Hospital Story

This time last week I was getting ready to go to the hospital and have my baby. A week has flown by. A week of anticipation, overwhelming joy, heartbursting love, physical pain, and a steady stream of peace. Lucas is here. He's perfect, my girls absolutely love him, and although we are sleep deprived already, we are so happy.

When I arrived at the hospital last Friday at 5:30 in the morning, it was dark and calm. My nurse. Krystal, showed me to my hospital room where I changed into a gown and then proceeded to a "holding room" before going into the operating room for my c-section. Krystal started my iv, then went over a small mountain of paperwork and before we knew it, it was 7:20 and my section was scheduled to start at 7:30! Soon another nurse came and took me to the OR with Mike following closely behind. Mike had to wait in another room (while putting on his white, gauze-like, suit) and I was taken into the cold operating room. I had to lie down on a bed and the anesthesiologist proceeded to do a spinal to numb me from my tummy down. It wasn't painful and it worked immediately. It is such a weird feeling to be that numb.

Mike was then brought in and a curtain placed close to my head so I couldn't see the actual surgery take place. They offered Mike a chair, but he opted to stand and peek over the sheet. He watched the entire thing-- blood and all. My doctor had to cut through some scar tissue from my first c-section, so it took a little longer. Before I knew it, I heard my doctor exclaim, "Look at all that hair and those cute, chubby cheeks!" And then, I heard the best sound ever-- a beautiful, baby cry. He was here!

I started crying big tears (of joy) that ran out the corners of my eyes and down into my ears. The anesthesiologist offered me a blanket to wipe my eyes and my doctor held Lucas up over the curtain so I could see him for a moment. Another nurse took him over to a station where she could clean him up and get his weight. 7 lbs. and 13 ounces! He was much bigger that either Hannah or Leah.

After another 30 minutes or so, I was stitched up and ready to be wheeled down to my room. A flood of people came in to see our sweet boy including my Hannah and Leah wearing their new t-shirts that said "Big Sister 2009". They were happy and curious. And seeing them loving on their brother made my heart swell with love.

I stayed in the hospital for three nights before heading home, and as crazy as it sounds I loved it. I loved having nothing to do, but focus on my baby. No laundry to worry about, no cooking, no cleaning. Just three days of staring at what we had made. Yes, I'm still sore. Yes, I look like I'm still 6 months pregnant. But it has been a wonderful week. And I'm looking forward to many, many more wonderful weeks as a family of five!

He's Home

Our sweet son: Lucas Galloway

Born July 24th at 7:51 am

7 lbs. 13 oz.

19.5 inches long

It's 11:00 pm on July 27th. We came home from the hospital today and here's what I know right now:

* I'm tired

* The girls are sound asleep in their own beds

* The house is a mess

* I'm tired

* Lucas is sleeping in his bassinet

* I'm debating whether to stay up until his next feeding at 12:30, or try to sleep.

* Have I mentioned that I'm tired?

* But more than any of these things: I AM IN LOVE!

I'll blog more about our birth experience another time. For now, though, we're home and there's no place I'd rather be.

Leah watching her new brother.

Random Thought Wednesday

1. Two days. That's it before we meet our son. This thought is constantly swimming around in my head. I get giddy and nervous and excited each time I think about it.


2. Today the girls and I went swimming. The water felt so refreshing and cool. And it helped lift my belly up a bit, giving my back and hips a break. I've been pretty sore lately.


3. Hannah made me laugh this morning when she asked out of the blue, "Mom, remember the days before Kung Fu Panda?" Oh the world was such a boring place before we owned that movie! =)


4. I packed two new backpacks full of things for the girls to do while they are up at the hospital over the weekend. They don't know about the backpacks yet, but I think they will love them. So far the packs each contain: three new coloring books, a new set of crayons, a blank memo pad, pens, pencils, a new book about animals, a disposable camera, and a new doll. It will be like opening up their stockings on Christmas morning.


5. I am about 20 pages away from finishing my current book (I took a break from Twilight to read a great book called The Well and the Mine.) If I finish it tonight, I will blog about it tomorrow.

6. Tonight my dear friend Jacquelyn is babysitting for us so Mike and I can go out for one last hoorah! We're keeping it low key, though. To save some money we're making spaghetti here at our house, but then we'll head out to a movie and maybe coffee afterwards. I'm really looking forward to some quality time with my Love.


7. My cats have been super affectionate lately. Do you think they tell that change is on the way?
Maybe it's a "sixth sense" they possess?


8. I have the desire to mop my floors before we go to the hospital, but am seriously lacking the energy. I'm hoping for a burst of it later today. We'll see.....


9. Here's what my house is looking like this afternoon. The girls are engrossed in their play which is fun to watch.

That's it for now! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Crape Myrtle

The days of 106 degrees have finally subsided here recently. Much to this pregnant Mama's delight. Although we're still in the 90's, I'll take it over the scorching temps anyday. One bright spot in this heat zone, however, is the annual blooming of my crape myrtle. I love these bushes. They are everywhere around here because they are really hardy and can survive in the extreme heat. Infact, it's when the temperatures start to soar that they open up their vibrant blossoms. It's like the heat coaxes them into blooming. So when all the grass around here is turning crispy and brown, we have these pretty plants to looks at. It makes me wonder if when I go through the "heat" of life, do I wither and dry up or bloom like the humble crape myrtle? I hope I'm a bloomer. =)

A view of my crape myrtle by my front porch.

