Sweet Amelia-Grace

After six very long, stressful, anxious days past her due date, my sweet girl finally arrived on Saturday, November 17th at 1:51 PM. She was shockingly chubby and much bigger than any of her brothers at birth, weighing in at impressive 9 pounds 7 ounces and being 21 1/4 inches long. I'm so grateful she is here and have rarely put her down in the last month. Our family is truly blessed. And big. :) Welcome to our chaos, Carolyn Amelia-Grace Brooks. Mommy loves you!

P.S. When I have a spare hour I will write and post A-G's birth story. However, I have to find some free time first while running after my four kids. Wish me luck!

Due Date Torture

Today, is allegedly the day my #4 should arrive. Ha, ha to that. I'm not holding my breath. Like I told my students, a due date is a reasonable estimate of when the doctors think a baby will come. Too bad I'm not feeling very reasonable right now. :(

I think I got a little too excited on Friday when my midwife said that I was 3-4 centimeters and that the baby could arrive any time. Apparently, my daughter is really comfy. If nothing else, my midwife told me that I could be induced on the 18th if Miss A-G doesn't come on her own before then. At least that end is in sight.

The End Seems So Much Longer than the Beginning

How do five days (and I am simply hoping it's no more than five) seem so short when you are on a great vacation, but when it comes to your due date, it seems like FOR-E-VER?  Pregnancy is really a phenomenon. The first 36 weeks go by at a good rate, and then BAM! The last four weeks drag by, like you're a little kid waiting for Christmas. At this point, it's pure torture.

The nursery is now complete and completely adorable. :) We had to be careful in our color and theme choices as we're putting Collin and Amelia-Grace together, and I didn't want the room to be too girly or too boyish either. I think we did a good job with a combination of lavendar and sage green with lots of pastel polka dots. I'll post pictures later.

The hospital bags have now been packed and repacked. In Amelia-Grace's bag, I have her coming home dress (which my mom and I both wore), booties, and bonnet pressed and ready to be worn.  In my enormous bag, there is vending machine change, popcorn, and candy for late night consumption. Plus, my mom has all the Twilight movies for a vampire marathon packed in her's. Clearly, we are ready.

Dear little girl, Mommy can't breathe, roll over comfortably, or sleep without five to six potty breaks during the night. Please show your sweet self SOON! I might could be bribed to give you a pony if you do. :)

18 Days...and Counting

November 11th is just around the corner, and yet....it seems SO far away. I'm praying that my little girl is like McLain and Collin and decides to make her debut a few days early. Am I  ready? No. The nursery is only about 60% finished. I've only washed half of her (EXTENSIVE) wardrobe. My hospital bag is still on my "to do" list. However, I am so physically exhausted and emotionally/hormonally drained that I can't bear the thought of doing this much longer. Like my mother pointed out, all you really need is diapers, wipes, and some onesies. Check, check, and check to them! Hurry up, Amelia-Grace. Mama is ready to meet you!

It's a WHAT?

Wednesday proved to be a very hectic day. In the morning, the boys and I spent a lot of time at Walgreen's while I had my biometric screening completed. Then, we had to head back home for Collin's nap and lunch before we could go to my doctor's appointment. By this point, I was overwhelmed and feeling a lot of pressure about this baby's gender. I was certainly relieved that the great mystery was about to be over!

When we got to my OB/GYN's office, a small crew of my supporters sat with me in the waiting room, including Clay, my three boys, and my parents. When the ultrasound tech called my name, we all walked to the room together, laughing about how this baby would be boy #4 for sure. As everyone claimed a seat or a spot against the wall in the dark room, I crawled up on the table, had my belly smeared with warm gel, and the tech began surveying my very active fourth child. Almost immediately, Keaton asked, "Where is the penis?" I love that he was so ready to get down to business!

