Well, the pics totally turned out in the wrong order! I thought it would upload them in a certain order and it did it the opposite of what I thought. Nathan and I played skipbo for most of the laboring process. LOL!

We got to the hospital at eight on wednesday morning. They gave me the pitocin probably around nine. I was already dialated about 3-4 when we got there and having contractions here and there. I think that helped speed me up a lot. My doc had them break my water around ten and we sat at that for a couple hours. I asked for the epidural when the pain was just starting to get a little bad. I was pretty comfortable for probably a half hour and then it started to get really painful. I figured they had put it in a blood vessel like they did with Alex and it wasn't working. I went from 5-10 in 45 minutes and the medicine couldn't keep up with how fast I was progressing. They ended up giving me the strongest stuff they had. They said that's what they give women who are getting c-sections. After that I was completely numb and super comfortable. My doc was over at this surgery place doing procedures and wasn't ready to come over yet so she had them turn the pitocin way down since I was ready to go right then. An hour later she showed up and I pushed through two contractions and she was out. It was probably a total of around six or less pushes. It was so easy compared to Alex. Nothing tore or anything.

Addison Whitney was born at 3:07. She was 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.

The whole recovery process was super easy too! I was ready to leave the next morning. I was just on ibuprofen when I was on that and percocet with Alex. I was just a little bit sore. I was up and around right away and after I took my shower I felt even better. Addison did awesome! She took to nursing so well! She is the best little eater. She wouldn't sleep in the basinet at all but slept awesome in bed with me and that's how we're still doing it.

Of course, just like Alex, she has jaundice pretty bad like Alex. I expected it this time so it wasn't a big shock or as traumatic for us. She's hooked up to a billy rubin blanket like Alex was. I just want to be able to carry her around wherever I go and not be hooked to that stupid machine. At least we get to hold her though. With how good she's been eating I'm pretty hopeful that she'll be getting better soon.

We had the amniocentesis done today and it went good. I was pretty nervous about getting this long needle shoved in my belly. The hardest part was that everything took so long. It was ridiculous! They required us to get there 30 min before to fill out paper work. It took me five min to fill it out. Then, the sono took forever because she was so squirmy that it took the tech forever to get good pics. Then, we had a break for lunch. When we came back we had to show up 15 min ahead and then everything took forever from there too. The actual amnio took only a few seconds. It didn't hurt bad at all. Just a tiny little stick and a little pressure. Afterward I felt like I was going to pass out just cause that's how I am. I do it after getting shots and getting my blood drawn too. I had a little bit of cramping but it went away fairly quickly too. The other part that drove me crazy was dropping off the amnio fluid. They told us to just go over to the hospital and drop it off at this one place. We didn't realize we'd be there for over an hour! We had to wait for forever then fill out all kinds of stuff. It didn't help that it seemed like no one knew what they were doing.

Anyway, the doc called us fairly quickly after that and said the lungs were mature! So thankful! So, we're going in at 8 in the morning for the induction. I'm way excited to meet our little girl tomorrow!

Here are the sono pics of Addison! Super cute huh!?

Thought I would post all the info on our doctor's appointment today. It was a big one! Maybe I can get Nathan to scan some pictures into the computer later to post. We had our normal visit which included the strep test and then our sonogram following. I was kind of nervous about the sonogram being after because that meant I would have to time my water drinking just right. I did what I always do. I drink my 16 oz 45 minutes ahead of time and it was just right even though the sono ended up being a little later than planned.

The first appointment went good. The doc says I'm 2 centimeters dilated and my cervix has thinned. Baby is head down and has dropped which I noticed on Sunday. I go in next week for a little check up on tuesday to see if my cervix has thinned and if I've dilated anymore. Then Wednesday I have the amniocentesis. Depending on my appointment on tuesday they'll either induce that day or the next morning. Everything looks pretty on track with the original plan so I'm very happy.

The sonogram was the fun part. They said she's definitely a girl again which we were very happy about. She's around seven pounds. So if we would've gone full term we probably would've had a nine pound baby or even bigger. They did the 3D sonogram and Nathan said it's almost like cheating cause you can really see what your baby looks like. It was way cool. It looks like she has chubby little cheeks and maybe Nathan's nose. She was sucking her thumb through most of it and at one point you could see her open her mouth and stick her tongue out. We asked if they could tell if she had hair yet and she showed us where it was. It looks like just a little bit so we might have another blondy. I guess we'll have to wait for that one. She looks healthy and everything's where it's supposed to be. I can't wait to see her on the outside!

