Random Rachel

Big things going down for our family recently! Including me being a part of Des Moines Moms Blog! I am excited for this new adventure in the blog world and the friendships that will form from this. Check us out! We launch October 29th! 
I can't wait to share more of what is going on with us at the perfect time.
Until then... Here's some Random Rachel. 

Target diapers do not work with my son. Good thing I bought a small package! He has had at least 7 blow outs and 4 leaks. 

Cadee has been sick for the past 2 days. I can tell she's feeling better by the hopping around and complaining of boredom. 

I am slightly obsessed with making smoothies lately. Delish! 

We broke out the space heaters the other night for the kids' rooms. LOVE this cooler weather! 

3 smells I love... Grilling, rain and babies. 

Drake is growing, growing, growing! He's in size 6 month clothes...and he is 4 months old. Healthy baby! And, he got this fancy shmancy new jumper! He's not too sure about it yet, but he sure does look cute hanging out in it! 

Lili Logic

Lili had been fighting a cough for awhile. I made a comment about her having a froggy in her throat.
To which she responded, "If it was a froggy, I'd be going 'Ribbit, ribbit!'"

Drake's Birth Story

May 22, 2012  10:13 a.m. (8 days from due date)
Just got done at the doctor for a regular check up. No change to report in my cervix. Have been having contractions all month. Nothing painful or consistent. Baby Boy is healthy. I'm feeling ok. Sore and ready to have this little baby. But definitely feel like 1 more week is manageable. Next week's appt is scheduled. The doctor says we will discuss an induction at that time. I really don't want to be induced. I call Hubby and tell him the news. I can sense a little disappointment in his voice, as I'm sure he senses it in mine as well. I pick up the girls from my friend's house and I am quite discouraged and emotional. She can tell I didn't get the news I wanted from the doctor. ("You're dilated to a 5! And..OH! You're water just broke! We need to get you to the hospital right away!" Ok, maybe not quite that extreme, but any change would have been nice!!) I head home with the girls, looking forward to a restful afternoon. 

May 22, 2012 2 p.m.
I start having contractions 8 minutes apart. Not too painful, but enough that I can definitely feel them. I get some water and get comfy on the couch. Thinking they will go away...

1 hour later...
Still contracting. Quite consistently. I start pacing the house. Is today the day? Should I call someone? Do I dare get my hopes up? I don't want any false alarms. What are you doing in there, little guy? I'm texting my nurse friend like CRAZY. She is probably thoroughly annoyed, but answers each question with love and grace. 

May 22, 2012 5:30 p.m.
Contractions are 5 minutes apart and getting stronger. They are bearable, but definitely make me stop what I am doing to breathe through them. I continue with dinner anyways. Pregnant lady's gotta eat!

May 22, 2012 8 p.m.
Contractions are coming every 2-3 minutes! My phone is about dead from me using the timer and texting all afternoon and evening. Not necessarily painful contractions but so very intense. They make me sweat. Hubby barely believes me. I decide to call it. We call our dear friends to come watch the girls, and then we are off to the hospital!

May 22, 2012 9 p.m.
We are at the hospital getting checked out. They won't officially admit us until we know for sure we are in active labor. They lead me to a room, give me a gown and hook me up to all the monitors. Nurse checks. Still only dilated to a 3. Another nurse comes in frantically asking if our nurse needs help. She says they've been watching the monitor at the nurses' station and my contractions seem really steady and strong! Our nurse says there is surprisingly nothing happening yet. (Nothing happening, my butt!)

May 22, 2012 10 p.m.
My contractions are coming every 2 minutes and are SO uncomfortable! My cervix is still not changing. The nurse helps me out of bed and tells us to walk the halls and she will come check me again in an hour. Still contracting regularly. Still wondering if tonight is his birth day. 

May 22, 2012 11 p.m. 

We meet the nurse back at our room. She checks. Nada. Zip. No change. I could just cry at this point. In fact, I think I am. Our nurse says- I don't know what to tell you. The definition of labor is cervical change. And your cervix has not changed in 2 hours. But if I send you home, I don't know how to tell you when it's real. Because you are contracting rather intensely every 2-3 minutes. Nurse leaves to discuss with our OB. I'm feeling so bad that I fell for another false alarm. (I did with Lili too.) Hubby just got our bags and now we have to turn around and go back home. 

May 22, 2012 11:30 p.m.

