Beautiful Happiness

Bella Felicity McGuire was born Monday, October 26, 2009 at 6:46 p.m. She weighed 8lbs. 14oz. and was 21" long. There are no words for how in love with this beautiful girl I am. She is a dream baby. We only ever hear her cry when she is getting her diaper changed and then she's totally content again. Oh, and she sleeps...at night even! I think I have some kind of magic sleeping powers. All 4 of my babies have been great sleepers right from the start and they still are. So here is the birth story for all those interested. True to form, I was induced late. After arguing with my doctor for 9 months about how this was going happen, she induced me without me having to convince her. So Joe and I went to St. Mary's Friday afternoon about 11:30. Everyone was so nice and expecting me and knew my name. That was very comforting because I was so nervous about having a baby in a new place. I had wonderful experiences in the past and I didn't know what to expect here in Madison. I was in a hurry to get started but it was about 2:00 before I was hooked up to the pitocin. Then we walked and walked and played a Twilight trivia game on the iphone. After about 10 laps I was tired and we headed back to my room. Then the doctor (who was not my doctor but I loved her way more then my own) and the resident (who I did not care for at all) came in. Not much was happening up to that point. I was having a few contractions but nothing that I was really feeling. While they were there I had a horrible contraction that I was feeling right in my back and I thought I was going to die because it lasted so long. Then nothing again for a while. Sometime around 4:00 I was getting pretty regular contractions that were very strong and lasting a REALLY long time. I was still just 4cm and my water hadn't broken yet, but I was ready for my epidural. So about 20 minutes later the anesthesiologist came to my rescue. The relief lasted about 5 whole minutes before I was feeling serious pressure that I could hardly stand. The resident and the nurse said it was just my bag of water and as soon as it broke the pressure would be gone. Just a few minutes later my water did break on it's own and then the pressure was worse. The babies heart beat kept going down with contractions and they some how manged to get me on my hands and knees. I wasn't feeling the contractions just a lot of pressure. The resident checked me said I was 6cm then he left the room. Literally a minute later the doctor checked me and said I was ready to push. The baby was still up pretty high but as soon as I started pushing she came right down. Her heart rate was still dropping with the contractions so the doctor asked if she could make a little cut just to help get her out faster. I think I said something to the effect of I don't care just get her out!!!. Next push Bella was born, beautiful pink and screaming. They were worried that cord might have been around her neck but it wasn't. It was just a really fast labor and she was ready to come out. It was wonderful to get to hold her right away. With all the complications Molly had, it was several hours before I saw her and longer before I could hold her. Having that time with Bella right away was something I did not take for granted. She was finally here and healthy and she was mine. And per her father's request she did show up in time for Monday night football kickoff! Daddy has another little princess and I swear she swoons when he speaks Italian to her. Bella's name means "beautiful happiness" and so far she has lived up to her name.

*On a side note, I appreciate that residents need to learn. I do not however appreciate that they need to learn about stitching on me. It a little unnerving to hear the doctor, on more than one occasion say,"No! No! Not like that." I just tried to block it out. I also forgot how painful those stitches are to heal from. I hadn't had them since Lucas was born. Stairs are not my friend!

Some Beautiful pictures of my beautiful Bella:




*pictures by Jenifer Lee

First day of school for Lucas AND Emma...

September !st was the first day of school for my 2 big kids. How is it possible that we have 2 kids in school??? It happened so fast!




Emma started kindergarten and has the same teacher that Lucas had last year. It was good for her to start out with that comfort level and we LOVE Mrs. Schauf. She has 2 little girlfriends that she sits with everyday and now there is a new friend, a boy named Ayden that she likes to play with too. Emma seems so grown up now. She had a little more apprehension then Lucas did about starting school, but within a few days she came into her own. No more taking her inside or even walking her to the front door. "Just drop me off at the curb Mom." Emma is making friends and having fun and today she got to be the sharing friend (show and tell) which is exciting and last week she got to celebrate her birthday on the 3rd day of school, complete with cupcakes from Mom. Emma may be the youngest kid in her class, but she was so ready for school. She can hardly stand the weekends because she wants to go to school. Emma is doing great. I couldn't have hoped for a better start to the school year for her.





