Poor Baby

Today I come out to the living room and notice something odd about Sariah, Isaac had stuck a bunch of stickers right on her bottom. She will either grow up twisted or with a great sense of humor.




The other day we were in the car when all of a sudden the children started laughing hysterically. Of course we inquire as to what is so funny and were given the standard answer of "oh nothing". I come on here to upload the pictures and find this one of Sariah with a pom pom on her head. Seri says "well, now you know what was so funny the other day". My poor baby girl.

Do the Puyallup

We went to the Puyyalup fair last week, another event that means you have to go to at least once a year. The children had a blast and really enjoyed looking at all the animals. We even saw a kangaroo and a zebra. Of course the best part was all the rides!! Just figured out that I need a new camera, these pictures are not coming out all that great. Luckily Christmas is just around the corner, I will keep my fingers crossed.

Midwife

We had our one week appointment and wanted a family picture taken with the Suzy, the midwife who delivered Sariah. Unfortunatly, Michael decided to exhibit his stubborn side and refused to join the picture.

Just another cute moment

Yes, here are some snap shots of my technology addicted family. Sariah was only ten days old here, but daddy says you can never be too young to learn.

It is so nice to be home

All ten of our children (plus a visitor), and us girls.
Last night my family had the chance to meet with some people that I had grown up with.
People with whom I had spent a great deal of time with during my teenage years. People who had a great influence on me and the person I grew up to be.
It was so great to be able to introduce them to my family and show my husband a bit of my past. On the way home he commented on how impressed he was with my friends and on how I must have had a great childhood surrounded by friends like that.
And he is right, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by great friends who were almost more like family at times. It was nice to be there with those who have seen me at my best and at my worst and stiill accept me and welcome my family with open arms.
some of them I hadn't seen for three years others I hadn't seen in ten, yet we sat and talked as if nothing had changed. We have added spouses and children, but aside from that it is true, some things never change.......thankfully.

cast your vote

Which one should we use for the birth announcement?

comparing

Just wanted to compare her 3D ultrasound to what she looks like now. The ultrasound was done at 32 weeks and the pic is Sariah at 2 days old. Amazing isn't it?

Finally

About 11:15 thursday night I climbed in bed and felt some minor contractions, nothing really major. Then I felt the "pop" right near my belly button and thought "dang, that really hurt!!" Then I recognized it as being my water breaking. Sure enough I stood up and had about three or four good trickles of fluid.
I called for my hubby who immediately started calling the midwife, my cousin, and Emily to let them know it was time. My cousin didn't know how to get to the birthing center so I told her we could waite at my house till she got here and then she could follow us, my husband immediately vetod that idea. I then wanted to get in the shower but that was shot down too. By this time my mother had woken up my daughter and was getting her dressed and the contractions made their appearance.
We got in the van and the contractions were three minutes apart. About this time I was reminded of how much pain this would involve and told my husband that I had changed my mind and wanted her to stay in a little longer, I wasn't ready to do this again after all. Too bad I wasn't in control.....
Arrived at the center and they had the tub ready so I climbed in. We talked and laughed between contractions and I was really comfortable. That didn't last long as I transitioned through the stages very quickly. Soon the contractions were right on top of eachother and I was complaining that my breaks were gone and I really needed them back.
They finally did an internal because it seemed like I was progressing so quickly. I was at a six but she was still pretty high. I went to the bathroom and found myself pushing so we very quickly got back into the tub.Pushing was sheer torture.........It was so much harder than I remember it being with the others. The midwife says it was because she started so high and I had to literally push her down.
My water broke at midnight about and she was born at 1:34 am. My blood pressure was elevated and I had a headache that I thought was going to kill me. Aside from that everything is perfect. No tears or abrasians (sp?), nothing.... Serenitie did great and was such a proud sister. She got to cut the cord and watched the midwife examine the placenta and give Sariah the new born assesments, she was interested in everything and wanted to know everything.
We were home at 4:30 am the same day and quickly went to bed and then she didn't wake up until about 1:00 pm this afternoon. She hasn't really even cried yet.. She is very observant and very quiet, such an easy baby. She has no interest in eating really, mommy has to be pretty convincing in that area.
So here are the states.
Sariah JoAnne Olson
9 lbs 3 ounces
21 inches
Sept 8 2006

First day of school.

Once again, it is that time of year. Both children were very excited to go back to school, guesse mom was not very entertaining this summer. Seri is now in fifth grade and Michael is entering second. Hard to believe.... At least Isaac is still at home with mommy.

still waiting..........

Yes, she was due on the 3rd of September.
No, she has not arrived yet, nor does she show any sign of wanting to make an appearance any time soon.
Seri tells her to "swim towards the light".
Michael tells her to "find the red button and push it, that's your eject button".
Matt tells me to work on getting the baby out when he leaves for work and mom just gives me that look that says "what, no baby yet?".
Only Isaac is oblivious to the anxious atmosphere of everyone waiting for her arrival.

So it begins.........

Tonight I found shaving cream in intricate patterns in the children's bathroom. On a quest to find the culprit I started with Seri and Michael, who both responded with "I didn't do it". Off to find Isaac who when questioned replied with "maybe baby Sariah did it."

What a three year old does with a camera.

Just a cute moment

Mommy was watching a show on TV, Daddy was playing World of Warcraft on the computer and bubba and sissy were staying over at a friend's house. What's a boy to do?

