1 Week Old

I can't believe that Finn is already 1 week old today.  I think I forgot just how much newborns sleep! He was a little more alert last night and today some, but for the most part he eats and sleeps with not a ton of "play time."  I am looking forward to him being more alert, but for now I am enjoying our snuggle time!

Here are some pictures from yesterday.  Last night I warmed up a small bottle of breast milk and Shawn fed it to him, it was sweet.

Sleeping - he is doing great, especially at night he will sleep for 5-7 hours.  {Although he is NOT a fan of the bassinet, which stinks.}

Feeding - Finn is nursing well.  I have to wake him up often while feeding; he'll get his fill and then want to sleep, then wake up 10 minutes later and nurse again.  Still not sure about my milk supply this go round yet.  He seems satisfied after nursing and sleeps more sound than the other two did at this age, so those are good signs and my chest is not sore, so I know he has a good latch.  I have only pumped twice since being home (finding the time to pump is hard) and both times I produced less than an ounce (total).  I know that the baby does a better job of getting milk than a machine does, but it was disappointing barely getting anything.  So far I have not had to supplement with formula, but if/when I do I know he will be just fine, as my other two are. :-)

Diapers - He has plenty of wet diapers, but it seems like his poop diapers are starting to slow down a bit.  I take him Wednesday morning to the pediatrician for a check-up and hope to receive a good assessment on him.

Below are some pictures from today.  Jase is so sweet with him.  Today he got up on my bed and said "It's me, your big brother, Jase."  He and Allyson both call him "Finny" and it's too cute.

Getting Settled In

Things are going well at home with Baby Finn. I'm not going to lie though, the first night at home was pretty rough. I think I got 1 hour of sleep before 5 am. It's not that he was really fussy, he just did not want to sleep in his bassinet. Last night was much better and he woke up twice during the night/morning for a diaper change and feeding. We gave him his first bath at home and I think that helped him relax for bedtime.



Today Shawn took the kids to run errands for a few hours and it was nice relaxing at the house with Finn and I actually took a nap with him. :-) So far he has been great at home and is really a content baby. He is still feeding well, which is such a blessing. I forgot how exciting changing a poopy diaper can be! Seriously though, wet and poopy diapers are a great sign to him getting enough food. Here is our little man this afternoon.



This evening Shawn and I were sitting on the couch and I looked at him and asked if he would do me a favor and he said sure. "Will you go get me a chocolate malt?" "Absolutely" he said. A little while later he shows up with this.


Yes, it is that big! First thing that came to mind is from Dumb and Dumber "big gulp, aye?" I did not know that had a large size . . . this could be trouble for future weight loss!

As for Jase and Allyson, they are doing great with him. Jase is in awe with Finn and asks to hold him all the time. Ally thinks he is too cute and she always has a kiss for him on his forehead. We are loving our family of 5 and feel beyond blessed.

Home Sweet Home

We made it home safe and sound this afternoon with our new little addition! When we were pulling up we noticed the yard had been cut and balloons were out front welcoming us home. Aunt Alisha had the kids inside with fresh cards made on the table. Today is my birthday, so it was a double celebration! :-)

The house looked great!! Alisha had picked up, cleaned the floors, and Ally was down for her nap! I cannot tell you enough what a blessing that was to come home to. Not that I was feeling stressed, but that made me that much more relaxed knowing we did not have "jobs" to do, except enjoy our family of 5. Thank you so much Alisha and Joseph, y'all are such a blessing to us!

It was nice being home with the kids in their own element. While I thoroughly enjoyed having them up at the hospital and seeing them with their new baby brother, there is only so much they can do up there without getting too loud or wild and crazy!

Finn is doing great and is a wonderful eater! Praise God! It probably helps that this is my 3rd go round and I am a little more relaxed this time. This experience in the hospital was the best thus far with a baby. I felt very relaxed and Finn has been awesome, rarely crying. When they gave him his potassium shot and drew blood for his jaundice test, he did not cry any! I remember that being traumatic for the other two.

As for me, I am doing well. I am starting to feel a little sore though. Not sure if it's from sleeping in a hospital bed for 2 nights or if my body is feeling the pains from labor and delivery. I took Motrin in the hospital and now Tylenol at home and hopefully that will do the trick.

