Miss Charlotte Marie Jones has arrived!!

She's here!! She's finally here!! We are so excited and happy. I should have made a post sooner, but we have been SO busy with everything that has been going on. But, I am doing it now. August 14th, 2012, started out like most other days, but ended much differently, and not as we had planned, but it was very exciting. I had a doctor appointment that day, first thing in the morning. I expected it to be quick, painless and easy. I could not have been more wrong. My doctor asked how things were, and I told her that I had had some contractions very early that morning, and although painful, they were not consistent and went away and I was not too concerned. I was a little concerned that Charlotte seemed less active, but thought maybe it was because I had spent the evening before chasing Hudson all over at football practice for Austyn. The doctor said she wanted to do a non-stress test to check on the baby. So, I got all cozy in their recliner and hooked up to the monitors. She was moving, but not as much as she should have been, so, they gave me some juice to try to rouse her. It worked. But, I was also having contractions, 7 minutes apart, on the dot. And with each contraction Charlotte was not responding the way they thought she should be, so I was sent to the hospital for further evaluation.

At this point, I called Andrew to let him know, but also still did not feel like it was super serious (baby's movement and heart rate were both good, and there were no signs of labor, other than my contractions that I could barely feel). So I told him not to worry, I was sure I would be out of there in an hour or so and off to work, but I would keep him posted. Well, in the 30 minutes or so that it took me to get to the hospital and hooked up to all their gear, my contractions had gotten a little closer, about 5 minutes apart. So, I called Andrew again, and he came up there to see what was going on. The doctor came in to see me, and said that my contractions seemed to be real labor, because they were so regular, and getting closer. He wanted to monitor me for a bit, with fluids (in case I was dehydrated) and we would go from there. If they didn't stop, they would deliver her that day, since I was scheduled for a c-section anyway and was "full term" because I was 37.2 weeks along. Now I was a little nervous. I thought it was a bit too soon for her and didn't want any complications, plus, we just weren't prepared. I mean, we had everything we needed for her, and all set up, the carseat was in the car and my hospital bag was packed. But, I think mentally I was not ready, and I had loose ends to tie up at work and arrangements needed to be made for Hudson and Austyn and my house wasn't cleaned and the people who were planning on coming to help weren't gonna have enough notice and.... these are just a few of the million or so thoughts that went through my head when I heard the doctor say they might deliver the baby that day. And, deep down, I knew right then, that that was it, I was gonna have a baby that day.

 So, about an hour later, the doctor comes back in and sees that my contractions are now 4 minutes apart, the fluids did not help, and they were actually starting to hurt a little. So, he said there was no reason for me to continue laboring, in pain and risking a uterine rupture, when I was having a repeat c-section anyway, and was going to the operating room to get me in for my surgery. So, I called Andrew and told him we are having a baby today, and he said he could be back in about an hour. I thought that was plenty of time, there was no way they would have me in there in that short of a time period. Nothing ever happens that fast in the hospital if it's not an emergency. Well...I could not have been more wrong. The nurse came in and said she needed to start prepping me for surgery. I asked how long before I was going, and she said... about an hour. WAIT!!! WHAT?!?!?! Now I am panicking. So, I called Andrew, yet AGAIN, and told him he needed to make his hour the fastest hour ever. I didn't want him to not be there. I needed him. So, he promised to do his best. Well, then the nurse comes in and is getting me ready to go and says that they are on their way to get me!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HOUR?!?!? I explained to them that my husband couldn't be there for about an hour, and they said they didn't know if that was soon enough and if they could wait. They called the doctor and he agreed to give me some medicine to try to stop the contractions for a while to buy some time for Andrew, and off to surgery I went. The meds didn't stop the contractions, only gave me the shakes REALLY bad. Not fun.

