My New Favorite Picture!!

Photography by: Holly

It's a big morning around here....

I'm functioning on 5.5 hours of sleep broken up into three chunks, but that's okay!! We are up and dressed and ready to head out into this icy morning for KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!! Oh my gracious, I can't believe it. My little boy isn't so little anymore. He's excited. We're ready for this next step. I could send him tomorrow and would be okay about it. Okay, actually I would cry, but I would also know that he is ready to handle it. I'm so thankful we gave him an extra year at home. So, so thankful. I don't think he actually needed a whole extra year. Things really clicked for him around December and I can tell he's been bored at preschool and at home for the last couple of months. He's ready to be with other kids and have more going on in his life. And since he's ready, I'm ready too! My mom will be babysitting Will for the first time today and that's a big deal too!! I've never left any of my babies this early on, but Mr. THREE WEEKS OLD will do great.

Hippity, Hoppin', Easter's on it's Way

Here comes Peter Cottontail Hoppin' down the bunny trail Hippity hoppin', Easter's on its way

Brothers

Yesterday we let Christian carry Will across the family room. It was the first time he's held him without sitting down :)

Christian loves it when Will has his eyes opened. As soon as I tell him Will's eyes are opened, he runs over and starts talking to him.

Christian always tells us that he loves Will's soft cheeks (and he gives him lots of messy kisses) and he loves his "big bottom." ha! I think his bottom looks big because he's already wearing size 2 diapers.

Sweet brothers! I'm so glad Christian loves him so much.

P.S. I know I need to ditch the pink blanket!

2 Weeks + 1 Day

Okay this is not a great picture of our little Will boy, but I actually caught a smile on camera, even though I was totally flashing it in his face.

Will is officially 15 days old today.

We had a weight check at the pediatrician today and......drum roll please......

Will weighs 11lbs 1oz!!!

He's HUGE!!!

That means he's gained 2lbs 4oz in the last 13 days since we've been home from the hospital.
No wonder I don't get any sleep! The boy is hungry all the time!

I'm actually thinking about giving him some formula at bedtime to see if that keeps his tummy a little fuller. He absolutely thinks he needs to eat every 2-3 hours and it's wearing on me. I keep telling him it's a good thing he's so sweet about it, otherwise I might have a mini-mommy breakdown!

Will's Stats:

• Will wears size 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. It really depends on the outfit.
• He doesn't mind bathtime, but he also hasn't had a real bath yet.
• His umbilical cord is still hanging on. Christian thinks it's gross.
• He poops constantly, so Triple Paste has become our best friend.
• He's in size 1 diapers.
• He has been called William, Will, Wilbur, Wills, Willis, Willie and Will the Thrill. (I hate nicknames, but Ryan loves them!! Ryan never calls anyone by their real name, including me).
• He spends very little time awake.
• At this point I think he resembles Ryan more than our other two kids did.
• He had a huge sucking callous on the middle of his top lip. Mckenna started to pick at it and Grandmom saw her and stopped her immediately. The next thing we knew Christian had pulled it off . Poor baby just doesn't stand a chance with these siblings of his. But he's a tough boy...didn't even cry or wake up for that matter.

He Can Hardly Stand the Wait

Only seven more days until t-ball starts!!!!

Good heavens...he can hardly wait.

He's been practicing with daddy and one of his best buddies is going to be on his team.

It doesn't get much better than that.

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When I took this picture I was upstairs in my bedroom taking care of Will and Christian came in my room and said, "Mom, don't you think I look cool with my new glove? I think you should take my picture!"

Oh the humility :)

Pray for McKenna - THE UPDATE :)

WHY DO I EVEN WASTE MY TIME WORRYING ABOUT THESE THINGS?? MCKENNA WAS AWESOME! SHE DID NOT LIKE THE "DRINK" THEY GAVE HER, BUT THOSE WERE THE ONLY TEARS. RYAN STAYED WITH HER DURING THE ENTIRE PROCEDURE. AND HER TEETH LOOK FABULOUS! MCKENNA WAS HILARIOUS ON THE WAY HOME...TALKING ABOUT ALL KINDS OF CRAZINESS LIKE LIONS AND HAIRCUTS (Yes, Miss Raeann..she kept talking about you and how she had an appointment to get her haircut. ha!) AND ICE SKATING. SHE'S SLEEPING IT OFF NOW! SO GLAD WE GOT THAT OVER WITH!!! THANKS FOR PRAYING FOR HER! It'a a big day for Mckenna and she doesn't even know it yet. This morning we're taking her to a pediatric dentist over an hour away to get her front tooth fixed. They're going to put her to sleep. I hate the thought of her being sedated. ugh! Hate it! I know it's going to be harder on me than it will be on her :) Please pray for her this morning...that things will go smoothly...that it will be quick...and that her dentist will skillfully be able to fix McKenna's sweet smile!

Ahhhh...I'm so excited!!!!

