...Our Wild Ride...

Introducing:

James Glazier Aitken

Born Sunday March 21, 2010, 7:55 pm--12 days early

Weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

And apparently in a HUGE hurry to get here. So here's the story:

***Let me just preface the story with a warning. If you don't want the details unfiltered with a little mild language, then please don't read***

Let me start this story on last Tuesday (the 16th)...

I went to my weekly doctor's appointment and I was dilated to 4 cm. I had been contracting on and off, and just feeling "different." At dinner I still wasn't feeling right, and my contractions were becoming more regular. I threw up my dinner, and...long story short, we went to the hospital at midnight, they had me walk the halls for an hour to see if my contractions would get to be 2 minutes apart and my cervix show a change (I was still a 4). We walked until 2 am, and while my contractions were definitely 2 minutes apart, there was no change in my cervix, so they sent me home. (With the sage advice to not come back until the contractions hurt! Yes that is said with sarcasm, and you'll see why.)

Well, I threw up the next morning and was still having contractions along with upper intestinal cramps. And then, everything calmed down for a few days. So my theory is I had some sort of intestinal "bug" that caused the contractions, which ended up being false labor. I had been so uncomfortable and contracting so much that I was just really bugged that they sent me home. My doctor had scheduled an induction at 39 weeks, which was the 26th, so I was just planning on not having a baby until then. I did not want to go back to that hospital until they couldn't turn me away...what can I say, I was pretty bitter. So we enjoyed the rest of Spring Break with the girls home and Trevor's brother Brett in town.

Sunday we went to church as usual. It was pretty uncomfortable to sit through 3 hours of church, and my swelling was getting pretty unsightly, but I felt like I needed to be there since I was going to have the baby on Friday at the latest. At 5 o'clock I went to choir practice because I was playing the piano. I had started having contractions, but they didn't seem regular enough to time, so I went to choir and was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. We got home at 6:30, and started figuring out dinner for the kids, and I decided that I better sit down and start timing the contractions "just in case", since they were starting to hurt a little bit. They started out at about 9 minutes apart, then they jumped to 5 minutes apart. But this didn't make me nervous because I had had contractions that close before and they had just sent me home. Well, I think I only had 3 contractions that were 5 minutes apart, and then they went kamikaze on me. They were one right on top of another. I could tell Trevor was starting to panic and started getting my purse and telling me we needed to leave. He had to pick me up off the floor and push me out the door. We were getting in the car at 7:47, and my water broke. Then I started to panic. I knew I was definitely in labor and they couldn't send me home, so as we were racing to the hospital, the contractions got even crazier. Trevor likes to say I was my own siren. And all I kept thinking, and saying was, "I just want my epidural, I just want my epidural, I can't do this, I don't want to do this." Poor Trevor was listening to all this babble in between the wails of pain, while running stop signs and racing through traffic. Luckily the hospital is pretty close, and it was a Sunday night so the traffic was low. Well, we pulled up to the ER, and Trevor raced inside and said "my wife is having a baby!" But, if you know Trevor, he's not really a "freak out" kind of guy, so I don't think the way he told them really motivated them to move. My window was down (still can't remember how that happened), and my screaming "he's coming out...oh $#!T", I think that motivated them to move. I felt all this downward pressure, so I laid my seat back, and all of the sudden he was out. I kept saying, "oh that feels better, that feels better!" Seconds after, the nurses showed up and got him the rest of the way out, cut the cord, rushed the baby inside, put me on a gurney to take me inside, gave me the baby and walked us up to Labor and Delivery. And that is where they delivered the placenta, and stitched me up, etc. For several hours after that, Trevor and I just kept saying "I can't believe that just happened." It never even crossed my mind that I would be having my baby in the car until I was having the baby in the car! And I can now say that I have experienced natural childbirth. I don't know how women do that for hours and hours. But what I think is really funny is that nurse that told me to wait to come when the contractions hurt...I told the on-call doctor that, and she said "Not when it's your 4th baby, and you were already dilated to a 4!" (Well, she was the same on-call doctor that had sent me home the Tuesday before! So Trevor and I just rolled our eyes at each other and smiled.)

