Week 41 with better pics

These are taken from ma's phone the week prior to Finley's arrival.  The porch shots are just hours before she was born!  Avery accesorizes with a frisbee on her head and Tate has a great photo bomb.

Week 41

Let's begin Finley's story with my forty-first week of pregnancy.  This was the first time that I had a false alarm that labor was coming very soon, and I had 3 false alarms!  The first was when I was leaking fluid a couple weeks before the due date and was advised by my doctor to go to the hospital to see if it was amniotic fluid.  Labor with Avery began this way- there was a tear in the sac and I was leaking amniotic fluid, and labor came that night, which was one day before her due date.  I was praying that with Finley, this was just some random fluid because I felt it was too soon for her to be born.  I think by then we had bought the van (remember how our Expedition broke down and we didn't have a car that could hold a family of 6?), but I just didn't feel mentally prepared for labor yet.  The second false alarm was just an evening of contractions a week before her due date on a Saturday night.  But it gave me enough alarm, that when I told my mom about it, she decided to come to town the following Monday so that she would be there to watch the kids when real labor came.  Little did we know that Finley would not really be coming for an entire week.  But having mom here during the last week was a big life saver since I was grumpy and uncomfortable and anxious about labor.  She helped get us up and out doing activities to keep busy for my mental sanity and the kids' as well!

The Friday night that mom was here (so 3 days before Finley was born) was the third false alarm.  Mom was watching the kids while Eric and I watched Mission Impossible 5 in the movie theatre.  It was a really good movie, but by the end I was contracting and so hot and uncomfortable that Eric and I decided to leave (at the final scene!) to go home and time these contractions.  As soon as I layed down at home they let up. 

Some of the fun we had during mom's visit included going to the University of Montana campus.  We checked out the book store and walked a lot in an effort to get Finley out =).  We also made a couple visits to an big annual consignment sale at a local church.  We found some cool dress-up outfits for Avery and some trains with tracks for Henry.  Tate bought some K'nex.  I told him not to show Eric, who especially hates toys with small pieces, but Tate couldn't resist showing off his cool new toy.  Finally, we visited the local fair, and the kids loved the kid sand area.  It was hot, but we ended up getting to participate for free during the free hours they offer.  Anyway, it was fun, and a big thank you to mom for helping me with that final tough week!!

Signs You May Be Pregnant (aside from the usual)

1.  Well, this first sign of pregnancy is quite common.  First, I dreamed that the toilet disappeared.  And I swear I had just been in the bathroom and seen it!  Then, I dreamed that my tree house (where I resided for some reason) was being overtaken by aggressive chimpanzees.  That second dream isn't too hard to interpret.  I definitely do feel, as Jim Gaffigan puts it, that having baby number 4 is like drowning and then, somebody hands you a baby.  Although, this pregnancy has been filled with a move and the big rig breaking down, which we still have no solution to.  Baby is due in 2 weeks and my shopping list includes:
 ---nursing pads
 ---a carseat
 ---a car which fits all 6 of us family members
None of the previous pregnancies have included a list like that at this point in time.  But, for some reason (heaven's help?!), I'm not in a big rushing stress about the car.  We'll find something on Craig's List soon.

2.  This morning I poured Henry and I each a delicious cup of BUTTERMILK and mixed in some nice Instant Breakfast.  After I spit out a big swig, I rechecked my milk for the due date, only to realize that it wasn't milk at all.  That one could be chalked up to pregnancy brain, or just needed to put my glasses on before heading to the kitchen in the morning.

Recently, I have been finding humor in Henry's sleeping arrangements and insistence on fancifull wears, like his favorite homemade head wrap, and refusal to take off his mermaid hands-merMAN!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ember!

Amidst the travelling, we went to Kennewick to celebrate Ember's 2nd Birthday.  She is adorable.  There's also a shot of Henry in the car that makes me laugh.  He was so afraid of the car wash and Avery held his hand the whole time (and I held Avery's hand).

Fourth of July Weekend

So some friends from WA, the McMann's, came to visit their Uncles this weekend and stayed with us.  The kids LOVED having other kids to play with for a change =)  We tried out the local water park, which was awesome.  The burn on my back is not so awesome.  

Saturday, the 4th, we did sparklers.  My kids didn't really get the point.  Avery only did it to get a popsicle when done.  Tate was bothered by the smoke, and Henry didn't want to try.  But those McMann's knew what to do!  

Sunday night we went to Mary's family's property on the mountain.  We thought it was vacant, but her uncle ended up being there and we gave him a good scare by barging into the house.  Ha!

Today we are recovering with much "quiet time" and hopefully somebody will nap!

What a Day

Last Friday, just before our friends were to arrive for the weekend, we had quite a day.  First we ran errands and visited Eric's office.  In honor of the upcoming Fourth of July, the kids were given some cupcakes by the secretary.  They ate them in the car and when I turned around, I got an awesome view of the kids' faces.  That was some strong dye in the frosting!  They used all the wipes I had left trying to clean up.

We were on our last errand-Costco for gas and pictures, when I heard a popping sound in the car engine and it started loudly struggling.  We had to call a tow.  I was so hot and we were hungry anyway, so we enjoyed some lunch in Costco, which was super busy.  A nice couple shared their table with us and were very kind.  Before I called the tow, another nice older man came over to see if we needed help.  He recommended a nearby dealership to call for the tow and to work on the car.  Thank you so much stranger! The kids and I were tired and hungry and hot and I didn't know who to call, so he was a real lifesaver.

The kids were excited to ride in the tow truck.  It's Monday and I'm still waiting to hear a diagnosis, although we suspect a spark plug blew.  Also, our AC isn't working well, so Henry spends a lot of time wearing nothing but a diaper.  He's getting so huge.

The Big Day

Okay, so the big moving day was planned to happen the Saturday we returned from the Oregon Coast.  However, there was a hiccup in the paperwork, and we were told on Friday that the closing date was moved, but we didn't know until when.  So, we cancelled plans, visited Ember for her birthday (next post), and headed back to LaGrande, weary, but excited to see Lori's new baby Harper.  

As we rounded a corner and were nearly there, a cop pulled me over for speeding.  It was a low blow as he was in a speeding trap and I was pretty upset.  So I showed up bawling to the Hibberts who were all waiting for us to arrive to meet the baby.  Oh boy.  Anyway, after holding that adorable little baby girl, I felt better and moved on.

So, we found out Monday that we could close on Wednesday.  We traveled to Montana to sign on our new home and lived there without furniture until it arrived that Saturday.  We ate on the floor and had some dance parties to pass the time.  We also ate out a lot.  Fuddruckers in my new favorite.  The first weekend, mom and dad brought up the U-Haul and helped a ton. Thank you!  The next weekend, Eric's parents came and helped us with projects around the place.  Thank you!  This past weekend, we had some family friends (with 5 kids!) come stay.  More on that later.  And this upcoming weekend, mom and Bre and her kids are coming.  Fun times!  I love having people visit, since our only friends we made so far have left town for 3 weeks. 
The picture of Henry on the church pew is to document how for our first two Sunday here, he fell asleep on the way to church and slept through Sacrament meeting!  It was awesome.  This past Sunday was the first time we had to keep him entertained for that first hour.  
Another crazy thing is that while we had some "homeless" time between homes closing, my parents and Tyler have been in the same situation.  Tyler's car also broke down when ours did, and his AC is having trouble in the heat wave at their new place, too!