You have to check out my talented friend Holly's blog HERE right now!!!!
She just posted the dearest pictures of Will!
Oh gracious Holly....they are so sweet!
And I adore the pictures of all three of them too!

Holly seriously is like a real life "baby whisperer."
I should invite her over at 2am :)
She kept Will so calm and quiet, even though the boy was awake the entire time.
That last picture with his eyes closed was just Will faking it. He was really wide awake.
I think he just loved Miss Holly.

Thanks again Holly for blessing our family with your talent!

1st day as a mommy of 3

Today was my first day alone with my three kids.
I've been so blessed to have tons of help from my mom and from Ryan since Will's birth.
The morning was smooth sailing.
A friend came over to take some newborn pictures of Will...I can't wait to see them :)
And our morning was great!!!
By the afternoon my motrin was wearing off and I knew something was not right.
Then I called the doctor and my dear husband had to rush home from work so I could go to the doctor. So much for my first day alone.

Do you want to know what my biggest worry was about being alone with all the kids???
This seems silly now, but I was so worried about how I was going to take McKenna to the potty if she had to go while I was in the middle of nursing Will.
It didn't take us long to run into this issue.
I was changing Will's diaper when McKenna HAD TO GO!!!
Yikes.
I told her to wait just a minute and I would help her (she uses the big potty, so that's why she needs help).
But by the time I had the diaper on Will and his little onsie snapped up, guess who was already on the potty taking care of business all by herself?!
When I ran into the bathroom to help her she told me she just couldn't wait, so she did it herself.
And now she refuses to let me help her. Yippee!!
All that worry for nothing!

Both Christian and McKenna have been so grown up lately.
Christian made lunch today.
I'm not even kidding.
Capri Suns, cheese, ham and yogurt.
I was impressed.
We won't mention the artwork McKenna drew all over her stomach with a pen or the fact that she wore five different outfits today just because she felt like it. oy!

So tomorrow we'll do the whole mommy of three thing again and see how it goes :)

A Little Bump in the Road

Unfortunately my recovery has hit a little snag.
I've got a fever, which is never good after a c-section.
And a mysterious sharp pain in my right abdomen.
And some other symptoms that you don't want to hear about (trust me)!

The doctor wanted to see me right away.
Thankfully he wasn't alarmed.
So I'm on the watch and wait plan.
The call us if......this, this or this happens...plan.

I would love a nap,
but that would mean an unsupervised 3 year old.
Thank goodness Will is adorable and worth all the fuss he's created!

You guys are the best....

I just wanted to say thanks for all the sweet and encouraging comments, emails, facebook messages, etc....that I've received since Will's birth. I've replied to very few and I feel bad about that. I've read all your sweet word, but I'm usually holding a baby or nursing at the time, so I'm not able to reply at that moment and then I never get back to it. I just keep reminding myself that the first six months are a huge adjustment and then it gets easier. Things are getting a little easier each day. Ryan goes back to work tomorrow...YIKES...but my mom will still be here. Tuesday will be my first real test of motherhood with three. Thankfully we have no where to be on Tuesday, so I'll be okay. Wednesday is a different story...

Have a great week!

Love the LOOK!

From Christian:

I love getting notes like this from Christian.

D-Day

Today is Will's Due Date!!
Ha! So glad we're already 9 days into our recovery!
Can you imagine how huge he would have been if he had waited to be born today?
We had a pretty decent night last night and some good awake time already today!
I'm home alone with just my boys :)
It's McKenna who makes things interesting around here, so she's with daddy.

I know I've been blogging a lot lately.
That will probably end as soon as Ryan goes back to work on Monday.
But it's been nice to sit around and have time to record all of our sweet newborn moments.
Have a great Saturday.

Well loved

Did you know that it takes six hands to hold a new baby?

Okay, maybe only five! Now we're down to just three.

Whoops...I was wrong! I'm back to thinking it takes six!

This boy is WELL LOVED!!

My night owl

After a glorious night of just 2 hours of sleep, I decided that today we would begin "baby boot camp." Baby Boot Camp is when the mommy is in charge, not the baby. It's a little bit miserable for everyone, but I'm hopeful for great results. The rules of boot camp include; 1. You must stay awake in between feedings at least for alittle while! 2. You don't get to eat whenever you feel like it! Mommy sets the schedule! 3. You will not be held 24/7! You will take your naps with no one holding you! 4. Crying is permitted. Sounds reasonable doesn't it? I really can't complain! We've had our sweet little Will for 8 nights now and only 2 of those nights have been bad. Six out of eight have been rather pleasant! But last night just about did me in and I have to remember that Ryan will be going back to work very soon, and my mom can't live with us forever. One of these days I'm going to be expected to take care of all three of my kids instead of just this one little man, so it's time to work on a few things. Christian sucked his thumb. McKenna adored her binkie. And Will loves nothing! I should rephrase that; Will loves nursing. I hardly know what to do with a boy who doesn't have a thumb or a binkie to fall back on. I think it makes him a little more restless. But he's a great little eater and would eat every 15 minutes if I would let him. I have a feeling he's probably back up to his birth weight by now. Okay, that's it for the update. Will is actually asleep, so I'm going to do the same thing. Once again I'm so thankful for a sweet friend who has already dropped off dinner. It's extremely humbling to accept so much help, from so many different people. Honestly, I find it to be rather uncomfortable. I'd prefer not to have this "c-section vaction" and I'd like to be able to take care of everything myself. But I can't. I literally can't which is frustrating, but it's also a good lesson in humility for me :)

Happy St. Patty's Day

Will's first St. Patrick's Day!

