Posey Charlotte Reed

                        

So I thought I would post a few entires about each of our kids and what this stage of their life is like! I will start with the youngest :) Little miss flower, Posey Charlotte, is already 3 months old!!! Goodness when did that happen!? I haven't even completed writing her birth story yet! It's been a busy few months :)  She is sitting in her bumbo seat like a pro, giving deep belly laughs, adorable coos and gurgles and the biggest smiles you ever have seen!!!  She is beautiful:) she loves eating her hands, and she had recently started to drule like crazy! I am sure teeth are in her near future. She likes to be on her belly and look at her siblings toys, head in full control, looking around. She is on her way to being able to roll back to belly but she has mastered belly back no problem. Her hair is just peach fuzz and very blonde, I think we have another white haired baby on our hands :) love it:) her blue eyes sparkle and light up when one of her loved ones walk into the room. And she is a great sleeper, I truely am getting pretty good sleep!! But she is more than welcomed to nurse all night if she needs to, momma has to get sleep, so she comes and snuggles in bed with us. She is chunking out nicely :) she pretty much skipped the 3-6 month size and is in a full on 6 month and some 12 month!!!! Most of her clothes are hamidowns, so they have shrunk a tad but not enough to make a huge difference!!! 

Her siblings all adore her, especially Owen and Ellanore. Ellanore is amazed when she laughs, eats her hands, and very badly wants to play with her. She is constantly trying to put toys in her hands and make her play :) Owen can not walk past her without kissing her or nuzzling her(yes, like a cat). He loves loves babies and is already asking when the next one is coming. Slow down kid and enjoy the one we have :) he is a great brother and they seem to have a great bond already!  Henry loves her just as much and when he does love on her, it is so genuine and sincere. his eyes grow so big eith love though when he does give her special attention, it's very very sweet. It's not constant and can sometimes go all day without noticing she is her :) they all are helpful with giving her the paci is she needs it, holding her hands, running and getting me is she cries or is she smells poopy :)! 

This summer should be pretty fun, I am excited. She will be walki around in a blink and crawling around even faster than that!! Even though my kids are all under school age, I feel like this season we are in, I am the "old" momma, the "experienced" momma and that from here on out everything Is going to go double time !! So I am trying to enjoy the days of not going out and just hanging with the kids. This 3 month old will be an adult quicker than I can believe it, it's a bitter sweet thought, but I am going to enjoy each season with her and see what God has in store for our sweet flower, Posey :) 

Spring is finally here

I think Michigan is at long last having  Spring!

 

It's kinda nice to enjoy two springs this year. Richmond is already entering into the crazy hot that is their summer, so we had a whole beautiful season of spring there and now get one here :) 

He kids have been loving it outside. The moved one giant dirt pile over to a new spot, we have been having races in the pasture, and we walked our 85 acres of land.  

 

They have been playing gloriously in grandma and grandpas yard :) swing, slides, hammock, fort building , sling shooting and bird watching are among the favorites of grandma and grandpas back yard:) Owen is insists that he needs a sling shot for his birthday and little white peas to shoot out of it! I am fairly certain he means beads :) I can forsee many fun accidents with that, but what little boy doesn't want a slingshot ! It is almost a right of boyhood I am sure. 

they spent one afternoon being pirates in their hammock pirate ship:) it was so fun to see and hear them giggle with grandma as they were in their pretend world. They are 100% convinced that Michigan is only Grandma and Grandpas house and I think Henry still believes we live in Virgina :) 

Grandma and grandpa came down to our place one day after work this week and Shane and I had a nice little date. It felt differnt than our dates in Richmond. Small town on a early Tuesday evening is not the recipe for crowds of people or even just a full amount of people :) but it was a good time and the one on one time was needed! I am thankful that date nights can happen much more frequently than the once every few months it had been!! 

I started school back up for Owen. We had been doing some lessons since Posey was born, but the closer thr move came , and the more adventuring we did, school took a backseat.

I still have that luxurary being that he is not officially kindergarten age and I am fairly certain he knows must of what is covered in kindergarten. But it is nice to get school done first thing in the morning and back into the habit of it. He really does thrive better with it in his life :) 

We decided to paint the school table with chalk board paint. So that was our first project since living here at the farm. I have many other pieces of furniture to paint and hoping to get them done ASAP!! 