Lucas moved on up to the the PC (primary center where 1st and 2nd grade attend, across the field from Emma's school). He was so excited to start back to school and see his friends. There are a few people in his class that he knew from last year, but Lucas has already made a ton of new friends. He loves his teacher Mrs. Prehn. She plays the guitar and their class puts on a musical later in the school year. Lucas has already got a few rewards for making good choices and being a good friend to his classmates. He loves playing basketball at recess with some 2nd grade boys that he met. Then when school is done he walks down to Emma's school where the girls and I are waiting. Lucas is thriving as usual. And just like my little brother, Lucas has already lost a jacket before the end of the second week of school!

I somehow made it through the start of the school year without any tears! Even without all the water works, it someways it was harder to leave my daughter on the first day of school than my son. I just have more of an urge to protect her or something. Molly is adjusting to being alone with Mom all day. She is a self entertainer and I am so grateful for that! And now that it's quiet around here Molly finally started talking a ton and using complete sentences. She was just waiting for a chance to talk! We all survived the beginning of a new school year and we are going to our first school sponsored activity tomorrow night. Now onto preparing for our new baby who should hopefully be arriving in about 5 1/2 weeks...

A few cute pics to tide you over...

A few of my favorite summer photos:

We're still alive, if there was any doubt...

All though it may seem as if we have just disappeared of the the face of the Earth, we have not. We've just relocated. We found and bought (with much much drama) a house we adore. Still working on unpacking, getting the baby's room ready and how exactly to care for our 1.2 acre yard that is currently harboring house guests...moles. Most of the summer has been spent planning, packing, moving and unpacking. We also played soccer and t-ball, went to 6 Flags and a trip to Indiana too. In the last few weeks I sent my 2 oldest to kindergarten and first grade, celebrated Emma's birthday and moved into our new house. I think we were trying to see how many life changing events we could go through at one time and besides everything is more fun when you are 7 1/2 months pregnant! I will at least try to post about the big stuff I missed like first day of school, Emma's birthday, the new house, and the latest baby news. They all deserve there own post and there are some cute pictures you need to see too, like Emma's new short hair cut! I just need to get through this weekend and maybe then I can blog a little before baby #4 shows up.

Good news from the eye doctor...

Emma had her eye appointment after 2 months of patching. I was nervous about what the results were going to be. I was just hoping that it was working and maybe we could patch a few less hours. Emma did AMAZING!!!! In just 2 months of patching her vision her weak eye imporved 6 lines on the eye chart! SIX LINES!!!!!!!! That is so amazing. She went from only being able to see the big E and squinting and straining to see the next line, to reading just 4 lines from the bottom. She is now just 4 lines away from 20/20 in her weak eye with her glasses on! We celebrated by going out to lunch at McDonalds. Dr. Bradfield said she has never seen such drastic improvement in such a short amount of time of patching. Now we only have to patch 6 hours a day and we go back in 2 more months for another check up. Her glasses prescription stayed the same. We should have more to report in 2 months. We are hoping that by then we will be down to 4 hours of patching a day so Emma won't have to wear her patch to kindergarten. Emma is fine wearing her patch to school, but Mommy doesn't want to if we don't have too!

Other news:
We have a very busy month with tap and t-ball, Daddy traveling for work, going to 6 Flags and coming to Indiana the 1st of July. Summer is going to fly by. We are still looking for a house and hoping to find one before the baby comes, but we'll see.

It's a ...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, another little girl for us. We were all hoping boy but we are excited about having another girl. The very first thing when we started the ultrasound it was obviously a girl. When the ultrasound tech told us neither Joe or I said anything. Then she let me go empty my bladder a little and when I came back I said,"Can you believe we're having another girl?!?" I think I was a little in shock. Girls are fun and I've definitely got this girl thing down. I am a little nervous about having 3 teenage girls at the same time, but I guess we've got awhile until then! Knowing the sex of the baby does make this all feel more real and the kids are having fun talking to her now that they now she's a girl. But having so much girl stuff already I can hardly justify a shopping trip for this little one! Maybe some new hair bows... Sorry it took me so long to post this. I figured I had already talked to anyone that was dying to know.

