How could I ask for more...

Many moons ago, Cindy Morgan penned a song that touched me. I was a teenager and had no idea of what life had in store for me. As I sit here tonight, looking at this beautiful life of mine, I ask the same question. My daughter is asleep in my arms. My two sons are sitting in God's beautiful creation bonding with their daddy. We are so blessed. This is the life God has promised me. How could I ask for more?

How could I ask for more!
By Cindy Morgan

There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon
Walking to the sunlight, and being cradled my the moon
Catching fireflies at night
Building castles in the sand
Kissing Mam's face goodnight
And holding Daddy's hand
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoot in the grass
A little hide and go seek
Being so in love, that you can hardly eat
Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around
Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow
Fall to the ground
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness
Some dreams that are realities today
Such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord
How could I ask for more

Spring has sprung!

After the most horrific summer, I was expecting to be completely blown out of the water with the nastiness of winter. I was prepared for snow days, ice, and endless amout of cold weather. I should not have put my expectations so high, after all, this IS Texas. After a grand total of maybe 3 days that snuck below freezing, spring is HERE. All the trees are putting out their green leaves (along with their horrid pollen) and the flowers are blooming. Guess no one told the weather that we'd like a bit longer before we start inching closer and closer to 100 degree weather. I can be thankful that I'm not pregnant this summer, maybe I'll enjoy it a little more! My sister in law, however, can NOT say this seeing as that she is 21 weeks pregnant with my fabulous nephew! There's really nothing that one can do to prepare for the discomfort of pregnancy and when coupled with a Texas summer, it's all about survival! Thankfully, at the end, you come out with a prize! :)

It's been fun and games as always around our house! The boys had spring break last week and were able to spend a few days with us towards the beginning. We played outside in the lovely weather, went to the shooting range, and the boys and I went on a mall adventure. Nope, I'd never taken 3 kids to the mall before...what an experience! The main reason we went was to get a birthday present for their dad! I found a great groupon to have the kids pictures taken, so we headed off to the mall to do that! Pictures with a 6 month old are always a gamble, but we did get some pictures that turned out great! Olivia smiles best for her bubbas, so it was hard to get her to focus on someone taking her picture with her bubbas next to her. At least she didn't cry! :) When gingers cry, we get blotchy red eyebrows and faces...not a pretty sight. The boys looked great and even picked out Olivia's outfit (Um, Stephanie, she needs to wear the pink one. She's girly.).

Jason had a class for his job last week, so Miss Olivia got to go to her new babysitter for the first time in an extended time away from mom and dad. She'd been watched by family and the church nursery, but this was the longest she'd been away from either of us. We are blessed to have such a happy baby, and she did amazing. Of course, God provided the most amazing woman to watch her. Olivia comes home well rested, well fed, with all her clothes washed and a hand written schedule (to the minute) of what she did during the day. Wow! This precious woman goes above and beyond when caring for our little girl and we are so very thankful.

This past weekend was Jason's birthday! The boys came over on Friday night for some birthday fabulousness. On Saturday, we all had "lazy day" and slept in! I even made green egg sandwiches in honor of St. Patrick's day! We ended up spending the day getting fishing gear so that Jason could take the boys fishing next weekend. After they picked out their rods and reels, we went over to Jason's dad's house to get it all set up. Once that was done, we headed home for family movie night. Sunday, (Jason's actual birthday), we had birthday donuts for breakfast and headed out to church. After church, we went back to Jason's dad's house for birthday burgers and hot dogs on the grill! Jason took the two boys to the lake around the corner to practice with their new poles. They'd both been fishing before but had never caught a fish. Olivia and I stayed behind to nap and have our latest teethign fit (poor girl!). The boys came home jubilant as BOTH of them had caught something! Jason didn't have the opportunity to catch anything, but the joy of hearing and seeing the boys catch their first fish was enough! It was the BEST birthday present!

Miss Olivia continues to be the world's cutest baby (in our humble opinion!). She's learning new things every day and continues to amaze me. She now will sit up to play, continues to roll literally ALL over the house, and squawk when she's not fed quickly enough. I'm starting to notice that she prefers her food to have some texture and is liking pureed things less and less. She's started in on the protein party and is NUTS about salmon and turkey. Her biggest issue right now is the fact that she's starting to have teething fits where she just becomes inconsolable at a moment's notice. She doesn't have any pearly buds yet, just lots of gum pain. Most of the day, she's absolutely fine.

Next weekend, Jason is taking the boys to the lake for a true fishing experience. I'm not sure what Olivia and I will be up to, but I'm thinking maybe spring cleaning? Wait, this is me after all...perhaps just spring straightening. I'm certain that my cleaning will be taking a back seat (even more than it normally does) when our daughter becomes more mobile than she already is. For now, I'll just clean around her rolling party and wait anxiously for the day when she's chasing the dog around! I'm sure it will not be that far away.

Thanks for stopping by!

My cup runneth over.

Life in the Russell kingdom has been busy lately. I guess that's going to continue to be our story, but it is always fun to look back at past blogs from years ago and see the differences. I love that!

Little Miss Princess continues to bring smiles to whomever she meets. She is now 6 months old, eating like a horse, and growing longer each day. She's just now starting to grow out of her 3 month old clothes. I like to consider her "petite", but without her clothes, you'd never EVER know it. The child has more fat rolls than I know what to do with! We call them her "extras". She has an extra neck, extra wrists, extra thighs....you name it! She drools constantly, but no sign of white pearly teeth yet. She smiles for just about anyone and laughs at her bubbas and daddy. Her favorite new pastime is rolling around the floor, always making it interesting to find where she's ended up when one returns to the room. She is SO close to sitting on her own unassisted. She loves to squawk and scream. Her food list consists of pears, bananas, oatmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, asparagus, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rice teething biscuits. She does NOT like applesauce as evidenced by the full body shudders that accompany almost each and every bite.

Up until now, we have been blessed to have Olivia home with Jason while I am at work. They have their own sweet routine, even being able to video chat with me while I am at work. We've known for some time that at some point, the job situation would change and she would need to be cared for by someone while we were at work. Thankfully, we have been able to keep her home this long. A few weeks ago, we got word that we would need to find someone to watch her....and the mommy and daddy stress began. Fervent prayers began. The child care search began. In looking back, I know we shouldn't have worried one little bit. God gave us this beautiful little girl for a reason and He alone knows the plan for her life. He found us the most amazing couple to watch her, one we could never have found on our own and who seems to be a perfect fit for our family. God continues to provide for us and protect our family.

