Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easter- Clark Style



Busy, Busy, Busy.



Mama doesn't believe a floor length gown is too much;)
We really like Easter in this house.  I didn't always think of it as the most exciting holiday but my kids seem to have a lot of enthusiasm about it and that makes it so much fun.  I'm not going to lie- I do find great pleasure in an egg hunt myself.  I tend to be really good at it but I will save those stories for a little later.  This Easter, like all others, was a full day.  I will admit I had to cheat mildly on my bed rest because I couldn't NOT participate in my kids excitement.  I was a good girl.  I went places but I stayed seated once I reached my destination.  The celebration started on Saturday for Carter and Paige when Mimi and Dado took them to Warwick Hills for an egg hunt, craft and brunch.  They loved it!
Kissing, not choking.  I think.
Crazy brother.




Maybe they hid them under the couch?!




With their goods at Warwick.


Always silly.




Craft Time.



Mimi, Paige and a Bunny






Next on the agenda:  Coloring Eggs.





Easter morning brought a whole new day filled with several activities.  First things first, finding Easter baskets and eggs!


This kid LOVES presents!

Girl on a mission!

Checking out the loot!

A little early for Daddy.

Yes, Venom!

Next stop was church.  Yes, we do remember the real meaning of the day even though we like to do it up big with presents and egg hunts!  Carter and Paige went to their Sunday School rooms and Matt and I were joined by his parents for a nice service.  It was nice to be back at church but don't worry, I didn't stand for all of the singing.  



 Right after church we dropped by Mimi and Dado's.  We usually go to Easter Brunch but had to skip this year because we weren't trying to put me into labor!  First thing that happens is the kids get their baskets and presents.
Mommy and Cruz
Cruzey in his finest.
Swamp Fire!  Apparently he REALLY wanted it!

Aunt Tara and Paige Ruby
The rules for the hunt.


It's very important to know what happens next.  The kids get their baskets first so they will be entertained while the real egg hunt begins.  I don't know why or how this tradition started but I like it.  A lot.  My Dad heads to the bank to gets lots of cash and puts random amounts ranging from $1.00 bills to $100.00 bills in eggs.  This is my moment.  I may be small but I will knock people down to get my 15 eggs before anyone else.  I wait for this.  I'm pretty sure this event could have been terrible for my situtation.  This was going to be a problem.  I needed eggs.  Thankfully, my brilliant Mom decided that they would put all the eggs together and randomly draw 15 eggs to give to me while the others ran around.  Not quite the same, but worked for me.  Let me tell you, it really worked!  I scored all the big bills and ended up with $296.00!  Sweet.  Of course, my sister, in true sister fashion, immediatly accused my parents of cheating and giving me "pity money."  I don't think that is the case... but even if it was, I'm good with it;)  I love being the big winner!


The kids eggs hunt is outside and their eggs are filled with candy.  There are about a million eggs out there.  It was an interesting strategy this year.  Paige took one look at the boys and went in the opposite direction.  She was methodical in her gathering.  You know what they say, slow and steady wins the race.  


Carter and Cruz went together.  Carter was all about showing Cruz where the eggs were.  As if he needed help.

The annual group shot of the kids was next.
See, I'm sitting.


Don't forget Jagger James.  He was there!
That was a marathon.  All that excitement at Mimi and Dado's took place in one hour!  Nap time was next before the next stop at Grandma and Grandpa's.  We skipped the meal at their house so the kids could rest but showed up in time for the kids to play with their cousins, Nick and Garrett, and for another egg hunt!  The weather was great and Carter played baseball with the boys while Paige kicked a ball around.  Uncle Nate even took them for a wagon ride which is obviously thrilling.  The kids all love to be together and its even better when they get to play outside!

Needless to say, everyone was in bed early.  I didn't have the baby.  Good day for all!

Oh, and I almost forgot.  The bunny didn't forget Mama:

Necessity.


Not a necessity but a total must-have.

Or Daddy:
New golf shoes for a new season.

If he is going to golf, he better look good doing it.



Hope you had a great Easter as well.
This egg is about cooked!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

This is just the way it is...

I have several fun and interesting blog ideas that I have already started or thought about starting.  I could easily work on one right now as I lay in my bed baking this baby but I'm not going to.  The entire purpose of this blog is for it to be real and as documentation of my life.  Unfortunately, life is not always fun and interesting.  There has to be bumps in the road in order for us to enjoy and appreciate the good times.  Yesterday was not a good time but I'm going to write about it anyway.  If you are looking for cute pictures and a nice story then this isn't the entry for you.  This my friends- is straight up reality.


