Fun at the Beach!

It's not even June yet and the boys and I have already been to the beach three times. The first trip to the beach was a little cool but it was nice to sit and feel the ocean breeze. It was only about 65 degrees outside so the boys just played in the sand.

Pattie, David & Shaun


Getting their feet burried


The second trip to the beach was SO HOT and HUMID...(blech!). The sun was beating down on us and not even the ocean breeze was enough to give you relief. The boys played in the sand for a bit but we after about an hour they were so done. Our central air was definitely calling our names.

David filling up his bucket


Shaun was too hot and too tired to come all the way down to the water


Maddox trying to stay cool in his beach tent


Yesterday...Ahhhh! Now yesterday, was the kind of day a trip to the beach was made for! Hot but not humid, with some clouds in the sky so the sun wasn't constatnly baring down on you, and a the perfect ocean breeze to give you some relief from the hot sun! The boys had a blast and even jumped the waves!

On your mark, get set, GO!


Having fun jumping the waves!


It was days like yesterday where living so close to the beach rocks! I am looking forward to many more beach days like this one!

Chunk is 4 Weeks Old!

Evan is 4 weeks old today (officially one month on Tuesday!) I can't believe how fast the these last 4 weeks have gone by. He is the most perfect baby and the adjustment has been smooth sailing. Evan is the kind of baby that would make a person want MORE babies!

He is easy going, even tempered (unless he is hungry!) and best of all, on a fairly consistent schedule. And let me tell you, that makes night wakings a little more bearable.



I know he had a head start from birth but he is about to grow out the size one pampers swaddlers. He didn't even fit in the newborn size! He is also wearing 3 month outfits, and while he has room to grow, he is certainly not swimming in them either! He just went through another growth spurt and so I cannot wait to see how much he weighs. We go to the doctors on Wednesday to see! Two weeks ago he was 11lbs 1oz, I am thinking he'll be at least 12lbs! He's my little meatball and I just love him to pieces! I mean, just look at those IRRESISTIBLE cheeks!!!!!

Fun at the Rec

The Doc (the most awesomest husband ever!) got me a really sweet new camera for a Mother's Day/Early Birthday present! I decided to take it out for a spin at our Rec Center taking pictures of all Miss Sally's classes. This summer I will be working on a bulletin board to showcase all that our cities recreation department has to offer!

Thanks to this project I was able to get David into the last three sessions of a cooking class called Little Chefs. The first week they made mini calzones and this week they made their own edible arrangements. It is so cute seeing all of the kids having fun with food!

David rolling his dough!


Adding the pepperoni!


Shaun having some of the dessert!


David's Edible Arrangement


The boys favorite class is called Tic Tac Splat. It's a class where they get to paint, play with playdough, and get MESSY! Basically they get to do all the things that I don't want them to do at home! After all it would be nice to get our security deposit back!

Glitter and Glue




Ink Art


At Playgroup on Monday, the kids had their annual spring hat parade! The kids each make a cool hat and then they get to march around the rec and wave to the office workers!

Shaun's cool hat (thanks Miss Nicole!)


David's hat that he made all by himself!

AI: Lee vs. Crystal

Tonight is the finale, Lee vs. Crystal. Each contestant sings three songs. This is going to be hard to do tonight since my bias lies with Lee. I really would like to see him win, but this is because I like his vocal styling better. I won't be mad like last year if Crystal wins, because she is really talented. The first round was a repeat from a previous week. I am never a fan of when they do that so I am not going to review those songs because I have already done it. Round two was the executives choice and round three their single should they win.


Lee DeWyze:
Round 1. The Boxer: the repeat from Inspirational week.

Round 2. Everybody Hurts: I loved this song choice for him, it's a great song and I thought he did a great job. I can't say it enough that I love him!

Round 3. Beautiful Day: I really liked his version of this song. When he smiled, I smiled and the end of the song gave me goosebumps! He's so dreamy!

Crystal Bowersox:
Round 1. Me & Bobbie McGee: repeat from Billboard #1 week.

Round 2. Black Velvet: She is no doubt talented, and that was great but I don't think it was as awesome as the judges, again it goes back to vocal styling.

Round 3. Up to the Mountain: I think the judges falling all over themselves over this performance was a bit much but it is obvious who they think is going to be the winner so...

Again, not going to make my predictions because I made no secret I want Lee to win. I think he still has a chance but based on the judges critiques, it will be Crystal. Though, never underestimate the power of the teenage girl vote (or the adult girl vote!)

Off Roading!