Jacob and Andrew have been keeping us on our toes as well. We were blessed to have them for a few weekends in a row this month. The boys have taken up going to the gun range and they LOVE it. Andrew will even call us in the middle of the week and request a trip to the range. Last week, he told us that he'd be okay with us getting him a gun to use while he's there. Of course, he doesn't want to use any of his own money, but if we want to buy it and hold on to it for his use, that'd be okay with him. He's hilarious. He's starting telling Olivia "Never fear! Andrew is here!" when she gets hysterical in the car seat or at home. It's absolutely precious. I can see a small red curly haired girl chasing after him in a few years, never wanting him to be out of her sight. It's also fun to watch Jacob with her. Most 15 year old boys wouldn't have the time of day for a 6 month old, but Jacob is also enamored with his little sister. In fact, over the weekend, we went to the store and Jacob carried Olivia (his request!) throughout the store. In the same weekend, I was fixing breakfast before church when Olivia started getting irritated. I was watching out of the corner of my eye and Jacob raced across the room to come to the aid of his little sister. He had her in his arms and was quieting her before I even had a chance to step out of the kitchen.

Things are not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Seeing as we really didn't have a winter in Texas, our trees and plants have already decided that it's spring. The days are less and less cold and we have more sunshine than ever. I would covet your prayers in the next few weeks for our family. We have been so blessed and protected by the Lord.

My Valentines

I am a very blessed woman to have been given not one, but four valentines.

Jason, you are the love of my life. You make me feel special every single day. You are an amazing husband and a phenomenal father. Your passion for truth and justice makes us all strive to be better people.

Jacob, you have such a sweet spirit. You fiercely protect your two younger siblings and are SO talented. I pray that as you grow older you continue to protect your very sensitive heart. And remember, if any female tries to hurt you, I think your little sister may hurt them. :)

Andrew, I love your zest for life. You seek truth and have the innate ability to get straight to the heart of the issue. You adore your sister and idolize your brother. You're my awesome kitchen assistant and sister distractor.

Olivia, you are growing into such a hilarious little personality. Your laugh and smile are infectious. You have your daddy and bubbas in the palm of your hand. You may be small, but I can already see your "ginger" genes coming out. Your daddy and I are in trouble!

What more could a girl want, I ask you? These four have my heart.

And the fun continues!

I just don't understand where the time goes. I mean, seriously. I find it very hard to believe that we have an almost 5 month old in our home. It really honestly seems like yesterday when we brought that little sprite home. A time where she stayed where you left her and slept 18+ hours of the day. When none of her clothes fit and I wanted to do nothing else than hold her all the time, whether she was sleeping or awake. Well, I still want to hold her all the time, but SO much has changed with our little beauty! At the doctor's office, she weighed 13lbs, 15oz and was 24 inches long. She's hanging out in the 25-50th percentile, but growing completely normal on her growth curve, so no one's worried! She's just a petite cutie! The girl loves to hear herself talk and enjoys rolling about the floor. She laughs and smiles all the time, making our household happy most of the day! She's eating homemade baby food and cereal at least 2 times a day and has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, avocado, and bananas. This week, she's experienced her first case of the snot head and has developed an angry relationship with the bulb suction. She's on her way to growing out of her 3 month clothes, but still not quite big enough for 6 months ones...so that's a fun transition! Same goes for diapers...on her way out of 1 and trying to not have size 2 fall off! She went all the way through a church service last week without having to have me paged and even took a nap amidst all the nursery screamings! She is growing WAY too fast for this mommy.

Jacob and Andrew are coming over this weekend and I'm so excited! It's Andrew's 10th birthday today! Do you remember when you turned 10? I do. I remember waking up and being ecstatic that I now had a 2 digit age. We asked Andrew what he wanted to do for his birthday, and he enthusiastically declared that he wanted to go to the shooting range...so that's what we'll be doing on Saturday afternoon! He was pukey yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to ask him what kind of birthday cake he wanted. I love making cakes, even if I have zero decorating skills. Hey, they all taste the same going down, so my messy attempts will still be delicious! I'm very thankful that we're going to get to have him this weekend for our own family celebrations. Last year, we introduced him to trick candles...I guess we'll be kinder to him this year!

Work continues to go well. I am constantly reminded what an awesome company I work for, especially since Miss Olivia has arrived. My patients always are asking how she is and want to see her latest pictures. I work at 2 different clinics and have two amazing supervisors that are very flexible with my schedule. I will have been with this company for a year on Wednesday and couldn't have asked for a better experience! I will also have been a nurse for 7 years next week. WOWSERS. I remember the day that I took my nursing boards like it was yesterday. It was a Thursday morning. I drove to the testing facilty and got there earlier than I needed to. I sat in the car, prayed, and listened to Avalon's Testify to Love about 8 times in a row. I mustered up my courage and went in the test. The test is automatically generated as you take it so the more questions you answer correctly in a row, the harder the questions get. Once the test believes you have answered enough correctly, it shuts off. The minimum number of questions you'll have to answer is 75 and that's precisely the amount I had. When I hit the "next" key after answering the 75th question and my computer screen went black, I breathed a sigh of relief. Two days later, I decided to just "check" to see if my results were in. We had been told it would take 48 hours, but since my 48 hours fell on a Saturday, I didn't expect the results to be up. I paid my $9 to open the website and my eyes fell on that beautiful little word. PASS. I screamed, ran into the bathroom where my sister (who was living with me at the time), was showering and most likely scared her to death as I screamed I PASSED! I PASSED! Ah, it was a great day! Now, 7 years later, I have been blessed to work with many different kinds of patients and in different facilities. Nursing has been my niche and I'm very thankful I decided to take the leap of faith and change from teaching to nursing.

Thank you to all who prayed for Hannah's little brother, Knox. He did end up having surgery at 4 days old, but went home just a few days later! He's now spending his time getting big and fat, with a completely repaired heart. God is so amazing!

Thanks for checking in!

Happy 2012!

