3 tipped the scale....

It is true.....

Everything anyone with 3 children has said........ it's true.

Somehow between child #2 and #3 life has become impossible to keep up with.  It is funny how where you are at seems so crazy and difficult, then you add another child and you look back and think... 'man that was easy, what was I thinking?'

Ben is a joy and we love him to bits!  This is merely a post about how to survive and manage 3 children.

I have been thinking back to when I had just the girls :)  More often then not my home was tidy and clean, laundry was caught up, we had time to do activities and outings together and dinners were homemade (and not leftovers) 4 or 5 days out of 7.  Occasionally things would get crazy and the scale would tip putting me behind on all the regular upkeep (cleaning, laundry, cooking) but I would be able to catch up.

NOT ANYMORE!!!!!!

How much laundry can one extra baby make?????  I used to do laundry every 5 days and be able to finish it all in one day.  Now I need to do a load everyday if I want to keep up... really it ends up getting done when someone is desperate for underwear or pj's and the loads stay unfolded and laying on my couch all week.  Rarely is there a day when laundry is not on the couch!  As for ironing? YA RIGHT!!!!  I pretty much haven't ironed clothes since the pre-baby days.  Ian is used to wearing wrinkled shirts now :)

Clean house, you ask?  Impossible!  Again it comes down to desperate need or visitors coming.  The bathrooms get cleaned when the toilet bowl starts growing something nasty, the vacuum comes out when I find spiderwebs, and a mop????  What is that?  For real... the untidyness of toys and clutter is the least of my worries... now my house is always dirty :/

Cooking??????  Hmmmmm, how many times can I throw chicken fingers and french fries in the oven???? or perogies.... or some other quick breakfast food for dinner.  Then there is take out.  I probably only cook a nice fresh dinner 2 days a week now, but it sure feels like an accomplishment.  The other day I made from scratch honey garlic chicken with a raspberry/cheese/spinach salad and homemade vinegrette.  Ian literally asked if I had been replaced by an alien!!!!!!  True story.  It was oh so yummy though :)

Now we come to the matter of outings and activities for the kids..... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!  I'm sorry girls... this is the area that was affected most.  I rarely go anywhere with 3 children in tow.  The playground yesterday was all I could handle and that was a BIG deal!  We don't have play dates, it is rare that we do any sort of craft or messy activity and we don't have adventures!  No more swimming, playing with playdoh, shopping, traveling to parks out of walking distance, fun zone or spray park (we do get out and do these things when I have another adult, but not usually on my own).  It is tragically devastating... but I just can't handle it..... mostly because there are so many other more important things to do like feeding and clothing my children which is an all day task!

As for my love of crafting and sewing... it has been so far down the list of things to do.  I packed up my sewing machine at Christmas and took it with me to Edmonton to work on a project.  It was still in that same box until last weekend when I finally got to take it out and make felt crowns with the girls.  8 months of no sewing!!!  That is not cool ;)

I hope this post hasn't scared you away from having precious #3 but hopefully made you aware of how truly crazy it will get.  Of course as baby gets older things will fall back into place and I will be able to balance that scale again.  I already see things starting to catch up a bit, and with school just another week away it will help me to get back on track!

I sure love my kiddos.... they are more important to me than a clean house.... I just really like a clean house :)

and hopefully the girls won't remember this really boring summer where I told them to 'just play with your toys' everyday!

I have heard word from the 4+ Mama's that it doesn't seem to get any worse!  So if you can survive #3 with your sanity then you should be able to pop out as many babies as you like with little more disruption :)

Day in the life....

I've been meaning to do this photo project for far too long....  it finally happened today.

This is a typical day around our house..... and yes it is MESSY!  I am not as tidy as people think ;)

7:30am breakfast

 play with baby

feed baby

make lunch

8:30am off to school

baby nap

look at but don't do dishes ;)

Quinn plays ipad while I shower

cranky baby

11:30am dancing

12:30 groceries by myself - Ian home with kids

2:30pm post nap snuggles

3:30 Hailey home from school and going through backpack

4:30pm outfit change

5:30pm girls home from swimming with mid-term reports

6:30 fun with baby after dinner

 7:30pm bath and bed

sigh... I'm tired just reviewing it.  Time for me to jet to bed!

Touch

I don't like to be touched!  

Sad, I know. I'm sure it stemmed from being the fourth baby in 5 yrs.  I am told my 3 big sisters had the mumps when I was born so I was sequestered alone in my room to keep me healthy. Don't get me wrong I wasn't neglected or starved... Just not carried around a lot. 

It never bothered me. I liked to be alone, and still do if I ever get the chance. Of course this is rare... Especially now with a newborn. 

Turns out newborns are super needy and require a lot of touching ;) ... Feeding, burping, changing, bathing. I'm feeling super smothered right now.  I felt the same way with all my babies. 

Luckily the baby stage is short lived. I love my sweet boy and in a way am already mourning that he is growing but I am more grateful to see the boy and man he will become. 

Sweet Boy!

Benjamin was due today!  Thank heaven I am not still pregnant. This is my third baby who hasn't reached their due date. Ive come to expect that my Dr imposed dates are always wrong which is why I knew he would be early. I just have small babies!

