We didn't go trick or treating

Not because we don't do Halloween. We usually have no problems with a little trick or treating up and down the street and we did go to the church Trunk or Treat on Sunday evening. No we didn't go trick or treating tonight because the kids were bad. It was one of those days that make mommies want to pull their hair out. It was a didn't I just spank you about that kind of day. So I had to be the meanie and stand firm and draw the line in the sand...and I feel mean. But I do think I got my point across and maybe they'll remember and maybe I'll only have to be the meanie about a billion more times and then they'll really get it, right? Right? They will eventually get it, right? I sure am praying they catch on before my will power wears out, y'all!

8 Weeks Old

Time really is relative. The last two months of this pregnancy seemed to drag by, but these last eight weeks have flown! Even with the hormonal rollercoaster and complete lack of sleep, I'm so in love with this little guy. He wants to be held pretty much always - the baby pouch and the baby wrap both come in very handy - but he likes the swing or rocker seat for a little while. His personality is already so evident. He's so curious! He would break his neck to see who's holding him. And I mean really see. He stares hard. I love to hold him and look into his eyes - it's almost impossible to look away. His smiles are few and far between, but well worth the wait!
I love this time with a new baby, getting a feel for each other. Thinking back over the first weeks with Levi, Brenna and Jack I can really see how their personalities shined right from the beginning. It's amazing to hold this little person in your arms and imagine the years you'll spend getting to know them. Yes, we'll shape them somewhat, hopefully passing on our values, and the environment they grow up in will have a big impact. But they're already their own little person - already the person God made them to be. Getting to be a part of this whole new person coming into the world is such a miracle! It makes all the pregnancy stuff and delivery stuff so worth it (even if I still don't want to think about it too much!). So when I wonder whether they'll be a fifth little one in our future - and I have to wonder since that has replaced "you're pregnant again?" as the most frequent thing people say to me - I have to hope God will bless us again. But for now I'm so content to hold my blessings tight and praise God for each one!

Just catching up...

I sure haven't been around here much lately. These first weeks with Christian have been so precious (six weeks already?!) - he is a good baby, even if he does like to stay up until one in the morning! We're getting back into the swing of things, slowly but surely.
School has been very hit or miss lately, but Levi's reading so well that he hasn't been too bored. It is definitely time to start cutting out the tv. It's been my faithful babysitter, but even the *good* shows are not terribly worthwhile. And the commercials...oh my word. We usually stick with commercial free children's programming - PBS or Noggin, but Levi also loves the old cartoons (Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry) on Cartoon Network. It seems like every commercial is for a toy I'm not going to buy them (Bratz dolls, anyone?) or for a show I don't want them to watch. And with Halloween coming up, there are a lot of terrifying things popping up even on "children's channels." It's just time to turn it off. I'm considering letting them each pick one show a day to watch.

A lot of other stuff has been happening lately. My granny had a mild heart attack and wound up having surgery last week. She and I have always been very close and it's really difficult for me not to be able to stay with her at the hospital more often. One of the hardest parts of having lots of littles, for me anyway, is not being able to drop everything and help with things like this. Especially considering that serving others is a very important part of why I wanted to stay at home in the first place.

Thankfully, my parents were able to come for a visit and be here for the surgery. It was so wonderful to have them here! My mom is such a great grandma:) Having an extra pair of hands around for a week has spoiled me though. That and having someone to talk to when I'm up at one in the morning with one (or two or three) babies.

My friend Debbie had last week off and finally got to see the baby. Since Casey sleeps in the daytime, we don't usually get to have people over. But Debbie did the sweetest thing! She packed an entire lunch and we took all the kids out into the yard for a picnic. There was nothing for me to do but sit back and enjoy visiting. And, just to cement her status as a really great friend, she kept Levi and Brenna for 10 hours on Tuesday so I could be at the hospital while Granny had her surgery. Now that's a good friend.