(the next morning before the girls went to school, they came to meet their baby brother)


So that's our story of how our amazingly cute and precious baby boy came to our family. Sorry it took me over a week to post it, but I have a new baby...give me a break!

THE END

The long silence

I promise I have a good excuse...just adjust your eyes over to the right, and you will see why I have been "missing in action" on the blog front. It's not like I've been busy or anything...I've just been busy laying on my couch feeling so crappy! Does anyone else out there get the pregnancy blues when you are throwing up all the time and just plain nauseous all the time? I don't ever leave the house unless I absolutely have to. I finally went grocery shopping today after a 3 week drought of food in our house. You know it's bad at our house, when even the thought of going to Costco just makes me sick! (We've been living on pb&j, top ramen, and takeout.) And I'm glad to say I survived.
So yes, I am just starting my 12th week of my 4th pregnancy...and I'm hoping that I'll be able to emerge from my cave very soon. I'm sick of feeling sick.

Way back in July, when I found out the blessed news, I was talking to my sister on the phone, and the conversation went a little bit like this... me: "I am not going to let this pregnancy get me down this time! I am going to have a positive attitude, I'm going to feel good, and I'm not going to give in to the sickness." my sister: "okay, we'll see" as she chuckles under her breath. Two weeks later, I think I called her and asked her what the "h" was I thinking!!! Oh how soon we forget.

So, maybe there will be a man-child coming to our little family...and maybe not. Quite honestly, the idea of having a boy kind of freaks me out. So I'd be perfectly fine if it is another sweet baby girl. Only time will tell, I suppose. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

I need to give a shout out to my dear, sweet husband, who is my knight in shining armor. I don't know what I would do without him. He's been so great through all of this to pick up all of the major slack at home. And he never ever complains or makes me feel bad about it...(I give myself guilt all by myself!) So thanks, Trev, I don't know what I'd do without you!

Disneyworld...the top ten

I've discovered that I'm very good at making promises of posts and then taking forever to deliver...! It's been almost 3 weeks, and I still have vacation-hangover. Do you ever get those? Where you can't quite find your groove and the world just seems to be going on around you while your in a stupor... that's me. It doesn't help that I feel like we have been so busy with regular life as well as company at our house. In fact, my brother Jordan and his wife Andrea came out to Houston last weekend. We had a blast with them--went to Sea World in San Antonio, shopped, and ate way too much good food. So I'm blaming my extended-vacation-hangover on them...thanks guys!

Okay, back to Disney World...we had so so so much fun. I like to post things as top tens because it helps me organize my thoughts. So here it is, in no particular order:

1. The magic of it all...

2. Staying on Disney property was a definite bonus. If you've ever been to Disney World, you know how completey gigantic the place is. So being on property was nice and close to the parks and not having to worry about driving if we didn't want or parking. We stayed at Disney's Old Key West Resort, which was nice and very quiet and non-crowded. We had a full kitchen and laundry room, which when you are vacationing with small children is just necessary! When we checked in, they came out with a balloon bouquet and told us we were the family of the day. They gave the kids all sorts of stickers and a pin because it was their " first time at Disneyworld." It was really cute and made us feel special.

3. The kids LOVED meeting all the characters and getting their autograph books signed. I think they loved that as much as the rides. Holly was so excited to meed Ariel, it's all she could talk about for 3 days!

4. Splash Mountain. I think this was our family favorite. The kids could not get enough. One night when we were in the Magic Kingdom, we went on it three times...loved it! There's nothing like seeing your kids get so excited about it. Grace has really become an adrenaline junkie. The scarier the ride, the better. She didn't get it from me, when I was her age, I would never do some of the rides she was doing.