Our biggest and most exciting development is that we ordered baby chicks!! 6 little chicks should be here by the end of next week!  I am terrified and excited :) Owen excitedly stated that "we are farmers now!! Well I am anyways""!! :) he has everything planned for me and has been telling me what exactly needs to take place!! He is he chicken expert you know :) 

So expect to read lots about our chicken raising adventure ;) 

Happy weekend y'all;) 

The beginning of another adventure

It has been entirely too long since my last blog post. Sad. I feel as if I thought people had to enjoy reading my blog and that if nobody was reading it, what was the point? I realize now that it's ok to jot down the silly, mundane and crazy events of my life and if nobody reads it, I will someday founding look back on it!!! So I have a new goal to summarize at the end of each week, how our week was. Some I will share to social media , some I will not :) 

My last blod post we shortly after Ellanore was born!!! Well.... She is just two weeks shy of turning two and has an almost 3 month old baby sister , Posey! And we are back living in Michigan! A lot had changed. So let's start there: Michigan. We have been back for 5 days... We traded this beautiful weather and beautiful blooming trees...

For this...snow! 

Now it is not completely unheard of for Michigan  to have snowfall in April. But of course, no matter how long you live here, people still grump about it! I feel like my 3 years in the south gave me the allowance to grump about it... I mainly just drank hot coffee all day and snuggled :) 

However my childrens were a bit terrified because "it's not supposed to snow in the springtime!"-Owen 

Owen, you are so so wise :) 

This first week has been good. We are pretty much all unpacked and settled with our things, my parents have come to visit and spoiled the kids already :) we had our friends over for dinner(praying this is a weekly event ! ) and the kids and I are taking our first trip up to my parents house this weekend. They ( the kids) do not understand why we don't live a stones through from grandma and grandpa but hopefully they realize that 2 hours is much much more doable than the 13 hour drive they so graciously and generously drove many many times before :) 

Our new home is on a farm. 85 acres. We can have any livestock we would live , can hunt small game , grow a garden, have bonfires and roam the 85 acres to our hearts content!! Very exciting, especially for young kids. It is going to be our adventure house. It is not our dream location by any mean , especially coming from the amazing RVA and all that wonderful city offered. But I am excited for this year (maybe less )long adventure until we find our forever house in a bit more urban area ;) 

The house itself is much differnent that what we are used to. First off it's HUGE ! 5 bedrooms, eat in kitchen, dinning room, living room, two full baths , huge basement, walk in attic, front porch , back porch sun room, and a second kitchen upstairs!(nonfunctional) it's a whole lot of house! 

The second kitchen upstairs is the perfect area for home school and crafts, I am excited about  that :) 

The move back to Michigan was harder than I expected, but I am focused in the good and there is a lot of that. This year is the start of a new adventure. I am nervous, excited, homesick for Richmond but grateful for our time there and the fond memories I have of it. 

So that pretty much sums up our first week in our new place as quick as possible. We are at my parents now and the kids are right at home ;) we haven't been here in a year but they know it like the back of their hand! So we are gonna chance the last few ray of sunlight for the day and enjoy the adventure :) 

