I Rock Motherhood...

Just take a look at these pictures and you can see why I rock as a mother:


Yes, it is wintertime in Michigan and yes, my lovely children are playing outside in their nothings...



Camryn loves to wear her new swimming suit around the house. She also loves her bandana (because it's like Kit's - her American Girl Doll) and purple bug boots. She makes me laugh so hard because she loves to get all dressed up in her latest creation and ballet dance to Mozart.


The funny thing is that I was just so happy that they actually ventured outside. Camryn saw a blackbird on a tree and she couldn't take it any longer - she had to bust out of the indoors and chase it around.

I swear, it seems like my poor kids have been couped up inside watching movies and getting annoyed with each other for months. To make things worse, this week is winter break for the kids so that means NO SCHOOL. Normally I like it when my kids are home from school, but I think we're all going a bit nuts because we're not going anywhere except from tv to dvd!

Camryn and Christian are still running (20 minutes or so) around half naked outside and all of my neighbors are probably judging me, but like I said before, I'm just tickled that they're out of the house for a few minutes! I rock momhood.

Here are some random pictures of some current events that I don't want to leave out of my 2009 blog book:

Here is Camryn's field trip to the Health Exploration
Station. Her preschool is dang cute...

She has wonderful best friends like Maia,
Brittani and...

...Ceci!

JD had a great time at his first
Blue and Gold Banquet for Scouts.
He loved making this stool. I
can't wait until we have space enough
for JD to create more fun wooden
masterpieces...

Here is yet another reason why I rock
as a mother...

So the other day I noticed Camryn
had a full on adult tooth busting
out of her gums. What the heck?
How could I have missed that?
Anyway, she finally lost the baby tooth
in front of it.

She was delighted to have
the tooth fairy visit. Apparently the fairy
pays quite well around these parts: $1!
Camryn thought it was great to have
real paper money. Her paper treasure is

safe and sound in her wallet.

There are so many reasons why I rock as a mom - especially these last few months:

My kids have learned...

The television can really be your best friend
How to feed themselves...cereal & toast anyone?
That brushing your hair gets you nowhere
Their clothes aren't really dirty until day 3
That bathing is for wimps

Would you like me to go on or do you get our reality? Ugh, we need a change!

We Love Our Little Man...

Life is adjusting pretty well around these parts. I'm just so darn thrilled not to be pregnant anymore! I'm glad to move on with life (aka I'm entirely on my own now), but it was so fun to have Gammy and Grandma come out and help. Joel had 4 days paternity, Gammy came out for a couple of days pre-baby and my madre came out for 5 days post-baby to help out. This was the first time I have ever had anyone come out and help postpartum. What was I thinking with my other pregnancies? It was fabulous to have someone clean my house and entertain my other children. Thanks!

JD, Camryn and Christian are adjusting quite nicely to a new baby being around. They all fight over who gets to hold baby Spencer - I love it. JD and Camryn are wonderful because I just have to ask them if they want to hold Spencer while I shower or exercise.




Yes, I'm trying to exercise. I walked for 40 minutes today and it felt great! I can't believe what a difference it makes to get my blood pumping. I can't wait until I can run off all of this baby fat - and I have lots to run off! The other day I gathered up all of my maternity clothes and put them in a big pile to get rid of. I should hold on to them because none of my clothes fit right now, but I just can't bring myself to put them on anymore! So what do I wear? Well, if you know me at all, you know the answer to that - scrubs! I love them, so so very much.


Here are some recent pictures I took when my mom was out. My brother was in Ohio on business and was able to come out for a visit too - perfect timing! Joel and I took my bro to a local burger joint: Blimpie Burger. This tiny shack of a restaurant was recently featured on Food TV's Diner's, Drive-in's and Dives. Holy cow - I felt the after shock of cholesterol overload for days! We topped the night off with our favorite dessert in Ann Arbor: cheesecake from the Prickly Pear - yummy. The next night, my mom and I had to go on a late night Zingerman's Deli run. Oh my, I love their pastrami sandwiches and blondies! Why am I not losing weight? Hmmm...

He's Here - Finally!

Spencer Aaron Gardner
February 12, 2009
8:20 am
8 lbs 7 oz
21 inches long

Well, after much anticipation, little Spencer decided to join the family. He is an absolute joy! We all love him so much. He has a wonderful aura about him - so peaceful. The labor went well - just as Heather had desired. The induction began at 11 pm, water was broken around 5:30 "ish," epidural placed around 6 am and Heather pushed him out with 5 very determined pushes at 8:20 am.