On top of having wonderful friends and family, I have an amazing husband. He is such a great helper and team player. No job is too small for him, whether that's filling up my water cup around the clock, being friendly to the nurses or changing diapers (I'm know he changed more than me in the hospital). What a blessing to have him home with me this week! Love you, babe!

Introducing Finn Michael French

This morning I woke up early and asked Shawn if he had any meetings and if he could work from home. I had a feeling that today was the day. I had my first contraction at 6:04 AM and they were 8 minutes apart for about 30 minutes and then became 6-7 minutes apart. We called the on-call doctor and told her our situation and she said to come on in. We left the house at 7:17 AM and headed to the hospital. It was about 8:00 AM by the time I got up to labor and delivery.

I got checked into my room and my nurse registered me . . . oops, I forgot to preregister!! My nurse checked me and I was 6 cm. My doctor came by soon after that to see how I was doing. I got up to use the restroom around 9:45 and was in some pain. I decided at that point to get the epidural; there was no way I wanted to get up again and feel that pressure! Dr. Anding came back around 10:20 AM and checked me and I was 8 cm and he decided to rupture my water since my contractions were pretty regular at 4 mins apart. He asked the nurse to check me in an hour at 11:20 and to let him know how I was doing.

I was still in quite a bit of pain and feeling every contraction, even after the epidural. Anesthesia came in and gave me some pain medicine straight into my epidural. They did this pretty frequently until I delivered. The same thing happened with Ally as well and that's why I was holding off on getting the epidural since it did not work as expected. Anesthesia said that when you progress so fast, sometimes the medicine doesn't have a chance to kick in. Since I kept feeling a lot of pressure, my nurse decided to check me around 11:00 and I was at 10 cm and fully effaced. She called for the doctor to get the ball rolling.

After 4-5 rounds of pushing, Finn Michael French made his debut at 11:28 am weighing in at 8 lbs 5 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. Such a sweet and beautiful baby boy! He nursed great the first hour and has since then as well. I can't believe that he is here! We are so blessed to have Finn with us and his older brother and sister are so excited as well!

Baby Shower Love

After several attempts in turning down a baby shower, they pulled one off!!  Michelle, Rachel, my mom and sister gave me a baby shower today.  Everything was perfect from the decor to the food to the fellowship . . . I loved it all!  I am so blessed to have so many people support me and our family as we welcome our third child, Finn Michael, into this world.

I adored the orange and turquoise theme and appreciated all the details that went into it!  Right up my alley! :-)

My sister, mom and MawMaw made super this cute fruit baby in a watermelon carriage.  It turned out great and was oh so tasty!!  The food was absolutely delicious and the dessert spread was a HUGE hit as well!

Very thankful for all of the friendships that are represented below; so many sweet and thoughtful people.

I got so many wonderful gifts!  After church tomorrow I plan on sitting down in Finn's room and going through it all . . . it will feel like Christmas all over again!! ;-)

So many family members were there to support the arrival of baby Finn!  So blessed!

One picture below stands out to me.  It is the one in the bottom lefthand corner with my cousin Amy, her daughter Avery, Allyson and myself.  How neat . . . girl cousins with their baby girls! :)

So thankful for friends.  It was great seeing all of them and sharing this special time with friends that love you.

And Michelle, my best friend!  We started attending our current church over 9 years ago and Jay and Michelle were probably one of the first couples we met and bonded with.  Our friendship has flourished so much over the years and I am very thankful that God has placed her in my life. 

Ok, so this was a very sweet picture of me and Allyson.  We were both looking at the camera and smiling!!  That is a BIG deal for Allyson these days.  She is my little mini me (a.k.a. shadow) and I love her dearly!

Outdoor Play

I'll be the first to admit that we just haven't really been outside much these past few weeks. Either it has been too hot, raining, kids have been sick or we have just been enjoying the AC! This evening we all 4 went outside and it was pretty nice out. I am hoping tonight will start a trend!!

Finn's Nursery

We finished Finn's nursery tonight.  Yippee!!  We completed our last project this evening (thanks Hubby) and I am happy with how the room turned out.  Not sure if I've mentioned this before or if you've never been to my home, but Finn's room is attached to our bedroom so he'll be close by for the next year or so.  This attached study was definitely a selling feature we loved when we purchased the house about 4 1/2 years ago.  It has been Ally's first room, an office and now will be Finn's first room too.

