- Campbell eating last night around 2 with M
om, 6 with Dad and 7 with Mom. Mom heard her fussing but thought Dad had fed her earlier and not just a few minutes before. Not surprisingly, she wasn't that hungry and since she was wide awake and it was really morning time Mom let her lay in the floor
- Everyone sleeping until after 8:30-what a wonderful morning. Graham woke up next and laid in bed with Mom and Dad until he heard Reagan and Anderson stirring
- Meeting Nonna and Pops at Krispy Kreme-Reagan and Anderson had basketball donuts (or really just the icing off of the top) while Campbell snoozed away and Graham ate at least 3 donuts
- Reagan and Anderson going shopping with Nonna and Pops-they went to the mall, had a pretzel, sprite and cookie and even bought gifts for Campbell there (gifts which they have claimed as their own), then they made a quick run to Target to look at toys and then brought lunch home from McDonalds
- While Reagan and Anderson were shopping, Mom, Dad, Graham and Campbell ran quite a few errands and made it home just in time for the others to get there
- Everyone playing for a few minutes before naptime-Anderson woke up first and watched football with Dad
- Supper at Chili's to celebrate New Year's Eve-there isn't a much of a wait at 5 and everyone did great during our first official dinner out to eat as a family of 6
- Coming home to color our 2010 glasses to wear, take a few pictures, eat a popsicle and make our resolutions (keep reading for the list)
- Graham begging to go to bed and Mom holding Campbell until she fell asleep (and yes, she is wearing the same clothes as yesterday-she is happy in them!). Reagan and Anderson watching a few movies before bedtime
- The Dennie family resolutions for 2010:
- Robby: lose 30 pounds, read 6 books and fix the front flower beds
- Tara: exercise 3x a week, read to the kids everyday and cook a meal every other week
- Reagan: learn how to read so I can read to Graham, Anderson and Campbell, play games and draw more pictures
- Anderson: go bowling, go to a fire station and make a snowman
- Graham: stop screaming, talk more and fly on an airplane (again)
- Campbell: learn to eat cereal, see lots of states and have a 1st birthday party
Dennie Kids: December 31, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures) & (click here for Campbell's New Year pictures)
Dennie Kids: December 30, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures) - Campbell hanging out with Mom last night from 9-12. She was wide awake and watched a little tv (shh, don't tell!) Almost sleeping all night since she was so exhausted-she just woke up at 5:30 to eat this morning
- Everyone staying in bed until almost 8-we could all get used to this lazy lifestyle we have adopted lately
- Breakfast and playing with our toys this morning. Reagan and Graham played the Candyland DVD game while Anderson sat on the couch and refereed
- A nap for Graham while Reagan and Anderson helped Mom clean out the hall closet
- Everyone having a picnic in the living room while watching a movie-Graham really enjoyed the picnic
- Heading to Grannymom's house to play with Dad while Mom took Campbell back to the doctor
- Campbell barely passing her weight check-she had gained an ounce (1/2 ounce a day is good) Since it had been 2 days they were pleased though they did round up the numbers. We do have to go back next week for another check but since she is eating 16+ ounces a day she will pork up soon (hopefully)
- Hanging out at Grannymom and Grandpa's house with Mom and Dad. Anderson getting to ride with Grannymom to pick up Cash while Reagan rode in the front seat (unbuckled) while Mom backed her car out (big deal!)
- Coming home for naps-which Graham didn't take at all. He woke up and decided that he needed to pat Campbell and climb on the couch on top of her
- Uncle Jason bringing supper over and eating with Nonna and Pops too
- Showing everyone how we can make our popsicles. Graham gets so excited that he can hardly stand it while he waits
- Playing with everyone until way past our bedtime-but we were having a blast!
Dennie Kids: December 29, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- (Click here for a quick video of Campbell moments after her birth)
- (Click here for a quick video of Campbell at 1 week old)
- Campbell stayed up with Mom and Dad last night until 12 when she ate ag
ain so she only woke up at 4:30 this morning (and Mom decided that 4:30 is the perfect time to wake up-already slept quite a bit and still have a couple of hours left)
- Reagan and Anderson waking up first and were ready to go-Dad had told them if they were good last night they would get to go some place special
- Taking scooters, bikes and helmets to ride-we needed some place warm and flat and Pops knew just the place! Riding around church until everyone was worn out
- Going out to eat (Campbell's first time to eat out-Cici's pizza)
- Anderson and Reagan going with Lilly and Grannymom to Rock Creek to play for awhile this afternoon-Graham knew he wasn't getting to get out of the car and was pretty upset at Mom (but a sip of coke and some candy calmed him down)
- Graham and Campbell grocery shopping with Mom and Dad-Graham loved seeing the cranes at the grocery store
- Naps for Campbell and Graham and then Reagan and Anderson came home for their naps
- Grannymom and Grandpa came over for Panini's for supper-and then Reagan and Anderson were able to show them how to make popsicles in our super duper popsicle maker
- Playing and watching football until bedtime-2 trips to the bathroom later by Reagan and Anderson they are asleep
Dennie Kids: December 28, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Another Monday morning-but Dad is still off work so it was
a lazy Monday morning!
- Campbell going to her first doctor's appointment today. Dr. Martin said she looked great-a little jaundice and a little under her birth weight (7 pd 7 oz) but she was still pleased. We have to go back Wednesday for a weight check.
- Reagan, Anderson and Graham getting their second H1N1 shots-Everyone did fairly well. The nurse is a pro and stuck them before they knew it-it probably helped that Dad would hold their arms and then grab them up while Mom would shove their juice boxes in their mouths
- After shots, we continued our tradition of getting ice cream at Sams. But the ice cream machine wasn't working yet, so Dad had to buy a giant Sam's Club box of ice cream and we had to eat it at the snack bar to make everyone happy
- Coming home to play and watch a few movies. During the movie, everyone sat by their favorite Christmas presents-Anderson by his trash truck, Reagan next to baby Campbell and Graham doesn't sit still for movies yet but he spends most of the day standing on Anderson's scooter (just standing since he doesn't know how to push it)
- Afternoon naps and then more movies and lots of candy-it is still Christmas around here (as long as Dad is home we are living it up!)