Only a minute or so had passed before the ultrasound tech scrolled between the baby's legs and paused for us to take a look. Much to my SHOCK, as well as the rest of the family's, there was NO penis. Baby #4 is a GIRL! I made the tech check several times, because I just knew that a certain anatomy part was simply hiding from our view. However, she assured me that was not the case. Oh. My. Stars. A future with pink???

After spending the rest of the afternoon in a cloud of disbelief, the boys, Clay, and I prepared to tell the rest of our families the big news. However, because their initial responses about boys #2 and #3 were less than completely enthusiastic, I decided it was time for a little, fun pay back. On each boys' chest I wrote a word in black marker. KP's said, "It's." Collin's said, "a." McLain's said, "boy!" The big boys were so excited to flash this sentence at dinner. On Clay's belly, I carefully wrote "Just kidding!" On my belly, I taped a pink and purple sign that read, "It's a girl!" Even though we were still in shock that the baby was actually a girl, we were very ready to trick the family. :)

When we got to Los Bravos,Clay and I carefully arranged the boys' seating, so that we were all in order. After a couple of minutes, I gave the boys the green light, and they stood up and yelled "It's-a-boy!" as they flashed the words on their chests. Everyone started laughing and cheering. After a brief pause, Clay pulled up his shirt, and then I flashed my belly. There was a big pause in our group as everyone processed what my belly said. To add to the family confusion and my delight, Keaton then yelled several times "No, it's a BOY!" Everyone was looking at me, and then the yelling of "Well, which one is it???"began. It was hilarious. I'm so glad we shared our news that way.

Needless to say, everyone is thrilled that this baby is a girl. Keaton is determined that her name shall be Pudding. While I appreciate the originality of his idea, I told him that that could be the baby's nickname, not her real name. Mommy and Daddy have other ideas.

Welcome to the crazy family Miss Amelia Grace Brooks. We can't wait to meet you!

Today is the BIG Day

At 2:00 this afternoon, we find out what baby #4 is. Although I'm pretty darn confident that this baby is another boy, I know there is a 50% chance that it's not. We shall see...today! :)

I'm What?...Oh. My. Gosh.

Babies are a gift from God. I've been told that all my life. I watch and adore 19 Kids and Counting. That's practically their family motto. However, I was quite shocked, really more like stunned, to learn that God was blessing us with an unexpected gift, baby #4. I mean, really? What teacher has four kids??? Several weeks after learning this surprising news, we are definitely excited and most of the shock has worn off. Whew! Thank you, God, for our unexpected gift from You! We can't wait until November to meet our newest baby, which this Mama is assuming will be her 4th boy. :)

Busy Winter

It seems like this winter is really flying by, but it seems that every season seems to do that now. I guess when you're life is hectic, everything happens too fast. :)

Collin is now ten months old. He started crawling two weeks ago, which blew my mind away. McLain and even dare devil Keaton didn't crawl until ten and a half months. Collin loves to crawl into the kitchen (baby gate put back up-check!) and to any cord he can find. Too bad we can't create a cord free house! We are still waiting on his first tooth to show up. There have been two false alarms, and my mom is convinced that a corner of a tooth on the top peeked out for a day and then retracted. I think what she saw was more wishful thinking than anything else. Collin learned to clap this week, which I find completely adorable of course, especially in combination with his big drooly grin.

McLain's activities seem endless some days. He has art club, science olympiad, and is about to start soccer next week. He and his Daddy built a trebuchet for the school science fair two weeks ago. This project was an all weekend affair. I cannot tell you how many clementines and baseballs were launched across my front yard. However, the trouble was well worth it, because he earned first place in the science fair. Yay, Clainy!

Keaton is really excited to start soccer this season. He has been watching and waiting on the sidelines for his turn for three years. He is so ready to play now that he's a big five year old! :) Poor thing missed the cut off last year by seven days. Lately, he has fallen in his big brother's foot steps and has become obsessed with Lego's. Saturday, he came running in my room, and announced, "Mama! God wants us to SHARE!" Even thought I appreciate that he knows this concept, I was immediately suspicious and asked, "What's McLain not sharing?" With angry eyebrows in place, Keaton yelled, "His Lego's!" Silly boys.