Check out my post from 2008 HERE when McKenna celebrated her first St. Patty's Day!

The Siblings Meet for the first time

This is a video of when Christian and McKenna met Will for the first time. Just look at how excited Christian is and how sweet McKenna was kissing her new brother.

And this is the first time Christian held Will. So sweet!

Will's Birth-Day

Here we go...the long awaited birth story post! This might be the longest post I've ever written, but I want to remember all the details (so this is mainly just for me). You all wanted a belly shot and you've got one. That's me (with no make-up...I can't even believe I'm posting that) on the morning of Will's birth. I got up around 4:30am. Ryan had been up since 3am, he couldn't sleep. I had decided the night before that I wanted to wake up late, so I would have to rush and not think about what was about to happen. And I kept telling Ryan I didn't want to get to the hospital early so I was delaying our departure as much as possible. It was pouring down rain and took us forever to get there, so we were a good 20 min. late. They were waiting for us when we got there. Oops...I guess we should have been on time! Ryan got in his scrubs. This is the last pregnant picture of me. They wasted no time starting IVs (In my right wrist, which ended up being a huge mistake. I should have spoken up because I'm right handed), getting blood pressure, monitoring the baby, and filling out tons more paperwork. They got everything started at 5:50am and the next hour was a whirlwind of activity. By 7:15 I was starting to feel funny. I was so nervous and the IV fluids were cold and my whole body started shaking which only added to my anxiety. I wish I could tell you that I felt peace about the whole thing, but I did not. I was a nervous wreck! At 7:30am sharp, I walked into the OR. Now why on earth didn't anybody tell me that the operating table was only about 18 inches wide and that they sort of tip you on your side and you truly feel like you're about to roll off onto the floor? And then there was the crowd of people in the room. I guess I was expecting four people or something, not twelve! My midwife came in to check on me and I almost cried. She was so reassuring and stayed with me until they made sure the spinal block worked (remember?? that was my big worry). Then she left and Ryan came to sit next to me. I was starting to loose my composure at this point. It was all just very overwhelming. I guess I should have thought through what I was going to do or think about while I was laying there listening to them operate on me, but I had not thought about that. So I did the first thing that popped into my mind; I started quoting Psalm 23 outloud over and over again. It's rather long and you have to think about what you're saying, so I had to focus on that verse. And with my eyes closed I pictured green pastures and still water. The next thing I knew I heard Will scream. He came out screaming and screaming and screaming!! WooHoo!!! Everyone started commenting about how big he was and they were all guessing about 10lbs. Ryan immediately went to check him out and I laid there and cried and cried and whispered "Thank you Jesus" over and over again. I got a quick peek at Will and then Ryan and Will headed out of the OR. The next 15-20 minutes were unpleasant. As soon as Will was born they started putting a bunch of different drugs in my IV. They made me feel super dizzy. I must have asked 20 times "how much longer." But then it was over. From start to finish it only took 40 minutes, which I think is pretty remarkable. I got to head back to the room and my mom was already even there getting her first look at her new grandson.

William Ryland Chatterton

9lbs 10oz

Will's first picture with Dad while I was still in the OR.

More snuggle time with Daddy!

Then Will got his first bath.

Grandmom Brinkley with her fourth grandson!

Around lunch time Mimi brought the big brother and sister to meet Will.

McKenna's first time holding Will.

Notice how Christian is taking pictures with his DSi. I had to confiscate that thing before he left because he took all kinds of horrendous pictures of me that I had to delete :)

Will gave McKenna a present, a new movie!

And Will gave Christian a Wii game. Christian was pretty thrilled and it was a good purchase...it's kept him quite busy since I've been home from the hospital.

The big kids got coloring books from the hospital and McKenna went right to work.

Christian's first time holding Will.

The kids came to visit twice on Will's birthday. They came at lunch time and then at dinner time. They were so excited and I'm thankful they got to be a part of this special day for our family.

I only spent two nights in the hospital and then it was time to go home! I'm always so excited to get home because I NEVER sleep well at the hospital!

The whole family was waiting for us on the front porch as we drove in the driveway! Emma ran out to meet us!

And this was the scene when we got in the house. Hilarious!!!

Welcome home sweet boy!! We are thrilled that God gave you to our family!