Thankful

I can't believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Where does the time go?!? We are getting ready for a fun weekend, with some of my family coming to celebrate the holiday with us. Kylee and Owen had their last day of school yesterday, before a nice long break for the rest of the week. Kylee's class had an adorable Thanksgiving feast at their school lunchtime, with all 55 kindergarters gathered in one classroom. It was quite a group, and was standing room only for all the parent helpers who came to the feast! I was able to bring Madison into the class on both days this week, so I could help the teachers make the Pilgrim and Indian costumes- it was fun to be back with all the kids! And it was a very special day Tuesday, it made me think of how thankful I am to have such a great place to send my kids to school, and how thankful I am for our life that allows me to be a part of all the wonderful daily activities the kids are experiencing. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones... and lots of yummy food!

Two Weeks

Madison is two weeks old and I am happy to say we are survivng life with a newborn again. I hate to jinx it- so I'm crossing my fingers as I type this post- but things are going really, really well. As the kids would say, "Madison is an AWESOME baby." And she is- she has been a nursing champ, poops great, and sleeps contently for long periods of time. I get more visits from the older kids during the night, who are having a week of scary dreams. And since I'm up comforting them, I wake Madison to nurse and change like one time, and then she's back to sleep til I get up to start the daily routine at 5:30. I don't know if it's because it's our third time doing this, or if it's because Madison just ROCKS as a newborn- or maybe it's becuase this is the first time around that we weren't frantically constructing a home to move into while living in a trailer... we had a nice cozy home already made to bring her home to. It really makes a big difference having a place to rock and change a newborn, plus easily accessible laundry is a huge plus. We've been doing cloth diapers this time around, which was fully inspired by my friend Jessey, who is a pro at using and MAKING her own cloth diapers for her three kids. It's going really well, just a little more laundry than usual, and a really GOOD feeling about not creating all that waste and not forking out a ton on the disposable dipes- I had the most satisfying moment as I walked through Target last week and didn't have to pick up one of those huge, expensive boxes of huggies.

We are hoping we'll have another big money-saver this year other than the diapers, Wes has been working on a new project with any spare time he gets. Last winter, the cost of propane was insane- we let the bills pile up and pretty much tackled them by the time summer rolled around. It has been weighing heavily on our minds as the weather is getting colder, and Wes decided we could heat our house more efficiently and cost effectively with a wood stove. We've got access to wood easily, and we are hoping that this will save us this winter as far as bills go, and still keep our newborn and kids warm. So, a few weekends ago, my handy husband got to work on the frame for the stove's "raised up" location in our dining room. The kids have enjoyed having a project to help daddy with... they unloaded every single stone from the trailer and wheel-barrowed them in and layed them out for Daddy and Grandpa- who helped out with the masonry. Lately, Wes has been out splitting wood after work til dark, and Kylee and Owen love stacking it and chatting with Dad about their day. This project has been a great way for the kids to have some special attention from Dad during all the changes at home, and they love making us proud by being "good workers" like Daddy. Here are some pics along the way.

The kids unloading all the stone

Laying out the stone

The frame

The stove is set!

And finally, the kids have really adjusted well to our family of 5. They love their sister, and always want to know where she is, what she's doing, and when she'll be able to play with them. They love showing her off to their friends and teachers... and are doing their best to help mommy- ESPECIALLY with our weekday mornings. Our school routine is the trickiest part of the day. Wes has been starting work a little later some mornings, so he'll drop Kylee off every now and then on his way to work- which is a huge help and gives Kylee a few special minutes with Dad, and mom a few more minutes to get Owen motivated and ready for his day. And this week, our weather has been beautiful, so I've been loading the stroller with my 3 kiddos and walking them- which is also a lot easier than the whole "in and out of car seats" routine. Also, the walking is great for mommy- who has been confusing many kids with my having a baby in the car-seat, and yet still having a tummy. Owen tells them that Madi is the baby that came out of my tummy, and there is now a "boy" baby in my tummy. Kids- gotta love 'em! I'm off to do some sit-ups in hopes for a quicker departure of the belly!

November 4

November 4, 2003 was an election day, as well. That election day, 5 years ago, we were sitting in the hospital with our newborn baby girl, Kylee. Well, today, Kylee turned 5 and shared in all the excitement of this year's presidential election. When she woke up I said, "Today is your special day, birthday girl!" And she said , "We also vote for President today." She made sure to check in with many of those who called with birthday wishes... to see if they voted and who they voted for. Who knew she'd be so into the political process?!? Here are some pictures from Kylee's day...

Kylee with her #5 pancake

The kids at Kylee's birthday morning breakfast

Great Grandma Joy comes to see the birthday girl, and to meet the new little one that was named after her.
Happy 5th Birthday, Ky- we love you!

