Busy busy days

It has been way too long since I have posted. Things have been busy in our household here in the last 2 months. After months and months of searching, Chris was finally offered a preaching position. We didn't go north like we had hoped, but it is a great opportunity to gain experience. We are now farther south in Arkansas. We packed up and moved on Nov 15 and have been busy since then trying to get settled. The hardest part has been moving with a newborn. It has been hard to get much of anything done. But, we are doing the best we can. It has been absolutely fantastic to finally be living in a house! It is almost twice as big as our apartment was, it has 4 bedrooms, and it is on almost an acre of land. I think the kids are just used to being in really tight quarters though because they are having a hard time spreading out. Even when they are outside. Yesterday was the first day they started venturing off the patio. We have been really enjoying it though. The weather down here is something to get used to. I'm not used to it being in the 60's in December!

Chris has been settling in in his new position as well. He is technically only "supposed" to have office hours from 8-12 (which he set) but he often goes back after lunch for a few more hours just because there is so much for him to get done. We live less than a mile away from the church so really it isn't a big deal and to be honest I rather enjoy having some time to myself again. It has also been really nice getting back into routines again. We took a break from schooling for a few weeks just because there was just so much to do. One of the first things we did when we moved here was get our library cards and we were able to start back in their curriculum just in time for Thanksgiving. Faith has been doing really well in her reading. She can read pretty much anything with a short vowel now and we are finishing up consonant digraph endings. We will probably work on reviews the rest of this week, do "NG" endings (-ing, -ang, -ung, -ong) next week, and then start long-vowel words the week after that. Have to admit I'm a little nervous at that one! This year Faith told me what to write in a letter to Santa, I wrote it on her paper, and that is what she did for her copy work. It was our first attempt at copy work and she did an excellent job. She is so proud of herself for writing her letter all by herself. From now on we will either be doing copywork using scriptures, or it will be to write a letter to her new penpal (who is one of her best friends from church).

Samantha has been doing really good in her reading too. She hasn't started the actual blending yet, but we are working on word recognition. She either points to a word in a sentence, or she is given a picture and the last 2 letters of the word and she has to figure out what the first letter is (ie has a picture of a cat and __at, and then is given 4 letters to choose from). I tried started the blending with her but she just wasn't getting it and was just getting mad, so we decided to put that part on hold for a little longer. It has been a little more of a struggle with her because she has an "I can't" attitude when given anything new to do and before even trying.

Everything has been different with Elijah. The girls both started talking so early but with him he still doesn't say much. Some things are more clearer, but when he does say something it is still pretty unrecognizable. I don't know if he is just having a speech problems or what. Chris and I have really been working with him on saying things and when we read books to him we ask about what the different things are in the pictures and make him tell us or have him repeat after us. He is by far more physical than the girls were. He is constantly climbing on anything and everything and is always swinging things like a bat or throwing balls, and is always wanting to wrestle around. He loves to be read too which is wonderful since we read a lot! He is also a little whirlwind. I can't keep up with him and the messes he makes. He is always into SOMETHING. I'm not exaggerating! The other day he got into a box which had the fuchsia dye we used to dye Faith's hockey gloves. He had it absolutely everywhere and he was covered from head to toe. Surprisingly it came off of his skin pretty easily, his hair was a different story. His hair is still tinted pink. It is a full-time job just keeping up with him.

Sweet little baby Carrie is getting bigger by the day. On the 10th she will be 3 months old. She is already fitting into some clothes that are 6 months. She is a big baby! At her 2 month appointment he was 13lbs 9 oz (95%) and was almost 24 inches long (90%). She is definitely a healthy baby! All of our breastfeeding woes are behind us now and we have both been doing wonderfully. Our saving grace is when the lactation consultant called me in a prescription for All Purpose Nipple Ointment. This stuff was just simply a miracle. It healed me up in no time and we have had no problems since. When I told my OB about it at my 6 week check up he said he has heard good things about that stuff. Which, honestly made me angry that he never thought to get me some and which also probably would have saved my breastfeeding experience with Elijah. I know I can't change anything about the past, but still. Carrie is more of a high maintenance baby like Faith was. She isn't too into sleeping and wants to be held all. the. time. And not just by anyone. By just me. The second Chris tries to hold her she will start throwing a fit. The second I take her back she is fine. Faith was the same exact way. It makes getting things done very very difficult! She just loves to smile though and it lights up her whole face. Today when I was playing with her she giggled at me for the first time. Such a beautiful experience.

Well, I think I have written enough for today and there are things I need to try to get done. Now that we are getting more settled though I will write more!

And not so blissful times

In less than 2 weeks I have had mastitis twice and have a case of thrush. I am currently trying to fight my second bout.