Here are a bunch of pictures for your enjoyment because we are sure enjoying him.
























We are so incredibly grateful to the good Lord for blessing us with another healthy baby. I guess all of your (especially Heather's!) prayers paid off. We'll take good care of him! More posts to come - this one full of pictures is dedicated to Grandpa Bagley - here are as many pictures as I could post!

Yes I'm still pregnant...

I wish this could be the post where I announce the birth of our child, but alas, my bun must cook for another 2 days. I finally got around to taking some pictures of my full term belly. I love seeing myself all ginormously large - ha! I wish I could post a progression of my pregnancy through pictures; HOWEVER, I have this thing with avoiding the camera when I'm pregnant. I seriously have like 3 or so pictures that show my belly, but hey that's better than nothing I guess.

My first profile picture - around 12 weeks

Taken at JD's baptism - around 27 weeks

Taken around 39 weeks...

So before I have this little guy, I thought I should jot down a few details about my pregnancy: the good, the bad and the fatty...

Let's start with the bad and the fatty...

First, I gained a lot more weight than I wanted :( I packed on a whopping 50 pounds - not exactly what I had planned, but hey it tasted good! Joel kept trying to convince me to refuse getting weighed at the doctor's office because I cried about it one day. Treadmill here I come!

I was so sick with this pregnancy! I was completely nauseated at the beginning of my pregnancy - I couldn't even swallow my own saliva! The 2nd trimester was fine, but these last few weeks are killing me! I took Camryn out on a date last night and didn't think I'd make it from the parking lot to the movie theatre. Every step I took was excruciating - lower back pain. She was so cute about it though. Camryn has been so sensitive to my aches and pains so she held my hand and skipped alongside her handicapped mother. I love her.

Ok, enough negativity, now on to the "good stuff..."

My family has been wonderful to me over this pregnancy. They have been ignored and fed some pretty sad food, but they've boosted me up and put up with my whining. JD has been quite a gentleman: letting me lean on him while walking on icy sidewalks (so if I fell, he would break my fall!), pulling me up from the couch and floor, sorting the laundry and the list goes on - I love him! Camryn has been absolutely adorable! She plays with Christian from morn until eve so that I can get the rest I need. She rubs and hugs my belly all the time. She loves to see the baby dance inside my belly by placing her little Dora cd player near his head - I love her! Christian doesn't quite get it. Whenever the baby moves, he laughs hysterically and asks why there is a fish in my tummy. I hope he doesn't get too sad when a new little guy kicks him out of his "mama's little baby" spot. As long as I can keep snuggling with him each morning while we watch cartoons, I think he'll be OK.

Joel is happy to have his Heather back, but he knows through experience that it'll take a few more weeks for me to feel like "me" again. He's trying so hard to keep me comfortable so that I won't go into labor until my induction date - it'll work better with his schedule! I give him crap for that, but I understand. Besides, I don't mind the extra attention :) Like tonight - I announced I needed a treat so he said he'd make my favorite cake. What a cutie. He keeps wanting to go out before our lives change. So needless to say, we've been eating out a ton - no complaints here. Our relaxing activity at night is to watch Smallville episodes. I had Joel's brother Steve (who lives in China) pick me up all 8 seasons for a surprise Christmas present. They are pretty cheesy, but it's nice to get a little "Good Sex, Bad Lex" once-in-a-while (that is what the Chinese intrepreters splashed all over the cover - so China!)!

So yes, I'm still pregnant, but I have people around me that love and take care of me!

Winding Down...

Well, things are winding down around these parts in preparation for baby...

BYE-BYE TEACHING!

Today was my last assist day at Camryn's preschool "FUMCN." Her preschool is a co-op where parents are required to assist the main teacher. I was seriously stressing out for next semester's assist days because I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out with nursing and babysitting. Anyway, I'm so grateful to the nice ladies at FUMCN that agreed to swap their assist days this semester with mine next semester. So basically I've been living at FUMCN lately to get all of my assist days next semester taken care of. I'm finally done and so I don't have assist ever again. Whew - what a relief!

BYE-BYE BRACES!