Tuesday night I was just trying to lay on the couch and enjoy an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution with my husband.  I was trying really hard to focus on the show but the intense pain in my back accompanied by contractions coming right on top of each other made it extremely difficult.  (Just to be clear, I contract regularly and by that I mean several times an hour.  Although the contractions always feel tight, I am not usually in pain.)  In my head I was thinking that I was just crazy and that with only two weeks left on restrictions we couldn't possibly have any more issues so I continued to lay there and try to will the pain away.  Being the stubborn person I am,  I made the decision to go to bed and hope they were gone by morning.  I'm guessing I was able to sleep about 17 minutes the entire night.  At about 3am I thought I should probably go to the hospital but decided against it because it seemed rather dramatic to leave at that hour so I waited until 6am at which point I got up, showered and calmly told my husband I was going to get checked out at Hurley.  I told him to just take care of the kids and go to work because I would be fine.  This is not the first time I have driven myself to the hospital.  I am so weird about it and I know it.  I just feel like its so (for lack of a better word) dramatic and I get embarrassed by it so I try to just quietly go handle my business.  Looking back I must have known there a problem because I started to pack a bag- just in case they kept me- but didn't want to jinx myself so I skipped that.  I really didn't want to go to the hospital but I always remind myself that this isn't about me and that I could never live with myself if something happened to the baby because I didn't feel like being inconvenienced.


I arrived at the labor and delivery triage and gave them my normal spiel about how I just want to be checked to make sure there is no change.  I warn them that I always have contractions but as long as there is no change my doctor and I have an agreement that I can go back home.  (I'm sure they love me telling  making suggestions as to how to do their job but for the record, I'm always polite.)  After 30 minutes on the monitor and registering several contractions they decide they are going to check me to make sure nothing is happening.  The nurse opens the door to get the doctor and standing right outside is  Matt.  I just want to say that Mama's aren't the only ones with intuition, Daddy's have it too.  Since we are veterans to problematic pregnancies, and because Matt has a job, he usually just goes to work when I tell him that I am fine and he knows I will call him with updates or problems.  Aside from him knowing how much I hate going to the hospital, he said he just didn't like how I sounded when I left.  He knows me and I love that.  Despite our apprehensive feelings, when the doctor came in to check me,  we were prepared to hear that things are the same and we could head back home.  When the doctor said that I have started to dilate- I'm pretty sure both of our hearts skipped a beat.  This was new.  Like I said before, I have a lot of contractions and a few other issues but the contractions are usually ineffective.  The searing back pain and intense pressure I was feeling meant that they were now effective.  Not good. They admitted me to labor and delivery which did not thrill me.  I much prefer being admitted to antepartum (which is for patients with preterm labor that they monitor but don't necessarily think will deliver) where I have already been admitted twice this pregnancy.  At 32 weeks pregnant I do not like to be in the room with the baby warming bed and sweet little blue and white stripe hat.  This very happy room becomes a scary place to be.  The one good thing about being a regular at Hurley is that I know everyone and everyone knows me.  There is always a friendly/familiar face close by.  I must stop right now and give credit where its due.  The nurses at Hurley are the best in the world.  They are friendly, positive, reassuring, kind, knowledgeable and comforting.  I'm not usually a fan of residents but I must say there are a handful up there that I enjoy as well.  As for my doctor, Dr. Mona Hardas, I adore her.  Let me just begin by saying she may be one of my favorite people in the world but she is deserving of her own post altogether and she will have it.  Soon.  As I was saying, this happy room can become a scary place.  I was immediately put on IV fluids to try and calm the contractions and given an injection of a medication that usually helps.  At this point the NICU doctor came in to tell us what to expect if our baby was born today.  Although he was extremely reassuring about the outcome, it still brings tears to your eyes to know the initial struggle the baby will have for the first few weeks.  Shortly after he left it became apparent that the medication and fluids were not touching the contractions and I was feeling a lot of pain.  I tried keeping my nerves and fear to myself so I didn't scare Matt or my Mom but I just wasn't feeling right.  After a couple of hours they decided to repeat the medication and go from there.  By the grace of God, it worked.  I don't know how or why but everything calmed down.  The contractions almost came to a complete stop and the pain lessened.  I cannot explain to you the relief.  It's not that I thought I was going to deliver this tiny baby, it was more of a feeling that I wasn't convinced I wasn't going to.  I'm usually pretty confident that I just need a little intervention to calm things down and then I will go on my merry, bed resting way.  This time was different and I am so thankful for the outcome.  Dr. Hardas decided to move me to antepartum and watch me for the night. By 11:30pm, the contractions started back up but less intense and less frequent (more like my normal activity) so they just restarted the fluids and let me be.  This morning Dr. Hardas visited me and said I could go home.  She knows my aversion to staying there and basically said there isn't really anything left to do.  I was told to be good, continue my bed rest and call her if I need her.  So here I am.  In my bed.  Where I belong.