I was so excited when I saw this pin on Pinterest a few weeks ago and immediately was on the hunt for hanging planter boxes.  I was trying to find the semi-circle ones like in the pin, but was unable to find them.  I found some longer rectangular ones at Lowe's and they work great for what I am using them for.  Shawn spray painted them brown and we lined the bottom with cardboard (that was spray painted as well) so things would not fall out.

Here is Finn's nursery from wall to wall.  All of the furniture and bedding is from Jase's nursery.  The green chair and foot stool belonged to my Grandma Leonard and I thought it matched the nursery decor really well.  The brown koala bear hanging on the wall was in my room when I was a baby.

And Jase's nursery (below) a little over 5 years ago!  You'll see several repeated items in the two rooms.  At first when I found out I was having another boy I wanted to get new bedding, but after I got out the bedding I fell in love with it again and am happy I stuck with it.  Plus we love animals over here, so it works!

I'm getting so excited for Finn's arrival!  Everyday that passes is one day closer to meeting, holding, kissing, etc. him! :-)

07.18.2012 - Dr Appt

Well, last night will most likely not be my last supper before the baby arrives!! And I am completely fine with that; I want him to come when he's ready, although I must admit that I am just about ready! ;-)

My blood pressure today was 110/78 and the baby's heart rate was 142 BPM.  Weight . . . OH MY WORD!!  Can you say 7 lb gain in 7 days?!?!?!  YIKES!!  This past week I have definitely started to feel swollen and I think 1/2 lb is in my top lip.  Remember Wanda from In Living Color?  That's about where I'm at right now!!

I told my doctor that I definitely feel swollen and he said "Yes, 7 lbs in one week, I bet you do.  I couldn't eat enough food to gain 7 lbs in one week.  It is all water weight and it's like you're carrying around a gallon of water." I told him "let's hope it is all water!" I know I should NOT be focusing on my weight right now, but wowsers . . . that was insane!  It definitely made me rethink lunch plans and go home and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Oh and before I get to the exam, the nurse (who I haven't seen a lot of) was just about to leave the room and said "ok 37 weeks, so no pelvic exam yet." I told her no that I had one last week and that I will be 38 weeks on Friday.  Are you kidding?!?!  I didn't drive out to the Medical Center to shake hands with the doctor!!  She said ok and handed me a sheet to cover up with.  Crazy!

Onto the exam.  Without getting completely graphic, the doctor had to work extra to reach the cervix and said that the baby has a ways to go in the pelvic area.  Then he looked at my chart and said that the baby is actually sitting higher this week than last week and said he doesn't want to hurt me or put me into labor by checking me, so he is just going to say that I am the same as last week: 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  He said that is normal and sometimes it happens.  I honestly have no idea how that is possible, because sometimes I feel like the baby might make his debut when I stand up.

My doctor told me that I am one of his routine patients and that he is very thankful for that and everything was completely fine with this pregnancy.  So blessed to hear that.  I made my appointment for next Wednesday and we'll go from there!

The Last Supper?

Nanny treated us to dinner tonight (Tuesday) at Cheddar's and it was yummy! I ordered a kid's burger just so I could have dessert!!  I would highly recommend the Cookie Monster, super tasty!! ;-))  We got to visit with Nanny, Aunt Alisha and MawMaw, which was a treat in itself.  Here are a few Instagram pics from Alisha.

I doubt this will be my last supper before the baby, but the thought did cross my mind.  Tomorrow I have a check-up in the morning and I am super excited to see what little Finn has been up to this past week! :-)  I FINALLY packed my bag for the hospital just a few minutes ago; I feel much better!  Shawn and I also worked on the baby's room and got things hung on the wall.  We have a couple more things to hang that are still drying in the garage, so hopefully tomorrow night.  I did finish his name tonight and FINN is hanging on his wall.  Here is a picture (from my phone, so the quality is not so great).

I mod podged scrapbook paper to 8x10 canvases, painted letters and glued them to the canvases, once dry.  I have only worked with mod podge a few times, so this was a little of a trial and error (quite a bit of error) project.  I used way too much mod podge and some, ok the majority of the canvases are wrinkly, but I am happy with it.  And I really like the way his name looks vertical on the wall.  Hopefully we'll finish the other project tomorrow and I'll show you the rest of the room! :-)

Oh and while packing my bag, I pulled out some sleepers, onesies, socks, hats and pants for little man and it was so surreal.  I mean, is this really happening??  Am I really about to have a baby?? I am excited and nervous at the same time.  Then when I was putting his clothes in my bag and showing Shawn these adorable newborn onesies, I was on the verge of tears.  I just can't believe that I am about to have a little baby.

