Brain Connections

Yes I am type A...and I know that surprises everyone! Thanks to this I love to analyze, prioritize, list, and understand "why?". Hence why I had to back track to figure out how the heck I started thinking about a childhood memory....here's the connections my brain made in about 5 minutes.

• What a thunder storm
• Kind of like the one in shawshank redemption when Andy escaped
• Andy was soo good- wow.
• The library he built was really cool
• I love that part when that one guy is singing along to hank williams:)
• Man I wish they played a little Hank on the radio
• Brooks and Dunn have a song with a line in it "Hank it up a little let's rock this bar"
• same song, another line about "I'm a George jones junkie"
• George...wow that's a name you don't hear much anymore
• George Jones, George Straight- do I even know any other Georges?
• Had a neighbor George Claussan growing up.
• He lived in a yellow house
• Once when they were gone my brother and I watered their lawn for them
• We left the sprinkler in once place too long and created a sink hole
• Hm...I wonder how that ever turned out? Larry you remember???

Baby daze

Life with Josiah has been good. He is the easiest baby thus far in his 11 days on this earth. He already is above his birth weight as he is a good eater, mostly every 4 hours which is nice. Having him so close to Nehemiah, without giving my body a break was crazy. I almost cracked! But now on the back side it's nice to know my pregnant days are over and now I can look forward to enjoying my little family. I've missed time with my husband. I've missed doing my daughters hair in the mornings. I've missed being able to pick up Nehemiah. I've missed being able to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath (almost there). I've missed feeling like "me"---and it's all starting to come back. In fact, in spite of normal labor healing, I feel better now that I have in months! months I tell you! I feel like I just completed the craziest triathlon that I could put my body through and now I"m like GLAD that is over and WOW can't believe I did that! I'm now looking so forward to so many things:

• Getting my body back into shape
• Biking/Backpacking/Hiking with Josh and the kids
• Playing chase
• Doing girly things with Abby
• Watching "the boys" grow up so close in age together
• Wearing any pants/shorts that are not stretchy waist:)
• Drinking a glass of wine once in awhile

So many of these things are still way out in the future, but I can't help but start to think of all the fun things we will do as family of 5. I guess I can start to imagine the future more now that I know Josiah was our last baby. In fact, I think that is a huge reason I can/am enjoying him so much b/c I know it's my last one...sniff sniff...yeah yeah! Yes I'd love another little girl, but not enough to go through pregnancy again or think about all the finances we'd need to have another one. I am so blessed with the three I have, and I know I'll have my hands full! I'm glad I am off work so long, but I know by the end of the summer off with Josh and the 3 kiddos I will start to look forward to going back to work. Maybe not the craziness of the launches that will await me when I return....but I enjoy my work and honestly? I'm a better mother when I have that time away from the kids- with something that stimulates and challenges my brain. Plus, I guess I know the people teaching my kids are more qualified in the "development" part of their education than I am. Abby just got her year end evaluation and she is doing fabulous! She is one of the youngest in her class having moved up to the 3-4 yr old room in August when her 3rd bday wasn't until late November. I'm amazed at all she has learned at her preschool, amazed. Plus she is so caring with her brothers. She loves to play with Nehemiah, sometimes too rough since he isn't even 18 months yet. And she watches out for him and tries to teach him things too. And she loves loves loves Josiah. Holding him, helping bathe him, getting his pacifier, watching him, etc. She's going to be the 2nd mother to her brothers, whether they like it or not;)

ok...it's late and I really should be sleeping while Josiah is sleeping. Night night.

Josiah Dean Howard

Josiah Dean Howard was born on May 16th at 4:05am. He was 8lbs 9oz and 20.5" long.

The highlights of his birth?

• Sat May 15th, sent home from hospital b/c he was facing the wrong way and I wasn't progressing in labor.


• Sun 2am woke up with severe labor pains.


• 3:35am checked into hospital, was 7cm dialated


• Got edpidural put in, but no time for actual use of drugs.


• Water exploded, hitting wall 6 feet away making nurses say "Oh my God!"


• Told to push once....his head crowned quickly


• Told to STOP pushing b/c the doctor wasn't there


• Stopped pushing; however, he came out anyways


• 4:05am nurses caught Josiah


• 4:10 am doctor saunters in saying "You could have given me more warning"

We are all home and doing well. Tired but oh so blessed...

The Waiting Game

Well...now the official waiting game begins. 25 days left until my "due date" of May 23rd. Each pain is more of a hm...could it be...rather than "ahh that's normal pregnancy". I have yet to pack my hospital bag, and then I think of my friend Jenn who had her third kid 3 weeks early and I realize it's possible. Personally I would be SHOCKED if this kid came any earlier than 1 week. My first kid was 9 days late and we had to really push her out. No dilation or water breakage with her. My second kid was 2 days early, with 1 cm dilation showing up only 2 days before. Both times I went to bed late, and woke up in the wee hours of a Sunday morning with cramps. My daughter waited until that afternoon to be born, and my son arrived 4 hours after we arrived at the hospital. Josh is nervous this kid will pop out faster than we'll have time to get to the hospital.

If it's during the week day- the kids will be in day care until grandparents can pick them up. No problem. Josh gets last minute sub and comes home to pick me up.

If it's during the night- the kids will be sleeping and we'll wait to leave for the hospital until one of our amazing friends can step over here and watch them until the grandparents arrive.

If it's during the weekend/evening- we'll have to wait until friends can come over and watch the kids until the grandparents show up.

We can make it to the hospital in 20-30 minutes depending on traffic, and as we've just done this, we know where to go:)

I feel like this one will come close to his due date, but when he decides to come- watch out- as there are no more muscles to help keep him in since my body just went through this 14 months ago.