I've been wrong every time...

Blue or Pink...what do you think?

*results coming next Tuesday...

I hear a beat...how sweet

Today I had an OB appointment and I actually got to meet my doctor for the first time. I don't know that I will ever love any doctor like I did my old one, but I am willing to try. She seems nice enough and I guess we will see as time goes on. I did ask about inductions, since I have NEVER actually gone into labor on my own. She said she won't let me go more than 2 weeks over. She wants to give my body a chance to do what it's supposed to. 2 weeks!!! I think a week over is plenty. If I go 2 weeks over I will be having this baby on Halloween! So the doctor and I are getting to know each other and we will talk some more about going 2 weeks over as things progress. The best part about today was finally getting to hear that precious heart beat. It was the most wonderful sound. I had seen the heart beat on an earlier ultrasound, but it was much sweeter getting to hear it for the first time. I am already getting anxious to meet this little one, but there is still a long way to go.

March Madness McGuire Style...

* This is especially for my Aunt Karen who was apparently complaining about my lack of blogging over Easter weekend. You know I love you!!!


I am a blog slacker and you all have let me know it in oh so many ways. So I'm back or at least I am playing catch up on all the major things from the last month. Sit back and enjoy because this is going to be a LONG post.

1. My sweet little Molly Genevieve turned 2! I really can't believe that she is 2. It still makes me sad. Time goes by so fast and they just keep growing up. It feels like only yesterday she so dramatically entered the world. 2 weeks in the NICU and then 4 weeks after that we moved to Wisconsin with a tiny baby on tons of medication and an apnea monitor. Molly is still small but she is mighty and spunky. She is very playful and she has the most girly little giggle. Molly has some serious hero worship going on with big sister and would rather die than be separated from her. I hope my girls always stay this close. Molly loves all things Diego and is just starting to pretend play. Molly also is a Taylor Swift fan. Multiple times a day she turns the cd on in the cd player and dances her little heart out and sings a long! It has been a whirlwind romance with my youngest daughter these past 2 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Finally a kid who looks like me and broke through those McGuire genes (not that they're not good looking genes)!



2. Back in January my beautiful sweet Emma got glasses, cute pink glasses and she loves them. We thought that was the end of the story... but it wasn't. We went back to the eye doctor for a check up and her vision had not improved. Emma has amblyopia, sometimes called a lazy eye. We had noticed her one eye sometimes crossing which is why went went to the eye doctor in the first place. The doctor seemed to think that just getting glasses would help, but it didn't help at all. We left the eye doctor with the news that Emma would have to wear a patch over her strong eye to force her brain into using her weak eye. So now Emma has to wear her patch every day for 8 hours. It was shocking news and I was really emotional about it. Emma is doing amazingly well wearing her patch. The first day was a battle with lots of tears, but since then we've had no problems. She even brings me her patch every morning to put on! I am so proud of her! The patch Emma wears is kind of like a big band-aid. We did order some with cute designs on them for my girlie girl. She's all about accessorizing these days. My big concern is how long are we going to have to do this for. The doctor was unwilling to give me any kind of time frame other than,"at least a year". The hope is that with total compliance that the number of hours will go down every few months as her eye improves.



Other Emma news... On Friday Emma has kindergarten screening which is the first step in trying to get Emma to kindergarten early. She misses the cut off date by 2 days and she's so ready for school. Next week Emma starts her tap class again and later in the summer she going to try her hand at soccer. Emma is doing great despite her present challenges. She is such a good sister and always very willing to help.

3. Oh, and I turned 29 for only the first of many times to come.


4. This is for the 2 people who don't know or haven't figured it out yet...

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We couldn't be more excited! I am 13 weeks and due on October 19th, grandpa Bill's birthday. And yes, I am only 13 weeks even though I have been showing for a good 8 weeks now! So much for keeping a secret. The kids are really excited and Lucas is really hoping for a brother. "Please no more girls Mom!" I am a little nervous about having a baby in a place that is so unfamiliar, but Cindy has promised to come stay when the baby comes.