- Supper and then Reagan requested that we make popsicles with the "Super duper popsicle maker"-sprinkles were added to the popsicles tonight
- Playing a game of Candyland while we waited on the popsicles and then everyone enjoyed the popsicles so much that they needed baths
- Reagan, Anderson and Graham taking a bath-a very long bath while Mom and Dad did Campbell's handprints for her baby book and footprints for her picture frame (a messy job). Then Dad (the bath giver) washed up Campbell while Mom (the clothes putter onner) started on Graham.
- Taking a few pictures before bedtime (offically Graham’s 17th month old pictures)
- Anderson (who went to bed with his Razorback hat on) was very upset when Mom said that we would be taking the Christmas tree down soon
Dennie Kids: December 27, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures) - Campbell waking up only 2 times last night-she is really starting to chow down
- Baths for Reagan, Anderson and Graham before church this morning and then our traditional stop at Burger King on the way to church
- Reagan asking if Campbell was "dark-skinned"-Mom said she didn't think so (maybe she is a little jaundice)
- Campbell's first time to go to church (6 days old)-she made it through about 2 minutes of the sermon before Mom and Dad got nervous and Mom took her out
- Anderson playing with Mr. Greg after church-he then asked if he could play with that man again and if he could ride home in our van
- Lunch at Nonna and Pops house. Reagan ate her weight in fruit and Anderson had quite a few waffles. Campbell was wide awake during the entire lunch
- Papaw coming over to hold Campbell and as we were leaving, Graham hugged and kissed Papaw at least 6 times
- Afternoon naps for everyone-long afternoon naps for some
- Kyle coming over and Anderson running to the door shouting "Jacob"-he was shocked that it wasn't Jacob and just wanted to sit in Mom's lap for a long time afterwards
- Kennedy, Camryn, Jacob and Ethan coming over to play-Campbell enjoyed (maybe) being held by all of the girls while the boys played with EVERY toy in the den
- Anderson getting into lots of trouble near the end of the evening-even got a spanking once everyone left. Reagan must have been tired too because she soon was in trouble and they were sent to bed-it was late though
- Campbell hanging out looking at the tree while Mom and Dad cleaned up the house and then she went to bed but will soon be up again
Dennie Kids: December 26, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Campbell was still looking for Santa last night-she was up 3 times but Dad feed her the last time. She started eating 2-3 ounces at night but only 1-2 during the day today. Last night she was wide awake every time soaking it all in but during the day, she quickly closes her eyes back-maybe it is the noise around here
- Reagan woke up followed by Campbell, Graham and finally Anderson
- The kids ate up breakfast this morning-homemade waffles! Reagan didn't want hers at first but when Mom pulled out the strawberries she was all about the waffles
- Opening more boxes of toys this morning while Dad had to go and take the trash somewhere-we make a lot of trash around here even when it is not Christmas
- Naps for Graham and Campbell this morning while Mom worked on straightening this house-impossible!
- Paninis for lunch-the boys liked their "smashed sandwiches" while Reagan was not pleased with hers
- Playing, playing and more playing this afternoon until naptime for everyone
- Cleaning out the fridge for supper and then popsicles (which Mom can make in 7 minutes) for supper-Mom and Dad are trying out all of their new toys too
- A few pictures tonight-Reagan and Anderson are getting a big kick out of using their cameras. Anderson doesn't quite get that he is really taking pictures but Graham is always ready to cheese it up
- Bedtime for everyone while Dad held Campbell until she went to sleep-in her warm and cozy bedroom (Mom just took a shower)
Merry Christmas: December 25, 2009
Highlights from today (3 sets of pictures / 3 links):
- Campbell could hardly wait for her first Christmas so she woke up
3 times last night to see if Santa had come-he hadn't yet, but she was thrilled with what Dad had left for her in the fridge-a bottle
- downstairs. We had to wake up Graham and Campbell but once everyone was up-Mom had to hold them back while Dad went downstairs first to take their pictures
- Santa having come and leaving lots of stuff-Reagan suddenly had her heart set on a pink kitty and dumped out her stocking looking
- Anderson and Reagan waking up and being ready to go for it and was pretty disappointed not to find it (Santa didn't know it was that big of a deal) Soon, she had found a bizillion other toys and was thrilled. (Mom was still a little upset about the whole deal though) Anderson couldn't wait to put on his helmet and ride his scooter. Graham was content just watching everyone else and didn't really care about his toys. Campbell just snoozed on the couch soaking in the sounds of Christmas as this Dennie house
- Grannymom, Grandpa, Jason, Nonna and Pops came over for break: fruit, hashbrown casserole and breakfast burritos. The kids appreciated all of the extra help opening their presents since Santa had apparently left everything in his sack and headed home early after stopping by our house
- After cleaning up all of the kids took a short rest while Mom and Dad tried to clean up more (unsuccessfully since it was overwhelming to them)
- Lunch at Dana and Brad's house-the kids enjoyed playing with Cash and Lilly's new presents-Campbell even enjoyed being held by aunt Dana
- Since it was not raining, we decided to take a few pictures with Campbell's stork-the kids love seeing the "goose." While we were taking pictures, cars were driving by and Mom felt like the Duggars-maybe they were staring at the new baby and not the gaggle of kids
- Coming home and everyone taking an afternoon nap-we would have overslept if Reagan hadn't woken us up
- Opening presents at Grannymom and Grandpa's house. All of the kids did great and were so excited about the presents. We played some and then changed into our pajamas and even stayed out late before coming home again for bed. Campbell suddenly has become our big eater-she did snooze while we had our afternoon nap and never even left her car seat. Graham has also become our social butterfly: he is all about playing and kissing on everyone
- Graham, Reagan and Anderson sat in the floor playing with Graham's new fire station while everyone else had supper. Mom was nearby holding Campbell and Mom and Dad wished that they could just stop time for awhile
- After everyone went to bed, Campbell hung out with Mom and Dad while they played with a few presents before settling in on the couch to watch tv and blog
- The present highlights from Christmas were lottery tickets, smoothie maker, Mom's popsicle maker (Dad), waffle maker, popsicle maker (Mom), stuffed dog, pjs with a skirt (Reagan), trash truck, helmet, Graham's firehouse (Anderson), firehouse, bicycle (Graham), diapers and diapers (Campbell)
- It was a another great Christmas-even though it is Christmas everyday at this house!