Ellanore Belle Reed

Well, our sweet baby girl is finally here!! May 9, 2013 at 9:13 am, we welcomed Ellanore Belle Reed into our lives! She was 9lbs2oz and 21 inches long!! Seriously, we all were thinking like an 8lb baby....nope, she is our biggest yet!! And she is such a doll!! While it is still fresh in my memory, I wanted to get down her birth story!! How quickly one forgets what really took place!
Well my "due date" came and went(May 4) and I realized 100% that she really was a girl! Making her fashionably late appearance! I vowed to not try any natural/old midwife tricks, until after i was 40 weeks!! So 40+1 came, and i broke out the raspberry leaf tea, ate a ton of pineapple, walked, cleaned, ate spicy food...nothing really made me feel like labor was coming soon!! I actually was feeling pretty good! I even was still working out!! Well my weekly midwife appointment came, 40+4 and I told her I didn't want to risk being medically induced...so we tried a few things. I was on the fence about taking some castor oil, luckily my midwife in Michigan talked me out of it, because that night, I had my first real contraction! I knew she was coming! So wednesday night, we went to bed, and around midnight was woken up with contractions! 2 am-5am i slept on and off, but in my own bed, which was lovely. ARound 5:30 am Owen woke up, and we all were snuggled together in bed, and shortly later henry came to join us! Owen asked what was wrong, when i was making my breathing faces during a contraction! I was happy to tell him that Ellanore would be joining us today!! He gave my giant belly a few hugs , as he was very excited!! I made a quick phone call to my mom, to fill her in and let he know we were headed to the hospital! She was crying, tears of happiness but also sadness, for she couldn't be there physically for me, but she knew i had all the support i needed. I told shane that we needed to get going(6:30am). We fed the kids, called our friends to let them know we were on the way, packed up the car and headed out!!!
We were so blessed that our community groups friend said yes to our asking them to watch the boys for us!! The boys went and were strong, Owen especially. I of course cried, a few times. I remember Shane telling me to pray and to not stop praying, the entire way to the hospital. My contractions were very very close now and there was no doubt about it, it was going to be fast! After fearing we would be stuck in traffic, or have the baby in the car, we made it to the hospital! I made it through the parking garage, in the elevator, full of people.....Shane's remark was "Amanda, you are making everyone very uncomfortable in this elevator :)" as i was hunched over, breathing through a contraction! The entire elevator full of people laughed and let us off first! A security guard got us a wheel chair and escorted us to the labor floor!
Signed some papers, and we made it to the room!! I just wanted that tub!! Even though we soon found out it was more like a trough! lol. They had to monitor me quickly, get all the info and fun stuff. I was almost a 7. I was hoping for more! But God knew what he was doing! As i got into the tub, I felt relaxed even more. Shane had my music on, was being an amazing coach! Praying with me, singing to me, holding me, reaffirming that yes, I can do this, and this is how God made my body to work. I could get this done! Honestly, It would not have gone nearly as well if he wasn't so amazing! I think he calling is to be a midwife!! And yes, we did have that conversation with my midwife, and she agreed he has a gift! Although, I am sure it is much different when its your wife in labor,and not some strange woman you hardly know!
My water broke on its own in the tub, praise the Lord! I really wanted that! And within minutes, Ellanore was here!! I warned the midwife I didn't think i would make it to the bed....and I didn't! Ellanore was born as I was standing, gripping Shane for dear life, and my midwife down on the floor practically. It was amazing! I got to hold her and bring her up to me instantly, but this time it was so different, almost as if i delivered her myself!! I thought she looked so tiny! I couldn't believe it! Actually though, 9lbs 2oz she was our biggest baby yet!! She was 21 inches long and beautiful!
Everything about this labor and delivery was perfect! It felt, honestly, like it was just me and Shane, and we were in totally control! not that my other 2 labors were bad, they were beautiful and I love their stories. But everything I desired and prayed for happened with this delivery! I was able to labor at home and not worry I wouldn't get my antibiotic for being group b positive...because I wasn't! I was able to love on my kids while in labor, but still have someone to care for them when we needed it! Shane was there! he had not left for work yet! I was able to be in the tub, let my water break naturally, and do birth the way my body needed to! I just had no idea that meant standing up!! I had only met this midwife 2 times before i went into labor, and she was totally amazing and just let me do my thing! Also, I honestly didn't even know there was a nurse in the room until after i had the baby!! No one asked me what my pain level was(I hate that questions) no body asked for my birth plan, they didn't offer any meds, they just knew what i wanted and what they believed it and it was beautiful!
One added bonus was that my friend, who is training to be a Douala, was there for us and took pictures of it all! I know, who really wants pics of that....but I do! I don't want to forget it! I forget too much as it is! And the top of the cake was that my parents made it down the next day and were able to see their granddaughter and help us out with the kids!
Honestly, if I could have the promise that every labor could be like that, I would do it many more times! It was just true and beautiful! I wish all woman could experience what I had. From start to finish!
Ellanore is 11 days old now and even more beautiful!! We just had her newborn photos taken yesterday and we can't wait to see them! She is calm and peaceful and is already doing well with her 2 big brothers!!

Bring it on!

