A Little Lilac

Getting Away

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 13:30:00 +0000

Last week, we escaped the city and headed up to the North Shore. We stayed at a crazy, hustle bustle indoor waterpark in Duluth. You know the one where the decibels are so loud you can't think. The water wasn't that warm and the air temp was cool. Yep, not all that fun. But the second day, after letting the boys have the obligatory hour of "fun" in the waterpark, we loaded up our crew and headed up the north shore. Ten minutes into the drive, all three kiddos were crashed. So hubby and I enjoyed over an hour of uninterrupted time to just talk. As we looked out over Lake Superior, we talked about our dreams, our future, where we wanna be someday. It was the most peaceful hour we have had in a long time. Between our two stressful careers, finishing our basement, and everyday life, we so seldom get to just talk.

Since the kids were still sleeping, we decided to head all the way up to Grand Marais. After visiting several shops and buying a few souvenirs, we drove up to our favorite view of the town at Pincushion overlook (see above.) I love this picture, although I wish hubby was in it. A nice sunny day with Spring just around the corner.

This is what life is all about, taking that time to unplug, get away, and just be. Be a family, have a nice talk, or even just enjoy a nice cup of coffee from a little out of the way coffee shop.

My Attempt at a Family Christmas Photo Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 01:55:00 +0000

I got my act together this year! This past fall, I found somewhat matching (and clean, LOL!) clothes for everyone, dragged the whole family to a county park, remembered the tripod, and decided to try out my automatic timer along with a new remote shutter release in an attempt to get a good Christmas picture. Here is the result:

Yep, I forgot to hide the remote in my hand! And I'm not really smiling because I'm so focused on the timer working right, but oh well! It was our first try! Here are a few others:

Silly baby

Boy with stick

Other boy with stick

Yep, that's how it went down. So much for professional, posed pics! We'll have to try it again in the spring. Maybe next time I'll get the pics taken BEFORE letting them play :-)

Best Part of My Day

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 15:00:00 +0000

After a long day at work and before the other two boys get home, I snuggle up on the couch and give baby boy a bottle. The house is quiet because hubby is at work and it's just us. It gives me a chance to spend some one on one time with my little peanut. Before long, once the milk runs dry, the moment is over and he is off and running, going from fire truck to play cash register, playing with can goods to messing up my spice cabinet. And on it goes until bed time.

BTW, I've been away from blogging for quite a while. Over a year, actually. I guess having a baby will do that to you! Peanut is now 19 months old and I finally have a little breathing room. I miss blogging and writing and reading other people's blogs. I also miss documenting my family's moments more than just updating my status on FB. It's so weird though how blogging has changed and so many fellow bloggers are gone. But I get it, blogging can be consuming and well, we all have a million other things we could be doing. I'm just glad that a few of you are still around! :-)

A Turtle, A Pumpkin, And a Superhero!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 16:22:00 +0000

So can you guess who's who??? ;-)

We had a good time on Halloween. Hubby took Cubbie and Sprout out trick or treating while I kept Peanut in a Baby Born and gave out candy. It was pretty chilly here, and even started drizzling, but the boys were troopers and managed to get plenty of candy! Hubby tried to come home and make coffee with Kahlua for the neighbors, but we were all out. LOL!

Six Months (Where Did the Time Go?!?)

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:08:00 +0000

Guess who's finally sleeping in the crib?!? Yes, that would be my little peanut! It only took SIX months! No joke! Man do I sleep better without this little guy tossing and turning next to me! :-)

Sprout and Cubbie are so proud to be big brothers. They just love their baby brother!

And yes, someone has found his toes!

Here I caught all three of them playing cars together. So cute!

I can't believe Peanut is six months already! Where did the time go! Life is sure busy with three little kids, two of which are in school full time now. Cubbie started all day, every day Kindergarten this year. Sprout is in 2nd grade and loving Spanish Immersion. DH is working afternoons as an RN now and I'm working days, so life is hectic! Hence why all of these photos are not the best quality because they are all iPhone photos. It's amazing how seldom I actually pull out my DSLR anymore! Does that happen to you too?

Baby Boy is 4 Months!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 13:44:00 +0000

My little peanut is four months old this week. I can't believe how fast time has gone. Now he has great head control and can sit up in his little seat! His big brothers love him to pieces and now I feel like our little family of five is complete!