Then, it happens! I feel water. (Yuck but yay!) I call the nurse. She looks and says- Good news! You're not going home! She immediately hooks me up to fluids and penicillin for the Group B strep. I need to get 3 doses in before he is born, and they need to be spaced out a few hours.
Hooray!!! Ohhh...ouch ouch ouch.... Hooray!

May 23, 2012 12 a.m. (7 days from due date)

3-4 cm dilated. I think I'm handling contractions rather well. Maybe I could go all natural with this baby.... Nah! WHO AM I KIDDING?! I didn't prepare myself for that! Give me the epidural, stat!

May 23 2012 12:30 a.m.
Contractions are so painful and intense. I could never adequately describe a contraction to someone that hasn't felt them. My sister shows up and I try to tell her. Period cramps- times a million. She cringes and rubs my arm and gets a cool cloth for my head while I breathe and move my hips back and forth through another contraction. These are 1 1/2-2 minutes apart. And they aren't messing around anymore! The anesthesiologist gets the epidural in after a half hour of painful sitting up and sitting still through at least 16 contractions. Longest 1/2 hour of my life. (In her defense, she did an awesome job of not hitting whatever the last guy hit to give me a spinal headache after I had Liliana. Not fun. I'd take that 1/2 hour of overwhelming pain over the 10 day recovery from the headache any day!) Dilated: 5-6 cm. 

May 23, 2012 1 a.m.
I am still feeling contractions. And they hurt. The anesthesiologist explains (through my fog of immense pain) that I have a "hot spot" in my low abdomen. Right where the contraction settles for the longest amount of time. She tries to fix it by pushing more epidural. They strongly suggest that I stay on my back so that the epidural can properly spread. Number 1 rule (maybe not number 1, but pretty important) you don't lay on your back when you are pregnant. You get light headed and pass out. I came very close to passing out a couple of times. Between the baby laying on my spine and the terrible pain from the contractions that were coming every 1.5 minutes, I was struggling. And Hubby could tell. It was hard for him to watch me in that much pain and feel so helpless. Somewhere during this next hour, they push another thing of epidural.

May 23, 2012 1:45 a.m.

Epidural kicks in! HALLELUJAH! 6-7 cm. Just relaxing now and trying not to pass out from laying on my back.

May 23, 2012 2:15 a.m.

I'm at a 10! You're almost here, baby boy! (Knowing it went so quickly, maybe I could've handled this without the drugs. We will never know!!)

May 23, 2012 2:30 a.m.
A kiss and an exit from my sister and it's time to start pushing. 3 contractions later and we have a handsome baby boy screaming at us. What a sweet sound to this mama's ears! They have to rush him away so the NICU can look him over. I guess my other water bag burst and there was some meconium in it. They need to make sure it didn't get in his lungs. Also, my nurse only had time to push 1 bag of penicillin. So between that and possibly breathing in his own poo, we are worried about our little guy. He comes out, and the doctor suctions his mouth right away and as the NICU nurse took him to the warmer, we heard the sound we were all waiting for. That tiny little baby cry. And we hear it for the next 4 minutes straight! Thank you, Lord. They put a tiny little oxygen mask on his face. It's pretty cute. Probably just because it's on his face. I don't get to hold him just yet. But I'm ok knowing he is ok.

Baby Boy is born at 2:45 a.m. Tipping the scales at 8 pounds, 9 ounces and stretching 20 inches long. He has a ton of hair and is oh so handsome! 

May 23, 2012 5:30 a.m.

After several failed attempts at getting some sleep, Hubby and I are anxiously waiting to see our little boy. We are exhausted, but want to see our baby! 

May 23, 2012 6 a.m.
The nurse begins to help me get cleaned up to go to my recovery room on the floor below. Because they pushed 2 extra things of epidural, I cannot feel myself from the hips down. At. All. It is the strangest feeling in the world. It takes awhile to get me in a wheel chair. (This feeling continues until 10 a.m.!)

May 23, 2012 6:30 a.m.
I am in my recovery room. And it's time for me to finally hold my son. I have been waiting for this moment for so long. I hear the cradle being rolled in. There he is. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. And look at all that hair! What a handsome little boy. And he's mine. Mine and Hubby's. What an amazing feeling to hold this precious little being that I helped create and carried inside of me for so long. What a gift. Empty body. Overflowing heart. Complete bliss.

May 23, 2012
Hubby and I barely function on 2 hours of sleep and pure adrenaline! Taking in every bit of our new family. Hubby goes home to shower and bring the girls. Cadee walks in first and just beams at the sight of her brother. She climbs up on the bed with us and asks to hold him. Lili comes in a little bit slowly and I will never forget the look of relief on her face when she sees that I am fine. And that there is a new baby in our family. The rest of the day is a joy overload. We all silently take in his tiny little features. Pictures, kisses and hugs. 