Christmas Ornament Countdown - Today's Christmas!
Newest Ornament: Since there have been some new things around here this year, I thought I would post our newest ornament on Christmas day. In Branson this year, we toured the Titanic Museum. This is our first time to have a Titanic ornament despite being in many places that were somehow related to the Titanic -- Halifax, Nova Scotia; England and Ireland. Hope you have enjoyed our Christmas Ornament Countdown. Merry Christmas!(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 24, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures) - Campbell had a wonderful first night at home-she woke up and ate before Mom and Dad went to bed. She had a little hard time going to sleep but seems to love her paci. She did wake up around 3:30, had her milk and went back to sleep.
- Graham and Dad woke up next around 7 and then Reagan and Anderson even woke up and had breakfast before Campbell woke up again
- We all had breakfast downstairs and then headed back upstairs since the den carpet was still drying and their were few toys accessible downstairs
- Before we went upstairs, Graham enjoyed watching Dad outside-he was inspecting the trenches he had dug last night (and everything held up well)
- Reagan holding Campbell while Mom took a shower (Dad was right there) and soon Dad had everyone convinced that they needed a morning nap. Campbell and Graham easily complied but Reagan and Anderson took a little more convincing but soon laid down long enough for Mom to have a nap
- After everyone woke up, Reagan, Anderson and Graham played at Grannymom and Grandpa's house for a little bit while Dad ran a few errands and Mom helped Santa get a few presents ready
- Campbell helped Mom with a few presents but enjoyed laying on the floor looking at the Christmas tree lights-she is eating around an ounce or a little more every 3 or so hours and she is still sleeping quite a bit (but when she is up, she seems to take it all in!)
- Dad picking up the crew and they had played hard and were ready for a real afternoon nap
- Since church was cancelled tonight due to the flooded roads, we went to Nonna and Pops' house early and the couldn't be more excited
- Reagan really enjoyed Christmas dinner-3 corn cobs, 2 slices of ham and a roll
- Next was time to take a few pictures before opening presents. Mom thinks that we are the best picture takers ever and Reagan is always pleased to get to hold Campbell
- Anderson passing out the presents and taking it very seriously while Graham was so busy helping that he was sweating and Mom had to take off his sweater
- Everyone opening up lots of presents from Jason, Beebee, Papaw, Nonna and Pops-Beebee and Papaw came over to watch us open presents and they seemed to enjoy watching the big kids and holding baby Campbell
- The highlights were Anderson getting a huge garbage truck, Graham getting a bicycle, Campbell getting lots of diapers and Reagan getting pajamas that have a skirt
- After presents, dessert and lots of playing it was time to head home and sprinkle the reindeer food on the driveway so the reindeer could find their way to our house-Dad even threw a few pieces on the roof of the house
- Next we baked Santa a few cookies and pulled our last Santa piece. Everyone was told that Santa couldn't come until they were asleep and Mom and Dad never heard a peep out of anyone (maybe Santa will start coming here every night)
- Campbell still snoozing in her car seat but she is about to get up and eat a few bites before going to bed
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 1 day til Christmas!
Mele Kalikimaka: In December 2004 we were in Hawaii near Christmas time. Obviously, we didn't do any surfing but this ornament was cute and reminds us of our cruise to the islands. It was strange seeing Hawaii decorated for Christmas.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 23, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures) - Mom and Dad slept for over 10 hours last night and they woke up feeling like new people. Campbell spent the night in the nursery and returned wearing a onesie that said "Who needs Santa when you have grandparents?"
- Our doctors gave Tara and Campbell good reports. Dr. Martin said Campbell was beautiful and Dr. Phillips said he would tell the nurses that we were ready to "go home now." And he must have because around 10:15 we were pulling away from Baptist. After a stop at Sams for medicine (Tara and Campbell stayed in the car) we were walking Campbell in the front door at home.
- After lunch and putting some things up (Mom thought her house was straight and even commented to Dad about how nice it was to have a neat house....read on...) the Dennies came over to see Campbell and soon the Brocks brought the kids home
- Reagan and Anderson nearly knocked Mom down getting out of the van to get in the house and see Campbell-Reagan said she was so excited for this day
- Reagan and Anderson held her but Graham is a little afraid of her but he did want to take her bottle from her and then hold it for her (not so gently)
- Everyone had a nap-Campbell did wake up for a potty break and then a milk break (she is eating around 1 ounce every 3 hours and she definitely has the bathroom thing down now!)
- Reagan and Dad ran some errands in the rainy mess-Reagan was excited to hear that Campbell would still be home when she came back
- Anderson waking up to watch a movie. Mom had sat Campbell in the kitchen and then she forgot and started talking to Anderson so he had to tell Mom to "shhh, baby sleeping"
- Graham woke up next and he sat with Mom to drink his milk but was pretty irate after she didn't give him any more milk
- Reagan, Mom and Anderson had Chinese for supper while Dad and Graham had pizza and then everyone played in the living room while Campbell slept. Soon the excitement started in the house
- Anderson came and told Dad that his pants were wet-Dad checked the obvious place but that wasn't wet. Anderson then told Dad from the carpet-we thought someone had spilled their water bottle but soon it was discovered that den was flooding
- While Mom helped Dad move the toys off of the carpet, Reagan sat and held baby Campbell. Mom kept checking on her but she sat as still as she could holding the baby. Campbell was wide awake the whole time and ate up the attention from her big sister
- Soon reinforcements were called-Robby and Grandpa dug outside while Grannymom worked with the shopvac (and Mom put her swollen feet up!) (The pictures you see were from early in the discovery process-it got much worse)
- Meanwhile, Graham was hysterical that he could not go in the den, Anderson just sat in the den and soaked up the excitement and Reagan babysat her sister
- The evening did have a highlight for Reagan and Anderson-they were able to open one of Dad's Christmas presents early-a fan!