I have lots of projects coming up that I hope I'll remember to blog about (not because they're terribly interesting, just because this is such a handy way for me to think through things and because y'all have such awesome ideas!). There's Halloween/Trunk or Treat. Brenna wants to be a rock star and I want Jack to be something where he wears a hula skirt (he loves to wear Brenna's hula skirt). Levi is undecided. I'm also working on bedspreads for the kids' beds and sewing a new baby pouch and nursing cover. I'm trying to get my wardrobe in order. As I lose weight I know I'll have to change it around, but I'd like to have clothes that fit right now in a nicely organized closet. Christian's dedication needs to be soon before he outgrows the family gown. I'm waiting to find out when my parents can come back. It's time to start planning for the holidays and time to get back on budget. Something about having a baby always makes me want to reorganize and get a fresh start:)

Works for Me Wednesday

I haven't had a brilliant idea for WFMW in ages, but since today is the Backwards Edition I knew I could come up with a question. So here's what I need help with - please advise:)

How does one go about finding an occasional daytime babysitter? My kids are all little and I usually just take them with me or stay home, but there are times I have to go somewhere during the day and the kids just can't go. My grandparents are the only people I know who don't work in the daytime and they are wonderful. But when they aren't able to keep the kiddies, I'm out of luck. Our pastor's daughter would be a great choice, but she's in school during the day. Any ideas?

A big day for homeschool!

We started school pretty early this year because I knew I'd need some time "off" while we all adjusted to having a new baby. While on hiatus, Levi spent a lot of time reading on his own. It finally dawned on me that my boy is reading! Not just the little one sentence per page books - anything he puts his mind to! I wanted to do something special to celebrate - something special that didn't involve going out for ice cream. There's a great new ice cream place close by and we've done a lot (this stuff is good, really good) of rewarding/bonding/celebrating with ice cream lately. So...I took Levi to get his very own library card! He was so excited! I think we'll make it a tradition that as each child learns to read they get their own card. Brenna is already working harder on her letters - if Levi has one, she wants one, too.

A fashion update

It's hard to tell with my poor picture taking ability, but Brenna wore the most adorable outfit to church yesterday. The dress is a cream colored shift with pink flowers and a simple pink bow. The jacket has lace around the collar and sleeves. The real kicker? It was mine when I was little! My grandmother made it for me! I try so hard to keep my home decluttered and not be too sentimental when it's time to get rid of things, but I am so grateful that my mom held on to things from my childhood so that I have them to pass on.