In Honor of Keaton's 5th Birthday

Keaton’s Birth Story

By His Mommy

We waited five very long years to begin trying for our second child. Wanting to be rid of our tiny, two bedroom duplex and secure in a house, my husband insisted on waiting for what felt like an eternity to me. Being a teacher, I had to consider and plan when the ideal time to become pregnant would be during the school year. We felt that February would be the earliest reasonable time for me to take maternity leave, so we counted down the days until May of 2006 when we could begin trying.

To our surprise conception occurred very quickly, after only a week and a half. I was suspicious that I was pregnant for several days before I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had been experiencing food aversions, intense fatigue, and endless weeping over unusual circumstances, such as watching a Memorial Day parade. My five year old and I went to Walgreen’s where I bought a pregnancy test for me and apple gum for him. I brought the test home and left it in the bathroom where I refused to think about it for two hours. In the middle of an episode of Oprah, I said a quick prayer, retrieved the Walgreen’s bag, and took the test, which was of course positive. I immediately dragged my husband off the computer to the bathroom where I showed him the test and then promptly burst into tears.

Almost two weeks after discovering that we were expecting, we told our son that “The Baby Boss” had answered his prayers and had put a baby in Mommy’s tummy. He was very excited and asked a lot of questions. That evening he gave my tummy a kiss, explaining that “the baby’s never had a kiss before.” After a few minutes of playing with his Legos, he changed his mind and said, “Actually, Mommy, that was probably the baby’s second kiss. I bet Jesus gave the baby his first kiss before he left heaven.” We knew then that he would be a very thoughtful big brother.

My second pregnancy proved to be very different from my first. I suffered from severe “morning sickness” that occurred from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed at night. Not only was I ravenously hungry, but also intensely repulsed at even the idea of food. I was thrilled when this misery finally stopped at 14 weeks. During the second and third trimesters, I experienced the typical pregnancy ailments: Heartburn, leg cramps, back pain, and an inability to take deep breaths. I was very much looking forward to the conclusion of my pregnancy.

At twenty weeks, my mother, husband, son, and I gathered in the ultrasound room in my OB/GYN’s office. After several minutes of checking the baby’s heartbeat and measurements, the technician informed us that another little boy was on his way. After pausing a moment, my son excitedly declared, “Mommy, it’s a boy fiesta!” Laughing, we all agreed with him.

My due date was Sunday, February 4^th. Unfortunately, that day came and went without a contraction. My doctor scheduled an induction for the following Friday. Having heard multiple horror stories about inductions, I prayed that one would not be necessary and that my little boy would appear on his own.

On Tuesday, February 6^th, I went to work as usual, feeling very annoyed that I was still hugely pregnant and having to teach. After school, I went to Target to pick up curtain rods for the nursery as the curtains had just been delivered, and they were the final item I needed to finish the nursery. That evening I went back to school for my grade level’s PTA performance. Despite being over 40 weeks pregnant, I conducted over 80 second graders as they sang a Japanese song about frogs. Occasionally, I would experience a contraction, but none that made me think that my baby would arrive soon.

That night I went to bed irritated that I would have to teach the next day when I would have much preferred to stay home and mentally prepare myself for my baby’s arrival. I fell asleep quickly about eleven o’clock. At three o’clock, just four hours later, I was awakened by my first real contraction. This contraction was painful, but I chose to ignore it, because I was convinced that this baby would come out only by an induction. Ten minutes later I experienced another contraction that was as painful as the first. At 3:30, I experienced a third contraction that was followed by a loud pop. Having read hundreds of birth stories during my pregnancy, I knew this sound was my water breaking. The pop was followed by a loud and very painful clanking sound, which was the baby’s head descending into the birth canal. I knew at this point the baby was finally on his way and an induction was not going to be necessary.