So, I met the anesthesiologist and went over all that fun stuff, signed a bunch of paperwork for the surgery and to have my tubes tied (that's right, no more kids for us) talked with the nurses and very patiently waited my turn. I was crying because I was scared and worried that Andrew wouldn't make it in time. One of the nurses was kind enough to call Andrew from the OR waiting area, and let him know where to go and told him to call as soon as he got there so she could run out to get him and bring him directly in. We waited and waited for him, but finally, my doctor put the brakes to the waiting and said we had to go in and get it started. My contractions were now 2 minutes apart and painful and it was time to get the show started. So into the operating room I went, without Andrew, scared to death. They gave me the spinal block and were getting started when Andrew FINALLY called and said he was there. So, they ran out to get him and get him in some scrubs and brought him in. Finally!! I felt SO, SO, SO much better with him in there. I stopped crying and felt like I could breath. Then, after what seemed like hours, but I'm sure it was only minutes, Charlotte was born. August 14th, 2012 at 2:26 pm. She was so tiny. They held her up so I could see her, then took her off to wash her up before giving her to Andrew for him to come sit by me and hold her so I could see her and kiss her. She was absolutely perfect, like all of my kids. Then, off they (Andrew and Charlotte) went, to the room, while they finished up the surgery on me. I felt like I was in the recovery room for eternity!! It was taking forever for the spinal to wear off. I just wanted to see and hold my baby!!!! I finally got to go up and see her. My dad and Connie were already there, waiting, but Andrew said no one could hold her until I did. So sweet. She was so precious, and tiny!! She was only 6 lbs 5 oz and 18 3/4" long. My smallest baby yet. So, here are some pictures of her first couple of days.

The first picture of momma and Charlotte. I just love her to pieces.

My pretty little girl.

4 of our 5 family members. Unfortunately, we weren't all together at the hospital, so there are is not a full family photo of that occassion.

Daddy and his little girl.

Hudson was pretty excited when we brought her home.

The first time Hudson got to hold her. He loved it!! So, in closing.... we are adjusting pretty well. Our little family of 5 is complete. I love every aspect of it. Never a dull moment, that's for sure. Charlotte is a pretty good baby, although not *quite* as easy as the boys, but her "crabby" times aren't as bad as they could be, so no complaints. She's healthy and happy, and beautiful (of course) and that's what matter the most. I am still recovering from my surgery, this time is taking a while, mostly because I haven't really had a lot of time to rest since I am chasing Hudson most of the time that I am not taking care of Charlotte. We will get there eventually though. The boys adore their little sister. She is still sleeping most of the time, but I am sure once that "newborn sleepiness" wears off, things will get even more interesting around here. 2 kids under 2 years old is definitely a challenge, but we are all doing well, and have received help from family and friends that is GREATLY appreciated. Andrew and I are both exhausted, but it comes with the territory, and it's all worth it. And things will get easier the more we find our groove. But, in the end, no matter how hard it is, how tiring our frustrating, I have to say, we are the happiest we have ever been and both feel happy, satisfied, and completely in love with each other and our kids. Things are better than ever, and continue to get better every day. It's perfect. :)

Summer fun.

Whew! It's been a while since I have done a blog. Totally slacking on it. But, it's because we are busy. With life. Work, activities, family time, getting ready for baby... you know, all the good, important stuff. So, the blog got put on the back burner for a while. But, i guess, I should do an update, so I can record how awesome of a summer we are having. :)

Ahhh, the beach. Lake Superior. So beautiful and fun. The beach has been a favorite destination for us this summer. Huddy loves it. He loves the water, the waves, the sand, all of it. He chases birds, throws rocks and sand into the water for as long as you will let him, and will "swim" until his teeth are chattering and his skin is freezing to the touch. He is out little water baby for sure. I'm thinking swim lessons are in order soon. Can't live this close to the water and not take swim lessons. I feel so lucky to be this close to the lake. What a wonderful place to spend good, quality family time.


Brothers, having popsicles together. This picture is so awesome. I absolutely love it. Hud loves being with Austyn. And Austyn has been so helpful this summer with Hudson. With me being very pregnant, it's been hard to keep up with him, especially in the heat, and Austyn has done a really good job helping out, and this picture is a good example of that. There is such a big age gap with these 2 that I was very worried they wouldn't bond, but it doesn't appear that this will be a problem. I love my boys!!!

