Introducing M3: Hannah Reese

God blessed our growing family with another little princess on Monday, November 23 at 2:07PM. Hannah Reese weighed in at 7 lbs. 15.1 oz and measured 20.5 in. long.

Home free....3 children in 3 car seats! Whew!

Getting a little sun to help with her jaundice.

Please forgive my lack of report...as you can imgine, I've got my hands just slightly full.

First Field Trip

Last Tuesday, I accompanied Josiah on his very first field trip. We travelled out to the farm of one of our good friends.

Josiah was SO excited!

Josiah and Mr. Levi's hay baler.

3 and 4YO MDO classes

Of course, Josiah had to wear all of the green and yellow he had--to match Mr. Levi's new tractor.

During our hay ride, the kids were able to try some Ruby Red South Texas grapefruit

--doesn't get much more fresh than pulling straight from the tree--

it was delicious even though it wasn't ripe yet.

and sugarcane

and see army worms at work.

I had a blast watching Josiah learn a little bit more about farming. (I, too, learned a few things...I'm constantly amazed at the how "involved" farming really is)...
and I can't wait until our next trip!

Catching Up: Part 2

Geesh, how time flies when you're having fun getting ready for a baby. Quite a bit has happened in the last month....

Laney was kicked out of her crib and moved to a toddler bed. She definitely has her good and bad days where I spend 30 minutes repeatedly dragging her back to her bed for a nap. And Randy has spoiled her in that she will no longer fall asleep on her own in her bed at night, she insists on being rocked to sleep. Randy's of the opinion that there will eventually be a day when she won't want to be rocked....so he's enjoying it now.

Josiah couldn't let Laney enjoy the newness alone.

The FP Residency and my MOPS chicas blessed M3 and me with a wonderful baby shower. We had some super yummy desserts, enjoyed a couple of games, and watched me cry like a baby when I opened the surprise gift from the group---Mother's Day Out (MDO) for BOTH Josiah and Laney for TWO months after the baby arrives. I honestly don't think I could have asked for a more perfect gift. It's no secret that I've worried about my sanity since finding out we were expecting M3 32 weeks ago.....I'm feeling much comfort in knowing that Josiah and Laney will be taken care of and loved on by some wonderful ladies while I get to spend some alone/bonding time with the baby.

Me with my pregnant friend, Dr. Chaylah....her baby girl is due 4 days after M3

(but we think she'll arrive earlier).

Both Josiah and Laney started MDO this month, just to give me a couple of days/week to relax get a few things done without spending 10 minutes getting them in/out of the car or the entire trip saying "no", "Josiah!", and "if you don't do 'xyz', I'm going to give you a spanking" as well as to get them used to going--I didn't want to have to worry about them feeling 'shipped off' after the baby got here. Josiah LOVES his time at "preschool"...and he always asks when it's time to go back. And to say that he was super excited to pick out his Batman backpack is an understatement. Laney even got to pick her own lunch box. I think Laney enjoys her time 'at school'...she's just SO tired by the time I pick them up at 1PM.

Josiah and Laney on their first day of MDO.

As of today, I am 38 weeks pregnant...only 2 weeks (14 days) to go! It's crazy to think that this baby could be here any day now....although, I'm feeling fairly confident that we'll go the whole 40 weeks (Josiah was 39 wks and 4 days, Laney was 40 wks 4 days). I'm surprisingly feeling pretty good with just a little bit of low back pain and swelling. I only have a few things left to accomplish on my 'before baby to-do list', which helps me feel more ready to take on my new title of 'mommy of three'.

PS. I can't wait for Christmas....I've even started listening to Christmas music. In fact, I just might play some while I'm laboring...I LOVE it that much. And I CANNOT wait to put up all of the decor...and since we're staying here for the holidays, I'm making Randy hang outdoor lights (and maybe take me to San Antonio to look at lights).

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Love,

A Texas Longhorn Fan, A 'Sweet' Little Girl, and A Jack o'Lantern

Remembering TWO

I've accomplished quite a bit in the last two weeks, which I'll share later....but right now I'm just soaking up this time when it is just TWO.