   So today, as I was making dinner, I received a text message from my Aunt, saying that her friend(who I  have met) had her baby boy the other day.  I instantly, like many women(I think) thought about what her birth experience was like. Then the reminder came to me, as I looked at my very round belly....I am going to have another birth story of my own very soon!! I am trying not to be anxious, and have sworn to myself to not try to do anything to kick start my labor, just let  it come naturally,  but the excitement is creeping, and I cant wait to meet her!!
     With that said....I also got the reminder of what birth and labor will be like.....PAINFUL!! This will be my third baby, in less than 4 years....so the memory of that pain never truly went away!! ? Many people  wonder why I am planning on delivering natural again, after already experiencing it, and :"proving:" i can do it(who needs to prove anything!). My answer is always this: I  have gone 40 weeks of feeling every kick and roll, heartburn, hips stretching, skin stretching, baby flipping......why stop at the best and  to me, most important part! I desire to feel my baby enter this world, the emotions that come with it, know that you and your baby are working together, so hard, to get this job done!! Its a personal choice, I give no judgement, its just my hearts desire, for my babies.
     As I was having this moment, I realized that just like in birth, those pains that come with the baby entering the world, they don't necessarily go away as the baby grows....they just are different!!! All the ages I have experienced so far(1,2 and part of 3) have each brought their own pains to me as a parent.  I constantly struggle to find the balance with letting my kids discover and use their emotions, feeling, actions, good or bad, and keep them in line with learning /doing what is right in the situation.  I , as a parent don;'t want my child to be whining (for an hour!!) about not getting to take his cousins home to VA with us, but have realized that he needs to feel that emotion, but learn how to deal with it. I don;'t want to give my children an 'life epidural" to get them to "behave, be quite, stop embarrassing me" Its going to be painful and hard for that season....however long that may be, but it will end!! Eventually,it will be over.  And if we don't feel it, we cant experience it, learn from it nor our kids!! And, just like in pregnancy, after your baby is here, your going to miss being pregnant!! Even minutes after all that pain....you might think how you miss it already!!
     And just like with my 3 year old that is testing me in all sorts of ways right now...if i don't feel this,I am going to miss it!!! Now i am not saying to let your kids act all sorts of bad crazy and be spoiled, I just mean, let them discover their emotions and learn how to express them so it benefits them. Its a process, just like labor, but it will be well worth it in the end!! At least that is my thinking right now!! i am not a parent expert, just trying to learn as I go, and discover what works for our family!!
    I must carry a sign that reads "over yet " because people keep wishing these years away for me, or that my pregnancy will be over sooner....Please, don't do that!!! I rush it enough myself, i don't need you too!! I want to remember and truly EXPERIENCE these years, no matter how challenging they are. I want to remember the struggles I had, the joys we felt...every emotion!!! Bring it on I say!! Because, most importantly, I  know that we(Shane and i) are /not alone in this! God has given us many promises to take heart, and trust in Him!! So with him, through him, I feel confident to say again, Bring it on!! I hope you can too!

