Meeting siblings

Wow! Matthew is already so loved! The kids were absolutely estatic to meet their new little brother. Madison checked everything out on him right away, his feet and hands, umbilical cord, etc. Macy had such sweet words how cute he was, and our favorite, "You are now a part of our family, Matthew!" Max loves the baby so much, and gave him lots of hugs and kisses. He also honked his nose and wanted to play choos-choos, and will need to be watched closely :)! What a wonderful way to welcome our new addition!

Matthew Donald

Even though I was induced, things were progressing, but not as fast as they should have. Throughout the day we tried different things, and they would work, but then things would be at a stand still. When I was far enough along to break my water, they found miconium (ms?) in the fluid, which meant that the baby probably ingested some of the poop. So, I was unable to continue with a waterbirth, which I had done with Macy and Max and loved. After some additional precautions, and scary thoughts and feelings, we decided to try pitosin around 6:00 to get things moving. After some intense contractions, I was finally ready to push. I had to push once for his head to come and stop, so she could suction. Then I continued to push and he was out and taken over to get worked on. Thankfully all was well, and we welcomed our new addition, Matthew Donald Monte at 7:37 p.m. on June 22, 2011. He weighed 7 pounds, and was 20 1/2 inches long, our smallest baby yet. We were all ready for a good nights sleep :)

Getting ready for the hospital

What a day on Tuesday! I went in for my 39 week appointment, and I had lost 3 more pounds and was only measuring 32. I passed my NST, but the ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid was too low. They wanted me to check into the birth center that day, so we could get things started. With that news, things got pretty crazy around the house trying to get last minute things done, i.e., the lawn mowed, dishes cleaned and put away.Luckily the kids did a nice job reading books for a bit, and watched a "kid" show on tv. Bumpa came to the rescue around 5:00, we picked up some Calabria's, and headed for our "date night" at the birth center!!!

Swim lessons

Madison had a great time at swim lessons this week, despite the cold and icky weather. On Monday they were able to go down the fun slide and jump off the diving board in the deep end (with life jackets on, and help from their teachers). She will miss them when they finish next Thursday!

Butter Run/Parade

This morning, Max and I had the task of sitting on a corner in the neighborhood, directing runners up the hill, for the Annual Reedsburg Run for the Butter. He was such a trooper and stayed nice in his stroller the entire time. He had lots of claps and cheers for the runners, too! A little later was the parade and even Max was hard core into the candy this year! He would get up so fast and collect as much as he could! We're still hoping to make it to the carnival at some point!

TGIF

We had such a great Friday! After basketball, I took all 3 kids shopping and then to Oschner Park in Baraboo. We enjoyed a picnic lunch with Molly, Keely, and Tammy, and kids, and time at the park. We also stopped to see some of the animals before we went back to Molly's for swimming! Everyone did so well, and it was great visiting with all again. After dinner, we took an "eventful" family walk, and finished out the evening with strawberry shortcake. Daddy taught the kids about reddi-whip, and Max opens as wide as possible when he comes around with the can...we love summer!

Pirate Cove Family Fun Center

After basketball on Thursday, I took the kids to the Pirate Cove Family Fun Center in the Dells. The kids LOVED the water/sand area, and could've played all day. The jumping pillow was big fun, and Max enjoyed his first time (especially since it was just our family, and our friends on it). He didn't care for it as much when there were more people and it was hard for him to stand up! They also had a pedal cart track, giant connect 4, chess, and checkers game, trampoline basketball thing, and a fun park area. We also enjoyed some lunch in the shelter area (aren't Max and Jaxson cute?). A fun day had by all!

Swim Lessons/Basketball

Last week, Madison started outdoor swim lessons for the first time, and a basketball camp. Besides it being a little cold at the beginning of the week, she has really loved swim lessons. She is improving so much, and always seems to have a big smile on her face (third from the left)! Basketball has been a bit of a challenge...dribbling has been difficult for her to get. We keep reinforcing the "try your hardest and have fun!" The other kids got to wait for Madison in the commons at the high school, and enjoyed playing a pass game for awhile. Macy wanted to dribble so she could show Daddy at home! I think we'll all be practicing our dribbling this summer!

Carnival birthday party

Our friend, Madelyn, turns 5 on Thursday and had a carnival birthday party today! What fun was had by all! There were many different games to try out, a bounce house (Max's favorite), tattoos/face painting, a stage for dress-up and shows, popcorn and lemonade, tickets and prizes! The kids had such a great time playing together, and especially loved the cupcakes that looked like mini-popcorn! Thanks Tara and Mark for such a great time!

Orangeville Parade

Jesse took all three kids to Orangeville, IL, on Saturday for their parade. The girls got to ride with Grandpa Monte in the truck (the third back in the line), and even got to throw candy (and of course, eat the candy)! Uncle Tom was driving the tractor, and Max got to bond with his cousin Stacey! I stayed home to be close to the hospital, just in case, and started cleaning baby things and doing baby laundry! It was nice to have some alone time and get things done, but I did miss everyone and the fun! The other picture shows Madison and Max working on puzzles while Macy was napping. Macy and Max are pretty close, so it was so great to see Madison and Max working together for over 1/2 hour on the puzzles!

3 weeks until baby!!!!

The belly pictures were taken last Weds., 3 weeks before baby is due. We have been enjoying the little time off of school so far. Our friend, Carrie, gave us this big wheel with the handle for Max on our walks. It will take a little getting used to, especially since we like to move faster than his little feet will pedal! Macy also enjoyed trying it out, while Madison went on our walk on her bike. Jesse gave the girls BIG watermelon pieces to celebrate our first watermelon of the summer (that's why we put the bibs on)! They loved how juicy it was!