the girls just can't get enough!

the girls are adjusting so well to the new guy in their life! they cannot walk by b.c. without touching him! they are so interested in everything about him and just love watching his expressions and guessing what he's thinking!

ken is, of course, loving the roll of big sis for the third time. she jumps at every chance to help! she wants to hold him all the time and looks like a pro!

mck really doesn't call b.c. by his name, but says "the new baby boy" very affectionately! she is fascinated by all of the baby things and the fact that he's not in my tummy anymore! she wants to hold him - but only briefly - and then gives him right back! she is constantly wanting to help!

we were so worried about kam adjusting to baby b.c., but she is doing soooo well. she loves to touch him and to hold him and is in love with alllll of his baby stuff - claiming some of it for herself . . . especially the pacis! she really is doing so well and is even willing to share my lap with her new brother! she says his name so fast and every time it's "bentley cool bailey"! too cute! it is amazing to me how big she looks now. . . it's like she grew up overnight!

first outing as a family of 6!

okay, so it wasn't anything exciting . . . just a trip to the pediatrician, but it was a first none the less!

i had to get a picture of the inside of the mini-van . . . wow! with four kids in car seats, doesn't look quite as big as it did! :) kam loves that she sits next to the baby and the girls love that they get to watch him! :)


we arrived at the dr. on time, but had a VERY long wait to see the nurse practitioner . . . so with SIX of us crammed in the little exam room . . . well, everyone was getting slightly frustrated! :) b.c. needed his diaper changed, so after the nurse measured him i started to change him . . . only to realize he had a minor explosion all over the table and i had NO extra clothes! (Hello, you would think i had no experience in the baby department! hello . . . by the fourth you would think i'd be over prepared! at least i am not as stressed this go round, so we just kind of laughed it off!


so, b.c. arrived at the office looking like this . . . (super manly in his stripes!)

and left . . . well, in a diaper! (good thing it was 105 degrees outside!)

despite the minor mishap, b.c. checked out just fine! he weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and still measured 20 inches! he is in the 10% for weight, 50% for height, and 10% for his head! can't wait to see how big he is at his 2 week check-up!

coming home

after one night in the hospital, we were ready to come home! we missed the girls and the comforts of home . . . and it's tough to get a good night's sleep with nurses coming in every hour . . . so, we got discharged early and just had to hang out until our "24 hours" was up! :) they even let me walk out of the hospital!

b.c. looked so darn cute in his going home outfit . . . a handsome little guy! he didn't enjoy being put in his car seat, but as soon as we started driving he was content!

the girls were thrilled to have us home and just can't get enough of their little brother! ken is constantly asking to hold b.c. , mck wants to "touch him", and kam just can't comment enough about the things she sees . . . especially "he came out your belly!"

baby bentley is here!

bentley cole bailey arrived at 3:44 p.m. on july 20. he weighed in at a perfect 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. he was perfectly pink! :) he really is just a cute little guy! we can see a combination of the girls when we look at him, but he is completely his own little person!


we had a great labor experience . . . awesome nurses (we really loved them - where were they the first 3 times?), a perfect epidural (took the edge off, but i could still feel everything), and a relatively easy delivery (bentley was waiting for the dr. when he came in the door!).

the belly shot! 6:30 a.m. . . . heading to the hospital to meet baby b!

first picture with mom and dad - just minutes after his arrival!

bentley really enjoyed his first bath . . . seriously, he loved when the nurse held him under the faucet to rinse his hair . . . he may be a "spa" guy! :) he was in heaven laying on the warmer under some warm blankets - just taking it all in!

laying on the warmer! all clean and dressed after my bath!

the girls came up with grammy, grampy, and sarah in the late evening. ken was so excited to see him and wanted to hold him right away - after giving me several hugs and kisses! (she was soooo affectionate!) mck was very interested in checking him out but wasn't sure if she wanted to sit with me or hold the baby. she holds him for a second or two and then gives him back! kam was all about checking out bentley's parts . . . "him have eyes like me! him have a nose like me! him a baby like me!" very cute. she wants to touch him . . . a lot - and is gentle - in her own way! :)

"him have toes like me!"

we feel so lucky to have our little guy here. our family really feels complete! seems like we waited a long time to meet him . . . it's hard to believe he is here!

cuddling with mommy! our little guy!

baby notes . . . some random thoughts!