On Sunday we had our first family cookout to celebrate a belated Mother's Day with at my parents house. It was a gorgeous day outside and so the kids spent it outside playing. When I was a kid we used to ride our big wheels down the hill in the yard. Now all of our kids are doing the same thing! We had a couple wipeouts but overall they had a blast!



He said to me after his first ride..."That was AWESOME!"


Cohen's wipeout!


Cheese!


Savanah was so dainty going down the hill, she was the only one not to wipeout!


Shaun was really too little to be riding down the hill, but he was determined to be like the big kids! Check out his wipeout!

AI: Top Three

It is down to the top 3 and so I am not going to beat around the bush, Lee is my favorite and Casey should be the one eliminated tomorrow. It seems pointless to do a recap of the night, since I am woman enough to admit how deep my bias is, but I will anyway!

1. Casey:
Casey's Pick: Ok, It's Alright With Me by Eric Hutchinson
I think it was just OK. Nothing special. Agree with the judges, very safe kinda boring.

Judges Pick (Randy & Kara): Daughters by John Meyer
Can't say I am in love with this song choice. They thought his own song choice was boring?! Nice vocal but very sleepy arrangement. This was definitely better though, than his first song. But I agree with Simon, there was no wow moment.

2. Crystal:
Crystal's Pick: Come to My Window by Melissa Ethridge
I have said all along the reason that she isn't my favorite contestant (even though she is really talented) is because she is "too Melissa Ethridge" for my taste and so how funny she chose a Melissa Ethridge song to sing. It was good, but it is not my favorite song in the world and so I wasn't jumping out of my seat. I agree with judges that her vocal was solid though.

Judges Pick (Ellen): Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney
I love this song choice! I LOVED it! I got goosebumps. Leaps and bounds better than the first song. Amazing vocal.

3. Lee:
Lee's Pick: Simple Man by Lyndard Skynard
LOVE HIM! I think that was awesome! It doesn't hurt that he is so dreamy! I agree with the judges...he killed it!

Judges Pick (Simon): Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Another great song choice! That was hands down my favorite performance of the entire season. Just amazing.

2 Weeks & The First Tubby!

Evan is 2 weeks old! He is just the best baby ever. He has adapted very well to nights and days. Faster than both David and Shaun did. He has even established a consistent night time routine! He has been falling asleep between 9 and 10pm and sleeping for three hours before he is up for his first night time feeding (around 12 or 1am). Then he will sleep for another 2 to 2-1/2 hours before waking up for another feeding. Then his last night (or rather early morning!) feeding is around 5am before he wakes up for good around 6:45am.



On Friday night his "belly button" fell off and so last night we gave him his first tubby in the sink! He was very calm until I turned on the water to rinse him off. He didn't like the cold water that came out at first!




So things have been going exceptionally well! So well that I am often asked what the secret to my sanity is (I have been out and about since Evan came home)!! My answer is simply: ROUTINE! Since I already have a routine with the older boys, it was all about fitting Evan into that routine, and thankfully it was very easy! I do think it helps that he is such a good natured baby, though! And I won't lie, poor Evan has to cry more than I would like, but that is the nature of being the third child. There are still two other little boys in this house that need Mommy too! But, with that being said, I think we have found a good rhythm and so we're going to let it ride!

Shaun's First Haircut

Today we took Shaun to get his very first haircut. Even though his hair is fairly thin, it was starting to get a little unruly. Especially when it's warm outside.

The Before:


We took the boys over to Snip-it's. It cost more than Supercuts would but it is specifically designed for kids. The chairs are small and they put a little movie on for them to watch. To me, it is worth the extra money to have them sit still and not scream and cry! And last time Charlie and I attempted to give a haircut, we made David look like Jim Carey's character Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.


Needless to say, from now on we'll leave the hair-cutting to the professionals! Here are some pictures of Shaun getting his first haircut!

Sitting in the chair and a little unsure of what to think.


He was a little uneasy but he did sit still and never cried!


The After! He looks so much older!


David getting his haircut too!


David's After!

AI: Songs of the Movies

Down to only four contestants and tonight they chose songs from the movies. I have to be honest...I did not get the song choices tonight. I can't even pick a best of the night. It was the duets that were the best. I don't really have much to say tonight about the performances.

Below is my review in no particular order:

1. Michael Lynche: song - Will You Be There
It was good but I wasn't jumping out of my seat.

2. Casey James: song - Mrs. Robinson
A little sleepy. Sung well but nothing special for being in the top 4

3. Lee DeWyze: song - Kiss From a Rose
OK fine...it was a little pitchy...but you know what I don't care. I still LOVE him! It is the tone of his voice that gets me every time!

