Baby Drew is here and already 4 weeks!

My life has been crazy~in a good way! 4 weeks has absolutely flown by. I surprised myself and adjusted immediately. I wasn't sure how having a newborn would be with my youngest practically 5 years old but I guess parenthood is like riding a bike...you never forget. I really enjoy it, more than I thought I would. I think I am treasuring every moment because I know he is my last. This is really my last baby and it is somewhat bittersweet. He was wanted for years and he is finally here after a horrible pregnancy. I feel very fortunate to have made it 38 weeks and to hold him in my arms when I know not everyone gets that dream fulfilled. Drew fits right into our family. I am so in love with my little guy. He is a really good baby. He came into this world on August 16th at 3:35pm and was 7lbs 14 ounces!! Labor wasn't all that bad because I got the epidural. I was in so much pain already at 3cm and I hit 6cm fast and furiously. Delivery was a great experience. The Dr. was so busy delivering other babies that a midwife delivered him and we did delayed cord clamping...something I had researched and really wanted. We got to bond with Drew for a long time before they took him away to do anything. It was very special and am so happy I was able to experience it. I am pretty sure he is already over 10lbs now, he eats like a champ. He is going to follow suit and become super chubby like the other kids at a few months old. The kids absolutely adore him and are very helpful.

I will try and blog more but between the family business and having 4 children (still sounds crazy to me!) I have little time for myself. I am pretty much non stop from morning til night but in a weird way I love it! Interesting little fact: All of my children were born on a Thursday afternoon. I just think that is neat. Makayla and Drew were born within minutes of each other.

Still pregnant!

Well I have had a ton of contractions but so far no arrival. 31 days or less and I can not wait. I am all belly and he is killing me with his kicks and movements. I have a beach ball inside of me and let me tell you it is not comfortable! Brendan's addition is nearly complete. The wood floors were just finished so we can't go in the area for a few days. Minor details are left and then he can actually use it!!!! This project started back in October so I am very excited to get my house back. I can't wait for him to pick out everything for his new room. I am ready to get his therapy room together and not have contractors at my house at 7am. Should be perfect timing for the arrival of this little one. Brendan is doing awesome lately. He is growing up by the week it seems. His sentence structure and thought process for what he says is constantly improving. The summer is flying by and between opening the business and being super pregnant I haven't had time to enjoy it. I love the Fall anyway so I am looking forward to some cool weather and lots of walks with the kids. Can't wait to post pictures of the completed addition and our new bundle of joy.

Contractions Contractions Contractions

Like clockwork I had contractions last night. I just turned 34 weeks on Sunday. I delivered Brendan at 33 weeks and had preterm contractions with Makayla at 33 and 34 weeks. I got a bit nervous. I have been so uncomfortable and keep saying I hope he comes a little early but 34 weeks is a bit too early. I don't want a NICU baby. I want a healthy baby that comes home with me. They lasted from 2:30am-7:30am and were 6 min apart for the last hour which almost had me going to the hospital but somehow I ended up falling asleep and they slowed and stopped. Not sure if they will stay away or not but every day counts. If it happens again and they don't stop within an hour I have to go in to get checked out. I guess those weekly shots I have endured since week 16 aren't going to work for me. BOO

Life has been BUSY! Update on life

I have been beyond busy lately. Opening your own business 8 months pregnant has been a challenge but we are doing it! We work 7 days a week right now but things are going well. I think we had the right idea for our area. Word is spreading and we have had a lot of business. We haven't spent any money on advertising yet but between facebook, craigslist, drive-by's, and word of mouth we have been doing alright! I am already 33 weeks pregnant! This has been a very difficult pregnancy. It hasn't gotten any easier let me tell you. He is already 5lbs and kicking my butt. My stomach is the biggest it has ever gotten with any pregnancy which scares me because I still have 7 weeks to go. He is very active and likes his space. I am hoping he comes a little early because I am so uncomfortable. I can't bend over, I can't walk for very long, I can't stand for very long....the complaints go on and on :). It will be all worth it. I can't wait to meet him. My sister had her baby boy 4 weeks early so he has already arrived. I was holding him and just can't imagine that baby fitting inside of me but he is only 6lbs 3 ounces so it would be possible. Brendan's addition is ALMOST finished!!! I can't wait. His bathroom is just about done. The plumbers and electricians are supposed to come tomorrow and finish up and then the hard wood floors have to be finished and all that will be left are final details. He is so excited to sleep in his new bedroom. His custom made vanity was just installed this past weekend. I will take some new pictures soon. It all looks amazing and I can't wait for him to settle in. His equipment I ordered also came in on Friday. He loves his dynamic stander and wheels to go get the mail everyday. We also have a new kaye bench and wheelchair desk. The lift in the garage was also installed recently but we haven't used it much because his temporary bedroom doesn't allow him to fit through the door into that room yet. It is all coming together and has been a very long process but will be so worth it. I will have to post videos and pictures soon!