Christian's birth story

I'm surprised that it's taken me so long to sit down and write about Christian's birth - he'll be two weeks old tomorrow! I usually bore everyone to tears going over and over all the details. I just felt more at ease this time, I think, so there was less to process after the fact.
I was pretty sure when I went to bed Wednesday night that I'd be in labor by morning. I don't know if it was just my own wishful thinking or intuition or what. I started having contractions around 2:30 when I was up with Jack (teething pain was keeping him up), but I decided to try to rest for awhile. After all, no one sleeps through labor, right? By 4:30 the contractions were strong enough to wake me up and convince me to call my doctor and call Casey home from work. While I waited on Casey to get home with his mom (our middle of the night babysitter), I finished packing my hospital bag and laying out everything the kids might need.
We finally left the house for the hour long drive just as the contractions seemed to slow down. They were getting stronger though so I felt pretty sure we wouldn't be going home empty handed. The drive was peaceful (although Casey could qualify for Nascar when he's a little nervous) and it was so good to have a little time to talk, just the two of us.
Once we got to the hospital and got settled in, the doctor checked me and decided we would need to go ahead with the c-section. But I had to wait my turn and I was fifth (that's right, fifth!) in line. Apparently my frequent flier card meant nothing to these people. My family started to trickle in - grandparents, my favorite aunt - around lunch and my mom called every hour to check on me and update me on her attempt to find a plane ticket out of Texas.
Finally they wheeled me into the operating room where I got a spinal and relief from the contractions. There's something very unfair about having to go through both contractions and a c-section. I had the most wonderful anesthesiologist. She was hysterically funny and reassuring all at the same time. She put me totally at ease, although it is hard to have a good belly laugh when you're numb from the sternum down. My doctor, too, was in rare form joking that Casey could come in as soon as I was covered up because "we can't have him seeing you naked!" When Casey did come in he was so sweet - it was so precious to be holding his hand when Christian was born.
I did have a few issues after the birth - serious shakes for about two hours, high blood pressure for the first week, nausea (always with the nausea). But I did not throw up on the operating table and for that I am immensely thankful!
The baby had to stay in the nursery for a little bit (the pediatrician wanted a chest x-ray because Christian was making a slight grunting noise) which postponed breastfeeding a bit and (I think) contributed to him having jaundice. Overall, though, things went very smoothly. Lots less drama than we have had with other babies:)
The kids came for a visit that afternoon and every day while we were in the hospital. They love the baby although Jack was not too happy with me while I was up there. I had to bribe him to even get a goodbye kiss! They had a really good time with Casey while I was gone and Levi got to go to the Cracker Barrel. I don't know which he was looking forward to more - the Cracker Barrel or the new brother.
My grandpa was especially happy -not only did we name the baby after him (Bethel is his last name) and give him the "Bethel nose" (well, not intentionally - sorry, Baby!), but he was born on Grandpa's birthday! We have a a real thing about naming the kids after someone we love and admire - someone we'd want our kids to be like as they grow up. My grandfather spent a big part of his childhood in an orphanage and enlisted in the army when he was so young he had to find his father to get permission. But he went on to build an incredible family of his own. And he really "adopted" my grandmother's family when he married into it - helping her sisters the way a brother would, not the way an in-law would be expected to. He served in two wars (twice in Vietnam). He and my my grandmother have been married for more than 50 years and their family includes 24 people now. If Christian grows up to be the kind of man that he's named after, I'll be very proud indeed.

What we've been doing all week

The big kids (even Jack!) are crazy about NewBaby. We were worried that Jack might be jealous, but so far so good. I keep meaning to sit down and write out Christian's birth story, but I honestly just haven't felt like doing much of anything just yet. On the one hand, I'm so happy I could bust. On the other hand, the littlest thing sends me scrambling for tissues and the big things (jaundice, doctor's appointments and disagreements, getting things "back to normal")have me falling apart. Ah, hormones.

He's Here!

Christian Bethel

August 30, 2007

7 pounds.7 ounces

A time for rest...

A few weeks ago, while my niece and nephew were here, we had a really nice relaxing afternoon at my grandparent's house. All the kids insisted on fishing even though it was about a million degrees. Well, all the kids wanted to fish except Brenna - she's like her mama, we'd rather just sit in the air conditioning and make the cole slaw for the fish fry! That's Levi sitting down waiting for a bite - hopefully that patience will start to spill over into some of his other pursuits:)

My grandparent's house is kind of my home base. I'm an army brat so we moved a lot while I was growing up. Staying with my grandparents in the summer or between moves or while my dad was deployed gave us a real sense of stability though. So now it's the place I go to when I need to "go home." The yard is beautiful and the house is always neat (except when my tribe and I have been there awhile). There's always family coming in to visit. It's just so restful for me. Which I guess is why I'm thinking about it now...I could use some rest! NewBaby will be here in just a little over a week (unless he makes an early appearance) and I'm feeling so swamped with things to do. I know a lot of it is not truly necessary so I'm doing my best to prioritize and let things fall off the bottom of the to do list. But I'm so huge and tired and puffy and did I say tired already? that I can hardly do anything. Getting to church yesterday took every ounce of energy I could muster (and I had to wear tennis shoes with my dress because they are the only things I can get on my feet - they don't fit, but they're slide ons so I can make them work if I don't pick my feet up when I walk). Anyway.

