Sunday morning...

I took my boys to church and dropped them off and have been enjoying a few hours by myself... doing laundry, cleaning out leftovers that people have brought us, and giving sweet Campbell a bath. When I was checking out of the hospital, the baby nurse was giving me directions, and she talked about giving him a bath. She said with her first baby, he got a bath twice a day, second baby, once every other day, third baby was lucky if he got one once a week. So true. Luckily they don't get too dirty.
A few months ago I blogged about maternity clothes. Again, I need to vent. I'm three weeks out, and still can only fit into my maternity clothes, but now I'm not cute and pregnant, I'm fat and sloppy. Very depressing.
It looks like we are safe from Gustov, but I know my mother was so hoping we would have to evacuate to Shreveport. Sorry, Mom.
My first baby is in first grade and has his first loose tooth. Such a big moment. I think that Cooper and especially Cade have grown three inches since Campbell was born. Some of it is perception now that there is a baby in the house, but we swear Cade has grown some this month.
Totally random thoughts, but I had a minute, so I thought I would share.

PICTURES!

Sorry, no pictures this time

I have tried 4 times to post a picture for you of my beautiful baby, but until I can get to church to high speed, its just not going to happen. So to tied you over, I will tell you the birth story. Some people may not like birth stories, I love them, so please do not feel obligated to read it if its not your thing. I promise I won't be graphic!
I had been 4 cm for over a month, so my doctor said we would induce in another week, and to call her when the contractions were 8 minutes apart for an hour. So the contractions started that day, but they were really random. On Tuesday night, I had them consistently for three hours, 10 minutes apart, then 9, then two at 8. We got our bag ready and prepared the boys, and then, they stopped. Nothing.
Wednesday something else happened that is probably too graphic for some people, but I really thought it was a sign that we were ready, but nothing.
Thursday, contractions all day, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10, 20, nothing for an hour.
Friday, we ran errands, took the car to get the oil changed, hair cuts, ate lunch out, contractions all day, again, totally random times. Friday afternoon, I realized they were stronger, but still not consistent and I couldn't keep up with how long it had been, so I started writing down the times on a piece of paper with a crayon. I was doing things around the house and actually cooking dinner. Here are the times: 4:30, 4:42, 4:57, 5:34, 5:52, 5:57. WHAT! 5 minutes! That must be a fluke! We sat down to dinner and I had Cooper get my actual timer and as we ate, I watched the timer and how surprisingly, every 3 minutes I was having one. At this point I began to laugh.
I had told people for months that I wanted Campbell to be born on the 7th or the morning of the 8th so that I could be in the hospital by myself the night of the 8th to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in peace. That is the highlight of my life every two years. I remember in high school having an Olympics party to watch it with my friends, and I realized no one else was watching but me. So here we are, 30 minutes from the start of the ceremonies and I am in labor. So we called the doctor, set the DVR, and headed to the hospital.
I had a great nurse, had the ceremonies on for most of the time, although listening to it through the little box that sits by your head on the bed, didn't quite give me the grandness of the event. Pain wasn't too bad. I got my epidural at some point, and had a little scare when it caused my blood pressure to drop drastically. When I was checked, I was only at a 5. My contractions were consistent but not really strong enough.
At 11:30, my nurse said the contractions were better and she would come back in 30 minutes to check me again, and I would probably be at an 8 by then. So I put on my Ipod and tried to rest... for about 10 minutes. Then I called her back to check me, and sure enough, I was complete. We were hoping he would be born by midnight so his birthday would be 8-8-08, but didn't happen. I pushed for more than an hour. My doctor said his head was a little crooked and she was close to getting out the vacuum. She didn't tell me that until the next day. It got pretty painful towards the end. But Campbell made his entrance at 1:03 AM, kicking, grabbing things, crying, so beautiful.
Mom had taken the boys to Ms Colette and Mr Lee's house and was in the waiting room. Jason's parents had driven for 6 hours and made it to the hospital at 1:20, perfect timing for them to be there when Jason came out to tell them Campbell had arrived.
Didn't get much sleep that night. Apparently neither did my older two boys. Colette said she could hear Cooper moving around most of the night, and at 4:30 she heard a noise and found them both up and dressed, packed, and ready for breakfast so they could come to the hospital. How cute!
So that's the story. He is doing great. Was 7lbs 10 oz when he was born, 7.2 when he left the hospital and 7.15 when we went the doctor this week. That is big for me. Cooper was 6.13 and Cade was 6.9.
At another time, I will describe my feelings about it being my last. I am sadder than I thought I would be. But I am not admitting that to my husband! I will post pictures as soon as I can.

