Swimmers and Swingers

I am so happy that my kids love the outdoors. We spend most of our time outside and lately the pool has been a popular place. Jonah goes to the nursery while we go in the water for a few hours.




And we have discovered that Jonah loves the baby swing. Shelby has graduated to the "big girl" swing and can sit there forever (or so it feels like) lazily swinging and letting the wind blow her hair.

Funny Things Kids Say

Shelby told Charlie (the dog): "No, no, no, Chawie mye feesh (goldfish)."
Gabe told Shelby: "You can share my privacy with me this time." He usually goes to the bathroom by himself and tells her, "No Shelby, this is my private time."
I said to Shelby: "No ma'm. You cannot touch that picture frame." She said back to me, "No, no ma'm."
Gabe said to Jonah: "Did you know you used to be in mommy's tummy? Now you are out in the world and you eat a lot."
Shelby told Gabe: "NOOOOO Gaaaa, mye baw (my ball)."

The conversations in this house get more interesting everyday. I am going to invest in some good earplugs once they all start really talking to each other :)

Jess's Shower

Mom and I went to Jess's baby shower this weekend in Atlanta. Jeremy kept Gabe and Shelby and we toted Jonah along with us. But he was a great baby and very cooperative except for the ride there. The shower was great and we were able to at least find out baby Schumacher's initials MES. So we are going to have to wait for her entrance into the world sometime mid July before knowing her name. And I think Jessica looks great!!!

Jonah was pooped the the next day from all the excitement of the party

Brothers

Gabe has really taken to Jonah over the past few weeks no that Jonah is reacting to him. Jonah tries so hard to follow him as he walks by and laughs whenever Gabe talks to him. And Gabe loves to pick Jonah up and carry him around (very gently of course). These pictures were from the other afternoon when Gabe was telling Jonah a story about King Gabe fighting the dragons in the forest.

Jellies

Every little girl had a pair of jellies at one time. I remember my feet getting so dirty in the little squares on the side of my jellies. I absolutely loved those things even though they hurt like crazy. Mom got Shelby some jellies and she wears them occasionally. Seeing them on her brought back lots of memories for me-I love having a little girl :)

Funny Faces

Here are just a few photos that I love of Gabe and Shelby. They really show each child's personality.

Two Months

Okay, I know I am behind on Jonah's monthly updates since he will be eleven weeks tomorrow. But I lost my camera cord for a few weeks and found it in one of Shelby's bags. The child loves to hide anything she finds. Anyways, at two months Jonah was eating wonderfully and growing fast. The smiles really started coming and is was so fun to see that little personality begin to emerge. He was sleeping much better during the night and take pretty good naps during the day as well. He made a trip to the doctor's for a hoarse cry and lots of snorting when he breathed heavily. Thankfully there was nothing wrong with him and his weight gain was measured in the 75th percentile.

Wanted: Someone Who Is Willing To Work 24/7

The applicant must have extensive experience in:
diaper changing, feeding, making meals, coloring every animal on the planet, reading the same books over and over, boo boo healing, deal making, settling arguments, explaining why the sky is blue at least 8 times, the ability to chase monsters away from under the bed, to do at least ten to fifteen loads of laundry a week, make trips to the doctor, dispense the correct medication, take a temperature correctly, go to Wal-Mart at anytime-day or night, make grocery lists and actually follow them and budget the household money. Knowing how to make a sandwich while cleaning hands, talking on the phone, counting to three and hushing a crying baby is also essential along with proper use of time-outs, spanking, and other methods of punishment that will not send the child to therapy. The applicant must be prepared to get woken up at any time during the night and not return to sleep until the following night. Being able to clean up vomit, poop and other bodily functions is a must!! Teaching skills are very necessary and different learning levels will need to be addressed daily. The ability to not lose your keys, sunglasses, cell phone, diaper bag, purse, your mind or a child is also required. Taking kids to play dates, the pool, soccer practice, and pre-school while keeping the weekly schedule straight is necessary for the success of this job.
The following qualifications must be met in order to make the above list work:
a never ending love for the ones being cared for, sacrifice of self to a certain degree for the rest of your natural life, having an unshakable faith in God, knowing when YOU need a time-out and remembering this is the most important job you will ever have.

Any of you moms out there can probably come up with more things that must "qualify" us for the job. Do you think we would have passed the interview if given before we actually had our children??? Jeremy and I were discussing everything stay at home moms do EVERYDAY. It's a never ending list. Thank God He doesn't expect us to be perfect. We just need to love Him, our spouses and our children as much as we can and try our best.

Happy Mother's Day

At church today there was a video played that really touched my heart. It was of a mother rocking her sleeping little girl. The mother spoke about the pure exhaustion, confusion, and joy in her life. This never ending job is full of happiness, questions, tears and laughter. And then she spoke of the pure amazement of being a mother and how there is no greater job in the world.

There are days when I think I cannot go another second and that being a Mom is the hardest thing I will have to be. The responsibilty is so great sometimes that I feel overwhelmed and drained. But with that comes all the hugs, kisses, smiles and laughter that my children give me everyday. They each touch my heart in ways I never could have imagined and I am so thankful God gave them to me, to be their Mother and prepare them for the world.

And I am ever so grateful for my Mom. She has been such an inspiration to me and helped me through all the ups and downs of my 28 years on earth. And now she has unselfishly taken my family in and givne us a place to stay while we go through another transition. She is a beautiful strong woman and I feel touched that God gave me to her, to raise me and get me ready for the world. And as I now see, I will always need her in one way or another. And I hope that my children will still come to me when they are grown.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Spaghetti Face

Shelby really enjoyed dinner last night!!

Lovely Sleep

Jonah will be six weeks old on Friday and is only waking up 1 time at night now!! He eats so much during the day and has really gotten on a good schedule. He takes great naps during the day and I feel very lucky so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this continues!!

