I just need to write it out...

or run it out, but that would require too much energy at this point so writing it is.

My goodness, we are moving to Tulsa two weeks from today! I have tried to convince Kyle, and lately myself, that I can stay behind while the house sells and take care of my three littles, AND my growing belly, AND keep a house clean enough to show. I would LOVE to stay with my current OB who has delivered two of my babies, and talked me through a miscarriage, and provided my current prenatal care. But alas, as the date approaches I am succumbing to the realization that it will be much easier to just be near my hubby. I kind of like the guy... as in madly love! So here we go, hold on to your seats Hadley family.

Why is a VBAC so important to me? I am second guessing my resolve as I spent the morning calling hospital after hospital and OB after OB. Especially when often the reply was, "What is a VBAC?" or "You want what?" That is a little less than encouraging. Dr. Griffith, my current OB, expressed his opinion on the decline of the VBAC. Apparently its less about risk and more about money. The hospital has to pay staff to be on hand for an emergency C-section the whole time I am laboring so it loses money. Also, the doctor performing the VBAC spends more time and earns less money vs a C-section. In my opinion, I'd rather be charged extra for the VBAC. Not that I want to pay more, but I'd rather have to pay more than not have options. Am I alone in this?

The OB I finally decided to set up an appointment with is booked out so I'm waiting to find out from her medical assistant if she can work me in. I may go with a midwife in Tulsa - appointment pending paperwork faxed over. Of course my current OB is only open Tuesday through Thursday so that will have to wait a few days.

 I spent the last week deep cleaning and de-cluttering our home. Mom's Group was Thursday and I felt like Cinderella without a fairy godmother because I missed the "ball" to finish cleaning/staging the house. It paid off because our realtor (Joe Reed - he is amazing) sent a text "Oh my gosh the pictures turned out AMAZING!!!!!" And really, I can't say I don't have a fairy godmother, I have several. My children have barely been home this week. They've been having a blast at all their friends houses and crying when I go pick them up. Bibbity-bobbity-boo! I am so grateful to my wonderful friends who helped me with the kids! I couldn't have done it. I just miss all my Mom's group friends already and I don't always see them much outside of meetings. Love you all!

Now that the photographer, and even a videographer have been here I can breathe easy for a few days. Our house listing should post Monday or Tuesday. Now I just have to wrap up our lives here and close out what has been our home for almost five years...within the next two weeks. No biggie right?

K, why the move if I'm being such a downer about it? It is stressing me out, but its a wonderful move for us really! Kyle is transferring with Williams and he'll be a data analyst. I kept asking, "You're sure you'll like a desk job?"  He is school boy excited about it and it will get him a foot in the door for working in the Safety Department. My parents live in the Tulsa area, so wow, it will be amazing to live near some family. We are also extremely excited to have the conveniences of a bigger town! This job and move are honestly wonderful blessings and wow its happening FAST!

Heck yes, lets make chocolate cake!

Sometimes its really hard to work out.  Sometimes I wake up and get my running gear on; I dress the children and feed them.  Then, I try to rush them out the door but a diaper needs changed, or someone is begging for a sippy.  Today, Kyla had fallen asleep on the couch...at 9am...what the... So I figure I'll work out at home, but then Meg is acting tired so at 9:30 I put her down for a nap and I realize if everyone feels so tired, I think I do too. So I place Seth in front of a "Super-show" and tuck myself in for a mid morning nap.

Sometimes I really want to eat "clean" or "healthy" or "vegan" -ok, never vegan, but then Kyla has this great idea to make chocolate cake. On a Thursday.  For no reason except that its chocolate cake, and I'm all like heck yes let's make chocolate cake. So we make chocolate cake and eat a slice before dinner, and then during dinner, and just for good measure we throw in a slice after dinner. 

Sometimes I think, I'll work out after I put the kids to bed.  And then its 9:30pm and they just barely went to bed. So I sit down for a minute and get caught up watching Avatar because its DVRed in HD and I really need to see how it looks on our HD TV.  Then at 10:30 it becomes apparent that the children never went to sleep, but instead are playing dress up. When that is remedied, I remember Avatar is a 3 and a half hour movie, so I stop it right at the best part, the part where I really want to punch Ranger Rick right in the face, or scratch his eyes out...

Sometimes I get a little discouraged about the things I didn't do today...everyday...

Sometimes it feels better to talk about it.

Lava Tales

After lunch I pushed a kitchen chair over to the back of our couch as a bridge from the linoleum over the carpet and onto the couch. 

I told Kyla and Seth that we had to climb over to escape the (not broken glass this time, that happened last Tuesday) lava.   They thought it was pretty awesome that even mom was climbing over the back of the couch with them, and I was feeling brilliant for remembering this awesome game to play with them. Then...

Kyla: lava? *questioning stare*

Me: Oh yes the lava, it's going to get us, its filling in over the linoleum too, we have to stay on the couch!

Kyla: Ya, there are bigger ones over there, hide!  They are coming!

Me: Um, ya, lava is "how do I explain this to you my 4 year old" it's like hot water that is red and it will burn us, we can't step in it.

Kyla: We have to shoot it. Shoot it!

Me: So, we don't shoot it, we just can't get in it.

Kyla: Seth is standing in the lava.

Me: Quick save him, the medic kit is on the love seat *throws a couch cushion boat to the center of the room* go get it! I need you to be the doctor. Like Doc McStuffins! SAVE HIM!

Kyla: *apathetically* I don't think I can make it.  I don't want to.