I chose not wake my husband yet because I assumed that we had many hours until we would have to leave for the hospital. I was even considering going into work for a few hours. Having had a 39 hour labor with my first son, I was not in a rush to leave for the hospital. After hearing the pop and feeling the baby start his descent into the birth canal, I got out of bed and waddled down the hall to the bathroom. I noticed I had a slow leak and decided to crawl back into bed to rest for a while longer. After getting back into bed, my contractions immediately increased in frequency and intensity. I grabbed my husband’s hand and squeezed through each one. Around 4:00, he awoke and asked me groggily if this was it.

By 4:30, I was crying and telling my husband that this labor was so much worse than my first and that I couldn’t bear it. If I had paid closer attention to what I was saying and how I was feeling, I would have realized that I was in transition at this point and should have rushed to the hospital. Instead I headed for the shower, insisting that I needed to be fresh and clean for my delivery.

The shower was a miserable experience. Each flurry of cleaning was halted by an excruciating contraction. I turned the shower massager on full blast and let the spray hit my stomach where the pain was most intense, desperately trying to find some relief. Repeatedly, I mumbled through my tears “What time I am afraid, I put my trust in Thee.” After an agonizing thirty minutes, I was finally shampooed, conditioned, scrubbed, and able to leave the shower.

Upon exiting the shower, I instructed my husband to call our families and his boss. Between contractions I quickly texted my friends and co-workers, letting them know my water had broken. My mother-in-law was due to arrive soon to pick up our son, while my mom was getting ready to meet us at the hospital later that morning.

Our son woke up during this time and was very excited to learn that his baby brother was on his way. However, I was unnerved at the thought of him watching me in pain. I told my husband to keep him out of the room as much as possible. Before he left to put on his clothes, my son said a prayer for me, asking God to “help Mommy be very brave.”

While I struggled to put on my makeup and fix my hair, my husband called his boss to notify him that he would not be coming into work. While he was on the phone, I yelled at him to hang up and hold my hand because my contractions were more than I could bear alone. At this point, I told my husband there was no time for him to take a shower and to call his mother to question where she was.

A few minutes before six, my mother-in-law arrived and took our son to her house. After having my husband snap my last pregnancy picture, I headed for the car. My husband grabbed my bags, tossed them in the back seat, and quickly took off. Giving him instructions to drive fast, I suffered through several contractions on the short ride to the hospital. As he drove, I begged my husband to pray that I was at least four centimeters and could get an epidural upon arriving. I was convinced that in the five years since my son was born I had become a complete wimp as this labor was so much more intense than I ever experienced with my first child.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot at 6:10. After struggling through a contraction, I quickly exited the car and headed for the registration desk. To my dismay, no one was at the desk when we entered the lobby. After two or three very long minutes passed, a receptionist meandered up to the desk and inquired about my social security number. Unable to speak for myself, my husband managed to supply this information after three failed attempts. I was extremely agitated that he could not remember my social security number, but I was neither able to voice my frustration nor the needed numbers. The receptionist took my insurance card and after I endured fifteen minutes of painful and very loud contractions, she declared that I was ready to go to triage. The receptionist questioned if I wanted a wheelchair. I asked her if she could get me one quickly. Her response was so slow that I determined walking would be faster and barked at my husband to get me to the elevator.

Upon entering triage at 6:30, I was met by the gazes of five nurses. I noted that I was their only patient and hoped that this meant I would be checked and given my epidural quickly. I was shown a room, given a gown, and told to undress. I quickly shed my clothes and put on the hospital gown between contractions. I lay down on the bed, grateful to be in a horizontal position to endure my contractions. When the nurse entered my room to hook me up to the monitor, I asked her to check me. She explained that she had to ask me a few questions first.

