home sweet home

We are so happy to have our little girl home. She slept her first night in the bassinet we used with both our boys. My cousin Brenda gave it to us and it's come in so handy. I love the glowing light button, vibration and music it plays. I ended up having to wake Lauren up every three hours to eat. She nursed and went right back to sleep all swaddled up. Hopefully this trend continues!

She loves snuggling in the moses basket and we love it because we can carry it easily from room to room.

This morning she had her 5 day checkup. She is gaining weight and her slight case of jaundice is gone. Once she is back up to her birth weight, I can let her sleep without waking her up to eat. Grow, baby grow!

Lauren loves being snuggled and we all take turns holding her.

Austin loves holding his baby sister and gives her lots of kisses.

Ethan is excited to teach his baby sister all about his newest obsession... Legos.

We are very happy to be home with our little sweetie. The boys have had fun playing with their Gege and Granddaddy. We really appreciate all their help since we have been home!

Lauren Paige

5 am Monday morning we checked into the hospital. I got a quick ultrasound done to see if she was still breech. Sure enough, her little head was up and her bottom was down. 7 am we headed to the operating room for the c-section. Our little Lauren Paige was born at 7:26 am.

She weighed in at 7lbs, 14 oz and was 20 inches long. She looked so tiny compared to Ethan who was born at 9lbs 4oz and Austin who weighed 8lbs 4oz. The nurse let me hold her while I was in the operating room and they brought her to my postpartum room very quickly. I was so relieved that I didn't have to wait long to see her!

My friend Kristen was my delivery nurse for all three kids. She assisted with the c-section and was also my photographer. She took the best care of me and I greatly appreciate all she did for me!

That afternoon the boys came up to meet their new baby sister. They were so excited! The first thing Ethan said was "Now baby Lauren is out of your tummy and you can run and play momma?". Austin told her he loved her and said she was a good girl. They gave her kisses, talked to her and smiled for the cameras.

Our first family photo

It was nice to have our family and friends come visit us in the hospital.

Eric's family

My family

My family took care of the boys while we were in the hospital. Sherry and the kids came in town from Louisiana to help out. The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins and grandparents. They came to visit us at the hospital every day and were always so sweet to their baby sister. It was so nice to know they were having fun and I was happy to not to worry about them at all so I could do lots of this...

We headed home Thursday morning. We were so excited to bring our baby girl home! I was ready to be with my boys, watch my shows on the DVR, sleep in my comfy bed and blog again too!

The boys ran outside to meet us when we got home. They were so happy to help bring their baby sister in and show her around. We had to pose in front of the stork my parents made us. My mom repainted it to say "It's a girl" this time.

We are very in love with our little sweetie pie. She is such a good baby and our family is now complete. We couldn't be happier to have her!

It's time!

I'm off to a magical place where at the push of a button
they bring you anything you need.
Even vicodin.
When your stay is through, they send you home with the very best kind of souvenir.

The bag is packed.
The camera is charged.
The clothes are washed.

The instruction manual for the boys is hanging on the fridge.

Tomorrow morning he won't be the baby anymore.

lucky lady

I really feel like the luckiest lady.

My friends

are so supportive and thoughtful. When I found out the baby was breech, Erica and her daughter made me the sweetest handmade card. She brought over dinner too with tons of leftovers for after the baby is born. Mindy brought me the softest baby doll for Lauren since we don't have any girlie toys yet. Becky brought me lunch yesterday just so we could chat since I didn't feel up to going anywhere. Sammy, Sam, Lena, Amanda and Stacy have given us so many adorable things for our baby girl and I am so grateful. I could go on and on about the love and encouragement my friends have shown me and it means the world to me.

My family

has always been there for us whenever we need them. Eric's parents come to every birthday party and stay for as long as we need them to. My parents now live close by and come over a couple times a week to help out. Our sisters' families don't live as close as we would like them to, but we love spending time with them and the boys talk about their cousins often. I can't forget all of our grandparents, cousins and aunts and uncles too! We're fortunate to have such a close extended family.

My children

bring me such joy. They have such sweet, funny personalities and I love watching them grow everyday. Ethan is funny, patient, independent, playful and smart. Austin is thoughtful, funny, mischievous, busy and loving. I can't wait to meet Lauren and see who she is!

