Just another reason to be a mother

A picture sometimes really does say a thousand words.





I woke up from my nap a few days ago and found this waiting for me in the refrigerator. A very Grayson way to love.

Missing Them

.......or.........maybe not. This was the the title of the entry I started last Th as Grayson, Evye, Aubrey, Garrison and Grant all left for Gary and Pam's, Brad's parents. But they came back a day earlier than expected, much to Brad's and my surprise, so here we are with them all home again only 3 days later. This was the 1st time Garrison and Grant have ever been very far away for an extended period and it tore my heart out to watch them leave. I finally decided I am either quite co-dependant on my children or completely over the top in love with them as I sat on the couch nursing Gavin and crying after they left. I kept thinking how ridiculous it was and how we could've kept them home with us and just taken them with us to FW on Friday. But, the fact they went was completely and totally for them since they were ecstatic and out of their minds as they begged and pleaded to go. They're old enough now that they long to keep up with everybody else and Garrison counted down the days with everyone else as their leaving day approached. It was me that had the hardest time with it. I sat in the silence after they all left..... that everybody says should be "me time" and a long awaited moment that was way too long in coming......and the house seemed so empty and desolate and so extremely quiet in its loneliness. So, unable to stand the serenity any longer I quickly dressed Garrett in some cute clothes, loaded an already ready Gavin up and the 3 of us left the eerily, all too quiet house. We drove up to the courthouse to see Mother and show off Gavin. At 5 she was off and the 4 of us headed into town since I told her I couldn't stand to go home to the emptiness. We had a ton of fun and ate a very slow leisurely dinner, in which I was quickly coming to reassess how much I really missed them and reevaluate my misery during the time I was given without all of the children. It's amazing how quickly loneliness and emptiness dissipates! Brad only worked the 1st 12 so he met us up there after he was relieved. After dinner Mother went home from there and the 2 of us looked at each other with only the 2 very younger ones in the back of his truck and debated on what to do. The emptiness was not long in returning for me and he began to experience it for the 1st time that day. Neither one of us could think of anything worthwhile to do, though we often talk and think of what fun it would be to be without the older ones for a date night. So, without much ado we turned the truck towards home and tucked the little ones in once there. The 2 of us just piled up in the bed and got comfy. You know you've been married way too long when you do actually get a date night and all you do is go home, put on jogging pants and lay around in comfort in the company of each other. So much for the hot, sexy, spice it up nights on the town! But both of us agree that we love where we are and the ability to just rest in the enjoyment of each other.......no matter what we do. We both decided years ago that it's a lot more fun to do oven pizza, rent a movie and lay around in whatever we want to enjoying the ability to pause it for a bathroom or popcorn break whenever we want to. I love being home.


This is what Garrett managed to accomplish while the older ones were gone.



So, Friday we were out of the house and on our way to Fort Worth by 9 am. We were on time despite the early departure with the 2 smaller ones in tow. Granny met us over there and was able to see and hold Gavin for the 1st time. It worked out so well and the Lord truly knows every need before it ever arises. She was there to take Garrett and walk him around while Gavin was circumcised. We definitely didn't plan it that way but after having to wait for an hour and a half and then finally getting Gavin in to be seen Garrett was a little tired of being cooped up in a little tiny waiting room. We were supposed to meet up with Kenny and Kelly but that got screwed up due to Kenny being on a transfer to Plano so, once again, we turned the truck towards home and made our 4 hr way back.



But, the older 5 returned home yesterday so we are back together and getting settled once more into our daily routines. I'm so glad to have them all home.



And on another note....seeing as how I was a huge beached whale 3 short weeks ago now I just look like a huge whale that gave birth 3 wks ago. I think I may just be the 1st cow to ever give birth to a human! LOL! I can laugh only because I know of my devout determination to get it all off once again. But on the really great side of it.......I am down to only 12 more pds to go before getting back to prepregnancy weight. Granted, I had 20 pds to lose before that. So, I now have 32 pds to lose. It sounds like a ton but on average after every pregnancy I have about 15 to lose and always...well, obviously NOT always......drop it all with WW. Garrett's pregnancy was the only one I haven't lost all of the weight before getting pregnant again.....maybe perhaps because he was only 3 days old when I freakin showed up pregnant again????!!!!! Well, alright.....5 months old...but close enough. So, I have the official ok to go ahead and start losing it. I can hardly wait! I have to wait until Gavin's 4 wks old to start any intense walking routine (which is just fine with me since I'm not yet in the mood to go chatting with the rattlesnakes in the quiet of the day on our unpaved streets) or working out but I can go ahead and start dropping the weight and following WW. So, I'm starting all of that tomorrow. I was going to wait until the 1st, Wed, but I figured every little day helps so I figure I'll just begin tomorrow. That'll give me time to get it all organized tonight and get in mind what I need to grocery shop for and get it all lined up to get it going. At least this way if I show up pregnant again in another 5 months I will at least be back down to my normal weight and have enjoyed some skinny time.......even if it's only for 2 or 3 months! I plan on tracking it with pictures too so I'll post some before pics tomorrow.

Minor Setbacks

All 7 together.....so, the only time we can seem to get it together enough to do pics is right before bedtime

Well, I suppose it wouldn't be a complete recovery without some minor little stuff going on. I did really well, and was probably doing way too much, up until about day 5 after he arrived. It was then the all too familiar flu like symptoms kicked in and the fever started. By the end of it I definitely had mastitis and was pretty miserable. It was hard to do anything and I was pretty much bound to the bed for a day, probably should've been a few more, and it was then that Brad did have the full load of everything by himself. I think that is the worst part of having a baby is knowing that is probably coming at some point. It happened sooner than later this time around. I think with Garrett it took a couple or 3 weeks. I finally gave in and called the midwife and she called in some antibiotics for me after having tried to get through it on my own for 4 days and nothing working. Hot showers, hot compresses, massages, nursing 24/7...nothing worked and by the end of it there was nothing left but the med route...which did work!


