Our sweet baby boy...

  

Is here. We are ecstatic.

I will post a longer entry with his birth story tomorrow, but here are the details: Gradon Christopher Cochran was born at 1:46pm on July 29th. He weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces. Labor was longer than my two girls, but delivery was smooth and fast. We are so happy he is safely here, we are blessed and grateful to have our son and brother home. The girls are so happy and excited about their brother, giving him kisses and wanting to hold him and help me with him. I am so in love with my baby boy. He is sweet, and docile, has a wonderful spirit about him. What a blessing to have this gentle soul in our lives. I feel so lucky.

Waiting...

Hospital was full tonight, so we are home waiting again for baby. I had a disappointing visit at the doc's office this morning, hoping my body would be more ready to give this baby up, but not so. Doc said without some cervical ripening, the chances of a c section were greater than if we just induced with the pitcocin. I personally think that I would be okay without it, but I trust the doctor's advice, and don't want to risk anything. I was induced with Sophia with pitocin only, and everything went fine.

So, emotionally I was not excited about the prospect of sitting in the hospital over night, hoping my cervix would be ready for induction after the 12 hours of being 'prepped', and being home tonight is almost a relief for me. Wednesday night we have another appointment, so hopefully everything will come together. The girls are pretty upset, they are ready to meet their younger brother, but in a way, I am glad I have a couple more days to let my body possibly do what it does on it's own. My folks seem okay waiting too, so that is good. It's only two days, so maybe he will show up without help. So, we wait, =).

The last week...

Well its been a good week! Lots going on, and great progress made in many areas around here. The best news for this prego mama is that we have an induction date set for next week if baby brother doesn't arrive this week. I will be 40 weeks on Monday, so Monday I will head in for another check up, and see if I am dilated. If I am not, I will go into the hospital that night for some cervidil (cervix ripening gel) and see what happens. If no labor starts, Tuesday morning they will start the pitocin. I really hope he will come without all of this, Sophia was induced 9 days late, and it was an EASY labor and delivery, however, I wish my body just would do this on it's own! I am 50% effaced, which is good, but I was hoping to be moving forward at this point.

Earlier in the week my friend Corinne took some amazing photos of my pregnant self which I am really excited to share! She also got some really fun photos of the girls, its so fun to have a different eye looking through the lens.I am so used to being behind the camera, and honestly, I have avoided the camera lately. I feel so self concious right now in my inflated condition. I decided that it was important to document these precious moments this time around, and I am so happy she agreed to shoot us. She did a wonderful job and it was fun. I have never had maternity pictures taken before, it was a neat experience.

Chris has been home again this week, and will have some more time off before school resumes at the end of the month. He did NOT enjoy his time in PA, and is so happy to be home. We are so grateful to have him back with us. He has been busy again getting some things done around the house. He is working on the curtains for the baby's room. Yes, he is sewing the curtains for the baby's room, and they look amazing! I have a very talented hubby.
So, this week we will continue to prepare for our little boy, enjoy some last moments together as just us four before he arrives. My folks arrive tomorrow to wait for their first grandson to make his entrance into the world, it will be fun to have them here. The summer is flying by us, but we are definitely enjoying our time together. Below is a picture of the girls as we cleaned the many seashells they collected from Flag Pond.

Beach Trip

Yesterday we travelled with some wonderful friends to Flag Pond for a sun-filled crazy day at the beach. There were six moms, 16 kids, lots of good food and several hours of exploring. Ellie has been asking me to go to the beach for several weeks, to collect seashells, and she brought home a bucket FULL of shells. The kids waded in the little pond looking for shells, crabs, rocks, fish and jellyfish! The jellyfish were very intriguing to many of the kids, some were brave enough to pick them up! Flag pond is just far enough away to make you feel like you have had an excursion, but not so far that you are totally wiped out when you turn around and come home. It was a great day, probably my last road trip until after the baby is born, but it was a much needed escape.

38 1/2 weeks...and counting

I am so ready to have this baby...or am I? Today I am feeling achy and tired, hot and cranky. Its been great for my poor kids! I can't do anything without having contractions, so the gym is out, even walking up the stairs I have braxton hicks. I really miss having that break in the morning to work out, collect my thoughts, and get that endorphin rush before my day starts. I feel like my routine is totally out of whack. I feel like a mother hen sitting on her egg, waiting for it to hatch, and I am going stir crazy! It has also been rainy and humid here, not a great combo in my book for summer. We haven't been to the pool as often as we would like and that has been frustrating.

I decided early in the week that we needed something fun to look forward to, even in my grouchy and enflated status. We are headed to the beach tomorrow. I hope that it will be fun for the kids, we are going with a few other moms and friends, and I really want them to enjoy themselves. Luckily I can sit and relax a bit, watch them, and take some photos, something I have missed doing lately. Its hard to feel inspired and creative when all you really want to do is just sit and put your feet up. =) Hopefully in a week or so we will have a baby here, and we can adjust and get a routine going again. Here are a few photos from last summer, a great memory that helps me through when I am feeling huge and grumpy. Capri, just Chris and I, June 2009, a litle slice of heaven, our last adventure before heading back to the states.

Dear Sewing Machine...