Jason and I were just talking the other day about perspective. When I was probably a very early teenager, I couldn't quite imagine what life would be like in the year 2000 or even that we would get to that year. Now, it's 12 years past that and I remember that night that turned from 1999 to 2000 like it was yesterday. Wow. I feel old. 12 years ago, I had just graduated from LeTourneau and was in my first year of teaching junior high. Man, time does fly. Those sweet and gangly 7th graders are now in their early 20's and getting married and having babies. I'm old!

Jason and I rang in the new year quietly. We played a vicious game of Bible Trivia, a game he and I both have played for years and are fiercely competetive when playing. He beat me by the tiniest margin. Arg! We also played Scrabble which has become so much more hilarious since the creation of Words with Friends. My scores are now so much better! We didn't actually finish the game, but I was declared the winner. Family game night was how I grew up bringing in the new year. We would always start with this game that my parents got sometime in their college years, I believe. After that, the games varied, but usually consisted of Life and at least one other game. We'd eat queso, spinach dip, barbeque weenies, and a variety of other not so fancy, but oh so traditional Emerson New Years Eve foods. We'd watch the ball drop and scurry off to bed to await the next day and the Rose Parade (complete with my mother saying about every 10 minutes how much she despises the commercials and announcers). I was glad Jason and I decided to keep it low key this year. We went to bed sometime around 1 and spent our New Year's Day at church with the boys. It was wonderful!

Olivia Kaylynne is quite the character. Every day, I am amazed at what this child can do. She's decided that it's not necessary for her to consistantly roll over (even though we know she can), but she can get around the floor in her own way. It's always entertaining to see where she ends up. The child has absolutely found her voice and now likes to spend a great majority of her awake time screeching and squealing happily. She's been sleeping with her new fabulous "Baa Baa Lamb" sound machine (thank you Aunt Connie!), and I really think it helps her to block out some of the excess apartment noise and not wake up as easily in the middle of the night. We've started cereal and vegetables since the child is always acting hungry and it's been highly entertaining watching her devour them! So far, we've done oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, and carrots. A few days ago, she had so many sweet potatoes up her nose that she sneezed them out for about a day. Hilarious! She's getting L O N G too! Our next doctor visit is the 13th and I just know she's probably grown another 2 inches. The majority of her 3 month clothes still fit, but she's starting to be too long for some of them. I still find it hard to believe how much she changes week by week. I was looking back at her newborn pictures the other day and was laughing because she was SO gangly and had little bird legs! Now, she's chubby, smiley, and getting so big! She loves her big bubbas and idolizes her daddy. Such a blessed little girl!

I would ask your prayers for a sweet little new friend of ours. Hannah's newest little brother, born 1/2/2012, was born with a narrowed aorta and a hole in the bottom 2 chambers of his heart. He's a big healthy boy otherwise! He will need to have surgery in the near future to correct this problem and should then have no issues. Please pray for Amanda and Jason as well as the rest of their family as they are taking care of this new little life. I can't imagine the stress of seeing another one of your children in the Cardiac ICU. This family is amazingly strong and has lifted up Knox to Jesus even before he was born!

2011 was an absolutely amazing year for my family. We were able to take the boys on their first airplane ride and vacation as a family. We welcomed Miss Olivia and have enjoyed watching her grow. I am constantly amazed at the blessings God has given me when I know I don't deserve them. What an amazing God I serve! My prayer for 2012 is that I show Jesus in all I do to the three little lives I have been gifted with.

A Merry Christmas to all...

Whew! What an amazing Christmas week we had! We were so blessed to have the boys for the week before Christmas to do all kinds of fun and adventures! Here's just a snippet of what we did!

Jason, Olivia, and I went to get the boys on the 16th. We headed to downtown Fort Worth to take some Christmas pictures with the gigantic tree in downtown and in front of this massive collection of LED trees. It was cold and Olivia refused to wear socks but we got some great family shots. Jason's become an expert at the taking of pictures with the giant tree. Thanks to this, we were only outside in downtown for a short time. We warmed up by looking at Christmas lights and heading home for some hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. YUM!

Saturday, Andrew had practice at church for the performance the kids department would be doing in the service the next day. After he got home, we watched Christmas movies! He had a sleepover that night, so while he was gone, the rest of us watched one of MY favorite Christmas movies "The Christmas Toy". Yes, it's corny and outdated, but still one of my favorites!

Sunday, we all headed to get Andrew and then on to church! Andrew did an awesome job in the performance and even got to be one of the prop holders! It was so much fun watching him sing! We headed to a thrift store after church to get the final pieces of the costumes for the murder mystery dinner theater that my family would be doing later on in the week. It was actually a hilarious trip because during our searching through racks, someone actually came over the loudspeaker and asked if anyone knew if they had a Ouiji board! I certainly hope they didn't! That afternoon, we headed over to Dallas to celebrate my niece's 1st birthday party. Since my sister and her family live in Virginia, we weren't all able to go to her actual party, but this gathering was an awesome substitute. Jacob and Andrew really enjoyed hanging out with my brother in his fabulous Lord of the Rings/Star Wars/vintage Nintendo office.

Monday, I had to work. Thankfully, of all the days the boys were with us for Christmas, this was the ONLY one I had to work! Hooray for a job that gives me time off to be with family! Jason, Jacob, and Andrew headed out to play golf with my dad while Olivia hung out with my mom for the day. They ended up getting rained out on the 10th hole, but still had fun in the process.

Tuesday, we piled in the car and headed to Jason's mom's house in Denison. She had a Christmas dinner waiting for us and the kids were able to open their Christmas presents with her. It was a quick trip, but still fun and the roads were thankfully not too crowded there and back. After we got home, everyone was pretty tired so we played it low key for the rest of the night. Jason went and played "Santa" and picked up all the multitude of presents we had wrapped the previous week and were storing at his dad's house. The boys were both asleep when he got back so they were able to go to sleep with no presents under the tree and wake up in amazement at the collection!

Wednesday was our Christmas with the boys. The precious angels waited EVER so patiently until 8:30AM (hey, I could NEVER have waited that long...I have no idea how they did it!) to wake us up! We opened presents as a family and got to be a part of two very excited boys! Olivia was a noisy observer and mostly was intrigued by the red tissue paper! Jason's step mom came over with her presents for the boys and the Christmas fun continued! After all the opening and the eating of yummy breakfast, the boys were itching to spend their Christmas money. We headed out shopping and did find a few good deals. Jason made a full Christmas dinner complete with ham, dressing, corn, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes. YUM! We were stuffed!