So then, if that wasn't bad enough, I somehow managed to get dehydrated....don't ask me how!!! I've freakin drunk at least as many gallons as I weigh in the last few days. Due to my fever and the whole hormone's getting back to normal thing I somehow managed to get behind the hydration curve, thus resulting in a migraine like I have never in my life experienced. I fought a headache for more than a few days and I knew by the time I went to bed Sat night it wasn't good at all and by the time I got up and Brad was coming off shift I couldn't even move. The light hurt, any bed movement hurt, everything hurt and I was severely nauseated on top of it all. Mother spent the night with me instead of going home when she realized how bad it was hurting so she was there to do the morning routine until Brad got home. By the time he arrived I had taken so much Tylenol.....which doesn't phase a migraine!!!!....and Aleve that I was maxed out on them all. I was ready to make a trip into the ER I hurt so bad but I wasn't exactly sure how I'd ever survive the trip there. Ever my hero and knowledgeable one, he arrived with an IV bag and set to work giving me that to get some fluids into my system. I honestly didn't expect it to work since I was a little skeptical of a headache so severe being due to mere dehydration. At that point I didn't have a lot to lose though and really didn't care about much at that point except my head so I just laid there through it all. I was convinced I'd married a miracle working angel when only 1/2 an hour later I could stand and then actually open the curtains. After having had a headache for 3 days that just kept growing worse I finally had no trace or signs of any pain at all. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to be able to just think and function. I don't think I've ever been so entirely grateful for Brad's abilities either. I think I am in love with him and I think I love being married to a paramedic. I love that he cares so much when I hurt so bad. And when I love him for being so sensitive he's probably sitting there praying it works just so he doesn't have to deal with the children and go through the whole meal routine! LOL!









Anyway, between being sick and the headache I have been kind of out for the last week or so. But, in the midst of it all, Gavin is still the most angelic little miracle ever. I look at his tiny little hands already capable of curling around my finger and his perfectly formed tiny little toes and how perfect they are...down to to the smallest little pinky nail ever. His soft curled little ear and his pink pouty little lips. I marvel over how entirely incredible it is that at only a week and a half old....only a few minutes old......he knows where to turn and how to nurse. I love how he gazes at me like I'm the most incredible thing he has ever seen. I love how his cries are quieted when he hears my voice or when I take him into my arms. The feeling of absolute love that encompasses all 3 of us as his tiny little 20 inch long body all warm and baby soft and sweet smelling lays curled up on my chest while he sleeps. The miracle of a newborn just never grows old.

(Ok...so we didn't quite realize both legs were stuck in one leg hole at the time of the picture)

It's the same overwhelming love that comes as I sit in the quiet dusk of warm summer winds and sunsets rocking sweet Garrett as he lays his huge baby head on my shoulder in complete trust and love. His fat round baby legs wrap around my waist and his chubby little arms wrap around my neck and his pudgy little hands pat my back saying all is perfect in his world.









I love all of their different ages. I love how motherhood is just such an amazing journey. The joy and amazement that comes with loving them all is so all consuming. I marvel over how Brad and I have changed because of what parenting has taught, and is teaching, us.

All the boys...yes, even the unhappy one..he was ready to get down and run


the girls







And I love and hate how the moments come that are so entirely incapable of being captured infinitely with each of them. How miraculous the little moments are with each of them yet I know they cannot be, and will never be, perfectly preserved and remembered. Those every day moments are just ever flowing rapidly down the currents of time to an ocean of seldom remembered, and sometimes even forgotten, memories. What a treasure everyday life with them all is. I wonder how much of it I will truly remember. The fun, the love, the joy, the chaos, the noise, the everything of it all. There is no doubt that life was certainly a little quieter before Gavin's arrival and we've all agreed that the Suburban was definitely a little less cramped and a lot less noisy before he came along and I definitely slept a lot more at night but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. We have been so so very blessed. And with each one life gets a little more interesting and a lot more fun with each different new person added to the mix. And soon even Gavin's newborn cries and the sleepless nights will be yet another memory and I will look back and it will seem as it were only a page, if that, in the overall story of my life.

Life with 7

Well, given the fact that we chose to keep all of the children home with us this time around has made for a very active post partum period. I love it though and love knowing they're all here in their own home and we are not worrying about how they are fairing away from us. Mother kept them a bunch over the weekend during the days and brought them home at night and then will take them out for a few evenings this week. But, other than that, they're all here. It's really really hard laying low. I hate being confined to the bed anyway and with everybody here it makes it doubly hard since I feel so good and it's so easy to get up. Yesterday and today I only took Tylenol once and am pretty much feeling back to normal. My body starts to ache if I've been up all day so I just take note and go sit for awhile.

The only real hard part is the lack of sleep. Gavin slept through the night a few nights ago but for the last 2 nights has been waking about twice a night. It's still pretty impossible to nurse him laying down since he kind of drowns in the abundance of my milk supply so I have to sit up and nurse him. Then we burp and change a diaper if I need to and deal with any spit up that occurred. So, each time up takes about 45 minutes. Then come 7:30 or 8 everybody's up for the day. I've gotten in naps with the little ones while Brad has taken Grayson and Evye on errands with him. But, it still leaves me feeling kind of tired sometimes.

