April Showers bring May Mayhem...

I only have 8 weeks left until little Alexis Jane is supposed to make her appearance into the world. It's been a hectic 7 months, but now that we are heading into the summer, things look like they just might be settling down. Actually, they have to settle down because as of last Thursday, I am now on bedrest. Back at my 19 week ultrasound they noticed my placenta was low so they put me on "light duty" and told me I would have to have another u/s in the coming months. Most the time as the uterus grows with the baby the placenta moves up. However, mine decided to do the opposite and is now completely blocking the birth canal. Since I have had all my other kids via c-section, that was already the same route I was choosing to go with this baby. It just stinks that I am supposed to be off my feet these last 2 months before she comes so I don't run the risk of having to be hospitalized the rest of this pregnancy. There is just so much to be done and so many things to be gotten. I'm so used to being in control of things going on and right now have no choice but to let go and relax. Boy it's hard!
As if this weren't stressful enough, Jason came home early from work 2 weeks ago and told me he had been let go from Target. My first reaction after hearing this of course including a lot of crying. Next came the worrying and millions of questions floating around in my head. My top 2 worries were, is he going to get enough unemployment to cover basic expenses, and what are we going to do about health insurance? We have 3 rowdy boys, and I am 7 months pregnant with a more complicated pregnancy that is causing me to see the doctor a little more often and have ultrasound after ultrasound. I know there are a lot of resources out there, especially right now with how the economy is, but it's all so overwhelming.
After a few days of freaking out, we got to work and started getting the ball rolling on our situation. Come to find out, Jason losing his job was maybe a blessing in disguise. A week after he was let go, I was put on bedrest. Since he had knee surgery earlier this year, he virtually had no FMLA time left which meant my mom would of had to be the one to take FMLA so I could get help with the other 3 kids. Now that he is off, we don't have to rely on anyone else. Financially, unemployment exceeded our expectations so that took A LOT of the stress off. Obviously we have to cut costs in some areas (going out to eat, movies, shopping, etc...), but we aren't destitute. The only part that still leaves me a little bothered is the health insurance situation. We've always had private insurance and unfortunately cannot afford to pay the outrageous premiums to keep it, so the kids and I had to turn to Medicaid. THANKFULLY the only major change that came along with it was changing dentist offices. Other than that, we are able to keep all our other doctors... the main one being the kids pediatrician, whom I cannot imagine giving up because we have gone there ever since Andrew was born.
We are trying to stay as optimistic as possible with the thought that "God doesn't close one door without opening another". I'm just praying that after this baby is born, we see that open door right away. Jason wasn't all that thrilled about his job at Target, but it was a good paying job with great hours and decent benefits. However, maybe now is the time he can look for his "dream" job and find a career that was meant for him. Thankfully he has 2 Associates Degrees and his Bachelors.
We are also lucky to have VERY supportive family and friends. I've appreciated all the thoughts and prayers, not to mention the offers to help. It's great to know that in your darkest time there are people you can turn to... ones that don't run the other way because you aren't at your best. Right now our main priority is to regroup, refocus and forge ahead with a new plan.

Anniversary Trip to South Haven...

 

Jason and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary over the weekend. Since it was one of the "milestone" ones, we decided to do it up right and getaway for the weekend without the kids. Luckily, my mom was able to watch all the runts for 3 nights so we could have a WHOLE weekend away. Since I am 7 months pregnant, we decided to do something simple and close, so Friday evening we set out to a bed and breakfast in South Haven. We got a luxury room with a fireplace and jacuzzi that overlooked lake Michigan. It was gorgeous!!

Peaceful view from our room...

We spent both days we were there lounging around the room in the morning and exploring the city in the afternoon/evening. We loved just sitting on the boardwalk, watching the boats come in and out of the harbor. We had perfect weather the whole time we were there which was definitely a blessing.

We also enjoyed walking the pier and strolling down the beach. The water was freezing but felt great beneath our feet as we headed down the beach. We also did a lot of walking around town checking out all the little stores and eating at a few of the restaurants including Clementines. Our last night there we went to a movie in the old theater downtown. As we were coming out, the sun was starting to go down so we walked down to the pier and got some great shots of the sunset. Someone was even nice enough to snap a photo of us together with the sunset as our backdrop.

On Monday morning, we got up, packed up and headed back home. I was excited to head back first thing since I was a little homesick for the kids. I knew they were in great hands, but I had never been away from them for that long, especially Aaron. When we got home, we got to hear all about their adventures with Papa & Nana in Grand Rapids at my sister and brother-in-laws house. They went to the the Children's Museum for a few hours one day and then spent the rest of the time playing at the park by my sisters house. All in all it was a great weekend for all of us and we were able to spend the actual holiday as a family! Thank goodness for mini vacations!!!

All Because Two People Fell in Love...

One of my Mother's Day presents this year included a portrait session with the kids and my growing belly. It was the first time I have ever had pregnancy pictures taken and I LOVE how they turned out. The boys did so well with cooperating and we were able to get an awesome family shot. I can feel the love they have for their baby sister already! Enjoy!!!