He's Here!

Joshua Campbell Gadman was born Saturday morning, 1:03 AM, weighing in at 7lbs 10 oz, 19inches long. I went into labor around 6 officially, so it wasn't too long. We just got home, so when I have more energy, I will post some pictures and give more details. He has a little jaundice, but other than that, we are all happy. I am in love! Thanks for the prayers.

Another update

People are apparently checking my blog with baited breath, waiting for some huge announcement. No huge announcement here! Went to the doctor yesterday, still 4 cm. My doctor said that is just ridiculous, its been about a month at 4 cm. And she could tell when she walked in the room that I was miserable. So she "stripped" my membranes, which I had never heard of. Basically she weakened my bag of water hoping that would spur things along. Nothing so far. She said if I haven't had him in the next week, we will induce next week. I would rather not do that, but its fine if we have to. So today we are riding out the overly talked about Tropical Storm Eduard, going stir crazy just waiting around for Campbell to come. My mom came last night to beat out the storm and Jason's parents' bags are packed. I'm really tired of people asking me if I'm feeling any change. I promise I will tell you if I feel something worth talking about. My mom and I, who both have master's degrees, just took a really long time to put together a pack-n-play that I borrowed from someone, even with the instruction book. Stupid people would have never gotten it together!

The boys got home last night from Paris. It was good to see them. There were moments last week where I wondered if I was a good mom because I really didn't miss them as much as I thought a good mom would. But I guess I had other things on my mind. I was very excited when they got home last night, so I guess I'm not terrible.

So I guess keep checking in. Hopefully it will be soon. Although, when I think about it, these are my last days of pregnancy for the rest of my life. So maybe I'm not quite in such a hurry for it to be over. Wait, no, I am ready.

Update

Not much to update actually. I am still 4 cm. and just waiting. Cade was three weeks early, which would have been today. But no signs this time. My doctor is out of town this week, so part of me wants to wait until next week anyway, but a bigger part of me doesn't really care who delivers this baby. I am tired and uncomfortable, can't sleep or eat. You know how it is. And I had an allergy attack at the end of last week, so now I am fighting a sinus infection, again. Chest feels really good, combined with his feet in my ribs, it is just oh so fun. We sent the kids to Paris again this week. I hated to even ask my inlaws after they have already had them a week and she was here a week, but they volunteered. Don't volunteer if you don't mean it! So I am resting, trying to finish up a few things. But everything is ready for sweet Campbell whenever he is ready!

I was not happy with The Next Food Network Star, my least favorite of the three. And I still love both Matt and Jennifer on Design Star, I would watch both of them.

Christy's Picks of The Week

Kind of a random blog of things...

1st Pick-Mothers! As we speak my mother and mother-in-law are upstairs cleaning my nasty bathroom. How fabulous is that. I hope I can return the favor someday.

2nd Pick-Next Food Network Star and Design Star... I am glad that all three finalists are moving on in the Food Network show because I really don't like any of them enough to know who to like best. And I love both finalists on Design Star, so hopefully their final rooms will clear it up for me.

3rd Pick- This is my favorite one to share with Moms. I have discovered 4 shows on TBN, which normally I wouldn't even stop on. But I started recording them and the kids absolutely love them. God Rocks, Friends and Heroes, Auto B Good, and Bugtime Adventures. They like God Rocks the best, a really cool band that plays scripture songs and cartoons with these rock characters that tell Bible stories. Really cute. If you don't have TBN, check other Christian stations. I am sure they are around somewhere. Highly recommend them.

4th Pick-Husbands, mine comes home tomorrow afternoon! I have never missed him more. I have a doctors appointment at 2:30 and his plane lands at 3:30, so hopefully she says I am good to get up again, although I really haven't felt good this week anyway. I am just so glad to have him home again. I can't imagine being a military wife and doing this for years at a time. Very thankful for him.

Guess what?

