Mercy Ellen Peters

Mercy Ellen Peters arrived July 12 at 7:55 pm. More photos to follow.

Birth Story

Well, as stated in a past post, I was induced before my due date. Thankfully, the experience was better than the last induction, although, definitely not as quick as real labor. When I went in to the hospital, I was already at 4 cm, and was having contractions about 5 min apart. Unfortunately, this was not enough to just have my water broken, so Pitocin it was. Thankfully, they started me off gradually, and I did not suffer through excruciating contractions until the end. This time around I ended up not opting for pain reliever of any type, although I was begging for it when it was too late. That was the hardest part. I was ready to push but apparently the rest of me wasn't. Just when I thought I was going to go insane and was begging for an epidural (or Tylenol at the very least) the baby started coming. The nurse checks me then goes running out of the room yelling, "Help, Baby!" Justin is once again jamming on the nurse's call button. The midwife made it just after the head was out.
I have to hand it to Kaiser, they respond fast. I also appreciated the fact that I had one nurse assigned to me the whole day. We were only left alone briefly, for short periods of time. I was also thankful that I was able to go home the next day. All in all, I would have to say that my experience with Kaiser was probably the best out of all the births.
Oh yeah, while I didn't appreciate it at the time, I am thankful that I did not have the epidural. The recovery time is so much quicker.

Rethinking the Possibilities

The more I think about it, the more I realize that being induced is not so bad. Of course there is the convenience of it. It is much easier to plan out child care for 3 kids this way. Also, Justin is able to notify work about taking the time off, before next weeks schedule is written. I won't even have to deal with any signs of false labor.
Even better than convenience though is the less possibility of having an emergency c-section. I understand now, that if my blood pressure continued to be high and it started to affect the baby, I probably would not be given the option of an induction. So for that, I am thankful.
The best thing about the induction, of course, is the fact that I will get to see and hold my new little one even sooner.

Pregnancy Similarities

I got a call this morning from my doctor's office, informing that I am going to be induced on Saturday. Needless to say I cried.
This pregnancy has been so similar to my pregnancy with Hero, but so totally different than the two boys. I carry the same as I did with Hero, I crave the same things as I did with her, and I have the same problems. That's the crazy thing. It is not as common to get hypertension with the fourth child as with the first, but that is what has happened. I even remember the doctor saying with Hero that it was hard to tell if I was hypertensive, because my blood pressure always went down as soon as I laid down. This is exactly what happens now. I lay on my back and my b.p. is way up. I flip to my side and it goes right down. So why did I think that the end would be any different? When I was told of induction with Hero, I was elated. I was so excited for the pregnancy to be over. This time it is different. Of course I am thrilled for the pregnancy to be over, but now I know better about inductions. I know that the difference in the pain is incomparable to that of labor that starts naturally. If I am fortunate enough, maybe I could go into labor before then. We'll see. At the very least, I can proudly say that I never missed my due date with any of my four kids.

When Temptation Strikes

The thing about temptation is that it usually comes unexpectedly. Yes, there are times when you place yourself right in the path of a tempting situation (such as going to the grocery store right before you eat lunch, then giving in to the urge to buy the ready made food that is not on your list.) But those times are easier to guard against. I think that it is easier to give in to temptation when you are caught unaware.
For example, today I ran into Target to buy some diapers and other household items. I successfully managed to buy only the items that I had gone in for. When the cashier gave me the total, I was pleasantly surprised at the low price. As I walked toward the exit, I glanced at my receipt to see which items had been on sale. To my surprise, only two of the items were listed along with a coupon that I had used, yet all of my items were bagged up and in my cart. This is where temptation struck. You would think that being the godly woman that I am, my first thought would be to rectify this situation immediately. However, instead of turning my cart back to an open register and paying for the un-rung items, I actually considered this my good fortune, and continued heading for the exit. Thankfully, by God's great mercy, the guilt of my sinful thoughts overtook me. Instead of the exit, I went to the courtesy desk; I even considered the long wait my penance.
I write this as a reminder, that we have not yet attained perfection. My daily struggles with sin remind me of the following passage:
Not that I have already obtained it,or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12

Sticky Fingers

Lately we have been having issues with Hero and lying. She is quite adept at it really. She can change her story at the drop of a hat. She'll even add in details to make it seem like she is telling the truth. Yes, she inherited her mother's sin nature, that's for sure.
While lying has been an ongoing problem, stealing has not. She used to take the occasional toy from a friends house or Grandma's, but we thought this issue had long been resolved. Apparently not. Yesterday, while at the store with Grandma she managed to snatch a little beanie baby. Then came the intricate web of lies. When I came to pick her up, I realized the toy was new. She said she had brought it from home. When pressed further, she said she had received it as a prize from church. When asked again, she said she had found it under her uncle's bed. When we asked her uncle, the truth finally came out.
We set off for the store, lecturing her about lying, stealing, and sin the whole way. She kept crying and asking about how long she was going to be in prison. (We never told her she was going to prison, but she new this is what happened to people who stole from Daddy's store.)
She walks in with Daddy and talks to the manager on duty. I don't know if it was due to Hero's uncontrollable crying or lack of experience with children or both, but he replied to Hero confession with, "That's okay."
Needless to say, we made very clear that it was not okay. Hero also spent the rest of the evening filling a box with toys to give away.
Ah the joys of parenthood. I suppose this is payback for what we put our parents through.