4. Crystal Bowersox: song - I'm Alright
Another solid performance. No big surprise.

Lee & Crystal Duet - Falling Slowly
Amazing. I loved it. I thought it was beautifully sung I would listen to that on the radio.

Mike & Casey Duet - Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?
This was solid. I agree with the judges that the duets were better than the solo performances.

It is silly to pick a bottom three when there are only four contestants left so I will just pick who I think should go home!

Contestant most likely to sing their Swan Song and be sent packing:
My guess is that this is the "end of the road" for Casey.

42 Weeks: Not Pregnant!

Just for fun I decided to take one last "belly" picture - the 42 week (or the postpartum) belly picture! I am SO happy to no be pregnant anymore (or ever again for that matter!). Our family is complete and Evan is fitting in perfectly! I know it is combination of my experience and confidence as a mother, and the fact that Evan is extremely good natured (knock on wood!). I can't believe that a week ago today we were getting ready to take Evan home. It has gone by so fast!

Our first week home was surprisingly a lot easier than I had anticipated. People said that going from two kids to three kids is a whole lot easier than going from one kid to two kids, but until now, I never believed it! I was especially proud of myself last Thursday. The Doc had to go back to work, unexpectedly, due to scheduling conflicts. That left me by myself with all three boys, as my mom wouldn't arrive until later on in the morning. I had to have all three kids ready and out the door for 8am and I did it! Evan had to fuss a bit while I got Shaun dressed but I was at David's school with plenty of time to spare!! While it is always nice to have help it was also nice to know that I could do it myself! I even survived a trip to the supermarket on Friday with all three boys! I had a very small list, but we all survived, and we survived without any tantrums or meltdowns! When we got home, I made lunch for the older boys, fed Evan and then we all took a nice two hour nap! I even managed to get a nice dinner on the table because we've been eating out WAY too much lately.

Everyone is adjusting so well, even Shaun is starting to warm up to his little brother! Just last night he came over and gave Evan a kiss on the head! I am just so happy, especially after the rough start we had, with the boil water order and the guilt trip from the Pediatric Attending. Evan has a weight check this morning and I will be surprised if he is less than 10lbs 8oz. He had his first growth spurt this weekend and he spent a good portion of it nursing non-stop! He is just the sweetest, fattest baby ever and I am so in love!

Check out those pinchable cheeks in the pictures below!

Bringing Evan Home!

It has been almost a week since Evan joined our family and the adjustment has been just amazing! We had a couple bumps along the way but we are getting into a good routine. Just this morning, since Charlie had to go back to work, I managed to get all three boys out the door in plenty of time to drop David off at school!

Bump number one post-delivery was that around 10am on Saturday morning, 9 hours after Evan was born, when a water main pipe burst in Weston, MA affecting the water supply for the Boston area. There was a boil water order issued and water was not to be used for cooking or drinking. They even went as far to advise people to use hand sanitizer after washing your hands. That made things interesting while at the hospital. Even though the water was "safe" for showers I decided it was better not to shower since I was doing so much skin to skin contact with Evan. I also couldn't drink my ice water, since all of the ice was "contaminated".

Bump number two was trying to get discharged on Monday. We arrived home around 4pm, but we were expecting to be discharged a lot earlier. The Pediatric department was concerned about the amount of weight Evan dropped. Newborns normally drop on average 7% of their birth weight but that morning Evan was weighed at 9lbs 1oz, which put him at a 10% loss of his birth weight. I was a little surprised by this because nursing was going so well and Evan was latching like a pro. They even had a lactation consultant come by to make sure. I was even more surprised when the Attending suggested that I pump in between feedings so that they could mix it with formula and feed him using a dropper. First of all, I was nursing him on demand, and the last thing I wanted to do in between frequent feeds was pump. Second, adding formula when my milk hadn't even come in was something I was just not going to do. I have nothing against formula feeding, but give my milk a chance to come in before you start suggesting that he needs formula. I said that I didn't want to do that, all I wanted to do was go home.

Thankfully I have the Doc around. He told the doctors that we were pretty much leaving, no mater what they said. I had been there since Friday night, I missed my other boys, and I just wanted to be back in the comfort of my own home. I knew that once my milk came in, Evan's weight issues would disappear so I just wanted that chance. Besides, as the Doc said, changes in weight of an ounce or two are within variation of the scale. They had scheduled an appointment at our pediatricians office for the following morning for a weight check and we told them that if there were still problems with his weight we would re-evaluate it at that time. Well, sure enough, my milk came in late that night and at his weight check the following morning he was weighed one ounce off from his birth weight.

