THE name

We'd heard so much about Olivia before she was born, that we thought it would be fun to fill you in on what this little one will most likely be named!

Around our household, there's just one reference to the baby and that's...Caroline (pronounced "carah-line"). Rachel talks about her all the time...it's very cute the way she says it. James sings "Sweet Caroline" to my belly. (Also the reason for our dancing to the song a few months back.)

Since our move to Virginia, we have just fallen in love with the name. Living out West and growing up there, I'd never met a single little girl, Caroline. Have you ever noticed that names are regional, or at least have regional popularity? We've also met a few little girls named Charlotte out here...very different than the names you see most common out West.

We'll probably end up calling her "Carrie" for short, or "Cara". (James doesn't think Cara works to shorten the name, but we'll see...)

So, Eliza...Seth...Rachel...Caroline. There you have it!

alright...here you go

So, you've all wondered..."Is Valerie really pregnant, and does she even still exist?"

I haven't posted any pictures of myself throughout the pregnancy, (mostly because I'm the one with the camera usually), but last week at Rachel's birthday party, and then on our way to Church, James actually caught me on film (is a digital camera considered film?).

So, there you have it! I'm documented on the blog...

Only 2 1/2 weeks to go until they induce me! It's finally seeming real. I may actually sleep again. Well, I'll be interrupted with feedings, but at least my body will be able to get comfortable when I am in bed. Hurray!

once in a lifetime

I can't believe we really did it...

We actually held Rachel's birthday party at McDonald's!

I loathe the place.

Well, I take it back...I like breakfasts there a lot,

but going inside is where I usually draw the line (I'm a germaphobic).

Our kids have probably played indoors on their toys

a total of 5 times in their whole lives.

The funniest thing is that Ronald was scheduled for a visit

just half an hour after the party started.

(I might have found that out if I had called to schedule the place,

but instead it was a total shocker.)

After Rachel finally consented to coming down from the jungle gym,

bawling from fear of the red-headed looney,

the kids all really enjoyed watching him juggle and do magic.

I guess it wasn't that bad...

trip #1 to the hospital...

(I know labor stuff may bore you, but I just needed to vent this one. I promise I won't post EVERYTHING that goes on physically in the next few weeks...just humor me here...)

The past few days have been some rough ones...

Sunday morning at 3:30 am I started having contractions 10 minutes apart. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Then they started getting a little more intense, so I got up a few hours later and took a bath to try and get them to go away and relax. Coming and going throughout the day, they FINALLY stopped at 6:30pm. Their intensity wasn't bad and they varied in distance apart, so I just waited them out at home while James bathed the kids, took them to Church and made dinner.

Monday came and went with nothing but uncomfortableness. I called my doctor just to let him know what had gone on on Sunday, and that my whole abdomen just ached and I could hardly stand up without feeling like the baby was going to fall right out. I was told to go to the hospital right away if I had more contractions.

So, today I woke up again at 1:00 am, no contractions, but just completely unable to get comfortable. I couldn't get back to sleep, so again I bathed at about 5:00 am. (Nice routine I've got going, I know). Then I felt pretty good.

I decided I was up to driving Rachel to preschool. A few minutes into the drive, I knew that things weren't right. (Car rides are just not good for me these days...even if they're only 10 minutes long!) I barely could get out of the car and walk her to the door. After I got back home, contractions started up and I had a friend drive me down to get monitored at the hospital. James met us there.

Long story short...I'm not dialating AT ALL (which at 35+ weeks is a relief), but the baby's head is so far down. I will have some VERY uncomfortable weeks ahead of me, and there's nothing much that can be done except to keep off my feet. I'm officially on "pelvic rest". Great.

Some ladies in the ward have been so good to me. They did our laundry yesterday and one woman even showed up as I was heading off to the hospital today and stayed to "tidy up". Very nice...and very hard to let someone else do things while you rest. It's humbling...

Rachel's first day of preschool

Rachel, heading out for preschool with her birthday party invitation in hand.

She turns 4 next Wednesday!

My days are getting even more quiet. Rachel started preschool yesterday, and will be going each Tuesday and Thursday in the mornings. On her way to school today she said, "Could you go a little bit faster?" She was not ONE bit scared or nervous. It helps that she's familiar with the routine, having watched Seth attend the same preschool last year.

Totally random...have you ever bought straw? I had the new experience of buying a bale at our local Farmer's Co-op. We reseeded our lawn in the area that was ripped up by the water line fix, and out here, people cover grass seed with straw. I guess it protects the seeds from squirrels, birds and other hungry creatures, and also locks in a layer of moisture for the seeds to take root better. We learn new things each day...