Smitten. We are all absolutely smitten.  

Find Joy

My family and I have been hit by alot of loss lately. 
It is never easy to process it or to figure out how to live after you've lost a loved one. How to deal with knowing you'll never see that person again in this life. To cope with everything reminding you of them. To stay strong for those around you, but also to go through your own emotions. It's a struggle. 
All we can do is continue to find joy in life. Without hope and joy, we can easily find ourselves slipping into depression. I know that is not how our loved ones would want us to live. They want to be looking down on us laughing, smiling, joking, remembering them. Honoring their lives by living ours with absolute joy.
It is hard to look beyond the present after losing someone. All you want to do is go back. Back to a time where you were hugging, laughing with and talking to this person. Back to a time when life was much less bittersweet. You have to find the joy in the deepest valley. Whether it's a smile from a stranger, or a hug from your little one. Find that joy so that you don't have to be numb anymore. Let that joy be little reminders of your loved one and of all the joy you had with them. You will be pleasantly surprised at how the sweetness of your life will be redefined. Suddenly, the sink full of dishes is full tummies. The fighting between your kids is character building. The laundry piling up is clothed bodies. The whiny baby is a sweet hum in your ears. The dirty floors are treasured footprints. The craft supplies scattered on the table with the hum of Justin Bieber is a joyful baby girl. I am thankful for these reminders that I have the sweetest life. I will continue to seek joy to honor those gone before me.

School Time

My kids thrive on routine. The summers are fun, chaotic, messy and so tiring. Full of trips to grandma's and play dates with friends. I love being able to enjoy the summer at home with all of my kids (can't say just "girls" anymore!). Everything from the lazy morning cartoons, to the giggles that fill our home, to the picnic lunches. I appreciate the fact that I can stay home and not miss anything.
That being said, I so appreciate the routine that school brings. I can tell that my girls were starting to miss some sort of routine. (I can say "girls", because Drakey didn't care one way or the other!) They seem more calm and easy going. Not saying that it's been easy. We've all been struggling to peel ourselves out of bed in the morning! And to catch the bus instead of sit and watch cartoons on the couch! And to put the toys away and get to bed at the end of the day! 
Even though I fiercely miss my girls throughout the school day, I've come to realize something. Not only do public schools need Christian students in them to be an example and a source of kindness and respect, but also, they need Christian moms in the school system. Helping out, sending notes of encouragement and treats to make them feel like they are doing a great job- despite the naughty notes home or the rough day/week/month they have had with so-and-so. Those teachers and the staff need to know that they are appreciated. And that I am on their side too. I love being a stay at home mom to school aged kids. I may not have a degree or be working outside of the home, but I hope that I am making a difference for my girls' teachers. They are such a blessing. I pray that their spoonful of sugar overflows just as much as mine does!

New Do

As a new mom, I have always found it necessary to switch things up a bit after that precious little baby is born. Something to make me feel like me again. Or to bring the va-va-voom back! Whether it's a new pair of shoes, a new purse, getting a pedicure or a new hair do. Well, thanks to my sweet friend, I was able to get a new do this time around. And I am absolutely loving it! 

It was Hubby's idea for me to go a little red and I am totally embracing being a "fiery red head"! Look out! 

Six Years

Six years ago today, I said "I do" to my best friend. I did not realize how

this would change my life. I did not realize the emotions I would experience. The love I felt when he said "I do" and he became my husband. The bittersweet feeling of moving away from my parents. The anxiety of finding out we were pregnant again. The pride in my hubby for working his butt off to earn 2 degrees, while working and taking care of his family. The fear of not being able to find a job in this economy, and not having a home. The pride, again, in Hubby for finding not just any job, but a job that he excels at. The excitement as we found a place to live. The joy in finding out we were pregnant again. And now, the eagerness as we look towards the future.
Marriage has its ups and downs. It's not all rainbows and butterflies. But it's the tough times and rough emotions that really do make us stronger. They make us depend on each other and cling to what we know. And we know, without a doubt, that we love each other and that we are in this together. My life is so sweet because of this man making me his wife. Promising to love and cherish me for a lifetime. He has been an amazing shelter for me through life's storms. I cannot think of anyone else I would want beside me through it all.

6 years, 2 more babies, 3 addresses and 2 college degrees later! I am excited to see what the next 6...12...50 years will bring. 

I love you, babe.