5. I think that's about all I can handle for now. We had a great Easter weekend that came at the end of a great spring break (pictures to come). We took a little mini vacation to Rockford, Illinois and swam in the pool and played miniature golf and go karts. This week Molly has a terrible cold and Joe is in San Fransisco for the week. We are a little sad and lonely without Joe, but we are hanging in there. Time to get the kids to bed. Molly already went to bed at 6 because she wasn't feeling well. Here's a little treat for all of you who love to complain about how you need a new picture of all 3 of the kids.

This is as good as it gets!

Molly in the morning...

One of my most favorite things is getting Molly out of bed in the morning. She wakes up sooo happy everyday. As soon as I walk in her room she starts running laps around her bed and jumping. Then she starts talking and babbling so fast that I can't understand a word she says. It's like she had the best dream and she can't wait to tell me all about it. She showers me with tons of hugs and kisses on the way to change her diaper and then she starts with the family list. Every morning she goes down the list...

"Where's Dad?" ..... "Dad's at work."
"Where's Bubba?" ..... "Bubba's at school."
"Where's Memma" ..... "Memma's playing down stairs."
"Where's Mimi (mommy)" ..... "I don't know. Where?" ... "Right there!"
(repeat 10 times)

Then it's off to breakfast where Molly tells me she wants cho's and toes (cheerios and toast) and nik (milk) please. The rest of the day she's a typical almost 2 year old with tantrums, moments of joy and silliness, and the beloved afternoon nap, but mornings with Molly are sweet and special and something to get out of bed for.

February in review...

(I tried to upload pictures but it would only do one, then it would crash. So, I will try to post pictures some other time)

Well I have been a slacker blogger for the month of February and not for lack of worthy material either. February is a busy time in our family with lots of birthdays. So this is what we did this month:

Sometime the first week of February Emma got glasses, not just any glasses...pink ones. She loves them and is doing so great wearing them. She looks so cute in her glasses and I am just glad that she likes them. Another first for Emma this month was her first Valentine from a cute boy at church! So cute!!!

February 5th Lucas turned 6 years old! For some reason 6 just seems so much older than 5. We had our first "friends from school" party and it was so much fun. We went sledding on the big hill near our house in very slushy almost gone snow. Then the kids had a great time doing a Daddy made "Batman in training obstacle course" in the back yard. The party was a success and it was nice having family here too. Lucas is already planning for next year.



February 14 was Joe's 29th birthday. It was pretty low key. The kids had fun making and decorating Daddy's cake. And we are still having fun reminding Daddy that he is older than Mommy now, at least for 2 more weeks. That night we went to a stake Valentine's dance at church. We were prepared for it to be lame, but it was actually fun! Joe and I really like going to dances. We've gotta find a way to chaperon some youth dances. We probably wouldn't be the best chaperons though...

Since then it just been someone with a cold or the flu or something like that. Molly has been very busy learning to take off her clothes and her diaper in her bed. Not my idea of fun! She is the first one of my kids to do this. In fact she is the first one of my kids to do lots of things like that. She has been Emma's side kick all day everyday and they get into lots of trouble together. Just last week Molly again took off all her clothes and her diaper and colored with markers all over her body. I'm pretty sure that she had some help with that one!

March is filled with even more birthdays so I will try to keep up better!

25 random things about me...

1. I love Christmas; the sights, the sounds, the smells, everything about it. I even start listening to Christmas music in September. It drives my husband crazy.

2. I met my husband at E.F.Y. when I was 17 and I knew he was the guy I was supposed to marry. We took a round about way of getting there, but nothing has ever been so right.

3. More than anything else right now I want to be pregnant. Nothing is worse than losing a baby when all you are hoping and dreaming for is a baby.

4. I really love my brother. He is a great guy and a great Uncle. I wished he lived closer. I really miss him and I am so happy that he is going to be here on Friday.

