Davis' Birthday Story

This is another birth story post, just thought I'd give you fair warning. We finally get to hold and love baby boy #3 and he is a sweetheart. At my appointment on the 17th, I was dilated to a 5. We had already set my induction for Friday, the 19th so I went home to wait. I had contractions every 10-20 minutes for the next 3 days, but that wasn't anything new. The hospital was supposed to call us anytime between midnight Thursday night and midnight Friday night to come in. Once we got the call, we were supposed to be there in 30 minutes. So Thursday night we got all of the last minute things in order and went to bed with the phone nearby.
Needless to say, we did not get a phone call that night. Carter and I woke up and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, which were yummy by the way, got everyone dressed, breakfast cleaned up, and continued our waiting. Thankfully my good friend and neighbor called us and told us they were going to the festival of trees and wanted to know if we wanted to come. A very welcome distraction! We loaded everything in the car just in case, brought the cell phone just in case, and headed out. It was really fun. While we were there we ran into one of my old student's Mom, who is a labor and delivery nurse. She asked when I was a due and we were joking that I was supposedly having him that day, but I wasn't sure. She assured me they HAD to call by midnight.

We finished at the festival, and got us some Jimmy John's on the way home. We had a picnic on the front lawn and let the boys color with chalk for a while. I wanted to keep the house clean, so I wouldn't let them play inside. I'm so mean! Some neighbors came over to keep us company, and we ended up going to their house for a little while. Spencer called the hospital to see what was up. They said all of the beds were full, but they were hoping to call around midnight or a little AFTER. I was beside myself. What a wasted day. The boys were so confused and we were DONE.

We decided since we were going in so late, we would just leave the boys at the neighbors house that night so we didn't have to wake them in the middle of the night. We went to their house, watched a movie and hung out for a few hours. Then we got the boys to sleep and left them there. That was so hard for me. I'm a whimp when it comes to being away from my kids. They aren't the best sleepers and I was so worried they would wake up and not know where there were and be scared. Anyway, we went home, I cried for a few hours, took a bath, and went to bed. I actually slept really well, which was a huge blessing. Giving birth with no sleep for 2 days was not something I was excited about.
We woke up the next morning without a phone call, so we headed over to pick up the boys. Andrea made us pancakes, which was so nice, so we ate breakfast and hung out with them for a little while. We left to get some lunch, go to the distribution center, and do whatever else we could think of to pass the time. Keep in mind, our poor friends who were watching the boys for us were in limbo this whole time too! They are so great to let us take up 4 entire days of their lives! We had some macaroni and cheese for dinner and FINALLY about 6:30 on Saturday night, the hospital called and told us they were ready for us. We needed to be there by 7:30. So again, we loaded the kids in the car and took them to the Painter's house.
We got to the hospital and they got us into our room. I changed and got all hooked up to the monitors, got my IV, and answered a million questions. I just kept telling them I wanted my epidural BEFORE the doctor broke my water. That was my only request. We watched The Office for a few hours while I was getting pitocin and my antibiotics for Group B Strep. I was having contractions, but I had been for 2 weeks. What's new? ha ha ha. The nurse told be I could have my epidural anytime because I was already dilated. I told her I didn't care when, just as long as it was before they broke my water. She said Dr. Lunt had gone home for a few hours, so we had plenty of time. Then all of a sudden he showed up! And broke my water before I had the epidural. They hurried and called the anesthesiologist and he got there pretty quickly. It was really only 5 or 10 minutes before I started having really painful contractions. They got the epidural in, but it wasn't working. They called him back after about 10 minutes and he tried to fix it. Finally, he unhooked the pump and just put some medicine right in with a syringe, and that did the trick. I was SO NUMB!! I couldn't feel a thing and i was even a little numb up to my neck! ha ha ha. Then about 10 minutes later they checked and I was 10 cm and ready to go. Dr. Lunt was delivering another baby though so we had to wait for him.

When he got there, they flopped me around, because I was so numb I couldn't move, and we were ready to start pushing. I pushed for less than 10 minutes, and he was here! Born at 1:43 am on November 21st, he weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He had the saddest little cry the nurses just loved it. He had chubby cheeks and a pointy little chin like his brothers. He has LONG fingers and toes, and lots of dark hair. His skin was peeling a lot and the nurses were saying he looked like an overdue baby. It makes me think the due date WE had figured out was right and the one the DOCTOR figured wasn't.

Anyway, they flopped me on to another bed, (because I seriously couldn't move!) and wheeled us to our room. We stayed up and help him for a while and then we all got some sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I was still pretty numb. When I could finally feel my legs and got up and walked around, Spencer went and got the boys so they could come meet their brother. They got there about 10:00 and stayed until almost 6:00 that night! They were so good! We just hung out with our new little family watching movies, playing legos, and holding the baby. It was a really fun day. Spencer took them home to get them some dinner and then dropped them off at the Layman's so he could come back to the hospital. We got to leave that night at about 9:30. So total, we were at the hospital for 26 hours. Not to bad right?

