Told You So

I told you we were in for it! I hate to be right. This girl can poop. Oh my heavens. I was downstairs when I heard the bath come on. My sweet husband was actually going to tackle this all by himself. I was so impressed and proud! I took over for him and he kept Joel out of my way. I should have never tried to save this onesie. I should have just cut it off of her. I kind of sat her up to take it off and she ended up with poop all the way up the side of her face and in her hair. VOMIT!! I think I used about 40 wipes. It was awful. She pooped while in the swing and when Greg took the cover off there was actually a little puddle of poo in the bottom of the plastic frame. BLEH!!

Since I have the picture...notice her socks. These are the socks I love. They are hard to find but they stay on better then any others!!

Keeping my fingers crossed that she won't ever do this when we are out in public!!

**This is not a reflection of what LUVS can handle. No diaper on the planet could handle this much poo. The diaper was FULL, FULL, FULL!!**

Baby Essentials

Back when Joel was born I did a post about baby "stuff". It included the things I wouldn't want to live without. It wasn't a very detailed list, and having Abby got me thinking it might be fun to do the list again and maybe do it every couple of weeks depending on the stuff I'm using a ton at the time. Last week a sorority sister of mine asked me for some baby advice so Heather (no I'm not talking about myself in the third person) this post is for you!

Pretty much all Abby does right now is eat, sleep and empty her bladder. She has decided to only poop every couple of days but when she does, OH MY HEAVENS they are HUGE!! She hasn't pooped since Thursday, we are in for it!! When I was in high school and college I babysat for a lady who had five boys. She always used Luvs diapers, I'm thinking that is where my "love" affair with them started.

Luvs smell so good (pre-baby bottom), they work well (if my baby leaks it's typically just because I need to go up a size) and they are CHEAP! I buy them at BJ's wholesale or often I order them on Amazon! We have Amazon prime, we pay $75 a year to get free two day shipping on anything sold directly by Amazon. I order them and 2 days later they are on my doorstep! Perfect for new Moms or Moms like me with a TON of kids.

So far Abby has been a fabulous nurser. That girl came out rooting. I do supplement her at night. I nurse her at 10pm and then offer her a 2 oz. bottle. When she wakes at 4am I nurse again and give her another bottle. If you are going to be bottle feeding I have found the best nipples are the nipples they give you at the hospital for the pre-made formula. I'm not sure why they don't sell these in stores! They are super easy for your baby to get formula out of. I took about 10 home with me from the hospital. I'm not sure why they say, "for single use only", we wash them and use them over and over. You can always tell when they go bad they get kind of sticky, if you squeeze it together and it sticks to itself toss it!

One of the reasons I have enjoyed nursing has been because I've found awesome nursing camis at Target. I couldn't live without these things. I cannot stand nursing bras. They make me itch like crazy and I hate the feeling of "feeling" my bra all the time. They don't offer a ton of support but they do come in a ton of colors online and they have black, white and grey in the store. So far I've bought four and wear them constantly. I wear them with these:

Lansinoh nursing pads are wonderful. I don't know if they had these with Sam. Maybe I was too cheap to buy them, but no joke I used the washable kind. They were MISERABLE!! I think after a couple of weeks I did find some sort of disposable but they weren't as good as the Lansinoh ones! I go thru a lot of these. At least 4 a day. My sorority sister Heather was asking me how to prevent sore, cracked nipples. Unfortunately there is no perfect solution. I always want to slap the nursing specialists who tells you "if you are nursing correctly it won't hurt". I'm calling a huge FIB on that one. Nursing hurts, it's inevitable. I have found that it hurts less with every baby but it still hurts. My advice, change your nursing pads often, and use lanolin a lot! OH ~ and on a side note, these nursing pads are also on Amazon for cheaper then you can buy them at Target!!

Now to sleeping, Abby's favorite thing to do! I can't imagine living without this:

It's a Halo SleepSack Swaddle. I love, love, love this thing. We use it constantly. I wish I had known to swaddle Sam. He was kind of a fussy baby and I think it would have really helped. Greg became an expert swaddler with our other boys. This SleepSack makes it super simple to swaddle them. I put Abby in the sleep sack, hold her arms by her side and then velcro the flaps across her. So simple and it puts her right to sleep, plus I know she is warm and cozy. If you are new Mom, add this to your registry!

