HE'S HERE!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

We're THRILLED to announce the addition of Matthew Lewis McKneely born to this (crazy) family Wednesday March 25th at 3:02 pm.

He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces, was 19 1/2 inches long and had a head full of brains measuring 15 inches (and thanks to only a half working epidural--mom could tell!)

More pics and details to follow, we're tired and happy and trying to make the adjustment of one more to this mix! Love you guys!!

T-minus ONE DAY

Hey all!

So went to the doctor yesterday. I'm a "loose 1" and 20-30% effaced. I've NEVER been anything even a week over my due date so this is music to my ears and makes me feel a bit better about inducing now, my body is getting ready. I'm even having pre-delivery contractions which I've never had before. This baby is ready to come and this morning, thanks to a dear friend (Laura A.) I got my toes done and so I'm ready for my pushing appointment at 6 AM tomorrow morning! Can't wait to meet this guy or gal!

Pictures forthcoming!! Love you all!

HOLY COW!! A March baby!!

So a pregnancy development happened this morning.

I've been having a low platelet count during this pregnancy (never had it before) and they've been monitoring it regularly for the last few months as it's been getting lower and lower. It should be at about 150 and as of last Monday (March 15th) it was at 101. My Dr. says that if it dropped below 100 we would start steroids to help but that other than that there wasn't much to be done.

I asked the nurse if we shouldn't just move up my induction because if my count dropped into the 80s then it would be questionable if I could have an epidural due to the risk of bleeding into my spinal chord (scary!!) Her response was, "Well you're due date is the 25th....." WHAT?!?! My due date has been the 31st.

I originally THOUGHT my due date should be earlier but the early ultrasound (or so I was told) showed more like the 31st and they said it would stick. Based on that date we had chosen April 7th for an induction (I've been induced every time but would love to go into labor on my own and my doctor will only ever let me go a week over to try and let my body do the natural thing) but if my due date was really supposed to be March 25th all along......AND my platelets are low.....

My Doctor agrees, an induction on Thursday MARCH 25th is the WAY TO GO! Lots to do before then....wish us luck!!

Our News

Don't worry, I'm still pregnant.....but almost equally as exciting.....

This afternoon I was coming up the stairs and was met by Sam who was standing and said, "Mom, I think I have to poop in the potty." I said, "Okay, lets let you sit on the potty and try." Within a minute I hear a splash and a gleeful cry, "Mom! I just did it! I went poop in the potty!" I let out a "woo-hoo" and told Stephen (who is home with the stomach flu) who also was thrilled!

Sam's description: "I wasn't even lying down, I was standing and felt like I had to go, so I sat on the potty and pushed it out!"

This boy is on cloud nine! And to celebrate he and I left almost immediately to Baskin Robbins, just the 2 of us for a scoop of ice cream! He had a very small accident shortly after getting home but we are going to take this victory and RUN with it!

So after almost 10 months, fasting and praying, and visits to specialists it looks like we're making progress!

Smarty Pants

My Lindsey is such a smarty pants!!

She recently has started counting, and can go more than 10--WHERE DID SHE PICK THAT UP?!?!

And last Saturday Stephen was mowing the lawn. She was DESPERATE to go in the backyard to be with him but he didn't want her out there. I tried to console her by letting her watch from the window but she continued to cry and carry on. After just a few minutes I hear the pitter patter of her little feet running through the kitchen, down the hallway, out the laundry room door into the garage. I watch her little head run past the window in the study (where I'm at the computer) and realize she's headed around to through the gate to be with her favorite buddy! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em right? I loaded up the rest of the kids and we went out to play on the playset (supervised) while dad finished his mowing.

Then this past week, all in the same day mind you, she learned how to turn doorknobs and turn on the faucets in the bathroom sinks. A WHOLE NEW WORLD has opened up to her and a whole new line of Lindsey messes have begun for me!

This girl is such a wild child but she brings us so much joy! She is almost always happy, mild tempered, and go with the flow! We're so glad she's part of us!!

Midway March

Okay some Random Thoughts as we reach the halfway point of the month of March....