Thursday we headed to my grandma's house in Wimberley! This was one of the things I had been itching to do since I met the boys. I just knew they would love roaming about the woods and seeing all the awesome stuff in my grandma's house. Her house is filled with treasures from all over the world that my grandparents collected during their time in the military. Olivia did amazingly well on her first long car trip and we made it down there without too many distractions. Olivia met my grandma for the first time and it was love at first sight.

Friday, we woke up nice and early (I mean, it's the country...it's just what you do!) and the boys were out the door to explore the woods. I kept seeing flashes of them and their Nerf guns go by. They were outside for several hours, even though it was FRIGID! They helped Jason and my dad with some "grandma chores", but were able to explore the entire 17 acres. We anxiously awaited the rest of the family's arrival. Michael, Jen, Kim, Evan, and Aubrey rolled in around 3 or so. My cousin Cory was the last to arrive around 5. Connie, mom, and I had been working on dinner items for the murder mystery dinner. Andrew and I made 2 pies (he's the best helper EVER!), a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie. SO fun! Promptly at 7, the festivities began and my family emerged from their respective dressing rooms clothed in 20's garb for the murder mystery dinner. One word: hilarious. My mom and sister in law were in full flapper regalia complete with fringe. My husband, father, and cousin were gangsters. My brother in law was a booze dealer. My sister was some sort of lounge singer. My brother was a crooked police chief. Andrew was a movie producer. Jacob was the mayor. I was the speakeasy owner. My aunt was the private investigator. SO MUCH FUN. Jacob and Andrew were a little nervous going in, but caught on REALLY quickly. They both did awesome.

Hilarious!

Saturday, we opened the Russell Christmas presents since we were heading back to Fort Worth that afternoon. After the opening, we packed up the car and the whole family headed to town. We adopt a needy family in the town every year and we were so blessed to deliver the Christmas gifts to them. It was a single mom and her three children who were SO very thankful. What an amazing way to show the boys the true meaning of Christmas. It's always one thing to talk about it, but a completely different thing to actually follow through. I think they enjoyed seeing the family so happy! We all went to town to eat lunch and then our family headed back home so the boys could be with their mother for the rest of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It was very hard giving them up after having them for that amount of time. Olivia actually cried after they left. She loves all the attention they give her!

On Christmas, Jason, Olivia, and I spent the morning together and then headed out to his dad's house to a family dinner in the afternoon. His step mom was GLOWING as it was the first time she'd had all her kids for a Christmas dinner in several years. We deemed our Christmas traveling complete and spent the rest of the evening just the three of us in front of a warm fireplace.

Can you see why I started the update with WHEW? Jason and I keep talking about how much fun we had and how BLESSED we were to be able to share the days with the boys and the rest of our family. We were able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior. What an amazing experience!

Christmas spirit

I love Christmas! I always have. I think you have to be silly to not love this time of year, yet it always amazes me how many people don't. To me, the spirit is contagious.

Christmas was always a big deal growing up. My siblings and I usually had some sort of countdown going, most often represented by one of those red and green paper chains. Our family took one whole Saturday to get our tree (always a real one!) and decorate the house. We would get SO very excited watching my mother unwrap all of our favorite ornaments each year. To this day, I still have my favorites: The glass Smurfette (of course we have a smurf. We're children of the 80's!), the miniature German figurines, Pinocchio (the German one, not the Disney one), and the one of me as an angel (don't laugh, I look precious!) are some of those. Michael, Kimberly, and I would always fight over the setting up of the nativity, most specificially whose camel got to sit up on the balcony of the stable. Yes, I realize it sounds silly, but it's tradition. Of course, no one would make a big deal out of switching their camel...it was more like a covert operation. Those were the days before DVR when you had to scour the TV guide (oh my gosh, the one on actual PAPER!) for the Christmas specials and you waited eagerly for Charlie Brown Christmas, Garfield Christmas, The Christmas Toy (a Jim Henson special...it's AWESOME), the Grinch, and It's a Wonderful Life to make their appearance.

This past weekend, Christmas has exploded into our house. There is literally NOT a space in the house that doesn't scream Christmas! The tree, the mantle, the bookshelves, the DVD cabinet, the bathroom counters, etc... Jason and I set up most of the apt on Thursday and eagerly awaited the boys weekend arrival to set up the tree. On Saturday, amidst the horrific cold and rain, we hiked out to get our tree. Yes, it was frigid and wet, but that didn't matter. We were successful and brought our tree home for beautification. Jason and Jacob hung lights, while Andrew decorated his miniature tree complete with lights and ornaments. Olivia pretty much just hung out and squirmed around on the floor (her new favorite pastime!) On Sunday, after the tree had all the water it wanted and the branches had fallen out, we went into decoration mode! It took quite a while, but at the end of the evening, we had a fabulous tree that took everyone's breath away!

The boys will be with us starting on the 16th and going through Christmas Eve. We have lots of fabulous plans! We'll be taking them down to the beautiful Christmas tree in downtown Fort Worth. Last year, we got some amazing pictures in front of both the massive Christmas tree and the menagerie of LED trees. Hopefully, Miss Olivia will decide to behave for pictures so we can get some good family shots! We've also got LOTS of Christmas movies to watch! It's always so much fun to snuggle up in blankets and air mattresses for the nightly movie-thon. We're also planning cooking baking and painting! Thursday morning, we'll pack up the car and head to my Grandma's house for a few days of merriment. The majority of my family will be there and I'll get to introduce Jacob and Andrew to the fun of Grandma's house at Christmastime. We'll head back home on Christmas Eve afternoon so the boys can spend Christmas with their mother. Jason, Olivia, and I will spend the day celebrating Olivia's first Christmas and preparing for the after Christmas decorating sales! We are not planning to be in the apartment next Christmas, so we're gonna need more decorations to revel in the merriment.

As the time gets closer, I get more and more excited to share the Christmas season with my husband and kiddos. Celebrating the birth of our Lord is such an amazing experience to share with family. I know Olivia won't understand any of it this year, but I still see the way she looks at the Christmas tree and it makes me very happy!

This weekend, we'll spend getting things finalized for the kiddos Christmas fun. I've got a wonderous grocery and Costco list going, so I'm sure that will be in the plan. Besides, I LOVE Costco during the holidays...so why not! :)

I hope your Christmas season is going as wonderfully as mine. Remember the true reason for the season...the birth of our LORD!