It's been far too long since we have had a date. I need to make curtains for the baby's room, and I want to make one of these for each girl. It's about time I did something crafty around here.... =) This tutorial is courtesy of Char at Crap I've Made. Isn't this a great tiered skirt? Time to be crafty. =)

Chris is gone...

for a week playing 'army' in the wet gross humid muddy woods with school. He just left an hour ago and I already miss him. The girls are a little shocked by this, Ellie shed real tears. I am hoping they let him come home this weekend and avoid the last week of training...baby due and all. It's been so fun having him home for two weeks. He has made amazing progress on all our little projects,and the big ones too. He hasn't been gone a week like this since we were first married. WIERD! He used to be gone all the time. Sometimes for weeks, the longest was 10 months! I guess I have just gotten used to having him home now for dinner, to play with the girls, help with life. I do enjoy the rhythm of our life now. I love knowing he will be home at night. I love chattng with him and  laughing at night before we go to sleep. Not sure what I would do if he was off flying jets again. Boy,  have things changed.

Block Party!

I have never been a part of a block party! When our neighbor came around asking when we would like to all get together in our cul de sac and have a bbq, I was excited! We all agreed to grill out in the circle around our street and share a dish. We grilled burgers and hot dogs, and I made 7 layer bean dip. Some people made two or three dishes, another family brought out a whole bunch of Rita's ice flavors, another family from Pakistan made the most amazing curry dish. There was plenty of watermelon, and different kinds of salads. Chris put up our little bouncy house which was a hit with the few smaller kids, and for about 4 hours, there was talking and eating and mingling. Ellie and Sophia didn't eat much dinner. However, they did enjoy these:

Fun cupcake ice cream cones...as well as their first experiences roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. Someone suggested that they pull out their fire pit and make s'mores, and that was a great hit with my kids. I enjoyed getting to know my neighbors a little bit. Its funny, it seems like in the times we live, we don't get to know the people around us. We are in a hurry, have our schedules, don't have time to meet and get to know one another. This was a fun chance to simply spend time sitting around and talking. I think we are going to get together again in the fall and do it all again. Should be fun!

4th of July and expectations

I had such high hopes for my little BBQ this year. I love the 4th of July, (as mentioned in a previous post) and it was a bit of a downer to me that it was on a Sunday this year. I wanted to picnic in the park, watch fireworks, go to the pool, let the kids experience sparklers, make some home made ice cream,  but none of that happened. I spent a good bit of time planning for a simple meeting of a few friends on Saturday night, and two of our families couldn't make it. We were disappointed, but excited that we had our friends the Madsens and Chris' brother Andy and his family able to join us for dinner. The night was crazy, kids everywhere, good food and conversation. We didn't pull out the slip n slide or the pool but the kids had fun bouncing in our bounce house. Sunday was very mellow, and we didn't even take the kids to see fireworks, they had been up so late the night before.

As Chris and I sat on the couch late Sunday night listening to the fireworks I wondered if I had made a mistake, maybe we should have made the most of the night, drug their little tired selves and enjoyed the spectacle. Oh well. Maybe next year. I don't even have any good pictures to share from the weekend, too tired to lug out my camera and make the effort after cooking and cleaning for the party. Boo to me. My kids had fun, and I guess that is all that matters. I am bummed that I don't have any fun pictures to document the weekend, but perhaps next year I will do a better job and we will have more to share. I always kick myself when a good memory or experience passes me by without taking a few good photos.

On a lighter note, we have the baby's room 90% finished, it just needs curtains, and we need to hang pictures and a closet curtain. Chris has finished the guest room downstairs and it is LOVELY and wonderful. He has been working so hard this past week to get things ready. I am so happy with the baby's room. I will post pictures when it is all finished. I am full term and baby could come any day, it's hot and the summer is pulsing all around us. My energy level and patience aren't as high as they could be, I am getting very nervous and excited for the arrival of our little boy. Life is going to change dramatically for us. I hope we are up for the challenges ahead.

36 weeks plus

It's only a matter of time before our baby brother will be born and join our family. These last few weeks have been somewhat uncomfortable for me, he is a mover and shaker for sure. I have not felt this much movement from any baby so far, and his movements are strong, direct and frequent. Night time he really wakes up, which is a bit of a concern. =) As of today, 36 weeks and 4 days, I am 40% effaced, but not dilated. Doc is really happy with where everything is, and to date 24 pounds gained. Blood pressure is still amazing at 120ish over 70. Feeling good, just tired and achy. I have aches and pains in places I did not have with my girls! This pregnancy has definitely been different for me in some ways, but over all I can't complain. I have been able to workout my whole pregnancy, felt strong and healthy. I am grateful and feel very blessed for three healthy pregnancies.

I am not sure if I want this little guy coming early, it would be nice not to have to go 3 1/2 more weeks, but I am not 'ready' for the change and shift in life that accompanies a newborn. I am nervous about sleepless nights, breast feeding, recovery from childbirth, etc. I am happy that he is still happily swimming around in there, kicking away, getting stronger and stronger. I would rather not be induced this time, but we will see what happens. Sophia was 9 days late, longest 9 days of my life, so hopefully baby brother won't do that to me!

Chris is working hard and getting his room finished, installed a new ceiling fan, and cans for light in his room. Next step is to paint and get the room together. I am excited about the theme: 'vintage aviation' with bedding by pottery barn kids. Searched around all over for a cute set, and this one was on sale, so that made it perfect. Grandmother Cochran made the cutest quilt. I found the fabric for the center squares, and she filled in the rest. We have some fun prints to hang, and a propeller found at Target. I think I also want to get some vinyl letters made with his name, and perhaps a cute red by plane. We will see as things come together what we will add for finishing touches.
The girls are excited, even Ellie who has been mostly hesitant about a baby brother is looking forward to the baby's arrival. It is going to be fun to have a new addition to our family.