Abby also sleeps really well in our swing (only during the day, she sleeps in her crib at night)! I don't know how anyone could live without a swing. I love the one we have because of the way it swings in two directions. We also have a more basic swing that PLUGS IN!! No more waisted batteries. I have been told that you can get a swing that swings two directions and plugs in, my idea of heaven!!

Well, that's all I have time for today...I want to tell you about my car seat cover and my favorite infant socks, but I need to take pictures first. Stay tuned!!

2 weeks old!

Today is Abby's due date! I'm so glad she came 2 weeks early. Here are some pics from the last week:

I love to watch her sleep!

I've never had ruffles or bows before!! I had to take pictures!

Her "tag" fell off (AKA: her umbilical cord), so we had to keep her...I love that first bath after the cord comes off!

Not sure about the water

Gigi washing her hair...looks like a scalp massage...I could use one of those!

Baths make a girl MAD!

Abby and I both doing are best chipmunk interpretation...Once my body let go of all those fluids I lost 10 lbs! Now to get rid of the rest of the preggo weight!

Abby loves hanging out on her Daddy's chest!

I think we have another blue eyed baby!! Gabe is thrilled, he's decided he would like to keep his eyes now after all!!

So far Abby has been an absolutely perfect baby. She has been getting up once during the night and hardly ever fusses or cries. Nursing has been going beautifully, keeping my fingers crossed that it stays as easy as it has been!

Stay tuned...a sorority sister of mine asked for baby essentials and I'm going to blog about what I can't live without!

Abigail Grace

How can it be that Miss Abby is already a week old? Sheesh time flies!! Ya'll I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update with pics of her and her birth story. It has really not been her that has kept me busy but the other four munchkins in our house! We walked in the house on Friday and I was bombarded by emails, school projects, school meetings, preschool schedules...it's crazy around here! This afternoon it's quite and I have 40 minutes before I need to nurse again so I thought I would tell ya'll about Miss Abby's big day.

Last Wednesday I got up and Mom and I ran a ton of errands. We picked up refills at the pharmacy, some pictures for a project for Gabe and then tried to find some cute jammies for my stay at the hospital. I panicked that morning and decided I must have at least a robe and Mom was a good sport about me dragging her around looking for stuff. Right before lunch I dropped Mom, Gabe, and Joel off and got my bag together to go meet Greg at the hospital. We waited and waited and waited for Dr. Escano and finally at 1:00 he took me back, measured me, did an ultrasound to make sure Abby was still head down, checked her heart beat and then stripped my membranes. At the time I was 1cm and about 20% effaced which was nothing compared to what I'm usually dilated at 38 weeks. Dr. Escano was hopeful so Greg and I decided to walk around and do some shopping. My sciatic nerve has been KILLING me so this was no small feet. Greg was pretty sure he was going to wear out before I did but was a good sport about walking, walking, walking. He finally convinced me that we should go to Barnes and Noble and read for awhile.

After reading for about an hour my phone rang. It was our pediatrician who has become a great friend (thanks to Nancy and Ryan who introduced us to him at a cookout!) and just happens to be the commander of the hospital. Dr. Callahan is an amazing man, I wish ya'll could all meet him and have him take care of your children. He was calling to check in on us and told me he had run into my doctor at the hospital and that Dr. Escano told him that he wasn't too optimistic....that deflated me. I quickly put away my book and told Greg we were going home. Before we went home we had to drop back by the hospital to pick up Greg's car. I had to use the restroom terribly and since we were going in Greg said, let's just get you checked out at Labor and Delivery. I felt so stupid going up there, but I know my husband, he has mad persuasion skills so if anyone could get us admitted I knew he could! Greg talked some sweet nurse into "checking" me, the OB agreed. I was 3cm and 90% but not having any contractions, boy was I shocked when he said, you'll have this baby by sun down, especially considering it was 6:30 at the time!

The nurse took us into a L&D room and got me comfortable in a gown and hospital shoes. She told me to sit tight until shift change was finished at 7. Greg and I were so excited, but I have to say I was in a total daze (shock from getting ready to have a baby and loopy from the Tylenol 3 I had recently taken for my back!). I guess maybe there was some sort of communication lapse. Maybe because I was actually a Family Practice patient, or maybe the first nurse didn't hear that I wasn't contracting (all though Greg was very clear with her) but the new nurses on duty were ready to kick me out since I wasn't actively contracting. I couldn't believe we were all set to go and now they were changing their minds. Luckily the OB agreed to an "induction" and broke my water. At 8:00 he broke my water, I was 4-5 cm and, the nurses started pitocin (at an extremely low level...I begged her to not turn it up past 2 until I got my epidural).