PS. I'm trying out blogging from my phone to see if it helps me to do more frequent posts. Gotta love technology :-)

Baby Boy is Six Weeks Old!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:53:00 +0000

Here's my little peanut! He's already six weeks old and weighs eleven pounds! Gotta love the power of breastmilk :-)

He's doing great other than getting up every hour and a half at night to nurse. I'm so glad I don't go back to work until mid July. I'm a total zombie right now without good sleep! I saved up a bunch of vacation time so I could be home as long as possible. Once school is out, I'll get to spend half the summer home with my three boys!

PS. My husband graduated from RN school last week and has his state licensing exam next week. Sorry I haven't done an update in a long time. Please say a little prayer for him to pass his state boards. Thanks!

Baby Boy is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:50:00 +0000

(just an hour old)

Baby boy was born on April 17th at 0145 am. It's a long story and maybe someday I'll get around to posting the birth story, but short version is his heart rate was dropping during contractions and it got real scary real fast. Just when I thought I was in for a C section, I was able to have him naturally without any meds other than pitocin. He was 5 pounds, 9 ounces, 19 inches long and totally healthy! Hope you enjoy the pics! I'm going to go take a nap :-)

(one week old)

Yay, We Made it to 37 Weeks!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Yay, we made it to 37 weeks! Baby boy is no longer considered a preemie! What a relief that he has stayed in this long after all the scary preterm labor. I'm still hoping he holds out the full 40 weeks though. Thanks everyone for your prayers and concerns! :-)

I continue to have contractions on and off, and I'm starting to dilate, so who knows when this little guy will make his appearance. (PS. Let's just pretend I actually put makeup on for this pic. Oh and ignore the puffy face too. Um, okay, thanks ;-)

These Darn Contractions!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:45:00 +0000

I hit 34 weeks yesterday! I just keep praying baby boy stays put until at least 36 weeks for more lung development.

Last Wednesday at work, I had three child abuse cases that were all breaking at the same time. I had officers out at two of the scenes, child protection ringing my phone off the hook and the local children's hospital on the line while I tried to coordinate everything. It was chaos. And in the middle of it all, I started having contractions. I tried to ignore them as I was juggling the mess but after about four good ones, I started timing them while at my desk. I quickly realized they were about 1 min long and coming every two to three minutes! There was no one else around in my unit to help me, so once I got things stabilized with my cases, I finally went to our chaplain's room where there's a couch and put my feet up. After a couple more contractions, they started to slow down, but still did not stop. I finally called my midwife who said to come in to the clinic. Long story short, they put me on medical leave until I'm 36 weeks. It's obvious the stress of my job is bringing on these contractions. Why 36 weeks? I guess at that point, if baby starts to come, they don't do anything to stop it.

So now I'm off work for two weeks and trying to relax. I wasn't put on bed rest, just rest in general but I am not supposed to lift anything, no laundry baskets, no picking up my 4 year old, not even vacuuming! So I guess my house will become a pit, but of course a healthy baby is worth it!

Oh and kind of a funny story...when we went for the ultrasound yesterday, my hubby was in the waiting area while I went to use the bathroom. The nurse saw me and told me to go right in the room when I was done. I told her hubby was out in the waiting area. Keep in mind, he was the only guy there and it's an OB/GYN clinic. The nurse went out and said, "(Hubby's name), you're next!" as if HE was the PATIENT! LOL! I guess he got some strange looks from the women waiting who didn't see him come in with me. Gotta love it!

Preterm Labor at 32 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Once I hit 32 weeks, my midwife and the overseeing clinic doctor recommended I go in for a special ultrasound (called a bio-physical) and non-stress test every week due to a large fibroid and a slightly elevated neural tube test result. Being a natural-as-much-as-I-can-be mom, I don't really like my little peanut being exposed to that much US, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

So last Wednesday, my baby boy passed the biophysical within minutes and everything looked great! (Just look at his cute little profile up above!) The sonographer said he was so low she could hardly get a good measurement of his head. I thought he might have dropped already and she confirmed it. "But wait, I'm only 32 weeks," I thought to myself....little did I know...

