Big boy!!!

Aaron had his 2 month check up today, and he tipped the scales (in terms of OUR babies!) at 12 lb 14 ounces (50th percentile), and 24 inches (75th percentile). Poor little guy had to get 3 shots...and was NOT a happy kid afterwards

....so mommy had a frosty to make it all better :)

Other than getting poked, Aaron is doing great, and is giving his tired mom a whopping SIX hours of sleep at night, WOO HOO!!!! It's so funny with the third child, the first night he slept for 6 hours, I didn't even flinch. If it had been Emily...or even Addison at that age, I probably would have been in their room with a mirror under their noses to see if they were still alive.

...ok, so maybe I DID do that once...or twice.

But enough about my OCD issues, the kids are great. What an amazing and blessed summer we have had! Emily and Addison still LOVE little brother and are not ready to give him away yet. We spent a week at Rock a bye Nana's house (my mom) while Brian went out of town to Boston, returned last Saturday, and the girls started their new preschool this week!

Emily barely gave me a wave goodbye on the first day...Addison, on the other hand, had a bit more to say about it. I got to be one of those parents whose kid screamed so loud that you would have thought she was being drawn and quartered instead of just going to preschool!

Check out some of the recent highlights!

We've been busy, obviously, this summer.

At Rock a bye Nana's house, mesmerized by a butterfly



First day of preschool, new lunch bags in hand




sister love



I promise, it wasn't me



At the McKenna Children's Museum with Peyton and Abby



You just don't know how hard it is to be me



me and the girls


Playing with Oobleck

Sweet mealtime prayer

From Addison at lunch last week...

"Dear Desus, da doo for Emmy, mama, daddy, sita, ewin, n toes...AAAAmen"

Translation: Dear Jesus, thank you for Emily, mama, daddy, sister, Aaron, and toes (yes...the ones on your feet)...AAAAmen.

I love those days...:)

Quick posting of pics!

Just wanted to post some recent pics real quick. Yes...we have been a little busy, I'm not as good as some of our friends about keeping up lately with stories! Trying.to.sleep. :) Aaron is growing like a weed, literally. He weighed in at 11 lb, 9 oz last week at 6 weeks old!...well, that's HUGE for our kids! He is a fussy boy in the evenings, LOVES to bounce on the exercise ball with anyone who will hold him, and is an EATING MACHINE!!! He'll usually sleep around 4-5 hours at night, but goes right back to sleep after a middle of the night feeding...good boy!! He loves his sisters, smiles and coos at them...and occasionally us. Brian thought I was nutso and didn't believe me when I told him he was making cooing noises, but luckily Aaron stepped up and proved me right! I'll post more when I have time...in 20 years.



The big sis



The other big sis...partners in crime for sure



A fleeting "fight free" moment!




LOVE this pic




Look at those cheeks!!!



Smiling!




I love momma




Totally vegged out

OMG! We have three kids!

We are so excited to...finally...announce the arrival of Aaron Curtis Fulling!!! After what seemed like endless waiting...you know, the kind of waiting that makes you want to pluck your eyelashes out... he was born on Wednesday, June 17th at 9:38am. He was 8 lb 15 oz, and 20 1/2 inches long. Brian and I were laughing when they told us that they were going to have to check his blood sugars because he was...get ready for it...LARGE for gestational age!!! We don't tend to have large children! As soon as he was born, my OB doc piped up and said,

"Congratulations, you just gave birth to a toddler" HAHAHAHA

I officially made it to 40 weeks and 2 days, which for those of you who know how my pregnancies go, is astounding. My guess is IF we have another kid (don't worry, just kidding) because each of my pregnancies have lasted significantly longer than the previous ones , I will probably be looking at a length of gestation equivalent to that of an elephant. Approximately 22 months.

That doesn't sound fun to me, either.

So we have been enjoying becoming a family of five. The girls are thrilled to have Aaron around, and want to help as much as possible. I'm sure the novelty of it all will wear off at some point, and they will begin to understand that no, mommy cannot take this back to exchange it for a guinea pig, rabbit, lizard or what have you.

