A Few Pictures of Our New Bundle of Joy

Here is Laci and Olivia laying close to Mommy on the hospital bed. Laci has a "Big Sister" shirt on that she got from Mommy's friend, Jenny. Olivia is wearing a witch's hat that Grandma Cheryll and Auntie Cathy found for her.

Here is Madison in her "Big Sister" shirt from Jenny also. She kept busy at the hospital by coloring and doing puzzles. Here she is having Rich help.

My three girls - Madi and Laci decided to lay on the bed and put Olivia between them.
Olivia Rae

Mommy and her three girls

From Left to Right: Amanda (my sister's step-daughter), Madison, my sister Cathy holding her daughter Kendall, Laci, Mommy holding Olivia.

Terry and my brother-in-law, Doug, are surrounded by BEAUTIFUL women!

It's A Baby...

GIRL!! On Saturday, September 27, 2008, we welcomed our third daughter, Olivia Rae, into the world. She arrived at 10:21 a.m., weighed 6 lbs. 12.2 oz., and was 20 inches long.

I started having contractions Saturday morning at 3:00 a.m. every 5 minutes and at 4:00 a.m. called the hospital. They told me to come in to be checked and when I got there around 5:30 a.m., I was dilated to 7 cm. This had changed from the 2 cm I was dilated to at my doctor's appointment Friday at 3:40 p.m. I got moved to a room and soon got my epidural.

She has lots of dark hair, blue eyes, and seems to have a dimple on her left cheek. I will post pictures tomorrow when I get home from the hospital, but all is well!

Another Doctor's Appointment

So today I had to leave school at 2:00 p.m. to go to my 38-week appointment. I have one student who asks me daily if I am having the baby yet. I want to respond to that by saying that I am still at school so probably not. DUH - why does he have to ask EVERY day?? Anyway, the high school principal came in and covered about 15 minutes of the class I was in and then another teacher covered my last class of the day. When I was leaving, one boy asked me where I was going and I just told the class that I had a doctor's appointment and that I wasn't leaving to have the baby.

When I got to the doctor's office, I was told that the doctor had just left to go deliver a baby at the hospital. It wasn't long before he was back. He checked me and I am 1-2 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. I am thinking that it won't be too long before this little one makes his or her debut! I have been having contractions more frequently, but nothing regular and close together.

Part of me would really like to be done with this pregnancy and meet this new child. Another part of me would like to hold out a bit, my sub can't start for two more weeks, so they would have to have a sub for the sub! Craziness! I guess babies don't wait for anyone when they are ready to be here though, so I will keep you all posted!

37 Week Appointment

So right after school today, I head to the doctor's office for my 37 week appointment. A week ago when I was there, nothing was happening, so I expected more of the same. Today, he said my cervix is softening, but I haven't really dilated yet. He said they would see me again in a week and he thought by then that more would be happening. I told him that this baby couldn't come yet since they don't have a long-term sub lined up at school for me yet. Hopefully, that will happen this next week because I don't think this baby is waiting much longer. I told the high school principal that I was getting nervous and stressing out and he said that would make things happen faster. I am saying a prayer before bed nightly right now!

4 Weeks and Counting!

So today I went to the doctor for my 36-week appointment. All is well in babyland, I guess. I somehow lost a pound (I didn't think this was so bad since two weeks ago the doc said I gained 7 pounds in two weeks). The baby's heartbeat was around 130. The doctor checked me and nothing is happening yet. Bummer, I thought sure something would be happening soon. So maybe I will make it to my due date or pretty close. Anyway, I start going to the doctor weekly now, so that should make it feel like this baby will be here soon!!! Can't wait to meet him or her!

The First Day of Preschool

Today was finally Laci Jo's first day of preschool. She has been anxiously awaiting this day since Madison started kindergarten almost 2 weeks ago. Since I didn't have to drive out to the babysitter's house this morning, I was able to let the girls sleep a little longer. When they woke up, Laci was out of bed like a shot and screamed that she got to go to school today. Here's Laci all dressed and ready for school. Her new preschool shirt is a size small for big kids, so it is almost like a dress or nightgown on her. I used a ponytail holder to cinch it up in the back. She also has her name tag on for the first day. A few minutes after she had her name tag on, she switched it from the left side (where you see it in this picture - faint yellow) to the right side. I told her to leave it stay put so it would stick!

Her big sister, Madison, took this picture of her on the front steps. Her backpack, which is High School Musical (of course), is almost as big as she is.

Another picture of my "Punky" (Mommy's nickname for her) on her first day of preschool.

And finally, a picture of my two big girls who are off to school. We dropped Madison off at school and she walks a little bit, from the street where I drop her off to where they line up outside, all by herself. Laci saw Madi do this this morning, so she thought she was going to walk to her school by herself. I told her that while she is in preschool, Mommy has to walk her in, but when she gets to kindergarten, she can walk in by herself like Madison. Laci was pretty quiet when she got to school because her teacher, Mrs. Forde, started talking to her, but at least she wasn't clingy or didn't cry when I left. She has always been more shy than Madison, so I have worried that she might not go to school without fussing, but she did great! I also think I got more out of her tonight about school than I did from Madison. I must admit I did get a little teary-eyed when I left her there this morning. She isn't so little anymore!

Labor Day Weekend

So Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, we spent most of the day at my sister's. We got there between 11 a.m. and noon and stayed until almost 9:00 p.m. Cathy set up Kendall's baby pool so Kendall and my girls could play in the pool on the deck. Madison put a small slide into the pool and slid in almost all day. She didn't have much water left in the pool by the end of it all and she had bruises all over her body from sliding in so hard. I told her to be careful and not slide so crazy, but she just kept at it. Well, I guess she had fun.
Getting ready to slide into the pool - backwards! She was having so much fun and Laci and Kendall had been done swimming for a long time. She was a wrinkled kid and had quite the tan line when she got finished.

At the end of her backwards slide, what a splash she made! That corner of the deck was very wet!

My niece, Kendall Victoria! She is such a ham for the camera anymore. She loves to give kisses and hugs. Also, for some reason, she really seems to like Terry. She is supposed to love her auntie more!

Laci sitting on the deck having some chips and salsa from Carlos O'Kelly's. YUM!!