I have gotten lots done already. The freezer is stocked. There are still a few meal I'd like to add if I get around to it, but if I don't we won't starve. Casey and I also made a big grocery trip this weekend to stock up on convenience foods - Hamburger Helper (on sale for $1 a box!), frozen pizzas, breaded chicken tenders, and bottled spaghetti sauce - that he can throw together while I'm in the hospital. I think his mom and my granny will stay with him most of the time, so they'll probably be eating a lot better than that:) I made myself a big batch of granola to take to the hospital for breakfast or snacking. I don't know how they expect anyone to recuperate on what they feed you in there! I also have outfits planned for the kids and my bag is all packed ( a first for me! I've never packed a bag ahead of time before!).

Now if NewBaby (maybe Caleb?) will hold out a few more days so my mom can finish a paper she's working on for her doctorate, we'll all be set:) I'm so impatient to meet this little guy (and see if we can tell what his name is!) and to get started recovering already. I can hardly wait!

Two Weeks and Two Day To Go (at the most!)

The meds I'm taking have completely stopped the contractions. I'm only planning to take them until Sunday when New Baby will be 37 weeks old. I'm so grateful that they've given this little guy more time to grow and develop. Jack was only a little early, but he still had a little difficulty with breathing at first which led to some feeding problems at the beginning and then (I think) to pretty serious jaundice. Oh, how I'd like to spare this little guy all that! But the brethine is still causing me quite a few side effects - awful insomnia and the shakes being the biggest two, I guess. I'm very nauseous, too, but who can tell if that's from the medicine? :?
In the meantime, my to do list seems to grow longer as the days get shorter! I am managing to get some things done - the freezer is getting well stocked, the baby clothes are washed, my bag is (almost) packed, and we have plan in place for the kiddies. But there's so much more I think I need to do and even more that I want to do. Dawn had a great post on cleaning your plate that was very helpful to me. There is a limit to just how much is even possible for me on a good day and these days, when I'm carrying an extra twenty pounds in each foot and who knows how many more in this baby belly (I don't know because I don't look at the doctor's scale!) AND when the weather outside is unbelievably hot...well the list of what's just not possible is getting longer and longer, too. So my lesson for this week (and probably next week and the one after that and after that...) is on accepting my limitations. But isn't it in our weakness that we see how much we need Him? I hear people all the time say "God won't give you more than you can handle..." But He gives me more than I can handle every single day! There's nothing He can't handle and so I can do all things through Him, but when I'm trying to do it on my own it's a whole different story!
So I'm sitting here looking at this list of 40 things that I need to do and I'm praying that He'll show me which of these are important and help me get them done. The rest I will let go of without guilt or stress since if it's not important to Him, it's not important to me.

A glitch in my plans

Somethings just can't be controlled. Like babies! My day yesterday started with big plans - a little cleaning and organizing, then I planned to move on to some fun school stuff for Levi and making up some cookie dough for the freezer. But at lunch all my plans came to a screeching halt when I started having serious "can't talk through them" contractions. So it was off to the doctor, where they stopped (just like when you take your car to the mechanic and it suddenly doesn't make that noise anymore). Everything is fine - it wasn't officially labor. But my cautious doctor started me on brethine anyway to be on the safe side - I really want to keep this little guy on the inside for a few more weeks! The brethine is working like a charm on the contractions, but, boy! The side effects are something. I'm shaking like a leaf! If all goes well today we'll ease up on the dosage tomorrow - but for today I guess I'll just deal with it. At least it's amusing the kids:)