A entry for my own heart to remember

I had my 36 week midwife appointment today! This pregnancy, has gone by incredibly fast, I really cannot believe it.  I think we, Shane and I, are about ready for baby girl to make her arrival! I mean realistically, my house is a mess(constantly!) we don't have enough newborn diapers, and our bag is not packed! But as far as the excitement of it, anticipation....we are ready!! However, the past few weeks have proven, that our children are not ready for it!
I am not going to lie, its been a rough few weeks, especially with Owen.  Being 3 isn't easy, even more so when you are strong willed, super smart, adorable, and have gone through so many changes for a 3 year old!!  We went to MI a few weeks ago, suddenly, due to a family member passing, and it was a rough 2 weeks there. It was like the start of these uncontrollable emotional breakdowns for Owen....and the start to Henry using the word "NO" with strength and authority!! They had a great time, but it was still a lot!! Well, it has calmed down a bit now that we are at home and back on a normalish routine. Today was not a very wonderful day though for some reason!! It was like Owen's ears were turned off to me, and my patience was turned off to him!! It was a beautiful day outside today, and we were outside almost all day!! Which was wonderful, and also posed challenges! With a 36 week prego chasing around 2 toddlers in their non fenced in back yard....ya get a bit tired!
Anyways, i don't want to ramble about the challenges of my day...I do have a point I was trying to get at! At bed tonight, we are putting both boys in bed together now, getting Henry ready for it in case baby sleeps in crib when we get home. Owen was testing a little bit and henry wanted to roll around like an alligator until he fell off the bed! Owen loves to be held at night time, love love loves it. In fact, he still wakes up at night, asking to come back into his bed and hold him. I do love it, but it does pose some challenges. Tonight henry, who doesn't love to be held that much at bed time, rather just lay next too, wanted to be held tonight!! So here i am, trying to hold and rock both of them, and my hugely round belly, trying to get them to sleep!! Shane, is driving home from a 4 hour commute to Blacksburg today :( So daddy wasn't there to help, which is ok, gotta do what what you gotta do! Well, owen was trying really hard to just let me hold Henry, and get him calm. And he just looked at henry and said "let me cuddle you Henry" "Mommy, i just want to hold his hand...pat his belly, rub his back...." Here is my little 3 year old, trying to grow up, and do what mamma  and daddy do to get them to sleep, and was so loving and serious about it.  I loved it, but it also broke my heart a little.  I know he is fighting a battle between staying little, and growing to be a big boy. He goes back and forth all day long with sometimes mimicking henry, or acting like a big boy even more so. That is where the emotional breakdowns usually come into play. I have been telling myself he is having a hard time adjusting to the thought that baby sister is coming soon, and that is why he has been acting like this. He is so beyond excited about Ellanore coming, but deep inside, it is still going to be hard to handle, despite his love for her. Tonight at bedtime it was like he was saying "ok mom, you win, i will grow up and you can have this new baby and i will not be little anymore"
I know he really wasn't saying that 100% but my heart felt like it, and it hurt for him.  So i told henry to try to lay down, gave him his blanket, and rocked owen, while he was holding his toy fishing pole and whispered to him " be little, be little Owen, do not rush these precious times" and other little things of love and and how very precious he is to us.  He drifted off, peacefully, Henry hung in there and after big brother was asleep, he was in my arms again.
I know it seems like i just made henry act like an older big boy by making him wait for momma to get older brother asleep, and that probably happens more than i realize (Owen does require a lot of mamma attention) but henry still is little, and acts little, and plays like a little...Owen, the older he gets, i think needs more reassurance that we love him, no matter what...no matter how bad the day was, how big he is, what he does or says....no conditions.
So, my children are not ready, not emotionally, not yet.  They will do wonderfully and love their sister and the transition will take place, ready or not. I just actually saw it today, the struggle, and it affected me.  I need to make these next few weeks focused on them....not about getting the nursery all decorated, the house immaculate (ha!!), dinner on the table at the same time (ha!!), or making sure i get my workouts in. These days I will not get back, and once again, things are going to change. Just because I am ready, doesn't mean they are. Its hard to always remember that, for some reason, you think it would be easy, but its not. But I try,and will continue to try my best.
They certainly know how to pull on the heart strings.

Amanda

Headed to Disney world!!

We are on our way!!! Our Disney trip is here and we are ready!! Right now we are driving through GA , about 100 miles to the Florida boarder!! The boys are asleep and hopefully will stay that way till morning.
They are such AMAZING travelers!! Really , couldn't ask for much better! They are still energized toddlers, so they don't LOVE being in the car, but they have managed to entertain themselves! It helps that we planned some Disney themed snacks(Lotso's beety sweet cookies, pluto'a banana nut muffins...) and some simples Disney things like crayons, coloring pages, stamps, and small figurines! And it helps that we purchased a car DVD player!! It was Shane's idea, and it has been useful :) I actually have been the one that has required the most stops!!! Drinking gallons of water and being 8 months prego, in the car... Creates a lot of stops!!
It's been a beautiful day!! Sunny and warm! When we have stopped, the boys have been running around and getting their wiggles out!!
Owens has loves knowing which state we are in. When I told him we were now in South Carolina, he replies "Again?!" North Carolina, South Carolina.... So confusing!!
When they wake up we will be in Florida!! This promises to be a vacation with many special memories!!! I am beyond exited!!