5. I get together every Thursday night with my 2 best girlfriends for my own personal sanity. I don't know how I ever survived without it before.

6. I don't have a sweet tooth. I prefer chips and fries to cake and candy.

7. I love cooking dinner for my family and trying new recipes. I can cook , but baking...not so much.

8. The only dream I had as a girl was to be a mother. I am living the dream and it really is a dream come true.

9. I am way too sensitive and I cry at the drop of a hat. It's the one thing I wished I hadn't passed along to my son.

10. I love flip flops and I have them in all kinds of colors, some with bows, some with sequins, etc... I know they are terrible for your feet, but I love them anyway. I even wear them to church.

11. I really want to learn how to sew. I am getting a sewing machine for my birthday next month. Anyone want to volunteer to teach me how to use it?

12. In college I made extra money doing hair for all the fraternity/sorority formals. It was a lot of fun. That's why my girls have long hair. I love to play with it.

13. I am completely obsessed with Twilight. It is a serious problem. I have read all the books more times than I am willing to admit, but lets just say it's more than 4! I can't stop.

14. I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl. Growing up we had roast and potatoes every Sunday and I hated it. The first time I came home after being away it was the first thing I asked for.

15. I never do dishes. My husband does has and always will be the official dish washer in my house.

16. I am really anal about how I do my laundry. I inherited this from my mother.

17. I don't like t.v. and I don't like it when my kids watch t.v. I really could live without it, except for during football season...

18. Tom Brady is my celebrity boyfriend. We've been together since his college days in Michigan. I'm willing to over look his illegitimate child, super model girlfriend and the fact that the Patriots are a bunch of cheaters, because he is REALLY HOT and no one should look that good in a football uniform!

19. I used to coach cheerleading and it was so so much fun. I really miss it and I am trying to figure out away to get involved here.

20. When all my kids are in school I will go back to school too. School was fun and I was good at it.

21. I play fantasy football and I like it. Oh, and I always beat my husband too!

22. I really like having painted toe nails, but I prefer my finger nails to be naked.

23. I am shy and sometimes people take it the wrong way like I am stuck up or something, but I really am just shy. In high school all my friends were guys and mostly in college too, but after you get married you really have to learn to be friends with girls. I think it's hard, but I really do want to be your friend!

24. I have serious house envy of all my friends. I REALLY REALLY want a house.

25. I am very flexible. My elbows are double jointed and I can still do the splits, seriously.

Anticipation...

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home
Glad as I can be
Clap my hands and shout for joy and climb upon his knee
Put my arms around his neck
Hug him tight like this
Pat his cheeks and give him what...
A GREAT BIG KISS!

Oh, and the kids are usually pretty excited to see him too.

One more day...

a letter from Daddy...

Dear Lucas, Emma and Molly,

Good morning! Give each other a hug for me. While you are reading this I am on an airplane to Ohio, but I'm thinking about you the WHOLE time I'm gone.

Be great helpers for Mom. She needs your help the most when I am gone.

Remember to say your personal prayers when you wake up and when you go to bed! I'll be praying for you.

I can't wait to see you all on Friday! Now go give mom a big kiss and say, "This is from Dad!"

I love you all,

Dad

Pint Sized Protector

Emma has a lot of heart. Whatever she chooses to do she does it all the way. She's sassy and spirited and stubborn as all get out, but as dominant as those characteristics are to Emma she loves even more fiercely.



This week we made a trip to the library. There was a line at the check out counter and so we were waiting. There was a little boy in front of us standing on the steps. He turned around and recognized Lucas from school. The boy starting talking rather loudly to Lucas. "Hey! I know you. I know what bus you ride. You ride the giraffe bus. I've seen you before." The boy just kept saying this. Lucas finally said,"Um, actually, I don't ride the bus." The boy kept on anyway insisting that Lucas DID ride the bus. Lucas being the good natured guy that he is just let it go. That was not good enough for Emma. Who did this boy think he was talking to HER brother like that? She was ready to pick a fight with a boy who was much bigger than she and standing on the steps he might as well have been a giant! It went a little something like this,"Hey! You can't talk to my brother like that! His name is Lucas and he is 5 years old and he goes to kindergarten and he does NOT ride the bus!!! And he's my brother!!!" I literally had to hold her back and put my hand over her mouth. This was after all the library and she was definitely not using her "inside" voice! Lucas was so embarrassed. Emma was just defending her brother. No way was she going to stand by and let someone say something that was not true about her brother.