Catching Up

Randy is spending the night working in a busy ER, and I am sitting in a quiet house with a heating pad soothing my sore and tired back while listening to Classical Christmas music on Pandora....ahhh, "Ave Maria". Oh, the things that make me happy these days. LOL!

I can't believe it's been a month since my last 'real' post. My days seem to be slipping by as my tired body continues to chase after two energetic little people while growing another. I've always said that pregnancy seems to go by faster for the ones who aren't pregnant, but I can honestly say that these last 34 weeks have gone quickly for me. I just haven't had a lot of 'free' time to sit and think about being pregnant.

Okay, so in the last month, since my last 'real' blog post:

• We traveled to Corpus Christi for our Residency program's annual retreat. It's the only weekend during the year where ALL shifts are covered so that everyone can participate. It was wonderful to spend time with our medical 'family'....I even got some time to relax.

• Randy started another month of Hospital Service. These months are our least favorite in terms of how much of his time is spent away from the family (from when we say 'good night' each Sunday, we don't see him until 2PM on Tuesday), but he learns SO much. The upside--he really does enjoy hospital work, and he'll have 2 of the required 3 months out of the way by the time M3 arrives, allowing him to take some time off without any problem.

• I turned another year older. Sadly, I had TWO little people at home with fevers who needed their mommy, so I didn't get to spend any fun time outside of house (I really wanted to eat at PF Chang's and see a movie at a real theater). However, we did order out Chinese and enjoy cake with birthday cake ice cream....YUM!

• Laney turned 17 months. She has started saying two words together now....and "NO" can often be heard all.day.long. Laney also insists on climbing up into her car seat, which now sits forward-facing....she's really enjoying it. She continues to love to read and now can be heard singing her version of the Alphabet Song at least twice a day. AND she is also learning the art of using eating utensils....I'm slowly getting over my intense dislike for the mess this process creates.

I leave for an hour, taking Josiah with me, so that I can head to the grocery store...

and this is what I come back to....my princess with a curly mohawk.

• My craft projects have slowed down; however, I managed to finish Laney's tutu as well as try my hand at applique. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how the ensemble turned out. I'm also in the finishing stages of crocheting a baby blanket for M3, after which, I have just a couple more projects to finish.

• And of course, my belly continued to grow. Everything is going well, minus the common low back pain and exhaustion. It's amazing how quickly I forgot what these last 8 weeks of pregnancy are like. We are now just 6 short weeks away from welcoming a new little one. And to be perfectly honest, I'm feeling much anxiety about how I'm going to chase after three little ones and stay sane. I don't know how you did it, Mom....you are one amazing woman!

Taken 2 weeks ago at 32 weeks.

• I also continued to freeze meals....successfully adding Tacos in Pasta Shells, Baked Spaghetti, Swiss Stuffing Chicken, Chicken Casear Tetrazzini, Chicken Florentine, 4 dozen meatballs, and Chicken Tortellini Bake to the freezer. This week I plan to freeze a pan of Italian Chicken Pastini and Meatball Stuffing Bake.

I guess that pretty much sums up what we've been up to during the last month...see, you didn't really miss anything exciting. We still have not transitioned Laney to the toddler bed....I'm dreading her being able to get out of bed when she wants....but it's next on the list.

Please continue to pray for our family as we make all of the necessary adjustments to welcome M3, including the decision on a name....we're really struggling with one for a boy.

Same Family, Different Digs

Welcome to the new bloggy home of Randy, Jessi, Josiah, Laney and "M3"! Sooo, what do you think? The new name took us a while, but we finally agreed (and finally found a name that wasn't already taken).

We are just 6 short weeks (or so) from welcoming yet another 'fruit' to our family....we are getting excited, anxious, and a bit tired. Now if we could only come up with a name for our little one....ugh, us and names. *wink*

I hope to post a bit more of what we've been up to since my last post....uh, a month ago (how sad), later tonight....when Randy will be taking up residence at the hospital.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

Psalms 127: 3-5