Halloweenies

I am aware that Halloween was LAST weekend. But hey, I figure when you have four (!) kids like me & one is ONLY six weeks old you get a little leeway when documenting events. That is what I'm banking on. Yes? Yes. Just nod & smile. Thanks. :)

Halloween was crazy busy. We began the day with Zoe's soccer game, rushed home & Robin, Zoe & Luke dashed off to the ASU football game and then flew home so that we could head over to Uncle Sean & Aunt Heidi's casa for delectable (albeit MAJORLY unhealthy) vittles. I went, I sat, I nursed. Good times had by all.

And now without further adieu, the kidlets....in all their costumed glory....

Brynn...an ASU cheerleader. Just in case you were wondering if we are fans. Yeah, we are fans. Huge fans. It is kinda sick. The kids all know the fight song and can make the "pitchfork" with their fingers practically from birth. We are teaching Andrew as we speak.

Luke...Sheriff Woody...(but only cuz I couldn't find a Sparky costume...he wants to be that next year.) HOWEVER Sheriff Woody suited him just fine. "There's a snake in my boot!"

And last but certainly not least Miss Zoe who was Snow White. She was going to be a witch, but changed her mind at the very last minute. Pink nose & cheeks courtesy of soccer + ASU football. :)

Here they are...all togetha (minus little Drew who was asleep and as mama done told me..."NEVER wake a sleeping baby. Never." So I didn't.) This pic is SO them. Goofy Luke, silly snuggle bug Brynn & shy Zoe. My rugrats. Happy (belated) Halloween!

Raise your hand if you're sleepy...

What's the word? Tired. That's the word. K moms...HOW do we forget this? Well, I guess we don't exactly forget, but it becomes hazy I suppose. Ugh...I'm just draggin. Maybe it's the 4th kid thing, maybe it's the being over 30 thing, maybe it's the baby spending WAY too much time crying today thing. Not sure. But were are sooooo there. Weary to the bone, through & through.....sleeeeeeepy. I'm hanging on, holding out, TRYING to enjoy his newbornishness. Yep I'm inventing words too. I'm justified. :)

Ok, can't stand it any more...must...go...to...bed. G'night y'all.

Ok so I HAVE been taking pics. Lots and LOTS of them and it will take me some time to get them posted, but over the past month I've been photographing the dickens out of my sweet love and thus we begin a little case study of my baby boy.

Andrew: Head to Toe.

I've done a few formal "portrait-ey" types of images, but mostly it is just him & us, hanging around, living the good life as a family of SIX!

Here is is...hanging on the couch. Six days new.

one month old

geez that went fast...like faster than any of the other kids fast & it kinda freaks me out. he's waking up a bit more, checking out the world a bit more, loves mama best, finds his siblings fascinating when they aren't torturing him & I SWEAR he smiled at zoe yesterday. ;) here's our little love...one month old. (yeah i do have a zillion more pics & I WILL post retroactive highlights...promise.)

He's Here!

Can't say the last few days have been what I expected...but I am grateful to announce that our little Andrew Frederick is here at last. 7 pounds 10 ounces, 19 1/2 inches of pure perfection. And he doesn't look a bit like any of our other kids. Seriously.

When a routine office visit last Friday revealed that our little guy was BREECH (!) we were sent to the hospital that afternoon for an attempt at turning him into the appropriate position. Ahem...he was having NONE of that. Ow. And so we proceeded with a very unexpected c-section Friday night.

Yeah it's different. VERY different. In both good & bad ways. I think I'm experiencing the bad ways now...after the fact. Ow. The actual birth was easy-peasy. Lay back, relax, get a baby. No pushing, heavy breathing, etc. That was the easy part.

But of course it is all worth is as I snuggle my sweet one & watch my littles oogle over his cuteness. We love him to pieces & I am relishing him as much as possible since he is our grand finale. And now I am off to drink up his sweetness & deeply inhale that delicious newborn aroma. Don't you wish they could bottle that stuff? Yum. Here he is...in the hospital...2 days old. My hospital picture taking attempts were a little sad this time around...something about an incision in my abdomen getting in the way. Oh well...many, many pics to come.

One of those moments...

that I'll never forget. You know the ones...where you can feel it searing into your memory even as it is taking place. For FHE last night Robin was talking to the kids about families & how we have not only fathers here on earth, but a Father in Heaven as well. We then talked about the new baby coming and how special he would be and how he is a child of God just as all of us are. He then suggested that we gather around my belly and sing I am a Child of God to our little boy. They all gathered around, each putting a hand on my belly and sang in their sweet little voices to their little brother. I'm getting teary again just thinking about it. I wish I had had my camera to capture their darling little hands on my belly with their noses pressed into my skin, eager to serenade their brother. Definitely a moment I'll never forget.

Labor of Love

Well...she did it! After a long, hard labor Jessica is a mom!!! AND I was so so lucky to be at the delivery. Here are a few preview photos....to see more delivery images head over to my other blog. :)