Packing the freezer

In my big effort to be somewhat prepared this time around, I've been doing my best to pack our extra freezer with meals and snacks for after the baby gets here. Unfortunately I've also had lots of sick days when it was just too easy to grab something out of the freezer instead of cooking extra to put in. I'm consoling myself with the fact that we didn't make a Zaxby's run on all those nights. But my freezer is filling so slowly!
So far I have 1 pan of browned hamburger meat with taco seasoning layered on top of refried beans (for 7 layer dip that we eat more like a casserole with chips), a roast turkey breast I shredded and packed in meal size portions, one dozen blueberry muffins, 1 meals worth of Salisbury steak (yummy!) and 2 ziploc bags each containing 1 kielbasa sausage and 1 bag of diced hash browns (also yummy and fast).
Today I'm making 2 big pots of vegetable soup - one for supper tonight with garlic bread and one for the freezer - and pepper jack cracker dough to freeze. I'm hoping to bake some poppy seed muffins, too, but it is so hot today that I hate to turn the oven on. Maybe if I wait to bake them until it cools off some.
Soon I'm hoping to make a batch of granola to take to the hospital. I'm always starving those first few days (after nine months of getting queasy at the thought of food!) and let's just say I didn't choose this hospital for the food - even the vending machine pickings are slim!

Now if we can just decide on a name...

He wouldn't move his little hand from his face, but isn't he gorgeous:)!? Just a few more weeks! By the way, I think he has my nose - poor kid!

What a great, busy week!

I didn't really get much done this week and my house looks like a hurricane hit it, but this week was just so full that I can't possibly complain!
Levi had his very first ever sleepover at a friend's house. I really expected to have to pick him up in the middle of the night, but he hardly seemed to miss me at all! It was definitely harder on me than on him - I really missed the little guy! But I am so thankful for friends that I can trust to take good care of him and that he has a friend he loves to spend time with. He is really growing up!
The sleepover was Monday and Tuesday night my dad and sister got here with my niece and nephew. We only get to visit with the kids about twice a year so it was really wonderful to spend time with them. Eric and Levi were pretty much inseparable the whole time. There were so many wonderful moments - handing out popsicles to a yardful of kids, staying up late talking to my sister, watching eleven year old Paige play dress-up and tea party with three year old Brenna, hearing Eric say his prayers, setting up all the kids to "camp out" in the living room just like we used to do at my granny's house, Jack saying "Eric" and seeing the grin that put on Eric's face, making up bedtime stories for Levi and Eric. Kids are a handful - there's no denying that - but they are such a blessing and such a riot! I had a ball! I even got to visit for a little bit at my Grandma's and see my favorite Aunt and Uncle:)
I'm especially grateful that this horrible cold held off until today! Now I plan on sipping tea and propping my (puffier than life!) feet up for an afternoon! Tomorrow will be our "first day" of homeschool for the year - we plan on playing with our new school supplies and books, taking every one's picture, setting up our school area and reading on the couch! We're getting an early start this year so we can take lots of time off in September when "new baby" (who still remains nameless) gets here and so Levi won't feel left out when his buddies talk about starting kindergarten this week.
God's just been so good to me this week - did I mention my hubby even brought me home chocolate with hazelnuts when he took Levi school supply shopping? I just don't know how it could get much better.

Soldier's Wish List

A lot of you know that my baby brother is serving in Iraq right now. As Levi and I put together boxes of things to send him, I can't help thinking about the soldiers who don't get much mail from home. The Any Soldier program is a great way to support our troops and it can be a really fun service project for families or Sunday School classes.
My sis-in-law forwarded a copy of the wish list she received from my brother's company. Obviously not every soldier will want or need the same things - Any Soldier has some tips and links about what to send here - but I thought this was really great because it shows all the little things they're missing from home. The toys and balloons are for them to carry and give to the local kids that they meet. My brother has three kids at home and I think making an Iraqi child smile probably does as much for him as it does for them. Here's that list...

Board Games
Little toys
Balloons
The little Debbie type snacks
snack crackers
Sunflower seeds
Pringles type chips
drink powder in the tubes - all varieties (and yes that includes the caffeinated kool aid - the company is now addicted to it)
Candy
Gum
Coffee
Creamer
Sugar
Plastic containers
Air Freshener
Baby wipes
nuts
fruit leather things
cereal
white board markers
granola
poptarts
things to make us smile....

