week 4 in the Great Big world

Dear Baby Hercules,

I know you are out of the belly now.. I know that you are a sweet little baby boy named Jackson.. But it felt incomplete to not write one more letter to you as Hercules..

I want you to know that you were 8 days late.. that you could have been much later if it wasn't for my awesome nurse who pushed them to admit me.. I want you to know the Dr thought you were going to be little but I guessed how much you would weigh.. I want you to know that having a baby for the third time is not less special or wonderful than the first or second... I want you to know that even though you were 8 days late (do you see my slight annoyance about that fact) That you came right on time... That when you were placed in my arms I melted...

All those weeks of waiting.... all those weeks of dreaming about what you would look like.. imagining having you in our home... they don't even compare to actually having you here.. You Baby Hercules are wonderful...

Aria is very happy you are not a puppy... and Gibson can't wait to share his room.. and Daddy is so very thankful you are a boy, something about girls being a handful not sure what he is talking about :). And I am very thankful just to hold you. Daddy might believe I am spoiling you a little because of all the holding I do but I say you can't spoil a 2 week old AND you being in my arms is much safer than putting you down... ( because of a certain little girl who really wants to "take" care of you, but is still learning gentle)

I love you Jackson,

Mommy

Early morning photobooth

Jackson and I are just hanging out..

We do a lot of that in the early morning...

We decided to do a little bit of photobooth action...

Because its not enough for everyone to see me in my early morning state of complete dishevelness (not a word I know)

But they also should see me 4 times...

Making awkward photobooth faces..

Because you can't make a normal face at a photobooth...

Virtual or real...

Try it...

So if you need something to do in the wee hours of the morning..

you can go to http://laphotocabine.com/

Or you could do something productive....

But where is the fun in that?

Fab 5

Hercules is here!!!

Meet Jackson Levi...

We are all very happy but tired..

So no lengthy post..

(mostly because it took me 7 times before I spelled lengthy right)

Here are my top 5 pics so far...

Because pictures speak a 1,000 words and there is no correct spelling needed...

SAY CHEESE

Right now we are in the middle of the waiting game.

Waiting on Hercules..

The good thing about waiting on Hercules..

Is I have had lots of extra time with that little face..

She has been extra cuddly..

And as you can tell from the pictures extra silly....

As much as I wish the baby would arrive..

I wouldn't trade this special time with my little princess..

40 weeks and 1 day

Dear Hercules,

You are the size of, well lets just be honest a newborn. You still are cozy in Mommy's belly which is fine but I did decide to add the 40 weeks and 1 day because you might not realize this but 40 weeks is kinda the normal occupancy time. And because you are the size of a newborn, and from the feel of it a good sized newborn Mommy is a tad bit tired.. Hence the picture. I am trying to look energetic but its not working out so well.

I know that you will come when you are ready and I am happy that you are healthy, so I am trying not to fret too much about it. I am trying to stay busy. But sweetie I can't wait to meet you. I can't wait to find out if you are a little Hercules or Hercula (or whatever the female form of Hercules would be)

I love you Hercules,

Mommy

39 weeks

Dear Baby Hercules,

Still a watermelon... and still in my belly. Did you know that Daddy and Gibson where born on the 7th of their birth month... and Aria has a 7 in her birthday too. And look at that today is the 7th... hmm.

We have also started our new chapter with no work. Mommy's last day was Friday. I am very happy to be able to be with you guys at home... very excited and thankful for the sacrifices Daddy is making for us...

Feels a little weird though right now.. I feel like I am taking a sick day even though I am not sick.. I feel like I am cheating the system a little bit. I am sure I will get use to it.

Sorry this little isn't creative or even sentimental, but sweet child of mine you are wearing me out..... this is what 45 minutes of sleep gets you. You want sweet and funny then let me sleep some ok?

Love you Hercules,

Mommy

week 37 + 38

Dear Hercules,

You are now and have been for the past week roughly the size of a watermelon..

Now this comparison I believe 100%. I feel like I am carrying a watermelon.. with lots of knees.. and perhaps a nunchunk..

The waiting game had commenced and I had declared boldly that I would not get sucked up into that vicious game... I was going to enjoy and cherish every last moment of pregnancy.. I said I expected to have you September 18Th and that was fine with me...

And then you being the sweet but mischievous little baby that you are decided to call Mommy on her sweet little declaration... You decided that you would test me commitment to "enjoy and cherish" by limiting my sleep to 45 minutes a night.. You are a feisty one. (which is my main reason for thinking that you are a girl) I will still enjoy and cherish these last moments little one, but here is a tip, EVERYONE would be much happier if I could sleep a little bit more.. Especially your poor Daddy. Just a thought, do what you will with it...

