Remembering...

One year ago today we lost our little angel. Not having a definitive medical answer for four days, but knowing in my heart what was happening will probably stay with me forever. The weeks afterwards of comprehending the loss and grieving are still fresh in my mind. But the pain is fading. The loss greatly impacted my pregnancy with Owen. Even in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I feared I would lose the baby. I cannot put into words the overwhelming relief that showered me when Owen was put into my arms and I heard him crying. My baby was alive, my baby was healthy. The birth of all my children will be moments that I will never forget. But Owen's birth will always hold that much more for me. I will always remember and I will always love the one I lost.

Happy Birthday!

OK, so I'm late in posting...but my arms are rarely empty these days! We had a big week last week! Alex and Jenna celebrated their birthdays! It is hard to believe that Alex is now 6 and even harder for me to grasp is that Jenna is 4!! We had a small celebration with just the 5 of us on their actual birthday. First thing in the morning the kids dove into their pile of presents from us, Owen, and each other. Then, Joe took Alex and Jenna to the water park during the day. Our day ended with dinner at Steak 'N Shake (the kid's latest favorite restaurant). Their party was held on the 19th at Chuck E. Cheese. The theme this year was split between Ben 10 for Jenna and Transformers for Alex. I decided to make life easy for myself this year and ordered cakes - which turned out great!! The kids had a great time and as usual, it was Christmas in July! I'm still trying to figure out where to put all the new stuff!! Jenna received a nice mix of boy toys and girly things too! She makes a beautiful Snow White in her new dress from Grandma and Grandpa Robeen. Joe and I are getting a kick out of watching her care for her new baby from Auntie Marge and Uncle Manny, which she has named Sally. Jenna has mastered copying me and the way I care for Owen, even holding Sally's bottle with her mouth like I do during those rare times when I could use three arms!! Alex was loaded down with Transformers, GI Joe's, and of course, Star Wars. He took much of his loot and headed up north with Banya and Papa for a week. I hope he is having fun. Jenna misses him so much already. We also fit in a doctor's visit this past week and I was so shocked at much they have grown over one year!! Alex gained 7 pounds and grew 3 inches. He is now 53 pounds and 47 inches tall. Jenna gained 8 pounds and also grew 3 inches. She is now 40 pounds and is 40 inches tall. And let's not forget our "little" bruiser, Owen, who is now tipping the scales at 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 22 1/2 inches long. What can I say, we have some solid, sturdy kids!! Alex received his shots for kindergarten and he did so great!! He cried with the 3rd and 4th shots and though I could only see his legs, I had to stifle my own tears...pregnancy hormones...as I flashed back to watching him get his first shots when he was a tiny baby. Where does the time go? Life is crazy with Owen thrown into the mix. But it is such a crazy GOOD!! I already cannot imagine life without him and am head-over-heels in love with him. The kids adore him and we are easing into this new life of ours. Joe is back at work. I'm mothering only 2 right now. The real test will come next week when Alex is thrown back into the mix. But he is so helpful. It will be good to have him home again. NOTE: check back next week as my tune might have changed completely and there may be a ticker counting down the days until he goes to school!!!

Web Nursery

Owen's hospital picture can be viewed at http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=21f7080e-ab49-4d4f-84a9-a1131ab7f6d0&babyid=9292c61d-f47a-4549-9f3d-f56743758b62 Sorry for the long web address, I'm still trying to figure out how to link! Just copy and paste the address.

Baby's Here!!

Our SON, Owen Reid, was born on June 26th at 8:52 am. He tipped the scales at 9 lbs, 5oz and was 22 inches long. As I mentioned in my last post, my doctor had a plan for my delivery. Well, little Owen had his own plan. I went into labor on my own around 2am on the 26th. Since I was supposed to check into the hospital around 5am, I decided to labor at home for as long as I could. My contractions started at 12minutes apart, then moved up to 10 minutes apart. At 8 minutes apart, around 3:30am, I decided to take a shower and get ready to go. Joe and I left for the hospital at 4:30am, when my contractions where 6 minutes apart. I was admitted shortly after 5am and by the time I was checked, about 6:30am, I was 5cm. I asked for my epidural then and received it around 7am, I think. I tried to rest, but really, how could I sleep!! I was waiting for my doctor to come and break my water around 8:30am. But around that time I was starting to get uncomfortable. I mentioned to Joe I was feeling lots of pressure and after experiencing three "pressure moments", I called for the nurse. She checked me and in a shocked tone informed me that I was completely dilated and the baby's head was right there. It was a frenzy of commotion after that. My doctor was paged and I was told to "breathe" through the contractions. My doctor arrived and tried to break my water, but she believes it had broken earlier. She went to change and the nurse prepped me for a practice push. I was half way through the push when I was told to stop because the baby's head was crowning. At this point, I was losing control and was yelling that I HAD to push, I NEEDED to push. But I struggled through it and when my doctor gave me the OK to push, I did and the baby's head popped right out. One more tiny push and the baby was out and we saw that we had a new baby BOY! I thought I was having a boy, but I was wrong with my other two, so I figured I was having a girl. Joe and I were very surprised!! Owen is a wonderful baby! He rarely fusses and sleeps all the time! So, who does he look like...he looks just like Owen!! He resembles both Alex and Jenna in different ways, but favors Jenna a bit more. Alex and Jenna are completely in love with him! Alex loves to hold him and help me feed him. Jenna likes picking out his clothes and getting his pacifier. She loves to "pet" him, as she calls it. We are adjusting well and hope that things continue to go as smoothly as they have been.