5. Where else in the world can you dine with Cinderella and Prince Charming?! We had dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel and the girls were so thrilled to meet them. Even Kate, who had been terrified of all the other characters we had met immediately yelled "rella!" when she saw her. She even gave her a hug...so cute! Holly was in heaven, too. I love the picture below, because she was just mesmerized by her...she even got to dance with her later that night. Funny story: when Grace met Prince Charming, he kissed her hand. Later, she told us that it gave her a funny/bad feeling in her tummy. We were rolling on the floor laughing at that. If I can recommend something to all you parents taking your kiddos to Disneyworld, definitely do some sort of character dining experience. It is totally worth the money, and the kids (and parents) just love it. But when you make your trip plans, make sure you reserve your spot as far in advance as you can. A lot of these reservations fill up 3 months in advance...crazy!

(this picture cracks me up because Kate's mouth is full of food while she's smiling.)

6. Animal Kingdom. It is a really cool park. The girls loved the safari ride when we saw elephants and giraffes, and all sorts of cool animals. Grace loved the Expedition Everest roller coaster...Holly was very sad that she wasn't quite tall enough. By the way, I got the girls Mickey Mouse tee shirts at the Disney store before we went on vacation, and I got them for $2.99. (Way cheaper than if I had purchased them in the park!)

7. Fantasmic at Disney MGM Studios. This was a favorite show when we went four years ago, and it didn't disappoint this time, either. This picture is of the gang at the show...doesn't Grace look like her Aunt Marie?!

8. Tower of Terror. We went on it several times right after the Fantasmic show, because there was no line. Holly wasn't so sure she liked it because it's a little scary. But the next day, all she could talk about was going on the "Tower of the Terror." We also loved the playhouse Disney show, and the Toy Story ride was a blast!! This pic is of Kate enjoying the show.

9.Spending so much time with our family. We had an entire week of just playing together. All of Trevor's family came with us (minus Brett who is on a mission), and it was a great time.

10. Who doesn't like seeing castles on vacation??!

Disneyworld update with pics coming soon...so stay tuned!

one of those days

Have you ever just had one of those days at church? You know, one of those days. When you can't seem to get out the door to be on time. And I know Trevor's out of town, so that sounds like a good excuse to be late, but let's be honest. I have to get everyone ready alone every Sunday, because he always has meetings. Nope, I was just late because it was one of those mornings that I really tried to get all three girls hair done cute with ribbons and everything. Those hairdo's take too much time, and are usually the one item to get chopped if I'm in a time crunch.

So, it was ward conference, and we come marching in at about 15 after. Already embarrassing since we sit on the 4th row and the stake president is there to boot. Luckily, I had only missed all the sustainings, and we were still in time for the sacrament...phew! But then commences the three-ring circus. I swear how is a mommy suppose to focus on thoughts of the Savior during the sacrament when her children are all wanting to sit on top of her?! I ask you! Holly was having a meltdown over not getting Goldfish yet (she was supposed to wait until after the sacrament before breaking out the snacks.) Kate's just always bad, let's be honest. She was insisting on holding her huge sippy cup, her stuffed bear, and her temple board book all at the same time and sitting on my lap so I could turn the pages...all while Holly is burrowing her hed into my side and quietly sobbing--thus getting my dress all wet. Grace would start to cuddle up too, and I would just shoot her one of those looks that say "If you come any closer, I'll probably kill you!" All the while, people just keep smiling at me thinking my kids are just so cute! If they only knew. So, the Stake President gets up to speak, and I would love to be listening, but who can hear anything over the constant ruckus of the circus going on around me. Then my cell phone starts ringing! That's right people, judge me all you want...I was that person at church today. I am completely mortified! (Remember how we are on the 4th row and the head honcho is still speaking???) I usually turn it on "stun" mode, but I was so busy dealing with my kids that I had completely forgotten it was even in my purse. Luckily it wasn't super loud, and I scrambled to get it turned off. I was so angry at myself, and I just wanted to crawl in a hole and cry. I'm sure I was completely red in the face.

So, that was my day at church...how was your's?

