Advanced Maternal Age....Say What?

Apparently, at the ripe old age of 36, I am what obstetricians like to call of "advanced maternal age"..how amusing! As if I didn't already feel like the oldest mommy in our playgroup.;-)

Basically all this means is that I am at a higher risk for having a baby with certain genetic disorders such as downs syndrome, so more in depth tests are necessary. This isn't a bad thing..it means I get a more sensitive sequential screen than the average bear and more scans. Hey, more chances to see my growing baby? What could be wrong with that?

Still, it makes me feel old. I mean, here I am at 36 with 3 kids under the age of 4 and pregnant with #4, dragging my butt around the playground every day trying to make it look easy..at least I hope I'm making it look easy..lol ... and when I look around I see all these really young mommies with all this energy!

I can keep up with the best of them, but by 6 pm I have had it! After all day of running I am so ready to put the kids to bed and call it a day. I suspect all moms of young kids feel this way, even if they aren't of "advanced maternal age" ;-)

I think that is one of the things that they don't prepare you for, how bone weary you are going to be and how you still manage to get through each day, but most importantly...that you actually like it!


As My Belly Grows: Pregnancy update..

After several debates with myself regarding possible movement and it's relation to excess gas.. I have decided that I have definitely felt this little baby move!!!

I'm not a rookie so you'd think I'd know the difference between gas and actual fetal movement but I really had to stop and ponder it for awhile. I'm right at 16 weeks, so the time is right..although I had to look at the calendar to determine what week I'm in (with my 1st I could tell you to the minute how far along I was but each subsequent pregnancy seems to fly by quicker and quicker!)

But I am super excited, because I am positive that I am feeling the baby move! This is one of the best parts of pregnancy and the the part I miss the most when I am no longer pregnant.

Now I'm just waiting for the gender scan next month!

Crazy is a State of Mind

OK...so I am already accustomed to the stares, either bemused or horrified from other people as I walk into Walmart with my brood of 3. Why are they staring? Let me think about that for a minute...maybe it's because they are so close together in age ages (3, 2 and 1) , maybe it's because there are so many of them, maybe it's because they are wondering why anyone in their right mind would bring three toddlers grocery shopping in the first place or maybe because the mommy pushing the cart (me) is just starting to show.

Our fourth child is due in January and the first thing my mom said was "thank goodness you're not having another one in December!" (all three of my children have December birthdays which makes for very busy holiday season culminating in my spending several hours cross eyed and drooling in a corner:-)

My sister asked me if I was getting my tubes tied after this one and my brother just stared in disbelief. They all think that my husband and I are crazy lunatics for planning (yes ,planning)our family so close together. Meghan (our first) and Hailey (our second)are 12 months apart and Michael was born 11 months after Hailey ( Personally, I think that Hailey and Michael being the same age for almost a month is pretty cool!!)

For the record, to everyone from random strangers who feel the need to ask, to friends to members of our family..yes, my husband and I know all about birth control ....yes,all of our kids were planned... and just because it's your business and you need to know, my husband and I aren't getting any younger and if we wanted to have the large family that we both wanted, then we needed to have our children one after the other..(he's 43 and I'm 36).and YES..my hands are full but I wouldn't have it any other way.

As a family we are kind of a three ring circus, but we have alot of fun, and there is never a dull moment. I can't wait to see what Baby #4 adds to the mix!


Taking a break from the crazies: My three little cuties having a blast blowing bubbles...who could have imagined that $1.00 bubbles could buy over an hour of happiness (and relative peace and quiet for me!) GO BUBBLES!!

Party Time!

The whole family attended an my cousin's engagement party at my aunt's house yesterday
I think Meghan is ready to be a big sister again!

Michael loves him some cupcakes!

Meghan swimming like a big girl!

The bouncy house!

The girls BEFORE the party....

The C's Build a Treasure Chest

This weekend we went to Lowe's for their free build and grow workshop..it was pretty darn cool! All the kids got to help build their very own Treasure chest!!

The kids tested out our new sprinkler.....

4th of July Weekend

We had a very busy weekend! We headed over to my brothe's for a clambake....the kids had a fantastic time! We even had a fireworks show!

These were taken at the "water mountain"...the kids love to splash in the fountain at Starbucks

These were taken at the local spray park....

Tutus that I made for the girls....

Cherry picking!!!

Here Comes The Sun!

It finally stopped raining long enough to bring out the pool and the slip and slide for a little backyard fun!