But Gavin is the most incredible thing. Brad made the comment that he's definitely one of our's. He looks just like the rest of them....with his own little twist. I can't get over sometimes how the love for each one of them just grows and grows. It's so amazing to me how overcome I am with complete awe and adoration for them. It never gets old. His tiny little hands and soft baby perfumed head with his little downy tufts of strawberry blond hair. The newborn stage is so fleeting.....so very fast. If you think of it in the big picture of life and how long you ever spent caring, holding and loving a newborn it is so very short. It only lasts so long before they turn into growing babbling babies and then into funny talking toddlers and then into their maturing childhood. It is all such an amazing experience to me. Brad and I were talking the other night over how incredible it all is. The conception, labor and birth itself, what triggers labor to begin with when no one really knows an exact time or date and then to have this perfectly beautiful baby in the end. We are so so blessed.



Wide awake


And back asleep


Grayson and Aubrey loving on Gavin


Taking in the chaos of everybody in 1 room


Big baby/little baby


Huge angel baby cheeks



A very proud Aubrey


Garrison's 1st baby kiss


His 2 little mothers


Almost the whole crew.....we seem to always be missing Garrett..he was already in bed for the night


2 of the proud bigger brothers

The arrival of Gavin Quint!!!!

Warning: Due to the graphic nature and adult content contained in this post reader discretion is advised!

( for you, Daddy!)




He arrived Thursday July 12, 2007 at 12:51 pm.

My water broke at 3 am early Thurs morning but I really didn't believe that's what it was. That's NEVER happened before. In fact, I've always had to have it broken at the end of labor right before I start pushing. But, labor went so fast that it went from nothing to everything within only a few hours this time. So, at 3 am after sitting on the toilet for 20 or so minutes I turned on the light and thought it might be my water but really seriously doubted it. Afterall, I thought for sure my water had broken with Garrett when it hadn't at all and we were sent home twice. So, at 3:30 I just went back to bed since I had no contractions or anything to indicate I was going into labor....or was in labor! I again woke up at 6:30 and after about 30 minutes I finally made up my mind it definitely was my water and I should consult Brad. Contractions were then about 20 minutes apart and, though they were hard, they were soooooooo far apart. I woke Brad up at 7 and told him what was going on and we started the ball rolling with getting on the road. I called Mother, who was getting ready for work, and she said she'd finish up getting ready and be on her way...just a 20 minute drive. I then called the midwife and told her what was going on. After telling her she said she really hoped I'd make it. I was shocked at the thought that we wouldn't since my contractions were, afterall, 20 minutes apart. I asked her why she thought we wouldn't make it and she said that you just never know what will happen once your water has broken. She asked why we hadn't started in at 3 am and I told her I really really didn't think it was my water at that point and it was just another crazy thing that tries to convince you that you're in labor but I was really another week or so away. She was a little concerned since we had waited so long but I really was nowhere near believing at 3 am that anything even remotely related to this would happen in this way. I think I just played out my labor so many times in my head and since this was the farthest thing from what I'd envisioned there was no way in the world this was the real thing.

So, I was slow about getting ready due to dealing with all of the water gushing issues and then trying to put on my makeup in the midst of it all. By 8 Mother was here and I had gotten the children up to go through their morning routines and feed all of the animals. Brad finished loading up the truck and by 8:30 reality seemed to hit that we were not going to make it. Though contractions were still very spread apart they were growing in intensity. At that point we were still trying to get to the truck and leave. Brad said we'd just have to risk it and he started collecting sheets, towels, a tarp, the OB kit and all of the stuff for the road. I couldn't seem to get away from the bathroom and so by the time the needed emergency delivery kit stuff was collected and I could stray from the bathroom it was now 9:30 and contractions were only 3 minutes apart. Mother had left with the children at 9 to take them all to her house. About the time she left we both knew there was no way in the world we'd ever make it to the birthing home so finally we made the call to just ride it out here. There was no way we could afford to stop at every bathroom between here and there for me and there was no way I'd ever make it without stopping. By 9:30 contractions were hard, 2-3 minutes apart and lasting for 90 seconds. We called the midwife to let her know we'd never make it there in time and were having to change plans in a major way.


So, at 10 I got in the tub and Brad just sat with me while I soaked. Contractions were very hard and getting harder but still manageable. I switched to the bigger tub and asked him to check me to see how far dilated I was. He said he didn't have a clue what to even feel for. I told him I'd talk him through it if he could just try. It was kind of cool because we just worked together so well. He checked and I told him where he was and when he motioned how far apart he could spread his fingers I told him that meant I was about 5 cm. So, I laid in the bathtub as he sat on the toilet lid and we just laughed and talked together of this whole ordeal. The weedeater across town buzzed and the birds chirped through the open bathroom window as I laid in the tub in very active labor. An hour later I had him check again. I was between a 7-8. I wasn't really as sure on that one but knew I had progressed and the distance between his fingers was wider. He freakin went and got his handy man tool tape measure..you know, the yellow hard one all construction workers have!!!....and measured the distance between his fingers! That was really funny and it hurt to laugh during a contraction! Somewhere around that point I couldn't get comfy in the tub anymore so I got out. Then it really hit and there was no turning back. I labored kneeling in the floor of our room hung over a chair while he watched some TV and did the bank account. I knew I was getting close when I couldn't get comfy at all and I was back and forth constantly between the toilet and the bedroom chair. The urge to push hit on the toilet and suddenly he appeared when he recognized that stage. He was pleading with me to get on the bed where he could see and kind of take charge but there was no way I could labor on my side or back at that point. So, I got in the bathroom floor on all 4's and told him he'd just have to deal with it. I pushed about 5 minutes total and he guided me through it. At one point concern took over since all he could see was white. I thought he was thinking the baby was breech but he thought it was the baby's cord on top of its head and being squeezed. While I was pushing I was telling him to tell me what he was seeing. He described it and I told him it was just the baby's head and it was normal. He was so completely chilled out and took over telling me to keep going and to push when I needed to. Gavin's shoulders got a little stuck so he turned him and once he rotated him a little he popped right out! Talk about feel better!!!! So, Brad caught him and suctioned and cut his cord and all of that. We had the OB kit from the station which had the cord clamps in it and a bulb syringe along with a myriad of other stuff that came in handy. I felt so much better and was so relieved that I just laid down on the bathroom floor while he took care of Gavin. I probably laid there for 20 or so minutes. The only time Brad ever went into paramedic mode was when it suddenly hit him I was laying on the floor and he had a baby to deal with. All he ever said in a panicked manner was "Oh sh**.....I've got 2 patients to deal with now." LOL! I started cramping again so bad I knew I had to do something to go ahead and deliver the placenta but I couldn't do it laying down. So, he ran some really hot shower water to help with the pain and I just delivered it in the shower. It was a much easier mess to clean up that way too! We both agreed how glad we were that it all ended up taking place on the bathroom tile. He laughed and said it looked like a crime scene in there but it was easily mopped up, towels thrown in the wash and the rest went in the trash. And the bed was clean and ready to go....despite the tarp that had been hastily put under the sheet once we realized we weren't going anywhere. LOL! After the shower I laid down and ate some lunch while Gavin nursed and then the 3 of us slept until 5pm, when the children returned home.



