Sophie's 1st photo sitting (not done by Mommy!)

Click this link to view Sophie's photo sitting today!

So TRUE!................HILARIOUS!

This is how Mark and I feel:

Happy Birthday PAUL!

I reminded Madalyn this morning that today was Paul's birthday. And she said that Paul was probably having a wonderful party in heaven with Jesus!

I am sure she is right!

Happy Birthday Paul!

OMG!

Sophie has started "talking"!

And Loraly surprised me and learned to spell her name! She can only say it, she can't yet right (WOW-you an tell how tired I am---supposed to be WRITE!!) it, but I am so proud of her!

The story of Sophie's birth...FINALLY!

My dad painted these letters for Sophie's room! Aren't they beautiful?

And this is Sophie in her big girl bed with her lambda blankie wearing yet another beautiful outfit from our friends too far away.

To get to the birth story: on Sunday, December 2, I woke up around 7:30 in the morning with Loraly laying beside me in bed and Mark on the other side of her. My water had broke but I was hesitant to really think that is what it was. Basically because it didn't happen like a water faucet!! I just laid there trying to go back to sleep but kept having this happening so I kind of knew something was happening. I was just so negative about actually going into labor on my own because I have always been induced and ASSUMED I would have to be this time around also.

I finally told Mark around 9 what I thought had happened and his comment was "Please tell me you are kidding because I feel horrible!" Are you kidding me?! (on Monday after she was born, he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with strep throat!)

So I went to take a shower just in case it really was happening. When I went to get into the shower I knew for sure that she was going to be born on that day. So I got out of the shower, tried numerous times to call my mom to have her pick up the kids. They were already at church so I couldn't get a hold of her. I text messaged her hoping that she still had her phone with her...still nothing. I text my dad...nothing. So we packed up and all 4 of us headed to the hospital finally around 10:30.

Got checked in, moved to a labor/ delivery room, and was prepped for the activity that would be happening!

My parents finally got their and took the girls to lunch, and to their house to change clothes, and get some activities for the girls to be able to keep themselves entertained while at the hospital.

Jump ahead a few hours: the anesthesiologist came to give me my epidural. I wasn't hurting yet but he was up their to give someone else their's so they said he might as well give me mine. Started feeling good and tried to rest but couldn't because I was way too excited!

Jump ahead about 2 more hours: I was in dire pain! Mark went to get the nurse to find out if it was time. Of course it wasn't time...the anesthesiologist forgot to hook up my epidural to my I.V. line! It was dripping all over the floor instead of in me!!!!!

So needless to say they got him back up there and had him fix it.

Through all of this every time the nurse would up my pitocin, Sophie's heart rate would drop. So they would have to lower the amount of pitocin that went in me and then my heart rate would start racing! It was a never ending battle.

By that point, they had oxygen on me to help the baby. But still I was not dilating! My nurse that had been with me all day left to go home about 7:30 that night. About 8:10, my doctor was on his way there to give me a C-section because of the baby's heart rate and mine. It also had been way too long since my water had broke and it was getting unsafe for her to be in me much longer.

They decided to try one more thing---They banded me. I had never seen or heard of this. They took a huge piece of elastic and safety pinned it around my stomach. This was to help push the baby down and help me dilate.

After about 15 minutes of this I was once again in excruciating pain! To where I was crying and thought the baby was about to be born whether any nurse or doctor was ready or not!!

Mark went to get the nurse and FINALLY we were ready!! Since the anesthesiologist messed up on the epidural, I got to experience this completely natural! Good thing she wasn't my first because she would have been the last also!

About 5 minutes later Sophie was born at 8:47 pm!

I had always heard that with your third child, it would be super fast! YEAH RIGHT!

Thoughts from the girls...

Loraly spent last night with my sister. She came home earlier. I ran up to her to love on her and all she cared about was loving on Sophie! Man that girl gets some great lovin's around here!
Before bed tonight, Loraly told me that she really missed Sophie last night! How sweet!

Mark and Madalyn were watching Ice Age 2 tonight. At the end of the movie Sid the Sloth does the Heimlich on Scratch the squirrel. Madalyn asked Mark what was going on. He told her that the squirrel died and was in squirrel heaven and that Sid saved him.

She immediately came and asked me if when someone is already in heaven if you can save them and bring them back...

If it were only that easy. I really felt sorry for her at that moment because I know from the look on her face, and the tears in her eyes that she was thinking of Paul...

Our WILD Child!

So we are big swimming people!
(maybe I should find a better word than big)

We love it and can't wait till summer EVERY year.

So Madalyn has a birthday party to go to this weekend for a little boy. I don't know how to shop for little boys!!! to say the least. We hit 3 different stores after school today looking for a present. So to make the swimming story make since, while at Toys R Us we found Sophie her first swim suit!!!