Everyday life with our three little peanut heads
I love Valentine’s day….red, pink, hearts, chocolate, candy, all of it! I had big plans for the boys’ school valentines (thanks to Pinterest!) that required us to have a photo shoot a few days in advance. Getting two boys to try and pose and hold still for a photo and smile all at the same time was nearly impossible, here are some of the outtakes.
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Let’s pretend like it’s December, ok? I have so much to catch up on that I am just going to dive in…starting with Zachary’s birthday party!!
We celebrated a week before his actual birthday with friends and family at my in-laws house and it was a great time! My theme was winter/christmas/blue & red…..random I know. But it came out exactly like I had imagined. Almost every idea I used came directly from pinterest, so I can take zero credit 
Let’s start with the invitations. These were very last minute. We had planned on doing his party closer to Christmas but then we had to change it to the first weekend in December and so I literally threw these together in about three days.
I think that I did very budget friendly party (Spencer might disagree!) I used a lot of things that I already had and either re-styled it, spray painted it or added some inexpensive decorations to it. As you can see I used a lot of craft paper & cheap ornaments!
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Precious Zachary -
One year ago today you came into our lives and we had no idea the sweetness that we would experience because of you! You were my bitty boy at only 5 pounds and 13 ounces, but you have grown our hearts in such a big way.
You bring joy to everyone you meet, you brighten our days and your sweet smile is always contagious. Zachary, you love your big brothers and just want to follow them around and do whatever they are doing, there will be no way to keep you a baby because you want to grow right along with the big boys!
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My precious “little” Zachary is growing up so fast. Check out what I caught him doing today.
He decided to pull up to stand on the boys’ car garage.
But then he decided to walk behind it and push it across the room! Say what?!?!
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Saturday, December 11 was an exciting day. My sister, Emily was flying in to stay for 5 days and we were so excited! We talked that morning before she got on the plane that she hoped when she got there she would get the news that I was in labor! My mother-in-law was going to pick her up at the airport that is about 50 minutes away because she didn’t want to risk me going and being too far from our hospital! She took Joshua with her so I could try and get work done.
Spencer was at the new house working and I took Andrew over to check on them and try to help. I worked on organizing a closet for a bit and pretty soon it was lunch time. I asked Andrew where he wanted to go for a special mommy/son date. He picked Wendy’s
We got to Wendy’s at about 12:45 and as we were walking in I had a stomach pain that made me pause but I didn’t think too much of it. My sister called to tell me that she was with my mother-in-law and that they were going to drive-thru to get lunch on their way home. After we talked I had another stomach pain that worried me, I thought it could be a contraction and considered calling Spencer to have him come meet me so I wouldn’t have to drive. I told Andrew we needed to get our frosty’s to go and get back to the house. I called Spencer on our way back to the house and told him that I was pretty sure that my two pains were contractions.
Our plan was always to have Spencer’s grandma come stay with the boys and since I have always labored quickly I decided to call her and tell her that I thought I was in labor. She was at the grocery store and so I left a message with Papa to have her call me as soon as she got home.
When I got back to the house I had another contraction and I knew that’s what it was, I looked at the clock and it was 1:15 so I knew they were coming 15 minutes apart. I quickly got Andrew in the house and needed to sit down. Spencer kept asking me what I thought we should and I just didn’t want to rush to the hospital if it wasn’t real labor. We called my sister and mother-in-law and told them what was going on and told them to call us when they were close to passing the hospital (it’s right on the way into town) because I didn’t want them to pass it if I thought we would be going there soon!
We then decided that we would go ahead to the old house and get our bags and cameras and then head to the hospital, but we still weren’t in a huge rush. When I stood up to walk to the car I felt a gush. I wasn’t sure if it was my water breaking or I had wet my pants! I went to the bathroom and found that it was actually blood. I immediately panicked! I yelled at Spencer to call my sister and his mom and we needed to go…now!! Spencer grabbed a towel for me to sit on and I could tell he was flustered. We hurried to the car and I told Andrew I loved him on my way out the door.