Gibson has decided he wants you to be a boy, since we told him a boy would share a room with him.. and Aria well Aria has decided she would not like to share a room and I think she is still holding out on the hope that you are a puppy. She is feisty too...

Love you Hercules,

Mommy

Fairly awful tale

Once upon a time....

I had toes..

feet....

ankles...

and calves...

Now..

I have the blob..

aka cankles..

aka the uni-leg...

But in 4 weeks I will have a precious baby....

And we (the baby, Court, Gibson, Aria, me and my cankles)

will live happily ever after.

The end

The cure for hurt feelings

Court mentioned the other week that I was the "anti pregnant woman"

meaning with this baby I have been really not emotional..

I have been level headed and not prone to crying..

Ha..

He spoke to soon.

These last few weeks I have made up for the calmness..

By crying at the drop of a hat.

Court teased me the other day.

Instead of teasing back or making some sarcastic comment..

I burst into tears.

Since I haven't cried in a long time this caught EVERYONE off guard.

Including Gibson who was very upset that I was crying..

We were on our way to ice cream but I was a mess and said I would stay in the car to collect myself.

The above picture is what Court brought me back..

It was a brownie sundae and it was delicious.

Gibson said "Brownies make feelings better"

(Court had told him that Daddy had hurt Mommy's feelings)

Gibson is very wise for a 3 year old..

And Daddy is very patient and wise for a 27 year old...

Thank you Court for taking this change in my temperament in stride.

And thank you for being the kind of husband to get me a brownie sundae when I am crying for no reason..

Instead of saying "You are crying for no reason get a grip."
Even though we all know, I really do need to get a grip.

The only problem I have with you is you are too nice and haven't hurt my feelings in awhile..

which means I haven't had a feel better brownie sundae in awhile either..

Oh well no one is perfect.

week 35

Dear Baby Hercules,

You are now the weight of a honey dew melon.. I don't know how to pick out a ripe melon either so it has not relieved my previous fears from last week about the cantaloupe.

Now that it is QUITE apparent I am pregnant and not on the line of is she pregnant or has she just had a big dinner, people are considerably braver about asking about you. They ask if this is my first and when I say no they immediately ask how old are the other two? And when I tell them the usual response follows the lines of "you are crazy" or "you will be busy". The latter response just a nicer way to say the first. Usually I laugh it off. I feel like we can handle it.

Usually.

But today was one of "those days". Those days when everything goes wrong... I cleaned up one gross mess after another... There were boo boos to kiss and dinners to prepare.. the to do list kept growing along with my stress level. And in one second I became very scared. What am I going to do with three? How am I going to handle it? I felt on the verge of tears as I read your brother and sister their bedtime story and tucked them into bed. But then as I was giving them their good night kisses they both hugged me and said " I love you Mommy". I realized something.

Yes our house will be chaotic sometimes. There will be nights when there will be endless messes to clean. Nights when all of you kids will be crying at once. Nights when all of you will need mommy at the same time. And yes things might get very very busy. But we have a family that loves each other. You have a Daddy who loves your mommy so much he heard the stress in her voice tonight and bought her a special dinner. And who after a very long work day finished cleaning one of those epic messes.

So you will not have the quietest house on the block. You will have to learn to sleep through noise. But let me assure you it will be good noise. Happy noises. Sure it will be a little crazy. But it's a good kind of crazy.

We love you Hercules,

Mommy

PS

I put a picture of Daddy in this post too. For two reasons

1. He is handsome

2. I didn't have time to take a picture so I had to steal this off a friend's facebook.

week 34

Dear Baby Hercules,
You weigh the same as a cantaloupe... I will be honest... I have a phobia about cantaloupe.. every time we buy cantaloupe it goes bad before we eat it. I think we don't know how to pick a ripe cantaloupe and therefore always pick one that is about to go bad anyways.. Regardless I have this nervousness around cantaloupe and will be happy when you are no longer compared to one. Sorry babe, but yes I am always this random.
Aria and Gibson have been smothering you with kisses... and Gibson tries to feed you..
Through my belly button.. When I explained that you get whatever mommy eats he has become very concerned about my eating habits and stuffs food in my mouth. He says baby Hercules needs it to grow big. Needless to say I have had my fill of goldfish crackers.
Can't wait to meet you,
Love you Hercules,
Mommy

33 weeks

Dear Baby Hercules,

Today you are the "heft" of a pineapple... I am glad they made that distinction. Have you every seen a pineapple? They are huge and very uncomfortable looking.