Since there's no telling when Grandma is going to pass away Mom and Dad suggested we find a back up plan for Alex. I told Nathan mom had suggested Julie (Nathan's mom) come out and he jumped right on that idea. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that earlier. It was pretty funny when Nathan called her she was just getting on the computer to look up plane tickets. So, it's not settled yet but it looks like she'll probably come out monday and stay till friday. It would be really nice to have her be able to be here for everything too.

I have to mention what happened on Sunday. Nathan was driving back from a trip in Dallas. I started having a few little contractions here and there. It was more like cramping than anything else and nothing regular. In the hour that those started was when I noticed she had dropped. I really thought I was going to be going into labor! I talked to my mom and kind of warned her that they might get a call during the night saying we're going into the hospital. She said that her labor with Joy was 3 hours from beginning to end! Scary! Then I decided to tell Nathan cause he was thinking about stopping at a hotel for the night. Well, it ended up slowing down and stopping and I was kind of dissapointed. I feel so ready with this one! I was really hoping I could go into labor on my own. There's still time but it probably won't happen. At least we have a timeline for everything now. I'm really excited about this next week!

A whole lot of pictures!

Well, I'm finally getting some pictures posted! We've got some from last night at our friend's Jason and Nicole's house. They have a tractor that Jason's been dying to take Alex for a ride on. They are the parents of the baby I watch. Too bad Nicole's turned away in the one picture we got of her. We had a really good evening. We went over to have some desert, get a tractor ride, and finally see where they live. They had their house built and since Jason does a lot of carpentry work he did most of the work on the inside himself which apparently saved them a lot of money. Man their house is nice! We had a really good time. Jason is a mechanic at Cessna and has his private pilot's license so Nathan and him had a lot to talk about. Nicole and I can always talk for hours. She was really nice and sent us home with a bunch of onesies and says she has even more clothes she's going to give us. That'll be nice!

I got a picture of the belly in there too. It was about a week or so ago when Nathan's bro was here. It made me feel pretty good because I look skinny everywhere but the belly. I have my double chin in place now though.

Last we have a bunch of pics from when Nathan's brother was in town. Mike and Alex had a lot of fun playing together! The park was definitely one of my favorite outings! Alex had so much fun and the play equipment there was really cool. I like the one of Nathan on that weird one where you stand and hang onto those bars. It looks like some kind of excersize equipment.

Nathan and I are going on a date tonight to celebrate his big promotion. I'm excited! He's been training in the other jet all day today so I think he'll be ready to relax too.

Nathan's in Denver right now and has my laptop with all the pictures so I don't have any of those to post right now. I do have some exciting news though. Nathan got called into the office yesterday for a meeting with his boss. Man, were we nervous! With the way the economy is right now all of the aviation businesses in town are laying off hundreds of people. We didn't think that would happen to Nathan because he's been hearing so much good feed back from all of his bosses, but you never know. Well, anyway, they told him that they chose him and this other guy out of everyone in the company to go to school to fly the new jets they're getting. They will be getting a bunch and there will be a lot more pilots in the future but they chose Nathan to be the first! They really like him at his new job! He's only been there for like six months now and he's already getting such a big promotion! I'm so glad he's finally getting some recognition for how hard he works! I just knew that everyone would love him right off the bat and he would be good at this new place. God's plan always seems to be so much better than what we can come up with! I think I've said this before because it's been so true so many times!

There are going to be a few down sides to this. He'll be going to Dallas for most of January for training. They told him to plan on being gone a lot the first few months. So, that's going to be pretty hard on us with the new baby and all. But, I'm going to try really hard not to complain too much. This is something that Nathan has wanted for so long and I've really wanted it for him too. I knew when I married a pilot that this would probably be how our life would be. It really makes us enjoy our time together a lot more!

Another plus is that Nathan will be getting a nice raise in April which is something we could really use. When he took this job he took a little bit of a pay cut. We didn't take into account all the extra days Nathan got payed for at his other job as well. I think our plan right now is to pay off a loan we have with our tax return money and then pay off some other smaller things. Then, we will probably start looking for a little bigger house in a year or so. I have a few things that I want for our next house. Number one is a basement! I don't like feeling nervous during storm season. Two is another bathroom. Three is an already finished kitchen. We'll see how things go. We'll of course make sure we have our house sold before looking. I've heard of too many people who get stuck with two mortgage payments! Scary!

I think you can tell I'm pretty proud of my hubby!