Ahhh, me and my big pregnant belly. This was for mine and Andrew's anniversary. We were going out for a little date night of dinner and whatever to celebrate. I was excited to have a date and so I dressed up and made myself all "pretty". It was also my first "belly picture" of this pregnancy. I guess it didn't turn out too bad. Andrew and I have been married for 3 years now, and going strong. We have our moments, like any couple, but nothing that can't be worked through. I love my husband, for so many reasons that I just don't have the time to list right now. I love our family. I love our life together for what it's been already and where it's going. I couldn't have asked for more in a husband, marriage or life. Things really are great. I'm not really the mushy type, and don't like to post all this rainbows and roses stuff, but I just felt I needed to get this out there, for whoever reads this, everyone or no one. Mostly for me, him, US, to look back on in years to come. So we can see where we were, how far we've come and remember all the good, bad and indifferent.

This picture of Hudson and Andrew is priceless to me. It's at Harlow park, across the street from our house. Another favorite summer destination for us this year. Hudson is totally obsessed with the slide. And fearless. Andrew is the one who has to take him down, repeatedly, since, well, I'm pretty big at this point. haha. This picture just captures how much fun they both have, and just the love of father for son and son for father. I absolutely adore this picture. Andrew has also been very helpful during my pregnancy (as he should be, hehe) with Hudson, Austyn and the housework. I had a rough pregnancy (as stated in a previous blog) and it required a lot more out of Andrew to keep this family and household going strong. Not to brag, or "toot my own horn" but I really do a lot around here to make our house a home and keep the household going (so does Andrew) so it was A LOT for him to have to take on, on top of his "duties", when I just couldn't keep up with my "duties"at times. I cannot be more grateful to him for all of his hard work and understanding. Again, he's an awesome husband. I'm gonna go with the best, even. Although, my opinion might be biased. ;)

My brother Chad, his wife Libby and my niece Caitlin came up to visit on their way from Louisiana to Alaska. It was nice to be able to visit with them, since we usually only see each other once or twice a year. Anyway, we tried to get some fun stuff in while they were here, and one of the "events" was a trip to the Children's Museum. This is Austyn "blowing his hair back" with some wind power. HAHA. This picture cracks me up. He will probably hate me for this in a few years, but that's ok. It's awesome.

And here is Austyn at the beach. He is really growing up fast, into quite the handsome young man. This was one of our first trips to the beach this summer, and it was a little cold for the water still. Austyn got ALMOST all A's on his report card again at the end of the school year. He got one little B and was NOT happy about it. A hard lesson in life I guess. Next year is a new year, a new start, and I guess he will have to hit the books a little harder this time. I told him, it's only gonna get harder to maintain all A's from here on out.  He signed up for football again this year. I'm excited for that to start. He has also been riding his bike 2 miles a day for a few weeks now in an effort to "get into shape" and prepare for football season. We are very proud of him for doing it and sticking to it. He even gets up and does it first thing in the morning, before it gets too hot to be able to do it.

Another favorite activity (mostly of Hudson I think) is sliding down his slide into his pool. We also have a sprinkler for him to run through that he loves. Thank goodness for our super awesome neighbor for letting us use her yard for our water activites in the summer, since we don't really have one. Austyn likes to go out and play (I think) with Hud in the baby pool. Again, they get along really well and I love to watch them "play" together. Austyn is just really, really good with him. Better than I could have expected or asked for. Although, he does have his moments when he likes to pick on Hud and make him scream. But, I guess that's to be expected, with any siblings from time to time, no matter how much of an age gap there is. Can't have it all I guess.  :) It's all in good fun, even if it's not fun at the time.

So, to wrap it up...... We have been having an awesome summer. Beach time, family time, great weather ( a little too hot for me at times, but it's better than snow I guess) fun activities and lots to look forward to. We have been busy working, playing and getting ready for this baby. I had a baby shower last week, that turned out really nice. Great company, food and gifts for the baby. We are so grateful for the wonderful family and friends we have. Everyone has been so helpful too.  Her bedroom is done, and everything is in place for her to be here, we are just waiting on her. :)  The c-section is scheduled for August 29, so a little over 5 weeks from now!! That's coming up fast, but I am ready and counting down the days!  I'm excited to meet her, and excited to be done. Things have gotten better towards the end of this pregnancy, and I am grateful for that, but I am ready to be done. For good. Then, our family will be complete. I am sure the next blog you get from me will be about a new addition to our family. I can't wait!!!!!

