Introducing **** Annabelle Joy Mathews****

She's here! She's perfect and we're all doing really well. More details soon... here are some pics! :O)



This video we just took a few hours ago - the boys holding their little sister for the first time!

Here she comes!

I went in for my Dr appt. today with severe pain in my back and legs. I'm dilated to a 3 and contracting so they had compassion on me and told me to go home get things in order and come back to have this baby!!!!

It looks like we'll be welcoming baby Annabelle either later today or tomorrow!! Wish us luck - prayers are always welcome :)

Going the distance

I sort of had a date in my head that I was sure this baby would be here by. Well, that day has come and gone. I'm thinking that we're really going to go the distance with this one. The thing is, is that I KNOW if I wasn't delivering at a military hospital under military care, I'd have some say in the matter, but here they are SUPER STRICT about inductions - they won't do 'em unless there is a real medical need. Wouldn't you say that extreme emotional deress and physical pain constitutes a medical need? Whatever.

Yesterday we spent a few hours shopping and afterward I started contracting regularily. First 6-7 minutes apart, then for a good solid 3 hours they were 3-5 minutes apart and STRONG! James was post call so I made him go lie down and rest while I got the bags ready and called our neighbors to see if we could drop off the kids. Well, after doing so I was exhausted and REALLY in pain, so I sat down to rest. They stopped. The contractions just stopped! I was depressed. I'm still depressed, but only really b/c I was so excited that I was finally going to see my daughter. I know it's soon. I'm adopting the recovering alcoholic's creed "One day at a time" and hoping that it is only a matter of a day or two and not weeks! ;)

In other Mathews news, James is starting a new rotation tomorrow that promises to give him much more time here with us and a little bit of flexibility when the baby comes. That is a huge relief especially since he just finished a rotation where he averaged over 100 hours per week. This morning he slept 'til 10:00!!

Thank you for reading my rantings. Here is my solemn vow: I will not post again until I either have lots of cute pictures of a new baby girl, or at least have something uplifting to share. I love you all!

Hospital trip

Hey people. We went to the hospital last night. I'd been having so familiar PIH (pregnancy induced hypertention) symptoms and some others reminiscent of my first pregnancy (Preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome) which were scaring me. So we went, even though my BP was only slightly elevated and I knew they'd probably send me home. It was a quick trip, about 2 hours) but good to know that I'm not sick (yet) and baby is ok. The kids were so ticked off when we came and got them from my neighbors house where they were enjoying their "sleepover" and hoping to meet their little sister the next day. Oh well.

I have my regular appointment tomorrow and am so hoping that the DR says I'm getting close. This whole going full-term thing is at least as bad as everyone says it is! ;) I'm going to start a new project or something today. I've GOT to keep my mind occupied or I'm gonna loose it!

Whoa Mamma!

If this photo frightens you, don't worry, you're not the only one! Dillon took this picture and the poor thing is not a little bit squeemish when it comes to my protrusion. He literally will run and hide if I threaten to expose it, so he was very brave. I think having to bring him to my Dr. appointments has had something to do with his issues. Oh, and maybe my wicked awesome (probably world record breaking) stretch marks!

I just figured that now that I'm officially more pregnant than I have ever been, I'd post a belly pic... Here she is people. I'm glad Dillon didn't get my head in the picture b/c I'm sure I was wincing. I usually am. Most of the baby's movements cause me a certain level of discomfort, oh and sitting and standing, bending, walking etc.

Really, though, I feel pretty good and that is such a blessing.

I got THREE packages in the mail today! You know you're destined for a good day when that happens!

I am one of those "very particular about my bag" types of people. I do tend to have a bag fetish. However, part of the fun of shopping for purses, bags etc. is getting a totally amazing deal. It wasn't so much the case with this bag. When my sister in law was visiting, she had one similar to this and I loved it. Soo... I went to the website, and as soon as I saw this particular one I knew we were destined for each other. It's the perfect bag b/c it does not HAVE to be a diaper bag, but it will work GREAT as one. It's just the right size, and will last forever! I know b/c I got James a Timbuk2 bag his first year of med school and it still looks new! I hunted the web for a bargain to no avail and ended up spending as much for it as I've probably spent on all the bags in my closet combined (might be exaggerating a little.. a talent of mine)! Anyway, it produced a huge smile on my face.