Dearest Finn,

Mommy and Daddy are so excited to meet you.  We have been praying for you before you were in Mommy's tummy.  We know that you will be a perfect addition to our family and your older brother and sister can't wait to meet you as well and they already love you so much!! God speed little man and can't wait to hold and kiss you.

All My Love,

Mommy 

The Painted Potter

Aunt Alisha treated the kids today to a little art project at The Painted Potter.  Jase picked out a football bank and we were looking for a teacup for Allyson, but couldn't find one.  We ended up getting her an ice cream sundae bowl.  As we were picking out colors little Ally started shutting down and just was not feeling it at all.  She has been doing this lately with new places and will tell me that she just wants to go home.  I'm not sure if she is getting anxiety about being somewhere new with new people, but I feel bad for her.  She was like this at a birthday party this past weekend, at swim lessons, at a baseball game, at Chick-fil-a, and many other places as well in the past month or so.  I don't know if something was sparked at Disney World and her being scared, but it seems like this fear has been heightened since then.  Praying that this is just a phase and it passes soon.

This is what she did for over half of our time there
(when she wasn't hanging onto me)

Jase painted himself a little camouflage football.  Telling a 5 year old boy to put 3 coats of paint on is almost impossible.  He thought he was finished after 10 minutes of starting.  Aunt Alisha was great and helped point out many areas that he needed to repaint. 

As for Ally's sundae bowl, I took over and painted it for her.  Then as I am basically starting to finish up, she decides she wants to paint . . . and mess up my masterpiece?! ;-)  Don't worry, she was able to paint her bowl and enjoyed it.

Baby Preparation: Room and Prayer

Sunday evening . . . I am still with child and Shawn made it home safely last night.  :-)  Those are definitely two blessings I am thankful for.  I was able to attend Sunday School and our Worship Service this morning, which I had not been able to do in the past 3 weeks either due to teaching Children's Church or kids being sick.  We also attended the service this evening and the youth shared testimonies from camp this past week and a bible verse that spoke to them.  Several kids, and I mean probably close to 20 kids shared and it was such a blessing to hear how God is moving in their lives.  Tonight as a family we prayed for all the youth to continue to stand strong in their faith and for God to give them the strength to fight temptations and trials as they are back at home now.  Crazy to think that Jase, Allyson and Finn will one day go to youth camp!

So we have hit a major road bump block with potty training.  :-(  It's like her "want to" has left.  This evening before bed she did potty just a drop in her potty, so she got to put a sticker on her poster and she got a reward for putting a sticker on #5.  I am hoping her princess crayons and stickers will ignite the potty training flame again.  Tomorrow is a new day!  Trying to stay positive here!

The baby's room is coming together . . . finally!  I am almost finished with his name letters for the wall.  They are definitely not perfect, which bothers me some, but you know Finn will not mind and they are almost completed and there are other things to check off the list!  I'll take some pics of the finished product and post later this week.  After church this afternoon we ran some errands and I found a large carpet rug for his room at Lowe's.  It is huge (5'x7') and was only $25!!  Very excited about that purchase.  I also found some things for the walls there and I can't wait to get them painted and mounted this week.

My next appointment is Wednesday morning.  I am definitely not in any rush to have him, but I am anxious to see if I am still 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced or if I progressed more . . . time will tell!  We are praying for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy.  We also are praying for God to be with the doctor and the delivery team and my body and pray that all goes "routine" as possible.  This may be TMI, but we are also praying for an abundance of breast milk.  I breastfed Jase and Allyson, but my flow was so low and it became a struggle (especially with Jase - he was crying, I was crying, Shawn was crying . . . memories!).  I tried just about every tip and home remedy I came across: herbal tea, fenugreek, blessed thistle, warm compresses, massages, adjust their latch, pump then nurse, drink water nonstop, contact a lactation consultant, rent a hospital-grade pump.  I'm sure I am missing a few other things from the list.  I nursed both of them for a year and had to supplement with formula as well, which I know is fine and doesn't make me a "bad mom", but I was just so head strong about breastfeeding that it was a huge tug-o-war battle in my mind at first.  So to go along with my previous statement of staying positive: 3rd time's a charm!! 

