Home Sweet Home pt 2

Here is a shot of the upstairs. The hallway has empty picture frames and will display the kids' artwork.

Our bedroom-and Caleb's too, for now-

Our bath-I swore that I wouldn't share this tub with the kids. But, if you see the big yellow baby bath sponge, you'll know that didn't last long...

Avery's bedroom-

Here is the artwork my friend painted for her. She loves it and so do I.

As I noted in yesterday's post-I didn't take all of the pictures ;-)

Caleb's room-he hasn't slept in it yet, but Presley sure likes to play in it, as you can see.

Avery provided the artwork for his room-

Hall cabinet area-

McKenna and Presley's room-front shot-

McKenna's side-check out the flower lights from IKEA-

Presley's side-

Kids bath-

And, I think that's it. I didn't get shots of the back yard, yet. We have a great garden area with a lot of potential. Neither Kevin nor I have green thumbs, so we are trying to decide what to do.

Next on the list-take Avery and McKenna school shopping!

Home Sweet Home

Taking pictures of our house turned out to be a family project. I won't tell you who took each picture, just know they weren't all taken by me. Ok, this house isn't 100% finished, but I've been hounded by some (you know who you are) to get pix up here so, here goes..

the front porch-

This is the foyer area when you first walk into our home...

...And, someday this picture will hang above the table ;-)

This is the front room, includes living and dining room-aka kids toy room and play kitchen.

The office-

Here is the family room, which is right next to the kitchen, which I didn't take any pictures of-yet.

So, that's the downstairs area, minus the laundry room, bathroom and kitchen. Upstairs pics will be posted tomorrow!

If you're in the market for art...

My best friend from my junior high years just opened an Etsy shop. She is extremely talented and full of life. She hasn't changed a bit, since I met her back in 5th grade. Praise God for facebook, and the chance to reconnect.

Her studio is called Pink Moonshine. I just sent her a picture of Avery's bedding and she is going to paint a couple of pieces for her room. I can't wait to see what she does. I'll post pics when everything is complete.

So, if you're ever in the market for art, check out her site. You won't be disappointed.

Caleb James Osborn

I'm in love. So in love. With the boy that's been inside me for the last 9 months. I got to see his face on Friday. I will never be the same. This baby was so unexpected, yet, I already can't imagine life without him. He completes our family perfectly. He's beautiful in every way.

So, we moved from Pasadena to Valencia on Saturday, June 12. Lots of boxes, lots of work. We had a lot of help from wonderful friends. I was definitely starting to feel tired and my ankles and hands started to swell that weekend.

Our first guest came on Sunday, the 13th. Kevin's brother flew in from Dallas on a business trip. The girls had a blast with their uncle Gary. He left Wednesday morning.

Thursday, June 17. My mom flew in from Wichita to stay with us for a few weeks. The plan was for her to help us finish unpacking boxes and get the house in order, then help with the kids when the baby blue was born. We fixed spaghetti for her first night, per the older girls request. And dibs for dessert. Have you tried dibs yet? Oh my goodness, they are so good.

Friday, I had my last ob appt. We went to Pasadena and showed mom the apartment that we stayed in for the last 6 months. I went to see my dr while mom and the girls played at the park. My appt. started as usual. My blood pressure was a little high. The nurse checked the baby's heartbeat and was having trouble finding it. That's never a good feeling. She went to get another nurse. The new nurse finally found it, but it was very low. Within seconds, I was taken to another room, where the dr. looked at the baby with an ultrasound machine. He quickly found the heartbeat and showed it to me, trying to calm my fears. He also said that there wasn't much fluid left for the baby to live in so he thought we may need to deliver him sooner than Tuesday, which was the original plan. They proceeded to take me to yet another room where they hooked me up to a monitor to track the baby's heartrate. I was able to call Kevin during this time and explained the situation as best as I could. After 15 minutes, what seemed like an eternity, Kevin showed up and the dr. explained to us that the baby was fine, but that he was probably safer outside of me than in. So, in the next 3 hours, we drove back to Valencia, made a few phone calls, sent a few texts, and quickly packed for the hospital. Saying goodbye to the girls was hard, but thinking about what could potentially happen later was gut-wrenching. I can honestly say that Friday was the scariest day of my life.

By 5pm on Friday, Kevin and I were at the hospital getting checked in. By this time, the baby was much more stable, according to the heart monitor. Things seemed to be progressing well. It's so interesting. Having 4 babies in 4 different hospitals. Each one is so different. I remember asking the nurse if I could eat after the baby was born. If I knew lunch would be my last meal, I would have eaten a lot more than 1/2 a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Anyway, I just remember being hungry.

I was taken to the OR at 7:30. Kevin had to stay back until I was given the spinal and situated on the table. When Presley was born, he was with me the entire process. Anyhoo, Kevin and the dr. came in about the same time, and minutes later, Caleb James was born! The dr. showed us the umbilical cord, which was tied in a knot! In a knot. The dr. just said it was a good thing he came out. I can't even bring myself to think otherwise. He was born at 7:56 pm, weighing 7 lbs, 7 oz. and he was 20 inches long.

He is perfect. Looks just like the girls, except he's a boy. I remember the feeling of instant love when each of the girls were born, but I think it was more intense this time. I didn't get to eat afterwards. Or the whole next day, for that matter. I wasn't happy. The nurses kept telling me that my dr. was old school and didn't let his patients eat for a day after c-sections. Are you kidding me? I am starving! My nurses, all of them, were awesome-they snuck me crackers throughout the day.