Giving of thanks

2011 has been such an amazing year for our family. I have so much to be thankful for. I couldn't even begin to list all of it, but I thought I'd put down the highlights!

I am thankful for...
1. A husband who loves me unconditionally and makes me smile every day. He loves Jesus with all his heart and wants what is best for our family. I am amazed at the wonderful man God brought me.
2. Jacob! At 15, most boys would despise the "wicked stepmother", but Jacob and I get along swimmingly. He has such a tender heart. I wish I had a 10th of his musical talent! I always have such a good time with him, whether we're discussing music or his latest girl crush. I really enjoy seeing him with Olivia. He is so gentle with her and she absolutely eats it up.
3. Andrew! This almost 10 year old spitfire is usually either making me laugh or making my eyes get big and think "Where did he come up with that?". He is a mini-Jason and I see it SO much as he gets older. He's spunky and has an amazing sense of humor. He would be perfectly happy with his set of drumsticks and a pile of pillows that he will make into a drum set. I love watching him carry Olivia around and just parking her next to him so they can "hang out".
4. Olivia! This 12lb chub has brought a whole new dimension to my little family. It's so much fun watching 3 guys dote so heavily over one little girl. She is SO loved. She's such a good baby too. I try to remember that when she has moments of evening fussiness. She doesn't have colic. She doesn't reflux. She doesn't have a heart condition. She's absolutely perfect. God truly blessed us when he gave us that 5lb 10oz spitfire on August 25. She certainly came into the world dramatically and she has continued to form her own kind of drama. I still am in shock that she will be 3 months old on Friday.
5. A roof over our heads. It isn't the prettiest roof or the largest roof, but seeing as there are people who don't have one, I am certainly thankful. I am thankful for 600 square feet because it lets us be so close together, especially when the boys are home. There's no hiding out in a room far away from the rest of the family when there is limited space. Jason and I are planning to relocate by the time our lease is out next spring, but for now, I am just thankful we have what we do.
6. A job! In January, I was blessed to find this nursing job. I work with great nurses and amazing patients. Since I work out of two different clinics, I have two managers who are both so supportive of my family and great to work for.
7. Health! I had a "high risk" pregnancy with my lovely blood disorders, but I was so blessed to sail through under the protection of God and the watchful eye of my doctor. I had an emergency C-Section to get our daughter out ASAP, but neither she or I have any issues now.

I could go on and on. All of these above things are reason enough to get up every day and be thankful. I am the MOST thankful for my Savior. Because of HIM, I was given all those things. I was given the chance to be forever with HIM. In the end, that is the most important thing I have. It is my greatest blessing.

In just a blink

Is November really here? Wasn't it just August and I was completely miserable and huge? Wow. Fast forward almost 11 weeks and that brings us to now! Whew!

Life continues to be good in the Russell household. I'm in my 4th week back at work and even though I don't like it, I am thankful for a job that is so low stress the majority of the time. I only have to work 3 days a week and then get to spend the remaining 4 being blessed by my family. My co-workers and patients are so good to let me show picture upon picture of the sweetness of our household.

Miss Olivia continues to amaze me. Now, I know I'm her mommy, but I seriously think she is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. No prejudice there or anything! :) That aside, she is growing up WAY TOO FAST. She turns 11 weeks on Thursday and I never cease to be amazed by what she can do! Just in the last week or so, she has started laughing, batting at her toys, and just yesterday, she grabbed hold of a toy to play with it. She has 2 long sleep times during the night and naps a few times during the day. She's almost out of all her newborn clothes, and I really need to pack them away, but I can't bring myself to admit how big she is getting! She has a doctor's appointment this week, so it will be fun to see how long and heavy she has become!

Jacob and Andrew are still head over heels for this little sister of theirs. When they are over, someone is typically carrying her around or playing with her. The other day, we got home from church and Olivia was sleeping soundly in her car seat. I didn't take her out, but just let her sleep in the bedroom in the seat. About 10 minutes later, I hear "Olivia? Please wake up!" and about 5 minutes after that, Andrew came around the corner with her and said "She woke up and wanted me to take her out and play with her." We've been going to get them every Sunday that they aren't already at the house and taking them to church with us. They are really enjoying that! Our church has an amazing kids ministry, and Andrew is always bursting forth with what he learned that day. Jacob sits with us during the service and last week talked to the pastor about wanting to be baptized. Wahoo! :) Olivia just started going to the nursery and they LOVE her. In fact, when I dropped her off last week, the girl who took her said "Oh look guys! She's awake this week!"

I can't believe Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from Thursday! Jason and I are eating dinner with his family on Thursday. Friday, we'll be having Black Friday fun with my sister who gets to come visit from Virginia with Aubrey! Hooray! :) I'm pretty much guessing that Aubrey and Olivia's grandma will volunteer to watch them for part of the morning whilst we shop! Just a guess. :)

I suppose I should get on with my day. It's going to be a long one, compounded by the fact that at night, Miss O is falling asleep in my arms and then getting highly irritated and upset when she is put down to sleep. She loves her family too much to be put to bed, I guess! Thanks for reading and thanks for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Growing like a weed!

I can not believe that another month has gone by. Our family has been having such a fun time that I haven't even had a moment to think!

Jacob and Andrew L O V E their little sister. They are completely smitten with her. I don't blame them since her dad and I are as well! She loves them too. When they left the other day, she was fussy for a good hour afterwards. It's absolutely precious!

Miss Olivia is almost 2 months old now and growing like a weed. She weighed 9.5lbs at her last appointment and was 21 inches long! Such a difference from the little thing we brought home from the hospital! She eats like a champ and is such a good baby! She usually only has one really fussy time during the day, but is otherwise very content. She's starting to really enjoy the play gym and being on her stomach. I'm breaking out more of her toys since she's starting to really watch and interact with them.

Jason and I continue to be blessed with our sweet family. God is truly watching over us and keeping us safe. I am so thankful.

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A month gone by.

Exactly 1 month ago, I was in terrible, terrible pain. I had just had my water broken and contractions were coming every 45 seconds. As most mothers will tell you though, the pain is a distant memory. What are my most vivid memories? Seeing that beautiful face for the first time and hearing her squawk so loudly that it turned my sad and worried tears into tears of joy.