IT'S A ...........

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!! WE ARE SO, SO EXCITED!!!

We had our ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, and found out, without a doubt, that our final family member is going to be a little Miss. :) I am the most excited momma out there I think. Obviously, I would have been happy and excited with either, just a healthy little baby, but I am so glad to have the opportunity to be the momma of a daughter, as well as my sons. She will be a blessing to our family, and we just can't wait to meet her.

So, here is a picture of our little lady. She is waving to us. So awesome. Measuring right on target, unlike my boys, who were always a minimum of a week ahead of schedule. We haven't officially decided on a name, but have a few favorites we are tossing around. One in particular seems to be sticking out, and that will probably be her name, although, we probably aren't going to reveal it until she is here. So, stay tuned in late August to find out what the beauty's name will be. :)

Here is a cute picture of my handsome boys on Easter morning. It's getting harder to get Hudson to stay still AND smiling for a good picture these days. He's just "too busy" for that stuff. But, they both looked so nice and handsome dressed in their Sunday best. haha. I love my boys, they are so awesome. Austyn is already such an awesome big brother to Hudson, I am sure he will be great with the newest sibling as well. He is excited to have a sister on the way too. Hudson is still too young to really get what's going on yet. Although, I have noticed he has become a little bit more clingy with me, whiny at times and jealous of other people touching or "loving" on me. Could just be a phase or his age, or maybe he senses something, I'm not sure.

And this is just a random picture of Hudson in the tub. It was just sooooo cute I had to put it on here. He seems to have a love/hate relationship with bath time. It's quite odd. He is excited to take a bath usually, but won't go in the bathroom if the water is running by himself (which is a characteristic I love), but once he's in, he loves it. (and to clarify, I DO NOT leave him in there alone, after reading this over, it kind of sounded like that) He likes bubbles and a cup to play with, and LOVES to splash around. He does not, however, like his toys in the tub. I have bought him several different bath toys, but he does not like them in there, or the washcloth. If I put them in there with him, he goes into almost a panic to get them out and on the edge of the tub. Weird, but comical to watch. He doesn't mind water being dumped over his head, which is another trait I love. Definitely makes washing him much easier. And he is not afraid of the drain, which is NOT a quality I love, because I can't use it as a way to get him out of the tub, since he never wants to get out! And yes, I'm that mom who uses "fear" to get her kids to do what she wants at times, within reason. :)

So, that's the scoop for now. Nothing else really going on. I have been feeling MUCH better these days, so that makes me (and I'm sure everyone else dealing with me) very happy. We have been doing some spring cleaning, since the weather is finally warming up, and of course, garage saling. I love a good deal at a garage sale. My sister is moving out in a couple of weeks, so we will be doing some rearranging and painting and decorating for our new room, Hud's new room and, of course, the baby's room. Our anniversary is coming up this month and Austyn will be 12 this month as well. Busy, busy month for us. Good things happening. Bring on the summer!! YAY!

Exciting News....

So, I haven't made a new entry in a while. Partly because I have been pretty busy and partly because I just haven't felt up to it. Now, our computer is broken, so I can't upload pictures, but I figured it was time for an update, since some exciting things have been going on for us. So, no pictures, but good news. Deal with it. ;)