Yesterday was a day that I had been anticipating for the last 15 months. I GOT MY BRACES OFF! Wahoo! I've had this obsession since my early married years to have straight teeth. We could never afford it until now so I'm super grateful to finally get it taken care of. I'm very happy with the result and feel like it was worth the time and money. Granted, I still have 4 - 6 months of wearing a retainer 24/7, but I'll take it. Joel....we get to eat Indian food whenever we want now - no more stained rubberbands! I'll get the before and after shots soon. I'll definitely post those babies when I get them.

NOT SO SOON HEATHER!

I have an induction date of February 11th in the evening. I told Joel that I'm going to start running on the freak'n treadmill to force this little guy out! Whenever I get spastic like this, he always looks at me and shakes his head, "Quit trying to force it." or "I didn't know 38 weeks was the new 40," or the one I love the best, "You've spent the last 8 months worrying about having a short bus baby and now it doesn't seem to bother you." Wow Joel, you rock. He's actually been really good with this pregnancy, but I think the honeymoon is finally over. He's sick of the whining and emotions. Where's the freak'n sympathy?? My own husband doesn't even love me anymore! (That last sentence should force you to comment on my blog!)

REALITY CHECK

The truth is that I'm feeling pretty good considering everything. My back hurts with every step and my uterus feels like it's going to prolapse at any moment, BUT I'm still not ready for him to come out just yet. I'm very grateful that I've held onto him this long and that he's got all 10 fingers and toes. I got excited today picturing my new little boy. We seem to be ready now - except for a name. We like Spencer Aaron and Logan Davis. Hopefully, we'll be inspired when he is born! Good luck to us!

And the Word of the Day is...

For some reason "P" words have been on my mind lately - maybe because I have to all the time (ha ha). Wanna know what's been going on my pathetic brain, please read on. Yes, I really am a freak - I mean phreak.

~Photos & Publishing Blog Books~

I haven't written lately because I've been so busy putting my blog book together. I finally finished it and it came in the mail the other day. I'm soooo happy with the results! The whole reason I started blogging was to keep a family journal so that I could just print the baby off each year. I love that I don't have to scrapbook anymore! If you haven't done a book yet, I highly recommend it - come check mine out if you're around!

~Politics~

So how could I not comment on the whole political scene at least once this year?? I love being up on current events, but I feel completely overwhelmed with the whole political climate in our country right now. I watched the inauguration of our 44th president last week and it boy did it elicit some emotions for me.

First of all, I love my country and our rich heritage. I couldn't help but compare Obama's inauguration with that of John Adams. Talk about a serious juxtaposition of pomp and circumstance vs. humility. It all seemed a bit "paradish" - a new "P" word I just made up. I felt like I couldn't enjoy the historic nature of the event because it was being shoved down my throat by the media! I do think it's quite amazing that our first African American president will be living in a house that slaves were forced to help build. However, can we please move on to policy and stop the whole Obama worshiping? I mean our country is a mess and I'm hopeful that Obama can clean things up. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him these last few months - I mean he's only a man and people are certainly excited to put him up on a pedestal rather quickly. That's a lot to live up to. I didn't vote for him, but he's my president now and I'm actually really excited about moving forward. Hopefully the next few years will be better than the last.

~Piano~

So piano is included in my latest post because my wonderful son has decided that practicing the piano is the time to revert back to toddlerhood. Joel and I LOVE this time of day: the whining, crying, excuses, tantrums. Ahhh, now this is REAL music to our ears! What should take about 15-20 minutes, ends up taking up to 1 hour sometimes. When it does get to this point, half the time is taken on either Joel or me (usually me) trying to discuss the benefits of not giving up, the benefits of practicing, being well-rounded etc. I swear I love JD, but sometimes he kills me! He is so smart and wonderful I guess I just have so many expectations and hopes for him. I keep telling him that some day when he impresses a girl he likes with a lovely little tune, he'll think, "Man, my mom was right all along!" I warned him that when that beautiful day comes, he is to immediately hug me and say, "thanks mom!" That's what gets me through the 4:30-5:00 practice time.

~Pregnancy~

So I have about 3 weeks left before #4 comes. At my last appointment, I was informed that I was 2 cm and 70% effaced - pretty normal for me. What scared me was all of the cramping I experienced after my appointment. It dawned on me that I could go into labor at any moment now and I'm so not ready! Once I felt better, I got to work: organizing some clothes, buying diapers and nursing bras - all the necessities! Is this a sign? Is he coming soon? I hope not (I can't believe I just wrote that!)! I have so much stuff to do before that day comes. I have to finish Camryn and Christian's baby books, start a new one for baby #4, finish assisting at Camryn's preschool (so I don't have to next semester), get my braces off (wahoo!!!!) and get my hair done (since that won't be happening again for a very very long time!). This baby better behave himself!