The email from babycenter told me to start washing your clothes and your bedding.. Hmm that might be a problem as I have no idea where any of that stuff is. Sorry honey but we are still in the getting organized stage here at the house. But your daddy always reminds me when I am freaking out (his words, I prefer "nesting") that all you need is diapers, food, some clothes and love..

He has a point but I will still continue to nest.. aka freak out because thats what I do.

I love you Hercules,

Mommy

PS
This is 2 weeks late I am now 35 weeks so there will be two other post this week to you, Hercules. I thought I posted this but it was sitting in my drafts.. I am sorry but I blame you

for the forgetfulness. Please let me milk this pregnancy brain for a little bit I only have a few weeks left.

Nesting

One night Court and I were talking...

OK Court was talking and I was having a minor meltdown..

(minor is an understatement, but its my blog I will give myself a little grace)

about all that needed to get done before the baby got here...

This little meltdown went from setting up the bassinet to painting the kitchen..

Because we all know that the health and well being of the baby depends on the color of the kitchen...

But as I was listing about a 100 necessary things that needed to be done..

Court reminded me, as he often does, that all the baby needs is love, food and diapers.

Sigh

I was not in the mood for that and blamed his comment on him just not understanding...

The next morning I got my email from fit pregnancy..

It talked about nesting and I read on eagerly expecting some validation for my need to scrub the toilet with a toothbrush..

(and after the conversation the night before you better believe it was Court's toothbrush I planned on using)

When I read this:

Hello, Kara. You may be driving yourself-not to mention your mate- crazy making sure that your house is spit shined and the nursery is fit for a king (or queen).Keep this is perspective: all you really need is a car seat, a place for the baby to sleep, diapers and some basic clothes.

Sigh

And because in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy you are completely reasonable and listen to logic this is what happened:

1. I thought: Court hacked into the fit pregnancy website and posted that. Nah...

2. Then I decided: the author was a man

3. Then rather smugly I thought:Ha Court forgets to mention in his little list about "love, diapers and food" that we need a bed and car seat..

4. Then came the freak out moment: we DON'T have an infant car seat.

5. Then came me screaming

"COURT! WE DON'T HAVE A CAR SEAT. WHAT IF THE BABY COMES EARLY! THEY WON'T EVEN LET US TAKE THE BABY HOME WITHOUT ONE! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE OUR NEWBORN BABY AT THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE WE WERE UNPREPARED FOR THE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT KIND OF PARENTS ARE WE!!!!!! etc...etc

I have no idea what they are talking about..

driving your mate crazy..

I am completely reasonable.

week 32

Dear Hercules,

You are now the size of a large Jicama. No, I do not make this stuff up. Since I have no idea what in the world that is, and I am slightly afraid to google it, we will be picture less this weekend. (not even handy spellcheck recognizes it as a word)

We are not getting much sleep lately, not that I am blaming you for that. You are just a sweet little baby, but may I make a suggestion, could you try your sweet break dancing skills before 10 at night?
Although I am very impressed with your mad skills, I think it might be beneficial for mommy if she could get a little rest. However it is up to you, because honestly I like waking up to you moving. I guess sleep is overrated anyways.

Love you Hercules,
Mommy

Week 30

Dear Baby Hercules,

You are now the size of a cabbage. Whew... that is a food that I won't be eating anytime soon, unless it was St.Patty's day. So we are good again little kiddo, we can put the butternut squash incident behind us.

Your big brother Gibson talks about you all the time and now he has to kiss you whenever he sees me. You have the best brother and sister. They are so excited to meet you.

Aria has gotten over threatening to kick you. She still won't call you a baby, just Hercules.. so I am not entirely sure of what she thinks you are... maybe a puppy.. but whatever she thinks she will fall in love with you as soon as she meets you. We all will. In fact we already have.

Love you Baby Hercules.

Love,

Mommy

week 29

Dear Baby Hercules,

This week you are the size of a butternut squash. I must confess that I had butternut squash on several occasions.. you know how I feel about eating food that you are the size of.. but I didn't remember what kind of squash you were until it was too late. I ate butternut squash ravioli and pureed squash.. not sure if that makes it better or worse. Sorry Herc.

