Let's call her George

The other day Mylea wanted to hold the baby. So I got her all set up on the couch and handed her the baby. She looked so lovingly at her, caressed her face, and in such a sincere voice said, "Mom let's call her George." It was so funny and cute. I tried to recreate the moment so I could capture it on film but the moment was gone. Aren't kids great!

Madyx Faith

O.K. this post is mostly for me but you can read if you like. I promised myself that I would write down the details of Madyx's Birthday before they were gone from my memory. Her birth was such a good experience and I have been so blessed by this little miracle we call Boo. She is such a sweet baby! Here goes........

October 21st Malcham and I went to the hospital in Odessa TX to have our sweet baby girl. We were scheduled for 9 pm induction but ended up waiting until 11:30 because the rooms were all full. Once we got there and all of the paperwork done they started my labor with a pill called Cytotek. It is actually a drug that treats stomach ulcers but they found it to be effective at softening the cervix. Who would have guessed. Anyways, we both fell asleep and at about 2:45am my nurse came in and said you can sleep if you want but if you want to get this labor started you might want to get up and walk. So I did and it worked. I walked till about 3:10 am and let Malcham go back to sleep. I labored about 2 hrs by myself and then woke Malcham so he could be with me through the pain. It wasn't horrible pain yet but I still just needed him. We walked a bit more. I bounced on a birthing ball and crawled in and out of bed. In the morning I wanted my OB to come in and break my water because I knew once that was done I would progress very quickly. He told my nurse, who by the way was Romanian, and talked way to much , that he wanted to wait and see if my labor progressed by itself. Well around 10am my water did indeed break by itself. It felt like an explosion inside my body and Malcham said my whole body lurched forward like I had been shot. It didn't really hurt it was just very forceful. At first I thought the baby had kicked me but it was to low for that since she was face down. Then my second thought was that I was peeing on myself then I realized my water had broke. Malcham did not believe me because nothing was gushing. I usually have a tremendous amount of amniotic fluid. The problem was I was sitting on the birthing ball when it happened and was holding the fluid in. So when the nurse came in I stood up and the flood came. Labor really started at this point and once again it was some serious back labor. I was scared. Mylea was back labor and she came out sunnie side up. It was a difficult labor with her and I was so afraid of it happening again. I was about a 4 -5 cm when my water broke and within 1 hr. I was fully dilated and ready to push. Madyx was born at 11:18 am and I pushed a good 3 times and she came out. She was not born sunny side up and that became very evident when I started to push not near the pain. She took her first breath and let out a big cry and that was it. She was happy to be with us. It was the most natural labor I have ever had. No pitocin and the pill did not seem to give me more intense pain. It really was a very good experience. It's funny though when I had my first 3 kiddos I was very emotional when they came out. I cried with all 3. That changed when I had Mylea. I was in such pain and so relieved when she came out that no tears came. I was too relieved I guess. With Madyx the same thing happened I was emotional but I didn't cry. Malcham did though and it is so sweet to see him like that. Such a big guy but so tender when it comes to his children.

Madyx has been such a good baby. She sleeps 4 hours at a time and is so mellow. This just seems to easy. I am still waiting for the outburst or the difficult nights. She seems to have Mayci's temperment and is happy if she is full and dry. I usually have a hard time in the first few weeks of life but I am really enjoying my newborn. Maybe it's because I know what to expect or that I have learned how to enjoy it. Either way it has been a joy and I could keep her like this forever.

Before:

After:

She is such a cute little Boo. We thought the nickname fit since she was born so close to Halloween.

The kids could not come and see us in the hospital thanks to the wonderful H1N1 virus. We had to stay in the hospital 48 hours which I have never done in the past. I always get out at 24 hours but this go round I had Strep B and they wanted to "observe" her for 48 hrs. So we stayed but the kids were going crazy by the time we got home on Saturday. They loved their sister instantly and immediatly had to have a turn holding her. We let them look at her for a while when she was in her car seat and almost all at once they wanted to see her feet. We took her sock off and all you could hear were the ooohs and awwws. It was cute. Here they are touching her feet.

My Mom stayed for the week to help out. She is amazing when I have a baby. She becomes super Mom cooking cleaning and taking care of the kids. She and Mylea got along very well this trip and over and over again she told my Mom, " My baby is cute. My Mommy made her for me." So cute. She has to hold the baby at least a dozen times a day. If I try to take the baby away she says Mom I'm not tired I am not done holding the baby. She is so happy to be a big sister.

Mayci of coarse became an instant mother. She makes sure that everyone washes their hands before they hold her and makes sure she never cries. Every morning she comes into the room jsut to check on the baby. Madyx will be upset Mayci will pick her up and she stops crying. She loves having a sister. I keep telling her Madyx will grow up thinking she has 2 mommies.