I finally got my new dishwasher today! It was supposed to come yesterday, and believe it or not, his truck broke down on the way to my house. I laughed for a second before I cried. He said it would be Saturday before he came, but I called the appliance place and said that was not acceptable, and so he came today. I am so relieved to have that off of my list of mental stresses!

I have been resting most of the week. I don't know if there is really a physical change now, or its more emotional, but I have really felt like resting, really tired and uncomfortable, kind of melancholy. Anyway, 5 more days until Jason gets back, so we are almost there!

What a day!

Well, the furniture came a day early, which was great. The chair and ottoman are perfect and beautiful. But then they took the packaging off of the couch, and instead of being blue, it was brown. Luckily I had prepared myself for it to be wrong and didn't pass out. But I am so frustrated, I don't know what to do. And because its custom made furniture, it might be another 4-6 weeks or longer to get the right one. I really want to yell at someone, but I don't know who to yell at. No one will take responsibility and the people that I talk to, I know didn't make the mistake, so I feel bad yelling at them.

Then I went to the doctor, and discovered that his head is down, which my bladder had already informed me of, and I am already 3-4 cm dilated. Normally, not a big issue, but with my husband out of the country for 7 more days, my doctor suggested I stay off of my feet as much as possible until he gets back. So now I am really paranoid about doing anything. I was dilated 2-3 for a number of weeks before the boys, so I am trying not to think about it, but its hard not to. Thank God for my mother-in-law who is as we speak, bowling with my boys. God knew I would need her here more than I did.

What a Week!

Well, Jason is in London as we speak leading a group from our church on a mission trip. You can be praying for them. They are having a great opportunity to reach young people. They are teaching in religious education classes about American Christianity and also teaching American football and baseball to about a 1000 kids. Pretty cool! But, yes, he is gone. The day he gets back I will have 4 weeks left, so we should be fine, but I think the pregnancy has made me miss him more, and be more paranoid about his safety. I am really having to trust God.

Jason's mom is here, and has been a huge help already. Since she is a preschool teacher, I asked her to help me reorganize the playroom, and she got after it. It looks great. The main reason we had to do that, is because the couch in the den has to be moved into there today because, after ordering it 7 months ago, our new furniture is supposedly arriving in the morning. I will post pictures if it really shows up, and its the right furniture.

She is also washing dishes for me since we still do not have a dishwasher! They brought us one week before last, and it was the wrong color. You do not want to know how mad I was. I am doing a Bible Study right now about the tongue, and it didn't help that day. So we might get the new one this Wednesday, but I will believe that when I see it too.

We also bought a new minivan last week. It is being delivered either the end of this week or next week. So in the meantime, I am trying to clean out my car and get it ready to sell. 97 Camry if anyone is interested.

Oh yeah, and I am 8 1/2 months pregnant! And the nursery isn't ready. I think he has turned head down now. A lot more kicking in the ribs and pressure on the bladder. Fun, fun! I have a new theory. When its your first pregnancy, you have 100% of your brain to focus on it, second one, only 50% of your brain, and third one, only 33% of your brain. So, the other 67% of my brain doesn't realize I'm having a baby sometime in the next 5 weeks. When it does have a moment of realization, I have a panic attack. So I don't allow myself to think about it. So, say a prayer for me this week if you think about it, that I remain calm, and take one day at a time, and just trust God for all of the details. Its all minor compared to staying healthy for baby Campbell. Breathe, breathe.

Pictures

I told a friend to check my blog for some pictures and went back and realized I haven't posted any since Feb. I apologize. So here are pics of our kitchen remodel and some random ones of the boys. Enjoy.

Worn Out...

We had Vacation Bible School this week. Back in March when our preschool minister asked me to direct the babies-threes, it sounded like a good idea. I'll only be 8 months pregnant, no big deal. I am worn out! Our theme was a beach theme, so Monday I wore flip-flops trying to be festive. Mistake. The rest of the week I wore tennis shoes, no matter how silly they looked with the capris and Hawaiian shirt I was forced to wear, and that helped a little. I think its my age, because with Cooper's pregnancy I really would have been fine, and with Cade's I was working that much, and I was fine. Thirty-three doesn't sound old. But compared to 27 I guess it is!