- After the mess, Mom had to say so long to her straight house since the den had been destroyed-thankfully the den has a door so she can shut it and not worry about it at all (and at least it wasn't tomorrow night or Santa would have had to help out too)
- Graham went to bed during the excitement while Anderson and Reagan huddled together watching a movie-they were afraid of the thunder
- Soon they pulled a few more Santa pieces to catch up. Reagan knew exactly that tomorrow would be Christmas eve and was so excited. Anderson and Reagan are both wired and seem to be bouncing off of the walls now that they are in bed
- Campbell is hanging out downstairs with Mom and Dad is getting ready to get her pjs on and some milk in her tummy
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 2 days til Christmas!
Ford's Golf Ball: We toured Gerald Ford's Presidential library (we are also trying to see all of these) in September 2006. The gift shop was a little lacking but we were able to find a golf ball. With a little ingenuity, it was ready to hang on our tree and now I will always know that Ford loved golf.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
December 22: Day 2 for Campbell
After a long day with not much going on yesterday, we were ready to push as soon as Dr. Phillips came back from his dinner party. The pushing went fairly quick and Campbell was born-we were all very surprised that she was a girl. It was after 3 when we made it to our room and we slept fairly well despite a stream of nurses coming to check on us. Campbell slept great too (in the nursery)
Reagan, Anderson and Graham were ready to come up here and see their new sibling. Reagan was thrilled when Dad told her it was a girl. She was really excited but was reserved. Anderson didn't really seem to care-he was busy finding food in Mom's room and Graham pointed and grunted at the baby but didn't want anything to do with holding her. Reagan told Mom that she had waited on this day for a long, long time.
Grannymom, Grandpa and Lilly also held Campbell. Stuart also came during the party to see Campbell. Soon after they left, Dana stopped by for a visit while Tara took a shower. Jaymie also came by to see the baby before finishing his rounds. Dad has enjoyed handing out the candy bars and Campbell has enjoyed the attention so far this morning. Dr. Phillips dropped by along with Dr. Salmon. She said that Campbell looked great and just needed to poo! That will come.
Soon after lunch, Amber and Camryn stopped by followed by Doug Fulton to see Campbell. Camryn loved holding Campbell all by herself and enjoyed practicing for when she will be a big sister. Lynda Pruitt called to wish us well and Beebee and Papaw also called to check on how we were doing. Campbell has had a few dirty and wet diapers along with a couple of bottles. She isn't that hungry yet but still manages to dink a little bit. Campbell is becoming a pretty good spitter-upper! So right now, she is wrapped up in only her hospital blanket since she just got her shirt messy. This morning, Anderson told Pops that Campbell was naked (naked to a 3 year old means she didn't have on any pants). He would really think that now.
After a lull for awhile this afternoon, our visitors picked up again. Todd stopped by while running a few work errands. Robby had just made it back to since he had run to the post office to mail our Christmas cards-aren't we cutting it close on time.
Cash and Dana dropped by about the same time that Reagan, Anderson, Graham, and the Brocks came. Cash was at school this morning and didn't get to see Campbell so he was very excited to see her this afternoon-except when he came she wasn't here. Campbell was getting her hearing screened (she passed) and her pictures made (she is wide awake). She finally came back and Cash couldn't wait to hold her and give her a present.
Soon Reagan and Anderson were ready to hold her too. Reagan is so proud to have a little sister (even if she does call her "camel" sometimes). Anderson climbed up on Tara's bed and just stared at Campbell. He is a proud big brother (even if he has said that he is going to call her "Elizabeth"). Graham was a little more interested in her tonight and did manage to look at her for a second and touch her little hands (not gently though).
Stephanie dropped by bearing gifts for the whole Dennie crew. She held Campbell while Tara picked at her tray and Robby went downstairs to eat. A few minutes later the Dennies came bringing candy and soon afterwards Jason came with cookies. Campbell was sound asleep and seemed to enjoy all of the attention this evening. She even let out a few coos.
After they all left, we walked Campbell to the nursery for the night. Tara's nurses checked in with her and after finishing the Hog game we are going to call it a night.
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 3 days til Christmas!
Lobster Cage: On our trip to Annapolis, Maryland we had some delicious seafood and this cage reminds me of that seafood (even though it was probably crab cakes). None the less, the lobster cage has been on our tree since May 2003.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Announcing the arrival of Campbell Ruth Dennie
Click here for pictures
We are proud to announce the birth of our daughter,
Campbell Ruth Dennie
born at 10:06 p.m.
on Monday, December 21, 2009
weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches in length.
(Mom & baby are doing great! Pictures to come soon)
December 21, 2009 - Expecting the arrival of Baby IV (soon!) – latest update 9:37 p.m.
(Click here for a few pictures from this morning)
5:45 a.m. We are checked in at Baptist Hospital. The alarm came early but we still managed to make it to the hospital by 5:05. Our room was ready and our nurse, Katrina, started the paperwork and got the IV inserted and the baby’s heart monitor hooked up. She said Tara is having some contractions. They will start the pitocin in just a little while. The current heartbeat of the baby is 130 bpm.
7:15 a.m. We’ve had shift change…our nurse, Sherry, will be with us until 7 tonight (if we’re in labor & delivery that long). They are gradually increasing the pitocin. We’re watching Good Morning America and just waiting.
8:00 a.m. Our first visitor of the day stopped by. Dana was on her way to grab some coffee and came by to entertain us for a few minutes.