Mom and Dad

these are just a few photos of Jeremy and I with Jonah. We haven't gotten very many so far.

Baby Cheeks

So the other evening Jonah had been up for a while before he ate his dinner. I thought (and hoped) that he would fall asleep after he finished. He did just that and these were some pictures mom got of those sweet baby cheeks.

Jonah's First Month

This little boy has grown so much since being born one month ago today. He is over 9 pounds now and has grown about a half inch. He eats 5 ounces every 3 hours, yes that's a lot of formula. But he is still in newborn clothes. Since Jonah has been born there have obviously been many changes in our family. It is hard for me to believe that he is a month old. He definitely can track objects now (very slowly) and turns when he hears my voice. Jeremy and I both have gotten a smile out of him, which was so sweet. I really think he looks so much like Shelby, her one month picture is underneath the single ones of Jonah. We all love having this little boy in our family, especially the kids. Gabe wants to hold Jonah and is always giving him kisses. And whenever Shelby hears him crying, she gives him his bottle (usually empty), or paci, or a blanket. She also sits beside him a lot and just watches him. I am hoping Jonah will soon skip a feeding durning the night. I am doing Baby Wise with him but he seems to need a bit more tinkering to the whole process. But he is a great baby and a wonderful little cuddle bug.

Washing Dishes

Gabe has been wanting to do many more things on his own lately, including washing the dishes. So the other night Jeremy had Gabe and Shelby at the sink "washing dishes." The kids were really just playing in the water and laughing at the soap bubbles, but the dishes did eventually get washed.

Fun at Bebe's

We arrived in TN a little over a week ago and the adventure has not stopped. Between taking care of a newborn, watching Shelby run around with Charlie the dog and keeping Gabe under control, I have little energy for ANYTHING else. But the kids are getting adjusted to being here and really enjoying the fact that there is a big yard to play in. We have had some beautiful days here (along with really yucky ones) and were able to enjoy the outdoors. I love photographing the kids outside in the sunshine.

Jonah's Home Birth

I am finally getting around to blogging about this incredible experience. I have to say that having a home birth ranks up there with the best moments of my life so far. I began having contractions in the middle of the night. They were intense and consistent for about a half hour and then nothing. So I got up around 6 am and told Jeremy I was going to Wal-Mart to walk this baby out of me. So in the middle of a big rain storm, I drove my very pregnant self to the store. After walking around for a few minutes, the contractions started again. I called Joi and she sent Stacy over to check on me. She arrived around two p.m. and I was 4 centimeters dilated. So we decided to go ahead and get things going. She stripped my fibers and then I started having more consistent contractions. They were not very painful and I was just walking around feeling quite excited. Joi arrived a while later along with April, my Doula. I progressed quickly but Stacy soon discovered that my cervix was posterior, it kept moving into my backside. So, she moved it forward. Talk about PAINFUL. I wanted to let my body try to break my water but after waiting about an hour or so, we decided to have Stacy do it. Once that happened, I was dilated to a ten almost immediately. But my cervix would not cooperate and Jonah was not all the way past my pubic bone. So we waited, and waited and waited. I pushed on and off for about five hours. Joi and Stacy were there the entire time and April was so encouraging. Jeremy never left my side. He was really great. We enjoyed some fried chicken and sides that was brought to us by one of my MOPS friends. I was allowed to rest, walk around, lay down, whatever I wanted to do. But I was getting extremely tired and making no progress. Around eleven p.m. I told Jeremy I didn't think I could push anymore. He was very understanding and just kept giving me encouragment. Joi told me what would happen if I went to the hospital and that it was just up to me. I decided to lay down for a bit longer and then make a decision. As I stood up from the birthing stool, I felt Jonah shift down. And then the terribly painful contractions started. I made it through five and then told Jeremy to get everyone. So we were all huddled in our bedroom and I gave birth to Jonah on our bed. I pushed three times and Jeremy and I pulled him out and layed our baby on my chest. i know I screamed loudly and was in so much pain but I just remember feeling so much relif afterward. Jonah stayed on me for about 45 minutes, still connected to the placenta. He never cried but just looked around making little snorting noises. The ladies cleaned him a little but left the vernix on to be reabsorbed, which made his skin so soft. Then they weighed and measured him and brought him back to me in the bed. Then Joi and Stacy did the laundry, cleaned the dishes and wished us a good night. Jeremy fed Jonah his first bottle and then they both came to sleep.
We certainly do not plan to have anymore children, but I wish my first two were home births as well. I would recommend it to every woman to at least try one time. It was an amazing experience that I will treasure forever. And Jonah will have a very cool story to tell about the day he was born.

Welcome Jonah

Here is the first time the kids saw Jonah on Saturday morning.

Baby Progress

I am so excited. I was seen this past weekend and there has been a good bit of progress made where Jonah's concerned. We are hoping he is born by the 24th of this month. I have had some real contractions and keep hoping that he comes soon. Jeremy and I were just talking tonight about how excited we are to see another little face, little fingers and little toes. Although this has been a very tiring pregnancy for me, the thought of having another family member is very exciting. I am also anxious to experience this home birth, since it is like nothing we have done before. I totally trust my midwives and doula to take care of us and do everything they can to ensure a safe and healthy labor/delivery. We do have an emergency plan in place just in case. But I am not focusing on the "what ifs" because those always exist. I am hoping and praying everything will go smoothly and that little Jonah will be with us before we know it :)

Silly Siblings

Gabe and Shelby have been getting along lately. It's so much fun to watch them cuddle and giggle together. Here are some photos from the other night when Gabe pulled Shelby up on the couch and they began tickling each other. And a picture of the Jonah belly...it looks awfully big to me!!