The boys are going to Paris this week, so it is my last week to get some things done and have some quiet time before Campbell arrives. I am trying to make a list of to-do's, but just sitting sounds great too! Jason and I are making a list of all the places we want to eat out without them. Buying a mini-van, which should be happening in the next month, and having the baby, will certainly curb our eating out habit. When you combine how tired I was this week, and the fact that we still don't have a dishwasher, we ate out a lot. Black Eye Pea has free kids meals on Tuesdays, so that's a good one.

Search for the ultimate diaper bag...

When I got pregnant with Cooper, I really didn't know what kind of diaper bag I wanted. I registered for two that looked decent, and used one of them the whole time. I realized the other one was just too big for me. When I got pregnant with Cade, I was shopping in Walmart one day, and there it was, the perfect size, perfect cute plaid pattern, just perfect. Used it until it wore out. So this time I didn't think it would be a big deal to find one. I have now looked at every store around I can think of, more than once in case they got new ones, and looked on line, but that doesn't help because I want to hold it, carry it around the store for a minute to make sure its the right size. And I cannot find a diaper bag I like! I found one in Dillards last night I liked, only one left, and it was messed up because someone had returned it. It wasn't perfect because it had a cute little bow on it, and I wasn't sure if it was too girly. But I could live with the bow, not the big mark down the side of it. So my only hope left is to call other Dillards and see if they have it. And I am just shocked how much you can spend on a diaper bag! Its crazy! I guess if you find the perfect one, its something to spend money on since you use it everyday for a few years, but still. Any other suggestions of where to look?

Still no dishwasher. I appreciate the fact that the home warranty is paying for it, but if it wasn't, we could have already been to Lowe's and bought and installed the thing. The warranty process is taking too long!

The Baby's name... as of today.

Today it is Joshua Campbell. I asked Jason's mom to just start naming everyone in the family tree, and she said that Jason's great-grandfather's name was Joshua. I then asked, did he kill anyone? No? Just a hardworking farmer. Ok, we're good. And its very Biblical of course. Sounds good with Benjamin and William. So that's it for today. On most websites, "Campbell" means "crooked mouth". But I found one website where it means "amazing" or "bountiful". I wonder which meaning I will go with? And of course, "Joshua" means "God is salvation". Can't go wrong with that!

Update at end of first week

Well, the dishwasher isn't fixed yet. But good news, we get a new one! We still have a home owners warranty, so I just found out they have approved us to get a new one. Now how long it will take to install, who knows. I was feeling rather like a spoiled baby whining about not having a dishwasher, but when I mentioned it at the park yesterday with some church friends, they freaked out more than I did. Absolutely you cannot live without a dishwasher. That's just crazy talk! So they made me feel better, or we are all spoiled babies. I actually handwashed a load of dishes last night, the first time since maybe college. It wasn't so bad. My husband actually asked if I needed help, as I washed the last dish. But I was touched that he offered.

Cooper is bored of his quiet time already, wants to watch tv. I am very proud of my laundry system. Its amazing how only doing one load a day is less time consuming. They actually get folded and put away. I have been told that before by many women in my life who are older and wiser, but I am one of those people who has to figure it out herself. Of course, Cade has wet his bed twice this week, which adds another load.

You still can't go in my bedroom or bathroom. And next week is 24/7 getting ready for VBS, so it probably won't get clean unless I do it today. I'm sure I can come up with something else to do instead!

First week of summer...

Cooper got out of school last Thursday, so he is now a big 1st grader (in my mind anyway!). Very scary. So, on Friday we started our new summer schedule, and I have to say we have done well so far. We only watch TV when its on the schedule, which is more for me than for them, and they are handling that well. I'm sure its still more tv than many of you let your children watch, but we are doing better. We have done some fun things together, which is good. I have made a "responsibilities" chart, some of which they get paid for, some are just things that have to be done. They have done pretty well with that, no complaining yet. I have reorganized my laundry room, and how I do laundry, so hopefully I won't have 8 loads to do in one day. We are having quiet time in the afternoon so Cade and I can take a nap, and Cooper is being quiet in his room coloring or reading, and that is a great time of day. Church stuff started this week, so we have a stay home day schedule and a church day schedule. We may cut some of the church stuff out once we try it all. My in-laws made a surprise visit yesterday for two nights, and it didn't mess up the schedule really at all. And when I first found out they were coming, I automatically panicked because normally I would have to spend a lot of time cleaning, but I realized the house was pretty good. The two most important goals I had were to cut out a lot of tv, which we have, and start to get myself and the kids organized as far as house work, which we are starting. So I have to say, that I am very proud of myself. Now, don't go in my bedroom or master bath. They are gross. And don't go in Campbell's room. It is full of boxes. But we are making slow progress. My parents finished the kitchen, and Jason moved the dining room furniture back yesterday, so that is a relief. Of course, the dishwasher died today, because that's how things happen in life. Hopefully it gets fixed fast, because hand washing dishes will not fit in my schedule!