Later that same night...
It was bedtime and Molly had been brushing her teeth for a good half an hour at least. We were trying to corral all the kids to the living room to sing and pray. Molly, apparently was still not done brushing her teeth. Daddy picked her up and removed her from the bathroom and set her down in the hall. Molly responded by forcefully throwing herself onto the floor in a fit that we have grown accustomed to lately. (Luckily it only lasts a minute.) I had to laugh to keep from crying in all the chaos of the evening. Emma was also in the hall, but she only heard Molly "fall" and scream and saw her at Daddy's feet. Emma was horrified! "Don't kick my sister, Dad!" Joe laughed. Big mistake! "It's not funny! Why would you do that???" Emma runs to Molly to comfort her telling her everything will be okay. It took some time to convince Emma that Daddy did NOT kick Molly, that he would never kick any of his children. Emma is a good sister. She loves her brother and her sister very very much. So don't mess with them or you will have to answer to Emma!

Bangs and a pony tail!

Tonight Molly had her first ever haircut and it was only to get some bangs. It was pretty tricky cutting her bangs upside down and backwards in the mirror while she was brushing her teeth, but we made it work. She's a big girl now! Her first ever hair cut was then followed by her first ever big girl pony tail. She's so stinkin' cute even if she didn't want me to take her picture.

Brrrrrrr

From the National Weather Service:

VERY COLD AIR WILL REACH SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN BEHIND THE
CLIPPER LATE TONIGHT. THE COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDY CONDITIONS
WILL CAUSE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILLS LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY
MORNING. WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Batten down the hatches, light up the fireplace, enjoy the Wisconsin winter...

Say it aint so...

Tonight Emma walked into the living room to find her beloved Daddy snuggling on the couch with another woman...Mommy. She responded,"But Daddy!!! I thought you loved ME best!" Oh poor Emma to find her one true love in the arms of another.

I'm back! Did you miss me?

Well, now that the holidays are officially over I am out of excuses for not blogging. The holidays were good to us. We LOVE LOVE having Christmas at home! It's wonderful. Sorry families, no offense. We love all the sledding and the big Christmas Eve dinner and tracking Santa on the computer, waking up to stockings in our beds followed by a whole day of staying home in our cute new Christmas pj's and playing with all of our Christmas loot and just being together. This year we got a Wii and it is safe to say we are all in love, even Molly. Poor Devin Soleberg really needs a Wii!




We had a great time on our trip to Michigan. It was full of late nights and game playing and of course hooking up the Wii to the projector in the library. Oh, and don't forget the 2 days with no power!!! Thanks goodness for generators, gas stoves, and gas water heaters. Joe and I also got a night out together at the bed and breakfast we stayed at on our wedding night. It was oh so fabulous and romantic. Being married for 7 years has been amazing and I am still so crazy in love. We are kind of sickening to be around sometimes, but I don't care!



We are so so happy to be home and back to routine. If only I could get my house totally recovered now... maybe someday. The new year brings a fresh start and new hopes for the future. More resolve to do the things I should and stop the things I shouldn't. Mostly I am hoping not to get addicted to facebook and to break my addiction to reading the Twilight series over and over again. Who needs to read about Edward when I have my own real life version? In all honesty neither of those things are likely to happen. I just want to continue to grow and be the best version of myself. That is my goal for 2009. Tonight my husband is working very late, Molly has a fever and Emma is having a hard time staying in her bed. I don't think we are going to have everyone healthy here until spring! Time to go be that best version of myself I was talking about and tuck my darling Emma back into bed for the 1000th time tonight!