And Then There Were 6!!!

He's here! And tomorrow he'll be a week old :( I can't believe how fast time goes. Kaden arrived on April 23, 2010 at 8:21PM weighing 6lbs 3oz and was 20in long. He came into the world as pink as could be and kicking and screaming. Our birth plans changed so many times that I could hardly keep up it. At first of course we planned to have him at home and then when we found out about his lip the doctor tried to scare us into having him at the hospital. He told us how he might not breath and could have other serious health issues. After we visited the surgeon he reassured us that he didn't believe any of this was the case for Kaden as they hadn't seen anything in the ultrasounds to make him think Kaden was at any increased risk. After thinking about it for a while and talking it over with the midwife we decided to have him at a birth center that was a bit closer to the hospital than our house. After a few weeks of talking about that, our midwife spoke to another midwife who had delivered a couple babies with clefts and again told her that we had nothing to worry about and should plan our birth for where we felt most comfortable. So.....Kaden was born at home. Thank God we made that decision because I honestly don't think I would have even known when to go to the birth center. While my contractions did last all day, they were completely painless. The only discomfort I felt was the last 45 minutes before he was born after she had broken my water. During that time I decided to take a warm bath and relax as much as I could. After getting out of the bath I had one contraction and he was born! He is healthy and is eating great from his special bottle. The pediatrician said he looked wonderful and she didn't see anything that indicates he has any other problems. We will see his surgeon on May 12th and are excited to hear what he has to say.
I haven't taken as many pictures as I would like just because I've been so tired and busy. I will post some that I have taken as soon as I find a second to do it =O

Arrrrre cake we made for daddy......

The boys decided that we should make a cake for daddy this year instead of buying one. I asked them what kind of cake we should make thinking they would say chocolate, vanilla, etc. Nope! What did they want to make?? A pirate ship cake. "Daddy really likes pirates" Ethan said. OK, a pirate cake it is! We definitely won't be appearing on Cake Boss anytime soon, but the kids had tons of fun making it and I think Buck appreciated their effort and thoughtfulness. And hey, it doesn't really matter how it looks.....as long as it tastes good :)

Warmer Weather and Water Play

Over the past couple weeks we have gone from highs in the 60's to highs in the 80's. UGH! I have always said that I live in the wrong state because I LOVE the cold weather. I think the boys have really enjoyed the cold weather as well, but have been excited that its been warm enough to get out the water toys again. This past week the kids took a couple opportunities to break out  their swimsuits and get wet. We got out the baby pool with the slide and everyone had a great time going round and round. Even Madelyn quickly figured out how do it and had no fear whatsoever. Last Saturday we even ventured over to the neighborhood pool and let the boys get in for a few minutes. It was much too cold for me, but the boys didn't seem to care and got right in. Ethan acted as if he had never stopped swimming and looked like a fish. Logan was a little more hesitant, but got into it pretty quickly. Madelyn was on antibiotics for a double ear infection so we didn't want her to get her head wet, but she did get to splash around on the first couple stairs. She shows no fear and I think if we let her she would jump right in. I definitely see swim lessons for her in our very near future! So.....much to my dislike.....I guess I have to admit to myself that Winter is over and the warm/hot weather is here to stay! Only 8 more months until I can be cool again!!!!!

Easter 2010

Despite being sick with colds and fevers this year all the kids had a great time on Easter morning. We didn't get to go to Church due to the fevers, but we did talk about why we celebrate Easter so hopefully the boys realized it wasn't just about bunnies and eggs :) The Easter bunny did visit our house while the kids were sleeping and dropped off 3 baskets and hid lots of colorful eggs in our yard :) Mr.Bunny had heard that we were trying to take care of our teeth though so he was kind enough to bring things like math workbooks and puzzles and a bath baby for Madelyn. He did bring the boys each a chocolate bunny though so that made them quite happy! Mr. Bunny also got creative this year and brought index cards showing exactly which eggs everyone was allowed to "hunt" for outside. It was lots of fun and allowed for Madelyns eggs to be a little easier to locate than the big boys :)  We didn't think she would have any idea what to do, but she totally got it and even INSISTED on carrying her own basket even though it was almost as big as she is. It was so much fun watching them all run around and get excited every time they found another egg. I was looking back at pictures from last Easter and realizing how quickly time is passing. It really makes you appreciate every day you have with your kids :)

The final ultrasound

Last Thursday I had my final ultrasound with the perinatologist. Kaden was measuring around 5lbs 14oz and in the 63% for his age. He is swallowing great, growing great, and should be here in the next few weeks (if not sooner). It is a great relief to know he has done so well and that they aren't expecting any problems after he arrives. We have started talking to the boys about his arrival, but haven't yet discussed how he will look different that other babies they may have seen. I have ordered a book called Lippy The Lion about a little lion born with a cleft lip. I am hoping that it will arrive soon and will help us discuss Kadens lip. I also managed to wash his clothes and car seat this week. I realized that when I was pregnant with Ethan I had his room and all his stuff ready by 25 weeks. Its funny how different things are when you already have a house full of little ones :) I think I'm "ready" for his arrival now so we will be looking forward to meeting him....whenever that may be!!

Picking at Pappys

Some of our good friends told us about a u-pick strawberry patch just down the road from us. They called this morning to let us know they were going over and we decided to join them. Ethan was overjoyed to hear that we were going to pick strawberries and couldn't wait to go. Logan on the other hand cried and said he'd rather go to Disney World. After a little convincing he decided it would be fun and got ready to go. I've never been to any place like this myself, but it was so neat!! They handed us little baskets and off into the fields we went. Ethan could barely contain himself and wanted to pick every strawberry he saw. I didn't think Madelyn would have any idea what we were doing, but to our surprise she picked up on it right away. She would walk down the rows and point to a red strawberry and say "dat" (that). I picked them and handed them to her and she put them right in her basket. Everyone had a great time and have already asked when we can go back. Besides it being a fun and educational event (most kids have no idea where their food comes from), it was cheap!! We got 3 large things of strawberries for a grand total of $5.30.  As soon as we got home we washed them off and had some with our lunch. The boys then wanted to know if we could start going to pick all our food. I'm not sure what else we can go pick around here, but we will definitely look into it. I think we will surely visit Pappys again before the picking season is over :)

Madelyn picking out her strawberries. It was funny how specific she was about exactly which ones she wanted :)









                                                                                              

I was shocked that she never once tried to eat them. She put every one she chose into the basket.

  


               

              Ethan finding his berries

He wanted to get a second basket after he filled the first.

 Once we got there Logan was just as excited as everyone else :)

Another uneventful visit

Yesterday I had my monthly visit to the perinatologist. I dread it for about a week before the actual visit. I'm always afraid they will have some new, bad news to tell me. Thankfully yesterdays visit was uneventful. The ultrasound tech did her exam and said everything looked normal to her. To us, he looked HUGE compared to the last visit just a month ago. A month ago you could still see his whole body in one screen. This time it seemed like just his head took up the entire picture. Last month he was measuring about 2lbs 6oz and this month he measured 3lbs 14oz. That sounds huge with almost 2 months to go, but they said it was average.  After the initial exam the doctor comes in and quickly scans through the images she shot. He said he didn't see anything unusual and asked if we had any questions for him. Total time spent with us......3 minutes. Total bill $2000. Thank God for insurance. And why didn't I become a doctor????  We have 1 more visit scheduled for the end of this month. After that, Kaden should be arriving. I will be so happy to have these stressful visits done with. Of course then we will begin our monthly visits with surgeons which I'm sure will be a new kind of stress. At least he will be here and we will know he's healthy :)