Weighing Baby Gavin was kind of comical since our scale only weighs in 1/2 pd increments and is a traditional bathroom scale. So, Brad got on and then got on with Gavin and we figured up the difference. The closest we could get was between 9-9.5 pds. By the time we got to Fort Worth yesterday afternoon to have us both checked over it was estimated he'd probably lost between 1/2 -1 pd, which is completely normal. She said since he'd already had 3 major poops and the fact he was 24 hrs old she estimated he'd lost about a full pd and he weighed in at the office at 8'6, which would've put his birth weight somewhere around 9'6.

Everything at the appt was completely wonderful. Both of us checked out wonderfully and the trip itself was not bad at all. In fact, it was fun just being able to spend the time with Brad despite the fact we weren't entirely alone since we had both girls and, of course, Gavin.

Oh.......all in all labor was only 3 hrs from start to finish. Contractions really kicked in at 9:30 or so am and he arrived at 12:51 pm. It was by far my fastest labor and with our biggest baby. I'm so so glad we didn't mess with it and try to start stuff up. I cannot imagine having had any other experience. It was unlike anything else in the world. I am so in love with Brad and so in awe of our life together....every unexpected thing that it holds. It's funny how experiences like this just make me fall so much more in love with him. I can't imagine life without him or spending it with anyone else in the world. I look at Gavin and I am just in awe and cannot believe we have been so blessed. The picture can never be fully painted of what I feel or the love that has so completely overtaken us.

I've turned into the Energizer Bunny

Still going.....and going........and going. I keep thinking that the longer I carry this baby the more he'll gain and the less weight I'll have to lose in the end! Does it work like that????

Other than that all is normal around here. Brad is back on shift and I am left trying to stay off my feet due to the swelling. That's a joke but at least I can attempt to. I think at this point I'm just kind of restless. Gone is the whole nesting thing. I think that kind of tapered off...but then I did enough while it lasted to last through a lifetime of projects. So, I don't feel too bad about that. The children are still carrying out their daily stuff so the house stays in good shape and it doesn't look like I just up and quit everything. The dishes are still getting done and the kitchen stays clean. All of the wash is up to date and everything is folded and put away by them. So, as for the lack of nesting thing, I'm alright with just sitting for awhile. Bathrooms are getting cleaned and everything got dusted, polished and Windexed today.

So, now the children are outside swimming to get them good and worn out for bedtime. I think I'm going to go put on some makeup while they play and fix myself up just so I don't feel like I've half way been in bed all day trying to stay off my feet. Maybe if it weren't 100 degrees outside and maybe if it weren't a rock road and maybe if I had defined feet I might go walking to try and start some contractions up. But, as it is, once they're bedded down I think I'll just go lay in bed with a good movie and some popcorn.........and a good magazine that has absolutely nothing to do with being pregnant. I wish Brad were home....but at least he's not 4 hrs away.

Hey...and they DO make castor oil capsules!!! You have to order them off the internet and it'd probably be too late by the time they got here but they do exist! I may just try the old fashioned stuff on my oatmeal if I get too desperate....but, as it is, I'm restless but not quite THAT desperate. I made up my mind that if baby's not here by TH I'm just going to change my Fri appt to Mon. That way we don't get stuck there with her wanting to go ahead and try to move things along. Baby will come when it's time. And the Lord has a very special birthday for this one so I look forward to seeing what birthday God will bless him with...not what my impatience will bless him with!

Due Date Day has come and gone

Well, here we are as 7/7/07 has slipped away.....or, will here in the next 30 minutes. Is it any surprise? Nope, I can't really say that it is. How many people in the world ever freakin give birth on their actual due date????? I've had a few contractions today but definitely nothing worthy of note. It looks like our 7/7 baby will be a 7/10 or 15 or 20 baby.

