Dealings

I am so happy to have another boy in the house.  Even though he is still a little pooping machine it is nice to know that one day i will have someone that understands grunts, sighs, and other forms of male communication.  Or someone i can tell someone something without him trying to relate it to something or some feeling i have towards "her".  You women out there know what i mean. Like if i said, "that woman over there has a sweet looking pair of sneakers" he will understand that i am only talking about the shoes,,, not talking about anything about the woman or how thin/fat she is or how she is/isn't prettier or whatever than him.
My wife has had a harder time with the mental challenge that having a fourth kid presents than she lets on. She is a tough cookie and has shown so real resilience. She still isn't healed physically yet, so please keep her in your prayers.

Not so small blessings

It has been almost two weeks since little Sean came into our family, it some ways not much has changed and yet everything has changed. We have been SO blessed that he has been a sleeper. I am not trying to brag; I really truely sincerely feel like we have been blessed with him sleeping so much to make this transition easier on me. He is on a 3 1/2 hour feeding schedule now, all by himself. Sometimes I can actually time him waking up because he is so regular. He usually eats and then goes right back to sleep, and he will stay up for about two hours between feedings once maybe twice a day, that is it. I really don't know how I would handle life if he was up at night more often or during the day with the girls.
I have taken him to the pediatrician three times, for his color check, a weight check, and his two week appointment. It was so nice to go the the doctor with only one child, instead of three. Thanks Joe for watching the girls. He is doing well and was only one ounce under his birth weight!! That is HUGE. The girls all took close to a month to regain their birth weight, so I feel a major weight off my shoulders and feel totally cool letting him set his own schedule (let's hope it doesn't change for the worse in the near future).
Other than those trips to the doctor I have only left the house to make quick trips to the store, without kids. I miss being able to take the kids to the store during the day as needed, but with Sean making a fourth child that is not possible. We were all (even Joe) going to try to go to the library today but Sean was sleeping of course so I got to stay home with him. Oh yeah, we all went to grandma and grandpa's house last Saturday to go swimming but that is it. So in that way I feel like my world has totally changed, I am chained to this house for the time being, during the day at least.
Maybe that is why I feel so "blah" these days, not much motivation to do much. Maybe it's just the normal hormones, or the 'oh my gosh' realization that I have four children. I have four children, maybe I should keep repeating that until I can fathom that it is true. I could use a big boost of something to get me going again. Oh and Molly is done napping, we think. That is another energy drainer. She is such a sweet child but so demanding when it comes to getting her to do things, like go to the bathroom, get dressed, come here, go there, etc. She just continues with whatever she's doing and either stares off into space right above you or doesn't acknowledge that she even heard what you said. It can be so maddening day after day. So taking away that 2 1/2 hour break from that and the back and forth with Cassidy is tough at the moment. So much change in such a short period. I might just loose my mind soon. And Joe had to go back to work already, way sooner than we expected. Sigh. Oh well. C'est la vie. Vamos marchar!!! Vamos conquestamos com valor. Sorry, brief Portuguese moment.
On a happy note, my grandma was able to come visit us today. She has never been to my house before, even though she only lives about 20 miles away (health issues), so it was fun to have her here. She is the funniest old lady. I always leave her house laughing at something she said or did. I am glad that she was able to come today and hope she can come again soon.
So that is my life right now. In someways so nice and in other places a little rough, but that is how we grow and get stronger.

Finally some photos

 This is the first time that Cassidy held little Sean. She is getting to be such a big girl and is such a great helper most of the time.


Look at those long legs poking out of the outfit we had for taking him home. He won't be in newborn sized clothes at all,except for onsies.

Daddy and his four kids, crazy.

Sean is such a good sleeper, he's only up a few hours.

This is a glider my dad gave us for Sean's room. The padding was all smooshed and not at all comfy any more so I bought some nice 3" foam and some new fabric and voila! It looks (almst) brand new and is a ton more comfy. I just need to replace the foam in the back and it will be all done.

just arrived

Our little guy finally decided to join this house of fun; he took his time but we are grateful he's here. Saturday was his official due date and he waited until Sunday morning. I woke up around 2 am with a lot of discomfort but was never sure if it was just my normal pains or if I really was in labor. But we went to the hospital around 8 am and after checking in and getting the paper work done and finally getting the IV in, I was already at a 4 or 5. That was around 9 am, I think. Progress stalled a little once I got the epidural but considering the other option, no epidural, the extra hour was just fine with me. I could still feel some discomfort with the contractions but it was so nice to not feel every thing. Just before 1 pm the nurse said I was at a 9 and almost ready. She stepped out of the room and I them got a nice long contraction that was piggy backed with one that didn't stop until I called the nurse back in. The sensation was weird, like my belly was going to rip open at my belly button. As the contraction continued the point of pressure dropped lower and lower. I wondered if my doctor was going to make it back into the room in time. She had yet to deliver one of the girls so I thought it would be ironic if she missed this one too even though we were all there. But she made it and everything was ready just as the feeling to push came through the epidural. One really long push and his head was out. The doctor had to cut the cord because it was a little tight around his neck, then one more to deliver the shoulders and body. Compared to the last two deliveries, this one was "more work" though it was still quite easy. My body gets it done really well.
Little man was 7 pounds 14.8 ounces and get this, 22 1/2 inches long. No wonder that despite all the room he had in my belly I was still feeling him well under my ribs. He looked so perfect. As usual, we didn't give him a name until the next day, after seeing him and feeling out his spirit, We both felt that he should be called Sean, meaning God is gracious, Joseph. So that is our little man Sean Joseph. He has been his own person ever since. Very different from his sisters, even at four days.
The girls are taking well to him so far. Cassidy of course wants to hold him all the time. She always wants to kiss or touch him. Molly likes him but isn't too interested in him most of the time, thankfully. She refers to him as "baby brother." Julia is so cute about Sean, when she sees him she says "see, see" and then we say Sean and she says "sean", it is really cute.