track.   The ride was complete with tons of black smoke.  The boys looked like they had spent a day in a mine.  Whenever the train would stop Benaiah would yell "GO!"  He loved the ride and the train whistle!  Huck, our Thomas the Tank Engine lover, was in paradise!

This was right after it started moving.  Eli and Benaiah were not quite sure.

The big boys got to push the hand car up and down the track with their big muscles!

Also at the museum was a room full of model trains set up to look like Savannah.  The boys had to visit this room twice.  They followed the train around and around the room!

Biggest to smallest!

Old firefighting hose!  We took this picture for Uncle Darryl!

 That night we made it past Jacksonville and stayed in a hotel.  The boys think hotels are something else!  The night was a little rough.  Eli talked on the room phone in his sleep and fell out of bed twice!  However, we were up and out without a hitch.  Then my planning started going downhill.  Our next stop was suppose to be The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.  The website said they had a Bat Hotel.  It also showed tons of people.  We pull up to a man with the roughest voice you have ever heard.  Danny tells him we would like to visit the bat hotel.  The look on his face should have told us to turn around and leave.  Instead, the man suggested we also visit the restaurant or the "nice beach on the river for the children".  Oh my word!  The place was a ghost town!  We almost got lost trying to find the bat hotel, and when we found it it was nothing more than a tree house full of bats that we couldn't venture near.

While we were there we decided to cut our loses and go see about the beach at the river.  This is what we found.  Nice isn't exactly how I would describe it.   Black, yes.  Murky, yes.  Dangerous, yes.  Infested, definitely.  Nice, not so much.

 After hightailing it out of there, we traveled on to the Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle.  Lucky us!  They only do climbs on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4.  We showed up on a Saturday at 12:45.  Sadly, the lady working the lighthouse said our three littlest were two little to climb.  However, they had a super cool pirate ship playground!  We were able to picnic for lunch while the kids could also run and climb.  Much better than McDonald's!

Finally, we reached St. George!  Our first road trip complete!  We had some fun adventures and one real bust, but we made lots of memories!  Oh, and on the way home we drove most of the way at night :D