My husband

is my best friend and the best father I could have hoped for. He plays with the kids, puts them to bed every night and disciplines them in a patient, loving way. He truly enjoys being with them and they definitely love their daddy time. I love to watch them together and I can't wait to see Eric with our little baby girl too.

He has been so supportive during my pregnancy. He picks up the slack around the house, encourages me to have some me time and lets me sleep in every morning. He works so hard at work and at home and I truly appreciate it. I love him more today than ever.

I feel so blessed and want the special people in my life to know how they contribute to it! I am so excited about our growing family and I thank God for everything He has given me every day.

News at 38 weeks

Eric and I went to the doctor today for my 38 week checkup. We heard the heartbeat and got to see our little baby girl on an ultrasound. She is doing great!

The one surprise we got is that she is breech! Her head is up, bottom is down and feet are up by her head. Instead of setting the date for the induction, we will be scheduling a c-section. I held it together in the doctor's office, but lost it as we walked out. I absolutely loved having my boys the old fashioned way and was looking forward to it this time around too. I've accepted it now and am just so thankful for having three healthy pregnancies. I can't wait to meet her no matter how she is born!

We have 6 days left to get this little girl to flip for us. I plan on crawling around on my hands and knees, putting frozen peas on my belly and praying A LOT!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning I was surprised with this sign and a pair of pink fuzzy Crocs. My sweet hubby surprised me even though we had already agreed to not get each other presents. I couldn't be too upset with him since I love the warm, comfy shoes!

This morning we took the boys to Krispy Kreme for donuts. They love donuts and they thought it was so cool to see how they were made.


We spent the rest of the chilly day napping, playing outside, doing magic tricks and eating a heart shaped pizza. While this Valentine's Day was not the most romantic one Eric and I have ever had, it is one of my favorites. It is one of those days in which I really appreciate how blessed I am to have such sweet boys, a baby girl coming very soon, and a thoughtful, fun husband to share this crazy life with. I love you Eric!

I love you... blue rat?

Today the boys had their Valentine's Day party at school. They were so excited to give their friends their Valentines cards and see what yummy goodies they got in their bags.

Ethan's class made valentines and could pick who they wanted to give them to. Did our little sweetie pie pick his Mommy and Daddy to make a card for? Nope. He decided to make his for Blue Rat.

As soon as his teacher handed him the finished card, he ran to get Blue Rat to show him. He made a funny voice like Blue Rat was talking and said "Thank you Ethan for my Valentine! I love you!". Then Blue Rat gave Ethan a bunch of kisses. It was soooo funny!



They had a lot of fun at their parties and are really looking forward to Valentine's Day now!

takin' it all off

Every night after the boys' bath, we put on their pj's and tuck them in their beds. We watch them on the video monitor as they talk until they drift off to sleep. Before we go to bed, we check on them to make sure they are all covered up and comfy.

You can imagine our shock when we went to check on Austin and he had taken off his pajama top and bottoms and was fast asleep inside his pillowcase. Eric and I couldn't stop laughing at our precious, silly little guy. He has such a fun spirit and he makes us laugh daily.

Momma's Frosty

Our picky son finally decided he likes chocolate. While it's great that he is trying new things, it does not make this pregnant momma happy to have to share her chocolate Frosty with him. He seemed to think it was funny as he slurped up the last of it's yumminess. Good thing he is so cute or he would have one mad momma!

sew crazy

I went a little crazy making burp cloths. Both of my boys were big spitter uppers, so I will probably use them a lot this time around too. I actually enjoyed making these burp cloths because they were easy to make and the material I used wasn't slippery like the satin or minky I usually use. They should make the misery of reflux a little more cheery.

I made Lauren some baby blankets too. I knitted one out of super soft yarn and sewed the other out of butter yellow minky with brown, yellow and coral piping.

I made Lauren her special blankie too. I hope she loves it as much as her brothers love theirs!

Mardi Gras parade

Saturday we headed over to my parents' active adult community for a Mardi Gras parade. Their best friends Pat and Tommy brought their granddaughters over to join in the festivities. Ethan spent the night with them Friday night and they had a blast. We had fun spending some alone time with Austin. The boys didn't seem to miss each other too much and both had a great time soaking up the extra attention. They were happy to see each other Saturday morning and were so excited to see their first parade.

Elvis showed up for the end of the parade. Although Austin calls him "Elmo", my mom called him "Elvis at the age he would have been". He was dancing and picked up Austin like he was in his prime. It was a great parade and the boys loved the beads and especially the candy!