Then it was time for the non-stress test. I had to sit in a reclining chair and hit a button every time baby boy moved. I had two monitors on me also, one for me, one for baby. When my midwife came in and read the strip from the monitors, she looked concerned and asked if I was in pain. I said, "No." She said it showed I was having contractions! Off to an exam room and a check showed I was slightly dilated, but not even a one. I told her the night before I had a bunch of what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions in a row and felt nauseous. She said they were more than likely REAL contractions! The midwife took a swab for a protein test that can detect if labor will happen in the next two weeks, then sent me home instead of letting me go back to work. Six hours later, she called and said the test was negative. I did some research and found that the test, called fetal fibronectin, is very accurate and if you get a negative test, you are pretty unlikely to deliver in the next two weeks. My midwife said I can keep working but I still need to try to take it easy. Um, yeah right, full time police investigator, mom to a 4 and 6 year old, and hubby is in school full time, working part time. Sure, no problem! :-)

Today, I made it to 33 weeks! I just keep praying he stays in as long as possible. 34 weeks for lung development, 37 for brain development, and 40 full term. Yet, I'm also trying to be ready in case he comes sooner. I got my hospital bag packed, took the car seat out of the box, bought some newborn diapers and wipes, and even brought a change of clothing to work in case my water breaks there (how terrible would that be with all male co-workers!) I even read up on what to do in case you have to deliver at home in the tub!

With my other two, I went full term with no complications. So all of this is kind of new to me. But, as I type this, he's doing his usual acrobatics in my tummy and I just keep praying everything will be alright. :-)

30 Weeks, 10 More until Baby Boy is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:01:00 +0000

I had an ultrasound this week and baby boy is doing great! He's already three pounds! Considering Sprout was only 6lbs, 2oz and Cubbie 5 lbs, 3 oz, I'm wondering how big this little guy's gonna be.

I'm so glad to be in my 3rd trimester. The nauseousness is gone and I'm feeling pretty good. Even my heartburn has lessened, which is weird considering it usually gets worse towards the end.

I am feeling pretty huge though. This picture doesn't really show how far my belly is sticking out. It's safe to say I'm carrying in front!

Today, we are taking a trip to Babies R Us, possibly to buy a new infant car seat (the one from the boys is expired) and a travel size pack and play that will double as a bassinet. It's funny how with your third child, you don't feel the need to go all out but just to have the essentials. Not that this one isn't as important, it's not that at all. It's just I think you realize how little a baby really needs in those first few months.

I'm due April 22nd. Hubby is due to graduate May 18 with his RN, then take boards in June. It will be interesting to see how we manage a newborn with hubby studying for his final and his boards. I'm just praying for a nice, warm Spring so I can get out of the house and go on walks with the baby!

Have a Blessed Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Have a safe holiday and don't forget the REAL reason for the season...

Jesus' birth!

God bless.

Why I Won't Tell My Six Year Old

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:13:00 +0000

On Friday, I helplessly watched at work while news coverage showed a microphone in a little boy’s face as he talked about how one of the first grade teachers died. I was surrounded by pissed off police officers and we all felt the same. We wanted revenge, answers, more fire power in our schools, and most of all, those of us with kids, to leave work and go gather our children up.

But I didn’t leave work early. I did, however, get to my son’s elementary before he got on the bus. He attends a K-3 elementary, just like Sandy Hook. He’s in first grade, just like Sandy Hook. As I walked up the sidewalk to the front door, I almost lost it. The sudden pain and agony I felt took me by surprise. I fought the tears and pulled it together for my son’s sake. But I saw it on the faces of the teachers. They knew. I knew they knew without even saying a word. At that moment, I wished I was in uniform. I wished I could stand guard at my son’s school every hour of the day, protecting all those children and all those teachers. But I can’t. Instead, I watched as my son obliviously packed his snow pants and boots into his backpack with no idea of the horror that had happened earlier that day.

I briefly talked to his shocked teachers, then headed home. Come Sunday night, my husband and I discussed what we should do. Do we tell our little six year old about the evil act that occurred? What do we say? In the end, we decided not to. And this is why…

He doesn’t need to know. We didn’t watch endless coverage all weekend. We didn’t stand in front of our TV transfixed on the painful images that the media flooded us with. Our son has no clue of the innocent lives that were lost, the poor children and staff who thought they were safe in their school but were not. Why scare him? There’s no easy way to explain this tragedy. And there’s no need. He is six. I will not accept that this is just the way our society is now and innocence is being lost at an earlier age. I will not agree with parents who let their young children watch violence of any form on TV. Yes, this is a national tragedy. But he is six. If he wants to hear about it when he’s older, that’s fine. If he hears something at school, then it’s our job as parents to explain in simplest terms. But until that happens, I’m not going to unnecessarily educate him about this evil act.

