September and Surgery

Hollin is quickly approaching her one month birthday! Slow down, time! When she was just three weeks old, I underwent surgery to have my gallbladder removed. To say I was nervous is an understatement. I'm not a gal who feels comfortable taking pain medication- or who enjoys needles. The thought of being put under with a tiny nursing newborn was not all that appealing, but I knew it was time. Gallbladder attacks aside, I'd not had any red meat, soda, dairy {no cheese at all!}, processed foods {not even a single bite of Ritz cracker!} or high fat anything for five long months. That means no tacos, lasagna, spaghetti, creamy soups, steak, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, Diet Coke, french fries, chips and salsa, potato salad, cookies, cakes, or casseroles for five long months. I've basically been eating lots of salads, baked chicken, green beans, and baked potatoes. {which is probably the way I should continue to eat!} Surgery went well, though I'm definitely still in the recovery process. I'm back down to my pre-baby weight and hope to keep up some of these good eating habits, though I miss ground beef and cheese. My husband and kiddos have adopted my eating habits during this pregnancy, so we've all learned a great deal about self control when it comes to processed treats. All that aside, I'm looking forward to eating some of my favorites in moderation again soon.  : ) I celebrated my 33rd birthday in bed with an ice pack and a good book  {I'm reading the Divergent series and on the third book} and am doing really well post surgery. I was treated first thing in the morning with gifts from my family, which was a fun treat. My mom is thankfully still here to help with the kids. Very blessed to have a mom who can commit to stay and help for a full month. It was a great birthday! Hollin is growing and thriving! She is nursing exclusively and weighs about 8.6 pounds at 4 weeks. She is a quiet, easy baby which is an answer to prayer. Very thankful for my little girl. My brain is already surging ahead to Halloween costumes for our church's Fall festival, my Christmas cards that will need assembling soon, and the fun winter activities ahead of us. The changing of the seasons plus being a mom to three little ones sure makes for fun, but busy months ahead!

Our Family of Five

Our Hollin arrived three weeks early- in quite a hurry, I might add- on August 21st.
All three of my kiddos have come on their own early-  Hollin at 37 weeks Harbor at 38 weeks and  Henry at 39 weeks.
After timing contractions at home for over an hour, we called friends {at 2:00 am} to come watch the boys. We headed to the hospital with the overnight bags I had only packed about six hours before.
I definitely cut it close this time!
Upon arriving, I was dilated to a 5 and 70% effaced. I delivered both boys naturally without medication, so I continued to do the only thing I knew how to do:  breathe and walk and talk and keep moving.
I quickly dilated to a 7 and 90% effaced where we were then moved from triage into a room. So nice! The windows overlooked the Rockies, and during contractions I would let my eye travel their craggy peaks, stopping on aspen and pines, allowing myself to imagine what hiking trails must meander there.
With Henry, my window overlooked the Detroit River and the Canadian shore. No lapping waves to distract me this time, but spires reaching into the clouds, colored purple in the moonlight sure did the trick.
I used my birthing ball and felt a total sense of calm. I knew in the back of my head delivering so early could be rough for Hollin, but I felt such a peace. After dealing with gallbladder attacks for months and months, Hollin's arrival was well anticipated.
My water broke soon after {at a 7/90%} and I held Hollin 30 minutes later.
Going from a 7 to holding in 30 minutes is very reminiscent of Henry's birth  {he was born in 47 minutes from the time my water broke} and it has its pros and cons.
Pros: fast labor and very easy to do naturally Cons: both bebes had some breathing problems from such a quick birth
My mom arrived the next day, and we're very thankful to all the Colorado friends who helped us out in the meantime.  There is nothing as lovely and magical as bringing home a new baby.
I'm always saddened to hear of people who view children as a burden, as another mouth to feed. Children are His best gifts. There is no greater blessing in life than to build a family.
We're so thankful for our Hollin Leslie McCash! 7.7 pounds, 19 1/2 inches born 37 weeks and 1 day Apgar 9 & 9
{Leslie is my dad's first name} : )
            {These pictures were taken four hours after delivery using our tripod and self timer. Thank goodness for tripods!}

Projects

David arrives in Arkansas tonight and I just feel giddy with happiness to see him again after five weeks. I hope Harbor has enough hugs and kisses to last! I know David will want nothing more than to squeeze his little fella!  : )

I've been working hard on getting things packed and transitioning out of my classroom, which is never an easy task. I have a wonderful long-term sub who has stepped in to help me out, and with this past Friday as my last day to teach, I am leaving my classroom with fond memories.

Two weeks ago, my immediate team had a nice dinner at Olive Garden in my honor and presented me with a few nice gifts, one being an enlarged, matted, and framed group picture of our 5th grade team. On the mat, they each wrote a message and it made me cry! I just sat and cried at the dinner table and was overwhelmed to be saying goodbye to best friends, more like sisters for the amount of time we spent together!