Also we have been getting a lot of "Wow you are huge" You do not like it when people say that, you kick like crazy like you are ready to show off your ninja skills to insensitve people.. Thank you for defending my honor Baby Hercules, but its ok. I am happy to hear those comments because I am happy to be huge because of you. (Ok I am not totally happy to be basically called a fat lard I even wrote a post about it, but my happiness over you far outshines my frustrations)

Love you Baby, I will lay off the butternut squash until you are bigger than it. Promise...I mean I will do my best. (I really love butternut squash)

Love,

Mommy

week 28

Dear Baby Hercules,

This week my dear child you are the size of a Chinese Cabbage. I have been waiting for this week. First of all because of an embarrassing incident involving your Daddy,saying Chinese cabbage, a ballet, and a tourist family with a video camera (I am pretty sure you can guess their ethnicity). It was priceless, I guess you really had to be there..

Secondly because neither your father or I had any idea what a Chinese cabbage was, so we recently looked it up. We discovered it is actually called Bok Choy, to which we both said in unison "Aw". Like we suddenly understand what that meant. But in all honesty we probably would have no idea what it was if we were hit over the head with Bok Choy.

So since, shockingly enough, I did not have Bok Choy just laying around the house. I took creative liberties and took the picture with a bag of lettuce, because leafy greens are a leafy green in my book.

Love you Baby Hercules,

Mommy

week 27

Dear Baby Hercules,

This week you are quite the mover and shaker... well that's not new. You have been a crazy baby since about 16 weeks with all your movements..

You also, according to the random email updates I get, are the size of an eggplant. (And the other email says English cucumber, yes I get 2, yes I know you are my third baby and I should have this stuff memorized, but with the random veggies they use who can really keep track?)

I really hope by next week you are not the size of an eggplant any more, because your Nana is coming and she makes the best eggplant parm..And if your baby is the size of an eggplant you can't eat an eggplant.. It just seems wrong..

Very, very wrong.

Luckily they use veggies to measure the baby's size and not Little Debbie snacks so I won't be missing out on too much.

Also I am sorry for blaming you for my forgetfulness. I know I have always been a little bit of a hot mess remembering appointments and such, but playing the pregnant card gets a lot more sympathy than the blond card. One day you will understand.

I love you baby Hercules,

Mommy

Poor Baby Hercules...

With Gibson..

I knew how far along I was by the day...

I had all the necessary "essentials" to capture his first few days..

scrapbooks.....

plaster to get his first hand print.....

cute little keepsake holder for his birth certificate....

photo albums to hold all the pictures that didn't fit in the scrapbooks..

a time capsule to hold special mementos from that year...

That poor boy had a 101 pictures taken of him in the first 5 minutes...

With Ari...

I did not have all the paraphernalia..

but I did eagerly count down the days..

I filled her closet with pretty little dresses..

and little dolls..

She had quite a few pictures taken on her first day...

The third...

Oh poor baby Hercules..

I get confused how far along I am...

I sometimes even mess up my due date..

Pregnancy brain combined with mommy of little ones brain is quite the combo..

I will be lucky if my camera is still in working condition by September when Herc is due to arrive..

So I decided to do something I actually never did with the other two..

Take Belly pics..

So at least when Herc is 3 years old and Gibby and Ari are trying to convince him he was adopted because we have no baby pictures.. I can at least show the belly pictures..

(I know from experience that older siblings will try this... even when you all look EXACTLY alike.. thank you Seth, Sean and Andrea)

However, in true Kara fashion..

I am 26 weeks pregnant

and only have 3 pics...

And also in true Kara fashion they are silly bathroom mirror pics...

(the 1st one is from 19 wks, 2nd 21 wks, 3rd 24 wks)

side note: since we moved you will no longer be seeing shower curtain pics..

I will let you digest that upsetting news.. I will have to find a new place to take random photos

another side note: I am not really sure if those weeks are accurate I kinda guessed.. and really would you expect anything else from me?.. sigh

Sugar and Spice

See my absolute little angel of a girl...

She has the sweetest little voice..

Cutest curls..

And a tad bit of a michevious side..

Gibson was saying how he loved baby Hercules so much..

Quite innocently Court said

"Aria, do you love Hercules too?"

Aria in her sweet, soft little angel voice replied..

"No, I kick it."

Assuming I must have heard my princess wrong

I asked her again what she said..

"I kick it"

She replied in that innocent little voice..

I had an AHA moment..

She must be saying the baby kicks mommy...

I asked her if that is what she meant..

"No, I kick it"

Very clearly, very adamently,

still in a sickingly sweet voice.

Oh man, baby Hercules..

Good thing we nicknamed you Hercules..You might just have a chance against

your tough sister..

with the angel voice..