On another note, I'd kind of been irritated all day by way too swollen feet and a bunch of fighting bored kids. I think 12 hrs in one day all within 3 ft of each other was a little too much for me at this point.though at the time there was never a doubt in my mind that I could handle the job at hand. So, feeling bad for how hard I'd been on everybody, specifically Grayson, I called Mother up and asked if she wanted him for the night. I loaded everybody up and we headed over to Eden to do an ice cream dinner. Nutrition is not really at the top of the list right now and it never hurt a kid to have ice cream for dinner once in their life. They sure weren't opposed to it. In the process of getting everybody ready of course, one of the big goats gets out while the gate was open and then Grayson takes off shooting a rabbit. He successfully killed it. I was a little put out with that and didn't quite see the sense in senseless shooting but he was way too proud. I looked up to discover him saying with starlit eyes, "Mom!!!! Look what I shot!!!" I told him even more irritably that I didn't have a clue what to do with it now and to go throw it out in the pasture. He was quite hurt over that one. Lessening my grouchiness to actually acknowledge his achievement I told him if he could find a way to strap it on the top of the Suburban than he was free to take it and show it off to Mother. So, he went to work wrapping it up in a Wal Mart sack and strapping it on top. I can honestly say, I don't think I ever thought I'd ever have a dead rabbit tied to the top of the vehicle. It arrived still securely strapped on top and he showed off his accomplishment. The guy next door does taxidermy stuff so I sent him over there to find out if he'd do it. he knew of a guy that'd do it for free probably and so it is that we will now have a rabbit proudly displayed on our wall as Grayson's 1st hunting expedition.

And then since I never did really go into our 4th I figured I'd just put the pics on here a little late. With Brad at station 7 and only a mile, if that, down the road from the stadium where SA does the fireworks show we headed to the station to sit and watch away from the crowds with a/c and bathrooms available at our convenience. Despite the rain they went ahead and did them. They started early in between the bouts of it and we were able to get all of the children out and watch from the driveway of the station. It definitely wasn't much when you're used to the displays of the metroplex but they were fireworks and they did light up..even if that's about all they did! I think it was Grayson's and Evye's 1st big reality check between the differences of a small town and living in FW. Brad was on the engine so thankfully he never had to leave and we all watched it together.........drenched in Off and fighting off the mosquito's. But, it really was fun and it sure beat spending it by ourselves while he worked.

This was way too funny not to put in here. But after the report about my feet last night and their unchanged status yet today I woke up to read what God said today via the daily emails. Brad's gotten to where he doesn't even read them anymore since they're so generic and I just read them now every once in awhile for entertainment and a little curiousity. But upon reading this I had to insert it in here too. It was too fitting.....and funny!

July 7, 2007 Your feet. Never have your feet been more beautiful to Me than when you are responding to My call on your life to share the Good News. You have heard My call that "As you go, make disciples of the nations and teach them what I have taught you." I have placed within your heart a desire to go. You want to see people and nations changed, discipled, taught and transformed into My Kingdom on earth. And when you cannot go, you have sent "your feet" through others who are going. In the days following Jesus' death on the cross, all who believed on His name were called. But only a few, like the twelve, like the Apostle Paul were chosen for the nations. You, I have called chosen for the nations. Is this not true? Your feet.

Romans 10:14-15 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" -----

Sheer Insanity at its Finest

It could only be a 7th baby when the day before your due date you have to leave town for a prenatal while you have a new a/c system installed, the air ducts cleaned and a water softener system put in after you've had contractions 5 minutes apart for 24 hrs straight and you have to take all 6 kids with you on your own for the 8 hr road trip while your husband stays home to deal with the house issues. There is no place to really start to really do justice to what yesterday's events held for us. And, only fitting for the day, the stereo has been on the blink in the Suburban for months and for no apparent reason it will just quit for hours and hours on end. To top that off the DVD player quit too so I was left with no radio and no entertainment for the children for 8 hrs and therefore listened to nothing but 6 kids in a car for 8+ hrs. I sat in quiet disbelief of it all and knew this was no ordinary thing anyone would do when I realized Evye had been howling like a wolf since we passed the Wolf Creek sign 10 miles ago, Grant sat back there chanting "Eh off, eh off, eh off ah my back" for miles and miles on end (maybe 40???) in his rendition of the song, "Get off, get off, get off of my back and into my game", Aubrey sat back there making Dory's whale like noises from Finding Nemo, Grayson talked non stop about anything and everything and Garrett sat fussing about being confined in a carseat to begin with.......all at the same time while I had continuing contractions that made my back hurt like nothing else in the world due to my sitting position and had to pee every 20 miles. And then as if the absurdity of it all had not quite set in fully enough I was faced with taking Garrison and Grant to the bathroom with me everytime I stopped. I refused to backtrack and put them back in pull-ups for the trip so I forged on with them in underwear quite determined to make it all work. They did great and once they discovered the novelty of being able to get out to pee they found the tactic quite helpful and fun to use to aid them in being able to get a break from being in their seats. Of course, never quite knowing when they were really serious about their needs,I stopped everytime....at least there for awhile.......that the statement"I need tee-tee on the potty" was made. It didn't take but completing the 1st half of the trip before telling them they could wait another 100 miles before getting out again.