Weird dreams

So I had several weird dreams last night. I can't say that any of them were disturbing or horrible, just really random, weird and felt like it actually happened. I totally had to set myself straight this morning and realize they were just dreams. I'm only sharing b/c so many of my friends/family know these people and how weird these will sound...

1. Was talking to my parents about 4th of July and how we weren't planning on camping with 3 little ones, especially one that is 1 month old and nursing at night which is hard in a tent- trust me I did it with nehemiah. They started talking how they got everyone in our family individual cabins, and ours had 2 rooms so we could have one for us and one for the kids. Only they reserved them for 5 nights, in omaha nebraska. I was very shocked they did this without talking to us, although camping in a cabin sounded fine- in omaha? Then they dropped a bomb shell. Nate Jenkins, your old friend, contacted us and asked if we'd all come out to his wedding. We planned our 4th of july around his wedding and everyone is going..we were going to keep it a surprise from you. Plus we'll see our nebraska relatives on the 5th. Reality? This is totally weird and out of character for my parents. Plus-I haven't spoken to or heard from Nate in like 7 years! Bizzaro.

2. I was at "my house" in an enclosed front porch area talking very familiarly with Jim and Becky Sanchez. We were talking about babies (go figure) and they said something about small babies vs. large ones. I said how my sister in law, Christine has to deal with that all the time- and yet her daughter is developmentally on track or ahead of her age, just petite. They looked shocked that I knew Christine, and were even more shocked when I said, "in fact...she's sleeping inside b/c she is so tired from being pregnant and I'm watching Ellie for her". Then they wanted to see her and I wouldn't let them in b/c I didn't want to wake her up. I peeked inside and she was awake so she came outside and squealed when she saw them, as if it had been years. Only it wasn't Christine, it was Alli, her sister in looks- but in my heart/head it was Christine. Reality? It wasn't my house. I haven't seen Christine's parents in a long time. I would never keep her from seeing them. Way weird.

3. I had a dr. apt (which I did today and everything was normal) and my doctor looked really run down. She had been delivery babies at the hospital for like 2 days straight. She said I had placenta privia (sp?) and that the baby had actually shifted out of position and now was really high- and moved my due date out by like 2 months! Reality? my dr. apt today was fine. I'm fine. The baby is fine. My doctor looked normal.

Happy Birthday to my 1yr old Son!

Nehemiah is 1 yr old today- WOW. (notice his first shoes? Black converse...yeah baby)

His little personality is just shining through. Quiet, rarely fussy, constantly moving, and determined. So far discipline and the word NO mean nothing to him. If you give him a spanking he just sits and looks at you afterwards like "are you done? can I go back to what I was doing now?". I think we'll have our hands full.

He has his doctor appointment tomorrow- but at 9 months he was already 21 lbs and 31" long. He is a big boy that is getting harder and harder for me to carry now that Isaac seems to be just as active in the womb as Nehemiah was!

Goodbye bottles. Goodbye formula. Hello sleeping in the same room with Abby. They will share a room for about a year or so until Isaac is ~1. From there on out Nehemiah and Isaac will share a room.

This weekend is a family birthday to celebrate this little guy.

He is walking, sometimes very fast, now. Has 9 teeth. Drools constantly. Eats constantly. Does not nap (like his father at the same age) but sleeps 11.5-12 hours straight at night. Loves to bop to music and laugh with his sister. He adores Abby and she is such a wonderful big sister. I pray it will always be so. No one can make him laugh as much as she can.

Happy Birthday little guy....I love you.

5 weeks and counting

5 weeks until I'm off work- yeah:) Josh is worried I'll be bored and missing that "human interaction" and I'm not so sure. It's true the last 2 times I almost went stir crazy, but I work from home so much these days I think I'm used to it. I really enjoy the time by myself at home to get things done at my pace. I'm glad the next 5 weekends are busy too- it's exhausting but helps the time go by faster. Friends visiting, Nehemiah's 1st bday party (oh my), Easter, our 6th anniversary, the volunteer event I'm leading at work, and my replacement from China coming to stay for a week to get face to face hand off training. Whew!

Then hopefully a month of peace, sleep and relaxation before Isaac makes an appearance. I know he'll probably come early being my third and so close to my second that everything is stretched out- but I pray he comes on time or late. I really really am looking forward to that month off before he comes to "rest" up and get everything ready. But babies come when they will and I just pray he arrives safely. I also hope there is enough time for the grandparents to get here:)

Josh is worried we won't make it to the hospital on time. Nehemiah came 6 hours after the pains started, and only 4 hours after we were at the hospital, thankfully. I really have no worries about it at all- maybe I should- maybe I will the closer it gets- but I feel pretty relaxed about this one.

I have a doctor apt tomorrow. My glucose screening came out fine- stupid test. Then the last week of march/first week of April I'll have another ultrasound to look at the position of the baby, etc. yeah:) i'm still dreaming I'm having twins, although there has been no signs to comfirm this at the doctor office. So I'm looking forward to confirming, once again, it's just one little one in there;)

I'm looking forward to my 6 months off, but realize the first 3ish months will not be a "break". The closer this birth gets the further away that seems. I'm really excitted to hold this little one though and see his personality develop. Abby is our drama queen who lights up our house with songs and "let's play". Nehemiah is our quiet, easy going, stubborn little man who is quick to smile and slow to fuss. he adores abby and no one can make him laugh more than she can. Abby has curly blonde/brown hair, blue eyes and dimples...Nehemiah has brown hair with hazel/green eyes and no dimples. What will Isaac look like?