Also...one bale of straw goes a LONG way! And it only cost $5! I couldn't believe how much ground it covered. And it was really fun to spread around. Feels like we should have a barn dance out on our front lawn!

no c-section, hopefully

I went in for a follow-up ultrasound yesterday, and things are looking pretty good. The placenta, which had been covering my cervix, has moved up and out of the way for delivery. That's the good news.

The bummer is that this little girl is BIG! She's already estimated at weighing 5 lb. 11 oz. (at 34 weeks) and if she continues to grow a half pound a week, she'll be over 8 1/2 pounds. Larger than I'm used to...no wonder I've had so much pressure. Also, she has a large "noggin" the ultrasound technician said, and she is totally lodged in my pelvis. This all makes sense to me, since each evening I just have to lay down and take the pressure off.

I guess I got the answers that I needed from the visit, but I'm left slightly anxious that this one will come before her due date so that it'll be a smoother delivery.

I'm off to the hospital today to fill out the pre-admittance paperwork...

We Must Never Forget

God bless those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001. God bless the soldiers keeping us safe. God bless the families who are sacrificing their sons and daughters, husbands and wives. Let us not grow complacent in our fight against those who wish to destroy our families, destroy our freedoms, and take away our life.

I just can't get enough

I am totally addicted to wintogreen lifesavers!!

Even the thought of them as I type makes me want to go and grab a few.

I can't stop at only one...

I have to have them wherever I go.

I can't help it. That minty flavor that numbs your mouth.

Their triboluminescent quality.

Is this the strangest pregnancy craving you've ever heard of?

I probably go through a dozen or more a day.

Good thing they sell a HUGE bag of them at WalMart.

Ocean City, MD

We spent Labor Day at Ocean City, MD. We'd promised the kids we'd go once more to the beach before the summer ended, and this was about our last chance!

The weather was perfect: 80 degrees was the high. The beach was EMPTY...after all of the storms out here I guess people figured it wasn't a beach weekend.

The kids did more boogy boarding and Eliza and Seth even found starfish! That was a cool new first for us.

I lounged and read a book for the hours we were there...and ate Boardwalk Fries. I love those.

Then, on the way home things got a little scary for me. 2 hours from home, I started having contractions 15 minutes apart. No big deal. An hour later, they started coming about every 10 minutes, sometimes more closely. The pressure began to build and images of previous births haunted my mind. This was feeling all too familiar: the backache, the cramping, nausea. And I was an hour away from my doctor!

The traffic was especially light, thankfully. Every bump and turn (even changing lanes) hurt. When we saw the signs closer to home, I started breathing a little easier.

Once home, I drank TONS of water and laid down. I didn't have a single other contraction. It was a little bit more of a wake up call for me.

Since then, I've only felt that "normal" pressure feeling and have tried to really take it easy. I'll definitely admit that with this 4th I've had a lot more pains and LOTS more pressure. I look forward to it all being over! They'll induce me on the 16th or 17th of October if I haven't gone into labor myself. Yay!

coming out of the closet

This may come as a shock to most of you, and those who know my pathetic weakness will just be amazed! Here it is:

I actually DEVELOPED a digital photo for the first time since we got our camera (4 years ago).

There. It's out in the open. I have saved photos from countless weddings, milestones, family vacations, births, etc. for 4 YEARS and until today had not developed a single one--that's Rachel's entire life. (Her baby book only has professional pictures in it.) I'm NOT a scrapbooker. I have dozens of CD's filled with pictures waiting to be developed. It's just not been a priority for me. (Face it, I had 3 kids in less than 4 years, and there was NO WAY I could've gone into a store with a CD and spent time figuring out which images to develop.)

I've had the philosophy that, "Hey, we have only a handful of pictures of our ancestors and that suits us fine. When all is said and done, how many pictures of us will matter?" So, a professional picture once a year or once every few years works for me.

So, what made me step up to the plate? We were asked to send in a recent picture of Seth for a kindergarten spotlight. He hasn't had a picture taken professionally for at least a year (minus soccer photos), so I was up a creek. I'm glad for the excuse to get out and actually DEVELOP a photo.

And of course, the process was embarassingly simple. Upload to Walgreen's website, submit order, confirm it and you're done. Literally 10 minutes later I got an email saying that the pictures were ready in town for pickup.

Will I start a new trend and actually develop digital images? We'll see...