Grieving...

After watching my recording of Idol last night, and rejoicing that my 5 votes helped put David Cook over the top (HA), I continued to watch the local fox news that I had recorded after Idol, and saw the horrible story about Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria. I let out a scream and began to cry. Jason thought I was a little too emotional, but I'm pregnant, I can't help it. I cried myself to sleep and what little sleep I had was rough. At 4 I went into the bathroom and cried again. I am just devastated for them. I have been listening to his music for 20 years of my life, and his music has been such a part of my spiritual journey. I just cannot imagine the grief in that family. And for me, who struggles daily with irrational fears of horrible things happening to my family, it freaked me out! I prayed most of the time I was awake last night, both for them, and for myself that this situation would drive me to the Word, and not make my fears worse. I questioned that if God can allow this to happen to a family who is making such a difference in his kingdom... I don't know what else to do but pray for them. Steven is one of those people that I feel like I know personally, but obviously I only know a small part of his life. My friend Jenny's blog today is very good. I will copy it at the bottom. And you can check out his website to get more info. www.stevencurtischapman.com. I just don't have words.

updated 9:30 am 5/22/08 - Jenny Simmons of Addison Road
"I will always remember the night I was driving home from a high school drama competition and the booming voice of radio personality John Rivers somberly came on the air to announce that Rich Mullins, a prolific writer, artist, lover, ragamuffin, humble, dark, deep and penetrating artist and a secret friend to the souls of so many of us, had died in a tragic car wreck.
I never knew him. I never even saw him in concert. But he was a dear part of my family, of my journey, and of my soul as his music, thoughts, and lyrics had deeply penetrated and changed the landscape of the way I viewed Jesus. Rich was my tour guide to Christ. He took me to Him. We walked to Jesus together.
I pulled my car over and listened to the radio reports. I cried for an hour (and missed curfew). My heart broke in a way you would think impossible for someone I had never met. But the truth is, we had met...because he profoundly shaped my soul, we met somewhere in the spiritual world, and he was my friend.

Today I mourn another such tragic loss and I find words very hard to come by.
Several weeks ago I told you about how I got to meet Stephen Curtis Chapman, my lifelong hero, at GMA week. How kind he was and how he understood the importance of his legacy to me, because he followed legacies of his own. He let me know this was OK because God gives us mentors, and uses music and words to profoundly shape our hearts and lives. He said other people had shaped his life. He had shaped my life. And now I would shape other people's lives. It was a special moment to be able to share with him. Besides Rich, there has never been a person or family that has inspired me to do what I do more than Stephen and Mary Beth Chapman...their music, their family, their honesty, their beauty. I barely know them and yet today I mourn for them deeply. My heart is broken tonight.
Stephen's beautiful daughter Maria, age 5, died today in a tragic accident.
One of the older sons did not see her playing in the driveway and she was hit by his car, care flighted to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN and passed away there in the hospital. She was the youngest of Stephen and Mary Beth's six children and was adopted from China.
I have already begun to read comments on people's blogs and myspace accounts and I am baffled at the inappropriate things we say when people are hurting. Not intentionally, we just don't know how to offer our hearts sorrow to them and we don't know what to say. At a time like this...exclamation marks at the end of sentences and telling a stranger within hours of mourning that God has a plan for this tragedy seems to fall short. All I can say is that I do not know what to say. I cannot understand and my heart is broken and all I can do is pray for the peace and comfort of Christ to hold Stephen and his family tightly. And maybe that is no better than exclamation marks.
Then again, maybe I don't say anything. Maybe we just fall to your knees and pray. And then pray more for this precious, grieving family.
I marvel at how quickly the Christian community and the Nashville family of musicians comes together to shower love, prayer, and the strength of family onto those in our family who suffer such immense loses. It is beautiful to watch. It has only been a few hours now and blogs, news articles, and prayer chains have already begun to fill the pages of the Internet (and that is from those of us who do not journey with this family day in and day out. We know that those closest to them are literally holding them together in these moments). The body of Christ in action. Love, mourning, hope, and friendship in the midst of utter, gut wrenching, can't take another breath tragedy....the kind that I cannot even begin to understand...surrounds them right now.
And we too lift these members of our family, shapers of our journey, up and pray that God would be present in the way only He knows how to be present.
For more information on the family and ways you can donate to their BEAUTIFUL organization that is literally changing the lives for thousands of orphans all over the world, visit Shaohannah's Hope.
Also, StevenCurtisChapman.com is keeping everyone updated. Thank you for praying for this family who is life giving to so many of us."