We want to thank EVERYONE who has kept this precious child in their prayers, we have been so very blessed to have had an entirely uneventful last pregnancy. I will leave you with some pics of Aaron and we'll keep you updated on the new addition!

Aaron, tipping the scales. No we did not photoshop a purple head on his body



Excited to meet baby brother!!




All together








Sweet baby boy!!




Daddy's boy

Full moon myth....BUSTED!

Ok, I'm still pregnant. Full moon was last evening...not even a contraction or a twinge of discomfort. 39 weeks...

...and counting.

To break up the monotony of my pregnancy saga, here is a funny story about Emily:

At church yesterday, we are sitting in the pew while our Pastor is giving the sermon. Emily looks up at me and spreads out her fingers, showing me that the middle one of her left hand has an "owie" on it...a hangnail to be exact. Like any mother in the middle of the church sermon, I gave it a quiet kiss and whispered that we would put medicine on it when we got home, and then turned my attention back to the sermon.

A few seconds later, I hear snickering in the row behind us. I look over at Emily, who is standing on the pew. She is turned completely around, facing the sweet family behind us, with a very somber looking face, showing THEM her owie.

However, instead of spreading out all of her fingers to show them, she was holding all of her fingers down with her other hand...

...except the middle one.

Yes, it was hilarious. Only I was about 10 shades of red, partly from embarrassment, partly because I was trying not to laugh out loud in the middle of the sermon. I quickly grabbed Emily's "hand of profanity" and pulled her into my lap, all the while she is saying "why are you laughing, mommy?"

Waiting...waiting...

Well, another week gone by, and I am...amazingly...still pregnant! As of today, I am 38 weeks and 5 days, an unprecedented length of pregnancy for me. I feel like I should win some sort of prize for "longest gestation by a formerly preterm labor mama". But I'm sure that is not going to happen.

SOOOO, we sit....and we wait...and we sit some more...and we wait. I keep thinking that any minute now, my water will break, or I'll start having contractions, or SOMETHING, but Aaron seems perfectly content to quietly simmer...while I quickly outgrow the last of my maternity clothes.

That is no joke, I probably fit into 4 tops right now. I have to try and be very strategic about choosing which ones to wear and when. My criteria for choosing includes:

1. Will I be seeing anyone familiar that I saw a few days ago who might notice that I'm wearing the SAME thing?
2. How wrinkled is the said top?
3. Does the top still cover the elastic waist band of my tightening pants?

If you think about it, what really is the point of going out and buying more clothes, this can't go on forever. However, going out and buying new clothes is probably a guarantee that I'll go into labor before ever being able to wear them....hmmmmm.

Yes, this is my life. And my pants, you ask? Oh, yes. I've been wearing the same ones for weeks now...don't worry, I wash them every other day or so...but I'm pretty sure that when all of this is over, they will be able to walk around by themselves. I might have to have them framed, they have lasted through all three pregnancies without a stain or a tear!

But all kidding aside, each extra day is a blessing and we'll take it for sure. Last week I was 2cm, and this week, my OB wasn't able to give us any measurements because Aaron's head is pressing so hard on my cervix that he said the front of the cervix was bulging. Sorry, probably sounds kind of gross. So I could still be 2cm, or I could be more, who knows!

The interesting thing to me...and you are all witnesses to this...is that Sunday night is a full moon. Now, the theory is that a full moon can cause some women to go into labor. I don't think I would normally believe this, however, when I worked in the MICU on night shifts, full moons have a strange way of making things absolutely nuts in a hospital. So, I will be letting you know if we end up making a trip on Sunday night!

Oh, I had to share these adorable pics that Nana Fulling took of Addison dressing up and playing outside. Who knew she was such a girlie girl!!

Finally, a smile in front of the camera!!

Almost there?

Well, another check up at the OB office today revealed that my uterus is defying all odds...at least as far as my pregnancies go...and refusing to let this little guy out. I'm 37 1/2 weeks, and was 2 cm dilated, not effaced at all, and my contractions...YOU know, the ones that rear their ugly heads at me around 20 weeks, have all but stopped!

Ironic, isn't it?