And now a month has passed. Our little girl has changed so much! Of course, her main activities are still sleeping, eating, and pooping, but she's added some new ones. She will now watch faces intently. She has started smiling at a select few. She will lay on the floor and watch herself in the mirror. Her physical features are changing as well. Gone is the 5lb 4oz little waif we brought home from the hospital. I'm not quite sure how much she weighs now, but I know it's enough to have an adorable double chin! Her legs and arms are starting to get sweet little rolls and fat dimples. Her cheeks are filling out. She is beautiful.

She is SO very loved. Last weekend, her brothers were here and fell completely head over heels in love with her. Anytime there was a little whimper or cry, there was a brother shortly to her side. They wanted to hold her, feed her, and just love on her. No one is volunteering to change her yet, but I'll work on that. :) At the end of the weekend, Jacob declared that she was a good addition to the family. Andrew could not stop saying how much he loved her. Precious!

We're working hard on her sleeping and eating patterns, mostly by letting her dictate exactly what she wants to do when! I figure, there's no point in trying to get her on a schedule at this point! She's predictable enough to take shopping and we've only had one major meltdown so far. Of course, do you blame her? It was at Walmart and the checker was EVER so slow and she was HUNGRY. Nope. Not her fault at all!

We've loved listening to her little noises, watching her little expressions, and just experiencing her little life. So far, she's proving herself to be opinionated, just as she was inside of the womb. It's hard to go back to the time when she wasn't a part of our family and it hasn't been that long yet! Amazing.

For now, we'll continue to love these three little lives that God has blessed us with. What more could I ask for?

It feels like a year!

Whew! I can't believe that our daughter is nearly 2 weeks old. The time seems to be flying by on some days, then other days, it seems like it's creeping along!

Olivia is doing wonderfully. She eats, sleeps, potties, and does all the things she's supposed to do like a champ. Jason and I can't seem to get enough of her! Her brothers keep asking about her, but because Andrew's had a weird sickness that he picked up at school, they haven't been able to come love on her. Hopefully the time of contagiousness will have passed and they can come spend time with her in the next week or so.

She doesn't go back to the pediatrician for another 3 weeks or so, but I'm pretty certain she's gaining weight like she should. She eats all the time, so I don't have any doubt that she is back up to her birth weight. I have to take her for her routine newborn screen on Friday, so I might stop in at the breastfeeding center at the hospital for a weight check. The lactation consultants are really sweet and said I could drop in at any time to see how she was doing!

Today was a big day for our sweet girl. She got to meet Hannah's mom! It was such a special time and I can't wait for her to get older so she can learn all about the amazing and strong little girl she is named for. Amanda brought Olivia the most special gift! In her very first hospitalization, Hannah received 2 stuffed animals from the gift shop. One had a heart that said "Hannah", the other said "Olivia". Our sweet Olivia is now the proud owner of that second stuffed animal. Stinkin' post partum hormones almost made me lose it. I am still constantly blown away by the love people have for our little girl.

I think the next week will continue to be low key. I got a glowing report at my 2 week up doctor visit. Considering how fast my c-section went, I am very thankful that all is healing as it should. I am still pretty uncomfortable at night, but I can see gradual improvements. YAY for that! With the change in the weather to beautiful cool temperatures, I need to start walking with Miss Olivia to continue the good recovery.

Thanks for checking in on us. Please keep Andrew in your prayers as he recovers from his sickness. We can't wait to all be together as a family!

Olivia's birth story

She's here! She blasted into this world completely different than ANYONE anticipated, but she is safe and loved. And let me tell you the story!

As I've said before, we were scheduled for induction on Wednesday night, starting at 7PM. All our bags were packed, Liberty was dropped off at Aunt Connie's, and we headed to the hospital. We checked in, met our sweet nurse April, and readied for the night of fun to begin. They put Olivia's heart rate and contractions on the fetal monitor, placed the induction medicine, signed a whole bunch of forms, and starting the sit in.

I started having mild contractions with some discomfort, but not too bad. Jason and I watched TV, ate dinner, and just hung out. Around midnight, they checked me and found that my cervix had thinned out a bit, but still was dilated to a 1-2. They put in more medicine, and we waited. About 2:30, the nurse came in to adjust the monitor (Olivia's a fan of sneaking off the monitors) and during this fun, Miss Olivia decided to drop her heart rate from its normal 130-140 to 80's. Not fun. I was immediately put on oxygen, given fluid boluses, and flipped from side to side until her heart rate normalized. It only took a few minutes and the nurse went to go call the doctor and let him know of the feistiness of our daughter, which I'm certain he already knew! I WAS thankful that I had just asked for some pain medicine which would have had to be given IV. The IV was already in when they needed to do fluid boluses. Our doctor decided at that point we should start the pitocin a few hours earlier than planned, at 5AM.

At 5, the pitocin was started and we continued to try and rest. Around 5:30, it was turned up a notch and this is where it really started to be fun. Olivia told us she did NOT appreciate this medication and her heart rate dropped again. I was again flipped from side to side and given oxygen and fluid boluses. They also turned the pitocin off. Olivia's heart rate returned to normal and the quiet and peaceful resting continued. At 7:30, my doctor came in to break my water. This is where it became un fun and horrid. My contractions went from 4 minutes apart and mild to every 45 seconds and exceptionally intense. They were to the point where I had tears running down my cheeks and told the nurse to get the anesthesiologist in there ASAP because I wasn't able to handle it after about 5 minutes.

It took about 20 minutes to summon the anesthesiologist. I got my epidural and let me tell you what a relief that was. I was suddenly able to go through a contraction without crying! They were still about 45 seconds apart, but at that point, I could handle just about anything! Unfortunately, Olivia could not. Her heart rate dipped again and the nurses decided to put a heart monitor on her scalp. It showed a heart rate back down to the 80's. My doctor was called and told to get back to the hospital. I got bags and bags of fluid and there were suddenly 4 nurses in the room, each focusing on a different part of me. My doctor walked in the room and said "C-section NOW".