Tiverton Tots is open

WE officially opened our consignment store. My husband worked very hard and got the store ready to open in 8 days....which included a lot of painting, putting up all the clothes hangers, painting a floor, putting down carpet, and putting together our counter. He rocked it. I stayed busy doing inventory. We have been open for 3 days and have sold items every single day. More than expected actually. We haven't really advertised yet besides craigslist and facebook and so far those seem to just bring in the consignors. Almost all sales have been from drive-by's. It is exhausting but I am enjoying it. My husband is home a lot more with us which is really nice. He is non stop lately and just cleared out the room for the baby and set up the crib. We still need to paint it but everything is ready in case he makes an early arrival. We have been so busy with the shop that I haven't had time to think about it. I realized I am 27 weeks and we should start preparing. So far all is going well. I still get weekly injections to prevent preterm labor. I have had 11 so far and I don't enjoy them but they aren't nearly as bad as I had feared. I am feeling uncomfortable and have every symptom in the book but am chugging along. Time is flying by and being so busy is helping. I am not sure I am ready for #4 or to carry a carseat everywhere I go or to stop what I am doing and breastfeed every 3 hours but soon enough that will be part of my life again. I am sure I will adjust quickly. I can't wait to see what Drew looks like and how he will fit into our amazing little family. The kids really enjoy my belly and my youngest saw my belly move and felt a kick for her first time yesterday. She thought it was pretty neat.

Botox Tuesday ~ Vision function ~ My thoughts

Brendan has Botox injections in his legs and right arm on Tuesday. The sad part is it doesn't even phase me anymore. He has been through so much that Botox is nothing anymore. I will be worried that day since he does get put under and I know something can always go wrong but I don't stress for weeks beforehand anymore. I don't dwell on it. It is just something that has to be done and we will get through it. I know he will throw up afterwards and most likely in the van like every other time :). I will have a bucket ready and I know he will actually tell me he has to throw up now and there is an 80% chance he will get it in the bucket!! I am so thankful for the fact that Brendan hasn't had to have Botox since October 2010!!! Thanks to PERCS he has been doing great and hasn't needed it. He is getting a little tight and we are doing it basically for 'maintanence'. He is still doing great and walks flat footed with his left but has resumed some toeing with his right. I still believe PERCS was the most productive surgery he has ever had and has given him the best advantage to overcome his tone. He actually has leg muscles in BOTH calves. He is able to pedal his bike on his own for long distances and use his muscles more when he walks. I honestly NEVER thought I would see a calf muscle on this child and he has them! I will try and take a picture...they are so small but when I first noticed one on his left leg I actually thought something was wrong and he had a swollen leg. All the sudden I realized.... OMG THIS IS A MUSCLE!!! I couldn't believe it. He is turning 10 this year and I can't believe it. One on hand I think where has the past 10 years gone and on the other hand I think of how much we have been through together over the past 10 years and wonder how I have gotten through it all. He is doing so well and has come so far and I am so thankful. He is such an amazing little boy and I always say that but it is true. He doesn't care that he has a disability or that he has to use a wheelchair. He doesn't care that his sisters can get up and run around. He is okay with who he is and that makes life so much easier. He could barely speak at 5 years old and now he is talking with complete sentences and using more vocabulary every day. Bren had a vision anaylsis done at school again. As a reminder he has cortical visual impairment which basically means his brain damage causes his brain to not perceive images like it should. He was basically blind as an infant and on a scale of 1-10 for CVI he was at a 1. Today he is at a 9/10!!! Isn't that amazing?! This proves the brain is always repairing itself and he is STILL progressing. The specialist saw major improvements since she evaluated him 2 years ago. She seemed surprised he is functionally at such a high level. He still has some issues with his right peripheral vision so I need to find out what is causing that because she didn't seem to think it was CVI related. The worry never ends, the appointments never end, the therapies never stop, but over time the anxiety lessens, the saddness fades, and the acceptance of it all sets in. This is my life. I have a disabled child. I have a handicap accessible vehicle. I had to renovate my house for my child to be able to live independantly in and I have 100 more things to do than most parents but I can do it all and I do. I continue to live my life and fulfill my dreams and raise my children to the best that I can. I can look back and see how much we have all overcome and feel proud of everything we have gotten through together. There is still more to come and some of it I am not ready for but at least I know I will make it through this difficult journey in life and my son will be there right by my side with an amazing attitude about his life.

We have the keys! Brendan emailed ICarly

The store is offically ours! We started painting today. We are going to paint the wood floors....very old wood floors....and put carpet in half of the store. We are painting the ceiling and walls and then will hang the clothing rods. I can't wait to start setting up and see the huge transformation. The store was a WRECK before we rented it. Brendan has been asking to email ICarly for a few days now so I looked up an address for him tonight so he could email her. I hope he gets a response. He absolutely loves that show. He doesn't really watch much television, never has but will watch this show daily. He begs his sisters to constantly watch ICarly in the van. Thank you for the support on our crazy adventure. We hope to open as soon as possible....I get tired easily so my husband has a lot of work to do but I tried helping today as much as I could. I ran to the store for him a few times and brought him coffee :). I painted some trim but moving and bending with this ginormous belly is far from easy. Thank goodness I have an amazing husband who tells me to go home and rest.