We're back and we're bigger

After a little hiatus from blogging, we'll *hopefully* be returning to our regularly scheduled weekly posts from the Big White Chair. I spent the majority of 2013 pregnant.  And well, pregnancy leaves me a little sluggish with little time for things like blogging. I refuse to allow this third child to slip through the crazy busy cracks in our lives. She WILL be documented. So, let's begin from the beginning.

25 week 3D ultrasound and we could already tell she looked just like her older sister!

Lady parts!

Here we are, all FIVE of us....5 weeks pregnant.

Happy 4th Birthday, Maryn Amelia. Our tender souled, little mommy. A thinker, inquisitive and detail oriented. We are so proud of your kind heart and love you more than you'll ever know.

You're a natural beauty

Happy 2nd birthday, Benham Austin. You are the joy in our day, a charismatic leader and a down right funny guy. Strong yet such a gentle little man. We are so proud of your friendly nature and love you so so very much!

His smile lights up the room.

15 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks, gender reveal cake! 

PINK icing!

23 weeks

30 weeks, her first black tie wedding.

31 weeks and running out of lap room

34 weeks.

Me and my girls

36 weeks

37 weeks, our last picture together. 

Boys, boys, boys...

My best friend from high school and college and Maryn's godmother, Kristen and her husband Patrick, welcomed their first baby into this world on April 11, 2011...3 weeks and 2 days early. We were due one week apart from each other and both boys decided that they would rather not wait any longer. I think Charlie was just trying to keep up with Benham...he couldn't let him reach the finish line too far ahead of him:) My love for this child makes my heart swell and it's killing me not to be with him, smothering his precious face with kisses!

Charles Gordon

April 11, 2011

6 lb. 5 oz.

And another very dear friend of mine from grade school and high school, Meghan and her husband Ryan, welcomed their twin boys Peter and Tommy on March 21, 2011...4 weeks early! I'm telling you...these four boys are already competitive! They join their big sister Maisie who is 19 months old...I channel a lot of my prayers toward Meghan:) Although, I really don't think she needs them...she can juggle these kids with her eyes closed.

Thomas Edward 5 lb. 2 oz.

Peter Ryan 5 lb. 10 oz.

March 21, 2011

And since Benham's birth was a little bit of a surprise and unexpected, I totally forgot to get one last belly pic! By the time I remembered that I wanted one, I was hooked up to monitors and they were prepping me for surgery. So, I looked back to see what was the last shot we took. It was the evening before his birthday and I had gone to Target to look for some shirts to get me through the next three weeks. It was there, in the florescent lit dressing room, that they sneered their ugly face at me...STRETCH MARKS!! I stood there in disbelief, I went numb and then I started crying. I had three more weeks of this growing belly to endure and these ugly scars were only going to get worse. I dropped the shirts, dressed myself and cried the entire drive home. That evening, I lathered my gut with Palmer's cocoa butter and wrapped it in Saran Wrap. I took this picture and sent it to Meghan since she could sympathize with me...but come on, she was pregnant with twins. I avoided stretch marks with my first pregnancy and never thought I would fall victim. I'm in the market for some really good and effective stretch mark cream...do share your secret beauty tips with me. Another reason why my children are so good to me...they come early! And, another lesson learned...never get naked in a Target dressing room!

Becoming a family of four

Once it was inevitable that this little boy was on his way and he was determined to enter this world ass first, I had to embrace the fact that I was mere minutes away from going under the knife. A big thumbs up to that...boo!

It's go time!

He came out quiet and alert...and has remained this way ever since. He has a content little soul and we rarely hear him cry. We have actually had to set the alarm in the middle of the night to feed him. Check out those frank breech legs...straight up in the air for a couple days.

My first peek of Big Ben. 7 lb 8 oz almost 3 weeks early! He would have been a 9 lber had he made it to the 26th!

Even though he was considered term, I'm a crazy NICU nurse and requested that a level 2 nurse be at the delivery. Believe it or not, his nurse Alethia use to work with me in the NICU so I had a sense of calm knowing that she was there in case he needed some extra support.

The touch of your newborn is something indescribable. It was at this moment that I knew he was going to be alright.

He looks like his big sister in this picture

BREECH LEGS!!!!

7 lb 8oz

I'm glad Dr. Evans was in such a good mood that night. And that nurse at the head of my bed took such good care of me all night long...I wanted to kiss her every time she came in my room with my pain meds.

First kiss

Mimi's first glance at the rug rat who's gonna drive her crazy for the next 16 years before she moves out

She brought him a present and basically threw it into the bassinet

Another grand baby under Nanny's belt

And Benham got Maryn a gift too

Grandma and Nanny soaking up the glory of holding their grandchildren

Poppop Loeper

Poppop Cummings

Grandma's heart melting...he was named after her

I made Uncle Nick sit down to hold:)

Mimi was excited to see her momma. Last thing she remembered, mommy was just leaving to get her hair done and returned home with a tiny human being.

She will forever be my special first born

Matching shirts

I want to blow this up poster size to remind myself why I exist. These children are my everything and the love I have for them grows stronger every minute. How is that possible? To be filled with so much love?

Becoming our family of four. Life takes turns and circumstances occur in order to line up these exact passing moments.

A kiss for you

And a kiss for me

"Me no likey diaper changes"

This started late Thursday night and hasn't stopped

"Please, pretty please God....I hope these people have a dog"

42 hrs after his birth...we were running for the door

"Now where's that dog?"