Rainy Days

Wow . . . we have been getting some rain these past two days.  Definitely not complaining, but it has kept us in the house quite a bit.  Yesterday afternoon we did get out for an hour or so and ran an errand, but other than that we have been at home.  We have stayed busy with school, playing kitchen, sharpening our Jedi skills, and such. 

I am 37 weeks today and considered full term.  The baby has been extra active since my exam on Wednesday.  Not sure if my doctor kick-started something, but Finn has been moving up a storm.  Now that I know that I am progressing I am very aware of every little pain and movement I feel.  I keep thinking "Is this it?"  I'm sure it is a complete mind game, but I am becoming paranoid.  Can't wait for hubby to be back home for sure.

My sister went to get a pedicure this morning and asked if me and Ally wanted to join her.  I told her that Ally could, but I was going to hang at the house.  I had a friend that got a pedicure or a foot rub and right after that she went into labor . . . no thank you!  Could be a complete coincidence, but I'll save that for next weekend! ;-)

07.11.2012 - Dr Appt

This morning I went to the doctor to see how Finn was doing.  I am 36 1/2 weeks and this was the first time to be checked by the doctor.  My blood pressure was 124/74, Finn's heart was beating 156 BPM (he was moving around while she was checking it!), and I measured 36 cm on the outside of my uterus.  Every pregnancy is different, so I was trying not compare this one with the other two, but it is hard not to!  Before Dr. Anding examined me I told him that I was curious to see where things stood and he said "well, we're not taking any bets!"  He doesn't get as excited as I do!! Well, I am 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  Dr. Anding said that is typical with the 3rd child.  At this same time, I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced with Jase and nothing with Allyson.  I thought I was 1 cm with her, but I looked back today and read that my cervix was completely closed and not thinned out any.

So, it could be next week or could be in 3 weeks, you just never know.  I told Dr. Anding that Shawn is going out of town tomorrow and he asked for how long and I said for 3 days.  He said that should be fine and that I should have another week or so.  I made my appointment for next Wednesday, so we shall see what that brings.

I was able to eat lunch with Shawn today, which is always a treat when we get to sit down and enjoy a meal, just the two of us.  He was excited about the news, but also a huge realization that this could happen any day now.  Joking around I told him that I was going to run a marathon this weekend and do some body weight exercises at our local park.  He said "You better not do anything this weekend!!" We laughed!!  In all seriousness the following people will be out of town this weekend: Shawn, Mom, Stepdad, and Shawn's parents.  Talk about a perfect storm!!  Let's hope that it doesn't happen this weekend, but it obviously has crossed my mind.

No more fever?

Both kids slept in their own bed ALL night last night!!  Wahoo!!  Last week we were out of our routine with company over for 2 nights and then Ally being sick for 4 days.  Don't get me wrong we enjoyed the company, it just had Ally in our bed for those two nights and then she ended up getting sick, so it has been a struggle getting her back on track.

And this morning she woke up without a fever!  Double Wahoo!!  Praise God!  And she has been back to her "normal" self today as well.  The whining has almost diminished, which is wonderful news . . . if I'm being honest yesterday was rough!  She does have some congestion, but I'm glad the fever is gone and hopefully gone for good.

Today during our bible study we spoke about Day 5 of Creation where God created the birds and fish.  We recently bought a laminated birds guide with tons of birds on it and I had Jase look at it and he identified certain ones and I explained how wise God is to create all of these different types of birds with different colored feathers and features.  Pretty amazing if you stop and think about it.  Then for the sea life I found this cool Virtual World: Deep Sea from National Geographic that allows you to experience the deep sea through a Crittercam deployed on a sperm whale.  You click on a sea creatures that come in your path and when you do, a facts page comes up about the creature you found.  Jase loves the Wild Kratts show on PBS and is really into learning all about animals and their prey and who their predator is, and National Geographic provides this information when the facts page comes up.  There is not a ton of mouse movement, so it was perfect for Jase and he ended up going through it 3 times.  Ally was even intrigued and she watched him quite a bit and would say the creatures "giant squid, sperm whale."  They have other Virtual Worlds and I cannot wait to incorporate them with future lessons.