However, I'm certainly NOT complaining about making it this far, in truth we have been SO thankful that I not only have made it almost to 38 weeks, but that I didn't have to visit the L&D unit for an emergency ONE TIME during this pregnancy! That is a definite first for us. So, we continue to anxiously await the arrival of Aaron, I mean, I certainly can't stay pregnant FOREVER...can I?

Here are more pics of the girls!




My little Texan





Snow White...defying gravity







Hmmm...which one of us is really pregnant?




Addison LOVES to pick flowers and put them behind her ear



Her favorite hat...in the summertime too!



Pretty little princess!!



Mom, I just want to be a big girl!!!

Still here!

Ok, I know it has been FOR-EV-ER since I last posted (I believe it was in March), but I have finally updated the blog (and gave it a little make over!!) What can I say, I've been busy cooking a baby and thankfully I am still pregnant!!! I am almost 37 weeks (on Sunday), and have been on a "partial" bedrest since about 30 weeks. Basically, what that really means is that I have been...over the last 7 weeks or so, somewhat of a beached whale who gets to sit on the couch whenever possible. If I was wearing black and white...you might not be able to distinguish me from Shamu!

...let's just not go there.

Along with an update on us, there are several random pics from the last few months of the girls, us, etc. Sorry if it seems scattered, but I have an excuse, I'm pregnant and am quickly losing valuable brain cells. The layout seems totally normal to me...scary.

Addison playing in the sprinkler outside


At about 30 weeks, I did have to start progesterone injections for increased contractions...basically the same kind of stuff that put me on complete bedrest with Addison. The contractions are better, but if I'm up and around for too long, sitting in the car for too long, sitting at the COMPUTER for too long, or basically doing anything that requires bending over and lifting, I start getting those pesky contractions. The good thing, of course, is that we are out of the danger zone, so if and when I go into labor, there aren't necessarily any "premature labor" worries. As of today after my OB appointment, I am 1cm dilated, but not effaced. Translation: I could be like this for a few days and then go into labor, or I could be like this for 3 more weeks. Thank you to ALL for the thoughts, prayers, phone calls, etc!!! And ESPECIALLY thank you to Nana and Papa Fulling who have been here to help take care of the girls!!!! We love you!

Emily recently sporting Mommy's sunglasses and some cool wheels




Easter Egg hunt at church!!!



We have decided to name this little guy Aaron Curtis Fulling, so we can finally stop calling him baby brother, baby boy, etc. Emily is very excited about this since she has been calling him "Baby Aaron" for weeks now. He is doing great, and recently has discovered how much fun it is to use mommy's ribcage as his own personal jungle gym. He also enjoys long naps, hiccups, and bouncing up and down on mommy's bladder...a bit like a trampoline. He is a bit of a rascal, he will move ALL over the place when NO ONE is looking, but I'm not kidding, as soon as I get Brian or Emily or Addison to try and see/feel him, he stops. I'm sure he is laughing at this the whole time!


Brian and I (I'm the one with the gut-about 31 weeks)


The girls painting daddy a "welcome home" sign after a business trip!


The girls are fine, keeping everyone busy as always! Both have birthdays coming up in June (Addison will be 2, Emily will be 4...where does the time go???). They had their adorable end of the year preschool program last week and I have to mention a funny Emily story from that day...


Nothin' better than finger painting!


All the kids are up on stage with their teachers sitting below to help them remember words to songs, hand motions, etc. Emily is saluting proudly and belting out "Proud to be an American" quite loudly (I mean truly, I could hear her voice sitting about 7 rows back!). She gets to the part "where at least I know I'm free". As I'm watching, Emily has the one hand up in a salute...just like all the other kids...and then she sings "where at least I know I'm three", and holds up three fingers with her other hand.

Too cute...


Posing for the camera




Addison + blue fruit roll up = interesting diaper colors



Sweet sisters reading a story together


Always fun cooking with Nana!!


Playing dress up!!


Other than everyday stuff, not much else to report. I'll keep you all posted on the status of my expanding belly...I REALLY don't know how much bigger I can get, it's a little scary...and will let you know when Aaron Curtis arrives!


Emily and Miss Kelly!


Addison and Miss Laura!