At around 9:00 I got my first of two epidurals. This is always a really stressful time for Greg and I. I have had one baby naturally and prefer to never do that again BUT Greg can't stand to see me in pain. I have had two spinal headaches resulting from epidurals and he knows my short labors are nothing compared to the days of pain associated with a spinal headache. When the first epidural only numbed one leg and absolutely nothing else, I was still feeling EVERY contraction, the nurse anesthetist recommended another epidural. Greg was so worried but was a total trooper as they untaped my back, removed the epidural, put another epidural in and retaped my back. That epidural was FANTASTIC. Probably the best one I have ever had! By about 10:00pm I was resting comfortably, still about 5cm and Greg and I were settling in. We turned all the lights off, I was watching Toddlers and Tiara's and Greg was playing a game on his phone. It was so quiet. That is such a great time, when you are comfortable, it's dark and quiet and you're just anticipating the birth of your new little one!

At about 10:30 my doc came in and told me he was going to run off post to get some dinner and would be back in about 20 minutes (I don't know where he thought he was going to go and be back in 20 minutes but I didn't want to deprive the man of food). I knew if he left he would never make it back in time for Miss Abby's arrival. He took one look at me and later said "Heather, I knew you well enough by now, that look in your eye told me I better not leave!". He decided to hang around and at about 10:50 I told Greg I was ready to push. At 10:59 the room was ready and I started to push. Four pushes and four minutes later Abigail Grace entered the world. It was a fabulous delivery! Minimal tearing, no stitches and the best thing NO SPINAL HEADACHE!!

Here are some pics of our night and our sweet baby girl!

Greg being silly! "FIVE, really?!"

Waiting for Miss Abby

She was covered in vernix! She looks a lot like Joel!

A little happier, a little cleaner

Abigail Grace ~ September 9, 2009 ~ 11:03pm ~ 6lbs 11.9 oz ~ 19 inches

Daddy and Abby

Mommy and Abby

Proud Papa

Meeting her brothers

Hanging out with GiGi

Chillin' with Daddy and baby Liv

Racked out on Mommy's lap

I think Greg and I are still shocked that we have a daughter! Stay tuned, I know there will be thousands more pics!

First Day of School

I know everyone wants pics of Miss Abby but I want to keep things in chronological order, so first things first...FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

September 8th was the first day of school here in Prince William County. Sam started 3rd grade and Ethan started 1st. We woke up to a dreary, nasty, rainy morning. Regardless the boys dressed in their finest and we headed off to the bus.

Sam - 3rd Grade ~ Check out that new big front tooth!!

Ethan - 1st Grade ~ Love the glasses!

Watch out ladies, here comes the Spencer boys!

The other boys had to get in on the action as well!

It rained the last day of school last year and the first day of school this year, fun, fun!

Stay tuned this afternoon for pics of Abby!!

Finally Finished...well...almost

I feel that I'm as close as I'm going to get (for now) to finishing Abby's room. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I couldn't have done it without the help of Holly Mathis, thank you girl for your design savviness, patience and friendship over the last couple of months!

Several blogs I follow have been doing price your room entries. I thought I would do that with Abby's room. Most of the things in her room were from the boys nursery, but we did buy a few things. Remember, we are on a tight Dave Ramsey budget. Nothing in this room was put on a credit. Granted, the budget had to be shifted around a little for a month or two but that's the beauty of a budget. So here goes!

I'll start with this picture...can ya'll see the little numbers?? Sorry they are a little small. I have more pics to come, more close up...just wait!

