Basement is FINISHED!!!

After a LONG 9 weeks, the basement is finally finished and ready for our enjoyment. Tim and his crew, along with all of John's hard work, made this project turn out amazing!

The kids had a blast running down there for the first time. They were so excited to see what all the noise was for! Every day they would say, "Mommy, what that noise?" or "Mommy, I heared that." I would tell them that there was a special surprise being made down there and someday they would get to see it....well my little ones, the time has come!

Breakfast with Santa

Since we weren't able to go to the annual Triplet Tree breakfast this year, we decided to try our local breakfast with Santa at the YMCA in Oswego. It was very well organized and their was plenty to do for the kids...including a visit with Santa. Isabelle met Santa for the first time and he was impressed with her outfit. The trio didn't handle it so well. I will post pictures once the YMCA sends them to me. John and I ended up having to hold them on either side of the big guy just to get a picture to prove we were there. :) Fun was had by all!

The triplets meet their new little sister...

The kids were so excited to see Isabelle and Mommy when we came home from the hospital. They ran to the gate and yelled, "Mommy, baby!" It wasn't long before we were batting their hands away from every inch of her. We had a long talk about "gentle touches" and so far, they have been doing pretty well. Isabelle gave each of her new siblings a present. The kids loved opening their gifts from their sister. Over the next couple days, the kids have asked to hold her and any time she cries, they come over and say "okay baby, okay baby, I know baby..." This is what I say to them when they are upset...funny how they pick up our language. Brody is also really cute. He will "shush" her to try to get her to calm down. This is what John and I do when we are swaying her...we say "shh, shh, shh..." so it is cute that he is trying our technique. Each night they say goodnight to her, and every morning they greet her with a BIG good morning Isabelle! They are going to be great big brothers and sister!

Proud brother Brody ...


Proud sister Emmerson ...

Proud brother Logan...

Sneaking a peek of baby Izzi...

Welcome to the world Isabelle Ann!!!

We are so happy to welcome our new baby girl to this world. Isabelle was born on Sat. (11/28) at 9:31 am. She weighed 9 lbs.1 oz. and was 20 in. long. She has brown hair, much darker than her siblings, and looks like a perfect combination of all three.

It all started the night before. I was feeling a little "different" and had lost my plug earlier in the day. I wasn't really having major contractions, but they felt different than the Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing for weeks now. So, I told John we better get to bed early, just in case. I wasn't sure if it was real or just wishful thinking, but better to be safe than sorry I guess. So we headed to bed at 9:00. At 1:45 am I awoke to minor pains and some timely contractions. I watched the clock in between dosing off, and it seemed they were coming about every 7 min. So, I woke John and we continued to time them for about an hour while we began preparations. Since they continued and came every 6 min. I called my Mom and Jim and they came to the house. We left for the hospital at 3:30 am and arrived shortly before 4 am. When I was first assessed, I was about 3 cm and 75% effaced. The contractions were coming every 4 min. I was relieved to find that this WAS really it!

I tried to hold off on getting my epidural for as long as I could so I could really experience labor. Of course it hurt, but I was so thrilled that God was providing me with this opportunity, that I was able to find peace during my contractions. The labor nurse was really impressed with my breathing...and to tell the truth, so was I! Not really sure how I was able to do it, since we didn't practice and our "prep class" was only 4 hours long. But, I'm glad it worked as well as it did. John was a great support and offered encouragement and massage throughout, so I know that helped a lot. Because I was a VBAC they needed to keep baby on a monitor and unfortunately, when I would stand, they would loose her, so I needed to get back into bed. When I was not able to be in the position that I found most comfortable, I opted for the epidural. It was about 5:30 am at this point.

After the epidural was in, labor became so easy. I never thought it was possible, but I actually fell asleep! At the time of the epidural, I was 4 cm. They said they would check me again if my water broke or when doctor did his rounds. Around 6:00 am my water broke and the nurse noted that there was meconium present in the water, so baby would need to be suctioned and watched carefully after birth to make sure she didn't ingest any of it. The nurse checked me and I was now at 5 cm. She said I would probably dilate about 1 cm per hour, so we were thinking baby would deliver around noon.

At 8:30 my doctor came in on rounds and checked my cervix. To every one's surprise I was complete, or at 10cm and fully effaced. Baby was at +2 station, and +4 station means shes out...so the doctor said, it was time to push. I was shocked...it was only 8:30...this was going SO fast! The nurses got the room ready and then asked me to do a practice push. They said I could push for up to 3 hours, typical for a first time delivery. Nope! After just one push they yelled...STOP and said they needed to get the doc in there now. Baby had descended to +3 station and was crowning with just one push! I guess I did it well. The doctor came back in and with 2 strong contractions and 6 pushes, Isabelle Ann was born.

I was able to hold her immediately after birth and John was able to cut the cord. Both experiences we did not have the first time around and ones that we were so blessed to have the opportunity to do this time.

The experience was incredible and I will continue to thank God everyday for the opportunity to deliver her vaginally. It was more than we ever expected and we will cherish the memories for a lifetime!

The Terrific Trio dancing to "If I only had a brain..."

Well, the Wizard of Oz has been a HUGE hit in our house this year. I showed it to them back in August for the first time since they were going to be the characters for Halloween and I wanted them to have some idea of who they were dressed up as. Needless to say, they have been hooked ever since. I actually thought they might be a little afraid since I remember the witch to be scary as a kid. They have not shown any fear, and actually request the movie 2-3 times a day! We have it limited to once a day ...if that, just for our sanity! But, we have managed to get some cute video footage of them dancing and singing to the movie. This one was special because we actually caught all three on camera at the same time! A rare occurrence! I'm trying to figure out a way to wean them off of the movie...maybe we will "give it to a friend" to watch for a while. :) Any takers?