On my last day, our entire 5th grade attended our local stadium-seated movie theater to see the new IMAX, African Cats. It cost a small fortune to send over 170 students and faculty, and it means so much to me to have had such a wonderful send off! Our school and a few local businesses paid for all of the tickets and it was such a heartfelt blessing- especially knowing it was in honor of my last day! After the movie, we ate a picnic sack lunch at a local park. I then turned in my keys and bid farewell.

As Monday is now almost over, and knowing I don't have to report to duty, I feel so blessed to have spent six years as a 5th grade teacher. I honestly thought I would teach until I retired, but, alas, God has other plans in mind for our family. I've learned that our human plans can't hold a flame to the life plan Christ has ordained and set in motion. There is such a peace in putting aside worry and fear and just trusting. Simple trust. It is my new motto.

Harbor will be transitioning in Michigan, as well - into a new big boy room. It is a change that has been long overdue, but with the move ahead of us, it just didn't make sense to adjust him until after the movers had us shipped up north. With his new color palette of red, navy pinstripe, black, and white, I have been working here and there on some room projects. One fabric element I have used is a classic black and white houndstooth. With David working on some fun painted room elements, I think the new room will suite Harbor well. I had a few canvases left over from some other projects that I Kilzed with white paint. I decided early on that I didn't have the time to hand paint anything, so I grabbed some scrapbook paper in his color scheme and mod-podged everything down. Using paper, sticker embellishments, die cut letters, and a few metal letters, I think Harbor will enjoy learning about his new home, while not forgetting his old one.  : )

We have had such warm, wet weather lately! All of this rain (and flooding!) we have had will surely produce a gorgeous spring and summer! My little Peter Cottontail took advantage of the sunshine to practice his Easter egg hunting skills.

A friend of mine, Robin, had her baby shower on Sunday and it was so good to see her. Her baby is already here, born just a week or so after the shower, and it was so nice to see her before her baby arrived.

Some of you know that I opted to have a natural birth with Harbor, epidural free, and though it was hard work, it was such a rewarding experience. I remember wanting something for pain right at the end when I was dilated to a 9, but was so relieved it only lasted a few minutes. Having a coach who knows your goals is so helpful in those moments when you are not sure exactly what direction to take. I'm so glad I blogged about that day because it is such a bur now. I gave Robin a few tips the day of her shower, as I know many others did as well, and was so happy to hear she was able to experience the labor and delivery she wanted and hoped for. Robin is an RN for a local surgery clinic, so she was definitely educated and ready for her daughter's arrival.

Pretty burp cloths are essential for fun outings, like church or dinner with the girls, and I know Robin will enjoy having them handy. Congratulations!

These canvases will look handsome paired with Harbor's refurbished bench I recently finished. I finally got it sanded, painted, and stapled with his black and white houndstooth fabric. It is just the perfect size for the foot of his twin bed. These canvases are most certainly handmade in appearance, but I love that they tell a story- the story of our home, our move, and our new beginning. I did end up painting some blue stripes, but using scrapbook paper made the job so much faster! With the total cost under $6.00, it really is unbeatable!

Oh, what fun we had on our local Fayetteville bike path! I miss David on warm sunny days when the bikers are out. It was "our" thing to do on Saturdays and Sundays, so it just seemed natural to take Harbor William out to skip rocks and play. Some of you messaged me and asked about his outfit, and many of his shortalls are from Kelly's Kids or Hatten House.

Mom and Harbor's newest project was a water fall out of two boxes. Harbor loved having his animal friends "slide" down the fall and into the lake at the bottom. With all the rain we have had, it was quite fitting as an indoor activity!

My parents have such a pretty place in Northwest Arkansas. Situated on over two acres, Harbor has plenty of room to roam (and water plants that are already drowning in water! Ha!) He is such a happy helper and I am already missing these large open farm areas. I know in Detroit we will have to visit a metro park to see this much grass in one space! Ha!

My aunt Cathy hosted a very pretty Easter lunch and we enjoyed visiting and egg hunting indoors. Harbor is at such a fun age and each holiday seems more fun now that he is able to comprehend the basics of what and why we are celebrating. We missed daddy, but made sure to call him and wish him a happy Easter, too! It ended up being a rainy Easter, so I axed the idea for a cute skirt and went for something warm. I'm glad Harbor's little outfit was long, as well. It was just so wet and yucky out! His little longall outfit was from Talbot's Kids.

David just called and he is past Indianapolis, Indiana and making good time. We have so much to do here, but I am most looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning as a family all under the same roof!

Have a wonderful week!