1. A is for Abby picture. $20 @ etsy. Frame $16.99 @ Target
2. Curtains: Central Park Toile Fabric in Blush from Fabric.com $70ish I had a coupon for fabric.com but then realized I could have gotten a better deal at Hancock's when they had a sale...oh well...live and learn. Ball Fringe Trim from Tassel's in Louisville, KY $12.00. Curtain Rod, Rings and Clips, and Curtain hardware $60ish @ Lowe's.
3. Bed: Jenny Lind Crib Walmart 2002ish time frame. Given to us courtesy of the in-laws. Ya'll I love this crib. It is so easy to put together, is a total classic and they usually run about $100-$130. Now it doesn't convert to ANYTHING, but I'm okay with that! Baby bedding: this was probably my biggest splurge, but I'm so glad I did. I knew I wanted all white bedding. So clean and classic. I found this matelasse set at a Baby/Kid store in town. Greg had to do some serious convincing to get me to buy it and we also did some hard core negotiating to get the set for $189. I love, love, love it! The blanket on the end of the bed was made with left over fabric from the curtains and Dark Brown Minky Dot ($12) fabric, sewn courtesy of my girlfriend Connie. It's beautiful and super cozy!
4. Chair: The white Jenny Lund chair is IKEA $200. The green pillow in the background was Southern Living for Kohl's $25. The white pillow was part of the above mentioned set. You should remember my ottoman from my trip up to Luckett's in Leesburg ($35). With $18 in white duck fabric from IKEA and Connie as my seamstress, the chair and ottoman look like a matching set! You may also remember the quilt on the chair. I mentioned making it back before we knew Miss Abby was in fact a "Miss". I love it, it turned out so well. Total cost for the quilt ~ $70.
5. I was unsure about the Simply Shabby Chic banner from Target. LOVE IT now!! $17
6. Dresser Area: Simply Shabby Chic dresser from Target $200. I bought this dresser when we first moved to DC almost 4 years ago. It started off in my bathroom, then went in Gabe's room, later Joel's and now finally Abby's. It is a super sturdy heavy piece of furniture. I love the lines and it was a great price. I think Target still sells it online. The plates were a set from Tassel's in Louisville ~ $90. The old metal oil lamp is a family antique. The little doll and the little pink glass ware were mine as a little girl.
7. Ceiling fan: I love this fan. It is so girly and so sweet. The fan and light kit was $200. I tried to make shades, which was a disaster. I ended up with these gingham shades from Pottery Barn Kids. They were on clearance, I got FIVE for $12.99!!!

Now for some close ups!!

This little books shelf is another IKEA find. The Hemnes bookshelf is $109. I will say, it's not deepest bookshelf in the world. It works well for kids books and baskets for toys. The five IKEA baskets ran me about $30. Since I bought this for Gabe's room I didn't have to worry about the expense this time. The little white lamp was a reuse from Ethan/Gabe/Joel's room I have no idea how much it cost me originally. The shade is new from Target $6. Eventually in place of the stick figure there will be a painting from smallwords.com.

The changing station: I guess this is the business part of the room. The changing station was purchased for Ethan's nursery back in 2002. It's a cheap PX find. It was $100. It has been sturdy and does the job. The matching dresser didn't survive all of our moves, I do use it for extra storage in Abby's closet but it is on it's last leg! The baskets underneath were from the Pottery Barn outlet also back in the day. If my memory serves me correctly I paid about $50 for all six. The white shelf is recycled from the boys room. We had three, they were custom made for the house (by the previous owners). Greg gave them a fresh coat of spray paint. White for Abby's room, black for the boys. The dresses were all mine as a child. The hangers were all from Pottery Barn Kids. They are getting out of selling clothes and I bought each for $1/piece. The yellow "A" was a steal at Home Goods for $6.99. I actually like it better then the white "A" from PBKids which ran me $10. The arrow in the picture is pointing to an awesome white whicker laundry hamper I found at Home Goods for $25.

SO GRAND TOTAL: This entire room (over the last 7 years) cost us about $1750. That's not too shabby considering it's been through 4 children!!

I'm uber proud of the room. I can't wait to get this baby girl home and get her in her new room!!

A Letter

Dear Miss Abby,

We cannot wait to meet you. Your brothers, Dad and I are anxiously waiting on pins and needles for your impending arrival.

Your brothers can't wait to stare at you, they tell me all the time. They want you to lay on a big blanket and they all just want to watch and adore you. This could be slightly overwhelming, I understand! Eight eyes, forty fingers, forty toes and all the extremities could be a little much for such a wee little girl but don't worry. These boys are going to love and adore you more then you could ever imagine!

Your Dad and I can't even imagine what it will be like to have a little girl in the house. We hoped the Lord would some day bless us with a little pink, a little feminine touch and we are tickled to bring you home. I can't wait to see what you look like. Will you be blond like Ethan and Gabe? Brunette like Sam and Joel? A red head like your Granny? Will your eyes be blue, brown or hazel like Gigi's?? Will you like dolls and tea parties or will you prefer trucks and transformers? So many questions, so much excitement!

Baby girl, know that we pray for you and your brothers daily. Know that we want you to be godly men and women and desperately long for you to find the Lord and find godly spouses. You each make us proud everyday all day. I cannot believe the day is almost here when we will finally meet you.

We love you, come see us soon!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Sam, Ethan, Gabe and Joel