A New Baby!

Three weeks later...

If you don't want to hear the lovely details (I left out the icky parts)...skip to the pictures.

Tuesday evening, the 25th, I had an ultrasound appointment to make sure the amniotic fluid levels were still good and the baby was looking good since I was 3 days overdue. Everything looked good. The doctor checked me and I hadn't really changed much. I was still barely 2 cm and +2 station but had effaced to 70%. So with it looking like I may not go into labor on my own, we scheduled an induction for the following Monday morning, which happened to be Halloween, gag. Feeling crushed we headed home.

We put the kids to bed, watched some Scrubs, and went to bed. I woke having a contraction that was more intense than any I had had before. I had a few more but they weren't super close. So I decided to get up and get in the shower to see if they stopped or got worse. When I got out of the shower I decided that I was sadly headed back to bed and things seemed to have slowed down immensely. As I started to get dressed things started full force. By the time I made it back upstairs to our bedroom to let Jason know, contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I figured I still had plenty of time as my body had not been cooperating thus far. As I was getting some school clothes for the kids, as we were going to have to take them to a friends house at 5 AM, I dropped everything and yelled for Jason, and told him to hurry up and finish because I was suddenly feeling a lot of "pressure". At which point he cursed at me, I believe for not telling him just how far along in labor I was. For the record, I was really shocked. So we threw everything in the car and ran the kids two streets over to a friend's house at which point I had no time in between contractions. I have never felt so out of control when in Labor. Paisley's labor seemed almost tranquil but this seemed chaotic and I felt like I was definitely not in control. I am not a loud laborer and I was grunting and cursing at Jason to hurry the you know what up. He proceeded to drive about 90 mph to the hospital. We parked right in front, he wheeled me up and which point they told me I was dilated to 9 cm. They decided that there wasn't time for an IV, even though I was GBS positive. They wheeled the bed from triage to the delivery room (thank you for not torturing me by making me get back into the wheelchair and then onto another bed as I was trying not to push. I got into the delivery room, they broke down the bed and we had a baby a few minutes later. The thing I remember most is the Dr. laughing at me because when I was settled in the delivery room and after giving my first push, laid back onto the bed and said, "ahhhh, that felt so good to push." Seriously it was such a relief from the contractions to push.

Hobbes Emerson Crellin joined our family somewhat unexpectedly on October 26, 2011 at 5:28 AM., approximately 10-15 minutes after arriving to the hospital. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 1/2" long. When he was first born he was the spitting image of his oldest brother. I do believe that is the first thing that I said when I held him.With Mom!Weighing in.
Meeting Dad.Hello, Tab....er...I mean Hobbes.Getting his first bath in the hospital.Lucky for us, my Mom was headed up that morning anyway, so she brought the kids over after school for a visit to meet their new brother. Thanks for everything mom! Tab was so stinking excited for this little baby to join our family. He begged me for weeks to have the baby. He just didn't get that it doesn't quite work that way.Benton was thrilled also.Though it doesn't look like it, Paisley was pretty happy to be holding her baby brother too.
Check him out. I am always amazed at just how perfect they are.I mean, look at those feet. Even stained from the footprint "stuff", they are just perfect.Here he is all dressed and ready to go home. I made his little sweater, hat and booties. He is wearing the same onsie that each of the other kids wore home from the hospital. It says, "Party in my crib, 2 AM!" Buckled up and ready to hit the road.
Home at last!
Daddy, happy to see his little boy when he got home from work.Daddy, wasn't the only one happy to see him.

Ward Campout

Our ward held their first campout right before school started for the year. Jason worked but I decided to brave it alone with the kiddos. It really wasn't to terrible. It was a bit hard to keep track of them as it got dark, but we all survived intact.

They instructed all of the kids to bring light sabers. We don't own any, much to the boy's dismay and much to my pleasure, but we own enough swords to supply a small army. So the boy's brought swords. And there was a mighty battle.The battle carried on all night and the next morning. It looks as though Tab got himself surrounded. We'll have to work on his combat skills.
Benton was lucky enough to have a little boy who brought extras, loan him one of his light sabers for a little while.
There was a lake nearby, so we wandered down.It was beyond beautiful. There was a bit more fighting action.But mostly, they threw rocks. I mean who doesn't love throwing rocks into water?And of course we enjoyed some time around the fire.