So, the day wore on and so did I with all kinds of unplanned for events, as only could happen with 6 young kids and 1 very pregnant contracting adult on an all day road trip. Knowing somewhat that I may need to stay and not return home until we had a baby Brad advised me to pack a suitcase for the "just in case". As I suspected, we finally arrived and I had my appt only to be told that I am nowhere anywhere near labor or showing any signs of even being remotely close. Even if we did want to start something up, which I am still drastically opposed to, we couldn't since there is nothing to work with at this point. There is still definitely only 1 baby in there and I am measuring exactly 2 cm smaller than average, which is completely average and normal for me. So, despite my monstrous size at this point and the way I am carrying, I still only measure 38 cm in fundal height and there is still most definitely only 1 baby in there.....though he is posterior (face up), just as Garrett was. Go figure. At least he's very much head down! The baby has dropped significantly though..so maybe there's hope there????? So, we made the call after the whole appt report to turn around and make the trip back home, which actually really relieved me to be going home, even though it meant knowing it could be another week or 2 before baby makes his appearance. I was still very happy to be headed back home and knowing that I wouldn't be at the birthing home watching the clock tick by the hours ever so slowly.....but that also left the 4 hr trip home and Garrett had yet to even get out of his seat. And, of course, in the midst of it Evye's fingernail decided that was the time to start coming off. Ugh!!! Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!! So, we made a stop by Walgreen's in order to deal with that along with the rest of the day. By the time the appt was over I was quite restless and had no clue where to go or what to do. The children desperately needed out of their carseats and, as of yet, no one had even fallen asleep to even catch somewhat of a minor nap. I called Brad kind of forlorn at this point wondering where in the world to go or what to do. You can't exactly go shopping with 6 kids that have been in carseats all day. So, insanely that's what I did. With the thought of an indoor McDonald's playground sounding entirely germ filled and microscopically bacterially infested and dreading the thought of all of them sick when the baby gets here I finally opted for an outdoor playground somewhat disinfected by heavily sun filled days. The thought had occurred to me to go by and see Jackie but reality was they were probably napping and, if not, we would stay for awhile and not get back home until at least 11 if not later. So, with Garrison's and Garrett's severe mosquito allergy we headed to Wal Mart to get some repellent. With Garrett's dinner and repellent in the basket and trying to calm down 6 really really rowdy kids we finally checked out.....after waiting in lines that rivaled anything in San Angelo. Oh yes........all 7 of us had to visit the Wal Mart bathroom too.

Finally at the park in 95 degree weather the children were finally turned loose. I fed Garrett his 1st real meal of the day that did not consist of an entirely french fry menu while the older ones ran..........or well, were supposed to be running. By the time he was done eating all 5 of the older ones sat in the shade throwing rocks at each other. By this time I was wearing really thin and was highly irritated that if they were going to just sit then we might as well be on the road sitting and getting somewhere. Garrett finally walked around enough and stretched out enough to poop, the grand finale that we were waiting on in order to accomplish that part of the day. Of course, it was about then that there was no bathroom in sight that Grant needs to poop too. By the end of it he just did it in his underwear......and by that time I just didn't care. I dumped his deposit out in the grass, as only a veteran mother would do, cleaned what little I needed to up and put him in a pull up. Yes, my determination was waning in the heat while dealing with the never ending onslaught of contractions. So, after a 1/2 hr at the hottest park in TX the only real thing that was accomplished was 2 kids having crapped....which I suppose was worth it in the end since it probably made for a more peaceful trip home.





Back on the road we stopped once more to get water for everybody and a 52 oz cup of the most incredible crushed ice ever for me and then we were steering our way towards home. After only 5 miles on 20 the younger 4 were asleep. Our journey home began.....in which I could not help but stop at every town along the way with a decent bathroom and pay it its dues. The 40 wk pregnant bladder is a very unforgiving thing. Despite the many stops, we made good time on our way home and arrived around 9:30. Since my resolve had kind of deteriorated at the park I had kind of let the children roll around and lay in the playground rocks making "rock angels" so they were a filthy mess, not to mention the animal cookies, french fries, chocolate chip cookies and whatever else Garrett had pasted to his hands, legs and hair. No parent in any good conscious could ever put their kids to bed in that state no matter how long the day or how tired anybody was. So it was that all 6 got cleaned up. Aubrey went in the shower with Evye thus lessening my load to only the 3 little ones. They were finally bedded down at 10:30. All I could do was flop on the bed and lay there. How can you be so exhausted when all you did was sit in a seat all day?????.........and take kids to every bathroom in the state of TX.





I finally got up the energy to get into the shower. I knew my feet felt really funny but upon standing I looked down to discover both feet literally 3 x's the size they normally are. I suppose from just sitting in one position pretty much all day. Who knows. From my ankles continuing on to my feet it just looked like round little funny fat logs....and they felt just as funny too. I showed Brad and he was quite shocked at them too. So, it was that I fell clean and exhausted into bed with really fat, funny feeling feet and only hoping the contractions would go away and my feet would be normal in the morning, as Brad is back on shift and I'm on my own again with everybody as he works.





So, we successfully passed up the 4th of July and have arrived at my due date.....the infamous 7/7/07. I'm at home, Brad's on shift and there is no sign of any baby in sight. It's another very normal day just as all the rest before this have been.





So, do they make castor oil capsules??????





I'll try to post a 40 wk tummy pic before the day's over. Maybe perhaps the last tummy pic? Did I ask if they make castor oil capsules?

Happy Birthday to Brad!!!!!

Well, it didn't seem quite right to add it to the end of the 1st post so I figured I'd make a new one just for him. And though I had hoped to give him a baby boy to celebrate his birthday with it is now quite apparent at 11:30 pm that , though they will be very close to each other........maybe..... they will undoubtedly NOT share the same day. But I figure we have 3 big days we might could hit and so, through process of elimination, we just got rid of one possibility. Now we are left with the 4th or, of course, the 7th for a 7/7/07 baby as we welcome baby #7. At the rate I am going I am quite sure we will eliminate those days as well.

It seems pretty incredible though that we have been together as long as we have and have grown from our 20's and now are growing into our 30's together. I couldn't even remember this morning how old either one of us are. I had to go back and count from 1975, the year I was born, to now. And then I couldn't remember if that made Brad 32 or not since I finally arrived at the conclusion that I am 31. But he was born in 74, I think. So, based on his word, he is 33 today.