***Be sure to go down to the music player and hit pause before you play the video so you can hear the music from the clip. :)

Still waiting...

We are anxiously still awaiting the arrival of Baby girl Kelsey. Tomorrow marks one week until our scheduled c-section, but I think I might talk to the doctor and see if we can push it off for one more week if she doesn't come before then. I would really like the opportunity to have her via a VBAC delivery, so if she needs a little more time, I will see if I can give it to her.
So far, this pregnancy has been really great! I haven't been to uncomfortable until lately and other than a horrible case of heartburn, I can't really complain about any other "pregnancy symptoms". I have been having a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, and they are beginning to interferr with my sleep! This is starting to get a little frustrating, but I am trying to be possitve and understanding...although it is hard at 4:30am.
We are looking so forward to meeting our little girl, whenever that may be!

3 Weeks or Less!!...

Today marks 3 weeks until my scheduled c-section to welcome baby girl into our family. Both John and I are feeling the stress of trying to get everything ready for our newest arrival. This weekend, we finished the nursery, packed our hospital bags and even got the car seat installed into the Jeep. We both feel much better now that we are more prepared! We are so looking forward to meeting our little girl! We are wondering who she will look like and what color hair and eyes she will have. Will she be blond like her siblings? Or dark haired like most of her Mommy's family? Since I will be 37 weeks in just 2 days, she is welcome to come any time now...when ever she's ready to make her grand entrance! Can't wait to meet you!

Brody dancing like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz...

He was so cute we just had to capture it! Of course he stopped his dancing as soon as he realized we were watching him. My little shy guy! :)

Baby Update...

We went to the doctors yesterday and baby girl Kelsey (no...we are still not sharing a name) is growing very well! At 35 weeks 2 days, she is already measuring to be about 6 lbs.7 oz. Everything looked great in the ultrasound and her heart beat was 141 bpm...she has been right around there since 3 months. We have scheduled our C-section for November 23rd if she doesn't come on her own before then. I am really hoping to deliver her via a VBAC so that I won't need another C-section, but if she doesn't come before the 23rd that isn't an option. We can use all the prayers you have, and check back for an update on her arrival in just 30 short days!

NICU Reunion

Every year, Rush Copley hosts a NICU reunion for all the babies that were once in its care. We look forward to this event every year as a time to reflect back on those days and how far our three miracle babies have come. Born at 30weeks 3 days, they needed breathing and feeding support for their first weeks of life. They lived their first 5 1/2- 7 weeks in the NICU at Copley and we are so thankful to the doctors and nurses there for all of their efforts. This year the kids went dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz. Emmerson was Dorthy, of course, Brody was the Scarecrow, and Logan was the Lion. They were adorable and for the first time, we actually won a prize during the costume contest! They were runners up for the cutest costumes...and the only group winners. :) This was the first year that the kids could really take advantage of all the events they offer like story time, pumpkin painting, and games. We have no idea how they went to sleep that night after all the candy and sugar they ingested. Although we don't usually let them have those types of things, this is a very special event...and spoiling them that night always feels right!

Visit with the Buehnerkempers and Allens

This past weekend we went down to Monticello, IL to visit with Lisa, Ryan, Tanner, Nolan and Debbie and Kevin who also made the trip. It was such a nice visit. The first day we arrived, the weather was more like winter rather than fall, but we still made the most of it. We ended up going to this little apple orchard and the kids got their first real farm experience. They were able to "taste test" many different types of apples, and even pick a fresh one right off the tree! The lady, who was as nice as could be, let the chickens out of the pen so the kids could feed them. So fun! They even got to pretend to drive the big, green tractor. That night, we hung out at the Buehnerkemper's house, where Lisa, as always, was the perfect hostess! She made a delicious dinner that we couldn't get enough of! Later that night, Debbie and Kevin arrived, and we the adults all enjoyed playing a game and hanging out.

Sunday was our day for fall fun! We went to a very cute pumpkin farm where the kids each picked out their own pumkins! They were so proud and since that day, have said "hello" to them as they pass them on our front stoop. After a fun day at the pumkin farm, we headed back for some homemade chili and corn bread...YUM! Thanks for having us Buehnerkempers! It was great to see you all and we had a blast!

Logan sees his shadow...

Our Little Sluggers

The kids had a blast playing with their baseball and tee that Auntie Lisa got them for their birthday. Brody knew exactly what to do right away and he was doing a great job swinging the bat and hitting the ball! Logan took a little time getting used to swinging the bat straight, but once he got it, he did a great job too! Emmerson never quite got the idea of how to "hit the ball", but that didn't stop her! She would take the bat, (sometimes upside down) and just smack that ball anyway she could. As long as it moved, (fell off) the tee, she laughed, and laughed. Everyone had a great time playing baseball! Maybe there is hope for the Cubs afterall! :)

Kiddie Land and Shedd with G & G

With Kiddieland closing after this year, we wanted to make sure the kids were able to experience a place that we grew up going to. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson treated us all to a day of fun at the park. The place is just perfect for kids their age! They had a blast! It took Logan a little time to warm up to the idea of going on the rides, but once he did, he had a great time. It sure was hot that day, so we made sure to drink plenty of water!





We all had a great time at the Shedd Aquarium on Tues. It was really hot outside, so hanging out inside for the day was a good idea. The kids loved pretending to be penguins at the "ice play land". They put on penguin suits and learned how they live. They also loved the live show with the dolphins, beluga whales and otters. They were entranced the entire time! It was really cute to see.