I was able to go home on Monday. Avery and McKenna love Caleb, almost as much as I do. They are always wanting to hold him, and they don't like it when he's sleeping. Presley held him for the first time tonight. He's growing on her. Even Grandma has gotten some good cuddle time with Caleb, in between meals and playing referee with the older 3. Poor Kevin has been so busy trying to get this house into a home, he hasn't had much time with his son. Hopefully that will change soon.

Our family has gone through so much change in the last 6 months. This addition to our family has, by far, been the best. We've just begun the craziest summer ever. Aunt Marla and cousin Reese are coming Sunday. My dad is coming July 1. Girls are going back to Ks with my folks on the 8th. Kevin's parents are bringing them back and staying for a week July 18th. Avery and McKenna start school August 12. Whew, I'm worn out already.

More pictures will follow, hopefully. For now, I am loving on my son and trying to savor each moment with my family. Thank you so much for praying for Caleb's safe arrival. We are so grateful for God's protection over him this last week.

I wonder...

Over the last few weeks, I've wondered many things.

• I wonder, if we still lived in KS, if people would come up to me and ask questions about my pregnancy. You would not believe how many people approach me, especially when they see the 3 girls with me. They usually comment on one of 2 things-they'll either say how well behaved the girls are (which is always the best compliment a mom can hear) or they'll ask me if I'm finally having a boy. Lately, it has happened every time I go out in public. No kidding. At Lowes, at Target, at Ralphs, at the library. Everywhere.
• I wonder if this baby is really going to stay inside of me until the 22nd. I have this awful fear that my water will break or something, and I'll have to have him sooner. If I can just make it 'til the 17, I think I'll be ok. My mom is coming then. In my mind, even the 22nd seems too soon. I just can't believe I'm going to have another baby.
• I wonder if, in this next house, we can keep the clutter down to a minimum. I hate clutter. You might not know that, by looking at our home. But, I really do. I'm so tired of seeing school papers, coloring pages, and junk laying around. I am determined to keep this next home clutter free.
• I wonder if Avery and McKenna will be able to make some friends this summer, before school starts. They need friends desperately. In the 6 months we've been here, they have each made about 2 other friends. I'm praying that there are some girls their age in our neighborhood, and that we'll be able to meet them before school starts.
• I wonder how Presley is going to adjust to all of these changes. Her world is so crazy right now. She moved to a new bed, she'll start to share a room with McKenna in the new house, she'll have a new baby brother soon. Lots of changes. And, I'm afraid I won't be able to pick her up to comfort her after I have the baby. Silly, I know-but I'm already sad about that.
• I wonder how Kevin will adjust to commuting to work. It will be a 30-40 minute ride each way. I think it may turn out to be a good time for him to prepare/de-compress before and after work each day. I'm secretly hoping he'll be able to work from home more, maybe one day/week or something. We'll see. We've gotten spoiled living so close to his work these last months, I'll miss having him come home for lunch, and visiting him at his office.
• I wonder how we'll adjust to living on a budget again. We've had a very loose budget since we've moved here. And, that's about to change real soon.
• I wonder if we'll grow to love this home as much as I already love it in my mind. I have longed for a place to call home for 6 months and, now that the time has come to finally move in, I find myself second guessing everything. Isn't that crazy?
• I wonder how things will be different, once we get settled and find a routine to fit our family. So many changes ahead. So many thoughts in my head. And, I have almost no control of anything.
• I just wonder what tomorrow will look like. And the next day. And the next day...

Good Eats

I tried a couple of new recipes last week that I wanted to share. I read this cooking blog, almost every day. She has some great recipes. I made peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins-they were ok, the girls loved them, but Kevin and I didn't think they were any better than any other muffin. Then, I made the oatmeal breakfast bars. These were sooooo good! I mean, really good. I need to make a double batch and keep some in the freezer. I miss freezer cooking. I miss the comfort of knowing there are meals in the freezer that just need to be heated. I'm anxious to get into my new kitchen and start cooking again. Oh, I still cook here in the apartment, when the stove actually works, that is.

I only have about a week from the time we move into our house until baby blue comes, so I've started making a list of what to make for the freezer to have postpartum. My mom is coming, so I know she'll cook, too. In fact. McKenna has already said she wanted Grandma to make gumbo when she's here. I miss my mom's cooking. I miss my mom even more. 3 1/2 more weeks...!

Denial

Last Sunday at church, I saw 3 different newborns. They were so tiny, so perfect. My heart melted. Then, all of a sudden I thought, OMG that's gonna be us before we know it. Holding a baby. I think this kid is going to come sooner than I want. I know he's coming. 5 weeks from today. There's a small part of me that's really getting excited about it. But, most of the time, I'm still trying to admit that I am, in fact, pregnant. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that we'll be a family of 6 soon. This pregnancy was just such a huge surprise that it's taken me this long to adjust and realize all of the changes ahead for our family. I think Kevin has been in denial, too, from his blog post last week. He has his own stuff going on, and didn't even mention it.

Last week, we found out that we have to have the baby in a different hospital. I've been in touch with this hospital, and, let's just say, I'm hoping to not have to stay there for the full time allotted after a c-section. The lady spent 10 minutes telling me how great this hospital is and that it is considered a small town hospital. Um...that's not really what I want to hear. She also said that the hospital was built in 1972 and was the first hospital in the state to have dads stay in the room with the mom and baby. Because of this, the rooms are quite small. In fact, after boasting about letting dads stay, she quickly said that they usually don't b/c of the small space. Great...And, because of the way the rooms are laid out, the showers are located down the hall. NOT in the hospital room. Are you kidding me? Is that even legal? I am suddenly dreading this delivery more and more with every thought. Never in a million years did I think that by having a baby in California, that I'd be stepping back in time...I am soooo not thrilled about this.

Just give me the percocept that I've been looking forward to getting and let me recover at home.