The game didn't last long.  Then when Kyle got home from work I was telling him about it and he looked at me like I was insane and said the one word I should've thought of earlier.  Then he gave Kyla a 45 minute YOUTUBE -that was the word in case that wasn't clear enough- lesson about lava. 

And Update- except that I haven't posted this yet so its more of a P.S. -I was reading this to Kyle and he said while he was watching the Youtube videos he was reminiscing about watching Bill Nye the Science Guy as a kid, but he kind of mumbled and I didn't hear what he said, so I asked "what?" And he said, "Bill Nye the Science Guy, he was this guy when I was younger who tried to make science cool for kids."  And I, realizing what he said the first time, laughed my head off, "I know who Bill Nye is!"  More laughter. End Scene.

Yet He Looks Almost Serene

Oh my little boy. 

*shaking head* 

I wonder how many mothers of boys have started a conversation this way.

  

To see him here you'd never know what we've been through today.  

Except maybe you would, seeing that he's simply dressed in a diaper.  

I've done some deep pondering...and you know, I cannot think of a day when I did not dress this child, yet in 75% of my pictures of him he is missing his shirt, pants or both. 

At breakfast with berries and their juice rubbed through his hair, he gagged on and proceeded to throw up an entire slice of bacon.  The bacon's on me - mommy blunder- I should've sliced it for him, but the berries... those are on him, and literally.

So its off to the bath. I walked out for a moment to finish the dishes, mommy blunder numero dos.  I came back to find him chucking chunks of chocolate poop, HUGE CHUNKS OF POOP out of the tub.  The tub and floors got a good bleaching.  And he got another wash.

Later we actually got dressed and cut across the yard to our neighbor's for a visit.  On the way he walked straight into a tailgate which had been left down. He immediately had a huge goose egg, and a deep purple line, oh and bleeding gums where he bit them during the impact.  

After every meal he runs to the bathroom, climbs up onto the toilet and then onto the counter where he squats and washes his hands. He LOVES to wash his hands. Yesterday he figured out how to plug the sink.  In a full sink he was...how do I even describe it... ferociously splashing?  Four towels later, I had mopped up all the water from the counter, floor, drawers, cabinets, and drawers inside the cabinets. 

He calls himself "Super-doo" and he sure super-does!

I love this boy! 

How to VBAVBAC?

In my case its simply praying for a miracle.

 Welcome Megan Gene!  My smallest baby yet at 7lb 12oz. 21in.

I was scheduled for another c-section this morning at 7am.  I was supposed to be at the hospital at 5am.  I was having contractions all night, but I was waiting for my water to break as it did with Seth. 

We arrived shortly before 5am and I was having contractions 3 to 4 minutes apart. 

I was dilated to a 7. 

As they set up the room for me I progressed to a 9+. 

Umm... I was panicking at this point because I was not prepared to push without an epidural and I wasn't sure we had time for one.  Those contractions got a little intense.  Oh and then sweet heaven the epidural kicked in.  Megan was born VBAC at 7:30am.  The exact time she had been expected via c-section.  Can I tell you my kids like to wait until the very last second to make their appearances?!

See Kyla's story here and Seth's story here.  I am so grateful for my three miracles!  And I don't forget Kyle, my forth miracle or shall I say my first.  How did I find this man among men?

 

A bit about little Megan's middle name:  She is named after my Grandma Gene Arlene Stapley.  Grandma was born September 24th 1926.  She was to be the third of three girls but my Great Grandpa was hoping  for a boy.  He decided she would be named after the winner of the boxing match which happened September 23rd 1926.  It was the match between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey in which Tunney took the title of World Heavyweight Champion.  My Grandma is one of my heroes and in many ways I believe she has faced life like her own boxing match taking the title of World Champion in my book. 


Sisters.

Thank goodness Grandma Michelle is here!

Our family of five!

366 days old!

 We started this little guy's celebration at Golden Coral where he had his pick of delicious things to eat.

His favorite of course:

We all enjoyed stuffing our faces!

Then we went home and made a crocodile cake (completely Kyla's idea; she takes care of that little bro.)

Oh, the anticipation!

A little help with the candle.

And please, please, PLEASE tell me who started this horrible tradition?!

 Fun Seth Facts:

This little guy is left handed.

He climbs on everything even if his head still hurts from falling off of that everything.

 He loves to dance!

He says one word - Mama.

 He loves his big sister and likes to tilt his head when he coos at her.

He also loves to hold hair - mom's Kyla's, or even his own in a pinch.

 He throws everything!

He is very persistent!

The mess was worth all those happy smiles, and I convinced Kyle to take over clean up duty!  

Happy Birthday little guy!

We love you to pieces!

Happy Faces

We had the joy of opening Christmas gifts about 6 different locations this Christmas.

Maybe that can explain why its taken this long to drudge up the energy to post the pictures.

It started with Kyle's long - really super long - wait for a flat screen.

Even though the delivery was at almost 6pm, so Kyle was home and I couldn't make a big presentation of it,

he was completely surprised and very happy.

 Happy Birthday and Christmas Kyle!

Jump to Christmas morning in Pima, AZ.

It took a little planning to get us all together before 9 o'clock church,  but we awoke early and opened "Santa" presents at Uncle Jord and Aunt Shanna's home.

 Kyla finally got her Belle doll that she was too scared to ask Santa for.

Later that day Seth got his race car set

 Skip over to Nonnie and Papa's for yet another round...

As you can see, I am completely distracted by my darling kiddos and have zero pics to share of all the other wonderful people we saw and all the fun things we did.  I am extremely bummed about that.  Can someone teach me a class about how to capture moments on camera. 

Monopoly goes really well with Coke Zero and peanut butter cups.