Within about 5 minutes, Jason was handed scrubs and I was being wheeled off to the operating room. I was prepped lightening fast, especially since they checked her heart rate again in the OR and found it to be still in the 80's. My doctor started cutting me open and Jason was let into the room to sit by my head. After less than 5 minutes, our daughter was plucked from my womb, carried by my head, and given to the NICU nurses who had been called down to check her out. After 25 very VERY long seconds, we heard the most beautiful sound. Two small coughs and the LOUDEST screeching wail I have ever heard! The tears of fear that had been rolling down my face turned to tears of joy. Jason took lots of pictures of our beautiful girl and then had a grand time watching the doctor sew me back up! I'd told him that they take the uterus out of the body, place it on the abdomen, and sew it up. Now he got to see it!

After she was cleaned up a bit, the nurses brought Olivia over to me and let me kiss her and then she and Jason went to the nursery to be checked out. I was sewn up and taken to the recovery room. They brought her in to eat and the sweet girl knew just what to do. God made babies so smart! After about an hour, I was wheeled to my post partum room while Jason helped bathe Olivia in the nursery. Jason's dad, step mom, and two sweet boys met me in the room while we all waited for them to bring in Olivia. She was then held by her two brothers, which had been Jason and I's plan all along. I was so thankful that an emergency c-section had not ruined that part of our plan! They were completely enamored. I don't think Andrew wanted to give her up!

The rest of the hospital stay was uneventful. Olivia got to meet SO many family members. Jacob and Andrew ended coming back over on Saturday because they wanted to spend more time with their sister. So precious. We ended up going home on Sunday, even though our sweet girl had a touch of jaundice. Since then, we've had appointments every day this week, mostly to check up on her. We had to get more blood drawn today because her levels had gone up again. She doesn't show any signs of being sick. She eats well, potties on cue, and is an absolute joy to have in our house. Jason has been the most amazing dad. He's such a pro at the baby love, diapering, and general caring for the whims of a post partum mommy. My mom has been here the last four days helping get caught up on the shopping, laundry, cooking, and just general loving on the baby. I feel better every day and am loving all the time with our special little girl.

So much happened so fast on the day of her birth, but I thought I'd list a few things that we are so thankful for.
1. A very pro-active labor and delivery nurse who was vigilant in checking on our sweet girl.
2. The foresight of our L&D nurse to start my IV when she did so I could get fluid when Olivia's heart rate dropped.
3. The fact that I had my epidural when I went to the OR. If I had not had it, I would have had to be put completely under anesthesia.
4. The lactation consultants at Harris HEB who were so supportive and helpful.
5. All the family and friends who have either stopped by, called, or texted their support and willingness to help us anyway they can.

Olivia has changed our family already. Andrew called the other day and asked if she missed him. I love that. I've gone from just me to a family of 5 in less than three years. How blessed am I? I love my life!

Thanks to everyone who supports our family. It means more to us than you know.

I don't know where she gets it....

Oh Olivia. You are a sneaky and feisty girl. Your daddy and I love you so much already. I am so glad you have a spunky side. I know you will need this to keep up with your hilarious and ever active brothers. You are being born into a family that has both sides filled with craziness and spirit. I know, you just gotta keep up.

But, sweet girl, you've decided that you will come into this world in your own time and in your own way. We will let you. Why? Because we know that God has you in His perfect plan and it will happen exactly as He wants it to. Whether you wait to come when the doctor gives me medicine or you sneak out before that time, you are your own girl with a heavenly Father who loves you and knows the plans He already has for you.

So until that time, your daddy and I will continue to pray for your safe delivery. Your brothers will anxiously wait to hold you and love you.

You are so loved, wanted, and prayed for. You are a miracle that we are being blessed with. We can't wait.

So until that time when we meet you, either of your own accord or after we check into the hospital Wednesday night, please know that so many people are already loving you.

Love,

Your mommy

PS: Please try not to hurt mommy TOO much. :)

Same story, Second Verse

Another week has flown by! Another doctor's appointment down, another Olivia report ready to go!

I obviously haven't given birth yet! She is happily sitting in the right position and getting lower every week. So low in fact, that my OB did not want to induce this week because he believes she may have it in her to come on her own. She weighed in at 6lb, 4oz with a beautifully strong heartbeat of 144. She is poised and ready to go. I am contracting like crazy and remain completely addicted to crunchy cubed ice (the Sonic ice!) and goldfish. The current plan is to go back to the doctor on Tuesday, assess the dilation level, and that will determine what time we are induced on Wednesday. If I'm not dilated at all, we'll check in Wednesday night. If I am, we'll be in around noon. I can tell from the way my OB is talking that he really wants her to come naturally and that he thinks she still may.

Big prayer request follows: I am on daily blood thinner shots for my blood clotting disorders. The catch 22 is that most anesthesiologists won't do an epidural on someone who has had a shot within 18-24 hours. So, the best case scenerio would be for me to go into labor in the evening so we don't do my shot that night. This way, I'll have had the proper amount of time between shots. As it stands now, my last shot will be Monday night in preparation for the Wednesday induction. If it is any sooner than the recommended 18 hours, the anesthesiologist is going to put up a fuss which scares me. I know God has Olivia in His ultimate plan and her birth story has already been written. It will happen the way He has designed and I just need to continue having faith that she is in His protection. If I can't have an epidural because it won't be safe, then I'll make it.

Jacob and Andrew are coming over this weekend, right before school starts for them on Tuesday. I'm so excited to see them! I'm hoping that I don't look like too much of a wimp with all the contraction fun. I hope they don't get too bored since I am not moving around town too much! I don't think they will...they just love being over here, even when we do nothing! I finished their vacation memory books last week and am so looking forward to seeing their faces when they start looking through them. What great memories! I still can't believe I did all that walking at 30 weeks and continue to be blessed at the grace that was shown to me by having nearly no discomfort during the trip!

So up until the time when we are joined by a beautiful baby girl, Jason and I will be spending lots of time together with the boys as a family and being thankful for a healthy pregnancy. We'll hole up together, watch movies, eat goodies, and wait for the next step in our lives as a family. How exciting!

Olivia 1, Mommy 0

Let me just start by saying I am NOT a complainer. I pretty much go through life taking situations as they come and learning to handle them with God's help and the love and support of my friends and family. That being said, I am trying my very hardest to maintain this attitude during the last few days/weeks of my pregnancy. It is NOT easy. Compounded by the fact that the weather has been absolutely wretched, I don't feel fabulous. I am tired, sore, and generally miserable. When in nursing school and studying the effects of pregnancy on the female body, you read about how much stress and strain this growing life places on the mom. Elevated blood flow, exhaustion, inability to go more than 30 minutes without the bathroom, insomnia, etc. While I am doing my best to stay vertical and not in bed all day, Miss Olivia is growing beautifully and right on schedule. What a miracle that is! My husband told me this morning that I am a beautiful pregnant woman. This makes it all worthwhile.