Morgann thinks Madyx is the cutest baby ever born. She tells me that daily. She also loves to hold her and really has a hard time sharing. It seems that whenever she holds her Mayci wants to hold her too. So she kindly tells her you have to wait her turn. Morgann loves to sing to her and if Madyx is awake she just stares at Morgann in awe.

Bubba also thinks she is pretty cool. He is not quite as hands on as the girls but still wants to hold her and gets very concerened when she cries. He also thinks she is very cute.

We are blessed!

The Big Day Has Arrived!!!!!

Well today should be my last day of pregnancy. I am going to the hospital tonight around 9 pm to have our 5th baby. I am excited but very nervous all at the same time. I had a very painful natural birth with Mylea and I am planning on the same for this baby. BUT I am really nervous about the pain. I really want to be able to handle it but maybe it is really not worth it. I don't know. I figure that when I get there I will know what to do and what I can handle. Mylea was born "sunnie side up" and everyone says that makes it so much harder so maybe this baby will be in the right position and the pain will be a little more tolerable. I actually lost my mucous pug tuesday night. That has never happened to me before so I am hoping that my body is actually progressing. We shall see and I am planning on taking my computer to the hospital so we can post pics of the still unnamed baby M. Keep us in your prayers. More than anything we want a healthy baby girl. Until I am a mother for the 5th time............................

The Coolest Scar!

Here is a pic of Malcham's scar from his surgery. He is actually very proud of it. Anytime things are not going his way he grabs his side and says "OWW my side hurts" He knows how to get sympathy. It is starting to wear off though. We often wonder what story he will make up when he is older to explain the scar! We shall see.

We are going back to Houston for a check up on December 29th. We are going to make it a mini Christmas vacation and we will be bringing the whole family this time. Even the new baby M. We are so excited (especially me)!!

But before then we have to have this baby and move all within a few weeks of each other. Here is a pic. of our new house. I am happy to be out of the country and in a bigger home. It has the best back yard for the kids with the best grass and no stickers! They will be outside a lot.

Should we have the baby?

So I went to the OB today. He scheduled me for induction next Wednesday late like 8 pm. I am not sure how I feel about this. I really really want a completely natural birth. The problem..... I don't go into labor by myself. The only time I was close is when I had Morgann in Iowa. Still I had to be helped out a little. The other scary part is I am HUGE! Dr.'s always worry that the baby will be too big for me. I have 2 due dates the 23rd and the 27th. I will meet with the Dr. again next Tuesday and he said I could make up my mind then. Crazy! Not sure if this is what I am supposed to do. I guess I will know more next week. Anyway you look at it I am getting very close to having 5 children. AHHHH!

Our 2 Week Stay in Houston

Malcham (a.k.a. Bubba) and I left on Saturday August 29th for our first ever road trip. I only took him because I am very very pregnant and thought it would be easier with just one. The trip down took us about 9 hrs with all of the stops. He was a trooper and did so good in the car. He thought it was cool because he could pick all of the movies out by himself and not have to share with his sisters. When we got there we were greeted by Erik and Erika Stewart. They welcomed us into their home with open arms and we stayed with them for several days. We had so much fun. It was almost just like the olden days. We miss their family so much. Thank you Erik and Erika for everything.

Of coarse Bubba thought the trip was for the sole purpose of playing with his best friend Russell. He would say I am so excited we are going to Houston to play with Russell. Even after being apart for a whole year they both still talk about each other and want to play all the time. It was great being at Nicole's house. She is such a wonderful friend to me and such a wealth of knowledge. She teaches me so much and she never let us get bored the whole time we were there. Thank you Nicole. Here is a pic of the boys. I could not get them to hold still.

The real reason we drove to Houston was because Malcham started having pain in his bad kidney. He was born with a huge kidney on his left side that was filled with fluid (hydronephrosis). At the time we found it we were living in Houston and went to the best Pediatric Urologist there with Texas Children's Hospital. He had hoped that Malchams problem would resolve on it's own with time. However it did not seem to be getting any better. So on Monday August 31st we got the ultrasound done and Tuesday we met with Dr. Gonzales. He took one look at the scan and said " I just don't think he is going to win the fight with this kidney. We need to just have the surgery done so he can get better." I knew surgery was a possibility but I was really expecting him to say well let's get a few more tests done. So it was kind of a shock. They really had no open surgery appointments available but Dr. G. cancelled some meetings and fit us in since we came from such a long way. However, it would be a whole week before they could fit us in. So instead of driving all the way home and then turning around to come back we decided it would be best to stay. It was the longest week of my life. I missed my girls so much and I really just wanted to be a family again. Thankfully we were staying with one my dear friends Shauna Crook. She just took us under her wing and helped us so much during this time. She made wonderful meals for us and just treated us like we were part of her family. It was so nice. She and Bubba even made cookies one afternoon. He thought he was the chef of the house. He was even telling Shauna that the cookies were his idea and he did not want her to put oatmeal in them. She did anyway and he thought they were the best cookies ever. We were at Shauna's for a little over a week and it made all the difference in the world. Thank you so much Shauna. You are truly the best!
During our week of waiting we got to see so many good friends. We ate dinner with Valerie and her family who Malcham and I knew when were first married and living in Stephenville. We had a play date with my very good friend Jamie Williams and her kiddos. Melanie Ashcraft was there as well and we had so much fun talking and catching up. J made the best healthy hotdogs for lunch and the kids took a swim in their new pool. It was great seeing everyone. Thanks Jamie. Of coarse there are all of our friend from the ward who we got to see at church not once but twice. Thanks to everyone for your concern and words of encouragement. Not to mention it just felt like coming home. Everyone was so receptive and happy to see us. Thanks Allie for all the good advice. You really helped to comfort me.