Blankie Kids

My kids have all been blankie kids. I recently was pulling out quilts that were made for my kids when they were babies to measure them in order to try to decide how big to make the blanket for the baby. Tab was watching and asking about them. I showed him one and told him that his grandma in the pink shirt made it for him. He asked if he was allowed to have it. I said sure and gave it to him. They have been inseparable ever since. (The crime is that when my mom made him this quilt I was of the mindset that he would ruin it and thus he never used it. It hung in his room for a while, but that is it. By the time I had Paisley I understood the true value of a handmade gift was in that it be used and loved not set aside to look at or just keep. Thus Paisley's quilts have been washed and used countless times. Tab's is now getting the loving attention that has been neglected it.) Benton woke up from his nap and wanted to know if he had one. So I pulled his out and gave it to him. They now have their baby quilts in rotation that both of their grandma's lovingly made for them.

Soccer

Tab started play soccer in August. This was his first practice. Kicking the ball back and forth.Um, buddy...about kicking... it typically works better when you go straight at it.
That's more like it.
He is really getting a lot better and is LOVING it. This is a vast improvement from last year when he took a hockey class. Though he loved the class he wasn't the least bit aggressive or competitive. He now is quite the go getter, until he gets distracted because he sees a stick or something. But he is only 6 after all.

I love my Reader

I know I've mentioned a million times that Tab is such a great reader but it always makes me proud when I see him reading to his brother or sister.He loves the Frog and Toad books and has read the Frog and Toad treasury about a dozen or so times.

Slaying the Dragon

The boy's recently scored some knight outfits at a yard sale for a quarter and they have loved playing knights. And what else to knights do but protect the castle and save the princess from the evil dragon?

Here they are protecting the castle. (Side note: Don't you love the play house? Best addition to our back yard! Thank you Sam's Club for randomly putting it on clearance for 1/2 price.)And protecting the princess. Tab was fighting off the dragon while Benton hurried Paisley back into the castle. They had a little bit of a hard time keeping her locked up in the castle. She didn't understand that it was only to keep her safe.

Paisley, What a Character

Paisley is a funny girl. Somehow with two older brothers she managed to be ALL girl. We tried and tried to avoid the princess thing, alas. As a matter of fact we have done a nearly 180 and except it fully. She is regularly dressed in some sort of princess dress or carrying a purse or reading a princess book or talking about princesses and how pretty they are. What a silly girl.

Here she is riding the "McQueen car" around all decked out.She had to try to make McQueen seem girly somehow...She is just an all around silly girl. She loves to wear hats.
And recently Jason's parents came to visit and brought a set of great grandparents with them. Paisley made them wear her new sunglasses that Grandpa brought with him. They were good sports.

Community Day at the park

Have I mentioned that I love our neighborhood? It pretty much rocks. It is quiet and safe and the park right down the street hosts all sorts of activities and such all summer long. Recently they held community days there. There were stands from a lot of the local businesses and such. They also had a little car show. The boys could have cared less about any other car that they saw after they laid eyes on the baby.I mean really can you blame them. It is pretty rockin'.A little later they had a bike show. And daddy showed up home from work just in time.At least Paisley sat with me temporarily.She was quite mesmerized by the bike show. I have to admit it was pretty awesome.They were doing some pretty high jumping.But this little picture sequence describes the best part.I think they liked it.

Cowboys and Indians

We recently read the book "The Indian in the Cupboard" to the boys. They LOVED it. We have two of the other books in the series and just haven't gotten around to starting them yet. (I have this annoying problem that when I sit down to read to the boys, I fall asleep while mumbling.) Anyway....the have shifted their interest only slightly from Pirates to Indians. Although the pirate phase I fear is long from over, it is kind of nice to see other types of play going on round these parts. As we don't have any Indian costumes (can you guess what is in store for Halloween this year?), Tab decided that he could pretend to be Boone (the cowboy from the book).Stick 'em up! I am proud to say that I have taught my boys to play cowboys and Indians in a very politically incorrect manner. I taught them to run around while patting their hands over their mouths while they they "howl". You know what I mean right? And they know all about scalping. Yeah, that's right, I'm totally awesome.