When I had Joshua the nurses were telling me to try and not push because the doctor wasn’t there yet so I was really worried the same would happen this time. One of the nurses at my doctor’s office is a family friend so we tried to get ahold of her to see about calling the doctor to give him warning that I was on my way, we couldn’t so we called the hospital instead and they said that they had to wait until I was there…we were quite panicked on the car ride to the hospital! Haha!
We pulled into the Emergency Room entrance and my sister and mother-in-law were right behind us. Thankfully there was someone waiting on me with a wheelchair so I didn’t have to walk. We got up to labor and delivery and I started the check-in process. I looked at the clock and it was 1:45. My sister walked in and kinda chuckled as she hugged me. We never really imagined that she would come right from the airport to the hospital! I got choked up as the nurse was asking me questions because I was so thankful that my sister could be there for me. It was hard knowing that I didn’t have my Mom to share in the joy of our new baby but it really helped to have my sister there.
I got to my room and the nurse checked me and I was 6 centimeters dilated. My response was, “That’s all!?!”
Because I was bleeding they ordered an ultrasound to make sure that my placenta was ok. For the next hour there were nurses hooking me up to IV’s, people taking my blood, the ultrasound tech checking me and me signing lots of forms. I was having contractions but nothing that was too terrible. My nurse kept asking if I wanted an epidural and I just couldn’t decide. I didn’t have one with the other two boys, so I knew I could do it, but I thought that if it was going to take awhile I might want one! I asked if she would check me again before I made a decision. She checked me at about 2:45 and I was still 6 centimeters. I decided to just keep waiting before I ordered an epidural. At that point all the nurses left the room and it was just my sister, Spencer and I. I joked that I had been at the hospital for an hour already and still hadn’t had the baby, I thought that was “ridiculous!”
My nurse came back in at about 3pm and told me that my doctor wanted me to start some pitocin. That scared me! I had never needed it before and had always heard how it gives you such intense contractions, so I was terrified! I was thinking that I would be needing the epidural! My nurse reassured me that she was going to give me the lowest dose possible and that it wouldn’t be that bad! Let me tell you, I felt those contractions intensify almost immediately. My nurse checked me at 3:10pm and I was at 8 centimeters and I asked if the doctor could just break my water and see if that would help me dilate the rest of the way. My doctor came in and broke my water and I was able to start pushing. At 3:25pm Zachary Thomas was born!
His umbilical cord was wrapped like a figure 8 around his ankles and when the nurses were cleaning him up my doctor held up his cord and showed me that once it was unwrapped from his ankles it pulled a knot in the cord. My eyes immediately welled up with tears as I thought about what could have happened if it had knotted before he was born. I was so thankful that he was here and healthy!
Zachary has been such a sweet addition to our family. He is a wonderful baby that has brought us so much joy! During the year that we struggled with my Mom’s illness and the year that has passed since her death I have almost felt like there was a funk over my life. Zachary means “remembered by God” and I truly feel like Zachary’s birth was God’s way of telling me that I have not been forgotten, that life does go on, and there can be great joy even after a season of such pain. Thank you, Lord for the gift of our son!
Zachary Thomas is here!
Born Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 3:25 pm
5lb 13oz • 20 inches
He is a sweet, wonderful little guy and we are so thankful he is here with us! Big brothers Andrew and Joshua are adjusting well to having a new brother around! Mommy feels great and Daddy is busy keeping up with work, the new house and two busy boys when he gets home from work at night.
There are many pictures and the story of his birth to come! Here are just a few of my favorites!
Can you tell that Daddy was busy working at the new house when we had to head to the hospital and didn’t have time to change?!
Our new family of five! Blessed with boys!
Showing off one eye and his one dimple, just like Joshua and his Mimi!
Be back soon with lots of stories and pictures!
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