Our Baby Story

I know in my last post, I said I was going to post more frequently, well... since I last sat at this computer A LOT has happened! Since I totally failed to write frequent updates about the arrival of our 3rd baby, I'll backtrack and try to summarize the very EXCITING events of our Halloween 2008.

Thursday, when I last posted, I was having a day of contractions, that tapered off in the afternoon and I figured we were not having a baby that day. I tried to rest because I hadn't slept much the night before, but the kids were excited for the Halloween events that were coming up on Friday... so they tried on their costumes. We headed to Lewiston, which is where most of Wes' family lives, and they did their Trick-or-Treating at the Great Grandmas and Grandma's house.

Here are the pirate, Great Grandma Joy, and Rapunzell the night before Halloween

We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, and I did my usual Thursday night bookkeeping for the Construction company. I noticed my contractions getting more intense, and after talking to the nurse at the hospital, we decided to leave the kids with the grandparents and start on the drive to the hospital. We made it to Red Bluff in just over a 1 and a half hours, trying to drive safely on the newly slick from rain, and foggy mountain roads. When we arrived, it was 10 pm, and the contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart and very painful. I was a bit dissappointed to find out I was only 4 cm dilated and still had a long way to go. Wes' parents drove down the mountain with the kids, his mom came in and joined us, while his dad and the kids slept in the van. Within the first hour there, I quickly progressed to 7 cm, but was beyond exhausted between contractions and eagerly awaited the arrival of Andre, who was called in to give me my epidural. Just before 1:30 am, things got exciting. My parents arrived from Oakland in time to join us in the delivery room, and the nurse called my Dr. in because I was 9 3/4 dilated, and my water still hadn't broke. But I was having constant strong contractions, that were even felt on top of my epidural. My Dr. arrived at 1:35, and after a quick hello, and 2 1/2 short pushes, our newset daughter was born! Madison Joy Scribner entered the world surrounded by loving family at 1:50 am, October 31, 2008. That's right, she's a Halloween baby- weighing in at 8 lbs, 7 oz and 21 inches long!


Mom and Dad take a first look at their sweet little girl

Here she is on the warming bed

With mom

Grandma Linda

Grandma Sue

Kylee meets her new sister for the first time!

Sisters!

Owen is not too excited about waking up at 2:30am to greet the baby!

Madi's first bath with our lovely nurse, Eileen

Daddy swaddles his newest princess after her late night bath.


We are so blessed, she is absolutely healthy- slept wonderfully the first night, is a champion at breastfeeding, passed her hearing test and pediatrician check-up, they cleared us to go home with an early release that day. We had an amazing hospital stay at St. Elizabeth's, we had incredible nurses and pretty much a whole wing to ourselves since there was only 1 other woman admitted that day. Here's a link to the hospital online nursery- where you can catch another glimpse of her if all my pictures aren't enough!
Here are some Halloween daytime pictures at the hospital:


Madison looks super cool in her hearing test headphones

Friend Jen and little Jimmy come up for a visit.

Jimmy wants to scoot Madi around the room in her bassinette.

Heading home with our new baby girl

All ready for the road trip.


We were back on the road by 5 pm on Halloween, and home just as the kids were finishing trick-or-treating on Main Street with Grandma and Auntie Amy. Both sets of Grandparents, Auntie, and Taylor helped make a nice family dinner and get the kids all settled back in with us and our new baby after a very exciting and tiresome 24 hours!


And now there are THREE little munchkins!

Owen was much happier to meet and play with his cute little sister at a more reasonable time of day!

The boy cousins, Owen and Taylor, welcome baby Madison

After a sleepless couple of nights, Mom and Dad are completely exhausted, but glad to be home with a healthy baby girl.

Preg. Update

Yesterday we had our weekly exam, and I didn't get checked because I was feeling no signs of labor. Also, Owen was with me, and I didn't want him asking all sorts of questions about how, exactly, that Dr was going to get that big baby out of my belly.
Also, we had a very quick check-up because we were rushing back home (1 hr away) for Kylee's last soccer game and pizza party. We didn't want to miss that! At my exam, the nurse who weighs me said- "You lost a pound- that means it's time." And she handed me my appointment card for next week, even though she said I'll most likely have the baby before then. My Dr. set me up to be induced next Thursday, Nov. 6, if we've had no baby by then.
Last night, we had a great time with Kylee's team and family who came to support her. We got the kids in bed, and were in bed by 10:30 ourselves (early for us!) I had a very restless night, woke up about every hour, and stayed up for good at 4am. I wasn't sure if I overdid it on the pizza, or had a return of the stomach bug, or maybe the baby was on her way. I took a shower and have been drinking lots of water, to see if that would make me better. That seemed to slow down and stop all the false labor I've had so far this pregnancy. I've been having mild contractions about every 7-10 min and am thinning. I called the baby counter at our hospital, she said to continue to monitor my contractions- but not to make the trip until I have contractions that are intense enough to make it difficult to walk or talk. Wes is working in town today, so he should be easy to reach in case things progress. I'm off to get the kids up and ready for school... I'm not sure if today is the day, but today sure is off to an exciting start. And regardless of what happens, it looks like within the next week- we will definitely have our new little girl!