We just love Davis! He is a great little guy and his brothers are so cute with him. Mason loves to hold him and Carter lets us know anytime he makes a noise because he doesn't want him to be sad. Spencer got to stay home with us for 2 weeks and it was great. He went back to school today, so I feel like this is my first day as a mother of three. ha ha ha. It's almost noon though and we are all in one piece, happy, and I think we might survive this! (I won't mention all 4 of us are still in our pajamas. . . .)

Time Flies

Can you believe these boys had ANOTHER birthday?? I know I can't. It is so hard taking pictures of my own kids. I can be patient with everyone else's kids, but with mine, I just get mad when they don't do what I want them to. ha ha ha. Poor guys. For a quick 15 minute session I think we got s few keepers though. I can't believe how big they are getting. They are best friends (most of the time) and I love it. I couldn't ask for sweeter, funnier boys that's for sure.

Happy Birthday

I really feel bad for all of you who read this. The reason I feel bad is because you will never have the opportunity to be married to this amazing person. Some how I lucked out or she lost a bet. Jenny is the best wife in the world and the best mom to our boys. We all love her so much and appreciate all she does to help us get along. It is so much fun starting and ending businesses with her. It is a blast watching her take pride in her photography, she does such a great job. It really amazes me at how talented she is. I love watching her play with the boys and it is fun as we try to get Carter to realize that he can walk. Every day I wonder how miserable life would be with out Jenny. I cannot imagine a time in my life when she was not a part of it. She truly is my better half and I would be nothing with out her. I hope your birthday brings you happiness and the fun you deserve. I love you more than anything. Happy Birthday Babe!

I have to apologize for the pictures that are being posted! They are the only ones I have on my work computer.

One.

Carter is such a good baby! Ever since he was born he has been very happy and easy going. He hardly ever cries and he's content to just hang out in the same room as everyone else. He is very busy and loves getting in to things. He puts everything in his mouth and has eaten at least 3 bugs that I know of. He LOVES his big brother. When Mason walks into a room Carter laughs and gets so excited! He loves to play with whatever toys Mason is playing with and loves to copy whatever he does. He loves to wrinkle up his nose and snort! It is the funniest thing with his little teeth poking out. I think he likes it so much because he gets so much attention when he does it. Carter loves to be outside. He loves to ride in the baby carrier and go hiking with the family and he loves hanging out in the pack-and-play when we are camping. He has the curliest hair! Especially when he gets sweaty it goes into little ringlets!
Carter has just barely started to eat baby food. He wouldn't eat it for the longest time and is still a little on the picky side. He hasn't started walking yet, although he totally could! He is just not interested. I think one of these days he will just decide he's ready and take off! He LOVES music! Whenever the radio or a song on TV he dances and really gets into it. He also loves to play the piano and gets so mad when I'm teaching piano lessons and I won't let him join us. He is a great singer and sings himself to sleep sometimes. He sings really load in church and it cracks everyone up. When Spencer gets home from work, Carter gets so excited and says, "Hi Dada!" It melts my heart! He can say hi, Dada, Mama, and Bubba. Carter is so loving. He loves giving his toys "loves." He has even been spotted hugging a toy hamburger patty. When he gives hugs, he pats the person on the back because that's what people do to him! ;)
Carter loves to laugh and play and is a JOY to have in our home. I honestly don't remember what our life was like without him.
We love you Carter Bug!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Four.

Mason at 4 days old.
Mason at 4 years old.

My little boy is four years old today! He is the light of my life. Seriously. I can't imagine being without him. He has learned and grown so much in the past four years. Here are a few things I love about Mason:

-He can play by himself for hours with his great imagination.
-He has so many "friends" no one else can see. The girls, the football guys, and Hunny just to name a few.
-He loves watching the Food Network. Ever since he was just little he has watched "Good Eats" before bed. He loves "Iron Chef," "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives," and "Chopped."
-He is so happy all of the time.
-He is very caring and loving to his family and everyone around him.
-He loves Las Vegas more than any little kid should! He loves seeing the lions, going to the M&M store, and playing ski-ball.
-He doesn't know all of his numbers quite yet, but he does know 3, 7, 8, 9. Why? Food network is channel 39 and Nick is channel 78. He can turn on the TV and go to those channels all by himself.
-He loves his little brother and is so good to help take care of him, play with him, and he always watches out for him. When other people are holding Carter, Mason gets really nervous and upset. He doesn't want anyone to take him.
-He always wants to help.
-He loves cars. He loves trains.
-He is all boy.
-Mason LOVES classic rock and can sing the words to many songs I don't even know! You can often find him in the back seat dancing and singing to the radio. When he gets excited about something he says, "Rock and Roll Coochie Coo."
-He has so much personality! You never know what he is going to come up with next.
-He loves orange. Everything he colors is orange and a lor of his clothes are orange.
I could go on and on there are so many neat things about this little boy. I am so lucky to be his Mom and watch him grow and learn. He is a great kid and I love him so so much!

Happy Birthday Monkey!