we are so excited that baby boy bailey will make his appearance on monday . . . yes, i am being induced AGAIN! (i think it might have something to do with the dr. asking how i was doing and me telling him "i'm done!") i guess my babies aren't even in a rush to come out!

on thursday i was having lots of contractions . . . bailey and i were sitting on the couch and wondering how we've had 3 kids and neither of us had a clue when you're supposed to head to the hospital! i cleared that up with the dr. just in case something happens this weekend, but now we want to hold out until monday so the same dr. can deliver all 4 kids! :)

the girls are excited . . . mck is talking a lot about what will be different when the baby is here and where he'll sit at the table and things like that. ken is being super helpful! she told me not to cmoe upstairs for "6 minutes" last night . . . about 30 minutes later she told me the surprise was ready . . . she cleaned up alllll of the toys from playing yesterday! wow. last night she helped give the girls a bath. and this morning she got dressed, organized her dresser drawers, and was super quiet while i got a few more minutes of sleep! kam . . . well, kam might not be as excited. she likes the idea of a baby, but then reminds me that SHE is the baby! not sure how that'll work. i know the first week or so will be okay with others around to help give her attention, but i think this will be one of the biggest adjustments for us!

on another note . . .last night on the news i heard them say that we have had the hottest 30 days on record . . . like not in the last 10 years, but hottest 10 years EVER! funny that that happens the one summer i am prego!

one other funny thing . . . random people come up to me and know that i am having a boy . . . sometimes i have the girls with me, sometimes not . . . but LOTS of people can tell. i always thought that was crazy - that you carry different sexes differently . . . but wow, this time really is different. i was basically the same shape with all three girls . . . this time, my belly sticks so far out to the front. i stick out A LOT . . . sometimes when i see my silhouette it shocks me! :)

well, until monday we're spending the weekend enjoying our last days as a family of 5! :)

in the night

so here's what i hear coming through the monitor last night . . .
mck: crying . . . then "mommy! i need you to hold me" pause. "mommmmm."
i hear rustling and gathering . . . then shuffling.
mck: "kam, hey kam! do you want to go see mommy with me?"
kam: totally waking out of a deep sleep "huh?"
mck: "i am going to mommy's bed! you want to come with me?"
kam: you can tell she shoots up in bed "yes!"
mck: "get your stuff. see, i am bringing my stuff!"
kam: "kay"

at this point, having no clue what time it is (1:30 a.m. . . . keep in mind EVERYONE was up before 7 yesterday and kam only had an hour long nap!) i jump out of bed and run upstairs, hoping to catch them before it takes too long to get them to go back to sleep!

i arrive outside their bedroom to see cuties with totally crazy hair standing in their doorway with armfuls of blankets and animals. . .

it was hard to be too upset. i got mck back to sleep. kam was up for another 3 hours . . . having a party in her bed! she talked to her animals and sang "happy birthday mommy".
both of them slept until 9! :) mck and i had a talk about not waking up our sisters in the night unless something is wrong!

the boat still floats!

we finally got to take the boat out today! :) we had so much fun! the girls LOVED every part of it . . . driving, jumping off the boat, and swimming to the rocky shore and exploring! kam was so good this year (last year was a real struggle to get her to be still . . .) and loved the wind blowing in her face!

daddy driving . . . looking studly in his elmo shirt (yes, the girls dressed him this morning!)

exploring the rocky shore . . . can't believe they weren't scared to venture through the slime and up onto the rocks all by themselves!

ken and mck LOVED jumping in the water!


kam had fun holding onto my jacket while we swam and hanging out on the boat!

everyone took a turn driving . . . kam wanted NO help "i drive by MYSELF!"

enjoy the wind in their faces . . . it was 105 today!

we realized we needed to get out on the lake soon . . . with the baby coming we have only a few days left to head out there as a family and enjoy the warm weather! we had planned to spend only an hour and get back home to get stuff done . . . well, 3 hours later we decided to call it quits because kam was falling asleep in her seat!

okay, so the boat is totally ghetto, and sooooo not my favorite color, but wow, it sure made for a great day yesterday . . . i am almost willing to admit it was a good deal! :)

if you paint them . . . he will come!

okay, so that's the idea anyway! :) i enjoyed a much needed break from the girls and some "me" time with my bff and decided to get my toes painted blue . . . blue with sparkles . . . in hopes that the baby will decide its cool to come any time soon! :)

hoping he'll get the idea . . . we're counting down . . . only days to go!

