Just in case you were wondering, I was due on Saturday, and still no baby.

Our Newwest Addition

As of two months ago, we had no pets. It was Todd, me, Mikey, Roger, and William in the house. Since then we have gotten a fish and a dog. Now, I don't know what we were thinking, we have a bird. It's Mikey's bird. It's a robin, brown with a red tummy. He's quite low maintenance. I don't have to feed him, or give him water. I occasionally have to clean him up, but it's really not that bad. The good news is that he can provide instant quiet time. When he's in his cage "sleeping" Mikey enforces that everyone be quiet so not to disturb his sleeping bird. Now if he would only do that when William was sleeping. Mikey named his bird Pippen, after his primary teacher, Sister Winegar's, bird Pippen. Here's a picture of his bird:

In his primary class they had a lesson about birds. Immediately Mikey pulled his little bird out and has been obsessed with it. He asked me to get him a cage for his bird, "so mine bird don't fly away. If he fly away we got to get an airplane and catch him with a fishing pole." We didn't want to have to do that, so I made him a cage.

Whenever the bird is in his cage, he's sleeping. I had told his primary teacher, who is also a good friend, about Mikey's sudden love of his bird. When she came to his birthday party, she brought her bird. This was such a treat for Mikey. He was able to see how real live birds behave. Through seeing this bird, Mikey learned that he could have his bird sit on his finger, bite his finger, feed the bird, and his favorite - have the bird sit on his shoulder.

It is a lot of fun watching Mikey be so tender to his bird. It's also so much fun to see him adoring his teacher so much. I know when I was his age I thought my teacher was so wonderful, and he definitely thinks that about his teacher.

Maternity Pictures

My friend, Jennifer, is starting up her own photography company and took my maternity pictures. I had never heard of maternity pictures, but they are great because they celebrate the pregnancy and the excitement of the anticipation of the baby. I'm really glad that she did them, and she did an AWESOME job. If you're pregnant, or going to be pregnant, I highly recommend getting pictures for we soon forget what it was like to be expecting.


This one you would never guess that I have a shirt (that I pulled down) and jeans on! The kids were a little less than cooperative - but we did manage to get some good ones.This is actually something that William loved to do - lift up my shirt, lift up his shirt and have our bellies touch. I'm glad that I have a picture to remember it.If you look closely, you can see some red scratches on my belly. Because William loved to play with my belly, he'd even get toys on it. One time causing all those scratches.

This one is one of my favorites. It almost looks like an engagement photo. I guess a shot-gun wedding engagement photo. Todd has had several of his friends assume that we had a shot-gun wedding because of the number of children we have.
She even took some extra photos of the boys

A BIG Stretch

Saturday we went to the zoo for a walk to support finding a cure for CF. The walk was a lot of fun, taking us all around the zoo. I have gone to the zoo many times, but it was nice to have Todd with us. Todd couldn't believe how difficult it was at times "herding" our kids. It just made him more impressed that I had taken the boys all by myself to the zoo just week before. The walking, especially being full-term pregnant, was quite difficult at times. Usually when I go to the zoo, I go to one area of the park and let the boys spend a lot of time looking at the animals that they want to - the benefit of living close and having a membership. But the walk took us all around every corner of the zoo. At times I thought that afterwards I would just go home and deliver the baby that night. Fortunately I survived the walk and the rest of the day.

After the walk there was an after-party with lunch and a DJ. This was a family event, so they catered to young children very well. They had "Pirate Willey" in charge of the music and dancing. Mikey was fascinated with the pirate and the dancing. Once he finished his food, Todd took him and Roger to the dance floor - William danced in his seat with me.

Now Mikey is a little timid and shy. Imagine our surprise when he actually participated in the dancing. Even when Todd had to leave his side to go after Roger, Mikey kept on dancing - with the support of his giraffe. He had a really great time, Todd & I loved seeing him getting involved with other kids.

Now, the shocker occurred after the dancing was finished. Anyone who knows Mikey knows that this is a really big stretch, but for those that don't here is a story that will illustrate for you. I went on a Disney cruise this last summer with my family. All along the cruise would have characters on board with the opportunity to get pictures with them. My children, of course, weren't really interested in getting the pictures, nonetheless stand by them. But, one night they had "Peter Pan". My boys were really into "Peter Pan", so I took them to get their picture taken with him. Mikey was very excited to see "Peter Pan" all while waiting in the line. Once we reached Mikey's turn, Mikey freaked out and refused to even be close to the man.

After most of the people had left, and the workers had started cleaning up, "Pirate Willey" was taking a few pictures with kids. Mikey walked up to him and we got this:

We were shocked. This was not congruent with what we know of Mikey, but we were so pleased that he stretched himself.