Seven Weeks To Go!

I don't know if it's the mile-long to do list or what, but seven weeks does not sound like very long to me. I am getting pretty uncomfortable, though, what with the sciatica on top of the "morning" sickness in addition to the swollen feet and the weight gain. But I'm so excited about meeting this little guy!
It's taken me all week, but I finally have the storage closet cleaned out! This is the closet where I keep all of the kids' clothes that don't fit anyone right now. Casey's sisters both pass on clothes that their boys have outgrown so Levi has a steady stream of hand-me-downs just waiting for him to grow. And I'm saving the clothes he outgrows for Jack and Baby Boy. Brenna doesn't have many hand-me-downs, but I'm saving her too little clothes for a (hoped for) future little sister. I went through all those rubbermaid containers ruthlessly - sorting stuff into piles for the Salvation Army, for my great-niece, and to sell at the big kid's consignment sale. I was just saving way too much! Hopefully now it will be much easier to see what they have and avoid stockpiling more than they need. After all, it seems like a shame to keep clothes in my closet when there are kids out there who need them now.
While I was down there, I went ahead and pulled out all of the fall and winter clothes so that will be one less thing to do after Baby Boy gets here. And I pulled out the big box of boy baby stuff to wash up ahead of time. Washing things for a new baby is probably the only time I can honestly say I enjoy laundry. Next up is cleaning and organizing those closets!
I have a busy Saturday planned this week. Casey will be home to keep the kids so I'm planning a morning of yard saling followed by an afternoon of cooking ahead for the freezer. And hopefully a quick nap in the middle there:) I'm trying to pack the freezer and I've gotten so many great ideas from Maggie. I get so inspired seeing the tables full of food she's putting up at one time!
And next week I'll be busy with visiting family! My dad and sister are coming for a week with my niece and nephew. They live in Ohio so we don't get to see them very often. My dad has promised to take Levi and my nephew (who's 6) camping so I hope there's a dry night! And I hope my dad knows what he's getting into! I really want them to have a wonderful time, but I'm just not a run-somewhere-everyday kind of person. We do a lot of staying home, especially lately. So I'm trying to think of some fun things to do at home. I love Laine's Letters and this one about showing hospitality to children is really great. I'm so looking forward to having my sister here, too, since she'll be headed off to college in the fall.
With so much going on, I bet this little guy will be here before I know it!

The Great Name Debate

What to name the name has quickly become the topic of conversation around here. After naming three kids, we have developed certain guidelines. But we seem to have different opinions about how to apply the guidelines - and therein lies the dilemma. But at least we've kept the conversation interesting. And it's kind of fun to still have "picking the name" to look forward to - we had names picked out for the other three well before the big sonogram!

Here are the rules we're sticking with...

• the name must be gender specific (no little girls named James or little boys named Leslie - no offense)
• names for boys must be either short or have a short nickname
• names must have a meaning that rings true for us
• every baby is named for someone. This is tricky because I don't mean that we necessarily have to pass on an exact name. Brenna, for example is named after my mother, Brenda and both she and Jack have last names for middle names so they're actually named after lots of people:)

So far we aren't finding the name in any baby naming books! We're just praying that God sends us a name for this little guy - and that He sends it to both of us!