I also got an order of scrapbook paper (for baby announcements) and my very first issue of this magazine..

We're dog-sitting for my mom this week. It's been fun.......... for the kids. I love Watson, but I just don't love having another person to look after and feed and yell at. Yes, yell at. Luckily, he's pretty low maintenance and GREAT with the kids.



Like I said, the kids are loving having him here and will probably really miss him once my mom comes back to fetch him.

Ok - I'm off to say hello to my husband who I haven't seen in a couple of days! And I may work in some scrappin' time today wahoo!

Indian Summer

I know that last post was lame. Sorry - but some people were actually asking me if I'd had the baby and so I figured I'd better let ya'll know that NO unfortunately I am still VERY VERY pregnant, but all is well.

Over the week of Labor Day and the previous week the weather here was abnormally hot. Not many people here have AC so it makes mildly hot (I say mildly only b/c of where we used to live) unbearable. It was to the point where we were eating out everyday and sleeping downstairs on the couch with ice packs. We were (I was) completely out of it and miserable, but thankfully, it has now cooled off and once again that lovely ocean breeze blows through the room as I am typing. Have I mentioned that we really love it here?

Also over Labor day weekend we had Uncle Shawn-o and Aunt Kabby come to visit! We had such an amazing time going to the Galaxy vs. Real game. We DID see David Beckham! He wasn't playing, but he was sitting right above us for half the game! Posh wasn't there. He was sitting with his son. That was kind of neat, I guess, though I really have NEVER followed soccer and only barely knew who he was. Once he moved a different box in the stadium we were able to get a photo, but it's hard to tell it's him. Here it is anyway ->





We also went to the beach and down to San Diego with them. We visited the most amazing military memorial that had spectacular views of the coast, city and the San Diego Temple. What a sight!





The beach was super fun and felt great b/c of the wickedly hot weather. So, can you tell the boys love these guys? They really do. They are like second parents to my boys and we miss them sooooooo much.





You may have been wondering over the last several months if Dillon still likes to dress up in bizzare outfits and costumes? Well the answer is evident in this photo of him in his "bike-a riding clothes."




The view from behind was pretty great with his jersey all tucked in his pajama pants like that ;)

Charlie has been up to soooooooo much mischeif lately. I am getting REALLY REALLY worried about what's going to happen when the baby comes. Here's a short list of his latest catastrophes:

* Getting in to the fridge and dumping out an entire pot of chocolate pudding- then walking in it all over the kitchen
* Pulling up several plants in the backyard - roots and everything
* "Cleaning" my scrapping desk with a pad of permanent black ink
* Ripping apart book after book when mamma's not looking
* Emptying a new jar of Chlorox disinfecting wipes one wipe at a time
* Pooping on the stairs (while our guests were here thank you)
* Breaking a window in the front room with a T-ball stand. This is by far the worst so far (knock on wood)

He's just such a trouble maker and I'm sure our neighbors often wonder what the heck is going on over here b/c of all the commotion. He just gravitates toward trouble! I don't know what to do with him. I found myself yelling at him that if he didn't stop acting like an animal (this was after the pudding thing) I was going to rent a cage at the zoo for him - right next to the stinky monkeys and the alligators. I told him he could eat grass and dead fish just like the other animals. He really didn't like that, but the threats have saved us from a number of other mishaps....

As far as "Baby news," I had my appointment last week and I'm dilated to a 1 and a little bit effaced. So in other words, this baby is not coming out tomorrow. I'll be 37 weeks Wednesday which is technically full term, but I'm thinking she's happy where she is for now and the big event will be close to the end of the month. James thinks I may even hit my due date! AHH! As of this coming Friday, I'll be more pregnant than I've ever ever been. Wow.

So, now that you're caught up on 2 weeks worth of me and us, I'll just take a second and say thanks to everyone who has called, emailed or sent packages lately. It's SOOOO
nice to know people are thinking of us and we love you all so much!

Sooooo tired

People I am still here... still pregnant, still hangin' in there. I'm super exhausted from the "nesting" kicking in! I've spent the last 3 days cleaning (with help from Dillon, James and my Mom's- Charlie not so much). I'm super swollen, and combatting a cold. One REALLY REALLY good thing is that it has cooled down here a lot and I can sleep in my own bed and without an ice pack! I'll elaborate soon. A REAL post is coming soon. I promise :)