~Paranoia, Pain & Perspective~

If you know me, you know I'm a paranoid basket case during pregnancy. I mean these babies are such miracles and to have so many of them turn out healthy is amazing. My personal paranoia seems to have tapered off a bit (it's true Joel - seriously!) now that his birth is imminent, there isn't much I can do. I better just enjoy this last experience. In terms of pain, I definitely have my share of that, but it's not as bad as it was with Christian. That perspective keeps me going. Perspective has also taught me that it is much easier to take care of these babies while they're still inside! Forget it, I'd rather have a newborn!

~Random "P" stuff~

Progressive Soup: I experienced a little miracle last week at Costco. JD actually tried a new food item. Upon tasting the flavorful elixir Progressive created in a can (chicken noodle), he exclaimed, "Mom, I just can't stop eating this (about 1 1/2 tablespoons worth)! It's so dang good!" Yes, I bought it. We've been eating it each night Joel is late at the hospital.

Parties - tea that is: Camryn's 2 favorite things in the world are playing with Kit (her American Girl Doll) and hosting tea parties - multiple times a day. She thoughtfully sets the table up with her "glass set" (a porcelain set she got for Christmas) and snacks (her favorite part). She has a special chair for Kit. She even gives her a plate full of treats (her way of getting 2 treats!). Christian adores being invited because he gets to pile in more food. Dad and Mom LOVE her tea parties because all we have to do is sit and she serves us food - a perfect arrangement.

Pigging out - Man, I wish my mouth were bigger! I'm totally out of control - it's my way of finding happiness right now! I don't cook anymore because my belly aches when it's pushed up to the countertop. So what do we eat (besides Progressive soup)? Ummm...yes please. I got Jimmy John a couple of days ago, Joel took us to Bob Evans (my kids' favorite) last night, and I had lunch with a friend at Olive Garden today! Man, what a porker!

Plastic and Paper Products - I worship them. I keep that a secret from my conservationist Ann Arbor friends. My kids won't know what to do with real silverware and dishes when we move!

Pokey Real Estate - We put an offer on a home a few days ago. We actually offered full price (from when we saw the house). They since raised the price (yes, raised - in this market no less!) The crazy people countered with a number even higher than their current price! What? We thought that it was quite phunny and phrustrating so we told them to phorget it!


OK OK, I'm done with the "P" thing. Now I've been sitting here writing this for awhile, so if you'll please excuse me, I must leave and go "word of the day!" Told you I was a phreak.

Nesting and New Year's Resolutions...

I can't believe it's a new year! I haven't been prompt on blogging lately because I've been making my family blog book. I'm so excited! This is totally the way to go: I get a scrapbook of pictures AND a family/personal journal out of it. I really don't like scrapbooking (the old fashioned way anyway) so this seems perfect. Hopefully the quality of the book is adequate. We'll see. On another unrelated note...

Hmmm...I'm not so sure about that...

So I have about 1 month left until this baby of mine is going to make his entrance. I've been expecting the whole nesting thing to begin. I can't recall when it kicked in with my previous babies, but it seems like it should've begun by now. It's hilarious because this jive town apartment has no hope for true cleanliness so I wonder if I'll even go through any nesting with baby #4?? I remember going through some serious nesting with JD and Camryn. With Camryn, we lived in Arizona during Med School and were residing in our first house. I recall washing all of the baseboards, walls and tile grout. I was literally on my hands and knees in my final weeks of pregnancy scrubbing the tile grout with an old toothbrush.

Hmmm, I'm not feeling the need for any of that with this baby! I mean seriously, if I start in this apartment, I'll never get done! Having done this 3 other times must play a role too. By this point I know that all the baby does is eat, poop and sleep. I have all the goods for that! We'll see, maybe the week before I'm due, I'll turn into a super freak and put a month's worth of nesting into a single week!

In terms of New Year's Resolutions, I have but a few:

• Survive another month of pregnancy without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive another year of breast feeding without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive months of looking at my post-pregnancy body without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive another cross-country move without checking into the loony bin.

So as far as I can see, as long as I don't check myself into a loony bin this year,
it'll be an outstanding 2009!