So, that was my life in last 24 hours.  Not the best time I've ever had but its just the way it is and I'm OK with it.  If this is what it takes to have a healthy baby, I'm game. Exhausted, but still game.  After 93 days of bed rest, I only have 13 left.  For 13 days, I can handle anything.  Bring it;)


 At 34 weeks the baby will still be pretty early but the risks decrease significantly and should be just fine.  Who knows, maybe he will surprise us all and stay put for even longer.  This has been quite a journey.  I don't wish to repeat it but I'd do it again in a second to have this baby I already love with all my heart.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Introductions

This blog is going to talk about the happenings in my life.  My life mainly consists of my family.  Most people know my family first hand but I thought I should introduce you to them in the way that I view them- what they mean to me.  I'm sure you will learn and hear more about them than they will appreciate in the days to come:)


Matthew:  My husband, best friend, father of my children, partner for life.
My Husband.
My Best Friend.
My Matthew.
Matt and I began dating about 10 years ago.  We had gone to the same high school but he was a bit older than me so I knew who he was but had never actually spoke to him.  I met him while home on my first summer break from college.  He was working at Hurley Health and Fitness Center and I was a member. Our recollections of this initial meeting are not even remotely similar but since this is my blog, I get to tell it my way...the correct way.  Basically, he followed me around the gym for a few days and finally I let him know that I knew exactly who he was.  One thing led to another, blah-blah-blah, and we started dating.  It was a fun summer but then I had to go back to school.  Sadly, we broke up a few times because I thought I should be single at college. That didn't last long and a year later Matt (the CMU graduate) moved to WMU!  Obviously the former Chippewa didn't move to be closer to me but to "pick up a Master's Degree" as a Bronco...because that's normal.  Whatever, I, and the rest of the world know the truth.  Long story short, we both graduated and moved back to Grand Blanc.  We were married a year later on June 3, 2006 and are about to have our third baby together.  We really are livin' the dream and we not only recognize it but we appreciate it.  Not everyday is sunshine and roses but all in all- we can't complain.  We are very compatible and would rather spend our time together than with anyone else.  What more could I ask for?


Partner's for life.  


Matt is a great partner for me.  He is calm, even tempered, ambitious, honest, smart, and fun to be around. I think that Matt may be the one person in my life who can surprise me.  I'm pretty nosy and like to be "in the know" but he has managed to get something over on me more than once.  I don't always admit this but today I will,  he is funny.  Not quite as funny as he believes he is, but funny none the less.  I'm not sure there is a day that goes by that he doesn't break into song and dance at some random point making us laugh.  Regardless of my mood, he can always make me smile.  I'm an independent woman but I feel very safe with him.  He is a great provider for our family and loves to spend time with our kids.  Truly a fantastic father.  He plays with them, cares for them, protects them and loves them with all he has.  He is involved in their lives and they will be better people because of it.  





Carter Paul Clark:  My first born son and the one who taught me to love like nothing else.  He gave me a different kind of purpose in life and more strength and confidence in myself than I ever thought possible.  
Unbelievably handsome at 1 year old.


DO NOT touch my baseball.
Carter looks just like his Daddy.  He is sensitive, sweet, stubborn, moody and delightful all in one.  He has a lot of energy, doesn't require much sleep at night, loves his sister fiercely, and the sweetest smile that can melt your heart.  He loves his scooter like nobodys business and would stay outside all day if possible. He likes to play sports, swim and basically do anything that requires movement.  He has a sweet spot for his Mama but is always ready to wrestle with his Dad.  I don't have the right words to explain what this little boy means to me.  I love him more than anything.  He will be 4 years old on May 30 and I cant wait to see what the new year brings.
Takes after his Daddy
Smarty Pants.
Lovin' his Paigey.
The coolest 3 year old I know.


Paige Ruby Clark:  My daughter, my dream come true.  I think most women would like to have a daughter.  I knew I would enjoy one but after having a son first, I also knew I would be OK with just boys.  I thank God everyday for Paige.  She was meant for me.  She makes me be the woman I need to be in this world because I know I am her example.  She is the ultimate gift.
Mama and Paige. 1 day old.


Paige came into this world one month early and has not been in a hurry for anything else since she arrived.  She is a peaceful soul.  She has one mood: pleasant.  She is sweet, reserved, silly, happy and generally the most easy going of our group.  As she approaches two she is showing a little more sass but not enough to change her demeanor.  She doesn't say a whole lot but she manages to get what she needs and wants without a problem.  She has a brother who likes to speak for her and parents that are so over the moon with her that they cater to her every whim.  She loves to play with her babies, read books and puzzles can occupy her for hours on end.


Happiest baby in town.


Dance class.

Mama's girl
Daddy's girl.
Marker or lipstick?

Baby Boy Clark:  Our miracle baby.  He may not have a name but he very much has a place in this family.  Once he arrives, he will get a whole post in his honor.  We love you and can't wait to meet you.

His debut will make us a "Party of Five."