Well, most of you (whoever you is, whoever reads these blogs I post.) already know, Andrew and I are expecting a baby this summer. We are so excited about this and cannot wait to welcome our newest addition to the family. Our "official" due date is September 2, but, I will be having another c-section, and ending my baby making career at the same time. hehe. So, we know we will be welcoming the baby sometime at the end of August. I think we would anyway, even if I wasn't having a scheduled c-section, since my kids tend to come a few weeks early. In any case, we don't have an exact date set yet, but will within the next month or 2 I assume. We are having our "big" ultrasound on Monday, April 16, and hoping the baby is cooperative so that we can get a peek at the goods to know if we will be sporting pink or blue this time around. Obviously, we are hoping for a girl, since we have 2 boys and this is our last, but, also obviously, healthy is what matters, and we will love a baby boy just as much as we would a girl. We are just so full of joy about this baby, that I just don't have the words to describe it.
Now, my pregnancies with Austyn and Hudson were pretty uneventful and "typical" I guess you could say. Austyn was a breeze. No complications, no problems, 100% natural delivery, on time (almost 2 weeks early but still full term), of a healthy and happy baby boy. Hudson, pretty much the same, a little harder on my older body, but nothing terrible to note. Delivery was not as easy and ended in a c-section, because I was just not progressing at all, after a day and a half of labor. But, he was still healthy and happy and I recovered fine, it just took a little longer. This pregnancy has been completely opposite. Morning sickness (which I didn't have with my boys) kicked in promptly at 7 weeks. Zofran (anti-nausea medicine) became necessary to be able to function daily at my job and at home with 2 other kids to take care of. Zofran is not easy on the, uh, digestive system. So, that led to a whole new world of discomfort and more medicine. Then, a bout with the flu, then a nasty cold, then the flu again, which that time landed me in the ER to get fluids and more anti-nausea meds since I had reached the point of vomiting blood, gross. During all of this, I was given multiple ultrasounds to check on the baby. During one of these scans, they found a subchorionic hematoma, which is a bleed between the placenta and uterus. There was also a small tear in the placenta. So, that was VERY scary. the doctor said to take it easy and drink LOTS of water, even more than the recommended amount for pregnant women (which wasn't easy since water even made me sick). She said it most likely would resolve on it's own, and not to worry too much about it, since there was nothing they could do for it, and as long as I wasn't bleeding, everything should be fine. So, that was very scary and stressful, but seems to be fine now. Then at around 12 weeks, and this was my favorite (insert eye roll here) the kidney stone. What fun that was! I was in the hospital 2 times for it, on pain meds and it took 3 weeks to pass!!! It was HUGE. It measure 1/4" around at it's largest point. Most of the time, stones that size are surgically removed. But, I passed it on my own, after much suffering, and am glad that is over with. SO, my first trimester SUCKED!! But, we all survived and are moving right along and doing well. For the most part. Sleeping is uncomfortable already, and heartburn seems to have taken the spot of the nausea, but it's all worth it in the end. I am smaller this pregnancy than I have been in my other 2, and haven't gained hardly anything. I blame the morning sickness. But, I'm ok with that, as long as baby is healthy. :)

And now, onto exciting news update #2... We got a new car. Not NEW new, but new to us. I am soooo excited about this. We sold the Saturn Vue. It was a good car, but time to let it go. I have had it for 5 years and it treated me well, but we needed to upgrade. Our family is getting bigger, and there was room, but not comfortable room, especially when you factor in the fact that there will be 2 carseats in the back, those things take up a lot of space. We decided to go with an SUV with 3rd row seating. After some searching, we finally found something we thought suited us well. We went with a 2007 Ford Explorer XLT. It's gray, leather interior, one owner car, new tires, very well taken care of inside and out, comparable on gas to other SUVs and nice and spacious and comfy like we were hoping for. We just love it. I am excited to have a new car. The other "upsides" to this purchase are the facts that we got a car 5 years newer than the other with less miles on it AND lowered our car payment! LOVE IT! When I get the computer back, I will try to remember to post a picture. I am really happy with our choice and hope it turns out to be a great car for our family, I am pretty confident it will.
So, that is the latest from the Jones family. We had a very enjoyable Easter weekend. Hudson got into the Easter egg hunt, briefly, but he did find some. He was just excited to be running around outside with a bunch of kids. Both of the boys looked so handsome dressed in their Easter attire for church, I will have to remember to post a picture of that too. I made dinner at our house and had my dad over. Low key and relaxing (somewhat, since cooking a ham dinner isn't really "relaxing"). But, it was still good. Love having family time. Oh, another notable event - Austyn got all A's, again, on his report card. So proud of him, as usual. He is just so smart. Lets see if the streak continues through high school! ;) I hope so!! But, anyway, this turned out a little longer than I had planned. Hope I didn't bore anyone to death. Thanks for stopping by! :)

