Mary Kendrick is HERE! (...and she has been for over a month...whoops!)

As if anyone who reads this blog doesn't already know, we had a GIRL!

(...a month ago...) 

Mary Kendrick Acker was born midmorning on April 5, one day after her due date.  I am finally getting a minute to sit down to write her little "entrance story" so I don't forget it and so those of you who don't know the silly little details can be in-the-know -- because I'm sure you've been checking on the regular. ;)

So here's the story with pictures that fit in the timeline of events:

When I went in for my 36-week checkup, I was 3cm dilated and 50% effaced already, so my doc excitedly exclaimed, "You won't be pregnant much longer!"  So I went ahead and let the parental troops know it could be any day.  A week went by, and I had my 37-week checkup: 3cm and 75% effaced.  Getting closer!  It really could be any day now!  

Another week went by, and I headed to my 38-week checkup: 3cm and 90% effaced.  Basically the baby would slide right out if my water broke at this point, but I still had not had a single contraction nor was the baby super low yet.  But any day now, he/she is going to be here!  A few days passed, and I finally had some contractions, real contractions.  So I called the troops once again and told my parents to go ahead and pack their bags and come on.  They arrived on a Saturday, and a few days later (when I still had not had the baby) I had my 39-week checkup: 3cm and 90%.  WHAT IN THE WORLD.

 

So the doctor and I had a conversation about induction, as I had tested positive for Group-B Strep and they didn't want a big ole baby to be delivered at home or on the side of the highway by accident.  So induction was scheduled for April 5 at 6am, and we began praying hard that the baby would come before then on his/her own.

I'd never been 39 weeks pregnant before; Susannah came at 37 weeks, and John came the day before 39 weeks.  The Lord used that last week of pregnancy to show me, "THIS is why so many women hate the 3rd trimester."  I could literally feel the baby's feet in my ribcage (kicking, mind you) and head in my hip joint.  My back was killing me 90% of the day, and I couldn't do anything without breathing like I'd just run a marathon.  So this induction scenario was sounding more and more appealing if I reached April 5 and Baby still wasn't here.
40-week checkup on April 4: 3cm and fully effaced.  Laughable, really.  So I said, "Seeya tomorrow!" to the doctor and headed home to pray for labor and pack the car.

Since this was my first 40-weeks experience, I took a self-timer selfie, and I'm only slightly ashamed of that.

After going to bed that night around 10, contractions woke me up at 12:30.  They were about 15 minutes apart, and after a few rounds, I got up to walk some, and (of course) they went away.  So I sadly went back to bed.  A little later at 3am, contractions woke me up once again and were 10 minutes apart but this time did not go away.  I woke Pete up at 4, and we were en route to the hospital at 4:30am with consistent and intense contractions 7 minutes apart: I was in natural labor, y'all!!  Can I get a hallelujah?!  

So we got to the hospital nice and early, which means I was the first one to claim an epidural nice and early!  Wahoo!  The antibiotics for the Group-B Strep started, I got my epidural an hour or so later, and we were smoooooth sailing until my doctor finished a C-section and came in to break my water.  After the waters flowed freely, he said, "Alright, we'll have this baby in an hour or two!" and left to take care of other business.  About 15 minutes after he left, our baby decided it was time to make an entrance, so back he came; and in 1 push, Mary Kendrick was here, a whopping 9lbs even and 21 1/2 inches long!

 

I can honestly say I am living my dreams right now.  Every new season of adulthood has brought the same emotion of undeserved blessing and favor from the Lord (each new season's more intense than the last), and I find myself often stepping back and asking, "How did I get here?  I've wanted this life for as long as I can remember, but how did it actually happen?"  God has been gracious to me and Pete, and I don't know if my heart has ever felt so thankful.  

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" -Eph. 3:20-21

BABY'S ALMOST HERE!

I had my 38-week appointment today, and without going into specifics, I'll just say this: the baby might be sliding right on out if I sneeze hard enough today.  The doctor was kind of baffled that I hadn't had any contractions yet, so we're thinking it could be soon!  But who really knows.  So I figured before life gets even busier, I'd post an update on the 2 kids running the show currently since I haven't posted anything since January.  My apologies, but you really should just get on Instagram and follow me because that's where all the cutest pictures go.  It's just so easy!

BUT, Instagram doesn't get all the fun stories and milestones.  We'll start with my PRECIOUS ANGEL John:

Oh that boy.  I fall more in love with him every day.  He is talking up a storm now and runs everywhere he goes.  He smiles 90% of the day, the other 10% is spent making toot noises with his mouth, which is (obviously) followed by a laugh, and thus another smile.  He hugs me about 46 times a day ("Bi' hug, pease, Mommy?") and LOVES when Pete becomes a "tay bea" ("scary beast"...we still need to work on some of our sounds).  He is a major tattle tale on his little buddy "Dizza" (Susannah).  For example, they both know they're not supposed to stomp at someone when they get mad, so John will jokingly stomp at Susannah to get her to stomp back at him, and he immediately comes running to tell on her: "Dizza 'tomp a' me, Mommy.  Dizza 'tomp!  No, Dizza!"  He's a hoot, for real.  I just don't think I laugh harder at anything in life than when my Johnji is around.  