Breastfeeding is an art alright, and it looks like I'm failing art. I had none of these problems with Faith or Samantha, and then had tons of problems with Elijah. Looks like I'm starting off where we left off with Elijah.

I don't know what I'm going to do if I continue to have problems. The first time I had it with Carrie I knew I was to blame. I think my bra was too tight and I was wearing it all the time because I couldn't stand for anything to touch me, and then Carrie was sleeping for several hours through the night and I was so happy to get some sleep that I didn't wake her up, causing me to get engorged.

BUT since Sunday I have been going braless unless I go out, which isn't often and I wake her at least every 3 hours at night. So I have no clue what went wrong this time.

She is quite the eater though. She usually wants to eat during the day every 1 1/2 hours. Then, it takes her 30 minutes to eat. So I am pretty much feeding this girl around the clock.

Sweet bliss

Carrie Elaine was born on 9/10 at 9:27 am, weighed 8 lbs even and was 19 1/4 inches long!

The labor was definitely short. They started pitocin at about 6:30 and I had my water broke at about 8:30. When he broke my water I was 4-5, which was impressive seeing as how the contractions hadn't been bad at all (I was a 3 when I came in). So he breaks my water and I go ahead and get an epidural even though things weren't bad yet. The epidural obviously took a little while to get placed and the contractions were still not bad at all the whole time. They had it in place at about 9:00. When they got the epidural in, she checked me again and I was a 6. Unfortunately it wasn't taking in part of my right side though and there was a spot that I really felt the contractions in, and it really was hurting bad. They had me roll over to my side for awhile, which didn't work either. They were finally able to fix the problem, though I'm not really quite sure what they were doing. I told the nurse that it was a lot better but there was still a lot of pressure in my bottom during contractions that I had to breathe through. I didn't think anything about it but just figured it wasn't working again. She went ahead and checked me again, and low and behold I was an 8! Now mind you this was only 10 minutes since she had checked me last. I was just in shock. She ran out of the room to call the doctor. He was there within 5 minutes and there was already every nurse in my room and my bed being broke down. My doctor didn't even have time to get completely dressed. He sat down and I guess was waiting for a contractions. I thought he was doing some pulling down there and seriously if I had been able to feel my legs I would have kicked him. Turns out it was the baby's head coming down! The next contraction they had me push. A whopping 3 pushes later and our little Carrie was born. So um yeah, went from a 6 to complete in 20 minutes.

I was in complete shock and wasn't ready at all for delivery time, mentally. Chris kept waiting for me to break down crying, like I always do, but I just sat there in shock that it was all over. I was expecting it to take at least a couple of more hours! I just sat there looking at her and trying to figure out if all of that really happened. I tried nursing her before they took her away to the nursery but she just sat there with my breast in her mouth and she was just like um, why is this here and what am I supposed to do. I was afraid she wasn't going to get nursing down very well. Needless to say, I was completely wrong. When they finally brought her back to me a few hours later she was starving and latched on right away. From then on out she nursed at least every 2 hours for 30 minutes at a time.

Unfortunately Chris had come down with a stomach bug that I suffered from that previous Monday. He didn't have a fever and was able to be there for the labor and delivery, but he only held her for a second after she was born, just as a precaution. He also went home as soon as they took the baby so he could get some rest. He called me that afternoon and unfortunately had woken up with a slight fever and so he obviously thought it best for him to stay home. I was completely bummed, but also felt the same way. The kiddos were able to meet their new baby sister on Saturday and they have all been doting on her ever since. Even Elijah! Every few minutes he will have to come by and touch (lightly!) her head and sometimes will give her a little kiss. It is just too precious!

Now onto the name. We really liked the name Anya and were planning on naming her that. After she was born though it just wasn't right. We then went through many more names and just couldn't find one that seemed to fit her. So nameless our baby girl stayed. On Saturday we thought it would be Claire. I really love that name. But when Chris came back that evening Claire didn't seem to fit either. Finally, about 15 minutes before we were discharged on Sunday we seemed to have found the name that fit her. I don't know how many times my nurses kept asking what her name was, and I felt horrible that we hadn't come up with anything yet. I don't know why it was so difficult this time.

Needless to say, we are in love. Completely and totally in love. Again.

Today is the day

It's about 3am and today is the day I will be meeting this little one. I have to be at the hospital at 5am where they will start the induction. Obviously not exactly the way I wanted to do it but it is what it is. Maybe if I lived an hour away from the hospital again like I did with Faith and Samantha then I would have gone into labor on my own, so I have to suffer in the car with contractions. Instead with Elijah and this one I live about 5 minutes from the hospital and so of course I have to be induced. Sigh.