I Am Young

In celebration of our anniversary, Todd and I went to the temple last night. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Laura & Connel for watching the kids - they really did great and watched the kids for over 10 hours when I was hoping it would only have to be 7 or 8 hours. But nothing was going our way to get to the temple.

Driving to the temple, we had it planned that we would be getting to the temple 30 minutes before the first of only two sessions held. On the drive down we hit road construction, detours, and traffic (all at different places) - if we had not hit just one of those, we could have made it to the temple in time. When it was evident that we wouldn't be in time, we decided that if it were possible we would do inititories or sealings. We got to the temple shortly after 6, and luckily there were enough workers for us to do inititories. After finishing up, one of the workers asked me if I was pregnant with my first. I shook my head as she then asked, "second? third?"

"Fourth" I informed her.

She smiled and said, "Wow, for having four kids, you still look really young!"

I smiled and chuckled to myself and thought, "That's because I am young!"

Afterwards, Todd & I decided that we would like to stay for the session, so after a quick call to Laura, we went to get ready. Of course when I bought my temple dress I didn't calculate that I would be pregnant so often, and not able to fit into my dress anytime after being 4 months along. Then to add to it, Columbus is a small temple which interprets that they do not rent clothes. But, they do have extra dresses on hand, so I asked a worker if I could borrow one. The room that they store the extra dresses happened to be an instruction room for those going through the temple for the first time, which was being occupied for the moment. I waited, and waited, and waited. Then just a couple of minutes before the session started, I was given a dress and hurried into the session.

Because I was the last one to come in to a full session, I had to sit on a folding chair, a padded folding chair. I didn't think it would be a problem, but as it went on, I started to feel it.

As always, though, we had a great time. I love the temple and love going there. The feelings I always leave with are so wonderful and definitely worth all the work and effort to obtain them.

5 years already

Todd & I have made it for five years - I know, what an accomplishment. We have a great marriage, we confide in each other, are supportive and loving, are respectful, and madly in love with each other. Now, I do contribute our success to my following "The good wife's guide" that was published in Housekeeping Monthly in May of 1955. For those unfamiliar to it, here it is:

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (esp. his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.


• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.


• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.


• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.


• Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.


• Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.


• Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces, comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.


• Be happy to see him.


• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.


• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.


• Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.


• Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.


• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.


• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.


• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.


• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.


• A good wife always knows her place.

As you can see, following this guide has made our marriage so wonderful. I would highly suggest that everyone follow it.

But in reality, it has been a wonderful five years. I cannot imagine my life with any other man, even though we keep on inviting more little men to live with us. Todd is perfect for me. He is very sensitive to my needs and always tries to be understanding. I love him so very much!

To Our Moms:

My cousin did this, and I really liked it, so I'm doing it. I wanted to honor the women that have made it possible for Todd & I to have a wonderful life thus far. This is to our mothers. They both are such wonderful women and great examples to us. So, in honor of them, here are 5 reasons we love them.

Eve

1. She is a hard worker. She is always working on something and gets an incredible amount of things done in a short time.

2. She loved being a mother. Todd is always telling me ob memories of activities she would do with him. She made sure that he had an enjoyable childhood.

3. She has always been very kind and nurturing to Todd.

4. She is incredibly selfless. She has sacrificed a lot for Todd and his siblings. She even lived in a motor home for several months in the middle of an Ohio winter.

5. She is very spiritual. She took Todd to church all by herself. And now it is because of her that their family is sealed for all eternity.

Patti

1. She always expected the best out of me. Sometimes it was annoying, but she taught me to not feel sorry for myself or think badly towards others, instead she showed me how to look at what I was doing and what I could change.

2. She is so much fun. Wherever Patti is, there is sure to be a party. When she prepares a meal, she has no idea if 2 people are going to eat it, or if 20 people will, and whatever happens, she is always prepared for either.

3. She loves my children. They absolutely adore her, and she them. Watching them, you would think that she was just one of them. She plays with them, teases them, plays games, and shows them affection, even when their faces are covered with peanut butter.

4. She treats Todd as though he was one of her own kids (Todd said this), making him feel very welcomed and loved.

5. She is always willing to help us with the kids or whatever else we need. When visiting her, she is willing to watch the boys so that we can go on dates or to the temple.

Happy Mother's Day Moms!!! We love you so much.

Learning the Difference Between Boys & Girls

Today we went for a family bike ride. It must have looked quite hilarious. We both were pulling a trailer for children and I have a very round basketball-looking stomach. I do have to admit, it was quite difficult for me, but then again, I am very pregnant and I was pulling a kid.

Todd wanted to check something out, but not wanting to exert the extra energy, I stopped for a minute. I was pulling Mikey and when he stopped he said, "Mom, let's go really fast, a follow daddy." I just replied with a no, not right now. He got this look on his face that showed that he was thinking and processing what I was saying.