New Year Cheer

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!! It's been a while since I updated, but, like last time I think, not much really going on. But, I wanted to get up a few holiday pics for, well, whoever reads this. :)

For Christmas, we didn't do much. No traveling for us this year. 2 years in a row now. It was kind of nice that way. Next year is definitely our turn to make some road trips. It was kind of sad though, since I didn't get to see my mom.:( I have a feeling we will be making a trip down there soon. Speaking of my mom.... the picture below is of the boys in their Christmas robes from Grandma Amy Hoxie. My mom is so crafty, I love it. And they loved their robes. So cute. Thanks Grandma Amy!! And Hud's is big enough that it should fit him for a while. Nice work!



Now, it's not to say that we didn't have a BUSY holiday season, it just didn't involve significant road time. Which, again, I like. Traveling is bad enough (to me) add winter weather and a toddler, NO.FUN! In any case, we had a busy couple of weeks, but fun, and family, friends and food filled. All of my favorites.




This is our Christmas tree, courtesy of Grandma Susan. I was not going to put one up this year, for obvious reasons. I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to keep Hudson AND the cat out of the tree and presents. So, I just said, no tree, and no presents(well, no presents sitting OUT). I didn't think I would mind, but it ended up being kind of sad, and not really feeling like Christmas. I don't think the lack of snow outside was helping!! In any case, imagine my surprise, and joy, when I came home from work one day and Susan had brought the little guy pictured above and had it set up all nice and pretty and festive on top of the piano. It was perfection. I loved it.




My boys, Christmas morning. They were both looking at the camera and smiling when I started to snap this picture. How fast they move!! haha. Still cute. Love them both, SO MUCH!!



This picture above is Austyn and Hud starting the gift opening festivities at my dad's house. That was our first stop of the holiday celebrations this year, on December 18th. Since my dad works odd (and LOTS) hours at the mine, we had to take advantage of his time off to celebrate. It was a nice time, great dinner and great gifts. Hud got a little excited and stir crazy towards the end, so we had to cut the night shorter than anticipated, but, that's ok. We still had fun.

The next stop was Dewey and Susan's on the 23rd of December for what is becoming our traditional Christmas Eve Eve family get together. A delicious dinner, and great company again. I was so excited to give out my homemade gifts this year. I hope they all liked them. :)

After that was Christmas at our house. We were lucky to have SOME of my family here for that. Nick and Chicory were able to come up to celebrate with us, and my sister Richelle lives with us too. She had to work on Christmas, but she was able to be here for the early morning festivities. We decided we were all turkey and ham-ed out, so we went with a steak dinner with baked potatoes for Christmas dinner. Best.Idea.Ever! It was delicious!! Other than that, we just opened MORE great presents and enjoyed our time together, relaxing. It was a great Christmas season, the only way it could have been better is if I got to spend it with my mom, too.



And, for New Year's Eve.... we didn't do much at all, and it was nice. Austyn was at his dad's, so it was kind of a bummer that he wasn't around to celebrate with us, but he was happy to see his dad. We went to Dewey and Susan's for a bountiful snack buffet, and some games. Above, Hudson was "celebrating" his own way, dancing on the table. I think that's his favorite thing to do at their house. We went home about 8, and just watched t.v., until the ball drop. I was shocked I made it to midnight, because I did not think I was going to. :) Must be getting old.
2011 was a great year for our little family. It went by fast, maybe too fast. We had some definite tough times, but I'm positive that they made us stronger. I feel that our marriage is at it's best right now, and only getting better. Our kids are healthy and happy and a point of happiness and reason for a smile on my face everyday. I love them so much. I love Andrew so much. We have so much to be grateful for, and so many things to look forward to. I know that we will become stronger and closer in 2012, and I really look forward to all the new and wonderful things this new year will bring. :) Happy New Year everyone!!!