8:45 a.m. Robby has gone to find some breakfast while I am eating ice chips since I am a little on the bored side. No sign of Phillips yet so hopefully he will be around soon to get things rolling.
9:00 a.m. As soon as I wrote Phillips had not been by, he popped in the door. Today, his guess was a boy but said it was still 50/50. He broke my water and guessed we would have a baby around 3:00 but no guarantees. He said I could get an epidural anytime I wanted. I’ll hold off a little while – at least until I get a little bored and need some activity around here.
9:30 a.m. The nurse has returned to check vitals and give a 2nd dose of antibiotic since I had tested positive for strep B. She asked my pain level from 0 to 10. I said a “5” and she offered to provide some pain medicine but I declined for the moment.
10:25 a.m. No real baby activity yet but we’ve had a few more visitors. Uncle Jason stopped by on his way to work to check in. On his way out, Grannymom, Grandpa brought Reagan, Anderson and Graham by to see where Mom was. Reagan was very inquisitive about all the different things in the room, Anderson quickly got bored and Graham just wanted to eat ice chips. And as they were leaving, Nonna & Pops stopped in and are visiting with us now.
11:15 a.m. The nurse was back in to increase the pitocin and ask Tara’s pain level. Tara said a ‘6’ but she was still holding out on the epidural for a bit more. Phillips should be back around lunch time to check on progression. We’ll see if he still sticks with the 3:00 o’clock prediction.
12:00 p.m. No major news. The nurse came in to check on Tara and increase the meds. Tara did inquire about the epidural. The nurse said if she could hold a bit because they just started a c-section so it might be another 30 minutes. Doyle Moore & Ted Stanton, from the church, came by to visit and have prayer with us.
1:00 p.m. Dr. Phillips stopped to check and said Tara was about a 3.5. Tara said he could do better than that so he said a 4. She went ahead and asked for her epidural. So as tradition, I have stepped out to the waiting room while Dr. Hogan completes the epidural. Earlier Dana stopped by to check on us and Brad called in to check. They brought by Tara's lunch (ham sandwich) so I helped myself to it since all Tara can have is ice chips.
2:20 p.m. The nurse came in to turn up Tara’s pitocin. We’re up to level 20 on the pitocin. She said Dr. Phillips has something at 7:00 p.m. tonight. So, we really want this baby to hurry up because we want Phillips to deliver since he’s delivered the others.
3:00 p.m. The nurse returned and said Tara is at a ‘4’ and still has a ways to go. She said if it was her first, she would guess it would be six more hours but since this is her fourth it should be sooner. We’re still hoping for around 6:00.
5:00 p.m. I guess slow and steady wins the race-at least I hope so. Phillips just checked me and I am a '5' so that is good but only half way there. My epidural is working well so I have few complaints. Looks like the kids won't get to see IV today (we may not either though!) Robby has gone to eat some supper before the action starts around here.
7:52 p.m. Tara was beginning to feel a little more pain so the anesthesiologist came back for a 2nd round of epidural. We did experience the third nursing shift so our nurse, Denise, will be with us the rest of the evening. She actually was the nurse who helped deliver Graham last time. She said she would be back in an hour to check Tara. So now we’re hoping for a baby by 10:00 p.m.
9:15 p.m. The nurse just checked Tara and said we might have a baby by 10:00 a.m. Dr. Phillips had a dinner party tonight so she called him. He had finished his dessert and was having his coffee. She said Dr. Phillips said he would call when he was on his way and Tara would start pushing then.
9:37 p.m. Phillips just called. He is on his way. Let the pushing begin….
(Click here for a few pictures from this morning)
A trip down memory lane….
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 4 days til Christmas!
The Cat in the Hat: In October 2008, we went to the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden in Springfield, Massachusetts. The kids enjoyed climbing on the sculptures and I enjoyed seeing all of the books that I read when I was small. We found this tin and thought it would be great and colorful on the tree.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Tomorrow's The Big Day
Baby IV is due on Christmas day but will arrive sometime tomorrow. We are going to be induced tomorrow and have to report at 5 in the morning. Hopefully, the day will go smoothely and quickly. Robby and I have already made a few guesses about how the day will go. We can't wait to bring our little IV home and celebrate our first Christmas as a family of 6. We will keep you updated tomorrow about how things are going so check back often.Dennie Kids: December 20, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Church morning and Reagan was thrilled that she was going to wear her pretty Christmas dress-she asked Dad if she was beautiful...and of course she was
- The boys looked dapper as well in their matching dog sweater vests-we did buy them last year and Anderson's shirt fit like a glove (actually, we can't let him eat anything until Christmas so he can wear it one more time before the buttons pops off)
- Continuing our tradition of Burger King before church-the boys eat cini-minis and Reagan likes a sausage biscuit
- Seeing all of our Grandparents before church-we all enjoyed showing off our pretty duds
- Coming home to change clothes before lunch at Lilly and Cash's house
- Playing with Lilly and Cash's toys until time to come home and nap time
- Graham waking up first and running a few errands with Dad before supper
- Supper and then back to church to hear the music
- Graham went to class while Anderson and Reagan went to big church with Mom and Dad. Anderson made it until the last few songs while Reagan stayed the whole time. She was happy to tell Mom when there were only "zero songs" left but then she let out a sigh when there was another song added
- Everyone spending the night at Grannymom and Grandpa's house tonight-Graham wasn't too happy that Mom was leaving but he recovered well. Reagan and Anderson didn't seem to mind and were excited about tomorrow!
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 5 days til Christmas!