Last week of school...

This is my last week of school, and I am so excited! I remember this time last year I was in mourning that summer was coming, what was I going to do with my children all summer, how was I going to survive without my "alone" time when they were in school. But I am so ready to have everyone home for awhile, not to have to make lunches, to have time to spend with the kids doing fun things, to have some time to get things organized around the house. We will have plenty of things to do at church during the week, and then the extras, like library, playdates, park, etc. I am really looking forward to it. And because they can play so well by themselves now, I am not as concerned about having alone time. I really want to get a routine down where we aren't watching too much tv, rest time, etc. Cooper has three more weeks left, so I will have two weeks to get a schedule set up before he's home. I will also have some projects to work on. I'm teaching a Bible study this summer, VBS is at the end of June, and I'm directing the babies to 3's, so I have some stuff to get ready for that. And I have committed to teaching at the weekday preschool teacher training starting Aug. 25th, yes, that's a week after my due date. So, yes, please pray that Campbell comes three weeks early like Cade did. That would be so perfect! So I have a lot of prep work for that. So, hopefully there will be enough to do this summer to stay busy, yet have plenty of time for rest and fun too. I'm really getting that nesting instinct. I am ready to clean out some closets! Come help if you want!

Updates

House- We have gotten alot done the past week, thanks to my parents. My mom came and started painting my cabinets, they look so great. Then my wonderful step-dad Kenneth came and I gave him a short list of to-do's, and he did ten times that much. He even took down this section of cabinets that makes my kitchen look so much bigger. He took the rest of the cabinet doors back to paint them so my mom won't have as much to do next time she comes. When I can get to church and high speed I will post some pictures. I didn't take as many before and afters as I had meant to. My house is completely turned upside down. Its a wreck!
Baseball- The Cardinals are 2nd in our standings, but we beat the 1st place team last night. We play them again on Saturday. I think that will determine how we are ranked when we start the tournament next week. So much pressure for 6 year olds! Maybe they don't feel it as much as the adults do. Last night Cooper got out twice, and cried. I was proud of myself as a mom because I got him to stop and feel better about himself. I said, "you watch the Astros. They get out all the time! You have many years of baseball ahead and many outs. Shake if off." Which now that I write it, doesn't sound that encouraging, but it worked. He was fine after that. Of course, that's why I didn't play sports. I would have been crying all the time.
Baby- Its been a rough month. I have had pregnancy issues that I know are normal, I've just never experienced them before. But one issue I hadn't heard of I think I have. I have had increasingly more pain in my pelvic muscles over the last three weeks, which makes it impossible to pick up my babies (I only have 5 days of school left), hard to get out of bed, get up from sitting, get dressed. I did some research online and decided I have Symphysis pubic dysfunction. (see http://whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/symphysis-pubic-dysfunction.aspx). I tried to tell my doctor this week, but she kind of blew it off. She said if I had that, I wouldn't be able to walk. But I think she was thinking of the more serious version. Anyway, I also got another antibiotic for a sinus infection, and baby sounded great. So on we go! Still no name, today its Campbell Graham. We'll see how long that lasts.

Question for Heaven

Why do I have one friend who is starting her second round of fertility treatments to try to get pregnant again, and one friend who got pregnant with #4 on birth control and found out this week she is pregnant with #5 even though her husband had a vasectomy in January? Can anyone explain that to me until I can ask God?