Other activities included a trip to the zoo with Auntie Erika, a movie with Valerie and her family, and bowling with pizza with Nicole's family. We also got to attend the wards Memorial Day celebration. It was fun but so hot. One thing I do not miss about Houston is the humidity. Once again thanks to everyone. We really miss all of you.

Malcham and I got in some great shopping and we ate at Chick-fil-A way to many times. There were so many people we did not get to see and I was so sad about that but we had to be so careful with Malcham's health and not let him get exposed to too many germs. If he were even a little sick they would not do the surgery and all of that time would have been wasted.

We flew Malcham (a.k.a. Dad) into Houston on the Tuesday before surgery. It was so nice to see him again. I did not realize how much I had missed him. He was there for all of the important stuff and I was so thankful. Bubba really needed his Daddy to be there. On Wednesday September 9th we got to the hospital around 11:00 am. We waited forever it seemed before the surgery to start but Malcham and Bubba had such a good time playing with each other. I think they were catching up in their special boy way.

We finally were called back to talk to the Dr.'s and prepare for surgery. Bubba got these cool pajamas in yellow which is his favorite color. He looks like a little sumo wrestler or maybe he's going potty. Ha!

He was so excited because the nurses told him he could ride this tractor into the surgery room. He wanted to go right then with his puppy Roscoe in the bucket of the tractor. We still had some more waiting to do but Dad let him practice riding it a little and he was an instant pro.

When it came time to go into surgery he zoomed down the hall never looking back. He even ran over the nurse and hit a wall on the way down. He was so ready. The surgery took about 2 and a half hours and everything went very smooth. The Dr. came out to talk to us and said his case was very typical of UPJ Obstruction and that he would heal quickly and probably never have a problem again. We are very hopeful for that. He woke up great from anesthesia and he was so brave through all the poking, and prodding over the next 3 days. He had a Foley, a drain coming out of his side, and an IV. We were so proud of him because for a 3 year old he did very well. It took a little longer to get him up and walking because he was so sore. I felt so bad for him. He was like this little old man walking down the hall whimpering and taking little baby steps. He was such a trooper. He did well with all of his pain meds and had no problems going to the bathroom after they took out the Foley. He did so well we got out of the hospital a day early.

He was in so much pain this day and a gift from Uncle Matt and Aunt Amy came just in time. Thanks!

We then went back to stay Friday night with Shauna and then we were off first thing Saturday morning. I was so excited to get back to the girls who were with my Mom. Thanks so much Mom for coming down and taking care of the girls while Malcham and I were gone. Thanks to Lynda Malchams Mom for filling in when we needed you. Thanks to Griselda for helping take care of Mylea and picking up the girls from school. Thanks to Sylvia Bell and Bitsy for helping with the girls and playing such fun games with them. Thanks to Debbie Riley for helping with Mylea. Thanks to Aunt Amy for picking up Mylea from Mom's. Last but not least thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We are so grateful to be surrounded by such good people both here in West Texas and in Houston. The Lord has truly blessed us.

p.s. If your child ever needs surgery or has health problems I cannot say enough about the Dr.'s and nurses at Texas Children's Hospital. Everyone is so nice and they really help your child get through a difficult time. The Hospital caters to your child's every need including toys activities and play places for your kids. It was amazing and worth everything we went through. I will never take my children any other place.

First Day of School 2009

Well today like most was the anticipated first day of school. I cannot believe I have a 1st and 3rd grader. This is the first year Mayci and Morgann will be at the same school. It is a new school as well which makes it nice. I got some great pictures that I wanted to share with everyone. It amazing when you look back at pictures and realize you have the most beautiful girls. The babies will be in school next week but might miss the first week because we are headed to Houston. Can't wait to see everyone! Enjoy!

Yes her shirt says "I love Vampires" it is the only shirt she had to have this year. But I guess nowadays loving Vampires is a good thing, right Edward?

Morgann of coarse is all about the girly stuff. This very girly horsey shirt was her must have t-shirt for the year. You can't really tell by the picture but there is glitter and sparkles all over it. What a fun girl! She looks so grown up in this picture too.