He then said, "Oh, you can't 'cause your a girl", more as a statement than a question. I just started laughing. He didn't say it to be demeaning, but more in a way that showed he was trying to figure things out. Todd thought it was hilarious, but then again I think it's hilarious that the boys know that they can jump on him and not on mom because I'm a girl.

In Case You Didn't Know...

I don't know if it is because of my time down in Athens, but I have become somewhat of a border-line hippy. For those that do not know, I am pregnant. I am due the 24th, we're having a boy, and we are having a home birth.


I really feel good about this decision, and actually I would be quite disappointed if we weren't able to do it. I feel as though this is an experience that I have been led to and that it is a blessing that I will get to enjoy and look back on and cherish forever.


Now, I am still totally supportive of hospital births (with Todd in the medical field, I understand it's need and benefit) and of epidurals, but if this goes well, I may never birth in a hospital again. I did not find any of my children's births to be unsatisfying or disappointing, I do think it would be hard to not appreciate the moment and those leading up to when your baby is born. But after being more in control of my pregnancy, and comparing it to my previous experiences, I feel that a hospital is too restrictive for me. With each child I did learn to have more of an opinion about how I wanted things to go, and how to vocalize it. But I still do not like how the nurses and doctors are so caught up in completing their tasks that they try to speed things up, like induction or whisking the baby away to get bathed, or can be noisy and still doing procedures while you are holding your baby trying to enjoy his first moments of life. Again, I do understand the doctor's and nurses side, especially as I sit here late at night with Todd off working. As special as labor and delivery are, it is a job and sometimes can become just that. The benefit of a midwife is that they take on much fewer patients, and (at least mine) are focused on allowing you to have the labor and delivery the way you want it, with them as supportive and silent as you want them.


I also just really like the idea of having this amazing experience in the walls of my own home. I do believe the home to be sacred and a refuge from the storm. What better place is there to have your first moments of life? How much more natural does childbirth feel when we don't even have to leave home for it? I am also looking forward to being able to take a shower in my shower and sleep in my own bed afterwards, and not having any nurses telling me that I cannot have my baby sleeping with me. Plus, from a microbiologist standpoint (I know, I am a nerd) home is much cleaner. The bacteria that the baby is going to encounter at birth are going to be the ones that he will be living with, whereas at a hospital it is all foreign and can really be scary.


When I told a friend about my decision, she said, "What, you are the queen of epidurals?" True, I love the epidural, it really is like going to a spa. But, in a weird kind of way, I am excited to feel the pain. I am starting to feel that I've missed out in my experiences of labor by numbing the pain. Even though I have delivered 3 babies, I never really experienced the pain of transition, or felt that feeling that I should really be dead because the pain is so severe but then the next moment have the baby in my arms and the pain is all gone. I feel that maybe there is something to experiencing the pain that allows a woman to feel more like a woman. And really, for me there's something about the connection to the women that have delivered before me, who did it without any medication, sacrificed it all, and were stronger because of it.

Now, for those who know me, know that I do not make big decisions like this on a whim. I knew that in those moments of pain that I would need to be convicted in the cause of home birth. I knew that when I told people of what I was going to do that I needed to be 100% sure of my decision or I would allow my own insecurities change my mind.

The scientist in me researched all that I could about home births. I wanted to know what to expect, what the regulations were, and of course what the safety of it is. I read articles, found studies, talked to some home birthers. And just to let you know, as long as a woman isn't having a high risk pregnancy, home birth is actually just as safe as a hospital, and there are a lot less c-sections (which I feel can rob a woman of experiencing childbirth).

The mother in me needed to know if this was something that was right for me and my family. I prayed, had Todd fast, and I spent a lot of time just pondering about it. I watched some home births on youtube, and at the end, I still felt incredible peace and joy about the decision and really am excited to have this experience.

I do know that it is not for everyone, and really that is what I love about this country is that we get to choose for ourselves what we feel is the best for our own lives. I know that this whole idea sounds crazy, and it really puts me in with a group of people that I never imagined myself in being. For example, when leaving my midwife's house the other day, this is the vehicle of the mother coming in after me:Unfortunately one of the bumper stickers that I love isn't clear, it reads, "Go Naked Pagan Dancing"

I just smiled and thought to myself, "Yep, I have journeyed into a new wilderness". Todd has told me that to fit in I need to put my hair in dreads, quit shaving, and get a tattoo. But actually, my midwife did say that she has found that there isn't just one "type" of women that birth at home. What she says to have found is that the women who choose it are alike in the fact that they like to have control of their lives and tend to do what they want with their life rather than have their life just happen. So maybe I'm not so weird, but maybe decide after I let you know that we will also be having his circumcision performed at home by a Jewish mohel.

