1 Month Old

I can't believe it!! We've made it a whole month and we're all still doing fine...sleepless nights and all. The days surrounding the birth of baby #3 I had a lot of help and got quite a bit done. My mom and step-dad were able to be here before I went into the hospital and the day of the birth. This was the first time my mom was able to be part of any of her grandchildren entering the world. I was really glad she was there and able to share that experience with me. (She was with my sister, but she had a c-section...not quite the same.) Thanks Mom for being there. I know it meant a lot to you and I want you to know that it meant a lot to me too.Before I had Miss Peyton, my good friend Stephanie came into town to be here with/for me. She was able to leave her 6 kids back in Oregon and stay with me during this time of transition for 10 whole days. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. She was up with the kids in the mornings and let me sleep. I felt bad, but she told Marcus that having my two little munchkins was like a little vacation from her 6. They played games, did puzzles, and actually stayed fairly quiet till I emerged from my dungeon. Thank You Stephanie!!
Austin took this picture of me with his new baby sister. Not too bad! We may have a budding photographer on our hand. ;)

Cali finally decided to hold the baby by the end of the first day. Cali wanted nothing to do with her in the hospital, but after bringing Peyton home I think she started to like her a little. Austin comes home from school and loves on her and holds her for as long as he can...just no pics.
She likes her a lot more now! I think she likes her a lot...too sweet!
(I promise I did not pose her like this)
I did, in fact, pose them like this....but the smile is all Cali.This is how Peyton spends most of her day. She loves chillin' in her swing but she's not a fan of laying flat....not till bedtime.

We love the newest addition to our family!! Peyton Elise is a sweet little baby and her big brother and sister sure think so too. Getting enough sleep has been the biggest adjustment, but with Austin now in school it's not too bad and naptime is a necessity for all three of us. Everyday is girl's day in our house...at least until the boys return.

Happy One Month Birthday Peyton!!

Off To Kindergarten

With a new baby in the house, it's been a little tricky to be able to have the time to sit at the computer long enough to blog about our latest events. You'd think I'd have all the time in the world because she sleeps so much, but when she's sleeping there's so much to get done, or Cali needs attention, or I'm sleeping myself. Blogging hasn't been quite as high on my priority list as sleep lately, but I do feel the need to update a few special things that have happened recently, like my first born heading off to KINDERGARTEN!!!

At 7am he's up and ready, wearing his new school clothes and shoes and sporting his new green backpack he picked out (over transformers...weird!).

Cali didn't quite understand that she wasn't going to school, but she was just as excited as if she were. She had a hard time when I took Austin in and came out alone, but she's gotten better.They all lined up outside their class and got their own name tag...he was busy checking it out, but at least I got another smile. He was ready for me to go, but I just couldn't, not yet.
We found his seat and he was glad that he was facing the front of the class instead of sitting sideways like the rest of the kids in the group. The little joys. ;)

I knew Austin was ready for school, but I wasn't prepared for how NOT ready I was for him to start school. I managed to keep it together while taking pictures and I even made it out to the car before finally breaking down and shedding a few tears. The hardest part of the whole thing is that Peyton looks identical to Austin when he was born so it's like watching him grow up in a blink of an eye...he was just a baby and now he's in school!!! Where has the time gone?

Austin is such an amazing kid and I know he'll have a great school career. He says that the only thing he doesn't like about school is all the rules...rules, rules, rules he says. After three weeks of Kindergarten he still loves going in the morning and telling me all about it when he gets home.

We'll see how long it lasts, but I'm loving it for now.

It's A Girl!!!!

Peyton Elise McCabe has finally arrived!! She was born Wednesday, 12 August 2009 at 11:59am. She weighed 8lbs8oz and was 20.75 inches long. This was the quickest, and I have to say, MOST painful experience of the three I've been through so far. I won't share too much gore, but I'll give you the overall experience...it won't take long, I promise.

Neither of my previous two children came into the world of their own free will, they were coaxed with a little medicine because my body wanted to hold them in forever. I never even dialated on my own. Austin arrived within 11hrs from start to finish, Cali arrived within 7hrs, and Miss Peyton graced us with her presence in just over 4 hrs.