Karen came out to visit on monday and I got a few good pics of the boys playing together. They were fighting over Alex's car in the beginning but then Alex gave up and hopped on the back. It was super cute! We went to the mall and did some shopping and chinese food eating and then came back home to chat and let the boys hang out more. It's fun when your friends are in the same stage of life as you are. Having kids and all. I'm so glad Karen lives closer now! It's nice that our boys are close in age too! I snapped a pic of Karen so you all can see how little she is and how good she looks. Oh, and the first pic is of Nathan's desk. It was so funny! I was dusting it and all his little airplanes. Alex saw what I was doing and when I started putting them back up on the desk he brought me almost all of his toy airplanes to put up there too. It was super cute! I left it like that till Nathan got home so he could see too.

I had my check up at the docs today. I'm 34 weeks now. I gained six pounds this last two weeks! Scary! Not doing so good with that. I swear I'm not eating any different either except for a few pieces of chocolate here and there. :) I'm having to get another sonogram in two weeks also along with my normal appointment. I usually really like getting sonograms but I'm getting a little tired of them this pregnancy. I've had a lot! I guess she wants to see how big the baby is getting. I'm so glad I only have four weeks left! I hope I don't get too much bigger in those weeks. My double chin that I had with Alex is starting to show back up again. I think another plus with my long hair right now is that it makes my face look a little thinner. haha!

Nathan's brother just got into town today and is staying for four days. I should have some good pics by the end of it. Nathan and Mike went shooting tonight so I get some blogging time. Alex really likes his uncle Mike. He brought him this super cool car that makes noise and goes when you push a button. It's cute seeing Alex playing with big boy toys!

This is Addison's stocking I made! I got a little kit from Hobby Lobby. It took a long time but I got it done! The package had a boy's name on the snowflake but I totally think this is a girl's stocking and not a boys. I can't wait till I can hang it up. We don't have too much longer to go till it's time to decorate for christmas! So excited!

Here are our halloween pics! Plus a few more. :) Nathan came up with the big pumpkin shirt idea. Alex was a panda bear again this year. I was really nervous about how he would handle putting his costume on and thought he might be a little scared when we went out. He didn't want to put it on at all until it was time to go and then he came to me willingly. I think it was because we kept telling him that if he wanted candy he had to wear the costume. He loved the trick or treating part! He couldn't say trick or treat but he did say please and thank you. He probably would have gone all night if we let him. He was totally into it. He also really liked sitting on the porch when aunt Jilli was handing out candy. He did awesome! He also wanted to eat all of his candy right then and there. LOL! I think he gets that from me.

Nathan got home yesterday afternoon. Today after church we headed to the mall and got to eat some good chinese food. Yummy! Then we walked around and Nathan bought me one of my christmas presents. I can't wait! I think it makes it almost harder to wait when you know what you're getting.

These are the pics from the skating rink. Alex loved it!

I went to my doc appointment on monday and it sure was interesting. First of all, I have a date set for my amniosynthesis. I thought the doc had said they had to do it if they induce at 37 weeks but apparently it was 38 weeks. So, she thinks it would be a good idea to do it at 38 and I agree. I got pretty huge there right at the end really fast. So if they do the amnio thing and the lungs look to be developed enough, which my doc thinks they will, they'll induce either that day or the next. They set it up for Dec. 10th. It's one day sooner than what she told me so that sounds great to me! We're going to drop Alex off at mom and dad's and he'll stay there for a few days depending on when everything happens. I'm so excited to have this all underway now! Also, I thought I was doing so great with my weight, but it seems the Mercy babies are just going to be huge no matter what. I've been gaining on average 4 lbs every two weeks lately. At my appointment on Monday I weighed 160. So, I'm thinking I'll be somewhere around 175 by the end. At least it's ten pounds less than I weighed with Alex. I will have gained 50 lbs instead of 65 this time. That's not so good.

Anyway, the second part of the appointment was that Alex was horrible! He's usually such a good boy, but in the last few weeks he's become a lot more defiant. I could not control him. He was bouncing off the walls, jumping all over, being super loud, kicking walls, standing on chairs. It was sooooo embarassing! Of course, you can't just spank your kid right in front of people anymore so I kept wispering that he was getting a spanking when we got to the car. That didn't even phase him. It's like he didn't hear me at all. Probably because my spankings don't hurt him anymore. He doesn't even cry and he goes back to whatever he was doing. Since the spanking in the car didn't do a lot I got the wooden spoon out when we got home and that got his attention. I could not believe my sweet little Alex was being soo naughty. Everyone was looking at us probably thinking that I needed to control my child. My doc even said I was going to really have my hands full soon. I can't tell if this is just an age thing that he's worked up to or if it's because Nathan hasn't been around as much lately. Nathan's the disciplinarion in our house which makes it a lot easier on me and I do let Alex get away with a lot more when Nathan's gone. I guess I just need to step it up a little.