baby boy bailey update. . .

we had a final sono of baby boy bailey last friday! it was hard to see much other than he's pretty squished in there! we couldn't get a good picture of jis profile because he had his arm across his face and we couldn't get a good picture of his foot because he was holding onto his toes . . . but his boy parts were definitely there! (daddy is proud . . . i am just scared!) :)

he weighed in at approx. 7 pounds . . . which can be off by a pound . . . i am thinking 6 pounds, bailey is going with 8! (i have asked him several times to stop saying that because the idea of delivering a baby that weighs over 8 pounds is really not too appealing . . . especially when we're days away! . . . he hasn't stopped - although he had admitted that delivering even a one pounder sounds scary!) :)

mommy, that mine?

i have been working to get all of the baby stuff together . . . washed, assembled, put in his room. kam follows me around asking, "mommy, that mine?" about everything! she remembers that the crib was hers, the changing table was hers, and most especially the rocking chair! she knows that the room is the baby boy's, but makes it clear that HER rocking chair is in his room! :( poor baby! kam is going to have a tough time adjusting to a new one in the house! she is very clearly the baby of the family . . . a baby with 3 moms!

we got a new sit and stand stroller and she was convinced from the moments we got it that it was "her stroller". i put it together and she literally spent at least an hour sitting on it, munching on her snack, and being pushed around! it took some convincing her that the baby seat wasn't hers . . . but after she realized she could sit or stand on her part, everything was good! :)

4th of july

well, we broke tradition again this year and headed out of town to see grammy and grampy for the fourth! (usually we enjoy the small town feel of georgetown for the holiday!) hanging out by the pool and relaxing and enjoying the girls sounded so much more appealing than braving the heat for the day!

we had such a nice day! we had delicious chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast . . . some in the shape of the u.s., lincoln, washington, and an eagle! :) we put on our bathing suits and literally spent the entire day by the pool!

the girls are little fish this year . . . ken and mck are swimming so well . . .ken is really working on learning to dive in and mck is loving swimming without a float . . . she is scary to watch though, spending LONG periods of time under the water! kam loves the water too . . . it's been tough trying to get her to keep her head out of the water to keep her ears dry! she likes to put on her chest floatie, arm rings, a water ring and hold a ball and walk into the water . . .HILLARIOUS to watch!

grammy did a great job making a wonderful cookout for everyone! and the homemade chocolate chip ice cream with her homemade hot fudge was the best! :) (okay, the best part was that she didn't really let me do anything other than relax, but the food was really good too!)

we went to watch the woodlands fireworks that night . . . what a wonderful end to the day! the fireworks were great . . . one of the coolest finales ever!

my water bugs!

okay, signing up for swimming lessons that started at 10:50 in the morning was not the best idea i've ever had . . . especially since we've had no rain, record heat, and i am 9 months pregnant! but WOW, was it worth it! ken and mck made soooooo much progress! :)

ken was in the seahorse 3 class . . .with 8 and 10 year olds! (okay, not entirely sure how that happened . . . but she did really well!) the class was almost entirely in the deep end and worked on really developing all of the strokes, her endurance, and diving! the girl did so well! it was really challenging and she had to work really hard, but she didn't complain once! she doesn't want to do ballet in the fall . . . she wants more swimming lessons! :)

mck's class was a little too easy for her . . . but i think this was a good thing! she was the best in her class (of 3 boys!) and knew how to do most of what her teacher was expecting . . . so the teacher worked with her on things that she could improve on! by the 3rd day of class she was swimming to the side after jumping in with no help! she did so well and it was really a confidence booster for her. every time you looked in the pool, there she was with her little head just sticking up with a giant smile! :)

kam is still too little for lessons (other than mommy and me) so we spent time playing in the baby pool trying to keep cool! she was a good sport about hanging out at the pool for 2 hours each day. she had so much fun retrieving items out of the pool drain and trying to steal the teacher's toys! :)

the bailey girls' first sleepover

the girls and i had our best friends over for a movie night and sleepover! we all met for dinner, then tried to wear the kids out at the park before heading back to the house for play, p.j.'s, snacks, and a movie! the kids had a great time . . . we spread the sleeping bags out in the playroom, turned on despereaux (one of our favorites!!), and served up some yummy popcorn and sweet tarts! :) the kids were really good . . . until the movie was over . . .