Now that isn't to say I have Weight Gain 3000 in my breast milk, but more likely that there was a difference in the scales. Needless to say, it was pretty near impossible that he was continuing to lose weight, so that made me feel so much better and I didn't have to supplement!

Here is Evan ready to go home!


He is just such a good baby, he nurses well and he is starting to learn the difference between day and night, which means that I get a little more sleep at night instead of having our marathon nursing sessions like the first couple of nights.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so we took the boys over to the park to play. We are trying to make sure not to disrupt the boys routine. While David loves his new brother, Shaun is taking a little longer to warm up to Evan. We felt that by keeping things business as usual, it would make the adjustment period easier on everyone! And so far so good!

Below are some pictures of the boys from the park yesterday!

AI: Frank Sinatra

So this had to be the worst possible "theme" for someone who just brought home a newborn baby. Ugh. I just thought everyone was OK until of course Lee ended the show with a HUGE bang!

Below is my review in no particular order:

1. Michael Lynche: song - The Way You Look Tonight
I wasn't as excited about it as Randy but it was a good vocal. He was in his element for sure.

2. Casey James: song - Blue Skies
Not the best performance for someone who has a newborn. I seriously feel asleep. I wasn't even crazy about the vocal. What a letdown after last week. I can't believe I am going to say this but he made me like Aaron better. Ick.

3. Lee DeWyze: song - That's Life
LOVE HIM! Just LOVE HIM! Have I mentioned that I LOVE HIM?! No question they saved the BEST for last!

4. Aaron Kelly: song - Fly Me to the Moon
I have nothing nice to say. I cannot believe this kid is still here boring us all to tears with is sub-par vocals.

5. Crystal Bowersox: song - Summer Wind
I liked it better than the judges apparently but when you compare her to the other contestants she is just in a whole different league.

My predictions for tonights bottom three:
1. Aaron
2. Casey
3. Big Mike

Contestant most likely to sing their Swan Song and be sent packing:
Aaron, Aaron, Aaron...maybe if I type it enough it will come true!

And Evan Makes Five

We are so happy to finally be able to introduce the newest member to our clan, Evan Michael!


He was born May 1, 2010 at 1:00am weighing 9lbs 15oz and 21 inches long! Below is the story of Evan's journey to the outside world!

Evan Michael's Birth Story

April 30, 2010
7:00pm - 7:30pm: The doc and I arrive at L&D, register and get sent to our room. We met our nurse and she took all our information while I was hooked up to the monitors. Even though, we were a scheduled induction I had already started contracting about every 15 minutes on my own since 10am that morning. By the time we arrived at the hospital they were slighly stronger and closer together around 5 to 7 minutes apart.

8:45pm: The intern came in to do an exam to see how far dialted I was so that they could make a decision on which meds to give for the induction. She told me that if I was 3cm like my OB had told me I was the day before that she would go straight for the pitocin (and nix the cervidil). I was, and that was the plan that was set in action.

9:20pm: The nurse started the pitocin drip.

9:50pm: The nurse increased the pitocin from 1 to 3 and contractions were now coming every 2 to 3 minutes apart and they were definitely stronger!

10:30pm: The nurse increased the pitocon to 5, and after a few contractions at this stage, I was very READY for my epidural.

11:20pm: The anestesologist came in to do the epidural! HOORAY!

11:55pm: After the epidural was set I started to feel relief, but only on my left side. I was advised to roll over onto my right side to try and get the medicine over to that side. As soon as I rolled I felt wet, I told the nurse that either I just peed or my water broke. She checked and, thankfully, it wasn't pee! The resident came in to check me and I was now 100% effaced and 7cm. At this point I knew this is going to be over very quickly based on the last two experiences. Thankfully they had paged my OB to have him come in because I think they knew it too! Oh, and so much for that diamond on my mothers ring...Evan was going to be a May baby.

May 1, 2010
12:20pm: I started to feel like I might be ready to get this baby out and start pushing so the resident came to check me again and I was now 9cm

12:35pm: Ready to push!

1:00am: Enter Evan, the not quite 10 pounder prankster who caused his mommy so much grief! He was perfect, I was intact, and I couldn't believe that I actually got him out so quickly without any issues

Below are a few pictures:

I'm Here!


9lbs 15oz...HOLY MOLY!


Sleeping so far what he does best! Let us hope it continues!


One tired Mommy and her boy!