Anyway, I'm doing really good with my christmas shopping but all of a sudden I feel like I just don't have enough time to get everything done. I have all of Joanne's family done except I need to mail one more thing. I have Joy almost done. Josh still needs to give us ideas. Nathan keeps saying he'll give me ideas but I've started to take it into my own hands and come up with things on my own. I'm not worried about Alex since he's so fun and easy to buy for. I also know exactly what I want from Nathan so I don't need to be thinking about that anymore. I think because the induction date is going to creep up on us really fast I feel pressed for time now.

We're going to be heading to Salina for Halloween on friday. I think it'll be a lot more fun to go in a neighborhood we know. Alex is going to be a panda bear again this year. The costume fits him a little better this year. I don't think I'm going to be able to get Nathan to dress up but we have a funny little surprise costume we made for me. I think we might carve pumpkins this afternoon so that would be fun. See what Alex thinks of that. :)

Yesterday, I went to Target with the goober. First time I've been there in forever. Their little girl clothes are sooo cute! I always have such a hard time not buying anything. I gave into temptation yesterday and got a little newborn outfit for Addison. It's light blue fleece pants and sweater that zips up. It has a little bear on the sweater and little ears on the hood. It's sooo cute and looks really warm and cozy. There were a few dresses in the clearance racks I thought about getting, but I just can't picture putting her in dresses when it's so cold out. I already got a little christmas gift from Joanne. She sent a cozy little carseat cover. It's going to be really nice for her for these cold winter months. I also went ahead and ordered the boppy pillow I saw online. I really wanted to have one with this baby.

Alex was really funny at Target. We went down the toy isles and he ooooed at everything we saw. It was cute. He kept telling me that certain toys were his. He would point and say mine. We went down this one isle that had a big fake dinosaur in a plastic container as a display with a button you could push on the outside. He thought it was really neat till I pushed the button and then he flipped out crying. He was so scared of that thing. It was funny. I asked him if we should got back and push the button again and he started crying again telling me no. He's a cute little fraidy cat!

Okay, I'm getting around to posting finally! The sling below is the one I made for me. Pretty cute,huh? Chalupa was my test baby even though we just took her to the vet and she only weighs 3.6 pounds now. Babies are a little heavier than that. I have so many things to blog about. I don't know where to start.

I guess, first, we went to Josh's football game this friday night. That was a lot of fun! The big South/Central game. Alex had a good time but he started to get very squirmy and very tired. He didn't get a nap that day. He kept yelling wooo and touchdown super loud! He talked about Josh the whole game because he's one of Alex's favorite people. Unfortunately, South won at the very end of the game. Very disappointing!

After we left the game we decided to run by the Skating Rink where Nathan worked for forever. Poor Alex was asleep by the time we got there and we had to wake him up. I don't think he really minded once we got inside though. We put some little skates on him with the wheels all locked up for him to walk around in. He took to it right away! Kind of crazy since he doesn't really like trying new things and is kind of a fraidy cat! After a while he kept saying he wanted to go fast so they loosened the wheels up a little. He loved it! Nathan and I took turns walking around with him. He really liked going on the floor. When it was time to take them off he was screaming and crying NO and trying to stop us from taking them off. All the rest of the night and in the morning he kept telling me he wanted skates and to go fast! So cute! He definitely takes after his daddy!

After, we got Alex into bed we played Loaded Questions. It's Nathan's favorite game and I think everyone elses fave now too! It turned into and Adult game as usual when Nathan and I are involved. It was super fun and funny and decided that we have to play it at christmas when Joy and Jason are out here.

Then, Saturday, we went to the farm. Alex and Daddy love the farm! It's so cute! Whenever we're driving and Alex sees a pond he says water and pappa. We had lunch there and sat around talking. Nathan shot his guns and then the boys played paintball. Except for Josh. He was all beat up from the game the night before. The highlight from that day was when Dad fell into the pond. I was the only one who saw the whole thing. It was hilarious! The bad part was that he lost his glasses and the water was super cold. Thankfully, he found his glasses after standing in the freezing cold water for forever feeling on the bottom with his feet trying to find them.

I'm going to blog about stuff tomorrow. I just wanted to get these pics posted before Nathan left in the morning. :)