The Big Chicken: I would be willing to guarantee that you have probably not seen the Big Chicken in Marietta, Georgia. And if you have, you haven't bought an ornament there. We did this year on our Atlanta trip in May 2009. The big chicken in on the top of a KFC and it was certainly a sight to see. (Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 19, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Playing with every toy upstairs-every single one, before getting our clothes on and going downstairs
- Anderson had decided he was going to have a shower right before Mom was going to get in. Graham thought he wanted in but bolted out as soon as Mom put him then he went to the bathtub and started banging on it until he was given a bath. Reagan couldn't decide between a bath and shower and ended up with a bath-so we had 3 clean kids before breakfast (which Dad made while Mom was taking a cold shower since the hot water was gone)
- Reagan and Mom running to the post office with every other Arkansan before a Tinkerbell birthday party for Elizabeth-pizza, cupcakes, making a wand and even a game (which she didn't want to play)
- Pizza for lunch with Carter and Millie-we all make alot of noise when we are together. So much noise that our parents had to practically scream at each other to talk. My how things have changed and now the kids already outnumber the grown ups (and IV isn't even here yet)
- Naps for everyone after Carter and Millie left
- Running a few errands (Mom had to find Anderson some Christmas pajamas and time is running out) before supper at Burger King-where Graham used a straw for the first time (I think)
- Anderson and Reagan going upstairs and putting on their pajamas before Mom and Dad asked them too (Dad did mention that if they hurried and got ready for bed they could have some candy)
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 6 days til Christmas!
A Great Find: I found this ornament on our Yosemite trip in 2002. It was one of those times when I thought I wouldn't find anything and then I found this one and it was a great deal too. We loved Yosemite and have since been back once and I plan to climb the mountain in the back of the ornament one day.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 18, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Anderson waking up ready to help Dad with their project for the day: putting our new train around the Christmas tree. Everyone was lots of help and gave Dad lots of advice. Mom spent her time trying to distract all of Dad's help
- Grandpa and Grannymom dropping by with some candy for us to eat while Grandpa played with the train too
- But the train never really worked right so we will have to send it back. The kids really didn't care though Anderson keeps saying "I wish, I wish the coaches would have worked" or "Maybe, maybe we can get another one"-but I think Santa bought a kid friendly battery operated Thomas for their train tracks this afternoon
- Running a few errands and having lunch at McDonalds-Reagan picked out our booth (in the sun) but she was very proud of her choice. Graham falling asleep during our errands but Mom woke him up to take him inside of one place just so he could nap with everyone else
- Long afternoon naps and then supper out with Nonna and Pops (Dad was at another Christmas party-he is a social butterfly)
- Coming back home and playing hide-n-seek with Nonna and then watching a movie with Pops before bedtime-they even stayed long enough to tuck us in
- Graham trying to convince Pops to get him some candy or milk but Mom wouldn't let Pops-Graham was pulling on Pops' hand while smiling a mischievous smile at Mom
- Dad coming home and getting Anderson and Reagan out of bed to give them a cookie (last night, he got them out of bed to give them another drink)
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 7 days til Christmas!
Reagan's Favorite Ornament: As you can imagine, Reagan's favorite ornament would probably have a princess or a butterfly on it. And she picked the Tinkerbell ornament from Disneyland as her favorite from our trip there in March 2009. This was the year of Disney since we hit Disney World and Disneyland this year. (Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 17, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Everyone thinking that it was a school morning and sleeping late-but it wasn't so we could really sleep late
- Reagan telling Mom to hurry and do the laundry so they could play. She was happy to hear that Mom wasn't doing laundry today (Mom must do alot of laundry!)
- Lots of coloring this morning-Graham even got in on the act-he prefers the markers (which Mom doesn't)
- Dad coming home for lunch for a few minutes and Anderson asking if he could go to work with him
- Everyone playing "castle" after lunch. Reagan and Anderson made a castle with pillows and chairs and then spent their time fighting off Graham. They didn't want him in the castle and would spray him with the toy vacuum cleaner hose "muddy water" while he grabbed the pillows as fast as he could
- Mom doing something she thought she would never do-taking her kids to the VFW. Bathroom, diapers, socks, shoes and coats just to drive and look at the helicopter that they have put up. We even got out and took a few pictures but Reagan was more interested in playing in the mud
- A lazy afternoon playing train tracks, riding bikes and playing ice cream man
- Dad coming home for a few minutes before heading out to a Christmas party while we had pizza for supper. Everyone made a happy plate- Mom will have to make a bigger pizza next time
- Playing with every toy in the house before bedtime
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 8 days til Christmas!
Gulf Shores: We aren't really beach people but a trip is a trip so when the Babbs asked us to go in May 2007 we certainly said yes. The ornament sums up what we did on this trip-took it easy and played in the sand.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 16, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Graham still waking up early (despite the Benadryl....kidding)
- Mom taking a shower while everyone played nicely downstairs and she even had time to straighten upstairs while we were playing
- Nonna coming over and playing with us-we played 2 games, ate lots of snacks and lots of fruit for lunch and showed her all of our new toys from last night
- Afternoon naps for everyone-and everyone waking up and having to to put on their clothes since everyone around here prefers to wear their pajamas
- Reagan telling Mom that our van was like getting into an airplane-Dad was proud of his little traveler!
- Awanas tonight-Graham even managed to stay the entire time! So Dad rewarded him with a cookie when we picked him up
- Pulling Santa down before bedtime-and then Graham going right to sleep but Reagan and Anderson are upstairs still chatting
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 9 days til Christmas!
San Diego Zoo: We went to the San Diego zoo in September 2004 and I found this ornament. It is just a simple ball but now when I look at it I wonder why I bought such a breakable ornament. If the worst does happen to this ornament, that is fine since I plan on taking the kids back to the zoo soon because they will love it. (Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 15, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Graham waking up first (about 45 minutes too early if you ask Dad!); Anderson and Reagan waking up and getting everyone dressed for school
- Reagan & Anderson were pretty excited about school today but it was Christmas party today - lots of cookies and treats
- Mom picking us up from school and then going to Beebee & Papaw (she had crackers and cookies for us too!)
- Coming home and helping Mom pack up for tonight's party
- Christmas Party at Camryn & Kennedy's - all the kids swapped presents; the adults only ate this year but Ms. Amber had some yummy taco soup plus lots of other goodies Mom & Ms. April brought (kids are sure growing up, here's a snapshot from 2 years ago - click here)
- Mom leaving us a bit earlier so she could go to Bunko; Dad managed to get us packed up and home and in bed (we wanted to stay up and play with our new toys but Dad promised we could tomorrow since it was almost 10 o'clock)
- Yesterday, Mom overheard Anderson and Reagan singing "dreidel, dreidel"-no idea where they heard that!