It's so amazing to me how much more life has come to mean just being by his side. There is so much comfort, peace and quiet contentment just in being with him. And how we've grown and changed together over the years. It's been amazing to discover ourselves in each other and become better people because of it. He is truly the other 1/2 of me in every way. He completes me. It's just incredible to me to watch our journey unfold. We have been through stuff that most other couples would never have survived and we went through it only falling more in love with each other and finding our need for each other even greater. We never took our time with each other for granted but now we have truly come to cherish and embrace the time we have been given together. I can't imagine life without him. Both of us marvel that if our love has grown this much from something that started so deep to begin with how much more can it grow in 50 years? I am still so in love.....so much more than even the day we were married. None of the books ever said what it would be like or what joy there is in discovering life with your best friend, your companion, your lover by your side. I never dreamed it was possible to love this much in a lifetime. And it has made me a better person in every way.

The Ticking Time Bomb

Well, inevitably at some point in every pregnancy there comes a time where I make the transition from a large pregnant female to a ticking time bomb. Maybe if I didn't look like an elephant pregnant with twins I'd feel a little better about it but, at this stage, there is no consolation and no comfort to be found in gestating anymore. The time has come. But, to make matters even worse, my body is in great denial over that fact and is refusing to cooperate in even the slightest way. Gone are the contractions, gone are any and all symptoms that anything imminent might be even somewhat near. I truly could be pregnant until the middle of July at this rate. And vain as it is, I might feel better about it if I looked like I did with the other 4 single pregnancies. But, no, instead I look exactly like I did and weigh exactly what I did full term with Garrison and Grant. There is absolutely no doubting the fact there is indeed only 1 in there so I am left with the realization that I am huge and extraordinarily pregnant with just 1 massive kid. I'm not sure if it's my greatest fear or greatest hope that this baby will come out weighing a whopping 15 pds just to justify my size at this point. If this baby only weighs 6 pds I will have reason to be distraught. I hesitate even to post pics of the shower due to my tent like status. And, yes, vain as it is I cried over it all Sunday morning. The dress I ordered to attend the shower in on Sat was indeed a beautiful piece of clothing......on a woman with about 1/2 the baby I have in there. So, refusing to wear it to church on Sunday I went in jeans and a nice huge oversized maternity shirt that helped hide my whale like features. I'm already sick of the "You're still here????" comments and I'm way overly sensitive to the "You're huge!!!!" comments. Yes, there is no doubt (and I suppose people only assume there might be and feel need to confirm to my doubting mind????) as to how huge I am. I dreaded the mere thought of facing anyone at church and hearing all of the comments. So much so that I avoided Sunday school and ended up crying it out to Brad. So, there in our bathroom with him sitting on the toilet lid and me standing in front of the mirror in all of my vanity he gave me the heart to heart talk that there is indeed no one else in this world that he would ever rather have and that I am indeed the most beautiful thing in the world to him, as I tried sucking it up and putting on my mascara to get around the tears. It didn't work and I cried it all off anyway. So, being somewhat comforted, though there's not much to be had at this point, he headed off to town to grocery shop so I didn't have to get out and face the world and I headed to church humbly in my jeans with all of the children in tow. If it had been up to me I would've gone back to bed and hidden under the sheets until I go into labor but we both knew the only right thing to do would be to go to church and make my appearance in appreciation of what they all have done for us, how generous they all have been and the shower which they gave. So, I forged on and endured and thankfully not too many of the comments came rolling in. I don't think I've ever been so thankful to not hear people open their mouths. I think at this point everyone is feeling some measure of pity for me, which is still far better than having to endure the "Dang!!! How big are you gonna get????!!!!!" comments. So, with much trepidation I will post pics of the shower. I'll also post pics of full term with Garrison and Grant and then full term with Garrett so the drastic differences between the 3 can be memorialized through these great pages bound for history.




So, here we are at 39 wks with twins



And here we are at 39 wks with Garrett






And, here we are at 39 wks with this baby - although Garrett's fuzzy little white blond head at the bottom of the picture is really cute



And trying to convince me there's 2 in there at this point is futile and only worsens the situation. There is indeed only 1 and I'm just really really big. 2 sonograms and a stomach that is hard on one side with baby and soft on the other with empty space is more than enough to convince me, despite the deceiving size.










The shower on the other hand was so much fun. Being the 4th of July weekend a ton of people went absent but had sent or dropped off presents in advance. So, there was just a small group of girls with a ton of presents to open. So, that part of it was a blast. And Evye and Aubrey looked like little tan angels all clad in white that were ready to set flight at any moment. They were so pretty and were so excited. After telling Grayson there was no way in the world he could go, seeing as how it's a baby shower attended only by women, I finally gave in to his pleas. He had a pretty convincing argument when he begged saying that it's his brother too. So, off he went to attend the shower with us and be completely surrounded by women. Of course, being Grayson it didn't phase him in the least. More pictures of the shower and children can be found on Abby's blog.

Pretty Aubrey. I regret not getting any of just Evye and Aubrey together.











But, we were incredibly blessed with some much needed new boy clothes and many many packages of diapers. Tomorrow Evye's and my big project of the day is to go through it all and wash, fold and hang up everything and organize it all into his two waiting vacant drawers. She can hardly wait. You'd think she's the one having the baby. It'll be so much fun watching her be pregnant with her 1st one in years to come. But, the shower was a huge success despite the number of missing people and we were entirely blessed by the generosity of everyone in the town. Gifts continued to pour in even yesterday and today by people who weren't able to come.


So, I can truly say everything is now completely ready......including the infant carseat complete with a babydoll belted inside to keep curious, way-too-big toddlers out of it. So, now we wait and wait..........and then wait some more.