The Lipstick Stain

Here is a photo of the stain that made me sorry I had wished for another girl. Hero had taken some lipstick, used it on her doll, then wiped it on the new carpet. Do not be fooled by the picture, the real stain was at least six inches long. It took me all morning to get it out. (Hint: Acetone based nail polish remover and Resolve.)

Day at Sea World

Yesterday we took another trip down to San Diego and spent the day at Sea World. This is the last time we will get to go before the baby is born. It was good we went when we did, because at my dr appt today, I was told to limit any extra activities. Oh yeah, and something about laying on my left side as much as possible and taking tylenol four times a day. Anyway, here are a few photos from our day.

My cute little penguins.

Ransom on his first ride ever! He was scared at first, but was soon loving it.

Hero was able to ride on the Elmo angel all by herself.

Ransom turned a little green on this one.

Long time, no post

Okay, so I was recently reminded that I have not blogged in two weeks. Not since Hero's last week of school. (I can't believe it has only been two weeks...seems like 12.) I will not go incredibly in depth about our life happenings in that time span, but I give you some highlights.
First, yes, I am still pregnant. No, we do not have a name. Yes, I realize that we only have four weeks left and the baby could theoretically be born at any time. Don't remind me. I thought up until a few days ago that this child would be easier on her Momma than her closest sibling, but I am mistaken. I have a very hard time sleeping at night. I wake up with a sore stomach from being pummeled internally during the night. But enough complaining....
Second, Justin is currently studying Greek. It is kind of strange for me to see him facing a challenge in a class. He is definitely up to the task. He is studying every day. I am amazed at how much he has learned over the past few weeks.
Third, family life has kept me on my toes, constantly. I have been trying hard to establish a morning prayer time with the kids. After we pray (a page from our church's directory), I make a list out for each child to accomplish for the day. I wish I could say this is going great, but it is still a work in progress. I can see that my attitude has a dramatic effect on this. I also realize that just because you pray with your kids in the morning, it is not a magic formula for having a smooth rest of the day!
Lastly, the weather has been HOT here. The kids have been coping by playing in the pool and I have been coping by enjoying central air conditioning and Popsicles.
I apologize for not having new photos up. I will work on that soon. Tomorrow we are going to Sea World so I hope to have a few from that at least. That reminds me. I should probably Google where the closest Kaiser is in San Diego, just in case....

Award Day

Hero received the citizenship award for her class. This is for the student that displays the most Christ-like attitude throughout the year. she also made the second honor roll again.

After receiving the citizenship trophy.

Making the second honor roll with some boys from her class.

Field Trip to Legoland

Hero's class went to Legoland for their final field trip. Thankfully Daddy was able to go with her. They both had a great time.

After getting her face painted.

Jericho was already sad that he didn't get to go and this photo didn't help.

Fighting Lego Darth Vader

In front of the Lego model Capitol building.

Ransom in Grandpa's Pool

Ransom didn't seem too thrilled about being in the water, but he loved the wave cruiser. He was able to push the button and somewhat steer to make it go.

Why....

....Mommy always needs to be on her toes!

For some reason whenever the sugar container is left on the table, Ransom seems to think it is okay to get into it. It is normally stored on the bottom shelf of the pantry, and he hasn't gotten into there. I guess out of sight; out of mind.

Planting Day

Today we got together with some families from church and planted flowers (in planters) at the park.

Jericho contributed about 2 scoops to this project before going back out to play on his scooter.

Hero got really involved in the project. The first planter we made is in the foreground. She made the second basket by herself.

After the park, we decided to go to Lowe's to work on a Mother's Day craft. They had already closed the activity down by the time we got there, but they gave us the kits to take home and make.

Tug-o-War

At the park today, Ransom saw that his friend, Grace, had the helmet that he wanted. Giving in to his sin nature, he decided to grab it and go. Unfortunately he underestimated Grace who was determined to win at all costs.

Ball Balancing

The other day I watched Ransom try for about 10 minutes to sit on his ball and play the piano. Today he finally accomplished it!

Science Projects

For Hero's science project, she and Daddy built a solar oven. The purpose of this is to demonstrate how we use the sun's light as energy. The best part about this project is that we hope to use the oven to cook with occasionally this summer.

New Carpet

After almost five years of living in this house, we finally got new carpet.

The color is similar to our old carpet, minus all the stains.

Kids on Wheels

Jericho loves his new scooter.

Hero, of course, has the need for speed.

Ransom thinks he can do it too.

Ransom has figured out a way to ride his trike.