Baby Carter Slide show

I finally got this put together. Enjoy.

Newest Family picture

Baby Story

Okay, I know it is a little late, but I have been crazy mom, trying to be the mom of four (Who signed me up for this anyway? =). As it turned out, Carter James Thomson decided he wanted to be around for the joint birthday party, so I went into labor early Saturday morning, and spent part of my labor (after the epidural) rescheduling the birthday party. Carter was born Feb. 5, 2011 at 12:55 pm. He was 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. The first thing he did (before he even cried) was pee on the nurse. We had a bit of a hard time getting him to cry, and his skin had a bluish tint to it until he was under the heat lamp for a few minutes. He is definately an Arizona baby if he gets cold that easy. After a little while he was the right color and crying just fine. We left the hospital the next day, everything looking normal. I was very lucky to have a mother in law "on call", and she showed up to help (from Utah) before I got home from the hospital. She stayed for a week, doing everything she could to help. It was wonderful having her here. I don't know what I would have done without her. Two days after she left, my parents came to help for a few weeks. They also helped with the cooking, cleaning, laundry, watching the kids while I slept, etc., and I was sad to see them go. Since then, I have been doing well, but still wonder how I am going to get everything done. Some days are better than others. As Carter gets older, it is easier to get things done because he doesn't feel the need to be held all the time, but he wants to be held now, so I am finished for now. Pictures will follow soon (I hope).

The waiting game

I hate this part of pregnancy. Not only am I huge and unwieldy, but I can't stop thinking about having this baby. I had an ultrasound today which showed the baby at 8 lbs. 10 oz. I don't want to think about delivering a bigger baby, but I need to wait for a few more days (until Sunday). Jay and Leslie have a joint friend birthday party Saturday afternoon and James is doing an extra shift Saturday night, so the earliest I want to go into labor is Sunday afternoon/evening. It is a good thing it is only a few days away, or I might go crazy with the anticipation. I have my next appointment on Tuesday, and if I make it that long, I will post what the plan is. I am sure the doctor is going to want to induce me, or do a c-section, but I will let you know. Otherwise you will get pictures and a birth story.

Merry Christmas

We are finally back from Utah, and getting settled back in. The kids were very excited that they had more presents to open, and a little impatient for dad to get home from work so they could open them. Jay kept going around the tree identifying who each present was for. By the time we sat down to open them, Jay already had a pile of presents all addressed to him, ready to open. It was a great sucess. Santa brought the girls a bounce house with a ball pit and slide that barely fits into our front room, and Jay got a 20' bike. They are all thrilled, and I am happy to be finished with Christmas for another year. Now I have 10 days to get ready for Ashley's birthday, and then I am off the hook for a few weeks. I am planning to book a joint birthday party for Jay and Leslie a few weeks before the baby is due, so that Leslie doesn't feel gyped when I am in no condition to throw her a big party. I am hoping the baby doesn't decide to come before/during the party.

Leslie has decided that she doesn't like having her own room, so she has moved back in with Ashley, and that leaves us an empty bedroom. We are thinking about turning it into an office/spare room, but that will have to wait until James has the time/energy to move everything around. Jay wants to move his bed in with the girls because he doesn't like sleeping alone, but we told him he was too old to be sleeping in the same room with girls, and now he wants the baby in his room. We will see if he changes his mind in March.
I am going to try to keep up on news, but I'm not making any promises.

It has been so long since my last post, I almost forgot how to create a new post. Thank goodness for user friendly websites. We have been in Mesa for a year now. I can't believe how fast it has gone. I have been busy being a mom and trying to keep the house clean. I have decided that the whole house will never be clean all at the same time like it used to be, and I just have to get used to it. Jay and Leslie will help me if I push the issue, and they have had the job of picking up toys, and Jay has started helping me clean the kitchen. Soon I will teach him to vaccuum. I am sure he will love that. I have been working on a slideshow that hopefully will show up soon. Again, it is a matter of putting things together the way I want them, and getting them that way onto the post. Sounds easy, but I am a slow learner.
James has had a very busy, but very productive first year, and is now excited to be a big, bad second year. Actually he is a little apprehensive, since some of his safety net is disappearing. He will now be in charge of making sure the new first years don't make too many serious mistakes.
Jay (6) just finished kindergarten, and is looking forward to first grade. He is reading well, adding, subtracting, grouping, and everything else in math that he is supposed to do. He also has some good friends that like to come over and play. He likes to swim, ride his bike, play with friends, play video games (any will do), and teach his sisters new things. He is very patient with them, and loves showing them what he can do.
Leslie(3)is as cute as ever, when she smiles. We are still working on talking instead of tantrums, but that is coming right along. Leslie doesn't think it is fair that Ashley can whine and cry when she wants something, but I make her talk instead of whining. She has started putting her face in the water at the pool, so I am hoping she will be more amiable to swimming. She seems to do better with someone other than me helping her. I will be enrolling her in swim lessons starting in July after we get back from Utah.
Ashley 17 months)is doing everything she thinks a big girl should do. Once she decides to do something, she works and works until she has it right. For awhile it was stairs (going down forward instead of backward). THAT scared me to death for a few weeks. Especially the day she tried to push her doll stroller down the stairs. I was folding laundry in my bedroom and she was playing in the playroom. I heard her grunting and panting, so I stepped to my bedroom door to find her three steps down and not holding onto anything except the stroller. I watched her go down one step, and it was too much for my nerves. I picked her up and carried them both to the bottom. She was a little put out. Lately she has been working on swimming. She is fearless when it comes to water, and it doesn't bother her when her head goes under, so I have to stay pretty close, or she will step off of the platform, or walk too deep, or jump off the edge. I have started putting water wings on her, and she is learning to kick around the pool in them, but she still finds it funny to flip on her back. She will also be starting swimming lessons, purely for my sanity and peace of mind.
That is all for now, I am going to return to my slideshow and see if I can figure out how to get it onto the post. Wish me luck!!!!