On the funnier side of life, we all awoke on baby shower morning to start getting ready. I put off painting Aubrey's nails until the morning of it and both girls wanted "makeovers" in order to ready themselves for the occasion. So, with them to get ready and "makeover" and me to get ready I started the day on time.....only to discover a mere 1/2 hr into it Grayson running through the backdoor to say the goat gate was open and there were no hollering baby goats. There were, in fact, no goats at all. I looked in Brad's direction knowing just what exactly his response would be and, thankfully and to his credit, he remained quiet....though I knew he seethed inside. He continued on unpanicked in his morning routine and I finally asked if he was going to go deal with it or if he wanted me to. He said he would. So, I waited and waited and he continued on quite calm and slow through his endeavors. Finally, impatient and full of worry I took off in the Suburban in an effort to search the town streets. Nothing. Feeling like I had done as much as I could and with the feelings of being completely overwhelmed by the infinite amount of directions they could've headed off in I told Grayson I had to head back home and Brad would have to do the rest.....but that they were most likely long gone. Grayson continued on in his search riding his bike as fast and as furiously as he could all over the local area. Within a few minutes of me being home he returned breathless saying he'd found all 5 in their little herd grazing across the highway. So, by this time with Brad ready to go, I hurriedly stuck Garrett in his crib to quarantine him and left Evye with instructions to watch Garrison and Grant carefully and not let them outside. And off Brad and I went with Grayson in tow to do the most redneck thing I think I have ever done in my entire life. We reached the goats and the babies came to us as soon as they saw the bottles. Hollering and crying obnoxiously loud they came running. Easily enough they were lifted into the bed of the truck and Grayson gave them their morning bottles. I tried approaching the other 3 bigger goats but they're much more aloof and hard to touch, let alone capture. I finally got near enough to them to convince them to eat what we'd brought them but they continued to completely evade any sort of capture. Finally Brad got out and told me to drive while he had a try. As this whole time we're working our way down the streets farther from home trying to catch them in between bites of oats. By this time I'm hot and sweaty and it's humid and the shower is quickly closing in with only 2 hrs to get both girls and me, more so now than ever, completely dressed and ready. So, I drive and round them up with the truck while Brad and Grayson walk alongside and behind them doing it the old redneck way. Now knowing at this point it's completely unrealistic to think we might even have a chance at catching them and loading them into the bed of the truck we seem to have come to a silent mutual understanding that we must do it this way all the way home. So, feeling a bit like Heidi and the old hermit grandfather we slowly make our way through the streets of town herding them back home. The only thing we really lacked to round out the look was the old shepherd's cane. As one would start to stray I'd steer the truck in the general direction and it'd run back to the little herd. It felt a little ridiculous to be waving to the neighbors driving at speeds that didn't even register on the speedometer as we crawled along. By the end of it, as we finally neared home, an older man trying to pass our slow moving truck realized what we were doing and he too became involved in our herding efforts. With the 2 trucks and Brad and Grayson we succeeded in getting them down the driveway. Once they saw the familiar pasture (by now I think they might all be familiar) they ran in and the gate was closed behind them. I pulled up to the gate and the 2 babies were then unloaded from the bed of the truck and were added to the rest of the herd. All I could think of at that moment was how joyously glad I was that we don't have a herd of 50 yet. While Brad and Grayson finished messing with them I headed inside to hurriedly do what I could before it was time to go. Sadly, Aubrey never did get her nails painted and there was no time for me to even take a shower, not to mention do anything elaborate with my hair. So it was that I attended my own baby shower like a true redneck farmer's wife with a ton of deodorant on, 1/2 a bottle of tangerine body spray and my hair swept up into a clip on my head that held it all in place and hopefully disguised the fact that it didn't get washed............despite the fact it would've looked much much better down, minimizing the whole massive baby issue. But, I had a very decent...and quite comical....excuse for being 10 minutes late to the shower. When I told them we'd had to round up our goats 3 of the older ladies pitched in and said "Oh, we saw you walking them home this morning." So, that made a nice topic of conversation for awhile. Later in the afternoon after everything quieted down and all the company had left I thought about how funny and strange it is how life changes in so many ways. Years ago at my 1st baby shower we sat around talking about who all we'd seen recently, what all of the latest church staff info was and hugging those that we hadn't seen in a long while. Now here I sat at a shower for our 7th baby discussing the redneck ways of herding goats, who saw a rattlesnake most recently, who stepped on one, whose horses had competed very well, whose cows had beefed up beyond imagination and on and on in went. It's funny how life changes so much.



And then last Wed we dealt with our first real finger smashing event. I suppose it happens at some point in every family but I didn't really expect it to look so awful that it turned my stomach to deal with it. But, Evye was out feeding Fletch and somehow the latch and her finger met up in a very unmerciful way. She stayed out in the pasture wailing it out to the donkey, sure of the fact that he was indeed consoling her as he followed her around trying to nudge her and snort in her hair in her moment of need. She finally made her way into the house gently crying it out. I didn't expect it to be much since her cries were not desperate, but upon looking at it I sent her to Brad and knew there was no way I could stomach dealing with it. Sure enough by the weekend it looked like this. It's now fairly apparent she will lose her nail in the deal. Brad kept a close eye on it and since he was home for a 96 he dealt with the worst of it. No infection ever set in but by the end of it it had become a purply black color and was about 3 x's the size of her other thumb. She stayed on Tylenol for 3 days before it ever stopped hurting. It's finally starting to resemble a normal size again, though it still looks far from anything normal. Of course, the pictures never do it justice.





















And then the children found the huge globe (the one that rivals the size of my pregnant stomach right now) and decided to blow it up about a week ago. Somehow it managed to escape the carport and we received a call from the next door neighbor saying he'd just gotten his mail and there was a huge globe blowing downtown. He figured it was our's. There's another great example of small town life for you. I sent Grayson out after it and this was him bringing it home and then wrestling with it some more. Kind of funny.









And here's sweet, ever growing Garrett. He's losing his baby look and starting to look like a real toddler. Brad and I both agreed that we can tell what he's going to look like as a man from this picture. He's 15 months old today and just as cute as ever.