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 10 days til Christmas!
FDR's Stagecoach: We saw Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia this May 2009. They had Roosevelt's stagecoach there-well, they also had Roosevelt himself. The stagecoach was really pretty and the ornament was too so we bought it even though we had already purchased a few ornaments from this trip (you can never have too many!) (Click Here to View the Ornament)
December 14, 2009-Tenth Doctor's Visit
Well, it was our last doctor's visit and we were hoping that Phillips would say to come back on Wednesday. But he said, let's schedule for Monday. That is what we were expecting but not what we were hoping for. Oh, well-this really will be a Christmas baby. So the 21st will be our date-hoefully all will go well and we can be home by the 23rd. The appointment went well-baby's heart rate was 130 and we were out of there.
This evening we had one last thing to do before baby comes-get that pesky car seat in the van. The kids helped and it looks like we will even be able to manage with 4 car seats in the car. So now we are officially ready for IV to arrive.
This evening we had one last thing to do before baby comes-get that pesky car seat in the van. The kids helped and it looks like we will even be able to manage with 4 car seats in the car. So now we are officially ready for IV to arrive.
Dennie Kids: December 14, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- A pretty busy morning since Mom was trying to mark things off of her list-and Reagan gladly helped so she could mark things off of her list (see yesterday)
- Eating a late breakfast and then having 3 clementines for a snack. After getting up from the table, we watched a movie and Graham was adament that he needed candy during the movie (so he ended up in bed)
- Pops coming over to watch us while Mom went to her last doctor's appointment (click here for the details)
- Anderson and Reagan jumping from the coffee table onto the chair. Pops asked if Mom let them do that and they replied "no, but she is not here." Later during the day, Mom caught Anderson doing it and he said "Pops let me"
- Grannymom going with us to Anderson's 3 year old check up and Graham's ear re-check-Anderson is a little on the "healthy" side (Mom is raising football players!) and Graham's ears look good. Mom was worried that we would all have meltdowns since the last time we were there was shot day but everyone was great
- Dr. Martin asking Anderson if he wore a helmet and he said "no me have one." She told him that Santa might bring him one. Later, when she was leaving she asked him what he asked Santa for and he said "a helmet"
- Afternoon naps for everyone but Reagan-she just laid in Mom's bed and stared at the clock-Mom took a nap instead!
- Leftovers for supper and more clemintines!
- Helping Dad put in the baby's car seat-but we all ended up buckled into our own carseats (Mom and Dad are sneaky like that) After they finished we did drive around a look at Christmas lights. Reagan commanded everyone to say "movie night" if we saw lights but then she changed it to "Merry Christmas everyone"-so all through a few neighborhoods we were all shouting "Merry Christmas everyone"
- Anderson watching a movie and Reagan and Mom playing "go fish" before bed
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 11 days til Christmas!
Graham's Favorite Ornament: All of the non-breakable ornaments are hung on the bottom of the tree and this one catches Graham's eye quite frequently. He occasionally (hourly) runs through the house, squealing, while holding this ornament. He visited Joshua Tree National Park March 2009 so maybe he remembers it or maybe he just likes Mom to drop what she is doing and chase him through the house.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 13, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Mom and Dad singing Happy Birthday to Anderson this morning and crawling into his bed. He replied with "get out of here"
- A few pictures before a traditional birthday breakfast of cake!
- Church this morning-Graham always throws a fit but Mr. Andy said that he did fine (he likes Mr. Andy), Anderson hammered a nail in his class so that was a highlight and Reagan thought she was so funny telling us that she ate a "tree" for snack (a Christmas tree cookie)
- Soup at Nonna's house for lunch and lots of playing
- Running a few errands before naptime-We have 3 good shoppers so they were happy to run errands with us
- Dad and Anderson sleeping until Mom woke them up. Reagan and Graham had watched a movie and helped Mom with the laundry
- Lots of playing on our new rug (from Nonna) and our car holder (from Grannymom). Surprisingly, no one has been injured (yet) playing with our new bat and ball (from Jason)
- Graham spending the evening doing exactly what Reagan and Anderson were doing-or trying
- Reagan making a list for next week while Mom was working on hers (Mom was so proud)-she even took it to bed with her tonight
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 12 days til Christmas!
Ashes to Ashes: It was our second visit to Washington but our first time to see Mt. St. Helens in May 2008. We both remember when Mt. St. Helens erupted (or at least remember hearing about it). My brother used to have ashes from there so I knew I wanted some for my Christmas tree too.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 12, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- An odd morning for Mom and Dad (someone ringing the doorbell before 6, then the ringer walked to the neighbors and hung out on their doorstop until the police came-Dad called them. And then a wrong number on Mom's phone around 6:30)
- Anderson was the first one up and was ready to get his clothes on as soon he was reminded that today was his birthday party day
- Graham going to Grannymom's house this morning while the rest of us picked up breakfast on the way to church
- Anderson and Reagan playing with Nonna while Mom and Dad set up his party
- Anderson celebrating his 3rd birthday party with Lilly, Cash, Reagan, Graham, Harrison and Jacob. There were footballs everywhere and Anderson had a blast. The cake and cupcakes were footballs and everyone dressed in their football attire. We had nachos and corn dogs for lunch. Anderson was very polite opening his presents and thanked everyone. The highlight was hitting the pinata-the kids loved it (even though Dad had to break it open)
- Coming home and unloading the car before letting everyone play for a few minutes
- Afternoon naps for everyone and then opening all of Anderson's presents-we played and played and tried to find a place to put everything up (before we get a whole lot more stuff for Christmas)
- Leftovers for supper and more playing with Anderson's new ball and bat
- Everyone going to bed early since today had been a very busy day!