This girls are just over the moon excited though and can't wait to find out if they will be getting a new brother or sister. This pregnancy has been so exciting for them. It's odd to think though that this is more than likely our last one. I say more than likely because we absolutely will not be trying for anymore, but I know sometimes God's plan is different. I am mentally done with pregnancy. So it's just strange every time I feel this baby move just thinking it will be the last time I feel a baby move inside of me. To me, it is the best part of being pregnant. But I won't lie. This pregnancy has been difficult for me. I have been exhausted throughout most of it and for the last 3 months have been hurting pretty bad (in the hips) and it has been really hard to move. And the heartburn this time! Oi! In the last few days the itching has been unbelievable too, and I have never itched before.

I won't have any computer access while I'm in the hospital and so I won't be able to update everyone probably until Sunday or Monday. Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!!!!

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting!

That's about all that has been happening here in our happy little household!

Needless to say, this little one is refusing to come up. Big surprise seeing as how the other 3 didn't want to come out either and were all late. There is an end in sight though. If I haven't had it by Friday I will induced Friday morning. With Elijah I was pretty upset about this, but honestly this time around I am just ready to be done. It is unbelievable how hard on my body this pregnancy has been. It hurts to move. Plus, add in the job search and Chris not being able to go out until I have the baby, and the fact that my mother-in-law has been staying with us in our little 2 bedroom apartment for the last 3 weeks until I have the baby, and yeah...definitely ready to have this baby!

We are still waiting on jobs too, of course. It's funny how it seems to go in spurts. Everyone seems to call for tryouts at the same time, and then you go a month or two without hearing a peep from anyone. Granted, there hasn't even been any jobs posted since August doesn't help. We have heard about a couple of jobs through the grapevine and he has applied for all of those, so again it's just the waiting game. He also applied to one in a beautiful, touristy area up in Michigan but let's just say we aren't holding our breath on that one! Chances are slim to none that it is a conservative congregation so we aren't expecting to hear back from them. Still, it would be nice! lol

So that's where we are so far.

Seems like it has been forever since I have posted pictures. I will post more as soon as this little one decided to come into this world!

Sorry for that

Sorry for my little break down the other day. I obviously have a hard time dealing with things when I'm pregnant! By the next day I was much better. Yes, I'm still really worried about finances, but I don't feel quite so defeated now. Obviously that congregation is not where we were supposed to be, and while it still stinks that we have no plans to move, I know God knows much better than I do about where we need to go.

Chris is in talks with one congregation so we will see how that goes. The only tricky part is going to be if they want him to come and try out, and if they do when that might be. Trying to schedule around the baby has been difficult. While I don't want to be induced, that might have to be the option. We will deal with that bridge when it comes.

I went to my doctor appointment on Tuesday and I am now 3 centimeters. Still only about 50% effaced which stinks, but I thought I would still be 2 centimeters like I was the week before. For the last 4 days I have been having tons of contractions and a lot of pressure. I've never had it like this before. HOPEFULLY that means things will get started any day (or tonight...not I'm wishful thinking or anything! lol). My due date is Sept 3rd and so tomorrow I will be 39 weeks.

While my last post might have come across that I wasn't thankful for anything, because at the time I was acting like a spoiled brat, the contrary is true. I am blessed beyond measure and while things might be a little rough right now I know there is a purpose and learning experience.

The big black cloud

It just continues to loom over us. Why can't things just be easy for us, just once? Chris finally wrote the congregation he went to a few weeks ago. Before he left he asked if they knew when they would have a decision and he was told they would let him know in a couple of days. It has now been 2 weeks and he hadn't heard anything. He wrote them this morning and just got an email back saying they were still reviewing applications and they would let him know. Um yeah, can you say that would be a big fat no?

I am so over all of this. I am just so shocked at all the games that are played. I'm tired of some of these places making it sound like we all but have a job, just to be told weeks/months later that we didn't get it. Why the false hope? We just want to go somewhere and get settled. Limbo stinks beyond belief.

I laugh thinking about how optimistic we were back in May. We heard so many times how Chris shouldn't have a problem at all finding a job that we actually believed it. And now, here we are almost in September without even so much of a glimmer of a job. Our financial support is obviously not coming in anymore. We are so very gracious that we have gotten it for as long as we have. Obviously it could have stopped at the end of June but several congregations decided to continue supporting Chris through this month to try to give him time to find work. We are about to be a family of 6 with no money coming in. Chris is trying to find any work at all but obviously in this economy he is even having a hard time finding secular work.

Yes I realize I have done nothing but whine lately, but quite honestly, I'm scared. I'm really scared. And it doesn't look likely that things will be looking up any time soon. You can't help but question what is wrong with us that no one wants us.