YIKES! Have you looked to your left! I log onto my blog and get a little scared at the small number of days until I'm due!!!! So many things left to be done but at the same time I am more at peace with the arrival of this one than any others. With #3 I was PANICKED that I'd be able to work her into our life and I just know that #4 will find a way to work it's way into things. I'm so excited to meet HIM or HER!!!


This is a shot of what the end of my day often looks like. It was time for dinner and time for my kids to get up to the table, their response to my request was getting into these costumes and coming downstairs. Yup, I've lost all control and power over these 3--and they know it!! Mommy's tired, too tired to be the enforcer. But aren't they cute?!?

STOMACH FLU, MOMMY MOMENTS, & TENDER MERCIES

So this past Monday night/Tuesday morning Lindsey woke up with a bit of a stomach bug. She threw up 3 times between 4:30 and 6:00am. Had a bout of diarrhea later in the morning, didn't eat for a couple days but other than that was fine. (thanks to my Dad for watching Lindsey on Tuesday morning while we took the ONLY appointment available for a few days with Sam's GI specialist--in retrospect I know why I felt such an urgency to get to that appointment)

But then I had one of those MOMMY MOMENTS that keep you humble....our van's AC hadn't been working for a couple weeks. I knew I needed to take it in to have it looked at and hadn't gotten to it until this past week. I made an appointment at the dealership and felt impressed to pack for a long haul visit (SUPER GLAD I DID) we show up for our 9:30 appointment, it will take an hour just to have a diagnostic test run (and $130--WHAT to run a test---don't even get me started). At 10:30 I'm given the news that a tinny-tiny rock hit and ruined our air compressor and it needs to be completely replaced (cha-ching$$$) and it would take until 1:00 to have it fixed because of how they have to take apart our van. Good thing I packed an almost lunch sized snack for my kids. What's better Lindsey who hadn't eaten in a day and a half showed interest in food and was eating. We were nearing the end of our visit when all of a sudden...Lindsey PUKED in the children's play area, and all over a toy that had to be thrown away. It got all over her, some on me and on the floor! I used up nearly all the wipes I had, was mortified for the children who had been playing with my kids and those who unknowingly would play there over the next few days. I notified the employees who were very kind and understanding. I just wanted to crawl into a hole!

Later that afternoon at about 4:15 Sam came to me telling me his stomach hurt. I was ushering him to the bathroom when he projectile vomited all the way down the hall and all over the bathroom. It was everywhere. He began some pretty violent vomiting every 15-20 minutes for the next 6 hours, was running a fever and while he would sleep, would be woken up by his need to get more up. We got him a blessing but for the next 48 hours his stomach was pretty weak. So his episodes subsided around 10:30, but we were sleeping together in the family room. Stephen and I had decided to tag team to allow us each to get a few hours of sleep.

At 2:30am I got up to take my turn in my bed only to hear a crying Kaitlyn upstairs. She'd had a bout of diarrhea and her 3 hour bout of violent vomiting was about to begin. So I had a day with basically no sleep! She also spent the next 48 hours not eating, weak stomach and fever. She missed her back to school night (I dutifully went and took pictures of many things--we'll scrapbook a special page of it together). But by Saturday morning (Friday afternoon really) we were all 100%.

Want to know what the TENDER MERCY was? I didn't get it. I prayed almost constantly that I would not get this bug, it would have been dangerous for me at this point in my pregnancy, could quite possibly have put me into labor and let's be honest, if I go down this household would cease to function. The Lord truly blesses Moms, I know it.

But my mother however didn't receive such a tender mercy. She was such my saving grace coming over to help me for a few hours on both Wed and Thurs while we washed sheets, cleaned out bowls, and sanitized my home. She even went grocery shopping for me so that I didn't have to find a way to do that without my kids. I would not have survived this last week without her-- and she woke up on Friday morning with her own strain of this virus--talk about taking one for the team! Thanks MOM!

And thanks to my super-duper visiting teacher Hillary for the fabulous fajitas she brought Stephen and I on Thursday night (my kids had crackers and applesauce--not as exciting). It was such a relief not to have to cook! Thanks for serving me! Glad I let you!