Creating a Birth Plan for a C-section

I really meant to do this before Jack was born, but I didn't have as much time as I thought since he made an early appearance. I did have a few things in mind that I wanted to do differently. Unfortunetly, there were a few complications (unending nausea for me and some breathing issues for him) that threw a wrench into my plans.
This time around I'm trying to think things through and develop a plan. AND put it in writing. I may need Casey or my mom (or my Grandma like last time!) to go to bat for me if I'm a little out of it, so having it written down seems like a smart plan. The first time around I had such specific ideas, but nothing went according to plan. I wound up feeling very out of control and disappointed (when I should've been feeling extremely grateful!). I'm a lot more flexible these days! A ceserean birth is pretty complicated so if things come up I'll just have to roll with it. But, there's no harm in planning, right?
One big thing is the kind of anesthesia I want. So far I've had three c-sections with three different types of anesthesia - general with Levi because it was an emergency, an epidural with Brenna that took three tries and was extremely painful to get, and a spinal block with Jack that was easy to get and worked like a charm. The epidural did have one charm - I got to keep it for the first twenty four hours. It was great to be able to get up and walk around with no pain and I didn't even notice any afterpains. However, the tape holding it on to my back left whelps when they pulled it off - very painful for about a week. The spinal just worked better for me. It was easier and faster and less painful.
And then there's the catheter. Forgive me for being indelicate, but this is a big issue for me! I don't want that thing near me until after the spinal I hope it's not a problem because I will be ugly about it!
I want to see the little guy as soon as they pull him out this time. I almost got to see Jack right away, but, just like a boy, he started peeing everywhere as soon as he was born (marking his territory perhaps?) and they had to pull the curtain back up pretty quick. I'd also like to slow down and spend a few minutes with him before he's whisked off to the nursery. It just never seems like long enough.
From the operating room, it's back to recovery for a long boring hour. I really, really want the baby brought to me back here. They allow a visitor or two, but I'd rather have the baby! It would be so nice to have a little quiet time to nurse him before they move me to a room. If there's a good reason why they can't bring him to me in recovery, I think I'll aim for a little quiet time in the room before visitors start pouring in. I love having everyone there - it would break my heart not to have all our family there - but I don't like to put off that first feeding. I might just have to be a little selfish this time and keep the baby all to myself for a little while:)
Well, that's the plan so far. I'm sure I'll be adding to and updating over the next few weeks as I do more reading and thinking.
Next I need to think about what to have waiting at home!

A doctor's appointment, rescheduling, and other super exciting stuff

Today is the big 30 week mark which means I actually only have 8 1/2 weeks left until little Shane (? Nick? Zane? Gabe? maybe we'll just wait until he can tell us what his name is...) makes his appearance. I've said it before but the only good thing about scheduling a c-section is knowing I have an end-by date. I'm getting soooo excited! We're working out all the details of who stays where with who. So far it looks like the plan is for Casey's mom to spend the night here (and hopefully my mom, too!) the night before. Then Mom, Casey and I can head to the hospital nice and early - gotta be there at 6! And Casey's mom and sister can bring the kids just a little later. I'd really prefer that they were at the hospital right when the baby's born, but... this way I'll be all settled in a room. Levi saw me in recovery after Brenna was born (he was 2 1/2) - I felt fine, but was I shaking all over and that scared him a little.
I'm already gathering supplies to take to the hospital. There were lots of things I wanted last time that I didn't have (in my defense Jack was early) so I'm trying to remember what I wanted and get it together early this time. Here's a quick list of what I want to take...

• take out menus for a few places around town (once I could eat the hospital food was...less than appealing...and yet I was starving! Everyone kept offerring to go get me something, but I couldn't think of what to send them after!)
• really nice pampering stuff
• my nursing pillow (the hospital pillows shift around so much, but you do not want a baby laying on your tummy after a c-section!)
• chlorophyll - I'm hoping to avoid another transfusion!
• oatmeal raisin cookies - fiber is good
• presents for the big kids when they come to visit - probably little stuff from the dollar store
• a picture of Casey and the kids to keep me company when they're not with me

I'm adding to this all the time (I haven't even gotten to the extremely neccessary stuff yet!), but if anyone thinks of anything I should add - let me know!

In the meantime, I'm off to get everyone ready. I have a doctor's appointment (otherwise known as an hour of peace and quiet) and the kids have a playdate with their two grannies:) That one hour will take about four hours of getting ready/dropping off/traveling time, but, boy, is it worth it!

edited to add (for my own benefit!)

• chapstick!