One more thing.  We were reviewing letters that we went over last week and I had him make the letters out of play dough.  After he finished making the letters it was free time to do whatever he wanted with the play dough.  He ended up making a little girl and boy for his Aunt Alisha and Uncle JoJo and wanted me to text it to both of them, so I did.  Then when Aunt Alisha texted back and said she loved it, he asked about Uncle JoJo.  I told him that he still might be asleep.  He said "oh yeah, Uncle JoJo is octurnal."  I said "nocturnal?" Jase said "Yes, he works really late and then sleeps during the day!"  Too cute!

Weekend Update

This weekend has come and gone. We stayed at home most of the weekend since little sister is still running a fever.  :-(  Tonight makes 4 days of running a fever.  The doctor said she would run a fever 3-4 days and she definitely has.  We prayed tonight that her fever will break soon.  Oh and she no longer wants to take medicine to keep the fever down.  We fought her tooth and nail this morning at 5:15 for 45 minutes to get 1 tsp of ibuprofen down, but she was not having it.  After church I asked Shawn to pick up some Tylenol chewables for her.  When he got home she took two of them like it was nothing . . . we were SO excited!!  Then when it came around for her next dose, she would NOT take them!!  So frustrating.  Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully she will not need them anyway, but she is set on not taking any medicine.  Aside from her not feeling well, she has not been herself these past few days.  Very whiny and cranky, which is unlike her.  Praying for a fresh start tomorrow and patience for me!

The food plan went pretty well this week.  I ended up scrapping one dinner meal later in the week because we had so many leftovers and Shawn is currently on a strict fruits and veggies eating plan, so it makes it hard to finish up a 9x13 casserole dish when it is usually only Jase and I eating.  All and all the plan has been great though.  I know what we are scheduled to have each day for every meal and yesterday I bought all of the food for the week, so in theory I am set!

My first week of homeschool wasn't bad at all.  Even with Allyson being sick half of the week, we were still able to do 4 days (we took off the 4th).  I still have a lot to iron out and add to our morning routine, but for the most part it is getting there.  Tomorrow we will be starting a weather graph.  The kids will look outside and see if the weather is sunny, rainy, cloudy or windy and chart it on our bar graph I made.  At the end of the month we will be able to see what kind of weather we had that month and which category had the most and least.  I think Jase will enjoy it.

The baby's room is coming right along.  Nothing is on the walls, but all of the furniture is in place and the bedding has been washed and is on his bed.  I am using the same bedding from Jase and it works for sure.  We've washed 4 loads of baby clothes from Jase and his dresser is now full!!  Shawn was folding some of the clothes earlier and started laughing and said "We're about to have another baby!"  Hard to believe we are down to the final weeks now.  :-)

A little illness

These past two days have been pretty low key for us at the French household.  Wednesday night after coming home from church, Allyson felt warm and has had a fever ever since.  I ended up taking her to the doctor today because her temperature was still 103 degrees this morning with basically no other symptoms.  Ears looked fine, no congestion, but the doctor said her throat was red with a couple of puss pockets.  They tested her for strep, but it was negative, which means that she has a viral throat infection.  The doctor said that fever and sore throat will probably last 3-4 days and then congestion and runny nose may follow for 10 days or so.  :(  She also said that she has seen a lot of these viral throat infections lately and that they can hurt just as bad as strep throat, with no antibiotics to treat it.  We are giving her ibuprofen for pain and to keep her fever down.  We are praying that her fever breaks soon.

As for Jase, he went over to Aunt Alisha's while I took her to the doctor.  It was a real treat for him to spend one-on-one time with Alisha and Joseph.  As soon as I told him this morning where he was going he immediately asked if he could bring his Star Wars pods and I said sure.  Alisha sent this picture to me and obviously he was soaking up the time with his Uncle JoJo!!

After we came home, we ate lunch and I laid sister down for a nap.  Jase and I were able to have our time together for school and it went well.  I've really been wanting to get him on the computer more and have him navigate more on his own.  This afternoon was a perfect time to do that.  Last week I found a website with some free math games, so we checked it out and he found a couple that he liked.  It was great helping him and watching his little brain problem solve to pop the balloons.  And before going to bed tonight he remembered that he wanted to show Daddy, so the three of us went into our bedroom and watched Jase play.  Of course he thinks he is a pro now (or "master" as he refers to himself) . . . we need to work on being humble just a little!

Oh and 36 weeks today . . . I can't believe that I have 4 weeks left.  In the beginning it felt like time would not pass fast enough, but once I hit about half way it has been going by super fast.  I'm getting really excited about meeting our little Finn. I even had a dream last night that I was in the hospital with him.  EEK!!  I'm so excited!!