Snippets of Saturday

Yesterday was a good Saturday. It was spent doing some of my favorite things. And that's just how I wanted my last pre-baby Saturday to be. Not that life is ending after the baby comes; it will just be new and different-- a whole new chapter for our family.

The day started with me meeting my friend, Nikki, for breakfast at Vintage Coffee. We split a cranberry-orange muffin and we each tried a signature drink called a "smooffee" which is a combination of smoothie/coffee and an added flavor. I added vanilla and it was delicious. It was so nice to start the day chatting with a dear friend.

After breakfast I met my mom at a nearby mall where she treated the two of us to pedicures. Here's a picture of my puffy, pregnant feet when it was all said and done. I would highly recommend a pedicure for any pregnant gal-- especially soon before you go to the hospital. There's just something about looking down and seeing pretty feet.

After the pedicure and a little shopping, I headed home to enjoy the rest of the day with my awesome little family. I was determined to spend some quality time with my girls even if that meant putting things on my "to do" list on a backburner for awhile. So I spent the afternoon building a castle out of blocks, reading books, and acting silly with them. I also got out their baby books and went through each book with my girls. They were fascinated by their baby footprints and the hospital bracelets I had worn. And they always love to look at pictures of themselves as a baby and hear me "oooooh" and "ahhhh" at how cute they were.

For dinner we took the girls to Poblano Grill, a favorite Mexican food restaurant of ours, where they munched on chips, guacamole and tortillas. Then we took them to Blockbuster and let them each pick out a movie to watch. We ended up with Mulan II and Sleeping Beauty. We came home and let them get in their jammies and watch one before heading off to bed.

I was just about to enjoy my quiet post-little girl bedtime hours, when I realized that we had to go to the grocery store. I usually don't enjoy shopping in the evening, but as I was driving to the store, I witnessed a beautiful sunset. I took a few pictures as I was driving (not while the car was moving-- I promise I was careful!). Oklahoma has awesome sunsets. These pictures don't quite do last night's sunset justice. But they do capture some of the brilliance as well as the cool clouds that were hanging around.

Just a few blocks away from my house.


In the grocery store parking lot.

I wrapped up grocery shopping as quick as I could (and saved $7 in coupons! woo-hoo!) and headed home.

I hope your Saturday was a good one too!

Dear Son

My Dear Son,

In one short week, you will be in my arms. I'm guessing you'll have a mop of black hair, eyes like pools of dark chocolate, and your Daddy's olive skin. You'll probably cry a little and be swaddled like a burrito in a hospital blanket. You'll sleep a lot, but open your eyes now and then. And you will be perfect. Absolutely perfect. I can't wait to stare at you, snuggle you, and smell your sweet baby smell. You, my dear, are a miracle. God says He knit you together in my womb and that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Always know that you have a purpose, you are unique, and you are already abundantly loved.

So until next Friday, keep growing and developing in your safe baby house that is my belly. And we'll be seeing you soon, Little Guy.

Love,
Your Mom

Harry Potter and Vampires

Confession: I have never read a Harry Potter book. When I started teaching sixth grade in 1999, Harry Potter mania was just beginning. And it continued throughout the next eight years that I was in the classroom. I won a copy of the first Harry Potter book at a teachers' conference several years ago, so I own one, but have never read it. For some reason Harry has just never interested me. I'm sure some people think this is a tragedy. Maybe I am missing out? One day I'll probably read them-- perhaps when my girls are older and are interested in reading them. But until then, Hogwarts and Dumbledore are just words to me.

Enter Twilight. This book was just circulating around the last year that I taught (06/07 school year). I knew it had something to do with vampires, but that was it. Another topic of zero interest to me. So I avoided reading it. Then a sequel came out. Then another. It seemed like everytime I walked by the young adult section at Barnes 'n Noble another sequel had appeared on the shelves and was stocked in mass volume. Then my friends started reading them. My aunts and cousins started reading them. At my monthly bunco group, the women I played with started discussing "Edward and Bella" and various situations from the books. Then a movie came out. And then.......I decided to read them. And I actually liked them!

So far I've just read Twilight and New Moon. I think Edward's character is well developed and fascinating. As a vampire who by nature craves human blood, he chooses out of a moral conviction to only drink animal blood so that he does not harm humans. The main female character, Bella, has a scent so intoxicating to him that he is incredibly attracted to her, but constantly battles his vampire desires with an even greater desire to be with her and protect her. Edward is like a dark knight in shining armor. Edward and Bella's love grows throughout the first book and continues into the second book until an unfortunate event the night of Bella's 18th birthday takes the couple on a painful journey. With the introduction of a rival pack of werewolves in New Moon the plot thickens even more.

I'm looking forward to reading the last two books. I guess I like vampires more than I thought I did. =)

What are some of your favorite series of books?