With agonizing slowness, the nurse inquired when my water had broken, when I had last drank anything, what my religious affiliation was, and when I had last had a b.m. At this last question, I lost my patience and yelled that I needed to be checked immediately because the baby was right there. While the nurse was scrambling to find someone to check me, I demanded that my husband pray for me and then promptly yelled at him because I could not hear his prayer over my own screams.

A new nurse entered the room and had me roll on to my back. Upon checking me, she said, “She’s nine centimeters, 100% effaced, and at a plus one station! Get her to delivery!” I was shocked to learn of my status, and then in the next moment my body was consumed by its first urge to push. As several nurses ran me from triage to the delivery room, I asked, “Am I going to be able to get my epidural?” I knew the answer even before the nurse replied, “Honey, you’ll have this baby before the anesthesiologist can even get up here.” Unhappily, I resigned myself to a natural child birth.

As I was rolled into the delivery room, I told my husband to call my mother and tell her to hurry. Medical personnel scurried around the room as I lay on my side and screamed through what felt like never-ending contractions and an all-consuming urge to push. I begged for water or ice chips as my throat was completely dry from my continuous screams, but I was repeatedly denied.

The nurse checked me again and said, “She just has a small lip left.” My body paid her no attention as it pushed of its own accord. The midwife ran into the room and had me begin pushing along with my body. After my first intentional push, I realized that I was solely responsible for getting this baby out of my body and for ending my pain. With the next contraction, I pushed as hard as I could, screaming, “Get out!” as he crowned. My mother ran into the room at this moment, having been directed upon exiting the elevator to “follow the screams.” She ran quickly to me to support my neck as my husband and a nurse supported my legs.

As I cried and gasped for breath before my final contraction, the midwife asked if I wanted to touch the baby’s head, and I quickly replied, “No!” I knew that doing so would make the delivery longer than necessary, and I wanted it over immediately. With one more push and several screams of “Get him out,” Keaton Parker Brooks entered this world at 7:08 a.m., just four hours after my first contraction. He weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces, was 20 and ½ inches long, and has been a great blessing to our family since his unexpectedly fast arrival.

New Blog

I'm gotten ambitious and have started a teaching blog. Please visit me at http://mrsbrooksnook.blogspot.com/!

So Long 2011

I can't believe that another year has come and gone. It seems the older I get the faster time flies. 2011 has been a wonderful year for our family, and I hope we are equally blessed in 2012.

McLain's 2011 Highlights

1. He has turned into a miniature Clay and will try anything if his Dad has already done it, including ordering beef chimichangas and wearing batman attire, even though last year he seemed to cool for it.
   
2. His uncles have become his heroes, and he would move in with them if I let him. They love to play football together and watch manly movie marathons, like Rocky I-V.
   
3. He was first runner up in the school spelling bee. Yay for knowing how to spell!
   
4. He scored in the 99 percentile for the ITBS. I got a phone call from the principal and his Target teacher about his fabulous scores!
   

Keaton's 2011 Highlights

1. He has become the official Cake Boss in our family. He loves to bake and is obsessed with decorating cakes. Give him some sprinkles, and he is a very content little boy.
   
2. He started pronouncing his /l/ sound, and said "I love you!" clearly.
3. He has fallen in love with playing the drums and knows how to count off a song with tapping the drums sticks over his head while shouting "1-2-3-4!"
4. He has learned to add and has about 15 sight words memorized. Wow for his 4 year preschool!
   

Collin's 2011 Highlights

1. He arrived (a very sweet, precious entry) and was a healthy and happy baby. He stole his Mama's heart immediately upon his arrival.

2. His first word was "Mama," followed by "Dada" a week later.

3. He voluntarily gave up his binky in December when he got sick. This kind of freaked me out initially, but I'm excited to know I won't have to fight with him to let it go when he's two or three, like I did with his brothers.

4. He is made of smiles. Collin smiles. All the time. His drooly grins of course make us smile back. We have decided he is the smilingest baby in the world. :)