Happy 4th of July

What a full day!  This morning Shawn went golfing with all the boys in his family and Jase went on his first golf outing!!  Shawn said that Jase had a blast and on the way home Jase said "I had a really good time golfing today!"  So sweet!  Shawn is excited that he will be able to start playing golf at such an early age.

Later we went over to Shawn's parents' house to eat and enjoy the 4th together.  Shawn's older sister, Kimberly, broke out a little science experiment and the boys had a fun time playing with it.  When you add cornstarch and water together, it will act like both a solid and a liquid.  {Reminds me of the metallic material that was in Terminator.  Remember?}  Anyway, it was neat.

We rounded everyone up for some family pictures and getting everyone to smile and look at the camera at the same time is always a challenge!!  Hopefully the big group picture that is on Grandpa's camera turned out nicely.

Yesterday during school I explained to Jase what Independence Day was all about.  I told him that Great Britain was taxing the United States and making more rules for us, so a group of men got together and created the Declaration of Independence back in July 1776 and did not want Great Britain to rule over them anymore.  I told him that they had to be very brave to do this and when they signed their name to this document, that Great Britain could have punished these men, even putting them to death.  The same goes for all the soldiers who fight for our country's freedom, they are putting their life on the line for this very same reason.  Then I related it to living for Jesus and how sometimes people do not like us or what we stand for, but we strive to live for the Lord because we feel and believe this is what God wants for our life according to His word.  Thank you Jesus for your ultimate sacrifice and the grace you give; we do not deserve it.  And thank you to the men and women of this country who have either given their life or put their life in jeopardy so we may have freedom.  God bless you.

Jase lost his first tooth!

This evening we went to Shawn's parents to visit with his family.  Jase was playing with one of his older cousins and all of a sudden his tooth fell out . . . right into his hand!!  I'm so glad this was NOT a traumatic experience, since all of his other dental experiences have been pretty eventful to say the least.

He is getting too big!!

First Day: Homeschool & Meal Planner

I can honestly say that today was a great day. I actually got out of bed when my alarm went off and did not snooze it 5 times.  I took a bath and got ready for the day before the kids were even awake.  Sad to say, that doesn't not happen very often.  I set Jase's alarm for 8:30 since today we had our first day of kindergarten homeschool!! :)  (Jase was SUPER excited last night when we were tucking him in bed and I told him that tomorrow was his first day of school!)  Jase ended up waking up on his own at 8:00; he got dressed and made his bed before coming downstairs.  Then Ally woke up, even though she could have easily slept for another hour . . . she is my sleeper, takes after her Daddy! ;-)

We were all dressed by 8:30 and ahead of schedule in my book.  We sat at the kitchen table and had breakfast together (according to the meal plan), then headed upstairs for school.  We began right at 9:00, which is what I had envisioned, so it was nice to see your plans on paper actually work out.  We started our school day with prayer, asking God to bless our homeschool time together.  While I still have a lot of work to do with prepping and setting things up, we got through everything that I wanted to.  And little sister was right beside us the whole time, coloring away.  ;-)  Of course not everything went perfect and Jase did ask if we were finished yet and how much longer a few times, but we finished.  I've been reading on some organizational methods to help with this, that way he knows exactly what is expected of him and how much work he has to finish each day, but it will just take time to implement.  For tomorrow I did put green sticky notes (I have a few of them!) on all the pages/activities I have planned and he can remove them once finished. This should be a good visual for him on what he has left to do.  And we will get there, but baby steps for now.

We ended up sticking to the meal plan all day long, which was great.  And Jase even asked about our afternoon snack (grapes, cheese cubes and wheat ritz crackers) and was excited about it.  I know that today was only Day 1 and there will be days when plans change, but it was nice to have a plan and stick to it.

This afternoon I took the kids over to Shawn's parent's house to visit.  Shawn's older brother is in town with his three boys and his sister was also over with her three boys and Shawn's little brother's son was there as well.  With our two, there were nine grandchildren at the house; all boys except Miss Allyson.  Jase had a great time playing with his cousins and really enjoyed playing with the older boys too; I loved seeing them show him attention and taking the time to play with him.  Makes me think what it would be like if Jase had an older brother or how he is going to be as an older brother! And yes, if you didn't know Shawn is the middle child of 5 children, so he has a big family.  :-)