First doula baby

I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in midwifery. The first step for me was to start by doing doula work in order to improve my chances of being accepted to midwifery school in a year.
My first doula client had her child last sunday on the 13th of Sept.
Her beautiful baby girl was born at 9:04 am weighing 9 lbs 2 ounces and 21 inches long.
The experience was amazing
On that note, Sariah moved the entire night. It was as if she was aware that something was going on. When I got home the next morning and went to bed Matt climbed in behind me and made the usual motion of putting his hand on my belly. He was astonished at how active she was.
One of the nurses made a comment about how this must make me want to hold my own child now. Actually it is the opposite. Once the child is here there is a period of wonderment and awe, but then life returns to normal and the experience is over. I am really not ready for that. The apprehension and wonder and "what if's" are gone. You no longer go to sleep wondering if "tonight will be the night" but rather you don't go to sleep at all :) It is a joyful and yet sad passing. What now belongs only to me I will soon have to share with the whole world.

Summer Fun

Growing up in Washington one knows that no summer is complete without a trip to this six flags theme park/water park. With the summer nearly ending we decided it was time. We went today with my cousin Shawn her husband and two children and we had such a great time!! It was thought provoking to watch my children enjoy the same rides and attractions that I had when I was their age. I definetly saw the park from a new perspective now that I am an adult with children of my own.
Tim Noah was performing and I remember him performing at my elementary school when I was ten, couldn't believe he was still around!! We have all his tapes and videos and the kids know all his songs so it was neat to see the look on their faces when they realized that this was the guy who sang some of their favorite songs.
On another note, it was so good to be able to go with family. Our family really gets along with my cousin's family and it is nice that the children are finally getting to really know thier family rather than just visiting occasionally.
All these things left me thinking at the end of the day, it is REALLY nice to be back home.

Not in the Army anymore.

Finally, my hubby can no longer be recognized as being in the Army by that certain look that all Army soldiers seem to have. Yep, it's official, we are civilians! His attire has changed, he has more hair than I have ever before seen him with, he has gained about fifteen pounds, and he almost always has a smile :)
At a staff meeting awhile ago they were introducing him and mentioned that he just came from the military and so he is adjusting to civilian life. His boss then said "Yes, and for some reason he always feels the need to let us know when he is leaving for lunch or at the end of the day." I found this very humorous, guesse the military did train him after all.

She's 10!!

Yes, it is hard to believe, but my first born turned 10 yesterday. She is officially a double digit. Realizing how old she is however also makes me realize how old I am. Another strange thought is that when this baby is ten she will be 20!! Pretty hard to fathom. When the kids are frustrating I have always joked that "they turn 18 tomorrow", better watch what I say, she is getting closer and closer.

solitude

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and on the way there I was thinking about how much I love appt. days. Not really because of the appt. But more because of the drive in complete solitude.
I drop the kids of at my cousin's house and then have a forty-five minute drive into Seattle. It is nice to roll down the window, sing with the radio and not have to answer to a child yelling "mommy" from somwhere behind.
The drive is interesting. It starts in a buisness area where there are stores everywhere and then skirts along the water with all the beautiful waterfront homes and finally enters an ecletic part of Seattle where the things you see make you grateful for what you have.
so here's to my appt.'s and the drive I take to get there!! Lucky for me, I now get to go every week :)

WHAT!!!!!!

Isaac has this new and very annoying habit. When he wants to tell you something he will say "mom?" Now if you just turn around and look at him or say "Yes?" he will continue to say "MOM" over and over again until you give him the proper response which seems to be "what?". Today just to see what would happen I purosefully looked him straight in the eye with a questioning look. As he continued to say "mom" over and over I finally said "yes, dear". That wasn't the right pass word either. After about two minutes of this game where he says mom over and over and I try different responses in order to get him to tell me what he wants, I give the exasperated reply of WHAT?????

Movies that stand the test of time

Last night I went to Hollywood to pick out some movies and came across "The Never Ending Story". This was my all-time favorite movie growing up and since I did not think the children had seen it I picked it up. Matt was pretty surprised and commented that I probably wouldn't think it was as good of a movie as I had remembered it being. I guesse now that I am older and we are used to more high tech special effects and such. Boy was he wrong! We all sat, comfy with out blankets, on the couch absolutely captivated. The children watched it once last night and then twice today. Guesse this is truly one movie that has stood the test of time.

Red Neck

True to his Amarillo roots, Matt's favorite ride at the fair was on a John Deer!! He even got a cool John Deer hat which he is very proud of.

Fair Fun

We went to the King County Fair the other day and had a great time! Man, how I have missed these fairs. The fests in Germany have some of the rides, but here there were tons, plus good old grilled hamburgers, onion blossoms, lemon aid, cotton candy and snow cones! Isaac and Michael weren't sure about some of the rides, as you can tell by their expression in one of the pictures, but we all really enjoyed it.

Where oh were?

So our things were finally delivered, but now I question whether that was a good thing or not. Trying to fit over 8,000 pounds into our tiny two bedroom apt. The first pic is of our dinning room and the boy's favorite new activity. Next is the second bedroom, which you can't really even enter. The last is of the other bedroom which we all sleep in (please ignore the unmade bed). It really isn't as bad as I thought it would be, in fact some nights it is actually nice to be this close to my children. And with me being eight months pregnant it is not as if there was anything going on in here anyhow :). Just trying to make due until Nov. when our lease is up and we move into larger quarters. Now you see why I am trying to convince Sariah she needs to incubate until Nov.