It's My Best Friends Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Spencer today. He is an old man at 29. Spencer is the GREATEST Dad and Husband! We really couldn't ask for anyone better. He works so hard for our family. He is a great teacher, is working on his Masters Degree, helps out around the house, and still finds time to play with us. Mason is always so excited to hear the garage door opening and know his Daddy is home to play with him. He is so patient and goofy with Mason. I just love watching them together. He is also a great Daddy for Carter already. He loves to cuddle and he even changes diapers. I could not ask for a better husband. He is so patient and supportive. He helps me with all of my crazy projects and doesn't complain when the house is a mess and I don't cook for days because I spread myself to thin. He is very helpful and he is always there when I need someone to talk to. It really is amazing being married to your best friend. We have so much fun and life is perfect with him. Who knew there was someone so PERFECT for me out there!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday babe because you more than deserve it!!
I LOVE YOU SO STINKING MUCH!!

Happy Birthday Spencer!

PS This picture was taken before the donkey basketball game Spencer played in last February. Mason LOVED watching his daddy ride the donkey and got even more excited when he made a shot!

Carter T. Ballantyne

Alright, I finally have a few minutes to write a little bit about our day Tuesday! What a day. I was very ready to not be pregnant any more and meet our little bundle. No one in either of our families knew the gender of the baby. It was really fun keeping them guessing and having a little secret for 9 months and we were excited we were going to be able to tell them soon. We also decided to keep it a secret that we were at the hospital until after he was born. We didn't want them to be worrying, and that way we could REALLY surprise them! Anyway, I'd been having contractions for a week or so pretty regularly and was very uncomfortable and tired! It was quite a relief to finally be walking through those hospital doors! (Sorry if you don't like labor and delivery stories . . . If I post it here, I don't have to repeat it quite as many times.) We got to the hospital a little after 4:00 am on Tuesday and I was at a 4. We tried to sleep, (Spencer was snoring, but I never could fall asleep.) hung out, checked our email, and tried to keep busy for the next 6 hours. By then I was only at a 5. They decided to break my water to get things going. They did that and hooked up some internal monitors on the baby. (His heart rate would go down every time I had a contraction, so they just wanted to make sure he was doing alright. They called for my epidural and while we waited for him to get there, I was ready to die! When the anesthesiologist finally got there, the baby's heart rate was really slowing down so he wouldn't give it to me until the baby stabilized. By the time I got the epidural, I was at an 8. All of this happened within about 40 minutes. Things were much happier when it finally kicked in. My nurse left for 15 minutes to eat some lunch and when she got back, he was almost crowning! If and when we have anymore kids, I am getting the epidural BEFORE they break my water!! I go way to fast and I don't want to feel it! Dr. Sanders came in, I pushed for maybe 15 minutes, and he was here!!! All 9 lbs 9 oz of him. He was 20 3/4 inches long. The doctors and nurses couldn't believe how big he was. My doctor kept teasing me saying I delivered a teenager. We were so happy to see him and hold him. They got him cleaned up and gave him his shots and we got to be with him for a few hours before they whisked him away to the nursery.

Spencer went to get Mason from our friend Audra's house and brought him to the hospital. He went to the nursery to get Carter, but he didn't come back for a long time. . . Carter had some trouble adjusting to life outside my tummy. His oxygen levels were low and he had fluid in his lungs. He ended up hooked up to oxygen, he had a tube down into his little tummy, an IV in his arm, and he had to have some tests done to make sure he didn't have an infection. We just hung out that night waiting to see what would happen and make sure he was alright. Mason got to see him through the nursery window, but he couldn't go in. It was really hard for me not to see him and hold him. I didn't want to see him hooked up to all of that stuff though because I was already super emotional! Wednesday morning he all of the sudden decided to figure things out and everything was fine! We were so grateful everything turned out okay. Mason was excited he FINALLY got to meet his little brother face-to-face. He instantly loved him!



Mason loves singing to Carter and rocking him. He is a very big helper. When we got home from the hospital, I was listening to them in the other room and Mason said this, “Carter, I’m going to tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a baby at our house, and it was Carter.” It was so cute. He is going to be such a great big brother. Carter has been a great baby so far. He sleeps all of the time and doesn’t cry much. When he is awake, he has big bright eyes. He has a TON of dark hair that naturally forms a Mohawk. It goes great with his long sideburns! He is so cute. We really love him so much already. To make a short story long, that is what happened! Sorry for my long windedness!

Happy Birthday Mason Continued. . .

Look at my blogging husband! Beat me to the "Happy Birthday Mason" post. . . .
Mason had a really fun day today. He told everyone that asked how old he was today "72." I think his Daddy is teaching him to be a tease. After he finally woke up from his nap after church,
we opened presents.

























He got lots of fun presents and it was really fun to see him get so excited. Some of his favorites were his "Sam I Am" book, wooden Thomas train, and new games.
Then some of our friends came over for cake and ice cream. He picked a dalmations cake pan online and was so excited when the mailman brought it. Hopefully it was all he hoped it would be! He was so wound up by the time they left! Maybe he'll sleep good tonight. . . .

Mason wore his new "pajama-ramas" to bed and took his new Thomas blanket. Daddy even read him his new books before bed. What a lucky kid.
We are so blessed to have him in our family. He is so great. I am amazed by him every day.


I am still new at this blogging thing. If it works, here is a little video clip of Mason opening presents. He cracks me up!