P.S.--I was asking some friends that were sitting right by us if they had heard my phone go off, and they all said no. It was some kind of miracle! I'm sure the "big guy" heard, though.

the countdown

Only 6 more days of single-parenting, and only 8 days until Disney World! I'm so excited!

Trevor left this morning for a "work" field trip to Belize. He will be spending 7 horribly grueling days of work snorkeling. They like to mask this excuse to go snorkeling with the excuse that they are looking and learning about carbonate rocks. Aren't you just sad for him? I mean, carbonate shmarbonate! I want to snorkel, too! Oh, well , someone has to work around here. I guess it will be me. But, really, I'm not that bitter. Let's change the subject.

Um...did I mention that we are leaving for Disney World in 8 days??? I think I'm more excited than my children. Although, they are pretty excited, too. I just think that it's going to be so much fun for them at their respective ages. Even Kate...who probably won't remember the trip...but she really digs the Disney Channel, so I'm thinking she'll have fun. She's just starting to get into dressing up, and she always completes her dressup with a clutch and princess shoes. She's such a fashionista. I just wish they had a Charlie and Lola type ride or show. She would totally dig that. It is her absolute favorite show on the planet. Whenever it comes on she starts to clap and shouts "Yeah! Tollie and Lola!" Since we will be driving to Florida, I bought the complete seasons 1 and 2 for the ride. Should be a good and quiet 13 hours...in theory.

Other than the countdowns, not much going on out here in Houston except the usual school, preschool, piano students, little-girl-drama, and some beautiful weather, which we've been trying to enjoy. Gotta get out of the house as much as possible before the mosquitoes take over, and the humidity becomes unbearable. I sure love Spring here. Just ask me how I feel in a couple of months--I'm sure I'll be ready to move.

A new post...can you believe it???

Hello, slacker blogger here, and I'm even going to post pictures! So buckle up, here's what our family has been up to lately...

Namaste. (Doesn't she look like a yoga master with mickey mouse ears?) Kate turned 2! I can hardly believe it. She's still our baby, though. She's learning new words every day, but we're still waiting for her speak regular english. Or maybe we just need to learn her language?! On Saturday, she looked at me and said with a big smile "I happy happy happy goal (girl)!" It was too cute. Her smile is just infectious and we love her to pieces.

This is what happens when you have two creative and bored 7 year olds, daddy's in charge, and mommy's gone. Everytime Grace asks me if she can do a lemonade stand, I say no, because--1. I'm a mean mom, apparently, and 2. I just didn't my kids out on the street bugging the neighbors to buy their drinks. Well on this particular Saturday, I was out getting a haircut, and Grace had a friend over. They asked Trev if they could sell fertilizer. (They had been in the backyard concocting their own version of "fertilizer" with berries, and seeds and grass, and water, etc.) They had a whole business plan--they were going to take orders from people and then deliver the fertilizer when it was ready. I guess they were pretty persistent, so finally Trevor said, how about if you just sell Kool-Aid? They were ecstatic. So the girls got to work making a sign, and couldn't find regular sized paper cups, so they used the mini bathroom dixie cups, which they sold for a whopping 5 cents. All of this is going on while I was gone for a few hours, and when I came back the girls were so excited...they had made almost five dollars! (I think the neighbors were tipping.) I'm glad they had fun--but, really, I think they were pretty smart starting with a really crazy "fertilizer" idea, so that Kool Aid seemed doable. After dividing the money three ways, I took the girls to the gas station and let them buy their own treats. Grace's friend kept exclaiming, "this was the best play date ever!"

Last week was Spring Break here in Texas, and the weather was beautiful! We took a couple of days and went camping out in the Hill Country with a couple of families from our ward, and some good friends from Austin. It was so much fun to enjoy the weather, good food, and friends. The below pictures are of the girls playing in the water at the lake and taking a break to enjoy some cartoons.

So, there you have it...that's what we have been up to lately. Don't you wish you were here enjoying the nice Spring weather??? The invitation is always open.