As I dropped him off at school on Monday morning, I told his teacher that he doesn’t even have a clue. She said they had no intention of telling the first graders and if anyone brings it up, they are going to stop any talk about it immediately. She agreed, they do not need to know. At that moment, I knew we made the right decision.

Nothing Like a Good Snow Storm!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The snow started Sunday morning and didn't stop until Monday morning! In total, we received sixteen inches!

School was cancelled and since hubby had school and work, I was forced to take the day off. Of course, the boys loved having a snow day! Here Cubbie is about six feet up on top of a snow mound left behind by the snow plow.

Now it's safe to say we will have a white Christmas!

How about YOU, any snow in YOUR neck of the woods???

Digital Scrapbooking - Cubbie's Birth

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:55:00 +0000

I use to be a paper (traditional) scrapbooker. I did really well keeping up with it up until Sprout was six months old. Then I suppose life got in the way. About a year or two ago, I discovered how much easier it is to digital scrapbook by using Photoshop Elements. However, I still didn't make much progress in trying to catch up with documenting our family's memories.

Now with a third child on the way, I have made it a priority to try to get caught up. One thing I first wanted to do is get Cubbie's birth scrapped. I felt mama guilt over not having scrapped his early days at all! Here are two of the pages that I like the most:

Cubbie was three days early and only weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces. I just love these pics because he's wearing his little preemie outfit.

I love the look on hubby's face in this one. It's a contentment and love only a proud daddy can have!

Do YOU scrapbook (paper or digi)?

How do YOU keep up?

Linked to:

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Who would have thought, a little attitude from my little dudes! Love this shot!

A skeleton and Spider Man. Sprout's school actually let him wear the mask. I thought for sure it was going to be too scary for them to allow.

Um, yeah a bit scary I must say. And my innocent little six year old is under there! Oh well, he wanted to be a skeleton this year!

Oh he got me with his web! I guess even a mama is fair game!

Hope you had a fun Halloween!

(Now I'm off to go sneak a few pieces of candy since they are in bed ;-)

My Midwife Said I Can't Eat Subway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:11:00 +0000

Taking away cold cuts from a pregnant woman, who ever thought of such a thing!?! But seriously, I guess listeria has become a real concern so they no longer recommend eating cold cuts while pregnant.

My all time fav, the Italian BMT. Oh heavens, how am I going to make it another six months!

Spicy Italian. All kinds of wrong, not just cold cuts but serious heartburn to boot! But man would it be worth it!

So I'm stuck with boring cooked chicken subs like...

Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki. Blah...

At least the Chicken Bacon Ranch has a little more flavor, but still, not the same.

Oh well, of course I'll sacrifice for a healthy baby and healthy mama.

But believe me, I do know where the closest Subway is to the hospital. Hubby may just be making a little trip after the delivery! :-)

PS. No, this post wasn't sponsored by Subway.

This is Why I Love Spanish Immersion!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:15:00 +0000

This just makes me smile! Sprout is in the 1st Grade Spanish Immersion program at his school. What I like about it is the English, reading, and writing curriculum is still taught in English. That way his English doesn't lag behind which is a concern for a lot of parents when it comes to immersion schools. He's absolutely loving it! I swear, his pronunciations are better than mine after six years of Spanish!

(Just click on the play button. Even though it's grayed out it will still play. I promise, it will make you smile too!)

1st Trimester Ultrasound

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:54:00 +0000

My 1st trimester ultrasound last week went really well! My little peanut looked healthy (according to the sonographer) and active. It wouldn't face up on Tuesday which is the way it needs to face so they can get certain measurements. Every time the sonographer would prod it to flip over, the baby would move it's little arm as if saying, "Go Away!" Too cute!

I returned on Friday for another try. This time he was sideways! Eventually I finally got him to turn face up. Oh wait, did I say HE??? ;-)

Yes, the sonographer asked if we wanted to know the gender. I said yes but told her I thought it was too early. She said for girls, yes, but she could see a little, ahem, "nub." Once she pointed it out to me, it was pretty obvious. She said with her 20+ years experience, she was pretty confident it was a boy! Not 100%, but pretty sure. So I'm gonna have THREE boys!!! I told hubby that he'll have his own mountain bike team now! :-)

The only concern I have is that she found a fibroid in the muscle wall next to the uterus. It's pretty big and grew just between Tuesday and Friday. My midwife said it may cause premature contractions and problems with everything contracting after the baby is born. She said they can give meds to force things to contract. I'm trying not to worry about it and I'm certainly not going to google it because you know I'll only find horror stories and terrible advice! So for now, I'm just going to keep praying for a smooth delivery and leave it all in God's hands.