servin' up snacks!


settlin' in for the show!

i think miss s. and i were up and down the stairs about 15 times investigating nosies or tattling! around 11:15 we split the kids up and put one in each bedroom upstairs (thank goodness for our new house!)! we got to enjoy a girlie movie of our own along with some much needed girl chat! :)

the girls did great, of course, because they were in their own beds . . . the caswell kids wanted mom to camp out with them, so poor ms. s. spent the night on the floor. :( we'll work on that next time!

can't wait to do it again soon!

evening entertainment

the t.v. is rarely on in the evenings anymore . . . every evening after dinner the girls head to the garage to "suit up" in their boots and sprinkle deer corn all over the yard. they keep watch until our visitors arrive, get a popsicle, and head outside to watch the beautiful deer! one deer, usually the first visitor each evening, is really getting brave. we'll see her within a few feet of the patio door . . . she's usually just looking in to see what we're up to! :) on this evening she let the girls get really close to her! we've had up to 8 deer in the yard and even got to see a few babies! so cool! sure beats t.v.!

ken will sit very still and gets so frustrated if someone scares the deer off. mck can be quiet, but has trouble sitting too still for too long and will forget that sudden movements scare the deer! :) kam on the other hand has NO clue how to be quiet and is loud from the second we open the door! she is so funny and will talk to the deer . . . even telling them to "please don't poop in our yard" and "go get your babies!" or "go get your friends!". it's funny . . . the deer have learned to just ignore her! :)

we've also seen a variety of other creatures . . . some of whom are NOT so welcome . . . several squirrels, a small snake, a few HUGE black crunchy scorpions, a HUGE centipede (i chose not to see that one . . .), lots of beautiful birds, several horny lizards, and some geckos! what a great place for four kids to grow up!

cherry limeade popsicles!

we made our own crystal lite pops . . . the pictures of the stained faces were too cute not to share! the red color took a couple of days to disppear! :) mck got it on her nose when she tried to drink the juice . . . kam thought she looked cool, so she tried to copy her . . .and poor ken makes a mess everytime she eats a popsicle because she has no front teeth! :)

8 years . . . and counting!

my mom sent me an e-mail for our anniversary . . . it said "Congratulations and much happiness....8 years and 4 kids later...." i just started smiling . . . i think that makes us sound a little crazy! :) certainly not where i thought we'd be 8 years ago, but i couldn't be happier!
bailey is the least talked about member of the bunch . . . and although i often give him a hard time, he is really is a great guy! he is an amazing father and puts up with most of my complaining and "honey-do's" . . . which i think is even worse now that i am pregnant! some days are really rough and i complain a lot . . . i am lucky. i get to stay home with my 3 (soon to be four) kids, he helps when i ask for it, he is great with the kids (sometimes a little too much on their level, but great with them!)
we are a lucky family!
so here's to many more years! (notice i said years, and not kids!) :)

surgery for kam

after more than a month on antibiotics and not having much success clearing up a double ear infection . . . kam had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids removed today. the girl is a trooper! she really didn't understand what was happening, but really didn't even cry when they took her back for surgery . . . she was so excited about the tiny stuffed animal lion they gave her! :)

the nurse was shocked at how sweetly she woke up from surgery and then . . . well, she turned a little crazy! poor baby was out of it and trying to rip out her iv, which couldn't be removed until she would drink. kam was SOOOO mad. i never knew how strong she was, but i was having trouble holding her arms apart so she wouldn't rip it out. the nurse finally left us alone and as soon as she was gone, kam said, "i have a drink now?" so funny . . . she was fine after that! sucked down a whole cup of juice, got her iv removed and got to head home.

she was a rock star when we got home too . . . she ate 3 pancakes and played for 2 hours before i laid her down for a nap! :) she was a little fussy in the evening, but never needed the pain medicine! :) she did so well! now the tough part is keeping her head out of the water . . . with this heat, all we want to do is swim! i blame it on the dr. though, and keep telling her the dr. said "no", so at least she isn't mad at me! :)

the cutest part of the whole thing is that we have to give her anti-biotic ear drops to keep out any infection . . . i put cotton in her ears after the drops. she keeps saying . . . "i have cotton candy in my ears?" too cute! :)