Ben has been such a good baby. It has been a blessing. We haven't encountered any tummy problems or allergies (yet). He only cries when he is hungry and needs to eat  

Ben is sleeping 3-4 hr chunks at a time, which could be worse and I am thankful it isn't. 

I am feeling really great (just tired). My body seemed to bounce back quickly this time and I'm looking forward to hitting the gym in a couple weeks. 

I have yet to leave the house with all three children but I will get there. The move to number 3 has been much easier than it was to two. The girls play so nicely and are independent. I can nap fairly easily during the day. 

Ian and I are loving the baby snuggles and the excitement of having a son. We have been so blessed and are truly grateful. 

A birth story...

Benjamin Ian Isackson was born on January 6, 2015 at 11:24 pm weighing 7lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long (my heaviest and shortest baby of the three).

We adore him!

Some of you have already heard about the crazy whirlwind of that Tuesday night almost 2 weeks ago...

I had been having a ridiculous amount of braxton hicks since I was 22 weeks along in this pregnancy.  I knew this baby would be early, just like my last..... to all you doubters who kept telling me he was going to be way overdue... I hated you and I am glad you were WRONG ;)  I had however been hoping for just a few days earlier than it did happen, simply for convenience as Ian and Hailey needed to go back to Lloydminster for work and school on January 5th.

My first two babies were born at the Lloydminster Hospital in Saskatchewan.  Neither were great experiences and I vowed I wouldn't deliver there again.  This time around I was blessed to find a midwife in Edmonton who was willing to take me on long distance (there are no midwives who serve the Lloydminster area and I had been rejected by 4 other midwifery companies due to distance from Edmonton).  I had to travel into the city for all appointments and had to deliver in Edmonton.  We planned to visit my parents for the Christmas holidays and just stay there until baby came.  Most of my family was also visiting for the holidays and also 'waiting' for baby to come before they went home to Vancouver.

I had an appointment with my midwife the morning of January 6th but felt like baby had indeed decided to stay in there forever ;)  There were no other signs that delivery was very shortly to occur.  That night at 7pm the contractions changed and I remembered instantly what the 'real thing' felt like.  I Skype'd with Ian right away and told him these were different and that I thought it was maybe 'time'.  I told him I would lie down and time the contractions for an hour then let him know if he should travel to Edmonton with Hailey.  The entire hour the contractions were 7 min apart.  I called Ian and told him to come and spoke with my midwife who suggested having a bath to see if things slowed down. 

I got in the tub at my parents house and the contractions quickly became 5 min apart.  I was in the tub for maybe 45 min and had already reached the crying stage.  They were 3 min apart and I couldn't cope on my own anymore.  My sisters and parents helped me get ready and in the van to head to the birth center.  Ian was still driving and I think at Vegreville at this point.  My Dad and Mom drove me to the birth center where my midwife was already filling the tub.  My Mom stayed in for support and Dad went to the waiting room.

I climbed in the tub and must admit I was a little disappointed that I felt no relief in the warm water... I think I was too far along already.

Right away I felt like I needed to push.  Ian had still not arrived.....  I couldn't hold off though.... it hurt SO BAD!!!!!  I totally forgot.... curse that forgetfulness.  I must remember this time how bad it hurt..... JENNIFER DON'T FORGET HOW INCREDIBLE PAINFUL CHILDBIRTH IS ;)

I pushed and baby's head was out.  I hear my Dad in the hallway saying 'JUST  GO IN' as Ian had FINALLY arrived at the birth center in Edmonton with Hailey at 11:21pm.  Grandpa took Hailey to the waiting room and Grandma left Ian and I alone.  I waited for the next contraction and little Benjamin was caught by my midwife and handed to me underwater.  I pulled him up to my chest and sat back in the tub with my sweet, sweet boy to love.  Tears come to my eyes as I remember that special moment... with no Dr, telling me what I had to do... no nurses massaging my uterus, no feet up in stirups for the world to see with an iv in my arm and monitors on my stomach.  It was exactly how babies were meant to enter the world... in a calm, peaceful and encouraging environment.  Quiet with the lights dim.  It was truly a beautiful thing.  I hope that is something I never forget!

I was able to relax in the water.... Ian cut the cord after it stopped pulsing and held his son on his bare chest as I delivered the placenta and recovered.  Benjamin was perfect.  He didn't even cry, just lay on my chest in the warm water.

It was a beautiful thing.... we feel so blessed and grateful for a healthy son, for loving family who took over when Ian was unable to be there.... for the blessing that he did indeed see the birth of his son.  Our hearts are full and Ben has filled a space in our family that feels like he was always meant to be there...

We stayed at the birth center a few hours.  Hailey was able to hold her baby brother before Grandma and Grandpa took her home.  We had a wonderful meal brought for us of waffles, bacon, eggs and fruit.  We arrived back at my parents house at 2:30 am the same night.  My sisters were able to see their new nephew before returning to Vancouver the next morning.

What an adventure :) Just the beginning of many more to come!

Yup still there...

I guess 4 months of constant contractions isn't enough to make baby come out early... Who knew!

He is still in there.... Don't ask!