I'm Pregnant!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Yes, I'm pregnant! I'm actually 12 weeks! We decided to try for a third and now here we go! :-) Don't I look huge!?! I sure hope there's only ONE in there! I'm due April 25th, just a couple days before my 40th birthday!

DH and I were able to hear the heartbeat at the last prenatal visit two weeks ago. What an amazing sound! I could just sit and listen to it all day. Tomorrow I'm having a first trimester ultrasound done. Since I'm in the "advanced maternal age" group, which is 35+, insurance will pay for it. (Yes that makes me feel old!)Normally I just wait until 19-21 weeks to have the regular ultrasound.

I got a positive EPT while we were camping in Wisconsin. That day, we went to Madeline Island, so now hubby thinks if it's a girl we should name it Madeline. We'll see. The boys are super excited about having a baby brother or sister. They talk to the baby and kiss my belly every day.

So far, I have been having waves of nauseousness all day long and I'm pretty tired. I'm hoping in the next week or two when I'm out of my first trimester it will get better. At work, I'm back in investigations so I don't have to worry about trying to wear a uniform.

Of course, everybody keeps saying, "Oh, I hope it's a girl!" I can't deny it would be nice to have a girl, but obviously it's more important that the baby be healthy. I love my boys and one more boy would just give me another little guy to love on!

I Collapse

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:37:00 +0000

I collapse

End of day

Spent, burnt, gone

My bed, my reprieve

Little boy’s snores

fill the now quiet house

Empty spot next to me

where my soul
my mate
should be

At work, at clinicals

but not here

This is temporary

I tell myself

I will myself

to hold on

til tomorrow

or tonight

when the garage door wakes me

and he is home

* * * * *

Author’s note: Just a simple little poem I wrote last night. DH is in his third semester for completing his RN. I will be so glad when he is done! Life is crazy with my career, his .7 job as a nursing aide, his schooling, and juggling getting the boys to and from school. This semester is the hardest I guess. I just can’t wait until he graduates in May!

Linked to:

First Day of School 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:23:00 +0000

Yes, I'm a little behind in posting this and way behind in keeping up with my blog, but such as life! Sprout is a FIRST GRADER this year! How did that happen? Full time school, oh my! I still can't believe it!

We enrolled Cubbie in a full time Pre-K program through the school district. We have to pay for it, but it's much better than day care. With DH being back in school and my work schedule, we just couldn't swing part time preschool this year. But he's loving it, thank goodness!

My silly boys were so excited to start school, as you will see...

They spontaneously broke out into some crazy, "I'm happy to be going back to school" dance! That is why every shot is blurry. I totally was not expecting it!

But my favorite shots of the morning were...

Just look at this big boy. Where did time go?!?

And my baby. Not so much a baby anymore. But still a cutie :-)

Community Ed Baseball

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Last summer, we signed Sprout up for the community ed baseball. This summer...

this little peanut was old enough to play too!

Sprout's skills had improved and he was a little more into it this year. Just look at that concentration!

Well, I guess now Cubbie knows what it feels like to run in a dress! LOL! And yes, I did try shrinking their shirts by washing them in hot water AND drying them on high. Nothing worked!

Waiting to field a ground ball. And maybe a little bored waiting his turn.

What an arm!

That's my little re-cap. I have about a dozen other photos, but I'll spare you. This shot was taken by hubby with his iPhone in 90 degree heat as the boys were impatiently wanting to get home. Hence the poor quality and forced "say cheese" look on their faces, but oh well.

I'm not totally sure the boys are into team sports. I think they might do better at individual sports where they can stay busy constantly doing something. Sprout really enjoyed swimming last winter. They also tried Little Ninjas this summer, so karate might be an option. We'll see. In any case, I will leave it up to them. I'm good with whatever they choose whether it be soccer, chess club or motor cross. (Ok, maybe not motor cross! ;-)

Splashing on the End of the Dock

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:55:00 +0000

This is what summer is all about!

We were at my in-law's cabin this past weekend when I captured my two little guys having fun on papa's dock. We are so blessed to have a little place to get away to during the summer. We set up our pop-up camper in the yard and spend time just hanging out. It's nice to escape the chaos of work and the city. I love this time of year!