Now for Sus: 

She is getting so PRETTY I can hardly stand it.  The baby in her is almost gone, and she carries this light in her eyes that makes her look so mature.  She is also so, so smart and has a surprisingly impressive memory.  She remembers things from before John was born, and that blows my mind because she could barely talk then.  Susannah is also getting more and more independent, which is both wonderful and challenging.  She rarely ever wants to do things the way I want her to do them, so we're butting heads quite often.  Why did my mom not tell me it started this early?!  But even in those difficult moments, I know she's learning (as am I, good gracious, as am I), so I'm thankful...generally a couple hours later after my blood pressure lowers.

They are both still the talk of the town anytime we go anywhere.  My ego is so massive because of the compliments and doting these two get.  We'll see if Baby #3 can keep up with the Joneses! 

And here are some top pics of the last few months:

From back in late January -- cheese faces are so funny now!

Sus reading to Buddy John

Anytime these kids get nakey, it is absolutely necessary to hug-wrestle.  It's the cutest and funnest!

Last month, we got to host all our Gilbert cousins for a weekend of fun!  It started with homemade pizzas.

Two to a pie!

Figgy was helping the boys, but Than man knows it's best to just let others cook for you!

We went to the park and had the whole place to ourselves!

We made our own tie-dye t-shirts!

And played in ball pits! (Part of our obstacle course)

And loved on each other!

And were SO THANKFUL for Pops and Figgy being in on the fun and chaos, too!

THAT BOY.  My friend Katie has a fancy camera and snapped this one (along with the next few) last week for us.

We got so many good ones!

For the love...they're so cute.

SQUEEZE!

37 weeks pregnant here!

Merry Thanksgiving New Year-mas!

I am going to stop apologizing for my lack of consistent postings -- life is crazy now, and I know you know that!  So we've got some fun pics from the past couple months, and I'll try to hit the highlights rather than post every darn one.  

As for the FUN of our kids right now -- because seriously, they are SO FUN RIGHT NOW -- there is much to tell.  Susannah is hilarious.  She told me yesterday, "Mommy, you don't call me 'Sus' anymore because, well, it's DANGEROUS!"  Her new favorite phrase is "in no time."  "I gonna take dis bath in no time!"  "I gonna be done doin' dis in no time!"  She's been known to use that phrase over 10 times in 10 minutes -- she'll make the record books someway, somehow.  

John is in a toddler bed now!  And he never skipped a beat.  He still loves going to bed and waits for us to come get him when he wakes up.  He will move in to Susannah's room probably next weekish, so we'll see if he stays in bed then!  (Yeah right.)  He is more obsessed with balls than any kid I've ever encountered in my life.  I think he'd probably prefer to have one to snuggle in bed over the bear he keeps in there.  For Christmas, Figgy and Pop got him a basketball and hoop, and I cannot tell you the hours he and Pete have spent out on the porch playing; since we put it up not quite a week ago, that's almost all he wants to do.  John is talking a lot more now, too, which is lots of fun!  It's still mostly that language that only Pete, Sus, and I can interpret, but it's still fun communicating with him.  He understands just about everything we say and is really good at following instructions, too.

We are now 6 months along with Baby 3!  We decided to wait on finding out the gender until delivery, so that's exciting!  Boy or girl, we have what the babe needs, no doubt.  As for names, we're still at the drawing board.  Hopefully we'll come up with a couple solid choices soon.  And as far as how I'm feeling/looking: same song different verse: my belly is staying small again (thankful!), so I'm not uncomfortable at all. 

Now for what you're all here for anyway -- PICS!  (And a lot of them!)

Ware clan cousins at Thanksgiving.  I said, "Whoever smiles biggest gets candy!"

This is just too sweet of John and Aunt Lauren!  (She's a boy expert, no doubt)

Sus and John had the best time with Sydnie, Maddie, and Aunt Carissa at the Children's Museum in Hburg

The best I could get of [most of] the Acker clan cousins during Thanksgiving week.

John was so happy to meet Uncle Bill! (And Aunt Carol, who's not pictured unfortunately) 

This was my birthday gift -- snuggles and football!  FIVE WHOLE MINUTES! 

Sometimes my big boy lets me pretend he's a baby again.

Brinner for Christmas Eve dinner!  Pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit salad, and strawberry poptarts -- This might have been my best decision of 2016.

CHRISTMAS!  John got his own "iPad" from PopPop and Dizzy!

Showing off the earrings her sweet brother got her for Christmas

Our 2016 Christmas experience in a nutshell. (New princess dress from Dizzy and PopPop and ball from Uncle Bear and Aunt KK.)

No damsels in distress tied to to tracks -- just some crazies under them!  A fav gift from The Ware boys!

Just your average pile of dirty laundry

Figgy and Pops got Susannah a beautiful tent for Christmas, and the girl LOVES IT!

Celebrating Christmas a week late (thanks to Sus and croup) with the Gilberts! 

These girls were super excited to discover that they had matching PJs after spending a whole day in unintentionally matching shirts!

As described above, this boy is ballin' nonstop.

Celebrating NYE (and our 5-yr-anniversary!) with friends and lots of kids!

These three are the sweetest little friends -- all born within 3 months of each other.

Lunch dates then and now -- she still can't take her eyes off him!  (me either, for that matter....yowza!)

Her first ever written word, and she's already name-calling.  Poor Hello Kitty never stood a chance. 

SUGAR BOWL GAME FACE.

My first baby bump pic of the pregnancy in honor of being in the THIRD TRIMESTER!

Watching a movie together in Susannah's new tent.  I melt.