At our appointment this week, she weighed a dainty 5lb, 14oz. We're thinking she'll be just under 6.5lbs at birth. I think she's going to be a long one since her daddy is tall, but we'll see. It feels like she's curled up pretty long inside me. Jason is guessing 18 inches. She's in the absolute perfect position to be born, her head facing down and right up against the exit door! So, the only thing we have to do at this time is wait. Since she had made some progress as to her positioning from last week, the doctor was hesitant to make any definite plans yet. I go in for another appointment on Tuesday and we'll make more decisions at that time, based both on what she's doing and what my body is doing in preparation for her arrival. Most likely, we'll schedule her to be induced either starting late Wednesday afternoon or early Thursday morning. My doctor would prefer to have her move things on her own, but there's just no telling what this little spitfire will decide.

Jason and I have been overwhelmingly blessed this past week by two baby showers thrown in Miss Olivia's honor. Saturday, Connie and Becca threw us the first. It was such a wonderful gathering of friends and family! I was thankful that Jason had brought the big SUV to cart all our stuff home in! It just barely fits in our little home. This little girl was blessed with so many amazing things...toys, clothes, necessities...you name it. It's very humbling. Just when I thought I had everything arranged and put away, I was thrown a surprise work shower on Monday! Wow! I left that shower almost in tears because of the kindness of others. I haven't completely figured out where all that stuff is going yet, but hopefully we'll still have room in the apt for Olivia! :)

I know as she gets older, she'll be told so many stories about the months of preparation and waiting for her arrival. No doubt one of the first will be the insane weather conditions we are having! We're on our 41st day of temperatures over 100. We will break the all-time record on Saturday which was set way back in 1980. What a summer to be in one's 3rd trimester...UGH!

Thank you for the continued support and love you show my family. Going from a single girl three years ago to a family of five in a matter of days has been a whirlwhind, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am so blessed.

And the days tick right on by...

Was I not just doing a post that started out with "I can't believe it's July?" For crying out loud, where did that month go? How have I finally reached the month where I'm going to give birth? Can my freak out officially begin now?

Wow. August. This is nuts. I am still in shock that the time has gone by so quickly, but it's nearly time. Our house tells me that she's almost here. Walking into the living room runs you into the swing, the bouncy seat, stroller, and car seat. Turning the corner into the bedroom sees her bed, piles upon piles of clothes, and other collections of baby gear. Even our closet is starting to overflow with the baby kingdom.

My body is absolutely telling me that she's almost here. I now waddle profusely, but I'm not really certain if it's just my hips loosening for labor or the fact that it feels better to do that so she stays off my sciatic nerve! I'm having daily contractions, some absolutely worse than others. I've had 2 nights when I though maybe it was the beginning of the end, but not quite yet. On her weekly sonogram yesterday, little bit weighed 5lb, 8 oz and all looked beautiful. I'm still not dilated or showing any signs that her arrival is imminent, but as all mommies know, this can change on a dime. The current plan is to let her come on her own, with a tentative induction date scheduled for the 17th or 18th. I would much rather not have this second option occur.

However and whenever Miss O decides to make her appearance, I think we're ready for her. My precious family and friends are having a shower for us on Saturday, so that will be tons of fun! Jacob and Andrew are excited as well. The plan is for them to be the first two (besides J and I obviously) to meet Olivia after she decides to appear. It's so important to cement our family as a group and I know this will be such a special time.

Please keep us in your prayers. I'm a pain-a-phobe and am not looking forward to that part of labor, although I know in the end, it will all be worth it. My sweet husband has been so wonderful already, and I know that he will be a great support and source of strength during that day. Pray for my doctor, the nurses, and everyone who will be in contact with our daughter both before and after she arrives.

Thank you for your continued prayers. They are so appreciated and welcomed. See you in a week!

Preparations

There's a lot of preparations in the Russell household this week! On Tuesday, we went and picked up two eager boys for a few days this week while I was off! We went to Target and did EPIC school supply shopping! WOWSERS does that stuff get expensive! I think the companies just lure you in with their pencils for a quarter and paper for less than that. What they don't tell you is amidst the cheapness, they've jacked up the prices of things that used to be a reasonable cost...like backpacks. Anyone bought a backpack lately? Seriously? $40 for a good quality one? Ridiculous!

After the marathon shopping spree, we were all pretty worn out! We came home and decided to red box it for the night. We watched Rango, ate yummy popcorn, and fell asleep almost as soon as the movie ended! One of the most precious things that happened before the movie time was the discovery of Olivia's bed and all the gear that has trickled into our house over the last 2 weeks. I found Andrew looking through it several times saying "It's So SMALL!" and "Is it time yet for her to come? I want to hold her!"

Wednesday, we stuffed ourselves with pancake and bacon yumminess and headed out to Olivia's weekly check up. The boys got to watch her dance around on sonogram. She, in true diva fashion, put her hand over her face as if to say "Please, no more pictures!" It was hilarious! After the appointment, we went bowling and then came back to the house to enjoy the air conditioning. I'm telling you, 28+days of 100 degrees or higher is not pleasant for anyone!

As far as Miss Olivia is concerned, she is growing wonderfully! This week, she weighs a whopping 5lb, 2oz and her length/head measure about 36 weeks. I am not dilated or effaced yet, so all the fun contracting that she's been doing hasn't led to any progress yet. Tis okay though, the girl has time to cook! :) The doctor is watching her closely because of my multitude of blood disorder fun, but she's taking it like a champ. I have no doubt that she'll come when she's good and ready. After nights like last night where she doesn't do anything but wrestle around and endure contractions all night, I'm hoping that's sooner rather than later, but we're really in no rush.

I am still in shock that Monday is the first day of August. Where does the time go? UGH! The reality of our growing family is upon me and I can't WAIT to meet Olivia, but I'm also hesitant...if that makes sense :)

Guess I should get on with my day...the next few are busy ones! Thanks for praying for my family!