UPDATE @ 2pm:
I'll try to post more often now that we're getting closer. I have been having contractions all day, but am convinced it's just another false labor day. Nothing has been crazy unbearable, but definitely different from other days. I'm exhausted from not sleeping last night, I've got the kids back from school and am going to try to convince them to rest in front of a movie with me. I need a little rest to get me through the day, especially if this does turn into full-on labor!

Kylee's B-day Bash

Kylee's 5th Birthday is a week and a half away, but we decided to throw an early party to celebrate... just in case we are tied up delivering a baby on her actual birthday. It turned out to be a great weekend for the party; weather was warm, it was the opening weekend for High School Musical 3, and our town's Autumn in the Alps fireworks were scheduled for the party night just across the street from our house. We figured, we have to throw a party now... we've got the theme (High School Musical) and the entertainment (Fireworks) already set for us. I let Kylee choose a few friends to invite... all but one family made it- which turned out to be 24 kids and 21 adults. It was a nighttime party, so it was great all the parents stayed to help manage the choas and monitor the younger siblings of the friends. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, we just let them play and had one craft that the kids enjoyed. It was a VIP party pass- I felt moved by the movie premier and wanted to go celebrity style up here in Weaverville! It was very cute watching Kylee gather each of her friends to take a photo with in our designated "photo spot," and they all sported little movie star sunglasses. They each decorated a Party Pass and wore them through the night. Here are some pictures from our little girl's big 5th Birthday Bash!

Here are Kylee and Alyssa getting ready for their pass photo at our Photo Spot

My two little party-goers take a picture together

Dad's a little overwhelmed in the craft area!

Daddy did a great job decorating the HSM basketball and star brownies.

A group of the kids at the party, sitting and enjoying the pizza together

Some of the group watching the fireworks in our driveway.

Dad and Grandpa enjoy the show

Kylee tries out her first roller skates from Grammy and Grandpa

My niece is all partied out after the big night!

After a big party, my nephew is ready for one last photo... Kylee is ready for bed!

Quick Update

For those of you who are checking in every now and then to see if the baby has arrived... nope! I'm still waddling my insanely pregnant belly around with no signs of active labor. I love the last days of pregnancy, where people- both grown-ups and little kids, stare in amazement at the massive growth on my frontside. Yesterday, Owen and I silenced the whole Kindergarten wing of the school as we walked towards the parents waiting to pick up children. One dad spoke up and said, "We are all just in awe..." Nice. I'm here everyday people! My belly is going to just expand until this little girl decides it's time to come out. I know people are just excited, they want to see a baby, and I know everyday they hope they don't see me and that I'll be in the hospital... but I keep telling them, it's going to be awhile, sit back and watch me grow. They ask me how I feel, and I tell them "huge" or "ready to pop," and, to be honest, over the last few days... I'm really starting to feel rather "circus-freakish." I'm trying to not take too much offense to the stares and all that, some days I feel like hiding out at home in comfy clothes, with no worries if my belly isn't completely covered by my huge maternity shirts anymore. But, I want to remain active with the kids schools as much as I can while I can... so I just have to deal with it.

And had I hid out at home today... I would have missed this very proud mommy moment for my little girl: Kylee was honored by her principal as a Student of the Month at their school assembly! She stood out for Outstanding Efforts, Attitude, and Achievement in her Kindergarten classroom.

I didn't get much video... but documented the "moment!"

Kylee looks nervous, but luckily her two good buddies, Ben and Tristan were right beside her the whole time.

Back in the bleachers, I almost catch a smile from my proud little girl!


Kylee had no idea she was going to get an award, and told me afterward that she was really nervous, and was listening to her heart beat really loud the whole time she stood up there. So cute! I don't blame her- I was shocked at the turnout for the assembly. I didn't know there was going to be a full house at 9am. There were parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends of those who were being honored, I couldn't even get a parking spot and was standing way in the back trying to get a good picture and documentation for the family who couldn't be there. Next time I'll know to get there super early!

So, that's my "not-so-quick" Quick Update on our baby status/proud mommy moment going into the weekend. Hope everyone has a nice one!