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 13 days til Christmas!
The Most Expensive: We floated the Colorado River with Western River Expedition in 2003 through the Grand Canyon. We were deep inside of the canyon-had to fly in a small plane there and then a helicopter ride to the bottom. Needless to say there were few gift shops there so we were left to find an ornament when we returned which was quite a difficult and expensive task. (Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 11, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Mom and Dad waking up early but the kids slept late-something isn't right about that!
- Dad taking Reagan and Anderson to pick up donuts while Graham ate his first breakfast
- Grannymom and Grandpa coming over to eat donuts with us
- Anderson showing Grandpa how to play trains while Graham finished up his second breakfast and enjoyed it fully!
- Nonna coming over next and playing with us while Mom worked on Anderson's cake and Dad ran some errands
- Anderson and Reagan helping Mom decorate the cake-just a tiny bit
- Lunch with Nonna-we ate 4 clemintines!
- Afternoon naps-but no one really napped well today
- Running a few errands before eating at Genghis -Reagan said that it was her favorite restaurant
- You should hear our car while driving around at night. Reagan has commanded us to shout "family night" when we see Christmas lights (who knows why). Anderson obeys along with Mom and Dad and then everyone, including Graham, ooohs and aaahs over the lights
- Pulling out Santa and then Reagan and Anderson watching a long movie while Graham slept
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 14 days til Christmas!
Yo-Yo: Bet you don't have a yo-yo on your Christmas tree. But sometimes you just have to get whatever will hang on your tree. The Mark Twain House in October 2007 was where we found this ornament. (Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 10, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Anderson celebrating his birthday at school this morning-he shared cupcakes with the 6 other girls in his class. When he and Dad looked at the pictures tonight they discussed which one was cute-even though Anderson didn't even look at one girl from his class when she told him Happy Birthday going to the car
- Graham not taking a nap this afternoon but playing happily-except whenever Dad called and then everything falls apart
- Reagan and Anderson working on their trains-we are obsessed with trains right now
- Graham helping Mom rehang a few pictures and then everyone making chocolate milk for a snack-Graham didn't drink all of his so he may not have been to fond of it
- A yummy supper and then baths for everyone
- Graham going to bed while Reagan and Anderson stayed up to play...trains! and then pull the Santa down
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 15 days til Christmas!
Mom's Favorite Ornament: In March 2008 we were able to see the Roman Coliseum. But I had the ornament saved back for a few years since I knew we would end up in Italy sometime or another. The trip was great and I have loved that ornament for quite a long time-even before I was able to hang it on the tree.(Click Here to View the Ornament)
Dennie Kids: December 9, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- Mom trying for nearly 20 minutes to wake up Anderson-he sleeps so soundly-maybe because he knew he was going to get to spend the day at the Nutrition Center
- Reagan and Graham playing at Grannymom and Grandpa's house
- Anderson doing very well at the Nutrition Center-he only whined a little bit during brain lab-but who wouldn't?
- Anderson getting to eat ice cream with Mom and Dad at Sams-he asked Mom why we weren't picking up Reagan and said that she would want ice cream too. Mom told him that she was eating sweets at Grannymom's house
- Anderson getting to play for a few minutes while we picked up Reagan and Graham
- A nap for everyone when we came home-Anderson slept like a rock again and Mom was later to church than usual cause she couldn't wake him up
- Awana for Reagan and puppets for Anderson-and Cubbie bear sounded very familiar to them but they just couldn't put their finger on it
- Graham spending some time in his class tonight. He spent most of the evening grabbing his teacher by the hand and taking her to the door. She came and asked Mom what he wanted-Mom told her that he wanted to leave! He is no dummy. Mom went and picked him up
- Looking at Christmas lights on the way home from church-the favorite "house" of Reagan and Anderson's is the liquor store near our house!
Christmas Ornament Countdown - 16 days til Christmas!
The Rainy Boat: This year we were able to take the kids to Niagara Falls and ride the Maid of the Mist. We drove miles and miles out of the way to do this but it was well worth it. They loved it and now Anderson looks at the ornament and said "remember when we rode on the 'rainy boat'"- we all did get very wet on that little boat! (Click Here to View the Ornament)
December 8, 2009-Ninth Doctor's Visit
I had some expectations today that the doctor would give us a date but instead we only heard those 4 dreaded words: See you next week. Actually, I am beginning to doubt that we will in fact be home for Christmas and the "only in my dreams" stuff just won't cut it. We go back next Tuesday so he will probably induce me on the 21st-and again, that is not what the doctor has said, just what I have tried to guess. I am crossing my fingers that some how we can be induced before then-they probably don't do that on the weekends though. Oh, well, guess I will just have to drink some castor oil-kidding, only kidding about that (kind of!) Anyway, all of my stats were good today-and I am still a tiny bit below my "oh my gosh weight!" and have been staying there for a week or two now. The baby's heartbeat was 134ish and the doctor said I have progressed more than I ever have before-which was still a 1! We will be excited whenever IV shows up-and thrilled to have a healthy baby. Now, off to drink some castor oil, I mean a coke!
Dennie Kids: December 8, 2009
Highlights from today: (click here for pictures)
- A school morning-it was even raining so the Dennie bus left a little bit late-well, alot late but we made it there close to on time
- Graham arching his back and screaming like, well, like he does at home but he did calm down by the time Mom left
- Dad picking up the crew from school since Mom was running late at the doctor (click here to see the news)
- Reagan saying her favorite part of school was making a Christmas tree and Anderson said his favorite part of school was "no, nothing"
- Reagan going to time out when we came home for having her fingers in her mouth, Anderson going soon there after for not obeying Mom and Graham soon had to go to bed since he was screaming. Mom forgot that they need down time after school and should have turned a movie on first
- After a movie and getting fingernails trimmed everyone was back playing happily in the den
- Working a few Christmas card puzzles and helping Mom work on a project for Friday
- Dad coming home and a few errands before bedtime-and opening up our Christmas cards from Nonna and pulling out our Santa piece
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