Happy Birthday to My Firstborn

Today is Mikey's fourth birthday. I cannot believe that he is that old, but yet I cannot seem to remember life without him, even when I can remember life without Todd. Mikey is such a special boy. More than once I have been struck with a slight understanding of what a great spirit I have in my home. He was chosen to be the big brother to his many siblings, and at such a young age. He is a great example to them, and is always very patient with them, even when they don't deserve it. In celebration of his birthday, I just wanted to let everyone know more about the wonderful child I get to have in my home.

Mikey is incredibly sweet. He is constantly coming and giving me hugs, always saying, "Mom, I need a hug." He shares so willingly. The other day I took him to the store with me, just him & I, and as we were checking out I told him that he could pick out a candy. He picked one out and said, "Gotta share with Roger", and that is just what he did. He shared it completely with Roger, not being selfish in the slightest bit. Before opening his presents tonight he handed Roger one and had him open it while Mikey opened one. I guess it really doesn't matter whose toys they are since they share everything.

He is quite the romantic. He has asked me if I would marry him. I have a heart necklace, which he deems as my special necklace. He will take the necklace off of my necklace rack and bring it to me, even when it doesn't quite match what I'm wearing. He will frequently tell me that I am a princess or that I look so pretty, even when it's in the morning when he's waking me up. The other day he turned to me and sang, "Mother I love you, Mother I love you" - which he is learning in Primary. Yea, my heart melted.

Mikey is very righteous. Every morning during "scripture time" he will tell the stories that we have learned about, and has learned that Jesus saves a lot of people. He even knows Daniel's friends' names - Meshak, Shadrach, and Abendigo. He loves temples. He often says that he wants to go to the temple, in which I reply that when he gets bigger, Daddy and I will take him to the temple. One time after going through this conversation he said to me, "Momma, I need to go to a temple and get marry".

We got him a scooter for his birthday. He kept telling Roger, "It's a scooter, it's kinda like a bike"


He has the cutest sense of humor. He isn't a kid that feels the need to perform or talk much to other people, but with me he can get quite chatty (I think it's the phase he's in). But he knows how to tease me and has a good time with it. He's so sly about it that sometimes it takes me a while to realize that he's teasing me.

He instantly knew how to ride the scooter - yea it was a little late when we opened presents


Mikey has a way with music. He can remember songs very well, and will go around the house singing them. He especially loves to sing songs with me as we hold hands. "Baby Mine" is a special one for us.



Mikey is a very obedient child. He minds very well, and for the most part will remember to not do things I have asked him to not do. He sets a great example for his brothers, and makes life so much easier for me.

I am very grateful for Mikey and for the fact that he is in our family. He really is so incredibly special and I have enjoyed having the opportunity of being his "Mammacita". I love you so much Mikey!! And I love you more because I popped you out!!!

We Like to Party

I love having parties, and will use any excuse for a party. With Mikey's birthday coming up this next week, I decided to have a party. Mikey's still young enough that he doesn't require a child's birthday party that consists of little kids' games, crying, tattle-telling, etc. So, obviously I decided to go a way that we all can enjoy it. We had a barbecue.

The weather in Ohio can be quite interesting. It can go from cold to hot then back to cold all within 5 minutes. Saturday the rain came down hard and strong. We had wanted to have the barbecue in our backyard, but with the rain we adjusted. We set up an extra table in the kitchen and went on with our plans. 20 minutes before the party, the rain stopped and the sun shone beautifully and warmly. We moved a table outside and started the party. After the party was just getting started, a neighbor that lives around the corner came walking by with Roger. Roger had decided to run away and with all the people coming in, I didn't even notice he was gone - whoops! Talk about embarrassing.

I had everyone bring some sort of side dish, which I like to do because you usually get a good variety and tastes. I do have to say that yesterday's dishes were amazing. The nice thing about being pregnant is that I got to eat all that I wanted without anyone thinking I should cut back, or any guilty feelings of over-indulging.

After most of us had eaten one helping of food, it suddenly started raining. Everyone ran inside. Luckily we have a basement, where most of the kids ran to so we adults got to pretend that we didn't have any kids.

All in all, we had a great time. It was really great being able to spend time with people that sometimes you don't get to talk to much. I want to thank everyone for coming and thank you to those who brought Mikey a present - it was unnecessary, but very sweet. Also thank you to those that helped cleaning up. It really made it a very easy party to throw. I think I'll do something similar for Roger's birthday in July, so I guess now I need to come up with an excuse to throw one next month.

Roger & Mikey enjoying the food - suprise suprise

Blowing the candles out

The display table I set up to show off my handsome boy