eight is great

11 years ago (wow...i think i just made myself look old) this dude with spiky blond hair and a sense of humor that i somehow found funny caught my eye.

8 years of marriage and 5 kids later, he is still that dude that caught my eye 11 years ago.

the journey to the here and now together has been amazing.  i have seen both of us grow and change for the better.  i have seen our love and friendship grow and strengthen with each year.  we are each others best friend, as cheesy as that may sound.  we understand each others quirks, and have no qualms about being open and honest with each other (whether it's regarding a serious or lighthearted matter).  i take his feedback seriously (even when it comes to clothes...though sometimes i may not agree), and always appreciate his way of not sugar-coating things.  we are in-step with each other and we know each other like the back of our own hands. 

being with my man has been so, so good, and i'm quite certain that it will only get better with time.  kind of like good wine, right?

to my partner in crime and my number 2 guy: i love you dearly, my sweet baboo.  i'm thankful that we can share in the adventure that God has planned for us.

ta-da!!!

i admit, it's been rather quiet around here since my last post.  especially after mentioning the possibility of welcoming our new baby within the next 24 hours or so after the posting.

there is good reason for that, i promise!

about 7 hours after i wrote that last post we met our sweet baby girl for the first time.

leilani juliati was born august 6 at 11:18 p.m. in the water.  weighing in at 6 lbs 6 oz. and 19 inches long, she was the smallest out of the 4.

the birth experience was, well...fast.  but birthing in the water was pretty cool.  i will have to save her birth story for another post.

we went home wednesday but baby girl and i were back in the hospital thursday night to treat her jaundice.  i'm fairly certain that the cause is that anti-E i developed, since she is baby #3 that has had to undergo the tanning bed.

we didn't get discharged until saturday morning so needless to say i haven't had much of  chance to post pictures of her sweet face.

but now we're home, transitioning to a life with a new baby yet again.  we are enjoying her adorable face and oooh that newborn smell!  i love it.

maybe, baby...

38 weeks today...which means i'm officially full-term!  i am so ready for this baby to come out.  come on, baby!

i had my weekly check-up and NST today (read this for the reason why i have to have weekly NSTs).  after the 7 lbs. i gained in one week last week, i managed to stay the same weight this week.  phew!

my NST indicated that i was having contractions (much like last weeks results).  however, these ones seemed to get the baby's heart rate going much faster than normal, which is a good thing.  each time i had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would jump from 130ish to 160ish.  it wasn't doing that last week, so that was a good sign that baby is making progress down, down, down.

i also chose to get an exam, just to see how far dilated i was (2 weeks ago i was at 1 cm) and possibly to stir things up a bit...if you're picking up what i'm laying down.

the result: 2 cm dilated.  not too exciting.

BUT shortly after the exam, the baby was getting all excited and i had a few more happy contractions.  AND  **this next part might be a bit TMI for some of you** my water started leaking.  it's been like this since around noon so it is quite possible that we'll have a baby by tomorrow or wednesday. 

the house is as clean as it will ever get given the fact that i have 3 other kids.  freezer meals are prepped and ready in the freezer.  baby clothes are washed, folded and put away.  car seat is clean and waiting to be used.  the other kids have clean clothes and underwear which should last them about a week.  hospital bag is packed this time and ready this time around. i just went grocery shopping so the house is stocked with food for the week.  home education notification has been mailed and general lessons have been planned through december.  we have agreed on baby names.  AND most importantly, my nails have been freshly painted.

i feel ready.  i think i'm ready.  emma is VERY excited (the boys don't quite have a grasp on the whole baby is coming soon idea), especially after being in the exam room with me this morning.

we are ready to meet you sweet babe, and we love you so very much already.

now if you will all excuse me, i have to go run up and down the steps a few times, do a few squats, jumping jacks and all that fun stuff so i can get this party started.

wordless wednesday::daddy date

emma loves daddy-daughter date time.  and this mama is thankful for having a husband who makes our little girl feel loved and special.

more wordless wednesday here, here and here.