I knew I was ready when the doctor told me she was head down and I was actually starting to dialate. Monday I was even 1 full centimeter! My body had never done that before and we were both nervous that if my body decided that it was actually going to take care of business on it's own, we might have a problem...I might not even make it to the hospital! So Wednesday morning I was admitted to the hospital to get things started.

6:30am- All checked in and signing paperwork...fun way to start the day. ;)

7:30am- Doc inserts some "p-gel" and we're ready to wait.

8:30am- Made it to 2cm and feeling some cramps but nothing exciting.

9:30am- 3cm and up and moving, trying to get the party started. Feeling contractions, but nothing I can't handle. Whirlpool feels good but time to get moving again.

10:30am- 4cm and my nurse heads out to order the epidural. After an eternity, she returns only to tell me that the anesthesiologist is in a c-section and won't be able to come right away. She leaves again to get me some pain meds, but apparently gets lost in a black hole!!

11:20am- She finally returned with some drugs, checked me to make sure I could still have it....I was 10cm and telling her to go get the doctor because this baby was coming, NOW!

11:45am- She left, came back with the doctor just as my next contraction started and I was already pushing while he was putting his gloves on. Things were ready and on my next contraction I pushed out her head, took a breath and pushed out her body!! Let me tell you, that was the worst pain I've ever experienced...and I didn't even tear!!!

Proud Papa

Looking like I got hit by a mack truck! Don't be jealous of my sexy hospital gown! I tried to nurse when I was bombarded with my children and cameras...but lovin' every minute!

I can truly say that I have experienced the "great and dreadful day".

Baby Time!!

I'll post a picture as soon as I find my hook up for the camera, but tonight is hopefully the last night of being pregnant!! I'm heading to the hospital first thing in the morning in hopes of having baby #3 tomorrow. I'll even have Marcus update the world when the little booger arrives to let everyone know how things went and whether I popped out a boy or a girl...in case anyone was wondering. I know I am. ;)

Update Part II: Miss Cali Girl

Now that things are settling down a bit, or something like that, I'd like to continue sharing that goings on of our little family. Since I've bragged on Austin, let me just brag a little on our little princess. Speaking of princess...when I went up to the school to register Austin for kindergarten we were lucky enough to cross paths with the principal. She introduced herself to Austin and asked him a few questions, after which she turned her attention to Miss Cali. When she asked her name Cali replied, "I'm a Princess!" very enthusiastically as a matter of fact. It was stinkin' adorable!

Cali, Cali, Cali...where on earth do I start? My little princess is a busy little bee, to say the least.

Cali has had quite the summer. She LOVES to swim. The first time we got in the water at a friend's pool she clung to me like a starfish to a rock. By the end of our swim time she was pushing away and swimming back and forth between me and the steps! No fear, just like her brother...maybe even less if that's possible.

During the time we spent living with my in-laws we discovered Cali's love for fresh vegetables, especially tomatoes. If I couldn't find her around the house I knew the first place to look outside was in the garden. Good thing we planted plenty of tomato plants this year!

During a shopping trip for school clothes while my mom and sister were visiting, Austin and my nephew chose sunglasses to go with their new wardrobes. As much as Cali loves her big brother and wants to do EVERYTHING he does, she had to have a pair of sunglasses. Rarely have we seen her without them since buying them. She didn't even want girl glasses...they have yellow flames on the sides and she usually wears them with a dress. Awesome!!

We haven't had many chances to head out to the lake. We were fortunate enough to have that opportunity just a couple weeks ago, 4th of July weekend. We had such a good time hanging out as a family, playing in the water, eating cheetos and climbing on the rocks. Both of my kids have such energy and curiosity. They really are inspiring in their intrigue and desire to see and do just about everything they can. Cali looks like such a little surfer girl...where does she get that?

She's growing up right before my eyes...I hate having to blink because I might miss something! I honestly can't believe that she's only 2 years old and already potty trained! She's too smart for her own good. She speaks with such clarity and understands more than I sometimes give her credit for. She's such a happy, friendly, caring, silly, fun girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She's going to be such a great big sister.

That's Miss Cali Girl in a nutshell these days. I can't wait to see what the future holds with this little one...just not too quickly.